Second Chances III: Redemption

by Hero541

First published 8th of May, 2013

Josh and Vinyl are now separate and alone, both aching to see their love. The human must cope with his new, lonely existence and face his past, while Vinyl is forced to hide from Filthy Rich and his hateful crusade against her lover.

Things couldn't have turned out worse for Josh Daniels and his marefriend, Vinyl Scratch. They are separate and alone after Filthy Rich convinced the princesses to send Josh back to earth. Now, the human producer must cope with his new, lonely existence and confront his past in the form of a new producer who mirrors his old self. Meanwhile, Vinyl is forced to hide from Filthy's prying eyes and deal with the very real possibility that she may never see the love of her life again.

Featured on 4/7/2017!

Cover Art by: Shadow Bolt
Huge thanks to my editors Wolfton, Spunkyspunks95, mikea491, Wolfton's washer and drier, and my squeaky chair for helping me on this story.
Special consideration to assassinsrul3 for helping get this started and on the right path.

This story is dedicated to my loving mother, Deanna Scherer. I love you mom, and I'm gonna miss you. I can't wait to see you when I arrive at the pearly gates myself one day.

Chapter 1: Aftermath

Martha made her way down the hall of the little old farmhouse, the aged wooden floorboards creaking as she set foot on them. Upon reaching the end of the short walkway, she stopped at the door in front of her and gently pushed it open, looking towards the bed in the center of the room and its sole inhabitant.

It was a young man, very tall and handsome, with short, brown hair and slightly tanned skin. He lay in the bed, fully clothed and seemed to be extremely restless. He tossed and turned over and over again, mumbling in his sleep as he did so. After some time, he stopped stirring, but still continued to mutter incoherently.

The old woman felt pity bubble up in her stomach as she watched the obviously perturbed young man suffer in his dreams. She closed the door gently and made her way back down the short hall and into the rather spacious living room. An aged, rather portly man sat in a recliner, watching the softly glowing television before his eyes. As Martha entered, he looked to her, his own concerned expression matching hers.

“How’s the boy doin’? he asked, shutting the television off as his wife took a seat in the nearby easy chair and sighed a little.

“He’s tossing and turning like there’s no tomorrow, and he won’t stop mumbling in his sleep.” she replied, taking off her glasses and pinching the bridge of her nose gently.

“He sure was upset when I found him.” stated Otis, looking away from his wife and recalling the events that had transpired the previous day, “Just kept sayin’ he’d lost her...”

“Lost who?” inquired Martha.

“I think he said it was... Vinyl. Whoever that is.”

“Maybe that’s his girlfriend he was talking about last time he was here.” suggested Martha, replacing her glasses and looking to Otis who glanced back in her direction.

“Maybe... That’s a rather odd name for a girl though, don’t ya think?” asked the old farmer, scratching the stubble on his chin.

“Well, you know how names go nowadays.” said Martha, “I’m sure that ‘Vinyl’ is about as socially accepted now as Betty or Bob was back in our day.”

“That’s entirely possible... But it still don’t answer the bigger question here, the one I know both you and I’ve been thinkin’ about all night.”

“How’d he get here?” Martha finished.

The elderly couple looked away from each other once more and contemplated the question at hand. Oddly enough, this wasn’t the first time that the young music producer had suddenly appeared on their little Kansas farm. Almost a year ago, Otis had heard some sort of disruption and wandered out into his field to find the tall young man laying there, unsure of how he even managed to get there himself. Last time, however, he was much less disturbed...

“What’re we gonna do, Otis?” asked Martha, drawing her husband’s attention once more, “We can’t just let him back out in the world like this. With as emotionally disturbed as he seems, he’d stand absolutely no chance of making it!”

“Well,” Otis began, glancing down the hall towards where Josh was staying, “we’ll do what any good Christian folks ought to. We’ll take him in for a bit, at least till he’s decided what his next move’s gonna be.”

Martha nodded and glanced out the window at the slowly lightening sky. Upon glancing at the clock, she noticed it was a little past seven in the morning.

“Wow,” she said, rubbing her eyes, “we’ve been up all night, haven’t we?”

“Well, I suppose we’d better get some shuteye then.” Otis said, standing up and making for their room next to Josh’s at the end of the hallway, “If we’re gonna help him at all, we’d better be well rested.”

Martha nodded and slowly stood to join her husband as the two made their way back to check on Josh for a second before heading to their own bedroom. Staying up all through the night to keep an eye on the producer afforded them the luxury of easy sleep, but their unexpected house guest was still suffering the loss of his love in the form of uneasy and disturbing dreams. Josh’s mind was still haunted by the beautiful face of his marefriend as she cried and begged for the princesses of Equestria not to take her lover away, a plea all in vain as he was violently torn away from her and the world he had come to call home.

The bright, golden sun began to rise over the little town of Ponyville, bathing the village in its warm and comforting light. Luna, the Equestrian princess of the night, would normally have taken this time as her cue to return to her home in Canterlot to sleep and prepare for the next evening. Yet, the royal indigo alicorn still sat on a small cloud outside the home of Octavia Philharmonica, peering in through the upstairs window at a cream colored unicorn mare with a shaggy blue mane and tail as well as a black connected eighth note tattooed on her flanks. The fur on her face was heavily matted and her already disheveled mane was even messier than normal. This particular mare, known as Vinyl Scratch, had spent almost the entire night crying heavily over the loss of the absolute love of her life, her human coltfriend, Josh Daniels.

As the night princess watched the gentle rise and fall of the distraught mare’s chest, she felt nothing but guilt tug at her heartstrings. Her carelessness in the Canterlot Statue Garden had seemingly lead to such a sad sight. All she’d meant to do was vent her frustration over her sister’s insane plan to introduce Josh to Equestria in the hopes that the loving and tolerant natures of the ponies there could change his cynical and emotionally destructive ways. Though the night princess had initially disagreed with it all, she was heavily surprised to see that her sister’s intuition had not only been correct, but that Josh had decided to return to Equestria and stay with the love of his life, the pony she was now watching sleep.

Both she and her sister, Celestia, princess of the sun, had received an urgent letter from Twilight Sparkle saying she needed their assistance in a matter concerning the human and another hateful pony by the name of Filthy Rich. The princesses were both well aware of the situation with Josh in Ponyville, from Filthy’s newfound crusade against him, to his imprisonment, and everything in between. Though initially they believed that the issue would handle itself and ponies would never see Josh the way Filthy does, the two alicorns finally resolved that the situation was more than out of hoof now, and must be dealt with as soon as possible. The sisters showed up at the trial when the time finally came for it at the behest of Twilight, and helped defend the wrongly persecuted human. After all, what better defense could Josh have than the rulers of Equestria themselves?

However, neither of them expected Filthy Rich to be able to rile up the crowd like that against one innocent individual. Luna was so flustered and so caught off guard by what was happening that she barely had time to talk her sister out of her actions before she used her magic to send the human back home to earth and thus cause an incredible amount of heartache for his friends and lover. Immediately after Celestia sent Josh back home, she rushed out of the room and headed for her chariot, tears trailing down her face. Luna followed close behind, barely able to comprehend what she had just seen. Just as the ivory alicorn reached her guards, however, she ordered them to take her back home, leaving Luna in Ponyville to help the distraught group of mares back in the courtroom.

And that is how Luna found herself outside Octavia’s house, keeping watch over Vinyl as she cried and dealt with the reality of her new, lonely existence. Not once had the night princess left her spot, simply choosing to keep an eye on the emotionally disturbed unicorn so she didn’t attempt anything drastic.

“I’m so sorry, Vinyl.” she said quietly, the guilt in her heart increasing one thousandfold as she watched the uneasily sleeping mare.

Before too long, she noticed the sun’s continued rise and felt it was time to return to Canterlot at last to rest for the day. Making sure Vinyl was still asleep, she sent away the cloud she had been resting on and made the short flight back to the golden city of Canterlot and its royal castle. Alighting atop one of the balconies nearest the throne room, she made her way inside the giant gilded doors and immediately saw her sister sitting at the head of the room on her magnificent throne. The regal mare had her head hung low in sadness and her eyes were closed. Luna approached as carefully as she could, knowing full well that Celestia hadn’t slept well that night.

“I see you managed to raise the sun for the day.” she stated as she finally approached her solar sibling, “And on only a few hours of sleep too.”

Celestia didn’t respond at first, instead just continuing to sit there in sadness. Luna looked at her sister with a deeply concerned face and prepared to try and say something in an attempt to liven up her mood somehow. She was cut off right as she opened her mouth.

“How is she?” asked the ivory alicorn, raising her head and opening her eyes as her sister closed her mouth once more.

“She’s... well, I knew she’d be fairly distraught, and I’d worried that she may do something horrible...” replied Luna, trailing off a little, “But she’s safe, at least.”

Celestia said nothing to that, not even making a gesture to acknowledge her sister’s words. She merely sighed and lowered her head again, closing her eyes as she did so. Luna looked at her unbelievably depressed sibling for some time after that, unable to find any words that could possibly help the situation. She’d not seen Celestia like this since the last of their closest friends died thousands of years ago. After a few minutes of uncomfortable silence, Luna finally spoke, drawing Celestia’s attention back.

“Tia, I have to know why. Why did you do this? Did you even-”

“Please, Luna. I don’t want to talk about it right now...” replied Celestia, still with her head down and a somber look on her face.

“I just need to know.” said Luna firmly, “You know you can’t avoid discussing this forever.”

“I’m well aware, Luna,” Tia replied weakly, unable to keep a slight hint of annoyance out of her voice, “but now’s not a good time.”

“It’s as good a time as any, sister.”

At those words, Celestia’s head shot up, surprising Luna with her movement and the glare that she was giving her. The dark princess actually backed away from her sister in fear as Celestia looked towards her with angry tears in her eyes.

“What is your bucking issue, Luna?!” she spat at her indigo sister, actually raising off her throne and approaching the mare, “Do you think I wanted to do that, that I wanted to tear apart two individuals who were so deeply in love?! Are you somehow convinced in your little head that I found any sort of sick pleasure in that?!”

Luna continued to back away as Celestia advanced on her, the anger never leaving her stare as she did so.

“Well, I didn’t! But what was I supposed to do?” she shouted as Luna crouched low, her ears pressed against her skull as she looked to her angry sister, “I had no choice! It was either I send him home where he can be safe, or I leave him here and force him to face the rage of the ponies in that room!”

Celestia’s enraged voice began to falter and shake as sadness overwhelmed her regal form once more. Eventually, she heaved and collapsed to the ground, tears of absolute frustration she’d been fighting back flowing fast and free from her violet eyes. No longer able to contain herself, the alabaster mare collapsed to the ground and began to sob openly. Luna rose slowly and watched her normally composed and poised sister lose herself right there in front of her.

“I d-didn’t w-wanna do it!” wailed Celestia from her position on the ground, “I’m s-so sorry to them b-both... I’m a f-failure...”

“How could you possibly be a failure, Tia?” asked Luna, approaching her sister’s sad form and gently rubbing her back, “You brought together two individuals and allowed them to fall madly in love with one another.”

“I c-couldn’t protect them...” said Celestia, sniffling a little before continuing, “And what’s worse, I allowed such hatred and intolerance to manifest itself in my own kingdom. I could have stopped it the whole time and d-done my duty, but I failed...”

“No kingdom’s perfect, Tia.” said Luna gently, leaning down to look her sister in the eyes, “You know that better than anypony.”

“I know, Luna. But to have this happen in a world where we hold love and tolerance in the highest degree...”

“It is... extremely unfortunate...” admitted Luna.

Without warning, Celestia stood once more and walked unsteadily towards a nearby window, staring out of it at the slowly rising sun she had placed in the sky only hours previously.

“Filthy Rich did more than just shame us yesterday, sister.” said Celestia, not taking her eyes off the glowing orb in the sky, “He showed me just how far we fell in our duties as the rulers and protectors of this land. Not only could we not save Josh from this in time, but we’ve also let the horrible ideals of Filthy Rich spread throughout Ponyville.”

“You could have protected him.” said Luna simply, joining her sister once more at the window, “Just send him to another place in Equestria so that Vinyl and his friends could find him again and cast a spell to protect them.”

“If his friends can find him, so can Filthy, whether I cast a spell or not.” replied Celestia solemnly, “This whole thing would just happen all over again, and that’s the last thing we’d need.”

Luna opened and closed her mouth, unable to find the words she needed. After some time of struggling to find her tongue, she finally relented and gazed out the window along with her sister.

“What’re we going to do now then?” she asked, not taking her eyes off the scenery before her.

“We keep an eye on them both and pray that one day, everything can be alright.”

With that, Celestia turned and returned to her throne, not saying another word. Luna simply stood and watched her for awhile before determining she wouldn’t get anything more from the sun princess. She decided to retire for the day as normal and slowly made her way down the hall towards her darkened, lunar themed room. After removing her normal royal regalia, she climbed into her large, violet star-spangled bed and prayed a silent prayer for the human and pony, hoping deep down that somehow, in some way, everything would be alright.

Chapter 2: Grief

Josh spluttered as sand hit him in the face from Vinyl’s sudden dash towards the lake. Opening his eyes, he saw the cream colored unicorn already in the water, wading out so her hooves no longer touched the bottom. The human stood and called out to her as he removed his shirt and belongings from his pockets.

“No fair!” he called out as she smiled back at him from her position in the water, “You surprised me!”

“Poor sport!” she yelled back, flipping over and doing a backstroke.

Josh spotted a small tire swing hanging from a nearby tree and headed for it as fast as he could. Upon reaching it, he placed one foot carefully in the small rubber wheel and spotted his unicorn friend wading nearby. Taking precise aim, he stepped back and swung as far as he could in her direction, yelling, “GERONIMO!” all the way. He landed right next to her and his vision was immediately obscured by bubbles in the murky blue water. With a surprising amount of speed, he shot to the surface and looked all around for Vinyl, thinking that maybe she’d submerged herself to avoid his huge splash.

“Vinyl!” he called out, spinning all around and searching for a cream colored hoof or hint of blue mane sticking out of the water.

However, as he continued to look all around, he saw no such sign that would indicate the presence of the mare. Sure she was playing some sort of trick on him, he began to laugh loudly and spin all around again.

“Come on, Vinyl.” he said, continuing to look all around for her, “If you think you’re gonna trick me, you can forget about it!”

Josh looked all around again, searching the water for his friend. Still no sign of Vinyl. Panic began to set in as he realized she was nowhere to be found. Diving under the small swells, Josh searched through his blurry vision all over for any sign of Vinyl. After several seconds, he was able to see a cream colored splotch drifting towards the bottom of the lake. Josh let out an inaudible yelp before surfacing.

“Vinyl!” he shouted before taking in a deep breath and going back under, intent on rescuing the mare.

Josh swam towards her form as fast as his muscles would allow, not once taking his eyes off the slowly descending unicorn. His lungs began to protest as he swam harder and faster towards her, but he ignored them. Nothing mattered but saving Vinyl now, and he’d die before he allowed her to drown. Slowly, steadily, he was getting closer and closer to her, to where he could almost reach out and grab her hoof.

However, as he stretched his arm to take hold of her limp foreleg and pull her close to himself, he felt himself being forced upwards at an alarmingly rapid pace. He tried to force himself back down towards Vinyl, but it was to no avail. The mare’s blurred form was quickly becoming obscured as Josh rose higher and higher till she finally was lost to the surrounding darkness. Josh screamed once more, now fighting harder than ever to escape the force that was making him rise more and more. Eventually, he felt himself break the surface of the water and was thrown hard back onto the shore of the deceivingly peaceful lake.

“NO! VINYL!” he shouted, getting back up and sprinting towards the water once more, praying he could still get to the mare in time.

As he ran, the ground in front of him gave way and he fell into a gigantic hole that was threatening to suck him into an unforgiving darkness. He tried with all his might to pull himself out, but it was a vain effort, as soon he lost his grip and was being forced down into the shadowy abyss, unable to see or feel anything around his body. He was simply descending into an empty blackness. After a few seconds, he was deposited onto a cold, hard surface, much like smooth concrete. Right as he landed, a light shone before him from the ceiling, illuminating a pale figure with its head hanging and looked as if it had recently gotten out of a body of water.

“Where am I?” asked Josh, finding he could finally stand once more and get a better look at his surroundings.

“Why did you leave?” asked the now identified female figure before his eyes.

This statement forced Josh’s attention back to creature. It was a pony, he knew that for sure, but he wasn’t entirely certain who it could be.

“What did you say?” he asked, not moving from his place.

“Why did you leave me, Josh?” she asked, raising her head and looking to the human who stumbled backwards in fear as he recognized the lifeless mare.

It was Vinyl, but not the Vinyl the Josh had seen mere moments ago. Her usually shaggy blue mane and tail hung loose and lifeless on her white body, and seemed to be drained of their two-toned color. Her eyes were no longer their beautiful crimson-magenta hue, but instead were dull and gray.

“You said you’d never leave me again, Josh.” she calmly said as Josh gasped upon seeing her morose visage, “You promised me...”

“I... I didn’t want to leave, Vinyl!” said Josh, rushing forward to console his mare, “You know I’d never willingly leave you!”

“But you’re gone...” she said, looking deep into his blue orbs, “I... I need you here.”

“I’m here now, baby,” said Josh, cupping her chin and smiling wide at her, tears falling from his eyes, “I promise that I’ll never ever leave you again. I love you, Vinyl.”

Vinyl smiled at him slightly, a tear falling from her own gray eye. At first, Josh thought the droplet was just a little discolored, but he soon realized that it was blood. The human let her chin go and jumped back as the grotesque red fluid flowed from both of her eyes, making her face go from white to crimson in no time at all. Vinyl’s small smile disappeared almost instantly as she saw her coltfriend jump away in fear.

“W-what’s the matter, Joshie?” she asked, advancing towards him slowly as blood continued to pour from her gray orbs, “D-don’t you love me anymore?”

Josh didn’t answer as she stared at him, her eyes still pouring blood. It soon began to pool below her hooves and head, and even seemed to be covering her white body.

“You never really loved me at all, did you?!” she shrieked at him, her voice becoming distorted and dark as she advanced towards him even more, “You were just pretending to love me all this time!”

“V-Vinyl, no!” shouted Josh, still unable to believe what he was seeing, “Of course I loved you! I’ll always love you, and I promise I’m coming back for you!”

“It’s too late for that, Josh.” she said, the blood from her eyes now engulfing her body and making her coat shine a glossy red color, “You’ve failed, and I can never forgive you for this!”

Josh shouted in protest, but the sound of his cry was muffled by the cacophony behind him as a giant crimson wave approached. The human never even saw it as it barreled at himself and the enraged, blood covered mare before him. In an instant, it slammed into his form, crushing him under its oppressive weight.

Josh awoke with a start, shooting up in bed. His heart was racing at an unbelievable pace as he sat there. A cold sweat covered his form, causing him to shiver violently. The horrifying image of Vinyl covered in blood still lingered in his troubled mind along with her final haunting words.

“You’ve failed, and I can never forgive you for this!”

Josh felt tears well up in his blue eyes as the echo of his marefriend’s voice continued to ring in his mind, and he heaved violently. Laying back down on the bed, he curled up and began to sob once more. In his mind, he really had failed her, and now he was all alone, without anyone to love or to love him back. The world around him had come crashing down the day before, and he was overcome with grief once more as the image of Vinyl still plagued his troubled mind.

Octavia reluctantly awoke as the light from Celestia’s sun entered her bedroom, assaulting her eyelids and forcing her back to consciousness. The gray mare had barely managed more than three hours of sleep that night as her mind was plagued by nothing but worry for her best friend as well as Josh, who she could only imagine was as sad and lonely as the mare he loved most. Any time she was finally able to sleep, the human’s distraught voice and Vinyl’s heavy sobs over the loss of her coltfriend entered her dreams and forced her mind to race, thus inhibiting her ability to get any sort of rest.

The cellist’s thoughts were still on the separated couple at this moment, mostly on Vinyl and her current emotional state. The unicorn had always been emotional in the entire time Tavi had known her, more often losing stability when upset than overreacting when happy. When Josh was sent to jail for assaulting Filthy Rich, she had a horrible emotional breakdown and refused to talk or listen to anypony for a few days. She eventually recovered and went to visit him during his incarceration, but she still always told Octavia how much she missed her lover.

Now, however, the situation was completely different. Josh wasn’t just down the street, simply waiting for a visit from his marefriend or somepony else he was close to. He was in a completely different world, and more than likely could never return to Equestria. Tavi worried if Vinyl would ever recover from losing somepony she had built up such a powerful connection to. It’ll be hard, and not instantaneous thought the mare, feeling a lump form in her throat as her mind returned to dwell on the depressing situation at hoof.

Realizing she couldn’t just lay there all day, (much as she might want to) Octavia finally threw the covers off herself and rolled out of bed. She headed immediately for the bathroom, glancing at herself in the mirror and sighing deeply at her own visage.

“By Celestia, I look awful.” she noted, giving herself a quick once over.

Her normally tidy jet black mane was disheveled beyond all belief, random hairs sticking out all over and in every possible way. The gray fur on her face was matted from all the tears she had cried the day and night before, and her violet eyes were swollen and bloodshot. She prodded the bags underneath her orbs with a hoof, letting out yet another disgruntled sigh.

“I can only imagine how Vinyl is right now...” she murmured, grabbing a nearby hairbrush and running it through her tangled mane.

The cellist performed her morning routine slowly and in absolute silence, save for the sounds of the shower and sink when she utilized them. Instead of placing her usual pink bowtie around her neck, she opted to wrap herself in a plush salmon colored bathrobe. Upon finishing her usual procedure, she headed down the hall to check on Vinyl, praying that the unicorn would be at least somewhat receptive now.

“Vinyl, dear,” she said timidly, knocking gently on the mare’s bedroom door, “can I come in?”

Silence answered Octavia, a response the cellist was fully expecting.

“Please, Vinyl.” she said, pressing her head against the door before her, “Please let me in...”

Again, silence. Tavi was about to knock once more and continue her pleading when the door swung open by Vinyl’s magic. The gray cellist stepped into her friend’s room, looking to the cream colored unicorn laying on her bed with her back to Octavia.Tavi felt her heart drop a little as her gaze centered on the mare before her.

Cautiously, she walked over to the bed and sat next to her friend, watching the gentle rise and fall of her body as she breathed. Uncomfortable silence fell between them both as neither knew what to say, nor did they wish to speak at all. After some time of heavy silence, Octavia reached out a gray hoof and placed it on Vinyl’s side, causing the unicorn to curl up a little tighter. However, she made no effort to resist Tavi’s touch.

The gray mare gently stroked her friend’s side, praying that Vinyl was somehow being comforted by her actions. Octavia’s careful attention persisted for some time in silence till Vinyl at last rolled over and looked to her grey friend, her eyes swollen and red and the fur on her face heavily matted.

“T-Tavi...” she stammered, looking deep into Octavia’s purple eyes, “I d-don’t f-feel...”

Suddenly, Vinyl bolted upright and vomited all over the bed. Instinctively, Octavia jumped off and away from the pool of sick that now covered the sheets. She looked to Vinyl, who peered back at her friend with eyes full of tears.

“I-I’m s-sorry Tavi...” said the poor unicorn, sniffling as her voice began to violently shake, “I m-made a mess.”

Octavia instantaneously felt bad for her sudden reaction as her friend broke down in front of her, covering her eyes with her hooves.

“Oh dear,” she said, rushing over to the other side of the bed and reaching up to hug the distraught unicorn, “it’s alright, Vinyl. It’s not your fault.”

Vinyl’s only response was to slide off the bed and into Tavi’s open forelegs, sobbing heavily into the gray earth pony’s shoulder. Octavia gently rubbed her back as Vinyl continued to bawl, staining the cellist’s fur with her tears. After some time, she began to calm down a little and Tavi helped her to her hooves.

“Vinyl,” said the gray mare, wiping a few stray tears from her friend’s face with a hoof, “I’ll take care of this, okay? Just go into the bathroom in case you need to throw up again. I’ll be in there once I’m done here.”

Vinyl sniffled and nodded, unsteadily making her way down the hall and into the bathroom next to Tavi’s room. Once Octavia saw Vinyl make her way into the lavatory safely, she turned back to the vomit covered bedspread. Sighing, she began to slowly remove the coverlet and both sets of sheets, trying her best to not spill any of the sick on the wooden floor. Just as she’d removed the last corner and was preparing to take the whole ball of fabric off the mattress to be cleaned, a knock sounded at the front door.

“Who the bloody hell could that be?!” she frustratedly yelled, abandoning her initial task and storming down the stairs angrily.

The mare reached the ground floor and headed for the main entryway, ready to throw it open and give the solicitor a piece of her mind.

“What do you...” she paused upon opening the door and seeing who was standing there.

The “trespasser” was a gray pegasus mare with a long blonde mane and tail. She looked back to Octavia with both golden eyes askew and full of concern.

“Hello, Derpy.” said Octavia, her rage dying down as she recognized the gray mailmare.

“H-hey Tavi...” said Derpy, her voice apprehensive and her ears pinned back as she stood before the gray cellist.

“What can I do for you?” asked Octavia as politely as she could muster.

“I’ve got some mail for you.” replied the mailmare, reaching into her saddlebags and brandishing several envelopes in her teeth.

“Thank you.” said Octavia simply, taking the mail with her free hoof and sitting on her haunches to look at the envelopes.

Several moments of silence passed between both mares as Tavi examined her mail and Derpy merely stood there on the cellist’s front doorstep, unsure of herself.

“H-how’s she doing?” the mailmare finally asked, causing Tavi to return her attention to the pegasus before her.

“Not well...” said Tavi, sighing as she turned to place her mail on the entryway table before returning to Derpy, “The poor dear’s so distraught, she actually made herself sick this morning.”

“I can’t even begin to know what it’s like for her right now.” said Derpy, looking down in contemplation, “To lose the love of your life...”

“Have you told Dinky about what happened?” asked Octavia, forcing Derpy’s wall eyed attention back to the cellist.

“Yeah, I did.” she replied simply, “She was pretty upset. She really liked him. All the foals seemed to like him.”

“I shudder to think what Sweetie Belle must be feeling now that he’s gone.” said Octavia, trying her best to not imagine the poor unicorn filly’s reaction to hearing her best friend was now gone.

“I didn’t even think of her till just now...” said Derpy, her ears falling once more, “If there was ever a filly he loved most it was her. The poor thing must be devastated.”

Once again, silence fell between the two ponies as their minds were flooded by thoughts of the human and all the lives he touched while in Equestria. Tavi thought back to when she’d first run across Josh, how she’d rushed into Rarity’s home and simply punched him in the face. An involuntary chuckle escaped her throat at the memory.

“You know, it’s funny.” she said, still envisioning her initial encounter with the human, “When he first came here, I thought he’d be nothing but a pain in my arse. But... he ended up being so sweet to Vinyl...”

Octavia felt a lump form in her throat and tears well up in her eyes.

“He loved her s-so much.” she said, her voice shaking as tears began to trail from her violet eyes, “He loved us all... Oh, Derpy... I just don’t know what went wrong...”

Tavi placed her hooves over her eyes as she cried, unbelievable sadness overtaking her mind once again as thoughts of Josh and Vinyl circulated. As she cried, the cellist felt a hoof on her shoulder and looked up to see Derpy looking back at her, her discombobulated eyes watery like Tavi’s own.

“If there’s one thing I know about Josh, it’s that he loves us all too much to stay away forever.” stated the mailmare, a small smile forming on her face as a tear streaked down her cheek, “He’ll find some way to come back. I’d bet my life on that.”

Tavi stared back at the gray pegasus’ good eye, seeing a genuine glimmer of hope that she hadn’t seen in what seemed like forever. She returned the mare’s smile, wiping a tear from her own face.

“I hope he does, Derpy.” she stated, standing back up as the mailmare removed her hoof from Octavia’s shoulder, “I sincerely hope he does.”

The pegasus nodded gently before looking back to her saddlebags full of mail.

“Well, I’ve gotta get going.” she said, turning and preparing to depart, “I need to finish up my rounds.”

“Derpy?” Tavi said, forcing Derpy to look back to her.

“Yeah, Tavi?”

“Thank you so much for supporting them through all this. It means more than words can ever say.”

Derpy smiled back at the cellist.

“Not a problem.”

With that, Octavia said farewell to Derpy before the gray pegasus departed, heading directly for central Ponyville. Turning around, Tavi closed the door and headed back up the stairs, intent on finishing her task of cleaning off Vinyl’s bed. As she reached the top floor and was about to head back to Vinyl’s room, the cellist heard a muffled sound from the far end of the hall and immediately headed for the bathroom to check on her friend. Upon opening the door, she saw the mare laying on her belly on the ground, crying heavily.

“Vinyl...” said Tavi gently, laying down next to her friend and placing her right foreleg on her back to console the unicorn.

“T-Tavi...” wailed Vinyl, glancing at the gray mare, tears streaming from her crimson magenta eyes, “I... I m-miss him s-so much! I w-want my Joshie back!”

As soon as those words left her mouth, Vinyl heaved violently and continued to sob. Octavia found herself unable to resist and soon, tears began to flow from her own eyes for the second time that morning. She reached out her other foreleg and pulled Vinyl in for a tight hug, both crying into one another’s fur.

“I miss him too, Vinyl.” she said, her own voice shaking heavily as she wept along with the cream colored mare, “But I know that wherever he is out there, he still loves us and that’s never ever ever going to change.”

Together, the two mares sat there, holding one another and openly weeping for what seemed like the hundredth time in the last few weeks. Josh’s absence had opened up a gaping hole in the hearts of both ponies, along with the rest of his close friends. All anypony could do was hope that all would be as it should be and that both human and pony could be together and happy once more.

Chapter 3: Difficulties

Josh sat on the large bed in Otis and Martha's guest room, staring out the window to the expansive fields of the farm, the haunting images of his nightmares still circulating in his mind from the previous night. Ever since he'd had that horrendous dream about Vinyl being covered in her own blood and screaming at him, telling him he was too late and that he'd failed, he couldn't get back to sleep, so instead opted to merely sit there, ruminating on his own sadness and loss. The young man had hoped silently that the events that had transpired the previous day were nothing more than a continuation of his nightmares, and he would awake once again in Equestria, laying next to his cream colored mare who he loved so much. He had hoped it, but sadly, the realization had completely dawned on him that his situation was not one that could be remedied by a simple mute prayer for a dream.

His soul seemed like nothing more than a mere husk of its former self. The stoic expression on his face belied the true nature of what he was experiencing inside, the insane torrent of sadness and anger that threatened to overtake his mind and mercilessly decimate his already strained emotions.

"Josh?" called a kind and gentle female voice through the haze clouding Josh's senses, "Are you feeling any better, dear?"

Slowly, the young man returned to the harsh reality he was forced to endure at the moment. However, he remained still and silent, not making any sort of move to acknowledge Martha standing behind him. Her distant voice soon became more pronounced as Josh's subconscious released him from its cold grip. He heard the door creak slightly as the elderly woman made her way inside the room, not taking her eyes off the young man on the opposite edge of the bed who had his back to her.

"How about you come on into the kitchen and I'll make you some breakfast," Martha gently said, walking over to stand next to Josh as he sat on the bed, "I can't imagine you've eaten recently, and some food may help you feel better."

Josh glanced up at the old woman for a second, glaring daggers at her as she looked upon him. She grew a concerned look on her own face as Josh's glare hit her full force. The young man looked back to the widow quickly, fighting the urge to scream at the kind old soul standing before him. How could she possibly know what would make him feel better? The only thing that had any hope of lifting his heavily downcast spirits would be to return to his home and see Vinyl again...

"Josh..." said Martha quietly, taking a seat next to the producer on the bed, "I... I don't know what you've been through, and I won't pretend to. But, it isn't healthy to just sit here and be miserable forever. Can you please talk to me and at least explain what brought you here?"

Josh didn't respond, but didn't glare at Martha again either. He merely sat there, staring out the window, but not truly seeing what lay beyond the clear glass. Image after image flashed through his mind from the past year of his life with Vinyl and his friends in Equestria. Moving out of Rarity's house and into his own home with Vinyl, going camping with Sweetie Belle and the other Cutie Mark Crusaders, his first "Hearts and Hooves Day" with Vinyl...

"You mentioned a girl last time you were here." said Martha, interrupting Josh's nostalgic reverie, "What ever happened? Did you go back to her?"

Josh subconsciously found himself nodding in response to Martha's question. The images of his mare and all his other friends continued to force themselves through his head, causing a lump to form in his throat. Still, however, he choked back his tears, trying to maintain his resigned demeanor at all costs.

"Were you happy?"

Again, Josh unintentionally nodded.

"Did... Did you... love her?"

"I... I still do..."

Martha almost jumped as he spoke for the first time since he'd passed out last night. She looked to him to see his expression still hadn't changed.

"What was her name? Was it Vinyl?"

Another nod.

"What happened?"

Josh's mind raced even more now, trying to decide whether to speak or not, to tell this old woman the truth and force him to relive the memories of his love and loss, or to keep it inside and bottled up to fester in his soul.

"I... went back... to be with her." he said, still not turning his gaze from the glass pane in front of his face, "It was... incredible. We were so happy... Able to travel all over and perform together... She... meant the world to me..."

"It sounds like you were living quite the dream." exclaimed Martha, smiling at Josh.

"The best dream anyone could ever ask for." Josh responded, grinning slightly himself.

The small smile dropped quickly as memories from the last few weeks flooded his hectic mind, reminding him of his incarceration and the horrible, crushing loneliness that came with that as well. Filthy Rich's smug face permeated his head, forcing him to become enraged. Then, he saw Vinyl and his friends all trying to stop the princesses from sending him back home...

"But... then... I... I could've stopped him... I could've put an end to it all before it even began..." he said, his voice beginning to shake as tears were forcing their way out of his eyes.

"What?" asked Martha, suddenly confused by Josh's change in tone and demeanor.

"It's all my fault that we're both alone now..." he said, not responding to Martha's previous query, "I... I failed to protect her... to stop this insanity before it got too bad... I..."

He could hold it back no more. With one final, sudden heave, Josh began to cry again, tears that he thought he'd completely used up throughout the night falling freely from his eyes and hitting the wooden floorboards.

"Josh..." said Martha softly, wrapping her old hands around the young man and holding him as he broke out into sobs.

"I... I j-just w-wanna go home!" he exclaimed, returning her embrace, "I just wanna b-be with her again! I can't live without her in my life. I l-love her so much..."

Martha gently rubbed Josh's back as the distraught young man continued to profess his love for Vinyl and his regrets over not being able to protect her. A horrible emptiness pervaded his heart and mind as he sobbed. He’d said all the time to Vinyl and the others that everything would be alright, but now, he wasn’t so sure that the promise he’d made could ever be fulfilled.

Josh made his way out of Otis and Martha's guest room for what he was hoping would be the last time. Though most of his time had been spent in absolute emotional anguish, he was still unbelievably grateful to the couple for allowing him to remain on their property, no questions asked. Now, however, he was ready to move on, and avoid being any more of a burden to the two than he already had been. Thank God I don't have much to pack he thought as he looked all around for anything he'd need before he left.

He had been back on earth for a week now, staying in the cozy little room so graciously provided by the old couple whose farm he had landed on... again. He hadn't really spoken to either of them that much in his time there, only really saying anything if they asked him a question. He hadn't told either of them the whole truth behind what had happened, that he'd lived in a bright, colorful world filled with magical, talking ponies and that the "girl" he'd fallen in love with was a unicorn herself. It wasn't paranoia for their inevitable reaction of disbelief that prevented him from explaining the whole thing, but was instead was his own wanting to avoid dwelling on the heavy thoughts too much himself and risk losing control of his emotions and sanity.

The young man had done much soul searching in the last week alone, beginning the rather unpleasant task of reevaluating what he was supposed to do now. The realization that he was far away from Vinyl and his friends had finally settled in his mind and, though he was still saddened by the harsh reality that he may never see them again, he had begun to accept it. That didn't stop his heart from sinking lower and lower every time he thought of the life he left back in Equestria, but he felt he was able to move on in some capacity, which was just what he was doing now, preparing to leave this little farmhouse and head off to Los Angeles, where he would try and find work for himself.

He spotted his possessions on the bedside table and grabbed them, placing his iPod and wallet in their respective pockets before making his way out the door and down the hall. He'd risen very early that morning in preparation to leave this place and make his way west. A thick mist hung over the fields outside, somewhat obscuring his view of the tops of the wheat in the distance. The rays of light from the rising sun hit the fog and illuminated it, painting the entire field a brilliant shade of gold. Josh stopped for a second at the door to the farmhouse, admiring the beauty of the scene before his eyes.

The young producer, having enjoyed the scene enough, reached out for the handle to the door, opening it and stepping out into the brisk, morning air.

"Mornin' Josh."

Josh nearly jumped out of his skin as the voice spoke and startled him. He spun around quickly to see Otis sitting in a wooden rocking chair next to the door, simply staring at Josh.

"How long have you been sitting there?" asked the stunned young man, his rapid heart rate beginning to slow down.

"For a little while now." replied the old man, not taking his eyes off Josh standing near the door, "Would you like to explain to me why you're up this early too?"

Josh hesitated for a second, not sure what to say to the farmer. If not for Otis, Josh most likely wouldn't have ever realized just how wrong he was to leave Vinyl in the first place. When the young producer had landed here a year ago after departing from Equestria, Otis had reminded him that if Josh wasn't worthy of the mare's love that she most likely wouldn't have ever fallen in love with him to begin with. Those words were all Josh had needed to hear to convince him that leaving was a huge mistake and that he truly did deserve Vinyl's companionship just as much as she deserved his.

"I... was going to go for a walk." said Josh, hoping with all his might that Otis would believe the lie, "Figured I've been cooped up in here long enough. May as well get out early and stretch my legs."

Otis raised an eyebrow at Josh's statement. The young producer's heart dropped a little as he realized there wouldn't be a way for him to skate around this issue.

"Josh, I wasn't born yesterday." said Otis, looking deeply into Josh's blue eyes, "Going for a walk's the last thing I think you'd be doing right now, especially this early in the morning."

Josh just stared at Otis as the old farmer's skeptical gaze continued to be on him. This was what he had been most afraid of as he'd planned to leave, that one of the kind old couple would try and stop him from leaving. He tried his best to keep his expression straightforward and serious, but found himself beginning to wither under the look Otis was giving him.

"What's really going on here, Josh?" asked Otis, gesturing to the chair next to his own.

"I... I didn't want to... bother you two with this." said Josh, not moving from his place in front of the door, "With everything that's happened lately, me showing up here again, taking advantage of you guys for a week... I just... I wanted this to be simple..."

"What exactly do you mean?" asked Otis, raising his eyebrow once again.

"I was... going to leave." said Josh, lowering his head at knowing he'd been found out, "Head back to LA. I've got a friend there who can help me out. I was hoping you two wouldn't catch me leaving... and try to stop me."

Otis simply continued to stare at Josh, leaving an uncomfortable silence hanging in the air. The young producer looked up to see Otis's tired, aged eyes locked on his own. The green orbs seemed to pierce Josh's being, looking deep inside to the troubled spirit that dwelled within. As his gaze met Otis's, he felt a lump form in his throat.

"Otis..." he said, his voice beginning to shake as he spoke to the old man, "I... I can never go home. I can never see my friends or Vinyl ever again. I... I'm lost, in a place I don't belong anymore, all alone. If I don't move now... I'll just be stuck here wallowing in my own misery till I waste away. I... can't do that. It's not what she'd want. I know it..."

Josh felt his legs become weak as tears threatened to flow from his eyes once again. He crouched down, placing his hand over his eyes to shield Otis from seeing him cry. He knew the truth of it all, that his wish to move was nothing more than a futile attempt to try and suppress the depressing reality around him. However, that's all he knew how to do, to force the pain and anger into the deep recesses of his subconscious to simply fester. As he felt the first few drops prepare to leave his eyes, he felt a strong but comforting hand place itself on his shoulder.

Josh looked up with his watery blue orbs and saw Otis, smiling warmly down at him. The old man's eyes again looked deep into Josh's soul, clearly seeing all the pain and torment it was experiencing within.

"Josh," he said gently, his smile never faltering, "you have no idea how strong you really are, how strong you've been, throughout this entire ordeal."

The producer had to suppress a laugh at that.

"I'm far from strong." he replied, looking back down from Otis's gaze, "All I've done this week is mope around, knowing that it won't do a goddamn thing to help me at all."

"Do you have any idea how many people would've just shut down over somethin' like this?" asked Otis, "Most would've just continued to sit and allow themselves to waste away over their pain, but not you. You've lost it all, it seems, and yet you still forge ahead, still try your best to move on and make somethin' out of nothin'. That's strength right there."

Josh pondered his words as Otis continued to speak.

"Last time you were here, I said you were a guilty man, that you had a lotta ghosts in your past. But I also said that you're sorry for those ghosts. I can see it in your eyes. You've tried everything you can to fix the mistakes you've made in your life and done even more to ensure you don't make them again. There's not a lot of men out there like you, those who're not only willing to learn from their past, but to also apply the lessons they take away."

Josh looked back up to the Otis, seeing that same, warm, comforting smile.

"I'll never understand how you got here, what happened to get you here, or even why you're here." said Otis, "But, I do understand that you've gotta do what you've gotta do, and there's absolutely no way that myself or even Martha would stand in your way."

Josh returned Otis's smile, standing up and wiping a tear from his eye. Upon Josh getting to his feet, Otis placed his other hand on the young man's shoulder so that he was holding both of them and standing directly in front of his tall form.

"And as for Vinyl, you remember what I asked you when you were here, when you said that you didn't deserve her?"

"Y-yeah. You asked me... if she loved me. Unconditionally."

"And you said yes, did you not?"

Josh nodded in affirmation.

"Then, let me ask you one more question: do you love her unconditionally?"

"She's... my whole world." replied Josh, speaking as authoritatively as he possibly could at that moment, "I've got nothing but love for her."

"Then I can promise you that no matter what you or anyone else may think or say, there's not a damn thing that can stop you two from bein' together again." said Otis, gently squeezing Josh's shoulders, "Love is one of the strongest forces there is in this world. It can break the strongest of barriers and repair even the most broken hearts. If you two well and truly love one another unconditionally, then nothin' will keep you apart for long."

Josh smiled even wider. Otis, you always know just what to say, don't you? he thought. Otis pulled Josh in for a quick hug before backing off, still smiling wide at the now empowered young man before him.

"Now, as for you leavin'..."

Josh flinched a little, hoping that Otis wouldn't try and hold him back.

"I'll get out some cash for you and take you to KCI this afternoon." said Otis, making for the door and opening it up, "We'll get you a ticket to LA as soon as possible. But, you gotta let me and Martha see you off, alright?"

Josh smiled and nodded as Otis looked back to him. The old man nodded his approval and headed back inside, making his way towards the little kitchen, Josh in tow. Together, the two talked and enjoyed one another's company, knowing, but not hoping, that this would be one of the last times they'd see one another.

Chapter 4: Ignorance

Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle all sat in their tree clubhouse on the outskirts of Sweet Apple Acres, the earth pony and pegasus engrossed in conversation as Sweetie sat in absolute silence. The three fillies, for the last week, had been unable to think about anything but what happened to Josh. The human had touched each of the little ponies’ lives, whether it was by offering them much needed and sage advice, or just taking time out of his day to play with them. His leaving broke each one of their tiny hearts, but the little white unicorn filly felt the hurt worse than either Apple Bloom or Scootaloo.

Josh had loved them all very much, but Sweetie was without a doubt his favorite little filly. He would visit her daily, playing with her, helping her with any sort of problem she may have encountered, or simply being there to hold her and give her all his affection. When Rarity had told her what had happened and that her human friend most likely wouldn't be able to return, Sweetie couldn't believe it. Josh had left once before, but came back in the end because he loved all his friends so much and didn't want to live his life without them. Sweetie Belle just figured he'd be back as soon as he could, as lively and caring as ever, to continue his life in Equestria.

However, when he still wasn't back by the next day, the little unicorn filly began to lose hope and had a catastrophic emotional breakdown, saying it wasn't fair and that she just wanted her Joshie back to show her the affection she'd grown so accustomed to. She stopped caring about her school work and even about crusading with her friends. Losing her best friend so suddenly without any idea if he'd ever return had been more than just a shock. It had shaken her to the core and caused her emotions to spiral out of control, eventually crashing and burning, leaving her a husk of her former happy, vibrant self.

"Ah just don't understand how anypony could do a thing like that to somepony so innocent." said Apple Bloom, voicing the same exact thing that had been said so many times by those closest to Josh, "Even if he is different, that's no reason to go and be so mean to him!"

"It doesn't help that Diamond Tiara's gonna run with this whole thing, too." commented Scootaloo, a heavy look of disdain passing over her orange face at the thought of their stuck up, pink rival. "After all, it was her dad that got him kicked out of here."

"Well, Ah know that Miss Cheerilee liked Josh, and so did a lot of other ponies at school, so Ah'm pretty sure she won't have much support there." commented Apple Bloom.

A momentary silence fell over the room as each of the fillies thought about Diamond Tiara and how she'd been at school for the last week. All she had done was talk about how her dad had done Ponyville the greatest of favours by having Josh removed. She called her father a patriot, and said on many an occasion that he ought to just be officially put in the position of Mayor of the town. The Crusaders had heard almost every word of her own hateful tirades, and each time Diamond brought it up, it felt like they were being stabbed in the heart.

Scootaloo, out of nowhere, chuckled slightly, causing Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle to look in her direction.

"You guys remember when he took us all camping that one night?" asked the little pegasus filly, looking between the other two ponies, "That timberwolf came out of nowhere and Josh ran as fast as he could to stop it from eating us?"

"Yeah." replied Apple Bloom, smiling wide as the vision of the tall human tackling the vicious timberwolf to the ground passed through her mind, "He was so brave. If it wasn't for him, we'd have been goners for sure."

"I remember... him helping me to l-learn to f-fly..." said Scootaloo, her voice shaking violently as tears began to fall from her violet eyes, "He... he t-told me I c-could do anything, as long as I tried my hardest... I... Why'd he have to go?"

Scootaloo's little orange form heaved and she sank to the floor, covering her eyes with her hooves, letting her tears flow freely. Apple Bloom pressed her ears against her head and walked over to help console her distraught friend, placing her little yellow foreleg over Scootaloo's back and pulling her in for a tight hug.

"D-don't cry, Scoots..." said the little yellow filly, rubbing her friend's back gently, "W-we all miss him, too... He still loves us... I know he d-does..."

The earth pony and pegasus sat and cried for a short time as Sweetie Belle looked on, not wanting to move or say anything at all. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo both had every right to be sad that Josh was gone as well, she knew that, but in this moment... Sweetie knew she was the closest to the human out of the three, had received most of his love and had been his favorite filly. It wasn't any sort of selfishness that put the thought in her mind, but grief and sadness.
"He's... not gonna come back..." said Sweetie softly, only barely audible to the other two crying ponies in the room with her.

"Sweetie Belle!" said Apple Bloom, shooting the unicorn a look of shock, " How can ya' say such a thing? We don't know that!"

"Think about it, Apple Bloom." said Sweetie, again just above a whisper, "If he was going to come back, he already would have. You heard all of them. The princess sent him home because of Filthy. With Filthy still around, there's no way Josh'll be able to come back."

"Sweetie Belle," Apple Bloom said, removing her foreleg from around Scootaloo and marching up to face her unicorn friend, "You were closer to him than anypony in this room. He loved you with all his heart, and Ah know you loved him, too. How could you say he's not gonna come back to us?"

Sweetie didn't respond to Apple Bloom's statement, instead trying her best to hold back her own angry tirade. Yes, she had loved Josh a lot, and he reciprocated that feeling to her in full. However, all signs were pointing to him never returning to his friends and loved ones ever again. The tiny unicorn turned around and huffed, making her way to the front door.

"Hey! Where're ya goin'?” asked Apple Bloom, trotting along after her friend.

"Home." said Sweetie, her voice beginning to shake as hot tears began to form in her beautiful jade eyes.

Before Apple Bloom or the distraught Scootaloo could protest, Sweetie Belle was out the door and rushing back to Ponyville, hoping beyond all hope that neither of her fellow Crusaders were following her. Once she was clear of the clubhouse, she opened up and allowed herself to cry for what seemed like the hundredth time in the last week. Through her blurred vision and stinging eyes, she managed to navigate her way down the long path back to Ponyville as Celestia's sun disappeared behind a huge set of ominous gray clouds. In only a matter of minutes, she was back in town and had arrived at the front of her sister's boutique, throwing open the door and making her way inside.

"Sweetie?" called Rarity's voice from nearby, rushing out of a separate room in time to see her sister shoot by and head up the stairs to her room.

Sweetie Belle ran inside and slammed the door shut before jumping up onto her bed and fully giving in to her sadness. Burying her face in her pillows, the little filly sobbed openly and hard, partly from the sadness of losing her friend, as well as her last words to Apple Bloom about him not coming back to them. Sweetie had prayed silently every night that her human would return and save her from the horrific emotional torment that was overwhelming her at all times now. However, those prayers seemed to all be nothing more than a vain attempt to force what appeared to be an impossibility.

Looking up from her pillow, she saw something brown and fuzzy out of the corner of her eye and glanced towards it, a flash of memories flooding her little white head upon seeing the object. It was a big stuffed bear he'd given her when she and the other Crusaders had gone to the carnival up in the Crystal Empire. She'd tried so hard to win the ball toss game and earn herself a prize. However, when Josh saw how badly she wanted the big stuffed bear, he happily took over and helped her to get what was rightfully hers. She'd held onto it since that day, always being able to look at it and immediately think of the human she loved so much. Reaching out, she grabbed the large stuffed animal and pulled it close, hugging it as tightly as she could and crying into its fuzzy exterior.

"I m-miss you, Joshie..." she said, conjuring up any memories of the tall human that she possibly could, "I want you t-to come home. Please, let him come home..."

Sweetie Belle lay on her bed for some time, simply continuing to cry, mourning the loss of Josh, and pray for his safety wherever he may be. Eventually, she ceased her crying and simply remained on her bed, too physically and emotionally exhausted to get up and do anything at all. Her eyelids began to grow heavy and the little unicorn felt herself begin to slip into unconsciousness. Her efforts to fight the power of sleep were all in vain, and before she knew it, Sweetie was drifting off to the world of dreams.

However, as she reached the precipice of consciousness, a loud bang sounded from downstairs, causing her little body to jolt upwards in her bed. As quickly as the initial noise had come and gone, Sweetie could hear cacophonous voices from below, voices she soon recognized as her mother and father, Pearl and Magnum, as well as her sister. The three were arguing about something rather loudly, and Sweetie Belle forfeited her sudden sleepiness for piqued curiosity. Silently jumping down from her own bed, she opened the door and cautiously proceeded down the stairs, making sure to stay out of sight of the ponies down below her.

"Rarity, I don't wanna hear any more excuses about this!" said Magnum, his mustache jerking violently as he spoke, "Sweetie's grades have fallen into the gutter, and you've done absolutely nothing to help her!"

"Father, you must understand," said Rarity, trying her absolute best to keep her own voice level, "she's very distraught right now. All of Josh's friends are, including myself."

"That doesn't mean she can just completely abandon her education!" retorted Pearl, also trying to keep her voice at a respectable volume, "Losing him had to be hard, I'd imagine. But, she's still young and doesn't have time to be sitting and moping because she lost a friend so suddenly."

"Mother!" Rarity retorted, unable to hide the shock in her words, "Do you even have any clue what she's going through right now? When was the last time you lost somepony you cared for as much as she cared for Josh?"

"She was too obsessed with that guy to begin with and you know it." said Magnum, "There's absolutely no way he could've been that special to you all, otherwise he wouldn't have left."

"HE DIDN'T LEAVE!"

All three ponies jumped and looked towards the stairs to see Sweetie Belle standing there, her jade eyes filled with rage upon hearing her parents words about Josh.

"Sweetie!" said Rarity, rushing up to her sister, "When did you..."

"Josh didn't leave because he wanted to, Dad!" Sweetie yelled, advancing on her father, "He was forced to by hateful ponies like you who don't have a single bucking clue how special he was!"

"Young lady!" said Pearl, her hoof flying to her mouth as Sweetie spoke, "We do not use language..."

"DON'T CHANGE THE SUBJECT!" the little unicorn interjected, "Neither of you could ever know how incredible and fantastic he was! I l-loved him so much! He was my b-best friend! He helped me when nopony else could and if you think I was obsessed with him because he was important to me, then ask Rarity about her 'obsession' with him!"

Nopony in the room was able to say anything at that, forcing a heavy, uncomfortable silence to manifest itself in the wake of Sweetie Belle's angry spiel. Magnum and Pearl looked to their youngest daughter with shock on their faces. Rarity's mouth opened and closed, trying her best to find something, anything to say that could help this issue, ignoring the red tinge that was rapidly creeping onto her alabaster cheeks.

"Sweetie..." said Magnum, his voice softening as his daughter's gaze pierced him like a dagger, "I... didn't..."

"Understand?" said Sweetie, her blood boiling as she felt her eyes begin to water with anger once more, "That's because you didn't know him, and thanks to Filthy Rich and his followers, Josh's gone! For all I know, we'll never see him again, and... and... Oh, forget it."

With that final statement, Sweetie paced towards the front door, throwing it open and making her way outside and slamming it behind her. She ran along as rain began to pour down in heavy sheets, masking the tears flowing down her cheeks. She heard Rarity call after her as she made her way out into the trickling downpour, but wasn't about to go back there. She couldn't believe her own parents would be so cold and judgmental about her feelings for Josh, how they could just stand there and make assumptions about him when neither had a clue as to who he really was.

As the icy rain washed over her little white form, she continued to walk, tears still trailing from her beautiful eyes. She had no clue where she was going or what she'd do once she got there, but that didn't matter now, not when she was so upset. The little filly never even noticed as she passed by the library which was aglow with a soft and comforting light.

"Hey! Sweetie! Sweetie Belle! Over here!"

For whatever reason, Sweetie stopped her forward motion upon hearing the familiar voice of Spike call out to her over the torrent of rain that was pounding the ground. She turned back in time to see the front door open up and Twilight come bursting out, making a mad dash for the unicorn filly.

"Sweetie! What're you doing out here?" asked Twilight, rushing up to Sweetie and stopping dead before her, "You shouldn't be out in a storm like this! Come on, let’s get you inside."

The filly just stood there for a short time, her eyes still watering from crying. She said nothing to Twilight, instead breathing heavily and sobbing more and more as the mare looked down upon her. Eventually, Twilight was able to convince the filly to make her way inside the library and sit in front of the fire to dry off and rest. Sweetie continued to cry for some time as Twilight sat next to her, doing anything she possibly could to help console the young pony. Eventually, Sweetie succumbed to her complete physical and emotional exhaustion and fell asleep next to Twilight, memories and silent hopes for her best friend weighing heavily on her mind.

Chapter 5: Transition

Josh sat in Otis and Martha's truck as it made its way into down the road, leaning against the passenger side door with his eyes closed, listening to the two elderly farmers chatting idly about Kansas City. Since Otis had caught Josh trying to leave on his own that morning, the producer had realized just how idiotic an idea it had been to just head out and hope for the best. He truly had had no plan for what he was going to do once he got out, having no money and not exactly interested in hitch hiking all the way to the west coast. I probably wouldn't have even made it past Kansas state lines, he thought, barely listening to Otis and Martha's conversation as the truck bounced slightly. Josh couldn't thank Otis enough for talking him out of doing such a stupid thing and more than likely saving his life.

"Josh, dear," said Martha, gently rousing the young man from his ruminating, "We're almost there."

As Josh's eyes opened, he looked out the windshield for the first time in hours, seeing the large, rounded buildings of Kansas City International Airport before his eyes. Planes were all over; some taking off behind the terminals, some landing to unload their passengers. Josh recalled the last time he was here, how he'd been returning to Los Angeles after coming back to earth from Equestria the first time. His manager, Liam, had sent an entourage to get the young producer upon hearing that he had returned after two months of being missing and was more than eager to get Josh back in the limelight and working again. That time, however, Josh hadn't stayed long, having broken down in the middle of a press conference, only to have Princess Celestia, accompanied by Vinyl, come and take him back to his home in Equestria.

Otis's truck made its way through the large, curved drive, pulling off upon seeing the sign for terminal B. Upon reaching the halfway point of the circular drive, Otis pulled up to the curb and quickly parked the truck, allowing Josh to open his door and jump out onto the sidewalk. The terminal was filled with life and noise as people milled about, some heading inside, others making their way out, and even more seeing off their loved ones. The sounds of plane engines filled the place and echoed all around, mixing with the voices of the passengers, and the occasional voice calling out over a loudspeaker, saying things Josh couldn't quite make out.

"I haven't been here in years." said Martha, climbing out next to Josh as her husband made his way around the truck to stand with his wife and the young man, "It's definitely busy."

"I've seen worse." said Josh, looking through the large glass windows at all the people inside the terminal.

Silence fell for a short time between the three standing next to Otis's truck. The farmers glanced at one another, then turned back to Josh, unsure of what to say or do next.

"Well," Otis began, making his way towards Josh, who turned to address the old man, "here ya’ are, Josh. It ain't much, but it'll help get you by for a while in LA till you can get yourself a job."

Otis reached into his coat pocket and pulled out an envelope, handing it to Josh. The young man curiously opened the envelope to inspect its contents, letting out a small gasp and directing a stare of disbelief at the old couple before him.

"Four hundred dollars?" asked Josh, looking up from inspecting the money at Otis and Martha. "Guys... you don't have to do this for me. It's bad enough you're already paying for my ticket to LA."

"Think nothing of it, honey." said Martha, smiling at Josh and cupping his hand around the money, "It's the least we can do for you."

Josh felt a lump form in his throat once again. These two, old farmers whose property he'd landed on without warning twice in two years, who had taken him in both times, no questions asked and given him some of their own precious resources, were once again showing him that there was some sense of civility in the world of humans. The young man reached out and wrapped his arms around the couple, pulling them in close and embracing them. Otis and Martha returned the gesture in full measure, patting him on the back and helping to reassure him that everything would be alright. After some time, Josh released the two and stood before them once again, beaming at them both.

"You guys..." he said, pausing to try and find the right words for the situation, "Thanks. For everything. I don't know how I can ever repay you for everything you've done for me."

"No need, Josh." said Otis, placing his hand on Josh's shoulder, "It's been a pleasure having you here... even if we're still not entirely sure just how you got here to begin with."

Josh managed a chuckle at that.

"We're hoping and praying for you, dear." said Martha, reaching up to kiss Josh on the cheek, "Hopefully, one day, you'll be able to get back to your home and see Vinyl again. But you have to stop by and see us again before you do that, alright?"

"And try to bring her along some time." Otis added, "We'd love to meet this girl. If she's in love with you, she must be a great woman."

"I'll make sure to stop by with her if I ever get the chance." Josh said, chuckling some more.

Martha gave Josh one last hug before saying her final goodbye with a tear in her eye. Once she was back in the truck, Otis turned back to Josh, looking deep into his eyes for the second time that day.

"You're a good man, Josh." he said, "No matter what anyone else says, you're a good man. I don't know what'll happen to you once you're gone from here, but I know that you've got great things in your future. Don't forget what's really important in your life, and make sure to make each day one worth living, even when it seems too tough to move forward."

Josh nodded, and Otis smiled once more.

"Well, I think we'd better get going." Otis said, sharing a look with Martha before turning to Josh with a smile. "You've got a plane to catch."

With that, Otis made his way back around to the drivers side of the truck, leaving Josh to make his way into the terminal.

"Oh, and Josh!" called Otis, making Josh turn around once more, "If you're gonna come see us again, could you warn us ahead of time?"

"Can do!" called Josh, smiling wide as Otis jumped back into the truck and started up the engine.

Martha waved to the young man from the truck as Otis threw it into gear and turned away from the curb, making their way down the road and disappearing around the corner. Josh watched them leave, finally lowering his hand from its wave once they were out of sight. I'll make all this up to you guys some day, he thought, staring at the spot where the truck had disappeared only moments ago, I promise. After standing there for some time, Josh turned around and made his way into the terminal, looking all around for the signs that would lead him to the ticketing counters.

The terminal was fairly busy, with passengers moving all around, checking bags, moving towards security, stopping at the little shops nearby to pick up anything they might need for their long trips. Josh made his way through the large, rounded area, spotting all kinds of people; from businessmen and -women talking on their phones, to entire families who looked to be headed off for a leisurely vacation. After what seemed like an eternity of navigating the cesspool of human stupidity, he finally spotted the ticket counter for the airline he'd need and took his place in the line. Slowly, and painfully, Josh made his way through the line, forced to listen in on the inane conversations of the people around him. After some time, he was able to make it to the front and approached the woman at the counter; a pretty, slender brunette with a smile on her face.

"Hello there," she said cheerily, smiling even wider at Josh as he approached, "how can I help you sir?"

"I'd like one ticket to Los Angeles." he said, watching as she nodded and began to type on her computer.

"One way or round trip?" she asked, looking up to Josh once again with that sickeningly sweet smile.

"One way."

The woman returned to typing on her computer, asking Josh for his name, address, driver's license, and any other bits of information the airline could use in the future. Once he had answered each question, she printed out a ticket and handed it to him.

"You need anything else?" she asked, her smile never once faltering.

"I think I'm alright."

"Alright then. Enjoy your flight."

Josh nodded and made his way away from the counter, looking down at his ticket to see what gate he'd be departing from. He passed through the security checkpoint, letting the security officer look at his ticket and driver's license, then going through the scanners and other seemingly pointless contraptions till he reached the other side. After putting his shoes on and returning his possessions in his pockets, he headed down towards his gate, just wishing to take a seat now and wait for the plane.

On his way to the gate, he caught sight of a large magazine stand nearby. Not wanting to be completely bored through his entire flight, he made for the stand, walking up to the girl behind the register.

"You wouldn't happen to have any copies of the latest EDM Magazine, would you?" he asked.

"Uh... Let me check." the girl said, making her way back to the nearby shelves and perusing the top few selections. After a few seconds of looking around, she pulled a publication off the top shelf and took it back to the counter, presenting it to Josh.

"This what you're looking for?" she asked, showing him the front cover.

Josh nodded and pulled out some money to pay for the magazine. The girl gave him back his change and asked him if he needed anything else, to which Josh said he was alright and the girl thanked him for his patronage. From there, the young producer spotted a nearby sandwich shop and felt his stomach rumble heavily. Goddamn he thought, stopping and staring at the shop for a second, I think my stomach is trying to eat itself...

Josh headed over to the shop and ordered some food and a soda, sitting at a nearby table once he had received his order and beginning to eat while glancing through his magazine. He'd wanted to see if, even after a year of being gone, he was being mentioned in the world of electronic music, and flipped through page after page, expecting at any moment to see a picture of himself or something mentioning him in any way. Thankfully for the young man, the only mention of him came in an article about an up and coming producer named Sydeous, whose style was apparently similar to Josh's own. After he ascertained that he wouldn't be mentioned again, he folded the magazine up and put it away in his pocket, throwing his trash away and making for the departure gate nearby.

When Josh got to the gate, he saw people sitting around, some on their computers or phones, some chatting with those nearby, and some tending to their own children. The young man took a seat as far away from the crowd as he could and pulled his magazine back out of his pocket, intent on checking out the articles to see just how much had changed in the world of electronic music in his time away. He read all about how deadmau5 was intent on advocating against dubstep, how Alex S. and I.Y.F.F.E had unexpectedly managed to rise to the forefront of the industry, and whatever new songs were becoming big. He was halfway through the article on Sydeous when, out of the corner of his eye, he saw someone come and sit next to him, breaking his concentration a little.

"Whew," the stranger said exasperatedly, "Made it just in time. Thought I'd never get through security..."

Josh ignored the man and turned back to the magazine before him. The young producer wasn't one to try and make any sort of conversation with anyone, especially not now.

"You have any issue at the scanners?" asked the stranger, making Josh cringe internally at the thought of having to actually acknowledge the man.

Josh just shook his head, trying with all his might to return to reading, hoping that the man wouldn't try and talk to him further.

"Huh... maybe it's just me then..."

Again, Josh said nothing, hoping that would end the man's attempt to speak to him.

"What's that you're reading there?" he asked, leaning closer to Josh and peering at the picture of Sydeous on the page.

"It's called EDM Magazine." said Josh simply, turning the page, despite not having finished reading it, "It's all about electronic music."

"That's fascinating." said the man, leaning away from Josh again, "I've heard some of that stuff before. Gotta admit, it's not exactly my cup of tea, but I can appreciate that other people are into it."

Josh didn't respond once more, hoping that his lack of communication would dissuade the man from continuing this painful, forced conversation. For some time, silence fell between the two of them, which Josh relished at this moment in time.

"Isn't it absolutely gorgeous?" asked the man after some time, causing Josh to feel a twinge of annoyance at this stranger's insistence on chatting with him, "I've been to a lot of places, but I'll always think the sunset over Kansas is one of the most beautiful things in the world."

Josh, against his better judgement, glanced up and out the window before him towards the setting sun in an attempt to satiate the man’s desire to talk. Indeed, the sight was quite beautiful, golden rays of sunlight playing over the ground and painting it a vibrant color. Josh thought back to his time in Equestria, watching as Celestia's sun did the very same thing, covering everything in its warm, rich light, causing even the most mundane and boring object to almost come alive with vibrancy. His mind looked back to all the times he'd laid out next to Vinyl and watched the sunset with her, seeing her cream colored coat turn the most incredible shade of gold, making her glow like the most regal of angels...

"Yessir." said the man, breaking Josh from his unexpected reverie, "That's one fantastic spectacle right there."

Josh finally tore his gaze away from the sunset, still seeing Vinyl's visage in his mind's eyes before turning back to his magazine in an attempt to suppress the thoughts that would undoubtedly make him cry once again. For what seemed like the hundredth time, silence fell between the man and Josh, the latter of whom wished that no more words would be spoken between the two of them. However, that wish was, of course, all in vain.

"So, what's taking you out to LA?" asked the stranger, now truly beginning to annoy Josh.

"Looking for work." Josh said simply, now all but willing to give up hope that this guy would leave him alone at any point.

"Ah, I see." said the man, "Well, I wish you the best of luck on that one. There's a lot of people in LA that'd like a job themselves. You got connections of some kind out there?"

Josh just nodded in affirmation.

"That's great." the stranger continued, "Any help you can get will be more than worthwhile."

Josh continued not to respond, realizing in his head that not talking simply wouldn't get this guy to stop trying to converse with him.

"I myself am headed back home." the man said, "Just came back out to Kansas to visit my wife."

"You two get divorced or something?" Josh asked, hoping his abrasiveness would finally get to the man and make it perfectly clear that the young producer wasn't willing to talk.

"No, not exactly." the man replied, somewhat solemnly, "She died over twenty years ago."

Josh suddenly stopped trying to tune out the stranger next to him with that last statement. Looking up, he saw the man truly for the first time, saw the thinning, gray hair and tired, brown eyes he had. But, to accompany the aged look was a small smile gracing his lips, one that completely belied the words this man had just said to Josh. The young producer found himself unable to ignore the old stranger sitting next to him anymore and was now listening as intently as he could for reasons he couldn’t explain.

"What happened?" he asked, almost hesitantly, looking into the old man's eyes.

"She... she got melanoma. Neither of us had expected it at all." the man replied, turning away from Josh and looking back out the window before him, "She said that she'd always had to deal with little marks on her body here and there. Said she'd had them appear and disappear her entire life and that it wasn't a big deal, that I shouldn't worry about it too much. So, true to her wishes, we didn't do a whole lot about it, and everything seemed alright for a while."

"The next year, she started to get real sick, sicker than I'd ever seen her before." he continued as Josh listened intently, "I told her that she needed to go see a doctor about it, but the stubborn woman was adamant that it was nothing and that she'd be fine by the next day..."

The man paused for a second, allowing his words to linger in Josh's mind.

"Did she ever get to the doctor to be treated?" asked Josh, itching to know more of this man's story.

"Well, yes, she did. At my insistence." the stranger continued, looking back towards Josh, "Even up to the point when the doctor came back in and told us what the problem was, she was absolutely convinced that she was perfectly fine and that... and that she'd recover in no time at all."

Again, the man paused for a short time. Everything around Josh seemed to have melted away, leaving just himself and this aged stranger who seemed so normal and kind, but was probably more than broken on the inside.

"When the doctor came back in with the diagnosis, neither one of us was prepared to hear the truth. They gave her only three months to live before... it was too late."

"Wasn't there anything they could have done?" asked Josh, a little more forcefully than he'd meant to, "How could they just give her a timeline and call it good?"

"Her cancer had metastasized long ago, they'd said." the man responded, not even being phased by Josh's sudden change in tone, "Even if they were to try and treat it, all it would've done was prolong the inevitable. She refused to be kept alive by any sort of artificial means, and nothing I said would've ever changed her mind."

Josh was astounded at this unassuming man's ability to so openly and candidly talk about such a tragic event. The young man knew that if he'd been put in the same position with Vinyl, that there's no way he'd be able to have the same sort of attitude and outlook, no matter how hard he tried.

"She lived another four months, and I was there almost every day for her throughout that time. I was even there when she passed away, sitting next to her, holding her hand... You know, it's amazing to me, even to this day... With as sick and broken as she was by that point, with as close to Death's door as she was... to me, she was still the most beautiful creature in all of existence."
"She told me how much she loved me, and that she'd miss me," said the man. "And then, just like that, she was gone."

Silence like Josh had never known fell between the two of them upon the completion of that most final of statements. Again, the young man marveled at the individual sitting before him, so calm and collected while talking about something so tragic. This man had lost the love of his life to a horrific disease, and yet he could sit here, stoic and forthright, and describe such a crushing event.

"We held the funeral some time after she passed away." the man continued, forcing Josh's attention back to his words, "It was... actually rather pleasant. Once it was all said and done, I took her ashes to our old home and spread them around. That way, she'd never have to leave the place we once called home."

"What'd you do after all that?" asked Josh.

"I sort of... shut down." said the man, his shoulders slumping a little, "It was all too much for me to handle, I suppose. I loved my wife like nothing else in all of the world, and to lose her... I became cold and distant to everything and everyone for a very long time. Because of it, I lost most of my oldest and dearest friends. But, at the time, I didn’t care. After all, what was the point of having friends if I didn't have the love of my life by my side?"

"Some time after her death, my sadness turned to anger. I was angry at everything I could think of; from the doctors, to God, to the disease itself. I was mostly angry at myself, though; for not acting when she needed me most. I always thought to myself, ‘If I'd just been a stronger, more capable man, I could have saved her’."

"I was entirely convinced that it had been my fault, and that my spinelessness had cost a perfect and innocent creature her life. I traveled all over, always doing my best to avoid getting close to anyone for fear that I'd lose them as well. Everywhere I went, I became more and more disconnected, realizing that I was completely alone, and wanting it to stay that way."

"Eventually, my anger spread beyond myself, and I even became angry at those around me. I understood that I was accountable for my own actions, but that didn't stop me from trying to place the blame on others as well. Finally, and I'm a bit ashamed to admit this now, I even became angry at my wife; for leaving me so suddenly and causing this misery to fall upon me."

At that, Josh saw a single tear fall from the stranger's eye. Instantly, Josh felt a connection with this man, this simple, aged man who'd lost his love so suddenly and without any sort of say in the matter.

"So, how'd you manage to deal with it?" asked Josh, watching as the stranger pulled out a handkerchief and wiped his eyes dry, "If you were so angry and resentful, how'd you make it through all that?."

"That was a miracle that, to this day, I still can't explain," said the man, beginning to smile once again. "I... got really low about a year and a half after she was gone. I decided that it was time to take matters into my own hands and finish myself off. I had a gun, just a little pea shooter, really, and, one day, I got it out and prepared to do the deed that would seal my own fate."

"Right as I put the barrel in my own mouth and was ready to pull the trigger, I got this feeling that I couldn't explain. It felt like... something was pulling the gun away from me, forcing me to drop it. I'm not sure when I made the connection, or even if it was what I was thinking at all, but I distinctly remember hearing my wife's voice somewhere in my mind, repeating her last words to me. 'I love you, and I want you to be the best you can be, even after I’m gone'."

"After I heard that, I couldn't help but drop the gun. I-I lost myself in memories, then; thinking back to all the fantastic times I'd had with her, and how she'd never really left me at all. You see, it was at that moment that I realized I'd been completely and totally wrong. Instead of mourning her death and festering in my own putrid self pity, I needed to celebrate her life, and live mine the way she'd have wanted me to."

"I don't know that I believe in God, or angels, or even ghosts, but I do know one thing for sure. She'd been watching me all that time, and she was the one who'd stepped in one last time to make sure I didn’t do something stupid."

Josh continued to stare at the old man as a huge smile came upon his face. He turned to look Josh in the eyes, now radiating a strange type of happiness and sense of hope.

"You see, when you lose someone you love, they never truly go away. They'll always live on in your heart, in your memories, and even in your soul, and so it’s important that you never forget that they'll continue to love you, even when it seems like they're gone. I know for a fact that my wife still loves me, and nothing will ever change that. I live each day for her now, making sure she lives on through me. She's gone from here, but she'll never be gone from here."

The old man placed his hand on chest, continuing to look deep into Josh's eyes. The young producer stared back at the man whom he'd seen as nothing more than another annoyance before now, and saw an individual who had been through many hardships in his life, but had also managed to overcome them all with the greatest of perseverance. If he can make it with all the shit he's had to deal with, then what's stopping me? Josh thought.

Suddenly, the woman at the gate counter announced that the flight to Los Angeles was boarding, causing the old man to break his eye contact with Josh.

"Well, what do ya’ know." he said, standing up and grabbing his bag nearby, "Looks like it's time to get moving. It was very kind of you to indulge an old man in listening to one of his stories."

"Yeah," said Josh, still mesmerized by what he'd just heard and thought about. "Wait!"

"Yes?"

"What's your name? I forgot to even ask."

"Henry." replied the stranger, smiling down at Josh as he continued to sit there, "And yours?"

"Josh."

"Well, Josh, I hope we run into one another in LA some time." Henry said, turning to look at the gate, "Have a good day!"

Josh waved to Henry as he walked across the room to the counter and stepped into the tunnel to board the plane. Henry's words echoed through Josh's head, filling him with a sense of hope he'd not known since returning to Earth. Though he wasn't with them now, he didn't love Vinyl or his friends any less. They were still the most important things in the world to him, and he knew that, even if he never saw them again, they'd always have a place in his heart, and he in theirs. Whether it be in Equestria or Earth, he will cherish the time he had with them, and keep trying to get back to them, someday. After all, he did promise that everything would be alright, and he’d die before he broke that.

Chapter 6: Consultation

Josh looked out the window of the taxi he'd taken upon leaving LAX and watched luxurious home after luxurious home pass by his vision, some of their windows still giving off a faint glow that broke the blackness of night. Silently, he kept an eye out for one in particular, the one he'd been so mesmerized by the first time he'd seen it, having been unable to believe there existed homes that nice. He smiled a little as he thought about the first time he'd come through this neighborhood, how he'd been living in little shitty, extended stay motels all throughout the early days of his career as an electronic music producer, only to be taken in by one man who helped him rise from the ranks of anonymity and take a seat on the throne of music supremacy. Back then, he'd been experiencing nothing but absolute jubilation, quite the opposite of his feelings at this moment.

Eventually, he saw the home he'd remembered from so long ago and told the driver he could stop there. The man did so, quickly taking Josh's money and allowing the young producer to step out before heading off down the street once more. Josh stared at the extravagant building before him, looking up and down at the bright yellow trim in some spots. The roof on either end was rounded down, contrasting the normally sloped area in the middle. In the nearby garage, Josh noticed a vehicle he knew all too well, a bright red Aston Martin DB5, glistening as nearby lights played off its cherry surface. Still not one for subtlety, are you? Josh thought as he finished his survey of the immediate area.

Slowly, Josh approached the front door of the villa, only now having second thoughts about this whole idea. It had been a year since he'd last seen his friend, having literally disappeared before his very eyes to take up residence in Equestria. Josh had no idea what he could say to explain himself, but he knew that his friend would undoubtedly ask how he was back on earth, a question Josh wasn't looking forward to having to answer again. He stood outside, staring at the suddenly ominous door before him and beginning to reevaluate his actions. Crickets chirped all around, their noise almost seeming deafening in his current, indecisive state. After a few moments more of mulling over the issue before him, he finally raised his arm and rang the softly glowing doorbell next to the outer frame.

Josh heard a muffled voice from inside the upstairs window and knew that he'd be facing a tirade like no other once the individual reached the door. After a few minutes of waiting, he heard the footsteps of someone making their way to the door, followed by the turning of the lock. For a half a second, Josh thought of turning and running away, hoping in vain that he could clear the porch in enough time before the door opened up all the way.

"It's 2 in the fucking morning!" said the irate, British voice from the other side as the door opened, "What are you..."

The man before Josh stopped his angry words upon seeing the young producer on his doorstep. Josh looked back at the man, who looked him up and down quickly, his mouth agape, clearly unable to believe what was before his eyes. The young man just managed a small smile towards his old friend, himself unable to say anything at all. The two just stared at one another for a while, till, at last, the man in the house found his tongue.

"... Josh..." he said quietly, staring at the young man before him in clear disbelief.

"Hey Liam." Josh replied weakly, giving a small wave to his former manager, "How's it been?"

Again, silence fell between the two of them. Liam looked Josh up and down several more times, apparently trying to cement in his own mind how it could be possible that his former star was standing before him after being gone for a year to a place he couldn't even begin to know where it was. Josh just stood there, still unable to find the proper words to speak to Liam.

"Who is it, sweetheart?" asked a female voice from behind Liam.

Josh suddenly saw a pretty, tall brunette woman walk up behind Liam and wrap her arms around his neck. She smiled sweetly at Josh, despite him having been the one to rudely wake them both up this late at night.

"Hello there." she said, still smiling at Josh over Liam's shoulder, "How can we help you tonight?"

"Uh, well..." said Josh, hesitating heavily at not knowing what to say or how to say it, "I'm here to talk to Liam."

"Oh, I see." replied the woman, taking her arms off of Liam and lightly pushing him out of the way, "Would you like to come inside... ?"

"Josh, and yeah, I'd love to."

The beautiful woman at Liam’s side turned and gestured for Josh to enter. The young producer stepped inside the home as the woman carefully closed the door behind him.

"Liam, dear," said the woman, forcing Liam out of his stupor a little, "would you like to show our guest to the living room?"

Liam said nothing, but nodded, quickly making his way to Josh's side and grabbing his arm. Josh followed Liam as he pulled him rapidly into the nearby living space. As the entered, Josh looked all around and saw all sorts of memorabilia, from autographed records, to awards and other sorts of music paraphernalia. Pictures of musical producers adorned the walls, some Josh recognized, and some he figured must be somewhat new. On the mantle above the fireplace, Josh saw a picture of himself at a performance, his arms up on the air, his forehead shining a bright green color from the stage lights playing off his sweaty face.

Liam stopped pulling Josh along after reaching the center of the room and left him just standing there. Josh watched as Liam paced back and forth rapidly, occasionally glancing at the young producer before looking away and mumbling to himself. This proceeded to go on for some time, with Liam's mumbling becoming more and more frantic. After some time, he stood before Josh, looking deep into his eyes and panting from his incessant pacing.

"Uh... uh..." said Liam, snapping his fingers rapidly, "What's your third most popular song of all time and how long did it take you to make it?"

"What the hell?" asked Josh, raising his eyebrow, "What's that have to do with anything?"

"I'm seeing if you're really him." replied Liam, "Now, answer the question."

"L, it's me. I swear."

"I've gotta know!" Liam said forcefully, stomping his foot, "Now, answer the goddamn question!"

"Smackdown. Took me 27 hours to make." Josh said.

"Any fan could know that." said Liam, pacing once more, searching for another test he could give to Josh.

"Well, if that doesn't convince you, then I do remember that God-awful, giant tattoo you got on your back when we were on tour." said Josh, causing Liam to stop his pacing again and slowly look up, "I remember you getting so drunk that you tried to pick up that guy at the bar who looked like the hottest blonde either of us had ever seen. If you need a list, I can go on."

Liam turned back to Josh, his panting starting to die down at last. A smirk formed on Josh's lips at Liam's sudden change, knowing he'd managed to silence his protests. Another uncomfortable silence fell between the two, Liam's gaze never faltering once as he continued to stare at Josh. Then, without warning, he let out one, long sigh and relaxed his shoulders before collapsing into a nearby chair. Josh watched as his old friend began to pinch the bridge of his nose, remaining silent the entire time.

"Josh," called the woman from nearby, causing Josh to break his gaze away from Liam, "would you like a drink? We've got some perfectly good whiskey in here."

"Uh... sure." said Josh, and he soon heard the sound of chiming glasses and liquid being poured.

The woman returned to the living room shortly after, carrying a small tray with three glasses filled with amber liquid.

"Here you go." she said, handing Josh his glass off the tray, "Have a seat anywhere."

Josh took the drink and turned to the nearby couch, quickly taking a seat and looking back to Liam. The woman had taken her own seat next to Liam and handed him a drink before taking a sip of her own. Josh watched as Liam took one, large gulp of his own drink, wincing a little upon the alcohol passing down his throat. Josh took an obligatory drink of his own whiskey and felt the familiar sensation of light burning from the liquid. Together, the three sat in silence for a short time, Josh's eyes never once leaving Liam's now seemingly relaxed form on the chair nearby.

"So, Josh," said the woman, setting her glass down nearby, "how exactly do you know my Liam?"

"Well, he was kinda... we... uh..." Josh stammered, trying his best to phrase what he wanted to say without telling the attractive brunette who he really was.

"He was Xplushun, Samantha." said Liam finally, earning a gasp from Samantha and a glare from Josh.

"Oh my God!" she exclaimed, eyes widening as she looked back to Josh from Liam, "You're really Xploshun?!"

Thanks for answering for me, jerkoff Josh thought.

"Yeah... At least, I was..."

"I'm such a huge fan of yours!" she said, her voice rising several octaves in fangirl excitement, "I went to one of your shows last year when you were in Dallas! I always wanted to meet you! Liam's told me so many stories about you!"

"Good ones, I hope." said Josh, smiling a little at Samantha's sudden exuberance.

"Only the best for you, man." Liam replied, still not moving from his position on the chair.

"Liam!" Samantha said angrily, "Why didn't you tell me this was Xploshun in the first place! You know I am a huge fan of him!"

"I wasn't sure it was really him!" replied Liam, his own voice rising in pitch as he glared back at Samantha, "Fucker's been gone for a year! I even saw him..."

Josh felt his heart drop as Liam paused. Oh God he thought please don't tell her the truth...

"I... even saw him announce his retirement and then just ride off into the goddamn sunset like some sort of vagabond."

Josh let out a small sigh of relief as the Liam finished his sentence and returned his gaze to the young man before him.

"Well, either way, it's absolutely an honor to meet you." Samantha said, looking back to Josh as well and smiling, "Um... would you mind too much... if I asked for an autograph from you?"

"Uh... well..."

"Please? It'd mean the world to me! I've always wanted your autograph."

Josh looked up to the mantle nearby to the picture of himself at a performance.

"L here doesn't have anything I've personalized?" he asked, looking back to Samantha.

"He does, but I'd love to have one of my own... Pretty please?"

Josh looked to Samantha and saw her with her lower lip protruding in a manner very reminiscent of the Cutie Mark Crusaders, whose cuteness Josh never could manage to fight.

"Sure, I think I can do that for you." he finally said, smiling as she jumped up with glee.

"Awesome! Let me go see if I still have the shirt from your performance I went to!"

With that, Samantha dashed up the stairs, giggling the whole way, leaving Josh and Liam alone once again. The young producer watched her giddily disappear before turning back to Liam, who was sitting with his elbows on either side of the chair and resting his head on his clasped hands.

"You haven't even been in my home for ten minutes, and already you've got my wife asking for your autograph." said Liam, smirking a little bit as he spoke, "Disappearing off to God knows where for a year hasn't diminished your popularity at all, has it?"

"Certainly seems that way."

Another round of silence fell between the two men as they stared at one another. Josh had no idea what to say to his once-manager, and it seemed that Liam was struggling to find words of his own. Together, these two had worked their way up the electronic music ranks at a remarkable speed, with Liam getting Josh on an official tour only two years after officially signing him to his label. From there, the two just rode the tidal wave of success, astounding everyone with Josh's incredible style and musical ability. Now, however, that whole time seemed like nothing more than just a distant, long lost dream, an unbelievable fantasy that had ended all too soon.

"So," Liam finally said, breaking the heavy silence, "what brings you back here all of a sudden?"

Josh swallowed hard. He knew he'd have to eventually, but right now, with everything that had been going on and with how fresh his emotional wounds were, he wasn't prepared to tell Liam the truth, that he'd been forced from his home with no warning or choice in the matter.

"I..." he began, trying hard to not let his voice shake, "I'm not exactly here by choice... That's all I'm going to say for now."

Liam scrutinized the young producer for a short time, looking deep into his eyes, into the pain contained within the blue orbs.

"Fair enough." he said, "And what about your... pony friend, Vinyl?"

Josh looked back at Liam but said nothing, feeling a small lump form in his throat at the thought of his loving mare. Visions of Vinyl sad and alone, distraught beyond measure over losing her lover flashed through Josh's mind. Hot tears began to form in Josh's eyes and he looked away from Liam, trying not to allow his old friend to see them.

"She's... not still there, is she?" asked Liam, his voice softening upon seeing Josh's reaction to his question.

Josh felt a single tear leave his eye and make its way down his cheek, dripping off his chin and onto the thick, flannel shirt he wore. He looked up to Liam to see him sitting on the edge of his seat now, staring intently at Josh, a look of concern painting his face.

"They... they f-forced me out, L." said Josh, his voice now shaking heavily as tears streamed from his eyes, "Away from my home, my friends, and worst of all, they forced me away from her and... and I can't go back."

Josh buried his face in his hands, unable to hold back his emotions any more. He began to sob quietly into his palms, feeling tears flow fast and cover his hands. He'd hoped beyond hope that his heart had healed enough for him to at least be able to talk about what had happened without losing himself to the deep-seated sadness the memories dredged up. However, that was clearly not the case as he broke down in front of one of his once closest friends.

"Oh... Josh, I'm... so sorry... I... didn’t know..." said Liam softly, reaching out a hand and placing it on Josh's softly trembling shoulder.

"It's... it's alright..." Josh said, trying to steady his breathing and wiping his eyes, "I guess... I'm not quite over it... I don’t think I’ll ever really get over it."

"Well... it's never easy to lose something so important to you." Liam said, sitting back in his chair as Josh regained his composure, "But, she's still there, isn't she?"

Josh nodded, looking back up to Liam.

"And she still loves you, right?"

"Of course. Just as much as I love her."

"Then you've not really lost one another, have you?"

Josh smiled a little at that, thinking back to Henry and the conversation the two had shared at the airport terminal.

"Thanks, L." Josh said, his smile still in place.

"Not a problem, mate." Liam said, returning Josh's look of gratitude.

"So," Josh said, leaning back on the couch and relaxing once more, "what all have I missed?"

"Well," Liam began, leaning back and crossing his legs, not taking his eyes off Josh, "to start off with, you left me with quite the mess to pick up here."

"How bad did it get?" Josh asked, internally cringing at the thought of his former manager having to explain to all sorts of media what had happened to Xploshun without telling them the whole truth.

"Well, not as bad as you might think." Liam replied, "All I really had to do was tell them that you'd retired and moved on. The real issue came with all those bloody reporters that saw you leave along with me. They made the whole scenario an absolute fucking disaster."

"None of them went public with what happened, did they?"

"Believe me, those fucking vultures were chomping at the bit to be able to release the whole story. But, the parasites realized pretty quick that they'd never have a chance. After all, if you were a sensible editor for one of those publications, would you really believe that one of the most famous dubstep producers in the world was magically taken away by two talking ponies?"

"Probably not..." Josh said, only now seeing the ridiculousness in that statement.

"There were a few who tried to get the story out there." Liam said, his brow contorting into a scowl, "Fucking bastards took the whole thing to any sort of shitty supermarket tabloid and weird conspiracy blog that they could. Thank Christ those things are so unreliable, otherwise both you and myself would've been royally fucked."

"There were over a hundred of them there that day, though." Josh said, thinking back to the day of the press conference, "Surely, if they all saw it and the stories were consistent, someone would realize that it's not all bullshit."

"Hundreds of people all spouting the same insanity is still just that, insanity."

Josh's response died in his throat. In his entire time in Equestria, he'd given very little thought to what had happened on earth after he left. As far as he'd known, it hadn't mattered all that much, seeing as he never thought he'd be back here. In hindsight though, his leaving had to have made a huge impact, especially considering exactly how he'd left.

"The biggest problem I had to deal with was them coming my way, trying to get me to lend credibility to their story," Liam said, forcing Josh back out of his thoughts.

"They actually came to you for this?" Josh said disbelievingly, "What the fuck made them think they'd ever get you to say something?"

"Don't know and don't care." Liam responded angrily, clenching his fist, "I told each and every one of them to take and shove it right up their worthless, neurotic arses. I wasn't about to give those fuckers a single inch."

"They don't still bother you, do they? I mean, it's been a year since it all happened. Surely, they'd have to give up at some point."

"I still get at least one email a day from those morons, asking me to back them up on their crazy-ass claims."

Josh felt guilt tug at his heart a little at that moment. Here I was, running around in some magical world filled with talking ponies, while L had to deal with all this fucking bullshit he thought, staring once again at Liam.

"But, they'll never get me to say a thing." Liam said forcefully, his trademark smirk crossing his face, "I'll take the truth to my fucking grave."

Josh smiled at Liam once again. Despite him leaving and practically forcing his manager to deal with all these issues, Liam was as dedicated as ever to helping protect Josh.

"Thanks for not saying anything. I know this can't have been easy to deal with, and with me not being here..."

"Well, I couldn't exactly say anything." Liam said, his smirk transforming into a sardonic smile, "After all, I don't need to be branded a nutcase like those idiots."

"Thanks anyway."

"Anytime, mate."

"Anything else I ought to know?" asked Josh, "Like, you getting married. When the fuck did that happen?"

"Ah, Samantha?" Liam said, another huge smile crossing his face, looking towards the stairs she'd disappeared up moments ago, "We've only been married a short time now. She's absolutely fantastic though, isn't she? Never thought I'd ever happen across a woman like that."

Josh saw an all too familiar dreamy look cross Liam's face as he talked about his wife. It was the very same look Josh would get whenever he thought about Vinyl before he'd been sent back to earth, that look that displayed nothing but bliss at the mere thought of the individual who seems to complete his soul.

"Well, I guess I'll have to get you some sort of wedding gift then." Josh said jokingly, forcing Liam's face to return to its normal state, "Then again, I've only got about four hundred left, so it won't be too extravagant."

"Only four hundred?" Liam said, "Well, we can clear that up in a second, I think. Hold on... Where did I put that card?"

Liam stood up and walked over to the coat rack in the hall, searching the pockets and mumbling incoherently. Josh watched him rummage before some time and was about to ask what exactly he was looking for before his former manager exclaimed and made his way back into the living room.

"Here you go." Liam said, handing Josh a plastic card. "You'll have to go talk to the bank before using it so you can change up the PIN, but I can assure you, there's quite a bit of money in that account for you."

"L," Josh said, staring at the bank card in his hand, "what's this all about?"

"It was incredible, actually." Liam said, retaking his seat in the nearby chair, "After you left, sales of your albums fucking skyrocketed like there was no tomorrow. I'd never seen anything like it before. I couldn't very well keep all the money from that though, so I opened up an account for you and kept putting more and more in every time payday came around."

"You... saved up money for me, even though I'd left?" Josh said, finally glancing away from the card and towards Liam, unable to hide the shock in his voice, "Why?"

"I dunno." Liam said, shrugging, "I just figured maybe you'd come back and visit at some point, maybe take your pony out for a good time if you brought her with you."

Again, Josh just stared at Liam, unable to believe his old friend was still looking out for him even though he'd been gone for so long.

"I-I don't know what to say, L..." Josh said, yet another smile finding its way onto his face as he looked towards Liam, "Thank you. For everything..."

"Like I said, no problem. Just because you're not here, that doesn't mean I'd just forget about you." Liam said, returning Josh's smile again.

Josh and Liam sat in companionable silence for some time, the young producer still in a state of disbelief. Even in a year of being away, his closest and dearest friend never forgot about him or left him out to dry. Liam still deeply cared about Josh, and was obviously willing to endure the insane burden of the truth behind his leaving, not once letting it out for anything in the world.

"So, now that I've caught you up on the past year here," Liam said, drawing Josh's attention back to him once again, "I'd love to know what exactly brought you out here to see me."

Josh bit his lip slightly, unsure how to exactly phrase what he'd come all this way to say. It had seemed so easy on the plane to tell himself exactly what he knew needed to be said, but it was another story actually sitting before Liam, who had just admitted that in the past year he'd done more for Josh than he could have dreamed. However, the young man had already done so much to make it to his friend and knew he couldn't back down now.

"I... wanted to ask you for something..." Josh hesitated, causing Liam to raise an eyebrow.

"Well, Josh," Liam said, leaning forward once again in his chair, "you know you can ask me for anything."

"I was sort of hoping that... you could give me a job."

"I think I can do that." Liam said after a moment of contemplation, smiling at Josh again and sitting back in the chair once more, "May I ask why you're so eager to get back on your feet though? I'm not sure how long you've been back, but I can't imagine it's been too long. Shouldn't you take some more time to rest before jumping back into the swing of things?"

"I've sat around long enough, L." Josh said, thinking back on the last week and all he'd thought about while ruminating on everything that had happened, "Working helps me take my mind off all the shit I've been through recently. The less I focus on all that, the better."

"Fair enough..." Liam said, "If that's the case, then I'll get on the phone with some people and we'll see what we can do. I can't guarantee you'll have a tour all that soon, but..."

"A tour?"

"Yeah. You're planning on going back to performing, aren't you?"

"I’m sorry, L, but I can’t." Josh said, causing Liam to start.

"What do you mean you can't?" Liam said, rather forcefully, "You're bloody Xploshun! If you were to make a comeback now, with as popular as you still are in the world of dubstep, it'd be like the second coming! What's holding you back?"

Josh just stared at Liam, feeling his heart sink. He'd been afraid that his old friend would react like this, maybe even refuse to help him if he didn't do what it seemed would only be natural for him to do. However, Josh knew full well that there was no way he could be a producer anymore, that there was something extremely important missing for him to find any sort comfort and happiness in what was once his greatest passion in life...

"It's her, L." he said quietly, trying hard once more to keep his voice steady, "It’s Vinyl. She was... more than just my marefriend."

"Oh... I see..." Liam said, slumping a little in his seat as realization dawned on him, "She... she was your partner as well, wasn't she?"

Josh just slowly nodded, fighting the urge to cry again. Liam just stared at the young man once again, a look of concern painting his face.

"So, I take it you don't want to be involved with music, do you?" Liam asked, "Don't want to bring up... painful memories."

"The memories I have are far from painful, L." Josh said, thinking back to all the shows he'd done with Vinyl and all the fun the two of them had had as they performed throughout Equestria, "They hurt now, but they're still happy deep down. The music's all I've got left anymore, but I just can't make it..."

"So then," Liam said, "what exactly did you have in mind if not to be a producer again?"

"I was thinking... maybe I could be a roadie or something like that."

"Are you fucking crazy?!" Liam shouted, causing Josh to jump in his seat at the sudden change of tone.

Liam quickly covered his mouth after the sudden outburst, looking towards the stairs to see if Samantha was on her way back down. When it was apparent she hadn't heard him, Liam removed his hand from his face and sighed, looking back to Josh and glaring slightly.

"What could possibly possess you to want to be roadie?" Liam asked in a somewhat harsh whisper, leaning into speak to Josh, "You know what it's like for them better than anyone! You'll be nothing but a tick-turd, a bitch who's supposed to do everything they're told and more! You deserve much better than that, Josh. I mean, you were Xploshun, for Christ's sake, one of the greatest producers around!"

"But I'm not Xploshun anymore, L." Josh said firmly, a hint of frustration entering his voice, "I'm just Josh. That's all I'm ever gonna be. And you're right, I do know what it's like. God only knows how many roadies I fucked with when I was on tour before..."

Liam just stared at Josh, unable to form the words tearing at his tongue. He covered his face with his hands in frustration, unwilling to give in to Josh's idea of taking the largest step downward that he possibly could take and becoming nothing more than servant to some other producer.

"Liam," Josh said softly, causing Liam to peer through his fingers at the young man, "I've gotta do something. I've spent the last week of my life closed off from the world feeling sorry for myself. I can't keep that up. It wouldn't be right. Vinyl wouldn't want me to live empty life. Please."

Liam pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head slightly. Josh hoped beyond hope that his friend would grant him this one last wish, allowing him to begin the process of moving on with his life.

"Josh," Liam said, stalling a little as he spoke. "You know I'd do anything for you. I mean, hell, I've spent the last year here covering for you as much as I could, even when it seemed like you weren't ever going to come back... I don't know that I can get you on with anyone right now... The only two tours I know of have full crews, and they're not looking for any more."

Josh hung his head a little at that.

"But... I'm going to be travelling with a new guy starting tomorrow." Liam said, causing Josh to glance back up at him, "I can't get you on as a roadie, but I'll gladly take you on as my assistant. That way, you can be around the music all you like, and you don't have to be told what to do by anyone... save for me, of course."

Josh felt his heart leap a little as he looked back to Liam. After all the trouble he'd gone through in the last year to keep Josh's reputation protected from those who would seek to discredit him, still his old friend had nothing but care for the young man. Josh broke into a grin, a gesture which Liam once again returned.

"L," he said, fighting the urge to jump up and hug his friend, "thank you, so much... You have no idea what this means to me."

"Well, I can't just turn you away, now can I?"

Josh chuckled a little at that, as did Liam. Suddenly, both men heard Samantha calling from the stairs.

"Sorry it took so long." She said, descending with a white shirt in her hand. "I thought I'd left it in the closet, but it was in the back of a drawer. I brought you a marker, too!"

Making her way to the center of the room and standing between Josh and Liam, she excitedly handed the young man the shirt and permanent marker. Josh took hold of both and looked up to Samantha who was practically bouncing with excitement.

"What do you want me to say on this?" He asked, removing the cap on the marker and preparing to write.

"Hmm..." Samantha said, putting a finger to her chin in contemplation. "How about 'To My Biggest Fans, Samantha and Liam'."

Josh signed as she'd said and added his signature at the bottom of the message, making sure to add extra detail to his stage name. Capping the marker again, he handed the garment back to Samantha, smiling at her as she took back the shirt and squealed with excitement.

"Oh my God, thank you so much!" She said, bouncing up and down and giggling like a little girl.

"Not a problem." Josh said, watching the fangirl moment before him, images of Pinkie and her over exuberant nature flashing through his head.

Liam smiled at Josh from behind Samantha, who turned back to her husband.

"This is so awesome, isn't it baby?" she said, clutching the shirt like it was a precious stuffed animal. "I finally got his autograph!"

"That's absolutely fantastic, sweetheart." Liam said, standing up and giving his wife a quick peck on the lips before looking down to Josh, "Well, we'd better get back to sleep. Gotta get up early to get ready for tomorrow."

"Where're we headed tomorrow, exactly?" Josh asked.

"He's starting out in Vegas and we've gotta get there to keep an eye on prep for the show." Liam answered. "It'll be quite the drive, so we'll need some shuteye if we're gonna make it in one piece."

"Oh, are you going, too, Josh?" Samantha asked.

"Yup. Samantha, you’re looking at my new assistant." Liam said before Josh could respond. "We've got a spare bedroom here if you'd like to stay for the night."

"Thanks, L." Josh said, standing up and smiling once more at Liam. "I think I've bothered you two enough for one night though. I'll just go and find a nice motel to stay at or something."

"It's no trouble at all." Samantha interjected. "We'd love to have you stay for the night."

"Thanks, but I think I'll be better off on my own one last time." Josh said, looking between Liam and Samantha. "Let this all sink in for a bit."

Liam nodded once more before looking to his wife once again.

"Why don't you head on upstairs and get back in bed, love." He said. "I'll see Josh off and then be right up, alright?"

Samantha nodded in affirmation before moving in and giving Josh a quick kiss on the cheek.

"It was so great to meet you, Josh." She said, hugging the young man. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow before you leave then."

"I guess you will." he said, grinning at her as she stepped away, "Thanks for seeing me this late at night; I know that must have been a bit of a pain for you two."

"It's no trouble at all, dear."

With that, Samantha gave Liam a quick kiss before heading back up the stairs, waving goodbye to Josh as she disappeared from sight. Liam pulled out his phone and made a quick call to one of his associates, asking for a limo to come by and take Josh wherever he wanted to go. When Liam finished with the call, he and Josh made their way back to the front door of the villa.

"I'll swing by in the morning and grab you so we can head out." Liam said, "We'll stop by here one last time. I'm sure Samantha will want to see you off."

"L," Josh said, pausing with his hand on the doorknob, "thanks. For everything."

"Not a problem at all, Josh."

Liam placed his hands on Josh's shoulders, looking into his face and smiling a little.

"I know it has to be hard for you." he said, staring into Josh's eyes, "And, believe me, if I could ever find a way to get you back to Vinyl, I'd give everything I have to do so."

"I know you would, L." Josh said, grinning at his old friend. "That's why you're one of my best friends."

Liam pulled Josh into a hug, embracing him like a brother. Headlights appeared outside the home soon thereafter, and the two broke apart.

"I believe that's your ride, mate." Liam said.

Josh thanked Liam once more and opened the door, stepping outside and walking up to the limousine. Upon getting in, he saw Liam talking to the driver, who soon nodded and began to back out of the driveway.

"Can I get you anything before we head out, sir?" asked the driver, looking at Josh through the rear view mirror.

"No, I think I'm alright." Josh said, thinking about the last few moments he'd experienced. "I've got everything I need for now."

Chapter 7: Trial

Josh peered out the window of the limousine as it passed through the arid landscape of Nevada, Liam sitting across from him doing the same. They had been on the road for a little over five hours now, occasionally engaging in some polite banter to pass the time. Liam had stopped by to grab Josh that morning and took him back to his and Samantha's villa so the excitable woman could see them off on their trip. All the time they'd been sitting there that morning, enjoying their breakfast, Samantha kept up an insatiable stream of questions about Josh and his time with Liam touring. Josh answered each and every one as best he could, all the while making sure to hold off on any details that would be detrimental to his or Liam's reputation, of which there was a lot.

"She's practically in love with you, mate." Liam had said as their ride pulled up that would take them to Vegas, "I've never seen her react to anyone like that in the entire time I've known her."

Josh was far from new to reactions like that, especially from women he'd met. In all his time of being a producer, he'd had more girls fawning over him than a newborn baby at a church service. Even a few times in Equestria, he'd found himself the center of attention for a few mares, only to have each and every one of them shot down by Vinyl. The young producer smiled upon remembering when one female attempted to advance upon him before a performance, only to have Vinyl practically beat her off the human. Josh had needed to do a lot of explaining that time, and the show was almost ruined because Vinyl had refused to go out on stage.

"Can you believe this fucking place?" Liam asked, drawing Josh's attention to him, "Why would anyone want to live in a bloody desert like this?"

"Hard to say." Josh said, glancing back out the window to the tan, practically barren area before his eyes, "It's definitely not a place I'd like to live."

Silence fell between them both again as Josh's full attention returned to looking out the window to the scenery speeding past his vision.

"I know this may not be the best time to ask something like this," Liam began, again forcing Josh's attention away from the window, "but, well, let's face it... In the matter of a year and a half, you've disappeared literally off the face of the earth. Twice. I need to know, Josh... Where did you go?"

Josh merely stared at Liam for a time. Part of him wanted to continue keeping the truth away from his former manager, to let remain what little information he'd actually managed to acquire from Josh. However, Liam had been there when it all had happened, when Princess Celestia and Vinyl had come to Earth to take Josh back to his home in Equestria. There was no point in trying to hide anymore, and Josh saw no reason to keep Liam in the dark on this any longer.

"L... do you believe in other worlds or dimensions?" he asked, looking back to Liam.

Liam stared back at him for a short time, one eyebrow raised slightly.

"I didn't before." he replied, "But, after what I saw last year, I'd be hard pressed not to think there are other worlds out there."

"Well, that's where I went." Josh said, "I was taken to another world called Equestria."

"Rather fitting name, don't you think?"

Josh nodded as another silence pervaded their short conversation. The two stared at one another for what seemed like the thousandth time since Josh had come back to see Liam, neither one able to find any sort of words to say.

"What was it like there?" asked Liam after some time.

"It was... one of the most beautiful places I think I've ever been." Josh said, a small smile forming on his lips as he thought back to Equestria and all the incredible sights he'd ever seen there, "Everything's so... vibrant and colorful. Everywhere you look, there's always something that you can't help but marvel at."

"What're their homes like?" Liam asked, leaning in towards Josh as he continued to ask him about Equestria, "I mean, they can't just all live in stables or anything like that, can they?"

"They have a decent mix of areas." Josh said, "There're some huge places like Manehatten or Seaddle or Las Pegasus. Then there are quaint little places like Ponyville, where I lived. As for housing, everyone lives in their own home. I never really saw any type of stables when I was there."

"That is absolutely fascinating." Liam said, a huge smile on his face as he pressed on, "What about the ponies themselves? I know you lived with a unicorn, but what about others? Didn't that one who came here have wings and a horn?"

"Yeah, she did. That was Princess Celestia. She's an alicorn, one of the rare ponies that exemplifies all three races."

"There are others?"

"Yeah, like pegasi ponies or earth ponies. There's griffons and dragons there too."

"Really?!" Liam said, practically throwing himself back in his seat, "That's... wow... Griffons and dragons as well as talking ponies?!"

"You sound like you don't believe me." Josh said, smirking a little at Liam's reaction to discovering that dragons and griffons did, in some way, exist.

"I can't not believe you, Josh." Liam said, still smiling a little as he processed the information given to him, "I mean... I've seen them myself. But... the way you describe these things... Magical pony princesses, unicorns, mythical beasts that walk and talk like humans... it seems like something out of a children's TV show or something."

"Well, believe me." Josh said, suddenly growing a little more somber as he thought more about the memories he had of Equestria, "It was very very real."

Liam stopped smiling as he noticed Josh's demeanor change so rapidly. Another round of silence fell hard and heavy between the two old friends.

"And Vinyl..." he said, rather hesitant as he spoke, not wanting to upset Josh, "What... what was she like?"

Josh felt his heart sink a little at those words. He'd been able to tell Liam all about Equestria with no trouble at all so far, even laughing along with him a little as he realized the ridiculousness of what he was saying. However, he still didn't know if he was ready to talk about Vinyl and all the wonderful times he'd experienced with the cream colored unicorn.

"If you don't want to talk about it, we don't have to." Liam suddenly said, shrinking away a little as Josh's gaze fell back to him, "It's obviously not the right time to discuss that. Sorry I brought it up at all."

"It's alright, L." Josh said, trying his best to speak in a reassuring tone, "One day, I'll tell you all about her. I'm just... not ready to talk about her yet."

"Not a problem, mate." Liam said, breathing a sigh of relief that he hadn't upset Josh, "We can talk about it whenever you’re ready."

Josh nodded, causing Liam to smile at him once again. The two shared a companionable bout of quiet as the sound of the limousine engine continued to hum, carrying them down the highway towards Las Vegas.

"So," Josh asked, finally breaking the silence and sitting up in his seat, "Who're we meeting in Vegas, exactly? You never really did tell me anything about this guy."

"Well, words don't really do Syd much justice." Liam said, smirking as he turned back to the window, watching all the passing scenery once more.

Josh stepped out of the limousine right behind Liam, looking all around the bright, arid landscape at the city of Las Vegas. All around the area were different types of desert flora, all painting the scene in different shades of green and tan. People bustled all about, some admiring the scenery, some heading to and from the casino, and even more chatting idly as they made their way past Josh and Liam on the sidewalk.

Josh looked up to the large structure before him, somewhat awed by the sight. Even the largest hotels in Equestria couldn't even come close to the size of this one, and it had been a very long time since he'd ever seen a structure this size, save for maybe Canterlot Castle.

"Hey, Josh!" Liam called, breaking Josh's attention away from the grand structure, "You coming, or are you going to stand out here all day and stare at the place?"

Josh rushed over to Liam, taking his place right next to his old friend as they made their way into the resort. Inside the lobby, people were milling about even more, some chatting and laughing while others were making their way around the place. Together, Josh and Liam made their way up to the front counter where a young man stood, smiling as they approached him.

"Hello and welcome to the Red Rock Hotel and Casino." he said, "How may I help you two gentlemen today?"

"Hello there." Liam greeted, leaning on the counter slightly with Josh beside him, "I need the keys to two rooms I called on about an hour or so ago."

"I see." said the young man, typing something into his computer, "And what was your last name, sir?"

"Kensington."

The man typed in something to the computer as Josh and Liam just stood there, waiting for him to address them again. After finishing his typing, he stepped back and pulled out a drawer from below the desk. He rummaged around for a second before pulling out two cards and placing them into separate pamphlets.

“Here’s your key cards, sir.” he said, handing them over the counter to Liam.

Liam grabbed the two pamphlets and thanked the man.

"Not a problem, sir." he said, his smile returning, "Is there anything else I can do for you?"

"If we could get someone to take our luggage to my room, that'd be lovely." Liam said.

"Not a problem, sir." the young man replied, looking back and forth between Josh and Liam, "Will that be all?"

"I believe so."

"Very well. Enjoy your stay here!"

With that, Liam handed Josh his room key and together, the two made their way down the nearby hall, passing by all sorts of guests and workers along the way. Upon reaching the elevators, they headed up to the fifteenth floor, getting off once they arrived and making their way towards their respective rooms. After a short walk, they found their place and made their way inside. Josh looked all around his room, to the neatly made bed in the center, the large television on the nearby wall, the huge desk and drawers there wrapped all around one corner. As he looked out the window, he noticed the entire Las Vegas strip in the distance, its bright signage and colorful places sticking out in the mostly suburban areas surrounding it.

"Well," Liam said from his door, causing Josh to turn and look at him once more, "what do you think?"

"It's awesome." Josh said, looking back out the window towards the strip, "It's been a long time since I've stayed in a place like this. Even the hotels I stayed at in Equestria weren't this nice. Then again, they were a lot smaller in scale than this one."

"Is everything there smaller?" asked Liam, showing genuine curiosity about the scale of things in a world filled with little ponies.

"Absolutely." Josh said, stepping away from the window and back towards his friend, "I always had to duck before entering anywhere. I can't even begin to tell you how many fucking times I hit my head on a doorframe there. And it's not just the doors either. Even the beds and other furniture are smaller. Thank God Vinyl knew how to use her magic to alter the size of things..."

"She could do magic?" he asked in almost the same disbelievingly amused tone he'd had on the way there.

"All unicorns can do magic." Josh said simply, "It's so commonplace there. It'd be no different than you or I learning how to use our hands for everyday tasks. It's their one way around the fact that they only have hooves."

"So, if only unicorns can use magic, then how do the other races of ponies do things like write, or open doors, or anything like that?"

"They usually use their mouths for that..."

"That's disgusting!" Liam said, a revolted look forming on his face at the thought of touching an object that someone had in their mouth, "Didn't that bother you at all?"

"A little, at first." Josh said, shrugging a little, "You just get used to it. Besides, it's not like they were sucking on the doorknob whenever they used it or anything like that."

"Well, it's still unsanitary." Liam said, looking at the doorknob with a sour look on his face, "We'd better go check on Syd real quick. Come on."

Josh nodded and followed after Liam as the two made their way down the hall a little farther. Upon reaching the room they'd been looking for, Liam stopped Josh and turned to look him in the face once more.

"Now, there's something you may want to know about Syd..." Liam said, stalling as he tried to think of how to phrase his next statement, "He's... Well, to put it frankly, he's a lot like you. At least, like what you used to be."

"That why you chose him to be your next hit?" Josh asked, smirking a little, "You couldn't have me, so you just went for the next best thing?"

"I guess that may have been a factor..." Liam said, trailing off a little, "But, don't be surprised if he seems a little... rough around the edges."

"Come on, L." Josh said, opening up the door to the room, "How bad could he be?"

"GOD FUCKING DAMNIT!"

Josh turned just in time to see a lamp impact the far wall and shatter. He jumped from fright and nearly collapsed as he felt his heart skip a few beats. Liam followed Josh into the room, smirking a little.

"That bad." Liam said, quickly turning back to quell the angry ranting from around the corner.

Josh watched as a young man with shoulder length, black hair stepped out from behind the wall, his phone to his ear as he continued his enraged tirade.

"Listen, Frank," he yelled into the receiver, pointing emphatically as he did so, "if that stupid fuck broke that sub, I'm taking it out on you, got it?!"

"Syd," Liam said, making his way towards the young man, "what's the issue here?"

Syd gestured towards Liam, silently telling him to wait for his response. Josh heard an indistinguishable voice from the other end speaking before Syd lashed out once more.

"I don't care if he's been doing this for almost five years, dipshit." he said, scowling heavily, "That motherfucker almost broke my controller getting it on the transport out here. He's not gonna touch another piece of equipment without some sort of supervision, otherwise I'm gonna break his fucking kneecaps. Now, just finish getting all that shit out of the trailer, and if I get another call about equipment being dropped, there's gonna be some unhappy motherfuckers around here, including me!"

Syd angrily hung up the phone and turned away from Josh and Liam, still swearing and fuming. Josh, finally able to breathe again, stood up and made his way past the nearby wall, standing just behind Liam as he began to address Syd again.

"What was all that about?" Liam asked, causing Syd to turn around.

"Frank said that Dom dropped a sub as he was getting it out of the fucking trailer." Syd angrily responded, throwing his phone back into his pocket, "I'm tired of that idiot almost breaking my shit! That's the last time he's handling any sort of equipment anymore."

"Did he actually break it, or did Frank just say he thought it was broken?" Liam asked, stepping farther into the room.

"It's Dom, L." Syd said simply, "If he dropped it, odds are it's busted all to hell. You know what a stupid fuck he is."

"Right..." Liam said, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration, "Well, if all else fails... I'm sure we can go out and find another sub to replace that one. I hope."

"I can probably fix it." Josh said, causing Liam and Syd to direct their attention towards him.

"You can fix the sub?" Syd asked skeptically, raising one eyebrow, "How're you gonna do that, exactly?"

"If he only dropped it a short distance then the least that'll have happened is it's scratched and maybe a few wires got jostled out of place." Josh replied, looking between Syd and Liam as he spoke, "Just give me a few minutes to pop it open and check it for any damage. I guarantee you that I can fix it up, good as new."

"You really think you can do that?" Liam asked.

Josh nodded in response.

"Well, alright then." Liam said, smiling a little at Josh, "If you think you can do it, then go for it."

Josh returned Liam's smile and nodded once more.

"Who exactly are you again?" Syd asked suddenly, walking closer to Josh and looking up at him.

"Oh. I forgot to introduce him, didn't I?" Liam said, gesturing towards Josh, "Syd, this is my new assistant, Josh. Josh, this is Sydney Hamilton."

"That's Sydeous." Syd corrected, not taking his gaze off Josh's face.

"Nice to meet you." Josh replied somewhat jovially, holding out his hand to Syd.

The young man looking him over didn't take Josh's hand in his own, instead choosing to simply continue staring at Josh. Eventually, Josh dropped his hand and just stood there, not taking his eyes off Syd either, hoping that at some point the younger producer would make some sort of verbal acknowledgement of Josh's existence. After some time, Syd backed off from Josh, still staring at him.

"You... look really familiar." Syd said finally, causing Liam to go pale and Josh's heart to plummet a little.

He hadn't ever expected anyone to actually recognize him now that he was back beside Liam. After all, as a producer, he never relied on his own visage to sell his music. Now, however, he realized just how foolish a notion it had been to assume that nobody could possibly tell who he was by looking at him. He knew he needed to keep a low profile and find a way to convince Syd that he wasn't who he thought he was. His mind raced as he quickly thought up the best excuse he could to tell the young man.

"I've been a roadie for a long time." he said simply, trying to keep his voice level so as to not raise any sort of suspicion, "You've probably seen me in pictures with other producers or something. I only just recently became Liam's assistant."

Josh looked back to Liam to see the Brit was still somewhat pale, but that he looked slightly relieved. Turning his gaze back to Syd, he saw the young producer's eyes narrow slightly as he contemplated Josh's words.

"Since when has L needed an assistant?" Syd asked matter of factly, "He never had one before."

"From what he told me, he just needs someone to help keep an eye on show prep whenever he can't be there." Josh stated, managing a glance back to Liam, who was nodding slowly, "He's got a lot of stuff on his plate to take care of at the moment, and he's been needing someone to fill in for him from time to time."

Syd's intense glare softened a little as he took in Josh's words. Slowly, he turned to look at Liam, who immediately stopped his nodding.

"Is that true?" he asked incredulously.

"For the most part." Liam responded, shrugging a little as he spoke, "Things have been pretty hectic in my life, and I realized that I'd probably not always be able to come around to help when you'll need me. Josh has been a roadie for long enough, I figured he'd know all the ins and outs of putting on a show like these ones."

Josh let out an internal sigh of relief upon hearing Liam's words backing up his story. Syd turned back around to Josh and glanced at him for a few seconds more.

"Alright then." he said after a short time, "I guess that makes sense. Just don't let yourself become L's bitch."

Syd extended his hand, a smirk covering his face. Josh flashed a grin and grasped Syd’s hand firmly, giving it a quick shake.

"I'll keep that in mind.”

Together, the three men stood in the hotel room for a short time, a rather heavy silence falling between them all. Josh realized that he and Liam had just successfully dodged their first of what they expected to be many bullets when it came to Josh's identity. From here on out, they'd have to really monitor things around them, to make sure no one caught on to who Josh really was. Easier said than done, though...

"Well," Liam said, clapping his hands together, drawing Josh and Syd's attention back to him, "that's enough chit chat, let’s head out to the stadium to check on prep for the show. And Josh, you can fix the sub once we get there."

"Sounds good to me." Syd replied, making his way towards the door.

"Can I talk to you real quick before we get too far ahead of ourselves, L?" Josh asked.

"Sure thing." Liam said, making his way out to the hall, "Syd, stay here for a sec, alright? I'd prefer if we head out together."

Syd nodded, and Liam headed out the entryway, followed by Josh. The young man partially closed the door on his way out, leaving it open just enough to see Syd still inside.

"That was the quickest I've ever seen anyone make up a story in my entire life." Liam said, chuckling a little at the thought of what had just transpired in the hotel room, "To be honest, I hadn't even thought about him recognizing you. Sorry about that..."

"I didn't think he would either." Josh replied, rubbing the back of his head, "Looking back on it, you'd think that'd be the number one thing we'd have thought about to begin with."

Liam nodded as a short silence settled between the two men once again.

"So, what do you think of him?" Liam asked, leaning against the wall, a smirk painting his face.

"Well... he certainly does seem a lot like me." Josh said, peering back into the room for a second to see Syd pulling out something from his pocket, "Maybe a little too much like me, now that you mention it."

"He certainly does have his moments." Liam said, "I don't remember you getting pissed off and throwing shit across the room, though."

Josh chuckled at that as he turned his attention back to Liam. His friend's face held a heavy look of concern as he peered into Josh's eyes.

"You know... you don't have to go back to this." Liam said, "You know better than anyone what this life is like. All the moving around, the stress of getting equipment set up and taken down, the temptations all around... If it's not for you, then I'd be more than willing to give you a better job, something simpler."

"L," Josh said, placing his hand on Liam's shoulder and giving him a small reassuring smile, "I need to do this. I can't just keep sitting around, feeling sorry for myself. I've spent too much time doing that as it is. I just... I need this, alright?"

Liam sighed, a small smile forming on his face. He glanced back into Josh's eyes, searching for and finding the sincerity behind his words.

"I know." he said simply, "You've gotta do what you've gotta do. I get it, I really do. But, if it gets to be too much for you, don't be afraid to tell me, okay?"

"Not to worry L." Josh said, glancing back into the room, "I'm sure everything'll work out just fine."

He looked back inside the room just in time to see Syd sit up from bending over onto the nearby dresser, holding his nose and wincing in pain.

"At least... I hope it will."

Octavia peered out the window of the train as it moved down the mountain from Canterlot, making its way back towards Ponyville. She had just finished with her latest rehearsal with the Canterlot Royal Symphony, which had also been her first time back in a little over a week. The gray mare had been so concerned for Vinyl over the course of the last week that she hadn't left the house except to grab the occasional necessity from around town. Vinyl had been showing some improvement, however, so Tavi thought it would finally be alright for her to head out and go to Canterlot for her rehearsal. That being said, she had been almost completely unable to focus due to a lack of sleep and her mind being centered on concern for her distraught best friend who was all alone at home, save for the occasional visit from Twilight or somepony else to make sure she was safe.

As the gray cellist continued to stare out the glass before her to the scenery flying by, which was painted in a golden hue from the setting of Celestia's sun, she let out a sigh of absolute exhaustion. Sleep had proven to be quite elusive recently, but she was finally getting back to where she needed to be. Despite that fact, she was still almost always tired, and her ability to do much more than just help Vinyl and stay at the house had been severely diminished. Even walking around town seemed like a challenge anymore, though Twilight, Applejack, and Rarity were quite a help to her there. Even as I'm taking care of Vinyl, those three are having to take care of me she thought as she sat there, ruminating on everything from the last week.

"Good evening, my dear." a voice said from right behind her.

Tavi's attention on the window broke away after what had seemed like an eternity and she turned to address whoever was speaking to her. There stood Dr. Whooves, one of her oldest friends from when she used to live in Canterlot. He looked into her tired face with a small smile gracing his own vibrant one.

"Oh," Tavi said, somewhat quietly, "hello there, Doctor. How are you?"

"I'm quite alright." he said with his usual calming intelligence, walking over to the seat in front of her and taking his place there, "And how are you? Are things any better with you and Vinyl?"

"It's been a very, very slow process of healing, and not everything is alright just yet, but things have been improving." Tavi replied, "Vinyl's still getting sick almost every morning though... Poor girl."

"He really meant a lot to her, didn't he?"

"He was her whole world." Tavi said, trying to maintain a steady voice as she spoke, "I've never seen her so close to anypony in the entire time I've known her. And he loved her at least as much as she loved him."

"Well, he was a rather nice chap." Dr. Whooves said simply, "Definitely a good man. I'll admit, though, I did judge him rather harshly myself when he first came here."

"You, Doctor?" Octavia exclaimed, a little more forcefully than was necessary, "Of all ponies to judge, you?! Don't tell me you subscribed to Filthy Rich's insane notions that Josh was some sort of monster."

"Of course not." the Doctor said, raising his hooves in defense, "I would never sink that low. But, you have to admit, Octavia, Josh was a bit of a wild card. Nopony really knew him, and he was fairly intimidating. It wasn't until he began to really be helpful to the town that a lot of ponies took to him. I, myself, thought he was quite the upstanding individual once I got to interact with him a little more."

"And what about when Filthy spouted his little hate speech about Josh's past?" Tavi said, still rather sharply, "What did you do then?"

"Well, everypony has something that they're not proud of, I suppose." Dr. Whooves said hesitantly, "I mean, if anypony truly knew of the skeletons in the closets of others, they may not look upon them so favorably."

"The mistakes that he made in his past are absolutely not grounds for hatred." Octavia said somberly.

"And I agree." Dr. Whooves stated, "Nopony like him deserves to be forced out of his own home like some sort of common pest."

"If only everypony in town could see it that way..."

Silence fell between the two of them as the train continued to roll down the tracks towards its destination. Octavia turned her attention back to the window and the scenery outside as she her thoughts diverted back to Josh. He had been such a blessing to those he was close to, had left such a huge impression on everypony. Octavia still couldn't wrap her mind around why somepony could go from being so loved to being so hated in almost no time at all.

"I know how special he was to you all, Octavia." Dr. Whooves said gently, "I've never seen anypony who can impact those around him like Josh could all my life. I'm confident in saying that, wherever he is, whatever he's doing, he wants to come home as badly as you all want him to return. And I know he couldn’t bear resting until he can see you all again."

Tavi smiled and looked back towards the Doctor, who returned her gesture.

"Thank you very much, Doctor." she said softly.

"Anytime, Tavi."

Together, Octavia and Dr. Whooves sat and chatted idly as the train continued towards Ponyville. By the time that they had arrived at their destination, Tavi felt worlds better, despite still having been fairly deprived of sleep. She and the Doctor stepped off the train and onto the platform, both preparing to head off towards their respective homes.

"Well, Octavia," Dr. Whooves said, stopping to address Tavi for a second, "I guess this is where we part ways."

"I suppose so." she said, grinning back at the Doctor, "Thank you for keeping me company, Doctor."

"It was a pleasure, Octavia." he said, turning around and heading off the platform, "Give my best regards to Vinyl, would you?"

"I'll be sure to do that."

With that, Dr. Whooves disappeared behind the train station, undoubtedly heading back to his home for the night. Tavi followed soon after, making her way through town towards the other end of town and her own house. As she walked, shops began to shut down for the night, market vendors wandering all around, making sure that they'd closed up everything they needed to. The gray mare passed by one stall that smelled fiercely of fresh fruit, and her stomach suddenly began to rumble, reminding her that she had to do something for dinner for her and Vinyl. She was far too tired to cook anything tonight, and she didn't feel like really going out to get something for the two of them, not to mention that Vinyl probably wouldn't want to leave the house anyway...

It was then that she spotted Sugarcube Corner a short way away, its windows still lit and a few ponies exiting the shop. It wouldn't really be healthy for us to have sweets for a meal Tavi thought, placing a hoof to her chin in contemplation. But... maybe a cake would help to make us both feel a little better. That, and a nice bottle of wine... The cellist slowly made her way to the confectionery, heading in through the door and causing the bell to jingle. As she approached the counter, Mr. Cake appeared out of the back room and stood behind the counter, ready to service his latest customer.

"Good evening, Octavia." he said amiably, smiling at the gray mare as she approached the counter, "How're you?"

"I'm a little tired, but doing alright." she replied, stopping short as she reached the stallion, "And yourself?"

"I'm not doing too bad." he replied, "Cup Cake's upstairs putting the foals to bed, so it's just me getting the shop closed up for the night. Speaking of which, what can I do for you?"

"Well, I needed to get dinner for Vinyl and I, and I thought we could have something a little different tonight." she said, "Could I trouble you for a small cake?"

"Not a problem." Mr. Cake said, turning and making his way back into the kitchen, "It may be a little bit, but I'll have it right out for you when it’s done."

Octavia nodded and took a seat next to the counter, patiently waiting for her order to be ready. As she sat there, the sound of a door being opened and closed upstairs rang out, followed by two familiar voices talking as they made their way down the hall. In a few seconds, two mares made their way down the stairs and into the main room of the shop. They stopped upon seeing Octavia sitting there, both falling silent almost immediately.

"Hello Twilight, Fluttershy." Octavia greeted, smiling at both mares.

"H-hello, Octavia." Fluttershy said in her usual shy mannerism.

"Hey there, Tavi." Twilight said, walking towards Octavia, "What're you up to?"

"I needed to grab something for Vinyl and I to eat, so I thought I'd stop in here and pick something up." Tavi replied, "What about you two?"

"Well, Fluttershy here needed to return Gummy to Pinkie, and I needed to talk to them both, so we just came together." Twilight said, Fluttershy nodding behind her.

"How is Pinkie?" Tavi inquired, "I haven't seen her in some time."

"She's getting better, but still not doing all that great." Twilight said.

"Sort of sounds like the way Vinyl is right now..." Tavi said, her thoughts wandering back to her friend at home.

"Applejack told me that she was doing fairly well today." Fluttershy said softly, causing both Tavi and Twilight to turn their attention towards the yellow pegasus, "She said that she actually was able to sit and talk to her for a little while."

"That's good." Octavia said, relieved that her friend had been doing alright so far that day, "At least she's doing a little better now..."

As Octavia finished her sentence, Mr. Cake came back out from the kitchen, a pink box tied up with some twine in his teeth.

"Here you go, Octavia." he said after setting the box down on the counter.

"Thank you very much." Tavi said, approaching the counter and pulling her bag of bits out, "How much do I owe you for it?"

"Tell you what," Mr. Cake said, glancing around the shop, "I'll cover you for this one."

"Are you certain?" Octavia asked, setting her wallet on the counter, "I can pay for it. It's not like I'm short on money or anything."

"I know." Mr. Cake replied, smiling a little, "If it's to help you and Vinyl out, then you don't need to pay for it. Take this one on the house."

Octavia smiled back at Mr. Cake, who winked at her.

"Thank you for your generosity, Mr. Cake." she said, grabbing the cake and placing it on her back.

"Not a problem, Tavi." he said, waving at her as she turned around and began to make for the door, Twilight and Fluttershy following close behind, "Have a good night you three!"

As they made their way out of the shop, they all noticed the sun had completed its descent for the night, giving way for Luna's moon and stars to grace the skies, bathing everything in a bright silvery light.

"Well, I'd better get back home." Fluttershy said, taking to the air and hovering just above the ground, "It's getting late, and my animals need to be tended to for the night. I'll talk to you girls later."

Tavi and Twilight said goodbye to the pegasus as she made her way back to her own home. Together, the two mares made their way back through town, chatting as they walked.

"... and so, Sweetie Belle said that she and her parents had been in a little fight at the boutique, so she just ran out into the rainstorm." Twilight recanted, telling Octavia all about how she'd found the little white filly the day before, "She refuses to talk to Rarity or her parents right now, and she doesn't want to go home, so I'm keeping her at the library."

"Rarity came to check up on her though, right?" Octavia inquired.

"She did. But, Sweetie hid once she heard Rarity's voice. Nothing I did could convince her to come out and see her sister." Twilight said, a look of concern painting her face, "With as upset as Rarity's been this last week, that can't be helping..."

"I'm sure Sweetie will get over this eventually." Octavia said, "She's just dealing with the grief in her own way. We all are."

"It just pains me to see those two like this." Twilight stated, looking up to see her library before her, "Hopefully this'll get resolved soon."

The two mares stopped as they arrived at the front door to the tree. Twilight turned back to Octavia, biting her lip a little in a nervous fashion.

"Tavi, I'm..." Twilight said hesitantly, staring into Octavia's violet eyes with her own, "I'm so sorry all this happened... If I'd known that... that they'd send him back..."

"Twilight, don't do this to yourself." Octavia said firmly, "It's not your fault. You had no idea that he'd be able to do what he did. You did everything you thought was right. It's just... sometimes things don't work out the way we think they ought to..."

"It certainly seems so..."

Octavia moved towards Twilight, wrapping her forelegs around her and hugging her lightly. Twilight returned the gesture, holding Octavia close and lightly rubbing her back. After a short time, the two mares broke the embrace and stepped back, both with smiles on their faces.

"Have a good night, Octavia." Twilight said.

"Same to you, dear." Octavia replied, turning around and heading away, "Make sure to say hello to Sweetie for me."

Octavia made her way back to her own home, walking through the now fairly empty streets of Ponyville. As she reached her destination, she noticed all the lights upstairs were off. Perhaps she's downstairs waiting for me or something Tavi thought as she approached her front door. She looked down towards the entry mat to see the local paper, the Ponyville Express, glaring up at her, a large picture of Filthy Rich on the cover. Octavia scoffed at the sight before opening the door and making her way inside the house.

"Vinyl, dear," she called, looking all around for any sight of her cream colored friend, "I'm home and I got us something to eat."

Silence answered the gray mare. She made her way further into the room, heading towards the kitchen and placing the cake on the table.

"Vinyl? Where are you?"

Again, no answer came. Octavia walked back out into the living room, looking everywhere she could for any sign of the unicorn. As she reached the center of the room, she noticed a bright, beautiful bouquet of all different types of flowers laying on the ground, a puddle of water below them and pieces of a colorful, broken vase sitting amidst the greenery.

"Flowers?" Octavia mused, making her way over to examine the scene, "Where in the world..."

Looking at the sight before her, she felt a hint of worry for Vinyl enter her mind. It wasn't like Vinyl to just leave a mess like this lying around, even if she was upset. Perhaps she's not here Octavia thought, suddenly imagining her friend wandering the streets of Ponyville alone and in a compromised emotional state. However, she remembered seeing that the lights upstairs were off, more often than not an indication that Vinyl was asleep in her room. Making her way up the stairs, she made for Vinyl's room, seeing the door cracked open slightly.

"Vinyl, are you in here?" she asked softly, opening the door all the way and stepping inside.

Vinyl sat in a chair in front of her window, her back to Octavia as she stared out at the night sky. Tavi breathed a small sigh of relief to see that her friend was still home and looked to be alright. Slowly, the gray mare approached her friend in the chair.

"Vinyl," she said as she came up to the chair, "I have dinner for us if you're hungry."

"Thanks Tavi." Vinyl said rather dreamily, "I'll be down in a minute... The moon's so pretty tonight, isn't it? Luna did a good job raising it."

"I suppose she did." Octavia said confusedly, stepping closer to Vinyl.

"You know, I still remember the first time Josh and I sat and watched the sunset together..." Vinyl said, swaying a little in her seat, "It was the most romantic thing I'd ever experienced... When's he coming back anyway?"

"Vinyl..." Tavi said, now truly concerned for her friend, "He's..."

Octavia stopped mid sentence as she stepped in something cold and wet. She looked down to see a large, dark puddle underneath Vinyl, along with what looked like a shard of colorful glass. Every now and then, the pool would ripple, as if something was dropping into it from above.

"Vinyl..." the gray mare said, looking back up to her friend.

The unicorn turned around suddenly, revealing herself to Octavia, who put a hoof over her mouth in shock. Vinyl's coat was extremely pale, her eyes bloodshot, making them almost completely red. Tavi stepped back in horror as she noticed the mare before her was trembling violently as well.

"Tavi," Vinyl said slowly, raising her forelegs to examine them, "my fetlocks hurt a little bit."

Tavi’s frightened stare moved to Vinyl’s fetlocks where two huge gashes were present, painting the cream colored fur a dark, shiny crimson. Blood continued to flow from the grotesque wounds, joining the small pool already on the floor. Octavia was frozen in terror as she looked upon her hurt friend, who slid off the chair and onto the floor, shaking with the effort of trying to hold up her weakened body.

"Vinyl!" Octavia said, rushing over to the mare and attempting to help steady her, "What... how..."

"I'm gonna take a nap now, Tavi..." Vinyl said, her eyelids falling closed, "Wake me up when Josh gets home..."

With that, Vinyl collapsed to the floor and slipped into unconsciousness, Octavia calling her name loudly as darkness overtook her mind.

Chapter 8: Revelation

Octavia sat in the waiting room of Ponyville Hospital, her mind racing after the events that had transpired only a few hours ago. After Vinyl collapsed from her copious blood loss, Tavi grabbed the wounded unicorn and immediately took her to the hospital. Upon Vinyl being admitted, Octavia had no choice but to sit in the waiting room, constantly worrying about the state of her friend. Even in her sleep deprived frame of mind, the gray mare found it impossible to get any sort of rest as she continued to think about Vinyl and what she had done to herself.

One question had been lingering on the cellist's mind all night as she'd sat there, unable to do anything more than simply hope that her unicorn friend would be alright: what had caused Vinyl to do this to herself? Certainly, she had been extremely upset over the course of the last week. Who wouldn't if they had just lost the love of their life? But, even with as distraught as she had been, Vinyl had never attempted anything like this, even at her lowest of low points. It just didn't make sense to Octavia how her best friend could come up with an idea as rash as committing suicide.

Tavi's ruminating was interrupted as she heard somepony calling her name from what seemed like a great distance away. Looking around, she soon saw a nurse standing nearby, a clipboard in her magical grip.

"Could you repeat that?" Octavia asked, sitting up in her chair a little.

"You're Octavia Philharmonica, correct?" the nurse said, checking her clipboard momentarily.

"Yes, I am." Tavi replied, "You’re here about Vinyl?"

"Yes." the nurse said gently, turning and making for the nearby double doors, "If you'd like to, you can go in and see her."

Octavia nodded and slid off her chair onto the floor. Her joints ached from the way she was sitting, as did the muscles in her legs. Slowly, gingerly, the gray mare followed the nurse through the doors and into the hall beyond.

"How is she?" Octavia asked as the doors closed behind them, "Is she doing alright?"

"She lost a lot of blood." the nurse said, genuine concern in her words, "You're lucky you got her to us when you did. A few more minutes, and she... Well, let's just say it wouldn't have turned out so well."

Octavia said nothing to that, not wanting to even consider thinking about the consequences of what would have happened should she have been too late.

"She's stable now though." the nurse continued, turning a corner with Octavia in tow, "We were able to stop the bleeding just in time. She'll most likely always have those scars on her fetlocks though. The poor girl cut herself pretty deep."

"Will she be able to come home soon?" Octavia inquired as two other nurses passed her going the opposite direction in the hall.

The nurse next to her suddenly stopped, causing Octavia to do the same. As the gray mare looked to the white coated nurse, she saw a nervous look on her face.

"That could be a bit of an issue here." the nurse said tentatively, "The evidence is clear that this wasn't some sort of an accident. What she did was intentional, and it raises a lot of questions about her mental health."

"She lost her lover!" Octavia said forcefully, glaring at the nurse, "Of course she's not in her right state of mind!"

"And I understand. But... hospital policy says that she has to be placed on suicide watch for the next seventy two hours."

"Seventy two hours?!" Octavia said loudly, stamping her hoof angrily, "She can't be in the hospital for three days by herself like that!"

"Look, Ms. Philharmonica," the nurse said cautiously, "I'd love to be able to send her home. In fact, if I had my way, she'd be checking out with you right now and be on her way. But, I can't go over the heads of the doctors and psychiatrists. You have to understand that."

Octavia let out a sigh of frustration and defeat. She hated to admit it, but the nurse was right. For her to try and usurp the word of those above her would more than likely cause her to lose her job, and may even land Octavia herself in a bit of trouble that she just didn't need right now. Her concern for Vinyl was extremely strong, but there just wasn't a whole lot that could be done in this situation that wouldn't result in somepony getting put in a very bad spot.

"Tell you what," the nurse continued, placing a hoof on Octavia's shoulder, "I'll talk to somepony and see if I can't pull some strings for you. I can't make any guarantees, but maybe I can have her released early."

Octavia smiled at the nurse, who returned her look.

"Thank you very much." Tavi said.

"Not a problem, Ms. Philharmonica." the nurse said, turning to the nearby door and opening it with her magic, "She's just in here. Take all the time you need to see her."

Octavia thanked the nurse once more and made her way into the room, looking to the bed at the front and seeing Vinyl sitting up. The unicorn looked towards the entryway, flattening her ears and growing a concerned look once she saw her cellist friend make her way in. Tavi smiled sweetly as she entered further into the room, slowly heading towards her friend in the bed.

Vinyl's body had been draped in the typical teal garb of a hospital patient, an IV dangling from a nearby stand placed into her foreleg. Both of her fetlocks had thick bandages all around them, light spots of crimson showing through the deeper layers. As Octavia entered the room, Vinyl seemed to shrink in fear, clearly not wanting to confront her friend about what happened the night before that landed her in the hospital.

"Hello, Vinyl." Tavi said gently, walking up next to her friend's bed, "Are you alright?"

Vinyl peered into Octavia's eyes as her own began to fill with tears.

"Tavi..." she said lightly, her tone uneven and her voice shaking, "I... I'm so sorry..."

Vinyl heaved and began to sob openly, tears flowing from her brilliant crimson-magenta eyes as she covered them with her hooves. Octavia reached her own hoof up and gently placed it on the unicorn's leg, feeling her own tears making their journey towards freedom.

"Vinyl, sweetheart..." Tavi said, trying to maintain a steady and calm tone as she comforted her friend, "It's... I don't understand why you did what you did, but I'm not angry at you for it."

Vinyl removed her hooves from her eyes and looked up to Tavi, droplets trailing down her face and matting her fur. Octavia tried her best to give the unicorn a reassuring smile, despite her own tears beginning to fall from her violet eyes. The gray mare reached up and hugged her friend tightly, allowing Vinyl to cry into her shoulder as she did the same to the cream colored mare. Together, the two of them sat there, openly crying, but relishing the fact that they still had one another in the moments when they needed support the most.

"Vinyl..." Tavi said after some time, breaking the embrace and wiping her eyes, "I need to know... what happened?"

Vinyl sniffled hard and tried to control her breathing once more, with little luck. After a few minutes, however, she managed to steady herself and swallowed hard.

"I... I was at home. I didn't know when you'd get back, so I just waited around for you." Vinyl began, her voice still trembling hard as she spoke, "The doorbell rang and w-when I went to go answer it, all I saw was that vase of flowers. At first I thought they were just sympathy flowers from Roseluck... but when I brought them inside and saw the card attached..."

Vinyl broke down once more, trembling harder than ever as she tried to continue speaking. Tavi rested a hoof on her leg in an attempt to help comfort her.

"Who were they from?" Octavia asked gently.

"Oh Tavi... They... They w-were from him!" Vinyl wailed, "He g-got them for our anniversary!"

Octavia felt her heart plummet as Vinyl broke down heavily, rocking back and forth in her bed as sadness overwhelmed her. Tavi jumped up further on the bed, placing her knees on the edge and wrapping both her forelegs around her best friend as she wailed and sobbed more and more. Tears flowed from the gray mare's eyes once more, hot and stinging tears that fell into Vinyl's mane as she held her close.

"I m-miss him s-so much!" Vinyl wailed, still rocking back and forth, "I w-want him to come home..."

"Vinyl, I want him to come home, too..." Octavia said, unable to maintain any sort of stability as she spoke, "And I'm sure he wants to as much as any of us, but... I don't want to lose you, Vinyl..."

As Tavi released Vinyl, the unicorn locked eyes with her friend once more.

"We all miss him more than anything in this world." Tavi continued, finally able to get her voice under control, "We lost one of the greatest friends any of us has ever had. There's nothing wrong with you being sad about him being gone, dear, but... but I don't want to lose my best friend."

It was Tavi's turn to break down. She covered her eyes and softly cried, her body heaving as she thought about what could have happened had she been too late.

"I... I'm so sorry, Tavi..." Vinyl said, looking upon her distraught friend, "I didn't mean to do it... Once I saw the card, I... I couldn't control myself. I don't even remember doing it... I just remember you coming home and finding me..."

Octavia regained her composure after some time and placed her hoof on Vinyl's, looking into her friend's eyes again.

"Vinyl... I... I don't know what I would do if I lost you." Octavia said, "I love you so much... You're my best friend, and... if he were to ever come back... I don't think I could even begin to explain to him..."

"I-I know, Tavi..." Vinyl said, her voice beginning to steady once more, "I love you too..."

"Josh... he's still out there, and he loves us more than anything in the world." Octavia continued, grasping Vinyl's other hoof in her own free one, "Wherever he goes, whatever he does, he's always thinking about us. I know for a fact that he wouldn't ever want any of us to take measures as drastic as suicide because of him. Especially you, Vinyl. He'd want you to live your life the best you can, even if he’s not there to live it with you."

"It's so hard, Tavi..." Vinyl said somberly, sniffling a little, "I've never loved anypony like that before. We were gonna spend the rest of our lives together, I know we were."

"I thought so, too, dear." Octavia said, leaning in closer to her friend, "But, you never know... Maybe he'll come back, one day. If the love between the two of you is as strong and deep as I know it to be, then he'll never stay away. He'll always come back to you."

Vinyl smiled a little at that. Octavia returned that smile and leaned in to embrace her friend once more, hugging her tightly and gently rubbing her back. The events of the night before had been a shock for both mares, to say the least, and it very easily could have ended in tragedy. But, with Celestia's sun now rising up to grace the skies with its presence, a new day was here, and that day promised hope and healing for the future, for both of them.

"Am I interrupting anything here?" came a voice from the nearby doorway.

Octavia and Vinyl broke apart and looked over to see a tall, unicorn stallion standing there, a clipboard floating next to his head.

"Oh... no." Octavia said, settling herself next to Vinyl on the bed again, "We were just... catching up is all."

"I see."

"Do you need something?" Vinyl asked.

"Well... I need to talk to you, Ms. Scratch." he replied.

"About what?" Vinyl inquired.

"When ponies are brought in, we are required to run certain tests to make sure they are healthy."

"What are you saying? Were there any problems?" Octavia asked, now a little worried that there may be something else going on with her friend.

"No, nothing other than the obvious." the doctor reassured, taking a seat in next to the bed where the two mares were.

"Then what's the issue?" Vinyl asked.

"Well... Ms. Scratch, have you been experiencing any nausea or, perhaps, morning sickness?"

"She has recently." Octavia answered, glancing at her friend, "But, I thought that was just from grief."

"Grief?"

"Yeah." Vinyl replied in affirmation, "I've been really upset and that made me sick. I've had it happen before."

"You really think that your illness has been caused by some sort of sadness?" the doctor asked disbelievingly.

"It's fairly common, isn't it?" Tavi asked.

The doctor looked between Octavia and Vinyl, concern painting his face and causing them both to worry about what he might say next.

"It has been known to happen, yes, but... Do you really not know?"

"What's there to know?" Vinyl asked, now becoming slightly annoyed at the doctor's manner.

"All the signs are there." he said matter of factly, "I'd have thought you'd have picked up on it. I mean, most mares know right away."

"Doctor, please." Octavia said, now pleading with the stallion, "Just tell us what's going on."

The doctor set his clipboard down and placed a hoof on the bridge of his snout, clearly trying to find the words to say what he needed to next.

"Ms. Scratch," he began, lowering his hoof and peering back up at Vinyl, "though you may have had a history of sadness related illness, I can assure you that has nothing to do with this."

"Well, then, what is it?! Just tell me already!"

Octavia reached up her hoof and gently placed it on Vinyl's, causing the unicorn to start and look down at her friend. Octavia gave her the most comforting smile she could muster, hoping to ease Vinyl's fears. Both mares turned their attention back to the doctor, awaiting whatever it was he had to say.

“For all intents and purposes, it shouldn’t even be possible.” the doctor began, keeping his eye trained on his clipboard as he spoke, “From what I could gather, human physiology is very, very different from a pony’s, especially from a... reproductive standpoint.”

Octavia sat in silence for a moment, allowing the doctor’s words to sink in. What could he mean by... The gray mare gasped and covered her mouth with her free hoof as realization hit her. She looked to Vinyl once more to see a shocked expression paint her cream colored face. She slumped in her bed a little as the truth washed over her, causing her to tear up once again.

“D-do you mean that I’m...”

“Yes, Ms. Scratch, you’re pregnant.”

Chapter 9: Replacement

Mayor Mare sat in her office along with Twilight, who had come down to talk with her about Vinyl's admittance to the hospital the night before. The last few weeks had been stressful beyond all belief for the mayor, who was still dealing with an unbelievable amount of backlash from the events of the trial over a week ago. Neither she nor anypony else could have guessed that that trial would have ended the way it did, and if she had to be honest with herself, Mayor wished that she had put a stop to all the insanity that had occurred in the last few weeks. Now, however, she could do nothing more than live with the regret of not acting when the moment was right and merely standing idly by as things took turn after turn for the worse.

She had been very worried about Vinyl in the time since the trial, and had even stopped by several times to check on her and make sure she was alright. When Twilight had come into her office and told her about the producer's attempt at suicide, she was going to make sure the first thing she did when her meeting was over was to go down to the hospital and visit with Vinyl to make sure she was alright. With as shocked as she'd been to hear about the mare's attempt to take her own life, what Twilight revealed to her next was the most unexpected thing she could have imagined to come out of the whole mess of a situation.

"She's pregnant? With his child?"

"That's what Tavi told me." Twilight said, nodding, "Apparently, the doctor was able to run a few tests, and the fetus is a match. It’s Josh’s."

"Is that even possible?" Mayor Mare inquired, still somewhat reeling from what Twilight had told her prior.

"Apparently so." Twilight responded, clearly giving the matter some thought of her own, "The odds are that, since Vinyl is a unicorn, she could have used her magic to match his chromosome count to hers. If that's the case, then it would be no different than if a stallion were to have impregnated her."

"I didn't know unicorns had that much power." Mayor stated, her face the picture of awe, "So, what is she going to do? She doesn’t strike me as the kind of mare who would want to raise a foal on her own."

"I was wondering that myself..." Twilight responded, trailing off as she thought on the matter for a moment, "I mean, to have a foal of her own would be such a blessing, but, with as emotionally unstable as she is, I don't know that she could handle having to raise the baby on her own."

"She won’t be truly alone, so long as she has friends like you to help her, I think she can make it through this."

Twilight smiled warmly at Mayor as silence fell. Mayor stood up from her seat and walked over to the nearby window, peering out of it to the bustling city center below. Twilight followed her, taking her place beside the mare and mimicking her actions.

"I don't know what you'll do about Filthy Rich, though." Mayor said after a short time, turning to look at Twilight, "If he hears about this, there's no way he won’t try to make a go at the foal."

"Octavia said that she's going to talk to some of us about that tomorrow." the lavender mare responded, "She asked the doctor not to tell anypony else about this, and he assured her that only he had known anything about it before he'd told them."

"Good. Secrecy is an absolute necessity at this point." Mayor Mare said.

As the two mares stood in front of the window, a knock sounded from the door, causing them both to turn their attention towards it.

"Am I interrupting another appointment of yours?" Twilight asked as Mayor Mare made her way back over to her desk.

"I wasn't supposed to have anypony else in here for another hour." Mayor said as she took her seat once more, "Who could that possibly-"

Just as Mayor Mare was about to finish her thought, the door swung open and in sauntered Filthy Rich, his usual smug look firmly in place. Upon realizing who was entering, Twilight rushed over to stand in front of Mayor's desk, leveling her glare at the stallion before her.

"What are you doing here, Filthy?" she growled, not once taking her eyes off him as he made his way over to her.

"Am I not allowed to enter a public space such as this, Ms. Sparkle?" he asked, stopping short of the lavender mare, "The mayor's office is no more off limits to me than my own home, as I'm sure you're well aware."

"And as I'm sure you're aware, Filthy, it's best to have an appointment before you just barge in here." Mayor spat from behind her desk, venom dripping from her words, "Simply because you've caused this town to lose all sense of civility doesn't mean you have the right to act the same here."

"I merely made them see the truth, my dear Mayor." Filthy replied, ignoring Mayor Mare's harsh tone, "They needed to know, and just because you wouldn't tell them doesn't mean that somepony else wouldn't."

"You spread lies!" Twilight countered, unable to control her volume as she spoke, "You extorted the princesses and ruined the lives of two innocent people!"

"Ms. Sparkle, I may have been somewhat harsh and forthright with my words and actions in this matter, but I would never stoop so low as to spread lies!" Filthy said, now glaring back at Twilight, "If you don't believe what I said, then feel free to talk to your 'teacher' about what she knows. After all, she watched him long before transporting him here."

Twilight could find no words to bring to bear against the monster that stood before her, and instead found solace in attempting to incinerate it with her glare. Feeling satisfied that she was done raving at him, Filthy turned back to Mayor.

"So, why exactly are you here?" asked Mayor, "If it's just to gloat, then you can see yourself out. I've seen enough of you and your followers reveling in your so-called 'victory' here. I don't need to experience it in my own office."

"Actually, Mayor Mare, that's far from why I'm here." he responded, stepping closer to her desk and looking her in her eyes, "However, my victory does have a little to do with this."

Twilight and Mayor exchanged glances of concern before turning their attention back to Filthy.

"You see, while I may have... vilified the princesses to a degree, their contributions to this country are ones even my words cannot tarnish." Filthy began, pacing back and forth slowly as he spoke, "I was able to talk to my supporters and convince them to regain their trust in our rulers. After all, Celestia clearly made up for her mistake of bringing him here, and I reminded them that if not for her and her sister, we wouldn't have the glorious nation we have now."

Filthy stopped his pacing and turned back to Mayor Mare and Twilight, his gaze falling hard upon them both.

"However, I'm afraid I wasn't so fortunate in redeeming you, Ms. Mayor."

"What do you mean?" asked Mayor Mare, her gaze softening and her eyes showing a glint of fear.

"Well, you did very little to aid our cause, save for putting him in a cell after he attacked me." Filthy continued, "That doesn't look very good to them, and though you were there in a judicial sense, that doesn't change the fact you were a supporter of him all throughout this fiasco."

"So what if she was?" Twilight protested, stepping closer to Filthy as she addressed him, "My friends and I supported him too, but I don't see you sending your squads after us!"

"It's very different, Twilight." Filthy said, "You're not in a political position of power like she is. A position that, might I add, is far from permanent."

Twilight heard a small gasp escape from Mayor and turned to see her with a hoof covering her mouth in shock. Looking back to Filthy, she saw another smirk cover his face.

"I see you and I are on the same page here, Ms. Mare." Filthy said, walking over behind the desk.

"What are you getting at, Filthy?" Twilight asked, confused by Mayor Mare's actions and even more so by Filthy suddenly addressing her as "Ms. Mare."

"You see, Ms. Sparkle, the citizens of Ponyville have spoken, and, as it stands right now, Mayor Mare has been deemed unfit to lead this town." Filthy said simply, a devilish smile covering his face.

"What?!" Twilight screamed, unable to believe what she had just heard.

Mayor slid off her chair and onto the floor, her eyes welling up with tears as she sat on the ground, a stunned look distorting her features. Filthy just continued to smile at her as Twilight rushed around to the other side of the desk and embraced the other mare in attempt to console her.

"There's no way this is legal!" Twilight shouted as Mayor Mare turned around and began to cry into her shoulder, "You can't just have her kicked out of office like that!"

"Ms. Sparkle, we may live under a monarchy, but our town runs on a democracy, and that allows us certain freedoms, including having a hoof in electing our public officials. The ponies of Ponyville have spoken, and clearly, they don’t want her running this town anymore."

"But if we don't have Mayor Mare here, then who's going to be mayor?" Twilight inquired as she held the crying mare.

"Need you even ask?" Filthy said, his smile crushing any hope Twilight had for a positive outcome.

"No! No bucking way! Not you!" Twilight shrieked as Mayor Mare cried even harder, "You can't just step in here and take over as mayor! You have to be elected!"

"That's what you think." Filthy retorted, taking his place behind the mayor's desk, "The power to remove an official from office is just one liberty the ponies of this town have. Have you heard of an election petition?" Filthy took the particularly nasty glare he received from the unicorn as confirmation that she indeed had. “Then I assume you know what comes next.”

Twilight stared at Filthy with a mix of disgust, devastation, and rage as she realized she was powerless to do anything against the stallion now. Mayor Mare eventually released herself from the lavender unicorn's embrace and galloped out the door as fast as she could, sobbing heavily as she exited and headed down the hallway. Twilight followed her to the door and watched the tan mare disappear around a corner.

"It's a shame it had to end like this." Filthy said simply, leaning back in his chair, "She was an excellent mayor before she started supporting such trash mucking about in our town."

Twilight turned back to the stallion behind the desk, her heart racing as anger overwhelmed her. She ran up to the desk and practically jumped up on top of it, feeling all the hatred she felt for Filthy Rich boiling over.

"You hateful, spiteful, evil bastard!" she screamed, spit flying from her mouth as she began her tirade, "How can you sleep at night knowing what you've done?! You tore apart two lovers, threw out one of Ponyville's finest and oldest leaders, and extorted the very beings who rule this land we live in! Why Celestia didn't just send you to the bucking moon for your actions, I'll never know! You deserve nothing less than to burn in the lowest ring of Tartarus for what you've done, and even if the entirety of Ponyville were to go against me, I'd gladly expedite the process of you getting there! You are a weak, evil, hateful, monstrous coward whose only reason for becoming mayor was so that you could gloat over the horrible things you’ve done!"

Filthy raised an eyebrow as Twilight finished her revilement of him. The lavender mare stood there for a moment, breathing heavily as her anger continued to flow, causing her to tear up a little.

"My, my, Ms. Sparkle." Filthy calmly said, a slight chuckle escaping his throat as she addressed Twilight, "I'd have thought that, as Celestia's “faithful student,” you'd know what self control is and how to use it properly. It appears I was wrong."

Twilight continued to stare at Filthy angrily as hot tears began to trail down her face. After what she'd said to him, she expected the stallion to do the same, to verbally attack her just as she had only a moment ago. However, all he did was sit there, the same smirk on his face as before.

"Now you listen here, you little bitch." he said suddenly, his voice quiet and full of malice, "I don't give a damn what you think of me or my policies. Last time I checked, I won, and you and your little human friend lost. You may not see what I did as an act of kindness, but believe me when I say I saved this town a whole lot of trouble, and I may have even saved him. You can stand there all day long and berate me as much as you like, but the fact is I run this town now, and there's not a thing you can do to stop me. And, just in case you do try, keep in mind that there's a cell in Ponyville jail that'll be kept nice and warm for you."

Twilight stepped back from the desk upon hearing Filthy finish his own tirade. She just stared at him with fear and anger in her tear filled eyes, unable to believe how he'd become such a tyrant when he'd seemed so docile before.

"Now get out of my office, before I have you collected." Filthy said, sitting back in his chair once more.

Twilight, unable to find anything meaningful to say, turned and stormed out the door, galloping down the hall as steadily as she could through her tear-clouded vision. After making her way outside, she finally collapsed near the building and broke into sobs, her chest heaving violently. She couldn't believe how things could go from bad to worse so suddenly; how the citizens of Ponyville would have to live under a monster like Filthy Rich from now on. At that very moment, all hope for any sort of peace seemed lost, and Twilight felt as helpless as she had during the trial.

Josh sat in a chair off to the left side of the stage, trying his best not to nod off to sleep as the crew set up all the sound equipment and stage decorations for the show the next night. The young man's exhausted state had been brought about by a sudden uneasy feeling that had plagued him all through the night, making sleep almost an impossibility. He had no clue as to what caused him to feel like that in the first place, and even less of an idea as to how to get the sensation to go away. The few times he did manage to go to sleep, it was only for an hour at a time, if even that. It wasn't until that morning that the odd feeling went away, allowing Josh only a brief moment of respite before he had to go with Liam and Syd to the pavilion where the show would be held to keep an eye on the setup.

Once Liam saw how miserable Josh looked, he'd insisted that the young man stay and rest, assuring Josh that he and Syd could handle everything with no problems. Josh contemplated staying in his room and sleeping for awhile, but insisted on going along with them, even if he was tired. Liam again tried to talk him out of it, only to finally give in once it seemed Josh was resolute in his decision. Together, the two old friends and Syd made their way over to the campus of UNLV, heading for the basketball court where the show was supposed to be held. Upon arriving, Liam and Syd went off together to speak to the university president and venue manager, leaving Josh to stay by himself and watch as the crew members ran all around, chatting idly as they placed the equipment and decorations on the stage and wired everything up.

Josh managed to stave off passing out one more time before hearing a voice from behind him.

"You alright, mate?" Liam asked, causing Josh to turn around in his seat, "You looked like you were gonna fall asleep again there."

"I'm fine." Josh lied, standing up and stretching in an attempt to wake himself up even further, "Besides, I've managed to stay awake this whole time so far."

"What exactly happened that made you lose sleep anyway?" Liam asked, stopping short of Josh as Syd followed close behind him, "Was it a dream or something? You weren't real specific when I asked you about it earlier."

"I don't know, L." Josh said simply, "Right as I was about to go to bed, I got this weird feeling in my stomach, like that feeling you get when you're really nervous about something. It just came out of nowhere, and I wasn't able to shake it till morning for whatever reason."

"Hmm..." Liam mused, putting his hand to his chin in contemplation, "That is odd. What were you nervous about?"

"That's just it." Josh said, "I wasn't. I just started to feel it, and it persisted all night. I've never had that happen before, not even when... well..."

Liam reached out and patted Josh on the shoulder as the young man trailed off. Josh looked into Liam's eyes and saw genuine concern there, one that he'd become so used to in the last few weeks as he'd been incarcerated in Ponyville and sent back to earth.

"I'm sorry, pal." Liam said sincerely, "Perhaps it's just stress finally getting to you. God knows you've dealt with enough of that recently. You know, if you need anything to help you sleep, I can get you a few sleep aids."

"I think I'll be alright." Josh said, smiling a little at Liam, "Maybe it is just stress."

"If you're sure."

"I am."

"Well, alright then." Liam said, turning back to the setup on the stage before him, "How'd things go over here? Everything get done?"

"As far as I can tell they did." Josh answered, following Liam as he made his way over look at the sound equipment.

"No equipment casualties?"

"I didn't see any if there were."

"Well, that's all in order then." Liam said simply, stepping back and looking to the computer and mixer area where Syd was standing, "Hey, Syd. Throw down a beat for us real quickly, would you? I'd like to make sure everything's working properly before we come back out to rehearse tonight."

Syd nodded before turning back to his controller and beginning to get things powered up.

"You never had me do that for our shows after setup was done." Josh said, chuckling a little.

"I never had to worry about your setup because you refused to let anyone else wire up the speakers." Liam said, smirking a little.

Josh thought back to when he was still performing before. It was very true that he rarely allowed anyone else besides himself to even touch the equipment, let alone wire it up. Part of it was a type of anal retentiveness that he'd always had as a producer and DJ, having had to learn all the equipment and how it went together. He'd gotten better about that issue in Equestria, but was always still very reluctant to allow others to touch and wire the speakers and everything else he needed. On more than one occasion early on in his time there, he'd shown up to the hotel late or had Vinyl come and retrieve him as he would check and double check that everything was up and running properly.

Josh and Liam stood side by side as Syd laid down a trap style bassline, blasting the heavy beat through the speakers nearby. As the track played, Josh noticed a slight distortion in the sound coming from the large speaker on the opposite side of the stage. Walking over to it, he stood in front of the device and listened closer, hearing a faint bit of static issuing forth. He looked over to Syd and gave him the signal to stop the music, which Syd did immediately.

"Is there something wrong here?" a voice behind Josh asked.

Turning around, he found himself standing before a large, tall man with short blonde hair and very dark blue eyes. The man had his arms crossed and was staring down at Josh from his vantage point with a look that could wilt a plant.

"Yeah, there sorta is." Josh said as politely as he could, "There's quite a bit of static coming out of this particular speaker. I noticed it almost as soon as Syd started the track."

"I didn't hear anything." the man replied flatly and with a thick German accent, "Maybe you're going crazy or something like that."

"That's probably not far from the truth." Josh joked, hoping it'd soften the man's demeanor towards him.

Unfortunately, it only caused the man to glare hard down at the young man before him.

"That's not the sub that Dom dropped, is it?" Syd called out, turning to look at someone behind him, "You motherfucker! That's coming out of your paycheck!"

"No, this isn't that speaker." Josh answered, kneeling down to look at the device, "I already fixed that one earlier... If I can just..."

Gently pushing the speaker to one side, he glanced at the back, carefully scanning the wiring for any sign of damage or an out of place cord. After a few seconds of looking over the wiring and not finding anything wrong he stood back up and made his way over to the mixer and other equipment on the table. Almost immediately, he spotted the issue at hand and turned back to Syd and the man.

"It's been plugged into the wrong port here." Josh said, glancing between the two, "That plug should go there, not there. It's dimming the sound on that side otherwise and making it seem off-balance."

"And just how the fuck can you know that?" the large man asked, strolling over to the board and glaring at Josh once again, "Last time I checked, you’re nothing more than a go for for L over there. I'm the equipment manager here, and I wired that thing myself. If there's one thing I know, it's how to do my goddamn job."

"I'm not saying that you don't know how to do your job, man." Josh said, taken aback at the sudden hostility that this man was demonstrating towards him, "I was just pointing out a slight error. People make that mistake all the time. It's not a big deal, and I don't see why you're so upset by it."

"I'm upset by it because I don't need some pretty boy, wannabe manager coming in here and trying to show me up just because he's not allowed on the real team."

"Frank, what the fuck?" Liam interjected, causing both Frank and Josh to turn their attention towards him, "Josh hasn't done anything to you. Stop being a prick."

"Don't defend him just because you decided to take pity on him and give him a job, L." Frank continued, turning his enraged glare back to Josh, "He's not here to do my job or anyone elses. That means he ought to stay out of our shit, and just keep on getting you coffee or whatever else like a good boy."

Frank turned away and made his way to the opposite end of the stage, leaving Josh to stand there, fuming at what had just happened. Go figure he thought, watching Frank's hulking form move away People are still fucking unbearable here. Turning back to the equipment before him, he suddenly got an idea, one that would take the stick up Frank's ass and force it up even further.

"Syd," he said, turning back to the young man next to him, "drop a beat again."

"Uh... are you sure?" Syd asked, "Shouldn't we fix the sound problem first?"

"Just do it." Josh said, smirking evilly, "I have a plan for that."

Looking back to Frank as the tall German made his way off the stage, Josh called out to him, "Hey, Frank! Hold up for a sec!"

Frank stopped upon hearing Josh's voice and looked back to see the young man give a signal to Syd. Instantly, the same heavy, trap style bassline issued forth from the speakers, making the stage actually begin to rumble as Josh had Syd turn up the volume on all the speakers. Josh motioned for Frank to come back over and stand in front of him, which he did extremely reluctantly.

"Now, listen to the distortion in that speaker." Josh called out through the loud sound.

Frank shook his head, either indicating that he didn't hear the static, or that he hadn't heard Josh at all.

"Can't hear it?" Josh asked, gripping the wire to the speaker on the board in his hand, "How about now?"

Yanking hard, Josh pulled out the plug, causing a loud pop to sound from the nearby speaker. The gunshot-like noise caused everyone but Josh to duck and cover their ears, especially Frank, who almost fell on his backside with the speed he crouched down. Syd instinctively stopped the music upon hearing the pop, staring at Josh as he did so.

"What the fuck was that about?!" he asked, sticking a finger in his ear and twirling it around.

Josh didn't answer, instead plugging the wire in his hand back in its proper place.

"Drop it again, Syd." he said, never once taking his eyes off Frank as the huge man stood back up.

"You gonna pull another fucking wire out like that if I do?" Syd asked angrily.

"Just do it."

Syd frowned, but nonetheless still hit play on the track. The sound that now came out of the speaker was crystal clear and perfect, causing Josh to smirk once again at Frank, who had just managed to regain his bearings and was staring at the subwoofer.

"Sounds much better, doesn't it?" Josh asked smugly, motioning for Syd to stop the track again.

After a few moments of absolute silence as he stared at the device before him in a disbelieving way, he turned back to Josh, a look of anger painting his face.

"Perhaps before you get so worried about me taking your job, you'd better learn how to do it yourself." Josh said, glaring up into Frank's face, "Don't get your shorts in a goddamn bunch just because someone's trying to help you out with something and being nice about it. Not once in the entire time I talked to you about the speaker did I say anything about your skill or that I was here to take your job. You were the one so paranoid about nothing that you acted like a complete chuckle fuck to me when I was just trying to be helpful."

Frank's glare intensified as Josh finished speaking. The young man just stared fearlessly back at the gigantic behemoth before him, intent on attempting to out-intimidate Frank.

"Let me take a guess as to why you're such a jerkoff here for a second, if I may." Josh began, watching as Frank's face became more and more red with anger, "I'm gonna hazard that back in your own country, you were nothing but a puke, a half-wit, slack-jawed, knuckle dragging rave club bouncer who couldn't hack it as a real DJ. You're angry and bitter because you suck so bad at what you'd done before, and more than likely, you got fucking fired for messing up someone else's equipment before this. So, you took a job on some godforsaken loading dock and saved up enough money to make your way to America and managed to con L here into thinking you're more than just a walking muscle whose only talent is to stand outside some black doors and check the ID of every slut and moron who wants to get in that club and use the bathroom to get loaded."

By this point, Josh was honestly worried that the hulking German before him would vault over the table and attempt to use him as a toothpick. However, even as he shook with rage, Frank just continued to stand there, not saying a single thing but breathing so hard it seemed he might hyperventilate.

After what seemed like an eternity of awkward silence all around, Liam spoke up, drawing Josh's attention away from Frank.

"Josh," he began, approaching the young man and placing a hand on his shoulder, "I think you just need to take a breather, alright? You've not slept well, and you're irritable. Come on, and I'll take you back to the hotel."

Josh stared at Liam for a second, watching as his eyes darted between his old friend and the angry man on the other side of the table. Upon recognizing the usual look of concern on Liam's face, he nodded and made his way off to the other side of the stage, Liam following close behind, leaving everyone else in a stunned silence.

"I swear to God, mate," Liam said, taking his place next to Josh as the two made their way into the lobby of the building, "you've got a fucking death wish if you're talking shit to Frank like that."

"If he was gonna hit me for what I said, he already would have." Josh said flatly, the adrenaline coursing through his veins tapering out slowly, "Besides, I'm not gonna take shit from anyone for something like that. The whole reason I'm back here is because I didn't stand up for myself and my friends when I had the chance. I'm not letting that happen ever again."

Liam stopped as they reached the front doors of the lobby, causing Josh to do the same and turn his attention towards his English friend.

"Josh..." Liam began, stammering a little and pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration, "I... Well, I don't really understand your situation. But, I can assure you that I do sympathize with you. Nobody deserves to have to deal with the shit you've had to deal with in the last few weeks, not even the foulest person on this earth. It's completely justifiable that you don't want to repeat the past here. But, you can't go and be like that, even if Frank is a fucking prick. There's nothing wrong with standing up for yourself, but the last thing you need is to make any enemies, especially with the people you'll be spending the next few months around."

Josh sighed heavily as he thought about Liam's words. He was determined never to let anyone push him around ever again, and he certainly wouldn't allow them to hinder the progress he'd begun to make in his time back home. However, there was a fine line between standing up for himself, and making an ass of himself.

"You're right, L." he said simply, "I just couldn't let him treat me like that. I did get a bit... carried away though."

"Not to worry, mate." Liam assured, patting Josh on the shoulder and leading him out the door to the waiting car and driver, "I'd have done the same thing, I think. Just get back to the hotel and rest up. I don't have anything else for you today anyway. Not anything that I can't take care of myself, at least."

Josh nodded and made his way to the car, opening up the door and climbing in. As soon as he shut the door, the driver took off, making his way back through Las Vegas and out to the hotel. All along the way, Josh couldn't help but be reminded of his time dealing with Filthy Rich back in Equestria. Never again he thought as he stared out the window of the car at all the scenery passing by I'll never let that happen to me or anyone close to me ever again. I swear on it.

Chapter 10: Reconciliation

Twilight sat in her room up above the library, feverishly reading a large, leather bound book about Equestrian law. Her eyes moved at what seemed like a million miles an hour as she looked through the tome, hoping desperately to find something at all that she could use to refute Filthy Rich's movement of taking over as mayor of Ponyville. Since the previous day, when he'd come into power, she'd been up all through the night, frantically reading and re-reading the texts she'd looked through before Josh's trial so she could represent him in court. It seemed she couldn't go through each text fast enough at this point, and as she moved from one to the next, her hope began to dwindle rapidly, an issue not helped by her extremely sleep deprived state.

Her usually straight mane and tail were heavily dishevelled, and the bags under her extremely bloodshot eyes were gargantuan, truly speaking to just how hard she'd been working through the night. By this point, her resolve was beginning to break, as each and every word yielded no more a favorable result than the last. She closed the book slowly, rubbing her eyes with a lavender hoof before grabbing the next one in the pile and opening it up. As she did so, the door to her room opened, and she heard the sound of tiny, clawed footsteps making their way towards her on her bed. Her concentration never broke, however, despite her almost wishing it would.

"Um... Twilight... Are you gonna come downstairs and eat?" asked the familiar voice of her dragon assistant, Spike, "You need to get some kind of food in you, since you didn't eat dinner last night..."

Twilight didn't respond, keeping her eyes locked on the pages of the book before her. She wasn't reading though, having all but given up on the prospect of being able to do so the moment her friend spoke to her.

"Twi, come on. I know this is important to you, but it's not healthy for you to just sit up here all day and keep reading like this."

Again, Twilight said nothing, though she did shoot a quick glance to the baby dragon. A look of deep concern painted his face as he stood there, staring at his close friend as she continued to peer into the text before her. Upon seeing his expression, Twilight felt a pang of guilt hit her at knowing she was worrying Spike so much with her incessant reading.

"Are you even listening to me?" he asked, frowning at her a little.

A painful silence was all that followed his words, causing him to sigh dejectedly and turn back to the door. Twilight turned her full attention to the dragon as he headed back towards the entryway, his head hung a little as he walked. The guilt she'd felt before now overwhelmed her and she sighed, closing the book and rubbing her eyes once more.

"Spike... wait." she said, causing the dragon to turn back to her with his clawed hand still on the door.

Slowly, somewhat painfully, Twilight slid off her bed and onto the floor, making her way over to Spike as he stood before the door. She smiled down at her friend wearily, staring deep into the draconic, green eyes she'd grown to know and love since she first saw them. Reaching out, she wrapped her forelegs around the baby dragon and held him closely, lightly squeezing his tiny, violet body. Spike returned her embrace in full, petting her mane gently as she held onto him.

"I'm so sorry I caused you to worry, Spike." she said, releasing her friend and taking a step back, "I just... got a little carried away is all."

"It's alright, Twilight." Spike replied, smiling back up at the tired unicorn, "I know you were just doing what you thought needed to be done."

Twilight smiled down at the little dragon once more. In all the years she'd known her assistant, he'd almost never failed to be there for her when she needed him the most, and this time was no exception. Twilight could always take solace in knowing that when life seemed at its worst and she felt overwhelmed beyond all reason, there would always be a little, purple dragon back at home who cared for her and would do anything he possibly could to ensure that she was alright and happy.

"So," Twilight began, letting out a huge yawn and stretching her sore limbs, "what's for breakfast?"

"Tell you what," Spike said, opening the door slightly and stepping out into the stairwell, "why don't you freshen up and I'll have something for you when you're finished. Sound good?"

"If you say so, Spike." Twilight replied, to which the baby dragon nodded and made his way down the stairs, the lavender mare following shortly afterwards and making her way towards the bathroom.

Twilight stood in the shower for some time, trying with all her might to calm her racing mind as the warm water washed over her form. All night searching through texts she practically had memorized by this point, and not a single thing in anything she'd reviewed seemed to be of any use. I can't give up searching, but I'm losing hope that there'll be anything we can do at this point she thought, feeling the water trail off her back and neck as she stood there And Celestia only knows what Filthy intends to do as Mayor... The unicorn's ruminating was interrupted suddenly by a knock at the door, causing her to look up and through the shower curtain to see if anypony was trying to get into the bathroom.

"Breakfast is ready when you are, Twi." Spike called from outside.

"I'll be right out." Twilight responded, using her magic to turn off the water.

After drying herself off thoroughly, Twilight made her way into the nearby kitchen, a brush in her magical grip, forcing the bristles through her tangled, tri-color mane and tail. As she entered the room, the smell of pancakes hit her hard, causing her to practically salivate as she stood there. Looking over to the table, she saw it laden with her breakfast, a large stack of fluffy, golden brown pancakes, as well as a fresh batch of homemade syrup in a gravy boat for her.

"This all looks phenomenal, Spike." she said, setting her brush down nearby and taking her place across from the baby dragon at the table, "Thank you so much."

"Anything for you, Twilight." Spike said, watching as the lavender mare grabbed the syrup in her magic and began to pour it on the golden stack before her, "I know that the one thing in Equestria that can help you feel better, no matter what, is a nice, big plate of grain and oat pancakes."

Twilight giggled and nodded to her friend before gripping her fork and taking a large, syrupy chunk off the plate and placing it in her mouth, savoring the sweet flavor as it hit her tongue. Only just then did she realize how truly hungry she had been, having not eaten anything the night before after returning from the mayor's office.

Her eating was slow and delicate at first, but soon became more ravenous, with her practically shoving whole, giant pieces of pancake into her mouth. It wasn't until she had finished half the plate of food that she stopped to take a breather and remembered that Spike was even still in the room at all.

"Enjoying yourself?" the baby dragon asked, smirking as Twilight blushed and smiled bashfully.

"Um... yes." Twilight responded, giggling once more.

Spike chuckled a little himself, standing up and making for the cupboard above the sink. He climbed up and grabbed a glass down, jumping from the counter and heading towards the refrigerator.

"By the way, Sweetie Belle already ate earlier, in case you were wondering." Spike said, grabbing the milk carton and filling up the glass.

Twilight swallowed her current bite of breakfast before setting her fork down on the table and staring straight ahead as her mind drifted to thinking about the little white unicorn filly. Sweetie Belle had been at the library for almost four days now since storming out of Carousel Boutique and running through a torrential downpour. Since she'd arrived, the filly had calmed down considerably and seemed to be feeling much better than she had been at first. However, when Rarity came to the library after hearing that Sweetie was there, the filly ran and hid, refusing to come out and see her sister. This had left Rarity more than heartbroken and Twilight in quite a bind with Sweetie remaining at the library for what seemed like an indeterminate amount of time.

Twilight had no problem with Sweetie staying at the library, knowing that with herself and Spike on the premises almost all hours of the day, they could keep an eye on her and make sure she stayed safe. However, she knew how distraught Rarity was without her sister around, especially considering the circumstances in which she left that night. The last thing she wanted right now was to have to become a relay between the two siblings or, worse yet, have one of her best friends resent her for seemingly becoming the preferred guardian for the tiny unicorn. The lavender mare knew that she couldn't force Sweetie to go back to Rarity if she wasn't ready to, but she also couldn't keep her here forever, even if she was able to keep her safe and sound.

"You alright, Twilight?" Spike asked, sitting back down at the table and passing the glass of milk to the mare, "You've got sort of a 'thousand yard stare' thing going on right now."

"Huh?" Twilight responded, shaking her head lightly as Spike's voice brought her out of her thoughts again, "Yeah, I'm fine. Just... thinking again is all."

"Maybe you ought to stop thinking for a little while." Spike suggested, "It's already kept you up all night anyway. That's not healthy."

"I know, Spike." Twilight responded warily, her ears falling flat as she slouched in her seat a little, "I almost wish I could. I just... I don't know what to do now..."

"You didn't find anything in the books last night that can help?"

"No, I didn't. And I even re-read a few of them to double check the passages that mentioned governmental operations!" Twilight said, rather loudly, "Every time it seemed I found something useful, the facts turned out to be pointing in his favor. From what I've been able to find so far, what he managed to do is completely legal. And the worst part is, there's nothing that we can do because he holds a majority of the population on his side!"

"There's just gotta be something..." Spike trailed off for a second, "I mean, he can't be mayor! If he decides to turn his power against us and the others, then there'll be nothing we can do."

"Believe me, Spike. You're not the only one worried about that." Twilight stated dejectedly, "I guess we'll just have to hope that it never comes to that."

A heavy silence filled the air as the two friends sat and ruminated on the situation at hoof. The one bit of solace that Twilight could take in all this was that it seemed like Filthy wasn't interested in taking down her or her friends at the moment. However, should he decide to turn the town against them like he had with Josh...

"Why don't you try and contact the princess on this, Twi?" Spike asked, "I mean... She did kind of give in to the pressure at the trial before... But, there'd be no way she'd stand for something like this!"

"I've been trying, Spike." Twilight retorted, sinking even lower in her seat, "She just won't respond. I've sent her a letter every day since the trial hoping that she'd at least attempt to get back to me on this. The only one who's even attempted to try and talk to me at all in Canterlot has been Luna, and even she's not saying much. I'm afraid it looks like we won't have the luxury of going to Celestia this time..."

Spike opened and closed his mouth several times, clearly attempting to find something, anything to say that could be of some help. However, he soon gave up on the prospect and lay his head on the table in defeat. Twilight pressed her ears flat as she saw this, knowing exactly how he felt at the moment. It just didn't make sense to her that her teacher, the most powerful and benevolent pony in all of Equestria, would seemingly just give up so easily like that. If her duty was to protect and watch over her subjects, and she'd done so for thousands of years, then how was it she could be so comfortable with just throwing in the towel and calling it a day?

"Please tell me you have some sort of plan for this." Spike said suddenly, slowly lifting his head up from the table and staring into Twilight's eyes.

The lavender mare just gazed back at him, unable to say anything at all that could help reassure the baby dragon. Beyond her insatiable thirst for knowledge and perfectionist mentality, Twilight had always been the one to concoct some sort of idea that could alleviate even the harshest situations she and her friends had to deal with. Whether it was battling Discord with the Elements of Harmony or trying to help the ponies of Ponyville to accept Princess Luna after she was cleansed of Nightmare Moon, her intuitive nature always allowed her to take on anything head on and eventually come out on top. However, saving the whole of Equestria and taking on a political tyrant like Filthy Rich were two totally different things, and her usual approach of facing the problem head on was all but useless here. Every avenue she ventured down that seemed to hold any sort of hope for what could be done always hit a dead end, forcing Twilight to have to accept that there may be nothing that could be done here whatsoever.

"I..." she paused, trying to think of something, anything, that she could say that would encourage Spike as well as herself that everything would be alright.

However, as she was about to say something, Sweetie Belle passed by in her peripheral vision, walking past the doorway with a sullen expression on her little white face. Twilight watched as the filly made her way past, heading off to a different section of the library. The lavender mare found herself unable to take her eyes off the door Sweetie had just passed by, her inner vision still fixated on the sad sight of the downcast filly making her way by.

"Twi?" Spike said, his voice seeming to come from a great distance as Twilight heard it, "What're you staring at over there?"

Twilight shook her head to bring herself back to the conscious world. An idea had struck her suddenly, one that she'd thought about before, but that she'd placed in the back of her mind as something to try and accomplish later on.

"Yeah, I'm fine." she responded, standing up from her seat without looking back to Spike and making her way out the entryway and into the main part of the library.

"Hey, where're you going?" Spike asked.

Twilight didn't respond, instead walking slowly out into the lobby just in time to turn to the left and see a curly pink and purple tail make its way past another door. The mare followed it as it disappeared, carefully glancing past the entrance and into the room to see Sweetie pull a book of the shelf and lay it down in front of herself, curling up into a little white ball and beginning to stare at the first page. Slowly, gently, Twilight made her way into the room, walking right up behind Sweetie, who didn't even turn to acknowledge the other pony behind her.

Twilight peered down at Sweetie as she sat there, intently watching as she scanned the text in front of her. This has to work Twilight thought as she stared at the filly before her If not, then I don't know how we'll be able to do anything.

"Hey there, Sweetie Belle." Twilight said sweetly, walking over to stand next to the filly. "What's that you're reading?"

"Hey Twilight." Sweetie responded flatly, gripping the page in her magical green grip and flipping it, "It's just a Daring Do book."

"Which one?"

"Daring Do and the Kingdom of the Dark Alicorn."

"That's a really great one to read." Twilight said, smiling a little at Sweetie, "It's probably one of my favorites."

Sweetie said nothing to that, instead continuing to scan the book. Twilight bit her lip nervously, unsure really of what to do next. However, as she watched Sweetie use her magic to flip the page once more, another idea came to her.

"You're really starting to get good at using your magic now." she noted happily, "So good in fact that I think you deserve a treat for it."

"A treat?" Sweetie inquired, looking up from the tome since she'd begun to read it, "Just for using my magic?"

"It's always a big deal when a unicorn begins to really use their magic in a practical manner for the first time." Twilight responded, continuing to smile at the filly, "I just thought you ought to get a little something for it."

"Like what?" Sweetie asked, closing her book and standing up.

"Well, just sit tight here, and I'll head out to get you something." Twilight said, laying a hoof on Sweetie Belle's tiny shoulder, "Sound good to you?"

"Yeah, it does." Sweetie said, nodding somewhat excitedly.

"Alright then." Twilight said, turning and making her way out the door, "I'll leave Spike here so you're not all alone, and I'll be back before too long with something nice for you."

Sweetie nodded in acknowledgement and Twilight made her way through the door, walking past Spike, who was leaning on the nearby wall, staring at the mare with an eyebrow raised.

"A treat for her?" he asked incredulously, following after her as she continued towards the front entrance of the library, "Is this part of your plan or something?"

"Yeah, it is." she replied, placing her saddlebags on her back and opening up the door with her magic, stepping through before turning back around to face her dragon assistant, "Just stay here and try to keep her entertained till I get back. I shouldn't be too long."

"You wanna clue me in as to what exactly you're doing here?"

"All I can tell you is that this is a pretty long shot idea, and if it fails or works, I don't think it'll really fix anything with Filthy Rich."

"Then what's the point of it?" Spike asked incredulously.

"Because, if it works, then it'll at least be one step in the right direction." Twilight responded, "At this point, I think that's all we can really hope for."

Spike didn't say anything to that. He just locked his eyes on Twilight's again for a moment, taking in her serious expression as she stood before him. Then, he merely nodded and moved forward, hugging Twilight tightly.

"Good luck, Twi." he said, "I'll be waiting here with Sweetie for you to get back."

Twilight returned his embrace briefly before pulling away and turning around, hearing the front door close as she trotted away into town. After a short time of walking, she saw Sugarcube Corner in the distance, its usual tantalizing facade forcing it to stand out amongst the other buildings around it. Keeping the store in mind for later,she turned down a side street and proceeded to the other side of town. She'd have to come back to it before she returned home, but at the moment, her target destination was set, and she could only hope beyond hope that her idea would work.

Sweetie Belle and Spike sat in the library, the latter quietly reading a book while Sweetie found herself unable to stay still in anticipation for what sort of treat she'd be getting from Twilight once she returned from town. In her four days at the library, Sweetie had been falling even deeper beyond her initial bout of depression. The anger she'd felt upon leaving Carousel Boutique that night had long since subsided, leaving the tiny unicorn feeling somewhat empty and unsure of what to do now. However, a nice treat might be just the thing she'd need to take her mind off the situation at hoof and finally allow her to relax for the first time in what seemed like forever.

"I wonder what she'll get." Sweetie mused, now standing up and beginning to pace back and forth in anticipation for the arrival of the lavender unicorn.

"Hard to say." Spike said, lazily turning the page of the book and beginning to scan the next one, "But, whatever it is, I'm sure it'll be great."

Sweetie found little satisfaction in that answer, but pressed the issue no further, instead continuing her silent contemplation. As she turned one last time and began to pace in the opposite direction, she heard hoofsteps near the front door and immediately looked back over her shoulder towards it, waiting for it to open. Sure enough, it swung forward, revealing Twilight standing there, a pink box on her back and a smile forming on her lips as she noticed the eager filly waiting for her.

"Hey there, Sweetie." Twilight greeted, making her way inside and shutting the door behind her, "Sorry it took me so long. It took awhile for Mrs. Cake and Pinkie to put this together for me since I didn't have an order called ahead or anything like that."

"Hey, Twi." Spike said, standing up and walking towards the mare, "You need any help there?"

"Yes, I do." she stated, gripping the box on her back with her magic and levitating it over to Spike, "Take this and Sweetie into the kitchen. I've gotta say goodbye to Pinkie real quick."

"Pinkie came with you?" Spike asked confusedly, cocking his head slightly as Twilight removed her saddlebags from her back and set them nearby, "That's the last pony I'd expect you to have brought back."

Sweetie noticed Twilight's eyes grow slightly wider as Spike finished his sentence before she looked towards the filly, putting on another smile, this one much more forced.

"She thought that we ought to catch up a little, since we didn't really have much time to talk to one another last night." Twilight said through half gritted teeth,

"Now, she's got a lot of work to do today, so I'll just go say goodbye to her while you take Sweetie into the kitchen, understood?"

"I still don't... Oh! Right." Spike said, his own eyes widening as an apparent realization came over him and he turned around, "Come on, Sweetie. Let's go into the kitchen to wait for Twilight."

Sweetie found the sudden change in tone for Spike and Twilight rather odd, but decided not to question it any further than she had to. She turned and followed the baby dragon into the kitchen, looking back over her shoulder in time to see the door close quickly as Twilight made her way back outside. Spike sat the large pink box on the kitchen table and took his seat, Sweetie following suit. Together, the two conjectured about what it could possible be inside the box. Both agreed that it was a confection of some kind, but neither knew exactly what kind it could be.

Right as Sweetie was expressing her thought that it might be some sort of candy coated cake, the front door opened and closed, quickly followed by hoofsteps across the floor. In only a matter of seconds, Twilight appeared around the corner, walking right up to the table and having a seat.

"This was made especially for you, Sweetie." Twilight said, undoing the box with her magic and pulling down the sides to reveal the object inside.

Before them all sat a round, medium sized cake covered in white frosting with swirled pink and purple borders on the top and bottom. Sweetie's jaw dropped a little upon seeing the treat before her, causing Twilight to giggle a little at the sight of the awed filly.

"I'll get some plates really quickly and we can have a piece or two." Twilight said, opening the nearby cupboard with her magic and bringing down three plates, "Spike, could you get us forks and a knife to cut this up?"

The baby dragon nodded and jumped up to grab the utensils while Twilight sat the plates in front of herself, Sweetie Belle, and Spike's place at the table. Upon Spike returning with the flatware, Twilight cut off a sizable piece of cake and placed it on the plate in front of Sweetie before serving herself and her dragon assistant. Together, the three all dug into their respective pieces, idly chatting as they ate. Sweetie said very little as they all bantered back and forth, savoring her piece of cake and the freedom of mind that came with it. Even though she'd eaten a Sugarcube Corner cake many a time in her life, this one seemed to be more than just a sweet for her to indulge in. If only for the moment, it gave her weary mind a break from all that had transpired in the last week and a half.

"So, Sweetie," Twilight said, quickly swallowing her bite of cake before continuing, "Are you... feeling any better since you came here?"

Sweetie paused for a second to chew before swallowing and looking Twilight in the eyes. The lavender mare stared back at her, a small smile etched on her face, once again looking forced, though not as much as last time.

"I..." Sweetie began, trying hard to find the words she needed to say, "I'm not sure. I mean, I'm not angry anymore, I know that. But... I don't think I'm really that much better."

"You were angry?" Twilight asked in a soft tone, "I didn't know that. Was it... were you angry at Rarity or something like that?"

Sweetie pinned her ears back against her head, not wanting to think about how she'd acted towards her one and only sister that night.

"I was... angry at everything." Sweetie said hesitantly, "It just... It isn't fair. Joshie didn't do anything wrong, but they still made him leave. I know that he's still out there, and maybe he'll be able to come home one day, but..."

Sweetie swallowed hard and closed her eyes, trying to fend off the tears that were threatening to flow from them. The filly felt a hoof on her shoulder, causing her to open her watery eyes and look in the direction of Twilight, who stared at her, a small smile gracing her face once more.

"It's alright." Twilight said, gently running her hoof through Sweetie's mane, "I know it's hard for you to talk about it. It is for me too."

Sweetie wiped her eyes quickly, catching a stray tear as she did so before looking back up into Twilight's violet eyes. The lavender mare lay her hoof on Sweetie's, not once glancing away from the filly.

"Sweetie Belle," Twilight began, gently caressing the filly's hoof, "there's somepony here who really wants to talk to you. I don't know if you'd be willing to do that, but I just ask that you at least listen to them. Can you do that for me?"

Sweetie Belle nodded, causing Twilight to jump down from her seat and make for the entryway.

"Come with me real quick, alright Sweetie?" Twilight said softly.

The filly jumped down from her own seat and followed Twilight through the door and into the main lobby of the library. Spike plodded along after the two ponies, stopping near the stallion bust in the center of the room. Sweetie and Twilight stepped towards the front door, the unicorn mare stopping and turning around to face Sweetie Belle once more.

"Are you ready?" she asked.

Sweetie nodded and Twilight returned the gesture before turning back around to face the door. Using her magic, she opened it up and stepped back, revealing a pure white unicorn pony with a mildly disheveled, curly purple mane and tail and three powder blue diamonds on her flank. Sweetie Belle's jaw nearly hit the floor as she stood before her big sister, Rarity, who stared down at her with watery eyes.

"R-Rarity?" Sweetie said quietly, not once taking her jade eyes off her sister's sapphire ones.

"Hello, Sweetie Belle." Rarity responded softly.

Together, the two siblings stared at one another, neither one able to find anything more to say or do, forcing an uneasy silence to fall and increasing the tension in the air. For both ponies, the world seemed to melt away all around them, leaving just the two of them to stand before one another in a silent existence. It wasn't until Twilight spoke up that either one of them shifted their gaze away from their respective sibling.

"Rarity, would you like to come inside?"

"Huh?" Rarity said, shaking her head and looking to Twilight, "Oh. Yes. Thank you, Twilight."

Rarity stepped into the library, walking past Sweetie Belle and standing near Spike in the center of the room. Twilight closed the door behind the alabaster mare before turning to look back at her.

"Sweetie, I invited Rarity here because she has something she needs to say to you." Twilight said, causing Sweetie's attention to turn to her, "I know that I don't really have much of a right to tell you what to do, but I just ask that you listen to what she has to say."

Sweetie Belle said nothing to that, not being able to find anything even remotely sufficient that could or needed to be said. Her eyes lingered on Twilight for some time before the lavender mare looked back over to Rarity.

"Go ahead, Rarity." she said.

Sweetie turned back around in time to see her normally regal and affluent sister nervously paw at the ground with her ears pinned back against her head. Clearly, she had worked up the courage to talk to Sweetie Belle, but either hadn't given much thought as to what exactly she'd say upon standing before her, or was so nervous and unsure that any sort of rehearsed speech had all but left her head. However, the little unicorn filly didn't say anything as she watched Rarity begin to open and close her mouth in a vain attempt to speak to her.

"Sweetie... I..." she began, her voice beginning to shake as she spoke, "I'm so sorry. I should have been there for you more. I was... so caught up in my own feelings that I neglected to think about how you feel in all this. I knew you were sad and that Josh’s leaving left you feeling broken like myself, but I just left you by yourself while I wallowed in my own sorrow."

Tears began to flow from Rarity's eyes as she spoke, tiny droplets rolling off her cheeks and falling to the floor beneath her. The alabaster mare's body trembled heavily as well and it seemed that she was about to collapse at any second. Twilight walked over to Rarity and placed a hoof on her withers, gently nuzzling her cheek in an attempt to console the white unicorn. Rarity sniffled several times and swallowed hard before continuing with her speech to Sweetie Belle.

"That night you left," she began, managing to regain control of her voice for the time being, "I tried so hard to find you. I looked all over Ponyville, hoping that I could convince you to return home with me where you'd be safe and... and so that I could be there for you finally. When I didn't find you, I went back home and unleashed my full fury against mother and father. I told them that they were no better than Filthy Rich with how insensitive they were being, and that it's because of ponies like them that you and I and the rest of Josh's friends are experiencing such heartache. I told them that they'll never be able to understand what he meant to us, and that... I'd stand by you even if they refused to."

Rarity stomped her hoof in emphasis of her last sentence, though her lip quivered once more as several tears made their way down her cheeks again. Sweetie Belle merely continued to stare at her sister, the mare she'd spent so much of her time idolizing and hoping to be like when she was an adult, with a type of disbelieving sympathy. Before her stood a very broken pony, one who had dealt with more pain and anguish in only a few weeks that some don't experience in a lifetime.

"Sweetie... I don't care what they may think about you or I when it comes to Josh and what happened with him." Rarity continued, her voice losing its steady tone again, "But, I do care for you, more than you'll ever know. I already lost one of my best friends... I d-don't want to lose my sister too..."

With that, Rarity finally lost her composure completely and collapsed to the ground, sobbing gently as Twilight began to rub her back.

"Sweetie," Twilight began, forcing the filly's attention away from her distraught sister, "with Filthy Rich in place as mayor, there's not a lot of hope for us. And with Vinyl pregnant now, we're in even more danger, because we have to make sure she stays hidden and safe from harm. If we're going to have any chance here, we can't allow ourselves to be split apart by petty squabbles. We have to stand together, united and strong."

Sweetie's gaze lingered on Twilight for a moment before focusing on Rarity, who was still lying on the floor, crying with her hooves over her eyes. The filly stared at her sibling for some time, taking in everything she had said, how she'd tried to find her and return her to the safety of her loving embrace, how she'd told off their parents for their insensitive actions and words against herself and Sweetie Belle. A wave of guilt washed over her mind as she thought about all the worry she must have put on Rarity over the last few days and how lonely she must have felt at not having anypony there to help her feel any better... much like Sweetie had felt...

"Rarity..." she said, causing her sister to uncover her eyes and look up at her.

Sweetie walked over to Rarity and knelt down, inching closer to her and continuing to stare into her eyes. The filly felt her own eyes begin to water and blinked away a small teardrop, causing it to slowly roll down her cheek. She leaned in close to Rarity and gently nuzzled her cheek, her little body beginning to tremble as she continued to cry.

"I forgive you." she said, her voice shaking as she spoke into Rarity's matted coat, "I'm sorry I ran away. I just... It hurt s-so much... and I felt so alone..."

"I know, Sweetie." Rarity replied, wrapping her forelegs around her little sister and pulling her into a tight embrace, "I was too, and I should have handled myself better than I did."

"I... I..." Sweetie stammered, now almost completely shaking as her emotions overwhelmed her, "I w-want Joshie to c-come home. W-why'd he have t-to go?"

Rarity pulled Sweetie into her loving embrace even closer, crying with her and lightly stroking her mane. Together, the two sisters sat there, both relishing the feeling of being reunited after what seemed like such a long and lonely time. Twilight looked on, a smile gracing her face once again as she watched Sweetie Belle and Rarity cling to one another. Slowly, she backed out of the room and into the nearby kitchen, Spike following close behind her with a smirk on his face.

“Looks like your long shot paid off.” he said, watching as Twilight used her magic to return the cake to its box and levitate the plates off the table and into the sink.

“Well, it’s at least a step in the right direction.” she replied, turning around to glance through the door and back at Rarity and Sweetie, both of whom were now affectionately nuzzling one another and chatting idly, “Even if this doesn’t solve the larger problems at hoof, at least we won’t be separated.”

“Who knows,” Spike said, placing the forks in the sink before jumping down and looking back to Twilight, “maybe seeing how you guys are all remaining so close like this... It could change some minds around here.”

“That’s what I’m hoping for.”

Chapter 11: Confidant

Fluttershy and Rarity sat in the Ponyville Spa, idly chatting back and forth as they sat in the sauna, taking in the warm, luxurious steam all around them. For the two mares, this activity was nothing more than routine by this point, and it proved to be a more than effective tool for them to get away from the insanity of the past few weeks. It allowed them a way to vent their frustrations for a time, with both of them able to relate to one another in their respective problems, most of which revolved around Josh, Vinyl, Filthy Rich, or any combination of the three. No matter how bad things may have seemed to be on the outside at any one time, they always left the spa with higher hopes than when they'd gone in. At least, they had before the events of the trial.

That week, they'd skipped their usual appointment, with neither pony emotionally capable of really going out into the once loving town they'd called home. While Rarity was dealing with the loss in her own way, Fluttershy had merely done what she was so used to herself, which included only leaving her home for the most dire of emergencies and spending most of her day curled up and crying. After some time, she'd actually managed to work up the courage to venture out for more than a few minutes, and had begun to go into town to visit with Vinyl or Octavia. Eventually, she began to check up on her other friends, in particular Rarity and Twilight after she'd heard about the falling out Sweetie Belle had had with her sister. The yellow pegasus had been extremely surprised to see Rarity on her front doorstep that morning, telling her that Sweetie had come back home and that as a celebration, she'd arranged an appointment for the two of them to return to the spa for a day of relaxing.

"So, everything's alright with you and Sweetie Belle now?" Fluttershy asked, watching as Aloe ladled some more water onto the coals in the furnace, causing a large plume of steam to rise upwards.

"For the most part, yes." Rarity said, "She's still upset with what mother and father said to her, but she's at least home, where I can take care of her properly this time."

"Well... In all fairness, you were really close to Josh too." Fluttershy replied, readjusting the towel on her head to keep it from drooping over, "You were just dealing with his loss in your own way."

"That's true, but hardly an excuse on my part." Rarity said, frowning slightly at the thought of her actions, "I didn't even consider Sweetie Belle's feelings in all this. But, I promised her that I'll never make that mistake again, and that she'll always be a top priority for me, no matter what."

"I'm glad to know you two are alright again." Fluttershy said happily, a small smile gracing her face, "You have no idea how worried I was about you both. The last thing you need after losing a friend is to lose a sister too."

"Believe me, darling, I was worried I'd lose her as well." Rarity responded, looking off into the distance, "But, thank Celestia for Twilight being there for us like that."

Fluttershy nodded and the two friends sat in a rather comfortable silence for some time, enjoying the feeling of the steam and heat as Aloe continued to pour several more spoonfuls of water onto the coals. After about ten more minutes in the sauna, Lotus came in and told them that it was now time for their hooficures, to which both ponies immediately jumped up and made their way into the large bath area, taking their places on the massage tables nearby to allow Aloe and Lotus to do their work. Together, Fluttershy and Rarity indulged in their respective hooficures while continuing to chat back and forth, Rarity about her sister and plans she had for the two of them, Fluttershy about her animals and how they'd been getting along.

"Angel was pretty upset with me when I didn't fluff his tail this last time." she said as Aloe continued to file at her left hoof, "I decided to make it up to him by doing it three times this next week."

"You really do love to pamper that bunny, don't you dear?" Rarity asked, doing her best to hold her head still while Lotus began to file away at her horn.

"Well... sort of." Fluttershy replied, blushing a little, "He just really likes having it done, and I'm not just going to say no to him when it comes to something simple like that."

"Do you ever say no to him on anything?"

Fluttershy opened her mouth to respond, but promptly closed it, unable to find any words she could say to defend herself on that point. Rarity just giggled quietly as she watched her pegasus friend lose her ability to speak.

"Honestly, Fluttershy. You can't allow him to get away with so much." Rarity said, "Otherwise, he may develop a bad attitude when he doesn't get his way."

"What about Opal?" Fluttershy asked, squirming a little in her seat as Aloe began on her lower hooves, "You spoil her all the time."

"Opal was... high maintenance when I got her." Rarity replied, her thoughts trailing back to her cat, "It's almost impossible to please her sometimes. Thank Celestia cats are somewhat self-sufficient animals. Well... cats that aren't Opal are, at least."

Fluttershy took her turn to giggle now as Rarity began to frown a little at the thought of her pet. At that moment, Vera, the third member of the spa staff, rushed in and told Aloe and Lotus that another customer had arrived, to which the two sisters set down their tools and apologized to Fluttershy and Rarity, saying they'd be back to finish off their hooficures before too long.

"Not a problem, girls." Rarity said, waving them away with a hoof, "We'll be here when you get back."

Together, the three spa ponies made their way out the door and into the main lobby where they greeted their guest. Rarity looked to Fluttershy, who stared back at her with her usual soft look.

"So, you've heard about what happened with Vinyl, I presume?" Rarity began, looking towards the door to ensure that nopony was there.

"Something happened with Vinyl?" Fluttershy asked, looking all around the room herself.

"Yes. Twilight was telling me about it." Rarity continued, "Apparently, Octavia came to her and said that Vinyl had been admitted to the hospital three nights ago, and that she was on suicide watch."

"On what?!" Fluttershy yelped, quickly covering mouth.

Rarity's eyes grew wide with panic and she glanced back towards the door. When nopony came through after several seconds she let out a sigh of relief and glanced back to Fluttershy, who gave her a big toothy grin of apology.

"You must be careful about that, dear." Rarity said, "I know that it is a startling thing to find out about, but we mustn't draw any more attention to ourselves than is absolutely necessary. We don't truly know who we can trust in this town."

Fluttershy nodded in agreement before speaking once again in a whisper.

"So... she... tried to..."

"Unfortunately." Rarity said, nodding slowly, a sullen expression falling over her face, "Apparently, the poor girl got farther down than we thought, and attempted to take a... rather drastic measure."

"She's alright now though, isn't she?" Fluttershy asked.

"Well, she's not trying to do anything more to herself at least." Rarity said, her ears flattening a little as she spoke, "However, the doctor's did have a rather startling bit of news for her."

"Oh my... There isn’t anything else wrong with her, is there?" Fluttershy asked in a somewhat loud, panicked tone.

Rarity opened her mouth to respond but stopped as soon as she heard other voices coming closer from beyond the doorway.

"Please, make your way in here, and we'll get everything started for you Miss Blossom." said Lotus, standing in the door and gesturing for another pony to enter.

Fluttershy and Rarity glanced towards the door just in time to see a mare with a bright pink coat and long green mane enter and make her way over to them.

"Oh. Hello there, Fluttershy, Rarity." Rose Blossom said, raising her eyebrows a little, "I wasn't expecting to see you two here."

"And just what is that supposed to mean?" Rarity asked, glaring daggers at the pink mare.

"Nothing more than what I said." Rose Blossom replied, walking over and standing in front of Rarity's seat, "And there's no need to be hostile towards me. I haven't done anything to you."

"That's where you're wrong." Rarity spat, fighting the urge to stand up and get in Rose Blossom's face, "We lost our best friend because of hateful ponies like you. For you to say that you're innocent in any way is a complete and total lie."

"It's hardly my fault that you made friends with the wrong individuals." Rose Blossom retorted, leering at the alabaster unicorn, "You may have been blinded by your so called 'generosity', but the rest of us eventually saw him for what he really was."

"How dare you!" Rarity shot back, now off the table and beginning to advance on Rose Blossom "You and everypony else here had absolutely no clue as to who he was! You all got so caught up in your own paranoia and ignorance that you allowed it to cloud your minds."

"Did we, Rarity? Did we?!" Rose Blossom said, not backing down from Rarity as the unicorn approached her, "You knew long before the rest of us what he was, what he'd done before coming here. Had you known the truth when he first arrived here, I doubt you'd have been so forgiving and willing to give him a chance like you did."

"That's hardly relevant!" Rarity shouted, "So what if I didn't know right away? I didn't need to in order to know that he could be a good person!"

"And what if he'd done something to Sweetie Belle, Rarity?"

"Never! Josh would never do anything to my little sister!" Rarity was now beginning to scream at Rose Blossom, "You would dare to insinuate that he'd do something malicious to her?! Not once did he ever even think of hurting her! Perhaps he should have done something to hurt you!"

"And who's to say he wouldn't have?" Rose Blossom returned, now beginning her advance on Rarity, "You may have your head stuck so far up your own plot that you can't see clearly, but I don't! You call yourself a good judge of character, but you couldn't tell the difference between a bunny and Discord himself. Just because you felt it was alright to put your own little sister in harms way with that... monster, it doesn't mean that I'd be so quick to make the same mistake with my son. You're a fool, Rarity. You and everypony who was so quick to accept him as one of us. You stand there and say that the side I took in this was wrong, but you should be on your knees kissing my hooves for being a part of helping us avoid a potential danger!"

Rarity's face took on a heavily flustered expression, and she began to splutter, unable to find anything to respond with. Rose Blossom smiled at the alabaster mare's inability to say anything.

"Don't bother trying to say anything more." she said, walking away towards the back of the room, "I sincerely hope that one day you'll take off your rose colored glasses and allow yourself to see the truth."

Rarity sat down with her mouth agape as Rose Blossom walked away, unable to believe what she'd just heard. Rose Blossom continued her self-righteous sauntering over to the satin curtain dividing the spa, looking back towards the flustered mare she had managed to make completely speechless with the same pompous grin she'd had before walking away.

"Y-you're the monster."

Rose Blossom's gaze dropped off Rarity and fell upon the pastel yellow pegasus next to her, who was now standing up from her original seated position and was glaring at the pink mare across the room.

"What did you say?" Rose Blossom asked, making her way slowly back over to the pair and focusing her ire on Fluttershy now.

"I said that you're the m-monster." Fluttershy replied, more boldly than she would be normally, "Rarity's right. You judged him before you knew him, and I seem to remember you being just as nice to him as any of us ever were."

"That was before I knew the truth, Fluttershy." Rose Blossom responded flatly.

"And what truth would that be?" Fluttershy asked, her voice rising steadily, "That he made mistakes in his past that he was trying his hardest not to make again? If that's what we're judging everypony for here, then none of us deserve any sort of love or compassion from one another."

Rose Blossom, for the first time since being in the argument, took a step backwards, her mouth slightly agape as she watched the usually demure and shy pegasus pony actually become infuriated.

"And as for him being dangerous, I challenge you to find one single time that he ever laid a hoof on you or your son." Fluttershy said, her eyes locked on Rose Blossom's.

Rose Blossom took her turn to splutter now, unable to find a single thing she could say to Fluttershy as the pegasus stared her down fiercely.

"Nothing?" the yellow pony said, her rage rising ever higher, "That's what I thought."

Rarity looked on much like Rose Blossom, simply staring at Fluttershy as she almost seemed to transform into a ferocious version of her former self.

"You call us fools, but you're nothing more than a hateful, spiteful, two-faced... bitch!" Fluttershy said boldly, practically shouting the last word and causing Rose Blossom to step backwards even more and crouch down, her ears flat against her head, "It's because of ponies like you that we lost one of the greatest friends any of us has ever had, and on top of that, you helped to ruin two completely innocent lives!"

Fluttershy never noticed it, but she had begun to advance on Rose Blossom, causing the pink mare to back herself into a corner and almost begin cowering. Rarity merely watched in awe, unable to believe what her friend was now turning into before her very eyes.

"I hope that your son sees the way you are, how angry and evil you've become, and that he aspires to be nothing like you in the future. I hope that you'll spend the rest of your existence lonely and miserable, that way you can know just what you've done here and how you've made both Josh and Vinyl feel!"

Fluttershy's eyes were wild and locked on Rose Blossom's now trembling form. The adrenaline shooting through her veins made her heartbeat skyrocket and her brain was filled with nothing but a blind rage. All she could do was direct her full fury at the pink pony before her, standing over her and watching her cower under the glare of the inexplicably empowered pegasus mare. Not since taking Iron Will's advice and becoming a rage machine had she ever felt this type of sensation.

"Fluttershy..."

As soon as she heard her name being called from what seemed like a great distance away, her heart rate began to slow, and she returned to her usual state. The pegasus shook her head, bringing herself back to the world of reality and looking back to her friend behind her.

"Rarity," she said angrily, turning around to face the unicorn, “I’m sorry, but I need to go. I just... I can’t stay around anymore."

Rarity sat with her jaw hanging open, her gaze darting back and forth between her friend and the cowering earth pony on the ground. Fluttershy turned around to see Rose Blossom, hunched down and staring up at her with wide, fearful eyes. Fluttershy didn’t take notice of Rose Blossom again as she marched towards the entryway and headed for the door of the shop.

“Miss Fluttershy?” Vera called after the pony, “Aren’t you going to stay and finish your treatment?”

Fluttershy made no effort to respond as she headed for the door. Her mind was still full of too much anger to really comprehend anything other than to get her out of that shop and go back to her home. It wasn’t until she heard Rarity call after her and run up behind her that she actually stopped her forward motion at all.

“Wait!” Rarity called after the yellow pegasus, “Don’t go!”

“I’m sorry, Rarity.” she said firmly, as her friend approached her, her eyes watering heavily, “I just... I can’t deal with all this right now. I’m going home.”

Fluttershy turned around once again and opened the door, stopping once more and looking back around to see Rarity staring at her with hurt in her eyes.

“P-please...” the unicorn stammered, her voice beginning to shake as a tear rolled down her cheek, “Don’t go... It’s over, okay? She’s not going to bother you or I again, I promise.”

“That’s... what I’m afraid of, Rarity.” Fluttershy said sullenly, “I’ll see you later.”

With that, Fluttershy made her way out of the shop, taking to the air and flying across town, back towards her home on the edge of the Everfree Forest. As she flew, she replayed the scene that had just transpired over and over again in her head. She’d always told herself that after the incident with Iron Will and his attempts to make her more assertive, she’d never act out like that ever again. However, she’d dealt with too much in the last few weeks and had experienced so much heartache and pain that all it would take was a single off-hoof comment to make her lose her cool, of which Rose Blossom and Rarity had just experienced the full fury. Fluttershy suddenly felt all her bundled up emotions reach their peak and she found herself unable to hold back her own tears, forcing her to let out sobs of frustration and grief as she soared over the town and back to her home.

Fluttershy dejectedly trudged down the path to Ponyville, her head hung low as she made her way back towards the town. Since leaving the spa after yelling at Rose Blossom, she’d been cooped up in her house all day, crying heavily and doing her best to avoid thinking about the events of the day. This, however, had proven to be nearly impossible, as she kept seeing the earth pony’s scared look whenever she closed her eyes and had continued to relive almost the entire event throughout the day. She’d expected Rarity or somepony else to come by and check on her, but no such thing happened. This felt like a simultaneous blessing and curse, as Fluttershy wished not to be disturbed, but also was worried that her actions may have scared away anypony who might try and help her. Eventually, she rationalized in her own mind that they were just giving her the space she needed, and that nopony was going to abandon her over one outburst.

Though that had done just enough to help her feel a little better, she was still very down. However, she had decided not to go her usual route of completely shutting down and remaining in her home, which had lead her to be walking back towards town in the first place. Normally, she'd have gone to one of her friends and talked to them as a way to help her feel better, but for whatever reason, that wasn't what she was planning on this time. Instead, she was headed towards the town pub, The Frosty Mug, where she would occasionally go if she felt like her friends couldn't help her much in a particular situation. There, even if she didn't talk to anypony else, at least the ever friendly bartender, Frosty Mug, would be there to talk to her and keep her company for awhile.

Upon reaching town, she immediately headed to the left and found the familiar building that was The Frosty Mug Pub. Walking inside, she saw the bar was unusually empty, save for a few older ponies in the corner who were chatting idly, large mugs of cider sitting in front of each of them that they would occasionally sip on before returning to the conversation. Fluttershy looked to the bar and saw its practically iconic unicorn owner walking back and forth, shifting bottles around as he dusted the liquor shelves. Slowly, she approached the bar and jumped up on a seat, silently almost hoping that she wouldn't be noticed as Frosty continued to dust his shelves. As the pegasus took her place, however, Frosty immediately took note of her, a small smile falling across his face.

"Well, hey there, Fluttershy." he said gently, setting down his feather duster and making his way over to the pegasus, "You're one of the last ponies I'd expect to see here."

"I've been feeling... really down today," Fluttershy timidly explained, "and... well... I just thought maybe I'd come down and... at least sit around for awhile, if nothing else."

"Makes sense to me." Frost said, grabbing a glass in his magic as well as a cloth, using it to wipe the interior, "I gladly welcome your company. Is there anything I can get you?"

"Um... I'll just have a soft drink." she said quietly, to which Frosty nodded and turned around, heading back towards the fridge in the corner and opening it up.

Using his magic, he pulled out a bottle filled with a bright pink liquid as well as another glass. He quickly poured the fluid into the glass before returning it to the refrigerator and heading back towards Fluttershy on the other end of the bar.

"Here ya go, sweetheart." he said, setting the glass down before her, "It's strawberry lemonade. Drink up."

Fluttershy thanked Frosty before lifting the glass up to her mouth and taking a sip, feeling the slight sting of the carbonation on her tongue as the ice cold liquid entered her mouth. It was unbelievably refreshing, and helped to ease her mind just a little.

"So," Frosty began, picking up his usual glass swabbing habit, "what's got you so down in the dumps, Fluttershy?"

Fluttershy set her glass back down before explaining to Frosty what had happened that day, beginning with she and Rarity spending time together at the spa. At first, she told the story with relative ease, but when she told the barkeep about what she'd done when Rose Blossom began to speak badly about Josh, her emotions from earlier that day threatened to overtake her mind once again. Through the whole story, Frosty just sat quietly and listened, occasionally nodding or giving some other means of acknowledgement of Fluttershy's words. After the pegasus finished by telling him about how she'd gone home and cried, a short but heavy silence fell between the two, punctuated by the continuing chatter of the older ponies on the other end of the bar.

"Well," Frosty began, setting down the one glass he was cleaning and picking up another in his magic, "if you ask me, you were perfectly in the right to do what you did, Fluttershy."

"But, you should never be mean to others," Fluttershy said timidly, "no matter what they may say or do."

"True. But, everypony has their breaking point, and all it takes is for somepony to say one thing, and that can set others off."

"I should just know how to control my temper better, I suppose..."

"No way." Frosty said as Fluttershy took another sip of her drink, "In my personal opinion, I think you should've yelled at her more. I would have."

Fluttershy set her drink down again and gave Frosty a confused look, to which he smirked slightly.

"I can't tell you how many times I worked in here and heard nothing but ponies spreading around that hate speech that Filthy managed to shove into their heads." Frosty continued, now scowling a little, "There they sat, harshly judging a guy they barely knew at all. I'll never understand why it is that they could be so ignorant as to refuse to look past what he'd been like before and see how he was in the here and now."

"What I don't see is how they could turn on him so quickly." Fluttershy said, "Almost everypony here loved him before all this mess. How could Filthy Rich do a thing like this?"

"He's a fantastic speaker." Frosty replied simply, "He was able to instill a sense of fear and paranoia amongst those here, and you'd be surprised how powerful a weapon like that can be."

"But what were they so afraid of?" Fluttershy asked somewhat indignantly, "The only pony I'd ever see him lay a single hand on was Filthy, and he deserved it. Not one time did he ever attack anypony else."

"They weren't so much afraid of what he had or hadn't done in his time." Frosty said, "They were afraid of his potential to be harmful, what he possibly could do."

"But they never could know what he could do!" Fluttershy replied, now scowling herself, "It's nothing more than speculation!"

"That's very true, and as his friends, we understand that concept. However, others who didn't know him like we did will never see it that way. If I were to tell you about the potential for some sort of danger, your number one concern wouldn't be to try and analyze it, I'm sure. You'd try and find the best way to keep yourself safe, and that's what they believed they were doing."

Fluttershy opened her mouth to respond, but found there was nothing she could say. Frosty was indeed right in his line of thinking. Fluttershy was a pony whose existence seemed to be perpetuated by her own incessant fears, and a lot of her time was spent finding ways to minimize her potential to be in danger. Admittedly, when she'd first met Josh, she was extremely afraid of him because of his size and rather intimidating appearance, but had come to care for the human as time went along and she got to know him better. To a certain degree, she could see why those who weren't as close to him would be wary of him, but in her mind, that still didn't excuse their behavior at all.

"You... you were his friend too, weren't you?" asked Fluttershy, internally wincing as she realized she'd asked something dumb.

"I'd like to think I was." Frosty said, smirking once again, "Admittedly, I wasn't as close to him as some others, but we did have some very engaging conversations whenever he was in here, and I got to know him better through that."

"So, when you found out about his past, you didn't judge him like everypony else?"

"Of course not." Frosty replied, "Then again, I pretty much knew who he was the moment he walked through that door."

Again, the yellow pegasus shot Frosty a confused look.

"How... is that possible?"

"I don't need to speak to somepony to know who they truly are, Fluttershy." Frosty responded, letting out a light chuckle, "I could see it in him from the moment he opened that door and made his way in here. He walked with a type of swagger that indicated just what he thought of himself, but there's something hidden behind that type of attitude that others don't really see."

"Like what?"

"In his particular case... there was a lot of guilt, and a lot of hurt." Frosty said, now looking downwards as he spoke, clearly thinking back on his first encounter with the human, "I didn't know all of that right away, but I was able to infer the truth pretty quickly. You can always tell when somepony has lived a life of regret and loneliness. They just have... a sort of air about them."

Silence fell once more between the two ponies as both contemplated the last words spoken. Then, almost out of nowhere, a voice called from the opposite end of the bar, causing both Frosty and Fluttershy to turn their attention towards the figure.

"Hey, Fffrostyyyyy," the pony slurred, sitting up a little in her seat and hiccuping loudly, "c-can I g-get another gin and carrrot j-juice?"

Fluttershy looked a little closer at the figure seated there, unable to really see them for the shadow that fell over their form. She knew the pony was a mare, a pegasus mare to be more exact, but wasn't completely able to discern who this might be.

"Alright." Frosty said, sighing, "I'll get you one in a second. Just hold tight, Rainbow."

Fluttershy did a double take upon hearing the name of the mare and gasped in shock. Slowly, she climbed down from her seat and made her way towards the drunken pony, staring at her intently as she approached the pony. Eventually, she stood before the other pegasus, her mouth still wide open as she looked the mare up and down one more time, her gaze settling on the polychromatic mane that flowed down her neck.

"R-Rainbow..." she said, reaching a hoof out gently to touch her friend and make sure she was real, "Have... have you been... here the whole time?"

Slowly, drunkenly, the cyan mare turned to look at the pony addressing her, staring into her teal eyes with her own bloodshot, rose colored ones. A smile came across her face as she recognized Fluttershy, and she stumbled off her own stool to attempt to stand and greet her properly.

"Hey there, Fffluttershy." she said, swaying back and forth as she reached out to embrace her friend, fighting to stay upright once she grabbed onto her, "No, I haven't b-been here the whole t-time. I g-go home once they c-close."

Fluttershy's jaw still hung slack as Rainbow Dash stepped away from her, nearly falling over onto her rump. Rainbow's usually untidy mane was even more of a mess, and the fur on her chest was matted and slightly stained from where she'd spilled some of her drinks. She peered at her yellow friend with half lidded eyes, both of which seemed like they would close at any second and force the mare to pass out.

"How long have you been doing this?" Fluttershy asked, watching as Rainbow struggled to climb back up onto her stool, "Are you in here every day?"

"Uh... I like to come in here and g-get something to drink once in awhile." Rainbow slurred, finally able to return to her seated position and right herself for the time being, "Then, I get another... and another, and... well, I th-think you get it."

Fluttershy continued to stare at her friend as she turned back towards the bar and took a swig of her new drink, letting out a little hiss as the alcohol made its way down her throat. Neither pony said anything for some time, with one too shocked to be able to speak, and the other too inebriated to form much of a coherent sentence anymore. Fluttershy slowly climbed up onto the stool next to Rainbow, not once taking her eyes off the other mare.

"W-why, Rainbow?" she asked suddenly, "Why are you doing this?"

Rainbow didn't respond right away, refusing to look at her friend. Instead, she took one more sip of her drink, fumbling the glass as she brought it to her lips, spilling some down her chest.

"I n-never got to say goodbye to him, Shy." she responded, setting the glass back down, still not looking towards the other pegasus, "None of us did... He just... poof, and he's gone. I always just assumed... that he'd always be here. After all, he loved this place. Why would he ever leave us?"

Rainbow continued to stare at the bar, and as Fluttershy tried to peer around and into Rainbow Dash's face, she noticed a tear beginning to trail down her cheek.

"It's... It's all my fault, Shy." Rainbow said quietly, her voice breaking as she spoke, "I c-could've stopped it... I could've done at least somethin’. But I din't... I... I failed, and now... I'l n-never get to... to say... Ah, screw it... It wouldn't have made any difference anyway."

Rainbow heaved as she began to sob, slouching over the bar and placing her head in her crossed forelegs as she wept. Acting quickly, Fluttershy tenderly wrapped one of her wings around the distraught pegasus, holding her as close as she could. Eventually, Fluttershy herself began to cry, her tears falling from her face and onto Rainbow's shoulder.

"I just... I w-want him to come home!" Rainbow wailed, finally reaching around and embracing Fluttershy, "H-he didn't deverve this! W-why did this have t-to happen to him, to us?"

"Rainbow," Fluttershy said gently, rubbing her friend's back as she held onto her shuddering form, "I know it's not fair, and... I know that you were close to him. But, we can't spend all our time mourning his leaving, and especially not like this."

"So what m’ I supposed to do, Fluttershy?" Rainbow asked, lifting her head up to stare at the yellow pegasus indignantly, "Jus’ say it's all okay and move on? Maybe that's easy for some ponies’, but they didn't share the sort of bond that I had with him. I know that Vinyl was his marefriend, but me and him were... he was... my best friend!"

"There's nothing wrong with missing him, but you can't turn to alcohol to take the pain away." Fluttershy said firmly, "It's just not healthy. And, besides that, he wouldn't want you to be doing this to yourself."

Rainbow opened and closed her mouth in a vain attempt to respond, but found no words she could say. Instead, she continued her crying, burying her face into Fluttershy's chest once more as the pastel mare continued to comfort her. They sat there for some time, both crying and holding onto one another. Neither one said a single word as they remained there, with both mares knowing that words weren't necessary in this moment.

"Y-yeah, you're right." Rainbow finally said, sniffling.

The colorful mare released her friend, wiping her bleary, bloodshot eyes, "I'm... sorry... that I haven't been there with all of you through this. I just... I din't know what to do."

"It's alright, Rainbow." Fluttershy said, smiling at her drunken friend, "Come on. Let's get you out of here. You can stay at my house tonight so you don't have to try and fly."

Rainbow sniffled and nodded her head, slowly and carefully climbing down from her seat. Fluttershy wrapped her wing around the intoxicated pegasus, helping to steady her as she stood there. The two ponies walked around to the middle of the room before Fluttershy stopped and turned back to face Frosty, who had been watching the two pegasi intently since Fluttershy had walked over to talk with Rainbow.

"How much does she owe you?" Fluttershy asked, walking back up to the bar and preparing to pull out a small bag of bits.

"Hmm?"

"For the drinks. I'll pay you whatever she owes."

Frosty looked back to Rainbow, who was sitting on her rump on the floor, her head hung low and a few tears still trailing from her closed eyes. He stared at her for a few seconds before looking back to Fluttershy and smiling a little.

"She doesn't owe me anything." he said simply.

"Are you sure?" Fluttershy asked, "I know she must have used up a lot of your liquor..."

"Fluttershy, she's been through a hard time." Frosty said, setting down the glass he'd been swabbing, "I've seen a lot of ponies who turn to the bottle in bad situations. For those ones, I give them a few drinks to get them by and then see to it that they can move on. She doesn't owe me anything, just the promise of her safety."

Fluttershy smiled back at Frosty, who winked at her a little before turning back to the bar to continue dusting his shelves. The yellow pegasus turned back to her friend, walking over and draping her wing over her once again and helping her stand up. Together, the two pegasi made their way out of the bar and out into the dark Ponyville night, the light of Luna's moon guiding their way. They said very little as they walked, save for Rainbow's occasional remark about the surrounding area and how pretty it looked with the silver light from above playing off each surface.

After a short time, they reached Fluttershy's little earthen cottage, which gave off a soft golden glow from the lights inside. Upon entering, Fluttershy carefully lead Rainbow up the staircase and into her own room, turning on the light and guiding her towards her bed at the head of the room.

"You can take my bed for the night." the demure pegasus said, helping Rainbow up and onto the mattress, "It'll be easier for you to make it to the bathroom should you get sick in the night or something like that."

"What about you?" Rainbow asked, swaying back and forth as she tried to sit up on the bed, "Where're you gonna sleep?"

"The couch downstairs is plenty comfortable for me." Fluttershy said, pulling back the covers for Rainbow to climb under, "I just want to make sure you're alright for the night."

"Ey, c-can't you just give me that same stuff you gave Twilight when Josh and I c-came over with her that one night she got drunk?" Rainbow asked, clumsily sliding under the covers of Fluttershy's bed, "That ought to sober me up."

"I would, but I ran out of the ingredients to make it." Fluttershy said, pulling the blankets up over Dash's body and smiling sweetly at her friend, "Sorry Rainbow, but it looks like you'll just have to wait this one out."

"Oh... well, tanks for helping me out, Shy." Rainbow said, laying her head down on the pillow and giving Fluttershy a drunken smile, "It really does mean a lot to me."

"It's no problem, Rainbow." Fluttershy said, draping her wing over her friend one more time, "Just try and get some sleep and come morning, I'll go out and get you something to help with your hangover."

Rainbow nodded and closed her eyes, drifting off to sleep almost instantaneously. Fluttershy carefully shut the door to her bedroom and proceeded back downstairs, taking her place on the couch and curling up tightly. She felt a strange mixture of grief and gratefulness within her as she thought about her sleeping friend upstairs. She'd been unbelievably worried about Rainbow, having not seen her since the end of the trial, but was glad that she had found the polychromatic mare and that she was at least somewhat alright, if not extremely intoxicated at the moment. With at least one of her tensions eased, Fluttershy felt herself begin to drift off into her own world of sleep, but was suddenly interrupted by the sound of thumping nearby.

Looking up, she saw her pet bunny, Angel, standing in front of the couch, tapping his foot with a sour expression on his face.

"Oh, hello there, Angel Bunny." Fluttershy said sweetly, "Did I take your spot on the couch? I'm sorry."

Fluttershy shifted over several inches, allowing enough room for the little white rabbit to jump up and lay down himself. The pegasus smiled at her little pet as he curled up just like her and went to sleep. Fluttershy lay her own head back down and was asleep in mere minutes, her dreams filled with Rainbow Dash and Josh and visions of the two friends spending time together once again, carefree and happy.

Chapter 12: Thoughts

Josh sat in a secluded spot on the opposite side of the large pool area in the center of the Red Rock Resort, half a drink in his hand and his gaze caught in a thousand yard stare as his mind fell into its usual realm of thought. Nearby, the after party for Syd's first show on tour was in full swing at the Cherry Nightclub, with people milling all about, some chatting idly with others, some dancing as music blasted out from the club. The scene was more than familiar to the young producer, who had experienced enough of these nights to know what went into it all. Hell, it was a night like this that essentially landed me in Equestria to begin with he thought, taking a sip of his drink and continuing to stare at the party before him, silently reminiscing on the events that night before he'd been transported to the place he'd soon begin to call home.

He hadn't given that night much thought over the course of the last year, instead choosing to focus on his marefriend and the life they were sharing in Equestria. Now, however, he couldn't not think about it. That particular evening hadn't really occurred to him all that much, instead adding itself to the muddled and dark painting that was his previous life before ending up in Equestria. He did know that it carried a certain level of significance though, and seeing the after party going on now had begun to conjure up images of that fateful night and everything that lead him to the place he'd call home, and to the mare he loved.

"Evening stranger!"

Josh's focus shifted from his own internal pondering and back to the world around him, forcing him to look in the direction of the voice that called to him. He smirked a little when he saw Liam striding towards him, a smile on his face and a drink in his hand.

"You're the last person I'd ever expect to see away from a party like this." Liam said, stopping short of Josh and gazing down at him.

"I've experienced my own fair share of parties like this in the past, L." Josh said simply, taking a sip off his own drink, "Don't need that kind of temptation anymore. Besides, I wanted to get out and just... think for a bit, I suppose."

"I guess you can never do too much of that, can you?" Liam asked, smirking himself as he continued to stare at Josh, "Mind if I take a seat out here with you? I'd kinda like to get away from it all for a bit myself."

Josh nodded and Liam moved towards the chair next to Josh's own, taking a seat and sighing heavily. For some time, the two sat in a comfortable silence, save for the sound of the music issuing forth from the club a short distance away. Josh's thoughts began to drift away once more as Liam sat next to him, occasionally lifting his drink up to take a sip of it, causing the ice cubes in it to clink together.

"Well," Liam said, forcing Josh's attention towards himself once more, "what'd you think of the show?"

Josh thought for a second, trying his hardest to formulate anything that would give some sort of illusion that he wasn't conflicted the whole time. He had enjoyed the show tremendously, and actually found he had more fun watching Syd on stage than he would have had he been up there performing with him. However, he couldn't help but think of Vinyl during the whole performance, and his mind continued to drift towards the concerts he and the unicorn had put on in his time there. Each and every song that passed reminded him more and more of his mare and his friends at every one of their shows, each one caught up in the euphoric bliss that came with electronic music. This caused a sort of double edged sword effect, where Josh truly had relished the music and the atmosphere once again, but also felt a great degree of sadness at thinking about what he'd lost not so long ago.

"It... was a lot of fun." he said simply, silently cursing himself for not thinking of anything better, "He's definitely great up there."

Liam raised his eyebrow slightly at Josh's response, and at that moment, the young man felt extremely transparent.

"You always were a terrible liar, Josh." Liam said, leaning forward in his seat as he locked eyes with his friend, "It reminded you of her, didn't it?"

Josh opened his mouth to try and protest, wanting to say that he was just tired or something else along those lines, but he found himself mute in that moment. Liam knew Josh all too well, and to try and lie to him would be an effort in absolute futility. In the end, the young man just resigned to slowly nod his head, prompting Liam to do the same in understanding.

"I figured as much." Liam said, leaning back and taking another sip off his drink, "I had been rather worried about how you'd react, being back around all this so soon. I didn't want you to run the risk of opening up any wounds, but I just chose to let it be, and kept my mouth shut."

"I was the one who chose to come back to it all." Josh pointed out, shrugging slightly, "I knew that it'd be hard, but I just told myself that I wouldn't let it bother me. For all the good that did..."

"Well, if you're still connected to her via the music, I can hardly blame you for making the choice you did in this case." Liam said, "I can tell you right now that I'd be more than willing to do the same were I to be in your situation. You wanted to have something that could remind you of all the time you spent with Vinyl, so you did what you deemed to be proper, even though you knew it'd be painful."

Josh merely nodded at that, unable to really find anything more that he could say. In hindsight, his decision to return to a life surrounded by music seemed like less of a good idea with all the pain he now realized he'd have to endure along the way. It wasn't so much even the music that reminded him of his mare, but the overall atmosphere of the show that night had been the trigger he'd needed to conjure up images of him standing next to her, playing the board and controller with the love of his life while the crowd went crazy.

"I just... I wish it could stop hurting." Josh said solemnly, burying his face in his hands and fighting the urge to cry.

"It'll always hurt, Josh." Liam said, placing his hand on Josh's shoulder, causing the young man to look back up and into his friend's face, "No matter what anyone says or does, it'll always hurt because you loved her so much. And there's nothing wrong with that. You are no more or less a man because you carry sadness for a lost love. Nobody's going to hold a gun to your head and say you have to move on with your life, so don't try and force yourself past something like this. It's not healthy."

Josh continued to stare into Liam's face, into his own deep brown eyes and the sincerity and care behind them. Though he hadn't experienced anything like what Josh had in the last few weeks, if there was anyone who could understand a difficult situation like this, it would be Liam. Josh knew that Liam of all people could at least level with him and not judge him for whatever he may say or do. This wasn't merely because Liam was the only one who knew what had happened with Josh, but also because he had an ability to be deep and forthright when the situation called for it. He's right Josh thought, I can't get away from this, but maybe I can ease the pain by just saying something...

"L..." Josh said, hesitating as he spoke, "can I be honest with you for a second here?"

"Of course you can, mate." Liam responded, leaning back in his seat once again, "In fact, I'd prefer that over anything."

Josh opened his mouth, trying his hardest to phrase what seemed like, in his mind, the hardest thing he'd ever had to say in his life.

"I didn't go to Equestria looking for love." Josh explained, "In fact, once I got there, I just wanted to come back home, back to the life I thought I needed, back to... back to all this, essentially."

Josh gestured to the scene of the party before him as he spoke.

"I knew in my mind that I didn't belong there, even if everyone else there thought I did." he continued, his voice beginning to waver, "I acted almost no differently there than I did here, and that got me into a lot of trouble. So much trouble that I ended up racking up enough debt that I wasn't allowed to leave till it was all paid back."

"What kind of debt exactly?" Liam asked, confused, "You weren't involved in some type of gambling thing there, were you?"

"No, nothing like that." Josh responded, shaking his head and letting out an embarrassed chuckle, "Just... me being dumb."

"I see."

"Yeah. Anyway, that's why I was gone as long as I was that first time. I had to earn the money, and the only way I could was by helping Vinyl's best friend, Octavia."

"Wait a second," Liam said, raising his hands to stop Josh, "this... Octavia, she was essentially extorting you, wasn't she?"

"That's a rather harsh way of putting it, but yeah, she kind of did."

"And you allowed this?"

"What else was I gonna do?" Josh asked indignantly, "Believe it or not, most of Equestria wasn't really calling out for a music producer, and nobody would be likely to hire me because I was a lot bigger than them and seemed intimidating. It'd be bad for their business, even though a lot of ponies liked me later on."

"That... oddly enough makes sense." Liam said, still rather dumbstruck, "So, what did she have you doing then to make the money back?"

Josh hesitated, his mind drifting back towards the first time he'd encountered Vinyl after upstaging her and making a vow to help her become the best producer she possibly could.

"I helped Vinyl out. Taught her how to make music."

Liam's jaw dropped as he made the connection in his mind.

"That's... how it happened, isn't it?" he asked in awe, "How you two... fell for one another."

"Pretty much." Josh replied, smiling as he watched Liam's sudden change in expression, "I really didn't want to do it at first, but I knew that if I ever wanted to go back home, that'd be my only way to make it happen. As far as I was concerned, she was nothing more than a roadblock that I'd have to worm my say past. But, as time went along, and I got to know her better, I stopped seeing her as just another talking pony standing in my way of going back home. I saw her as... almost human in a way, someone I could connect with on a personal level, someone not that different from me. She was another artist, trying so hard to live out her own passion but being shot down each and every time. The moment I realized that was when I truly felt it, felt that I was falling for her."

"I came back home the first time because I wasn't sure of myself, wasn't sure that I was what she needed. As far as I was concerned, I'd be nothing more than a burden to her, someone who would hold her back from achieving her own goals she'd been trying so hard to hit since before I came along. On top of that, I feared that my past would catch up to me and that I'd be tempted to make the same mistakes there that I had here. If there was one thing I never ever wanted, it was to hurt Vinyl in that way, like I had so many others. But, in the end I realized that it would hurt her more for me not to be by her side, loving her and being there for her whenever she needed me."

"See, I'd spent so much of my time thinking that what I needed was to be back here, continuing my tours and moving on with my life. It turned out that the thing I thought I needed was just something I wanted because it was all I'd ever known. When I fell in love with Vinyl and was separated from her the first time, I realized just how empty and lonely my existence had been, and that what I really needed was to be back in Equestria with her. I guess Princess Celestia knew all along that I'd make that decision, and so she was kind enough to return me to where I belonged."

Another round of silence fell as Josh finished speaking, the only sound to be heard being the music issuing forth from the nearby club. Josh continued to stare at his friend before him who had finally taken his gaze off the young producer and was now staring at the ground, taking in everything Josh had said. While waiting for some type of response from his friend, Josh felt an odd type of freedom at having just shared his thoughts with Liam, a feeling that he'd not known since leaving his home in Equestria. It had felt genuinely good to have someone he could talk to about everything that had happened and who he knew wouldn't just give him a blank stare and write him off as some type of insane person. After some time of silence, Liam smirked and looked back up to Josh, his eyes sparkling a little in the flashing lights coming from the club.

"You know, I can't pretend to understand what it is that you've gone through." Liam said, locking eyes with his friend once more, "I don't think most men would. I fact, when you left to go back and live there, I was wracked with confusion over why you made the decision you did. The most obvious thing was how and why you fell in love with a pony from another dimension, but I also questioned why you'd leave behind everything you had here, sacrifice all the money, fame, and adoration to go to some far off world and spend your life there. It just didn't make any sort of sense to me, and it wasn't until I found Samantha that I began to truly understand."

Liam leaned in closer to Josh, not once taking his gaze off the young man's blue eyes.

"You had found the one thing that can truly change a man, can take him from being cynical and lonely to ecstatic and excited about life. You had found love, albeit in the form of a small equine, but love never the less. Once I realized that, I didn't have any more questions."

Liam placed his hand on Josh's shoulder, giving it a slight, comforting squeeze before continuing.

"I can only imagine how hard it is for you right now, and I know full well that it's not going to get better anytime soon. The pain will always remain, but so will the memories, and those very memories are the thing you need to look upon for comfort and guidance rather than the hurt you feel when you realize that she's not here. That doesn't necessarily mean that you move on, but it does mean that live every day for the very love you lost."

Josh nodded in a rather solemn understanding as he took in his friend's words. Liam pulled Josh into a light embrace, which Josh returned in full force.

"I didn't know Vinyl that well." Liam said once they relinquished their grip on one another, "I only met her once and maybe said three words to her if I was lucky. But, I can understand what she meant to you, and like I told you before, if there was any possible way I could get you back home to her, any way at all, I'd give everything I have if it means you get to be happy."

Josh just smiled at Liam, feeling a warmth spread through his body as he looked upon his old friend.

"Thanks, L." he said.

"No problem, mate." Liam responded, looking back towards the party in the club, "Well, I'd probably better get back in there. Syd was already drunk when I left and I'll need to make sure he hasn't broken anything."

Liam rose from his seat and took a few steps toward the club before turning back around to face Josh.

"You coming along?" he asked, gesturing behind him towards the party.

"I think I'm good out here for now." Josh said, smiling a little, "Just gonna... enjoy the atmosphere for a bit longer."

"Alright then." Liam said, turning back around and making for the club.

"Hey, Liam?"

"Yeah?" Liam said, stopping and turning around once again.

"Thanks... for listening to me." Josh said.

"Anytime." Liam responded, smiling wide as he turned back around and headed towards the thumping music.

With that, Josh was alone once again, only his thoughts to occupy his time. He leaned back and stared up at the stars, watching the tiny sparks of light twinkle freely in the inky black night sky. As he looked towards the immeasurable heavens, a small shooting star streaked across the canvas of dark, causing him to crack a small smile and close his eyes as his thoughts drifted back towards Equestria and his mare.

Warden slowly trotted through the dark hallways of Ponyville city hall, on his way towards the office of Filthy Rich. He'd received a late letter from Filthy saying that he wanted to meet and discuss matters of importance. The police chief had considered disregarding the notice, if nothing else so he didn't have to be around Filthy, whom he'd already disliked, but had grown to hate with a passion after his move to make the princess send Josh back home had worked. However, he realized that any attempt to ignore the new (and in his opinion, undeserving) mayor would be an effort in absolute futility. So, he reluctantly made his way towards the office of Filthy Rich, praying that whatever sort of meeting the stallion had planned with him would be a quick one.

After heading up the stairs and turning the corner, he spotted the front door to the mayor's office and directed himself towards it. Standing before the entryway to Filthy's new office, Warden hesitated for a moment, looking the door up and down with distaste. I could just turn around and go home he thought, grimacing as he thought about Filthy on the other side Then again, he'll just send for me again... That thought caused Warden to let out a heavy sigh, knowing that there was officially no way out of this now. Slowly, he raised his hoof and knocked on the door, prompting a response from within.

"It's open. Come in."

Using his magic, Warden opened the door and stepped into the room. The entire office was filled with a soft, orange glow from the nearby fireplace, which crackled gently as it burned. The large desk in the center of the room reserved for the mayor was vacant, save for a small stack of papers in one corner and the lamp on the opposite side. Closing the door behind him, Warden stepped further into the room, glancing all around for where Filthy Rich could be.

"Evening, Warden." a voice called from nearby, causing the police chief to jump slightly and whirl in the direction it came from.

Upon turning his attention towards the region he'd heard the voice come from, Warden noticed Filthy standing in front of one of the large windows at the head of the office, staring out of it to the darkened streets below.

"Mayor Rich,." Warden said, standing tall and saluting, "you wanted to see me, sir?"

"Yes, I did." Filthy replied, not turning from his position, "Have a seat."

Warden nodded and dropped his salute, taking a seat in front of the mayor's desk. Upon sitting down, he fixed his gaze back on Filthy, who continued to stare intently out of the window. For some time, the two stallions sat in silence, only the fire crackling softly in the nearby grate to break up the lack of noise. The police chief continued to watch Filthy, waiting for him to say something or make an attempt at addressing him further. However, Filthy made no such action, his body still turned towards the window before himself as he stared out of it to the dimly lit streets below. After a few more seconds, Warden cleared his throat loudly, hoping to achieve some sort of reaction from Filthy, to no avail.

"No disrespect sir," Warden began, trying his hardest to keep any level of irritation out of his voice, "but were you going to tell me exactly why I've been summoned to your office in the middle of the night?"

Filthy continued his silence, though Warden did hear him let out a little snicker and saw his mouth twitch into his usual smirk. The unicorn was now definitely at the end of his patience, and was truly regretting having come out to city hall when he could just as easily be back at home, in bed with his wife and sound asleep. Just when Warden was ready to give up hope on getting anything more out of Filthy, the earth pony stallion turned slightly, not taking his gaze off the window.

"Tell me, Warden," Filthy began, turning and peering at the police chief out of the corner of his eye, "do you ever just... sit and take some time to appreciate all you have in your life, all the things you've received because of your hard work and dedication?"

Warden raised his eyebrow a little, confused as to why Filthy would ask him something like that when clearly he hadn't called him down for some sort of idle banter.

"I have in the past, yes." Warden replied, "Why do you ask?"

"I just figure that you and I are very much alike in that regard." Filthy said, making for his desk and taking a seat, "After all, we both have accomplished many things that we've strived for in our lives, and in some cases received a bit of a bonus for all that we've done."

"And what exactly would your bonus be, sir?"

"You're looking at it, my friend." Filthy replied, smiling and gesturing around the room.

Warden was taken aback by Filthy's statement, and it clearly showed as Filthy let out a slight chuckle.

"You seem surprised."

"I just... didn't realize that becoming mayor wasn't what you'd intended to do from the get go." Warden said, regaining a little of his composure, "I just assumed that your getting rid of Josh and uniting the ponies here in your cause was means to an end."

"Hardly, though you seem to have a knack for piecing things together." Filthy replied, opening a cabinet under his desk and pulling out a large glass flask filled with a dark, amber liquid, "Care for a drink?"

Warden shook his head, to which Filthy shrugged and removed the top of the flask, sniffing at the contents inside.

"From what I've heard, this is a very fine year of whiskey that Mayor Mare kept in here." he said, brandishing a glass and pouring in some of the liquid, "But, in answer to your confusion, I had no intention of ousting our lovely mayor from her long held position. In fact, I assured her that she may remain in my cabinet at the highest position she so desires, short of running this town, of course."

"If you believed her to be so capable, then why'd you take over anyway?" Warden asked as Filthy placed the flask back in the cabinet and picked up his glass.

Filthy took a quick swig off his drink before replying, letting out a slight hiss as the alcohol made its way down his throat.

"The ponies of this town spoke loud and clear, Warden." he said, setting his glass down and throwing his back hooves up and onto the desk, "Though I have much respect and adoration for Mayor Mare, they clearly didn't, and who would I be to refuse them what they want? Plus, call it a bit of narcissism, I suppose, but I'm not gonna just turn down a lofty position like this."

As Filthy took another sip of his drink, Warden felt a white hot burning rage enter his mind. It wasn't enough to get Josh tossed out of here he thought, fighting the urge to vault over the desk and attack the pompous stallion on the other side he had to take over the town as well? As Warden's angry diatribe against Filthy continued in his mind, the mayor suddenly removed his hooves from their position and returned to a normal seated position, fixing his eyes on Warden once more.

"However, I didn't invite you down here to discuss matters of politics." Filthy said, pushing his drink off to the side.

"What exactly am I here for then?" Warden asked, unable to keep the ire from entering his voice.

"I have a task for you, Warden." Filthy began, "It's one that I know I can only entrust to you. What with your impeccable record as police chief, and your loyalty to me throughout this ordeal over the past few weeks, I believe you're the perfect pony to come to for what I need done."

"And what exactly would that be, sir?"

"As I'm sure you're well aware, Ms. Vinyl Scratch was recently released from the hospital after being held for several days." Filthy said, jumping down from his seat and pacing back and forth behind his desk, occasionally stealing a glance out the darkened window nearby.

"I had heard that, yes." Warden replied, "They reported it in the Ponyville Express recently."

"And did the report actually say why she was admitted?"

"Yeah," Warden said, thinking back to what he'd read in the paper, "If I remember right, she'd fainted from malnutrition, hadn't been eating. Somepony took her to the hospital so they could get some food in her and get her rehydrated."

"Hmm." Filthy said, stopping suddenly and placing a hoof on his chin, "That's not exactly what I told them to write... It'll have to do though."

"Wait a second," Warden said, raising his hooves and forcing Filthy's attention back towards him, "what do you mean that's not what you told them to write? Are you... censoring the media here?"

"Not necessarily." Filthy replied, smirking a little as he continued his pacing, "It was just one detail I wished to have omitted for... political reasons."

Warden opened and closed his mouth, unable to find any words that would be of any use here. Only in the land of the griffins had he ever heard about media being censored in any form, and the ponies didn't live in that type of paranoid monarchy.

"The truth about Ms. Scratch's situation is that she was admitted for self inflicted wounds." Filthy continued, stopping at the window once more and looking outside, "She cut her own fetlocks so deep that she hit a major artery and lost so much blood that she came dangerously close to Death's door. Thank Celestia for the quick actions of her friend, Octavia, otherwise the poor girl might not be among us today."

At this point, Warden's jaw was almost completely slack and was in danger of falling off completely. Only a few times in his life had he ever heard of somepony attempting to commit something as drastic as suicide, and though he could understand somewhat Vinyl's actions, the news that she'd tried to take her own life was beyond jarring.

"I... I can't believe she'd try to do that..." he said, almost all of his previous rage gone and replaced by disbelieving curiosity, "I mean, she does have a bit of a history of being... emotionally unstable, but to attempt to take her own life..."

"It is sad, and we should all be thankful that she was unsuccessful in her endeavor there." Filthy said, walking back over to his desk and taking a seat behind it, "After all, it'd be a shame to lose such a sweet and lovely young mare by her own actions."

"I thought you couldn't stand Vinyl Scratch, sir." Warden said flatly, "If I remember right, you called her a slut and have mentioned on more than one occasion how she's unnatural and a traitor to her own kind for living with a human."

"We all say things in the moment that we don't really mean, Warden." Filthy replied, grabbing his drink once again and taking a sip off it, "I have nothing but concern for Ms. Scratch at this point. I'd hate to see her gone from us so soon, and by her own hoof."

"If that's the case, then please explain your reasoning for censoring the truth from the citizens here." Warden, trying his best to keep a level and calm voice.

"My reasoning there is two fold." Filthy replied, "I don't wish to have her looked down upon any more than she already is, and I'd like to maintain my seat as mayor here without it being jeopardized by her."

"What?" Warden asked, confusion sinking in again as he took in Filthy's words, "How could she do that?"

"Think about it, Warden, "Filthy began, leaning over the desk as he spoke to the police unicorn, "If she were to expire by her own actions, then somepony would have to place blame for her death. I was the one who had her 'lover' sent out of here, so it'd only be natural for the blame to fall on my shoulders. The ponies of this town may be loyal to me now, but that loyalty will always take a backseat to the death of one of their own. She already garners enough sympathy from her friends, it wouldn't be hard for them to do the same thing that I did and gather ponies against me for inadvertently causing her to die."

Warden tried to find anything he could use to refute Filthy's argument, but was unable to come up with a feasible hole in the point that he'd made. Indeed, it would make sense for ponies to band together in the defense of one of their own, even if she had had a bad reputation at one point. Loyalty is a powerful force, but sympathy for another can tear apart anything that stands in its way, and Warden knew that Vinyl's untimely death could have been used as a huge weapon against Mayor Rich.

"But, wouldn't she just tell everypony here what happened anyway?" Warden asked, hoping in vain that he could catch Filthy off guard.

"You really think she'd want that kind of attention, after what she's been through?"

Warden hung his head slightly and sighed, unable to find anything more that could be of any use.

"So," he began after a short silence, "what exactly did you have in mind that you needed me to do?"

"I'm glad you asked." Filthy said, leaning back in his chair, "You see, I'd attempt to do this myself, but my position as mayor doesn't exactly allow me a whole lot of freedom to just leave the office as I please. So, I called you here to take on the task of spying on Ms. Scratch for me."

"Spying on her? What do you need to spy on her for?"

"Call it a... precautionary measure, I suppose." Filthy stated, taking a sip off his whiskey, "All I need you to do is keep an eye on her and ensure that she doesn't try something like this again, and if she does, you can see to it that she doesn't succeed in her attempt. By keeping her alive, I can remain where I'm at, and she gets the chance to move on with her life. It's a win win situation."

"And if I refuse to do this?" Warden asked, venom entering his words as he spoke.

Filthy chuckled a little and smirked, standing up from his seat and walking around to where Warden sat, placing a hoof on his shoulder in an attempt at a comforting manner.

"Tell me, my friend," he said staring into Warden's face as the stallion wheeled around to face him, "how long have you lived in Ponyville now? Fifteen years? Ten of those you've been married to your beautiful wife, Stargazer, have you not?"

Warden nodded slowly, prompting Filthy to continue.

"And, if I'm not mistaken, you have an adorable young colt about the same age as my own Diamond Tiara, correct?"

"Yes, I do." Warden replied coldly, a feeling of dread creeping into his mind as Filthy continued.

"That's wonderful." Filthy said, stepping around to Warden's other side, "You know, they think the world of you. In their eyes, you're practically a superhero, an amazing individual who can do no wrong."

Filthy trotted around to face Warden, staring into his face once more, a wide smirk on his face.

"But, you never told them exactly what it was that you used to do, did you?"

"What do you mean?" Warden asked, glaring at Mayor Rich, "They know exactly what I did before I came here. I told them both all about my time in the Canterlot royal guard. My son asks me about it all the time."

"Come now, Warden." Filthy said, now smiling devilishly, "We both know that that's not exactly what I'm talking about. You may be able to lie to them, but not to me."

Warden felt his stomach drop as he realized what Filthy was eluding to. How in Celestia's name could he possibly know about that? he thought, panic rushing through his mind.

"I looked at your file some time ago." Filthy began again, stepping back around and taking a seat at his desk, "From what I remember, they called you an... how was it they put it... 'espionage and tactical expert'. Nothing more than a fancy term for a spy, and a good one at that to be active for ten years."

"S-so what if that's what I used to do?" Warden asked, his voice shaking as his heart raced, "I doubt that you'll be able to use something like that against me like you did Josh, sir."

"Perhaps not, but I also know that there's another aspect to your former job, one that's significantly more messy than just... keeping an eye on a suspicious pony or two."

Warden opened his mouth to respond, but was stopped short as Filthy leaned forward in his seat, glaring back at the police chief.

"How many ponies did you kill in the name of Equestria, Warden?" Filthy continued, his voice becoming low and menacing, "Was it ten, twenty, maybe more? Perhaps you did it so much that you can't remember the number anymore."

Now, Warden was truly speechless. The only response he could muster was to sit and stare at Filthy Rich, his mouth agape and his face deathly pale as the stallion opposite him continued to smile evilly.

"How..." the unicorn said quietly as Filthy leaned back in his chair.

"You think Luna's the only pony I can get information out of in Canterlot?" Filthy asked, "This time, I didn't even have to come across it by accident."

Again, silence fell between the two stallions, with one unable to speak for disbelief, and the other not needing to say anything more. Warden now understood how Josh had felt, the fear he must have experienced at having all his secrets aired out for everypony to know and use against him. Here he sat, frozen and silent at knowing that in one move, the stallion seated across from him could ruin his life.

"So, you're going to extort me now?" Warden finally said after what seemed like an eternity.

"Oh no no no, Warden." Filthy said, waving his hooves in a defensive manner, "I have absolutely no intention of doing something like that to you. That little tidbit of information will remain solely between you, myself, and Princess Celestia, presuming she already knows about it. I'm just showing that you may have a bit more of an incentive to do this task for me than you previously thought."

Warden looked down at the ground, his mind racing. So, it's either I spy on a completely innocent pony, or possibly lose my family... he thought, knowing that there was no way out of his situation at this point. He'd told himself long ago that he wouldn't ever return to doing something like what he used to, but now it was clear that if he wanted to hold on to any sort of semblance of his life, he'd have to take up the job he'd left so long ago.

"So, allow me to ask you," Filthy continued, forcing Warden's attention back up towards him, "will you take on this duty for me, Warden?"

The police chief didn't answer for some time, a combination of rage and fear stealing his words. He was half tempted to attack Filthy Rich here and now, to subdue him with his magic and beat him senseless for even thinking about attempting to extort Warden. But, as he thought about it more, he realized that he could use the opportunity as a way to help keep Vinyl safe, not even for Filthy's political agenda, but for his own conscience. Though he detested the idea of having to take up the mantle of a spy again, he knew that as an officer of the law, his duty was to keep the ponies of Ponyville safe. His mind now completely made up, he looked back to Filthy Rich, who still has his usual pompous smirk on his face.

"Of course I will." he said coldly, saluting Filthy Rich, "It would be my honor, sir."

"I was hoping you'd say that." Filthy said, "You'll start tomorrow, bright and early. I want regular reports at the end of every day, and if you hear anything even remotely suspicious from her little camp, you're to tell me straight away, understood?"

Warden nodded, his icy glare still locked on Filthy Rich.

"You're dismissed then, Warden." Filthy said, waving his hoof lazily.

Warden once again saluted and stood from his seat, making for the door. An angry determination had taken his mind as he'd sat there, being forced into an action that he so despised. *But just because he's going to use this as a means for his own selfish agenda doesn't mean that I can't turn it for some sort of good* Warden thought as he reached the door, opening it with his magic.

"Oh, and Warden?" Filthy called back at him from his desk.

Warden turned around mid stride and faced the mayor once again, silently dreading whatever it was he had to say next.

"You're doing Ponyville a greater service than you possibly know." Filthy stated simply, smiling at the police chief.

"Of course, sir." Warden replied flatly, making his way out the door and through the darkened halls till he reached the city hall entrance, heading out into the darkened streets of Ponyville and back towards his home and family for the night.

Author's Notes:

This chapter is essentially "unedited". I couldn't wait any longer for it to be looked over, so I went ahead and put it out. Hope you all enjoyed it!

Chapter 13: Waiting

Josh slowly made his way through the exit tunnel leading into the terminal at Los Angeles International Airport, glancing all around at the throngs of people milling all about. Upon reaching the end of the tunnel and stepping into the tunnel, he walked off to the right and stopped, turning back to wait for Liam and Syd. After several minutes, Liam appeared out of the tunnel and looked around for Josh, turning and walking towards him upon noticing the young man.

"You enjoy the flight?" Liam asked, smirking as he approached Josh.

"I suppose so." Josh responded, "I am wondering exactly why it is that we flew from Vegas to LA instead of just driving like we did last time."

"The reason for that is twofold." Liam replied, looking back towards the tunnel for a second, "Reason number one should be out of the tunnel before too long."

Josh gave Liam a confused look, causing him to let out a light chuckle.

"Syd had a little too much fun last night, as I knew he would."

"He regretting it pretty hard?" Josh asked, glancing at the tunnel in time to see a very bedraggled looking Syd make his way out and look towards his companions.

"Like you wouldn't believe." Liam responded, spinning around and smirking at Syd as he approached the two men.

Syd's eyes were heavily bloodshot, with large, purple bags underneath them. His pallor was extremely pale, and he seemed unable to lift his legs any farther than a few inches, forcing him to drag his feet across the ground as he made his way towards Josh and Liam. Josh had to fight back the urge to laugh as he watched Syd, knowing that on more than one occasion, he'd had to have looked like that the day after a show.

"How you feeling, Syd?" he asked as the downtrodden young man approached he and Liam, "Last night treat you very well?"

Syd grimaced at Josh and performed an obscene gesture with his right hand before continuing out into the massive group of people in the terminal. Liam and Josh burst out laughing as the watched the young man almost disappear into the crowd. The two quickly followed after him, occasionally throwing out an "excuse me" as they bumped into people all around them. After several minutes of following after Syd, they eventually caught up enough to where they knew they could keep him in their sights for the time being and continued to chat idly.

"So, you said there were two reasons that we flew back." Josh said, picking up on their previous conversation, "What was the other reason?"

"Well... to be honest, it's a bit... personal." Liam replied, apologizing quickly as he nearly bumped into a woman in front of him.

"Should I ask anything beyond that?"

"I don't mind telling you." Liam said, "You see, this stop was one of the only ones I was able to get four days on, so I figured that instead of taking two days for setup and everything like that, I'd... stop by the house and spend a day with Samantha."

"That's all?" Josh asked, "Why would that be such a big deal?"

"It's not, really." Liam said, "It's just... you know what it's like out here. You're expected to be all business until after the shows and you don't really get a lot of time to yourself through the whole thing."

"That's very true. And for you, it's gotta be even more difficult, with having to deal with all the setup and stuff like that."

"Right, so I figured, with an extra day and all, plus being back home, why not stop and see my wife for a bit before we get back to work?"

"Makes sense to me." Josh responded, turning a corner to see Syd make his way over to the baggage claim area, "Can't say I blame you. After all, what's the length on this tour anyway? Like four months?"

"Yeah, it is. It's actually longer than yours was slated to be last time. Then again, we don't have all that many stops on this one, honestly."

"So none of that bullshit where we've got ten shows a month minimum?" Josh asked, thinking back to his last tour he did before going to Equestria.

"Oh fuck no." Liam replied, grimacing, "Syd's too ornery to want to do that many in a month. With you it was different."

"How so?" Josh asked, stopping as they reached the baggage claim and wheeling around to look at Liam.

"You were much more... relaxed, to be honest." Liam replied, "And you had more experience with bigger shows since Allen had sent you to a lot of events before I became your agent."

"Well, thank fucking Christ you came along when you did." Josh said, frowning heavily as he thought back to his previous agent, "I don't think I could've stomached much more of that fat shit."

When Josh had been coming up and was performing more in the underground, Allen Morris, a former businessman turned talent agent, saw and heard Josh perform for a small crowd at a local electronic music event in Josh's home town of Albany. He offered to represent Josh, saying that he had connections with the record industry and could be the one to put the young man on the map in the world of electronic music. Naturally, Josh jumped at the opportunity to move up in the world of producing, and so eagerly accepted Allen's offer. Slowly but surely, Allen was able to get Josh a record deal and got him performing as an opener for a few bigger name artists, such as Adventure Club and Far Too Loud. For the inexperienced young man coming up in the world of electronic music, it seemed like a dream come true at the time.

However, the reality was that Allen had been lying to and stealing from Josh from day one. Josh hadn't realized it at the time, and only found out about all that had gone on after Liam had agreed to take over as his agent and Allen was arrested for some type of tax fraud.

"I don't think I could have either, and I only had to talk to him for a few hours." Liam said, chuckling a little to himself, "He always did seem like a scummy bastard."

"You don't know the half of it." Josh said sourly, "That greedy prick fucked me out of almost a hundred grand in the end."

"You're joking." Liam exclaimed, looking to Josh with his mouth agape, "There's no way he was able to get that much. How many goddamn shows were you actually doing?"

"As many as he could get his grimy hands on. That was another thing too. I was performing so much that I rarely had any time to come up with anything new. You remember when you were first representing me and I put out over fifteen completely new songs almost right away?"

Liam nodded, prompting Josh to continue.

"Those were all productions I began over two years before then. He kept me busy that much, just so he could keep stealing right out from under my goddamn nose."

Liam silently mouthed "wow" while Josh still fumed over the thought of his former, scumbag manager.

"Seems like I couldn't have come along at a better time." Liam said.

"You really couldn't have, L." Josh replied, finally letting out a slight chuckle.

Just as Liam was about to respond, there was a sudden shout from nearby that caused both men to turn their attention towards it. Upon glancing at the disturbance, they saw Syd walking back towards them with a grimace on his face.

"What the fuck?" he said loudly as he approached the two men, "The board says that the luggage from our flight is up right now, but I haven't seen my bag anywhere yet."

"Just be patient, Syd." Liam replied, "I'm sure it'll be around before too long."

"L, it's gone around four goddamn times now." Syd retorted dryly, glaring at Liam with bloodshot eyes, "I'm telling you, something's happened to our bags."

Josh and Liam glanced at one another, both wearing slight looks of panic.

"You don't think they lost it, did they?" Liam asked.

Josh sighed heavily, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration, silently sharing Liam’s same fear.

"MOTHER FUCK!"

Josh, Liam, and the agent at the counter nearby all winced as Syd yelled at the top of his voice in anger. The three of them had gone to the ticketing counters to speak to an airline representative about the possible fate of their missing bags. Josh and Liam had both been worried that their bags had been lost by the airline, and were unfortunately correct in their assumption as the agent had so reluctantly told them. This had caused Syd, who was already in an incredibly foul mood, to go off the rails and yell at the agent for several seconds before his latest outburst. Now, as all three men regained what composure they could, Syd was storming all about, swearing like never before and pacing back and forth behind his two companions.

"Goddamn," Josh said, glancing back to his enraged cohort, "he sure can yell, can't he?"

"Yeah, he can, and he's got no bloody shame in it either." Liam said in an annoyed tone as he watched the young man pacing behind him.

"If it's any consolation, I'm very sorry we lost your bags, sir." the airline agent said timidly, drawing Josh and Liam's attention back towards him.

"It's... alright." Josh said, trying in vain to diffuse an already blown up situation, "I mean, it's not 'alright alright', but at least you're not trying to give us a runaround or anything like that."

"Oh, we'd never do that." the agent replied, "You'd be surprised how many times bags go missing like this. It happens all the time."

"Never happened to us before..." Liam muttered sourly, earning himself a glare from Josh.

"When exactly could we expect to have our stuff anyway?" Josh asked politely to the already flustered agent before him.

"W-well, you see," the agent began, nervously stumbling as he spoke, "that's the thing. We'll have no problem locating your bags and getting them here for you, but..."

"But what?" Josh asked firmly.

"But… it could take awhile..."

"And how long is 'awhile', exactly?" Liam asked, trying his hardest not to glare at the agent behind the counter.

"Hard to say. Could be in a few hours, could be... up to two weeks..."

"Two fucking weeks?!" Syd shouted suddenly, startling Josh and Liam who hadn't realized he'd come back, "I've got a goddamn show in three days! There's stuff I need in that fucking bag!"

"A-again, I'm sorry, sir..." the agent said timidly, oddly reminding Josh of Fluttershy in that moment.

"Your sorry doesn't mean shit to me, asshat!" Syd yelled, slamming his fist down on the counter and causing everyone to jump once more before storming off, everybody in the nearby lines staring at him as he went.

Josh shook his head at the enraged producer as he made his way through the nearby crowds. Throwing himself onto a nearby bench, Syd crossed his arms, and stared angrily back at the counter. Turning back to the agent, Josh saw a look of absolute fear and trepidation etched on the man's face.

"Sorry about him." he said calmly, gesturing back towards Syd, "He's... been under some stress lately. Starting out on his first tour here."

"It's alright." the man replied glumly, "I've had to deal with irate people before, but... It's kind of my first time working the counter like this..."

"And it's embarrassing to be called out like that. I get it." Josh said kindly, to which the agent nodded, "Well, don't worry about it. Syd's not gonna hurt anyone. But, he is right about us not being able to do anything without our bags."

"I'll do anything I possibly can to help you guys out here. I know how much it sucks to have your bags go missing like that. It's happened to me on more than one occasion too." the agent offered.

"Thanks, man." Josh said, shaking the man's, "We appreciate it. We really do."

"Not a problem." the agent replied, smiling at Josh, who returned the look before gesturing to Liam to follow him as they made their way through the crowd and towards Syd.

"Lost the fucking bags..." Liam muttered angrily, "I can't believe this. Never once when you and I were on the road did we ever have our fucking luggage go missing."

"Shit happens, L." Josh said simply, stopping to speak to Liam where Syd couldn't hear them, "People make mistakes."

"And those mistakes cost me the one free fucking day I've got to relax before we move on!" Liam retorted, throwing his hands in the air in frustration, "Now I've gotta sit in this bloody airport all fucking day, waiting for bags that might not show up at all! Fucking hell!"

"Liam, you need to calm down, alright?" Josh said sternly, knowing full well he had no right to tell his friend what to do, "The bags'll probably show up earlier than any of us thinks. We've just gotta be patient and not lose our cool... again."

"And that's another thing." Liam said, his words dripping with venom as he pointed to Syd, "Now, I've gotta not just sit around and wait for this shit to get resolved, but also babysit the fucking prima donna over there and make sure he doesn't kill someone over this!"

Josh opened his mouth to respond, but found no sufficient words he could say as Liam began to pace and continue to rattle off obscenities. Glancing back over his shoulder, Josh noticed Syd sitting on the bench, his head in his hands. Turning back around, he saw Liam a short distance away, still fuming and shaking his head in disbelief of the unfortunate situation at hand. Josh felt a pang of sympathy tug at his heart as he looked upon his friend, knowing full well what he was feeling at having his idea of a perfect day to relax ruined in a split second. He completely understood the frustration, the feelings of anger and disappointment. After all, he still felt them himself from time to time, though he did his best to try and suppress them, a more than vain effort.

I've gotta do something for him... Josh thought as he watched Liam continue his pacing before glancing back around to Syd on the bench. But I have a feeling that I'm not gonna enjoy this...

"Hey, L." Josh called out, striding up to his friend.

Liam's attention quickly turned back around to Josh, who stopped short of him, struggling to find the words he wanted to say next.

“What?!” Liam snapped, causing Josh to start a little, making his previous hesitance to say anything even stronger.

Though he knew he'd probably regret this at a later time, he felt an obligation to do something for his friend, even if that meant taking on a rather deplorable task.

"Just... just go out and see your wife, alright?" he said, finally able to find his tongue, "I'll stay here with Syd and make sure things don't go farther south."

"J-Josh." Liam said, his previously hardened tone softening to something barely above a whisper as he looked upon his friend in disbelief, "You... I couldn't ask you to do something like that."

"You don't have to," Josh replied, smirking at Liam, who seemed to be completely flabbergasted at Josh's suggestion, "I'm offering to do this. Just go and enjoy yourself, alright? And don't worry about what's going on here while you're out."

"I-I don't know..." Liam said hesitantly, "I mean... I need to be here to get the luggage whenever it comes, and the truck'll be showing up with all our stuff for the show before too long. Plus, I don't wanna have to subject you to Syd any more than you already will be on this whole thing. You saw how he was back there..."

"L," Josh said gently, placing his hand on his friend's shoulder and smiling at him, stopping his litany of excuses mid-stream, "It's not a big deal, I promise. I can handle everything. Just go and enjoy yourself a little bit, alright?"

"I still don't know..."

"Liam, I'm doing this as a favor to you." Josh said firmly, forcing Liam's eyes to meet his own, "I know what it's like to not be able to see the person you love. It sucks, and every time you think about them, you get an empty feeling in your heart at knowing that they can't be there by your side at the moment. The difference between your situation and mine, though, is that the woman you love is literally right here at this moment in time, and you have every ability to go and see her. I don't have that luxury anymore, and it wouldn't be fair for you to be subjected to the kind of feeling I get on a daily basis now."

The look on Liam's face was a mixture of confusion and concern as he stared into the eyes of his former producer and current friend. Much like Josh had done before, Liam opened and closed his mouth in a vain attempt to form a response to Josh's sudden and bold statement.

"Josh... Thanks." he finally managed to stammer out, his mouth breaking into a grateful smile as he continued to lock eyes with the man before him, "I... I don't know what to say... I can never repay you for this."

"You don't have to." Josh replied, smirking, "Just think of it as a bit of recompense for helping me out here."

Liam's smile widened as he and Josh silently stood before one another, people bustling all about them and the occasional message blaring over the loudspeakers.

"Well, I guess I'd better be going then." Liam finally said after some time, looking away from Josh and back towards Syd on the bench, "You sure you wanna try and handle him on your own?"

"Believe me, L, I'm no stranger to having to deal with an irate performer." Josh chuckled, "You wouldn't believe how angry Vinyl would get if they ever lost our luggage on a trip."

"She get as bad as that?" Liam asked, gesturing towards Syd.

"She was always a quietly angry girl, but her mouth could be just as bad as his once we were alone."

Josh and Liam shared a quick laugh amongst themselves, both finally feeling an extreme tension that had settled earlier ease up.

"I guess I'll see you later then." Liam said, turning and slowly making for the nearby doors, "Have Syd call me if you need anything, and just let the rest of the crew know that I'll be along some other time once they get here. I don't exactly know when I'll be able to get back though..."

"Don't worry about it, L." Josh called out, "Just go and relax for a bit, alright?"

Liam nodded and waved one last time to his friend before making his way through the terminal and disappearing into the mass of people nearby. Josh turned back around to see Syd and let out a heavy sigh, nearly regretting his decision to do this as he thought back to the young man's outburst earlier. What the fuck am I gonna do with him? he thought to himself, racking his brain as best he could to find a solution to the problem he now found himself presented with. He hadn't honestly thought about what he would do about Syd now, having only been thinking about doing what he could to help Liam at the time.

He knew he'd have to do something that would, if nothing else, put up a front of toughness, something that would show Syd that Josh wasn't about to screw around with the situation. Though he had had experience with Vinyl being like this in the past, it wasn't something he'd handled real well. Usually, she would just vent to him about the ineptitude of those around her and complain that the train staff should all be replaced with ponies who were more competent. Josh would always half-listen to her and occasionally respond with something in the affirmative to what she was saying, whether he actually agreed with her or not. That way, he avoided any argument that could possibly come up should he say the wrong thing.

However, he knew full well that this was not Vinyl, and therefore he couldn't get away with the same thing in this scenario. I hardly doubt he'd take very well to me responding to everything with "Yes, baby. I completely agree". Again, he let out a heavy sigh, regretting his decision now more than ever, but recognizing that he'd dug his own grave on this one. Well, here goes nothing, I suppose he thought, slowly making his way towards Syd, praying that he'd be able to come up with anything as he walked. In a matter of moments, he stood before the young man, trying with all his might to remain looking as intimidating as possible, and hoping that Syd wouldn't be able to call his bluff.

After some time, Syd raised his face from his hands and started a little as he noticed Josh only a few inches away. Josh locked eyes with Syd, noticing how pale he'd begun to look and that he seemed to be rather sweaty now.

"Can I help you?" Syd asked, giving Josh a venomous glare as he stared up at him.

"I don't know." Josh said flatly, "Can I?"

"You could go and get my fucking bag." Syd said sourly, "That'd be kind of nice."

"Forget something valuable in there?" Josh asked, still struggling internally with how to handle the scenario.

Syd suddenly stiffened up at hearing Josh's words, his mouth falling slightly agape. Josh quickly took notice of the rapid change in Syd's behavior, taking in everything about the young producer that he possibly could without being too obvious that he was looking him over.

"I don't see how what's in my bag is any of your goddamn business." Syd replied, his previous ire still thick in his voice as he spoke.

"You're right, it's not." Josh said, beginning to piece everything together that he could, "But, if I may, can I give you a quick piece of advice?"

Syd's glare returned to Josh's face, this one looking much more murderous than the last. Josh had finally managed to formulate something he could use to try and get Syd down a little more, though he was worried that it would be a bit of a long shot, and if it proved to be too out there, he might lose the young man altogether.

"Next time you're packing up to move on to somewhere else, don't put your stash in your bag. You never know when something like this can happen."

To Josh's own surprise, Syd's face fell at those words, the angry glare that seemed he'd never let go disappearing completely as Josh hit the apparent jackpot. Josh let out a small internal sigh of relief at seeing he'd finally managed to get Syd down from his previous mood, and that his gamble had paid off.

"Well, I couldn't really keep it on my person, now could I?" Syd retorted, looking away from Josh and staring off into the crowds bustling about before him.

"From one addict to another, I can tell you that there are ways to get stuff past those scanners." Josh said simply, "You've just gotta find your own method."

"You use?"

"I did."

"So what made you stop?" Syd asked.

"I... went to a place where that wasn't really an option for me." Josh replied, thinking back on when he began to go through withdrawals in Equestria.

"You did time?"

"No, not exactly." Josh chuckled, "It certainly felt like it at first though..."

Josh had been a heavy user of cocaine for a time, and when he went to Equestria, he wasn't able to continue that habit for very long. Naturally, he had no choice but to give it up, forcing him into the symptoms of withdrawal, most of which consisted of him becoming extremely anxious and irritable, as well as effecting his dreams and turning each one of them into a horrific nightmare. Thankfully, however, he'd had Sweetie Belle and her friends there for him almost every day, as well as Rarity and the others to help him through the whole ordeal and see to it that he recovered completely.

"So, where's L?" Syd asked suddenly, drawing Josh's attention away from his reminiscing, "He go to see what we can do about our bags or something?"

"No, Liam's taking the day off." Josh replied, "And that means he left me in charge till he gets back."

"What?!" Syd burst out, glaring up at Josh, "You've gotta be fuckin' kidding me! I guess you're expecting me to sit pretty and be a good little boy for you then?"

"That's the idea, yes."

"Well, you can sure as shit forget about that." Syd angrily said, "The last thing I'm gonna do is take orders from some fucking roadie."

"That's how you feel?" Josh said, now becoming angry himself at Syd's attitude, "Then I can just as easily leave your ass here, let you fend for yourself."

"You wouldn't dare." Syd hissed, narrowing his eyes as he continued to glare at Josh.

"You wanna bet?" Josh said, lowering himself and nearly getting in Syd's face, "You're no friend of mine, and I have absolutely no compunction about walking out of here right now and leaving you behind. I highly doubt Liam would mind once I explained to him that you were being a problem, and with the way you look right now, I can tell you're in no condition to be on your own anyway. So, I suggest that you either play ball with me here, or I'll see you back at the hotel once you've gotten our bags."

Syd's infuriated look held for some time, and Josh wondered if his threat had made any impact whatsoever on the young man. However, after some time, he averted his gaze and slumped back into his original position of pouting. Again, Josh let out a heavy internal sigh of relief at having averted another potential disaster.

"So, you'll cooperate then?"

Josh received no answer, but didn't need one. He looked over Syd once more and quickly took notice that he seemed to be shaking slightly and that he was sweating profusely again.

"What do you use anyway?" Josh inquired, being genuinely curious about what Syd's drug of choice was that would give him symptoms like this.

Syd gave Josh a quizzical look.

"Weed? Coke? What is it you use?"

Syd looked back down towards the ground, continuing to tremble slightly as he hesitated.

"It's... I use Oxy. Oxycodone."

"How long has it been since you've had any?"

"Day and a half, maybe two." Syd replied, shaking his head as he spoke.

"You didn't use last night?"

"Fuck no! I'd never mix that shit with liquor. As shitty as I may feel right now, I kind of like to be able to wake up in the morning and not be dead."

"So," Josh continued, surprised that he'd actually received an answer from Syd, "I'm gonna guess you're going through withdrawals then?"

"Doesn't really help that I'm hungover either, does it?" Syd replied, letting out a slight chuckle.

"Anything hurt at all?" Josh asked, kneeling down to examine Syd a little more thoroughly now that he'd managed to get him calmed down.

"Yeah, my everything hurts." Syd replied in an irritated tone, "Can't stop shaking either, plus my stomach's on fire right now."

Josh silently peered into Syd's eyes, taking notice of how bloodshot they were compared to before. It was then that he noticed Syd's incessant chewing motion, apparently one of the few similarities between cocaine and oxycodone withdrawal symptoms.

"Here." Josh said, reaching into his pocket and producing a half full pack of gum, handing it to Syd, who took it with another questioning look, "It's to make sure you don't grind your teeth down."

Syd took the gum and immediately pulled out a piece, throwing it into his mouth and chewing frantically. Josh stood back up from his kneeling position, keeping his gaze locked on the silently suffering young man before him. Where Josh had been angry and frustrated with Syd before, he now felt a heavy sense of pity at seeing him so... vulnerable and sick. Josh himself knew full well what that was like, and he silently recalled all the sleepless nights he'd been forced to endure, all the times Rarity or Sweetie Belle had stayed up with him through the night to ensure he was alright. He shuddered to think what might have happened to him had they not been there, if he'd been forced to go through the whole process alone. Even if he is a bit of a prick, nobody deserves to have to deal with something like this on their own Josh thought to himself.

"So, what're we doing now?" Syd asked looking back up at Josh.

"Well, the first thing we're gonna do is get you something to eat and keep you as hydrated as we possibly can." Josh said, reaching out his hand and helping Syd to stand up, "Then, we'll get you another pack of gum so you have something to chew on for the rest of the day."

"Uh... Okay..." Syd said as Josh began to walk away towards the area in the terminal where all the restaurants were, "Why're you being so helpful all of a sudden? I thought you were gonna leave me here earlier."

"Cause I know what it's like. To have to deal with all this." Josh said, turning back around, "Besides, you gonna complain about a free lunch?"

Syd smirked and let out a little chuckle before following after Josh. Together, the two of them weaved their way through the crowd and towards the nearby eateries, both in considerably better moods than before. Let's just hope we can keep things like this for awhile Josh thought as he and Syd walked side by side through the terminal.

Awkward. That was the best word Josh could use to describe the silence between himself and Syd as they both sat in a nearby delicatessen, with the latter individual still stuffing his face with a rather large sandwich. Josh had finished his meal some time ago, having only ordered a small portion for himself, and was now relegated to watching Syd, who'd looked close to death himself only a short time ago, practically shove the food down his own gullet. However, rather than attempt to force conversation between himself and Syd, Josh merely waited for the young man to come up for air before he actually said anything to him. How the fuck does he eat like that? Josh silently wondered, watching as Syd inhaled his food with the vigor of a ravenous animal.

After an impressively short time, Syd finished off his meal and laid back, letting out an impressively large belch and a sigh of relief. Josh, who had already been struggling with what to talk about to break this horrendous silence between the two of them, now found himself somewhat speechless at witnessing Syd's insane eating habits.

"Did you breathe at all while you did that?" Josh asked, finding his voice in spite of his mix of amazement and borderline disgust.

Syd let out a chuckle and glanced back at Josh from his position across the table.

"I didn't eat anything before we left this morning." Syd responded, leaning back once again and smirking up at the ceiling, "Felt too much like shit at the time."

"And you don't right now?" Josh inquired, thinking back to Syd's extremely pale countenance only a short time ago.

"Oh, believe me, I still do." Syd retorted, "But, getting a little food in me'll probably do just the trick to help me not feel as bad in the long run."

Josh chuckled a little and nodded in agreement, glancing all around the small eatery and taking notice of the rather bored looking wait staff at the main counter. He'd at last accomplished his goal of getting Syd to calm down and be more cooperative, and was now intent on doing whatever he could to kill time till either their luggage showed up, Liam returned, or he had to meet with the guys bringing the equipment to the venue for the show. With an indeterminate amount of time between now and at least two of those events, he reasoned that the best thing he could do at this point would be to remain with Syd and, with any luck, the two of them could manage enough activity to make the time go by more smoothly. If I'm gonna be with him for the rest of this trip anyway, might as well get to know him a little better while I'm at it... Josh thought to himself, looking back towards Syd, who was tapping away on his phone.

"So," Josh began, drawing Syd's attention back towards himself, "since we're kinda stuck with each other for now, we might as well actually converse for more than a few seconds at a time."

"Uh... Okay." Syd responded confusedly, placing his phone back in his pocket, "What exactly did you have in mind to talk about then?"

"Well, I am rather curious as to how you got started doing this."

Syd let out a light chuckle and leaned over the table a little, pulling his hair back behind his ear as he did so.

"To be honest, that's a story that, If I told it to anyone else, I'd get laughed at like a nerd at a football game."

Josh gave Syd a questioning look, prompting the young man to go on.

"See, I came from Oakland." Syd resumed, "A very rich, very suburban, and very very white part of Oakland."

"I see." Josh said, smirking at Syd as he paused his tale, "So, you're one of those kids, aren't you? Nice house, probably lots of cars, or maybe just extremely large, flashy ones."

"My parents did pretty well for themselves, I suppose." Syd continued, smiling wide as he thought about his rather charmed past life, "We never went without. In fact, we probably had more than we needed, to be honest with you. I went to a private school from about sixth grade on, one of those places where the other families were probably just as well off as we were. Anyway, that's pretty much where I got into music, joined the school band and kept it up till I graduated."

"Hold up a sec," Josh said suddenly, his smirk now developing into a teasing grin as he put together what Syd had just said, "so you're telling me that you were some kind of goddamn band nerd before all this?"

"Hey, you laugh, but you'd be surprised how many chicks I knew were into a guy who could play music like I could." Syd retorted as Josh stifled the urge to begin cackling like a maniac.

"They like a guy who can move his trombone slide real fast, don't they?" Josh said, his voice shaking as he continued to hold back his laughter.

"Yeah yeah, yuk it up, shithead." Syd replied in a playfully sarcastic tone, "That's where my start came from though. I loved music more than almost anything, and when I heard the electronic stuff for the first time, I fell in love with it almost right away. I actually began studying it, trying to find out how I could make it myself. When a buddy of my dad's heard that I was interested in maybe trying to produce my own stuff, he introduced me to another, smaller performer who toured all over California, opening for other producers and participating in little festivals here and there. Guy took me under his wing and taught me a lot of the basics: breaks, basslines, how to work all the equipment. Ended up giving me enough of a foundation that after a year or so of him helping me out, I was able to go and begin to make my own stuff, after I got all the hardware I needed, of course."

"And what happened to the guy helping you out?" Josh inquired.

"Last I heard, the poor fucker's somewhere in Ohio, looking for any job he can get short of sucking cock for cash." Syd said, laughing a little as he thought back to his former mentor, "I always told myself when I got bigger that I'd throw some green his way the first opportunity I got, but he seems a little bitter that I'm living his dream right now. Anyway, once I was able to really perfect my sound, I put some stuff up online, and it got pretty huge pretty fast. Some small time agent discovered me and took me on, had me opening for bigger acts from time to time, which was pretty awesome at first."

"That how you ended up here, with L?" Josh asked.

"Yeah." Syd replied, "He'd said he was lookin' for another guy to represent, and that I'd be the perfect candidate. From there, we went to a bunch of festivals where I could get my name out in the world and really start showing my stuff."

"Which festivals did you go to?"

"Wobbleland, Shambhala, Paradiso, even Stereosonic in Australia." Syd replied, counting off the number of shows on his hand, "Every one of those was a fuckin' winner, plus a few smaller shows here and there to make sure I didn't get too rusty between performances."

Wow Josh thought silently I didn't even do that many festivals when Liam first took me on...

"Seems like you were pretty busy there at first." Josh remarked as Syd took a sip off his soda.

"It was a lot, but well worth it in the end." Syd stated, "Got my name out there, which got me this nice little tour we're going on here."

"Four months ain't much of a tour when you think about it." Josh said simply, "Last tour I was on went for almost a year."

"L said it's better for me to dip my toes in the pool at this point as opposed to diving straight in right away. Doesn't want me to get too burnt out, plus he was able to limit our stops and get about a week off at the halfway point."

"You'd better relish that week then." Josh said, pointing at Syd as he spoke, "You're more than likely not gonna see downtime like that again for awhile."

"Oh believe me, I intend to."

Josh smirked at that, knowing what exactly it was that Syd was intending to do with whatever free time he actually managed to get. I know everything I ever did... he thought to himself, feeling a slight pang of guilt hit him as he began to reminisce on his activities prior to entering Equestria.

"L mentioned to me that you were a roadie for him before." Syd said suddenly, forcing Josh's attention away from his ruminating.

"Yeah, I was." Josh replied, frowning a little internally at knowing that Liam was helping make up his story for him, "Why?"

"It's just... I was wondering for awhile now," Syd began, his eyes lighting up a little as he spoke, "did you ever have the chance to work with Xplushun?"

Josh felt his heart shoot up into his throat as Syd finished his inquiry, though he knew he couldn't show any sort of suspicious actions if he were to maintain as low a profile as he had so far. Here again, he knew he'd have to be creative and think up some sort of story to cover with, though that seemed easier said than done. Let's just hope Liam hasn't said too much to him about me...

"No, I didn't." Josh replied, taking a sip off is soda in an attempt to calm his nerves, "He wasn't real keen on adding new guys into his established crew."

"Aw man... That blows." Syd said, visibly disappointed by Josh's answer, "I was gonna ask you what he's like."

"L worked with him too, you know." Josh said, "Why don't you just ask him?"

"I have, and he won't say much about him for some reason." Syd retorted sourly, "I figured I could at least ask someone else who was here before and try to get an honest answer about him. Nobody else on the crew's worked with him either."

"Why're you so interested in him anyway?" Josh asked, smirking, "You got some sort of man crush on him or something?"

"Just about." Syd replied, a huge smile coming over his face, "He's the one who made me want to start doing this in the first place."

Again, Josh had to hold back what would be a visible look of shock. He had known that his music had been huge and influential in the EDM community, but he'd not ever really met another producer who'd enjoyed his work that much before. From what he could tell, Syd was practically salivating at the thought of Josh's work.

"He inspired you that much?" Josh asked, hoping with all his might that he wouldn't say anything suspicious as he continued to try and talk about himself, "Personally, I didn't think he was all that good."

"Are you shtting me?" Syd asked, clearly taken aback that Josh would slam his idol like that, "The guy's a goddamn genius! There'll be a special place in heaven reserved for him, as awesome as he was."

"What's so special about him?"

"Just about everything, to be honest." Syd continued, "His style, the way he mixes the songs at shows, and his stage presence is absolutely electrifying. There's too many guys out there who stand up on a stage and bounce around to the beat for a few hours, but with him, it was almost like the music took over his body and made him go crazy. I've never seen anyone who has that much energy up there when he's in the moment and performing like that."

Josh let out an inaudible grunt, fully taking in everything Syd had said. Great Josh thought to himself another goddamn fanboy who thinks I'm the best thing since dubstep itself...

"You okay?" Syd asked, leaning forward to inspect Josh, who had once again drifted away on his own sea of thoughts, "You look... upset at something."

"Huh?" Josh said suddenly, shaking his head in an attempt to force himself out of his thoughts, "Oh. Yeah, I'm fine. Just... I'll be right back. Gotta use the facilities."

Syd nodded and Josh rose quickly from the table, making his way through the crowds towards the nearest bathroom and immediately heading for the sink. He locked eyes with himself in the giant mirror, grimacing slightly at his appearance. His normally tidy and short brown hair was starting to get longer than he was comfortable with, his eyes bloodshot and looking extremely tired. He hadn't shaved in a while, and his sideburns and goatee were starting to come in once again. The last time he'd actually paid any attention towards himself like that was a few days before his trial in Equestria when Rarity had taken it upon herself to clean him up before he was set to appear. That had been almost two weeks ago now, and Josh was in serious need of some cleaning up now.

"Mess on the outside, mess on the inside." he whispered as he continued to peer at himself in the mirror, "Guess this is just how it has to be..."

Though Josh's nightmares and uneasy feeling about Vinyl had subsided slightly, he still couldn't ever get the mare off his mind. And, on top of that, being on tour with Syd for the last few days had begun to trudge up memories from his past that were less than pleasant, to say the least. All the feelings of guilt and shame that he'd been so convinced would never haunt him again were returning in full force, hitting him like a ton of bricks. Just when you think you've made your peace, here comes the bucket of ice water... he thought, finally taking his eyes off the reflection in the mirror. Feeling he'd done enough ruminating on his own personal turmoil, the former producer turned and made his way out the door, knowing he couldn't just leave Syd sitting there, no matter how much he may want to.

As Josh passed through the tiled entryway, he began to head back in the direction of his companion still at the table in the deli. However, as he took two steps towards his intended target, he felt a sudden impact on his right side that took him by surprise, planting him on his ass in an instant. He groaned as he lay there, now fully aware of his tail bone's existence within his body. Next to him, he heard a woman groaning in much the same manner, and he opened up his eyes suddenly to see her face hidden behind sheets of long, blonde hair. Unlike Josh, she had clearly hit her head, and was clutching it in her hands as she continued to moan in pain.

"Are you... alright?" Josh asked, standing up gingerly and looking down at the young woman below him.

"I... I think so..." she stammered, shaking her head and wincing a little bit, "Sorry about that... Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Josh replied, bending down and reaching out his hands to help the woman, "If anyone here looks more damaged, it's you."

The woman giggled and reached out her own hands, grabbing onto Josh's, to which he promptly stood up straight, bringing her up with him.

"You may wanna be more careful when you're in a rush like that." Josh said, smirking at the woman as she regained her composure, "Don't wanna hurt anyone."

Upon looking up, the girl finally flipped her hair out of her face and looked up into Josh's, to which the young man felt his heart and jaw drop. The young woman had a rather fair complexion, with vibrant green eyes that seemed to pierce everything they looked at. As her eyes met Josh's, her own jaw dropped and her eyes widened as her hand flew up to cover her mouth in apparent shock. Together, the two stood and stared at one another in disbelief.

"J-Josh..." the woman whispered in clear astonishment.

Josh could find no words of his own as he stared into the face of the last human he'd seen before heading to Equestria, the girl he'd slept with the night of the concert.

Chapter 14: Confrontation

A tense, stunned silence lingered between Josh and the woman before him as they continued to stare at one another in utter disbelief. Of all the people Josh could have expected to run into upon his return to human society, this individual would be absolutely last on the list, and now that fate seemed to have dealt him a more than unfavorable hand, he found himself frozen in shock as he was forced to stare into her vibrant green eyes. The two of them hadn't exactly parted ways on the best of terms, and Josh had no idea what this girl's reaction might be. Either way he looked at it though, there was no ideal way for her to act in this scenario, and Josh knew full well that she would have no compunction whatsoever about blowing his current cover.

Think, idiot, think he thought to himself, watching as the woman began to look him up and down, almost as if she was making sure he was real. There's gotta be something I can do to diffuse this whole situation...

"Uh..." he stammered, racking his brains for some sort of words to say, "Long time no see, it seems..."

Josh silently cursed himself as he watched her expression begin to shift, moving from one of disbelief to apparent anger at his words.Way to fuck this up even more, dumbass he thought.

"That... wasn't the right thing to say, was it?" he said lamely, desperately beginning to plan his backpedal from the previous comment, "I mean, I don't really know what you're feeling right now, so it's hard to think of what to say. But, let's be honest, it's not exactly easy to talk to someone you haven't seen in-"

His hasty monologue was interrupted as the girl reared back and landed a full on slap to his right cheek, forcing him to take a few steps back in shock.

"Son of a bitch!" he shouted, clutching his stinging cheek as his mind tried to process what just happened.

"You fucking asshole!" she shrieked, advancing so as to be able to yell at him better, "You lying bastard! Don't you dare talk to me like I'm some sort of old friend of yours from a long time ago, especially after you ran out on me when I took you to the hospital and probably helped save your worthless life!"

"Forgive my mistake of being cordial to you." Josh snarled, standing back up to his full height with his cheek red and still hurting, "I just figured maybe it'd be beneficial to the situation if I don't act like a jackass this time."

"What? So you didn't come back for a second shot at getting me in bed?" she yelled, leering at him as he towered over her, "Because I'm not making that mistake again, no matter how much you may want another 'helping of pussy'."

"Don't flatter yourself." Josh replied angrily, "I'm not here to see you."

"Oh, so you're here to use somebody else then?" the girl replied sarcastically, rolling her eyes, "How about you point them out to me so I can warn them what a piece of shit you really are."

"What is your fuckin' problem?"

"My fuckin' problem?! My fuckin' problem is you! It's been you for over a year now, after you faked that little scene when you were about to leave and then bolted from the hospital so you didn't have to face me when it was all said and done!"

"How do you know I was faking that?" Josh shouted in response, "You weren't in my body, you didn't see or feel what I felt when I went down. Who the hell are you to assume something like that?!"

"People who pass out like that don't just disappear for no reason!" the girl yelled back, angrily pointing a finger into Josh's chest as she continued to glare at him.

Josh was about to respond when he looked around and noticed that more than a few people had stopped to watch the scene between these two transpire. Shit... he thought, knowing that a crowd was the last thing he wanted to deal with right now, especially as he was being confronted by a very angry woman who would more than likely reveal who he really was at some point.

"Look," he began, lowering his voice so that it was almost a complete whisper, "we shouldn't be doing this right here. I understand you're angry with me, and I don't blame you for it, but we don't need to be making a scene like this, alright?"

"You think I give a fuck about making a scene?" she hissed, venom dripping from her words as she spoke.

"You work in the terminal though, don't you?" Josh asked, praying that he was guessing right.

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"I don't think it'd be in your best interest to get fired over this, now would it?" Josh replied, letting out a small internal sigh of relief that his guess has paid off.

The girl opened her mouth to respond once more, but quickly halted her tirade as she glanced around. Sure enough, her face lit up bright red as she took notice of all the people now gathered around herself and the young man before her. She gave a sheepish smile at everybody continuing to stare at her and Josh, nervously placing a hand on the back of her neck.

"Uh... Hello there, everyone." she said, false glee in her voice as she addressed the crowd, "We were just... discussing some things in private. Nothing really to see here."

Josh watched as several people began to make their way away from he and his angry companion, most wearing confused looks on their faces at not entirely understanding what they had just seen. After a short time, the girl turned back around and returned her angry gaze back up to Josh's face.

"You got lucky this time," she whispered, moving closer towards Josh and getting up into his face, "but we're not done here."

"What exactly did you have in mind to continue this then?"

"There's an employee breakroom over there." she replied, pointing just to the right of the bathroom entrance, "I'll be waiting for you to be there in twenty minutes. And, if you don't show up by that time, I'll send a guard out to find you and drag your sorry ass there. Understood?"

Josh felt the need to retort, but knew fully well that he'd been backed into a corner that was nearly impossible to get out of at this point. Hesitantly, he nodded at her, causing a rather sinister smile to spread across her lips.

"Good." she said simply, turning and making her way towards the nearby hall leading towards the breakroom.

Josh watched as she rounded the corner and disappeared, leaving him standing in the now dispersing group of onlookers, his heart no longer in his throat as his stomach seemed to sink lower. Of all the goddamn people to run into in a place like this, it just had to be someone I fucked over... he thought to himself as he continued to stand there, unsure of what exactly he was going to do next. Much as he wanted to avoid having to talk to that girl again and merely move on with his life as he'd planned to do so before, he knew that he had a moral obligation to let her have her own moment of justice, however she may see fit to meter that justice. That, and he'd rather not be dragged away through the airport by security to something like that. As far as he was concerned, enough of a scene had been made already.

After some time of contemplating what had just happened, he glanced back over towards the deli and saw a rather bored looking Syd sitting there, his head perched on top of one of his hands as he perused his phone. Josh figured he ought to remain with Syd till he had to meet with the girl, if nothing else so he could have someone who could explain why his dead body turned up in the middle of LAX. Slowly, he made his way back towards the young man, who looked up as Josh approached the table, clearly looking more sullen than he had before leaving.

"What happened to you?" Syd asked as Josh pulled out a chair and took a seat at the table, "You took forever."

"I... ran into an old friend..." Josh said hesitantly, trying to skirt around the details of his recent encounter.

“Is that why you have a giant fucking red mark on one side of your face?” Syd asked, smirking a little as he pointed to Josh’s still red and sore cheek.

Josh laid his head in his hands in frustration, giving Syd all the answer he needed.

"I'm gonna guess you fucked yourself over on this one." Syd said simply.

"You don't even know the half of it..." Josh said through his fingers, hearing the echoing screams of the girl play over and over again in his head.

"So, what're you gonna do about it then?"

"I'm supposed to meet up with her in a few minutes." Josh replied, glancing back up towards Syd, "I'd really rather not though..."

"So don't." Syd said, putting his phone away in his pocket as he addressed Josh, "Fuck her. You don't have to do what she says. You're a grown man with the balls to say no, aren't you?"

"She said if I don't show up, she'll send security after me."

Syd glanced over at a nearby security guard, a rather hulking white man with a large tribal tattoo on his arm. Josh watched as Syd's uninterested look shifted to one of apparent fear.

"On second thought, you'd probably be better off seeing what she wants." Syd said, turning his gaze back towards Josh.

"Yeah..." Josh replied solemnly.

"You want me to call L and let him know he'll need a new assistant then?"

Josh shot Syd a scathing glare.

"Hey, I'm just sayin'."

Josh returned his face to his hands, dreading the thought of confronting this individual from his past he thought he'd left behind him long ago and far away. Just when it seemed he was on the path that would take him far away from the events in his life that haunted him daily, he gets a heavy reminder that he still can't run away from it all. I guess I can only hope that this'll be quick... he thought, trying hard not to dwell on what was most likely about to happen to him when he was finally forced to confront a victim of his sins.

Slowly and silently Josh made his way down the hallway leading towards the employee breakroom, his heart beginning to race as he imagined what this encounter would result in on his end. He wasn't afraid for his life or anything like that, but he was afraid of what she would possibly have to say or want to do to him after a year of stewing on what he'd done to her that night before he went off to Equestria. After walking down the narrow hallway for what seemed like an eternity, he stood before a large metal door with a plaque on it that read "Employee's Only". As he stood before the now somewhat ominous and looming door, he felt the urge to turn and run, to make his way completely out of the airport where she couldn't call him out and where he could hopefully find a place to isolate himself once again. However, that thought dissipated as quickly as it had come, mostly because he knew he'd already spent too much time trying to avoid everybody as it was. It'll do me no good to run again. he thought to himself as he stared at the door before him Besides, I kind of owe her this one...

Reluctantly, he reached out and grabbed the handle. Right as his palm made made contact with the cold metal of the knob, he heard a voice nearby and turned to see a large, African American security guard strutting up to him, scowling down at Josh as he made his way towards the young man.

"What do you think you're doing?" he asked, stopping short of Josh and standing over him in a rather menacing fashion.

"I..." Josh stammered, looking up at the hulking figure he was now confronted with, "I was told to meet someone here..."

"No you weren't." the guard replied simply, glaring down at Josh, "Can't you read? That sign says 'Employees Only', which means no one but employees can go in there. No exceptions."

"Look," Josh began, his fear being replaced by annoyance as the guard finished his condescending tirade, "I don't even really wanna be here. But, if I don't, the girl in there's gonna send a guy like you after me to drag me here. I'd much rather walk in there on my own power than be tossed in like a ragdoll."

The guard raised a skeptical eyebrow at Josh before glancing towards the door.

"You know her?" he asked, gesturing at the door.

"You could say that..." Josh replied simply.

The guard narrowed his eyes at Josh, who was trying his hardest not to look intimidated or afraid as his inner voice was screaming in his head.

"What's her name then?"

Josh opened his mouth to retort, but found no words that could attempt to ease the situation. However, he was no idiot, and knew full well how best to get out of that question.

"Do you know her name?" he asked after a short time, hoping that his voice sounded confident enough to baffle the guard.

"I asked you first." the guard replied simply, leaning in closer and glaring even harder at Josh, who felt his heart sink even lower than it already had.

The young man opened and closed his mouth in a vain attempt to find something, anything, he could fire back with. Despite his effort, he had to eventually allow himself to accept the fact that this would not be a barrier he could sneak his way past like he had so far since returning to earth.

"Okay, so I don't exactly remember her name," Josh said after gathering himself, "but you've gotta believe me. I wouldn't be standing here, pleading with you to let me in there if I had no reason for it."

"And what exactly would that reason be?"

"I... I owe it to her to do this." Josh hesitated, reasoning that there was no point in trying to disguise the truth of his reasoning from the guard anymore, "Last time we met, I made a huge mistake, and we didn't leave off on the best of terms. I need to be in there to talk to her, if nothing else for her to have at least a sense of closure and the ability to say what she didn't get to before, to release her frustrations on the person who caused them. That's why I need to be in there."

The guard's facial features softened as Josh finished his explanation. He let out a slight grunt of interest as Josh was forced to stand there, silent and hopeful that he had at least made enough of a compelling argument for the guard to consider what he'd said. As he watched the huge man before him, he could practically see the gears turning in his head as he glanced back towards the door, his now softened gaze lingering on it for what seemed like forever until he turned his attention back towards Josh and smirked a little.

"Tell you what," he said, grabbing his key card and swiping it past the card reader, causing it to emit a small beep, "you do seem pretty determined, so you can go in. But, I'll be waiting out here and listening to everything. I hear anything even slightly odd, and being thrown in that room is gonna be far from what you ought to worry about, understood?"

Josh nodded quickly, to which the guard opened up the door and gestured inside. The young man stepped around the guard and made his way inside, peering back at the entryway just in time to see the door slam shut, causing a rather uncharacteristic echo to fill the once silent room. Josh winced a little as the sound died off, slowly turning back around to face what he'd never thought he'd have to face again. He glanced all around the tiny room, from the cork board on the wall with several papers pinned to it to the counters on the opposite side laden with a coffee pot and small microwave.

After taking in his surroundings, he glanced towards the opposite side of the room, the sinking feeling in his stomach gaining as his eyes fell upon whom he’d come here to see in the first place. Sitting at the far end of a cluster of white plastic tables was the girl he'd encountered earlier, who admittedly seemed less intense than Josh had left her, but who almost immediately regained her previous glare upon laying eyes on Josh again. Once again, he began to try and think of anything he could possibly say to take a least a little tension away from the situation, and once again, he found nothing that would be more than idle, bullshit chatter.

"You actually showed up." the girl noted after some time of silence between the two of them.

"Yeah." Josh replied lamely, trying his hardest to break the uneasy feeling all around at least in his own mind, "Sorry I didn't give you the chance to have me thrown in here like you'd wanted."

Almost immediately, Josh cringed at his own response upon seeing the girl fold her arms and glare at him more intensely, which he didn't think could be possible.

"So," Josh said after a time, rubbing the back of his neck nervously, the sinking feeling in his stomach increasing one thousandfold as he was forced to stare at the angry woman at the other end of the room, "you wanna ... go first? I think you've earned it more than me."

The girl gave no response as Josh finished speaking, forcing the most uncomfortable silence into the room than Josh had ever experienced in his life. She merely stood there, arms crossed and continuing to glare at the young man across from her. The feeling of tension was nearing the point of agony as Josh was forced to remain standing there, waiting and silently praying that she would at least start yelling soon, if nothing else to make some sort of noise that would take away the quiet. After what seemed like an eternity in which Josh began to feel what little sanity he had left collapse from the maddening silence, the girl finally spoke.

"It's been over a year since that night." she began, venom dripping from her words that would make a cobra jealous, "Over one full year since you ran out on me, after you collapsed, I took you to the hospital, and I waited in that godforsaken lobby all night to make sure you were okay, only to hear from the doctors that you just disappeared."

"You... you waited there for me?" Josh asked, not having even thought that she would do so after what he'd intended to do before collapsing.

"Of course I did!" she shouted, glaring at him even harder than before, "I wasn't just gonna drop you off and run away!"

"But why stay?" Josh inquired, "I mean... the last thing I said to you wasn't exactly a show of kindness."

"I..." the girl stammered as her eyes grew a little wider and her face became heavily flushed, "I thought... that if I were to stay and wait for you, show you that I was the one who helped you and that I didn't just abandon you... Maybe..."

Her voice trailed off as she spoke, but Josh knew full well what she was intending by her actions, and it only served to make him feel even worse than before. Before, he would have said she was disillusioned, possibly even stupid in thinking that he'd want to be in a relationship after a one night stand, and at the time he certainly thought so. Now, however, as he looked into her eyes and saw the pain and anger that came from crushed hopes, guilt that had plagued him for so long came rushing back at realizing what his leaving had done to her, whether he'd intended to or not.

"I'll admit that I probably had my expectations set too high." she continued, forcing Josh's attention back towards her and out of his own introspection, "I mean, when I looked back on it, it seemed like a hell of a long shot that things would work out anyway. But, I had at least hoped that you and I could work things out, that we at least wouldn't end things on bad terms... But no. You couldn't even give me that, could you?"

At this point, her voice, which had begun to waver considerably as she spoke, rose up once more, the malice she'd had back in the terminal returning with a vengeance.

"I... I didn't abandon you." Josh said, struggling to find his own words as he felt her gaze completely wash over him and steal his ability to speak.

"Then what happened, Josh?!" she yelled, banging her fist on the table, causing him to cringe as she shouted at him again, "What in the hell happened that made you just 'disappear' into thin fucking air?"

Josh opened his mouth to retort, but immediately fell silent, knowing full well that he couldn't divulge the truth to her, and no lie he could think up would possibly justify what she was accusing him of. He was forced back into the same tense silence he so despised, his gaze dropping to the ground once more in shame.

"People don't just happen to disappear." she continued after he failed to answer her inquiry, her speech slow and methodical as she continued her rant against him, "I hear the doctor say that you're gone after you already tried to get away from me before and what else am I supposed to think? That you just went for a midnight stroll after being rushed into the ER by nearly every nurse and doctor in the hospital a few hours earlier?" Contrary to what most people may think about me, I'm not just some dumb whore. I can put two and two together."

Josh had all but given up on trying to respond as he looked back into enraged face of the girl opposite him. Her eyes were full of not just anger, but also a heavy amount of hurt, a sight which caused Josh's already sunken heart to fall even lower than before.

"You really hurt me, Josh." she continued, her voice low and intense as she continued, "I went home that morning, alone, sleep deprived, and feeling lower than I ever had before in my life. It took a really long time for me to be able to move on from that, to not feel like some sort of worthless piece of meat that just exists for the sake of being used by anyone who feels like it. And I was able to move on, eventually, enough so to the point that I didn't have to dwell on that night like I'd become so accustomed to over the months. I finally was able to move past what had happened and could live with myself again."

She narrowed her eyes and pointed a finger at Josh as she resumed in a malicious tone.

"Then, I saw you in the terminal, looked back up into your eyes for the first time in over a year, and all I could feel was every single one of those feelings I'd tried so hard to eliminate coming back to me, all the sadness and anger I'd managed to suppress flooding back into my mind..." she said, tears beginning to well up in her bright green eyes.

At this point, the girl fell completely silent and her body slouched and she collapsed into her chair as tears began to fall from her eyes and splash onto the table. Her gentle frame trembled as she was overcome by the very emotions she'd spoken of before. Josh watched as she seemed to transform from a ferocious woman into a scared and sad girl, one whose only mistake had been seeking a good time. Josh had to fight his own urge to cry as he was forced to watch this poor individual lose herself in the regrets of a night long passed.

In Equestria, he was given an opportunity to start things over, to not be haunted by the ghosts of his past. Even after he'd confided to Vinyl and the rest of his friends everything he could about his time on earth, they'd all told him the same thing: that the past was just that, and as long as he kept in mind the mistakes he made before, he wouldn't repeat them there. He'd seriously taken their words to heart, and always kept his memories in the back of his mind, never forgetting but not focusing on them all hours of the day like he had before he'd left Equestria the first time. This had worked well, and his mind was at almost complete ease the entire time he was in his adopted home.

Now, however, his mind was far from at ease as he stared across the long table at the product of his own callous behavior, at the sad and broken soul who had been forced to deal with the consequences of his idiotic actions. He wished that he could do what he'd always done with Vinyl whenever the two of them had gotten into any type of argument, where he'd simply talk the mare down from her emotions and remind her that he loved her. That, however, was an option so far off the table that it was floating in the deepest, darkest recesses of space and time. Nothing he could think of seemed like any type of viable option, and more and more, Josh was beginning to think that this would be one situation he had no chance of fixing, that it'd be one more deep regret that he'd be forced to live with day in and day out.

"I... I'm so sorry..."

The girl lifted her head up and locked eyes with Josh, who winced as he realized that he'd just spoken out his once internalized thought.

"W-what did you say?" she asked, her green eyes staring right through the young man before her once more, albeit with a bit of a softer glare this time.

Josh silently cursed himself for muttering that and quickly began to rattle his brain in the hopes that he could salvage or maybe even deflect from what had just happened. His effort was in vain, however, and he sighed as he came to a final realization that his grave had been dug, and there was no stopping him from falling in. *May as well say something though...*

"I'm... sorry." he said after a short silence, trying his best to regain what composure he could as he began to speak, "I know that that doesn't mean much, but I truly am. The man you ran into that night was a very different version of me. I was... cocky, inconsiderate, so full of a sense of entitlement at my accomplishments that I didn't care who I affected or how. You were nothing more than a simple victim of my stupidity, and you didn't deserve what you had happen to you."

Josh paused as he watched the once intense glare the girl had on him soften completely, almost bringing forth a look of confusion as the young man began his speech. He tried hard to think of how to phrase what he wanted to say next, knowing that he had to skate around the truth and still put up a convincing story.

"I know you find it hard to believe, but I swear on my life, I did not abandon you in the hospital that night." he continued, "When I collapsed, that was genuine, and as to what exactly happened to me later... I'm not even sure what it was. All I know is that I was taken somewhere far away from here, somewhere where nobody knew who I was or what I was, and all I wanted the minute I got there was to return home. My attitude followed me, and I came very close to making the same mistakes there as I had here. But I was shown so much love from the time I arrived by everyone, a kind of love I hadn't known in a long time. It made me rethink my life, the things I'd said and done in my time here, and I was filled with so much regret at realizing just how much of a negative impact I'd had on the paths I'd happened across of others. If it hadn't been for my friends and the fantastic person I'd met while I was there, I don't know that I'd ever have been able to sleep soundly again..."

He halted his speech for a second time as the happy and loving faces of his friends and Vinyl flashed before his eyes, causing a slight lump to form in his throat. *Come on, man.* he thought, trying his best to regain

his wavering composure *You're supposed to be the strong one here...*

"The love and kindness they showed me helped me move beyond all my guilt, helped me to be able to live with myself despite everything. I never allowed myself to forget it all, but I didn't dwell on it all hours like I'd begun to."

"Why aren't you there then?" the girl asked, cutting Josh off as he was about to continue.

Again, Josh lost his words as he tried his best to think about how to phrase his answer. She hadn't asked in a malicious or angry tone, a factor that only contributed even more to his inability to speak.

"Not everyone... was so loving to me." he said simply, not wanting to think too much about what had transpired for fear that it would cause him to lose his composure he'd fought so hard to try and maintain throughout this time, "I didn't want to come back, but the choice wasn't mine to make, and so here I find myself, standing in this room with you, ashamed and full of regret. I wish so badly that I could take away what I did that night, to make it so that you and I never had crossed paths. But I can't, and... and the only thing I can do is say that I'm sorry..."

Josh kept his eyes trained on the girl as he finished speaking, waiting for some type of response from her. Her face registered a rather neutral emotion, one nearly bordering on confusion, but he was awaiting another outburst. More than likely, she would call him out for being a liar, citing that she wouldn't be stupid enough to believe a story that ridiculous. Then, she'd follow up with questions that he couldn't honestly answer without him revealing the truth of his time in Equestria, which would of course put him even further into the already gaping hole he found himself in at the moment. After a time of silence, she glanced back up at him, her green eyes meeting his own for what seemed like the thousandth time, and Josh awaited the torrent that he was sure would come soon.

"What was her name?" she asked quietly.

Josh's mouth fell open in disbelief and confusion as he registered her question in his head. He stared intently at the girl, seeing all traces of her previous anger gone, now replaced by an unexpected calm and neutral look. The young man was so taken aback by her unexpected response that, for a second, he found himself completely mute.

"H-her name's... Vinyl." he replied, still in shock that she wasn't screaming at him anymore.

"That's a bit of an unusual name." the girl said, letting out a little chuckle as a slight smile spread across her lips.

Now, Josh felt his sunken heart begin to rise back up, and a sense of relief began to flow through him, causing his previous tension to completely melt away. The smile he saw on her face was not one that seemed forced or disingenuous. She truly seemed to be more at ease, thus causing her previous target of anger to feel the same.

"She's a bit of an unusual girl." Josh replied, chuckling himself.

The girl smiled even wider than before, her expression completely softened from its previous appearance, and together she and Josh shared their first amiable moment since they'd seen one another over a year ago. Josh felt his entire body completely relax as the tension all around released itself in mere moments. He hadn't expected a response like this from someone who only a few minutes ago would have called for his head, and he didn't care. Probably better not to complain about not getting my head chewed off anyway.

"What's she like?" asked the girl.

Josh paused once again, not entirely sure how to answer the question. This was one thing he'd tried to avoid once with Liam, the emotional wounds having been too fresh to be able to delve into describing his marefriend, the pony he had been ripped away from so violently and suddenly. I can't avoid thinking about her though, he thought to himself and why wouldn't I want to? I love her more than anything, and it wouldn't be right to try and suppress her memory just because I miss her.

"She's..." Josh paused, wracking his brain as he tried to think how to describe Vinyl properly, "short, kinda pale, and has the craziest blue hair you've ever seen."

"Really?" the girl asked, giggling a little as she registered his response.

"Yeah, two-toned too." he said, smiling wide as he saw the image of his marefriend flash before his eyes.

"What else?"

Now, Josh was truly thrown for a loop. How could he possibly explain more about her and do her memory any justice? Words only told so much, and they weren't even remotely sufficient to explain how incredible Vinyl had been and still was.

"... Loving." Josh replied simply, "Incredibly loving. And kind. And... and she's the best thing that ever happened to me."

Josh again felt a lump form in his throat and tears began to well up behind his eyes as he thought about Vinyl once more. He closed his eyes for a second in an attempt to force the tears back, only to see his marefriend's beautiful face stare back at him, smiling, silently relaying the same message of love over and over again to the human as he looked deep into her large, crimson-magenta eyes. He had to stop himself from trying to reach out and touch her, to attempt to hold her once more. A smile spread across his own face again as he locked eyes with the loving mare, who continued to stare back at him, reminding him of what he'd always known: that no matter what, she would love him without question, without a single trace of doubt.

"You know, it's really not fair."

Josh came crashing back to reality from his sudden reverie, opening his eyes and losing the image of Vinyl as he did so. His gaze was greeted by the form of the girl opposite him, who had her arms folded and had a type of playful pout on her face.

"What's not fair?" Josh asked, starting to feel slight unease creep back into his mind as he wondered where this conversation was headed.

"I spent so much time thinking about the day I'd see you again, when I'd finally be able to confront you about that night." she said, "I had the scenario planned out in my head the whole way. I knew what I'd say to you at first, and I even figured out what I'd do to turn it all back to you in case you tried to throw it back in my face or pass it off like it was nothing. But... but I hadn't planned on you... being sorry..."

Josh watched as the girl before him reverted to a sudden timid state, her body slouched down and her eyes low as she stared up at him with a somewhat ashamed look on her face. The young man let out a small sigh of relief and a chuckle as he watched this once ferocious looking woman transform before his very eyes into the polar opposite of herself.

"Well, if it'll make you feel any better, you can still yell at me if you want to." he joked, hoping he could raise her apparently depleted spirits back up.

"Thanks, but I'll pass." she responded, smiling back up at him again, "Clearly it doesn't help the situation."

"It certainly is cathartic though."

Together, the two shared another small bout of jovial chuckling before falling into another round of silence. Josh watched intently as the girl sat in her chair, eyes apparently trained on a point somewhere on the table before her, clearly doing her best to process her own thoughts on the situation.

"What about you?" Josh inquired after a short time, drawing the girl's attention back towards himself, "Did you find anyone?"

"... No, I didn't." she replied simply, locking eyes with Josh for a brief second, "I came... close, but nothing was ever able to last long."

"Oh... I'm... sorry to hear that." Josh responded, feeling a sudden pang of guilt tug at his heart.

"It's not your fault." she said quietly, "I guess I'm just not meant to be in a sustained relationship..."

"Aw, come on." Josh said softly, "Don't think like that. There's someone out there for everybody, it just takes time to find them sometimes."

"Easy for you to say. You've already found someone."

"Tell you what," Josh said, staring intently into the girl's eyes as he spoke, "I know there's someone out there for you. I don't know who, I don't know where, but there's definitely someone. And if you ever need help finding them, don't be afraid to try and contact me."

"Are you offering to be my wingman?" she asked, smirking and raising a skeptical eyebrow.

"Hey, I'm a great wingman." Josh retorted, playfully jabbing a finger at her.

She let out a series of giggles that quickly devolved into a small laughing fit. Josh couldn't help but smile as he watched her try to stifle her laughter and he was forced to do the same.

"I'll hold you to that." she said after a short time, wiping a small, mirthful tear from her own eye.

Josh nodded in response as her eyes drifted from him to the clock on the wall across the room.

"Oh God!" she suddenly exclaimed, jumping up from her seat, eyes trained on the clock, "I'm late! I took too long a break!"

"Were you planning on taking a short one?" Josh asked as the girl rushed across the room towards the door behind him.

"I figured I'd have ran out of here in anger a long time ago." she responded playfully as she passed by him.

Josh watched as she reached the door and paused, turning back around to face him.

"Hey Josh," she began, staring deep into his blue eyes, "thanks again for coming and talking to me. I know it probably wasn't something you were looking forward to... Especially after I hit you out there..."

"It's not a problem." he said, smirking at her, "Besides, you're not the first person who's ever hit me for something stupid I did, and you'll probably not be the last."

For a second, another amiable silence fell before the girl rushed forward and wrapped her petite arms around Josh, hugging him tightly. Josh was confused for a second, but quickly returned her gesture, embracing her much in the way he would a little sister. After a few moments, the two split apart and gave one another kind and jovial smile.

"Vinyl's very lucky to have you, Josh." she said, "If you ever have the chance to see her again, tell her I said that."

Josh nodded, and the girl turned back around, placing her hand on the door handle and turning it to head out.

"Wait!" Josh called out, suddenly remembering something.

She paused and turned to look at him one more time, a puzzled look on her face.

"Um... Could you... tell me your name again?" he asked awkwardly.

"It's Katherine." she replied, giving one last smile before opening up the door and rushing out, leaving Josh to simply repeat her name as the door shut behind her.

Josh stood in the now empty room, going over what had just transpired once again in his head. He'd walked in here expecting just what he'd gotten, a reprimand that reminded him of what a fool he'd been long ago and far away. However, he could have in no way expected for this individual, this poor, unfortunate girl who he'd violated to completely turn from a state of anger to a type of silent forgiveness, the kind that Josh could have only dreamed of once before. He felt a sense of freedom wash over him as he heard her name repeated over and over again in his mind, a feeling he'd not known for a very long time. He knew what awaited him once he opened up the door and headed out of this room, back out to what would undoubtedly be a very upset Syd and a whole world of uncertainties. But this time, in this tiny room in the middle of an LAX terminal, he'd achieved at least one small victory, made one step in the right direction, and he was determined to celebrate his accomplishment for as long as he could, regardless of what was to come.

Chapter 15: Savior

The bright Equestrian sun had begun its descent for the night, dipping below the distant mountains and painting the lake outside of Ponyville a bright golden orange hue. Sounds of water gently flowing as well as the occasional chirp of birds in the nearby trees added even more ambiance to the already tranquil scene. The light from the slowly falling orb played off the waters surface, causing small reflections to be thrown here and there, each one without necessity for rhyme or reason. Occasionally, a small wave would break over the flowing surface, causing a tiny swell that would bring the water up to the nearby sandy shore, only for it to retreat backwards from where it came. All around, the serenity of nature was in full effect, laying out a scene that would make even the coldest heart warm at such a fantastic sight.

Vinyl sat on the small knoll near the shoreline, her gaze fixated on the glistening body before her as she silently agonized over her rampant thoughts. This place had once been one of comfort for the distraught mare, a place she and Josh would often venture to should they ever feel the need to get away for a short time. Here, they would laugh, joke and just enjoy the company of one another, occasionally resorting to a silent, but altogether loving contest of staring into one another's eyes as the sun would dip below the horizon for the night. She recalled all the times they'd spent here, from their first "unofficial" date to a few days before she and Josh had left for Las Pegasus as part of their tour. Even then, the mood of this place had never changed, always being one of comfort and happiness for the two star-crossed lovers.

Now, however, it held a much different sense about it, one of longing and silent sadness. The young mare was solitary here for the first time in a very long time, without her usual human companion by her side, his long arms wrapped around her in a warm and affectionate embrace, occasionally stroking her shaggy blue mane and placing a tiny kiss on top of her head as he felt was necessary. As her mind fell back to thoughts of days long past here, she could practically feel his heartbeat against her head, the small rise and fall of his chest as he breathed with her draped across his torso. She knew the memory should have offered a sense of happiness, and to a certain degree, it did. However, it mainly served as a harsh reminder that she was indeed lost and alone now. Or at least, she had once thought that she was completely alone, before the attempt to take her own life that landed her in the hospital and revealed to her that she was carrying the child of her displaced lover.

This revelation was far from what she could have possibly expected at the time, and it still was a fact she hadn't completely managed to come to terms with yet. While her friends had either chose to congratulate her upon finding out or merely remaining silent, Vinyl had rather contradictory feelings about everything, feelings she'd kept shut away to herself the entire time. She was extremely happy that, at last, she would be having a child, a wish she'd hoped for years would be granted at some point. However, she also felt a heavy sadness weigh on her heart as she realized that this child she would bear may never know their father, would never truly understand just how incredible he was and what he meant to those he called his friends.

As these thoughts rushed through her head, Vinyl gently placed a hoof over her stomach, imagining the possible future of the tiny foal developing within her body. Her pondering was interrupted by a surging feeling of dread that filled her as she glanced down towards her abdomen and immediately took notice of the large scar on her fetlock underneath her almost glowing fur. It had begun to fade a little from the treatments by several unicorn doctors and nurses to heal up both her wounds, but Vinyl could still make it out. Her memory of actually inflicting the damage on herself that had almost killed her was spotty at best, but she could still remember the feeling of the cold glass breaking past her flesh, digging deep into her and causing blood to stream from the cut like a macabre fountain. The thought brought hot, stinging tears to her eyes as her mind forced her to recall what little she
could from that horrific evening.

The cream colored mare began to silently weep as she thought about how close she'd come to snuffing out her own flame and, inadvertently, the flame of her unborn child. The thought that she almost robbed the life of an innocent through her own selfish and brash actions weighed on her heart almost as heavily as losing Josh. It had been something she couldn't stop thinking about from the time she'd been told that she was pregnant, and with each passing day, she found herself focusing on it more and more, despite her best efforts to move on. Even Octavia and her friends reminding her that everything was alright and that she and the child were safe wasn't enough to ease her fears at what could have been on that horrific night.

Vinyl's silent turmoil was cut short as she heard a loud snap behind her and bolted back upright, wheeling around in the direction of the sound. She found herself staring into a leading edge of the Everfree Forest which, despite the glow of the setting sun filling the area, was still bathed in darkness. Her frightful eyes darted all around, watching intently for whatever could be making its way out of the dark wood and heading for her on the knoll nearby. She feared that it was possibly a timberwolf or some other monstrous creature that had some sort of ill intent for her. After several seconds of intense, silent staring into the darkness beyond, Vinyl heard the sound of soft hoofsteps and glanced the sight of a tall pony making their way towards her.

Princess Luna stepped out from the darkness and out into the clearing beyond the trees, her gaze fixed intently on Vinyl. She halted upon reaching the outer edge of the forest, her iridescent mane and tail sparkling and continuing to flow in their usual nonexistent breeze. Her large, teal eyes were full of concern as she stared across at the unicorn before her, clearly awaiting some sort of reaction before proceeding any further. Vinyl's fear was soon replaced by a disbelieving anger as she locked eyes with the princess of the night, one of the very deities who took Josh away from her in that courtroom. The unicorn shot Luna a heavy glare before turning back around and plopping back down onto the ground, hoping that her actions would convince the princess to leave her alone.

Her wish was in vain, however, as she began to hear the sound of hoofsteps behind her, quickly followed by the soft breathing by the indigo mare. Vinyl continued her staunch silence as she felt Luna's presence directly behind her, now practically screaming in her head for the princess to go away. The two mares remained silent for a time, with one clearly unsure of what to say, and the other having nothing to say at all.

"Hello there, Vinyl." Luna said after some time, gesturing to a patch of grass next to the unicorn, "May I join you? I was told by somepony once that this is an absolutely fantastic spot to watch the sunset, and I figured I should to come and experience it for myself."

Vinyl remained quiet, her already high level of anger rising as she identified the princess' clear attempt at forced, amiable conversation. The only sort of response she gave was to turn her head and body away from the goddess even more in defiance. However, Luna seemed undeterred by Vinyl's behavior and took her place beside the cream colored mare, plopping down right next to her and fixing her gaze upon the sky above.

The birds in the trees had since quieted down, leaving the only sound as the gentle sloshing of the lake as it continued to gently flow back and forth. The brilliant golden glow that once filled the clearing had now faded as the sun dipped behind the distant mountains, dropping the temperature and bringing about the beginnings of the night. Together, the two ponies sat, silence being their only communication as they were focusing on their own thoughts and ideas.

"The sun is falling a lot faster now than before, it seems." Luna piped up after what seemed like an eternity, her voice causing another surge of annoyance and anger to rise up in Vinyl as she spoke, "My sister must be feeling better then. Not many ponies actually know that when Tia's not feeling well, she tends to prolong the day a little more than usual. You could see how this affects my job, with raising the stars and the moon. Then again, her sunsets are always more spectacular when they go slowly, or at least..."

Luna continued to ramble on, each word she spoke serving no other purpose than to continue to anger Vinyl, who was rapidly reaching her breaking point. Here, in this place that had already begun to lose its relaxing and happy atmosphere, Vinyl was forced to sit next to a pony who had been instrumental in her losing Josh that day. All the unicorn could think about as she heard Luna ramble on and on was how she'd merely stood by idly as Filthy Rich continued his hateful campaign and then merely watched as her supposedly benevolent sister transported him away with relative ease. And yet, the princess of the night made no effort to acknowledge this or showed any hesitation at all as she openly attempted some sort of idle banter that was supposed to liven an already broken mood. Vinyl felt her body begin to shake with rage as Luna continued her futile efforts, and it took every ounce of her self control to remain even remotely calm now.

"... though, I suppose I could just put the stars up earlier and wait to raise the moon. But, I don't want to confuse anypony-"

"What, Luna?!" Vinyl finally shouted, springing to her hooves and wheeling around to face the Princess of the Night, "What the fuck do you want from me?! I know for a fact that you aren't here just to babble on about some random bullshit you cooked up as a way of being cordial, so just tell me what it is that you want!"

All of Vinyl's pent up feelings, all the frustration and sadness she'd done her absolute to suppress over the last few weeks were bubbling up and spilling over into a deluge of raw, unchecked emotion. Luna stared into the unicorn's face, seeing the sudden fire in her eyes with an expression of shock painting her own regal features.

"I... I-" Luna stammered, clearly taken aback by the sudden shift in Vinyl's mood since she'd sat down next to her.

"Are you so deluded that you think trying to chat me up will all of a sudden make me forget what happened, what you and your sister did?" Vinyl hissed, leering at the night princess, her gaze piercing right into the immortal pony, "You two took from me the greatest thing to ever come into my life, just kicked him right the fuck out because you were too scared to try and defend him in front of your own subjects! That's not exactly some shit you forget, Luna."

Luna was too shocked to do much more than open and close her mouth rapidly in an attempt to say something, anything to the enraged mare who continued to advance towards her. The whole time, Vinyl kept her fiery eyes trained on the night princess, boring into her with each passing moment.

"And you." Vinyl continued, emphatically pointing her hoof towards Luna, who jumped backwards in shock at the sudden gesture, "You always hated him, didn't you? Just like that greedy bastard Filthy Rich you couldn't stand the idea of somepony like Josh being here in Equestria. Who are you to judge anypony else? You tried to plunge our entire world into an eternal night, just because your sister was getting a little more glory than you!"

"I never hated him!" Luna squeaked in desperation, tears beginning to well up in her large, teal eyes as she continued to stare up towards Vinyl, "I... I judged him too harshly because of what I saw him doing on Earth! I never wished ill upon him while he was here! I swear!"

"And yet when your sister was throwing him out of here, you didn't to a single fucking thing to stop her!" Vinyl shouted, her crimson magenta eyes locked on her target as she directed every single bit of her ire towards Luna, "You just stood there, like a toad, and let yourselves get bullied by a fucking maniac! Since when do the princesses of Equestria give into demands that came from the mouth of a total tyrant?! You're supposed to be our protectors, the ponies who are there to uphold your own values that you claim this kingdom is established upon! Where did those values go, Luna, because they sure as shit aren't here anymore!"

Luna now had all but given up on trying to talk Vinyl down and was merely shrinking back even more, hoping beyond hope that the unicorn before her wouldn't try anything drastic in her enraged state.

"He just kept telling me, over and over again that everything was gonna be alright." Vinyl said, her voice beginning to waver as another deluge of sadness threatened to overwhelm her, "'It'll all be okay soon, baby.' That's what he'd always say to me, 'Before you know it, things'll be back to normal.' But... but how can things ever be normal again if he's not here?"

Luna seemingly abandoned her fearful retreat upon hearing Vinyl's suddenly shaky speech, glancing into the unicorn's large, crimson-magenta eyes and watching as large tears began to well up in them. Vinyl attempted to maintain her defiant stance, but could feel her resolve beginning to break fast. As she blinked, large teardrops released themselves from her eyes and began to make their way down her cream colored face, matting her fur all along the way. Her body began to tremble violently as she held back her sadness. Then, without warning, she heaved, her lower body collapsing to the ground as hot tears began to stream from her eyes, falling down to the ground below as she lowered her head and began to sob openly before the princess of the night.

Every angry emotion she'd felt while unleashing her tirade on Luna had seemingly vanished, only to be replaced by the familiar heartache she'd come to know so well. The scene played again in her head once more, forcing her to relive the moment when her one, true love had been torn from her on that fateful day. She could still see his bright blue eyes peering at her through the golden ball of light that enveloped his body, a silent disbelief contained within them at the sudden occurrence that would take him away from his adopted home. Her own screams played over the top of everything as she shouted his name over and over again in a vain hope that maybe Celestia and Luna might release him at the last second so he could return to his mare. Finally, she witnessed the bright light dissipating, and her heart sunk upon seeing the empty place where Josh once stood.

That day, the world seemed to have been turned on its head, and every day since then had been nothing more than an affirmation of that feeling. Josh always lingered in every single facet of her mind, and the thoughts and memories of him that came to her every day since he'd left offered a bittersweet reminder of what she'd lost. He was more than just her lover. He was her friend, one of her most reliable companions, somepony who always had her back when it seemed nopony else did. He was her sun, moon, and stars, the very thing that helped her to wake in the morning, and the last thing she saw before drifting to sleep each night. Truly they had their ups and downs as any couple would, but that never once kept them from relishing the bright future and the possibilities that lay before them, a future that now seemed as dark and uncertain as the Everfree Forest.

Her agonized recollection was suddenly interrupted as she felt a gentle weight descend upon her neck. She opened her eyes and slowly glanced upwards towards where Luna had once been standing. The princess of the night had draped her own long neck across Vinyl's in a loving manner, carefully laying across her much like a mother does to her distraught foal in an effort to calm her. Vinyl sat in stunned silence for a moment, unsure of what to do or think at this sudden attention.

"My child," Luna said softly, tears streaming from her own teal eyes and settling onto Vinyl's shoulder, "You... You're right. We were weak, foolish. We never thought things would get as bad as they did in the end... I... We should have done more for you, for both of you. I'm so sorry... We didn't mean for anything of this sort to ever happen to either of you... Please, forgive us of our failures…”

Vinyl felt a heavy pang of guilt hit her as she felt the warm embrace of the princess carefully and affectionately draped across her neck. Only mere moments ago, she'd been placing all the blame for her breaking heart on this alicorn, treating her no better than Filthy Rich had treated Josh. She had done nothing whatsoever to be deserving of this sort of loving attention, but Luna was embracing her all the same, conveying a quiet sense of forgiveness to the distraught mare, and in return asking the same. The unicorn hadn't known a sensation like this since that night in the jail cell with Josh, the very night in which she'd conceived the child within her. Her anger all but gone at this point, Vinyl felt more hot, stinging tears make their way from her crimson-magenta eyes, and she soon had her face buried in the deep indigo mass before her, her forelegs wrapped around the night princess as she continued to release her frustrations and sadness.

For a time, the two ponies sat on the knoll, neither one saying a single word as they both were lost in their respective thoughts. Luna held Vinyl close as the mare continued to wail into her chest, occasionally stroking her back so as to do her best to comfort the poor unicorn. After several minutes, Vinyl eventually surfaced from Luna's fur, her sobbing reduced to only intermittent sniffles and rather erratic breathing as she did everything in her power to regain what little composure she still had. Luna, in turn, relinquished her grip on the cream colored pony and stepped back a short way so as to let her rest for a moment.

"Feeling any better?" Luna asked when Vinyl seemed to be at her most calm.

"I g-guess." Vinyl responded meekly, her voice still trembling as she glanced back upwards towards Luna.

The Princess of the Night gave what she hoped was a reassuring smile as Vinyl locked eyes with her, only to see the unicorn pin her ears back and glance back downwards in apparent shame.

"What you said to me," Luna asked gently upon seeing the mare's reaction, "did you believe all that? Did you believe that we abandoned you?"

Vinyl didn't respond, clearly too scared and ashamed to do so, instead choosing to shrink down as Luna had been doing so before.

"You can answer me honestly." Luna said, placing a hoof on Vinyl's shoulder and drawing her attention back towards her soft face, "I can't be angry at you for speaking your mind, and especially not when you've been through so much."

"Y-yes, I did." Vinyl finally responded, her eyes clearly beginning to plead with Luna for some type of mercy, "It's just... we were dealing with so much, and... and we were all on our own... Nopony else could help us, and since you and your sister are the princesses, we thought... we thought..."

"You thought we'd eventually come down and sort all this out?"

Vinyl nodded meekly, prompting Luna to feel her own pang of guilt.

"I suggested to my sister multiple times when all this started that we should at least make an appearance, if nothing else to scare Filthy Rich and whatever followers he might have gained at the time enough to make them abandon their cause." Luna said, her own ears pinned back as she began to speak, "She just kept telling me that the way to rule was not through fear and that before we knew it, this whole thing would all blow over. I had no choice but to trust her judgement in this matter, so I let it go for awhile, thinking that she might be right. It wasn't until Josh was in jail that I brought it up to her again, and at the time, she was all for going down and trying to straighten the whole thing out upon hearing the truth of the situation from Twilight. However, her letter had clearly stated that Josh did not want us to show up for fear that we would be in jeopardy of persecution ourselves for bringing him here.”

“My sister was confident that nopony in Equestria knew the truth besides Josh, his friends, you, and ourselves, but still chose to heed his wishes until such a time as she thought we ought to act. By the time we received another letter from Twilight saying she needed us in Ponyville the next day, it was already too late, apparently."

"But why did you two send him away then?" Vinyl asked, now looking back into Luna's face as she finished her explanation, "Couldn't you have just sent him somewhere else in Equestria, let him lay low till things could be resolved?"

"My sister... she said she did it to protect him, to keep this from happening again." Luna replied, her sister's words from that next morning returning to her thoughts, "She said that he would be safer on earth, that even if she were to cast some sort of protection spell on him that it would do no good. I wanted to argue against that, to make her see that we should bring him back, but she was so downtrodden after everything that happened... I couldn't bring myself to say anything to her about it..."

"Well can't you bring him back now?" Vinyl asked, her eyes growing wide as a solution occurred to her, "I've seen Celestia do it, and you probably can too, right? You just have to find him and teleport him back here!"

Luna bit her lip nervously and her ears pressed flat against her skull at the suggestion.

"I... I tried that already." Luna said nervously, "After I received word that he was indeed gone, I was able to locate him, and I intended to bring him back and have him stay at the castle till we could sort everything out here, but..."

"But what?" Vinyl asked, her voice becoming high and desperate as Luna hesitated.

"I couldn't transport myself away from here, nor could I grab him and bring him back." Luna replied solemnly, her head falling low in defeat, "There's some sort of... barrier up, one that prohibits me from leaving Equestria or bringing anypony else in. I can't break past it, no matter how hard I try. I... I'm sorry, Vinyl..."

Vinyl felt her heart sink back down as the princess's words settled in her mind. The possibility of his return had always been in the back of her head, whether he were to be scooped up by the princess again, or through some random happenstance he found his way through to Equestria. Now, however, after Luna revealing the former as a complication and she had to admit the latter as an impossibility, Vinyl was once again forced to reconcile the truth in her mind: that neither she nor anypony else would ever see Josh again. She lowered her head and shut her eyes tightly as tears began to make their way from her large, crimson-magenta eyes again, each one falling softly onto the earth below. The sadness she been so accustomed to feeling threatened to take her over once more as she stood before Luna, who, upon seeing Vinyl's head fall, wrapped her up in a tight, comforting embrace, draping her soft wings around the distraught mare.

"Please don't cry, Vinyl." Luna said gently, glancing down at the unicorn who stared back up with puffy eyes, "I know it's hard to go through all this, but you must be strong, for your own sake and for the sake of your child."

"Be strong?!" Vinyl asked, rather aggressively, actually glaring back at the night princess as she forced herself away from her embrace, "How am I supposed to do that, Luna?! It's not like I can just wake up tomorrow and everything's gonna be okay! He's gone, and... a-and I'm never going to see him again... I... I c-can't do this on my own!"

With that, Vinyl collapsed to the ground, her body trembling heavily as wave after wave of sadness and anguish washed over her, forcing her to drown in absolute sorrow. Luna knelt down next to the wailing unicorn and draped a wing across her back, pulling her in close again and holding her at her side, feeling Vinyl's trembling body next to her own.

"Vinyl, I understand that it's never easy to lose somepony you care for." Luna began, slowly stroking Vinyl's cream colored back as she wept beside her, "Believe me, immortality is a hard burden to bear sometimes, and even more so when you're forced to watch those you love pass on while you age no further from year to year. Between the two of us, we've experienced more loss and heartbreak in our lifetimes than anypony could stand in several of their own."

Luna placed a hoof carefully under Vinyl's chin and lifted the unicorn's gaze towards her own, staring deep into her eyes.

"But, we need to be strong ourselves and move on, for we have a kingdom to run and other duties far beyond what you all may see. That doesn't mean the pain goes away, but we don't allow it to control us, to hinder our forward progress. You don't have a kingdom to run, of course, but that child inside of you will need you more than anypony else, and you can't allow your pain and sorrow to get in the way of their future."

Vinyl didn't respond right away, instead keeping her eyes locked on Luna's as the night princess gave her a loving, but firm look.

"I... I know." she finally said after a moment's hesitation, wiping away the excess tears with a free hoof, "It's just... I... I don't know what to do. I mean, I can't raise a baby on my own, certainly not his. And, before the baby even gets here, how am I supposed to keep other ponies around town from knowing I'm pregnant? I can't just hide away for a year."

"You don't have to do this on your own, my child." Luna said, smiling sweetly down at the unicorn she held close by her side, "As long as your friends are here for you, you're never alone. You should know that by now. As they say, it takes a village to raise a child."

Vinyl smiled slightly at those words, remembering the old adage her mother would spout when she was younger. Then, her mind turned towards her friends, towards Twilight and Octavia and Rarity and Applejack and all the others who'd been there for her through the course of the last few weeks. Not once had they abandoned her in all the insanity, and Vinyl couldn't reason why they'd hang her out to dry now. If she had to be honest with herself, she felt a little ashamed that she'd so easily forgotten them and everything they'd done for her as of late.

"And as for your protection, you leave that up to us." Luna said firmly, drawing Vinyl's drifting attention back towards herself, "Your friends and myself will see to it that you are taken care of completely until the baby arrives. You have my word on that."

"Th-thank you, Luna." Vinyl responded, her smile spreading across her cream colored face as a slight warm sensation began to build in her chest at the night princess's words, "It means a lot."

"I'm glad I could help you, Vinyl." Luna said, embracing the mare once more.

A companionable silence fell between the two as they sat there, each wrapped up in her own thoughts and the gratitude that had stemmed from their conversation. Both felt sensations of absolute relief flood their minds for the first time in weeks, pushing out some of the nagging uncertainties that had plagued them both. For the first time in what seemed like forever, the two mares seemed at peace, both with one another and with themselves.

After some time of silent reflection, they broke apart and both stood up, Luna glancing around and smiling at the now dark surroundings.

"My my, it certainly did get dark quickly, didn't it?" Luna noted, "I hadn't even realized the sun was down till just now."

"I guess you might need to get to work raising the moon and stars then, huh?" Vinyl asked.

"And you might need to be heading home." Luna replied, "Would you like me to escort you back to Ponyville?"

"No, I think I'm alright." Vinyl responded, "It might do me some good to walk home alone. Give me time to think about what my next move is gonna be."

"And what exactly would that be?"

"I don't really know." Vinyl said, shrugging slightly, "But, whatever it is, it's gonna be something he'd want me to do, something that'll make him proud."

"I wish you the best of luck, Vinyl." Luna said softly, beaming at the unicorn, "I'll see you some other time, alright?"

Vinyl nodded and gave Luna a small wave before turning and making her way back towards the narrow dirt road leading to Ponyville. When she'd arrived at the lake that evening, the only feelings she'd known were pain and sorrow and uncertainty for the future. She still wasn't sure of what the future would hold now, and the pain was far from gone, but hope had returned to her, filling her with a type of confidence she'd not known since before Josh was incarcerated. She didn't know how or even when, but she had to admit at last that Josh was finally right. Everything was going to be alright.

Luna stared up into vast expanse of the night sky, smiling at the result of her work she'd begun once Vinyl made her way back to Ponyville. Where once there had been nothing but blackness, bright stars now filled the sky, their distant twinkling adding even more beauty to the already picturesque scene. Among the spread of tiny lights sat the moon, glowing brightly in its place, painting the surroundings below with a pale, silver hue. A calm silence was all that could be heard now, quite the contrast to what had occurred here earlier between Luna and Vinyl.

"Well," said a voice behind the night alicorn, "that went about as well as expected."

Luna spun around towards the origin of the voice and saw a bright, yellow light piercing through the nearby shadows amongst the greenery which blocked the moon's silvery glow. A small smile spread across her face as a brown unicorn stallion soon came into view, dimming the light from his horn as he approached the night alicorn.

"How is she?" Luna asked as Warden stopped just short and plopped down in front of her.

"She definitely seems to be doing a little better now." Warden replied, "She actually managed to eat something, and she and Octavia sat and talked for awhile."

"Do you know what about?"

"Your guess is as good as mine." Warden said, shrugging slightly before going on, "When I left, she'd just gone to sleep. Looked like it's probably the most peaceful sleep she's had in awhile."

Luna nodded and let out a sigh of relief before turning her gaze back up towards the sky, glancing once more at the stars she'd just placed in the sky as her mind wandered towards Vinyl. She knew full well that the path of healing would be a long and hard one, full of plenty of trials and tribulations, and Vinyl had only just begun down it. But, she was also confident that, at least now, things finally seemed like they would be getting better for the young mare.

"You handled yourself rather well with her." Warden suddenly said, forcing Luna's attention back towards him as he addressed her, a slight smirk on his face, "To be honest, if somepony were yelling at me like that, I can't say that I'd be able to remain so calm."

"As a princess, I'm no stranger to criticism, especially when you take my past into account." Luna remarked, "I can't blame her for being upset with my sister and I. After all, we... didn't really do much to help either her or Josh when this was all going on..."

"I honestly don't think there was much more you could do, Princess."

"Wasn't there, though?" Luna asked incredulously, "If we'd been here sooner, if we'd taken action against Filthy Rich, surely we would have been able to stop this whole thing before it got out of hoof."

"Perhaps you could have stalled him, but I doubt you would have stopped anything." Warden replied, "Filthy can be relentless when he wants something, and you or your sister showing up would have been nothing more than a slight hiccup in his plans. He still would have done what he'd done, and more than likely would have escalated it even quicker than he already had."

"How in all of Equestria did the ponies of this town side with him in all this?" Luna said sternly, "I just can't wrap my mind around all this... It doesn't seem possible!"

Luna shouted the last words and stomped her hoof into the ground in frustration, causing a few birds in a nearby tree to quickly fly from it's branches in fright from the sudden loud noise. The princess of the night glanced back down towards Warden, seeing him looking back up at her with an eyebrow raised. She let out a large sigh and slumped a little, her ears falling as she tried to calm herself down, realizing that shouting at the pony before her would get her nowhere.

"Believe me, Princess, I'd love to know the answer to that as well." Warden remarked solemnly, "After it was all said and done, I couldn't find a single, credible reason for what happened, and I still can't. The only thing I can think of that is even remotely close to a plausible explanation is that all the reservations anypony ever had about him, whether they were strong feelings or not, were exacerbated by Filthy Rich until he could completely convince ponies that they truly did hate and fear Josh, despite the fact that he'd never done anything harmful to any of them."

"How... how could somepony be so... so... vile?" Luna hissed, gritting her teeth as she glared back down towards Warden, "And how in Celestia's name can you so easily work for him still, after everything he's done?"

Warden's ears flattened against his head and a heavy scowl took over his face upon hearing the night princess's question.

"As the chief of the Ponyville police department, it's my job to serve the political figure of the day, whether that's Mayor Mare, or Filthy." he explained through gritted teeth, his eyes beginning to burn with an internal rage as he spoke, "Plus, Filthy knows about my... previous line of work and how unsavory it would be to my family, and he's more than willing to extort me with it. I don't want to risk my family and the life I've managed to build up since leaving the service of the Royal Guard, so I have no choice but to do what he wants me to. I despise him with every fiber of my being, Princess, but it's either I serve him, or I lose everything."

As Warden finished his explanation, Luna features immediately softened and she felt a pang of regret at lashing out at the stallion moments before.

"I'm sorry, Warden." she replied softly, her own ears falling as she addressed him in a much softer tone, "I didn't know..."

"It's... not your fault, Princess." Warden sighed, his entire body slumping down as he allowed the sudden rage that had overtaken him dissipate, "Besides, it's not all bad."

"How so?" Luna asked, her head cocked in curiosity.

"Filthy thinks he's sent out a spy to keep an eye on Vinyl for his own insane political agenda, but all he's done is given her a bodyguard and an entire police force who'll help protect her each and every day." Warden answered, a smirk overtaking his face as he glanced back up at Luna.

The princess of the night smiled back down at Warden, a warm feeling spreading through her body as she gazed into his bright blue eyes filled with a deep determination. With everything that had gone on over the course of the last few weeks, all the heartache and destruction that had been wrought, it was a relief to finally find something to feel good about again. They say time heals all wounds the princess thought quietly to herself with any luck, we can prove that old adage true.

"Well, I need to get back to my post for the night, I'm afraid." Warden said after a brief silence, standing up and stretching his forelegs out, yawning as he did so, "And I'm sure you have business of your own to attend to."

"That I do." Luna replied, rising herself and turning towards Warden, her soft smile still intact as she gazed down at the stallion before her, "Do try to get some sleep eventually though Warden. It's not good for you to lose too many hours."

"I'll be sure to do that, Princess." Warden replied, a slight smirk on his face.

Warden bowed low to the princess of the night before turning and making his way back towards town, undoubtedly heading back for Octavia's home so as to continue his vigilant watch over Vinyl. Luna was once again left alone on the small hill, the soft sounds of the water breaking nearby continuing to add its ambiance to the already serene setting. She gazed back up at the bright silver moon above, smiling and letting out a small sigh of relief as she reminisced on the events of that night. This situation was still far from being resolved in any way, and there was a distinct possibility that it might never be resolved, but at least they'd begun to move in the right direction. And, with any luck and just enough hope, maybe everything could one day be alright again.

Chapter 16: Bribery

Octavia and Vinyl stood at the kitchen sink in Tavi's home, the two idly chatting as they finished cleaning their dishes from breakfast that morning. Upon returning from the lake the previous night, Vinyl immediately told Octavia all about what had happened between she and Luna, how the alicorn had apologized profusely to her and promised to protect the unicorn until her baby was born. This news made Octavia practically begin jumping for joy, especially when she saw the complete change in her friend's attitude from one of melancholy to one of relative happiness. The two mares stayed up for a few hours more, enjoying one another's company for what seemed like the first time in forever. Even after they both headed off to bed, Tavi stayed up for awhile longer, positively ecstatic that she'd seemingly gotten back her best friend, at least for the time being.

When she did finally get to sleep, Luna visited Octavia in her dream and addressed the cellist herself, informing her of Warden's position at the moment, assuring her that he was completely on their side despite whatever it may seem like between he and Filthy. Tavi agreed to keep his true intentions a secret as well as to speak to Vinyl's other friends and inform them of everything she's been told. Before departing for the night, Octavia over and over again thanked the princess of the night for everything she'd done to help Vinyl and vowed to do everything she could to assist Luna in her mission to keep Vinyl safe and sound. After that, Octavia had to admit, she'd experienced the best night's sleep she'd had in a very long time.

"So, Vinyl," Tavi began, handing a pan to the unicorn who grabbed it in her magical grip and began to dry it off, "you wouldn't happen to have anything planned for today, would you?"

"No, not really." replied Vinyl, setting the pan down on the nearby drying rack, "Why?"

"Well, it's just... I was thinking," Octavia stammered, blushing a little as she turned her gaze towards Vinyl, "since you're feeling better now, perhaps we could spend the day together. Like we used to."

Vinyl turned her own eyes towards Octavia to see the gray mare beaming wide at her while blushing heavily.

"That does sound... good." Vinyl said hesitantly, setting her dish towel aside, "But... I don't know if I'm ultimately comfortable with being out in public just yet..."

"Well, we don't have to do too much, really." Octavia assured her, "I was thinking about just grabbing some lunch, and I've been needing to visit Rarity to get a new bowtie for my show next week. After that we can just spend some time at home."

Vinyl felt a slight unease as her gaze drifted away from Octavia before her and towards the front door. Though Tavi was right in saying that Vinyl had been feeling much better since meeting with Luna the night before, she was still very much worried about how the ponies of Ponyville would act towards her. After all, it had only been a few days ago that she'd been on the front page of the local newspaper for her recent admission to the hospital (a reason which was a complete and total lie, by the way), and only a few weeks ago that Josh had been sent away. The ponies of Ponyville had expressed so much ire towards she and her human before, and she doubted that a few weeks going by would be enough to change their attitudes regarding her. However, as she turned her attention back towards Octavia, she couldn't help but feel a surge of relief wash over her.

Tavi and her other friends had been there for her through everything that she'd had to endure, never once even thinking of abandoning her to join in the mobs that had so easily turned on her and her lover. Even after the dust had settled, they were always there, whether she truly appreciated them at the time or not. If Tavi was so willing to stay by my side before, I'm sure I'd be more than safe sticking with her Vinyl thought to herself quietly.

"Okay, Tavi. I'd love to go out with you today." she said finally.

"Oh wonderful!" Octavia exclaimed, clapping her hooves together happily, "I can't wait! Oh, it's so good to have you back, Vinyl."

Octavia reached out and embraced her friend tightly, with Vinyl happily returning the gesture for her exuberant friend.

"It's really good to be back, Tavi." she said, pulling Octavia even closer in their already tight hug.

After they broke apart, Tavi made her way from the sink, muttering to herself the things she needed to get done as Vinyl slowly trailed after her. The two mares made their way back up the stairs, with Octavia heading to her room to begin cleaning herself up for the day while Vinyl retreated to her own to do the same. The unicorn sat down before her own vanity nearby and immediately scooped up her hairbrush in her magical grip, running it through her shaggy, two-toned blue mane in an attempt to work out all the knots that had developed in it over the course of the night.

"Oh, I almost forgot." Octavia said suddenly, making her way into Vinyl's room, a half tied pink bowtie draped around her neck, "Before we come back home, I was thinking of picking up a bottle of wine for us. I'm afraid I drank the last one a little... faster than I'm willing to admit. Would you be alright with that, or should I just get some sparkling cider instead?"

"I'm alright with either one, to be honest." Vinyl replied, turning to face her friend, "Whatever you're feeling like is fine with me."

"I only ask because... well..." Tavi hesitated, her eyes drifting to Vinyl's belly.

"I think I'm early along enough in my pregnancy that a glass or two of wine shouldn't be too bad." Vinyl said, giggling a little as Octavia's eyes shot back upwards and she blushed bright red again.

"Yes, well..." Octavia said, clearing her throat.

"Really, Tavi. It'll be fine." Vinyl said, setting her hair brush aside making her way towards her friend, an assuring smile painted across her face.

"If you insist." Octavia replied, "By the way... have you given any thought as to your... plans for the baby? Like, what you're going to do once it's born?"

"Yeah, I have." Vinyl said slowly, "For the most part at least."

"And what would that be?"

Vinyl opened her mouth to reply, but was cut off as a loud knock sounded from the front door, drawing the attention of both mares.

"Who the devil could that be?" Octavia asked, turning and making her way down the stairs, "Derpy already delivered the mail today."

Vinyl trailed after Octavia as they both descended the stairs, making their way towards the front door to investigate who this mysterious visitor could be. Upon reaching the entryway, Tavi glanced back towards Vinyl who was standing in the middle of the living room not too far behind her. The two mares gave each other a quick nod of approval before Octavia slowly opened the door, revealing two brown-coated stallions standing before them, one a unicorn and the other an earth pony who Octavia and Vinyl recognized all too well.

"Good morning, Ms. Philharmonica." crooned Filthy Rich, a soft smile on his face as he and Warden behind him took notice of Octavia.

"Y-y-you!" Tavi hissed, her eyes wide in shock at seeing the stallion before her, "W-what in all of Equestria are you doing here?"

"I was merely in the neighborhood and figured I ought to pay you and Ms. Scratch a visit." Filthy replied simply, peering around Octavia slightly and catching a brief glimpse of Vinyl standing statue still in the living room, "Would you mind if I came inside for a moment?"

"Of course I mind!" Tavi spat, her shocked expression from before now completely transformed into one of seething anger and hatred, "After everything that you have put us through, after all the heartbreak and pain you've wrought with your evil ways, you would dare to stand on the front porch of my home and address me as if nothing's ever happened?! There is no way in bloody Tartarus that I'm allowing you in my home for even a second, whether you're the damned mayor of Ponyville or not!"

"Now, Octavia," Filthy began, clearly not at all put off by Tavi's harsh words, "I can assure you with the utmost certainty that I have not come here with any sort of ill intention for you or Ms. Scratch. In fact, I'm here as a show of good will. I have an offer for Ms. Scratch, one that can hopefully mend things between the two of us."

"You have got some nerve, haven't you?!" Octavia shreiked, standing tall and now fronting on the stallion before her she so despised, "You think that it's that simple?! You think that your so called 'offer' will do anything to make us forget what you've done? You truly are a disgusting stallion, Filthy Rich. There's a special place in Tartarus for ponies like you, and unless you get away from my home in the next ten seconds, I'd be more than happy to send you there early!"

"Now now, Ms. Philharmonica," Filthy said gently, smirking at the fuming mare before him, "let's not go around making threats like those. After all, I'd hate to see Warden here have to haul you off for something like that."

Filthy gestured behind him to Warden, who stared stone-faced back at Octavia. The gray earth pony opened her mouth as if to respond but quickly stopped herself, realizing she'd rather not say anything that could compromise Warden's position in helping keep Vinyl safe.

"Now, I'll ask you one more time, since you seem much more cooperative now," Filthy continued, realizing that he'd managed to placate the cellist, "may I come inside?"

Slowly, begrudgingly, Octavia stepped aside, allowing the two stallions to enter her home. Once they were both inside, she quickly shut the door and wheeled around, a sour look still painting her face as she walked over to take her place beside Vinyl.

"Hello there, Ms. Scratch." Filthy said, nodding towards Vinyl, "It's nice to see you up and on your hooves so soon after your time in the hospital."

Vinyl said nothing to that, bringing on a rather awkward silence between the four ponies standing in the room.

"Just get on with it." Octavia said impatiently, "We've not got all day."

"Right." Filthy replied, "I was merely exchanging pleasantries, but we should get to the matter at hoof. Please have a seat."

Vinyl and Octavia exchanged quick glances before making their way towards the nearby couch, taking a seat as Filthy stepped before them, Warden in tow.

"As I'm sure we are all no doubt aware, the last few months have been... rather tumultuous around here, for everypony." Warden began, pacing slowly back and forth before the two mares seated on the couch before him, "Tensions have been very high, and as a result I made a few critical errors regarding my treatment of you, Ms. Scratch. Unfortunately, this means I unintentionally ended up alienating you from your peers here in town, and for that I am extremely sorry."

"Really? That's what you're sorry for?" Vinyl asked, doing everything she could to keep her rage from overtaking her speech, "You persecuted my coltfriend to no end, had him arrested for attacking you after you called me a slut, had him tossed out of Equestria entirely, and you're saying you're sorry for making me look bad?"

"Ms. Scratch, you may not see it now, but I did what I did with the best of intentions." Filthy replied simply, "I will admit that I wish I could have gone about things a bit differently than I did, but it was all for the safety and security of the citizens of Ponyville and Equestria as a whole, I promise you that."

"Josh was never a threat to anypony and you knew it, you lying bastard!" Octavia suddenly screamed, jumping up from her seat, her eyes aflame with hatred and anger as she glared at Filthy, "You can feed everypony your rubbish story about wanting to protect them from him, but don't expect us to buy into your lies!"

Warden took a step towards Octavia, giving her a stern glare and silently mouthing for her to sit back down. The gray mare again prepared to retort, but quickly caught herself, retreating back to her seat on the couch, her angry eyes now locked on Warden who gave her a small nod of approval.

"...As I was saying," Filthy continued once Octavia had rejoined Vinyl, "I feel very bad that you were caught up in the middle of all this, and I'd like to make it up to you in some way."

"What exactly did you have in mind?" Vinyl asked.

"Well, seeing as I'm now mayor of this fine town, I have a bit more sway than I used to, and I've decided to help you in any way I possibly can, Ms. Scratch."

Vinyl's previously stone stiff expression quickly changed to a quizzical one, her gaze drifting to Warden nearby who gave her a small nod.

"How exactly do you intend to help me?" Vinyl finally inquired, wracking her brain to figure out what Filthy might have in mind.

"My mission is to help you truly get back on your hooves and get out there so you can start living your life again." Filthy replied, a wide, prideful smile now overtaking his face, "If you're in need of a reference for a job, I'll gladly provide you with one. If you're in need of a place of your own in the future, I'll more than willingly help you attain a space to call your own. Anything you may need, Ms. Scratch, don't hesitate to come to me, and I'll do everything in my power to see you get it, within reason of course."

Vinyl and Octavia's jaws both fell open and the two mares exchanged glances, neither one truly able to comprehend what they'd just heard from Filthy Rich.

"That's... your offer?" Octavia stammered, her voice filled with shock and disbelief, "After you did everything you could to make our lives a living nightmare, after wreaking so much havoc... you're going to go out of your way to help Vinyl get back on her hooves?"

"That's the basic idea, yes."

"You... you're a damned fool!" Tavi shouted, causing Warden and Filthy to jump a little with the sudden yell, "There is no way in bloody Tartarus that Vinyl would even consider a thing like that, and for you to even be so dense as to think that this little offer you're bringing will erase everything you've done to her is complete and total madness and you know it!"

"Ms. Philharmonica, I have made it more than clear from the time I arrived here that I have no ill intentions for you or Ms. Scratch, yet this entire time, I've been met with nothing but hostility!"

"Did it never occur to you that there's a more than reasonable explanation for that, you imbecile?!" Tavi screamed back, once again jumping up from her position on the couch and approaching Filthy Rich, "Perhaps I should spell it out for you once more, since you seem to be incapable of understanding basic English. YOU. RUINED. HER. LIFE!"

"And as I've made it known, I'm sorry for what she's had to endure." Filthy replied through gritted teeth, now glaring daggers at the earth pony before him.

"SHE HAD TO ENDURE IT BECAUSE YOU'RE A DAMN BIGOT!"

"Enough!"

A stunned silence fell in the room as the attention of Octavia, Filthy Rich, and Warden shifted towards Vinyl. She had stood up from her place on the couch and was staring intently at Filthy Rich and her friend before her.

"I'm tired of listening to the two of you fucking yelling at each other!" she said, giving her friend a stern look, "For Celestia's sake, Tavi. Don't I get a say in this whole thing at all?"

"V-Vinyl..." Octavia stammered, her voice now as soft as a whisper as she stared disbelievingly at her best friend, "You're not seriously going to listen to this maniac, are you?"

"Tavi, he's making this offer to me, not you, okay?" Vinyl replied sternly, "I'm more than capable of making my own decisions. You don't have to speak for me, and you certainly don't have to yell for me."

Octavia's deep violet eyes began to well up with tears as she looked upon Vinyl, completely aghast at what she was hearing, that Vinyl was willing to listen to the stallion who had systematically torn her apart emotionally.

"Now, about your offer." Vinyl began as Octavia, clearly in a daze, drifted back over to the couch and plopped down, her jaw hanging low as she looked on with a never ending stare, "What's the catch?"

"Catch?"

"I'm not an idiot, Mayor Rich. This clearly comes with some sort of catch, and I'm not about to agree to a single thing without knowing what that is."

"I can assure you, Ms.Scratch, there's no catch here." Filthy replied proudly, his usual smirk returning to his face as he spoke, "I'm making you this offer as a show of good will between the two of us. I'd hate to see you miss out on any opportunities you may have in the future because of what's gone over the last few months. You have just as much of a right to your life as anypony else."

Silence fell again among the gathered ponies, with Vinyl quietly contemplating Filthy Rich's words while Warden and Octavia looked on in awe at her decision to take his offer into consideration.

"Okay then, Mayor Rich." Vinyl finally said after what seemed like an eternity, "I accept your offer."

"You do?" the other three replied in unison, with Octavia and Warden glancing at one another quickly, neither pony able to comprehend what they had just heard from the unicorn.

"Uh... well then... that's... that's wonderful, Ms. Scratch!" Filthy said, clearly unable to believe what had just transpired himself, "I'm very glad to hear that you're willing to allow me to help you."

"This doesn't erase anything, just so you know." Vinyl replied, "I'm not willing to forgive you for anything just yet, but I do appreciate you offering your assistance."

"Of course. I completely understand, and I hope that one day, perhaps you and I can be on better terms."

"We'll see."

A heavy, uncomfortable silence filled the room again, with Vinyl having nothing more to say and the other three ponies unable to find any more words of their own. Warden and Octavia merely stared at Vinyl, still in shock that not only did she not shoot down Filthy Rich, but that she actually accepted his offer. Octavia felt complete and utter betrayal as she looked upon her friend, a mare who had gone through so much, who'd actually attempted to take her own life after Filthy ripped her entire world apart and who had also just agreed to let him help get her life back in order. Her vision blurred as tears welled up even more in her large eyes, slowly trailing down her face as she sat in a stunned and sad silence, unable to look away from Vinyl.

"Well, I do believe that Warden and I should be getting on our way." Filthy replied after a long while, "Thanks again very much for agreeing to see me, Ms. Scratch. If there's anything at all you need, please, don't hesitate to ask me."

"There's just one thing for right now." Vinyl replied, following Filthy as he made his way towards the front door, "There's a few things I left in my old home with Josh that I'd like to get, and I need somepony to help me gather it up."

"I'm sure that Warden here would be more than willing to assist you in that matter, wouldn't you Warden?"

"Uh... Of course sir." Warden replied slowly, finally forcing his thoughts away from his utter disbelief and following after Filthy as he made his way out of the house.

"It's all settled then." Filthy happily replied, turning back to address Vinyl, "Whenever you're ready to gather your things, just let Warden know and I'll send him with you to help."

Vinyl nodded in agreement, which Filthy returned eagerly.

"It's been a pleasure meeting with you today." he added, turning and making his way back into town, Warden following closely behind him, "Good day, Ms. Scratch."

Once both stallions had exited the house, Vinyl closed the door with her magic and turned back to Octavia who was now almost sobbing on the couch nearby.

"Tavi," the unicorn said softly, approaching her friend and gently beginning to rub her back with a hoof, "it's alright. He's gone now."

"It's alright?!" Tavi snapped, jumping up and glaring at Vinyl through watery eyes, "How in Equestria can you say that it's alright?! You... you agreed to that maniac's offer! After everything he put you through, after all the heartache and pain he's brought upon you, you just stood there and played his little game!"

"Well, he was offering." Vinyl said calmly, a smirk closely resembling Filthy's now crossing her face.

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

"Octavia, do you honestly think I don't know what he's up to here?" Vinyl replied, "I saw right through all that bullshit the moment he brought it up. He's trying to bribe me so I'll stay quiet and cooperate with him, so he can stay the mayor."

Octavia's previous look of anger at her friend vanished almost entirely as she spoke, now replaced by one of confusion.

"He sees me as a threat, since I could probably convince the ponies here to turn on him if I reveal the truth of how I ended up in the hospital. He's too paranoid about his place, so he thinks that offering to help me out will keep me silent and content. But, what that asshat didn't seem to understand is that his offer'll benefit me more than he even knows. I'll stay silent for him and play ball, but I'll see to it that I milk his offer for all it's worth while I can. Pretty smart, huh?"

Vinyl beamed wide at Octavia, who had completely stopped crying and was now staring at her best friend in absolute amazement at her genius.

"We'd probably better get back upstairs and keep getting ready if we're gonna go out today." Vinyl said, making her way back towards the staircase and back to her room, "After all, you look like you could use a new bowtie and a good hair brushing."

The unicorn giggled to herself as she disappeared up the stairs, Octavia staring after her as she went. Eventually, Tavi herself let out her own series of giggles, following after her extremely clever friend, playing the scene over again in her head and seeing how masterfully Vinyl had managed to get Filthy right where she wanted him to be before agreeing to participate in his ultimately idiotic plan. Josh, how proud you'd be of her right now Tavi thought to herself as she made her way back into her own room to continue preparing for her day out with her best friend.

Chapter 17: Reclaim

Vinyl stood beneath the streaming shower head, allowing the warm water to wash over her cream colored body as thoughts raced through her head. It had only been a few days ago she had accepted Filthy Rich’s proposal, and in that short span of time, she’d begun to take full advantage of it, much to her and Octavia’s delight. So far, she had managed to not only convince him to allow her to reclaim the belongings she had been forced to abandon at the house she and Josh once shared, but also to help get her a place to live and cover the rent on it for a full two years. This last request was one she hadn’t yet mentioned to Octavia, knowing that her friend wouldn’t be too thrilled to see her leave again so suddenly. However, she needed a place of her own, especially considering what she’d decided to do once she retrieved all of her belongings…

But first, she needed to actually go out and reclaim said belongings, something she wasn’t exactly eager to do. Even though she’d been doing her best to keep herself composed after the conversation she’d had with Luna back at the lake, she feared what her reaction would be once she actually set hoof back in she and Josh’s old house. She hadn’t been back there since he was arrested, and though she had no shortage of good memories residing there, the thought of returning so soon filled her with a deep sense of dread. However, she knew it was something that needed to be done, and she couldn’t afford to put it off, much as she may want to. The time for hiding and crying was done, and she was prepared to do whatever she needed to begin getting her life pieced back together.

Vinyl finished washing the last of the shampoo out of her mane and tail before turning the shower off and stepping out. She levitated a towel over and began drying herself off. As she finished towelling off her hair, she glanced at her reflection in the mirror, letting out a rather disgusted sigh upon seeing her own appearance. Although she’d been taking much better care of herself recently, she still had rather noticeable bags under her slightly bloodshot eyes from her previous lack of sleep. Vinyl pulled back her lips and grinned, beginning to look over her teeth and quietly lamenting her lack of personal hygiene over the course of the last few weeks.

“Celestia… I still look awful…” she mumbled under her breath, letting out yet another sigh as she continued to towel herself off, “But, I can only get better from here, I guess.”

Vinyl finished drying herself and levitated her towel over to a nearby hamper, dropping it in before making her way to her room to grab her hair brush. As soon as she had it in her magical grip and was raking it through her shaggy mane, she headed downstairs to find Octavia cleaning up her dishes from breakfast, humming to herself as she did so.

“Good morning, dear.” the gray mare said cheerfully, placing her bowl in the sink and turning to face her friend, “Are you hungry? I left some oats for you, on the stove.”

“Thanks, Tavi.” Vinyl said as she levitated a bowl from the cabinet and spooned out some boiled oats for herself.

“So…” Octavia said, her tone somewhat hesitant, watching as Vinyl placed a spoonful of brown sugar into her bowl, “are you ready for today?”

“I’d like to think so.” Vinyl replied, setting her bowl on the table and taking a seat, “I mean, I keep telling myself I’m ready, but… I just don’t know what’s gonna happen to me once I actually go back in there.”

“Can’t you just reschedule it? Take care of this some other time when you know for sure that you’re ready to tackle it?” Octavia said as she took a seat at the table.

“Now’s as good a time as any.” Vinyl responded, taking a bite of her oats and swallowing before continuing, “I can’t just keep putting it off… It has to be done, whether I want to or not. At some point, I’ve gotta learn to just face my problems, not hide away and cry whenever they come around. And besides, Twilight and Applejack are both probably already on their way over to help.”

“You know, I’m surprised you never asked for my assistance.” Octavia said, her tone slightly indignant.

“I didn’t know you wanted to help.” Vinyl replied, smirking at her friend, “You’re usually pretty busy most of the time, so I didn’t really think you’d be free.”

“I’m not so busy that I can’t help my best friend when she needs me.” Tavi said firmly, crossing her forelegs and giving Vinyl a rather huffy look.

“Sorry, Tavi.” Vinyl giggled at her friend’s change in demeanor, “Tell you what… You can help me get everything set up once I’m ready. Sound good?”

“I suppose it’ll have to do.” Octavia replied, giving Vinyl her own small smirk.

The two mares shared a laugh, stopping suddenly as a knock sounded at the front door. Standing up, Octavia trotted over and pushed it open, revealing both Twilight and Applejack standing there, smiling back at her.

“Howdy there, Octavia.” the orange mare said, tipping her stetson towards the cellist.

“Hey Tavi.” Twilight said jovially, “Is Vinyl in?”

“Hello there, girls.” Octavia replied, stepping back and allowing the two mares to enter, “Yes, she’s here.”

“Just finishing up breakfast, girls.” Vinyl called towards the foyer from her seat in the kitchen, swallowing her last bite of food and levitating her bowl over to the sink, “I woke up a bit later than I expected today. Sorry…”

“Don’t you fret.” Applejack responded, walking over to greet her friend, “If anypony deserves to get plenty a sleep, Ah’d say it’s you.”

“Precisely.” Twilight piped up, “Given everything you’ve been through, it’s nice to know you’re starting to get better.”

“Right.” Vinyl said, glancing back and forth between her two friends. “Well, I’m pretty much ready to go, just gotta run upstairs and grab my saddlebags real quick and we can go.”

Applejack and Twilight nodded, parting and allowing Vinyl to make her way past them and back up to her room, taking her hair brush with her and replacing it on her vanity. Using her magic, she grabbed up her saddlebags from off of her bed and double checked to make sure everything she needed was packed. When she was satisfied with her mental checklist, she slung the bags over her back and fastened the latches, making her way out of the room and back downstairs where her friends were awaiting her in the center of the living room.

“Ya ready?” Applejack asked.

Vinyl nodded, prompting both Twilight and Applejack to turn and trot back through the front door. Just as Vinyl herself began following after them, she heard Tavi call from the entry to the kitchen.

“Be careful now, Vinyl.” she said, walking over to her friend, “Don’t try and push yourself too hard while you’re out there. Take things slow if you have to.”

“I’ll be sure to do that, Tavi.” Vinyl replied, reaching out and giving her cellist friend a hug, “I’ll see you when I get home, okay?”

“I’ll make sure to have some lunch ready when you return.” Octavia said, giving Vinyl a warm smile as they separated.

Turning on the spot, Vinyl followed Twilight and Applejack out the door, closing it behind her as she passed over the threshold and out onto the street.Together with Twilight and Applejack, the three mares began to make their way through town, heading out towards Vinyl and Josh’s old home on the other side.

“So,” Applejack began as they passed by Roseluck’s stall in downtown Ponyville, “how ya been doin’, Vinyl? Feelin’ better?”

“Yeah, for the most part.” Vinyl replied, “Still adjusting quite a bit, but on the whole I’m doing a lot better.”

“Ah’m sorry Ah haven’t had the time to visit y’all since… you know…” Applejack said, a rather sheepish look on her face as she glanced towards Vinyl beside her, “Ah tried to set aside the time, but never was able to on account a all the work we’ve been needin’ to do on the farm.”

“It’s okay, AJ. Even if you had been able to visit, I don’t think I’d have had much to say up until a few days ago.”

“Have you given much thought as to what you going to do now?” Twilight asked.

“Yeah, I have.”

“And?”

“Well, first and foremost, I’m gonna keep the baby.” Vinyl began, “I know it’ll be hard trying to raise it on my own, especially considering what I do for work… But, it just wouldn’t be right for me to give it up for adoption, even if I was sure it’d go to a good family. This baby is easily one of the best gifts Josh ever gave me… and I’ll love and cherish it forever, whether he’s here with us or not.”

“Ah bet you’ll be a great mom, Vinyl.” Applejack said, giving her friend a warm smile, “And besides, it’s not like the baby’ll never know their father. There’s plenty a things here you can use to explain to ‘em just how special he was to everypony.”

“I know for sure that we’ll have no shortage of stories about him we can tell.” Twilight interjected, “Rainbow definitely will for sure.”

“Yeah.” Vinyl said, her own smile spreading across her face at her friend's’ words, “That’s a good point…”

“Any idea what y’all are gonna do in the meantime while you wait for the baby to arrive?” Applejack inquired.

“Well, I was thinking about-”

“Morning ladies.”

Vinyl cut off as she heard the familiar voice of Warden just ahead of them call out, waving to them as they looked upwards to see him standing outside Josh and Vinyl’s home. Beside him was a large, wooden cart which, upon seeing it, caused Applejack to facehoof as they made their way up to the house.

“That’s what Ah forgot to bring.” she said, stopping short of Warden, “I knew we needed a cart.”

“Not to worry, AJ.” Warden said, giving her a small smirk, “I’ve got you covered. Even brought boxes and everything.”

“How long have you been out here?” Vinyl asked.

“Long enough.” Warden replied, glancing between the three mares before him, “I was wondering if the three of you were ever gonna show up.”

“Sorry…” Vinyl said rather sheepishly, “I woke up later than I thought I would.”

“It’s not a big deal.” Warden replied warmly, “You’re here now, so that’s what’s important. So, you three ready to get started here?”

“Darn tootin’!”

“I am if Vinyl is.”

Warden, Twilight, and Applejack all turned their eyes towards Vinyl who was now looking up at the house before her, her previous feeling of dread beginning to return to her. It had been one thing to say she was ready to take care of this business, but something else entirely to now actually be standing before the home she’d once shared with Josh. As she continued to stare at the house, the memory of she and Josh first taking a look at it when they’d been intending to buy a place of their own flashed through her mind. She felt a slight lump form in her throat as she saw herself once again jumping up into her coltfriend’s arms and kissing him after they’d closed the deal and actually bought the place.

“Hey, Vinyl.”

Warden’s voice broke Vinyl out of her sudden reverie, causing her to shake her head a little in an attempt to force the image out of her mind.

“Huh?” she said, still somewhat in a daze as she looked back down to the unicorn stallion in front of her, “Oh… Sorry… I got distracted.”

“I could tell.” Warden said, his voice becoming very soft, “You sure you’re ready to do this today? We can always do it another time.”

“No, it’s gotta be done.” Vinyl said, shaking her head, “I don’t wanna give myself an excuse to put it off any more than I already have.”

“Alright… If you’re sure.” Warden said, his voice still filled with a great deal of skepticism.

“Ya got your keys?” Applejack asked.

Vinyl nodded and walked up to the front door, reaching into her saddlebags and pulling out her old house keys. Slowly, she placed the key into the lock on the door and turned it, hearing it click and allowing the entrance to swing open. She and her companions made their way inside, Vinyl turning on the lights as she made her way over the threshold and illuminating the entire living room. As she expected, everything was exactly the same as she’d left it all those weeks ago, something which caused a rather sick feeling to bubble up in the pit of her stomach.

“My my,” Warden said, walking to stand beside Vinyl and glancing around the living room, “you two really made a cozy little home for yourselves here.”

Vinyl said nothing to that, instead taking a moment to look all around the sickeningly familiar room. In the center of a large, ornate rug stood a rather plush couch and two chairs, one much larger than the other. All along the walls hung various pictures and plaques, some containing photos of Josh and Vinyl at various shows, while others contained newspaper clippings or magazine covers, all of which depicted the couple together. Along the mantle above the fireplace at the other end of the room stood a few other framed photos, as well as a few glimmering awards that Josh and Vinyl had received in their time performing together.

Though the sight of all these things should have been welcoming to Vinyl, they instead filler her with a sort of sadness that she just couldn’t shake. Everything about this room served to remind her of not only how happy she’d been with Josh in the first place, but also of what exactly she’d lost when he was sent away. They’d built a wonderful life together, one that she couldn’t have ever even imagined was possible before, and it had been taken away so suddenly, so unexpectedly… No, don’t think of it that way she thought to herself, trying her hardest to force her negative emotions out of her mind Just remember all the good times we had here…

“Well,” she finally said, turning around to face her companions, “we’d probably better get started then.”

The other three nodded and Vinyl reached into her saddlebags once more with her magic, drawing out three separate pieces of paper which she handed over to Applejack, Twilight, and Warden.

“This is a list of all the stuff we need to try and get out of here right now.” Vinyl began, taking off her saddlebags and setting them aside on the nearby couch, “I know it doesn’t seem like a lot, but we’ll come back for the rest of it at a later time.”

“Ya’ll aren’t gonna take any furniture out this time ‘round?” Applejack asked, looking up from her own list with one eyebrow raised.

“Not, not this time, AJ.” Vinyl responded, walking back towards the front door and levitating a few folded boxes, some tape, and a few markers out of the wagon outside, “Once I start getting settled into my new apartment we’ll come back for the larger stuff.”

“You tell Octavia you managed to set that up yet?” Warden asked, taking several boxes from Vinyl.

“No, not yet…” Vinyl hesitated, her ears folded back as she thought about what her friend’s reaction would be when she told her she was moving out so soon, “Knowing Tavi, she won’t be too happy to hear about that.”

“I’m sure it won’t be that bad.” Twilight assured her, “Tavi’s your friend. She’ll understand.”

“I hope so…”

“I know so.” Twilight said reassuringly, patting Vinyl on the shoulder gently, “Now, let’s get to work, shall we?”

Vinyl nodded before turning back to face the group, clearing her throat a little before speaking.

“Okay, so…” Vinyl hesitated, trying to think of what she wanted done first, “I think what we should probably do first is split the tasks up between the four of us by floor. Twi and AJ, you two can gather up the stuff on the list down here while Warden and I head upstairs and start packing things.”

“Where are we taking all this once we’re done anyway?” Twilight asked, glancing over her own list again.

“For now, we’re gonna store most of it in Tavi’s shed. I’d hate to fill her house up with all of my stuff, especially considering I’ll be moving out of there before too long. That’s part of the reason why we’re not gonna be grabbing any bigger stuff until later.”

“Ya’ll have your sound equipment on here though.” Applejack pointed out, “Ain’t that all pretty big?”

“That… we’ll deal with when we come to it.” Vinyl said lamely.

“Well, if we’re all done delegating our duties then,” Warden said, glancing at the three mares in turn, “let’s get started. If you guys need any more boxes, I have plenty in the cart outside as well as some extra packing materials.”

All three nodded, Twilight and Applejack taking another look at their lists before heading off to begin packing things up.

“If you girls have any questions about what you need to pack, don’t be afraid to ask me.” Vinyl added before turning and following Warden up the stairs, several folded boxes in her magical grip.

Both unicorns ascended the stairs together, stopping as they reached the top and turning towards one another.

“Where you want me to start?” Warden asked.

“Why don’t you gather up everything in our study first?” Vinyl said, peering over her list briefly, “That’s where we kept all our information about show dates and things like that. There are still a few venues that have yet to pay us, so I’ll need all that for later. Plus, we need to keep it all for tax season.”

“Right.” Warden replied, giving Vinyl a nod, “Where are you gonna start?”

“I’ll gather up everything I can in the bathroom first, I think.” she replied, using her magic to unfold a box and applying a long stip of tape to the bottom of it, “From there, I’ll probably start working on the bedroom.”

“Sounds good.” Warden said, “Let me know if you need my help with anything.”

Vinyl gave one last nod before turning on the spot and making her way down the hall towards she and Josh’s room, the feeling of dread beginning to return. Suddenly, she felt a hoof on her shoulder and turned back to see Warden standing there, a concerned look on his face.

“You know, you don’t have to be tough for us.” he said, his usually hard gaze softening as he stared into Vinyl’s face, “If it gets to be too much in here, don’t be afraid to step aside. We can handle it for you.”

“I appreciate that, Warden.” Vinyl replied, “But, I’ve just gotta be able to do this… I can’t afford to lose it, not now.”

“Vinyl, nopony blames you for handling this the way you have.” Warden said rather firmly, “I know I certainly don’t. You’ve been through a rough time. It only makes sense for you to take your time to mourn a little bit.”

“But that’s all I’ve been doing!” Vinyl said indignantly, “That’s all I’ve ever done! I’ve always been a bit of an emotional wreck, and I’m tired of it! I’ve gotta learn to face my problems instead of just shutting down all the time and crying.”

“I get it, Vinyl. I really do. But, don’t start pushing yourself too hard just because you feel like you have to. We all deal with our emotions in different ways, it’s just part of being what we are.”

“I know that, but I can’t afford to be like that anymore, not as long as I have a baby on the way. I don’t want mine and Josh’s child to have to live with a mother who can’t deal with her emotions…”

“All I’m saying is just take it easy if you have to. That’s why the rest of us are here, to help you through all this. You don’t have to go it alone you know.”

“I know…” Vinyl sighed, giving Warden a rather weak smile, “And, I appreciate that. I really do.”

“Good.” Warden said simply, giving Vinyl a small nod, “Now, we’d probably better get to work then.”

Vinyl nodded to the stallion and turned back towards the door to she and Josh’s old bedroom, swinging it open and stepping inside. As she crossed over into the room, she felt a slight wave of sadness wash over her. Like everything else in the house, it was the exact same as she’d left it last time. A large vanity stood against the wall nearest to her, several hair brushes, combs, and various other utensils scattered about on its surface. Behind that was a humongous bed which had been enlarged to accommodate Josh’s rather sizable proportions. The linens atop the mattress had been neatly pulled back and well made, several small pillows adorning the top of the comforter at the head of the bed. Beside it on either side were two end tables, each with a lamp placed atop it and the left one bearing a small alarm clock.

Vinyl let out a small sigh as she stood there, feeling yet another lump beginning to form in her throat and doing her best to stave it off for the time being. In an attempt to distract herself, she made for the nearby master bathroom, placing her box on the toilet and beginning to rummage through the drawers and medicine cabinet, tossing in pretty much everything she could find without really taking the time to see if it was essential or not. I’m just gonna go through all this shit later anyway… she thought as she finished emptying out the medicine cabinet. Upon completing her packing up of the bathroom, she walked back into the bedroom and set her box beside the door, reaching for another one and quickly setting it up.

Unsure of where exactly she wanted to start in this room, she turned towards the vanity and began to empty it out, tossing anything and everything into the box as she’d done before. Once finished there, she headed towards the nearby dresser and pulled out one of the drawers, stopping as she peered into it. This particular drawer had been home to much of Josh’s clothes, including his t-shirts and shorts as well as a number of other items. Vinyl looked down into the drawer, unsure of what exactly she wanted to do next. She couldn’t just give away Josh’s things, even if he wasn’t here, she knew that. First of all, these were clothes made for a human rather than a pony, so she’d have a hard time trying to sell them or give them away to somepony. On top of that, she felt that she should keep them around in the instance Josh were ever to return to Equestria, as unlikely as that may seem at the moment. He’d be pretty pissed if he came back and found out that I’d gotten rid of all his stuff while he was gone…

Vinyl shut the drawer after some time of wondering what to do, not wanting to waste too much time. Next time she came to gather up some things, she’d bring Rarity along and ask her what she should do, given that she’d made all those clothes in the first place. Pulling out the next drawer containing all her own clothes, she began grabbing and tossing them into the waiting box. Within only a few minutes, she’d cleared out that drawer and turned her attention towards her own end table, rummaging through those drawers and grabbing up her… unmentionable items before choosing to focus Josh’s side. Upon approaching it, she took notice of a picture atop it between the alarm clock and the lamp, one that, upon seeing it, made her heart slightly skip a beat.

The picture was of Josh and herself locked in a tight embrace, their lips pressed together in a passionate, eternal kiss, a golden-orange hue to their complexions as the sun set behind them. As she continued to stare at the photograph, her mind raced back to the day it was taken. It had been after their first show in Whinneapolis, one that had gone incredibly poorly for the two of them. There had been a myriad of technical issues that had come up all at once which they tried and failed to work around as they were performing. Alongside that, the crowd hadn’t really seemed all that into it, many of them choosing to leave about halfway through the performance. By the time all was said and done, Josh stormed off the stage in an incredibly foul mood, swearing loudly as he made his way back to the green room designated for he and Vinyl.

Given how he could be when frustrated, Vinyl hung back and gave him some much needed space, taking the time to catch up with their friends as well as speaking to the pony in charge of setting up all their equipment and asking him about the issues they’d encountered during the show. When enough time had gone by, she went back to the green room to find Josh lying on the couch, his hat over his face, something he only ever did if he was frustrated. Vinyl had slowly approached him and attempted to talk to him, After taking the time to calm him down, she suggested that the two of them visit the nearby lake to relax and get their minds off the disastrous performance they’d both just endured.

Somewhat reluctantly, he’d agreed and together, they spent the rest of the day hanging out at the lake, unwinding and enjoying each other’s company. Despite how terribly their show had gone earlier, they were still able to have a great time together, with Josh livening up as soon as he and Vinyl got the chance to play a few carnival games on the pier together. At the very end of it all, a photographer pony had come by and snapped a picture of the two of them together, one which Josh had apparently had enlarged and framed, unbeknownst to Vinyl herself.

She smiled at the photo in her magical grip, feeling tears beginning to well up in her eyes. That had been a once-in-a-lifetime day, one that had started out terribly and ended up all working out in the end, concluding with a loving moment shared between the two of them. Vinyl couldn’t help but feel the slightest glimmer of hope come to life in her mind as she thought back to that day, wondering if everything would eventually turn out as that had and that she and Josh would eventually be reunited and happy once again. It worked out pretty well then she thought to herself so why not now?

“Hey, Vinyl.” Warden called out from beyond the entrance to the bedroom, “I’m pretty much finished gathering up all the stuff in your study. You doing okay in here?”

“Yeah,” Vinyl called back, her voice wavering slightly as she set the picture she’d been holding in her box, “I’m just about done myself.”

“You guys certainly had a lot of that stuff saved up in there.” Warden added as he cantered into the bedroom, “You sure you guys really needed to keep all that stuff?”

“Josh said it’s important to hold onto it.” Vinyl replied, closing up her latest box and sealing it, “You know if the girls are done downstairs?”

“That’s what they told me. Twilight pretty much has everything off the walls and Applejack has all your dining ware and utensils packed up.”

“Good.” Vinyl responded, grabbing up her box and making her way towards the door, “Now, we’ve gotta start getting all our equipment out of the basement.”

“May have to make another trip for those. The cart’s getting pretty full at the moment.”

“We really had that much stuff?”

“Certainly seems that way…”

“Well, either way, I still need to explain to you all what we need to do with the equipment before we actually get it moved.”

“Sure thing.” Warden said, following Vinyl out of the room and picking up his own box he left by the door.

The two of them descended the stairs, depositing their respective boxes in the cart before returning to the home and making for the kitchen. As she passed through the living room, Vinyl marveled at the now-bare walls which had once been filled with stuff. Upon entering the kitchen, Vinyl looked around and saw Applejack and Twilight continuing to empty out the cupboards, carefully wrapping up all the breakables and neatly setting them in a nearby box.

“You girls almost finished?” she asked as they continued to work.

“Just about.” Applejack replied, depositing a wrapped plate into the box, “Ya’ll need us for somethin’?”

“I just need to explain what all we’re gonna do with the equipment once we start getting it packed up and ready to go.” Vinyl explained, walking over to address both ponies.

“Sure thing.” Applejack responded, nodding to Twilight who returned the gesture.

Together, she and Twilight followed Vinyl and Warden out of the kitchen, turning directly to their left and making their way down a nearby staircase. As Vinyl descended the stairs, she felt butterflies in her stomach at the thought of seeing all of she and Josh’s equipment again for the first time in what felt like forever. For as many memories as she had of the two of them just hanging out together, some of her best were without a doubt centered around this equipment. It had been behind all their mixers, controllers, and speakers that she’d first realized her feeling for him, how much she loved him and how he loved her back. They’d made a life for themselves with this equipment, become successful with it. The talent was all theirs, but without all their stuff that allowed them to make their music in the first place, there’s no way they’d have ended up where they both were in Equestria today.

Reaching the bottom of the stairs, Vinyl turned the knob on the door and swung it open, revealing a sight that made her heart soar almost every time. Before them all stood a myriad of electronic devices, some glowing softly in the darkness. Various instruments were placed about, as well as numerous pairs of headphones. Directly in the middle of the setup was a large monitor screen which was displaying a particular song in the usual producing software that she and Josh used all the time.

“Whoa…” Warden said, peering past Vinyl into the room beyond, his eyes somewhat wide as he took everything in, “There’s a lot of stuff in here.”

“Yeah, and most of it can’t be easily replaced.” Vinyl noted, descending the small set of stairs before her and standing in the middle of the room.

The other three followed after her, Warden still looking at everything before him with a somewhat slack-jawed expression.

“Land sakes…” Applejack said with slight concern in her voice, “I forgot just how much equipment ya’ll actually have…”

“What you guys saw was just the stuff we used for shows.” Vinyl stated, gesturing around the room at everything, “Most of this is more behind the scenes stuff. It’s what we actually make all of our music with.”

“I certainly remember it all…” Twilight said, a rather pained expression on her face as she looked over the equipment surrounding her.

Due to the lack of everything they needed in Equestria, both Josh and Vinyl had been forced to rely on Twilight to make some of it for them, a process that required an incredible amount of magic power as well as concentration. Not wanting to wear the poor mare out completely, they’d been forced to add stuff to their setup periodically, something that Twilight had been willing to do, but which usually threw her for a loop for some time after it was done. In return, both Josh and Vinyl had been sure to compensate the unicorn rather handsomely for her contribution.

“So, what exactly are you intending to do with all this stuff once we get it moved out of here anyway?” Warden asked.

“Well, I’m definitely gonna get back to making music.” Vinyl replied, “That’ll be the first thing.”

“You have greater plans then?” Warden inquired, his eyebrow raised towards the cream colored mare.

“Yeah, but… they’re not solidified just yet.” Vinyl responded hesitantly, “I’ve gotta get some other things figured out before I make too many other major choices at the moment.”

“Just so long as you keep us all aware of what’s going on.” Warden stated.

“I will. I promise.”

“In the meantime, what’re we gonna do with all a this?” Applejack asked.

“Well, we’ll have to make a second trip for it, but once we can get it out of here, some of it’s gonna go in storage while the rest of it’s gonna go into my new apartment.”

“You’ve got the space for it?” Twilight asked.

“I’ll make it work the best I can.”

“Alright…” Warden said, his voice filled with uncertainty, “Well, if we’re gonna get all this stuff moved next, then we’d better finish up the last few things upstairs and then take everything we have out to Octavia’s place.”

The three mares nodded as Warden turned on the spot and made his way back up the stairs, Applejack following close behind him.

“What exactly are your plans you’re still working on solidifying anyway?” Twilight asked once Applejack and Warden were out of earshot.

“Well, I can’t really say at the moment.” Vinyl responded, making her own way up the stairs after her friends, “But, I can say that it’s gonna be pretty awesome.”

With that, Vinyl gave Twilight a small smile before beginning to ascend the stairs, ready and excited to begin putting into place everything she’d been thinking about the last few days. Don’t worry, Twilight she thought to herself You guys’ll know everything soon enough.

Final Chapters

Well, this isn't exactly how I envisioned ending this whole thing, but this is clearly what it has come to. What you'll find here are the links to 5 of the last few chapters of this story, and this isn't every chapter I intended to write as part of the conclusion to this thing. In order to understand what's contained in these chapters, you need to understand what the lead up to all this was going to be. Basically, Vinyl was going to make the decision to go back to touring in the meantime until the baby was born, leading to a secret group who was determined to help her with her work as well as protect the secret of her pregnancy from any prying eyes. It would have been the Main 6, Octavia, Luna, Warden, and Frosty to start out with, and eventually more ponies who began to see how strong Vinyl had become as well as understand that Josh was never a threat to begin with would jump on board. Back on Josh's side of things, he would have had a very contemptuous relationship with Syd who was clearly a visitation of the person he used to be. At one point, when Syd learned accidentally the truth behind who Josh actually was, the two of them would have gotten into a huge argument, with Josh threatening to quit altogether. However, Syd's drug problem was going to get to be far too much for him, so much so that Liam would consider ending the tour so he could enter rehab and get himself back together. Instead, Josh, seeing how Syd needed the help and support of someone who's been through the same thing, would take him under his own wing and help him straighten things out. The two would have become close friends, with Josh helping Syd to rediscover why he loved making music in the first place, and Syd allowing Josh to open up more and let some things from his past finally go. And thus, we find ourselves at the end of the story. There are gaps in this that I have filled in in my own head canon, but this is pretty much it. Sorry it's come to this, but this is the only way I can provide closure for you guys. Please enjoy.

Promise
Together
Reveal
Explanations
Redeemed