//------------------------------// // Aftermath // Story: AtDD II: Cross Dimension Road Trip // by StrawberryGamer //------------------------------// It wasn’t hard for Vinyl to find where the fighting started. The holes in the wall had to stop somewhere, and a small corner cafe was the right spot. Interestingly, there was a second bit of damage where it looks like someone fired a big beam of magic that scorched everything it touched, except for one little circle right in the path that remained nice and not broken. Vinyl gawked briefly at the clean circle before glancing back towards where she came from. “Damn, I dunno what that mare got herself into, but I want some of that.” It also wasn’t hard for Vinyl to find the others. Ceruline and Charcoal Embers were unconscious on the ground and being looked over by Starry, who had found them first. “Ah, there you are,” Starry said upon spotting Vinyl, “did you find her?” Vinyl nodded. “Yeah. She was beat up pretty good. Tavi is going to get her to a hospital.” “It looks like they were also attacked. Ceruline got away with only minor injuries, but Charcoal’s wing looks sprained. I’ve arranged for them to get taken to the hospital as well.” Vinyl watched as a group of ponies came up to them with two stretchers and a cart. As they loaded up Ceruline and Charcoal and carted them off, she turned back to Starry. “Alright, now what about who did all this to them? Do you know?” She shook her head. “Alas, I do not. If that alicorn from the other world was still crazy, I’d lay the blame on her. I haven’t seen her around though.” Alicorn… Sunshine’s words came back to Vinyl. “Speaking of which, there might be another one around. Sunny kinda hinted it could’ve been him that did it.” “Just another danger to consider. You should join them. Get somewhere safe.” Vinyl stomped her hoof. “Hey! Just because I can’t fling spells around like you, does that mean I can’t defend myself?” She pulled out a black anklet and put it on her foreleg. “Trust me, I can handle myself.” Starry only glared at Vinyl. “You mean like you said you ‘got this’ back with Blueberry? I don’t think she’ll forgive you for not only getting caught, but destroying her house on top of it. And we’re up against potentially two alicorns. No, I will not risk your safety by letting you test out whatever gadget you’ve come up with this time on angry gods who could crush you with a thought.” “And you think you can do a better job? I seem to recall you getting caught right alongside me. Neither of us can stand up to them. Not alone.” “I’m not going to engage them,” Starry argued, but relented with a sigh, “but fine, if we have to fight, it might as well be together.” Before they could leave to look for the alicorns, there was a flash and a pop, and two ponies that they immediately recognized as Twilight and Lemon Drop appeared in front of them. The two pairs or ponies stared at each other in surprise before Starry and Vinyl lit up their horns to escape. “Wait! We’re here to help, not to fight!” Twilight pleaded. Starry didn’t let go of the spell she was about to cast, but glared at them both. “I gave you leeway before, Twilight. But this alicorn attacked us before.” “Yes, and that was before the rainbow laser,” Lemon said, “but I’m… more me now. It’s me, Tyler.” “Tyler?” Vinyl asked. “Like, the dude with the cool RV? The buck happened to you?” Lemon nudged her head towards Twilight. “She happened to me. The whole Harmonize thing. Apparently I wasn’t supposed to become an alicorn, and I wasn’t given any cool superpower, just a lot of knowledge and some accidental insanity from being rushed through the process.” “Yes, and I am still trying to make things right. We can at least reverse the effects on you as long as no serum was used. But that’s for later. Where are the others?” “Hospital. Sunshine was apparently wounded fighting an alicorn, with Ceruline and Charcoal getting caught up in the fight as well,” Starry answered, “we were about to look for this alicorn and assess the threat ourselves.” “I dunno, he must be a pretty tough customer if he can do… well, that,” Vinyl said, gesturing to the trench gouged in the road, “and Sunny must be a pretty tough cookie if she can take it.” “Not tough enough it seems,” Lemon said, “I shouldn’t have left her here, but I couldn’t hold character forever, and I didn’t want to fight him directly.” “Don’t worry. We shouldn’t have to fight him anymore. I’ve called for help.” Twilight reassured. “That’s a relief.” Lemon said with a sigh. “Yeah,” Vinyl agreed. “Oh, nice ponytail, Twi.” The relief was short-lived however, as their discussion was interrupted by a large white alicorn slamming down onto the street. “You!” He shouted, pointed at Lemon. “You took away everything from me! And now I’m going to make you pay!” “Dude, I don’t even know you.” Lemon said, then added after a bit of thought. “No wait, I do. You’re just a kid with a superiority complex and too much power for your own good. Get a life, find a hobby. Do something other than try and convince the world you’re something you’re not.” “That’s easy for you to say! You’re a princess!” “I’m a fucking truck driver. Trust me, there’s a place out there for you if you just get your head out of your ass and look for it.” James wasn’t having any of it apparently, as he fired a blast of magic at Lemon. She ducked out of the way and grabbed him with her magic. “Listen to me! You’ve been tricked by this power into believing you’re some great savior, but you’re just a kid. Don’t throw your life away chasing some dream of being a great hero. You can do far more good just by being who you were.” “I was a nobody before Equestria!” James yelled, dispelling the telekinesis with a burst of magic. “Here I was a hero. I was worth something to the world!” “Hate to break it to ya, but not everyone can be super special. You just have to find something that makes you happy and hold onto it. Sure, it could be these ponies. But your obsession has become just plain unhealthy,” Lemon dodged out of the way of another beam, “case in point: you’re just attacking me rather than trying to face your own mistakes.” “Just shut up! You ruined my life!” James had tears in his eyes as he fired another beam that went wide. “Wow, Jesse was right. You are a whiner.” Lemon muttered. With a shout of rage, James pounced on Lemon, the two then tumbling to the ground as he tried physically assaulting the smaller alicorn. Lemon guarded her face with her forelegs and pushed him back with a magic pulse, followed by a strong kick to his stomach with her hind legs. As James reeled from the blow, she picked herself up and tried to get airborne, but James had recovered and dragged her back down to the ground, where the two once again wrestled with hooves and magic. Vinyl meanwhile fidgeted with the anklet on her foreleg as she watched the fight. “Come on Starry, we should help her out.” Starry eyed the anklet wearily. “I’m not sure what magic you have in that accessory of yours, but if it’s anything like the gadget you had before, I’d say it’s best if you sat this one out.” “Oh come on, not you too!” Vinyl threw her hooves up in exasperation. “You blow up one house, and nopony lets you live it down…” “I wonder why…” Starry deadpanned as the two alicorns broke contact, Lemon managing to kick James off of her again. She was going to finally step in to assist when the sound of several sets of hoofsteps caught her attention. She turned around to find Twilight leading the rest of her friends towards them. No, this was this world’s Twilight. The Twilight she knew had her mane up in a ponytail. But when Starry turned to look for her, she wasn’t there, having likely teleported away. “Hey! What are you doing?” Rainbow shouted, and Starry took a moment to realize she was shouting at her and Vinyl. “Get out of here! It’s not safe!” “We can take care of ourselves, thank you very much!” Vinyl shouted back. “Okay, but if you get hit as well, don’t come crying to us!” “Get hit by what?” Vinyl asked, before noticing the necklaces (and big crown thingy) each of the mares was wearing. “Oh right, that. Shit we should probably move then.” “Ignoring the fact that human dialect has been a negative influence on your vocabulary, yes.” Starry said before turning back to the fight still ongoing. “Lemon, if you don’t wish to get blasted again, I’d advise getting clear of the other alicorn.” “Easier said-” Lemon paused to block a kick to the head, “-than done!” Starry sighed and lit her horn, with Twilight noticing and following suit. Lemon and James were both enveloped in a blue and purple glow and forcibly separated. Lemon was then released, where she quickly opened a portal and fled. “She could have done that the whole time?” Vinyl asked incredulously. James, meanwhile struggled in Twilight’s grip before turning to yell at her. “Twilight, you let her get away!” “Silence!” Twilight hissed, her face a mixture of fury and disgust. “You have no right to complain after what you did to us!” “Wait, you remember me?” James asked, his anger evaporating into confusion and hope. “Vividly.” Rarity answered. “We didn’t at first, everything was just kind of blank, but after hearing of a disturbance we put on our Elements and everything flowed back to us. Every. Last. Intimate. Detail.” She spat those last few words in disgust. “Wait, I thought you all loved me. Why do you sound like you hate me now? When did I become a bad guy?” “When we all lost control of our bodies and became puppets for your sick fantasies.” Rainbow said. “Yeah! It wasn’t fun at all!” Pinkie spoke up. “Puppet-me never threw a party for anypony but you, as if she didn’t even care about anypony else! I missed 36 parties because of you!” “Darling, focus.” Rarity put a hoof on Pinkie’s shoulder to calm her. “But yes, while some shell of our former selves were puppeting our bodies, we had neglected all aspects of our lives that didn’t revolve around you, and any fabricated feelings we had. It was frankly the worst month of our lives.” “It’s not his fault.” Lemon said, somehow appearing behind Vinyl to her great shock. “Not directly, that is. There was some other entity, called Weaver, that manipulated this world to suit his fantasies, while he was completely unaware of it. It seems unfair to blame him for the puppeteering stuff.” Twilight took a moment to think. “That may be true, but that doesn’t excuse everything else he did to us. He has a lot to answer for, and I think I know just the thing to help with that. Girls?” Twilight’s Element started glowing, and the others quickly joined in. James gave one last attempt to get free, and broke through Twilight’s magic grip. But before he could get away, he was consumed by the rainbow wave that came from the combined power of the Elements of Harmony. When the light faded, James was seen unconscious on the ground, not a statue and still a pony. Gone were his wings and horn, leaving him a normal earth pony. His coat had taken on a slight pinkish hue and his mane and tail had acquired a few different colored highlights as well as grown in length and volume. He was also considerably smaller, and his face was rounder and softer. Vinyl, Lemon, and Starry stared at the new form of James in stunned silence, with Vinyl being the first to speak. “Did they just… No way…”  “Walk a mile in their hoofsteps…” Starry muttered. “That’s one way to teach a lesson…” “Is it just me or is this just… a thing all Twilights are into?” Lemon asked. Vinyl shrugged. “No clue, but speaking of which… How you holding up dude? What happened to you?” Vinyl asked Lemon, eager to change the subject. “It’s still weird listening to myself talk sometimes, but I’m more or less accustomed. Now let’s get out of here. I’ll tell you what I remember on the way to the hospital.”  “Hold it!” Rainbow shouted, causing the three to pause. “Who are you and why shouldn’t we blast you too?” “Because I’ve already been blasted once recently.” Lemon responded unenthusiastically. “It wasn’t the most pleasant experience. And we’re just travelers who happened to be in the right place and time to help out.” “So it was you who freed us from his control?” Twilight asked. Lemon shrugged. “Yeah, but it was Sunny who figured out what was happening. I just finished the job. Now then, our friends are in the hospital because of him, and so we’d like to check on them.” And before any of them could continue questioning, Starry and Lemon lit up their horns and the three poofed away in a flash of magic. Owww… Waking up always seemed to hurt since I became a pony, but this time was more painful than most. This time it hurt to actually breathe. My chest felt tighter than usual too. And then the smell hit me. Disinfectant, books, and just a hint of lavender. Right, I was taken to a hospital, wasn’t I? Or is this a library? I opened my eyes and was greeted by a rather empty blue room. To my left was a bookshelf and an opaque dividing curtain, where another patient was likely resting. My chest was still sore, but after a few minutes, the pain died down. So I just laid there until someone decided to check up on me. That took about another few minutes, when a doctor pony walked in, followed by Octavia. I could have made one of those dumb “am I gonna live” jokes, but I really couldn’t bring myself to care enough to say anything beyond “fuck.” “Well, nice to see you too.” Octavia remarked. “I heard what happened. Gotta say, you’re one tough cookie.” The doctor said, looking over a clipboard. “Only a few cuts and bruises, and two fractured ribs. Didn’t even break a wing.” “Lucky me.” I groaned. The doc continued. “We’ve cast a few mending spells already. You should be good to go in a day or two.” “Oh joy, I get to spend the night this time.” I said, making no effort to hide the sarcasm. “Oh come now Sun,” Octavia said, “it’s not that bad.” “Maybe in Equestria, but fuck American hospitals…” With sigh, I sat up, wincing at the pain in my chest. “Alright, fine. I’ll give your hospital a shot. Let’s see that bookshelf.” While a nurse came in and adjusted my bed so I could sit more comfortably, Octavia rolled the bookshelf over so I could get at it better. I picked out a book with a neat looking airship on the cover, probably a steampunk novel, and was about to start reading when Vinyl burst into the room, followed by Lemon and Starry. “Heeeeey, saviors of the day coming through!” Vinyl announced, nearly knocking over the doctor as he was making his way out. “The hell are you going on about?” Lemon asked as she entered. “I was the only one that did anything. You just stood by and watched.” “Savior by association. Still counts.” Vinyl said. “That’s not how it works.” Starry countered. “Totally how it works. We’re awesome.” I put the book down and crossed my arms. Forelegs. Whatever. “Oh sure, come in. It’s not like this is a hospital or anything.” “Oh, hey Sunny.” Vinyl approached my bed and looked through the bookshelf briefly. “That other guy has been taken care of, so all’s good. How’re you feeling?” “Still a bit sore. Also dreading the boredom that’ll come with an overnight stay.” I said. “That sucks. You know where the others are? Ceru and Charcoal should also be around here.” “We’re over here.” Came Ceru’s voice from the other side of the curtain. Vinyl pulled back the curtain so we could all see each other. Sure enough, Ceru and Charcoal were chilling on the other beds. Ceru just had a couple bandages, but one of Charcoal’s wings was fully bandaged up. “Hey, you guys got hurt too, huh?” I asked. “Yep.” Ceru nodded. “It’s not bad. I’ll be out in a couple hours. Charcoal will take a day longer. I heard you will too?” I nodded back. “Unfortunately. I’ve been to a hospital a couple times before, but never spent the night at one.” “It’s not so bad when you get used to it.” Ceru said in a way that made me think there was a story behind that. I was about to inquire when the door burst open again and the whole gang of Twilight and friends poured in. This world’s Twi, based on the lack of a ponytail. “Oh sure, come right on in. We’re having a party.” I deadpanned. Big mistake, those words turned out to be, as I suddenly got a face full of Pinkie Pie. “What, a party? But where are the streamers? The balloons? There isn’t even a single cupcake in here!” I lightly shoved her away before she pressed herself on my chest. “That was sarcasm, Ponk. But if you get us a muffin, I’ll stick around for a party before we go.” “What kind of muffin?” “Chocolate.” “You got it!” And in a puff of smoke and streamers, Pinkie zoomed out of the room. “Go?” Twilight asked. “I dunno if you noticed… Maybe the strange alicorn gave it away, but we’re not from here.” I said. “Well, where are you from?” “Another world. Actually a few other worlds. I’m from one world, Lemon here is from another, and the rest of them are from a third world. And if that wasn’t confusing enough, I’ve been to two entirely separate worlds before coming here. So yeah, it’s been a crazy week.” And as if on cue, a flash of purple signified that my Twilight had just teleported in. “Hey, sorry I took off like that. I didn’t want this world’s Twilight to… see… me…” She trailed off when she saw the other Twi stare at her. Holding back a laugh, Vinyl stepped between the two. “Hey Twilight, let me introduce you to Twilight. Twilight, this is Twilight.” After a few explanations, the others got to talking, congratulating Lemon and I for beating Weaver. I tried asking what happened to James and Vinyl just said, “you don’t want to know.”  Pinkie came back quickly and brought with her enough muffins to feed everyone, even the other Twilight and some of the hospital staff. After that, visiting hours ended and everyone left, allowing me to finally read that book I picked out. I must have gotten really invested in the book, because the next thing I knew it was the middle of the night. Ceru’s bed was vacant, leaving only Charcoal and myself here. I wondered how it got so dark, but I was still able to read. After a thought, I blinked and suddenly the room was lit again. I blinked again and it went back to being dark. “Built-in night vision, nice.” I muttered before settling down to sleep myself. When morning came, after the doctors came in and did their checkup, I was let go. “Try to take it easy for the next day or so.” They told me. “You should be fully good to go by then.” “Thanks. What about Charcoal?” I asked. “Ms. Embers will stay with us a little longer. We need to make sure her wing will mend properly.” “I thought it wasn’t broken.” “No, but a sprained wing can cause lasting problems if not treated properly. You should know how important that is, being a pegasus.” They said, one of them looking at me quizzically. “Right, right…” I played it as cool as I could. “I’ll be going then. Bye.” After I got as far away from the hospital as I could, I made for the Everfree castle, where Lemon, Twilight, and Jesse were waiting. Jesse was packing some of her things into a backpack. “What’s up? You going somewhere?” Jesse nodded. “Yeah. Home.” “Between the three of us, we’ve found Jesse’s home dimension.” Twilight explained. “So we’re prepping a little excursion there to find her house, then we’ll start moving her belongings back where they belong.” “Yeah, so we won’t be making it to the party, unfortunately.” Lemon said. “You go on ahead, and save a cupcake for me, will ya? I haven’t had one yet, but I hear Pinkie’s baking is to die for.” “Right. Party. Almost forgot.” So I took off again, this time towards Ponyville. And even with the extra stamina this pony body has given me, I still ended up panting from exhaustion by the time I made it to Sugarcube Corner. And wow, it looked so much bigger in-person. It also didn’t look nearly as edible as you’d expect. So after taking a moment to recover, I peeked in through the window. Somehow the interior was completely pitch black, defying the laws of physics and properties of light. So naturally Pinkie was in there planning on giving a good old fashioned surprise to us. Ceru, Vinyl, and Octavia were likely in there as well. What they didn’t know was that I can also defy the physics of light, and a great idea formed in my head. I had learned a few tricks over the last day, and it was time to put them to use. I turned myself invisible. I knew this was accomplished by bending the light around me, but normally I wouldn’t be able to see. My magic or other fuckery though, I could still see. The invisibility wasn’t perfect unless I stood more or less still, but I could move around in the darkness without being seen well enough. Speaking of darkness, I had night vision. I could see in the dark. This opened a whole bunch of possibilities for me. So while invisible, I crawled under the saloon doors of Sugarcube Corner. It was still rather dark, but after blinking on the night vision, I could see much better. Ponies were hiding behind several tables. I could see my friends hiding behind a table off to the right. The banner hanging from the ceiling read “Welcome to Ponyville & Thanks for Saving Us From the Meanie Author Guy & Welcome to Equestria.” I could also hear whispered voices. “Did you see her?” “Yeah, I thought I saw her by the window.” “You think she knew about the party?” “I did say there was going to be one.” That one was Pinkie, so I was able to track her voice to behind the counter. “Did you tell her it was going to be here?” “...Oopsie.” Alright, time to execute my plan. I crept up behind Pinkie and prepared to pounce. “Maybe somepony should go and bring her back here. Just be careful not to ruin the-” “SURPRISE!” I shouted, springing up and dropping my invisibility. The effect was immediate and better than expected. I swear Pinkie jumped so high she bounced off the ceiling. The lights came on soon after and everyone turned to me, where I gave them the biggest grin I could. “Gotcha.” Pinkie matched my smile and burst into giggles. “Now that’s a new one! I’ve never had somepony turn the tables on me at their surprise party before! Heehee, that’s a good trick. How’d you do it?” “A few tricks I learned over the last day, and a love of messing with people.” I gave her a quick boop on the nose. “Now come on, this is a party, right? Let’s have some fun!” And so the party began. I walked around, getting to know some of the guests, then forgetting their names immediately. I also grabbed a chocolate cupcake. And maybe a second chocolate cupcake. Okay, a third chocolate cupcake. Don’t give me that look, they were fucking great cupcakes. Some party games were also set up. I noticed musical chairs and pin the tail, but I also saw Applejack with some handheld catapults. “Howdy!” She greeted me as I walked over. “Care to test your skill?” There were some cloth bean bags in a bucket beside her and some velcro targets hanging on the wall. “Yeah, sure,” I nodded, “set me up.” Applejack handed me one of the catapults and three bean bags. “Give it a shot then. Take as many tries as you want. See if you can beat Raindrops’ score.” She said, pointing at a chalkboard that had several ponies’ cutie marks next to a score. The top score belonged to a triple raindrop cutie mark, followed by Twilight’s. “Huh. Impressive.” I wasn’t really sure how to calibrate the catapult, so I loaded it up with a beanbag and launched. The beanbag smacked against the wall, missing the target completely. Seeing that, I adjusted my aim and launched another one. That one actually hit the target, sticking to it. “Hey, there’s a hit.” Third bag also hit the target. Applejack tossed me some more bags, and I set up the next one to be launched when the host of the party bounced over next to me. “Heya Ponk.” I said. “Ponk? I’m pink, silly.” Pinkie replied. “Yeah. Pink. Ponk. Add a little black, and it becomes punk.” Pinkie giggled. “Nah, my punk days are behind me. So, enjoying the party?” “Haven’t had a party like this since my 10th birthday, but that was a pool party.” I said. “So yeah, it’s pretty nice.” “Oooh, when’s your birthday?” “A couple months from now. I’ll be long gone by then, so I wouldn’t worry about it.” I said. Pinkie deflated slightly, so I gave her a pat on the back. “Don’t worry, if I can find another Pinkie by then, she can throw me the best party ever. Maybe it’ll even have a pool.” She bounced back quickly after that. “Oh, do you think maybe I could be invited? I’ve never been a guest of a party I threw.” “We’ll see. I dunno what’ll happen yet.” “Okie dokie.” She glanced down at the catapult in my hooves. “Hey, how about a contest?” Well, the first time I competed against Pinkie, I lost. “Eh, why not? AJ, a fresh set of bags please.” Applejack tossed us both a few bags as Pinkie picked up a catapult, winding it up with her mane. “So, anything new with you?” I asked Pinkie, looking to start some small talk as we flung our bags. “Yeah, we were saved from this crazy guy who could control reality as if it were a book.” Pinkie said, feigning ignorance as to who did the deed. “Really? Sounds a bit outlandish.” I mused, deciding to play along. “I know! Then we found out the ponies who did it are new to Equestria. So I had to throw them a double-party!” Pinkie giggled. “Well it sounds to me like whoever these ponies are would be appreciative of the party.” “I hope so, though one of them couldn’t make it. So I guess I’ll have to save her some treats.” “Make it a cupcake. She’ll probably like the cupcakes.” I looked up at the wall, and Pinkie’s bags were much better aimed than mine. “Ah well, lost again.” “Again?” I shook my head and set down the catapult. “Don’t worry about it. Great party, Pinks.” “It’s what I do!” Pinkie smiled. I could help but smile back. “So what are you gonna do next, huh? What’s your next big adventure?” And goodbye smile. I hardly knew ye. “I dunno… I wanted to find a way back home, but some weird transdimensional whatchamacallit replaced me with some kind of clone, I guess. Not sure what, exactly. So I’m on my own.” “Aw, well that’s no fun. You got any other family, maybe? Friends? When I left home, I was really sad because I was super lonely, and didn’t have any friends. But then when I went to Ponyville, I made a whole bunch of friends, and the Cakes are like a second family to me. And now I’m not lonely because I have two families and lots of friends! I could introduce you to some of them, and then you’d have lots of friends too!”  I let out a half-hearted laugh. “I appreciate the offer, but I don’t think I’ll stick around. I’ve got a few friends, might stick with them.” I paused, remembering something. “Actually… I had a sister, I think. Or at least she thinks she’s me sister. Long story.” “Why not pay her a visit? I know my sisters miss me, and I keep telling myself I gotta visit more often. But sometimes things get in the way, ya know? So I treasure the time we do get to spend together even more!” “Pinkie, you are a fountain of wisdom sometimes, you know that?” I asked, my smile returning. “I hope so, because the chocolate fountain is busted. Maybe I could substitute my wisdom for more chocolate until it’s fixed.” “Probably not the best idea. I don’t think you’d make a good chocolate fountain.” I moved on to enjoy the rest of the party while Pinkie bounced back into the kitchen, hopefully just to get more food and not to try the chocolate fountain idea. However the thought of my “sister” lingered in the back of my mind throughout the day. Last I saw of Ocean, she was begging me not to leave. What happened to her after I left? Was she still going on with her life, worried about my wellbeing? Did she forget I exist? Did Celestia target her for whatever reason? I was disrupted from my thoughts by Lemon and Twi finally showing up. “Hey Sunbutt,” she said, walking up to me, “you save me a cupcake?” “Hey Juicebutt,” I replied, “you check the table?” Before Lemon could check the table though, Pinkie popped up and handed her a plate of cupcakes. As the two exchanged pleasantries, I wandered over to Twilight. “Oh, hey Sunshine. What’s up?” “I had a question. Mind if we talk in private?” I asked, and Twilight nodded. We moved outside and I asked my actual question. “Do you know how Ocean is doing?” Twilight blinked. “Ocean? Your- the pony I imprinted as your sister? Why are you asking about her now?” “Pinkie and I were talking, and I got to thinking. I can’t go back to my own home. I got nowhere to go aside from… the multiverse, I guess. But for a brief time, Ocean was my sister. Hell, she might be the only family I could have now. And family should always be there for you to go back to. So I was just wondering if I should… go back to her. See how she’s doing.” She stood there for a moment, seeming to contemplate my words. “I think I get how you feel. I can’t really go back to Equestria after I abandoned Celestia, but I still want to help make things right, for both worlds.” She levitated her journal to me, and I took a peek.  After a talk with Princess Luna, I’ve come to the conclusion that Princess Celestia is no longer fit to lead Equestria. Everything she’s done in relation to the humans, from Operation: Harmonize to this sudden attack against their military, has been horribly handled. The humans we’ve converted are no better than they were before. In fact, some of them have displayed signs of severe mental damage. It’s been suggested that the Elements can possibly cure this, but we’ve since abandoned Celestia so I doubt we can get the subjects the care they need. As for the rest of humanity, my opinion on them has changed. Before, I saw them as something close to Discord; they were chaotic and violent, not worthy of our friendship. But since then I’ve come to realize that we’re no better than some of the monsters in human history books. It was inequine of us to impose not only our ideology, but our very species onto these people who didn’t even deserve it. Now I fear that Equestia will never find any common ground with humanity, and that they may never come to trust us. So, what to do about it? Luna has suggested open rebellion, but many of the ponies who did not migrate to Earth, especially in the cities of Canterlot and Manehatten, share Celestia’s beliefs. Not to mention how beloved Celestia is by pretty much everypony. To incite rebellion would be to possibly start a civil war, one that I fear we may not have the support to win. Of course, inviting the humans in to support us would work, but their method of war is messy and would leave us vulnerable if they decide to take Equestria for themselves. One thing we were right about humanity is that they are extraordinarily opportunistic, and many of their leaders could benefit from a dose (or several) of Harmony. Then maybe they might see some actual peace. And now that I bring up that possibility, I realize we can close the portals at any time. That this whole thing can be stopped if we can just convince Celestia to abandon Earth. Easier said than done however. There are too many ponies on the other side that I’m concerned we wouldn’t be able to retrieve them all. I need some time to think about my options going forward. Do I confront Celestia directly? Work with the humans? Should I look for ponies willing to help find peace? Note to self: find Spike, organize a checklist. I need to clear my head. Closing the journal, I handed it back to her. “Sounds like things are going pear-shaped with you as well. Wish I could help, but if it involves fighting in any way, you got yourself the biggest, fattest “no” I can possibly give you. I’ve already made up my mind.” Twilight shook her head. “No, I don’t want to fight either. But if Celestia won’t see reason, then thousands could get hurt, or even die. You and Lemon were part of Operation: Harmonize, so-” “We were test subjects!” I snapped back. “We were not volunteers! Hell, you ripped me from a parallel Earth as part of an entirely different experiment, so I’m a double guinea pig. I owe you nothing and while I’m grateful for your help, it doesn’t even begin to pay back what you did to us and every other subject of that twisted project.” I dissipated the sword that I didn’t even realize I’d conjured and lowered my hoof. “...Sorry about that. Got a bit heated.” Twilight wilted at my outburst but tried to compose herself. “No, you’re right. I have no right to ask anything more of you. I’ll do what I can to set things right, but only after I solve my current problem. Is that okay?” I nodded. “Yeah. Saving two worlds from each other is a bigger problem than a couple displaced people, no matter how much it might suck for us. We’ll make something work.” We didn’t share a hug or anything, but we just kinda looked at each other, having come to an understanding. “So… should we go back in?” I shook my head. “I’m not really in the mood for parties anymore. I think I’d rather leave early, if you’d be okay with that.” “What about your friends?” I looked back through the window. Vinyl and Octavia were playing that Pin the Tail game. Lemon was enjoying cupcakes. Ceru and Starry were having a chat with Rarity and Rainbow Dash. And Charcoal was still in the hospital. These friends of mine, we’ve been through a lot this past week. But after yesterday, I think I’d finally had enough of this adventuring thing. It’s put me in far more danger than I’m comfortable with, and I needed some peace and quiet. “If they want to go back with me, great.” I said with a shrug. “The more friends, the merrier. But I just want to find a home for myself now. I’ll make new friends if I have to. Would be far from the first time.” “I… see.” Twilight said, in that tone of voice that suggested to me she really wanted to argue my position. “I won’t stop you, but I do suggest asking them before you go.” “I will. But I’m leaving tomorrow.” I’ll finally be done running. Rain Splash was not done running. As the disguised Changeling galloped through the rain-soaked streets of Port Orchard, he could still hear the sound of footsteps behind him. Daring a look back, he caught a glimpse of the human raising his weapon. He quickly ducked into an alley as a pop echoed behind him and the wall where he was a second ago gained a new hole. “Sweet Ambrosia, why do humans have to be so much scarier than ponies?” He asked himself. As the footsteps grew closer to his position Rain backed away, ready to start sprinting again. But then there was the sound of a magic blast and then a thud. What was that? Hive reinforcements? Curious, Rain poked his head out, and what he saw was so much worse. A tan unicorn stallion decked out in the ornate gold armor of a high-ranking Equestrian Guardspony stood over the unconscious body of the human soldier. He was looking over the human’s weapon with a sneer before snapping it in half with his magic and tossing it away. “Barbarians, the lot of them…” He muttered before turning to Rain Splash. “You can come out now, insect. I don’t plan on hurting you. Yet.” Slowly, Rain Splash stepped back into the open, dropping his disguise. “H-how’d you know what I was?” “Because I’ve been looking for you. You have information I want, and I expect you to cooperate, or this human will be the least of your worries today.” “Wh-what do you want?” Field Marshal Nimbi walked right up to Rain Splash, who stood trembling in the rain. “You were with Sunshine and the rest of her traitor friends when she was defeated. And since Twilight defected as well, you’re the only one who has the information I desire. “Where is my sister?”