//------------------------------//
// Rest & Recuperation 
// Story: Final Confrontation 
// by Tower of 0 
//------------------------------//

Justin feels lighter than he usually does, if he were as light as a feather, this wouldn't be a problem. No, the problem is that he feels light enough to be on clouds. Especially the clouds that surround his body. Did he die somehow? He hopes he didn't. One eye flicks open, then the other. He starts to turn his head around in all directions to find that he's in a bedroom, not his bedroom, not his bed either. So, where is he? Justin sits up to get a better gauge of his surroundings.

"Ah! My friend, you finally awaken!" A familiar mare's voice calls from the other side of the room.

"Luna?" Justin asks as he turns his gaze to her smiling face. "Where am I? Did I die!?"

"Of course not." Luna giggles a little as she approaches the bed. "You are fine. I have been watching over this dream for a little while now."

Justin freezes and stares at her. "Dream? How long have I been out and where am I really?"

"Ponyville General." Luna answers with a smile. "As for how long, I have no idea. I just have been making sure you have a plentiful rest while you recover."

"Oh. Well thank you, Luna." Justin smiles at the princess and holds out his arms.

Luna answers the call for a hug rather in a rather excitable manner. "It has been my pleasure, my friend. Now, I do believe it is time you go back to the waking world and reunite with some ponies there."

Justin nods a little and lets Luna go, watching his dream slowly dissolve into the real world. Right where Luna said he'd be too, except with some minor differences. To start, his right arm is in a sling with a cast, left leg is raised and also in a cast. There's a small bit of weight on his chest, focusing the rest of his senses on that, he finds Fudge asleep on him. Justin smiles a little at the sight and looks over to the small end table filled with various cards, some flowers, and what looks to be some pictures. His eyes fall to the rest of the room where he finds some familiar faces; Derpy, Fluttershy, and Vinyl still sleeping around him. He breathes in deep, his chest rising, then out just as slow. It was still a bit dark outside, sun hasn't been risen yet.

So he waits.

A few hours pass by in comforting silence. Glad that someone here thought a bit ahead and left him with a book to read where he could reach it. He was careful getting it, of course. Not disturbing the sleeping filly on his persons. Justin is just glad to have a moment of slow after all the Kronos excitement. Even his good arm feels a bit dead as he holds the book up. The door to the room opens, he doesn't even bother to look up to see if it's one of the doctors.

"Glad to see you're finally awake." Twilight's voice quietly calls from the now open door.

"Yeah, I still feel a little on the 'dead to the world' side." Justin jokes, finally looking away from the book.

Twilight chuckles as she approaches the bed, sitting on his left with her front hooves pressing against the mattress. "You kind of were. For two weeks. We were scared you weren't going to wake up."

"Damn. Two weeks? No wonder I feel dead." Justin smirks a little, turning his attention back to the book in hand.

"Justin." Twilight softly says his name, pressing a hoof against his good shoulder and leaning in close. "Are you okay?"

"Of course." Justin says as he turns a page. "Chaos-fueled human clashes with an alternate reality version of himself, out for two weeks, wakes up with a broken leg and arm."

"Sorry about those. Rainbow, Fluttershy, and I tried to catch you so we didn't have human to clean up." Twilight moves her hoof in favor of resting her chin on him. "I'm here if you want to talk about it."

"Maybe later, Twi. I wanna see everyone else's smiles about me waking up. Good signs n' all that jazz." he looks over to her with a small smile then back to the book. "Also, thanks for leaving the book here."

The two spend a couple of hours in waiting, silently enjoying the other's company until another visitor awoke. The first to wake up is Fudge, who excitedly lurches forward to take the human's neck in a hug and pin the book against his body. The filly starts crying out in joy about her father finally waking up. The commotion rouses the other three out of their slumber. Smiles are exchanged, more tears of joy are cried. Overall, it's a happy reunion while ponies get him up to speed on events of the last two weeks. Which isn't a whole lot, it's been quiet since Kronos was booted out of this Equestria.

Then the room door swings open again and four more mares come filing into the room after hearing the noise. Pinkie, ever excitable as she is, was ready to throw him a "Congratulations on Waking Up Party" for the human, this got a hearty chuckle out of him. Applejack brings him a bottle of cider, figuring he may be thirsty. Rainbow brought him another book, one of her Daring Do novels. Rarity, well, she brought him a sleeping mask she made for him. Seeing he may still be here for a long while. It's safe to say a human was having a hard time not crying himself at all the positivity around him. Doing his best to take all of ponies in the room in a gigantic group hug with his one good arm.





Justin pulls out his watch from his pocket, flicking the top open to check the time. The speech is almost done, thankfully. Some weeks have already passed, the human having made an almost full recovery. His arm was still in a sling with very little functionality to it, at least, that's what he tells anyone that asks. He wears his Gala ensemble while standing in one of the castle's side rooms, waiting for Celestia to return. He closes the watch and slips the trinket into the sling to let his fingertips run over the cover. Justin sighs a little as he walks over to the window. Then a click interrupts the silence in the room and the door opens.

"How is your arm treating you?" Celestia's voice asks, softly closing the door behind her.

"Still numb up to the shoulder, have a little bit of feeling in my fingers though." Justin replies with a signature smile of his as he turns to face the Princess. "It's a little bit of progress."

"Any progress is good progress." Celestia returns his smile with one of her own, levitating a medal over to him. "You should've been out there with them, share in the admiration."

"Nah, the spotlight really isn't for me." Justin waves off her comment with a wave of his good hand. He then bows his head a little as her magic rests the medal around his shoulders. "I got enough admiration at home."

"Very well." Celestia nods and gazes at him. "May I see your arm?"

Justin seems to hesitate in his answer at first, then nods at her. He winces as he starts to pull his arm from the sling and roll up the sleeve. The arm stays limp as more of it is revealed. Celestia observes him, seeing that burn marks stretch themselves across his forearm, disappearing under the sleeve, reaching down to his fingers. The princess hums to herself as she looks his arm up and down.

"Docs in Ponyville don't know if I'll get full feeling back in my arm." Justin explains as he watches Celestia approach. "Twilight is working on something to help with the burns, maybe get some feeling back in it."

Celestia nods ay him and uses her magic to lift his arm, examining the marks closer. "You should stay here and let my staff look at you. They may be able to get some resources together to help with this."

"As much as I'd love to stay here, Tia." Justin chuckles a little at her gazing up at the name. "I still got me a filly at home to raise."

"I see." Celestia nods her head as she releases her magic on his arm. "I shall send one of my ponies to see you then."

"I don't think that will be necessary. Let Twi have her moment." Justin gives the princess a warm smile. "She says she's close to 'cracking the code' as she says."

Celestia gives him a small chuckle and relents. "Of course, Twilight is a bright young filly. I tend to forget that sometimes."

"Or I could help speed up that process." A strange female voice calls out from the ether.

Just then a portal rips open nearby. Both Justin and Celestia raise their brows at the newly formed portal. The Princess of the Sun charging her horn with a spell just in case. The human just rolls down his sleeve, then stuffs his arm back into the sling. He steps forward and puts himself between the princess and the portal. Then She steps out of the portal, a female draconequus that quickly saunters her way over to the human with a smirk.

"Eris." Justin addresses her as she is now in front of him. He notes just how much smaller she is compared to Discord, being at his eye-level.

"You know her?" Celestia asks, a little astonished.

"Long story. Short of it is that she's from another reality and basically was the reason I had a magical showdown outside of Ponyville." Justin explains, looking over his shoulder back at Celestia.

"Yes, and now I'm here to thank the hunk of man that has allowed me time to reform my powers." Eris interrupts in a rather seductive tone while running her lion paw against his jaw to have him look at her.

Justin makes eye contact and is about to say something. He gets cut off by Eris pressing her lips against his and taking him in a deep kiss. His eyes widen when this happens and stay that way after she pulls away. Giggling, Eris backs away, walking with her back to the portal and a noticeable sway in her hips.

"I'll see you around, Big Guy." She tells him, blowing a kiss his way and stepping into the portal where it immediately closes afterwards.

Justin stands there in bewilderment while Celestia is staring at the back of his head, also surprised at what just transpired before her. Not only did his nickname get ruined, but he also was kissed by a Spirit of Chaos not of this Equestria. He takes in a deep breath, then yells out in horror as his mind really starts to break down now. Celestia flattens her ears against her head, unable to help the poor human.