Greg begins to wake up. His vision initially blurry, he catches a glimpse of a pony over him.
"He's coming around." The unmistakably familiar voice of Twilight Sparkle said, holding a cool and wet cloth on his forehead.
"I'll go get the others." Spike says, leaving the room.
"Greg? Are you alright?" Twilight asks.
His vision clears up, seeing a relieved Twilight. He looks around, it looks like he's in a hospital room. "I'll live... I think." He says, groaning as he tries sitting upright in the bed. "What happened?"
Twilight sets the cloth on the table and floats a small cup of water to him. "It turned out that Sombra was possessed by a demon named Thanatos." She begins with a heavy sigh. "He left Sombra and took control of you after you broke his horn." Twilight props herself up next to him and gives him a hug. "You were out for nearly a week."
A week?! Greg reciprocates the hug. "I imagine everyone was worried."
Twilight nods. "Yes, but I think Applejack was more worried than anypony else."
"Alright everypony, listen up." The voice of Applejack says on the other side of the door. "Greg's been through a lot, so let's not get carried away." She says, and the sound of six grunts of understanding were let out. "Then come on, let's go see him."
Followed by Spike and one by one, the ponies outside came in. First was Applejack, next was Fluttershy, then Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Rarity and...
"Sombra?" Greg asks. He wasn't terrified, just more than a little surprised. The last thing he remembered doing was breaking his horn, and it showed, though he had the rough parts filed down while Greg was unconscious. Probably by Rarity, who was also next to him.
"Mister Sanders." Sombra responds with a nod.
"Uh, Greg..." Twilight says, trying to get his attention, "this is Prince Sombra."
Pinkie Pie excitedly hops in place a couple of times. "He's a super-duper cool prince, too once you get to know him."
Rarity nods. "I couldn't agree more. He's more of a prince than Blue Blood is, and a lot more humble to boot."
Sombra points a hoof to Greg. "And I have you to thank for that." He says, rubbing the stub of his horn. "Though it's going to take a little getting used to not being able to cast any spells."
Greg grimaces. "Yeah... sorry about that."
"At least we don't have to worry about any Tartarian demons running around." Rainbow Dash blurts out.
Greg raises an eyebrow. "Pardon?"
"How long have you been awake, sugarcube?" AJ asks.
Twilight shakes her head. "I haven't gotten to that part yet, AJ." Twilight admits, before turning her focus back to Greg. "Thanatos was a demon that escaped from Tartarus a long time ago." She begins.
"Before I was sealed up for a thousand years, he found a way to leave my body." Sombra continued. "He probably felt the anger that Princess Luna had pent up and entered her body."
"Giving rise to Nightmare Moon." Greg adds. Everypony nods.
"Yes." Twilight says. "When we defeated her, we must've sent him back to Tartarus."
"That explains how the Cerberus got loose." Rainbow Dash adds. "He must have used it as a distraction so he could leave again."
Greg raises an eyebrow. "There was a Cerberus on the loose?" He asks. "When did this happen?"
"Ah imagine you were on your way home when that happened." AJ says, waving a hoof.
"Okay... so let me figure the rest out." Greg says, looking at Sombra. "Thanatos was biding his time, waiting for you." He begins, Sombra nods. "The Crystal Empire returns, along with you, but before you had a chance to do anything, Thanatos takes you over again." Another nod. "But everyone there activated the Crystal heart and blasted you with it. How are you still alive?"
"The Crystal Heart powered Thanatos, but I wasn't exposed long enough to regain my mortal body." Sombra explains. "I'm just glad Cadance was able to hold me at bay for as long as she did."
Greg slowly nods. "That makes sense. After his second defeat, he didn't leave your body, but looked for a way to get revenge." He says, tapping his chin. "Then he found the Changelings. Now what I don't understand is how were you able to drive Thanatos out of me."
"Celestia, Luna, Cadance and I took you to the Tree of Harmony which is where the Elements of Harmony came from." Twilight explains. "The tree is powered by the elements and their combined strength purifies the region surrounding it... the Everfree Forest to be precise."
"So this Tree of Harmony blasted me and destroyed Thanatos." Greg surmised. Everyone nods.
Sombra trots up to Greg and places a leg on his shoulder. "I owe you my life, Greg." He says, lowering his leg. "I just hope the crystal ponies can forgive me for the atrocities Thanatos put them through."
Greg nods. "I'm sure in time, they will." He looks over to Pinkie Pie with a smile. "So, when is the party?"
Pinkie jumps in the air and hovers. "OH MY GOSH!" She yells before landing. "I almost forgot!" She continued before rushing out of the hospital room.
Everyone else laughs. "That Pinkie Pie is sure a hoofful." Sombra comments.
Nurse Redheart enters the room. "Everypony out." She barks. One by one, the ponies leave the room.
"Nurse?" Greg calls. "Would it be okay for Applejack and Twilight to stay?" He asks.
Redheart nods. "Of course, that was just way too many ponies in one room at once."
Twilight and Applejack return to Greg's side as Redheart approaches the bed. "It's good to see you awake, Greg. For a while, we thought you were going to be a goner. How are you feeling?"
"Aside from a massive headache and nausea, I think I'm okay." He answers.
Redheart smiles. "That's good to hear, but we'd like to keep you around for a couple of more days for observation."
Greg nods. "Of course." He says. "By the way, could I bother you to get me something to eat?" Redheart nods and trots out of the room. Greg looks to Twilight. "What was her name?"
Twilight and AJ looked confused. "Nurse Redheart?"
Greg shakes his head. "No... the Changeling queen... was it Chrysalis?" Twilight nods. "Okay..."
Twilight and AJ were even more confused. "Why did ya want to know her name?" AJ asks.
"I just want to remember what was lost." Greg explained, slumping back into the pillow.
AJ rests a hoof on Greg's shoulder. "We'll come back later, sugarcube." She says, planting a kiss on his forehead.
"You rest up." Twilight adds, knowing that he's got no choice.
The two trot out of the room just as Redheart returns with a snack. "I brought one small fruit cup, Greg." She says, rolling a cart toward the table.
A knock comes from the door. Odd... the door's open. Gregs looks that way and sees two other humans, Leonard Morse and Ryan Anderson, the latter is carrying some kind of bag. "I guess you guys are from the Universal Security Organization."
Redheart passes the cup and trots to the door. "Holler if you need anything." She says, leaving the three.
The two seat themselves across from him. "You've done well, Mister Sanders." Leonard starts. "Better than we expected."
Ryan nods. "Much better, we didn't expect you to live after getting possessed by Thanatos."
Leonard waves a hand. "And here you are. Your family will be ecstatic to know you're alright."
Greg chuckles and shakes his head. "What'd you tell 'em?" He asks.
"We told them the truth." Leonard says. "They were skeptical at first, sure, but then we took them to see the Princesses."
Ryan reaches for the bag and hands it off to Greg. "We got a little something for ya."
"A couple of somethings, actually." Leonard corrects Ryan as he reaches into a pocket in his coat, takes out a set of keys and tosses them to Greg. "You're a homeowner in Equestria, Greg."
Greg opens up the bag and sees it contains a laptop. He pulls it out and it's not his usual laptop.
"That's a new solar powered laptop." Ryan explains.
"Your new home is also solar powered." Leonard adds as the two stand up. Leonard feels his pockets. "I almost forgot something..." he says, pulling out an envelope and tosses it to him, "read this over. If there's anything on that you don't like, let us know, otherwise, just sign your name." He adds before looking at Ryan. "Come on, let's go back to HQ."
Ryan and Leonard leave the room. Greg continued nibbling on the fruit as he opens up the laptop and powers it on. It was quick to boot up, and the operating system is the latest version of Ubuntu. Upon seeing that he has a word processor pinned to the sidebar, he powers down the laptop and closes the screen. He looks at the I.V. unit standing next to his bed, turns to plant his feet on the warm hardwood floor, takes a deep breath and takes a risk to stand up. Fortunately, he had very little problem doing so.
Greg takes his I.V. unit and walks around the hospital. A doctor approaches him. "Mister Sanders..." he calls, "you shouldn't be walking around yet."
Greg nods. "I know. I'm a little restless, I suppose."
The doctor waves a hoof. "Very well, follow me."
The doctor walks with Greg into a waiting room, where he sees not only the four princesses, but also his parents. They see him and start laughing and crying.
"Greg!" His dad shouts, walking up to his son and giving him a tight hug. "We feared the worst."
It was his mom's turn to get a hug now. "So did I." He admits. "I have the Equestrian princesses to thank for my recovery."
Said princesses approach the reunited family. "Not just us," Twilight notes, "there was also Applejack."
Cadance nods. "Yes, she's been by your side since we returned to Ponyville."
Greg's dad taps his foot on the floor with an unsure look in his eyes. "I still find it weird that you're dating a horse."
Greg glares at his father. "Please don't start, dad." He begs. "Calling them horses is considered a racial slur."
Celestia shakes her head. "Since you're new to our world, I'm willing to overlook it."
Luna's eye twitches. "Just don't make a habit of it."
Greg's dad nods. "Sorry..."
Greg looks over to his doctor. "What do you think, doc? Would it be okay for me to leave?"
The doctor adjusts his glasses. "I suppose. You're doing a lot better than I expected. I'll get the paperwork filed."
Greg nods and looks over to his parents. "I'll get dressed, then I'll meet you guys up at Sugarcube Corner."
"And where's that?" His mom asks.
Twilight giggles. "I'll take you there."
Celestia nods. "Yes. Luna and I should return to Canterlot. Hopefully we will meet again."
Greg's mom smiles. "I'd like that. Thank you for looking after my boy."
Luna returns the smile. "You both have done a fine job raising him."
Celestia and Luna say their good byes before leaving the hospital.
Cadance looks over at her sister in-law. "I'm going to find your brother and we'll be heading back to the Crystal Empire." She says, giving Twilight a hug. "We'll be back after a while."
Twilight gives Greg another hug. "We should be leaving as well, There's no doubt that Pinkie's got a party for us."
Greg nods. "Right, I'll meet you there."
Greg dressed back up and went to Sugarcube Corner. As he enters, he saw Twilight reading a letter. She looks sad, but relieved at the same time. He walks up to and sits next to her. "Is something wrong?"
Twilight puts the letter away and wipes some tears. "Nothing. The Griffon king is recovering from his wounds, but he'll be blind for the rest of his life."
Greg shakes his head and examines the front. "That sucks, but at least he's alive."
Twilight nods. "I hear Leon and Ryan came to visit you."
Greg pulls out the letter and sets it on the table. "Yeah. They really want me to join their group. They also want to expand and put me in charge of the Equestrian branch."
Twilight shakes her head. "And you don't want to."
Greg sighs and rests his head on his hands. "No, I don't. I just want to relax, Twilight."
Twilight smiles. "Well then tell them no."
Greg's parents and Applejack approach them. "There ya are! We've been waitin' for ya." The orange mare gave him a hug.
Twilight stands up. "I better get out of here. I've got paperwork to fill out."
The other three sat at the table around Greg. His father across from him, his mother to his right and Applejack to his left. His father clears his throat. "So, what have you been up to all this time?"
Greg chuckles. "That's a long story, but I guess it's a good time to start."
With the party over, Greg, his parents and Applejack leave the sweet shop. "I hope you have a wonderful time out here, Greg. I know we have." His mother said, giving him another hug.
His father shakes his hand. "Yeah. It was an incredible experience meeting the ponies. Now I'm curious about what humanity will discover on its own now that we know we're not alone."
Greg nods in agreement. "I wish I met them all under better circumstances."
His father laughs. "Yeah, really. Well, we better be off." He points to his son. "Don't be a stranger, you hear?"
Applejack trots up to Greg's mother and gives her a hug. "Y'all take care now."
At this time, a young woman approaches the group. "Ready to leave, Mister and Missus Sanders?"
The two nod. The woman prepares the SRG and opens a rift back to Earth. Greg's parents walk through and he stops the woman. "Here..." he hands over the letter. "Tell them thanks for the offer, but I decline."
The woman takes the letter and nods. "Of course. If you're ever in need of assistance, you know where to turn to."
With that, the woman walks through the rift and it closes behind her. Greg looks over to Applejack. "I don't know about you, but I'm ready to pass out."
Applejack yawns. "Me too. Ah got a lot'a work ahead'a me tomorrow."
Greg grunts. "Come on, AJ. My place is close, why don't you crash with me for the night."
Applejack nuzzles him. "Ah'd like that. Thanks, Greg."
The two walked away from Sugarcube Corner to Greg's. Equestria had been saved for now and it's time for Greg to take on a much needed vacation.
Sombra would go with Celestia and Luna to Canterlot to begin reintegrating with society. They will most likely give the prince a pseudonym and a cover story about him being a prisoner of war and that his broken horn was a result of his imprisonment.
With Chrysalis dead, the changeling forces would be in disarray for a long time and power struggles are likely to occur, which may result in a long and bloody civil war.
None of that mattered to Greg. For now, his only concern is what he will do with his free time. He hasn't written anything in years, so it'll probably be a good idea to jot down ideas when inspiration strikes, and looking at the mare next to him had already given him some.