//------------------------------// // Finale // Story: Take Your Pony To Work // by Ximer //------------------------------// The trip to Woolpit from the airport had been an interesting one, especially with our new addition to our crew. Summer Breeze seemed like a nice pony, and Arusha had supported the idea of her coming with us. The only opposition was Hue, who said he felt something was off about her. His fear stemmed from how much she knew about each of us. While I tried to convince him that Luna could have provided her with that information, he didn’t seem to buy it. His argument was that Arusha and I both had been given rather vague instructions as to what to do when we arrived at our destination. “If Luna truly led her to us, why would she give her more insight into things than you?” Hue had said, his words echoing through my mind. While I was still in favor of the mare, he did bring up a good point, but it was one that I didn’t want to address at the moment. As I pushed Summer Breeze’s information aside, I looked up to notice a sign that had a small metal wolf and two green children standing beside what looked like a mill of some sort. The words WOOLPIT were beneath the metal art on the sign. “So, this is where it ends?” Arusha asked aloud. “If Luna was telling the truth, then yes,” I said. “I didn’t see a city though; I saw woods, and a well.” “Deforestation for houses seems to have taken its toll on the nearby woods,” Hue motioned with his in the direction of the forest. “If Luna came through here, she might be remembering the location from a long time ago.” “What’s that supposed to mean?” Summer Breeze asked nervously. “It means that whatever Harmony saw might not be there anymore, and we don’t have a magic detector.” Hue replied. “A magic detec-“ “He’s making a bad joke about metal detectors,” I interrupted Summer Breeze. “Well I thought it was fitting,” Hue shrugged. “Seriously though, I don’t know how to intend to find a random location in the woods, one that might not even be there anymore.” “I know it’s out there,” I said as my eyes scanned the woods intensely. “I know you’re right,” Summer Breeze said, giving me a warm smile. “It has to be, why else would Luna…oh my!” Summer Breeze pointed with her hoof at a few of the trees. At first I didn’t see what she had seen, until I studier them a bit more. There were dull spots on them, grey and faded as if the tree was dying. I hadn’t noticed them because of the trees back home that had grey colored bark. The more I looked for them, the more I noticed the prevalent discoloration. The entire tree line was dotted with these spots. This had to be what Luna was talking about, the life draining from the world just to keep this endless play Teal wanted going. I could only summarize that deeper into the woods it was worse. “We need to find this place, and soon,” Arusha said as she picked up on what we were staring at. “You’re probably not going to be doing much of anything today,” Hue said. “It’ll be dark soon, and I don’t think searching the woods at night is the best course of action.” “Hue, you see this right?” I asked pointing at the trees. “…see what?” Hue scratched his head. “It’s no good, I guess humans can’t see what we see,” Summer Breeze said. “Sorry guys, I believe you that something might be wrong, but I just see trees,” Hue shrugged. “They’re dying,” Arusha said flatly. “We might die too if we go poking around the woods in the dark,” Hue huffed. “Haven’t you ever seen a horror movie before? All the bad stuff happens at night.” “This isn’t a horror story though,” Summer Breeze said before quickly covering her muzzle briefly. “I-I mean, this is the real world after all, right?” “I doubt one night in this place will hurt anything,” Hue said. “If something happens to you three who’s going to fix things?” “Fine,” I gave in as my ears drooped, Hue’s stupid human logic winning out over my drive to see Luna’s request through. “It’s lasted this long, I don’t think another day will make that big of an impact,” Hue scooped me up as he spoke. After being on my hooves a good portion of the day, I wasn’t going to complain about being carried for a bit. Arusha snickered at me, but I didn’t pay her much mind. Summer Breeze on the other hoof, was difficult to read. As Hue carried me, I caught what looked like a tiny hint of jealousy. Her expression had soured briefly before we began to look for a hotel. We eventually found one called the Bell Hotel, which was still within the vicinity of where we needed to look. --- Night had fallen and with it four tired bodies on a single bed. Despite there being more than one, we had unanimously came to the conclusion that Hue was more comfortable than a bed. I blamed it on herd mentality, and the desire to be close to another being. Arusha was draped over Hue’s chest, rising and falling with each breath he took. I opted to sleep curled up in his left arm with my head resting on his chest. The steady beat of his heart was beginning to lull me to sleep. Instead of counting sheep, I preferred to count heart beats. Summer Breeze had taken the other arm, hugging it possessively. I couldn’t help but notice that her muzzle held a frown as she slept. She was a difficult mare to read, but nothing malicious in nature had ever come up while we were together. I didn’t know why, but it was like meeting an old friend when she came to our rescue at the airport. Not just any pony would do that; put themselves in harm’s way for another. It had disturbed me a bit when I saw the look of jealousy on her muzzle when Hue picked me up, but I hadn’t really given it much thought. Perhaps her human didn’t have the same feelings for her as Hue had for me. As I closed my eyes for the last time that night I tried to forget the looming disaster that we were literally walking distance from. The colors of this world had started to grow dim, and ever since touching down in the United Kingdom, I had found the drive to press on getting harder. It had been subtle before, but now it was beginning to weigh down on me. I assumed it was because of Teal’s ideal world, one without end, which brought a troubling thought to light. If all of this was being forced upon us, then when should the story have truly ended? I had been in a world that ceased to move forward and it was a scary thought that this one might as well. I didn’t want to end, but I didn’t want to turn to dust either. It was this moment of clarity that I sympathized with Teal. She didn’t want to end either, she didn’t want anypony to come to an end. To the mare, it was a curse that was worse than death. If Hue had never focused on my being as much as he did, I would have just drifted away long ago. The same could probably be said for numerous ponies that had appeared on Earth. Why did things have to end? Journeys, love stories, songs, even sad stories; they all came to an end eventually. If I didn’t exist, would Hue have just forgotten about me and moved on? Would I have become like Teal and go to the extreme to stop a limbo like existence from happening? My thoughts eventually gave way to exhaustion, and I slipped into the dream world. Such transitions had usually been a horrible experience as it tore me from Hue’s side. Now that Teal had been absent from them, they had improved significantly. Much to my dismay, tonight’s encounter was a set back from what I had been experiencing. As I opened my eyes, I found myself in a cave. The rock walls were lined with crystals of all shapes and sizes, each giving off a very faint, pulsating glow. I knew this cave well, as I had watched the shows with Hue. This was Equestria, and this cave was home to the Tree of Harmony. Far from the beauty I was expecting to see, I was greeted by a tree with a very dim light. I quickly trotted up to the tree, noticing the shift in crystal’s color as I got closer. A pulsing light, much like a heartbeat, was all that came from the tree. The elements that had once shone brightly were as candles that had been snuffed out. Several vines lay around the tree, each one withered and lifeless. I assumed Discord’s plants had sensed the trees weakness and tried to sprout once more, only to die from the changes Teal had set in motion. Even as I observed the fading tree, the grey wave over the crystals grew and darkened those that were closest to the tree. It was then I understood what was happening. Harmony had been thrown out of balance, and the tree was directly affected by such an action. The ground around it wasn’t dying, the tree was trying to keep itself alive, by absorbing what it could. For a split second after the crystals lost their light, the element gems within its branches were lit up. The display faded as suddenly as it had appeared. The wave moved again and the elements lit up as the process repeated itself. “It is as we feared,” Luna said as she approached me. “The tree is dying, and it will take our world with it.” “It’s spreading like a weed,” I commented. “We can only do so much here, the rest is in your hooves,” Luna looked down at me with a somber expression. “What comes next may be your hardest test.” “A test?” I asked. “You have to remain strong, heed my warning Harmony,” Luna replied. “When the time comes to act you can’t show any sign of weakness.” “I don’t understand, what will I have to do?” I looked up at the princess, who was starting to fade in color. “You need to hurry, just trust me!” Luna exclaimed. “Wake up!” My eyes flew open at the command, greeted by a slowly rising sun. I didn’t hesitate to leap out of bed, waking the others in the process. I couldn’t stop to sleep in today, as much as my tired body wanted me to. When a princess tells you to get up, you tend to ignore the groans and complaints that follow. “Harmony, it’s too way early,” Hue mumbled incoherently. “I saw it!” I exclaimed. “I saw the tree!” “What tree?” Arusha asked. “The Tree of Harmony, it’s dying,” I replied. “It’s getting worse and worse on their side.” Summer Breeze just stared at me, not saying anything. Whether out of disbelief or the fact that she had been quite rudely awakened I couldn’t tell. If I were to guess, it was probably a mixture of both. She eventually shook her head and jumped onto the floor. “I vote for breakfast at least,” Hue said. I was about to protest until my own stomach rumbled, letting me know it wasn’t having any of my early morning shit. In Hue’s defense, saving two worlds from turning to dust was never done on an empty stomach, and so I relented to eating first. --- Breakfast had been a bit underwhelming, but I couldn’t complain too much, since we were on a deadline. How short that deadline was, I couldn’t say for certain. Even as we trudged through the woods I was unsure how much longer we had. The woods were dying, much like the Tree of Harmony. The deeper we went, the worse it appeared to affect the wildlife. Where it had only been the tree line yesterday, the field had been peppered by grey patches. It made me wonder which would give way first, Earth or Equestria? If there was any silver lining to be found, it was the damage itself as it was a good indicator where the well was. It was reasonable to assume that if all of this was starting in Equestria, then it was reasonable to believe that the same thing applied to the well. “How much farther do you think it is?” Arusha asked. “Based on what we’re seeing, not much,” Summer Breeze replied as she flew ahead of us. No sooner had she spoke up, a tree branch blackened and fell down right in front of Hue. Things were getting worse now that the tree in Equestria was steadily dying. How a crystal tree was able to have such a huge impact on Earth was a mystery to me, but one that could be solved later. Going deeper into the woods, towards the damage proved to be surprisingly effective, as Arusha tripped and rolled straight into the stone structure we were looking for. Time had not been kind to the well, as it was covered in moss and vines, all of which were grey and withered. It was so unassuming that if we had moved just a little deeper we would have missed it. “Well we found it, now what?” Hue asked. “Umm…I don’t actually know,” I confessed. “I think I can help with that,” Summer Breeze volunteered, eagerly walking up towards the well. “I’ll need a hoof though.” The mare motioned for me to join her at the edge of the well. As I approached her, I could hear something odd coming from deep within the hole the stones encircled. At the bottom there was a rippling pool that seemed to move of its own accord. It cast our reflections perfectly, almost as if it was made of glass instead of liquid. “Amazing isn’t it?” Summer Breeze asked. “I guess, but what did you have in mind to activate it…or…something?” My gaze was held by the rippling water. “Well, I thought I’d start by doing this,” Summer Breeze said, right before a hard shove sent me over the edge. I didn’t even have time to scream before hitting the bottom, sinking into an unknown vortex that seemed to zip around me at alarming speeds. Thankfully, that came to an end upon landing on what felt like solid ground. Hue landed beside me with Arusha in his arms. Instantly the colors around us shifted into a vibrant baby blue, before finally settling on two separate colors on each side. To my left was a midnight blue, while the half on my right was solid white, with a few yellow spots that occasionally trickled down as the vortex fluctuated. The best way to describe it was like looking at a nebula from a telescope, only it was much closer. The only sound was that of a heartbeat, occurring in time with the shift in colors and patterns. Despite the beauty of the plain we had landed in, fear took root as I realized there was no visible exit. “Welcome,” I heard Summer Breeze say as she landed gracefully. “I owe you a huge thanks Harmony. I mean, without you, I never would have been able to enter the current.” “Summer Breeze, I don’t understand, why would you want to come here?” I asked. “Silly H-armony,” Summer Breeze’s voice gave way to one that was all too familiar. “I already told you, to keep things from fading away.” “Teal!” Arusha exclaimed. “Guess the jig is up,” Summer Breeze shrugged as a blue line danced across her coat, leaving behind familiar blue fur. “Not that it matters anymore. Summer Breeze, Bumble Wings, all played a part…as did countless other ponies to get me here.” “Countless?” Hue asked. “Teal has been my favorite so far, but I can’t keep her body and mind sustained on bread alone,” Teal said as her horn reappeared. “That’s why the others were so important, it’s why I brought you all here in the first place, in case I needed you.” “You’re a monster!” Hue spat. “You’ve been killing ponies!?” “I haven’t killed them,” Teal giggled. “They’re just…sleeping, I’m no monster. You would know though, right?” “What are you talking about Teal?” I fumed. “Hue’s not a monster!” “He made me, I think that qualifies,” Teal retorted. “Don’t you remember me?” Teal’s eyes shifted to a solid black as she stared at Hue. Her coat began to fluctuate in a variety of colors, as did the cutie mark on her flank. It was a baseball, then a wrench; it kept shifting to different items with each coat change. “What are you?” Arusha slowly worked her way behind Hue’s legs. “I’m what you call a doppelganger, noponie’s life in my care has ever gone unlived,” Teal replied. “I couldn’t reach the current between worlds on my own, I needed help.” “Who are you, really?” I asked. “…I’m Teal,” the mare in front of us smiled wickedly as light began to stream from her eyes. “I’m hurt you don’t remember me.” The mare was slowly lifted up by an unseen force, six lights swarming around her as she rose above us. Her horn grew slightly, gaining a sharper tip than a regular unicorn’s. Her coat began to fluctuate once again. Her cutie mark was gone entirely, followed by a slightly lengthened mane and tail with a set of translucent wings occasionally coming through on her back. “There’s only one mind fit to ensure the survival of these two worlds,” Teal said, her voice echoed by another. “Now I have the power to truly stop the end that looms over us, and yet you choose to try and stop me.” “You saw the damage you’ve done Teal, it was spreading while we were in the woods!” I shouted. “I can stop it now,” Teal replied. “Enough of this, if you won’t side with me then you force me to snuff out your light for good.” The surrounding vortex shifted in color once more as the mare landed across from me. Upon touching down, Arusha and Hue were knocked backwards; it was clear she wanted this to be between me and her. With a tap of her hoof, what appeared to be a floor materialized beneath us. “I don’t want to fight you!” I exclaimed. “That’s a shame, because I need to be the only one in control here,” Teal replied as her horn started to glow. “There’s no room for backseat drivers.” Above us, several holes materialized to produce cannons that seemed oddly familiar. Teal laughed as they fired strange, orange projectiles towards me, forcing me to keep moving. Teal stood still as her eyes and horn continued to glow through the chaos, which gave me an idea. After teleporting out of the way of one of the strange cannon balls, I rushed towards Teal, the cannons tracking my every move. Teal’s look of confidence swiftly changed as I turned her own power against her. I teleported away at the last second, avoiding the explosion that engulfed the mare. Before I could hoof pump in celebration, the floor began to heat up; a crystal trail rushing towards me. Its presence was almost shark like in appearance, as Teal rose high into the air to direct its movements with her magic. It seemed she had adapted quickly and knew better than to stay where I could reach her. I sent out a small bolt of magic, which Teal deflected easily. She smiled wickedly as another crystal trail joined the first, trying to box me in. She was too strong now that we weren’t on level playing fields. “Harmony, use your voice!” Hue shouted. “I gave you a voice, now show her what it can do!” “Stay out of this!” Teal boomed, sending a small shard of crystal towards Hue and Arusha. As I watched the crystals, I realized what he wanted me to do. I took a deep breath, my horn glowing as I did so in preparation. I was supposed to use my voice to entertain other ponies, I never thought I would be forced to go beyond that. As long as Hue said it was okay, then I had no problem using it to get Teal on the straight and narrow. I released my held breath, holding a single note at the highest octave I could hit. The crystals stopped as Teal clutched her ears, the soundwave visible and reverberating through the vortex. The crystals began to shake and quiver as cracks form on them before finally shattering. Hue covered Arusha to keep her from getting hit by any stray fragments; his backpack taking a majority of the damage. Teal dropped to the floor, struggling to stand. The mare snarled at me hatefully, the white fading from her coat as it continued to rapidly shift. Her mane had shrunk as well, returning to a more natural length for the mare. I could only assume she had taken a hefty blow, but clearly wasn’t down for the count. “You still think you have any say in this little story?” Teal growled. “Maybe a reminder is in order!” No sooner had she finished speaking, my world became dark. I could only hear Hue and Arusha’s despite cries, alongside Teal’s hideous laughter. I quickly realized I was blind again; the one thing I feared most was losing my ability to see after working so hard to gain it with Hue. I could hear something big moving across the floor, much bigger than Hue, and definitely not Arusha. It was rough and almost sounded like scales sliding across-uh oh. I focused as best as I could with my magic to gain some sort of idea what was around me. I had done it before having sight, and thankfully I still had the magic memory to perform a passive sound spell. As the sounds came in, I could make out a tall creature, with what appeared to be a mare sitting on it’s arrow like head. “A snake!?” I jumped back as I realized what I was looking at. “I need a break from all the dirty work,” Teal giggled. “My friend here has gladly volunteered.” Before I could utter a reply, the snake lunged towards me with alarming speed. Its huge body did it’s best to trap me in its coils of solid muscle. Thankfully the snake was as loud as it was big and gave me an idea of where it would be going, but I couldn’t keep up forever. As Teal laughed at my struggles, she revealed where she was, and I fired a spell at her once more. This time, she was dislodged from the head of the snake, and it quickly began to lose form as it fell to the makeshift floor, dissolving into what felt like steam. As the snake vanished, so too did Teal’s hold over my eye sight. It was as if someone had thrown a light switch and I could see her coat burn a bright yellow before fading back into the sea of colors. Her horn lost some of it’s size but retained the sharp point it had developed. “How…how are you doing this!?” Teal screamed. “You’re not the hero, I am!” “This isn’t about heroes and villains Teal, what you’re doing is wrong!” I shouted. “I will not give up! Not to you!” Teal roared as the floor began to quake and rumble. Her horn held an orange glow to it as she rose up once more. This time, several trees followed her into the air from the ground. Their trunks were enormous, and their branches seemed more suited to be thick, burly arms than mere wood. Strange still were the giant fruits that began to grow on them. It was a massive orb, painted with all the colors of a rainbow. They twitched and shook violently as small pops of static danced across the skin of the fruit. They were zap apples, only these were the size of a small car. Eventually the fruit started to fall, prompting me to teleport to one of the branches as Hue and Arusha clung to one of the trees. The floor was now bathed in static and large bolts of electricity, promising a painful end if one was to lose focus. “Teal, stop it!” I shouted. “You’ll kill them!” “I’ll just rewrite the story, just as easily as I wrote that idiot stallion out of the picture,” Teal said. Before I could respond, a large apple nearly hit the branch I was on. I teleported to a neighboring branch only to be met by more falling fruit; each leaving a dangerous trail of energy behind. The mare was going to ruthless extremes now, desperately wanting to stop me. I looked up and began firing into the leafs of the giant trees, setting them on fire. The smoke rose up towards Teal and it forced her to teleport away from the heat and smoke that was choking her. As she landed to catch her breath, I destroyed the branch she was resting on, taking her by surprise. I hadn’t noticed the fruit hanging above her, which fell on top of her, delivering a series of painful shocks, if her expression was any indication of the power behind a car sized zap apple. Before Teal hit the ground, the trees began to retreat into the ground, the static coming to an abrupt end. The mare let out a hateful scream and rose up once more on a powerful set of wings, leaving a multicolored spectrum behind her. “Stop it!” Teal exclaimed as she flew towards me. I was swept off my hooves, carried up by Teal as she flew like a bullet skyward. I realized that she was planning to drop me and teleported away, firing another burst of energy at the mare. She was getting sloppy now, and I could feel her attempts becoming frantic and poorly planned. We both saved ourselves before landing on the hard floor that had been given form. This fight with Teal was beginning to take its toll on me. The same could be said for Teal, only she looked to be in worse shape than me. “Why…despite all I’ve thrown at you…why are you still standing?” Teal panted. “Because I can’t let your plan go on,” I replied. “Everything has to end at some point Teal, don’t you see that?” “I won’t let it end!” Teal shouted. “Just stop fighting me!” Teal retained a purple color as her coat finally ceased to display a vibrant, ever changing mix. Her horn was glowing white and discharging static as she glared at me with solid white eyes; a pink orb form at the tip of her horn, growing to an impressive size. I followed suit, a part of me doubting myself in my ability to hold her back. Her temper had reached its limit and she was dead set on getting her way. I was determined to stop her from getting the never ending story she wanted. Such a life came at too great a cost, no matter what new power she might have. We fired at the same time, the rays of energy colliding as they struggled against each other. I could sense her emotions that she had poured into making her beam. Anger, rage, sorrow, all of these I could sense in her assault on me, but the most prevalent emotion was fear. She feared losing this fight. She had come so far, only to be met by a pony that was just as determined as she was. “Stop it Harmony!” Teal shouted. “I have to win!” “I’m not going to give up!” I shot back. “Sable, stop this!” Hue shouted. For a split second I felt Teal’s control over her spell weaken at the mention of the strange name. It was long enough for me to overpower her, sending my stream of energy crashing through hers and into the unicorn who had conjured it. A loud boom filled the air as the trace amounts of Teal’s energy faded into nothingness. The smoke was slowly being drained away into the vortex, revealing not one pony, but two. Once the smoke had cleared it revealed one mare standing, while Teal lay motionless a few feet from her. The new pony had no mane or tail to speak off, and was covered in a grey coat of fur. The dullness of her coat was only matched by her bizarre eyes which were pitch black. They reflected my own image back at me like a mirror as I stared into them. To top off her strange appearance, a simple, white gem sat on her forehead where a horn should be. I could only assume this was the real doppelganger, exposed at last for what she truly was. She stared at me; panting heavily as she stood on trembling legs. It looked as if the smallest gust would topple her for good. She slowly shifted her weight to try and remain standing with her head lowered. “Sable,” Hue said again as he approached the trembling mare. “Sable Template.” “D-don’t call me by that name!” Sable’s voice was higher than Teal’s, and was more subdued in volume. “I-I’m not….I’m not yours anymore…I need to keep going.” The mare backed away from Hue on unsteady legs. It was a miracle that she didn’t trip over herself in her attempt to get away from my human. It was sad to watch what had only moments ago been a terrifying pony, now cowering in fear at the presence of a magicless human. “No, it’s time to end this,” I said trotting towards her with a light at the tip of my horn. “This has gone on long enough.” “Harmony, you don’t have to do anything,” Hue said as he knelt down beside me. “She’s your sister.” “M-My sister!?” I stared at Hue in disbelief. “Her name is Sable Template.” Hue said. ”I didn’t realize it at first, but it’s hard to deny something I worked on when it’s standing in front of me.” “…just kill me…” Sable said quietly. “Get it over with, so I don’t have to be around when the end comes.” “Sable, why did you run?” Hue asked. “Why did you just vanish one day?” “Because you stopped believing in me!” Sable snapped, falling down from her outburst. “So many worlds…you humans make them only to tear them down in the end, never knowing that you snuffed out hundreds…thousands…billions of lives. I didn’t want to be next.” Hue sighed in defeat, his shoulders slumping as a silent acknowledgement of Sable’s words. I was still left trying to wrap my mind around having been his second thought form. How Hue had forgotten her I had no idea, but I summarized that it had something to do with her fleeing. “Sable,” I said softly. “I’m not going to kill you.” “Do you think I’ve learned anything from this?” Sable asked. “If you don’t I’ll just come back.” “Is what Hue said true?” I ignored her empty threat. “Are we sisters?” “…yes,” Sable admitted. “Then why would I hurt you?” I huffed. “I’m a monster!” Sable growled. “It’s all I can be…no matter how hard I tried…I’ve always been the monster Hue made me to be.” Despite all the hateful thoughts that should have occupied my mind, I was losing my will to harm her. I had been fighting against my family the entire time, and I had come close to killing her. Though she called herself a monster, in the light I saw only a terrified mare. “I don’t see a monster Sable,” I said as I approached her. “Why...?” Sable’s expression shifted as I walked towards her. “I hurt everypony…I ruined worlds…why aren’t you doing anything?” “Because that’s not the way I was made,” I replied. “I was blind, but I made myself better with Hue’s help, now I see. Why do you think you’re beyond help?” “I hurt other ponies…killed other ponies…I can’t be fixed,” Sable said, her body shaking as she tried to fight back the emotions welling up inside her. “Sable, I’m sorry,” Hue said. “I never wanted you to feel bad. I poured my heart into you, like everything I work on.” “Then why…why didn’t you finish me?” Sable asked. “Because it wasn’t time for your story,” Hue replied. “I almost forgot about you until Harmony showed me the old folder that held your profile in it.” “Y-you kept that?” I could see tears form at the edge of Sable’s eyes as she looked up at Hue. “I kept it safe for when the time came,” Hue explained. “Even if I don’t use one of my ideas right away, I never want to forget them.” “…I’m…” Sable muttered as I sensed her resolve breaking down. “…I’m…sorry.” Sable fell forward, sobbing weakly as Hue caught her. I didn’t see a monster in his arms, a monster wouldn’t have it in them to say sorry and truly mean it in their hearts. As Sable cried, I saw a strange light coming from her flank. A moment later, something flew from the light and into the vortex, leaving behind a noticeable glow. More speeding streaks of light followed the first, each disappearing into different parts of the swirling chaos of color around us. Before long I noticed a change in our surroundings as the vortex cleared; leaving behind a calm, beautiful image of what appeared to be open space showing Earth, rolled out like a scroll. Beneath it was the familiar image of Canterlot Castle, set high upon the mountain. Luna had spoken the truth when she said our worlds were connected, they were literally on top of one another. “Beautiful…” Arusha whispered. After what seemed like an eternity, the glow on Sable’s flank faded with one last light, which looked like a cutie mark. It floated over to Teal’s dormant form, causing her to yawn as she sleepily got to her hooves. “What…happened?” Sable went limp in Hue’s arms, her breathing labored. She had given up all of the energy she had stolen, leaving her weak. She looked up at Hue with a sniffle, her eyes reflecting his appearance back at him. “Sable, are you okay?” I asked. “I threw everything away, everything I had at you,” Sable replied. “I’ve got nothing left.” “Wait, no you can’t-“ “I can Harmony, and I need to,” Sable said. “I can’t keep feeding off other ponies.” Wordlessly, Hue relinquished his hold on Sable, walking towards his bag. I quickly stepped in with my magic, propping Sable up as best as I could. She was so light now, weighing close to nothing after her literally draining experience. “Hue, what are you doing?” I called to my human. As if cued by my question, another light started to come from Sable’s flank, taking on a curious form. When the light settled, a mirror cutie mark was seamlessly etched onto her hip. As I stared at it, I could actually see my reflection in her cutie mark. “My own…” Sable sobbed. She didn’t have time to finish as a bright light started to shine all around us. The image of Earth and Equestria had been flipped, with Earth resting beneath the world of ponies. We were rushing towards the strange world at blinding speed, rendering us deaf from the howling wind that accompanied our departure from the void we had been trapped in. ---- Slowly, sight and sound returned to me, the first thing being the sound of murmuring. I opened my eyes slowly to see several ponies I didn’t know. A guard was among them, glaring menacingly down at me. I looked over to my side to find Hue, with tired eyes and a sleepy looking Sable in his arms. “You caused quite a stir,” an angelic voice said, sobering my senses. Celestia slowly approached us, Arusha instantly rolling onto her hooves to bow. I couldn’t believe it, we were actually in Equestria, but not through some words on a page, this was the real Equestria. All my life I had just dwelt here as a character, but now I was in front of one of the most powerful ponies in existence. “I…um,” I stammered as Hue started to sit up. “Be at ease Harmony,” Celestia smiled. “I’m aware of you and your friend’s actions. As well as a certain pony present.” Sable’s eyes opened suddenly, reflecting Celstia’s visage as she tried to burry herself deeper into Hue’s arms. It was hard to tell what Celestia was feeling, a master piece of a poker face hiding any hint as to what she was thinking. “Wait, your majesty,” I started, earning her attention. “Sable…Sable’s not a bad pony, she was just-“ “Putting the lives of everypony in danger,” Celestia cut me off. “At the very least she should be imprisoned.” “Umm, if I may Princess,” Hue spoke up. “She’s not a threat anymore, we worked it out….kind of…with lots of explosion…and friendship?” Celestia kept her poker face up as she stared as Hue intensely. If she had put a bit of thought into it, she would probably create lasers with her eyes, no horn required! “Forgiveness isn’t earned in an hour,” Celestia said. “Trust is even harder to earn back.” Sable pulled away from Hue’s protective hold; cautiously approaching the mighty alicorn who now controlled her fate. She tried to make herself as small as possible as several audible whispers carried hateful remarks and names. “I don’t have any excuse to give you,” Sable admitted. “I tried to stop an end from coming, only to ensure my own instead.” “Sable, one shouldn’t wish for something past its time to keep going,” Celestia said. “Speaking form experience, if something is fleeting and temporary, that should only add to its value. You should want to enjoy every second of it…if something has no end, it slowly loses its value to you.” Sable hung her head low, almost touching the ground with her nose. She had no fight left in her, no will to argue her case. Celestia could easily end her life here and now, but for some reason she hadn’t yet. I could only imagine what was going through her mind as she stared thoughtfully at the defeated mare. “Misguided or not, you’ve still committed crimes against Equestria,” Celestia’s tone changed to that of a scolding mother. “You deserve the harshest sentence we have, if we were to go by the books…which is why I’ve come to my decision.” Sable tensed up, readying herself to take whatever punishment Celestia thought was fit for her. I could only hold my breath as the seconds seemed to slow down to minutes, prolonging the judgement Sable had earned. “Six months in Canterlot to begin your reformation,” Celestia said “You’re to serve two years of community service, and receive random stops from Princess Twilight Sparkle in order to ensure your cooperation.” “…what?” Sable looked up cautiously at Celestia, confusion apparent on her muzzle, even with expressionless eyes. “It’s called a second chance,” Celestia said firmly. “If you do anything to compromise it, there will be no mercy next time.” Hue, Arusha and myself let out a held sigh of relief. For whatever reason, Celestia had decided against throwing her away for good, sentencing her to death, or some unknown punishment far worse. “Thank you, Princess,” Sable bowed, still trembling after expecting the worst for her future. “Don’ thank me yet,” Celestia raised an eyebrow. “You still have a long way to go.” Sable nodded wordlessly as two guards stepped forward to occupy her left and right. She smiled sheepishly at me before she vanished in the blink of an eye. With my sister out of the way, Celestia’s gaze now fell on us. “As for you three,” Celestia started. “Thank you for all that you’ve done. Though I’m afraid I’m not quite certain what to make of a human dwelling here once more.” “I wouldn’t be alive if it wasn’t for him Princess,” I spoke up for my human. “I don’t think I could picture a world without Hue in my life.” “I had planned to send him back, but I believe such action wouldn’t be in the best interest of reforming Sable,” Celestia smiled. “I think Ponyville would be a perfect place to start off in getting all of you adjusted to Equestria.” I leaned back against Hue in relief, feeling his arms wrap around me as he stood up. I looked up at him, filled with glee that I wouldn’t be alone as we started over in this world. As long as I had him by my side, I knew I wouldn’t be afraid of what comes next; be it an end, or something else entirely.