> The Titans' Orb: Rising Storm
>  by Mister Horncastle
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Prologue: The Drums of War
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Raising his head, the demigod parted his mandibles and tasted the nighttime air, drinking in the scent of blood, smoke, and anguish. Paired with yesterday’s fear-scent of the Royal Sisters, Nah’Lek was nearly overwhelmed by its deliciousness, and as he strode past the piles of battered and mangled corpses around him, he couldn’t help but feel a twinge of euphoria, something that was often foreign to him. Amongst the bodies, and still very much alive, were some of Nah’Lek’s thralls, insect-like creatures of which he had bent to his will. They were native to this world, and were something akin to pets for the Phayling race, of whom called this planet their home. Wholly consumed by demon magic, the creatures gorged themselves on their former masters, devouring their bodies without a shred of emotion or remorse.

This world hadn’t been ready for such an invasion, for even if its peaceful denizens had been at all equipped for war, the sheer scale of Nah’Lek’s army was beyond imagination; one had to see it to believe. There had been no hope for these people, and as the Defiler’s great host laid siege to the last city, the lights on an entire sapient species went out.

“It is done, Nah’Lek.” a warrior spoke, approaching his ruler, “The Phaylings are no more, save for the prisoners.”

“Good.” he replied, “Do with them as you will, their kind possess no qualities I desire.”

Nodding, the warrior marched off to inform his fellow marauders, a menacing smile now painted upon his face. Being the heartless monsters they were, it was a guarantee that the few surviving Phaylings wouldn’t be alive for much longer. First, they would be played with, and then they would be butchered, and eaten.

Nah’Lek left the battlefield, returning to the nearest war camp, which sat on a hilltop not far from the city. As he made his approach, the masses of green-skinned warriors fell silent, bowing to him in equal parts fear and respect. To the left and right of him stood forges, barracks, and other buildings created by his peons, all built using the foundations of the native village that once stood there. These new structures were covered in spikes, fashioned from the sharpened bones of the soon-to-be-extinct Phaylings, and were all painted red with their blood.

Continuing down the course trampled path, Nah’Lek observed his growing army with pride, and they were most certainly still growing, for the cries of newborns could be heard from the Wachook’s hut. He then reached the arena, where within, two of his warriors were locked in a duel. It was not a graceful fight, for they were vicious and brutal, roaring loudly as they swung their axes at one another and blocked with their blood-splattered shields. An axe met flesh, severing a hand and sending it hurtling from the arena. It landed close to the Defiler, stopping him in his tracks, and it was enough for him to take an interest.

He watched on as the now-mutilated warrior fought on, and instead of being hindered by such an injury, he was spurred by it. Flying into a blood-rage, he dropped his axe and launched himself at his opponent, taking him to the ground and punching him repeatedly with the bleeding stump where his hand had been mere seconds ago. The crowd cheered excitedly as the two creatures wrestled each other. With blood in his eyes, the blinded warrior could do little to retaliate as his one-handed opponent continued to pummel him to death, striking again and again until his skull caved in. To Nah’Lek’s satisfaction, the savagery didn’t stop, not until the deceased warrior’s head had been completely destroyed, resulting in a sight best likened to that of an upturned stewpot, its mucilaginous contents spilling out across the ground.

These creatures had been bred for war, and although they had once been shamanistic and honour-bound, the urge to shed blood was now a part of their very nature, and thus were the perfect race for Nah’Lek’s army. Taking charge of them had been a simple task, all it took was rooting out the warlock who secretly controlled them, and effectively taking his place. After that, he challenged their Warchief, Blackhand the Destroyer, to one-on-one combat. It was a sacred duel in their culture, known as the Mak’gora. After besting Blackhand with ease and forcing him to yield, Nah’Lek spared his life, and promptly took hold of the greatest army known to creation.

The Orcish Horde.

With Blackhand now as his second-in-command, Nah’Lek promised the Horde a lifetime of blood, glory, and conquest, to which they eagerly followed him. Slaying all those who defied him, Nah’Lek processed the orcs, training them over generations to be loyal, merciless, and without fear. It amused him to think, these creatures had almost invaded his home world of Azeroth, where he had been hatched to a mighty brood up in the frozen lands of Northrend. However, such a fate was to be halted altogether, on that fateful day when the great Titan of Mass, Appelox, resonated with Nah’Lek, plucking him from his icy home and making him an offer.

The terms were simple, all he had to do was agree to find the Titans’ Orb and destroy it, and in return, he would be made a god, an unstoppable force of unparalleled terror. The choice couldn’t have been easier, and so Nah’Lek was reforged and born anew, now imbued with the souls of the Holy Titans of Harmony.

Upholding his end of the bargain, he descended upon the world of Equus, where throughout his search for the Orb, he carried out a slaughter like no other. It was only when he was bested by the Titans’ Champion, a unicorn by the name of Stardust Moonshimmer, that he found himself in chains, incarcerated for his crimes. Sent to the lowest depths of Tartarus, the Defiler plotted his revenge for centuries untold, and when all had forgotten he even existed, he set his plan into motion.

Once free, and in possession of Hades’ staff, Nah’Lek gained dominion over not just the orcs, but over a substance so malevolent that it could corrupt even mana. On Equus, it was known as demon magic, but in truth, it went by a far simpler name.

The Fel.

Just as mana represented life, creation, and balance, the Fel was the manifestation of death, destruction, and disorder, serving as the very antithesis of mana. It was a brutal, sickening cosmic force, corrupting the mind, body, and soul of all who were exposed to it, warping them into beings known to all… as demons. Only individuals of great strength could harness it, of which Nah’Lek now was. Armed with this nefarious power, the Defiler possessed the ability to bend all to his will, and as such, the Horde became forever his to govern.


Moving on from the arena, he ascended a flight of stone steps, taking him above the war camp and allowing him to look upon the burning city below. For as far as the eye could see, there was fire, smoke, and chants of victory from his seasoned army; after all this waiting, his Horde was ready.

Almost sentimental, the Defiler ruminated for a time, until he thought it best to pay attention to his hidden contingency; what villain with such a grand scheme wouldn’t have a backup plan? Far away from here, in another dimension, a set of eyes were at work, watching from the shadows and gently pulling at strings. Muttering the incantation, Nah’Lek began to commune with his agent, establishing a connection across time and space. Briefly merging its mind with his own, he took in the knowledge it had obtained.

In truth, he had hoped to see these eyes elsewhere, perhaps keeping tabs on the Princesses for him. Instead, he was met with a most interesting development indeed. Much to his surprise, his puppet was on another world entirely, observing the valorous efforts of six ponies, searching for the scattered fragments of the Titans’ Orb. They were in the company of a human male, young and spry, with an air of gallantry about him. What he lacked in experience, he made up for in spirit, with his willpower and endurance not matching up to what a boy of his calibre ought to possess.

Second by second, Nah’Lek saw more of their adventure, and after a few near-death encounters, they were in possession of a fragment, pulled from the depths of a Brazilian lake. Weeks passed, and suddenly they had claimed another, warding off Fel-touched radiation and escaping a blighted Pripyat with little more than a few flesh wounds. At this rate, they could have a third by the end of the year, which on Equus, would have been no more than a day. With his mandibles twitching angrily, Nah’Lek’s eyes went from their usual purple, to that of a deep crimson. Though mostly enraged, there was another sensation too, one that Nah’Lek hadn’t felt since his defeat, thousands of years ago.

Fear.

If these ponies continued as they were, there was a very real chance that this could have all been for nothing. With the Orb recovered, the Horde would be rendered useless, and the Defiler would be forced to invade Equus alone. Though he had nearly beaten the Princesses before, there was every chance a new Champion had since taken Stardust’s place, and if Nah’Lek was subdued again, he didn’t reckon they would merely resume his prison sentence. To lose would mean to die, an outcome Nah’Lek vehemently refused, for he was the living embodiment of death; how could anyone be allowed to kill death? No, something needed to be done about this.

Severing the connection, Nah’Lek returned to the war camp and sent word for his apprentice, the last red orc in existence, of whom he had chosen to train personally. It didn’t take him long to appear, shouldering his way past his green-skinned brethren.

“Master, you wished to see me?”

Towering above the orc, Nah’Lek looked down upon him and tilted his head.

“I am leaving for a time, for there are matters I must tend to. I am taking Blackhand with me, along with your father. While I am gone, you are to take my place, acting as Warchief in my stead.”

Taking a knee, the orc shook his head.

“You honour me, Nah’Lek.”

“Honour has little to do with it.” he replied, “Your prowess in battle has seen you worthy. Even without the Fel’s gift, you are unmatched in body and mind. As such, you are to keep these green-skins in line, and continue our preparations.”

Rising to his feet, the red orc nodded, understanding the assignment.

“Where is it you’re going?” he asked.

“That is none of your concern.” the Defiler snapped back, “Just be sure everything’s in order by the time I return, for the hour is nigh.”

At this, the orc splayed his lips into a wicked toothy smile.

“So, we are ready?”

Looking beyond his pupil, Nah’Lek drank the air once again, where he savoured the foetid stench of war, along with the lingering remnants of the Princesses’ fright. Clicking his mandibles, he confirmed the query, making his proclamation known.

“Correct, Hellscream. On my return, the Horde shall descend upon the Titans’ world, and there will be no god, nor Champion, strong enough to stop us. Now, be gone with you.”

With his apprentice sent away, Nah’Lek prepared to travel to Earth, for there was still the matter of the human to deal with. Whoever this ‘Callum’ was, Nah’Lek thought, he was going to regret lending his assistance to Twilight and her mission. Once his two orcs were ready to leave, Nah’Lek withdrew Hades’ staff and opened a portal, where they embarked on a little mission of their own.


Just as Twilight’s Company were in search of the Titans’ Orb, Nah’Lek was now in search of them.



The hunt had begun.





> Chapter One: The Journey Continues
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Like an icy hook, cold gripped the land. It was the first truly frigid day, marking the beginning of winter. Crossing the moorland and into the forest beyond, the girls and I shivered and chattered, until we could bear it no longer, and set up camp for the night.

After a fortnight of remaining in our camp near the afflicted, blight-riddled city, my wounds were finally healed enough for us to press on. Though the scars on my belly from the dreaded mutant queen’s attack still ached, I insisted that I was fine. As such, we had made our way north, crossing the Pripyat river and pushing on towards Belarus. Twilight had detected the whispers of a strong energy signal somewhere in that direction, and although there were no airports on the map, she was confident that the signal was strong enough to utilise when it came to finding the next Orb fragment. We weren’t far now from the border, and from tomorrow onwards, we would be in Belarus.

“Here we are.” Rarity sang, distributing mugs to all of us, “This ought to warm us up!”

Bringing the mug close, the scent of hot chocolate wafted into my nose, and I let out a heavy sigh. Everyone else did the same, and after thanking Rarity for making it for us, we began sipping away. It was a cloudless night, and the stars glittered above us through the now-leafless treeline. Things had been somewhat turbulent over the past few days, and not just between me and Twilight; the colder weather had been ebbing away at everyone’s merriment, and it had resulted in us all being rather prickly with each other at times. Even now with two Orb fragments in hand, things felt… uneasy. Rainbow Dash had been the worst, snapping constantly and lashing out with bitter remarks. Still flightless, and with an aching leg from her injury in Chernobyl, the mare was nearly as cantankerous as Twilight at times.

As for the aforementioned unicorn, Twilight had been getting worse again. After we had fought together to kill the mutant queen, the two of us had very nearly become friends, putting our differences aside and realising how well we could work as a team. However, after she had suffered from the worst nightmare yet, waking with a scream, she had turned on me again, as though I had been the cause for such a terrible dream. Since then, she had almost entirely gone back to calling me ‘human’ instead of my name, and treating me as an enemy. Though I had tried to remind her of how she owed me respect after her stunt in Brazil, it seemed that she no longer cared.

Still, there were times when it wasn’t so bad, and tonight was one of those times. As we sipped at our hot chocolates, all seven of us finally had a moment of peace. We talked long into the night, mainly about past events. Wishing to learn more on events depicted in the cartoon, I boldly brought up the wedding between Twilight’s brother, Shining Armor, and the Princess of Love, Mi Amore Cadenza.

As it happened, the changeling assault on Canterlot had been a far more horrific affair, with the insectoid invaders doing plenty worse than just capturing the unsuspecting city dwellers. While Princess Celestia did battle with Queen Chrysalis in the throne room, the changeling swarm had laid siege to the capital, feeding on a whole lot more than love. In actuality, love was merely an extension of one’s soul, and it was this that the changelings were truly sated by. Though they could thrive well enough on love, the only real way to fill their bellies was to feast on another’s very soul. As such, when they descended into the streets of Canterlot, many ponies met their end, with their final moments wreathed in terror.

“Blimey…” I murmured, “I never would have guessed it was so awful, I’m sorry I asked.”

“It’s alright.” Rarity sighed, “I’m guessing your world depicted it as a far happier ordeal?”

Dipping my head, I explained how the cartoon had simply shown the changelings capturing ponies, without anyone being seriously harmed. After that, Shining Armor regained his senses and repelled them all with an overpowered barrier spell, fuelled by Cadence’s love for him. It was the ultimate display of how love was a real, tangible force, and could empower one in mind, body, and soul. After that, the wedding went on as planned. There was a merry after-party, and all was well. In essence, the whole ordeal served as little more than an exciting, climactic, heart-warming finale to the show’s second season.

“I prefer that version.” Pinkie sighed, hanging her head.

The others muttered their agreement, wishing life could have been so simple. It must have been hard for them; to know that such a simplified, trivial version of their own lives existed, in the form of a children’s cartoon. Continuing to tell me what really happened, the girls explained that just as the show had depicted, the wedding did go ahead, though it was more of an act of solidarity, than it was a celebration of Shining Armor and Cadence’s love. To the now-terrified citizens of Canterlot, it was a somewhat religious affair, joining an alicorn princess to a mortal pony in hallowed matrimony.

“It was a way of saying we were in this together.” Twilight clarified, “That against any threat, our divine rulers would stand at our side, and keep us safe.”

“Huh…” I breathed, scratching the back of my head, “That’s really quite profound, actually.”

“I think so too.”

Twilight then let out a pensive sigh, and I asked her what dwelled on her mind. Eyeing me up and down, she contemplated whether to tell me, before finally shaking her head.

“It doesn’t matter.”

Getting to her hooves, she took herself off to bed. Shrugging, I let her go, as did the others. We then decided to do the same, with Rarity extinguishing the magical campfire and collecting our empty mugs. Fluttershy and I went off into our tent, and with how cold it was outside, we took to sharing my sleeping bag, holding each other close for warmth.

After so many nights with the yellow pegasus in my arms, I had to admit that I felt a closeness to her unlike the others. It wasn’t romantic, nor was it sexual, it was just… close. Our intimacy was one of a totally chaste nature, and one that I thoroughly relished in. Resting my chin on top of her head, I drifted off fairly quickly, and soon enough, we were both asleep.


The next day was far hotter, with the sun making a bold return, as though it wished to bring back the summer for one last hurrah. Enjoying what was probably the final warm day of the year, we pressed on until we reached the border. We were met with a long stretch of wire fencing, though it had clearly not been maintained in the slightest, for it was heavily rusted and swathed in vegetation. It wasn’t difficult to find a break in the line and step through, and then just like that, we were in a new country.

Though it was only the afternoon, we decided to set up camp upon finding a lovely clearing in the woods that would serve us nicely. Besides, with Rainbow’s leg still being a little stiff, we had all the excuse in the world to travel shorter distances each day. We unpacked the camping gear, and upon setting up the tents, Rarity asked where the pegs were to secure them to the ground.

“Shit!” Dashie grunted, frowning.

“What is it?” I asked her.

“I forgot to pack the damn pegs this morning, they’re still in Ukraine somewhere!”

“Oh Rainbow!” Rarity exclaimed, “For goodness’ sake, now our tents are going to be unstable!”

“Oh nooooo!” Dashie mocked, impersonating the unicorn, “Unstable tents! What a tragedy! Where’s my fainting couch?”

“This isn’t funny, Rainbow Dash! Just because you don’t care about camping standards…”

“Well, you’re welcome to go back and fetch them.”

At this, Rarity snorted angrily and pointed out that it was Rainbow who forgot to pack them, so if anyone was to go back in search of the pegs, it would be her. Dashie proclaimed that the pegs weren’t that important, which brought on yet another argument within the company. Realising that this molehill was growing into a mountain, I stepped in to intervene.

“Hey, hey! What the hell’s going on here?” I barked, walking over to them “Why are you biting each other’s heads off over some bloody tent pegs?”

At that, Rarity whipped around to me and presumed that I was taking Rainbow’s side. With a scowl, she insisted that with how windy it was beginning to get, she didn’t want to be stuck in a rickety tent all night, flapping loudly around her, all because of Rainbow Dash’s careless mistake.

“Jeez, it was an accident, Rarity!” Rainbow spat, “You’re acting like I did it on purpose! Look, I get that it was my fault, but you don’t need to be such a prissy bitch about it!”

With her mouth falling open, the unicorn scoffed and stormed up to the pegasus, planting a hoof on her chest and baring her teeth.

“Oh, I’m a bitch, am I? Did I hear that correctly? I’m a prissy bitch, what, because you’re too boneheaded to remember your one job? Honestly, one would think you haven’t a wit between those ears of yours. It’s no wonder you’re such an easy lay for all those colts back home.”

“What did you just say to me!?”

“I said, you are a simple-minded harlot! Is that easier for you to understand?”

At this, Rainbow Dash raised a hoof into the air, to which I darted forward and grabbed it before she was able to strike. Thrusting myself between them, I broke into an angry shout.

“Pack it in, you two! What the bloody hell is wrong with you both? This is over fucking tent pegs for crying out loud!”

Letting go of Dashie’s hoof, I turned to look at Rarity with a piercing glare, and for the first time in our adventure, the sharp-tongued seamstress was left silenced as I had it out with her.

“I can’t believe what I’ve just heard from you, genuinely, I cannot believe it. The way you’ve just spoken to Rainbow is nothing short of disgusting. You would call your own friend a whore just because she forgot to pack something? How could you possibly say something like that? She nearly died two weeks ago, and here you are with the absolute gall to say something so rancid. You’re going to apologise, right now, and then you’re going to put an end to this ridiculous argument!”

Swallowing, the unicorn lowered her head, well aware that she had taken things too far. However, before anything could be said, I whisked around to face Rainbow Dash, ensuring her that she was most certainly not off the hook.

“And you…” I hissed, “Words are one thing, but you were just about to hit her! Thanks to Twilight, I know all too well what a thrown hoof feels like, and you could have done some very real damage. Don’t you ever raise a hoof to her like that again, do you understand me?”

Gulping just as Rarity had, the pegasus saw the error of her ways as well. Continuing, I told her that it was indeed her fault for neglecting to pack the pegs, and although it wasn’t the be-all and end-all, she still needed to apologise for forgetting them, instead of mocking Rarity’s reaction. I then stood back and let them sort it out, which thankfully came swiftly and soundly.

“I shouldn’t have said what I did.” Rarity admitted solemnly, “It was wrong of me, and I’m sorry.”

“I’m sorry too.” Rainbow grumbled, prodding at the ground with a hoof, “Can we… forget about it?”

Breaking into a smirk, Rarity made her answer known with a far less insulting jab.

“Well, it would seem forgetting things is the theme for today…”

They both laughed, and promptly exchanged a hug, forgiving each other. They then went off together in search of some sticks that might serve as substitute pegs for the tents. Releasing a loud huff, I couldn’t help but remain stressed from the encounter. Sure, they might have made amends quickly, but this was now the eighth altercation that had required someone else to step in and break up. Be it the weather, or Twilight’s resumed hostility, something had turned the lot of us into a band of squabbling children, without a passing day without some form of dispute between us.

Muttering bothered nothings to myself, I turned around and nearly jumped out of my skin upon finding Fluttershy mere inches away from me. I flinched and emitted a startled grunt, which in turn startled her, resulting in the pegasus letting off a nervous squeak. The two of us giggled over how we had made each other jump, followed by her asking me if I was okay.

“Eh, yeah I’ll be alright.” I replied with a weak smile, “I think all the non-stop walking has everyone’s tempers on the blink. Hopefully we’ll find the source of the frequency soon, and then we can get ourselves on the way to the next Orb piece. Maybe if we’re lucky, it’ll be somewhere warmer, ey?”

{This is where the next piece ends up being in Antarctica.} said the little voice in my head, still bearing the Scottish accent.

Mentally telling the voice to shut up, I was about to head into my tent for some peace and quiet, which was when Fluttershy raised an eyebrow at me.

“You said you’ll be alright, implying you’re not.”

“You don’t half pay attention, do you?” I scoffed, rolling my eyes.

She responded with a toothy grin, and then asked if I wanted to take a walk with her. With it likely being the only sunny day we would see for quite some time, I conceded. Her wings puffed up with excitement and she trotted over to my side, and then we both went off into the woods together.


For a good five or so minutes, not a word was exchanged between us, we simply took in the sights and sounds of the forest. In the distance came a deer call, and all around us was the sound of birdsong, as though all the woodland critters were out to enjoy the unanticipated warmth of the day, just as we were. Though the sounds were comforting, they paled in comparison to the strong smell of tree sap, it was very nearly intoxicating, and left us both borderline drunk from its scent.

A little while later, we heard the hushing murmur of running water, and upon pushing beyond a cluster of ferns, we were met with a serene little glade, with a narrow stream flowing through the middle. The water was a vibrant icy blue, not unlike the shade of Rarity’s magic, though it also carried a faint milky hint, as if it were intermingled with a mystifying arcane potion.





The both of us were equally mesmerised by the stream, and so we chose to sit as close to it as possible, plonking ourselves down on some dry yellowy moss.

“So…” Fluttershy hummed, resting against my arm, “What’s going on?”

Looking down, I found myself unable to meet her eyes. After a brief silence, I let out a heavy sigh.

“I just don’t understand, Flutters.” I confessed, “We have two pieces of the Orb, and yet you’d think we’ve found diddly squat. Everyone’s all tetchy, me included, and I can’t fathom why for the life of me. And then there’s Twilight, of course, who continues to treat me like…”

Gesturing outwardly, I tried to find the appropriate word.

“Like shit?” she suggested.

“Thank you.” I confirmed with a nod.

Exhaling through her nose, the little pegasus rubbed her cheek against my shoulder in an attempt to comfort me. She went on to say that although she couldn’t fathom how frustrating it must have been to constantly endure the unicorn’s contempt, she could certainly see how it might bring me to the end of my tether. Clenching my jaw, I groaned over how it was less of the contempt, and more of the endless back and forth.

“I swear, she’s like a bloody yo-yo. One second, we’re getting on, and the next, I’m no better than a changeling in her eyes. She keeps giving me this false hope that things might be okay between us, and I fall for it… every single time!”

Planting my face into my hands, I pulled downwards to stretch at my cheeks and eyelids, massaging them in a bid to circumvent some of the stress that dwelled there. Continuing my lament, I professed that the unicorn’s constant back and forth had caused my depression to flare up more regularly again, with the past few days being nothing short of a miracle that I’d found the motivation to get up in the mornings.

“The last thing I want is to sound dramatic,” I told her, “but honestly, if I had the choice, I would happily keep our camp where it is for the next week so I could just sleep.”

“Oh Callum, that isn’t dramatic, it’s just how you feel.” Fluttershy assured me, “Just so long as you aren’t thinking of doing anything, um… silly.”

“Silly? That’s definitely a word for it.” I scoffed, “But no, nothing quite so immoderate. I’ve been down that road plenty enough before, and I don’t plan on revisiting it.”

From the second the words had left my lips, I realised what I had done.

“What did you just say?”

{Shit.}

With a wide-eyed gulp, I quickly tried to backtrack, telling her that I was now most certainly being dramatic, and that I had only been exaggerating. Seeing straight through these words, the pegasus shifted her body to face me properly, and with a look of equal parts dread and concern, she asked me a very blunt, and very irreversible question.

“Callum, I want you to be honest with me. Have you tried to… do something before?”

Slowly opening my mouth, I took in a breath of air, which was when she took it upon herself to be even more direct.

“Have you… tried to… kill yourself?”

{Callum, you fucking idiot.} I thought to myself.

{Oh aye.} my conscience murmured in agreement, {You, lad, have just shit the bed.}

Staring into those fretful, glistening turquoise eyes, I knew that answering this question would leave the both of us in a very dark place, with the poor pony left with the burden of knowing the truth. Every part of me wanted to say no, and insist that I had been overstating things, but with how close I was to Fluttershy now, I could not lie to her. Taking in a shaky breath, I lowered my head and broke eye contact, looking instead at the thicker fur on her chest. And then with a gentle nod, I responded in earnest.

“I have.”

The mare shuddered, and then wordlessly prompted me to go on. Now, in all manner of grim truth, I had tried to perform such an act on quite a handful of occasions. I could have told her a good dozen stories of my failed attempts, all half-arsed and unsuccessful. However, to save both time and needless distress, I decided to focus only on the most prominent one, where I had been so close to death that I could almost taste it. Closing my eyes and tensing my muscles, I acquiesced, telling Fluttershy about the time I had tried not once, but twice, to take my own life.

As she knew already, when Inca died and my depression began to manifest, I became more self-aware than ever before, which came as a blessing and a curse. Though I proved myself capable of returning to a more ordinary school environment, I also fell into a pit of bitterness and self-loathing, which only worsened after my dad went away. What I hadn’t told her, was that this persistent state of lowness had brought on far worse behaviours than I had originally made known. I had begun self-harming, using the razor blade in my school pencil sharpener to cut myself in secret. As I told her this, her eyes trailed down to my wrists, and although they were thin and faint, she saw the scars. They lined both of my inner forearms, ranging from the base of my hands all the way to the crooks of my elbows. Seeing the tears in her eyes, I wished that I could stop there, but we both knew this went further.

After I left school, I was due to go to college, to begin a course in media studies and performing arts. My goal was to hopefully get into acting, or at least voice acting. I wanted to turn my pain into art, and take on the roles of gritty characters and hopefully find my way to success by way of performing for cameras and microphones. But as the depression grew stronger, paired with Janice’s constant abuse, there was only so much I could take.

“The truth is…” I told her, “I never was planning to run away, that was a lie. Shortly before starting college, I went down to the medicine cabinet one night, and I proceeded to swallow every pill that was in there. My mum liked to hoard painkillers, so there was plenty enough to do the job.”

My calm, almost heartless description of how easy it had been, shook the pegasus, and finally her tears began to flow. Pressing on, I explained how I had ended up taking around ninety paracetamol tablets, and over twenty pills of ibuprofen. There had been a few other drugs too, though I hadn’t taken the time to read the labels. After that, I went back to my room and put on my favourite songs, and lay there on my bed, patiently waiting to die.

The near-laughable irony was that it had been my mother who had saved me. Getting up in the night for a drink, Janice found the medicine cabinet wide open, along with all the missing pills. She stormed into my room and began screaming at me, before forcing me in the car and taking me to the hospital. What happened after that became something of a blur, for I collapsed shortly after arriving.

“I woke up with an IV in my arm.” I mumbled, staring off into space, “Supposedly, they had pumped my stomach and were now flooding my system with an antidote. They said it was a real hit-and-miss whether I was actually going to make it or not. From everything I had taken, well… it stopped my heart.”

Closing my eyes for a moment, I inhaled deeply, before looking at my dear friend with heartbroken sincerity.

“I didn’t just try, Fluttershy. I did take my own life, and then the doctors brought me back.”

The poor thing was practically shaking at this point, and in my mind came the iterative begging that that was enough, and that Fluttershy couldn’t handle it any more. But I had come this far, and so if she was going to know what happened, then she was going to know everything.

“It brings me no pride to admit this,” I continued, “but I tried again. In that very hospital. As I’m sure you know as a medical professional, air bubbles in the bloodstream can bring on a heart attack, right? Well, when no one was looking, I tampered with my IV.”

Unable to look at her, I told her how I had briefly pulled the tube from the bag during a trip to the bathroom, where I had then blown into it, forcing in a small pocket of air. After that, I put it back together and returned to my bed, where once again, I waited to die. Slowly but surely, the bubble made its way along, and I watched calmly as it reached my skin and slipped into my vein, and I genuinely believed that I had succeeded. However, for as many seconds and then minutes passed, nothing happened. It hadn’t worked, and with a sense of defeat, I simply gave up trying and went to sleep.

“I spent two weeks in that hospital.” I murmured, looking back up at her, “Then when I was discharged, I went home, and then got ready to try again.”

{Fuck me lad, pack it in now, you’re breaking the poor filly.} my conscience groaned, pointing out how distressed the pegasus was.

Conceding, I chose not to go into detail about the planned hanging, and instead simply told her the following detail that I hadn’t gone through with it. Finally presenting a splash of hope in this all-too-harrowing story, I told her that just before the deed, my attention was brought to the My Little Pony poster on my bedroom wall.

“This is going to sound utterly ridiculous,” I confessed, “but it was seeing your faces that stopped me. Or rather, to be more accurate, it was… Twilight’s face.”

With trembling lips, Fluttershy listened in silence as I explained that being a brony was more to me than just enjoying some silly show. In an absurd, downright laughable aspect, the girls had been my friends, even in their cartoon forms, and it had been Twilight alone who had brought me more comfort than anything else in the world. Thinking about it, this was why the real Twilight’s hostility hurt me as much as it did. She used to be my inspiration; hell, she was my idol to some extent. Going from a friendless loner who sorely lacked in social skills, to forging an unbreakable bond with five strangers, had always fuelled me with the hope that I could someday do the same. Being autistic, I had been in a similar place once, with nary a shred of adequacy in friend-making, or being at all likeable for that matter. I didn’t even want friends; it was only when I got into the show and watched Twilight’s journey that I realised what kind of life I wanted to live.

“In a vague sense, she made me who I am.” I rasped, “So, when I looked at that poster on the wall, and I saw her happy, optimistic, stupid little face… it stopped me.”

Emerging from my unfeeling state, I was beset with a strong wave of emotion, and as my eyes watered up, I looked at Fluttershy and concluded the less-than-merry tale.

“Quite the irony, isn’t it? For all the hate I get from Twilight, that grumpy little shithead’s the reason I’m still alive.”

At last, the dam broke. Breaking into a spluttering wail, Fluttershy lunged forward and hugged me, squeezing me so tightly that I feared she may crush me. I cried with her, and for a few minutes, the two of us whimpered and wept together, holding each other close. This was the first time I had told someone about all this, and I had to admit that it felt good to let the truth be known. Still, I was no fool to think this wasn’t a matter of extreme heaviness, and I knew that Fluttershy would feel the weight of this truth for quite some time. I tried to apologise, only for her to shut me up with a shake of her head.

“Don’t… apologise for this!” she mewled, coughing, “Don’t you ever… ever… apologise for this!”

Burying her face into my chest, she continued to bawl her eyes out, and I didn’t know whether to calm her down, or to just allow the moment to run its course. I went with the latter, and after a good few minutes, the both of us began to settle down. We sat in silence for a while after that, emotionally spent and simply existing for a little bit, thoughtlessly watching the trickling stream and letting the woodland ambience calm us further.

“Thank you.” said Fluttershy, after a fair amount of time had passed.

“What for?” I asked.

“For telling me the truth. I can’t imagine it was easy.”

“Not going to lie, it’s one of the hardest things I’ve ever done.” I huffed, “I’m not good at spilling my guts like that, I always feel like I’m being melodramatic, or that I’m just doing it for sympathy.”

“Well you’re not.” she told me, “I asked you to tell me, and you told me.”

Draping a wing around my shoulder, she told me that I was the bravest person she had ever met, to which I scoffed and said that I was the only person she had ever met.

“Okay firstly, that’s not true, because I’ve met your brother, and your friend Bruce.” she reminded me, “And secondly, I meant ponies included, you ninny.”

Rolling my eyes, I tried and failed to take the compliment, professing that I was simply a half-decent fellow with just as many flaws as anyone else. Tutting, she said that I was too modest, and then we put the whole ordeal to bed. Continuing to admire the stream together, we zoned out for so long that we didn’t even notice it was getting dark. We were only brought back to Earth upon the approach of another.

“Howdy lovebirds!” Applejack called out from behind us.

Fluttershy and I both jumped and sat up at the same time, turning around to look at the farm pony who was now laughing loudly at us.

“Oh-ho you guys, you’re jumpier than Winona’s darn fleas! Did I interrupt y’all?” she giggled.

“Um, n-no… you just startled us!” Fluttershy insisted.

“Mm-hmm, if you say so.” she teased, smirking, “Anyway, I came looking for y’all ‘cus you’ve been gone for hours! I’m about to start dishing up dinner, so get your rumps back to camp!”

Chuckling to herself, AJ turned away and left us to come back in our own time. I stood up and stretched, resulting in a handful of satisfying crunches across my body; had we really been sitting out here for so long? It was then that a thought dawned on me, and I looked at Fluttershy with an awkward chuckle.

“What?” she inquired, smirking.

“I’ve just realised, the rest of the group probably think we’re like… more than friends at this point.”

Her mouth fell open and her eyes went wide, with her cheeks very quickly becoming that of a bright red.

“But… But… we’re not-”

“Zzhp.” I commanded, cutting her off, “I know what you’re thinking, so stop it. Yes, I know you’re still fully devoted to Midnight, and no, I don’t think you secretly want to boink me. What we have is platonic, and Applejack’s teasing doesn’t change that, okay? Now cut it out and let’s go eat some supper, crying is hungry work.”

With a relieved sigh, Fluttershy quickly relaxed again, thanking me for bluntly setting her straight. Playfully butting me with her head, she trotted alongside me as we made our way back to camp.


“And so, the mighty travellers return from their quest!” Rainbow Dash hollered as we stepped into the clearing.

Rolling my eyes, I chuckled and sat beside the pegasus, who was warming herself by the campfire. Pinkie was by the fire as well, and to no one’s surprise, she was stuffing her face with sugar, despite AJ being on the cusp of dishing up our dinner.

“Want a marshmallow?” she offered with her mouth full.

“Oh, go on then…” I scoffed, reaching over to her.

She retrieved a marshmallow from the bag and passed it to me, only for the sweet treat to be snatched from my fingertips by a feathery cerulean blur.

“My marshmallow, bitch! Quaark!”

“Goddammit Blu!” I shouted after him.

The parrot fluttered over to a nearby branch and bobbed his head up and down at me, before pecking away at the marshmallow. It was then that he realised he didn’t like it, and promptly tossed it away onto the ground. Being the wasteless pony she was when it came to sugar, Pinkie charged over and gobbled it up, totally disregarding the dirt now on it.

“Why must you be so repulsive, dear?” Rarity tutted.

The rest of us laughed, and then Applejack served us our evening meal. Conversation was plentiful, which was when Rainbow Dash finally decided to be the one to say it.

“So Callum, Fluttershy… What’s the deal with you two, huh? Are you like, a thing now?”

With an awkward groan, Fluttershy lowered her head, covering her face with her mane.

“Funny enough, we were just talking about this.” I huffed, more amused than anything else, “We both had a feeling you would all start to wonder, so let me be absolutely clear with you. Flutters and I are not a thing.”

I went on to explain that although we were indeed close, it was completely and utterly innocent in nature. Fluttershy was interested in someone back in Equestria, and as for me, for as much as I adored the girls, I wasn’t at all attracted to them. That wasn’t to say they weren’t good-looking in their own rights, but as a human, I just very simply didn’t perceive them as sexually or romantically appealing.

{Those weird dreams of yours say otherwise.} chuckled the voice in my head, {You know, the ones where you’re a blue unicorn, ploughing mares and stallions alike?}

{Okay, firstly, I can’t control my dreams.} I thought back, {And secondly, shut up.}

“The long and short of it is,” I continued aloud, “Flutters and I are just close friends who enjoy each other’s company, we’re cuddle buddies at best, and that’s as far as it goes, alright?”

{Well, except for that time she tried to shag you in her sleep because she thought you were Midnight.}

{I really didn’t need reminding of that.} I mentally grumbled, {Now for the second time, shut up.}

Obeying, the voice fell silent, followed by the others accepting my explanation without further questioning. With it now being clear to everyone that Fluttershy and I weren’t an item, the air of speculation dissipated, as too did the pegasus’ embarrassment over it. We all talked a little more on other matters, before finally taking ourselves off to bed. Still feeling a bit wobbly from our earlier conversation, I allowed Fluttershy to hold me for once, and not the other way around. Planting my head against her soft fluffy chest, I found myself drifting off in mere minutes, soothed to sleep by the rhythm of her beating heart.


Inhaling deeply, my eyes flared open. I had just experienced a nightmare concerning Inigo Montenegro, the Bogeyman of Brazil. Somehow, he was still alive and had captured me, where he proceeded to torture me again. Swallowing, I slowly came to my senses, which was when I felt Fluttershy’s heavy breath against the back of my neck, paired with a cold, wet, sticky sensation. Moving away and sitting up, I found the pegasus with her mouth open and her tongue resting on her lower lip. I then put my hand behind my head to find that she had drooled all over the back of my neck, to which I slowly shook my head.

“Thank you.” I whispered sarcastically, wiping it away.

Still startled from the nightmare, I decided to go and stretch my legs, and upon emerging from the tent, I was met with the bite of frigid winter air. Checking my phone, I found it to be nearly five o’clock in the morning, with dawn still a good hour or two away. Walking away from the camp, I went for my morning wee, graciously watering the roots of a nearby yew tree, and just as I had finished, I heard the crunch of leaves behind me. Packing myself away, I turned to see Twilight, walking towards me and looking at me with a blank expression.

“You’re up early.” she grunted.

“As are you.” I replied, “Come to make a snide remark?”

“Would you like one?”

Scoffing, I told her to do her best, to which she rolled her eyes. Casting her resentment aside, she asked why I was up so early, to which I answered honestly.

“I had a nightmare… about Brazil.” I sighed, “Inigo was still alive and he was torturing me.”

The mare’s ears flattened to the sides of her head, and she swallowed anxiously. She then studied me for a short while, before saying something most unexpected.

“I’m sorry, that must have been horrible.”

Blinking at her, I wasn’t sure whether to be comforted or concerned. Never before had she uttered words of sympathy so freely, and so I asked if she was feeling quite alright. Trilling her lips, she rolled her eyes and huffed, and then proceeded to make quite the offer.

“The signal we’re tracking, it’s pretty close now, I can feel it. If we were to leave right now, we could probably make it there before the others are even awake. What if we went there, just you and me?”

Continuing, she explained that we could leave the others to sleep while we found the source of the signal. From there, she could cast the gem finding spell and learn of the next Orb shard’s location, followed by the two of us making it back to camp before breakfast. Though I was cautious of her offer to bring me along, it was certainly safer than her going by herself, and so I accepted. At that, the unicorn went back to her tent and grabbed her saddlebag, where she took out some blank parchment along with a quill and an inkwell.

“What are you doing?” I asked her.

“Just in case anyone wakes up and wonders where we’ve gone.” she replied.

Dipping the quill into the ink, she crudely inscribed the message ‘gone for walk with human’, and then fastened it to Applejack’s hat, knowing the farm pony wouldn’t miss it that way. We then took off, marching off into the woods together at a leisurely, yet determined pace.

Soon enough, we found what was giving off such a strong signal. Emerging from the bushes, we laid eyes upon a large metal building, with an utterly gigantic satellite dish on top, pointing directly upwards. It was a radio telescope, likely an old USSR one at that. As for why it was still giving off a signal, I had no idea, nor did I wish to find out; if there was a surreptitious remnant of the Soviet Union still in operation, I wanted absolutely no involvement with it. Being captive to a Brazilian cartel was bad enough, the last thing I wanted was to find myself in some secret gulag.

“Is this close enough?” I asked Twilight, clenching my jaw.

Much to my relief, she nodded, and it would seem that whatever untold activities were going on here, they could remain a mystery. Closing her eyes, the unicorn lit up her horn and locked onto the electrical frequencies, using her magic to harness them and amplify the spell. And then, just like before, tiny sparks began spitting from her horn, followed by the mare throwing her head back and shooting off an opalescent bolt of energy into the sky. With it still being dark, I was able to watch the bolt break apart once it had gone up by a kilometre or two, at which point it scattered in all directions, fading away into the distance.

“You know that’s about to come back down and hit you, right?” I pointed out.

“Gee, I can’t wait.” she puffed, wiping the sweat from her brow.

Chuckling, I continued looking skyward, until at last the snippets of multicoloured light began to return. As though the spell was being cast in reverse, the beam of light was reformed, and then with a loud crack, it hurtled back down to us, where it thwacked into Twilight with enough force to knock her over. Remaining on her side for a moment, the mare let out a heavy groan, before she finally got back up to her hooves.

“You alright?” I asked her.

“Never better.” she grunted, her eyes blinking out of sync.

Shaking her head to regain focus, Twilight requested to see my phone, to which I took it out of my pocket and handed it over. Imbuing the device with her magic, Twilight got to work importing what she had learned into the Offline Maps app. She then gave it back to me, and I eagerly reopened the app and zoomed out, moving across to the new marker that had appeared.

“So, where are we headed?” asked Twilight, tilting her head.

Looking back at her with raised eyebrows, I gave her the name of our next destination.


“Portugal.”





> Chapter Two: A Grizzly Situation
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





“Okay, so what are the dangers?” asked Twilight, “In Brazil, we had Inigo and crocodiles. In Ukraine, we had monsters and freaking zombies! So what’s in store for us in Portugal, huh?”

“Honestly?” I muttered as we walked back to camp, “I don’t think there’s much in Portugal as far as dangers go. It’s a popular holiday destination, so it can’t be that bad. I think there’s like one, maybe two types of venomous snake?”

“What about other humans? Is it a violent country?”

“Not that I’m aware of.” I answered with a shrug, “I’m pretty sure it has a low crime rate, otherwise it wouldn’t be such a tourist hotspot. Obviously, no place is perfect, but I’m inclined to wager it’s safer than where we’ve been thus far.”

“Well, that’s comforting for once.” she huffed.

With my phone still in hand, I zoomed in further on the marker, just to be sure where the fragment really was in the country. It appeared to be somewhere in the far north, in a mountainous region not far from Spain’s border. Glancing at me as we walked, Twilight cleared her throat and gestured to my hands with her muzzle, stopping for a moment to speak with me.

“I’ve been thinking about this for a while now… When we get back to camp, I’d like to make some modifications to that phone of yours. That thing is now our best way of tracking down the shards, so if it’s all the same to you, I’d like to improve on it.”

At this, I tilted my head and furrowed my brow.

“What kind of modifications?”

Clarifying as to what she meant, Twilight explained that when she had resonated with the device just now, she had been able to do far more than merely put a marker on my map. Apparently, her magic had allowed her to… feel, as it were, the ins and outs of the phone’s functionality. From data storage, to applications, to the thumb-print scanner, even the very operating system, they were all things that Twilight might be able to alter if given the chance. Essentially, she was hoping to do some mad science on it, and if it worked, I would be left with a device unlike anything humanity had ever seen. It would be a hybrid between magic and technology, and I was open to let her try.

“Mate, so long as you don’t break the damn thing, by all means, go for it.” I told her with a smirk, “What you’re suggesting sounds like a science experiment with a potentially huge payoff!”

“That’s what I was thinking.” she concurred, “Glad we’re on the same page.”

“Glad?” I echoed, “With how much you hate me, I’m just surprised we’re on the same page!”

The mare’s body visibly stiffened at that, followed by her ears falling to the sides of her head, giving away just how much the remark had stung. However, for all the grief she had given me lately, I couldn’t have cared less. If she wanted to apologise and work to sorting things out with me, then I was open to that, but for as long as this back-and-forth went on, I refused to feel guilty for hurting her feelings.

She fell quiet after that, which suited me just fine, and so we plodded back to camp in silence.

It was now properly light outside, and upon our return to the clearing, the two of us found our blood running cold, and it wasn’t at the weather’s behest. Breaking into a sprint, the two of us rushed to the upturned mess that was once our camp. The saddlebags were scattered hither and thither, with Applejack and Twilight’s tent being torn apart.

“What the fuck happened here?” I blurted out.

“Forget that…” said Twilight, “Where are the others!?”

She charged into Rarity’s tent to look for them, while I rushed into Fluttershy’s. They weren’t here, and so we took to calling them. Shouting their names warranted no reply, and without knowing what else to do, we started to search for clues, and soon enough, I found one, in the form of tracks.

“Twilight…”

“What?”

“These aren’t hoofprints…”

Looking to where I was pointing, the unicorn’s eyes widened so much that they might have fallen out. The tracks I had found didn’t belong to any pony, nor to any man.



They belonged to a bear…

Kneeling down, I compared my hand to the size of the prints and shuddered; this thing was massive. Gulping, Twilight suggested we followed the tracks. Without uttering a word, I retrieved Krocsbane from my rucksack and followed her.

We hadn’t been going for long when we heard the others. Their voices were shrill and panicked, and amongst them came the howling of someone in a great deal of pain. Fearing the worst, we picked up the pace, and soon enough we found them.

“Oh Jesus Christ…” I murmured, freezing on the spot.

The sight before me was something akin to that of a war film. The muddy ground was generously splattered with blood, and lying on her side, gasping and shrieking, was Rarity. She was being held down by Applejack and Fluttershy, while Rainbow Dash paced around in terrified circles, not knowing what to do. Pinkie Pie was beside herself, crying almost as loudly as Rarity was. Spotting us, Dashie charged over and began shouting and swearing at us, demanding to know where we had been. Before either of us could speak, Fluttershy screamed over all the noise.

“CALLUM, GET OVER HERE, QUICK!”

Rushing past Rainbow Dash, I charged over to the mare and skidded to a halt beside her, which was when I got a proper look at Rarity. With my legs giving out, I dropped to my knees, absolutely horrified by what I saw. All down the side of the unicorn’s body was a set of deep lacerations, and despite Fluttershy’s best efforts to keep pressure on them, they were still pissing blood. A small chunk of flesh was hanging loosely from her upper back, and her left hind leg bore numerous punctures from a large bite. Though her fur was normally white, the poor mare was completely doused in crimson, gasping for air through her agonised cries.

“Oh fucking hell…” I muttered.

“Pressure! Now!” Fluttershy barked.

Diving into action, I put my hands where Fluttershy’s hooves had been, and pushed down. The unicorn immediately began to struggle, sounding off even louder than she had been. Applejack kept her back legs still, while Fluttershy dug into her saddlebag to grab a trauma kit. Pressing my palms down harder on the gashes, I tried desperately to stem the bleeding, which was made infinitely harder by Rarity as she began thrashing in an involuntary attempt to get me off of her. Crying out at the top of her lungs, the mare completely lost control of herself as pain, fear, and instinct took hold.

“Rare, I’m sorry, but you’re losing blood.” I growled urgently, “I need to keep the pressure on!”

She tried her best to stay still, but the pain was too much for her; she kept writhing and squirming, with even Applejack’s strength failing to keep her still. At last, Fluttershy returned with the kit, where she quickly ordered Twilight to cut a roll of bandages into multiple pieces. Within seconds of being placed on the lacerations, they were drenched, and it dawned on me that the pony was losing far too much blood, and far too quickly.

“Twilight, do you have any freezing spells?”

Nodding, she stepped forward and awaited my command. Instructing her to chill the blood-soaked bandages, I decided that the best course of action was to constrict all the vessels across the injury through something of a flash freeze. It was cleaner and kinder than cauterisation, causing far less tissue damage and allowing the wounds to have a better chance at healing.

{If she even pulls through…} I thought bitterly.

Twilight did as instructed, rapidly freezing the bandages until they were painful to touch, and it didn’t take long for the bleeding to slow right down. Fluttershy then retrieved a syringe and planted it into Rarity’s shoulder muscle, shooting her up with what I could only assume was a sedative. This proved to be the case, as the unicorn’s struggles and cries died down to twitches and whimpers, until she at last stopped moving altogether and fell silent. I was nearly brought to tears by the harrowing ordeal, but just as I thought I was free to break apart, Fluttershy demanded further action from me, shoving the suture kit into my hands.

“Ready to return the favour?”

Gulping, I knew that I didn’t have a choice. I was either to stitch Rarity up under Fluttershy’s guidance, or risk losing her. Opening the case, I took the curved needle, but with my bloodied hands shaking as intensely as they were, I couldn’t even begin to thread the damn thing.

“Here, give it to me.” Twilight ordered, “I’ll do it.”

Taking the needle and suture thread from me with her magic, the lilac mare was quick to take my place and begin closing the gashes. Stumbling away from the scene, I tried to remain calm, wiping away as much of the blood from my hands as possible. I then went over to Rainbow Dash, who was trying to calm Pinkie Pie down.

“What happened here?”

“We were… We were just about to have breakfast.” she started, her voice trembling, “Applejack found your note, and then this freaking bear came out of nowhere. It went straight for Fluttershy, and she only got away because she could fly. Then it went into one of the tents and grabbed Applejack’s bag.”

{It smelled the damn food…} I thought.

Continuing, Dashie explained that Rarity had tried to trap the bear inside by sealing the tent with her magic, only for the animal to claw its way out of one side, and then charge off with the bag. With Applejack’s saddlebag containing the bulk of our food, the girls very stupidly went after it, chasing it down until the bear eventually turned on them.

“We tried to scare it off, but before we could do anything, it just… it just grabbed her!”

Breaking into a sob, Rainbow Dash described how the bear had mauled Rarity within an inch of her life, tossing her around like a rag doll while she screamed and begged for help. Try as the girls might, they couldn’t get the creature to focus on anyone else, not even with Applejack kicking it as hard as she could. In the end, it had been Blu who saved the pony’s life, bravely landing on the ursine’s head and digging into one of its eyes with his beak. It finally backed off after that, running off with AJ’s bag and disappearing into the woods.

“Blu’s gone after it so we know where it’s taken the bag.” Dashie explained, “We need that food!”

As though summoned by name, the parrot emerged from the woods and landed on the ground, hopping a few times as he came to a halt. I held out my arm for him and he fluttered up to my wrist, where he gave his report.

“Raark! It’s in a cave nearby! Real hurt too!”

He went on to clarify that Applejack’s bucking had broken one of its back legs, and that by the time it had reached its cave with the bag, it was limping pretty severely.

“Take me there.” I ordered.

“What?” Rainbow bleated loudly, “You’re going after it? Dude, look at what it did to Rarity!”

“You said it yourself, we need the food.” I pointed out, “Besides, after that thing I fought in Pripyat, an injured bear is hardly a step up, I can handle it.”

It was worth noting that by ‘handle it’, I meant that I could handle grabbing the saddlebag and then very promptly running away. The mutant queen in Pripyat was one thing, but bears were hardy bastards, and I was no fool to think that I could take it with Krocsbane alone. However, considering that it now had a broken leg and only one good eye, I was confident that I could retrieve the bag and then outrun the beast. Not giving anyone the chance to argue with me, I ordered Blu to lead the way and charged off into the forest, with the parrot flapping his wings just a few feet in front of me.


Soon enough, we reached the cave. Blu landed on my shoulder and clung to me as I withdrew Krocsbane and cautiously began to tiptoe inside. It was then that Blu began to quietly sing into my ear, slowly bobbing his head up and down.

“Look for the… bare necessities, the simple bare necessities. Forget about your worries and your-”

“If you don’t shut that beak of yours, right now, I’m throwing you to the bear as bait.” I cut him off, scowling at him.

The macaw gave my head a playful, apologetic peck, before keeping quiet. Listening as carefully as I could, I kept edging forward until I could hear the grunts of the bear. Peeking around the bend, I gulped upon spotting the creature. Tugging and pawing at Applejack’s bag in an attempt to get into it, the brown bear was huge. If it were to get a proper hold of me, I would be torn to pieces just as poor Rarity had been. Still, having been clawed apart before by the mutant queen and living to tell the tale, I favoured my odds; at least this thing didn’t have serrated claws and spiralling black horns.

“What’s the plan?” Blu hissed into my ear.

Thinking on the double, I decided that my joke about using the bird as bait would actually serve as the best distraction. If he could get its attention for long enough, I could grab the saddlebag and high-tail it out of there. With a sly expression, I tilted my head towards the parrot on my shoulder, and said something that would have the bird on a warpath.

“You know…” I whispered, “I think I heard the bear making jokes about you. Something about… crackers.”

At that, Blu’s eyes twitched and his feathers started to ruffle, puffing out until the bird was at least twice his normal size. He then jumped from my shoulder and shot at the bear like a bullet, latching onto the animal’s head and screeching as loudly as he could with every expletive he knew, including in other languages. Needless to say, it worked like a charm, with the bear flailing around in a state of shock and distress, throwing its head from side to side and lashing out with its paws.

Taking my chance, I darted forward and skidded over to the bag, looping an arm through one of the straps designed for me. I was just making my escape when the creature was able to catch Blu, striking him with one of its massive paws and sending the poor bird hurtling into the cave wall. It then set its working eye on me, and began to charge. Breaking into an adrenaline-fuelled sprint, I emerged from the cave and ran as fast as my legs could carry me, with the four-hundred kilogram mass of fur thundering after me.

Even with a broken leg, it was keeping up with my pace, and upon realising that I couldn’t outrun it, I spun around and slashed at it with Krocsbane, catching it across the muzzle. The creature backed off for a moment, before beginning a second, less hasty approach. Maintaining eye contact with it, I opened my arms and stood as tall as possible, and tried to scare it off with the loudest bellow I could muster.

“NO!!!”

Though it didn’t run away, the beast did hesitate, and so I stepped towards it and bellowed for a second time, waving my arms above my head and roaring at the absolute top of my lungs.

“ROOOAAAGGHH!!!”

Though I showed the strength and ferocity of a lion, internally I was terrified, and silently begged the creature to just leave me alone, knowing that if it attacked, it could very well kill me. However, in spite of its pain, it wanted the food more, and to my horror, the bear went for me. Rushing forward, it knocked me to the ground, but before it could do anything else, something… truly horrifying happened.

Looking just beyond me, the bear opened its mouth and let off a distorted, ethereal wail, as a misty white energy suddenly gushed from its body and soared over my head. And then, to my absolute revulsion, the bear’s entire form began to change. Its fur started falling out and its skin turned grey and withered, splitting apart in some areas. It then dropped to the ground in front of me, twitching and squirming as its body began to rapidly decompose before my very eyes. Within seconds, it looked like it had been dead for weeks, and with one final rattle, the creature stopped moving. The milky light ceased to flow from its rotten carcass, and with a gulp, I twisted around to see what had done this.

Standing a few metres away from me was Twilight, and I spotted the last of the white energy as it was absorbed into her horn. She then dropped to her knees and clamped her eyes shut, gasping for air through her gritted teeth. In a state of shock, I scrambled to my feet and ran over to her.

“Twilight…” I panted, “What did you do to that thing?”

She didn’t reply, she just knelt there puffing for a moment, until I asked the question for a second time.

“What did you do to it!?”

Looking over to the rotting carcass, and then to me, the mare shook her head, blinking rapidly.

“I don’t… I don’t know.”

“What?”

“I don’t know!” she repeated, “I got here just as it knocked you down, and then I… I…”

Trailing off, the unicorn shook her head again, seemingly just as bewildered as I was. Getting to her hooves, she swore that she genuinely didn’t know what had happened, as though there was a blip in her memory. All she knew was that she saw the bear knocking me over, and then she was suddenly on her knees, with a strange sensation rippling through her body. Frowning at her, I scanned her face for dishonesty, but all I saw was genuine confusion and fright; she was telling the truth. Whatever spell she had just used, it must have been so powerful that it had caused her to mentally black out.

“Are you feeling… okay?” I prompted.

“I think so.” she nodded, “In fact, I feel strangely… quite good.”

I asked her what she meant, to which she professed that it was as though her mana reserves were completely full again. In other words, whatever she had done to the bear hadn’t cost any mana, but rather, it had recharged it. Thinking about the white energy that had been siphoned out of the bear and into her horn, it dawned on me that Twilight had drained the creature of its very life essence. Not that I knew how souls truly worked yet, but considering how necrotised the steaming corpse was, it was the only thing that made sense to me in my limited understanding.

“Twilight, I think you…” I started nervously, “I think you ripped its fucking soul out.”

The mare’s eyes widened, realising that I might have been right. Swallowing, she looked at me and began to tremble.

“But I didn’t… I didn’t mean to!”

“Well I’m bloody glad you did!” I scoffed, “That thing was about to turn me into Rarity!”

Continuing to panic, Twilight started to pace around, desperately trying to understand what she had actually done, and why she couldn’t remember doing it.

“Oh shit!” I blurted out suddenly, “Blu!”

Leaving the pony where she was, I charged off back to the cave. Heading inside, I found the parrot sitting upright, thankfully awake, though heavily dazed. Gently picking him up, I asked if he was alright, to which he looked at me and blinked slowly.

“You owe me a whole sack of pistachios, you horse-loving faggot…”

“Yeah, you’re fine.” I chuckled, rolling my eyes.

Leaving the cave with him perched on my shoulder, I returned to Twilight, who was still anxiously pacing around in front of the dead bear, pausing to look at it after every four steps. Upon my approach, the rank stench of rot from the still-steaming flesh wafted into my nostrils; it was almost overpowering. Stifling a gag, I told Twilight to put on AJ’s saddlebag and quit dancing around the damn thing.

“We can figure this out later.” I told her, “We need to get back to the others.”

Nodding, the unicorn did as I commanded and put the bag on. We then returned to the others, and along the way I assured Twilight that I wouldn’t say anything about what she had done.


We got back to find the girls gathered around Rarity, of whom was still unconscious. Her wounds were now coated in a generous amount of Oozima, with Fluttershy wrapping the last of them in bandages. Applejack and Rainbow Dash both ran up to me upon my return, asking if I’d been successful in retrieving the saddlebag. Pointing to Twilight as she came along beside me, I didn’t need to say anything to confirm their query, and the two of them commended me for being able to get it back.

“Did you kill it?” asked Applejack, “The bear, I mean?”

Glancing at Twilight and seeing the fear in her eyes, I chose to lie, telling her that I had indeed, killed the bear. Blu knew better than to call out the deceit, and simply expressed that he had helped, distracting the animal long enough for me to deliver the killing blow.

“Poor Feathers here nearly died, bless him.” I huffed, “The bear caught him with a paw and knocked him clean out!”

“It was a-paw-ling!” he croaked, ruffling his feathers.

“And… there goes my sympathy.” I teased, rolling my eyes.

“What?” he squawked, “That was just my first pun! I’m bear-ly getting started!”

Flying over to Fluttershy before I could strangle the damn bird, Blu continued to make bear puns for the next few hours, within which we had safely carried Rarity back to our camp, and had begun repairing the damage. Rarity was placed in her tent, where Fluttershy would stay for the next few nights to monitor her. Rainbow Dash offered to swap places, moving into the small tent with me until Rarity had recovered enough to be deemed no longer in a critical condition. As for Applejack and Twilight’s tent, I got to work stitching up where the bear had torn it open. Though I was no boutique-owning seamstress, I was competent enough to do the job well, and by the time the afternoon was coming to a close, I had successfully restored the tent to an acceptable standard.

The evening was a terribly sombre one, with most of us not even feeling hungry enough to eat the food that Blu and I had so daringly gone to retrieve. Rarity woke up at some point, only to break into another bout of agonised wailing. Fluttershy gave her some painkillers, but with how intense the wounds were, there was little relief that could be applied without a hospital available to us. After getting the unicorn to drink some water, the poor thing was sedated again. Her injuries were easily worse than what the mutant queen had done to me in Pripyat; even with the Oozima, this would take weeks to heal.

In other words, we wouldn’t be going to Portugal for quite some time.

“This is my fault.” Twilight muttered to herself.

“Don’t be ridiculous!” I scolded her, “How could this possibly be your fault?”

“Because if we hadn’t left this morning, I could have stopped this from happening.”

Hanging her head, the unicorn lamented over how her eagerness to find the signal’s source had taken the two most powerful combatants away from the group, leaving the more vulnerable members of the company to fend for themselves. If it weren’t for Applejack’s raw strength and Blu’s quick thinking, Rarity would almost certainly be dead. I couldn’t help but see her point, but blaming herself wasn’t the right way to go about it.

“Twilight, there would have been absolutely no way of knowing there was a bear out here.” I insisted, “This isn’t your fault, and even if it was, what’s done is done. Rarity will get through this, so we just need to sit tight and gather ourselves, yeah?”

“Yeah…” she sighed, nodding her head, “Thanks for patching up my tent, by the way.”

At that, I raised my eyebrows.

“Damn, you must be really struggling. You just thanked me for something.”

Overhearing, the others broke into a chuckle, and Twilight reached over to give me a playful shove, ordering me to accept the damn thanks before she retracted it. Telling her that she was very welcome, I leaned back and looked up at the stars.

“You know, if we’re talking about blaming ourselves, I can’t help but feel a bit shitty as well.”

“How come?” asked Applejack.

Sighing, I reflected on yesterday’s walk with Fluttershy, and how I had said that I would happily keep our camp where it was for the next week so that I could rest. Now, my wish had been granted, and I couldn’t have felt worse for it.

“Oh Hun…” AJ sighed, “You don’t need to feel bad for that. As you just said to Twilight, none of us could’ve predicted this happening.”

“I know that.” I grumbled, “But even so, I can’t help but feel a bit guilty.”

“Well cut it out.” said Twilight, “If I’m not allowed to feel guilty, then neither are you.”

“You know, I think that just might be the most selfish way anyone’s ever said something kind.” I retorted with a smirk.

Everyone laughed at that, with Twilight rolling her eyes and laughing along with us. We all went to bed after that, and with Rainbow now beside me instead of Fluttershy, things were just a touch awkward. It was no secret that the rainbow-haired pegasus was more ‘open’ to things, as it were, and ever since I had overheard a particular conversation in Brazil, I knew that she would likely try something with me. It didn’t take long, and as she rolled over to face me, I clenched my jaw.

“Hey, you know…” she began, resting a hoof on my chest, “This is probably one of the few times we’ll be in a tent together like this. Once Rarity’s feeling better, you’ll go back to snoozing with that little bundle of innocence.”

{Oh, if only you knew…} I remarked in thought.

“And, your point is?” I stated blankly, not at all impressed.

“Well, I was just thinking…” she trailed off sheepishly.

Cutting her off, I rolled onto my side to face her properly. Clearing my throat, I spelled things out for her in bold, ensuring she got the message.

“Look, let me make this perfectly clear to you. Firstly, as I said yesterday, I’m not into you girls, alright? Please don’t take this the wrong way, but I’m a human, and the only thing that interests me is other humans. Secondly, even if I was so inclined as to fancy you ponies, the others are just a few metres away from us in their tents, with Rarity still in critical condition! Do you honestly think it would be appropriate to get it on, considering the state she’s in, huh?”

Gulping, Dashie looked away, realising that not only was she being entirely too forward with me, but she was also being insensitive, and terribly so at that. Exhaling through her nose, she frowned, now full of anger; not anger at me, it was worth mentioning, but towards herself. Being the prideful pony she was, she couldn’t stand the fact that she had just embarrassed herself like this.

“Sorry.” she grunted, now blushing like a beetroot.

“It’s fine.” I assured her, “Just… think before you speak, yeah?”

Nodding, she turned away from me, where she quite literally sulked herself to sleep. Rolling my eyes, I rolled onto my left side so that our backs were facing each other. With the atmosphere now being horrendously uncomfortable, I struggled to drift off, and lay there with countless thoughts whizzing around my head, including a rather shameful question.

What if I had said yes?

For what it was worth, I was flattered that Dashie considered me bed-worthy, and I admittedly felt quite a boost to my ego. However, one thing I hadn’t mentioned to the pegasus, or any of the girls for that matter, was that I was still a virgin. From the less-than-ideal hand of cards I had been given in my old life, meeting a girl was practically out of the question, with my friend Annabel being the closest thing I might have had to a shot at oiling my arrow, as it were. A part of the reason I had said no, I supposed, was also because I was something of a hopeless romantic. I wanted my first partner to be my last, and so on top of not being attracted to the ponies, there was also the entirely separate element of not wanting to give myself to someone that I didn’t love. This wasn’t to say that I didn’t yearn for the experience, but being the person I was, I simply yearned for love more.

Huffing, I tried to cast the thoughts aside, and over the space of a few minutes, I was thankfully able to do so. The exhaustion from today then caught up to me, and just as Rainbow Dash began to snore, I drifted away into the land of nod.


I woke to find Rainbow already gone, and as I sat upright, I found the air to be colder than ever before. Almost immediately I was shivering, and it took every ounce of willpower to extract myself from my sleeping bag and clamber outside.

“Whoa…” I murmured, sending a swirling cone of steam from my lips.

It had snowed, and heavily. As though a silent avalanche had occurred overnight, the world had been buried in a blanket of icy cotton. With Rainbow Dash already up, I had expected to find her by the campfire, but upon stepping out, I found not a soul. Peeking into Rarity’s tent, I hoped to see Rainbow in there, perhaps checking on her ailing friend. To my great concern, I found the tent to be empty. Rushing to Twilight’s tent, I found that to be empty as well.

The entire company had disappeared.

I was about to call out for them, when I heard a noise from behind me. Whipping around, I was met by a cloud of inky black smoke. It edged towards me, and with a gulp, I clenched my fists.

“Who are you?”

There was no reply, but the smoke stopped its advance. Now shaking more from fright than the cold, I asked what this thing had done with my friends, to which it began to retreat, floating away. I could only guess that it wanted to lead me somewhere. Taking off after it, I followed the smoke until I came upon the dead bear from yesterday. It was buried in the snow, but the mound was enough to tell me it was there. Following the shadowy form into the cave, I was taken deep inside, until it finally stopped in the middle. By now, I was as scared as I was confused, but without any understanding of what was going on, I had no choice but to let this thing guide me.

“Why are we here?” I asked, before growing impatient, “Speak, damn you!”

“You asked to see your friend…”

The voice was more unsettling than anything else I had experienced thus far. It was rippled, unnatural, and in a word, demonic. Hearing it forced a shudder from me, and the skin on my face and neck began to tingle, as though it had just been stroked with a set of chewed fingernails. The smoke then began to dissipate, leaving behind an object on the ground. It was too dark to see properly, and so I cautiously stepped forward to inspect it. Resting a hand on top, the object was soft and silky, and felt like hair. With a gulp, I picked it up by the sides, where it felt velvety to the touch. My eyes then adjusted to the dark, and I realised exactly what I was holding.


It was Twilight Sparkle’s severed head.





> Chapter Three: Whispers in the Dark
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Unable to even breathe, I stared at the head in stunned silence. I could hardly process what I was seeing, and holding. The mare’s eyes were rolled upwards, with her tongue partially sticking out from her parted, slacked jaw. In a state of absolute shock, I dropped it, where it hit the cave floor with a moist smack. Beset with revulsion and unparalleled terror, I fled, turning away and running as fast as my legs could carry me. I burst from the cave’s mouth and out into the snow, where I fought with all my might to remain composed. I could feel my stomach squeezing tighter and tighter, and it took every ounce of willpower not to vomit.

Twilight was… Twilight was dead!

{The others?} I thought, {Oh gods above, where are the others!?}

Charging back in the direction of camp, I began screaming the girls’ names, desperately hoping I could find them before this thing did. Returning to where I had come from, I found the camp to have changed. The trees were all black and twisted, and the tents were suspended in mid-air. Upon closer inspection, I realised that they were all hanging from numerous threads of sticky, white rope.

Turning all around, I had no idea what to do, I just kept screaming and screaming for the others, but the only reply that came to me was the distant howl of the biting wind. Breaking into a sob, I collapsed to my knees, sinking into the snow. I had failed; Twilight was dead, and the others probably were too. Everything had been for nothing, and in this harrowing realisation, I knew there was no reason to go on.

“Kill me…” I croaked, sensing the shadow’s presence.

Looking up, I saw the dark form towering above me. It loomed overhead and lowered itself down until it was inches from my face. And then, from the swirling black mass came a thin gangly arm, sporting a massive set of sharp claws. They rested on my shoulder and gripped me tightly, piercing the skin.

“Wake up.” the voice spoke.

The clawed arm then shook me forcefully, and then repeated itself.

“Wake up!”

Its voice sounded different now. It was feminine, and familiar. The clawed arm shook me harder, and then with a gasp, I sat bolt upright to find Rainbow Dash shaking me with one of her hooves.

“Dude! Dude, wake the fuck up! You’re freaking me out!”

Scrambling away from her and gulping down mouthfuls of air, I glared at the pegasus intensely, until I came to the realisation that it had all been a nightmare. The girls were safe, Twilight was alive, and aside from Rarity’s injuries from the bear attack, everything was alright. Relief flooded my system in abundance, but with how fragile I currently felt, I couldn’t prevent myself from bursting into tears. Lunging forward, I grabbed Rainbow Dash and squeezed her tightly.

“Oh! Uh, okay…” she wheezed, “You’re fine, dude… You can stop crushing me to death now.”

Letting her go, I wiped at my eyes and shook my head, still panting.

“S-S-Sorry…”

She shook her head and said that it was fine, and then asked me what the heck I had been dreaming about.

“You were crying in your damn sleep, dude.” she told me, “Your legs were kicking out like crazy, it was like when Twilight had that nightmare in Ukraine, when we were still in the city, remember?”

Shaking like a leaf, I did all in my power to compose myself, and then proceeded to tell her that I’d seen. Sparing no details, I described the dark cloud of smoke, the intense cold, and our lilac leader’s severed head. Swallowing nervously, Rainbow Dash’s eyes widened, and she pulled away from me.

“Okay, yeah, that’s pretty messed up.”

“It-It felt so r-real…” I stammered, “The snow was so cold that it hurt, and Twilight’s head, it-it-it felt as real as you do.”

Offering me another, less constricting cuddle, Rainbow Dash promised me it wasn’t real, and then suggested that I drank some water. Taking her advice, I reached over to my rucksack and took out my water bottle, which I had refilled just the other day from Rarity’s refrigerated supply. Being from Equestria, purified with magic, it was the cleanest and most crisp water one could ever drink; anyone who ever claimed that water had no taste couldn’t have been more incorrect. Immediately feeling refreshed, I let out a long sigh. It was still dark outside, and upon sticking my head out of the tent, I was ever-thankful to find that there wasn’t so much as a flake of snow to be seen. Flopping back down beside Rainbow Dash, I could finally relax again.

“Great, now I need to pee.” Dashie grunted, getting up.

“Ugh, so do I.”

We both left the tent together, where we split off to do our business in private. After that, we sat outside for a moment, looking up at the stars.

“Look, dude…” she began awkwardly, “I’m sorry about earlier, I really didn’t mean to make things weird. I just wasn’t thinking and got ahead of myself. You’re my friend, okay? Please don’t think I was just pretending to like you so we could, you know…”

Exhaling out my nose with amusement, I told her that I didn’t think anything of the sort. At the end of the day, Rainbow Dash was just a very free-spirited individual and wanted to try her luck. I knew that, and assured her that I wasn’t upset with her, and didn’t think any less of her.

“So long as you don’t try something like that again, I’m more than happy to look past it.” I finalised.

Nodding, she promised me that she wouldn’t, and with that, we went back to bed, now feeling much more comfortable with each other. She pressed up against me, and just as I often did with Fluttershy, I put an arm around her upper body, holding her gently and letting her know that even if I wasn’t into her sexually, I was always up for a good cuddle.


The next day was thankfully a far better one, wholly devoid of any conflict, bear attacks, living shadows, or severed heads. It seemed absurd to say, but seeing Twilight emerge from her tent, alive and well, filled me to the brim with an overpowering sense of relief. Possessed by the emotion, I was unable to control my actions as I got to my feet and ran over to the pony, stooping to my knees and wrapping my arms around her. Taken completely off-guard, the unicorn’s body became like stone, tensing up in a state of uncomfortable surprise.

“Um… what do you think you’re doing?”

Realising what I had just done, I reassumed command over myself and pulled away. Everyone was now staring at me with their mouths agape. Swallowing, I pulled a sheepish grin and pointed at Rainbow Dash.

“She dared me to do that.”

Opening her mouth, the pegasus was about to protest, but stopped herself upon catching my desperate glare. Remembering what I had told her last night, she knew this was about the nightmare, and so she went along with it.

“Heh, yeah.” she chuckled, rubbing the back of her neck, “I said that he could never pull it off! Heh-heh, well done dude, you proved me wrong.”

Everyone bought it, with Twilight ordering me to never do something like that again, lest she was to hit me in the face. Sitting back down by the campfire, I asked Fluttershy how Rarity was getting on. Apparently she was doing alright, with her breathing nice and steady, and her temperature at an acceptable level. I asked if I could check on her, only to be denied. With her brain switched to ‘nurse mode’, Fluttershy was as assertive as ever, instructing me to let the mare rest.

With that, we had little else to do, and so we got to talking more about differences between the cartoon and real life. Not wanting to end up accidentally destroying the future or something, I steered clear of anything beyond Twilight becoming an alicorn princess. Instead, I simply implied that the last thing that had happened was the reforming of Discord.

For quite some time, we chatted about such things, until Twilight finally warmed to me again after the hugging incident. Clearing her throat, she said that she wanted to get the ball rolling with modifying my phone. Much to everyone’s surprise, I was invited into her tent, where the two of us sat opposite each other and went over possible upgrades for the device. Treating it like a genuine project, Twilight acquired some parchment, using a quill to draw up all the phone’s current features, along with how they could be altered.

First, there was the operating system itself. Being an Android device, it was already rather customisable, but Twilight wanted to take it further, wishing to give it a more magic-friendly interface. To this end, she planned to reconfigure it into a whole new breed of system software, where instead of Twilight and Rarity needing to resonate with it just to gain control, they could simply command it with their thoughts while holding it with their telekinetic grasp, no different to how I could control it by touching the screen. This would also allow her to create new apps, which she could weave from the data of the currently existing ones. The Offline Maps app was to be left the same, as we didn’t want to risk breaking something that worked just fine. However, with the phone’s ability to send texts and voice calls being useless at the moment, she wished to reinstate their potential.

“Are you suggesting I could call you on my phone?” I huffed, somewhat in disbelief.

“Mm-hmm.” she hummed back, “If I could make it send a magical frequency instead of an electromagnetic one, I would be able to pick up on it, just like with a unicorn’s ping spell.”

She went on to explain that if she could make the phone send data through such a frequency, there was a chance she could receive it in the form of telepathy. To dumb it down, I could send her texts, or speak over a voice call, and Twilight would hear it inside her head, akin to an inner monologue. I was more than up for such a feature, as it would allow us to speak over long distances, even if we got separated.

“Hey, speaking of inner monologues.” I began, “There’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you.”

“What is it?” she asked.

Though her tone was blunt, her eyes glittered with curiosity, studying my face as I made my query.

“Ever since we found the shard in Brazil, I’ve been hearing this… voice, of sorts.”

“Voice?” she repeated, frowning, “What voice?”

Swallowing, I feared that I would sound insane for saying it, but I chose to go on.

“So, you know how your inner monologue works? How you sort of… hear a voice in your head, when reading quietly to yourself? Well, since finding that Orb shard, I’ve been hearing that voice more than ever before, commenting on things that have happened, and making quips, and jokes. In other words, my brain’s been conjuring thoughts that I haven’t meant to think.”

Narrowing her eyes, Twilight stared at me as though I had two heads. Nervously pressing on, I told her that I had once theorised that I might have gone a little bit mad after Inigo’s torture, but since recovering from that whole ordeal, the voice had continued to exist.

“It’s almost like… my inner monologue has gained sapience.”

Putting her mouth to one side, Twilight wasn’t sure what to make of my explanation. After giving herself a moment to think, she speculated that just as I had absorbed mana from the Orb fragment in Ukraine, perhaps the Orb shard in Brazil had affected me in some way as well. There was no telling how long that fragment had been submerged in the lake, so perhaps the mere act of swimming in the magic-infused water had muddled something up inside my head.

“I suppose that could be it.” I hummed, looking to one side, “Those damn crocodiles had certainly been altered by the Orb’s energy, so you might be on to something.”

“What was it you called them?” Twilight chuckled, “Über-crocs, wasn’t it?”

“Yeah, that was it.” I huffed, “That would almost be funny to look back on, if you hadn’t murdered me.”

Blinking rapidly, the mare let out a strange, outward grunt. Almost immediately, her eyes welled up, and I realised that the comment had struck her far worse than I had expected it to. Her mouth then opened and closed repeatedly as she tried to find words, before finally, she let out a raspy whimper.

“Why… Why would you say that? I… I said… I said I was sorry for that.”

Sighing, I regretted being so cold, especially when we were in a half-decent place at the moment. With a disgruntled shrug, I tried to steer the subject away, hoping to return to the previous matter.

“Alright fine, yeah, that was a bit harsh.” I admitted, “Look, this voice. It doesn’t sound like my voice, it sounds like someone else’s. I’ve tried to rationalise it, but as time’s gone on, it’s starting to worry me.”

Sniffing, Twilight looked down and used a foreleg to wipe her eyes. Focusing, she asked if there was anything else I could tell her, anything that might indicate that there was more going on here. Thinking on it for a moment, I remembered the bizarre dreams I had been having.

“I’ve been having strange dreams.” I confessed.

Now that caught her attention. It had been no secret that Twilight had been suffering from rather intense nightmares as of late, and at the mention of strange dreams, the mare was now fully invested. Shrugging, I told her everything I could remember from them.

“It feels like I’m reliving someone else’s memories.” I told her, “I’m a unicorn, with a pale blue coat. Every dream has me fighting in a great battle, against griffons and minotaurs, with these weird flashes throughout.”

“Flashes?” she echoed.

“Yeah.” I answered, “They’re like… little glimpses of this unicorn’s life, or something. Sometimes I’m having arguments with ponies, shouting at them. Sometimes I’m killing them, but not in battle, it’s more like an execution. And other times, I’m… I’m making love.”

Craning her neck and acting somewhat judgemental, she asked me to elaborate.

{You uh, you really don’t have to clarify that.} the voice insisted.

{Oh, now I’m definitely clarifying that.} I thought back.

“Well…” I started, blushing slightly, “You have to understand, these flashes only last a second or two, so I don’t really know what’s going on half the time. But from what little I’ve experienced, I’m sleeping with both mares and stallions. It feels like I’m really there, like I’m really, erm… inside them.”

“Okay, yeah, that part I didn’t need to know.”

“Hey, trust me, as someone who’s not attracted to ponies, I’m not exactly a fan of it either!”

Huffing with annoyance, I went on to say that the flashes were different each time, but the dream always ended in the exact same way, with me killing myself in front of the Titans’ Orb, with Princess Celestia at my side. Needless to say, this detail had Twilight leaning so far forward that she damn-near kissed me. Gulping, I repeated the words to her, praying that she might know what they meant.

“Lest not abhor, he who brings me back to you, but love him rather, as you once loved me…”

Clenching her jaw, Twilight desperately tried to make sense of the words, but to no avail, she had absolutely no idea what significance they had. Eventually, she shook her head, and gave me her diagnosis, though it was riddled with uncertainty.

“I think you might be seeing a part of Equestria’s history. As I’ve explained to you already, there was a great war in the past between ponies, minotaurs, and griffons.”

“Yeah, the Repugnant War.” I hummed, remembering the story well.

“Well…” she continued, “I think, since you went swimming in that lake and touched the Orb fragment, you’ve been seeing memories from that war. You’re probably seeing the perspective of some soldier from that age, and by the sounds of it, perhaps an old friend to the Princess.”

“But that’s not normal.” I pointed out bluntly, “What you’ve just described is not normal. How the hell can I be seeing your world’s history?”

“Well, you’re not the first.” Twilight retorted, “Think about it. How did Lauren Faust come to learn about our world so extensively? How did she come up with your My Little Pony cartoon? Chances are, she probably saw what you’re seeing, glimpses from our world, or flashes, as you’ve described them.”

I was about to argue, but thinking about it, her reasoning made sense. Just as Lauren Faust and the show’s other writers had seen Equestria so clearly, leading to the creation of the show, I too, must have been seeing a depiction of Equus. Perhaps touching the Orb fragment had connected my soul to their world in some sense, attuning me to it? But even if this was the case, there was still the mystery of the voice.

“I don’t know.” Twilight confessed, “But hearing voices? Callum, that isn’t good.”

“Trust me, I know.” I spat, making sure she knew how serious I was about this.

“It’s not… asking you to do things, is it?” she inquired, “It’s not telling you to hurt us or anything like that, right?”

“Goodness no!” I exclaimed, “No, nothing like that! It’s just like having a funny little man hanging around in my head, commenting on whatever situation I’m in and making silly jokes.”

“Hmm, well that’s good at least.” she murmured, shrugging, “Maybe you’re right on that front? Maybe after what happened with Inigo, a part of your brain formed its own personality, as a way for you to converse with yourself and work through what happened to you.”

“Wait, so you’re suggesting that I’ve accidentally made an imaginary friend?”

“Well, I would liken it far more to a personality disorder.” she hummed, “But hey, for the sake of your simple mind, sure, let’s go with that.”

“It’s always a pleasure talking to you, Twilight.”

“Hey, you were the one who needlessly brought up the clone incident.”

“Egh, that’s fair.”

Without much else to be said on the matter, we ended the conversation with the agreement that if anything changed regarding the voice, I would tell Twilight immediately.

We then got back to the subject of my phone, and after a little more planning, the mare got to work. Her horn lit up, and the device vibrated a few times. The screen then flickered, and over the space of about half an hour, Twilight transformed my trusty Sony Ericsson Xperia, into the first pony-made cellular device of its kind, which she decided to call…

The Sparklight.

“God, that’s so corny.” I laughed.

“I mean, what else are we going to call it?” Twilight huffed, shrugging.

“I mean, do we have to give it a name?” I pointed out, “Why don’t we just keep calling it what we’ve been calling it? It’s a phone for crying out loud, why not just stick to calling it that?”

“Because I’ve created something new, and I want to give it a name.”

“Ugh, fine.”

Rolling my eyes, I picked up the Sparklight and held down the power button. Just like it always had done before, the device vibrated, but instead of being greeted by the usual Sony Ericsson splash screen, I was met with Twilight Sparkle’s cutie mark, which pulsated faintly while the phone loaded its brand new operating system. I was then met by the home screen, and although it was mostly similar to its old design, there were some very clear differences. For starters, the apps were no longer down at the bottom, but were instead arranged in an evenly-spaced ring.

“Right, walk me through this.” I said, raising an eyebrow.

Coming to sit beside me, Twilight showed me all the changes, guiding me through the reworked operating system and all the new bells and whistles it came with. As planned, the LED light was now bright enough to blind a hawk, and the thumb-print reader now functioning like a biometric scanner. Testing it out, I put my thumb against it, which automatically opened one of the new apps, aptly titled, ‘BioScan’.

“You really went hard on naming things, didn’t you?” I scoffed.

“Look, I like things to have titles, okay? I’m a librarian, sue me.”

Rolling my eyes, I let the app load up, and slowly but surely, the app scanned my body. Essentially casting Twilight’s monitoring spell, the app displayed my blood pressure, body temperature, along with a handful of other attributes, from my hunger and thirst. There was even an ‘abnormalities’ section, which would highlight anything that was glaringly out of the ordinary. From illnesses to foreign bodies, the app ought to notice it from here on out, using my current state of being as a reference.

Backing out of the program, I went to the new ‘Speak’ application, which had been built from the Messages app, the Contacts app, and lastly, the Phone app. Firing it up, I was met with a single contact, of which was of course, Twilight. Tapping on it, I was met with the choice to either send her a written message, or to call her. Starting with the text, I wrote out a simple, yet eloquent message.



All hail Her Book-Loving Majesty, Twiggie Sparkbottom, Duchess of Nerds and Virgins.



Hitting send, the phone sent out a signal. Almost immediately, Twilight shuddered, and then raised her lips at me with disgust.

“I genuinely despise you. You know that, right?”

“It works!” I exclaimed, breaking into a wide grin.

The mare grunted loudly, and then ordered me to leave the tent and test the voice chat feature. Stepping out into the forest, I scarpered off by some distance, and then attempted to call her. After a few seconds, some static came through the speaker, followed by the echoey, warbled voice of one Twilight Sparkle.

“Is it working?”

“Bloody hell, Twilight.” I replied, “You’ve actually done it.”

“Oh jeez, that’s weird, I can hear you inside my head!”

At that, I threw on a silly spooky voice and began to moan at her.

“Oooohoohoohoo… That’s because I am inside your head!”

“Trust me, you aren’t, and you sure as heck wouldn’t want to be.”

The call then hung up, and I was left feeling a tad confused. What did she mean by that? Shrugging, I assumed that she was referring to her nightmares, and chose to let it go. Returning to the tent, I congratulated her on her successful experiment; the Sparklight was fully operational. Much to her annoyance, I went to the unaltered camera feature and took a selfie with her to commemorate the occasion. After that, we rejoined the others, where we began to speculate what we might find in Portugal, aside from the third Orb fragment of course.





A few days went by, with Rarity’s condition stabilising enough for Fluttershy to return to sleeping with me again, which I had to admit, I was more than thankful for. Between Rainbow Dash’s snoring and the underlying awkwardness from knowing she wanted to have sex with me, I was overjoyed to have my platonic snuggle-buddy back. I told her what had happened, to which the little pegasus broke into a giggle, rolling her eyes.

“I wish I could say I’m surprised.” she laughed, “What did you say she called me?”

“I do believe her exact words were ‘little bundle of innocence’.”

We both chortled about it for a while, before finally enjoying our first night together again. As for Rarity, the poor thing was still in too dire a state to get up and walk around, with her pain simply being far too intense. This had been beyond embarrassing for her, as Fluttershy had been required to assist her with going to the bathroom by way of a bedpan. Being a nurse, this was no problem for her, but with Rarity being a lady, modest to the bone, it had been nothing short of a mortifying nightmare. To this end, it wasn’t long before she was forcing herself up and about, and with a generous dose of painkillers in tow, we ended up seeing more and more of the pearly unicorn.

Unlike in the case of Rainbow Dash and her plucked wings, I absolutely dreaded the inevitable day when the bandages would come off. In Dashie’s case, we would hopefully be met with healthy cyan plumage, with the pegasus pony’s flight restored. However, for Rarity, there wouldn’t be an ounce of joy in the removal of her dressing, for it would be only scars to greet us, with the soignée, well-kempt mare undoubtedly finding herself wrought with feelings of ugliness and deformity. Never again would the elegant fashionista feel confident in front of a mirror, and it pained me to imagine the first time she would see herself unwrapped. I could only hope that Twilight had stitched her up as immaculately as possible.

By the second week, she was able to walk around, and with the rest of us going a little stir-crazy, she insisted that she was fit to travel. Though we wished to give her a few more days, the mare was adamant, and so we packed up the camp and readied ourselves to move out.

Along the way, Twilight asked if the others could go on, as she wished to speak with me about a private matter. The others were apprehensive, but conceded nonetheless. Taking off, in the direction of the Soviet Radio Telescope, I was left alone with Twilight. Once the others were out of sight, I gave the unicorn a friendly smile.

“So uh, what’s going o-ah!”

With her telekinetic hold now wrapped firmly around my neck, I was yanked down to my knees, where I stared at Twilight in shock and surprise.

“What… What are you doing!?” I gasped, struggling for air.

“Start talking.” she ordered, “Right now.”

“I don’t unders-stand!” I choked, “Let go of me!”

Refusing to loosen her grip, Twilight stepped towards me and glared into my eyes.

“We’ve met you before.” the mare growled, “Before now, before the Orb, before any of this! I saw you!”

By now, my chest was convulsing from the lack of air, and with a desperate plea, I swore that I had no idea what she was talking about. Letting me go just before I blacked out, I fell onto my side and wheezed loudly, gulping down breath after breath as I fought to remain conscious. Now seeing stars, I clenched my fists and demanded to know what the hell she was on about.

“I saw you.” she repeated, “In the house, with Princess Celestia, and the rest of us. You were holding Rainbow Dash, and she was crying!”

{Oh fuck…} I thought to myself.

Very quickly, it dawned on me what was happening.
Twilight was starting to remember the My Little Dashie incident…

“Those ‘flashes’ you’ve been getting, in those strange dreams of yours?” she went on, “Guess what, I’ve been getting flashes of my own, and I keep seeing us in the same house. You’re hugging Rainbow, and she’s sobbing her eyes out, and the rest of us are crying too. Even the Princess was upset!”

Planting a hoof against my chest, she raised her lips and hissed at me through her gritted teeth.

“You know what happened to us, because you were there, weren’t you? What did you do to us!?”

Still trying to get a hold of my breathing, I met her gaze and scowled at her.

“I had no part in any of that, I was just a child when it happened! The man you’re seeing in those flashes, it’s not me. His name is Rob, and he wrote about what happened as though it were just a My Little Pony fanfiction, I promise you that’s the truth! The Princess removed your memories for a reason, and I’m not going to betray her trust by telling you.”

“And what of my trust?” Twilight spat, “How am I expected to travel with you if I can’t trust you? I want you to tell me what happened, and I want you to tell me now.”

“Twilight, what you ask of me is to disobey Princess Celestia.” I reminded her, “By her decree, I cannot tell you.”

Considering the fact she was starting to remember for herself, a part of me wished to spill the beans. However, I feared that it may open a whole new can of worms. If news of this spread to Rainbow Dash, and she came to remember her memories as well, it could very well cause the ‘irreversible damages’ that Rarity had once mentioned. After what Inigo did to her in Brazil, Rainbow’s mind was more fragile than ever, and it was a very real possibility that fifteen years’ worth of Earthly memories flooding back may just break her for good. It was a risk I wasn’t willing to take, and so I put my foot down.

“When you go back to Equestria, you can ask her for yourself.” I told her, “I’m sure she would tell you, and would restore your memories if you asked for them. But until then, my lips are sealed, and I beg of you to understand why. I promise you, I’m not trying to keep secrets, I’m just respecting the Princess, surely you can see that? Please Twilight, I know you don’t trust me, but please see the reason in what I’m telling you!”

Whether it was the look in my eyes, or the desperation in my voice, my words were enough to defuse the situation. Standing down, Twilight sighed heavily, shaking her head with bitterness and accepting that I was making sense. With a somewhat apologetic demeanour, she reached out to help me to my feet, but as I touched her hoof, she recoiled from me, causing me to fall back down.

“Okay, don’t help me then.” I scoffed.

I then realised that she hadn’t done it maliciously, something was wrong. The mare was wincing in pain, throwing her head to one side. Quickly getting up, I walked towards her to see if she was alright, only for her to whip around and glare at me.

“Don’t touch me!”

“Okay, okay!” I blurted out, stepping back.

Not wanting to rock the boat, I said that the others would be wondering where we were, and so with a great sense of unease, we pressed on.

{I swear, she’s losing the fucking plot.} I thought to myself.

{Aye…} my conscience agreed, {Who knows when this madness will end?}

Putting my mouth to one side, I trudged on in silence until we regrouped with the others. They of course, asked what we had talked about, to which I rather bluntly set them straight.

“If it was for you all to know, she wouldn’t have pulled me aside to speak privately.”

Hearing the gruffness in my tone, they questioned me no further, and over the next few minutes, we plodded along until we reached the Radio Telescope. Now that we knew long-range teleportation was possible via man-made frequencies, Twilight suggested a different approach to getting to Portugal. Instead of her teleporting there and opening a portal, she elected to teleport us manually, one by one.

“Human goes first.” she ordered.

Rolling my eyes, I knew there would be no point in arguing, and so I stood in front of her and prepared myself. If direct teleportation was anything like the Pullie-Port, or worse yet, an actual portal, then I knew I was in for a horrible time. The mare’s horn lit up, and I felt a warmth around my body, along with a peculiar tingling in my skin.

“Are you ready?”

“As ready as I’ll ever be.” I confirmed, gripping my backpack straps.

“Good, because you have a lot of walking to do.”

At that, my eyes narrowed.

“What do you mean?” I asked her.

With a look of malice, Twilight’s lips slowly raised into a wicked smile, and her eyes flickered with a madness that I had only seen once before; in the eyes of Inigo Montenegro. Something was wrong, very wrong, and in the blink of an eye, I realised that this was a trap. But before I could even open my mouth to shout to the others for help, the unicorn’s horn flashed brightly.


The spell was cast, and everything went black…





> Chapter Four: Lost and Found
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





I awoke to find myself face-down in a ditch, my senses clouded and my head pounding like a drum. My body felt stiff and everything ached. Groaning, I slowly rolled over and sat up, where I took a good few moments to get a hold of my bearings. Looking all around, I found that I was on the outskirts of a farm. There were fields all around, though they were all barren, which I could only presume was down to the fact it was now winter. The others were nowhere to be seen, though this made sense, considering what Twilight’s last words had been. Taking out my phone, I opened the map and had a look at where I was, which very quickly confirmed my suspicions.

“Oh for fuck’s sake…” I hissed, raising my lips into a snarl.

She hadn’t just booted me a few stone throws away, the damn girl had sent me all the way to the other side of the country. I was nearly as far south as south could go, close to a city named Silves, which put me a little over three-hundred miles away from the Orb fragment.

After all we had been through together, how could she do this to me? Sure, we were at each other’s throats from time to time, but I was her guide, as ordained by Celestia herself! I knew she didn’t trust me, nor like me, but to actually separate me like this? It was a new low for her, and one that I hadn’t been at all ready for.

“Right, we’re sorting this.” I growled.

Pulling out my phone, I went to the new Speak app and called her. It rang for a few seconds, before at last, the mare’s voice came through.

“Took you long enough, I thought you’d call me right away.”

“Yeah, well I’ve been unconscious for goodness-knows how long!” I barked, “What the bloody hell have you done, Twilight? Why? Why would you do this!?”

“To protect my company.” she answered, “You’ve grown far too comfortable with the others, and I’m finally putting a stop to it. They’re more your friends than they are mine at this point. Consider this as me setting you a boundary.”

“A boundary?” I blurted out in disbelief, “Twilight, you’ve sent me three-hundred fucking miles away, that’s not a boundary, that’s insanity! I’m your guide for goodness’ sake, how are you supposed to find the Orb piece without my phone, huh?”

“Huh, so you didn’t notice your bag feeling any lighter?”

My eyes widened, and Twilight proceeded to admit that she had stolen my atlas a few days ago, in which she had marked exactly where the Orb shard was on the map. In a somewhat taunting manner, she reminded me that if anyone could get the job done with just a book, it was her.

“This is absolute madness, Twilight!” I shouted, smacking the dirt with a hand, “I’m your guide, you can’t do this to me!”

“Oh please.” she scoffed, “You’re acting like I’ve banished you for good. I left you with your phone, didn’t I? I’m sure it’ll take you a few days, but you’ll catch up.”

“Days? Twilight, I’m not superhuman, it’ll take me a damn fortnight to get where the shard is! I haven’t got any shelter, and I haven’t got any food!”

“I thought you had tins of food from when Oliver bought you supplies?”

“They’re in Applejack’s bag!” I shouted, “She suggested I put them there so all the food was in one place!”

“Hmm, well you’d better get moving before you starve.”

Gritting my teeth, I told her that the others would never agree to this separation, and that as soon as they found out what Twilight had done, she would pay dearly for it.

“Oh, they aren’t going to know.” the mare sneered, “I’ve already told them how your resistance to magic threw you off course, but you’re perfectly alive and well. They know I’m talking to you, and I’ve said that I’ll keep them updated on your condition. That’s the truth, and if they hear anything otherwise, you’ll be the one who pays dearly for it, understand?”

I was about to speak, when she continued.

“You’ve played the act well, Callum, I’ll give you that. Honestly, I can’t believe I’m saying this, but over the past few days, I could feel even myself starting to like you. Is that what you want to hear, huh? Your little scheme was working. You starved me of friendship from the others, until I was weak enough to start wanting it from you. That stops today. From here on out, you remember your place, and when you get back to us, I hope you’ll have learned your lesson. Now get walking.”

The call cut out, and I sat there in stunned silence, my lips trembling. I honestly didn’t know how to feel. I was shocked, angry, and afraid. A part of me was terrified of Twilight now, and what she might do if I told the others the truth. This was more than just putting me in my place, or separating me from the girls. This was a power play. It was a statement, telling me that I was the mare’s property, and that I needed to obey her every command, or else she would remove me from the situation entirely. This was all to tell me just how powerless I was, and how my very existence needed to revolve solely around serving Twilight.

A part of me wanted to curl up and cry, while a part of me felt like breaking into a fit of rage. Though I was very much in control of my autism nowadays, this was the closest I had been to a meltdown in years. To be so suddenly torn apart from my group like this, in a foreign location, without food or shelter, it sent me into an overstimulated panic, and I began to hyperventilate.

One part of me, however, was in a much calmer state than I.

{Hey, you’re alright.}

Shutting my eyes, I listened to the voice in my head, and what it said was enough to keep me in control.

{She said it herself, she was beginning to like you. That’s why she did this, lad, she was scared of getting close to you. After seeing whatever Celestia’s shown her, she’s dead set on keeping you at an arm’s length, and she cannae keep it up. This isn’t a setback laddie, you’ve cracked her! She started seeing you as a friend, and it fucking terrified her. Now look, you’ve got every right to be mad at her, and I’m not going to sugar-coat it, this walk of ours is going to suck dick, and not in the good way, but you’re missing the point, lad.}

“And the point is?” I grumbled, trying to maintain my breathing.

{She’s not fighting you, she’s fighting herself.}

Furrowing my brow, his words made sense. To do something like this, Twilight must have been at the crux of some inner turmoil. She was in a war of sorts, between obeying the preconceptions in her head, and realising that everything she thought I was, was a mistake.

However, to stop believing in the monster she saw in me, also meant to stop believing in Celestia’s judgement, which from her point of view, was as unquestionable as it was divine. Even if the Princess was innocent in all of this, and that it was just Twilight’s interpretation to blame, the unicorn’s inner conflict was no less real. In the end, she had chosen faith over facts, and so this gruelling betrayal had come to pass. Perhaps this wasn’t a power play after all? Perhaps, just like with the clone incident in Brazil, she had acted on impulse, spurred by the fear of accidentally becoming friends with me. It was just as likely, and although the reasoning didn’t excuse her in the slightest, it did help to quell my panic and ire. Exhaling heavily, I thanked the voice for being one of wisdom, and for calming me down.

{Don’t mention it, lad.} it replied, {Besides, I’m just your conscience, so in a roundabout way, you’re just thanking yourself, dipshit.}

Rolling my eyes, I asked my ‘conscience’ what we were to do now.

{Isn’t it obvious?} it muttered, {We walk.}

Shaking my head with annoyance, I knew the voice was right; the sooner I got moving, the sooner this would all be over. Picking myself up, I checked my phone to see which way was north, and then, without any other option available to me, I walked.

And walked…

And walked…

Driven by spite more than anything, I pressed on long into the night. Without anywhere to sleep, I decided it would be best to cover as much ground as possible. One advantage to being alone was that I could move at my own pace, and keep going without needing to stop for anyone else. The sun of the following day had just begun to rise when I finally felt exhaustion sapping at my strength. I was spent, and as my eyes began closing on their own, I knew I desperately needed to rest.

{Don’t stop.} the voice commanded, {If you stop, we’ll lose our momentum. Plus, it’s cold as balls out here, and the last thing we need is to freeze in our sleep.}

“Mate, I can’t.” I groaned, “I’m so tired.”

{Push through it.} it insisted, {If you can throw off your biological clock for long enough, you’ll start to wake up again. You may get a tad delirious, but you’ll be able to walk for another day or two. Trust me, you do not want to stop. As you said to Twilight, you’ve got no shelter, and no food. If you stop, you’ll break, do you understand me?}

Hanging my head, I knew my conscience was right, though my eyes welled up with tears all the same.

“I just want to sleep…” I whimpered.

{I know laddie, I know. But you can do this. I’ll be here with you, every step of the way.}

“But you’re just me!”

{Well, I don’t have to be. You could give me a name, if you wanted?}

Sniffing, I thought about it. Entertaining a Scottish voice in my head and giving it even more personality surely wasn’t healthy, but nor was walking for days on end without company, food, or sleep. With a gulp, I began to think of names, and eventually settled on Connie.

{Connie? Really?}

“Yeah.” I confirmed, “You know, because you’re… my conscience?”

{Eh, too girly.} it muttered, {What about Conscio?}

“That’s hardly a conventional name.” I pointed out.

{I’m hardly a conventional individual.} it retorted.

“Fuck it, we ball.” I grunted, “Conscio it is.”

At that, the newly named ‘Conscio’ was able to keep me walking and talking. To anyone looking on, it would have seemed like I was mad, chatting away to a voice in my head. Still, the few people who actually did cross my path kept to themselves and paid me no mind.

Before I knew it, the sun was setting again, and as the temperature dropped, it became harder and harder to press on. By the time the sky was getting light again the next morning, my vision was blurred and my thoughts were muddled, and although Conscio tried to keep me going with words of encouragement, I simply couldn’t hack it. Staggering off to a nearby woodland, I collapsed beside a tree with a heavy thump. I lay there in a shivering heap, now so tired that I barely knew what was going on any more; I hadn’t even realised how hungry I was yet. After a few minutes of lying there in a daze, I started to lose consciousness.

And then I saw them.

“Girls?”

Just a little way in front of me, all six of them were standing there, looking down at me with sorrow painted upon their faces. Twilight then reached out to me with a hoof, in a manner that almost told me she was well and truly sorry for what she had done. Clenching my jaw, I forced myself up to my feet, and as I looked back to where they were, they were gone.

“Oh, delightful.” I grumbled, “I’m hallucinating.”

{Aye, that’ll happen with delirium.} Conscio hummed, {But if you push on, I swear, you’ll be with the real ones before too long. Come on, lad, do it for them.}

Closing my eyes, I thought about Rarity, still in pain and swathed in bandages. We could have stayed in camp for another week and it wouldn’t have mattered, but she insisted we kept moving, in spite of her still-healing wounds. I thought about Rainbow Dash, who had lost such an integral part of herself when Inigo and his men had plucked her. She had been on the cusp of giving up, lying there in that rusty little cage, in a mess of her own making, almost entirely willing to die. And yet, she had risen to her hooves, and given her all to live another day, and fight for her future.

If they could do it, then so could I.

“Okay…” I breathed.

Sniffing, I took out my phone and squinted at the blurry map, and once I knew which way was north, I put one foot in front of the other. Though I nearly fell over numerous times at the behest of involuntary microsleeps, I remained standing, and pressed on.


For two days, I kept walking, and soon enough, the hunger became as bad as the exhaustion. I was now moving at a snail’s pace, and I knew that I would never reach the girls like this. What I needed was to find food, and then find somewhere to sleep that wasn’t out in the freezing cold.

Up ahead on the moor was a cottage, isolated in the countryside. The drive to find food took hold, and I went over there to try my luck. Approaching the front of the quaint little home, I barely had the strength to even lift my arm, and had to fight just to give the door a series of knocks. A good twenty seconds passed, before the lock clicked and the door was slowly pulled open, revealing a short elderly woman. She peered at me cautiously, and I looked at her with desperation.

“Excuse me…” I began, “Please, do you have any food? I haven’t eaten in days.”

She tilted her head, not knowing what I said. Remembering that I was in Portugal, I used my hands to imitate eating food, and made a few munching sounds.

“Food?” I said again.

Opening her mouth, the woman nodded with understanding. To my relief, it would seem that she was kind of heart, and gestured for me to wait while she went off into her house. A few moments later, she returned with a small basket, containing a buttered cress sandwich, a few slices of gammon, and a glass bottle of milk. Looking at the woman, I very nearly started crying.

“Thank you… Thank you so much…” I wheezed, my eyes welling up.

Smiling, the woman dipped her head and then closed the door, leaving me to eat. I sat on her doorstep and very quickly started munching it all down. Conscio begged for me to savour it, but in my delirious state, I could heed no advice. Ravenously consuming every crumb and morsel, I washed it all down with the milk, and immediately started to feel better. I left the basket on the step by the door and clambered to my feet. The woman looked at me from a side window, and I put my hands together and mouthed my thanks for a second time, telling her that she had no idea how badly I had needed her help today. Simply dipping her head and shutting her eyes, I knew that she wanted me to leave now, and so I continued, now with a contented smile on my face.

Such an act of kindness, even in its simplicity, touched a core part of me. To think, after everything I had been through, especially in Brazil, the majority of my experience with other humans had been almost exclusively that of violence and brutality. The only two outliers had been my brother, and that green-haired girl from the Stock Heap, Nicole. Aside from them, the only humans I had properly interacted with had wanted to kill me, be they drugged-up cartel members, or half-rotted zomrads.

This woman’s kindness would never be forgotten.

Eventually, the road brought me to another farm, and with some food in my belly, the next thing on the menu was some sleep. Asking for a bed for the night was hardly the same as begging for food, and so I chose the less honourable approach, clambering over a fence and sneaking into one of the outbuildings. Inside were some horses, which after so long with the ponies, completely blew my mind to look at, especially in my exhausted state.

{Damn…} Conscio murmured, {They almost seem more alien than the girls do.}

“Yeah, this is trippy.” I agreed.

Finding an empty stall, I was met with a massive stack of hay. Whoever owned this farm clearly didn’t care much for preventing rodents, for the loose mountain of dried grass was practically big enough to conceal a car. Clambering onto the stack, I decided to become a rodent for myself and tunnelled into it, digging my way down until I had created my own little burrow. I didn’t even care about the itching, for it paled in comparison to having a safe pocket of warmth to drift off inside.

I closed my eyes, and in just ten seconds flat, I was gone.





A week went by, and I was now well over halfway. I’d passed through a handful of towns on my journey, where I had been awfully tempted to steal some food, but I had shown restraint. I was now walking beside a road, and although a few of the drivers looked at me as they drove by, nobody stopped for me. It was then that I felt a cold tickle against the back of my neck, and realised that it was beginning to rain. Shivering, I pondered on if I ought to turn back and find shelter in the town I had just passed. Shrugging, I chose not to, for I wanted every step to bring me closer to the girls, not further from them. The rain came in full force, and I pressed on, quickly getting soaked to the skin.

With my water bottle running low, I took the opportunity to use my situation to my advantage. In spite of the cold, I took off my T-shirt and held it above my head, letting it catch as much water as possible, before wringing it out into the bottle. It was hardly the cleanest drink, considering all the dust and sweat the fabric had accumulated, but with how thirsty I was becoming, it hardly mattered to me. It wasn’t long before I was fully hydrated and still had a full bottle at my disposal. However, I was now utterly freezing, and as my joints began to stiffen, my roadside trek slowed down to a crawl. Putting my shirt back on, I clung to myself and zoned out, waddling along and wishing for the accursed rainfall to end.

Much to my annoyance, it didn’t; if anything it rained harder. My ears and nose were beginning to hurt, and my knuckles ached so badly that I could barely move my hands. And then, over the sound of the pouring rain came the rumble of an engine. Turning around, I came face to face with a rusty old car, and with barely a second to spare, I dived out of the way before it could hit me. It came to a stop and the driver rolled down his window.

“Saia da estrada, seu garoto estúpido!” he shouted, before rolling his window back up and driving away.

“Yeah, well fuck you too!” I croaked after him.

Getting back to my feet, I found that I was now covered in dirt and grit, and got to work brushing myself off. That was when a burning pain shot into the underside of my wrist, and upon twisting my arm to have a look, I found that I now had a gnarly little scrape, courtesy of the jagged stones on the road. A small trickle of blood mixed with the rainwater on my arm and began dripping into the road, and with a huff of annoyance, I rolled my eyes.

“Could this get any worse?” I muttered.

I then jumped as a loud ‘boom’ sounded off in the clouds, paired with a flash of white light. The rain then began to sting, as it went from water droplets, to hailstones.

{You had to fucking say it.} Conscio grumbled.

“Oops.” I sighed, shrugging.


Forty minutes went by, and the storm didn’t relent. Soon enough I reached something resembling civilisation, by way of a small shanty town. Most of the houses had red brick walls without a lick of paint, with many of their roofs made from little more than tarpaulin and sheets of corrugated iron. The road all around me was littered with rubbish, and I was reminded all too well of that favela in Brazil.

As I walked through the town, I noticed a handful of dirty weathered faces here and there, looking at me suspiciously. A scruffy-looking man then slithered out from an alleyway and began to follow me. He wore a dark blue puffer jacket and a beanie hat, and with his lower teeth missing, he resembled a rat far more than he did a man. He eyed up my rucksack like a vulture would a dying animal, and it didn’t take a genius to figure out that he was thinking about robbing me. Ignoring him, I kept walking, only for him to continue trailing a few paces behind, and eventually I decided that I’d had enough. Whipping around without a moment’s warning, I stepped to the man and glared at him.

“Fuck. Off.”

Caught unaware, the man jumped back and looked at me fearfully, his lips twitching. He then quickly turned away, scampering back to the alley he had once come from. Smirking, I was pleased to have spooked him away; ‘fuck off’ was such a beautiful pair of words, for one didn’t even need to speak English to understand it. In any corner of the world, irregardless to native tongue, if one is told to ‘fuck off’ by an angry Brit, they know exactly what it means, and off they will fuck, post-haste.

However, it would seem that the very skies of Portugal wished for me to fuck off, for the rain turned into something of a monsoon. The road practically became a shallow river, and as the cold began to gnaw at my very bones, I knew I needed to get somewhere dry. Frantically looking around for shelter, I spotted a public building of sorts, just where the road split into a fork. It was raised on a concrete foundation with some stairs leading up to it, and as I jogged over and made my way up, I was disgruntled to find that the door was locked. But not all was lost, as it dawned on me that the stairs were hollow. Walking back down, I found a small space that was big enough for a person or two to fit inside. Taking off my bag, I clambered inside and tried to get comfortable.

I lay there shivering under the stairs for a good hour, and as the nightly temperature began to fall, I realised that I needed more layers before hypothermia set in. Digging into my bag, I found my extra pair of trousers and squeezed into them, along with an extra T-shirt. It still wasn’t enough, for I needed something to stop the icy breeze from getting to my skin, and so I searched around the small space and happened upon a black bin liner. Without much of a choice, I reached over and collected it, only to be met with an ungodly scent. Opening the bag, I was met with some blackened mouldy bread, along with other food waste. Crawling to the exit, I dumped the rotten contents outside, which revealed a dead mouse amongst the waste.

“Well, I guess I could be worse off.” I muttered with a shrug.

With the bag now emptied, I returned to my little hovel and curled up beneath it. Shutting my eyes, I used every ounce of willpower to block out the rancid smell and the biting cold, and as exhaustion caught up to me, I allowed the sound of the rain to carry me off to sleep.

About an hour or two later, I was woken by yet another thunderclap. With a jolt, my eyes flared open to find that not only was it still raining, but it was now properly dark, and upon checking my phone I found it to be nearly eleven o’clock at night. I was about to try and get some more sleep, when over the sound of the rain, I heard the rumbling of a car engine. There was then the sound of a door opening, followed by a man’s voice, shouting angrily.

“Sair daqui! Você pode congelar até a morte na chuva por tudo o que eu me importo, sua menina estúpida!”

Following this came the distressed cries of a girl, and being naturally curious I crawled to the edge of my hiding place and peered out, where I spotted a most horrible sight indeed. A man was in the middle of removing a girl from his car, dragging her out by her hair until they were a fair distance from the vehicle. The girl struggled and wept loudly, which was when the man yanked her towards him and growled into her face.

“Ser silenciosa criança! Parar de gritar ou I irá cortar o seu língua de fora!”

Continuing to struggle, the girl cried louder than ever, only to be silenced as the man suddenly smacked her in the mouth and shoved her to the ground. Now on her knees, the poor thing looked up at him and sobbed louder than ever.

“Por favor pai! Por favor!”

She attempted to get up and cling to the man’s leg, which was met by another smack to the face, harder this time. The man then kicked her back to the ground and spat on her. Then, without another word, he got into his car and drove off, leaving the girl to lie there in the rain. Spluttering and wailing to herself, the poor thing curled up into a little ball in the road and wept. Within mere moments, she was soaking wet and shivering, and I knew that I had to help her.

“Hey, over here.” I called out weakly.

I didn’t have the energy to shout any louder, and thus my words did not reach her. Any semblance of a human voice was drowned out by the torrential rain. Thinking on the fly, I took my phone out and switched on the LED light, which thanks to Twilight’s modifications, was so bright that it was akin to that of a bloody road flare. Needless to say, the girl saw it, and in a bid not to spook her, I pointed the light back at myself and gestured for her to come closer, nodding at her with a weak smile. She looked absolutely terrified, but the rain eventually drove her to get up and come to me. I turned the light off and shuffled back, giving her ample room to clamber into the small space with me. Though she was hesitant at first, another crack of thunder pushed her to crouch down and squeeze inside. She was terribly thin, bless her, so she didn’t take up much room. Unsure of what to do, she sat at the entrance for a time, flinching whenever I moved. Delving into my bag, I retrieved the handkerchief that Rarity had made for me and offered it to her, which she anxiously took from me.

“Obrigada…” she mumbled, using the silken square to wipe the rain and tears from her face.

I simply smiled at her, guessing that she had said thanks. I then decided that I needed to break the ice with her somehow, so that I could check her over. From the way the man had hit her, I wanted to make sure she was alright. To this end, I edged closer towards her, to which she very anxiously moved away.

“Por favor…” I said gently, knowing that this was the phrase for ‘please’.

She shook her head and stayed put, and so I tried a new tactic.

“Callum.” I said, pointing to myself.

Patting my chest, I said my name for a second time, and then gestured to her and hummed, implying that I was asking for hers. Understanding what I was getting at, the girl sniffled, before shakily telling me her name.

“Mmn… B-Bun… Bunnie.”

Smiling warmly, I slowly extended my arm for her to shake, and repeated her name.

“Bunnie.”

Taking the hand and giving it a gentle shake, the girl smiled briefly, before suddenly lunging forward and bursting into tears again, whimpering loudly into my chest. Blinking rapidly, I was completely caught off-guard, and remained motionless for a second. And then, without even thinking about it, I allowed my natural impulse to guide me, wrapping my arms around her as though she were one of the ponies, enveloping her in a safe, assuring cuddle.

{Oh you poor thing…} I thought, {What on earth has that man done to you?}

She relaxed into the unexpected embrace, though her crying didn’t stop, and so I took to hushing softly to her, holding her close to me as I did so.

“Sshh… Sshh-sshh-sshh-sshh…”

For a good while, Bunnie bawled her eyes out, until at last she had no more tears to shed. With the waterworks coming to a spluttering standstill, she looked up at me and coughed, rubbing her eyes.

“Obrigado senhor… sinto muito por chorar assim.”

Smiling, I understood that she was thanking me, but I didn’t understand a word of what she had said after that. Regrettably, I knew about as much Portuguese as I knew about sex, which was fuck all, so to speak.

“Quem é você?” Bunnie asked.

“I’m sorry, I don’t speak Portuguese.” I said slowly, shaking my head.

The girl looked at me blankly, and then swallowed. She blinked at me a few times, as if she were trying to process my words. Pointing to myself, I tried to tell her that I was from England.

“Ooh wait, I know this one!” I said excitedly, “I’m, uh… Inglês?”

“Wait a minute, you’re English?” she asked.

Now it was my turn to be confused. Bunnie had just spoken perfect English, and her accent sounded no different from my own. Gulping, I nodded my head and confirmed that although my olive skin might have been a tad deceiving, I was as British as they came. Upon hearing this, she shot forward and wrapped her arms around me for a second time.

“Oh my god!” she exclaimed, “Oh thank fuck, you’re English!”

My mind was now certifiably boggled. Furrowing my brow, I looked around in all directions, trying to make heads or tails of what was going on. I looked back to Bunnie to see her crying again, but not like before; this time, she was crying with joy. Though tears once again trailed down her cheeks, there was now an almighty grin on her face, the sort of grin that couldn’t be controlled, forced to the surface by happiness and relief. I knew this feeling, I had felt it myself not all that long ago, when I had seen Twilight emerge from her tent, still alive, in spite of that horrible dream.

“What are you doing here? Who are you? How did you find me?”

Bunnie fired the questions at me like bullets, but I had some questions of my own.

“Uh, not so fast. What the hell is going on here? You were just speaking fluent Portuguese a second ago, and now you’re just as British as I am. Who was that man in the car? What did he do to you? Who are you exactly?”

The girl couldn’t sit still, she was shaking all over, and it wasn’t just because of the cold.

“My n-name’s Bunnie.” she stuttered, “I was born here, but I was raised in England. That man? He’s my father.”

“I… what?” I blurted out, as shocked as I was in disbelief.

What kind of father hauled his daughter to a shanty down and beat her in the street, followed by dumping her out in the rain? What great crime had she committed to deserve such a thing? Desperate for more information, I begged for her to explain the situation in full, from start to finish. Swallowing, Bunnie closed her eyes and acquiesced, telling me everything.

“Before I was born, my mother was a slave. My father bought her, forcing her to marry him, where he proceeded to abuse her. He would hit her, and rape her. Then one day, I was born, and my mother fled to England, seeking asylum with me when I was just a baby. We were given a new life, and for the longest time, we were safe…”

Bowing her head, she continued to explain that just a few months ago, her father found them somehow, and forced them to return to Portugal under the threat of ending their lives. Terrified, Bunnie’s mother had agreed, and after flying back to the country, they were swiftly kidnapped and brought back to his home, where they had been kept as prisoners. I asked how one man was capable of such a thing, only for her to tell me a story that I was all too familiar with. As it happened, Bunnie’s father was in charge of a criminal organisation, right here in Portugal. They specialised in the importation and trade of weaponry, narcotics, and slaves.

It was a cartel.

{Fucking hell…} I thought to myself, {It’s Inigo all over again.}

{So much for being a country with a low crime-rate.} Conscio muttered.

Taking a deep breath, the poor girl explained that her monstrous father was keeping them imprisoned in the cartel’s compound, where he planned to sell Bunnie off as a sex slave as soon as she had turned eighteen. At that, I began to feel queasy; who in their right mind could do something like that to their own daughter?

She then told me exactly what Nicole had once told me about Inigo and his cartel. They functioned by infiltrating the public sector, working within the country itself and influencing the authorities. By targeting the families of the police, few attempts were made against them. It was a carbon copy of Inigo’s strategy, and it was hard not to imagine the bastard had been reborn, and was here to haunt me.

Shuddering, I dared to ask for further details, to which she explained that whenever she ‘misbehaved’, her father would bring her to this shanty town, effectively using it as an utterly absurd version of the ‘naughty step’. From there, he would instruct his men to hunt her down. It was a game of sorts, and whoever found her and brought her back would be added to the list of men who would have access to her upon her eighteenth birthday next year. At that, my blood began to boil and I felt a fire in my belly. I may not have known this girl for long, but to know something so abhorrent was in store for her, sickened me to my core. No, I could not stand idly by and let that happen. By no means did I want to step in as some white knight with a saviour complex, but as the only person aware of what was happening here, and what was going to happen, I felt compelled to do something.

If Twilight was so sure of herself, then she could find the next damn Orb fragment without me.
I was helping this girl.

“So I’m guessing running away from here isn’t an option?” I suggested.

“No.” Bunnie sighed, “I’ve tried, but they always find me. And even if I could, I don’t want to leave my mum back there. You don’t understand, Conor-”

“Callum.” I corrected her.

“Sorry…” she murmured, shaking her head, “But you don’t understand, Callum. My dad is a monster, and for every second my mum’s forced to be with him, she is suffering.”

Exhaling slowly, I pondered for a moment. During this silence, Bunnie began to tremble even more, and in spite of my attempt to keep her calm, she fell apart again, breaking into yet another sob and planting her face into my chest. Wailing, she told me over and over again how unfair it all was, and all I could do was hold her steady and hush to her.

And then, I had an idea…

“These men, the ones who hunt you down…” I began, “How many are there?”

“My dad usually sends a dozen or two.” Bunnie answered, “Why?”

Her eyes then widened, realising what I might have been thinking. Shaking her head, she insisted that they weren’t the forgiving type, and that they would kill me without a hint of remorse.

“Many have tried.” I told her.

“I’m being serious, Callum.”

“So am I.”

Pausing, Bunnie looked at me cautiously, coming to the understanding that I might have been more than just a friendly face. Choosing the honest route, I explained that I had faced a situation like this before, and had faced off against a cartel in Brazil, and had lived to tell the tale. At first she didn’t believe me, but upon mentioning the slaying of one Inigo Montenegro, her eyes widened.

“That name.” she breathed, “I’ve heard that name. My father has said that name!”

Gulping, she demanded to know who I was, and so I told her. Of course, there was no way she would believe that I was travelling with six technicolour talking ponies, and so I forewent the part about my otherworldly companions. I explained how after my father disappeared, I had grown tired of my mother’s abuse, and so I had faked my death and run away to see the world.

With South America as my first port of call, I had been captured by Inigo, and was imprisoned for weeks on end, before escaping during an uprising that I had started, killing the Bogeyman of Brazil in the process. Since then, I had travelled back to Europe in search of more adventure, and after days upon days of walking, by a matter of mere chance, I found myself here.

By the time I had finished the story, I had talked for quite a while, and in that time, Bunnie had become more and more comfortable with my presence.

“That’s quite the story…” she breathed.

“Yeah, it’s hardly been a joyride, I must admit.” I chuckled.

“I guess we’ve both been through a little trouble, hey?”

At that, I let out an amused huff.

“That’s definitely a way of putting it.”

We both laughed a little bit, followed by Bunnie shivering again, clenching her fists in an attempt to warm her fingers. The poor thing was utterly freezing; even in the low light, I could see just how pale the girl’s skin was, chilled to the bone from the frigid cold that surrounded us. The incentive to warm her with my body grew stronger, but I knew such a thing wouldn’t be appropriate without an offer. To this end, I tried to establish more of a connection with her in a bid to break the ice, as it were.

“So, uh… what part of England did you grow up in?” I asked.

“West Sussex, down in the south.”

“Oh?” I said, raising an eyebrow.

“Yeah, in a town called Burgess Hill.”

At that, my heart skipped a beat.

“Holy shit!” I exclaimed, “I used to live near Burgess Hill, I lived in Ifield! My dad took me to the leisure centre there when I was little! You know, the one with the flumes and the wave machine?”

“You mean The Triangle?”

“Yeah!”

“Oh my god!” Bunnie squealed, “My mum used to take me there when I was little!”

Both our mouths fell agape, realising that there was every possibility that we may have seen each other in the past, swimming in the same pool together, and never even knowing it. It really was a small world, and it was then that Bunnie clocked on to who I was.

“Wait, did you say you’re from Ifield?”

“Uh-huh.”

“And you… faked your death?”

Before I could answer, the girl’s eyes bulged wide open and she cupped her mouth with both hands.

“You’re Callum Horncastle, aren’t you? That boy who was stabbed in his house, back in June? Nobody ever found the killer, and his body went missing from the morgue! They talked about it on the news for weeks! It was practically all I heard about before I was brought back to this shithole. People were calling it one of the strangest murder mysteries in the country.”

Exhaling heavily out of my nose, I conceded to the truth.

“Didn’t know I had caused such a stir.”

At that, Bunnie clapped her hands together, making me jump.

“I knew it!”

With a laugh, I assured her that I was no celebrity, just a dead man with a lust for adventure. Huffing, she said that there was certainly some adventure to be had here, though it was hardly of the pleasant ilk. Her mood then began to sour again, as she thought about just how terrible her life had so quickly become.

“Hey, it’s going to be alright.” I spoke softly, lowering my head to meet her gaze.

“How can you say that?” she scoffed, “I’m a prisoner to a cartel, as is my mother! By this time next year, I’ll have been passed around to every single man in that place, and that’s permitting I haven’t killed myself by then, or been killed by my own damn father!”

Pausing for a moment to let her calm down, I looked her dead in the eyes and smiled.

“By this time next year, you’ll be back in Burgess Hill. I’m going to help you, okay?”

She shook her head and began to protest, telling me just how dangerous her father and his men were. Smirking, I cut her off by folding my arms and reminding her that I had already taken down one cartel; why not bring down another?

“Look,” I continued, “I’ve seen things you wouldn’t believe. Killing monsters? It’s kind of my thing, so please… let me help you.”

Bunnie looked down, clearly wrestling with the concept of trusting another person. But how could one blame her? Every man she had come across since being dragged to this place wanted to harm her in ways I dared not utter. However, from the familiarity of my Britishness and the shared memory of Burgess Hill, to the novelty of being the dead boy from the news, back from the grave, Bunnie soon came to see that I wasn’t just her best hope; I was her only hope. Taking my hand in hers, she clenched her jaw and gave me an expression mixed with pain, desperation, fragile trust, and longing.

“Okay…” she breathed, her eyes welling up, “Please help me.”

Dipping my head, I promised her that I would, and that on my honour, I would get her and her mother to safety. With that, she finally relaxed for good, somewhat starstruck by my promise. And who on earth wouldn’t be? To be kidnapped by a fearsome Portuguese cartel, led by one’s own malevolent father, and be placed under the threat of lifelong abuse, only to then encounter a fellow countryman, of whom was unanimously believed to be dead. That alone was mind-boggling, let alone him then promptly swearing to render one’s liberation and vengeance! The odds of it all were diminutive enough to be considered miraculous, as though our meeting here had been ordained, as opposed to happening by mere chance.

“So, what’s your plan?” she asked timidly, still clasping my hand.

“Sleep, for starters.” I scoffed, “I’ve been walking for days and I’m bloody knackered. Once I’ve had a few winks, I’ll come up with something.”

Nodding, Bunnie finally let go of my hand and looked at me curiously, clearly trying to discern whether we ought to remain close while we slept or not. Huffing slightly with amusement, I read her mind in a heartbeat, and smirked at her.

“It’s damn cold, isn’t it?”

“Freezing…” she answered shakily.

I gestured for her to come close, and in seconds, the poor thing was pressed up against me, shivering. Smiling warmly, I envisioned myself back in my tent with Fluttershy, sharing the sleeping bag with her during these colder nights. Taking up the same mentality, I lay on my side and let Bunnie press her back against my chest, and without even thinking about it, my hand slid around her midsection, tucking in between her belly and the ground.

{Bloody hell, Callum!} Conscio blurted out, {A bit forward, don’t you think?}

{Force of habit!} I argued back in thought.

{Yeah? Well this poor lass has had plenty enough ‘force’ in her life as of late, so pull your damn hand away and let it rest someplace else!}

{It would be weird if I did that now!} I protested, swallowing nervously.

{Well you’d best fucking pray she’s okay with it.}

“Sorry, I probably should have asked before putting my arm around you.” I said anxiously.

“No, it’s… it’s fine.” Bunnie replied, “It’s quite nice, actually.”

{There, happy now?} I barked in thought.

Conscio responded by emitting a tutting sound, before falling quiet. Bringing my focus back to Bunnie, I took her words as an incentive to hold her a little bit tighter. Pulling her into me, I felt the faint warmth from her body, and there was no doubt that she in turn, felt mine. Closing my eyes, I wished her a good night, and though I barely heard her over the pounding rain, she wished me the same, along with her thanks.

She fell asleep rather quickly after that, and with a sigh, I rapidly came to the understanding that Bunnie was important to me, very important. For reasons beyond me, I felt a surge of emotion, as though this whole ordeal was some sort of inner calling. My place was of course, with the ponies, as was my duty. But even so, I couldn’t help but feel drawn to devoting myself to Bunnie for a short while, just while Twilight and the others made their way to the next Orb fragment. I supposed at the end of the day, for as much as the girls needed my protection, Bunnie needed it more right now. After all, my very purpose was to protect and serve; how could I claim such a thing if I abandoned this girl in such a desperate time of need?

Feeling a new sense of confidence regarding my temporary separation from the ponies, I drifted off with a clear conscience, and with a simple goal in mind.

I was going to rescue Bunnie.


I woke to find the rain had finally stopped. The morning sun poured in through the narrow gap, illuminating our little hidey-hole. Inhaling deeply through my nose, I realised that Bunnie and I had barely moved an inch, with my arm still draped around her middle and my hand tucked beneath her. Unable to feel my fingers, I prepared for a bout of pins and needles as I slowly retracted myself. Sitting up, I yawned and tensed up my muscles, to which I was rewarded with a smattering of crunches and pops across my body, evoking a sigh of relief from me.

After taking a moment to wake up properly, I chose to get Bunnie up as well. Clearing my throat, I spoke her name, which garnered no response, so I gently placed a hand on her shoulder and gave her a nudge.

“Bunnie.”

This time she did respond, by way of groaning slightly and shifting one of her arms.

“Come on.” I muttered, rolling my eyes, “Time to wake up.”

“No sir…” she mumbled in sleep talk.

At that, I let out a small chuckle.

“Oi, come on you, wakey wakey.”

Finally, her eyes opened and she rolled over to look at me. There was a brief moment of fright upon not realising who I was, followed by her quickly relaxing again, remembering last night’s events.

“Sleep well?” I asked, smiling warmly.

Nodding, she let off a yawn of her own, and once she was ready, we clambered out from under the stairs and into the street. Now able to stand upright, we both stretched with a little more emphasis, reaching for the sky and bending from side to side, letting out merry huffs as our joints emitted even more clicks and crackles. Despite our surroundings still being damp and murky, the sun was just about warm enough to be deemed pleasant, and now that it was light, I could finally get a good look at the girl.

She looked to be around my age, and had chestnut brown hair in a grown-out pixie style. Her nose was round and button-like, not too dissimilar from my own, and her evenly-shaped lips were a vibrant ruby red. Her smooth, unblemished skin was only a shade paler than my own, and looked to be as soft as the petals on a rose. With her perfectly symmetrical face and rounded baby-like cheeks, it was hard not to imagine she had been designed, for her complexion held a grace not unlike a song; a symphony of delicate ivory notes that had been painstakingly crafted to form something that was truly immaculate.

And then I noticed her eyes…

Like glossy pools of amber and honey, her irises were a vibrant brown. They were like dark chocolate around the outer rims, but closer to the middle, they bore the light tone of caramel. Her pupils dilated as she looked at me, within which I saw a cloudless night sky, as if the very stars had conspired to trace their constellations within them.


As I took in all the details, I could only describe Bunnie with three simple words.
She was beautiful…





> Chapter Five: Damsel in Distress
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Blinking, I gave my head a shake to clear my thoughts; I needed to focus on helping Bunnie, not swooning over her! Clearing my throat, I asked for more information about the cartel. Supposedly, it was a nameless one, known only by a symbol, of which was tattooed onto the right hand of each member.

“What does it look like?” I asked.

“A twisted hand, surrounded by a ring of thorns.” Bunnie replied, “You can’t miss it.”

“Noted.” I hummed, “That makes things easier.”

Bunnie tilted her head.

“How so?”

“Because now I know who to kill.”

There was a moment of silence, and Bunnie started to second-guess things.

“Callum, I’m scared. If you do this and you fail, they’ll slaughter you… and then they’ll do worse to me.”

Swallowing, I furrowed my brow and couldn’t help but ask.

“Have they ever… before?”

“No.” she answered, “And I’d very much like it to stay that way.”

“Then I’ll make sure it does.” I huffed back to her, “Look, if you weren’t scared, I’d be concerned. This isn’t going to be easy, but I won’t fail, I promise.”

Clenching her jaw, Bunnie asked how I wasn’t scared myself, and it was hard not to tell her more about the things I’d seen in Ukraine. A few dozen arseholes with guns and knives hardly compared to zomrads, mutants, and the eldritch behemoth that was Elephant’s Tusk. Eventually, I gave my reply with a self-assured grin.

“Let’s just say with the things I’ve seen, there’s not a lot that scares me. I’ll tell you about it when this is all over, not that you’ll believe me. For now though, just take my word for it, after what I’ve been through, my balls have balls. Although, having been to Pripyat recently, those might be tumours…”

Giggling, Bunnie was caught unaware by that remark, and was pulled back into a state of faith and confidence. I followed up by telling her that the only thing that I was scared of was letting a promise go unfulfilled, and as such, I wouldn’t let her down.

As for my actual plan, Conscio had come up with one for me. There was of course, no way I could handle an entire cartel by myself, and unless Bunnie’s father had a Stock Heap of his own, I didn’t see myself rallying another uprising any time soon. Instead, I would make a far stealthier approach, by way of infiltrating the cartel. The first step was to deal with the men looking for Bunnie, followed by donning one of their uniforms. From there, I would claim to have found Bunnie, and bring her back to wherever this organisation’s headquarters were. Being the one to find the girl, I would surely be granted an audience with her father, where I would proceed to shove Krocsbane so far up his arse that he would need brain surgery to remove it. Though she abhorred the thought of being returned to her father, Bunnie knew it was the best shot at freeing her mother, and so with great reluctance, she conceded to the plan.

“Even if we don’t make it out alive, at least I might get to watch that monster die.”

“That’s the spirit, love!” I smirked, winking at her, “Now, where might I find the members of his little fan club?”

Rolling her eyes and huffing with amusement, she pointed out that they would be all around this town by now, searching for her. To that end, I ordered her to get back inside our hiding place, and then pulled out the Sparklight.

“I’d put that away if I were you.” Bunnie insisted, “They won’t think twice about attacking someone for a smartphone like that.”

“Oh, I’m counting on it.” I replied.

Realising that I knew what I was doing, Bunnie got back under the stairs, and with my rucksack still being under there as well, I asked her to retrieve my knife, which she found near the top. I attached the sheath to myself and then tied the extra shirt around my waist to conceal it.

With phone in hand, I walked to the other side of the road and leaned up against the brick wall there, and soon enough, it was time for action. From down the street came a man wearing a black beanie, navy blue trousers and a black puffer jacket, and as he got nearer, I spotted the mark on his hand.

{Are you ready, lad?} asked Conscio.

“Ready as I’ll ever be.” I muttered back, “Let’s kill some bad guys.”

Clearing my throat, I was able to catch the man’s attention, who quickly spotted the device in my hand and strode towards me.

“Ei! Você! Esse telefone, dê para mim!” he barked.

I ignored him as he stormed right up to me, and I asked blankly if I could help him.

“Dá-me isso!”

He made a lunge for the Sparklight, and as he did, I used my other hand to withdraw Krocsbane and jam it into the side of his neck, not giving myself a second to think about it. The man jolted and let out a panicked, gurgling yelp. I pulled the knife out and he tried to scramble away, clutching at his neck with both hands in a bid to stem the bleeding. Alas, he hadn’t gone twelve steps before dropping into the road, and just like that, he was dead.

For a moment, I froze. Zomrads and mutants were one thing, for their humanity was lacking, but this was the first time since Brazil that I had killed another man. My stomach flipped, and I had to force myself to remain composed. After all I had been through thus far, I had expected this to be easy, but if anything, it had been harder to handle than any life I had taken thus far. The first man to die by my hand? That had been an accident. Inigo and his men? That was during an adrenaline-fuelled riot. But this? This had been a calm and calculated kill, and I needed a moment to recuperate from it.

Eventually, the need to protect Bunnie spurred me on, and I approached the body to relocate it, taking his legs, and dragging him into a nearby alley. Eyeing his puffer jacket, I was of a mind to nab it for the warmth, but I found myself unable to, for it was now heavily doused in blood. I did however, loot his equipment. He was in possession of a walkie-talkie, along with a Beretta Ninety-Two pistol. I couldn’t have been more thankful that he tried to take the phone by hand, as he very well could have just shot me for it. It was then that Conscio piped up, yet again providing more wisdom than I thought I was capable of.

{You know, it might be safer to keep Bunnie at your side. If these men are all armed, it would serve you well to be in the close proximity of someone they aren’t going to shoot at.}

Puckering my lips, I knew he was right. With that, I headed over to Bunnie again and asked her to accompany me, and explained why. At first, I expected her to be disinclined, perhaps fearful of becoming what was effectively a human shield. However, much to my surprise, the girl clambered out from under the stairs and let out a sigh of relief.

“Here I was thinking I wasn’t going to be useful.”

Huffing with amusement, I silently commended her bravery, and then decided to leave my rucksack where it was; it was well-hidden here, and I could always come back for it. Looking to where I had dragged the body, Bunnie let out a pensive breath, and then turned to face me.

“So, you really are a killer.”

“Is that going to be a problem?” I inquired, somewhat nervously.

Shaking her head, Bunnie said that since being abducted by the cartel, she had seen her fair share of death. With a hint of shame, she admitted that it was a rather merry change to see it happen to someone who actually deserved it for once. At that, I lowered my head and smirked.

“Well, shall we continue the merriment?”

Slowly, her mouth shaped into a low smile, and it became clear that Bunnie had a dark streak in her. She may have been a frightened young thing, but it would seem this harrowing twist to her life had led her to find comfort in black humour, even in the face of death. What she said next, confirmed this.

“Abso-fucking-lutely.”

Though I grinned in response, she couldn’t help but follow up with a nervous apology, clearly quite afraid of tarnishing this newfound friendship.

“I’m sorry, that was dark. You have to understand, since coming here and seeing the things I’ve seen, I’m… well, let’s just say I’m a little fucked up.”

“Aren’t we all?” I scoffed, tilting my head towards her, “Look, I’ve seen my own fair share of shit, so I get it. You say whatever you want, alright? The darker, the better.”

Nodding, Bunnie perked up again, and now with the understanding that we were kindred spirits, we started chatting away as we strolled up the road, exchanging crude jokes and taking the time to get to know each other better. I learned that she wanted to become a model, and that she had a keen interest in photography. I in turn, told her about how I once longed to be an actor, or at the very least, a voice actor.

“And instead you became an adventurer?”

Shrugging, I said that life was never something one could truly plan; it always had a funny way of throwing us off-course, and onto new paths of which we never expected to walk upon. In some cases, a path wasn’t even provided, with one needing to make it for themselves.

“Sure you shouldn’t have been a poet?” she teased.

“Can I not be both?” I retorted.

At that, Bunnie broke into a most adorable laugh, and I couldn’t help but find myself even more allured to her. This was ridiculous, I had only just met the girl, and yet there was something about her, something that I couldn’t quite describe.

{Tits.} Conscio said bluntly.

{Shut up!} I ordered back in thought, {That’s not it, you pillock.}

The capricious little voice chortled away, only for the mirth to be cut short as two men appeared. They wore the same attire as the man from earlier, and as we came to a halt, I turned to look at Bunnie.

“This is about to get rather ugly.” I warned her.

At that, Bunnie glanced nervously at the men as they approached. She then looked back at me, and strained her brow.

“Just so long as it’s uglier for them.”

Pouting my lips, I gave her a small shrug, putting my head to one side.

“Well, if you insist…”

Hearing the footsteps, I honed my focus and twisted around, slashing out with Krocsbane and catching the first man in the throat. Caught completely unaware, he tried to gasp, only to inhale his own blood and begin choking; it wasn’t long before he was dead. The second man, now aware that I was a threat, reached for his gun, and without ample time to deliver a proper blow, I leapt at him, taking him to the ground and sending his weapon clattering away. Seizing my wrists, he tried to wrestle for the knife, and I was quick to plant my knee into one of his lower ribs, pressing down with all my body weight until there was a muffled pop. Crying out, he used a hand to try and shift the weight off of him, which was when I could finally overpower him. Bringing the knife down, I pierced him just below the collar bone, where Krocsbane found its way into his lung, and as he cried out, I once again found myself in a state of shock. The other deaths had been quick and easy, but this? This was too slow, and the man’s shrieks had me realising just how fucked up this all was. I was… I was killing somebody! I very nearly let go, but before I could, Conscio’s voice rang out in my mind, shouting angrily.

{Focus, lad! This man wanted the rape the girl you’re saving! Don’t waste a blasted thought on him!}

He was right, this scum didn’t deserve my sympathy, nor my remorse. Pressing down harder, I pulled the blade to one side, opening the wound further, before ripping the knife out. I then brought it back down for a second time, puncturing his shoulder near the armpit and severing his axillary artery. Though the man did growl and wail beneath me, Conscio’s words had purged me of empathy. I certainly took no pride in this, but I also took no shame, and as he started losing consciousness, I looked him in the eyes, watching in silence as his anguished expression relaxed, and his struggles came to a halt.

Getting to my feet, I took a moment to catch my breath, and looked at Bunnie with uncertainty. With a gulp, her eyes darted between me and the lifeless bodies on the ground, and just as Twilight had always looked at me and seen a threat, I expected Bunnie to do the same. And yet, disturbed as she clearly was, there was also an undeniable hint of satisfaction in her eyes. She knew all too well that these men were hunting her just so they could have their way with her next year, and for that, she held no place in her heart for sorrow.

She did however, have a question for me.

“What’s it like, ending someone’s life like that? How does it… feel, exactly?”

Swallowing, I answered for the most part in earnest, telling her that it was confusing. A part of me felt horrified by what I had done, like I was some sort of monster. The act of killing was as upsetting as it was nauseating, with the prospect of permanently ending someone else’s existence being all too much for me to bear.

However, a more logical part of me saw the facts for what they were. These men were bad, without a hope for redemption, and as such, my actions had been rightful in the pursuit of honour and justice, and for the sake of protecting Bunnie. To that end, it had felt right to kill these men, as though I had made the world a better place for it.

However, in my unspoken shame, there was one detail I left out, and that was the small part of me that felt an indescribable rush when taking a life. For every person I had killed, I had felt something that couldn’t be adequately put to words; a sensation not unlike magic. It was like a rogue wave at sea, unstoppable and all-enveloping, flooding my system with intense feelings of giddiness, euphoria, glory, and authority. Crude as it was to describe, the feeling was akin to that of an orgasm; a sudden, climactic explosion of excitement and pleasure.

Though I knew in my heart that killing for this sensation was wrong, there was no denying myself the truth. There was an inner part of me who enjoyed it, craved it, even.

For that small part of me, killing was the sweetest thing in the world…


After hiding the bodies, Bunnie and I continued to patrol the town, and after dealing with another three pursuers, the others started to realise something was wrong. Chatter emitted from the walkie-talkie I had taken earlier, and Bunnie was thankfully able to translate for me. In short, the men were noticing the lack of response from the ones I had killed. If I kept this up, their suspicion might lead to reinforcements, and so I prepared for the next stage of the plan; to don one of their uniforms and bring Bunnie in.

Spotting a lone gunman with a balaclava on, I selected him as my target, and slinked into a nearby alleyway to conceal myself. Bunnie meanwhile, remained in the open, as to lure the man to my position. He quickly spotted her and gave chase, and upon reaching her, I darted behind him and wrapped my arm around his neck. Squeezing as tightly as possible, I brought the man to his knees while he struggled and spluttered. He tried to reach for his gun and Bunnie rushed to my aid, quickly grabbing the firearm and backing away.

“Come on!” I grunted loudly, “Go to sleep!”

Desperately clawing at my head, the man very nearly gouged one of my eyes out with his fingers, but just as he was able to locate them, he finally lost consciousness. Making sure that he wasn’t faking, I continued to hold him for a few seconds longer, before finally letting go.

“Thanks Bun-Bun.” I wheezed, giving her a thumbs up while I caught my breath.

“What did you just call me?” she laughed.

“A nickname, ever heard of one?”

“Do Portuguese slurs count?”

Rolling my eyes, I playfully told her to stop using the victim card and just accept the term of endearment. At that, she blew a raspberry at me, and then assisted in dragging the body into the alley, where we proceeded to strip him of his clothing. I then stripped down as well, in order to switch outfits, which was when Bunnie’s eyes flared wide open.

“What did that to you!?”

Looking down at the still-aching scars across my belly, I chuckled nervously and told her it had been from a bear attack.

{Stealing Rarity’s gimmick there, laddie?} Conscio scoffed.

{Shut it, brain tumour!} I barked back in thought, which resulted in a hearty laugh from him.

With a gulp, Bunnie said that the bear must have been absolutely massive to have created such gigantic claw marks, to which I concurred and said that it was indeed the biggest bear I had ever seen. Thinking about it, I could have told her the truth, considering the fact I had taken one of the mutant queen’s fingers as a trophy. However, the finger in question wasn’t with me any more, it was in Rarity’s saddlebag. My plan was to break it down and fashion the claw into something of an ornamental dagger, but I just hadn’t got around to it yet. As such, it had been generously wrapped in tin foil and put into cold storage, where it would be preserved on Equestria’s time to prevent it from rotting.

Slipping into the man’s attire, I had to fight to get my feet into his boots; they were easily two sizes smaller, possibly even three! Soon enough though, I was fully decked out, and once the balaclava was over my head, I faced Bunnie and asked her how I looked.

“Convincing.” she muttered with a sour expression.

“Hey.” I said gently, “I’m not one of them.”

“Hard to tell now.” she admitted, looking away.

“Look, do you want my help in freeing your mum? Because if so, then you need to trust me.”

“I do!” she replied hastily, “I’m just… scared.”

“That’s okay.” I told her, “You’re allowed to be. But if this is going to work, then I need to be one of the bad guys for a time. I might have to shove you around a bit, not that I want to. Can you handle that, and still hold faith in me? Because if you can’t commit to this, then nor can I. Say the word, and I’ll escort you to safety, but you’ll have to leave your mum behind.”

Before she could reply we heard a gasp, and it quickly dawned on us that the man I had choked out had woken up. In a daze, he tried to get to his feet, and before I could even comprehend it, Bunnie had stolen Krocsbane from me and lunged forward, where she drove the blade into the side of his head, right below the ear. He died in an instant, and as she tore the knife out and handed it back to me, Bunnie looked into my eyes with a bitter, seething glare.

“That committed enough for you?”

Swallowing, I took the knife and stared at her in disbelief. After blinking a few times, I inhaled deeply and searched for words. Bunnie then looked at the blood on her hands and shuddered, with her face becoming visibly paler. As the realisation of what she had just done kicked in, her knees buckled, and I darted forward to catch her just as her legs gave out. Lowering her down gently, I sat down beside her as she gathered herself.

“You really didn’t need to do that.” I sighed.

“I… I didn’t… I wasn’t thinking.” she croaked, clamping her eyes shut.

“Alright, alright…” I hushed, resting a hand on her shoulder.

Taking my old shirt, I took her hands and helped remove the blood. I then took the balaclava back off to look at her properly.

“That was really stupid of you.” I said sternly, before softening again, “Are you okay?”

It took her a while to speak, but as the shock slowly died away, Bunnie faced me and sniffed.

“If this all goes tits-up and we die, then at least I can say I took one of them with us.”

Though her lips trembled as she said it, I saw the glint of confidence in her eyes and knew that she would be okay. Tutting, I assured her once again that I would be getting her and her mother out of this, and that I had no room for failure. With a weak smile, I got to my feet and offered her one of my hands.

“Come on. The sooner we do this, the sooner I can tell you I was right.”

Taking the hand, Bunnie allowed me to pull her up. With her legs still a bit shaky, she stumbled into me and we met chest-to-chest. The both of us chuckled awkwardly, and I helped her to stand still.

“Okay… run me through the plan again.” she asked me.

Clearing my throat, I laid it out step by step. Now dressed as a cartel gunman, I was going to signal over the walkie-talkie that I had found Bunnie. I would then drag her out into the street and find some of my ‘colleagues’, and demand to be taken to the girl’s father. As for the language barrier, Bunnie assured me that plenty of her father’s men spoke English. In fact, the man himself spoke it as often as he did Portuguese. Permitting that I maintained the act well enough, my inability to speak the language wouldn’t pose as too much of an issue. Confidence was the key, and so I endeavoured to be as confident as possible.

With a nod, Bunnie told me she was ready. Recalling the last time she was caught here in the shanty town, she told me what to say, and with a deep breath, I picked up the walkie-talkie and held down the push-to-talk button.

“I found Bunnie.” I grunted, “Get the transport ready, I’m bringing her to you.”

Letting go of the button, there was a moment of silence, followed by crackling and static. And then, in a thick Hispanic accent, someone on the other end congratulated me for finding her, and commanded all the hunters to return to the rendezvous point on the north side of town. With a pained expression, Bunnie told me to grab her and start dragging her.

“I don’t want to hurt you.” I told her.

“Well, you said it yourself, this needs to be convincing.” she muttered bitterly, “Look, I can handle it, okay? Just do whatever you have to do.”

Tightening my lips, I dipped my head to her, confirming that I would. I then apologised in advance for any mistreatment that I might have to distribute.

“Apology accepted.” she assured me.

She then opened her arms for a hug, and knowing that it would be the last form of affection we could share for goodness-knows how long, I eagerly embraced her. Holding Bunnie tightly, I promised for a second time that I wouldn’t fail her, and letting out a heavy breath, she promised in turn that she trusted me. Closing my eyes, I held her for just a moment longer, before finally letting go. Putting the balaclava back on, I cast one final look of sorrow to the girl, before getting into character and tightly grabbing her wrist.

Taking the lead, I pulled her out of the alleyway and into the street, where she quickly began to resist me, struggling while I marched her up the road. She was actually pretty strong, and as we turned into a new street and spotted more cartel men, it became clear that she wasn’t entirely faking. With tears beginning to roll down her cheeks, I realised just how scared Bunnie was, and it wasn’t easy to remain in character. Still, I held firm and yanked her towards the men, where they watched me from beside a pair of white panel vans.

Upon my approach, they gave me vague gestures of approval, and then opened up one of the vans for us to get inside. As I pushed Bunnie to get in, she slipped free and tried to make a break for it, only for me to seize her by the arm and yank her back to me. Pulling her close, I stared into her eyes and ordered her to get in. With a scowl, she responded by spitting at me, making sure the others knew just how much she despised me. However, this meant that I now needed to retaliate, and so with all the regret in the world, I didn’t hesitate to strike her, delivering a firm backhanded slap to her face. It was enough to send her head jolting to one side, and I had to fight the urge to make sure she was alright.

Now shaking like a leaf, she did as she was told and we clambered inside together, where I forced her to sit in one of the corners and then plonked myself down beside her. The others got in and sat down as well, and in a bid to ensure nobody tried to touch her, I let my hand rest on her leg, effectively claiming her as mine.

The vans both rumbled to life and we hastily drove off. Along the way, one of the men tried asking me something in Portuguese, and letting my confidence shine through, I bluntly told him that he could either speak English, or not speak to me at all. Clearing his throat, another man sitting opposite me stepped in to translate.

“He asks where you found the girl.”

Lifting my chin in thanks for the translation, I said that Bunnie had been hiding in an alley, being protected by some do-gooder. I was asked what became of him, to which I scoffed and said that he was taking a nice dirt nap. A handful of them chuckled, with one of the men lightly smacking my arm in friendly camaraderie. Everyone fell silent after that, and I passed a glance at Bunnie, who raised her lips to me in a malcontent snarl. Making sure that no one could see, I winked at her, assuring her that we were still on the same side.


We had been on the road for a good while, when at long last, we finally came to a halt. The back doors and side panel were opened and the men all hopped out. I then took Bunnie’s upper arm and brought her out of the vehicle. Looking around, I found myself in the heart of the cartel’s compound. It was a far cry from Inigo’s place, that was for sure. Unlike the Bogeyman of Brazil’s warehouses and shacks, Bunnie’s dad clearly had a taste for finer things, for his organisation had set up shop within a traditional estate. All around were whitewashed adobe buildings, and in the middle was a gigantic manor house, where two men, armed with rifles, looked down at us from a balcony.

Not knowing what to do or where to go, I gave Bunnie an aggressive shove, secretly telling her to guide me. Fighting the tears, she began walking towards the manor, and I followed close behind. The doors were opened for us, and upon entering, the men I had travelled with went off in various directions. Two of them stayed with me however, and escorted us up a flight of stairs and along a set of corridors. Eventually we came to a halt outside a large pair of double doors. One of the men reached forward and knocked firmly, and from within came a man’s voice.

“Entra.”

The doors were pushed open and we walked into a large room with an ornate wooden desk in the middle, where a man was sat in a lavish-looking chair. He was a sleek individual in a well-tailored suit, and had oily black hair that was slicked backwards. A pencil moustache sat below his nose, and I needed no introduction to know that this was the man in charge. However, as I observed him getting to his feet and walking over to us, something far more concerning dawned on me.

I had seen this man before…

{Holy shit…} Conscio murmured slowly, {Ain’t this the wee cunny we knocked out back in Brazil? You know, when we went back to Inigo’s compound to steal ourselves a boat?}

My answer came in the form of a gulp, and I thanked my lucky stars that the balaclava obscured my face. Paying me no mind, the man focused instead on Bunnie, narrowing his eyes and giving his daughter a cold, sickly smile.

“Aprendeu a lição?”

He placed a hand against her face and she pulled away with a look of disgust. Offended, the man didn’t hesitate to slap her, forcing out a whimper that broke my heart. The man then huffed loudly.

“Suponho que não.”

Looking to one of his men, he jerked his chin upwards, resulting in the girl being hauled away. Every fibre of my being wanted to go after her, but I had to remember that this man was effectively my boss for the time being; I couldn’t leave without being dismissed. After she was withdrawn from the room and disappeared from sight, I looked back to her father as he stepped towards me.

{I could do it, you know.} I rumbled in thought, {He’s close enough. I could pull out Krocsbane and kill him right here, right now.}

{Aye, you could.} Conscio agreed, {And then those men out on the balcony would gun you down, if this other guy to your left doesn’t get to you first. One way or another, if you try something right now, you die here, and this’ll have all been for naught. So keep your hands where they are, yeah dipshit?}

Silently acknowledging that he was right, I remained still and looked at the man blankly as he observed me through narrowed eyes. Eventually he took a breath in through his nose and then spoke to me.

“Você fala português?”

I knew he was asking if I spoke his language, and so I shook my head slowly.

“Espanhol? Russo?”

Again, I shook my head.

“Inglês?”

Nodding, I confirmed that I spoke English, to which the man smirked with acknowledgement, before walking around his desk to sit back down, where he continued to peer at me cautiously. He then snapped his fingers and ordered me to take the balaclava off, and with my blood running cold, I did as he commanded. For a moment that felt like an age, he took in the details of my face through narrowed eyes, before finally moving things along.

“So, you are the one who brought back the girl, yes?”

Though his accent was thick, I understood him just fine, and nodded for a second time.

“Well done.” he muttered, “It normally takes a few days to find the bitch. Did she give you much trouble?”

I closed my eyes and shook my head, at which the man’s tone grew hostile.

“Do you not speak?”

Gulping, I took an inward breath through my nose, and forced myself to remain stoic. Desperately trying to keep my cool, I gave a verbal reply, expressing that I hadn’t slept very well lately, and that I didn’t speak much when I was tired. I had said it with a flat tone, hoping to make my accent indistinguishable, but much to my regret he clocked that I was British from the second the words had left my lips. Humming with interest, he slowly licked his bottom lip, raising an eyebrow with curiosity.

“Are my barracks not comfortable enough for you? Or perhaps that is not where you have been sleeping, hmm? I certainly do not recall employing any Englishmen into my Militia Unit, and yet here you are, wearing an outfit that very clearly doesn’t fit you.”

{Oh fuck…}

Not that he knew who I truly was, but he had seen through my disguise all the same.

“You think I wouldn’t notice?” he continued with a proud smirk, “Your shirt is bulging at the shoulders, and your trouser legs come high enough for me to see your ankles. You didn’t think about this very well, did you? So tell me, my sleepy friend in another man’s clothes… where is it you come from?”

A bead of sweat formed on the side of my head, which then rolled down my jaw and into my beard. Thinking as quickly as possible, I tried to come up with a believable reply, and for once, I didn’t need Conscio for this. By way of a simple deduction, it was clear that this guy had connections with Inigo back in Brazil; why else would he have been there with a clean-up crew, recovering the cartel’s product? I could only guess that this must have been another branch of Hoyt Volker’s worldwide criminal enterprise. Trusting in the theory, I made my bet, and answered him.

“I worked in Brazil, with a friend of yours.”

At this, he threw his hands up into the air and gave me an open-mouthed smile, shouting with excitement.

“Ah! You are one of Inigo Montenegro’s men, yes!?”

{Oh thank the gods…}

It seemed that the odds were back in my favour again, and with a weak smile, I gave another nod and continued the lie. I told him that I had joined up with his men a few months ago, during his clean-up crew’s sweep of the Bogeyman’s old compound.

“I knew I recognised you from somewhere!” he said, waggling a finger at me, “I remember your eyes! I forget names and faces all the time, but eyes? I never forget a pair of peepers. You must have worked for Inigo for some time, yes? I used to visit him often, you see. He and I were very close.”

{Well how about that…} I mused to myself, {It really is a small world…}

Lifting my chin, I confirmed that I had been in the Bogeyman’s ranks for the past two years, until finally the cartel met its end to the captive uprising. When the clean-up crew arrived, I mucked in with them and helped to slog product onto the boats, and then returned to Portugal with them. Since then, I had been lying low with the lower ranking members of the cartel, waiting for my moment to earn my new boss’s attention, and respect.

“When I heard your daughter had gone for a waltz downtown and needed someone to find her and bring her back, I nicked one of your Militia boys’ uniforms and decided to fetch her for you myself.”

At that, he emitted a loud, one-syllable laugh and clapped his hands together. Getting to his feet again, he walked around to me and put a hand on my shoulder, and proceeded to tell me that I had most certainly won his attention.

“I didn’t think any of Inigo’s boys had survived.” he went on, “You’re an endangered species, my friend! Tell me, what is your name?”

I couldn’t tell him that. Although it was very unlikely that he had learned who was responsible for the uprising, I would make absolutely no room for error. I had to think fast, or I wouldn’t sound genuine. For as stupid as it was, the first name that sprung to mind was that of my old friend Bruce, of whom I had given my dogs to at the start of this whole adventure.

“Bruce… Bruce Harding.” I replied, boldly putting out a hand.

After a tense hesitation, he took the hand and shook it firmly, before cupping it and smiling warmly at me.

“Mister Bruce, as one of Inigo’s former employees, you must know just how thrilled I am to meet your acquaintance. You already know who I am, but please allow me to reintroduce myself to you personally… I am Paulo Escuella, and I want you to know that you are most welcome here.”

So that was his name… Paulo.
Though his over-friendly demeanour was somewhat unsettling, it seemed to be quite authentic, as though Mister Escuella was genuinely happy to see a member of his dead friend’s cartel, returned from beyond the valley of death. For now, I would have to play along, at least until I could locate where Bunnie and her mother were being held, and orchestrate a way to exfiltrate them. Once that had been achieved, I would gladly add another mogul from Hoyt’s syndicate to the list of men I had killed.

Thanking him for his welcome, I asked if I could be properly acquainted with the ins and outs of his business. Elaborating, I told him that since arriving, I had been remaining idle around the compound’s outskirts, not really knowing what to do with myself. Now, I wanted to be put to work, and to show my worth beyond finding lost daughters. All too eager, Paulo ordered me to follow him, and proceeded to take me on a little tour around his compound.


Heading back through the corridor and down the stairs, we entered the manor’s main hall, where numerous men were dotted around, toying with their weaponry and chatting amongst themselves. In one corner was a group of people playing five finger fillet, using a large military knife that was completely identical to Krocsbane. The surface they were playing on was stained with old blood, indicating that many previous players had failed at the game.

Heading through to another part of the manor, I was introduced to where the slave girls were kept. It was a large room with dozens of mattresses dotted around. Stifling a shudder, I looked on as Paulo gestured to the numerous young women that dwelled there, scantily clad and all bearing bruises. Their legs were bound in chains that were linked to steel anchor points in the walls, and every one of them was malnourished.

“So long as you perform your duties, you can rent one whenever you like.” Paulo told me, before pointing to one in the far corner, “Lilly over there is my favourite.”

“Noted.” I murmured, trying to appear interested.

Continuing the tour, we went to another of the manor rooms, revealing a very impressive armoury. Most of the room was made up of shelves and racks, upon which were numerous firearms. At the back of the room however, there were scores of crates and barrels; I could only try to guess what they contained…

Leading me from the manor, we made our way to one of the outbuildings, which turned out to be the prison. Unlike the open warehouse of the Stock Heap, this cartel’s living product were kept on a multi-level concrete building, where people were divided into groups and packed into small cells, no bigger than the average walk-in closet. Akin to Inigo’s infrastructure, these prisoners would either be sold back to their families for profit, or be spirited away into the slave trade, never to be seen again. I could only guess this was where Bunnie had been taken, and it haunted me to know she might be trapped in one of these cells, just a few metres away from me.

Moving on, I was brought to a different building, which turned out to be the drug factory. Inside were dozens of workers, slaving away as they produced and packaged various narcotics, such as LSD, cocaine, ketamine, and heroin. The reek of chemicals burned my nose, and by the time we had gone through every station, I was feeling light-headed and nauseous. On the way out, Paulo offered me a small bag of some unknown substance, to which I quickly denied.

“Not a using man?” he inquired, raising an eyebrow.

“I like to keep my head clear.” I replied in earnest, “Can’t fight well with a clouded mind.”

At that, Paulo chuckled and mused on how he wished more of his men thought this way. We then took a trip to the general sleeping quarters, followed by the higher-end cartel barracks. After that, we made our way to the rear side of the manor, where we strolled through a small-yet-elegant little garden. There were numerous flowerbeds, along with a large fountain in the middle.

“So, what do you think of my little empire?” Paulo muttered, taking a moment to admire a patch of camellias, of which were yet to fully bloom.

“Well, it’s not quite as grand as the British one, but you’ve done well.”

My response had Paulo emitting a long, wheeze-like laugh. He then tutted and told me that he was grateful to speak to someone with a degree of humour about them. After observing his flowers for a moment longer, he jerked his head to the manor in a commanding gesture.

“Come, drink with me.”

I followed him back indoors and we returned to the office we had started in. He commanded one of his men to bring a chair for me, which was placed opposite his on the other side of the desk. I sat down and waited for him to do the same, where he then craned his neck at me.

“Spirit?” he inquired.

“Say again?” I asked nervously, confused.

“Drink, Bruce! What spirit do you want?” he emphasised, rolling his eyes.

“Surprise me.” I replied, raising an eyebrow.

At that, Paulo rested the tip of his tongue on his bottom lip and chuckled, before reaching under his desk and withdrawing two skull-shaped shot glasses, along with a large bottle of Kraken Spiced Rum. He poured a large shot for each of us and pushed my glass towards me, which I picked up and dipped my head in thanks. He clinked his glass against my own before downing his shot in one. I did the same thing, instantly feeling the warm burning in my mouth and throat as the ethanol slid down into my stomach. It took everything in me not to cough; the last time I had consumed hard alcohol was my mother’s stolen whiskey.

Putting the glass back down on the desk, Paulo was quick to pour me another, along with one for himself. To my relief, he only took a small sip this time, indicating that I could do the same. Having not eaten since that nice old lady’s generous food basket, I was on an empty stomach and needed to pace myself.

“Now, Mister Bruce, to business.” Paulo rumbled, lowering his chin, “You wanted my attention, and you have it. As for my respect, you earned that by serving Inigo. So tell me, what is it you want?”

“As you just said, to business.” I replied blankly, “I want to work with you.”

Narrowing his eyes, he asked me to elaborate, and so I did.

“When I worked with Inigo, I wasn’t just some drugged-up grunt working for my next dose. I enjoyed the work, and I want to enjoy working here. I don’t want to package product and raid defenceless towns, I want to do more than that. I don’t want your money, and I don’t want your drugs. What I want, is a slice of the pie.”

To put it in simpler terms, I had essentially told Paulo that I wanted a position of authority within his organisation. I wanted to be what Vladimir Kikashkov was to Inigo; a right-hand man.

“That is… a very bold request.” he began, “Though I have always admired those with ambition.”

Reaching under his desk again, Paulo retrieved a small box of Cuban cigars, along with a box of matches. Taking two of them out, he handed one to me, which I graciously declined.

“Oh no please, I insist.” he told me.

“I don’t smoke.” I said calmly.

Nodding slowly, Paulo closed his eyes, and then with his other hand he pulled out his pistol and aimed it directly at my face.

“You will smoke this gift, or I will put a hole through your head.”

I gulped in fear, but kept eye contact with him.

{Well… this took a turn.} I thought to myself.

{Aye, that it did.} Conscio replied, {Now, would you kindly smoke the damn thing, before he sends me flying out through the back of your skull? There’s a good lad.}

Reaching forward, I took the cigar, along with the matchbox. Striking one, I lit the cigar and placed it between my lips. Lightly sucking at it, my mouth was flooded with the acrid taste of hot earth. It shot down my throat and into my lungs, and as though I had inhaled water, I broke into an uncontrollable bout of coughing and spluttering. At this, Paulo burst into a roaring cackle of a laugh, before stashing his gun away and pinching the cigar from my grasp.

“My boy!” he cried, “My boy, I was just fucking with you! Did you really think I would shoot the last living member of Inigo’s cartel? And one of his favourites, no less!?”

Smacking the desk and leaning back in his chair, Paulo started smoking the cigar for himself, and told me that he had simply been testing me. If I was to have a place as his higher-up, then he needed to see if I would still obey him without question. Although I had failed in this regard, he was far too amused by my coughing fit to care, and told me that he would consider my proposition all the same.

“I can see why Inigo was fond of you.” he said with a smirk, waggling a finger at me, “You permeate an air of fun, you know? Everyone here is so… dull. It’s all about money, sex, narcotics. But you? I see a glint in your eye. It is as you say, you are not some mindless, heartless drone, drifting between pussy and inebriation. No, there is more to you, isn’t there?”

“I’d like to think so.” I replied, bearing just a hint of conceit.

With his lungs full of smoke, Paulo sent two billowing plumes from his nose as he huffed, momentarily likening his visage to that of a dragon. He then sat in silence for a time, sipping away at his rum and gesturing for me to do the same.

“So, my daughter.” he eventually spoke, flexing an eyebrow, “Pretty thing isn’t she?”

“Very.” I agreed plainly.

“Do you want to fuck her?”

Almost choking on my rum, my eyes widened with shock. Wholly unsure of how to respond, my answer came in the form of a bewildered stutter.

“Uh, I, erm… beg your pardon?”

“Oh don’t be so coy, Bruce!” Paulo laughed, amused by such an abashed response, “It is no secret that she is the forbidden fruit in my holy garden. There isn’t a man alive who doesn’t want a piece of her. I would have her myself if she wasn’t my own child!”

I pretended to laugh, though the remark sickened me. The thought of Bunnie being thrown from man to man was nearly too much for me to bear. Lightly clenching my jaw, I remained in character and said that I could hardly blame him, for she was indeed, very beautiful.

“And no man said otherwise.” he tutted, taking another toke from his cigar.

“It would seem she doesn’t hold you in such equally fond esteem.” I pointed out, “Why is that?”

With a disgruntled shrug, Paulo blew a cloud of smoke to his left, before lamenting his fatherly woes.

“The girl is a menace. Her whore mother has turned her against me. When I had her brought to me, I opened my heart and my home to her, for I wished for her to live with me, and be a part of my life. But alas, she has chosen to resent me. I tried to give her a place in my business, but no matter what I have her do, she causes trouble. I had her working in the kitchens, and what does she do? She poisons the food. I had her packaging product, and she destroyed it, costing me tens of thousands!”

Slamming the desk with his hand, he continued to rant about Bunnie’s traitorous actions, from attempting to free the slave girls, to puncturing the tyres on the cartel vehicles. It seemed that she was no helpless babe after all, and was determined to rage against the confines of her captivity. As for her punishment, this was where the shanty town came into play. As payment for her rebellious deeds, Bunnie was dumped on the roadside, followed by members of Paulo’s Militia Unit, his higher-ranking soldiers, to hunt her down. It was all a ploy to give her false hope, to believe that she might get away, only to be brought back to where she belonged.

“As I’m sure you have heard, anyone who catches her during these little games are to be granted a turn with her when she turns eighteen.” he went on, “I have made this very clear to her. If she isn’t to join me, she is to become my product. Next year she will be put in chains to join the other slave girls, where you may do as you please with her for one night, and one night only. From then on, you will have to pay for her, as will the rest of my men.”

“Understood.” I grunted, forcing myself to seem enticed.

Squinting his eyes, Paulo clearly sensed my displeasure, and with an open-mouthed smirk, he leaned forward and guessed as to why.

“You want her for yourself?”

Hesitating, I met his gaze for a few seconds, before going full-throttle on the confidence.

“Well, from one fine gentleman to another… have you seen her?”

Gesturing outwardly as I said it, my response had Paulo leaning back in his chair and roaring with laughter. Emitting an amused huff of my own, I chose to press on.

“A bird like that, traitor or not, is too fine a prize to be passed around like some back-alley whore. Besides, I’m not one for sharing. If you would take me into your service, I would ask that such a pretty thing was kept off the public menu. I like my girls fresh.”

Saying that last part had me feeling nauseated, but I needed to seem like I wanted Bunnie as property, or he might suspect that I had taken a more emotional liking to the girl. If that happened, then my ruse would find itself on unstable ground. With his laughter coming to an end, Paulo was about to speak, when I bravely interjected with one final statement.

“If you and I are to work together long term, and Bunnie was to be mine, then perhaps I could… condition her, into reconsidering where her loyalties lie.”

Now that caught his attention. From the very moment Paulo had told me his name, I had been analysing him for a weakness, and at last, I had found one. Twisted and cruel as he was, the man still wanted a relationship with his daughter, and I had just presented myself as a doorway to one. The prospect of a new right-hand man that could sway his flesh-and-blood into loving him was too tempting to pass up on.

In the space of a few heartbeats, the room’s tone shifted. No longer was I just the novelty survivor from Inigo’s cartel; now, I was the potential key to something he wanted. Finishing his drink and slamming the glass back down, Paulo jumped to his feet and circled around the desk. Instinctively I got up as well, and upon reaching me the man firmly placed both hands on my shoulders and squeezed them tightly.

“You are… very good at talking business.” he growled, followed by his face breaking into a wide grin, “I will cut you a deal. I have a number of jobs that need doing, jobs that need to be handled… delicately. I would like you to prove your worth by doing these things for me. Permitting you succeed, I am a man of my word. Bunnie will be yours, for as long as you remain at my side.”

This was it. This was my chance. If I played along for just a while, and proved to Paulo that he could trust me, then I could ensure Bunnie’s safety whilst working on the inside. From there, I could locate Bunnie’s mother and plan their escape. All I needed to do now, was accept whatever these delicate-natured jobs were, and see them through.


“Consider them done.” I told him, “When do I start?”





> Chapter Six: The Frozen Forest
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Greatly amused by my response, Paulo threw his head back and let out another wheeze-like laugh.

“My, you are keen, aren’t you?” he said, “But patience, boy, we shall talk of these jobs tomorrow. You tell me you have not slept well, yes? That changes tonight. Come, I will show you to your room. You are a guest in my home and will be treated as such.”

Before I could even begin to thank him, he started to march off with haste, beckoning me to follow. He led me through a side door that led to a series of more homely rooms, such as a lounge, a library, and a massive open-plan kitchen, of which had half a dozen members of household staff working away. I could only presume that this section of the manor was the living quarters for Paulo himself, along with the more trusted men within his ranks. Eventually we came to a spacious bedroom, wherein lay a double bed, oak wood dressers, and a sizeable wardrobe. There was also an en suite bathroom, complete with marble sink, bathtub, and brass taps that shone so brightly they could be mistaken for gold.

“Permitting you are as resourceful as you claim to be, you may call this your home.” said Paulo, “Please, make yourself comfortable here. Are you hungry?”

“Starving.” I replied, my eyes wide at the notion of food.

“Then I will see to it that you are fed. You may dine with me and my wife tonight, and we shall talk of your travels. I am very eager to learn what really happened in Brazil, for all I have heard are whispers.”

“It’s not a pleasant story, I’m afraid.” I admitted, “But, if you want to hear it…”

“Unpleasant stories make for memorable tales.” he uttered in reply, “I will send for you when dinner is ready. As for now, I insist that you make yourself at home. There are spare clothes in the dressers and wardrobe, some of which I can imagine will fit you better than a stolen Militia outfit. Might I also suggest you take a bath? I can imagine it has been some time, no?”

“Hardly by choice.” I scoffed, smirking.

Laughing, he told me that I currently looked and smelled like his lowest-ranking men, of which were aptly named Street Dogs. From here on out, I was to dress well and bathe regularly, for Paulo had no need for an ill-scented dog at his side. In full agreement, I confirmed that I would have a bath, to which he dipped his head and left the room, finally giving me a moment to breathe.

{Holy shit…} I thought to myself, {I’m actually pulling this off.}

{I must say, I’m impressed.} Conscio murmured, {He’s clearly an observant chap, given that he saw through your disguise, so the fact he’s bought your act is nothing short of a miracle.}

“I’m not questioning it.” I said under my breath.

Stripping down naked and dumping my clothes in one corner, I went into the en suite, bringing the Sparklight with me just in case. Closing the en suite bathroom door, I approached the bath and turned on the tap, allowing hot steamy water to come rushing out. While the tub slowly filled up, I took the opportunity to use the toilet, sitting down and checking the Sparklight while I did my business. Upon switching the device back on, I realised that there was an unread notification, which greeted me in the form of a text message.



Are you dead yet?



With my newfound task in helping Bunnie, I was more amused than annoyed. Rolling my eyes and scoffing, I typed out a response, giving her the undeserved courtesy of an explanation regarding my current circumstance.



No, but you might be in luck.
Guess who’s found himself entangled in another cartel?
One with connections to Inigo, no less…



Within moments of receiving the text via magic, she fired another one back at me.



Wait, what!? A CARTEL!?
Have you been captured? Do they recognise you?
Is it safe to speak verbally? Can I call you?
What in Tartarus is going on!?



Despite still being royally pissed off with her, I had to admit, her sudden concern for my wellbeing was strangely comforting, not to mention amusing. I was tempted to give her a call, but between the fact that I was sitting on the toilet, and that I was conscious of Paulo or his men somehow overhearing me, I chose to play it safe.



Can’t call, it’s too risky.
I’ve managed to infiltrate them by pretending I used to work for Inigo.
Not sure how long I’ll have to keep up the ruse, but chances are I’ll be here for a while.
If I die, it’s your fault and therefore fuck you.



Smirking as I hit send, I was expecting a crude remark in response; perhaps some sneer about how she could live with that. However, the reply that came had me feeling rather disappointed in myself, wishing that I’d kept things civil.

The reply being nothing at all…

Huffing, I switched the phone back off and finished up on the loo, before clambering into the tub. Easing myself down into the hot water, I emitted a lengthy, elated sigh. The combined warmth and notion of cleanliness washed over me, as it were, and I found myself forgetting about the interaction with Twilight altogether. Giving myself a moment to relax, I lay there with my eyes closed for a while, before finally beginning to scrub myself. I started with my upper arms, and was shocked to see just how many layers of dead skin broke away. The last time I had been clean was after the mutant queen’s attack in Pripyat, when Fluttershy had washed me with a wet rag while I slowly succumbed to the sedative she had given me. That had been over a month ago, and even then, it hadn’t exactly been the most thorough cleansing.

By the time I had finished scrubbing, the bath water was a murky dark brown. Needless to say, I felt absolutely disgusting, to the point where I ended up emptying the tub and beginning anew with fresh water. While the tub refilled, I reached for the shampoo and squirted an egg-sized glob into my hand, which I then rubbed into my hair, using my fingernails to ensure that it went down into the roots.

“I need a haircut…” I murmured as I combed my fingers along my head.

Once upon a time, my dark brown hair was short as anything. It was buzzed at the back and sides, with a little spiked cone at the front. Now, my hair was a bedraggled wavy mess, flowing to the back of my neck like a greasy little lion’s mane. My facial hair had grown out too, for that matter. Though I had shaved before the trip to Pripyat, my lower face was now plastered with uneven patches of thick scraggly hair.

One thing I had noticed since beginning this journey with the ponies, was how much more pronounced my beard and chest hair had become. Back when I started this adventure, I was lucky enough to grow just a neck beard, with a mere smattering of more refined cover for my upper jaw. Not that I knew the exacts in biology, but I could only presume that all the adrenaline and violence had increased my body’s testosterone output.

{Plus, you’ve spent a lot of time surrounded by females lately.} Conscio pointed out.

“Oh come off it.” I muttered, “You know I’m not into the girls like that.”

{Not consciously,} he replied, {but pheromones dinnae give a shite about what you’re into. I’m just saying, spending every night pressed up against a supple young mare is undoubtedly bound to have an effect on your hormones.}

“Please… never use those words again.” I groaned, rolling my eyes.

Chuckling, Conscio went silent as I finished lathering up my hair. I then reached for the bottle of body wash, squirting it into my hand and spreading it across my torso, which quickly permeated the air with my all-time most favourite scent in the world; lavender.

“Oh…” I murmured dizzily as I breathed in the fragrance, closing my eyes once again.

Though I was loath to admit it, I adored Paulo right now. Having spent days on end walking in the freezing cold, this was exactly what I needed, and with dinner to follow, there was no denying that I was temporarily enamoured with the monster I had sworn to kill.

I again, took a moment to savour the experience, before submerging my head and getting all the shampoo out, and finally pulling out the plug. Slowly clambering out, I dried myself with a towel and let out a heavy breath, wholly relieved to be so much cleaner. I then rummaged through the dresser until I found some clothes that suited me.


I had just forced myself back into the dead man’s boots, when there was a knock at the door. Heading over, I opened it to find a dark-skinned man in the Militia Unit uniform, staring blankly at me.

“Paulo sends for you.” he grunted.

“Lead the way.” I replied, stepping out the door.

Shutting it behind me, I followed the man back the way I had come. After a few twists and turns, I found myself standing in a snug little dining room. Sat at a rounded table large enough for ten, were two people, one of whom being Paulo Escuella. Upon seeing me enter, he broke into a mighty grin.

“There he is!” he exclaimed, “Our guest of honour!”

Smiling nervously, I made my way to a seat and placed myself near to my new boss. Chuckling, he pointed out that I was now a shade lighter since cleaning myself, and then complimented my choice in clothing.

“You just need to do something about that mess on your face.” he laughed, before gesturing to the individual sat beside him, “Perhaps my dear Dijla here, could give you a shave in the morning? She works wonders with a razor.”

Setting eyes on the frightened woman, it very quickly dawned on me who this person was. From the haunted, hopeless expression on her face, to the bruises around her neck and wrists, to the glassy eyes that held a strange familiarity to them, as though I knew them. And in some sense, I did know them, because they were Bunnie’s eyes.

This was Bunnie’s mother.

Sensing yet another opportunity, I told Paulo that I would gladly accept such a generous offer. To this he scoffed, and said that Dijla wasn’t someone I needed to be thankful to. Confirming the obvious, the man sneered at his slave-wife and proclaimed her to be the one who spawned his brat into the world. And then, with all the malignity and spite in the world, he leaned up against her and gestured towards me with an outstretched arm, breathing into Dijla’s ear.

“Do you know who this is?” he hissed, “This is the man who’s going to be fucking our daughter.”

She visibly stifled a shudder, and I watched with dread as the woman’s eyes burned into mine, now flickering with untold hatred. I didn’t need to read minds to know she now wished to kill me, and until I could prove to her that I was no such monster, I didn’t blame her in the slightest. Saying nothing, I waited patiently for Paulo to move on, and now thoroughly pleased to have unsettled his wife in such a vile manner, he was all too keen to get eating. At a mere glance from Paulo, a man guarding the exit left the room, followed by a group of kitchen staff re-emerging with platters of food. Smelling it immediately, my mouth began to salivate, and I stared in shock and awe as my vision was enveloped in a sea of turkey, pork, potatoes, cheese, gravy, and various steamed vegetables.

“Hungry?” asked Paulo, seeing the look on my face.

Snapping back to reality, I blinked rapidly and gave my head a little shake. I then looked at Paulo and cleared my throat awkwardly, professing that I hadn’t eaten much in a very long time. At that, he ordered me to help myself. I didn’t need telling twice, and soon enough, my plate was full, and with a final nod of approval from Paulo, I started chowing down. The flavours dancing upon my tongue had me forgetting myself for a time, and just when I thought things couldn’t get better, two bottles of red wine were brought to the table.

“I hope it is not just rum you enjoy.” said Paulo, “It is customary to drink wine with a meal like this.”

“No complaints here.” I confirmed, taking one of the bottles and pouring myself a glass.

As I had once told Applejack, if it had alcohol in it, I would drink it. That said, I wasn’t all that familiar with wine, and my first sip had me wide-eyed and blinking at the pungent fruity flavour. However, I quickly found myself a fan of it, and by the time dinner came to an end, I had very nearly consumed a full bottle of the stuff. Thankfully the food in my belly helped to soak it up, and I remained perfectly sober. After the kitchen staff cleared the table for us, Paulo smiled warmly at me.

“Was that all to your liking?” he inquired, “You certainly ate your fill.”

“Mate, that was heavenly.” I groaned, almost burping, “Thank you.”

“Of course!” he exclaimed merrily, “It’s the least I can do for one of Inigo’s boys. I truly admired that man, he was as wild as he was intelligent. A true human being!”

I tilted my head and asked what he meant by that, to which he leaned back in his chair and elaborated.

“We humans, we were born to be killers. From the inception of our species, we climbed the ladder to godhood and fought our way to the very top of the animal kingdom. Over tens of thousands of years, we earned the right to rule, to fight, to fuck! It is our birthright to do as we see fit, when we see fit, and to crush those beneath us! There was once a golden age when man lived up to this principle. But now? Now we are soft. We have allowed governments, regimes, and politicians to usurp us from our rightful place as gods. For centuries, they have been domesticating us, breeding us like dogs, choosing which traits to keep, and which to stamp out. Society has done to us as we did to wolves, they have driven out our very nature.”

Pausing to take a swig from his wine, Paulo knocked the glass back and downed a hefty mouthful, before continuing his discourse, his lips now forming into a smirk.

“But men like Inigo? Men like you, and me? We have retained our inner nature! In a world where men are prey, we remain predators. Do you not feel it? The drive to climb that ladder, as our ancestors did, and claim what is rightfully yours?”

Immoral and psychotic as the man was, the raw notion of his words resonated within me, and I couldn’t help but find myself partly aligned with them. For ever since I had killed another man, I had felt something inside me coming to life; an awakening of sorts. Like an ember birthing a flame, an instinctual driving force had manifested within me, a constant readiness to act. I was never calm any more, for my mind was now eternally plagued with thoughts concerning the twists, turns, and dangers that lay ahead, and how to plan for them. Where I once felt completely out of my depth, stumbling through the jungles of Brazil, pretending to the girls that I knew what I was doing, I now saw the path. Though cautious of who I was becoming, I was prepared to step forward all the same, and face whatever trials awaited me.

In a sense, I had become the ‘true human’ Paulo spoke of, for I was now driven by a code of my own making. I hadn’t chosen to help Bunnie because it was expected of me, I had chosen to help her because I wanted to, because I held a personal conviction that it was the right thing for me to do. The choice had been mine, and mine alone, and I would have been well within my right to simply wish her well and press on in search of the ponies, had that been what I wanted. I wasn’t sure if that made me a bad person, but that didn’t need figuring out right now. What mattered was that I now had a willingness to do whatever needed to be done to achieve my goals. I may have been afraid, but never again would that fear control me.

“Of course I feel it.” I replied, lifting my chin, “Why do you think I’m here?”

“Now that was the sound of someone with purpose.” Paulo hissed, grinning wildly, “I look forward to seeing this purpose manifest in greater ways than words.”

Getting to his feet, he said that it was time for me to turn in for the night, for he wished to see me bright-eyed and bushy-tailed tomorrow.

“I thought you wanted to know what happened in Brazil?” I pointed out.

“Bah! Another time!” he grunted, “I would sooner hear it with drinks in our hands, but rum and wine is not to be mixed. Besides, as you have told me, you are tired, so be gone with you. Do you recall the way to your room?”

Nodding to confirm, he gestured for me to leave. I did just so, looking back only once to see the man slowly reaching towards Dijla, gripping her by the throat. That was why he wanted me to leave; he was in a good mood, and wished to ‘share’ his delight with the poor woman. Clenching my jaw, I hastily returned to my room, feeling utterly disgusted with myself for accepting bed and board from such a repugnant individual.

Finding my way back with ease, I shut the bedroom door behind me and locked it. I then let out a heavy, emotional breath; this was all so confusing… Here I was, in the heart of a criminal organisation, surrounded by killers, slavers, and rapists, and yet, I had just experienced one of the nicest evenings of my life. From a hot bath, to drinks, to hearty food, to genuinely riveting conversation, I had enjoyed tonight, despite the glaring fact that my host was one of the foulest individuals to grace this world.

{Are we the baddies?} Conscio teased, hoping to lighten the mood.

“I fucking hope not.” I muttered, furrowing my brow.

After stripping down to my undies, I switched off the light and clambered into bed. With food and drink in my belly, not even my whirring thoughts could quell the call of slumber, and soon enough, I was asleep.





Something touched my neck, and with a jolt, my eyes flared open. Looking all around, I found nothing to suggest that anyone was in the room with me, but something felt off. I couldn’t quite place it, but my entire body felt strange, but I was in too much of a daze to understand why.

Unable to go back to sleep, I hopped out of bed and made my way to the door, and upon pushing it open, I was met by a gust of frigid air that sent a shiver down my spine. Worse than the cold, was the realisation that the other side of the door no longer led to the rest of Paulo’s manor.

It led outside.

Steeling myself, I made my way through the open doorway, stepping into a place that was all too familiar to me. It was the same snowy woodland from before, where that shadowy entity had led me to the bear’s cave, wherein I had found Twilight’s severed head. Gulping, I tried to push away the memory, and pressed on into the forest, hoping that I might come to understand how, or why I was here.

I was no fool to think this was a mere dream, for the biting cold alone would have woken me if it was. Even in my dazed state, the details were too perfect. Approaching one of the trees to inspect these details further, I found myself somewhat concerned by the state of it. Akin to some sort of cancerous infection, the tree twisted and bulged unnaturally, and the bark was blackened and crumbling, as though it had been scorched by a flame. Looking around, I noticed that many of the surrounding trees had the same affliction, and the deeper I went into the forest, the more of them carried it.

After a good while, I found myself in a clearing. Looking up, the trees were now so tall they touched the sky, and I was beginning to lose hope that I would find anything conclusive. That was until I heard the snapping of twigs, and whipped around to find the silhouette of a man, stumbling towards me. He emerged from the clearing, and my eyes widened with shock. What manner of trickery was this? What elaborate game was at play? For the man that stood before me was no stranger, he was someone I knew all too well.

He was me…

Dressed in my old garb before leaving for Portugal, he was a flawless copy of myself, and he appeared to be fully lucid, for he jumped upon spotting me. Gulping, I remained guarded and locked eyes with the doppelgänger. That was when I noticed one thing that set us apart; my eyes were naturally green in the waking world, while this Callum possessed irises of a deep purple.

“Who are you?” I demanded to know.

As the words left my lips, I let out a gasp and clamped my mouth shut. 
I had a girl’s voice…

“I could ask you the same question.” the imposter replied.

The moment he had spoken, he too, let out a gasp, covering his mouth with his hands. He then began to feel all over his own face, as though he hadn’t expected to be me. With trembling lips, he held out his arms and stared at his own hands, and his fingers began to twitch violently. Descending into a panic, this other Callum looked down at his form and tried to turn around, only to lose his balance and fall onto his side.

“No, this can’t be right! This isn’t right! This isn’t happening!” he whimpered.

Needless to say, I was confused beyond words. That was until I looked down at myself as well, where I was greeted by a pair of lilac-coloured limbs, with nary a hand nor foot to be seen. The daze finally faded, and it dawned on me that I had been walking on four legs this whole time, and upon raising one of them to inspect, I was greeted by a hoof. Crossing my eyes and looking down, I found my mouth and nose to be further from my face than I was used to, indicating I now had a muzzle.

“What… the… fuck…” I whispered.

Twisting my body and neck, I looked around at the rest of me, where I was met by a sleek little body, coated in velvety fur. I then felt a twitch at the very base of my spine, which resulted in a mass of navy blue hair swishing to one side; I had a tail. I had a mane too for that matter, cascading down from the top of my head to the lower half of my elongated neck. Just as the other Callum was panicking over his form, I too, felt my stomach tighten itself as anxiety flooded my system.

I was… I was Twilight.
And that meant… Twilight was me!

Looking at each other, we both realised who we were, and in perfect unison, we screamed.

“What the hell have you done to us, Twilight!?” I shrieked.

“Me!?” she shouted back at me, “I didn’t fucking do this! Get out of my body!”

“You get out of mine!” I spat back at her.

I tried to stand up on two legs as I was used to, only to find myself completely unbalanced, causing me to stagger to one side and knock into a nearby tree. Tumbling to the snow-kissed ground, a dainty puff of air was forced out of me, reminding me that I was well and truly within a female form.

“Hey, don’t hurt my body!” Twilight yelled at me, scowling.

At that, I reared up for a second time and proceeded to launch myself upwards. I then turned sideways and imitated a whale, flopping into the hardened dirt as hard as I could. Another feminine grunt was drawn from me, and this time, one rife with pain. At this, Twilight scrambled over and tried to hold me down.

“I said don’t hurt my body!” she bellowed, my deeper male voice melding with her accent.

“Oh I’ll self-harm the shit out of your body!” I growled, attempting to wriggle free.

Try as I might, I was simply too weak. Being in my body, Twilight had my strength, and was more than capable of keeping me restrained. This wasn’t to say that I threw in the towel, for I continued to squirm beneath her.

“Sst! Ugh! Stop! Just! Freaking… STOP!” she barked, pinning me down even harder, “What is wrong with you!?”

“What’s wrong with me?” I scoffed, “You sent me to the other side of the country, you piss-brained fuckwit!”

Fighting even harder to break free, I felt a sudden warmth around my forehead, followed by a body part I wasn’t at all familiar with, coming to life. With her mouth falling agape, all Twilight could do was let out a terrified gulp as she was enveloped in a magenta glow, and was then hurled away from me. She skidded to a halt just a few metres away, and stared at me in shock.

“That’s… That’s impossible!” she shouted, “How could you possibly figure out how to use magic that fast?”

“Well, I just thought about how badly I wanted to throw you into the fucking stratosphere.” I hissed, “Not that you went that far, but let’s keep trying!”

{Hey, that was my idea!} Conscio piped up, not that Twilight could hear him.

Focusing as hard as possible, I was able to repeat the action, seizing her in my telekinetic grasp and lifting her into the air. Gritting her teeth, she made the ultimate mistake of taunting me.

“Go on then, hurt me! All you’ll do is damage your own body!”

“Pfft, okay.”

Slamming her down into the ground, I snickered to myself as Twilight emitted a hefty groan, now winded and in pain. I knew my body’s limits, especially after Ukraine, so I knew it could handle being tossed around a little. Deciding to return old favours, I showed her just how it felt to be unfairly knocked around. Every time she tried to get up, I pushed her back down, and when she finally gave up and lay there panting, I forced her back onto her feet, only to shove her over again.

At first it had just been for a laugh, to dish out a totally well-earned punishment for all the shit she had put me through, but upon Twilight breaking into tears and begging me to stop, I knew I had taken it too far. It was strange beyond words to see myself cry from another’s perspective. This whole bloody thing was a headfuck for that matter; I was in Twilight’s body for crying out loud!

Feeling a pang of guilt, I finally relented, and ordered the now-human unicorn to tell me why we were in each other’s bodies, and through her shaky, whimpering tone, she promised me that she didn’t know. To my annoyance, she was telling the truth, and it became clear that we were both in the dark.

There was however, something she did know.

“We need to hide.” she told me, getting to her feet.

Frowning, I asked what she meant, to which she explained that there was something out here with us, lurking in these woods.

“You mean the black smoke thingy?” I quizzed.

Jolting hard enough to let out a small grunt, Twilight whipped around to face me, glaring at me with bulging eyes.

“How do you know about him?”

“Him?” I echoed, “That thing is a him?”

“How do you know about him!?” she repeated through bared teeth.

Seeing just how shaken she was, I was quick to tell her what I had experienced back in Belarus, from the shadowy entity appearing in the snow-laden camp, to fleeing in terror upon finding Twilight’s severed head in the cave. Upon hearing this, Twilight shuddered, and then made a most haunting revelation to me. Supposedly, she remembered that night, and from her perspective, she had been chased into that cave, where she had been cornered, and then promptly beheaded.

“I woke up after that.” she told me, “As I always do, when he…”

Unable to finish the sentence, Twilight looked away. Turning to face her properly, it dawned on me that she had been to this place before, and often, and by the sounds of it, things had never ended well for her.

“How many times have you been here, Twilight?”

Scrunching her face and shaking her head, she couldn’t bring herself to tell me, but I could assume it had been frequently. I then came to realise that these must have been the nightmares she had been having lately. Whatever this strange place was, it was clearly somewhere that haunted Twilight, and if it involved being chased and murdered by some smoky black monster, then it was perfectly understandable as to why.

One of my ears then twitched on its own accord, evidently alerted to something that I hadn’t consciously detected, and before I knew what was happening, my horn started to glow again. Twilight asked what I was doing, to which I professed that I wasn’t sure, only that my body, or rather, her body, knew that something was wrong. Hearing this, Twilight collapsed to her knees, and with tears returning to her eyes, she whispered two words that sent a chill down my spine.

“He’s here…”

Clenching my jaw, I looked all around, desperately trying to spot wherever ‘he’ was before it was too late. Feeling a faint gust of wind, I turned around to look at Twilight, and the sight before me was enough to have me stumble back with a nauseated gasp. Bile rose up to the top of my throat, and I was forced to stifle a gag as I watched my own headless body slump forwards onto the ground. Still possessing a fading heartbeat, blood spurted from the open neck and drenched the snow. It was the first dream all over again, only worse, especially now that I knew it was a shared experience. Twilight had just been killed, and as my own head rolled towards me, I caught a final glimpse of the unicorn’s light as her eyes looked up at me with unbridled terror. The purple irises then faded away, leaving behind a desaturated forest green.

“Going to kill me too?” I asked boldly, knowing the monster was close by, “Or are you going to drag this out?”

Sensing movement, I instinctively dropped to the ground just as a blade swung past and sliced the air, missing me by mere millimetres. My horn then surged with magic, and trusting in Twilight’s body, I allowed it to flow, which resulted in me teleporting a few metres forward just as a second killing blow was made for me. Whipping around, I tried to catch a glimpse of the attacker, only to see a smoky trail from where he had just been. This thing was fast, and if I didn’t remain perfectly in-tune with my surroundings, I would be one very dead pony.

“Who are you?” I asked aloud, my eyes darting from left to right.

I had expected no reply, and honestly, I almost wish I hadn’t received one, for the demonic voice that replied was so unsettling that it very nearly shattered my former resolve about not letting fear control me.

“Are you truly so witless? Does the obvious elude you, human? I think not. You know precisely who I am.”

It was the same voice from before, back when Rainbow Dash had tried to wake me up, and what’s more, the voice was right, I knew exactly who it belonged to. All the evidence was there, ever since Twilight had told me about him in Pripyat, during our little walk to the park, shortly before encountering the mutant queen. She had been too afraid to even speak his name, and the fear I had seen in her eyes then, it was the same fear I had seen tonight, right before her head was parted from her neck.

The owner of the voice was he who had shattered the Titans’ Orb, and sent its fragments to Earth. He was the monster from beyond the stars, who had slaughtered tens of thousands of minotaurs, griffons, and ponies alike, sparking a new dark age and the forty-three-year Repugnant War that accompanied it.

This creature was the twice-born son of Appelox, the traitorous Titan of Mass.
This… was Nah’Lek the Defiler.

Continuing to look all around, I searched desperately for him, praying that I could pinpoint his location. I needed to use Twilight’s body to my advantage, and so I stopped relying so hard on my eyes, and poured all my focus into my sensitive equine ears, perking them upright. They swivelled and twitched, drinking in the silence, until at last, there it was.

The scratching.

It was the faintest sound I had ever heard in all my life, the subtlest little ‘scratch, scratch’ in the world, a noise no different to that of a spider, slowly making its way up a wall. Finally pinpointing where it was coming from, I twisted my head and narrowed my eyes, peering into the shadows of the unmoving forest. I couldn’t see it, but I knew it was there, and as I searched the inky gloom for a few seconds longer, I finally spotted them…

Six unblinking amethyst eyes, glowing in the darkness… staring at me.





“Hello, Nah’Lek.” I spoke.

In response, the eyes drifted behind a nearby tree, and then his voice came echoing from elsewhere.

“You’ve done well to keep your head.” he taunted, “Twilight rarely survives this long.”

“Well, she’s not exactly combat oriented, is she?” I muttered back.

“Indeed…”

I then heard a noise behind me and whipped around to face it, only to be met with nothing at all. Gulping, I started to spin in circles in a bid to relocate him. My ears twisted and flexed, but try as I might, I couldn’t find him. That was when I felt another chill run up my spine, followed by the monster’s voice, closer to me than ever before.

“And neither are you.”

Looking up, I caught a brief look at the creature’s true form, before it slammed into me like a speeding car. I was forced into the ground and I felt one of my front legs snap a little way below the knee. I emitted a gut-wrenching shriek and tried to get away, only for a large set of claws to clamp around my throat and hoist me upwards, squeezing tighter and tighter until I couldn’t breathe. Still in agony, I tried to scream, only for a retching croak to escape my lips. With the blood supply to my head restricted, I very quickly began to black out, which was when my horn began to glow again.

{Must I do everything by myself!?} Conscio shouted.

There was a bright flash, and the pressure around my neck suddenly dissipated, as I was teleported somewhere far away from here…


Reappearing in an open meadow, I collapsed onto my side and began taking tremendous gasps for air, clutching at my sternum with my good front leg. With blood rushing back to my head, the dizziness kicked in, and with stars and blotches in my eyes, I had to fight not to be sick. Eventually I was able to regain control, and with great care of my broken leg, I propped myself up to a sitting position.

“Thanks Connie…” I wheezed.

{You’re welcome, but what did I say about 'Connie' being too girly?}

“Is now… really the time… to complain about… your name!?” I panted between breaths.

{Yes.} he replied blankly.

Muttering under my breath, I looked down at my now-useless foreleg, where I found the sharp point of the snapped cannon bone sticking out of me. Seeing the damage seemed to worsen the pain, and with a deep inward breath through my gritted teeth, it took every ounce of willpower to contain the agonised scream that dwelled within my lungs.

{You know, that injury may require some medical attention.} Conscio pointed out with a snicker.

“You think!?” I growled.

Forcing myself up, I stood on three legs and gave my head a shake; I needed to focus. This place, this arctic wilderness, it wasn’t just some magic-induced nightmare, there had to be more. There were answers in these woods, and I wasn’t going to let that monstrosity get in my way when it came to finding them.

Using the evidence available to me, I decided to investigate the sickened trees, hoping that their malignant affliction might present as a clue. Looking around the meadow, I spotted a section where the trees were darkest, and with a great amount of difficulty, I limped over to them.

“I’m not even used to walking on four legs yet.” I huffed, “Now I’m stuck on three.”

{Well, just take things slow.} Conscio said encouragingly, {You’re doing fine.}

Along the way, I pointed out that if Twilight was a regular visitor to this forest, and thus repeatedly pursued and murdered by Nah’Lek, then perhaps it might serve as an explanation as to why she had been so horrible to me all this time.

“Think about it.” I posed, “If she’s getting terrorised like this on a near-nightly basis, then not only is she absolutely exhausted, but the poor thing must be fucking terrified!”

{Aye, you might be on the right track.} the bodiless Scotsman agreed, {If this is happening to her regularly, then her brain must be shot to pieces!}

Suddenly stopping in my tracks, I remembered something that Twilight had said to me once. Back in Brazil, after I had killed Inigo and escaped from his compound, there was a moment when the unicorn had asked me what it felt like to kill him. Casting my mind back, I remembered just how specifically she had worded it…

‘What was it like for you? Killing the monster that tortured you? Getting such… superlative revenge?’

“Oh shit…” I breathed, “I think this has been going on for quite some time.”

{Since Brazil?} Conscio proposed.

Shaking my head, I gave an answer that I could only hope was wrong.

“I think this has been happening since she came to Earth.”

Pressing on towards the blackened trees, I stared at the frozen grass with wide eyes, feeling harrowed to the bone. If my theory was correct, then in simpler terms, Twilight was being tortured right under our noses, and it would explain the true reason why she was always so bitter and on-edge. What’s more, was that if I could figure out how Nah’Lek was doing this, then perhaps I might be able to put an end to it. If I achieved that, then there was a good chance that the two of us might finally be able to put our endless rivalry to an end. More determined than ever, I picked up the pace, hobbling across the meadow until I finally reached the treeline.

“Damn, these ones are completely dead.” I murmured, looking at their malformed husks.

{No shit, this place is completely frozen over.} Connie remarked.

“They’re evergreens, smartarse.” I retorted, “They’re not supposed to die in the cold.”

Muttering that I was right, Conscio fell silent, while I approached the nearest tree. Straining my brow, I was able to summon a blob of telekinetic energy, which I pressed into the bark and broke it away. Inside, the tree’s flesh had completely rotted away, leaving behind a dry withered base. Moving to one that was still alive, I did the same thing, breaking away the bark to reveal the dying remains, and this time, I found something far more substantial. Despite being very nearly dead, the tree’s innards pulsated with a faint green energy.

“Any idea what this is?” I quizzed.

{I have a vague idea.} he replied, {No matter what you do, don’t touch it, but… get a little closer, will you?}

I did as instructed, and upon bringing my muzzle up to the infected wood, I realised that it almost had a smell to it. An acrid decaying flavour graced the back of my throat, and I picked up on the exact same sensation from the irradiated mist that had been emanating from the Chernobyl Power Plant. Closing my eyes, my head started being filled with notions of hatred, wrath, bloodlust, and the desire to feed upon any living thing with a soul.

Backing away from the stuff, I quickly agreed with Conscio’s idea of what this was. It was the same dark magic that had dwelled within the second Orb piece, enchanting the leaked radiation and effectively cursing the area. These trees, just like all those mutants and zomrads, had been twisted into malformed visages of their former selves, at the behest of whatever foul magic Nah’Lek was in possession of.

“What the fuck is he doing to this place?” I muttered.

A narrow blade then shot from the shadows like a dart, where it went through one side of my throat and out the other. It had happened so quickly that it didn’t even hurt at first, I just felt the sudden jolt in my neck, forcing a shocked huff from me. I then felt the searing pain, and upon trying to gasp, my lungs quickly started to fill with blood. Coughing out a mouthful, I dropped to my knees and held a hoof against my windpipe, and quickly began to convulse. The edges of my vision then began to blur, but before my lucidity truly faded away, Nah’Lek emerged from the darkness, his form still hidden within a cloud of smoke.

“You’ll find out, little human.” he told me, drifting ever closer, “Soon enough.”

One of his shiny black arms reached out from the obsidian haze, where he slowly rested the tips of his claws by the holes in my neck. He paused for a moment, before he drove them inside me, slowing the bleeding just enough to ensure that I experienced as much pain as possible. I opened my mouth to cry out, but just as before, all that emerged was a spluttering retch. He held me there in silence while I slowly drowned in my own blood, and as my lungs filled with more and more of the stuff, they started to feel as though they were on fire. Paired with the claws embedded in my throat, this hurt like nothing I had ever experienced before, not even during Inigo’s torture. All my senses then began to dull, and to my relief, the pain dulled with it. My vision then faded for good, and I felt my eyes rolling upwards into the back of my skull.

After that, all I could feel was a gentle coolness, along with my body becoming heavier and heavier, as though my muscles were slowly turning to stone. I couldn’t move, but I felt like I was sinking all the same, descending further and further into oblivion.

It wasn’t dark like slumber, nor was there any light either.
It was very simply…

Nothing.





I shot bolt upright in bed with a loud scream, panting heavily and drenched in sweat. I clutched my chest tightly and took in numerous heavy breaths, before sighing with relief that it was all over. My jaw trembled uncontrollably, and I felt like I was about to cry, and who wouldn’t after something like that?

My bedroom door then opened, causing me to jump out of my skin. It was too dark to see who had come in, but even if the room had been brighter, I was simply far too out-of-it to fully comprehend who they were, but I recognised their voice.

“Hey, are you okay?”

Equal parts confused and upset, I quickly professed that it was just a really bad dream.

“Oh no, another one?”

“Another one?” I said after them, “What do you mean?”

Coming to stand at the edge of the bed, they told me that this wasn’t the first time I had woken up from a nightmare like this. Now truly baffled, I shook my head in protest.

“I don’t… I don’t understand. I’ve only been here the one night. I’ve got to meet with Paulo in the morning to discuss my assignments.”

At that, they began tutting with concern.

“Oh my… I think you’re getting worse. Let me go and get the others.”

“No, wait!” I called after them, “I’m just, uh… really stressed right now. I just need to go back to sleep, okay? Please don’t go bothering anyone.”

They paused for a moment, before dipping their head in acceptance.

“Alright, if you’re sure.” they said, their voice like honey, “But if you can’t sleep, or you start feeling worse, please let me go and get the others, okay?”

“Okay, fine.” I agreed, “Just… let me get back to sleep now, okay?”

“Okay.” they sighed, “Goodnight, Twilight.”

They left the room and shut the door, while I rolled over and tried to calm down. That was when my eyes flared back open and I shot bolt upright for a second time.

“Twilight?”

Sticking my hands out in front of me, I was greeted by none other than the same pair of lilac hooves that I had just been walking around on in the frozen forest.

I was still in her body.

“Oh… shit.” I breathed.

If I had woken up in Twilight’s body, then that must have meant that she had woken up in mine. What if she blew my cover? What if she went stumbling around in search of a way outside, only to encounter Paulo’s guards and be questioned with things she couldn’t possibly know the answers to. This could ruin everything, and leave both Twilight, Bunnie, and her mother Dijla in terrible danger. I had to do something, and fast…

Recalling how Conscio had quite efficiently picked up Twilight’s magic, I asked him to help me out, only to receive no reply. Gulping, I realised that he must have been inside Twilight’s head, as in, my head! This was actually something of a relief, for if that was the case, then he might have been able to keep Twilight calm, and guide her through this. To my relief, this quickly appeared to be the case, as my horn began to faintly glow on its own accord. Despite not knowing how magic really worked yet, this body did, and by trusting in it, I came to understand that Twilight was trying to call me via the Sparklight. Closing my eyes and willing my horn to pick up, I was able to answer the call.

{H-Hel… Hello?}

Her voice had come from within my own mind, exactly how Conscio’s did. As such, I found myself in familiar territory, and was able to think my reply back to her, which I could only imagine came out verbally through the phone’s speaker on the other side.

{You’re still in my body.}

{And you’re still in mine…} she replied.

There was a moment of silence, before her shaky voice asked what we were supposed to do.

{I’m not sure.} I confessed, {But we’re in the same boat, yeah? So let’s just try to stay calm, and figure this out together.}

{Okay.} she breathed, sniffing, {Callum, I don’t like this. Something’s happening to me, I feel so weak, and broken. It’s like my body’s shutting down, but I don’t even care!}

Sighing, I figured that she must have been experiencing a wave from my depression. If it had flared up while she was in my body, then she wouldn’t have been at all prepared for it. That sudden sapping of strength and energy would have hit her like a truck.

{Just breathe, okay Twilight? No matter what, we’ll get through this, okay?}

{How can you be sure?}

{Because I promised you and your company that I would help you find the Titans’ Orb.} I told her, {Insufferable dickhead that you are, I still intend to keep that promise. So just take some deep breaths, while I figure out how to fix this, alright?}

Almost immediately, I heard the mare’s heavy breaths in my mind, indicating that she was obeying me very literally. I was about to say something else, when without warning, an intense pain shot through my head like a bullet, disrupting my magic and cutting the call short. Letting out a gasp, I put a hoof to the side of my head and gritted my teeth. It was like the worst migraine imaginable, and then doubled.

“What’s… going… on!?” I hissed, coiling up in agony.

I ended up writhing so hard that I fell out of bed, where I clattered loudly onto the floor. The pain quickly faded away after that, but something remained wrong with me. Just as Twilight had been struck by my depression, I too, felt something abnormal. As though I had a severe bout of food poisoning, I felt a sharp pain in my gut, and I clutched my belly as my very insides seemed to tear themselves asunder. There was a burning sensation in my throat, and behind my eyes came a repetitive thumping, and it wasn’t my heartbeat. And then, with dots in my vision, my mind became clouded with intense feelings of hatred; absolute, bitter, seething hatred!

I wanted to hurt people. I wanted to kill people!
I wanted to hear their anguished screams and bathe in their blood while I feasted upon their flesh!

What the FUCK was happening to me!?

The bedroom door opened again, and in rushed the same individual from before. It had been Fluttershy, and upon spotting me on the floor, she rushed over with panic in her voice.

“Twilight? Oh gosh, are you alright? Here, let me help you!”

I felt her hooves on my torso, attempting to ease me up, which sent me recoiling away from her.

“Don’t touch me!” I shouted, gritting my teeth.

The pegasus sprang away, shocked by the sudden bout of hostility. With fear in her eyes, she tried to help me for a second time, to which I smacked her hoof away with one of my own.

“I said don’t fucking touch me!”

Her mouth fell open, and her eyes welled up with tears.

“I’m… I’m… I’m s-sorry!” she whimpered, “I was just trying to help!”

“I don’t need your help.” I glowered, snarling at her, “Get… away… from me!”

Backing away, the poor thing burst into tears, frightened by the monster that now stood before her. Turning to flee, she ran to the door and left the room, shutting it behind her. I then heard her in the room next to mine, sobbing loudly to herself. The viciousness then dissipated, leaving me frozen like ice.

“What…” I muttered quietly to myself, “What did I do? Fluttershy? Oh gods above… I’m so sorry!”

I made a step for the door to go after her, desperate to apologise, only to be hit with another wave of dizziness. Staggering to one side, I felt a tightness around my neck, and upon raising a hoof to feel it, I realised that there was something there. It was hard and leathery, but before I could figure out what it really was, or make an attempt to get it off, a violent shudder shot down my spine, locking me in a state of paralysis. My neck then went into spasm, and with each uncontrollable twitch, my consciousness fell further and further away from me, until I lost all sense of who, where, or even what I was.


When I came too, the first thing I did was check for hands. Holding out my arms, I was overjoyed to find a full set of fleshy olive-skinned fingers, confirming that I was very much back in my own body.

“Huh, well that’s a relief.” I sighed.

Getting out of bed, I was of a mind to go to the bathroom sink for some water, for the recent madness was terribly thirsty work. However, on my journey to the en suite, I realised that it wasn’t there. With a nervous gulp, I realised that I wasn’t in the bedroom I had gone to sleep in, it was the bedroom Twilight had been in.

“Oh for fuck’s sake.” I groaned, “Don’t tell me…”

Heading to the bedroom door, I grabbed the handle and pulled it open, where I was met by an icy blast of wind. Following that, were twisting black trees as far as the eye could see, heavily doused in snow.


I was still in the nightmare.





> Chapter Seven: A Practical People
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





“So, it’s going to be like that, huh?” I muttered, raising an eyebrow.

If this was going to be one of those ‘endless rabbit hole’ kind of scenarios, then I would gladly meet the challenge. Preparing to take on the cold, I quickly put on the stolen Militia outfit, which thankfully, even in the dreamworld, was where I had left it, still piled up in the corner of the room. Once the tight boots were laced and the puffer jacket was zipped up, I stepped through the door and out into the night.

I walked aimlessly, hoping to find something conclusive, and as I trudged on and on, Conscio finally made his presence known again, complaining about how much colder the forest was without fur.

“Well, at least we have the puffer.” I pointed out, “Oh, and nice of you to show up again. Thought I lost you for a moment there.”

{Uhh, me show up?} he scoffed, {Mate, you’re the one who left to take a joyride in Twilight’s body, I meanwhile was left to babysit yours while Sparklefarts had a right old tissy in it.}

“Oh?”

Chuckling, Conscio explained that upon waking up in my body, Twilight went into an absolute panic, hyperventilating and shaking to the point of nearly passing out again. If it wasn’t for his suggestion to use the Sparklight to call me, she very well might have imploded. In turn, I told him of my experience, and how Fluttershy had tried to help me back into bed, only for me to turn on her.

“I like, completely lost control.” I told him, “It was like I actually became Twilight for a moment. Fluttershy was just trying to help me, and yet I… I literally smacked her hoof away, and then proceeded to swear and shout at her. Honestly Connie, it was like I had been possessed!”

{Blimey.} he grumbled in response, {What happened then?}

“I went after her to apologise, but then something happened to me. It’s still a little hazy, but I think I felt something around my neck, and then I couldn’t move, and then I blacked out.”

{Aye, same thing happened to us, lad.} he informed me, {Let’s try and figure out this madness on the double. The last thing we need is a back-and-forth game of body swap when we’ve still got ourselves a Bunnie to rescue.}

“Hear, hear.” I agreed.

Adding some spring to my step, I pressed on with purpose. Seeking out the darkest trees, my plan was to follow the trail of corruption until I found the source of the forest’s infection. Just as Pripyat’s eldritch blight had come from the nuclear power plant, I figured that there must have been an epicentre somewhere; it was just a matter of finding it. Of course, I knew Nah’Lek was also in these woods, and it would only be a matter of time before he found me, and likely killed me again. Either way, I would be digging up a bloody answer out here, even if I had to die a thousand times to do it.

It was then that I heard an ear-splitting scream in the distance, followed by a loud noise, best likened to that of a thunderclap. Gulping, I could only presume it was Twilight, back in her own body, and if that scream was anything to go by, she had just been found by Nah’Lek.

{Well, guess we’re on our own.} said Conscio.

Simply humming my response, I pressed on with clenched fists, well aware that I would be next.


I had been going for some time, when from behind me I heard the snapping of twigs.

“Well, guess I failed this time.” I sighed, turning around to meet my end.

However, the sight before me was no shadowy six-eyed demigod. It was Twilight, hurtling through the forest like a frightened animal.

“Wait!” she called out desperately, charging towards me.

Doing just that, I stood still and allowed the mare to catch up, and as she grew closer, my very bones became as cold as the snow around me. Missing one of her ears and doused in blood, the poor thing had very clearly been attacked by the Defiler, only to miraculously get away, most likely by teleporting in the same way that I had. Skidding to a halt in front of me, the mare looked at me with wild, haunted eyes that were streaming with tears, and without uttering a word, I crouched down and checked her over while she gasped for air between mewling whimpers. There were two deep punctures on her shoulder, and a long curved laceration that danced up along her neck from collarbone to chin.

“Did he follow you?” I asked calmly.

Shaking her head, the little pony winced, and I was quick to grab a fistful of snow and press it firmly against the worst part of the cut. With how cold it was, the snow practically burned my skin, and I had to fight the impulse to let it go. She didn’t resist as I helped her, allowing me to press what was now blood-infused slush into her sliced, weeping throat, thankfully slowing down the bleeding.

“You’re lucky this didn’t go any deeper.” I sighed.

“Almost wish it had.” she croaked, sniffing, “I just want to wake up.”

“Yeah well, I’d rather figure out how to stop this altogether.”

Shaking her head, she told me that this place had no escape. She had tried, many times, but to no avail, the forest was eternal, and so was the monster within it.

“I didn’t say ‘escape’ now did I?” I pointed out, “There may not be an end to this place, but its infection is coming from somewhere, and if I can find that, then maybe… pfft, I don’t know, maybe we can find some sort of advantage, or a way to beat him.”

“You noticed it too then?” she uttered quietly, “The trees?”

“Yup.”

“It’s the same as-”

“Same as Pripyat.” I cut in, finishing the sentence for her, “It’s Nah’Lek’s magic, isn’t it?”

Wincing at the mere utterance of his name, Twilight hung her head and gave a little nod. I then asked her if she knew anything about the magic itself, to which she told me that it had only ever been mentioned once to her, during her studies at Princess Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns. During her time there, she wished to learn about all forms of magic, including the forbidden ones. Not that she had been permitted to learn about them in full, but she was taught just enough to know precisely what Nah’Lek was using. Rather appropriately, it was known as demon magic. Unusable by mortals and practically a myth, it was thought only to be available to the demons of Tartarus, along with the Underworld’s great justiciar himself, Hades.

“Wait, Hades is real?”

“If the legends and theories are to be believed, yes.” Twilight answered shakily, “There’s enough evidence to confirm he exists down there, though the Princesses have never outright confirmed it.”

Humming with interest, I would have asked for more information, but between Twilight being in tremendous pain, my skin hurting at the biting cold’s behest, and knowing that Nah’Lek was looking for us, I decided to get moving. We could keep talking on the way, but I refused to remain idle. Jerking my head towards the darkest patch of woodland, I ordered the unicorn to follow me. Too frightened to do anything else, she obeyed without question.


We had been trudging along in silence for a while, and there were only two sounds to be heard; the crunching of snow beneath our steps, and the occasional gasp from Twilight in response to her injuries. Having recently felt how sensitive pony ears were, I could only imagine what losing one felt like. She was handling the whole ordeal rather well, though it broke my heart to know why. If Twilight really had been experiencing such horrors since coming to Earth, then grievous wounds such as these must have been commonplace.

Yet again, I found myself in a place of great conflict. A part of me saw the tortured mare, desperately in need of my help, and I felt compelled to open my heart to her and let go of our bitter past. However, there was an equally large part of me who saw the needlessly cruel individual who had murdered my sapient clone, and banished me to the other side of the country. And in between those two instances, there had been countless little sins that pricked at me like barbed needles. From all the scornful looks, to the slanderous accusations, to the times she didn’t even speak my name, referring to me only as ‘the human’. It wasn’t fair that she should have my forgiveness after all she had done, especially when her spite for me was still ongoing, and yet, it wasn’t fair for such awful things to be happening to her. More than that, was that nobody knew about it; Twilight was suffering in silence, without a soul to confide in, or lean on. The girl needed a friend in this horrible, horrible place, and so I decided that she would have one, even if we remained enemies in the waking world.

“I met that voice you were talking about. The one in your head.”

“Oh?” I hummed, roused from my thoughts.

“Yeah, he spoke to me when we were in each other’s bodies. He was the one who told me to call you.”

Raising my eyebrows, I let off a high-pitched murmur.

“He did mention babysitting a little while ago.” I said with a smirk.

Pursing her lips with annoyance, Twilight frowned at me, before focusing on the remarkability of Conscio’s very existence. If a part of my brain really had become independent from the rest of my consciousness, and had gained sapience in the process, then he was nothing short of a neurological marvel, even by Equestria’s standards. Needless to say, Twilight now wished to study him, and figure out exactly who, and what he even was.

{Well gee, thanks for consulting me first.} he chuckled nervously, {I’m not consenting to her freaky little science experiments. She might end up lobotomising the both of us!}

{You don’t get a choice, mate.} I thought back to him.

With Connie now grumbling with annoyance over his lack of rights, I confirmed that I would allow Twilight to study him once we were back together in the real world.

“That doesn’t mean I’m not still royally fucked off with you, you know?” I told her, “Do you have any idea how much shit I’m in right now?”

“Where even are you?” she said quickly, “You said you infiltrated a cartel?”

It was obvious that she was trying to divert the subject from her cruel act of sending me away, and although an apology would have been nice, I let the diversion slip. Sighing heavily, I explained what had happened in full, from watching Bunnie being dragged out into the street, and quickly befriending her under the stairs, to killing a handful of her pursuers and stealing the very uniform I was currently wearing, all the way to having dinner with the monster I intended to slay.

“Tomorrow, he’s giving me a couple of assignments.” I stated with a hint of unease, “Not sure what I’ll have to do yet, but if I can earn his trust, I’ll have a better chance at pulling this off.”

“All to rescue a pretty girl, huh?”

“Oh fuck off, don’t say it like that.” I spat, “Look, not that I’d expect you to have any sense of decency, but people are suffering in that place. I saw slave girls, Twilight, malnourished and in chains, being used on a daily basis like playthings. This isn’t just about Bunnie, not any more. Okay sure, she’s my main motivator, I’ll happily admit to that, but I need to help these people.”

“And how can I trust you to come back to us?” Twilight growled, “How can I have faith that you won’t just run away with this girl once you’ve saved her? Because it sounds to me like you… like you like her.”

Falling silent for a moment, I realised that she made a very good point. What was stopping me from doing that? In casting me away, Twilight had proved that her company could feasibly complete their task without me, so why not stay gone? Sure, I could continue my adventure with them and uphold my oath, but I could just as easily leave with Bunnie, seek out a British embassy, and return to England with her, where I could use Paulo’s cartel as a scapegoat for my supposed death, and return once again to society. My relationship with Oliver had been repaired, so I would certainly have a better time if I returned home, and as for Janice? Well, this journey had taught me a thing or two about contending with monsters; my mother would never lay a finger on me again. Swallowing, I pondered on the very real possibility of Twilight’s concern. As for the other ponies, if they had any complaints, I could simply tell them what Twilight had really done, and that since being discarded, I no longer felt like a true member of the company. I had effectively been dismissed by their leader, and I was well within my right to keep it that way, and go back to an ordinary life.

But was that what I wanted?

Thinking about it, I was comparing a life of adventure with true friends, and a purpose unlike any other, with the mere chance that Bunnie and I could end up together. I may have already found myself rather infatuated with her, but what if the feeling wasn’t mutual? What if we returned to England, only for her to see nothing in me other than a friend? I would be giving up the greatest adventure on this planet, and abandoning my friends, for a fleeting chance at the only thing I regretted not having; love.

It was selfish, and in the end, I decided that no, it was not what I wanted.
I wanted to see my friends again, and continue our search for the Titans’ Orb.

My silence told Twilight that I was considering it, and although I assured her that I would remain loyal to her cause, I knew in my heart that she didn’t believe me. Putting my mouth to one side, I let out a begrudging sigh, which was when she changed the subject to another matter.

“What did I feel back then?” she asked, “When I was still in your body?”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“Oh, you know damn-well what I mean.”

Stopping in her tracks, Twilight frowned at me and brought up the sheer intensity of the depressive episode, and how it had drained every ounce of her energy, willpower, and desire to live.

“It was like I had been drugged!” she exclaimed, “What was that?”

With a shrug, I decided to be honest.

“That was my depression.” I told her, “That’s what I feel almost every damn day. It’s not always that intense, sure, but overall, that’s what I have to put up with.”

Gulping, the mare’s eyes became clouded with regret, and sorrow.

“I… I didn’t realise it was that bad.”

“Oh, like you would give a shit if you’d known.”

I spat the words out like they were poison, and the reminder of just how callous she could be clearly struck the unicorn, for she immediately broke eye contact and looked off to the right, opening her mouth and then closing it again. After remaining speechless for a time, she finally asked why I hadn’t brought this up to anyone; if not to her, then at least to someone I actually got along with, like Rarity or Fluttershy.

“And what good would that do, huh?” I grumbled, “They can’t cure it, and all it would do is make them worry about me. The last thing I need is them treating me like some sick animal, wondering if I’m ‘having a low moment’ or whatever. I’ve put up with it on my own for long enough, and I’ll continue to do so, thank you very much.”

“But Callum-”

“But nothing!” I shouted suddenly, interrupting her and making her jump, “You don’t get to do this, Twilight. You don’t get to treat me like the shit beneath your hoof for months on end, only to now start giving a toss, especially after sending me away like you did! Fuck me, just yesterday you sent me a snide text asking if I was dead yet! What was that all about, huh?”

“I… I…” she tried to interject.

“You’re as spiteful as you are childish.” I went on, “The irony that you now seem to care about my depression, when it’s your never-ending scorn that’s caused it to flare up as often as it does! You’re only cosying up to me now because you’re frightened and in pain, but in the waking world, you are as much of an infection as the demon magic that surrounds us. Now, I’m here to find some damn answers in this forest, and if Mister Six-Eyes the Vape Monster kills me first, then hopefully I can wake up for good this time, and get back to helping someone who actually fucking deserves it. So, are you done pretending we’re friends yet? Or are you going to surprise me with an actual apology? Not that you’d mean it for long, if at all…”

Completely taken aback, Twilight was left even more speechless than before. Her eyes glazed over, and if I didn’t know any better, I would wager my words had cut deeper than the still-weeping laceration on her neck, which had now completely recoloured her upper chest to that of a dark crimson.

{So much for being her friend while we’re in here.} Conscio hummed curiously.

{Real friends aren’t afraid to say it how it is.} I retorted silently, {I’ll look out for her in this place, and I’ll fight for her if I must, but that doesn’t make her any less of a scumbag.}

{Hm, touché.} he muttered.

We kept walking, though the mare now trailed behind a few paces. Eventually, I stopped again and turned to face her, sighing heavily.

“Alright look, I may have been a little harsh there-”

“No.” she cut me off, “You said what you said, don’t waste your time backtracking. You hate me, and I hate you, and that’s how it is. Now keep moving, before he finds us.”

Swallowing, I did just that, aware of how once again the fickle bond between us had been severed. This time, it had been my doing, not hers. Twilight had actually felt bad for me, and was showing empathy in regard to my mental illness, and in my anger, I had pushed her away and back into her bitter old self.

{Why didn’t I just let her in?} I thought to myself, clenching my jaw, {Goddammit Callum!}

The both of us then froze on the spot, as a low laugh-like rumble rippled through the trees, followed by the raspy taunt of Nah’Lek’s inhuman voice.

“How quaint… Foes in mind and body, yet their hearts yearn for friendship. This one silently pleads for forgiveness, while the other wordlessly reproaches himself for not giving it to her. Oh, how the little ones regret the choices they’ve made…”

Knowing we had been found, Twilight shot over to me and pressed up against my leg, cowering in terror. I meanwhile, realised that given his choice of words, the Defiler could evidently hear what we were thinking. Scowling into the shadows, I clenched my fists.

“Hey, I didn’t give you permission to read my thoughts, you gangly sack-maggot!”

His distant reply came in the form of a rapid clicking noise. Looking at Twilight, I ordered her to teleport away, so that she could continue searching for the heart of the corruption.

“I c-c-can’t…” she stuttered, “He’ll kill you… and th-then he’ll kill me!”

“Then we’ll just try again.” I told her.

Getting to one knee, I put a hand on Twilight’s shoulder and looked into her watery eyes.

“We’re in this together now, okay? He can kill us as many times as he likes, but one day, we’ll find a way to stop him. If it’s not today, then so be it, but let me give you this one chance.”

Her entire jaw shook with fear, but my words were just enough to inspire her, and with a nod, her horn began to glow. And then, without a hint of warning, Nah’Lek descended from above, planting two black swords, each as long as my arm, down through Twilight’s back and out through her belly, pinning her to the ground and forcing a gut-wrenching shriek from her. The shock in her eyes momentarily shattered my resolve, and all I could do was stare at her as I let out a bellow nearly loud enough to shake the very trees.

“NO!”

Her dying form was then swept up and into the air, as the swords were lifted and swung to one side, casting her away like a thrown object. I watched helplessly as her flailing body abandoned me, flopping to the ground in the distance, where after a few shudders and jolts, it became that of a lifeless heap. With my stomach clenching, I looked up at Nah’Lek’s shadowy form, still obscured in smoke. Every part of me wanted to shout at him, to curse him with every foul word I knew, and yet all I could do was stare in terror, locked into place by those haunting, lifeless, unblinking eyes. Had it not been for what I had seen in Pripyat, I very well may have found his deathly stare to paralyse me eternally. He observed me for a good few seconds, until I finally brought myself to words.

“Get it over with…” I sighed, bowing my head.

“Such a swift resignation…” he mocked in reply, “No attempt to flee? No beg for mercy? Would you not even… fight for your life, little bug?”

“Oh, spare me.” I scoffed, “With what weapon? Let’s face it, I’m inevitably going to die by your hand, or uh… claw? So what’s the point in even trying?”

At this, Nah’Lek did something most unexpected. Extending one of his shiny black arms from the inky mist, he released the sword in his grip, allowing it to fall into the snow in front of me. He then drifted backwards and allowed me to pick it up, indicating his desire for a fair fight. He wanted to duel me, to test the boy who threatened his grand scheme. Though my death remained near, a sword was better than no sword, and so I reached forward and took it. The handle was nearly as cold as ice, and as I held it aloft, a thick string of Twilight’s half-coagulated blood drooled down from the blade and into the snow. Gritting my teeth, I forced the nauseating scene from my mind and focused, quickly growing accustomed to the weapon’s heft.

“I must admit, I did not expect her to choose someone so inexperienced.” he hissed, clearly referring to the Princess, “You are but a child, a stranger to the art of war. Her Royal Highness could have at least found someone a little… older.”

“Yeah well, you’re shorter than I expected.” I retorted, very intentionally quoting Anakin Skywalker.

{Ha!} Conscio cackled loudly, tickled by the response.

Taking a step towards the Defiler, I gripped the sword with both hands and held it out to him.

“Look, sword or not, you’re still going to kill me, and then I’m going to wake up, so if you think I plan on taking any of this seriously, I’m afraid you’re going to be awfully disappointed.”

It was then that I had an idea, something to truly deny this creature of further gratification. The simple fact was as such; this nightmare ended with my inevitable death, and by Nah’Lek’s design, it would be him to deliver it. This had been the case with Twilight, and if we played things out his way, it would be the case for me as well.

Well, we weren’t doing it his way.

“In fact,” I grinned, “how about we skip the chase entirely and cut straight to the credits, hmm?”

Nah’Lek’s head tilted, curious to see what I would do next, though it clearly displeased him, for upon understanding what was about to happen, he darted forward in an attempt to stop me. But even with all his unparalleled swiftness, he was too late. Moving my hands to hold the sword by the blade, I placed the tip against the underside of my jaw and allowed myself to drop. My body weight pulled me down, and in a swift, near-painless instant, the weapon shot upwards into my skull, killing me within the space of a heartbeat.







{Well I’ll be…} Conscio muttered, {I didn’t think you had it in you, lad.}

“Yeah, well the alternative wasn’t going to be any prettier.” I moaned sleepily.

Slowly coming to, I found myself lying on the bedroom floor. Sitting up, I checked for hands, and breathed my relief upon confirming that I was still me. I then found the Sparklight close by, which verified the very concerning fact that Twilight and I had switched bodies in the waking world as well, not just during our abhorrent little trip to the Frozen Forest.

“What the hell’s going on here, Connie?” I huffed, getting to my feet.

{Wish I could tell you.} he replied, {I may be leagues smarter than you, but I’m afraid we’re equally in the dark on this one. Best thing we can do is get Bunnie out on the double, find Twilight, and sort this shit out before things get any stranger.}

“Sounds like a plan.” I grumbled.

After heading to the en suite for some water and a wee, I got back into bed. It took me a while to settle down, but eventually I was able to get back to sleep, where I claimed just three hours of undisturbed rest, before I was woken back up by a knocking at the bedroom door.

“I swear if it’s Nah’Lek, I’m killing myself again.”

{Wouldn’t blame you, laddie.} Conscio chuckled.

Getting up and yawning, I went over and opened the door, where I was met by not Nah’Lek, but by someone who wanted to kill me just as badly.

“Ah, Dijla, right?” I said nervously.

Without responding, Bunnie’s mother walked into the room, where for the first time, I heard her speak.

“I’m to shave you, remember?”

“Oh right!” I exclaimed, “Yes, of course.”

Forcing myself back into the quote-unquote ‘normal’ world, I dismissed the otherworldly notions of Nah’Lek, Twilight, demon magic, and body-swapping. In their place, I directed my focus to the woman who was currently under the impression that I planned to abuse her daughter. We went into the en suite together, where she put down the bag she was carrying, of which contained shaving foam, beard oil, scissors, and a cut-throat razor.

“Tell me how you want it.” Dijla spoke.

Her voice was calm, but it carried a soft undertone that sung a song of motherly fury. The poor woman was equal parts livid and hopeless, trapped in what must have felt like an impossible situation. Not that it was all that important, but her accent interested me as well; unlike Bunnie’s, it didn’t sound all that English. Though it was terribly diluted, I best likened the accent to that of a Middle-Eastern one, a trait which made sense for someone with a name like Dijla, of which had Mesopotamian origins.

“Look,” I began, hoping to set her straight, “there’s something you need to know.”

“I’m not here to talk to you.” she grunted, “I’m here to shave you.”

“And I’m here to get you out of this place.” I snapped back, “Bunnie too, for that matter.”

Going rigid, the woman stared at me with confusion. Was this a trick? A trap, set by Paulo? Had her monstrous husband orchestrated some twisted little game for her? After double-checking that nobody was listening by the bedroom door, I ushered her to one corner of the bathroom, and told her the truth.

“I’m not one of Paulo’s men. I found Bunnie by accident. I saw Paulo drag her out his car and into the street, and it was pissing down with rain, so I decided to help her. I offered to get her somewhere safe, but she insisted on coming back to save you. Look, I know you think I’m a scumbag, but I swear it’s just an act. All I’m here for, is to get you both out of here, and with a bit of luck, put your husband in the ground while I’m at it.”

At first, she couldn’t quite believe me, and how could she, after all the torment she had suffered? But then, second by second, she came to recognise the kindness and sincerity in my eyes. Dijla was no stranger to crooks, killers and fiends, and yet as she searched my face for any such ilk, all she found was a determined, albeit frightened young man, here in earnest to help her and her daughter. The corners of her exhausted eyes began to wrinkle, and her lips parted ever so slightly as she realised this was no deception. Dijla then started to feel an emotion that she hadn’t experienced in a very long time.

Hope.

“You’re telling the truth…” she breathed, her eyes welling up with tears.

“I am.” I promised, dipping my head.

With an outward gasp, the woman reached forward and put her arms around me, breaking into a sob. She clutched me tightly, and with my arms now pressed to my sides, all I could do was stand there awkwardly until she was able to compose herself. Thanking me profusely, she asked who I really was, and with a faint trice of hesitation, I told her the truth.

“Do you remember on the news a good few months ago, that boy in Ifield who was stabbed in his own home? The one whose body went missing from the morgue?”

“That Callum boy?” she replied.

At that, I pointed to my face with both index fingers and gave her a cheesy grin. Dijla’s eyes widened, needing no further hints to deduce that I was ‘that Callum boy’. Needless to say, I was peppered with many a question, to which I weaved the same narrative I had told her daughter. She drank in every word, impressed more than anything, at how I had pulled off such a convincing death.

“I must admit, you seem less wowed than Bunnie was.” I chuckled by the end of it.

“So, you really spoke to her?” she inquired, “Is she alright?”

“She was a bit shaken up, but she isn’t hurt.” I informed her, “I last saw her being taken somewhere, most likely the prison. I asked Paulo if she could be mine so I could keep her safe. Trust me, I have no ill intentions.”

“I believe you…” she sighed, gulping, “Thank you.”

“Of course.” I told her with a weak smile, “Look, I’d love to talk more and explain things better, but the last thing we need is for Paulo to get suspicious.”

At that, Dijla nodded.

“Yes, you’re right.”

Gesturing for me to sit by the washbasin, she retrieved the foam and razor, and after asking me how I wanted it in a far less hostile manner, she began to shave away. By the time she was finished, I looked several years younger, with nothing left but a thin chinstrap that led into a short goatee, not too dissimilar to Tony Stark’s beard from the Iron Man films, albeit far less pronounced.

“How old are you?” Dijla asked rather bluntly.

Somewhat ashamed to be as young as I still was, I looked away and confirmed that I was only seventeen.

“At least, I think I am.” I added.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, I’ve not checked the date for quite some time now.” I explained, “After what I’ve been through, the days sort of blur together. My birthday’s in January, so who knows, I may have turned eighteen and not even known it!”

Huffing with a degree of empathy, Dijla informed me that it was late December. Christmas was two days ago, with the hearty meal I ate last night essentially being the leftovers from the Christmas banquet. Upon learning this, all I felt was bitterness, for the lone fact that poor Bunnie had been forced out onto the street on Christmas Day. I then brightened up again, and told Dijla that she could consider my aid as a late Christmas present. This brought forth a laugh from the woman; likely the first time she had laughed in quite some time. She told me that she would gladly accept such a gift, though if my task proved at all too difficult, then I was to at least get Bunnie away from here.

“Can you promise me that?” she implored, “Can you swear to me that you’ll keep Bunnie safe, no matter what happens to me?”

“You have my word.” I assured her.

With a nod, Dijla brought things to a close, packing the shaving kit away and inhaling deeply. She then cupped my face with both her hands, and planted a kiss on my forehead.

“Thank you for what you are doing.” she breathed, “Please, be safe.”

Leaving the room without another word, Dijla shut the door. I emitted a sigh of relief, thankful to have met the woman properly, and assure her that I was no threat to her daughter. I then got dressed in last night’s attire, and after briefly checking my phone for any messages from Twilight, of which there were none, I left the room as well.


Returning to Paulo’s office, I found the man sitting at his desk, smoking a cigar and overlooking some documents. He looked up as I entered, and his face lit up.

“Bruce! Just the man I wanted to see!”

Getting up, he came over to inspect his wife’s handiwork, to which he gave an approving hum.

“No attempts to slit your throat, eh?”

“There was a stern look.” I told him, “But otherwise, she was on her best behaviour.”

“Ha!” he laughed, “I am relieved to hear it!”

He then noticed just how young I was, and joked about how Inigo always did prefer fresh meat, both at his side in work, and beneath him in leisure. Aside from that, he barely batted an eye at my youth, and beckoned me over to sit in front of his desk.

“I’m sure you are wondering what assignments I have for you, yes?”

“You read my mind.” I replied.

Picking up his cigar, he took another toke from it, before letting out a heavy sigh.

“Well, if you are to work at my side, you ought to know the truth. We are in some deep shit, Bruce. Ever since Inigo’s side of the business fell apart, I have been bleeding money, product, and personnel. The cost of importation has gone up, and competition is on the rise.”

He then looked around the room, and to my surprise, he ordered his guards to leave. They did as they were told, and once the doors were shut, Paulo leaned forward and narrowed his eyes, speaking in a low, hushed tone.

“What do you know of the name… Hoyt Volker?”

“He was Inigo’s boss.” I answered, remembering the name well, “Yours too if I’m not mistaken.”

“And how do you feel about Mister Volker?”

Knowing exactly where he was going with this, I raised an eyebrow and answered him blankly.

“I don’t work for Mister Volker. I work for you.”

Smiling, this was the answer he had been hoping to hear. In simpler terms, I was swearing fealty to Paulo, who very clearly no longer wished to be governed by some criminal overlord on the other side of the world. Confirming this, he told me how his partnership with Inigo was his only true tie to Hoyt, and with the Bogeyman of Brazil now dead, Paulo was a liability. To this end, Hoyt had been tightening the noose, as it were.

“I know for a fact he has a mole in my ranks, telling him everything I am doing. Every transaction, every exportation of product, Hoyt hears about it. After some digging, it has come to my attention that one of my personal guard is the mole, this is why I have sent them outside.”

“Smart.” I told him.

Ignoring my praise, he went on with a serious expression on his face.

“I would like to start operating independently, you understand? But this is not something Hoyt will allow. If he catches wind of this, he will likely intervene. As such, the first of your assignments is to learn who this mole is. If I am to cut ties with Volker, I need to root out who within my organisation is working for him, and ensure he is dealt with appropriately.”

“Understood.” I said calmly, “I can handle a rat problem.”

Chuckling deviously, Paulo was overjoyed to receive such eagerness regarding the first stage of his master plan. I asked what my next assignment was, and without much surprise at this point, it was once again related to Hoyt Volker.

“As I am sure you know, Hoyt has been pulling the strings across every major business, from South America, to Africa, to Indonesia. As for here in Portugal, he is in charge of two cartels, one of which is…”

Raising his hands and gesturing all around, Paulo indicated that the first cartel in question was his own. I asked about the other, to which he told me about his rival, a ruthless raiding gang known as the Blood Family. Supposedly, the Blood Family were once allies with Paulo, and traded munitions with him in exchange for narcotics. However, in recent years, there had been bouts of violence between the two factions, with Paulo’s cartel suffering heavy losses.

“We were able to capture a few of their men the other day.” he told me, “Thanks to Inigo’s advice on how best to torture a man, I was able to make them squeal.”

“Did you play Twenty Questions with them?” I blurted out, remembering what Inigo had done to me.

“Ah! You know it!” Paulo cried out, raising his hands with an open-mouthed grin.

“Of course I do!” I shouted, “I’m the one who had to pull the nails out afterwards!”

Breaking into a mighty guffaw, Paulo slapped the desk and told me how effective the method had been, especially after he had adapted the game, so the nails were hammered into the victims’ fingers and toes, instead of their forearms.

{Jeez, I’m glad Inigo didn’t do that to me.} I thought to myself, {With what Nah’Lek’s doing to Twilight on top, I’m starting to think I got off easy!}

Settling down, Paulo went on to explain that one of the Blood Family raiders had given up some rather vital information. As it happened, Hoyt Volker had a mole in the Blood Family as well, and had essentially been pitting the two cartels against each other.

“Wait, so let me get this straight.” I interjected, “Hoyt’s been making two of his own lesser gangs fight each other, instead of conducting good business?”

“He likes to play games.” Paulo grumbled, “This is simply a test. Whichever cartel comes out on top, will be allowed to continue working for him, and though I do not wish to admit this, the Blood Family are… how you say, pushing our shit in? My Militia work around the clock to protect the compound, while my Street Dogs are stretched thin keeping the business running, and even then, they are mostly drunk, high, or just fucking stupid. I cannot spare the manpower to fight the Blood Family head on, and every engagement costs me men.”

“I have a feeling this is where I come in.” I hummed, leaning back in my chair.

“Your feeling is correct.” said Paulo, finishing his cigar and blowing a cloud of smoke at me, “Your second assignment, dear Bruce, is to help me destroy the Blood Family.”

Reaching under his desk, he retrieved the same shot glasses from yesterday, and poured a hefty amount of rum in each. Passing one to me, he ordered me to drink, permitting that it didn’t hinder my ability to strategise with him. Taking the glass and tilting it in his direction, I took a swig and then inhaled sharply through my teeth, welcoming the liquid’s burning sensation.

{Ahh, rum for breakfast.} Conscio sighed with euphoria, {I like it here…}

{Shut it.} I grunted back in thought.

Paulo then swallowed a mouthful from his own glass, and with a hiss, he frowned at me.

“You English… you are a practical people. You may no longer own a quarter of the world as you once did, but your keen sense of tactical thinking is legend. Where others rush into battle, you look beyond. You see the path to winning not just the battle, but the entire conflict. I have always admired that about you.”

“All that flattery, and you’re still yet to arrive at the point.” I replied sternly.

With a loud one-syllable laugh, Paulo clapped his hands together, before telling me that he had shot men for speaking to him in such a way. Maintaining a nonchalant demeanour, I loosed an even bolder retort.

“Then shoot me. I’m not here to be afraid of you, I’m here to work for you, just as Vladimir did for Inigo. If you can’t handle someone who can answer back, then you can find someone else to hunt rats.”

My boldness paid off, for Paulo respected strength. Smiling warmly, he raised his glass and admitted that his flattery may have been a little too heavy-handed. Finally getting to the point, he told me that for as observant as he was, he was also a very direct man, and though he appreciated the art of discretion, he seldom utilised it. Through minced words, he was confessing that he wasn’t very good at strategy, and was hoping that I could bring a degree of cleverness and guile to his plans. Understanding this, I got to work racking my brains, hoping to find a quick solution to such a difficult pair of tasks.

{Ooh, war-games, my favourite! Pick me, I have a plan!} Conscio piped up excitedly.

{Well let’s hear it.} I thought back to him, {Because I’m supposed to be impressing this bastard, yet all I can think about is where Bunnie is.}

Scoffing, the voice in my head ordered me to stop thinking with my penis, and proceeded to tell me his plan, which turned out to be an awfully clever one. I then relayed it to Paulo as though I had come up with it myself, smirking proudly.

“How’s this for an idea? Let’s pretend I’m one of Hoyt’s moles, perhaps one from Inigo’s old gang? Then it can’t be questioned. From there, tell your personal guard that your new English friend is working for Hoyt, and is supposedly under orders to backstab you. As such, you want him found and imprisoned, but not harmed, for you wish to question him. It’s pretty clear that Hoyt’s men are loyal, so if you lock me up, I can guarantee the real mole will come straight to me for a little chinwag. Think of it like a mousetrap, and-”

“And you’re the cheese!” Paulo finished for me, grinning at me with wide eyes.

“Exactly.” I replied, “And you said Hoyt has a mole in the Blood Family, right? Well, if we play our cards right, then maybe the real mole could pull a few strings and have me shipped over there as a defector of sorts. I could infiltrate the Blood Family and tear them down from within. We’d be killing two birds with one stone, with your cartel being unopposed and free from Hoyt within the space of a month.”

As though I’d just fixed all his worldly woes, Paulo Escuella leaned forward and stared at me, his maw wide open and his eyes like saucers. He then sucked at the last of his cigar and blew a celebratory plume of smoke into the air. And then, bringing his teeth together into a feral grin, his eyes pierced my own, now brimming with admiration.


“As I said… a practical people.”





> Chapter Eight: Pain and Passion
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Insisting that we got to work right away, Paulo reached over to one side of his desk and retrieved a pen, along with some paper. He then scribbled something down and handed it to me.

“You remember where the barracks are, yes?” he asked me, “Go there and give this to the quartermaster. He’ll set you up with a Militia outfit, one that actually fits you this time, ha!”

Dipping my head, I got up to leave, to which he quickly jumped to his feet. Coming around his desk to stand in front of me, he peered into my eyes and smiled.

“Bruce, if this plan of yours is successful, I want you to know that I will uphold our bargain. Bunnie will be yours, as will your position at my side. Portugal will belong to us, you and I.”

“You’re too kind, Paulo.” I said.

“Bah, kindness has nothing to do with it!” he scoffed, “You’re a smart man. You know how this game works, and you play it well. Now be gone with you, you filthy little mole! The next time I see you, it will be in one of my prison cells!”

“Can’t wait.” I replied blankly.

With a cackle, Paulo shouted for his guards to return, who had been waiting patiently outside. I then left the room, heading through the main corridor and down the stairs, until I emerged from the rear of the manor and made my way through the gardens.

{You know, it might be worth sending a text to our loveable sociopath.} Conscio suggested, {Just to let her know you’ll be unavailable for a while. I cannae imagine they’ll let you keep the phone once they arrest you.}

“Good call.” I muttered under my breath.

Whipping out the Sparklight, I turned it on and went to the Speak app, where I quickly typed out a message for Twilight, informing her of the upcoming situation, and that I wouldn’t be available until further notice. After hitting send, I chose to follow it up with one last thing.



If you end up in the Forest without me, remember what I told you.
We WILL find a way to stop him, so don’t give up, okay?
Stay strong, Shithead.



Turning off the phone again, I felt good for adding that last part. It wasn’t any sort of forgiveness, nor was it an attempt at friendship; it was just a simple, vaguely playful notion, that for all our repugnance for one another, I wasn’t truly Twilight’s enemy.

After visiting the barracks and getting kitted out in my new, far more comfortable attire, I knew that my freedom was coming to a close. Soon, I would be found by Paulo’s guards and tossed into one of the prison cells, which was when it dawned on me that the prison would probably be the last place they would look for me. This gave me an idea, for there was one person that I very much wished to see…


Reaching the prison, I opened the door and made my way inside. There was only one guard on duty, for the cells were designed in a way that prevented any sort of security breach, thus preventing the need for additional personnel. Approaching the guard, I dipped my head to indicate that I was here to take his post, a falsehood he bought without question. He promptly left the building, firmly patting me on the shoulder as he went, and with the entire building now to myself, I went from door to door in search of Bunnie. Opening the little window hatches, I peered at the unfortunate souls within, with my heart sinking lower and lower upon realising just how many despondent, terrified people there were.

“Gods, I am so sorry…” I breathed quietly.

These poor individuals; I had to get them out of here somehow, I just had to!
Just not yet…

As I neared the last of the cells, I was beginning to lose hope, when at last I found her. Up on the second floor, all alone in the middle of the room, knelt a girl with her back to the door. Completely unmoving, it was almost as though she had died, for she barely seemed to even breathe. Yanking the bolt to one side, I pushed the door open and entered the room, where I stood over the girl and cleared my throat. She didn’t even look up at me, she just knelt there, patiently waiting to die.

“Bloody hell, Bun-Bun.” I muttered, tutting at her, “It hasn’t even been twenty-four hours yet! Don’t tell me you went and lost faith in me already?”

With a gasp, Bunnie sprang to her feet and whipped around, before proceeding to practically throw herself at me, wrapping her arms around my body with enough force to send me stumbling back a few paces. She then pulled back for a double take, staring at me with wide glossy eyes and making sure it really was me who stood before her.

“Miss me?” I teased, winking at her.

At that, she broke into a relieved sob, uttering my name and planting her forehead into my neck. Chuckling with endearment, I put my arms around her and held her gently while she gripped at my back and continued to cry. Eventually she calmed down, and confessed that she had expected Paulo to kill me.

“Kill me?” I scoffed, “The man practically wants to marry me!”

With her eyes bulging, Bunnie asked what the hell that meant, to which I gave her all the details. With the promise of hunting a mole and bringing down a rival cartel, I had performed something of a speedrun when it came to befriending her father, with Paulo assuring me that I would be his right-hand-man upon carrying out such demanding duties. As it happened, Bunnie knew of the Blood Family, and upon hearing that I intended to infiltrate them, she told me just how vicious they were.

“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but my dad’s cartel is the more civilised one.” she murmured anxiously, “They’re mad, Callum, absolutely mad! I even heard a rumour that they drink blood!”

“With a name like the Blood Family, I can’t say I’m shocked.” I chuckled, “Look, I’ll be fine, alright? You’ll be seeing my ugly mug again in no time, so don’t go losing hope again. Seeing you all broken like that was as depressing as it was insulting!”

“Okay, fine!” she huffed loudly, rolling her eyes, “And for what it’s worth, your mug isn’t ugly, you’re actually not half bad-looking without the beard.”

“Yeah, the homeless look didn’t really suit me, did it?” I admitted, smirking, “Well you’ve got your mother to thank for that, she’s the one who shaved me.”

“Wait, what!?”

Smiling, I explained how I had encountered Dijla both last night and just this morning, who was now in the know when it came to my true identity, along with my scheme to free her and her daughter. Needless to say, Bunnie was ecstatic, overjoyed beyond words to hear that her mother was not only still alive, but for the first time in a long time, hopeful.

“I even made her laugh.” I said proudly, explaining how my plan to kill Paulo was effectively my Christmas present to them both.

Giggling at that, Bunnie grinned widely, and like mother like daughter, told me that she would very gladly accept such a gift. Smiling back at her, I went on to say that I was awfully glad Paulo hadn’t properly recognised me post-shave, which caused her to tilt her head.

“Recognise you? From where?”

“Well, back in Brazil, I may have punched him in the face and stolen one of his boats.”

“You did what!?” she exclaimed with dinner plates for eyes.

“Yup.” I confirmed, “I bumped into him at the docks back at Inigo’s compound, and without much thinking about it, bam! Hit him square in the jaw and knocked him clean out.”

With an open-mouthed smile, Bunnie stared at me with a look of adoration and reverence. She quite evidently saw me as her hero at this point, and admittedly it was difficult to remain humble. Shrugging, I said that if only I had known who he really was at the time, I could have finished him off, and prevented all this from happening to Bunnie in the first place.

“There’s no point thinking about that, you couldn’t have known.” she told me solemnly, putting her hands on my forearm, “But still, the fact you actually hit him… I can’t quite believe it.”

“Well, believe it.” I tittered, “Bastard went down like a sack of spuds.”

With such satisfying news, she was unable to thank me with words alone, and took to hugging me for a second time. Her whole body pressed up against mine, and as a warm shiver drifted from neck to tail-bone, it dawned on me that I really was falling for the girl. The hug went on for longer than I had expected, yet shorter than I had hoped, and as Bunnie pulled away, I noticed that her cheeks were as flushed as mine. Awkwardly clearing her throat, she asked what was to happen now.

“Well, with me posing as Hoyt’s mole, I’ll be captured soon, and then it’ll just be a matter of waiting for the real mole to reveal himself. Once that happens, I’ll defect to the Blood Family and work my way up, until I can find an opportunity to shut ‘em down. After that, I’ll come back here to Paulo, where he’ll uphold his end of the bargain.”

“Which is?” Bunnie asked, cautiously raising her brow.

“To give me you.” I answered truthfully, “You’re to be my personal slave, off-limits to anyone else. Think of it as a token of a deal well-struck.”

Blinking a few times, the girl asked what on Earth I had said to convince her father to allow such a thing. Shrugging, I told her that it was actually quite simple, for deep down, in spite of how twisted he was, Paulo wanted a relationship with her, and under my ownership, I would ensure she gave him one, by slowly conditioning her into loving him.

“Oh now that’s fucked up.” she blurted out.

“Yeah, tell me about it.” I tutted in agreement.

Rolling my eyes, I followed up by saying that as my ‘slave’, Bunnie would be permitted to stay with me in the manor, as opposed to a prison cell. At that, she quickly changed her tune, putting her hands together and offering them to me.

“Enslave me already! It’s so cold in here!”

Although the two of us laughed, it was also paired with the underlying sorrow that the poor girl was freezing half to death in this place. Without any insulation, all the prisoners were suffering at the winter’s behest. I desperately wanted to bring her something for warmth, or perhaps give her my puffer jacket, but it would have been too obvious that I had come to visit her.

I then let out a pained sigh. Wonderful as it had been to see her again, I knew I needed to leave, before another one of the Militia came here and found me. I didn’t even need to say anything, Bunnie knew it was time for me to go, and she looked at me with pleading, puppy-dog eyes.

“Don’t be gone too long, yeah?”

The way she had said it plucked at my heartstrings, and it had me staring into her eyes for just a bit too long. Gods above, she was beautiful. Even in this cold, dark cell, she looked like the Christmas morning I had oh-so-ironically missed out on. She then realised how I was looking at her, and for a heartbeat, I thought I had done something wrong. Being surrounded by all these horrible people, perhaps she thought I was just a creep after all, and that I was only trying to help her for a chance to score.

And then, with the corners of her lips raising ever so slightly, she returned the look, laying such worrisome notions to rest. Though relieved beyond measure, my confidence buckled, resulting in me breaking eye contact and looking away. And then, in what I had only expected to be a fleeting glance, Bunnie reached forward and placed a finger beneath my chin, gently commanding me to look upon her again. She guided my face back to mirror her, where I found in her eyes an urge not unlike my own. Before I knew what was really happening, she gave in to it and leaned forward, casting away any second thoughts as she planted her lips against mine.

They were soft, yet dry from the cold, and though I would claim they tasted sweet, in all manner of truth, no flavour was to be found. I froze at first, unable to comprehend what was my very first kiss, and then as the shock rapidly dissipated, I closed my eyes and became like water, melting into her like two raindrops coming together upon a pane of glass.

And the whole world just… stopped.

I felt myself become lighter than air as my very soul surged with energy, which then trickled down my spine in the most pleasant of fashions. What I felt, I didn’t just feel on my lips, it spread throughout my entire body. There weren’t quite words for it; it was just so warm, yet so cooling at the same time. The sensation flooded my body, and my heart seemed to swell as it pumped faster and faster inside my chest. A sense of unparalleled elation cascaded through me, not unlike the rush I felt when killing an enemy, though this felt infinitely stronger, and it didn’t carry the underlying guilt, nor the looming sense of immorality.

For the first time in years, my mind felt truly calm, and all the bitterness within me seemed to wash away, like water down a drainpipe. The boy I once was, and the violent man I was becoming, both faded away, leaving behind a simple creature of humble stature, with no other motive than to exist in this moment, forever.

For in this moment, everything made sense to me, and everything felt right.
And as time returned to our timeless embrace, I came to one very unmistakable conclusion.

I loved her.
I loved Bunnie…


The kiss felt like it had lasted for minutes untold, when in truth, it had only lasted a few seconds. It was Bunnie who broke it off, pulling her head back and looking away, ashamed of herself.

“I shouldn’t have done that.” she spoke quietly, “I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s fine.” I replied with a warm smile, “More than fine, actually.”

With the understanding that our rapid affection was mutual, Bunnie broke into a huge grin, with her rosy cheeks surely burning as hot as my own. Swallowing, she admitted that she knew this was a very quick turn of events, but with how messed up her current situation was, she was never quite sure which day would be her last.

“I get it.” I told her, “When every day feels like you won’t see the sun tomorrow, it’s all or nothing, right? You either go hard or go home.”

{Poor choice of words, considering you’re at half-mast right now.}

{Conscio, shut the FUCK up!}

Tittering to himself, Connie fell silent, while Bunnie agreed with my notion, also pointing out that the odds of us finding each other couldn’t have been smaller. As such, she felt like her feelings had been fast-tracked, and although she felt ridiculous for saying it aloud, since sharing that kiss, she felt as though we belonged together. At that, I smirked at her and pulled a sheepish expression.

“I mean, if you think that’s ridiculous… then I guess we’re both pretty stupid.”

Seeing the hope in her eyes, I was about to go on, only for a noise to make us both jump. It was the main prison door downstairs, and with that, our time was up.

“I need to go.” I sighed, to which she nodded.

With very little time to spare, I spent most of it taking in the details of her face, and I could tell that she was doing the same, just in case I never came back.

“Try not to wander off.” I teased, winking at her.

Being stuck in a prison cell, Bunnie’s response was that of a most disgruntled frown. She then grabbed the collar of my puffer jacket and pulled me towards her, where we shared a second kiss, now full of confidence. She hummed faintly through her nose, desperate to stay like this. And then, she pushed me away from her, and ordered me not to get myself killed. Being the melodramatic imbecile I was, I paused, before giving her an assurance that was as sincere as it was cheesy.

“As you wish.”

Leaving the cell, I gave her one last look, before shutting the door and locking it with the bolt. I then scurried back down to the ground floor, now feeling as though I could take on the world. Hell, after that kiss, I could have taken on Nah’Lek the Defiler with my bare hands! Reaching the bottom of the prison, I found the man who had come in and quickly wiped the grin from my face. The man was a Militia soldier, simply here to take my post. Spotting me, he furrowed his brow and asked me something in Portuguese.

“Speak English.” I ordered.

“Where you… were?” he asked slowly, not at all fluent in the language.

“Loud noise.” I told him, using my hands to emphasise the point, “Bang!”

Pointing up to the ceiling, I was able to convey the idea that I had gone to investigate a noise on the upper level. Thankfully he questioned it no further, and allowed me to leave the building in peace. Dipping my head to him, I opened the door and stepped outside.

“Ah, shit.” I muttered.

I had only gone a few dozen paces, when a pair of Paulo’s guards spotted me on my way to the gardens. Drawing their weapons, they rushed over to me and ordered me to stay where I was. Looking as confused as possible, I kept my hands where they were and frowned at them.

“What’s the meaning of this?” I demanded to know.

“You do not ask questions.” one of them grunted in reply, “Come with us.”

“And what if I don’t want to?”

“Then I shoot you.”

“That’s not very nice.”

“Neither is betraying your boss.” he spat, his Russian accent so thick that it seemed put on.

The second guard then lunged forward without warning, slamming his fist into my gut and driving the wind out of me. I hadn’t been at all prepared for it, sending me stooping down to one knee and letting out a low groan. Bile rose up to my throat, and with gritted teeth I looked up at the man, making sure I remembered his face.

“Filthy fucking mole…” he growled in a French accent, “Get to your feet!”

Grabbing me by the hair, he yanked me up, and with a few painful coughs, I allowed the men to escort me back to the prison. Despite the pain I was now in, I couldn’t help but find myself amused at being returned to somewhere I had been just a few minutes ago.

{Hey, this place looks familiar…} Conscio hummed as I was forced inside.

{Gods, you are annoying.} I huffed back in thought.

{Thanks!}

The Militia soldier from before looked at me as I was brought past, and his eyebrows shot up. Still, knowing not to get in the way of Paulo’s guards, he said nothing and allowed them to haul me up the stairs, until I was brought to an empty cell on the second floor. It was difficult to hide my delight, upon realising that the cell was directly beside Bunnie’s one.

{Well that’s a result.} said Connie.

{Isn’t it just?} I agreed merrily.

As they shoved me through the door, I practically skipped inside. I then expected them to shut the door behind me, only for them to step inside with me.

“Uniform.” the Frenchman said, raising his chin and sneering at me.

“Err, surely you can’t be serious?” I scoffed, “Do you not feel how bloody cold it is?”

Alerted to the sound of my voice, Bunnie rushed to the wall of her cell, and out from the corner of my eye, I spotted one half of her face, peeking out through a small metal grate at the bottom. She was staring at me intensely, but knowing this was all part of the plan, she remained utterly silent.

“I do not care.” the guard growled, “Take it off.”

Huffing, I did as I was told, unzipping the puffer jacket and tossing it to the Russian. I then did the same with my shirt, and my boots, but this wasn’t enough.

“All of it, enfoiré.”

“I don’t speak Froggie.” I retorted, raising my upper lip at him, “And even if I did, I’m English, so I’m under a genetic obligation to hate your arrogant, white-flag-waving little-”

Before I could finish, he cut me off by punching me square in the mouth. But it didn’t stop there, after another two strikes to the face, I was shoved to the ground, where the Frenchman proceeded to kick and stamp at my body. The Russian joined in, and over the space of a minute or two, I was given a thorough beat-down. Curling up into a ball, I shielded my head with my hands, and with my eyes clamped shut, I endured it, knowing full-well that I couldn’t retaliate.

By the time they were done with me, my ears were ringing, my vision was blurry. Finally, they relented, and without any fight in me, I let them undo my trousers and tug them off me. Now left in nothing but my boxers, the two men went to leave, which was when I looked up at the French bastard and gritted my blood-slathered teeth.

“Where’s a longbow when you need one?” I groaned hoarsely, “I’d have you running for the hills!”

At this, the man twisted his head around to face me again, and sneered.

“Are you forgetting who won the Hundred Years’ War, mon petit rosbif?”

He then yanked the door shut, locking it with the bolt and laughing to himself. I then heard both sets of footsteps fade away, and I rolled onto my back to catch my breath. My body was in agony, and as I tried to close my fists, a sharp pain shot into my left ring finger. Blinking to clear my vision, I looked at it and realised it had been dislocated, and was furled in towards my palm and twisted at a most unpleasant angle.

“Callum?” Bunnie whimpered, “Are you okay?”

Rolling my head to look at her, I realised that the poor thing was crying. It must have been absolute torture for the girl; watching her unexpected new sweetheart be assaulted so viciously. Knowing that I needed to show my perseverance now more than ever, I cracked a smile at her.

“Happy as a clam.”

I then grabbed my ring finger, and in one of the most excruciating experiences to date, I pulled it upwards and twisted it back into place. I hissed and growled, and then there was an audible pop, which sent the sharp pain into quick remission, replacing it instead with a pulsating ache. After clenching and unclenching my hand a few times, I crawled over to the metal grate to speak to Bunnie properly, though I almost wished I hadn’t, for the sight of me up close left the girl crying harder than ever before.

“Hey…” I cooed to her, sniffing loudly and stifling a cough, “I’m okay.”

Wiping her eyes, she tried her best to settle down, and I stuck my fingers through the grate so that she might touch them. Smiling weakly, she did just so, and said that it was good to see me again.

“What, after just five minutes ago?” I scoffed, “I thought you might want some space.”

Snickering, she shook her head.

“You just got your butt handed to you by a garlic-muncher, how on earth are you this chipper?”

“Because I’m with you.” I replied, slowly batting my eyes at her.

Clearly struck by the sentiment, her grip tightened, followed by her saying she wasn’t sure whether to sigh or to gag at such a sickly sweet statement.

“Well, the former works more in my favour.” I teased, smirking.

Tutting, she asked what happened next, to which I told her it would be a waiting game. Until Hoyt’s mole appeared to speak with me, I would likely be left in this cell, as per the plan.

“But this cold!” Bunnie gasped, “Callum, you’ll freeze!”

“Nah, not with you here.” I clapped back, “I’ve never felt more warm and fuzzy.”

“Sure that’s not a result of a head injury?” she teased.

“Hey, two things can be true!”

We both burst into laughter, and once we settled down, we both repositioned ourselves so that we were lying down on our sides, where we did the one thing we could do while we waited.

We talked.

Hours went by, and as the sun set, the cold sought to claim our strength, yet for every passing second that we spoke to each other, the flames of our bond burned brighter within us. We talked of our dreams for the future, and of our childhood memories. I told her all about my dad, and how kind, patient, and caring he was. I then learned more about Dijla, and just how pure-spirited she was. Back when they lived in England, there wasn’t a soul whom the woman wouldn’t open her heart and home to. Even if they were the worst human alive, it mattered not; if they needed looking after, Dijla was there. Be it a cooked meal, a place to sleep, or a motherly hold, the woman’s capacity to love knew no bounds. It was hard not to see the parallel, for we both grew up knowing a saint for one parent, and a devil for another.

Choosing to talk more about ourselves, Bunnie learned how my favourite colour was lavender, as was my favourite scent. In turn, she told me how hers was pink, and how she adored the smell of freshly brewed coffee.

“Call me a basic bitch…” she giggled, “but those pumpkin-spiced lattes at Starbucks, in the late autumn? Ugh, there’s nothing quite like it! Inject that shit straight into my veins!”

“Never tried one.” I huffed with amusement, “You’ll have to take me out for one.”

“On a… On a date, you mean?”

Hearing the little crack in her voice, I knew she was nervous for implying what ought to have been obvious by now. Exhaling through my nose, I rolled onto my front and looked at her through the grate.

“Bunnie, when this is all over… I want you to take me on as many dates as you see fit.”

“So, all of them?” she quizzed, her eyes darting around anxiously.

“All of them it is.” I sighed, beaming at her.

I then felt a small tickle in my throat and coughed, and then slowly, for all the warmth in my heart, the chill began to gnaw away at me. Sighing heavily, I said that I couldn’t believe the bastards had taken all my clothes, to which Bunnie smirked and said that at least she finally had some good scenery.

“Oh fuck off.” I flouted.

The two of us laughed, followed by us descending into a playful argument over my alleged attractiveness, something I incessantly denied, despite Bunnie’s fierce opposition. Things were then cut short, upon hearing the sound of the prison’s main door being opened. We backed away from each other as footsteps ascended the stairwell and came towards us. My door was then opened, revealing one very concerned-looking Paulo Escuella, stepping into the cell, he narrowed his eyes and frowned at me.

“I told them to imprison you, not beat you to a pulp and strip you of your clothing. Are you alright, my dear boy?”

“Never been better.” I muttered.

Shaking his head, he apologised for the excessive beating, only to suggest that it wouldn’t be the last. Before I could ask what he meant, he went on to explain his plan. With his personal guards now aware that Hoyt’s mole had been captured, Paulo wished to expedite the process. To that end, he would be ordering his guards to interrogate me, under the instruction to find out just how closely I was working with Volker, and what my orders from him were. Though some of his real guards would surely give me a good hiding, it would certainly send the real mole straight into the trap.

“Can’t deny the efficiency.” I huffed, clenching my jaw.

“My thoughts exactly!” Paulo agreed, “I understand they may rough you up a little, but judging from those scars of yours, I would wager you can handle yourself, no?”

“Fine,” I agreed, “but you owe me a drink when this is over.”

Chuckling, my boss patted me on the arm and said that he would gladly agree to those terms. It was then that I had an idea, and a very bold one at that. Beckoning him closer, I leaned forward and spoke softly to him, ensuring that Bunnie wasn’t able to overhear.

“You know, I couldn’t help but notice a certain damsel in the room beside mine. She looks awfully lonely in there. Don’t suppose I could be relocated, do you?”

In an equally soft tone, Paulo reminded me that I hadn’t completed my assignments yet, and as such, his daughter wasn’t yet to be mine. I was already prepared for a reaction such as this, and responded with all the wit, cunning, and ruthless ‘practicality’ he supposedly admired me for.

“That’s not what I’m suggesting, you have my word I won’t touch her. But think about it, if she sees a young lad around her age getting beaten down, chances are she’ll get all sympathetic. Kindred spirits, fellow victims, trapped in an unfair situation, all that sort of thing, you know? Who knows, maybe she’ll let her guard down and like me of her own volition, and if that happens, just think of how easy it would be for me to influence her.”

Going silent, Paulo looked at me cautiously, thinking on my words. Eventually he saw the truth that I had fabricated for him; the sooner Bunnie was subservient to me, the sooner her mind would become palpable enough for me to twist and mould, and give him the perfect, obedient little daughter he so desired. And, as per my suggestion, if her affection for me became willing, then the likelihood of such a coveted prospect would be all the greater, and Paulo was not a man of patience. Inhaling deeply through his nose, he tipped his head down to indicate his approval.

“I shall grant this request, but if I hear that you have laid with her before I have allowed it, then my right-hand man will be a man with no cock, do you understand?”

“Loud and clear, sir.”

“Very well, you may join her in her cell. As far as my guards are concerned, it will be a display for the brat, to know what happens to those who betray me.”

“Good thinking.” I replied.

With that, Paulo returned to the act, grabbing me by the hair and pulling me out of the room. He shouted something at me in Portuguese, and unbolted the door to Bunnie’s cell. Despite knowing that Bunnie was in on the plan, Paulo didn’t, and so I pretended with him, struggling against his grasp and pleading with him, insisting that he had arrested the wrong guy. Hearing none of it, he pushed open the door and shoved me inside, where I genuinely lost my footing and stumbled to the ground. Knowing better than to come to my aid, Bunnie backed away to the rear end of the cell, staring at both me and her father with convincing fear and confusion.

“Here you are, traitor!” Paulo spat at me, “Figured you might want an audience!”

He then pointed a finger at Bunnie, and raised his lips at her.

“And you, dear daughter, let this boy be an example to you! Perhaps when you see what happens to him, you will finally learn where you belong!”

Slamming the door shut, he bolted it and promptly left the building. As soon as we heard the main door close downstairs, Bunnie and I sprang like fleas, latching on to one another and clinging to each other’s bodies like they were made to fit as one.

“Oh Callum…” Bunnie breathed into my neck.

Though her embrace agonised the throbbing bruises across my frame, it was almost pleasurable for the fact alone that it was her touch. Emitting an elated breath, I held her tightly and took in her body’s warmth. She then pulled away and asked for the second time today how I had been able to convince her father of something like this. Shrugging, I told her what I had said to him, and came to the conclusion that I was a far better manipulator than I thought, something which I wasn’t quite sure how to feel about.

“Well, just so long as you don’t plan to manipulate me!” she chuckled.

“Gods above, I would never!” I exclaimed.

“Hey, relax!” she insisted, giggling, “I’m kidding, you doughnut. But hey, if you can play mind games with a man like Paulo, then you might actually have a shot with this whole Blood Family business.”

“Oh, glad to finally have your confidence.” I teased.

“Oh shush.” she scoffed.

She then began to fuss over the blemishes I had sustained from the beating. I assured her I was fine, though in truth, I was afraid for the next round. As though she could read my thoughts, she furrowed her brow and brought audibility to them.

“So, you’re to be interrogated soon?”

“Yup.” I grunted, “Daddy-o wants to flush the mole straight into my arms, so he’s sending his boys to tickle me for info on Hoyt. Feel free to shut your eyes and plug your ears when it happens, because I might be getting a few more boo-boos.”

Swallowing nervously, the girl shuddered. What was already a messed up situation was about to get all the messier, for the boy she had just fallen for was now set to be abused in front of her. Clenching my jaw, I pondered on if it had been such a good idea to be moved to her cell. For as lovely as it was to hold her again, my request to Paulo was that of a double-edged sword which cut both ways, and as the prison’s main door was opened, the price for my folly came due.

“Already?” Bunnie gasped.

“Don’t look, okay?” I ordered, “Whatever you do, don’t look.”

Nodding, the girl backed away to the far end of the cell, while I remained sitting cross-legged in the middle. The oncoming footsteps stopped outside, and with the door unbolted and opened, in walked the first of my assailants, and he did not wait around. I had barely stood up when the man came at me, punching me in the face and sending me stumbling back down to one knee.

“Wow!” I cried out, “That was quick!”

Unamused, the man grabbed me by the throat with both hands and raised me up.

“Speak.” he growled.

“Well… it would be… easier to do that… if you weren’t… choking me… you imbecile!”

Letting me go, the man ordered me to tell him everything I knew about Hoyt Volker, and what his plans were for Paulo’s cartel.

“For the millionth time, I’m not working for whoever that is!” I barked.

After smacking me around a few times, he told me that I was lying, and that I was going to tell him the truth or suffer the consequences. Shrugging, I smiled at the man and did just that.

“Oh, well if you wanted the truth, you should’ve just asked! Paulo’s my boss for the time being, but if you must know, my true mistress is a unicorn by the name of Twilight Sparkle. But just between you and me, she’s a right old cun-”

Cut off by a fist to the sternum, I let out a hefty groan and collapsed to the floor with a loud wheeze. Under the impression that I was just mucking around, the man lost his temper and punted me in the ribs as I tried to get up, and although nothing broke, it was hard enough to keep me down. And then, just as the Russian and the Frenchman had, he followed up with a series of vicious kicks and stamps, before eventually giving up. Insulting me in his native tongue, he left the cell, slamming the door shut and storming off in a huff.

{I guess Paulo ordered them not to beat us too severely.} Conscio murmured, {That was surprisingly quite tame for an interrogation.}

{I’m not questioning it.} I replied in thought, wincing.

Bunnie rushed to me as soon as the footsteps were out of earshot, where she tried her absolute hardest not to fall apart. Once again, I assured her that I was fine, though with how puffed up the left side of my face was, she hardly believed me. A droplet of blood sat upon a crack in my lip, as did another on my forehead, where the man’s boot had grazed me. Wiping them away, I sat up and grinned at her.

“Guess you could say I got a real kick out of him.”

“Oh you-” she began, before cutting herself off and scowling at me.

We then broke into a barrel of laughs, cackling to ourselves like idiots. She then brought up the comment about Twilight, asking why I had so specifically brought up a My Little Pony character.

“First thing that popped into my head.” I lied, still giggling.

Tutting, she rolled her eyes and began lightly caressing the bruises and red marks across my body. In seconds I was covered in goosebumps, and it wasn’t because of the cold. Feeling her fingertips trace around me sent shivers down my spine, and with a nervous gulp, I looked her in the eyes.

“Bunnie, I…”

Trailing off, I couldn’t say it. I felt like an idiot for even thinking it, for how on Earth could I possibly tell someone that I loved them after just forty-eight hours of meeting them? Yes, I was very much a ‘love at first sight’ kind of guy, and by the sounds of things, so was she, but I had to be real with myself. This wasn’t a Disney film; she was no princess, nor was I any sort of Prince Charming, and to imagine we were was nothing short of a childish fantasy.

And then…

“You’re saying it with your eyes.” she told me, knowing exactly what thoughts dwelled on my mind.

“Oh.” I said quietly, looking away, “Whoops.”

Smirking, Bunnie did the same thing as before, placing a finger beneath my chin and steering me back towards her, where in the low light of the damp cell, her eyes faintly flickered with an answer. My heart fluttered, and for a good few seconds, I forgot how to breathe. And just in case her eyes weren’t enough for me, she emphasised her reply with her lips, without uttering so much as a word.

I didn’t freeze this time as she planted them against mine, instead I pushed back, taking her face with one of my hands and humming softly. The other hand slid around her back and took gentle hold, pulling her into me and deepening the kiss. Her lips moved against mine with nary a shred of experience, and so together we learned, teaching ourselves what it meant to share in such a tender moment of intimacy.

How strange it was, that in a moment where I felt so whole and imbued with strength, did I also feel so vulnerable and delicate, as though so much as a light breeze could send me floor-bound. My heart pounded like never before and my throat tightened, and although my eyes were closed, my vision was dotted with stars.

It had been about a minute or so, and neither one of us wanted it to stop. Losing ourselves entirely, the frigid prison cell faded away as we were transported to a warm little hovel in some faraway place, where the atrocities around us no longer existed. The heat from her ruby cheeks felt like a furnace, and before long, the winter’s cold was as unimportant to us as the long-dead stars from aeons past.

Such bliss was then stolen from us, as the second of Paulo’s men arrived. Pulling away, Bunnie asked if I was going to be okay, to which I smiled wider than ever before.

“After that kiss? I’m bulletproof, baby.”

Looking away and huffing with amusement, Bunnie retreated to the back of the cell, just as the door was unlocked…


Two more guards came and went, and I was beginning to feel light-headed. Poor Bunnie was struggling to endure the spectacle, but with the strength provided by our newfound love, she was able to stomach it, while I took every blow with pride. At the end of the day, their fists paled in comparison to what Inigo had done to me, so unless they planned on getting out a truck battery and a paddling pool, their beatings would barely break me. The next guard to enter was the Russian bloke from before, and as he demanded information concerning Hoyt Volker, I decided to take him for a ride.

“I don’t know about any Hoyt, but if you share some of your vodka with me, I’ll happily tell you all about the Holy Titans of Harmony. You do have vodka, don’t you? Or is that just me relying too hard on regional stereotypes?”

His answer came in the form of a fist, catching me in the face and sending my head swinging around. My poor left cheek was almost the size of an apple at this point, and with my eyesight slightly blurred, I looked back to the man and shrugged.

“No vodka then… Shame, I could really use a drink.”

“Who you are?” the man ordered.

“It’s who are you,” I corrected, “and you already know that, I’m Bruce Harding.”

“Who… are you really?”

Impressed that he had actually taken my education to heart, I couldn’t help but smile as I gave my answer.

“An innocent man, guilty of no crime. Well, actually… I did sneak onto a plane once without a boarding pass, but I don’t think you’re interrogating me for that, are you?”

Losing his temper, Paulo’s guard reached into his back pocket and retrieved a brass knuckle duster.

“Tell me who you are and what Hoyt is planning, or I break your face.”

“Counterpoint…” I uttered after kissing my teeth, “Am I bovvered?”

Furrowing his brow, the man tilted his head.

“What?”

“Am I really bovvered though?”

“I do not understand.”

“Am… I… bovvered?” I repeated slowly, firing up my old Lauren Cooper act, “I’m arksing you a question, can’t I just arks you a question? I’m just arksing if you fink I’m bovvered, ‘cos you’re acting like I’m bovvered but I really ain’t bovvered though!”

At that, Bunnie cupped her mouth and let out a drawn-out hiss, clearly trying to stifle a laugh. The Russian was far less amused, as he slipped on the knuckle duster and delivered his first blow. It caught me in the mouth, splitting open my upper lip and sending a spray of blood to my right. Falling to the floor and letting my mouth hang open, I blinked rapidly in shock. I wasn’t at all expecting it to hurt so intensely; unlike the blunt pain from bare fists, the cold brass left an impact that was equal parts sharp, stinging, and scorching. However, for all the pain it caused me, my concern lay with the simple notion that I didn’t want it to permanently damage my face. I cared very little for what scars should grace my body over the course of my life, but my face? My face, I liked, and if the knuckle duster was at all to change that fact, there would be hell to pay.

“I swear, if you chip a tooth, I will spread you across every inch of this cell…” I growled under my breath.

Getting back up, I looked at the bastard and narrowed my eyes.

“Thank you sir, may I please have another?”

He was all too eager to grant the request, this time catching me just above my right eye. Unlike the beatings before this, which had been solely in an attempt to gain information, this one was different. The Russian wasn’t pulling his punches like the others, something made infinitely worse by the knuckle duster.

He was enjoying this.

Another strike found me, followed by another, and then another. I was cast to and fro, but I remained calm throughout, placing my now-spinning mind above the pain. Each hit sought to let blood, and more often than not did they succeed, and as the seconds became minutes, the room started to blur and sway.

{You need to tell him something.} Conscio advised, {Otherwise he’ll keep going.}

{But Paulo told his men-}

{Does it look like he gives a shite what Paulo said?} he snapped, {You need to cough up something real, or Joseph fucking Stalin here is going to turn you into a bloody paste!}

“No…” I mumbled aloud, too out of it to continue speaking in thought, “If I do that, he’ll just know there’s more to say, and then he won’t stop. We stay the course.”

From the man’s perspective, and Bunnie’s too for that matter, I was simply rambling to myself as I approached delirium from all the blunt trauma, and it would be the thing that saved me. Not wishing to overstep his bounds any further, the Russian finally yielded, giving me one last kick to the chest that sent me sprawling onto my back. He then wiped my blood from his hands and left the cell without another word, embittered by his inability to make me squawk. Remaining unmoving, I looked up at the swirling ceiling and breathed sluggishly. Bunnie then came to my side, finally falling apart and breaking into a sob. My weary eyes drifted to look at her, and despite the excruciating pain, I raised my lips into a goofy, albeit bloodstained smile.

“Am I still pretty, Bun-Bun?”

Laughing through the tears, Bunnie told me that I was the prettiest, though I wasn’t to expect a kiss any time soon. Shrugging, I told her that was fair, and continued to lie there and slowly recover. My mouth throbbed, and as I felt around with my tongue, I found exactly what I had hoped not to find; a broken tooth.

{Oh you bastard…} I thought angrily.

It was my first molar, on the left-hand side. It wobbled against my tongue and one side of it was completely broken away. Needless to say I was furious, but there was little I could do about it right now. Going limp, I forwent the anger and allowed Bunnie’s presence to calm me. She cradled my head in her lap, and for all the agony I was in, I remained in paradise as her fingers combed through my hair, lightly massaging my scalp in a bid to provide comfort.

“Ooh, that’s nice…” I sighed.

“Something my mum used to do.” Bunnie replied, still sniffling.

“Hmm, I like Bunnie mumma. Head rubbies are friendship…”

Though my slurring high-pitched sentiment brought forth a chuckle from her, Bunnie was also very rightly concerned, upon realising just how close I was to losing consciousness.

“Callie, you can’t take another beating like this…”

“Uhh, what did you just call me?”

“A nickname, ever heard of one?” she retorted, copying my words from yesterday.

“I have actually, for the longest time I was called ‘the human’, which wasn’t the nicest of nicknames, but hey, what’re you gonna do about it, you know?”

Struggling to understand me, Bunnie fell silent, playing with my hair and crying whenever she glanced down at my swollen, battered face. She kept me steady for as long as she could, until eventually, another guard came. Utterly broken in spirit, she couldn’t bear to witness, choosing instead to curl up in a ball and place her hands over her ears.

“Well, back into the fray…” I groaned, getting to my knees.

The door opened, and the blurry form of a man stepped towards me. He appeared to be carrying something in his hands, and as he came into focus, I raised my bloodied lips into a snarl.

“Here for sloppy seconds, Froggie?” I sneered.

“Oh, mon rosbif, I think you’ve had quite enough for today, no?”

Smiling, the Frenchman handed the bundle he was carrying to me. It was my Militia uniform, complete with the Sparklight still in the puffer jacket’s inner pocket; the only thing lacking was the boots. Blinking slowly, I tried to piece together what crude trickery this was, which was when he clarified the situation for me.

“Did you think you were all alone, mon ami? Monsieur Volker always has more than one serpent in the garden, tu comprennes?”

Had they not been so swollen, I would have widened my eyes. Raising my brow instead, I slowly parted my mouth, as I came to the understanding that this was Hoyt’s mole.

“Wait, you work for Hoyt as well?” I asked.

“Oui.” he confirmed, taking a little bow, “Monsieur Volker has had me working here for the past few years, protecting that stupid man like a bien petit chien de garde.”

“Oh, well thank fuck for that.” I droned, “I was just one more beating away from my head falling open.”

“If only you had that longbow, eh?”

Laughing, I got dressed, while the man explained himself further, confirming my suspicions about the loyalty between Hoyt and his men. He told me that it was in his best interest to get me out of here, as with my cover blown, it would only be a matter of time before they broke me, and then Hoyt’s plans would be at risk.

“Makes sense.” I agreed, “Any suggestions?”

“I will think on this matter.” he murmured, “I just wanted to come let you know we’re on the same side. Oh, and I’m sorry for the beating earlier, I couldn’t have that cocksucking Russian getting suspicious.”

“Understood, don’t worry about it.” I grunted, “Honestly, I’m just annoyed you’re French.”

“The feeling is mutual, mon ami. Of all the people Monsieur Volker had to send here, why an Englishman, uh?”

“Because we’re amazing.”

The man laughed at that, before extending his hand for me to shake.

“Well, Monsieur ‘Amazing’, allow me to properly introduce myself. I am Maxim Clément, a friend.”

Taking the hand, I dipped my head to him and repeated the name.

“Maxim. Glad to have you on my side.”

“Get some sleep.” he instructed, “I will tell the others you are too damaged for further questioning.”

“Much appreciated.” I huffed.

Dipping his head, Maxim promised that he would return in the morning with food and drink for me, and then promptly left the cell. With the abuse finally over, I hung my head and took a long shaky breath, but before I could fall apart entirely, Bunnie came over to collect me, holding back tears of her own.

“So, no more beatings?” she asked.

“No more beatings…” I confirmed.

She let out a great sigh of relief and hugged me tightly, causing me to yelp with pain.

“Oh fuck, I’m so sorry!” she gasped.

“Mmn, it’s fine…” I groaned, before smirking at her, “But also… ow!”

Realising that I wasn’t angry, she chuckled awkwardly and apologised for a second time. She then helped me over to the back of the cell, where I collapsed to my knees and sank into Bunnie’s embrace. She held me as gently as possible, lightly caressing my skin, until the exhaustion from such a harrowing day enveloped the both of us. Slowly but surely the pain died down, and we drifted off in one another’s arms.


Through excruciating pain and cold-blooded malice, I had endured.
And through love-fuelled passion, and force of will, I always would.



I was bulletproof, baby.





> Chapter Nine: Of Muses, Misery, and Magic
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





I woke to find Bunnie still fast asleep, though she shivered faintly. It was cold enough to see my breath on the air, and with my best efforts not to wake the girl, I took off the puffer jacket and draped it over her. My head was still woozy and the pain was utterly dreadful, but thankfully the swelling in my face had gone down. Taking out the Sparklight, I turned it on to check for messages, only to find nothing at all. Had something happened? Surely Twilight would have said something by now? Had I been alone, I would have tried to call her, but for the sake of not complicating matters, I simply turned it back off and hoped for the best.

A little while passed, when finally I heard the prison door open, followed by approaching footsteps. Quickly waking Bunnie and letting her know someone was coming, I took back the jacket and moved away from her just as the door was unbolted. It swung open, and in stepped my newfound ally, carrying the promised food and drink. It wasn’t much, only a small flask of water and a hunk of bread, but it would suffice for now.

“Sleep well, mon rosbif?” he asked.

“Like a corpse.” I muttered, “Thanks for the water.”

“But of course.”

He then gave me a damp cloth for my injuries, along with an update concerning my captivity. Supposedly, Paulo planned to move me to his private quarters in the manor, for he wished to interrogate me personally after his men failed to get any information from me last night.

“Paulo is awfully fond of torture.” Maxim warned me, “I fear you may not endure it.”

“You’d be surprised.” I clapped back, “Have you thought up how to get me out of here yet?”

Shaking his head, Maxim professed that he was still thinking on that matter. At that, I decided to give him a little nudge.

“What if I defected to that rival cartel, the Blood Family? Hoyt said something about having an employee over in that department, think you could pull some strings for me?”

“Ahh, Rahim!” he exclaimed, “Yes, I know him. That is a good idea, mon ami. If they know you mean to betray Paulo, they’ll happily take you on as one of their own. Why spill Hoyt’s secrets to Paulo, when you can spill Paulo’s secrets to the Blood Family, no?”

“My thoughts exactly.” I concurred.

“Hmm, very well.” he said with a nod, “Give me a few days to pull these strings, yes? You think you can keep your mouth closed until then?”

“I’ll die before I talk, and I don’t plan on dying, so yes.”

Nodding for a second time, Maxim told me that he would find a way to speak with me again once everything was ready. He then took the flask from me when I had finished drinking, and promptly left the prison. Turning to Bunnie, I gave her the last of my bread, and while she munched away, I pointed out how we would likely be separated soon.

“You’ll come back though, right?” she asked, her face painted with worry.

“Does the Pope shit in the woods?” I replied with a smirk.

“I, uh…” Bunnie started.

“Well he would if he was being chased by a bear.”

Now in a fit of giggles, Bunnie called me a doughnut again. We then held each other while we waited for my inevitable departure, which came in the form of Paulo himself, joined this time by two of his guards. Thanks to his company, he was unable to greet me with kindness, and simply eyed me up and down with distaste.

“Have a pleasant night, traitor?”

“The finest.” I spat in reply.

Snapping his fingers, Paulo ordered his guards to seize me. They did just so, and I was forced out of the cell and into the prison’s narrow corridor. Before joining us, Paulo went up to his daughter and asked if she had enjoyed the show. She responded by baring her teeth at him, to which he raised the back of his hand to her in warning.

“You’ll be next if you are not careful.” he growled.

Turning away, he left the cell and bolted it shut, and with a simple jerk of his head, his men marched me out the building. The first thing I saw was a white blanket across the ground, indicating that it had snowed last night; it was no wonder the prison had been so cold.

“Oh jeez that’s nippy!” I bleated as my bare feet took their first steps outside.

“Walk.” one of the guards spat.

“But it’s so cold!” I squealed reluctantly as he pushed me further outside.

“Walk!” he said again, louder this time.

Turning back to look at the man, I pouted my lips and batted my eyes at him.

“Carry me, senpai?” I asked in a girly, seductive tone.

He responded by punching me in the face, which given my childishness was wholly deserved. My split lip ruptured open again and sent droplets of blood scattering across the ground.

“Now look what you’ve done, you’ve made red snow!” I scolded, “I’ve heard you shouldn’t eat that stuff, or was that yellow snow?”

Just behind the guards, I saw Paulo glaring at me intensely, his jaw clenched and his eyes wide. However, as I saw the corners of his lips spasming faintly, it dawned on me that he wasn’t angry, not at all.

He was trying not to laugh.

Smirking at him, I allowed his men to grab me once more and continue escorting me through the gardens and back to the manor. I was brought through the main office, where we went through a new set of doors, leading to Mister Escuella’s personal quarters.

{Holy shit…} Conscio muttered, {Man’s got a whole other house in his house!}

He wasn’t exaggerating either, for Paulo’s quarters were enormous. There was a fireplace on one side, complete with a fur rug and two sitting chairs in front of it. The en suite bathroom was twice the size of my one, and at one side was a mighty super king-sized bed, where I spotted poor Dijla looking on with confusion, her wrists bound in a black nylon rope that was fastened to one of the bed posts.

My hands were then bound in a similar fashion, and Paulo sent his men away, assuring them he could deal with me on his own. They obeyed without question, and as soon as they were gone, the man untied me again and completely transformed.

“Oh Bruce, my dear boy… I did tell them not to be so rough with you.”

“Yeah, well Russia’s greatest love machine didn’t get the memo.” I grunted, rolling my eyes.

“This was Sergei’s doing?”

“I mean, if Sergei’s the grumpy Vladimir Kikashkov wannabe, then yes.”

Narrowing his eyes, he said the Russian would be reprimanded for his actions. Feeling my broken tooth with my tongue, I requested to oversee the punishment personally, something Paulo was all too happy to acquiesce. He then led me to one of his living room chairs and sat me down, where I hummed merrily at the feeling of something soft beneath me. Paulo meanwhile, went over to a chest of drawers and opened it up, removing a bottle of scotch and two of his skull-shaped shot glasses.

{That’s going to sting your lips like a bitch.} Connie warned me.

{Don’t care. Need alco-ma-hol.} I thought back to him bluntly.

Filling each glass to the brim and passing one to me, Paulo sat in the adjacent chair and asked if I had been able to learn anything from his guards.

“Eh nothing much.” I replied, “Only who your mole is.”

Gasping, the man practically leapt from his chair, with a shocked expression that was almost cartoon in nature, for every aspect of his face, from forehead to chin, was now strained to its fullest.

“Alright-alright, sit down and grab your balls, because I’ve got something even better than that.” I hinted.

Full of excitement, the man took the request literally, cupping his crotch with a hand while he eagerly awaited my revelation. I took a sip first, both as a pause for dramatic effect, and because I was desperate for alcohol in my system.

{Holy FUCK that stings!} I shrieked internally, {OW!}

{Hehe… Told you, lad.}

Remaining composed, I swallowed the scorching fluid and looked at Paulo head on, narrowing my eyes and telling him exactly what he had been hoping to hear.

“In a few days, I’ll be getting shipped off to the Blood Family as a defector, and if you ask me nicely, I just might kill every last one of them.”

At that, Paulo threw his hands in the air, sending scotch all over the floor beside him. Overjoyed, he demanded every shred of detail, to which I indulged him. I gave him the name of his mole, and explained that if we kept Maxim alive for just a few more days, he would work with a fellow mole in the Blood Family named Rahim to orchestrate my relocation.

About as infatuated with me as I was with his daughter, Paulo let out a satisfied sigh.

“Bruce, my dear boy… you are a diamond! Very well, Maxim will keep his head for a few more days. You on the other hand have proved yourself to me, and put your bold words into action, and for that, I am in your debt. Though my guards will believe you are being tortured, I can assure you there will be no such thing. You will be left in your room to recover in peace, and I will have Dijla bring you food and drink.”

“Sounds like a plan.” I replied, respectfully dipping my head.

Paulo then went to pour himself another drink, and asked if there was anything he could provide until then.

“You have suffered and bled for me, and now you are to rid me of my rivals, so please, name your price!” he shouted after downing a shot, “Painkillers for those wounds? Some morphine perhaps? How about a slave girl to suck you off tonight? Free of charge, of course…”

After taking another excruciating sip from my own drink, I raised an eyebrow and spoke calmly.

“You know precisely what I want.”

Stiffening, Paulo put his glass down and stared at me. His face remained blank, but his eyes told a far more turbulent story, one rife with inner conflict. The absolute gall of his new young-blood deputy, to yet again demand his own flesh and blood as a prize, and before completing both assignments at that! Paulo had killed men for less, and yet, catching Hoyt’s mole within the space of a day had proved to him just how truly valuable I was. He needed me if his failing cartel was to survive, and we both knew it. As such, my price was a fair one. Regardless, he proceeded with caution, clinging desperately to his authority.

“You mean to ask if my traitor of a daughter can live inside my home? And what makes you think she deserves such luxury?”

“As of now, she doesn’t.” I replied, “But you’ll be pleased to know that I was right.”

Frowning, Paulo cocked his head, to which I beckoned him closer. Glancing at Dijla in the background and narrowing my eyes, I chose to speak in a low, hushed tone.

“After the first few beatings, she spoke to me.” I told him, “She wanted to know what I had done to deserve such treatment. I told her a little story, all about how I didn’t really want to be here, that I was just following orders to stay alive. She lapped it up, and now she feels sorry for me and wants to be my friend. I said that she could trust me, and that I would keep her safe… and she believed me.”

Pulling away and looking at me with wide eyes, Paulo realised that I had succeeded on two fronts last night. Not only had his mole been found, but there was now a feasible way to control his daughter. His tone began to shift, and it became clear that he was on the precipice of granting my request.

“Now, if I’m very careful,” I went on, “I think I may have a chance at winning the girl’s heart, and then it’s as good as yours. The way I see it, this works for both of us, so why work for her affection, when I could cultivate it for you?”

At that, Paulo’s lips slowly puckered as he thought about it. He thought long and hard, and after taking a large swig from his glass, he squinted at me and gave his answer.

“These winter nights are cold…” he spoke, his tone, deep and rumbling.

He then closed his eyes, needing one last moment of reflection before making his decree.

“My daughter shall warm your bed. The girl is yours.”

There it was, at last…
Between now and putting this bastard in the ground, Bunnie was officially my property, and aside from my upcoming time in the Blood Family, I would be able to guarantee her safety. From behind Paulo, I spotted Dijla, slowly craning her neck and relaxing her shoulders with evident relief, well aware of how cold the prisons were out there. Even from the other side of Paulo’s gargantuan quarters, I saw the trust in her eyes, and the silent thanks that came with it.

“She is to be confined to your room until I say otherwise.” he clarified, “If she is seen anywhere else, I will have her returned to the prison, is that clear?”

“Crystal clear.” I answered, raising my glass to him, “Thank you Paulo, I’m humbled by your generosity.”

“Oh pull your tongue out of my asshole!” he barked with a snarl, “Just make sure you don’t fail in your second assignment, or the deal is off. Do you understand?”

“Yes sir.” I said quietly, dipping my head.

“Good.” he grumbled, before finishing his drink and standing up.

I got up as well, and Paulo proceeded to put a hand on my shoulder.

“I wish to take a walk in my gardens now, and my guards will follow, giving you a clear path to your room. Go there and rest for as long as you need. I will have Dijla bring you food and drink later, and permitting I do not change my mind, Bunnie will be brought to you this evening.”

“Very good, sir.” I told him, “And again, thank you.”

At that, he turned his head to one side and cocked an eyebrow.

“Spare your grace, it is as you say, this works for both of us, does it not? I would be remiss to pass on this opportunity, even a man of my position can admit this.”

He then batted the air with the back of his hand, dismissing the sentiment between us.

“Enough talk. You will take the rest you have earned, and I will see you in the coming days I am sure. The new year will be upon us soon, and if you are feeling well enough by then, I would very much like to dine with you.”

“Looking forward to it.” I said, finishing my drink.

I then shook Paulo’s hand, and he promptly left the room to lure his guards away. Dijla and I then exchanged a silent look to one another, knowing there was little to be said for now. Even so, she dipped her head to me in thanks, and I dipped mine in turn, assuring her that for all the merriment between me and Paulo, my vow to kill him remained no less sincere.

Be it days from now, or weeks, the man would die by my hand.


Successfully reaching my bedroom unseen, I stumbled inside, where I stripped down to just my trousers and collapsed onto the bed for a much-needed rest. My body ached tremendously, and now that I was alone, I could drop the act; getting beaten and questioned had been nothing short of traumatising, leaving me as emotionally damaged as I had been physically. With no one but Conscio as my witness, I clamped my eyes shut and allowed my guard to fall. Almost immediately I burst into tears, and for a good while I just lay there, weeping to myself, until I finally settled back down and went to sleep.

As the real world fell away, I had more strange dreams of that unicorn, fighting in a mighty war against griffons and minotaurs alike. This time however, things felt different, as for the first time, I knew that I was dreaming. From the very first griffon I cut down with my glowing crystal blade, I knew how this all ended. I would kill so many foes that their bodies would form a mountain, atop which I would take my own life in front of the Titans’ Orb, but not before turning to my beloved Princess Celestia and speaking the words which I always spoke.

‘Lest not abhor, he who brings me back to you. But love him rather, as you once loved me…’

Knowing it always ended this way, I dropped my weapon and turned from the battle, using my newfound lucidity as a means of escape. My fellow ponies stared at me, bewildered and aghast at the sight of their greatest warrior fleeing the battlefield. They shrieked and shouted at me, begging me to return, though I did not heed them. All hell broke loose, with my companions breaking formation and scattering like the wind. The unicorns relented their offensive and dispelled their shields, with the strongest among them teleporting away. The pegasi ascended to the clouds, only to be intercepted by griffon archers, where they were riddled with a hail of arrows. Their bodies fell like hailstones, leaving none to wage on but the earth ponies, who with unquestionable bravery, fought to the bitter end. Now outnumbered and without morale, they didn’t stand a chance, meeting a swift end to the minotaurs’ axes, hammers, and horns.

It was a massacre.

To think that one pony could influence the outcome of a battle so great… Twilight’s hypothesis was wrong, I wasn’t just some nameless soldier, I was seeing the memories of someone very important. I cast my mind back as I ran, thinking to the conversation I had in Pripyat. Twilight had mentioned a heroic figure, a Champion, venerated by the Titans themselves to wield a holy blade in their name, and serve as the protector of the realm. For every time I had experienced this dream, I had fought with a sword, a glowing shard of moonlight that cut through flesh and steel alike. That alone was enough to tell me who I was; I was experiencing the memories of the Titans’ Champion.

Onward I galloped, until the dying screams were long behind me, and I could no longer smell the smoke, blood, bile, and filth that came with battle. I didn’t know where I was going, but my heart told me it was the right way. Time seemed to speed up, and in just a few minutes, I had walked for days, until I found myself standing in the decrepit ruins of a small village. Every building had been long-ruined by flame, and was now overgrown with vegetation. Feeling compelled to enter one of them, I stepped into an open room to find the skeleton of a unicorn. Behind it, far in the corner, was a large mirror, though it was clearly no ordinary one. In this dream, I was a stallion, and even now, looking down, I was met by a pair of icy pale blue hooves. And yet in the mirror, I saw the reflection of my human self, exactly as I had been before I had fallen asleep.

“That’s fucking weird…” I murmured.

Narrowing my eyes, I studied my reflection, which was when I spotted a dark form entering the room. I whipped around defensively, only to be met by nothing at all, but as I looked back at the reflection, my blood ran cold upon spotting none other than Nah’Lek the Defiler, towering over me.

Instinctively I tried to buck at him, only to be grabbed by the neck and forced down into the floor. I tried to teleport away, but before I could do anything, Nah’Lek seized my horn with a claw, and clamped down until it cracked. From my mouth came a bellowing scream that shook the room, and with a thunderous bang, the magic in my forehead ruptured, sending a blast of energy in all directions. I was then lifted up and thrown with enough force to smash through the brittle wall of the ruined house, and I tumbled into the dirt outside.

The Defiler then emerged through the front door, and from the inky haze came an eldritch-looking staff. He pointed it at me, and from the tip came forth a torrent of sickly green energy. Unable to evade in time, I was struck by the substance, and as it seeped into my body and spread through my system, I immediately began to feel its effects. The blood in my veins began to boil and thicken, and my organs twisted and turned inside me, while my crumbling mind became wreathed in an undying rage that burned like hellfire.

It was the demon magic, and I realised that just like the mutants in Pripyat, and the malformed trees in the Frozen Forest, I was undergoing a metamorphosis, transforming into something new, something awful. Nah’Lek then approached me and gripped me by the throat, hoisting me into the air while my body underwent these changes.

“What have you done to me!?” I spluttered, my voice low and raspy.

“I have improved you.” he replied, “As all are improved, when they are bestowed with the gift…”

He paused to bring me closer to him, until I could just about see the shape of his face through the smoke. Shuddering, I was met by a set of gigantic mandibles, clicking with delight as he finished his sentence.

“… of the Fel.”

Squeezing tightly, his claws broke through the skin and began to crush my neck. There was a number of sharp, agonising crunches, followed by a snap that sent my head rolling backwards, at which point I lost all sensation below my jaw. Now paralysed and unable to breathe, Nah’Lek cast me away to die, and as the world plunged into darkness, the last thing I could comprehend was that name.

The Fel.





My eyes flared open and I sat up with a gasp, which sent waves of agony through my body. Realising that I was still battered and bruised, I let out a groan and slowed right down. With a weary sigh, I pondered on the dream, more puzzled than ever. None of it made sense, except for one thing.

“The Fel…” I muttered.

I had heard that name before, but with a shake of my head, I couldn’t quite believe it to be true. Such a thing did not exist, it was a work of fiction, pertaining to the Warcraft games I used to play on my laptop, along with the globally popular World of Warcraft. However, as I thought about it, the parallels were too convincing to deny.

The Fel was a destructive, entropic, and extremely volatile energy, and just as Twilight knew it in her world, it was often referred to as demon magic. An emerald green in colour, the stuff was the very antithesis of mana, and fed upon life itself. It infected those who came into contact with it, with the effects being vast and unpredictable. Some were simply killed, drained of their life force until death, while others were bestowed with great power, at the price of twisting their mind and flesh, undergoing a process known as demonification. As the name alluded to, they would become like demons, warping into hateful, vicious, malformed echoes of their former selves.

This was precisely what I had seen in Pripyat, with the zomrads being depleted of all but a flickering whisper of their vitality, left to wander the city as maddened, hollowed-out husks. And on the faintly green-tinted mist, I had sensed the Fel’s very aspect, for beyond the bitter scent, I had perceived the unspoken demand to feed. Shuddering, it dawned on me that if it hadn’t been for Twilight’s Blightward spell, the three of us would have been infected, and who knows what would have happened to us then?

The mutant queen we had fought served as further evidence, for she had transcended far beyond her mortal form. From the spiralling black horns to the glowing red eyes, she had reached the final stage of her transformation, becoming the very thing that belonged in story books and age-old beliefs.

A demon.

Gulping, I sat there, completely shell-shocked by this revelation. Though in hindsight, I supposed it wasn’t something to be entirely astonished by; if the world of My Little Pony was real, then was it truly so wild that other fictional realms existed as well? However, if the Fel was real, then Nah’Lek was in possession of a force more dangerous than any of us could possibly comprehend. If left unchecked, the Fel was a planet killer, and if the Titans’ Orb wasn’t returned to Equus before the Defiler unleashed it, then not even the Princesses, nor the Elements of Harmony would be able to stop it.


A blunt pain shook me from my thoughts, and gritting my teeth, I looked down at my body to see just how many bruises had formed from all the beatings. It was then that Conscio pointed something out, something that was deeply, deeply troubling.

{Um, is it just me, or are they a bit… glowy?}

Focusing, I realised that the bruises were indeed, glowing. It was very subtle, no different to how glow-in-the-dark toys would emit a dull luminance after prolonged exposure to light. However, faint as it was, glowing bruises weren’t exactly normal, and so I scrambled to grab the Sparklight. Turning it on, I pressed my thumb against the fingerprint reader to fire up the BioScan app. The phone’s battery then dropped by a small amount, as it deployed Twilight’s modified monitoring spell and scanned me.

“Hungry and thirsty, well that part’s right.” I muttered while the application did its thing.

As it completed the operation, I was hardly surprised to see that it had detected multiple contusions and areas of severe inflammation. The shocking part was the indication of an unrecognised foreign body, which was spread throughout my system. Without a name, the three question marks were shown as a possible threat, with a higher concentration of the stuff around my damaged tissue.

{Well that’s concerning.} said Conscio.

“You think?” I scoffed in reply.

I then started to feel rather peculiar, as though I had just eaten something spicy. My skin started to sweat, and I felt a heat in my belly not unlike heartburn. Putting the phone down and heading to the en suite, I ran the cold tap and had a drink of water. It barely helped at all, and upon looking down at my hands, I realised just how much they were trembling.

“Connie, what’s happening to me?” I asked, my voice cracking with fear.

{I don’t know.} he admitted, {But panicking won’t help, so try to remain calm, yeah?}

“I am being fucking calm!” I snapped, clenching my fists.

With how viciously I had said it, it dawned on me just how angry I was feeling, and with the recent topic of the Fel in mind, I couldn’t help but wonder. With a nervous gulp, I checked my face in the mirror and realised just how green my irises were. Of course, they always had been green, paired with a faint ring of hazel around the pupil, but even so, they were practically emerald, and much like my bruises, they carried an unnatural shimmer to them.

{Callum…} Conscio began, {You do realise what this means, right?}

“Yup.” I replied, well aware of the situation, “We’re infected.”

{But how did we come into contact with it?}

“The dream, maybe?”

{Must’ve been.} he agreed.

The warmth in my belly grew stronger, and yet, I found myself feeling… unbothered.

{You need to call Twilight.} said Conscio, {If you’ve been poisoned by the Fel, she needs to know.}

“What’s the point?” I muttered, “She’s miles away, and if this really is the Fel, then there’s fuck-all she can do about it.”

{You’re not giving up, are you?}

Not replying, I closed my eyes as a sense of hopelessness washed over me. A weighty darkness then started to emanate from within my mind, and I realised that on top of this horrifying development, I was now also suffering from a depressive episode. Conscio then spoke with more emotion than ever before, urgently begging me to get the Sparklight and call Twilight, but by the time I had left the en suite, I barely had the strength to take another step. Losing all drive to fight, I sank to my knees and slumped against the side of the bed, and despite the terrifying danger I was in, I found myself sapped of all desire to care.

{Callum please… call Twilight! For fuck’s sake, you cannae give up now!}

Conscio’s pleas fell on deaf ears, at least, until he was practically screaming at me. With my body unmoving, my eyes slowly rolled to look at the phone on the bedside table, and although every rational thought pushed for me to reach over and grab it, I remained motionless all the same. I just couldn’t do it, I just didn’t have it in me. The heat inside my belly grew hotter, and I was now sweating so profusely that it trickled down my skin, and yet I couldn’t do a thing. My body felt like it was full of lead, and in my mind, I had fallen into an endless sea of tar, and the harder I tried to fight it, the deeper I sank. For all the willpower I possessed, and for all the drive I had to save Bunnie, to see the ponies again, and to fulfil my purpose in helping them find the Titans’ Orb, it all paled in the face of this disease.

Why now had it decided to strike me down?

Paired with the demonic energy in my body, and the now-painful twinge in my gut, I couldn’t help but wonder if I was dying. A part of me hoped that I was, that I might finally be rid of all woes, and the undeniable pressure that came with the life I had chosen.

But then a new thought crossed my mind.

I imagined Bunnie, being escorted from the prison and brought to this room, only to find my body slumped here, dead, dying, or perhaps something else entirely. This pain might have been the start of demonification; what if I became a monster, and harmed my newfound love?

The fear of such an outcome was enough to make me fight back. As laggard as a slug, I reached forward to retrieve the Sparklight, and ran another scan. Seconds passed, and as the results were displayed, I frowned at the device, unable to fathom what I was seeing.

{You’re… fighting it off?} Conscio muttered, in just as much disbelief as I was.

Such a thing was impossible, for the Fel corrupted all things. And yet, clear as day, the phone indicated that the substance was going into remission. The pain in my belly started to die down, and the sense of warmth dispersed. The flash-fever broke, and in just a handful of minutes, it was as though I had never been infected at all. Against everything I thought I knew about the Fel, my body had fought it off.

And that wasn’t all.

The BioScan app also indicated that my injuries from the beatings were far less severe, and all it took was a look down to confirm it, for my bruises were now nowhere near as dark as they had once been. It dawned on me that against its very nature, the demon magic had been healing me, repairing my body instead of contaminating it. Come to think of it, Fel healing wasn’t unheard of as far as Warcraft was concerned, but it was limited to a particular brand of magic user known as a warlock, who was someone already under the Fel’s influence, with the knowledge of how to control it.

I was certainly no warlock, but clear as day, I had overcome the Fel’s effects, and as the symptoms lifted, so too did my mood, with strength and motivation returning to me. Rushing to the en suite, I checked the mirror to find the swelling in my face had completely gone down, with my black eye and red blemishes a fair bit fainter. My eyes were back to their normal colour, and with an outward gasp, I began to smile.

“Conscio, we’re okay.” I huffed with relief.

{Aye lad, we are.} he muttered in reply, {But that doesn’t make this any less concerning.}

He was right, whether I had resisted the Fel or not, the fact remained that I had somehow been infected with it in the first place. How it had happened was a mystery that very direly needed solving, because who was to say that I would resist it for a second time? What if the next dose was stronger? I didn’t know about Connie, but I certainly didn’t want to risk becoming a demon.

Picking up the Sparklight, I forewent texting and tried to give Twilight a call. It rang for a good few seconds, and then automatically cut out.

“Well that’s not a good sign.” I muttered.

Trying again, the phone rang for a few seconds more, before the mare finally picked up. At first it was just white noise, before her disgruntled voice finally came through.

“What is it?” she barked.

“Look, I don’t have time for the attitude.” I told her urgently, “Something’s wrong.”

“Wrong?” she echoed.

Taking a deep breath, I tried to start from the beginning.

“I had another one of those crazy dreams again, the one where I’m the unicorn fighting in the Repugnant War. But here’s the thing, it was different this time, and something really fucking weird happened.”

I tried to continue, only for Twilight to cut me off, her tone utterly seething.

“Did you seriously call me just to talk about a damn dream? Here I was thinking you were in some sort of danger.”

“Well, that’s the thing!” I insisted, “In the dream, I got attacked with demon magic, and when I woke up-”

“What did I just say?” she snapped, cutting me off, “I don’t give a shit about your dreams, and I don’t give a shit about you. Whatever existential crisis you’re having, go figure it out. Now don’t ever call me again, unless it’s actually life or death, got it?”

“Wait-wait-wait, Twilight, this is serious!”

It was too late, she had already ended the call. With my mouth falling open, I slammed my fist into the bed with frustration and sounded off with a most unpleasant string of words. I then tried to send her a text in order to properly explain, but before I could do so, there came a knocking at my door.

Getting up, I cautiously went over and opened it up, where I was met by one of Paulo’s Militia soldiers, and standing beside him, with her hands bound, was Bunnie.

“Paulo said to bring the girl here.” the man said after clearing his throat.

Lifting my chin to acknowledge his statement, I took hold of the nylon between Bunnie’s wrists and pulled her into the room. The man watched on with an unmistakable hint of jealousy, envious that someone had finally laid claim to the formerly untouchable oligarch’s daughter.

“You can leave now.” I told him, raising an eyebrow.

Clearing his throat for a second time, he dipped his head and promptly walked away. I then shut the door and turned to look at Bunnie, who just like yesterday, threw herself at me. Squeezing me as tightly as possible, she asked how on earth I had been able to convince Paulo to allow for this.

“I know we established you’re a good manipulator, but this?” she murmured, “How!?”

“What can I say? I’m good at bargaining.” I replied with a shrug.

Pulling away, Bunnie shook her head with amazement, before planting her lips against mine. Though they were still a bit sore from yesterday’s treatment, my bizarre encounter with the Fel had left them almost completely healed. And even if they hadn’t been, the fact Bunnie was kissing me would have been worth the pain. It wasn’t a long kiss, and soon enough Bunnie was demanding to know exactly what my bargain with Paulo had been. Being honest, I told her that the deal was exactly the same as I had explained yesterday. The only difference was that he now knew his daughter had warmed to me, and as such, he wanted to put us together.

“From his perspective, I can now start ‘conditioning’ you into loving him.” I went on, “Obviously I’m not going to, but if you can play along, then it’ll be easier for me to get you and your mum out of here.”

Nodding, she understood, and promised that for as nauseating as it might be for her, she would slowly begin to play up to her dad after my return from the Blood Family.

“Well yeah, it would be suspicious if it was immediate.” I agreed.

Bunnie then spotted the bed, and after god-knows how many nights in a cold cell, she practically fell in love all over again, just not with me. With a skip and a jump, Bunnie landed head-first into the bedding and began to roll around in it. Chuckling, I sat down beside her as she began emitting muffled moans of delight into the duvet.

“Uh, Bun-Bun, you okay there?” I tittered, grinning.

“Mmmmmmmmmmfffpphhh…”

“Interesting.” I hummed, “Care to repeat that in English?”

Rolling over to look at me, she professed that since being abducted and brought to Portugal, she had spent almost every night in that damn cell. This was the first soft bed she had been on in months, and with an empathetic sigh, I flopped down beside her. Propping myself up on one side, I gazed at her as she soaked in the experience for a little longer, before she finally realised that we were alone with each other.

The same thought crossed both our minds, and as we leaned in to kiss each other, we were suddenly interrupted by another knock at the door. We scrambled to our feet, and I feared that it might have been Paulo. I didn’t want him seeing me too chummy with Bunnie just yet, as it might give the game away.

“Who’s there?” I asked cautiously.

“It’s Dijla, I have your food and drink.”

At that, Bunnie’s eyes widened and she pushed me aside, almost sending me off the bed.

“Mum!?” she squealed.

There came a gasp, followed by the door bursting open to reveal Bunnie’s mum. They set eyes on each other, and promptly rushed forward to meet in the middle, diving into one another’s arms. In seconds, they were sobbing, finally reunited after so many harrowing days and weeks apart. It was enough to bring tears to my eyes as well, and I stood there silently as they had their moment.

“Oh my little one!” Dijla sobbed, “Oh, my sweet baby Bunnie…”

Poor Bunnie couldn’t even speak, she just cried and cried, while Dijla swathed her beloved child in a most tender embrace, one that had been vastly long overdue.

“Oh Bunnie, it’s okay… It’s okay, I’ve got you…”

Until now, Bunnie had been good at underplaying just how traumatised she was. From all the dark jokes to outright killing one of Paulo’s Militia, she had done well to portray herself as a strong character, hardened by her situation. But deep down, she was just a terrified little girl in dire need of her mum, and now, they had at last been reunited.

After a good few minutes of weeping uncontrollably, Bunnie began to calm down, and Dijla even brought me in for a hug me as well, thanking me profusely for allowing this moment to happen. I of course, protested the praise, insisting that I was just doing my part. She then presented me with my evening meal, which she had left by the door. It was a meaty rice dish of sorts, topped with slices of chorizo, and upon asking what it was, I came to learn that it was called Arroz de Pato.

“He also insisted on you having this.”

My eyes widened slightly upon receiving a very large bottle of spiced rum. Considering I had told Paulo that he owed me a drink, this was without a doubt his way of honouring that.

“Just… don’t drink it all in one night.”

“All that?” I scoffed, “I may be a heavyweight Dijla, but I’m still bloody mortal!”

{Speak for yourself.} Conscio chuckled, {Come on, let’s get wasted.}

{Absolutely not.} I clapped back in thought.

Accepting both food and drink, I placed them by the bed and thanked Dijla for stopping by, if for nothing else, to finally see Bunnie again. Smiling warmly, she said the pleasure was most certainly all hers, and after one more emotional cuddle with her baby girl, the woman left the room, knowing that Bunnie was safe with me.


After the absolute shock of seeing her mum, Bunnie was less affectionate for a while, which made perfect sense; the poor thing had been in a right old state. Still, that wasn’t to say we didn’t revel in each other’s company, it was just in a more platonic manner, talking and laughing over my dinner, which of course, I shared with her. We then cracked into the rum to celebrate getting this far, and although it was very strong for her taste, she soldiered on all the same, downing a fair few swigs of the stuff.

“Your bruises have gone down.” she pointed out, gesturing to my face.

“Yeah, thankfully I’m a quick healer.” I huffed.

Smiling, Bunnie slowly started to bounce back, scooting closer and leaning into me, placing her head against my broad chest. And then, with a gulp, she professed that she was nervous.

“Nervous?” I repeated, “What ever for?”

“Well… um… I just… I…”

She trailed off, but it didn’t take a genius to know what she was referring to. Breaking into an endearing smile, I told her that no such thing needed to transpire tonight.

“Our hearts are already further ahead than they ought to be.” I told her, “Let’s not rush anything else, yeah?”

With a tentative nod, she expressed that she was worried I would be offended, to which I laughed.

“Bunnie, it would take a whole lot more than that to offend me. How about we just cuddle tonight?”

“I’d like that.” she replied, just as her lips started to tremble.

Opening my arms for her, the poor thing started crying again and collapsed into me. Hushing to her softly, I rocked her gently from side to side, until she eventually settled down and wanted some sleep. Despite my nap earlier, I was still utterly knackered, and so there were no arguments on my end. With that, the both of us got ready for bed. She went off to the en suite for a wee, while I stripped down to my trousers; I would have taken those off as well, but given Bunnie’s delicate state, I decided to play it safe. She then came back into the bedroom and gasped, pointing to the crooked vermilion marks across my chest and abdomen.

“I hadn’t really taken in how big those scars are.” she breathed.

“Oh, yeah.” I chuckled awkwardly, “They’re pretty gnarly, aren’t they?”

Shrugging, she said she didn’t mind, even going as far as to say they were quite sexy in her opinion. She then asked where the one on my chest had come from, to which I told her all about my showdown with Inigo Montenegro. Thinking back to that day, I reflected on how Twilight had saved me, using her magic to halt what would have been a killing blow, followed by me plunging Krocsbane deep into Inigo’s belly. I would never forget the terror in his eyes, nor the moment they stopped looking at me, gazing instead into nothingness as his spirit took flight beyond this mortal plane.

The story was a riveting one, and I got a little bit too carried away in my retelling of it.
This was when I made one fatal error.

“We escaped?” Bunnie repeated after me, “Who were you with?”

Gulping, I really ought to have said they were just some fellow captives. Instead, I foolishly tried to cleave the facts to the fiction and told her they were my friends, and that we had all been captured together by Inigo. This then turned into a slew of questions that led to me telling her a great deal more than I should have done.

“They’re the reason I faked my death.” I told her, “They wanted me to come with them, and with how shit my life was, I didn’t see any good reason to say no.”

“You’ve still not told me who they are though.” Bunnie pressed, “What kind of friend asks you to fake your own death? Who are these people? What are their names?”

A sense of dread began to creep along my spine, and as anxiety choked me out of careful words, I answered her with a series of starts and stops. I didn’t know where to draw the line, or how to get out of the hole I had dug myself into. Stupidly, I just kept digging.

“They’re just… some friends I grew up with. They needed someone to protect them, and I couldn’t very well do that while being searched for as a missing person. It was the right thing to do, and despite everything I’ve gone through so far, I know I made the right choice.”

Narrowing her eyes, Bunnie asked where these friends of mine were now.

“They’re here, in Portugal.” I answered faithfully, “We got separated, and I went looking for them. That’s when I bumped into you. And now, until I know you’re safe, you’re the one I’m protecting.”

She knew that I wasn’t telling her the full story, but to my relief, she decided to let it go. Between falling in love, seeing her mum again, eating warm food, and drinking rum, the girl was utterly spent for one day. Prodding my chest with a finger, she told me that this conversation wasn’t over, and with a nervous gulp, I nodded. She then warmed up to me again, kissing me on the cheek and telling me goodnight.

“You missed.” I teased.

Smirking, she put a hand on my cheek and kissed me on the lips. Exhaling through my nose, I wished that I could kiss her forever, and like a stone in my gut, I was struck by the horrid realisation that I had vowed to remain with the ponies, and as such, I would be leaving Bunnie behind. Breaking off the kiss, I offered to hold her, which she was quick to accept. She rolled over and turned off the bedside lamp, and after we both got comfortable, she let me coil my arm around her middle, where I held her with tears in my eyes.

Able to perceive my innermost thoughts, Conscio gave me some assurance, reminding me that I wasn’t leaving Bunnie right now, and that I had a plenty few more days to hold her, kiss her, and love her.

{And even after that, it’s not like you’re giving her up for good.} he muttered on, {Once the girls have the Orb back and scram back to Equus, you can high-tail it straight to Burgess Hill, and boombox Careless Whisper to her from outside her bedroom window.}

{That’s a very fair point.} I thought back to him.

Comforted by his words, I held Bunnie just a little tighter and slowly fell asleep, where I dreamed not of wars, bloodshed, monsters or magic.


But rather, the day my duty was done, and I would come home to my muse.





> Chapter Ten: New Year, New Me
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





The following day was a terribly strange one; the reason being that Bunnie learned the truth about my quest, along with the company of otherworldly visitors I had sworn to defend. It had been an awfully difficult conversation to have without sounding utterly insane, but over an hour’s worth of logical explanation, I had been able to convince her that I wasn’t an absolute lunatic.

From the fact the police had declared me dead at the scene of my murder, to the shocking case of my body disappearing from the morgue, Bunnie realised that there were too many bizarre factors at play for me to be lying about this. She then considered my violent interrogation the other day, and the oddly specific comments I had made, such as the claim that my real boss was a unicorn named Twilight Sparkle.

“So, when you said your nickname was ‘the human’, you were actually being serious?” she huffed in disbelief.

“Yup.” I confirmed, “Let’s just say that Twilight isn’t exactly my biggest fan. We’ve pretty much been at each other’s throats since day one.”

Shaking her head, she could barely take me seriously, and who in their right mind would? Even if she came to believe me, the sheer absurdity of such a tale was enough to leave anyone dumbstruck.

“Callie, you’re talking about My Little Pony characters. If it was aliens I’d be sold, but I just… can’t comprehend this. Like, I believe you, but I don’t believe what you’re saying, if that makes sense?”

“It does, and for the record, I wouldn’t believe me either.” I admitted, “Honestly, I don’t expect you to think I’m telling the truth. This is the kind of shit you need to see to believe, and even then, it’s baffling.”

{You do realise all the evidence you need is sitting on the bedside table?} said Conscio.

Glancing over to it, it dawned on me that he was right. Since the flight to Brazil, I had taken a handful of photos on what was now the Sparklight. Reaching over and picking it up, I warned Bunnie that what she was about to see would blow her mind.

“You did that already when you kissed me.” she scoffed.

“Uh, you kissed me.” I pointed out.

“You kissed me back.”

“Can you blame me?”

Rolling her eyes, Bunnie gave me a little shove and then focused on my phone. Opening up my gallery, I went back to June, and tapped on the very first picture I had ever taken. It had been of the girls in the aeroplane’s cargo hold. I hadn’t been able to sleep, and was listening to music with my earbuds in, and upon seeing the girls collectively napping and nattering amongst themselves, I had taken a sneaky little photo to capture the moment. Bunnie’s eyes widened upon seeing them, and they widened further as I swiped to the screen to the left. The next picture had been in Brazil, where I had taken a few selfies with Fluttershy, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash, on the night I had let them listen to human music.

“Oh… my… god.” said Bunnie.

“Told you.” I replied, smirking at her.

Going through all the other photos, I showed her all there was to see, all the way up until the selfie I had taken with Twilight shortly after the Sparklight’s creation.

“She looks pissed.” Bunnie pointed out.

“As I said, not my biggest fan.” I explained with a grimace.

She asked why, to which I simply explained that it was complicated, and was a story for another day, once there was more alcohol in my system. With a laugh, she said she would hold me to that. Still utterly bewildered, Bunnie kept flicking through the photos until the truth was finally able to sink in. This was when she came to the same realisation I had experienced last night.

“Does this mean… after you help us escape… you’re leaving me?”

With a nervous gulp, I was unable to look her in the eye. This answered her question, and with an outward breath, she lunged forward and clung to me.

“But… Callie!”

“I have to, Bunnie.” I told her, “I was chosen for this, and I can’t let them down. They need me.”

“But… I need you.” she whimpered, burying her head into my neck.

Sighing heavily, I held her close and told her what Conscio had told me last night, that after my quest was over, I would come straight back to her. I would come to Burgess Hill and knock on every door if I had to, and if she would still have me by then, I would be forever hers.

“Of course I’d still have you!” she wept, “I love you!”

She then froze, and so did I. This was the first ‘I love you’ that had been said aloud between us, and as my eyes started to water, I stared at her with my mouth agape.

“Bunnie…”

“I love you,” she repeated, furrowing her brow, “and if you don’t come back, I will hunt you down, and I will force pumpkin-spiced lattes down your throat until you beg me for mercy!”

“That was such a weird fucking thing to say.” I sniffled, shaking my head.

“I know, but I’ll do it anyway!”

Now equal parts crying and laughing, we pressed our lips against each other’s and exchanged one very emotional kiss. This time, the awareness of our limited time together was mutually known, and all it did was fuel our need for one another. The crying stopped, and the kiss deepened, becoming ravenous, and untamed. She moaned and hummed with ardour, and then with little warning, her tongue emerged and brushed against my lower lip; it was an invitation. Taking heed of the tentative hint, I boldly permitted my own tongue to come forward and greet her, which she accepted without hesitation. Panting through her nose, she enveloped my tongue with hers, wrestling it for dominance as she gradually pushed it back to whence it came. We danced like this for some time, and I began to feel light-headed in the best way possible.

I had never imagined that I would kiss someone like this, and for all the salacious fantasies my mind had conjured over the years, I remained wholly unprepared for how it would really feel, and how truly amazing it was. Truth be told, it was quite intimidating, but as I relinquished all thought and allowed my instincts to guide me, it quickly came as naturally to me as it did to take breath into my lungs. The same seemed to be the case for Bunnie, and before long, the two of us yearned for more.

One of her hands started to slide down my chest and towards my belly, but before it could descend any further, we were interrupted by a light rapping at the door. Springing away, the girl shot into the en suite like a jackrabbit, while I let out a most exasperated sigh.

“Who is it?” I called out in a sing-songy voice.

“It’s Dijla.”

Bunnie quickly re-emerged from the bathroom and opened the door, completely foregoing the discourtesy of our moment’s interruption to take glee in seeing her mother again. Almost immediately, the woman could tell what had been going on, simply by gauging from our flustered expressions and cherry-red faces.

“I see you two are… getting along?” she hinted, raising an eyebrow.

Bunnie’s face grew even redder, while I gave a sheepish grin. Seeing the mutuality in the situation, Dijla commented no further, and delivered not only my midday meal, but also, a message.

“One of Paulo’s guards gave me this.” she explained, digging a paper slip from her bosom, “He said it was for your eyes only.”

“Ooh, that’ll be from Maxim.” I muttered, taking it from her.

Opening it up and skimming through it, I was right. The message was from Hoyt’s mole, confirming that the Blood Family were willing to receive me. I was to find a way to escape Paulo’s confinement and head to a certain location in the early hours of Saturday morning, on the second of January.

“Joyous, I’ll have exactly a week to take down the Blood Family and get back to you.” I said to Bunnie.

“Only a week?” she inquired, “How come?”

“Well, I could take longer, but then I wouldn’t get to see you on my birthday.”

At that, Bunnie gasped.

“It’s your birthday soon!?”

Nodding, I clarified that I had been born on the ninth of January. In just a little under a fortnight, I would be turning eighteen, and had I been legally alive, I would officially be an adult. Dijla then very sweetly told me that even now, I was already more of a man than any other in this dreadful place.

“Oh stop it, you’ll make me blush.” I scoffed.

“You were blushing before.” she said bluntly.

Anxiously clearing my throat, I shrugged off the comment and thanked her for bringing me Maxim’s message. Dipping her head, she gave Bunnie another tight hug and then left us with the food she had brought. I went to close the door, which was when she beckoned me for one last word.

“I trust you with my daughter, but if you break her heart, I will make sure there is a piece of you in every country on this planet, do you understand me?”

“Perfectly.” I replied in earnest, remaining as calm as humanly possible.

“Good.”

Smiling warmly, she could tell I was being genuine, and with another dip of her head, she turned around and walked away. Closing the door and locking it again, I faced Bunnie and gulped.

“Well, looks like this is permanent then.”

Craning her neck, she asked what I was talking about, to which I explained with a laugh about what her mother had just said to me. She too, broke into laughter, and with the mood gone, we tucked into the food and then had a nap together.





The next two days were blissful ones, and although Bunnie and I never went all the way, there had certainly been some heavy petting, to say the least. My hands had found themselves in places I had never expected them to be, and I learned in a very small space of time that everything I thought I knew, was laughably incorrect. Quite amusingly, I had ended up being far more nervous than her, to the point where we had agreed to keep the lights off. We ended up preferring it this way, for there was a tantalising sense of impish delight in our sightless endeavours. Even after the embarrassing jitters were out of the way, we continued to explore one another’s bodies in the comfort of darkness, relying not on sight, but rather by touch, and scent… and taste.

It was now the evening of the thirty-first, and the end of the year was nigh. I wanted to spend every second of it with Bunnie, but with all the reluctance in the world, I was expected elsewhere. With Bunnie promising to remain here and wait for me, I set off to join Paulo for a celebratory feast to welcome in the new year.

Pushing open the door, I entered the dining room and spotted him at the table, and upon seeing me, he leapt to his feet and strode towards me.

“Bruce, my dear boy!” he cried out, planting his hands on my shoulders, “You are looking well. Come, sit!”

Guiding me to the table, he asked me how I was feeling as we sat down together. Though I made no remark as to why, I told him that I was feeling right as rain. Pleased to hear it, the man demanded the food and drink be brought out immediately, now that his ‘dear boy’ had arrived. The staff that were present went away, and shortly thereafter, they returned with a most glorious banquet unlike any I had ever seen. My nose was almost overpowered by the smell, and my mouth salivated so heavily that I nearly started to drool. The Christmas leftovers looked like table scraps by comparison, with the dining room table being blanketed from end to end with meats, vegetables, sauces, cheeses, gravies, and so much more.

“This is all for us?” I murmured, gobsmacked.

“Ha! I admire your ambition!” Paulo laughed, “If you’re telling me you can consume all of this, then by God, let no man stop you!”

He then went on to explain that he would often dine with his guards during such a meal, but until this business with Maxim was over and done with, he had sent them away, stating that he wished to dine alone. As for the food before us, we were simply to have the first pickings, and anything we didn’t eat would be given to Paulo’s men later on.

“Fair enough.” I replied, “Oh, and speaking of Maxim, I’ve received word.”

He tilted his head, to which I explained that I had officially been invited into the Blood Family, and would be smuggled there in two days’ time. Clapping his hands, he didn’t even ask how I had received such news, his sole interest lay with the end result in his rival faction’s destruction.

Dishing up some food and pouring himself a glass of wine, he asked what the plan was as far as earning their trust went. This was when once again, Conscio made known his penchant for battle plans. With a degree of arrogance, he formed a course of action in less time than it had taken me to pour my wine. Repeating his every word, I essentially allowed him to use me like a mouthpiece, relaying his stratagem.

“Well, they’ll need to know I have reliable information to prove I’m betraying you. Perhaps we could organise a sale of product, knowing full-well that I would then leak the info to the Blood Family? Let them attack, and steal from you one last time. That way they’ll trust me, and then I can slip into their ranks without a hitch.”

Puckering his lips, Paulo slowly nodded his head, pondering on the idea. Though he was clearly apprehensive to throw away perfectly good product, he knew that it would be worth it in the end.

“Very well.” he grunted, “I will have a sale arranged for some time next week. You will tell the Blood Family about it, and worm your way into their beds.”

“Where I’ll slit their throats while they’re sleeping.” I added.

With a satisfied huff, Paulo tucked in, and I did the same. I served myself a portion of everything on offer, and after a quick sip of wine, I picked up my knife and fork and took my first bite. The flavours flooded my mouth and brought forth a satisfied hum, though in truth, it had been more of a suppressed moan of ecstasy. In spite of the food Dijla had brought to me over the past two days, none of it compared to this; it truly was the meal of all meals.

For a few moments, there was absolute silence, save for the sounds of our chewing and swallowing, and the occasional scrape of our cutlery as it skewered and sliced the mouth-watering sustenance upon our plates. The young servant by the kitchen door looked on, waiting patiently for his next command, and with a pang of regret, it pained me to imagine what he saw.

To this boy, surely no older than myself, the scene before him was not unlike The Feast, a contemporary piece by the lesser-known artist David DeFigueredo, for at the banquet table sat a pair of bloodthirsty pigs in fine clothing. There was an old pig, and a young pig, both of whom shovelled their mouths with food that might as well be flesh, and guzzled their gullets with wine that might as well be blood. Meanwhile, the world around them swelled with pain and suffering at the behest of an infernal machine.

The contrivance in question was of the old pig’s design, wherein narcotics were made, lives were ended, and people were bought and sold like cattle. In the old pig’s prison, the innocent were freezing to death and starving in the cold, while beneath our feet on the manor’s ground floor, women were chained to the walls, beaten, bruised, and defiled. The machine had made playthings of them, warm pockets for ravenous dogs to mount at their leisure, with nary so much as a hint of remorse. This place was a factory of nightmares, and yet, as the young pig witnessed such horrors, he did not tremble. Instead, like the deplorable swine he was, he would sit here and feast with the older hog, wholly uncaring to the suffering his elder had created.

To the servant boy, I was more of a beast than a man, and until I could close Paulo’s eyes and leave this place forever, a beast I would remain, a willing participant to the machine’s injustice. Beckoning the boy over to me, I ordered him to fetch me more wine, and without so much as a word, he obeyed. Paulo huffed with amusement, impressed by the gall I had to command his staff without permission.

“So, my daughter…” he grunted with his mouth full of food, “I suppose you have broken her in now?”

The suddenness of such a question almost had me inhaling my half-chewed morsel, and remaining composed to the best of my ability, I confirmed that I had not. Furrowing his brow, he asked why that was.

“She is yours now, after all.” he rumbled on, “You may do as you please with her. Or did you merely wish to keep her as your trophy, hm? Perhaps to spite those who wanted her before you, eh?”

The servant returned with the wine before I could reply, and as I took the bottle from him, I gave him a look as if to say that I would sooner be in his position than my own. The scorn in his eyes softened, though it never left completely. Clearing my throat, I answered Paulo by reminding him that Bunnie had taken a liking to me, and as such, I wished to nurture her, with the long-term goal of developing a bond not unlike Stockholm syndrome. That way, she would want to be my slave.

“When it comes down to it, I want to know she’s enjoying herself.” I told him, “You and your men can do as you please, but personally, I prefer to work for my meal.”

“Huh, so you’ll kill without mercy, but a woman’s virtue is sacred to you?” he sneered as if to challenge me.

Clenching my fist under the table, I was disgusted by the mockery in his tone, and angry too for that matter. Between his treatment of Dijla, and the very foundation of his cartel, he alone was responsible for the rape of countless women, and he didn’t even care. Bunnie was his own daughter, of whom he wanted a relationship with, and yet here he was, perplexed as to why I hadn’t yet forced myself upon her.

If Bunnie did wish to go all the way with me, it would be on her terms, and hers alone. And since we were on the subject, I was admittedly quite terrified of the whole ordeal. Being a virgin, I wanted my first time to be perfect, without so much as a hint of regret. Keeping my cool, I looked Paulo dead in the eye and met his challenge with one of my own.

“You told me that a true human follows his own code, well mine is simple. Kill your enemies, and love your woman.”

Taken aback slightly, Paulo’s gaze shifted to one side, thinking on what I had said. And then, narrowing his eyes, Paulo raised his lips into a weak smile, respecting my stance in spite of his own.

“Besides,” I went on, “I’m hardly father material. Don’t want to knock the girl up just yet.”

I felt sick to my core for saying that part, but I wanted to ensure that Paulo didn’t doubt my place as a hardened criminal. Scoffing loudly, he took the sentiment as a valid concern, before putting such a worry to rest.

“Oh, you don’t need to worry about that. The girl is infertile.”

Almost inhaling my drink this time, I looked at him with wide eyes. Chuckling at my expression, he explained that just two months ago, Bunnie had undergone a tubal ligation, severing her fallopian tubes. Before I could even begin to ask why, he went on, with a smug expression painted on his face.

“When she failed to show her allegiance, and I planned to make her a slave girl, I knew every man in my business would pay a pretty penny for a turn with her. Pregnant whores are less profitable, and disposing of their newborns is… squalid work. Trust me, I know this.”

“Oh, I believe you.” I replied calmly.

Beyond his vile implications for Bunnie, Paulo had just openly admitted to the killing of babies, and it was there and then that I decided to kill the man slowly when the time arrived; morality be damned, he deserved to suffer. With my appetite now thoroughly spoiled, I was glad to have already eaten my fill, and in a silent declaration that I was finished, I pushed my plate away from me. Paulo did the same, though he announced his sufficiency in a far more audible manner, which manifested in the form of a loud belch. He then offered me dessert, which, after stifling a burp of my own, I respectfully declined, not wishing to overeat.

The conversation then very thankfully moved on, with Paulo at last returning to the looming subject of Brazil. After necking half a glass of wine, he demanded to know what had happened at Inigo’s compound, and how his dear old friend had come to die.

“I had come to see him not long before it happened.” he croaked, casting his mind back, “He had invited me to see his new pets, those bizarre little talking horses. Did you ever see them?”

“I did.” I murmured, trying desperately to mask my surprise, “Fascinating creatures.”

“I thought so as well.” Paulo agreed, “Although, they didn’t talk very much, only the white one spoke with me. Oh, but I do recall the blue one, with all the colours in her hair. That one had completely given up the will to live, you would have thought it was already dead!”

“Well that tends to happen when you rip all her feathers out.” I said sternly.

Catching myself, I covered for my hostility by explaining that the rainbow-haired pegasus had injured me during her initial capture. To my relief, Paulo bought the explanation, murmuring with understanding.

“Inigo said they came with a boy as well. Young and white, like you.”

“Yes, I remember.” I hummed, “Callum, I believe he was called.”

My hands began to shake under the table, and as Paulo inquired further about the boy, I did what I could to distance myself from my true identity. Inspired by Conscio’s accent, I told him that Callum was a Scottish lad, and was, much to Inigo’s annoyance, not very talkative.

“We tortured him for hours, but he never told us a damn thing.” I elaborated, “Tenacious lad, I’ll give him that.”

Shrugging, Paulo asked what happened next, to which I delved into my most heroic tale. With my appetite returning, I drank more wine as I told him about how Callum had rallied the prisoners in the Stock Heap, and when the guards were at their fewest, they struck.

“It was a full-blown bloody riot.” I explained, “They outnumbered us five to one at least, and with every man they killed, they stole our guns and killed us faster, it was chaos. They were like a wave, Paulo, all unified under the promise of freedom. I’ll be honest with you, we were fucked from the second they broke out of that warehouse. It doesn’t matter how many you kill in a fight like that. Once there’s hope, they don’t stop.”

Pouting his lips, Paulo inhaled deeply through his nose, before releasing the breath in the form of a pensive, aggravated sigh.

“I told Inigo his Stock Heap was a foolish idea. Of all the things he taught me in running my cartel, adequate prisoner containment was the one thing I wished he would have learned from me. If only he had listened to me, he would still be alive.”

“Inigo never listened to anyone, Paulo, you know that.” I reassured him in false comfort, “He was a great man, but he wasn’t a great listener.”

Slowly shaking his head with dismay, Paulo knew I was right, and thanked me for my recollection of the event. Drinking more wine, he proceeded to ask what part I had played in the riot, and how I had survived. Choosing to have a little fun with it, I spun the story, explaining that I had been ordered to guard the talking ponies, only to be ambushed by their tenacious little companion.

“I can only assume he entered through one of the back doors, or perhaps a window.” I grumbled, “Either way, he came in from behind and put his arm around my neck, and try as I might, I couldn’t shake him off. Bastard choked me out, and when I woke up, the ponies were gone, and Inigo was dead.”

“And Vladimir?” asked Paulo.

“Also dead.” I confirmed.

Swallowing, I looked down and said that with my boss murdered and my home destroyed, I fled to the jungle, and waited for the conflict to pass. A few days later, I returned to the compound in search of survivors, of which there were none.

“There was still food and water, so I stayed there.” I muttered, “Then you and your Militia came along, so I joined up with your boys and came back with you.”

Biting his lower lip, Paulo was clearly trying to remember me, and I feared that after all this scheming, he might recognise me as the boy who attacked him in the boathouse. Thankfully, he ended up shrugging, and professed to his memory being a little hazy around this time.

“You must understand, Inigo was the only friend I ever had.” he explained, “I was very… emotional at the time. If we spoke to each other back then, I am afraid I do not remember.”

“It was only brief.” I told him, goading the lie, “I asked if I could join you, and you told me to help the others with the clean-up. Back then, you didn’t seem to care that I was one of Inigo’s boys.”

“As I said, I was very emotional.” he replied, “The only thing I recall is getting very drunk, and hitting my head in the boathouse. But still, if I recruited you that day, I will take your word for it.”

{So that’s why you don’t remember me!} I exclaimed in thought, {You were absolutely plastered!}

Paulo then drowned his woe with the rest of his wine, and by now, he was bordering on drunk, and I too for that matter, was feeling quite the buzz. We had consumed four bottles between us, and if not for the food in my belly, I would have been a lot worse off. Paulo then sniffed loudly, and with tears in his eyes, he lamented the loss of his only friend. He then commended my bravery in the riot, and told me I had earned not just his respect, but his compassion.

“This is your home now, Bruce,” he breathed, “and so long as you succeed in destroying the Blood Family for me, you will become more to me than what Vladimir was to Inigo. You will not be my loyal dog, you will be like a son to me.”

Pretending to him that I was touched, I thanked him with sincerity, and said it would be my honour.

“I suppose it is only appropriate,” he added, rolling his eyes, “given that my daughter is your woman now.”

“Ha… I suppose so.” I agreed nervously.

“You are a similar age, are you not?” he pondered aloud, “I never did ask.”

“We are.” I said, dipping my chin, “I’ll be eighteen in just a few days, as a matter of fact. I turn on the ninth of January.”

“Is that so?” he gasped, “Then my boy, we must celebrate!”

Chuckling, I told him I would aim to return from the Blood Family in time, but if I happened to miss the occasion, it wouldn’t be the end of the world. Our conversation was then interrupted by the grandfather clock at one end of the room, as it started loudly ticking and whirring, followed by a weighty clang as its bell rang out, signifying the coming of midnight.

The new year was upon us, and as Two-Thousand-and-Fifteen slipped into memory, Paulo and I raised our glasses and drank to a new dawn. And then, after a few jests and revelries, the man brought an end to our evening. He got to his feet and I did the same, followed by him staggering over to me and cupping my face with his hands.

“My dear boy, I am so glad you are here.”

“Me too.” I replied, “Here’s to the new year.”

Grinning, he let me go and patted me on the shoulder, expressing his fondness for me. He then sent me away, insisting that I should get more rest prior to my undertaking with the Blood Family. I didn’t need telling twice, and as Paulo staggered off to his quarters, I returned to my own.


Approaching the door, I cleared my throat and made my presence known.

“Bunnie, it’s me.”

Opening the door, I made my way inside only to find Bunnie not there. My eyes widened with fear, but before I could start panicking, I heard her call to me from the en suite.

“I’ll be just a moment!”

There then came a loud slosh, and I realised that she must have been in the bath. Taking off my shoes and sitting on the bed, I waited patiently as she dried herself off.

“Did you have a good time?” she asked, unlocking the bathroom door.

“Yeah it was quite nice actually.” I admitted, “Obviously the company was rather questionable, but the food was lovely, and the wine was, uh…”

Trailing off, my breath escaped me as Bunnie stepped out from the en suite without a hint of clothing. This was the first time I had truly seen her naked, and my eyes became like saucers as I took in her bare form, now clean as the morning dew. Her sheet-white skin bore a gleam like polished marble, and as she stood there on full display like the work of art she was, I finished my sentence, though I no longer referred to the wine.

“… delicious.”

With a sheepish, albeit sultry little smirk, Bunnie stepped towards me, and it took every ounce of my focus to fix my eyes upon her own, for they yearned desperately to stray southward. As my mouth ran dry, I told her that she was beautiful, and her cheeks became that of a red sky at night, wherein shepherds and sailors alike would rejoice the omen’s promise of fair weather.

But it would not be sailors and shepherds to rejoice tonight.
And fair weather was not all that dwelled on the horizon.

“You’re not so bad yourself.” Bunnie replied, raising her chin.

My cheeks became as red as her own, and with a gulp, I realised what was about to happen. She hadn’t taken a bath just to have a nice soak; she had been readying herself for me.

“I think I might be a little overdressed.” I murmured.

{You think?} Connie piped up, {Ooh-woo! Check out that bulge!}

{Oh for God’s sake, Conscio!} I thought back to him, {Can you please fuck off for tonight!?}

Trying my best to ignore him, I focused on Bunnie as her mouth widened into a grin, wholeheartedly in agreement with me. Taking both of my hands, she helped me to my feet, and starting with my shirt she unburdened me. My breath shook as each layer was removed, and my skin seemed to ripple with shivers, like waves upon a shoreline. Sensing my trepidation, Bunnie steadied me with a kiss, and like an anchor, my quivering form found its centre. She then licked her lips and closed her eyes, savouring the hint of wine that now danced upon her tongue, and then she eased me down onto the bed, laying down beside me. She rested a finger on my chest, and traced along the scar Inigo had given me, once again captivated by its size.

{Well, it’s not like she has anything else’s size to be captivated by.}

{Okay seriously, Conscio, fuck off!} I growled in thought, {Besides, I’m actually quite well-endowed, thank you very much.}

{Alright fine, I’ll concede to that.}

{Thank you. Now can you please leave me alone? Look, I get that everything’s a game to you, but I will never get this moment again, so I’m asking you please, don’t ruin this for me.}

At that, the voice respected the importance of tonight, and kindly fell silent, allowing himself to sink away into the recesses of my mind. I was now free to focus on Bunnie again, and not a moment too soon.

“Are you okay?” she asked, “Is this too much?”

“Not at all.” I assured her, “I’m just… I’ve never… I don’t want to get it… wrong.”

“Callie…” she breathed, smiling at me.

No further words needed to be said, for as I searched her dilated, golden-brown eyes, I found her wordlessly telling me everything I needed to know. She then reached forward and took my hand, and in an act of guided permission, she lay it upon her breast. Her skin was still warm from the bath, and was soft like cotton. Confidence brewed within me, and as her perfect body relaxed into my loving touch, the rest of me soon followed. Pressing up against her, I kissed her passionately, and though the only sound between us came in the forms of diminutive hums and stifled moans, our hearts screamed out in unison with a clamorous poetic proclamation.

Take me, oh sweet lover, take me I say!
Let me tell you with my flesh that I love who you are.

Take me, kindred spirit, take me, I pray!
Let me kiss you with my soul so you know I’m not far.

Give me your heart, and I’ll give you my own.
Give me your love, lest I may turn to stone.

Take what is mine for it is safer with you.
Take my whole self and make one of this two.

Such desperate cries were impossible to ignore, and as we twisted and turned against our touches, Bunnie found herself on top of me, gazing upon my face with hungering eyes. We both wanted this, needed it even, and yet she hesitated, waiting at the point of no return for me to issue one last notion of consent, which with a gentle nod and a trembling moan, I gave to her.

“I love you, Bunnie… so much.”

That was all she needed to hear, and with a slow outward gasp, she proceeded. Savouring every blissful second, she gradually lowered herself down at an almost-unbearable rate, until there was a sensation like nothing I could have fathomed, and as our bodies became one, I loosed a bachelor’s dying breath with one final request.

“Oh, Bunnie… Make me yours!”


And thus, she did.





> Chapter Eleven: The Blood Family
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





I woke in tow with the coming of dawn, where the rising sun bled into the room through a gap in the curtain, and with an inward breath I looked to the right, where Bunnie slept softly beside me. She looked so calm, so happy, even in slumber. The cold of winter was nowhere to be found, and thus the bed covers only came up to our waists, and with her top half on full display, I gazed upon her perfect form, drinking in every detail.

{Gods above, she’s beautiful.} I thought to myself, {How is it so, that such a perfect thing can exist in such an imperfect place?}

{‘Tis often the way it is.} Conscio hummed, {Only in darkness can we see the stars.}

I smiled in agreement, and reflected on last night’s most heavenly union. Losing our virginities to one another couldn’t have been more perfect. Most tales of first times were often rife with embarrassment, be it somebody saying or doing something silly, or the incorrect hole perhaps being selected. One could ask a thousand unchaste how their first time went, and most would answer with an awkward story.

But with Bunnie? No.
With Bunnie, it had been truly immaculate.

Moving on from her face, my eyes wandered to her neck, and shoulders, and collarbones; every curve was sublime. I then, of course, found myself looking a little lower. Being a teenage boy, I was of course enthralled by what I saw, but beneath the layers of my lust, I started to feel things beyond that of my libidinous cravings. I thought about the future, and of children. Never in my life had I thought about having kids of my own, the very notion repulsed me. And yet, as I gazed upon my lover’s wondrous body, I couldn’t help but wonder…

Looking up, I almost jolted, for Bunnie’s eyes were wide open and looking into mine.

“Enjoying the view?” she asked, smirking.

The feeling of being caught red-handed flushed my body, and as my cheeks turned to scarlet, I looked away and anxiously cleared my throat.

“S-Sorry.” I stuttered, “I was just taking in how beautiful you are, and my eyes started to wander, and I-”

“Callie.” she cut in, giggling, “It’s fine.”

For what was surely the umpteenth time, she placed a finger beneath my chin and steered me back to look at her, and with a warm smile, she told me I was free to look upon her whenever I pleased.

“I’m yours now, Callum. Do you hear me?”

Breaking into a smile of my own, I nodded, and without a hint of shame, I looked her up and down and smirked. I then pulled her in closer and kissed her, before rolling onto my back. Bunnie then placed a hand on my bare chest, trailing along my scars just as she had done before.

“So uh, last night was…”

“Perfect?” I suggested for her.

“Perfect.” she agreed, closing her eyes.

She then shuddered, clearly reminiscing on all the sensations from our holy dance. Craning my neck to look at her properly, I took her hand in my own and furrowed my brow.

“Bunnie, I want you forever, and I don’t just mean like… like last night. I want to spend every day with you. I want to go on dates and hold your hand. When it’s raining outside, I want to step out and kiss you in it, and go jumping in the biggest puddles we can find. I want to introduce you to my brother, and tell him with pride that you are my woman. I want that dumb, cliché, romcom happily ever after, where after all the shit we’ve been through, it ended up being worth it, because it ended with you in my arms.”

“I want that too…” she breathed with sparkles in her eyes.

“Then let’s have it.” I told her, “Once I’m back from the Blood Family, let’s bring this nightmare to an end. Let’s put that monster in the ground, let’s get you and your mum out of here, and get you both back to England. Then once I’m back from my mission, let’s have that life together, you and me.”

Now beaming at me, Bunnie gave me a frantic nod.

“Okay!” she bleated, lunging at me.

Planting her lips against my own, we broke into a kiss of a most rapturous nature, one brimming with hope, fervour, and passion. We rolled in the glow of dawn, until she lay panting beneath me, and with confidence and desire coursing through my veins, I gave a devious grin. She in turn bit her bottom lip at me, silently begging me to proceed.

{Round two?} Conscio suggested.

{Round two.} I agreed.

With the mood already set, and with nary a strip of clothing between us, there was very little more that needed to be said.

Oh, what a glorious morning…





Two days passed, and Bunnie and I only fell deeper and deeper in love with each other. By the time the night of my departure arrived, I had yet again been contemplating my duty. Though I once again chose to remain with the ponies, it had certainly not been an easy decision. Paulo had also been to visit, wherein he had given me the plans for a narcotics trade with a lesser gang in the area. With these plans, I could earn the Blood Family’s trust.

Midnight came and went, and as my phone alarm roused me from my slumber, I knew it was time. Bunnie woke as well, watching me sleepily as I sat up and clambered out of bed.

“Mmn… Callie? Are you leaving?”

“I’m afraid so.” I whispered, “I’m not sure how long I’ll be gone, but I’ll be as quick as I can. Just keep your head low and don’t leave the room. I’m sure your mum will come by from time to time, so at least you’ll have food.”

Murmuring with understanding, she told me she loved me, and I replied with one last kiss on the lips, followed by another on her forehead.

“Keep the bed warm for me, yeah?”

Huffing with amusement, she told me to be safe, and then rolled over to drift off again, while I geared up and left the room. I brought the Sparklight with me, and Krocsbane too, and as I crept down the corridor I felt a wave of nervousness. I had no idea what to expect from the Blood Family, but if the rumours were true, then I was about to have an audience with a gang of savages.

As per the plan, Paulo had appointed Maxim as the nighttime guard, and as I turned the corner, he spotted me and waved.

“How did you escape?” he inquired curiously.

“Dijla set me free.” I lied.

“Ahh, good thinking, mon ami!”

He then asked if I remembered where to go and what to say, to which I nodded. With that, he allowed me to pass, and after wishing me good luck, I made my way out of the manor and to one of the various exits around the estate. Using the Sparklight’s offline map to guide my way, I trudged across a snowy field and over to the outskirts of a nearby town. Soon enough, I found the road in question, where just as assured, there was a dark blue car waiting for me. The driver spotted me and opened his door, clambering out to greet me cautiously.

“You Maxim’s guy?” he asked in a thick Polish accent.

“Yes sir.” I replied, shaking his hand, “You’re a friend of Rahim?”

Simply nodding, he gestured for me to get into the car. I did just that, and over the space of about an hour, we drove in silence, until at last, we reached the Blood Family’s compound. Surrounded by eight-foot walls, there was little to be seen from the outside, though I could just about see the top half of a large building.

“You’re wearing the enemy’s uniform,” the driver pointed out, “so keep your hands where they can see them, and follow me.”

Getting out the car, we walked up to a large gate, above which were two guards who watched me like hawks, their rifles shining in the moonlight. Recognising the driver, one of them signalled for the gate to be opened, and as it was pulled open from within, the Blood Family’s base revealed itself to be something truly impressive.

{Bloody hell…} Conscio murmured.

Rather than some high-end manor estate, the Blood Family operated out of an entire town. It was the middle of the night and yet the entire compound was alive; there were traders on the street selling food and weapons alike, while men in thick body armour patrolled the area, keeping the peace. Almost every building had light emitting from the windows, and the sound of chatter was all around. It was like nothing I had ever seen, and taking notice of my bewildered expression, the driver chuckled.

“The Blood Family does not sleep, my friend.” he told me, “We trade, patrol, and fight around the clock.”

“Fight?” I asked.

“Why, in the fighting pit!” he answered with an open-mouthed smile, “Not a day passes where blood is not spilled. Where else did you think we get our name from? Ha!”

Murmuring with understanding, I allowed the driver to guide me onwards. We pressed on through the town without interruption, though I received a handful of concerned looks due to my uniform. Eventually we reached the main building I had seen from beyond the walls; it was an old courthouse, which had been repurposed into the Blood Family’s central base of operations. Two guards were by the door, both of whom glared at me as we approached. Refusing to make eye contact, I stuck close to the driver and made sure my hands were on full display. We were allowed to enter, and after heading through the main hall and a few corridors, we found ourselves in the central courtroom, and it didn’t take long to spot who was in charge.

Sat up in the judge’s chair was a caramel-skinned woman, or at least, something resembling one. With a shaved head and clad in black leather, the individual stood up and made her approach. Beneath her eyes were tattoos of red droplets, made to look like tears of blood, and as she opened her mouth to speak, I noticed her teeth. They had been crudely sharpened, perhaps with a file or some such, to create a set of jagged, monstrous fangs.

“Então… é o miúdo do cartel do Paulo?” she asked.

Her voice was low and smooth, not unlike Applejack’s if one could separate the tone from the accent. Noting that I didn’t speak Portuguese, the driver pointed at me and explained that I was English. At that, she sighed with unexpected relief and rolled her eyes.

“Well thank fuck for that! More than half of these hooligans speak Portuguese, so you never know.”

Blinking twice, I was caught off-guard by the sudden change in tone, and the accent too for that matter. Though I wasn’t entirely sure, her dialect seemed to hail from New Zealand. She then batted a hand to the driver, signalling for him to leave us. He did as he was told and walked away, while the woman stepped towards me with a curious glint in her eye.

“So, you’re the English boy? I’ve heard about you.”

“Good things, I hope.” I retorted, before extending my hand to her, “Bruce Harding.”

Taking my hand, she squeezed it tightly and smirked.

“Oh is it now?”

Raising an eyebrow in question, I allowed her to continue.

“You see, my spies in that shithole shanty town tell me you were the one offing Paulo’s men. They saw you protecting his precious daughter, creeping around like a little fox, snatching up Militia like the chickens they were. And then, after dipping into an alley, you come back out wearing one of their uniforms and turn the girl in. From all that, I’d be a bloody fool to believe you’re this so-called… Bruce.”

Meeting her suspicious gaze, I realised that the Blood Family were far more resourceful than once anticipated. Dipping my head, I admitted that her spies had done a fine job, and that I indeed wasn’t truly named Bruce. She asked who I really was, to which I responded with a question.

“Do you know the name Inigo?”

“Inigo?” she echoed with an amused huff, “As in, the Bogeyman of Brazil?”

“That’s the one.”

“Of course I know him, what of it? Surely you’re not about to suggest you’re him, are you? Because I knew what he looked like, and, more’s the point, the cunt’s been dead for months.”

At that, I smirked and let out a breath through my nose.

“Oh, I’m well aware. No, I’m not the Bogeyman, nor would I insult your intelligence by insinuating as such.”

Pausing, I leaned forward and gave her an arrogant sneer.

“I am, however… the boy who killed the fucking Bogeyman.”

Narrowing her eyes, the woman slowly craned her neck and stared at me intensely, searching for a lie. Meanwhile, the men nearby began to murmur to one another, and in a moment that seemed too unbelievable to be true, I started to hear my name among the whispers. The woman then smiled, and placed a hand on my shoulder.

“Welcome to the Blood Family, Callum. I am the Mother.”


Over the next hour, word of my arrival had spread, and the nameless defector from Paulo’s gang very quickly became a novelty. Soon enough, the courthouse was full of the Blood Family’s finest, eager to meet the one responsible for bringing down one of the world’s most notorious cartels. Of course, claiming to be the slayer of one Inigo Montenegro didn’t come without a fair share of scrutiny, and so it was that I had been questioned thoroughly on the matter.

As it happened, the Blood Family had a spy over there, who, in his final moments, had alerted the Mother that a prison riot had led to the cartel’s downfall, all sparked by an English boy named Callum. Since then, my name hadn’t been forgotten, and though I could barely believe it, I had been immortalised as a legend.

Upon telling the Mother and her brood my account of things, the story matched up, and it was made known that the visitor before them was well and truly the same boy from the story. I had even shown them Krocsbane, which had of course, once belonged to Inigo’s second-in-command, Vladimir Kikashkov. I was welcomed with open arms after that, though this wasn’t to say that I had earned their trust.

“So, why have you come here?” asked the Mother, “I’m not next on the list, am I?”

“Well, that entirely depends.” I replied, “Do you serve a master? Or are you your own?”

Catching my drift, the Mother clenched her jaw, and ordered me to walk with her.

{Well played, lad.} said Conscio, {You’re getting good at this.}

{What can I say, your taste for strategy is rubbing off on me.} I thought back to him.

From the second I had seen those jagged teeth, I had sussed the Mother out, and although it had been quite the gamble, my bold reply had been enough to cut through the red tape. In other words, the Mother was in all truth no different to Paulo Escuella; they were two kinds of a piece. In spite of their rivalry, they both wanted the exact same thing, which was to rule their respective cartels without Hoyt Volker’s influence.

We left the main courtroom through the door behind the judge’s bench, leading us to the judge’s chambers, which had been repurposed into the Mother’s personal quarters. They weren’t quite as grandeur as Paulo’s, but the room certainly had its comforts. Now alone, the Mother stood in front of me and narrowed her eyes.

“Do you know why I’ve brought you in here?”

“So your men can’t hear you admit to being a pawn in someone else’s game.” I replied.

Try as she might to hide it, the woman flinched at my remark. It had angered her, for she loathed the truth that dwelled in my words. She then lowered her head in understanding, knowing that the veil had been lifted.

“Straight to the point then?” she huffed, “Well, for the sake of being clear, yes, I want to run things my own way, but I can’t do that until I’ve snuffed out who in my ranks isn’t truly working for me. What I want to know is why that concerns you. Tell me, why are you here, and what do you want?”

Meeting her gaze with my own, I told her plainly that I wanted revenge against her boss. Fabricating a story, I told her that I had been captured by Inigo whilst on holiday, where my family had then been taken from me, shipped away to lands unknown by the order of one Mister Hoyt Volker. Since then, I had sworn to destroy his world, and after bringing Inigo’s cartel to ruin, I followed my next lead, Paulo Escuella.

“Paulo’s a sentimental bastard.” I told her, “It wasn’t hard sneaking into his lot, all I had to do was tell him I was one of Inigo’s boys. Now, I’m biding my time, playing him for a fool while I find a way to get Hoyt’s attention.”

“And so now you’ve come to me.” said the Mother, raising her chin.

“Precisely.” I replied, “You work for Hoyt as well, not that you want to, so I thought it would be worth meeting you at least. I believe we can help each other.”

Pressing on, I explained that under the identity of Bruce Harding, I had befriended one of Hoyt’s moles, by the name of Maxim Clément. Under the false narrative that I was in fact, also one of Hoyt’s underlings, Maxim had been the one responsible for getting me transferred over here, while also giving up the identity of the mole in the Blood Family. The Mother was, as expected, extremely keen to know who, as with his elimination, she could break away from Volker, just as Paulo had now likely done with Maxim.

“Ah-bub-bub.” I cut her off, “First, I want guarantees.”

Practically reading my mind, the Mother chuckled, and assured me that if I proved myself reliable and trustworthy, I would have a place in the Blood Family, and when the time came, Hoyt Volker was mine to kill.

“How’s that for an assurance?” she said, smirking at me.

At that, I put my hand out for her to shake, and upon her taking it, I revealed Hoyt’s Blood Family mole.

“You’re looking for someone called Rahim.”

“Rahim…” she muttered slowly, her eyes darting from side to side, “That’s our radio boy! Oh, of course he’s the fucking radio boy, easy access to comms and all that. Are you absolutely sure?”

With a dull expression, I answered her question with one of my own.

“Why on earth would I come here, knowing it could very well mean my death, just to bring you a falsehood about someone I’ve never met? I’m here for Hoyt, and Rahim is one of his. You have my word.”

Seeing the logic and fully convinced, the Mother shook her head and gave an inward hiss that whistled through her sharp teeth that were on full display.

“That little shit… I gave him a tit-wank and everything!”

With a disgruntled huff, she thanked me for the leak and beckoned for me to follow her.

“Come.” she ordered, “It’s time for some justice. We are in a courthouse after all.”

Returning to the courtroom, the Mother quickly ordered her guards to seize Rahim. They left the building and searched the town for him, while the Mother and I waited.

“You know, you were very quick to double-cross the moles who helped you.” she hummed thoughtfully, “Paulo too, for that matter. Why should I trust you won’t betray me as well?”

“My dear, we’ve only just met. I’m not asking you to trust me.” I replied, “But I think we both know I’m no threat to you, why else would you have brought me into your quarters, unarmed and unguarded? The simple fact is, there’s mutual gain to be had. You want to cut ties with Hoyt, and I want to cut his throat.”

“Spoken like a true negotiator.” she murmured, “You’re quite the precocious child, aren’t you?”

“Should I take that as an insult or a compliment?” I clapped back with a smirk.

Laughing, the Mother told me I was welcome to accept it either way. She then told me that I would make a fine addition to the Blood Family, and with a keenness to remain in her good books, I chose to accept what had effectively been an invitation to join them.

“Well, thanks to Hoyt, I’ve been in need of a new family.”

Grinning, she licked her bottom lip and then went over to the judge’s bench, where she retrieved a small box. Opening it up, a skull-shaped drinking glass was revealed to me, not unlike Paulo’s shot glasses, only bigger. Bringing it to me, the Mother explained that I had her blessing to join the Blood Family, but not before I passed an initiation. Before I could ask what such a thing entailed, the door behind us was pushed open, and in came the Mother’s men, holding a boy who kicked and struggled in protest.

“Rahim, so nice of you to join us.” the Mother said coldly.

“Mother, please!” he cried out, “I’ve been trying to tell them, they have the wrong guy!”

He was young, no older than sixteen, with skin like dark sand. Around his neck sat a pair of headphones, still plugged into the music player clipped to his belt. The lad looked utterly terrified, and with a gulp, I realised that I had just signed his death warrant. This wasn’t some lowly criminal. He may have been working for Hoyt, but as I looked at his frightened expression, I saw him for exactly what he was.

He was just a child following orders.
And I had sentenced him to die.

Continuing to struggle, the boy denied the allegations. He swore to know nothing of any Maxim, or any Hoyt, but as he was forced to his knees and given a choice to confess or die, his fidelity buckled. Conceding, he explained that he provided Hoyt with bi-weekly reports on the Blood Family, under the agreement that his family wouldn’t be executed. As it happened, his mother and sister were captives, held prisoner at Volker’s main base of operations, far away in a place called the Rook Islands.

His story broke my heart, for his cracking voice carried nothing but the truth. The Mother however, was far less sentimental. Rahim’s motivation mattered very little to her, regardless of how justified; betrayal was betrayal. She pointed at me with a sick grin, and asked if Rahim knew who I was. The kid shook his head, to which it was unveiled to him that I was Callum Horncastle, the boy who killed Inigo Montenegro. The Mother then placed her hand on my shoulder, and seductively stroked up the side of my neck.

“And now, he’s going to kill you as well.”

Stifling a shudder, I watched as the poor boy fell apart, pleading desperately for mercy.

“But I told you the truth!” he cried, “You said to confess or die, and I confessed!”

“Well yeah, of course I said that, how else was I supposed to get the truth out of you?” the Mother scoffed.

Realising that his fate was sealed, Rahim struggled like never before, springing to his feet and doing all he could to flee. The attempt, however, was all for naught, with the Mother’s men beating him into submission, breaking one of his arms in the process. My heart pounded in my chest, and as I walked towards him with Krocsbane in hand, I felt like I truly was the villain. The boy’s headphones were torn from his neck and snapped in half, and with three men keeping him restrained, he was presented to me.

“Do it.” the Mother commanded, “Open his throat, and let justice be done.”

Rahim shook like never before, to the point where he was practically having a seizure. His eyes were bulged and bloodshot, and his trousers became damp as he lost control of his bladder.

{I can’t do this.} I thought, {This is wrong. This is so… so fucking wrong.}

{I know, lad… I know.} Conscio replied in a low, sympathetic tone, {This whole thing is fucked, but we have to see it through. If you back out now, the Mother might turn on you, and the whole Blood Family with her. Look around, lad, half of these bastards are armed to the teeth, one cock-up and they’ll gun you down. There’s no fighting your way out of this. You’re in the heart of enemy territory, and if you don’t do as the Mother’s asked of you, then you might as well slit your own throat. This wee lad is dead one way or another, the kindest thing you can do is get it over with.}

As usual, he was right. I was in the lions’ den, and if I didn’t show my strength and commitment to them, they would tear me apart. Steadying my trembling hand, I thought about my love, and my duty. Bunnie and Dijla needed me, and if I didn’t return to them, they would remain forever trapped with Paulo. As for the ponies, there were still four pieces of the Titans’ Orb to find, and after what happened in Brazil and Ukraine, I knew in my heart that they needed my protection.

I had to do this.

“Any last words, Rahim?” I asked him calmly, though I was certainly far from calm.

“Please…” he whimpered with tears streaming down his face, “Please don’t kill me! I’ll do anything… I’ll do anything you want me to!”

His final petition was hardly an inspired one, nor was it dignified. Feeling nothing but sorrow, I held the knife tightly and clenched my jaw, before stepping towards him and murmuring a bitter reply.

“I’m going to be honest with you… you could have said something better.”

What happened after that was a moment rife with shame. Of all the things I had done since my journey began, and of all the things I would go on to do, this right here, was an act I would find no redemption from. There was no salvation from this ugly sin, and if even the very Titans were to come forth and shrive my heart clean, my soul would remain forever tainted.

Closing my eyes, I thought of Bunnie, and of my friends.
Opening my eyes, I cast away all morality, and obeyed the command within me.

Do what must be done.

With one powerful motion, I slashed out with Krocsbane and opened the boy. He gritted his teeth and tried to cry out, only for a sick gurgle to emerge. Blood then spilled out of him at a rate I was wholly unprepared for, and I watched with horror as his anguished face became paler and paler. Meanwhile, the Mother slinked forward and placed the skull glass beneath the wound, allowing it to fill to the brim. Rahim then went limp and hit the floor with a thud, and just when I thought the worst of it was over, the Mother handed me the glass and smiled.

“Drink.”

I could barely comprehend the order, it was too shocking and too unbelievably vile that it didn’t seem like she had really said it. With a vacant, haunted expression, I looked at the Mother and tilted my head, silently asking if she was being serious.

“This is the initiation.” she clarified, “Everyone drinks, that’s the rule.”

Holding back tears, I stared at the skull-shaped glass in my hand. I could feel the heat from Rahim’s blood seeping through into my fingertips. As my hand shook, the cherry-red liquid rippled, and grew brighter with each passing second as it reacted to the open air. Taking a second to look back at the Mother, I found her staring at me intensely, brushing her tongue along the backs of her jagged teeth.

I didn’t have time to think, I had to prove my loyalty here and now.
And so it was that once again, I answered the call from within me.

Do what must be done.

Closing my eyes and blocking out my thoughts, I brought the glass to my lips and knocked my head back. From the moment it entered my mouth, I began jolting and convulsing, stifling gag after gag as my senses were flooded with the overwhelming taste of iron. The texture was that of a thick, viscous glue, and as I gulped down each mouthful, I could feel it running down my throat and into my stomach. Shuddering emphatically, I very nearly broke, until quite unexpectedly, I spared a thought for Twilight of all individuals. I thought about the nightmares she experienced, and all the pain she had endured at Nah’Lek’s behest. If she could handle being murdered on a near-nightly basis, then I could neck half a pint of blood.

With that, paired with my love for Bunnie, I came out triumphant. Finishing the glass, I wiped my mouth clean and raised my top lip at the Mother, handing the empty vessel back to her. In turn, she broke into a wide grin and officially welcomed me into the Blood Family.

“It’s been quite a while since we had some fresh meat.” she pondered aloud, “Let me be the first to say what a pleasure it is that you’ve decided to join us. As for your quarters, you can have Rahim’s little radio shack, it’s not like he’ll be needing it now.”

Thanking her for the kind offer, she told me that I was free to go. Two of her men escorted me out of the building, and for each step I took, I felt more and more weighed down by what I had just done. My stomach fought to reject the fluid it now contained, while I in turn fought to keep it down. It was then that Conscio made a rather harrowing observation.

{To think, if we had just kept walking that night, none of this would be happening.}

Correct as always, the formless Scotsman pointed out that this situation, in all its sickening madness, was solely because I had chosen to sleep beneath those stairs. Had I not, I would probably be back with the girls by now, and never would have crossed paths with Bunnie. This was all for her, and as I pictured Rahim’s lifeless body, and his blood sloshing around inside of me, I found myself in utter disbelief that I was experiencing all this horror simply because I wanted to save my muse.

{The things we do for love…} I rumbled in thought.

We soon arrived at a small metal shack, and after gesturing for me to go inside, my escorts turned around and walked away. I stepped inside and shut the door, where without hesitation, I rushed around in search of the bathroom. Locating the toilet without a moment to spare, I knelt over the bowl and proceeded to be violently sick. The mixture of blood and bile only made it worse, and over the space of a few minutes, I hurled up everything, loudly sobbing to myself between each loathsome spew. Even after it was all gone, I continued to retch and gag, until at long last, the nightmare was over.

Flushing it away, I didn’t even bother to clean myself, I just staggered to the bedroom and collapsed onto the mattress in the corner, hugging myself tightly as I wept like never before. Over and over again, the act of cutting Rahim’s throat flashed into my mind, and not even Conscio was able to comfort me as I clawed at my own head, desperately trying to tear the memory from my mind.

Tonight, I had done something truly awful.
Tonight, a monster would cry himself to sleep.





It was the eighth of January, and over the past few days, I had earned not only the Blood Family’s trust, but also their respect. The attack on Paulo’s drug trade had gone down a treat, and had solidified my position as one of the Blood Family’s vital assets. The Mother had led the attack personally, and it had been a bloodbath; not one of Paulo’s men survived, nor the gang they were trading with. I had done a fair amount of the killing as well, gunning down four of Paulo’s Street Dogs, and three of the other gang. After what I had done to Rahim, I was in a state of emotional numbness, and for each pair of eyes I closed, it shamed me to admit that I felt nothing at all; if anything, it had helped…

Taking this notion further, I had found the perfect outlet for my inner torment. At Conscio’s suggestion, I had taken daily trips to the Blood Family’s fighting pit, where I had taken on the cartel’s most vicious members in melee combat, including their fearsome Pit Champion, some hulking brute by the name of Guntar. It hadn’t been an easy fight, with the drugged-up beast very nearly caving my head in with a swing of his sledgehammer, but after a well-placed stab to the back of the neck, the goliath came tumbling down, solidifying my place in the Blood Family as an unmatched master of war.

This wasn’t all just for the sake of mindless violence however, my trips to the fighting pit had been a strategic play. Although each fight was a risk, each win also thinned out the Blood Family’s numbers, with their leanest and meanest meeting their end to Krocsbane. As per the plan, I was now destroying them from within, right under the Mother’s nose, of whom was far too cheerful to notice.

Now independent from Hoyt Volker, the Mother was in a state of euphoria, and as my notoriety grew, so too did her obsession with me. She was a wild woman who valued strength above all else, and having shown mine, she found herself taken with me, and alluded to a hunger for something beyond our mutually beneficial partnership.

It was now the late morning, and as I ate my breakfast in the communal lunch hall, I felt a presence behind me, followed by a finger touching the back of my neck. It dwelled there for a moment, before seductively tracing along my skin until it reached my Adam’s apple.

“So, what’s the plan for today?” the Mother asked.

Smirking, I turned around on the bench I was sitting on and chose to brag a little bit.

“Well, I was planning on another trip to the pit, but word has it everyone’s too afraid to fight me after I put Guntar in the ground.”

“Good!” she scoffed, “I’m sick of my best men throwing themselves at you, only to be buried the following morning. I’m still shocked you were able to take on Gunny-boy. That old bear had been the Pit Champion for years, and yet you took him down with one fucking blow.”

“Well it wasn’t that hard.” I gloated, “Just had to keep the elbows up and the shoulders loose…”

Rolling her eyes, the Mother said that I wasn’t to fight in the pits any more, and that it was time for my skills to actually benefit the Blood Family. As such, she was putting me in charge of training the new recruits, for my fighting prowess was something she wished to see in the rest of her men.

“Sounds like a plan.” I muttered, “When do I start?”

“Once the rest of that is down your gullet.” she commanded, pointing to the food on my plate.

Dipping my head in acknowledgement, I confirmed that once I had eaten, I would return to my shack and spend the rest of the day putting together a training routine. And then, from tomorrow, I would gather the less experienced members of the Blood Family and start whipping them into shape. At this, the Mother licked at her jagged teeth and leaned forward to bring her face close to mine.

“A man with a plan, huh? I like the way you think, Callum, and I like the way you fight. Perhaps this relationship of ours could be one of a more… permanent nature?”

Coming even closer, she put her head beside mine and brought her mouth to my ear, and whispered to me in a most ravenous and lustful manner.

“I’ve been waiting for a real man to show up…”

Gulping, I knew I would have to play along, and with a silent apology to Bunnie, I clenched my jaw and gave my reply in the form of a low hum.

“I’m only a man in some ways, not all. Care to teach me?”

Biting her bottom lip with excitement, the Mother pulled away and smiled at me.

“That can be arranged. Perhaps I’ll swing by later tonight?”

“I look forward to it.” I said, flexing an eyebrow.

She then left me in peace, and as soon as she was out of eyeshot, I let out an exasperated huff.

{What the hell have I got myself into, Connie?} I thought, shaking my head.

{Quite possibly… her!}

{Not helpful.} I groaned.

Chuckling, Conscio pointed out that with tomorrow being my birthday, I could very well end this tonight and be back in time to see Bunnie. With the Mother stopping by for a promiscuous endeavour, I could use the opportunity to dispatch her, and high-tail it out of here before anyone caught me. Thinking about it, I didn’t really need to bring down the cartel in its entirety, the Mother was enough, especially now that I had dealt with the other heavy hitters in the fighting pit. Without ample leadership, they would likely fall apart on their own. As a plus, it would also mean I could escape a sexual advance that I most certainly didn’t desire. Firstly, there was of course the matter of Bunnie; I had only just given myself to her and wished to remain loyal, even in the face of duty. Secondly, this woman was easily in her mid-to-late thirties, making her old enough to be my actual mother, yuck! With that, I committed to the plan and decided that tonight, the Mother would die.

Finishing my meal and returning to the shack, I mentally prepared myself. I also decided to check the Sparklight, for it had been quite some time since I had checked in with Twilight. Switching it on, I was quick to see a notification, and opened it up to find a pair of texts, along with a missed call.

The first text read…



Callum, something’s happened.
I need to talk to you.



The missed call had come after that, followed by the second text.



I tried calling, but you must have the device turned off.
Please call me when you can.



Gulping, I couldn’t even begin to imagine what might have occurred. Knowing I would be alone for a while, I went to the bedroom with the phone. Sitting on the mattress, I put the phone to my ear as it started ringing, and in just a few seconds, the unicorn picked up.

“Still alive, huh?” she croaked.

“Afraid so.” I huffed back, “I got your texts, what the hell’s happened, Twilight?”

She didn’t reply for a moment, the phone just crackled faintly as the mare gathered herself. She then went on to explain that they had been spotted the other night.

“Oh shit, who by?” I gasped.

“A pair of men.” she answered, “We were crossing a road, and they spotted us. We didn’t know they were there, it was dark, and we thought we were safe. They started shouting and tried to chase us. We tried running away, but Rarity’s still getting better and couldn’t run fast enough. They were about to get her, and then I… I…”

Twilight trailed off, and in her silence, I suspected exactly what had happened.

“What did you do, Twilight?” I said slowly.

“They look at me like I’m a monster.” she murmured after a long pause, “I saved them, and yet they’re afraid of me.”

“Twilight.” I said again, “What… did you do?”

Even though she was speaking via telepathy, I could hear her voice rattle with emotion as she replied.

“What did it feel like for you… when you first killed a man on purpose?”

“Jesus Christ…” I hissed, before sitting up straight, “Alright Twi, I need you to listen to me. In just a few days, I’ll be getting Bunnie out of here, and then I’m coming straight to you. We’ll handle this together in person, okay? This is something we need to deal with face-to-face. Where are you now? Are you all safe?”

“I’m not waiting.” she told me, ignoring the questions, “We’re already heading your way. Leave the Sparklight on, that way I can track you. Oh fuck, Callum, what have I done?”

With the mare beginning to fall apart, I knew that she needed to be grounded, and so I spoke to her sternly, without a hint of judgement to what she had done.

“You protected your company. Your friends were in danger, and you kept them safe, that’s what happened, and once we’re together again, we’ll sort things out. I’ll help the others understand, and we can make things okay again, alright? Just let me get Bunnie out of here, and then we’ll fix this.”

“There’s no fixing this…” she whispered, “I’m just like you now.”

She then ended the call, leaving me to sit there in bewildered silence. Just when I thought things couldn’t get any worse, Twilight Sparkle had killed someone. With the current state of my mind, I wasn’t able to process it just yet, and with the Mother forbidding me to enter the fighting pit, I did the only thing I could do to quell my racing mind.

I lay down and went to sleep.


I was woken by the sound of gunshots, and groups of men shouting loudly. With adrenaline suddenly coursing through my veins, I was quick to jump up and look out the door to see what was happening. The whole town was in a state of panic, with men rushing to the front gate with guns in hand. Three buildings were on fire, with a fourth then suddenly catching alight as it was assailed by Molotov cocktails, thrown from the other side of the wall surrounding the town. Someone then spotted me and charged over, waving his hands at me.

“Callum! Callum!” he cried out.

“What’s going on!?” I barked at him.

Skidding to a halt in front of me, the man rapidly explained that we were under attack. At first I presumed it might have been Paulo, launching an offensive to speed along his rival’s destruction. Then I wondered if it was the police, or perhaps the army, hoping to restore some peace to Portugal’s northern region.

It was neither.

“Who’s attacking us?” I shouted.

“It’s Hoyt Volker’s men!”

“Oh shit…”

Looking beyond him, I saw the gate heave as men on the other side tried to force it open. It would seem the Mother’s departure from Hoyt’s consortium hadn’t been taken lightly, and as the man in front of me ran away to help defend the gate, I realised that I had been offered a choice.

Amidst this chaos, I could take out the Mother and flee before the battle was over. Hoyt’s men would win, and I could return to Paulo with the Blood Family destroyed in full. Alternatively, I could help the Blood Family fend them off, and have a crack at Volker himself. With his death, the criminal empire he had built would begin to crumble, and the world would find itself a better place. I could still kill the Mother in private, and return to Paulo with the Blood Family still intact, but wholly diminished and without leadership.

Settling on the latter, I quickly geared up and left the shack. I ran to the armoury, where I found the quartermaster handing out guns to the men who hadn’t yet joined the fight. Cutting past them, I stood in front of him and narrowed my eyes.

“I need a weapon.”

He was quick to hand me a submachine gun, and thankfully, one I knew how to use. It was a UMP, the same gun I had used in Brazil while Inigo’s men had chased us through that favela. Leaving the armoury, I started heading to the gate, which was when Conscio stopped me.

{The gate’s holding, lad, but it won’t for long unless someone takes the pressure off, which you cannae do from the inside. Get over the wall and deal with those firebomb throwers, and then flank the fuckers!}

“You know, for a piece of my own brain, you’re scarily good at this whole ‘war strategy’ thing.” I muttered, turning around again.

{What can I say? There aren’t many good brain cells up here, but I was lucky enough to get the majority. Now get your arse over that wall!}

Nodding, I spotted a section where some boxes were piled up, and used them to clamber up and hop over. Upon landing, I quickly spotted a man with a Molotov in his hand, preparing to throw. He was wearing tactical gear and had a large yellow armband just above his elbow. I was quick to shoot him before he spotted me, to which he dropped the bottle and collapsed to the ground. Slinking away, I used the dark of night to cover me as I went around the outskirts of the town, picking off the bombers one by one before they could set the town ablaze. Though I hadn’t intended to, one of my shots had hit the Molotov itself, with the bottle bursting in one of the bomber’s hands and dousing him with the fluid inside. He went up in flames like tinder wood, and I couldn’t help but feel impressed by the shot, despite the fact it had been a total fluke. Still, I wasn’t without mercy, and as the man wailed at the top of his lungs, rolling around in a bid to put out the fire, I chose to put a few rounds in him to end his suffering.

Soon enough, the Molotov throwers were dealt with, and after giving the town a wide berth, I curved around to approach the battalion from the rear. There must have been about forty of them, maybe fifty, and with their focus solely on the town, they were completely unprepared for an attack from behind. Using their gunfire as camouflage, I made my approach with Krocsbane in hand, dealing with them in a far more personal manner as to conserve my ammunition.

“Knife to meet you.” I growled as I shivved my first victim in the neck.

{Oh jeez, Callum, that was disgusting.} Conscio droned, {Never do that again.}

“Yeah, that sounded way better in my head.” I grumbled, shrugging.

Pressing on in silence, I was able to cleave through a good nine of them, before someone turned around and realised that someone was out here picking them off. He tried to spot me, but before he could do so, I brought up my UMP and introduced his vital organs to two bursts of forty-five ACP. With everyone still shooting at the Blood Family, they hadn’t clocked the gunfire as hostile, which gave me an idea.

“Ohh…” I hummed, before a smirk broke out onto my face.

{Like fish in a barrel.} said Conscio, chuckling, {Give ‘em hell, laddie.}

Lining up my shots, the battle became laughably easy, as I cleared out half of the attacking force before they could even comprehend the notion that the fight was lost. By the time they were aware and returning fire, the Blood Family had overwhelmed them, and in just five minutes or so, the attack hadn’t just been repelled, it had been decimated.

I stepped out to greet them, only for a hail of bullets to whizz past me as they presumed me to be a surviving member of the attack. One of them grazed my arm as I dropped to the ground, and I began screaming my name, ordering them to hold their fire before they actually hit me.

“It’s ME, you blithering fuckwits!”

“É Callum, pare de disparar!” one of them bellowed in Portuguese.

The shooting stopped, and as I got to my feet, I was approached by my allies, all of whom were staring at me with wide eyes, knowing I had been the one responsible for their sudden victory. Much like my recent dream as the Titans’ Champion, I came to learn just how much difference one individual could make in a conflict, with a single person being able to completely change the outcome of the battle. The men started whispering to one another, and I heard one of them call me ‘Ceifador’, resulting in the rest of them nodding in agreement and calling me the same thing. Furrowing my brow, I looked to one of the English-speakers and asked why they were calling me that.

“They say you are Ceifador, the personification of death. In your language it is called the Grim Reaper, yes?”

“I can live with that title.” I muttered, “Just don’t expect me to play limbo with anyone.”

{Holy shit, did you seriously just make a Billy and Mandy reference?} Connie laughed.

Ignoring him, I thanked the man for translating, and then spotted the Mother in the crowd, who upon hearing that I had essentially saved the Blood Family, began chanting my name in celebration. Everyone did the same, and for a good minute or so, I was heralded like some sort of hero.

Oh, if only they knew how I would shortly be killing their leader…

Once things settled down, the Mother ordered everyone to loot the bodies, along with the numerous trucks that had brought the attackers to the town. Regrettably, Hoyt himself wasn’t among the dead, which made sense, for a man so important wouldn’t have thrown himself into a situation like this. There was every chance he wasn’t even in the country, an attack of this scale would have been easy enough to orchestrate over a few phone calls.

After all their supplies were collected, the entire Blood Family was called to gather in the courthouse, where they celebrated their victory in the form of a rowdy party, with drink and drugs in abundance. It baffled me to see so many ruthless criminals in such a merry state. However, for as cheerful as the affair was, someone in particular didn’t wish to partake, for she had other plans.

“I believe I agreed to make a man of you earlier.” the Mother cooed from behind me, “Seeing as you just saved our hides, I think I ought to uphold that agreement.”

She pressed her body into my back and put her arms around my waist, before slowly easing downwards. Clearing my throat in stifled alarm, I turned around to face her before she could put her hands on the goods.

“And here I was thinking you’d forgotten.” I teased.

Grinning like the hyena she was, the Mother took me by the hand and led me out of the courthouse. Arriving at the shack, I had barely taken a step inside when the woman threw herself at me. Before I knew what was happening, her lips were against mine, and her tongue forced its way into my mouth, resulting in a panicked shout from Conscio.

{Intruder alert! A red spy is in the base!}

With all the reluctance in the world, I kissed her back, ensuring that she remained trusting and unguarded. She then pushed me up against the wall and pinned me against it, before pulling away and releasing a needy breath.

“I want you, Callum. I want you to be the Father of my Blood Family. Let’s rule it together, you and me. Let’s rule this spineless little country as one, and make it our own little playground, for us to do whatever we please!”

Swallowing, I chose to reply with actions, leaning forward to kiss her again. She moaned loudly with satisfaction, and proceeded to bite my lip. Her sharp teeth pierced my skin, causing me to let out a pained grunt. The taste aroused her further, though for me, all I could think of was Rahim. In a knee-jerk reaction, I shoved her away from me, but before she could sense any hostility, I began to take my clothes off, indicating that I was merely being assertive in what I wanted. The Mother lapped it up, and in just a matter of seconds, she was as bare as the day she had been born.

{Bloody hell, this bitch is randy!} Conscio remarked, {Almost feels bad to waste the opportunity…}

{Nuh-uh.} I thought back to him, {Not in a million years.}

She then came to assist me in a bid to speed things along, unbuttoning my trousers and pulling them down. However, in the heat of the moment, she hadn’t realised that I had taken Krocsbane from its sheath, and as she came back up and went in for another kiss, I raised the weapon steadily to her neck… and struck.

Jolting, the woman froze for a second, completely caught unaware. She then tried to cry out in pain, only for a hoarse whisper to emerge from her lips, for my blade now sat comfortably inside her throat. Yanking it back out, I pushed her away from me and stared at her as she went into shock. Her body began to tremble and blood gushed from her throat like a river, and with a tilt of my head, I gritted my teeth and spoke the last words she would ever hear.

“Sorry sweetheart, but I’m not father material.”

Opening her mouth, she tried to ask why I had done this, only for blood to bubble out in place of her words. It dribbled down her chin and dripped down onto the carpet, and after reaching out with a hand and taking a step towards me, the Mother’s body gave out, falling face-first to the floor with a loud smack.

“Well thank fuck that’s over…” I sighed.

Getting dressed again, I left her body where it was, and after wiping Krocsbane clean, I left the shack.


Swinging past the courthouse again, I spotted all the salvaged equipment from Hoyt’s men outside. There were dozens upon dozens of Molotov cocktails left over, easily enough to set fire to the whole town.

But I didn’t need to set fire to the whole town.

Hoyt’s attack had been a blessing in disguise, for every single member of the Blood Family were all gathered in the courthouse, drunk, high, and unsuspecting. One would think they would put at least someone on guard duty, just in case Hoyt sent a second wave or something. But no, they believed the danger was over, and their arrogance would be their undoing.

After making sure the entryway was clear, I brought the crate of Molotov bottles over and took the rags out. I then proceeded to pour the highly flammable liquid all over the floor, and the walls too for that matter. Growing bold, I even spilled some further inside, heading back near the main courtroom and spread more of the fluid wherever I could.

{That’ll do, lad.} said Conscio, {Get a move on before things go tits-up.}

Heeding his advice, I returned to the crate I had left in the entrance and took one of the metal lighters, along with a firebomb that still had its rag in the neck. I then stepped away from the courthouse and set light to it. Almost immediately, the rag went up in a vibrant orange flame, and wasting no time at all, I hurtled it into the open doorway. The bottle smashed, and in the space of a few heartbeats, the courthouse went up in smoke. Shortly afterwards, there came screaming and shouting from inside, and I quickly turned away and made my escape.

Approaching the gate, I looked back only once, where I found the building now completely ablaze. The screams within transitioned from intense fright to blistering agony, as the countless men within began to burn alive. Some of them began jumping from the windows in a bid to escape, only to continue scorching as the flames clung to their writhing bodies. I took no pride in what I had done, but with the knowledge that Portugal was better off without these people, and that I could now return to Bunnie, I decided that my sullied morality and honour was a small price to pay.

Walking through the gate, I left the town for good, and as I felt the heat on the back of my neck, I knew that just like with Inigo, I had created real change in the world today. The Blood Family were a raiding gang after all, embodying that of an open wound in this part of the country, putrefying and spreading its violent blight to all the surrounding villages and towns within in its reach.

And now I had cauterised it.





In a sense, I felt like I had redeemed myself for what happened with Rahim. The monster who ordered his execution was dead, and I had brought an end to the environment he had been forced to survive in. Then again, perhaps I was seeking an excuse to justify my actions. Either way, none of it mattered now.

Approaching one of the jeeps belonging to Hoyt’s men, I hopped in the driver’s seat, and although I couldn’t drive a car, my brother had at least shown me how to start one, and how to make it go forward. Opening the map on the Sparklight, I tapped on the marker I had made for Paulo’s estate and set a course, and as the Blood Family behind me turned to ash, I drove back to where my heart belonged.


Back to Bunnie.





> Chapter Twelve: Happy Birthday
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





The drive back to Paulo’s compound was arduous, for the simple fact that I continuously stalled the bloody jeep I had taken. As previously established, I had very little experience in driving, with Oliver’s few lessons barely sinking in whatsoever. Still, I made it work, and due to it being the early hours, I thankfully had the roads to myself. It took a good forty minutes or so, but I finally got close enough to the estate to ditch the car and make the rest of the journey on foot.

Hopping out and taking in a deep breath, I realised just how cold it was. If Bunnie had been returned to a cell in my absence, then I feared the worst, for these conditions were easily enough for one to possibly freeze to death. Pressing on with haste, I trudged along through frost-laden fields and muddy pathways, hardened by the cold. The fog on my breath swirled in the air, and the only sound to be heard was my own footsteps, along with the occasional rustling of leaves in the wind. Exhausted from my harrowing week in the Blood Family, I found myself trailing along at a snail’s pace, with my only real source of energy coming from the excitement of seeing Bunnie again. I had missed her so much, and yet I also found myself dreading our reunion, and for two reasons.

Firstly, I feared that she wouldn’t love me any more, at least, not after hearing about everything that had happened. What if she could only see the monster that had cut Rahim’s throat and guzzled his blood? What if she only saw the violent beast in the fighting pit, taking life after life without mercy? What if she saw the Mother’s lips against mine, and her tongue in my mouth, and me letting it happen for the sake of retaining the woman’s trust? Sure, it had been to allow for an easy kill, but even then, it had felt so wrong. Bunnie might never look at me the same way again after what I had done, and even imagining that fact felt like a dagger to the heart.

And secondly, even if those fears were to find themselves unfounded, then it would make the following notion of dread all that much worse. Returning to Bunnie meant that Paulo’s death, by my hand, was on the horizon, and after I had done the deed and delivered Bunnie and Dijla their freedom, I would be parting ways with them, not to see my beloved again for time untold.

I spent so much time and focus dwelling on these things that I didn’t even notice it had passed midnight. It was only when Conscio brought attention to it that I realised.

{Happy birthday, lad.}

“Oh shit, so it is.” I huffed, “Thank you. And uh, happy birthday… me, I guess.”

It was the ninth of January, and so it was that I was now legally an adult. Although, come to think of it, did legalities even apply to me any more? If I was to split hairs on the matter, the only thing that legally concerned me was that I was dead! As far as adulthood was concerned, it felt fair to say that I had already been a man for quite some time now, as had been necessary to contend with everything I had experienced thus far. For better or worse, this journey had shunted my maturity forward, from the moment I had been captured by Inigo’s cartel, all the way to setting the Blood Family ablaze last night. Time and time again, there had been moments that needed the man, not the boy, and I would like to think that I had adequately answered the call.

It was worth noting that these moments hadn’t just been during instances of danger. Sometimes it was the little things, like sharing a tent with Fluttershy and being able to have an adult conversation with her. Sometimes it was when Twilight had treated me poorly, and I had needed to be the bigger person about it in order to keep the peace. Other times had been like when Rainbow Dash had fallen apart in England, when she was still at her worst in handling her ruined wings. Simple kindness hadn’t been enough for her back then, she had needed the comfort of a calm, rational adult, someone who could handle the brunt of her intense emotions, and know how to keep her grounded, ironic as that was.

{I still cannae believe you sang Coldplay to her of all things.}

“Shut up, Conscio.” I muttered, “It was the first thing that came to me, alright?”

{But… Coldplay though!}

“Dude, there’s nothing wrong with Coldplay!” I snapped, stopping in my tracks, “The only reason people pretend to hate them is because everyone else does. It’s like Imagine Dragons, or Ed Sheeran, or pineapple on pizza, we all pretend it’s a crime to enjoy them for no other reason than to shit on others for liking something a bit generic, when in all actuality, there’s nothing wrong with them.”

{So you’re admitting Coldplay’s generic then?}

“Oh they’re generic as fuck!” I agreed, “But that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy them still. I’m sick to the back teeth of people hating on things just for the sake of hopping on a bandwagon.”

{Alright, fair enough.} he muttered, conceding to what was in all fairness, a good point.

Pleased that he had struck a nerve, Conscio remained quiet for the rest of the walk. I then looked at the map and realised that I had been so distracted that I had passed Paulo’s estate a good five minutes ago. Tutting with annoyance, I doubled back on myself and stayed focused this time.

Arriving at last, I crept through one of the entrances and tried to make a stealthy approach, hoping that I could get back to my room unseen. Regrettably, I failed in this endeavour, and before I knew it, I had two of Paulo’s guards pointing their guns at me, shouting in Portuguese while the light from their torches practically blinded me. Assuming Maxim had now been dealt with, I could only hope that Paulo had cleared my name, and so with my hands held up, I told them who I was.

“It’s Bruce Harding, I work with Paulo! Relax guys, I’m not a threat.”

Storming towards me, one of the guards brought the barrel of their gun up to my face, and once again, I told them my name was Bruce, and that I was a member of this cartel. Not speaking a word of English, they clearly didn’t understand anything beyond Paulo’s name, though thankfully that was enough to prevent me from getting shot. Realising that it might be worth letting Paulo see me for himself, they elected to spare me, though they remained hostile. It didn’t help that my garb was sporting Blood Family colours, with their telltale clash of grey and red sticking out like a sore thumb.

“Vem com a gente!” one of them growled.

Though I didn’t understand the words, the body language and tone was enough to tell me I was being ordered to follow, and so I let them march me through the estate, which was when we arrived at the prison.

“Ah.” I muttered, “Here I was thinking you were taking me to Paulo.”

Clearly not wishing to disturb their boss in the dead of night, the guards had taken it upon themselves to haul me off to spend a night behind bars, where they would likely tell Paulo about me in the morning. Knowing it would be folly to resist, I calmly allowed them to shove me into the building and guide me upstairs to an empty cell. Upon being pushed inside, one of the guards tried to take Krocsbane from its sheath on my belt, to which I took hold of his wrist and tutted loudly.

“I’ve been a very good boy letting you lock me up, so let’s keep up the pleasantries, yeah?”

Though he didn’t outright attack me, the man gritted his teeth and made a second attempt to tug the knife from its sheath. At this, I lowered my head and caught his eye.

“Let go of the knife. I won’t ask you a second time.”

We stared at each other for a good few seconds, before he at last backed down and let go of Krocsbane. I in turn let go of his wrist, and he backed away from me with a cautious glare. Remaining perfectly calm, I allowed him to step away and leave the cell, shutting the door behind him and bolting it.

Huffing with annoyance, I sat down on the floor and tried to block out the cold. Without a hint of insulation, it was no better than sitting outside. It was about as cold as the Frozen Forest, that haunting dreamscape where Nah’Lek dwelled, and hunted Twilight for sport on a near-nightly basis. Thinking about the unicorn, and what she had confessed to me last night, I decided to text her. I would have called, but with it being the early hours, I didn’t want to risk waking her. That said, I didn’t have a clue how the magic behind the Sparklight even worked, a text might have been just as disruptive for her as a phone call. Still, I played it safe and typed out a message, knowing it would be good for her to know I was another step towards escaping this cartel, and could finally make my way towards her and the others.

Hey, not sure if you’re awake or not, but I wanted to give you an update.
I’m very close to getting out of here, easily within the week.
I’ll see you soon, and like I said last night, we’ll sort things out, okay?

Not that we’re friends, but I know what it feels like to do what you’ve done.
There aren’t words for it, are there? Trust me, I know.
As soon as I’m back in the fold, we can talk about this at length, and not as foes.
Look, we can go on hating each other for as long as we like, it makes no difference to me at this point, but for this matter alone, you need someone who understands.
So if it please you, I would be there for you as a friend.

Anyway, I just wanted to keep you posted.

Oh, and not that you’ll care, but it’s my birthday today.
Just thought you should know.

After hitting send, I shook my head and furrowed my brow with annoyance and confusion. Why had I bothered to tell her that? It was irrelevant information, and as I had said myself, she wouldn’t have cared. It wasn’t like she was going to wish me a happy birthday, or suddenly start acting kind to me. Plus, knowing her, she would probably see it as a manipulative ploy for her sympathy.

{Uh, that would be because it… was!} Conscio pointed out in a sing-songy voice.

“I mean, no… but… yeah.” I grumbled, hanging my head.

Shrugging, I accepted that I had, in fact, been hoping it would warrant some sympathy from the mare. Knowing it was my birthday might have made me seem a little less foreign in her mind, perhaps more like a pony, and less like the monster she believed me to be. It was a selfish thing to have done, but it was hardly a transgression either, especially when compared to all I had done in the past week.

Knowing that I probably wouldn’t get a reply until the morning, I put the phone away and tried to get what little sleep I could. Curling up in a ball and shutting my eyes, I found myself yet again bombarded with thoughts of Rahim, along with the faces of everyone I had killed in the fighting pits. It wasn’t enough to rattle me, but it was enough to keep me from drifting off, that and the cold. Eventually though, I was able to quell the storm inside my mind, and with the aid of exhaustion from the battle with Hoyt’s men, I finally got off to sleep…


I woke to the sound of somebody having a coughing fit in the cell beside mine. With a groan, I sat up and rolled my shoulders, tensing all my muscles as I did so. This rewarded me with a handful of satisfying clicks and crunches from all the stiffened joints across my torso. After a few more twists and bends to loosen up, I retrieved the Sparklight to check the time. It was nearing eight o’clock in the morning, meaning that I had only slept for around four hours or so. There still hadn’t been any word from Twilight, and after what she had done, I could only wonder what state of mind she was in.

A bitter part of me felt like this was some sort of poetic justice. After all she had put me through, and for all the accusations and hoof-pointing that I was a bloodthirsty killer, I couldn’t help but feel a little bit like she had earned this. It was a horrible thing to think, and I felt dreadful for thinking it, but I couldn’t deny the faint sense of retribution in all this, and that at last, she might see me as an equal.

Another part of me really felt for her though, knowing just how traumatic it was to so suddenly take a life. Though my first kill had been an accident, the guilt and horror were no less intense, and I could only imagine how the poor unicorn was feeling right now. Not that I knew the specifics, but if the others saw Twilight as a monster now, as she had said they did, then she very well might have dealt with their pursuers without much restraint, or decorum. If the kills hadn’t been clean, then it would be all the harder to justify it to those who didn’t, or couldn’t, understand.

{Is there really such thing as a clean kill?} asked Conscio, {You can make it as quick and painless as you like, but the taking of life is the taking of life. I’m not saying it’s not necessary, but for those who’ve never shut a pair of eyes, it’ll always be black and white. You’re either a killer, or you’re not a killer.}

“I mean, I guess you’re right…” I muttered back, “Still, if I stabbed a man in the heart and he died quickly, it would be far more reputable than slashing away until his innards became his, uh… outards?”

{That’s not a word.}

“You’re not a word.” I spat back.

{Ooh, somebody’s tetchy this morning.}

Rolling my eyes, I professed that I was just cold, tired, and itching to see Bunnie again. Growing impatient, I decided to take matters into my own hands. Standing up, I went over to the door of my cell, and carefully wedged open the little observation hatch with Krocsbane. I then leaned up to it and cleared my throat, before breaking into my finest Queen’s English for a bout of loud theatrics.

“Excuse me, my fellow captives! Would anyone happen to know when the morning guard starts his shift? I’m a busy man with a tight schedule, and simply must speak to someone of higher authority! That said, I don’t feel like starting another uprising just for some bloody attention, so could someone just let me know when the morning guard makes his rounds?”

Dejected as they were, the other prisoners were in need of a good laugh, and faint as it was, I heard a few individuals chortling to themselves. I then heard a voice from the cell beside mine, rife with bewilderment.

“No fucking way… Callum!? Is that you!?”

Not recognising the voice, I tilted my head and narrowed my eyes, pulling a most befuddled expression.

“And who might you be?” I inquired.

It was then that a childish, nasally, high-pitched voice rang out.

“Magnum!”

“Oh my god!” I exclaimed, “William!?”

It was William Reed, one of my fellow captives from the Stock Heap back in Brazil. I scrambled to the little grate at the bottom of the wall to look at him, and well and truly, there he was.

“Dude, what the hell? How’d you wind up in prison for a second time?”

“I could ask you the same question!” he laughed, “Long story short, I was an idiot…”

Rolling his eyes, William explained that after the prison riot, he had returned to Inigo’s compound, much like I had done with the ponies. His mindset was to grab some of the ruined cartel’s leftover narcotics and sell them, solely for the purpose of funding his way back to Rio, where he might then reach the British Consulate there and be returned home. This had ended up being a terrible idea, and after being found by one of Paulo’s clean-up crews, he had been knocked unconscious and hauled all the way here to continue his captivity. In other words, when Paulo’s men had been sent to reclaim Inigo’s product, he meant all the product, not just the drugs.

“That, my friend, has got to be the worst luck!” I scoffed, unable to hide my amusement.

“Tell me about it!” he chuckled, “So how did you end up here?”

“Funny story, I actually work here!”

“What?”

Beckoning him closer, I chose to speak softer and explained the whole situation. By the end of it, he was utterly blown away.

“So you’re like, one of the bad guys, but in disguise?” he asked.

“Pretty much.” I confirmed, “Not for much longer though.”

“Well, when you get the chance, would you mind doing an old friend a favour and help me out of here?”

“Nah, I think you’re better off here.” I teased, winking at him.

“Magnum?” he cooed in his stupid nasally voice.

“Ugh, fine then.” I grumbled, “I’ll see what I can do.”

Clapping his hands and thanking me with sincerity, William informed me that the morning guard would be checking on the cells any minute now. And then, as if by magic, we heard the main door open, almost immediately after he had finished his sentence. A pair of footsteps approached, followed by my door being opened, and one very excited Paulo bursting into my cell.

“Bruce! My boy!” he shouted.

Rushing forward, the man put his arms around me, and then demanded to know why I hadn’t come to him the second I had arrived. Gesturing to the guard just behind him, I explained that I would have done, if not for his guards locking me up for trespassing. Without hesitation, Paulo withdrew the handgun from inside his suit jacket and turned around, shooting his own guard in the chest. Letting out a shriek, the poor bastard was completely unprepared, and quickly slumped to the ground in what was a very sudden final breath. Paulo then holstered the gun and gave me his deepest apologies, and then insisted we return to the manor with haste, so that I could tell him everything with a drink in hand.

“Alcohol? Yes please…” I sighed, “Lead the way!”

We were a few steps out of the cell, when on a whim, I decided to chance it.

“Actually, before we leave, can you do me a favour?”

Furrowing his brow, Paulo gestured for me to continue, to which I pointed to William’s cell.

“There’s a fine gentleman in there, an Englishman like myself. It pains me to see a fellow countryman in such a state, I’d like for you to let him go. Whatever he’s worth, I’ll pay for him.”

The curious stare became momentarily hostile, but having likely heard about the Blood Family’s demise by now, Paulo was in a most rapturous mood, and so it was that Mister Reed was released. He was escorted by the guards to one of the exits, where he was free to leave, under the promise that he wouldn’t tell the authorities where he had really come from. He was ordered to keep walking without ever looking back, lest he be shot, which to my relief, he did without question.

Paulo and I meanwhile, returned to his office in the manor. He pulled up a chair for me in front of his desk, and as we both sat down, he reached underneath to retrieve his box of drinking glasses, along with a bottle of rum. Paulo then lit up a cigar, and after a moment’s thought, I asked for one as well.

“I thought you did not smoke?” he pondered.

“After the week I’ve had? Mate, I’ve half a mind to start heroin.”

Emitting a one-syllable laugh, Paulo happily conceded, lighting up a second cigar and passing it to me. Sucking it like a straw, my mouth was filled with the earthy smoke, which I then took into my lungs. I held it there for a moment, before letting it all out with a loud sigh.

“Oh… that hits the spot.”

“Why do you think I smoke them, eh?” Paulo chuckled, “Now, tell me everything.”

After taking a sip from my glass, I dipped my head, and began to tell him of my exploits in the Blood Family, starting right from the beginning, when the Polish man had driven me to their compound. Upon hearing about the initiation ritual, Paulo grimaced hard enough for a splash of rum to spill from his lips. Shaking his head, he was left completely aghast by how the rumours concerning the Blood Family were true.

“They really were savages then…” he murmured, “Here I was, thinking I ran my cartel harshly!”

“You’re benevolent by comparison.” I grumbled, inhaling another toke from my cigar.

“Ha! I certainly wasn’t with my mole!” the man roared with delight, “I tortured Maxim to death the day after you were gone. It is… remarkable, just how many pieces of a person you can cut away before they cease to live.”

Blowing a cone of smoke into the air, I professed that the Frenchman had it coming to him, though deep down, I felt a sense of guilt, knowing that nobody deserved to die in such a way. Pressing on, I told Paulo all about my time in the fighting pits, and how I killed the Blood Family’s fiercest fighters for sport, weakening their ranks and bolstering my reputation while doing it.

“And what of the interception?” he inquired, “I never heard from those men again, so I presume that was helpful?”

“Very.” I replied honestly, “I’m afraid none of your men were spared, but it did solidify my position.”

At that, Paulo rolled his eyes and told me that the means had justified the ends, and that if nothing else, it meant fewer men for him to pay. I huffed with amusement, before moving on to last night’s events. I told him how I had woken to gunfire, and quickly found out that we were under attack.

“At first I thought it was you.” I murmured, “I thought, perhaps I wasn’t doing the job quick enough, and you wanted to push things along. Turns out, it was a group of mercenaries, sent by none other than Hoyt fucking Volker.”

Paulo’s cigar fell from his mouth and hit the desk, causing it to spit out a little burst of embers. The man then leaned towards me, his eyes ablaze, but not with anger or excitement. They were ablaze with terror.

“Hoyt… here?” he gasped.

“Just his men.” I clarified, “He wasn’t there.”

“And what did they look like?” he pressed, “Their uniforms? What were they wearing?”

“Erm, just… standard tactical gear? Oh, but they all had yellow armbands.”

Without warning, the drinking glass in Paulo’s hand exploded, for he had gripped it too tightly. He then hissed loudly and smacked the desk, throwing the broken vessel away to one side of the room.

“The Privateers!?” he barked, “Hoyt sent his Privateers!?”

Not knowing who they were, I told Paulo to educate me, to which I learned that the Privateers were Hoyt’s very own private army. Made up of former mercenaries, ex-convicts, and disgraced soldiers, they worked exclusively for Hoyt, and wouldn’t be here unless the man himself had come to Portugal.

“If the Blood Family wanted out, as I did, then Hoyt will have come to shut us both down!”

“Yeah? Well he didn’t do a very good job.” I pointed out, “We killed every last one of them, and then had a big old party to celebrate. If that’s the best Hoyt can do, then I’m not impressed.”

Sighing with relief, Paulo was able to settle down upon hearing this. Though visibly anxious now, he allowed me to continue my story, telling him of how I used the Privateers’ arsenal to set the courthouse ablaze, bringing the Blood Family to an end in a climactic fiery finale. He was of course, thrilled to hear this news, but with the looming threat of Hoyt Volker now in the area, he was unable to stand on ceremony.

“I need your strategy more than ever, Bruce.” he growled, “There are no ifs on this matter, Hoyt will strike, and when he does, I want to make sure we are ready. I have already asked so much of you, my boy, but I must ask for more. Help me prepare for Hoyt Volker.”

Making firm eye contact with him, I realised just how much Hoyt frightened him, and in this moment, I sensed an opportunity. If I agreed to this, Paulo would be in my pocket, and I could lay out any strategy I saw fit. Perhaps, under the guise of turning the estate into a fortress, I could suggest moving the cartel’s most valuable product to a safehouse or some such. The slaves, the narcotics, and of course, Bunnie and Dijla, could all be relocated to somewhere safe and secure. That way, if Hoyt’s men attacked with firebombs just as they had with the Blood Family, we would still have merchandise to sell, even if we lost the estate.

Of course, in all truth, this would be where I would set my own plan in motion. Once all the product was elsewhere, I would deal with anyone guarding the safehouse, and at long last, set my beloved Bunnie free, along with her mother. Paulo would then be left with nothing, and would meet his end to Hoyt and his Privateers when they attacked, long after I was out of the picture. Bunnie and Dijla would be on their way to England, and I would be reunited with Twilight and the others.

It was the perfect plan, and so it was that I told Paulo what to do. Relaying the stratagem, I was relieved to see him hanging on every word, with the safehouse idea seeming ingenious to him. I then suggested we call in every unit, the Street Dogs, the Militia, even Paulo’s guards! Nobody was to leave this estate, and were to guard the perimeter as though their life depended on it; a full lockdown.

I then heard the door behind me open, followed by an unfamiliar voice.

“I don’t think any of that will be necessary.”

Paulo’s eyes widened with terror and he leapt to his feet, reaching into his jacket to retrieve his pistol, only for a loud bang to ring out through the room. Frozen in shock, I watched as Paulo fell back into his chair, blood now spilling from a gaping hole in his chest. He looked at me with desperation, and opened his mouth to say something, though all that came forth was an incomprehensible splutter. He then slumped back and started making strange, sickly groaning sounds, before finally ceasing to move.

{What the fuck are you doing, laddie!?} Conscio shouted, {Run!}

Before I could heed his command, I felt the barrel of a large handgun against the back of my head, followed by the same unfamiliar voice speaking to me.

“I would highly appreciate it if you didn’t do anything stupid, these bullets are expensive.”

Remaining perfectly still, I waited for further instruction while fighting to remain calm. There were more footsteps, and I watched as two men approached Paulo’s body, both wearing Militia uniforms. A third then approached me and took Krocsbane, claiming it for himself. The mysterious individual behind me then snapped his fingers.

“Find his wife and bring her here, and the girl.”

The men marched away, and realising that Bunnie was in danger I tried to stand up, only for the gun to be pressed harder into my head.

“I won’t ask you twice, boy.”

Gulping, I fought to stay still, though I now shook from head to toe with dread. In each corner of the room, Paulo’s personal guards watched on, doing absolutely nothing in the wake of this unknown assailant murdering their boss and holding his protégé at gunpoint. The gun was then removed, and the man walked around to Paulo’s chair, using a foot to tilt it away from him until it toppled over, taking Paulo’s lifeless body with it. Finally looking upon the man responsible for this, I took in every facet of his appearance. He looked to be in his forties, maybe fifties. His skin bore a golden tan and he had dark brown hair, and his face was weathered and stern, and donned an arrogant smirk. He wore a black suit with an unbuttoned red shirt beneath it, and around his neck sat a golden chain.

There was no doubt in my mind as to who this was.
This… was Hoyt Volker.

Looking down at me, Hoyt narrowed his eyes, studying me just as I had studied him.

“So, you’re the little shit from Brazil? I was hoping we might finally meet each other, I’ve heard quite a number of stories.”

“Good ones I hope?” I muttered, doing all I could to hide my panic.

“That depends on who you ask.”

Hoyt then leaned forward and rested his hands on the desk. His face twitched faintly, as though he were trying to figure out exactly what to do with me. He then sniffed loudly, settling on a decision.

“You have cost me a lot of time and a lot of money, so if it’s all the same to you, let’s get this wrapped up within the day. That said, I’d very much like to make a thing of this, so if you’ll kindly allow these fine gentlemen to beat you unconscious, I have some preparations to make. Don’t worry, I’ll have you brought to me when everything’s ready.”

Gesturing to Paulo’s guards, they started walking towards me. I raised my fists in defence, which was when Hoyt added one final warning.

“If you try to fight back, I’ll have that sweet girl of yours turned into a hood ornament for my car.”

Immediately lowering my guard, there was nothing I could do. If this was the only way to keep Bunnie safe, then so be it. The fists came flying, and soon enough I was on my knees, swaying from side to side as I took blow after blow. My head spun and my vision blurred, and with one final heavy strike to the side of my face, I collapsed to the floor, now wholly incapacitated. I felt the vague sensation of my arms being raised up, and as the swirling colours faded to black, I could only presume that I was being hauled away to the prison…


As consciousness returned to me, and the pulsating agony in my head with it, I felt as though I were hanging upside down. Blood was rushing to my head, and upon opening my eyes, I couldn’t make sense of the image. Blinking a few times to clear the blurriness, I realised that I indeed, was upside down. I looked up to my feet to find them bound together, and suspended on a large meat hook. Looking all around, I found myself surrounded by pigs and cattle, all gutted and hung from hooks of their own.

I was in the butchery section of the cold food storage, one of the outbuildings not far from the drug factory. Why Hoyt had brought me here was beyond my understanding, but it hardly mattered. What mattered was finding Bunnie, and getting the hell out of here. All prior plans were out the window, I just needed to find her, and run. With my hands tied behind my back at the wrists, the first port of call was to figure out how to get down from this hook.

“Think Callum, think…” I hissed to myself, trying to ignore the thumping pain in my skull.

{Care for a hint?} said Conscio.

“Well, at least you’re still alive.”

{Aye, but neither of us will be for long unless we get a move on.}

“What’s your bloody hint then?”

{You know the saying… ‘bend over backwards’, right?}

“Right, got it.” I muttered.

Using all my core strength, I started to curl backwards, bending my knees to raise my body up and arching my back in a way that couldn’t have possibly been good for my spine; I had effectively turned myself into a circle. I then slid my hands up the backs of my legs until I could just about reach the hook.

{Just imagine how stupid you look right now.} Connie giggled, {Go on lad, throw it back!}

“Not… helping!” I wheezed, barely able to hold the position.

Gripping the metal tightly, I used every ounce of my strength to push my legs up and unhook myself, and not a moment too soon. With my muscles giving out, I released the hook and dropped to the floor, smacking into the concrete with a hefty grunt.

“Ow…”

Remaining limp for a time, I gathered myself and caught my breath, before tucking my legs and looping my arms through to bring them in front of me. I was then able to undo the zip-ties that bound my hands together, and lastly, untie the nylon rope at my feet.

“Right then.” I puffed, clenching my fists, “Now to find Bunnie.”

Without Krocsbane, my only choice of weapon was a meat cleaver, found in the butchery before I left the room. To my relief, the Sparklight hadn’t been taken, for it sat in the large front pocket of my tactical vest, where it was nice and concealed. Now armed, I left the food storage and stepped cautiously into the mess hall, where I found dozens of Paulo’s Street Dogs, all dead and sprawled out in various places. There were some Militia as well, along with some of Hoyt’s Privateers. With a gulp, it dawned on me that during my time unconscious, Hoyt had exterminated Paulo’s cartel, with even the innocent kitchen staff laying among the dead.

I then went into the courtyard, where I found even more bodies scattered hither and thither. It had been just like the attack on the Blood Family, but this time, the attack had been launched from within, and it had succeeded. I then heard gunfire over by the prisons, followed by the screams of men, women, and children.

“Oh gods above…” I murmured to myself, “He’s killing everyone.”

I needed to get to Bunnie, right now. Breaking into a sprint, I shot through the flower garden and over to the manor, where I slipped past a group of Privateers on the ground floor and up to Paulo’s office. Along the way, I noticed numerous crates and barrels along the corridor. I recognised them, for they were the very same mysterious crates and barrels I had seen in the armoury, back during my first tour of the estate. What was Hoyt doing with them?

Approaching the door, I heard movement inside, along with voices. Hoyt was in there, and he was barking commands to his Privateers. I then heard someone whimpering loudly, and I knew exactly who it was.

“Bunnie…” I whispered.

A set of footsteps approached the door, and as they started to open, I burst forward and grabbed the Privateer who had opened them. I planted the meat cleaver into his neck and sliced him open, grabbing his gun in the process and rushing forward with reckless abandon. I spotted Hoyt and took aim, only for him to point his own gun to his left.

“Drop it, or she dies.”

Following the barrel of his pistol, I spotted Bunnie, trapped inside a metal cage at one side of the room, clutching her mother Dijla. The both of them were beaten and bloody, and as I made eye contact with my beloved, my heart dropped to the pit of my stomach. She broke into a sob, and with Hoyt’s gun aimed directly at her head, I realised that I was in an impossible situation. If I dropped the gun, he would more than likely shoot me, but if I tried to shoot Hoyt, he would kill Bunnie. Prioritising our own survival, Conscio begged me to take the shot, but as I saw the tears streaming down my lover’s face, the gun slipped from my fingers and clattered to the floor.

{You’ve just killed us, you bastard.} growled Conscio.

Hoyt then let out a huff of amusement, and beckoned me to come closer.

“Love… a more deadly weapon than any bullet, wouldn’t you agree? You came along right on schedule, I was just about to have you collected.”

With several guns aimed at me, all I could do was stand there and look at him while he addressed me.

“You really are a tenacious little thing, aren’t you? Freeing yourself and killing another of my men, with a fucking meat cleaver of all instruments! You’re clearly good at what you do, you certainly did a real number on my raiding party last night, I can always appreciate a professional at work. Come, sit!”

He walked over to Paulo’s desk, where the man still lay dead on the floor. Hoyt then brought up a new chair and had one pulled up for me, and as I had sat with Paulo just a short while ago, I now sat with one of the most powerful men in the criminal underworld. As I followed him, I couldn’t help but pass a glance at Bunnie in the cage, and the look on her face said it all. Despite all my promises, and all the fantasies of our happy future together, there was no way out of this. I then noticed, just like in the corridor, numerous barrels dotted around the room.

“Ah, you like the new decorations?” said Hoyt, gesturing to them, “Each one is full of a rather volatile substance, made from gasoline, powdered magnesium, and dissolved styrofoam. Do you have any clue what that produces?”

Though I didn’t know for sure, I had a very good guess. Conscio then confirmed the theory, pulling all the scientific knowledge in my brain together and pointing out exactly what such compounds would create.

{Lad, he’s created fucking napalm.}

Swallowing, I clenched my fists and nodded, confirming to Hoyt that I knew exactly what the barrels contained. At that, he leaned back in his chair and picked at his fingernails.

“Good, that saves the chemistry lesson.” he began, “Now, let’s cut the small talk. You’ve caused a lot of trouble for my business, so much that I’ve had to come here and sort out this mess myself. First, you fuck up my best supplier in South America, with dear Inigo meeting a rather grizzly end. I must admit, that little stunt with the prison riot was impressive, it really is remarkable what one can accomplish with a little motivation. Those talking ponies clearly mean a lot to you.”

I shuffled in my seat, caught unaware by Volker’s knowledge of the girls. Sensing my unease, he tutted loudly and pointed out that Inigo’s business was his business, and had made sure to plant enough moles to keep tabs on every aspect of the cartel. He then continued, telling me how I had then turned not only Paulo, but the Blood Family against him as well.

“I was well aware they both wanted independence,” he went on, “and those moles kept them in line. That’s how you control your employees, with fear. However, their ultimate mistake was thinking they only had one infiltrator to deal with. More than half of the Mother’s inner circle were my own personal employees, as was the same for Paulo’s guards!”

Looking to my left, I spotted the guards in question, including Sergei, the Russian who had beat me to a pulp with the knuckle duster. This explained why the guards had allowed Hoyt to come in here and shoot Paulo, it had all been a part of the plan. This whole time, Volker had been playing us for fools; this had all been a game to him, and he held all the cards.

“You’re lucky, you know?” he said, pointing at me, “When you started your little trips to the fighting pit, I ordered my men to kill you. Lo and behold, you came out on top.”

“I wouldn’t call that luck.” I retorted, “You just hire shit fighters.”

“Ha, good one!” he laughed, “Well, it doesn’t matter either way. You beat me once, but like a game of poker, you keep playing until the house collects. Now I have you, and for as much product as you’ve cost me, at least two of my loose ends are tied up. As per the system I’ve designed, I always win.”

Breaking into a laugh, he spread his arms out and said that I never had a chance. From the second I had helped Bunnie in that shanty town, Hoyt had been made aware, and he had been watching me from the shadows, all the way from his base on the Rook Islands.

“So why am I still alive, huh?” I quizzed, “You after the ponies?”

“Naturally, an educated guess, but no.” Hoyt replied, “I’ll be honest with you, Bruce, Callum, whatever the fuck your real name is, I don’t give two shits about your talking animals. I don’t care where they are, and I don’t care where they come from. The reason you’re still alive is because just as you’ve caused me a personal loss, I would like to ensure you experience a loss of your own before I kill you. Only seems fair, don’t you think?”

Gesturing to Bunnie, he told me that from the moment she became my love interest, she had become a target. He was going to kill her, but before he did, he wanted to make sure that she knew I was the one responsible, so that she would resent me in my final moments. He then took out his handgun and took aim at her, to which I jumped up from my chair.

“No, don’t!”

Hoyt pulled the trigger and I let out a gasp, only for the gun to let out a meagre click.

“Oh, silly me…” he cackled, “I forgot to put the magazine in!”

Yet again, he was playing games, squeezing every drop of enjoyment out of this situation. I sat back down, feeling sick to my stomach, and with tears now streaming down my face, I begged for Hoyt to let her go.

“Please…” I said through gritted teeth, “Just let her go, and I’ll never come near you or your business again.”

At this, Hoyt let out a laugh.

“Such a generous proposition! And why the fuck would I do anything you ask of me? You don’t seem to understand… you die here, and so does your little girlfriend, and it’s all your fault.”

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a large magazine, then inserted it into the handgun.

“Please, I’ll do anything, Hoyt.” I cried, “I’ll do anything you ask!”

“I think you’ve done quite enough for me, boy.” he grunted, snapping his fingers.

One of his Privateers came over to him and passed a remote, bearing one very simple red trigger. Presenting it to me and waving it around, he explained that as soon as the trigger was pulled, a timer would start. After seven minutes, the napalm would be detonated, and the entire manor would go up in smoke.

“I would have set it for longer, and played some games with you, but I have places to be. You’re not the only thorn in my side. Back on my island, there’s some privileged lad by the name of Jason Brody, and he’s been quite the troublemaker as of late. Just this morning, I hear he’s set fire to one of my plantations! He’s quite like you by the sounds of it, tenacious, arrogant, and above all, a threat to my life’s work. As such, I’m afraid I’ll be cutting this meeting short.”

And then, without a hint of warning, Hoyt pulled the trigger. A handful of the barrels beeped loudly, and Hoyt got to his feet.

“While I’d relish in the thought of you burning to death, I know a slippery bugger like yourself could very well get away, and I’m not taking that risk. Just know that your beloved Bunnie is going to die screaming, until her seared flesh falls away from her bones, and her pretty little eyes melt from her head.”

Hoyt then leisurely threw the remote away, and as I tried to get up to flee, he raised his handgun towards me, and fired.

“NO!” screamed Bunnie, breaking into an ear-splitting wail.

The sheer force of the impact knocked me backwards, sending me tripping over the wooden chair and onto the flat of my back. For a few seconds, everything felt completely numb, and I lay there as though I had been encased within a block of ice, frozen by the shock. Then the pain struck; a sharp, indescribable agony radiated from my chest and outwards, encasing my whole thorax. Unable to even breathe, I shook like a leaf, slowly reaching to where the bullet had hit me. Hoyt looked down at me for a moment, before looking at his men with a satisfied huff.

“Well, that’s Britannia dealt with. Now on to Snow White.”

Everyone left the room, and in just a few moments, the tyrannical Hoyt Volker was gone. Bunnie continued to shriek and sob, rattling the bars of the metal cage in a desperate bid to reach me.

At this point, I expected darkness to creep in, to feel cold, or perhaps behold a white light, anything that might resemble death. Instead, I felt only pain, as the agony in my chest continued to overwhelm me. Finally reaching the bullet hole with my fingers, I prepared to find an ungodly amount of blood, only for my hand to remain dry and unstained. Thoroughly confused, I felt around the area, and recognised the shape of a hard rectangular bump, embedded within my vest.

It was the Sparklight.
The phone had stopped the bullet.

With a trembling hand, I reached into my pocket and pulled out the device to find it completely destroyed. The screen was shattered and the entire body was bent. The back housed the bullet, partially flattened and deeply entrenched into the phone’s warped shell, which had evidently been strengthened by Twilight’s modifications. Alas, it was now broken beyond repair, but that didn’t matter, for it had saved my life.

Finally able to breathe, barely, I took in a gasp and winced as the pain multiplied by a hundred-fold. It was safe to assume that my ribs were broken; after all these years, my bones had finally met a force they couldn’t withstand. Wheezing and groaning, I rolled onto my side and then rose up to my knees, looking over to face Bunnie and Dijla, both of whom stared at me in disbelief.

“You’re… You’re alive?” Bunnie whimpered, “How!?”

I responded by tossing the phone onto the floor between us, revealing exactly how I had survived.

{Not to rush you, but this whole building is about to blow.} Conscio reminded me.

Spurred on by fear and urgency, I got to my feet and staggered over to the cage, reaching through the bars to grab Bunnie’s hand. She clasped it tight enough to nearly break it, while I inspected the door to their cage. It was sealed firmly shut by two bolts, with one at the top and the other at the bottom, and both of them were secured by padlocks.

“Where are the keys?” I asked, stifling an agonised wheeze.

“In Paulo’s bedroom somewhere!” Dijla shouted, “Hurry!”

Letting go of Bunnie, I charged off to the former cartel leader’s quarters. Along the way, the pain in my chest was too much, forcing me down to one knee. With tears in my eyes, I cried out in pain and clutched at my chest. Conscio then shouted at me, insisting that there wasn’t time to let pain subdue me. Knowing he was right, I got back to my feet with a low, rumbling growl that sounded more like a vicious dog than it did a human being.

Reaching Paulo’s quarters, I began my search, tearing open every drawer, cupboard, and container. I had been searching for about a minute, when from behind me came a loud whirring noise. Whipping around to face it, I was met with a flickering wisp of light, which suddenly flashed bright enough to momentarily blind me. For a split second, I thought I had run out of time and been caught in the blast, but as the light dissipated and I opened my eyes, I was met by a far uglier sight than my own fiery demise.

It was none other than Twilight Sparkle.

She looked different, more unlike herself than ever before. The whites of her eyes were yellowed and bloodshot, and her fur was full of dirt, giving her more of a brownish plum colour as opposed to the usual lilac. Her mane was unkempt and matted, and her tail was no better. Her face bore an expression that was equal parts exhausted and lifeless, as though she was more of a ghost than a pony. In a word, the mare looked unwell, as though she had come down with an illness.

“We feared the worst, hearing the gunshot.” she croaked, not bothering to say hello.

Peering out the window behind her, I spotted the others, just a little way outside the building. Even from such a distance, I could tell they were all different too. The whole group looked utterly shattered in both body and spirit, with Rarity still wrapped in bandages from the bear attack, her mane and tail unstyled, trailing along behind her.

“Looks like you’ve had a bad time.” Twilight pointed out, jerking her head to my bruised face.

“You don’t look so great yourself.” I groaned, “Look, this whole place is rigged to blow in just a few minutes, we need to get out of here!”

“Then stand still.” she ordered as her horn started to glow, “I’ll teleport us.”

“Wait!” I shouted, wincing at the pain in my chest, “There are people in here, we need to get them out too!”

“Uh, no we don’t.” she scoffed, “I’m not risking my life for humans I don’t know.”

“Please!” I hissed, glaring at her, “It’s Bunnie and her mother!”

Hearing the desperation in my voice, Twilight conceded and began helping me search for the key, which was when Conscio made a harrowing revelation.

{Lad, we aren’t finding the keys in time. I’ve been counting since Hoyt pulled that trigger, we only have a little over a minute left.}

“Fuck!” I barked, punching the wall hard enough to break the wood.

Turning to Twilight, I asked if she could teleport the four of us, to which she shook her head.

“I’ve told you enough times, humans cost more mana to manipulate. I only have enough for the two of us.”

“I need you to burn through two padlocks then!” I pleaded, “Are you at least capable of that!?”

Clenching her jaw, Twilight hesitated for a second, before dipping her head and allowing me to guide her back to Paulo’s office. Needless to say, Bunnie and Dijla were completely stupefied upon seeing the unicorn, even with Bunnie having already seen a picture of her.

“What is that thing!?” Dijla gasped.

“Charmed.” Twilight grumbled, approaching the cage.

“No time to explain.” I added, “Twilight, burn those locks!”

Narrowing her eyes at them, she started to protest, saying that she hadn’t expected them to be so bulky. Too panicked and desperate to remain composed, I smacked the cage and bellowed at the mare in spite of the anguish it caused in my chest, ordering her at the top of my lungs to burn the locks. Flinching, Twilight focused, fixing her gaze on the bottom padlock first and firing up her horn. A beam of magenta energy shot forth and began heating up the metal, until at last it snapped.

“Hurry! Hurry!” I begged, my voice cracking.

She then got started on the second, when the napalm barrels started to beep loudly.

{Ten seconds, laddie.} said Conscio, {There’s no time… I’m so sorry.}

“No…” I gasped, “No! NO! Twilight, burn the last lock! Burn it! BURN IT!”

But she was no fool, Twilight knew just as well as I did that we had run out of time. Bunnie knew it too, and as the last of her hope faded away, she looked me in the eyes and told me that it was alright, and that everything was going to be okay. Bursting into tears, I started yelling out and punching at the lock with every ounce of my strength, over and over again until my knuckles split open. Bunnie then reached from the bars of her cage and took my hand.

“Callie, it’s alright…” she cried with tears streaming down her face, “I love you, Callum… so much!”

My body started to tingle, and I knew that Twilight was about to take me away. Locking eyes with my terrified lover, I knew she needed to hear it back, and though the realisation felt like the very death of me, I understood that this was the last opportunity I would ever have to say it.

“Bunnie, I… I-”

Before I could finish, my vision turned white as every fibre of me rippled and shook, whisking me away with a blinding flash. I then reappeared outside and felt myself falling, and before I could regain my bearings, I smacked into the ground. Rolling onto my back, I gasped loudly as pain shot through my chest like never before. I then got back up and tried to run back to the manor, only for the entire building to burst into flames; the sheer force of the explosion knocked me off my feet and back by a good few metres.

“BUNNIE!” I shrieked, getting back up for a second time.

The flames meant nothing to me, my damn life meant nothing to me, I had to get back to her! Charging as fast as I could, I sprinted towards the manor with every intention to hurl myself into the fire, and somehow get her out of there. This attempt was then thwarted, as Rainbow Dash and Applejack caught up to me and held me back.

“Callum, you can’t!” Rainbow shouted, “You’ll die!”

“GODDAMMIT, LET ME GET HER OUT OF THERE!” I screamed, shaking violently, “GET OFF ME!”

“Babe, it’s too late!” Applejack cried out, “It’s too late, there’s nothing you can do!”

It took every ounce of their strength to keep me restrained, and I shook and shook to break free. Eventually I was able to, casting Applejack aside and charging towards the manor with Rainbow Dash still attached to my leg, trailing along behind me as she begged me to stop. I reached one of the lower windows and tried to clamber inside, only for a spurt of blazing napalm to splash out and hit my shoulder. In seconds, I was being cooked, and the pain was worse than the gunshot. Falling back, I let out an ungodly bellow and scrambled to remove my tactical vest and shirt, casting it away, and the flames with it.

I then made a second attempt for the window, only for Applejack to reach me from behind and grab me. Between her, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity’s telekinesis, I was overpowered and dragged away from the burning building, kicking and screaming. None of the ponies needed any context to know what had happened here; someone I cared about was in the fire, and there was nothing anyone could do about it.

“I’m sorry, Callum!” Applejack spluttered, bursting into tears of her own, “I’m so… so sorry!”

They continued dragging me away as I howled the word ‘no’ over and over again, louder each time, until at last, I was far away enough for them to let me go. I watched helplessly as the entire estate was consumed by the fire, and after a few desperate paces towards it, I finally relented, dropping to my knees and staring at what I could only describe as true hell.





Slowly opening my quivering mouth, the sound that emerged would surely haunt the ponies for the rest of their days, for it was the most soul-shattering, anguished, devastating cry they had ever heard; it was a scream one could not put to words. It was enough to break them, and all but Twilight found themselves crying beside me. Nothing could describe this emotion, no pain I had ever endured came even close to this.

A part of me had just died.

I must have knelt there for at least half an hour, sobbing and sobbing until I had no more tears left to shed. As though I had died myself, I ceased to move, kneeling in the grass with my mouth wide open in a soundless wail, with saliva and mucus dripping to the ground in enough abundance to form a small sticky puddle. None of the ponies knew what to say, save for a few feeble attempts to murmur my name. Eventually, after wiping at her own red-rimmed eyes, Applejack plucked up the courage to put a hoof on my arm.

“Sugarcube… Babe, we need to get going, it ain’t safe here.”

I couldn’t move, I couldn’t… think.
I didn’t even feel alive any more.

Fluttershy then came over and brought her muzzle up to my cheek, where she whispered softly into my ear.

“You don’t have to say anything. You don’t have to do anything. You can sit in a corner for days if that’s what you need, or you can hide under a bedsheet. No one will push you, and no one will tell you what to do. You don’t have to eat, or even drink. You can stay like this for as long as you need, but not here. We need to get away from this place, before any humans come along and find us. I know you’re hurting, Callum, but I also know you understand.”

Fluttershy’s words, paired with her familiar buttery voice, gave me just enough strength to stand. I took a step forward, and that step was all it took for the shock to overwhelm me. With one last look at the manor as it crumbled away to dust and ruin, and at the ash in the air as it drifted in the wind like the winter’s snow, my mind, body, and even soul, gave out. For the first time in my life, I fainted, and as I collapsed to the ground and lost all understanding of the world around me, I could only comprehend one thing…


Bunnie was gone.





> Chapter Thirteen: The Breaking Point
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





The first thing I could comprehend was pain. It was as though shards of glass dwelled inside my rib cage, cutting into me with every breath. My shoulder too, for that matter, felt like it had been rubbed all over with nettles, and then stung by a swarm of hornets for good measure. Groaning, I tried to sit up, only for a hoof to gently stop me and ease me back down.

“Hey, take it slow…” said a warm, gentle voice.

My eyes flickered open, and I was met with Fluttershy standing beside me, with a worried look painted upon her face. Slowly tilting my head, I looked around to get a sense of my surroundings. I was in a soft bed with clean linens, housed within a very old-looking bedroom. I tried to ask where I was, but upon the first syllable, I let out a cough, which in turn felt like my whole torso was being crushed by a hydraulic press. Clutching my chest, I released an outward gasp and clamped my eyes shut.

“Don’t try to talk if it hurts.” Fluttershy sighed, “You’re still in really bad shape.”

I looked down to find my chest tightly wrapped in bandages, forming a makeshift binder. It wasn’t unlike the one I had worn in Brazil, after Rarity had stitched up the machete wound Inigo gave me. However, this time it wasn’t to prevent swelling, it was to keep my ribs in place and allow them to fuse back together. My shoulder was also wrapped in bandages, and around the edges I spotted the dried remnants of Oozima; as expected, Fluttershy had been taking very good care of me.

“Where… am I?” I rasped, too woozy to keep my eyes open.

“Somewhere safe.” she replied, “We found it before coming to get you. It’s an old mansion, high up on a clifftop. The ground’s unstable, so we think the owner packed up and left before it all collapses. We decided to set up here until you get better.”

Without the energy to even nod my understanding, I just lay there with my eyes closed. I then asked how long I had been here, to which she explained that I’d been out for the past five days, six if I was to count the time it took to bring me here. Apparently I had woken a few times, only to mumble, thrash, and whimper, and so, much like Rarity after the bear attack, Fluttershy took it upon herself to sedate me, to keep me as still as possible during my recovery. Thankfully, this matter had been expedited, for alongside the Oozima on my shoulder burn, I had also been shot up with a hefty dose of Bloom, speeding up the healing process by a good week or two. Twilight had also scanned me, revealing the extent of my injuries; supposedly I had suffered from three broken ribs, a dislocated collar bone, and a large enough contusion to look like I had been shot with a cannonball.

“Not far off.” I groaned wearily, “Took a bullet to the chest, and my phone stopped it. I’d be dead if it hadn’t.”

“Goodness…” she murmured fretfully, putting a hoof to her mouth.

Opening my eyes again, I looked at the pegasus. Though she had clearly had a wash recently, it hadn’t been a thorough one, for her mane was tangled and raggedy, and her fur was still covered in faint patches of dirt. She looked exhausted, but as our eyes met, the both of us found ourselves smiling, albeit weakly.

“I missed you.” I said hoarsely.

“Oh Callum, I missed you too…”

Reaching forward, Fluttershy very carefully gave me a cuddle, and although raising my arms to reciprocate hurt enough to force a wince out of me, it was worth it. Feeling her soft velvety fur against my fingertips again after all this time was a comfort that I needed, more than I had realised. I held her as tightly as my injured body would permit, before finally letting go and lying back down. Even having been unconscious for a week, I still felt tired; I guess I was more drained than I had realised. Over the past month, I had worked myself to the bone, doing all I possibly could to get Bunnie and Dijla to safety, and it had all been for nothing. The second Bunnie came back into my mind, I started to cry.

“Callum…” Fluttershy breathed, her own eyes watering up.

“She’s gone…” I mewled, not even bothering to cover my face, “She’s gone!”

Hushing to me softly, there was little else Fluttershy could do other than sit with me and watch me fall apart again. And then, having heard the sobs, the door to my room opened and in came the others. They all rushed to my bedside to make sure I was okay, all except for Twilight, who remained in the doorway, observing me from a distance. Pinkie Pie, bless her, asked if I wanted to hear a joke to cheer me up, though I was in too bad a state to even respond.

This was hardly the reunion I had hoped for, seeing me like this after not seeing me for a month must have been awful for them. In truth, however, I found myself barely able to care, as I cried harder and harder at the thought of Bunnie being reduced to ash. One by one they tried to comfort me, and one by one they failed.

“This… may be inappropriate to ask, but… what actually happened, darling?”

Looking up to face Rarity, I wanted to answer her rationally. I wanted to tell her word for word, about how the most beautiful, perfect girl had fallen into my life, and how as if it had been written in the stars, we quickly came to love one another. I wanted to tell all six of them about my daring mission to rescue her, and how I had closed so many eyes to do it. And then, just as all the pieces were coming together, I was swept from under my feet by an unseen nemesis.

Hoyt Volker.

My mind would be forever branded by that name, and as I opened my mouth to answer Rarity’s question, all I could do was repeat what I had said to Fluttershy, in the form of a tortured wail.

“She’s… GONE!”

Burying my face into my hands, I cried hard enough to feel nauseous, while Fluttershy and Applejack did their best to settle me down with sweet hushes, affectionate murmurs, and gentle touches to my hands and wrists. This feeling was too much, every second I cried it became more and more painful, and it wasn’t long before I was hyperventilating and trembling all over. Rainbow Dash then bravely asked the question that dwelled on everyone’s minds.

“Who… Who was she?”

Continuing to sob and splutter, I tried to explain, and was able to get out a few words. I told them that she was the reason I was in that place, and why I hadn’t returned to them sooner, for I had been trying to rescue her.

“Was she your friend?” Pinkie asked, tilting her head as her ears drooped.

Looking up at the pink pony, I stared at her for a few seconds, before letting the truth be known.

“I loved her…”

My confession had me falling apart all over again, burying my face into Fluttershy’s neck and whimpering like the hurt little boy I was. None of the girls had a clue of what to say, but how could they? What did they know about loss? What did they know of this pain? Nothing… they knew nothing about this breed of suffering!

Or so I thought.

“If I may, could I talk to him?” Applejack spoke.

Everyone looked at her blankly, waiting for her to go ahead. She then rolled her eyes with exasperation and emphasised her point.

“Alone?”

Realising what she meant, everyone started to move out. Fluttershy, ever loyal to her patient, was reluctant to let me out of her sight, but trusting in AJ she took her leave as well, closing the door behind her. Applejack then hopped onto the bed, and enveloped me in a motherly hug, taking in a deep breath and pulling me into her chest.

“Come here, little one.” she hummed into my ear, “It’s alright, you hear?”

“How… How can you say that?” I wept, “How could this possibly be alright?”

Her reply was more stern than I had expected it to be, but it ended up being exactly what I needed to hear.

“Because I’ve got you, alright? It don’t matter how bad you’re feeling, I’ve got you, and that’s all that matters right now. You’re hurting real bad, and it’s the kind of hurt nopony can fix. There ain’t no doctors, no medicines, and there sure ain’t no fancy magic that can make any of this go away. You have to feel it, babe. It sure as apples ain’t fair, but you have to, and you have to keep feeling it, every gosh-darn day, until you got the strength to keep going again.”

Sniffing loudly, Applejack paused, and I realised that she was now crying as well. And yet, even as her own voice started to shake with emotion, she continued with confidence.

“But you don’t have to worry about that right now, alright? Right now, you just need to know that I’ve got you, and I ain’t never letting you go. You feel what you need to feel, little one. You can be scared, you can be mad, you can… you can even feel like you don’t want to be here no more! All of that is just fine, because I’ve got you… okay?”

She rocked me gently from side to side, and patted my back to the rhythm of a heartbeat, and although I continued to cry, it became less emphatic. Sniffing and wiping at my nose, I started to regain some sense of control, and allowed Applejack to care for me in a way that I hadn’t experienced before. She cared for me like she would for Apple Bloom, like a big sister would.

No. Like a mother would.
Was this… what a mother’s love felt like?

Whatever form of care this was, it was working, and as my crying came to an uneasy standstill, I was finally able to speak again, though it was more of a rattling whisper.

“It’s not fair…”

“I know, babe… I know.”

“How?” I croaked, “How could you know?”

“Because… I’ve been through this before.”

She had said it so quietly that I almost didn’t hear her. Letting go of me, Applejack sniffed loudly and sat back so that she could look into my eyes, where she made a revelation that had my eyes wide with shock.

“You ain’t the only one here who’s lost someone, Sugarcube. I’ve been right where you are now, feeling so hurt, and so torn up, that the whole darn world don’t make sense no more. It hurts like you can’t explain, and you feel like nopony, not even your loved ones, could ever understand.”

My crying stopped completely at that, and as my lips continued to tremble, I thought about whom she might have been referring to. Not needing any prompting, she shared in my pain, and told me.

“I was young. Apple Bloom, bless her heart, had only just been born. One night, I woke up to Big McIntosh bursting into my room. He snatched me from my bed, told me we had to get out right away. I remember smelling the smoke before seeing anything, and then I saw it… the fire… fire all around.”

The mare’s ears drooped, as did her whole face for that matter. Unable to look at me any longer, Applejack looked off just past my face instead as she continued, and it was as though I could see the flames in her eyes, as the deeply buried memory came to the surface.

“Big Mac got me out, and then went back inside for Apple Bloom. He even saved Granny, but by the time he tried going back in for Ma and Pa, well… it was… it was too late.”

After a long silence, she explained that this was why Big McIntosh was so quiet all the time, for even to this day, he blamed himself for his parents demise. Swallowing, I gave my head a small shake, before telling her how truly, truly sorry I was, and that I had no idea. There had always been speculation among bronies about Applejack’s parents and their supposed death, ever since two shooting stars flew across the sky during the Apple Family Reunion episode. Now, I knew the truth, and it was more heartbreaking than I ever could have prepared myself for.

And yet, in learning this, I realised that Applejack really did understand. Just as I had watched the flames consume Paulo’s manor, she too, had watched fire devour her family home, and her parents with it. Thinking back to when I had suggested faking my death, the mare’s emotional reaction was now completely understandable, it all made sense now.

“It’s alright…” she spoke at last, “I’ve learned to get by, though it sure weren’t easy at first. I even ran away once, tried to start anew in Manehattan. Didn’t work out of course, and after coming back, I found my way. Big Mac needed his sister, and Apple Bloom needed a mother, and so I did both. As for all that pain inside? I just put it into my work, bucking trees and selling apples, day in, day out. It doesn’t go away, Hun, but it does get easier.”

With a reassuring smile, she reached forward and held me, and for as awful as I felt, at least I finally felt like I wasn’t alone, and that was something. Closing my eyes, I focused on the softness of her fur, and the steady beat of her heart as I pressed my ear to her chest, and slowly but surely, I started to feel better.


Applejack held me for quite some time, until we were both startled by a loud crash in the room below us, followed by Rainbow Dash shouting angrily at something.

“The hell’s going on down there?” I murmured.

“I don’t know, but I ain’t heard Rainbow shout like that in a while…”

Hopping off the bed, AJ went and opened the door, sticking her head out in order to eavesdrop. I clambered out of bed to join her, and as I craned my neck to listen in, I heard Rainbow Dash in the middle of some sort of tussle with Twilight.

“Get off me!” I heard the unicorn cry out.

“Get off you?” Rainbow shouted, “You’re lucky if I don’t kill you!”

“I’d like to see you try!”

“What, so I could be just like you? You’re a fucking murderer!”

At first, I guessed this was about the men Twilight had killed last week. What she said next though, had my blood running cold.

“Oh get over yourself!” the mare snapped, “I didn’t kill the damn girl, I just let what needed to happen, happen! Did you see the state of him afterwards? His loyalty was not with us any more! He was going to leave us for that girl, and if I had saved her, it would have completely jeopardised this mission!”

My heart began skipping beats, and my hands began to shake.

“He loved her!” Rainbow Dash shrieked, “He loved her, and you let her die! You’re a monster!”

There came another crashing sound as the pegasus presumably tried to get a hold of Twilight, only for the unicorn to wrestle away and continue her defence.

“A monster? You want to see a monster, Rainbow Dash? How about I tell Nah’Lek where we are, huh? Then you’ll see what a real monster looks like! You want to go through pain like you wouldn’t believe? You want to experience suffering like you couldn’t fathom!? Trust me, if you think I’m a monster, you wouldn’t last five seconds with him!”

The rest of their argument faded away to me as white noise began to ring out in my ears, and the sounds around me became muffled. My whole body shook, and all I could comprehend was the horrifying, nauseating truth that I had just learned…

Twilight could have saved Bunnie’s life.
And she had willingly allowed her to die.

My stomach grew hot with a feeling I couldn’t describe, and in my chest, my heart started pounding. The pain in my ribs intensified, and all it did was fuel the inferno that now brewed inside me, thrashing at the walls of my mind in a clamouring, rancorous demand for vengeance. Turning to look at me, Applejack realised what was about to happen, and valiantly tried to stop it.

“Callum, I’m… I’m going to need you to simmer down now, alright? Let’s get you back into bed, and let’s try to think rationally.”

Her words fell on deaf ears, and as adrenaline coursed through my veins, my whole face began to twitch and shiver. My whole body for that matter, started to tingle, and the hairs on my neck and arms stood on end.

“Callum, please…” said AJ, gulping, “Sugarcube, you’re scaring me.”

She clutched my arm and tried to make me see reason, but all I could do was stutter Twilight’s name under my breath. Bunnie’s face then flashed into my mind, bruised and terrified, knowing she was going to die. Her last words had been that she loved me, and before I could even say it back to her, Twilight had taken me away, deliberately leaving my lover to burn. And then, like the fiery explosion that took her from me, the hatred erupted.

And all I could see was red.

“TWILIGHT!” I bellowed at the very top of my lungs.

It was loud enough to shake the mansion, and from downstairs, I heard Rainbow Dash gasp and begin to charge upstairs, while Rarity urged Twilight to run. Applejack was quick to latch onto me, doing all she could to hold me back. Rainbow then arrived, rushing to the farm pony’s aid and forcing me back into the room.

“Callum, no!” she cried out, “Please, calm down!”

“Get off me!” I snarled, baring my teeth.

“I can’t, I know what you’ll do to her! Look, I hate her too, Callum, I really do, but you can’t! You need to calm down!”

“Please!” Applejack yelped as I caught her with an elbow, “Gosh-darn it, please listen to us!”

Twisting around, I ended up catching AJ with more than just an elbow, as I brought the back of my fist into the side of her face, sending her recoiling in shock and stumbling away. I then turned to Dashie and practically scooped her up, using both hands to fling her away into the wall, where she hit the back of her head hard enough to warrant her giving up immediately. From the floor, she looked up at me in pain, and begged me one last time not to do this.

I didn’t listen.

Marching out of the room, I stormed down the hallway, which was when Fluttershy emerged from one of the bedrooms and rushed up to me.

“Callum, this isn’t you! Please don’t… eep!”

Silenced by the fear of a smack as I raised my hand, the pegasus fell silent. I didn’t touch her, but had she tried to hold me back like Rainbow and Applejack had, then with all the shame in the world, I couldn’t in clear conscience assure that I wouldn’t have struck her.

As I neared the large staircase, I felt something tugging at my binder, yanking me back. With a vicious grunt, I whipped around to find Pinkie, biting down firmly on one of the bandages that had come loose. Glaring at her, I barely even recognised my pure, innocent little friend; all I saw was another obstacle between me and Twilight.

“Let… go.” I rumbled.

“Nmph um nm mmph!” she replied with a mouth full of cloth.

I didn’t know what she was trying to say, nor did I care. Gripping the loose bandage, I yanked it with all my strength, causing it to rip apart near Pinkie’s lips. She let out a startled gasp, and was quick to sit down and stare at me, confused as to where her friend had gone. Too blinded by rage to show concern, I turned away and marched down the stairs, leaving Pinkie to sit alone in the middle of the hallway with tears in her eyes. Defeated in spirit, she let go of the cloth rag in her mouth, which was now faintly stained with blood…

Reaching the bottom of the stairs, there was a bright flash as Rarity momentarily stunned me with her illusory magic. When my vision was clear again, she was standing before me with a stern, hardened expression. She was still covered in bandages of her own, though her resolve was evidently back to its full strength. Approaching her, I narrowed my eyes and ordered her to get out of my way.

“Callum, listen to m-”

“No.” I hissed, “You… listen to me.”

I lowered my face until our noses were mere centimetres apart.

“She’s going to pay for what she’s done, and you, and the others… none of you are to stand in my way.”

Rarity didn’t even flinch, she met my maddened stare with all the calmness in the world.

“You’re right.” she murmured, “She is going to pay, and it’s right that she does. But I need you to think not just of yourself here, but of the rest of us as well. Without Twilight, we can’t find the rest of the Orb. We would be left stranded here, never to see our homes, or our families, ever again. Don’t do that to us, Callum. Don’t let your hate, or your need for revenge, destroy our only way home.”

With a shake of her head, she broke eye contact for a second, before looking back at me with a deeply emotional expression.

“I’ve watched my friend become a monster, but she’s my friend nonetheless. I can’t even begin to understand what made her this way, but even if it’s what she deserves at this point, I’m begging you, Callum, please… don’t kill my friend.”

Taking a deep breath, I found her words almost bringing quietude to the storm, but alas, it was all but a flicker. Raising my lips into a repugnant grimace, I locked eyes with the pearly unicorn and made myself clear.

“I’m not going to kill her… but when I’m through with her, she’s going to wish that I had.”

Shoving the mare aside, I looked around and spotted that one of the double doors at the entrance was wide open. Twilight had fled the building, but if she thought hiding outside was going to keep her out of harm’s way, then she had another think coming. Even if she spent the rest of her days running from me, I would eventually find her, and make her pay.

Stepping outside, I was quick to notice the hoofprints. Following them away from the mansion, I started heading towards the sparse woodland that held the unstable cliff together, and with each step, the fire in my belly burned hotter and hotter.

{Lad, don’t do this.} said Conscio, {I know she’s done wrong, but this isn’t you. You need to-}

“One more word.” I barked, cutting him off, “One more fucking word out of you, and I’ll rip you out of my skull with my own two hands!”

Falling silent, Connie realised there was no convincing me, all he could do was bear witness as the body he had no control over hunted for that lavender-pelted bitch. She took Bunnie away from me, not Hoyt. That bastard may have started the fire, but it was Twilight Sparkle who let it consume her, and Dijla too.

I promised them… both of them! I had sworn that I would get them out safe, and to Dijla, I had vowed that even if the worst came to pass and I couldn’t save her, then I would at least keep Bunnie safe. Even after enduring a gunshot to the chest, shattering three of my ribs, I had still fought to uphold that promise, only for Twilight to then deny it. With tears in my wild eyes, I thought about how love was the one thing lacking in my life since this adventure began, and just as I had found it, it was taken from me. Twilight had robbed me of my one shot at true happiness, and I would make her suffer for it, even if it was the last thing I did.


Behind me came the sound of a pony galloping towards me. I clenched my fists and turned around, where I found Applejack barrelling towards me as fast as her legs could carry her.

“Callum, wait! Please!” she cried out as she caught up to me.

“Don’t try to stop me, Applejack.” I grunted, “I don’t want to hurt two ponies today.”

Getting in front of me and standing her ground, Applejack begged for me to hear her out, for there was something she needed to explain to me. It took every ounce of my willpower to remain still, and with my fists still tightly locked and ready to throw punches, I glared at the pony who had comforted me just moments ago.

“There’s nothing to explain.” I spat, “That pony is a monster, and I will have justice!”

“You don’t understand, this is all a big mistake!” she insisted, “Fluttershy took a look at her a few days ago, and she thinks something’s wrong with her! Like, she’s… sick or something!”

“Yeah, sick in the head.” I scoffed, shaking all over, “Your friend is a malicious, twisted little psychopath, and she’s finally going to get what she deserves. If you stand in my way, I will go through you, and that’s a promise. Step aside, Applejack, I won’t ask you again.”

Knowing that I was too far gone to see reason, Applejack did as I asked. I strode past her and kept walking towards the cliff, feeling nothing but rage, and the pain that fuelled it. All I could think about was Twilight, and wringing her scrawny little neck until she begged me for mercy. I didn’t care about morality or decency, all I wanted was vengeance.

Nearing the cliff, I spotted her. She was sitting close to the edge, staring out across the landscape below as she basked in the last light of the evening sun. She knew I had come for her, and as she turned her head to face me, I spotted her lips raise into a sly, arrogant smile. It was enough to purge the last of my rationality, and with a gravelly shout, I began to charge.

Waiting patiently, the mare allowed me to get close, smirking at me the entire time. And then, just as I nearly had her, she disappeared with a flash. I skidded to a halt just as I nearly hurtled over the cliff, and then looked around frantically.

“Where are you!?” I shouted, tensing all my muscles.

The answer came in the form of a stone as it flew into the back of my head. I quickly turned around to where it had come from and spotted her, which was when she replied.

“Right here.” she said darkly, still donning that putrescent little smirk.

Desperate to wipe it from her face, I began another charge, where once again she teleported away. She reappeared a good few yards away, and after a third attempt to catch her, she began to mock me.

“You’re only wearing yourself out.”

She almost seemed bored, which only infuriated me further.

“Raaagh! Stop fucking moving!” I yelled, lunging for her again.

A flash of white, and she was elsewhere.

“I can keep doing this, you know? But hey, so long as we’re both having fun, right?”

“I’ll gut you, you little cunt!”

Making a dive for her, I very nearly had the bitch, but alas, she was too quick. Flash after flash, she zipped all around me, driving me further and further insane as I tried to catch her. She was toying with me, just as Hoyt Volker had toyed with me, and so I needed a plan. Thinking on the fly, I made a move for her to incite a teleport, and then grabbed a stone off the ground. I then took aim as she reappeared, and before she could react, I threw it as hard as I could, hitting her right in the nose and catching her completely off-guard. With a panicked yelp, she instinctively teleported again, only to appear right in front of me.

{Got you.} I thought.

Lunging forward, I grabbed her tail and yanked her towards me. She made an attempt to buck at me, to which I slinked to one side and then hurled myself at her, knocking the wind out of her and pinning her beneath me. She let out a pained, guttural moan, and I proceeded to place my hands around her throat.

I wanted to ask her why she had done it, but all I could do was stare into her eyes as I tried to choke the life out of her. Spluttering and coughing, the mare squirmed beneath me, before she was able to catch me in the cheek with a hoof, knocking my head away and causing me to lose my grip. She took the opportunity to turn around and wriggle away, which was then I grabbed her back legs. Keeping a firm grip on her ankles, I got to my feet and lifted the mare up and swung around, launching her into the air like a living hammer-throw. She tried to right herself as she went, only to smack into one of the nearby trees and drop to the ground with a thud. Remaining motionless, Twilight appeared to be unconscious, which was when I heard Rarity wailing from somewhere to my right.

“Callum, stop! Please, that’s enough!”

I looked over to see her standing a good thirty to forty metres away, and alongside her with the other four. They looked at me with desperation, all wordlessly begging for the violence to stop. Unable to contain myself, I glared at them and shouted so vehemently that I sent strings of saliva flying in their direction.

“Enough? Enough!? After what she’s done!?”

“She took away someone you cared about!” Rarity cried out, “It was wrong of her, Callum! It was so… so wrong! None of us are denying that, but please, don’t do this!”

“She deserves this!” I bellowed, “From the day we met, she’s treated me like dog shit! She’s slandered me, scorned me, abused me, and now she’s taken away the one fucking person who’ll ever truly love me!”

Bursting into tears, I sobbed at them with my arms stretched out wide.

“I’m alone now! Forever! Once you all go back, I’ll have no one! I’ll be left to wander this world as a husk, damned to suffer for the rest of my days! Your friend didn’t just let an innocent girl die… SHE CURSED ME!”

Everyone’s faces dropped as they started to understand the true extent of my anguish. This loss was just as I had said, it was a curse. When Bunnie died, so too did a part of me, and for the rest of my days, I would be forever searching for the piece that was stolen. The five onlookers all began to cry as they finally understood this, with Fluttershy even falling to her knees. Rarity’s face then became contorted with shock and terror, and she wasn’t looking at me.

“Twilight, no!” she screeched.

I turned around just as the fireball hit me. It exploded into my chest and sent me soaring back by a few feet, and I landed on the flat of my back with a gasp. Almost immediately, the searing pain started sinking in, and as I looked down, I found that the binder was on fire, dancing with a set of deep orange flames. Quickly rolling around in a bid to put them out, I began roaring and hissing in agony as my chest became something of a giant candle. I could just about hear the cries of my friends over my own, but as the smell of my own cooked flesh reached my nostrils, all I could think about was that day, when the napalm had splashed onto my shoulder during my attempt to clamber back inside the manor. Once again, Bunnie appeared in my mind, and once again, the physical pain became nothing but fuel for my hatred.

I stopped rolling around and got to my feet, and proceeded to grab the binder with my hands and forcefully rip it apart. Though the magical fire scorched my palms as well, I didn’t care, I just kept ripping and tearing until the smouldering rags fell away. I then tensed every muscle in my body and glared at Twilight as my chest continued to sizzle like a strip of bacon in a frying pan.

“Callum! Callum are you alright!?” Rainbow cried out, her voice brimming with worry.

I was too focused on Twilight to reply, who in turn stared at me, crouched like a predator ready to strike. Her nose streamed with blood, likely from her collision with the tree, if not from stone I had thrown, and as she raised her lips to snarl at me, it trickled down into her mouth, and turned her bared teeth to crimson.

“I’m not scared of you.” she growled, her eyes unblinking.

“You didn’t have to be, not ever!” I spat back, clenching my fists, “Not until now…”

Twilight was the first to attack, sending another fireball my way. Now aware it was coming, I evaded it with ease and began marching towards her. She then levitated a stone and launched it at my head, only for me to catch it and throw it straight back at her. Before it could hit her though, she enveloped herself in a large bubble shield, causing the stone to bounce right off. She then sneered at me, keeping the shield in place.

“Your physical strength is nothing against my magic!”

Too angry to think of anything better, I sprinted full-pelt at her and leapt into the air. And then, with all my might, body weight, and momentum, I brought my fist down into the shield, where to both mine and Twilight’s astonishment, it shattered. Without hesitation, I rushed forward and knocked the unicorn onto her back, straddling her and gripping her by the throat. I then noticed her horn light up, but before she could do anything, I repeated my actions in Brazil, lunging forward to grab the rigid extremity with my now-blistered hand. Squeezing it tightly, I felt the surge of magical energy burn me further, evoking a low growl from me while the mare emitted an ear-splitting shriek.

“That’s right…” I hissed through my teeth, clenching my jaw, “Scream for me!”

And scream she did, until finally she got over the pain and looked up at me, now rendered magicless for a good few minutes; and a good few minutes was all I needed. I was about to start throttling her, when out of the blue, the mare began to laugh. It was a wild, unhinged cackle, layered with coughs and splutters. She really had lost her mind…

“Why are you laughing?” I rumbled, still squeezing at her throat.

“Because…” she wheezed, “Because you can’t hurt me, not really. There is nothing you can do to me that Nah’Lek hasn’t done worse in that forest! And even if there was, you couldn’t bring yourself to do it, because I know you!”

Shaking her head, she told me that I didn’t have it in me to hurt her for real. I may have thrown a rock at her, and flung her into a tree, but to really, truly hurt her… I wasn’t capable of that.

“For all the times I’ve called you a brute, or a bloodthirsty monster, I was wrong! Your kind might be a violent scourge, but you’re actually one of the good ones, and I can finally see that after all this time. And now? Now it’s time for you to be what I always thought you were, and you can’t do it, can you? You might hit me a few times, or strangle me a little, but I know you, you’ll just let go when I stop breathing! You’re weak, Callum! I let your precious little slut die, and you can’t even bring yourself to avenge her!”

Shuddering at that last part, I had almost been fooled by whatever twisted bout of psychology this was. For a split second, her mind games had worked on me, for I had been on the very cusp of relenting. The red in my vision had started to fade, and I actually felt like proving her right, and letting this madness come to an end, only for her to speak that last sentence…

Taking my hesitation as a form of victory, Twilight tried to continue.

“So go on, human! Give me your little punishment, and then let’s continue on our miss-shk!”

Cut off by my fist, Twilight was caught totally unaware as I punched her square in the mouth, and with a low, heartless croak, I let her folly be known.

“You talk too much…”

I punched her again, harder this time, and then again, and again… By the fifth impact, she realised that I wasn’t holding back, and to my satisfaction, her eyes widened with fear. Once again, red clouded my vision, and soon, it stained my hands as well. Hit, after hit, after hit, I laid into the mare’s face until her muzzle was completely doused in blood. I should have stopped after that… but I couldn’t.

Losing control, I hit her thrice more, before standing up and kicking her in the mouth, causing her entire head to snap backwards. For a second I thought I might have broken her neck, but as she rolled onto her front and tried to stand up, I realised she was still going, and my concern evaporated. With a running start, I kicked her in the chest as hard as I could, taking her up with my foot and sending her airborne for a second time. Rolling a few times as she landed, the unicorn was left stunned, gazing at a point just beyond me and taking in deep, ragged gasps for air. It wasn’t enough, and despite now waning in strength, I continued to exact the justice she had so arrogantly asked for.

Staggering over to her, I bent down and took her mane in my left hand, and the base of her tail in my right, quite literally grabbing the dock itself. I then slowly hoisted her up over my head, and with one final beast-like roar, I twisted my body and hurled her as far away from me as possible. Twilight hit the ground hard enough to drive the air out of her, forcing out a gurgling, unnatural grunt, and at last, she ceased to move. Whether she was dead, unconscious, or simply too injured to move, it didn’t matter to me, all that mattered was that Bunnie was gone, and the culprit had paid the price.

Finally spent, I dropped to one knee, taking in great wheezing gasps of my own. I then looked at my hands, coated to the wrists in Twilight’s blood. Gritting my teeth, I started to cry again, pulling at my own hair and then clawing down my own face upon realising what I had done. Guilt began to spill into the hatred, and with one last burst of energy, I looked at the lifeless unicorn and bellowed at her.

“It didn’t have to be this way! You could have saved her! We could have been friends! I wanted to be friends! I… I…”

Trailing off, I looked again at my bloodied hands and my shoulders sank.

“I never wanted it to come to this…” I rasped, “Why did you do this to me, Twilight?”

Now on both knees, I shrank into myself, now lost as to who I even was. I had possibly just killed the mare, and in doing so, I had proved her right for every day she had called me a monster. Continuing to wheeze and groan, I was just about to collapse onto my side, when I heard a noise. It was a whirring noise, and upon looking up, I spotted Twilight glaring at me, now standing on three legs, indicating that the fourth was broken. Her jaw was crooked and her face was more red than it was purple, with foamy blood spilling from her lips with each outward breath. Her horn was glowing, and with a gulp, I realised that her magic was back.

“Oh, shit…” I moaned, tensing my body in preparation.

How she was still going was beyond me, whether it was adrenaline, willpower, or sheer spite, the unicorn was ready for more. The gloves were off now, and it was her turn. My whole body became enveloped in her telekinesis, and though I tried to struggle, it was useless as I was lifted into the air. Not hesitating, she pulled me down into the ground at breakneck speed, where the force of the impact shook my body and forced an agonised groan from me. I tried to get back up, only for Twilight to seize me for a second time and fling me towards the cliff, where I skidded to a halt just a few metres away from the edge. By the time I was back on my feet, Twilight was ready to finish the job. I looked into her twitching red eyes, now overflowing with ire, and watched as what remained of her bloodied lips curled upwards into the most horrific snarl I had ever seen. I knew then and there that she had every intent to kill me.

After spitting out a mouthful of blood, the mare leaned forward and shot a concentrated beam of energy at me, which I narrowly avoided with a dive to the right. She tried to follow me with the beam, where she proceeded to cut through the bodies of two trees that blocked her path. They both came down with a mighty thud, and below my feet, I felt the very ground shake.

Now unable to see me, Twilight gave up on the laser and turned her assault into something of a shock and awe campaign. Raising her head to the sky, she fired a beam into the clouds above us, turning them as black as night. They clustered together and swirled overhead, and from them came great hailstones that pelted my body. They were as sharp as razor blades, with many of them splitting the skin on my back and arms, seeking to deliver a death by a thousand cuts. I was still too caught up in the emotional rush to care for them, for the hatred and grief allowed me to block out every ounce of pain as more and more of me started to bleed. And then, with a yelp, I jumped back in terror as a bolt of lightning smacked into the ground in front of me, where yet again, the ground shook. Another bolt struck close by, then another, and then another, splitting open the trees and setting some of them ablaze, and with each devastating strike, the world itself began to tremble beneath me.

{The cliff…} Conscio murmured, {Fluttershy said the cliff was unstable!}

Forgetting Twilight, I scrambled away from the edge as fast as possible, only for a bolt of electricity to smack into me, sending all my muscles into spasm. This bolt hadn’t come from the clouds, it had come from Twilight’s horn as she limped around the fallen trees and exacted a vengeance of her own. Memories of Inigo’s torture with the truck battery sprang into my mind, as over and over again, Twilight shocked me with enough voltage to incapacitate me.

“I told you…” she slurred, unable to properly open her mouth, “You’re weak!”

She hit me with another bolt, and as my body convulsed, I felt my own heart stop. The whole world spun for a few seconds, before another round of electricity got it started again. Dizziness and nausea rippled through me, and as I realised how close I had just been to death, all my hatred went out the window as it was replaced by fear. Fight turned to flight, and as Twilight prepared to shock me again, I used every muscle in my body to lurch away and sprint to safety. It was a fleeting effort, and with a satisfied chuckle, Twilight used her telekinesis to catch me, dragging me back to her and holding me out in front of her.

“You… die… here.” she wheezed.

I tried to reach for her horn, only for her to tighten her grip, locking me into place and pulling at my arms until I thought they might just tear off. With a ragged cry, I shouted for the others to help me, which was when Twilight’s slanted mouth formed into a despicable grin.

“They can’t save you…” she hissed, “And nor can you save them…”

My eyes widened with shock, as it dawned on me that Twilight’s madness had completely consumed her, with even the others now in danger. I then watched with horror as the magenta glow from her horn began to change colour, as did the telekinetic hue around my body. Her irises too, started to change, and soon enough there wasn’t a hint of purple to be seen.

They now shimmered with a vibrant, sickly, emerald green.
It was the Fel.

“No…” I breathed, as I finally understood what was happening.

It wasn’t madness that had overtaken Twilight’s mind, nor was it fear, or hatred. Within the space of a heartbeat, the pieces came together and everything made sense as the unicorn before me revealed herself to be possessed by the very demon magic she had warned me about. All this time, she had been a vessel for it, and for the first time, the true reason for her abnormal behaviour became clear.

She was infected.

I tried to speak, only for her to tug my arms harder, and I felt them almost come out of their sockets. I then spotted the others behind her, and in a flash, Rarity used her magic to aid me, grabbing Twilight’s mane with her own telekinesis and pulling her head away. It was enough to break her focus, and I collapsed to the ground. Twilight then turned on her friends, but before she could attack, another lightning bolt descended from the heavens and bit the earth between them, and it was the last strike the cliff could handle.

With a deafening crack, the ground dropped by a few inches, leaving all seven of us swaying and staggering. Sensing the danger, Twilight used the last ounce of her energy to teleport back to the mansion where the ground was still safe, while the others scattered. Applejack grabbed Pinkie and Rarity, steering them to safety as well, while Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy galloped towards me. Looking behind me, I saw the edges of the rocky fringe crumbling away, and with a gasp, realised with dread that I only had a few seconds before I would be taken with the collapse. I forced myself back up and broke into a sprint, and up ahead I saw Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash, both shouting for me to run faster.

“Dude, run!” Rainbow wailed at the top of her voice.

I was going as fast as I could, but it wasn’t enough. The ground shook violently, and with horror, I watched as the two ponies ahead started to rise up as the rock and earth below me gave way. I then saw a set of tree roots ahead of me, stubbornly joining a large section of earth to the mainland, and in a last-ditch effort to stay alive, I sprang forward and made a leap for it, clutching to the dirt mound with all four limbs.

Everything around me continued to shake with malice, as if the mountain itself wanted to take me down, and soon enough, the earth in my grip started falling apart. Using all my remaining strength, I reached up and grabbed the tree roots, which was when I spotted the pegasi looking down at me from above. Rainbow Dash was trying to rip away the bandages that bound her wings, while Fluttershy locked eyes with me and let out a desperate wail.

“Hold on, don’t let go!”

She took to the air, but before she could get to me, more of the cliff started breaking, and with her wings still constrained, Rainbow Dash was in just as much peril as I was. She began to slip forward and cried out in terror, and without any alternative, Fluttershy flew back to rescue her instead, leaving me to sink further and further down. I heard the ponies screaming my name from somewhere out of sight, and as Fluttershy was forced to carry Rainbow back to stable ground, I felt the roots in my hands finally come away.

And I fell.

Now plummeting to my inevitable death, I let out a terrified scream, knowing that in just a few seconds, I would meet a bitter and gruesome end. This was it, this was how it ended; I would soon meet rock and earth, where my bones would break and my flesh would rip, and my blood would paint the rubble. I would become little more than a visceral stain on the world, before the remaining landfall above would crush and mangle my remains.

Even having lost Bunnie, I didn’t want to die, and certainly not like this, but nothing could stop it, and so in the split second I had left, I signed off with two simple words.

“I’m sorry…”

To whom I was sorry, were many individuals. I was sorry to my brother and father, for burdening them with all the difficulties that came with me being autistic. I was sorry to the captives in the Stock Heap, who had lost their lives in the rebellion I had started. I was sorry to that boy Rahim, for ratting him out and cutting his throat. I was sorry to Dijla, for being unable to uphold my promise. I was sorry to the girls, for failing as their guide and protector. I was sorry to Bunnie, for getting her hopes up and unwittingly leading her to think this had a happy ending, and worse still, that her death had been my fault. Had I never met her, Hoyt Volker would never have come here, and the girl would have survived. Even as a slave of Paulo’s, she would at least be alive, as would all those innocent souls in the prison.

I was leaving this world with so much blood on my hands, and considering that on a literal front, my apology lastly went to Twilight. From the second I knew the Fel was real, I should have seen the signs. I should have known she was infected, and had I known, I could have warned her about it before it took her over completely. If she had known, then maybe we could have worked out how to stop it, together as a team. Had I done that, then perhaps Bunnie would still be alive.

Hoyt was right, I was the one responsible for all this.
This was all my fault, and I was so… so fucking sorry.


Closing my eyes, I readied myself for the end, only for no such end to come. Everything slowed down, as if I was attached to a huge bungee cord that was finally stretching enough to decelerate my fall. Opening my eyes again, I found the trees, rocks, and earthly debris that surrounded me, also slowing down, until time itself seemed to come to a complete standstill. I was too shocked to speak, I just looked around as the whole world froze.

Was this dying? Did it all come to a stop at the end? Perhaps in all reality, I had hit the jagged ground below, and this was quite simply my last fleeting perception of life. That was when I heard something most peculiar. It was the beating of wings; large wings, far too large to belong to a pegasus pony, thus ruling out Fluttershy or Rainbow Dash. I thought perhaps it was Princess Celestia, using her godly alicorn magic to freeze time, and then swoop in to save the day. But what I saw next, shattered this theory, and had me completely aghast, for what I saw was a man. A man in a suit of inky black metal, lowering himself down to me with steady, controlled beats from the enormous pair of ashen wings upon his back.

It was the stranger from Chernobyl, the man who had helped us defeat Elephant’s Tusk.





His hands shimmered with the same lilac-coloured aura from before, indicating that he was the one responsible for slowing down time. This man, or whatever he was, clearly wasn’t just a simple magic user; he was far more powerful than he had let on back in Ukraine.

“You…” I murmured.

As the words left my lips, I realised just how much pain I was in. The battle with Twilight had been ruinous beyond words, with cuts, burns, and bruises now lining every facet of my arms, legs, face, and torso. Even with a generous dose of Oozima and Bloom, I would remain forever scarred and blemished from today’s conflict.

Reaching me, the mysterious figure took hold of my wrist, and from the instant he touched me, everything flashed white. I then felt myself falling again and hit the ground, though thankfully with less velocity. Groaning, the first thing I felt was cold, and opened my eyes to find myself lying in a mound of snow. I scrambled to my feet and watched as the winged man landed in front of me, with a gust of air from his wings sending up a flurry of snowflakes in all directions. He then walked over and towered above me in a somewhat menacing manner. Swallowing nervously, I demanded to know why he had saved me, who he was, and where he had taken me.

“Look around, Callum Horncastle. You know exactly where you are.”

His tinny, distorted voice held no emotion, and as I obeyed his command, I quickly came to see that he was right. From the sub-zero temperatures, to the twisting, withered black trees, I knew precisely where he had taken me. I was in the Frozen Forest, the icy nightmare where Nah’Lek the Defiler hunted Twilight for sport.


But this time, it wasn’t a dream.
This time, I was here for real…





> Chapter Fourteen: Answers
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





“We need to leave… right now.” I said, my voice shaking with dread.

Looking all around, the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end, which was when the man alleviated my fears.

“I know what frightens you, boy, but you need not worry. The Defiler is unaware that we have entered the Forest, and we have ample time before that changes.”

“You know him?” I murmured, “Nah’Lek?”

“All too well.” he replied after a short pause.

Flexing his wings slightly, he turned around and started to walk deeper into the forest, where he requested that I walked with him. Though I was exhausted and in pain from my fight with Twilight, I was far too enthralled by this mysterious being to refuse him. Clenching my jaw, I began to follow, where I found myself unable to take my eyes off his wings; they must have been at least seven metres in wingspan, they were absolutely huge! Each feather was a brilliant white, and they swayed and ruffled in response to the icy breeze that whistled through the woodland.

“So, who are you exactly?” I asked, furrowing my brow.

He continued to walk, as though he hadn’t heard me. At this, I took offence and grew impatient. I was far too emotionally rattled from recent events to be led on some sort of enigmatic journey.

“Hey, you’ve been following me since Chernobyl.” I blurted out, “You saved me then and you’ve saved me now, so you clearly want me alive for something, so can we cut out the mystery man cliché bullshit and skip to the part where you actually tell me something?”

Though he kept walking, I heard an audible huff through his helmet, and at last, he replied.

“Not that I expect you to understand, but to tell you all that I know would be your undoing. There is a delicate line between what I can and cannot inform you on, but as far as a name goes, you may call me the Guardian.”

“Oooh… the Guardian.” I scoffed, “Could you have picked anything more unoriginal? Come on, what are you actually called? Is it something really boring, like Kevin, or Dave, or Kyle?”

He was about to say something, when I interrupted him with a gasp as I started snapping my fingers.

“Or… perhaps you’re a woman using a voice modifier? Oh my god, please tell me you’re not a Karen!”

Without warning, one of his wings stretched out and cuffed the back of my head, causing me to jump. He then huffed with amusement, and his head moved in a way that told me he was rolling his eyes.

“If you really must know, I go by the name of Hawnu Rey’eng.”

“Mm, sounds exotic.” I hummed with a flamboyant lisp.

“It’s not an Earthly name.” he explained, “The language is not known to humans, it roughly translates to ‘Protector of the Balance’.”

“Wait, so you just told me your name is the Guardian again, just in another language?”

“I did not choose the name, but it suits my purpose.” he responded dryly.

Nodding with understanding, I stopped fooling around and started studying him. The guy was far taller than I was, easily coming to around six-foot eight, putting my meagre five-foot eleven to shame. As for his suit, I had originally perceived it to be black, but in the bright light I came to learn that it was an incredibly dark purple. Just as I had likened it in the past, it was very reminiscent of a Spartan’s armour from the Halo games. The black bodysuit beneath it was, just as before, covered in tiny triangles that twinkled like stars, and at his waist sat the handle of what I could only assume was the same longsword from before, though the blade was nowhere to be seen.

“So, what are you exactly?” I pondered aloud, curious.

“What I am holds no categorisation.” he replied, “In truth, I was once a mortal being, not unlike yourself and your friends, but I’ve since become something beyond that. I’m afraid that’s all I can tell you.”

“Of course it is.” I muttered, “And why is that?”

Slowing down though he didn’t stop, the Guardian looked up at the thick grey clouds above the treeline.

“That question has many answers.” he said, “The one you’ll find most satisfactory is that I was given strict orders to follow when assigned to protect you. Be assured, I do not seek to mystify you by choice, there are many things I would tell you, were I permitted to do so. For now, may you take solace in knowing there will come a time when all will be clear to you.”

Sighing, I respected what he was saying, and laid the personal questions to rest. We continued walking until the forest grew darker, and the snow became thick. Soon enough, we were both up to our shins, and upon reaching a small clearing, Hawnu Rey’eng finally came to a halt.

“Do you know what this place is?”

“Yeah, the Frozen Forest.” I replied.

“That is not what I asked you.”

Biting my bottom lip and racking my brains, I eventually shrugged and told him what I thought I knew.

“It’s a nightmare, of Nah’Lek’s design I’m guessing. He brings Twilight here when she’s asleep, chases her around, and eventually kills her. Now I know about the Fel, I can only imagine it’s a staging ground, set up to break her spirit, so the corruption can spread more efficiently.”

“You’re almost there.” he said quietly, “But this is no dream, Callum. This place exists in the waking world, though its manifestation is indeed… conjured. At least, in a sense.”

“I thought you didn’t want to mystify me on purpose?” I grumbled, “What is the Frozen Forest, really?”

“See for yourself.” he ordered.

Raising his arms, he calmly gestured to the world around us. Hoping to understand, I took in my surroundings and tried to get a sense of things, and piece by piece, it started coming together. The trees were all black and mangled, for they had been altered and ruined by the Fel, and upon kicking away the snow beneath my feet, I found that the ground was no different. The grass had all rotted away, leaving behind a coarse dirt that was as black as night. It was then that Conscio let out a surprised murmur.

{Ohh, I understand… Shit the bed, lad, I know where we are!}

“Your little friend is very observant.” said the Guardian.

“You can hear him?” I asked with a frown.

Nodding, he reminded me that he could detect my thoughts, which included anything Conscio said. Refusing to give me a hint, Connie made me figure it out as well, and it didn’t take me long. Narrowing my eyes, I focused on how nothing in this place was healthy, as though the entire forest… root, branch, stem, and even the very earth… was sick.

Sick.

My eyes flared wide open, and I recalled what Applejack had said to me, just moments before my fight with Twilight had begun.

‘Fluttershy took a look at her a few days ago, and she thinks something’s wrong with her!
Like, she’s… sick or something!’

“No…” I breathed, “It can’t be.”

“And yet, it is.” Hawnu Rey’eng replied.

Swallowing, I needed a moment to process this, for the Frozen Forest was indeed a real place, but that wasn’t to say it didn’t exist within the confines of one’s mind; it just… wasn’t my own.

“We’re inside her head…” I muttered to myself.

Looking up at the Guardian, he dipped his head at me, confirming that the Frozen Forest was none other than the mind of Twilight Sparkle. He then walked over to one of the trees and rested his hand upon its blackened bark. It broke away at his touch, and he lowered his head in dismay.

“Once, this woodland flourished. It was full of life, and wonder. The trees grew tall and strong, their will and purpose, untainted. The ground we stand upon was soft and laden with grass, where if you walked for long enough, you could hear the whispers of eager thoughts from a pony who yearned for little more than to understand the world around her. Now, all that remains is… pain, and ice, and rot. A broken world beneath a sunless sky, swathed in bitterness, hatred, and decay.”

Straining my brow, I looked down at the black earth I had uncovered, and understood the metaphor made flesh. The trees were Twilight’s neurons, or her synapses perhaps. Either way, the infection paired with the harsh winter had caused everything to stop growing. Her mind was dying, and the Fel was causing it. A gust of wind whistled through the trees, and as it brushed my bruised and burned skin, I could feel something beyond the biting cold.

It was a cry for help.

Struck by a wave of emotion, I dropped to my knees and felt my eyes well up with tears. Hawnu Rey’eng then walked over to me, where he stood by and allowed me to process what was happening. All this time, Twilight had been suffering not just from Nah’Lek’s nightly pursuits, but from a demonic infection that had been slowly eating away at her brain. She had been fighting a war on two fronts, all while being expected to lead her company on this life-threatening mission on a hostile alien planet; it was no wonder she had completely lost her mind.

“You sound like you’ve been here before.” I croaked, still staring at the ground.

Showing his mortal side, the Guardian stooped to one knee and took up a small handful of dirt, closing his fist around it and crushing it into a powder. After holding it for a moment, he raised his arm and allowed it to slowly spill from his hand, where it drifted across the snow.

“In a manner of speaking.” he murmured, more to himself than to me.

Looking at him, I narrowed my eyes.

“You are her, aren’t you? You’re like… some reborn version of her, sent from the future, or from some other dimension, right? I’m right, aren’t I?”

He looked back at me and said nothing, indicating that I would receive no such answer to my theory. Shaking my head, I moved on, clenching my fists and frowning at him.

“I still hate her.” I confessed, “Even now, knowing none of this shit was really her fault, I still… She took Bunnie from me. How can I possibly be expected to forgive her? She’s the reason Bunnie’s…”

Taking in a gasp of air, I shut my eyes and hissed through my gritted teeth, knowing I had to catch myself before I fell apart again. After taking a second to rebuild my mentality, I opened my eyes and finished, staring at the Guardian with a look of scorn.

“It’s because of her, that my lover is dead.”

Nodding with understanding, he stood up and inhaled slowly, and what he said next almost had me seeing red again, for it was as blunt as it was insensitive.

“The girl’s death was indeed tragic. Though you must understand that it was… a mercy.”

“You… fucking what!?”

Getting up as well, I glared at the Guardian as he tried to explain himself.

“What happened was-”

“She burned to death!” I shouted, cutting him off, “Twilight could have saved her and she let her fucking burn, and you call that a mercy!?”

Too drained from my fight with Twilight to attack, words became my weapon, and I swore and spat at the winged stranger before me. How dare he? How dare he belittle Bunnie’s death!

“I spent over a month trying to set her free!” I barked, bursting into tears, “I killed… so many people for her! There is so much blood on my hands, and it was all for her! I gave everything I had for her! Hoyt fucking shot me, and I still fought to get her out of there, and I would have done, if Twilight had just teleported us all out before… ah… ahh!”

Unable to contain myself, I buried my face into my hands and pulled at my hair, before letting out an embittered roar that stabbed at my injured chest. I then stormed up to Hawnu Rey’eng and brought my face right up to his visor.

“She could have been on her way home by now!” I hissed, speckling his helmet with my spit, “Twilight stopped that from happening, and even if the Fel drove her to do it, she was the one who made the decision!”

Pulling away from him, I curled up my fist and pounded his plated metal chest. It was like smacking against a steel wall, and save for a faint quiver from the feathers on his wings, he didn’t move an inch.

“How?” I asked, “How could this possibly have been a mercy?”

Lowering my head, the tears finally fell, dripping from my chin and cutting a pair of tiny holes into the snow. There was a moment of silence, before Hawnu Rey’eng spoke again.

“If I answer that question, will you listen?”

Though I shook with emotion, I nodded, and so he went on.

“Had the girl lived, a fate far worse than death would have awaited her. Nah’Lek is well aware that you’re helping to retrieve the Titans’ Orb, and if not for me, he would have found you by now. It is by my grace that his efforts to locate you remain unfounded.”

Sensing my thoughts, he confirmed that the Defiler was now indeed on Earth. First arriving in Pripyat, Nah’Lek had hoped to follow our trail, only to be thwarted by the Guardian.

“Several times now, I have crossed swords with him, and he has since learned to remain obscured, lest he invoke my retribution. But make no mistake, he is still very much on your trail, and what do you think he will do when he grows desperate? What do you know of Nah’Lek’s methods? Forget the history you’ve learned, heed only what you’ve seen in these woods. What kind of adversary is he?”

Clenching my jaw, I could only grow angrier as the Guardian tried to make me think of the answer, instead of telling me outright. Still, I thought about his words, and it led me to see Nah’Lek for what he really was. With the way he hunted Twilight on a loop, the Defiler was clearly no impatient brute; the creature was as calculated as he was ruthless, and basked in the thrill of the hunt. Like the dreaded wolf spider, he moved swiftly and silently in the dead of night, like a creeping blanket of death that always found its mark.

In short, he was a hunter, and a good one.

Reading my mind again, Hawnu Rey’eng acknowledged my findings. He then went on to explain that not only was he a good hunter, but he was a ruthless interrogator, and could extract information from even the sternest of individuals.

“May it take days, weeks, or even months,” he told me, “the Defiler always breaks his victims. Had your dear Bunnie survived the fire, he would have found her, and upon her, he would have exacted a method of torture like you cannot fathom.”

Gulping, I could only imagine what such a thing would entail. I then shook my head in protest, and pointed out that Nah’Lek didn’t even know about Bunnie, and that she could have just returned home and remained out of the picture, as was already the plan.

“I’m afraid that is… entirely incorrect.”

“What?” I said, “How could he possibly know?”

“Because you told him.”

Blinking rapidly, I couldn’t wrap my head around what he was saying, which only made my frayed emotions stronger. He then lowered his head and asked me to recall my previous visit to this place. Completely lost, I shook my head again and wiggled my jaw with irritation.

“Have you not asked yourself how Nah’Lek came to even be in this forest?” he went on, “And what of the Fel? How did Twilight come into contact with it in the first place? How did-”

“One more question.” I cut in, “You ask me… one more bloody question, instead of just telling me, and I’m going to hit you in the fucking face as hard as I can, and I know it’ll probably break my hand, but I’m still going to fucking hit you.”

After a moment of silence, Hawnu Rey’eng conceded, and for the first time, he actually told me something conclusive. Starting from the beginning, he explained that when Nah’Lek shattered the Titans’ Orb, he had left behind something of a contingency plan. The Orb’s essence, left behind from the aftermath of its breakage, was tainted with the Fel, and within it, Nah’Lek had sown a most devious creation, known as a shade.

{Sneaky fucking bastard…} Conscio muttered.

“Shades are, to simplify their complexity, an echo of oneself.” said the Guardian, “They possess no corporeal form, and so they must inhabit the body of another. They serve as spies and manipulators for their creators, burrowing into the minds of any unsuspecting host, and assuming physicality within these forests, of which are the spiritual manifestations of the brain. From there, they peruse the victim’s memories, control their dreams, and influence their behaviour by way of whispering twisted notions to them, under the guise of their own subconscious.”

Looking up to the sky, he went on to tell me that when Twilight had absorbed the Orb’s essence to synchronise with its unique signature, she had unknowingly imbibed this ‘shade’ into her body, and the trace amounts of the Fel along with it. From that day on, Nah’Lek’s duplicate had been secretly dwelling inside her mind, harvesting her memories for information, and as I was already aware, hunting her in this forest while she slept in order to chip away at her sanity.

“When you last visited Twilight’s mind, you told her about Bunnie. Nah’Lek has since acquired this memory, and thus, had the girl survived, he would have sought after her, both to strip her of all she knew, and to use her as a weapon against you.”

Extending his arm forward, Hawnu Rey’eng placed a hand on my right shoulder, and in spite of the rough hardness of the armoured glove, it felt strangely comforting.

“Make no mistake, Callum, I am not without a heart. I watched as you fought to get back inside that building, willing to burn in a bid to save her. Though you only knew her for a short time, there is no doubt in my mind that the love was true. You have my sympathy, you really do, but from the moment you mentioned Bunnie’s name to Twilight, her fate was sealed. Had Nah’Lek found her, she would have experienced pain beyond that of mortal comprehension, and so it is that I tell you again, the way things ended for her was a mercy.”

Staring into his helmet visor, I could just make out the shape of his eyes, where I found them gazing into my own with a look of genuine sincerity. He was telling the truth, though it tore my heart asunder to admit it. Conscio then chose to chip in as well, taking the Guardian’s side as he tried to reason with me.

{I hate to say it, lad, but the tin can’s right, going out the way she did was a kindness. Look, I dinnae know if this helps, but napalm burns at like a thousand degrees, and I mean Celsius, not the one for idiots. Paired with the force of the explosion itself, not to mention the sheer amount of carbon monoxide that would’ve been kicked out, the wee lass would have felt it for less than a second, if at all.}

“Your little friend speaks true.” said the Guardian, “Had you clambered back through that window, she would have been nothing but ash by the time you reached her.”

“Okay, can we stop with the descriptions please?” I pleaded with a hoarse, crackling voice, “I hear what you’re both saying, but can you please just give me a fucking moment?”

In mutual agreement, they both fell silent and allowed me to take in all this new information. Despite all I had been through, and all I had seen, I needed time to regain understanding of my own existence. In the space of a week, I had been shot, my lover had died, the ponies were back in my life, and I had just tried to kill Twilight Sparkle. I had then fallen to my death, only for this otherworldly stranger to spirit me away into Twilight’s head, where it was now expected of me to accept that she couldn’t be blamed for all she had done.

Yet again, my reality had been ripped apart, and I just… I just needed a moment!

After some deep breaths, I thought it through, and although I was loath to admit it, I saw the truth for what it was. While Bunnie’s death had completely broken me, it would have been infinitely worse for her had she survived. With this in mind, I knew I would have to let her go; there was far too much at stake for me to cling to the past. The Titans’ Orb needed to be found, and if Nah’Lek was soon to be on our tail, then the danger surrounding this mission was about to become immeasurable. I needed to concentrate on the here and now, and lay my broken heart and love for Bunnie to rest.

Easier said than done…

Sighing heavily, I started to calm down from my rattled state, and gave either side of my face a little slap, wordlessly ordering myself to focus, buck up, and soldier on. Hawnu Rey’eng took this as a queue to keep moving, and instructed me to follow him again, for we were nearly there. Where ‘there’ was, remained a mystery, though I supposed it wouldn’t be long before I found out. After brushing the snow from my shins and knees, I allowed him to guide me, where we soon came upon a most shocking scene.

“Gods above…” I murmured.

The way ahead had been completely destroyed, with an entire section of the forest being ravaged by what I could only describe as a war zone. All the trees had been obliterated, scattered into great black piles of mighty splinters and twisting snapped branches. The ground had sunk by a few dozen metres, as though a mountainous giant had stomped here with the intent to break the earth, and had most effortlessly succeeded.

“Dreadful, isn’t it?” said Hawnu Rey’eng.

“Did the Fel do this?” I asked.

“No, it did not.”

“Then what the hell happened here?”

Craning his neck to look down at me, the man’s answer was one I wasn’t quite ready for.

“You… happened here.”

With my eyes widening, I looked back out at the devastated landscape before me and understood. This had been my doing, I had done this! My fight with Twilight had been brutal, and without mercy. The state of the landscape before me had been a result of that, indicating that my assault had been grievous enough to cause a small haemorrhage in her brain. Looking at my hands, still faintly splattered with the unicorn’s blood, I thought about how viciously I had descended upon her. Throwing my head to one side, I winced as my mind flickered with visions of each strike to her face and head. I had completely lost control, and had very… very nearly killed her.

“What have I done?” I whispered to myself.

Looking back at the Guardian, I asked if this damage was permanent, or if it would ever heal. Lifting his chin, he told me that a full recovery would be possible with a heavy dose of Bloom, but only if the Fel was eradicated from her system.

“And how do we do that?”

“That is your responsibility.”

“Okay… how do I do that?”

“In your current state, you cannot.”

Clenching my fists, I was about to lose my temper again, irked by his inability to give me a straight answer. Thankfully he was able to sense my frustration, and went on to elaborate.

“The Fel cannot be destroyed by physical means, you will require magic. As such, you must return to this place in the same manner as you did before, encased in the flesh of the very pony you sought to destroy.”

“Wait, you mean… we’ll switch bodies again?”

“Precisely.” he told me.

Reaching behind him, the Guardian unclipped a cylindrical box that sat at his waist. Opening it up, he showed me its contents, which consisted of two neck pieces that resembled dog collars.

“These will form a bridge between your minds.” he explained, “When worn, you will hear her thoughts, and she will hear yours. And when activated, it will initiate a controlled transfer of your consciousness. Rest assured, I have tested them on you both, and the results were satisfactory.”

At that, my eyes practically bulged from their sockets.

“Wait… you’re the reason we switched bodies!?”

Nodding, he confessed to putting the collars on us in our sleep, and activating them. This was why I had woken up in the Frozen Forest before, and upon asking why he had done this, he made yet another revelation.

“After ensuring you were resistant to the Fel, I wanted to see how you would fare in someone else’s body, without such protection.”

Thinking to the other week when I had fought off my own infection, I stared at Hawnu Rey’eng in sheer disbelief, as I realised that it wasn’t Nah’Lek who had exposed me to the Fel, it had been him. He went on to explain that back in Chernobyl, after purifying the Orb fragment and giving it to me, it wasn’t just human souls that I had taken into my body.

“In truth, I did not purify the Fel in its entirety.” he admitted, “Rather, I allowed some to remain, and altered its properties, impelling it into a dormant state, so that your body might learn to counteract it. For two months, you were infected, until at last you fought it off, and now you possess a tolerance.”

“So… you gave me a… Fel vaccine?” I blurted out with astonishment.

“A dreadfully crude simplification,” he scoffed, “but for all intents and purposes, yes. You are by no means immune, you must understand, but small amounts may be warded off, and even against a more thorough dose, your mind at least would have a greater chance to remain intact.”

{You really could’ve, oh I don’t know… told us about this!?} Conscio pointed out.

Ignoring him, Hawnu Rey’eng went on to say that my resistance was in part thanks to my depression. Apparently, the mental malady served as something of a sponge for the Fel, drawing it to a concentrated segment of my brain, where it was then broken down.

“How does that work?” I asked, dumbfounded, “You’re telling me I can, what, sad the Fel to death?”

Exhaling with amusement, he replied by saying that in essence, my illness was far more than a mere state of mind. It was ingrained into my very being, and essentially tricked the Fel into thinking I was already infected, and thus had difficulty knowing what to do with itself. Following that, the Fel was baited to my brain’s amygdala by intense spikes of negative emotion, where it was promptly trapped by the very sickness that lured it there, and was then destroyed. In other words, my depression didn’t just camouflage me against the Fel, but it actively prevented it from spreading, and served as a weapon against it.

“Huh, so that’s why I had such a bad episode that night.” I murmured.

“Correct.” said the Guardian.

Sighing, I shook my head, trying to track with all this and make sure I still made sense of it all.

“Okay, so to make things clear…” I started, “I’m basically whacking these collars on me and Twilight, switching bodies with her, and fighting off the Fel using her magic?”

“That’s the short of it, yes.”

“Then what’s the long of it?” I inquired, crossing my arms.

Pointing out to the ravaged land, Hawnu Rey’eng explained that just a little way beyond it, where the infection was at its thickest, I would find a vast opening in the ground. My instruction was to go inside, where I would descend further into Twilight’s brain, and locate a gland within her cingulate cortex, known as a mana well.

“That sounds familiar…” I mumbled, mostly to myself.

And indeed, it was familiar, for I had learned about them at the very start of my adventure, on the day before our flight to Brazil. Jogging my memory, Hawnu Rey’eng chose to educate me in greater detail, telling me everything there was to know about them, and the energy they contained.

“Mana is the purest energy there is. All life, even on Earth, stems from it. Your very soul is made from mana, as is the case for all beings, from the greatest of gods to the smallest of insects. Creatures with mana wells, such as ponies, are able to harness this energy, with unicorns most notoriously manipulating it into a tangible force, universally referred to as magic. Earth ponies and pegasi also use magic, albeit in a far subtler manner, with the former being capable of extraordinary physical strength, and the latter being able to walk on clouds, and fluctuate their own gravity. This is how pegasi can fly so effortlessly, and at such remarkable speeds.”

Humming with interest, I allowed him to ramble on. In fact, it was actually quite nice to finally receive some exposition for once, especially considering the man’s secretive nature.

“This feat isn’t limited to ponies.” he continued, “There was once a time when even humans could harness mana, and use magic as unicorns do. They were given names like wizard, sorcerer, witch, and the like. Alas, with humans being the way they are, those blessed with magic were feared, envied, and scorned. Over centuries, they were persecuted to the point of near-extinction, with the surviving magical bloodlines now forever in hiding.”

“Man, we really are cunts, aren’t we?” I muttered.

{You said it lad, not me.} Conscio chuckled.

Staring off into space and puffing through my pursed lips, I let all the information sink in, for it hadn’t just been a little pep-talk; this was some serious stuff. What he had just explained had given me a deeper understanding of the universe itself, and I was ever so slightly mind-blown.

Pressing on to the more important information, the Guardian taught me how the collars functioned. Though similar in design, only one of them had a small panel at the front, where within lay two switches, and a round button. The first of the switches determined which collar would be the host, or in other words, whose brain we would be going inside when activated. The second switch controlled the body swapping aspect, so if I needed to enter Twilight’s brain while remaining in my own body for any reason, I was free to do so. Lastly, the button was the activator, and after holding it down for five seconds, the two of us would lose consciousness, and awaken inside the brainscape of the selected host.

Once I knew how they worked, the Guardian explained that Twilight’s mana well was a very large one, and over the past six months, the Fel had been feeding on it like a parasite, all while spreading to other parts of her mind. Since my fight with her, it had taken over the mana well completely, thus reaching the end of its incubation and taking full control of her mind. Over the following twenty-four hours, the unicorn would undergo demonification, and if that happened, her life was forfeit. In simpler terms, Twilight really was on the cusp of death, and though in my heart I still hated her, I knew such a personal grievance couldn’t be allowed to cloud my vision; I had to save her.

“Alright, so when I wake up in her body, I find the mana well, and then what?” I asked.

Hawnu Rey’eng didn’t speak for a moment, giving me ample time to prepare for his answer.

“You are to destroy it.”

With wide eyes, my mouth fell agape.

“What!?”

“Did I not speak clearly?” he quizzed.

“No, I… I heard you.” I stuttered, “But… won’t that leave her-”

“Without magic.” he finished for me, “It is a tall price, but the alternative makes it one worth paying. I assure you, a pony-turned-demon is not something you wish to see. She would become something not unlike the beast you fought in Pripyat, and thus, you would have to kill her, if she didn’t kill you first. That is all to say, if she even survives from the wounds you’ve given her…”

Looking away, that last part struck me. However, before I could dwell on it, the sky above began to flicker, briefly blanketing the world in darkness, before returning to daylight.

“What was that?” I blurted out.

“Her consciousness is slipping.” the Guardian explained, “Soon, she will awaken here, and Nah’Lek will begin his hunt. If he finds her, it may well be for the last time. I will remain here to contend with him, while you must return to your body in the waking world.”

“I’m not in my own body?” I asked, tilting my head.

“No.” he replied with a stretch of his wings, “You are still in mid-fall, with time at a standstill. I will return you there, and ensure you are shielded from the rockfall above.”

“Can’t you just teleport me?” I pointed out, “Or you know, grab my wrist and fly us away?”

Shaking his head, Hawnu Rey’eng explained that time may have been frozen in my vicinity, but my body’s momentum was still there. If he were to take my arm and fly upward, it would likely tear my arm off, and I would continue to fall to my death. As for teleportation, even the fastest of relocation spells took a second or two to cast, and in that time, I would meet the ground below and splatter.

“You’re not exactly filling me with confidence.” I said with a gulp.

“No harm will come to you.” he assured, “The spell I have in mind will encase you in a shield of my own design, while locking your body into place. You will be unable to move, but in that time, you will be rendered invulnerable.”

“So, Armour Lock from Halo?” I scoffed, “Seriously, is there anything original about you?”

“I could let you fall without it, if you would rather?”

Quickly backtracking, I raised a finger in the air and humbly requested one dose of Armour Lock, with a ‘please and thank you’ on the side. Huffing with amusement, Hawnu Rey’eng prepared to take us back, when the sky suddenly flickered again, plunging us into a world of darkness.

Twilight had passed out.

“Where will I find the collars?” I asked quickly.

“I have already placed them in her saddlebag.” he informed me, “Waste no time.”

“I don’t plan to.” I retorted, offering him my arm.

“One more thing.” he said, taking my wrist, “The state of your being in these forests lies in how you imagine yourself going into them. Before activating the collars, be sure to picture Twilight unharmed and in her prime. When you awaken in her body, that is the image you will manifest in.”

“Got it.” I nodded, “Picture her at full strength, and I’ll be at full strength.”

Nodding back at me, his hand started to glow with a vibrant lilac aura, and then with a bright flash, we departed the Frozen Forest.


As my vision cleared, I found myself as I had been before, suspended in mid-air and surrounded by loose rock. Hawnu Rey’eng was touching my wrist, but that didn’t last long. Without a hint of warning, time resumed, and as my body locked into place, I plummeted the last few dozen feet to the ground. I tried to scream, but it seemed even my insides had locked into place, for not a sound emerged from me as I hurtled to what ought to be my rocky grave. Unable to even close my eyes, I was forced to watch as I slammed into the base of the mountain with enough force to crack the stone.

The rest of the cliff’s collapse then followed, crashing down all around me and shaking the earth, before it eventually started to bury me alive. My visibility grew weaker and weaker, until I was soon encased in darkness, and that’s how I would remain for quite some time, as the last of the broken cliff smothered me. Everything around me continued to shake violently until eventually I heard the faint sound of stones clattering to the ground above me, and then… silence.

{Well… that was fucking horrible!} I thought to myself.

{Oh aye, you’ll need therapy for this one.} Conscio agreed, {That bloody tin can could have at least warned us it would be that sudden.}

{I’m saying it now, I do not like that guy.}

{I dinnae blame you, lad.}

Had I control over my lungs, I would have huffed with annoyance, but alas, I still couldn’t even breathe. On the bright side, whatever spell this was seemed to be keeping me oxygenated, so I sucked it up and allowed myself to remain idle until it wore off. Eventually it did, and as the shield slowly faded away, so too did my inability to move. The weight of the earth and stone above me slowly intensified, though it thankfully never reached the point of crushing me.

As time went on, I started to worry about my air supply. I could imagine some of the girls were on their way down here, but it could take them ages to find me. To that end, I tried to move, and with only a few surrounding inches of space to work with, I shuffled my way upwards, blindly pulling at the dirt and smaller stones in a bid to reach the surface.

{Good thing you don’t have claustrophobia.} Conscio mused.

“That may well change by the end of this ordeal.” I tutted, rolling my eyes.

I continued to dig, and soon enough I was able to haul myself upwards. That was when a massive chunk of rock shifted towards me, trapping my left forearm against the jagged remains of a splintered tree. In seconds, it was cutting into my skin and clamping down hard enough to nearly break the bone.

“Ahh shit!” I cried out, “Shit-shit-shit-shit! Oh!”

The more I tried to move, the more intense the pressure became, and so I forced myself to remain absolutely still, save for the fact I now trembled with terror.

“Conscio, what do I do?” I whimpered, “It’s going to break my arm. Oh god, it’s going to break my arm!”

{Alright lad, just… stay calm.}

“Please Conscio, I really don’t want it to break my arm!”

Now on the verge of tears, I groaned and sniffled to myself as Conscio desperately tried to think of a plan. Eventually, he thought of one, and urged me to grab as many stones as possible, and wedge them between the tree’s remains and the rock that now threatened to crush me. I did as he ordered, and although I couldn’t free myself, at least my forearm was a tiny bit safer. I then began to feel short of breath, and realised that if I didn’t get out of here soon, I could very well suffocate.

And then, at last, I could hear the faint clip-clopping of hooves overhead, paired with the muffled cries of Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Applejack, desperately calling my name. Taking the opportunity, I bellowed back to them, but after a few feeble attempts to get them to notice me, it seemed they couldn’t hear me. Now without much air at all, I started to panic.

{Right, I know what to do.} said Connie, {But you’re not going to like it.}

Going on, Conscio told me to push out against the rock that trapped my arm with all my strength, and then yank the limb away as quickly as possible.

{It’ll cause enough of a shift to get their attention, but if you dinnae do it quick enough, it’ll turn your arm into cranberry jam.}

Gulping, I knew I had no other choice, and so on the count of three, I used my powerful legs to shove the rock away with all my might, and then pulled. As expected, the whole thing shunted back towards me, and after a second to comprehend what had happened, I let out an agonised howl. Though it hadn’t crushed my arm, it had caught my left hand as I pulled it away, ripping the skin and effectively degloving the lower part of my ring finger. Hissing loudly through my teeth, I thrashed against my rocky tomb and tried desperately to contain myself.

That was when the ground above me started to shift, with a large amount of coarse dirt falling down and smothering my face. Not wanting to inhale it, I moved my head around in little circles in an attempt to get a pocket of air, and just as my breath was running out, I succeeded. I then reached upwards with my right hand, as far as it could go, which was when I felt the coolness of the outside air against the tips of my fingers. The pressure of the stone prison then released as rocks were shifted away from above.

They had found me…

There was more movement, before at last, I felt a hoof against my hand, which then quickly got to work digging me up. I sighed with relief, something I immediately regretted, as I took in a mouthful of earth. I coughed, and then was forced to hold what little air remained in my lungs. My whole body convulsed, and I started flailing my hand around to signal that I was in distress. Thankfully the hoof returned to me, and I gripped it with all my remaining strength. They pulled back and my body shifted upwards, and after a good few seconds, my head broke the surface, and it couldn’t have come a moment sooner. Gasping emphatically, I took in breath after breath, totally disregarding how much it hurt my ribs to do so.

{Fuck you Hawnu Rey’eng!} Conscio screamed {Now I’m afraid of small spaces, you feathery tin can cunny!}

Opening my eyes, I looked up to find Pinkie and Applejack staring at me with wide eyes, with the latter looking at me as though I were a ghost. Fluttershy then appeared as well, who came rushing over and started sobbing as soon as she saw my bruised, bloodied face embedded in the rubble. I gave her an exhausted smile, to which she let out a spluttering laugh through the tears.

“You guys took your time…” I coughed.

“H… H-How?” Applejack stammered, “H-How are you… s-still alive?”

“Oh, you know how it goes… stop, drop, and roll.” I wheezed, “Wait, that’s for fire.”

Too shaken up to laugh, the three mares just kept staring at me like I had multiple heads; even Pinkie Pie was speechless, though at least she wasn’t crying like the others. Applejack then took my hand again and pulled me out from the rubble, causing it to rub against the exposed flesh on my left hand.

“Ow-ow-ow!” I shouted, letting go of her hoof in order to clutch at it.

“Ow-ow-ow!” a voice squawked.

Looking up, I spotted Blu soaring overhead, and gave him a weak smile.

“Well, glad to see he’s still kicking.” I remarked, wincing.

“He was, uh… out looking for the next Orb piece.” Applejack murmured, not quite all there, “Came back when the cliff collapsed.”

Fluttering down onto Pinkie’s back, the bird craned his neck and narrowed his eyes.

“Hello again, quaark, pretty boy!”

“Hardly.” I grumbled, “I feel like I’ve been fed through a saw mill.”

“You uh… look like it too.” said AJ, “I-I still don’t understand. H-How are you still alive?”

“By all rights, I shouldn’t be.” I admitted, “It was the man from Chernobyl… the one I told you about, with the wings, who helped save Rainbow. He swooped in and… oh fuck, Twilight!”

Promising that I would explain everything later, I insisted that I needed to get back to Twilight. Applejack asked what I meant, to which I looked at Fluttershy and made the revelation known.

“You were right, Flutters, Twilight’s sick. She’s been infected with the Fel, and if I don’t get back to her, she’s going to die!”

“What’s the Fel?” Pinkie inquired.

“Like I said, I’ll explain later, just… get me to her!”

Realising the urgency of the situation, the girls shot off, leading me up the steep rocky path they had come from. Blu went on ahead, for I had instructed him to find Twilight’s saddlebag and bring it to wherever she was being held. Along the way, AJ told me what had happened with Twilight. Apparently, she had gone completely insane after our fight, thrashing around and smacking her already-battered head into the walls. It was as though she had been trying to kill an insect that had burrowed its way into her head; if only they knew how close such a comparison was to the truth. Rainbow Dash and Rarity were keeping her restrained in the master bedroom, where the unicorn had then started to lose consciousness.

{That’ll be when the sky flickered, back in the Forest.} Connie pointed out.

Humming in agreement, I told a now-sobbing Applejack that I was going to fix this. We pressed on in silence after that, as we were all far too rattled to say much else to each other.


The journey back to the clifftop was a treacherous climb, and by the end of it, my injured body was practically screaming with pain. My burned skin was cracked and weeping, while blood continued to ooze from my torn finger, and as the mansion came into sight, my entire left hand looked like I had dipped it in red paint. I was in more pain than I could possibly describe, though in a bizarre sense, I had been hurting so intensely for so long now that I barely perceived it.

“I see them! He’s alive!” I heard Rainbow cry out as we approached the building.

I spotted her vibrant mane in one of the upstairs windows, and then in a flash it was gone. Dashie then quickly emerged from the front door and bolted towards me, and knowing that she didn’t often think before acting, I tensed my body for impact, sensing the aggressive hug that lay on the horizon. And yet, no such embrace came, for she skidded to a halt just before she reached me, and proceeded to look me up and down from head to toe.

“You should… You should be dead.” she rasped with tears in her eyes.

“Should be, but I’m not.” I replied.

With her lower lip trembling, the mare stepped forward and planted her forehead against my belly, of which was the one place not covered in burns and cuts. I put my right hand onto her head and gently petted her mane, before stroking down one side of her face.

“I’m here now.” I told her.

Doing her best not to cry, she smiled at me, and then I asked her to bring me to Twilight. At the mere utterance of her name, the pegasus’ happy expression turned into one of revulsion; it seemed that I wasn’t the only one who hated the unicorn now. Either way, she guided me indoors and up the stairs, where I was escorted into the master bedroom to a most unpleasant sight…

Sprawled out on a large blood-soaked mattress, was Twilight. Three of her legs were bound in rope and tethered to the bed posts, with the broken one left unfettered, and twisted at a most unpleasant angle. Her muzzle and neck were both completely caked in blood, with foam frothing from her split, swollen lips. Her mouth was slightly parted and her crooked lower jaw was leaning to one side, and as I made my approach, I could hear her faint, gurgling breaths.

{Mate I’m sorry, but what you’ve done here is…}

{Wrong.} I cut in silently, finishing Conscio’s sentence, {What I’ve done here is wrong.}

Rarity looked up from the dying pony and gasped upon seeing me, and rushed over to wrap her forelegs around my midsection.

“I thought we lost you…” she sighed.

“Not just yet.” I muttered quietly, unable to take my eyes off Twilight.

Seeing her like this, and knowing that I was the one responsible, and how truly helpless she had been in all this, was enough to shake away the hatred I held for her. All I wanted now was to save her from this, and so it was time for me to get to work. I was about to call for Blu, when there came a scratching sound over by the doorway. I turned around just in time to see the parrot waddling into the room, diligently dragging Twilight’s saddlebag along by himself.

“This… rrk… bag is… heavy as balls!” he grunted, using his wings to aid him.

I went over and took it from him, and quickly searched the inner compartments until I found the same cylindrical box Hawnu Rey’eng had shown me back in the Frozen Forest. Pulling it out with haste, I opened it up and ran to the bedside, taking one of the collars and fastening it around Twilight’s neck. As I did so, the mare twitched, and her puffy eyes flickered open for a moment. There wasn’t a hint of white in her scleras, only red, for all the blood vessels had either swollen or burst. As for her irises, they gleamed with a vibrant emerald, as did the spirals on her horn.

“I’ll… I’ll kill you.” she slurred, expelling a mouthful of foam and blood.

“It’s alright, Twi, I’m going to get you out of this.” I muttered, putting on my own collar.

Recognising my voice, she suddenly realised who I was and began to struggle against her restraints, all while promising to skin me alive. The other ponies all flattened their ears and looked away at such a remark, of which was then followed up by an inebriated slew of additional threats and many a swear word.

Thankfully it didn’t last long, and as Twilight proceeded to pass out again, I turned to the girls and explained what the collars did, and how I was about to switch bodies with her. Needless to say, they were all shocked and aghast, more so when I explained that if Twilight’s body died during the process, then I would die with it, leaving the unicorn trapped in mine. To that end, I instructed Fluttershy to treat Twilight’s wounds before my own, and to shoot her up with as much Bloom as possible.

“Is there a limit to how much you can administer?” I asked her.

“Um, th-there is.” she confirmed shakily, “There comes a point where it… s-starts to poison the blood. Any more than four vials and it starts getting risky.”

“Give her five.” I commanded, “Shoot me up too while you’re at it.”

Nodding, she switched on ‘nurse mode’ and started digging through her medical bag, which was already in the room. Continuing my instructions, I ordered Fluttershy to treat our injuries to the best of her ability during our time unconscious.

“You too, Rarity.” I said, showing her my hand, “I need this stitched up.”

Grimacing at the sight of the raw finger, and the bunched up skin by the upper knuckle, Rarity gave a reluctant nod, wholly aware that this ordeal was a team effort.

“I don’t know how long we’ll be out for, but it’ll be a while at least.” I went on, “In the meantime, do absolutely everything you can. I want Oozima on my burns, a new binder for my ribs, and for goodness’ sake, put her foreleg back where it needs to be, and her damn mouth. Untie her legs and put her on her side, she won’t be a threat as soon as I switch this thing on.”

Nopony argued, knowing full well that Twilight’s life was on the line. After my final instruction to Fluttershy that she wasn’t to use any sedatives, for the sake of ensuring a clear mental link, I prepared to go under. Choosing to lie on the floor beside the bed, I requested a pillow for my head, which was quickly fetched for me by Pinkie Pie. It was then that Rainbow Dash came up to me with a face rife with worry.

“Please don’t screw this up, dude… I don’t want to lose you again.”

“Come here.” I said softly, beckoning her closer.

Cupping her chin with my hand, I looked into her eyes and promised her that I would see this through and come out on the other side. She searched my eyes for a moment, before leaning forward and planting a kiss onto my cheek. In spite of losing Bunnie recently, the affection actually felt quite nice, and with a smirk, I joked that if I got through this, I would let her kiss the other one. That was enough to bolster her confidence, and as she stepped back, I took one last glance at my friends.

{I feel like I should say something clever.} I mused to myself in thought, swallowing.

{Oh, I know! Say something like… you’ve got a demon to kill.} Conscio suggested, {You know, because of the demon magic?}

Not happy with that one, I furrowed my brow and picked something else.

“Well, off to Tartarus I go.” I anxiously murmured.

{Eh, good enough I guess.}

Closing my eyes, I fumbled around the collar until I found the button. With the switches already in the correct positions, I held down the button and counted back from five. As I reached zero, I felt a buzzing sensation around my neck, and then everything went black. My final thought was quite simply a hope for good fortune in this treacherous new mission, for it was one that held even greater importance than finding the Titans’ Orb. And what’s more, though I couldn’t believe I was admitting it, it was also more important than my unavailing attempt to save Bunnie’s life.


Now, I had someone else to save.
And her name was Twilight.





> Chapter Fifteen: Through Ice and Hell
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Before I had even opened my eyes, I could feel the cold working its way to my bones. Shivering, I slowly came to and found myself in the same bedroom, though it was now far more decrepit. The walls were rotten and the ceiling had patches of black mould. With a gulp, I sat up on the bloodstained mattress and looked at my outstretched arms to find a set of lilac-coloured hooves.

{Alright Sparkle, let’s do this.} said Conscio.

Clambering out of bed, I had to battle the incentive to stay on two legs, and wobbled around as I tried to find my balance and adjust to my new equine form. Conscio was able to help with this matter, for in this Forest, he seemed to have greater freedom than he did in the waking world. He had complete access to Twilight’s magic, and although he couldn’t control us outright, he could somewhat guide my movements by exploiting Twilight’s muscle memory. In short, he could work in tandem with me like some sort of copilot.

Considering that he first appeared in my mind after touching the fragment in Brazil, I had a feeling the voice in my head was a magical construct of sorts, so it made sense that he was more capable in a unicorn’s body. Either way, with his aid, I was quickly able to find my feet, or hooves as it were, and we made our way to the bedroom door. Pulling it open and heading downstairs, I left the mansion and embarked into what was most certainly not the same mountaintop from before, for the world outside had been entirely replaced by the Frozen Forest. The snow was falling heavily, and after just a few paces, the frogs of my hooves began to ache.

“It’s even colder than before.” I muttered.

{Aye, and you’ve got fur this time.} Connie pointed out, {Poor Twilight must be freezing.}

Tightening my lips, I had to agree, and hoped that I would bump into her during my search for the mana well. With mana in mind, Conscio conjured the Thermic Hide spell for us, and with a flash of my horn, I immediately felt myself warming up. It wasn’t enough to completely stave off the chill, but it certainly helped to dull its cutting edge. I then used my horn as something of a compass to sense where the Fel’s presence was at its strongest, and trotted off with haste into the woodland.

As I trekked along, I kept an eye out for any suspicious movement, well aware that with the Fel now in complete domination of Twilight’s mind, all sorts of things could be lurking out here. Dark thoughts and violent fantasies could very well take root, and if they were to manifest a corporeal form like Nah’Lek’s shade, then I would be up against not just him, but against Twilight’s very own brain.

“I still can’t believe the Fel’s even real…” I murmured to myself.

Thinking about its origins in the Warcraft universe, I realised that if the Fel existed, then so too did the worlds of Azeroth and Draenor, along with the denizens of both. The orcs and their mighty Horde, the elves and dwarves of the Alliance, and so many other sapient humanoid beings, they all existed! All that high-fantasy nonsense was, as it happened, not nonsense in the slightest, and although the ponies certainly helped to normalise such a notion, I was still blown away.

I then thought of Nah’Lek, and how he had even come to control such a malicious substance. From what I could recall, the Fel was mainly utilised by an army of demons known as the Burning Legion, of whom had used it to corrupt an orcish shaman by the name of Gul’dan. Gul’dan then spread it to the rest of the Horde, coercing them to drink the blood of a demon named Mannoroth, enslaving them to the Legion, and turning the orcs’ once-red skin into the memorable shade of green they were famous for. With the Horde bound in servitude, Gul’dan led them to the world of Azeroth, where they launched a full-scale offensive in a bid to conquer the planet.

For all that said, the Fel seemed to be intertwined with the Burning Legion, so I could only assume Nah’Lek was a member within its ranks. Although, with the substance also existing on Equus, known plainly as demon magic, perhaps it was all a mere coincidence? After all, the Burning Legion didn’t create the Fel, it was merely their source of power; Nah’Lek might have had nothing to do with them at all.

Additionally, if the girls had taught me anything about other worlds, it was that our human media wasn’t strictly accurate. My Little Pony was a cartoon for children, with much of Equus’ reality not being present; it was only safe to assume the same applied to Warcraft, with the games, novels, and comics likely not lining up to how things really were.

In short, all this pondering had amounted to nothing, with Nah’Lek’s origins remaining a mystery. Still, it had helped to distract me from the cold, while Conscio had dutifully swayed my plodding to ensure I was going the right way. I was about to ask if he had any theories, when my attention was snatched away by the sound of movement up ahead. My pony ears instinctively pricked upright and swivelled towards the sound, while my velvety nose twitched with caution.

Standing my ground, I crouched low and ignited my horn. Thinking carefully, I cast my mind back to the spell Twilight had used in Brazil to scan for crocodiles in the lake, and with Connie’s help, I was able to deploy it. With a flash of my horn, I felt my mind fill with vague information, pertaining to a male bipedal mammal. At this, I sighed with relief, knowing exactly what lay ahead. I walked forward with confidence, and just as predicted, I found my own body stumbling around aimlessly, lost, scared, and confused.

“You really can’t walk for shit on two legs, can you Twilight?” I said bluntly.

With a jump, she whipped around and spotted me, where she waddled up to me and dropped to her knees.

“C… C-Callum?” she stuttered, her mouth falling agape.

She reached out to touch me, placed a hand on my cheek to see if I was real.

“I… I thought I killed you.”

Gazing into her glossy purple eyes, I saw a whole plethora of emotions. There was shock, pain, remorse, disbelief, and beneath it all, a happiness to see me. A tear escaped from one of her eyes and crawled down her cheek, only to freeze solid before reaching her jaw. Realising just how cold the poor thing was, I quickly cast Thermic Hide again, which evoked a heavy sigh of relief from the girl as the frigid air ceased its bitter assault on her. The fog from her breath was dense enough to briefly obscure her face, attesting to how cold it truly was.

“I don’t understand…” she began with a whisper, “I watched you fall to your death.”

“No. You watched me fall.” I corrected, smirking at her.

For a single breath, she laughed, and then proceeded to break into a sob. Completely falling apart, I received from her the one thing I had always wanted from her, and yet, never expected.

A true, genuine, heartfelt apology.

Between splutters and whimpers, Twilight let her repentance be known. She must have told me she was sorry at least twenty times, which paled in comparison to the number of times she expressed how horrible she had been to me and the others, and how intensely she regretted it.

“I don’t… I don’t understand what’s happening to me!” she mewled, now shaking from head to toe, “I don’t know why I’m like this. I’m… I’m scared of myself, Callum… I’m so scared of myself! When I look in the mirror, I don’t even know who’s standing there any more!”

Watching someone else cry in my body like this was definitely one of my strangest experiences to date, but pushing through that, I found myself touched by the girl’s most heartbreaking apology. As her voice cracked, coughed, and wavered, I knew that she meant every single word, and it wasn’t just a ploy for my forgiveness either, she was genuinely, from the very bottom of her heart, sorry.

Thinking of my own apology as I had fallen from the cliff, I couldn’t help myself… In spite of the pain she had caused me, I forgave her; everything she had done still hurt like hell, but damn it, I forgave her.

“I… I let her die!” she wailed on, “I let… I let your girl die! I’m a monster! I’m a monster, Callum!”

Exhaling slowly, hearing that part was difficult, but I knew in my heart that Twilight was blameless. Her body had committed the act, with a warped, fragmented semblance of her mind conceding to it, but the Twilight before me now? No, the broken creature in front of me was no guiltier than I was. After taking a deep breath, I reached forward and put my foreleg around the back of Twilight’s neck, pulling her in for a hug.

Although she was shocked by this sudden embrace, Twilight reciprocated in a heartbeat, wrapping her arms around me and clutching at my back and mane with her trembling hands. Fighting off tears of my own, I cradled her from side to side as she bawled into my neck. Sinking lower, her face rubbed against the softer fluff between my shoulders, and it seemed to calm her down.

“Why are you… Why are you comforting me? I hurt you so bad… I tried to kill you!”

“Yeah well, I tried to kill you first, didn’t I?” I muttered dryly, sniffing.

“I wish you had.” she spluttered, “I would’ve deserved it!”

I hushed softly in a bid to settle her, but to no avail, she pressed on with her merciless self-rebuke, expressing how she deserved not only to die, but that she also deserved the countless deaths she had endured here in the Frozen Forest. At that, I pulled away and locked eyes with her.

“You listen to me…” I spoke gruffly, “If there’s one person around here with the right to say what you deserve, it’s me. After everything you’ve done, I’m the one who decides what you are, and what you are, Twilight, is not a monster, nor do you deserve the shit you’ve been through in this place.”

She broke eye contact, and I was quick to take her chin with my hoof and steer it back to look at me.

“I should have died from that fall, but our feathery friend from Chernobyl saved me, and he explained to me what’s going on. You’re sick, Twilight, but not in the way you think.”

The crying came to a halt after that, with a confused teary-eyed stare taking its place. Tightening my lips while I found the words, I went on to explain that she had been infected by Nah’Lek’s shade, along with the Fel, which she still only knew as demon magic until now. I told her everything Hawnu Rey’eng had told me, and by the end of it, she was left in a bewildered stupor, blinking rapidly as she processed all the information, including the fact that we were literally inside her own brain! Being the smart pony she was, it didn’t take long for her to accept the facts, which was when she confessed to knowing about the shade.

“It’s the demon magic I didn’t know about.” she murmured, “All this time, it’s been inside me? That’s what’s been twisting my mind, and turning me into this, this… thing!?”

“That’s what the Guardian said.” I confirmed, “Also, back up… you knew about the shade?”

“Well, sort of.” she said, “I didn’t know the specifics, but I knew Nah’Lek was inside my head. Even before we left your home, I knew he was the one behind my nightmares.”

“Why didn’t you say anything?” I demanded to know, shaking my head.

Almost crying again, she explained that she couldn’t, for Nah’Lek had promised that if she told anyone about what was really going on, the punishment would be unfathomable.

“He said he would get inside the others’ heads as well! And me? He said the tortures for me would only be more intense, and that he’d do things… things I can’t even say.”

Looking away, she winced as unspeakable memories ran through her mind, and she confessed that as time went on, he had done such things to her anyway. However, without knowing how the shade had infected her, Twilight didn’t want to risk the chance of it harming the others, and so she vowed to secrecy, allowing this to remain her burden to bear, and hers alone. My heart broke for her, realising that even as she had become the spiteful, wicked mare I had known up to now, she had been trying to protect her friends. Even in how she treated me, Twilight was the true victim in all this, and as I came to realise that, my former hatred for her found a new home within Nah’Lek the Defiler; he was going to pay for what he had done to her.

“Did the Guardian know how to stop this?” she asked, “Surely… Surely there’s a way to stop this!”

“There is, but you’re not going to like it.”

At that, Twilight craned her neck and I told her the bitter truth, that we were to locate her mana well, and destroy it. With a gasp, she knew immediately what this meant, and tried to convince me that there had to be another way.

“There’s not.” I told her, “It’s not even a mana well any more, technically. Hawnu Rey’eng said something about it being a nexus for the Fel now, like… it’s a central hub for it or something. Look, I know what this means, but-”

“No, you don’t!” she cut in, “I’ve dedicated my entire life to magic, from my studies, to my place as Celestia’s student. It’s the core of who I am, Callum! A life without magic? Without purpose? What kind of life is that for me?”

“For starters, it’d be one where you’re still alive.” I retorted, “And do you really think you’d be magicless forever? Once the Fel’s out of your system, there’s every chance the well could heal over time. And if not, then maybe the Princess, or Hawnu Rey’eng, could do something to restore it. No one said anything about this being permanent, but as of right now, the choice is either losing your magic, or dying.”

“Then I choose dying.” she croaked, “Magic or no magic, it’s what I deserve.”

Huffing with exasperation, I reiterated that she didn’t deserve any of this. Following that, I told her that it wouldn’t be her dying, at least not entirely. Gesturing to the frozen world around us, I told her that with me in her head, I would be the one to perish if her body did, leaving her trapped in mine for the rest of her days. And if she didn’t die, then she would undergo demonification, becoming like the mutant queen in Pripyat.

“If that happens, you’ll have no control at all.” I told her, “You’ll turn on your friends, and tear them limb from limb. Think about that for a moment. Think about Pinkie, or Fluttershy, screaming as you pull them apart without mercy. Is that what you want?”

Shuddering, Twilight was quick to shake her head, and resign herself to our only course of action. Breaking into another bout of tears, she wept for a few more minutes, until a sound from behind us had us quiet as mice. At first, I worried that Nah’Lek had found us, but Conscio was quick to inform me that it wasn’t.

{So, you know how we scanned a male bipedal mammal?}

{Yes…} I thought back to him.

{It uh… wasn’t Twilight.}

Before I had a moment to process that information, one of the nearby bushes shook with enough force to kick up the snow on its leaves, and from within the flurry came a guttural roar as something emerged.

That’s when I saw it…

Charging towards us, was a creature built like a man, only taller, and broader. His skin was as green as grass, and he had two massive tusk-like teeth protruding from his mouth. In his right hand was an axe with a head big enough to cleave a person in two. I was almost frozen in place from the shock, but not because of the danger, but because I knew exactly what this creature was.

It was an orc.

{Hey, we were just thinking about those!}

{Now’s not the time, Connie!}

With a terrified wail, Twilight scrambled behind me as the beast reached us. It took a swing at me and I dodged, darting to one side of it and punching it in the ribs. The strike bore little effect, and I remembered that I was in Twilight’s body.

“Oh, for fuck’s sa-” I started to groan, only to be backhanded by the orc.

He caught me in the upper torso and sent me sprawling away into the snow, which was when he made an attempt for Twilight. Raising his axe, he would have killed her had Conscio not readied up a fireball for me, which I shot into the orc’s right shoulder. Staggering, he missed the girl by mere inches, who took the opportunity to crawl over to me, whimpering with fear. Not allowing him to try again, I used my telekinesis to envelop all the snow in the area and dump it onto the orc, burying him completely. I then compacted it inward with all my magical strength, forming it into something of an icy bunker.

{Don’t waste your mana fighting this guy, we need to get to the well!} Conscio barked.

“That won’t hold long, come on!” I shouted to Twilight, in full agreement with the voice in my head.

She didn’t need to be told twice, and as Connie helped to guide my path, we sprinted deeper and deeper into the woodland, with Twilight on my tail in a far more literal manner than I was used to. It wasn’t long before we heard the orc bellowing from somewhere behind us, and as we approached the same obliterated patch of forest from before, I knew we weren’t far. However, Twilight’s unathletic body was already beginning to let me down, and if I was exhausted before even reaching the bloody well, then our chances of success would dwindle. Turning to Twilight, I furrowed my brow and came up with a plan, though just as it was with the mana well, she wasn’t going to like it.

“It’s not far now, but I can’t keep running like this.” I wheezed, “I need you to distract that thing.”

“What?” she asked, “Wh-What are you saying?”

“I’m saying with those legs, you can run a whole lot faster than me, and further too, so I need you to get his attention and run the other way. Not to be a dickhead, but you’re the expendable one here. I’m the one who has to get to the mana well and destroy it, and I can’t do that with an orc on my arse while I’m on the cusp of puking up my lungs!”

Despite understanding the situation, fear held her in place, and she began to protest, falling apart and insisting that she couldn’t do it. Reaching forward and planting a hoof against her chest, I looked into her eyes and clenched my jaw.

“Twilight, you don’t get it… If I fail here, your body is going to die, and one of us is dying with it, and whoever goes, the outcome is the same. We fail the mission, your friends get trapped on Earth, and your whole planet is fucked! You don’t want that, and neither do I, so buck up and help me!”

Glancing down for a moment, Twilight let my words sink in. Quickly calming down, she went on to do the one thing she hadn’t been able to since we had met; she trusted me.

“Okay…” she breathed, nodding.

“Atta girl.” I told her, helping her to her feet, “Now run, Twilight… run like the wind.”

Stepping away from me, Twilight put her faith in my body and started to run. The orc then emerged from the treeline and spotted her, promptly giving chase. Now able to catch my breath, I continued tracking the Fel’s point of origin at a calmer pace, and soon enough my heart rate was back to normal. At this point, I hardly needed Conscio’s help to know I was going the right way, for the Fel was now strong enough to possess a scent that could be detected even without magic. Following with my nose more than my horn, I let the stench of sulphur and decay guide me, and soon enough I found it.

Like a gateway to hell itself, the ground opened up into a great spiralling rocky chasm, lined with glowing cracks that spat out green and black embers. Beneath all this ice and cold, the ravenous flames of Fel fire burned within, and not even the Frozen Forest could withstand its infernal heat. For a good few yards surrounding the entrance, the snow had melted, exposing the dry blackened earth.

Gulping, I made my approach and looked down, where I found that after a few metres down, the chasm curved and sloped enough to warrant a safe descent. Too hard-pressed to let fear hold me back, I sat on the edge and let my hind legs dangle over, before letting myself drop tail-first into the depths of Twilight’s mind. Not realising how far the drop really was, I landed rather awkwardly and couldn’t maintain a grip, and so I proceeded to slide the way down. Gritting my teeth, the rough stone scratched at my back and hindquarters, and I quickly regretted not landing on my hooves at least.

{Oh shag my arse, it’s like a slip-and-slide made of broken glass!} Conscio growled.

I then went over one of the glowing fissures, just as it kicked out a puff of embers and the dancing tips of Fel fire. Throwing my head back, I let out a yowl and rolled away as it scorched me, but by then the damage was done. The scent of burnt fur wafted into my nostrils, and I was quick to focus on where I was sliding, making sure I didn’t go over any more cracks.

Finally, the tunnel levelled out and I came to a halt, now bearing a handful of cuts, scrapes, and a crispy patch of dark fur on my lower back. Getting to my hooves, I looked around to find myself in a narrow passageway, which was thankfully illuminated for me by a pulsating green light. Following it, I entered a gigantic open cave, similar in size to that of a football stadium. There were various stone pillars which held up the place, and in the middle was the source of the light.

“Whoa…” I murmured, slowly walking towards it.

Suspended in the air by a few dozen arteries the size of tree trunks, was the mana well. Bright as the full moon and as big as a house, the shimmering gland resembled a swollen translucent sac, bulging with raw Fel. The arteries were translucent as well, within which I could see the Fel being pulled from the gland, where it was subsequently transported to other parts of the brain.

“What’s the game plan?” I asked, putting my mouth to one side.

{I say we cut it down from the arteries.} Conscio suggested, {Then the Fel has nowhere to go. Hopefully it’ll die out after that, but if it doesn’t, then we lance the damn thing like a giant cyst.}

“It basically is a giant cyst!” I pointed out, prodding it with a hoof.

The texture was firm and fleshy, like a thick slab of raw beef, and as I pulled away, a string of thick mucus clung to my hoof. Had I been squeamish I might have gagged, but in truth, my curious mind was more interested by the experience than it was disgusted. Focusing, I thought about the laser Twilight had used in a bid to kill me, and in seconds, a burning magenta beam shot from my forehead. Aiming at the cave roof, I slowly rotated my head as I cut through the mana well’s vessels, and with each artery that came apart, there was a loud snap and the cavern shook. It then dawned on me that I was basically performing brain surgery!

“I hope I’m doing this right!” I said with a gulp.

I then went through the largest artery at the top, and given the spiralling structure, I could only assume it was the one that led to her horn in the waking world. A part of me couldn’t help feeling sad, realising that I was well and truly stripping Twilight of her magic, and as she had said herself just moments ago, it was an integral part to her identity. She was Twilight Sparkle for crying out loud, the inheritor of the Element of Magic, and the esteemed student of Princess Celestia. Unbeknownst to her, she was to become an alicorn princess, and rise up to establish greater harmony in not just Equestria, but the wider world of Equus too. By cutting away this mana well, I was potentially cutting away her future as well, changing her destiny and leaving her forever burdened as a crippled, magicless unicorn; I could only hope and pray that the damage I was doing wouldn’t be permanent, or that it could be reversed.

With the link to her horn severed, the mana well started to sag, leaning to one side as the few remaining arteries fought to hold the gland up. At the point of there only being two left, the whole thing was swaying back and forth, until at last, it came down. It landed with a mighty thud, and from the sizzling holes where the arteries had once been, the deathly substance within billowed out into the air. It wasn’t quite a gas, nor a liquid, its properties existed somewhere between the two.

{It looks like a fart cloud.} said Conscio, chuckling.

“You’re a fart cloud.” I muttered back to him.

{Wouldn’t that make you an airhead?}

“I actually hate you.”

{Aww, love you too, buddy.}

Audibly scoffing, I watched as more Fel billowed out of the now-defunct mana well, and as it spread, it struggled to sustain itself without Twilight’s life force to feed on. With how much of it there was, it would easily take a while, and so I sat down and just watched.

That was when I heard a noise.

{Looks like we’ve got some company.} said Conscio.

“Well, until this thing’s empty and Fel free, I’m not taking any chances.” I grumbled, “Whatever’s coming, we fight.”

{Music to my ears, mate.} he replied, {Let’s kick some arse.}

Echoing all around, the sound of thousands of little feet skittering towards me grew louder and louder, paired with scrapes and scratches from sharp claws against the stone. As it grew nearer, I heard hisses and cackles akin to a hyena’s laugh, and it dawned on me that I was completely surrounded. Gulping, I remained calm and focused on my unity with Conscio, who was now brewing up a repertoire of offensive spells. Peering at the gloomy back walls of the cave, I tried to adjust my eyes to the low light, and from the dark, they came.

They were short and thin, and ran on a pair of chitinous bug-like legs. Each of them had vastly elongated arms that bore a set of serrated black claws, designed solely for the shredding of flesh. Their heads were small and lined with little black beads for eyes, and their bony mouths opened sideways like mandibles, revealing rows upon rows of needle-like teeth.

“Well aren’t they just adorable?” I scoffed in a camp voice with an American accent.

Being in Twilight’s body with a set of female vocal cords, I ended up sounding just like her, which had Conscio chortling to himself. Rolling my eyes, I focused on the swarm as it closed in on me from all sides. I was bigger than they were, but certainly not where numbers were concerned. Turning to where they were closest, I kicked things off with a bolt of lightning. It smacked into the nearest one and electrocuted it to death, while further arcs burst from its back and leapt to more of them, rippling through and killing a good thirteen of them. Their bodies then quickly disappeared as they were trampled by their innumerable kin.

“Well that was less effective than I’d hoped.” I muttered, “Got anything more nuclear?”

{Working on it.} Connie grunted, {Stand still.}

“Stand still?” I echoed, “Are you bloody mad?”

{Trust me.}

My horn glowed brighter, and with an audible gulp, I stood perfectly still as the shrieking beasts grew closer and closer.

“Connie…” I said nervously through gritted teeth.

{Shut up and trust me!}

He hadn’t failed me yet, and so I put my faith in the voice and obeyed him. My eyes darted from creature to creature, and it dawned on me that there were hundreds of them. I could only presume they were something of a defence mechanism, conjured by the Fel and given physical form through what I could only presume were Twilight’s fears. They were now just metres away from me, which was when Conscio finally gave the command.

{Jump as high as you can!}

Springing upward, my horn flashed and I felt a force propelling me upwards, sending out a shockwave that blasted the creatures back, killing a few dozen of them in the process. I then fell back down, at which point I noticed my hooves glowing a vibrant magenta, and at the moment I landed, the stone floor shook and cracked apart with a mighty bang. All around me, fragments of sharp stones burst out from the impact and were sent in all directions like a shotgun blast, tearing scores upon scores of the beasts apart. Arms and legs went flying, and just like that, a good hundred or so had been unmade, their scattered remains now twisted and mangled.

“How did you do that?” I cried out, amazed.

{Gravitational rip followed by a charged-up telekinetic shockwave.} he cackled wildly, {The jump breaks up the stone, and the landing turns it into a few-dozen Claymore mines. It’s child’s play I tell you!}

“You’re mad, Connie!” I laughed, shaking my head, “A genius, but mad!”

{Well aren’t you the hypocrite? You’re the one talking to a voice in your noggin!}

Backing away from the monsters as they began clambering over the numerous dead, I retorted by saying Conscio was clearly an exception from the norm, considering the fact he was sapient and with an identity beyond that of mere piece of my own brain. Our conversation likely would have gone on, if not for several of the beasts getting close, and we both decided it was time to wise up and get back on the offensive.

After loosing another bolt of chain lightning, I turned up the heat, thrusting my horn forward and sending out a jet of flames that engulfed a great number of them all at once. Those caught within started emitting shrill screams of anguish, and whether it was the Fel’s influence, or my own anger coming to the surface, I was unable to prevent the smile that formed on my face.

Marching forward, I continued to scorch my foes until I cleared a path through to the other side of them, which I quickly galloped through before the rest of them overwhelmed me. Between the wriggling bodies, the crackling flames, and Conscio’s howling laughs, I found myself more and more whipped up in the thrill of it all. My fear melted away, and I found myself laughing as well, prancing around the cave while I burned, electrocuted, and blasted my way through the screeching little demons as they made lunge after lunge for me, trailing after me like a sea of angry insects. The amusement then became paired with anger and pain, as one of them successfully landed a strike on my left hindquarters, planting a laceration across my cutie mark.

{No, not the arse mark!} Conscio bleated.

Whipping around with a glare, I locked eyes with the creature responsible and used my telekinesis to pull its arms away, and then stabbed it with its own claws. It let out a squeal and I bared my teeth at it, taunting it as it died.

“Yeah, not very fucking nice, is it!?” I bellowed.

Another group then pounced on me, which I was quick to repel with a bubble shield. Conscio then teleported us away, giving me more distance to cast some ranged spells. However, much against his advice, I wanted them close. I wanted to feel the warm spray of their blood, and hear their shrieks in my ears as I lay waste to their bodies. Akin to my bloodlust against the zomrads back in Ukraine, I completely lost myself to the fray, using a mix of telekinesis, magic, and my own bare hooves to rip, obliterate, and pummel them to death.

With each kill, I grew hungrier for the next, but it was no doing of the Fel that had me so voracious for violence. No, this rage was all me, for all the emotions I had been bottling forced their way to the surface, with my grief over Bunnie taking the helm. I needed this after losing her, I needed this freedom to eviscerate my foes without the need for self-restraint, and to enact a merciless slaughter without any accompanying guilt or remorse. I could really let loose, and it was the perfect way to let out my pain, my anger, my heartbreak, and my loss. These creatures were just manifestations of Twilight’s mind, animated by the Fel. They were chemicals, thoughts, blood, and magic, merged together and mass-produced to defend the mana well, but in the end, all they amounted to was meat to be devoured by my wrath, and by the gods, my wrath was hungry.

Over time, the cave grew darker as the sickly light from Twilight’s mana well finally went out, and so, in the gloom of the cavernous deep, lit only by the flashes of my magic, I fought on. The creatures never stopped, their screeching forms converging on me like vultures on carrion. All the while, Twilight’s unathletic body fought to keep up with my resolve, with my heart thudding and my breath now ragged. More and more often, I struggled to avoid the swarm’s efforts to catch me, and soon I was adorned with scratches and bites that aimed to bleed me dry, but I would not yield to them.

I was in too deep to yield.
I was too… angry to yield.

Like a mighty rock out to sea, I stood against the tide, against this unholy fusion of mind and Fel, and strove to butcher every last one of them. Towards the end of it, the piles of bodies were innumerable, and I occasionally had to clamber up them and tumble down the other sides just to get away from the remaining creatures as they hounded me without relent. I almost met my end as one of them jumped onto my back and sank its teeth into my neck. I didn’t even have the breath to cry out, I just teleported above it and returned the favour, landing directly on top and driving its skull into the cave floor with my hoof.

The remaining twenty became ten, which then became five, then three, until at last…

Like a spiteful child picking wings off flies, I dismembered the little wretch and watched it squirm and slither towards me, hissing with unbridled contempt. Conscio then told me enough was enough, and I brought my hoof down into its head, cracking it open like a duck egg and marking an end to this conflict, and with me as its victor.

Quick to lose my strength, I slumped to my knees and panted heavily, gritting my teeth and realising just how many wounds I had sustained. Warm blood was oozing down the back of my neck, and my body stung from ears to ankles. I fell onto my side and puffed and wheezed in the darkness, which was when the cave rumbled, and I heard a deep, bassy, muffled roar.

“Oh, come on… Five more minutes?” I begged, getting back up.

With how dark it was, I had Conscio conjure a light for us and fling it up to the cave roof, allowing me to see, something I very quickly came to regret. Thudding towards us in the low light, came a broad looming shape that was certainly far bigger than the creatures I had just killed.

The first thing I noticed was its head, a fat, shiny, black metallic shell, bearing no eyes at all; whatever this thing was, it didn’t seem to rely on sight. Without lips, its many sharp teeth were on full display, and from beneath its chin came six dark red feelers that danced around in the air to navigate the way ahead. My eyes then trailed to its front legs, of which were far bigger than the back ones and lined with more hard stone-like shell. Rather than possessing claws, its limbs ended in blunt stubby cloven feet. Its jaw, limbs, and back, were all coated in patches of thick grey hair, giving it a stature not unlike a silverback gorilla, though far, far more alien in nature. It then raised its upper body, and beneath its bony rib cage, I spotted its organs on full display, dwelling just behind a slimy wet membrane.





“What in the Hans Giger is this thing?” I muttered.

{What in the who?} said Conscio.

“The guy who designed the xenomorph.”

{Oh, right.} he hummed, {Yeah, it does look a wee bit like one of those now you mention it. Well, after a few months at the gym at least.}

Remaining perfectly still, I studied the creature further as it tasted the air in search of me, and as it opened its mouth, I was quick to notice a large sac instead of a tongue, glowing with a vibrant green.

“I’ll bet you anything that spits Fel.” I groaned.

{Without question.} Connie replied.

Aware of my presence, the beast began its advance, and I was quick to shoot a fireball at it. The attack was wholly ineffective, with the flames going out immediately upon contact with its carapace. From top to bottom, this lumbering foe was a step up from the little ones, and was designed for one simple purpose… to kill.

{That, or just to be really fucking ugly.}

“Oh, do shut up Conscio.” I scoffed, “And get some more spells ready.”

{Already on it!}

Getting close, the great brute made a lunge for me, to which I teleported behind it and hit it with a bolt of lightning. This only seemed to piss it off further as it whipped around and growled at me, the sac in its mouth growing brighter. Predicting the next move, I deployed a magic shield around me just as it opened its mouth and sprayed a bucketload of green fluid at me. Hitting my protective bubble, it was quick to eat through it like an acid, confirming that it was made of Fel.

“Told you!” I yelped, hopping back from the milky green mist that had entered the bubble.

Dismissing the shield, I backed off until the substance faded away. I might have been resistant to small amounts of Fel in the waking world, but in here, in Twilight’s body, a concentrated amount like that could have killed me with even the slightest touch. Still exhausted from my previous fight, I begged Conscio to think of a quick end to this fight, all while using my telekinesis to throw rocks at the creature’s head.

{Well for starters, use your brain and aim for that organ sack!} he clapped back, {All those years playing video games and you dinnae even recognise a weak spot when you see one!}

“Oh give me a break!” I retorted, rolling my eyes.

I then did my best to land a hit on the exposed innards, which try as I might, ended in failure. The hulking demon then jumped at me, and although I was able to dodge it, I wasn’t ready for the second blow. Twisting around, the beast caught me with the back of its front foot, sending me hurtling through the air and landing in one of the corpse piles which broke my fall. I then slid down and collapsed to the floor, exhausted and in pain.

As if to taunt me after landing a successful hit, it opened its mouth and roared at me, and I seized the opportunity to shoot a fireball directly into its dripping maw. The flames engulfed the interior of its mouth, and then to my horror, they started turning green, transforming into a hotter, more dangerous Fel fire. It then spat it back at me, and Conscio was forced to teleport us out of the way. I then stared at the damn thing in shock, now aware that it could use the Fel to twist my spells and turn them back on me.

“Okay, can we please be done with this fight? I’m really not enjoying this fucking behemoth!” I yelled, gritting my teeth.

{Hey, there’s a good name for it!} Conscio sang back merrily, {A Fel behemoth!}

“I don’t give a fuck about its name!” I bellowed, “Just help me kill the damn thing!”

The newly named Fel behemoth reared up as it prepared to charge, and I was quick to fire a bolt of concentrated energy straight into the cluster of organs. It pierced the membrane and ruptured something within, sending the monstrosity staggering back and squealing. It then flew into a rage and charged at me, being sure to keep its chest and belly facing downwards.

{Alright lad, I have a plan!} shouted Connie.

“Go on?” I huffed, teleporting out of the creature’s path.

Directing me to somewhere that wasn’t blanketed with bodies from the now-dead swarm, Conscio had me kneel down and touch the cave floor with my glowing horn, where he quite literally worked his magic. He cast a spell of some sort, and a purple ring appeared on the ground, no bigger than a dinner plate. I was then ordered to lure the behemoth onto it, and with a nod, I backed away and started flinging stones at the beast, hoping to anger it further and goad it into charging again.

“Come on, ugly! Come to papa!” I hissed.

{Technically it’s ‘come to mama’, with you being in Twilight’s body and all.} Connie remarked.

“Yeah, no.” I grunted back, “I’m a guy. A very human, very male, guy.”

{Your purple horse vagina says otherwise.}

“CONSCIO, SHUT THE FUCK UP!”

Now howling with laughter, Conscio instructed me to stand still while the behemoth finally began to charge, crouching low to the ground and thudding towards me with its mouth wide open. Gulping, I remained perfectly still and waited for its approach, and just as it crossed over the ring, my horn flickered brightly and Conscio sang merrily.

{Pop goes the weasel!}

BANG!

The force and volume of the deafening crack was enough to send me jumping back with surprise, my ears quickly flattening to the sides of my head. Paired with the blinding flash, I lost my balance and fell over during an attempt to cover my eyes. When I opened them again, I found the behemoth lying on its back, twitching. The entire set of organs were now missing, and all around us were tiny pieces of green and black flesh, suggesting that all of its innards had been blown apart. Where the glowing ring had been was now replaced with a gaping hole in the rock, at least five feet deep.

“Conscio.” I murmured slowly, getting to my hooves, “What did… What did you do?”

Laughing maniacally to himself, the voice was unable to answer me for a time, and so I walked over to the behemoth to inspect the body. Inside the abdominal cavity were numerous fragments of blood-soaked rock, and not a single organ remained; it was likely the behemoth hadn’t even felt the pain from such a devastating blow.

“I’ll ask again, Connie. What the fuck did you do!?”

With his laughter receding into a chuckle, he explained that it was a similar spell combo to the gravitational rip and telekinetic shockwave from earlier. However, instead of shooting outwards to eviscerate a surrounding group, the rock had been sent directly upwards, without enough velocity to level a house.

“So, you basically just made the world’s most powerful landmine?” I suggested, blinking rapidly.

{That, exactly!} he cried out, bursting into more laughter, {I used to call it the Griffon Popper!}

“Uhh… what?” I asked, frowning.

With his laughter stopping abruptly, Conscio told me not to mind him, and that he had just gone a bit doolally tap from all the fighting. Though I wasn’t at all convinced, my attention quickly shifted to the dislodged mana well, as I realised that it had started glowing again. This time however, it wasn’t glowing with the Fel. Rather, it had started generating mana again, indicating that I had succeeded in my task.

I had done it.
Twilight was cured.

Murmuring with amazement, I approached the enormous gland and watched as little shimmering wisps of gaseous fluid formed inside it, gracing my weary face with many a shade of blue. It wasn’t much, and with the gland cut away from the arteries above, it certainly wouldn’t be usable in Twilight’s magic, but that hardly mattered right now. The important thing was that I had removed the corruption, and even if Twilight would remain magicless, her life would go on.

Staring at the mana, I couldn’t help but find myself mesmerised, completely and utterly captivated by what was objectively the purest energy in the universe.

“Incredible…” I breathed.

“Quite.” a voice replied.

A shiver ran down my spine as I recognised the deep, raspy, demonic tone. Turning around, I was met with a great wall of black fog, and in the middle were six glowing eyes.

“I was wondering if you’d show up.” I greeted him, “I’m afraid you’re a little too late, Nah’Lek. I’ve cured her of the Fel. You can twist her no longer. Your reign of torment… is over!”

“Pity.” he replied dryly.

Taking a few steps forward, Nah’Lek emerged from the fog, leaving it behind him this time. After all these encounters, I finally witnessed his true form, and even after having fought such grotesque monsters mere moments ago, I was left momentarily petrified.

Six hairy chitinous legs carried his eldritch body. His lower half was exactly as a spider’s, bearing a fat oval-shaped abdomen that sported thick charcoal fur, and numerous sharp spines that curved back towards his spinnerets. His top half, however, was a more humanoid torso. It was thin and plated with black shell, and at the bottom was a metal belt of sorts, where two large swords comfortably sat, one of which I had used to kill myself during my last visit to this place. Either side of him were a pair of arms that were tipped with a set of prehensile talons, and at his back was a most peculiar staff, bearing a horned skull at one end, and a glowing green gem at the other.

As for his head, it was much like his lower half, bearing an arachnid appearance. It was covered in short black and grey hairs, and below his lifeless eyes was a thick spider’s mouth, sporting four sharp fangs that were blacker than obsidian.

Nah’Lek was every bit as horrifying as I had expected him to be, and then some. He was not merely a monster, he was something beyond that. No, the sight before me was the very harbinger of extinction, the prowling herald of pain and suffering.

He was death… I was looking at death.


Raising one of his arms, the Defiler snapped his claws together, and from the fog came the same orc from before. He was pulling something, and my heart sank as I realised what it was. Whimpering and spluttering, a bruised and beaten Twilight staggered out from the haze. Her face was splattered with blood, with her nose very evidently being broken, and her expression was brimming with unparalleled terror. The orc let her go, and rather than attempt to flee, the poor girl just fell to the floor and curled up into a ball and cried.

“As you can see, there was little more torment for me to be had.” Nah’Lek rasped, “With or without the Fel, I have already broken her. You have banished the Fel from her body, as much is assured, but in truth, all you have done is prevent her demonification. Look at her, boy. As it stands, this pathetic blubbering whelp is already lost to you.”

His voice swathed me with a most distressing feeling, as though a venomous black widow was now crawling up my back, all while countless fingernails were scraping along a chalkboard. It was a sensation that was as nauseating as it was frightening, and as bile rose up to my throat, I was forced to clench my jaw and swallow. Remaining ever vigilant, I shook my head and locked eyes with the bastard, raising my lips into a snarl.

“You’re wrong.” I spat, “Even if it takes her months, or even years, she will recover.”

“How foolish to assume you have that long.” he croaked, “It won’t be long before I have you, and when I do, you can expect to find yourself in a state akin to this little one…”

Following his claw as it slowly gestured to Twilight, I watched as the poor thing continued to cry uncontrollably, spluttering and choking on her own saliva as she shook like a leaf in the wind. Seeing her in such a state broke my heart, regardless of all the contempt I once held for her.

All this time, she had treated me so harshly, and had at times made my life a genuine misery, even during this incredible, otherworldly, breathtaking adventure. My depression was bad enough without being constantly ridiculed, lied about, bullied, and straight-up abused; it hurt, it seriously fucking hurt. But as I looked at her sobbing on the cave floor, quaking as though she were having a seizure, I knew exactly why she had done it.

I finally understood.

It wasn’t just the Fel that had spurred Twilight’s malice. Every night, Nah’Lek had tortured her in this place, and in ways that surely made Inigo Montenegro’s treatment seem benevolent. There was no way that any individual could bottle such pain, and so it was that the poor thing had used me as an outlet; a way to let it out, through me. Against my knowledge, I had been a coping mechanism for her, with every spiteful act of hers being a way for her to channel the torture. It was all she had known to do, with no alternative way to alleviate the agony she was enduring in secret. There was an air of truth to Nah’Lek’s words, for even without the Fel in her body, she would likely never be the same again.

“You cannot begin to imagine the pain she has suffered.” Nah’Lek went on, clearly picking up on my thoughts, “But let me assure you, if you don’t tell me where you’re hiding beyond this frozen land, it will pale by comparison.”

Despite this being an attempt to scare me, all the Defiler had done was let slip the fact that he didn’t know where we really were. With my burning hatred for him now overriding my fear, I smirked, and boldly decreed that I was no stranger to torture, and that he was more than welcome to give me the very worst of his treatment.

“Of course, when you actually know where to find me.” I taunted with a sneer, “Until then, you can keep crawling along behind us, sniffing under every rock like the good little hunter you are.”

Irked by my arrogance, Nah’Lek darted forward, and before I could even blink, he had grabbed me by the throat and proceeded to lift me into the air.

“All in good time.” he hissed into my face, “Besides, it’s not like you’re going anywhere. Even with those healing serums and ointments of yours, it will take weeks for you both to recover from your wounds. By then, I’ll know where you are, and then your quaint little mission is over, as will be your life.”

Unable to look away from those haunting eyes, I clamped my hind legs together to prevent wetting myself, and as I choked and gasped for air, I once again found the resolve to challenge him.

“You’ll… never… find us!” I spat, “You’ll… never… touch her… again!”

“Oh, spare me…” he scoffed, “Without magic, how could you possibly expect to elude me?”

Before I could even think of an answer, the orc behind him emitted a hefty grunt, and then proceeded to fall face-first into the ground. Nah’Lek was quick to drop me, and turned to look at his deceased warrior with confusion. Now clutching at my throat and taking in deep breaths, I too observed the orc, which was when I realised that there was a long spear of glass sticking out from the back of his head.

Then, from the murky black fog, a tinny, robotic voice spoke.

“And who said anything about not having magic?”

With a flap of his wings, Hawnu Rey’eng whizzed from the smoke and slammed into Nah’Lek with all his might, sending the Defiler hurtling into one of the stone pillars, smashing it apart and burying him. I stared in awe at the Guardian, who was quick to draw his longsword and prepare for what I could only describe as a fight between gods. I quickly ran to Twilight’s aid, which was when the Defiler burst from the rubble and smacked Hawnu Rey’eng aside, overtaking me and then pouncing on the traumatised girl, seizing her by the hair and forcing her to look at him.

“Where are you?” he snarled, “In the waking world, where is it you’re hiding!?”

Truly a slave to Nah’Lek’s terror, Twilight began to stutter the answer, and I knew that she was about to tell him the truth. I needed to stop her, and without time to think, I fired all my remaining energy at Twilight in the form of a laser beam. It cut through the back of her neck and out through her throat, and in seconds, she was dead. Dropping her limp body, the Defiler turned to face me and withdrew the staff from his back.

“You… are beginning to irritate me.”

Gulping, I backed away, which was when the Guardian stepped in front of me. In his right hand, the curved longsword glittered against the low light, while his left hand started to glow with magic.

“That staff doesn’t belong to you.” he said calmly, “How about you return to Tartarus, and give it back?”

Nah’Lek responded by launching a ball of Fel fire at him, who deflected it with just a wave of his hand.

“Even now, your Fel magic in this place grows weaker.” Hawnu Rey’eng sneered, “The boy has done well, for no longer do you have dominion here, little shade. You have failed your master, and so it is that I will lay his disappointment to rest.”

Undeterred, the Defiler used his free arm to withdraw one of his swords, now wielding it alongside his staff. Raising them both up to point at his foe, he parted his mandibles and let out a most harrowing threat.

“I am going to rip those wings from your back, Guardian, that is a promise. I will then pluck them feather by feather, and with each I shall fletch an arrow that I will have loosed into all those you hold dear.”

Raising his own sword, Hawnu Rey’eng held no fear in his body, and replied with one last taunt.

“That’s quite the promise. Show me.”

The two then rushed at one another and became locked in combat, clashing with both spell and sword, igniting the cavern with a wide array of sparks and flashes. They appeared to be equally matched, and leaving them to it, I made my escape, limping through the tunnel and clambering back up the rocky slope from before. On the way up, I noticed water trickling down in a few places, indicating that the Frozen Forest was beginning to thaw.

Reaching the exit, I hauled myself up into the slush, which was when Hawnu Rey’eng suddenly burst out after me. With fire and smoke clinging to his body, he spiralled out of control and crashed into the ground nearby. I rushed over to find that he wasn’t moving, and it dawned on me that he wasn’t as all-powerful as I had perceived him to be. Gulping, I turned around to find a wounded-yet-triumphant Nah’Lek emerging from the hole, and locking eyes with him, I made my final stand, glaring at the Defiler as I pulled a feral grin.

“Look around, Nah’Lek, the snow’s already melting. This place will heal in time, you’ve lost! It’s over!”

He waved his staff at me, and my body suddenly became wreathed in an excruciating pain as I was levitated into the air. It felt as though every square inch of my body was being pierced with needles. Howling with pain, I stared at Nah’Lek and bared my teeth as my eyes started watering.

“It is far from over.” he hissed, “My time with Twilight may be done, but all you have achieved is delaying the inevitable. In fact, I think I prefer it this way. I always did find more pleasure in the long hunt, it makes the kill all the more satisfying in the end.”

{Well, I suppose everyone has their kinks, don’t they, Spindles?} Conscio piped up, making his presence known.

At that, Nah’Lek’s head tilted slightly, and to my horror, his amethyst eyes became that of a deep crimson.

“You…” he growled.

Before I could react, Nah’Lek reached forward and pierced my gut with his claws. There were no words to describe the agony as he dug through my body, parting my organs and gripping my spine from the inside. Going into shock, everything very quickly went blurry and numb as my spinal cord was severed.

Losing most sensation in my body, I could only watch as Nah’Lek let me go and then collapsed beside me. He then appeared to melt away, sinking into the ground and disappearing. Cold and darkness then crept in from all sides, and I was met with the bitter embrace of death.


And so it was that we all fell in battle tonight; human, pony, angel, and demon alike.
But with the Fel purged from the mana well, it was I who would claim this victory.



I couldn’t save Bunnie.
But I had saved Twilight…





> Chapter Sixteen: Reflection
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





As consciousness returned to me, the pain came with it. My ribs were hurting worse than ever, and my entire face throbbed with a blunt, burning pain. It felt like my arm was broken, and as my eyes slowly started to open, I found myself lying on my side, on the same mattress Twilight had been on. The room was dark, lit only by a candle somewhere behind me. I tried to move, only for my body to heed no such order. All I could move were my eyes, and as they trailed down to the side of the bed, I found my own body lying on the floor, covered in Oozima and wrapped in bandages. To my dread, I realised we were still in each other’s bodies. Twilight’s eyes were open too, and judging by her absolute stillness, I could only assume that we were equally plighted by this most worrying inability to move.

Out from the corner of my vision, I spotted Applejack sleeping soundly on a mattress, and I knew that I needed to wake her up somehow. But alas, all conceivable efforts to move, or even make a sound for that matter, were met entirely in vain. Looking back to Twilight, I found her staring at me, which was when I heard her voice inside my head, exactly the same as Conscio’s whenever he spoke to me.

{Come on, Twilight, think!}

{Twilight?} I thought to her.

{Callum?}

{Yeah it’s me, I can hear you thinking.}

{Huh…} she murmured, {That’s got to be because of the collars, right?}

{Yeah, Hawnu Rey’eng said they link our minds together.} I replied, {It’s probably what’s causing this paralysis too. It’s like… our brains aren’t sure which body is which, or something like that.}

{Makes sense.} she said, {Also, can we address the fact that you killed me in there?}

{I thought you wanted me to kill you?} I teased, {Besides, you didn’t exactly give me much of a choice. You were about to tell him where we were.}

{I know, and I’m sorry.} she admitted, {I didn’t mean to. I just… I’m so afraid of him!}

{Well, you don’t need to be any more.} I assured her, {I did it, Twilight. I cured you. The Fel’s gone, and you’re free of him.}

In saying that, I had hoped to instil some confidence in the girl, and to establish the fact that we could finally move forward without the Defiler’s contemptible influence. Alas, her reply only solidified Nah’Lek’s assurance that he had truly broken the mind of his prey.

{Am I?} she asked, her voice brimming with pain.

There was a long silence, before Twilight professed that she would never be free of him. Years could pass from now, and even if she got her magic back, the memories of what that thing did to her would remain permanently etched into her mind. I couldn’t even begin to speculate how intense the tortures had been, but given the Guardian’s description of how it was beyond that of mortal comprehension, I could only assume that Twilight would need therapy for the rest of her life.

In a bid to spare her of her own thoughts, I changed the subject by asking what it was like hearing my voice inside her head, and if it was anything akin to how the phone calls had worked with the Sparklight.

{Yeah, it’s pretty much the same.} she told me.

{I had a feeling.} I hummed, {I’d say it’s bizarre for me, but I’ve had some practice.}

At that, Conscio piped up, with yet another one of his ridiculous quips.

{Player Three has joined the party chat.}

Amused, I very well might have laughed, had I not been locked into place.

{I see your little friend is still with us?} Twilight remarked, her eyes rolling.

{Little?} Connie scoffed, {I’ll have you know that I’m an average-sized brain tumour, thank you very much.}

{Wait, you’re a tumour?}

{I’m pretty sure he was joking, Twilight.} I pointed out, {Although, that said, I’m still yet to decide what Conscio is. I know we discussed him being a split personality after what happened in Brazil, but I’m starting to have other ideas.}

{Oh?}

{Yeah, he said something to Nah’Lek and it pissed him right off. I think he recognised him.}

With a nervous chuckle, Conscio said that all he did was call him a silly nickname, and that he was just as confused as I was. I didn’t buy it, not in the slightest, especially after his comment in the Frozen Forest about calling that landmine spell the ‘Griffon Popper’. He wasn’t just a voice in my head, he was someone, perhaps even a shade like Nah’Lek’s. However, before I could question it further, my body started to convulse on its own accord. My autonomous breaths became shallow and rapid, and I realised that I wasn’t breathing properly.

That’s when I felt it… blood, slowly oozing from a bleed somewhere up in my nose. Although I was on my side, my head was tilted in a way that made it go the wrong way. Only a small amount could escape, while the rest of it began trickling into my throat.

{Look, whoever you really are, can you help me move like you did in the Forest?} I requested, {My nose is bleeding and I’m struggling to breathe!}

{I would, but I’m not in your body.} he explained, {Or rather, I am, but like… your body! Ah fuck it, you know what I’m trying to say, I’m in the human one!}

{Then help Twilight move!} I barked, {Seriously, I can feel myself choking!}

Aware of the urgency, Connie instructed Twilight to slap the floor on the count of three, and that he would try doing the same. They made the attempt, and my foreleg twitched on its own accord.

{Oh for goodness’ sake.} I groaned, {That made me move!}

Applying her wit, Twilight quickly figured out that despite seeing out of one another’s eyes, our inputs were still linked to our true selves. With that, I envisioned myself in her position, and with another count of three, I gave it my all. Conscio did too, and with two minds’ worth of input, my body finally cooperated. The palm of Twilight’s hand smacked the floorboard, startling Applejack awake. She sat bolt upright and looked over at us, quick to realise something was wrong. Rushing over to us, the farm pony saw our darting eyes and realised that we couldn’t move, and began screaming for the others.

“Girls! Girls! Come quick! It’s Callum and Twilight! Something ain’t right with them!”

I tried to speak, only for Twilight’s lips to quiver. My body then shook again as blood ran down into my lungs, which was when the others burst into the room. Rarity lit up the room with her magic, and they looked at us with frightened bewilderment.

“What’s wrong with them?” Rainbow cried out.

“I don’t know!” AJ replied, “Their eyes are moving but they ain’t doing anything else!”

Having recently thought I had fallen to my death, this unsettling situation sent poor Rainbow into a panic attack. Freezing solid, she stared at my body and began to shake. Fluttershy then spotted the blood around my nostrils and rotated my head for me, preventing any more from going down my throat. Twilight then suggested we try speaking at the same time, and counting down mentally, we tried calling for help, and in unison our bodies let out slurred grunts.

“They’re paralysed!” Fluttershy cried out.

{We need them to get these damn collars off!} Twilight shouted.

With that, all three of us tried speaking the word ‘collar’, which resulted in my body on the floor squeezing out a cough. We kept trying, with Rarity now crouched over in a desperate bid to understand what we were trying to say.

“C… C’guh…” Twilight gurgled, “Cugh! Cull! Coll!”

“Callum?” Rarity suggested, “Are you trying to say Callum?”

With a gasp, Fluttershy then finally understood, pointing at Twilight’s neck with an outstretched hoof.

“The collars! Get the collars off them!”

Rarity’s horn lit up and the buckles were undone, severing the connection. Everything went white, and my nervous system flickered between agonised spasms, and total numbness. Once the feeling dissipated, I opened my eyes to find myself back in my own body, and finally able to move. The same applied to Twilight, who flew into a most unpleasant coughing fit, gagging and retching involuntarily as her body fought to drive the blood from her lungs. The others sighed with relief, with Rainbow Dash practically flinging herself at me.

Once Twilight’s coughing finally relented, Fluttershy went to fetch some water, while Applejack inquired as to what had happened to us. I said that it was a long, rather harrowing story, and after all that had happened, I needed to rest before I had it in me to explain everything. Most of the girls nodded with understanding, while Rainbow Dash cried out in protest.

“Dude, what the heck? We’ve been worried sick about you! You can’t just expect us to go to bed now without knowing what happened!”

Sighing, I knew she had a point. My stomach then growled loud enough for everyone to hear, and it dawned on me that I hadn’t eaten a thing since Bunnie died. In fact, considering that night in the prison, and my exploits in the Blood Family, I realised that it had been plenty more than a week since my last scrap of food. That said, having just been disembowelled by Nah’Lek, I hardly felt like eating anything, but I knew that I needed the sustenance.

“Look, I’ll tell you over something to eat.” I groaned, “I’m starving.”

“We haven’t eaten today either.” said Rarity, “We’ve been much too worried.”

“Not me!” Pinkie squeaked, “I mean, sure I was worried, but I still ate!”

“Good for you, Pinks.” I deadpanned, before returning my attention to Rarity, “Also, what do you mean… today?”

“Darling, it’s not the same evening.”

She went on to explain that we had both been unconscious throughout the night and long into the following day. The girls had been taking hourly shifts to watch over us, just in case anything changed. It was now the following evening, with sundown being just an hour ago.

“But I was only in there for a few hours!” I exclaimed, shaking my head, “Huh, I guess we stayed out after he killed me…”

“After what!?” everyone exclaimed in unison.

Realising just how mental that must have sounded, I reiterated that Twilight and I would explain everything over dinner. They then started to look at the unicorn cautiously, unsure if she was safe to be around. The looks got to her almost immediately, and with a grimace, she looked away. Pinkie then craned her neck and made things a hundred times worse.

“Um, is she going to try and hurt us again?”

Clamping her eyes shut, Twilight couldn’t bear the remark. Ignoring the blood on the mattress, she lay back down and started quietly weeping to herself, ashamed of what she had done. I meanwhile, assured Pinkie and the others that Twilight wasn’t a threat any more, and that I had successfully rid her of the Fel. I could see in their eyes that no one was particularly convinced, especially Rainbow Dash.

“How can you be sure?” she asked.

“Trust me.” I replied calmly, “I’m sure.”

Shaking her head, my answer wasn’t good enough for her, and as Applejack went downstairs to whip up some dinner, the pegasus had the nerve to request that Twilight remained here, away from the rest of us.

“Absolutely not.” I told her, “We either both come down, or we both don’t.”

“It’s fine.” Twilight sniffled from the bed, “I’m not hungry.”

Sighing, I told everyone to go downstairs and that I would join them later, as I needed some time with Twilight. Obeying, they took their leave and gave us the room, at which point I sat down on the bed.

“So,” I began softly, “how are you feeling?”

“Like I was recently beaten half to death.” she grumbled, refusing to look at me.

“I meant mentally.”

“I don’t… I don’t know.” she replied.

With a huff, she rolled onto her back and sniffed loudly.

“I don’t feel angry any more, or violent, or hateful. At least… not to you.”

“Hey,” I said gently, “there’s no need for-”

“Don’t.” she interrupted, “Don’t you dare tell me I shouldn’t hate myself. Not after the things I’ve said. Not after the things I’ve done! Did you see how the others looked at me? They don’t even recognise me!”

Staring blankly at the ceiling, Twilight professed that she didn’t really know who she was any more. All she knew was that the ponies she once called her friends now thought of her as a monster.

“That’ll change, but they need time.” I assured her, “You did try to kill them yesterday, and although that wasn’t really you, they don’t understand that, which is why we need to go downstairs and explain.”

“We?” she muttered, raising her lips with contempt, “Rainbow made it pretty clear that I’m not wanted.”

“Rainbow can deal with it.” I huffed back to her, “I’ll fight your corner.”

There was a moment of silence between us, before Twilight’s nose twitched, and she asked me how I could sit here and defend the one responsible for Bunnie’s death. I wasn’t ready for such a remark, and my heart skipped a beat as emotion flooded through me. Looking into my eyes, she was quick to see my pain, and the harrowing memory of losing the girl I loved. Her last words rang out in my mind, telling me that she loved me, and I pictured her sitting there in that cage, clutching at her mother.

Twilight placed a hoof against my arm, and it was the contact that broke me. Throwing my head back, I did everything in my power not to cry, and then I cried anyway. With a shaking breath, I gritted my teeth and let out a low hiss as my mind was flooded with thoughts of Bunnie, and of the fiery blaze that took her from me. Riddled with guilt for the suffering she had caused, Twilight pulled her hoof away and continued.

“The Fel wasn’t controlling me when it happened, I was still aware.” she went on, “I was still me, and I let it happen. I knew letting her die would hurt you, and I wanted that for you. Like nothing else in the world, I wanted you to feel that pain, and for it to tear you apart. And when that place went up in flames, and you started screaming like that… it felt good.”

Clenching my jaw, I knew she had to make this confession, but I would be a liar if I claimed that it didn’t momentarily breathe some life into my former hatred. Each word was like a knife to the heart, and as my crying came to a halt again, I took in every agonising sentence, now as silent as the grave.

“If I wanted, I could say it was to make me feel less alone.” she spluttered, shaking her head, “I could so easily play that card, and say that I wanted you to suffer, so we could suffer together. But you know the truth? The real, sick truth? I just wanted to hurt you.”

With a sharp breath, Twilight’s crying grew more intense, as an even darker confession spilled out of her.

“I could have fought it, Callum! I could have suppressed it! But you know why I didn’t? It’s because you loved her!”

Continuing to stare at the ceiling, Twilight cried and cried as she explained that with my feelings for Bunnie being clear as day, the mare doubted my loyalty. She knew that I would spend the rest of the mission thinking about her, pining for her. My mind would be forever clouded by thoughts of my distant lover, always wondering how she was, or what she was doing. My dedication to the company would ebb and falter, and under that notion, Twilight was given the final push to let the girl die.

“It wasn’t just the Fel, Callum.” she croaked, “It was me.”

Hearing this, the remaining tears in my eyes finally escaped, streaming down my face and dripping from my chin and onto the bed. I wasn’t angry with her though, nor did I feel any inner cry for vengeance. Against all forms of logic, I felt a calmness wash over me, and the fleeting whisper of hatred within me dissipated like candle smoke. Having seen what Nah’Lek had reduced her to in the Frozen Forest, I knew now who my true enemy was. Sniffing, I looked down at the blubbering pony beside me, and with an unexpressive look, I told her to sit up. She did as I asked, and once she was upright and focused on me, I stared into her bloodshot eyes and slowly raised my brow.

“What happens when someone drinks too much alcohol?”

Caught unaware by the question, Twilight blinked rapidly as she tried to understand what I was getting at. Thinking hard, she furrowed her brow and moved her jaw from side to side, which had thankfully been set back into place; by some miracle it had only been dislocated during our fight, not broken. Sparing a thought to how Hawnu Rey’eng had angered me with his leading questions, I decided to provide Twilight with an answer.

“What happens is that it impairs their judgement. They’re no longer of sound mind, and are prone to stupid decisions. Emotions are heightened and erratic, impulses become novel ideas, and all reason goes out the window. The wise are made fools, and the skittish are emboldened, and the abstinent divest their virtue.”

“I… I appreciate the poetic touch, but I don’t understand.” she murmured, wiping her nose.

“What I’m trying to say is what happened to you wasn’t so different. The Fel doesn’t control its victims like puppets, it influences them. So, if you want to get technical about it then sure, you were consciously aware and perfectly capable of moving, speaking, and acting of your own volition.”

Lowering my head, I brought my face closer to hers and spoke with sincerity.

“But you’d have to be a fucking idiot to think you were really in control.”

Gulping, Twilight’s gaze danced back and forth between my left eye and my right, slowly making sense of my words as I pressed on.

“Now, some booze is one thing, but you were corrupted by the Fel for goodness’ sake! For months, you were growing sicker by the day, never once realising that your thoughts, feelings, and actions were being guided. You were behaving in ways you normally wouldn’t, but just like any pisshead, you refused to see it until you were too far gone to stop.”

Resting a hand on Twilight’s foreleg, I simplified my point, telling her that up until the Fel had completely possessed her during our fight on the cliff, she would have felt perfectly in control of herself, when in truth, she was intoxicated beyond measure. Wrapping up, I gave the leg a gentle squeeze and spoke to Twilight in a warm, yet stern tone.

“You’re telling me that what happened to Bunnie happened because of you, that you’re a monster who knew what she was doing all along, like some twisted, psychotic little mastermind. Well I’m telling you that you’re wrong. You are just as much a victim as she was, but if you’re not able to believe that, then I want you to know that I forgive you, Twilight. For all you’ve done, I forgive you.”

At that, the mare’s face started scrunching up, and as she fought the urge to burst into tears again, she looked away and shook her head.

“I… I don’t deserve that!” she protested, choking up, “After everything I’ve put you through, I can’t let you forgive me, it’s not fair!”

“It’s not about what you deserve, and it’s not about what’s fair.” I said, cutting her off, “It’s about what’s true, and what’s true is that I forgive you, and that I would love to continue serving as your guide, if you’ll have me.”

With watery eyes and trembling lips, the mare nodded, and gave me the first real smile since the beginning of our time together. We both calmed down after that, and after wiping away our tears, we elected to drink the water Fluttershy had left for us. I took my glass and downed it in seconds, while Twilight very foolishly tried to pick up hers with her magic, only for her to wince and let out a pained gasp.

“Are you okay?” I asked her.

“No!” she grunted, rubbing her forehead, “It felt like a shard of glass just went through my head!”

“Well, I guess that confirms you’re magicless.” I murmured, “Here, let me help you.”

“Help me? You mean degrade me, more like!” she snapped out of the blue, scowling at me, “Oh, I bet you’re loving this, aren’t you? I’m sure you’ll want to feed me next, like some crippled fucking pet!”

Raising my hands in passive defence, I realised what was happening.

“Hey, easy…” I spoke softly, maintaining a warm expression, “It’s alright.”

The aggression fled from her face, and with a heavy sigh, she apologised to me once again.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t… I didn’t mean that.”

“I know.” I told her, “Look, curing the Fel is one thing, but reversing everything it did to you? That’s a different ball game. Your brain is about as scarred as my body is, and I don’t just mean figuratively. Now, I have no doubt you’ll have more little outbursts like that, and if you do, it’s okay. It’s going to take time, Twilight, but you will get better.”

“What if I don’t?” she whimpered, her eyes watering up again, “What if I never recover? What if I keep lashing out at you and the others like some kind of animal, without even meaning to? I’m a freak, Callum! That monster turned me into a freak!”

Putting a hand on her shoulder, I assured her that firstly, she wasn’t a freak, and secondly, that even if she continued lashing out, I would make sure the others would understand the situation, and as a team, we would find a way to handle it.

“But we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.” I told her, “For now, let’s start with me helping you drink some water, yeah? The sooner you get used to me helping you, the easier this’ll be.”

Closing her eyes, Twilight nodded, and so I took the glass and raised it to her mouth, where she was able to take a few sips before some of it spilled onto her neck.

“Oh, that’s cold!” she gasped, jerking her head away.

I couldn’t help but chuckle, which prompted her to see the funny side as well. Soon enough we were both giggling together, and between a few more spills, one of which had been on purpose, I helped her finish the glass.

“I needed that.” she sighed.

“Yeah, so much that you decided to wear half of it.” I teased, prodding the soggy patches of fur.

“Hey, you were the one holding the glass!”

“You should’ve opened your mouth wider.”

With a frown, Twilight stuck her tongue out at me, and I stuck mine back out at her. We then started to laugh, which was when Applejack opened the door and stepped into the room.

“Well I’ll be… Did I just hear you laughing, Twilight?”

Grinning sheepishly, the unicorn professed that her sense of humour was still intact, absent as it had been lately. At that, AJ said that it was wonderful to see her smile again, and wondered if she would consider wearing it to dinner. Though she was fearfully apprehensive, Twilight dipped her chin in agreement, to which Applejack smiled and left the room again. Once she was gone, Twilight looked at me and frowned.

“This isn’t going to go well.” she muttered, “What if they hate me?”

“Did Applejack hate you?” I pointed out, “Come on, even if some of them need more time to come around, they still need to be told what happened, and I don’t fancy doing that by myself. We need to stick together now, you and I, so let’s go get some dinner, and get through this as a team, yeah?”

“Okay.” she sighed, gaining just a dash of confidence, “Together.”


It was slow-going getting downstairs, for the two of us were weak, stiff, and aching from top to bottom. The Bloom and Oozima had certainly helped to speed up our recovery, but there was still only so much we could heal in a day, and so it was that two battered frames, blemished, and broken, hauled their weary selves out from the master bedroom, along the corridor, and down the stairs. Twilight’s left front leg was now in a hard cast, and so she was forced to hobble along on three. In brighter news, the skin on my ring finger had been stitched back together, and aside from a few dark red splotches and a dull ache, the digit seemed to be fine, with no numbness whatsoever.

Reaching the dining room, I was astounded to see how just large and well-furnished it was; whoever owned it clearly had money to burn, for they had left much behind, including a lavish oval-shaped table that easily sat ten people. The others were already sat down, and I was quick to pick up the familiar mouth-watering scent of a mushroom stroganoff, served with white rice. I knew my brother’s cooking from anywhere, and suspected that Oliver had taught AJ how to cook it prior to our excursion to Ukraine. There was some buttered bread and a salad on the side as well, and I very quickly forgot about the nauseating experience of having my spine torn out through the front of me.

There were some uneasy looks as Twilight came in after me, but no one said anything as we both sat down. Applejack then passed us a bowl each, and gestured to them merrily.

“No need to let it get cold, y’all dig in!”

I didn’t need to be told twice, and for a moment nobody else existed. After so long without a meal, my hunger took over and I wolfed down the lot in mere minutes, barely even chewing as I shovelled rice and stroganoff into my gob, only ever pausing to slake my thirst with water. The flavours were heavenly, and memories of home flooded my mouth and restored my strength like no amount of rest ever could. Alas, beside me, poor Twilight struggled without her magic, and with a great deal of shame, she lowered her head to the bowl and ate as an animal would. Taking some of the bread, I helped her by mopping up some of the stroganoff and offering it to her, which she took with a silent thanks.

The others watched on with interest, surprised by the unicorn’s acceptance of my aid, and my presence in general for that matter. Frowning, Rainbow Dash finally got to business, asking in a very blunt manner as to ‘what the eff happened’ to us. Knowing that Twilight might need some help getting started, I began by telling everyone about the Fel, explaining how it was a dark, demonic energy that was born of death, and served as the very antithesis to mana. It existed across multiple realities, and corrupted everything it came into contact with, be it gods, men, beasts… or ponies.

“I think I know where this is going.” Applejack gulped.

“As do I.” said Rarity.

I went on to explain that with Nah’Lek in possession of the Fel, he had used it to break the Titans’ Orb and send it to Earth, infecting its remaining essence with the stuff, in an amount so small that it would have been completely undetectable.

“As you all know, Twilight absorbed this essence so she could track the missing fragments.” I told them, “Unbeknownst to her, she took in the Fel with it, where it cultivated inside her, feeding on her like a parasite, twisting her mind and filling her with intense feelings of hatred, anger, and cruelty. In short, Twilight had been poisoned, and none of us knew it.”

Upon hearing this, the hostility in everyone’s eyes softened upon seeing the reason for their friend’s monstrous behaviour. But this was only one point of a three-pronged issue, and with an awkward glance at Twilight, I moved on to the second part of this tragic situation.

As they learned about the Frozen Forest, and Nah’Lek’s shade, our dear friends’ faces became gaunt and rife with devastation. The prospect of the Fel seemed to pale in comparison as I told them how Twilight had been hunted, terrorised, violently beaten, and brutally murdered, each time more horrific than the last, on a near-nightly basis.

“Goodness gracious…” Rarity murmured.

“That’s… so horrible!” said Pinkie.

“So that’s why you kept, um… waking up and screaming at night?” asked Fluttershy.

Unable to look at anyone, Twilight gave the faintest of nods. Her eyes had glazed over and I could tell that she wasn’t all here any more, with unthinkable recollections now clouding her reality.

“Babe…” Applejack breathed, her mouth agape, “Why didn’t you tell us?”

“That’s the worst part, I couldn’t.” she said quietly, her voice shaking, “He said that if I told any of you, even Callum, he’d start torturing all of you as well. I see now that he was lying, but until I knew for certain, I was just so scared that he’d start hurting all of you! I had to keep it a secret, I just had to!”

I could tell that she was struggling to keep it together, and so I cleared my throat to draw the group’s attention and continued elaborating, commending Twilight as I did so.

“I think it’s worth noting that not many would be able to cope with what Twilight’s endured. She’s been drowning inside her own head for half a year, doing all she could to stay above water, and all things considered, I daresay she did a bloody good job of it. But there’s more to this…”

“There’s more!?” Pinkie exclaimed.

Lowering my head and sighing, I finally got to the third prong; the Princess.

“Before you all came here, Twilight was taken aside by the Princess, and though we never knew what was shared between them, the general takeaway was this… Twilight was instructed not to befriend me, or it could lead to this mission ending in failure, isn’t that right?”

With a gulp, Twilight nodded, and allowed me to continue.

“I want you all to think of the combination that’s been at play over these few months. We’ve got nightly tortures, a demonic substance that twists and corrupts even the strongest minds, and we’ve got Princess Celestia herself indicating that befriending me could lead to Equestria’s downfall. What do you think that all adds up to?”

I looked around to find everyone transfixed on me, occasionally glancing at Twilight as they put the pieces together. Nobody had it in them to say it, and so I took it upon myself to answer the question.

“From Twilight’s perspective, I really was the monster she tried to warn you about. She was afraid of me before you’d even set hoof in this world. Then the tortures began, and before the Fel’s corruption had even started, her sanity was already slipping away, and with Nah’Lek forcing her to keep quiet about it, the strain on her was unbearable.”

Being talked about in such a manner had Twilight practically rocking in her seat, but the others needed to know. They were all hanging onto every word, frozen in place as they digested the information they had been delivered thus far. Pressing on, I explained how the Fel had then kicked in, turning Twilight’s state of mind into a confused, angry, violent mush, with all her fears about me bleeding into a most acrimonious hatred. The poor girl had lost clarity of vision in days, with snippets of her real self only escaping to the surface in tiny, short-lived instances. By the time she had banished me to the other side of Portugal, she was trapped inside her own head, with her outer self now displaying a wretched creature, brimming with delusions, ire, malice, and deep-set paranoia. I was no fool, and judging from everyone’s expressions, I knew immediately that she had treated them harshly in my absence, and my heart broke for them.

We were all victims here.

“The pressure Twilight was under is like nothing any of us will ever understand.” I continued, “She needed an outlet, and she wasn’t going to use her best friends for that. But me? Well, I was just the big bad monster, whose friendship would spell disaster for your world. What better way to ensure that we’d stay enemies than to use me as the vent for her pain? It was never just senseless cruelty, she was being the same smart pony she’s always been. Even in a state of terrified madness, she was being logical, using me as a punching bag for all the right reasons. She was guaranteeing our mutual hatred, and letting off steam while she did it, thus killing two birds with one stone. No offence, Blu.”

“None taken, dick-nips. Quark!” the bird squawked, of whom was perched behind Fluttershy on her chair.

I was about to wrap things up and ask if anyone had questions, when Rainbow Dash, who had been awfully quiet until now, furrowed her brow.

“So, let me get this straight.” she began with a dry, heartless tone, “You’re telling me that Twilight’s logical master plan… was to be a cunt?”

Rarity inhaled her stroganoff and started choking, while the rest of us stared at the cyan pegasus with wide eyes and wider jaws, completely and utterly aghast and shocked to the core.

“Dashie!” Fluttershy gasped.

“What!? Come on, we were all thinking it, right?” she shouted defensively, “Twilight’s supposed to be smarter than the rest of us, and her only good idea was to make Callum just as miserable as her? That’s not stress relief, that’s frickin’ evil, dude! I’m a meathead and even I know that shit’s messed up!”

“Gosh darn it, Rainbow!” Applejack barked, “How could you be so insensitive? Didn’t you hear a word Callum just said? The poor gal’s been through Tartarus and back!”

“Oh, and we haven’t?” Dash spat, standing up from the table, “We’ve been through some shit too you know!”

She then gestured to her tightly-bound wings, still flightless after their plucking in Brazil. AJ was about to speak, when Rarity recovered from her coughing fit and hopped into the conversation.

“I have to say, in spite of her squalid mouth, I find myself aligned with Rainbow Dash. Make no mistake, Twilight, what you’ve suffered is beyond terrible, and I’m truly sorry you had to endure it, but we’ve all suffered during this trip. Need I remind anyone of how we were all stuffed into cages and starved, and forced to lie in our own filth for weeks?”

There were a few nods of agreement, and with that, Rarity continued.

“Rainbow Dash has been crippled for months. Callum’s been wounded countless times, and even endured a torture of his own, and neither of them took it out on anyone. I’ve suffered as well, with that bear ravaging me within an inch of my life, leaving me with scars that’ll haunt me forever, and not once, not ever, have I considered using any of you as my own personal cannon fodder.”

Peering at Twilight and raising her chin, Rarity went on to say that for all the sympathy she had for her friend’s suffering, her treatment of me, and the rest of the company for that matter, was inexcusable.

“I know.” she replied, “I… I’ll spend the rest of my life regretting it.”

“Yeah, too damn right!” Rainbow growled, “Seriously, did you think we’d just let you off the hook because Callum explained some shit? You treated him like trash! You treated all of us like trash!”

From the moment I had mentioned her using me as an outlet, Twilight’s vindication had been almost completely revoked. Very few were on her side now, with only Applejack willing to stick up for the unicorn.

“Are y’all deaf?” she shouted, “Did none of y’all hear how she was tortured and literally murdered inside her own head every darn night? Stop cherry-picking the details and see this for what it is, Twi’s suffered more than any of us could ever put to reason! I ain’t saying how she treated Callum was fair, but for pity’s sake, give the girl a break!”

With a clamour of protest from Rainbow, dinner officially became a shouting match. Everyone began bickering about how accountable Twilight should or shouldn’t have been, and Pinkie Pie was having none of it. Reaching forward, she took five pieces of bread and stuffed them into her mane, and then grabbed the entire pot of stroganoff and slithered away to eat the rest of her food in peace. Blu fluttered after her, deciding that Pinkie’s company would be far more pleasing than the squabbling mares around him.

Rainbow Dash then escalated things by pointing out that Twilight had tortured me too in a sense, by way of manipulating me, hitting me, and treating me like her own personal tool throughout the entirety of our journey. Without a hint of clemency, she pointed at the unicorn and said that she was no better than Nah’Lek. At that, Twilight shuddered and her whole frame dropped, and I knew such a comment would have been beyond soul-destroying for her. As for me, I had been angered by the remark, and slammed my fist onto the table as I finally inserted myself into the argument, making everypony jump.

“How dare you make such a comparison!” I boomed, “I’ve seen Nah’Lek. I’ve suffered a death by his hand and I know just what he’s capable of! I’ll be the first to admit Twilight treated me unfairly, but she is nothing like that monster, and if you ever, ever say something like that again, it will be the last time I speak to you, do you hear me?”

“Why the heck are you defending her?” she snapped back, unfazed by my anger, “This asshole has made you miserable since day one!”

“That isn’t true.” I spoke, glaring at her, “Yes, she made things worse, I’m not denying that, but you all saw the life I had before this. I’m the product of a broken home who’s been clinically depressed for years. Trust me, Twilight’s never once been the source of my misery.”

“Wait, you’re still depressed?” Dashie asked, taken aback, “I thought that shit went away when you joined us?”

“That’s not how it works.” I told her, still glaring at her, “There are types that go away, like situational depression, but mine? Mine’s a certified sickness, a permanent fault in my already-defective brain. There’s a darkness in me that I can never get rid of, I’ve got this shit for life, and the way Twilight treated me does not account for that, understand?”

Twilight then boldly rejoined the conversation, talking about how she had experienced one of my depressive episodes when we had switched bodies for the first time. She told them how intense it had been, and how unlike the hatred and maliciousness she had experienced from the Fel, the feeling had been that of an oppressive, abyssal, crushing force from within. She described how it felt flawlessly, and in mere moments, everyone was staring at me instead of Twilight, suddenly aware that I was just as sickly as I had been prior to their arrival.

However, this ended up not playing in Twilight’s favour. Instead, it only depicted me as even more of a victim to her maltreatment, and furthered the unjustifiable nature of her abuse. Soon enough, the talking point was about how poor old me had been serving the girls to the best of my ability, all while trying not to let my depression get the better of me. Meanwhile, Twilight had been relentlessly villainising me, degrading me, slandering me, and making me suffer for the sake of appeasing her delusions. I kept trying to get a word in, desperate to remind them that Twilight was the real victim here, but Rainbow Dash was having none of it.

“Maybe you’re fine letting shit go, but I’m not.” she spat at me, “I had to watch this bitch kill two people!”

“Fuck me, is your brain actually full of holes?” I growled back, “What part of the fact she was halfway possessed by the Fel are you not getting?”

“Halfway!” she echoed, “That’s the thing, she was halfway possessed! You’re saying we need to forgive this piece of shit when she was still partly in control of herself, and she didn’t even try to stop it!”

She then pointed out that with me being sick as well, Twilight had even less of an excuse. If I could fight off my depression to remain true to who I was, then why couldn’t she? I tried to point out how absurd such a claim was, with a neurological condition not being at all similar to literal demon magic. Alas, being the stubborn self-proclaimed meathead she was, Dashie just couldn’t accept it, and ended up crossing a line as she made one final effort to prove her point.

“Seriously dude, did you even love that Bunnie chick? Because you’re trying way too hard to defend the one who murdered her.”

I wasn’t ready for that, nor was anyone else. The room fell silent and I felt a hard lump form in my throat. Twilight meanwhile finally buckled under the weight of her guilt, and with her entire body trembling, the mare slowly got to her hooves, unable to look anyone in the eye.

“I… I can’t do this…”

Her quivering voice was as quiet as a mouse, and with a haunted expression, Twilight backed away from us and started hyperventilating. She then looked at me with her mouth agape, her face painted with anguish, and in her eyes was pain, emptiness, and despair. She left the room, and we all heard the front door open. Looking back to Rainbow Dash, I very nearly ended up flipping the table. Barely able to contain myself, I lowered my head and stared at the pegasus, my gritted teeth on full display.

“Get… out.”

Rainbow didn’t budge, she just stared me down, knowing full well she had crossed a line but far too stubborn to admit it. I was about to raise my voice to reinforce the order, which was when Conscio piped up.

{Just forget it, lad. You need to go after Twilight, she didn’t look right. She’s not safe.}

I knew exactly what he meant. The look on the unicorn’s face was one I hadn’t seen in a very long time, and with a looming sense of dread running through me, I stood up from the table and grimaced at everyone.

“Thanks for dinner.” I grunted coldly.

I then stormed out of the dining room and left the mansion in search of Twilight. Finding her hoofprints, I was quick to feel a sense of Déjà vu, for only yesterday had I hunted her down like this, but now it was in a bid to protect her life, as opposed to striving to end it. It didn’t take me long to realise she was heading for what remained of the cliff, and with my heart skipping beats, I picked up the pace.


Soon enough I found her, standing right by the crumbling outskirts in the same place where I had fallen. The poor thing was sobbing loudly to herself, whimpering and spluttering as she stared into the distant horizon, her cries rivalling that of the wind. I got as close as I could, before she was alerted to my presence by a twig snapping beneath my foot. Whipping around, she glared at me intensely and shouted for me to stay back.

“Twilight, can you step away from the edge please?” I said calmly.

“Right here… in this very spot, I thought I killed you!” she shouted, “It should have been me! I should have fallen! I should have died!”

“Alright, well I didn’t die, I’m right here.” I assured her, “I’m right here, okay? Come on, just… just come away from the edge.”

“Why are you trying to help me? I deserve this!”

The girl’s voice was barely audible through her tears. She was completely and utterly hysterical, and certainly not thinking clearly, and as she screamed at me that she deserved to die, I knew that I needed to calm her down, and fast.

“You weren’t yourself, Twilight, you know that.” I told her, “Please don’t let what Rainbow said change what we talked about before. You’re not a monster, okay? I forgive you, Twilight! Do you hear me? I forgive you!”

“You don’t get it, Callum!” she cried back to me, “You might forgive me, but I don’t! I’ll never live past this! I’ll spend the rest of my life hating myself for what I’ve done! I’ve killed people, Callum! I killed them and I liked it! I killed Bunnie, and I liked it! I’m sick in the head, Callum, and there’s only one way I can fix it!”

She took a step back and some of the jagged stone crumbled away, and with my heart practically in my mouth, I begged for her to listen to me. I tried my hardest to reason with her, but all Twilight came back with was how messed up in the head she now was. She told me how Nah’Lek’s tortures would stay with her forever, and that the memories of what he did were too much for her to bear.

“I can’t do this any more, Callum! I just… I just can’t!” she wept, “Please… Please, Callum, you need to let me go!”

She was shaking all over, with tears and mucus lining the end of her dripping muzzle, and as I looked into her tortured eyes, I found myself surprised by what I found looking back at me.

It was like looking into a mirror, for the broken individual standing before me was… myself.

Long ago, on the night I had attempted to take my own life, I’d sat there crying hysterically for hours in my bedroom, just staring at the stash of pills in front of me. There was so much darkness inside my head, and I felt like killing myself was the only way to escape it. I was scared, lost, angry, and in pain, and if the girls hadn’t stepped into my life when they did, well… I very well might have tried again.

And now, in this moment, Twilight was precisely the same. All she wanted was to escape.

“You’ve lost your way!” I cried out with tears in my eyes, “You’ve gone down a dark path and you don’t know how to turn around. You’re in so much pain, and all the shit in your head won’t shut up while it tries to rip you apart! I’ve been there, Twilight, believe me, I’ve been there. It’s a lonely place… it’s so fucking lonely! Please, Twilight, I’m begging you. Please don’t make me any lonelier. Please let me help you!”

Her eyes widened as she realised that I understood, and for a moment, I thought she might finally step away from the edge and accept my plea.

But it wasn’t enough…

Turning around again, Twilight closed her eyes and spoke her final words.

“I’m so sorry.”

My stomach lurched, and without hesitation I sprinted towards her as she began to lean forward. I dived at her just as she went over, reaching out with my right hand and catching her by the tail. The weight of her almost took me down as well, and it might have done, had I not dug my left hand as far into the ground as possible. My ribs started throbbing again, and it took every muscle in my body to hold onto her without slipping further forward. The mare then started wriggling around and I almost lost my grip.

“Let me go!” she wailed.

“Over my dead body!” I growled.

I tried to lift her up, only to slide along by another inch or two, to which I gasped loudly and kept absolutely still. Having not seen Hawnu Rey’eng since his apparent defeat in the Frozen Forest, I feared that he wouldn’t be saving us this time if we took the plunge.

“Why are you doing this?” Twilight shrieked, “Why can’t you just let me go? I ruined your life!”

I gritted my teeth as it grew harder and harder to hold onto her.

“You know what would ruin my life, Twilight? Coming down this mountain with the others to find your body and having to fucking bury you! That would ruin my life!”

At that, Twilight sobbed even harder as she became conflicted with further guilt. She wanted to bring an end to her suffering, but deep down, she didn’t really want this, I understood that better than anyone. I begged for her to see reason and let me help her, but her replies only came in the form of desperate wails for death, for she now hated herself more than I could possibly fathom.

Or so she thought.

“I felt like you did once!” I bellowed, “Damn it all, I still do sometimes! Before you came along, I spent day after day wanting to die, and I sure as shit acted on it too! By all rights I shouldn’t even be here, I took an overdose so bad that my fucking heart stopped!”

Now crying my eyes out as well, I finally told her the truth, admitting that I had gone my entire teenage life wanting to end it all. Twisting around, Twilight stopped struggling as I explained that I had hated myself for years, and had contemplated killing myself more times than I cared to count, with a handful of failed attempts lining my past.

“Do you know why I never succeeded?” I wept, “You know what kept me going? I watched a stupid kid’s cartoon about a unicorn learning about the magic of friendship! She didn’t know how to make friends at first, she didn’t even want them! But she quickly learned that it was the one thing she had really needed, and so began the best years of her life!”

The ground beneath my belly started to sag, and it wouldn’t be long before it fell away. Now aware that we might both die tonight, I continued my admission with haste.

“For years, I kept going because I wanted to see if I could be like her, to learn my place in this world, to make some friends along the way, and to discover who I truly am! For the first time in my life, I felt like I could relate to someone, and for as stupid as that all sounds, it fucking worked, because I’m still here, aren’t I? I owe that to you!”

Clutching her tail as tightly as possible, I said my final piece with all the emotion my soul could muster. Even if it didn’t change her mind, I needed her to hear it; she needed to know.

“You’re the reason I’m still alive!” I shouted, “You didn’t ruin my life, Twilight… you saved it!”

Time seemed to slow down as we stared into each other’s eyes, and in a moment that I could only describe as two souls intertwining, we understood one another. We were more the same than either of us could have ever imagined, and now we both knew it. She was my reflection, and I was hers, and just like that, neither of us felt alone any more. Finally coming to her senses, Twilight looked down and realised just how close she was to death.

“HELP ME! PLEASE HELP ME!” she screeched.

“Put your hooves against the cliff!” I ordered.

Hanging upside down by her tail, it was no easy feat, but with great difficulty she was able to make contact with the stone. From there I started pulling her upwards, her legs taking some of the weight for me. Inch by inch, I hauled her up, and just as the edge started crumbling away, I was able to get to my knees and hoist her over with one last pull. She hurtled into me and smacked into my chest, which was when she whipped around and latched onto me with all four limbs, quaking like a leaf in a typhoon.

“I’ve got you!” I breathed heavily, “I’ve got you…”

Bursting into a loud sob, she buried her face into my neck and rapidly told me over and over again that she was sorry. Clutching the back of her head with my hand, I broke into tears as well.

“Oh it’s okay! It’s okay, I’ve got you! I’ve got you, girl. Oh God, never do that again! Don’t you ever do that again!”

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” she spluttered, practically yowling into my collarbone.

Clamping my eyes shut, I cradled her from side to side as we both steadily recovered from what I could only pray was Twilight’s one and last suicide attempt. I held on to her for what felt like hours, never once loosening my grip. It wasn’t just words now, all past transgressions were truly forgiven; Twilight was alive, and that was the only thing that mattered.

Our crying eventually came to an end, but we held each other for a while longer still. She continued to shiver vehemently in my arms, and I pulled back to ask if she was okay.

“I’m cold…” she sniffed.

“Well, we are on a mountaintop in the middle of winter.” I huffed back to her with a half smile, “Come on, let’s get you back inside, yeah?”

She nodded, and slowly getting up, the two of us gradually made our way back to the mansion.

It may have taken months of gruelling adversity, suffering beyond words, and a bitter hatred of near-biblical proportions, but at long last, we had found each other in the darkness. And so it was, as we stepped along, side by side, that I found myself with an exhausted smile painted on my face, even in spite of what had just happened.


Twilight was now the one thing I had only ever wanted her to be.
My friend.





> Chapter Seventeen: Found and Fractured
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Stepping into the entryway, I shut the front door behind us and turned to Twilight.

“You head on upstairs, I’ll get us some water and catch up.” I said, ruffling her mane.

Doing as instructed, she smiled weakly and made her way up to the bedroom. I meanwhile, searched for the kitchen. Moonlight poured in through the window, and without running power to the mansion, I used its light to find my way. As predicted, I found Rarity’s saddlebag, which still contained a fair amount of fresh water from Equestria. Taking a glass from the cupboard, I filled it most of the way and gulped it down, before bending over the counter and burying my face into my hands.

Twilight had just tried to kill herself, and as the reality of that fact kicked in, so too did the shock. I had been through all manner of things this past year, but nothing could have prepared me for this. Until now, all my experiences had been otherworldly, fantastical, and beyond that of my wildest dreams, but this? This hit closer to home than any of it. This was raw, and familiar to me, and as I broke down into another bout of tears, I felt the need to protect Twilight like never before.

Having seen myself in her, I knew just how terribly she needed to be looked after, and I was the only one who could. Even if the others forgave her, it would be me and me alone to understand the degree of lowness it took to not only consider ending her own life, but to act on it. Anyone having a bad enough day could think about the end, but to stand on the edge, lean forward, and submit to the descent? That was true darkness, and I was no stranger to it. Now that Twilight had experienced it too, I felt something within me that I didn’t have words for; an inner, almost instinctual drive to remain close to her and keep her safe.

The light tapping of hooves shook me from my thoughts, and I looked up to see Applejack coming towards me. I didn’t have it in me to smile, and she knew immediately that something was wrong.

“Babe, are you alright?”

Swallowing, I shook my head, and once she was close enough for me to whisper, I told her.

“Twilight just tried to kill herself.”

With a jolt, the farm pony’s eyes nearly bulged out of her head.

“What? Wh-What happened?” she stammered.

Closing my eyes, I wearily explained how the comments at dinner had pushed the unicorn too far, and between the unshakable guilt and traumatic memories, Twilight had gone to the cliff and attempted to throw herself from it. AJ’s eyes watered up as I told her beat for beat how I grabbed her by the tail and pulled her back up, and that if I had been just half a second slower, she would be dead.

“Oh gosh… Is she alright now?” Applejack asked, “Safe, I mean?”

“Yeah, she’ll be okay.” I assured her, “I’ve sent her upstairs and I’ll be with her in a minute, I just needed to get my shit together.”

Nodding, Applejack asked if I needed to be alone, which was when I started choking up again.

“I could actually really do with a hug…”

Choking up as well, she lunged forward and held me tightly, and I completely fell apart in the mare’s embrace. For a good minute, I cried like a little boy, and then took a deep breath and forced the emotions back down into my stomach; I needed to be strong for Twilight. Sniffing, I let go and thanked Applejack for being here for me.

“Oh don’t be silly, Hun!” she said lovingly, “I’m always here, alright?”

Dipping my chin, I said that I should head upstairs now, as I didn’t want to leave Twilight by herself for too long. This prompted AJ to ask if the two of us were friends now, and with a smile, I confirmed that we were.

“We had a real heart-to-heart out there.” I said, “After all that’s happened to her, Twilight needs someone, and I’m ready to let go of the past to be that someone, you know?”

At that, Applejack narrowed her eyes and studied me for a moment. She then pulled me in for another cuddle and spoke to me softly, her voice brimming with emotion.

“The fact you can say that after all she’s done… Gosh, Callum, I have so much darn respect for you, I hope you know that.”

“Thanks, AJ.” I huffed, “I’m just doing what’s right.”

“It ain’t just that it’s right.” she said, holding me tighter, “It’s the fact you really care, even though you’re hurting like nopony would believe right now.”

She went on to say that if anything, I was the one who needed looking after right now. She could see in my eyes that I was in agony. Twilight had hurt me so fucking badly, and yet I still had it in me to care for her, and to separate her from the monster she used to be.

“Look, I know you said all that stuff about the Fel, and I believe you.” she told me, “I feel awful for the poor gal, but it don’t make you no less a victim either. You’re a real goodun, Hun, and that mare is sure lucky the Princess sent us to you, ‘cause I don’t think anyone else would be sticking by her like you, especially not after…”

Trailing off, there was no doubt that she was referring to Bunnie. Not letting it get to me, I simply replied that none of that mattered any more. From the second Twilight had tried to take her own life, her sins were behind me, and with Applejack mentioning the Princess, I couldn’t help but wonder if this was why I had been chosen. Maybe Celestia knew, in spite of her orders, that we would become friends, and that only through our tested bond, would we succeed. I thought back to every episode of the cartoon, and no matter how intelligent or gifted Twilight was, it always came back to her depending on friendships to overcome adversity. Perhaps the Princess had known I wouldn’t give up on her student, and that whatever came our way, I would come through for her.

It was a nice thought, and be it true or not, I liked to think that I had been selected for something of that ilk, as opposed to just being one of many candidates who simply got the luck of the draw. Still, it was all just speculation, none of it really mattered; I had been chosen, and that was that.

“Sorry, I shouldn’t have said that.” said Applejack, pulling me out of my head, “I didn’t mean-”

“It’s fine.” I insisted, cutting her off, “Honestly I just need to get to bed, I’m exhausted.”

“Alright. Is there anything I can do?”

Taking her up on the offer, I asked if she could go and give Twilight a hug as well, and maybe help to flip the mattress so the poor girl wasn’t sleeping in her own blood. Nodding, Applejack took off while I filled two glasses with water.

That was when Pinkie and Fluttershy emerged, entering the kitchen with a set of nervous expressions. I didn’t feel like explaining for a second time what had happened tonight, and simply hugged them both, promising that I wasn’t upset with either of them in relation to the argument at dinner, and that everything was going to be alright. They were both relieved to hear it, and as I turned to Pinkie, I spotted the scab on her lip, and remembered how I had hurt her during my rampage last night. Feeling a pang of guilt, I said that I myself wasn’t so innocent in all this, and that I was sorry for the way I had lost control.

“It’s okay, you were upset.” Pinkie said with a smile, “We all do silly things when we’re upset. I once got so upset because I thought nopony wanted to be my friend any more, that I went coco in the loco and tried to throw a party with a bunch of inanimate objects!”

“But I physically hurt you, Pinkie.” I sighed, “That wasn’t okay.”

“No, but I know you didn’t mean it.” she chirped, “Sure, my lip’s a little tingly and my front tooth wobbles, but that’s okay. Do you have any idea how many ponies have told me I should see a dentist? Now thanks to you, I’m actually going to! Well, when I’m back home, that is… I don’t think a human dentist would be very helpful.”

Letting out a bemused huff, I shook my head. In spite of everything, Pinkie was still her old self. There really was nothing that could break this little one’s spirit, and it gave me the hope that against all odds, we were going to get through this. Now powerless to prevent a smirk from creeping onto my face, I put an arm around Pinkie’s neck and sighed.

“You’re amazing, Pinkie, you know that?” I told her, “Seriously, never change.”

“Oh shush, you ol’ charmer!” she giggled, snorting.

With that, she playfully headbutted my belly, and then took herself off to bed. Fluttershy then asked where I would be sleeping tonight, and I could tell that she was inviting me to stay with her, to resume our old nighttime routine before I had been separated from the group.

“I’m going to stay on that little mattress in Twilight’s room tonight.” I explained, “I wasn’t going to say it in front of Pinkie, but…”

Sighing heavily, I paused, before shaking my head.

“Look, I’ll get into it tomorrow, but I just really want to keep an eye on her tonight.”

Ever the keen empath, Fluttershy knew exactly what I meant, and without missing a beat, she changed her tune and demanded to know if Twilight was safe.

“She will be if I’m there.” I answered.

Nodding, she came forward and hugged me far tighter than I had expected from the little pegasus. I held her back and wished her a good night, and then made my way up the stairs and back to the master bedroom. I came in to find Applejack and Twilight breaking off a hug, wiping their eyes and sniffling, indicating that they had just been crying together. We then flipped the mattress, and after one last round of hugs, the two of us were left alone.

“Here, drink.” I instructed, sitting down next to her.

She didn’t argue, and as I raised the glass to her lips, she closed her eyes and hummed through her nose, evidently very thirsty. She finished the glass without spilling a drop, and as I put it back down, she leaned into my side and thanked me. I told her it was no problem, and got up again to get ready for bed.

“You’re not leaving, are you?” she asked with a panicked expression.

“No.” I assured her, pointing to the far end of the room, “I’m sleeping over on that one.”

“Okay.” she breathed, relaxing again, “Sorry, I just… I don’t want to be alone tonight.”

“Well, you don’t have to be.” I murmured.

Twilight’s face lit up, and I felt another pang of emotion, for I realised just how fragile she was. A mere breeze could have broken her, and with a warm smile, I told her without words that I would be here for as long as she needed. We were friends now, and if anything, closer friends than I was with the others, both because of how I saw myself in her, and also because of how intense our relationship had been all these months.

Even as enemies, the feelings between us had been unfathomably strong, and with us finally turning over a new leaf, all that strength came with it. It was funny to think how the most brutal of rivalries could also forge the tightest of bonds. In a strange way, I was almost thankful for how things had played out, for there was no telling what might have happened had it been any different.

Thinking about it, our conflict was the reason we had even made it this far. Twilight’s cruelty had shaped me over this journey, and made me stronger for it. Meanwhile, she had been able to maintain just enough sanity to press on because she had used me as an outlet. With a place to exude her suffering, she had been able to resist the Fel’s corruption for as long as she had done. There was no doubt in my mind that had she been forced to bottle it this whole time, she would have lost herself far sooner than Portugal.


Heading over to my mattress, I found my sleeping bag and pillow, and guessed that Applejack had brought them in for me. Already being topless, (if one didn’t count the bandages), all I needed to take off were the cargo trousers I had been wearing since my time in the Blood Family. I then sat down to get comfortable, and with the both of us still being a bit shaken up, sleep was hard to come by, and so we talked for a while.

We covered all sorts, from how often my depression had secretly flared up over our adventure, to how soon the signs had been there regarding the Fel’s corruption. Twilight suggested it had been after Ukraine, when she had killed the bear that mauled Rarity. With the way she had practically devoured its life force, it was undeniably Fel magic. However, casting my mind further back, I realised there had been a sign far sooner than that.

“It was in Brazil.” I muttered, “You cloned me to distract those crocodiles, and you made him feel pain, knowing he’d be caught.”

Back when Twilight confessed to the crime, I had demanded to know why she had done it, and for the life of her, she couldn’t answer me. The act had been an impulsive one, and without knowing the Fel was behind it, she genuinely didn’t know what had driven her to perform such a horrific action. Twilight agreed, and with horrific actions in mind, I thought about the men she had recently killed in my absence. I was about to ask her about it, when she pointed out how silly it was that we were having all this chatter from opposite sides of the room.

“Did you want me to come over there?” I asked.

“Well don’t expect me to come to you, I’m the one with a broken leg.”

“Don’t be such a wuss, you’ve got three more.” I teased, winking at her.

Now both chuckling, I got up and dragged my mattress across the floor until it was next to her bed. I then very tentatively asked if she wanted to talk about the incident, and with a gulp, she confirmed that she did, and proceeded to tell me every gritty detail…

They had been crossing a road, it was dark and they thought it was safe to emerge from the woodland. Two men saw them and gave chase, shouting at them in Portuguese. As explained before, Rarity was still recovering from the bear attack, and so Twilight chose to act. Closing her eyes, she described their screams as she crushed their legs with her telekinesis, forcing them to crawl on their hands and elbows.

“Seeing them below me like that…” she mumbled, “I felt so powerful.”

The first kill had been quick, for she was panicking. Running on adrenaline, she used her magic to pick up a nearby stone, and bashed the man on the head with it, ending his life.

“Are you sure you didn’t just knock him out?” I suggested, hoping for the best.

“The rock went halfway into his skull, Callum.” she replied through gritted teeth, “I think it’s safe to assume he’s fucking dead.”

Gulping, I nodded, allowing her to continue. The second death had been slower, much slower. Now high on the rush that came with taking a life, the Fel pushed Twilight to savour the moment. Remembering how painful my electrocution had been in Brazil, she shocked the man with bolt after bolt. His wavering cries had been like music to her, and eventually the poor sod was too drained to crawl away. Lying there in complete resignation, he did nothing to prevent his fate as Twilight rolled him onto his back, and pressed her hoof into his throat until he stopped breathing. She had watched the light leave his eyes, and through the frame of the bed against my arm, I could feel Twilight shaking.

“I enjoyed it, Callum.” she croaked, her tone brimming with revulsion, “I feel like throwing up just thinking about it, yet I enjoyed it. How does that even make sense?”

Standing up, I got onto the bed and pulled her into me, and reminded her that she had been forced to enjoy it at the Fel’s behest. It had no bearing on who she really was, and although the killings were abhorrent, I did not judge her for them. At this, Twilight began to cry again, this time with relief, and as she lay down to rest her broken leg, I lay down with her, holding her gently in my arms as she let it all out.

{I cannae believe we’re holding her like this.} Conscio murmured, {Doesn’t feel real, does it?}

{No, it doesn’t.} I agreed, {But I’m glad it is.}

{Aye… me too, laddie.}

As Twilight’s crying came to a stop, I thanked her for telling me what happened, and asked if she felt any better for it. I got no reply, and realised that she had nodded off; the poor mare had been so exhausted that she had cried herself to sleep. With a fond smile, I placed her down and slowly inched away, clambering back down to my own little mattress and drifting off as well.


I woke in tow with the morning sun, shining through a narrow crack in the curtains. With a yawn and a stretch, I sat up and looked over to find Twilight sleeping soundly. Her face was peaceful, and being her first night without Nah’Lek’s torment, I could imagine it was the best night’s sleep she had had since coming to Earth. Not wanting to take that away from her, I decided to get breakfast alone, with Twilight completely deserving of a lie-in.

Picking up my tattered cargo trousers, I was about to slip back into them, when I realised just how filthy they were, and it dawned on me that I was in dire need of some new clothes. With how much furniture the owners had left in this place, they had surely left some apparel behind as well, and so I made a mental note to hunt for some later. Foregoing the trousers, I left the room in just my underwear; it was hardly as if the girls would mind, they didn’t even wear clothes.

Meandering along the corridor, I heard Rainbow Dash snoring in one of the rooms. I was still furious with her, but that was a problem for later. Heading down the stairs, I entered the kitchen, where I found Rarity, Applejack, and Fluttershy chatting over some breakfast.

“Good morning, dear.” said Rarity.

“Heya.” I replied with a half smile.

“Think fast!” Applejack forewarned as she tossed an apple at me.

Catching it, I took a bite and emitted a satisfied hum. Fluttershy then gave me a morning hug, while Rarity offered me a cup of tea. Feeling something a little stronger, I asked if she had any coffee instead.

“Nothing fancy I’m afraid.” she told me, “Just some of that… instant stuff.”

“Mate, coffee is coffee.” I laughed, “I’ll be fine with instant, thank you.”

With that, Rarity went over to the counter, where she had unpacked her crockery and kettle. It was quite fascinating how the kettle worked, for it was powered by a small gemstone slotted into the base, which contained condensed magical energy. Functioning exactly like a battery, these ‘charge stones’ as Rarity called them, were made from a mineral known as manarite, and powered all of ponykind’s electronic tools and devices. When a charge stone ran out, it could be topped back up with a unicorn’s magic, a practice leading to small businesses opening up in towns and cities, which took in dead stones and recharged them for a fee.

For all that said, we had a powered kettle for teas and coffees, and as Rarity put it on to boil, she took a large mug from the cupboard and added the instant powder. After imparting a cube of sugar and a splash of milk, she passed the mug to me and I thanked her.

“You’re very welcome.” she replied.

We then relocated to the living room and sat down, which was when Rarity took my wrist and gave me a heavy, pensive look.

“Darling, I want to apologise for my part in last night.”

Taking a breath, she went on to say that she had been shocked by the things I had explained over dinner, and that she had needed time to fully comprehend it. Though she wasn’t quite ready to forgive Twilight for her actions, she fully accepted that she hadn’t helped the situation by agreeing with Rainbow Dash, and should have kept her thoughts to herself.

“Thanks, Rare.” I said with a weak smile, “I appreciate that.”

“Of course, dear.” she whispered, “I do promise to give Twilight a chance, but I’m just not there yet. It’s difficult, setting her apart from the things she’s done, even if you insist she’s not to be held accountable. What Rainbow said was no exaggeration, we had to watch her k-”

“I know.” I cut in, “She told me what happened.”

“Then you know why this is hard for me. Knowing about the Fel certainly makes it easier, but after watching her do what she did, I just… I’m sorry, but I just can’t.”

Placing a hand on her shoulder, I smiled to assure her that I wasn’t angry, and said it was totally understandable that she wasn’t ready. Obviously, all I wanted was for everyone to see Twilight’s innocence and forgive her, as I had, but one couldn’t force these things. Rarity’s feelings were perfectly valid, and I knew it would take time for her to see things differently. Applejack already did, with Pinkie and Fluttershy close behind. Rarity could have as much time as she needed, for I knew she would at least be civil in the meantime.

The outlier was Rainbow Dash.

Bullheaded, confrontational, and clearly of a mind that Twilight was guilty, Dashie would need some work, and for as angry as I was with her for last night’s comments, I knew I needed to let it go. Quite ironically, I needed to forgive her, so that I could more rationally coax her into seeing Twilight as I did.

Putting my coffee down, I gave Rarity a hug and thanked her for being upfront about how she was feeling. In turn, she thanked me for understanding her side of things, instead of rushing to Twilight’s defence as she had expected me to.

“I know I’ll come around.” she said with a smile, rolling her eyes, “Even having just talked about it, I feel a little less disdainful about it all. Once I’ve had some time to digest things, I will make an effort to find a place in my heart for her again, you have my word.”

Smiling back at her, I said that I wouldn’t ask any more than that from her, and thanked her for a second time for being so level-headed about this. Applejack then quietly scoffed from the recliner she was sitting in.

“If only Rainbow could be so mature.”

“I was just thinking about that, actually.” I hummed, “She’s hardly subtle when it comes to expressing her views.”

“Well, can you blame her?” said Rarity, “We’ve all been treading on eggshells for months, and now we’re expected to forgive and forget. Rainbow’s the kind of pony who needs to let it out before she can move on, so unless you plan to separate her from the group, I’d advise preparing Twilight for more arguments.”

“You know what? That’s actually not a bad shout.” I said, waggling a finger at her, “What if I took Rainbow off to find the next Orb piece, just the two of us? You girls could stay here at the mansion, while we go and get it, and patch things up along the way.”

Rarity let out a thoughtful hum of agreement. Applejack then kissed her teeth, clearly not as fond of the idea.

“You sure, Sugarcube? What if y’all start arguing?”

“We won’t.” I replied, “If Rainbow needs to get her feelings out, then so be it. I’ll listen to everything she has to say, and make sure she feels heard. Then hopefully after that, we can work towards making amends.”

Satisfied with that, Applejack gave a confident nod to show her consent.

“Well, that settles it.” I said after finishing my coffee, “I’ll go with Rainbow Dash.”

“Not today you’re not.” Fluttershy ordered, “You still need to rest, and I need to check on those burns. In fact, I think I’ll go over everyone’s injuries today, and that means you too, Rarity.”

Tutting glumly, Rarity conceded, knowing she couldn’t wear her bandages forever. Ponies sweated just as humans did, and the rags that covered her wounds from the bear attack were starting to carry just the faintest hint of body odour. With that, she accepted that she would need to lay her scars bare, and we all promised that no matter how visible they were, they wouldn’t make her any less attractive.

“By Rainbow’s standards, they’ll make you even more attractive!” Applejack laughed, “Goodness knows that mare likes scars. She thinks they’re sexy.”

“Well, that puts me on the menu.” I chuckled, “I’ve got more scars than teeth!”

“You say that like you’re not already in her sights, darling.” Rarity giggled, “She’s been eyeing you up since Brazil!”

“Don’t I know it…” I grumbled, rolling my eyes.

Aware that I was uncomfortable with the subject, especially given my recent loss, nopony pressed the otherwise-amusing aspect of Rainbow Dash’s evident hankering for a roll in the hay with me. Quickly moving on, I said that I would fetch Twilight so Fluttershy could check us over sooner rather than later. Getting up, I went into the kitchen and made a coffee for the unicorn, knowing she would likely want one. I then went back up to the bedroom to find Twilight still fast asleep. She opened her eyes as I grew near, and after setting the coffee on the bedside table, I sat down on the bed and looked down at her.

“Hey you.” I whispered.

“Hey…” she murmured.

“Sleep well?”

Nodding, she confirmed my prediction that it was the best sleep she had ever had since coming to Earth. Almost immediately getting emotional again, she wrapped her hooves around me and thanked me, knowing that I was the one responsible. I helped her drink the coffee, to which she thanked me for a second time, and then we went downstairs together, where we found Fluttershy removing the last of Rarity’s bandages. It didn’t look nearly as bad as we had expected, with Twilight’s needlework being utterly fantastic. The skin was a bit raised, and the lines were certainly quite pink, but given how the bear’s claws had gone right through the skin and into the muscle, the results were nigh on miraculous. Zecora’s Oozima had been a bloody godsend over this adventure, for the stuff had allowed all our wounds to heal quickly, and without infection, regardless of the gruesome marks they left behind. So long as the white fur grew back, Rarity’s scars would barely be noticeable, and after a brief cry, she seemed quite relaxed about it all.

It was my turn next, and as Fluttershy peeled away the bandages, I realised just how awful I looked. From top to bottom, I was painted with memories of violence. My legs carried a bullet scar, a crocodile bite, and a round puncture mark from when Inigo had stabbed me with a red-hot screwdriver. My arms also bore many scars, from another bullet mark and croc bite, to a handful of cuts I had earned in the Blood Family’s fighting pit. It almost amused me how the self-inflicted scars on my wrists now paled in comparison to the rest of me. There was also the napalm burn on my left shoulder, which hurt emotionally more than it did physically, given how I had acquired it…

My torso bore the worst disfigurements, with the claw marks from Pripyat’s mutant queen raking across my belly, and the machete wound from my duel with Inigo curving from my left pectoral, all the way down to my sternum. It was hardly visible now, as Twilight’s fireball had scorched away a good portion of my chest, leaving me marred with a dark, bumpy, oval-shaped blotch.

“I’m so sorry…” she breathed, shocked by how bad the burn was.

“It’s fine,” I said with a smirk, “but you owe me a new nipple.”

I was only half joking, for my right nipple had been completely scorched away. Tutting, Fluttershy said she couldn’t believe I was being so light-hearted about all this, to which I shrugged.

“Well, my only alternative is being upset about it, and that helps no one. Besides, it’s not like I have anyone to look good for any more…”

“Ouch.” Twilight murmured, looking away.

Apologising, I admitted that was a shitty thing to say. Quickly moving on, Flutters gave me another shot of Bloom, then applied a fresh coat of Oozima to my burns. She then wrapped my chest in a new binder, as my ribs still needed to heal.

“How long do I have to wear this?” I wheezed, “I do actually like breathing…”

“How do you think I feel?” Twilight groaned, pointing to her own binder, “You broke like, more than half of my ribs!”

“Fair point.” I muttered, rolling my eyes.

With an awkward, rather forced chuckle, Rarity pointed out that at least the two of us were laughing about it to some degree. Agreeing, I said that with how intense our fight had been, and how severely we had hurt one another, there was little else to do but jest about it now.

“It’s either that or resent each other for it,” I chortled, “and frankly, I think we’ve done enough of that.”

“Yeah, I think we’ve far exceeded our hatred quota for one lifetime.” Twilight said sheepishly.

Huffing with amusement, Fluttershy answered my question and said I could take the binder off after forty-eight hours, once the Bloom had well and truly done all it could to sort my ribs out for good. With that, she went over Twilight’s injuries, while I went hunting for a new outfit.


After a few minutes perusing the bedrooms, I came back downstairs in a white button-up shirt, and some jeans that were just a little too long for me. I had also found some new socks, and with it being rather cold, I put them on and got back into my boots from the Blood Family.

“Ooh, you look nice!” Rarity sang as I returned to the living room.

I dipped my head in thanks, and then asked Fluttershy how Twilight’s injuries were, and as predicted, they weren’t good. It turned out that I really had broken most of her ribs, and her foreleg had been far worse than a hairline break. By Fluttershy’s decree, we wouldn’t be moving out of here for at least another fortnight, with Twilight being ordered to remain in bed more often than not, and to take one daily walk outside to get her blood pumping.

“Ugh, fine.” she grumbled.

“Come on, let’s go now and get it out of the way.” I prompted, smiling at her.

Rolling her eyes, she obeyed, and with an awkward farewell to Rarity, Twilight followed me outside. It wasn’t too cold today, with the crisp air being quite rejuvenating. The mild winter wind whispered to us as we went, and choosing not to rush ourselves, we let it be a slow walk. Continuing last night’s bout of conversation, we chatted about various topics. Now feeling more like herself, Twilight’s curiosity took the floor, and soon enough, I was answering all sorts of questions about humanity, from technology to religion.

For a moment, the Twilight I had watched as a cartoon accompanied me, excitedly comparing scientific facts, gushing over poetry and literature, and telling me all sorts of random trivia that meant very little to me as a human of Earth. Seeing her like this warmed my heart, and I let her ramble away for what must have been an hour.

Eventually, we got to more pressing matters, and she asked how we were going to find the rest of the Titans’ Orb without her magic, or the Sparklight.

“We’ll manage.” I replied, “Rarity’s gem finding spell still works, and with that, we’ll find a way.”

Breathing a sigh of relief, she knew I was right, and being on the subject, I decided to tell her about my plan.

“Speaking of the Orb, I’m going to get the next piece in a couple days.”

“What?” she blurted out, her eyes widening.

“Blu said it was only a few days’ walk.” I went on, “So, while you’re getting better, I’m taking Rainbow Dash on a little excursion to go and get it. It’ll keep her away from you, and I can try to reason with her a bit.”

“You… made a group decision without me? Without my permission!?”

Glaring at me, the unicorn raised her lips into a snarl, and I realised that she was having another outburst.

“Hey, relax.” I said gently.

“Relax? Relax? You do not command me!” she spat, “This mission is mine, mine! How dare you make a decision without me, you are beneath me, do you understand? What else have you been discussing behind my back, huh? Are you keeping secrets from me now?”

“Twilight, look at me.”

I got onto my knees, at which point she stormed up to me with her gritted teeth on display. Remaining perfectly calm, I told her that she wasn’t herself, which only insulted the mare. Angered further, she reared up in an attempt to hit me with her good foreleg. I caught it and wrapped my arms around her, holding her as firmly as I could without hurting her chest.

“It’s okay…” I sighed, silently begging for her to come back to me.

“Get off me!” she hissed, attempting to wriggle free.

“It’s okay.” I repeated, ignoring her, “I’ve got you…”

Freezing solid, those three words seemed to resonate with her, and after a few seconds, I let go and allowed her to back away. Sitting down, she stared at me with confusion, and I placed a hand on one side of her face, smiling warmly. Her pupils dilated to their fullest, and all hostility fled from her face. Embarrassment and guilt replaced it, and as she returned to her senses, her lips started to shake.

“I’m… I’m s… I’m s-sorry…” she stammered, choking up, “I didn’t mean it, I swear I didn’t mean it!”

“I know.” I replied, showing no hint of emotion, “Walk with me.”

Getting to my feet, I started walking away and beckoned her to follow. She was hesitant at first, but after the outburst she just had, she was hardly in a position to refuse me. I led her to the cliff, to the very same spot we had now both gone over. Knowing that she was capable of it now, I knew bringing her here was dangerous, but I had a point to make. Sitting down, I let my legs dangle over the edge, and instructed Twilight to stand behind me. She did as I asked, and I exhaled slowly, looking out into the horizon. The view was incredible from up here, with distant towns and villages dotted hither and thither, all lightly kissed by the sun that fought bitterly to break through the dark winter clouds.

“You could kill me right now.” I spoke, “If you really wanted, all it would take is a little push.”

Twilight stiffened behind me, and I heard her gasp.

“Wh-What?” she blurted out, taken aback.

“I’m completely defenceless.” I went on, “If there was even a shred of you that really wanted to do it, I would be powerless to stop you.”

“But… But I… I don’t want to!” she said desperately, her voice cracking with emotion.

“I know.” I replied, “And that’s exactly why we’re here.”

I twisted around to look at her. Her eyes were wide and many tears clung to them, and with a kind smile, I gave this little performance some explanation.

“That wasn’t you back there, and when it happens again, which it will, it’s still not you. I’ve just spent the whole morning with the real Twilight, and she’s the most wonderful company I’ve ever had. I brought you here because I want you to know that I’m not afraid of you, Twilight. You are not your past… I trust you.”

Staring at me, the mare’s tears escaped, rolling down her cheeks as she opened her mouth to speak. No words came forth though, for she couldn’t find a thing to say. She just stared at me, barely able to comprehend the fact that I had so willingly placed my life in her hooves, and so soon after she had tried to end it. Her body relaxed, and with a sniffle, she smiled at me. It told me everything she was trying to say; it was a ‘thank you’, a ‘sorry’, and an ‘I trust you too’, all in one. At that, I lifted my legs up and scooted away from the edge, where I sat cross-legged and opened my arms for a cuddle. She limped forward and lowered herself into my lap, and for a good half-hour or so, we just held each other.


We said nothing for quite some time, and we didn’t need to. We just stared off into the horizon together, until eventually the cold prompted us to go back inside. Now feeling a bit chilly, I made another round of coffee for the both of us, and brought them up to the master bedroom with Twilight. We passed Rainbow Dash on the way, who had only just woken up, and it couldn’t have been more awkward. Spotting us, she froze for a second, before clenching her jaw and sticking to one side of the corridor.

“H-Hey, Rainbow…” Twilight murmured, her voice tinged with anxiety and hope.

Completely ignoring her, the pegasus strutted past, refusing to look either of us in the eye. She went downstairs for a late breakfast, and with a disgruntled sigh, I chose to say nothing. Twilight and I returned to our room, and I shut the door and put our coffees down on the bedside table.

“That… is why I’m taking her to find the next piece.” I said glumly, “That pony is a ticking time bomb, and if I hadn’t been stood next to you, she probably would’ve said something, and I guarantee it wouldn’t have been a hello.”

“Yeah, you’re right.” Twilight sighed, “Gosh, she really does hate me, huh?”

“She’s angry, and she can’t just switch that off.” I replied, sitting down on the bed, “She thought you killed me, and even though you didn’t, that’s stuck with her. She needs to express how it made her feel, and if she does it here, it’s going to tear you apart.”

“I know…”

Getting onto the bed with me, Twilight rolled her eyes and said it didn’t help that Rainbow had a crush on me. My skin prickled with discomfort, and I put my face in my hands, groaning with irritation. Pulling my cheeks down towards my chin, I agreed with her, and confessed that not only did it not help, but it also made me terribly uncomfortable.

“Why? Because of Bun-”

“Don’t say her name.” I cut in harshly, clenching my jaw.

“I’m sorry…”

“It’s fine,” I huffed through my teeth, “I just… I still need time for that wound to close, yeah?”

In seconds, I could feel the emotions bubbling up inside, and as a painful lump formed in my throat, I looked past the unicorn and stared off into space.

“I miss her, Twilight.” I breathed, my voice faint and trembling, “I miss her so much…”

Lowering my head and closing my eyes, I held my breath in a bid to fight the tears, and thought about the short, yet passionate time I had with Bunnie. My mind was flooded with every talk, touch, and kiss we had shared, knowing we would never share any of them again. I thought about the first time we lay together, and how I had begged her to make me hers. I belonged to a ghost now, for her body was ash, a notion that disturbed me after how intimately I had been with her.

Every facet of her silken skin, every curve, every pristine little detail, it was all gone. She had been scattered across the land, and given the fact it was winter, her remains could very well have been mistaken for snow. I wanted to find her, all of her, every flake and particle, and somehow put her back together again. I started to obsess on the thought, wondering which parts of her might be where. Her hands, sprinkled upon the rooftops of a village somewhere, a leg, perhaps gracing a farmer’s field; all the delicate beauty I had worshipped with my lips, where was it all now? How far had my lover flown?

Her face… where was her perfect face?
I needed to know! Where was she? Where was my Bun-Bun?

The panic started to creep in, which was when Conscio grounded me again, reminding me of Hawnu Rey’eng’s conversation, and how the girl’s death had been a mercy. Painful as it was for me, I had to accept this was the kindest way things could have gone, and I needed to let Bunnie go, a feat easier said than done.

“I need to forget.” I whispered, my crying coming to a standstill, “I just… I’m not sure how.”

At that, Twilight haunched her shoulders nervously.

“Y-You know… maybe… uh…”

Clearing her throat, she looked around the room before trying again, trusting that I wouldn’t get angry with her.

“Maybe Rainbow could help with that? You know… if you, um… if… you and her…”

Caught off-guard, I was immediately snapped out of my tearful state. Staring at her with wide eyes, I let out a weighty huff, barely believing what she was insinuating.

“Are you having a laugh?” I scoffed.

“I don’t know, I just… I… I-I’m just saying you should… m-maybe keep an open mind?” she stammered with an anxious smile, “I’m not saying you should go throw yourself at her, but if you need something to help you move on, when you’re ready of course, I-I-I’m sure she’d be happy to, uh… oblige?”

I continued to stare in utter disbelief, baffled that she was suggesting such a thing. With her eyes darting in all directions, she explained that Rainbow Dash had never been one for serious relationships, insistently claiming that she didn’t do dating. Loathing of commitment, she was solely into short flings, and given her interest in me, she would be more than happy to serve as a rebound.

“Only if you wanted something like that, and of course, only if you were comfortable with it.” she said.

“Well, I’m not.” I clapped back, frowning at her, “I’ve never seen any of you in that way, nor was I expecting the reverse. It’s not that I don’t think she’s attractive, I just… I’m a human. I’m hard-wired to like other humans, you know? And besides, it’s too soon. If I got with someone else now, I’d just be thinking about her the whole time, and that’s not fair on anyone.”

Nodding, Twilight hummed with understanding, and apologised for mentioning it.

“It’s fine.” I dismissed, “I get the point you’re trying to make, and I do appreciate it. But me, with one of you? It just doesn’t sit right with me.”

“That’s… perfectly fair.” she murmured, blinking rapidly, “I won’t bring it up again.”

“Thanks.” I muttered, sniffing.

We proceeded to drink our coffees, and with Fluttershy ordering Twilight to remain bed-bound as much as possible, we spent the rest of the day lying around and talking, just as we had done outside. Having not properly spoken for six months, there was a lot of catching up to do, and we both relished in the chatter. In no time at all, it felt like I had known Twilight for all my life, and in a weird way, I sort of had. It wasn’t just that we had contended with darkness and monsters in our heads, we were more alike than either of us could have foreseen.

From our shared interests like science and history, and a passion for learning how the world around us worked, to our naturally introverted nature, preferring to be alone and left to our devices. That wasn’t to say we didn’t love our friends and their company, and after amassing the self-confidence and emerging from our shells, we blossomed around others. However, if given the choice, we would both sooner read a book by candlelight than engage in jollities at a party. We were wordsmiths and soulful thinkers, we both loved stargazing and we loved to sing. Neither of us could dance to save our lives though, but if the music was good, and the company was amicable, we would dance anyway.

“My dad used to throw a few gatherings back in the day.” I chuckled, “He’d play David Bowie on vinyl, and when Golden Years came on, I would strut my stuff like an absolute buffoon. I would always try to imitate a dance from a film I liked, called A Knight’s Tale, and you should’ve seen me, I looked a right muppet.”

“Couldn’t have been worse than me.” said Twilight, “I once got drunk on my birthday and danced like an idiot in front of these upper-class ponies from Canterlot. I was wearing some plain yellow dress Rarity hadn’t even finished making, and I looked ridiculous! It was one of the most embarrassing moments of my life.”

“Oh my god, I remember that from the show!” I exclaimed, “Wait, you were drunk?”

“Yeah!” she confirmed, giggling to herself, “We all were. Rainbow convinced us to crash this fancy garden party outside, and we made absolute fools of ourselves! Poor Rarity had been trying to schmooze with them to sell dresses, and she was mortified!”

Cupping my mouth, I started laughing too, and we began exchanging all our most embarrassing moments together. I told her about all my blunders at school, and she told me hers, and together, we made jolly light of them.

“I miss the days when my worst memory was just screwing up in public.” Twilight sighed, bringing down the mood.

“Tell me about it.” I agreed, “With the stuff that’s happened these past few months, I almost miss my mother’s hospitality.”

“Gosh, this adventure really has been awful, hasn’t it?”

“Awful, and then some.” I tutted, “It’s had its moments though, not all of it’s been shit.”

“Yeah, you’re right.” she conceded, before smirking and exhaling through her nose, “Remember when you beat Pinkie at Stuffy Bunnies?”

“Blimey, yeah!” I exclaimed, “You remember that?”

“I may have been an asshole, but I was watching from my tent.”

My mouth became that of a toothy grin as I recalled that night, including how I had accidentally spat my marshmallows onto Rarity, sending her into a shrieking frenzy and begging us to get them off her. Chuckling, I took a dive down memory lane and remembered all the merrier times we had shared over our quest. The game of hide and seek in my back garden, racing AJ and Rainbow before our flight to Brazil, and the time I was first introduced to the Oozima. I had been dared to stick my nose into the neck of the gourd and sniff the substance as hard as possible, which was still one of the most painful and shocking experiences to date. There was the time when I’d slept in a tree with Rainbow Dash, and Rarity had levitated a Threezie up to me; I wondered if she had any left. And of course, how could I forget falling into the River Mole upon our return to England? Everyone, even Twilight, had laughed at me, and after our harrowing experience in Brazil, it had been the perfect distraction from the trauma.

There really had been some great times along the way, and still smiling, I promised Twilight there would be many more ahead of us too. If anything, there would be more now. Nah’Lek’s shroud had been lifted, and beneath it, I found the lost pony who had been trapped there all along, and with the two of us as friends, I had a feeling that our future was going to be a bright one. Taking Twilight’s front hoof with my hands, I held it firmly, smiling at her.

“Look, I know things haven’t been peachy for most of it, but I’m glad I’m here. The way I see it, we’re both a little broken now, so how about we be broken together? As soon as you can walk properly again, let’s march into the unknown and make some good memories, yeah?”

Smiling back at me, Twilight nodded.

“I’d like that…”

“Then let’s do it.” I said.

Lowering her head to where I was holding her hoof, she pressed her cheek against the back of my hand, and relaxed against it. Closing her eyes, she let out a heavy breath, and then yawned.

“You just had coffee.” I pointed out.

“Hey, I have six months’ worth of sleep debt to pay back, give me a break.” she retorted.

Huffing, I conceded to her point, and without much convincing, Twilight decided to have a nap. I stayed with her until she fell asleep, and then crept out of the room to see what was going on downstairs. Rarity and Fluttershy were conversing in the living room, while Pinkie and Rainbow were taking a walk somewhere outside. Stepping into the kitchen, I found Applejack whipping up something tasty for dinner. With the mansion’s oven and stove both running on gas, the clever girl had figured out how to get them working, and was in the middle of brewing up some kind of sauce. Sliding over, I gave her a little hug from the side and grinned.

“What’s cookin’?” I asked.

Before she could answer, I dipped my finger into the sauce and had a little taste. It was creamy with a savoury tang, and bore the hint of black pepper.

“Ooh, is a mushroom pie in the works?” I sang, reaching forward for another taste.

“Get outta here, you varmint!” she exclaimed, playfully smacking my hand, “Yes, I’m making a pie. Now get lost!”

Chuckling, I ignored her and went for another taste, prompting her to literally chase me out of the kitchen. I then went to hang out in the living room, and joined the conversation between Fluttershy and Rarity. They were airing the same concerns Twilight had, fretting over how we would locate the rest of the Titans’ Orb without her magic. Pretty much repeating myself from earlier, I laid their worries to rest, and told them that for now, we needed to focus on putting ourselves back together, as opposed to the Orb. They were in full agreement, and with that, we moved on to lighter topics until supper was ready.


Come dinner time, things went just as I suspected they would; not well. My closeness to Twilight had only angered Rainbow Dash, who, after expelling a most unsavoury slew of harsh words, refused to even be in the same room as her. She took her dinner and ate upstairs, a choice Rarity openly defended. This sparked an argument between her and Applejack, which prompted Pinkie to run away with everyone’s bread again. Eventually, things settled down, and we ate what remained of our dinner in silence, until Fluttershy buckled under the tension. Bursting into tears, the pegasus fled to her room with Blu flapping after her, and with the group officially in tatters, Twilight fell apart as well, feeling wholly responsible for all of it.

With the evening ruined, I took her upstairs, but not before thanking Applejack for cooking such a lovely dinner. The poor mare looked on the verge of breaking as well, and I wished that I could be in multiple places at once to support everyone. But Twilight was my priority, and so we returned to her room, shutting the door and flopping onto the bed in unison.

“Well, that was a disaster.” Twilight grumbled, wiping her eyes.

“You’re telling me?” I huffed.

“How long is it going to be like this, Callum?”

“Not forever.” I assured her, “Once Fluttershy gives me the all-clear, I’ll head off with Rainbow and sort her out. I can’t promise she’ll want to be friends again, but I’ll make sure she’s civil with you.”

Wrinkling her nose, Twilight reluctantly accepted the possibility that her friendship with Dashie was over. I then got up to leave, pointing out how upset Fluttershy had been, and that I ought to keep her company tonight. Almost immediately flying into a panic, Twilight begged me not to leave her, for even with Nah’Lek gone from her mind, she was still too scared to sleep alone at night.

“I know that’s selfish of me.” she whimpered, “I know Fluttershy deserves it more, but… please don’t leave me!”

Clenching my jaw, I felt more torn than ever, but like with Applejack, I knew where I needed to be. Sitting back down on the bed, I looked down at the sniffling pony and nodded.

“Whatever you need, I’m here.”

Doing everything in her power not to cry, she thanked me, and after helping her drink some water, I got undressed and laid down on my little mattress. I felt terribly restless thanks to all the hostility, and Twilight did too. Feeling rather vulnerable myself, I asked if I could have another hug, and she practically launched herself from the bed, as though she had been waiting for me to ask.

“You’d better not fall asleep in my arms again.” I teased, coiling an arm around her midsection.

“Wait, I did?”

Nodding, I confirmed that she had, and after a bit of teasing her for it, I allowed myself to relax, holding her gently and letting her presence comfort me like Fluttershy used to.

“Thank you…” I breathed.

“What for?” she asked.

Pursing my lips, I couldn’t quite find the words. I was just thankful to have someone to hold again, to have someone who understood me.

“Just this, I guess.” I exhaled, “Letting me in as your friend, letting me be here for you, and you being here for me now when I need it.”

“Of course.” she said calmly, “Come what may, even if the Princess has something to say about it, we’re friends now, forever and always, okay?”

“Forever and always…” I echoed, closing my eyes.

All the tension ebbed away, and as the purple unicorn nestled into me and yawned, I found myself fading away. And so it was that in an instance I never could have predicted, I fell asleep with Twilight Sparkle, my former enemy, safely cocooned within my embrace.


My slumber was disturbed by a gust of wind, and rubbing my eyes, I sat up to find Twilight was missing. The bedroom looked different too, for the wood was warped and damp, and the mattress beneath me felt strange. Looking down, I found it to be covered in a furry fungal mould, and I was quick to get up and back away from it. Gulping, I left the room in search of Twilight, and very nearly lost my balance upon reaching the corridor. Twisting like a helter-skelter, the passageway swirled all the way around, with the stairs being completely upside down. I had to jump up to reach them, and upon clambering to what should have been the downstairs, I heard a knocking at the door. It grew louder and louder as I approached, and upon touching the handle, it stopped.

“Well, that’s fucking creepy.” I mumbled to myself.

Pulling open the door and stepping outside, my mouth fell agape. Akin to the Frozen Forest in Twilight’s mind, I was met with a dense woodland, except there wasn’t any snow. The grass beneath me was a pale yellow, and every tree was snared in thick black vines, with leaves like cherry blossom petals, yet wholly devoid of colour.

“This can’t be Twilight’s brain.” I murmured.

That was when I felt it… his presence… like maggots wriggling beneath my skin.

“No.” he spoke, “It’s yours.”

Shuddering, I turned around, and barely had a second to breathe before Nah’Lek pierced my chest with his blade. I let out a hefty grunt, and stared into the face of death as he lowered his head towards me.

“Did you really think I would be so easily beaten, little bug?”

Wheezing and groaning, my only reply was to cough up a lungful of blood. Tilting his head, the Defiler clicked his mandibles with excitement, and I didn’t need him to tell me why. I already understood, and the implications were horrifying. He hadn’t been destroyed, he had relocated.


Twilight no longer mattered to Nah’Lek, for she had served her purpose.
Now, he had a new victim to play with…





> Chapter Eighteen: Of Flight and Torment
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





I sat bolt upright and gasped, nearly catapulting poor Twilight as I did so. With a startled snort-like noise, she woke up as well, and was quick to ask me what was wrong. Inhaling deeply, I opened my mouth to speak, which was when Conscio shouted at me to hold my tongue.

{Callum, if she finds out that he’s still knocking about, she’s going to lose her shit.}

{I’m not lying to her, Connie!} I thought back to him.

{So you’d rather break her again, is that it?} he snapped, {Look at her, you damn fool. The wee lass is hanging on by a thread, so I’m ordering you to keep your mouth shut!}

Staring into the mare’s wide fretful eyes, I saw the inkling of fear as she began to suspect the truth, and I knew that Conscio was right.

{Damn it all!}

“Nightmare.” I panted, clearing my throat, “Just… about uh… being in that cave where I destroyed your mana well, and I saw… him for the first time. It just caught me off-guard, I’m fine. Sorry I woke you.”

With her ears flattening against the sides of her head, Twilight put her forelegs around me and assured me that it was okay. Sniffing, I nodded with acceptance and reached up to the bedside table for some water. After having a drink, I lay back down with her, and slowly but surely, the mare drifted off again. I meanwhile, clenched my jaw and stared angrily at the ceiling.

{She deserves the truth, Conscio. If not now, then soon.}

{Fine, on your head be it, but now wasn’t the time.} he muttered, {As for us, we need to prepare ourselves. If that bastard visits us on the nightly, then from here on out, we’re in for a world of pain, lad. Think you can handle that?}

{Guess we’ll find out.} I replied, {What about our location? Think he’ll be able to dig that up?}

{Nah, he was in Sparkle’s head for half a year, and he’s not found us.} he pointed out, {Unless he can torture a confession out of you, it’ll take him a while to find that kind of info.}

Gulping, I nodded faintly and took in a shaky breath.

{What’s the long play?} I asked, {I’m not going six months with this thing in my head, we need to get rid of him.}

{Aye, I’m working on it.} he murmured, {I’ll come up with a plan, dinnae you worry. In the meantime, you best get used to pain, lad. You’ve seen the state of Twilight, if the gangly cunt does to you even half of what he did to her, then Inigo’s treatment in Brazil will feel like sloppy head by comparison. If you thought you and Twiley had something in common before, you sure as shit will after a few rounds with Nah’Lek.}

At this, my eyes started to glass over, for in all truth, I was terrified.

{You’re hardly filling me with confidence, mate.}

{I’m preparing you, lad.} Connie replied, {However bad you think it’ll be, it’s going to be worse. You need to be ready for that, otherwise you’ll be howling our position to him within the week.}

Shaking my head, I gritted my teeth.

{I won’t let that happen.}

{Good, now get some sleep.} he commanded, {If we’re lucky, he won’t pay us two visits in the same night.}

With that, I closed my eyes, knowing that when I opened them again, I might be back inside my own head.


It turned out that we were indeed lucky, for Nah’Lek didn’t return a second time. This sparked the theory that the frequency of his torment might have been limited. Twilight confirmed this the next day upon my asking of how often he attacked her. I learned that Nah’Lek had only descended upon her once per night, and if she was lucky enough to die early, she could get something vaguely resembling a night’s rest. She of course, wanted to know why I had asked, to which I said that I simply wanted to understand her trauma better. I felt awful for lying, but given how fragile she was, I knew it was the right thing to do.

Over breakfast, I silently deliberated with Conscio over how the shade had moved to my head, and the answer was dreadfully simple. Taking full advantage of the link between Twilight’s mind and my own, Nah’Lek had used Hawnu Rey’eng’s collars as a bridge, slipping into my skull without either of us suspecting a thing. Now, we were in a race against time to remove him, before he was able to extract our location from my memories. I could only hope Conscio figured something out before that happened. Not that I trusted his identity any more, but the ever-mysterious voice in my head was undeniably on our side, and so I put my faith in him.

After breakfast, we went for Twilight’s daily walk, and Applejack decided to accompany us this time. We got to talking about Nah’Lek, not that it was an easy conversation for Twilight, but the farm pony wished to know more about the demon that was hunting us. Repeating the long explanation she had given me in Pripyat, Twilight filled AJ in on the old lore surrounding the demigod, and how he had been defeated by the former Titans’ Champion. I then followed up with the physical description of him, sending shudders down all three of our spines.

“Ugh! That there sounds horrifying!” AJ huffed emphatically, “Worse than anything I saw in my time with the Rangers, that’s for sure.”

“The Rangers?” I echoed, tilting my head.

“You don’t know about the Everfree Rangers yet?” said Twilight, “I thought somepony would’ve told you about them by now.”

“Not to my memory.” I shrugged, “What are they exactly?”

“Monster hunters.” said Applejack, lifting her chin with pride.

Now that caught my attention. With a wide-eyed smirk, I insisted they tell me more.

“Well, for starters, ‘monster hunters’ is a huge oversimplification.” said Twilight, “They’re an age-old organisation, funded directly by the Royal House, to serve and protect the country by maintaining the Everfree Forest.”

“Huh…” I murmured, scratching my chin.

Continuing, Twilight told me everything there was to know about them, and it completely and utterly blew my mind. It turned out that the Everfree Forest was infinitely larger than it appeared in the show, spanning enough landmass to rival the United Kingdom in its entirety. It made up a seventh of the country, and was so enormous that the Everfree Rangers had numerous stations dotted all around its outskirts. In total there were forty-six Ranger stations, of which were known as Forts.

“Do monsters from the Everfree really cause that much of a problem?” I inquired, astounded.

“Oh, you betcha!” said AJ, “More ponies die to that darn place than they do to natural causes!”

“Seriously!?”

Nodding, she went on to explain that the cursed forest was ceaselessly attempting to expand, with new trees often manifesting overnight. To combat this, the Everfree Rangers had a specific division for lumber-ponies, known as Loggers, of whom went on regular expeditions to prevent the expansion.

“That’s mental, how did the show never mention this?” I exclaimed.

Practically skipping with excitement, I continued to be educated, and learned that with the breeding grounds and hotspots for monster attacks always changing, there was never a day off for the Rangers. It was one of the most well-paid jobs in the country, and had four unique careers to choose from.

Firstly, there were the Pathfinders, a scouting division that specialised in mapping out the forest and keeping tabs on certain creatures, along with their migration patterns. The Pathfinders was a line of work for ponies who wanted to brave the depths of the forest and study it.

Then there were the Loggers, which, as previously explained, would cut down trees to maintain the eternal spread of the Everfree. It was a good role for strong ponies who weren’t discouraged by the prospect of hostile creatures lurking nearby while they worked, namely timberwolves.

Thirdly, there were the Blockades, defensive Rangers who garrisoned the Forts and specialised in guarding the edges of the woodland, and escorting the Loggers on their expeditions. Clad in thick armour and portable ballistae, they were the shield that guarded the pony realm.

Lastly, and explicitly the most treacherous division of all, there were the Hunters.

The bravest of the brave, it was the sole job of Hunters to do battle with and eradicate the most deadly denizens of the forest. There were all sorts of monsters that came from the Everfree, of all shapes and sizes too, and if a monster was deemed too dangerous, or had migrated too close to the border, the Hunters were sent in to track it down and kill it. Every so often, such monsters left the forest and attacked nearby villages, at which point the Hunters were called in to fight them head-on, either repelling them back into the woodland, or slaying them outright. Needless to say, this division was not for the faint-hearted, and very rarely did a hunt end without casualties, but apparently the pay was very much worth the risk. Unlike the other divisions, which were paid on a monthly wage, the Hunters were paid contractually, with the complexity and lethality of their target determining what they earned; the more dangerous the monster, the more bits were awarded for dealing with it.

As for Applejack, she had worked as a part-time Logger to help fund renovations for the farm. She had considered being a Hunter, but Granny Smith had strictly forbidden it. Even so, she had seen a handful of creatures during her time in the Rangers, from timberwolves to chimeras. Supposedly, the worst thing she had come across was a monster known as a graftbeast, which, as per its name, would add to its own body by attaching limbs and extremities from other dead creatures, grafting them into itself and reanimating them in the process. After that horrifying encounter, Applejack gave up the job for good, and remained safely on the farm with her family.

“Blimey, what a line of work!” I proclaimed, “Tell you what, if I lived in Equestria, I would be signing up as a Hunter in a heartbeat.”

“After that thing we fought in Pripyat, I believe it.” Twilight agreed.

“You’ve sure as apples got what it takes for the job.” Applejack chipped in.

There was then a moment of silence, and the two mares looked at me with an evident sense of woe, and I knew what they were thinking. At the mention of me living in Equestria, they knew there would come a time that we would part ways. By Celestia’s decree, a life for me in their world was out of the question.

“Hey, we’ve still got plenty of time together, okay?” I reminded them, “We only have two pieces of the Orb, so we’re not even halfway yet!”

At that, they both nodded, and after an exchange of hugs, we made our way back to the mansion.


We were just making our approach, when an ear-splitting scream came from inside, filling the three of us with dread.

“That sounded like Rainbow Dash!” I gasped.

Sprinting ahead of Twilight, I shot indoors with Applejack at my side. We were about to ascend the stairs, only for a flash of blue to come hurtling down instead, shooting past us like a bullet and whizzing out through the front door.

“Rainbow Dash! Come back!” Fluttershy shouted, rushing down the stairs after her.

The three of us charged after the pegasus, with Blu zipping outside to join us as well. Twilight then caught up, where the five of us stared in disbelief at the sight before us. Pinkie and Rarity then emerged as well, and with eyes like watery saucers, we savoured every heart-melting second of this moment.

“Rainbow…” I breathed, choking up, “You’re…”

“I’m flying!” she squealed at the top of her voice, “I’m fucking flying!”

Sobbing loudly to herself with tears of joy, Rainbow zipped all around us in a state of unparalleled euphoria. Up, down, and all around, the pegasus had at long last returned to the skies, and after shooting up to touch the clouds, she finally landed, skidding to a halt in front of us and spreading her wings to reveal a vibrant array of pristine cyan feathers.

She had made a full recovery.

Stepping forward, I placed my hand against the outstretched limb, lightly dragging my fingers across the plumes while Dashie wiggled excitedly. They were silky soft, yet strong and sturdy, as though she had never been plucked in the first place. Oliver’s little science experiment with the Oozima had paid off with flying colours, as it were.

“For goodness’ sake, Dashie!” Fluttershy scolded, “I told you very specifically not to do that!”

“Oh come on, I just had to!” Rainbow protested, “I’ve not flown in months, I couldn’t help it!”

“But that’s my point, Rainbow Dash, you haven’t used those muscles in a long time. What if you’d sprained them just now? Do you really want to make yourself flightless again by accident?”

Rolling her eyes, Dashie scoffed at Fluttershy, boasting that her wings could never sprain, for they belonged to the most awesome flyer in all of Equestria. Proving the point, she jumped up and gave her wings a flap, sending her upwards. After performing a flip, she landed in the exact same spot, giggling profusely to herself. She then started prancing around us, bobbing her head from side to side; it was the happiest I had ever seen her, and she deserved to be. I told Fluttershy to relax, and then I had an idea that would make both parties happy. With Rainbow still unaware of my plan to take her in search of the Orb shard with me, I used that to my advantage, and smirked.

“Hey Dash, c’mere. I’ve got a deal for you.”

Still grinning, she zipped up to me, and stooping down to her level, I made the proposition.

“If you let Fluttershy check you over properly, and you spend today doing all the boring medical stuff, then tomorrow, you and I can go and look for the next Orb piece together, just the two of us. Well, us and Blu, because he knows the way.”

At that, her eyes widened.

“Wait, really?”

“Really really.” I confirmed, “What do you say?”

Biting her lip, Rainbow Dash contemplated the offer, before grinning once again and nodding frantically.

“Deal!”

With that, she continued to hop and dance around us, which was when Twilight came up to her.

“Hey, I just wanted to say, um… I’m really happy for you, Dashie. I know how big this moment is for you.”

Eyeing the unicorn up and down, Rainbow’s happy expression faded away, and with a sneer, she craned her neck to look at Fluttershy instead.

“Come on, let’s go do boring medical stuff.” she spat.

Turning around, she gave Twilight a spiteful whip with her tail, and then strutted indoors with Fluttershy. Twilight said nothing, she just looked at the ground with her ears drooping, evidently fighting the urge to cry. With a hefty sigh, I shook my head, knowing just how challenging Rainbow was going to be on this trip. Still, I refused to let myself get down about it, for this was a time of celebration. None of us had known when, or even if, Dashie’s flight would return in full, and in spite of her attitude towards Twilight, I was happy for her all the same.

It was then that Blu fluttered over to Twilight, and looked up at her from the ground. Craning his neck, he helped to brighten the mare’s spirits by saying that he didn’t think she was bad any more, and that Rainbow Dash was just being a feather-brained buffoon.

“She may have feathers on her wings again, but there are still more feathers in her head! Quark!”

“Thanks Blu…” she laughed faintly, “I appreciate you saying that.”

“Nice Purple, nice Purple!”

Taking off, he landed on Twilight’s head and gave one of her ears a playful nibble, before taking off again to return to Fluttershy. I silently thanked the bird for lightening the mood again, and as everyone began to disperse, I offered Twilight a cup of coffee. Gladly accepting, we went indoors and into the kitchen, where I located the instant coffee, along with the milk from the refrigerated section of Rarity’s saddlebag. Being a milk lover, I seized the opportunity to pour myself a glass, which prompted a huff of amusement from Twilight.

“Don’t judge me, I like my milk.” I chuckled, sticking my tongue out at her.

“I didn’t say anything.” she replied coyly, smirking at me.

“If only I had a few cookies to dunk…”

At that, Twilight pointed out that Pinkie had brought plenty, having packed enough cookies to last her for at least a year. Snapping my fingers at her and smiling, I commended her for the recommendation, before putting my hands to my mouth and hollering loudly.

“Whoop, whoop! That’s the sound of da police!”

In seconds, the clattering of hooves on the stairs could be heard, and Pinkie Pie skidded into the room, almost crashing into a cabinet upon entry. Locking eyes with me, she finished the other half of the lyric, just as I had predicted she would.

“Whoop, whoop! That’s the sound of da beast!”

She waited for my play, and I squinted my eyes at her, slightly bending my knees and positioning myself like a cowboy during a stand-off. Quick to reciprocate, she narrowed her eyes as well and prepared to draw, with the two of us effectively imitating an old Western movie. Furrowing my brow and putting on a thick Texan accent, I wiggled my fingers around my imaginary revolver, and let the exchange begin.

“We got ourselves one cow shake for fifty pounds a pop, but we ain’t got no chunky-hunkies for the ol’ steam tank. What’s your dangle at, partner?”

Baring her teeth, Pinkie pulled a stalk of wheat from her mane and put it in her mouth.

“That’s one heck of a rustle you have there, friend.” she snarled, “But this cowpony don’t cut a dry deal for fifty pounds a pop. It’ll take some of your harvest to make this chicken lay an egg.”

I wiggled my fingers again, and Pinkie twitched her ears. The tension grew thicker and thicker, while poor Twilight hadn’t so much as a clue of what was going on. Licking my lower lip, I offered her seven pounds a pop, to which she tutted.

“Fifteen.” she challenged, refusing my offer.

“How about eight?” I proposed, “We could shake and make it happen.”

“Twelve.”

“Maybe nine…” I said, more to myself.

“Ten, final offer!”

I thought about it for a moment, before dipping my chin and grimacing at her.

“Done.”

With that, Pinkie stood up straight, stuck her tongue out at me, and then hurried out of the room. Breaking into a toothy smile, I began chuckling to myself. It had been a long while since I had had a crazy moment with Pinkie, and to have one after so long filled my heart with glee. I turned to face Twilight to find the poor unicorn in shock, utterly bewildered by the random experience.

“So, um… what the heck did I just witness?” she asked.

“Quite simple really.” I elaborated, “I told Pinkie that I have a glass of milk, and wanted some of her cookies to dunk. In return, she wants a sip of my milk, and we were arguing over how big of a sip she’s allowed to have. A fair trade if you ask me…”

Thinking on what we had said during the stand-off, Twilight began to translate the words, and then blinked a few times with astonishment, shaking her head.

“That’s… incredible! Since when could you understand Pinkie like that?”

“I don’t think there was a time when I couldn’t.” I admitted, “I’ve always enjoyed her craziness, it’s almost like a language. Once you understand it, you can have insane moments like that with her.”

“I hadn’t thought about it like that.” Twilight murmured, “Seriously Callum, that’s profound!”

Not knowing how to take the praise, I simply shrugged at her and chuckled, which was when Pinkie whizzed back into the room with her mouth wide open. Half a dozen cookies were suspended between her teeth, and with a roll of my eyes, I took them from her and handed back the ones with drool on them. Gesturing to the glass of milk, I allowed her to have a sip from it. She didn’t take a drop more than we had agreed upon, and after licking her lips and taking a bow, Pinkie trotted back upstairs to her room, humming merrily to herself.

With Twilight and I now both giggling, I put the kettle on to boil and proceeded to enjoy my cookies and milk, which I of course shared with Twilight. We then went back up to her room, and being rife with curiosity, we got out Hawnu Rey’eng’s collars to study them.

“Funny old things, aren’t they?” I muttered, dangling one of them in front of me.

“Yeah, so funny they gave us paralysis and almost frickin’ killed us.” she scoffed in reply.

“True, but they also saved your life.” I pointed out, “Without these, you’d be dead.”

Twilight grumbled an inaudible reply and I started to examine my collar more closely. Using my fingernail to open up the little panel, I recalled the Guardian’s explanation on how the two switches governed both the host brain and body swapping mechanics respectively.

{You know, I’d bet my left testicle we could use these in our fight against the shade.} said Conscio.

“You’re a part of my brain, you don’t even have testicles.” I retorted under my breath.

“What!?” Twilight squeaked.

Quickly becoming flustered, I realised that I had said that aloud, with Twilight only being able to hear my end of the conversation. Awkwardly clearing my throat, I explained that Conscio was just talking about the collars.

“Okay, but what do the collars have to do with testicles exactly?”

“Nothing, he was just being an idiot!” I barked.

Twilight giggled, as did Conscio, leaving me with a disgruntled frown. Thinking about his actual theory though, it was definitely a good one; perhaps I could team up with Twilight to fight Nah’Lek as a unit? At that, I nodded, and after looking at the curious mare for a few seconds, I couldn’t bear it any more.

“Nope, I can’t do this.” I grunted, shaking my head, “Twilight, I need to tell you something.”

{Oi, what are you doing, lad?}

“What is it?” Twilight asked, her brow raising in alarm.

{Don’t you tell her!} Conscio barked, {Don’t you bloody-well dare!}

“Shut up, Conscio!” I snapped back, making Twilight jump, “Look, he didn’t want me telling you, because he knows you’re going to freak out, but I can’t lie to you about this.”

Shuffling uncomfortably, Twilight allowed me to go on.

“You know I had a nightmare last night? Well it wasn’t a memory of the Frozen Forest, I was in my own. He’s in my head, Twi. He used these collars to hop from your brain into mine, and now he’s pilfering through my memories as we speak.”

Twilight stared at me, caught entirely off-guard by the revelation. Needless to say, she was horrified, with the poor mare’s face becoming as pale as a sheet. I then felt the bed vibrating as her entire frame started to shiver.

“This is why you asked me those questions earlier.” she croaked, “Oh gosh, no… no-no, no!”

“Hey, stay with me.” I breathed, putting a hand on her foreleg, “I didn’t want to tell you, but you deserve to know. Look, Conscio’s already coming up with a plan, so by the time I get back with Rainbow, he’ll know what to do.”

“N-No, you c-can’t go!” Twilight stuttered, doing all she could to remain calm, “He’s going to torture you!”

And then, realising that it had already begun, she sat bolt upright and asked what had happened last night.

“It wasn’t too bad.” I sighed, “He stabbed me through the chest and it was over quite quickly. I think he just wanted to scare me, to let me know he’s still alive.”

“It’s only going to get worse.” she whispered, shaking like a leaf, “However bad you think his tortures are going to be, I promise you… they’re so much worse!”

“Connie’s already had that talk with me.” I confessed, tensing my muscles, “Look, I’m not going to blow my own trumpet and say it’ll be a breeze, but I can handle it, okay?”

Bursting into tears, Twilight latched onto me and started sobbing, apologising for what was about to happen to me, and proclaiming that I didn’t yet understand the true extent of Nah’Lek’s maltreatment, though I was sure I would soon. She then sat back up in a panic, and said that we needed to tell the others. I disagreed, for I didn’t want them worrying.

“If Rainbow catches wind of this, she’ll go up the bloody wall.” I said, “We need to stick to the plan, and get the next piece on the double. That way, we can get the hell out of dodge if he somehow gets a whiff of where we are. Besides, if I went back on my deal with Rainbow, you know for a fact we’d never hear the end of it.”

Seeing the logic, Twilight understood, and with all the trust in the world, she allowed me to take charge of the company. Until further notice, I called the shots, and so it was that I would still depart with Rainbow Dash tomorrow. Still crying, she started trying to insinuate that this was all her fault, and that if I had just left her to die, I wouldn’t be in this situation right now.

“Don’t you start with that shit.” I ordered, “This isn’t your fault. If anything, it’s that stupid Guardian’s fault for losing the fight.”

“Wait, he lost?”

Nodding, I explained how Hawnu Rey’eng had been defeated by Nah’Lek, with my death following close behind. I shuddered at the memory of having my spine torn out through my belly, and it dawned on me that it might not have been the last time I experienced such a thing. Practically reading my mind, Twilight fell apart again, descending into a full-blown panic attack at the prospect of me suffering the same agony she had suffered. Morbid as it was, especially in light of recent events, I suggest potentially taking my own life whenever I awoke in his nightmares, only for Twilight to insist how bad of an idea that was. Nah’Lek wasn’t one to be cheated, and if I were to escape my nightly sessions with him, they would only accumulate into something much, much worse.

“I tried killing myself a few times to escape it.” she told me, “All he did was torture me even worse the next time he caught me.”

“Well, there goes that idea…” I spat.

{Aye.} Conscio grumbled in agreement, {However, I think I might have something.}

Indicating to Twilight that Connie was talking, I heard him out.

{Just as I had some control over Twilight’s body in the Frozen Forest, I might be able to pull some strings in yours. I cannae make any promises, but I might be able to wake you up if things get too intense. He wouldn’t know it was me, so it would just look like you were woken by something in the waking world. That way, there’s a slim chance he wouldn’t punish you for it.}

Relaying all that to Twilight, I received a nod of approval, and after calming down, we spent the rest of the day rife with anxiety, well aware of what was waiting for me tonight. Soon enough, the evening came, and after dinner, we returned to Twilight’s bedroom, and having slept side by side yesterday, she invited me onto her bed for comfort. Being absolutely terrified, I accepted the offer.

“I’m going to be okay.” I told her, taking her hoof in my hand.

“Do you promise?” she whispered.

Smiling weakly, I moved closer to her, so that our noses were almost touching. I stared into her enormous, fearful eyes, and swore that I would endure this, no matter what. Nodding, she trusted in my vow, and with a pensive huff, I got comfortable and decided to get this over with. Shutting my eyes, I let Twilight watch over me, holding my hand until I was finally able to drift off.





My eyes flashed open, and I found myself on the same bed, though Twilight was no longer here. The bedding was mouldy and the whole bedroom reeked of damp and mildew.

“Well, here we go…” I mumbled.

Knowing my fate was inevitable, I chose not to run and hide like Twilight did, I just lay there on my back, waiting patiently for Nah’Lek to come to me. Nearly an hour later, the hunter came, as a knocking sounded at the bedroom door.

“Fuck off, I’m having a wank!” I barked, evoking a chuckle from Conscio.

The knocking stopped, as though my order had been obeyed. About a minute later, I heard a scuttling noise by the bedroom window, and to my alarm, I saw a clawed limb slowly emerging from between the curtains.

“I’ll take ‘The Dark Lord Sauron’, for five-hundred bucks please, Scott.” I drawled, raising a single eyebrow.

The claws froze, before receding back behind the curtain and out of sight. I then felt a prickling sensation on my right leg, and looking down, I spotted a large spider crawling up my shin. It was an Eratigena atrica, more commonly known as the giant house spider, of which I had seen many of growing up, and although I wasn’t arachnophobic, I had been terrified of them as a boy.

“Aww, you dug up one of my childhood fears.” I scoffed, “That’s cute.”

Reaching forward, I brushed the spider off me and onto the floor. This was when more of them emerged from under the bed, skittering towards me with haste. They didn’t stop coming, and soon there were scores of them, crawling all over me from head to toe. It was certainly enough to freak me out, and now shaking profusely, I clamped my eyes shut and covered my face, desperate for them to go away.

“Ugh! Okay, yup! This is bloody horrible! Well played!” I wailed into my hands.

“Are you still amused?” said Nah’Lek.

At the sound of his voice, the spiders all perished, bursting into black powder. Lowering my hands to see, I was met with the Defiler at the end of the bed, encased in black smoke.

“Took you long enough.” I muttered, grimacing.

His eyes were all I could see, and without uttering a word, he floated around to the bedside, until he was looming over me. It took every ounce of self-control to remain calm, and with a coy expression, I raised an eyebrow at him.

“So… are you here for the turndown service or what?”

In a flash, one of Nah’Lek’s claws emerged from the smoke, clasping a dagger which he planted into my thigh. It went all the way through my leg and pierced the mattress, causing me to throw my head back with a loud gasp.

“F-F-Fuck!”

His other arm emerged from the fog and grabbed me by the throat, followed by his true form emerging in full. Lowering himself down to me, Nah’Lek promised to make this quick if I told him where we were hiding.

“You seem to be in quite the hurry to find us.” I grunted, “That just tells me you’re desperate, so let’s skip the formalities and cut to the chase. You’re not getting a word out of me, and you’ll now endeavour to change that, so just crack on and do your worst.”

He twisted the dagger in reply, and I let out a low, blood-curdling growl. My eyes watered up, and I had to blink to restore my vision.

“You are resilient, I’ll grant you that.” he spoke to me, “And yet, rest assured, this is just the beginning. When I am done with you, I will have what I want, and there will be naught left of you but a quivering shell of your former self, yearning for death.”

“Been there, done that.” I spat with tears now streaming down my cheeks.

“So I have seen.” he said, “The weeping pup, forlorn and defective, crumbling beneath the weight of his own frail existence. ‘Twas a pathetic display, unworthy of the station you now find yourself in. Why such a pitiful whelp was selected by the Sisters remains a mystery, even to me. But lo, I digress…”

Tearing the dagger out of me and tossing it away, Nah’Lek brought his face down to mine and stared into my very soul.

“We have begun a journey, little bug. A journey wherein you shall partake of my cup of agony and terror, as did Twilight before you. Anguish and inebriety will befall and fill you, little bug, for my cup is vast and deep, filled to the brim with unspeakable pain and fathomless devastation. You will drain this cup and your mind will shatter, and come the dawn, you will beat your breast in despair, knowing it shall all play out again. Every visit, the cup shall be refilled, and every visit, it shall be larger than it was before. You will continue to drink, ‘til your belly swells and bursts, and still I will have you drink. You will be torn asunder and blighted from within, and though you may beg and bargain for the release of death, it shall only come to you once my cup is empty.”

With every word he spoke, I wanted to cry. This was a degree of fright that I simply could not put to words, and yet, for all the horrifying notions he was forcing into my mind, there was one thing that kept me from cracking.

Twilight…
If she could endure this monster, then so could I.

Gritting my teeth, I looked up at him with a face of defiance, and snarled.

“Bring it on then, Nah’Lek. Slake my thirst…”

He was more than happy to oblige.





I woke with a jolt, and was quick to clutch my stomach as the harrowing sensations slowly faded away. Twilight woke up as well, and once I had calmed down, she asked if I was alright.

“I think so…” I groaned.

{Well, at least now we know what colour your kidneys are.} Conscio hummed.

{Fuck off, brain tumour.} I thought back to him.

“How bad?” Twilight asked, gulping.

“Pretty bad.” I confessed, “Ugh, I don’t think I’ll be eating breakfast today.”

Lunging forward, Twilight hugged me and burst into tears. The poor thing cried and cried, and it was hard not to cry with her. Eventually she settled down again, and now clutching one another tightly, we lay back down to rest for what little of the night remained. The dread now swimming around in my head was almost unbearable. Even with my eyes shut, they darted in all directions as each terrifying thought raced across my brain. If what I had just endured was only the beginning, then every night for the foreseeable future was going to be hell…


Come morning, I opened my eyes to find the lilac unicorn nestled against me, breathing sluggishly. A part of me was thankful, that even with the shade undestroyed, she might finally have blissful rest, with me now carrying the burden instead of her. Given my place as the ponies’ guide and protector, it was only fitting that I endured this in Twilight’s stead. In short, I held no resentment for taking on her parasite, and with Conscio promising to wake me up next time, I went into the new day with an air of confidence about me, in spite of the shade’s presence.

Coming downstairs and into the kitchen, I found Rainbow Dash wide awake and raring to go. Rarity and Applejack were up as well, and had already sorted out supplies. We had a week’s worth of food and water, along with the small tent that I’d often slept in with Fluttershy. Spotting me enter, Rainbow zipped up to me with a grin on her face.

“Ready when you are, dude!”

“Good morning to you too.” I chuckled, ruffling her mane, “Let me have my coffee first, and then we’ll head out.”

Eager to help, Rarity quickly put the kettle on to boil for me.

“It’s a might cold out there.” Applejack pointed out, “Y’all going to be warm enough?”

“Hmm, I suppose I could do with an extra layer.” I mumbled.

“Oh, there are some human clothes in my room.” said Dashie, “Want to go pick some out?”

Nodding, I made a quick trip up with her. She directed me to a large dresser, within which were all sorts of clothes to pick from. As with the jeans, they were all the slightest bit big for me, but that hardly mattered. Taking off the white shirt, of which was rather useless in the cold, I took two long-sleeved tops and went to put them on instead.

“Damn, those scars!” Rainbow exclaimed, pointing at my body, “Dude, you look awful.”

“I hear that’s how you like ‘em.” I teased, winking at her.

Immediately blushing, she let out a nervous giggle and looked away.

“Pfft, did Applejack tell you that?”

“Mm-hmm.” I confirmed.

Rolling her eyes, she let me get dressed in silence, taking in the view, and once I was decked out in some more suitable winter clothing, I went back down for my coffee. Fluttershy and Blu had woken up too now, and consuming a good portion of an apple, the bird hopped onto my shoulder and cocked his head.

“Set sail, pretty boy! Quaark!”

Chuckling, I jubilantly obeyed, and with Rainbow Dash prancing at my side, we set off down the mountain. Every so often, the pegasus took to the air, though she mostly just allowed herself to glide beside me, as opposed to shooting off into the clouds.

“Not going to lie, I thought you’d be up there doing flips and stuff.” I hummed, gesturing skyward.

“Yeah, I thought I’d go easy to start with.” Dashie confessed, “My exam didn’t go so great yesterday.”

“Oh?” I murmured, tilting my head.

Putting her mouth to one side, Rainbow explained that due to not using her wings for so long, the muscles had atrophied to some degree. She couldn’t fly nearly as fast as she could before, and it would take time to build up her former aptitude. Not wanting to pull the muscles and end up not flying at all, the mare had taken Fluttershy’s advice, and was now only sticking to gliding and light flying for the time being.

“That’s… alarmingly mature of you, Rainbow.” I remarked, smirking at her.

“Oh come on, I’m not that immature.” she spat back defiantly.

At that, I started laughing, which she responded to by whipping me with her tail. Blu then fluttered down to join in on the banter, landing on Rainbow’s head. Hopping up and down, he said that she was more immature than she was a pegasus. Gasping, Rainbow flared her wings and furrowed her brow.

“Alright, that’s it!”

Shaking her head, Dash knocked the parrot off balance. He toppled down and caught himself in mid-air, which was when Rainbow gave chase.

“Ah! Don’t kill me! Don’t kill me!” he squawked.

Ignoring her previous sentiment, she took off after Blu with the intent to catch him. I laughed loudly as they raced across the sky, which went on for quite some time. She eventually caught him, seizing the feathery little blighter and ruffling the top of his head with her hoof. She then let him go and landed back next to me.

“So much for resting your wings.” I teased.

“Hey, he was asking for it!” she puffed back, slightly out of breath.

Tutting, I rolled my eyes and we pressed on. We talked along the way, mostly about Equestria and her ambitions as a Wonderbolt. There was a fair amount of playful banter too, but as we neared the elephant in the room, I couldn’t help but sense the tension.

“So… you’re still pretty mad at Twilight, huh?”

“Ugh, I knew this would come up.” she groaned.

“Hey, come on, we’ve been having a nice time.”

“Then don’t ruin it by talking about her!”

Sighing, I lowered my head and tried to convince her that Twilight had changed, and once again reinforced the fact that the Fel had driven her to behave in the way that she had. Stopping in her tracks, Rainbow whipped around and glared at me.

“Don’t give me that shit!” she growled, “She started treating you like trash from day one, and she wasn’t all corrupted back then! That was her choice, not Nah’Lek’s, not Celestia’s, hers! I watched my best friend turn into a monster, and then I had to just sit back and watch her bully someone I care about! She hurt you, and she wanted to hurt you, all because she was scared of some crap Celestia told her! I’m not forgiving her for that, and you’re not changing my mind!”

Sighing with frustration, I refused to get angry with her, though I did continue trying to reason with her.

“Look, Twil-”

“Twilight nothing, dude!” she cut in, “She’s not my friend any more! She’s a bitch, and I hate her, and there’s nothing you can say to change that, so just drop it already!”

Kneeling down in front of her, I tilted my head and spoke calmly to her in a warm, caring manner.

“What’s this really about, Dashie?”

I looked into her eyes for a moment, which was when she sniffed and looked away, exhaling heavily and scraping at the ground with one of her hooves.

“Do you know how hard I tried to stay loyal to her? Loyalty’s my freaking element, dude, and after all we’ve been through together, I tried so hard to believe in her. The way she treated you wasn’t right, but I had to let it happen, otherwise I’d be betraying who I’m supposed to be. That shit tore me up, and I got so confused! Then my wings got taken away, and nothing mattered to me any more. Then you, being the wonderful asshole you are, helped to ground me, ironic as that is.”

{She knows what irony is?} Conscio chuckled, {I thought she was too thick for that concept.}

{Not now, idiot.} I scoffed back to him, admittedly amused by the comment.

Continuing, Rainbow Dash tried to explain how after her emotional breakdown in England, she had struggled with her identity. Twilight had robbed her of her sense of loyalty, while Inigo’s cartel had robbed her of her wings, and thus her validity as a pegasus. Her career as a Wonderbolt had been destroyed, and with that, Rainbow Dash was a nobody. And then, amidst all that, this kind, gentle person had been there for her, as a pair of listening ears, and a shoulder to cry on. She brought up the time I sang for her during one of her panic attacks, and how it had calmed her down.

“You just… kept me going, you know?” she mumbled, “You helped me feel like things were going to be okay, and like I still mattered. After that, you became my best friend, dude. I really care about you, and seeing you get treated so badly by that bitch, it just made me so angry! Then she took you away from me, and I had to spend weeks with her, treating us all like shit, while we had no clue where you were, or when we’d get to see you again!”

With tears now flowing from her eyes, the pegasus lamented over how scary Twilight had been, and that she never knew when the next threat or insult was going to come. On top of that, Rainbow had quite simply missed me, yet since my return to the group, I had barely spent a minute with her.

“Ever since you fixed her, you’ve been obsessed with each other, it’s like the rest of us don’t even matter any more! You spend all day in her room chatting, acting like she didn’t kill your fucking girl! When we go back to Equestria, you’ll be left behind, a lonely husk left to wander alone, that’s what you said. Those were your words, and now it’s like you don’t even care.”

Stomping her hoof, Rainbow started to cry even louder.

“Well I do care!” she spluttered, “You’ve given your whole life to us, the least you deserve is to be happy afterwards, and that bitch took that away from you! Now whenever I see her, all I feel is this burning rage in my stomach. I hate her, Callum! I fucking hate her!”

At that, I opened my arms, and without missing a beat she fell into me, sobbing profusely as she cursed Twilight with every swear word in her vocabulary. The poor thing had been bottling her emotions for months, and this was the result. Feeling guilty, I saw her point; since saving Twilight’s life, she had become everything I cared about. But how could she not? Twilight had been through things that I couldn’t even comprehend, and having stopped her from killing herself, I now felt an insatiable need to protect her.

Still, now wasn’t the time to contest Dashie’s feelings. She needed to feel listened to, and validated, and so I did just that. Holding her tightly and swaying from side to side, I let her cry herself out, while gently telling her over and over that it was okay. Like draining pus from an infection, this needed to happen, and as her ranting and crying gradually came to an end, I pulled back and asked if she felt better. Wiping her eyes and sniffing, she looked at me and nodded.

“That’s good.” I whispered.

“I still hate her…” she rasped.

“That’s okay.” I replied calmly, “You’re allowed to feel angry, and I’m sorry for making you feel like you couldn’t be. I’ve said this to Rarity, and I’ll say it to you. You don’t need to forgive her right now, I’m not asking that of you. I completely agree that we all need some time to accept everything that’s happened. All I ask is that in the future, after you’ve had all the time you need, you give Twilight a chance. Do you think you can do that for me?”

There was a long pause, layered with many frowns and facial twitches. Eventually though, and with great reluctance, Rainbow said she would think about it, and I didn’t push it any further than that.

“Atta girl.” I said.

Leaning forward, I kissed her on the cheek, and then stood up.

{Lad, come on…} Conscio tutted, {That kiss was manipulative, and you know it.}

{Yeah, just a bit.} I admitted, {I shouldn’t have done that.}

Silently promising not to exploit Dashie’s affection like that again, I promptly moved on, instructing Blu to continue leading us in the direction of the Orb piece. He did so without question, flying off and whistling to himself without a care in the world. Rainbow took off and followed him, and after a few minutes in the air, she bounced back to her normal self again.

We travelled ‘til sundown, at which point we set up the tent and made camp for the night. Our dinner was some leftover mushroom pie from last night, and after finishing it off, we turned in and started to get ready for sleep. Blu remained outside, where he insisted that he would be fine in a nearby tree. Being a tropical bird from hot and humid Brazil, I had my concerns, but who was I to question a talking animal?

Getting comfortable in my sleeping bag, I turned to face Rainbow and thanked her for venting to me earlier, and for allowing me to understand why she was still so angry with Twilight. She said that I was welcome, and after a quick hug, we turned away from each other and lay back to back, where the two of us gradually drifted off.





“Ugh, here we go again…” I muttered.

I opened my eyes, and as per the last three nights, the tent was mouldy, warped, and stunk of rot. This visitation marked my fifth night with Nah’Lek’s shade inside my head, and as promised, his cup of agony and terror had only ever grown. Tonight, my sleeping bag was moving, and was fleshy to the touch. Upon closer inspection, I found it to be made of human skin, sending a shudder through me. It clung to my body as I peeled myself out of it, and as it squirmed around in search of me, I spotted a birthmark, and realised whose skin it was.

It was Bunnie’s.

Immediately feeling sick to my stomach, I tore open the tent and scrambled away from it. This was the first time I had gone outside, for until now, I had forced Nah’Lek to come to me, robbing him of any form of pursuit. I found myself surrounded by the same trees from before, bearing their colourless blossoms. They all had the same black creepers girdling their trunks, and beneath my feet was soft grass, spanning in colour between milky white and primrose yellow.

“I have borne witness to many minds, but this one is indeed… peculiar.” said Nah’Lek.

Turning around, I spotted him just a few metres away, once again shrouded in smoke.

“Not waiting around this time, huh?” I muttered, tensing my muscles.

Not replying, the Defiler drifted towards me, slowly shifting into his true form. He then withdrew the staff from his back, where the emerald crystal at one end started to glow.

“I see you can still use the Fel in here.” I grunted, “Not that it’s permanent, being a nightmare.”

“You think this a mere apparition, little bug?” he replied, almost amused, “With the Fel dying in Twilight’s body, I took the liberty of bringing some of it here. You shall be its new vessel, and this time, there will be no preventing its assimilation.”

Plunging the staff into the ground, Nah’Lek muttered something under his breath, and I watched in alarm as raw Fel billowed out from the crystal. It seeped into the ground and spread like a fire, scorching the grass and burning it away. It then spread to the nearby trees, where something truly extraordinary occurred. The vines that ensnared each wooden body tightened their grip, and as the Fel attempted to sink into the bark, it was instead taken into the black creepers. They shone green for a moment, before breaking down the Fel and returning to normal, loosening their grip once again.

“An inoculation?” Nah’Lek murmured, “Now that is interesting…”

Smirking, I knew he would likely harm me after this, but it felt good to have an opportunity to gloat.

“That’s right, bitch, I’m resistant to it. However much you brought from Twilight’s body, it doesn’t matter, you can’t infect me with it. You control the deadliest magic in the universe, and you can’t even use it to hurt me.”

In the blink of an eye, Nah’Lek was upon me, where he swung the staff into my left shoulder with enough force to shatter the bone. I let out an agonised shout and dropped to my knees, momentarily incapacitated by the injury.

“As though I need the Fel to hurt you…” Nah’Lek scoffed.

Gritting my teeth, I stood back up to face him, where I began to chuckle through my agonised whimpers.

“In what conceivable way does this amuse you?” he inquired, tilting his head.

“Oh it’s just… it’s been a few nights of this now… and you still have no clue… how powerless you are!” I mewled, allowing the tears to flow.

“Powerless?”

With his eyes changing from purple to red, he lunged forward and knocked me onto my side, where he proceeded to grab my right leg with his claws. They clamped around my thigh, and squeezed harder and harder, until the skin split, and the bone crushed. I let out a deafening scream as he pulled me apart, throwing my leg away and leaving me with a mangled stump.

“Am I so powerless now?” he snarled.

I barely heard him, for I was still howling in distress, but as I rolled onto my back, I continued to laugh through the immense pain. Crossing some form of mental threshold, there came a madness in me, where the more Nah’Lek hurt me, the funnier it became. Whether it was a subconscious survival tactic, or my inner self-loathing basking in the torment, it didn’t matter, only that it kept me from succumbing to the Defiler’s malice. Angered by my bizarre reaction, Nah’Lek grabbed me by the throat and hoisted me into the air.

“You’ve… really got a thing for… choking people!” I wheezed, “Do you have an erotic asphyxiation kink by chance?”

Now royally irritated, Nah’Lek threw me away from him, where I was able to land on my one good leg and remain standing. Now hopping, I drenched the grass beneath me in crimson, and with a cackle, I fought to maintain my balance.

“Play all the games you wish, but you will break in time.” said Nah’Lek.

“That’s nice.” I sang, still hopping, “Meanwhile, I’m here with one leg and I’m still kicking your arse!”

At that, he shoved me to the ground, where I stared up at him through bloodshot eyes, my whole body quivering from the shock. The Defiler then placed a claw on my other leg, and looking down at it, I knew whatever he did next was going to be agonising. Without much of a choice, I did the only thing I could, which was to beat him to the idea, denying him full control of the situation.

“I’ve got a bit of an itch, just down there on my knee. Would you be so kind?”

Tilting his head in acknowledgement, Nah’Lek trailed his claw down to the top of my knee, where it began to pierce the skin. Arching my back, I began crying out at the top of my lungs as the claw slipped underneath the patella. I threw my head from side to side, howling and shrieking, yet still I resisted.

“RUUAAAGGHH!” I screamed, “YOU’VE NEARLY GOT IT!”

Closing his grip, Nah’Lek yanked upwards, tearing out the kneecap and leaving me screaming like never before. I repeatedly smacked the ground with my one good arm, and then proceeded to burst into further maniacal laughter. Coursing solely on adrenaline and shock, I knew I had lost my mind, but it was better than telling him what he wanted to know.

“YES!” I bellowed, choking on my own spit, “Oh, yes! You got it! Thank you!”

I was both sobbing and roaring with laughter at the same time, and just as it seemed like it couldn’t get any worse, Nah’Lek made another advance. Swallowing, I watched in horror as his bloodied claws closed in between what remained of my legs, and with a gasp, all sense of humour fled from my body.

“You… You wouldn’t…” I murmured.

“Would I not?” he replied, his mandibles clicking, “Are you under some delusion that I have limitations, little bug?”

Grabbing my functioning arm, he forced me into the dirt, and brought his chattering mouth to my ear.

“Pain is not found solely in sundered flesh and broken bone. If your rending will not yield answers, I will resort to other means, just as I did with her…”

Shuddering, my eyes flared open, and picking up on my dread, he chose to elaborate. He told me how delicate Twilight had been at the start, with the simplest of cuts and bruises leaving her grovelling for mercy. But as time went on, she learned to endure it, with the countless hunts slowly blurring into one, and so Nah’Lek devised new means of harming her.

“As time did wane, I unearthed ever more memories.” he went on, “I learned of her yearning for companionship, and the profound insecurities therein. Twilight’s virtue… her cleanliness, and her purity… it meant everything to her, and thus I laid it to ruin.”

Now shaking more from anger than from pain, I stared into Nah’Lek’s eyes as he divulged just how deserving he was of his title.

“There was not a span of her that I did not bless with my presence. Not even the howling winds of the Frozen Forest could repress her screams. I almost miss the sound, and I seldom yearn.”

All I could do was stare at him, quaking with rage. The fire in my belly burned hotter than the one that took Bunnie from me, and still, Nah’Lek continued.

“Though she babbled and squealed, she never did betray your location. That was the one thing she never unveiled. But when I started flaying her? Now that was when she truly started to break. I peeled her, little bug, ‘til she was naught but flesh and sinew. Had I just a few sessions more with her, I would surely have drawn a confession.”

The claws brushed my inner thighs, until they were resting against that which I held most dear.

“Will you confess, little bug? Or shall we become more acquainted?”

{Conscio, now would be a really good time.} I thought urgently.

{I’m trying, lad!} he shouted back to me, {It’s not working!}

“Conscio?” Nah’Lek rasped, removing his claw, “Is that what he’s calling you?”

Gulping, I stared at the Defiler as he backed away and removed his staff.

“I overheard your little scheme. Bold of you to assume it would work. However, there will be no awakening until I am satisfied. But perhaps, the fruitless nature of these nightly visits lies with me? Perhaps, I have been pursuing the wrong prey…”

{Oh fuck.} said Conscio.

He rested the staff’s crystal against the side of my head, and a burning pain shot into my skull. It then spread to the rest of my body, and it was worse than anything Nah’Lek had done to me thus far. I convulsed with agony, thrashing and twitching as dark magic flooded my system, where I felt it gripping something deep within me. Conscio started screaming, and as I opened my eyes, I was met with something utterly baffling. Blocking out the unimaginable pain, I watched as a ghostly body, not of my own, slowly emerged from my mortal form, thrashing as intensely as I was. I then spotted a pair of astral hooves kicking wildly, sending out trails of pale blue smoke.

There was then a flash of white, and when my vision returned to me, everything was blurry. All I could make out was the shape of Nah’Lek’s towering arachnid form, along with someone else’s body lying beside my own.

“Consider yourself lucky, little bug.” Nah’Lek spoke to me, “You are no longer of interest to me.”

He approached the individual beside me, of whom was trying to stand up. Lunging forward, the Defiler grabbed the top of his head and lifted him up, his fangs chattering loudly with desire.


“But you, Stardust?
You and I have unfinished business…”





> Chapter Nineteen: The Sacrifice
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Taking a deep breath, I opened my eyes and found Rainbow Dash still asleep, snoring loudly with her body splayed out over half the tent. My head was swimming with confusion; what the fuck happened last night? Gritting my teeth, I tried to jog my memory, for it had all become a blur. There had been so much physical pain that my mind was trying to block it all out, and I had to fight to reclaim my recollection. The first thing that came to me was what Nah’Lek had done to Twilight, and what he had very nearly done to me. His words echoed from the back of my skull, snaking into my mind and flooding me with anger.

‘There was not a span of her that I did not bless with my presence.
Not even the howling winds of the Frozen Forest could repress her screams.’

Recalling those words, I felt my stomach grow hot, with bile rising up into my throat. I pictured Twilight’s agonised face, eyes clamped shut, shrieking at the top of her lungs for him to stop. I couldn’t bear it, and just when I felt like I was going to be sick, I recalled something else.

The body…

Right before I woke up, Nah’Lek had pulled an entire person out of me. Who was he?

{Conscio?} I thought, raising my eyebrows.

Nothing. For the first time in months, the voice in my head was no longer present. Nah’Lek had well and truly pulled us apart, and what’s more, he knew Conscio’s true identity.

“Stardust…” I whispered to myself.

Who the hell was Stardust? Swallowing my lingering anger over Twilight’s abhorrent abuse, I forced myself to focus. Clenching my jaw, I desperately tried to remember all the details, but after my mysterious passenger had been torn away from me, my memory had almost completely crumbled. I did remember laughing, to which I presumed that Nah’Lek’s torture had been enough to make me lose my mind. How much pain had I endured last night? I was almost glad that I couldn’t quite remember; whatever my brain had done to suppress such torment, I was thankful for it.

With the light of dawn coming in the tent, I chose not to dwell. Whoever Stardust was, and whatever Nah’Lek was doing with him, I wouldn’t be able to do a thing until tonight’s visitation. Rolling closer to Rainbow Dash, I gave her a nudge, which hardly disturbed her at all.

“Rainbow, wake up.” I cooed, nudging her again.

“Mmn… don’t wanna.” she groaned in reply.

“Well if you don’t, I’ll tickle your hooves.”

“You will lose teeth.” she grumbled.

Opening her eyes, she sat up and let off a big yawn.

“It’s not even that light outside.” she protested, “What time is it?”

“Time to move.” I retorted.

Saying something most unpleasant under her breath, Rainbow Dash rubbed her eyes and clambered out of the tent with me. She got to her hooves and stretched like a cat, and I couldn’t help but find it endearing. Noticing that I was watching, she lowered herself even further down, letting out a rather suggestive huff as she did so. I was quick to raise an eyebrow at her, indicating that I knew what she was doing, and that I was wholly unimpressed.

“What?” she asked innocently, “I’m just… mmn… stretching!”

“Uh-huh.” I replied dryly, rolling my eyes.

Blu then fluttered down from a nearby tree and greeted us, landing on my shoulder with a merry hello.

“Sleep well?” I asked him.

Dipping his head in confirmation, he pressed his beak against my face before returning to the sky. I meanwhile, went over to the saddlebag to retrieve our breakfast. Being the athlete she was, Rainbow had packed numerous protein-filled grain bars, and choosing to have a little payback after her salacious teasing, I took one and unwrapped it for her. I then dangled it in front of her nose, and just as she was about to take it from me, I raised it higher until she couldn’t reach it.

“Dude, seriously?” she groaned.

“Come on, work for it.” I chuckled.

Rolling her eyes, Rainbow Dash stood on her hind legs, which was when Blu swooped down and grabbed the bar in his talons, snatching it from the both of us.

“Really!?” Dashie cried out.

“Quaark! Work for it! Work for it!” he squawked loudly.

Taking flight, Rainbow raced after the bird, only for him to drop the bar back down to me. I caught it, and Rainbow landed in front of me with her muscles visibly tensing beneath her hide, preparing for a tussle.

“Ah-bub-bub, if you tackle me, I’ll drop it, and then you’ll be eating dirt.” I warned.

“Give… me… the bar.” she growled.

Blu then landed on my shoulder, and quietly cawed into my ear.

“Feed the pony, feed the pony, but not like that, dirty boy. Quaark!”

Bursting into laughter, I shook my head in disbelief while Blu bobbed up and down excitedly, now terribly proud of himself. Confused, Dashie asked what he had said.

“Never you mind!” I chortled.

“No dude, seriously, what’d he say?”

Refusing to answer, I tossed the bar towards her, which she caught in her mouth and quickly began to munch on. Crossing my arms, I exhaled through my nose and gave the mare a cheeky simper.

“See how much tastier food is when you’ve worked for it?”

Narrowing her eyes, Rainbow swallowed, and then proceeded to dive at me in an attempt to take me to the ground. We wrestled for a good while, playfully struggling to pin each other down. All the while, Blu circled overhead, egging the both of us on by shouting wild notions that only grew more and more obscene as his excitement snowballed.

“Yes! Let the violence commence! Quaark! Fight to the death! Survival of the fittest! Quaark! Punch her in the nose! Chew off his eyebrows! Bite her ear off! Kick him in the nuts! Flick her left nipple! Pee in his eyes! Mate with her to establish dominance! Befoul the natural order and make a hybrid baby that exists solely as a personal affront to God!”

I couldn’t take the fight seriously after that, and nor could Rainbow Dash. The two of us rolled onto our backs and started bellowing with irrepressible laughter. There were literally tears streaming down our faces as we howled and hooted at the bird, who had since landed and was now bobbing up and down with delight. We eventually calmed down, and after wiping our eyes, we packed up the camp and started to move on, still chuckling to ourselves.


These past few days with Rainbow Dash had been a lot nicer than I had expected. Aside from the argument about Twilight on the first day, we had been getting along like a house on fire. There was only one thing I hadn’t enjoyed, and that was the flirting. Being the mare she was, Rainbow wasn’t all that proficient in accepting that I wasn’t interested, and it had started getting on my nerves. Though she respected the fact I was still mourning Bunnie, she’d also taken it upon herself to try and distract me from such heartache, by way of continuously suggesting that she could help me move on. I had said twice now that I was in no such place for a rebound, yet her less-than-subtle attempts to woo me had persisted.

In truth, this had left me feeling confused. As previously stated, I didn’t see the ponies in such a way, but there were only so many sultry expressions Rainbow could pull at me before the line started to blur. I kept catching myself enjoying it for a second, flattered by the fact that I was sought after in such a way. After all the pain I had been through, emotionally and physically, a small part of me had considered giving in, but I just couldn’t do it. I was still hurting too much, and as I had said to Twilight, I would just be thinking about Bunnie the whole time. All I would feel is guilt, and I was riddled with enough of that already.

Rainbow was up in the air now, soaring alongside Blu while I trudged on below them, staring up with a smile on my face. I was witnessing magic on two fronts, with the parrot being enchanted by Fluttershy’s singing voice, making him just as sapient as any human being. Rainbow Dash meanwhile, was currently a mere fraction of her normal body weight, as had been explained by Hawnu Rey’eng when he had given me the collars.

With magic on the brain, my thoughts drifted to the substance that fuelled it, along with all life in the universe. The concept of mana was utterly baffling to me, more so the fact that we all had souls, made from mana! I now knew for a fact that the body and the soul were two separate entities, which meant that beyond death, there was a place where souls would go. Did this mean there was an afterlife? Was there a next place? Or were we reincarnated, with our souls finding new bodies to call home? If Hades was real on Equus, complete with an Underworld as Twilight had once mentioned, then surely that confirmed their world had an afterlife at least? What about Earth? Did we have an Underworld? Was the governance of death and souls handled differently across the fathomless span of dimensions across reality? What if for humans, our souls simply dissipated after death, becoming that of pure mana once again as we faded away, becoming one with the universe?

And for all that, what even defined a soul? Was it a ghost of ourselves, dwelling inside our mortal forms like an unseen puppeteer? Maybe it was just a cluster of energy that housed our memories and personalities? Casting my mind back to the events in Chernobyl, I recalled how the human souls trapped within Elephant’s Tusk had been broken down, and taken into my own body when I touched the Orb fragment. If there was a life after death, those poor victims had certainly missed the invitation.

My own soul for that matter, as explained by Hawnu Rey’eng, was stronger for having absorbed those of my fellow man. Since then, I had become just the faintest bit stronger as a mortal being, both in mind and body. Thinking about it, this was probably how I had survived this far, with my ever-so-slightly heightened reflexes giving me the edge I had needed in the Blood Family’s fighting pit. I started to wonder if I would have survived, had I not been imbued with the mana of those unfortunate souls. Without their strength, would I have been worthy to reach this day?

Blinking a few times, I caught myself mid-spiral, and began to chuckle to myself. I was having an existential crisis, while a talking alien pegasus flew overhead, of whom had spent the past few days trying to seduce me. Beside her was a sapient wisecracking parrot, and as a merry trio we were in search of a magical chunk of crystal, hailing from the magical pony land of Equestria.

Gods above, what a life…

Yes, it hadn’t been without its share of woe, from the plucking of Rainbow’s wings, to the bear attack, to the loss of Bunnie, and to last night’s harrowing revelation, wherein Nah’Lek had alluded to the nauseating severity of Twilight’s abuse. But beyond all that, I really was on an adventure; a living, breathing, Lord-of-the-Rings-style adventure! Travelling the land on foot, sleeping rough, fighting and killing nefarious foes, and witnessing incredible things, from the peaks of Portuguese mountaintops, to the cavernous depths of a unicorn’s very own brain! I had seen things nobody would ever believe, things that could only be comprehended as a work of fiction. Perhaps I might do such a thing, I mused to myself. Perhaps when all this was over, I would retell my tale in the form of a storybook; Rob Cakeran had done the same after all, writing My Little Dashie as a mere fable, hiding the truth in plain sight. Looking down, I murmured to myself with amusement, thinking about all the people who might read such a tale, never knowing when or where the truth bled into the fiction.

Every story had its bleakest moment, and I imagined that losing Bunnie was mine. Sure, having the shade of a demonic demigod inside my head was hardly a joy, but once that matter was dealt with, I saw a bright future ahead. The only way was up from here, for I had finally befriended Twilight, and over time I would ensure that everyone, even Rainbow Dash, came to love her again.

“Watch out, daydreamer!”

With a yelp, I looked up just as Rainbow grabbed me, yanking me upwards and into the air.

“Bloody hell, Rainbow! Warn me!” I barked.

“I did!” she giggled, continuing to lift me.

She flapped her wings intensely, taking me higher and higher, until I was a good few metres off the ground.

“Okay, that’s high enough!” I shouted to her, “You’re supposed to be taking it easy!”

Ignoring me, she continued to ascend and I held onto her legs and gulped as we went up, and up, and up. Soon enough we reached the top of the trees, and as she pulled me above the woods, my mouth fell agape.

The view was… beautiful.

“Whoa…” I murmured.

“Now you know what you’ve been missing!” she giggled, panting.

Despite feeling Dashie’s hooves under my arms, and my hands firmly clasping at them, it felt like I was flying for a moment. I looked down and saw the trees below me, and then glanced over my shoulder at the mountain range in the distance. This was what it felt like to fly, and it was incredible.

“Woohoooo!” I bellowed.

Unable to stop smiling, I took in the view with a sense of rapture, until Dashie’s strength waned and she brought me back down. Still grinning, I turned around and stared at her, thanking her for letting me experience such a jaw-dropping moment. Smiling back at me, she said that I was welcome, and for a split second, I didn’t see a pony any more. Instead, I simply saw a friend, equal to me in every way. It didn’t last long, with the otherworldly creature quickly returning to my view, but for just a beat of my exhilarated heart, I found myself interested in the mare, and in a way I hadn’t wanted to…


Stopping for the night, we set up our tent, and with it snowing outside, Blu took to resting inside the saddlebag. We had invited him into the tent, but he had respectfully declined, for Rainbow’s snoring was quite simply too much for him to bear. After eating some supper, the bird hopped into the bag and found somewhere to perch himself. As for us, we zipped up the tent and got comfortable together. Not feeling all that sleepy yet, we started talking, which was when Rainbow Dash asked me a rather unexpected question.

“Hey, so… I’m not sure if this is cool to ask or not, but… it’s been on my mind today.”

After a moment’s silence, she tilted her head, and furrowed her brow.

“Since Brazil, you’ve had to… kill a few dudes.”

{More than a few.} I scoffed to myself in thought.

Continuing with a hint of anxiety, Rainbow asked what it felt like to kill someone. Putting my mouth to one side, I broke eye contact, remembering how Bunnie had asked me the exact same question. After taking a breath, I provided her with a similar answer, but this time I didn’t hide the deeper truth.

“It’s confusing.” I murmured, “Part of it feels awful, like it’s the most horrible thing in the world. You feel like a disgusting, unforgivable monster. Then there’s a calmer, more rational side, detached from the emotions. The men I’ve killed were bad, and taking their lives was to protect either myself, or the lives of others. But if I’m to be honest with you, Dashie, there’s another part too.”

“There is?” she said quietly, gulping.

“Yeah, there’s a thrill to it.” I explained, “It’s like… a rush.”

“You mean like, the thrill of the danger?” she asked.

Shaking my head, I tried to find a way for it to make sense.

“How do you feel when you win a race?” I proposed, “Not afterwards when you’re celebrating, but in the moment, that split second where you cross the finish line, what does that bit feel like for you?”

Pondering for a moment, she tried to explain it.

“It’s like, nothing else matters for a moment. The whole world is just me, you know? I can’t even think when I cross the line, it’s all just feelings, these crazy, super strong feelings! I swear I’m not screwing with you, but honestly it feels kind of like sex. Like, there’s so much pressure and tension, and then suddenly there’s this great big release, and it just blows your mind! That’s what winning a race feels like for me.”

Chuckling nervously, Dashie apologised if her description was too crude, to which I shook my head.

“No, I get it.” I assured her, “I know exactly what you mean.”

Swallowing, I hunched my shoulders, before delving back into my answer.

“The first time I killed somebody, I felt sick. In fact, if I recall correctly, I was sick. I told you all that I needed the bathroom and ran off into the bushes. In truth, I puked my guts up and sobbed for like twenty minutes.”

“Oh shit, I remember that!” she gasped, “We got worried about you, then you came back and said you were just taking a dump, right?”

“Yeah, that was it.” I grumbled, “But anyway, after that first one, every kill has felt exactly how you just described it. Underneath all the morals, thoughts, and logic, there’s this overwhelming sense of relief. It’s as you say, the pressure hits a peak, and explodes inside you like fireworks. For a split second, it’s like you’re king of the world. That’s what it feels like to kill someone, Rainbow… it feels like winning.”

For a good while, the mare looked at me, not quite sure what to make of what I had told her. Eventually, she lowered her head, and thanked me for explaining. Smiling weakly, I said that she was more than welcome, and that she never had to shy away from asking me such questions in the future. We then got comfortable and slowly started to doze off.

“Night, dude.” she murmured.

“Goodnight, Dashie.” I hummed back.

The pegasus twitched slightly at that, but didn’t say anything. Guessing it was simply the cold, I shut my eyes and tried to sleep. It took a while, but eventually I was able to.


For the first night in a week, there was no visitation from Nah’Lek, nor was there a dreary forest for me to explore. Whatever had occurred the night before, it marked the beginning of something new, and I could only hope that Conscio, or ‘Stardust’ rather, was okay.

I woke at the same time as Rainbow Dash, and with us both sitting up in unison, we exchanged a friendly hug and emerged from the tent. The once-soft ground was frozen solid, with frost lining much of the land around us. Blu emerged from the saddlebag, and after ruffling his feathers and dipping his head in greeting, he hopped up onto my shoulder, where he remained until after breakfast.

According to him, we would be reaching the Orb piece today, and so all three of us were rife with excitement. Packing up the camp with haste, we set off with a spring in our step, or at least, my step, for Blu and Rainbow spent most of their time airborne. As we neared our quarry, the ground started to slope upwards, with the fragment being at the top of another, albeit much smaller mountain. Soon enough, the incline became quite arduous, with the ascent requiring my hands to aid in scrambling up the terrain.

And then, without warning, a loud bang sounded off ahead, prompting my feathered friends to land beside me. It didn’t sound like a gunshot, it was more explosive than that.

“You didn’t say anything about people being here, Blu.” I hissed.

“There weren’t before, dick-nips.” he chattered back, ruffling his feathers.

“Well scout ahead.” I ordered, “I’m not going into this blind.”

“What? Why me?”

“Because you’re a bird! No one’s going to bat an eyelid if they clock a glance at you.”

Conceding to that point, Blu gave my head an angry peck, before fluttering up into the trees to investigate. I then turned to Rainbow Dash and instructed her to wait here until further notice.

“No way.” she protested, “We stick together.”

“Dash, you’re bright blue with rainbow-coloured hair.” I pointed out, “You’ll be seen a mile off, and the last thing we need is you getting seen. Can you please not be an idiot about this, and just wait here for me?”

Clenching her jaw, she rolled her eyes and nodded.

“What if you end up needing help?” she asked, her eyes swimming with anxiety.

“Then I will call for you.”

“Promise?”

“I promise.”

With an assuring smile, I stared into her hot pink eyes, and she stared back into mine. I then noticed her leaning forward, and was quick to move away and clear my throat. Rainbow did the same, looking away and swallowing. Doing all I could not to roll my eyes, I patted her on the mane and left her to remain in hiding. With great caution, I made my advance at a snail’s pace, and upon reaching the top of the slope, I laid eyes on a most curious sight.

There were two large tents, along with seven men, all standing around a bizarre-looking stone structure. Standing at around seven feet tall, the monolith had large shards of blue crystal sticking out of it, and was covered in cracks that bled a brightly glowing light, alluding to something inside.

{The Orb fragment…} I murmured in thought.

Beside the tents were numerous crates of dynamite, along with numerous pickaxes, many of which were chipped and broken. Whoever these men were, they were trying to break open the structure.

“We’re getting there, boys! Keep at it!” one of them shouted.

He sounded American, with his southern accent suggesting a Texan origin, or perhaps South Carolinian. Upon giving the order, one of his fellow men approached the monolith with a pickaxe, and proceeded to take a swing at it. As metal struck stone, the pillar emitted a deep ringing sound, paired with a small chunk of rock falling away, exposing more crystal.

“The damn thing’s cursed, man!” one of the other men yelled.

“Oh, quit your whining!” the first man barked back.

Gulping, it dawned on me that with these men after the Orb piece, I would need to stop them, and I didn’t think asking nicely would do the trick. Last night’s conversation with Rainbow Dash couldn’t have been had at a worse time, for it seemed that violence was once again on the horizon. Being a group of seven, I knew I needed to separate them, for there was no chance I could take them all at once. To this end, I made a plan to get inside one of the tents, so I could ambush at least one of them. Spotting Blu on a nearby branch, I signalled him over so we could confer.

“Eight men to my count.” he told me, “Shiny inside the rock.”

“I only count seven, where’s the eighth?”

“In the closest tent. Rrk! Very drunk.”

To that, I exhaled with amusement, for it seemed that someone enjoyed drinking on the job.

“What about weapons?” I suggested, “Any guns I could use?”

“Just one.” Blu informed me, “There’s a Wrinkleboom in the far tent.”

Huffing yet again, I smirked, remembering my old shotgun from Brazil. Wrinkleboom had served me well, right up until it was destroyed by Elephant’s Tusk. Krocsbane too for that matter, had now been lost to me, stolen by one of Hoyt’s Privateers shortly before the fire. Whether it was this new shotgun, or something else entirely, I was in need of a new personal weapon.

Focusing, I told Blu to distract the men while I crept into the nearest tent, so that I could silently deal with the drunkard, then hopefully move on to getting the shotgun.

“Of course I’m just the distraction…” he croaked.

“Mate, if you think you can help me kill ‘em, be my guest.”

At that, Blu narrowed his eyes, looking at me deviously.

“I accept your challenge, sir.”

Taking off again, he flew closer to the men, waiting in a nearby tree for my signal. I meanwhile, made my way around the sloped earth until I was close to the first tent. Blu then received a nod from me, and took his queue to introduce himself. Fluttering down to the ground, he waddled up to one of the men and let out a curious whistle.

“Whoa, looky here, fellers!” one of the men called out, “It’s a parrot!”

“What?” said one of the others, “Ain’t no way!”

Taking a break from their work, the men put down their picks to inspect the bird, baffled by the presence of a tropical animal in this part of the world, let alone at this time of year. The distraction worked a treat, with me reaching the first tent with ease. I collected one of the broken pickaxe handles along the way, of which would serve as a stake until I found something better. The men were just starting to lose interest in the Blu, when one of them accidentally signed his own death warrant.

“You’re a long way from home, little buddy… Polly want a cracker?”

At that, Blu tilted his head, and proceeded to unleash hell.

“Fucking normies… REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!”

Launching forward, he plunged his beak into the man’s face, scratching away with his talons. Now blinded, the man screamed in agony and swatted the parrot away, who took to the air and circled around, before diving back down to assail him further. The others came rushing over and started swinging their picks, desperately trying to stop the bird. One of them accidentally made contact with the injured man’s head, promptly breaking it open like an egg and killing him immediately. Blood and brain sprayed in many a direction, all while the parrot continued his assault, repeatedly dive-bombing the others’ heads and screeching at the top of his voice.

“Call me Polly again, you inbred bastards! Offer me crackers, I dare you! I will gut you all open and do a jig on your insides, do you hear me!? You drooling slack-jawed meat slappers! You lousy foot-licking turd receptacles! Do I look like a ‘Polly’ to you, you boil-brained clot-poles!? Do I look like I’m hungry for crackers, you beef-witted, piss-guzzling buffoons!? Fight me! Fight me, you wretched Yankee scum!”

Gulping, I was left equal parts shocked and amused by the bird’s onslaught. I knew the little blighter hated parrot stereotypes, but I didn’t think he abhorred them this terribly. Unable to stifle a bewildered chuckle, I started backing into the tent, taking in as much of the spectacle as I could.

“What’s… What’s going on?” a slurred voice asked.

Coming face to face with the group’s drunkard, I froze, unsure of what to do. He looked at me and blinked, assuming that I was just another member of his group. He was completely out of it, and I was of a mind to let him go, but given the fact these men were here for the Orb piece, I knew what I had to do.

“Sorry about this, mate.” I murmured.

In a flash, I had smacked him in the side of the head with the pickaxe handle, knocking him down like a sack of potatoes. He was out like a light, but he was still breathing, and so I rapidly tried to think of how best to finish him. Without time to debate, I placed the sharp tip of the broken handle against the back of his neck, and used the entirety of my body weight to drive it through him. Though he twitched and shuddered for a moment, I knew he was too inebriated to be in distress, and in just a few seconds, it was over. My heart started pounding in my chest, and adrenaline coursed through me like a thundering tempest. The rush I had described last night was very much in play, but before I could dwell on that, the sound of a gunshot had me jumping out of my skin.

“Shit…” I hissed.

One of the men, in a bid to take Blu out of the sky, had beaten me to the firearm in the adjacent tent. Stealth was out of the question now, I needed to save Blu before another shot was taken. Tugging the stake back out of the dead man’s neck, I burst from the tent and quickly spotted the gunman, tracking Blu as he flew around evasively. I strode towards him with haste, and before he even knew I was where, I had brought the pickaxe handle down into his head with all my might. He dropped the gun immediately, staggering to one knee and clutching his head, now dazed. Without hesitation, I rammed the sharp bloodied end into his belly, running him through and forcing him onto his back. The stake went into the ground beneath him and pinned him in place, where I left him to die.

“Oh shit, we’ve got company!” the group’s boss bellowed.

Quickly disregarding Blu, the remaining four men came towards me, pickaxes raised. I didn’t have time to reach the shotgun, and as the first attack came my way, I was forced to go in unarmed. Ducking beneath the first swing, I punched the assailant in the throat as hard as I could, immediately taking him out of the fight. Dropping to the ground, he crawled away from me, spluttering and wheezing. The next attack came in the form of a downward swing, which I evaded by hopping to the side, only for another swing to come my way, missing me by a matter of centimetres.

It wasn’t like in films where the attacks came one at a time, they were relentless and in unison, with the sole intention to kill me. I wouldn’t have survived it if not for Blu, who quickly returned to dive-bombing the men, scratching and pecking at their heads and necks in a bid to give me an opening. Spotting one, I threw myself at one of the men as he raised his pick, taking him to the ground and forcing him to drop it. The others didn’t hesitate to close in, forcing me to roll away, subtly collecting a thin piece of jagged stone in the process. Unaware of this, another man made a lunge for me, and I proceeded to thrust the stone into his neck, piercing his windpipe. Rushing to clutch at the injury, he didn’t resist as I took his pickaxe, for his focus lay solely in the fact that he was dying. Staggering away, he tried to reach the tents, only to collapse on the way there. Now armed with a weapon, I boldly faced the remaining three, tensing my muscles and gritting my teeth.

“Come on then, lads! Let’s have it!” I growled at them.

The two with picks made their advance, while the third picked up a stone and threw it at Blu, clipping the bird and knocking him out of the air. He then threw another stone at me, which I turned away from to protect my face. It thumped into my shoulder, but between the adrenaline in my veins and the past week of Nah’Lek’s torture, it was practically painless. One of the others then came into striking distance, and going on the offensive, I beat him to the punch and spun back around, swinging my pickaxe with reckless abandon. It caught the side of his body and ripped him open, with flesh, blood, and bone bursting out onto the ground. A portion of his lung now dangled from the gaping hole I had created, and after a feeble attempt to push it back where it belonged, the man succumbed to the shock, curling up in a ball and bleeding out.

Meanwhile, the second-closest man reached me, and with me having just delivered a killing blow to his buddy, he didn’t wait around to return the favour. He took a swing at me, and I used my own pickaxe to deflect it. The force of the impact pulled the tool from my hands, just as it did for him, sending both picks clattering to the ground. He then dived at me and pinned me down, and in spite of my own merits, he was bigger than me, and stronger too. Unable to get him off me, I had no other option than to grab his wrists and desperately push his hands away. Slowly failing in this endeavour, I watched in horror as his thumbs grew closer and closer to my eyes, eager to push them into my head and crush them like grapes.

“DASH! DASHIE!” I hollered, my voice cracking with fear.

In a flash, the pegasus emerged, hurtling into my attacker with enough force to sweep him off of me. There was a mighty crack as one of her hooves collided with the left side of his face, and as the two of them tumbled away, I scrambled to my feet to deal with the final adversary. Shell-shocked by the sudden appearance of a flying multicoloured pony, he didn’t even notice as I grabbed the nearest pickaxe and started marching towards him. By the time he spotted me, it was too late, with the mining instrument plunging into his upper chest and obliterating his sternum, promptly stopping whatever remained of his heart. Dead in a mere instant, he went limp and crumpled to the ground, taking the pickaxe with him. I then looked over at Rainbow Dash, who was staring at the motionless body beside her, and the blood that now stained her right hoof. Glancing at the dead man’s head, I realised just how hard she had collided with him and gulped; it wasn’t a pretty sight.

“Dash…”

She didn’t reply.

“Rainbow.” I spoke, louder this time.

“What have… What have I done?” she murmured.

With one last look at what had once been a man’s face, Rainbow turned to look at me, her face pale and her eyes glassy.

“That didn’t feel like winning…” she croaked, “I… I think I… I think I’m going to be sick…”

Turning away from me, the pegasus proceeded to vomit, and rather violently too. She then tried to walk towards me, swaying from side to side. After just a few steps, she fainted, collapsing to her side and ceasing to move. The first kill was always the hardest, but just like my own, it had been in an act to save someone else, and with enough time, I knew she would recover from this. I started making my way towards her, which was when I heard a loud click.

“Oh bollocks…” I muttered, lowering my head.

“Yeah, that’s right.” the man growled, his voice hoarse and raspy.

It was the one I had punched in the throat, who had crawled away from the fight. In the heat of it all, I hadn’t been keeping count, and after recovering from my devastating blow, he had collected the shotgun, which still contained an unspent shell. Slowly raising my hands, I turned to face my potential killer, where I found him just a few metres away, aiming directly at my head. If he pulled the trigger, it was over, and having just killed all his colleagues, I hardly expected a friendly negotiation. Well aware of my odds, I let out a heavy breath, knowing this could very well be how I died.

“What are you waiting for?” I sighed, “An apology?”

“Who are you?” he replied through gritted teeth, “Who sent you? And what the hell is that thing?”

He gestured to Rainbow Dash, and with a subtle sigh of relief, I realised that I was in luck, for the man wanted answers. Knowing only one of us would be coming out of this alive, I took the honest approach, for if I told him enough to know I was telling the truth, I might just forge an opportunity for myself.

“Not that you’ll believe me, but she’s from another world.” I told him “That pillar over there? It contains a relic from her home. There are five others just like it, scattered across the globe. I’ve been helping her find them, so she can get back where she belongs.”

He glanced at the pegasus, and then the rocky structure, but never once did he point the gun away.

“I didn’t want to do this.” I went on, gesturing to all the bodies, “I’m under orders to keep these things safe, and that means getting rid of witnesses. Look, I know it’s a fucking cliché, but I’m just doing my job.”

“Your job?” he echoed, raising his lips into a snarl, “Your job!? You just killed my fucking team, you bastard! Now you’re saying this is alien shit? No, I don’t believe you!”

Tightening his grip on the gun, I realised he was going to take the shot, which was when Blu let out a high-pitched whistle from above, diverting the man’s focus.

“Forgetting someone, motherfucker!?” he screeched.

Having recovered from being knocked down, the fearless macaw descended with a war cry, talons outstretched. The gun tilted up, and with an ear-splitting bang, it went off. Aside from the initial jolt, I froze in place, watching on in horror as bright azure feathers suddenly burst out in all directions. Realisation then kicked in, and with a mighty gasp, I let out a most beastly roar.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAHH!”

Rage consumed me, and I charged at the man with vengeful rancour, tackling him to the ground. My fists hammered down like meteors, with the sole intent to beat every ounce of life from him. But he wasn’t defenceless, and after taking a few hits, he swerved his head to evade. He then caught me in the jaw with a strike of his own, breaking my focus just enough for him to push me away and scramble towards the monolith. I sprinted after him, tackling him to the ground once again. Though I struck and pummelled his head and body, the bastard was tough, and after a fierce tussle, he found his way on top of me. He then reached past my head to grab a thin piece of crystal from the inner monolith. Like a dagger of glass, he tried to plunge it into my neck, only for me to grab his wrist, stopping him just inches before the killing blow. He pushed with all his strength, and I pushed with all of mine, with the two of us panting and grunting like animals.

For what felt like an age, we pushed against each other, until his strength waned and I felt him trembling above me. Reaching up with my free arm, I gripped the back of his head and began pulling it down, while slowly twisting his hand around until the crystal was pointing upwards. With the spike now closing in on his own face, the man began to panic, desperately trying to move the shard away, though I kept it firmly locked in place. And then, with an abrupt smack to the back of his head, he shot forward and the crystal impaled his eye. He screamed like nothing I had ever heard before, and I quickly bashed his head for a second time, driving the spike deeper into his head. With an abrupt shriek, the man started convulsing, and from his lips came a wheezing death rattle, until he finally went limp for good.

It was over.

Needing a second to catch my breath, I lay beneath him for a moment longer, my breath ragged, and my hands trembling. I then felt a warmth spreading against my knee, and quickly shoved the man’s body away before it could leak on me any further. Taking one glance at the damage I had done, I stifled a gag, for the sight of his dark, mangled eye socket was too much, even for me.

After using his clothes to wipe my hands clean, I trudged over to the shotgun and looked all around. My heart sank to the pit of my stomach, for Blu’s feathers were strewn everywhere. There wasn’t much left of the poor bird; he had been completely and utterly scattered to the wind. He had given his life in order to save my own, and so it was that despite his meagre form, he had died in this world, a colossus.

“Oh Blu…” I breathed, falling to my knees, “Oh, you magnificent bastard…”

We had all loved our little companion, and I knew already just how much this was going to break everyone’s hearts, especially Fluttershy. He deserved a proper burial, and so with a lump in my throat, I gathered as much of him as I could find, piling it all together.

“Those aren’t my feathers…” Rainbow croaked.

Turning around, I found her standing a few metres from me, shaking like a leaf.

“Blu’s gone…” I wheezed, my voice hoarse and distant.

Shuddering, the pegasus looked at the pile of feathered remains, and asked me what had happened. Unable to speak, I simply gestured to the shotgun, which told her everything she needed to know. Staggering towards me, Dashie came over and rested her head against my hip, and I placed a hand on her head, lightly caressing her mane for both her comfort and for my own.

“This is really fucked up.” she choked, staring off into space.

“I know.” I replied.

“Callum, I just killed someone.”

Sniffing, I knelt down and stared into her eyes.

“Look at me.”

Continuing to shake, she did just that, and I strained my brow.

“You saved me.” I told her, “That man was about to end my life, and if you hadn’t done what you did, he would have succeeded. You’re not the first in this company to take a life, Rainbow, and just as I said to her, it was either him or me.”

I was of course, referring to Rarity, of whom had stabbed Vladimir Kikashkov in the neck, saving me on the day I had killed Inigo. Come to think of it, in spite of the Fel making her enjoy it, Twilight had also killed to protect others. I pointed this out to Rainbow, and although she opened her mouth to object, no words came forth as she saw the truth for what it was. Continuing to shake, the mare sat down and processed the information, while I helped to clean the blood from her right hoof.

I then got to work on the burial, using one of the pickaxes to dig a hole deep enough to be considered a grave. Once it was done, I lowered Blu’s remains inside and filled it in. Rainbow watched on, still slowly digesting everything that had happened. Kneeling down, I said a few words, commending him on his bravery, and thanking him for being not only my saviour, but also for being the greatest, funniest, most laughably wondrous little fellow I had ever known. In all truth, I would have cried had I not already been in mourning; after Bunnie, this blow admittedly came softer than it ought to have done. As for Rainbow Dash, she was still in shock, and so without a tear between us, we said farewell, and walked towards the monolith.

All around it were broken tools and pieces of rock and crystal. These men had been working hard to break into it, yet despite the damage done, they had evidently failed. I approached the largest crack and peered inside, where I spotted the third Orb fragment, shimmering brightly. Rainbow Dash came to have a look as well, and at her approach, the pillar started to hum. We then jumped back in shock, for at the touch of her hoof, the stone fell away, exposing the crystal core.

“What did you just do?” I asked.

“I… I didn’t do anything!” Dashie proclaimed, “I just touched it!”

Furrowing my brow, I tried to figure out what had caused the reaction. This group of men had been hammering away with pick and ordnance to little avail, yet Rainbow had torn away the outer shell with the faintest of touches. I hypothesised that with her being a denizen of Equus, the Orb fragment recognised her as a friend, and was willing to let her claim it.

“Wait, are you saying this thing came out of the Orb piece?” asked Rainbow.

“I think so.” I replied, elaborating the theory, “I mean, this is the Titans’ Orb we’re talking about. It used to cover your whole planet with a forcefield, I’m pretty sure it’s capable of protecting itself. I’ll bet you anything it grew this pillar around itself to stop it from falling into the wrong hands.”

“Makes sense…” Dashie muttered.

Stepping closer, I found myself impressed more than anything. This crystal had withstood dynamite, along with the constant hacking from pickaxes, yet there was barely a scratch on the damn thing. Whatever properties this mineral had, it was strong. Given how Rainbow had broken the outer casing, I suspected she could help in breaking the inner part too, and so I instructed her to touch the pillar again. Doing as I asked, she placed a hoof against it, and from within, the Orb fragment started to hum once more. The sound grew louder and louder, until cracks started forming on its enclosure.

“Keep at it, it’s working!” I called.

Pushing harder, Dashie brought forth a bassy frequency from the orb that was almost painful to our ears. The cracks grew larger, until at last, the entire monolith shattered into thousands of tiny pieces. The fragment however, much to our surprise, remained floating in the air, ominously beckoning one of us to take it.

“Honour’s all yours, dude.” said Dashie.

Walking past her, I stood before the Orb shard to admire it. The crystal contained many a bluish hue, shifting and swirling between the darkest indigo, the brightest cyan, and everywhere in between. It hardly looked real, for the mystical fragment warped the light that touched it, as though it couldn’t quite decide what colour it wanted to be. After a moment of staring at the broken relic, I reached forward and grabbed it, which was when a bright flash engulfed my vision. I lost all sense of physicality, as though my very spirit had been whisked away.

The sensation faded, and as my vision cleared, I found myself standing in a town, an old one at that. The buildings were of mediaeval origins, with timber-framed walls, and roofs made from thatch. The sun shone brightly, with the world around me practically singing with warmth and harmony. There were numerous townsfolk dotted around, all of whom were going about their business. Life here was perfectly normal, or at least, it would have been, if the people around me weren’t technicolour ponies.


It would have been normal, were I not standing in the middle of Ponyville…





> Chapter Twenty: Revelations
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Turning all around, I couldn’t believe my eyes. I was in Ponyville. Bewildered and overwhelmed, I took in all the sights, sounds, and smells, all of which I could barely comprehend. Even the air was different, with each breath filling me with air fresher than that of any old English meadow. Detecting the hint of baked goods, I looked over to my right and spotted Sugarcube Corner, as real as the day. None of the ponies were looking at me, as though I didn’t even exist, and so I nervously approached the nearest pony and said hello to him. His ears perked up, but the stallion seemed confused. After looking around, he simply shrugged and continued on his way, now slightly unnerved.

He couldn’t see me.

“What the hell is happening?” I murmured to myself.

I looked down at my own hands, and despite still being very much human, I realised that I was partially transparent. Following that, I realised that I wasn’t casting a shadow, indicating that I was well and truly invisible to the world. Frowning, I decided to use this to my advantage, and began scouting around in search of something that might allude to why I was here. As I walked through the town, making an effort not to bump into anyone, I became more and more taken aback at the sight of all the ponies. Being around the girls had certainly normalised things, but this was a cut above. Now I was the alien, a stranger in a strange land, surrounded by faces I didn’t recognise. Before the girls came into my life, I had always fantasised myself living in this place, despite knowing I would never live here.

Well, I was here now.

I would have been jumping for joy, had I not known that something was terribly wrong. Between the fact that I couldn’t be seen, and that I wasn’t supposed to be here in the first place, I started to panic. What was happening back on Earth? Was Rainbow Dash trying to find me? Perhaps she was flying back to the mansion as fast as her wings could carry her, to tell the others that I had disappeared?

Then I remembered the time difference between our worlds. A day here equated to an entire year back on Earth. With each passing second, the sun was rising and falling, and this time tomorrow, the girls would have gone a full year without their guide. I had to get back to them!

Now I was really panicking, and as my focus was pulled further and further away, I stopped looking where I was going. This resulted in me tripping and falling into a most familiar face indeed. I passed straight through her body and onto the ground, with none other than Derpy Hooves letting out a confused squeal and hopping away, falling backwards onto her bottom with a small ‘oof!’

“I’m so sorry, I didn’t see you there!” I gasped, getting back up.

“No, it’s my fault!” she said back, before her voice fell to that of a murmur, “At least, I think it is…”

Frowning, the grey mare squinted in my direction, clearly trying to perceive me. Now thoroughly confused, she blinked a few times and asked who, or what I was. However, before I could answer, I was interrupted by the loud giggling from a pair of fillies.

“Hey, check it out, Cross-Eyes is talking to her imaginary friend!”

Derpy was mortified, and as her cheeks started to flush, she covered her face with her hooves. I turned around to spot Diamond Tiara close by, with Silver Spoon at her side. The little fillies giggled as poor Derpy grew ever more flustered, and for just a moment, I lay my panic to rest. Quickly seeing the perks of being invisible, I approached the filly with a smirk. My first temptation was to slap her, to give the little brat a physical shock that would send her packing. However, given how I had fallen through Derpy, I assumed my hand would simply pass through her, and on top of that, she was still a child, so even if I could have struck her, it wouldn’t have been an ethical course of action. To this end, I kept things strictly verbal, and loomed over the fillies like an unseen spectre.

“Oh, I’m not imaginary, and I’m not a friend either…”

With a shudder, both fillies stopped laughing. Their ears flattened, and their eyes began darting around in search of the owner to this mysterious voice.

“Wh-Who said that?” Diamond Tiara stammered.

Choosing not to answer, I brought my head closer to hers.

“If you knew what was good for you, you’d apologise to this pony, and be on your way…”

Gulping, the little ponies were too frightened to deny the suggestion. Backing away, they both said sorry to Derpy, and promptly turned around and bolted. Derpy meanwhile, watched the little ones with her head on one side, curious as to what had just transpired.

“Are you alright?” I asked her.

“I think so.” she replied, “You’re not really my imaginary friend, are you?”

She then stuck out her hoof as if to search for me, and with a huff of amusement, I assured her that I was real. I reached forward to take the hoof, and although my hand still passed through, the pegasus had perceived it, for she recoiled in shock.

“Ah! Was that you?” she squeaked, “It felt all cold and tingly…”

“Yeah, that was me.” I confirmed.

Gulping, I forced myself to remain calm, not that there was much ease in such a task. Not only was I panicking about the girls on Earth, but I was now in bloody Ponyville, in a conversation with Derpy Hooves for crying out loud! My grip on reality had been shaken up once more, and with a clench of my jaw, I tried my best to adopt Conscio’s mentality, and thought about what he would be saying if he were still present. He would likely be telling me that worrying wouldn’t get me back to Earth any faster, and that I needed to think clearly and calmly, to keep my head steady, and my approach confident. Only then would I think of a proper solution, all while remaining present in the moment.

“Are you using some sort of spell?” asked Derpy.

“No.” I answered, “I came here like this, I’m not really sure what’s going on.”

“Came here?” she said after me, “So, you’re new in town?”

“Yeah, you could say that.” I muttered, slightly amused.

‘New’ couldn’t have been more of an understatement, for I was on a new planet. Trying to think of a way to help me, Derpy rubbed the back of her neck with a hoof.

“If you want, I could take you to the library?” she suggested, “There’s a pony there who’s good with magic. Maybe she can figure out why you’re invisible?”

“Twilight’s here?” I murmured.

“Oh, you know her?”

“Uh, yeah…”

My voice trailed off. What was happening? Twilight was on Earth, so why was Derpy speaking as though she was here in Ponyville? This was getting beyond weird, and with a shudder, I felt a looming sense of dread, like something was terribly wrong. Derpy then speculated that I must have been from the Crystal Empire, or perhaps Canterlot, given that Twilight had spent a lot of time in both.

“Is that right?” I murmured quietly.

“Uh-huh!” Derpy confirmed with a nod, “She was up north for ages!”

Narrowing my eyes, I started to suspect that this was the future. Perhaps the Orb fragment had pulled me into a time after the girls had returned to Equus? If that was the case, and Twilight was here, then surely the company must have found a way back home, which alleviated one portion of my anxiety. With that, I told Derpy to lead the way, and we began making our way through the town.

Along the way, I tried to gather more information, not that it was all that helpful. Derpy only knew of the Element Bearers, but she wasn’t a close friend to them, so all I received was vague hearsay. Applejack was selling apples as usual, and Rarity was still making dresses. Fluttershy still lived in a cottage by the Everfree Forest, and Rainbow Dash was off at the Wonderbolt Academy.

Everything seemed normal. The only noteworthy thing was that Twilight had been all over the place. Supposedly, the unicorn had gone up to the Crystal Empire nearly a year ago, where she had remained for a few months. She then returned to Ponyville, only to suddenly move again, this time to Canterlot. There had been a few rumours about her falling ill, but otherwise, her reasons for moving were a mystery. Either way, she was back in Ponyville now and had been for quite some time, stationed at the library.

Now certain that this was the future, I wondered how Twilight would react upon speaking to me again. There was no telling how long it had been for her, but given the constant relocation, I could only assume that she was struggling to readjust to life after everything that had happened on Earth. How much time had passed here? What had occurred from her perspective? They must have found the rest of the Titans’ Orb without me, unless I could find a way back to the present. Knowing that Twilight would likely have answers for me, I stopped worrying and went back to appreciating the fact I was in Equestria.

Ponyville was so much bigger than the show portrayed, with the market alone being the size of a football field. With how many houses there were, it was safe to assume the population was in the hundreds, and on that note, there were a lot more colts and stallions than I had expected. The cartoon had always shown a denser female population, but standing here now, I could see that it was just a creative liberty; to put it bluntly, I hadn’t quite expected to see so many sets of balls.


“Well, here we are!” Derpy announced.

“Whoa.” I breathed.

Golden Oak Library, in the flesh…
Standing at around three storeys tall, and with the girth of a redwood giant, the mighty hollow oak was truly a sight to behold. Its branches were almost as thick as the trunks of other trees, with some of them cut away to make room for windows, and the upper level’s balcony. Never before had I seen a natural spectacle such as this, and as Derpy went to knock on the door, I struggled to remain present, overwhelmed by the experience. I then heard a scrabbling from behind the door, followed by it swinging open, and what I saw very nearly finished me off.

“Hi there, Derpy.”

Standing in the open doorway, only a little over half my height, was a purple dragon. Yet again, the show could not do justice, with the reptile’s green frills practically glowing, and his large slitted eyes glistening with an unspoken hunger for gemstones. I could see each and every scale, neatly arranged across his deep purple body, and as he blinked, I spotted a clear nictitating membrane, much like a crocodile’s. In short, he was remarkable, and if I wasn’t in such a hurry to return to the present, I would have happily spent the rest of my day getting to know him.

“Hi, Spike!” Derpy called out merrily, “Sorry to bother you, but is Twilight home?”

To my surprise, Spike’s face dulled with irritation.

“Nope.” he grunted, “As usual, she’s out with him again.”

Visibly saddened by the change of mood, Derpy hunched her shoulders, and tentatively asked at the very least if Spike knew where they had gone. Huffing, he said he didn’t know, and didn’t care. He then forced a smile and told Derpy to have a nice day, before hastily shutting the door.

“I’m sorry.” said Derpy, turning to face me with a frown, “I’m not sure what to do now.”

I could tell that she was getting anxious, and I knew that it was unfair to expect her to help me any further.

“You said Rarity sold dresses still, right?” I hummed, “Take me to her, and I’ll get out your hair.”

“Oh, okay!” she said, perking up again.

She began leading me to Rarity’s boutique, and I asked her what had put Spike in such a foul mood.

“I hadn’t expected him to be that… grouchy.” I chuckled.

“Yeah, he gets like that sometimes.” she confessed, “He’s been like it since the scary guy came to town.”

“The scary guy?” I echoed, raising an eyebrow.

“Yeah, there’s this weird guy who came here from Canterlot. I know we’re all supposed to like him now, but to be honest, he gives me the willies…”

“Huh, I’m guessing he’s the one Spike was referring to?” I suggested.

Nodding, Derpy explained that Twilight had been spending a lot of time with this so-called ‘scary guy’ in recent weeks, with their public outings leading to plenty of gossip about the town. I was about to ask more about him, when the grey pegasus let out a sudden gasp.

“Oh muffin crumbs! I’ve just remembered, I’m supposed to be somewhere!”

Turning to face me, Derpy started frantically apologising, and told me that she needed to go. I tried to get a word in, only for her to talk over me, insisting that she couldn’t be any later than she already was.

“The whole town knows where Rarity’s place is, somepony else will show you the way.” she assured me, “Good luck with your problem, I hope you find Twilight!”

Taking to the air with a flap of her wings, Derpy shot away before I could even say goodbye. The best I got was yelling my thanks after her, and with a shrug, I began trudging through the town on my lonesome.


Truth be told, I was rather anxious to approach ponies I didn’t know, and so I endeavoured to find the boutique myself, taking in all the sights as I went. It wasn’t all that hard to find, but I would never find myself stepping inside, for as I began making my approach, I was halted by the sound of magic from behind me. Turning around, I nearly fainted, for not even the sight of Spike compared to what I saw now. Side by side, with their backs facing me, were two individuals. The first was Twilight, and the second was the mighty deity herself, the ever-radiant Goddess of the Sun.

Princess Celestia…

The first thing I noticed was how tall she was. Easily as big as a horse on Earth, the sunlight goddess dwarfed the lilac unicorn beside her. I didn’t know where to look, for the sight of her in the flesh was nothing short of stupefying. From the narrow spiralling horn, to the snowy white pelt, to the gargantuan wings, every facet of her was breathtaking. Even her attire was magnificent, with her glistening neck and hoof wear being made from the purest gold I ever did see.

My gaze then fell to her mane and tail, of which seemed to bear little weight at all. As though it were underwater, the hair slowly drifted and waved, flowing with pure mana. The cartoon had it all wrong, for there weren’t hairs of single colours. Rather, each strand shifted in hue with every movement, shimmering and rippling like an oil slick on a wet road.

No mortal being could be so grossly incandescent… Celestia truly was a goddess.

Even so, for as awestruck as I was, I wanted to hear what was being said, and so I tiptoed closer until I could eavesdrop. I caught the end of Twilight expressing her confusion, and asking why they were in Ponyville. There was a moment of silence, before the Princess finally responded.

“Because, Twilight, you must understand. Should you fail in this assignment, what transpires today will be the consequence.”

Her voice was soft, yet stern, and upon processing what she had said, I finally understood what was happening. This wasn’t just a random point in time, it was the vision Celestia had shown to Twilight. The unicorn in front of me hadn’t come to Earth yet, and whatever was about to happen, it would shape the mare’s treatment of me for the next six months. It would shake her to the core, and lead her to perceive me as a monster, long before the Fel’s corruption had even started.

At last, I was going to see it for myself, and it didn’t take long for the event to arrive, with a shriek of terror sounding off from somewhere on the other side of town. Twilight’s ears flattened at the sound, and she turned to her mentor with a face contorted with fear and confusion.

“What’s happening?” she asked.

“Walk with me.” the Princess instructed, turning around, “No harm will come to you, I promise.”

Gulping, Twilight obeyed, and as the two ponies walked towards me, I stepped to one side. As they passed, Celestia’s eyes flickered in my direction, and with a sudden sense of alarm, it dawned on me that she had seen me, or at the very least, perceived my presence.

I followed them closely, all while more screams rang out through the town. I then saw smoke billowing up from somewhere in the distance, ascending to the sky until it began to blot out the sun. The world was plunged into an orange-tinted gloom, and the whole town was sent into a mad frenzy. Fearful ponies charged past and through us, with the town hall’s bell now clanging loudly. We pressed on, and as we walked towards the danger, we spotted numerous houses on fire.

“Princess, I’m scared!” Twilight cried out.

“As you ought to be.” Celestia replied, “This is our future should you fail, Twilight. You must bear witness, and understand what befalls us should the Titans’ Orb not be returned home.”

Now with tears in her eyes, the unicorn forced herself to watch as Ponyville burned, doing everything she could to remain composed. A pony then jumped from the upper window of her house, breaking one of her legs in the process. Her mane was on fire, and without a soul willing to help her, all she could do was scream as the flames inched closer to her head. She then limped away before we could witness her fate, but it seemed that she wasn’t the only victim to the madness unfolding.

Up ahead, lying motionless in the road, were two ponies. Reaching them, we found two stallions, and I quickly tried to discern what had killed them. Given the bloody hoofprints, they had run here from the Everfree Forest beyond, only to bleed out in the road before they could receive medical treatment. One had been pierced in the chest by something, while the other bore a deep cut in their side, as though they had been struck by a cleaver of some sort.

Shaking and in tears, Twilight forced herself to look at the bodies, which was when we were both alerted to the sound of a deep bellow. Looking towards its source, we spotted numerous forms just on the outskirts of town. The smoke made it hard to identify them, but as the flames danced and flickered around and behind them, their forms were all too familiar for me to deny.

They were the silhouettes of men.

“No…” I breathed.

Large men, with weapons and torches in hand, crept towards us. At last, I understood Twilight’s fear, and why she had always seen me with such contempt. It all made sense now, for she had seen my kind set her home ablaze, under the notion that it was her fault for failing in her duty. The poor unicorn sobbed beside the Princess, asking why these creatures were doing this, only for Celestia to ignore the question, and place a hoof upon the young mare’s shoulder.

“Do you see now, the gravity of your mission?”

“I do!” Twilight wept, “I won’t let this happen, I swear!”

Lowering her chin, the Princess released a heavy sigh.

“You have the power to stop this, Twilight.” she said, “All you must do is find the Orb and bring it home, and leave the boy behind.”

“The boy?” the unicorn whimpered, “He’s a part of this?”

“Yes.” said Celestia, “I have seen the depths of his soul, and no matter the purity of his outer will, his nature will betray him. There is war in his blood, Twilight, something he will never escape. Death will follow him wherever he treads, and though he may guide you, protect you… perhaps even care for you, you must never care for him in turn. To do so would only lead to what you see now.”

{Oh, fuck…} I thought to myself.

With another layer peeled back, I learned just how straightforward Celestia’s decree had been. Twilight hadn’t just been assigned to find the Orb fragments, she was under a direct order not to befriend me. Worse than that, I had been blamed for this horrible outcome, and after how many people I’d killed in just half a year, I didn’t even know if such a claim was false. From Brazil, to Ukraine, to Portugal, death had followed me, and with a gulp, it dawned on me that I really was a creature of war.

“Is your duty clear now?” asked the Princess.

“Yes, your Highness.” said Twilight, sniffing loudly, “If he’s the reason for all this, then he is my enemy. I won’t let you down, I promise.”

At that, Princess Celestia ignited her horn, wreathing her student in a golden glow.

“Very well.” she said calmly, “Then it is time.”

With a flash, Twilight disappeared, and the world around me was frozen solid. The flames stopped dancing, and the smoke stopped rising. Time had come to a standstill, but to my surprise, the Princess remained exactly where she was.

“What are you doing here?” she spoke.

I said nothing, which was when she looked over her left shoulder to face me.

“I asked you a question.”

With my lips trembling, I professed that I didn’t know. Displeased with this answer, she turned around to face me properly, and with another flash of her horn, I was given physicality. Now casting a shadow, I was truly visible to the world, and without missing a beat, I dropped to one knee out of respect.

“I… I touched a… piece of the Orb.” I stammered, “I-I don’t know why, but it brought me here.”

Approaching me, the Princess ordered me to stand. I did as I was told, and she peered at me with eyes that held countless untold notions. Was she angry? Calm? Curious? I couldn’t read her, but she could read me, and with an emotionless tone, she asked how long her student had been on Earth.

“Half a year, Your Majesty.”

“Spare the formalities.” she snapped back, “How fares your journey?”

“I… n-not… erm…”

I couldn’t speak. The goddess’ piercing stare left me devoid of all confidence, especially after what she had told Twilight. She blamed me for the chaos that surrounded us, and so despite her calm, unreadable demeanour, I could feel the unspoken hostility. She looked at me with a sternness that I couldn’t bear, but I knew she needed an answer. Clearing my throat, I forced myself to try again, and was finally able to talk.

“It’s not been good, Your Highness. There have been… complications.”

At this, she raised an eyebrow. However, for as much as I wanted to explain everything that had happened, all I could focus on was the burning hellscape around me.

“Is this truly my doing?” I asked, “Am I the reason this is happening?”

After staring at me for what felt like an hour, Celestia exhaled through her nose and closed her eyes.

“I have seen this moment a hundred-fold, and every time it is the same. Devastation befalls my kingdom, and you are at its heart. There is no place for you in this world.”

“I know that.” I replied, “Trust me, if this is the outcome, then I would rather die than set foot here.”

“So… we are in agreement.”

Nodding, I stared at the ground, unable to look at the Princess directly. She then stepped closer, and ordered me to do just that. Shivering with anxiety, I obeyed, where for quite some time, she looked into my eyes, studying them. Yet again, she was impossible to read, and all I could do was stand there as she silently observed me.

“The Orb.” she said at last, “How much have you found?”

“Half.” I answered.

“And this is… all you have found?”

Nodding, I reiterated that we had faced much adversity throughout our journey, and so we had only found half of the six fragments. She narrowed her eyes upon hearing this, but she didn’t seem displeased.

“I’m sorry if you were expecting us to have more by now.” I murmured.

“There is no need for apology.” she said calmly, “Just be sure to find the rest.”

“I will.” I promised her, “I won’t let you down.”

“I know.”

Her demeanour softened, and with a more kind expression, she told me that she had no doubt in my resolve. Struck by an unexpected bout of emotions, my eyes welled up with tears, which I quickly blinked away.

“Why did you choose me, Princess?” I asked her, “You told Twilight that you saw the depths of my soul. What did that mean? What did you see in me?”

Almost immediately, the warmth faded, and after another moment of silence, Celestia shook her head.

“The less you know, the better.”

“How is that fair?” I protested, “You thrust me into this without so much as a hint of warning! With all due respect, Your Grace, I deserve to know why.”

At that, her horn started to glow, and with one last, somewhat solemn expression, the Princess shut her eyes. They then reopened, and proceeded to pierce my own with emotions I could finally perceive; a contorted mixture of pain, love, and seething hatred.

“No… you don’t.”

Her horn emitted a light like that of the sun itself, forcing me to cover my eyes. When it passed, time had resumed, and the Princess was gone. Now shaken to the core, I fought the urge to curl up and cry, for I had been completely and utterly rattled by the exchange. Why had Celestia been so cold with me? Why had she just given me a look of such rancour? As the chosen guide for her student’s mission, I had expected a warmer interaction, but then again, given the fiery devastation all around, and the notion that I was to blame for it, perhaps such a hopeful expectation was folly? This world was under attack, and if I truly was the unknowing culprit, then Celestia had every right to loathe me. Looking back at the approaching men, I felt a rage brewing within me. How dare they… How dare they come here and attack this place! With my fists clenched, I stepped forward and shouted at them.

“Why are you doing this!?”

Hearing me, they picked up the pace, and as their blackened forms came nearer, I realised just how big they were. All of them were nearing seven feet tall, and their shoulders were broad enough to match that of two men standing side by side. They were too big to be humans, and as they emerged from the smoke, I realised exactly what they were. Celestia had it all wrong, it wasn’t humans who had come to lay waste to Ponyville, it was the very same creature I had encountered in the Frozen Forest with Twilight.

They were orcs…

“Lok-tar ogar!” the lead orc bellowed, spotting me.

He charged at me without hesitation, and I looked around frantically for something to defend myself with. My only option was a brick from one of the collapsed buildings, and given the principle that something in one’s hands was better than nothing in combat, I picked it up and prepared myself. Given the fact I had been in Twilight’s body before, this was my first real fight with an orc, and I could tell right away that it would be harder than fighting a man. They were bigger, stronger, and tougher, so I needed to be faster, and more precise.

The first one reached me, swinging his axe in a downward strike. I didn’t hesitate to lash out with the brick, striking him in the side of the head and momentarily dazing him. Another approached before I could strike again, thrusting at me with his spear. I narrowly avoided it, and instead of withdrawing to thrust again, the orc dropped the weapon, instead grabbing me by the throat and lifting me up with just one arm. Now fighting for survival, I didn’t hesitate to jab him in the eyes with my fingers, sending him reeling back as he dropped me, shouting out in distress and clutching his face. Quickly picking up his spear, I readied myself, now adequately armed.

A third orc entered the fray, swinging his axe in a sideways motion. I hopped away from it, only for more swings to come my way. I dodged and weaved, until at last I seized my opportunity, thrusting the spear into the side of his neck. Despite it being a mortal blow, the orc lashed out with one final effort, smacking me with the back of his hand before collapsing to the ground. I was sent staggering away, and before I could retrieve the spear, another orc descended upon me. Much like my earlier fight against the Americans, I quickly found myself overwhelmed. As if to taunt me, the nearest orc cast his weapon aside and went for me bare-handed, effortlessly overpowering me and lifting me into the air. He then slammed me back down, but before he could finish me off, a bolt of blue energy shot through his chest, killing him almost immediately.

There was then a gust of wind, and a dark form descended from the smoke. I scrambled to my feet, and watched in awe as a wraith-like entity came to my defence. At its side was a floating silver halberd, its curved blade resembling that of a crescent moon. Obeying the will of its shadowy master, the weapon launched itself forward, cleaving through the green-skinned invaders with nary a shred of resistance. Spears were thrown at the mysterious figure in a bid to stop it, only for them to be caught in mid-air by its magic. The spears were then promptly flipped around and fired back from whence they came. In seconds, the orcs were dead, with roughly twenty bodies lining the street.

“Thank you!” I panted.

In the blink of an eye, the halberd was in front of me, hovering mere inches from my throat. It dripped with dark green blood, and with a gulp, I waited for it to strike. But it never did, and as the shadowy form approached me, it slowly exposed its true identity.

“Thou’rt smaller than We expected.” she said.

In a heartbeat, I was down on one knee, bowing in respect to the second Princess to address me today.

“Princess Luna… it’s an honour.” I breathed.

“Rise.” the Princess of the Night commanded.

Getting up again, I stood before the Princess, who very quickly proved to be far less hostile than her sister. She circled me as if to examine my form, before standing directly in front of me and furrowing her brow.

“Thy presence in this accursed land, how didst thou achieve it?”

“I touched a piece of the Orb.” I replied, “I don’t know why, but I was brought here. Celestia just-”

“Princess Celestia!” Luna barked in correction.

“Forgive me.” I said quickly, breaking eye contact, “Princess… Celestia. She brought Twilight here to watch this unfold, to see what happens if she fails. She did something to me, a spell that brought me into this vision in full. I think I’m stuck here now. Please, Princess, what is happening?”

Raising her chin, Princess Luna gazed at the darkened sky, and to my relief, she actually provided me with an answer.

“This realm, ‘tis not a reality, not yet at least. To look back is to see what was, but to look forward is to see what can be, a mere branch of an ever-dividing line. Thou findest thyself standing in an abomination, a sin against Motion itself, of which We urged Our sister not to observe. As for thy being here, thou doth appear to be an echo of sorts. Thy true self pulls the strings elsewhere…”

Although her archaic words were hard to smooth out, I understood. In essence, I was some sort of clone, manifested into this world by the Orb shard, while my consciousness back on Earth controlled it. Needless to say, I was astounded. Meanwhile, Princess Luna turned away to inspect one of the dead orcs.

“These creatures, they seem unalike thine visage. Art they thy kin?”

“No, Your Highness.” I answered, “They’re called orcs.”

Repeating the name, Luna asked me to elaborate, and so I did. I told her how they hailed from the world of Draenor, and were once of an amicable people, with a tribal, shamanistic way of life. They were then influenced by demons, and partook in a binding ritual that infused them with the Fel, tainting their skin green and turning them into war-hungry savages. Given Nah’Lek’s control over the Fel, and the orcs’ presence here on Equus, it was safe to assume that the Defiler had acquired them for his own means.

“Thou meanest to say, the Defiler doth possess an army?” asked Luna, her expression taut with shock.

“I think so…” I gulped.

Narrowing her eyes, the Princess processed this information, before raising her chin with confidence.

“It matters not. As long as thou performest thy task, the Titans’ Orb shall keep these… orcs, at bay.”

She was right. If the Orb fragments were found, and the protective barrier was restored, then not even the Horde in full could pose a threat to this world. This was why Nah’Lek was hunting us, and why he was so desperate to learn where we were. If he failed to stop us in our quest, then his efforts to amass an army strong enough to destroy this world would have all been for nothing. To this end, I assured the Princess that I wouldn’t fail her. With a faint nod, she returned to look at me up close, studying my face just as her sister had, before slowly closing her eyes and sighing through her nose.

“We see in thine eyes a great many queries. Our sister believest thou deserve no answer to them, but We are of a dissimilar heart. Speak quickly, lest thee be departed with naught.”

Finally, someone willing to give me answers… Though I still wanted to know why I had been chosen by Celestia in the first place, my heart lurched to a far more pressing matter; the mysterious inhabitant inside my head.

“Stardust.” I spoke boldly, “I want to know about Stardust.”

Blinking rapidly, Princess Luna raised her brow at the query, and inhaled deeply before responding.

“Pray tell, how didst thou come by this name?”

“I heard it spoken by Nah’Lek.” I replied.

At that, Luna’s eyes widened, and I went on to explain about the shade, and how he had been torturing Twilight during our time on Earth, only to relocate to my mind and begin tormenting me instead.

“Thou speakest true?” she gasped, “This is most troubling news…”

“That’s an understatement.” I huffed.

Luna then looked away from me, and her horn started to glow.

“We must inform Our sister at once.”

“Wait!” I cried out, “By the time you tell her, days will have passed on Earth, weeks even! It’s all well and good, you learning about this, but I need answers now. There’s a monster in my head, and I haven’t a clue how to fight him. Stardust is my only lead. Please, Princess, tell me who he is!”

The glow from her horn faded, and with a heavy breath, Princess Luna acquiesced my plea.

“He was the bane of Nah’Lek, and brother to the great wizard, Starswirl Moonshimmer.”

“Starswirl Moonshimmer?” I murmured after her, “As in, Starswirl the Bearded?”

“That is correct.” Luna confirmed, before continuing, “Stardust was his younger brother, and the last living Champion of the Holy Titans. With woodland for eyes, and a pelt of pallid sky, t’was he who subjugated the Defiler beside Us and Our sister, and he who stood firm against the throes of the Repugnant War to follow. He was the light in a time of shadow, and to Us, a dear friend.”

At this, my mouth fell agape. I again recalled the conversation with Twilight in Pripyat, about the fabled Titans’ Champion who had defeated Nah’Lek. I then thought about the intense dreams I had been having since Brazil, about fighting in a great war, and reliving countless microscopic moments as a pale blue unicorn. On the night I had learned of the Fel, and Hawnu Rey’eng’s inoculation, I had come to the conclusion that I was experiencing the Champion’s memories, and now Luna had confirmed it.

“What happened to him?” I asked.

The question left Luna feeling sombre, and as her eyes filled with grief, she looked to the sky.

“Beyond the war, Stardust lived time immemorial. His soul, seeped in strength, preserved his youth. Alas, he never found peace, for the mantle of Champion is a burden most heavy. Thou must understand, the Titans’ design for this world doth be of an ilk of ebb and flow. Stardust was to be replaced, and he knew it, wherein Calamity would birth anew to greet his successor, as hath always been the way of things. Stardust rejected this fate, instead rebelling against the divine order.”

Sighing, Princess Luna explained how the Titans’ Champion could only become as such by killing their predecessor in ritual combat, inheriting their soul and the mantle of Champion with it. In defiance of this, Stardust Moonshimmer had taken his own life, by way of pouring his very soul into the Titans’ Orb, preventing any challenger from ever fighting him. Never again would there be another Champion, and thus there would be no Calamities to rival them. In essence, the Titans’ had designed this world to contain a never-ending game of light-versus-dark, and Stardust had sabotaged it, sacrificing himself to end the cycle.

It was an act most noble, but it hadn’t come without a price. Even in death, the Titans’ will persisted, and in the wake of Stardust’s kindly sin, his name was cursed to fade from the world of mortals. From mind and parchment alike, all memory of him disappeared, replaced only by vague allusions pertaining to that of a nameless hero. Only the Princesses could remember him, and try as they might to remind their subjects of the great Champion who saved their lives, the curse could not be lifted.


Moved as I was by such an incredible story, I was far more interested in one very crucial detail. Stardust had poured his soul into the Titans’ Orb, where it had remained for thousands of years. It had been there all along, which was why I had started hearing a voice in my head after touching the first fragment in Brazil. His soul must have been housed within, and at the slightest touch, he had slipped into my skull, dwelling inside my mind as a witty, wisecracking little passenger.

Conscio… was Stardust Moonshimmer.

My heart skipped a beat, for it dawned on me that an ancient hero of ages’ past was living on inside me, and what’s more, I had formed something of a friendship with him. Now, Nah’Lek had separated us, and was likely torturing him around the clock as punishment for defeating him, all those millennia ago. I was about to tell Luna the truth, that her old friend was still alive within me, when more orcs emerged from the smoke, their weapons drawn.

“This fight serveth no purpose.” said the Princess, “Win or lose, ‘tis a falsehood all the same.”

“Then how do I leave?” I asked, “If I’m to find the rest of the Orb, I need to get back to my own time.”

“Without magic?” Luna began, her face sinking, “We wish it were not so, but thou must perish.”

“Well, it won’t be the first time.” I grunted, “Nah’Lek’s killed me enough times in my own head.”

And then, on something of a whim, I turned to the Princess and made a request.

“If it please, Your Grace, may I fight to the end?”

To that, Luna emitted a faint huff, and her expression became one of thoughtful wonder.

“Truly, t’is uncanny…” she whispered to herself, “Very well, may thy wish be granted.”

With that, Luna presented me with her silver halberd, still stained with orcish blood. Though hesitant, I reached out to claim the weapon, gripping it firmly with my right hand. It was cold to the touch, and not nearly as heavy as I had expected it to be. After a moment of admiring it, I dipped my head to its owner.

“Thank you, Your Highness.”

Simply closing her eyes and nodding in reply, the Princess of the Night took wing, ascending to the sky and vanishing into the smoke. I then turned to the orcs that were almost upon me, and with Luna’s halberd in my hands, I greeted the end with valour. If Stardust were present, I likely would have said something dramatic, but now that I was alone, I said nothing.

The first orc reached me, with the hulking foe attempting to lance me through the chest with his pike. With a hop to the right, I evaded, swinging the halberd as I did so. A hand was severed, and as the raging brute howled in agony, I kept the silver blade’s momentum going, bringing it down into his head and splitting it down the middle. He dropped like a sack of apples, and I didn’t hesitate to continue the offensive. Another orc fell, swiftly followed by another, and with all the finesse I could muster, I sprang and danced between the larger foes’ attacks, striking at every opportunity. Perhaps Celestia was right, maybe there really was war in my blood, for with a godly weapon in my hands, I found myself basking in the thrill of battle. Metal and flesh became all too acquainted, and it wasn’t until two-dozen orcs lay dead that I missed my mark.

The halberd’s swing went wide, and as the adversary’s axe came down into my wrist, I felt a sudden loss of sensation in my left hand, paired with a searing pain. Still caught up in the rush, I let out a booming howl, and without hesitation, I thrust the halberd into the orc’s belly, where it clung to his ruptured innards. Another orc then struck me with his hammer, cracking my ribs and sending me sprawling away into the dirt. Now disarmed in both the ordinary and literal sense, I clutched at my bleeding stump, while desperately trying to maintain focus as I wheezed and groaned. Grabbing one of the fallen orcs’ spears, I prepared to fight right up until the mortal blow. There were only four of them left, and as they closed in around me, I could sense the end.

And then, another spear whistled through the air and pierced one of them from behind, impaling his chest and sending him staggering to the ground. The others whipped around, and I didn’t hesitate to spring forward and stab the closest orc in the lower back, and although it was a mortal blow, he still had enough life to turn around and retaliate. He swung his arm out with all his might, catching me with enough force to send me spinning around. I felt the tendons in my neck sprain, and the pain was genuinely on par with my severed hand. The orc then died, and by the time I had returned to a standing position, the other two had been killed. As for who by, I found myself mind-blown for the umpteenth time today, for my saviour was none other than my own self.

Standing there, body splattered with orcish blood, was Callum Horncastle. He looked older, larger too. Now over six feet tall, the man before me was someone I almost didn’t recognise. His jaw was more pronounced, his physique was flawless, even his clothes were impressive, bearing a likeness to mediaeval royalty. Life here had suited him, it would seem.

“I did wonder if this day would come…” he remarked, striding towards me.

Still in a great deal of pain, I bared my teeth at my older self.

“Why are you here?” I growled, before gesturing to the fire around us, “How could you do this? How could you let this happen!?”

Inhaling deeply through his nose, Callum sighed, before looking into my eyes with an expression of great sorrow.

“There is so much you don’t know.” he breathed, shaking his head, “I am so sorry…”

“Yeah, you should be.” I spat, tearing up, “This world is under attack, and it’s all your fault! You shouldn’t be here! We promised! We gave them our word! How… How could you betray them? We said we’d rather die than set foot here!”

“Well, that didn’t happen.” he replied calmly, “Perhaps you could right that wrong, save us both the trouble. There’d be less pain, that’s for sure.”

Squinting at him, I gave my head a small shake, wordlessly begging for elucidation. Reading my expression like a book, Callum gave me a look of endearment, tilting his head to one side.

“Look, I know you want answers. I remember this moment like it was yesterday. I remember how angry you feel, even as I’m talking right now, I remember you wanting to hit me.”

He was right, for my one remaining hand was already curled into a fist, and I hadn’t even meant for it. This truly was my own future self, and I wasn’t sure if I hated him more for it, or less.

“All you want is to understand what’s going on.” he continued, “You want to know why you were chosen, what Celestia saw in you, all that shit. Well, if you end up here, you’ll know. But you’re not ready for this, Callum, not yet.”

Angered, I opened my mouth to speak, only for Callum to silence me, knowing exactly what I was about to say.

“I’m not patronising you. I don’t think you’re too immature to handle it. I just know what’s in store for us, and I promise you, it’s better going in blind. Fuck, you’re still only in Portugal, aren’t you? You don’t even…”

Trailing off, he shook his head, dismissing what had clearly been some sort of groundbreaking revelation. Simplifying things, he told me that I needed a clear head for the trials that awaited me, and that meant not knowing what they were. And then, looking up and all around, Callum focused on his own present, lamenting on how this day had been at the back of his mind ever since he had come to this world. At first, it had been a daily dread, haunting his every waking moment, but as time passed, the orcs’ invasion of Equus became little more than a ghost story. Like a monster in the closet, it was never there, and soon enough, he thought the world was safe.

Until now.

“It was going to be a good day, today…” Callum murmured, his eyes distant and glossy.

“A good day?” I echoed, raising my lips into a snarl, “I don’t even know half of what you’ve done, but for the fact alone you’re here when you promised not to be, you deserve no such thing.”

“Oh trust me, I’ve paid the price for coming here.” he retorted, “As I said, there is so much you don’t know, and if you find yourself standing where I am now, you’ll know I served my penance.”

“I’ll never stand where you are.” I hissed through my teeth, “I’ll die before that happens!”

Raising his bottom lip and nodding, he seemed more in agreement than he was offended.

“Well, I wish you luck.” he muttered, “But if you do find yourself here, and you recall this moment, as I have, then please remember this…”

Stepping closer, Callum placed a hand on my shoulder, and brought his face alongside my own.

“I forgive you.” he whispered.

He then jerked violently, and in the blink of an eye, a blade was inside me, jutting between my ribs and running my heart through. I didn’t have it in me to cry out, I just stared in wide-eyed shock as Callum steadily lowered me to the ground.

“I really am sorry.” he rasped, “For both our sakes, I hope you find a better way.”


I wanted to reply, but all I could do was gasp and croak as the world started spinning. My older self’s sombre, heartfelt expression faded away, and as darkness crept in to consume me, I once again felt the cold embrace of death.





> Chapter Twenty-One: Return to the Fold
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





“Callum! Callum, it’s me!”

I shook wildly, kicking out with blind terror. My vision then returned and I found myself in the woods, with a pair of hooves pressed against my shoulders, shaking me desperately. I blinked emphatically, until I was finally able to make eye contact.

“It’s me, dude. It’s Rainbow Dash!”

My senses came back to me in full, as too did the memories of everything that had just happened. My lips trembled, and as I opened my mouth to say Rainbow’s name, my eyes welled up, and I found myself unable to speak. Realising how distressed I was, Dashie pulled me in for a hug and told me that it was okay, not that she knew at all what was going on. I continued trying to talk, but all that emerged were nonsensical babbles.

“Dude, you’re freaking me out…” said Rainbow, “What’s going on? What the heck happened to you?”

Doing all I could to calm myself down, I sat up straight and shook my head.

“I… I was…” I mumbled, “I was taken to the… the future. I saw what Twilight saw, before you all came to Earth. I… I saw fire… and death!”

“Dude, what are you talking about?” said Dashie, “You’ve been here the whole time. You grabbed the Orb shard and started freaking the fuck out, it was like you were having a seizure or something!”

Shaking my head, I looked at the pegasus with wide eyes and explained what had occurred from my perspective. I told her how I had appeared in Ponyville, a clone of sorts, where I had watched as orcs descended upon the town, setting it ablaze. I told her how I had seen Celestia and Twilight, and how the unicorn had been led to believe that I was the reason the orcs had attacked in the first place. If we failed in our mission, Equus would burn in the fires of war, and adjacent to that, I would fail to uphold my promise.

“You can’t let me come to Equestria with you!” I bleated, “Please Dashie, you can’t let me!”

“Hey, hey…” she breathed soothingly, “It’s alright, dude. Come on, this isn’t like you.”

Clenching my jaw, I shook my head and slowly continued to calm down.

“I’m sorry, I just…”

Sinking my face into my hands, I said that I didn’t want what I had just seen to become a reality. The thought of me being the reason for Equestria’s downfall was too much to bear. At that, Dashie leaned against me and smirked.

“That’s not going to happen, okay? Come on, we just got halfway, that’s three pieces in six months. With all the shit we’ve been through, I’d say that’s a pretty damn good record. Give it another half year, we’ll have the whole thing, I guarantee it!”

“You think so?” I asked, anxiously hunching my shoulders.

“Heck yeah, dude, we’re badasses!” she said boldly, “Sounds to me like this stupid Orb was just trying to scare you, to remind you what’s at stake, you know? Look, if we get all six pieces, and you try to come back with us, I’ll knock you flat on your ass, how does that sound?”

“That sounds great…” I huffed with amusement.

“Sweet, so there’s nothing to worry about, right?”

Emitting a heavy breath, I nodded, letting Rainbow’s words comfort me. She might have been right too, perhaps the Orb had simply shown me the future as a means to frighten me? With its retrieval marking the halfway point in our journey, this fragment was probably just reminding me of my place, and to very firmly reiterate that Equus would never be my home. With the fragment still in my hand, I held it up and peered at it closely.

{Don’t worry, I know where I belong.} I thought to it.

Not that it could hear me, but I felt better for conveying my thoughts in earnest. And then, slowly but surely, I allowed the terrifying experience to slip into the background, with my focus returning to the here and now. From one battleground to another, I was surrounded by the dead mining crew, including the man Rainbow had killed. I could tell she was still rattled by her actions, so I put an arm around her, letting her know that I was just as there for her as she was for me. Her eyes then fell upon the grave I had made for Blu, and with a heavy breath, she shook her head.

“I can’t believe he’s gone.” she whispered, “We were laughing together just this morning. We were joking about how you made me work for my grain bar yesterday, and how he said all that funny shit when we were wrestling…”

After chuckling for a second, the pegasus started to cry. I pulled her in to me and rocked her from side to side, where together, we tearfully mourned for our friend.

“What are we going to tell the others?” she sniffled, “What are we going to tell Fluttershy?”

For a moment, I was of a mind to lie about what had happened. To spare the others of this grief, I thought about suggesting Blu had found a change of heart, and wanted to go off on an adventure of his own. But such an idea was as stupid as it was dishonest. Wiping at my nose, I calmed myself down and said that we would tell the truth, no matter how upsetting it would be for them. Rainbow nodded in agreement, followed by her saying that Fluttershy wasn’t going to take it well.

“I know, but we can’t lie to her.” I murmured, “At the end of the day, Blu saved my life. He was a hero, and we’ll always remember him as one.”

“Alright. Do you want me to tell her?” she offered.

“If you don’t mind, thanks.”

Nodding again, Dashie said that she didn’t mind at all. Given that her friendship with Fluttershy went all the way back to their childhood, she was the right individual to break the news. With that settled, we picked ourselves up and started to get our bearings. Hoping to distract Rainbow, I sent her into the right-hand tent in search of any loot we could salvage. Meanwhile, I started moving the bodies into the left tent. I would have buried them, but given how hard the ground was due to the cold, I didn’t feel up to it.

“Yo dude, come check this out!” Rainbow cried out.

I went into the other tent, where I found the mare eagerly bending her knees over a large wooden crate. The lid had been pried off, and inside were countless bottles and cans.

“Is this what I think it is?” said Rainbow Dash.

Rolling my eyes, I already knew the answer, but I came over anyway just to be absolutely sure.

“Yep.” I replied, “That, Dashie, is a fuck-ton of alcohol.”

It would seem that the yanks had planned to tackle the winter’s cold by way of inebriation, for the crate contains packs upon packs of lagers and ciders, along with harder spirits, such as Disaronno amaretto, Baileys Irish Cream, Havana Club rum, and Southern Comfort whiskey. With her face donning an enormous grin, Rainbow asked me if I was thinking what she was thinking.

“That depends.” I hummed, “What are you thinking?”

“Um, I’m thinking we should grab as much as we can and get wasted tonight.”

“Then yes, I’m thinking what you’re thinking.”

Giggling profusely, Dashie started pondering aloud as to which drinks we should select, as there was no possible way we could get the entire crate packed into her saddlebag, let alone back to the mansion.

“Perhaps I could be of assistance?” a voice spoke.

With a jolt, we both whipped around to find none other than Hawnu Rey’eng, standing just in the tent’s entryway. Arching her back defensively and flaring her wings, Rainbow Dash gasped. I, meanwhile, crossed my arms and furrowed my brow.

“Well, look who it is.” I grunted, “The fuck are you doing here?”

“Buying you time.” he replied calmly.

Rainbow Dash then faced me with her mouth agape.

“You know this guy!?”

Nodding, I quickly explained that this was the individual who had saved her life back in Chernobyl, and had more recently saved me, after my fight with Twilight at the clifftop.

“Ohh!” she drawled, finally understanding.

“The boy speaks true.” the Guardian clarified, “Fear not, Rainbow Dash, I am an ally.”

“I thought you were gone for good after Nah’Lek kicked your arse.” I grumbled, “Now I have a piece of the Orb, and you’ve returned to the fold. Seriously, what are you doing here?”

“As I said, buying you time.” he repeated.

Without missing a beat, I stormed up to him, planting a finger against his dark metal breastplate.

“Hey, I’ve just been to the future, and between Celestia hating me, Luna being hard as fuck to understand, and my own self refusing to give me answers, I’m sick to the back teeth of all this mystery bullshit. Tell me what’s going on. After letting that shade slip into my head, you owe me that.”

“Uh, what did you just say?” Rainbow blurted out.

Closing my eyes, I let out a raspy sigh, now aware that I needed to explain the situation. Looking down at the Guardian’s feet, I told Rainbow the truth, about how Nah’Lek’s duplicate was still alive, having used the collars to hop from Twilight’s head into mine. In a flash, the pegasus was backing away from me, and as I stepped towards her, her wings flared out in preparation to flee; she was afraid of me.

“Hey, I’m still me.” I told her, “I’m not infected with the Fel.”

“But… But you said-”

“I’m not infected.” I repeated, cutting her off, “As I’ve said before, his shade and that stuff are two different things, and Twilight had to deal with both of ‘em at the same time. Now, he did try to infect me, but it didn’t work, and you’ve got Flappy McTin-Tits here to thank for that.”

“Charmed.” said the Guardian.

Continuing, I explained how Hawnu Rey’eng had given me an inoculation against the Fel, rendering it harmless in small amounts.

“I swear, I’m not changing or anything.” I vowed to her, “I’m not going to hurt you.”

“Do you promise?” she asked with pupils like pinpricks.

I lifted up my shirt and jacket, and proceeded to point to the large scar across my chest; the one Inigo had given me.

“Cross my heart.”

{Bloody hell, that was corny.} I thought to myself, which evoked a huff of amusement from Hawnu Rey’eng.

I passed him an irritated glance, irked that he could hear my thoughts. Rainbow Dash meanwhile, folded her wings and slowly stepped towards me, her pupils dilating back to their normal size. She then lunged forward to hug me and apologised for her reaction, expressing that she had already lost one friend to Nah’Lek, and the thought of losing another terrified her.

“That’s perfectly understandable.” I said calmly, “Look, I’m not going to harp on about it, but you’ve not lost Twilight. You don’t have to be her best buddy, but please understand that she’s not a monster any more.”

Pulling away from the hug, Rainbow frowned at me, but she didn’t protest.

“I’ll… I’ll try, okay?”

“That’s all I ask.” I replied with a smile, “Now you know the truth, I can tell you that I’ve experienced Nah’Lek’s torture, and I see now more than ever how badly it messed with her head. With what I saw in the future on top, it’s no wonder she acted how she did. She doesn’t deserve your hatred, Dashie.”

“Dude, I said I’ll try, can you drop it now?”

With a firm nod, I let it go and turned to Hawnu Rey’eng.

“You’re not off the hook.” I grunted, “Where have you been, and why are you back?”

Conceding to my demand, he explained that he had been back to Pripyat, expunging all traces of Fel from the area. This included the zomrads, the mutants, and even Elephant’s Tusk, reverting it back into what was publicly known as Elephant’s Foot. Sensing that I was about to ask why, he went on to say that if humans learned of the Fel-infused radiation, and its ability to induce demonification, the consequences would be disastrous. Between scientists unwittingly meddling with demon magic, to the potential aspect of making monsters for warfare, the Guardian deemed it necessary to purge every trace of the supernatural blight. To this end, he had even infiltrated old Soviet compounds and destroyed every record of the incident, and eliminated the individuals who knew the truth. In short, he had rewritten history, with even the Russian government now believing the cover-up story about how Reactor Four’s meltdown was a mere accident, with nary a hint of the bewitched undead to be found.

“So, you abandoned us and let Nah’Lek torture me for days, for a bit of humanitarian work?” I scoffed, “I’d have thought that’s a little above your pay grade?”

“You are mistaken.” he retorted, “My purpose, as my name decrees, is to protect the balance of life. You and your quest may be of great importance, but it is not my sole priority. Just as Nah’Lek threatens the world of Equus, there are threats to Earth as well, and it is my duty to keep such evils at bay.”

Humming quietly, I accepted that Hawnu Rey’eng wasn’t just our personal defender, he was overseeing humanity’s safety on a global level. Putting my mouth to one side, I began to wonder who he truly was, and where he had come from. He had already expressed that he was once a mortal, and I wanted to know who that mortal used to be. Had his life been a normal one? Had he gone to school, to learn and play with his friends? Had he been some lowly soul of no renown? Or had he been someone great and mighty?

Still, until he was willing to tell us more, there was only so much speculation one could make. Whoever he was, I was thankful to have him on our side, given the next thing he told us…

“Three days ago, I crossed swords with the Defiler. He came to Pripyat, and followed your northerly trail into Belarus. There, he made a terribly foolish remark, revealing how direly he needs his shade, for he is still unwitting to your position. I have come to aid in its removal, for even if his torture hasn’t broken you yet, it is only a matter of time before it does.”

He then peered beyond Rainbow Dash, laying his view upon the crate of alcohol.

“I will also assist in the transportation of your… supplies.”

At that, Dashie grinned, while I crossed my arms again.

“Didn’t take you for a good Samaritan.”

“I have my moments.” he replied with a shrug, “In truth, you all deserve to celebrate. The seven of you have been through much adversity this half-year, and yet you now possess half of the Titans’ Orb, a testament to your will and determination. Once the shade has been removed, you will be at liberty to rest, to at long last recover from your collective wounds.”

“And to get shitfaced, right?” Rainbow added, smirking.

Hawnu Rey’eng looked at her, and even with his face obscured by his helmet, there was no doubt he was raising an eyebrow.

“Yes, Miss Dash.” he replied dryly, “That as well.”

Giggling to herself, the pegasus asked if Hawnu Rey’eng was seriously going to carry the crate all the way back for us. Huffing with amusement, he shook his head and said that he didn’t need to.

“You didn’t think I would come here just to trail back with you for days, did you?” he elaborated, “Let me know when you are ready, and I shall open a portal back to the mansion.”

Nodding, I continued searching the tent for any loot, where alongside the alcohol, I found a few unused sticks of dynamite, ammunition for the shotgun, and a laptop, complete with solar charger and portable hotspot. Taking note of my findings, Hawnu Rey’eng made a rather unexpected, yet welcome suggestion.

“If you wish, I could unlock that device for you. No doubt your brother would do well to know you survived Ukraine.”

“Thank you, that’s very kind.” I replied, dipping my head to him.

After putting the dynamite and laptop into Dashie’s saddlebag, we went outside and signalled to the Guardian that we were ready. His hands lit up, and after a few seconds of charging up the spell, he summoned a swirling circular gateway in front of us. Hawnu Rey’eng then nodded to indicate we could step inside, and Rainbow Dash, ever the cocky thrill-seeker, didn’t hesitate. She jumped in and was whisked away, with the very shape of her melting and melding with the portal’s swirling image as it consumed her; it truly was a sight to behold.

I was next, and given how poorly I responded to portal travel last time, I wasn’t looking forward to it. Be that as it may, I wasn’t going to complain, and with an apprehensive breath, I stepped inside. Just like before, I found myself like a bug in a vacuum cleaner, tumbling and turning through an endless sea of colours and lights. Even as the exit came into sight, I was left too stupefied to prepare myself, and so I found myself being spat out onto the hard wooden floor, rolling twice over and bumping into someone.

“Eep!” she squeaked.

“Ugh…” I groaned wearily, “I hate portals.”

I then opened my eyes to find a large pair of bright teal ones looking back at me, belonging to a butter-coloured face. I grumbled a hello, and with a giggle, Fluttershy helped to scrape me up off the floor. Once I was sitting upright, she went in for a hug, while I continued to fight the dizziness and nausea. I then spotted Twilight and the others, and wiggled my fingers at them in greeting. It was so good to see them again, even after just a few days’ absence. The feeling was clearly mutual, for they all smiled at the sight of me, albeit Twilight’s eyes were brimming with worry.

{She’ll be worrying about the shade.} I thought to myself.

Limping over to me, the unicorn gave me a look as if to ask if I was okay. With the faintest of nods, I confirmed that I was, but before I could reach forward to hug her in proper greeting, we were alerted to the crate of alcohol as it emerged from the portal, hitting the floor with a hefty thud. The bottles inside clinked and rattled, and with but a single glance at the devious grin on Dashie’s face, Applejack clocked on to what the crate contained.

“I let Rainbow out of my sight for one week, and somehow she comes back with booze. Why ain’t I surprised?”

“Hey, I’ll have you know he offered to bring it here!” Dash clapped back, “I was just going to drink a few bottles with Callum on the way back. But hey, now we all get to share!”

To that, Fluttershy gave her fellow pegasus an expression most dull, and remarked that she wouldn’t be cleaning up anyone’s mess. Rarity on the other hand, was more concerned with whom Dashie was referring to. Frowning, she asked who this ‘he’ was, to which Rainbow rolled her eyes.

“I just said before Callum came through, the metal guy!”

“What metal guy?” asked Pinkie, tilting her head.

“That would be me, Pinkamena.” said Hawnu Rey’eng, stepping out from the portal.

In a heartbeat, the group was aghast, with Fluttershy letting out a frightful squeak at the sight of the Guardian. She hid behind me, while Pinkie, Rarity, and Applejack froze like ice. Twilight meanwhile, immediately recognised him.

“You again…” she breathed, “I thought you were dead.”

“Not at all, Miss Sparkle.” he replied, with the portal closing behind him, “My defeat in your mind was regrettable, but it caused me no harm in the waking world.”

Nodding, she asked him what he was doing here, to which he yet again repeated himself.

“Buying you time.”

Without hesitation, I impulsively reached out and smacked the side of his helmet, making everybody jump. His head jolted slightly, before turning to face me.

“That’s the third time you’ve said that, speak plainly.” I spat.

In reply, the Guardian rolled his head to express his exasperation, before explaining in full that he had come to correct his error, and aid us in destroying the shade of Nah’Lek. Twilight winced at the name, while the others all stared at him, unsure of what he meant.

“I thought Callum cured Twilight?” said Rarity.

“Yeah, what gives?” added Pinkie.

“Callum’s task was indeed successful.” the Guardian replied, “Twilight was cured of the Fel’s infection, with Nah’Lek’s shade fleeing from her body. However, in my failure to destroy him, the Defiler has relocated to Callum’s mind instead. For the past week, your guide has been suffering in silence, contending with horrors beyond your imagination.”

Still frightened by this mysterious being, the girls’ fretful eyes trailed from him to me. Now unable to hide the truth, I wordlessly confessed, allowing my shoulders to drop and giving them all a defeated nod. Before any of them could speak, Hawnu Rey’eng assured them that he had come to rectify his mistake, and bring about an end to this most unpleasant affliction within our company.

“Affliction?” asked Rainbow Dash.

“It means an illness, or condition.” I clarified for her.

“Oh, right.”

The others, albeit comforted by his words, were still in shock, both regarding the shade’s continued occupation within my skull, and Hawnu Rey’eng’s presence in general. Sensing their unease, he took a knee and lay their anxieties to rest.

“Do not let my appearance deceive you, I am no threat.” he vowed, “I am an ally, and have been watching over you all for far longer than you might think. My name is Hawnu Rey’eng, of which means-”

“The Guardian of the Balance of Life, or something like that…” I drawled loudly, interrupting him.

Hanging his head, the Guardian sighed.

“Must you insist on being so relentlessly irritating?”

“Yes.” I replied with a dash of arrogance, “You talk in riddles and intentionally obscure clarity, and I have no time for people like that, gods or otherwise. Look, I appreciate you’ve saved my life on multiple occasions, but until you actually give me answers, all you are to me is a pretentious wanker in a suit of metal.”

The girls all looked at me with wide eyes, shocked that I had been so blunt with a being that could likely kill me in the blink of an eye. Interestingly, he didn’t seem all that offended, and with a gentle nod, he ended up validating my frustration towards his enigmatic demeanour.

“You are justified to feel as you do, and were it within my right, I would provide the answers you seek. Alas, as I told you in the Frozen Forest, I am no puller of strings. There are rules I must obey, and that entails keeping the knowledge I possess to myself. In appropriate time, you shall have your clarity, you have my word on that.”

“Whatever.” I mumbled, looking away from him.

Moving things along, Hawnu Rey’eng stood up straight and proclaimed that we were to begin immediately, to ensure that we had the element of surprise. Facing Twilight, he asked if she could fetch the collars and bring them to the living room. She nodded, and limped away to retrieve them from her bedroom. Meanwhile, he gathered the rest of us in the living room, and requested somepony to bring two glasses of water.

“How does water help exactly?” I inquired, “Do you plan to drown the Defiler?”

“It’s merely to hydrate you.” he replied, huffing with amusement, “This fight will be arduous.”

“Yeah, no kidding. You lost last time!” I pointed out.

“Indeed.” the Guardian muttered dryly, “This is why I shan’t be fighting him alone this time.”

“But what use am I going to be? I’m just a boy.”

“Same boy to slay the demon in Pripyat, and hardened criminals twice your age in the Blood Family’s fighting pit. Just earlier today, you did battle with men and orcs alike, and against all odds and lack of training, you prevailed beyond expectation. Let’s not fool ourselves, Callum, you are no less a creature of war than Her Majesty proclaimed you to be.”

Taking in his words, I inhaled deeply through my nose. He was right, and even if I was still no match for Nah’Lek alone, I might have been capable enough to hold my own until the Guardian could land a killing blow.

I supposed we would find out soon enough.


Twilight returned with the collars, and after drinking my water, I was told to lie down and prepare to enter my mind. Taking my collar, he opened the little hatch and configured it to target my mind instead of Twilight’s. He then passed it to me, instructing me to put it on while he picked up Twilight’s and gestured for her to approach him.

“Wait, I’m going with you?” she asked, suddenly alarmed.

Before anyone could answer, she started to cower in fear, backing away from us.

“No, I can’t… I… I can’t see him again!”

“Twilight, we-”

“No!” she shouted loudly, “No, you don’t know what he did to me! I can’t see him again! Please, don’t make me! Please don’t make me see him again!”

Seeing the absolute terror on her face, I wanted nothing more than to heed her plea, and tell her that she didn’t need to do this. Recalling Nah’Lek’s words the other night, I knew she had been harmed in ways I could never speak of, and to make her see him again was nothing short of cruel. However, it wasn’t my place to make such a choice, and with a solemn shake of his head, Hawnu Rey’eng held firm in his decision.

“If you do not help us, Nah’Lek will remain in Callum’s brain. He will tear your friend apart piece by piece until his mind unravels. You don’t want that for him, and you have the power to help. On all days beyond this one, you may recover from the Defiler’s actions as gradually as you need, but today offers you no such choice. You must face your fear, and help to save your friend, as he saved you.”

The poor mare froze, unable to answer as her eyes flitted back and forth from the Guardian to me. I then beckoned her over, and as she came close, I put my mouth to her ear and whispered softly.

“I won’t let him touch you, I swear.”

Shuddering, Twilight finally conceded, allowing me to fasten the collar around her neck. The second it clicked, I felt a tingle run up my neck and into my skull, and with a brief hello in thought, we established that the collars were operational. I let my hand rest at the back of her head for a moment, giving her one final wordless assurance that I would protect her. She relaxed into the subtle contact, and as I pulled my hand away, I stroked the side of her neck with my thumb. Now infinitely calmer than just a moment ago, she lay down beside me, which was when Fluttershy suddenly started to look around the room.

“Um… where’s Blu?”

{Ahh, shit.} I grumbled in thought.

{Oh no…} Twilight thought back to me, {Callum, what’s happened?}

Well aware that we needed to focus, Rainbow Dash quickly cleared her throat, before zipping over to me for a hug.

“I’ll deal with her.” she whispered, squeezing me tightly, “Good luck, dude.”

“Thanks, you too.” I replied, squeezing her back.

She then went over to Fluttershy and suggested they went on a walk together. Deeply concerned by the odd response, Flutters frowned, swiftly followed by her eyes widening with understanding. Her mouth began to fall open, for without a word spoken on the matter, she had deduced that something had happened to Blu. Her eyes started welling up with tears, at which point Rainbow Dash began gently guiding her out of the room.

“Okay, yeah… we’re going on that walk now.”

They passed through into the kitchen and out of sight, and just as they were leaving through the front door, I heard Fluttershy bursting into tears and wailing. The other ponies’ ears all flattened at the sound, and with a heavy sigh, I promised that once we had dealt with the shade, I would explain what had happened.

{He’s dead, isn’t he?} Twilight thought quietly, her face dropping.

Before I could answer, Hawnu Rey’eng reminded us that time was of the essence. My answer would have to wait, though my expression gave Twilight all the information she needed. Closing her eyes and exhaling through her nose, she gently placed a hoof against my side for comfort. I took it without hesitation, and then slowly reached for my collar in preparation to send us into my head. Hawnu Rey’eng meanwhile, knelt down behind us, using his magic to connect to our collars.

“When you are ready, Callum.” he told me.

Gulping, I looked around at the others one last time, before holding down the button and counting back from five. I felt a buzzing sensation, followed by my consciousness rapidly slipping away from me. When I next awoke, I would be inside my own mind again, where the hunter was to become the hunted…





Opening my eyes, I found myself lying in the exact same position, still holding Twilight’s hoof. We sat up together, and were quick to spot the differences in the room. Aside from the dim lighting, the living room walls were warped and damp, and the furniture was covered in mould. The smell of decay hung thick in the air, causing Twilight to wrinkle her nose.

“Well, this place is disgusting.” she remarked, stifling a cough.

“That would be the Defiler’s doing.” said Hawnu Rey’eng, of whom was still kneeling behind us, “When a shade infiltrates a mind, it can influence and emphasise certain aspects of its manifestation. Akin to how your brainscape froze over in response to Fel’s corruption, it would seem that Callum’s forest has been afflicted with stagnancy and rot.”

“Which I’m guessing is thanks to my depression?” I suggested.

“That would be correct.”

“Joyous.” I muttered dryly.

Standing up, the three of us ventured outside, where the eerie grey forest greeted us in all its endless gloom. Just as Twilight’s brainscape had been dubbed the Frozen Forest, I took to naming this place as well, settling comfortably on the Hollow Forest. Without a clue of where to start, I asked how we would even find Nah’Lek, to which the Guardian lifted his chin.

“Given the circumstances, I believe I know where he’ll be.”

“What circumstances?” I inquired, furrowing my brow.

“The ones concerning your lost little friend.”

“Oh fuck, Stardust!” I exclaimed, my mouth falling agape.

Truth be known, I had almost completely forgotten about him. The vision of the future had completely rattled me, and it was only at the mention of his name that I remembered he was here somewhere in my mind. With how Nah’Lek had separated us the other night, there was no telling how direly the old Champion had suffered in this place. If he was being tortured around the clock, then who knew what condition he was in by now? With that, Hawnu Rey’eng ordered us to stay here at the mansion, while he went off in search of where he believed Stardust to be.

“You can’t just leave us here!” I protested, “What if Nah’Lek shows up?”

“He won’t.” he replied, “I assure you, the Defiler’s focus will be solely on Moonshimmer. As soon as I have found their location, I shall return to you with haste.”

Without much of a choice, we allowed him to leave, returning to sit on the doorstep while we waited. Spreading his wings, Hawnu Rey’eng took flight, soaring above the treeline and quickly disappearing from view. Once he was gone, Twilight asked who Stardust was, and with a deep breath, I shook my head.

“You won’t believe me.”

“Come on, don’t patronise me.” she grumbled, “I think we’re a little past me not trusting you, don’t you think?”

“It’s not that you won’t trust me, it’s just that it’s going to blow your mind.” I scoffed.

“I’m the personal student of a Titan-born sun goddess, try me.”

Shrugging, I couldn’t quite argue with that, and decided to lay the truth bare.

“Okay, so you remember Conscio, the voice I’ve been hearing?”

Twilight simply nodded, and so I continued.

“Well, turns out his real name is Stardust Moonshimmer. Does that name mean anything to you?”

This time, Twilight shook her head, to which I huffed.

“Yeah, funny that. Even if you had heard of it, you wouldn’t remember. It’s been cursed to fade from the minds of all mortal ponies.”

Now blinking rapidly with confusion, Twilight tried to make sense of what I had just said. Choosing not to torture her with a long-winded guessing game, I went on to explain that Stardust Moonshimmer was none other than the former Titans’ Champion, of whom had perished thousands of years ago, after imparting his very soul into the Titans’ Orb, ending the cycle between Champions and Calamities. Staring at me, Twilight continued to blink, and just as I thought I had broken the poor mare, she let out a huge gasp, having put the pieces together in her head.

“Oh my gosh, you’re saying his soul was inside that first piece? So, when you touched it, he-”

“Went straight into here.” I finished for her, pointing to the side of my head.

“That’s… Oh my gosh!”

“I know right?”

“You’re host to the… the Titans’ Champion? He’s living inside your head!?”

Unable to contain herself, the unicorn practically leapt at me, demanding to be told everything there was to know about him. Laughing at her ‘need-to-know’ mentality, I expressed that I actually knew very little, as he had been pretending to be a sapient part of my own consciousness this whole time, hence the name ‘Conscio’. My only real knowledge of him consisted of the dreams I had been having since Brazil, of which were always difficult to remember. It was all a blur, made up of microscopic glimpses of the Champion’s life, from bedding countless ponies to fighting in various battles, mostly during the Repugnant War. Stardust had evidently lived a very full life, and now, aeons later, he had undone death itself by using my body as a vessel. Twilight was starstruck by the truth, more so when she asked how I had come to learn of Stardust’s identity, and I made yet another revelation.

“I saw what the Princess showed you.” I sighed, “I saw Ponyville on fire, and the dead stallions in the road. I saw that mare fall from her window, her mane ablaze, while invaders came from the Everfree Forest.”

Her eyes bulged and her mouth fell open, but before Twilight could ask how I had possibly seen such a thing, I explained how the Orb fragment had been responsible, whisking my consciousness away to Equestria, in a time far beyond here. I told her how I had woken up in Ponyville, and had been led to the library by Derpy Hooves, where I’d seen Spike with my own eyes. I had then searched for Rarity’s boutique in the hope of finding a familiar face, only for Twilight and the Princess to appear.

“It was you from the past, before you came here.” I murmured, “Celestia had brought you to see what would happen if we failed.”

Swallowing, Twilight licked her dry lips before speaking.

“So… you understand now? Why I was so horrible to you, even before the Fel started changing me? It wasn’t just… him, I thought I had to hate you in order to save my home.”

“I know.” I rasped, “I heard what you said… that I’m your enemy.”

“Callum, I…”

Her voice trailed off, for she didn’t know how to justify her former stance towards me.

“It’s okay.” I said softly, “From your perspective, it made perfect sense. She set me up to be a villain in your eyes. She told you that my nature would betray me, and that I’d be the catalyst for Equestria’s downfall. That’s a pretty valid reason to hate someone, Twilight.”

“Well, I don’t hate you.” she insisted, staring at me intensely, “Not any more.”

Shaking her head, Twilight confessed that she knew she was disobeying the Princess by turning over this new leaf with me. However, after saving her life and curing her of the Fel, there was no feasible way she could continue to loathe me, such a notion was impossible for her now. All that mattered was that we found the Titans’ Orb and returned it to Equus, with me remaining on Earth for good measure. As long as this goal was achieved, the future we had witnessed would never come to pass, and with that, Twilight held no shame in calling me her friend.

“Thank you, Twilight.” I murmured, dipping my head, “I know that can’t be easy, going against the Princess’ command.”

“It’s not.” she admitted, “But you saved my life, and stopped him from… hurting me.”

Sniffing loudly, Twilight looked away and said there was no command that the Princess, or even the Titans for that matter, could give that would outweigh what I had done for her. I had delved into her mind and freed her of both Nah’Lek’s unspeakable torment, and of the demon magic that had possessed her. This alone was deserving of her undying gratitude, and that didn’t even take into account my grander sacrifice. I had abandoned all possibility of a normal life, and become a ruthless killer, all to guide and protect Twilight’s company. Amidst this, I had endured pain and loss like words couldn’t describe, all while battling my own mental health. I had every right to abandon the girls after what I had suffered, and yet here I was, serving them without question.

“That’s worth more than anything the Princess could ever say to me.” Twilight said with tears in her eyes, “You really are my friend now, forever and always, just like I said. Do you understand?”

My response wasn’t a worded one. Rather, I simply leaned over and hugged the mare, squeezing her tightly and exhaling with a breath of equal parts relief and happiness. We held each other for a good while, before I finally let go and returned to addressing the vision.

“I guess this also explains why there was an orc in the Frozen Forest.” I mused, “You didn’t even know what it was, but your memory still coughed it up from the future.”

“Wait, what do you mean?” she quizzed, tilting her head, “I thought humans attacked Ponyville. You’re saying it was that big green thing?”

Nodding, I confirmed that it was.

“I even recognised him.” I huffed, flexing my brow, “He was the first one to attack, and I smacked him in the head with a brick.”

From there, I told her all about the orcs, repeating all I had said to Princess Luna about their history and culture, and how they were now almost certainly serving the Defiler. She asked how I knew about them, to which I explained that just as Equus existed in my universe as a children’s cartoon, the worlds of Draenor and Azeroth existed as well, in the form of a video game series.

“That’s incredible…” she murmured, “Oh, by the way, it’s ‘dimension’, not universe.”

“Aren’t those the same thing?” I queried.

Shaking her head, she explained that we all existed within the same universe, just on different planes of reality, known as dimensions. Sensing that I was still confused, she promised to explain it in greater depth sometime.

“I’ll hold you to that.” I told her, “I want to know all there is about this kind of stuff.”

“I promise, by the time I go home, you’ll know as much as I do.”

Satisfied by her assurance, I let the subject rest for now. We continued to natter while we waited for Hawnu Rey’eng, which was when we heard a noise coming from inside the mansion. It was a knocking sound, and with the two of us immediately on high alert, we slowly stepped back inside to investigate. We then both jumped out of our skin as the front door slammed shut on its own accord. I rushed to open it, only to find the door was now locked.

“Callum, I don’t like this.” Twilight whimpered, “Callum, what’s happening?”

“I don’t know.” I gulped.

“Is it… Is it him?”

Despite this seeming like something Nah’Lek was capable of, there was one detail that had me doubting the Defiler’s involvement. The walls of the mansion entryway were now lined with various picture frames, all of which contained highly detailed portrait paintings, and upon closer inspection, it dawned on me that I recognised the individuals depicted. Every painting was that of someone I had killed on my quest, and as guilt started to flood my mind, so too did the urge to sink to my knees and abandon my resolve.


This wasn’t Nah’Lek, this was me.
In the waking world, I was experiencing a depressive episode, and we were trapped inside it.





> Chapter Twenty-Two: Demon
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Struggling to remain standing, I leaned back against the front door and exhaled heavily.

“Hey, are you alright?” asked Twilight, rushing towards me.

“Yeah, I uh…” I sighed, “I know what’s going on.”

With a degree of nervousness, she asked me to explain, and so I did. I told her how my depression had struck, and with us inside my brainscape, we were now prisoners to it. Reaching over to the nearest picture frame, I took it off the wall and pointed to the man in the painting.

“This was one of Inigo’s boys.” I explained, “I stabbed him in the neck, right at the start of the Stock Heap riot.”

I then pointed to another.

“That was one of Paulo’s. I’d just killed his buddy, and after a bit of a tussle, I put a knife through his lung. He took a while to die, that one.”

“You… remember them?” asked Twilight.

“Why do you think they’re on the walls, Twilight? I remember all of them…”

With eyes like glass, I knew the mansion would be littered with these paintings. Inigo’s would be around somewhere, Rahim’s too. From cellar to attic, I would be surrounded by the eyes I had closed, reminding me of the monster I had become.

“Why is this happening?”

“Why’d you think?” I snapped back, “This is what happens when I crash, okay? My brain reminds me of all the shitty things I’ve done, and all the great things I’ll never be. It won’t just be the paintings, there’ll be all sorts in here.”

“Then how do we stop it? Surely there’s a way to stop it? You’ve crashed plenty of times during our journey, and they always pass at some point.”

“Yeah, that’s just it, they pass.” I grumbled, “There’s no way to stop it. Trust me, I’ve tried, in both the temporary and permanent sense.”

At that, Twilight breathed my name, unsure of how to respond to such a statement. She then made a suggestion that only Twilight could have made at this point, and quite amusingly, I found it helpful.

“Hey, if we need to wait for this to blow over, then let’s wait. But while we do, this is the first time in history anyone’s ever seen a neurological condition from the inside. Why don’t we study it? If we’re going to be trapped in here, we might as well learn something from it, right?”

“Are you really suggesting we exploit my mental health to do some science?” I scoffed.

“Um… maybe?”

“Ugh, fuck it, why not?”

Knocking her front hooves together, Twilight practically bounced with excitement, and I rolled my eyes with mixed exasperation and amusement. After putting the frame back on the wall, I took a deep breath, and we started exploring. Sticking to the downstairs first, we took a left into the study, where we found the floor to be dark and sticky, not unlike molasses, though it certainly didn’t smell like molasses. The books on the shelves were moving, goading us into checking them, though I would have preferred we hadn’t. Each title was something depressing, edgy, or downright embarrassing, with their contents rife with pain and misery. Some books described moments I regretted in life, while others spoke of what I often hated about myself, concerning everything from my body weight, to my autism. Other books contained my intrusive thoughts, while others held the suicide letters I had written in the past, of which were many. I didn’t want Twilight to read them, and after she glanced at a few, I insisted that we moved on.

Like a haunted house, each room was filled with various themes of personal strife. The kitchen was full of every blade I had harmed myself with in the past, and one of the drawers overflowed with the pills I had overdosed on. The living room was full of child-sized mannequins, each resembling the peers I had once known at school. They were all pointing at me, their faces contorted with revulsion and mockery.

“Why are they like this?” asked Twilight, prodding one of them with a hoof.

“Because I was a weird kid.” I confessed, “I didn’t know how to talk to people, or act normal. It wasn’t until the end of my school years that I figured out how not to be a freak. This lot represents everyone who’s ever laughed at me, or been repulsed by me.”

Hearing this, Twilight’s ears fell to the sides of her head, and she looked at me with sincerity.

“Cal…”

She walked towards me, to which I defensively raised my hands.

“Don’t hug me.” I requested, “If I fall apart, we’ll both regret it.”

With a gulp, the mare conceded, and quickly suggested we left the room and explored elsewhere. Ascending the stairs, I took a peek into the master bedroom, and was then very quick to shut the door again.

“Nope, we’re skipping that one.” I ordered.

“Why, what’s in there?”

“You don’t want to know.”

“But I-”

“You don’t… want to know.”

Spotting the fierce glint in my eye, Twilight knew better, and so we gave the master bedroom a wide berth. We then checked Fluttershy’s bedroom, which had reconfigured its design to resemble my brother’s. In his familiar fashion, there was hunting equipment and other various paraphernalia lying around, and on the bed was a pitch black human figure, emanating wisps of inky smoke. Rolling over, it got up and started striding towards us, which was when it very blatantly barked at us to ‘eff off’. It carried a faint hint of Oliver’s voice, and I realised that it was a depiction of him before we had reconciled. The figure before me was the angry bully I had once known, of whom resented the world around him, and me with it. With neither of us leaving, he repeated himself, louder this time.

“I said fuck off!”

Reaching for one of the hunting knives, the echo of my brother held it out in my direction, promising to harm me if I didn’t leave his room. Aghast, Twilight asked if Oliver had ever actually threatened me like this, to which I huffed with a morbid sense of amusement.

“I mean, to be fair, I did go into his room without asking sometimes.”

“Callum!” the mare exclaimed, “That’s not okay! Did he ever apologise?”

“Well, he didn’t need to.” I shrugged, “He never actually cut me with it. I always left the room before I knew if he’d go through with it or not.”

As if to prove the point, the shadowy figure remained perfectly in place, incapable of attacking. Without even knowing it back then, my memory now understood that for as angry and bitter as Oliver had been at the time, he didn’t have it in him to genuinely harm his little brother. Understanding this for myself, I was finally able to smile, and with that, the figure dropped the knife and faded away.

“What just happened?” asked Twilight, “Where’d he go?”

“I don’t know.” I answered honestly, “I just… realised that Oliver never wanted to hurt me.”

Gasping, Twilight came to a realisation of her own, and pointed out how I had just made peace with a traumatic memory. In other words, I had just experienced a breakthrough of sorts.

“Oh shit…” I murmured, “Wait, is that how therapy works?”

Humming, Twilight tilted her head and shrugged.

“I mean, sort of, I guess?” she said, “It’s the same principle at least. You find the root of an underlying issue, you address it, and then you either find a way to make peace with it, or cope with it. You just did that! You spent your childhood being afraid of your brother, thinking he was going to hurt you, but now, inside your own head, you’ve confronted that fear and made peace with it!”

“Huh…”

Shaking my head, I was somewhat stupefied. I had come to this place to hunt down an actual demon, only to contend with my inner ones, and lay one of them to rest. Still, I was hardly complaining, for a weight had been lifted from my chest, and it was one that I hadn’t even really known was there.


Exiting the room, we opened up the next door, where Twilight was very quickly caught struggling for words.

“I, um… what is-”

“That, we are also not visiting.” I grunted sharply, shutting the door.

“You know, I think we’re in agreement there.”

Shuddering, I was sickened by the scene I had just unearthed… During my early teens, in my unmonitored discovery of the internet, I’d found myself engaging in various chat sites. Without going into much detail, I had seen things I hadn’t wanted to see, including, but not limited to, numerous older men, vigorously displaying themselves via their webcams. It was a disturbing memory, of which I had long-since buried, for whenever I thought about it, I felt nauseous and full of shame. Needless to say, the room we had just looked in had preyed on such feelings, and recreated the experience in coarse, exaggerated fashion.

{I think I prefer the master bedroom over that one.} I thought to myself.

After a few more mortifying encounters, we entered a room that was all too familiar. I tried to leave, only for the door to shut itself and lock us in. I knew what was coming, and with a gulp, I urged Twilight to pay no mind.

“Wait, why? Where are we?” she asked.

Shaking my head, I gestured to the lavish bedroom around us.

“This is where I, uh…”

Trailing off, I couldn’t say it. How could I possibly stand there and tell Twilight that this was the room where I had given myself to Bunnie? The doorway to the en suite was just where I remembered it, and as I heard the footsteps, I begged Twilight to look away. Alas, much like myself, curiosity consumed her, and as my dead lover’s naked body stepped out from the bathroom, the two of us froze like ice.

“Callie?”

Unable to respond, I did everything in my power to look away. Bunnie took another step towards me and repeated herself, and I finally started to crumble. My eyes filled with tears, and with my jaw clenched, I began to choke on my own desperate attempts not to cry.

“No…” I groaned through my teeth, “No, you’re dead.”

“I know.” she replied, “And now you’re friends with the one who killed me.”

Like a dagger, the words pierced my heart, and Twilight’s too. Wincing, the lilac pony began to weep, and with another step forward, Bunnie pointed at her and asked why she had done it.

“Why did you kill me?”

Twilight couldn’t speak, she just stared at Bunnie’s exposed form and quivered. Bunnie repeated the question, at which point the unicorn fell to her knees and shook her head.

“I’m… I’m s-sorry!” she whimpered, clamping her eyes shut.

I, too, was struggling to keep it together. The sight of Bunnie, on the night of our union no less, was too much for me to handle. This was what my depression did; it would disentomb every painful, squalid, and downtrodden moment from my past and play them on a loop, with the simple goal of bringing me down, and driving me to the brink of performing the irreversible. This was my curse, and I had suffered it long enough to know it wouldn’t kill me.

Not yet.

Refusing to give my mind this victory, I approached Twilight and knelt down beside her, placing a hand on her back. I instructed her to look at me, which thankfully she did. Practically wheezing through my continued efforts not to break, I insisted that it wasn’t really Bunnie.

“It’s just my brain, that’s all this is.” I told her, “You can’t let it win.”

Inhaling shakily, Twilight tried to listen, but as Bunnie drew ever closer and continued to berate the two of us for dooming her, such a task became impossible.

“You killed so many people for me.” said Bunnie, “So many lives that weren’t necessary for you to take. You put your entire mission on hold, just so you could kill people, fuck me, then let me die.”

“I was trying to save you.” I retorted.

“Well that didn’t go very well, did it?” she replied with a sneer, “If you’d just moved on from that town, and left me be, I’d still be alive. But no, you wanted to be the hero. You just had to swoop in and save the day, didn’t you?”

“That’s not how it was.” I croaked, “I saw your dad pull you from his car and throw you out into the road. You were sobbing in the rain, and I couldn’t just sit there and ignore you. I saw an innocent person in need, so I tried to help!”

“That’s a hero complex, Callum.” she snapped back, “But you weren’t very heroic, were you? How many people did you end up killing for me? Ten? Twenty? More? I reckon it was more…”

Not replying, I swallowed, desperately trying to retain my resolve. Funny, how Nah’Lek’s efforts had been so fruitless, and yet my own brain was now cracking into me with such ease. Bunnie then spoke of Rahim, reminding me of how I had killed a boy no older than myself.

“He was just trying to stay alive.” she said coldly, “That poor boy was just keeping his head down and following orders, and you ratted him out, and slit his throat.”

“Please stop…” I whispered through my teeth.

“Do you remember what you did next?” Bunnie continued, “Do you remember how you gulped it down?”

Closing my eyes, I turned my head away and shuddered. This was too much, and unlike the room with Oliver, I had no way of making peace, therefore my only option was to endure it.

At least, I thought that was my only option…

With my eyes flaring open again, I realised something very, very stupid. It was so stupid that I started to chuckle, and as I turned to Twilight, the poor mare thought that I had lost my mind, until I told her what I had suddenly found to be so funny.

“We’re idiots, Twilight.” I laughed through my tears, “We’re inside my head.”

“S-So?” she stuttered, sniffling.

“You can use magic here, you dolt.”

Her mouth fell agape, and without a second to dwell on the fact, she ignited her horn.

“Oh for…” she began, before cutting herself off, “Callum, we’re idiots!”

With that, we both realised that we could have teleported out of here at any time of our choosing, and as that knowledge reached my outer brain, it made one final effort to hurt me. In the few seconds it took Twilight to cast the spell, Bunnie reached out to touch me, and then promptly burst into flames. I recoiled in shock, just as my vision was replaced by a brilliant white. Twilight teleported us outside the mansion, where we reappeared at quite a height, falling into the soft milky grass together and flopping onto our sides.

“Well, that was fucking horrible.” I grunted, huffing loudly.

“Agreed.” Twilight muttered.

Sitting up to face her, I shook my head and tutted, stating my disbelief over how she could have got us out of there from the start.

“I wasn’t thinking, okay?” she said back defensively, wiping at her nose, “I’ve not had magic for over a week now, it’s the new norm for me.”

Pulling a face, I said that she had a point. She then scooted over and leaned into me, lamenting over how horrible our time in the mansion had just been. With a shrug, I agreed that it was certainly a less-than-pleasant new way of experiencing my depression.

“I knew you had it bad, but not that bad.” she sighed, “I’m sorry that last room had to be about… her.”

“Not your fault.” I grumbled, putting an arm around her, “If anything, I’m the one who’s sorry. This is my brain, and my sickness, and you were brought along for the ride. That wasn’t fair.”

“I mean, you’re not wrong, I hated every second of it.” she confessed, “But you know what? I’m glad I was here for this. Now I know what’s going on in your head when it flares up.”

Shrugging, I supposed she had a point. She then told me that Bunnie was wrong, about the hero complex.

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“A hero complex is when someone feels the need to be a hero.” she explained, “They go out of their way looking for dangerous situations so they can do something valiant, and if they can’t find one, they make one. It’s a form of narcissism, all for praise and recognition. That’s not you, Callum…”

Placing a hoof on my wrist, she said that I had tried to help because it was the right thing to do. I hadn’t gone looking for some damsel in distress, I had just been in the wrong place, at the right time. When Bunnie first told me about the men hunting her, I had very simply striven to protect her, and to get her to safety. It was only when she insisted on saving Dijla that I got involved with the cartel. The situation hadn’t been a result of my actions, my actions had been a result of the situation, and with that, I trusted that Twilight was telling the truth.

“Thanks, Twi…” I breathed, “I wasn’t sure if she was right or not.”

“She wasn’t.” she confirmed, before huffing with amusement, “I can’t promise you’re not a hero, because… let’s face it, you saved my life, you’ll always be a hero to me. But you don’t have a hero complex, okay? You didn’t do what you did for recognition, and what happened wasn’t your fault.”

Nodding faintly, I closed my eyes and thanked her for a second time. She then asked if the master bedroom had been worse than the room with Bunnie, to which I said they were about the same. Ever-hungry for knowledge, she asked to know what I had seen, and although I didn’t want to say, I had been left so shaken by Bunnie’s appearance that I didn’t have it in me to deny her. Unable to look her in the eye, I looked up and explained how the room had contained numerous copies of myself, all suspended in the aftermath of previous attempts to take my own life. There had been a Callum for each failed suicide, with one hanging from the ceiling by his neck, another with his head sealed in a plastic bag, and another curled up clutching his stomach, having died from an overdose.

“Oh…” said Twilight, swallowing nervously.

“Yeah.” I murmured, “It wasn’t pretty.”

“How many were there?”

Not wanting to answer that, I settled on saying that the room was rather crowded, and left it at that. Pursing her lips, the unicorn hugged me tighter than ever, and let out a heavy, pensive breath.

“I’m really glad you’re still here, Callum.” she whispered, pressing her muzzle into my chest.

“Half a year ago, I would have disagreed.” I huffed back, “But now? Yeah, I think I am too.”

I then quietly chortled to myself, reflecting on how I was mainly still alive due to how ineffective I was at doing the deed. Between the plastic bag having a hole in it, and a My Little Pony poster psyching me out of the hanging, I had consistently failed at shutting my own eyes for good. Twilight saw the funny side as well, and with a giggle, she looked up at me and smirked.

“I never thought I’d say this, but from the bottom of my heart… thank you for being so incompetent.”

That set me off, and with us both now laughing, I joked that maybe Celestia had picked me for how objectively shit I was at dying. This caused Twilight to laugh so hard that she snorted, which only had the two of us cackling even louder.

“I never thought I’d be laughing about my inability to kill myself!” I sang.

“I mean, if there’s anything to be bad at…” Twilight replied, prodding me with a hoof.

With us laughing away over something so crude, it was safe to declare the depressive episode over, and not a second too soon. The beating of wings came from overhead, and at long last, Hawnu Rey’eng returned.

“Took you long enough.” I said as he landed, still snickering.

Ignoring me, he looked at Twilight and dipped his head in greeting.

“It would appear I’ve missed something amusing.”

“Something like that.” the unicorn giggled, rolling her eyes.

Asking no further questions, the Guardian instead directed us to the present, informing us that he had located Stardust’s whereabouts. It was about an hour’s walk from here, and so we departed with haste. We had one task, and one task alone; find Nah’Lek’s shade, and kill it.


Minutes of trudging went by, and as we left the forest and crossed an open grassy knoll, I couldn’t help but notice how the next patch of woodland was of a different species. Where at first the trees had been of colourless cherry blossom, we were now entering a patch of pine. Without knowing how these brainscapes functioned, I could only presume we were moving from one cerebral lobe to another.

“So, how does one actually go about fighting Nah’Lek?” I asked, “What’s the plan of attack?”

“That is the plan.” he answered blankly, “You attack, and you don’t stop attacking.”

Elaborating, he explained how Nah’Lek was as relentless in combat as he was in torture. With staff, sword, claw, fang, and leg, he used every part of himself as a weapon, and the only way to counter such a never-ending assault was to reply with one of our own. Like a raging wildfire, there was no way to snuff him out in one fell swoop. The only way to best him was to suppress him, containing him with counterattacks of spell and blade, using every opening we could find to chip away at his poise, until we could at last land a fatal blow. To this end, Twilight was to assail him with offensive spells, teleporting away whenever she needed to.

“I shall oppress him from above, and do all that I can to keep him occupied.” he continued, “We shall fight as one, and as one, we shall brook him no quarter.”

“Nice, very poetic.” I grunted, “Just one question. What the fuck am I supposed to do? You’ve both got magic, while I’m here unarmed and unarmoured. I’m going to be useless!”

“You will be no such thing.” said the Guardian.

Turning to face me, he reached for his belt and unsheathed his longsword, presenting it to me. The blade was a dark grey, lined from hilt to tip with a wavy pattern that resembled Damascus steel. Each water-like ripple was lined with silver and gold, granting it a visage like that of the sun and the moon, shining together amidst the eerie clouds of a rising storm.

“This… is Windwoe.” said the Guardian.

“It’s beautiful.” Twilight murmured.

I, meanwhile, raised my eyebrows and tutted under my breath.

“Of course you named your sword.”

“Lots of individuals name their weaponry.” he muttered in reply.

“Lots of cunts.” I spat back, “Unless your name’s Arthur Pendragon, naming your sword is as pretentious as it is melodramatic, though I suppose that’s on-brand for you.”

“Didn’t you have a knife called Krocsbane, and a shotgun called Wrinkleboom?” Twilight pointed out.

I opened my mouth to clap back at her, only to catch myself and remain silent. I could have reminded Twilight that it had in fact been her to suggest giving the knife a name, and that Wrinkleboom had been coined by Oliver. However, to argue these points would only result in me appearing pedantic, and so I let it go and simply raised my chin, huffing through my nose.

“I don’t want to talk about it.” I grumbled, looking away.

We then returned our focus to Windwoe, where Hawnu Rey’eng explained that he had personally crafted the weapon, enchanting the blade to defy gravity, and generate its own momentum when swung. This allowed it to be controlled with ease, while still delivering enough force to cleave through even the toughest armour.

“Give it a try.” he instructed.

Taking the sword, I was quick to notice just how light it was. Despite being roughly five feet in length, it weighed little more than a kitchen knife, and with a tight grip on the handle, I obeyed his command and gave it a swing. I was immediately caught off-guard, for Windwoe drifted through the air with such speed that it almost leapt from my hands. It took a few additional swings to adjust to such a disproportionate heft and hew, but eventually I was able to get the hang of it. I then asked what armour he would be providing me, for even with Windwoe in hand, I was still open to Nah’Lek’s attacks.

“Nothing grandeur, I’m afraid.” he replied, raising an arm.

His hand shone brightly, and upon planting his palm on my chest, I was suffused with some sort of spell. In seconds, a glowing white field had manifested around me, causing every hair on my body to stand on end. It then faded away, and the Guardian explained what he had done. In short, I had been imbued with a spell by the name of Swiftbane. It served as a layer of interlocked particles across my being that behaved as a non-Newtonian fluid. As such, it halted all fast-moving attacks as though I were wreathed in stone, which Hawnu Rey’eng demonstrated by suddenly punching me in the belly. There was a brief flash of white as his fist collided with the shield, with the force of the impact sending me to the ground. However, for as powerful as the blow had been, he had not harmed me.

“Blimey!” I cried out, getting to my feet again, “Warn me next time!”

“I guarantee, the Defiler will give no such warning.” he retorted.

After grumbling that he had a point, I brought up how the shield only repelled fast-moving attacks, and asked what would happen if Nah’Lek attacked me slowly. To this, the Guardian shook his head.

“Rest assured, Mister Horncastle, unless it is for the purpose of torture, the lash and stab of the Defiler’s dance are as precise as they are fleeting.”

“Fair one, I guess…” I murmured, trilling my lips.

With me now adequately kitted out for a fight, Hawnu Rey’eng said that we were to keep moving, promptly leading us further into the woodland. Twilight and I exchanged an anxious glance, as although it went without saying, the two of us were brimming with dread. After all the misery, pain, and torment Nah’Lek had instilled, we were equally terrified of the fast-approaching moment we would be in his presence again. Fighting him was to be no glorious affair, nor freedom from the memories he had scarred us with. It was to be nothing more than a horrifying skirmish with our worst nightmare, of which we could only pray was the last time we would see him again.

We had been on the move for some time, when up in the distance, we heard the sound of a low rumble. It was a deep, cyclical thumping, akin to that of a racing heart. There was then a deafening thunderclap, and the ground shook hard enough for us to lose our balance. Paired with this came a sharp pain inside my head, like the migraine of all migraines. Dropping to one knee, I held my palm against the side of my head, gritting my teeth and grunting loudly.

“What’s happening?” Twilight yelped.

“Damage to the brain.” Hawnu Rey’eng replied, “Nah’Lek’s up to something.”

“Yeah, well it fucking hurt!” I shouted, massaging my left temple.

The trees then started to groan loudly in response to the inky tendrils that girdled them. They were tightening again, indicating another incursion from my depression. In seconds, I could feel my strength waning, and my desire to press on with it. With another episode so soon, there was no doubt about it; Nah’Lek was trying to infect me with the Fel again. I didn’t know if it would be successful this time, but Hawnu Rey’eng seemed to think so, given his next command.

“We must hurry.”

Picking up the pace, the three of us charged in the direction of the sound, with the pain in my head thankfully subsiding as time went on. Soon enough, we reached the source of the commotion, where we learned just how extensive the damage had been. Emerging from the woods and into another open plain, we set our eyes upon a ravine as wide as a road; it was like a giant axe had descended from above, splitting the earth in two.

“What happened here?” asked Twilight.

“Nothing good.” Hawnu Rey’eng grumbled, “This was once the entrance to the well.”

“Wait, I have a mana well?” I blurted out, “I thought only magical beings had those?”

“Of which humans once were.” he replied, “Do you not recall?”

Jogging my memory, he reminded me of our conversation in the Frozen Forest, of how many humans could once harness mana, known throughout history as wizards, witches, sorcerers, and the like. As such, more humans than not still possessed a mana well, though for most, it was merely a vestigial remnant of our magic-wielding past. This was where Hawnu Rey’eng had tracked the Defiler to, and where he had believed Stardust to be held prisoner. But alas, there was now only this great ominous canyon. Peering over the edge revealed naught but a gloomy abyss, with no telling just how deep it went.

“Do you think he’s down there?” I asked.

“I do not know,” the Guardian murmured, “but given the location, the intent is clear. He is indeed trying to infect you again, and until we can assess the severity of his means, I cannot say for sure if he has succeeded this time.”

“Oh, but I can…”

My throat closed up, and the most deplorable of chills crept up my spine as the voice echoed through the forest, reaching us in the form of a ghostly whisper that drifted through the pine needles like death on the wind. There was a sharp inhale from Twilight, and following her gaze, we spotted a cloud of black smoke on the other side of the ravine, where six amethyst eyes stared at us from within.

It was Nah’Lek.





Hawnu Rey’eng ignited his hands with magic, and the ground beneath us trembled. And then, from the edge of the chasm, enormous mighty roots burst forth, snaking out to the other side and embedding themselves in the rock, creating a living bridge towards our foe, of whom watched in silence, waiting patiently. Once it was fully formed, I glanced at Twilight, whose unblinking, tear-laden eyes were fixed on him. She was completely and utterly fright-stricken, and if we couldn’t reignite her bravery, the fight could very well be as good as lost. Taking notice, Hawnu Rey’eng spoke to her, though his face never once turned away from Nah’Lek.

“Hear me and listen, Twilight Sparkle. You fear as you ought, but should we falter this day, Callum and his mind may be lost to us. Such as it is, you must take heart and face this lowly beast, and deliver unto him your vengeance, your suffering, your terror. Let him know fear as you did, and when you see in his eyes a plea for mercy, deny him as he denied you. Let us bear witness to your wrath, and together let us fell this dreaded wretch, so when you lie in bed ere this day’s end, you do so knowing you delivered the justice you were so rightly owed.”

Gripped by his words, Twilight returned to us. With a shaky breath, she clenched her jaw and scowled at Nah’Lek. She was no less afraid, but within her, a flame had been ignited. It was the same flame I felt within myself, a fierce, violent thing. It was a focused rage, barely contained, and it was what we needed to overcome this adversary.

“What say you, Twilight?” I asked, tightening my grip on Windwoe.

Her muscles twitched and tensed beneath her skin, and her entire head trembled, though it was no longer due to fear. Keeping her teeth firmly clamped together, she raised her lips into a snarl, and gave us her answer.

“I say we go fucking kill him.”

Nodding with approval, I boldly stepped forward, crossing the bridge with my companions right behind me. With eyes like little headlights, Nah’Lek continued to stare from the smoke, and once we were across, he finally spoke.

“And so the little bug has come to meet his end…”

“Not today.” I said calmly, inhaling through my nose.

There was a moment of silence, before the Defiler took flesh, emerging from the fog and revealing his physical form. Drawing his swords and holding them out, he asked what hope I could possibly have in subjugating him, when the nightly visits prior had so effortlessly consisted of my inescapable demise. Every word he uttered rippled through me, striving to break my spirit before the fight had even begun. But even as the demon’s eldritch croaks buzzed and stung like hornets in my gut, I stood tall and raised my chin in unwavering temerity.

“Well, this time I brought a few friends.” I told him.

Slowly moving his head, the demigod’s lifeless eyes moved from me to Twilight, and then to Hawnu Rey’eng. This was when for the first time, I heard him laugh. It started as a bemused chuckle, which then burgeoned into a harrowing deep cackle, like a fist repeatedly thumping the lowest notes of an untuned piano. Even the very trees seemed to recoil at the sound, which then stopped abruptly as Nah’Lek looked back at me, and lowered his head.

“You should have brought more…”

In a heartbeat, he was closing in, swords hurtling towards me. I had no choice but to dodge to the side, unable to even think about deflecting or countering such an explosive start to the fight. Like the ceaseless dance Hawnu Rey’eng had promised, Nah’Lek lashed out at me, slicing into my chest. Just like that, I would have been cleaved in two, had the Swiftbane shield not flickered white and blocked the impact. My allies quickly rallied to my aid, with Twilight firing a narrow beam of raw energy, forcing the Defiler to evade. Hawnu Rey’eng then took flight, his hands wreathed in swirling rainbow-coloured flames, and crackling with jumping arcs of red and orange lightning. One after another, he launched these flames as projectiles, which burst into more arcs of electricity wherever they landed. Though the Defiler did duck and weave to evade, one struck true, hitting his shoulder and delivering a wound of shock and burn.

With his attention now firmly on the Guardian and his divine magic, I returned to the fight, charging in from the side and swinging Windwoe with all my might. Sensing my approach, he spun around to counter, only for his blades to clash with my own. Angelic steel met the metal of demons, and the force of such weaponry coming together resulted in a sound no man could comprehend. Twilight then hit him from behind with a bolt of energy, staggering him. I took the opportunity to swing at him again, only for him to spring backwards to evade. Skittering away from the magical attacks that pursued him, he circled us at breakneck speed, before lunging at Twilight. She teleported away, and Hawnu Rey’eng hit him with another ball of electrified flame.

“Raaagghh!” he bellowed, his eyes turning from purple to red.

Now enraged, he attacked with greater speed, launching himself upward in a bid to swat the Guardian out of the air, who moved out of reach with a flap of his wings. Landing close by, Nah’Lek swung at me with his blades out of sync, disorienting me with a flurry of slashes. With no hope of countering such a series of blows, I ignored his body and focused on the twin swords that sought to rend me, blocking and deflecting with Windwoe as best as I could. He was practically a blur, with the inbound spell attacks being the only thing that distracted him enough to keep me in the fight.

At last, he bested me, turning away and catching me off-guard with a kick to the chest from one of his enormous arachnid legs. Swiftbane prevented the damage, but I was still sent hurtling backwards and onto the ground. By the time I was on my feet, Nah’Lek was already making for Twilight, moving in a zigzag pattern to avoid her and Hawnu Rey’eng’s magic. Yet again, she teleported away, zipping from location to location while the Guardian assailed him from above.

Realising that he wasn’t getting anywhere, he finally relented, jumping away and retreating to a cluster of trees to gather himself. We did the same, coming together near the edge of the ravine to check on one another.

“Are you alright?” Twilight asked me.

“Yeah…” I puffed, “He hits like a hammer!”

“I did warn you, he attacks with his body.” Hawnu Rey’eng muttered.

We looked to the trees, where we quickly spotted the eyes, of which were still blood-red. I then noticed a bright green glow, and knew exactly what he was about to do.

“Get down!” I shouted.

Twilight and I dived away, while Hawnu Rey’eng took off, just as the concentrated beam of Fel energy shot towards us. Nah’Lek then burst from the trees to re-enter combat in full force, now wielding his staff. With a new set of tactics, he began unleashing offensive spells of his own. From balls of Fel fire, to sharp-tipped threads of black energy, he cast all manner of unholy sorceries, forcing Twilight to teleport more often, and reducing the frequency of Hawnu Rey’eng’s attacks.

Knowing I had to do something, I desperately searched for a pattern, hoping to predict where he would go after each movement. Soon enough, I spotted one. After every cast, he would slink to his right, where he followed up with another spell. With a deep breath, I repositioned, and prepared to strike. After a failed pounce for Twilight, he fired a spell at the Guardian, and to my excitement, he darted to the right.

“Wraagh!” I snarled, bringing Windwoe down into him.

The blade struck true, meeting Nah’Lek’s torso and splitting open the hard chitin below his arm. From the cracks came a small spray of plum-coloured blood, and the Defiler let out an ear-piercing shriek that felt like a thousand fingernails scraping down a chalkboard. Twisting around, he grabbed me by the forearm, constricting it with his claws, and although Swiftbane initially protected me, he was eventually able to pass through. Like a vice, the Defiler’s grip only intensified, and I started to scream as his black talons mangled me, not stopping until my right hand came loose, which he tore away without mercy. He then kicked me with all his might, sending my wailing carcass sky-bound. I smacked into the dirt by the edge of the ravine, and after dodging another barrage of spells from Twilight and the Guardian, he closed in to finish me off. Still howling to myself and clutching at my mutilated arm, I could do nothing as he seized me by the throat, lifting me up and dangling me over the edge.

“You’ve lost, little one.” he spat, mandibles clicking loudly, “Now, perish.”

Nah’Lek released me, and into the abyss I fell. Twilight screamed out my name, and Hawnu Rey’eng made a dive to catch me. But there was to be no saving me, for the Defiler intercepted the Guardian with a burst of magic, knocking him away and out of sight. By the time he had recovered, I had already plummeted so far into the ravine that I could no longer see the light. It was over for me, and so I could do nothing but cling to the throbbing remains of my arm, and plunge deeper and deeper into darkness.

I fell for a good twenty seconds or so, before smacking into something solid. Swiftbane took the impact, but at such velocity, the shield could bear no more, and was promptly dispelled with a bright flash. I certainly hadn’t been left unscathed either, with such an abrupt stop causing my organs to jerk violently inside me, leaving me in a state of overwhelming pain, dizziness, and nausea. For a good few minutes, I lay there on my side, weeping, groaning, insides aching, ears ringing, and blood still oozing from my mangled arm. Eventually, I got to my feet again, spurred on by the thought of Hawnu Rey’eng and Twilight, still fighting Nah’Lek somewhere up on the surface. Though I was certainly no use in combat any more, I could at least serve as a distraction, and so I endeavoured to get back to them somehow.

Wincing in pain, I slowly fumbled around in the dark, praying for my eyes to adjust quicker. But alas, I had fallen so deep that I remained sightless. With my left hand outstretched, I searched blindly for anything that might help me. All I found was the rocky wall of the ravine, but soon after that, I found something slightly more promising…

The entrance to a cave.

{I bet this leads to what’s left of my mana well.} I thought to myself.

With nothing to lose, I set foot inside, traversing the winding passageway until I started to see light coming from deeper within. It was a bluish green in colour, and after navigating a sharp bend, I bore witness to its source. Entering a larger cavern, I came face to face with my own mana well. Where Twilight’s had been bigger than a house, mine was no larger than an apple. It dangled from a lone artery, the mana within shining brightly. Directly beneath it was a large green bubble, and incarcerated within dwelled the silhouette of a pony, suspended in mid-air and groaning with discomfort.

“Callum…” he murmured, looking over to me, “Is that you, lad?”

I immediately recognised his voice, it was Stardust. Rushing over to him, I observed him through the bubble, and realised just how bad a state he was in. From head to toe, the floating pony’s pale blue coat was lined with cuts and perforations, with patches of skin hanging loose hither and thither, exposing his raw flesh. His ears were missing, as were his lips, his nose, his hooves, and even his nether regions. Nah’Lek had cut away as much as possible without killing the poor stallion, and with a shudder, I didn’t even try to fathom how much suffering he was in.

“Hang in there, bud, I’ll get you out.” I told him.

“There’s a… c-crystal…” he wheezed, “You need to… break it!”

Circling the bubble, I found the gem he was referring to. Glowing with Fel, the crystal was emitting streams of energy into the bubble, and with a firm kick, it broke into numerous pieces. The bubble dissipated almost instantly, and Stardust dropped to the ground with a loud grunt. He remained on his knees, and I rather tentatively pointed out how direly Nah’Lek had tortured him.

“He’s really done a number on you, huh?”

“Thanks for stating the obvious.” he clapped back, “I’ve had many a wound in my time, but this certainly takes the cake.”

He then shakily looked up at me, and to my horror, his eyes were gleaming with the Fel.

“So this was Nah’Lek’s plan.” I hummed, “He’s using you to infect me.”

“Aye, that’s the gist of it.” he growled, shaking his head, “Bastard’s turned me into a damn factory, brewing Fel until there’s enough to surpass that wee vaccine of yours. I’ve been fighting it as best as I can.”

“Is there any way to expel it?” I suggested.

“You think I haven’t tried?” he answered, “My brother and I studied demon magic for years, lad. Once it’s in you, it’s not leaving without good reason.”

Thinking on the fly, I came up with an idea.
A terribly, terribly stupid idea.

“Could I absorb it somehow?” I asked, “As in, could I take the infection from you?”

His eyes widened, and with a faint nod, he said that such an idea might just work.

“Are you sure though, lad?”

“Yeah.” I sighed, showing him my mutilated arm, “I’m useless up there, but you? You could turn the tide.”

“Oh, I’ll turn the tide alright…” Stardust snarled, “Alright, let’s give it a go.”

Closing his eyes, Stardust charged up his magic, with his horn immediately turning green as the mana within him was consumed by Fel. He then ordered me to grab his horn, to which I huffed with amusement.

“Are we that close already?”

“Ah, I walked right into that one.” he muttered.

Tutting, I reached out and wrapped my fingers around the spiralling extremity, and quickly felt the violent scorch of the Fel as it charred my hand. I hissed loudly but remained vigilant, allowing the pain to flood through my hand and into my arm. My veins started to glow beneath my skin, and as it reached my heart, I felt a sharp stab with each racing beat. Closing his eyes, Stardust intensified the output, and as the deathly magic spread to every facet of my being, I felt myself starting to change. Feelings of bitterness and rage flooded my mind, while my innards twisted and turned, and my fingernails grew out into serrated black claws. A scorching pain shot into my throat as acid was forced up from my lungs and stomach, and my skin started to become pale and leathery. Dark bony growths then burst out from my joints, and as the pain reached unthinkable heights, I almost let go. But I couldn't let that happen, for if Stardust remained infected, he could provide no aid to the fight above, and so it was that I held on for dear life, wailing and bellowing in unparalleled agony.

“Just a bit more, lad!” he shouted.

{Kill him… KILL HIM!}

The dark thought was almost enticing to me, and with a feral hiss, I fought against such a tantalising temptation. Meanwhile, I continued to mutate before the stallion’s eyes, with my teeth growing longer, sharper, and darker. My ears doubled in size and became like a bat’s, while my eyes started to shine a brilliant emerald. As for my mangled right arm, the ruined limb almost completely reformed itself, with the loose flesh falling away, and the broken bone growing outward into a sharp, curved spike.

{Use it!} the dark thoughts urged, {Use it! Pluck his eyes! Pierce his heart!}

“NO!” I boomed, shaking my head from side to side.

Bright green fluid sprayed from my mouth, and with a loud rip, my growing frame started to burst from my clothes. My feet, now like mighty draconian paws, split my shoes apart, with my shirt and trousers stretching and tearing into rags, clinging tautly to the beast that had replaced me.

I was no longer human, for the process was complete.
I had become… a demon.

With a mighty gasp, Stardust backed away from me, shaking his head free from my grip. The transfusion was done, and as I opened my eyes to look at him, I yet again fought the urge to attack. An outer call begged me to finish him off, to tear him apart and consume him. Even in this weakened form, there was so much mana in him, I could smell it, and with my newfound desire to feed on the stuff, I had to fight with every ounce of my crumbled humanity to restrain myself.

“You still in there, lad?” he asked me.

I opened my mouth to reply, only for a pained grunt to emerge, along with more green fluid. There was no describing how much pain I had just endured, though I reckoned it was worse than Nah’Lek’s torture, or at least equal to it. Without an answer, Stardust took a step back, and warned me that if I didn’t say something, he would be forced to kill me.

{Not if I kill you first…} I thought, tensing my muscles.

Truth be told, I almost went for him, but there were two thoughts that kept me from doing so. The first was of Twilight, and how she had come here to face Nah’Lek, in spite of all the suffering he had unleashed upon her. She had come here for me, and that fact kept me locked in place. The second thought was of the future I had seen, and how my own self, years from now, had forgiven me for something. Perhaps he had done it? Maybe he had killed our friend, and was at long last forgiving himself for such a monstrous act? I didn’t know if it was the case, but the thought had struck me all the same, and it was enough to keep me grounded.

“Wait…” I growled, my voice now deep and raspy.

Raising my head to face him, I stared into his eyes and bared my teeth.

“There’s a demon worse than me that needs killing.”

At that, the disfigured remains of Stardust’s mouth formed a smile, and with a nod, he allowed me to live. His horn then lit up, and instead of the Fel-tainted green, it was now a washed-out purple, not unlike Twilight’s fur. Slowly but surely, the wounds on his body started to mend, with his lips, ears, hooves, and stallionhood all growing back.

“Healing magic?” I asked.

“Aye.” he replied, his voice strained in concentration, “Very hard to perform, so kindly zip it for a moment.”

I did as he asked, watching in stunned silence as the pony repaired himself. When he was done, he let out a long sigh of relief, finally unburdened by his injuries. He then sniffed loudly and raised his chin.

“Alright, I’m good to go. Where’s Nah’Lek?”

“Not so fast.” I grunted, “You’ve been lying to me since we met. I want answers.”

“And you’ll get them.” he replied earnestly, “But right now, there’s a piece of shite demigod living in your head rent-free, and that’s my job, so how’s about we get that dealt with first, ey? After that, we can have a nice wee sit-down and talk as much as you like, I’ll even tickle your balls if you ask nicely.”

Nodding, I accepted that he was right, Nah’Lek was top priority. I explained what was happening on the surface, to which he demanded that we move with haste, clearly very eager to enter the fray. We left the cave and returned to the ravine, where with a flash of his horn, we both became wreathed in his magic, and began our ascent, racing upwards like a pair of fireworks. It wasn’t long until we saw the dim light emitting from the surface, and as we hurled over the top, I let out a mighty bellow.

“Nah’Lek!”

Landing on the grass, I looked across to find Hawnu Rey’eng locked in a dance with the Defiler, using Windwoe in my stead. Twilight was evidently waning, down on her knees and panting with exhaustion. All three of them looked around at the sound of my war cry, where they bore witness to my demonic form, and the legendary Champion beside me.

“Impossible…” Nah’Lek rasped.

“Aye, you said that last time I kicked your wee spidey arse!” Stardust hollered at him, “Now, if you’d kindly wrap up your game of tickle-nips with that feathery tin can, I’d be delighted to reintroduce you to the concept of defeat!”

In the blink of an eye, Nah’Lek was upon us, enraged by the mere presence of his rival. Smirking, Stardust didn’t show so much as an ounce of fear, and as soon as the Defiler was about to strike, he teleported the two of us over to Twilight, allowing us to regroup.

“Hello, Miss Sparkle!” he sang, his face plastered with a merry grin.

Twilight, bless her, didn’t know who to focus on. Did she respond to the mad stallion, or did she stare up at the towering monstrosity behind him? With a gulp, she went with the latter, gazing at me with eyes wide with fear. Meanwhile, Hawnu Rey’eng rushed to engage Nah’Lek once more, buying us enough time for a brief greeting.

“Callum?” Twilight breathed, “You-”

“I know.” I grunted, cutting her off, “I have it under control.”

My voice was hardly reassuring, for my low-toned rasp was as hair-raising as Nah’Lek’s. But even so, she trusted in my promise, and very shakily greeted Stardust.

“You, uh… You must be-”

“Stardust Moonshimmer, at your service.” he finished for her, “Now, given the circumstance, I’m afraid that’s where the niceties end. Would you both care to join me in a wee bit of pest control?”

Twilight and I both nodded, and without another word between us, we charged into battle. Side by side, the unicorns unleashed torrents of magical attacks, while Hawnu Rey’eng continued to slash and cleave with Windwoe. I meanwhile, used the demonic mutations to my advantage. Now gifted with greater speed, strength, and ferocity, I barrelled into Nah’Lek with ire and rancour. Knocking one of his legs aside, I rammed into his midsection, staggering him enough for Hawnu Rey’eng to land a blow on his torso, cracking it open and exposing the soft flesh within. He reared up to garner some distance, which was when Stardust used telekinesis on his back legs, yanking the limbs inward and tripping the Defiler over.

Very quickly, we started to get the upper hand, and as it dawned on him that he was fighting a losing battle, Nah’Lek flew into one final desperate frenzy. Withdrawing his staff once again, he unleashed a bone-rattling roar and slammed it into the ground, causing it to sling burst after burst of Fel magic into the air. It then rained down like an endless meteor shower, with each projectile dousing the land in bright green flames. One of them smacked into Hawnu Rey’eng, knocking him down and setting one of his wings alight. He let out a pained shout and dropped Windwoe, frantically scrambling to extinguish himself. The unicorns took to evasive manoeuvres, teleporting away from the splash zone. Another landed close to me, but to my astonishment, the explosion caused me no harm. Even as the emerald fire graced my pale hide, my unholy flesh granted me complete immunity to its deathly scorch.

I truly was a demon now, and with the group so suddenly in disarray, I capitalised on that fact. Retrieving Windwoe, I took it upon myself to fight Nah’Lek head on. He swung his swords at me, and I met his viciousness with my own. Even without my dominant hand, my new form granted me the strength to deflect his first strike, and with a wrathful hiss, I leapt over the second and slashed at his neck, breaking the shell and sending a spray of purple blood into the air.

“Aaargh!” he howled.

With a sideways swing, he tried to cut me in two, which I ducked beneath and slashed upwards, hoping to catch his abdomen. Though he evaded with a hop to the side, I was able to get him in the front left leg. Windwoe sliced into the underside of the knee joint, and with a loud snap, the limb came free, hitting the ground with a thud. He responded with a thrust to my chest, to which I swerved out of the way, bringing the sword down into one of his claws.

Crunch!

Pieces of obsidian chela fell to the ground, and one of his swords with them. At the loss of his grip, Nah’Lek burst into one final fit of rage, using blade, leg, fang, and fractured claw to overwhelm me. I fought back with reckless abandon, and for a time, two demons let their fury unfold. Shell was chipped, flesh was torn, and blood was spilled, but in the end, the Defiler bested me. With an upward slice, my left arm was severed, followed by a brutal kick, knocking me down to the ground.

He was about to finish me off, when at last, my companions returned to the fold. All three of them loosed their magic, peppering Nah’Lek with fire, ice, lightning, kinetic force, and concentrated beams of raw energy. Abandoning his sword, he rushed for his staff, where he unleashed every ounce of remaining Fel in a final bid to claim victory. Hawnu Rey’eng and Stardust came together to shield themselves, though they were shunted all the way back to the edge of the ravine. Twilight meanwhile, teleported over to me, where she blasted Nah’Lek from the side. It was a fruitless effort, and turning to face her, he used his own dark magic to strangulate the mare, lifting her above the ground and dragging her towards him.

“You, Twilight…” he growled, “Do you think you know the worst of me? Do you think there is nothing left for me to break? You do not know the peak of your suffering, and when I find you, I will show you just how far that peak can go!”

Struggling for breath, the pony wheezed and coughed, clutching at her throat and kicking out with her back legs. To this, Nah’Lek only tightened his magical grip, before slamming her into the ground and looming over her.

“You and your friends are going to die, little whelp.” he croaked, “But before you do, I will have them watch as I take you again, and again, and again, until your flesh tears, and your tormented screams break and wane to enfeebled, hopeless silence!”

Poor Twilight was completely shattered by the vile threat, clamping her eyes shut and abandoning all drive to fight back. I, however, was not ready to accept this end, and for each sickening promise that poured from his snapping mandibles, I stepped forward. Thoroughly distracted by his own cruel, unholy comminations, he didn’t know I was there until the very last second, by which point it was too late. With every last drop of my being, I thrust my right arm forward, piercing his underbelly with the curved spike. The Defiler screeched in shock and anguish, and tried to whip around in retaliation. This would be the move that ruined him, for as he turned, his innards were hooked, and then promptly torn out from him, spilling to the ground with a series of wet slaps. Swaying and staggering, Nah’Lek quickly lost his footing, and collapsed into a trembling heap in front of me, groaning loudly. Still alive, he reached out in desperation, which I responded to by baring my teeth, and repeating the promise I made to Twilight.

“You will never touch her again.”

Before he could reply, I thrust my arm once more, skewering one of his eyes and puncturing his brain, causing his entire body to twitch and shudder. Not taking any chances, I gave my arm a violent twist, finishing him off for good. I held it there for a moment, before ripping myself free of his lifeless cranium, and inhaling the first breath of victory and freedom.


The shade of Nah’Lek… was dead.





> Chapter Twenty-Three: Where the Dead Call Home
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Staggering towards Twilight, I let out my victor’s breath and dropped to my knees, my strength, finally depleted. I had given everything to this fight, and now that Nah’Lek was dead, I could no longer remain standing. Still frozen in terror, Twilight stared at his lifeless remains, as though she couldn’t quite believe it. And then, as I sank down in front of her, the mare’s gaze trailed to me. An armless demon, littered with grievous wounds, I was a most unsightly thing, and yet Twilight saw me within the beast. Breaking into a tearful smile, she tried to thank me, but no words came forth. Nodding to show that I understood, I smiled weakly, though my unholy visage was hardly a comfort.

“At last, the shade of Nah’Lek is no more.” said Hawnu Rey’eng, stepping along beside me.

I looked around to find the Guardian collecting Windwoe from my severed arm. His left wing was scorched and ruffled, and his armour was damaged, corroded by Nah’Lek’s magical attacks. Stardust then came over to us and whistled, gesturing to the Defiler’s corpse.

“Nice work, everyone… and in record time too! Last time I had a scrap with Spindleshanks, it took me a good few hours to bring him down.”

“A day and a night, was it not?” said Hawnu Rey’eng.

“Bah, that’s bollocks!” Stardust scoffed, “I was hauling his gangly arse to Tartarus by sundown! Though I suppose dragging it out made for a better story.”

He then gestured to the Defiler’s staff, which lay beside Nah’Lek’s body, now depleted of its energy.

“Pity it’s just the shade we killed, that needs getting back to Hades.”

“Hades is real?” said Twilight, having now gathered herself, “I knew it!”

“Oh aye, he’s real.” Stardust confirmed, “I delivered Spindles to him personally. Ugly bastard, didn’t even thank me!”

“What’d he look like?”

Before Stardust could answer her, I started coughing, and everyone was quickly reminded that I was in a great deal of pain. Grimacing, Stardust suggested we had this discussion elsewhere, when I wasn’t a half-dead mutilated freak.

“No offence, lad.” he added.

“None taken.” I growled, wincing.

With that, Twilight asked how we exited the brainscape, to which Hawnu Rey’eng explained that we quite simply needed to lose consciousness. For Twilight and the others, they could leave peacefully, but regrettably, due to the lingering Fel in my current form, there was one last bout of exorcism that needed to take place, lest the threat of demonic infection persist. Being halfway dead already, I hardly complained, and readied myself as the Guardian raised Windwoe. Twilight looked away, and it was a good thing she did, for the first strike wasn’t enough to do the job. With a loud crack, the blade shattered the black spines emerging from my neck and cut into my flesh, but I did not die. I released a seething outward gasp, raising my shoulders and hissing through my teeth. Quickly pulling back, Hawnu Rey’eng swung again, and with a sharp sting, I lost all sensation to my body. For but a fraction of a second, I remained lucid, witnessing my rapid descent as my head fell to the ground, with everything going black before I reached it.


With pins and needles rushing through every part of me, I slowly came too. Groaning, I opened my eyes and looked to my left. Twilight was there beside me, inhaling deeply as she also started to wake. I was still holding her hoof, and as I let go and flexed my hands, I found myself thankful to have them again. I grimaced at the thought of my recent dismemberment, and my demonification too for that matter. The things I had experienced as a demon; the rage, the hunger, the malice… I couldn’t believe I had felt such things. To think, during her time infected, Twilight had felt these symptoms, and persevered for so long with them.

As she opened her eyes to look at me, I smiled, and in seconds we were hugging each other. We had really done it, the shade was gone. Though the memories of what he did to us would remain, the monster had paid the price, and that fact was enough to bring tears to our eyes.

{Cor, you really are a sappy wee shite, d’you know that, lad?} Stardust chuckled.

“Oh great, you’re back.” I muttered, hearing his voice in my head once again.

{Yes I am. Did you miss me?}

“Hardly.” I teased, to which he laughed.

“I can hear you too, as if you’re in my head.” said Twilight, furrowing her brow.

“It’s the collars.” Hawnu Rey’eng explained, who had woken up as well, “While wearing them, your minds are linked, and your thoughts shared. This includes Moonshimmer.”

{Cannae Spindles detect it?} asked Stardust, {We may have killed the shade, but that gangly fucker is still alive and well, and once he finds out the shade’s gone, he’s going to be none too pleased about it.}

Shaking his head, the Guardian explained that the collars didn’t give off a magical frequency. It was a closed connection between the wearers, allowing them to communicate across any given distance, in a way that not even Nah’Lek could detect. Satisfied with his answer, we accepted the collars as a newfound tool on our quest. From here on out, Twilight and I could wear them to talk to each other in private, and converse with Stardust. With this in mind, Stardust made a rather unexpected request. He asked if we could keep his identity a secret from the other girls.

“What, why?” I asked, frowning.

{Because it’ll just complicate things.} he muttered, {Think about it, if they know the Titans’ Champion is alive inside your noggin, they’ll never stop bringing it up. Every day for the rest of this mission, it’ll be ‘how’s Stardust?’ ‘did you and Stardust sleep well last night?’ ‘what does Stardust think about this?’, it’ll do our fuckin’ heads in! Every meal time, they’ll be asking if I like the food, and every conversation, they’ll want to know what I’m saying, and you’ll have to yap away for me like a glorified translator. I promise you, lad, it’ll be better for the both of us if they just don’t know I exist.}

Huffing, I realised that he had a point. It was all fine and well that Twilight knew, because she could hear him via the collars, but for everyone else, it would be an endless chore of speaking on Stardust’s behalf. Having an entire other person living in my head was complicated enough, I didn’t need to bear the additional weight of everyone knowing. If he wished to remain anonymous, then I would respect that, and so would Twilight. She gave verbal consent to his request, and with that, we settled on Stardust remaining known only to the two of us.

Hawnu Rey’eng got to his feet, and at the sound of his heavy footsteps, Applejack was alerted from the kitchen. She stuck her head through the doorway, donning an oversized apron that was clearly made for a human. Inhaling sharply, her face lit up, and she called for the others, letting them know that we were awake. They all came into the living room, all except Fluttershy. Exhaling through my nose, I could only presume that she wasn’t handling the news of Blu’s death very well.

Almost immediately, Twilight and I were bombarded with hugs and questions, with Pinkie giving me a hopeful smile and asking if I had ‘got rid of the spooky’.

“I’ll do you one better.” I said, beckoning her closer.

She rushed forward and I put my mouth to her ear, whispering mischievously.

“I giggled at the ghostie.”

At this, her eyes narrowed, and with a devious grin, she replied in an equally mischievous hiss.

“Oooh, how exciting…”

We then burst into giggles, and with Rainbow Dash urging me to spill the beans, I confirmed that the shade of Nah’Lek had been destroyed, along with all remaining traces of the Fel. Everyone whinnied, cheered, and congratulated us, and Rarity insisted we gave them the full rundown of what had occurred. Inhaling, I prepared to tell everyone all about the harrowing events inside my mind, but before I could do so, there came a loud bubbling noise from the kitchen, followed by a gasp from Applejack.

“Shoot, I need to keep an eye on dinner! It’s almost ready, so I hope y’all are hungry.”

“Bloody famished.” I huffed, “Demon slaying is hungry work.”

Applejack shot out of the room, which was when Rarity turned to Hawnu Rey’eng and asked if he would like to stay with us for supper. We all looked at her with surprise, to which she looked back at us with a sheepish expression.

“What? He’s just helped save your lives! Offering him dinner is the least we can do for him! Besides, I’m sure he’s rarely offered a warm meal, given his line of work.”

Twilight was about to say something, when Hawnu Rey’eng shocked us all by dipping his head and humbly accepting the invitation, thanking Rarity for her generosity. At this, Stardust chuckled merrily to himself.

{Ooh, teatime with a demigod, this’ll be fun.}

With my eyes widening, I looked at the Guardian, and then at Twilight, who now possessed the exact same expression I did.

{Demigod?} I echoed.

{Oh aye, no doubt about it. I saw the spells he was using, that was divine magic. I’ve only ever seen one other using Godflame, and my, was she majestic with it…}

{Celestia.} I uttered in thought.

{Aye, lad. For as bountiful in love as my soothing sunlight was, you should have seen her in the heat of battle. With Godflame and wrath of gold, she was… absolute radiance.}

Craning her neck to stare at me, Twilight almost couldn’t believe her ears. This was the first time she had heard the Princess described as wrathful, let alone in such an intimate manner. At the implication of the sun goddess being a mistress of war, and potentially a lover to Stardust, the unicorn’s mind was certifiably blown. However, before we could expand on such things, Rainbow Dash pulled me to one side.

“Hey, so… Fluttershy’s not doing great.”

“I thought as much.” I sighed, “Where is she?”

“In her room. She’s been crying for hours. Do you think you could… maybe go talk to her?”

My heart sank, and with a nod, I started to make my way upstairs. Still wearing my collar, I told Twilight where I was going, and left her to settle down amongst her friends, who gathered around her to ask more about the descent into my brain. The last thing I heard was Rainbow Dash, finally speaking to her former friend with a degree of civility.

“So uh, you helped Callum with this… shade thing, huh?”

A smile crept onto my face, for this one small interaction was a sign of peace. Twilight had confronted her fears to help save me from Nah’Lek, and Dashie knew it, and although she wouldn’t admit it right now, the pegasus was thankful.


Reaching Fluttershy’s room, I stood outside the door and listened, and from within, I heard faint sniffles and gasps. Tightening my lips, I readied myself to be a calm, loving presence, and then gently knocked on the door. There was no reply, so I slowly pushed the door open and stuck my head around it. On the bed was a trembling heap of fabric, and with a steady breath, I walked over and sat down next to it.

“Hey, it’s me.” I said softly.

Hearing my voice, the duvet shuffled around, until at last Fluttershy’s head emerged. Her mane was a bedraggled mess and her eyes were bloodshot, and her face was soaked with tears. With trembling lips, she looked at me for a moment, before breaking into another bout of crying.

“Oh, come here…” I breathed, scooting closer to her.

I pulled her into me, and she planted her forehead against my chest. She sobbed wordlessly for a while, before whimpering that it wasn’t fair, and that he should still be here.

“I know.” I replied.

“H-He was… He was s-so good!” she spluttered, “He d-didn’t deserve this!”

“Sshh…” I hushed, holding the back of her head and cradling her.

For a good while more, she cried, until she finally stopped and apologised, well aware that I had just been through a huge ordeal with Twilight. Shaking my head, I told her not to be sorry, and that she could feel how she was feeling for as long as she needed. With a fond smirk, I told her exactly what she had told me when Bunnie died.

“You don’t have to say anything. You don’t have to do anything. You can sit in a corner for days if that’s what you need, or you can hide under a bedsheet. That said, I think you’ve got that last one covered already, ey?”

Sniffing loudly, she looked up at me and calmed down a little bit.

“I… I said that to you.”

“And it helped.” I told her, “Thought maybe I could return the favour.”

She smiled through her tears, and at the reminder of my own recent loss, she remembered that she wasn’t the only one grieving. It was enough to settle her down, and with a heavy outward breath, she slumped against me and said she was going to miss him.

“We all will.” I replied, “He was a good bird, and an even better friend. I’m still alive because of him, and I’ll never forget that.”

Nodding, Flutters silently accepted how the loss of our little companion had prevented my own death, and although it certainly didn’t make his passing any less upsetting, it did provide a silver lining that softened the blow. Wiping her eyes, she thanked me for coming to see her, and asked how my situation with Twilight had gone.

“It went well.” I said, “I was thinking about telling everyone the details over dinner. Applejack said it wouldn’t be too long now. Would you like to join us? You don’t have to eat if you don’t feel like it, and you don’t have to talk either.”

She pondered for a moment, before accepting my offer, and together we went downstairs. Twilight and Hawnu Rey’eng had just finished telling everyone how brainscapes worked, and how they appeared as an endless forest. Spotting me and Flutters, they gave a smile and wave, followed by Applejack ordering us all to get seated soon. With that, a few ponies ran for last-minute bathroom trips, while the rest of us ventured to the dining room, where Rarity had already lit candles and laid the table.

“I still can’t believe you’re joining us for dinner.” I scoffed to Hawnu Rey’eng.

“Would you rather I didn’t?” he quizzed, tilting his head.

“Nonsense!” Rarity sang, “As I said already, it’s the least we can do for you. We wouldn’t dream of sending you away, not after the help you’ve provided!”

Dipping his head in thanks, the Guardian said that he was most appreciative of the gesture, followed by saying he was amused at the prospect of being sent away from his own house. At that, I furrowed my brow and widened my eyes.

“What did you just say?”

“Wait, this is your place?” Rainbow blurted out.

Tilting his head forward, the Guardian leaned back in his chair.

“Did you think it mere coincidence that you happened upon such suitable lodgings? An uninhabited mansion, fit for the seven of you, away from people and in reasonable distance from the next Orb fragment. Complete with running water, furnishings, and electricity. Yes, Miss Dash, this residence belongs to me.”

Our mouths all fell agape, for we realised that Hawnu Rey’eng was far more involved in our journey than we had once thought. Somehow, he had known the girls would come here, and had established this mansion for them to find, and claim as a safehouse for our company. Twilight was then quick to point out there wasn’t any electricity, and since getting here we had relied on candlelight. Had the oven and cookers not been powered by gas, we likely wouldn’t have had hot food at all.

“I see.” he murmured, “I must have left something on. It’s been some time since my last return here.”

Standing up, the Guardian left the room and opened the front door. Eager to see what he was up to, Twilight and I both went after him, where we circled around to the back of the mansion. There, fixed to the wall, was a large metal box, which Hawnu Rey’eng opened to reveal something of a distribution board, housing various circuit breakers that were all linked to a large cylinder at the bottom. Inside this cylinder was a charge stone, no different to the one found in Rarity’s kettle. It was entirely depleted, generating no light whatsoever. Taking it out, Hawnu Rey’eng used his magic to recharge it, until it shone brightly once again. He then plugged it into the cylinder, and from inside the building we heard an ear-splitting scream from Pinkie Pie.

“THE BEACONS ARE LIT! GONDOR CALLS FOR AID!”

“I think… the lights are back on.” I said dryly.

Huffing with amusement, Hawnu Rey’eng closed the metal box and we went back inside. We quickly found the culprit for draining the battery, for as we stepped back into the dining room, we found Pinkie pressing her nose up against a lamp in the corner, staring into the bulb with awe.

{I swear, she’s part moth.} Twilight mused in silence, which I heard in my own head.

{Why is she like this?} asked Stardust.

{Who knows, mate?} I thought back to him, {To assume the inner workings of Pinkie’s mind is a fool’s errand. You’d have better luck getting blood from a stone.}

Twilight chuckled, while Rainbow Dash pulled our lovable nutcase away from the lamp before she blinded herself. With the power back on, we blew out the candles and switched on the lights, allowing Applejack to see better when she came in with our dinner. It was a stew of sorts, packed with soft-boiled vegetables and generously seasoned with black pepper and salt. She served them in large edible bread bowls, and as she placed mine down in front of me, the smell had me salivating.

“I’ve been wanting to make this dish since coming to Earth, so I hope y’all like it!” she said with a smile.

Smiling back at her, I said if it tasted anything like it smelled, then it was going to be wonderful. Everyone else nodded in agreement, and once we all had our bowls, we tucked in. The flavours flooded my mouth immediately, stimulating all several-thousand taste buds. Staring off into space, I focused on each ingredient, letting each one greet me one by one. The combination was exquisite, from the starchiness of the potatoes, to the faint earthy sweetness of the carrots, of which were outranked only when I picked up the faintest hint of apple sauce. In Rarity’s words, it was simply divine.

{Ooh, now THAT’S what I call a stew!} Stardust bellowed, spooking Twilight.

“You okay there?” asked Applejack, raising an eyebrow.

“Yeah, it’s just… really good!” she replied sheepishly.

“Ah, well thank you kindly, Sugarcube!”

Flattered, the farm pony put a hoof to her chest and smiled, before returning to her meal. Stardust then chuckled and wished Twilight luck, for he would surely be making her jump again throughout the evening.

{Not on my watch.} I thought to him, sitting back from the table.

“Oh, I’ve just remembered that I’m still wearing my collar!”

“Gosh, me too!” said Twilight.

{Oh, you pair of wee fucking killjoys…}

Ignoring Stardust, I removed my collar, severing the connection between Twilight’s brain and my own. I then helped to remove hers, and then we got back to eating. Hawnu Rey’eng, well aware of what had just transpired, exhaled through his nose with amusement, which was when I realised something rather odd.

“Uhh, you do realise you can’t eat food with that helmet on, right?” I pointed out.

Everyone looked at the Guardian, who looked back at me and shrugged.

“And where is that written?”

With a glowing hand, he tapped the side of his helmet, sending a ripple of magic across it. He then picked up his spoon, collected some of the stew, and brought it to his face. With shared amazement, we all stared in silence as the spoon quite simply passed through the helmet, as if it wasn’t even there. He then brought the now-empty spoon away and hummed softly to himself.

“Hm. Very appetising. Thank you, Applejack.”

Enthralled by his party trick, everyone expressed their awe and amusement, before delving back into their supper. I was about to do the same, when the mysterious individual’s voice rang out in my mind.

{If you thought unveiling my true self would be so easy, then you are but a fool, young one.}

{Oh, fuck off.} I muttered back to him in thought.

Saying nothing in reply, he got back to eating with the others, and I decided to do the same.


After a pleasant silence, interrupted only by the smacking of lips and the occasional burp from Rainbow Dash, Twilight and I were finally asked to explain in greater detail about today’s events.

“Guess I’ll be the one to say it.” said Applejack, “What actually… happened in there?”

Swallowing my mouthful, I turned to face her and sighed.

“Mate, nothing fun.”

“Aww.” Pinkie droned in protest.

Smirking in her direction, I took a breath and continued where Twilight had left off earlier, telling of how we had awoken in this very mansion, in the depths of my brainscape. Still feeling rather glum about it, I kept things vague when concerning the depressive episode. The last thing I needed was everyone knowing the true extent of my ailment, and so I simply described the episode as an unpleasant trip down memory lane, promptly followed by Twilight getting us out with her magic.

“I thought she couldn’t use magic any more?” said Dashie.

“Don’t remind me.” Twi muttered under her breath.

“She can’t out here in the real world.” I confirmed, “But in a brainscape, her powers are just as potent as they used to be.”

Everyone nodded, and I followed up with how Hawnu Rey’eng had appeared, having tracked down Nah’Lek. I told them how I had been imbued with Swiftbane, and been gifted the mighty, elegant Windwoe. And then, with a shudder from Twilight, I spoke of how we had seen Nah’Lek across the ravine, and with the help of the Guardian’s magic, we had crossed the gap to meet him.

“Okay, so what does this creep look like exactly?” Rainbow Dash inquired, “I keep trying to picture him in my head, but I’m not getting it.”

“Death.” Twilight uttered, staring off into nowhere, “He looks like death.”

“I could… show you.” said the Guardian, “Though I warn it may upset your appetites.”

Rainbow immediately said yes, while the others were reluctant. To this end, Hawnu Rey’eng beckoned Dashie over to him, where he placed two of his fingers against her forehead. His hand glimmered, and within just three seconds, the mare had let off a shout and backed away from him. Now wide-eyed and visibly paler, she clearly regretted ever asking. Whipping around to Twilight, she gulped loudly and started blinking rapidly.

“You had… th-that living in your head!?”

Meeting her with a deadened gaze, Twilight replied with a silence that spoke a thousand words. Now Rainbow understood. Now she had seen the monster, the demon. She had borne witness to the abomination who had tortured not one, but two of her friends, and now sought to hunt us down and kill us. The pegasus’ mouth went dry, as she could finally picture the thing that was after us, creeping closer with each passing day. Step by step, the great old spider was coming, and had we not killed his shade, he likely would have found us within a few days, given how close I had been to being infected by the Fel.

Now visibly shaking, Rainbow Dash sat down while I resumed the story about said shade. I told them how I in fact had been infected, or at least, the version of me that existed in the brainscape. Omitting Stardust from the tale at his request, I simply told them Nah’Lek had grown desperate, using his death magic to twist and break me, transforming me into a demon of my own. However, partly thanks to Hawnu Rey’eng’s inoculation, and partly due to sheer willpower, I’d retained my mind, and as a monster of darkness and hellfire, I had fought on.

By the time the story was over, everypony was gripped, wholly shaken by the unholy battle that had taken place right here in this building, within the confines of my skull. As not to disturb the more squeamish members of the group, I didn’t mention using my mutilated arm to disembowel the bastard. Instead, I simply described the Defiler’s speed, aggression, cruelty, and endless flurry of strikes that were only survivable thanks to our teamwork, and my mutations.

“So, who landed the final blow?” asked Rarity.

“He did.” said Twilight, gesturing to me, “He saved me… again. Stabbed him through the eye just like he deserved.”

“Yucky!” Pinkie remarked, before shovelling more food into her mouth.

“Pinks, is there truly nothing that spoils your appetite?” I scoffed.

“Sad clowns.” she replied with her mouth full.

Furrowing my brow at her, I tilted my head with confusion.

“What? They’re scary!” she insisted, “Clowns are supposed to be happy! Their whole job is to make everypony smile, so when a clown gets sad, it’s like… the end of the world!”

“That’s fair I suppose.” I shrugged.

{I’m surprised she doesn’t hate you.} Stardust teased, {You know, given that you’re a clown, and yet you’ve gone most of your life being the most depressing wee shite on the face of the planet!}

{Oh shut it, you.} I thought back, refraining from rolling my eyes, {You know, for the Titans’ Champion and three-time saviour of the world, you’re a right tosser.}

{Ah I’m just messin’ with you.} he assured me, {Besides, I think I’ve earned the right to some banter with you. I’ve supported and guided you since Brazil, and if not for my help in the Frozen Forest, you wouldn’t have cured Twilight. All that’s to say, you’d both be dead without me, so I’m allowed to poke fun at you when I please.}

Silently admitting that he had a point, I let him banter away while Twilight and I wrapped up the tale. It was then that I had a query of my own, and looked to Hawnu Rey’eng with a curious frown.

“Before we left, something was said about Nah’Lek’s staff, something about Hades. Look, I know you’re probably going to tell us bugger all about it, but on the off-chance… fancy elaborating?”

“Hades?” Rarity echoed, “As in, the old pony’s tale? I thought Hades was just a myth!”

With a faint chuckle, Hawnu Rey’eng swallowed his food before explaining that while he was old beyond measure, Hades was certainly no myth. Bringing clarity to the theories and legends, the Guardian confirmed that there was a spiritual world beyond the mortal plane, complete with its ruler, the Great Lich and Caretaker of the Dead, Hades. As for how a Greek myth correlated to a reality on Equus, it was no different to how My Little Pony had come to exist. After consuming another mouthful of stew, Hawnu Rey’eng elaborated on how many ancient Greeks, in the same way as Lauren Faust, had a spiritual connection to Equus, seeing visions of their world, and experiencing memories of its denizens in the form of dreams. This inevitably led to the creation of Equus-themed religion, media, and mythology, with stories and figures reflecting the things they had seen. That said, not every detail was accurate, for one could only so well recreate a dream. This was where the Greeks had taken liberties in their depiction, mixing in their own personal beliefs with the glimpses of Equus, resulting in the various legends, locations, and names, such as the well-known Olympians like Zeus, Ares, Poseidon and so on.

“It is human nature to bind fiction to the unexplainable, for it makes things more rational.” he went on, “However, where the afterlife is concerned, they were fascinatingly accurate. On Equus, there is a land beyond death, a realm of spirits, divided by great rivers, where Charon the ferrymaster transports souls to their respective destinations, such as Elysium, the Sacrificial Well, the Asphodel Meadows, Tartarus, and so on.”

“You forgot the Mourning Fields, the Land of Dreams, and the Isles of the Blessed.” Twilight pointed out, “Trust me, I’ve studied every book there is on the subject.”

Hawnu Rey’eng looked at Twilight and slowly tilted his head. Even without a face to read, everyone in the room could sense him rolling his eyes, and it dawned on Twilight that he was merely giving examples, as opposed to a thorough breakdown of the afterlife’s geography.

“Oh, ah… c-carry on!” she chuckled sheepishly.

He did just that, and explained how Hades ruled over this realm beyond death, though he was no monster, nor devil. With an almost personal flourish, the Guardian described Hades as a benevolent being, of whom cared for his subjects, and took great pride in his eternal service to the Titans, even beyond their demise. This wasn’t to say he was gentle, for the Great Lich was no less a god of his land than Celestia and Luna were of theirs. As the justiciar of the dead, Hades was responsible for condemning those who had committed wrongs in their mortal life, and did not hesitate to damn such souls to Tartarus, where they would be punished for their sins.

“So, how does Nah’Lek play into this?” I asked, “I appreciate the exposition, but it doesn’t explain what he’s doing with Hades’ staff, or why it can control the Fel.”

“I assure you, I’m getting there.” he replied.

{That’s what she said!} shouted Stardust.

Holding my breath so as not to laugh, I bit down firmly and gave a nod for him to continue. Tutting faintly, he explained how Tartarus was positioned above a great, deep, dark abyss, so far below that one could fall for minutes before reaching the bottom. It was known as the Gulch of Sin, and was the home of demons, born from the lingering putrescence of ancient sinners.

In short, when the condemned had served ample penance, they were freed of chastisement, and were cast into the Gulch to die, where they eventually faded into nothingness. However, there were many great evil beings and powerful monsters who would not fade, and when they were cast into the Gulch, they instead broke down into a thick, gloopy liquor, and from the dregs of these liquified remains, the demons were formed, and the Fel with them. It was Hades’ responsibility to contain these demons, and so it was that his staff inherently controlled the Fel, and thus the dark creatures born of it. To this end, he had established his chamber down there, meaning all who sought an audience with him would need to traverse the Gulch of Sin, and endure its horrors.

“Blimey…” I murmured.

“Yeah, that.” Twilight agreed.

“Well, there goes my star theory.” said Pinkie.

“Your star theory?” I repeated.

“Yeah!” she squeaked, “I used to think all the stars were ponies who weren’t here any more. Whenever I saw a shooting star, I thought it meant somepony had, you know…”

Pretending to choke on her food, Pinkie fell out of her chair and gave out a melodramatic death rattle. We all rolled our eyes, and Hawnu Rey’eng went on to explain where Nah’Lek came into the fold. After his defeat to Stardust Moonshimmer, the Defiler was locked away in Tartarus for thousands of years, until he escaped from his cell. He then descended into the Gulch, slaying demons by the hundreds on his journey to Hades’ chamber. There, he challenged the Great Lich to a duel… and won.

“Shitting hell…” I breathed.

“Language!” Rarity yapped, passing me a scowl.

“Sorry, Rare.”

“Sparing the Titanson’s life, Nah’Lek claimed his staff and promptly fled.” Hawnu Rey’eng continued, “He fled to the world of Draenor, and with a tool capable of harnessing the Fel, he usurped the warlock Gul’dan, and took control of the Orcish Horde. Their fate to invade Azeroth was stolen from them, with their sights now set upon the world of Equus. The Defiler has prepared them for a planetary offensive, of which can only be stopped if you find and repair the Titans’ Orb. This, you already know.”

It took a few moments for us to digest such information. It certainly answered a few things, like why Nah’Lek had possession of Hades’ staff, or how and why the orcs were involved. We were hit with another bombshell, upon Twilight tentatively asking how Nah’Lek had known about the Horde, and how to take control of them.

“Just as Earth and Equus have a connection, so too do the worlds of Azeroth and Draenor.” the Guardian replied, “It would seem Nah’Lek foresaw the Horde marching on his old home, and took it upon himself to put the green-skinned invaders to better use.”

“Wait, Nah’Lek’s from Azeroth!?” I exclaimed.

“Yes, he was once of Azerothian descent. That was, at least, before Appelox found him, and unmade his former biology, birthing him anew as a demigod of Equussian origins. Though his form bears his history, he is now truly a being of Equus, which in of itself is an affront to the Titans’ world, and greater creation itself. He must be destroyed, in body and soul. This universe will not rest until he has perished.”

I was about to press for more information, when Rarity tilted her head and beat me to a different query.

“You referred to Hades as the ‘Titanson’. What did you mean by that?”

“Exactly as it implies.” Hawnu Rey’eng responded, “Hades, akin to the Princesses, Celestia and Luna, is a child of the six Holy Titans of Harmony.”

The girls’ mouths fell agape, followed by Rainbow Dash asking if that meant Hades was their brother.

“An interesting question, Miss Dash. On the one hand, yes, but on the other, a resounding no. Hades was a creation from all six Titans combined, while the Princesses were a product of Twilus, the Titan of Mana, born from the sacrificial flesh of the Champion before Stardust, known as the Regal Mother.”

Everyone let out murmurs of vague understanding, while Twilight hung on every word. Hearing her own world’s history through this alien stranger was mind-boggling for her, especially where it concerned the origins of her divine mentor. She begged for more information, but as the others grew overwhelmed by such profound lore, the Guardian steered us towards lighter topics.

One such topic was a gift, in the form of a strange device. Retrieving it from his belt, Hawnu Rey’eng tossed it to me from across the table, which I caught with ease. No bigger than my own hand, the item had the appearance of a scarab beetle. Most of it was made from the same dark purple metal as the Guardian’s armour, though the accents seemed to be made from obsidian.

“Without Twilight’s magic, you’ll need a guide to your next object of interest.” he explained, “This is a tracking beetle, and when activated, it will point in the direction you need to go.”

Flipping it over, I found a deep groove with a button, and upon pressing it, the beetle’s head popped out and started twisting around in circles, until it finally locked onto a signal. It jerked its face in a particular direction, and no matter which way I turned it, the shiny black head continued to look the same way.

“Aww, it’s a little buggy!” said Pinkie, grinning profusely.

“Buggy?” I repeated, smirking at her.

“Buggy!” she giggled back, knocking her front hooves together.

Rolling my eyes, I pressed the button again to switch off the newly named ‘Buggy’, and put it into my pocket. Thanking Hawnu Rey’eng for it, I asked when we should depart. Commending my eagerness, he told me we ought to remain here in his home for a while longer. Twilight’s leg was still healing, and after taking out the shade, we were in no rush to evade the Defiler.

“And we have a ton of booze to drink!” Dashie cried out.

“That too.” AJ chuckled.

The rest of dinner was spent with talk of our past adventures, and also of home. With all the talk of Equus, it was only natural for the conversation to gravitate to Equestria, and with but a few reminiscent words about the farm and her family, poor Applejack was in bits. This set Rarity off as well, who began lamenting over Sweetie Belle and Opalescence, which of course led to Pinkie joining in, getting tearful over how long it had been since seeing Gummy. None of these, however, compared to Fluttershy, with all the talk of pets reminding her that Blu had died today. Falling apart immediately, the poor thing ran off to her room again, with Rainbow Dash heading off after her to provide comfort.

{Are they always this unstable?} asked Stardust.

{Dude, they’re missing home and our friend’s died. Be nice.} I retorted.

{Nice? Lad, I just saved your wee arses from certain doom! How much nicer do you want me to be?}

{Nicer than this.}

{Ugh, fine.} he grumbled, {Sorry everyone’s sad. Give ‘em my thoughts and prayers or something.}

Tutting, I decided to leave the girls to their moment and offered to clean up the table. Thanks to the bread bowls, there weren’t any dishes to collect, but I took the cutlery and empty glasses. On my way to the kitchen, I felt my own mood dropping as well, though I supposed it made sense, given how intense the past twenty-four hours had been. I was emotionally shattered, physically too. From killing a rogue mining team, to losing Blu, to witnessing a future where the mission had failed, to confronting both my own mind and Nah’Lek the Defiler himself, today had been a bloody whirlwind.

Twilight, understandably close to me after saving her yet again, followed me out and was quick to notice the drop. She asked if I was alright, to which I smiled weakly and nodded. Faintly raising her eyebrows, she saw right through the façade and approached me with a look of sympathy.

“Another episode?”

Again, I nodded, though I professed that it wasn’t a strong one by any means. All the same, I thanked her for taking notice, and she asked if there was anything she could do to help. With a shrug, I said that a hot drink might be nice, and she darted over to Rarity’s kettle without a moment’s hesitation.

“Tea or coffee?”

“Coffee sounds great, thanks.” I replied, dipping my head.

The unicorn got to work, while I decided to head up to the master bedroom to settle down. I found Hawnu Rey’eng up there, who turned to face me as I entered.

“What’re you doing in here?” I asked him.

“Am I forbidden to tread where I please in my own home?” he replied in jest, “I sensed your ailing mood and thought a call to your brother may help. As such, I’ve brought you the laptop from the mining camp. I’ve removed the password for you, and ensured the hotspot is functional.”

“That’s… actually rather nice of you.” I admitted, “Thank you.”

Merely dipping his head, the Guardian left the laptop on the mattress and went back downstairs, leaving me to boot up the machine in peace. I flopped onto the bed and pressed the power button, rubbing my heavy eyes as I listened to the device’s fans as they started whirring. Soon enough, I was on the home screen, and being a Windows system, Skype thankfully came preinstalled. I opened it up to find Hawnu Rey’eng had already done the work for me by creating an anonymous account, with my brother’s somehow already added as a friend. His profile was labelled as ‘away’, and knowing him, he likely had it installed on his phone, meaning he would almost certainly answer if I called him. Taking in a deep breath of air, I prepared myself for a lengthy, possibly emotional interaction, and then hit the call button. It rang for a good few seconds, before at last, he answered.

“Hello?”

Immediately smiling at the sound of his voice, I told him to guess who it was, and upon recognising my voice as well, he switched on the camera.

“Oh my god… Callum!?”

His delighted goofy face appeared on-screen, and I was quick to turn my webcam on as well.

“You’re alive!” he shouted.

“Barely.” I chuckled, “But yeah, I’m still kicking.”

Almost immediately feeling my mood brightening, I couldn’t help but grin like an idiot as Oliver began peppering me with questions, barely able to contain himself.

“Where the hell have you been? How was Chernobyl? Did the rads give you any mutations? Do you glow in the dark now? Did your cock drop off? Any extra limbs? Where are you now? How are you even calling me!?”

Laughing, I announced that I was currently in Portugal, and confirmed that I didn’t glow, nor did I have any additional limbs. I then rather proudly hinted that although my manhood hadn’t dropped off, it had in fact seen some action.

“Holy shit, you got laid?” he exclaimed, “Someone… actually slept with you!? Good lord, was she blind or something? Ugly, perhaps? Wait, it wasn’t with one of your horse friends, was it?”

“No! None of those things!” I insisted, “She was drop-dead gorgeous and very much able to see!”

“Lies.” he scoffed, “So, what was her name, then?”

“Bunnie…”

“Jesus Christ, you fucked a rabbit?”

“No, you bastard!” I shouted, barely able to contain my laughter, “Her name was Bunnie. I slept with a human woman, you cockwomble!”

Snickering to himself, Oliver rolled his eyes and congratulated me. He then asked if this ‘Bunnie’ was with me now, or if she had developed the good sense to run the other way. Raising my shoulders, I confessed that neither were true, for Bunnie had died a few weeks ago. He opened his mouth to say something crass, only to realise that I was being serious, and quickly dropped the childish antics.

“That, brother… is unfortunate.” he said solemnly.

Inhaling deeply, I agreed that it was, but I refused to let myself get upset. I wanted to focus on my brother and let the past rest, reminding myself yet again that Bunnie’s fate was a mercy. Putting on a brave face, I asked Oliver how his life was getting on.

“Good! Really good!” he replied, “Nice and cushy since a chicken took out my leg.”

“Uh, what?”

Realising how absurd that sounded, he elaborated for me. After my departure to Ukraine, Oliver decided that he wanted an adventure of his own, and so he decided to join the army. As it happened, there was little adventure to be had, all things considered, as it predominantly consisted of gruelling training exercises, and being shouted at by superiors. Still, he enjoyed the process overall, and looked forward to proving himself enough to be recognised as officer material, which, given his fierce intellect, wasn’t such a bad idea.

“What does a chicken have to do with any of this?” I inquired, raising an eyebrow.

“I’m getting there!” he insisted, “So, do you remember those egg-shitting spastics we used to own? Well, during one of my weekends at home, the bloody cockerel attacked me. Bastard jammed his spur into my knee, right under the fucking kneecap, it was painful as shit, and now I can’t walk on it!”

“That, brother… is unfortunate.” I teased, copying the way he had spoken to me.

“Isn’t it just?” he laughed, “On the bright side, I’ve been given a few months of medical leave, and I get two big cripple sticks to hit people with.”

“You mean crutches?”

“Yeah, that’s what I said, big cripple sticks!”

Rolling my eyes at Oliver’s forever-childish naming conventions, I was about to change the subject further, when I heard the bedroom door creak open. Looking up, I spotted Twilight coming into the room backwards. She then twisted around and I noticed she was carrying a small tray in her mouth, with a cup of coffee balanced on top.

“Oh bless you, Twi, hang on.” I uttered hastily.

Hopping off the bed, I rushed over and took the coffee from her, allowing her to drop the tray onto the bed. She then wiggled her aching jaw and sighed.

“How do the pegasi and earth ponies do it?”

“Hey, don’t underrate yourself. You got this up here without spilling a drop!” I assured her with a grin.

Feeling proud of herself, Twilight smiled. I was proud of her too, for her learning to live without magic was essentially the same as me learning to live without hands.

“Is that one of your gay horse people?” Oliver called out, unable to see what was happening.

Twilight jumped in shock, and asked who I was talking to.

“That would be my brother.” I answered, flexing my brow.

We went back over to the laptop together, and upon seeing her, Oliver shook his head with disbelief.

“So bloody weird…”

“Charmed.” Twilight replied, “It’s good to see you, Oliver.”

“Huh, I see you’ve lightened up then?”

“Something like that…” she shrugged, smiling sheepishly.

Quickly preventing him from asking further, I asked him how our mum was getting on, which resulted in a loud, melodramatic scoff.

“Ah yes, Janice.” he grunted, “Better known these days, as the half-ton sack of haemorrhoids that lied to us all our lives.”

“What?” I asked.

Tutting, Oliver said that I ought to have a sip of that coffee, and ready myself for a bit of a shock. With today being full of those already, I supposed one more couldn’t hurt, and told him to rip the plaster off and give it to me straight. Shrugging, he did just that, taking a deep breath and delivering the news.


“Right, well… Dad’s dead, and we’re orphans.”





> Chapter Twenty-Four: Family
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





For a moment, I didn’t respond. I didn’t move, and I didn’t breathe. I hadn’t even understood what Oliver had said for a few seconds, as though he had spoken in a foreign language. Then it started to sink in, and all I could say was…

“Oh.”

Clifford Horncastle, my beloved father…
A good man with all the patience in the world, of whom had tried to raise me with integrity, and to see the beauty and worth in the trivial, and the insignificant. My attention to detail, my loving nature, and my desire to learn had all come from him, which he had consistently encouraged and nurtured. Back when my autism was infinitely more problematic, my dad had never once given up on me. His patience and compassion knew no bounds, and when the rest of the world had only seen a shrieking feral brat, Clifford had seen his son.

Over the course of his life, he had been a great many things. A journalist, a traveller, a business owner, a sculptor, a smith of iron and silver… even a bloody barber! He had been all around the globe prior to settling down, revelling in the last few drops of adventure this world had to offer. Now I was doing the same thing, and it had made me feel all the closer to him, in spite of his recent years of absence. How such a great man had fallen so far from grace had always been a mystery to me, settling down with a rotten monster like Janice and gambling his life away. I had always wanted to find him again one day, and ask him why he had done it. Well, now I would never know.

He was gone now…
My father was dead.

Clenching my jaw and swallowing, I forced myself to remain composed and asked Oliver why he seemed so merry in the wake of such unwelcoming news. Given how angry he had been after Dad’s disappearance, I would have thought Oliver would be devastated to learn that he had died, and yet here he was, just as cheery as ever. To this, he said that it was less the news, and more due to what happened afterwards. Raising an eyebrow, I gestured for him to go on, and with an excited smirk, he did.

“Take another sip of that coffee, Bro, because this shit gets insane. So, it turns out he never gambled at all. Jan didn’t even kick him out, the whole bloody thing was a ruse! He left on his own accord and fucked off to New Zealand, where he was found dead with a journal that explained everything!”

Now blinking rapidly, I shook my head and asked him to tell me more. Clearing his throat, Oliver went on to explain how Clifford had been found on New Zealand’s North Island, deceased in a cabin in the woods. The autopsy had decreed that malnutrition had killed him, with the man’s remains being emaciated beyond belief. In other words, the poor bloke had starved himself to death.

“Jeez…” I murmured, “What the hell was he doing out there?”

“Taking care of our real mother.”

“What?” Twilight and I spoke in unison.

Taking another… very large sip from my coffee, I sat there in shock as my brother explained how Janice was nothing more than a pretender, with our real mum pertaining to a woman by the name of Tania. It was a rather complicated ordeal, but in short, Tania had been diagnosed with late-stage cancer just days after I had been born, to which she and Clifford had mutually agreed that it wasn’t fair to raise two children, only to rob them of their mother during their early youth. As such, the two of them lived in separate houses on the same street, with Tania living alone, while Clifford raised us with the help of Janice, an old friend. She had been wholly in on the scheme, changing her surname to Horncastle and moving in to pose as our mother, only to reveal her true colours as a wicked, conniving sociopath, preying on the vulnerability of a distressed, ailing couple. From the get-go, Jan had slipped in to exploit the situation, and under the threat of being exposed, Clifford reluctantly allowed her to live as she saw fit, abusing both alcohol and her false sons in equal abundance. By the time things got out of hand, Clifford had descended so far into the lie that he didn’t know how to tell us the truth.

{Oh now that’s fucked up.} Stardust remarked, {And here I was thinking I had parental issues…}

Ignoring him, I allowed Oliver to continue.

“Remember all those ‘gambling nights’ where Dad went off to throw money away? Turns out he was just seeing our dying mother, and forking out extra cash to make sure she was comfortable. She battled it for years, but then she started to dip, so she went off to New Zealand to die on her home turf. Dad went with her, which was when we thought Jan kicked him out.”

Clearly quite emotional himself, Oliver cleared his throat and forced himself to seem indifferent, and told us how Clifford had remained at our mum’s side until the bitter end. When she eventually passed, he buried her in their garden, and his will to live with her. He remained at their woodland cabin in isolation, barely sleeping and never eating, until at last, his body gave up on him.

“It wasn’t malnutrition, not really.” said Oliver, with tears in his eyes, “He died of a broken heart.”

That last part got me, and as my own eyes began to water, I tried to find words. It was then that Twilight spoke, and for as touched as she was by the groundbreaking revelation, her response was far more stern than I had expected.

“I’m sorry, but that is so incredibly selfish.”

I turned to look at her with a furrowed brow, and she was quick to continue.

“You can’t just bring two children into the world and then run away from them. Your dad left you with a monster, and he never even told you why! Look, I understand he was grieving, and he had every right to, I wouldn’t wish what he went through on anyone! But still, the moment you have a kid, they should always come first. They should be your top priority, no matter what!”

“Uh, since when did you become a parent?” I scoffed.

“Since I hatched that egg and helped raise Spike.”

I hadn’t thought of that; Twilight had been given a taste of motherhood thanks to that little dragon. Taking a sip from my coffee, I hummed in acknowledgement, accepting that she certainly knew more than I did when it came to being a good parent.

“Wait, you ponies lay eggs?” Oliver blurted out.

Bursting into laughter, I sprayed coffee all over the laptop and nearly choked. Twilight couldn’t help but laugh as well, and Oliver’s cheesy grin filled the screen, clearly very proud of himself. I used my sleeve to wipe the coffee away, while Twilight went on to explain how she had hatched a baby dragon when she was just a filly, as part of an entrance exam at a school for gifted unicorns. Although initially raised by Princess Celestia, Spike was eventually given to Twilight and her parents, who brought him up as part of the family. Being a dragon and not a pony, their relationship was a complex one, with the infantile dragon being equal parts pet, little brother, and surrogate son to her.

“Dragons. Now that is something I’d like to see…” Oliver sighed dreamily.

Smirking, I very nearly told him how I had seen Spike with my own eyes, just earlier today. However, with no desire to change the subject any further, I kept such information to myself, and demanded we return to the matter at hand.

“Ugh, fine!” he grunted, “Well, once the news hit home, shit hit the fan. The police came and arrested Jan on the spot, and she’s now serving life in prison for fraud, false identity, and years of child abuse. Oh, and get this… they think she’s behind your murder!”

“What!?” I exclaimed.

“Yup! They think you clocked onto the truth, and in a panic, she gave you the shiv to keep you quiet. She’s been stripped of all her possessions, assets, and money, and it’s all been given to me, as compensation for the trauma. I’m absolutely loaded, and I’ve put every drop of it into a loyalty savings account to gain interest. Once I see my time through in the army, I’ll be set for life.”

“Blimey.” I murmured, swallowing another mouthful of coffee, “You’ll be retired before you’re thirty!”

“That’s the plan!” he laughed, “Anyway, did you want to hear about our real mum?”

“Uh, of course!” I told him, “Tell me everything!”

Getting more comfortable, my brother readjusted his sitting position and told me all about Tania. Like my father in every way, she was an adventurer, through and through. Hailing from New Zealand, she was a hard-working, free-spirited, life-loving soul, who gave each day her all. From jumping out of aeroplanes, to free-diving, to spearfishing, she embarked on all sorts of intense excursions. As a teen, she had run away from home to see the world, spending many years picking lemons for a kibbutz in Israel.

The more Oliver told me, the more enthralled I was with her, and given her New Zealand origins, I finally understood why my skin bore such an olive hue. Come to think of it, given the size of the Māori people, it might have explained why my frame was so large. Though my height was a modest five foot eleven, the sheer width of my chest and shoulders were certainly of worthy remark.

“So, we’re half Kiwi…” I murmured.

“Yup.” Oliver replied with a click of his tongue, “Congratulations, brother mine, we’re halfbreeds.”

Rolling my eyes, I huffed with amusement. Oliver and I had always been proud of our bloodline, with Dad’s side of the family stretching far and deep into British history. From a famous officer in the Second World War, to the founders of a crystal manufacturer in Ireland, my heritage was a proud one. Now, there was a whole other side to me that I didn’t even know about. If my mother was of Māori descent, then by blood, I belonged to a tribe somewhere, and I wanted to know who they were.

“What did she look like? Do you know?” I asked, tilting my head.

“Yeah, she looked nice.” Oliver replied, “Dad had a few pictures in his journal. I’ve got it here, so I’ll send you some pictures if you like?”

“That would be great, thank you.”

Dipping his head, Oliver finally moved away from such a shocking development. Eager to know what was happening on my adventure, he asked what I was doing in Portugal, aside from bedding dead rabbits.

“Thanks for that, Bro.” I tutted dryly, rolling my eyes, “Well, we’re halfway into the mission now. Found the third piece of the Orb just this morning. Had to kill a few guys for it, that wasn’t fun. Blu died, Rainbow made her first kill, and then I briefly got sent to the future and fought some orcs. After that, a bloke in a metal suit showed up and helped me and Twilight fight the evil demigod that’s been living inside my head. I got turned into a demon, that was shit, and then we had stew for dinner. Anything else, Twi?”

“No, I’m pretty sure that wraps up today.”

“Wait-wait-wait, shut the fuck door.” Oliver cut in, “That all happened today? Also… fucking WHAT?”

Laughing, I realised just how utterly bonkers such a list of events sounded. Even one of those things was a bombshell in of itself, let alone the whole lot occuring within the day. Taking a much slower approach, I gave him the full breakdown, with Twilight very bravely stepping up to talk about her infection, and how I had saved her life by delving into her mind and curing her. By the time he was all caught up on the events since our departure to Ukraine, the three of us were flummoxed and frazzled; us from speaking and Oliver from listening. The back and forth of life-changing information was exhausting, but we were equally glad to have shared it. Being a fan of the Warcraft franchise, his excitement went through the roof upon learning about the existence of Draenor and Azeroth. If not for the ponies proving there were multiple dimensions, each housing true forms of fictional worlds, he likely would have lost his marbles.

“So, this Nah’Lek guy, the one in charge of the Horde. Who is he exactly?” he asked.

“Your guess is as good as mine, mate.” I told him, “Hawnu Rey’eng said he was from Azeroth, but he didn’t specify. Your knowledge of Warcraft far exceeds mine, any ideas?”

Scratching his chin, Oliver put his mouth to one side and hummed.

“Hmm, you said he was a big spider-looking guy, right? Well, if he’s smart as hell and evil as sin, then chances are you’re looking at a nerubian. Those spindly buggers are a mean bunch. They’re descendents of the Old Gods, making them totally immune to the Fel, but they may as well be demons anyway. Their whole way of life revolves around exterminating any lifeform that isn’t an arthropod.”

“Hold that thought.” I said, minimising the Skype call.

Quickly opening the web browser, I searched up the nerubian race, and upon opening Google Images, I was met with a handful of different arachnid-looking creatures, many of which bore a vague resemblance to Nah’Lek. Gulping, I looked at Twilight, who shuddered at the sight of the creatures.

“Well, looks like we’ve just uncovered Nah’Lek’s origins.” I murmured.

“Sounds like it.” Oliver agreed, “They weren’t exactly demigods though.”

“No, but Nah’Lek was formed into a demigod.” I explained, “I guess Appelox went looking for the meanest, most sick and twisted nerubian he could find. Plucked him from Azeroth and transformed him into something greater.”

“Shit, those things are bad enough on their own!” said Oliver.

“Well, that’s what we’re dealing with.” I grumbled in reply, “He’s got the Fel and the Horde, so if we don’t stop him, it’ll be game over for Equus, Earth too probably.”

“You think?” asked Twilight.

Nodding, I pointed out that once Nah’Lek had brought an end to life on Equus, he likely wouldn’t stop there. Now aware of Earth and its existence, there was every chance he might strike our human world as well. With that in mind, I understood Hawnu Rey’eng’s decree that this universe wouldn’t rest while the Defiler lived; this didn’t just concern one world, it concerned all worlds…

I was about to talk more on the matter, when I heard a doorbell ring on Oliver’s end. With a sense of alarm, he said that some of his guests had arrived, and that he needed to go.

“Guests?” I queried.

“Yeah, I thought I’d throw a little house party. I’m sorry Little Bro, but I really do have to go.”

“No worries, Bro, it’s fine.” I assured him, “Not sure when I’ll be able to speak to you again, but I’m glad we had this at least.”

“Yeah, me too, mate.” he said with a smile, “Once I get the chance, I’ll send the pictures from Dad’s journal, alright?”

Nodding, I gave him my last goodbye, as did Twilight. He then promptly ended the call, returning the screen to the otherwise-empty contact list. Sighing heavily, I pushed the laptop away from me and inhaled deeply, before necking the rest of my coffee and flopping onto the bed. After a tentative silence, Twilight asked if I was okay, to which I sat up again and looked at her.

“I… I don’t know.” I breathed, “Today’s been… a lot.”

“Yeah, it has.” she agreed.

Climbing onto the bed with me, the mare wrapped her lilac forelegs around me, while I let all the new information sink in. Closing my eyes, I said it all back to myself, listing how my dad was dead, with Jan being nothing but a dirty rotten liar. Now I knew I had a real mum, and she was dead too. The childhood I deserved had been robbed from me, and as that fact sank in, I found it hard to look Twilight in the eye.

The laptop then emitted a few sound effects from Skype, and as I reached over to get it, I was greeted by a handful of images. As promised, Oliver had sent me Clifford’s journal, or at least, a good handful of pages from it. Each image was a set of two lengthy pages, and in spite of my already-emotional state, I proceeded to read them. Twilight sat next to me as I did so, and together, we read through a handful of snippets from my father’s secret life…




“Just when I thought one son was blessing enough, my darling Tan is with child once more. It hasn’t taken us long to settle on a name; if it’s a girl, we’ll be calling her Isabel, and if it’s a boy, Callum. Truly, my excitement is beyond words. Oliver’s too young to understand just yet, but as mentioned in my previous entry, he’s just started using his first words. I keep finding myself wondering if this is all a dream, for never in all my days had I foreseen such bliss on my horizon.
Oh, by my stars, am I lucky…”






“I can barely believe it, but as I pen these words with mist-laden eyes, let it be known that my second-born, Callum Tobias, has been born. It was a long old labour and poor Tan is exhausted, though I suppose a ten-pound baby will do that to a woman. The little lad is enormous, he’s got the Māori gene for sure… even his gonads are massive!
His name means ‘dove’ in Scottish Gaelic, and he already embodies such an animal, for we are still yet to hear him cry. Even as he came into the world, he didn’t make so much as a peep. He just waited patiently to be held, only making the odd grunt and babble here and there. I’m also certain that he’ll grow up to be a devout milk drinker, as he went straight to the nipple without hesitation.
That’s my boy…”




Feeling rather embarrassed by that one, I was quick to feel my cheeks grow warm, and looked away from Twilight with a sheepish chuckle. The unicorn meanwhile had found it terribly endearing, and had been beaming emphatically at the screen as her eyes flitted from word to word, drinking in my father’s love for his sons. Sadly though, not every entry was quite so jolly, as the following entries told of Tania’s cancer diagnosis, and Clifford’s rapid descent into hopelessness and despair. There was a lot of questioning why such a fate had befallen us, and wishing it could have been him instead. Clifford then wrote of Janice, and the contentious scheme to raise my brother and I with a surrogate mother. He had never once felt comfortable about it, but at Tania’s wish for her boys to grow up with a loving mother, he had conceded, allowing Jan to play the role of his wife. After a while, the entries grew more positive again, with my dad writing plenty about his beloved boys. He spoke of my autism in great detail, and how protective he was over me, and boy, was he protective… In the wake of my poor treatment from staff during my primary school years, Clifford took it upon himself to rally a protest at the House of Lords in London, where he pleaded a case that eventually led to the better treatment of children with special needs.

For a time, life was okay again. Tania was in a stable condition, and Clifford would visit her under the guise of ‘gambling night’, but things soon took a turn for the worse. With visible teardrop stains on the following pages, Clifford wrote of Janice and her betrayal, having used his situation as an entryway to a life of debauched luxury. As the vile woman grew more malignant and abusive, Clifford had felt the urge to let the truth be known, writing in block capitals as he described the moment the woman first lay a hand on his son. But alas, for as livid as he was, he had allowed it to persist with boundless reluctance, all while growing more hollow with each passing day, until he was naught but a shell of his former self.

Between seeing a therapist and taking antidepressants, he had done everything in his power to remain functional, and it must have worked, as for all throughout my childhood, I had never seen him break in the way he was describing here. At best, I could recall him looking thinner in the years leading up to his departure, and perhaps a bit less enthusiastic about things. Never in all my days could I have imagined the tormented soul beneath his performance, and for each word I read, my anger towards him slipped away. He never did tell Tania of her sons’ abuse, for he knew it would only bring devastation and suffering to a dying mother. In short, he had gone from living his happiest years with the woman of his dreams, to enduring an eternal living nightmare, while deceiving both his children, and his lover.

{Fucking hell…} Stardust murmured, {The poor fella must have been on the cusp of going mad!}

Flexing my brow in agreement, I moved on to the next entry, which detailed Tania’s turn for the worse, and shortly thereafter, their joint decision to leave for New Zealand. In an act that broke his heart twice over and shamed him to the core, Clifford abandoned his sons and fled the country, where he spent the rest of his days caring for Tania. He also included a lengthy apology to me and Oliver, begging each of us for our forgiveness, and beseeching us not to resent our family name, nor our blood, for the fault lay with him, and him alone.

And then, at last, I reached his final entry…



“I woke in the early hours to find Tan holding my wrist. Her touch was like ice, and I knew in my heart, before I had even opened my eyes, that she was gone. I lay at her side for a time, before forcing myself to move, and upholding my promise to bury her in the garden. For hours, I dug, letting my body run on autopilot, while my mind refused to believe the truth.

The bitter, ultimate truth…
My soul and its keeper have died.

She rests beneath the willow tree now, where I shall look upon with the tattered remains of a man once known as Clifford Horncastle. The strange thing is that I haven’t cried yet. The sun is setting, and even as I write what I expect to be my final words, I cannot bring myself to cry.

I just feel… empty.

If you find this journal, please get it to my sons.
The last thing I expect is their forgiveness, and it’s the last thing I deserve.
But all the same, I wish for them to know.

I’m sorry.”



With a shaky breath, I stared off into space and swallowed, rattled by what I had just read. I needed a moment to process my newfound emotions, for no longer did I feel a shred of anger for my father. Rather, I felt only sympathy and shared anguish for a man who had lost it all. Twilight didn’t say a thing, she just rested against me and let me feel whatever I was feeling.

The laptop then made another noise, and upon taking a look, I was met by more images concerning the journal. However, these pages didn’t house any written lamentations, nor reminiscences of mine and Oliver’s youth. These pages contained photographs, and as my misty eyes trailed to each one, I felt a stirring in my heart, almost identical to the bittersweet stab I felt whenever I thought about Bunnie, and how terribly I missed her. Though I had never met the subject in each photograph, my heart knew precisely who I was looking at.

This was my real mother.





“She’s… beautiful.” I murmured, very nearly choking up.

“She looks like you.” said Twilight.

And she was right, the woman in the photos looked almost exactly like me. We had the same eyes, the same nose, even the same smile! She was my mum, as true as the day, and yet these pictures were the closest I would ever be to her. Turning to Twilight with tears in my eyes, I gritted my teeth and told her how it wasn’t fair. If Jan had been kind and loving, it would have been another story, but the fact I had been completely robbed of motherly love hurt me like words couldn’t describe.

“It took eighteen years and Bunnie’s death just for me to get a taste of that love.” I growled, “It took Applejack, an alien, to step up and show me what that feels like!”

Saying nothing, Twilight allowed me to vent, patiently listening as I ranted about how Oliver and I deserved better than this. I wasn’t angry with Clifford any more, but I was still deeply hurt by his and Tania’s choice. I would rather have known my mother and then lost her, as opposed to not knowing her at all. And what’s worse, was that I lost my father too. I was now an orphan, with my only family being my brother, who I wouldn’t be seeing again for the remainder of our adventure.

“Hey, you’ve got family right here.” said Twilight, pressing her hoof against my shoulder.

“Yeah, I know.” I muttered, “Thanks, Twi. It’s just…”

I tried to say it calmly, and rationally, but as the words crept up from my throat, so too did my tumultuous emotions. With my lower jaw trembling, the tears finally left my eyes, and I let out a childlike whimper that carried eighteen years worth of unspoken, unknown longing.

“I want my mum!”

Completely falling apart, I collapsed into Twilight, who didn’t hesitate to pull me into her chest. Unable to console me, all the mare could do was hush to me gently, trying not to cry herself as she held me tightly. For a good few minutes, I sobbed, until I was finally able to get a hold of myself. With a deep gulp and a deeper breath, I forced myself to sit up and shook my head.

“Sorry.” I coughed, “It’s stupid… I didn’t even know her.”

“You have nothing to be sorry for.” she said back to me, “You just found out your whole childhood was built on a lie. That’s a damn good reason to be upset.”

“I just… I just wish I’d known. I wish I could have met her!”

“I’m so sorry, Cal…”

Sighing, Twilight gave me another hug, and said that if I needed to be alone, then she totally understood. Shaking my head, I told her that I wanted anything but to be alone. My whole world, for the umpteenth time, had been turned on its head, and I needed desperately to hold on to something familiar. Sniffing loudly, I said that I wanted to go back and join the others, and tell them what I had learned. I needed my friends close, for as Twilight had said, they were my family now. Nodding, Twilight eased off the bed and stood up, and after giving my cheeks a slap to ground me, I got up as well.

We came downstairs to find the others in the living room. Hawnu Rey’eng was standing near the doorway, while the girls were sitting in a circle on their old camping cushions. The furniture had been moved to one side as to make for additional room, and in the middle of the circle was an empty beer bottle, its contents now undoubtedly within Rainbow Dash’s stomach. The boozing had begun, and not a moment too soon, for I sorely needed something to take the edge off after all that had transpired today.

“Hey you two! We were just about to come looking for you!” Applejack called to us, “Thought we’d finally crack into all these drinks, and now we’re playing some truth or dare. Care to join us?”

“Gladly.” I huffed.

As I came over and sat down, Rarity was quick to spy my reddened eyes and flushed expression. Frowning, she asked quite directly if I’d been crying, which bothered me to know it had been so obvious. I put my mouth to one side, and with hunched shoulders, I chose to get my drama out of the way early.

“Just a little.” I admitted, “I just spoke to my brother with the laptop we found at the mining camp. He uh, told me some rather disquieting news.”

Everyone craned their necks with interest, and choosing to keep things brief, I explained how my father had been found dead in New Zealand, along with my real mother, Tania. Their jaws nearly hit the floor as I told them what Oliver had told me, and upon wrapping things up, I was bombarded with a shower of hugs. Forgetting her own strength, Applejack almost snapped me in two, for she and I now held a shared tragedy; we were both orphans.

“AJ… could you kindly… not break my spine?” I wheezed.

I was promptly released, and with a chuckle, I assured everyone that I was okay. Having just had a big cry, what I now needed was a touch of normality, and the comfort of my friends. Gesturing to the bottle on the floor, I asked how it correlated to truth or dare. Rainbow was quick to explain how their version of the game involved one pony spinning a bottle, and whomever it landed on was asked ‘truth or dare’ by the spinner. In essence, it combined elements from a different human party game called ‘spin the bottle’. Raising an eyebrow at Rarity, I teased that this didn’t seem quite like an activity for a lady.

“Darling, please.” she replied with a devious smirk, “If you knew anything about a lady, you would know they all have a wild side tucked away. Besides, given the past half year, I think we could all do with letting ourselves go a little, don’t you think?”

“Can’t argue with that.” I agreed, “So, is someone going to put a drink in my hand or what?”

Laughing, everyone returned to their cushions, while Rainbow Dash darted off to the now-open crate of booze. Starting off light, I requested a beer, while Twilight joined me on the adjacent cushion and requested something sweeter, and so she received a can of cider. After opening it for her and getting comfortable, I turned to Hawnu Rey’eng and raised an eyebrow at him.

“You playing, Tin Can? Or are you just going to stand there like some weird angelic ornament?”

“Happy watching, thank you.”

Shrugging, I diverted my attention to Rarity as she spun the bottle with her magic. It went round and round, until it finally stopped on Pinkie. Requesting to be dared, Pinkie was instructed to swear off sugar for the next twenty-four hours, and with a scowl, she rose to the challenge. Pinkie then spun the bottle, and as we all giggled and drank, I had a feeling this night was only just getting started…


Eight-or-so rounds passed, and we were all having a wonderful time. Even Fluttershy had brightened up again, who had since recovered from her breakdown earlier, and was drowning her grief-ridden feelings via Baileys Irish Cream. The truths hadn’t been all that invasive or crude thus far, and the dares had been light-hearted and tame. For instance, Applejack had been dared to wear Rarity’s makeup, and upon requesting a truth, I had been made to confess what had drawn me to start watching My Little Pony. In truth, it was an awfully straightforward appeal; curiosity. To summarise, I had seen an internet meme concerning the cartoon, and decided to give it a watch. With the first episode of the show ending on a cliffhanger, I sat through the following episode as well, and by the time Nightmare Moon had been reverted back into Princess Luna, I was intrigued enough to watch on, until at last, I was hooked.

The girls loved hearing my little explanation, though I couldn’t help but notice that Pinkie Pie was looking rather distant. Tilting my head, I asked if she was okay, to which she suddenly shook herself vigorously and looked in my direction.

“Yeah!” she blurted out, “Cider just makes me woozy…”

“That’s kind of the point.” I chuckled.

Scoffing, Rainbow interjected to explain that Pinkie was very much a lightweight, and could practically intoxicate herself by just looking at alcohol. The mare had only consumed two cans, and yet she was already zoning out and swaying from side to side. Stepping over from the far side of the room, Hawnu Rey’eng offered to escort her to bed, and with a hiccup and a giggle, Pinkie said that she didn’t want to be a party pooper by going off to bed before anyone else. It took all six of us to convince her that she wasn’t being a party pooper at all, and that if she needed to back out and get some rest, then not one of us would judge her for it. Finally conceding, she accepted Hawnu Rey’eng’s offer, and with a round of hugs, the pink pony plodded upstairs in a most disorderly manner, with the Guardian very kindly guiding her to her room.

“About time.” Rainbow chuckled once she was out of earshot.

With a frown, I titled my head in confusion. Rarity, noticing my expression, took another sip from her drink, and then provided me with an explanation.

“Oh, don’t mistake Rainbow’s bluntness for distaste. We all love Pinkamena to bits, you know that. But let’s be honest, I think we were all getting rather bored of the tameness, don’t you think?”

“Wait, so you were toning things down just for her?” I inquired.

Nodding, she went on to say that with Pinkie being the youngest and most innocent member of the group, she was something of an anchor when it came to the girls’ occasional drink nights. Where Rarity, AJ, and Rainbow Dash liked to talk more openly about adult topics, with Twilight and Fluttershy happily listening in, Pinkie Pie would always grow uncomfortable. Now that she had trotted along to bed, the rest of us could have fun in ways that Pinkie didn’t enjoy, by way of more cheeky, embarrassing, and mature truths and dares. Shrugging, I admitted that Rarity had a point, and with a gulp, I found myself not at all sure of where the rest of this night was going. However, having just learned about my parents’ death, along with all the other events today had thrown at me, I decided to abandon my apprehension and go with the flow. To this end, I demanded a stronger drink, which Applejack responded to by getting up and retrieving a bottle of rum from the open crate. She then removed the lid and tossed it away, implying we would be finishing the whole bottle. The farm pony then lowered her head, and looked over at the lot of us with a sly, devilish grin.


“Alright y’all, let’s get fucked up.”





> Chapter Twenty-Five: A Night to Remember
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





“Chug! Chug! Chug! Chug!”

We all cheered and chanted as Rainbow Dash guzzled her fourth pint, as per my dare for her to gulp it all down in one go. She had visibly struggled at one point, but without failure, she surmounted the challenge. Slamming the empty bottle back down, the pegasus lowered her head, and then proceeded to let out the most revolting, yet most impressive belch I had ever heard. It easily went on for a good few seconds, with the rest of us being both disgusted and enthralled by it. We then collectively burst into laughter, and congratulated Rainbow for completing the dare. Grinning wildly at me, she proclaimed that with how much she often drank back in Equestria, this had been easy for her, and that she could outdrink anyone.

“Well that’s a load of bollocks.” I teased, “I’m a Brit, drinking in abundance is practically a birthright for me.”

“Pfft, whatever!” she scoffed back, “Just you wait, I’ll be the last one standing tonight, mark my words!”

“Consider them marked.” I retorted, winking at her.

Tonight had been a blast so far. Even Rarity was enjoying herself, which left me bewildered to see her engaging so merrily in such uncouth jollities; she really wasn’t kidding about having a wild side. Fluttershy was enjoying herself too, having completely emerged from her shell after finishing off what was now her third glass of Baileys. She was getting rather tipsy, with the butter-coloured pegasus giving out some terribly bold dares. During her last round, she had reminded me of a particular conversation back in England, prior to our departure to Brazil. Supposedly, I had said something to Rarity about giving good massages, which Flutters capitalised on tonight by requesting one. Rainbow then took this a step further by daring me to give everyone a massage, which I had conceded to. By the end of it, my hands were aching, but I’d left five ponies feeling very relaxed, with Rarity outright offering to pay me in Threezies for another session later down the line.

It was now Fluttershy’s turn, and as she spun the bottle, we all watched as it went round and round, until it came to a halt and landed on Rarity, who requested a dare. With a fiendish grin, Fluttershy looked in her direction, and bit her lower lip.

“I dare you to do the fruit thing with me.”

At that, the white unicorn started to blush, and her eyes widened.

“Oh!” she exclaimed, “My word, Fluttershy. That certainly is a titillating dare!”

Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes and groaned.

“Seriously? Not the fruit thing again…”

Unsure of what was happening, I raised an eyebrow and asked what ‘the fruit thing’ was. Leaning over, Twilight explained that the last time the girls had played truth or dare, Applejack had been instructed to hold a piece of fruit on her tongue, while Rarity had to retrieve it, with nothing but her own mouth. In other words, one pony had to kiss the other, and with a giggle, Twilight remarked on how Applejack had been left terribly flustered for the remainder of the night, and was unable to look the pearly unicorn in the eye for days afterwards.

“Oh for… You didn’t have to tell him that part!” AJ barked, “Look, I didn’t… I wasn’t ready, alright?”

“Well, if you’d ever like to try again, my door’s always open…” Rarity suggested, winking at her.

Breaking eye contact, Applejack looked away and cleared her throat. Rarity then giggled profusely, and asked me to fetch some fruit from her saddlebag in the kitchen. I did as she asked, returning with a single cherry, of which I gave to Fluttershy. I then watched with eyes like saucers as the little mare removed the stem and popped it into her mouth, followed by Rarity coming over to retrieve it. Without hesitation, she leaned forward, and as the two of them locked lips, I averted my eyes, feeling as though I were looking upon something that I shouldn’t have been. I couldn’t believe things had taken such an intimate turn, though I supposed the girls had been through enough together to trust one another, allowing for such activities to take place without any awkward undertones. Plus, we were all rather tipsy at this point, and it was no secret that alcohol bolstered one’s confidence; it was deemed a ‘social lubricant’ for a reason.

By the time I looked back, Rarity had pulled away, now holding the cherry between her teeth. With a flex of her eyebrow, she returned to her cushion and proceeded to eat it, discreetly spitting the seed out behind her. Fluttershy meanwhile, licked her lips and slumped back to take another sip of Baileys, visibly quite satisfied. Unsure about the slightly steamy atmosphere her dare had created, I looked for a way to steer things in a different direction, and with it being my turn, I spun the bottle. It landed on Applejack, to which I asked her…

“Truth or dare?”

“Truth.” she replied.

Humming, I thought for a moment about what to ask. And then, snapping my fingers, I leaned forward and settled on a question that was undoubtedly a mood killer.

“Okay, so… this has been bothering me for months, and I need to know. You ponies don’t have hands, so aside from unicorns and their telekinesis, it’s safe to assume you can’t always hold things very well, right? So, how the hell do you lot wipe your arses after you’ve had a poo?”

Applejack looked at me blankly, completely taken off-guard by the question. She glanced at the others, as if to ask for permission to answer on their behalf, all of whom looked back at her with shared amusement, wordlessly giving her the go-ahead. Turning back to face me, the farm pony shrugged.

“We don’t.”

“What!?”

With wide eyes, I started looking around from pony to pony.

“Seriously!?”

“Well now, let me explai-”

“You girls walk around with shitty arseholes!?”

Keeling over, I began to cackle hysterically. Applejack’s face dulled, and the others all looked at me with exasperation. I then sat back up and gasped loudly, my face now plastered with absolute revulsion.

“I’ve slept in a bed with some of you! That’s disgusting!”

“Twilight, would you kindly explain before I punch him?” Applejack requested.

Nodding, Twilight gave my arm a firm prod to get my attention, and upon noticing how the others weren’t laughing, I did my best to contain myself, and allowed the unicorn to elaborate.

“Okay, so… wipes do exist, but only for ponies who obsess over additional cleanliness. The simple fact of the matter is that, unlike you humans, we don’t need to wipe. Look, if you really must know, when we… defecate, we-”

That did it.
Unable to hold in my laughter, I broke into yet another fit of cackles, which Applejack promptly silenced by throwing an empty can of cider at me. It smacked me in the head, and with a yelp, I pursed my lips and let Twilight continue. Unable to make eye contact, lest I started laughing again, I stared at the floor as she told me in great detail how when ponies did their business, an inner portion of tissue folded outwards, and thus it quite literally didn’t touch the sides. The long and short of it was that ponies genuinely didn’t need to wipe, because they didn’t get all that dirty.

“Huh.” I huffed, “So, you basically… prolapse?”

“To put it bluntly, yeah, kind of.”

“For the love of Celestia, please stop talking.” Rainbow Dash grumbled, pressing a hoof into her forehead.

Humming, I admitted that such a detail was actually pretty interesting, to which Applejack tutted loudly and rolled her eyes.

“Of all the questions you could’ve asked…”

“Look, I was curious, okay?” I piped back defensively.

“Well, stop being curious!” Rainbow pitched in, “That was freaking gross! Now let’s hurry up and move on before the egghead starts a biology lesson!”

At that, Fluttershy emitted a loud scoff, and pointed out that on the contrary, Rainbow likely would have loved a biology lesson with me, preferably somewhere in private. None of us were ready for such a blunt remark, and we all looked at her with surprised expressions, with Rainbow Dash now spluttering on her beer.

“Okay, Flutters… that’s enough Baileys for you.” I chuckled, reaching over to confiscate the bottle.

Snatching it with her forelegs and shuffling away from me, the pegasus bared her teeth and took a bite towards my hand. Her teeth champed loudly, wordlessly ordering me to keep back, and with a desire to keep all ten of my fingers, I reluctantly allowed her to retain possession of the Irish cream. She was now evidently quite drunk, but unlike Pinkie Pie, she was here to stay. When it was her turn again, she spun the bottle, and this time it landed on me, and I sorely regretted ever participating upon requesting a dare. Without missing a beat, Flutters gave me a blank expression and pointed to her fellow pegasus.

“Kiss Rainbow Dash.”

Kraken Spiced Rum almost became Kraken Spiced Lungs, as I inhaled my liquor and choked, reeling back and coughing for a good few seconds. Meanwhile, Rainbow turned bright red, and stared at Fluttershy with a look of complete and utter disbelief, as did the others.

“Oh come on, we all know she fancies him!” she giggled.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Dashie barked.

Rolling their eyes in unison, everyone agreed that Rainbow did have the hots for me, something she vehemently denied. She grew more and more flustered, and despite being on the receiving end of all this, I couldn’t help but find her agitation to be quite amusing. However, truth be told, I was in fact terribly anxious. Time and time again, I had sworn that I didn’t see Rainbow in such a way, and now I was being dared to kiss her, and I could feel the nerves kicking in. She was a pony for crying out loud! Okay sure, she was technically an alien, but even so…

“Just admit it, darling. You know you fancy him.” said Rarity.

“C’mon, Sugarcube, it’s obvious!” AJ chimed in.

Twilight then joined in as well.

“I don’t even need a book to read the signs!”

“Will you guys shut up!?” Dashie growled.

The comments were antagonising her too much for it to be playful. The boozing had brought the truth to a head, and everyone was eager to see it manifest. The jabbing continued, desperately trying to get a confession out of Rainbow, but it wasn’t going to happen. She was just getting upset, but given her obvious attraction to me, nopony was realising it, thinking that she was merely in a state of denial. I wanted to put a stop to it, but I didn’t know how. A part of me wanted to go for it, to just kiss her and get it over with, but at just the thought of placing my lips against hers, I shuddered.

{I don’t think I can do it.} I murmured in thought, {It just feels wrong.}

At that, Stardust finally piped up, having been silent for most of the night.

{Oh pull your head out your wee arse! Are you seriously backing out of a dare just because she’s a pony? Lad, back on Equus, we dinnae give a shite about interspecies relationships, game is game!}

{It’s not just that!} I snapped back, {I gave myself to Bunnie.}

{Aye, you did, and now she’s dead.} he said bluntly, {Face it, lad, that chapter of your life is over now. You’re allowed to grieve, and mourn, and miss her, but you cannae live in the past. You need to look to the future, and that means giving this closeted lesbian a wee peck before she genuinely has a fuckin’ heart attack.}

Sighing, I thought on his words, and figured that he was probably right.

{Are you sure?} I asked him, {It wouldn’t be… betraying Bunnie’s memory, would it?}

{Oh, fuck me, you really are a cheesy little orphan, aren’t you?} he muttered, {Lad, I promise you, letting Bunnie go, and living your life, is not betraying her memory, I swear it to you. Now, if you’d kindly grow a pair of bollocks, Rainbow is about to have a bloody meltdown, so hurry up and kiss her!}

Looking over at the pegasus, it dawned on me that Stardust wasn’t exaggerating. Dashie was getting so overwhelmed by the teasing that she had tears in her eyes.

“I don’t fancy him!” she shouted, stomping the floor.

{Oh, fuck it…}

Lunging forward, I took either side of the mare’s head with my hands, and stared into her eyes.

“Yes, you do, and I’ll prove it.”

Without another word, I planted my lips against hers and held them there. The mare’s eyes nearly bulged from their sockets, until she realised what was happening. Exhaling through her nose, she finally relaxed and closed her eyes, and I did the same. For a few seconds, I allowed things to remain as they were, submitting to the experience.

{See? Not so bad.} said Stardust.

Hearing his voice while kissing someone certainly killed the mood, and as my eyes flashed open, I pulled away to bring an end to the moment. Rainbow Dash on the other hand, was left momentarily stunned; she couldn’t even close her mouth! She then blinked and shook her head, followed by the two of us gulping nervously.

“Um…” I started, only to say nothing else.

I didn’t know what to say. I just looked around at my audience, expecting some sort of judgement, only to find they were all looking at us with a sense of fondness.

“Well, that was adorable.” Rarity said blankly.

“Feel better now, Rainbow?” asked Applejack.

Passing her friend a defensive glance, Rainbow Dash got to her hooves and proclaimed that she needed the bathroom. She bolted out of the room and closed the door behind her, only for us not to hear any hoofsteps after that, indicating that she was just hiding on the other side. I raised an eyebrow with suspicion and kept an eye on the door, as did the others. And then, we heard it… the excited whispers of a pony who had waited patiently for this moment to arrive, and had now finally been rewarded.

“Oh-my-gosh oh-my-gosh oh-my-gosh oh-my-gosh oh-my-gosh…”

There was a faint squeal of delight, before we finally heard her clip-clopping off to the bathroom further down the hall. Every one of us giggled over Dashie’s reaction, even me, for it was most unlike the brash and brazen pegasus to be so giddy. The group then looked my way, and Applejack asked me how the kiss had been from my perspective. With the attention back on me, I was awfully quick to grow shy again.

“Uh well, err…” I began, stumbling over my words, “It was, uh… interesting? Not… Not all that different from kissing a human, actually. Um, I-I wasn’t expecting a pony’s lips to be so similar. If it wasn’t for the fur, it would’ve been almost exactly the same, err…”

“Okay, but how was that?” AJ said again, smirking at me.

Realising that she was more interested in my experience on an emotional front, I raised my shoulders and answered her honestly.

“I don’t know, I… I guess it was… nice, I guess?”

“Just nice, huh?”

“What do you want me to say, AJ?” I protested, “It was just a dare, I don’t… I don’t like her or anything like that. But sure, whatever, yeah, it was a nice kiss.”

Sensing my unease, Hawnu Rey’eng very kindly moved the subject along, by suggesting that it was high time he picked up and moved on. I gave him a silent thanks, while Rarity asked if he was genuinely going to leave without participating in even a single truth or dare. To this, he shook his head.

“I’m afraid not, Miss Rarity. I have already long overstayed my welcome, and I have other matters to tend to.”

“What sort of matters?” asked Twilight, “You don’t mean… we’re still in danger, do you?”

Leaning up against the wall, the Guardian shook his head and very generously decided to elaborate. Choosing to stay just a little longer, he used his magic to pour himself a small glass of amaretto, and just like he did at dinner, he cast a spell on his helmet, allowing the glass to pass through it.

“Do not be fooled, my little friend, this world is under threat from more than just the monster we battled today. There looms a great many adversaries in this world, with some being of an otherworldly design. It is my responsibility to negate these dangers, all while ensuring the human race doesn’t know about them.”

Tilting my head and giving an astounded huff, it dawned on me that Hawnu Rey’eng had essentially just confirmed that Earth had not only been visited by other aliens, but that it had been attacked by them. Hawnu Rey’eng wasn’t just our protector, he was safeguarding the whole planet!

“You say it like it’s some dull chore.” Rarity hummed, “You’re actively saving the world! Surely that must be rewarding for you, is it not?”

“Oh, and I bet you get to fight all sorts of aliens and monsters, right?” I added, “That’s got to be at least a little bit fun?”

Emitting a sigh that was only just perceptible, Hawnu Rey’eng took a moment to reply. He seemed to be thinking, and we all waited patiently.

“If I am to be honest with you,” he said at last, “my role has become quite mundane over the past few thousand years. I greatly prefer instances such as these, wherein I am blessed to see a group of individuals sharing in a time of mirth, and merriment. It is the reason I chose to aid Callum and Miss Dash in transporting the drinks. With the Defiler set back, you all deserve this night, to divest yourselves of gravitas and celebrate your triumphs. It has been a very personal pleasure to share in this, and I wish it to be known that this is the nicest evening I have experienced in a very long time.”

He paused to sip from his drink, before raising it towards us and continuing.

“To conclude, I do not relish in my exploits, even in the wake of worthy foes such as the Defiler. The road I have travelled is soaked deeply with the blood of friends and foes alike, but I have only ever fought because it is my duty. I do not fight for my own satisfaction, and besides, fun isn’t exactly something one considers when maintaining the balance of the universe.”

Again, he paused, this time to gesture at the five of us, all sitting together in harmony.

“But this… does put a smile on my face.”

Bowing his head, he fell silent, and we all spent a moment taking in the Guardian’s unexpected sentiment. And then, from outside the room, we heard Rainbow Dash’s voice.

“Gaaaaaaaaay!”

The lot of us broke into laughter, including Hawnu Rey’eng himself. In spite of Rainbow’s idiocy, it had actually been a rather profound moment. Hearing him laugh, right after expressing such heartfelt words… it told me that underneath all that metal, and power, there was a genuine person underneath. Hawnu Rey’eng possessed a heart, and I yearned more than ever to know just who it truly belonged to. But alas, today would not be that day, and as Rainbow Dash came back into the room, the Guardian announced his departure, still chortling as he did so.

“Well, on that lovely note, I will be going now. I thank you all for such good company, and to Applejack, I thank you for such delightful cooking.”

“Aww, you’re most welcome!” she said with glee.

“Where will you go now?” I asked him.

“My first stop will be Antarctica.” he replied with a stretch of his wings, “I have some polar ice caps to refreeze. We wouldn’t want that ice dragon waking up, now would we?”

Our eyes and mouths collectively widened, and with a bow, the mysterious Guardian stepped out of the room and made his way to the front door. Quickly getting up and running after him, I demanded to know what he meant by that.

“Uh, excuse me? Ice dragon? Wait-wait-wait-wait-wait, ice dragon? What do you mean, ice dragon!?”

Ignoring me, he opened the door and took flight, and as he soared up into the sky, I bellowed after him with my arms stretched out wide.

“Hey! Get back here! You can’t just fly away after saying something like that! What the fuck do you mean, ice dragon!? You feathery enigmatic bellend! I was just starting to like you, you tin-plated sack of piss! I swear to the Titans, I’m going to burn your house down! God, I hate you!!”

Storming back inside and slamming the door, I returned to the living room and sat down on my cushion. Having just heard my rant, everyone stared at me cautiously, not exactly sure of what to say. Twilight eventually offered me another drink, to which I lightened up again and accepted. Tutting loudly, I rolled my eyes.

“Okay, for the record, I’m not going to burn his house down, I was just joking.”

“Well, that’s good to know, seeing as we’re all still inside it.” said Rarity.

More laughter filled the room, and as I took another swig of my rum, I realised that I was feeling quite a buzz now. We were all very tipsy at this point, and as six friends all swayed and giggled, the merry night went on, with Twilight leaning forward to spin the bottle, resuming our game of truth or dare. Looking from face to face, I saw a good many smirks and winks, and I was left with a mind that our questionable activities tonight were only just getting started…


As predicted, things grew rather heated. A few rounds in, and as tipsiness became drunkenness, the boundaries were pushed. The night had taken quite the turn, with Applejack kissing Rainbow far more intensely than I had, followed by Rarity picking a truth, which led to her telling us all about her most recent sexual encounter. Fluttershy was now doing ‘the fruit thing’ again, this time with Rainbow Dash, and they were really getting into it. I was wholly unprepared for such a blazon display, and had consistently averted my eyes whenever and wherever possible.

“Oh, she’s… wow. She’s really going for it.” I said awkwardly, after plucking up the courage to look at the two pegasi for just a moment.

I then looked away again, and took the time to pour myself another drink, along with another for Twilight. Holding the glass for her, I aided the unicorn in sipping at her amaretto, as I had been doing for most of the night. With a huff of amusement, she asked me why such activities made me so uncomfortable.

“Is that a serious question?” I scoffed, “It was only last month I’d ever, you know… been with anyone. I’m still new to all this, and it doesn’t help that I’m the only guy in the room. Plus, as I’ve said at least a hundred times, I don’t even see you girls in the same way I see humans, this all just feels really weird to me.”

Insisting that I meant no offence, I tried to explain how without any other sapient races on Earth, interspecies relationships were quite simply a ludicrous concept. Plus, given how we had earthly animals called ‘ponies’, of which assumed an equine form, it was hard to engage like this without it feeling like some form of bestiality. That wasn’t to say I viewed the girls as any less than me, but my brain still registered them as animals to some degree, despite my attempts not to.

“Hmm, I guess that makes sense.” Twilight hummed.

“I guess it’s also to do with Bunnie.” I whispered to her, “It’s hard to enjoy all this when I still miss her.”

At that, Twilight placed her hoof onto the back of my hand.

“Oh Cal, I’m sorry. I hadn’t thought about that at all. Do you want me to say something? We could stop the game if this is too much?”

“No, it’s fine.” I murmured, “It’s just… I’m still figuring out where my head’s at, you know?”

“Of course, I totally get it.”

Putting her hooves around my midsection, Twilight squeezed me tightly, and assured me that she completely understood why I might be feeling so uncomfortable. I thanked her and held her back, feeling all the better for explaining myself to someone. She then admitted that she never knew where to draw the line at these drink nights either, for she was still very new to such things as well. To this end, she had always asked for a truth, as opposed to a dare, for she was too anxious to actually do anything, despite her enjoyment in watching others.

“Wait, you’ve never actually done a dare?” I asked, narrowing my eyes, “How new to stuff are we talking?”

Before she could answer, Rarity cleared her throat to signal our attention. She then gestured to the bottle in the circle, which was now pointing at Twilight.

“Your turn, dear.” she said, “Truth or dare?”

Opening her mouth, Twilight very nearly requested her usual truth, but having just spoken to me about it, and feeling less alone in our shared uncomfortability, she finally took the plunge and requested a dare. Everyone’s eyes widened, and with an excited grin, Rarity knocked her front hooves together.

“My, at last!” she exclaimed.

Eyeing her fellow unicorn up and down, Rarity thought about what to dare her, and then, with a devious expression, she announced that it was time for the big test. Twilight tilted her head, immediately intrigued by the sound of a test, while I clenched my jaw with apprehension, for I had a feeling that I knew where this was going.

“So…” Rarity began, “I think we can all agree that since coming to Earth, you and Callum have been through a rather, let’s say… rocky relationship, is that safe to say?”

{Shit.} I thought.

“Well, now the two of you are friends, I think it would be a rather swell idea if you showed us all just how truly you’ve forgiven each other.”

{Double shit.}

Beside me, Twilight shuffled with unease, and asked Rarity what she meant.

“Darling, you know exactly what I mean. I believe you are familiar with the term, ‘kiss and make up’, are you not?”

{Triple shit!}

Leaning forward, Rarity sneered at Twilight, and without a hint of mercy, she gave the command.

“I dare you to kiss Callum… until I tell you to stop.”

Almost immediately, Twilight was wide-eyed and blushing. I, meanwhile, refused to make eye contact with anyone, staring down at the wooden floor, contemplating what was about to happen. Once again, I felt like I couldn’t do this, and it was undoubtedly a step up from Rainbow Dash; I had only kissed her for a few seconds, and that had been more than enough. I knew Rarity, and I now knew her self-proclaimed wild side, and after all the grief Twilight had caused us, even if against her own will, I knew Rarity would make sure she paid for it here.

“Do I have the right to decline?” I asked.

“What’s the matter, Hun? You a chicken?” Applejack teased.

“No, I just-”

“Bwark buck-buck-buck bwark!” she cut in, bobbing her head up and down.

The others joined in, clucking at me in mockery, with Rainbow Dash jumping to her hooves and strutting around, pretending to peck at the ground in search of corn. I knew they wouldn’t let this go lightly, and with a pained expression, I looked at Twilight. Her eyes were full of fear, and without uttering a word to me, I could read what she was trying to convey. I learned, then and there, exactly how new she was to these sorts of activities, and it was very new indeed…

Twilight had never kissed anyone before.

Shaking my head immediately, I refused. I couldn’t be her first kiss, it wasn’t right. Raising my voice to rival the chicken impressions, I said that I wasn’t up for it, and that I would happily bear the shame of being the first one to back out from the game. They wouldn’t hear it, with Applejack going as far as to suggest I was in love with Rainbow Dash, if I could so willingly kiss her, but not Twilight.

“That’s not… For fucks’ sake, guys, that’s not what it is!” I protested.

Clenching my fists, I argued how that was most certainly not the case. Rainbow had just been a little peck on the lips, but now I was being ordained to make out with the pony who had once been my mortal enemy, and was now, after all this time, my friend. The last thing I wanted was to make things weird between us, and as that fear crept over me, my heart started to pound in my chest. It felt like the walls were closing in, and with a panic attack now taking root, I felt as though I didn’t have a shred of control over the situation I was in. This wasn’t a dare, it was an order, and I couldn’t cope with that fact. My throat closed up, and just as I was on the cusp of losing my cool, Twilight placed a hoof against my wrist.

“Hey… I… I don’t mind.”

“Yeah you do.” I grunted back to her, “I’m not letting some stupid game dictate your first kiss.”

Shaking her head, Twilight insisted that she really didn’t mind. Smiling through the nerves, she explained how after saving her life, I had more right than anyone to be her first. She would be dead without me, and with a shaky, amused huff, she said that this could be her way of thanking me. I was about to hold my ground, when Stardust piped up from inside my head.

{Lad… if it’s all the same to you… I think you should do it.}

{Oh, get lost, Stardust!} I thought back to him, {Now’s not the time.}

{No, I mean it.} he said calmly, {I swear, I’m not being a dick.}

{That’s a first.}

{Alright, I earned that.} he admitted, {But look, you only ever get one first kiss. After what she’s been through, with what Nah’Lek did to her, she deserves this first to be a good one. You can give her that, lad, and when she gets back to Equus, and goes on to find whoever her future lover is, she’ll be able to look back fondly on the man who gave her something good to hold onto, to remind her it’s not all bad. Forget about the bloody dare, Callum, just… give Twilight what she deserves.}

Without a hint of wit, humour, or snarkiness, Stardust’s words had been sincere and driven by genuine compassion. It was most unlike him, and as they sank into my heart, I realised that he was right. Nah’Lek had done things to Twilight that would undoubtedly damage her future relationships, and if I could give her this one good thing, then it was worth it. With a defeated shake of my head, I conceded, and looked at Twilight with my mouth pulled to one side.

“Are you sure?”

“I think so.” she replied.

“Then let’s show them how well we’ve made amends.”

With a smirk, I raised my glass to her and then downed it, inhaling through my teeth as three shots’ worth of amaretto slid down my throat. I then threw my glass across the room, which smashed loudly upon contact with the wall. Twilight let out a giddy chuckle, and proceeded to lean forward. I did too, but unlike my kiss with Rainbow, I didn’t rush things. Taking my time, I used both hands to gently cup the underside of her muzzle, guiding the mare towards me as I surrendered all sense of wrongdoing. Our lips met, and as they did, I felt a wave of calmness wash over me. The panic attack faded away in an instant, and as the two of us relaxed into each other, I eased forwards in tandem with Twilight, who with each delicate shift of her body, requested that I take the lead. Soon enough, she was on the flat of her back, and I was draped over her like a cool bed-sheet on a hot summer’s night. Propping myself up as not to squash her, I continued with all the passion I could muster. My face felt like it was on fire, and yet her lips felt hotter still. They were so… soft… and as they moved against my own, and found themselves comfortable, their owner realised just how long they had been yearning. Slowly reaching forward, the mare wrapped her forelegs across the back of my neck, pulling me in as she opened her mouth, deepening the kiss further.

“Oh, um… y-you can stop now.” said Rarity.

At last, I pulled back, resulting in a thin, hair-like string of saliva clinging to our mouths, almost as if to pull us back together again. I opened my eyes to find Twilight, panting beneath my frame, staring up at me with a dreamy, spaced-out, slightly overwhelmed expression, with pupils so wide they almost completely took up her eyes. She was blushing so much that her face was more red than it was purple, and with an outward gasp, I sat back up to look at the others, where I found them all staring at me, their maws agape.

“Well then…” I murmured shakily, swallowing.

The silence continued, until Rarity finally spoke up.

“I think… you’ve certainly made amends.”

“Could’ve told you that for free.” Applejack scoffed, “Y’all sure you ain’t been practicing that?”

“Quite sure…” Twilight whimpered, of whom was still on her back.

The others laughed at that, and Fluttershy very unapologetically stated that the kiss was one of the hottest things she had ever seen. Tutting quietly, I refused to give a comment of my own, and reached for my glass for a much-needed drink, only to remember that it was now in hundreds of little pieces on the other side of the room. Sitting up, Twilight very sheepishly nudged her own glass towards me, which I gladly accepted and took a large swig, before topping it up with the last of the amaretto.

“You okay?” I asked her, now worried that I had taken things too far.

With a brisk nod, she confirmed that she was, though she didn’t quite look it. Clearing my throat loud enough for everyone to hear, I decided to put an end to the steamy atmosphere once and for all, by bringing everyone in for a group dare, though it was more of just a silly idea for fun.

“Right, I want all six of us to down a shot, and then we’re racing to the dining room. But to make things interesting, we’ll be racing on half of our legs. That means you’ll all be running on two, and I’ll be hopping on one. If you fall over, you’re out. Sound fun?”

“Heck yeah!” Dashie cried out.

“Ooh, that does sound fun!” Rarity added, before suddenly letting out a mighty hiccup.

We all looked at her and laughed, followed by Rainbow Dash asking what the winner of the race would receive.

“They get to give everyone else a truth, and a dare.” I answered.

Everyone let out excited murmurs, and started getting to their hooves after taking a shot each, and as they did, it dawned on me just how drunk we all were. Fluttershy was barely conscious at this point, while Rainbow’s head was gyrating in little circles. Twilight was still starstruck from the kiss, but even before that, she had been regularly zoning out. Applejack seemed alright, though she had very nearly dozed off a handful of times. I was pretty hammered myself, with my ears now plagued by a low buzzing sound, and the outskirts of my vision being terribly blurred. It took Rarity a good three attempts to stand up straight, hiccupping loudly as she did so, and with a huff of amusement, I predicted that she wouldn’t have much of a chance winning the race.

“Two legs only, and no using your darn wings this time!” Applejack said to Rainbow Dash.

“Ugh, fine.” she groaned back to her.

“I hope we don’t end up disturbing Pinkie.” said Twilight.

“Oh, you know what she’s like. After a few ciders, that pony can sleep through anything.” Dashie chuckled.

Humming in agreement, Twilight said nothing more on the matter, and we all made our way to the back end of the living room, being careful to avoid my broken glass. Applejack counted us down, with everyone rearing up onto their hind legs, while I raised my left one to balance on my right.

“Three… Two… One… GO!”

If anyone could have witnessed the events to follow those four words, they would have had a story for the ages, for the chaotic hilarity that took place was hectic enough to be some sort of viral video on the internet. By my second hop, Rarity had passed out and fallen face first into the floor, with Rainbow Dash tripping over her. In a desperate bid to stay in the race, the pegasus had used her wings, propelling herself upwards and into the ceiling. As the rest of us reached the hallway, Twilight realised how badly she needed the bathroom, and being unable to hold it until afterwards, abandoned the race and charged through the front door to go outside. Fluttershy then came barrelling past, and being unable to turn in time, she went directly into the side of the staircase, smashing the bannisters, yet by some miracle, she remained standing. And then, upon entering the narrow passageway to the dining room, my right leg grew tired, and I could feel myself drifting to the left.

“Well… shit.” I said blankly as I fell.

“Don’t die right there, you’re blocking the way!” cried Applejack.

Before I had time to move, a hoof made contact with my forehead and everything went blurry. I started to hear a high-pitched ringing in my ears, paired with the loud clattering of Applejack as she crumpled to the floor beside me. I then heard more rapid thuds, as Fluttershy stormed through and hopped over the both of us, and waddled her way to victory. The ringing grew more intense, and I could feel something cold running down my forehead and across my nose. I tried blinking to clear my vision, but it remained just as blurry. Groaning, I remained unmoving as I tried desperately to make the room stop spinning.

“Babe! Babe, are you alright?” Applejack called to me.

“Yeehaw…” I sang back to her in a weary tone.

She helped me to sit up, just as Twilight returned from outside and spotted me. Gasping, she rushed over and asked what had happened.

“Well, you see…” I slurred, blinking out of sync, “In your absence, my intelligence grew so vast, that my brain began generating its own gravity, which regrettably… attracted Applejack’s hoof!”

Both ponies rolled their eyes, followed by them fussing over me with a degree of genuine concern. Truth be known, I wasn’t actually in much pain. Given my drunken state, my senses had been dulled, and I found the whole ordeal to be more amusing than anything else, more so after my vision cleared up.

“I really am sorry, babe. I was trying to jump over you!” said AJ.

“Well, you failed.” I scoffed, “It’s fine though, it’s not like I haven’t had worse.”

“Cal, you’re bleeding.”

Putting a hand to my forehead, I realised Twilight was right. Now feeling terribly guilty, AJ asked Twilight to fetch some ice from Rarity’s bag, but before she could, our attention was drawn to the dining room, as Fluttershy clambered onto the large oval table and began to prance in arrogant little circles, loudly celebrating her unexpected win.

“Woo! Yeah! I beat you! I beat all of you!”

Detracted from my injury, we all stared at Fluttershy as she continued to gloat, dancing on the spot and swaying emphatically from side to side.

“Oh yeah! I win! I win! I’m the winner! I… um… I… I win…”

Trailing off, Fluttershy gave us a blank expression as her face began to turn pale. She then looked down and opened her mouth, and, in a most rancid display, expelled all the alcohol she had consumed. The entire bottle of Baileys found its way back to the light, as the yellow pegasus became something of a living fountain, puking all over the dining room table and then fainting directly into it. Unable to take the impact, two of the table’s old legs snapped, causing the whole thing to topple over, taking Fluttershy with it and causing her to roll off, where she was left sprawled out on the floor with all the grace and decorum of an insect splattered on a car windshield.

“Someone should take her to bed…” I mumbled.

“I’ll sort her out.” said Applejack, “You go and rest that head. Twilight, would you fetch him some ice?”

Nodding, Twilight escorted me back to the living room, where we found Rainbow Dash still hanging from the ceiling, with her head and torso lost in the upper foundations of the house.

“You okay up there?” I called to her.

“Fine thanks! Just… hanging around!”

“Heh, puns…” I chortled, rolling my eyes.

I jumped up and grabbed her back legs, yanking her back down. A few pieces of wood and debris came down with her, and as the pegasus landed on the floor, the noise was loud enough to startle Rarity, who woke back up and looked around with confusion.

“I think I might have dozed off…” she slurred, more to herself than to us.

“Something like that.” I snickered, “Go on off to bed, Rare.”

Without a word of argument, the white pony slowly rose to her hooves, and plodded on upstairs. Dashie then asked what happened to my forehead, and I explained how AJ had accidentally kicked me in the face. As expected, the mare laughed about it, and as Twilight returned with the ice, the three of us gathered back on the cushions, our merry house party now vastly reduced in number.

“So, more truth or dare?” asked Rainbow.

“I’m pretty sure we’re done playing, Dashie.” I replied.

“Aww, I wanted to keep going!”

“Well, I didn’t say we had to stop drinking…”

Grinning, Dashie was quick to grab another beer, and with the amaretto all gone, Twilight retrieved the very last of the Baileys, given that Fluttershy certainly wouldn’t be drinking it any more, or quite possibly ever again. I returned to drinking rum, and with a giggle betwixt the three of us, we celebrated being the last three individuals standing.

“I told you we Brits could hold our drinks.” I said with a smirk.

{Aren’t you forgetting something?} Stardust piped up, {You’re also half Kiwi.}

“Oh, shut up.” I scoffed.

“I uh… didn’t say anything.” Rainbow replied to me.

Realising that I had spoken to Stardust out loud, I thought as quickly as my booze-addled brain would allow, and said that I was responding in advance to whatever she planned to say next. Twilight laughed, while Dashie stuck her tongue out at me. I then decided to lie down for a bit, and while I allowed the ice to soothe my forehead, the two ponies beside me started talking amongst themselves.

“You know something, Egghead?” said Dashie.

“Yeah?” she replied.

Hiccuping, Rainbow leaned over and put a foreleg around the unicorn, and proceeded to lay her heart bare. Getting rather emotional, she forgave Twilight for all the shit she had said and done in the past, during the harrowing months of her demonic infection. In seconds, Twilight was in bits, throwing her forelegs around Dashie’s neck and thanking her, all while sobbing profusely. The two mares, now friends again, cried together for a time, until I finally sat up again once the room had stopped spinning. I smiled widely at the girls, perhaps for a little too long, after finding myself zoning out.

{You alright there, Drunkie?} asked Stardust.

“Yeah… boy…” I answered in a slow, deep voice.

Rainbow and Twilight stopped hugging to look at me, both now utterly confused. Aware that I had just made a fool of myself, I took things further by pointing at them with a pair of finger guns.

“Kachow.”

“Dude, you’re hammered.” Rainbow laughed.

“I think we all are.” Twilight admitted, shrugging.

None of us could contest that, and after having a little giggle at my expense, the girls wiped their teary eyes, and we all continued to drink.


Eventually, Twilight threw in the towel, stating that she didn’t want to end up like Fluttershy, and that if she was going to pass out anywhere, then she wanted it to be a soft bed.

“That’s, hick! Fair…” I hiccupped, now barely able to see straight.

Crawling over to give me a hug, Twilight bid us both goodnight, and said she would see us in the morning. To that, I scoffed, pointing out how we likely wouldn’t be rising until some point in the afternoon. She laughed in agreement, and I advised her to drink plenty of water before she went to sleep, or she would likely end up very hungover. Nodding, she left the room via the kitchen, where we heard the tap run for a good few seconds, promptly followed by a set of uncoordinated hoofsteps, as the mare took herself off to bed.

“And then, there were two!” I hailed, raising my bottle.

“I guess we’re equally matched after all.” Dashie replied, throwing a foreleg around me.

I looked at her and tried to focus, only to be met with a fuzzy blue blob. It was only after a few blinks that I could properly see her face, and as it looked down on me and smiled, I could have sworn it looked like Bunnie’s.

“You okay?” she asked.

“Mhmm!” I hummed back, swaying from side to side.

“Are you sure? Because if you’re gonna throw up on me, I’ll hit you harder than AJ did.”

Breaking into a fit of giggles, I assured her that I wasn’t going to be sick, and that I was just admiring her face. Caught unaware by that, she smiled, and said I didn’t look so bad myself.

“Thanks, Bun… err… Hun!” I corrected myself.

Rolling her eyes, she reached over to try some of the Baileys Twilight hadn’t finished, only to stick her tongue out in disgust.

“Eww! How have they been drinking this shit? It’s just cream!”

“It’s alcoholic cream!” I told her.

“Well, it’s gross!”

“You’re gross.” I teased.

Shoving me playfully, Dashie said she needed to pee, and trotted off. I needed to go as well, and so I took Twilight’s approach of going outside, for I didn’t fancy waiting for Rainbow to come back. Along the way, I grew only more intoxicated, with each step causing the world around me to spin. By the time I came back indoors, I couldn’t even remember the way to the living room, which was when I heard a familiar voice by the stairs.

“Come on, you doofus, let’s get you to bed.”

Doing as I was told, I stumbled after her. She ascended the staircase, and I made my best effort to chase after her, though such a task proved to be rather difficult. In my inebriated state, it felt like I was scaling a mountain, and I ended up making the climb on my hands and knees, lest I fell back down and injured my head even further. Laughing to myself as I crawled, I knew without question that I must have looked ridiculous, but I didn’t care any more. After everything I had been through, I needed this night to let go, and as the buzzing in my head grew almost deafening, I shut my eyes and accepted that I had lost myself.

But that was okay, for I wasn’t alone, and as my sweetly guide returned to take my hand, I knew everything was going to be okay. She helped me up the rest of the way, and soon enough, I was sitting on a large double bed, and beside me was my friend, a loving sea of blue. The bed was our island, and as the gentle waves lapped at my neck, the cool breeze caressed my wrists and hands, assuring me that I was where I wanted to be. Slowly but surely, the ocean blue carried me away, until I was floating on my back, and from top to bottom, I felt the water’s gentle touch. The current then grew stronger, with the odd swell pushing against me, shifting me around, until I felt something clambering on top of me, followed by a pair of lips pressing against my own.

My heart started to race, and as the buzzing reached a peak, I opened my eyes, regaining just a sliver of consciousness. Being on my back, all I could see was a blurry ceiling, but upon glancing downward, I spotted a thick mound of rainbow-coloured hair. Squinting my eyes, I tried to figure out what it was, but at this point I couldn’t even begin to comprehend what was going on. I could barely see, and I certainly couldn’t think, and all I could hear was the buzzing. However, as a tingling sensation started to build from somewhere down below, I realised that I could still feel well enough.

And oh goodness… that felt good.







The first thing I felt the following day was a splitting headache, paired with a dry throat, and an intense bout of nausea. This was by far the worst hangover I had ever experienced, even my eyeballs were aching! Groaning loudly, I looked over at the bedside table to find a pint glass full of water, which had presumably been placed there for me. Next to the glass was a hastily-scribbled note, and it took a good few blinks to read it clearly.



“Sugarcube.
Thought you might need this when you wake up.
Love, AJ.”



Exhaling through my nose and smirking, I thanked Applejack in spirit for her benevolent gesture, and took the glass with both hands, where I then proceeded to take a few little sips. Ideally, I would have finished the whole thing in seconds, but given the overwhelming nausea, I played it safe by taking it slow. Doing my best to ignore the throbbing pain in my temples, I kept myself steady and sipped away, until I finally got through the glass. Now hydrated, I rolled back over and stretched, and then very nearly jumped out of my skin upon making contact with a warm velvety body. Gulping, I turned over onto my left side, and pulled back the covers to reveal a soundly sleeping Rainbow Dash. At first, my initial thought was that we had simply passed out drunk together, but that notion changed, upon realising that I wasn’t wearing any clothes.

“Oh God…” I whispered quietly, “Oh God, no…”

It couldn’t be, I couldn’t have… I couldn’t have! Surely not… I had absolutely no recollection of such an event, and my memory was superb! Never before had I boozed hard enough to not remember anything the next morning, let alone something as crazy as this. No, surely I had just been hot in the night, and in my drunken state, I had stripped off in a bid to cool myself down. That must have been what happened, it must have been! And then, from the recesses of my skull, a low, devious chuckle sounded out, followed by the rumbling voice of Stardust Moonshimmer, echoing within my mind.

{Oh ho-ho, well good morning, Sunshine. Did you sleep well? I haven’t forgotten a wee thing. So, would you like me to tell you now, or over breakfast?}

{Tell me what, exactly?} I thought back to him.


{Oh, you already know the answer to that question, lover-boy.
You, my furless little friend… have just officially joined the interspecies club.}





> Chapter Twenty-Six: A Day to Forget
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





{No, this isn’t happening, this isn’t happening…} I thought to myself, {I did not sleep with Rainbow Dash…}

Stardust continued to snicker, clearly revelling in my confusion and despair. I shook my head in protest, and immediately regretted it as the hangover’s symptoms returned in full force. My head thumped, and the nausea struck hard enough for me to consider rushing to the toilet. Remaining perfectly still, I let it fade again, all while contemplating what I had done. Rainbow Dash was my friend, and now I had crossed that boundary. What did that make us? Were we… seeing each other now? No, that was a childish thought. A drunken one-night stand didn’t make us lovers, especially when I hadn’t even consented to such a thing; or at least… I didn’t remember consenting to it.

Slowly getting up, I bent down to collect my clothing, of which had been scattered across the floor. I then looked back at Rainbow, and wondered if she had been the one to undress me. Barely making a sound, the cyan mare slept more quietly than I had ever known, with her usual habit of snoring being completely non-existent.

{She must have gone to sleep very contented.} said Stardust, {You could even say… satisfied?}

“How badly do you want to get hurt?” I muttered under my breath.

{I’m hurting bad enough, thanks. While I may have been fully aware last night, I’m certainly feeling this bloody hangover.}

“Well, keep making those comments, and I’ll headbutt a wall.” I warned him.

At that, he emitted a nervous laugh, and said that given my track record when it came to harming myself, he wouldn’t put it past me, and thus he chose not to test me. Tutting, I started to get dressed, but not before glancing at my reflection in the mirror. I could barely even recognise myself; who was I? A year ago, I was a miserable chubby sod, still trying to get into shape in the boxing ring. Now, I was a well-toned, battle-scarred killer, of whom had upturned cartels, fought with demons, and slept with both a human woman, and an alien mare. I could see her behind me in the mirror, and as I thought about what I had done with her, I felt my skin prickle. A strong sense of anxiety washed over me, and I quickly put on the rest of my clothes to cover up, despite the fact they now stunk of sweat and alcohol.

Hastily leaving the room, I made my way along the hall and down the stairs. Still feeling groggy beyond measure, my plan was to get some water from the kitchen, and then get some more sleep on the living room sofa. However, upon entering the kitchen, I found that I wasn’t the first to wake, for Applejack was already up and eating breakfast.

“The boy lives!” she laughed.

“Mmnnn… no more drinkie…” I groaned back to her.

“Did you pray to the god?”

“I beg your pardon?”

“You know, the great white god, in the bathroom?”

Raising an eyebrow in confusion, I was far too hungover to even try and understand what she was on about. Shrugging, she guessed that I hadn’t heard the phrase before, and explained that ‘praying to the porcelain god’ was a euphemism for being sick, derived from the act of kneeling down in a position akin to praying. Now understanding the phrase, I confirmed that I hadn’t done any ‘praying’ as of yet, though I certainly felt the whispers of its divine call.

“Yeah… I ain’t seen you this pale in a while.” AJ chuckled, “Hanging pretty bad, huh?”

“Mate, I am hanging out of my arse.” I rasped, “I need coffee.”

“No you don’t. What you need, Sugarcube, is apple juice.”

Unable to contain my amusement, I tutted fondly at her.

“Of course you’d recommend something to do with apples.”

“Oh shut up, I mean it!” she insisted, “It’s more gentle on the stomach than orange juice, and provides a quick hit of glucose to restore your blood sugars.”

“Well get you, being all scientific.”

“Pfft, don’t get used to it.” she scoffed, “You know I don’t use them fancy words much, but if it gets folks buying more apples, then I’ll at least try to learn the lingo.”

Shrugging, I said it had certainly tempted me, and requested one glass of Equestrian apple juice. Truth be known, I still wanted coffee, but given my nauseated state, I thought it best to heed my elder’s advice. She started rummaging through her saddlebag, while Stardust reflected on the mare’s obsession with apples, and pondered on if it had anything to do with the loss of her parents, and the following sense of responsibility to the farm.

{I’m pretty sure it’s because there are apples literally stuck to her arse.} I replied in thought, {Given how magical your planet’s inner workings are, it wouldn’t at all surprise me if being an apple farmer was woven into her destiny or something.}

{Yeah, that sounds like something Pinkaísthima would do. Cutie marks are directly tied into one’s fate after all, so it would make sense.}

{Pink-ay-who?}

Smiling at Applejack as she returned with the apple juice, I listened as Stardust explained how Pinkaísthima was the Holy Titan of Sentiment, responsible for the creation of consciousness and emotion. Supposedly, he was something of a prankster, and during the Titans’ combined creation of the written fate of Equus, he had directly instilled many frivolous elements to the world, from some ponies being destined for bad luck, to magical flowers that caused ridicule-inducing afflictions after coming into contact with them.

{Huh, so the poison joke was his idea?} I murmured in thought.

{Aye.} said Stardust, {Back when I first became Champion, I learned all I could about them. If I was going to spend the rest of my life as their living weapon, then I wanted to know if they were worth serving.}

{And were they?} I inquired.

Falling silent, Stardust evidently needed time to think on that one. Meanwhile, I took the juice now being offered to me, thanking Applejack as I did so. Taking a sip, I was quick to feel more alive again, as the fresh, sweet, crisp flavour of Sweet Apple Acres’ finest produce raced across my tongue and down my throat. It was good enough to evoke a faint outward gasp, and I looked at Applejack with amazement.

“Now that… is some bloody good apple juice!” I exclaimed with a smack of my lips.

“Why, thank you kindly!” she sang with her chin held high.

She watched me fondly as I downed the rest of the glass, and upon putting it down, she lowered her head and gave me a knowing smirk.

“So, are you and Rainbow a thing now or something?”

My eyes widened, and I quickly swallowed the juice in my mouth, very nearly spluttering on it.

“I uh, what… what gave you that notion?”

Trilling her lips, AJ rolled her eyes and broke into a chuckle, and then proceeded to tell me her account of last night's events. After Fluttershy had fainted in the dining room, Applejack had taken the time to carry her upstairs and rinse her off in the shower. Allegedly, whilst drying the poor thing off, the mare had been alerted to quite the ruckus on the staircase, with laughs and grunts aplenty. Sticking her head out from the bathroom, she looked down the hall to spy Rainbow Dash helping me up the stairs, where we promptly entered her room and shut the door. Thinking nothing of it, she continued tending to Fluttershy, escorting the little pegasus to bed and tucking her in.

“After that, I decided to hit the hay myself.” she told me, “I’d sobered up a little by then, and while I was trying to drift off, I couldn’t help but overhear some, uh… commotion. You see, my room’s right next to Rainbow’s, and these walls ain’t all that thick.”

“Right.” I replied, swallowing, “So err… what did you… hear, exactly?”

“Oh, I heard y’all fuckin’.”

With an involuntary jolt, I let out something of a half-cough, and blinked rapidly at her. I felt a frigid tingle rushing over my body, and I broke out into a cold sweat. The sensation of being caught red-handed consumed me, and every facet of my skin prickled with an icy chill.

{Oh, bloody hell… I really did it… didn’t I, Stardust?}

{Yup. You, lad, made love to Rainb-}

{No no-no-no-no, I slept with her.} I cut in, {We did not make love, that is a very different thing.}

{Lad, you can attach whatever verbal nonsense to it as you like. At the end of the day, you put your wee cock in her.}

Desperately trying to mask my guilt, I cleared my throat and asked Applejack if she could be more specific. Raising an eyebrow, the mare studied my face for a moment, and then her mouth slowly fell agape.

“You don’t remember, do you?”

I opened my mouth to speak, only for no words to follow. This all but confirmed her question, and almost in slow-motion, her lips transitioned into an astounded smile, followed by a puckered ‘O’ shape.

“Ooohh boy…” she rumbled slowly, “Oh Hun, you really did get hammered last night, huh?”

“In two ways, by the sounds of it.” I muttered.

“Ha-ha!” she laughed, “Dang, you really can’t remember a thing, huh? Boy, well… let’s just say whatever you did, you did it well. Between that bed being squeaky as sin, and her sounding like a gosh-darn timberwolf, I’d say you’re one of her best lays yet.”

“Okay, fucking ew!” I bleated, “AJ, that’s disgusting!”

Sealing her lips, Applejack did her best not to laugh.

“It’s not funny.” I protested.

This only made her crease up further, and with a clench of my jaw, I told her to stop it.

“Why so serious, Hun?” she giggled, “It’s only natural… just two grown-ups messing around like grown-ups do, there ain’t nothing wrong with that. Besides, Rainbow tells me all the time what she gets up to with other fellers, so it ain’t nothing new to me.”

She then looked away and placed a hoof against her chin, humming to herself.

“First time I’ve heard it, though. Sounds like you’ve got some talent…”

“You can stop now, thanks!” I grumbled, “I don’t want to think about being just another guy on the pile of other countless guys she’s slept with. Look, I appreciate you’re all close, and don’t mind being open with each other about this kind of stuff, but can you please not tell anyone yet? I still need to… wrap my head around it.”

{Oh, your wee head got wrapped, alright…}

{Stardust, I will actually kill you.}

Craning her neck, Applejack asked why I was so uncomfortable about all this, when I was the one who had followed Rainbow into her bedroom.

“Followed?” I scoffed, “AJ, I don’t even remember getting up the stairs! The last thing I remember was going outside for a piss, and then I couldn’t find my way back to the living room. After that, I… I don’t know what happened. I think I remember going up the stairs? Or at least… trying to. Honestly, I was so far gone. The only thing I can recall is feeling… I don’t know.”

Huffing loudly, I trusted in Applejack’s maturity and confessed that I had felt some pleasure at some point, but it was more like a dream than anything else, and not a coherent one. With each word I said to her, the mare’s face sank lower and lower, until there wasn’t so much as a hint of amusement. Furrowing her brow, she stepped towards me, and beckoned for me to stoop to her level.

“Babe.” she said sternly, once we were face to face, “What you’re describing right now ain’t alright. You’re making it sound like Rainbow… well, you know…”

As she found herself hard-pressed to speak it, I knew exactly what word she was thinking of. Recoiling from her, I gave my head a firm shake, ignoring the hangover symptoms as I did so.

“No.” I uttered, “No, that’s… that’s not… Rainbow wouldn’t. That’s not her.”

Outright refusing such a suggestion, I insisted that our friend would never cross such a boundary; or at least, she wouldn’t do so intentionally. We were both absolutely wasted last night, so it wasn’t as if she had consciously chosen to take advantage of me; it was just as much a miracle that she had made it up the stairs than it was that I had. Okay, sure, she may have taken things too far by accident, but to insinuate that she had assaulted me was nothing more than an exaggeration.

Wasn’t it?

I honestly didn’t know, but given all that Twilight had suffered at Nah’Lek’s behest, and how deeply it had traumatised the poor girl, it didn’t feel fair to now raise a hand and claim that I, too, was some sort of victim. No, what I needed to do was sit down with Rainbow later on today, and discuss things with her like an adult, and establish where this left us as friends. Besides, in all manner of truth, this sense of grossness and guilt I was feeling… it didn’t stem from the act itself, not really.

It stemmed from something deeper.
Something that, for days now, I had tried to bury…

If I were to lay my inner thoughts bare, it would be known that after all her recent flirting, I had, in fact, started to feel some attraction to Rainbow Dash. It had only been subtle at first, with just the occasional blur in the line between pony and person, but as the flirting continued, I couldn’t help but feel a response. Be it mere curiosity, or something greater, I had thought more and more about accepting the mare’s proposal, a notion that had me questioning my integrity as a person.

Before meeting the girls, back when they were just cartoon characters on a screen, there was a word for people who found them sexually appealing. They were called ‘cloppers’, and they were often regarded as lowly, degenerative individuals, salivating over make-believe characters made for children. Was that who I was now? One of them?

“Babe!”

“Huh?” I replied, snapping back to reality.

“I said, are you alright?”

“Oh, forgive me, I was absorbed in thought.” I assured her, “I’m fine.”

“You sure? Because you don’t look it.”

Pulling a half-hearted smile, I simply told her that there was a lot on my mind, and that I needed to process this before I could decide on if it was something truly worth being upset about. At the end of the day, I had enjoyed myself last night; well, before getting utterly plastered, that was. I had always wanted to experience college life, but having taken a gap year after leaving school, and then embarking on this adventure, I had missed out on it. The friendship groups, the childish drama, the house parties, the one-night stands… it had all been something I was looking forward to, both to further my development as a person, and to finally experience a touch of normality. Now, thanks to last night, I had been given a taste of that life, and even now, with this splitting headache and dodgy situation with Rainbow, I was thankful to have been given the chance to be a normal eighteen-year-old, especially right after just learning that my parents were dead.

Emitting a heavy sigh, Applejack didn’t buy my assurance, but she accepted it all the same. With a dip of her head, she told me that if I needed to talk about this, then I knew where to find her. She then gave me a hug, and said she would be cleaning up the aftermath of last night’s chaos, starting with the dining room. Nodding, I went to the living room, where I curled up on the sofa and tried to get a little more rest.





I woke to the sound of a nose, sniffing in my ear. With a groan, I opened one eye to spot Pinkie Pie just inches away from my face. Reaching out, I used my index finger to give the side of her face an affectionate scratch, and asked if she had slept well.

“Mhmm!” she confirmed, “I slept like a half-eaten brick! Get it? Because I slept hard, inside and out? He-he-he! Anyway, I always sleep well after I drink cider, sometimes a little too well. Did you know I once drank so much cider that I slept for a whole day? I missed my shift at Sugarcube Corner, and let me tell you, Missus Cake was not happy! She told me off so bad that I nearly ran away back to the rock farm!”

“Uh huh…” I croaked, not ready for such a merry interaction yet.

“Anyway, I thought I’d come and check on you. Are you okay? You know this is a couch, right? The beds are upstairs, silly! Did you get drunk? I heard everypony got drunk. Do you have a hangover? I’ve never had one of those. What does it feel like? Does it feel fun? Am I annoying you? You kinda look like Twilight back when she was a big meanie. I mean, you still look like you, but you also look like you want to punch me in the face…”

“Pinkie.”

“Yeah?”

“Can you please lower the volume?”

With a sheepish grin, Pinkie took the hint and nodded, and proceeded to nuzzle my hand. She then pranced away, and I slowly clambered off the sofa to fetch myself a glass of water. Remaining in the kitchen while I sipped at it, I looked out the window and got back to ruminating. This was then promptly interrupted, as one very groggy Twilight came downstairs and entered the kitchen, grumbling bitterly to herself.

“Ugh, morning…”

“I’m pretty sure it’s the afternoon at this point, Twilight.”

“I just woke up, so it’s morning.”

“Yeah, that’s… not how that works.”

“To quote some asshole I know… am I bovvered?”

The two of us broke into weary laughter, exchanging a hug as we did so. She then requested a cup of coffee, and as if by magic, Applejack came around the corner in an attempt to promote her apple juice again. However, unlike me, Twilight wasn’t so impressed, and firmly held her ground.

“Bitch, please, I’m a scientist, I know the health benefits of apples. I also know a good state of mind is one of the best ways to overcome physical ailments, and coffee puts me in a better mood. So, are one of you going to help me, or am I about to become everyone else’s problem today?”

Unable to contain his amusement, Stardust burst into laughter. I couldn’t help but chortle as well, for it had been a long time since Twilight’s sassiness had come out to play. Applejack saw the funny side as well, and without another word, she filled up the kettle and switched it on.

“You know I’m just trying to help, Hun.” she chuckled, “You know what they say, an apple a day k-”

“Keeps the doctor away.” I interrupted her, “We have that saying on Earth as well.”

AJ hummed with interest, and then said I could make the coffee, as she wanted to go and check on Fluttershy. With that, she left, and I rummaged around in Rarity’s refrigerated saddlebag until I found the milk.

“How does this stuff not go off?” I asked Twilight, “I get that it’s refrigerated, but even then it should expire at some point, right?”

“Oh absolutely.” she replied, “If it was on Earth’s time, it would’ve spoiled months ago!”

Taking the time to explain, Twilight shed some light on how pocket dimensions worked. In short, they were convoluted little things, with only the most powerful of beings being able to conjure them without flaws and instability. As previously established, the saddlebags for this mission had been created by Discord, who had attuned them to Earth’s timeline to prevent any complications. The exception to this was Applejack and Rarity’s bags, given their designation to store the company’s food and drink. As such, Discord had configured them to shift back and forth between timelines, depending on whether or not they were open. When closed, the time difference between our worlds would be applied, allowing the ponies’ perishables to last for the entirety of their time on Earth; the milk alone would last a good eight years or so.

Astounded, I let out a bewildered huff, and with a newfound appreciation for the saddlebags, I wasted no time in pouring the milk and putting it back where it belonged. Finally feeling a little hungry, I took the opportunity to check Applejack’s bag as well, searching for something to munch on.

“Hah… what I wouldn’t give for a Threezie.” I sighed.

“Wait, you know about Threezies?” asked Twilight.

“Yeah, Rarity introduced me to them. Haven’t had one since Brazil…”

With her face lighting up, Twilight said that she had some Threezies packed in her bag as well, and that I should have just asked. To that, I scoffed and said that until recently, she likely would have pulled a knife on me had I made such a request.

“Ouch… but fair.” she muttered.

I playfully stuck my tongue out at her, and she stuck hers out at me in return. She then went to fetch a Threezie from her saddlebag while I waited for the kettle to boil. Twilight returned just as I finished stirring the coffee for her, and with a smile, I took the Threezie and quickly unwrapped it. Taking a bite, I was met with a creamy vanilla flavour, and as I chewed, it transitioned into white chocolate. Moaning in ecstasy, I savoured every delicious moment, before finally swallowing, rewarding me with a marshmallow aftertaste.

“Mmm… I love these things so much…” I droned.

With a distant hum, Twilight agreed that they were certainly very tasty. She then drank her coffee, and I couldn’t help but notice that she seemed a little distracted.

“You okay?” I asked her.

“Hmm? Oh, yeah!” she insisted, “Just… still waking up, you know?”

Nodding with understanding, I didn’t question it. Giving her a pat on the head, I returned to the living room to relax. However, before I could even sit down, I heard the sound of something smashing in the kitchen, followed by a low growl from Twilight. Guessing what had happened, I turned around and came back, where as predicted, I found the unicorn had dropped her coffee cup. Without a word, I came over to help, using some kitchen roll on the counter to mop up the spillage. Twilight meanwhile, tried her best to scoop up the broken ceramic with her hooves, which came to very little avail.

“This is ridiculous, I’m useless without my magic!”

“Hey, it’s early days, Twiley. You need to-”

“Don’t call me Twiley, you’re not my fucking brother!”

Looking up at her, I was quick to spot another outburst, and as we held eye contact for a few seconds, she was thankfully able to snap out of it.

“I’m sorry, I… I didn’t mean-”

“Hey, it’s alright.” I told her, “Remember what I said… it’s not you.”

“But it feels like me.” she protested, “The second you called me that, I just wanted to hit you, and I don’t want to feel like that! What if I can’t stop next time? What if I hurt you?”

Instructing her to look at me, I reminded her of that day on the clifftop, when I had sat there and given her the chance to push me, followed by the assurance that I trusted her. Even if she did happen to strike me, I would trust in her ability to stop herself, and with that, I took one of her hooves and smiled.

“It’s going to be a long road ahead, but it’s never going to be too much for me, okay? Even if you end up hurting me, it’s not going to push me away. We’re in this together, alright?”

With a small shaky nod, Twilight’s face grew contorted with emotion. Her eyes watered up, and as I stared into their glimmering depths, I once again saw just how damaged she was. This poor thing had been ruined by Nah’Lek, and all I wanted to do was make it better somehow. Thanking me, Twilight confessed that she didn’t know what else to say, to which I smiled again.

“You don’t have to say anything. Just find us a new mug so I can make you a new coffee.”

Blinking the tears away, the unicorn did as I commanded, while I got to mopping up the rest of the spilled coffee. I then collected the broken cup and put it all in the bin, and by the time the kettle was boiled again, Twilight had found another mug.

“Do you want anything to eat as well?” I asked her.

“No, it’s fine.” she mumbled back.

“What do you want?” I said dryly, reading her like a book.

Looking away in a bashful manner, she asked if I could make her a buttered cheese sandwich, and so with a fond-hearted huff, I forsook the notion of resting on the sofa for a little while longer. Delving back into the food bags, I retrieved some bread, along with butter and cheese. Now feeling quite hungry myself after the Threezie, I made one for myself as well. Upon cutting them from corner to corner, Twilight let out a small gasp.

“You cut them into triangles too?”

“Well duh, it’s objectively the correct way to cut a sandwich.”

“That’s what I always say!” she exclaimed, “It makes them easier to eat without getting filling and crumbs all over your lips! Oh, and despite there being no scientific evidence for it, I swear triangles taste better.”

Turning to look at her, I joked that we really were the same person sometimes. She giggled at that, and then we chowed down on our sandwiches in pleasant silence. Alas, the calm serenity then came to a grinding halt, as Twilight visibly tensed up, and passed me an awkward glance.

“Hey, so… do you think we could go for a walk? I kind of need to talk to you about something.”

“Well that sounds ominous.” I chuckled, “What about?”

“Just… something that happened last night.”

{Shit.} I murmured in thought, {She must have heard me and Rainbow…}

With the secret now potentially not so hushed as I thought, I inhaled nervously and tried to act indifferent.

“Yeah, alright. I’m sure the fresh air will help with the hangover.”

“My thoughts exactly.” she agreed.

“It’s bloody cold out there, mind. I’ll go see if Tin-Tits left any coats lying around.”

Darting off upstairs, I entered the master bedroom and searched the wardrobes, all while asking Stardust for advice on what to say if Twilight brought up my activities with Rainbow Dash. In spite of his seemingly boundless wisdom, he proved to be very unhelpful, for his viewpoint was that I was thinking way too hard about it, and just needed to be more honest with myself. Grunting with annoyance, I disregarded such a notion and came back downstairs, now in possession of a thick leather jacket, and a sheepskin coat.

“Here, I brought you this.” I said, passing her the coat.

“Um… this is a human coat.” she pointed out.

“Bonus points for observation.” I teased, “It’ll still fit you. Just put your forelegs through the arms, and then I’ll help you zip it up.”

Shrugging, Twilight chose not to argue, and while getting the coat on her was a bit finicky, neither of us could deny that she looked quite good in it. Seeing a pony in human clothing was quite the sight, and it certainly didn’t do my brain any favours when it came to that blurred line between ponies and people. Donning my own jacket, I put my shoes on and we opened the front door, where we ventured outside together, talking as we went.

“Your leg seems better today.” I pointed out, “You’re not limping on it quite so much.”

“Yeah, it feels better.” she told me, “Still a bit stiff, but it doesn’t hurt any more.”

Glad to hear she was on the mend, I apologised yet again for how badly I had hurt her during our fight. Scoffing, she pointed out that I now lacked a right nipple thanks to her, and that for as much damage as I had caused, she had repaid it in abundance. Huffing with amusement, I supposed she was right, and given our close proximity to where the fight had taken place, we decided to go there, humouring our shared sense of morbid nostalgia. Reaching the spot where I had fallen, we came to a halt by the cliff edge, taking in the view and drinking in the crisp winter air. It was snowing quite heavily, and with a mind not to freeze our bottoms, we chose to remain standing.

“So, what’s up?” I asked her.

Prodding at the snowy ground, the mare wasn’t quite sure how to begin, but eventually, she figured out what to say.

“Well, um… I just… I… I just wanted to ask you something. So, last night, things got… pretty wild, and we all did some rather crazy things, and I just… I just wanted to know…”

Taking a deep breath, Twilight reminded me of our kiss, and how intense it had been. Having never kissed anyone before, let alone so fervently, it had left the unicorn feeling anxious and confused. Plucking up the courage to look at me directly, she said that for as wonderful as it had been, and for as thankful as she was for such a breath-taking first kiss, she couldn’t help but wonder, and needed my honest answer on something.

“It didn’t… mean anything, right?”

Exhaling with relief, I realised that this wasn’t about Rainbow Dash at all. The poor mare had been worrying about our dare last night, and thinking it might have made things awkward between us. It made perfect sense, bless her, for it had been a very passionate kiss. Following Stardust’s advice, I had genuinely wanted to give her an unforgettable moment, as she rightfully deserved, but perhaps I had taken it too far… In hindsight, it had been the kind of kiss I would have shared with Bunnie, and the last thing I wanted was to give Twilight the wrong idea, especially after how long it had taken for us to form this friendship. Smiling warmly, I dropped to one knee and put a hand on her shoulder.

“Look, we were both drunk, and even if we weren’t, we were playing truth or dare. What happens in that game, stays in that game. You and I are friends, and there is nothing that could ever come between that, alright? It’s just like you said, forever and always. I promise you… that kiss didn’t mean anything. You don’t need to worry, okay?”

For just a second, she looked at me blankly, before inhaling deeply through her nose and emitting a heavy breath, dipping her head as she did so.

“Okay… Thanks, Cal.”

Looking back up at me with a smile, she said that it had been on her mind ever since she woke up, and so she really appreciated me laying things out for her. Ruffling her mane, I told her that it was no problem, and then stood back up. We continued to take in the view together for a while, before eventually heading back indoors.

“Where do you think the next Orb shard will be?” she asked me on the way back.

“Pfft, not a clue, mate.” I muttered, “Just nowhere cold, I hope. Between walking for weeks without any shelter, to sleeping in a prison without insulation, I’m just about done with the bloody cold.”

“Trust me, I’ve got you beat there. I don’t think I’ll ever see a snowy forest the same way again.”

Knowing exactly what she meant, my heart sank to the pit of my stomach, and I felt a flicker of protective rage; I hated Nah’Lek for what he had done… In an attempt to lift the mare’s spirits, I told her that one day, after all was said and done, there would come a time where she would recover from all this. Even if she was old by then, there would come a day when Twilight would take a walk through a wintery woodland, and in spite of all she had suffered, she would feel at peace. At that, Twilight smiled weakly, and her eyes trailed off in search of such a time.

“I’d really like that…” she said, her ears falling to the sides of her head.

“It’ll happen, you’ll see.” I replied, before emitting a sigh of my own, “I just wish I could be there when it does.”

At that, Twilight’s pace slowed, and she looked at me with a frown.

“You want to come back with us, don’t you?”

“Can you blame me?” I murmured, “Aside from Oliver, everyone who’s ever loved me is dead. My childhood was built on a lie, and the girl I loved was taken from me. You lot are the only thing that feels like home now, so yeah, of course I want to come back with you. But there’s no point dwelling on that, because we both know that can’t happen.”

Daring to question fate, Twilight stated her confusion over something. If it really was orcs to invade Equus upon our failure, and not humans, then how could I still be the reason for it? How could one man bring about the end of the world, when his own kind had nothing to do with it? It didn’t make sense to her, and it didn’t to me either, but that didn’t matter. If the future decreed that I had a part in Equus’ downfall, then under no circumstance would I disobey Princess Celestia’s order. I would remain on Earth as ordained, and if that was what it took to keep Equestria safe, then so be it.

With great reluctance, Twilight agreed, though she couldn’t help but long for a more conclusive answer to the mystery. I felt the same, for yet another thing we had in common was a deep hatred for questions left unanswered. Smirking at her and tutting, I made a playful request that after returning home, if she ever happened upon some great revelation that shed light on the matter, then she must come back to tell me what it was.

“Deal.” she said, smiling back at me.

Picking up the pace, we continued to walk in silence for the rest of the way, simply enjoying one another’s company. We then reached the mansion porch, where I kicked against the wall to knock off the snow that clung to my shoes. Twilight did the same with her hooves, and then the two of us went inside, now shivering quite a fair bit from the cold. Closing the door behind us, I knelt down to take off my shoes, which was when one very jolly Rainbow Dash appeared. Trotting over, the pegasus looked me up and down and smiled, clearly having no trouble at all remembering last night.

“Hey, stud.”

“Hi, Rainbow,” I muttered with a hint of exasperation, forcing myself to smile.

Grinning with pride, she then turned to look at Twilight.

“Sup, Egghead.”

She then pranced off into the living room, leaving Twilight to look at me with a curious frown. She was clearly thrown off by Dash calling me ‘stud’, but given that I had kissed her as well during last night’s game of truth or dare, the unicorn let it slide, presuming it was merely a result of that. She then offered to make some hot cocoa to help us warm up, which I gladly accepted. With that, she went off into the kitchen, while I made my way into the lounge, knowing I would need to face the music sooner or later. Everyone was up and awake now, lightly munching on some savoury snacks to help their hangovers. Rarity and Fluttershy looked the worst, with Rare’s mane looking unkempt and bedraggled, while poor Flutters looked a good few shades paler than usual. They all looked at me as I entered the room, and as I sat down next to Applejack, she leaned over to whisper into my ear.

“Babe, I’m really sorry, but Dashie’s already been gloating to everyone about… you know.”

“Oh for fucks’ sake…” I hissed.

Shrugging, she didn’t really know what else to say. Everyone continued to look at me, and I knew exactly what they were all thinking. No longer was I just their friend, now I was the guy who had bedded one of their own, and as their sly, knowing glances became too much for me, I felt a mixed sense of panic and anger, bubbling up from somewhere inside me. Unaware of how uncomfortable I was, Rarity made the first joke, piping up from the other side of the living room.

“Well, I don’t know about the rest of you, but I for one am exhausted from last night. How about you, Callum? Are you… feeling worn out today?”

Rainbow and Fluttershy both snickered with amusement, while Applejack shifted uncomfortably. Finally snapping, I got to my feet and glared at Rainbow Dash, throwing my hands into the air.

“Okay, geez, I get it! Everyone knows we slept together! Is there anyone you didn’t tell!?”

From the kitchen, there came the sound of yet another cup smashing, followed by Twilight’s voice ringing out at the top of her lungs, reaching us in the form of an ear-piercing bellow.

“WHAT?”

For the second time today, my blood ran cold, realising that I had just unveiled the secret to the last individual who didn’t know. Sensing the rapidly escalating social tension, Pinkie Pie anxiously curled up into a ball, and then proceeded to roll out of the room like a marble. Twilight then came hurtling from around the corner, staring at me with her mouth agape.

“You did what!?”

{Excellent job keeping that a secret.} Stardust laughed, evidently amused by the whole ordeal.

I, on the other hand, couldn’t be further from entertained. With my privacy breached and my insecurity disregarded, my frustration came to a breaking point. Whipping around to face Twilight, I bawled up my fists and shouted my confession at her, before turning around and storming out of the room.


“Rainbow and I had sex last night!
How’s that for a great fucking revelation!?”





> Chapter Twenty-Seven: To Look Within
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Not knowing where else to go, I stomped upstairs to the master bedroom, where I proceeded to slam the door with enough force to shake the building. Flopping onto the bed and huffing, I was barely able to contain myself. This wasn’t fair… I hadn’t been given so much as a day to process what happened last night, and now it had already spread amongst the girls like wildfire. Inhaling through gritted teeth, I sat back up and shook my head, not knowing how to handle everything I was feeling; I was angry, ashamed, and absolutely mortified.

{Lad, come on… take a chill pill, would you?}

Without thinking, I lashed out and punched the bed’s footboard, cracking the wood.

“Leave… me… alone.” I growled.

Taking the hint, Stardust left me be, while I sat there in wrathful silence. I stewed for a good twenty minutes or so, until I was alerted to the sound of hoofsteps coming up the stairs. There was then a knock at the door, followed by Twilight opening it by just a crack.

“If I come in, are you going to break my ribs again?”

“Ugh… no.” I grunted bitterly.

Pushing the door further open, the mare came in and made a somewhat tentative approach. She asked if she could sit down, to which I gestured to the empty space beside me. Clambering up, she got herself comfortable, and proceeded to give me a cautious look.

“So, uh… you went ahead and took my advice then, huh? You know, about letting Rainbow help you move on?”

“It would seem so.” I rasped, refusing to look at her.

“Were you going to tell me?” she asked.

“Wasn’t planning on it.”

“Why not?”

Finally turning to face her, I gave her two reasons. Firstly, as I had already said to Applejack, last night’s incident hadn’t exactly been my choice, with me barely being able to even remember it. As for the second reason, I finally allowed my inner feelings to emerge, confessing my insecurities surrounding my growing attraction to Rainbow Dash. Still rather agitated, I insisted that I didn’t have any sort of romantic interest in the mare, but after all her flirting in recent days, I had felt a waning flicker of partiality. It had never been too prominent of an issue to worry about, but after last night’s game of truth or dare, and kissing not one, but two of my equine friends, the sensation was too strong for me to deny.

“I thought your brain recognised us as animals?” Twilight murmured, reminding me of last night’s conversation.

“Well, that’s clearly not the case any more.” I replied, “I think a part of me still does to some degree, but that just makes this more difficult. I feel like I’ve done something wrong, or immoral, you know? I’m not saying I feel like I’ve shagged an animal, but I’m feeling the same kind of guilt, if that makes sense? I don’t know, this is really confusing…”

I then went on to explain in brief what cloppers were, and told her that I was frightened of being associated as such. Unable to sit still, I told her that I had tried my whole life just to be normal, and now this development in my sexuality was making me anything but normal. Once again assuring her that I didn’t see the girls as less than human, I implored her to understand how complex this situation was. This wasn’t just a matter of privacy, nor was it just about Rainbow’s questionable choice to do this while I had been inebriated. The main element here was the fact that I was going through a crisis of identity, which, given that I’d also just discovered the truth about my parents, really couldn’t have come at a worse time.

Expressing her sympathy, Twilight leaned over to hug me. With a sigh, she promised that my words hadn’t fallen on deaf ears, and that she completely understood why I was in such turmoil over this. However, she then argued the point that whether or not cloppers were deserving of the spite geared towards them, the subject itself was irrelevant.

“You said it yourself, those people are drawn to our cartoon counterparts.” she explained, “Well, we’re not those counterparts. This isn’t just about us being animals to you, Callum. Even now, you see us like we’re just characters from that show. You’ve got the whole thing wrong.”

Shifting around to look at me face-on, the mare continued.

“We are not just real versions of those cartoons, it’s the other way around, those cartoons are the fictional interpretations of us! Does that make sense to you? Like, does that track? The six of us are real, living, breathing individuals, and if this planet didn’t exist, and your show had never been made, we would still be those same individuals, with or without a foalish interpretation through a human lens.”

Growing quite defensive, she insisted that her species didn’t owe its existence to humanity, and likewise, I didn’t need permission, nor approval from other humans to cohabit with them, for all on this earth had nary a droit to deny them their validity as real people.

For a good moment, I dwelled on Twilight’s words, and slowly but surely, they started to sink in, and it dawned on me that I didn’t need to be normal, nor did I need to be reticent about who I was. Twilight was right, as was Stardust, I really had just needed to be honest with myself, and find peace with the fact that I found my companions attractive, in a manner no different to how I felt about human women. The once-blurred line between man and pony no longer existed, and that was okay, for there wasn’t a soul on this earth who had the right to judge that, or tell me that my newfound feelings were wrong. These ponies weren’t animals, nor were they cartoon characters…

They were people.

Exhaling, I felt the weight of shame that clung to my bones finally letting go, and I at long last accepted that there was nothing vile, nor disgraceful about how I had come to feel. There was only one wrongdoer amidst all this, and it certainly wasn’t me.

“Just to make it clear, I am furious with Rainbow.” said Twilight, raising her brow, “I didn’t realise you were too drunk to say yes or no, and that is not okay.”

“Yeah, AJ said the same.” I mumbled.

“You need to talk to her. She needs to know this isn’t just something she can laugh about. She’s lucky she didn’t hurt you, Callum. What if you had never been with Bunnie, huh? What if she had stolen your first time from you? What if-”

“Enough.” I said calmly, “I know, and I’ll talk to her.”

{Speaking of talking, can we address the fact I was right about you needing to be honest with yourself?}

{Oh, get lost.} I thought back to him.

I then lowered my head and apologised, to which Twilight tilted her head and asked what for.

“Well, firstly I’m sorry this happened at all. I know you and Rainbow only just made amends last night, so the last thing I want to do is rock the boat between you. Secondly, sorry for making such a scene downstairs, I shouldn’t have got that angry.”

Emitting a one-syllable chuckle, Twilight shrugged.

“Well, I didn’t exactly help by screaming. I’m sure it must have felt like you’d been… caught, or something.”

“Something like that, yeah.” I admitted, “I’m still trying to figure out how I feel about it, so I didn’t want anyone knowing yet, and then suddenly, everyone knew.”

“Yeah, I can see why that would freak you out. I’m sorry, I was just taken so off-guard.”

Assuring her that it was fine, I suggested we draw a line under it and move on, something Twilight was in full agreement with. At the end of the day, everyone knew now, and what I needed was to speak with Rainbow Dash after I had calmed down.

{I suppose, if we’re dishing out apologies, then… I’m sorry for prodding your buttons.} Stardust muttered reluctantly, {Look, back when I was alive, I slept around a lot, so from my perspective this was just a jolly bit of slap and tickle. But I shouldn’t compare my experiences to your own. You’re still a wee lad after all.}

Raising my eyebrows in surprise, I thanked Stardust in thought for the unexpected words of kindness. Twilight then asked what the matter was, and I explained that I was just responding to my passenger. At that, the mare gasped, having completely forgotten that I was host to the literal Titans’ Champion.

“What’s he saying?” she asked, suddenly very excited, “Wait, does this mean he was with you the whole time last night? Oh my gosh, does that mean he…”

Trailing off, the unicorn’s eyes went wide, and with a laugh, Stardust confirmed that he had indeed experienced my drunken romp with Rainbow Dash. Gulping, Twilight gave her head a small shake, indicating that she wasn’t referring to that.

“Ahh.” I said, “Yeah, he was there for the kiss as well.”

Looking away, Twilight was clearly unsure how to feel about this, and with her saddlebag already in the room, I suggested putting the collars on so that she could speak with the Champion properly. Now dreadfully sheepish, the mare went off to fetch them without uttering a word, which left Stardust greatly amused. While she dug through the depths of her saddlebag, I got myself more comfortable on the bed and forced myself to relax, as I was still feeling a tad jittery from my outburst earlier. Stardust then immediately chose to make this more difficult, by pointing out that I needed to trim my fingernails.

“I thought you were sorry for pressing my buttons?” I grumbled under my breath.

{I am! Never said I would stop, though.} he clapped back, chortling to himself.

Rolling my eyes in annoyance, I couldn’t help but agree in the end; I hadn’t trimmed my nails in weeks, and they were getting a bit long. Without any clippers available, I simply resorted to picking at the sides until I successfully made a dent, and then tearing the additional length away. I was just halfway done when Twilight returned with the collars, and looked at me with confusion.

“Err, what are you doing?”

“Oh, just sorting out my nails.” I told her.

“What do you mean?”

Getting to work on the next hand, I explained how I was simply bringing them to a shorter length, albeit in a rather primitive fashion. Humming with interest, Twilight hopped onto the bed and watched me keenly, stating that they were very peculiar for a set of claws. I laughed faintly at that, and decided to entertain her ever-curious mind with an explanation.

“Well, that’ll be because they aren’t claws.” I told her, “Our fingers are built differently to the rest of us. They’ve got a unique matrix of skin that houses a lot of keratin. That’s why our fingers have such good grip strength, and can bear such heavy loads without breaking. Over time, the keratinocytes die, and are slowly pushed out of the fingertip. So yeah, long story short, fingernails are just compressed cells that have served their purpose inside the finger, so although they resemble claws, they don’t at all serve the same purpose. Oh, and they never stop growing either, so they need trimming every so often.”

“That’s… almost exactly how hooves function.” said Twilight, before breaking into an astounded smile, “Oh my gosh! Callum, you have tiny hooves on your fingers!”

She then seized one of my hands without asking, and proceeded to study my fingers with a sense of delighted awe. I was of a mind to pull my hand back, and redirect her focus back to the collars, but upon seeing a glimmer of genuine happiness in the mare’s dorky, inquisitive eyes, I conceded, allowing her to examine me for as long as she wanted.

“What’s that little white spot?” she asked me.

“Oh, that’s a milk spot, or leukonychia if you want the official name.”

I went on to explain how it was just discolouration, often caused by injury to the nail, which I speculated had probably happened when I had fallen from the cliff. Chuckling, I explained that I had been slightly squished by the rockfall after Hawnu Rey’eng’s shield wore off. Twilight’s ears drooped at that comment, and I could see the guilt in her eyes, knowing how close she had been to killing me.

“Right, collars!” I announced, changing the subject.

Perking up again, she passed them to me so I could put them on. The link was established, and I felt a shiver run up my neck and into my skull. Twilight shivered as well, and as she conveyed a greeting in thought, I could hear it echoing within my own mind.

{Is it working?}

{Loud and clear, Miss Sparkle!} shouted Stardust.

Breaking into a nervous chuckle, she said hello to him, and he very merrily greeted her back. The three of us chatted for a little while, mostly about last night, wherein the long-dead stallion assured Twilight that she didn’t need to feel anxious about his involvement in our kiss, for as I had already stated, it was just a part of the game. She then expressed that it was less that she was nervous, and more that she couldn’t quite believe she had technically kissed the Titans’ Champion himself, of whom was a mysterious figure of legend, said to be deceased for thousands of years.

{I mean, you also kissed an alien from another dimension, I’d say that’s just as unbelievable, if not more so!} he scoffed, {Sure, I’m a bygone hero from fables of yore, but I’m still a pony just like yourself. Meanwhile, all those books in that fancy library of yours, and I bet not one of them mentioned big furless monkey people on another plane of reality, let alone how best to smooch ‘em, eh? And yet, here you are, a visitor on their planet, spit-swapping with this wee lad like a damn pro!}

“I… I suppose that’s… true.” she murmured quietly, now visibly flustered.

“Why must you word things in the weirdest way possible?” I added with a groan.

{It’s what I do.} he announced with shameless pride, {Trust me though, I used to be a lot worse. You should have seen the atmospheres I created in the Royal Household, I had guardsponies requesting different posts! Ah, good times, I tell you… dear ol’ Lu used to call me the Castle Terror!}

“I’m sorry, but did you just refer to Princess Luna… as ‘dear old Lu’?”

{Quite possibly.}

“I feel like that comes with a story.” said Twilight, of whom was still blushing.

{Aye, and not one for me to tell.} he replied, {You can ask her yourself when you get back home.}

Reasonably contented with that answer, Twilight dipped her head and pressed no further. Sensing that she was still on edge, I changed topics, stating that I was curious about the condition of the mare’s brainscape. Having cured her of the Fel, it would be interesting to see if the Frozen Forest was still deserving of its name. To that end, Stardust suggested paying Twilight’s brain a visit, something she and I quite excitedly agreed to. Opening up the small panel on my collar, I flipped both of the two switches, as I couldn’t remember which was responsible for selecting the target brain. I knew this also meant that we would be swapping bodies again, but neither of us had any complaints about that.

“Ready?” I asked.

Nodding, Twilight lay down on the bed, and I did the same. I then held down the button and counted back from five, at which point the both of us lost consciousness…





I opened my eyes to find myself in a different location. I was in a strange bedroom, lying on teal-coloured bedding that bore numerous embroidered emblems of the sun and the moon. At the end of the bed was what appeared to be a dog basket, complete with blanket and pillow, and to my right was a pair of pale yellow curtains, and as I went to stand up, I quickly noticed the lack of hands and feet.

“Ah right, yeah.” I muttered, looking down at my velvety lilac body.

{I’ll never get over your British accent in her wee girly body.}

“Oh, bugger off, Moonshimmer.” I ordered.

{Ooh, bugger off, Moonshimmer!} he mimicked in a feminine tone.

Rolling my eyes, I got used to being on four legs again and opened the curtains. Peering out of the window revealed that I was very much in the Frozen Forest, with snow still blanketing the ground. However, this wasn’t to say that the woodland wasn’t healing, for the sky was clear and blue, and many of the once-bare trees were now sporting green leaves again, and weren’t quite so twisted, gnarled, and eldritch-looking. Turning around to investigate the room I was in, it didn’t take long for me to realise I was in the Golden Oak Library, to which Stardust let out a lengthy hum.

{Hmm, now that’s interesting.}

“Do tell?” I replied.

{Well, right before we came here, I mentioned the library, didn’t I? Maybe she pictured it in her mind, causing it to manifest here in the Frozen Forest?}

“That’s actually a really good guess.”

{You say that like I normally make bad guesses!} he laughed, {Come on, let’s go find Sparklefarts before she has a panic.}

With that, I navigated the library until I found the exit, taking in all the details as I went. I then opened the door and trotted outside, where I was pleased to find that despite all the snow, the climate was somewhat agreeable. There wasn’t so much as a hint of the icy breeze from before, to the point where I didn’t even need to cast Thermic Hide, for my fur was all the insulation I needed. Now plodding along with a smile, I knew in my heart that Twilight was getting better. The only hint of her former corruption were the trees, for although they were certainly looking healthier, the bark was still pitch black in colour. Curiosity got the better of me, and so I approached the nearest inky trunk to inspect it. Prodding it with a hoof resulted in a crunch, followed by a patch of bark crumbling away like burned pastry.

{Well, that’s a relief.} said Stardust.

“It is?”

{Oh, aye.} he confirmed, {This means the Fel’s completely dead. I guess Nah’Lek really did bring it all over to you when he switched hosts. I was worried he’d left some in her mind to lay dormant.}

Murmuring with understanding, I continued to rub at the tree until a massive portion of the blackened husk fell away completely, revealing the creamy brown lumber beneath. It looked healthy, and wanting to do all I could to further Twilight’s recovery, I asked Stardust if it would be a good idea to remove the bark entirely.

{I would imagine so.} he pondered in reply, {These trees are basically her brain cells, so getting the bark off might help them regenerate or something.}

That answer was good enough for me, and so I tilted my head forward and concentrated. My horn grew warm with magic, and I sent out a telekinetic pulse strong enough to shake the tree, causing all the bark to come loose and drop to the ground, crumbling to dust as it did so. Congratulating me for the good work, Stardust teased that I only needed to do that roughly eighty-six billion more times, and then I would have successfully cleansed her brain of the Fel’s remnants. Despite it being merely a joke, I couldn’t help but think about actually doing it. This was when a thought sprung to mind, and I broke into a low smirk.

“Idea…” I growled.

Stardust remained silent, waiting for me to either tell him outright, or for the thought itself to cross into his perception. In short, if there was anything I knew about Twilight, it was that she was an immensely powerful unicorn. Even with the Fel leeching her mana, she had been able to clone me on two separate occasions, along with many other resounding feats of magical strength. This ranged from casting multiple Pullie-Ports in quick succession, to hijacking electrical frequencies to launch herself from England to Ukraine without breaking a sweat. At her full strength, she had magical capabilities that were unrivalled by any known unicorn living, and now here I was, piloting her body, and in this brainscape, I possessed those very capabilities.

Putting my faith in the mare’s body, I closed my eyes to summon all the mana I could muster. It flowed into my horn, where I felt it converting into raw magic, of which I could use to fuel a spell. It grew in strength, and Stardust clocked on to what I was planning.

{Ooh, you are one dangerously intelligent bastard…} he hissed.

As the magic flowed through me, I felt myself growing weightless, and soon I was hovering ever-so-faintly off of the ground. Remaining perfectly calm, I refused to let my focus be broken, as I combined everything I had experienced in this body thus far, to form my very own spell. Combining the raw strength of telekinesis with the overlooked potential of sound, I took inspiration from Rainbow Dash’s infamous sonic rainboom, to exert my energy in the form of a ring-shaped explosion that would ripple outward solely on a horizontal plane. In short, it would be a flat disc of tremendous kinetic vibrations, carried by the sound of its own bang, thus capable of rattling the trees for miles in every direction.

{You might want to stop charging it now.} warned Stardust, {At this rate, you’ll blue out!}

He was right, the spell was now so powerful that my horn was emitting steam, and my forehead was lined with beads of sweat. If I kept this up, I would lose control over it.

“So, it’s nearing full strength?” I grunted through my teeth.

{Lad, it reached maximum potential a few seconds ago, it’s about to break loose!}

At that, I put my mouth to one side and grinned.

“Good.”

Throwing my head back, my horn burgeoned, releasing a spell so powerful that it momentarily consumed sound itself. It then burst outwards in a ring shape, warping the very light as it flowed through the Frozen Forest, stripping the dead bark from every tree it encountered and scattering it to the wind like ash in a hurricane. In seconds, there wasn’t a single black husk to be seen, with the woodland around me now a completely different colour.

Fatigue then became of me, and lightheadedness took root. Stumbling to my knees, I accepted that I may have overdone it, for releasing so much mana in such an abrupt moment was akin to sprinting a mile without stopping.

{You… stupid idiot…} Stardust slurred.

Collapsing onto my side, everything became a blur, where the world seemed to spin for an eternity.

Until…

“Callum!”

Stirring, I rolled onto my back, groaning.

“Callum! Callum, are you okay?”

My eyes flickered open and I found Twilight squatting beside me, wobbling emphatically as she tried to adjust to being on two legs again. With a pained grunt, I forced myself up to my hooves, which was when I noticed something very bizarre.

“Ugh, I’m fine, just learning the hard way not to mess with magic… Also, why are you naked?”

Standing up properly, Twilight used her hands to cover herself, for she was indeed naked. Shaking like a leaf, the poor thing proclaimed that she didn’t know, for she had quite simply woken up without any clothing. Raising an eyebrow, I cast Thermic Hide to warm her up, and she exhaled with relief and was quick to relax, though she continued to cover up.

“Can you… Can you please stop looking at me?”

Smirking, I couldn’t help but find myself as amused as I was curious. Despite being a pony all her life, she was now just as embarrassed as I would be, and I couldn’t help but wonder why. Was it the lack of fur? The bipedal position? Or was it down to possessing a different set of kit? I for one certainly didn’t feel all that exposed, although I wasn’t exactly on display like Twilight now was. Between a layer of fur, a shorter stature, and a tail to hide my rear, I felt no less clothed than I did in human form.

“Oh relax, it’s my body.” I chuckled, “It’s not exactly anything I haven’t seen before.”

“Well, right now, it’s my body, and I’m not okay with you staring at it! Seriously, stop looking at me!”

“Okay-okay, jeez!”

Averting my eyes, I kept her solely in my peripheral vision, which was when she frowned at me.

“You nearly deafened me with that spell by the way, so thanks for that.”

“Oh, I wasn’t thinking about that.” I confessed, “Sorry.”

“What did you even do? The trees are like this for miles!”

Awkwardly rubbing the back of my neck, I explained how I had crafted some sort of pressurised kinetic shockwave spell, confined within a flat plane, and utilising its own sound to carry it across a longer distance. At that, Twilight’s eyes widened, and she stared at me in shock.

“You wrote a spell?”

“I… think so?” I replied, straining my face.

Disregarding her nude state, Twilight suddenly lunged at me, gripping my shoulders with both hands and shaking me vigorously.

“How did you do that!?” she bellowed, “How!?”

“Ah, I don’t know!” I yelped, “I just… I don’t know! I just wanted to get the bark off the trees to help your brain heal faster.”

“Think harder than that!”

“Jeez, calm down, Twilight!”

Knowing she wouldn’t let up without a suitable answer, I racked my brains and tried to explain how I had created the spell. I told her my process, to which she released me and dropped to her knees.

“Do you know what this means?” she asked me.

Remaining silent, I shook my head.

“Callum, this means you’re a wizard… a composer of spells.”

“Wait, you mean like Star-”

“Starswirl the Bearded.” she interrupted, “Yeah, like him.”

Upon hearing the mention of his brother’s name, Stardust sounded off with a great big yawn.

{Wizard shmizard!} he scoffed, {Why write spells when you can fight demigods, win wars, and save the planet three times in a row? That Swirly McBeard-Face gets more praise than he deserves, and that’s a stone cold fact. Okay, sure, he figured out interdimensional travel, along with the inner workings of time, but other than that, he was a right bellend. Some idiots even think he tutored the Princesses!}

{I’m sensing you two didn’t get along very well?} I suggested.

{Oh, we got along like a house on fire! Only, the house was our familial home, and he was the rampant blaze that tore through our village and killed everyone we ever knew. Ah, good times…}

{I… what!?}

{Figure of speech, lad. Let’s just say we didn’t end things on the best of terms. Either way, congratulations, you’re officially a wizard. Your letter from Hogwarts will arrive in three-to-four working days. Don’t put your dick in the owl.}

Stifling a laugh, I focused back on Twilight, of whom was still staring at me in disbelief.

“You good there?” I asked her.

“No!” she snapped back, “I’m still trying to wrap my head around this. Do you have any idea how hard it is for a unicorn to write a spell?”

“Do you have any idea how hard it is to take you seriously when you’re standing there with my own penis on display?” I teased in reply.

Realising that she wasn’t concealing herself, Twilight growled at me and covered up again, though at this point, I had certainly taken a good look.

“It’s not too bad from this angle…” I hummed.

“Ugh, stop!”

Now chortling to myself, I returned the subject to my new accolade, and asked what was such a big deal about being a wizard anyway. In reply, Twilight elaborated as to how spell-scripting, as it was officially called, was one of the most difficult aspects of magic, due to its nature as a complex energy. Bending it to one’s will required an intimate understanding of how it worked, and how to harness it.

{Think of it like computer code.} said Stardust, {You have to write it in a particular way to make it do what you want it to do. Each spell is a bit like a file, with a set of instructions to make it behave a certain way. Once you’ve learned it, and you go to cast it, you’re basically copying and pasting the code from your mind. Spell-scripting is essentially writing new code from scratch, which, as any programmer will tell you, is not easy to do. You have to understand it to work with it.}

“But I don’t understand magic.” I protested, “I just thought about what I wanted the spell to do, and it kind of created itself for me.”

“That’s… really bizarre.” Twilight murmured, “Maybe Stardust had something to do with it?”

{You leave me out of this, pretty eyes, he did that shite on his own!}

Looking up to my forehead to indicate that he was talking, I gave Twilight a shrug, and relayed that he hadn’t been involved. Sighing loudly with frustration, she was clearly unable to grasp how I had created my own spell.

“Well, however I did it, spells have names, right?” I pointed out, “I’m going to call it, uh…”

Muttering to myself for a moment, I thought up a bunch of potential names for the spell, before finally settling on one I was happy with.

“Seismic Resonance!”

{Ooh, that’s actually not bad.} Stardust concurred.

Twilight liked the name too, though she requested that I didn’t cast it again for now, given how terribly it had hurt her ears. Assuring her that I wouldn’t, I suggested we went looking for the unicorn’s mana well, to see if there was any chance of repairing it, and restoring her magic in the waking world. All too excited by such a prospect, Twilight nodded her head with glee, and together we took off into the Frozen Forest.


It didn’t take long to grow accustomed to the sight of my own naked body, and truth be told, seeing it from another’s perspective left me strangely curious.

{Jeez, lad, pace yourself.} teased Stardust, {First it’s ponies, and now you’re eyeing up another man’s arse.}

{Dude, what the fuck? You know I’m straight.} I spat back in thought, {I’m allowed to admire my own butt without it being weird.}

{If you say so…} he sang back to me.

Grimacing with annoyance, I focused more on where I was going, and quickly came to recognise a familiar scene. It was the same patch of brain I had damaged during our fight at the clifftop, where the trees had all been demolished and splintered. However, in the days since that harrowing moment, the mare’s brain now showed signs of healing. Between the Bloom Fluttershy had administered, to the well-deserved bedrest, the woodland was recovering, with sapling trees slowly replacing their obliterated forebears, with thick tufts of grass emerging from the uneven mounds of dirt. We kept walking for quite a while, until we neared where her mana well ought to be. Finding it turned out to be a challenge, for the rising temperature had caused the snow to shift around, altering the landscape.

“Keep your eyes peeled, the entrance will be around here somewhere.” I ordered.

“Are you sure this is the right place?”

Simply humming to confirm, we kept walking together.

“Do you think the well will have any mana in it yet?” asked Twilight.

“It already does.” I replied, “The only reason you don’t have magic now is because it’s detached from your horn.”

“Oh, right.” she murmured, “Well, I guess we can only hope it can be reattaaaaaaaaaa-”

I looked down to my left to find a gaping hole in the ground where Twilight had just fallen, having broken the icy covering that undoubtedly led to the mana well.

“Hey, you found it!” I exclaimed merrily.

Chuckling, I clambered down the hole after her, where I was quick to find the melted snow had created a slippery tunnel of ice. With nothing to hold on to, I whizzed down into the darkness, squealing with excitement as I did so. I didn’t even care how girly I sounded while in Twilight’s body, I just gave in to the fun and let myself go. The tunnel then levelled out and my descent slowed down, but not enough to bring me to a halt. Reaching the end of the slide, I collided with Twilight at quite a velocity, knocking her legs out from under her and causing her to fall on top of me.

“Ow! That hurt!” she complained.

Making eye contact with her, I burst into laughter, and she thankfully saw the funny side as well. Sticking her tongue out at me, she clambered off and stood up, not bothering at this point to cover up her manhood. Besides, given the colder temperature, it wasn’t exactly like there was much to see anyway…

Traversing through the underground antechamber, we soon reached the expansive inner sanctum, where we both murmured in awe. In the middle of the cave, right where it had been before, was Twilight’s mana well. Like the last time, the clear building-sized organ was truly a sight to behold, especially now that it was full with swirling mana, illuminating the cavern with blues, whites, and purples. The dead creatures I fought before were gone now, as was the Fel behemoth. Stepping over to the well, we stood before it and stared at the mana within.

“It’s beautiful.” said Twilight, placing her hand against it.

“More impressive than mine, that’s for sure.” I scoffed, “My well’s no bigger than an orange.”

“Really?”

“Yup.”

Humming with interest, she continued to stare at the mana with me, basking in its light and purity, until I directed our focus to the shrivelled arteries above us. Explaining how I had been forced to cut them away, I theorised that if we could reconnect them to the well, Twilight’s magic would be restored. Given their withered state, it was no task we could achieve today, but if they healed and grew in length, a later visit might offer potential solutions. If not, then I was sure the Princess would know how to mend the damage, either by coming to this place herself, or through some complex brain surgery.

“One can hope…” she muttered.

Without much else to do, we decided to return to the surface, leaving the mana well be and plodding back to the way out. This was when we encountered a problem.

“Erm, Callum? How do we get back up?”

“I don’t know, but it’s a bloody good question.” I replied, furrowing my brow.

Given the slippery state of the icy slope, there was no chance of us climbing back up. With magic being our only option, I got to thinking about what spells I could use, which was when an all-too-familiar voice came from behind us.

“Perhaps I could be of assistance?” said Hawnu Rey’eng.

“Jesus!” I barked loudly, whipping around to face him.

“Not quite.” he said dryly.

“Hawnu Rey’eng? What are you doing here?” asked Twilight, “I thought you were going to Antarctica?”

“I am.” he replied, “In fact, I’m there right now.”

Noting our confusion, the Guardian said that he would explain on the surface, and ignited his hands with magic. He opened a portal, and the three of us clambered through to find ourselves in the living room of his mansion. Now in the warm and dry, I demanded to know what he was doing here, at which point he explained that he wasn’t the true Hawnu Rey’eng, but rather, a duplicate, left to comb through Twilight’s brain for any potential traces of lingering Fel. At that, I glared at him, and raised my upper lip into a snarl.

“You’re a shade.”

“I am.” he confessed, “Though I assure you, one of far less nefarious intentions. I appreciate my existence may be unsavory to you both, but my true self deemed it necessary. I can now confirm that Twilight is well and truly cleansed of demon magic. Speaking of magic, that was some fine wizardry, Callum.”

“Of course you’ve been watching us…” I grunted.

He then had the gall to suggest that with his initial task completed, he could remain here, to provide us with counsel and wisdom throughout our journey. All we needed was to use the collars, and we would find him here, waiting. Looking to Twilight, I found the girl fighting off a wave of panic. Her shoulders were hunched and her eyes were wide, and her breaths were short and rapid. She didn’t need this, she didn’t need this at all! The notion that she had been infected by another shade, even a good one, was too much for the poor girl, and seeing her now, so desperately trying to conceal her dread, filled me with rage. Turning back to the Guardian, I bared my teeth and scowled at him.

“You could have mentioned this. Last night, when you were still here, you had every opportunity to let us know you’d planted a shade into one of us!”

“It would have impacted on your evening.”

“Oh, I’m about to impact on your fucking brain stem!” I spat, igniting my horn, “You need to leave.”

He stared at me in silence, and after seeing just how much this revelation had upset Twilight, he dipped his head in resignation.

“Very well. If it is as you wish, then at the conclusion of this visitation, I shall remove myself entirely. You have my word.”

Hearing this relieved her, and with a nod, Twilight gave him a look of thanks and started calming down. I toned down the hostility, and listened as the Guardian made up for his insensitivity by providing us with further knowledge. In short, once he was finished tending to matters in Antarctica, he would aid us in getting to our next destination, by way of establishing a portal node for us, similar to the ones Twilight had planted in Ukraine and England.

“In the basement of my abode, you will find a rune that connects to this portal node, among other supplies.” he went on, “Upon its breakage, the portal will open, and you may leave Portugal for good. However, I bid you caution not to depart prematurely, for you will be facing a terribly harsh climate. Be sure you are prepared before you disembark.”

“Where are we going?” asked Twilight.

Choosing to show us outright, Hawnu Rey’eng brought up his hand, and proceeded to conjure a magical hologram that unveiled an expansive sun-baked sea, with rolling waves of golden brown.

It was a desert.

“This, Miss Sparkle, is the Sahara.”

{I don’t like sand.} Stardust moaned, {It’s coarse, and rough, and irritating… and it gets everywhere.}

Ignoring his corny reference, I asked if we were going to Egypt then, and the Guardian confirmed that we were. Our destination was in the far south-west, close to the borders of Libya and Sudan. On arrival, we would need to seek the artefact ourselves, aided only by the tracking beetle he had provided us with, or the ‘Buggy’, as Pinkie had so aptly named it.

“Why can’t you just teleport us to it?” I asked him.

“Because I am unable to do so.” he replied, “Just as the last fragment was encased in titanstone for its own protection, the artefact you seek has been shielded from the likes of the Defiler. This time, by way of a disruption field, which prevents the nearby use of magic.”

Twilight and I hummed with understanding, accepting his explanation. Choosing not to dally, he said that we ought to return to the waking world, and given her mortifying naked state, Twilight was all too eager to oblige. With that, he used his magic to sever her consciousness, sending her crumpling to the floor like a sack of potatoes.

{So majestic…} Stardust sighed endearingly, snickering.

Hawnu Rey’eng then prepared to do the same to me, which was when I made one last request.

“Can I cast another Seismic Resonance before I go? I want to help Twilight heal as quickly as possible.”

“Very well.” he spoke, after some degree of silence.

Heading out of the mansion together, we walked through the woodland, where upon reaching a dense patch of blackened trees, I began charging the spell. Watching on, the Guardian waited patiently as I summoned all the mana I could muster, until the Seismic Resonance was ready. And then, with an outward gasp, I thrust my head backwards and unleashed it, sending out another shockwave that shook every tree in sight, ripping the dead bark away and leaving the trees bare. Dropping to my knees, exhaustion and dizziness took hold, and without a shred of resistance, I collapsed to the ground and allowed Hawnu Rey’eng to finish the job. I heard the sound of his magic, and all went black…





Opening my eyes, I turned to see Twilight, back in her own body and blinking out of sync. She groaned to me in greeting as she got used to her form again, and I did the same, sitting up gradually and allowing my body to recalibrate itself. And then, looking down, I was relieved to find that I was very much still clothed, which led me to look at Twilight with an open-mouthed smile.

“So… about your clothing situation.”

“Please, I really don’t want to go there.” she grumbled, rolling her head back with exasperation.

“Come on, I’m just curious. Did you honestly wake up like that, or did you strip down?”

“I swear, I woke up like that! Also, where the heck were you?”

“Oh, that was a whole thing.” I laughed, “I woke up in your library!”

“What!?”

Nodding, I explained how I had awoken in the Golden Oak Library, with Stardust speculating that it had been because he had briefly mentioned it before drifting off. At that, Twilight gasped, and began to shake my arm with her hooves.

“Oh my gosh, I was thinking about the library!”

{Ha! Called it!}

With an astounded hum, I theorised that one’s thoughts prior to entering a brainscape directly altered its properties. In hindsight, I should have already known this, given that Hawnu Rey’eng had ordered me to picture Twilight at full strength before my attempt to cure her. Remembering this, Stardust started to giggle to himself, and with the collars still around our necks, Twilight was able to hear him.

“Uhh, what’s so funny?” she asked him.

{Oh! Isn’t it obvious?} he hooted loudly, {You woke up naked, because right before going under, you were thinking about Callum’s little soirée with Rainbow Dash, weren’t you?}

“What!? N-No I wasn’t!”

{I bet you were!} he howled, {I bet that curious mind of yours got to thinking about Cal’s sweaty wee bod, drunkenly clapping pegasus cheeks like there’s no tomorrow!}

Lunging at me, Twilight grabbed me by the shoulders and glared at my forehead, knowing that the stallion was dwelling on the other side of it.

“You have no way to back that up!” she barked angrily.

“Oh my god, you were…” I breathed.

“No! I… I wasn’t! I just… that’s not… I… I didn’t!”

Now red as a cranberry, the pony stumbled over her words for a second longer, before finally hanging her head in shame and confessing. With the admission that Stardust was exactly right, Twilight explained that given my recent activities with her friend, she had grown curious about what a human actually looked like down there. Swearing on her very fealty to the Princess that her thoughts had not been of a sexual nature, she insisted that it had solely been a matter of scientific curiosity, and nothing more.

“Well, did you get a good enough look?” I teased, smirking at her.

Burying her face into her hooves, the mare nodded, and with a laugh, I spared her of further embarrassment by swiftly changing the subject, getting to my feet as I did so.

“Come on, let’s head downstairs. I still need to apologise to everyone for freaking out earlier.”

Refusing to make eye contact, Twilight hopped off the bed and followed me. Reaching the kitchen, we found Applejack slaving over the cooker, who looked at us with a smile.

“Just in time! I was about to call y’all down for dinner.”

“Well, as always, it smells wonderful.” I replied.

She dipped her head in thanks, and I pressed on into the living room, where everyone was sitting around nattering amongst themselves. Upon clearing my throat, they all looked up at me cautiously.

“So, let me just start by saying I’m sorry.” I sighed, “I didn’t mean to get so upset earlier, I was just embarrassed and didn’t know how to handle it.”

“Oh pfft, it’s already forgotten about, darling!” Rarity assured me.

The others all gave reassurances of a similar nature, except for Rainbow Dash, of whom I couldn’t help but notice was missing. Apparently, in mine and Twilight’s absence, Applejack had given Dashie the biggest telling off of her life. Between last night’s lack of consent, to today’s bragging about it, AJ hadn’t held back in the bollocking, to the point where Rainbow had outright started crying. She was now outside somewhere, flying above the mansion to clear her head. Putting my mouth to one side, I didn’t quite know how to feel, for although I appreciated Applejack standing up for me, I also hadn’t asked her to spark a confrontation without me. This was my business to handle, not hers. Still, I knew she was just being protective, and with a shrug, I said that I would go and talk to Rainbow and sort this whole ordeal out, once and for all.

With that, Twilight went to have dinner with the others, while I put on my shoes and coat and went looking for Rainbow. It was getting rather dark, but one glance upward was enough to spot the pony, using the mountain breeze to carry her in swaying little motions across the sky. Looking down, she spotted me, and with a brief hand gesture to summon her, she allowed herself to fall, using the odd flap to slow her descent. She landed in front of me, and I was quick to spot her reddened eyes.

“Sup?” she muttered gruffly, sniffing.

At that, I raised my eyebrows, to which she looked away and huffed.

“Look, I know I messed up, so if you’re going to yell at me, just… get it over with.”

“Sounds like AJ beat me to it.” I said, “Do you understand why she was so upset with you?”

Dipping her head, Rainbow forsook her pride and stepped forward.

“I… am so sorry. I didn’t realise how drunk you were, honest. I was so drunk myself, I just wasn’t thinking. What I did was not okay, and I deserved everything Applejack said to me, and if you want to yell at me as well, then I deserve that too. I really messed up, and I’m scared, because…”

Choking up, Rainbow tried to continue, only to start crying.

“I don’t want to lose you as my friend! You mean so much to me, and I… I fucked it all up!”

Breaking down completely, the pegasus was barely able to remain standing, keeling over and bawling her eyes out. She apologised to me profusely, taking full accountability for crossing a boundary last night, and swore to me that she would never, never knowingly try to hurt me. Seeing her in such a state was nothing short of heartbreaking, and it was clear without question of a doubt that she had learned her lesson.

I had also learned a lesson today, one about myself. Now at peace with my feelings, I forgive her on the spot, for as established already, it was less about what she had done, and more that I simply hadn’t been ready for it yet, due to a lack of honesty in myself. Sighing, I told Rainbow Dash to look at me, and as her tear-soaked face came into view, I smiled softly, and opened my arms for a hug.

“Come here.”

She didn’t hesitate. Leaping at me, the mare latched on so quickly that I almost fell over, and with a laugh, I held her tightly and assured her that it was okay. Now crying with relief, she buried her face into my chest, and I took it upon myself to lay my heart out, calming her down by explaining that I had actually been starting to like her.

“Really?” she sniffled.

“Yup.” I admitted, “All that flirting of yours had, well… let’s just say I may have been warming up to the idea. If I had been sober last night, and we’d taken things a little slower, I may have been up for something.”

“Oh.” she mumbled, “Guess that’s out of the question now, huh?”

“Not necessarily.”

Her ears perked up at that, and as she looked into my eyes in search of clarity, I gave her a shrug.

“Truth be told, Dash, I want to explore these feelings. I want to know where I stand, and if you promise to take things slow with me, and stop if I need to, then…”

Trailing off, I wasn’t quite sure how to word it, but I didn’t need to. With an understanding smile, Rainbow did all she could to conceal her excitement, and gave an awkward huff.

“I, uh… I’m not great at slow, but… I’d be down for you to teach me?”

With an awkward huff of my own, I gave her a nod, and we agreed that after dinner tonight, I would spend the night with her. This was no promise of sex, nor a sudden declaration of romance, it was simply one friend willing to share a bed with another, and see where the night took them. If I grew at all uncomfortable, we would stop, and with that cemented as a bottom line, I felt safe in making this decision.

The two of us went indoors after that, where we found the others at the tail-end of dinner. Twilight had just told of our encounter with Hawnu Rey’eng’s shade, confirming to all that our next stop would be a desert. The chatter fell silent as we entered, and sitting down together, Rainbow and I quite sheepishly announced that we had made amends, and that last night’s business was officially behind us. Everyone was overjoyed to hear it, and as AJ served up what remained of dinner, we munched away and talked with our friends. At last, the group had truly come together again, with nary a hint of hostility between us.

We called it a night, with Twilight and I agreeing to look for Hawnu Rey’eng’s basement in the morning. The others were quite shocked to hear that I would be staying with Rainbow, but given my explanation that it was to solidify our reconciliation, they accepted it without question. After a round of hugs, we made our way upstairs, and as we shut the door and sat on the bed, I immediately felt uncomfortable.

{Well that didn’t take long.} said Stardust.

{Dude, shut up.} I thought back to him, {I’m just worried I’ll get this wrong somehow.}

{You also worried about that with Bunnie.} he reminded me, {Didn’t that end up being the best night of your life? Come on, lad, have a little faith in yourself.}

Seeming to read my thoughts, Dashie said that we didn’t need to do anything, and that she was just happy that I had forgiven her, and trusted her enough to spend another night at her side. This assurance, paired with Stardust’s, was enough to settle me down, and with that, I took my top off in preparation for sleep. Rainbow was quick to point out my scars again, and I immediately started to feel insecure. With a hand, I covered the dark, charred, rippling blotch across my chest, and scoffed with annoyance.

“I look hideous.”

“What!?” Dashie exclaimed, “No, dude! You’re hot!”

Turning to raise an eyebrow at her, I expected her to anxiously backtrack, only for the mare to hold fast and look me dead in the eye.

“You heard me, and I’m not just saying it to butter you up. Even if we don’t do anything, it doesn’t matter, you deserve to know you’re hot.”

Raising a foreleg, she gently nudged my hand away, and planted a hoof against the burn.

“This… does not make you ugly. Don’t make me use that stupid word I hate.”

“What stupid word?” I asked, smirking at her.

Frowning at me, the mare’s cheeks turned red, and breaking eye contact, she muttered the word like it was the last thing she had ever wanted to say.

“You’re… beautiful.”

Unable to hide my smile, such a remark from a pony like her filled me with confidence. Now blushing as well, I reached up to touch her wrist. Her fur was so smooth and soft against my palms and fingertips, and with my newfound confidence, I didn’t hesitate to slide my hand along until it reached her shoulder, and then her neck, until I was cupping one side of her face.

“Yeah, well… right back at you.” I rumbled softly.

She looked back at me, and as I gazed into her deep pink eyes, I felt a pull within me, guiding me towards her. Before I knew it, my lips were against hers, and as my anxiety and guilt fled the scene, I was left feeling like I was right where I belonged. The world didn’t speak for me, I spoke for myself, and as I hummed and moaned against the pegasus’ ever-growing lust, I declared without words that I wanted this. With no alcohol to influence me, nor dare to push me, I was free in this moment, and soon enough, the rest of my body grew envious of my lips. To this end, I eased the mare down onto her back, and allowed my hands to wander. Dashie then pulled back with a gasp, and I halted.

“What is it? Did I do something wrong?”

“No.” she replied, “I just… Are you sure?”

Her face became contorted with endearment and concern, and she said that before this went any further, she wanted to be absolutely certain that I was okay with this. She had already crossed one line, and she was now terrified of crossing another. Knowing Rainbow, and how inherently sexual she was in nature, her taking this moment to double check was a real turning point for her. She had genuinely taken her mistake to heart, and with a warm smile, I closed in on her until our noses were just a hair’s width apart, where I gave her my truthful, honest answer.

“I promise, I’m okay with this. Now shut up and kiss me…”

Rainbow Dash did not need telling twice. Lunging forward, she locked lips with me, though in her haste, her front teeth knocked against mine, causing us both to recoil in shock.

“Ow!”

“I’m sorry!” she squeaked.

“You weren’t kidding about being bad at slow.” I teased.

We both burst into laughter, fully acknowledging and embracing the awkwardness, which ironically caused it to then dissipate. The giggles passed and we tried again, with far greater success. Sinking into one another, we kissed for a time, and my hands once again started wandering. With no memory of last night, this was my first real time with a mare, and so I wasn’t all that sure of what I was doing. However, just as things had been with Bunnie, I was a fast learner, as was evident by the sounds of very blatant approval. And then, it was my turn to pull away, and I looked at Rainbow with an expression that needed no explanation, and yet, I gave one nonetheless, in just three soft words.

“I want you.”

With a heavy breath, and a glint of shared desire in her eye, Rainbow smiled at me, and gave her reply.


“Then have me…”





> Chapter Twenty-Eight: A Clean Getaway
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Stirring, I slowly opened my eyes for my view to fall upon a peaceful cyan face, with messy rainbow-coloured hair plastered around and beneath it. Blinking twice, I woke up properly and Rainbow came into focus. Yet again she did not snore, and although she wasn’t smiling, I knew for a fact she was happy.

“I could get used to this…” I whispered to myself.

{Eh, she’s not my type to be honest.} said Stardust, {Good lay, though.}

{Yeah, that’s what I meant.} I thought back to him.

Laughing, Stardust understood, then went on to say that he certainly had no right to judge me, for during his time as Champion, he had practically slept with half the kingdom, including members of the Throneguard. Huffing with amusement and calling him a showoff, I let out a yawn and had my morning stretch. I then sat up to get out of bed, which disturbed Rainbow Dash enough to wake her up.

“Morning.” I said to her.

“Hey.” she croaked, looking up at me with sleepy, semi-lucid eyes, “What time is it?”

“Not sure, but you can go back to sleep if you want to.”

Humming, she did just that, shutting her eyes and nestling back into her pillow. I leaned over and kissed her on top of her muzzle, to which she smiled with glee. I then got out of bed and got dressed, and with something of a spring in my step, I made my way along the corridor and down the stairwell. Entering the kitchen, I found Applejack already up, eating her breakfast.

“Do you always get up so early?” I asked her.

“Force of habit.” she shrugged, “When you work on a farm, you get up when the sun gets up.”

“That’s fair.” I murmured.

I went over to give her a hug in greeting, which she merrily accepted and gave me one in return. She then poured me some apple juice and I was quick to take a swig, wherein I found myself immediately more awake. With an outward gasp, I thanked her, only for her to reply by leaning against the counter and raising her eyebrows at me.

“So, you and RD, huh?”

With my cheeks turning red, I presumed that she had overheard us, and dipped my head sheepishly.

“Sorry, were we a bit loud?”

The farm pony opened her mouth to speak, only to emit a bemused laugh.

“I mean, you were… but I was more referring to y’all going at it in the first place. I guess y’all really did make amends, huh?”

“Something like that…” I muttered, rolling my eyes.

Shrugging, I explained how it had taken yesterday’s controversy to draw out the truth within me. Keeping things brief, I explained how I had come to like Rainbow Dash as more than a friend, and after maturely discussing boundaries, I had felt safe to explore my feelings with her. At that, Applejack puckered her lips and nodded with understanding, before warning me that Rainbow might not feel as strongly as I did.

“Don’t get me wrong, the gal likes you.” she assured me, “But in all the years I’ve known her, Rainbow ain’t one for romance. What she cares about is having a good time, and there ain’t no one feller who can give her that forever. I don’t want you getting your heart broken, Sugarcube, so please just… don’t go fallin’ in love with her, ‘cus you’ll regret it.”

Her face was plastered with sincerity, and I knew that just like yesterday, she was simply looking out for me. Exhaling through my nose, I smiled at her and shook my head.

“You don’t need to worry about that, I’ve had enough heartbreak for one month.” I said with a chuckle.

I then told her what Dashie and I had discussed last night before going to sleep. In the clear-minded afterglow of our lustful dance, we had agreed that we weren’t by any means an item. Between recently losing Bunnie, and the girls going back to Equestria after all this, becoming more than friends would be as unhealthy as it would be folly, and as such, we settled on remaining unattached. Any further intimacy was strictly to be of a physical nature, and with how much we enjoyed ourselves last night, there was no doubt we would continue seeing each other from time to time. In other words, we had entered a ‘friends with benefits’ type relationship, which worked just fine for the both of us.

Applejack seemed quite cautious about this, though she didn’t outright disapprove. With a flex of her left eyebrow, she simply told me to be careful, and to tell her if I caught myself falling for the pegasus, at which point she would be happy to knock some sense into me.

“By all means.” I concurred, “If she sets my breast aflutter, I give you permission to break my jaw.”

The farm pony laughed at that, and then we returned to our breakfast. We were then disturbed by a loud clattering thud from directly above us. It startled me enough to jolt, almost sending my remaining apple juice over the floor.

“What in tarnation was that?”

Not answering, I looked up, and quickly realised the kitchen was beneath the master bedroom, where Twilight was staying. With something of a sixth sense, I knew in my heart that something was wrong, and quickly fled the kitchen with AJ at my heels. Ascending the stairs, I turned the corner and pushed open the bedroom door to find Twilight unconscious on the floor. The thud had come from her falling out of bed, and as I rushed over to her, I found that she was having some sort of seizure.

“Oh fuck… Twilight?” I called to her, “Twilight, are you okay?”

Twitching and shuddering, the mare was unresponsive, and Applejack asked me what was wrong with her. I wasn’t sure, but one look at the unicorn’s face told me that she was in pain. Her lips were raised and her jaw was clenched, with her eyes firmly clamped shut. Not knowing what else to do, I put a hand against her shoulder and gave her a gentle shake.

“Hey, can you hear me?”

Still no response. With flattened ears and faint whimpers, she continued to convulse, which was when I noticed that she was wearing her collar. Just as eager to help, Stardust ordered me to equip my own, and I lunged for her saddlebag at the end of the bed.

“What’s going on!?” AJ cried out.

Ignoring her, I grabbed the collar box and took mine out, putting it around my neck as quickly as possible. The second it clicked, my ears were assailed by an ear-piercing scrape, akin to that of a fork grinding against a dinner plate. Placing a hand against my head, I let out a gasp, just as my vision began rapidly blinking back and forth between my own, and what I could only presume was Twilight’s, and what I saw almost turned my blood cold. In a heartbeat, I knew what was happening, and so did Stardust.

{WAKE HER UP!} he roared.

Taking the collar back off, I practically threw myself at Twilight, shouting her name and shaking her with desperation, and at last, she woke up. Her eyes flared open and she screamed in terror, lunging out with all her strength and catching me in the side of the head. Letting her go, I backed away and clutched at myself, emitting a low growl in response to the pain.

“Right… in the… fucking ear!”

Panting rapidly, Twilight scrambled to her hooves, and then realised where she was, and what she had done. Bursting into tears, she tried to apologise, only for me to cut her off.

“Ahh! It’s alright, it’s fine.” I hissed, still clasping my head.

My ear felt like it was on fire, with the searing pain pulsating like a heartbeat. Now I knew how Brad Pitt felt during the filming for Fight Club; being punched in the ear was awful, especially by a hoof! Alas, with Twilight still reeling from what I had just witnessed, I compelled myself to block it out, and opened my arms for a hug. Still sobbing, she crawled into my embrace, and I sat against the frame of the bed, cradling her. Unsure of what was happening, Applejack tried to ask for a second time what was going on, to which I passed her an intense look.

“AJ, could you please go and make Twilight some coffee?” I requested, in a stern, yet needing tone.

It was enough to tell her politely that I wanted her to leave, and that providing a hot drink was the best way she could help. Nodding, she left the room and shut the door, and I heard the voices of Pinkie and Fluttershy asking what had happened. Thankfully, Applejack turned them away, allowing me to direct my focus to Twilight.

“He’s… He’s still in my head! He’s still in my head!” she wailed, shuddering emphatically.

“It’s okay.” I said calmly, “It’s alright, it wasn’t real. He’s not in your head.”

Exhaling heavily, I told her that I had seen what had happened via the collars, and that I knew exactly what was going on. Though it had been all but a blink, it was enough to know that Twilight had just experienced a flashback. I saw the Defiler’s glowing eyes, and his blood-soaked claws, forcing the mare onto her back and prying her legs apart. With bile in my throat, I forced the image away, but Twilight was unable to do so. Still twitching and jolting, she wept uncontrollably, as for the first night in a while, she had once again found herself the victim of Nah’Lek’s torment.

“He… He tried to… He was going to… I could feel it!”

“Sshh…” I hushed to her.

The poor thing continued to fall apart, and I knew that this was no mere nightmare. She hadn’t just been dreaming of the unspeakable, she had been reliving it. Her PTSD was so severe that her brain had recreated its own devastation, in the form of an all-seeing, all-feeling, all-encompassing night terror. As though the shade of Nah’Lek still lived on, Twilight was his prisoner once more. He had found a way, even in death, to hurt her again.

She shook now in my arms, a broken, violated thing, scarred far more terribly than I ever could have realised. Now, I believed her, when she had said that she would never be free of Nah’Lek. On the day she tried to take her own life, she had told me that even years from now, the memories would haunt her, for they were forever etched into her mind, and now I knew it. She was branded, inside and out, by the mark of terror and suffering.

My heart shattered, and as the ruined creature continued to whimper and tremble, I made with my heart an unspoken vow. Though I had already once promised to be her keeper through all our trials, I would now like never before do all I could to be her strength, for she would surely need me to be. If these night terrors continued, then the leader of this company was destined to wane and falter, and when she did, I would be there to carry her.

I then cast my mind to the time Rainbow Dash had once crumbled like this, back when her wings had been plucked in Brazil. We were back in England, and in a bid to calm her down, I had sung for her; a Coldplay song if I remembered correctly… It had worked, and so I took it upon myself to do the same again, though Twilight deserved here a song of far deeper meaning. Clearing my throat, I recalled the lyrics like I had written them myself, for the melancholy words of the ever-tortured Keaton Henson were not to be forgotten by those who truly understood pain of the soul…




“This feels right and I’m letting it… And now I know just what to do…
Tire of me if you will, my dear… But I will not tire of you!

And this is the world as I see it now… Turns out that nothing is fair…
You can leave me if you wish, my love… But I’m not going anywhere!

And please do not hurt me, love, I am a fragile one, and you are the light in my eyes…
Please do not break my heart, I think it’s had enough pain to last the rest of my life…

My endless distraction, you worry me… And I’m trying to figure out how…
You don’t have to make any promises, love… I’m afraid I might die for you now!

And I’d kill just to watch as you’re sleeping… I hope that you’ll let me, in time…
You don’t have to call me yours, my love… But damn it, I’m calling you mine!

Please do not hurt me love, I am a fragile one, and you are the light in my eyes…
Please do not break my heart, I think it’s had enough pain to last the rest of my life…

My life…

And I will not tire of you!”




By the time I had finished singing, Twilight was calm. She was breathing slowly, eyes closed, with her right ear pressed up against my chest to listen to the sound of my heart. I knew Twilight, and I knew that she would understand the deeper meaning of the song I had chosen. At surface level, ‘Ten-AM Gare du Nord’ could be seen as a love song, but in truth, it was an oath from one broken individual to another. It was a promise, that no matter how damaged Twilight was, I would never grow tired of her, nor her baggage. As a damaged person myself, I understood the pain, and the knowing that even together, we might never be okay. Her outbursts from the Fel’s corruption may continue, as might the night terrors, and yet, even if she struck me again, even in the ear, I would always be there to comfort and protect her. No matter what, I would ensure that Twilight Sparkle would never face a day in this world without knowing the love from a friend who both shared and accepted her darkness.

In turn, I had endured most of our journey a frightened boy, forever forced to embody that of a braver man than I truly was. For all that I’d shouted, fought, and killed, I had wanted to cry, run, and hide, yet I had forced myself to act gallant for the sake of my friends. This had not come without a price, for that frightened boy had since been tortured and maimed by man, beast, and demon alike. And by this very pony in my arms, I had been electrocuted, burned, scorned, slandered and abused. I had fallen in love, and then watched said lover burn before my eyes, and the man responsible had shot me, and then disappeared forever, never to know justice by my hand. Needless to say, I carried my own trauma, with more nights spent crying to myself than not.

And this didn’t even factor in my depression, which amidst the horrors of this adventure, had endeavoured to turn my own mind against me, bogging me down with lowly thoughts and cumbersome memories. Even before the ponies arrived, my brain was set on destroying itself, and now, given this night terror, Twilight’s could very well be doing the same. Together, we were both the singer and subject of the song; the broken ones of whom we would not tire of, and the fragile harbourers of enough pain to last the rest of our lives. In my short-lived serenade, Twilight had understood all this, which was why she now so calmly rested against me, knowing that she was safe in the embrace of her equal.

“Thank you…” she breathed.

There was no need for reply, I just continued to hold her, gently combing my fingertips through her mane. This made me aware of just how matted it was, and I realised that aside from a few rinses in the upstairs shower, Twilight had barely cleaned herself since the bath I had run for her back in England. Come to think of it, all seven of us had seen better days; this journey had truly taken its toll…


A while passed, and then there was a knock at the door, followed by Applejack announcing that she had made coffee for the both of us.

“Do y’all want me to bring it up?” she asked us, peeking through the door.

“No, that’s alright, we’ll come down for it.” I said back, before looking at Twilight, “Then how about we search for that basement, yeah?”

Nodding, Twilight sniffed, wiping at the sopping-wet fur beneath her eyes. Smiling with endearment, I ruffled her mane and got to my feet, and together, we went downstairs to drink our coffee. I also took the liberty of explaining to Applejack what had occurred, to which the mare became quite emotional, and gave Twilight a tender hug to express her sympathy. After that, the three of us went looking for the basement, which we found through a doorway in the study. Heading down, we found ourselves in a spacious concrete room, housing little more than a few workbenches, and numerous crates and chests. They were mostly empty, but despite their absence of content, there were labels affixed to all of them, alluding to what they once contained. From ‘spellbooks and scrolls’ to ‘otherworldly artefacts’, it would seem Hawnu Rey’eng collected items from his various exploits, though it would seem he had relocated much of it from the mansion.

“What do you think all this was for?” asked Twilight.

“I don’t know.” I answered, “But that concerns me.”

Following my finger, Twilight spotted the chest I was pointing to. It was labelled ‘mana wells’, and upon prying open the lid, we found a series of glass beakers, some of which still housed in fluid the surgically removed glands from various brains. Each beaker was marked with a creature’s species and accompanying world of origin; human of Earth, gronn of Draenor, vrykul of Azeroth, phayling of Rhynor, eredar of Draenor, nerubian of Azeroth… and alicorn of Equus.

With a cold shudder between us, we quickly learned that the Guardian was not only an abstruse being of unknown limits, but that he had also somehow obtained the mana well of an alicorn. Needless to say, we were horrified, with Twilight and I immediately racking our brains, for there were only four known alicorns in existence. There was Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, of whom Twilight had seen using magic just days before her departure to Earth, and there were of course, the Royal Sisters, Celestia and Luna. As for the fourth, there was the former Titans’ Champion, known only as the Regal Mother. Preceding Stardust Moonshimmer, she had been the first and only alicorn of her time, whose flesh and soul were offered willingly to the Titan of Mana during Appelox’s betrayal, a selfless act that had allowed the Royal Sisters to be born, and inherit the now-godless world.

In short, there were three options. The first, and most absurd, was that Hawnu Rey’eng had been to Equus recently, and taken the mana well from one of the currently living Princesses. The second, was that this was the Regal Mother’s mana well, acquired from long ago, before her sacrifice. The third option, however, seemed more likely, though it left us in a state of awestruck wonder.

We were potentially looking at direct proof of a fifth alicorn…

“We should’ve kept his shade in my head…” Twilight murmured, “We could have asked him about this.”

“That’s assuming he ever would have been willing to tell us.” I scoffed, “After what he said about the ice dragon, it’s clear that he likes leaving mysteries. Why do you think he’s left this here, hmm? Why’d you think he didn’t take just five minutes to take off the labels, or better yet, dispose of the bloody boxes? He wanted us to find this, and he wants us to speculate over it.”

Shutting the lid, I said with an embittered sneer that we weren’t going to play his game, and that the next time we saw him, we would ask him outright. Until then, we were to focus on the gear he had left for us, and press on to the Sahara with haste. Twilight disliked this approach, as she felt that such a revelation needed addressing, for it came with ominous connotations of a most grievous nature. However, with nothing but conjecture on our side, she was forced to agree with me, and we reluctantly allowed what was unquestionably our biggest mystery thus far to slip into the background.

We found the supplies neatly organised on one of the workbenches, and questionable finds aside, it looked like Hawnu Rey’eng had done a little shopping for us. There was also a note, hand-written by the Guardian himself, and I took it upon myself to read it aloud.



“To Twilight Sparkle, and her dutiful company.

I have amassed these supplies to aid you in the next leg of your journey. May they serve you well, and ensure your survival in both the desert, and beyond.

Firstly, I have procured you all a respective set of reinforced cloth garments. They will shield you from the sun, and are enchanted to keep you cool throughout the day, and provide you with warmth come the cold of night. Make no mistake, they will not render you immune to the elements, but they will avail you in your survival against them.

Secondly, I leave you with two runes. One is my preliminary portal node, of which you may use when you are ready to travel. The other, you have your new wizard to thank, for I have been able to recreate the Seismic Resonance spell. As with the bark in Twilight’s brainscape, the spell ought to be equally adept at shifting sand. Use it wisely.

Lastly, unto you I bequeath my personal firearm, of which I plainly deem the Piercing Shot Rifle. As per its name, it is capable of puncturing most obstacles to reach its target, even that of rock and steel. There are differing fire modes to match the range of engagement, one of which can detect mana through obstructions. I have provided twenty magazines, each containing eight shots. I shall not be providing further ammunition, so I advise discretion in your choice of targets.

This will be the last of my assistance for some considerable time. You have my confidence in doing what must be done. I wish you all good fortune, and great distance between encounters with adversity, both within and without.

Sincerely, Hawnu Rey’eng.”



Putting the note to one side, I looked at Twilight with a pensive expression. That last part, about adversity within, had surely been about her night terror. He was implying there would be more, and that he could only hope they were few and far between. Applejack picked up on it too, and gave her fellow pony an affectionate nudge. Not wishing to dwell on that, I quickly focused on the gun, which I found next to the clothing in a black case. Opening it up, we all stared at the weapon, admiring its design.

“Now that… is tasty.” I murmured.

Like a work of science fiction, the Piercing Shot Rifle looked like a firearm from the spacefaring future, with a sleek build, compact frame, and long slender barrel. The additional magazines looked more like pieces of rectangular tubing, of which were to be inserted through the back of the gun after pulling a bolt to open it, no different to that of a break action rifle. Turning to Twilight, I suggested this was likely the gun he had used in Pripyat, shooting zomrads from a rooftop to aid us in that harrowing chase. She was quick to agree, though she shuddered at the memory, for our trip through the dead city had contained all sorts of very literal nuclear nightmares.

Closing the gun case and giving it to Applejack, I collected all the cloth garments and took them upstairs to the living room, where we found Pinkie, Fluttershy, and Rarity all up and nattering over breakfast. We presented them with our new gear, and took the time to inspect it all in greater detail. While everyone was enthralled by their new attire, I for one was more interested in the runes. They appeared as smooth rounded stones, no more than an inch thick, and roughly the same size as a computer disc. The surface of each was engraved with a unique symbol, which glowed faintly with the Guardian’s magic.

“So, how do these work exactly?” I asked.

Remembering many concepts of magic were still foreign to me, Twilight was more than happy to educate. She told me how runes were vessels for spells, which could be stored for later use. From starting fires to filling bathtubs, the practical uses for runes were endless. They could be triggered either by breakage, or by a unicorn manually setting them off with magic, allowing them to be used by all, with many earth ponies and pegasi purchasing them in order to use spells around the house, despite their lack of horns. Twilight’s bag contained plenty of them, often for conjuring the campfire, though she also had some for other things such as purifying water. She also possessed a singular rune for taking everyone home, of which would open a portal back to the Canterlot throne room. This was, of course, not to be used until the Orb had been collected in full, and as such, it had been strictly forbidden by the Princess to use it prior, no matter the circumstance.

Now aware of how runes worked, I returned my focus to the clothing, just as Applejack suggested trying them on. At this, Rarity cried out from behind us.

“Don’t you dare!”

We all whipped around to find the pearly unicorn speeding towards us, where she proceeded to snatch the cloth bundle from AJ and scowl at her, prodding her orange chest with a hoof.

“You’re filthy!”

She then looked at Twilight and myself, her eyes wide.

“You’re filthy!”

Looking down at herself, she observed her own chest fur, and let out a gasp.

“We’re all filthy! I daresay standing out in the rain would be more effective than that dinky little shower upstairs! We all need a bath, and I will not allow for us to slip into clean new clothing until that happens. Fashion must always be treated with respect!”

There was a moment of silence, before the five of us all burst into laughter.

“I’m being serious!” Rarity shouted with a scowl, “We haven’t washed ourselves properly in weeks, I can smell Pinkamena’s legpits from here!”

This only caused us to laugh harder, with Applejack creasing up and cackling like a seagull in distress.

“Hey, how’d you know it’s my pits?” Pinkie protested.

“Because you’re the only one of us with sweat that smells like month-old pancakes!”

“Fair point…”

The laughing continued, though I did silently agree with the unicorn. We were all indeed a bit bedraggled and whiffy, some more than others; if Rainbow wanted our nights of passion to continue, then she needed to lather up. Our laughter was then abruptly halted by a teacup being thrown across the room and hitting me in the back of the head, smashing on impact. We all turned around to find one very grumpy Rainbow Dash, frowning at us.

“Um… ow!?” I emitted with confusion.

“I was having a good dream, and you dorks work me up.” she grunted.

“Yeah, well that hurt! No more sexytimes for you!” I barked.

Her face dropped, while Fluttershy let off a gasp from behind me. Applejack then burst into more laughter, while the others looked at me in disbelief.

“So, you’re… together now?” asked Rarity.

“Err, not exactly.” I said anxiously, “We’re still just friends, but…”

“Ahh…” she cut in, “One of those friends.”

Snickering to herself, Rainbow shamelessly admitted that I wasn’t her first friend with benefits, nor would I be the last. Rolling my eyes, I rapidly moved things along, asking what was to be done about the state of our cleanliness. With a proud huff, Rarity raised her chin and proclaimed to have precisely what we needed. She then charged upstairs to fetch the personal section of her saddlebag, from within which she retrieved seven runes of her own upon her return.

“I’ve been waiting for just such an occasion to use these.” she murmured gleefully, passing them out to us.

Peering at it curiously, I found the rune to be almost identical to the ones Hawnu Rey’eng had left for us. This one however, bore a different inscription that shone with hot pink magic, as opposed to the Guardian’s signature lilac. Raising an eyebrow, I asked what this was exactly, to which she cleared her throat and smiled.

“It’s a spell I learned from one of Twilight’s books on additional unicorn hygiene. I had some acquired in rune form as it’s a bit too complex for me to cast myself.”

“Oh, the Hydrobubbicus spell?” said Twilight.

“That’s the one!”

“Ooh, that is a fun spell…”

Noting my confusion, Rarity continued to explain how ‘Hydrobubbicus’ was a cleansing spell that surrounded the caster in a large bubble, and then sprayed them from all angles with jets of warm soapy water. It even exfoliated, for the water contained coarse sand-like soap particles that scrubbed away at the skin. In short, the spell was essentially the most efficient shower in the universe, leaving the user as fresh and clean as snow yet to touch the ground. Obviously, one was to keep their eyes closed throughout, lest they pay a visit to the doctor afterwards.

“Okay, that’s actually pretty cool.” I hummed, raising my eyebrows.

“Aren’t they just?” Rarity agreed, “I’ve used a few of them here and there since coming to Earth, and I’m down to my last seven, so I thought I’d save them for each of us.”

“Aww, you didn’t need to do that, Rare.” I murmured, “Thank you!”

“Of course!” she sang, “I only wish I had thought of them sooner. They’ve been buried in my bag for so long that I forgot I had them!”

Pulling a disgruntled face, Rainbow Dash mentioned how we really could have used these in Brazil, after escaping such squalid conditions under Inigo’s captivity. Shuddering, I remembered how the poor things had been forced to live amidst their own filth, and couldn’t help but agree with the pegasus. To that, Rarity could only apologise, professing that she had been so scatterbrained during that whole ordeal that she honestly hadn’t thought to use them. Refusing to let the mood sour, I became a little more flamboyant, and brought our focus back to the clothes.

“Well, either way, we’ve got some lovely new clothes to wear, and I for one want to try them on. Let’s get ourselves nice and clean, and then have a little suit-up, yeah?”

Without warning, a cushion from the sofa made contact with the side of my head.

“Don’t say gay shit!” ordered Rainbow Dash.

“How is it gay just to appreciate fashion, huh?” I retorted, “Unlike you, I actually care about my appeara-mnph!”

Another cushion hit my face, to which I glared at the pegasus, who was already holding a third one in preparation.

“If you throw that at me, I will shove it up your arse.” I warned her.

“I’d like to see you try.” she jeered.

“I’d like to see you waddling around with a cushion lodged in your rectum.”

Rainbow Dash dropped the cushion.


Once the giggles had died down, we decided to use the Hydrobubbicus runes in the basement. Though outdoors was logically the most ideal location, it was simply far too cold for us all to get wet while there was still snow on the mountaintop, especially with Twilight unable to cast Thermic Hide for us. With a bit of DIY expertise from Applejack, paired with Rarity’s craftiness, we were able to kit out a subsection of the room to catch all the excess water, not unlike some sort of paddling pool. Applejack was just finishing up making it watertight, when I approached Rarity with a quite peculiar request.

“Hey, so… you know how you’re good with dresses, right?”

“Mhmm?” she hummed, prompting me to go on.

“How are you with hair?”

The mare’s eyebrows shot up, and with a shrug, she proclaimed that despite being no manedresser by any standard, she managed cutting and styling her own well enough. She then inquired as to why, and I bluntly stated that I wished for her to shave my head. Nearly spluttering on the tea she was drinking, she looked at me with eyes like saucers.

“You heard me. I’m sick of having hair that reaches my shoulders, I want it short again. Besides, if we’re about to be in a scorching desert, then I don’t want this thick mound on my head trapping excess heat.”

Recuperating from the surprise of such an unanticipated request, she took my reasoning into account, and with a dip of her head she acquiesced. We went into Hawnu Rey’eng’s study together, and she rummaged around in her saddlebag until she found her manedressing kit, which she had of course brought along for this journey, because why wouldn’t she? Sitting me down, she opened the kit and retrieved a set of clippers, almost identical to the ones used on Earth, save for the harness at the bottom for fitting a pony’s hoof.

“Huh, I didn’t think ponies had clippers.” I murmured.

“Is that what they’re called here?” she remarked with a hum, “On Equus we call them shears.”

“Oh, we have shears too. We just give them different names depending on if they’re for humans or not.”

Elaborating, I explained how clippers were for shaving human hair, while shears were used for removing fur and wool from animals. Apparently they had the same usage on Equus as well, though they simply fell under the shared term ‘shears’ for simplicity. She then went on to explain how most manedressing kits had them, due to many ponies being afraid of scissors.

“Is that common?” I asked.

“More than you would think.” Rarity replied, fitting her hoof into the harness, “If you hadn’t noticed, our eyes are much larger compared to you humans, making them quite the target. Accidental gouging incidents have indeed occurred over the years.”

“Yeugh… makes sense.” I grimaced, casting the intrusive imagery from my mind.

“Shears aren’t just for that, mind.” Rare continued, “Some ponies like to shave patterns and marks into their fur, and some even like to go furless around their necks and legs! It’s not the nicest trend in my opinion, but ponies are free to express themselves however they like.”

Murmuring with interest, I continued chatting as she dug around for a spare charge stone. Soon enough she found one and plugged it in, and asked how short I wanted to go.

“Can you take everything on the back and sides, and leave maybe half an inch on top?”

Nodding, Rarity applied a length guard and got to work. Using her magic to flip the switch, the shears started to buzz, and stroke by stroke, my thick brown locks fell to the floor. I sat there patiently, enjoying every second of it, for I was a sentimental bastard, and the notion of shedding an older part of me to allow the new felt somewhat therapeutic. The hair on my head had been there when Bunnie died, and the act of cutting it away almost felt like it helped in letting her go. I knew it was stupid, but that didn’t make it any less true. Aside from that, my greasy old scalp hadn’t seen the light of day in quite some time, so it was nice to do something that was actively taking care of my body.

Once finished with the top, Rarity removed the length guard and buzzed down the back and sides. When she was done, she levitated a mirror from her bag and allowed me to inspect myself.

“Well, what do you think? Not bad for my first human manecut, or uh… haircut, don’t you think?”

“Rare, it looks bloody fantastic, thank you!” I exclaimed.

“Of course, darling!”

Removing the shears from her hoof, she stood back and said that I looked wonderful. She then used a brush to clean the instrument while I stood up, which was when I looked down and froze. My eyes flared wide at the sheer quantity of hair on the floor, and I realised just how thick and shaggy it had become; I was more than thankful to be rid of it. Once Rarity had put the manedressing kit away, we went back down into the basement, where everyone was quick to let out a gasp.

“Holy Titan shit, what happened to you?” Rainbow blurted out.

“I got into a fight with a pair of shears and lost.” I teased.

The whole group came over to inspect my new look properly, at which point Twilight said that I ought to lose more often, as short hair suited me. The others agreed, with their positive reception certainly helping to boost my self-esteem a touch. Still, not a fan of all the attention, I was quick to hurry things along, suggesting we use the runes and get ourselves clean. There were a few girly cheers in reply, to which Stardust let off an irritated groan, and with a chuckle, I prepared for the most thorough wash of my life.


Fluttershy was the first to use the rune, stepping into the makeshift shower tray and holding the stone against her chest. Rarity activated it with her magic, at which point the rune shattered, unleashing the Hydrobubbicus spell within. The little pegasus closed her eyes, and I watched in awe as she was lifted off the ground by a few inches, while a thick pearlescent bubble formed around her, obscuring her from view. I heard the muffled gushing of water, with a fair amount dripping out from the bottom. After around two minutes, the bubble popped, revealing a pony so clean and bright that she almost seemed divine compared to the rest of us. Her coat was back to its usual buttery hue, and her wing feathers were so glossy that they were almost blinding.

“Um… could I get a towel please?” she requested, stepping out from the tray.

Rarity was quick to present such a towel, and Fluttershy went up to the study to dry off. Twilight went next, followed by Pinkie Pie, who instead of requesting a towel, shook herself like a dog, spraying water all over the rest of us. Rarity then offered me a turn, and with a merry nod, I accepted.

“Alright, clothes off then!”

“Oh, right.”

Huffing nervously, I said I wasn’t comfortable stripping in front of everyone, prompting Rarity to giggle.

“Don’t be silly, darling, it’s just us! We won’t look if you don’t want us to.”

“Speak for yourself.” said Rainbow.

“Oh, screw you.” I grunted.

“Yes, yes you did.”

I made a lunge for the pegasus, who quickly sprang away and blew a raspberry at me. Twilight then raised an eyebrow, smirking at me with a hint of judgement.

“Rainbow tells me you gave quite the performance last night.”

“Oh for goodness’ sake, is nothing sacred to you lot!?” I bleated.

Laughing, Applejack interjected by reminding me that the girls had been friends for years now. They were open with one another about all matters, with nary a hint of awkwardness or judgement between them. I was then quick to remind them that I had not been friends with them for years, and that despite my closeness to them, I still valued my privacy, and wasn’t quite ready to so candidly parade my sex life.

“That’s fair.” AJ murmured.

“Well, unless you fancy breaking that with your hands, you’ll need my magic to activate it.” said Rarity, gesturing to the rune, “The others can wait upstairs until you’re finished, and you have a lady’s word that I shan’t look… southward.”

“Ugh, fine then.” I sighed.

Without argument, the others scurried upstairs while I began undressing. Soon enough, I was fully nude, and as promised, Rare didn’t even glance, fixing her eyes sternly on the rune in my hands. That said, I couldn’t help but notice her cheeks were a tad rosier than before, and I knew she was at least pondering on my bare form.

“Ready, dear?” she asked me.

Simply nodding, I held the rune against my chest as the others had, and with a flash of the mare’s horn, it cracked open. I allowed myself to remain still as the spell took me upwards, and with a deep breath, I shut my eyes. No more than a second later, the hot water met me, and it was hard not to recoil in surprise. It wasn’t unpleasant per se, but it was certainly quite bizarre to have every square inch of my body washed at the same time.

{Ah! Ooh! Tickles his balls! Tickles his balls!} wailed Stardust.

Almost laughing, I clenched my jaw and did my best to ignore him, not that he was wrong; the water was indeed rather ticklish in some areas. The water then eventually stopped, promptly followed by the bubble bursting, leaving me feeling fresher than I had in all my days. Glancing downward, I could have sworn my skin was a shade lighter, along with all my scars and blemishes being more noticeable.

Still upholding her word, Rarity looked away as she passed me a towel, and once I had dried off, I went upstairs to slip into my new attire. Twilight and Fluttershy were already getting into theirs, with Pinkie somehow wearing hers back to front.

“Hi, naked person!” she squeaked upon my entry.

“I’m not even going to ask how you got into it like that.” I chuckled.

“I don’t even know myself, and I’m the one who did it!” she replied with a shrug.

The others yet to wash headed off, but not before Rainbow Dash made an attempt to snag my towel. I thankfully caught it at the last second before it fell, though Applejack was able to catch a glance at my rear.

“Not a word.” I growled at her.

“I didn’t say a thing.” she replied smugly, raising her chin and trotting off.

She left the room, and just as she went through the doorway, I heard her chortle to herself.

“Bubble butt…”

“I heard that!”

Giggling, Twilight passed me my new clothes, and I was quick to unfold them and find a nice new set of socks and boxers that both fitted perfectly. How Hawnu Rey’eng knew the right size was beyond me, but I chose not to question it.

{It’s not hard to find underwear in your size, lad, you’re a big guy.} Stardust scoffed.

{For you.} I thought back with a smirk.

{Oh, now who’s the one making dumb references?}

Stifling a laugh, I slipped into the trousers, followed by the long-sleeved shirt. The knees and elbows were heavily padded, yet despite their firmness, the rest of the cloth was soft and comfortable, and I found myself immediately loving my new apparel. I also noticed just how cool the fabric was, courtesy of the enchantment. The hiking boots were comfy as well, fitting my feet perfectly and being soft and breathable on the inside, despite their tight fit and outer toughness. They went up to my ankles, and had a layer of metal around the toes, ensuring they would endure all that lay ahead on my journey, even beyond the desert.

The girls’ outfits looked great too. Being a similar design to my own, just for an equine body, the garbs would protect the ponies from the sun, complete with mesh hoods and tinted eye goggles. Twilight looked outstanding in hers, as did Fluttershy, and once Pinkie had been aided in wearing it properly, she did too. The others then came up from using their runestones, all glossy and damp.

“Ooh, well don’t you all look rather fetching!” Rarity exclaimed, still towelling herself off.

“Something like that.” I shrugged.

“So, are we leaving today, then?” asked Rainbow.

“Oh goodness no!” I assured her, “Let’s spend today packing our stuff and getting in the right mindset, and then we can think about heading out tomorrow.”

Everyone seemed in agreement, and so we did just that. The girls removed their clothing again, while I kept mine on, and for the rest of the day we got ourselves prepped and ready for the Sahara. Our food remained plentiful, though we noticed Applejack was down to our last barrel of water. To this end, I used the tap in the kitchen to refill them, for only a fool would embark into the desert without adequate hydration. After that, we had dinner, followed by an early night. Unable to resist her flirting, I found myself in bed with Rainbow again, where after another lustful throw of passion, I drifted off with the collar fastened around my neck, so that I could be alerted to any potential night terrors from Twilight.


Thankfully, no such terrors assailed her, and come the dawn, we were ready. A month of residing in Hawnu Rey’eng’s mansion had been and gone, and with our wounds healed and our demons slain, we were ready to continue our journey. After eating breakfast together in the dining room, everyone moved into the lounge to get dressed, with Rainbow immediately complaining about how cold her clothes were.

“Trust me, you’ll be thankful for that in a moment.” I told her, tying my boot laces.

“I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m positively thrilled.” said Rarity, “Don’t get me wrong, this time to gather ourselves has been a real treat, but I for one am hungering for another adventure!”

“You and me both.” I concurred, “That said, I want to get to the next piece as quick as we can. The Sahara’s dangerous, and not just because of the temperature.”

At the notion of danger, Twilight was quick to ask what we were in for. With a shrug, I said hopefully nothing, given how far into the open sands we would be heading. But even so, given the close proximity to the Libyan border, I had my concerns, mostly regarding potential terrorist cells and fanatical jihadists. Needless to say, I wouldn’t exactly deem it the merriest, nor safest location for a lone white Briton and six technicolour ponies.

“This may just be my prejudice talking, but people that spend their whole lives in the hot sun are bound to be a little unhinged. There’s a reason most religions preaching the death of non-believers come from such an environment.”

{The sand people are easily startled…} Stardust whispered, nearly causing me to burst out laughing.

Giving me an odd look, and then humming with vague understanding, the girls were able to see where I was coming from. I wasn’t at all saying that every desert dweller was nefarious, but after what we had been through in Brazil, I wasn’t risking prolonged exposure to potentially dangerous people if I could help it. Our task was to beeline for the Orb fragment, and promptly be on our way.

“Well, be that as it may, I’m still no less eager to be on the move again.” Rarity hummed.

“You ain’t the only one!” said AJ, “I’ve been cooped up in this here mansion for so long that I’ve started having dreams about it!”

“Seriously?” Dashie snickered.

“Yup! Just last night, I dreamt of hosting the next Apple Family Reunion here!”

That warranted some laughs, and after some additional epithets of adventurous ardour, we said goodbye to the mansion and readied the portal rune. This was when I heard a clinking from the top pouch of Rainbow Dash’s saddlebag.

“Rainbow, what was that?” I asked blankly, knowing precisely what the answer was.

“What do you think, numb-nuts? It’s the rest of the booze we didn’t drink!”

“Take it out.”

“What? Why?”

My face dulled, as did everyone else’s. Nearly facepalming at her resounding stupidity, I pointed out that we were about to be trudging through a hot desert, and needed to conserve as much water in our bodies as possible.

“Okay, and?” she retorted, “Booze is a liquid.”

“A liquid that dehydrates you, you cabbage-brained buffoon!”

“Oh.”

She then suggested only drinking it at night when it was colder, to which I found myself so genuinely baffled by her idiocy that I nearly found myself hard-pressed for words.

“Smart.” I said at last, “And what about the next morning when you’re dehydrated and hungover, in the middle of the scorching heat?”

The pegasus remained quiet, subtly biting her bottom lip, well aware that she had just made an utter fool of herself. Twilight then rubbed it in, by raising a hoof and claiming to know the answer.

“Ooh, I know!” she cried out gleefully, “You collapse and die in the sun!”

“Correct!” I cheered in a corny American accent, pointing at her with both index fingers.

“Ugh, fine!” Dashie muttered angrily.

She then opened her bag and proceeded to remove not one, not two, but seven bottles of various alcoholic beverages. I watched her with my arms crossed, tutting with dissatisfaction.

“I honestly can’t believe I put my dick in something this stupid.”

“Okay, jeez, I get it!” she snapped back at me, “I’m not exactly known for my smarts, okay?”

With the others now practically in stitches from their stifled laughs, I chose to tone things down before Rainbow got upset. Playfully ruffling her mane, I told her that after our business was done in the desert, I would see to it personally that we had another booze-up. Contented with that, she tossed the last bottle across the room, causing it to smash open and douse the far corner of the lounge in whiskey.

“Overkill much?” said AJ.

“Pfft, the metal dude can deal with it.” she scoffed back.

“Um, that ‘metal dude’ saved our lives!” said Twilight.

“True, but he can also clear that up with a snap of his fingers.” I pointed out, “Now, let’s get a move on, I’m getting antsy!”

Despite growing fond of our mountaintop safehouse, we were all of a similar mind. Excitement and anticipation was in the air, and none of us wanted to wait around. Pulling out the portal rune, Twilight went and set it on the floor, followed by Rarity activating it with her magic. With a burst of energy, the portal opened, presenting itself to us as a large swirling multicoloured circular gateway.

“Right then!” I announced with a clap of my hands, “Who’s ready for a coddiwomple?”

“A what?” asked Rainbow with her eyebrows raised.

“It’s an English word.” I told her, “It means to intentionally venture off into lands unknown.”

Looking at me with a blank, unimpressed expression, she began her usual comeback to my usage of unique words.

“Why didn’t you just say that in the firs-wha-hey!”

Before she could finish, I scooped the pegasus up in my arms.

“Begone, ye slutty blue horse! Yeet!”

I threw her directly at the portal, and though she splayed her wings in a bid to control herself, the momentum was enough to pull her in. She yelped loudly, before the gateway consumed her, at which point the others all finally cracked, bursting into tumultuous laughter. I looked at them with a cheesy wide grin, and Applejack said that Dashie was going to punch me in the privates for doing what I just did.

“No she won’t, that’s the part of me she actually likes.”

Rolling her eyes at that, AJ tutted and trotted over to the portal. With a tip of her hat, she hopped through, followed by Pinkie, then Rarity, and then Fluttershy. Now alone with me, Twilight looked up at me with a gulp, and admitted that she was scared.

“What of?” I asked her.

“I don’t want to face more dangers.” she confessed, “What if there are more bad people? What if we get captured again? What if we get hurt?”

Kneeling down, I smiled at the mare, and told her there was nothing on the other side of this portal we couldn’t overcome together as a team. Wrapping my arms around her, I swore that I would protect her, and slowly, Twilight’s confidence returned. I then got to my feet and picked her up without warning, to which the unicorn frowned at me.

“I swear, if you throw me…” she warned.

“Oh, I wouldn’t dream of it.” I assured her, before letting off a low chuckle, “But I am going to throw me.”

“What?”

“Allons-y!”

Clutching Twilight to my body, I started charging towards the portal, each step, an exuberant bound to a bright new future. Initially, Twilight squealed with uncertainty, but as I threw my head skyward and cackled a mighty cackle, she too, began to laugh. And then, with my final step in this country, I took a great leap, and together we were pulled into the portal, whisked away to the blazing sands beyond. For the seven of us, Portugal was no more, with dead friends, lovers, foes, and former selves now forever behind us.


As for what lay ahead?
We would soon find out…





> Chapter Twenty-Nine: A Sea of Gold
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Emerging from the portal, Twilight and I hurtled into Pinkie Pie, and together we smacked into a soft mound. Making the mistake of having my mouth open, I was quick to find myself coughing and spluttering on a mouthful of sand.

“Pbbt! Ack! I hate it here already! Ptui!” I croaked, spitting out as much as I could, all while battling another bout of nausea.

“Yeah, maybe let’s not go charging through portals again.” Twilight mumbled, shaking her head.

“Agreed. You okay, Pinks?”

Humming to confirm, Pinkie stood up and said she was fine, only that she now had a little bit of sand in one of her ears. Standing up as well, I brushed myself down and said that if it was any consolation, I now had sand in both my mouth and in my nose. This was when a scathing voice growled from behind me.

“Oh yeah? Guess where I’ve got sand…”

I turned around, at which point a bright blue hoof smacked into my private parts. Catching the full set, I was left dropping straight back to the ground, now clasping my nethers and emitting a deep guttural groan.

“Right fucking there.” Rainbow Dash spat.

“Uuuuuuuhh…!”

“That’s what you get for throwing me tail-first into a portal, asshole.”

Turning around, Dashie strutted away, followed by Applejack looking down at me with a smirk.

“I told you she was going to do that.”

Unable to respond, I continued to writhe on the ground as my stomach turned violently. Desperately trying to hold in my breakfast, I slowly clawed my way to a wobbly standing point, with all six girls eyeing me up and down with varying degrees of amusement. As I gradually recovered, I looked around at our environment, and found that we were nestled in a small ravine somewhere; at least Hawnu Rey’eng had the courtesy of placing the portal node somewhere in the shade. That said, even before we had stepped into the light, it was already rather hot. For now, that was a relief, after so long on that frigid winter mountaintop, but there was no doubt this heat would soon become our enemy. Reaching into my back pocket, I pulled out the tracking beetle, switched it on, and watched as its little head sprung up and started searching. After a moment of spinning, it pointed in a particular direction, indicating that it had found our quarry.

“So, all we have to do is follow where this little thing is pointing?” asked Rarity.

“Yup.” I replied, “We just keep walking, and it should take us right to it.”

Turning to Pinkie Pie, I asked if she wanted to be in charge of it, given that she had been the one to name it. At that, her face lit up like it was Christmas morning.

“I can hold the Buggy?”

“You can indeed.”

Gasping, Pinkie sprung up and down with delight, before taking the Buggy and placing it directly on top of her muzzle. Going cross-eyed, she looked down at it, and announced that we needed to move in a ‘diagonal leftish forward sort of way’.

“We are so getting lost.” scoffed Rainbow.

Exhaling through my nose with amusement, I turned around to look at Twilight, dipping my head with respect.

“Are we free to move out, company leader?”

The mare looked down and smiled, irrefutably pleased to be validated in her rightful position. Everyone looked to her as well, waiting for the command, which she gave with her chin held high.

“Free to move out. Pinkie, lead the way.”

“Okie dokie lokie!”

Taking the lead, Pinkie led us out from the ravine, with Rainbow Dash eagerly at her side. I meanwhile, waddled in the middle of the group beside Applejack, doing all I could to pretend I wasn’t still in tremendous pain. Noticing, AJ let off a snort of suppressed laughter, and then joked that Rainbow would surely kiss it better later.

“Eww.” Twilight groaned from behind us.

Now also chuckling, I walked along with a simper, and then squinted my eyes as we stepped out into the sun. The heat quickly intensified, and as my sight slowly adjusted to the brightness, my mouth fell open.

“Whoa… That’s a change of scenery.”

“You can say that again.” Twilight agreed.

For as far as the eye could see, we were surrounded by bronze-coloured dunes and dark beige rock formations. There was nary a hint of plant life, and where I had expected the blue sky to clash in clear-cut contrast to the ground, I instead found distant clouds of dust on the horizon, bleeding upwards into the air and blurring the line between heaven and earth. The tracking beetle on Pinkie Pie’s nose pointed to an open sandy flat, taking us eastward, away from the rock formations, and with a slight tilt of her head, she asked how long we would be walking for.

“I’m not sure.” I answered honestly, “The Sahara’s a big place, so we might be on the move for quite some time. Days, maybe a couple weeks, who knows?”

Nobody was particularly fond of this news, with the notion of marching for days in the inescapable heat echoing that of our time in Brazil. At least this time it was a dry heat, and of course, no cartels to abduct and torment us, which was always a plus. Not wanting to hear complaints so soon into our desert adventure, I told Pinkie to press on, and with that, we set off into the sands, not knowing how long it would be until we found our mark.


Hours passed, and even with enchanted clothing around our hides, the heat made its authority known. Soon enough we were sweating bullets, and insatiable thirst became of us. Each pony had gone through their canteens twice over, with Twilight letting me use hers after I lost mine in Portugal. Without any shade, we had taken to using Rarity’s hiking umbrella, swapping every ten minutes to give everyone equal respite from the sun. It was a curious thing, slotting into a saddle-like harness that allowed the wearer to walk along with the umbrella protruding from their upper back. Huffing, I couldn’t help but be enthralled; from runestones and shears, to harness-mounted brollies, this was yet another quirky piece of pony kit for me to marvel at.

It was now the afternoon, and up in the distance was a rock formation, tall enough to provide the shade we would need to stop for lunch. There was still some distance to go before we reached it, and none of us were all too happy about it.

“Hey, Fluttershy?” said AJ, “Mind if I have a turn with that ‘brella soon? I’m sweating like a pat of butter on a pancake over here!”

“Charming.” muttered Rarity.

“Uh, if anypony’s getting it next, it’s me.” Rainbow piped up, “I’ve been waiting for like thirty minutes!”

“You literally had it before Fluttershy did.” I chimed in, calling her out.

“Oh, buzz off, dude! How are those balls of yours doing?” she sneered back at me.

“Still aching, thanks. How’s your sandy cooch?”

Whipping around with a scowl, Dashie didn’t hesitate to lunge at me. Hopping out of the way, I narrowly avoided a firm shove, only for her to double down and try taking me to the ground. We struggled for a moment, before I gave her a firm enough smack on the nose to send her reeling back, now on the verge of sneezing.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” I growled at her.

“You’re what’s wrong with me!” she snapped back, wrinkling her nose, “You threw me through a freaking portal, and you didn’t even say you were sorry. Now you’re here trying to be the umbrella police!”

“Oh my god, are you seriously still pissed off about the portal thing?” I scoffed, “Seriously, Rainbow, lighten the fuck up.”

“Callum, language!” Rarity gasped.

Twilight then stepped in, ordering the two of us to stop squabbling like fillies. The heat was clearly getting to us, and with a glance at the others’ uneasy expressions, I knew I needed to step up. With a nod, I asked the others to keep going so I could talk to Rainbow, who continued to glare at me with her upper lip raised. They pressed on without question, and I got down to one knee to match Rainbow’s level.

“Look, I’m sorry.” I sighed, “I shouldn’t have thrown you. I was just goofing around because I was excited to leave the mansion, I didn’t think it would upset you.”

After a moment, Rainbow’s expression softened.

“It’s fine. The throwing me bit was actually kind of funny, I’m just mad because I landed ass-first in the sand and now it’s all itchy back there.”

“I’ll scratch it better if you want.” I hinted, smirking at her.

“Dude, shut up…” she muttered shyly, glancing away and smiling.

We both started chuckling, and she apologised for hitting me in the balls. I in turn assured her that it was fine, and with a kiss on the lips, we put our silly dispute aside and went to rejoin the others. Along the way, I couldn’t help but reflect on how quickly things had taken a negative turn. Just this morning, we had come here with such gusto and merriment, yet within the day, I could only regret the admission that our desert escapade had become quite the dull affair.

{At least you haven’t got giant sand worms to worry about.} Stardust pointed out.

{That’s true.} I thought back, {I never did read those Dune books.}

{Forget books, lad, those wriggly suckers exist on Equus!}

{Oh shit, yeah, didn’t one appear in Season Four?}

Humming to concur, he went on to explain that although they didn’t dwell on Equestria’s continent, tatzlwurms were prevalent in the deserts regions of the Griffon Kingdoms, and Saddle Arabia beyond it. Though he had never seen one himself, he had encountered a survivor of one, who told of the great subterranean terrors, of which could swallow entire caravans of travellers in one fell swoop. Needless to say, I was astounded by his story, and thought Twilight might enjoy it too. To this end, when we stopped for lunch, I suggested putting the collars on. Needless to say, Twilight was eager, and so I took hers out and helped to fasten it around her neck.

“Having secret conversations, are we?” Rarity teased.

“I mean, if you’d rather we discuss my curiosity of human bowel movements aloud…” Twilight began with her eyebrows raised.

“Just what my waning appetite needed.” Rare muttered, convulsing slightly, “By all means, think away to yourselves.”

{Nice save, Sparklefarts…} Stardust commended, once my own collar was equipped.

{Sure it wasn’t too much?} she giggled back in thought, {I just didn’t want her thinking we were hiding something.}

{No, it was perfectly on-brand for you.} he laughed.

Rolling my eyes, I tucked into my cucumber sandwich while the unicorns nattered away, using my brain as a conduit for their discussion. Soon enough, we were on the move again, and despite the group’s outer silence, Stardust and Twilight continued to talk like a pair of merry old friends. They exchanged tales from one another’s exploits, from Stardust’s clash with a pack of diamond dogs in a spelunking expedition, to Twilight winning a duel with a curse-possessed Trixie Lulamoon by way of illusions and trickery over magical might.

Though I contributed to the chatter here and there, I mostly just listened in, happy to walk on autopilot while learning about Stardust’s many adventures, along with the more factual accounts of moments I’d seen in the show surrounding Twilight’s life. Some instances were near-perfect parallels to the cartoon, while others were so different that it was almost laughable…


“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I’m cold.” said Rainbow.

Nightfall had come, and as the moon hung overhead, we quickly found little discrepancy between the temperature of the desert, and that of the Portuguese mountaintop. Still, after such a scorching first day, none of us were in a position to complain. With the campsite established, we set up the tents and got the fire going. We all got comfortable around it, and I was quick to notice Pinkie making her best effort to make a sandcastle beside Twilight’s tent.

“Pinks, you know we’re not at the beach, right?” I chuckled.

Giggling, she simply replied that she just liked playing in sand, and so I left her to it. Exhaling through my nose, I reflected on our quirky little goofball, and how she had endured our hardships thus far. Being the youngest and most innocent member of the group came with the burden of being the most corruptible. From Inigo Montenegro’s inhospitality, to witnessing death, to suffering Twilight’s Fel-twisted personality, Pinkie very well could have been tainted by all the harrowing things this adventure had thrown at us. Yet, here she was, no different now to how she was on the day I had met her.

{You asked me about this before.} Twilight thought to me, hearing my ponderings, {Did you forget?}

{Wait, I did? When?} I asked her.

{In Brazil, after we escaped the cartel.}

{Oh! Yeah, I vaguely remember now…}

Stardust then piped up to say that instead of talking about Pinkie behind her back, we ought to just bring it up verbally, given the current lack of conversation. Seeing no harm in that, I looked over to the pink pony and smiled at her.

“Hey, Pinkie, can I ask you something?”

Abandoning her hopeless sandcastle, she scuttled over to join the rest of us and tilted her head like a puppy.

“Since coming to Earth, we’ve all had to deal with some rather… unpleasant things, and I was wondering if you could tell me how you’ve been able to stay so chipper?”

Grinning, the young mare raised her chin and said it was easy, all thanks to her ‘ammy’, which was the name she had given to her condition. Reciting almost word for word what Twilight had told me in Brazil, she told of her dissociative amnesia, and how whenever she experienced something traumatic or horrifying, her brain would alter the memory. She was still aware of what had occurred, but she remembered it as though it were a story being told about herself, as opposed to it directly happening to her. Though Stardust was quick to call it a psychological disorder, I for one saw it as a superpower.

“That’s really cool, thank you for explaining it.” I said, dipping my head.

“That’s okay.” she replied with a smile, “I wonder the same about you sometimes.”

Now it was my turn to tilt my head. Raising an eyebrow, I asked her what she meant.

“Well, you’ve got that illness, the dark cloudy one that makes you feel like you’ve got a big black hole in your chest, that sucks all the energy and happiness out of you. Every day, you’re hurting in a way nopony can see, with some days feeling like you don’t even want to live any more. Even when you look like you’re happy, and you’re having fun with us, and smiling, and laughing, there’s still something inside of you that’s broken, and there’s no way to fix it. I’ve always wondered how you deal with that.”

Silence filled the camp as Pinkie Pie once again proved to be more insightful than we ever cared to give her credit for. In her innocent bluntness, she had described in perfect measure what it felt like, and it left me feeling caught off-guard. Blinking rapidly, I tried to find words, all while the others looked at me intently, their expressions rife with emotion.

“Um… I…”

Trilling my lips, I trailed off, which was when Rarity piped up to say that I didn’t need to answer if I didn’t feel comfortable to. Shaking my head, I said it was fine, and that I just wasn’t quite sure how to word it. Gradually though, I found myself able to, and explained how it was something of a multi-layered answer. On one front, I coped with it by remembering how the darkness within me was the result of an illness, and didn’t reflect my true self. For as low and bitter as I often felt, the innermost part of me was still there, clinging on to life in spite of the crushing abyss that surrounded it.

On another front, for as little as I often valued myself, I couldn’t deny my inherent selfless nature. I put others before myself, and prior to meeting the girls, I kept chugging along because I knew my death would impact on the wellbeing of my friends, along with my brother. I also had a place of responsibility, being the prime caregiver to my dogs, Chilli and Archer. Nowadays, this responsibility had skyrocketed, for it was now my solemn duty to guide and protect the ponies before me. In short, I was able to press on because I was firmly committed to something far greater than myself.

As for the third front, it was far simpler. Turning to Twilight, I asked her if she had ever read a book so poorly written, and so unlikable, that she had considered abandoning it, only to keep reading it anyway.

“Far too often.” she huffed, “I’ve read through some real stinkers. But once I start reading a book, I finish it, no matter how bad it is.”

“Why?” I asked her.

Pausing for a second, Twilight knew exactly where I was going with this. Lowering her head slightly, she gave her answer in a much softer tone.

“Because maybe it’ll get better. And even if it doesn’t, I want to know how it ends.”

“There you have it.” I murmured, gesturing at her, “My life is like a story, and for the most part, it’s been a bit shit. Sorry, Rare.”

Rolling her eyes and smirking, Rarity let the swear word slip, and allowed me to continue unjudged.

“But, I put one foot in front of the other just in case things got better, and lo and behold, they did. Had I let the darkness win, I wouldn’t have met you all, and even though it’s still there now, I’m not going to let it rob me of whatever lies ahead, for better or worse. When I die, the story stops getting written, and if there’s one thing I hate more than myself, it’s a story without closure. I guess a part of why I keep going is out of spite.”

With tears in their eyes at this point, the girls all laughed, and I went on to say that I didn’t know if I would ever be rid of this sickness, but I refused to let it kill me. Even after the girls went back to Equestria, when this part of my life was over, I would continue to press on. Whether or not I truly meant that, I wasn’t sure, but I knew it would comfort my friends to hear that I wouldn’t just end it all when my purpose was fulfilled.

“So, yeah. Long story short, that’s how I deal with it.” I huffed, “Sorry for giving such a long-winded answer, I know I can get carried away sometimes. You know what I’m like, my mouth just runs away wi-uh-okay!”

Suddenly wrapped in something of a death grip, I found myself being hugged by Pinkie Pie, so tightly that it forced the air from my lungs. The others then joined in as well, gravitating towards me and completely swamping me with their embrace. All on the cusp of crying, they gave me shaky assurances and commendations of bravery and endurance, to the point where I regretted being so forthcoming.

“Girls, come on, stop.” I wheezed, “I don’t need mollycoddling, I was just… answering the question.”

Needless to say, they didn’t take the hint, and continued to dote on me until dinner was ready. After that, we did some reorganising when it came to sleeping arrangements. Where I had always slept in the smallest tent with Fluttershy, I would now be staying in the larger, multi-compartmented tent, in the right wing with Rainbow Dash, with Applejack moving in with Flutters. This was to allow Twilight to be by herself at night, which she had requested in fear of embarrassing herself at the behest of future night terrors. Though I had offered to stay with her and keep her safe, she had refused, stating that she didn’t wish to come between me and Rainbow, who was all too happy with the new arrangement, for reasons that didn’t need explanation. Regardless, I insisted on at least wearing the collars before drifting off, so that I might perceive any potential night terrors, and get up to wake her from them. Conceding to this, Twilight effectively had me on emergency speed dial, and with that, we settled in for our first night’s desert kip.

“So, uh… you up for anything?” Rainbow whispered into my ear.

“Err, Rarity and Pinkie are literally a few metres away from us.” I hissed back, frowning at her.

“We can be quiet.” she snickered.

“That’d be a first.”

Giggling, she shrugged, knowing full well that she was naturally a bit on the loud side. Still, after promising that she wouldn’t make a peep, she was able to convince me; after all, I had offered to scratch that itch of hers. After waiting a while to ensure the others were asleep, we learned just how to tackle the cold of the frigid desert nights…







Taking a swig from Twilight’s canteen, I gasped with relief and handed it back to her. Wiping my brow, I asked Pinkie if we were still going the right way, which she confirmed with a merry hum. Nine days… We had been trudging the desert for nine days, and we still hadn’t found the Orb fragment. Our water supply was already down by nearly half, for our thirst was nigh unquenchable; if we didn’t find the shard soon, we would need to start rationing.

As for Twilight, she had suffered from one night terror thus far, and regrettably, the collars hadn’t helped. On the fourth night, we were all woken to the sound of screaming, with the poor unicorn not speaking a word to anyone the following day, mortified beyond measure. She had also suffered another outburst on the sixth day, reverting back to her volatile, malefic state. Though I had quickly helped to dispel it, the others had been left unnerved for a while, and needed plenty of assurance that it was just a brief relapse.

Akin to the first day, we were now heading to a large rock formation to stop for lunch, and it wouldn’t be long before we were there. We were all quite glum today, and so conversation was minimal, save for a few short-lived natters here and there.

“May I please have the umbrella now?” begged Rarity.

“Ugh, alright…” AJ moaned.

Unclipping the harness, she passed it to Rarity, who took it with her magic and placed it on her back.

“Eww, it’s wet!”

“Heh, sorry, I’ve been sweating like a-”

“Please, no more countryisms!” I wailed playfully.

Chuckling, Applejack kept her mouth shut, while Twilight advised Rarity not to rely on her magic so much, given the heat.

“Why not?” I inquired, curious.

“High temperatures, paired with dehydration, causes magic to drain mana at a vastly accelerated rate. That’s why I struggled so much to use my magic in Brazil. Between the heat, and the Fel secretly draining my mana, there were some days when I couldn’t even start the campfire without feeling like I was going to blue out. It’s also why our unicorn ancestors mostly settled in the mountains, so it was always cold.”

“Not even I knew that!” Rarity exclaimed.

“That’s really interesting.” I added, “I guess you learn something new every-”

SMACK!

Jolting, I stared in shock as the sand in front of us burst upwards, shortly followed by a bang. Within the space of a heartbeat, I realised we had just been shot at, and I bellowed for the girls to get down. There was another burst of sand, followed by another, and then another. It was coming from the rock formation, and we weren’t in enough cover, so I scrambled to the nearest dune as fast as my legs could carry me. Another bullet came zinging past, almost hitting Rarity, who let out a terrified squeal as the sand in front of her kicked up. Reaching the dune, I quickly found that it still wasn’t adequate cover, but it was better than being out in the open, so I shouted for the girls to join me. Yelping and whimpering with each distant bang, the girls obeyed, and upon Twilight reaching me, I yanked her saddlebag towards me, hard enough to send her staggering to her knees. I dug around inside until I found the Piercing Shot Rifle, still in its case. Unzipping it, I withdrew the firearm and lay down just behind the lip of the dune, and after turning the fire mode dial to switch off the safety, I peered down the scope.

“Alright, let’s see what you can do…” I whispered through gritted teeth.

Scanning the rock formation, I tried to spot our attackers. Who on earth were they, and why were they shooting at us? I supposed it didn’t matter, they were hostile, and that made them my enemy. Soon enough, I found them, firing from an encampment near the top. A bullet then struck the sand next to me, causing me to jerk backwards and dip my head in fear of losing it.

{The Tin Can’s note said there are different modes to match the range of engagement.} Stardust said hurriedly, {Surely we can zoom in more than this!}

Looking at the fire modes again, I realised he was right. The first setting was labelled ‘M-R-C’, which I could only assume stood for ‘medium range combat’, given the next setting being labelled ‘L-R-C’, presumably for ‘long range combat’. Turning the dial, the gun made some sort of mechanical noise, and the scope lens flickered. Taking another look revealed a vastly magnified image, displaying the encampment and its gunmen as though they were mere yards away. With greater visibility, I spotted my first target. Kneeling confidently out in the open, a man holding a rifle of his own continued to take pot shots at us. I saw his gun flicker before I heard the shot, which was when one of the girls began screaming behind me; had one of them just been hit?

Inhaling deeply, I lined up the crosshair with the man’s chest, and then slowly breathed out to steady myself as I squeezed the trigger. With a hefty bang, the rifle loosed its first shot, and the recoil was practically non-existent! Looking back through the scope, I found my target lying down, and he showed no indication of getting back up again. The other gunmen moved to get into cover, though their shooting continued. Lining up my next shot, I fired, only to miss. My next found its mark however, but even so, the enemy’s fire upon us refused to end.

{How many more of them are there?} I thought to myself, gritting my teeth.

{You’re armed with a pegasus that can fly like an arrow. For fuck’s sake, lad, use her!}

“That’s too dangerous, Stardust.” I hissed.

{Too dangerous?} he scoffed, {Lad, we’re getting peppered with gunfire with nowhere to go. Any one of these shots could kill us! You either risk your fuck-pal, or you risk the whole damn company! Now give her the order!}

“Fine…” I growled, clenching my jaw, “Rainbow, get over here!”

Sprinting over, the pegasus crouched next to me and waited for further command.

“Ready for something dangerous?” I asked her.

“Always!” she barked.

“I can’t get them all from here.” I explained, “I need you to fly up, evade their fire, and hit them from the side while I keep shooting from here. Can you do that?”

“On it!”

With neither fear nor hesitation, Rainbow Dash took wing and ascended into the sky. It wasn’t long before I heard more shots, but this time they were directed at her, for there were no bursts of sand to follow them. Preparing to shoot once more, I twisted the dial to the final firing mode, labelled ‘P-S-M’. As it clicked into place, there was more mechanical whirring, followed by parts of the barrel shifting, with numerous vents opening up along the sides. I had no idea what the rifle was going to do now, but I had a feeling it was going to help me put more holes in these bastards.

“Let’s give this a try…” I murmured, bringing my eye back up to the scope.

I was greeted by a much darker image than before, and everything was tinted blue. However, upon drifting to the encampment, I realised that not only was every living target highlighted in a yellowish orange, but I could also see them behind their cover. Sandbags and crates did nothing to obscure the four men that remained, and as I lined up my next shot, I was quick to learn exactly why Hawnu Rey’eng dubbed this the Piercing Shot Rifle.

BOOM!

“Wow, okay! Yeah, recoil exists again!” I yelped as the gun nearly leapt from my hands.

Looking back down the scope, I found the sandbags had done nothing to slow the bullet, with the highlighted foe now lying beside them, his orange light growing dimmer, until it died out completely. Now aware that I was the immediate threat, the remaining gunners focused on me, giving Rainbow Dash the perfect opportunity to strike. Before I could take another shot, she swooped in and met one of the assailants like a bullet of her own. Hoof met skull, killing him on impact. She then went for the second man, diving at him and knocking the gun from his hands. Through the scope, I watched as her bright orange form pummelled the figure beneath her, stamping at his head repeatedly until his light faded away. I then spotted the third and final man, emerging from behind the pegasus and readying his gun.

“Oh, no you don’t.” I hissed, lining up the crosshair.

BOOM!

Prepared for the recoil this time, I maintained my aim, and watched as the last of our foes was taken down in spectacular fashion, with the Piercing Shot Rifle unburdening him from the entire left side of his head. Like one had severed the strings of a marionette, he fell like a doll, and after spending a moment to scan the area for any more of them, I put the safety back on and turned around to face the others.

“Is everyone alright?” I shouted.

“Fluttershy’s been hit!” Twilight called back to me.

With wide eyes and a pang of dread, I sped down to meet them, trying my best not to spray sand at them as I did so. Fluttershy was on her knees, clutching at herself and shaking emphatically.

“It’s not… s-serious… but it really h-hurts!” she howled.

Rushing to her side, I moved her hoof to find a narrow wound on her shoulder. It was pretty deep, but the bullet hadn’t hit her dead on, thankfully it had only grazed her. Still, to see her in pain, and to see her blood now splattered on her shoulder, was nothing short of distressing. On the bright side, those responsible had paid the price.

“Come on, let’s get to the rocks and get this washed and dressed.” I instructed.

“No, it… n-needs dressing now.” Flutters wept.

Nodding, I knew not to question her on medical matters, and helped to remove her saddlebag and clothing. Taking her canteen, I washed any lingering sand from the wound, followed by applying a dollop of Oozima, spreading it evenly with my index finger. Though she winced and mewled in response to the pain, the mare was as good a patient as she was a nurse, keeping as still as possible while I applied a wad of gauze to hold the healing gel in place. Everyone commended her profusely for being so brave, and after applying a bandage for extra protection, I helped her back into her clothes.

“Right, let’s get you out of the sun now, yeah?” I suggested.

With a nod, poor Fluttershy continued to cry as she struggled to her hooves and limped across the desert with us. We were almost there when Rainbow Dash joined us again. She looked pale, and I could only presume she had been sick again. Her front hooves were plastered with blood, and I couldn’t help but see an exact copy of what had occurred in Portugal.

“I… made sure there aren’t any more of them.” she told me, barely able to make eye contact.

“Atta girl.” I replied, “You okay?”

“Not really, but… I’ll be fine. How’s Fluttershy?”

“Just a graze. She’ll be alright.”

Dipping her head, Dashie went to greet the others, who upon seeing the blood on her hooves, knew she had killed someone. However, given the fact she had played her part in saving our lives today, she wasn’t met with judgement, but rather, adulation. The high praise and words of thanks helped to raise her mood, and by the time we had reached the rock formation, she was slightly less shell-shocked. Finding a pathway up to the encampment, I went in first and relocated the bodies, moving them behind some crates on the far side. After that, the girls came in to rest up, with Fluttershy being placed on one of their mattresses after flipping it over.

“Who even were these people?” asked Rarity, “What were they doing out here?”

“Pfft, hell if I know, Libyans perhaps?” I murmured, “All I know is that they tried to kill us, so good fucking riddance to ‘em.”

“But why did they attack us? We didn’t even do anything to them!” Applejack exclaimed.

“Maybe they were protecting something?” Pinkie suggested.

“Or maybe they were just a bunch of cun-” I started, before cutting myself off and clearing my throat.

“A bunch of what?”

“Just a bunch of meanies, Pinkie.” I said.

With Rarity’s piercing gaze softening, I took to exploring the hostiles’ encampment. Most of the crates contained food, ammunition, and water, but one of them was different. Prying open the lid, I found a mix of foam peanuts and sawdust, protecting something delicate within. I kept digging, until I found something most interesting indeed.

“Oh blimey…” I murmured, “Pinkie, you were right!”

Everyone came over, and I presented them with what I had found. Though it wasn’t the artefact we were searching for, it was a tremendous find all the same, for in my hands rested a stone idol, depicting a regal-looking man with a scarab beetle for a head.

“What is it?” asked Twilight.

“It’s an effigy of one of the Egyptian gods.” I told her, “This is… thousands of years old.”

Looking over to where the dead bodies were, I came to the conclusion that they had been protecting this artefact, of which was likely stolen, in order to trade it on the black market. Twilight then asked how I knew it was depicting a god, to which I let out a bemused huff.

“Well, thanks to my autism, I tend to have little hyper-fixations from time to time. I went through a phase of wanting to learn about Ancient Egypt, and spent weeks researching all the gods. See the scarab head? That denotes it to Khepri, god of the morning sun, and alter-ego of the greater sun god, Ra. It was said that Khepri would resurrect the sun each morning, to allow for Ra, his true self, to carry it across the sky.”

As expected, Twilight hung upon every word, while some of the others weren’t all that interested. Either way, it confirmed why the men had shot at us. This relic was likely worth millions, and if we weren’t their buyers, we were loose ends. From up here on the rock formation, they wouldn’t have seen the difference between me and the girls, especially given their cloth garbs. They would have seen seven people coming towards them, and decided to open fire. Humming, I decided to hold on to the relic, with a mind that I could donate it anonymously to a museum one day. Taking one of the head garbs from the dead gunmen, I wrapped the idol along with some of the foam peanuts, and stored it safely in Twilight’s saddlebag.

For roughly an hour, we used the encampment to rest, before the girls grew too uncomfortable with the corpses nearby. Clambering down the rocky path, we moved out again, taking with us the additional canisters of water the gunmen had been drinking from. It wasn’t nearly as fresh, but with how quickly we were burning through our supply, every drop of water was vital. I also helped Rainbow Dash clean the blood from her hooves, by way of taking handfuls of sand and scrubbing them firmly into the stained areas. It worked a treat, and with Pinkie in the lead with the Buggy on her nose, we ventured off into the blistering sands once again…

That evening was a rather interesting one, for we delved into topics of morality, and whether or not our kills today had been justified, in spite of them attacking us first. Though Applejack, Pinkie, and Fluttershy took the stance that all life was sacred, the rest of us stood by mine and Rainbow Dash’s actions. That wasn’t to say anyone was angry with us, only that they wished there could have been another way. No one was particularly hungry, so we passed up on dinner and got to bed, with Rainbow Dash knowing just how to distract us from today’s events. Alas, we hadn’t quite waited long enough for everyone to fall asleep, and were quick to face the tent owner’s wrath.

“Oh for goodness’ sake… Will you two quiet down!?”

“Yes, Rarity… Sorry, Rarity…” I murmured faintly.

“This is getting ridiculous. Honestly, it’s like a brothel in here!” she snapped, “If I hear you both going at it one more time, you can sleep out in the cold!”

“Yes, Rarity. Sorry, Rarity.” said Rainbow, still sitting on top of me.

Tutting loudly, Rarity didn’t say another word, and we heard her rolling over. Equal parts amused and abashed, I clenched my jaw and looked up at my partner.

“Should we… um… Should we stop?” I whispered.

“Dude, I was nearly there.”

“Then keep your bloody mouth shut.”

She did just that, but to my dismay, the rustling of our sleeping bags betrayed us, and although she didn’t raise her voice again, I heard a hefty sigh of exasperation from Rarity, followed by the faintest mutter.

“Lucky bitch…”







Hearing the sound of a wingbeat, I sat up, narrowly avoiding hitting my head on the rocky ceiling. We had spent the past twenty minutes in a small cave to avoid the sun’s glare, while Rainbow Dash did some scouting from the air, in a desperate bid to find some sort of landmark. She landed outside the mouth of the cave and clambered in, puffing with exhaustion.

“Find anything?” asked Twilight.

Still panting, the pegasus drank from her canteen before answering.

“Sand, sand and more fuckin’ sand.”

Shaking her head, Rainbow reported that for as far as the eye could see, even from the air, all that lay ahead were rolling dunes. There weren’t even any more rock formations, meaning that once we left this cave, we would be exposed to the sun indefinitely. Sighing, I rubbed at my itchy, sunburned scalp, not knowing what to do. I for one was fatigued and weary, as were the others. My feet were blistered, my throat was dry, my head ached, and despite our best efforts to ration the water, we were running dangerously low. It was now our twentieth day in the desert, with our only saving grace being the lack of further hostile encounters.

“Well, we aren’t going to get any further by sitting in a hole. Let’s get moving.” I grumbled.

“There’s something else.” said Rainbow.

Tilting my head, I waited for her to elaborate, to which she said that not all the sand she had seen was on the ground. In other words, there was a sandstorm approaching, back from whence we had come.

“We need to move.” I ordered.

“But it’s so hot outside!” Fluttershy mewed, “I’m sorry, but I just can’t handle it today! Can’t we just stay in here until the storm’s passed?”

Shaking her head, Twilight pointed out that if we remained in this nook when the storm arrived, we could very well find ourselves buried alive. This was enough to motivate the others, but Fluttershy continued to protest. Rainbow Dash, having just exerted herself on a thirty-minute scouting mission, was having none of it, and chose to give her fellow pegasus some tough love.

“Face it, Flutters, we need to move. Look, I know you’re tired, but that doesn’t matter, you need to get your ass up and start walking.”

Sighing, Fluttershy did as she was told, getting to her hooves and forcing herself to plod over to the exit. We all took our last breath in the shade, before clambering out into the heat together, and with the sandstorm on its way, I tried to give everyone a kick up the arse to move on the double.

“Alright, team, listen up! Unless you want sand in every orifice you have, I strongly suggest you put a skip in your step! This is going to be horrible, but we’re in this together, so buck up and power through.”

Briefly motivated, we took off, marching up the first dune and into the flat beyond, where the sun had been cooking the sand for hours.

“It’s too hot! It’s hurting my hooves!” Fluttershy cried out.

“Then fly, you have wings.” Twilight snapped back, furrowing her brow.

“I’m too tired to fly!”

“Then deal with the pain, it isn’t going to kill you.”

Practically whimpering her concession, Fluttershy kept moving, wincing with every step she took. I hated it for her, and I wished there was more I could do. If I wasn’t so tired myself, I would have carried her, but between my splitting headache and blistered feet, I had no capacity to lend her aid. Besides, the hot sands were hurting everypony’s hooves, not just Fluttershy’s; if even Pinkie Pie could deal with it, then so could she.

It pained us all to be so bereft of sympathy, but with the sandstorm on our tail, we had no time for weakness, let alone exceptions for it. Turning around, I realised exactly what we were dealing with. Like a great tsunami of copper and bronze, a mighty flowing bulwark of sand was coming for us, inevitable, inexorable, and devoid of all mercy. It would consume us soon, with our only hope being to avoid it ‘til nightfall, and then take shelter within our tents.


For hours, we trudged, and up ahead was the tallest dune thus far. It was going to be one hellish climb; if there was one thing I had learned out here, it was just how gravely underestimated dune ascents were. Each stride was like wading through a strong river, constantly dragging me back down, with every four steps taking me only the distance of one. To aid myself, I embodied the ponies around me and went on all fours, using my hands to claw my way upward, while my legs pushed away.

“That’s quite a view.” Applejack huffed from behind me.

“What, my sweat-laden arse?” I panted back to her.

Chuckling, the farm pony powered forward and overtook me, leaving me to haul myself along beside Fluttershy, who was still quietly whimpering with each unforgiving step she was burdened to take.

“Come on, Flutters…” I puffed, “You’re doing great.”

She couldn’t even look up at me, the poor thing seemed to be on the brink of collapse. Looking skyward, I spotted Rainbow Dash contentedly soaring above us, using the breeze to simply glide up and over the dune.

“It’d be a whole lot easier if you flew.” I suggested.

“Can’t…” she gasped, “Can’t… f-fly… Too… tired. Can’t…”

She staggered sideways, and I knew in my heart that once we cleared this dune, we would need to stop. She couldn’t take any more, and it became less a matter of sympathy than it did a matter of safety; she was undoubtedly suffering from heat-stroke, and if she kept going like this, it could very well kill her. Clenching my jaw, I looked at her with concern, which was when I felt it… a light stinging against my neck. One by one, tiny grains of sand pelted the back of my head, and as I twisted around, my blood turned cold.

The storm was upon us.

“Everybody MOVE!” I bellowed.

It only took one glance behind them for everyone, Fluttershy included, to start sprinting as hard as possible towards the top of the dune. None of us had expected it to catch us this early, and without time to set up the tents, our best hope was to reach the other side of the dune and use it as a buffer against the coming gale. Rainbow swooped down to help Fluttershy, grabbing her from above and flapping her wings with all her remaining strength. I was left at the back, with my muscles burning as I raced uphill to catch up. I reached the peak just as the storm hit, with a hefty gust of wind sending me hurtling over the top and into Pinkie Pie.

“Ouch!” she squeaked.

“Sorry!” I groaned, getting up and looking around.

I spotted the others, scrambling to don their hoods and goggles. They then disappeared from sight, engulfed by the storm, and after getting my own goggles on, I guided Pinkie in the group’s direction until we found them, huddled around Fluttershy, who had since fainted from exhaustion. Moving Pinkie to the middle as well, I helped Applejack and Rainbow Dash to form a barrier, using our bodies to protect the most vulnerable from the abrasive tempest.

{Well, so much for evading this until nightfall!} Twilight shouted over the collars.

{You say that like it’s my fault!} I thought back to her.

{It’s not, I’m just freaking out!}

{Well, we’ll deal with it, okay?}

It was then that I realised something, and it was enough to make my stomach clench in fear.

“Pinkie, where’s the Buggy?”

Looking down at her own muzzle, Pinkie gasped, and proclaimed that she must have lost it when I had knocked into her. Everyone’s eyes bulged, and we all knew what this meant. Without that tracking beetle, we were as good as dead out here, and so I broke away from the cluster, crawling over to where I had come from. The wind howled in my ears, and even with the cloth garments, the sheer strength of the biting sands caused my body to sting. With outstretched hands, I fumbled around in front of me, patting and sifting the way forward, desperately hoping I would locate the one thing we had to find the way.

{Have you found it?} asked Twilight.

{Not yet!}

{I swear, if we’ve lost it…}

{Not helpful, Twilight!}

{Callum, we need that thing!}

{I’M FUCKING TRYING, TWILIGHT!}

The mare fell silent, and even as the storm grew in strength, I continued my search. And then, I found it! Grabbing it tightly, I pulled my hand up to make sure, and to my rage and dread, it was just a stone. Throwing it away with all my might, I cursed and swore at the top of my lungs, smacking the sand repeatedly. At this rate, I didn’t know where I was, and as the sandstorm shifted the dune around us, I knew that any further efforts would be in vain. It was gone, and there was no finding it again. I tried to make my way back to the girls, but I couldn’t find them either. With no other alternative, I curled up in a ball and lay there, cupping my nose and mouth with my hands to prevent breathing in any sand. Over the collars, I told Twilight that we would need to find another way, at which point she had another relapse, and with venom in her words, she told me that I had killed us. I didn’t have it in me to refute such a claim, for I couldn’t help but think that she might be right.

{I’m sorry.} I thought to her.

{I don’t want your damn apology.} she growled back, {Save it for whoever dies first.}

I didn’t bother replying to that, I just closed my eyes and clenched my jaw, doing everything in my power not to cry. Alone, angry, afraid, and rightfully scorned, I knelt there with my fists tightened, doing the one singular thing available to me.

Wait…

For two and a half hours, the continual lash of wind and sand assailed me, until at last, it relented. The light of the sun gradually appeared again as the storm moved on, dying on the horizon as we might in turn. Twilight had apologised for how she spoke to me, and as I stood up to remove my goggles, I spotted her and the others just a few yards away, completely indistinguishable from each other as the dust had painted them brown. I stumbled over to them for an array of hugs, with each frazzled pony being thankful to see me again. Fluttershy had woken up by now, and after a decent drink from her canteen, she seemed well enough to keep going. The rest of us had a drink as well, before clambering back to the top of the dune to gain our bearings, and it wasn’t good news.

“No…” Twilight breathed.

Joining her at the top, I realised what she had seen. In the wake of the sandstorm’s passing, the entire landscape had shifted, with each rolling knoll completely different in shape and size. There was no way of telling where we were now, with nothing but the sun to suggest which way we were going. I spun around slowly a few times, before dropping to my knees and murmuring hopelessly to myself that we were lost. In the simple act of falling into Pinkie Pie, and not checking to see if she still had the beetle, I had single-handedly brought our search to a grinding halt.


Even in her twisted, relapsed state, Twilight was right.
I had killed us.





> Chapter Thirty: The Death of Me
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





“I can’t believe it.” Twilight mumbled, “We’ve come so far… for nothing!”

Shaking my head, I was too disheartened to say anything. After twenty gruelling days in the desert, we had failed to locate the next piece of the Titans’ Orb, and now we never would.

{Are yous really giving up so hastily?} said Stardust, {Look, tracking beetle or no, we were heading east before the storm hit us. Let’s just keep moving in that direction, you never know, maybe we’ll find something.}

He was right. Even if it was wishful thinking, we could at least try to keep searching. Even if we still perished, at least we had truly fought until the final step. Standing up, I ordered Rainbow Dash to take wing, and see if the shifted dunes had revealed anything. Meanwhile, I gathered my friends close, and asked Pinkie Pie if she remembered which way the Buggy was pointing when compared to the sun’s position in the sky.

“Um, not super well.” she confessed, “Oh, but in the mornings when the sun came up, it was always slightly to the left.”

“That would make it… that sort of direction?” Twilight suggested, pointing into the distance.

“That’s our best bet then.” I muttered, “Let’s get moving.”

We were just readying ourselves to go, when Rainbow started shouting down to us from above.

“Guys! Guys, I see something! I see something!”

Excitement rippled through us, and we stared up at the pegasus as she swooped back down.

“What is it?” Twilight called up to her.

“I don’t know! It’s something shiny, like… way in the distance! It was flashing at me!”

“That has to be it…” I murmured.

“How far?” asked AJ.

“Like, two miles? I don’t know, maybe three?”

“Well, what are we standing around for? Come on, let’s get to it!” Rarity exclaimed.

With Dashie having just saved the day, our spirits were briefly renewed, and not a moment too soon. Pinkie started bouncing and whooping with excitement, and everyone was smiling and huffing with relief. Rainbow then fluttered down to me and I caught her, and I looked into her eyes and sighed.

“You’ve just saved our lives.” I told her.

I then kissed her without an ounce of shame, despite the fact that everyone was looking. Her lips were so dry and dusty from the sandstorm, but I didn’t care; I was too happy to care. Even if it was only temporary, and without any strings attached, she was my lover to some degree, and I was proud of my girl, who had just found our mark, and prevented us from wandering hopelessly in the desert, likely to our most untimely deaths. I put her down after that, and laughed awkwardly upon seeing the others’ faces. Fluttershy and Pinkie were both wide-eyed, having not expected such a blazon display of affection, while Rarity and Twilight looked upon me with a pair of smirks, eyebrows raised, and I couldn’t quite tell if they were looks of endearment, or judgement. Applejack on the other hand seemed distant, her expression blank, reminding me just how terribly dehydrated and exhausted we all were. For as great as this news was, we were still out in the sun, and needed to get moving.

“I’ll fly up to keep an eye on it.” said Dashie, taking off again.

With her now acting as our new compass, we followed the direction she was flying, and once she confirmed that she had seen the flickering glint again, she came down to join us. Along the way, despite the hope in our hearts, Fluttershy succumbed once again to her exhaustion, growing too weak and too overheated to walk any further. After tripping on a small mound, she tumbled over into a motionless heap, and was officially spent.

“Goddammit…” I exhaled, striding over to her.

I knelt down to check her over, and immediately felt a wave of dizziness and distortion, nearly falling over myself. The others came to a halt and looked at us, waiting with fearful anticipation.

“You need to get up.” I breathed, my voice hoarse and croaky.

She looked up at me with a deathly expression, with grains of sand dotted all over weary dilated eyes. Her cracked lips resembled that of burnt parchment, and they quivered intensely as she tried to speak.

“I… can’t… m-mm…”

Lowering her head again, the mare gradually went limp as her breathing became shallow and rapid. She was suffering from hyperthermia, and I realised without a shadow of a doubt that if we didn’t get out of the sun soon, the heat really was going to kill her. Closing my eyes and hissing through my teeth, I slid my hands under her body and started hauling her up. By the time she was off the ground and in my arms, I had almost passed out as well, with my vision distorting slightly, and my temples feeling like they were going to burst. Every part of my inner being told me to drop her, but I battled my instincts and continued to lift, until she was draped over my neck and shoulders, where I held on to her legs like backpack straps. After a few shaky, uneven steps, I found my new centre of balance and started to march, until I finally caught up to the others.

“Put her down.” Twilight ordered.

Ignoring her, I kept moving until I was at the front of the pack, only for Twilight to pursue me.

“Callum, I can’t have you pass out as well. I am ordering you to put her down. Let Applejack carry her, she’s strong enough to manage.”

For a moment, I considered it, but one look at AJ told me that she was on the cusp of fainting as well. For all the endurance she had from working tirelessly on the farm, the desert had bested her, and so it was that I disobeyed my command, and continued to tramp on with the pegasus on my back. Though she wasn’t happy about it, Twilight fell silent, and walked beside me with a look of contempt. I knew she was fighting off another outburst, by now I could see it in her eyes. There was this heartless look, devoid of the Twilight I had come to befriend. Thankfully, it didn’t last, and once she recovered, she thanked me for standing up to her, and risking myself to save Fluttershy.


For fifty minutes, we walked, and as we all neared our limit, I asked Rainbow to fly up one last time, just to be sure we were still going the right way. With the last of her energy, she took off, and after spotting the glint again, she came back down to us.

“It’s at the… top of the next dune.” she puffed, staggering to the right.

Nodding, we pressed on, and despite my legs feeling like they had turned to jelly, I forced myself to remain at the front, for I knew it would motivate the others to see me in stride, despite the fact I was still carrying Fluttershy. My intuition was well placed, for nopony stopped or stalled.

Until…

“Is that water?” asked Pinkie Pie.

“What, where?” said Twilight.

Before we could stop her, Pinkie charged off to an open flat, and my heart sank upon realising she had seen a mirage. I ordered Dashie to collect her, and she charged off to grab the pink pony, who had since launched herself face first into the ground. She was dragged back with tears in her eyes, wailing with a mouth full of sand that she had well and truly seen water.

{You know, being Pinkie, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if she shits out glass later.} Stardust remarked.

Twilight snorted with suppressed laughter at the comment, and ordered Pinkie to stop swallowing the sand and rinse her mouth out. But alas, it was too late, and after coughing excessively in response to the coarseness in her throat, Pinkamena proceeded to be sick. She then started crying, and it took Rarity and Applejack’s combined efforts of motherly comfort to calm her down. Now thoroughly dehydrated, she was made to drink plenty of water, and then we pressed on.

Soon after that, we reached the dune, at which point Fluttershy had woken up again. Unable to lug her up such a steep slope, I set her down, and she thanked me for what I had done, and apologised for making me carry her. In preparation for the ascent, we all had a big drink of water, and upon refilling the canteens, we discovered the harrowing fact that our reserves had run out. In our never-ending thirst, we had drained more water in twenty days than we had previously over six months. We had been so foolish at the start, boiling it for teas and hot chocolates during the cold nights, and Rarity using it to wash the sweat from our clothing. After refilling our stock at the mansion, we thought it would last longer, but under the merciless scorn of the desert, we had so ineptly squandered it. Each of us now had barely a canteen’s worth left, and I could only hope that after claiming the next Orb fragment, Hawnu Rey’eng would return to exfiltrate us.

If he didn’t, then even upon finding the next fragment, our lives could very well be forfeit.

We began the climb, with even Rainbow being too exhausted to fly any more. Side by side, we hauled ourselves up, and slowly but surely, we conquered it. With one final push, I made it to the top and started looking around, at which point I became rife with bemusement.

“Uhh, Rainbow Dash… where the hell is it?”

“What!?” she exclaimed, clambering up to meet me, “It was… It was right here!”

The others joined us as well, and we all started to question the pegasus on what she had actually seen. Describing it like before, she swore that there had been a flickering light, as though a sheet of metal had been reflecting the sun at her. Having seen it multiple times, she promised that it hadn’t just been a trick of the light, but with Pinkie recently falling for a mirage, our confidence began to stoop.

“You need to take off and start looking, because as of right now, you’ve led us to nothing, Rainbow.” I ordered.

Gulping, she took a few deep breaths, before forcing herself into the air once more. Pinkie then drank the last of her water, as did Rarity, as did Fluttershy. After a few moments of circling up above, Rainbow came back down, where we all waited for her answer. The mare’s mouth fell open, but not a word came out from it. She was frozen in equal parts confusion and despair, for even she now doubted herself, after her skyward search had come up utterly fruitless.

“There’s nothing here.” said Twilight, inhaling shakily, “There’s… There’s nothing here!”

With her defeated cry, Twilight crumbled to her knees, and the others started to fall apart. Fluttershy sat down and stared off into space, while Rarity started to pace in circles, muttering to herself.

“Oh, this isn’t happening… This isn’t happening…”

Understanding the gravity, and finality of all this, Rainbow Dash looked at me with wide eyes, and asked me if we were going to die. With a small shake of my head, I opened my mouth to tell her ‘no, of course we weren’t’, and yet just as she had found herself at a loss for words, I too, was left in stunned silence. I didn’t know the answer to that question… or rather, I did, but it wasn’t the answer anyone needed to hear. The silence spoke volumes, and with the notion that this was it for us, even Applejack finally cracked. Looking up to the sky, she fell to her knees as Twilight had, and to our collective consternation, the strongest of us all started to cry.

“I can’t… I can’t go like this. I… I need to see Apple Bloom! Please, I need to see her again! Please… Please don’t let me abandon her like Ma and Pa!”

The group completely broke down after that, with Pinkie Pie bursting into tears as well. After finishing her water as well, Rainbow Dash staggered over to me and said she was sorry, to which I hung my head and sighed.

“We had already lost the tracking beetle.” I rasped, “This isn’t on you. We were fucked hours ago.”

“What do we do?” she asked me with desperation, “You’re our guide! You’re supposed to know where to go! It’s up to you to get us out of a mess like this!”

“Yeah, well… I can’t.”

Nearly crumbling as well, I looked around at my friends, knowing I’d failed them. My dry throat closed up, and as the urge to cry befell me as well, I looked away into the distance, silently begging for someone to help us. Be it Celestia, Luna, the Guardian… hell, at this rate, I would even accept Nah’Lek’s help if it meant escaping this bitter end to our quest. In a desperate bid to find something, Rainbow tried taking off again, only for her to succumb to a bout of heat stroke, and come crashing back down into the sand. Fluttershy, with her little remaining strength, dragged herself over to Dashie, and used her wings to shield the poor mare from further exposure to the sun.

With nothing else to do, I spent the last of my energy plodding over to Twilight. Sinking down beside her, I placed a hand on her foreleg, and lowered my head.

“Any ideas, Egghead?” I croaked.

“Not this time.” she sniffled in reply.

“What about the rune? The one to send you all home? Forget the mission, what if you just… leave?”

“I can’t.”

Using the collars to save her breath, she explained that not only would failing this mission plunge Equus into certain doom, but even if she were willing, she literally couldn’t activate the rune. Unlike most runes, this one was protected by a seal, conjured by Celestia. It had been a precautionary measure, in case it fell into human possession and was used by those with nefarious intentions. Only strong magic could break it, certainly nothing Rarity was capable of.

“So, it’s useless?” I asked her.

Nodding, she said that unless Hawnu Rey’eng helped break the seal, or her magic came back, the runestone was little more than a doorstop. I asked why she hadn’t told me this sooner, and she answered by saying that such information was of use to no one, and would only cause panic. I knew she was right, and with that, I was all out of ideas.

{Stardust?} I thought, {Is there anything… anything at all you can do?}

{Lad, if I could help, I would’ve done by now.} he grumbled, {I’m sorry, but I cannae help you.}

{What, so that’s it, then? You’re just going to accept this? What happened to not giving up so hastily?}

{I… I thought there might’ve been a chance, but there’s not.} he replied with pain in his voice, {Look, I don’t know what you want from me. I’ve died once before, and if this is how I go for good, then so be it. At least I’m in good company.}

And so it was that even the mighty Titans’ Champion, Stardust Moonshimmer, of whom had bested Nah’Lek the Defiler in the open field, accepted his second end. I looked into Twilight’s weary, despondent eyes, and as she searched my own, I briefly pictured her lifeless body, baking in the sun, and I couldn’t bear it. Feeling one final flicker of desperation to save her, I forced myself up to my feet. I stepped forward, only for my vision to blur. I started seeing stars and dark blobs, and as lightheadedness took hold, I lost my footing.

“Cal!” Twilight whimpered, watching me as I fell.

Hitting the downward slope, I was taken away, sliding over to a smaller mound that jutted out from the dune. I came to a halt on top of it, which was when I felt something strange. The surface I now lay upon was hard, and now on the cusp of losing consciousness, I dug into it with my fingers. Scooping and swiping away, I tried to uncover what dwelled beneath, and came into contact with a flat, smooth texture, and upon blinking my eyes tightly to restore my vision, I spotted a bright glint. It was polished marble, and with a gasp, I realised that Rainbow Dash hadn’t led us to an illusion, it had just been covered by the shifting sand.

{Twilight. Twilight, I’ve found something.} I thought to her.

There was no response, and upon looking up, I realised that she had passed out. Unable to clamber back up to her, I raised my head to the sky and let out a bellow loud enough for everyone to hear, at the cost of losing my voice.

“Hey! I found something!”

Rarity and Applejack were the only two with enough strength to surface. They slid down the dune to meet me, with Rarity asking what I had found. Without the ability to speak, I simply continued to dig, until I came to the conclusion that an entire buried structure dwelled beneath us. That was when Stardust piped up with a brilliant idea.

{The rune to Equestria may be useless, but that tin-can bastard mentioned one that was good at shifting sand…}

{Seismic Resonance…} I thought back, finishing for him.

I then spotted Fluttershy and Pinkie up on the dune, having pulled themselves over to see what the fuss was about. Pointing to Twilight’s motionless body, I made a pushing gesture, followed by a beckoning hand. Quickly understanding, the pair of them nudged Twilight enough to send her cascading down towards me, and after moving her muzzle so it wasn’t planted in the sand, I dug through her saddlebag in search of the rune. Soon enough, I found it, and planted it further down the slope. I then passed Rarity a sorrowful look, and she knew exactly what I was asking. I needed her magic to trigger it, but with how dehydrated and overheated she was, it would surely cause her to blue out. However, with nothing left to lose, she conceded.

“If this kills me, I’m going to be awfully displeased.” she muttered.

Baring her teeth and preparing for pain, she ignited her horn, activating the runestone beneath us. She then screamed in agony and threw her head back, collapsing onto her side, just as the stone cracked open, releasing the spell within. A ring of light burst out and sand was flung in all directions, forcing us to cover our eyes. The mound was cast away, and we were all sent tumbling over, while the entire dune shifted as though it were an avalanche. It then came back in on itself, almost swallowing us whole as it flowed around us like water, until at last, it stopped. Opening our eyes, we stared in amazement as we came face to face with the true nature of what I had uncovered.

“Whoa…” breathed Applejack.

With the mound gone, what now stood before us was a carved marble door, which had since been blown open by the sheer force of the rune. It was pitch black inside, and at the sight of darkness, Fluttershy charged forth to seek the shade within. She was promptly followed by Applejack, with Pinkie Pie dizzily waddling behind her, and making sure to drag Rarity along too, I did the same. Now in the shade, everyone slowly started coming back to life, hugging the walls and floor in a bid to cool off further. Applejack then approached me, gripping me with her front hooves and staring into my eyes while her body shook.

“I thought… I thought I was going to die out there. Thank you!”

She held me tightly, with Flutters and Pinkie doing the same. That was when Rarity woke, creaking in pain and slowly rising to her hooves.

“We… made it?”

“Yeah, Rare… we made it!” AJ replied, going over to help her up.

Our eyes then adjusted to the darkness, and we spotted a sloped hallway, leading further into the abyss. With raw vocal chords that were drier than my lips, I was still unable to speak, and so I gestured for them to start making their way down. Meanwhile, my focus lay solely with Twilight and Rainbow Dash for they were still out there in the sun, roasting. Akin to earlier, my mind conjured a truly gruesome image, of both ponies half decayed in the sand, sizzling in the sun, slowly being eaten by insects and carrion birds. The thought was enough to give me one last burst of energy, one final moment to do my duty, and protect… my… girls!

Standing up straight, I marched out into the sunlight once more, doing all I could to battle the ebb of dizziness that sought to rob me of my consciousness. Going for Rainbow first as she was further away, I clawed my way to the top of the reshaped dune, and found the pegasus on her side, still unresponsive.

“I got’cha.” I rasped, bending down to pick her up.

Hauling her up onto my left shoulder, I staggered down for Twilight and found the unicorn half-awake, unable to even lift her head. With her face resting on the ground, she looked up at me with confused, distant eyes.

“Cal?” she slurred.

Saying nothing, I knelt down beside her and proceeded to do something very stupid. In a feat of strength beyond what I ought to be capable of, I was somehow able to get her up into the crook of my right arm and keep her there. Realising it was me, and that I was carrying both her and Rainbow Dash, she started making barely comprehensible protests, murmuring that even for me, this was too much. I didn’t listen, and even as my mind began to spin and my muscles started cramping, I refused to let my body fail me. Every second was excruciating, and along the way, I started to lose my senses, with my hearing becoming that of a high-pitched ringing, and my vision blurring further with each step.

By the time I reached the doorway, most of my vision was made up of spots and stars, and the ringing left me almost entirely deaf. I knew I was going to collapse soon, but even so, by some miracle I had got them out of the sun once and for all. Following where the others had gone, I made my way down the dark sloped path in search of them, swaying to and fro as I went. And then, as the slope started to level out, I came across something most curious indeed. Despite being underground, the way ahead was relatively well lit, illuminated by numerous sconces along the walls. Reaching one, I was met with a vibrant dancing flame, flickering with every perceivable colour on the spectrum, and crackling with little arcs of orange lightning.

{Wait, isn’t this…} I began in thought, only for Stardust to interrupt me.

{Godflame.}

My mouth parted in bewilderment, wondering where on earth we had found ourselves, if a product of divine magic was lighting the way. However, with two ponies weighing me down, and my head continuing to spin, I was unable to dwell on it. Pressing on, I continued to stagger down the hallway, with Stardust now pondering to himself on who was responsible for the godflame.

“Huh?” Twilight murmured, still only semi-conscious as she dangled at my side.

Unsure of how far away the others were, I tried calling out for them, not that I could produce much volume at the moment. Yet, hoarse as my voice was, the narrow stone passageway successfully carried what little sound I could make, and to my relief, I received a reply, and it was close.

“Callum?” Rarity’s voice echoed to me, “Callum, is that you, dear? Darling, we’ve found water!”

At that, my pace quickened, with Twilight starting to wake up properly. With the last of my energy, I sped down the passage to find the others just around a corner. They were standing on the far side of a large chamber, where upon the wall was a circular basin, thrice that in size to the average bathroom sink. Above it was the carved face of a woman who looked oddly familiar to me, though I couldn’t quite place it. The more important aspect, however, was that the face was crying. Pouring from her eyes, and flowing directly into the basin, was something I could only pass off as a true and honest miracle…

Water, just as Rarity had said.

“Please tell me this is real…” said Twilight, staring intently at the basin.

“It’s real, Twi…” I told her.

I staggered towards it, and the others gasped in disbelief at the sight of me, carrying both of their friends in spite of my own debilitated state. Reaching them, I set Twilight down, who with Rarity and Applejack’s guidance, was able to reach the basin. Without hesitation, she planted her muzzle into the water and drank away, gulping and gulping until she was forced to come up for air.

“Oh, dear sweet Celestia, thank you!” she gasped heavily.

She then moved aside as I brought Rainbow to the basin, where I carefully lowered her down so that her upper half was draped over the edge. With the others helping to keep her steady, I lowered one of my hands beneath the surface, exhaling with relief as its icy coolness soothed my sun-burned skin. I then gently sloshed some water around her muzzle, rousing her slightly, before cupping my hand and collecting as much as possible. Bringing my bowled palm to her lips, her instinct kicked in, and she shakily started to slurp at it. When it was all gone, I re-wetted my hand and flicked my fingers at her, lightly dousing her face with droplets, at which point she finally started coming to. Opening her eyes, she looked up at me with confusion.

“Wha-What… Callum?”

“Hey.” I whispered with a smile.

“Where… Where are we? Am I dead?”

“Not yet.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Sshh, just drink…” I hushed.

Looking down, she spotted the fountain, and in near-dramatic fashion, she plunged her face into it, drinking so much that we all noticed the water level deplete from the basin. She then pulled away and emitted a heavy breath, and now reimbued with the strength to stand up by herself, she turned around and stared at me.

“You… You saved me.”

“You saved us.” Twilight added, standing along beside her, “I don’t know how you did it, but… thank you, thank you!”

With spots and stars still blanketing my vision, I fought to make eye contact and smiled weakly. I then felt it, the sudden drift from consciousness as my overtaxed body finally gave in on itself, and I knew that I was fading.

“Don’t mention it.” I said blankly, just as my feet fell away from beneath me.

With everything turning black, I didn’t even feel myself hitting the floor; I was gone before I could reach it…





The first thing I felt was a frigid chill across my skin, followed by a shiver down my neck. Be it madness, or a lack of adjustment to the temperature, but I almost longed for the heat again. I then heard one of the girls, inhaling sharply as my eyes slowly flickered open.

“He’s waking up.” said Twilight, who was crouched over me.

“Uugh…” I groaned.

Slowly but surely, my friends all came into view. They were all awake and standing tall, having clearly drunk more water and regained their composure after such a harrowing brush with the end. How long had I been out for? My head was still pounding, and my whole body felt like it had been run through a mill. I tried getting to my feet, only to crumble back down into a heap.

“Whoa, easy partner. Let me help you there.” said Applejack, coming to my side.

Practically clawing my way up her, I rose to my feet and used her like a crutch, waddling over to the basin to at long last quench my thirst. Keeling over the stone lip, I was no different to the ponies who drank before me, planting my face into the icy liquid and gulping away without so much as a hint of restraint. The icy sensation spread down my throat and into my stomach, and as I continued to drink, I could almost feel my organs start to run efficiently again. I drank until my belly ached, and after that, I sat back down, allowing my body to slowly rehydrate itself, while the girls gathered around me to make sure I was okay.

“I can’t believe you carried us both at once.” said Rainbow, slumping down beside me.

“I can’t believe you carried either of us at all.” Twilight huffed, “You were just as tired as the rest of us.”

Shrugging, I said that I didn’t know myself how I had done it, only that I had envisioned them roasting to death in the sun, and knew that I had to act. Moved by such a notion, Rarity said that I was a hero, and though I outwardly denied it, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride. What I had done today, was like the penultimate scene in all the cliché films, where the protagonist surpassed their limits in one final act of selflessness, driven by the sheer necessity to do what was right. Scoffing, I couldn’t help but retract my view that such things were all nonsense, for today, I had proved that human limitations paled in the face of sheer irrepressible willpower. That said, I felt no inclination to press on now, and with water in my stomach, I asked if we could spend a moment resting before furthering our descent into wherever this place was.

“I was literally about to ask if we could take a nap or something.” Dashie chuckled.

With that, we did something which we hadn’t done in a long time, not since our flight back to England after finding the shard in Brazil. Piling up like a pack of dogs, we all fell asleep together, using each other’s bodies for support and comfort. With the collar still around my neck, I heard Twilight’s thoughts while we drifted, and with a smile on my face, I listened as she told me of her plan.

She swore that at the end of all this, she would have my name known to ponykind. It would be her personal project, to write the tale of Callum Horncastle, cataloguing all my feats and merits, along with every sacrifice and hardship I had faced, all to save a world I would never know.

{I’d like to read that…} I murmured in thought.

Simply exhaling, Twilight pressed her face into my shoulder, and with a heavy breath of my own, I allowed myself to drift off, shamelessly using Pinkie Pie’s tail as my very own cotton candy pillow.


When we were all awake again, we had another drink and refilled our canteens to the brim, before focusing on where we really were.

“What is this place?” asked Rainbow Dash, “It’s like something out of a Daring Do book.”

“I was just thinking that. I don’t know, a sunken temple, maybe?” suggested Twilight.

“I’m not sure.” I admitted, “Whatever it is, it’s nothing modern man has discovered.”

“What makes you say that?” Rarity quizzed.

Looking around the room, I pointed out that between undying godflame sconces and a never-ending fountain of cold drinking water, this place would have been all over the news if it was known about, not to mention closely guarded. As for who was responsible, Hawnu Rey’eng was the prime suspect, given his ability to wield godflame, but until we knew for certain, we kept our minds open.

“Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s get exploring!” Rainbow exclaimed.

Now better rested and rehydrated again, none of us had any reservations, and so we set off. To the left of the fountain was another open doorway, and it took us even further underground, until we were easily a few dozen metres below the golden dunes above us.

“The Orb fragment simply has to be down here, right?” said Rarity.

“I’m sure we’ll find out.” I huffed.

We then found a winding stairwell, which took us further still underground. At the bottom, we came across a double door made from stone, and with Applejack’s help, I pushed it open, and what lay on the other side left us open-mouthed and murmuring in amazement.

“Goodness me…” whispered Rarity.

Through the doors, we were greeted by a massive open hall, so big that I could barely see the walls at the far end, for darkness consumed the way forward, save for a number of pillars which held up the ceiling. We slowly stepped forward, which was when Pinkie Pie craned her neck and pursed her smirking lips.

“Yoo-hoo! Anyone home?”

Her high-pitched voice went bounding away into the shadows, before coming back to us in the form of an echo, adding a faint eeriness to the environment. I then took this a step further, by raising my chin and using my hands to magnify my voice.

“Bovvered!” I shouted, causing everyone to jump out of their fur.

Now grinning like an idiot, I was left all the more satisfied as Catherine Tate’s infamous catchphrase was repeatedly shouted back at me. I turned to face the girls, all of whom were scowling at me for startling them.

“Never… do that again.” Rarity hissed.

“No promises.” I told her.

Chuckling, I kept walking beside Twilight, whose right ear was now flattened to the side of her head. As we walked, our mere presence caused the overhead braziers to ignite, illuminating the room with more godflame. Now able to see, we were yet again astounded, for ahead of us was a mighty stone chair, roughly eight feet in height. It was a throne, carved to seat a man of far greater stature than myself. Approaching it, we took in the delicately crafted details, which was when my immaturity returned once more. Springing forward, I planted myself into the throne and proclaimed myself the new king of this place, and ordered my equine companions to bow before me.

“Get off of there, it could be dangerous!” Twilight barked.

“You are no longer the boss of me!” I spoke in a high and mighty tone, “I’m the king, I can do as I please!”

I then started wiggling from side to side, getting myself comfortable, all while Twilight continued to scold me.

“I’m being serious, Callum!”

“I can’t hear you, dummkopf!” I sang in a flamboyant German accent, “Ze king is getting acquainted with his throne! Look at mein posterior as it viggles, does it not suit this regal chair, ja? Viggle viggle viggle!”

By now, most of the girls were in stitches, with only Rarity and Twilight remaining unamused.

“Can you stop now? You’re being a baby.” said Twilight.

Raising my chin and looking away, I told her with a huff that I was merely embracing my inner child, who was now offended, and now wanted her to apologise for hurting his feelings.

“Oh, stop being so ridiculous. Honestly, that inner child of yours needs a good spanking.” Rarity scolded.

“Don’t do that, you’ll just make him horny.” I retorted.

The laughter reached new heights, with Twilight rolling her eyes and scoffing loudly. After that, I finally wisened up and hopped off the chair, denouncing my short-lived position of underground monarch. We returned to inspecting the throne, and I went around behind it to study the backrest. It was covered in weathered hieroglyphics, etched into the stone itself, and both above and below them was the carving of an important looking figure, of whom I could only presume was the person who used to sit here.

And that’s when I saw it.

“Oh, of course it’s you.” I muttered under my breath.

Clear as day, the figure appeared as a man; a winged man. A winged man in a helmet, with magic radiating from his outstretched hands. Our presumption had been correct.





“Hawnu… fucking Rey’eng.” I spat.

The others came around to observe it as well, and were quick to spot the depiction of him.

{How many years has this flappy bastard been alive for?} Stardust quizzed.

{If this is anything to go off? Thousands.} I replied in thought.

This new revelation only furthered the mystery. If he was this old, and had ties to Ancient Egypt, then our previous theories surrounding his identity were all but blown out of the water. At this rate, I wouldn’t have been surprised if he had contributed to building the pyramids. Knowing by now that he was fond of puzzles, I brushed along the surface of the stone seat, feeling with my fingertips for any telling bumps or ridges. I then rapped the base of it with my knuckles, and found that it was hollow at the bottom.

“Bingo.” I hissed.

Standing up straight, I used the reinforced cap of my boots to break it open with a firm kick. Inside was a small stone idol, not unlike the Khepri idol we had discovered the other week. This one however, depicted Hawnu Rey’eng himself, and upon pulling it out, I found it to be glowing faintly with his signature magic.

“I bet this fits somewhere.” I hypothesised.

{Up your-}

{Please don’t finish that sentence, Stardust.} Twilight ordered.

Snickering, the stallion obeyed, and then instructed me to break the idol. Frowning, I asked him why, and he said that Hawnu Rey’eng struck him as less of a ‘mystery key’ person, and more of a ‘cause to effect’ type of guy. I couldn’t refute his reasoning, and with a shrug, I placed it on the floor and proceeded to stamp on it. Everyone gasped, but as the statuette shattered beneath my feet, Stardust’s theory proved to be correct. An ethereal whooshing was heard nearby, and we turned to face it just as the wall behind the throne faded away, revealing a hidden tunnel.

{Illusory magic… How did you know?} asked Twilight.

{Lucky guess.} he replied, {Like I said, Tinny McBackflaps strikes me as a cause to effect sort of fellow, so I went with my gut.}

Silently commending him on being right, I took the lead, pressing on into the tunnel. More godflame sconces came to life along the walls, and after a few minutes of walking, we came to a fork. There was a narrow path to the left, and a larger path to the right.

“Which way do we go?” asked Fluttershy.

“I don’t know, but it’s a bloody good question.” I mumbled.

“What if we split up?” Rainbow suggested, “I’ll take the left route with Flutters and AJ, while the rest of you guys go right. That way, we’ll cover more ground.”

Shrugging, we all decided it was a good idea, and with that, we parted ways. With three heading left, the rest of us continued down the right path, and for a good while, all seemed well, until Pinkie started acting quite odd.

“Everything okay there?” I asked her.

“I’m not sure.” she hummed, “I feel kind of strange.”

I then realised that her tail was making erratic little jumps and jolts, at which point she gasped, and proclaimed that her Pinkie Sense was playing up. We were all quick to surround her, and having only seen it from the cartoon, I didn’t know how authentic it was compared to real life. With that, I asked how real the Pinkie Sense actually was, to which the girls confirmed that it was almost identical to how I knew it in its fictional form. In all fairness, she had displayed the ability to predict things before, from having accurate hunches, to outright ‘smelling zombies’ when Twilight had returned from near Pripyat, back before our collective departure to the irradiated city. In short, I knew better than to question it; if Pinkie’s tail was twitching, something was going to drop down from above.

“Well, the ceiling’s quite low, so unless it’s going to collapse, I think we’re good for now.” I murmured.

“We still ought to keep an eye on it.” said Rarity.

There were no arguments about that, and so we walked along at a much slower pace, with our eyes routinely darting up, just in case. Twilight then noticed that something was off, though it didn’t concern anything above us. Rather, it alluded to something below us.

“The floor… I think it’s hollow.” she pointed out.

Listening in, I could hear it too. With each step from the ponies’ hooves, there was a faint reverberation, indicating that we were walking on thin tiles, with nothing underneath them. Clenching my jaw, I started to feel unsafe, and my feelings were well placed, for with a few more steps forward, I felt the floor shifting downward slightly.

“Stop.” I commanded.

The others did as I asked, and with a glance up ahead, I saw one of the tiles fall away. One by one, more started disappearing, and with a gulp, I realised that Pinkie’s twitchy tail had been spot on, and that we were in very real danger.

“Get back, get back now!”

Turning around, we bolted just as the tiles beneath us started breaking apart. In a sudden race against time, we were fighting to outrun the collapsing floor, and just as the girls in front were able to reach solid ground again, the tiles below me fell away, taking me with them. Crying out in terror, I threw my arms out in a mad scramble for something to grab on to, and very luckily came into contact with a thin metal bar that stretched across the gap. Latching onto it with both hands, I held on for dear life, while the rest of the loose tiles fell all around me. Soon, the trembling stopped, and as the remaining tiles dropped into the abyss below, shortly followed by Twilight’s voice, calling down to me with desperation.

“Callum! Callum, are you okay? Also, are you alive? I probably should have asked that first!”

Looking up, I spotted her and the other two, looking over the edge at me.

“Yup, still alive!” I shouted up at them, “You know, just… hanging around!”

Pinkie laughed, while Rare and Twilight weren’t at all amused, with the latter pointing out that if not for the bar, I would be dead.

“A couple months ago, that would’ve been ideal for you!” I teased.

“Um, ouch?” she scoffed, before emitting a dainty huff and shrugging, “You know what? Go ahead, fall to your death, see if I care!”

“Oh, har har!” I jeered back, knowing she was only joking, “Well, at least we know why Pinkie’s tail was twitching.”

“Yup, it’s stopped now!” the pink mare confirmed.

Taking things a little more seriously, I wondered how I was going to get out of this mess. With both pegasi out of the picture, I wouldn’t be receiving a lift, and so I started looking around for solutions. Down below me was nothing but darkness, but just ahead, embedded into the wall, was a large rectangular hole. It seemed to lead to the lower floor directly beneath the girls, and I could only presume that it was part of the now-spent mechanism for the floor trap. Now, it would be my new route of exploration. Using the bar to my advantage, I started swinging back and forth to gain momentum, and then launched myself at the hole, grabbing onto the ledge and hauling myself up.

“Oh goodness! Callum!?” Rarity gasped.

“Did you fall?” asked Pinkie.

Shaking from the sudden burst of adrenaline, I puffed loudly for a moment, before calling up to explain that I had found a secret doorway. I then asked Rarity if she could take the Piercing Shot Rifle out of its case and lower it down to me, just in case I needed it for anything. Acquiescing my request, she sent it down via her magic, which had thankfully returned shortly after our nap. Once I had it in my possession, I said for everyone to turn back and follow Rainbow Dash down the left path.

“What about you?” said Twilight.

“I’ll find another way to reach you, we can use the collars to stay in contact!”

“Alright, if you’re sure. Take care of yourself!”

“Will do!”

I turned around and headed through the passageway, and after sliding out into some sort of storage room, I was quick to locate another flight of stairs, a very long one at that.

“I don’t think this’ll take me back to the girls.” I muttered.

{No, but it goes deeper. We might very well find the Orb piece down here.} Stardust replied.

Fully in agreement, I began to descend the stairwell, which just kept on going… On and on the stairs went, until at long last, I came to a small room, with a large wooden door that blocked the way forward. I went to push it, only for it to remain firmly closed. There wasn’t a handle, nor a place for any sort of key. It was either blocked by something on the other side, or there was another mechanism around somewhere, keeping it closed.

I scanned the door, the frame, everything, hunting for a loose panel or a button of some sort, but alas, there was nothing to be found. I even lay on my front and tried to look under the door, but it was much too low, crafted so perfectly that no light could be seen on the other side. Getting up, I tried speaking to the door, just in case Hawnu Rey’eng had rigged it to be vocally activated or something.

“Open sesame…” I said with a glimmer of hope.

Nothing.

“Open… salami?”

Still nothing.

“Open… you dumb fucking door?”

I tried a handful of phrases, even ‘mel’lon’ from The Lord of the Rings, but much to my disappointment, not even speaking ‘friend’ in Elvish caused the door to respond. Eventually, I grew impatient, and gave the door a firm kick. It rattled slightly but did not open, prompting me to ram it with my shoulder, upon which a faint cracking could be heard.

“Stupid… pretentious… feathery… twat!” I grunted, striking the door with each word.

Each impact caused the door to creak louder; whatever was blocking the door was breaking. Putting down the rifle and backing away a few paces, I decided that it was all or nothing, and clenched my fists in preparation. With a deep breath, I charged at the door and rammed it with all my physical strength. There was a loud snap, and the door finally burst wide open, sending me hurtling into the next room and falling to the floor. Puffing loudly, I turned around and spotted the culprit behind the door’s blockage.

It was a plank of wood. Nothing more, nothing less.

“Ugh…” I grunted, casting a thought to the Guardian, “Fuck you, and fuck your pyramids.”

I then turned around, and had to take a long… long look at what I was seeing, for it seemed impossible. As though I were back outside, I now stood upon sandy ground, and all around me were desert dwelling plants, from patches of lovegrass, to fruiting olive trees and date palms. It was an oasis, about the size of a football field, complete with a large pool of water, fed by a small waterfall, and bearing numerous lily pads and lotus flowers. None of this should have been possible, and yet it was, and that wasn’t even the most baffling thing. Like a miniature sun, a colossal ball of godflame floated overhead, suspended within a magical field near the ceiling, allowing it to blanket this hidden paradise with vibrant rays of multicoloured light.

What I was seeing… was beyond words.

“Bloody hell.” I breathed.

After going back to retrieve the gun, I continued to explore the oasis, which was when I spotted something that sent a chill running up my spine. Slowly rising up from the pool, came an ominous slender figure, roughly the same height I was. It was vaguely humanoid in stature, possessing two legs, and two pairs of arms, each tipped with long thin spikes, evidently designed to skewer flesh. Its skin was a bleak greyish yellow, with a smattering of dark pale pinks, and its face was like a bat’s, only uglier, with a set of long curved fangs.

“What the fuck are you?” I breathed.

{Oh.} Stardust muttered, clearly aware of something that I wasn’t.

The creature then raised its arms and hissed at me, and without a second to ponder, I raised the rifle and flicked the dial into the first firing mode.

Bang!

I had taken the shot just as it leapt at me, and though the bullet struck the animal, it was able to reach me all the same, pinning me to the ground and driving one of its spiked appendages through my left thigh, and another through my left bicep. I let out a howl of agony, and quickly clawed at its eyes, digging my fingernails in before it could harm me further. With a retching squeal, the animal staggered back, before winding up for another pounce. Rolling over to grab the rifle, I flicked the dial to the ‘P-S-M’ setting and prepared to fire, but I was much too slow on the draw. Before I could roll over again, the beast had jumped at me, and in a flash, one of its skewers had gone through my back, puncturing my right lung and emerging from my chest. The air was pushed out of me, and with a gurgling shriek, I rolled over to defend myself. Now firmly lodged inside me, the spike snapped off, and before another could pierce me, I brought the gun to the creature’s torso and pulled the trigger.

BOOM!

Taken back by the force, the monster was sent hurling away from me, with most of its chest cavity now scattered across the ground. It writhed around for a few seconds, confused and in shock, before it stopped moving altogether. Now with a spike through my body, I dropped the gun and let out an agonised series of whimpers and gasps, lightly touching the emerging blood-smeared tip with my trembling fingers.

{Fuck…} Stardust growled, feeling the pain for himself, {Agh! I always hated kirikans…}

{Wait, what!? There’s a kirikan in this place!?} Twilight shouted over the collars.

Barely able to comprehend what was being said, I lay there wheezing and crying to myself while Stardust continued explaining the situation to her.

{Just the one, I hope. It’s dead now, but we’re a bit fucked. Got a claw through the chest, right in the lung.}

{Oh shit! Oh fuck, fuck! Where are you!?}

{I don’t know, lass, somewhere deep underground. There’s plants, a pool, a waterfall… Callum’s crying like a wee bairn, so just listen out for him if you make it here. Well, unless we die before you reach us.}

{This isn’t funny, Stardust!} she snapped, {Callum! Callum, we’re coming for you, okay? Just stay awake! Fluttershy can help you, but for goodness’ sake, please, whatever you do, do not fall asleep!}

That was the last thing I needed to hear, the notion that I was… dying. Gods above, the thought of dying with Twilight still connected to my brain, it was too much to bear. Gritting my teeth, I forced myself up to my feet, and started looking around for a way that might lead back to the others.

“This… really… fucking hurts!” I snivelled.

{I know, lad, I know. Just focus on staying awake, alright?} said Stardust.

“What was that thing?” I asked him.

{A kirikan. Foul wee shites from the Everfree Forest. You’re lucky we spotted it when we did, those fuckers never usually have to strike twice.}

{But how did one get here? It’s a creature from Equus!} Twilight pointed out.

{I don’t know, and given that it’s possibly just killed me, I really don’t care.} I thought back angrily.

{Don’t say that.} said Twilight, {Don’t you dare. Don’t you dare say that! We’re coming to get you, okay?}

Pressing on in my search for a way out, I limped to the far side of the oasis, clenching my jaw so tightly that I chipped my teeth against each other. Moaning in indescribable distress, I soon came across a doorway, leading into another large hall, not unlike the throne room up above. However, this room contained no royal seat, nor any illusory walls leading to hidden tunnels. Instead, this room contained a crystal pedestal, glowing faintly as something powerful dwelled within.

“The Orb fragment…” I wheezed.

And then, without warning, my left leg stopped functioning as it should, sending me staggering down to one knee. It wouldn’t respond to me trying to lift it, and I realised that I was losing too much blood. Having died enough times in my brainscape, I knew what the end felt like to some degree, and with a pang of fear, I recognised that all-too-familiar creeping silence, approaching once again. Coughing up blood, it dawned on me that I was really dying, and with the kirikan’s claw still firmly rooted in my body, I sent a thought to Twilight, just as my eyesight started to blur.

{Look, I don’t want you getting your hopes up, Twi. I don’t think I’m going to make it.}

{Yes you are!} she clamoured back, {We’ve found some stairs, and they’re taking us down to you. Just hang in there, Callum!}

{Twilight, listen to me.} I murmured calmly, {I can feel myself going. My legs aren’t working properly and I’m struggling to see. Even if you get here before I go, there’s no way Fluttershy can fix this in time.}

{Stop! Stop saying this! Please, Callum, I can’t do this without you!}

{Yeah you can…} I croaked, {Thank you, Twilight. Thank you for giving me a life worth living.}

She replied by practically screaming at me in thought, begging me to stay awake, but before I could hear it all, I had taken my collar off, severing the connection between us. Whatever went through a person’s head when they underwent brain death, I didn’t want Twilight experiencing it.

With nothing to lose, I crawled over to the pedestal, and after shaking my head to clear my vision, I was able to see the object of unparalleled significance that dwelled inside it. Much to my confusion, I found myself looking upon not the Orb fragment, but something else entirely.

It was a sword.

“What the hell…?” I groaned.

{Well, this is unexpected.} said Stardust, {Hello, old friend…}

“What?” I asked him.

He didn’t reply, and so I reached forward to touch the podium, and at the slightest brush of my fingers, it cracked, caving in on itself and allowing the sword to clatter to the ground. Excluding the handle, it was made from a vibrant blue crystal, almost exactly the same as the Orb fragments, denoting that it was made from titanstone. With my mind now spinning, my last coherent thought was that I ought to die with a weapon in my hand, and so I grabbed the sword by the handle. In response, an icy cold sensation shot into my palm, so cold that it seemed to burn, and with a gasp, I tried to let go, only for my hand to remain frozen in place.

The ringing in my ears then intensified, and the edges of my vision darkened, until my mind at last slipped away as the final sleep arrived. Everything fell away, and in the great nix of the bodiless after, I perceived only a shifting and stirring of energies. I heard the wind, though I felt not its touch, and in the weightless nothing, I knew not of substance, nor of me, for I was gone now.

And then… a voice.
Six voices in fact, all speaking to me in unison.


“Child of stars, thy hand has graced Our instrument of retribution and deliverance.
You now stand within the Divine Crucible of Vitra ‘Aku.
Rejoice, the right to challenge for the mantle is now thine own.



We welcome you, O’ perished covetor of glory, to this holy place of Our making.
Welcome to the timeless domain of the Holy Titans of Harmony.”





> Epilogue: Once Upon a Mortal Coil
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





At the words of welcome, Callum’s sense of self returned to him, as did his sight. Bewildered beyond comprehension, he looked around to observe his new surroundings. No longer was he dying on a stone floor, but rather, he found himself standing on a misty circular platform, as though he were a pegasus standing upon a cloud. It spanned for a good hundred yards, floating in what appeared to be the outer reaches of some otherworldly space. The sky was a barely describable blend of orange, purple, black, and blue, painting a majestic sunset sky that was dotted with an abundance of stars.





Looking down at himself, Callum found every facet of his body to be glowing faintly, and without a shadow of a doubt, he knew he was dead. Wherever this place was, it was an afterlife of sorts, and upon looking up, his eyes widened as far as they would go, for looming above him were six vibrant, colossal, nebulous entities.

The first, and smallest of them, shone the brightest, pulsating with an unmatched aggregation of pure mana. It almost looked like a woman, in a dress perhaps.
The second appeared more like a plant, or possibly the seed of one. A seething mass of golden yellow leaves, with swaying pink roots emerging from all sides.
The third, a swirling purple mist, with a glittering white diamond-shaped gemstone at its core.
The fourth, and most intimidating, dwarfed the others with ease. It appeared as a mighty black and orange serpent, coiled endlessly around itself.
The fifth was a hot pink, like a mass of foamy cotton, with numerous thin tendrils that danced with exuberance; if Callum hadn’t been so star-struck, he might have noticed one of them waving at him in greeting.
Lastly, the sixth was like a mound of flesh and bone, sky-blue in colour and shaped not unlike a pony. It had one large eye, and was wreathed in rainbow-coloured fire, crackling with the telltale orange lightning that attributed it to godflame.

They were the Titans, true as the heart of the boy now standing before them.

“How is this possible?” he whispered, the words only just able to tumble from his lips.

They didn’t reply, instead taking a moment to inspect the boy. They peered into his very soul, and saw all that made Callum who he was. His thoughts, his ambitions, his strengths and flaws, all were made visible to them as they examined the human boy from beyond the stars. Growing bolder, Callum spoke again, asking how they were here in this place, given that Appelox had betrayed his brethren, and consumed them in his greed.

As with their greeting, they replied in unison.

“This realm was formed long ere the corruption of Mass, housed in the sword you sought to claim in death. On its creation, we divested here facsimiles of Ourselves, each bearing a portion of Our souls. We are mere shimmers of Our long-past selves, existing only to welcome Our chosen, and to exact Our will through them. In your limited understanding, you may liken Us most to that of shades, for thou’rt familiar with this concept.”

Swallowing, Callum started to wrap his head around such a thing, which was when his focus turned to Appelox. Furrowing his brow, he clenched his jaw, and sensing his thoughts, the mighty serpent spoke alone. His voice was the deepest, and though it carried far greater depth and power, it also bore the undeniable hint of Nah’Lek, confirming once and for all that the Defiler was indeed the betrayer’s son.

“I sense your disdain, and it is well placed. No lie shall be spoken, I am the father of demons, and the icon of greed, consumed to consume all. For eternity, I shall bear the weight of My outer self’s treachery. Nonetheless, here in the Divine Crucible, in the absence of a true form, take comfort in knowing this iteration of Me is no slave to My voraciousness… My deathless sin.”

Truth be known, Callum was in fact comforted, and though it seemed absurd, he felt a stab of empathy for the disgraced god. For this untainted part of Appelox, it must have been torturous to know his outer self had succumbed to his intoxicating greed, and committed such horrific acts of heresy, murdering his own kin, and birthing Nah’Lek the Defiler into the world. Callum accepted that this lasting piece of the Titan of Mass wasn’t evil, and with that, they returned to speaking in unison.

They explained what he was doing here, and that since his passing, his soul had slipped into the Titans’ Sword, which went by the name ‘Vitra ‘Aku’, meaning ‘Soul Taker’ in the long-forgotten First Tongue. In short, when this holy blade made a kill, or if it was touched in the moment of death, the victim’s soul would be absorbed into it, and they would find themselves here in the Divine Crucible. Usually, they would be broken down immediately, their soul liquified into pure mana, to be used as fuel for the Titans’ Champion.

As for why Callum hadn’t met this fate, the answer was simple. At the moment of his death, Stardust Moonshimmer had died with him, leaving the sword’s ownership in a most unorthodox state of affairs. With two souls in the Crucible, and no living body between them, Vitra ‘Aku now belonged to both nobody, and to Callum and Stardust in unison.

“So, where does that leave me?” asked Callum.

“Where’d you think, lad?”

At the sound of his voice, Callum whipped around to spot his old passenger just a few feet away, glowing in a similar fashion. Huffing with surprise, the boy broke into a smile, and ran forward to give him a hug. Though the unicorn reciprocated, his face remained sour, for unlike Callum, he knew what was to happen next.

“It’s good to see you again.” said Callum, pulling back.

“Yeah, you too, lad.”

Spotting the pain in his eyes, Callum asked what was going on, to which the stallion exhaled through his nose and looked up to the Titans.

“Something these fuckers have wanted for a long time.”

There was a moment of silence, before at last the penny dropped. Callum realised that the Titans were in need of a new Champion, and that Stardust’s choice to end the cycle thousands of years ago had only postponed it. Now, it was time for the Champion to arise anew, but with two souls present within their holy blade, a decision was required. Looking up to the Titans, Callum awaited their clarification, of which they gave him.

“Until his treason, Moonshimmer served beyond adequately. With his fated Calamity usurped by the Defiler, he faced odds beyond his destiny. Further still, he ended the Repugnant War, bringing forth an age of peace for the world We so tenderly created. Alas, peace is but a flame, a passing flicker that grants the illusion of life. Like the fate of all flames, the peace now dwells on the cusp of being extinguished. The son of Mass has returned with a vengeance, and like before, he has become the next Calamity. He is the rising storm. Where is Our Champion to stop him? Where is the blade of which Our world may call upon in their time of need? Will you once again answer the call, Stardust? Or are you to be replaced by this aberration? This seeker of glory, and child of stars?”

Gulping, Callum turned to look at his friend, and finally understood why his eyes were brimming with such woe. This moment offered a second chance, either for the long-dead stallion to return from the grave and renew his role as Champion, or for the boy to succeed him and take his place. Resurrection was on the table, but only for one of the two souls standing here now.

The other would be consumed by the Crucible…

As with Stardust, Callum’s face was now painted with devastation, and it wasn’t long before he began to bargain.

“What if we both became Champion? We’ve shared this body for long enough, why can’t we-”

“Save it, lad.” the unicorn spat, “These eldritch bastards aren’t ones for making deals. I’m sorry to say, but this is the end of the line for one of us. From the moment you touched the fragment containing me and I hopped into your noggin, this day has been a long time coming.”

Gulping, Callum asked what was to happen next, and the answer was as difficult to say as it was to swallow.

“I wish it were another way, truly I do, but if there’s one thing I’ve learned from serving the Titans, it’s that duty comes first, as does tradition. We’re to fight, lad… to the death.”

Callum started shaking his head, to which the unicorn gave him a warm smile.

“It’s okay.” he said gently, “I promise you, there’s no ill will. This is the Titans’ decision, not your own. Besides, we’ve already died, it’s not like we’re taking each other out in the waking world. It’s just a fight to determine who comes back, and if that happens to be you, then… ahh, that’s just how the dice roll.”

“This is Hawnu Rey’eng’s fault.” Callum rumbled, “He didn’t take us to the next Orb piece, he took us to this sword, hidden in his own fucking temple! We’d still be alive if not for him. He set us up!”

“Aye.” the unicorn agreed, “Whoever he is, I’m willing to bet he works for this lot.”

Gesturing up to the Titans, he went on to say that the Guardian must have been an agent of their divine will, sent to restore their cycle of Champions and Calamities. It made sense, given his name’s translation. He was the protector of the balance, and for some reason, the Titans’ cycle was essential to that balance.

“I don’t want to fight you.” said Callum, hanging his head.

“Nor I, you.” Stardust confessed, “After what we’ve faced together, you weren’t just my vessel. I want you to know, I truly do consider you my friend. Ah, who am I kidding? You’re my brother. But I’ll be straight with you, lad, I want to live now more than ever before. This last ride has reignited my flame, and so I must confess, if this is how it needs to be, then I’m willing.”

Gulping, Callum asked what would happen if Stardust were to win. It was the Titans to reply, detailing how if Moonshimmer was victorious, he would assume control of Callum’s body, and live on as though it were his own. As for Callum, the Crucible would break down his soul, converting it to raw mana for Stardust’s consumption; that was all a soul was to a Champion… fuel.

“I want to live as well.” the boy confessed, “Sounds mad to say, given how often I don’t, but those girls need me, Stardust. Twilight needs me.”

“I’ll take care of her.” he assured him, “You haven’t a thing to worry about in that respect.”

Comforting as that was, it wasn’t enough. Callum needed to see this through. The Princess had selected him for this mission, and he wasn’t going to allow death, nor his friend, to stand in his way. Sensing his determination, the Titans spoke once more.

“Many challengers have come and gone. Beyond even the war, the attempts on Stardust’s life were vast, with would-be Champions arising for the mantle. But not one of them stood here as a friend, as you do now. Child of stars, this conflict you face, paired with your desire to protect Our creations, is nothing short of admirable. Your body is not of our world, and your heart and mind are unbalanced, though your soul is aligned without flaw. The mantle would certainly receive you.”

There then came an ethereal whooshing sound, and from above, a rift in space opened. From within, came the Titans’ Sword, where it descended gradually until it floated between Callum and Stardust, awaiting one of them to claim it. They both stared at it, while the Titans continued.

“First, you must prove yourself to us. You are to take the life of this individual, or be taken in turn. Friend or foe does not matter, Stardust understands this. You in turn, must accept the fate of this ilk, and face the trial before you.”

Turning to Moonshimmer once more, Callum looked upon his friend with hesitancy.

“Are there rules at least? You’ve got magic. What do I have?”

Smirking, Stardust shrugged, aware of Callum’s disadvantage.

“Well, if you’re faster than me, you might just get to the sword before I do. If not? Well, I’ll make it quick for you.”

“Wonderful.” the boy deadpanned.

With that, the stage was set, with the Titans giving one final command before the contest began.

“A traitor to Our will, and a creature beyond Our design… not Our finest selection. Alas, in this age of broken fates, even We are unable to choose what lies ahead. The only choice available is the one you make now. Will you allow your friend to take your life, and consume your soul for their own? Or will you fight, to the mortal plane absconded, and stand as nemesis to the looming Calamity? You… conquerors of adversity… give us your answer.”

Stardust ignited his horn with anticipation, and Callum clenched his fists.
The answer was given.


Callum moved first, darting forward to take the blade, only to be thwarted by a telekinetic blast from Stardust. It shunted him back, but the sword was also knocked in his direction, and though the unicorn made a dive for it, Callum was able to catch it first, deeming him its owner.

“You went easy on me.” he grunted, getting a feel for its weight and reach.

“You’d be surprised.” the unicorn huffed back, “I was hoping to send you further.”

“Why didn’t you just take the sword with your magic?”

“Had to touch it first. You beat me to it.”

“You told me to.”

Scoffing, Stardust shot a fireball at Callum, who quickly hopped out of the way.

“You’ll have to be quicker than that, old boy.”

“Ahh, why’d you have to say that, lad?”

More fireballs were cast, this time in greater size and velocity. This was then followed by other spells, ranging from dart-like shards of crystal, to arcs of cutting energy, and bolts of lightning. Callum was hard-pressed to avoid them, jumping, ducking, and weaving from side to side. He was then caught by a fireball, burning into his outer hip and leaving him hissing with aggravation. This was too easy for Stardust, and Callum was forced to go on the offensive, prompting his foe to move more and fight less. The tactic worked a treat, and as Callum closed in on the pony, Stardust was pushed into casting more defensive spells, summoning shields and teleporting away to avoid slashes and thrusts with the sword.

“Ugh, stand still!” Callum barked.

Doing the opposite, Stardust teleported behind him, only for him to whip around with the blade, catching the unicorn’s ear and severing it near the tip.

“Agh!” he hissed, backing away, “I should’ve hopped into Twilight’s body and left you with a brain fart, you persistent wee shite!”

“Ooh, trading insults now, are we? What, hoping to throw my focus?”

“If you want insults, I’ve got plenty.”

And so amidst the flash and swing of horn and sword, verbal blows were exchanged as well. Callum was chastised for his idiocy in once believing his friend had been Conscio, a split personality derived from his torture in Brazil. In turn, Stardust was deemed a selfish parasite, using Callum as a means to escape death, hiding inside his skull like a cowardly worm. As it happened, the insults did work to sway each other’s focus, with Callum cutting open the unicorn’s shoulder, followed by Stardust landing a blow in return. The boy was met with a bolt of electricity, hitting him square in the chest and momentarily stunning him. It didn’t last long however, for the shock was drawn out of him by the sword in his hand, as though it had taken the brunt of the spell. He felt the power surge in his palm, and on impulse, he thrust in Stardust’s direction, sending a smaller bolt straight back at him through the tip of the sword.

“Shite, not even I knew it could do that!” he exclaimed after jumping out of the way.

“I like this thing…” Callum growled.

Grinning, it dawned on him that some of the spell had been absorbed by the weapon, which could then be cast back at the unicorn. In other words, the sword could exploit magic, allowing its user to harness certain spells, even if they weren’t capable of magic themselves. In the very definition of ‘return to sender’, Callum used the flat of the blade to block fireballs, beams, and bolts, absorbing their potency and propelling them back at the stallion. Stardust was losing now, and he knew it, so he took to using spells Callum couldn’t exploit, conjuring illusions, duplicates, and bright flashes to disorientate him. It worked, barely, and gave him an opening to buck Callum with his hooves, hard enough to send him tumbling over. Though he caught himself with a roll, he was left open, and one of Stardust’s fireballs smacked into the side of his head. With his ear now skinless and sizzling, Callum glared at his friend, his nose now flooded with the scent of burnt hair and scorched flesh.

“Argh… that one felt personal.” he hissed.

“What’d you expect, lad? I’m trying to kill you! Dying hurts, you know!”

“Oh, I’m well aware.”

The fight continued, and hoping to speed things along, the Titans reduced the size of the arena. An impassable wall of fog appeared around the duelling warriors, shrinking in size and forcing them closer and closer together, until there was little room for evasion. Making a swipe for Stardust’s flank, Callum was able to sever the unicorn’s tail, cutting it at the base and leaving a bleeding cerulean stump, slowly dousing his rear end with crimson.

“Ow! Too fucking close!”

“Oh, I can get closer…”

It was all or nothing at this point, and after emitting a dazzling flash, Stardust hit Callum with another bolt of electricity, so powerful that it ought to have stopped his heart, only for the most of it to channel into the sword instead. Bellowing in pain, Callum swung the blade at his foe, returning fire with a swirling arc of lightning. It smacked into Stardust, briefly paralysing him, and it was enough to seal his fate.

Darting forward, Callum delivered a sideways chop, completely severing one of Stardust’s forelegs. With a guttural yelp, he sprang away, only to fall onto his back and emit an agonised growl.

“Aarrgh! Fuck me, you could have made it painless at least!”

“I’m sure you’ve had worse.” Callum grunted, gripping the unicorn’s horn to prevent further spells.

“G-Get off, I’m done, I yield!” he spat, shaking his head free, “You got me, just end it already!”

Hesitating, Callum’s hostility subsided, and he realised that he was truly about to kill his friend. No, it was worse than that. They were already dead, and in this execution, he would be permanently destroying the pony on a spiritual front. After all these centuries, he would finally be snuffed out for good, and he wouldn’t even have an afterlife. He was the Titans’ Champion, one of the greatest there had ever been, and his only reward was oblivion, to be wholly purged from existence. It wasn’t fair, and as Callum sank to his knees, he tilted his head.

“Any… last words?” he sighed.

With a wheezing laugh, the stallion broke into a grin.

“What, hoping for some great final revelation, eh? Some life-altering words of wisdom? Nah, I’ve got fuck all for you, lad. Oh, except… I do know Hawnu Rey’eng’s true identity.”

“Oh, fuck you.”

The both of them broke into laughter, with Stardust admitting that he was just joking; he had no clue who the mystery Guardian was. Wincing, he put his remaining front leg on Callum’s wrist, and commanded him to see it through.

“I don’t want to.”

“Aye, but you must.” the unicorn groaned, “And I mean what I said, there’s no hard feelings. You won, fair and square. Those insults were a load of shite, there’s no bad blood here, only my own.”

There was another laugh between them, before Stardust looked into the boy’s eyes and smiled.

“You really are my brother, Callum, more than Starswirl ever was. I want you to know that. This time we’ve had together, it’s been bloody mental, and I’ve enjoyed… every damn second of it. Now, put an end to me flapping my gums before I get sentimental.”

Rife with emotion, Callum sniffed, and slowly raised the sword, which was when from out of the blue, the stallion cried out with desperation.

“Wait! Wait, wait, please!” he begged, as tears formed in his eyes, “There’s something else.”

Aside from his trembling hands, Callum remained still, and gave the briefest of nods. Now crying, the Titans’ Champion stared into his successor’s eyes, and bared his teeth.

“I need you to do something for me.” he hissed, “I couldn’t… I couldn’t bring myself to, but I need… I need you to pass on a message. Can you do that for me?”

“Of course.” said Callum, “Of course I can.”

Sniffling, Stardust raised his face closer to Callum’s, and as more tears came spilling down his face, he made his innermost need known.

“I need you to tell Twilight that… she’s beautiful.”

The boy froze, with such a simple wish catching him off-guard. Without a word required, his need for elaboration was registered, and the unicorn continued.

“After what Nah’Lek did to her, she thinks of herself as spoiled goods. I see it in her eyes, every day. She thinks she’s worthless. She thinks she may as well be dead. I cannae stand it! Please, even if it comes from you, and you never mention my name, I need to know you’ll help her see otherwise. Please, Callum, it’s the only thing I need from you, please just tell her she’s beautiful.”

The desperation in his voice was enough to rattle Callum, and looking into Stardust’s eyes, he saw it, the undeniable flicker of a yearning unlike anything he had ever seen.

“You love her.”

“Well, there’s your big fucking reveal.” he whimpered, “Aye, I love her.”

“But… I thought… you and Celestia? I thought you were her Little Star? I thought she was the one you loved?”

“She is.” he confirmed, “She and Twilight both. Ah, it’s complicated… Look, I dinnae expect you to understand, and I haven’t the time to explain it, just… can you please do this for me? Please!”

Almost falling apart, Stardust wept, until Callum assured him with hand on heart that his message would be delivered. With the Titans as his witness, he swore that Twilight Sparkle would know her worth, and be told that she was beautiful. At this, the stallion’s crying came to a halt, and with a tearful smile, he gave his solemn thanks.

“I’m sorry…” he croaked, “I didn’t expect to get like this. I’m just scared, you know?”

“It’s alright.” Callum breathed, “Is there… anything else?”

“Well, now you mention it…” he muttered through his teeth, “Over my time as Champion, I bedded many ponies, among other things, but never an alien monkey from outer space. So, I just wanted to say… thanks for letting me share Bunnie with you. Honestly, she was a gr-eAcK-!”

Before his sentence was done, Callum had slipped the sword hilt-deep into his chest. It had been obvious why he’d mentioned Bunnie in such a crass change of subject; he was ashamed of his tearful confession, and wanted Callum to swiftly bring about his end, along with getting the last laugh. Knowing this, Callum knew it had been time to silence him, and with a loving smile, he dipped his head with respect.

“Goodbye, my friend.”

A weak simper formed on his quivering lips, and upon closing his eyes, the ancient hero went limp. The light from his body left him, flowing into the Titans’ Sword. Pulling it free, Callum rose to his feet and looked at what he had done, feeling a wave of darkness crash down upon his heart.

Stardust was his friend, and he had just killed him.

The fog dissipated, as did the stallion’s corpse, and with a gulp, Callum looked up at the Titans as they spoke to him.

“The victor has been decided. Congratulations are in order, for this test was not without a great display of will. To best not only Our chosen, but a companion of bloodless kinship. You have done well. Your resolve is vast, as is your untrained skill in battle. This is not coincidence, nor is it luck. Your proficiencies stem from a most potent soul indeed, which shall grow further with each life you take, including Moonshimmer’s.”

Shaking, Callum said that he didn’t understand, and so the Titans enlightened him.

“Vitra ‘Aku is more than a sword. It is the bridge between you and divinity. As you now know, this blade engrosses the soul of those it kills, where in this Divine Crucible, they will be refined into mana. You may then use this mana, to either heal your wounds, or immutably strengthen your own soul.”

“Strengthen my soul?” he echoed, “Like what happened to me in Ukraine?”

“Correct. Through will alone, you may command your armament to incur the art of soul steeling, wherein the innermost nectar of your being shall grow in potency. Your strength, reflexes, endurance, and more, will all be emboldened. This is the way of the Champion, to grow in power with each soul you strip from reality, until no mortal could hope to challenge you. Only then, may you face your Calamity, and quell the world’s encroaching end.”

“I think I understand. With each soul I consume, I become stronger?”

“A simpler elucidation, but you are not incorrect.”

Nodding, Callum wondered how such a powerful artefact had never fallen into the wrong hands. Sensing his thoughts, the Titans explained that when Vitra ‘Aku was touched by anyone other than the Champion, it would grow colder than any living being could withstand. It was untouchable, lest the trespasser’s grasping limb be frozen solid. As for magic, the fight with Stardust had demonstrated how only the owner could lift it, ensuring without flaw that it could not be used by anyone other than the gods’ chosen.

Understanding the ins and outs of his new prize, Callum changed the subject.

“When you first spoke to me, you called me the coveter of glory, what did you mean by that?”

Almost amused, the celestial beings responded with a hint of condescension.

“That, child of stars, is a question we may answer with another. What is it that you truly covet? Locating the Orb is your duty, safeguarding your friends, your agreeable privilege, but your true motive lies in the need for glory. You desire reverence beyond your passing, to leave the mortal world with the knowing that your deeds, along with your story, will be remembered for all time.”

“You make it sound like a bad thing.” he grumbled in reply.

“It is a distraction, an interference to your responsibility. Nothing lasts, little Champion. Not even Our true selves endured the test of time. History is a false promise, with truths eroding with each turn of the world. Be it years, centuries, or even aeons, you will eventually be forgotten, as will everything you have ever done. But a thing is not important because it is remembered. Your deeds are, and will continue to be, nothing short of heroic, and your mortal acts will set the course for the future. But your quest for glory may hinder this, so unto you We command, abandon this foolish notion, for no matter how tender, how exquisite, a lie will remain a lie!”

The raising of their voices shook Callum to the core, and it forever changed him. They were right, and he knew it. His name was meaningless, and that was nothing to mourn, for this wasn’t about him, it never had been. This prestigious role was no mantle of glory, it was a torch, passed from bearer to bearer, in the eternal quest to preserve Equus. As Champion, and by stopping Nah’Lek, Callum was directly shaping the world’s future, a fact that would never change, even after he was dead and forgotten.

“I understand.” he said firmly, raising his chin.

“We know.”

A rift opened in front of him, and the Titans gave their final command.

“Go now, child of stars. Be reborn, and forge a new fate for our world.”

“A new fate?” he murmured, “This was never my destiny?”

“No.” they replied, “We hold no authority over your kind. We only weaved the fate of Equus, which was fractured upon the betrayal of Mass. For you, a foreign Champion? There is no path, rather you are free to craft your own. This is an uncharted frontier, unbound, untouched by Our foresight. Use this to your advantage, for your choices as Champion will either conserve this reality… or destroy it.”

“No pressure, then.” Callum muttered.

Amused, the Titans emitted something akin to laughter, before fading away altogether. Now alone, the boy took a deep breath through his nose, and with sword in hand, he stepped into the rift to claim his future.


And thus began the next chapter of his life, with his newfound title, blessed by the very gods.
Callum Tobias Horncastle, Champion of the Holy Titans of Equus…