Dead on the inside

By the time the first light of dawn reached Inhio, he was already wide awake and was watching and listening to everything around him as the ponies around town started waking up, one after another. Inhio hadn’t slept this well in ages. Who would have ever thought that he could get such a good night's rest from just sitting on a bench? Inhio was more than ready for whatever was to come. After the pleasant night he had a good hunch that this would be the day he gets to smile again.

A few ponies had already begun to walk through the streets. As expected, not one passed by without looking at the cowboy that seemed to be watching each and every one of them. Some still didn’t like the thought of him being here. Some wondered if he’s here to stay for good. Some didn’t really care and some just plain didn’t know what to make of all of this, but either way, none were really afraid of him anymore, even though parents still held their fillies and foals close to them whenever they walked by him.

All of a sudden, a door next to Inhio slammed open. The loud slam was followed by an even louder shout. "Top of the morning to ya, Rainbow Dash!”

Rainbow’s tail was still hanging over the edge of a cloud. It disappeared for a moment as she turned around. She rubbed her eyes and let out a loud yawn, followed by some stretching. "Morning, Pinkie.” At first, the sleepy pegasus thought that the man next to Pinkie was still asleep. She stared at him for a moment and saw him wave to her. "Morning, Inhio.”

Pinkie Pie hadn’t even noticed that Inhio was sitting on a bench right next to her. She turned her head towards him when she heard her friend greeting him. "Oh! Hey Inhio, didn’t see you there!” She giggled.

"Morning,” Inhio returned the greeting. The four other ponies started appearing, one by one, soon afterwards.

"Morning, Fluttershy.” Rainbow Dash greeted her friend as she saw her flying past her cloud.

"Oh, good morning, Rainbow Dash!” Fluttershy was expecting to see Rainbow’s tail hanging over the edge of the cloud as she passed by, and had just assumed that she wasn’t on it anymore after not seeing it.

Fluttershy greeted Pinkie and Inhio and got greeted back. Applejack arrived right after Fluttershy, and after her, Twilight and Rarity practically arrived at the same second. After everyone was done greeting each other, the ponies grouped up a small distance from Inhio in order to discuss their further course of action.

"Right, so, we’ve wasted some time, but we can still make up for it!” Twilight began the conversation by jumping straight to the point. "So, what have you got?” There was no response, only eyes swinging around and every pony expecting another to say something. "Come on, girls! You must have thought of something during the night!” Again, there was no response. The ponies only kept rubbing the back of their heads and awkwardly staring at each other, feeling too ashamed to admit that they haven’t got a clue on how to solve their current problem. "Really? None of you have any ideas? You had the whole night to think and none of you did a thing?!” the displeased pony shouted at her friends.

"Hey, I don’t see you having any bright ideas! And you don’t exactly look like you’ve been up all night, either!” Rainbow Dash replied in a tone just as displeased.

"I, uhm...” Twilight rubbed the back of her head and blushed in shame as her friends reproachfully stared at her. "I’m sorry.” Her tone filled up with regret. "I couldn’t think of anything and put all my hopes on you girls...I came here already assured that you would have figured something out...I got so carried away, I’m so sorry!” After the way Twilight nearly begged her friends for forgiveness, it was hard to hold it against her, even though her friends did seem a bit mad at her at first.

"Aww, it’s all right, sugarcube.”

"No...it’s not alright. Don’t you see? We’re running our of time, we have to think of something, quick!”

"Calm down, Twilight! I mean, look at the guy.” Rainbow Dash directed everyone’s attention towards the cowboy on the bench. "Does he really look like he’s about to snap at any moment?” Rainbow’s words seemed to calm everyone but Twilight.

"Maybe not, but did he also look like he was about to snap the last time he did?”

"Umm...I guess you have a point.”

"Wait a minute...That’s it!” Twilight shouted.

"You figured it out?” Rainbow Dash asked in excitement.

"Sorta...”

"Sorta?” Applejack raised an eyebrow.

"I don’t yet know how can we make him smile again, but I think I have a lead,” Twilight explained.

"Better than nothing. Lets hear it!” The ponies listened carefully. They were eager to hear whatever Twilight had to say.

"If I remember right, we saw Inhio snap twice during his visit here, right?” The other ponies nodded. "Now then, if we could somehow figure out what both of those times had in common, it could not only buy us some time, since we would know how to prevent that from happening again, but it could also give us a good idea on just how to reverse it!”

"Wait, what do you mean – reverse it?” Rainbow Dash asked. The other four ponies seemed curious as well.

"I mean make it work in a different way. Because, if a certain something was causing Inhio’s darker side to gain control, maybe the exact opposite thing could make his good side grow stronger!”

"Of course!” Applejack exclaimed in approval.

"Now we just need to think...Think. What was Inhio doing both of those times.”

"Well, umm...” All eyes were suddenly on Fluttershy. "Oh, was I interrupting? I’m sorry.”

"No, no, go right ahead. What did you want to say, Fluttershy?” Twilight encouraged her friend to keep talking.

"Well, umm, you were asking about what he was doing both of those times.” The soft, fragile voice stopped for a moment, and another voice insisted she kept talking.

"Yes...?”

"Well, the second time that happened, he was talking to me, and, umm, he felt really sorry for the way he treated me and the rest of you.”

"That’s right!” Applejack added. "He knelt and just kept on apologizing to Fluttershy, and then, all of a sudden, he just got all sweaty and started shaking.”

"Right...” Twilight rubbed her chin. She was unable to figure out the exact emotion that made Inhio become weakened. She thought she should first make both of the moments clear before trying to find out the emotion chaining them together. "That sounds about right for the second time, but what about the first one?” There was no reply, but Twilight’s friends all stared at her as if awaiting something from her. "What, why is everyone looking at me like that?”

"Umm...sugarcube? Ah think none of us were actually present when that happened.”

"Oh...right.” Twilight blushed. "Well...” She cleared her throat. "The first time this happened, and let me just remind you that it was way worse that time than it was on the second one. Right before you all heard that laugh that brought you all to me, he was telling Celestia the story about his childhood. About how he first found out that he was not like others.” That still didn’t seem to clarify anything, so Twilight continued. "While he was telling his story, he seemed rather troubled. It looked as though he was having a hard time recalling his past.”

Twilight kept on thinking, and so did her friends, but none of them could find even a single link between the two moments. They both just seemed like two completely different events without a thing in common. ”Wait...There is....something about those two moments,” Twilight spoke up after quite some time spent thinking. She didn’t sound too sure, but none of her friends had any other leads, so they were ready to hear her every word. "Both of those times, when Inhio was recalling his childhood, and when he was apologizing...Both of those times, he already seemed to be unlike himself.”

Twilight noticed that none of her friends seemed to realize what exactly did she mean by that. "Don’t you see? Remember the moment Inhio dropped on his knees and started apologizing...Didn’t he already seem to be...not himself? If so, then we might not be on the right track.”

"Huh?” Her friends got confused again.

"If so, then we need to think about what he was doing before he got like that, not during it.” Twilight’s explanation seemed sound, and none of her friends had any better ideas. They agreed completely. "Now then, if I remember correctly, right before Inhio became like that the first time, he had taken a long pause, during which he tried to recall his past...Hmm...”

"What is it, Twilight?”

"I don’t understand...The second time that happened, right before Inhio started apologizing, there...there was nothing. He just kept on staring at Fluttershy as though he was in a trance, and then, all of a sudden, he just gets up and says that we should move on...strange, it’s almost as though...” Twilight paused for a moment. She had a thought, but wasn’t quite sure if it would lead to anything.

"Almost as though what, Twilight?” Applejack, as well as the rest of her friends, all seemed eager to hear whatever she had to say. Twilight continued.

"As though he himself had felt like he was about to lose control...but why, and how?” Twilight looked to her friends for answers, her lead seemed like a dead end to her.

"Hmm...” Applejack rubbed her chin.

"What is it, Applejack?” Just like that, Applejack became the pony with all eyes on her.

"You know how earlier you said that Inhio was remembering his past before the first time he lost himself?”

"Yes...Why?”

"I just thought that...The way Inhio stared at Fluttershy on that second time...He didn’t move at all, he just stared like he was in love...Do you think...” When Applejack paused, the first thing her friends thought was that she was about to suggest that Inhio actually fell in love with Fluttershy. Fluttershy herself even blushed from the thought. "Maybe Fluttershy reminded him of someone from his past? Maybe he sat so still because he was also remembering something that time.” That seemed like a bizarre idea to Applejack herself, but she had no other ideas and decided to share her thoughts, since no one else seemed eager to talk. The eyes of her friends suddenly widened as they considered her words. Applejack thought that they were about to say that it was a stupid idea, or even laugh. "I’m sorry, I just thought that...” she spoke while rubbing the back of her head and smiling wryly.

"Applejack, you’re a genius!” Twilight’s face lit up as she happily shouted.

"Uh...I am?”

"Yes! That has to be it! That’s the only way to make sense out of all this! There’s no other way the two situations could be linked together!”

"Aww, shucks.” Applejack smiled modestly. "Thank ya, Twilight.”

There was no time for being sentimental, so Twilight continued right away. "I think I got it now.” Twilight seemed very confident now.

"You mean you know how we can get him to smile again?”

"Yes...but it won’t be easy, and there’s a lot at stake, so I need all of you to be with me on this.”

"Hah!” Rainbow Dash laughed. "If it’s not easy, then we’ll just make it look easy, just like we always do!” Twilight's rainbow-maned friend was confident and ready to stand with her until the bitter end.

"And you can count on us, Twilight. We’re always with you!” Applejack added in a tone just as assured.

"Friends forever.”

"Friends together,” Rarity and Fluttershy added.

"Group hug!” Pinkie Pie shouted out at the end, and the others felt obliged to comply. Inhio noticed the ponies joining together for a group hug. Naturally, he assumed that it meant that they had figured something out. Luna was not wrong about them, it seems.

"Thanks, guys.” Twilight smiled, knowing that her friends can always be counted on.

"So tell us, sugarcube. What is this not easy plan of yours ya had in mind?”

"After we gave it our all to try and cheer up that man, I think it’s safe to say that there’s nothing we can do to cheer him up. But what if we were simply trying to cheer up the wrong man? What if this side of Inhio just can’t smile, no matter what?” Twilight’s friends seemed utterly confused for a moment, but they realized what she was talking about, quickly enough.

"Ohh! I see what you’re getting at there, Twilight!”

"But then you also realize just why is this so dangerous, right?”

"Yeah, I’m quite sure I got it,” after a short pause, Rainbow Dash replied in a not-so-convincing tone. "But just in case, you should still explain it to the rest of the girls.”

"Ugh!” Twilight sighed loudly. "If we can’t make this side of Inhio smile, then we have to make him smile while his good side is in control, but this is very dangerous, because whenever Inhio lets that side of him take over, there’s also a risk that his dark side might break free, as well! You’ve already seen that nearly happen, remember?” Twilight seemed impatient, she started sounding more and more annoyed with each sentence. "While he was apologizing to Fluttershy, his good side was in control, but right after that, when he started sweating and breathing heavily, that’s when his dark side tried to come out! Every time Inhio recalls his past, he becomes weaker!”

After shouting out the last two sentences, Twilight took a deep breath and calmed down. Rarity thought that her friend had spoken enough, and felt like she should finish her monologue for her. "I see...So, what you’re trying to say is that we need to make Inhio recall something from his past, after which we will only have a few short seconds, during which we have to make him smile somehow. Is that right?”

"Exactly.” Twilight continued after her tone became calm again. "But we might only have one shot at this, so we need to be a hundred percent sure that we can give him a reason to live for during that time. Otherwise, we risk Equestria falling into darkness.”

Twilight’s friends started looking at each other without saying a word. "So...any ideas?” Twilight asked.

Rainbow Dash had a suggestion, right away. "He looked very amused when we took him to Cloudsdale and when I made the sonic rainboom...How about I make a sonic rainboom while we’re at Cloudsdale?” That thought sounded good enough to work, but one pony didn’t seem to agree.

"Nuh-uh!” All eyes turned to the pony shouting. "We all agreed at the start that I should be the last to go coz I’m the most fun one! Because what could be more fun than a party?” Pinkie Pie asked and blew a party whistle that no one quite knew where she got from.

"Puh-lease.” Rarity gained everyone's attention. "If I recall correctly, he was the most displeased I’ve seen him after you blasted off your cannon, right in his face! I’d have far better luck making him smile by showing him a brand new and spectacular outfit I’d make just for him, right as he switches to his good side!” Rarity fell into a state of trance from imagining the situation.

"An outfit? Is that your solution to everything?” Applejack wasn’t about to agree with that plan. She wasn’t about to protest about the party or the sonic rainboom, but she thought that going with Rarity’s idea would be like just digging their own grave, right away. "He’d be more likely to smile during one Granny Smith’s stories!”

"Ah! How dare you!” Applejack had knocked Rarity out of her state of trance, right into a burning rage, directed right at her.

"Girls, please! We don’t need to argue about this!” Twilight tried to reason with everyone.

"Oh, so you want to be the one to do this, then? What, are you going to bring him back to your library, again?”

Twilight never even wanted to suggest such an idea, but Rainbow’s arrogant tone had really gotten to her. "Maybe I will!” she retorted. "Just to show you that a book can make one smile just as well as a sonic rainboom!”

That was the last straw for everyone of them. Single suggestions turned into an all out argument where not a single voice could be heard clearly. Everyone was assured that their idea was the best one, and they were all willing to argue about it until everyone else agrees with it. All, except one. Fluttershy didn’t want to argue, nor did she like the fact that everyone else was arguing. She tried to convince them to stop arguing, but her voice was too soft and quiet and was not heard amongst the loud arguing. She would have kept on trying if not for something catching her attention.

As she turned around, she noticed a mother duck and her ducklings desperately trying to get through the crowd of ponies walking around the town. They kept on getting scattered. The little ones kept getting scared by the ponies walking past them, and the mother duck kept losing sight of them and ran around, trying her best to pull all of them together. Fluttershy sneaked away from her friends to help out the poor, lost critters. She quickly gathered them up in a line with the mother duck in front and slowly guided them away from the crowd. She backed away without seeing where she was going so she could always have the ducks in her sight.

Inhio had let his hat slip over his eyes again and was expecting the ponies to come to him with a plan at any moment...Oh, what an unexpected sight it was for him when he lifted the front edge of his hat. Five of the ponies loudly arguing about something, and the sixth one leading a pack of ducks out of town...If someone would have asked Inhio how could it have turned from a happy group hug between six best friends to this in just a few minutes...Inhio would have just tilted his shoulders without saying a word.

The ponies arguing didn’t catch Inhio’s attention as much as the one right in front of him. It was almost funny how this one could just look past the troubles of the world and still be willing to help out those who cannot help themselves...That was something Inhio could admire. "What the?...” Inhio suddenly saw something that he hadn’t seen before during his visit here.

Fluttershy guided the ducks away. "Right this way, little ones. That’s right, gently now. Not too fast, please...” She bumped into someone. She turned around to apologize, "Please excuse...Aah!” Fluttershy gasped in shock. She seemed even more surprised about the one she bumped into than Inhio...In fact, she even seemed scared.

"You and your ducks again!” Fluttershy recognized the furious voice she had hoped to never hear again. And no wonder. The last time she did, it was quite the unpleasant encounter, and it left her running away in tears. For some unknown reason, history liked repeating itself, and Gilda had somehow stumbled across Ponyville again. She was mad enough the last time Fluttershy bumped into her, and she seemed to be in an even less forgiving mood this time.

"What the?...” Rainbow Dash turned her head away from the arguing ponies for a short second and found herself speaking out the same words as Inhio.

"I swear by Celestia herself, this is the last time you’re going to bump into anyone with your clumsy moonwalking!” the vicious griffon yelled at the poor pony for seemingly no reason, whatsoever. Her eyes filled up with rage, and she raised her right claw up, ready to sink her talons into the pony that was now down on the ground, covering her eyes and begging for mercy.

"No, please, don’t!” Fluttershy trembled in fear, unable to stand up for herself. She could only pray that Gilda would show mercy, but that wasn’t likely to happen.

"Hey!” Rainbow’s sudden shout had also caused all of her friends to look at the scene of action as well. She dashed towards her friend as soon as she saw her in trouble, but she stopped halfway after realizing she was already too late. She and her friends all gasped loudly after witnessing the next sight with their own eyes.

"Ugh...Gah! What the?” The griffon struggled to break free from whatever had suddenly grabbed her claw right before she could finish the job.

The slight touch of something cold and metallic against Fluttershy’s hooves had caused her to open her eyes and gaze upwards. Up until the very last second, she had thought that she had just seen the sun for the last time in her life. She had no idea why someone she barely knew would rush to defend her like this, but as she saw daylight again, she knew that it was only because of the man in front of her.

"Look, buddy...gngh...gah...” Gilda still struggled to free herself, but her efforts were in vain. Inhio’s grip was unbreakable. Inhio had only ever felt this sudden strength only once before in his life. That was when he was defending his wife against the bandits, more than nine years ago. "I don’t know who or what you are, but if you don’t let me go this instant! I’m gonna...” Gilda stood up on her back paws and was about to claw at Inhio with her other talon. Before she could reach his face, he grabbed her second claw and pushed her forwards, all the way up until the moment she got slammed against the wall of a building.

"Hey! What’s the big idea?!” the furious creature kept on shouting and struggling to break free. She didn’t stop until the moment she heard a small, plastic object drop to the ground. Right after that, Inhio raised his head up, and Gilda stared directly into his uncovered eyes. She froze solid, and her entire body went numb. Inhio’s burning stare pierced right through Gilda’s eyes, leaving a permanent scar on the heart of her mind. Inhio put every bit of his hatred into this single stare, and he let it all out, right into the eyes of the creature in front of him. Not just Twilight and her friends, but half the town had also gathered around to see what was going on. Some remembered the griffon currently getting confronted, but none had any good memories of her.

"LEAVE!" The shout echoed through the town louder than thunder, and it sounded so wicked that it sent shivers down the spines of everyone that heard it. Inhio released his hold ovn the griffon, and as soon as he did, she darted off without a second thought. She was completely numb and unstable from the sudden event. Her claws scratched the ground time and time again as she tried to run. She stumbled on her own tail and fell down a few times, instantly getting up and attempting to get away again. She gasped for air loudly on every step.

When she finally spread her wings and started ascending, she couldn’t control herself. It was as though she couldn't see. Inhio’s burning stare got planted into her mind, and it was the only thing she could see for some time, and she still had the word LEAVE! ringing through her mind like a church bell. It also helped to dull her senses, so she practically had to fly off both blind and deaf. She crashed into a few walls before getting out of town, and even then, she still crashed into a few trees, scaring the already frightened birds even more. Everyone watched her fly away, but no one really knew if she was flying back to where she came from, to the place she had initially intended to fly to before stopping at Ponyville, or if she was simply trying to get away and was going to figure out where to go once she’s a good distance away from here.

Either way, no one had ever seen anyone so frightened in their lives. While the matter with Gilda was still something that Twilight and her friends would have liked to know more about, their minds were concerned about someone else. They had heard Inhio’s voice this way before, and they quivered as they began to think that this meant just what they thought it might. Was it all over? Was Equestria about to find out what eternal darkness feels like?...Had they failed? The only thing they could do now was cover their mouths, watch and wait for the man to turn around. He was breathing heavily, just as the other two times this happened.

Fluttershy was still lying on the ground. She was watching Inhio’s every movement very carefully and didn’t seem intent on getting up. She was also the one closest to Inhio right now. The whole town was in a state of unending silence. A silence that only a single man could break. All questions were about to be answered. Inhio began to turn around. His shades were still on the ground, right beside his feet, so this meant that Inhio’s eyes would reveal his true condition as soon as someone could get a look at him. Inhio stopped turning his head right when his eyes met with the eyes of the pony he had just saved.

The strangest thing about him was...that there wasn’t anything strange at all. His eyes were perfectly normal, they looked the same as those of any other living being. One could stare into his uncovered gaze for hours without feeling even the slightest bit of unease. Despite Inhio still breathing heavily, this was still a happy sight for Twilight and her friends...and it was about to get even better. At long last, Twilight could finally see that long desired look she wanted to see on Inhio’s face since the moment he arrived here.

While his eyes were still set on Fluttershy, Inhio stopped his heavy breathing and finally smiled for the first time in eight years.

***

As soon as Twilight realized that their mission was a success, she immediately took off and went to report this to princess Celestia. Before long, the golden carriage had arrived with a sole purpose of getting Inhio over to Canterlot, right away. Flutteshy wasn’t even done thanking Inhio. Rainbow Dash wasn’t done wondering what reason could have Gilda had for being here, and everyone else wasn’t done questioning the existence of everything and everyone around them, but Inhio still had to take his leave from Ponyville, for the time being.

Upon Inhio’s arrival, he was guided straight to the castle, right over to Celestia herself. She still had an important matter to settle with Inhio, so she asked everyone to leave, even her own sister and the royal guards. Twilight obediently complied, but Luna left a bit more unwillingly.

Inhio walked up to Celestia’s throne and bowed to her. "Arise, Sir Inhio. I believe you already know that you need not kneel before me.” Inhio got up and looked right at the princess. His bright eyes were a pleasant sight for the princess. "It brings me joy to see you like this.”

"Oh, you have Rarity to thank for that, Your Majesty. This outfit she made for me is just wonderful.” Inhio made a joke to lighten up the already lit up atmosphere.

The princess giggled. "It pains me to ruin the bright mood, but I fear that there’s still a matter that cannot wait.” The two suddenly turned to speaking in more serious tones.

"Aye, Your Majesty. I already know about the true origins of the darkness that found me, you need not explain this to me, so allow me to just ask right away, if I may...Do you think it’s gone for good?”

Celestia had told Twilight not tell Inhio about this, but she wasn’t disappointed when she found out that he already knew. She was actually quite glad, since it saved them some time...But she wasn’t glad to find out that Inhio himself didn’t know whether the darkness had been banished for good or not. "I do not know, I was actually hoping that you would have the answer to this question.” Inhio hung his head. "But after seeing you now, I see that there is no need to ask this question anymore.” Celestia’s mood was a lot brighter than Inhio's.

"If you were about to say that the answer is in my eyes, then I’m afraid I must disappoint you, Your Highness.” Celestia seemed surprised, and a little bit confused, at the same time. Inhio had taken the words right out of her mouth. After seeing his eyes so crystal clear and full of life, Celestia thought that it could only mean that Inhio was free of the dark spirit in him.

"Why so?”

"Because, Your Majesty, it might be clear by my eyes, that this demon no longer resides within me, but what if it lives within another now?”

Twilight had given Celestia a full report of everything that happened since the moment they parted ways, but Celestia had forgotten one part of the story. The one that she just remembered thanks to Inhio. "Gilda...”

"Exactly, Your Majesty.”

"You believe that the darkness within you could have decided to switch hosts during your outburst?”

"Yes, Your Highness...I put all of the accumulated hatred within me into that one single stare...What if...” Inhio couldn’t find the words to say what he wanted to say.

Celestia smiled at him. "You need not worry about that, Sir Inhio. The spirit that was trapped inside you couldn’t leave your body, no matter how hard it tried, else it would have done so long ago.” Inhio raised his head to hear Celestia more clearly. "Recall what princess Twilight told you about the spirit.” Hope reignited in Inhio’s face as he remembered a single detail he had forgotten earlier. "Were it not for another presence already inside your body, the darkness would have taken control of you, right away.”

"Yes...of course! That answers so many questions! I see now...” Inhio got a bit carried away as he had just found the answers he had been looking for some time now. He simply couldn’t keep it to himself. "That spirit must have latched on to the good side of me, that would explain why whenever this side of me tried to come out, it would also bring out the darkness!” Inhio felt a bit awkward after seeing Celestia smiling at him while he was having his moment. "Khe khem. Forgive me.” He calmed his voice.

"Do not worry, Sir Inhio. I am as happy about this as you are.” The two engaged in a quiet laugh. This was more than just any mere laugh, it was a victory laugh. The unpleasant part of the conversation had been settled, and the darkness had once again been stopped, and more than just Twilight and her friends had played their role in making that happen...Who would have ever thought that Gilda could end up helping them instead of making things worse? "Now that that’s settled, there’s one more thing I wish to talk to you about, Inhio.”

"Yes, Your Majesty. What is it?” Inhio didn’t think there was anything left to talk about, so this came as a surprise for him.

"It is no secret that your life back on Earth must have changed a lot over these eight long years.” Inhio did not answer since the answer was already obvious, he only awaited Celestia’s next words. "I fear that the events that transpired since that fateful day that changed you forever might have ruined your life.” It was very nice of Celestia to care about Inhio in such a manner, but where was this conversation leading, was still rather unclear. Nevertheless, Inhio already had a hunch.

"I do not know what kind of life will await you once you’re back on Earth, if there even still is a life for you to have there. So I want to make you an offer now.” Inhio was quite sure he already knew the words Celestia was about to say next. Her tone was sincere, but also serious at the same time. "Since a spirit from our world ruined your previous life, I offer you a chance to start a new life, right here in Equestria.”

Inhio had the right idea from the start. It was a generous offer indeed, and one that was hard to refuse. Inhio didn’t really need much thinking, and there wasn’t really much to consider, either. Go back to the ordinary, unchanging life he knows all too well, only without his beloved soul mate by his side this time. He did miss the good times he once shared with his friends at the bar, but that was about as far as the fun part of his life went. And after all this time, it might just not be all that wise to just walk back up to them and shout, "Hey, guys! I’m back!”

Should he go back to that life, when on the other hand, he has a chance to start a brand new life, full of surprises, empty of worries, in a true, candy-colored heaven many people could only ever dream to even see, let alone live in...No, this was not something Inhio needed to think about any further, but Inhio did need some time to recall all the experience he’s had in this world and his own. Celestia took this pause as a sign of uncertainty. "Just say the word if you wish to leave, right away. You needn’t rush your answer, take all the time you need to decide.”

Inhio realized that he had been thinking for too long. He gave his answer while trying to hide his true excitement. "I think I’ll stick around for now. Even if I decide to leave, then I don’t want to leave without letting those six ponies know the more joyful side of me. Not after they had all tried so hard just for my sake.”

The two smiled at each other. Celestia decided to go ahead and make this official. "Then from hence forth, you shall be known as a citizen of Equestria!” she said in her regal tone.

"Thank you, Your Grace! And now that I am part of your lands...” Inhio politely bowed to the princess.

Celestia laughed. "You sure are an amusing one, Inhio.”

"I aim to please, Your Majesty.” After one last bow, Inhio was about to take his leave from the throne room.

"Oh, one more thing before you leave, Inhio.” Inhio turned around, back towards the princess. "Now that you’ve decided to stay here in Equestria, there’s one last thing I wish to know about you.”

"What is it, princess?”

Celestia knew that the matter she was about to discuss with Inhio wouldn’t be easy for him, so she paused for a moment before talking. Inhio thought she had just forgotten some minor detail, but her expression almost began to worry Inhio. "Twilight told me about the way you looked at Fluttershy. She mentioned that she may have reminded you of someone.” Inhio didn’t like where this was going. "She reminds you of...her...doesn’t she?”

Inhio had a feeling Celestia was about to mention that the very moment he arrived at her castle. It really wasn’t easy remembering that, but at least it didn’t come as a surprise for Inhio. He had already come prepared. "Aye, Your Majesty...That she does.”

"I’m sorry for reminding this to you, Inhio, I know how hard this must be for you...But I need to know one thing.”

"Name it, Your Grace.”

"I need to know if the memories of your lost lover will somehow influence your relationship with Fluttershy.” It seemed like it was harder for Celestia to say those words than it was for Inhio to hear them. She couldn’t help but feel like that question was rude, and mayhap even uncalled for, but she still had to know the answer for sure. Inhio nearly laughed about the thought.

"Nay, Your Majesty. You needn’t worry about that,” Inhio answered so easily, it seemed like he barely gave it any thought before answering. Celestia wasn’t too pleased with an answer like that. "I won’t deny that I might still remember her nearly every time I see Fluttershy, but I wouldn’t worry too much about that.”

Celestia was still curious about that reply. "Please, explain.”

Inhio gazed at one of the stained glass paintings on the windows of the castle, but not because it caught his eye, but because it seemed easier to tell his story without constantly staring right into Celestia's eyes. "For you see, the way I loved my wife, it was not like others might define love...I didn’t need to know that she belongs to me, I did not need to feel the warm connection between our lips, and I did not need to feel her next to me every time I would sleep at night. All I ever wanted was to know that she’s all right...that she’s happy...All I ever wanted to do is keep her safe...Do you see now, Your Majesty?” Inhio moved his head and made eye contact with the princess, once more. "I never really wanted to be her lover...I wanted to be her guardian.”

That was a better response than Celestia could have hoped for. Celestia wasn’t just happy to have Inhio stay in Equestria, she was honored. "I see...” She stood up from her throne to personally escort Inhio outside. "You are quite the man, Sir Inhio...I believe that Equestria is the right place for you.”

The two had already approached the door that led outside of Celestia’s throne room. Twilight and her friends were all eagerly awaiting the chance to meet the real Inhio.

"You know, I always have been a dreamer.” Inhio smiled as he placed his hand on the door, standing ready to open it at any moment.

"But now that I’m here...I feel like I don’t need to dream anymore...”