The moment Twilight could move, she opened her eyes. Only the pure darkness of the surrounding environment met her eyes. From what she could see, a flat and endless tenebrous expanse pulsing with chaotic dark energy stretched on with no end. It reminded her of the astral plane dreamscape Princess Luna often inhabited to watch over the dreams of the citizens of Equestria. The differences, however, were strong; the heavy pressure surrounding her as strong pulses beat down on her body like waves of gravity, the sense of a growing heat, and the utter absence of light. A growing notion moved itself to the front of her mind. This was not the physical plane, it was something else entirely.

Thin ripples of a water-like substance resounded from her still body on the dark wet ground, traveling a short distance before fading and more ripples followed. It was cold, almost freezing. Even though it barely touched the top of her hands, she felt the cold wash over her and stick to her bones. Yet oddly enough her skin didn’t feel wet. Even her clothes were completely dry. There was a small moment of curiosity that was quickly pushed aside. Feeling the smooth black surface under the thin layer of water, she gathered the little strength she had and stood against the pressure. It was difficult at first, but she soon found her balance.

“Hello? Where am I,” she called out, hoping for an answer from somebody, anybody. Her words were met with silence. Not even her own echo came back to greet her.

As a wave of anxiety rushed through her body, heating her face and sending small pricks along her arms, Twilight found herself unsure of what to do. With only a hint that she must be in some sort of astral plane, she began to trudge in an aimless direction to get a hold of her racing mind. Her thoughts drifted from worrying about her friends, and wondering about how she had ended up in this dark place. No spell was cast to separate her astral form from her physical body as her human form greatly restricted her use of magic. The last thing she remembered was seeing the new student, Oslyx, sit down with everyone at the cafe. She felt the same monstrous dark energy as the night in the alley, gripping her heart in icy claws. Then, it was revealed he was the same person. After that she found herself in this oddly empty plane, completely alone and afraid. Wherever she was, she knew she had to find a way out and fast.

She could feel herself slowly growing weaker with every step, her magical energy leaving her body with a will of its own. No, it was being siphoned from her through unknown means. Trying to focus on containing her magic within her body, she quickly found it was no use. This plane she was in was draining her with every second that passed. The few minutes she had been walking felt like days had passed. The passage of time was wrong. Counting her seconds, Twilight lost her train of thought and started over. Shaking her head and holding her shoulders tightly, a feeling of hopelessness seeped into her mind. She felt like she was intruding on a secured enemy fortress with no way out. Was there even a way out?

“You seem lost,” a deep, gravelly voice said from behind her.

Twilight jumped at the sudden inclusion of noise, the first thing she had heard since waking up. As she quickly turned around, her jaw dropped and her heart sank. Sitting on the ground before her rather relaxed and unfazed at the current environment, was the monster from the alley and her newest classmate. That same monstrous energy she felt in the alley radiated off of him, creating a sinister aura so powerful Twilight felt like she was being choked despite standing several yards away. Despair racked her mind, bringing forth the memories of her encounter with Tirek. The dust and smoke of an ill fated catastrophe filled her lungs and the dark clouds of an empty wasteland clouded her mind's eye. Magic flowed wildly outward with gnashing teeth, yet had a sense of control to it; confined like a beast on a leash. The weight and pressure of the environment increased tenfold, almost crushing her beneath her own body. Heat blasted over her, burning her from the inside out. Before Twilight could scream from the pain, the demonic magic dissipated into nothing; condensing itself back into a point within his body. Yet, that ominous feeling Twilight had never left. It gnawed at her from the inside.

As she laid eyes on him, he had a grizzly, scarred appearance that was new to her. Eyeing his shirtless body Twilight could see the wicked carvings of scars painted across his body, and a nasty hole in his chest oozed with a viscous black liquid. It unnerved her a bit to see someone with so many vicious scars, and she was curious to hear how he had gotten them. The idea of living a life to lead to such a mangled body made her uneasy, distrusting. There was no reason she could think of for a person to live with the disastrous consequences of their actions raked into their body. Not without a good reason, and as far as she was concerned there was no reason to kill those men in the alley.

Letting out a deep breath, Twilight calmed herself the best she could. “Where are we,” she asked through shaky breaths.

Cocking his head to the side, Onyx narrowed his piercing eyes. “We’re in the confines of my soul - my soul plane. How and what the hell are you doing here?”

If Twilight heard right, he just said soul plane. She remembered reading a couple books in Equestria regarding the philosophy of souls, and the topic of soul planes appeared in only a few short passages. Soul planes were an ethereal construct of the connecting spiritual energies between one’s mind, body, and soul, where the mind would occupy separate from the corporeal world when the body is gravely injured or close to death. Twilight thought the idea was ridiculous as someone would have to come back from the dead to prove a soul plane was real, and even then the evidence would be purely anecdotal with no physical evidence. Now, seeing it with her own eyes, she believed every word she had read. Excitement flushed away any anxiety she had, driving her want to take notes and document what it was like to experience one firsthand. It was interesting that she was attached to his soul without casting a complex spell to link to it. However, through her scholarly thoughts she quickly realized that if this was Onyx’s soul plane he was in a state of dying. It was a lot to take in so quickly, but she needed to be strong; to find her own answers.

“I- I don’t know how I’m in your soul plane. What I’ve read about them is miniscule, but I know there has to be some perfectly logical reason. If this is your soul plane, what happened to you,” she asked, a slight wavering in her voice.

Onyx shook his head, a cold look on his face. “Damn souls, always ever changing. That being said, I shoved you out of the way, took the bullet instead. Saved your life again,” he responded with a sharp toothed sneer, pointing to the hole in his chest. “Someone’s after you and they’re not being subtle about it.”

Taking a step back, Twilight felt a hard pounding in her chest. “W-what? Why would someone try to kill me?” Twilight exclaimed with eyes of panic.

Why would someone try to take her life? She hasn’t done anything to harm another person, much less create a reason to be killed! This visit to the human world was just supposed to be a break from her royal duties and to divulge more into human technology, not some screwed up game of death.

Standing up with a quiet grunt, Onyx appeared in front of her in the blink of an eye. The imposing stature of him caused Twilight to stumble a few steps back out of fear of the sudden movement. She lifted her arms up in defense, readying herself for a but soon lowered them as she saw he was calmly standing with his arms crossed. He held an impassive expression on his face. Being so close to him, she felt even weaker. Her magical energies being forcibly pulled out of her body towards Onyx, feeling like a silk sheet being lifted off of her. Feeling herself lose control of her legs, Twilight fell to her knees, the freezing watery substance splashing around her.

“I’ve been thinking the same thing,” growled Onyx. “I had some suspicions about you and it seems I wasn’t far off from being right. That magic I sense in you is bound to bring around the wrong kind of people. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen, it doesn't belong in this world. You don’t belong here, Twilight.” Kneeling down to Twilight’s level, he placed a comforting hand on her shoulder and continued, “If these people are after you, I need to know why. Only then can I do a better job at keeping everyone alive.”

Twilight could feel the weight of his hand, not only on her ethereal form, but on her body. It was gentle and had a firmness to it that unexpectedly calmed her. Through heavy eyelids, Twilight stared at the man. She searched his mismatched eyes for any sign of insincerity, but couldn’t find any. Only the light of an unshakable will shone through his bright hazel eye with a fiery intensity. That burning fire she saw in him was similar to the look of her mentor watching over her kingdom; a commitment to keeping those in his care safe. As much as she didn’t want to admit it with her pride as a princess, she was helpless in the human world against conventional weapons.

Even with the original human Twilight Sparkle taking her place they would be in constant danger. The ability to call upon Equestrian magic through the music they played wouldn’t be enough. The power Onyx had, however dark and despairing it was, was probably their best hope. It still didn’t fully convince Twilight he was on their side, but she’d play along for now for the sake of her friends. Stuck in this abstract plane of existence, trapped inside an empty void, there wasn’t any other option then to tell him. So, she told her tale; leaving out some details that she thought would jeopardize the relationship between Onyx and her human friends. If he knew Sunset Shimmer and the original Twilight Sparkle were the cause of so much destruction, she didn’t want to think what he would do.

Onyx listened intently to Twilight’s explanation. He took in every word doing his best to memorize and rationalize each minute detail. From being the Princess of Friendship from a parallel world sent to this dimension to help put a stop to the magical threats that put Equestria at risk, to the power the Rainbooms held within them. To him it made sense. There were stranger things he’d come across in his life, dimension hopping wasn’t exactly new to him either. His intuition told him there was something odd about that statue at Canterlot High. Learning it was a dimensional portal to a world of magical creatures that resided in a realm of Harmony did come like a slap to the face, he didn’t expect it. Thinking back to when he came across Twilight in class, the inhuman scent she had posed a question to him of her true form, but it wasn’t important at the moment. Throwing in the fact the magical anomalies he began investigating were the result of the girls he saved using the magic from Equestria opened more doors then he could shut. He had to admit, if they stopped these threats on their own, maybe there was more to them than just being a bunch of students thrown into unfortunate situations.

Getting a straight answer like this was unsatisfying. Onyx would have liked to play detective and follow the leads he had, but getting information from the source was always the better option. Quick and efficient; mercenary work was better that way. Although he wasn’t exactly getting paid for this personal project he started, there was more at stake than a simple paycheck. The power these girls had would draw the crude crowds that only seek it for themselves. The demon The Crimson Moon Council sent after Sunset was enough for him to know how desperate they might get.

“Damn, sounds like things got a little more complicated. So, this portal to Equestria, is it open now?” he asked, stroking his chin.

Twilight lazily shook her head. “It won’t open until I send a message using a scroll I reverse engineered from Sunset’s book. Until then, it will remain closed.”

“Good.” Rubbing his chin and pacing back and forth, Onyx began to make a plan. Twilight had to go home. She was a liability and at too much risk staying in this world, and since she was royalty there was a great deal on the line if she wound up dead. He never really got along with nobility types, too many snobs and pretentious pricks worried about keeping their reputations. In his books though, Twilight was alright. She appeared to be more absorbed in the lives of those she cared about. He could see a powerful ally in her in the future.

If the original Twilight from this world was still out there, he would need to find her before anyone else did. Hopefully, she was still alive. What really stumped him was how anybody else knew. Sure, the students were there as witnesses, but the anomalies were mainly isolated events. There had to be somebody that witnessed it as an outsider and sent it through the grapevine. Regardless, the information was out there in the underground of the city.

“Let’s get you home then. You’re too much of a liability if you stay here and I can’t have that. Once I’m on my feet again, I’ll get you home safely,” he said, kneeling back down to a weakened Twilight. Seeing her sapped of all energy almost made him feel bad for taking it from her, but it needed to be done. Without it, his body’s healing process would take months to get him on his feet again with the damage he has sustained recently. She owed him anyway, he was just taking it as a favor.

“Why are you helping me?” Twilight asked, holding her hands to her chest with the tone of a scared child.

Upon hearing that simple question, Onyx felt himself freeze in place. He had heard that same question thousands of times and could never give a true answer. He was just doing his job, doing what he knew how to do. “Sometimes a man doesn’t need a reason to do what he knows is right. Getting you home to those you call family is one of these times.”

Twilight struggled to stay sitting up, her body losing all sense of control. She slightly swayed side to side while staying on her knees. She didn’t understand how he was so complacent with the situation; being so close to death and acting like it was a minor inconvenience. “Just what… are you?”

“Just a merc with too much to make up for - promises to keep. That ageless soul of yours holds a weight not many can bear. That’s something we can stand on level ground with,” answered Onyx. The expression on his face was one of deep regret, and his eyes held a deep pit of yearning behind them. A melancholic hole with little hope to be filled.

“What about my friends,” she questioned, her voice quite fragile.

A small smile pulled at the corners of his mouth. Of course she would ask about them. “Don’t worry, they’re safe. Joe from the diner is watching over them.”

Now laying on her back with barely any energy left, Twilight gave a small smile. Perhaps she was wrong about being apprehensive toward Onyx. Her lessons in friendship should have served as strong reminders. The reasons she had were valid; his first impressions were dreadful and somewhat rude. Although, he’s done nothing but himself in harm's way. It’s not everyday a monster capable of empathy is on her side. Well, there was Discord but he’s a special matter. All the fear her heart held for him began to break away bit by bit. Reaching out her hand he gently took it, and Twilight thanked him with a fragile voice. All she wanted to do right now was close her eyes and sink into the cold water beneath her. It was strangely comforting now, washing her mind free of worry. She could feel herself fading away into nothingness, her soul separating from the Chaos and reforming back into its original state of Harmony.

As she faded from the dark ethereal plane, Onyx made a request. A simple one. “When you get back to the waking world, tell Joe to quit drinking my rum will you?”

Shooting up in a frantic state, Twilight struggled to control her breathing. Flailing her arms and legs around, she didn’t notice Applejack got smacked across the face. As her heart rapidly beat in her chest, she took notice of the small, mostly empty apartment through fuzzy vision. Light from a ceiling lamp reflected off the bare white walls and hardwood floor. There was no furniture except for the dusty leather couch she layed on and an unkempt bookshelf with several books carelessly placed on it. Two doors were at the end of the room, one leading to a small bathroom, the other door was shut. She was no longer in the dark place, back in her own body. A feeling of euphoria rushed through her body as her nerves reignited, connecting her mind and body back to her spirit. The fuzz in her vision faded, soon bringing reality back into a clear view.

“Hey, y’all, Twilight’s awake!” The voice of her country grown friend took Twilight’s focus. She couldn’t even begin to explain how good it was to hear Applejack’s voice after being subject to true silence within the soul plane.

Not even a second passed before Pinkie landed on the couch from the air, her body landing squarely on Twilight, and wrapping her in a warm bone crushing hug. “Twilight! I’m so happy you’re awake, now we can throw a Survived an Attempted Assanisation Party!” The poofy haired girl excitedly shouted.

Twilight let out a cheerful giggle. It was one of the stranger parties a Pinkie Pie decided to throw, but as she learned long ago there’s no party like a Pinkie Pie party. Returning the hug, everyone else had hurried over and either joined in or kneeled down in front of the couch. Joy and relief covered their faces at the sight of Twilight’s recovery, a few quiet tears being wiped away

“We were all so worried about you. I’m glad you’re alright,” Fluttershy meekly commented. The girls eagerly nodded in agreement.

“You were out for a few hours, want us to catch you up to speed,” Rainbow questioned, giving a soft nuggie to her newly awakened friend.

Glancing across each face in front of her, she sheepishly rubbed the back of her head. “That’s alright, girls. Onyx gave me the details. I’m just glad everyone is safe.”

Confused and quizzical glances passed around the room. “But, Twilight, how is that possible,” Rarity pressed, her face twisted in confusion. “He’s been - well, out of commission so to speak since we got here. Oh, I do hope his jacket doesn’t have too much filth on it.”

With a soft sigh, Twilight swung her legs forward and sat up. She wasn’t sure how to describe her experience being detached from her body in an astral plane, and there wasn't a guarantee any of them would understand. She honestly was at a loss as well. “Well, I’m not entirely confident on how. The short answer is, I believe it was a type of astral projection created from our magic clashing then coalescing into an astral plane separate from reality where his spirit was as well.”

That didn’t help anyone understand any better as most of them were still confused. Magic was still fairly new to everybody. Sunset on the other hand got the jist of it. She got a little jealous hearing Twilight spoke with Onyx on a level she would never be able to.

“Did he say anything else?” Sunset asked, hoping for some good news.

Twilight scratched her head, thinking for a moment. The memory was a little fuzzy, like it happened years ago. “He said he’d get me back to Equestria safely. And something about Joe drinking his rum? I have to go tell him!”

Leaping to her feet and rushing to the curtain that led to the kitchen, Twilight soon found herself falling instead. Only when she was caught by Applejack and Sunset did she realize the state of exhaustion her body was in. Twilight gave an embarrassed, “Thanks,” before her friends helped her to the curtain. They stopped in front of it, seeing shadows move behind the curtain. Hushed voices came from the kitchen, but as they stayed quiet they could barely make out what was being said.

“Look, I know he already owes your group a few favors, but that elixir is what’s going to turn this corpse back into the monster Razor is so afraid of. Do I need to remind you he gave you the damn recipe for it in the first place?”

“Fine, don’t let this go to your head. He owes me a few personal favors anyway. Get him back in the game and I’ll put some work together for him. I’ll be in touch.”

The front door clicked shut as the unidentified man walked out. Wary of the man, the girls listened to his distant footsteps as he made his way down the stairs. When they were gone the girls peeled the curtain back and shuffled their way into the kitchen. Joe stood in the center, holding a small corked vial of a crimson liquid. The same kind that Fluttershy was given days ago in the alley. He stared at the vial, lost in it, his eyes unmoving as he swirled the liquid around in his hand.

Only when Sunset called out his name did Joe snap out of his stupor. He gave the three girls a drowsy look then waved them over. With a small stumble, he slid the only chair in the kitchen over to the girls. Joe rubbed the bridge of his nose as they sat Twilight down.

“Before you say anything let me apologize for yelling at you,” Joe groaned, a slight headache pushing against his eyes. “It wasn’t right. I’ve seen him like this more than I care for, but it still scares me everytime.”

Applejack and Sunset share a deep look of understanding. They get it. If one of their friends got in an accident, they’d be shaken up too. Twilight scanned Joe’s drunken face, familiar with the look after staring in the mirror after one too many glasses of wine at her castle. She could see the pain he was trying to dull with booze.

“Aw, don’t worry ‘bout it none, sugarcube,” Applejack forgivingly pawed the air. “We’re all a bit shaken up good. It’s understandable.”

An ache caught in Joe’s throat seeing the farm hand wave his outburst off. She was so much like her parents. It pained him to see her in the moment, but she was strong willed. If Bright Mac and Pear Butter were still alive they would be proud of her. “Yeah, I guess you’re right,” he replied, hiding the aching in his throat that threatened to crack his voice.

The creaking of the old apartment’s floors filled the kitchen as a short silence fell upon it. The countertop groaned against Joe’s weight as he shuffled over and leaned against it. His sore eyes fell over the girls. They had something to say, but looked nervous to bring it up to him in his inebriated state. As he reached for another swig of rum, he was stopped.

“Wait, Joe! Onyx said that was his,” Twilight burst out, reaching her arms toward him. There was a glimmer in her eyes that caught him off guard.

Bringing the bottle away from his lips, he arched his brow. How did she know that? She was out cold when they arrived… unless. A sudden realization came to him. Joe was aware of the soul plane as Onyx had explained it to him a few times. He never could fully wrap his head around it as magic and its complex intricacies was Onyx’s forte.

Setting the bottle down, Joe’s green eyes locked with Twilight’s purple. “So… you talked to him,” he murmured.

Twilight nodded. “It sounded important to him,” she said with a half smile, shrugging her shoulders.

“And the one thing that stingy ass has to say to me is to keep off his booze.” As he ran his hand through his hair, Joe quietly laughed to himself, gleeful tears slowly pooling at the corners of his eyes. Out of the corner of his eye, Joe swore he saw a raised middle finger from his half-dead buddy.

Gripping the elixir tight in his hand, the green eyed baker staggered to the oak dining table being used as a temporary examination table. Brushing the loose fabric of Onyx’s shirt aside, he took a long look at the hole punched through the mercenary’s chest that showed the bloodied wood underneath. Joe’s nose flinched at the stench of a metallic tang. To his surprise, the wound showed signs of closing itself. A thin white outline of newly scarred tissue was present on the outside perimeter. With a smirk, Joe uncorked the vial. ‘Always coming back from the brink, aye buddy?’

Shoving his fingers in Onyx’s mouth, Joe pried open the stiff jaw. He poured half of the vial’s contents in Onyx’s mouth and the other half in the chest hole. As he did so, Applejack and Sunset joined him. Leaning on the table, they watched as the elixir was quickly absorbed by the bloodied body of their savior. In a few short moments they could visibly see the miracle Kool-aid slowly piece together an appalling spider web of flesh and tissue. Skin was regrown, the punctured lung was closed, and the hole was filled. The only mark left behind was a white penny sized dot serving as another stark reminder; an addition to a large collection Onyx would never forget.

Joe gave a soft pat to the robust chest of best friend and turned to the girls with a hope filled smile. “It’s a pretty neat site. Keep staring at my boy and I’ll have to start charging’ you,'' he laughed.

Sunset’s face flushed red and she turned away. “I- I wasn’t…”

“We’re all adults here, Sunset. No shame in admiring him,” Joe said, giving her a playful nudge. “I’ll even give you a discount since you’re my favorite customer.”

A soft giggle came from Twilight and Sunset soon joined in, shaking her head at the thought. On the other hand, Applejack found herself lost in her thoughts. She stared intently at Onyx, trying her best to figure out why he seemed so familiar. A few days ago, she had never seen his face before. Or had she? That sense of familial familiarity didn’t go away. Memories that didn’t quite seem to be hers floated to the surface, creating a blurry collection of scrapbook polaroids. Deep down she knew there was something to it. She was confident in her memory, but he was the one thing she couldn't get a clear hold of. Seeing the faces of her mother and father for the last time was clear as day, she could never forget the love they still showed in their smiles at the casket viewings.

Closing her eyes tight, Applejack tried to call upon the names and faces of each extended family member in the large Apple family. Aunts, uncles, and cousins twice removed came back to her, all except one. When her parents were still alive, there was a man her father told her to call uncle. At the time she understood he wasn’t really her uncle, but a very good friend of the family. He disappeared shortly after the passing of her parents. Despite digging into the deepest recesses of her memory, there was almost nothing Applejack could remember about him. Only a blurry glimpse of being carried in the man’s arms as her mother and brother walked alongside them down the long driveway of their farm.

It couldn’t be the same person, Applejack was sure of it. It wouldn’t make any sense if it was. Aside from his gruff appearance Onyx seemed so young, not much older than her. Through the scars and caked blood, she could spot the youthfulness in his strong features. He carried a visage of strength and purpose with stoic expressions and hardened eyes; jarring yet caring through the compassionate flame in his eyes. It frustrated her that she couldn’t put the pieces together. Out of every person she’s met she figured a man with such an imposing look wouldn’t escape her. Gripping the table with enough force to scratch it, Applejack let out a forceful huff of air from her nose.

Feeling a hand caress her arm, Applejack whipped around to meet Sunset’s concerned eyes. “Are you okay,” she asked.

Forcing a smile to hide the frustration, Applejack flicked her stetson up and nodded. “Just ‘bout as good as I can be. I’m just wonderin’ what we could do to repay him and coming up with nothin’.”

Sunset noticed her friend’s smile falter and the corners of her mouth droop. It was one of Applejack’s lies. She could feel the turmoil Applejack’s mind was in, swirling with confusion and heartache. The want to press her friend for the truth was pushed out of Sunset’s mind. There was enough stress going around, causing more wouldn’t be any help.

“Same here, AJ,” replied Sunset, looking down at her feet. Bringing her face back up to meet Applejack’s, they stared into each other's eyes with a conviction to do what they could, however trivial it might be. Repaying a debt as great as theirs wouldn’t be easy, but they were prepared for it.

Author's Note

Getting back into writing so I plan to keep a steady flow of chapters coming out. I stepped away from the fandom for a while to focus on work and missed it. Also, I'm glad to see there's some of you enjoying what I've put out. Feels good, man!