(POV: Cross)
Time: Midday...

"HARDER DAMNIT! I CAN HANDLE IT! AHHH!" A voice piped up from a small clearing, a second voice then came as well "Ok, no, just no, do you even think before you speak?"

Kyora stood infront of me, panting, and very tired looking, I must really be putting her through the ringer... Shrugging, I continue my domination of her in the training, specifically, me beating her ass, five times out of ten.

After a couple more ass kickings, I held my hand for her to stay her actions, then sat on a rock. I threw her a canteen of water, which she caught, chugging it, then sighing, she plopped herself on the ground, before looking towards me, a curious look on her face.

"So... Why are we doing this?" She asked me, sweat pouring from her, I chuckle, then shrug "Your father told me to make you a mature adult before you came back, I also see that you are not one to take losing very well." I say, before laying against the rock.

She gave a huff, sipping from the canteen, as I chugged my own, not really thirsty, just enjoying the cool refreshing feeling of water going down my throat.

A scream from the forest, specifically, multiple screams from deeper in the forest, shook me from my drinking reverie, I looked back into the forest, and drop my drink, rushing into the forest, a loud "Hey!" From behind me, reminded me of my current charge.

But, with a roll of my eyes, and the continuance of running, I left her behind, because she simply was not ready for any serious combat, though, coming from me, that's a funny statement, seeing as I have literally ZERO combat experience.

Yet somehow, someway, I managed... Leeets question that later...

Rushing full speed through the Everfree Forest, most likely was not a good idea, though, I believe in my power, mostly.

Breaking through a treeline, I see a specific three fillies... Being chased by a manticore, joy for me. Rushing to the bastardized Chimera, I unsheathed my blade, rose my shield, and charged.

"Look this way you ugly sumbitch!" I yell, gaining the animals attention, to which, I got in its face within record time and shield-bashed that mofo like I was a bandit from Skyrim about to be shown why a shout in dragon words, beats physics.

Course, magic is usually the answer, though, that was made in the opposite direction of how the fight went, seeing as I shield-bashed and made a Manticore sized homerun, complete with cheers and whoops.

Scratch that, loud yowling, coming from the flying pussycat, interesting...

Had to hand it to the thing, it had some lungs if I could hear it from my position after watching it disappear over the treeline.

I sighed as my charge finally caught up, panting and sweating, she held her chest, and held up a finger, signaling me to wait, I sat and waited for a few minutes, as the three fillies were looking at me, I waved at them, before looking back to see my charge had caught her breath.

"What did I miss?" She asked, I slapped my face, while the three fillies giggled at my apparent frustration with Kyora.

"Everything, you missed everything Kyora..." She pouted with a huff "Well you should slow down, we minotaurs are not great runners..." She says, kicking at the ground a bit, I felt some frustration rise up, then simmer down.

"Let's just return these three to their guardians, then, I am going to put you through running hell, comprende?" I ask her, she absolutely pales at this, then opens her mouth to speak, before I close her yap and shake my head, to which she hangs her head in defeat.

And Hour Later...

Of course, being the man of my word, I made her run till daylight burned out, to say the least, by the time we got to Twilight's treehouse, She flopped down and nearly passed out on the floor, I managed to carry her to the couch, before sitting down, a small sigh escaping me, I pulled out the map of Equestria, looking towards the possibilities of where our next Aspect would be, and this could be any of the three I know of, but, I am hedging to the two I listed, as I simply wish to find the inlisted one last... No matter how unorthodox it seemed.

Looking toward my poor pushover charge, I realized just what would happen were I to complete this journey, the implications a bit scary, but, I digress.

Sipping a newly poured cup of coffee, I once more wagered my sanity through the night...

Tonight, however, the coffee could not warrant this behavior of late nights any longer, and sleep tore me from the material realm.

Dreamscape...

Would it be wrong to assume hell is simply the minds last-ditch attempt to fire the neurons?

While I feel that statement held merit, it simply does not include every possibility, unlike your dreams, where imagination, is either a boon or your own personal damnations.

One may lose everything in life, yet gain in their dreams...

Others may have everything, yet lose it all here...

But for me? I live through what has been done, and what is yet to come...

Watch horrors, and debauchery all through the night...

I sat on the brimstones of my personal hell, watching as I shifted through the dreamscape, viewing the monstrous acts happening and to come, they were not real of course, at least most of them, but, they held the underlying motif rather well...

Wailing and whining, screaming and yelling, all about the same thing, how I abandoned family to find a selfish escape, I need help, real or otherwise, then, multiple stories show, with color and voices, as well as being animate, stories I would tell myself to sleep at night, watching the nightmarish dreamscape, turn to a graveyard, revealing depths of childishness, or even teen depravity.

It's a wonder how I still sleep without at least experiencing something regular people do... Though with what's happened, do I deserve to have a happy ending?

Do I deserve what fate will grant me on the 'morrow?

Do I deserve a haven like Equestria?

It was something to think on, yet I knew the answer to my question.

I don't, plain and simple, I gave up one fear, and traded it for a new one, one far more burdening...

As I woke slowly, the dreamscape collapsing around me, I had my epiphany.

Absolution is end all, be all... I will witness this world's end, and every friend I make will be one to watch be buried...

My greatest fear, was to die alone, but, completing this quest of mine?

It gave me a new fear: To live forever, even after the end, in complete loneliness.

Fate has yet to stay her cruel hand, has she not?

Then, I woke up.

Morning...

Opening my eyes, I found myself staring down a small purple dragon, whom of which poked my nose, I snorted at Spikes antics.

A simple pat on the head led him to shake it, then giving me a light glare "Hey!" He yelled out, I chuckled, before looking into my coffee mug.

Putting it in his direction I said: "Be a pal and get ya friend some coffee, Mister Spike?" He huffed, then took it and grumbled his way to the kitchen.

I rolled my eyes at his antics "Hey, get it here in under five minutes, I'll get you a hoard of gems my draconic friend!" I called after him.

And that really put a pep into his step, which made me chuckle, then I look out the window, and see all the ponies milling about, working or otherwise.

A groan from the couch reminded me of yesterday, and looking toward my charge, she promptly rolled off the couch and hit the floor.

Seconds later she stood up woozily "Ahm up, ahm up..." She said tiredly, another roll of my eyes, and today felt normal, or as normal as it could get for being in a world in which I probably don't belong.

"Sadly, destiny has other plans..." I mumbled under my breath as Kyora took a seat infront of me, swaying back and forth in her seat, suddenly, there was Spike.

"Here you go Cross! Can I get my gem hoard now?!?!" He was all but hopping as he said that, I sipped the coffee, looked to the time, then smiled.

"Well now, at least someone can produce satisfactory results in a time limit!" I say, then look towards Kyora with an all-knowing smirk "Unlike someone I know..." She, of course, growled at my quip, but, looking towards Spike instead of watching her, I pointed outside.

"Blaster's just finished grabbing them, go on out, and you will get your hoard." I say this with a wink, to which with all the glee he could muster, he rushed outside and gave loud cheers.

Sipping my coffee, a rather tired Unicorn trotted up to our table.

"Morning Twilight, how are you doing?" I ask her, and Kyora just waves at her, Twilight looks me in the eyes, then speaks "Can you run an errand for me?" A brow raise from me, then Kyora, makes her give a raised brow look.

"What? Was it something I said?" I chuckled, then shook my head "Oh Twilight, don't you greet someone before you ask them to do something for you?"I say, to which she blinks at me tiredly, before sighing "Good morning..." She says, I smirk, then nod.

"Alright, now, what do you want me to do?" I ask, then she gives me a list, and some bits, she then looks me dead in the eyes and says "There's enough in there for everything and maybe something extra, past that, try not to go crazy..." She then goes over to the couch and flops down.

I unravel the list, sipping my coffee, while reading, I finish my coffee, and then finish the reading, before nodding.

"I got this Kyora, you stay here and watch over Spike and Twilight, I don't need them getting hurt or anything of the sort." I say, she just nods and waves me off.

I walk out the door, and see Spike in his hoard, literally swimming, I blink, shake my head, then tell him to move it inside, before heading out to do this list of shopping, which leaves me to my thoughts.

A Single Hour Later...

I had a couple bags on my arm, and I am still going, I mean, who in any ring of nine hells, needs fifty fucking quills?!?! I mean, this is Twilight, but, even she should follow some form of control... Though with magic involved, it's pretty easy to see where that avenue leads.

A few stops along the way, I find Applejack, selling her apples, and looking a tad tired "Evenin Applejack, can I get fifteen apples?" I ask her, she looks up at me, a bit dazed, then shakes her head "Ye, I got ya Crawss, that'll be fifteen bits please." She says, to which I put them on her cart, before, taking the apples and moving on, checking the last item on the list, and like a slightly greedy person, I look into the bag, and I see some bits jingling, then I look around searching for something just right...

Continuing a lengthy search, my eyes land on something rather... Perfect, a wide smile breaking out on my face as I rush to it, and snatch it up, smiling, then look to the shopkeep "How much?" I ask.

An Hour And A Half Later...

I arrived with a slam open of the, jolting both Kyora and Twilight out of their sleeping states, a loud laugh echoing from me "Ah, home sweet treehouse, I missed ye!" I laughed while placing down a hoofmat, which had the same text on it, an echoed groan from both of them had me smiling.

"Also, Spike, you need a better hoard spot than under the couch." I say while looking at the couch, which only now, was comically out of place on top of a mountain of gems, with Spike poking his head out and hissing at me, to which I rolled my eyes.

And that's how that day started, with a rather weird hoarding by Spike, and complete unenthusiasm from the other two.

Author's Note

Hey! Sorry for the slight hiatus, I found a small bump in my train tracks of thought, and I needed to sort out some ideas.

To say the least, I will try to make an update schedule for this story, that, and I find myself slowly but surely in the works for a non-displacement story, that will probably be written alongside this one!

But for now, let's keep this between us? Capiche?

Absolute: Not qualified or diminished in any way; total.

(Also, PM me for crossovers.)