Nick continued down the path he was walking. It was almost like from a movie, the tile he was previously on disappeared while a new one would appear for him to step on. He didn’t know how long he had been traveling like this but he did know that the silence was getting to him, especially with the battle against the Pony of Shadows fresh in his mind.

“Destroy the Tree of Harmony? Is that even possible? Wouldn’t that destroy Equestria? Also why didn’t the Tree keep me around if there was another god out there? Why now did it determine I was finally of use again…”

He gritted his teeth. Part of him did resent the fact that he died with this new knowledge that he could have just been brought back. He put Luna and Twilight through all of this grief, for what? For him to be revived? It almost trivialized everything they’ve been through.

He paused as the last question came up. Would they even want him back? He knew that Twilight still mourned him while Luna more or less despised him, and for good reason too. Would him coming back shock them enough that they’d be won over again? Or would that be the final straw that drove a wedge between the trio.

More questions than answers piled on as he traveled. One answer did appear though, in the form of a large hexagonal platform. While it still blended in with the rest of the landscape, he could see orange lines along the perimeter of the shape. He looked around to see if there was any other way, but seeing as there was none in sight, he hopped on and could feel it immediately begin to rise, almost like he was in an elevator.

On guard by the sudden movement , he quickly scanned the platform, finding a dark figure near the edge that wasn’t there before he jumped on. As he approached, a feminine and all too familiar voice spoke to him.

“So, you finally bit the dust,” a sultry and hollow voice spoke to him. The figure stood up, revealing one of his former enemies, Queen Chrysalis. Aside from her broken horn, which actually had seemed to have regenerated some, she looked just as menacing as she did in his first face off with her. “Welcome to the void, Nick.”

He crouched into an attack position, ready for whatever she was up to. The disgraced queen merely cackled at the gesture. “Ha ha ha ha ha ha! You haven’t changed at all! How sad. Here we have Equestria’s hero, and he’s still quick to violence! Blindly following what some crystalline plant told him! Go ahead, strike me down! I’d love to watch you suffer even more!”

“What are you getting on about Chrysalis?” he growled, fully aware of how she used deception as a tactic to get what she wanted.

“I want the same thing as you, my dear Nick,” she walked closer to him. “To get out of this prison. You heard what Astris told you, you’ll have to face us again. But, we can work together, and none of us have to die or remain dead.”

“And why should I believe anything that you have to say? That you’ve had this ‘change’ of heart? That you, the most selfish being I’ve come to known wants to finally help me? What price are you seeking?”

Her lips curled up into a grin. “That’s for me to know and you to learn along the way. I’m not as stubborn as you think, Nick. I saw what you and Thorax were able to accomplish, see what my children have accomplished from it. That’s really all I wanted, as contrived as it sounds. I wanted them to no longer know hunger and suffering. So, all I can ask is that you give me another chance, just like you’re being given.”

Nick looked at the queen, partly believing and unbelieving about what he was hearing from her. Yes, it all sounded like she was trying to persuade him, trying to trick him like she did before, appearing as one of his former loved ones in his dreams. However, he could hear some form of sincerity in her voice when it came to the changelings’ well being, almost like a motherly tone from her. Given everything that had been happening lately, maybe his original thoughts about her were no longer valid.

One thing he knew was, he was tired of fighting. Not physically, he would still strike her down if needed, but if they could get along, would that be the end of the world?

“Alright, I’ll allow you to join me, but don’t think this is anything more than trying to get out of this wretched place.”

The look of shock on the queen’s face made it all clear she wasn’t expecting him to agree with her. However, she was happy that he did. While she did have some underlying ulterior motives, for the most part, what she said was true. She walked over to him, noticing him tense a bit before relaxing. She stuck out her hoof, to which he firmly grasped and shook.

“Let’s get out of here,” she grinned, the platform they were on continuing to rise.

Author's Note

So before you guys get into debate on whether or not Nick once again "easily accepted what he was given" I'd like to point out the fact that this technically worked the first time around, and that this agreement will be further developed during their stay in Limbo. Otherwise, I hope you continue to enjoy the story and look forward to some good action coming up soon!