Equilibrium, Book 2: The Second Nexus.

Equestria, 4/20/1002.

Discord held up a map of the world as his already twisted visage morphed into a begrudging look of contemplation. He crumpled up the map and tossed it over his shoulder, leaving Rainbow to mildly glare at him as she dodged his paper pamphlet which promptly toppled down the mountainside they were traversing and shook the whole cliff face they were precariously perched on as a small explosion reached their ears even with the wind howling up this high.

"Whoopsi!" He exclaimed while Dash just snickered as she caught up with Fluttershy who lead there little excursion up Mt, Platinum.

"You know a little warning would be nice." She said as Fluttershy let out a giggle of her own. She turned to her friend, in mid-air and smirked through her scarf.

"Don't worry too much about him Dash, once we make it to the empire we'll be able to deal with him." She stated as a wicked smile crossed her features meanwhile, Discord paled a little bit at the thought of feeling his wife's wrath. The two mare's shared one last giggle at Discord's expense while he just grumbled and took up a scouting position in front of them so as to not hear their brief fits of laughter & so he could get a better lay of the land. With a snap of his fingers, he disappeared from view leaving Dash and Fluttershy all alone.

"So.." Dash said as the two trudged through the snow. Fluttershy let out a soft sigh as she looked back at her friend. Dash was just as stubborn as AJ at times and even more so now. But her friend was ragged and tired, with heavy bags underneath her eyes, and no doubt her own were not fairing well either.

"When we get to the empire we'll be able to rest up and recoup." She said laying a wing upon her exhausted friend. Dash just gave her a look of pure horror.

"NO!" She shouted as she stumbled through the snow. "I mean psh look at me I can still go on for at least another day or-" Her words caught in her throat as she fell to the snow, her leg's having become numb ever since her magical reserves ran out. Fluttershy clucked her tongue as she helped her friend to her hooves.

"Dash listen to me neither of us is going to be of much help to-" She stopped as her head was once again racked with pain. Once more she felt the temporal magic claw it's way into her mind, searching for the last remnants of one she held dear. Dash to felt the magic try and overwhelm her already taxed spirit. But together the two of them were able to hold it off. Once its influence passed them by the two of them took deep breathes as they assessed there situation.

"C-can you still remember h-h-his-face?" "Name?" They both said causing yet another look of horror to cross their features. They both looked away from the other pure dejection displayed for all to see.

"Stole some more from you to huh?" Dash asked as Fluttershy nodded. The two mares were brought back to their current place in time by the popping sound of Discord reappearing.

"Hello everyone!" He exclaimed as his customary fanfare greeted the two with confetti and music. The two mares put on brave faces and smiles as Discord let out an encore in his honor. He twirled his mustache in one claw while using his paw to gesture in front of them.

"Ladies our quarry awaits." Rainbow Dash was relieved. "Finally we can get out of this cold." She stated as her wings flapped in place to help restore the blood flow. Fluttershy simp;y stepped forward and gave her hoof a little nibble. Instantly her hoof began to bleed and at once her blood began to pool around her hoof. Using her vampiric magic she began to etch a rune into the very air in front of them. Dash meanwhile was trotting in place to keep her circulation up.

"Just hope he hasn't changed the lock," Fluttershy said as she slowly waved her hoof through the air drawling more runes into the very air around them. "And done!" With the last flourish of her hoof in the air there then came a flash of light blinding both mares as Discord put on a pair of shades.

"Ohhhh, nice light show." He snickered as the radiance faded leaving in its wake a sight that left Dash speechless. Fluttershy just tittered to herself as she sauntered through the hole that had appeared before them in the frigid northern air. Dash shivered once more as she felt the warmth of a nice summer breeze run through her fur.

"Oh thank Faust!" Dash splayed out her wing's as Celestia's sun began to beat upon the three weary travelers. Fluttershy gazed upon the castle in front of them with a smug satisfaction upon her muzzle.

"It feels good to be back." She quipped as Discord cracked his neck, back, chest, arms, and legs all at once. The resulting noise drew the attention of a pair of passing pegasi who were patrolling on the outskirts of the empire's borders. The two soldiers came in for a landing and trotted the rest of the way to the group, spears at the ready.

"Halt!" One of them commanded. "Who goes there?" the other demanded as they got closer. Fluttershy merely giggled as the guards got ever closer. With a flash of crimson light, the two guards were reduced to two neat piles of ash.

"Yes very good to be home." She said as she set off in the direction the guards haad come from towards the gleaming castle that was the pinnacle of the Crystal Empire.

Ponyville, 5:37 P.M. Apple Familly Residence.

Aion let out a small yawn as he stretched his hooves and then began to rub the sleep from his eyes.

"Thank you, Princess Luna!" He exclaimed as he hopped out of his bed and ran towards the bathroom. The moon let out a little chuckle as Aion descended the staircase leading to the small farmhouse's main floor. Taking a left he entered the living room and was greeted with a hug from his grandmare.

"Hello, Granny!" Aion said rather exuberantly as he gave her a hug in return. She smiled down at him as she brought him up to sit with her in her rocking chair.

"Hello, there youngin. How's the nap treat'in yeah?" She asked as Aion regaled her with his latest visit from Princess Luna. As he did so Big Mac had just finished his work in the east field and had taken it upon himself to gather up his siblings for dinner. Looking in on the two put a smile on Mac's muzzle. Hearing hoof beat's behind him he turned around and was greeted with the sight of his second youngest sister trotting up to the door.

"Hey there Big Mac." She said letting little of her depression creep into her voice. Her coat, however, said more than her muzzle ever could. She hadn't taken John's disappearance any less hard than the rest of the family. A funny thing happened as soon as Mac tried to remember his face though. He was drawing a blank and the very thought of forgetting his little brother disturbed him to no end. Shaking his head to clear out the agonizing headache he knew he would soon have he instead turned his mind to his other sister.

"Applejack it's time for supper!" He called out to the barn next to the house. Applejack stopped her work and wiped the sweat from her brow.

"All right Big Mac." She tied her mother's hoofkerchief back around her neck and grabbed her father's hat from a nearby nail. As she opened the door to leave the barn she stopped and looked at the far wall. There tacked onto the wall was a red scarf. It belonged to her great grandpappy according to there grandmother before she gifted it to there little brother. Her breath hitched in her throat as a tear made its way down her muzzle through clenched eyes. Looking up to the night sky she wondered just where he was now.

"Please Faust, please if you can, please bring our brother back to us." Her prayer ended she gave the scarf one last forlorn look of despair before she closed the barn door and headed inside for the night.

Earth, 4/20/2020.

John once more found himself looking up into the night sky.

"Hey there Princess Luna. How's your night been?" Like all of the nights after he had returned home he hadn't gotten a response. But that didn't stop him from trying to contact Equestria. During the day he'd talk to Celestia, during the night he'd whisper into Luna's ear hoping that either one of them would respond. Still, like this night and many others, all was silent.

"I hope all's going well where you guys are." He smiled as he remembered binging all of the episodes for my little pony as soon as he could when he was released from the hospital. Sure the Equestria he'd been to was an alternate reality from the primary continuity but still. If he could just see them even if it was through a glass screen he was somewhat content. A snort passed through his mouth before he could think about it.

"Yeah right." He smirked as he thought of all the adventures he'd had and all of the ones he'd missed.

"God I need to get my shit together." He sighed as shook his head and went inside. Giving the stars above him one last look he took a deep breath and headed back inside his house for the night.