To Save our Legacy

“Okay, okay, Zipp. Let’s go over it once more.”

Ruffling my wings, I planted my hooves once more in front of my investigation board, a straight-out-the-asylum, amorphous mess of clues and connections and leads, all connected by string and lined with thumbtacks and bubblegum when I’d run out of thumbtacks.

Don’t judge me, it works!

I straightened my thoughts and fixed my attention to the top-left corner of the board where the trail of ideas started with a picture of the three Unity Crystals engulfed in their magical glow.

“So, we know what the Unity Crystals are and what they’re for. According to Alex, they have become a new ‘nexus’ for the magic, bending the leylines that spread throughout Equus to force the flow of magic through them, and that only happens if we ponies remain buddy-buddy with one another.”

I paced to the left in thought, descending down on the board to a picture of my friends, a tiny smile peeking on my lips at the sight of all our smiling faces on a day of fun at the beach.

“As long as ponies remain friends and harmony flows through the land, so will our magic. The moment ponies begin seriously butting heads with one another, the magic stops due to the influence of the crystals.”

Now going to the right, I scratched my chin with my primaires while I kept mulling over the trail of information. A picture of the earth pony and unicorn crystals scattered on the floor was next under the red thread.

“We’ve seen that not only does friendship need to flow through ponykind for them to work, but the crystals need to remain together for them to work properly. When Discord stole the pegasus crystal, their function became impaired, although not completely. The absence of friendship had more serious consequences than them not being joined together, but both are equally dangerous if pony magic becomes wild before disappearing forever.”

We would never allow that to happen again. We had to give our best to strengthen the bond between the three tribes and keep them that way, as well as make sure that the Unity Crystals remained guarded and safe in our brighthouse. That led me to the next slice of the metaphorical cake that was my ongoing investigation and the crowning centerpiece of my concerns. A picture of an equine shadow with a big question mark topping it.

“Harmony warned Alex of an impending darkness… Luna’s crown, ain't that foreshadowing?” I scoffed, snorting a tired puff carrying the exhaustion of endless days of pulling on threads and working on loose ends. A big part of me wanted to believe that the darkness was Discord’s attempt to rid us of our magic forever. I mean, I’d say it was grave enough to draw the attention of the being which, in theory, had our unified continuity in its best interests, keeping it that way from the shadows or… whatever Harmony did, other than enslave creatures and put a crown on their heads.

“But who… or what could this darkness threatening us be?” The million-bit question. No matter how many times I heard myself ask it, I kept hitting a wall. One thing was clear. “Whomever or whatever it is would need to get their hooves on the Unity Crystals first. By protecting magic from ourselves, it also keeps it secure from other threats. A happy coincidence, or a conscious choice?... Hmm…”

Another trip to the left. Multiple threads connected to this mysterious entity that would harm us, none of them offering anything of significance besides a common denominator.

“The crystals are not without defenses. They summon a shield around themselves if there’s an immediate threat, and Alex thought Sunny’s alicorn powers might also be some indirect way of safeguarding the crystals.” This did not explain why Discord was able to snatch one of them like nothing. Perhaps they didn't sense him as a threat, then? Perhaps the Unity Crystals saw the goodness buried deep within his heart? His motives, derailed as they were, were not born from outward wickedness. Discord was looking out for us in his own way, a way twisted and torn from the same experiences that fueled Alex’s own resolve.

“Whomever or whatever would want to get past these defenses must be at least as strong as the one who planted them in the first place.” In other words, Twilight Sparkle, who was possibly the most gifted, powerful pony to ever live, being the Element of Magic and an alicorn princess. From where I stood, almost any notion of surpassing her might sound doomed from the get-go. Who or what held sufficient power to threaten their existence? Not to outright destroy them, taking magic down with them, but twisting them to their own whims, ascending as the nexus point of all magic instead of the glowing gems.

“... Faust, I feel so sorry for Alex. I can see that whatever his ideas were for freeing magic from the crystals was most likely never gonna work.”

He had another goal now; he had said so himself. Still, he was the only one I felt had enough knowledge to have at least the minimum chance with them, and he failed surreptitiously. Twice. The picture of the mysterious figure remained a thorn in my flank. I needed to find out what we were dealing with, and how much danger we were actually in without realizing it. The few trips we took outside our borders showed all of us how big and dangerous the world out there truly was. The encounter with the kelpie taught us that we were indeed not alone in these lands. Alex’s summons from an old enemy made us painfully aware how, even after so many centuries of silence, the chance that old foes, who might be thirsting revenge, remained very real to this day.

“And there's little we can do about it,” I concluded my train of thought, having reached the same impasse as the previous hundred times I’d run it over.

Don’t get me wrong, I was aware of Alex’s might and Sunny's developing abilities. Just as I knew how, by working together, we’d faced and conquered each and every problem that had arisen since the day we rejoined the Unity Crystals for the first time. I wasn’t blind to our prowess, but at the same time, I wasn’t deaf to the whispers that haunted my dreams, showing me images of our cities burning and ponykind enslaved at best, and wiped out at worst.

… That’s what I get for drinking a full thermos of coffee before passing out on my desk.

It was driving me crazy, even if I’d promised the gang to take it easy after my buck-up with poor Misty. None of us had seen hair nor hoof from her since that day.

With drooping ears, I scolded myself yet again for having come across as so strong and insensitive as I did. Yes, I still believed there were too many things not ticking quite right with her, but I couldn’t see how dwelling on that any longer would help us in any way. She was her own mare and had every right to keep her private things to herself. I only wished I hadn't cost Izzy a friend with my efforts.

“Mngg, no time to dwell on that now, Zipp. keep your mind in the game.” I hoofed my cheek lightly to bring me back to the present.

At least, I would’ve achieved that, if an annoying, thumping echo hadn’t broken my concentration. The way the brighthouse’s interior was constructed, as an ample, cylindrical structure, made sounds bounce around inside fairly easily. It wasn’t fun when somepony was making a ruckus setting the dishes in the kitchen, or when Izzy used heavy machinery for her sculpting, or whatever it was that she did in her corner of the house. My sister's music helped a lot, but I’d spent so many hours working that I’d gone through her entire playlist and Alex’s three times over, and I was just simply tired of it. And, also, my ears ached a bit from the headphones.

More sharp and loud sounds ricocheted around the house until I realized that I was, in fact, hearing somepony knocking at the front doors, which came off as weird since we have a very musical doorbell, courtesy of my sister. Whatever the case was, somepony else downstairs could answer whomever was knocking; I had more important things to deal with.

‘Let’s try this again.’

I needed a different angle. Change the flow, perhaps? Reverse the order? Clues were limited and outward knowledge was nearly non-existent. I was burning bridges faster than I could build them. I needed something big, and fast. A glowing ray of divine inspiration from Faust herself, if that's what it took. My gut told me that we were running out time, but for wha-?

*KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!!”

“Uuuugh…”

Yep, there went my inspiration, right out the window, and I wasn't feeling like chasing after it. I thought one of the other girls was still in the brighthouse, but maybe they were too busy. It couldn't be my sis, since her small, bed-side studio was lacking her melodic voice. Was Izzy working on another commission for the museum?

No matter the case, I needed to open the door before whoever was waiting started growing impatient.

Mulling over a convicting ruse to get rid of the pony at the door swiftly so that I could resume my work… after my fourth coffee break that day, I pushed myself into the air and glided out of the room and down the spacious hall, calling out to the impatient pony that I was on my way.

The faintest whisps of music coming from Izzy's workshop made my ears twitch. The crafty unicorn was indeed in the house, but wearing her new headphones, an anticipated birthday gift from Pipp right on time for the release of the second half of her new album. I was happy that my sister could still immerse herself in her music, knowing that it helped get her mind off things better than anything else. I was used to being the one worrying for the both of us. Perks of being the big sis, as you can see.

Planting my hooves on the marble floor, with a loud *clop*, I breached the distance to the front doors, their semi-translucent, crystalline build only providing an irregular, formless shadow of whoever was waiting outside.

Just as I reached for the doorknob, I couldn’t help but be weirded out by the pony not using the doorbell. My sis had given a tremendous effort of fifteen whole seconds of recording for it. I didn't miss every smile that grew on her muzzle every time someone used it.

“Sheesh, you’d think a pony would’ve learned to use a doorbe-”

Not a pony. Definitely not a pony, whoever it was that was standing on the welcome mat.

My wings flared at my sides as I felt my heart skip a beat over the sight of what my primal instincts screamed, from a deep forgotten corner of my mind, was a predator and that I needed to put as much distance between us as possible.

An eagle-like beak, and bird-like foreclaws, all wrapped in the upper half of an avian creature. White and great feathers dominated the creature's upper body, highlighting his predatory blue eyes and ending in a peculiar crest-like tuft on the creature’s head, before smoothly transitioning to a feline rear half, this one taking the image of a snow panther, tail and all. Dark spots of panther heritage were the only common feature present in both halves.

Whilst not the most common stereotype as far as my limited knowledge went, I didn’t need my spyglass and drone to know there was a griffon standing at my door.

The avian took in my paralyzed state with a small huff. While I feared he'd pounce and get a chunk out of me, an instinctual notion whose origin I couldn't pinpoint told me that he wouldn’t. The griffon, a male from what my snout could tell, simply flickered his tail impatiently behind him and raised a sharp talon in a waving gesture.

“Um… Hallo.” He greeted me in a foreign accent. While it was a different language, the similarity was enough for me to understand. He sounded young, as well as hesitant, but I was running blind here, so I couldn't make any assumptions.

What I could do, however, was close the door slowly and awkwardly, leaving the griffon with a cocked head as I disappeared into the foyer.

With the door's triple-lock clicking into position, I was left standing like a stone as the outline of the griffon behind the colorful glass didn't even hint at going away.

“... Yeah, gonna need backup for this one.”

The closest reinforcements were my unicorn pal, and I made a mad beeline towards her workshop. A griffon of all creatures was at our doorstep! Weren't they supposed to hail from the other side of the ocean? I couldn't believe a single griffon had made such a journey over hundreds of kilometers of water just to say ‘Hello’.

Flying around the corner of the room, I entered Izzy's ‘Private Temple of Imagination and Creativity’, an actual name she’d given it. She’d even made a plaque of it and hung it at the entrance.

Izzy was deep in work, although anypony stumbling upon her workshop would’ve thought she was instead throwing a one-pony party. Bouncing her rump with shameless energy, Izzy swayed back and forth at the rhythm of the music, one of Alex's ‘metal’ tracks on full blast. Standing in front of a canvas, numerous paint buckets were being levitated around her with her magic. Every few seconds, a glob of paint would emerge from a container and be smashed into the canvas with a resounding *splat!*, creating a mess that somepony would have to take care of later.

Each throw was accompanied by a ninja-like cry from Izzy, while the drums and guitar boomed in her ears.

I think she referred to this as ‘rage painting’ once.

‘... I gotta try this sometime.’

More urgent problems beckoned us. Landing behind her, I raised my voice to try and reach her from a sage distance for the paint storm that her immediate area had become.

“Izzy!!... IZZY MOONBOW!!!”

*Master of puppets, I'm pulling your striiiiings!!~ Twisting your mind and smashing your dreams!!~*

“IZZY!!!” Nothing, she was having too much fun, or the music was too loud, possibly both. The unicorn remained oblivious to my cries. “Ugh…”

Already seeing myself coming out of her workshop cosplaying as Rainbow Dash, I dared to enter the splash zone with a quick glide, whooshing down to grab Izzy's headphones before she could blink. I was getting very good with my flying, having become already second nature to me, as if I’d been tasting the skies since I was a foal… which, I hadn't, but those times were long gone now.

“Hey!” Izzy, her creative bubble popped, glanced up to find my retreating tail and followed it as I landed behind her. “Oh, heya, Zipp. Didn't hear you there.” She apologized with her tongue peeking from her muzzle.

“Yeah, I could tell. You looked like you were having a blast.” I replied in a flat tone, placing the still-booming headphones on a nearby desk. “Izzy, there's a…”

“I was!!” The overenthusiastic unicorn cut me off, taking hold of my shoulder and physically grabbing me in front of the used canvas, where a… composition, let's call it, of random shapes and colors filled the majority of the white surface. In my second-long analysis, I couldn’t make heads or tails of it before Izzy dived into her presentation. “It came to me in my sleep! I'll name it….uh…” Izzy's hoof scratched her messy mane as the words died on her tongue. “Wow, I haven't come up with a name yet. No matter! If you pay close attention here…” She took a headstart on beginning to point toward random areas of the amalgam of colors, citing stuff that I couldn’t bring myself to care about at the present.

Taking the reins of the moment, I took Izzy's head between my wings and gave her a very pointed look. “Later, Izzy. I need your help at the front door. Right. Now!” I knew that I was coming off a bit too strong, even for my liking, but I felt that the urgency of a griffon stalking our house demanded it.

“Wow.” Izzy's crooked grin morphed into a chuckle. “Something’s spooked you alright.” Taking no offense in my harsh tone, Izzy dropped the paint canisters messily onto the plastic-covered floor and headed out with a merry trot. “Don’t get your wings in a knot, Zipp. I'll shoo the scary mailpony away.” She winked at me over her shoulder and headed towards the door with her hoof-crafted tiara clinking all the way.

“N-No, that's not… ugh.” I fumbled with my wing before speeding up behind her. She was already at the door when I caught up with her. “Izzy, wait!!”

“*GASP* A birdy!!!”

Her tail slipped from my hooves, and she was out of the brighthouse in pure exhalation, catching the startled griffon by surprise and glomping him in one of her ‘human hugs’.

With my heart leaping out of my chest, I followed the wacky mare, ready to fend off the griffons’ sharp talons from Izzy should he try something stupid.

However, to my relief and bafflement, far from delivering a blow to Izzy, the griffon slumped with the blankest look I've ever seen on anycreature while Izzy enthusiastically nuzzled his fluffy plumage as if he were an overgrown plushie.

“Eeeee!! He's so fluffy I could die!!” The more than happy mare cried in foolish glee.

With an eye roll that transcended the species barrier, the griffon let the mare coddle him like a filly.

“You müst ve Izzy, ja?” He droned in a bored tone, underlined by an accent I couldn't pinpoint.

“I am!” Izzy replied loudly. “Zipp, he knows my name!” Izzy celebrated with a bit too much energy until she placed the missing piece of the puzzle and pulled back from her cuddle to gaze at the griffon with a dipped head. “You… know who I am?”

‘He knows who we are?’ I inwardly echoed, not liking it one bit that the unknown creature knew about us, without us knowing anything about him!

“I do.” He flatly replied, taking advantage of the crested space to nudge Izzy away with a wing, a huge wing compared to mine, I was jealous to admit. A small wince crooked his brow for a fraction of a second before returning to its bored façade. “I am lüking vor… ‘Sunny Sterndeuterin’?... I zeenk I götten it vright…” He sounded unsure, rolling the words on his beak as if they weren't coming out as smoothly as they should be.

“You're looking for Sunny?” I butted in, holstering my wings for the moment since I wasn't perceiving any ill intent from the griffon, although I wasn’t about to let my guard down since I knew that situation could change any second. His predatory eyes, followed by his sharp beak and even sharper talons… things could get very messy in the blink of an eye should he wish it. And that was without speaking about his frame, almost as big as your average pony, if not a little larger. I had to stay sharp. “For what? How do you know about us?” I demanded, closing the door behind me with a rear leg.

“Älex ashk me to sëarch vor sie here, zee… uh, ‘hüsche ass rainboü lighthöse’.” The griffon sent his sight upwards for a brief spell. “Looks like gut description.”

I had to do a double-take at that, my jaw hanging loose.

‘D-Did he just say Ale-?’

“ALEX?!!” Izzy screamed my thoughts in her usual energy. “Did you just say Alex?!!” She was about to jump the griffon again and shake the answers out of him, but a very pointed leer and flared wings rooted her to the ground with a sheepish mumble. “Sorry…”

Holding his dominating pose for a second longer, the griffon huffed through his small nostrils and addressed me directly.

“Älex aschken më to finden his mate und his vamily. He ist at zee höspital.” A cold chill began crawling down my spine before the griffon waved his talons to diffuse my rising panic. “He is vine… vell, as far as ich know. No vig majör hurt, only…” The griffon wetted his beak, a shadow of something masking his eagle eyes for a moment before returning to their icy blue. “I zeenk it best you go see him.”

Alex was back already? More than a week ahead of schedule? And at the hospital, of all places?! With a griffon playing his personal errand pony?

Something had gone bad. Really, really bad. I could tell, my entire body flexing with an unshakable feeling that something horrible had happened.

“What are we waiting for?!! Lead the way, birdy!!” Izzy, already hoofing it halfway through the initial tram of the long slope, urged us from behind her billowing mane, concern, and urgency equal partners in her calling. Of course she was worried. I was on the brink of shedding my feathers from worry. But I could feel that, with the obvious strangeness of this meeting, something remained off.

‘Ugh, no time to deconstruct this, Zipp. Hang the detective hat up for a bucking second and focus!’

“Gaius. Mein Name ist Gaius.” The griffon announced with another eye-roll, his huge (by pony standards) wings shuffling at his sides, the right one being especially twitchy until finding a more comfortable position. “I need stïll vind Älex’s mate and music pony, und guard pony.” Gaius recited and started behind a speedy Izzy, at his own easy, leisurely pace, bringing the unicorn to stop on her hoof and pout at us for not hoofing it down to town already.

‘Guard pony?... Oh, Hitch! Eh, wait ‘till I tell him about this. That fat head of his is already big enough.’ I chuckled inwardly.

“Come ooon!! Hurryhurryhurryyyy!!” She demanded, hopping in place.

“Wir hav time.” Gaius put on a deaf… uh, earhole, I guess?; to Izzy’s demands, taking his sweet time as I fell in line beside him, a suspicious eye analyzing his every move. The two of them if I could spare them.

“No, we don’t!!” Izzy fired back, hopping backward in a surprising show of agility as she brought it down in front of the calm-looking griffon. “Alex is at the hospital!! He could be seriously injured!! O-Or fatally injured!!! O-O-Or he could be blowing up this sec-”

“Izzy! Ponies don’t just blow up for no reason!” I snapped at her, the same nonsense coming up again from that time we tried to work around Sunny’s alicorn powers and any ill consequences they might bring with them.

“You don’t know that!” In a stubborn streak, she stuck her tongue at me in a fillish way.

“I told you he ist vine.” Gaius replied, not really trying to reassure Izzy. Every now and then, a foreign word slipped through. It made sense, since from what I could recall from Alex’s short teachings, griffons possessed a different mother language than ours. He also had… less than pleasing things to say about griffonkind, hence my jumpy disposition towards Gaius. “Zhat… uh, ‘Discord’ creature, vhatever he vas, take care ov vorse injuries. He needs recover most.”

“D-Discord? You met with Discord?!” I pred. If they had stumbled with the draconequus… Well, in all honesty, I wasn’t sure whether that meant good or bad news. It might explain how they had returned so fast, since we too had taken the fast way back with that nauseating teleportation spell.

Gaius turned his fluffy head towards me, trusting that the prancing unicorn would keep her pace in front of us, or grow tired and step in line.

“Wir did, ja. Schtrange creature. I disliked.”

‘Can’t blame you for that.’ I sympathized inwardly, recalling the humongous scare he gave us by stealing the pegasus crustal and the back-wrenching weeks it took us to get it back from his stubborn flank. Still, whilst I was not that surprised Discord had read his ugly face around again, why now of all times, and only to them? Where was he even now? The last thing we needed was for him to take himself up on his promise and start seeding chaos around.

We reached the decorative arch marking the north entrance to the town, Izzy’s bubbling impatience stamped on the quickening of her hopping until her legs couldn't take it anymore, making her flop down with a wheeze before falling in step beside me.

I knew we could find my Hitchy at his office, most likely trying to tire a rambunctious Sparky down for an early dinner and night-night time, since we’d arranged a movie marathon for tonight at the brighthouse. My sis was most likely still at Mane Melody, either attending to the last of the day’s customers or bored to tears by the lack of them and fooling around with the karaoke. Sunny had the afternoon shift at her smoothie stand, her coworker having fallen with a nasty bug and taken a few days of leave.

“Sie can reläx aroünd me, Zeepp.” Gaius' sudden comment brought me out of my mental planning. Winning both mine and Izzy’s attention, we gazed at him, the griffon not returning the gesture and instead feigning he was paying attention to the odd and frightened looks the townsponies were bombarding him with mercilessly. “I mean no harm to ponies. I have more zhan enögh violence to last me vorever…”

Mine and Izzy’s eyes crossed gazes halfway, a sense of uneasiness flowing freely between us. Good news to anypony’s ears, but the reason came across to us as far from the most preferable one. It was hard to make a guess, but he didn't seem that old, at least not to be saying those kinds of gray-mane things. But yet again, this was a griffon we were talking about, not the most peaceful of Equus’ races as far as we’d learned.

It took in his implied request and eased down a bit, but not completely. Instead, I took to the ledge to get a better picture of him as we trekked through the still-somewhat busy streets of Maretime Bay. Familiar traits merged with foreign features. Just as their shared frame was known for it, his upper, bird half transitioned smoothly to his feline rear somewhere below his chest. Signs of an arduous journey were present in his plumage and fur, although he wasn’t terribly disgruntled either. His feathers were nicely preened, and his fur was considerably thicker than your average pony’s.

That led me to ponder his most particular trait. From the pictures in Alex’s ample gallery, the few griffons that appeared in them only differed in the colors of their plumage and fur, but all revolved around eagle-like and lion-like body themes. While Giaus’s avian half was somewhat more recognizable, his rear half, and that panther-like, waving tail of his was a first for me. My nose told me this was not your average griffon, another peculiarity besides the fact that he was the first one I’d ever seen for real. Behind all of this, I couldn't help but admire his frame; the predatory muscles under his fur, his sharp beak, and his keen eyes taking in all of his surroundings dexterously. Also, I was more than a bit jealous of his wingspan, which I placed around twice as long as mine, but I didn't let that jealousy show.

As we sauntered into the main square, Sunny’s stand could already be discerned amidst the several food stands and other street businesses of another busy Friday. Regardless of what Gaius had told us, I still felt the need for some urgency, if not to get rid of the pressure in my chest once I could see with my two eyes that my friend was safe and sound.

“Izzy,” I called for the fidgety unicorn, a frown having conquered her features since the news had been delivered to us. “You take Gaius and find Sunny. I’ll head for Mane Melody to get my sister and then we’ll go look for Hitch. We’ll meet at the hospital, ‘kay?”

Not waiting for confirmation, I flared my wings and was aloft before the others could blink. Mane Melody was only a couple of wingbeats away, and my stallion’s office wasn’t far from there.

‘Hang in there, Alex. We’re on our way…’

“...”

“...”

“... Do I have notifications turned on?”

I knew I had them. I’d checked them three times only that afternoon. It was looking for simply anything by that point, anything at all that might explain why Alex hadn’t called or texted back yet. By this point, he was already way beyond the reach of our phone service. Having warned us he’d have to go dark for most of his journey, I had little else to do but wait and worry… and wait… and worry some more.

And yet, I couldn't pry myself away from the screen of my phone, empty apart from messages besides a pop-up message which I quickly discarded with a huff, booting the messenger app and checking our shared group chat for good measure, hoping, praying for him to have met some complication on the way that would prompt him to return early. Or simply that he’d gotten to his senses that this trip was a reckless, moric endeavor and was halfway to the town’s entrance to apologize profusely.

‘He better apologize when he’s back. I’ll beat the apologies out of him if I need to… after squeezing him to death and never leaving his side again.’

We should have all gone with him. I didn't care if this was another of his ‘personal affairs’ like the solo trip he took to Ponyville’s ruins. We were a family, and he was my mate. Our destinies were forever intertwined. His hopes and pains were mine, and mine were his…

Celestia, it sounded like we were married or something… aaaand, there went my cheeks.

‘NO! We are mad at him, Sunny!’ I popped the dreamy bubble and resumed glaring at the empty chat, and by empty I mean lacking anything except messages from Pipp every three minutes or so. With so much of me fussing over the phone, I might as well be crowned the next in the succession line of the pegasi royal family.

‘If Alex and I get married, I’ll be a Princess of Equestri-NO!! Mad!! We are very mad with the stupid human!!!’

My stupid human, for whom my heart had ached for every second he was away. These past two weeks had been torture on my soul. I hadn't realized how lonely I could feel when he wasn't sharing the days with me, even with the rest of my pony family there for me every minute of every day. It brought me to darker times, when a lonely filly dreamed of a better world, laughed and ridiculed by everypony except one or two, her only friends.

I hated this feeling. I hated all the feelings that coalesced and brought the stormiest of clouds to my head. I knew what my human was capable of, I knew he could take care of himself, but that wouldn't stop me from conjuring a thousand different outcomes, all of them concluding in him getting hurt or worse, and never coming back home.

I’d lost my dad that way, and my mom before him. If I were to go through that again… I wasn’t sure I’d be able to cope with it.

The lack of clients that afternoon was painfully counterproductive, and I didn't mean it in the monetary sense. I couldn't have cared less about sales at the time. Busy days with busy clientele meant lots of work and little time to think and spiral down again. Work and my friends had been my two sole lifelines, allowing me to defy the wait with as much patience and dignity as a mare fearing for her stallion to the point I felt I’d shed half my winter coat already.

I’d suffocate Alex on that coat the moment I laid eyes on him again. I’d squeeze the stuffing out of him. Then, I’d kiss him until his lips fell off. Then, I’d scream at him, a lot. Then, I’d kiss him again, and scream some more. Then, I’d bump his head once or twice for good measure, and physically glue myself to his side. And, if he had something to say about it, he could shove it up his tail-less tailhole. This was the last time I was going to let him play hero. I couldn't care less how he’d done things in the past or not, although I had a hard time believing the Element Bearers would’ve acted any differently than I was acting, especially Twilight, considering they were together back then.

“If only I was as brilliant as she was… Perhaps he wouldn't think of me as a burden and he’d trust me enough to accompany hi-”

“Sunny!!!”

“AAAH!!”

I lost the other half of my winter coat from the sheer jump my best friend Izzy just gave me. I lost my grip on my phone as I catapulted myself as far up as the stand would allow, coming down with an unceremonious flop that shook the entire thing on its wheels. With my muzzle now pressed against the glass doors of the store cabinet under the counter, I realized I was running low on strawberries and would have to order some more.

“Sunny?” Izzy’s voice called from above, her messy mane cascading down as she peeked inside over the counter, levitating away the stuff I had on it. “Are you taking a nap?”

Ah, Izzy. I loved that mare to bits. But sometimes, I swear…

“Izzy!!” Two weeks’ worth of nagging and uncertainty summed up to more bark than I’d have preferred. “You can't go around scaring ponies like that! What iffffff…”

Any semblance of anger promptly evaporated when, once I’d brought my throbbing head over the counter to scold my bestie, I found her in the presence of a most particular companion.

A griffon.

“N’abend.” The creature gave a little wave and greeted with a masculine voice, a crooked grin denoting that he found amusement in the jumpscare.

“Sorry, sorry!” Izzy, seemingly unaware of who was on his haunches right beside her, apologized hastily as I was left with my muzzle wide, no doubt looking like a fool. “Quick introductions! Sunny, Gaius. Gaius, Sunny.” Izzy introduced us, dipping back and forth between us with her mane flying everywhere in haste.

“Ja. Älex speäk much ov you.” The griffon named Gaius offered with a knowing smirk, a fact that failed to register in me when my coltfriend's name came around. “All gut, promise.” He spoke with a flick of his thick tail.

“Sunny!!” Izzy was on my face again, this time rearing on her hind legs to balance herself over the counter. “Alex is back!! The nice griffon…”

“Gaius.” He tried from the sidelines, getting completely ignored by Izzy.

“... said Alex is at the hospital right now. They came together and he says he’s fine now but was injured but not so much now stillwegottaheadthererightnowZipp’salreadygoingfortherestwegottagonow!!!” She wheezed out in one breath, eyes wide and a bit twitchy in an unsettling way.

“...”

“...”

“... A-Alex is ba-?”

“YES!!”

Using her magic, she levitated me out of the stand and landed me on my tail, closing the thing right behind, the force of her magic shaking it enough that my ears caught a mess of stuff spilling inside which I’d have to take care of at a later time. As the stand finished bouncing on its wheels, Izzy was helping me up on my hoofs and jumping behind me to push my rump with all her might in the general direction of the hospital.

I was an earth pony, mind you. Meaning, that the best she managed to do was to lift my rump in the air like a foal stumbling over their first steps, her rear hooves scraping over the stonework uselessly. A merry chuckle came from Gaius, who was already steadily taking the lead, looking over his shoulder at our silly disposition.

“Älex could üse Ihr help, Sunny Sterndeuterin. He ist…not vell. Here, mostly.” He tapped the white and gray feathers of his head in a gesture that chilled my blood.

Ignoring his strange use of Equish, I needed no further prompting and overtook the griffon in my gallop, Izzy quick on my heels and Gaius taking the rear, not able to keep up with our equine speed on hoof.

‘Why isn't he flying?’

I couldn't waste time on pointless musings. Ponies left and right fumbled on their hooves as they made way for us, wide-eyed at my unusual, pushy demands to make room for our small entourage. I’ll apologize at the next town meeting for it. Alex was back, and my heart soared at the news. Something very bad had happened, I could sense it in the way Gaius voiced it, and a thousand ice-cold buckets dropped on my back couldn't beat the icy numbness I experienced for him.

We couldn't have reached the hospital any faster. Storming through the gates, I skidded to a halt in front of the reception, the loud screech of my hooves against the slippery marble enough to win the mare behind the counter, her ears pressing down on her scalp with the thunderous noise that startled more than one pony, patients and staff alike.

Slamming my hooves on the counter, I bore down on the shaking mare. “Where?!!” I demanded, puffing like a rabid dog.

I didn't know the mare’s name, but she seemed to know who I was and, more importantly, who I was looking for. Pointing a trembling hoof towards the doors leading to the east wing of the building, she gave me direction. “T-Two B, second floor, room thirty-two.”

I was away like an exhalation, leaving Izzy behind to deliver a rushed ‘thanks and sorry’ before bolting behind me.

I searched frantically around me as I conquered row after row of patient rooms, hallway after hallway. In my frenzied state, I became lost in the labyrinthic guts of the east wing.

“DAMMIT!! WHERE ARE THE STAIRS IN THIS PLACE?!!”

“Star seeker.” I heard Gaius call to me in a peculiar version of my last name. He was peeking through a corner behind me with a panting Izzy beside him, pointing with a talon up towards the painfully obvious sign of a staircase.

Thanking him on the fly, I darted up the stairs three at a time and bolted into the heart of the L-shaped east wing. Two B was easy to find, it being only a hoof’s throw from the staircase.

“Thirty-five, thirty-four, thirty-three…”

The silver plaque bearing the number thirty-two flashed before me like a vision from the goddess herself. I skidded to a halt in front of it, Izzy not able to stop in time and smashing against me. Again, earth pony. The poor mare bounced back, only losing my hoofing for a moment.

My ears flickered when the muffle of voices reached me from beyond the door. A female, somewhat bossy voice in tandem with the grave, funny-sounding accent only one creature in this ample world possessed.

All resolve that had carried me there promptly faded away when my chest tightened and a lump formed in my throat. What would I find inside the room? How would I find him? My imagination betrayed me. Flashes of bloodied limbs, torn clothes, scars… horrible things shook me in a full-body tremble.

No, Gaius had said he was alright for the most part, and he was talking in there, so it couldn't be that bad, could it?

The day of the Maretime Bay Day festival took root in my inner eye. Alex, bleeding profusely, slumped on the ground like a forgotten doll… his overloaded gauntlets burning his furless skin…

A white and gray blur passed beside me, opening the door when my newfound hesitation would not allow me, startling me out of my day nightmare. Izzy, tailing behind Gaius with deep, struggling breaths as she fought to refill her exhausted lungs with merciful air, remained at my side as the griffon strode into the room.

There he was. With his mud-caked boots hanging from the end of the pony-sized hospital bed, laid the love of my life. A heart monitor rested beside him, the pulse strong and steady, music to my ears. Another machine of sorts filled the space under it, with blood-filled tubes coming back and forth from Alex and the machine. A nurse was reading over a few papers over a script, her muzzle scrunched in deep thought.

All of it became fog in my peripheral vision, my human being the only thing I could focus on. He rested comfortably on the white mattress. His right arm lay limp at his side, the place where the tubes originated; the other brushing his beard, far too grown for his liking, as I’d come to learn; before falling back down to his chest.

“... Two passes will be fine, Tender. We can always boost the heparin effect by… oh. Hey, Gaius. Du bist zurück.” Alex greeted the griffon in a friendly manner, a tiny smile making its way to his face, shining like a million suns in my eyes.

“Das bin ich.” Gaius greeted back, the both of them switching to a language I could only guess was the griffon’s very own. “Wie gewünscht…”

Pointing with his wing, Gaius brought Alex’s attention to the door. The moment his chocolate eyes landed on mine, I saw them widen in surprise at the same time the heart monitor registered a spike in his heartbeat.

That got the nurse’s attention who, seemingly uncaring about the griffon’s presence, followed Alex’s line of sight to find us both standing by the door.

“... Hmm, I’ll leave you alone.” Nurse Tenderhoof quickly understood and granted us some space, not before pointedly reminding Alex not to scratch at the intravenous lines fixed on his forearms.

Waving her off with a ‘yes, mom’ gesture, the nurse headed for the door. I took it as my cue to bolt inside and latch onto my human, just as I knew Izzy was itching for, judging from the trembling of her body. However, before we could rush in behind Gaius, Nurse Tenderhoof stopped us with a stretched foreleg barring the entrance to us.

“Take it easy, you two.” She warned us with a noted tone, concern visible in her features. “Alexander… He has a lot of recovery time ahead of him.”

Once she was sure we’d understood with our joint nodding, she dragged her pointed leer for a second longer before stepping aside and brushing beside us and down the hallway. Gaius stepped aside right beside the window in respect but made no gesture of leaving the room, perhaps out of concern for Alex too.

No matter, he could stay if he wanted. There was only one thing in the room that I truly cared about.

With my haunches twitching in anticipation, I was ready to jump into my human’s embrace and give him the biggest hug and the biggest kiss in the history of Eque-

“ALEEEEEX!!!”

Izzy beat me to it, practically flying into the room and sailing into the human’s waiting arm, the other one still in place with the tubes, giving a hearty, tearful cackle when Izzy trapped him with her four limbs and began nuzzling the living daylight out of him.

I lost my inertia and simply trotted into the room with a calm pace, not fishing to break the tender moment between the two, especially now that I’d been made aware of Izzy’s shared feelings for him. I’d get my turn soon enough.

As Alex’s laugh filled the room under Izzy’s tickling ministrations, I made my way around the bed towards the side opposite from the machinery, catching Gaius observing us with a warm smile on his beak, and a shadow of longing in his blue eyes. I had many questions for him, but I could always ask him later. My human was back, he was laughing with lively gusto, and everything seemed to be in place as far as I could see.

Izzy needed a minute to get everything out of her system before she relented, finishing with a vigorous squeeze as Alex filled her mane and ears with loving pecks, hugging her frame as best as one arm could while Izzy’s tail wagged lively behind her. That unicorn had always been a cuddlebug. I waited patiently until she was finished, stress pouring out of me as warmth rushed in to fill the vacuum.

‘He’s alright. He’s fine… he’s back…’

It almost sounded alien, even if only two weeks had passed. For me, it felt like ages without hearing his beautiful laugh, without seeing his beaming smile.

Tears of happiness streamed down both their cheeks once Izzy was finished, the former taking notice of me waiting and untangling herself from the human’s embrace to lean against the bed’s frame, happy with lowering her head down his covered tummy and resting it there, nuzzling it endlessly as she too poured out words of relief for his return.

My turn came, and our eyes crossed again. None said a word, seconds passing as we simply gazed at each other, almost as if assessing if the other was real. Tears had begun streaming down my cheeks when I felt him reach with his free, ungloved hand clasp my cheek, his thumb quick at work to clear the waterfalls. I leaned into his touch, his warmth the definitive proof that my human had returned to me.

“Hey there, baby…”

I couldn't hold it in anymore. The dam burst open and my feelings poured out like a flood. With a heavily-charged sob, I reared up on my hindlegs and sunk my head into my man's embrace, letting his warmth, his scent, his touch, everything about him erase the last bits of the past two weeks. His arm enveloped me, his hand coming to rest behind my withers and nudging me in. I offered no resistance, burying my muzzle into the crook of his neck and nuzzling it with wanton desperation.

“Sniff. I-I was s-so worried… s-so, hic… af-f-fraid something…”

His hold on me tightened, his lips coming up to kiss and nuzzle my scalp and ears as I pressed as much as I physically could against him.

“I’m so sorry baby. I’m so, so sorry…”

Time became irrelevant. There was only us in that hospital room. I cried countless tears, choked on countless sobs as his hold on me didn't waver for a single moment, his own tears running free and down my mane. I took in as much as I could of him. His scent, rich and distinctive, filled my nostrils, bringing froth with a sense of calmness I’d thirsted for for what felt like a century. His strong arm holding me, never letting me go, as I would never again let go of him.

It was painful, exhilarating, draining, and haunting for the soul. But above all, it was peace.

My tears ran dry eventually, and after a time I did not bother to count nor care about it. I was all the way up on the hospital bed and pressing against his side since I felt my legs no longer able to hold me up. I nuzzled every available inch of him, Alex reciprocating with gentle pets and rubs of my fur. As I felt the exhaustion from such a crying party about to get a hold of me and knock me out into blissful sleep, Alex left the fur behind my dock to gently bring my head towards his. Our sights crossed again, filled with tears of relief and regret.

No words were needed. It was time to make up for my previous cowardness when I allowed my feelings to cloud my better judgment, and let him go all by himself. Or, at the least, without a proper kiss goodbye. I dipped forward and so did he. Our lips met and wasted no time on preliminaries, giving way to our tongues so that they could dance with one another. I climbed atop him for good measure, unintentionally knocking Izzy off of her spot atop Alex’s belly, mushing my lips as hard as I could against his as I made out with my human with reckless abandon. Love was poured back and forth, a flurry of emotions clouding my senses, bringing me to nirvana and back down a hundred times over. I had missed him so much…

“Wow…” I thought I heard Gaius mumble from within the fog my human and eye were lost in. I paid it no mind.

I pulled back when I felt my lungs beginning to hurt from the lack of air, almost tearing the human’s lips with me in a resounding *smack*

“... Faust in heaven, I missed this so muchmmmmph!”

Taking a big muzzleful of air, I dived back down at his face, kissing, nipping, tongue dancing, anything my body screamed for until my cheeks hurt.

I pulled back once I felt satisfied enough, looming above Alex as I reduced him to a starry-eyed, drunken-smile goof. My heart, filled to the brim with love for him, managed to find a little more room, stitching an impossibly wide smile on my lips.

I’d gotten the kissy-kiss out of the way. It was time to bear Tartarus down on him for having left me on edge for almost two weeks with his moronic recklessness. I tried to be angry at him, but I simply lacked the spirit for it now.

Alex gazed up at me, boundless love shining in his eyes, his free hand climbing to caress my chin lovingly.

“Sorry about the taste, baby. I… haven’t had the chance to wash my teeth in a while.” He apologized with a guilty grin, running his thumb over my left cheek.

The taste. That was what he was concerned about? Only my silly human could come up with such an out-of-place comment at a moment like this. Far from getting angry, I couldn’t help but crack up loudly; for the first time since he left, laughter ran freely from me. Izzy too chuckled on her side of the bed, bringing her forelegs up to the side of the bed again and cuddling up close to the both of us, not wishing to miss her spot beside Alex, taking great care not to disturb the lines running from his arm.

He could have tasted like rotten cabbage, plucked and stomped on for all I cared.

“You silly human,” I answered back with a chuckle, capturing his lips one last time before melting into his embrace again, bringing my muzzle under his chin and lovingly bathing him in small licks and nibbles. I, too, was drunk on him.

At that moment, the rest of our pony family stampeded into the room. Crying for Alex until they found him buried under Izzy and yours truly. Knowing that they’d too want a chance to welcome him back, I extracted myself out of his tight hold and resumed my place beside the bed, a hoof unconsciously sneaking under his clothes to seek out the scar under his heart, as I had grown used to doing every time we were close.

Pipp was the first to target Alex; bringing herself aloft, she hovered above the resting human before planting her four hooves around him, pinning him down as she bore down at him with the fury of the sun.

“YOU!!” She snarled as the mattress bounced once or twice under the strength of her landing, making Alex wince and rub something beyond the jacket’s rim over his shoulder.

“Nice to see you too, Princess.” He replied through clenched teeth, although he didn't lose the twinkle in his eyes.

“Oh no no no no no, don’t you start that ‘Princess’ business with me.” Pipp, unamused by Alex’s witty retort, brought herself down until her snout was pressing against his tiny nose. “Do you know how worried we’ve been for you?!! Huh?!! I gave you a phone, a pho-nah, yes? This stupid little thing?” She grabbed hers from under her wing holster and smacked Alex’s forehead with it. “So we could remain in contact with you while you were gone!!”

“Sorry, Pipp,” Alex mumbled as he rubbed his forehead with the back of his hand. “I lost it while I was out there. Couldn't communicate even if I wanted to.” He then dipped his head to me with a crooked grin. “Did you see what I did with the moon?”

“We did.” I tenderly answered, remembering the breathtaking show in the night sky. “It got the message across, sweetie.”

“I’m glad it did.” He breathed out in relief, returning to the steaming pegasus, who was running on fumes faster than she could pump herself up with them. “So, yeah… sorry.”

“YOU LOST THE PHONE?!!!” Pipp yelled, right into the human’s face. Let it be known that Pipp Petals is one to fuss over a lost phone more than her friend’s well-being. “Do you know how much those things cost?!! I… I could just…” She made choking notions with her hooves, but her fuse burned out before it came to that. Her legs folded under her, bringing Pipp to rest atop Alex as her forehead came to meet with him in a tender gesture. “... I was so worried…”

Taking hold of her withers, Alex embraced Pipp fully and planted an apologetic peck behind her ear. “I’m so sorry Pipp… I’m so sorry for causing you to be on edge for so long.”

With a big sniffle, Pipp was content with cuddling the human for a little bit while her sister replaced Izzy on the bed’s right side, numerous tears also matting the fur on her cheeks, but with her reaction being more measured, to Alex’s luck. There were only so many ponies that a bed could hold.

“Hey there, detective.” Alex greeted with a playful pitch. “Got any new leads while I was away?”

“Oh, just shut up.” Zipp rolled her eyes and shook her head, bemused by Alex’s inquiry with a crooked grin on her muzzle. Finding a free spot, she brought her upper body onto the bed, her detective side taking a second to analyze the arrangement of tubes and machinery hooked up to Alex before closing in for a loving nuzzle, Alex replied as best he could from his pinned position. “You got us sick with worry, big guy. You owe us good.”

“I do, Zipp.” Alex scratched Zipp’s chin with the limited mobility of his right arm. “I sure do.”

As Pipp brought herself up to sit at the foot of the bed, giving Alex some breathing space, I felt Hitch brush up against my side as he went to greet the human too.

“Good to see you back, Alex.” Hitch spoke with a brotherly hoof bump which Alex was more than happy to reciprocate. “Kicked some bug butt while you were away?”

‘Stallions…’ I couldn’t help but roll my eyes.

Far from answering with bravado, Alex’s features sobered in a concerning way, a gesture that didn't fly past us silently.

“... Not exactly.”

“Okay okay. This was all so good and heartwarming,” Nurse Tenderhoof, having returned, this time carrying a trolley with numerous medical supplies, driving another spike of worry in my chest. “But, I have a patient to patch up. So, please, park the tearful reunions for later and give me some room to operate.”

“Operate?!!” Izzy cried in alarm. “He needs surgery?!!”

“She means that you need to give her some space to work.” Alex clarified for the alarmed unicorn, pushing himself away with his elbows to climb a bit over the plush pillow into a half-reclining position, wincing all the way. A sympathetic frown crossed Gaius’ face. Perhaps he knew more about what my human had gone through out there in the wilderness.

The ponies complied, shuffling backward to give the nurse ample room to take a quick look at the machines, seemingly satisfied with a hum before she went back to the trolley and began arranging the necessary materials.

“What’s that for?” Zipp couldn't keep herself from asking.

Nurse Tenderhoof beat Alex to the explanation, delivering it in a practiced, professional speech, carrying an undertone of boredom. “Blood detoxification. This dumbhead of a human got stung by a manticore and bitten by a chimera’s snake head. He had more venom than erythrocytes in his bloodstream when he came.”

“W-What?!!!” I cried in alarm, already fearing the worst. Alex ran his fingers through my mane and popped my growing panic.

“Relax, guys. I’m immune to both. I just needed extra help flushing it out since my body can’t naturally filter it… she’s helping me to piss it away.”

“Ew…” Pipp scrunched her muzzle at his… colorful description.

“Are you sure you’re going to be alright?” I pried further, not fully satisfied with his calm approach to the matter.

“I will, Tangerine.” The use of his favorite pet name for me made me grow a bit weak at the knees, but did wonders to dismantle my unease nonetheless. With another thorough rub of my left ear, his confident smile was enough deterrent for my concerns, at least on that matter. “Perks of being an alien, heh?”

“Alien?” Nurse Tenderhoof’s ears perked up, but nopony answered, instead sharing looks with one another with knowing smirks. Seeing as nopony was commenting further, Nurse Tenderhoof just shrugged it off and continued with her work. “Well, whatever the case, you needn't worry about that. This human’s a tough cookie. His stubbornness alone could burn away the toxins” She added, taking a hold of some medicinal alcohol and a staggering amount of sterilized patches and bandages. “I’m more concerned about his injuries.”

Before any of us had the chance to question the nurse further, she was already at Alex’s side, waiting patiently for him to do something. Conflict oozed from Alex, running his sight to each of us with deep uncertainty until he saw that there was no chance of escape. Sighing loudly, he complied and inched a bit further from the pillow, using his free arm to tug at his jacket rim to remove it. Nurse Tenderhoof aided him, extracting it and his shirt all the way except where the tubes met his right arm, not finding it necessary to cut the shirt. She wordlessly proceeded with her tasks as the rest of us were rendered wide-eyed with our muzzles loose and wide open.

When we’d first seen him shirtless, only the scar under his left pectoral marred his otherwise alien physique. Now, his torso, abdomen, shoulders, and some parts of his arms were a collection of small cuts, gashes, and bruises. Most of them looked like they were already, if only recently. Especially those of a lesser magnitude, leaving behind almost no trace of scarring, only visible to a trained eye.

However, it was the worst injuries, the ones that hadn't healed completely, that made my heart almost leap out of my throat. A deep, horizontal gash on his right side. An ugly, already yellowing bruise invaded almost the majority of his chest. Numerous cuts and… claw marks, I believed those were, painting a grotesque image on a good chunk of his delicate, furless skin.

And the worst of all was the one Nurse Tenderhoof was currently treating; a spider-like mess of burnt skin, radiating from a deep puncture wound right above his left shoulder blade.

I felt tears rushing to my eyes once more, the rest of the ponies gasping loudly, hooves flying towards open mouths, with a few gagging sounds betraying Pipp’s feelings on the matter.

“Yeah…” Alex droned, his shame bringing his sight down to the blankets. “I’m a bit of a mess right now.” He mumbled, fumbling with his thumbs as he soldiered through Nurse Tenderhoof’s treatment of his ugly wound.

“That’s one way to voice it, sure.” The nurse spoke under her breath, applying some sort of white ooze all over the place before covering it with a healthy amount of bandages, making it tight around his shoulder, which brought a grunt out of Alex. Satisfied with her work, she moved to another wound on his back which we couldn’t see from where we stood. “A bit more and I’d have to use the quilts to patch ‘im up.”

“Thank you, Tender,” Alex grumbled, leaving the nurse to her work while he fumed for a bit. I was on his face before he cooked himself too much, now words needed to get my message across.

With his most regretful smile, Alex petted my mane once more. Little did he know that his old trick wouldn’t work this time.

Now I was mad.

“If I told you I had it under control, would you believe me?” He squeaked out like a filly caught with a hoof in the cookie jar. Needless to say, my frown told him everything he needed to know, making my human gulp loudly and ready himself for another trip to Tartarus.

“Iv I may…” Gaius butted in before all Tartarus was let loose, taking a few steps to approach a free spot near the bed. It was at that moment that Pipp and Hitch realized he was even there, jumping back in surprise but quickly brought up to speed by Zipp. Placing a talon over Alex’s covered leg, sympathy shone in his blue eyes when he took in the sight of the scarred human. “... Älex vöund me and rescue me vhen he captured by zee schlavers that häv captured me bevore.” Another very pointed glare made the human shy away from me, to the complaints of the nurse working on his back. “He vought bravely all vay to zee hive. He helped me many times.” He then fixed his predatory eyes on me, making me unconsciously shudder a bit. “You always on his mïnd virst. Always.”

His words floored me, bringing my attention back to Alex who, filled with reproach, peered down to his hands in shame as a wince crossed his lips every now and then when the nurse would prod a delicate spot. I remembered then the reason he’d left in the first place. It hadn't been an egotistical act. Alex was the one looking forward the least to the journey, and he’d claimed he’d tackle it alone for his, but most importantly, our safety.

‘... I understand.’

‘No, baby, you don't… and I’ll give my last breath to keep it that way.’

I was torn on how to feel about everything. On the one hoof, he’d hurt me a lot; I’d endured many sleepless nights filled with uncertainty, and long hours peeling my eyes off looking at an empty screen. He hurt me by leaving us all behind to gallop into the unknown in search of an ancient foe, knowing well we too can pull our weight, as we’d demonstrated during Discord’s crisis. We may not possess the might and magic of the Element Bearers, but in only these past four months, we’d achieved what was believed impossible for hundreds of years. By working together.

On the other hoof, however; the lingering notion nagging me in the back of my mind was a constant reminder of how out of his league we still were. Far from being selfish, the way Alex had asked, almost demanded us to stay behind and safeguard the crystals… the way the color had drained from his face… the subtle tremble of his hands I wasn’t sure anypony else noticed. He was scared. Genuinely, utterly scared… not for him, but for us.

Alex had journeyed beyond the reach of the three settlements alone, faced monstrous abominations that painted his body full of scars, faced against one, or perhaps three of Equestria’s mightiest foes, alone.

And he’d done it for us… for me.

I dragged the human out of the shame pit he was on the way to digging himself into, grabbing his free hand firmly. Once more, my attempts to be angry at my human went down the drain when his broken eyes, filled with regret, met mine in resignation. He was aware of his recklessness and the heartache he’d put us through. He knew the consequences and he decided to do it anyway, knowing he’d endure them all the same.

“I might not understand…” I began, his eyes widening when he realized where I was starting from. “But I want to.” I squeezed his hand hard under my hoof, trying to transmit everything my words couldn't. “Please,” I pleaded, tears continuing cascading down my cheeks. “I know it won’t be pretty. I know it’ll be dangerous, but… please.”

Sheltered as we’d been, it was time to wake up and join the adults’ game. Alex wouldn't be the only one willing to make the sacrifices. Even if his… particular condition made him the ideal candidate.

Faust above, I can't believe that thought crossed my mind at some point.

“I don’t want you to,” Alex replied, squeezing my hoof back. “None of you.” He went to address all present. “This is not your Game. I won’t make you a part of it.”

“Uh,” Pipp interceded. “I believe we’ve been part of this ‘game’ of yours for a while now, don’t you think?”

Alex sighed loudly and broke contact to mash both hands into his face, brushing it tiredly, the grime of a long journey matting his skin as it was spread over further.

“... You are, Pipp.” He said after a moment of silent reflection. “In here,” He tapped the mattress with his finger. “In the Bay, in Zephyr Heights, in Bridlewood.” He then pointed at the window, the purple sky slowly darkening with each star that twinkled in the oncoming night. “Out there… Gaius, tell them what’s out there.”

The griffon, finding himself in the spotlight, hesitated a bit before taking a loud gulp, unsure of how to tackle Alex’s complicated query.

“Uh… It’s… um,” Gaius fumbled in place, meeting our expectant gazes which only drove him more fidgety. “Es ist… not place vor pony.”

“Ugh, please!” Zipp, a scoff knitting her brow, raised her voice and flapped to the human’s side. “We don’t need you to be foal-sitting all the time! Her tail bumped against the bed’s metal rim in frustration, making us all reel back a bit in shock. “I almost got my wing torn off by a timberwolf! I was almost thrown into a pool of lava while fighting Discord! I almost became buried under a ton of rocks if weren’t for my sister!! Here, at the Bay!!” Her icy leer clashed with Alex’s stony one, and the human’s teeth grated behind his clenched jaw. The beeping of the heart monitor spiked, the tension in the room peaking with it. “So, yes! I’m painfully aware of the fact that out there is not a place for a pony! But I won’t sit on my flank doing nothing but making sure everypony’s chums with one another while something nefarious is cooking out the-!!”

“I WILL NOT LOSE ANOTHER FAMILY!!” Alex’s outburst made us jump three hooves in the air, his fists slamming on his knees. Nurse Tenderhoof had to pull back from her wound treatment with a startle.

“Okay, that’s enough!” The nurse hopped down from the bed and planted her hooves in the middle of the agglomeration of ponies. “My patient here needs his rest, and I need to finish treating his wounds before one of them becomes seriously infected, so I’m gonna need to ask you to file this discussion for a later time and leave.”

“B-But…” Izzy tried to protest, but the nurse’s hard leer was enough to deter any further complaints. Still, nopony moved, much less me. Heated head-butting or not, nopony wanted to leave Alex’s side.

“It’s alright, guys.” The very same human was in agreement with the nurse, guilt once again dominating his features. “I’m sorry for the outburst. It’s… It’s been a rough couple of weeks, we can talk about this after I’m checked out here.” He faced Zipp specifically, the pegasus also ashamed for her rise of tone, drooping under our scrutiny. “Don’t sell yourself short, Zipp. Making sure everypony stays ‘chums’ with one another might as well be our most powerful advantage.”

“... I hope you’re right,” Zipp mumbled, wings limp at her sides and ears pressed down her scalp, a hoof rubbing her fetlock.

“Always am.” Alex fired back, this time with a playful tint, trying to bring up the mood. It worked with limited success, eliciting the smallest chuckle and an eye roll from Zipp who, after patting his leg and wishing him a speedy recovery, was the first to vacate the room. Hitch, peering back and forth between her and Alex, followed her after extending the same wishes to Alex, the human nodding appreciatively in return.

“Pipp,” My human called to the youngest of the pegasi sisters as she was about to approach him, wilting under Nurse Tenderhoof’s harsh demand.

“Hmm?”

“Mind escorting Gaius back to the Brighthouse and showing him the ropes?” The griffon perked up at this, his feathers ruffling. “I told him he could stay with us for the time being. He can nest up in the crystals' room, to keep an eye on them for us.” I felt his fingers running a loving trail down the rainbow streak of my mane. “With the landmare’s permission, of course.”

“S-Sure,” I gave my permission, still a bit stunned by Zipp’s and Alex’s short, but heated argument. “He can stay as long as he needs. Just,” I pictured a huge bird’s nest full of twigs, leaves, and feathers making a mess of the place. “Not too big, please.” I requested meekly.

Poor Gaius was rendered voiceless, something in the way his eyes widened and his posture stiffened telling me he wasn’t used to this level of kindness. He looked at Alex in search of an answer, the human only returning an encouraging grin and a nod.

It was settled. The griffon, finding nothing but encouraging smiles from all present, dipped his head in appreciation. “Vielen Dank…” He mumbled in his strange language, but I didn't need a translator to understand.

Before Gaius could leave, Alex reached out and grabbed one of his talons, interlocking his fingers between his claws.

‘Oh, this is new.’ I wondered inwardly, unfamiliar with the gesture, for obvious reasons.

“Nein, dank Ihnen,” Alex replied with a squeeze of the griffon’s claws, unfamiliar words being shared, yet the message was as plain as a sunny day.

Just as Pipp, having accepted to show Gaius around, was about to leave with the griffon in tow, Alex called one last time to the retraining pair.

“By the way, Pipp.” The pegasus peered at him over her shoulder. “He’s half boreal eagle. He’s now the best singing voice in the populated territories.” She informed Pipp with a playful grin.

With a predatory leer and putting the griffon’s own to the level of a kitten, Pipp was on Gaius’ beak before the poor thing had a chance to retreat. “Is that so?” She purred maliciously, making the poor griffon sweat bullets all over his fluffy plumage.

“S-Scheiße…” I heard him stammer, sending one parting, annoyed glare at a chuckling Alex before the pair had disappeared beyond the door’s rim.

Izzy, quick as a slight, took the chance of the ponies vacating to latch back onto Alex, her stubborn side refusing to leave Alex’s. Nurse Tenderhoof was losing her patience in steady bouts, her hoof tapping on the marble floor with a frown, pointedly looking down at a nonexistent fetlock watch.

It took some serious bribing from Alex to win Izzy over, the unicorn latching into his torso like a suckerfish. A promise of an entire day of goofing around together and an extra dose of unicorn cuddles to put the seal on his recovery brought Izzy over. She pulled back with extreme reluctance and wished Alex a good night, but not before cashing out a vigorous ear rub from him. The drying tears in her sad eyes told a different story, however. Coming across the bed to my side, she captured me in a big embrace and planted a disguised peck behind my ear, making me light up in embarrassment, praying Alex wouldn't notice behind her billowing mane. Pulling back, her beautiful pearls spoke of longing and impatience. She wanted him as much as I did. We’d agreed on the date when we, together, would propose to him the chance of forming a herd, even while now my heart still hammered in my chest under the possibility he might say no. I trusted my human. If our hearts were big enough to love each other as we would love him, I knew his would too.

Once Izzy saw herself out, it was only us and Nurse Tenderhoof in the room.

“Miss…” Nurse Tenderhoof ushered me out, but I didn't want to leave Alex’s side, not even for one more night.

“Tender.” Alex, of a similar thought, pleaded to the nurse. “We can leave this running for the night and finish patching me up tomorrow. I need some time with my mare.”

Nurse Tenderhoof ran a quick analysis on the machine where she stood and another one on Alex’s chest and abdomen wounds, the ones still yet to be treated. She held her ground as Alex's pleading hung in the air, sighing loudly and shaking her head a minute later.

“Fine.” She conceded, making my tail wag unconsciously behind me. “I’ll bring you both some supper and leave you be. But!!” She bossed with a heavy stomp. “First light tomorrow, I’m patching you up and dragging your flank down to x-rays and physiotherapy for that shoulder blade; Have I made myself clear?” Her tone left no room for protest.

“As crystal,” Alex answered with a thankful smile, with me mirroring the gesture.

Nurse Tenderhoof took hold of the trolley and made for the exit, but not before peeping behind her at us with narrowed eyes. “And no funny business. He’s still recovering.”

I burned up in a full-body blush while Alex laughed loudly at the nurse’s implication.

“Darn, and me here wanting to live out a porno.”

“ALEX!!” I cried, deeply abashed, bumping his knee in protest, only invigorating his laughter as the nurse simply rolled her eyes and left us to ourselves.

As his laughter died, a placid silence fell over the place. Almost awkward, which I would not allow to settle if it was my stallion who I was dealing with.

Not seeking nor needing permission, I was up onto the bed and down across his frame, wiggling my rear into the blankets and covering us both with them since the nip of the night could be felt even from beyond the closed window. Alex offered no retort as I nested into him, his free hand running across the fur of my back and rump as deep exhalation left his lungs.

I peeked up at him, having sunk my head on his chest, taking in his scent and the beating of his heart, as I enjoyed doing every time we went to bed. His brown eyes gazed down, filled with love, making my tail wiggle happily under the blankets as I sunk deeper and deeper into his warm chest.

“I’m mad at you.” He suddenly spoke. I had to do a double take at his words, forcing my head up his chest in surprise.

“You? Are mad… at me?” I echoed with no little amount of bewilderment, a frown tugging down at my eyebrows.

“Mhm,” He replied cheekily, booping my snout with a finger. “Because you are not mad at me.”

“And what makes you think I’m not mad enough to bite you all over until you start looking like a strawberry.” I retorted, sending my snout high in the air with a bit too much theatrics.

Alex pursed his brow as he painted a mental image, shuddering afterward but not losing his cheeky edge. “Because you’re my mare and I can read you like a book.” He offered with utmost confidence, summoning a twitch of my eye.

I tried my best to stay in character, but he was right all along. I couldn't be mad at him, much less stay mad at him, not after processing the reasons behind his act of selflessness masked by a selfish pretense.

“You’re right,” I admitted defeat and dropped back into his waiting embrace, drinking in the sweet sound of his snickering as he smushed me against his exposed skin.

“Well, I think you should.” He chirped with a scratch behind my left ear. “I for one would’ve dumped my sorry ass were I in your place.” His features softened and took over a guilty light. “What I did was not right. Leaving you all in the dust with nothing but half-cooked, rushed excuses. I just…” The words died on his tongue. A soft nuzzle stirred him to continue, letting him know I was more than willing to listen. “When I found out who was calling for me I… I froze up. Having dealt with Chrysalis and the rest before, I knew to what lengths those deranged motherfuckers would go to see their revenge and thirst for power fulfilled. Last time, they almost laid waste to all of Canterlot; Equestria would’ve followed closely behind if we hadn't… if the girls hadn't stopped them.” Another painful reminder of that battle, prompting me to seek out the scar of that moment and plant a tender kiss atop it, leaving behind a hoof for good measure. “Thank you.” He nuzzled his nose against my mane sweetly. “I… I simply couldn't fathom what they would do to you if they learned I was part of your family. Killing you right in front of me would be too short and boring for those three. They wanted me and the girls to suffer back then. And now, at this time, you guys are my greatest strength… and my greatest weakness.”

A small whimper betrayed me, his words hurting while ringing true. Alex noticed and quickly scooped me up further up his frame, planting his lips on mine to silence me in the best possible way. My tongue warred with his for a few tender, precious seconds before I felt him pull back, gently grabbing my head to make sure I was giving him one-hundred-and-ten percent attention. “And I can’t thank you enough for making me feel this way. For making me feel like I belong, like I’m cared for and loved. And I love you guys so much. So, so much, I’d die a hundred times in a hundred different ways to keep you safe.” His two-handed hold became a tender caress of my cheek when his right arm started bothering him again. “Don’t mistake my feelings for weakness. You’re not weak. None of you are, but especially you, Sunny Starscout. Here,” He pressed a finger over my chest. “Here, I know lies the strength to change the world. The resolve of one pony in countless generations to see Equestria a better place, against all odds, even if it cost her everything. I am weak. You, are not weak.”

His words took root in me, a big, tearful sniff making my entire body rock with emotion. I was not weak. I was an alicorn, I was a promoter of change, and a pillar of the community. But above all, I was Sunny Starscout.

And that’s all my family needed me to be.

“I need to ask you a favor, baby.” Alex requested out of a sudden in a grave, almost foreshadowing voice, making the remaining sniffles run their course as I regained my bearings, squeezing him with all my earth pony might, but not too hard else I accidentally worsened his state in any way.

“Anything…” I whispered back, lost in the feeling of his warm skin brushing against the tip of my snout.

“This journey…” He began, yey hesitation took hold of him as something prevented him from collecting his thoughts. “This journey has been eye-opening in many ways. Made me understand one thing about myself I hadn't had the courage to admit until today.”

His muscles tensed under me, prompting me to meet his gaze once more. With a dip of my head, I wondered what he was referring to. “I’ve realized I can no longer trust myself to do the right thing.”

My ears perked up in alarm, my body following soot as I incorporated atop him to pry further. “W-What do you mean?” My hoof rubbed nervously over his scar.

“Just that.” He answered in short. “Since the moment I first arrived in Equestria, I always felt everything I did was the correct thing to do, that no matter where the paths took me, the end would always justify the means. When I gifted my technology to the ponies, I felt I was doing right. When I deepened their knowledge and filled the holes magic could not fill, I felt I was helping build a bright future for all. When I faced the nations of Equus and embraced my role as Prince of Knowledge, when I took the vanguard with my friends in the battle of Canterlot, to the last second I stayed awake before entering stasis… I always, always felt I was doing the right thing, no matter the pain or the cost. Always forward, always for the better.”

The ceiling with its embedded, cold lights tuning down their intensity in response to the late hour and the patients’ need for good rest, gained my stallion’s attention, rearing him from my prying eyes. A puff of air flickered my bangs as he breathed out in a tired fashion, casting over him that aged atmosphere I’d gotten glimpses of during Discord’s crisis when he was at his lowest, an uncomfortable knot building in my tummy in response.

“... I don’t believe so anymore… In that light, I want you to take charge.”

“T-Take charge?” I didn't like what he was slowly unwrapping, not one bit.

“Taking the reins is a bad habit of mine.” He clarified further, coming down from the roof to chase away the foreboding tension filling my every pore. “Making myself the protagonist and the victim of everything happening around me. I’m not the protagonist, no matter what Harmony seeks to turn me into.”

‘Harmony? What does she have to do with this?’

“I have seen the potential inside you Sunny. I trust you without any reservations.” Alex ran his fingers through my mane once more, not enough to stop the trembling of my limbs. “From henceforth, you will call the shots. I’ll do what you tell me to do, I’ll go wherever you need me to go. And when the time comes to face Harmony’s threat, whatever it might be, we will face it together, under your leadership.”

The pressure was almost suffocating. “N-N-NO!!” I protested, rearing up to the point our snouts almost touched. “I-I-I can’t assume that degree of responsibility!! I wouldn't know the first thing!!”

“And what have you been doing all this time, my dear Sunny, if not lead our friends to victory time after time, crisis after crisis.” Alex cited with a knowing grin, pride for me emanating from him but crashing against my wall of panic.

“It’s not the same!!” I rebutted loudly, shrinking down as fear sunk its claws into my heart.

“I hate to lay it down on you…”

“Then don’t!!” I yelled, leaving him with the words hanging from his mouth.

“... I hate to lay it down on you like this.” My plea fell on deaf ears as he resumed his speech. “Especially after how it affected Twilight when the crown was passed to her on a whim. How it shook her core to the point she balanced herself precariously at the tip of a nervous meltdown.” I wasn’t sure what point he was trying to make because, as it stood, he was far from selling me his proposition. “But, unlike them, I will NOT throw you to the wolves and sit on my ass waiting to see how well you manage from the sidelines.” His tone hardened as much as his features did. “I will be with you every step of the way, help in every way I can, and take every brunt heading your way because that’s what I’m here for. Not what Harmony wants me to do. What I want to do. She can go fuck herself and rise another Empyrean to do her bidding, I don’t give a fuck anymore.”

He took hold of my head again, bringing our foreheads together as our breaths mingled. “I’m here for you. For my family. When the past betrayed me, I thought I could try with the future, fix my fuck-ups and try again. I will not bet your future on my selfish desires. I deserve each and every one of the consequences my acts brought forth, and I will carry them as my sigil.”

His fist clenched the white rose made up of intertwined circles on the front pocket of his jacket. “Discord was right in that cave. I did run away because I couldn't process what all my good intentions had turned into, what all the work and goodness I poured into Equestria and its betterment had led to. I might not hold all the blame for its downfall, but I share a major slice of it. And I couldn't stand to meet my family’s eyes and tell them everything was going according to plan when their own neighbors spat and insulted them for being born different!!”

Feelings poured out of Alex like a merciless cascade, his heart naked and weeping bitter tears that sparkled under the light of the waxing moon.

“This place, this time, is my legacy, Sunny! You are my legacy! And I need to protect you! All of you!! From whatever might lurk out there, from whatever might occur here, under our feet. I don't care! Because what I'm most afraid of, what keeps me awake at night and brings living nightmares while I'm awake, is to think I need to protect you from me! And it's driving me crazy!!!”

With each word, I felt him crumble a little until my human was reduced to a sniffling puddle of tears and regret, with me not far behind, yet keeping myself together long enough to listen to his every word, my brain struggling to follow with my heart weeping nonetheless. Whatever had happened out there, whomever it was that he’d met, whatever it was that he saw, the human that embarked on a dangerous mission to protect his family was not the human who’d returned victorious.

Something had broken inside my human, and I didn't have the faintest clue as to how to fix it.

Gritting his teeth hard, Alex shrank before my very eyes. In the privacy we shared, he wouldn't hide anything more from me. He lacked the strength, and conviction, to hide anything from me. I didn't possess Izzy's innate ability, but had I… I bet I could've seen his sparkle flicker off and die before my very eyes.

Sobs racked his body, the same ones he’d introduced himself with that afternoon in the lantern room of my old lighthouse, when Harmony put a preventive stop to his only trump card before he could even put it into action.

While my human sobbed and hurt, I felt an eerie emptiness fill me. Not only was I at a loss for words, I… I simply wasn’t able to process it all. Alex, who’d been a pillar of strength, an inspiration, to me and to all of us, would they wish to admit it, or not. Now, he revealed himself as a selfish coward, a mistake, a bane on Equestria’s existence the likes which its most formidable foes could only dream of reaching.

We’d been through this before. Numerous times we’d been there right beside him to reassure him that all the good he did, all the progress he inspired, and all the lives he’d saved, could and would topple any harm he might think his actions could've brought with them. At least in our eyes, the only ones he should care about.

For the first time since I’d met him, I found myself without a hold to grab onto, so overcome by his grief that my own emotions were rendered bottled inside.

“I… I-I… sniff. I can't be p-part of it anymore. I-I need to be b-better.” Alex wheezed out with the last remaining wisps off strength left in his body. “I… I need to… t-to…”

Falling limp on the pillow, Alex was out like a light, his excruciating journey finally catching up with him. The heart monitor, its frenetic beeping from a spike in activity having become white noise in the background, stabilized back as the first, deep breaths of slumber brought my stallion's pulse to tolerable levels. I noticed it too under my hoof, firmly placed over his scar, right atop his beating heart. A heart that kept beating, but no longer with a clear purpose.

What was I to make of it? How was I going to pick up the pieces, to take charge of our efforts in rebuilding Equestria to its proper glory? To face a darkness whose identity still eluded our best detective?

We were blind, deaf, and alone against everything that awaited us out there.

If my human, a creature of legend, battle-tested, and a well of boundless knowledge, had been reduced to this… what hope was there for the rest of us?

No more tears trickled down my cheeks, the infinite becoming my utmost source of interest as my mind went blank. All joy I felt for our reunion died under the light of this new uncertainty, the weight of this new responsibility.

I was a brave mare. My father had told me that so many times. My friends repeated it on countless occasions. I believed it for myself the moment I gained true control over my alicorn powers. Alex… Alex was the source of my strength, a strength that burned with the power of a million Suns every time I brought out a proud smile from him. I wanted to be brave for him but… did I truly have the strength, to match the confidence he had in me?

The day’s exhaustion called for me, too. I felt bad for Nurse Tenderhoof, but neither of us was particularly in the mood for supper that night. I'd need my friends to properly ponder over this. As much as I wished I didn't need to, I absolutely needed to rely on them for this.

I would NOT give up on my human as it felt like he’d given up on himself…

“... Faust above, tell me what I need to do…”