Author's Note

I'm going to be out of town next week, so I probably won't have as much time to work on the next chapter. I might skip the scheduled upload next Saturday altogether, but I might get things figured out, we'll see. The Renewed Ending one will release, however.

17: New Plans

Maretime Bay was in chaos. And not the kind that Discord himself would enjoy. At least, if what Fluttershy knew of him was any indication. She hadn’t spoken with him in years, so it was hard to say though. They had exchanged letters on occasion, but ever since the incident with Jason, he had stopped coming over.

Fluttershy and her former friends walked through the town, looking at the brand new humans who had once been ponies. Unlike their past selves, these ponies had similar skin colors, a sort of very subtle pinkish-white color. Their hair colors ranged from black to blonde with various shades of brown in between and even some ginger and red scattered around. Their eyes were mostly various shades of brown with some blues scattered among them.

Because they no longer had fur, most of the new humans now had to wear something around not just their bodies, but around their new feet. At the moment, almost everypony-no, everyhuman, she reminded herself- had either a towel or blanket around their figures. Those who didn’t had absolutely no cutie mark, although Fluttershy did notice that there was body hair covering certain parts of their new anatomy.

It was almost funny, too, to see many of them crawling on all fours with some of them trying to stand on two legs like Jason and Revan did. It would have been funny had it not been for the looks on their faces. True despair and hopelessness.

There were some ponies in the streets, lending their aid to the new humans as they tried to learn how to navigate in their new bodies. Most of them were members of the city watch and there were even a few fillies and colts standing next to some older humans, saddened and worried looks on their faces as they looked up at the humans who were probably their parents. She saw Diamond Tiara standing next to a slightly darker skinned human male with graying hair as she spoke to him in a surprisingly calm tone. The human gave Diamond a weary smile then awkwardly wrapped his new arms around the filly, who hugged back with a smile, tears falling down their face. Seeing that gave Fluttershy hope that the other new humans would persevere.

Those hopes were dashed when they looked down an alley where two city watch ponies were speaking to a human who, to Fluttershy’s and the rest of the pony’s horror, held a knife to her neck. She was sitting against a wall, angry and bitter tears streaming down her face.

Applejack acted before anypony else could. Launching forward at almost desperate speed, she launched herself at the surprised human female. Applejack knocked the knife from the human’s hand, and everyone else heard a crunch as bones were broken. She skidded to a halt as the pony guards tackled the human who was holding a now mangled hand in agony.

Applejack walked back, head hung low in shame. Pinkie tried to comfort her, but the orange earth pony shrugged the pink one off harshly. “Ah just broke her…claws or whatever they’re called,” she said bitterly.

“Fingers, and it was much better than the alternative,” Twilight said weakly, and Fluttershy could hear just how pathetic it sounded.

Applejack shot her an angry look, but then her face fell. “Let’s just keep goin’,” she muttered.

Fluttershy walked over to Applejack’s side, saying nothing. There was nothing she could say. They had just gotten a brutal reminder that human bodies were weaker than pony bodies. Unknown at the time, their thoughts all focused on one human in particular. If Majesty suddenly became hostile towards Revan, what could happen to him?

Walking back to the place where Applejack’s home was located, they saw more of the same. Foals walking next to older humans or arguing with each other about something. Half of the humans in town were wearing nothing, and those were hugging their bodies and sweating, their skin glistening in the summer sunlight.

As they turned another corner that led to a street heading to the new farm location, Fluttershy recognized a couple of ponies who were helping some humans along. Derpy and Time Turner were both trying her best to be a steady help to a pair of human females. Vinyl Scratch was walking next to a human female with long black hair and a gray blanket with a cello on it wrapped around her body, letting said human use her back to steady her gait.

As they approached the latter, the black haired human female landed on her posterior after taking a tumble. She slammed her hand on the ground in frustration. “Bollocks!” she said in anger and despair.

“Deep breaths, Tavi,” Vinyl said reassuringly. “You’ll get it.”

“I hate this!” The pony turned human looked back at Vinyl. “I’m a freak of nature.”

Fluttershy watched as Vinyl removed her glasses, revealing her purple eyes which were now giving the human female a stern look. “And was Jason a freak, hmm? Octavia Melody, you’re my best friend, but you need to get it through your head that everyhuman in town caused an innocent creature to kill himself.”

“Everythin’ alright over here?” Applejack asked as the former Elements walked up to the other two.

Vinyl saw them coming and put her glasses back on. The now human Octavia gave them all a glare, but Vinyl spoke before she could. “Just trying to help my friend here relearn how to walk.”

“Has this been happening everywhere?” Twilight asked.

Vinyl gave a tired nod. “Oh yeah,” the DJ said with a sigh, “Everyhuman has been trying to learn to walk again. There’ve been a few scrapes, but the doctors are also mostly still learning how to use their new bodies, so treatment has been slow.”

“Surely not all the doctors here have been changed?” Rarity asked in alarm.

“I think maybe one didn’t get transformed, but I could be wrong,” Vinyl said.

“This is all your faults,” Octavia hissed at the six angrily.

“Tavi!” Vinyl sharply turned to her friend and smacked the human with her tail on her now exposed rump. “That’s enough! You joined in on the mobs plenty of times without them telling you to do anything!”

“But-!”

“No fucking buts!” Vinyl snapped back, causing the new human to recoil in shock at the foul language. “Everypony who participated in those mobs is guilty, not just these six! I am growing sick and tired of you blaming everypony else for your actions!”

Octavia sat down on the road, clinging to her blanket as tears formed in her eyes. “But…but…”

The six watched as Vinyl walked slowly over to the new human, putting a hoof on her chest where Fluttershy had noted a pair of human…teats?…were located. “No buts,” she repeated without swearing. “Seriously, an innocent creature committed suicide because of the ponies in this town, you included. I’ve had to listen to plenty of ponies in Maretime Bay speak ill of the dead, and it makes me sick. I only ever met the human a few times, and I tried to help him, but he was always running from a crowd. Ones with you in them.”

Fluttershy was surprised. She had heard that some ponies from Ponyville hadn’t been changed. It made sense that those ponies either disapproved of Jason’s treatment or, like Vinyl, had actively tried their best to help him. Still, it sickened her that those numbers had been few and far between. She had even seen the three flower mares sitting in front of their stands, not even speaking as they stared hopelessly at their wilting flowers.

Octavia had tears in her new human eyes as she was scolded by the normally happy-go-lucky DJ. Fluttershy knew that she had put her career on hold because she didn’t want to leave her roommate alone. “I-I-He-”

“Don’t try and excuse your behavior, Octavia Melody,” Vinyl interrupted with a scowl. “You acted more like a cruel beast than what everypony in town called Jason.” She sighed and shook her head. “If only I’d acted better back then…”

Fluttershy both saw Octavia wince and saw the guilt in Vinyl’s expression. She wondered if ponies who thought like her had similar feelings of guilt at having not acted. Still, the fact that Vinyl, Time Turner, and Derpy were three of the adult ponies spared from Majesty’s punishment was telling. She wondered who else was spared. Octavia collapsed to all fours, the blanket around her falling off to reveal her now naked form. “Vinyl…I…I’m sorry…”

“It’s not me you should be apologizing to,” Vinyl replied as she lifted the blanket back up to wrap around Octavia, “and you know it.”

Octavia sat on the ground, wrapping herself up in the blanket as best as she could, sniffing as tears fell from her eyes. She nodded slowly, then looked down at her new hands. “I…you’re right…but I can’t…can’t ever do that…”

“No you can’t,” Vinyl said in a slightly less harsher tone than before, “but you can learn. And you can also look on the bright side. Find something positive about this.”

“What possible thing could be positive about this?” Octavia asked bitterly.

“With those new fingers of yours, your ability to play the cello could become much better.”

Octavia was looking at her new hands, then Fluttershy saw a twinkling in her eyes. A twinkling of inspiration. She looked back at Vinyl, a look of guilt on her face replacing the inspiration. “You’re right…about everything. I’ve been deluding myself. I didn’t want to…to face the truth…so I’ll try to do that now.”

Vinyl’s smile returned and she walked up beside her friend. “Come on,” she said, “The doctors are still trying to determine what is safe for your new body to eat, and they wanted to do some more scans on willing ponies-I mean, willing humans’ bodies.”

Octavia nodded in agreement and stood. She faced the former friends and said, “Sorry about my outburst at you.”

“Don’t be,” Twilight said softly, “it is our fault this happened. I was the first to act negatively against Jason, and that spread. I started this.”

Vinyl looked at the six, then sighed. “My advice to Tavi applies to you six too. Learn.” And with that, she walked off, leading Octavia down the street.

Fluttershy watched them go. Vinyl’s words had struck a chord with her. She had done her best to move on from her past, but she realized in that moment that she had only done what she did best: run.

The other ponies around her had some similar revelations.

Twilight realized in that moment that her initial denial of Jason was due to her own ignorance. Not only that, but it was due to ingrained fears in her pony psyche. The resolve to save Revan became all the stronger, not because she wanted to learn more about humans from him, but because she did not want to make the same mistakes she made with Jason again.

Rarity looked back at her behavior over the past two years, realizing that she was running away from her own actions and placing blame where it wasn’t meant to be placed. She’d also been drowning her sorrows in alcohol, something she knew from stories her parents told that both of their grandparents did, leading to poor foalhoods for their parents as her grandparents had been drunk most of the time. She resolved that, as of now, she would take more of an inward look at herself and become a better pony.

Rainbow Dash’s guilt only doubled in that moment, and she looked back at her wings then down at her hooves. She had used them to torment an innocent being. Her wings fluttered slightly. Her brashness had gotten her into trouble so many times in the past. She resolved to learn how to be a better pony, to think about her actions and to try and make her actions right in any way she could.

Applejack was currently seeing the swinging and gaunt body of Jason Wright hanging from the tree in her old orchard. She lowered her head, trying not to cry but crying plentifully on the inside. Her nightmares had haunted her for two years. She’d tried to forget, but that only made things worse as her conscience subconsciously made her suffer more. She had finally fully understood its message. Be better.

Pinkie Pie’s thoughts were a jumble. Part of her was glad that ponies were learning from this new tragedy that had befallen them, but on the other hoof, she knew things were far from over. She had done her own self-reflection and had done her own growth in the past two years. Her resolve only doubled after viewing the interaction between former pony and current pony. She’d hidden away for too long. She was not an Element of Harmony anymore, but she decided that it was long past time to share her experiences and to try and help Equestria evolve to become better.

“Well, it’s about time you six learned that lesson,” a familiar male voice said from behind them. Everypony turned in shock to see the shimmering transparent blue form of Discord standing in the street, arms crossed as he stared at them. Unliks his normal appearance, Discord was wearing some strange garments. He had a light tan tunic with a dark brown belt around his waist. A strange metallic object hung from the belt. He wore lighter brown boots and a flowing dark brown robe over the tunic. He also had a hood over his head which he removed slowly. “Hello, there,” he added in what sounded like a Trottingham accent.

“Discord…?” Twilight said as she moved away from the floating apparition.

“Hey, what happened to everypony?” Rainbow asked. “Why aren’t they moving?”

Everypony looked around and saw that Rainbow was correct. The world around them seemed to have frozen in time. There was even a bird flying through the air that wasn’t moving. Twilight looked back at Discord. “Is this your doing?” she asked.

He took a dramatic bow, making the robes he wore flutter slightly. “Guilty as charged,” he said with a smirk, a smirk which quickly faded. “It’s the only way to keep certain people from looking at this conversation.”

“Where…where have you been!?” Fluttershy bellowed, angry tears suddenly streaming down her cheeks. “You could have stopped this! You could have-”

“And you could have extended a kind hoof to a certain human,” Discord reminded Fluttershy sharply. Fluttershy paused and backed away, looking ashamed now.

“Why are you here?” Rarity asked through clenched teeth.

The transparent image of Discord flickered. He looked around as if searching for somepony out of fear, but seeming to see no one, he turned back to the group. “I don’t have a lot of time,” Discord said in a serious tone. “You want to save that Revan guy, right?”

“Sure would be nice if we could, but we’ve kinda got our hooves full here already,” Applejack commented, gesturing to the humanified town.

Discord looked around, then whistled. “Yeah, that does suck,” he said, “but you’re not gonna do any good there. A lot of ponies-er, humans I mean-are not gonna accept help from you six especially.”

“He’s right about that,” Rainbow said with an angry self-loathing scowl.

“Discord, we’re not the Elements anymore,” Twilight reminded the apparition of Discord. “Hay, I’m not even a princess. What in Equestria can we do?”

“It’s not what in Equestria you can do, but what out of Equestria you can do.” Discord reached into the robe pocket and pulled out something. The six ponies saw in his paw that he held a heart shaped locket attached to a golden chain. There were ancient looking runic writings on the locket, although part of the locket itself looked like it had been chipped off. “You recognize this?” he asked.

Twilight shook her head, as did the others. “What is it?” she asked.

Discord groaned and facepalmed. “Freaking ponies, man…listen.” He gave them a serious look. “You need to find this object along with another object sitting right next to it. Bring it to Revan as fast as you can.”

“And where will we find this locket?” Twilight asked.

“And what other object?” Rainbow asked skeptically.

“You’ll know when you see the second one,” he replied quickly. “I can’t tell you what it is, unfortunately.” He looked quickly behind him as if seeing something. “Shit!” He turned back to the six ponies as he quickly added, “Listen carefully, you need to go to-!”

The image quickly winked out and the six ponies found themselves suddenly walking down the street again. As one, they paused and looked at each other in shock. The memory of the conversation with Discord was still fresh. Not only that, but something else had happened the moment that Discord vanished. As soon as he’d vanished, it was like a spell over them was lifted. None of them talked about it, but ever since they had been granted the Elements, they had felt something inside of them. It was one part exhilarating and one part exhausting. They felt like normal ponies again, and it was both freeing and depressing.

Five of the ponies turned to Twilight instinctively. No words were said between them. None needed to be. Twilight, regardless of her status as a normal pony, had always been their leader. She was smart, well read, and was actually a decent tactician if she put her mind to it. She looked at the other five. With a determined look in her eyes, she said, “Come on, everypony. Back to my house. We have work to do.”

Discord sat in his home, listening to Harmony berating him and chiding him. “They cannot have any more information to help them!” the androgynous and true voice of his old frenemy hissed. They were pissed, something that rarely happened.

Discord ignored them as he picked up the remote control, and turned on the TV in his house to view the outside world. “Mmhmm, that’s great, dear,” he muttered, having only partly heard what Harmony had said.

The TV turned off and a glowing rainbow glow appeared in front of Discord. “Did you just blow me off?!” they asked in anger.

“I was watching that,” Discord muttered, a bit peeved that Harmony had interrupted the show.

“Focus on me, you fool!” Harmony said.

Discord turned his full attention to Harmony. “What do you want from me, huh? I don’t want to see Equestria completely destroyed! I happen to know ponies there who’d be affected!”

“Sending them after an artifact was not your call to make,” Harmony replied in disappointment. “They had to come to that realization themselves.”

“Bitch, please,” Discord said as he glared at Harmony, “they wouldn’t have been going there anyway. You know it.”

Harmony inhaled then exhaled, something Discord knew was only something they did for his benefit and the benefit of others. Their form changed, becoming one of an ex-girlfriend that Discord had long since destroyed. ‘Cosmos’ spoke now, and ‘her’ voice didn’t echo like Harmony’s did. “You may have destroyed Equestria regardless.”

“That’s not the point of what’s happening, though, is it?” Discord asked, unfazed by Harmony’s imitation of the long-dead Embodiment of Malice. Unlike how the humans on Earth had written her story in their My Little Pony comics, he had been much more resolute in destroying her instead of just turning her into a constellation. “This is a final test for the ponies, right?”

‘Cosmos’ could only sigh as she sat on the couch next to Discord. She then transformed into ‘Jason Wright’, the form Harmony normally took to speak to mortals now. “No nation lasts forever,” ‘Jason’ said. “There is always hope for reform, but it must come from within.”

“It can also come from without,” Discord argued. “You’ve seen how those six are starting to learn their lesson after two years.”

“And yet, most of Equestria has not,” ‘Jason’ replied tiredly.

“You know what your problem is?” Discord asked. “You favor those ponies just a bit more than other races.”

“Is that the pot calling the kettle black?” ‘Jason’ replied while turning to Discord with a raised eyebrow.

“Yeah, yeah, I only really messed with ponies back when I was a younger idiot,” he said. “My point is, you and I are two sides of a coin. We can’t just become beholden to one race on Erda. I’ve been spreading little bits of chaos around the world.”

‘Jason’ nodded. “And I have been doing the same with harmony. Because between the two of us-”

Discord and Harmony both spoke the next words in unison. “There is Balance.”

Discord gave Harmony a wry smile. Harmony finally smiled back, but it was brief before he said, “Do anything like that again, and our first millennia long fight will be like two children playing. I will not go easy on you like I did last time.”

Discord raised his claw and paw. “I won’t,” he promised, and he intended to keep said promise. After all, he had given the ponies a fighting chance against Majesty. While he couldn’t fault the alicorn for her own feelings on the state of Equestria, he knew there were still good ponies out there. They didn’t deserve whatever Majesty had planned.

With that thought, he picked up the remote and turned the TV back on.

The massive light above Sanctuary had switched to a dim silvery light that perfectly emulated the moon. Not only that, but there were now glowing crystals visible that could easily be mistaken for stars had the false moonlight not illuminated the cave ceiling. The town’s lights were all on now, and there were even some fires going.

Gregory sat on a flat stone, looking over the town while eating a roasted red jungle fowl leg, the ancestor of the chicken. He held a mug of a somewhat sweet berry alcoholic drink as he sat alone overlooking the town as night ‘fell’. He had attended the banquet that the townsfolk had thrown, and Majesty had indeed joined them. He’d kept his eye on the ancient alicorn as she surprisingly let loose after getting into the spirit of things. There were skits performed, some artists displayed some pieces for the honored guests, musicians performed songs, mostly about the past and their hopes for a future Equestria full of love and harmony for all and not just for ponies, and plenty of food and drink was to be had.

Gregory hadn’t been sure if it was okay for him to enjoy himself or not. He felt guilty for enjoying himself even a little because his friend was still out there, probably still looking for him. Still, he found himself enjoying some of his time there. He took another bite of the roast leg then took a large swig of the alcohol. He felt so low. Part of him thought that Tobias would understand but he still couldn’t help but beat himself up about it. He knew getting drunk and drowning his sorrows in food and alcohol was fruitless, but he couldn’t think of anything else to do at the moment.

He had no magic. He couldn’t think of a means to escape this place. He didn’t even have his weapons that gave him an edge in this world or his mask. He was completely lost. So lost, in fact, that he didn’t notice a massive head lying down next to him. Only when the ancient dragon Spyke spoke did he finally notice. “I watched you from afar,” the massive dragon spoke. “You didn’t seem happy during the feast.”

Gregory looked over at the dragon. Spyke hadn’t been at the party despite being invited. Instead, he had laid down on the edge, watching as the feast went on. He’d walked through the cave entrance in a smaller form on Majesty’s back before she transformed him back to his normal size. Gregory pursed his lips, wary of this being some sort of trap. Still, he responded. “It’s nothing important,” he said as he took another bite of the roasted leg.

“I hope you realize that her majesty only has the best intentions in mind for Equestria,” Spyke commented. Lifting up, he reached down to something hanging around his neck. Touching it, he began to shrink until he was about Gregory’s height. He sat on the stone next to him, and in a younger sounding voice, said, “She doesn’t want to harm the innocent.”

“And I get that,” Gregory said harshly, because he did. Unlike other villains, she at least had a conscience and was acting more like a judge, jury, and executioner of the guilty than anything else. Still, he felt the conflict inside him. Was she right for enacting her own justice without going through any legal processes? Absolutely not! But would those legal processes actually work? Clearly, very little had changed in Equestria since Jason’s suicide. Only a holiday? That was a fruitless gesture. Day of Remembrance?! What was this, their own 9/11?? Bullshit!

He felt his hand clenching around his food and drink, so he forced himself to relax. He finished off the chicken, downed another large gulp of his drink, then set both bone and mug down to wipe his face and hands. “I get it,” he said, trying not to sound as harsh, “but there’s something that’s been bothering me for a bit now. If Majesty is so devoted to returning to a time of true harmony, why not just…create her own kingdom? Why do anything to Equestria? Surely there are more ponies and other creatures in the world that feel the same way as everyone here.”

Spyke didn’t respond right away. Instead, he stared back out at the town. “You might not believe me,” he said, “but I have suggested something similar. She rejected the idea as a future one. All she wants is to see her dear ponies change their ways. She wants to see them be reformed. Creating her own kingdom would be like running away. She’s been away for far too long. As have I.”

That caught Gregory’s attention. He turned to Spyke. “Running? She ran from something?”

Spyke slowly shook his head. “No, but she believes we did. Well, from a certain point of view, we did. It was something we couldn’t have planned for, though.”

“What happened?” Gregory asked, now interested. Anything that he could use against Majesty would be good.

Unfortunately, Spyke wasn’t stupid enough to fall for a simple trick like that. He shook his head. “That’s not something either of us will share,” he said stoically.

Gregory knew when to back off, but he placed the information in his back pocket for the time being. “Of course,” he said in an understanding tone. The two were silent as they looked at the town below about to go to sleep. After a good while, Gregory decided it was time to speak again. Changing the subject, he said, “What was it like back then?”

“Back when?” Spyke asked.

“Back in Ponyland,” Gregory clarified. “During the times when Megan and her siblings came.”

Spyke got a wistful look in his eyes. “There was a time,” he said, “when Megan, the ponies, and even I, got caught up in dangers after dangers. At times, it felt like things happened almost once a week. Dark human wizards, the time we visited the elves and newborn ponies were foalnapped and used as entertainment for a spoiled brat, the return of Tambelon and our first meeting with Grogar, among other adventures.”

“Dark human wizards?” Gregory muttered. That was news to him. He had only ever seen the human Scorpan had turned into in the first special.

Spyke nodded. “I hope you didn’t think that her majesty thinks all humans are good creatures. She knows about humanity’s dual nature. In that way, humans and ponies are similar.”

“Then why does she treat me so well?” Gregory was confused now. The more he learned, the more he grew conflicted about his captor.

“She has looked at your life here,” Spyke explained. “Nothing invasive,” he added quickly when Gregory gave him a worried look. “She simply saw how you lived in Thornfall, saw into the past when you were thrown out of Dodge City, saw when that pathetic Tempest nearly killed you, and other times.”

“Nice to know she cared then,” Gregory said darkly.

“She only saw those incidents by viewing the past,” Spyke replied. “She didn’t know you existed until recently. You don’t…register to magic.”

Gregory relaxed a bit. He knew that being from another world, he didn’t have any magic, so nobody with magic would be able to detect him. He’d used that to his advantage a few times when he’d been dealing with magical creatures who could detect whatever magical aura other creatures gave off. “I see,” was all he said.

Spyke sighed deeply. “Her majesty should be telling you this all in time, I’m sure. For now, though, I can reassure you that she doesn’t intend to harm you or any other innocent creature in any way.”

But what if she crosses that line? Gregory thought, but didn’t speak his thoughts aloud. He reached down and finally grasped his drink after what felt like hours. He downed the rest, letting the soothing alcoholic beverage warm his insides. He needed another drink.

Majesty watched as Spyke, in his temporary smaller version, helped a clearly inebriated Gregory through the halls. Gregory wasn’t full on drunk, being pretty coherent, but his motor skills were clearly inhibited until he slept it off. She walked beside the two, giving the human a smirk. “You’re feeling it, I assume,” she stated with a small chuckle.

Gregory gave her a nod. “Ayuh,” he said. “Dat’s some good wine or whatever.”

“It’s called Rosewine,” she replied. “If you’d like, I can provide you with a bottle of it for your room.”

“Nah, dat’s alright,” he said with a bit of a slur to his tone. He stood up straighter, only to sway slightly. “Yep…Imma feel this in the morning…”

“Feel what in the morning?” Majesty asked.

“Hangover,” was Gregory’s simple reply.

Majesty nodded. She had heard it called by another name from her neighboring human kingdom. Humans were unique in that after getting drunk, they tended to get headaches the next morning if they didn’t drink something else. “I’ll have someone bring you some water to help prevent that from happening.”

“Dat would be nice, thanks,” Gregory said as they walked into his room. Spyke helped him to the chair where he sat. “Thanks, little dude,” he said with a thumbs up gesture, something Majesty had seen only from Megan and her siblings.

Spyke returned the gesture before he walked over to the pitcher of water and glass on the desk. As he poured the water for Gregory, Majesty sat in front of him on the floor, looking with a small smile at Gregory. “Did you enjoy the feast?” she asked.

“Food was good, wine was delicious, entertainment was good too,” he replied as Spyke gave him a glass of water, which he downed greedily before placing it down on the small end table next to his chair. “Ah, that was good.”

While Spyke refilled the glass, Majesty continued. “You seemed distracted for a while. Was there something on your mind?”

“Lots on my mind,” Gregory replied, “but it’s just the normal stuff. Missing my friend, worried about paying rent on my place, worried about them finding my stuff and destroying priceless things I can’t replace. That sort of shit.”

As Gregory downed a second glass, Majesty thought about what he’d just said. She did feel some remorse for having to separate him and the abyssinian, and hoped to someday reunite the two. They clearly had a close bond. However, something else that Gregory had said piqued her interest.

Thornfall was a hive of scum and villainy, but in a way, it had somewhat welcomed him. Sure, many of their citizens were backstabbing and greedy criminals, but there were creatures there who cared for him. She gave him a warm smile. “Do you mind if I ask you about Thornfall? If it’s not too painful?”

Gregory shrugged, wiping his mouth with his sleeve. Majesty noticed that he was growing a beard. It was only stubble now, but in her mind, it made him look rugged and handsome. “Sure,” he said, “Whatcha wanna know?”

She smiled warmly. “Whatever you want to share,” she said. “What’s the food like? The people? The culture? Anything you would like to talk about with someone.”

He leaned back, looking up at the ceiling with an expression that she guessed was contemplative. “Hmm,” was all he said at first. He stroked his chin, then finally said, “It’s like Mos Eisley.”

Her eyebrows shot up. She understood that reference. She’d learned it from Daniel. “From that Star Wars story?” she asked.

He looked at her sharply. “How the fuck did you know about that?” He sounded suspicious.

“Relax,” she said in her best reassuring tone. “I heard about it from Megan’s younger brother.”

He relaxed at that. “Oh. Yeah, that makes sense. Well, it’s like that city. A hive of scum and villainy. Still, there are some halfway decent folks there.”

She nodded. “I understand.” She made a mental note to examine the city outside Equestria’s borders more closely now. “Tell me more.”

Gregory talked, and Majesty listened. He was clearly fairly lucid, because he was careful not to reveal certain things. And as she listened, her mind was whirling. New plans were being added to her own. And it was time to act.