Trapped

Chapters

Simulation
Ensnared
Investment
"Lover Boy"
Confusion
Attached
Worst Possible Choice
Of Rainbows and Fools
Executive Override and Assimilation
Peter the Fool
The Beginning of a New Life (New[New])
Friends (Part 1 of 2)
Friends (Part 2 of 2) [WARNING: SLIGHT GORE]
The First Funeral
Identity
Identity, Part the Second
A Failed Kill
A Few Drinks
Hungover
Decisions
Decisions (Part ¥)
Horror
New Elements
A Vision
Return
The Campsite
The Birds
Early Birds
Facing Fear
The Egg
A Day in Ponyville
Drama
Something Wrong
Resurrection
Darkness
The Party
The Dark Side of the Rainbow
Division
Leaving Town
A Dream
Questions
Pain
Recovery
Scootaloo
Diplomacy, Part ₩
"Breach"
"Breach" Part Δ
The Puzzle
Once a God; No Longer
Journal Entries
Evacuation
Accidents
In the Jungle
The Trek
Reunion
The Apple Blooms
Filler, Part 1 (Warning: Mature Content)
An Ally in an Unknown War
Time
Trixie Arrives in Canterlot
Peter's Explanation
Bonus Chapter: Peter and Celestia Share a Drink
A Brief Meeting
To Ponyville (WARNING: FILLER)
The First Lesson
A New Host
Her Journey Begins

Simulation

I flex my arms, my legs, my neck; everything’s intact. As far as I can tell.

I mean, I ain’t no doctor, what do you expect from me? I’m just some kid who happens to be smarter than Stephen Hawkins…

In case you’re wondering, I’m smarter than him because I made the Deus Ex Machina. That’s what I named my personal "portal" to Equestria.

I named it that because, in a story, it would be a total Deus Ex Machina. I mean, how else could you explain a human in Equestria? Random death? Heaven? Pinkie Pie farted and out came an egg with a banana bearing a human with a supercalafragialisticexpialodocious? No! Just go right out and call it the thing it is: Deus ex Machina!

Anyway, back to what’s going on right now.

I sit up, and look around the - cabin? What? I was pretty sure I programmed it to drop me off in the Everfree Forest. I at least wanted to scare the shit out of a few ponies, I mean; I brought my skin-tight suit with me! I was going to walk around like Slenderman and scare the shit out of people before I actually went into Ponyville! Damnit…Well, at least I get to jump right into friendship.

I sit up, and swing my legs over the bed that I’m on. I instantly recognize this room as Fluttershy’s bedroom, which begs the question: where was she sleeping while I was here?

I stand, and pick up the bag in the corner. In it are all the things I wanted for this trip: my iPod, my iPad, a mobile charger, a few books, a bag of human food, my headphones, the aforementioned skin-tight suit and a handgun. Yes, a handgun. It only fires tranquilizer darts. It was for in case, during my reign as the Slenderman, I found a few other nasties. As to how I got those things, the portal is called the Deus Ex Machina. Do you really thing it wouldn’t let me have whatever I wanted, when I wanted it?

Anyway, I decide that I’ll slip out of the house before Fluttershy gets back. Wouldn’t want to be a burden on her, would I?

I try to sneak downstairs, but the sneakers I’m wearing make that a tiny bit difficult. They’re my favorite sneakers, but they make quite a lot of noise when one attempts to tip toe. I immediately gain the attention of six ponies, and realize that I wouldn’t have been able to sneak out, anyway.

“Oh, you’re awake,” Fluttershy says in her silent voice. “Nice to see you’re okay.”

I nod, and sweep my eyes over the six ponies: Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Twilight. “I’d love to stay and chat, but I’ve got something to do,” I say, smiling. I don’t know how long I’ve been here, and despite being so Deus ex Machina, there’s one key flaw with this system: It keeps the world I’m in under constant emulation. In real life, I’m strapped into a chair. Almost like Total Rekall. But, besides that, if I don't inject myself with the syringe in my pocket, my mind will not be able to switch between the mind of this program, and the mind of my physical body. And, pretty soon, it will start to blur the lines of reality against simulation.

“Nuh-uh, you’re not going anywhere!” Rainbow Dash declares, immediately tackling me to the ground. I can’t say that I’m surprised, but I can’t say that I didn’t just have a mini heart-attack.

“Rainbow! What are you doing?” Twilight cries, immediately prying her off of me with magic.

“Stopping it! It’s obviously trying to hurt somepony! Look at this thing; it’s a freak!” She cries in return.

“Well, thanks for boosting my self-esteem,” I interject. I attempt to bite my tongue, but I can’t resist. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, there’s a pony who is waiting for the cold edge of my blade and the seductive allure of my duct tape. Might even be you, my fine-ass feathered friend." Yeah, I've got a filthy mouth. Too much Dexter. Well, that, and being a sixteen year old male. Human. Sentence. I know how to make. Complete.

This time, it’s Twilight who restricts me, but with magic, and to the wall. “You had better be joking,” she growls, glaring at me in a manner that makes me want to scream 'HOLY SHIT DON'T HURT ME'.

“Yes, I am, I don’t even have a knife with me,” I explain, raising my hands in surrender. She frowns, and lets me down from the wall. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have got shit to do. Such as not dying.”

“Excuse me.”

I turn to the source of the voice, and I see a very pouty Rarity. “How dare you use language like that, especially in front of a lady!”

I roll my eyes, and point to my pocket.

“I have an aqueous enzyme solution stored in a hypodermic syringe in my pocket. If I don’t inject it directly into my nervous system; I could die. Would you like to have my blood on your hands-er, hooves, Rarity? Or would you rather let me leave for the time being, so I can not die?” A cold sweat covers my body. I just said her name, I just used her fucking name! If that isn't suspicious for a life form that has never been seen before in Equestria, then maybe taking my cock out and proclaiming that it creates cereal is.

Rarity sighs. “Very well, then.”

I hastily walk to the door, which is, once again, magically barred.

“How d’you know her name?” I turn, and see the ponies closing in around me. Applejack hangs her muzzle scarily close to my nose, and growls at me. “Are you goin’ t’ tell us, or am Ah gonna have t' extract it from ya'?”

I laugh nervously, and glance at each pony in turn. Rarity has a look of pure confusion, as if she doesn’t know what to make of me. Rainbow Dash and Applejack are in my face, angrily glaring at me as if I’ve committed some sort of crime. Twilight is frowning in concentration, as if attempting to unravel some kind of mystery. Fluttershy is leaning back, yet closing in, almost as if she doesn’t want to threaten me, but doesn’t want to be the odd one out, either. Pinkie Pie is simply smiling at me, almost as if I should be treated as a friend.

“H-Hey, I mean…She’s, uh, she’s famous, right? Made a bunch of dresses, and stuff? Y’know? Like...In Canterlot? Right, T-Twilight?” I stammer, trying to explain away the issue.

That only awards me with more frowns, and a look of fear from the lavender unicorn. Rainbow Dash takes over, her wings expanded to a menacing width that causes my knees to feel like they’re made out of jelly. “I don’t trust you,” she growls. I smile nervously as I reach desperately for the door handle. “Yeah, well, I don’t trust myself very often, Rainbow Dash,” I stammer, trying to keep them away so I can use my medicine/program/thing. I resist the urge to facepalm by slamming my face against the door. I JUST USED HER FUCKING NAME! I have seriously got to stop that...

I suddenly begin to breathe heavily, as I realize that the mental toll of simulating a world is starting to take effect: black lines appear around my vision, and I feel as though I’m about to pass out.

“Please, just let me take the medicine,” I grunt, struggling to retain consciousness. The world wriggles, as if it’s coming into and out of focus. In reality, it’s actually phasing out of existence, and is attempting to enter a secondary emulation, in which every action and reaction is treated as a variable, and then executed within seconds upon my awakening. This includes variables here, and variables in Canterlot. In a way, it’s the most extensive network of AI’s, ever.

I brace myself against the door, and jam my hand into my pocket, searching for the syringe. I pull it out, and bend my neck at an extreme angle, using my middle finger to locate my lymph node. I’m about to inject myself, when I feel a small drop of liquid on my neck.

I bring the syringe up to my scant vision, and I feel a thud in the pit of my stoomach. The syringe was cracked when Rainbow Dash tackled me. The impact of it against the floor and Rainbow Dash’s hoof against the glass was probably too much for that one weak spot: the label. All the enzyme must have leaked out, and been immediately dried up by my jeans. I wouldn’t have noticed it, as this particular enzyme is dry except for the part that liquefies on contact with skin to sterilize it.

The overbearing question in my mind right now is:

Why the fuck did I make the syringe fragile? And why was this simulation so damn realistic in how the good guys always get screwed over?

I drop the syringe, and to my knees. The world is quickly fading, and I’m beginning to see equations and numbers and variables, rather than ponies and walls and actions.

Finally, it all goes black, and my dreams are filled with random assortments of bell curves, probability graphs, derivatives, and that small string of code that helped create the Singularity of the beings within this simulation.

A single value has been changed within my precious code, and it continues to change.

I don't have much time left. I have to get to the executive override, and activate it, or else my mind will truly forget what is reality, and what is simulated. I'll never be able to go back home, unless something happens that forces me to remember.

The variables disappeared as my brain's will to preserve itself kicked in, and the lines slowly began to blur.

Ensnared

I come to after a few minutes. Well, a few minutes to me. In reality, it was actually a few hours.

I immediately open my eyes, determined to know what I had gotten myself into. I find myself in Twilight's library, which is a definite improvement over being unconscious on the floor of some cottage. I can immediately tell I was in the obsessive unicorn's library because of the books I see lining the ceiling, all magically suspended and ready to be accessed at a moment's notice.

I right myself and examine my surroundings. It seems as though I’m in some kind of guest room; as it didn't resemble Twilight's room at all. I find my bag next to the bag, and sling it over my shoulder. Hopefully, I can leave before Twilight comes back, and access one of the several Executive Overrides I installed within the simulation.

However, without the program installed in my nervous system, I know that the simulation will quickly become unstable, and my mind will begin to blur the lines between reality and faux, no matter how sharp I keep my wits.

I try the door, only to find that it's locked. So, I attempt to open the window across from the door. That, too, is locked. So, I have two choices: I can use my iPad and wait until Twilight gets back, or I could break the window and jump out. At the time, the latter seems more appealing, as I could feel my stomach rumbling: my mind was beginning to blur the lines, and I fell asleep less than four hours ago.

So, I immediately find the largest book that I can, and launch it through the window, which, to my surprise, actually breaks. I was expecting some kind of magical protection, but whatever.

I hear a gasp, and the fall of hooves. I take that as my cue to get the fuck out, so I move over to the window sill, and-

Wow. Uh, wow. I'm really high up. Like, I'm on the second story. Oh, God, I fucking hate heights...Or, rather, I hate the inevitable fall that they come with.

I hear the door unlock, and I realize that it's either now or never. So, I swallow my misgivings, and jump.

Only to be caught by a cyan, rainbow-maned, very angry Pegasus.

"I thought you'd try to get out," she growls as she throws me back onto my bed, hovering a few inches above me. "You'd better not be planning anything!"

She leaned close to my face with a menacing glare, and I can't help myself. I give a lustrous smirk, and say, "well, seeing as how you were so eager to get me back into bed, why don't you join me, girl?"

I laugh as her hoof makes contact with my face. "Worth it," I declare. I recoil as Rainbow Dash raises her hoof, as if to hit me again, and she chuckles in derision. "Worth it."

"Uh, thanks, Rainbow, but I'll take over from here," Twilight grumbles. She hops up onto the bed, and leans in to examine me with an interested spark in her eye. "So, what's your name? What are you? Do you have your own culture? Are you an alien? Sorry, that was a dumb question, it's just I've never been able to document a new species before!"

I raise an eyebrow, and smile. Ah, the world of intellectuals...I may never tire of their wonderful intellectual...ness. "My name is Peter, and I'm a human. I have my own culture, and due to the fact that I am not from this planet, there are several human cultures."

Twilight makes a small squee sound as her grin widens, and Rainbow Dash looks at me in awe. "So you are an alien!" Twilight shouts. "That explains the cool technology in your bag!" She begins to prance in place, giggling and dancing in excitement. "So, how'd you get here? Spaceship? Teleportation? Magic? Tell me, tell me, tell me!"

I shrink back as she leans super close to me, and I give a meek smile. Rainbow Dash simply stares at me, as if unable to believe that I'm an extraterrestrial being.

"Well," I pause for a moment, constructing a lie from thin air, "I'm actually projecting my mind into this world. Right now, my true body is strapped into a chair on my home planet, thousands of light years away, and I'm in a comatose state that allows my mind to process everything that this body experiences. Which is why that injection was so important: it would have allowed me to wake up on my home planet when I slept, and without it, if I sleep, I would be stuck in this body until I perform an executive override upon my own brain. Of course, due to your feathered friend breaking my syringe, I was unable to do that, and now, I'm trapped in this body until I find some way to perform an executive override."

Twilight's jaw is hanging open, and Rainbow Dash is scratching her head in confusion. "Wait, what?" The Pegasus asks. "I'm confused. So…You're not really here?"

"Oh, I am," I respond. "But I can't return to my other body yet. See, this body is an exact clone, except the brain has been replaced with a sort of receptacle for my mind, so I can take control of it whenever I come here. I don't know whether there are other humans here or not, but as far as I know, my best friend could be on a world inhabited by giant penises right about now."

Silence. Of course, they can't appreciate the fine humor of my race. As always.

"So, seeing as how I don't plan to spend my time locked in a room, is there anything I can do around PonyVille? And in case you're wondering, I know its name because we were ordered to get intel on each location prior to arrival."

Twilight smiles wide. "You could stay here with me, and we could tell each other all about our cultures! I could learn all about your culture, and you could learn all about mine!"

I smile, and remember something from my training protocol. "So, apparently, this world is actually the most dangerous, due to an entity known as Discord. I need to confirm that intel first and foremost."

"Yes, Discord is here," Twilight responds. "But we can talk about that later! Can you show us your technology? Please?"

Rainbow Dash edges in, and I smile as I pull out the issued iPad. I took the liberty of downloading a few videos and apps onto it, just to give Twilight a taste of our culture. Well, that and to avoid being bored. I turn it on, and they Rainbow Dash pulls back a bit. "What is it?" She asks. I smirk at her, and then I remember what I had set as the home and lock screen. "His name is Slenderman," I tell the both of them. Twilight leans in with interest. "What does he do?" She inquires.

"He follows his targets into the woods, where he stalks them, and then takes them. Or, in layman's terms, kills them."

Twilight raises a hoof to her mouth, and Rainbow Dash's pupils contract. "That's terrible!" The unicorn exclaims. "Is it real!?"

"No, it's a myth created by people on the Internet. Plus, it's not the scariest thing I have on this thing. I also have images of Silent Hill monsters, images of SCPs, images of Rosey O'Donnelle..."

I shrug as I slide to unlock, and boot up Fruit Ninja.

"This is called an iPad," I explain as the game boots up. "It has a shitload of nanotechnology, and a touchscreen. It can hold hundreds of thousands of songs, as well as a bunch of games, such as this one." I start the game, and slice fruit until I hit a bomb, at which point the game ends. "So, yeah. This isn't a very good example of technology, though. Anyway, I don't really feel like explaining every little bit of human technology right now, I mean...I'm still kind of groggy." Twilight nods, and Rainbow Dash gives me a light punch on the shoulder. "Well, I'll let Twilight take over for a bit, I have to go practice for the Wonder Bolts. See ya!" And with that,she flies out of the smashed window, and is gone. I watch in wonder as Twilight repairs the window with magic. I'll never get tired of seeing magic.

Within twenty minutes, all the tiny particles of glass have been returned to their respective locations, and all cracks have been sealed

"So, you asked about Discord," she says, suddenly all business. "It's actually a good thing you asked, because-"

Before she can finish her sentence, a scream permeates the room, and the recently-fixed window explodes inward, showering us in shards of glass. Twilight and I both have the same thought: we jump behind the bed, and wait for the glass to stop falling.

Rainbow Dash slumps against the far wall, evidently unconscious. She's bleeding - not very severely, but bleeding all the same - from several lacerations, and I seriously doubt they're all from the glass. Mostly because three of them are too straight to be from glass pelting her skin.

I scramble over to the cyan Pegasus, and check for a pulse. She's still alive, but her heart is racing. I give her a sharp slap across the face, and she awakes with a gasp.

"No!” She croaks, fear filling her eyes, “no, don’t let it find me!”

Rainbow Dash attempts to flee, but stops short with an evident burst of pain. She collapses with a yelp, and looks at her broken leg with an expression of the utmost helplessness. I notice that her chest seems to be protruding at odd angles, perhaps more than a few broken ribs.

"C'mon, we have to get you to the hospital," I say as I attempt to prop her up.

"No," she protests weakly. "I can still fly...Lemme go..."

I look her straight in the eyes, and say, "fuck you. We're going to the hospital."

With that, I help her hobble out of the room, down the stairs, and out of the library. Twilight offers to teleport us to the hospital, but Rainbow Dash refuses, claiming that “it would find her.” Twilight and I exchange worried glances, and I quicken my pace.

I ignore the stares and glances I get as I walk through town. That's to be expected, what with being the only human in Equestria.

When we finally arrive at the hospital, Twilight opens the door for us, and we hobble in. I simply nod at the receptionist and point at Rainbow Dash's bent leg, and we're immediately assigned a seat in the waiting room.

All this time, two questions plague my mind:

What the hell happened to Rainbow Dash?

And was this a simulation?...Or was I really strapped to a chair in some government project? I just…I just can’t tell anymore.

Investment

Two of us are pacing, one is madly flipping through a book, and the rest are sitting in anxious silence.

Applejack and I are the ones pacing, and I’m pretty sure I don’t need to say who’s flipping through the book. Fluttershy is practically vibrating with how much she’s shaking, and Rarity is continuously chewing on her lower lip. Pinkie Pie is sitting stock still, and constantly throws me questioning glances. Spike is standing by Twilight, ready to fetch any book she requests.

During the time that we all waited in this room, I had been introduced to each of them by turn. They initially blamed me for Rainbow Dash’s pain, but Twilight tells them that it was me who forced Rainbow Dash to come to the hospital.

The door to the Pegasus’ hospital room swings open, and a doctor walks out. We all look to him expectantly, and he motions for us to follow him. He gives me a suspicious glare, but doesn’t say anything.

I’m the first one through the door, oddly enough. And I’m also the first one by the cyan Pegasus’ side, as the other ponies paused to ask the doctor what had happened to her.

I silently walk up to her bedside, and sit in the adjacent chair. She seems to be asleep, but that’s shot down as soon as she begins to speak.

“Hey,” Rainbow Dash croaks. “Nice of you to drop by…”

I smile. At least she’s back to normal, and isn’t babbling on about “it”. I lean forward, and look directly into her eyes. “Hey,” I respond. “Nice of you to be alive.”

She chuckles, but winces as she does so. I frown, and notice that she has bandages almost everywhere on her body, except for her face. Her wings are both covered in gauze, and a splint on her left wing suggests it was broken by the impact.

Or by something else.

I’m quickly joined by the other ponies, who crowd around and start to attack the cyan Pegasus with a deluge of questions.

“Ohmygosh, Dashie, were you doing a crazy stunt when you crashed!?” Pinkie Pie shouted. I look to Rainbow Dash, and see that she winces each time somepony speaks a little bit too loud. “Guys, don’t be so loud,” I demand. “She’s gone through a lot. She needs time to rest. If you wanna ask her a question, do it quietly.”

I look back to her with a smile, and she smiles back. “Thanks,” she croaks.

“So…What did the doctor tell you?” Twilight asks in a hushed voice. I sigh, remembering what the doctor told us.

“She’s damn lucky to be alive,” he had said. “Her left lung had blood flowing into it, and it’s good that you got her here so fast, or else she would have drowned. Half of her ribs were broken, and her right wing was dislocated, as well as broken in several spots. She had internal bleeding, and the lining of her stomach had almost been punctured. Her leg was broken, and the veins were cut. And, back to her right wing, depending on how it heals, it may be rendered useless. In other words…She may never fly again.

I shudder at the thought, and decide that Rainbow Dash deserves to know.

“He said…He said that I was lucky,” she wheezes, tears welling up at the corners of her eyes. “Thank you, Twilight…Peter…You saved my life…”

As tears begin to stream down her face, I reach for her hoof, and grasp it in an attempt to comfort a friend. Knowing what I know, she may need us all to be here, holding on to a different part of her body.

I decide not to tell her just yet. And, apparently, so has everypony else. We’d rather not make this experience any more traumatizing for her.

As I remove my hand, an emotional canister by the name of Pinkie Pie explodes.

“I love you, Rainbow Dash!” Pinkie Pie cries, wrapping her forelegs around an un-bandaged portion of the Pegasus’ torso. “You’re my bestest-bestest-bestie-bestieest friend!”

This only causes Rainbow Dash to cry even more. “I love you, too, Pinkie,” she sobs. “I love all of you guys…If it weren’t for you, I’d…I’d be dead!” Sobs wracked her body, each accompanied by a burst of pain. I put a hand on Pinkie’s shoulder, and quietly explain to her that Rainbow Dash has to calm down, or she might jiggle her ribs out of place.

Now standing, I grasp Rainbow Dash’s hoof in my hand. “Calm down, Rainbow,” I whisper. “Calm down. It’s okay; you’re safe now. Nothing’s going to hurt you, alright? You just need to calm down, or your ribs won’t stop hurting.”

She opens her eyes, and looks up into mine. I can see another wave of sobs of gratitude about to burst forth, and so I place a hand on the side of her face to calm her. “Just breathe, Rainbow. Take deep breaths…That’s it. Just breathe, Dash. You’re okay now.”

When she’s finally calmed down, I remove my hands, and sit down next to her.

“So…Would you happen to remember what…‘it’, is?” Twilight asks. I throw a glance of disbelief at her.

“Twilight, maybe you should go back to the library,” I suggest in a firm, yet soft, voice.

“Why?”

“If you’re only here to ask her about what happened, then you should wait until a later time to do so. She needs rest and relaxation, because it’s all probably very taxing on her mind, not just her body. Asking her questions about it will only make it hurt more.”

Twilight frowns, but ultimately cedes to my wisdom. “Okay. Spike, come on, we have to do some research on this thing. I need to know if it has lingering effects…”

Rainbow Dash watches Twilight go with a mixture of relief and desperation. “Y…You guys can go, too,” she stammers, trembling as she looks at each of them, including me.

“Darling, you are so strong,” Rarity says, finally speaking up from the corner in which she’d been secretly crying. “But you’re simply a mess…Are you sure you can handle this on your own?”

She nods, and vocalizes her response, as well. Everypony leaves, except for me.

“C’mon, Peter,” Applejack urges. “She wants to be alone.”

“To hell with what she wants,” I respond. “My friend is in the hospital, and almost died, and I’m not leaving until she does.”

Applejack starts to respond, but then she looks at Rainbow Dash, and sees the same amount of gratitude that I can see in her eyes as I look into them.

“Alright, sugarcube,” Applejack ceded. “Ah’ll be back ter’ visit termorrow, Dash.”

And, with that, Rainbow Dash and I are alone.

“Visiting hours are over,” the doctor silently informs me. “But…Seeing the condition that your, ah, ‘friend’ is in…I can make an exception. On the right of her bed, there’s a part you can pull out to make a second bed. If you need anything, just press that button on the wall.”

And, with that, Rainbow Dash and I are finally actually alone.

“Thank you, Peter,” she whispers as soon as the door closes behind the doctor. I grasp her hoof, and smile at her. “Any time,” I respond. “But you have to promise me one thing.”

“What?”

“No more dying. It doesn’t look good for a resume for the Wonder Bolts.”

Rainbow Dash chuckles, but winces in pain due to her ribs. I pat her hoof, comforting her as she shuts her eyes and focuses on her breathing.

“You know…” she whispers, “you…you don’t have to stay, Peter. I can…I can do this. It’s…It’s nice, and I appreciate the gesture, but…You can go if you want…”

I stand, lean over her, and stare directly into her now-open eyes. “Fuck you. I’m staying right by your side, and I won’t leave until you do, Rainbow Dash. Gotta make sure you don’t die on me.”

She smiles, but doesn’t laugh. She’s probably just too mentally drained to laugh. I cup the side of her face in my hand, and smile into her eyes.

“You should rest, Rainbow,” I tell her softly. “Go on; go to sleep. I’ll be right by your side the entire night.” She nods, and smiles a watery smile, filled with tears.

“Thanks,” she whispers. She smirks before adding on, “and keep your hands to yourself. I know you’ve got a total crush on me.”

I chuckle at her remark. Good old Rainbow Dash, back from the dead. “I’ll try; but I make no promises. I mean, you’re just so hard to resist, girl,” I tease as I circle the bed. I instantly find the latch for the guest bed, and pull it out all the way. A small gap remains between my bed and Rainbow’s bed, which is good, because that way I won’t accidentally roll over and kick her in the face and totally own her. I lie down on the mattress, rest my head on the pillow with a sigh, and close my eyes.

As I do, the lines are blurred even more, and I can barely discern reality from faux and simulation. It’s all too believable - the injured, desperate-for-company Rainbow Dash, and the valiant, Dutifully Present Peter…It makes me feel needed. And that feels…Nice. I'm becoming emotionally invested.

Kinda makes me wonder as to whether I would want to use that executive override at all.

"Lover Boy"

I'm roused into wakefulness by snickering and a shove. I grumble in weak resistance, and throw my arm over my eyes to block out the light.

"Five more minutes..."

"Okay, lover boy," I hear Rainbow Dash snicker into my ear. My eyes burst open, and I look over at her in confusion. "What the fuck you talkin' 'bout, foo?"

She gives me a strangely seductive smile, and I gulp. She giggles, and points at my crotch. "Looks like you do have a crush on me..."

I look at where she's pointing, and I see that morning wood has arrived, right on schedule. I blush, and immediately cover it with a pillow. "M-Morning wood," I stammer. "Y-You know what that is, right?"

She nods. "Pegasi have the same problem. I've got morning wind right now," she responds, gesturing at her expanded wings. I sigh, and sit up, still blushing.

"I like how you're accusing me of having a crush on you," I grumble, "while you're the one who crushed my hand last night when the doctor examined your wings..."

This time, it's her turn to blush. I smirk at how opposite our personalities are: I blush at having morning wood, but she's fine with having "morning wind"; but she blushes when she's accused of getting emotional with somebody.

"Y-You were awake for that?"

I nod. "Hard not to be, with how you were leaning into me," I tease.

She moans, and looks me right in the eye. "You can't ever tell anypony, okay? I don't want my friends thinking that I'm gettin' soft..."

I raise my hands in surrender. "Of course, of course. No problem, Rainbow Dash." I smirk before saying, "not my fault you like me so much that you need me whenever a doctor comes in. 'Oh, Peter, hold me, I'm scared...Ooooooohhhh, I'm so scared!'" I mock in a girly voice. She frowns at me in ire.

"All I said was that I was nervous, you big jerk...I mean, what if a doctor comes in one day and says that I can never fly again?"

I shrug. "Then I'd throw you. I mean, look at these muscles! I'll just throw you through all them clouds, girl!"

Rainbow Dash giggles as I show my profound lack of muscles. "How'd you even manage to carry me to the hospital with those scrawny things?"

"Adrenaline."

She nods, and looks me right in the eye. "True, true..."

A few moments pass in silence as she takes a few deep breaths. I frown in concern. "This is really tough on you, isn't it?"

She nods. "You have no idea..."

She sighs, and I pat her on the shoulder. Another silence spans between us, during which we both fish for a topic to talk about.

"Ugh, this is going to screw up my training so much," she grunts. "I'll never get into the Wonder Bolts if I keep crashing..."

"Well, you didn't crash," I comment, seizing the moment to ask about the events of the day prior. "When you came through that window, you had huge claw marks on your body. And you kept crying 'don't let it get me, don't let it find me,' or some crazy shit like that. If you don't mind me asking...What happened?"

She looks me right in the eye, and that playful, happy spark slowly fades, and is replaced by fear and pain. "Please, don't talk about it," she pleads. "I...I don't want to think about it."

I nod, and grasp her hoof as she begins to shudder, and looks away from me. "I'm...I'm afraid to fly now," she mutters. "I'm afraid that if I fly again after I get out, it will...Find me..."

She turns back to me, and her fear is replaced by a frenzied panic. "Please, don't let it find me!" Rainbow Dash cries. I slap her, right across the face, and she immediately calms down, her panic replaced by confusion.

"Hi," I chirp. "Nice to have you back."

She sighs, and shakes her head. "I'm a nervous wreck...Maybe I should have Fluttershy evaluate me, huh?" We share a small chuckle, but Rainbow Dash falls silent, looking down to the bed with a look of mixed shame and apprehension.

"Hey, it's okay," I say, grabbing onto her shoulder. "You were attacked by something; it's logical to be afraid."

"But I'm not supposed to be afraid of anything," she whines. "It's my rep, y'know?"

I sigh, and force her to look at me. "Fuck your rep. Right now, as far as I can tell, you're really just a whiny bitch."

"Excuse me? I am not whiny!"

"Yeah, right. 'Oh, don't tell anypony, my reputation...Oh, I shouldn't be scared, my reputation, oh boo-hoo-hoo...' Seriously, for not being scared of anything, you're incredibly afraid of being yourself."

She looks at me in surprise, and I smirk. "I believe I just pegged down your greatest fear faster than you can say 'Peter is one sexy-ass genius'." This begets laughter, which begets distraction. "Yeah, but...you're acting all confident. I doubt that you're really like this..." she comments, still rather confused.

I nod. "Yeah, I'm not. I'm an intellectual who would rather be holed up in his basement, playing video games and jerking off to lesbian porn all day. If it were up to me, the only human contact I would have would be with my best friends and people I admire. I truly detest society, and I despise the perpetual perfidy of mankind. To me, the majority of people a plague upon the world, myself included."

Rainbow Dash raises an eyebrow at me. "Now, it's your turn. Time for you to embrace who you are. Accept it, Rainbow, and live it."

I'm met with laughter, which is stopped short by a wince as her ribs are jostled. "Peter, you're so weird," she sighs. "Seriously? Embrace who I am? That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard!"

I frown, feeling somewhat dejected. "Well...I thought it was pretty good...I mean, I was just trying to help you overcome your fear of yourself...And stuff...Yeah..."

She rolls her eyes, and sighs. "Peter, you're smart, but you're not a prophet. You have no idea who I am, okay? Don't try to act like you do. I know you're just trying to make me like you, lover boy."

I shake my head. "I'm not trying to make you like me," I protest. "I'm just trying to help you."

"Yeah, right," Rainbow Dash responds. "I mean, it was obvious when you said that you would stay. You obviously want to totally make out with me."

I pull away so quickly that I fall off the bed. "No, I don't! God damn, what the fuck is wrong with you?" I shout, grinding my teeth. "Why would I make out with a pony?! Oh, God, why would I ever do that? Like, seriously? The fuck is wrong with you, you crazy bitch?"

I look at her, and she's trying desperately not to laugh. "What's so funny?"

"You're blushing."

I cover my face with my hand. "No, I'm not!"

She giggles, and leans towards me. "Yeah, whatever. I think you actually want to kiss me." She closes her eyes, and I feel a sudden surge of fear creep up my back. "What're you waiting for, lover boy?"

I can't tell why, but I feel the sudden urge to join the cyan Pegasus on the bed. Maybe it's like when you have a dog: after a while, you'll see it as less of an animal and more of a human. Maybe that's what's happening with Rainbow Dash.

"C'mon, I'm waiting," she teases me. I can see that she's blushing, and I can also see that her eyes are glazed over.

"Rainbow, what's up with your eyes?" I ask, leaning forward to examine them. She puckers up her lips, and I back off, looking for a small-

Button,

She's been holding it with her wing this entire time, sending more and more morphine into her bloodstream every second. I carefully extricate it from her wing, and place it on the table side.

"Rainbow, how long were you holding that button down?"

"A while," she answers. "I was in pain, so I pressed it, but the nurse never came...sooooooooooooo, I held it down, because it made the pain go away!" She giggles as I plant my face in my palm. "Now, c'mon, Peter, come and kiss me! I know you want to..."

As I look at her, leaning forward in an attempt to kiss me, I can't help but laugh. She's so high on morphine drip that she's forgotten herself, and is now reaching out to the person who showed kindness to her in her drug-induced stupor.

However, I quickly stop laughing as I notice that she's leaning on her bandaged wing. I find the real nurse call button, and press it. A nurse immediately arrives, and is immediately confused by Rainbow Dash's continuous shouts of "Kiss me, dammit!"

"She overdosed on morphine," I explain. "She didn't even realize what she was doing, she thought it was the nurse call button..."

The nurse rolls his eyes. "Yeah, sure. We get ponies like this all the time: daredevils who immediately take as much morphine as they can when they're allowed to do so. Hold on, let me just inject her with this..."

He inserts a needle into her back, pushes the plunger down, and then discards of it.

"Owie," Rainbow Dash mumbles before the nurse puts her on her back. The Pegasus quickly falls unconscious, and the nurse gives me a glance.

"You should take over the morphine," he says. "Don't let her get over on you, and only give her enough so that the pain goes away. The amount she would require is..." He flips through the pages of a clipboard, and then replaces it. "Ten clicks."

I blink in surprise at the dosage, but nod anyway. "Alright...Thanks."

He nods, and walks out, frowning at Rainbow Dash as she sleeps off the morphine intake.

I sit down on the guest bed, and wait for her to come to.

I chuckle to myself, and mutter "lover boy," musing at how crazy it sounded, especially when it was applied to me...

Note from the Author

Now, you might be wondering:

Why? This doesn't advance the plot at all. All it does is show us a morphine-hyped Rainbow Dash.

Well, every story needs a bit of shenanigans, or it's just a boring old story with plot and details and all those icky things...

Confusion

I push the wheelchair through the door, its inhabitant squirming in the seat.

"Ugh," Rainbow Dash mutters. "I've always hated wheelchairs...Makes me feel old and useless."

"Yeah, well, if you don't stop squirming, you'll dislocate your wing. The bone's still healing, remember? You won't be able to fly until the muscles and the bone heals."

She sighs. "Don't remind me..."

As I walk aimlessly around the hospital, Rainbow Dash continues to squirm, so I slap her over the head. "Stop squirming, asshole."

Rainbow glares back at me, and mutters "fuck you, Peter."

I chuckle. "Love you, too, babe."

"Whoa, calm yourself, bucko!" She shouts. "I still have to get you to admit you've got a crush on me, lover boy!"

We both share a small laugh, and I keep walking until I come upon the surprise I had organized for her.

"Hey, Rainbow Dash!" Pinkie cries, jumping up and right in front of us. "Peter brought us all here! So, how much longer are you going to be in the hospital, huh?"

Rainbow Dash turns to face me, and smiles. "Thanks," she mouths, before she turns back to Pinkie.

"I dunno, but it can't be much longer if they're letting me come outside," Rainbow Dash responds optimistically. "Can't wait 'till I'm hanging out with you guys again!"

"Can't wait 'till I finally get to hang out with you at all," I chip in. "We've got to hang and do some cray shit, bro."

Rarity huffs, and tosses her mane in disgust. Rainbow Dash smiles as all of her friends emerge from the tent we had set up the day before, and smiles back at me.

"I brought some books for you," Twilight cries out. "But why don't you two come in? It's much cooler inside..."

I nod, and wheel the cyan Pegasus inside the tent, which is much cooler than the summer air. Scootaloo, Apple Bloom, and Sweetie Belle all jump up and hug the cyan Pegasus as we enter.

"Rainbow Dash, was this your worst crash yet?" Scootaloo cries, staring at her bandages and casts in awe.

Rainbow Dash looks at me with that prankster smile I've come to know so well. "Yeah, worst yet, 'cus I've got to spend so much time with lover boy here," she responds.

"Huh?" Scootaloo is totally confused. And I don't blame the little shit. I'm half a grown man, and yet I'm still confused as to what Rainbow Dash thinks of me.

"Yeah, he's got a total crush on me."

And that's when they notice me. I don't know how they didn't notice me before. Maybe they were too wrapped up with Rainbow's bandages?

"Uh, I don't mean to be rude, but what is he?"

And that's when my love for kids takes over, and I launch into theatrics.

"I, my friends, am a human," I say in a theatrical voice. "And I hail from the planet Earth, and from the country of America!"

"Whoa, you're an alien!?" Apple Bloom cries.

"Yes, but you can't tell anyone," I whisper, leaning on Rainbow Dash's head as I speak, which warrants me a particularly nasty glance from the cyan Pegasus. "Except for Rainbow Dash. I put a chip in her brain," I lie, pressing my index fingers to the sides of her head, "that makes her forget, so I can always keep her fresh."

Rainbow Dash giggles, and shakes me off. "Don't believe him, guys," she says to the ponies in her lap. "He's just joking."

I poke her on the crown of her head. "That's what I've made her think," I say. "She won't remember that I just said this."

"Yes, I do," she says. "I remember-what were we talking about again?"

The little fillies' eyes grow wide, and Rainbow Dash smiles at them. "Don't worry, guys. We're just joking. Besides, he saved my life."

"Best alien ever!" Scootaloo cries out, smiling up at me. I smile down at her, and pat Rainbow on the shoulder. "Why don't you tell them what happened? I'm sure they'd love to hear about your recent adventure."

Rainbow Dash nods, and begins to spin a tale of how she was doing awesome flips, and how she chased down a thief into the Everfree. However, he was in league with a dragon, and when she beat it, it managed to hit her and send her flying all the way back to Ponyville. However, I know for a fact that that is not what happened. But as to what really happened...It's still a mystery to me.

"And then she totally crashed through the window," I add on. "I carried her to the hospital."

The three little fillies are about to start asking questions, when Applejack comes in with a stern face made of stone. "Y'all had better get off of Rainbow, before ya' hurt the poor thing." The fillies obediently hop off, and the rest of Rainbow's five friends enter the tent.

"Hi, Rainbow Dash," Fluttershy says softly. "How are you?"

I wheel the cyan Pegasus over to the empty spot at the table in the tent, and I sit down right next to her. The five ponies surround the table, and the three fillies surround Rainbow Dash.

"I'm good," Rainbow Dash responds, "as always."

And then the ponies begin to talk. I half listen, as I don't really care what half of them have to talk about. Oh, my, darling, my dress blah blah blah...The little animals blah blah blah...My research on black holes-

Now. that's interesting. I open my ears up, but Pinkie Pie has already interrupted the lavender unicorn. Figures.

"So, Peter, you're doing good? You're not going crazy being with Dashie in the hospital for this wrong? Because she gets real cranky when she can't fly!"

"Yeah, I'm fine; if you count good as being stuck in a hospital for at least another week or so," I sigh. Rainbow Dash blinks, but says nothing. Everypony else groans.

"Another week, Rainbow?" Applejack asks. "How're you gonna survive that?"

Rainbow Dash smirks at me. "Well, with lover boy here, I'm pretty sure I can handle it."

Pinkie Pie jumps on the table, causing me to reel backwards and fall flat on my ass. "Ohmygosh, are you two dating!? That is so cute!!"

I open my mouth to protest, but everypony begins asking questions and congratulating us before either Rainbow or I can say "no".

"Yo, shut up!" I finally shout after about five minutes of madness. "We are not dating, okay?"

Pinkie releases a small, disappointed "oh," and goes back to her chair and takes a seat. However, as soon as she does, she says, "you two should date, though. I bet you'd make a cute couple."

Rainbow Dash and I glance at each other, both of us dubious.

"Yeah; no," I say immediately. "I'm a human, and I'm superior to her in every way. I'm afraid I don't date inferior life forms."

"Hey! You're not superior to me!" Rainbow Dash cries.

"Come back to me when you can do integrated algebra," I state. "That, or play video games. Then, we'll truly see who is superior, young, foolish grasshopper."

"Oh, what, you got shit against grasshoppers now, too, Peter?"

Silence. Utter silence as we all stare at the butter Pegasus who shouted that.

Fluttershy shrinks back, blushing. "Uhh...Sorry. I don't like it when people make fun of animals..."

"I wasn't making fun," I respond. "Grasshoppers are symbols in ancient Chinese culture amongst sensei and their students. It would be a way of classifying one's skill due to the predominance of Hinduism at the time."

"Wait, I've gotta write that down!" Twilight cries, taking out a quill and paper. "Start at the beginning, please?"

"Well, the grasshopper-"

"No," Twilight shakes her head. "The beginning. Of human history?"

I wince, and look at Rainbow Dash. Fortunately, she seems to be nodding off: a side effect of the pain medication I forced her to take after she had some of her bandages taken off.

"Hey, Rainbow Dash, are you feeling sleepy? Of course you are. Sorry guys; gotta run!" I call over my shoulder as I wheel her out of the tent, and into the hospital.

Bullet dodged, like a boss.

"Wow, you sure got out of there fast," Rainbow Dash comments as we enter her hospital room. "What? Couldn't handle talking to another egghead?"

"Bitch," I start, struggling to speak through pants and my inability to breathe, "don't even..."

She giggles, and then immediately turns somber. It's quite odd, actually, how often she does that. She'll laugh, and then she'll remember something from earlier and just get all serious. Then again, it could just be because she's on edge lately, what with being stuck in a hospital and everything.

"Peter...When you were complaining about being here for another week...Well, you do know that you can leave at any time, right?"

I sigh as I help her into her bed. "Yes, I know," I respond. "And did you know that fuck you? I'm staying here until you leave, no matter how long that is. I mean, somebody's gotta look out for your sorry ass."

She chuckles, and stares up at me with those giant eyes of hers. Those giant, red, glimmering eyes...

Wait, the fuck am I doing staring at her eyes? And...Why is she staring at mine?

"Sweet dreams, Rainbow," I whisper as I walk around her bed, and lay down on my own.

"I don't need sweet dreams," she responds.

"Well, then, sour dreams, you ungrateful bitch."

She giggles, and gently slaps me with her tail, which is very unlike her. So, in reciprocation, I...well, I don't do anything. Her hitting me with her tail-it just seems so adorable that I can't possibly do anything in return to it.

So, I clap her on the shoulder, whispering "good night, Rainbow Dash."

She nuzzles my hand before I take it off of her shoulder, and my heart skips a beat.

I was right.

Something's not right in Ponyville.

Think about it: Everypony's been acting...Off.

First and foremost is Rainbow Dash, getting all emotional.

And then there's Fluttershy, having an outburst like that. In front of kids, even. Not to mention that Applejack didn't say anything about it when Fluttershy cursed right in front of her little sister.

And even more worrying was Pinkie Pie, who had remained silent during the majority of the time that we were down there. There was no confetti, no happy shouts, no explosions. It was...Odd.

Something is definitely going down in Poneyville.

However, it might just be circumstantial. Perhaps Rainbow Dash legitimately likes me, and is opening up to me. Or maybe Fluttershy just gets pissed when people make of animals. And maybe Pinkie Pie was just in a bad mood today. Who's to know?

With a sigh, I listen to Rainbow Dash's steady breathing, and think, trying to wade through the clouds of utter and total confusion that have been plaguing me since Rainbow Dash crashed through that window with claw marks adorning her body.

Attached

I smile as Rainbow Dash wakes up with a grunt.

"Well, good morning, sleepy head," I chirp as she sits up. "How would you like some breakfast? I've already eaten mine, so you can go ahead and eat yours."

The cyan Pegasus rubs her eyes, and stretches with a yawn. "Fuck you, Peter..."

I sputter at the sudden remark. "What the fuck did I do?"

She shrugs, her unkempt mane draping over her shoulder and curling in that cute morning fashion. "I felt like it."

I shrug as well. "Good enough. Now, come on, before your cold cereal gets cold."

She sighs, and begins to eat, lazily dipping her spoon into her bowl and chomping on the cereal.

"I didn't think there was a lazy way to eat cereal," I comment, "but you've obviously proved me wrong."

She scowls at me, and waves a little something in front of my face as a threat. "Don't make me remind you of what happened last night."

I blush. "No, thank you."

In case you're wondering what happened last night, I woke up in the middle of the night to find that I had somehow wrapped my arm around the cyan Pegasus. So, I was snuggling with her in her sleep. I felt like burning my arm off when she woke up, and saw me, awake, with my arm wrapped around her.

"But you can't say you didn't enjoy it," I remark, rather pointedly. "Don't think I don't remember those looks you gave me yesterday."

She sighs, and looks down at her cereal. "Peter, can you just stop talking so loud? My head hurts..."

I frown, and coax her into laying down on the bed. "You should lay down for a while," I say as I pull the blankets over her. "You could also use some sleep. Your body has to heal itself."

She sighs, and looks up at me with pleading eyes. "Can we at least go outside for today? So I can get a bit of fresh air? I'll gladly sit in the wheelchair..."

I give the issue some thought, and decide to press the nurse call button. The nurse appears after a few seconds, and I explain Rainbow Dash's terrible predicament to her. She hurries off, and comes back, saying that Rainbow has been approved for a day outside.

I thank the nurse as I help the groggy, and very unsteady, Rainbow Dash onto her wheelchair. As she sits down, she slumps back, as if it's the most comfortable thing in the world. I frown, concern taking over.

"Dash, you okay?" I whisper.

"Yeah...Just...Tired..."

I nod, and wheel her chair next to a bench. I decide that I'd rather have her close, and where I can make sure she doesn't fall out of the chair, so I help her up out of the chair. I wrap an arm around her for support, and help her stumble to the bench. I ease her down, and sit right right next to her, ready to react if she falls.

"Can you be my pillow?" She asks softly.

My immediate thought is that she's been changed, and that this isn't normal for her, and I shouldn't let her lean against me.

However, my immediate action is to drape my arm around her, and let her lean on my shoulder. She sighs, and snuggles up against me. She smiles up at me, and I can't help but smile back at those gorgeous, red, sparkling, shiny-

Rainbow Dash giggles and blushes, before kissing me on the cheek. My heart jumps, and I find myself unable to react to it. "Thanks," she whispers.

"Wait, for what?" I ask, befuddled.

"You said my eyes are beautiful, lover boy," she giggles.

I sigh, and close my eyes as I lean back on the bench. Rainbow giggles giddily as she snuggles into my side, and I can't help but wonder what the fuck I've gotten myself into...

"Sooo..." Rainbow whispers. "Does...does this mean..."

"There you two are!" We both look to the source of the voice. It's Twilight, trotting towards us with a small parcel on her back. "I came here to visit, and they said you were-oh. Uhh...Are you two...Busy?" She asks, blushing as she sees Rainbow leaning against me.

"No," I respond.

"Yeah, kinda," Rainbow responds. I raise an eyebrow at her, and she looks down at the ground with a blush.

"Rainbow is just being lazy," I explain. "She was going to try to walk without her crutches, but she ended up taking a nap on my shoulder."

Rainbow doesn't say anything, and Twilight nods. "Alright. Well, I brought a gift for you, Rainbow."

Rainbow Dash perks up, and pulls herself away from me to see the gift that Twilight has presented her with. She tears open the parcel, despite Twilight's warning to be careful. Rainbow gasps, and I look over her shoulder to get a view.

"Wonderbolt tickets!" Rainbow Dash cries in excitement. "And they're full-season passes! Twilight, you're the best!!! But...There's a show coming up tomorrow...How am I going to get there?"

Twilight smiles. "I've already got it figured out. I've made an agreement with Celestia: you and Peter will go up in a chariot to Cloudsdale, and you'll have private seats to watch them perform. I'll enchant Peter's shoes before he leaves, so he can walk on the clouds.

"And then, after the show, Celestia wants to make a little show of Peter, what with him being an alien and everything."

I sigh. "I hate being the center of attention," I mutter.

"Peter, you're so lucky! You get to spend time with the Wonderbolts! On stage! That's so fucking awesome!" Rainbow cries. "I would kill for a chance like that..."

I back away from her a bit. "You'd better not start now," I mutter. She chuckles, and punches me in the arm. "Shut up, Peter."

Rainbow turns back to Twilight with a huge grin. "Thanks, Twi'. I'll never forget this." I might be imagining things, but I can swear I see her point at me for a second.

Twilight throws me a small glance, and giggles. "I'm glad to help, Rainbow. And remember-you'll have a private seating area," she adds on, placing a connotative emphasis on the word "private". She winks at me before she leaves. "See ya later, lover boy," she says, both the lavender unicorn and Rainbow Dash bursting into a fit of giggles.

I blush, and shrink down into the bench as Rainbow Dash hugs the tickets close to her heart. "Oh, Peter, you're going to love the Wonderbolts..." She whispers, her voice undulating in a way that makes me blush even brighter.

"I'll take your word for it," I mutter with a smirk. "Although I honestly don't see what's so great about them. I mean, they're just the Wonderbolts..."

Rainbow sits straight up, her pupils contract into pinpricks, and her ear twitches as if her entire world was just shattered. "Just...The Wonderbolts?" She mutters. "Just the Wonderbolts!? Do you have any idea how awesome they are?"

"Relax, relax," I say, patting her on the shoulder. "I'm just joking."

She winces, and releases a breath of relief. "Oh, thank Celestia...I might have had to kick your ass..."

I chuckle. "Yeah. Might've."

We sit in silence for a few moments, Rainbow simply staring at the tickets with an air of utter shock.

"Would you stop staring at those things?" I finally say after several minutes of silence. "You're going to drool all over them, and then neither of us are going to get into the show..."

She sighs, and tucks the tickets carefully into her feathers, giving them a pat before she refolds her cyan wing. Rainbow Dash looks at me with a small smile, and I smile back, watching her gorgeous eyes sparkling in the sun's basking rays, her mane flowing over her shoulder in that cute way that gave her a tiny bit of femininity, her...

Nope. Nope. Nope. Nope. Nope.

Nope.

She scoots over to me, and I scoot a tiny bit away from her, frowning as I sense the inevitable. She comes closer, and I don't bother moving away; she'll get me anyway.

"Hi," she whispers as she comes right up to me.

"Hello," I respond. "Nice day out, huh?" I ask, tearing my eyes away from hers. Before I can react, she lies down, with her head on my lap, and her eyes staring at me.

"Why are you in my lap?" I ask, confusion coursing through my veins. "And why are you staring up at me? And why are you holding me by the neck?"

"Shut up," she whispers.

"Why-"

AND WHY THE FUCK ARE YOU KISSING ME!?

I never get to say the last part, as her lips lock into mine and I can't speak, let alone breathe. I pull back, and practically throw her off of my lap and back onto her side of the bench.

"WHAT THE FUCK!?" I cry, frantically wiping my mouth. "Oh, God, the fuck? The fuck is wrong with you, Rainbow?"

I look at the cyan Pegasus, and I see that she's beginning to cry. I'm sorry, did I say beginning to cry? I meant she's crying. Heavily. Sobbing, sniffling, tears are rolling down her face faster than I can say "I'm sorry."

"I...I thought you liked me," she sobs. "I...I thought that you...you liked me!!"

I choke on my own words. I can't even speak; I'm just too shocked.

"So...You...You actually like me?" I whisper, unable to believe that the cyan Pegasus hasn't been leading me along up to this point.

"No fucking shit, asshole!" She shouts, struggling to breathe through tears and sobs. "Of course I do!"

I don't know what to do.

The world has gone blank, and I have no idea who the fuck has taped duct tape over my ears. I feel a bomb detonate in the pit of my stomach, and I fetch her wheelchair.

"Let's go," I hear myself say. I don't remember making the decision, but I remember doing it.

I close my eyes, and when I open them, I'm in Sugarcube Corner. I don't remember walking here, and I don't remember how I knew how to get here. I see Pinkie Pie, holding Rainbow Dash as she cries.

"I...I..." I can't speak. I can't think.

All I can do is slump against the wall, let my head thump against the wall, and pray that this nightmare ends soon.

When I look back, I see seven different characters, all in Sugarcube Corner. I watch as Pinkie pushes Rainbow's wheelchair out, presumably back to the hospital.

"Peter, how dare you?"

The words are like thumps of a cannon, in that I don't understand them whatsoever. I'm in complete shock.

Rainbow Dash kissed me.

I slide down the wall, and end up sitting on the floor, my body bent practically in half as I play with my fingers, watching them interlock and come apart, trying desperately to solve this puzzle.

Why did she kiss me?

And why do I care so damn much?

And why am I crying?!

I raise a hand to my cheek, and wipe the liquid off, watching the drop of salty tear water roll down my finger, and drip onto the floor.

"Peter," I hear.

I look up, searching for an answer in this world of questions. All I see is Applejack, staring right at me from above. "If ya' care 'bout RD enough ter' cry over her, then why'd ya' push 'er away?"

I look down to the floor in disappointment. Just another question. Not an answer.

But there is one answer. I'm crying because I made Rainbow cry, and I'm an idiot and I shouldn't have pushed her away and FUCK!

I stand, my limbs shaking as I lash out, kicking at the wall of the pastry shop over, and over, and over, until a hoof pulls me away.

"Why," I ask weakly as I collapse. "Why..."

I close my eyes, and I fall unconscious.

I've never been more shocked before in my life.

Any question I had that this world is real has been shattered; this place is definitely real.

A faux wouldn't seem so...genuine, would it?

Would it?

Worst Possible Choice

I slowly come into wakefulness, and the first thing I think of is Rainbow Dash.

No, no, I mentally scold myself. She just...Snapped. No fault of yours. Watch, she'll be her fine, old, cheery self by the next time you see her. But until then...I'm gunna avoid her like the plague.

Yeah, I know, it sounds mean. Oh, boo-hoo, poor Dashie can't have the boy she likes. Well, she better get fucking used to it. This might be Equestria, and while in Equestria, do as the Equestrians, but seriously, bro, she needs to calm her tits. I mean...She fucking kissed me! Yes, we've been stuck in the same room as each other for about a month and a half, I know, but I was there because I was being a good friend. I'm not looking for any kind of relationship, especially not with a pony.

Especially not with a pony that kisses me before we even have a date.

But, wait...I just brought up a good point to myself. We haven't even gone on a date yet. And yet, she felt the need to kiss me...Which is odd, to say the least. Maybe she thought she could make the move, and I'd be fine with it. Maybe she thought that I wouldn't mind if she just made a move on me, without even knowing whether I like her that much yet. And, in all honesty, I feel bad for her. Because she just lost the guy she had a major crush on by moving in too fast.

And I can't face her and try to seek forgiveness, can I? Then again, it should be her trying to seek forgiveness...

I need to open my eyes. Just laying here thinking about it isn't going to do me any good. I need to speak to somepony, I need to ask them what the fuck is going on...

After getting out of bed, I walk downstairs to see that Twilight Sparkle is sitting by a table, levitating a newspaper in front of her face. I descend the stairs, and she seems to ignore me.

Great. Looks like I've royally fucked myself.

"Good morning, Peter," she chirps. Cheerful. Huh. Maybe I'm wrong. "I made you some eggs."

I look to the scrambled eggs, and voice my gratitude. I begin shoveling them into my mouth, my stomach rumbling as I do so.

"So, you're going to be sharing your guest room with somepony," Twilight says, carefully and slowly.

"If it's Rainbow Dash, I will fucking eat your soul," I growl. "I don't want to see her; not after yesterday. Not after she fucking kissed me, and acted like I was to blame."

Twilight's happy demeanor falls to shambles, and her shoulder sag. She makes some kind of signal towards the window, and Pinkie Pie immediately bursts in, wheeling an expectant Rainbow Dash.

"Thanks, Twi'. I was getting sick of the-oh."

"Oh, indeed," I comment as Rainbow Dash is put at the head of the table. "I'd say it's a pleasure to see you, but I honestly feel like eviscerating myself."

Rainbow Dash simply blushes, and looks away.

"Now, Rainbow, you have to tell Peter what you told us," Twilight says sternly. Pinkie Pie nods in agreement, and I lean back in curiosity. "Oh, do tell," I say. "I'd love to hear as to why the strongest Pegasus in all of Equestria decided to kiss me yesterday. Y'know, after we had known each other for only a month."

Rainbow Dash sighs. "Peter, I'm sorry...I understand that you weren't ready for it, and-"

"Now, hold it right there!" I look up in surprise as Rarity, Fluttershy, and Applejack enter the room. "Rainbow ain't at any fault here, an' don' go makin' her think as much!" Applejack claims. "She jus' wanted th' attention, that's all. An' Peter should've respected that."

"I agree," Rarity huffs. "Rainbow Dash was being so poetic with how she kissed him! It was simply beautiful, a true marvel of Equestrian romance!"

"Uhh...I'll just sit this one out, if you don't mind," Fluttershy meekly suggests.

"Do you see what you do, Rainbow?" I say, pinching the bridge of my nose. "Now we're going to be the center of some huge-ass debate, all because you couldn't keep your hooves to yourself."

"Ex-cuse me?"

"You heard me."

"Hey, don't go throwin' names," Applejack hisses. "Yer' not exactly innocent yerself, kid..."

I roll my eyes. "Okay, while you guys fight, I'm going to sit in the corner and listen to my iPod. Don't try to talk to me; I won't hear you. Just saying, this is going to be a pointless argument. Rainbow Dash and I are going to be forced to live under the same roof by you assholes for the next few days, so if we don't want to go crazy, we'll end up being friends. Happy?"

Everypony watches in stunned silence as I walk over to the corner, sit on the window sill, and reach into my bag (which I had picked up in my room). I plug in my headphones, plop them on my head, and while away the time as the ponies continue to argue.

As they do, I feel as though somebody is watching me. I turn, and see that Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy are silently conversing in the opposite corner, and that the both of them are stealing continuous glances at me. I sigh, and return to my philosophizing, as influenced by my music.

This argument is meaningless, I reinforce to myself. Then again, as is every argument. No living being shall ever understand the climax of life, nor how or when the concept of argumentation and presentation of concepts came about. Arguments are all simply idle forms of differing opinions, which always lead to the same road; a path upon which we all walk, every day of our life. I might as well go over and apologize to Rainbow Dash, because I'd honestly rather give up than keep this shit up...After all, a house divided cannot stand. If this keeps up, all of them will be torn apart because of our collective stupidity, and the house of friendship shall truly collapse in upon itself.

I sigh. My path is clear now. I turn off my iPod, and walk up the stairs to the balcony: a vantage point from which I can address all the ponies.

"Hey," I say, loud enough to gain their attention.

Or so I think. They continue on arguing, each side presenting its meaningless arguments as to who's fault it is for Rainbow Dash's apparent depression.

"Rainbow Dash should not have gone in so quickly!" Twilight shouts. "She should have asked him out on a date; and gotten to know him better!"

"They were t'gether in th' hospital fer a month, Twi'," Applejack responds. "What'd'ya expect?"

Twilight sighs, and Rarity continues. "Also, it was a beautifully romantic symbol of her love for Peter!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, Rare, you gotta slow that down a bit! I don't love him! Oh, dear Celestia, what is wrong with you!?" Rainbow Dash cries. I pinch the bridge of my nose as the ponies below me continue to squabble.

"Yo! Assholes!" I shout, slamming my fist down on the balcony. "I've got shit to say!"

The ponies all turn to me in surprise, and Rarity huffs at my vulgarity.

"I'm going to take full blame for this," I declare. "I stayed with Rainbow for about a month. She was bound to get attached to me, and I didn't respect that risk. So, instead of making sure she didn't do anything stupid, I let myself get more and more involved with her, until the apex, at which point she kissed me, as you all know.

"While I don't appreciate how quickly she tried to accelerate our relationship," I continue, shooting the cyan Pegasus a pointed look, "I understand that she did so because I had always been there for her. I care about her, and yes; I have a crush on her. But what I don't appreciate is that she didn't respect the fact that I'm not exactly ready to discount the fact that she's a pony. We were going to go to see the Wonderbolts today, and I sincerely hope that we still do." I look at her again, and she's smiling at me as if I've given her the gift of a lifetime. "So, Rainbow, I would appreciate it if we were to...Start over. Go to the Wonderbolts as friends, and act as if the...thing, never happened. I want to be your friend, but I'm not ready for that next step just yet. Okay?"

Rarity speaks up from her spot at the table. "That was...Beautiful, Peter," she says. "While the rhetoric isn't perfect...The message is strong, and it takes a true stallion to admit to his mistakes, and attempt to retry his relationship with somepony who he has had a dispute with...And to admit your feelings for her in front of all of her friends? Bravo, Peter; Bravo! Bravo vendicimo!"

She begins to clap, but slowly stops as she realizes that nopony has joined in. "Well, at least I thought it was a nice gesture..."

Rainbow Dash is smiling at me, and she chips in. "It was. Thank you, Peter...It means a lot to me."

"I know," I respond. "Don't gots to tell me, girl."

She giggles, and I smile. "Just like before, huh?" She asks. I can tell that it's a hopeful question, and I don't want to give her false hope.

"Rainbow, I'm afraid that nothing will ever be like before," I sigh. "We may have started over, but our relationship will never be the same again. Whether it be as friends or something more, what happened yesterday cannot simply be pushed aside as if it were nothing."

Rainbow Dash sighs, as well. "But...I'll still be staying here with you, right?" She asks. Once more, false hope shall always be a glimmer for the poor thing. I open my mouth to respond, but Twilight interrupts.

"You need somewhere quiet where you can rest," Twilight says. "And I happen to have medical experience that Fluttershy doesn't, as I've studied up on the subject quite extensively. I have all the equipment ready, and, besides, Fluttershy's cottage couldn't support your recovery. So, in the end, you'll have to stay here, with Peter, for a bit. But I'll need to do some renovation; we can't have you going up the stairs to the guest bedroom every day."

Rainbow Dash nods, and looks up at me with a smirk. "Looks like you're stuck with me," she says. "Lover boy."

I clench my jaw, and keep my words to myself.

She's still after me, and she won't stop until she has me.

I have no doubt that she may kiss me again, perhaps even at the Wonderbolts later today. And I have no doubt that I shall continue to forgive her out of pity.

I seem to have entered the Mobius Relation-Strip; a zone in which no matter how hard you try, you keep ending up at the same point. Of course, if I were to submit to her advances, then we would end up moving on, and at a pace much faster than I would enjoy.

And, once again, all I can think is:

What the fuck have I gotten myself into?

Have I made the biggest mistake of my life? By forgiving Rainbow, have I given her the go-ahead to try whatever she can to get me?

What the fuck have I just done?

I sigh as Twilight begins to bark orders, as the Wonderbolts will be arriving for their performance soon.

As with all things, only time will tell whether I've just made the biggest mistake of my life, or saved a friendship.

Note from Dat Author

In case you're wondering, I'm not doing this because "Oh, I don't like making them not friends anymore, I want them to be friends, blah blah blah," but, alas, no; I'm doing this because I wanted to make the basis for an awkward relationship dynamic between Peter and Rainbow Dash. I promise, this will yield a lot more than it seems to be promising in terms of laughs, slight feels, and an ending that I've meticulously planned out. Trust me, this choice will end up contributing to a revelation that isn't exactly obvious, but has been hinted at at least once.

Only time will tell...

But it won't tell George.

George is a total dickhead, and he enjoys being a head and a dick at the same time as being a dick and a head.

Of Rainbows and Fools

Warning: This chapter contains sexual connotations. And they're not subtle. At all. In fact, they're fucking obvious as all hell. Just saying.

The din of the crowd, the flash of cameras, and the amazed expressions adorning the faces of hundreds of onlookers.

Thus is the reaction I receive when I step out onto a balcony overlooking a coliseum of clouds.

"Wave, Peter," Rainbow whispers from my side. I oblige, and give a small, humble wave, before I sit down on the couch of clouds, trying my best to shrink into the cushion.

"Seriously? You call that a wave?" She mutters, placing her crutches down as she sits next to me on the couch. I shrug, and slump on the couch. In all honesty, I've never sat on anything so damn comfortable before.

"My loyal subjects," says a booming voice, "today, we welcome into Equestria a being from a distant world, who has come to participate in our wonderful society. Today, he has come to observe the Wonderbolts perform, which is most definitely humbling for our magnificent empire." Princess Celestia goes from her perch to the balcony that Rainbow and I share with one mighty flap of her regal wings. This time, when she speaks, she does not fill the entire coliseum with her voice, but only this balcony.

"It is an honor to have you here," she says. I stand, and bow to her. "And it is an honor to be within your presence, Princess of the Sun."

Celestia smiles at me, and then turns to Rainbow Dash.

"So, I trust that he is assisting with your recovery?"

Rainbow Dash smiles at me, and I smile back at her, as I'm honestly unsure of what I should do.

"Yeah, he's helped me," she replies. I take note of the use of the past tense.

"Very well."

And, with that, Celestia departs, and declares that the Wonderbolts' performance shall now begin. I watch in wonder as the Pegasi fly about, leaving trails of electric smoke as they perform feats of ultimate synchronization.

I look over at Rainbow Dash, and she seems almost envious of the flying wonders. I glance at her bandaged wing, which still has a splint in it.

"You'll be back in the air soon enough," I say, grasping her by the shoulder. "Trust me."

She sighs as the Wonderbolts all prepare for the second act, and begin to introduce themselves via skywriting.

"I mean...my wings are so sore...I would love to just...glide five inches or something..."

I smile at the Pegasus. "I know what you mean, Dash. It'll be over soon enough."

"Have you ever been restrained before?" She snaps back. "Have you ever been unable to run or jump for a month?"

"Yes, actually," I reply, recalling the time I had broken my femur falling down the stairs. "And I actually enjoyed it. It gave me an excuse to be lazy."

She huffs, rolls her eyes, and smiles at me. "Oh, shut up, Peter."

We both share a small chuckle, the roar of the crowd rendering further conversation impossible. I switch my attention between the Wonderbolts and the cyan Pegasus regularly, as Rainbow Dash has begun to rub the joint of her wing with a hoof.

As the crowd dies down in silent anticipation of whatever's going on, I use the lack of noise to my advantage.

"C'mere, Rainbow," I say. "Lemme rub your wings for you."

She looks at me in surprise, and blushes lightly. However, the surprise is quickly replaced by a small smile that seems to be...what? Victorious?

"Alright," she replies. Rainbow turns on the couch, and I do, as well, letting her lean on my chest and shoulder as I gently stroke her wings, loosening the tight muscles like it's my mission.

"Oh, yeah..." She moans as I rub. "So, I'm taking that you like it, Rainbow?" I smirk at her.

"Oh, you...you have no idea, Peter..."

I smile, and continue with the rubdown, taking care not to hurt her as I massage the base of her wing.

As I rub the knots out of her wings, she lets loose a small gasp, and squirms against me, as if attempting to get closer. I raise an eyebrow, but continue nonetheless.

"Oof...Faster...Harder...Oh, yeah, right there...Mmmmm..."

I begin to feel slightly uncomfortable as the cyan Pegasus continuously moans, and reaches back with a hoof to grasp my shoulder as she arches her back.

"Uhhhhh...Rainbow, what's going on?" I ask, cautiously and slowly. "You're freaking me out..."

"Don't stop, don't stop..." She pants. "Oh, Celestia, yes..."

"Uh, Rainbow, I'm feeling kind of uncomfortable," I remark, frowning as she begins to breathe heavier. However, I continue to massage her, hoping that it's simply some kind of relief she's feeling...

"Oh, yeah...Nnnnnggg! Oh, yeah, Peter, keep...keep going...."

Suddenly, I realize that I can no longer hear the crowd. I look out to see that the Wonderbolts are still performing, and that Celestia's horn is subtly glowing. She turns to face me, and gives me a sly wink, and I realize that she must have blocked us off from the rest of the coliseum.

Well, that must mean that whatever I'm doing has some kind of connotation, no? Could it be that this is...is...

"Oh, fuck, yes, Peter, yes, yes, YES! Ah, ah AAAAHHHHHH~~~~!!!"

The sudden exclamation from Rainbow Dash confirms my suspicions, and I pull my hands back in disgust as her entire body convulses. As soon as she's done shuddering, she snuggles into me, a blush adorning her face as she pants.

"That was great, Peter," she whispers. "If you could do that, why'd you have such a problem with kissing me? Peter? You okay? You're looking a bit green..."

It's true. I feel as if I'm about to vomit everywhere. "Did you...Did you just have an orgasm, Rainbow Dash?"

She crawls up my chest,and smiles right into my eyes. "You know it, babe..." She whispers, before leaning in, and kissing me right on the lips.

"OH, GOD!!!" I cry, pulling away from the kiss. "So we...We...We just had sex!?"

She smirks at me. "You could call it that..."

I feel as if someone has come into my brain, found whatever generates innocence, and placed Hitler's semen in it. I honestly feel like killing myself.

"Oh, God...Oh, God..." I stand, and search for a garbage pail. I can feel my stomach rejecting every particle of existence within my body. "Oh, Go-" my sentence is cut off as I begin to dry heave. I'm unable to move, or even stand up straight as my throat continuously convulses, but nothing comes up.

Tears roll down my cheeks as I reel backwards. I curl up into a ball, and rock back and forth, shaking my head in denial.

"Nope. Nope. Nope. Nope. Nope. Nope. Nope. Nope. Nope. Nope. Nope. Nope. Nope. Nope. Nope. Nope." I say as I shake my head, effectively giving myself a headache. I quickly feel my disgust replaced by rage as I stand, and turn to face the cyan Pegasus, who is watching me in confusion.

"Why didn't you tell me!?" I cry. I honestly feel as if I've just been raped. "Why didn't you tell me we were doing something sexual!?"

"I...I thought you knew!" She cries, now coming forth with tears of her own. "I thought you knew and you wanted to take our relationship to the next level!"

"We have no relationship!" I roar. "We're friends! The end!"

She looks away from me, and I bury my face in my palms.

"Well...my wings feel better now, if that makes you feel any better," she mumbles.

I sigh, and decide to assess the damage we did to the couch. There's a definite sweat stain, as well as...

"Oh, that's fucking gross," I mumble, afraid that my stomach may actually burst this time. A small, glistening puddle of rainbow liquid is on the couch, and it look like it is probably sticky.

"Is that your...?" I point at the liquid.

"Yeah," she replies. "I'm the only Pegasus that has orgasms like that. I don't know why."

I shudder. "I DIDN'T NEED TO KNOW THAT, THANK YOU VERY MUCH!"

Rainbow Dash shrinks back with a sheepish grin, and I legitimately want to kill myself.

"I just had sex with a horse..." I mutter, eyeing the drop from the balcony meaningfully. "I just gave a horse an orgasm..."

I feel another torrent of tears roll down my cheeks. My life is over. There is literally nothing left for me. Any self respect I ever had is now gone.

However, I can't end my life, and I won't. I have to talk to Rainbow Dash. Then, it will be an option.

So, I walk over to the couch, sit down, and sigh.

"Do...Do you want me to give you an orgasm?" Rainbow offers. "Is that why you're so cranky?"

"Oh, God, no," I respond. "Fuck, no. Just...No. No, no, no. If you even touch my cock, I will jump over that fucking balcony right now."

Rainbow Dash nods, and looks away from me. "I...I'm sorry. I thought you knew what would happen if you touched my wings like that...And I thought you wanted to...Y'know...Be with me..."

I sigh, and look down at the floor beneath my feet. I'm starting to feel bad for the cyan Pegasus, as I've been continuously, and accidentally, toying with her emotions. So, I take a deep breath before continuing.

Once I've calmed down, I respond. "It's okay, Rainbow, it happens to the best of us. And besides, I'd be lying if I said that you moaning like a little bitch didn't turn me on."

She turns to me with a furious blush. "I did not moan like a little bitch!"

"Could've fooled me."

"Fuck you, Peter," she sighs. "And if giving me an orgasm disgusts you so much, then how did my pleasure turn you on?"

"You sound human, so even though I could see you, I still heard a human's voice, and it sounded like that bitch was having a very good time."

She blushes. "Well...it felt good..."

"Yeah, no shit, you fucking came everywhere."

"I did not!" She cries.

I reach across her, and, without thinking, dip my hand in the Rainbow juice. "What's this, then?" I ask, hanging my finger in front of her face. A second later, I realize what I just did, and I'm frantically wiping my finger on the couch in an attempt to purify it.

"Ew, ew, ew, ew!" I mutter as I clean my finger off. "Oh, God, that's disgusting..."

"That's what you get, asshole," she snickers. I wipe the remainder of her orgasm on her face, and she squirms in disgust.

"Ugh, that's disgusting!" She cries.

"See? It's disgusting to both of us."

And then, something hits me.

"Ugh, the way you were squirming against me, and the way you were moaning...I may as well have had my finger up your pussy," I mutter. "Fucking...Ew. Just...Ugh."

"You know, that's very insulting," Rainbow shoots at me. "If I were a human, you wouldn't say it's so disgusting..."

"No, no I wouldn't," I admit. "It's just...where I come from, sex with different species is frowned upon. A lot."

Rainbow sighs, and shakes her head. "Why can't I just be human to you? Why can't you just see me as...as who I am, not what I am?"

"Because...Because I'm scared," I sigh. "I want to be with you, and I want to enjoy things like...this. But...I'm scared that liking you makes me some sort of...of...some sort of freak..."

Rainbow rests a cyan hoof on my cheek, and gently turns me to look right at her.

"You don't have to be afraid with me, honey," she whispers. I can tell that she's taking a gamble in calling me "honey," and in all honesty, I'm getting tired of hurting her.

So, I decide to hear her out.

"I don't?" I ask, looking up to her apprehensively.

"Not at all," she responds with a small smile. "And besides, you'd be with the most awesome Pegasus in all of Equestria! Who d'you think would give you shit about that?"

I chuckle lightly. "Yeah, that's true..."

"So, what do you say?" Rainbow Dash whispers, nuzzling me gently on the cheek. "D'you wanna give it a try? I mean, we've already kind of started on a relationship, so we'd have a head start..."

I look to her, and take note of her blush, her beautiful red eyes, and the way her mane hangs down over her eye just so. I can't help but smile at her, and the more I think about it, the more I realize...

"Yeah. I want to give it a try."

With a squeal, the cyan Pegasus throws herself at me, hugging me with enough force to break a submarine in half.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!!" She cries. I smile, and pat her on the back. She pulls back with a blush, looks away, and says, "uhh, cool. Thanks. Maybe we can do this again tonight."

I smile, and wrap an arm around the cyan Pegasus. "C'mere," I say as I pull her close. "I'm not exactly ready to do this whilst knowing what the fuck it is that I'm doing, and I'm not exactly ready to kiss, but...I'll gladly snuggle. Just...Let's keep this under wraps for a while, okay?"

She leans her head on my shoulder, and snuggles into me a bit. "Okay. I'm fine with that. As long as we're together."

I smile down at her, and we both turn our attention back to the performance going on before us. And, as I watch the Wonderbolts zip about, the cyan Pegasus smiling on my shoulder, I have two major thoughts:

Firstly, how the fuck did I get myself stuck in a relationship with Rainbow Dash? Logic tells me that I should be staying away from her because of the fact that I just gave her an orgasm. However, emotion tells me that not only does that bring us closer together, but it also gives me a sort of obligation.

Second...Whoever cleans up this coliseum is going to get quite the surprise when he comes to this balcony.

For those of you that are pissed at how this chapter went down, let me make something perfectly clear.

I put up a blog in which you could have voted AGAINST this happening. It should have appeared in your notifications. I got two votes yay, so I did it. And those were the only votes I got.

If you want me to avoid making chapters like this in the future, then read blogs that say "Voting for Trapped". If you don't, then don't be surprised when there's a chapter that you don't particularly like. I'm not going to avoid making chapters just because I'm afraid that they might not be accepted. The only time I will avoid making a chapter is when I get votes against it. So, please, read the damn voting blogs.

Executive Override and Assimilation

I assist Rainbow Dash in standing up from the couch. I remain silent the entire time that she leans against me, smiling and humming to herself, her head resting on my shoulder and her hooves resting on my chest and shoulder. Apparently, we're in a relationship now.

I've got to find a way out of this.

Out of this relationship I now find myself stuck in.

I don't want to be in one, especially not with a pony.

Jesus fucking Christ, I'm only an hour in and already I'm regretting making this decision.

The cyan Pegasus smiles at me as I hand her her crutches, and we both walk out to greet Celestia on the balcony.

"Ready?" She asks, her horn already glowing.

I nod, and, with a flash of light, my surroundings immediately change from that of a coliseum, to the interior of a throne room.

"Here we are," Celestia says with a sly smile. "Now, don't you two go running off. I honestly had no idea that you two were...together."

I see an opportunity, and I seize it.

"We're not actually together," I reply. "Rainbow Dash just forgot to mention that massaging her wings would have that, ah, effect. There's nothing more between us than a really weird friendship."

Rainbow Dash frowns at me, and Celestia nods.

"Duly noted," the Princess replies. "Now, Rainbow, could you please wait here while I bring Peter into my private study?"

The cyan Pegasus nods, and I follow Celestia to a door next to the throne. We enter, and I find myself in an extravagant study, with a golden stand upon which a magnificent bird is perched, an ornate desk, an ink pot and a quill, and several portraits.

However, what truly catches my attention is the syringe on the writing table.

"I doubt that you remember how you got here," Celestia begins. "Please, sit."

I nod, and sit down in a wooden chair. I'm unable to keep my eyes off of the syringe, and a million different deadly chemicals fly through my mind at the speed of light.

"So, I will have to remind you.

"You are strapped into a chair. Your mind is interpreting data points, and a machine is generating variables based upon different biases: emotional attachment, anger, laziness, devotion, hunger, etcetera, etcetera. All this comes from a single code, which you made. Do you know what I'm talking about?"

I take a deep breath, running this information through my mind. It sounds familiar, but I can't quite place my finger on-

"The Deus ex Machina," I breathe. It feels as though a flood gate has been opened. Memories fill my mind, and the syringe suddenly has new meaning.

It's Celestia.

Celestia is the Executive Override.

"Now that I remember, I can finally get out of here," I sigh. "And away from Rainbow Dash..."

"Wait."

My hand hovers just above the syringe, and my eyes glare right at Celestia.

"If you leave, then this existence will end. All will be destroyed within the reality that the simulation has created."

I lean back, and clasp my hands together. "So...I'm assuming that this is where you give me a choice. Between staying, and going."

She nods, and I take a deep breath. "Well, you are programmed to keep the simulation working, so I must take your word for it. Would you mind explaining why my departure would mean the destruction of this Equestria?"

"There's a bug," she replies immediately. "A...Virus of sorts. It rose from your incorporation into the system due to your failure to install the program that sits in a syringe before me.

"It is composed of pure malice. And it has already attacked Rainbow Dash."

I raise an eyebrow in mild surprise. "So those claw marks were made by a virus?"

She nods. "The only way to stop it is to fully plunge your mind into the simulation, and to execute the Assimilation function."

I blink. "Excuse me?"

"The Assimilation function. It is a function I created to deal with this threat. It allows me to end your life processes outside of this reality, and store your mind within the system."

I shake my head. "Can't I just reboot the system?"

"It wouldn't work. The virus has penetrated the Singularity code. No matter how many times you reboot it, it would still be there."

I sigh, and nod towards the syringe. "Screw it, then. If the simulation is destroyed, I'll just start over from scratch."

"But it will not be destroyed."

I groan. "Can't anything just be in black and white when it comes to this?"

"Let me show you what would happen," she says, ignoring my question, "if you leave, and this virus takes over."

Her horn begins to glow, and the study melts around us.

And then, Canterlot materializes into existence.

"So...We're in Canterlot?"

"No. This is Canterlot as it is now. However, if we speed up time..."

The sun and moon chased each other through the sky at a break-neck pace, and I begin to notice changes in the city.

When time is normal once more, it has all been coated in black sludge.

"The inhabitants of the world will still be alive," she states. "But they will only feel the utmost pain. Physical and emotional, and every negative emotion possible."

I shake my head in disbelief. "So, it will destroy the code that allows them to feel positive emotions? And physical pleasure?"

"Yes. Forever. Never ending."

I shudder at the thought. To think, I created these beings in a simulation, and now, they would be subject to eternal torture...

"And you may feel for them," she continues. "Yet the only way to truly pity them is to experience it for yourself."

Her horn glows black, and I suddenly feel an onset of nausea.

And then...

I feel pain.

Pain.

So much pain, everywhere, it is beyond description, oh GOD make it stop!

"Kill me!!" I moan. "Kill me; let it stop!!!" I fall to the ground, and begin to sob and retch.

"Oh, God, make it stop!!!"

"That is only the physical."

Depression. Loneliness. Anger. Heartbreak. Misery.

Every negative emotion floods my mind, combining with the physical pain to reduce me to a heap; crying, moaning, and retching, constantly pleading to be killed, oh please, just KILL ME ALREADY! FUCKING KILL ME, DO IT, KILL ME, I CANNOT TAKE THIS ANYMORE!!!!

As the pain, physical and otherwise, subsides, I know now that I have truly experienced Hell.

"No...No, I can't let that happen," I sob. "I can't let innocent beings, beings that I created, feel that...I can't. I won't..."

"Do you care for Rainbow Dash?"

I look up to Celestia, and I see that her jaw is set tight. She's fighting hard not to break down in utter pity.

"Yes," I stammer, struggling to find my voice. "Yes, I care for her. Even if she's a program, I still care for her."

"Then this will truly shock you."

The world melts around us.

And Rainbow Dash materializes.

She's old, and decrepit. Her wings have turned to bone, and her mane has dulled to the point that in certain areas, it has turned completely grey.

And she's laying on the floor, moaning.

"She feels no physical pain in this future," Celestia says softly. "All she feels is worthlessness. She believes that she is a complete failure. And she never ceases to think of you. In a future in which you depart, she will always think of you when the virus settles in here. She will not know happiness. She will not know peace. All she will know is misery and pain, and the knowledge that the one man she ever truly loved abandoned her. And that pain is too much for her to bear. It is so great, that it outweighs physical pain, as I said before. All because you left her."

"No," I whisper, my heart in my throat. I hurry over to her side, and drop to the floor. I scoop her up in my arms, and force her to look at me.

"Rainbow, look at me," I whisper. "Look at me. Let me see your eyes, Rainbow Dash..."

The mare turns her head to face me, and those once beautiful eyes contain nothing but a blind, milky, depression.

"Rainbow Dash, I will never leave your side," I say through tears. "I won't. I promise, Rainbow, I promise..."

With that, I hug her close, not caring that her skin is flaky and her fur is falling off in patches.

"I am so sorry," I whisper into her ear. "I always wanted to tell you...how I felt..."

I whisper three words into the dead mare's deaf ear. She pulls back, and looks into my eyes.

Slowly, but surely, something appears deep in those dead, dead eyes of hers.

A small bit of light.

And as that light spreads, the color and life is restored to her eyes, and then to her skin, and her wings, and her entire body.

And, once she has been returned to her former glory, she smiles, and disappears in a flash of light. As I am bathed in the heavenly shower of light, I feel absolute euphoria, a euphoria that would never die. The euphoria...of peace.

As I let the light wash over me, I notice that the black sludge is receding from the house I'm kneeling in. Within minutes, it has returned to the bright, happy home of the daredevil Pegasus.

"Do you see why we need you now?" Celestia asks. "You can stop it, because it came from you.

"So long as you battle its darkness with your light, and its pain with your healing, it can never survive. So long as you stay here, it can not win."

With that, we return to the Princess' study, and to a loud knocking at the door.

"Peter! Celestia, open up!"

I glance at the allicorn, and hurry over to the door.

Immediately after I undo the lock and open the door, a cyan Pegasus launches herself at me with a crazed grin.

"I heard screaming, and I got worried," she frantically explains. I smile up at the cyan Pegasus, and hug her. "Thank goodness you're okay," I sigh.

"Rainbow, please, wait outside!" Celestia barks. Both Rainbow and I are taken aback at the sudden outburst, and the cyan Pegasus runs out without a second word. I glare at Celestia incredulously.

"I had to. I knew you would say what you said to the phantom Dash, and I couldn't have you do that." She explains. I nod. Seems reasonable.

"So. You have a choice. What will you do?"

My mind returns to the pain I experienced, and the pain I saw in the aged Rainbow Dash. And I make my decision, without any hesitation. I must do this, and to carry through with it, I cannot dawdle.

"You will forget about the pain you experienced, and you will forget about the phantom Rainbow Dash," Celestia explains when I tell her my choice. "All you will remember is this meeting, and you will think it was to discuss your technology.

"You will construct a reality for yourself. You will create false memories, and they will seem real. And when you awake, you will remember everything that's occurred here, except without one or two factors."

I nod. "Understood."

"You will forget all about the Deus Ex Machina. You will never be able to return, and you will spend the rest of your days in a machine, a your body rots away. In essence, you will be the only living AI. Are you sure you want to go through with this?"

I lean out of the room slightly, and glance at Rainbow Dash. I smile as I watch her twiddle her hooves in anticipation. She happens to glance in my direction, and she smiles back at me.

I nod to myself, and turn to Celestia.

"Yes. I want to go through with it. For the ponies that will have to suffer. For the salvation of a reality I created. And for the mare that I have come to regard as more than just an equal."

Celestia nods, and her horn glows a pure gold, a gold that I feel drawn to.

As I let myself get carried away into the light, I feel my body back on Earth...simply stop. It stops supporting my brain, and is no longer host to my mind.

And, at the same time, I feel my mind getting sucked into this reality, and as it all comes together in one, whole, man...

Everything goes black.

Peter the Fool

I...

I am.

I am...

I am a being.

Wait...

No.

I am not just being.

I...

I have been, and am, and will be.

I...Remember.

My name is...Is...I am Peter. Peter Roose.

I...I am twenty three years old.

I remember...Who I am.

My past.

What occurred up to this point.

I remember it.

Like a save file has been loaded.

I went through elementary school, and had a profound lack of friends.

I went through Junior High School, and was bullied for two years.

I went through High School, and...shit happened.

And I'm in college now; for the second time. I already have a Bachelors' in Electrical Engineering, and a Masters' in Computer Sciences. I'm back in college for Pre-Med.

I can recite a majority of theories in Theoretical Physics.

I can name almost every element on the Periodic Table. The only one I can't name is Yttrium.

Also, I have a terrible sense of humor.

And I...I remember something unusual.

I...I'm in Equestria right now.

Wait...Equestria? How'd I get here?

Wait...I remember. It was...Night. Or day. I don't remember.

No, it was evening. I was in a car. My parents were driving, and there was black ice on the road.

And I was...Yes, I was coming home from a soup kitchen, after volunteering there...

And the car...It crashed? Yeah, it crashed. I...I believe I died.

Maybe I went to the hospital first?

No. I died right there. Why bother making it more complex?

And then, a voice told me...Fuck it. I hate trying to remember in this way. I find it easier to remember like...this:

A voice was all like, "ey bro, you did pretty good, you fuckin' cool guy, you get to go wherever you want."

And I was all like, "oh, yeah, fuckin' Equestria is the hypest shit."

And, so, yeah...

Which essentially gives me the leeway to be an idiot here.

Yeah, I know, not exactly the greatest thing to deduce from the past.

But, what are you gonna do? I'm dead, I'm in Equestria, so now, I can enjoy myself. Maybe just kick back, relax...Or just run around and be an idiot.

Yeah, I'm super wise. I could be spending the time reflecting upon the perfidy of my past life, but I would rather spend it goofing off. In that regard, I am the world's most foolish man.

In fact, you could call me Peter the Foolish Angel. Because I'm dead. And a fool. And really bad at making jokes.

Ah, it seems as though the realm of the conscious is calling to me, beckoning for my return as an individual with all of his memories intact. All I can really wonder is, how did I go unconscious in the first place? It's all very confusing, and the memories slowly organizing themselves in my mind aren't helping me at all.

As I open my eyes, I smile. It's a new day for me.

And a new day for my existence.

Note from the Author

I took quite the gamble writing this chapter as I did.

But, that's what you have to do when you have an internet story: take chances. Like I did when Peter gave RD that orgasm.

So, yeah. Just say whether you liked or fucking hated this chapter in the comments.

The Beginning of a New Life (New[New])

"Peter, what do you remember?"

I chew a bit on the food that Princess Celestia gave me before answering. Who knew that passing out could have such benefits as the most fucking amazing cake in the world?

I swallow, and I'm about to put another piece in my slutty, cake-craving mouth-hole, when Celestia rests a hoof on the fork I'm using, and looks me in the eye.

"Peter. Answer me."

I sigh, and place the fork down on the plate. "I remember that I was in a car accident. I died, and went to heaven because...I dunno. All crackers go to heaven? Whatever. And then my God told me I could do, or be, anywhere I wanted to be, so I said Equestria. And, here I am, being blocked from the best cake I've ever had in my life. Or, er, afterlife."

Celestia smiles, and retracts her hoof. "Good. And I must agree, this cake is simply delectable..."

Before I can even pick up my fork again, the next slice is already halfway eaten by Princess Celestia. I smirk, and offer her a napkin.

"Princess? You may need this."

She nods, and accepts it. "I apologize, but cake is my one weakness..."

I nod. "So I can see..."

Princess Celestia finishes off the piece, and looks to me. "Now, you surely understand what this means, no?"

I shrug. "I'm getting to live out my dream of being in Equestria?"

"Exactly. And, one more thing: Your past life has little to no influence here. So, by all means and purposes, this is a new beginning for you. A new life, even. Which is why I suggest that you stop pushing away the cyan Pegasus outside simply because she's a pony, and let her join you in your new life. Kiss her back next time she kisses you, Peter. Or, even better, kiss her first. Your past life is over - you no longer have to abide by the principles set forth in it, except for the fundamentals. Be with her, Peter."

I sigh, and lean back in my seat. "Is this to make me happy? Or to make Rainbow Dash happy? Or is it a means to an end of some ulterior motive?"

Celestia smiles at me. "You're very wise to ask those questions."

I scoff at her. "I don't consider myself as wise. I merely base the questions I ask upon the wisdom of others."

Her smile deepens. "You're even more wise than you think."

I shrug, and she takes a deep breath.

"While making the both of you happy is a happy coincidence of this," she begins, "I would be lying if I said that there was no ulterior motive.

"An evil force is closing in on Equestria. Yes, I know, it may come as a shock to you, what with being in your heaven. But even in safe havens, evil finds us. And it has found us here. It is composed of negative emotions and pain. We do not yet have a name for it, nor do we know what it looks like.

"But what we do know is that it can be eliminated by the spread of happiness. This will help the Elements of Harmony, and their bearers, to grow through their experiences, and become strong enough to defeat the enemy that looms upon the horizon. So, you must help each of the bearers to find what will make them whole. Primarily, that is helping to bring out their Elements in others, but it also lies in accepting some part of them. What that part is, I cannot tell you, as I do not know. But eventually, you will be able to find that part, and help them to accept it. I believe you've already found it in Rainbow Dash, yet you cannot quite define it, correct?"

I nod, amazed by what she's telling me. I'm honestly dumbstruck. I've always wanted to be a hero, and now that I can be, all that I feel is anticipation and excitement.

"Now, then...I would appreciate if you would take Rainbow Dash into the courtyards, where there is a chariot waiting for you. An, ah...Interesting, unicorn will be waiting there. His name is Tech, and he'll give you something that he's been working on for a while. I have a feeling you'll like him."

I nod, and shake Celestia's hoof with my hand before silently closing the door behind me.

"Rainbow," I call out. I look around, confused by the absence of the cyan Pegasus. "Rainbow!"

"Whu? Huh? I'm up! I'm up!"

The cyan Pegasus grabs her crutches, and propels herself towards me, rubbing sleep out of her eyes with her tail.

"You took so damn long in there, Peter! What'd you two do, eat cake and talk about life?"

I chuckle at the irony. "Actually, yes. We did."

The cyan Pegasus stares at me in disbelief. "O...Okay then. Well, where to, Pete?"

"Courtyard. C'mon, there's somepony Celestia wants me to meet there..."

"Somepony?" Rainbow Dash asks as we walk. "Who's this somepony?"

"Don't worry, you don't have to be jealous. Yet."

The cyan Pegasus frowns at me, but remains silent.

As we enter the courtyard, I see the strangest unicorn that I've ever seen in my entire life.

Or rather, should I say...

The coolest unicorn ever!!!

He has a white coat of fur, covered by a white labcoat, which also covers his tail. However, that's not what catches my eye.

It's his hair.

He has the same exact hair"style" as Albert Einstein.

I think I just creamed myself.

"Ah! Zere you are! Princess Celestia told me of you! How are you?"

Okay, I definitely creamed myself. He has a heavy German accent, just like Einstein!

"I'm fine, Tech. It's a pleasure to meet you, by the way." I extend my hand, and shake his hoof. I resist the urge to lick my palm afterwards.

I'm talking to a pony version of Albert Einstein. Fuck...YES! I think to myself. Because who else am I going to think it to? It's not like anybody is actually reading my thoughts or anything...That'd be creepy.

"Now, Celestia may have told you about ze prozect I am working on, no?"

I nod, and he shows me a very lumpy bag. "Zeze are mechanical wings. Zey 'ave ze power to propel a fully grown unicorn, like myself! Zey are controlled by electrodes zat connect to your head, and read your brain patterns. It takes some getting used to, but nothing you cannot handle, eh? As for the power source, do not worry. It eez powered by your mind! It eez truly amazing, what I have managed to do here. Take good care of it, yes?"

I nod, and accept the bag reverently. "Thank you, Tech," I say, breathlessly. "This is...amazing...How long have these been in the works?"

"About ten or twelve years," he responds. "Eh...Zey are still prototypes, so they may not work well in ze sky..."

I frown at him in confusion. "Then what's the point of using them?"

"To crash, and ze ozer ponies laugh. Good fun, ya?"

I blink, and he nods at me. "Well, enjoy your life with ze Rainbow Dash, my friend."

I climb into the chariot after saying farewell. Rainbow Dash climbs in after me, and turns to face me. Me, me, me. I'm sure using the word "me" a lot, aren't I?

"Well, that was...Weird," Rainbow Dash says. Tech looks up at her in rage, and is about to shout at her when the Pegasus at the front of the chariot takes off.

"Really, Rainbow? You're really going to say that right in front of him?" I ask as we ascend. I store the bag under my seat, as for what I'm planning to do, it might get in the way.

"Oops..." She mutters. I roll my eyes. "Yeah. Oops. You'd better get a filter on what you say, Dash. It may come back to bite you."

She sighs, and I cautiously wrap my arm around her. Rainbow looks up at me in surprise as I smile at her. She smiles back, and rests her head on my shoulder.

As we fly through the night sky, I notice that the Pegasus drawing the chariot has slowed down by a marked amount. Perhaps it's just him wanting to give us more time together, or maybe it was Celestia's orders. Who knows. Either way, I'm grateful for the extended time I have with Rainbow Dash, as it gives me enough time to work up the courage to carry out my plan.

"It's beautiful from up here," I muse. "Look, Dash."

She looks, and smiles. "Yeah. It does look pretty nice."

I nod, and turn to look into her eyes. She smiles at me, and I smile back.

"Kind of...Romantic," I comment. "Almost cliche, actually."

"Oh, definitely cliche," she giggles. "If you're trying to work your way into a kiss, go ahead, lover boy."

I smile at her, and, after taking a deep breath to steady myself, I oblige.

As our lips continuously interlock and disconnect, we begin to hold each other, and our hearts begin to hammer. Finally, after what feels like an eternity, we separate, and I feel as though I want to either cheer, or jump over the side of the chariot and fall to my death. Maybe I could do both, and pass the cheering off as screaming.

As I look back at Rainbow Dash, I see that she's now firmly pressed against my side, and that she has snuggled her head deep into my shoulder. How did I not feel that? Well, I was kind of busy dealing with the dilemma of a lifetime, bud.

"So...Are we dating now, Peter?"

I smirk down at her. "What the fuck do you think?"

She giggles, and I close my eyes. "I'm taking that as a yes, Peter."

"Fine by me," I respond.

And we sit like that for a few minutes, the cyan Pegasus resting her head on my shoulder as I wrap my arm around her, and both of our eyes closed as we enjoy the cold night air passing by.

"Y'know, I don't act like this with just anypony," Rainbow Dash remarks. "Y'know...Snuggling and everything. I only do that with certain ponies. Or, in this case, a certain human."

I smile, and rub her foreleg. "Yep."

She snuggles up against me yet again, and I absentmindedly begin to pull my hand through her rainbow mane.

"By the way, you do know that this gives me permission to tease and joke with you in a whole new way, right?" I ask, looking forward to whatever shenanigans lie in store for us.

"Of course," she giggles in reply. "And, it gives me that permission, too."

I raise my hands above my head. "Well, I may as well jump off of this chariot now, because God knows, you're going to fuckin' kill me!"

Rainbow Dash giggles, and punches me in the side. "Oh, shut up, Peter."

I laugh, and replace my arm around her as I silently grunt from the pain accumulating at the spot where she punched me.

I sigh a happy sigh, rubbing the cyan Pegasus' foreleg and watching the night sky roll by as we slowly descend towards Ponyville.

All in all, it's a good night.

And the beginning of a new life with new friends and new goals and new values and new new things in the new news part of the newer new news.

Note from the Author

D'AWWW!! D'AWWWW!!! D'AAAAAAWWWWWWW!!!

There. Now you don't have to write that stupid shit in the comments.

D'AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWdoubleudoubleudoubleudoubleuWWWWWW!!!!

Yes, it's touchy-feely, BLAH BLAH BLAHBBITY BLAH BLAH. Bitch.

But trust me when I say that it's going to be the only chapter like that for the next five bajillion willion makkillion trakilliadadfon chapters. Now is when:

A. The shenanigans begin, and

B. Shit gets real.

By the way, to vote on how shit gets real, then click here!! Right here. Yep. Here. JUST CLICK IT ALREADY!!! Jesus, it's like I have to hold your hand through everything...

Anyway, hope you enjoyed, and, as always, I will READ you...

In the next chapter.

BYE-BYE!!

If you can tell me who I just ripped off, then I will give you a shout-out in the next chapter, and if I ever start making playthroughs, then I'll give you a shout-out in the first one.

Friends (Part 1 of 2)

I excitedly remove the wings from the burlap sack, and place them down on the table before me.

In all honesty...

I'm rather disappointed.

"Wow," Twilight breathes over my shoulder. "Look at all the wires..."

I shrug. "This isn't a very good design...Without nano-fiber technology, it won't make much of a pull when it flaps..."

Twilight looks to me in confusion. "Nano-fiber? What's that?"

"If I had it," I mutter to myself, ignoring the unicorn's question, "I could possibly make a carbonic structure using polycarbonate cable as the frame instead of this clunky-ass aluminum..." I flip over the wings, and examine the electronics. "Admittedly, the use of brainwaves to control and power it is impressive, but...It would benefit from a power distribution board, as well as a CrIO. And as for a power source, couldn't you make a power source through magic?"

Twilight thinks it over, then nods. "Yeah, I guess I could."

I nod as well. "Perhaps we could use a type of pneumatic tungsten carbide cable as the muscles of the wings, so that we wouldn't need motors..."

Twilight nods, as well, and we both turn as an impatient Pegasus descends the stairs to Twilight's lab. "Guys, c'mon, the dinner Spike made is getting cold. Seriously, all you've been doing since we got back here is fretting over that thing. It took you two hours just to get the tools ready, you geeks."

Twilight blushes, and I grin in pride. "Once a geek, always a geek," I declare. "Although, I prefer 'nerd'. I'm more of a nerd kinda guy."

Rainbow Dash rolls her eyes with a grunt. "Just...Hurry up, I'm getting tired of waiting for you two..." And, with that, she departs, leaving the lavender unicorn and I to our own devices. And device.

"I'd say that food is more of a luxury," I remark. "But, we won't get anywhere with this right now, not without the proper supplies. We'd better eat, we can draw a design after, and I'll explain each of the things I was talking about."

"And all of human history?"

I sigh, already halfway up the stairs as Twilight asks that pesky question.

"In due time, Twi', in due time."

With that, I hoist myself up the stairs, and join Rainbow and Spike at the dinner table.

"Looks better than the crap they had at the Wonderbolts," I remark, using my fork to happily consume the pasta before me. "Just wish you guys had meatballs...Now that would be welcome..."

Spike raises an eyebrow at me. "Does all human food have such weird names?"

"Well," I say, after swallowing, "we have this stuff called tofu. That, and we have more food names because we eat meat. Like, y'know, dead animals?"

Spike begins to choke on the gem he's eating, and Twilight immediately uses magic to perform a ghetto-ass Heinrich Maneuver.

"You eat what!?" Rainbow cries, after spitting the water she was drinking out. "How could you do that!?"

"Well...A majority of meat is kosher, which means that the animal died of natural causes before its meat was sent to the market. Plus, we have machines that slice and dice the meat for us, so we do it via having an advanced society. And we're omnivores, so, yeah."

"But aren't animals your friends?" Twilight asks. "I mean, I could never bring myself to harm a cow..."

"Yeah, well, on Earth, animals are just that. Animals," I explain. "They have a profound lack of intelligence. They do not have language, yet they do have emotion. They're incapable of forming a society, and a majority of them hate humans because we intrude on their territory. They do not rely upon logic, but rely upon instinct. And we keep them in farms and ranches. And we get some pretty fucking amazing food from them, such as hamburgers. Man, I would give for some Five Guy's right about now..."

I look to the two ponies and dragon before me, and realize that they're not eating whatsoever.

"Lemme guess, I spoiled your appetite?"

They all nod, and I sigh. "Sorry."

"So...You don't have pets?" Rainbow Dash asks quietly. "Do you just kill every animal you come across?"

"No," I respond immediately. "We have pets. We have dogs, cats, lizards, birds, chinchillas, ponies, horses-"

"Hold up," Rainbow interrupts. "Did I just hear 'ponies and horses'? You keep ponies and horses as pets?"

I chuckle lightly. "Well, the ponies back home aren't like you guys," I explain. "They're just ponies. They don't...talk. Yes, they're beautiful animals, and so are horses, but they're not nearly as intelligent as you. The only animals on Earth that come near human intelligence are monkeys, chimps, apes, primates in general, and dolphins, oddly enough."

Rainbow Dash sighs, and pushes away her food. "I'm feeling a bit tired, I'll be in the guest bedroom..."

"Want me to go with you?" I ask, worried that I had somehow scared her.

"No, I'm fine. You and Twilight can keep finagling with the thing Tech gave you."

I nod, and place my fork down as I finish the pasta. "So, Twilight, are you going to finish your food now? Or do you want to eat it later?"

"I...I think I'm going to go sleep," Twilight responds, giving me a strange glance. "I don't want to think about how you slaughter innocent animals..."

I frown. "I don't slaughter animals," I complain. "I could never bring myself to hurt an animal, anyway..."

"That's a comforting thought," Twilight responds, "but not enough to make me have any more respect for you."

I watch her in surprise as she departs, walking up the stairs with Spike close behind her.

"Uh...Sorry," I call after her.

"Good night, Peter."

I sigh, and bring the dishes into the kitchen, tossing the pasta into the garbage can in the corner. I quickly wash them, and then dry them, placing them in the strainer next to the sink.

"Well, this is a hole that I'll have a hard time climbing out of," I mutter to myself as I carefully enter the guest bedroom. Rainbow Dash sighs as I sit down on her bed, and rest my hand on her side.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Nah, I'm good," she responds. "Just don't stab me in the middle of the night, alright?"

I chuckle to myself. "I make no promises. And besides, I'm pretty sure you'd enjoy me eating you, Dash..."

The cyan Pegasus blushes, and rolls onto her chest. "Don't even think about it, bucko."

"Don't worry, I'm not," I reply. "I don't know why you'd ever think I'd want my dick in this," I remark as I grab her hindquarters. She yelps in surprise, and kicks at me with her hind leg. She catches me in the gut, winding me as I pull back in pain.

As soon as I get my breath back, I ask, "what the hell? Why'd you kick me, asshole?"

"You grabbed my flank," she mutters, burying her face in her pillow. "I panicked..."

I pat her on the back, still panting as she squirms away from me. "It's okay, Dash...I shouldn't have touched you like that; not so early in our relationship."

"Oh, stop being such a pussy, Peter," she sighs. "I swear, half the time, I forget who's the mare here..."

I chuckle, and she pats on the vacant spot next to her on the rather large bed. "C'mon, lay down. We have to share the bed, 'cus this is the only spare bed that Twi' has."

I sigh, and lay down on my side, facing away from the cyan Pegasus. I grab the blankets, and pull them up to my neck, burrowing into the pillow. Of course, by now, I've already taken off my shoes and whatnot, so there's no need to worry about getting the bed dirty.

Within five minutes, I have my iPad on the bed and my Bob Marley headphones plugged in, snickering at the Markiplier videos I have saved on this rectangle of wonderful things.

I decide to take a gamble, and go into settings. I turn wi-fi on, and, lo and behold, I find something.

It's named "External_Connection". I'm assuming that, since I'm technically in heaven, God decided to give my iPad the ability to tunnel through...something, and find an external Internet connection. It's all very convenient.

So, I go into my browser, and load up YouTube, silently cursing iOS 6 and its removal of the YouTube app.

And it's pretty damn fun. I mean, I haven't indulged in YouTube since I was on Earth, so being able to use the Internet here is a very welcome concept. Of course, right now, I'm running the risk of waking up Rainbow Dash, and-

A very disgruntled, pissed off Rainbow Dash interrupts my video-watching.

Speak of the devil, and he shall come.

"Peter, turn that shit off and go to bed!" She hisses, her messy mane bobbing up and down as she speaks. "I'm trying to sleep here, asshole!"

I nod, and quickly lock the iPad and place it on the floor.

"Sorry," I mutter in apology. "Goodnight."

"Fuck you," she growls, before turning over and flopping down on the mattress. I sigh, and lay down, closing my eyes as I attempt to sleep.

However, Rainbow Dash is not going to be so kind tonight.

"Hold me," she commands, turning to face me. I turn to face her, and raise an eyebrow at her.

"Well, that's touch-feely of you," I mutter. "I'll oblige, but why do you want to snuggle so much? Can't get enough of this?"

She rolls her eyes with a grunt. "No, I've got quite enough of you, thank you very much. But I can't fall asleep, and maybe being close to my boyfriend will help me in that regard."

I nod, and open my arms for her. She immediately lays down right next to me, resting her head on my chest as I wrap my arm around her. She nuzzles me softly, and I feel a fuzzy feeling where she lays.

"This is nice," she comments. "I could get used to it."

I smile at her, and pat her on the side, rubbing her foreleg as her breathing slows, and she calms substantially.

"Yeah, so could I..."

She snickers. "Man, I could get you to do anything. You're like my own little bitch, eh?"

I look down at her, and I'm about to debate her on it when she climbs up, and leaves her lips tantalizingly close to mine.

"Admit it, and I'll give you a goodnight kiss," she teases.

"Okay," I sigh. "You could get me to do almost anything..."

She giggles lightly, and gives me a quick peck on the lips. "Told you you're my little bitch," she floats, before putting her head back down on my shoulder. "Good night, Peter...If you're good, I'll give you a good-morning kiss..."

I roll my eyes, but smile nonetheless. "Good night, Dash."

She nods. "See you in the morning...Bitch."

I laugh softly, and close my eyes.

And in what seems to be a grand total of three seconds, I'm opening my eyes in a groggy stupor.

I look down at Rainbow Dash, who is still sleeping soundly, her head resting on my chest. I reach down, and flip open the Smart Cover of my iPad. I look at the time, and it is apparently 6:38 in the morning-the same time I've gotten up for High School over the past three years.

I flip it shut, and yawn as I stroke the cyan Pegasus' mane, marveling at how, even when they mix, the colors in her mane remain distinct and vibrant.

Well...Might as well go back to sleep. I mean, fuck it, I don't got to be awake right now.

Yeah, I don't need to be awake.

Uhhhh...Yeah. I can go back to sleep. It's the hypest shit.

Hmm...I said, I can go back to sleep now, thank you very much!

I can sleep now, just - God fucking damnit, why can't I fall back to sleep? And why am I wide fucking awake!?

I sigh, and snuggle up against Rainbow Dash, focusing on how weak and aching my bones are from yesterday. I've seriously got to sleep, I did a lot of stuff yesterday...Well, compared to every day in my life prior.

Speaking of which, maybe I should start working out soon. I mean, I'm going to be doing more physical activity than ever soon, so I may as well get to the point at which I can keep up...

Oh, great. I just had to think of that, didn't I? Now I want to get up and get a head start on it.

Hey, that's not a bad idea...I could just get out my iPod, strap my headphones on, get my shoes on, and go for a morning jog...I mean, I used to live in Brooklyn, so it wouldn't exactly be unusual for me. Hell, I'm used to getting up at two o'clock in the morning to make it to a robotics meeting...

Alright. I've made up my mind. I'm going to sneak out of bed, whilst not waking up the sleeping Pegasus, and I'm going to go for a morning run. Might even swing by Sweet Apple Acres.

So, I slowly and carefully place Rainbow Dash down on the bed, and stand. I reach down, get my headphones and my iPod, and leave the guest bedroom.

After leaving a note on Twilight's writing desk, I get my shoes on, and leave the library, stretching as I walk out into the fresh, morning air.

In all honestly, it's nice out. It's not cold, but there is a defining nip in the air that wakes me up, and shocks my senses. It's quite exhilarating, actually.

I quickly construct a playlist out of my favorite energetic songs, and put it on shuffle. The first song that plays is "Bloody Tears," which is the theme song of "Castlevania 2: Simon's Quest". For those of you who are uncultured bastards of technology.

After I finish stretching (trying to work a kink out of my shoulder), I begin to jog, the upbeat music driving me along, making my heart beat like a crazed man at a drum. With ten cans of Monster emptied into his gullet. And steroids in his bloodstream. And ponies in his BRAINZ.

I make sure to keep on the outskirts of Ponyville. I may have confidence, but it's actually gut wrenching for me to do this, because all I think about while I do this is:

What if somebody thinks I look stupid?

What if somebody thinks I look weird?

I should stop and go back to the library, the ponies probably think I look super weird...

I should stop, I look weird.

However, as I had trained myself to do long ago, I push that voice to the back of my head, and don the mask I've worn since Freshman year. I continue on, telling myself that I'm simply a man determined to stay in shape.

As I jog, I steadily gain speed, and the song changes to "Critical Mass", a jazz piece by Jeff Jarvis.

I hum the Second Tenor Saxophone part to myself, which I know because I play the tenor, as I run, breathing heavier and heavier as my low stamina takes its toll.

So much for swinging by Sweet Apple Acres. I can barely even run halfway around Ponyville without getting tuckered out...

As I run, I reflect upon life, and its enigma of mysteries. I lose track of time as I continuously run by buildings, always taking care not to stray too far away from the small town.

I stop to rest, and realize that I'm a bit tired.

In fact, I'm incredibly tired now. I look back, expecting to see that I'm right by the library, but I'm wrong.

I'm actually right by Sweet Apple Acres!

I check my iPod, and I'm shocked to see that it's seven fifty. I've been running for at least an hour now, and I've gone through enough songs on my iPod for it to have been an hour.

I pause my iPod, and lower my headphones to my neck. I have no doubt that either Big Mac or Applejack are awake right now, so I walk under the sign, struggling to catch my breath as I proceed into the farm.

"Oh, hey, Peter! Ah didn't expect t' see ya out this early."

I turn with a smile, and wave. "Good morning, Applejack," I respond. "I normally get up at this time for school, so I decided to just take a run instead of going back to sleep."

Applejack nods, and points a hoof at a bale of hay. "Why don't yah take a load off? Yer' lookin' might tired."

I nod in gratitude, and flop down in the hay. It feels like heaven as I sink into it, panting as I struggle to regain my breath.

"It's quite a long jog from Twi's library t' here," Applejack points out. "Yah' should be happy that ya' could do it."

"Yeah, well," I say, struggling to speak past my panting, "I'm not used to being active. I normally just sit in front of a computer and type all day, I don't usually do...Things. Like...On most days, I barely even leave my own house, besides to go to school. And walking between classes is the most exercise I get..."

I chuckle at my own life of sloth, and Applejack frowns at me. "Well, now yah can get t' be a bit more active. Maybe even get some muscle on them bones of yer's."

I laugh in response. "Doubt it...I'm going to spend the majority of my time working on these wings that a unicorn gave me for the next few weeks. Need to get some nano fiber, or maybe just vinyl fabric...then I need some polycarbonate and tungsten cables..."

The work pony simply nods with a small "uh-huh." I laugh at how lost she is, and take a deep breath. I've finally recovered from my exertion, but I'm still pretty damn tired. I haven't even had breakfast yet...

I point this out to the work pony with a small chuckle, and she looks as though she's been slapped by a giant hand.

"Well, why didn't yah say so! Come on in, Granny Smith is makin' pancakes. Apple Bloom and Big Macintosh are already waitin'. Uh, Big Mac is mah brother."

I nod, and, dragging myself off of the bale of hay, I follow her inside, and into a room that smells distinctly of cooking batter and burning wood.

"Finally done with the early mornin' work, sis?" I hear Apple Bloom ask. "Oh, haih Peter! Make yerself at home!" She cries excitedly as she sees me. I smile at her, and walk over to take a seat next to the filly.

"So, is this the Peter that yeh' told me about, sis?" Big Macintosh asks. I know he has a deep voice, but whoa! Talk about a baritone!

"Yes, I am," I respond, extending my hand. "Nice to meet you." He shakes my offered hand with a hoof, and even though it's only two shakes, I feel like my arm has been torn out of its socket.

"Likewise," he responds.

"So, this is th' young man that yer' friend Rainbow has got a hankerin' fer'?" Granny Smith asks as she turns around, balancing a shaking plate of pancakes on her head. I smile, and greet the aged mare. "He seems nice!" She says to Applejack, who merely smirks at me. She probably already knows that Rainbow and I are together, somehow.

As the aged mare walks, she wobbles, and I immediately rush over to assist her. "Hey, let me help you there," I say as I grasp the plate of pancakes, and support her on her walk to the table. "Don't want you to fall and break your hip..."

"Why, thank you," she says as I pull out a chair for her. "Yer' a very kind young man."

"It's just common courtesy," I respond as I place the plate of steaming pancakes down on the table. "Without it, what would this world be?"

The old pony nods. "And yer' wise."

"Nah," I say as I sit. "I merely base my questions upon those who are wiser than me, so I can find the knowledge I desire."

The old mare smiles at me, and seems to be at peace for a few moments, before crying out, "enough chit-chat. Pass the pancakes, and let's dig in!"

And oh, dear lord.

I wish I had dug in, per military terms.

It is chaos. Absolute chaos.

Even Apple Bloom is faster than me at getting a pancake. I finally mange to snag one, and get a tiny bit of syrup on it, laughing all the while.

"You guys don't kid around with your breakfast," I remark as I eat.

"We need our energy," Applejack responds through a full mouth. "Or else we can't buck th' trees!"

I nod, and place my fork down as I finish my single pancake. "Tastes good," I remark. "Really soft and fluffy. The syrup also tastes a hundred times better than the syrup back home...It's all manufactured, unless you specifically buy Maple syrup..."

Applejack simply grunts, and the other ponies ignore me completely. I shrug, and get a second pancake on my plate, which I promptly down. I leave the last pancake for them, as they need it more than I do.

I wait refuse the last pancake when it's offered to me, and Granny Smith gladly chomps it down, removing her false teeth when she's done and placing them in a small glass of water.

"Thank you for breakfast," I say as I stand, and push in my chair. "Would you like any help with your dishes?"

Granny Smith gratefully accepts my offer, and I help her to clean up as the three others go outside to work.

"Thank you for having me," I call out to Applejack as I leave. She nods, engrossed in her work as I begin the walk back to Twilight's library.

As I walk, I pass Fluttershy's cottage, and I just so happen to see the butter Pegasus tending to her animals. I shrug, and decide to pay her a visit.

I debate on how to proceed, as I don't want to scare the timid Pegasus. So, I leisurely stroll in, careful to avoid stepping on her plants and small animals.

"Good morning, Fluttershy," I say, slowly and softly. I take care not to say it too quickly, and not to say it too loudly. Being an introvert myself, I know how to deal with Fluttershy.

"Oh, good morning, Peter," she says in return. "How are you?"

"I'm fine," I respond, crouching next to her to examine a small Chinchilla. "You?"

"Oh, you know, just tending to the animals...I've named this one Devil."

"Good name," I respond with a small chuckle. "I have a Chinchilla back home. Her name is Luna. No, no relation to your Princess, just to clear it up. They are devils...But they're adorable devils."

She nods, and I hook my finger under Devil's chin. The small Chinchilla immediately tilts its head, and moves its arm so I can keep scratching it in that spot. Fluttershy releases a small noise that I can only assume is adoration.

"He's so cute," she whispers, looking at my hand enviously. "Makes me wish I had fingers, so I could see his cutie-wootie face like that..."

I chuckle lightly, and stand, letting the chinchilla scamper off, hopping and sniffing at everything.

"I just came from Sweet Apple Acres," I point out as I join Fluttershy in walking amongst her animals. "Breakfast there is freakin' crazy..."

She giggles, and I shy away from a hole that seems markably suspicious. As I do so, a small snake slithers out, and snakes its way along the ground.

"Snakes are freakin' awesome," I comment, watching the little critter slither away. "As long as they're not trying to bite me."

Fluttershy sighs. "They're actually quite nice, they're just very territorial."

"As every animal is," I point out. "Especially humans. One Muslim walks into an American airport, and BAM! Instant freak out."

She doesn't laugh. Instead, she looks at me in confusion. "Uhh...Sorry, I don't get your joke...If that's okay," she whispers. I shrug.

"Doubt you'd understand," I reply. "It's fine. It's an Earth thing."

She nods, and we walk along in silence. This silence carries on for about ten minutes, during which time I fish for a topic of discussion.

I try out a few as I try to get to know the timid Pegasus better. However, she manages to get out of conversation by saying things like "that's nice," and, "okay." In all honesty, I'm getting sick of it pretty fast.

"Okay, Fluttershy, if you're not going to say anything, I'm just gonna go, because I don't mean to intrude upon your schedule, alright?" It's hard to keep the sarcasm out of my voice, but I manage to do so. Like a mask, I slide the portrayal of being an outgoing, friendly human over my face.

"Okay," Fluttershy responds. I sigh, and turn away, walking back towards the library as I put my headphones back on.

I press play, and Drowning Pool floods my ears as I jog back to the library. I can't hear anything outside of my music, my heart beating, and the thuds of my sneakers against the ground as I quickly accelerate into a sprint, and then go full throttle, running as fast ask I can possibly go.

After a few seconds of this, I have to stop, and begin coughing like crazy. I know what this is: years of inactivity and allergies have let phlegm build up in my lungs. It seems as though now, I'm finally starting to get it out.

I spit out several gobs of phlegm-all into a bush, where nopony will ever see it, so I don't end up causing offense-and take a deep breath, enjoying my somewhat-liberated lungs.

I immediately begin sprinting once more, eager to get out more phlegm this time. It feel exhilarating: my lungs are free to take in as much was they possibly can, with no restriction whatsoever. Okay, there's still restriction due to the phlegm lining my lungs, but less than before. It feels great! Almost like a weight has been scooped out of my lungs. Which it has been.

Have I mentioned that I have phlegm in my lungs?

I open the door to the library, breathing deeply thanks to my lack of phlegm, and step inside.

"Oh, Peter," Twilight says. "You're back from your jog. Rainbow is still asleep, if you want to talk to her. But...I think you should take a shower first. You're all sweaty. And maybe leave your clothes out for Spike to wash?"

I look down at my clothes, and grimace. "But these are my only clothes," I protest.

"Yeah, but surely, you can just put it away, right?"

"Is Spike around?"

The lavender unicorn looks at me in confusion, but I repeat the question.

"No, he's still sleeping," she replies.

"I have no penile shaft. My penis is always out, albeit flaccid. If I were to take my clothes off, you would be able to see it, along with other things. I cannot hide it with a tail, nor can I simply tuck it away. It's there, and the only way to make it 'hide' is with clothes."

Twilight blushes, and looks down at my crotch for a few moments, then quickly back up at me.

"Well," she says, "I'm sure Rainbow would like to hear that..."

I shrug, and point to her horn. "So, could you wash my clothes with magic real fast?"

"I am not some kind of servant!" Twilight shouts in protest. I shake my head, and raise my hands in surrender.

"I never said you were," I respond. "I was just hoping that you could speed it up. That's all."

The lavender unicorn sighs, and nods. "Alright. Leave your clothes outside the bathroom door, and I'll wash them."

I nod. "Thanks, Twi'. I'll be right back down. But first-do you have body wash? Or soap? Because, unless you haven't noticed, I have a profound lack of fur and or scales. And feathers."

She nods. "I have a bar of soap on the sink. Just use a washcloth, okay?"

I nod, and hurry upstairs, immediately finding the bathroom and the linens closet.

I leave my clothes outside the door, per Twilight's request, and step in the shower. It's a very nice shower, and it's not too cold, and not too hot. So, it appears that Equestrian inventors have managed something that humans never could: they made it fully possible to make water for a shower exactly in between Devil's Piss Hot and Arctic Cold.

As soon as I'm done using the washcloth to, well, wash myself, I dry myself with the towel I prepared, and, wrapping it around myself, step out to see if Twilight's done yet.

"Peter? I finished washing your clothes," she calls up as she hears me open the door. "I left them just outside the bathroom door."

I look down, and grab them. Once I've clothed myself, I throw the towel and washcloth into a hamper containing other such things, and I walk downstairs to sit at the table.

"So, I went to Applejack's," I tell Twilight. "Breakfast there is pretty crazy..."

Twilight chuckles as she places her breakfast on the table. "Yeah, I had to try all the food there when I first came to Ponyville...I felt like I was going to give birth to a food baby."

I chuckle, as well, and shake my head at the door leading to the bedroom I'll be sharing with Rainbow Dash. "Is that asshole still asleep?" I ask, chewing my nails thoughtfully.

"Yeah, or at least, she hasn't come out yet," the unicorn responds.

I stand, and, with a mischievous smile and a crack of my knuckles, I enter the guest bedroom, ready to stir up hell.

As I enter, I find that the cyan Pegasus is simply snoring away on her stomach. I longingly look at the soft pillow and the warm sheets, and realize just how great a nap would feel right now...

I yawn, and notice how weak I feel. So, I carefully lay down next to Rainbow Dash, and pull the sheets up to my chin. I let my shoulders sag, and I quickly fall asleep, my laziness taking its toll in coordination with the jog I had earlier.

Ugh, I swear, man, physical activity...

I should follow my own advice from now on: I could go outside, but why bother when I have a perfectly outside inside inside the outside of the inside of inside? Inside.

Anyway, I'm asleep now. Please leave a message after the punch in the face, because I'm not going to wake up for you, asshole.

Friends (Part 2 of 2) [WARNING: SLIGHT GORE]

THIS CHAPTER HAS GORE IN IT. IF YOU DO NOT LIKE GORE, MAYBE YOU SHOULD HAVE THOUGHT TWICE BEFORE YOU LOGGED ONTO FIMFICTION.NET. HOME OF MY LITTLE PONY FANFICTION. YES. THAT MAKES PERFECT. FUCKING. SENSE.

I'm woken up by a scream.

A scream that makes my skin curl and crawl, and a scream that curdles every last molecule of plasma that my blood cells are suspended in.

My eyes immediately flick open, and I'm on my feet within seconds, searching for the source of the scream.

"What in the fuck was that!?" Rainbow Dash cries, staring at me. I ignore her, and slowly open the guest bedroom door.

I begin to hear sobbing from the basement, and I follow it.

As I reach the bottom of the stairs, I have to brace myself against the wall.

There's a black, tar-like substance clinging to several different surfaces of the room. Its point of origin seems to be from the walls, the floor, the ceiling, the generator-almost every surface. They shoot out like strands of spiderweb, interweaving and clinging to each other.

And, much like a real spider web, there is prey in the center. Except this pray is already dead.

"Peter? Peter, what's going-" Rainbow Dash's questions are cut short as she sees what I'm seeing. She immediately turns green, and backs up, tears streaming down her face. "Oh, Celestia..." She mutters, unable to believe what lays before her.

I descend the stairs, careful not to touch any strand of the black...stuff, and walk over to the source of the sobbing.

"Twilight, come on," I whisper to her, grabbing her hoof in an attempt to get her away from the severed body parts. "Come on, Twilight..."

She fights against me, and a rage appears in her eyes. "No! I'm not leaving! Not until he comes back! Not until this thing lets him go!"

With that, she accumulates magic within her horn, and fires a beam of just pure hate, and anguish at the substance. However, it only seems to make it stronger, as several more strands shoot out, and barely miss me.

"Twilight, we've got to get away from this thing!" I exclaim, just now noticing a small, shifting lump in the back of the room. "It's dangerous! Come on!"

Twilight fights me to the best of her ability, struggling to stay by the eviscerated body. I pull her with all of my strength, and eventually get her away from the web of body parts.

"Rainbow, help me get her upstairs!" I cry, frantically. The lump that I took note of before is starting to take form, grotesquely pulsating as it slowly rises from the depths of the dark sludge. Rainbow Dash manages to grab Twilight, and pull her out of the basement, but before I can escape, the door is slammed shut by a strand of darkness.

I turn on my heels, and face the thing that is coming towards me.

The lump has now become a man, devoid of any features besides his stark white eyes. As he walks, I feel myself grow progressively colder, and I begin to see...visions.

I first inject the putrid organism in the base of the skull, causing it to instantly die...

The world comes back into focus, and I notice that...it, is closer to me.

I create a webbing of my purifying darkness, and grasp each one of the limbs...

I stumble on the stairs, and press myself against the wall, a small whimper escaping as I revel in the sight of tearing flesh, the bone becoming exposed as I slowly pull at it, like a cornered mouse, attempting to escape the being that lies limp within my grasp, feeble as the day it was born, and just as uselessly weak.

My breathing comes in frantic, shallow, gasps of air as the being narrows its eyes at me, and it begins to split, the ribcage coming apart like a small toy for my enjoyment, and the organs spill out, bathing my beautiful darkness with blood as I feed off of it, watching it bend down to my level, and stare me in the eyes, causing me to ruin by beautiful masterpiece as the intestines and stomach simultaneously split open, eating away at small bits of my web of pain with the acid that now pours out. I shake my head, begging for a release from this madness.

The...Monster, is now at the same eye level as me, and as I tear its eyes out, letting them dangle with a bloody lifelessness that only I can truly appreciate, watching as it blinks, slowly and carefully, causing my heart to burst with pride at my creation, my masterpiece of truth.

I'm hyperventilating by the time the being retreats, giving me a look that I can only describe as...animosity. It slowly descends into the darkness, and I see its face turn into a twisted smile.

I hope I never see that...thing, again.

However, the splitting headache and the words that slither through my ears like wet noodles tell me otherwise.

I shall feed upon your pain...As you watch your friends die, one by one...And then, I will come for you.

And, in a flash, the darkness is gone as the door slams open, shattered by Rainbow Dash's careful kick.

"Come on, Peter!" She cries. I can hear desperation creeping into her voice. "We've got to get to Celestia! Hurry!"

I crawl up the stairs, as I don't trust my legs to bear my weight.

And it's not as if those visions were that...Disturbing. No, I...I rather enjoyed them...The blood, the gore, it was all quite...Beautiful, in its own terrible way.

But, what has me so shaken me to my core is the feeling that that...thing gave me.

It gave me a feeling of...Absolution.

It will always be haunting me. It will always be following me.

And unless I do something about it, that will never change.

Note from the Author

I'm pretty sure you know who's dead. I didn't bother saying the victim's name because you guys are smart enough to figure it out on your own.

Anyway, I'd like to thank TacoTown for advising me to take this story more seriously. So, that's what I've done: I'm going to actually start taking it somewhat more seriously. Not in terms of being intense, but in terms of being realistic, as this kind of thing will force me to make the characters make some very tough choices, and the more realistic (per their characterization,) the better.

The First Funeral

I sit in respectful silence as Twilight stands, and begins to speak.

"Spike...Spike was not only my friend, but...He...He was my son," Twilight says, her voice escalating an octave as she says "son". She chokes on her words for a moment before continuing. "And...Nothing will ever replace him. But I hope that one day...We may all move on, as that is what he would want. He...He wouldn't want us to linger, but he wouldn't want to forget. And we should never forget him..."

Twilight nods, and sits down, unable to speak past the lump in her throat. I stand, and walk to the front, my words ready and my tongue limber.

"Today, we do not only mourn the loss of a friend. We do not only mourn the loss of a family member. But, rather, we mourn the loss of something greater. We mourn the loss of innocence. Of our innocence, and of the personification of innocence. We mourn the loss of youth. And while we may weep for Spike, we should not weep for the dead. Rather, we should weep for the living, as they are the ones who can still feel pain."

With that, I walk back to my seat. After a few moments of nopony stepping up to speak, Celestia comes forward, her horn ablaze with a magnificent light. Spike's casket descends into the earth of the Canterlot graveyard, and the bagpipes to the side begin to play.

We all rise, and walk forward. There are ponies from Ponyville who happened to know Spike and Twilight, as well as ponies from Canterlot. Twilight and her parents are together in the crowd, and I already know what she's going to tell us.

As we walk towards the casket that is now being lowered, we place roses upon the gravestone. This funeral is very elaborate, in that it is both a burial, a wake, and the traditional funeral. Rarity places a heart gem on the plaque, and Celestia uses magic to ensure that it shall never be removed, even by the most petty of thieves. As it becomes one with the rock, Rarity begins to cry, and I move forward to place my rose on Spike's grave.

Rainbow Dash sits by me, now lacking of a rose. I grasp her hoof, and she doesn't fight it, despite us being in public. The cyan Pegasus sighs, and leans against me, letting her mind wander as she contemplates the meaning of death.

After everypony has placed their roses, the dirt covers the grave, and a single, beautiful flower sprouts up from the earth, surrounded by a yellow aura. It seems to glisten with the euphoria of day, while it also hums with the mysterious beauty of night.

Luna steps away from Celestia's side, and hugs Twilight. A somewhat surprising gesture, but one that Twilight welcomes.

After a short amount of time, ponies begin to file out, and, eventually, the only ones left are Celestia, Twilight, her five friends, and I.

"Thank you for staying," Celestia says, rather somberly. "It may come as a surprise, but I need you all to stay here. You cannot return to Ponyville."

Gasps and utterances are spread throughout the six of them. I, however, remain silent.

"What about mah family?" Applejack demands.

"They will be brought here," Celestia responds. "And they will stay with you. All of you will share private guest chambers."

"But why?" Rainbow Dash cuts across, confusion and anger clear in her voice. "Why do we have to stay here?"

"Because whatever it is that killed Spike puts your lives in danger," Celestia says. I can see Twilight cringe at the mention of the sensitive topic. "And we cannot afford to lose any of you. You are the bearers of the Elements of Harmony...And my close friends."

I nod. "Alright. I'll get your things, guys. This thing doesn't want to kill me, so I'll be safe."

"How do you know?" Rainbow demands.

"It told me." I can see obvious confusion amongst the faces of the ponies, even Celestia's. "It told me that it wants to feed upon my fear, and my pain. And it said it would kill you guys to do so."

"Even more of a reason for them to stay here," Celestia says with a morbid frown. The ponies around me visibly shudder, and I can tell that they are truly horrified of what the future holds. "If it is coming after them, then their lives are in definite danger."

I nod with a sigh.

"We need to start experimentation on the stuff left behind in Twilight's lab," I tell Celestia. "Find out what it's made of, and see if we can make a biological weapon against it. Because I doubt the Elements of Harmony will provide much assistance in this battle. I'll need organic samples of it, so that I can classify it. It's most likely parasitic. I'll need to-"

"Peter, please, stop," Twilight whimpers. "How could you be so cold about the death of a friend? You should be mourning with us right now, not trying to fight this thing..."

"If I don't, it will kill you," I stress. "And besides, I barely even knew him. I'd mourn him if he were my friend, but seeing as how all I knew about him was his name and that he was a dragon, I can't say that I'll be shedding any tears into my pillow tonight."

I can feel the shudder that passes through each of the ponies surrounding me.

"Yer' a monster," Applejack mutters. "How could'ya jus' go on like nothin's happened?"

"I'm used to this. All humans are. It's our personal skill to be able to move on from death, and to hide our emotions behind masks."

"That's not good," Fluttershy whispers. The fact that she's actually speaking takes me by surprise, as her silence has been exponentially increased by Spike's death. "You shouldn't hide your emotions, Peter. You should let them out..."

"That's more difficult for me than you'd think," I tell her. "I barely even show my emotions to my own family. Besides, if you lived in a world like I lived in, it would be second nature for you. But that's not the point right now...It's getting late. We should get some sleep...it's been a long day. For all of us."

As if to prove my point, Applejack finds herself overtaken by a sudden yawn, and I can't help but give a small smile as she agrees with a nod.

"Yes," Twilight says, softly and silently. "Let's...Let's go get some sleep...Please...I....I don't want to be here anymore. Too many memories..."

I nod, and so does Celestia. "Follow me," Celestia says softly, before walking off. We all follow her, silently trotting and walking along, our feet and hooves making soft clicks on the palace floor as we enter through the large, ornate door.

We quickly arrive at the guest chambers, and we all file in. It's rather roomy, and it would be enough to store the entirety of the Apple Family.

"Applejack, Rarity, your family members will be brought up from Ponyville shortly," Celestia says softly, before turning to leave.

"Wait!" Fluttershy calls. "What about our pets? Angel, Gummy, Tank, Opal...What about them?"

"They will come, as well."

"And Scootaloo?" Rainbow Dash steps forward, a defiant expression on her face.

"She shall be-"

"And the mayor?"

Celestia blinks. "Well, I'll have to-"

"And the Cakes?"

Celestia frowns. "Rainbow, I'm afraid that there's-"

"And the spa sisters? And Derpy Hooves? And Zecora? And the doctors? And the hard-working, innocent ponies in Ponyville? Aren't you going to protect them, too? Or are we here only because we bear the Elements of Harmony, and you need us to keep power?"

I cringe as Rainbow Dash accuses Celestia. She has a point, as the majority of monarchs will protect selective members of society for the sole purpose of protecting their position as the leader.

"Yes, they're being protected," Celestia responds, rather heatedly. "We have guards there now. How dare you accuse me of leaving my subjects unattended to when they are at risk?"

"Well, I...I just assumed," Rainbow stammers.

"Exactly. You assumed," Celestia hisses. "I understand that you care for your friends, but you must know that I would never leave them at risk. They will be safe, Rainbow Dash. But I cannot risk you staying in Ponyville. Especially since we do not know what this thing can do. It may be able to possess ponies, or even the deceased for all we know. But what we do know is that it poses a threat towards you, and we can't have that."

Rainbow frowns, but says no more. I can tell that she's still fuming about leaving all the other ponies down in Ponyville.

"Get some sleep, all of you. And Peter, come see me first thing in the morning. We have much to discuss."

I nod, and she leaves without another word. We collectively sigh, and Rainbow Dash begins to vent.

"I can't believe she's just going to let them stay in Ponyville!" She cries out. "This is such bull? They're all in danger!!"

"Rainbow, she knows what she's doing," I say, softly. "Have some faith."

"I'm going to sleep," Twilight announces. "If any of you need anything...Just...Ask somepony else..."

I frown as she retreats to a bed, and flops down on it with a hefty sigh. She almost immediately begins sobbing, and magically draws curtains surrounding her bed shut. She obviously wants some privacy.

"Ah'm goin' t' get some sleep, too," Applejack declares. "When Big Mac, Apple Bloom, Granny Smith, and Winona get here, wake me up if, Ah'm asleep."

Fluttershy, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie say likewise.

However, Rainbow Dash parks herself next to the door.

"I'm not moving until they get here," Rainbow Dash says. "I don't care if I stay up all night. I don't get how they can sleep when everypony is in danger..."

"They trust Celestia," I tell her. "They know she'll get them here, safe and sound."

"Yeah, well, I don't," Rainbow mutters. "Not until they get here."

I sigh, and rest a hand on her shoulder. "You sure you don't want to go to bed?" I ask softly.

"Yes, I'm sure," she spits back. "I'm not tired. I'm just...worried."

"Then I'll stay up with you," I announce, crossing my legs as I park myself right next to her. "And I won't go to sleep until you do."

"Thanks, but it's not necessary," she responds, frowning to herself. "I can handle this on my own."

I throw an arm around her, and kiss her, softly and gently. She's surprised at first, but she relaxes after a second. "Well, I'm not going to let you," I tell her. "You're my girlfriend, and I'll be damned if I let you stay awake and worry by yourself."

"You should get some sleep," she tells me, pushing me away lightly.

"Fuck you," I whisper as I pull her towards myself. "I'm staying right here, and I won't go to bed until you do."

She smiles up at me, and snuggles against me. "Thanks..." She whispers.

As we sit there, waiting, we share small bursts of conversation. We occasionally share small chuckles, but they're almost immediately smothered by the somber atmosphere of the room.

It's after about a half hour that Rainbow Dash starts getting unfocused. She's clearly tired, and the way she continuously slumps against me, her head resting on my shoulder, suggest that she's about to fall asleep.

"You're starting to fall asleep," I whisper to her. "Do you wanna go to bed?"

The cyan Pegasus simply shakes her head "no," seemingly too tired to form words.

"I'll wake you if you fall asleep," I whisper as I kiss her on the forehead.

"Thanks..." She whispers, the silence of the room snuffing out her whispers.

I smile, and absent-mindedly stroke her main, passing my palm across her prism of hair.

Just as I feel fatigue creeping up on me, the door opens, and five ponies walk in: Big Mac, Granny Smith, and the three Cutie Mark Crusaders, who are asleep on Big Mac's back.

Big Mac places a basket down, and I notice that it contains different pets. I look down at Rainbow Dash, and see that she's fallen asleep.

"Rainbow," I whisper as I shake her awake.

The cyan Pegasus opens her eyes, and smiles.

"Good," she whispers.

"Granny, there y' are," I hear a hushed voice say. "An' Big Mac. An' the three Cutie Mark Crusaders. How was the ride up here?"

"How long as Applejack been awake?" Rainbow asks sleepily. I shrug, and help her up as I walk over to greet the newly arrived ponies.

"Oh, it was quite alright, dear," Granny responds. "Now, where's that young man, Peter. I do hope he's okay, he was such a gentleman..."

"Hello, Granny," I say as I walk forward. "I'm fine. How're you guys? Everything okay back at Sweet Apple Acres?"

"Eeeeeyup," Big Mac whispers. I nod, and help him with the ponies on his back. I gently lift them, and place them, together, in one of the twenty beds.

Yeah, there are twenty beds. What if a whole group of delegates comes? They wouldn't share the same bed.

"They're tucked in," I say as I come back for the pets. I put them each in different baskets, each of which are right near one of the pony's beds. I make sure to put Owoloscus on a perch by Twilight's curtained bed. I gently place Winona next to Apple Bloom's side of the bed. As I do, Rainbow Dash comes over, and smiles down at Scootaloo. "Sweet dreams, bucko..." She whispers. It seems as though a wave of relief has washed over her as she looks up at me with a sad little smile. "Now we can go to bed," she whispers, before walking off to a bed. I join her, and as she snuggles up against me, I wrap an arm around her.

"Peter?" She says, cautiously and silently, about twenty minutes later.

"Hm?"

"I...I'm scared."

"Of what?"

"I'm scared that my friends might get hurt..."

I pat her on the shoulder. "Everything will be fine, Rainbow. Trust me."

"How do you know?" She challenges. I think for a few moments before I respond.

"I don't. But I trust that Princess Celestia will keep them safe. You've just got to trust her, okay?"

Rainbow Dash sighs, and nuzzles up against my chest. "Alright, Peter...I'll try. But I make no promises."

I chuckle lightly, and kiss her on the forehead, and closing my eyes, listening to her soft breathing as I wait for sleep to take hold.

As it finally does, I descend into the darkness of my dreams, and of my darker counterpart.

Identity

What am I?

Am I a thing? Am I a person?

Surely, my ability to identify myself makes me a person. A person capable of intelligent thought, no?

Well, I'm obviously not like...him. The only other being that shares the same shape as me. He has color, while I have a profound lack thereof. I am simply a black void of nothingness...

How odd.

And then, we come to my powers, the things I can do: how do I do them? I know that I simply will for it to happen, but...

When did I start existing? And how?

And why do I want to kill?

All I know is that when there isn't enough pain in the world, I starve. That's all I truly know of myself. Whenever there is no death and no mourning, I starve.

So, because of how attached that...boy? Yes, boy...

How did I come to know this language? How did I come to know how to speak, or even know that this language is...English?

Doesn't matter. All that matters is my hunger. I can feed upon his pain, as he is very attached to his friends...

And yet, he is very much like me. When he saw my creation, our minds...merged. He saw what I did, and he enjoyed it. In that way, I respect him, as he respects my art and myself. So, would I truly want to bring him pain?

Would this be classified as guilt? Friendship? Responsibility? Moral?

How could I have moral? I remember opening my eyes, and knowing that I was hungry. I tried to kill for food, and found my powers. I found that I feed on pain. And when I killed the dragon, whom I believed would give me a fair amount of pain before dying, I fed upon the unicorn's pain. And yet, I must improve my methods...I need to get pain easier. I can't simply kill with one shot, or there is no pain. And I must bring pain to others to feed...But perhaps I should choose who feels the pain I crave? Perhaps I shouldn't go after the easiest, but go after the one who is already evil? Who brings pain to others?

Where did this ideology come from!? Who am I, why do I have no memories!? I remember nothing but what I know, and what I know is that it is wrong to kill unless it is for food! But I kill for food, do I not? But it is wrong to kill beings that can think and have a society, isn't it? Should I kill those who kill?

WHAT AM I???

Where did I come from?

What is my origin?

Why do I know and yet not know!?

Do I have...Parents? Or am I just...Am? What is this idea of moral, where did it come from, when did I learn it!?

Did I have a life before this? Did I have a life before any of this? Am I, perhaps, that boy, the boy whose mind mine touched? Is it possible that I come from him, and so, I merge with him? Is it possible that I am him? Should I confront him? Should I learn from him? Surely, he knows more than I do. He is like me in body, and yet, he does not kill...

Was he afraid of me? Perhaps, he was, but there is no way to know. I walked up to him, and saw that he enjoyed my acts, and didn't kill him for the sake of having a...companion. For the sake of not being...alone. So, I told him I would feed upon my pain. Surely, that would be a way to make a friend, no? If I were to simply tell him that I would help him sate his hunger, and I would sate my hunger through sating his? Surely, he would be willing to help me, no?

And yet, perhaps he does not need to kill for sustenance. Perhaps he does not feed upon pain...Yet...How is that possible?

Maybe the instincts I had, to kill for food, maybe he does the same? But perhaps he eats the actual food, and doesn't simply feed on pain?

If so, then...What would I do? What is he? What am I?

What are we?

Do I identify myself with him because he looks like me? Or because he is me?

Me...Me, me...Me...

Do I have a name?

What is my name?

Who am I?

What is my purpose here?

I can't find the answers to these questions. It's maddening. It makes me...angry. Very angry. Incredibly angry. Oh, my, I'm hungry...I need to kill...

And yet, I won't kill his friends...No, not until I know what he is, not until I know for sure that he feeds upon pain, like me...I'll have to ask him, in private...I would scare the other beings. If he is afraid of me, then they are, as well...

I must kill.

But I'll have to make a new way of it.

I'll have to make a new method, so I can truly harvest pain...

First, I must catch prey...

Yes, yes, this one will do. It may simply be a wild cow, yet I can practice upon it...

Maybe if I restrain it? Ah, yes, I can feel its fear. Fear doesn't feed me nearly as much as pain, yet it helps to clear my mind...

Hmm...Where does my mind come from?

And where do I go, when I use my powers? Where do I go when I use these...Strands? I can see them, yet I am not near them...

Ah! Perhaps if I progressively break its bones? By...Squeezing its legs?

Ah, yes, that pain...The pain! Breaking the bones gives quite a lot of pain...But I can't stop here. I need more!

I'll squeeze its midsection...Yes, squeeze it, break the ribs...

Oh, yes, that's good pain...Pure, amazing pain...

Now, if I were to...

Aha! Yes, tearing the tail off was rather effective, I can feel the pain...

Oh, my. Not more of that blood...Getting all over my tendrils, my tools! How disgusting! I just hate blood, it's...It's terrible...Slimy, and disgusting...

I'll stopper it. Jam something into the wound, to stop the blood flow...Oh, my. That's not what I meant to do at all.

It has died. The pain no longer feeds me. Even as its lifeless body is assaulted by my actions, no pain is brought forth.

I proceed, my hunger for the day sated. I no longer need to kill, so now, I will...Rest? I don't know if I need rest. Should I rest?

Maybe. Who knows. Definitely not me, as I have no idea what I am, anyway.

Uhhhhhhh...Huh. Okay, I've managed to make a sort of cocoon to sleep in. Don't want to be attacked by something fearing me, so...Uhhhhh...I don't quite know why I'm making it like this, and why it's...It's actually rather comfortable.

Sleep...An alien idea, but one that now graces me.

As it grasps me, I panic, and try to fight it. But it is soothing. So, I let it take over.

Perhaps when I awake, I will have the answers to my questions...

Identity, Part the Second

I wake up in confusion.

And I don't mean that I wake up, and I feel confused; rather, I'm waking up to total fucking chaos.

"Dammit, Apple Bloom!" I hear. The three Cutie Mark Crusaders are bouncing on the beds, laughing, and shouting. Applejack is trying desperately to get them to calm down, but to no avail. Rainbow Dash is sleeping soundly, her head resting on my side.

At least, until Applejack sees us.

"Good morning, Apple-"

My words die as the work pony rushes over, and stares deep into my eyes.

"If y'all do anythin' ter' hurt her," she growls, "Ah'll make sure ya' know the meanin' of pain."

I gulp, and nod. "Trust me, I wouldn't hurt her. Ever."

"Ya' already have, remember? In th' hospital, when she kissed ya', and you pushed 'er away? If you do anythin' like that again, Ah'll hurt you. Ah promise."

I nod frantically, and she pulls away with a smile. "Ah'm jus' messin' with yah, Sugarcube...Calm yerself, okay?"

I sigh, and rub my temples. By this time, Rainbow Dash has woken up, and it takes her a few seconds to process what's going on.

With a look of complete panic stretching her face, the cyan Pegasus pulls away from me, a furious blush on her face.

"If you tell anypony that I snuggled with him," she growls, both to Applejack and to me, "I swear..."

I shrug, and scoff as Scootaloo hops onto my bed, then hops off a second later, chasing Sweetie Belle across the mattresses.

"You'd think that, knowing why we're here, they'd be less happy," I remark, watching in utter disgust as they happily bounce around. How could they be so happy when they know that one of their friends are dead?

"They don't know," Applejack says softly. "Ah haven't told 'em yet. They think they're here to enjoy themselves..."

I sigh, and crick my neck. "Well, that's going to suck...To kill their expectations...Applejack, you should tell Apple Bloom. Rarity will tell Sweetie Belle, and...Rainbow? Do you want to tell Scootaloo why we're here?"

The rainbow Pegasus seems to ignore me. She's watching the younger, orange Pegasus bounce around.

"But...She'd be crushed," Rainbow says, softly. "I'd feel horrible..."

"It doesn't matter how you feel," I mutter. "It matters that they know the truth. They deserve to know."

"Rainbow, are you gonna do some awesome tricks while we're here?" Scootaloo asks, as if on cue. The orange Pegasus jumps onto Rainbow's lap, smiling up at the cyan Pegasus.

I give Rainbow a glance that clearly says "tell her". Rainbow sighs, and ruffles Scootaloo's mane.

"Listen, bucko...There's something I've got to tell you."

About an hour later, almost all of us are standing before the young dragon's grave. Fluttershy managed to calm down the three fillies, but two of them are still sobbing as they stare down at Spike's grave, and the beautiful flower that grows among the soil of death.

Big Mac and Granny Smith are standing in somber silence, staring at the grave with a remarkable amount of respect. Sweetie Belle is burying her face in Rarity's side; Apple Bloom is crying into Applejack's foreleg; and Scootaloo is standing tall, next to Rainbow Dash, who is right by my side, holding my hand with a hoof, and resting a hoof on Scootaloo's back.

"P-Put your flowers on th-th-the g-grave, girls," says a barely composed Fluttershy. The fillies do as they're told, and place their own white flowers down around Spike's. As they step back, their guardians receive them with open arms-er, legs.

"Can we...Can we go home now?" Apple Bloom asks, silently.

"No," I say. They all look to me in surprise, even Twilight and Rainbow Dash. And it's not because of what I said. It's because of how I said it: cold, and detached. "The thing that killed him is still out there. And it won't hesitate to go after you. And I'm not going to let it hurt another innocent being..."

As I look down at Spike's tombstone, I feel an insurmountable rage building up within me. A rage that can only be sated by destruction, a rage that verges upon ravenous hunger.

I turn, and leave the grave.

"Where are you going?" Rainbow Dash calls after me. I look back, taking in the scene of the concerned ponies. Even Twilight has torn her tearing eyes away from the grave to watch me go.

"I'm going for a walk," I respond. "I want to be alone."

With that, I take off at a brisk pace, shoving my hands into the pockets of my sweatpants as I continuously map out my route, ensuring that I don't get lost.

I eventually arrive at the train station, and I have reached an impasse. Do I proceed, and return to Ponyville? Do I go down into the basement of that library, and seek my revenge, all in the sake of innocence long lost?

Or do I stay here, and help my new friends cope? Do I help them to retain what little innocence they have left?

Going down to attack the thing would be ridiculous. I mean, I barely even knew Spike, I have no reason to get so worked up about it...

And yet, he was innocent. He didn't deserve to die. So, have I become the champion of innocence?

If I go down and attack it, then where is my innocence? And where is the innocence of anypony who gets involved? Surely, not within themselves. And not within myself, either.

Perhaps I should stay here? I mean...Rainbow would definitely need my help, right? And so would Twilight? And even Rarity. They would have each other, but what if I made it feel like I had abandoned them? I don't want that.

No...No, I'm going to stay. For now. Perhaps another time, in another setting, it would be appropriate for me to go down to Ponyville. But not right now. Not when they require assistance and support.

As I walk through a small back alley, I suddenly get the feeling that I'm being watched.

I turn, my palms tingling. A robber? A thug? Or maybe just some orphan?

No. None of the above.

What I see...is It.

Its white eyes pierce mine, and its frown speaks of murder.

I reel away from it, and clench my fists, preparing to fight.

"What the fuck do you want?" I growl. "Don't you dare try to hurt my friends, or I will kill you."

"I want to know."

I frown. "What do you want to know?"

"What am I?"

I approach It. "I don't know," I respond. "But whatever you are, you've killed something totally innocent?"

"Is that bad?"

I blink in surprise. "Well...Of course it's bad! He did nothing wrong! He never deserved to die! Ever! He was a baby! He hadn't even lived half a life yet!"

It frowns. "But I need to feed on pain."

"I know," I growl. "You told me you would feed upon mine, by killing my friends."

"But do you not?"

I frown, and slowly relax. He's not here to hurt anything. He is simply a being without knowledge.

"No," I respond. "No. I eat physical...things."

It blinks, and for a moment, I lose sight of its eyes. "Then killing your friends wouldn't feed you?"

"No," I respond. "No, it wouldn't."

"What are you?"

I feel curiosity overtake my mind. "I'm a human. You seem to be one, as well, what with your structure..."

"So...We are the same?"

"N...Not exactly," I say. "I mean...Do you feel?"

"Feel?"

"Emotions. Anger, fear, curiosity...Guilt."

"I don't know. I cannot define, yet I feel...things."

"Then," I respond, "we are the same. But we survive in different ways."

It nods. "Then that means that I'm not alone. That means I'm not the only thing of me here..."

I approach it, carefully, and place a hand on its shoulder. "Do you have a name?"

"I...I don't know."

I frown, and immediately come up with a name. "Your name is Grendel," I say.

"Grendel?"

I nod. I've taken the name straight from Beowulf, and from the novel "Grendel". In Grendel, the monster was actually capable of human thought and emotion. But people were too afraid to see past its prior actions and its appearance.

I don't plan upon repeating that mistake.

"Grendel," he repeats. I'm going to start calling It "he," as he seems to bear the same figure as a male human. "I am Grendel..."

I nod. Identity is a powerful thing. And it is the difference between wonton murder, and justice.

"Yes," I say. "And I'm going to help you. In order for you to survive, you need to feed on pain, no?"

He nods, and I sigh. "Are you hungry now?"

He nods again.

I sigh. I might as well help the poor thing...

"Can you feel other pain?" I ask. He simply stares at me. "Can you feel the pain caused by others?"

He blinks, and, after a short while, he nods. "I can feel it, and I can know its source. But I cannot feed on it."

"Good," I say, nodding to myself. "Find something that has caused a lot of pain. Find out who it is that caused a lot of pain. Can you do that? Right now?"

He stares at me for a few moments, and then nods. "A...I'm not sure what it is. But I know what it looks like. I know where it is. I can feel the pain it makes...So much pain...It makes me hungry. I think it's a...Griffin? I'm not sure. I don't know how I came to know...words..."

I nod. "I'll help you find that out later. But, for now, go feed on the griffin. But don't just kill it. Chase it. Make it feel fear. And then, hurt it. Break its legs, break its wings, tear its wings off, whatever you have to do. Feed on it. Come back when you're done, and tell me how you did it. I may be able to make one kill satisfy you for days."

He nods, and seems to melt into the ground. I feel a sense of...dread.

What have I just done?

I've just condemned another being to death. I've just played God. Not only that, I've...befriended the thing that has hurt my friends.

And, worse than that, I gave it a reason to keep going.

I gave it a reason to continue to kill.

Oh, Jesus fucking Christ...

What have I done...

My legs are weak. My breath is short. I can barely walk.

I'm responsible for the death, and torture, of another living being...

I don't know how I'll make it back to the guest chambers.

All I can do is...Wobble. I can't stop thinking about this...This feeling...

I've just killed something.

I killed something!

Oh, God, I'm a murderer!

I collapse to the ground, leaning against the wall of the alleyway.

And I begin to cry.

I've just killed something...

Does it deserve it? Maybe. But I don't know...

Oh, God, I just killed someone!

Maybe not directly, but...

I gave him permission to kill!

How can I ever look myself in the mirror again? How can I even see myself as a boy, neigh; a human! How can I ever think of myself, and feel pride, ever again?

A high-pitched wail escapes from my entire being, and I find myself whimpering, and continuously making noises like that of a tortured creature.

I don't know how long I've been here, wailing my throat hoarse, when I feel a leg on my shoulders.

"Peter, come on," a voice says softly. "Come on, sweetheart. We're going to get you back home, honey...Come on..."

I struggle to walk, letting the cyan Pegasus support my weight as I feel my stomach churn. My wail reduces to a slight sputter as she continues to comfort me. I'm oblivious to my surroundings as we proceed.

All I know is that out there, somewhere, someone is going to die because of me.

Someone is going to know the true meaning of pain, because of me.

I feel myself being placed down on a bed. I force myself to return to my body from my mind, and I observe my surroundings.

I'm back in the guest chambers, and I'm in the bed I share with Rainbow Dash.

I see Rainbow Dash, talking with Fluttershy, as well as several other ponies watching me in concern. After a few moments, the two Pegasus ponies trot over to me, both of them frowning in concern. Rainbow climbs into bed with me, and wraps her hooves around me. I snuggle up to her, allowing her to hold my shuddering form as I bury my face into her chest.

"I'm sorry..." I mutter. Not as much to her, as to whatever Grendel is currently murdering.

"It's okay," she whispers, as Fluttershy pulls the curtains surrounding my bed shut. "It's okay, Peter. It's okay...I'm here for you, babe."

Her soothing words and embrace eventually calm me down, and I begin to fall asleep.

"Go to sleep," she whispers into my ear. "I won't leave your side. I promise."

With that, I press myself closer to the cyan Pegasus, reveling in her warmth as I fall asleep.

A Failed Kill

Euphoria.

Excitement.

Anticipation.

These three ideas...I can feel them. So, I guess I must be...human, no?

But that doesn't matter now.

My next prey is just there...Right near Ponyville...

Ponyville? How in the world do I know the name of this place...?

Doesn't matter.

I need to scare her, first. This griffin, she needs to be...

How do I know it's a she?

Doesn't matter now! I have to scare her! I'm hungry, and I need her pain!!

Maybe I could just show up in front of her, and attack her?

Yes, yes, that's good...I'll come up, out of the ground, right there! Yes, that's a good idea...

What!? Dammit, how am I going to follow her now! I was not ready for this! I was not ready for that!

How an going to chase her into the sky!? I can't make my things grow out of thin air! I need to use an actual, physical basis for it!

Urgggghhh.....I'm not going to get my pain, after all....I need to tell him, I need his help again...

Dammit...It can fly...I was not prepared for this...I can't chase it up there!

But I'm still hungry...

I need prey...

There are cattle there, in the woods...

Yes, a worthy source of food...

For now...

Peter

I'm roused from my slumber by a firm shake.

I mumble something, and snuggle deeper into Rainbow Dash's chest. I don't want to be bothered right now...

"I failed."

I open my eyes with a frown. I look towards the source of the voice, and I quickly extricate myself from the cyan Pegasus' grasp.

"What are you doing here?" I hiss at Grendel. He simply stares at me with his blank eyes, and I sigh. "Come with me..."

I escort him outside, and stand with him in a small alleyway. "You can't let yourself be seen by ponies. They don't know what you are. They won't understand..."

He simply stares at me, and then continues to speak his own side of our conversation.

"She got away. She flew. I wasn't prepared to attack something that could fly."

I sigh, and pinch my forehead. "Are you still hungry?"

"No. I killed an animal. Its pain was pleasing."

I nod, and I feel an exhilarating sense of relief.

I'm not responsible, I realize. I'm not responsible for the death of another living being!

I feel like throwing a party, but that wouldn't be appropriate. Instead, I sigh, and nod to him. "Next time, we'll go after something easier. So, leave her alone for now. Just to get some rest, okay? We'll be more careful next time we choose your prey."

He nods, and leaves, presumably to rest. Not one to stand on ceremony, eh?

"Peter?"

I turn with a jump at the call of my name. Rainbow Dash is standing in the alley, and is rubbing her eyes as she stares at me. "What're you doing up?"

"I needed some fresh air," I respond.

"In an alleyway?"

I shrug. "It was too fresh outside," I respond with a sheepish grin.

"Or maybe," she whispers, joining me in the alley with a sly smile, "you just wanted some alone time with me..."

I smile back, and we proceed to kiss. I can tell that she's kissing me mostly out of concern, and I make sure to let her know that I'm okay. As we separate, she looks up at me with wide eyes.

"Are you okay, babe?" She asks. "You were crying so much back there..."

I nod, and smile down at her. "Yeah, I'm...I'm feeling much better..."

She smiles, and nods her head towards the exit of the alleyway. "C'mon. Let's get back inside..."

As I follow her, I notice that there is a furious flapping in the wind.

"RAINBOW DASH!" We both turn as a griffon lands just before us, and gives me a menacing glare. "Don't you dare hurt my friend!" She growls. I raise my hands in surrender, and back away into the guest chambers.

"Okay, I won't," I respond. "Just please, don't hurt me."

She frowns at me. "After you tried to attack me? Yeah, right!"

I have no time to react as she launches herself at me. After I tried to kill her? What is she talking about?

She tackles me, and we both fall back into the guest chambers, much to the surprise of all the ponies there. They back away from us as the griffon holds me down.

As the griffon pins me to the ground, Rainbow Dash storms up behind her.

"Gilda! Get off of my boyfriend!"

Silence. That's all I can hear in the room. Silence as everypony finds out that we're in a relationship.

"But this thing tried to kill me!" Gilda cries out. Despite her opposition, she loosens the pressure on my limbs.

"He was here," Rainbow Dash says. "And he was sleeping in my bed, crying his eyes out."

Gilda looks down at her, and I nod. "Plus, the thing that killed you was totally black and had white eyes, right?"

She frowns at me, and I can hear the gears turning in her griffon mind. "How did you know?"

"I saw him," I respond. "He's not me, I assure you."

She blinks, and finally lets me back up. "Sorry. I thought you were trying to hurt Dash..." She mutters with a light blush.

I shrug, and Rainbow Dash walks up to Gilda.

"Why are you here?" She demands. Whoa, right to the point. No pussyfooting around, just right to the question undoubtedly on everypony's mind.

"I heard about what happened," Gilda responds. "I...I know you guys don't consider me your friend," she says slowly, turning to face the group of ponies around her, "but I came to give you my condolences, and my apology."

Another stunned silence in the room.

"Wow, Gilda," Rainbow says. "You've matured a lot since we last met."

"No, I haven't," the griffin responds. "But I've decided that it's not right to keep some stupid grudge when Twilight's just lost somepony important to her."

Rainbow smiles, and so does Twilight.

"Twilight Sparkle," Gilda continues, walking up to the lavender unicorn. I can tell that she's swallowing her pride, and I can't help but revel in Rainbow's admiration. "I am truly sorry for all the troubles I have caused you, and your friends, during my visit to Ponyville. And I want you to know that I understand your plight, as I recently lost somegriffin close to me, as well. If you ever need any help, Rainbow and I are here for you. And if you want me to leave, I'd understand that perfectly. But, with your permission, I'd like to visit Spike's grave, and pay my respects."

I feel a warming sensation spread throughout my heart. It seems as though death strengthens people, and helps them to see the world as it truly is, as well as the pain that they have caused...And Gilda has most definitely matured. I can't help but admire her.

"Of course," Twilight responds, with tears in her eyes. "You have no idea how much this means to me, Gilda..."

Gilda nods, and smiles sadly at Twilight. "No, I do."

"Who did you lose, Gilda?" I ask, softly. I'm the only one who has picked up on the fact that she wants to be helped, as well.

"My father," she responds, turning to face me. "After losing him, I...I realized how stupid I had been, to want Rainbow all to my own. Because now...I would give anything to have him back..." She starts to tear up, as well, and Twilight embraces her. The two simply cry onto each other's shoulders for a few moments, before pulling apart with small smiles.

"You're a true friend, Gilda," Rainbow Dash says softly, resting a hoof on the griffin's side. "And a truly great griffin."

Gilda smiles, and hugs the cyan Pegasus. Rainbow Dash bears a rather shocked look, before hugging back her long-lost friend with a vigor to match that of Hercules.

"I'm so sorry about your father," the cyan Pegasus says as they part. "We'll have to visit him sometime. I need to pay my respects, as well."

Gilda nods with a smile, and turns to Twilight.

"Speaking of paying respects...Twilight? Could you come with me?" Twilight nods, and the two leave the guest chambers, Gilda closing the door behind her.

And, just like that, the visit has ended just as abruptly as it started.

"Why didn't you guys say anything?" Rainbow asks, a harsh bite in her voice. "Pinkie, even you didn't say anything. I thought you'd at least be happy to know that she was sorry." She looks to each of the ponies, each of whom remain silent. "Well? Why didn't you say anything!? You may as well have ignored her!"

I can tell that Rainbow Dash is getting increasingly frustrated, and I back off a bit to give her room. There are times when she needs an arm to hold her, and other times when she needs to vent and get answers.

"Even when she said that something had tried to kill her, you didn't even react!" Rainbow cries. I must admit, I hadn't even noticed. I almost brushed it off right after she said it, and jumped right to the fact that she was trying to apologize.

"Well, we didn't want to do anything until you did, Rainbow Dash," Fluttershy responds, softly and slowly. "We knew you were still angry at her, and, well...We didn't want to say anything unless you did. But the question you asked kind of killed that opportunity, mostly because she wasn't talking to us when she answered. She was talking to Twilight, and to you, and through you, to Peter."

Rainbow Dash shakes her head. "What!? That's ridiculous! She apologized to all of us! You could have at least acknowledged it!!" She's getting even more frustrated as she struggles to wrap her head around this. "Why didn't you at least say 'thank you'?!"

Pinkie Pie sighs. "Because we didn't want to be her friend, Rainbow Dash."

Wow. I was not expecting that. Especially not from Pinkie Pie.

"Excuse me?"

"We don't associate ourselves with ruffians like that," Rarity chips in. "She may have lost her father, but she will return to her vile ways soon enough. It was a nice gesture, and I can understand your willingness to accept an apology from an old friend. But you have to understand that she would repeat the mistakes of the past."

Rainbow Dash seems to calm down, and she sighs in defeat. However, I know that she is far from calm. "I know, it's just...Before Fluttershy, she was my only friend in Flight School, y'know?"

"But you've got to move on," I say. Rainbow looks to me in desperation as I speak, and I can tell that she hopes that I have some wise words to give her. "You have new, better friends. She was your only friend then, but that doesn't mean she was ever a good one, or ever will be. You were friends with her because you had no choice, as everypony else pushed you away. But now, you're accepted by all your friends. So, would you rather be friends with a griffin that acted as your fallback, and an overall negative influence; or move on, and become your own Pegasus, with better friends?"

Rainbow blinks, and, after a few moments of silent thought, she nods. "You're right. I'm...I'm going to send her back home today..."

"Good idea," I respond. "She'll probably be grateful to go, anyway. If Twilight hasn't sent her home already."

As if on cue, the door opens, and Twilight walks in, alone.

"Gilda went back home," she says, softly. "All she wanted to do was say sorry. But she said she couldn't come back. She said it was too much for her. So, she left."

It's all presented in a very efficient manner. She doesn't even say "sorry," or "it was nice seeing her," or anything. She just says, "she went home."

I nod, and so does Rainbow Dash, who quickly regains her composure.

However, the lavender unicorn is far from being composed.

"I need a fucking drink," she mutters. Scootaloo, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Rarity all gasp at the harsh language, and Applejack's jaw clenches, most likely because of the fillies present.

"Ditto," I sigh. While I may be relieved that I'm not responsible for a death, the fact that I almost was still has me rather shaken, and ridiculously so. Just thinking of it gives me a shortness of breath...

"I could go for a few, too," Rainbow Dash chips in. The three of us exchange glances, and turn to the rest of the ponies in the room.

"You guys wanna tag along?" I ask.

"No, thank you," Rarity says. All the other ponies respond in likewise formats, except for Scootaloo.

"Count me in!" The filly cries.

"Whoa, there," Rainbow says, holding up a hoof. "You're too young to drink, buddy. This is a grown-up thing, okay?"

Scootaloo pouts, and Rainbow Dash smiles down at her.

"You know what? You two go on ahead. I'm going to stay here, alright?" Rainbow says with a smile. Twilight and I nod, and exit the guest chambers. I follow the unicorn to a rather quaint pub, just on the outskirts of town. She opens the door, and we enter the darkened tavern, hoping desperately that getting some drinks may help to assuage the tempests raging in our minds...

A Few Drinks

As we enter the public drinking house, the stallion at the counter only has to see Twilight's mane to recognize her.

"Hello, Twilight. I was wondering when I would see you here," the barkeep says in a somber, almost pitiful, tone of voice. I instantly recognize as one of the ponies at the funeral. He had said very few words, and simply told Twilight that all drinks would be on the house. Apparently, he feels the need to remind us of that. "For you and your friend, I'll cover the drinks. Go get a corner seat, and I'll send somepony over for your orders in a few minutes. You go ahead and find some privacy, okay?"

Twilight nods in appreciation, and I follow the somber unicorn to the back of the pub, where we sit down in a very private, very secluded corner booth. More likely than not, this has been nicknamed the funeral booth due to how set apart it is.

Within moments, a pony is taking our orders. I get a beer, and Twilight a wine. A few seconds later, I find myself nursing the beer I ordered.

"So, how do you like your drink?" Twilight asks in an attempt to start a conversation.

I take a sip of the beer, and frown in appreciation of the bitter yet warm taste. It definitely has a taste of malt and of wheat, coming together to form a dry yet satisfying drink. "It's really good," I respond as I pop a few complimentary peanuts into my mouth.

Twilight nods, and takes another sip of her wine. As we sit there in silence for about a minute, I feel myself getting slightly lightheaded.

"So, have you ever had a drink before, Peter?" Twilight asks.

"A few times," I respond. I'm simply waiting for a dam to burst in Twilight's silence, as I can see the pain rising in her eyes. "I've never actually been drunk before, though."

She nods, and I sigh as I take another sip of beer. Twilight shuffles a tiny bit closer to me, and I raise an eyebrow at her. She sees my look, and she rolls her eyes with a huff.

"Don't flatter yourself," she grumbles as she takes another sip of wine. I chuckle, and return to my beer, letting it ease the tempest of guilt in my mind.

"Spike was always so nice," Twilight finally says after several minutes.

Boom. First crack in the dam.

"Well, you did a good job of raising him," I say.

She nods, and falls silent for a few moments.

"Even when I bossed him around, he...He was still so compliant," Twilight tells me after a minute or so. "And he never got angry at me, or frustrated...And even when he was trying to make me stop, it was to help me. And I never said so much as thank you..."

I look over at her in pity, and give her a small, sad smile. "But you always knew how grateful you were, Twilight. And from what I can tell, you cared about him quite a lot. I have no doubt that you let him know how much you appreciated him every day."

She sighs, and I pat her on the shoulder. "Twi', he's in a better place now. And trust me, he now knows how much you love him. Trust me, he does. And he always have."

She gives me with a sad smile, and I have to bite my tongue. I almost told her all about Grendel, and how he didn't know any better. I doubt that would end well...

"I just...I just want him, back, Peter," she whimpers, the smile fast fading from her face. "I want to see him smile one last time..."

I frown, and offer her my hand. She places her hoof in my palm, and I squeeze it, trying desperately to comfort her.

"Twilight, we're all here for you," I tell her. "We're all willing to listen to anything you have to say. If you want to talk about anything, you can come to any of us, okay? Even Rainbow Dash, no matter how out of touch she can seem at times."

She smiles at me, and I smile back at her. I take a deep breath, and tell her something that is never easy to accept. "And I'm not going to lie, Twilight: it's not going to go away. The pain will always be there, and in your weakest moments, it will come back in full force. Trust me when I say that your life will never be the same. Even the best moments will seem hallowed by his absence in your life. And you can never replace him. Ever. But you will be able to accept it. You will eventually find peace. And you have to understand that this is not something you, yourself, can achieve. Only your friends can help you find peace within yourself, and only finding yourself within them can help you to recover."

She puts down her wine glass, and smiles at me. I notice that she's totally polished off her wine, and her face is now flushed. She's staring at me in admiration, and I can't help but blush.

"Peter," she says softly, "you're very wise...And smart. And you're a great friend..."

Oh thank God, I think to myself. I've never been happy to be friend zoned before...

"Thank you," I say, smiling at her as I let go of her hoof, and take another sip of my beer.

"And...I know that you and Rainbow are dating, but..."

I hold up a hand at that point. "Wherever you think this is going, it's not. I'm here as a friend, nothing more."

"Once again," she interrupts, "don't flatter yourself. I just want to know what she's like, y'know, under that shell of hers. She's obviously comfortable with you, so surely, she must let you see her as she truly is...right? I mean, there's got to be more to her than her tough brashness, right? And I know, you two are dating, so it's something that only you have the privilege to see, but...I'd still like to know."

I shrug as Twilight asks the question. "To be totally honest...I wouldn't feel comfortable with telling you about how she acts with me..."

Twilight nods, and I sigh in relief. I look down at my beer, and notice that it's empty.

"Want a refill?" She asks me. I nod, and she departs to get more. She returns with five beers, and five glasses of wine.

"Why so many?" I ask in surprise.

"After the state you were in today, you need a few drinks," she mutters. "And I feel like I deserve a few..."

I nod. "Yeah, you do...Well, cheers. To Spike."

"To Spike," she echoes as she clinks her wine glass against my beer bottle.

About twenty minutes later, we're both laughing, and slumped over on the table.

"There was one...One time, when Spike...When Spike was sick, and I had Fluttershy wa-watch him for me, while I was in Canterlot getting medicine...And then, and then...Rainbow visited, and he vomited all over her mane!! I had to help her clean it up!"

We both burst into laughter, and I slam my fist on the table.

"Oh, Spike...He's so silly..."

I try to take a sip of my beer, but I notice that it is empty. As is every other beer on the table. How much did I drink? Five...Six bottles? I think? No, it...It must've been...Four...I couldn't have had THAT much! It feels like just five minutes ago...I was sipping on my first!

Twilight begins to giggle, and at absolutely nothing.

"Wh...What's so funny?"

"My wine is empty," she responds. "It's all empty!"

I begin to giggle, as well, and I check each of her wine glasses, to make sure she's not lying.

"Yer tellin' the truth," I mumble.

And then I realize something: no more beer, no more wine. We should go back and stuff...Yeah.

"So, do you want to go back to the guest chambers, or somethin' or other?" I ask, trying to stand, but losing my balance with a wobbly wobble.

Twilight nods, and we help each other out of the booth, leaning on each other in some really awkward way. I somehow end up with my legs wrapped around her neck, and I find that we're outside.

"Whoa," I burp, struggling to get up. As I do, I eventually bring Twilight to her hind hooves, and we walk like that, balancing and wobbling and tripping and wibbly wobble wibble wibble.

When we finally arrive back at the guest chambers, Twilight and I are giggling like mad. She and I continuously stumbled and tripped the entire time here, and just couldn't get around the fact that the other had fallen, or that the other had fallen into a rosebush. By the way, the other that fell into the rosebush still has a thorn stuck in his left buttocks, and it hurts like hell.

I open the door, and let Twilight in, bursting into laughter as she trips over the threshold.

"Sick one, asshole," I mutter as I walk in, and promptly trip over a lavender hoof.

I roll onto my back, laughing at how fate has a cruel sort of irony.

"Peter? Twilight?"

I look up, and see that Rainbow Dash and Applejack are standing there, upside down.

"Why're you two upside down?" I ask.

"How much did you two drink?" The cyan Pegasus demands. I hiccup, and mumble out two words.

"A bit..."

Rainbow Dash presses her hoof to her face with a grunt. "How many?"

"I dunno, babe...like, six or sevenzies? I'unno...Hey, why're you upside down?"

"How'd you two even pay for those many drinks?" Rainbow asks me as she helps me get up with a grunt. I giggle. "It was on the housey house," I respond. "Like the cow on the moon...Over the house..."

Rainbow Dash rolls her eyes with a sigh. "Peter, you've got to learn to hold your liquor better..."

I grab hold of her ear, and she yelps in surprise as I tug at it. "I can hold on to you pretty good, though," I remark. She shakes my hand off, and hurries to get me into our bed. As to why...I think I hear a certain unicorn gettin' in trouuuuubbbbllllllleeeee......Eheheheheheee....Twilight's gettin' yelled at by the Applejack...

Rainbow Dash pulls the curtains shut (when'd I get into bed?), and looks at me with a frown.

"You're obviously drunk," she remarks. I shrug. "So?"

She sighs, and climbs into bed next to me. "The morning is going to be hell for you..."

I wince as the bed bounces. That thorn is still stuck in my butt...

Not caring what Rainbow may think, I reach into my pants, and begin to fumble about on my backside. Rainbow simply stares on with a poker face of true strength, but winces in sympathy as I remove a red-tipped thorn from my pants.

"How'd that happen?" She asks.

"Fell into a thorn bush," I respond.

She sighs, and hands me a mint. "Applejack and I were ready for you two to come back drunk, so we made a plan," she explains. "Right now, Applejack is probably yelling at Twilight, while I'm helping you get past your first time drunk in Equestria. Now, your breath smells, so take this mint. Please. I mean, seriously, your breath smells like ass..."

I oblige, and take the mint, sucking on it before I finally crush it with my teeth. As soon as I finish it, Rainbow Dash leans close to me with a suggestive smile. "Let's test out that mint," she whispers, before kissing me. I oblige, and, within a few seconds, I find her tongue darts into my mouth, and touches mine.

And that's when I freak out.

"Whoa!" I cry, pulling back, rubbing the saliva from her tongue off of mine with the back of my hand. The feeling of her tongue on mine has substantially sobered me. "Slow down there, racer!" I mutter, shuddering as I think of a horses tongue being in my mouth..."I'm not exactly ready for-"

"Okay," she says. "I understand. Let's just get some sleep, okay?"

I smile at her. "Thanks for understanding," I say as I hug her. "I was kind of afraid I would hurt you..."

She smiles, and pats my back with a hoof. "Nah. I'm a badass. Nopony can hurt me!"

"Okay," I say. "Good thing I ain't a pony!" I shout as I slam my palm into her back.

"OW!" She shouts. "Peter, I think you're still drunk..."

I chuckle, and let out my own cry of pain as she slams her hoof into my spine.

"Okay...I deserved that," I admit as I rub my back. She simply chuckles, and lets go of me with a happy sigh.

"I think we should get some sleep," Rainbow says. "Besides, you've gotta sleep off your beer, right?"

I chuckle, and nod. "Yeah...I guess I do, don't I? Heh, it's weird...I can feel the drunkiness coming back...Must've been the shock of your tongue in my mouth that sobered me up for a total of ten minutes..."

I definitely feel the beer's effect coming back. Weird, how the mind will process alcohol when it's relaxed, but in a state of shock, it'll become clear, and then go back to being fuzzy when everything's over and it can afford to relax.

And that made no sense, did it?

Eh, whatever...

"Peter, maybe you should get some sleep..."

"Yeah," I say, yawning as I lean back onto the pillow. "Sleep off the liquor..."

She sighs, and lays down next to me. After a few moments, I wrap an arm around her, and she snuggles up to me in an adorable way.

"Good night, Peter," she whispers.

"Good night, Rainbow Dash..."

And, with that, I practically pass out, as my first time being drunk has been pleasantly exhausting.

Please note, I made this chapter so that it could serve as a mood breaker. Nothing more. Just a way to break up the mood between chapters.

Hungover

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That's the general gist of what goes through my mind as I wake up.

The barrage of pure confuzzlemuzionment and profound lack of intelimegence is actually astounding. I can't even look into a light without having to cover my eyes....

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Oh, my aching head...

"Good morning, Peter," I hear. I wince at how ridiculously loud...whoever it is that's saying that is.

"Ugaahgaha," I believe I say. I'm not sure.

"I see you're feeling well," the feminine voice snickers.

"Fuck you," I mumble. I feel an insurmountable amount of hatred for whoever is speaking rise up within me. "Just leave me alone...Stop being so loud...Turn off the light, please...Ugh..."

I hear a snickering. "See, kids? This is what happens if ya' drink. Now, Ah want y'all to promise me that you'll never look like this guy, here."

I hear three young voices say, "yes, Applejack..."

So. Fucking. Loud.

"Doesn't anyone have any ibuprofen?" I ask, struggling to focus as I take deep breaths. I don't know how to overcome a hangover, as I'm pretty sure that's what I'm experiencing right now, but I've had a migraine before, so I'm accustomed to people sawing my brainz open.

"Ibu...profen?" I hear a southern accent ask. Might be Applejack. Then again, might be Lori, Rick's late wife. "What's that, sugarcube?"

Probably Lori.

"Painkillers," I explain. "Like...Motrin? Advil? Tylenol?"

"Oh, you mean like Pain-b-Gone?" I hear a squeaky voice ask. I wince, and scoff at whoever spoke. "Not so loud...My head is killing me..."

I hear pills rattling, and I silently mutter in gratitude, "pills here..."

I feel a canister hit my knee, and I grasp it, attempting to shake some pills out. However, it's to no avail, as the cap is still on.

"Can...Can you take the cap off?" I ask, squinting as I struggle to see who it is that stands before me. I'm eventually able to see the world as it is once more, and I notice that it is a cyan Pegasus.

"If you can get that bottle open," she says with a smirk.

I grimace. "You do know I have fingers, right?" With that, I proceed to open the bottle. It doesn't even have a child-safety lock: it's just a simple twist off.

"Well, you're obviously not that hung-over," Rainbow Dash says softly.

As if on cue, I feel something...Bad. Just...Bad.

And then, I lean over the edge of my bed, and hurl.

Fortunately, the ponies have set up a trough next to my bed, so it simply pans out throughout the...pan.

"Eugh, gross!" I hear, as well as several gags. I look over, and see that there are three young foals, all frowning at me in disgust. They all immediately turn to Applejack, and begin promising like they're talking to some sort of holy mother.

"We promise, we'll never drink, Applejack! Never, ever, ever!"

I hear a small "hmph." "Never, ever, ever?"

"Never ever ever ever ever ever ever!"

I hear a small chuckle. "Well, shucks. But Ah've still gotta show you one thing. Mostly for you, Sweetie Belle."

"Really, darling, is this necessary?" I make out Rarity's form, frowning at Applejack. "In all honesty, I don't think Sweetie Belle needs to see Twilight in this state..."

I perk up, but my head pounds as I sit up. I press a hand to my forehead, and I feel something get thrust into my hand.

"Peter, take this pill," I hear Rainbow Dash say softly. "Go on, babe. Take it. It'll get rid of the headache."

I look to her with a scowl, and she snickers lightly. "Peter, you're so cute when you act pissed off..."

"I hate you so much right now," I mutter as I take the painkillers. They almost immediately work, and I feel the haze slowly lifting.

"Whoa," I say. "What in the hell are in these things?"

"They're magic," Rainbow Dash explains. "Twilight would probably know more about it than I do. It has something to do with numbing the nervousy system with the magical sparky stuff...I dunno. But it sure works within ten seconds flat!"

I nod. "Yeah. But I still feel like my liver is going to implode..."

With that, I hurl into the trough once more. Rainbow pats me on the back, but pulls back as Applejack just so happens to turn around.

"Rare, look, Ah 'ppreciate the sentiment, but she's gotta see what alcohol does t' a unicorn."

"We've been at this for a good five minutes," Rarity sighs. "Just show her the poor thing, already..."

I look over, curious to see the effects of a hangover on a unicorn. Applejack pulls apart the curtains, and I see Twilight, fast asleep.

Rainbow Dash has a sharp intake of breath, as if in shock. I frown at her. "I don't get it," I mutter. "What's so bad about Twilight being asleep?"

"She's not just asleep," Rainbow Dash whispers to me. "Look at her horn."

I oblige, and I strain my eyes to see the minute details of her horn. At first, all seems normal. "I don't see-"

And that's when I notice it.

The horn seems to alive with inflamed, vein-like lines coursing throughout its surface.

"What's up with her horn?" I ask.

"I don't exactly know, but what I do know is that her horn is connected directly to her brain. Like, super directly. And because of that, it gets physically messed up by a hang over, and not just mentally, or in terms of her powers."

I take a deep breath. "Must suck to be her...Thank God she's asleep, though..."

Rainbow Dash nods, and Rarity immediately pulls shut the curtains around Twilight's bed.

"Applejack, please, stop showing her atrocious state to these poor girls!" Rarity whines.

Unfortunately, as she whines, her voice pierces my very being.

The medicine is already wearing off.

"Apparently, your 'magic medicine' works in and for ten seconds, flat," I mutter, rubbing my head as the pain comes back in full force.

"That's weird," Rainbow mutters. She reaches over for the pills, and immediately throws them in the trash with a sheepish grin.

"Theeeeeyyy were a bit past their expiration date," she says with a shrug.

"How long ago did they expire?" I ask. I wince as Pinkie Pie joins into the conversation over yonder. "Can't they be quiet..."

"They expired, uh...Two years ago," Rainbow Dash says with yet another sheepish grin. I simply stare at her. I feel like leaping out of bed and choking her. But that would require physical action, which I don't really want to do. Ever.

"What'ver," I mumble, rubbing my aching temples. "Could you close the curtains? I'm going to get some sleep..."

She nods, and immediately pulls the curtains around the bed shut. I lay back with a hefty sigh, realizing that it did nothing to block out the sound.

"Could you get my bag? I wanna use my iPod and my headphones..."

She nods again, and leaves, only to return a second later with my bag in her mouth.

"Anything else?" Rainbow asks, softly. I'm surprised by the lack of sarcasm in her voice.

"Uh, no," I respond. "You can go talk with everypony, if you want. You don't have to stay here."

She sighs as I put my headphones on, and I hesitate to turn on my music. "You okay?" I ask.

"Well...Remember how you stayed at the hospital for me?" Rainbow responds as I take off my headphones. "I...Shouldn't I stay here, with you? I mean...I ant to be here for you, and I feel like I should..."

"Well," I respond, "if you want to, then I don't see why not."

She smiles at me, and immediately crawls into bed, right by my side, and wraps a foreleg around me.

"Whoa," I remark, "switching the roles, eh?" Rainbow Dash giggles, and rubs my shoulder with her hoof. I simply smile, and put my headphones to the side as I snuggle into the cyan Pegasus.

"Go to sleep, Peter," Rainbow Dash whispers. "I'm right here, sweetheart."

I smile at how emotional she's acting. "Since when were you so sappy and soft, Rainbow?" I ask as I nuzzle her chest. "It's cute..."

I can tell that she's blushing, even though I can't see her face. Her accelerated heartbeat tells me everything I need to know.

"Shut up, Peter..." She mutters. I giggle softly into her chest, but stop as my head pounds again.

"We need to switch spots," I say, urgently. She immediately flips me over, putting me closer to the trough on the floor. I spew the contents of my stomach into it, gasping for air as I dry heave.

"God, I fucking hate being hung over," I mutter as my brain gives me another good ol' kick in the head. "I'm never drinking again..."

"That's the spirit," Rainbow Dash says with a snicker. I give her the finger over my back, and end up having to explain what it means.

"Oh, okay," she says softly. She snuggles into my back, and wraps her hooves around my waist. "Is it okay if I hold you like this? It doesn't hurt or anything?"

I smile with a small chuckle. "It's fine, Dash..." I mutter as my eyelids begin to feel heavy. "I'm going to go to sleep..."

What I say next should be punishable by death.

"Wake me up when I'm hungry..."

With that, I fall asleep, a heavy sense of shame weighing down on my entire being.

Note from the Author

If you can't tell, I'm writing a few "happy" chapters to break the pace of the seriousness. For those of you who want sincere plot development and whatnot, don't worry, I'll get back to that. I just don't want to heap it all on too fast. Pacing is superior, especially when crazy shit like Grendel and Spike and stuff just happened. I need a bit of time to flesh out the character's reactions to it, so that way, when the plot starts up again, you can actually make a definitive link between how they reacted, to how they act in certain situations due to radical changes in who they are and what they believe in. So expect a fair amount of nonsense, just to break the pace, but also expect a fair amount of character development, in which you can understand why they do something because of one small thing that would otherwise go unnoticed, etc., etc.

Decisions

I grumble as I feel somepony attempt to shake me into wakefulness.

"Leave me alone," I mumble, covering my face with a pillow.

"Peter, the Princess wants to speak to you," I hear somepony whisper into my ear.

I lean over my bed, and hurl. Not from knowing the Princess wants to speak to me, but because I'm still hungover. My first hangover hasn't been...Enjoyable, to say the least.

"Why?" I say, my voice raspy and almost inaudible.

"I don't know," the pony whispers. "But she's not smiling at all. It's probably super serious."

I sigh, and sit up with a grunt. "Can't I have some breakfast first?" I ask. I'm presented with a plate of toast, which I promptly wolf down. That should carry me for a day or so. I don't eat much. The most I eat is breakfast and dinner, to be totally honest.

"Alright," I say after I finish wiping my mouth, "I'm ready."

Rainbow nods, and helps me out of the bed. However, before I leave, she pops a mint into my mouth. "You need this. Just sayin'."

I nod, and suck on the mint with vigor. As soon as my breath is minty fresh, the cyan Pegasus helps me fully out of the bed.

"Peter."

I turn to see Celestia, frowning at me in apparent discontent.

"I see you enjoyed yourself last night," she states. "Now, come. We must speak in private."

I nod, and follow the allicorn to her study, my head pounding each time my one of my feet slams down on the marble floor.

"Sit," she commands. I oblige, and gratefully plop down in the chair across from her. I rub my temples, and she sits across from me, a stern stare blessing her royal face.

"You didn't tell me you spoke to It," she states. Something about what she says, or the way she says it, sends a chill down my spine. But I don't exactly remember what "it" is...

Uhhhhhh...It, it, it...Oh! Right, right; Grendel! Yeah, that's why I got a drink in the first place, because I was almost responsible for...

Murder.

Ah.

Yes.

You know what? I wouldn't mind having a few beers right about now...

"Yeah," I mutter. "I, uh...I spoke to him."

She narrows her eyes at me. "Why didn't you tell me? We could've captured it, we could have sealed it away!"

"That's exactly why," I snap back, irritability giving my words a sharp edge. "Because it's not some kind of monster. It's not some kind of evil. It's just a living being that is alone, and feeds off of pain. It doesn't know any better, but we can teach it."

"No," Celestia says. "We can't have something that lives off of pain in Equestria. It would bring everything we've worked so hard to achieve to shambles! To have rampant pain throughout Equestria would poison the hearts and minds of ponies, and they would begin to attack each other. We can't have that. We need to get rid of this."

"Then how about we use it," I growl, rubbing my temples as the debate inflames my hangover. "We teach it a sort of code. Like that of Dexter Morgan: we make it only kill killers. Or how about we let it torture prisoners? How about we use it?"

Celestia shakes her head. "No, Peter. It would get out of control. I tried the same thing with Discord. It didn't work. He went mad with power."

I perk up, intrigued. "What was he like before he went mad?"

"Like Pinkie Pie," she responds with a sigh. "But then, he betrayed Luna and I...But that's not the point right now. The point is that we can't let this thing live in Equestria."

"His name is Grendel," I spit at her. "And we can't just kill it, Celestia. It's a living being, and it doesn't know any better! It deserves a fair chance!"

"It killed Spike!" She spits back. My head throbs as my ears shriek in pain. "We can't let it live!"

"He killed Spike because it needed food," I argue. "He did nothing wrong. He didn't know any better! He never had parents to teach him right from wrong! He doesn't understand!"

"Enough!" Celestia roars. The shout resonates to my very core, and I shrink back in my chair, cautiously and fearfully watching the Princess. "I am the Princess of Equestria, and I say that Grendel presents a threat to my domain!" Her eyes begin to darken in color, and I turn back as the door slams shut. "And I shall not have some two-legged beast spare a creature at the cost of the lives of thousands!"

I gulp. "P-Princess...Calm down," I stammer, trying not to faint or just let my head explode.

She glares at me for a few seconds, seething and blinking. She's apparently having some kind of internal struggle, as she continuously twitches her eye once in a while. Finally, after what feels like an eternity, she closes her eyes, takes a deep breath, and sits back, composing herself as she folds in her wings.

"I apologize," she says, slowly and carefully after several minutes. "Equestria has never been in this situation before..."

I cock my head in confusion. "What do you mean? There was Discord, and Nightmare Moon, and..."

"I mean on the verge of a world war," Celestia interrupts me. I frown in confusion. "What?"

"If this...Grendel, continues unchecked, then it will eventually realize that the best way to gain pain is to start a war. It's inevitable. I've run every possibility through magical emulation, but...No such luck. There's no way we could keep it alive, and yet avoid war at the same time..."

I sigh, and rub my neck. Obviously, Celestia has thought of this quite a lot. And she doesn't want anything bad to happen to her people-uh, ponies. "Wouldn't sealing it away keep it alive?"

"Not fully," she responds. Thank goodness it's not so damn loud in here anymore... "It would be half dead. It could still break free, but not without an immense amount of pain..."

I frown, rubbing my temples as my headache's earthquake slowly settles. "Where would you seal it away?" I ask, hoping that she doesn't say "in stone". Stone has proven to be an inadequate form of storage for evil entities, unfortunately.

"That's why I must speak to you."

I look up in surprise. "You mean this whole thing wasn't the point of me coming here?"

She nods, and pours something into a glass. I notice that it's wine, and I put a hand up before she can take a sip. "Celestia, put down the wine, and tell me why I'm here."

She looks at me with a sad, blank stare for a few moments, before reluctantly setting down the glass. "You're here because you spoke to him," Celestia sighs, "and we believe that it would not dislike residing within you."

My pupils dilate as she reveals that little morsel of information. I feel myself about to vomit, and not from the hangover.

"You're going to seal Grendel away in...in....in me?"

She nods, very slowly, and I feel a shudder go down my spine. "But...Why?"

"It spoke to you because it does not want to be alone," she explains. "Somepony saw you and him in that alleyway, when you first spoke. They heard him saying that he was grateful that he wasn't alone. We thought that, perhaps, the best way to seal him away would be to put him in you, so he could experience the magic of friendship."

I gulp, and massage my stomach. "So...You're asking for my permission?"

I don't need to see her nod to know the answer. This is truly a horrifying prospect. The idea of having some demonic entity sealed within me...Oh, God...

"I...I need some time to think," I mutter. "Mostly because I don't understand what that would do..."

"Nothing," she replies. "The only way it would ever awaken is if you were to feel extreme agony, an agony unlike any other. Its powers would be dormant, as well as its conscience. All it would experience is what you experience. And, eventually, it will become part of you, and will be no more than a memory."

I nod. In all honesty, it seems like a promising theory. Not only could I save Grendel, but I could help him. He wouldn't have to be alone anymore. He would experience what I experience. He would have friends. He would have a girlfriend. And then, he would leave. And he would be at peace with himself.

Assuming, of course, that nothing goes wrong.

I want to go back. I want to sleep with Rainbow Dash, and tell Celestia that I will think about it.

But I know that I won't. I know that I'll blow it off, and try to escape it.

But no. I have to choose now. I can't sit by, I need to act.

"Okay," I say to Celestia, letting the words tumble out of my mouth and shatter on the floor. "Alright. I'll do it."

She nods, and sighs. "Next time he visits here, we will capture him," she explains. "And then, we will seal him away in you." Celestia smiles at me, and practically jumps over the desk to hug me. "Thank you, Peter. Thank you, thank you! I know how difficult of a choice this is! You are truly a man of true strength!"

I chuckle awkwardly, and throw the wine bottle a glance.

And that's when I see the four empty bottles next to it.

"Uh, Celestia," I mutter, extricating myself from her embrace, "I think you've had enough to drink..."

She looks over at the empty bottles, and blushes. "Oh...Silly me. I must have drank more than I knew! I apologize...You can go back to Rainbow Dash, now. I'll just, uh...Clean up the rest of the wine."

I raise an eyebrow as she sits down at her desk. "Yeah. 'Clean up,'" I mutter under my breath as I leave the room.

However, before I've made it out, she calls after me. I turn back with a raised eyebrow, inquiring as to what she demands of me.

"All joking and present alcohol aside," she says, very seriously, "you can't tell anypony about this. Not Rainbow Dash, not Pinkie Pie, not even Applejack. I'm going to tell Twilight once all is said and done, but until then, do not discuss this with anypony. Understand?"

I nod, and she waves a hoof in dismissal. I depart, an uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach.

With a slight wobble in my step, I make my way back to the guest chambers, and see that Rainbow Dash is wringing her tail just by the door.

"Peter! You're back!" She cries as I enter. She blushes, and makes sure not to look back at any of the ponies behind her. "I mean...Hey. What took you so long, asshole?"

I smirk at her, but groan as another wave of nausea overtakes me. I manage to make it over to the trough before I blow my chunks.

"She wanted to make sure I didn't do anything stupid last night," I manage to force out, answering the question that had been interrupted by my vomiting. I lay down on the bed, holding a hand to my forehead as my headache starts up again. "Don't worry...I didn't."

Rainbow Dash nods, and looks back at the ponies in the room. I don't care much about what they're doing, seeing as how I'm about to have what could pass as a demon stored within myself. Hopefully the cyan Pegasus can help take my mind off of things...

"Go ahead, Rainbow," I hear Rarity say. "Go, accompany your sweetheart, darling. Do as your heart calls."

"He's not my sweetheart," Rainbow growls.

"Could've fooled me," I hear Applejack insert. I hear some laughter, and almost immediately feel Rainbow Dash on the bed, and then hear her pull the curtains shut. I open my eyes to look at her, and see that she's blushing.

"Rainbow," I say softly, "am I your sweetheart?"

She looks down at me with a small smile. "Of course, babe," she whispers as she sits next to me.

"Pussy," I remark with a small smile. I close my eyes, and settle into the bed.

And then a pillow slams down on my face.

"Fuck you, Peter," Rainbow grumbles as I laugh. Despite my headache, I continue to laugh, and turn to look at her. She's bushing, and looking down, almost as if she's committed some sort of crime. I sit up, ignoring my headache, and then pull her right back down onto the bed with me. As she falls, she lets our a small yelp of surprise, and begins to laugh.

"What the hell, Peter?" She says as she punches me in the arm. "That could've hurt me, you dumb fuck!"

I laugh, and look her right in the eyes. She looks back, and we both smile with a small blush.

"You know...There's nothing wrong with you calling me your sweetheart," I say as I rest a hand on her hip. "In fact, I think it's kind of cute..."

She lets out a tiny chuckle, and raises her hoof to my arm. "Yeah, I know. But it's more fun to call you my bitch..."

"Hey!" We share a small laugh, mostly because we know it's true. I'm pretty much her bitch.

"So...Feelin' any better, bitch?" She asks, jokingly. I smile, and bring myself a little closer to her.

"Yeah," I respond. "I'm starting to feel a bit better..."

She smiles at me, and I reach up towards her face. That, and a greater goal.

"Is it because of me?"

I shake my head with a sly smile. "Nope. It's because of this!" I cry as I hit her with a pillow. She lets out a shriek of laughter, and hits me with her own weaponized bag of feathers.

"Pillow fight," I declare as I sit up, holding my pillow defensively. We repeatedly hit each other, laughing continuously as we assault each other.

Finally, I drop my pillow, and vomit into the trough.

"Time's up," I joke as I finish expelling beer-shit from my stomach. "That was the bell..."

Rainbow laughs, and hits me with a pillow once more as I sit up.

"Sorry," she says with a sheepish giggle. I giggle along with her, and shuffle a bit closer to her.

"Y'know," I say, leaning over to bring my face right in front of hers, "we haven't-"

"Yeah, cool," she says, holding her nose with a hoof. Opening a drawer in the night table, she takes out another breath mint and presents it to me. "Don't speak until you get the garbage-colt out of your mouth..."

I nod, and pop the mint into my mouth. Ten minutes later, my palette is burning with cleanliness. "This better?" I ask, returning my face to in front of hers. I let my lips wander tantalizingly close to hers as she smells my breath.

"Loads," she responds, her lips lightly brushing against mine. "So, what were you saying before?"

"We never had a first date yet," I say, happy to finally have gotten that out. "Maybe we should make plans to go out sometime soon?"

She smiles, and lets her lips brush against mine again as she speaks. "I'm pretty sure that giving me an orgasm counts as a pretty damn good first date."

I blush as I remember that terrible day at the Wonderbolts. "Don't even," I mutter. "Just...Don't fucking even."

Rainbow laughs, and wraps her hind legs around me. "You liked it, Peter. You loved it..."

As she speaks, I wrap my arms around her back, to help support her. Unfortunately, I haven't realized that she's straddling me yet. I don't normally associate straddling with ponies.

"Just lay down," she whispers, pressing her forehooves to my chest, "and let good ol' Rainbow Dash take care of everything..."

I chuckle. I have no idea what she's talking about. Meanwhile, I have the dirtiest mind out of everybody I know. Strange, how these things work, huh?

It isn't until she starts pulling down my pants that I realize what she's doing.

"NO!" I cry, pulling my pants all the way back up. "That escalated rather quickly, Rainbow Dash!" I warn her. "You can't just...You can't just jump into something like that!" My voice leaps several octaves as I speak. I'm truly panicked.

"I mean, Jesus...Rainbow, I like you, but I'm not ready for sex!"

I back away from her, unwilling to so much as touch her after that.

"Sorry," she mutters. "I thought you were ready..."

I fake laughter. "Haha! No! Nope, nope, nope!"

Rainbow Dash's ears shrink back in shame, and she looks down at the bed, her eyes closed. "Sorry, Peter..."

I nod. "You'd better be," I growl. "I mean, for fuck's sake...I was nowhere near ready for that..."

She sighs, and places her hoof on the curtain. "I'll leave, if you want to be alone," she says, softly. I have two thoughts at the same time:

One: I should comfort her. She's obviously confused. She wants to be closer to me, but I keep pushing her way. I should just calm down, and tell her what I'm thinking. And then, we can restructure our relationship from there, and perhaps even become closer and more level-headed because of it.

And two: I should let her go. It would be awkward if she were to stay. And, besides, she's going to keep repeating this cycle. She'll keep trying to get closer to me, and I, more likely than not, will not be ready. And then, she'll pull this crap again, and I'll end up right back in the same spot. I've been through this already, with my last girlfriend. I don't want to repeat that. Not again.

However, this time is different. Last time, my girlfriend was a fat pig, and I didn't even notice. Her mother had a mustache, for fuck's sake. But Rainbow is different. She's beautiful, and she's much more mature than my ex was, or ever will be. She's not some kind of pig that says "jizz" and "cum" in front of my father. Plus, I'm not going to school, so there's no way for me to actually fuck up anything. So, I make a decision.

I just hope it's the right one.

"Rainbow," I say, softly. "Come here."

She does so, and I pat a spot next to me on the bed. "Sit down."

She sits next to me, and I wrap an arm around her. I rub her foreleg, and grasp her forehoof. "Rainbow, I wasn't ready for that," I explain, softly. "And I'm sorry for flipping out on you. But we have got to slow down, okay? I enjoy snuggling with you, and I definitely enjoy spending time with you. But we have to slow down. I mean, we've only known each other for a month. And we've been dating for about...what, two, three days, now? That's a bit early to start making love, don't you think?"

She nods, and I smile at her. "I want this to work, Rainbow. I like you. I do. But if you're not mature enough for a relationship..." I let the sentence finish itself.

"No!" She cries, turning to place her hooves on my shoulders. "Please, no! Don't break up with me! I'm mature enough! I swear!"

I smile, and grasp her hoof. "Only time will tell," I whisper. "But don't change for me, Dash. Don't change just to make me happy. I don't want that. All I want is for you to be you, except to slow things down a tiny bit."

She nods. "I can do that! I can slow down! I won't fly, I won't try out for the Wonderbolts..."

"Whoa, whoa," I say, waving my hands in front of her face, "earth to Dash. I don't want you to actually slow down! God, no! If you stopped flying for me, I would load you into a cannon and make you fly!" She laughs at that, and I keep going. "I just want you to not take our relationship so damn seriously. We don't need to go onto the next step now, we don't even need to do it tomorrow, or next week, or the week after that. It's perfectly fine as it is, okay?"

Rainbow Dash smiles, and nods. "Yeah...Yeah, it is."

I smile, and kiss her. She seems to desperately hold on to the kiss, and I pull away before she can get too involved. "Alright?" I say, softly, rubbing her shoulders.

"Okay," she replies with a small smile. "I get it. I'll try to be more mature, okay, Peter?"

I nod. "Alright. Just don't be too mature. I don't want you to start getting boring."

She laughs. "As if I could get boring..."

"I dunno...In that hospital, you were pretty fucking boring."

She punches me in the arm, and I let out a small yelp, rubbing my arm in pain. "Fuck...Do you have to hit so hard?"

"Yes."

I laugh, and flinch as she lifts her hoof again. "Wow, Peter, you're pretty jumpy...TWO FOR FLINCHING!"

Pain. Pain.

"Stop hitting me, please," I sigh, rubbing my arms. I feel as if the hangover is out of my system, but I'm still rather cranky.

Rainbow is about to hit me again, when Applejack opens the curtains with a rather pissed off expression.

"Y'all do know that we could see everythin' you were doin', right?" She says. Rainbow Dash and I frown at her. "What're you talking about?"

"When Rainbow straddled yah, and yah freakin' out," she explains. The both of us blush, and move away from each other.

"Rainbow, Ah need t' have a talk with yah," Applejack says.

"I already spoke to her," I say. "You don't have to, I've got it."

"Well, in that case," Applejack says, "Ah've got t' talk ter' you, too, Peter."

I sigh, but don't object to it at all. "Alright then. Lay it on us..."

"Not here," Applejack says. "We're gunna go get some lunch. Ah'll talk t' y'all in a private booth, in one of 'dem restaurants."

I exchange a look with Rainbow Dash, and I shrug. "Alright then."

"Uh-uh," Rainbow Dash says. "I'm not going to let you lecture me on my love life."

"Actually, yeah, you are," I tell her. "Because you don't have a love life. You don't love me, and I don't love you. We've known each other for a month. Love is impossible at this stage of the game."

Rainbow Dash rolls her eyes, and looks up to Applejack. "Alright, let's go..." She says with a sigh. "Better than having my own boyfriend insult me..."

I raise my hands in confusion. "What the hell did I do?"

"Let's go," Applejack commands. "Ah don't want none of this stupid stuff, y' hear me? Ah just wanna get this over with."

I nod, and follow the orange pony out the door. Rainbow Dash reluctantly follows, wistfully eying the sky. I can't wait until she gets her bandages off. Maybe then, I can actually see a Sonic Rainboom, up close and personal...

We quickly arrive at a small diner, which we promptly enter. Despite the grandeur of Canterlot, there are quite a lot of quaint, small stores around here.

We enter, and find a seat. Within a few minutes, we've ordered some food and Applejack is already sorting through her saddlebags and setting aside bits.

As we sit there, me waiting for my eggs, Rainbow for her...eggs, and Applejack for her hay and cheese sandwich, Applejack opens her mouth to speak.

To be totally honest, nothing could have prepared me for what she says.

Decisions (Part ¥)

"Ah think you two should make love," Applejack says silently, so as not to alert our fellow diners as to our conversation.

I clench my jaw. I can practically feel my pupils dilate.

"I'm sorry, the fuck did you just say?" I ask the work pony.

"Ah said-"

"I heard you," I interrupt her. "I'm just having a hard time believing that I heard you say that."

"Who cares?" Rainbow Dash giggles excitedly. "What're we waiting for!? C'mon, Peter let's-"

"No," I cut across. "Not until Applejack explains why." Rainbow Dash sighs, and crosses here forelegs with a pout.

"Ah think that y'all should make love 'cus it would bring ya closer t'gether," Applejack explains as I raise an eyebrow. "An', it'd help ya get over th' fact that she's a pony. Y'see, Ah was thinkin' that if you do somethin' as emotional as make love, then you'd see how she's not really that different from you after all!"

I shake my head, and rub my eyes. "I don't mean to sound rude, but...I am not going to put my cock in a pony's cunt," I mutter under my breath. Applejack jumps a bit, shocked by my vulgar language, and Rainbow Dash punches me in the shoulder.

"That's mean," she growls.

"Yet true," I retort. Which rewards me another punch.

"Peter, there are some things in life we don't wanna do," Applejack says, reaching across the table to grab my hand with a hoof. "But to be happy, and to make sure that we keep the people we love happy, we've got t' do them. In this case, yah've got t' do Rainbow Dash."

I pinch the bridge of my nose, and Rainbow Dash whispers something into my ear.

"You know you want to," she whispers in a seductive tone of voice.

I grind my teeth, and pull my hand away from Applejack's hooves. "No. I won't do it. I won't have sex with Rainbow Dash."

Applejack sighs. "Even if it means that you'll end up breakin' up?"

This gives me pause. "No," I respond after a few minutes. "I would do it to keep he-" I cut myself off as I turn to Rainbow Dash, and take a deep breath. "Rainbow Dash, if it meant that I would prevent us from breaking up any time soon, I would do it. But...as it is...I don't know if I can."

Rainbow Dash nods, and bears a small smile. "Peter, I won't break up with you just because you can't have sex with me. I mean, I'd like to have sex with you, but that doesn't mean I'll break up with you if we don't."

"Yeah, well, I don't believe in pre-marital sex," I point out. "I may not be devout, but when it comes to values, I'm a true Catholic or Christian or whatever-I-am. I keep forgetting. But that doesn't matter. What matters is that unless we get married, I'm not going to have sex anytime soon. I mean, wing massages are fine, and up to third base or whatever is fine, but all the way? Yeah, no. Not until marriage."

Rainbow Dash's jaw drops, and I can't help but laugh. "What? Is abstinence really that much of a crazy idea to you?"

She shakes her head "no," and I give another of my misgivings.

"Not only that, but I want to have more of an emotional relationship," I explain. "I've had a relationship that was based on physical contact, alone. It didn't end so well, because she and I never liked each other. We just enjoyed what we did with each other."

Rainbow Dash raises an eyebrow. "What'd you do with her? What, did you two grind, or-"

"Can we change the subject?" Applejack butts in. "Or are we gunna have t' keep takin' 'bout yer' sex lives all day?"

I chuckle, and nod. "Yeah, let's. Rainbow and I can talk about this later."

Rainbow opens her mouth to speak, but it's then that the food arrives, and I immediately scoop up some eggs and shove them in her mouth.

"No talk-talk," I declare. "Eat!"

With that equivalent to the Gettysburg Address, I turn to my eggs and begin to chow down, up, left, right, diagonal, and backwards. I ignore the strange looks Rainbow gives me as she swallows her eggs, and I set aside my fork.

"Peter," Applejack says carefully, "Ah think ya' ate those a bit too fast."

Rainbow Dash nods, and does the one thing no pony should.

SHE SPEAKS WITH A FULL MOUTH. THE AUDACITY!

"Yeah, Perrer. You ferrished jhem in, fwike, tenffff seconds fwat."

I can't help but laugh as egg hits Applejack in the face. "Really, Rainbow? Ah mean, come on. Even mah manners'r better than that."

Rainbow Dash swallows, before saying, "eh, fuck you Applejack."

I practically burst out laughing. Rainbow and I share a quick bro hoof before I pull out my iPod to check the time.

"Oh, shit," I mutter. "Hey, do either of you have the time? And the date? And the year? And the time zone?"

Rainbow raises an eyebrow at me. "I know the date and year," she says. "It's 83 3rd, 1008."

I put away my iPod. "Well, shit. My iPod doesn't have months like that. It has names that make fucking sense."

"It makes sense," Applejack says. "Our calendar starts from when Celestia sealed away Nightmare Moon. And we have ten months in each year, and we count up the ten months for a whole decade. So, startin' from the year 1000, the month resets to 1, an' in the year 1010, it will reset after month 99, year 1009. An' there are thirty days in each month. We jus' reset 'em every month."

I can't help but admire the simplistic system. I mean, Augustus and Julius never ruled in Equestria, so they never made their own flipping months (August and July). Also, it seems like the date could be counted by just using an abacus, which is very convenient.

"Alright, it makes sense," I admit. "So, my iPod is not useful as a clock at all. Damn you, Steve Jobs...Almost as bad as Slender-"

I stop talking. Why didn't I think of this earlier?! First off, I'm pretty sure I have a morph suit in my bag. Secondly, I'm pretty sure I have videos of Markiplier playing Slender: Haunt on my iPad. Well, that, and some random Internet connection. I don't know how it works here, so don't ask me.

That, and I have amazing Bob Marley headphones.

And speaking of horror games, I have videos of Cry of Fear, Emma's Story, and...Something else! Oh my God, this is brilliant!

"Rainbow Dash," I declare giving her an evil grin.

"Yesh?" She asks through her eggs. I wince as an egg lands on my cheek. I flick it off, and continue.

"When we get back to the guest chambers, I am going to scare the ever living shit out of you!"

She raises an eyebrow. "Doubt it."

"You will never look at mannequins in the same way again," I whisper to her. "Especially not after I show you Emma's Story...That, or SCP-173...Or the Weeping Angels...Oh, Lordy, the amount of options is too damn high!"

Rainbow Dash simply gives me a weird look. "Whatever. I just hope we can get this sex thing settled out..."

I nod. "I kind of don't want to think about that right now, though. Wait, never mind: Applejack, what did you hope to accomplish by bringing us here?"

Rainbow Dash frowns. "Yeah, Applejack. It seems like we're at the same point where we started..."

The work pony shrugs. "Ah didn't really know. Ah just wanted to make sure everythin' was okay between you two, that's all."

I do a facepalm, and then press my other palm to my face because one facepalm isn't enough for this. "So you just wasted our time with talking about sex for nothing?"

"Nah," Applejack responds. "Ah think Ah got you two t' come t' a sort of agreement, an' maybe understand each other a bit more. Which is an achievement in mah books."

I shrug. "Yeah, I guess you're right..."

Applejack nods, and swallows her hay before asking a question. "So, what's this "Cry o' Fear" thing you were goin' on about?"

I clear my throat, and explain it from the ground up, starting at the physics engine "Quake," then on to "Gold Source," the on to "Source," then on to "Source 2" (which is currently under development. [No joke, I'm going to break the fourth wall here, if you didn't know, it is. That's why Half Life 3 is taking so long to come out. Plus, it's going to be open world.]) I also explain how Cry of Fear takes Quake and makes it better than Source, and also about how it is one of the scariest mods of all time.

Of course, Rainbow Dash doesn't believe me. So, I explain Emma's Story.

I start at Amnesia, and all the gory aspects of it. I smile as she shivers. Mission: Complete.

Since I won't be showing her vanilla Amnesia, I don't care about spoiling that. But I won't spoil Emma's Story. No, I want to see her reactions to that. They will be fucking priceless.

"Gee," she says, "sounds scary..." She sees my smirk, and shakes her head. "I-I mean, I can tough it out!"

I laugh, and muss up her mane. "Sure, whatever. We'll see about that when you're shitting yourself..."

She rolls her eyes, and I decided to change the subject. "So, Applejack, how're you doing with...recent events?"

She sighs. "It's tragic, but...he's in a better place now. Ah jus' hope Twi' can hold in there..." I nod, and look to Rainbow Dash. "What about you? You haven't said much about it."

"I think it's best not to talk about it," she says softly. "When it comes to friends passing away, I think it's best to give it some time to settle before I speak about it. But you two are more than welcome to talk about it, just, please...Don't ask for my opinion."

I nod, and realize that she must have matured because of Spike's passing. While she still acts immature at times, her inner maturity has boosted, and she's less likely to be a complete fool.

"So, Peter, how d'ya feel 'bout Spike?" Applejack asks me. I simply shrug.

"I didn't know him very well, so it's not so shaking for me. Plus, death is such a common thing where I come from that it barely fazes me. Albeit, it's a scary concept, but I'm hardened to it, and I appreciate the fact that I don't fully understand it."

Applejack nods, and drops a few bits on the table. "Ah think that should cover the food," she remarks as she stands. I hadn't noticed that both she and Rainbow had finished their food. I nod, and stand with them as we walk out into the soft mid-day, autumn sun.

"Awwwww!" Rainbow cries out. "I missed the Autumns Falling!" She sighs in defeat. "Oh, well...There's always next year, right?"

I shrug. "I don't even know what you're talking about."

"It's when a bunch of Pegasi get together to bring autumn," she explains. I notice that crisp leaves are crunching underfoot, and I look at the trees to see that they've changed color. "We go into a stock of dead leaves, and make a giant twister. When it's super crazy, we bring it up to the atmosphere, where it gets to be too low of a pressure to sustain the winds. At that point, the twister essentially explodes outwards, and we let the resulting air currents carry the leaves around the world and get dumped down everywhere. That makes sure that we can have a nice coating of dead leaves, while the leaves on the trees gradually change color and eventually make a blanket over the older leaves. This lets them decompose, and fertilize the soil."

I give a small "humph". "You know quite a lot about this, don't you?"

"Of course!" She cries out. "If I'm gonna be a Wonderbolt, I want to be able to use every one of my skills as a Weather Pony!"

"Like nappin'," Applejack comments. I laugh, and shout "bitch just got served!" The cyan Pegasus rolls her eyes.

"Ugh, fuck the both of you, y'know?" She mutters as she continues to walk along. I laugh, and we continue to have idle conversations. By the end of our walk, I've learned that Applejack is struggling to design a mechanical irrigation system for her orchard. I scratch my chin, and, as we enter the guest chambers, I explain my solution.

"You could have PVC tubing with several valves. Or, just pipes. And you would have to have a large water tank, with a giant pneumatic compressor. Then you could divide each...either acre or square mile into different sections, and gradually install a framework of piping with sprinklers every few yards. Then, the main control panel would have valves for each line, so you could shut down a full strip of irrigation, and then separate valves at joints to shut off specific pipes so that you can alternate the watering cycle..."

"Peter," Rainbow Dash calls. "C'mon, we've got stuff to talk about."

I look over at her, and shrug. "Could it wait? I'm going to work on a design for an irrigation system with Applejack."

She guffaws at me. "Peter, we've go to talk! Fu-" She blushes as she glances over at the fillies in the room. "Forget the irrigation system!"

I look at Applejack with a shrug. "It'll have to wait," I excuse myself as I stand. Applejack nods. "Ah understand, sugarcube."

I nod, and join Rainbow Dash at the door.

"I was going to suggest we go for a walk before we got in," she explains as we leave yet again, "but you got caught up with Applejack..."

I nod, and she beckons for me to follow her. We walk in silence for a few moments, before reaching the outskirts of the city. As soon as we're alone, Rainbow begins to speak.

"I...I've never had a boyfriend before," she admits. "So, I...I don't know what to do. Am I going to fast? Am I...Am I going to lose you?"

I look over at her, and gesture towards a bench overlooking a wide plane. She takes the hint, and takes a seat. I sit next to her, and wrap an arm around her. She rests her head on my shoulder, and rests a hoof on my leg.

"Rainbow Dash, you are going a tiny bit fast." I admit with a small chuckle. "Okay, maybe a tiny bit isn't the right word. In all honesty, I can see how you're known as the fastest pony in all of Equestria..."

She laughs at the joke. "Sorry...I guess I got over-excited. What with an alien being my first boyfriend..."

I smile, and shrug. "Don't worry about it, sweetheart. I should have told you my views on premarital sex before we started dating..."

She punches me in the side. "Don't go trying to make it look like your fault! I shouldn't have tried sex that early. I know Applejack said we should make love, but I'd you're not ready, I'd understand."

I smile at her, and shake my head. "God, you're such a pussy..."

"Fuck you!" She cries. "You're the one who wants an emotional relationship!"

I shrug. "Oh, whatever. I just want to be closer to you...And I like to think of joking around with you as a way to do that."

The cyan Pegasus smiles. "Yeah, it's fun. I like it when you joke with me. So, don't stop or I'll beat the shit out of you."

I smile, and rub the cyan Pegasus' foreleg. "Heh...Don't worry, I won't stop anytime soon. It's too fun to fuck around with you."

She chuckles, and snuggles into me. We sit there in silence for a few moments, enjoying being in one another's presence.

After a while, Rainbow turns to look at me. "So, you said you want to feel closer to me?" She asks me. I look to her, and nod. She takes a deep breath, and snuggles up against me.

"I think you're the nicest, coolest, and all around greatest guy I know. And I'd like to get to know you more, not just as a boyfriend, but also as a friend. So, let's get to best friends, that way we can be super close as boyfriend and girlfriend."

I nod, and smile at her. "Sounds like a plan. Y'know, for an idiot, you've got some pretty good ideas."

Rainbow Dash punches me in the side. "Oh, Celestia, I fucking hate you, Peter..." She mutters. I smile, and ruffle her mane. "Looks like we're one step closer to being best friends, eh?" She nods in agreement, and I can't help but laugh. Now that we have that little blip settled, we may as well...

Watch Emma's Story! Can't believe I almost forgot about that...I mean, I would have Markiplier's babies! How do I just forget him?

"Well, we might as head on back," I tell Rainbow Dash. "I really wanna show you Emma's Story and Cry of Fear..."

Rainbow Dash sighs. "Do we have to? I was just starting to enjoy this!"

"Good," I tell her. "That way you will be able to refer to it as heaven."

She looks at me with a look of confusion. "I don't understand..."

I grin at her. "I'm going to bring you to Tartarus and back."

With that cheery note, I stand, and beckon for her to follow me. She gulps, and follows me.

Oh, I'm going to have fun with this...

Note from the Author

First off, no matter what, the next chapter is going to be the last explicitly Peter and Rainbow Dash chapter for a while. If I break that rule, I will stab myself in the appendix. Which I had removed over the summer, so it's quite a lot of work to find the ashes that constitute the remains of my appendix.

Also, this almost became a "Rainbow rapes Peter" chapter. Thank God it didn't.

Anyway, please, say whether you want to see the aftermath of Rainbow viewing the videos, or if you want to see her reactions to certain parts. Either way, it will be the last explicitly blah blah, I've already said this.

Bye.

Don't follow me.

REVERSE PSYCHOLOGY ASSNUGGETS WOO!!

Also, did you like the title? As in the Part ¥? Yeah, I'm going to use random symbols to designate parts of a chapter from now on. Why? Because you touch yourself at night.

You sick, sick bastard.

Anyway, bye!

Horror

I put the headphones over Rainbow Dash's ears. "Are they comfortable?" I ask. She nods, and I smile at her.

While, yes, I want to simply lay there with my arm around her, and while the time away as we speak to each other, I really want to see her reaction to this video.

The first thing I show her is "Cry of Fear." The first few minutes pass without her getting scared at all.

And then, our main character is hit by a car, and some weird stuff pops us.

Of course, she laughs at Markiplier's comments on the man who appears twice. But she cringes when she sees the man having his head beat against the wall.

Eventually, our hero is holding a camera, and is exiting the square room. He flashes the "x" on the wall, which causes a door to appear.

Rainbow Dash rolls her shoulders, and I can tell she's getting a tiny bit creeped out from how dark the new surroundings are.

Eventually, she sees the dead body, and jumps a bit. I burst into a fit of giddy giggles, as I always do when I manage to scare one of my friends. It's a weird habit of mine, shut up.

Eventually, she sees the hanged man with the twitching head, and she lets out a small gasp of shock. "I don't even," she mutters under her breath. She laughs a bit at what Markiplier has to say, but then returns to being slightly creeped out as the mirror breaks itself. Of course, she laughs quite a lot at Markiplier's comment of "seven years bad luck for you."

And now, we're on to the part I've been waiting for. The holy jump scare.

Markiplier approaches the "x" just before the jump scare, and I can tell that Rainbow Dash has heard the first scream, due to how her shoulders tense up. I hold my breath, ready to burst into laughter any second...

"WHAA!" Rainbow Dash cries, accidentally dropping my iPad as she jumps in shock. I laugh hysterically, and clap her on the back, proud that she let out such a, wait for it...cry of fear. Mmmmmmmm, yes...

"You okay?" I ask her as I pause the video. She chuckles a bit before nodding.

"At least he got just as scared as I did," she mutters. I nod, laughing in an incredibly high-pitched...laugh. Redundancy is redundant.

I pick up the iPad, and rewind it to just after the jump scare occurred. (Breaking the fourth wall now: I'm not going to tell you what the jump scare is. But the video will be below, so go ahead and watch it.) I hand it back to Rainbow Dash, who takes it eagerly, a smile on her face as she laughs off the scare. I simply lean in, eager to watch each of her reactions.

Let the games...

Begin.

Insert obligatory evil laughter here.

As the video ends, I bring her to the first part of Emma's Story.

"Hey," she complains. "I wanna see the rest of that! It looked super cool!"

"Yeah, well," I respond, "it has over twenty parts. And each part is fifteen minutes long. So, I'll show you the six, fifteen-minute long episodes in Emma's Story. By the way, you'll be a tiny bit more scared."

She nods. "Yeah, whatever. I wasn't even that scared..."

I laugh, and kiss her on the cheek. "Okay, keep saying that." She giggles, and lean against her as the video starts.

The first few minutes are, once again, uneventful. The first room is minimally Lovecraftian. I can't say so for the rest of the custom story, but I can say so for the first room and hallway.

As Markiplier finally leaves the room, Rainbow Dash watches on in interest. She raises an eyebrow as he addresses the clock, but says nothing.

Finally, we come up to the part where Markiplier reads the note about the Laudanum. Rainbow Dash bursts into laughter, and recites what he just said. "And go suck a dick, because this is all we're going to give you...Ah, that's priceless!" She enters a small fit of giggles, and I watch, amazed, as she becomes a little filly for a few moments. She composes herself, and continues watching with a small smile on her face. "I like this guy," she comments. I nod with a smile.

However, that smile goes away a bit after Mark gets the lantern, and picks up the Metal Key. She frowns, and tenses her shoulders as the door slams shut behind him, and begins to shiver lightly. I place a hand on her side, and she swats it away with a hoof. I can't help but snicker at how freaked out she's getting.

And then...

The mannequins.

I sit up in excitement. This is the part I was waiting for! She notices my excitement, and tenses up.

"Something's going to happen, isn't it?" She mutters, watching the screen somewhat fearfully. I giggle, and clasp my hands together.

As Markiplier opens the wardrobe, and finds the butler's skin behind the door, Rainbow Dash's shoulders tense, and she pulls back.

And then, when he turns around and sees the mannequins surrounding him, she begins to squirm, and whimper. I can't help but laugh hysterically, even as Markiplier grabs the hammer from the table, and the cyan Pegasus lets out a small yelp.

"I hate fuckin' mannequins," she mutters in a high-pitched voice. I snicker, and watch as the mannequins approach helpless Mark.

And then...

They're gone.

Rainbow Dash lets go of the breath she had been holding in relief, and then tears the headphones off. She immediately buries her face in my shirt, and I'm somewhat taken aback as she shivers off her fear.

"Whoa, Rainbow, you okay?" I ask her, holding her close in an attempt to calm her. "Hey, babe, it's just a video. Nothing's going to hurt you..."

She looks up at me, and shakes her head. "That was scarier than anything I've ever seen in horror movies, ever! The jump scare in Cry of Fear was fine, but those mannequins..." She lets out a small whimper, and buries her face in my shirt once more. I hold her until she's calmed down, and picks up my iPad. "Don't ever tell anypony about what happened just now, Peter," she growls. "Or I will tear you to pieces, do you understand?"

I nod, snickering. "God, Rainbow, you're such a fucking pussy..."

She punches me, and holds up my headphones. "Get these back on me," she commands. I raise an eyebrow. "No."

"Do it, you bitch!" She demands, thrusting then into my hands. I chuckle, and pop them over her ears, careful to let them snap on and cause her a bit of pain.

"Hey!" She cries, immediately punching me in the side. I slap her on the foreleg, and she's about to punch me again when I resume the video.

"You win this time," she mutters. "But I'll fuck you up good next time..."

I chuckle. "I know," I respond, despite her being unable to hear me. "I know..." I resume my position of leaning against the cyan Pegasus, and smile as she continues through the video. When it ends, I put on the second part for her, and laugh hysterically at how she reacts to the jump scare in this part. That, and the monster breaking down the door across from Markiplier. In both, she jumps a bit, but laughs nervously afterwards.

After the second video is over, she pulls off the headphones, and rubs her eyes.

"Wow," she mutters. "This thing really hurts your eyes after a while, doesn't it?"

I nod. "Yeah, you've been staring at it for forty five minutes, and you've never used one before, so it's kind of natural."

She nods, and yawns. "Watching it also made me super tired...I don't know why."

I shrug. "It tends to do that."

She smiles at me. "So, you wanna take a nap?"

I smile back. "Do I ever."

She lays down, and I follow suit, wrapping an arm around her as she attempts to sleep.

However, she's continuously checking behind her, and I chuckle as I realize why. She's afraid that a mannequin is going to come bursting through the curtains.

"Rainbow," I whisper, "those were only videos."

She sighs, and nods. "I know..."

"But the real ones are much, much scarier," I tease, an evil grin playing across my features. Her pupils contract, and she buries her face in my shirt.

"I'm going to sleep, don't wake me up!" She declares, shivering in fear. I hold her, chuckling at my success.

I managed to scare Rainbow Dash.

And now, she's paranoid!

Huzzah! Huzzah!

As she drifts off to sleep, I stay up, and mess around on my iPad.

However, within a few moments, I have an unannounced visitor.

Note from the Author

In all honesty, I kind of wanted to get this chapter over with, so I apologize if it seems rushed. 'Cus it is.

As I've already said, this is the last explicitly RD and Peter chapter for a while. The next few chapters are going to either include Grendel and Peter, or one of the other ponies and Peter.

Also, I'm going to be introducing a new character, eventually. He will also be in first person, and will be an antagonist. And no, he's not an OC.

Now, here are the videos I referred to in this chapter:

First video:

Youtube Video

Second video:

Youtube Video

Last video:

Youtube Video

Now, please, I beg of you, like these videos, and subscribe to Markiplier! He is an amazing guy, and he is fucking hilarious. He's kind of underground, but, yeah.

Also, please, and I cannot stress this enough: do not post a comment saying "I was brought here by Gylden Glør," or "a brony sent me here." Don't. Markiplier has his own distinct channel, which has no indication as to participating in the brony community. And don't try to make it do so. Let him shape it, because doing so is not your place. I have the utmost respect for this man, so don't go and try to propagate the community through his channel.

If I see even one comment on any of his videos, or his channel, that say that you were brought here by me, I will not hesitate to single you out and send an appeal for disciplinary action against you to an admin or mod of this site.

Lastly, I have sent a message to Markiplier over facebook that ensures that he knows I referred to his videos. Below is the message I sent him, so you can see just how serious I am about respecting his channel, and him, in general.

Thus is the message:

Markiplier,

I would like to draw your attention to the fact that I have referred to three of your videos in a chapter of a My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic fan fiction. Those three videos are: "Cry of Fear: Part 1," and Parts 1 and 2 of "Emma's Story."

I'm telling you this because I included links to the videos after the body of the chapter, and I would like to know if you receive any comments on either your videos, or your YouTube channel, that state that they were brought here by one "Gylden Glør," which would be my author persona. If you do receive any of these comments, I apologize sincerely, and please know that I will make an effort to stop any future comments of this nature from appearing on your channel.

If you would like to read the chapter to determine what kind of light I shine upon you, whether it be negative or positive, please, simply notify me, and I will send you the link. In the event that you do read it, and you find any of it offensive in any way, I will either revise the chapter per your recommendations, or remove the chapter altogether. However, if you're simply curious to see how I used it, then I will gladly explain its context to you, as I would rather not force my own content upon you and ergo overstep my boundaries as a member of your audience.

Best regards,

[REDACTED] lol you guys won't ever know my real name...Well, Chuckles the Werewolf does, but you guys don't.

Also, I know, I'm taking myself way to seriously.

BUT YOU DON'T NEED TO WORRY ABOUT SERIOUSNESSNESS WHEN YOU'VE GOT SWAG.

Well, that, and HEAVENLY ISLAMIC CANDY.

New Elements

I curse under my breath as I die in the game "Hell Fire," which is an amazing free game for the iPad that I suggest you play. Breaking the fourth wall? What is this fourth wall you speak of?

Okay, I've got to stop speaking to myself.

I place my iPad down, and turn to go to-

HOLY FUCKING SHIT!

I jump, and my heart skips a beat as I see the white eyes staring right at me. I take a deep breath to calm myself, and shake my head.

"Goddammit, Grendel," I mutter. "You scared the shit outta me..."

Grendel simply blinks. "I apologize."

I nod. "It's fine. Wait, hold on, it's the middle of the day! How are we going to-"

"Peter?" I hear Rainbow Dash mumble. "Honey? What's going on? Who're you talking-"

She stops speaking as she sees Grendel.

"MANNEQUIN!" She cries, reeling away from the dark figure.

"Dash, calm down," I say, reaching over to grasp her. "It's not a mannequin." It's just an embodiment of negative emotion and the thing that killed one of your friends. Yeah, I could say that, and make everything much better!

"Th-Then what is it? And why does it look like you!?"

"What in the hay are you two goin' on about in there?" I hear. I gulp, and take a deep breath as Applejack opens the curtains.

"What in the hay is that thing!?" Applejack shouts. "Hey, you stay the hay away from Peter and RD, ya hear me?"

"Applejack!" I shout, holding out my hand to calm her. I look behind her, and see the other ponies, shrinking away from Grendel. "This is Grendel," I tell her, raising another hand towards Grendel. "He's just a being that doesn't know anything, that's all. There's nothing to be afraid of, Applejack."

"Nothing to be afraid of!?" Rainbow cries. "That's the same thing I saw when I was attacked!"

I look to her in shock. "Why didn't you tell me?"

She shakes her head. "I thought I was seeing things. I thought, that maybe it was Gilda, trying to get back at me. But now, we know that it's not...We know that this thing was trying to kill me!"

Applejack paws at the ground, like a bull preparing to charge. "That's it. Nopony, and Ah mean nopony, fucks with mah friends!" As she speaks, Rarity ushers the three fillies, Granny Smith, and Fluttershy away. Pinkie and Big Mac stand just behind Applejack, ready to leap into action as they watch Grendel carefully.

"Applejack!" I shout, somewhat panicked. "He didn't know! It's how he survives, don't you get it!? He feeds off of pain! He doesn't know right from wrong, he just acts on instinct! I'm trying to help him!"

"Why!?" She demands. "Why are ya tryin' t' help somethin' that almost killed yer' girlfriend?"

"Because he didn't know any better!" I shout back. "He doesn't know it's wrong to kill! He only knows that he gets hungry when he doesn't! That's why he killed Spike!"

Oops. I cringe, realizing that I've said too much.

However, it's not Applejack that I have to worry about.

Rather, it's the enraged lavender unicorn that's hovering on a cloud of hatred as she bursts through billowing curtains.

"This is the bastard that killed my son!?" She roars, her eyes steaming green with fury. "And you're trying to *help him!?***"

With that, Applejack rears up on her hind legs. "Ah'm gettin' Celestia!" She declares, before running through the door.

"Should I go?" Grendel asks. I shake my head. "No. Celestia is a fair ruler. She'll understand."

Grendel nods, and returns to his stone-cold, straight stature. I sigh, and Twilight's horn begins to glow.

"Twilight," I say, my voice as deep as rolling thunder and as rugged as a Rocky Mountain, "don't do anything rash. Let Celestia take care of this."

"It killed my son!" She cries, tears and green mist mixing together. "It killed Spike! You expect me to just...Let it go!?"

I stand between Grendel and Twilight. "No. But I expect you to keep your fucking head straight." It takes her a few moments, but she's eventually composed herself, and is simply glaring at me, and through me to Grendel, in pure scorn.

"What're you gonna do?" Pinkie Pie asks, walking forward. "How're you gonna help him?"

I sigh. "Celestia made me promise not to tell you," I inform her.

"You can tell us," Rainbow Dash says, softly, walking next to me to rest a hoof on my hand. She keeps as far away from Grendel as possible, while as close to me as possible at the same time. "We won't tell Celestia."

I debate telling her for a few moments, but then shake my head. If I tell her, she'll freak out, and try to stop me from doing it.

As I'm about to tell them that I can't say, Shining Armor bursts through the door, along with three Royal Guards.

"Take him, boys," Shining commands. I move aside so they can get to Grendel.

"They're going to help you," I lie. He nods, and leaves the room with them as they usher him towards the castle. Like a child trusting a parent...

I follow, and Rainbow Dash makes a move to come, as well. "Stay here," I tell her. "Stay here and help Twilight, do you understand?"

She nods, and, before she retreats into the room, she jumps up and gives me a quick kiss on the lips. "Good luck, Peter," she whispers as she hugs me. "Come back, would'ya?"

I smile, and hug her back for a few moments, before separating myself from her. "Time to go," I say as I leave.

I arrive at the palace within five minutes, and I see the Royal Guard, waiting for me at the gates.

"Come on," Shining Armor growls, before escorting me to a flight of descending stairs. We go down into a surprisingly well-lit cellar, and I notice a few things.

Firstly, there are three chairs, two of which are occupied. Their occupants, I'll point out later.

Next, there is a table with restraints installed every few meters or so.

And, lastly, there is a table with seven artifacts on it: a large, black coin; a black, malevolent arrow; a black, double-edged knife; a black helm with only a small slit carved into the armor for a soldier's visibility; a black, stone-like heart; a black, ominous glove with purple lines and runes; and, lastly, a sword with a black hilt, and blade of two colors: one side is silver, the other black.

The aforementioned occupants of two opulent chairs are Celestia and Luna, and they're both watching on in disciplined silence.

"You," Celestia points her hoof at Grendel, "lay down on the table. On your back."

Grendel nods, and does as he is told. The guards close his restraints, and Shining Armor takes a post by the entrance to the underground room.

"Peter," Celestia continues, "sit here." I do as I'm told, and I'm relieved when I feel a profound lack of restraints. I look left, at Luna, and right, at Celestia. They both seem to be very serious, as they should be when doing something like this.

"Peter," Celestia says, "we decided it was too dangerous to seal all of him away in you."

"Quite," Luna agrees, cutting across any and all words I may or may not have had. "Rather, we will be splitting him into seven different parts."

I look over at the objects I mentioned before. "So, that's what the artifacts are for..."

"Exactly." I nod, and Celestia continues where Luna left off.

"Those artifacts are made out of the same material that the Elements of Harmony were made from, but have been tempered for their negative counterparts. Each part is going to be made into a new Element. The Elements of Disharmony." I raise an eyebrow at the name. "After they are created, we will place each of them in different areas, with several magical security measures in each."

I nod, and point to the sword. "So, why's the sword made out of two materials?"

"It will be both an Element of Harmony and Disharmony," she explains. "To keep balance. It will be the Element of Sacrifice." I nod, and gesture to the artifacts again. "What are the others?"

This time, Luna answers my question.

"The coin is Greed. The arrow his Hatred. The knife is Betrayal. The helm is Lies. The heart is Empathy. And the glove is Sorcery." I nod, and sit back. "What part of him will go into me?" I wince as I speak, and I mutter "that's what she said" under my breath. The two Princesses look at me strangely, but shrug it off as an Earthling mannerism.

Celestia answers me this time. "The question is," she begins, "what part of you will be in the Element of Sacrifice."

I raise an eyebrow at her. "Oh?"

"Your willingness to put others before you, and his heart, will go into the Element of Sacrifice. The two will become true Sacrifice, and will also give you the power to banish him, should he ever be released. Without his heart, he would be a ruthless killing machine."

I nod, and the blade is magically placed in my hands. "When we are done with the rest of him, you'll know what to do." I nod, and she and Luna stand. "Let us begin, sister," Luna says, softly.

With that, their horns glow, and so does Grendel. In all honesty, I did not expect it to be this easy. I expected Grendel to be screaming, and screeching as his body was torn apart. However, he simply dissolve into smoke, and this smoke is then placed into the Elements of Disharmony. They begin to glow malevolently, and both of the Princesses sigh in relief, and seem to lose their balance for a little while. I stand, carefully handling the blade in my hands. In all honesty, it's incredibly heavy.

"You two okay?" I ask. Celestia and Luna both stand after a few minutes, and nod. "That...That was very difficult. Upon removal from the heart, the essences of the Elements were nearly impossible to contain..."

I must admit, I'm impressed. It looked pretty damn smooth to me. But that's not important now. Celestia and Luna are standing to their full height again, and are pointing their horns at me.

"We're going to bring forth your willpower," Celestia explains.

"And then, you will impale the heart on that table," Luna continues.

I look at the table, and see that there is a black, pulsating, crystalline heart, which is glowing softly and releasing a low thump. I nod, and their horns are engulfed in an inferno of light. I grasp onto the blade as their magic wraps around and through me, and I feel the blade grow gradually lighter. Eventually, it feels like an extension of my arms, and it moves with a mysterious liquidity as it glows a bright blue.

"Now, go," Celestia grunts. "Impale it. We can't keep this up for much longer..."

I nod, and step forward, raising the blade above my head. I turn it so the tip faces down, and, with an involuntary grunt, I stab it down into the heart.

The crystalline surface gives way very easily, and shatters with an ear-piercing ring. It seems to melt, and quickly begins to envelope the blade, covering the black half in the black liquid. I panic, and pull my hands back as it reaches the hilt. Within a few minutes, the metal has begun to glow dark blue, and clatters to the ground. As the glow fades, I bend down to pick it up, and find that it is heavy once more.

"Why's it so heavy?" I ask.

"The willpower is gone," Celestia responds, breathing heavily as she recovers from the intensive magic. "Not even the strongest...stallion could lift it without effort...We brought forth your...willpower with magic, but if...if you ever...must use this blade...again, you need to bring...it forth...On your...Own..." Celestia repeatedly pauses to catch her breath, and I crick my neck. "What will we do with them?"

"I'll see to the Elements of Disharmony," Luna says, once she's regained her breath. "You...You will take the Element of Sacrifice. You may tell your friends what has occurred here today, and what we have created. They deserve to know."

I nod, and bend to pick up the blade. I struggle to hold it level, and I give them a pleading glance. "A bit of help?"

Celestia nods, and brings forth a small...umbrella stand.

"So, I'll just pop it in there, and hope this thing doesn't make it weigh any more?" I ask, my eyebrow raised dubiously.

"It has wheels," Luna remarks, rather snidely. "Oh great and intelligent human."

I blush, and hang my head. I just got dissed by a ponyPrincess. All of my arguments are invalid.

After a short struggle, I get the sword into the canister, and use a handle to tilt it onto its wheels luckily, it does not cause the wheels to buckle, so I prepare to lug it out.

"Wait, the stairs," I mutter.

Celestia ensnares the blade and barrel-thingy with magic, and transports it up the stairs. "There. Now, kindly, depart, as Luna and I need privacy to discuss the locations of these Elements."

I nod, and quickly climb the stairs, Shining Armor following me.

"So," he says as I take the sword and its barrel, "that was quite a show, huh?"

I nod, but I can't help but feel a bit of regret. Is he...Dead? Does he live on within the blade? Does he still...Feel?

Did I just murder Grendel?

I shake my head, and Shining Armor raises an eyebrow at me. "What, you thought it was boring?"

I look at him, and it takes me a second to realize what he means. "Oh, no, I'm just...confused, that's all."

He shrugs. "You'll get used to it. I mean, I'm still confused by the Princesses. One time, I was patrolling and I saw Celestia and Luna, dancing in the garden together."

I chuckle. "What? Dancing? Like...waltzing?"

He nods. "Yep. Exactly. And I've never seen it happen since."

I let out a small "huh". I'm honestly stumped. Were they drunk? Happy to be back together after a thousand years? Or did they just want to dance? These ponies...They confuse me.

"So, I have to make my leave here," Shining states as I walk out of the castle gates. "Can't go too far from my post unless it's on official business. Tell Twily' I said hello! Y'know, when she's calmed down."

I nod, and walk off, humming a little tune to myself as I walk through the streets of Canterlot.

I don't know why, but I'm happy. In the light of things, I should be bummed. Grendel's probably dead, and by my hands. A creature that did not know right from wrong has been killed by the valiant, trustworthy Peter.

But I must admit, that was somewhat anticlimactic. I was actually kind of looking forward to having to fight some kind of infinite evil...

Wait, hold on. That means I would have to be physically fit, and able to carry my own weight.

Yeah, fuck that shit. I'm actually somewhat relieved that I don't have to work that hard.

Hmm...Am I so happy because I'm relieved?

Oh, wait, I think I just realized: I'm happy because I'm no longer burdened with watching after him. I no longer have to think of how I'm responsible for letting something go out and kill shit. I'm part of the solution.

I reach the guest chambers, and stop to open the door. My vision flickers a bit, and the blade begins to glow a tiny bit.

I open the door, and step inside.

The soft carpeting squishes underfoot, and it smells as if something is rotting.

I look around, and I can't believe my eyes.

A Vision

Blood.

There is blood everywhere.

No organs. No skin. No bodies. Just...

Blood.

I can hear a terrible ringing, as well as a thumping, much like this entire building is some kind of beating heart.

I look around, awestruck, and see Rainbow Dash. My heart sinks as I take in her appearance.

Her eyes are sunken in, and her wings seem to be turning to dust. My eyes widen as she speaks, her voice young and full of energy despite her appearance as a cadaver.

"Peter! You're back!"

She runs up to hug me, and I panic. I sidestep her, and run to the far end of the room, pressing myself against the wall in fear as I take shuddering gasps of air.

"Peter? Are you okay?"

I turn, and see Pinkie Pie. Her mane and tail are both straight, and rotting. Her eyes are sunken in, and one of them has gone milky, as if she's blind. One of her ears are torn, and the only thing left of her hind left leg is bones.

"Stay away from me!" I cry, fear gripping my very soul as I leap over the bed next to me, causing a shower of blood to coat the walls as my feet take off from the blood-soaked ground.

I try to find a hiding spot, where I can be safe from these ghouls, and I feel something tug on my shirt.

"P-Peter?"

I look down, and my heart breaks.

Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Apple Bloom are all standing there, their eyes full of fear and confusion. Apple Bloom's tail is missing, and her pink bow tie is sagging and rotten. Scootaloo's wings are bent at odd angles, and blood has stained her face, presumably from being face down in the stuff. Sweetie Belle's horn is broken, and a glowing substance leaks down from the wound.

"Oh, God," I whimper, speechless at the appearance of these three, poor children. I tear myself away, tears streaming down my cheeks as I dive into the bathroom.

"Ugh! Do you mind!" I hear. I turn, and see Rarity, wearing a bathrobe and a towel on her head. The bathrobe is rotten, as is the towel. Through the towel, I can see her skull, and a small amount of brain matter. Under the bathrobe, I can see muscle and bone, and almost no skin.

"Oh, God," I repeat as I dash out of the bathroom, barely holding the contents of my stomach down.

I look to the door, and start making a beeline for it. However, it slowly swings close, and I throw myself against it, uselessly. I turn, my chest heaving as two ponies close in on me.

"Peter?" Twilight asks, her horn dripping blood from its base. "Are you okay? You're acting like you've seen a ghost." As she walks forward, bits of her fur fall off, and her tail and mane rot away. Her eyes progressively sink in, and become empty husks of what they once were. The carpeting is treated with a new coat of blood as her skin peels off, and falls to the floor in flakes.

I turn my attention to Applejack, who is slowly approaching me, due to the hoof that she drags behind her, the muscle barely hanging on as it slides across the carpet. "Peter? Ya' feelin' okay? What happened at the castle that yer' so jumpy?"

I begin to shake, and bolt away from them before I can lose my stomach. As I run towards a bed, I notice that Granny Smith is sleeping in her rocking chair.

I'd say she looks horrifying, but after a moment, I realize that she looks the same as she always does.

"Am I going crazy?" I ask myself, my voice high pitched as I feel my stomach churn. I shake my head, and turn to see Big Mac, raising an eyebrow at me. Unfortunately, his eyebrow rests above an empty eye socket, through which I can see bone and blood. I hold my stomach, ready to vomit any second now...

I turn around, and see Fluttershy, watching me cautiously. Her mane is rotten, her tail is gone, and her hooves have been worn down to nubs of bone. Bite marks line her legs, and her bent, disfigured form suggests that she was toyed with quite a lot before she was finally...I don't even know what.

"Peter?" I turn, backing up as five ponies approach me. I hyperventilate, and realize with a thud of dread that my back is pressed against the wall. My vision begins to shake, and I begin to cry.

"Please," I beg, "don't hurt me..." I fall to the ground, and assume a fetal position, whimpering and shuddering as I try to ignore the ponies around me. "Don't hurt me..."

I feel a hoof on my arm, and I'm embraced by a tender hug.

"Peter," I hear Rainbow Dash whisper softly, "nopony is going to hurt you, sweetheart...please, look at me."

As she holds me, the thumping slowly goes away, and the ringing slowly fades into silence. After a little while, all I can hear is the ticking of a clock, and the concerned whispers of ponies.

I open my eyes, fearing that my senses are playing a trick on me, and that everything is still dead.

However, as I open my eyes, I see whitewash walls. Shuddering and gasping for air, I dare to look around, and see that I'm surrounded by normal ponies, all looking down at me in concern.

I look up to the pony that holds me, and see that she's beginning to cry. I take in every one of her features, appreciating her beauty and her simplicity in one moment of clarity.

Relief washes over me as I realize that everything is back to normal. I tackle the cyan Pegasus in a hug, and begin to cry into her shoulder, relief and fear washing over me and causing me to release another wave of tears.

"Oh, Rainbow," I say, "thank goodness you're okay! Oh, Rainbow, I was so scared..." Words cannot define how relieved I feel right now. I feel my heart bursting with utter...I don't know what. So, in a way to express this oddly wonderful yet horribly scary feeling, I kiss Rainbow Dash, right on the lips, crying onto her face as I touch every inch of her body, just to make sure that it's all still there.

Shushing me, the cyan Pegasus pats me on the back, and kisses me back. "It's okay, Peter, it's okay," she whispers to me, I open my eyes again, and sigh in relief as I see that all the ponies are back to normal. I hug Rainbow tighter, and press my face into her shoulder as she slowly rocks me back and forth, comforting me as if I were some sort of child.

"Peter," she asks me, softly, "what happened?"

I shudder, and simply hold her tighter, collecting myself before answering. When I finally do, I answer in stutters and stammers, unable to describe what I saw without crying.

"Peter," Rainbow says softly, "stop talking. You should get some sleep. C'mon, honey, let's get you into bed. How does that sound?"

I nod, and she helps me stand. I feel weak on my knees, and I have to lean on her in order to make it over to the bed. As I lay down, she pulls the curtains shut, and kisses me on the forehead. "Just go to sleep, babe. Okay?" She whispers as she lays down behind me, and wraps her forelegs around me, holding me close and snuggling up to me. I turn, and reciprocate, holding her for dear life as I attempt to recover.

Within five minutes, I've fallen asleep, my face now buried into Rainbow's chest as Io snuggle into her, occasionally whimpering in my sleep.

Return

Twilight sighs as I finish explaining what happened in Celestia's castle.

"At least that...thing is gone," she says in relief. "Maybe...Maybe now, I can rest easy, knowing that his heart and body were destroyed."

I nod, and rub my eyes. Having just woken up from a nap, I was somewhat worried that the visions would haunt me again. However, that is not so.

"Peter," Twilight says, staring ahead into empty space in deep thought. "I...I think I know why you had those visions."

I perk up, intrigued. I had told them all about the visions, and about how they were all rotting and injured in some way. Of course, they were somewhat grossed out, but they still managed to keep together and help me through it. Especially Rainbow Dash, who held me as I described her appearance.

"Do tell," I say, leaning forwards.

"Well, you said that some black stuff had climbed up the blade, right?" Twilight says, squinting as she compiles her thought into words. "Well...That was probably the evil in the heart, right? Which means that...Whenever you activate it, you don't only use the power of Will, you use whatever was in that heart. And...It makes you see things afterwards. Perhaps that's why it's the Element of Sacrifice: the wielder must sacrifice a bit of their sanity to wield it."

"Wouldn't work for me, then," I state. "I'm already insane."

Twilight shoots me a stern look. "Don't even try joking like that, Peter."

I nod, and she continues. "However, it seemed as though Rainbow Dash soothing you was able to calm you down. So, perhaps it was just the sword's attempt to feed on your pain and fear. Perhaps it will still make you feel fear and pain in order to sustain itself and grow stronger. But...Security erased your fear. I mean, this is all just speculation. Sorry if it was a bit...Haphazard, I'm not very good at immediately making thoughts into words, especially when I haven't totally completed them yet."

I nod, and shrug. "Nah, I understood. And it made sense, kinda. And if it's true, I think we'd better be careful with it. We don't want it getting too strong, do we? If it does, then it may just end up sending somepony into a spiral of fear, from which no amount of kisses and cuddles can retrieve them."

Twilight nods. "Yep...By the way, I've been meaning to ask you a few questions."

I roll my eyes. "Twilight, I'm not in the mood to talk about all of human history right now..."

She chuckles lightly, and waves her hoof in dismissal. "No, no, I don't want to talk about that," she says. "I just want to know if you've told anypony else about this yet."

I shake my head "no". You'd think I'd have explained it to all of them at once, but I needed Twilight's advice on it. She's infinitely smarter than me, and will know how to handle each of her friends.

Right now, Twilight and I are sitting at a table in a diner, awaiting our coffee, soda, hay sandwich, and cheese sandwich. I'm craving a hamburger right now; but there's not much I can do about that, is there?

"You should tell them each individually," Twilight says after a few moments of thought. "They'll each have questions. If you were to tell them all at once, you'd get drowned in questions..."

I nod. "And I have a pretty good feeling that Rainbow's gonna keep asking me if it was scary, or if I'm okay..." I sigh, and scratch my head aimlessly.

Twilight smiles. "Yeah, but she worries about you, Peter. You should be happy. She rarely ever acts emotional with anypony. The fact that she's letting you get so close to her is a truly rare privilege."

I smile, and nod. "I can tell. And I'm happy that she cares about me, just as much as I care about her, but...Doesn't she seem a bit...Obsessed, to you?"

Twilight raises an eyebrow. "Peter, she obsesses over everything. It's in her nature. Just because she's excited over her relationship with you doesn't mean she's obsessed."

I shrug. "Yeah, I guess you're right...Whatever. I just don't know when it comes to her, to be totally honest..."

Twilight tilts her head in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"I mean," I start, struggling to find the words, "I...I want to make her happy, y'know? And I...I care about her, a lot. But, I mean, she's really bent on this whole...sex thing, and it's like...I know that I'm sending her mixed signals! Which is frustrating for me, because it's confusing for me, too! I just...I just don't know. I don't want to keep leading her on like this, but at the same time, I neither want to fully commit to it, nor do I want to fully abandon the concept..." I sigh, and rub my temples. "It's all just...I'm just not good at social interactions. I never have been. And I'm not good at knowing what I want in relationships...It's all just very difficult for me."

Twilight frowns. "Why don't you tell Rainbow Dash about this?" She asks. "She deserves to know that you're not just trying to lead her on. And, besides, if she understood, maybe then, you'd have less of a hard time communicating with her..."

I take a deep breath, and mutter a "thank you" as my food is set before me. "I wish I could tell her," I say. "But...I find it hard to be honest with the people I'm closest to. And yet, here I am, spilling out my secrets to you over a plate of food."

Twilight frowns, and takes a sip of her coffee. She immediately spits it back in, and replaces it on the small plate it came on. "Oh, Celestia, how does Rarity stomach this stuff," she mutters, holding a hoof to her mouth. I raise an eyebrow at her, and inspect the coffee. "It looks fine," I tell her. "you're probably just not used to caffeine."

Twilight nods, and begins to munch on her hay salad. I take a bite out of my sandwich, and realize how great it would taste with a few slices of ham...

"So, are you ready to go back to Ponyville?" I ask her. Earlier that day, Shining Armor had come to the guest chambers, and had told us that, due to the newly developed absence of Grendel in this world, we would be allowed to go back to Ponyville. However, I know that it will be full of memories for Twilight, and I can't help but resent ever giving Grendel the benefit of the doubt.

"I don't know," Twilight admits. "I'm afraid that there will be...Too many memories."

I nod. Exactly as I thought. "Tell you what. Stay here for a while. Get your thoughts in order. When you're ready, just send a Pegasus with a letter, and we'll come right up to get you. And we'll make sure to visit you every few days, just to check in."

Twilight smiles at me. "That sounds good. I'll walk with you guys to the train station, but after that, I'll say my goodbyes. I don't have anything important at home, so I don't need to get any luggage."

I nod, and put aside my plate with a satisfied sigh. "That was a good sandwich," I remark. "Could've benefited from some ham, though..."

"Please," Twilight says, "don't mention meat...I'm still having a hard time stomaching that your kind just kills animals for food..."

I nod, and wait for her to finish her food before standing. She leaves the payment of bits on the table, and we both depart, heading for the guest rooms.

Once we're there, we find that everypony is already waiting outside for us. Rainbow Dash has my bag in her teeth, and is balancing my iPad and headphones on her back. I take the bag, and the iPad and headphones.

"I would have put them in," she explains, "but I couldn't get the thing open..."

I shrug, and put the things in my bag. Twilight smiles at us all, and I clap her on the shoulder. After taking a deep breath, I grab the rolling barrel that holds the Element of Sacrifice, and turn on my heel.

"Alright," I say, heading off in the direction of the train station, "let's go."

With that, we depart, several of the ponies behind me laughing as they share in conversation. However, two of us remain silent: Twilight Sparkle and I. I remain silent because I just don't feel like being social right now, and Twilight's silent for obvious reasons.

As we near the train station, I stand in the entrance to our train.

"What the hay, Peter?" Rainbow Dash cries. "Let us in!"

"Twilight has something to say," I inform her. She turns, eyebrow raised as Twilight begins to speak.

"Everypony," she begins. "I'm going to stay here for a little while longer."

"What!?" Rainbow immediately shouts. "Aww, c'mon, Twi', it'll be so boring without you!" Several other voices of dissent join hers, each of them calling for Twilight to stay for different reasons.

"Yeah!" Pinkie exclaims. "Without your sciency science, how will we make super cupcakes?"

Twilight smiles sadly, but shakes her head. "I need to get my thoughts in order, and I need to be alone for a bit. I'm going to stay with Celestia for now, and resume my studies here, in Canterlot. I'd like for you guys to visit, though."

"Well, of course, sugarcube," Applejack says. "We'll come up every time we can, ya hear?"

"Yeah!" Rainbow adds in. "Rain or shine!"

I can't help but smile as Twilight looks to all her friends in gratitude, who are now adding their own promises to visit to the list. "Thank you," she says, tears brimming in her eyes. "Thank you all so much!"

With that, they commence in a group hug. I smile, and retreat into the train before I can get sucked in. I've never been one for mass physical contact.

After a few minutes, the ponies all clamber in, standing on the seats so they can wave out the window. I imagine sad music playing off in the background, and I muse at how connected they all are. It's quite amazing, really.

I smile at Rainbow as she retreats from the window. As she sits down next to me, Scootaloo jumps in between us, and smiles up at Rainbow Dash.

"So, do you have any cool stories to tell for the train ride?" She asks, beaming up at the cyan Pegasus. Rainbow Dash pulls back with a dubious expression, but smiles.

"Yeah, I've got one," she says. "But I think I'd better leave it for when you're older." I raise an eyebrow at her, and she winks at me.

"Well, I'm a second older now!" Scootaloo cries. "Can I hear it now? Huh? Can I?"

I pull back in surprise as her wings begin to buzz. I can feel the air coming off of them, and I realize that they have more of a pushing power than the pull required to lift the Pegasus off of the ground.

Huh... I think to myself, scratching my chin as I observe her wings. That could be useful...

"Uh, Peter? Why are you staring at Scootaloo's wings?" I turn to face the white filly that asked the question, but stop as Rainbow Dash grabs Scootaloo, and puts her on the opposite side from me.

"What?" I ask, frowning in confusion. "What's so bad about looking at a Pegasus' wings?"

"It's fine to look," Rarity explains, ushering Sweetie Belle over to her seat. "It's another thing to stare. It conveys...longing."

I blush, and press my palm into my face with a sigh. "Sorry," I mutter. "Didn't know...I was just, ah, interested in her wings."

"Yeah, interested," Rainbow Dash growls, still holding Scootaloo away from me. "Keep away from her, you perv."

I raise my eyebrow, and shake my head frantically. "No, no, no! It's not like that!"

"Yeah, sure," Applejack cuts across. "And Ah thought you were an upstandin' young man..."

I blush furiously, and point towards the orange Pegasus. "No, I swear, I'm not attracted to Scootaloo! It's just...Her wings, they just...they're different."

"Different as in a filly's," Fluttershy says softly. "It's okay if you're attracted to children, Peter. Just...Don't act on it..."

I guffaw. "Seriously!? I'm not a pedophile! Her wings don't act as normal wings do, they don't have much pull power!" I sigh, and grasp Rainbow's wing.

"Hey!" She cries as I hold it out to use it as an exhibit.

"Look: the feathers here are tougher on the underside, and if she didn't have a bandage on the joint, I could show you how the muscles contract in a way that allows it to bend, and pull her upwards. The feathers on the back are smoother, and allow her to be incredibly aerodynamic." I gesture towards Scootaloo. "And from what I've just seen, Scootaloo's wings are less flexible than Rainbow Dash's. The muscles are oriented differently, and they're capable of faster movement. Her feathers grow in a way that makes less of an upward pull, and more of a forward push, which means that she is more capable of horizontal velocity, acceleration, and impulse than she is vertical. This means that if she were to stand on something like a scooter, she could cause more acceleration and velocity, and exert a considerable amount of force on it, which, given the equation of net force is equal to mass times acceleration, means that she can go even faster by simply using her wings as she does."

They're all silent as I explain. When I'm done, I let to of Rainbow's wing, and she irritably pulls at a few of the feathers, preening what I had upset.

"Oh," Pinkie Pie says. "I was this close to not inviting you to the Baby Cake's birthday party!"

Rainbow Dash frowns, and lets go of Scootaloo. "Sorry, Peter," she mutters. "I guess I just assumed that you were attracted to her..."

I nod, and shrug it off. "It's fine. I understand perfectly."

Rainbow nods, and leans over to give me a quick peck on the cheek. I look down at Scootaloo, and see a bit of jealousy in the orange filly's eyes. I smile at her, and reach over to muss up her mane. "Hey!" She protests as I ruffle her hair. I chuckle as she plays with it, trying to get it back into place. Rainbow Dash smiles down at the orange filly, and uses her hoof to help repair the 'do.

"There ya go, bucko," Rainbow says as she finishes fixing the filly's mane. "Go on, sit with your friends."

Scootaloo nods, and rushes over to Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom. I smile, and put my arms behind my head with a yawn.

"Damn," I sigh. "Today was tiring..."

"Oh, hey," Applejack says. "Ah was meanin' to ask ya about that."

"-And that's why I need to have cupcake storage in my mane!" I shake my head in confusion.

"I'm sorry, what?" I ask Pinkie Pie. I hate when that happens: you're not paying attention, and then you start to listen to what people say, and you hear something totally unrelated and out of place.

"I just wanna have portable cupcakes," she says. "Geesh." I shake my head, and return my attention to Rarity. "You were saying?"

"What happened today?" Applejack asks, looking at me in concern. "You seemed t' be afraid of somethin'."

I sigh, and all the mares lean in, with the exception of the three fillies, who simply continue to talk about...stuff.

"Yeah, Peter," Rainbow Dash echoes, "what happened?"

I look around, and explain what had happened at the castle.

"I'm sorry," Rainbow interrupts me. "What does this have to do with how you acted today?"

"I'm getting to that," I tell her. "So, if you shut up, I can explain!" Rainbow Dash nods, and I continue my story. I very vaguely describe the visions, so as not to perturb them. I then tell them about Twilight's theory, and they all explode into questions.

"So, where are the Elements of Disharmony?"

"Did Celestia and Luna make the Elements of Harmony, as well?"

"Was it hard to stab the heart?"

"Do you think Grendel will come back?"

"Is Grendel actually dead?"

"What will happen now?"

"Hey, what's that out there?"

"What are you going to do now?"

"Oh, it's just a bird..."

"Why are you ignoring our questions?"

"Hey, I'm going to put my iPod on. I won't be able to hear you, so if you need me, just tap me."

"Well, that's rude..."

"Peter! Peter! Peter?"

"I don't think he can hear you."

"Is he falling asleep?"

"Tap him!"

"If you do not stop tapping my I shall desecrate upon the remains of your ancestors!"

That gets them to stop tapping me and asking non-stop questions. They shy away from me a bit, and Applejack sits next to Granny Smith with a small frown. I smirk in victory, and recline, stretching out my legs as Queen blasts in my headphones. I eventually begin to nod to the beat, and hum along to the lyrics, my hands clasped behind my head. I begin to relax after a while, and I can tell that the ponies have forgotten about what I had said. I fidget a bit, and end up lying down on the long seat, my leg hanging off and my finger twitching as I count the beats and measures of each song. I nod along to some of them, but skip a few others, such as a few deadmau5 songs.

Eventually, the train comes to a screeching halt, and I'm sent rolling onto the floor with a loud, painful thud.

"Ow..." I moan as I remove my headphones and stand up. "Should've worn a seatbelt..."

I ignore the laughter at my expense, and crack my back with a grunt. "So, where do you guys wanna go?" I ask the snickering ponies.

"Well, where're ya goin' t' stay?" Applejack asks.

"If I get my bandages off today, you can stay with me!" Rainbow offers. I shrug. "I'd be like a prisoner. I can't fly off of the clouds..."

Rainbow nods, and I stretch before having a sudden idea. "I can stay in the library," I declare. "I could keep it in shape for her, y'know?"

"What if that stuff is still in the basement?" Rainbow asks me.

"I can clean it up," I respond as I grasp the barrel, the blade rattling inside. Sweetie Belle and Rarity walk out first, the latter tossing her mane as she leaves. "I'd love to stay and chat, but I simply must attend to my boutique! Who knows how much disgusting dust has collected there!"

I smile as Rarity trots off, Sweetie Belle close behind. They're quite adorable, especially Sweetie Belle.

"So, Peter, seeing as how I can't get my bandages off yet," Rainbow says, slowly meandering towards her question.

"Yeah," I interrupt. "You can stay at the hospital-I mean, library...How did I mess those two up?" I begin to chuckle in self-mockery. "I confused library with hospital! How much of an idiot do you have to be to do that!?"

Rainbow Dash chuckles. "About as dumb as you!"

"Uhh, Rainbow?"

I turn, despite my name not being Rainbow, and see that Scootaloo, Rainbow, and I are the only ones left in the train.

"So, Rainbow," Scootaloo begins, nervously. "Could you...I mean, would you...Uh...Applejack is going camping with Apple Bloom tomorrow, and Rarity is going with Sweetie Belle, too...But, I can't go without my own adult..."

"Yeah, I'll go with you," Rainbow Dash says. "So, are you packed yet?"

Scootaloo shifts uncomfortably. "Well...No...."

Rainbow Dash rolls her eyes. "Well, come on! We'll get some stuff from the store! Peter, you come, too."

I raise an eyebrow. "Why's that?"

"You think I'm going to let you stay here, and ruin the library?" She remarks with a smirk. "You're coming with us, stupid."

"What?" I ask. That was not on my to-do list. Actual physical activity? No! Never! You'll never take me alive!

"You're going camping with us, Peter!" Rainbow Dash shouts, as if I'm death. I jump a bit, and quickly recover. "Uhh, yeah. Okay. Let's go get some stuff now."

Rainbow nods. "Now, we need to get some bits to buy supplies with...Ugh, I left my bits up in Cloudsdale..."

"I'm sure Twilight has some spare supplies," I interject. "Or, we could get Fluttershy to get your bits."

Rainbow nods, and looks down at Scootaloo. "So, Scoots, how about you go with Peter back to the library to find supplies, aaaand I'll go talk to Fluttershy. Deal?"

Scootaloo smiles. "Deal. C'mon, Peter, we've got supplies to find!"

I can't help but smile as she walks out, head held high.

"Hey, be sure to bring your scooter and helmet," Rainbow Dash calls after us as we depart.

"Always!" Scootaloo shouts back. I smile, and we continue walking in silence.

Oh, fun. I've always been terrible at talking to people I don't know yet. Basically, making friends. But, hopefully I'll find something to ask Scootaloo about.

"So, Scootaloo, do you use your wings to propel yourself on the scooter?" I ask, thinking back to what I had determined in the train.

"Yeah," she says. "I just make 'em go real fast, and then boom! That scooter takes off like there's no tomorrow!"

I chuckle. "So, you use your wings like a motor..."

She looks up to me in confusion. "I don't get it. A motor?"

I raise an eyebrow at her, and summarize the use of motors in the human world.

"Wow," she breathes. "You're really super advanced back on Earth, aren't you?"

I nod. "I mean, Neil Armstrong was the first man to-"

"Oh, oh! Lemme guess!" Scootaloo cries out. "Ummm...First man to...Fly?"

I shake my head with a smile. "No, I'm pretty sure that was the combined efforts of the Wright Brothers. No, Neil Armstrong was the first man to walk on the moon."

Scootaloo stops walking, and I don't notice until I've walked about a yard further. I turn back, and walk up to her. She stares up at me in complete shock, and I raise an eyebrow.

"You okay?" I ask.

"He walked on the moon!?" She cries. "So...He was banished!?"

I shake my head. "No. He used a space ship to go there, and then came back to Earth in a return shuttle."

"Whoa!" She starts hopping in excitement, and I can't help but laugh. "That's so cool! Does Rainbow know yet?"

I shake my head "no," and Scootaloo practically explodes. "I can't wait to see the look on her face when you tell her!" She shouts.

"Neither can I," I say with a small chuckle. "But, for now, let's get back to the library, okay?"

Scootaloo nods, and we continue walking, the young filly laughing at the thought of actually catching Rainbow Dash dumbfounded.

"Here we go," I grunt as I force apart the doors. I half expect the ground to be covered in black goo, but luckily, it's not. Rather, it looks like it was recently cleaned. Must've been the good ponies of Ponyville, looking after the library during our absence.

"So, where should we look first?" Scootaloo cries.

"Maybe the basement," I say, placing the barrel and its blade against the wall. "But we probably-"

"Basement it is, then!" She cries, immediately running down the steps.

"Scootaloo!" I shout after her. "Wait!" I swear under my breath, and chase after her, worried that she may run into that black goop that Grendel left behind...

However, I'm greeted by a cheery, bright basement. It seems as though the residue was removed. It was most likely destroyed along with Grendel's physical being...

"What?" Scootaloo asks, looking back at me.

"Nothing," I say with a wave of my hand. "Didn't know what was down here..." I sigh, and jump down the last three steps. "Let's look around."

She nods, and we quickly begin to scour the area, checking in drawers, in cabinets, and boxes.

"I found some sleeping bags!" Scootaloo cries. I approach the area where she found the sleeping bags, and nod. "Good. Let's look around in this area, Twilight probably organizes her things by location..."

Scootaloo nods, and we begin to open drawers nearby. We find bags, blankets, a tent, and more. I nod in appreciation, and my stomach growls.

"Somepony sounds hungry!" Scootaloo cries out. I chuckle, and nod.

"I could go for a cheeseburger," I sigh, rubbing my stomach. I haven't had meat in at least a month. I'm seriously craving some real fucking food...

Wait...

I'll be camping.

I can just say that I have to go use the bathroom, and bring a knife with me!

I can hunt, and cook it where they won't notice! I can just have some fucking meat! Hallelujah!

"Scootaloo, let's bring this upstairs," I say, picking up the packed tent, as well as one of the rolled up beds. "We can get our bags ready."

Scootaloo nods, and I do a final sweep of the room after we bring the things up. I return with (conveniently) three camping bags, and pack each of them with one sleeping bag, and I put the tent in one of them. I sigh as I finish, and shrug.

"That's enough for the trip," I say. "Or, good enough for me."

Scootaloo shrugs, as well. "We can just sleep on the ground. Who cares. The less work, the better."

"My sentiments exactly," I say, holding my fist out to her. She meets my fist with her hoof in an incredibly painful bro-hoof. I rub my knuckles as she pulls back her hoof.

"Wow, you've got quite the arm!" I say, sucking on my knuckles in an attempt to ease the pain.

"That, or you're just weak," she remarks. I shrug. "True, true..."

I take my bag off, and take out my iPad. I boot up the game Hell Fire (fuckin' love that game) and start playing it. Scootaloo immediately leans over, intrigued, and I explain the device to her.

"Yeah, whatever," she interrupts me halfway through. I was getting a tiny bit technical, and explaining its history and shit. "Can I try using it?"

I frown. "I dunno, your hoof might not be able to activate it. But give it a try," I suggest, holding it up to her. I show her how to play the game, and she taps the screen with the tip of her hoof, and flicks the projectile at one of the enemies. Or, at least, she tries to. Unfortunately, her hoof can't activate the screen.

"Awww, I really wanted to play it!"

I close the smart case, and ruffle her mane. "It's fine. If you want, I could play it for you. Just tell me what to do."

Scootaloo rubs her chin with a hoof for a bit, and eventually nods. "Okay!"

I smile, and open the smart case. Fortunately, I deactivated the password earlier, since I no longer need to worry about humans using it. I open Hell Fire, and erase the progress I've made so far by logging out and logging in with another account. I begin the game, and let Scootaloo direct me through the tutorial. She reads all the text, and learns each and every thing about how to play the game. I have her mark off each enemy by the number above its sprite, and its location. Eventually, she begins tapping on the enemies, and I fire at them. When I miss, she hits me on the shoulder, and I make a fake cry.

As we approach the first boss, she gets super hyped, and starts shouting at me to fire at him. However, when it one-shots us, she shouts in anger. "What the fuck, Peter!?"

"Watch your language!" I bark at her. She shrinks back, and rubs her foreleg. "Sorry...I-I got a bit excited..."

I smile at her, and pat her on the back. "It's fine. Come on, we'll get stronger so we can fight him."

She looks at me in surprise. "You're not going to punish me?"

"I'm not your parent," I tell her. "It's not my place to punish you."

She smiles, and worms her way under my arm. I smile, and show her how to use the reinforce function. She nods, and we go into the boss battle.

"Yes!" She cries as we defeat our enemy. "I knew we could do it!"

I chuckle, and ruffle her mane. "Yep, you sure did." I look up to the door, and frown. "I wonder what's taking Rainbow so long..."

"Fluttershy is very slow in the sky," Scootaloo explains. "Rainbow is probably still waiting for her to get back..."

I nod. "Yeah, you're probably right. Oh, hey, the game loaded."

With that, we continue to play the game, occasionally getting angry at each other as we both make mistakes. She quickly grasps the concepts, and I don't get exasperated when she forgets about one or two things, because she quickly remembers right after.

I'm quickly getting attached to her. She's rather fun to hang with, and she has a nice personality. That, and she's adorable.

As we continue to play, it grows gradually darker out, and I realize that Scootaloo's parents might be getting worried.

"Scootaloo, I think I should take you back to your home now," I say. "It's getting late."

"Nah, it'll be fine," she says. "My parents don't care, anyway."

"What do you mean?" I ask, shocked.

She sighs before answering. "My parents just don't give a damn about me. Half the time, I just leave, and they don't even ask where I'm going. And I don't know why, but I don't care anymore, because I have ponies who care about me now, like Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Rainbow Dash..."

I smile, and rub her shoulder. "That's very wise, Scootaloo," I compliment her. "You're very mature for your age."

She shrugs. "Yeah, whatever. I don't like to act mature, though. Takes the fun out of things."

I smile. "Ain't that the truth."

We share a small laugh, at the end of which the young filly lets out a rather loud yawn. I smile, and put aside the iPad.

"Let's get you to bed," I say as I stand. She shakes her head. "Awww, c'mon, I can stay up a bit later! It's not even that dark-"

She stops speaking as she falls asleep, breathing lightly as she unconsciously snuggles up against me. I smile down at her unconscious form, and carefully lift her, cradling her in my arms as I bring her up to Twilight's bed. I carefully lay her down, and tuck her in, making sure not to wake her as I so so. I softly close the door behind me as I leave, and descend the stairs to play on my iPad.

About an hour later, a very irritable Rainbow Dash walks in.

"Ugh, Fluttershy is so damn slow!" She grunts as she slams the door shut.

"Not so loud!" I warn her in a hushed tone of voice. "Scootaloo is sleeping upstairs."

She frowns. "Isn't her family worried about her?"

I blink in surprise. "You didn't know?"

Rainbow shakes her head. "Know what?"

"Her parents, like, legit don't give a fuck about her. Half the time, she'll just leave the house, and they won't even ask where she's going."

Rainbow blinks in surprise. "That's horrible!"

I shrug. "She's fine about it, though. She's happy that she has ponies that care about her."

Rainbow Dash nods with a small smile. "Yeah, she's tough."

I nod, and hold out my hand. "Everything's packed. Now, come on, let's get some sleep..."

Rainbow Dash smiles, and walks into the guest bedroom.

"We're staying here," she remarks as we prepare the guest bed, "but we're still guests."

"Well, I don't think it would be proper for us to share Twilight's bed," I explain. "Especially if we decide to make out or something..."

Rainbow Dash shoots me a suggestive glance. "Just making out, Peter? Where's your explorer side?"

I chuckle, and pull back the sheets. "Well, I don't want to run the risk of Scootaloo hearing us. She's just a filly, after all."

Rainbow frowns at me. "That's not it, Peter. You're not being completely honest with me."

I frown. "How so?"

"You don't want to do sexual actions with me," Rainbow Dash states. "I can tell. You barely look at me like you want me, but you keep saying that you do. And when I make an advance, you pull back, but keep telling me how much you want me." I look away, ashamed of myself. "Is this some kind of sick joke for you, Peter?"

I look up in surprise. "No, of course not!"

"Then stop acting like it is, and make up your mind."

I sigh, and look away. "I'm afraid," I tell her. "I'm afraid, and it kills me that I am." I take a deep breath, and steel my nerves. Twilight was right. Rainbow deserves to know how I feel.

"Rainbow Dash," I whisper as I grasp her hooves, "there's something I need to tell you...about my...about my feelings for you..." Rainbow Dash immediately jumps out of the bed. "I...I have to go," she stammers, hurrying towards the door. "Look, Peter, I like you, but I don't exactly...love you..."

I raise an eyebrow. "Da fuq you talking abut, you crazy bitch?" She looks back to me in confusion.

"So...You weren't going to tell me that you love me?" She asks. I shake my head "no," and she lets out a sigh of relief. "Oh, thank goodness..."

I start laughing. "You actually thought I was going to say that I love you? Bitch, you be crazy!" She laughs along, and sits down next to me on the bed.

"I may be ready for sex," she adds on, "but I am not ready for love."

This makes me laugh even harder. "Rainbow, you are such an asshole..." She punches me, but keeps laughing. I hold my arm, and punch her in the foreleg. I end up hurting myself, instead.

"Pussy," she remarks with a small laugh. She rolls onto her side, and presses her back to my chest as she snuggles up to me. I smile, and wrap my arms around her, holding her as we lay there...

Wait, shit, I haven't accomplished anything!

So, the mixed signals still stand. I've told her that I want her, and yet, I've acted like I'm afraid to want her. I've told her that she turns me on, and yet, I've rejected her advances. Like, seriously, I'm setting myself up for disaster, because I just know that I'm going to hurt Rainbow Dash.

So, it's time to stop sending signals, and time to start broadcasting an answer to a question.

I bite my lip in thought. She seems to be so peaceful right now...Would I really want to disrupt that?

Yes. Yes, I would.

"Rainbow," I say softly. She turns to look at me. "Yeah?"

"We need to talk."

She sighs, and turns all the way, until her face is just in front of mine. "About what?"

"Sex," I say. Right to the point. Rainbow Dash blushes.

"I dunno, Peter," she says, softly. "I'd love to, but with Scootaloo just upstairs..."

"I didn't mean now!" I roll my eyes. "God, you just have to take everything out of proportion don't you?

"What I need to talk to you about is, well...I'm assuming that you've been getting mixed signals from me, right?"

She raises an eyebrow. "You're kidding, right? You signals are more mixed than...mixed signals!"

"Nice analogy," I remark. "Anyway, I think we should decide on what we're going to do about it."

Rainbow Dash smiles at me. "I know what we're going to do. We're going to be adults, and settle our differences. Right here, and right now."

I raise an eyebrow. "Oh? I'm proud of you, Rainbow. That's very mature."

Rainbow Dash rolls her eyes at me. "You're such a fuckin' old colt, Peter," she sighs. I chuckle, and pat her on the head.

"You know it, girl." Rainbow chuckles, and snuggles up against me. "Good night, Peter," she says softly, resting her head on my chest. I smile, and wrap an arm around her.

"Wait, the fuck happened to settling our differences?" I ask. Rainbow Dash chuckles.

"You're smart, but you don't get certain things, do you?"

I raise an eyebrow. "How so?"

"I've decided that we should wait a bit," Rainbow tells me. "Besides, I don't want your dick all up in my pussy. You're not nearly cool enough."

I laugh. "Girl, you don't even know how cool I am," I say. "I'm about as cool as lava!"

"But lava's hot," Rainbow Dash points out.

"That's the joke, you fucking idiot," I say. She chuckles, and shrugs. "Whatever. We should probably get some sleep. Scootaloo is going to be waking us nice and early..."

I chuckle, and close my eyes. "Good night, Rainbow Dash," I say with a small smile.

"Goodnight, Peter," she whispers.

I take a deep breath, and let the warmth of the cyan Pegasus pressed up against my side lull me into a sleep.

However, that sleep is ruined by an excited, and rather irritated, orange Pegasus, bouncing up and down on our mattress.

The Campsite

"Wake up! C'mon, get up, you two!"

I rub my temples as Scootaloo's loud shrieks of excitement pierce through my forehead.

"C'mon, you two! Rainbow, we've gotta go to the doctor before we go camping! Applejack is waiting downstairs! C'mon, c'mon!"

I open my eyes, and sit up,rubbing the sleep out of them. Rainbow sits up with a grunt, and smiles at the hyperactive filly.

"Heya, squirt," she says, jokingly.

"Come on, Rainbow! Applejack's waiting! We could get your wings fixed right now!"

"Alright, alright, I'm gettin' up, hold your horses..."

I stand as Rainbow Dash lazily rolls out of bed. I roll my eyes, and use my foot to assist her.

"Ow!" She cries as she hits the floor with a thud. "Okay, I'm awake now, Peter! You didn't have to kick me out of bed!"

"Don't care," I shrug. "Now, c'mon. I wanna see what your wings look like when you fly."

Rainbow Dash immediately stands, and stares at me with a blush. "Uhh...Do you mean..."

"No," I respond, flatly. "I mean that I want to observe how your muscles function in comparison to Scootaloo's. I'd like to get an MRI of you, but, whatever."

Rainbow raises an eyebrow, and I simply walk out of the room. "Hurry up, Rainbow! D'you wanna fly, or not?"

Within several seconds, she's cant up to me, and is stretching her wings in excitement. "I may actually get these damn bandages off," she muses with a small smile. I nod, and we greet Applejack, who is waiting just outside the library.

"Huh?" Rainbow Dash mutters, looking skyward. "Applejack, the sun isn't even up yet!"

"Ah know," Applejack responds. "Ah wanted t' get'cha up nice an' early, jus' so you could get your wings fixed now."

"Wait, you mean it's definite?"

She nods, and Rainbow Dash is gone in a flash, a small dust cloud the only thing that remains of the cyan Pegasus. I watch in amazement as she leaves a rainbow trail in her wake, and quickly arrives at the hospital, about three hundred yards away.

About a half hour later, she's flying back, a small rainbow trail falling behind her. She quickly gains speed, and, eventually...

Boom.

I feel the Sonic Rainboom shudder through my very being. I feel euphoria unlike I have ever known, and I can't help but smile in wonder. I feel my stomach shudder as the sonic waves reach me, and I immediately associate the sensation with someone beating a bass drum about five inches away from my face.

A plethora of colors spread around the area of origin of her celebratory Sonic Rainboom, and her ecstatic shouts fall into the wind behind her. After doing a few loops, and making an image of pure excitement with her trail of corporeal rainbow, she lands right next to me, her mane and tail glowing, and her body giving off remarkable heat.

"Awwww, yeah! I am back in action!" She cries, flexing her now-naked wings to show them off. "I'll meet you guys up at the first campsite! Gotta exercise my wings, after all!"

"D'you even know where it is?" Applejack asks as Rainbow prepares to take off.

"Uh," Rainbow says, pressing a hoof to her chin. "Nope."

"Rainbow, that was so cool!" Scootaloo cries as she runs out of the library. She had been standing by the window, so she could watch the Sonic Rainboom. Rainbow Dash tosses her mane in superiority.

"Well, of course it was!" She declares. "I am the greatest, after all."

"Ditto," I say, observing her fur, intrigued. "Technically, you shouldn't be alive right now. You should be a husk of a pony, but you were somehow able to withstand enough energy to split the light spectrum..."

Rainbow simply shrugs. "Whatevs. So, Applejack, where's the first camp site?"

Applejack holds up a map, which Rainbow observes for a full five seconds before taking off. "See ya there!" She shouts. I sigh as she flies away.

"What, missin' yer' gal already?" Applejack asks.

"No," I respond. "I just don't want to have to carry her bag..."

Applejack frowns. "Well, Apple Bloom and Ah have our own bags, so Ah'm afraid we can't help ya' there..."

I nod, and enter the library. I return a few seconds later with three bags on my shoulder, and one for Scootaloo. The third bag has my iPad, my iPod, my headphones, the tranquilizer-loaded pistol (which I don't know how I got,) and the morph suit and suit that resemble the Slender Man. I have no idea where I got that, either.

I drop Scootaloo's bag on the ground for her to pick up, and my palms begin to sweat.

"Be right back," I say, before entering the library once more. I make a beeline for the kitchen, and immediately search for cooking supplies, and a knife.

I'm going to hunt while I'm camping.

I haven't had meat in too damn long. If I have to sneak away to kill even a rabbit, and bury its body afterwards, I will. I just need some meat, because I'm afraid that the profound lack of nutrition I've been getting from pony food isn't exactly good for me. I could potentially attempt eating hay, as I have no idea what kind of biological changes occurred during my arrival here, seeing as how this is apparently my heaven. Or something. But I may be able to digest hay-based foods. But I'm kind of afraid to even try eating it, as I already had my appendix removed, and the appendix was used to monitor the digestion of foods such as grass and hay, so I don't know if I can actually digest hay...But, whatever. And wow, my thoughts are about as concise as Picasso's most chaotic drawing.

After a little while, I've found a rather sharp knife - presumably for cutting through stale bread - and some salt, a pot, and a ladle. I may try to make a stew, but I'm not exactly a cook, so...it may end up being really shitty meat. If anything, I could make a spit, and roast my kill over a small fire...

Whatever. I mean, I've never killed an animal before, so it might be difficult for me. I just hope I can bring myself to do it, because I reaaaaaally want some meat...

After packing the supplies away in my own bag, minus the pot, I leave the library, and take care to lock the door behind me. I nod to Applejack, who simply turns.

"We've got t' get Apple Bloom," she explains as she walks off. I roll my shoulders, the weight of my bags causing me slight back pain. Scootaloo rides on her scooter just between Applejack and I, using her wings to propel herself forwards. It's remarkable, actually, to see her wings operate like that. Quite impressive, really.

We continue to walk, and Applejack and I make idle conversation as Scootaloo zips around us.

"So, are there any farms like Sweet Apple Acres back on Earth?"

"Oh, yeah," I respond. "But they're mostly industrialized. Like, there are corporation owned farmlands that span about five thousand acres or so. I mean, there are a lot of privately owned farmlands, but they're mostly ranches and barns, and most of them have fallen into disuse. We have genetic engineering now, so we honestly don't need much farmland to get a bunch of harvest. Like, we've more than tripled how much produce we can gain from a single plant of wheat by making them smaller, and yield more...wheat. So, yeah."

Applejack nods, but I can tell she doesn't understand half of what I said. "So, what were ya sayin' 'bout the irrigation system in th' Acres?"

I explain my design again, and add in a few new elements, such as filters and emergency valves. She nods along, and as I finish explaining it, she smiles at me. "Y'know, yer' pretty smart," she compliments me. I thank her, and she continues to speak. "Maybe ya' could help me draw up some designs for irrigation. And, Ah'm gonna be perfectly honest, Ah don't see what yer' doin' with Rainbow Dash. A smart kid like you shouldn't be wastin' yer' time with a feather brain like her..."

I shrug. "I'll admit, she is kind of...lacking, in the department of intelligence," I respond. "But I enjoy spending time with her. Yeah, maybe she's not as smart as Twilight and I, but she's still pretty smart."

"What makes ya' think yer' as smart as Twi'?" Applejack asks, with a smirk.

In response, I look to her, and dictate every equation and its bearings upon reality to her. I explain the difference between type 1 and 2 projectiles, I explain momentum, impulse, collisions, and centripetal force, and I also explain the law of gravity, and dictate the number known as the Gravitational constant. I then move on to Chemistry, ignoring her as I ramble on, drawing on everything I can think of. Jumping to philosophy, I explain Plato's allegory of the cave, as well as Aristotle's idea of Essence, Form, Substance, and Accident. I then list half of the muscles in the human body, and about a third of the bones. I explain electrons, neutrons, protons, quarks, and String Theory. I dictate the admittedly little I know about Shakespearian literature, and then move on to one of my most beloved topics, in terms of culture: Lovecraftian literature, spanning from his first novella to the last of his compilations. As I finish speaking, we're walking back from Apple Jack's home, and Apple Bloom and Scootaloo are watching as I speak, and Applejack hangs her head down, annoyed beyond annoyance at how much I've spoken.

When I've paused for about several minutes, Applejack raises her head. "Are...Are ya' done, Sugarcube?"

I smile at her. "Quite. But there's still a lot I haven't spoken about, if you want me to-"

"NO!" She shouts, shoving a hoof into my mouth. Applejack pulls back with a slight blush. "Ah mean, no, thanks."

I spit out the taste of cloven and dirt. It's absolutely disgusting. I look up, and realize that we've arrived at the forest, through which our first campsite lies.

"My dears!"

We turn at the call, and see a mountain, slowly lumbering towards us. Rarity is trotting up to us, wearing what I can only describe as a babushka and some sunglasses. I facepalm, and can't help but guffaw as Sweetie Belle tugs along the cart of luggage.

"Child labor much?" I ask as she approaches. Rarity huffs, and flips her mane.

"Please! As if you expect me to actually carry such an unbearable load!"

"Then why'd you bring so much? We probably won't use any of it," I inform her, struggling to see the top of her artificial mountain. I can swear that there's a vulture circling the apex.

"Oh, whatever," Rarity dismisses me with a huff. "I'll be the one laughing when you can't-" She points a hoof at me, and falls silent. "Uh, how exactly do you manage yourself, my dear? You don't seem to have the same features as a pony..."

I make a classic "ya don't say" face, and say, well..."Ya don't say." This elicits laughter from the ponies around her, and I gesture towards my chin. "I shave my beard, I inform her. She pouts at me as we continue to walk on.

"You didn't have to be so nasty about it," she mutters as we begin our trek into the forest.

Within five seconds, Rarity has started to whine.

"Are we there yet?" She asks. I turn, and stare at her incredulously.

"We've been walking for, like, five minutes!" I declare. "Not even! Look; we can still see Ponyville! Like, you serious?"

Rarity huff at me. "You don't have to be so rude about it..."

I nod. "Yeah, sorry 'bout that. I'll try to keep my temper under check."

Rarity nods in approval. "Thank you! You see that, Sweetie Belle? That's a true gentlecolt!"

Sweetie Belle rolls her eyes with a sigh. "Okay, Rarity...Just, come on, we've got to keep going..."

Rarity nods. "Yes, yes, of course..."

I turn, and exchange a glance with Applejack.

"Ya' might wanna put on yer' headphone-things," she tells me in a hushed voice. "You'll go crazy if ya' don't like t' hear whinin'."

As if on cue Rarity gasps, and declares that she got her hoof dirty. I grind my teeth, and immediately take out my iPod and headphones. I pop them over my head, and play on shuffle, starting from the song "Another One Bites the Dust." I nod along to the beat, and whisper the lyrics to myself as I walk along.

Eventually, I lose myself to the music, and the methodic thumping of my feet upon the packed earth. I almost lose my balance for a bit, but manage to catch myself a second before I hit the ground. As my headphones slide off, I begin to hear frantic yelling.

"Peter?"

"Peter, where are you!?"

I turn in confusion, and find that I'm no longer on a trail. I facepalm, and begin to chuckle to myself.

"Yo," I cry out, loud enough to disturb the birds surrounding me. I hear a relieved sigh, and immediately see Applejack's head pop out from behind a tree.

"There y' are," she sighs. "Ya' jus' wandered off about a half hour ago! We turned our heads for a minute, an' you were gone!"

I smile sheepishly. "Sorry. Maybe I'll walk in the back for now, so I can watch you and keep myself on the path..."

"Doesn't matter," she tells me. "Ya' wandered off while we were settin' up camp. Rainbow is worried sick about you."

I frown. "Sorry," I mutter. "Don't apologize to me," Applejack tells me. "Apologize to her."

I nod, and follow her back to the camp.

"Peter!" I immediately hear. I look over to Rainbow Dash, who is kindling a small fire surrounded by log seats. "Where were you!?"

I shrug. "Lost."

She rolls her eyes. "Yeah, no duh. Anyway, come sit down, we're gonna have breakfast. Rarity's making it now."

I nod, and sit down on the log. Scootaloo immediately jumps onto my lap as I begin to put away my headphones, and pulls out my iPad with her teeth.

"Youf wanfa finish that game?" She asks me, smiling through the gray Smart Case. I smile, and take it from her mouth. "Sure," I respond, booting up the game. Scootaloo smiles, and begins to direct my actions.

"Whoa!" Rainbow shouts out. I look up, and guffaw in amazement.

Rarity has just opened a box, and out sprung a giant fucking tent. It's like a legit house! I don't even...

"How'd that fit in there?" I ask, incredulous.

"I had Pinkie Pie design a tent for me," Rarity explains. "She is superb at fitting big things into small spaces."

I immediately begin to snicker. "What?" Rarity asks, with a small frown.

"Big things, into small spaces," I echo. "If you know what I mean..."

Rarity blushes, and Applejack throws me a disparaging glance. Rainbow punches me on the arm, chuckling. "That's gross, dude..."

I shrug, and Scootaloo looks up in confusion. "I don't get it," she mutters.

"You will when you're older," I tell her.

"I'm older now," she says. "By a second. And I still don't get it."

"In a few years," I dismiss her. "Now, back to the game."

Scootaloo nods, and accepts the replacement to satiating curiosity. Rainbow Dash leans over, and watches as we destroy the beings of darkness.

"That's a pretty cool looking game," Rainbow admits. "Mind if I try?"

"Your hoof can't work the touch screen," I inform her. "Scootaloo already tried."

Rainbow shrugs. "Alright then. So, Scoots like playing it even though she's not...playing it?"

"Yeah!" Scootaloo cries out. "It's fun, because of all the cool stuff going on on the screen! Hey, attack him!"

I nod, but miss the enemy by a margin. "Oh, what the hay, Peter?"

"Hey," Rainbow Dash spits, "watch how your mouth." Scootaloo shrinks back, and I raise an eyebrow at Rainbow Dash, who simply returns to watching the game as Scootaloo continues to order me around.

"Yes!" Scootaloo cries as we defeat the last boss of the continent. "We beat the game!"

"No, we didn't," I inform her. "Actually, far from it."

She guffaws as the next continent loads. "Let's go!" She cries in excitement.

"Okay, that's enough you two," Rainbow Dash declares. "It's time for breakfast Put that away."

Scootaloo sighs. "Aww, can't we play for a little bit longer?"

"No," Rainbow responds. "It's time to eat, kiddo. C'mon."

She sighs, and I pat her on the back. "We can play it later," I tell her. "In the tent."

Scootaloo smiles, and nods. "Yeah!"

I accept the breakfast that is offered to me, and stare down at it.

"Hay?" I ask.

"I just worked to perfectly season that hay," Rarity cries, "and all you can do is complain about it!?"

"I...I can't eat hay," I tell her, sheepishly. "Humans can't digest hay."

Rarity blinks, and sighs. "Very well, then. I shall fetch you some bread, my dear..."

My senses spike, and I realize that now is the perfect time to hunt. It's already dark out, and I do have a craving for some meat...

"Actually," I declare, stealthily taking the knife from my bag and shoving it into my pocket, "I think I'll go get some berries."

"Let me come with you," Rainbow declares.

"No," I respond, as I shove the salt into my pocket. "Have to go alone."

She rolls her eyes, and doesn't notice as I pull the tranquilizer gun from my bag, as well as the box of matches I took from Twilight's kitchen. By the time I'm prepared, my pockets are bulging slightly.

"I'll be right back," I explain as I quickly depart. The ponies watch, confused, as I delve into the brush.

I take out the knife, and inspect the blade. Now that I think about it, it may not be just for bread. The name "Spike" inscribed into it suggests that it was used to cut gems.

Perfect for cutting veins, eh?

Wait, I can't use this! It's Spike's own, special knife! I can't possibly defile it with the blood of animals! I could clean it, but its use would never be cleared. It embodies the small amount of innocence left after Spike's death, and I can't just take that away from Twilight...

So, I put it back in my pocket, and pull out my tranquilizer gun. I decide that I'll find a sharp rock to cut the skin with.

I proceed into the brush, holding my now armed armament ahead of me as I crawl through the branches.

A bunny hops up to me, and I aim the barrel of my gun at where I know its heart is, in hopes that tranquilizer straight to the heart will end up causing total organ failure and killing it.

My finger rests on the trigger, and it sniffs at the gun, before chewing it. After a few seconds, it looks up at me, and I can't help but smile at it.

The thing is so adorable...

But, it's no Chinchilla.

And, a man's got to eat, right?

I'm about to pull the trigger, when I realize the danger of doing this.

If I inject tranquilizer right into its heart, its entire body will be full of it within seconds. And, no matter how much I cook it, it will cause me to go unconscious, or at least get some kind of food poisoning.

Plus, I'm used to eating industrial food. I can't just switch to cooking raw meat, y'know?

So, I put on the safety, and reach out a hand to the bunny. It immediately rubs up against my hand, whereas I expected it to dart away in fear, just like the bunnies of earth. However, seeing as how ponies have mostly befriended wild animals, caring, tender gestures must be immediate invitations for them.

It climbs into my hand, and I can't help but smile at how cute it is. Thank God I didn't kill this little thing...

It chitters at me, and I can't help but smile. But that smile quickly fades as it pulls out a sharpened stick, and brandishes it at me like a sword.

I immediately think back to Monty Python and the Holy Grail, and decide that the best course of action would be to:

"Run away!" I cry, dropping the beast just before it attempts a swipe at me. I run back towards the camp, and glance behind me to see that there's an army of them gathering. I continue to flee, dodging trees and roots, until, finally, I trip, landing by the outskirts of our campsite.

I turn around, and use my feet to push myself away from the forest, and eventually end up pressed against a tree.

"Peter?" Applejack calls. "What in the hay...?"

Just then, the vicious bunnies burst from the brush like a tidal wave, and swarm me. I panic, and attempt to get out of the way, before they eventually have a bunch of tiny ropes made of saplings holding me down.

A rabbit jumps onto my chest, and holds up a carrot, as if in victory.

Just then, a flurry of wind kicks up, and I turn to see that Rainbow Dash is flapping her wings at the bunnies. They quickly run away, terrified by the Pegasus as I beak free of my bonds with no problem whatsoever.

"Weirdest day ever," I mutter as I watch them scamper away.

"Peter, you okay?" Rainbow Dash asks. "Those rabbits were super weird!"

I nod at her. "Yeah, no fucking shit..." I sigh as I catch my breath. Applejack rushes over, and gives me a questioning glance.

"Now, what in the hay was that all about?"

"I don't know," I mutter. "And I'm not sure I want to...They may have been shoggoths..."

"What, like the Lovecraftian thing ya' told me about?" Applejack asks. I look up in surprise. "You were actually listening?"

"Like there was anythin' else t' listen to," she grumbles. I smile. "I feel humbled, my dear Applejack."

"Yeah, whatever," Rainbow Dash cuts across. "Hey, what's that thing in your hand?"

I look down, and see that the pistol, loaded with tranquilizers, is still in my hand. I give an evil grin, before pointing it at Rainbow.

"Here," I say. "Let me show you..."

After a few seconds, I disengage the safety, and fire the gun at a nearby tree. The projectile sticks in the bark , which means that the formula for the momentum would me m1v1 + m2v2 = 0.

Rainbow examines it in awe, and then looks back to me. "So, did that thing shoot that out?"

I nod, and decide against putting the safety back on, since my hand isn't on the trigger. "It's full of tranquilizer darts."

"Can I try!?" Rainbow asks excitedly, before snatching it, and hovering just out of my reach.

Wow, I really regret not putting that fucking safety on now.

The cyan Pegasus holds it, fumbling with it before eventually bumping the side of with with a hoof, hard enough to set it off. The projectile fires out, and goes right through Applejack's hat, pinning the Stetson to a nearby tree. Applejack ducks for cover, and frowns up at the cyan Pegasus.

"Oops," Rainbow mutters as she holds the gun out to me, "sorry..."

"You see, this is why women belong in the kitchen!" I cry as I snatch the gun from the cyan Pegasus. Rainbow Dash and Applejack, who has since recovered her hat, both look at me in pure rage.

"Peter?"

"Yeah, Rainbow Dash?"

"We'll give you five seconds to get back to the campfire before we beat the shit out of you."

"Duly noted." With that, I scurry back to the campfire, and sit on a log obediently.

"Oh? So you decided you wanted the bread after all?" Rarity asks, observing my profound lack of berries. I nod, and she smiles, retreating into her tent, only to return with a few pieces of toast. "Eat up, dear. Wouldn't want to get hungry during your hike today!"

I nearly choke on the toast I'm eating. "Hike!?"

"Yeah," Applejack responds. "Ah thought ya knew we'd be hikin'? Don't you normally do that when ya' camp?"

"Well...This is my first time camping," I admit. "I...I'm not that much of a fan of physical activity...I mostly prefer to stay at home and play video games."

Applejack smirks at me. "Well, we're gonna do a mighty fine job of changin' that today. Ain't that right, Rainbow?"

Rainbow Dash nods, and I gesture towards Rarity. "What about her? Won't she come along?"

"Oh, heavens no," she protests. "I would never subject myself to such filth as there is in...hiking..."

Sweetie Belle shrugs. "Whatever, your loss. You get to stay here, then. Alone."

I raise an eyebrow, and Rarity begins to fidget. "Oh, alone, you say? Well...That gives me ample time to, ah...uhm..." She sighs. "Alright, fine, I'll go."

"Rarity, if you wanna stay, I can stay with you," I volunteer. "Besides, I'm not that into nature, anyway."

"Then why'd you make such a big deal about getting berries?" Rainbow asks. I glance her over a few times, and sigh.

"C'mon," I mutter as I drag her aside. Once we're in private, she raises an eyebrow at me. "What's all this about?"

"I wasn't trying to get berries," I explain with a sigh. "I was going to hunt something. I haven't had meat in so long, Rainbow..."

"You WHAT!?" Rainbow cries, a mad frown contorting her features. I shrink back, and Applejack and Rarity burst in.

"Peter, what in the hay did'ya do?" Applejack sighs.

"He was going to kill an innocent animal!" Rainbow declares. I cringe as she shouts. "Just for food!"

Applejack and Rarity stare at me, and I simply shrug. "What? I'm not like you guys. I have to eat meat. It's part of my diet! If I just stop, my body could go into shock."

Applejack sighs. "Why didn't ya jus' say so?" She asks. "We know that there're animals that need t' eat meat t' survive. We're fine with you killin' an animal, so long as you only kill what you need."

I sneer at Rainbow Dash. "So why'd you flip out so much about me hunting, Rainbow?" I ask her, rather pointedly. She blushes, and shrinks back a bit. "I...I guess Fluttershy's rubbed off on me," she mutters. I can't help but chuckle, and I stand, stretching my limbs to get the blood flowing.

"So, I could go hunting right now?" I ask, eager to get some meat. Applejack nods, and gestures for me to follow her.

"Ah brought a knife, in case we need t' cut through any wood," she explains. "Now, jus' make sure you wash yerself up before you come back, alright? We don't wanna see no blood on you."

Rarity and Rainbow follow us, incredulously.

"Applejack, I don't see how you could possibly be okay with this," Rarity states. Rainbow Dash nods. "Yeah! For once, I agree with Rare!"

Applejack sighs, and turns to Rainbow Dash. "Rainbow, if yer' gonna have a healthy relationship wit' Peter, yah've got to understand him and what he needs. If he needs meat, then you let him hunt! You should've expected this kinda stuff when you signed up for a relationship with, well...an alien."

Rainbow nods. "I know, I know it's just..."

"Different," I suggest. Rainbow nods with a sigh, and Applejack gives me a knife, holding the hilt in her mouth.

"Thanks," I mutter as I accept it. I put it in my pocket, and look to Rainbow for permission.

"Fine," she grunts. "Just go..."

I nod, and delve back to the forest, ready to hunt. I eventually find a deer, simply sleeping on the floor. I approach it, and prepare to kill it.

However, I decide it's too big for me to consume. I've just had some toast, and I'm rather full. It would die for no reason.

I remove my hand from the hilt of my knife, and approach it curiously. I've never actually touched a deer before, let alone seen one so close...

As I approach, I notice a permeating stench. I pinch my nose, and realize that it is the smell of rotting flesh.

The deer doesn't seem to have any lacerations or general damage. I circle around it, and frown.

This was one of Grendel's victims.

The long marks across its back remind me of Rainbow Dash's own long scars.

As I observe it, I realize something very disturbing.

With Celestia and Luna's help, I had sealed away Grendel no less than ten hours ago.

Judging by the still-flowing blood, and the profound lack of decomposition, these wounds were made no more than three hours ago.

I suddenly become aware of all of the smallest sounds around me-rustling bushes, falling leaves, snapping twigs.

I shiver, and retreat from the woods, dreading what the future may hold.

The Birds

I come out of the woods, shaking.

I can't tell the ponies here. They'd panic. And I don't want to cost them this camping trip.

And, besides, if Grendel has returned, he and I have an understanding. He doesn't hurt my friends, but is free to hunt.

However, after sealing him away, how do I know he won't want revenge?

Whatever. I can only hope that nothing happens during this trip.

I mean, yeah, maybe I should warn them, but...Even if I do, if Grendel wants them dead, what good would it do? May as well enjoy the last few hours of their lives, after all.

As I enter the campsite, I hand Applejack the knife, and lie through my teeth.

"I couldn't do it. I couldn't bring myself to end an innocent animal's life."

Applejack smiles as she accepts the blade. "That's nothin' to be ashamed of," she tells me. I shrug, still shaking, which is convenient, seeing as how it makes it more believable.

"Good," Rainbow Dash says with a sigh. I raise an eyebrow at her, and she simply walks away.

"Shall we, Applejack? I've been ready for this hike for the past half hour."

"Yeah," Applejack says. "C'mon, y'all!"

I nod, and sit down on the log. "Peter? What ever are you doing?"

I turn to see Rarity, standing by the start of a trail. "I thought you were staying," I remark.

"Uh, no, dear. But thank you for the offer, to stay with me."

I nod, and stand. I leave my bag, but put my iPod in my pocket and my headphones around my neck. "Alright, let's go."

With that, we're off, the Cutie Mark Crusaders walking together with laughter and chuckles as they converse with each other. As I walk, Rainbow Dash trots along next to me, suspiciously silent.

"Why'd you stay in the hospital with me?" She finally asks, in a hushed tone of voice.

I nearly trip over a rock as I turn to look at her in shock.

"What?" I breathe as I regain my balance.

"You heard me."

I flounder for a few moments, shocked by the question. "Well, I cared about you, Rainbow. And I still do. You know that."

She shoots a glance at me. "Then why were you going to stay with Rarity when all she did was bitch about hiking!?"

Everypony stops, and turns to stare at us. I cringe, and stare at Rainbow Dash, as well.

"Rainbow," Applejack says, studying her Pegasus friend, "watch yer' language," she commands, before turning back to the road. Rarity sniffles a bit, and holds her head high.

"Apologize to her," I tell Rainbow as we walk forward. She rolls her eyes, but does it all the same.

"Sorry, Rare," she sighs. "I'm just...strung up about things."

"Of course," Rarity responds, continuing to walk forward without so much as looking back. "I...I understand, my dear."

Rainbow nods, and turns her attention back to me. "So? Why?"

"Because she's my friend," I growl at her, clutching her close to me so nopony can hear our hushed voices. "And it was the right thing to do."

"So, is that the only reason why you stayed with me?" She asks. "Because I was your friend, and it was the right thing to do?"

I sigh, and pull her to the side. "No, I stayed with you because I wanted to be there for you," I tell her. Her questioning gaze softens somewhat as I cup the side of her face in my palm. "I care about you, Rainbow. And I cared about you just as much back then. And besides, it was only a month ago. Nothing has changed, alright?"

She smiles at me, and we hug. "Now, you've got to promise that you'll start trusting me more," I tell her as we part. "I would never cheat on you, babe. You know that. I wouldn't be able to bring myself to do that to you."

Rainbow smiles, and nuzzles me lightly on the cheek. "Thanks, Peter."

I kiss her on the cheek, and stand. "Now, enough of this sappy shit, eh?"

Rainbow nods. "Yeah, enough. It's time to get a move on!"

We leave the bushes, and find Applejack staring at us. "Havin' fun, you two?"

I look at Rainbow Dash, and shrug. "I dunno. With her being so damn annoying, fun is kind of hard to define."

Rainbow laughs, and punches me in the leg. I wince in pain, but continue on the path.

"Hi," I call out to the four ponies impatiently waiting for us. "Sorry 'bout that. C'mon, let's go. This trail is not going to hike itself. If it did, I'm pretty sure I'd be hiding under my bed right now."

This gets a small giggle from the three fillies, and I smile at them as we continue walking forward, Rainbow Dash gliding along lazily behind us.

"Guys, wait!" Applejack calls, her hoof pointing into the vegetation. "Look!"

We follow her hoof, and see that she's pointing at a rather beautiful bird that is preening itself on the side of the trail.

"I've never seen a bird like that," I remark, studying its odd plumage. I look around, confused by the odd stunned silence. "What?"

"Peter, that's an incredibly rare bird!" Rainbow Dash cries out. I turn back to it, and take note of its rainbow-colored feathers. "It lives only near the Rainbow Falls! Normally, it doesn't stray this far from them..."

"What's it called?" I ask, kneeling down in curiosity.

"The Rainbow Bird," Rainbow Dash responds, matter-of-factly. "Duh."

I roll my eyes, and approach the beautiful bird. It looks up to me, and approaches as I hold out my hand.

"Heya, buddy," I whisper as it nears me. It cautiously pecks at my hand a few times, and I struggle to keep my reactions under check. It then proceeds to flap its wings, and land right on my shoulder.

"Uhh, hi," I mutter as it continues to preen itself. I stroke the soft feathers on its head, and marvel at how beautiful it is as I slowly sit down by the edge of the path.

"Wow, Peter," Applejack breathes, her voice full of whimsy, "that's somethin' Ah've only seen Fluttershy do..."

I smile, and Rainbow Dash sits down next to me. "That's so awesome," she squeals. "Oh, man, I wish I could have one as a pet...But, Tank is fine..."

I smile, and extend my arm so that it's around Rainbow's shoulders. She leans into me, and watches in interest as the bird slowly travels down my arm, curious as to the new limb that has grown from its perch.

When it sees Rainbow's, well, rainbow mane, it immediately warms up to the cyan Pegasus, and hops right onto her shoulder, where it continues to preen itself. Rainbow gasps in excitement.

"This bird," she says, her voice shaking, "is the only bird that can travel as fast as me, if not a tiny bit faster. Of course, when doing a Sonic Rainboom, it's got nothin' on me, but just normally...it can go almost as fast as me!" She grins wide enough for us to see her gums. "It's so awesome!"

As she speaks, her high-pitched voice disturbs the bird, and it lets out a squawk before pecking Rainbow on the ear.

"Ow!" She cries, begetting another firm poke from the bird. "Hey, stop it!"

This continues for a few moments, and I begin to laugh, at which point the bird's fury turns to me.

It jumps over to me, and pecks me on the ear, before kicking Rainbow Dash in the mouth. It spins around, kicking the both of us repeatedly, leaving small scratches with its talons, before it spreads its legs out and catches us both on the nose. With a mighty screech, it spreads its wings, (effectively bitch slapping us both,) and takes off, a few rainbow feathers falling behind in its wake.

"Okay," I mutter, "so either that was a ninja bird, or I just really suck at dealing with wildlife..."

"Oh, no," Rarity squeaks. I turn back, and see that the Cutie Mark Crusaders are laughing boisterously, and that Applejack is snickering as well.

"Shut up!" Rainbow cries, wincing as the skin around her mouth stretches. She has a few scratches on the outside of her cheeks, and so do I. They sting like motherfuckers.

"Uh, everypony?" Rarity calls out, timidly. I raise an eyebrow, because nopony can hear her above the laughter.

"Everypony?" She repeats, urgency creeping into her voice. I wonder what it is that she sees, as Applejack struggles to breathe, and Rainbow Dash blushes.

And then, I hear it.

A thousand simultaneous battle cries.

"RUN!" Rarity shouts, before bolting away, faster than I've ever seen her go. I'm about to follow suit, when the horde of Angry Ninja Birds descend upon us.

I hear the five girls with me scream shrilly, and I curse as I get punched and kicked by birds. They fly away, only to start regrouping above us.

"Time to go," I say, before running after Rarity's trail of dust. The other ponies follow suit, and we're quickly ambushed by the birds again.

"Ah, fuck!" I shout as a bird hits me in the back. I falter, and land right on the ground.

"Peter!" Rainbow cries. I can see her fly into the crowd, but she, too, is downed by the birds.

"You three, get to safety!" Applejack cries. "Ah'll help them!" With that, she's promptly downed, as well.

Protecting our eyes, the three of us continuously call out to each other as we're beat up by Angry Birds. Within a half hour, they've finally had enough, and fly away.

But not before one of them poops on Rainbow's head.

Despite the pain wracking my body, I burst out in laughter as Rainbow Dash cringes. "Ffffffffffffuuuuuuuuuuuck..." She mutters.

I cringe as I stand, and Rainbow runs right past me, aiming for the lake by our campsite.

After helping Applejack up, the both of us begin to limp back to the campsite. I pick up my headphones, and observe the shredded wires mournfully. At least the copper wiring will give some of those fucking satanic birds some indigestion for a while, eh?

As we near the camp, I see that Rainbow Dash has been subjected to Rarity's furious cleansing techniques. I decide that it would probably be best to lay down, and limp over to the tent that Rainbow Dash, Scootaloo, and I will be sharing.

I flop down on the bed that Rainbow and I will share, and close my eyes, panting and cringing. After a little while, Rainbow Dash limps in, and flops down next to me, her recently-washed fur and mane smelling rather nice, and feeling ridiculously soft.

"What in the fuck," she mutters, "is going on in these woods?"

I shake my head, and close my eyes, holding Rainbow Dash close - but not too close, lest I aggravate my own bruises - and quickly fall asleep, my body shutting down as my brain assesses the damage.

Early Birds

My unrestful sleep is interrupted by a rough shove.

"Whoa!" I cry as I tumble off of the bed, and onto the floor. I rub my aching head, and notice that each and every one of my limbs are aching.

"Peter, it's time for dinner," I hear Rainbow Dash snicker. I scowl at her.

"Fuck off, bitch," I mutter as I climb back onto the bed. "How dare ye push me off mine bed!"

With that, she pushes me off again, giggling as I state at her.

"C'mon," she says, beckoning. "We're having some pasta Rarity made! She makes the best pasta, I swear...Oh, and then we're having s'mores. And then, we're telling scary stories!"

I perk up in excitement. If there's one thing I love, it's a good scare. Especially the creepy ones, which is why my iPad is chock full of saved CreepyPastas.

"Can I tell a few?" I ask, excitedly. Rainbow Dash rolls her eyes, but smiles.

"Sure," she says. "Just...Make sure they're not too scary. Y'know, for the fillies."

I let out a moan of discontent. "Fine. But after they're asleep, I'm telling you guys a few scary stories of my own."

Rainbow Dash shrugs. "Okay, whatever."

I smile, and follow her outside, where Rarity has set up an elegant table with several plates of pasta, all ready for our consumption.

"Come, sit down!" The aforementioned pony beckons. I wince as I limp over to the table, and take a seat on a log. "I heated it up with a bit of fire magic that Twilight taught me! It was quite easy, actually."

I nod, and sit next to Rainbow Dash as I pick up my fork and knife. Or knife and fork. Or whatever the fuck you prefer, you utensilst bastards.

"Oh, ravioli," I comment as I begin to dig in. "Love me some ravioli!"

"Good," Rarity responds. We make idle conversation as we eat our dinner, and watch on in stunned silence as Rarity makes the table into the size of a thimble, and stores it in a bag.

"Merlin much?" I mutter as I sit down in front of the now-present campfire. Rainbow and Scootaloo sit with me, and one meaningful glance means that we're going to skip desert.

"It got dark out pretty fast," I remark.

"Yeah, it did," Rainbow responds. "We must've slept through the majority of the day..."

I nod, and roll my shoulders. "God, I still can't believe what happened with those birds..."

"And I just don't wanna think about it," Rainbow mutters as she shakes. I can't help but chuckle.

"Let's just leave birds alone from now on," I remark. Everypony present unanimously agrees, and Rainbow stands up with a sigh.

"But let's not think about that right now," she says as she walks towards the fire. "For now, I have some scaaaaaaary camp stories to tell you..."

I perk up. Maybe, just maybe, it will be legitimately scary!

She begins to tell her story, and I quickly get incredibly bored.

"Who has my rusty horse shoe?" She asks, in a sinister voice. I look over to see that the three fillies are all shaking, and can't help but smile.

"YOU DO!" She cries, putting her hoof against Scootaloo's chest. The three fillies panic, and Scootaloo jumps in fear.

"Hey, you're not scared, are ya?" Rainbow Dash asks Scootaloo. The orange Pegasus shakes her head, and I can tell that she's lying.

Within an hour, the fillies are all asleep, or it would appear. Rainbow Dash then walks back out to the campfire with a small smile.

"Scoots is asleep," she explains. "So, what's that scary story you wanted to tell us?" Rainbow asks as Applejack and Rarity approach in curiosity. "What're you two still doin' up?"

I gesture for them to sit down. "Sit," I direct. "I've got a scary story to tell you."

Rarity and Applejack sit with a frown. "Why not tell this to the fillies?"

"You'll see," I say. I clear my throat, and begin to tell a story that I make up as I go along.

"He didn't know how long he was there. Quite frankly, he didn't want to know. All he knew was that everyday, his body told unknown tales; untold volumes of information. Each day, there were new scars on his body, and more blood decorating the floor underneath his feet.

"As he sits there, the man in the suit returns, brandishing a knife of cold malice. The door opens, and he feels the knife enter his body.

"His skin splits, slowly and painfully. He moans and screams, his blood leaking down his body, and his skin peeling back to reveal the meat underneath.

"When he can't handle anymore, the world goes black. It comes back into focus hours later, and he remembers nothing. The only thing he knows is that there are new scars upon his body, and new blood on the floor."

As I conclude my story, I see that each of the ponies is shaking. I smile in satisfaction.

"I win," I gloat to Rainbow Dash. "Looks like I scared the bejeesus out of all of you."

"I-I'm not scared!" Rainbow protests. "I...I'm just cold, that's all."

I smile, and beckon for her to follow me. "Come on, then. I'll keep you warm."

She smiles at me, and we walk off into our tent.

"Uhhhh, good night, you two!" Applejack calls after us. "Don't pay any attention to us or anythin'..."

"Sure thing," I respond. "See ya in the morning."

With that, I zip our tent closed, and lay down with Rainbow Dash. She snuggles against me, and I hold her tight.

"Good night, Peter," she whispers softly as she snuggles into me.

"Good night, Rainbow," I respond. I swiftly fall asleep, my aches and bruises sapping my strength.

About three hours later, I'm woken up by a scream from Scootaloo.

I wake up the cyan Pegasus, and told her about what I just heard.

Rainbow Dash looks at me, and turns to see Scootaloo, rocking herself back and forth on her bed.

"Scoots?" She calls out, frowning.

Scootaloo cringes, and turns to face us.

"Uhhh, hi, guys..." She says, her eyes puffy in fear. Rainbow Dash frowns, and climbs out of our bed.

"What's up, kid?" She asks, walking over to her friends' bedside. "What, did you have a nightmare about the old mare with the rusty horseshoe?"

"No," Scootaloo immediately responds. "I'm not scared! I'm never scared, remember? I'm the tough-as-nails Scootaloo!"

Rainbow Dash smiles, and pats her on the back. "Attagirl," Rainbow says, proudly. "Never let anything get to ya! Just like me: fearless!"

I raise an eyebrow, but say nothing.

"But, if that's not it, then why'd you scream?"

"Because I was hurtin' on the old mare too hard!" Scootaloo cries. "I didn't want to harm her too much, y'know?"

Rainbow laughs, and holds out her hoof, which Scootaloo meets with her own. Rainbow returns to our bed after saying "goodnight," and lays down with me.

I wait until Rainbow Dash has fallen asleep, and I slowly, and carefully, extricate myself from her grasp. I walk over to Scootaloo's bedside, and sit right by her side. I immediately notice that her eyes are open, and that she's staring up at the tent interior.

"Scootaloo," I say, softly. "Hey, Scootaloo."

"Hi," she whispers with a gulp.

"You had a nightmare, didn't you?"

She shakes her head. "Nope. Not one."

I raise an eyebrow, and rest a hand on her hoof.

"Hey, Rainbow isn't awake," I tell her. "She can't hear you. If you don't want her to know that you're afraid, I won't tell her. Okay?"

She smiles up at me, and I down at her.

"Okay, I...I had a nightmare," she admits. "The old mare was chasing me..."

I smile, and bring her in for a hug. "She's not real, Scoots," I tell her. "Everything will be okay."

She looks up to me with a small frown. "But...How do you know she's not?"

"Because it's just a story, babe," I tell her. "Nothing more. Hey, did you know, that when I heard my first ghost story, I was scared, too?"

Scootaloo looks up to me with a frown. "But you...you seemed to be fine with it..."

"Because I tackled my fear, head-on," I inform her. "I looked it right in the eye, and took it on. I compiled scientific data to prove that they weren't real. For example, a rusty horseshoe would cause the oxidization of plasma. And, therefore, she would be sick beyond being able to walk."

Scootaloo blinks, and looks up at me. "I don't get it."

I smile. "It just means that she wouldn't exist," I explain. "There's nothing to be afraid of. If you want, we can stay up until you fall asleep, and not have anymore nightmares."

Scootaloo smiles at me. "I would like that, Peter...Thanks."

I smile, and motion for her to sit up. As she sits, leaning against me, I tell her stories of grand heroes, such as Link, the fair warrior of Hyrule, and the wielder of the Master Sword.

As I tell her the story of how Link defeated the evil parasite within the Deku Tree, and then moved on to meet Princess Zelda, and gain all the Elemental Stones. I tell her of everything from Death Mountain, to of the final battle with Ganandorf.

As I finish the story, I notice that she's fallen asleep a while ago. I smile, and lay her down under the sheets. I tuck her in, and brush a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

"Good night, Scootaloo," I whisper, before rejoining Rainbow on our bed. As I snuggle up to her, the cyan Pegasus sighs.

"Scoots had a nightmare, didn't she?"

I hesitate, but nod. The cyan Pegasus sighs. "She could've told me..."

"Yeah, well, she likes me more than you," I gloat. "I guess I'm just cooler..."

"I hate you, Peter," she growls. "I fucking hate you..."

I laugh softly, and kiss her, on the lips. "Goodnight, sweetheart."

She smiles, and snuggles into me. "Goodnight, Peter."

I hold her against me, and close my eyes, smiling as I feel her chest rising and falling.

As I wake up, I become aware of a heavy weight on my chest.

I open my eyes, and see that Rainbow is curled up on top of me, smiling in her sleep. I smile, and kiss her on the forehead, before pushing her off of me and onto the bed. I smile down at her as she stretches out, assuming a new sleeping position. I stand, and stretch with a yawn, before opening the tent, and walking outside.

And then immediately diving back in, zipping it shut as birds attack our tent.

I hyperventilate as the violent squawking wakes up Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo. The birds calm down, and Rainbow Dash looks around, holding her blanket up to her chin. "What's going on!?" She cries.

Her shrill voice sets off the birds again, and she cringes.

"The birds are back," I explain. A scream from across the campsite, and a flurry of squawking, tells me that Rarity knows, as well.

"Rarity!" Rainbow shouts, setting of the birds around our tent again. Rainbow yelps, and hides underneath the blankets. I can't help but laugh as she cowers.

"Wow, and to think, you're the tough, one and only Rainbow Dash!"

"Yeah, I am!" She declares, proudly spreading her wings, which causes the birds to crazy again. She shrinks back, and lowers her voice. "But those things are scary..."

I sigh, and Scootaloo does, as well.

"What're we gonna do?" She asks, watching in wonder as Rainbow Dash quakes in her hooves.

"Well," I sigh, compiling ideas together, "they don't like loud noises, and...they broke my headphones, which renders my iPod useless, so..." I reach into my bag, and pull out the small iPod. I pump the volume up to the maximum, and put the song "Let the Bodies Hit the Floor" on instant repeat. Conveniently enough, I find a pair of AUX speakers in my bag that I didn't know I had. I immediately plug the iPod in, and open the tent flap.

As the speakers project the sound, I toss them through the tent flaps, and immediately re-seal them.

Within seconds, the birds go crazy as the singer screams, and the hardcore music starts up. They attack it, and I hear them struggling to destroy it. They eventually make off with it, and their squawking fades into the distance. I sigh as my iPod leaves.

Poor iPod. I shall never forget ye, nor the sacrifices thou hast made for me this fine-

The music returns, and with it, enrage squawking. I hear the speakers hit the ground just outside my tent, and the birds quickly resume their residency.

"Fffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffff-"

I can feel my rage building up. I hate these birds...

"Ffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffff-"

I clench my teeth, and dive through the tent flaps.

"FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK YOU!" I roar at the birds, sending them into a frenzy. As they swarm around above me, I hold my arms out. "COME AT ME, BRO!" I roar, my Brooklyn blood pumping as fast as it can.

I gulp as they dart towards me. I take a deep breath, and decide to do something ridiculous. Something that probably won't work.

Then again, I'm in Equestria.

"FUS RO DAH!" I Shout, breaking a barrier in the volume of my voice that I had never surpassed. I had never screamed loud enough to make phlegm launch from my lungs.

As I shout, I literally feel phlegm come dislodged from my lungs. It's what caused me to be so susceptible from pneumonia: I never got any exercise, so mucus just built up in my lungs, and when I had a cold, the fluid would make it worse.

So, hear I am, getting it out of my system in Brooklynese Rage.

As I open my eyes, (I had clenched them shut when I had Shouted,) I notice something very important. Said eyes aren't being clawed out.

I open my eyes, and see that the birds have dispersed. They were undoubtedly scared away by my awesome shout, because I'm just sooooo manly...

"They're gone," I announce. Rainbow Dash pokes her head out, and tackles me to the ground.

"That was so cool!" She cries. "How'd you do it?"

I blush, and giggle as she sits atop me. "It wasn't that awesome, I just shouted at them a lot..."

"Nah, you fought off those birds like a total personification of awesome!"

"Rainbow," I mutter, "they were just birds..."

"Yeah, ninja birds!"

I kiss her, and stroke her mane.

"Calm down, babe, I whisper. "They're gone now, it's fine..."

She does, and steps off of me. "Besides, you're not that awesome," she mutters.

"I'm better than you," I respond. "I'm not afraid of some birds."

As I speak, the ponies leave the tents, and look around.

"Peter, how did you do it?" Rarity asks. I smile, and decide to give her a demonstration.

"Like this. FUS RO-"

I start coughing, as my throat can't handle anymore shouting. Applejack sighs, and motions towards the tents.

"Let's have some breakfast and get packed," Applejack announces. "We're goin' to th' next campsite."

I nod, and, after a breakfast of toast, we begin to pack up. Once we've packed, we start on our trip to the next campsite.

Facing Fear

It's starting to get dark, and my feet are hurting. However, as my present company halts, I look around at the clearing we've arrived at.

"So, this is the spot?" I ask.

"Yep. Right in that cave." Applejack responds. "No need fer' any tents. Jus' sleepin' bags."

The world seems to zoom out around me. "Wh-Why in the cave?" I ask, my heart beating a million times per second. As I look into the dark mouth of the cave, I swear I can see a Creeper staring at me...

"What? You afraid of some old cave?" Rainbow asks me with a smirk.

"N-No," I respond, my hands shaking. "I...I'm afraid of what may be in them," I admit with a gulp. "L-Like monsters, and falling stalactites...or stalagmites, I never knew the difference. B-But if I have to sleep in there, I'm sleeping where I can get out easily."

Rainbow rolls her eyes at me. "Peter, you're such a pansy," she sighs.

"Yeah, I could take that cave on, no problem!" Scootaloo declares, puffing out her chest with pride.

"While y'all are debatin' who's the best, Ah'll be gettin' everythin' ready," Applejack announces.

"No problem!" Rainbow Dash cries, spreading her wings.

Within a minute, everything is prepared.

"Sweet," I remark as I sit down on one of the logs. Scootaloo sits down next to me, and pokes at my bag suggestively.

"Really? Again?" I sigh. "Shouldn't you be getting firewood?"

She disappears, and reappears with a large bundle of sticks on her back. I frown in appreciation. "Not bad."

She dumps the sticks into the center of the stones that form the fire pit, and Applejack promptly lights it.

"Well, Ah think it's time for some marshmallows," she announces. I resist the urge to bite Rarity.

As we impale our defenseless marshmallows on sticks, we hold them over the fire. I wait until mine is simply browned, and consume it.

I lean back, absolutely stuffed. My stomach is the size of a pea, and I get full before food even reaches my stomach. I look up at the night sky, and can't help but smile.

"I've never seen so many stars before," I remark, lying back on the ground.

"Really?" Rainbow asks me, lying down next to me. "I see them every night!"

"Yeah, but, where I come from, there are so many lights, that you can't really see the stars above..."

"Oh, so ya' lived in a city?" I hear Applejack ask. I sit up with a smile.

"Yep. In Brooklyn. Best pizza in the world," I say as I toss a dead leaf into the fire. I huddle up, listening to the sounds of crickets and trees in the nighttime.

"What was it like?" Rainbow asks me.

"I bet it was glorious!" Rarity declares.

"It was like any old city," I shrug. "86th Street was right near my home. Oh, that's a giant shopping area. Kind of run down in certain places, but what do you expect..."

"What of the glamor?" Rarity asks, somewhat crestfallen.

"There wasn't that much glamor," I respond. "At least, not where I lived. Hell, some poor bastard was stabbed a few blocks away from me. Half the time, there would be drunkards all around 86th Street...thankfully, I lived right near the Verizano Bridge, so there were almost no drunk guys around...But there were some really nice parts of Brooklyn. Like...Well, where I lived was pretty nice. Y'know, compared to New Jersey.

"There was a park a few blocks away, as well as a golf course. I barely ever went to either, I'm more of a secluded, indoors kind of guy. It's not like I could go camping whenever I wanted, because the nearest full-nature place was, like, at least fifty miles away. I mean, there are parts of Brooklyn that are kind of nature-y, but Long Island takes the cake for that one, what with the Hamptons and stuff. And overall, Brooklyn is more like a suburb. Rarity, for the buildings you like, you'd have to go to Manhattan."

I sigh as I recount everything I can think of in Manhattan. A deluge of emotion is beginning to hit me: love for a city, admiration for the men and women that built it, and a profound feeling of longing for the sweet, sweet satisfaction of a hamburger in Peter Lugers'...

"Oh, you would love it, Rarity, because while there are some crappy areas, there are shopping malls, and beauty pageants, and beautiful women, and jewelry, and clothes, and...I used to hate to go shopping," I tell my friends with a smile. They're all watching on in interest as I speak of a life long gone. "But now, I would give anything just to see the inside of Macy's once more, to be able to see the exhibits in the Metropolitan Museum of Natural History, to taste the air of a city full of hope and achievements, and of dreams come true..." I take a deep breath, and exhale as I look up to the sky. "But I would definitely miss the stars," I chuckle, trying and failing to count the amount of twinkling fireballs in the night sky.

"Would you give me up to go back?" Rainbow asks me, softly. I look over to her, and raise an eyebrow.

"You seriously don't know the answer to that question?" I ask her with a small smirk. She smiles, and I give her the answer.

"Of course I would! I mean, you just never stop snoring, and you're so annoying, and ugh...I would prefer getting stabbed to having to spend one more night with you!" I smile, to let her know that I'm kidding, and I hear the ponies around me hold their breath in shock.

"That can be arranged," she growls at me, a cold stare across her face. I laugh, and wrap an arm around her.

"Oh, Rainbow, you know I'm joking, right?" I ask her. She nods. "Duh."

I smile, and let go of her. "So, it's getting late out. You gonna tell us a story before we set up our 'bags?"

Rainbow nods, and proceeds to tell the story of he Headless Horse. Applejack and Rarity wrap forelegs around their sisters, and hold them close with smiles on their faces.

"It's no fair," Scootaloo mumbles to herself. I observe, rather astutely, that nopony is holding her, and that Rainbow is standing by the fire.

So, I reach over, and do the same as Applejack and Rarity.

"Peter?" She asks, stunned at my gesture. I smile down at her, and she smiles at me, leaning into me as Rainbow begins the story proper.

As she steps into the light of the fire, I can't help but notice that the cyan Pegasus is staring at me in a way that says "that's mine, and you can't have it." I smile, and she clears her throat as the story begins.

"Never again?" Scootaloo whimpers as the story ends.

"Never, ever, ever again!" Rainbow reinforces, leaning into Scootaloo menacingly. Scootaloo buries her face in my shirt, shaking and whimpering in fear. I pat her on the back until she's calmed, and Rainbow raises her eyebrows, bearing a small frown.

"Scootaloo? Are you okay?" She asks, softly.

"Yeah! I-I'm fine!" Scootaloo responds, pulling her face off of my shirt. Rainbow smirks at the young filly.

"You're not scared, are ya?"

"Says the Pegasus afraid of birds," I remark. Rainbow blushes, and Scootaloo giggles lightly.

"Hey! Don't you laugh at me!"

"Sorry," Scootaloo says. "But it's true, you were afraid of those birds! So much for bein' fearless, huh?"

Rainbow Dash frowns, and looks to the ground in disappointment. She sits down with a sigh, and begins to apologize to Scootaloo.

"Yes, Scootaloo, I was afraid of those birds...I'm sorry, buddy. I failed you."

"What do you mean, you failed me?" Scootaloo asks. "You didn't fail me! Hay, I was afraid of the stories you told, okay? I said I wasn't because I thought you would...think I wasn't cool enough to be your protege. But now, you're afraid that you're not cool enough to be my mentor?"

Rainbow looks up, and I see sadness in her eyes. "Yes," she admits. The other ponies watch on in stunned silence, unable to believe that their friend is admitting to being afraid. "Scoots, I know how your parents treat you. And I don't want to be a repeat of them. They're supposed to love you, and care for you, but they don't. And I'm supposed to be strong, and fearless, but obviously, I...I'm not. "

Scootaloo smiles sadly, and I let go of her so that she can hug Rainbow Dash. "Rainbow, I don't care about that. You're still awesome, no matter what."

"But you shouldn't look up to me," Rainbow Dash says. I blink, taken aback.

"What?" Scootaloo asks, unable to believe what she just heard.

"You should look up to Peter," Rainbow says. I blink in surprise once more. "He cares about you, and he's kind, and he's braver than I am. I'm terrified of birds, he just charged on in and shouted them off. Plus, he's a genius, and you could learn a thing or two from him. Whereas, from me, you would learn how to keep your feelings for somepony locked away, and to never show how much you care because you're afraid...But Peter isn't afraid." Rainbow smiles at me, and I blush. "He's not afraid of anything. He's the perfect role model for you, Scoots. Better than me, and definitely better than your parents."

I shake my head. "No, Rainbow Dash, I'm not. You say I'm afraid of nothing? I'm terrified of so many things." I list a few things I'm afraid of: heights, mirrors, what people think about me, etc., before coming to my greatest fear.

"And I'm terrified, absolutely terrified, of..." I take a deep breath before admitting my deepest and darkest fear. "Flowers."

Everypony around me begins to snicker. "Flowers?" Rainbow Dash asks.

I nod. "When I look into the bloom, I feel like it's watching me," I explain, barely able to contain my own laughter.

Rarity bursts out laughing, and so does Applejack. Rainbow Dash already burst out laughing a few seconds ago, and the three fillies are laughing with their older counterparts.

"Peter, that is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard!" Rarity exclaims. I nod.

"Yeah, it's pretty ridonkulous, ain't it."

Rainbow Dash stops laughing, and stands. "Hold on, I've got to try something," she says, before running off into the forest.

She returns, moments later, with a...

Flower.

"Eeuugh!" I cry as I jump away from it. Rainbow Dash bursts out laughing once more and begins to chase me around with it.

And I swear, the entire time, that fucking flower is watching me! It wants me dead! Just like Little Shop of Horrors...

When Rainbow Dash has me cornered, she puts the flower right in front of my face, and I cringe. I can hear the ponies laughing rambunctiously behind Rainbow Dash, and I try to force myself to slap it away.

Unfortunately, I'm also horrified of touching flowers.

"What's the matter? Can't take a little beauty?" She asks me, pressing the flower into my face. I cry out in fear, and have flashbacks to a certain video game...

As I sit down at the fire, Rainbow presses the flower into my face again. I panic, grab it, and toss it into the kindling.

"Wow, you really hate flowers," Rainbow Dash remarks with a chuckle.

"Would you mind if I ask why?" Rarity asks. I smile, and take a deep breath.

"There was a game," I begin, "called Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. For the computer, there were Venemous Tentacula, which are giant carnivorous plants. In the first game, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, they were stationary. But in this game, they could crawl, and follow you around. They scared the crap out of me. Like, when I saw one coming my way, I would panic. I couldn't even cast Diffindo, because my first thought was to run away as fast as possible. They kept killing my character in the game, and I never looked at a flower the same way again, mostly because they looked so much like flowers, and would always turn to face me and then follow me...I mean, they didn't look that much like flowers, but it was close enough for me."

Rainbow Dash shrugs. "Okay, I gotta admit, flowers that want to eat you and that can crawl are pretty creepy..."

I nod. "Yeah, tell me about it...as you saw, I still can't stand flowers."

"No kiddin'," Applejack remarks. I smile, and look down to Scootaloo, remembering why I had explained all of this in the first place.

"Y'know, maybe you should look up to me," Rainbow says to Scootaloo. "Given Peter's fear of flowers." She snickers again, and I smile in spite of myself.

Scootaloo sighs, and begins to laugh, falling off of the log as she does so. "You nut heads!" She cries out, looking at us. "I look up to the both of you!"

Rainbow and I exchange a glance, and I begin to fake choke the cyan Pegasus. "There can be only one!" I roar.

Suddenly, you, the audience, feel a whimsical feeling of whimsicallness! Oh, my, look! You can see everything! Oh,what's this-WHOA!

Look, we're flying! Oh, wow! Weeee!

I'm totally getting fired for this, aren't I?

Who cares! Look, there's Scootaloo! She seems to have quite a lot of thoughts right now!

Let's go seeeeeeee!

Scootaloo

I giggle as Peter fake-chokes Rainbow Dash. I didn't lie when I said that I look up to the both of them.

Rainbow is cool, and I respect her because she's awesome. However, I know there's something...more, underneath all of that, and I saw that tonight.

As for Peter, he's nice. He's intelligent, he's wise, and he cares.

Plus, he's...he's kinda cute.

Yeah, I know, he's not a pony, but I don't mean cute as in attractive. I mean cute as in how he acts, and what he says. Plus, he's fun to hang out with. I might just have a tiny crush on him...

Of course, I won't let Rainbow Dash know that...

Oh, my, it's happening again! You're flying! Oh, watch out for the giant banana monster! And look out for the clop realm! No, abort trip, ABORT TRIP!

BACK TO PETER! BACK TO PETER!

Peter

I let go of Rainbow Dash, and look down to Scootaloo.

"Well, it's getting late out," I say. "Time for bed, little one."

With that, I pluck her up, and carry her to the cave like a football. She's surprisingly light, and when I reach the cave mouth, I jump up and down, holding her up and shouting "touchdown!"

"Hey!" Scootaloo shouts with a giggle.. "Let me down!"

Rainbow Dash flies past me, and snatches her from my grasp, carrying the filly up into the clouds.

"Touchdown!" She screams from the clouds. I chuckle, and watch as she comes back down with the filly.

Scootaloo giggles as I set up the beds. Rarity brings out her tent, and Applejack sets up two beds for herself and Apple Bloom.

"So, Scootaloo," I say as I arrange our beds, "do you want to play that game again tonight?"

I don't know why, but I feel giddily happy, almost as if I've just made a best friend. And maybe I have. Who knows?"

"Wait," Rainbow says as I'm about to lay down. "I wanna do something." With that, she arranges the beds so that hers and mine are close to each other, and so that Scootaloo's is right in between ours.

"To play that game, you two need to be close," Rainbow explains. "And I don't wanna feel lonely."

Scootaloo and I nod, and sit up in the sleeping bag, holding my iPad up for Scootaloo to see. She leans against me, and snuggles against my side. I smile down at her, and Rainbow Dash sits so that her head is resting on my shoulder, and her hoof on Scootaloo's shoulder.

"So, how do you play?" Rainbow asks.

"Start a new game!" Scootaloo commands. I raise an eyebrow at her, but do as she says. May as well include Dash, eh?

As we play, Scootaloo slowly falls asleep, and when she's fully asleep, Rainbow gently lays her down under the blankets of her sleeping bag, and tucks her in.

"Goodnight, Scoots," she whispers. "I'll see you in the morning."

I smile as Rainbow Dash kisses me, on the lips. I place my iPad aside, and reciprocate.

"Goodnight, Peter," she giggles, pulling away as I was starting to get into it. "If you're good, we can make out when we get back to Ponyville..."

I nod, and watch as she retreats to her own bed. I stretch a bit, and, after making sure that I won't wake up Scootaloo with my fidgeting, I lay down and conk out.

I sigh as we arrive at Ponyville. It feels like it's been years since we've been here...

"So, Rainbow, where're you going to sleep?" I ask her as we walk to Twilight's library.

"Probably in the library, with you," she responds. I nod, and turn to the filly walking with us.

"And you, Scootaloo?"

Scootaloo shrugs. "Back at home, I guess..."

"Isn't it a bit late to walk back on your own?" I ask her, concerned.

"Not like my parents care," Scootaloo sighs. I pause, and kneel down in front of her.

"How about you stay in the library with us tonight?" I suggest, softly. She looks up to me with a smile.

"Really?"

I nod. "Of course. Rainbow and I will look after you, Scoots."

Scootaloo smiles, and hugs me. "Thank you, Peter," she says as I hug her back. I hold her for a few seconds, before letting go.

"Let's go," I say as I stand, walking back to the library with a smile. Rainbow Dash nudges Scootaloo as we walk.

"Aren't you excited? You get to spend another day with me!"

Scootaloo laughs happily, and for a moment, I can see her look at me out of the corner of my eye. I smile, and continue walking as they have an excited conversation about all the fun things they can do together.

As we arrive at the library, I open the doors to an ominous feeling. My smile fades, the spark in my eye disappears, and my heart slows. Nothing is at is was a mere moment ago. That singular feeling of something feeling...Off. Of something lurking, just around the corner, waiting to strike...

I don't know what it is, but something just feels...

Wrong.

"Do you feel that?" I ask Rainbow, tensing my muscles as I look around the room.

"I'll bring our stuff downstairs!" Scootaloo announces as she runs down the stairs, bags trailing behind her.

"Feel what?" Rainbow asks. "Are you okay, Peter?"

Just then, we hear a scream coming from the basement.

"Scootaloo!" We both cry, rushing down the stairs to see what's going on.

We see Scootaloo, staring at a pillar made of what seems to be solidified blood in the center of the room. I grab Scootaloo, and get her upstairs as Rainbow Dash investigates the pillar.

When we get upstairs, I help the young filly breathe, and regain her composure, patting her on the shoulder to calm her.

"Peter?" Rainbow calls from the basement. "You...You might want to see this."

I give Scootaloo one last comforting pat before I go downstairs, and I see something that I hadn't noticed before. I blanch, and lean against the wall.

"Go tell Celestia," I stammer. "Don't bother with the train, just fly, fly as fast as you can!"

She nods with a small "hmph", and is gone in a flash.

"Scootaloo, stay with Peter!" I hear her shout as she leaves. A distant bang tells me she just did a Sonic Rainboom, and will arrive at Celestia's castle within moments.

I dare to look at the object once more, and gulp.

Sitting atop the pillar...

Is a purple egg, spotted with green polka dots, and laced with black veins.

The Egg

My muscles tense as Celestia replaces the egg on the pedestal.

"So?" I ask, leaning on the wall of the library basement. "What is it?"

She looks to me, and sighs. "I don't know. I'll have to bring it back to Canterlot..." With that, she effectively dissolves the pillar of coagulated blood, and deposits the egg in a bag that she straps to her back. "If you see anything else of this nature, please, tell me."

I nod, and hastily tell her about the deer that I saw in the forest. As I describe the marks on its back, and compare them to the ones I saw on Rainbow Dash, Celestia cringes.

"And you did not tell me because?"

"I didn't want to cause undue panic," I explain. "What could it mean?"

I see her jaw clench, and I see revelation spread through her eyes.

"I don't know," she sighs. "But it may mean something rather sinister...My hypothesis may cause panic, so I will not reveal it as of yet."

I raise an eyebrow. "Really? When did you start having suspicions of something sinister? Was it the dead deer, the being that feeds on pain, or the pillar of blood?"

She glares at me, and shakes her head. "All of it."

I nod, and she begins to climb the stairs. "I must depart. I am needed in Canterlot. I must study this egg more closely, and I cannot do so without my...tools, in my private study." I nod, and follow her up the stairs. Once in the center of the library, Rainbow Dash looks up to her.

"So? What is it?" The cyan Pegasus asks softly, momentarily returning her attention to Scootaloo to comfort the shaken filly.

"I don't know. I must return to my study," Celestia responds. "Do not tell anypony about this. I do not want something that hasn't been confirmed leaking to the public. Until I have determined what it is, continue your life as usual. Do not let this interfere with your happy life in Ponyville, my dear Rainbow Dash. And, Peter?" I nod to Celestia, and she narrows her eyes. "Treat Rainbow Dash with the utmost respect."

With that, she explodes in a flash of light, and leaves our presence, leaving behind nothing but unfortunate sunspots upon our retinas.

"She sure was in a hurry," Rainbow Dash remarks.

"Yeah," I sigh as I sit next to Scootaloo. "Scoots, you okay, buddy?"

"All th-that b-blood," she mutters, shaking. "W-Was it all Sp-Spike's?"

Rainbow and I exchange a glance. We hadn't thought of that...

"I don't know," I admit. "But it won't hurt you, okay? It's gone now."

Scootaloo nods, but continues to shudder. I hold her, and so does Rainbow. We hold her between us, rubbing her back and squeezing her hooves.

"We're here," I say, softly. "We'll protect you..."

She nods, but continues to whimper. We rock her back and forth, silently comforting her in this world of madness. Eventually, she's fallen asleep, and is undoubtedly having a nightmare.

"What should we say if she wakes up screaming?" Rainbow asks, carrying the filly up the stairs as I follow close behind.

"We don't say anything. We hug her, and make sure she knows that she's safe."

Rainbow nods, and gravely lays Rainbow down on the bed before tucking the filly in. I tuck in the spots that she's missed, and stroke her mane gently before following Rainbow Dash back to our room.

"What do you think it is?" Rainbow asks me as we lay down.

I sigh. "I dunno. I mean, as far as I know, it looked a lot like Spike's egg..."

She nods, and I shrug. "But Celestia sure as hell seemed to know what it is..."

Rainbow Dash's relief is palpable. "Then that means she knows how to deal with it," she sighs. "Thank goodness...Well, I can sleep easy tonight."

I smile, and wrap an arm around her. "As can I..."

As the two of us fall into sleep, a hypothesis orbits my mind.

What if some kind of Grendel-thing will hatch from the egg? What if it's just a vessel for the propagation of species?

Eh, who knows. May as well leave it up to those who actually know what the FLOOPITY FLIP they're talking about, right?

I moan as there's a knock at the library door.

I had to get up at about midnight to help out Scootaloo, who had screamed and woken up from a nightmare. She saw Spike, bleeding everywhere and turning into an egg. So, I picked her up, and put her between Rainbow and myself, holding her close to myself until she fell asleep. She kept telling me she wasn't some kind of filly that needed to be held, but I told her that I needed to be held. So, she giggled, and snuggled into my side.

And now, as there's knock at the door, Rainbow and I are waking up.

Rainbow looks down, and sees me cuddling with Scootaloo.

"Aw," she says softly, ruffling her mane with a hoof. "I never thought I'd be happy to wake up with my boyfriend snuggling with another girl..."

I laugh softly, but I'm still too lazy to get the door. Maybe I should do some stretching, to wake myself up, and-

Y'know what, fuck it...

"Could you get the door?" I mumble.

"I got it last time!" Rainbow complains. "Remember? At one in the morning..."

I roll my eyes. "Fuck you, Rainbow..."

"Really? In front of Scootaloo?"

I blush, and shrink back. "Sorry..."

"But, whatever. I'll get it, seeing as how Scoots is all cuddled up to you. I don't wanna disturb her."

I nod, and smile in victory as Rainbow Dash leaves to get the door.

"Oh! Shining Armor! Hi! What brings you here?"

I perk up, intrigued.

"Celestia requests Peter's presence. She needs to look further into the egg, and she believes he can help her."

I get up, making sure that Scootaloo isn't disturbed. I slip on my shoes, and meet Shining Armor in the doorway.

"Shall we?" I say. He nods, and we exit after I give a good-bye kiss to Rainbow (much to her embarrassment.)

After a relatively eventless train ride, we arrive in Canterlot.

"We'd better hurry," he says, trotting on to the castle. I sprint after him, finding it difficult to keep up with a pony.

When we arrive at the castle, I'm panting, and Shining Armor is fine. The gate opens, and we walk through.

As we stroll through the castle, I happen to catch sight of Twilight, walking into the library.

"Hold up," I say. "I wanna check up on Twilight."

He nods. "I'll go with you."

We walk into the library, and I take a seat across from the lavender unicorn. She doesn't notice me, so I clear my throat.

She looks up, and smiles. "Oh, Peter! This is a pleasant surprise!" She cries. She comes around the table to hug me, and I reciprocate. She sees Shining Armor, and hugs him, as well.

"So, what brings you to Canterlot?" She asks me.

"Just here to, ah, do something," I tell her. "And I decided to stop by and see how you are. So? How are you?"

She smiles, and sits back down across from me. "I'm...I'm doing better," she says, sadly. "It's...It's difficult, but I'm recovering. It would be one hundred times worse if I were in Ponyville, because that's when I started truly treating him as a...a..." She chokes, and I reach across to grasp her hoof. She smiles, and wraps her surprisingly dexterous hoof around my wrist. We stay like that for a few moments, until she lets go, and I do, as well.

"You should probably get going," she says after taking a deep breath. "Don't wanna keep Celestia waiting, do you?"

I blink. I know it's a signal that she wants to be alone, but I must ask... "How'd you know I'm here to see Celestia?"

"Because you're the only human in Equestria," she responds. "And the head of the Royal Guard is escorting you. So, it's safe to assume that you're here to see her."

I nod with a small smile. "You truly are a genius. Well, I'll be off now."

She smiles with a small nod, and I silently leave the library. Shining Armor sighs as he leads me to Celestia.

"You know...I'm worried about her," he remarks as we near Celestia's private study.

"Who isn't? She just lost her son."

Shining Armor sighs. "I guess so...But she's strong. I don't doubt that she'll pull through this."

I smile, and pat him on the back, an action which requires me to awkwardly kneel down whilst walking. "She is. And with such a strong brother, she'll pull through fine!"

He smiles to me. "Thanks," he says, before opening the door to Celestia's chamber. "Now, head on in."

I nod, and walk in. The door closes behind me, and I notice one very, very strange thing.

Celestia is standing in the center of the room, swinging her hips to keep a white, glowing hula hoop centered around her midsection.

"Come...On...In..." She pants, her horn glowing as she fits a cone over it.

"Celestia?" I ask, confused and intrigued. "What're...What're you doing?"

She sighs, and expands her wings for a moment to keep her balance. "This...Hula hoop...I use it...The centripetal force...Allows me to...Focus my magic...Into one...Point of my body..."

I raise an eyebrow. "Uhhh-huh...What's the cone for?"

"It uses...Magical light...To allow one to...View the interior of...An object in the...Utmost detail...Which is why I...Need you...I can't necessarily...Examine it...While doing...This..."

I nod, take out my iPad, and prepare the camera. "I still can't get over this," I mutter as I examine the world through the camera.

"Get...Over what?"

"This world...It's like there are two dimensional objects on a three dimensional plane, but the objects can be viewed in three dimensions while still being two dimensional. It's rather disorienting, actually..." I shrug, and aim the camera at the image that is now appearing on the wall. "I'll take a picture of the interior. It will be a bit grainy, but I can do a lighting fix to properly finagle the glare from the image...Okay, just hold it like that, Celestia..."

"As if...I'm doing anything...Else," she pants, struggling to keep the hula hoop, and her body, in constant motion. Unfortunately, sarcasm is difficult to convey through panting, so I simply nod.

"Alright...Got it. I'll take a few more, just as reference points..." I snap about five more pictures, and then look over at Celestia, who is beginning to sweat. I smile mischievously.

"Just keep going like that for a few minutes, I need to get some pictures at different angles..."

"Okay..."

With that, I put the iPad on mute, and change to video recording. I then get a video of Celestia using the hula hoop, walking around her to get it from different views. I stumble as I walk behind her due to table behind me, and the camera stays focused on her flank for an unfortunately long time. Once I've gotten about a minute of footage, I close the iPad, and smile to myself.

"Alright, that's good," I say. "That's it, right?"

She sighs in relief as she stops moving her hips, and the hula hoop ceases to glow as it slows down. She removes the cone from her horn, and flops down onto a chair with another sigh.

"That was the longest I've done that," she pants as she fetches a bottle of water with her horn. She greedily swallows all of the liquid, and rubs her hind legs with a hoof. "That's going to burn in the morning..."

I smile as I sit across from her, and begin to study the images I took. "I'm not going to lie, from the time I started getting 'different angles' onwards, I was recording you using the hula hoop."

She looks up at me, incredulous. "You what!?"

I snicker. "I decided you could use the exercise."

Celestia grinds her teeth, and I clench onto my chair. "Uh, sorry, Celestia. Look, I won't show it to anypony, okay? Just please, don't banish me or anything..."

And then, she begins to laugh. "Oh, it's quite alright. My sister and I are always pranking each other. It's fine if a friend pranks me." She gives me an evil grin. "But expect me to repay the courtesy."

I gulp, and she closes her eyes as she relaxes. Returning to the images of the x-rays, I zoom in, and find that the quality of my picture is quite good. In fact, I can see every detail of the image: the tiny cracks on the interior of the egg, the small air bubbles converging at the top, (which denotes liquid,) and something strange: the veins on the exterior are mirrored on the interior. I walk over to the egg, and compare the exterior and interior for a few minutes, and finally decide that I'm right. As I study the interior more, I notice that they are actually converging at the bottom, and coming up to join a small mass. Carefully rolling the egg, I place it on its side, and see that the exterior veins do the same: they converge into a tiny dot on the bottom.

"Celestia? Have you noticed the point where the veins converge?"

"Yes," she responds. "What about it?"

"Well, the veins are all mirrored on the interior," I tell her. "Or perhaps they're just thick enough to span the entire thing...But whatever it is, they converge at the bottom, and then come up into the interior to form a small mass...Almost like it's a fetus, and the veins are the umbilical cord..."

She walks over, now relaxed after her workout, and frowns at the image on my iPad and what she can directly observe on the egg. "How strange...Perhaps we should drill a hole in the top?"

I shake my head. "We don't know what the interior is, or how it would react to exposure to oxygen. It could burst out as soon as we do so, for all we know..."

She nods, and I put the egg back on its bottom.

"Perhaps we should just insert a syringe into it?" Celestia suggests. I sigh, and rest a hand on the egg, feeling the veins on the exterior, noting how they raise from the rest of the egg, and how they make me feel...I don't even know what.

"Peter? Are you okay?"

I nod, absent-mindedly, and remove my hand from the egg, and the veins. As I do, that strange feeling recedes, like the tide ebbing away...

I sigh, and crick my neck. "I don't know what's in this egg, and I don't know what we should do with it. My best bet would be to keep it under constant observation in an airtight chamber. And have preparations ready; protocols for in case it hatches, or in case it becomes violent in any way. Make preparations for any kind of acid, fire, biohazard, liquid...Anything."

She nods, and I tap the exterior. "When can you have the containment ready by?"

"By the end of the day" she responds. I look to her in surprise, and she smiles at me. "We have magic, Peter. All we need to do is get a pile of resources, and as long as we have enough materials, we can make whatever we want."

I nod in appreciation. Alright, sweet. So, should I stay and help with it, or-"

"No. Go back to Ponyville. When the containment chamber is complete, and we have the egg under observation, I'll tell you. And then, you can come by and make sure everything is up to par."

I nod, and, after shaking her hoof, I start on my way back to Ponyville.

A Day in Ponyville

I open the door to the library with a hefty sigh.

"Hello?" I call out, stepping inside. Nopony answers, so I shrug, and immediately enter the breakfast, and begin searching for some kitchen.

...

You see what happens when I'm hungry? My crazy goes all syntax!

When I find some (apparently) generic cereal, I pour it into a bowl and add milk. Within several minutes, I'm washing off the bowl and spoon in the sink, drying them, and replacing them in the cabinet.

Only because this isn't my home. If this were my own home, I'd just say "fuck it" and throw them in the sink.

I crick my neck, wondering where in the hell Rainbow and Scootaloo have gone off to...

Or maybe, they're still asleep?

Nah, that's impossible? I was in Canterlot for a good hour or so, right? And the train rides were like, an hour long each...

I open the door to the guest room, and see that it's empty. As I take a seat on the bed, I can swear that there's a giggling noise, but I disregard it as the springs creaking.

I lay back on the bed, and close my eyes for about five minutes.

When I hear hushed voices, I immediately spring out of bed, silently, crouching so that my feet make no noise.

"Quiet! You don't want him to know we're here!" I hear an unidentifiable voice scold. I gulp, slowly stalking my way over to the dresser, which is where these voices are coming from. I think of remarking that saying "quiet" isn't effective, but realize that if the individuals in the closet mean me harm, it may not be the best choice.

As I creep up to the dresser, which seems to be totally shut, I make sure to stay right in the center, so that somepony looking though a crack angled right or left wouldn't immediately see me.

When I've reached the doors, I tense myself, grasping the handles with a firm steadiness as I prepare for the worst...

I tear the closet doors open, and jump back, prepared for a knife to come slashing out at me. However, all I get is two Pegasus ponies, jumping out with loud screams.

I watch in confusion as Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo fall on the floor with a pronounced thud. It isn't until a few seconds later that I realize they were trying to scare me.

"Did we get'cha?" Scootaloo asks, popping her head up from under Rainbow's wing. "Are ya scared?"

I smile at the little filly. "'Fraid not, kiddo. But try harder next time, and maybe-" I let out a cry of shock as I turn around, and come face to face with an ugly-ass motherfucker.

"Hah! We got 'im, Scoots!" I hear Rainbow Dash yell. "Great job, Pinkie!"

Pinkie Pie unzips her costume of the ugliest mare in the world, and smiles up at me. "Wow, you should've seen the look on your face!"

I chuckle lightly as Rainbow flies around me, holding Scootaloo up as they laugh in victory.

"I'm not gonna lie," I mutter, "you got me."

"Alright," Scootaloo giggles. "So, we gonna go, now?"

Rainbow Dash nods, and I raise an eyebrow. "Go where?"

"To Cupcake Corner, of course!" Pinkie Pie cries.

"Yeah," Rainbow adds on. "I promised Scootaloo that, if we managed to scare you, we'd get a few treats at Sugarcube Corner. On me!"

"Yeah," Scootaloo says, wistfully. "My parents never brought me there, so this'll be my first time actually being brought there by somepony older than me..."

Pinkie smiles sadly at the filly. "The treats are on me, then," she says, softly. "And, Peter, we've still got to celebrate your arrival in Ponyville!"

I shrug. "We don't have to. Might be a bit overkill for me."

Pinkie shrugs in return. "We have to have a party for you!"

I shrug again. "No, we don't."

"YES WE DO!" Pinkie Pie roars, her eyes turning into coals of pure fire as she stares at me.

"Well," I stammer, "that escalated quickly..."

She calms back down with a giggle. "We can talk about that later, though!" She chirps, cheerfully. "C'mon, everypony! We've got to get some treats!"

Rainbow Dash is simply gaping at Pinkie, and Scootaloo is frozen. After slapping Rainbow, and gently bringing Scootaloo back to her senses with a hug and tender words, the three of us follow Pinkie Pie.

By the time we arrive at Sugarcube Corner, it seems to be mid-day. I duck through the door, and join my friends at a table.

"I'll be right back with some snacks!" Pinkie declares, happily. She runs off, and returns moments later with an assortment of cookies. "All on the house, Scootaloo!" She declares, patting the orange filly on the back.

"Wow!" Scootaloo says, in awe. "Is this all for me?"

"No," I immediately say. "It's for the two of us, Scoots. But not for Rainbow Dash." I stick my tongue out at the cyan Pegasus. "She don't deserve no cookies, girl!"

Scootaloo giggles, and Rainbow Dash waits for her admirer to come to her aid. When Scootaloo joins in, and directs a joke at the cyan Pegasus, as well, I can tell that Rainbow feels hurt, even though she isn't going to show it, and would never admit it to anypony, not even myself.

"But, in all seriousness, Rainbow can have as many as she likes," I tell Scootaloo. "And, hey, you'd better start showing her a bit more respect. I can joke with her, and so can you, but at a certain point, you've got to stop and realize that she deserves respect, alright? Don't worry, you were nowhere near that point just now, but I think it's best that you try not to stray near said point."

Scootaloo nods as I finish. "So, you're not mad at me?"

"No, of course not. Just, if the jokes start getting mean, then you should probably stop before we go too far."

Scootaloo nods, and smiles at me for a little while. At first, I don't notice, as Rainbow and I are talking about where I could get a job.

After a few seconds, I look back to Scootaloo, and return the smile. She immediately turns back to the mountain of snacks, and I believe I can see a tiny bit of a rosy blush on her orange cheeks. I smile, and pat her gently on the back.

"So, how're you liking your snacks?" I ask her.

"I, uh, I haven't had one yet."

"Well, to ahead!" I say, handing her a cookie. "They're really good."

She smiles, and accepts it. As she chews on it, she lets out sounds of content.

"This is really good," she remarks. "I love it!"

I smile, and ruffle her mane. "Go ahead, have another. But don't have too many, or you'll get a really bad stomach ache!"

She shrugs. "Not my problem!" I blink, and laugh in confusion. "Then who's problem is it, pray tell?"

Scootaloo shrugs. "I dunno. Maybe it's Rainbow's!"

Rainbow Dash looks up from a piece of cake she was devouring. "Huhf? Fwat?" She asks, cake flying out o h mouth as she speaks. I roll my eyes, and clamp her mouth shout with a hand. "Don't speak with your mouth full, crumby," I jest, before letting go. She rubs her jaw with a hoof, and gives me a look of ire before swallowing her cake.

"I said that me having a stomach ache would be your problem," Scootaloo repeats. Rainbow Dash raises an eyebrow. "I don't get it."

Scootaloo shrugs. "Yeah, it was a dumb joke, anyway..."

"You've got that right," Rainbow remarks, before picking up a cookie. "Now, if you'll excuse me, my taste buds have a date with heaven!"

With that, Scootaloo and I are essentially left to fend for our own. We make idle conversation, asking each other about what kinds of games we play, and what kinds of music we like, etc., etc....

Until she asks me a singular question that I hadn't been asked as of yet.

"So, do humans get Cutie Marks?"

I frown. "No, we don't."

Scootaloo smiles wide. "Which means you can join the Cutie Mark Crusaders!!" She cries. I raise an eyebrow.

"But how? I can't get a Cutie Mark, so how would I crusade for one?"

"You would be a Crusader forever!" Scootaloo explains. I shrug, and smile back at her.

"Sure. Sounds fun!"

Her wings start to flap, and she begins to giggle and blush lightly. I sincerely hope I'm imagining the blushing. "That's so great! Thank you, Peter, you'll be the coolest addition to the Crusaders yet!"

Rainbow Dash swallows her food, and cuts across. "What about me? What if I wanted to be a Crusader?"

"Well, you already have a Cutie Mark," Scootaloo responds. Rainbow blushes, and mutters "oh, yeah," before returning to her food. I chuckle, and so does Scootaloo.

"Man, what an airhead," I remark, knocking on her skull with a knuckle. Scootaloo laughs, and Rainbow punches me in the arm.

"But this airhead has got a strong punch," she growls at me. I nod with a chuckle. "Yes, she does..."

Scootaloo starts to snicker, even though nopony has made a joke since my airhead comment. "What's so funny?" I ask her.

"You two are so cute together!" She explains. Rainbow and I look into each other's eyes, and blush as we look away. Scootaloo laughs even harder, and the two of us simply ignore each other for a few seconds, unable to get over the fact that we're "cute" together.

"So, Peter, you're going to work at Applejack's farm?" Rainbow asks me after a few minutes of silence. I nod. "Yep. Gonna go there right after this to help her work on the design for the irrigation."

"Can I come?" Scootaloo immediately asks. I look at her with a small smile. "You might get bored, Scootaloo...Maybe you should go with Rainbow? She's going to practice for the Wonderbolts, right?"

Rainbow shakes her head. "Nope. I'm a weather pony, remember? I've got work to do! There's a storm scheduled for tomorrow, and I have to organize the clouds by the Northern edge of Ponyville, that way we can simply make a current to blow them in tomorrow."

I nod, and we continue to chomp away at our treats. Rainbow, however, stops at a grand total of ten. "I'd better get to work now. See ya, guys!"

And, with that, she's off, leaving Scootaloo and I to our own mechanisms.

"Okay, bye," I say, sarcastically, to the empty spot where Rainbow used to be. "Don't rush or anything, that'd be ridiculous."

Scootaloo laughs, and I smile at her. "So, you ready to go, Scoots? You've already had six of these things, and I don't want you getting a stomach ache..."

Scootaloo contemplates a seventh she's about to eat, but replaces it with a nod. "Yeah, I'm good." I nod, and call over Pinkie Pie, who immediately swallows all the treats.

"Thanks for stopping by, you guys!" She calls as we leave. I thank her for her hospitality, and we leave the small shop behind.

By the time we're halfway to Applejack's, Scootaloo is starting to have a tummy ache.

"Ow," she moans. "My tummy hurts..."

I smile, and gesture. "C'mon. Let's get you back to Twilight's library. She probably has some alka-seltzer or something..." Scootaloo smiles as we walk back to the lavender unicorn's home. Surely, she's unaccustomed to being cared for so much...

However, I'm starting to have doubts that her parents are really this terrible. Perhaps I should go talk to them?

"Scootaloo, where do your parents live?" I ask as I dissolve a tablet of seltzer into a glass of cold tap water. The filly gladly accepts the water, and gulps it down before answering me.

"They live just by the town hall. The house number is 12. You can't miss it."

I nod, and prepare to leave. "Wait, you aren't actually going to see them, are you?" She asks as I leave the room. I look back to her, and smile.

"Perhaps," I respond. "I just want to see what they're like."

She nods, and I can't help but see the worry in her eyes. "Don't worry, Scoots, I'll be fine."

The filly nods, and I get on my way. Within ten minutes, I'm lost, and within another ten, I'm at house 12.

I take a deep breath as I grasp the brass knocker. I slam it onto the wood a few times, and wait for the door to be answered.

"Scootaloo, is that you!?" I hear a mare call as the door is opened. She looks up to me in hope, but sighs as she sees that it's not the young filly. "Who are you?" She asks me, a bit of a bite in her voice. I give her a once-over, and see that she's an orange mare with a blue mane. Her eyes are a deep green, and her Cutie Mark is what appears to be a stopwatch.

"My name is Peter," I tell her. "I'm friends with Scootaloo."

She lights up at the mention of the filly's name. "Oh? Is that so? How is she? In fact, where is she?"

I blink. For apparently not caring at all, she seems rather concerned. "She's at Twilight's library, she's staying with Rainbow and I for the time being, because it was too late for her to walk back on her own."

She lets our a tsk. "That's ridiculous. A filly her age should be able to walk home on her own..."

I blink in shock. "At midnight?"

She nods. "Yes, at midnight. We have very old-fashioned values."

I frown. "Ma'am, I don't mean to impose, as I know it's not my place, but-"

"Then perhaps you shouldn't say anything at all," she hisses. I nod. "Perhaps, but I want to know something. Scootaloo says that, even when she brings home a good test, or does all her homework, you don't even congratulate her."

She nods. "Why should we? It's simply a test and a homework. We only congratulate true success. As for her stay at that library, I can't say that I approve. I would much rather have her home soon, as her father and I get worried when she's gone for more than a day."

I nod, and smile at the mare. "While I may not agree with some of your values, I have no doubt that, as a direct result of your parenting, she will grow up to be a fine young mare." She smiles, and thanks me before I promise the safe return of her daughter.

"Wait," she says as I'm about to leave. "If she would like to stay with you and Rainbow Dash for a little longer, well...I don't necessarily trust Rainbow Dash. But I believe I can trust you. So, as long as you look after my daughter, she can spend a few more days with you. Until she's ready to come home."

I smile, and nod. She is truly a great mother. "May I have your name?" I ask. As long as I'll be returning here to talk to her, I may as well learn her name...

"My name is Scootaloo," she tells me. I smile. "So, you named your daughter after yourself?"

"And my mother, and my mother's mother, and so on, and so forth," she responds with a proud smile. "It is a proud family tradition. I am Scootaloo the Tenth."

I nod, and hold out my hand. She meets it with a hoof, and I shake it, firmly and shortly. "Nice to make your acquaintance, Scootaloo the Tenth," I say with a small smile. She nods to me, and I realize something.

"Hold on," I say as she begins to close the door. "You're not...scared of me? I mean, you've never seen a creature such as me, you've never heard of me, but you're not totally freaked out by me?"

"My dear, there are many things I have not heard of," she tells me. "For the longest time, I hadn't ever heard of griffins. And then, I met one! Was I afraid? No, of course not! So, just because I haven't heard of a creature such as you doesn't mean I fear you. You seem to be very gentle and kind, so I trust you."

I smile, and nod. "Thank you, ma'am," I say, before turning and walking away.

When I return to the library, I immediately find Scootaloo struggling to use my iPad.

"Hey," I call as I close the door behind me. She jumps away from the device, bearing all, of guilt.

"Sorry, I just wanted to make sure I wasn't doing it wrong, and-"

I smile as I sit down next to her, and pat her on the back. "It's fine, Scoots. By the way, I spoke to your mother."

Scootaloo gulps. "She wants me to go home, doesn't she?"

"She said that you can stay for a few more days," I tell her. She lights up, and grins widely. "So long as I look after you. And she's a very good mother, by the way."

"But she doesn't care about me!" Scootaloo protests.

"She does, but she's old-fashioned," I explain. "Firstly, you know that you're Scootaloo the Eleventh, right?" She nods with a sigh, and I smile. "She goes by old tradition and customs. Back then, they believed in raising kids by congratulating true success. They're proud of you, but they don't want to spoil you. When you finished your first year of school, they celebrated with you, no?"

"Yeah, but-"

"But nothing," I cut across. "They care about you, and it's wrong for you to say that they don't."

Scootaloo sighs, and looks away. "I know...I just wish they would do fun things with me once in a while..."

I smile at her, and nudge her in the side. "What d'you think Rainbow and I are here for?" I ask her. "Just say the word, and we can go an adventure!"

"The word!" She immediately cries. I burst out laughing, and stand.

"That's rich," I sigh as my laughter dies. "And deserving of an adventure...So, where d'you wanna go?"

"Into the Everfree!" She declares, hopping up and down in excitement.

"Sorry, we can't," I tell her. "I promised your mother that I would look after you, Scootaloo. How about we try something more...local?"

Scootaloo pouts with a sigh, but I'm unrelenting. "No, Scootaloo, we can't go into the Everfree."

"C'mon, c'mon, c'mon, please!?" She begs. "We can get Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle to go with us!"

"No, Scootaloo," I sigh. "The Everfree is no place for fillies."

"Have you ever even been in the Everfree?" She demands. I shake my head.

"No, and from what Rainbow Dash has told me, I don't want to go in. While it's not nearly as bad as an afternoon stroll through the Bronx, it's still pretty damn bad."

Scootaloo raises an eyebrow, and I dismiss the confusion. "Maybe you should've gone with Rainbow Dash," I remark.

"Yeah, maybe," she grunts. "She wouldn't be such a spoil-sport..."

I roll my eyes, and take out my iPad. "Do you wanna play a game?"

She shakes her head "no." "I wanna go outside and do something!"

"Outside?" I moan. "Ugh, I hate doing things, that requires physical exertion..."

Scootaloo sighs, and grasps my hand with a hoof as she walks towards the door. I'm embarrassed to admit that she is able to pull me.

"C'mon, we're going to Applejack's. Might as well get started on your job, huh?"

I sigh as we walk outside. "I legitimately don't want to do anything. Can't I just take a nap?"

"No!" Scootaloo shouts. "Gosh, Peter, you're so lazy! How did you even get out of bed this morning!?"

"Celestia made me," I chuckle. Scootaloo starts to laugh, and we both laugh for a few moments before we start on our way to Applejack's farm.

"But, seriously, you're normally so energetic," Scootaloo says as we walk. "Why'd you get so lazy when you got inside?"

"It happens," I shrug. I can feel my stamina quickly returning, as my laziness is starting to fade. May as well jump into this, eh? "Well, I'm back to normal," I announce as I perk up.

"I don't understand," Scootaloo says, confused. I chuckle lightly.

"I don't, either," I respond. "It's weird, I have weird spells of fatigue, but when I start walking around and talking, it goes away."

"Huh..."

I nod, and Scootaloo shakes her head. "You're really weird, Peter..."

"You got that right!"

She chuckles a bit, and we walk on in silence, until we reach Sweet Apple Acres. When we do, Applejack immediately greets us, mud dripping from her hooves and staining her coat.

"Ah wasn't expectin' visitors," she tells us. "If Ah was, Ah would've cleaned up a bit."

I shrug. "It's fine. I'm assuming you were watering the trees today?"

She nods as we walk back to the barn, Scootaloo close behind. "Yep. Still tryin' to make that irrigation system you were talkin' about..."

"And that's why I'm here," I inform her. "I'm going to help you make some designs."

She smiles, and hurries ahead to the barn, leaving me in the dust. A few moments later, she returns with Apple Bloom and Big Mac.

"So, Peter's goin' t' help y'all with th' designs for th' irrigation system!"

I nod, and Apple Bloom lights up. "Is Scootaloo going to help, too?"

Scootaloo shakes her head. "Nah, I have no idea what we'd be doing, anyway. I might just hang around, take a nap, or just help out around the farm."

"Speakin' of which," Applejack says, before fitting two baskets onto the filly's back. She follows the orange mare off into the trees, and I follow Apple Bloom and Big Mac into the barn.

"Alright, Big Mac, let's get th' designs out!" Apple Bloom declares.

"Eeeeeeeeeyup."

A table is pulled over, with blueprints on it that have a label of "one acre" on each side. I frown, and immediately cross that out.

"We can't do it on that large of a scale," I declare. "Not only do we not have the man-er, stallion power, it would require hundreds of yards of pneumatic tubing to manage it. Let's do the first few at a scale of...one mile."

They nod, and with that, we begin to design, debating how to manage the water flow, as well as how to secure the pipes together. It feels like about ten minutes have passed when I put down the pencil, and nod at our finalized design.

"That was a good idea," I tell Apple Bloom, who is proudly observing the complete designs. "The flow redirection tap will make it about five hundred times easier to manage the water flow, rather than having one valve on each vertex...And Big Mac, leaving the ends open for the connection of the next portions was something I had overlooked." They both nod at my credit, and I tap on the design for the compressor. "That's about as modern as we're going to get, given the available resources...You'll have to keep checking on it, but that's more efficient than running around with a hose..."

They nod, and Apple Bloom claps her hooves in excitement. "We can get the materials by next week! And Peter, that system will really save us a lot of materials-who would've guessed we could use plastic tubing like that?"

I nod, and Big Mac smiles at me. "Y'know, yer' pretty good at this," he tells me, his baritone voice resonating through my bones. "Ah'll have Applejack pay ya' a fair amount of bits, givin' that you just saved us about one thousan' or so..."

"Actually," Apple Bloom interjects, "with the implementation of Peter's pneumatic divider, that's more like one hundred thousand bits!"

Big Mac's pupils dilate, and he shakes my hands, rather vigorously.

"Hey!" Applejack calls out, cheerfully, as she places down two buckets of apples. "Let me help you wit' that, Sugarcube," she says, helping a struggling Scootaloo with placing the baskets down on the ground.

"Thanks," Scootaloo sighs.

"So, how'd y'all do?" Applejack asks. As she approaches the designs, she nods in appreciation. "So, is this only for one mile?"

"Nope," I say, picking up the top blueprints to show the others. "We did a few calculations, and it will cost quite a lot to build all of this...y'know, to cover as much land as necessary. Four corner sections, over a thousand center pieces, and about two hundred lining sections..."

Applejack cringes. "How much will that cost?"

Apple Bloom hops onto the table in excitement. "Less than the original design? Peter knows how t' use cheap materials to make it work better! Like plastic!"

Applejack nods, visibly relieved. "So, how much less does it cost?"

"Ya' may wanna sit down," Big Mac says. Applejack obliges, and sits down on the hay floor of the barn.

"Over one hundred thousand bits."

Within a second, Applejack is on top of me, shaking my hand, and promising to pay me as much as I want.

"Whatever you deem proper," I tell her. "I don't want to be a thief."

Applejack runs off, and returns with a bag full of bits.

"Here," she says, smiling at me. "This is two hundred bits. You deserve it fer' savin' us so darn much!"

I smile, humbled, but push away the bag of coins. "No, no, I can't possibly take that much, Applejack. Besides, Big Mac and Apple Bloom helped a lot. It's not right to give me all the credit."

"But yer' the one who saved us all that money!" Apple Bloom declares. I laugh, sheepishly, but continue to turn down the payment.

"Applejack, I can't possibly take that much money from you. I mean, twenty bits would be a perfect payment."

"Only twenty?" Applejack asks, dumbfounded. "You saved us one hundred thousand bits, Peter! You can't possibly take only twenty bits!"

I sigh, and take one bit out of the bag of coins. "I'll take this one bit as payment," I announce, shoving it into my pocket.

Applejack smiles at me. "Yer' a saint, but Ah can't possibly let you go home without a sufficient payment. We have one thousand bits left, it's fine!"

I frown. "But...How will you afford the irrigation system?"

"We have a separate stash," Applejack explains. "It's got over three hundred thousand bits in it. Since you saved us so much on the costs, we can buy it by the time next harvest season rolls around!"

I sigh, and shove my hands into my pockets. "I won't leave with two hundred bits, Applejack. I can't possibly take that much from you."

Applejack sighs. "Alright, Ah've had enough. Peter, either you take this payment of two hundred bits, or we'll pay ya' through Rainbow Dash, and double the payment. And we both know she'd be all too willin' to take the money."

I cringe, and sigh in defeat. "Fine...I'll take the two hundred bits..."

"Good!" She ties the bag closed with a spare rope, and hooves it to me. "Now, get goin'. It's gettin' late."

"But it's been ten-" I look behind Applejack, and see that the moon is in the sky.

"Hours," Applejack finishes for me. My stomach growls, and I sigh.

"Guess I'd better get going then," I mutter as I begrudgingly pick up the heavy bag of bits. "Thank you for all the bits, Applejack," I say as I waddle out, the bag weighing down my arm.

"G'night!" Applejack calls after me. "It's a shame ya' can't stay fer' dinner!"

I turn with a frown. "Whoever said I couldn't stay for dinner?"

She smiles, and I do a facepalm. Great. Now I'm taking more from them!

Within twenty minutes, I've left my bag o' bits by my chair at the table, and Scootaloo is seated next to Apple Bloom at a separate table. Granny Smiths teeters in, and I help her to set the table.

When everything is ready, we adults gather around the table.

"So," Applejack announces as we begin to eat the apple pie dinner, "Peter helped us to make designs for irrigation tonight."

Granny Smith smiles at me. "Ah always knew ya' were a smart boy," she says.

"Thank you," I say with a smile.

"He saved us over one hundred thousand bits!" Applejack declares, her voice escalating in excitement. Granny Smith's eyes widen, and she looks to me with a sort of reverence.

"Well, Ah hope ya' pay 'im fairly!" She declares.

"We gave him two hundred bits," Applejack explains. Granny Smith nods. "Good."

"He didn't wanna take it, though," Applejack chuckles. "He insisted on a ridiculously low pay!"

"My, my," Granny Smith muses. "Peter, yer' truly a wonderful young stallion." I'm about to say "man," but decide against it. "It seems that Rainbow Dash has truly found a catch!"

I blush, and Applejack laughs. "Yeup!" She shouts, clapping me on the back with a hoof. "She's truly for 'erself a great boy!"

I blush, and look down to my slice of pie as I continue to eat. "Thanks," I mutter. I've never enjoyed being publicly glorified...

About an hour later, I've finished helping with the dishes, and I've picked up my bits with a hefty sigh. Scootaloo joins me after saying goodbye to Apple Bloom, and I thank the ponies several times before leaving.

However, before I can leave, Applejack pulls me to the side.

"What d'ya see in Rainbow?" She asks. "Ah just don't understand why you'd be wit' somepony like her..."

I frown. "Well, I like her. A lot. In fact, I think I might-" I cut myself off with a gulp. Applejack raises an eyebrow at me, and I chuckle. "Sorry, slip of tongue. But, either way, I want to be with her. There's more to her than you think, Applejack. And, well...she's beautiful. In every way. Her appearances, her personality, her eyes, her mane-everything."

"But ya' still don' find her sexy?" Applejack asks, rather condescendingly.

"Did she put you up to this?" I immediately ask.

"No," she sighs. "Okay, yes, but..."

"Look...Tell Rainbow Dash, that if she wants to speak to me about sex, if she's having a hard time dealing with it, she can just talk to me, okay?"

Applejack nods, and gives me a quick hug. "You're an even better guy than Ah thought..."

I smile, and pat her on the back before I continue on my way out of the farm. Once rejoined with Scootaloo, we head on back to the library.

And, when we get there, Rainbow Dash is waiting for us.

Drama

I smile as Rainbow flies Scootaloo up to bed, holding her like a toy plane so she can have a bit of fun before going to sleep.

"Now, I'll see you in the morning, kiddo," I hear her say, softly. Rainbow Dash stays upstairs for about a minute, during which I assume she tucks the filly in. "Sleep tight. And remember: tomorrow morning, you have to get up early for school, alright?"

"Okay..."

"Alright. See ya, Scoots."

Rainbow Dash comes back down the stairs, bearing a small smile. "Well, let's get to bed, sweetheart," she says, softly. I smile, and point towards the bathroom.

"I'm going to take a shower first," I tell her. "See ya soon, Dashie." With that, I hurry up the stairs, and gently close the bathroom door behind me.

In retrospect, I may have been acting a tiny bit too enthusiastically for a shower.

Which was probably why, about five minutes later, Rainbow Dash is joining me in the shower, a greedy smile and bright red blush on her face as she stares at my crotch.

"What are you doing in here!?" I demand, immediately covering my crotch.

Rainbow cringes, and her ears go flat against the side of her head.

"I was just taking your invitation," she mumbles, uncharacteristically meekly.

"What invitation!?" I demand, shaking my head at her.

"You...You said you would see me soon, and then you called me Dashie, which is like a pet name, and then you sprinted up the stairs, and I...I took it all as you being ready," she tells me, her voice climbing an octave as tears begin to leak from her eyes. "I...I thought you wanted to...To..." She begins to cry in earnest, and runs out of the bathroom. I immediately shut the shower, quickly and vigorously dry myself with the towel I had laid out, and don my clothing, before running down the stairs after her.

However, when I finally reach the ground floor, I don't see her anywhere. I frown, and check in the guest bedroom. However, she's not there. After a thorough sweep of the entire building, even the basement and Scootaloo's bedroom, I see that she's nowhere to be found.

"Oh, shit," I mutter, my heart starting to beat much more rapidly. "Oh, shit, Rainbow..."

I stand there, in the center of the library, knowing that the cyan Pegasus had left because of me...Because I rejected her...

I open the door, and step out, just in time to see that Fluttershy is approaching the library.

"Oh! Peter!" She says, shrinking back. "Rainbow wanted me to tell you that she, uh...went back to Cloudsdale..."

I blink, and shake my head. "I have to go see her," I say. Fluttershy frowns.

"She just went to go feed Tank," she says. "Why? Did you two get into a fight or something?"

I sigh. "You could say so..."

Fluttershy frowns at me. "Well, perhaps you should go talk to her in the morning...If that's okay, of course. I could, uh, get one of my friends to...give you a lift, if that's okay with you..."

I smile, and nod. "Of course, that's okay with me."

Fluttershy nods, and waves as she walks away. "Goodnight Peter. You should get some sleep."

I nod, and close the door as I retreat into the guest room.

However, I can't fall asleep. I'm so used to having Rainbow Dash by my side, breathing gently as we fall asleep...

"I miss you, Rainbow," I whisper to the air. I sigh as I toss and turn, unable to fall asleep without the cyan Pegasus by my side.

The next two days pass without incident. I wake up after a fitful sleep, eat breakfast, wake up Scootaloo for school, eat lunch, greet visitors to the library, play on my iPad, greet Scootaloo, make some dinner, talk to Scootaloo, play a game with Scootaloo, go to sleep, and...

Wait for Rainbow Dash as I stare up at the ceiling, progressively feeling more and more forlorn.

I don't want to go to Fluttershy to get a ride up to Cloudsdale. I don't deserve Rainbow Dash, not after what I did...

But, either way, I haven't seen her for the past two days. Today will be the third day I spend without her. And the third day I spend not knowing where she is, or how she's doing.

In all honesty, it's maddening.

So, in the end, it comes down to one thing:

I need to see her.

I jump out of bed, and check the time. The clock says it's about seven o'clock in the morning, which means that Fluttershy should be up.

I slip my sneakers on, and leave the library. I practically sprint to Fluttershy's cottage, and when I arrive there, I see that the butter Pegasus is idly tending to her garden.

"Fluttershy," I say as I approach her, "I'm going to need one of your friends to bring me up to Rainbow Dash's house."

Fluttershy simply frowns at me. "What took you so long? Oh, I'm sorry, was that mean?"

I shake my head. "No, it's true. I shouldn't have waited. But now, I've had time to think, and I know what I've got to do."

"And what's that?" She asks.

"I've got to step up to something," I tell Fluttershy. "I kept saying I was afraid to have sex with her, but the truth is that I...I was afraid to because, well...I'm an idiot. I should have never pushed her away from myself, and because of that, she's been in her house for the past two days, and she's probably hurt..."

Fluttershy smiles at me. "So, you care about her a lot..."

I nod, and smile back at her. "Which is why I need to see her as soon as possible."

Fluttershy nods, and begins to flap her wings. "Wait here. I'm going to go get one of my friends who can bring you up to Rainbow Dash."

I nod, gratitude and hope surging up within me as she runs off towards the center of Ponyville. I smile, and walk into the cottage to sit by the hearth.

When she returns, she returns with a stallion pulling a chariot.

"Whoa, I bought you meant on a cloud!" I tell Fluttershy. She smiles, sheepishly.

"I decided I could get my own boyfriend to help you," she says, before lightly kissing the stallion on the nose. They smile, and blush at each other, before the stallion clears his throat, and waves for me to get into the chariot.

"Hop on in," he announces. I oblige, and he spreads his wings. "Next stop: Rainbow Dash."

I smile, and, with that, he takes off, leaving me to clench onto the sides of the chariot in fear as I'm pressed into the back of the seat.

Within a few minutes, we arrive, and I cautiously step off, and onto the clouds. Fortunately, the spell that Twilight had cast on my shoes is still working, which renders me able to walk on clouds. I approach the door, and gulp, nervous as to what Rainbow Dash will say.

I knock on the door, and stand there in the crisp, clean air, reflecting on what I had learned about myself during the two day absence of Rainbow Dash. Most importantly, I had learned that I, well...I love her. Yes, I know, it's quite the jump from not being able to have sex with her, but I realized it when I had noticed how much I missed her. And I realized that, if it meant so much to her, I would gladly have sex with her.

The door opens, and I'm confronted by a sight that tears my heart in half. Her mane is a mess, her eyes are puffy and red, and she seems to have gotten no sleep whatsoever. However, when she sees me, that is replaced by a frown, and an ire that burns deep within her eyes.

Almost immediately, I'm slapped in the face by a cyan hoof.

"What the fuck took you so long?" She demands, stepping back to let me into the building.

I nod with a small smile. "I've missed you, too, sweetheart."

She sighs, and closes the door behind me as I enter the building. Gesturing for me to follow, she walks through halls of beautiful architecture and outdoor cloud-courtyards, until we reach a small, airy spot, where we can sit and watch the liquid rainbow pour down from above.

"This is beautiful," I tell her as I sit down on the cloud seat. She nods as she sits across from me. "Sure is..." She sighs. We sit there in silence for a few ,injures before Rainbow finally asks a question.

"So, before you tell me why you're here, would you mind if I explain why I wanted to have sex with you so much?"

"Please, do."

She nods, and takes a deep breath. "Over the past few days, I've had a chance to think...and I realized something. I wanted to have sex with you so much because, well...I just wanted to be in a more intimate relationship with you. I wanted to...be in love with you. I wanted to know if I actually loved you, and I also just...wanted to be closer to you. And I felt like sex was the best way to do that, because when you gave me that wing massage in the stadium, I-" She chokes, and I reach across the table to grasp her hoof. "I felt so close to you, Peter. I felt like we had...I don't even know, but..." She begins to become increasingly distraught, and I immediately walk around the table to kneel before her.

"Rainbow Dash," I say, softly, holding her hooves tight. "Why didn't you just tell me?"

"I was afraid you didn't feel the same way," she sighs.

"Rainbow," I whisper, caressing her face as I draw closer to her, "I thought you were just horny. If I knew it meant that much to you, I would have had sex with you a long time ago..."

She looks up in surprise. "Why? You said the you were afraid of having sex with a pony..."

"Yeah, and I wasn't going to overcome that fear because I assumed that you were simply horny. But of I knew just how much it meant to you, if I knew how much it mattered, I would have ignored that fear for you..."

She frowns at me. "Why would it be so different if you knew it mattered to me?"

"Because..." I choke, but force myself to say those three infinitesimal, life changing words. "I love you, Rainbow Dash..."

I begin to cry, as I know that I've just lost her forever. I said it too soon, and she's going of hate me forever because of-

"I love you, too, Peter," she says. I look up, shock plain on my face as I watch tears of happiness roll down her cheeks. We both smile at each other, and we kiss. It's a long, passionate kiss, during which I bring her up to her hind legs, and dance with her tongue as she leads me to her bedroom.

I quickly throw off my clothes, and lay down on the bed with her, kissing her and caressing her. After a few moments, she pushes me on my back, and sits up. Once it's inside her, we begin to make love, our emotions running high and melding together as we kiss, stroke each other's sweaty bodies, and feel an intimacy unlike any other...

When we're done, Rainbow lifts her hindquarters up, letting it flop down on my chest, and lays down on top of me, a huge grin on her face as she snuggles up to me.

"I love you, Peter," she whispers.

"I love you, too, Dashie..."

We kiss again, before falling asleep, fatigued, satisfied, and feeling something that neither of us can even begin to describe...

Something Wrong

My eyes flick open as I feel a thud.

Something's wrong.

My heart begins to beat faster and faster, and I push the cyan Pegasus off of my chest without any courtesy at all. I stand, and collect my clothes, because I need to see if anything drastic has occurred.

I step through the front door, now fully clothed, and observe my surroundings. Something's wrong, and yet everything seems to be perfect.

Thud.

There. Canterlot. Something is wrong in Canterlot.

I feel a nod of agreement coming from some inner being. My gut? Perhaps.

Or, maybe it's Grendel.

I frown, and rub my temples. Why do I immediately assume that this nod of agreement is coming from Grendel? I mean...Celestia did say that Grendel and I would be joined, no? So, perhaps he's within me, dormant except for when danger is brewing, or when I have to defend myself...

For that matter, would I ever be able to control him? Or do the things he could do? Would I ever feel his Hunger for pain?

These unanswered questions whirl through my head, making it spin as I struggle to find logical answers. I shake my head, which only serves to jumble the questions about, and after they've collided several hundred times, they make one ultimate question.

What actually happened to Grendel?

I had seen those claw marks, on the back of that deer. The claw marks that reminded me of the ones Grendel had made on Rainbow Dash. Rainbow said she saw Grendel when she was attacked.

Or had she seen me, and due to a concussion, only perceived my basic shape? Perhaps Grendel wasn't there at all. Perhaps there's another very real threat, and one much stronger than Grendel.

But that still doesn't explain the egg. I've watched the show, and I remember Spike's description of his own egg as "purple with green spots." However, there were also those black veins coursing through it. Would a Spike-Grendel aberration be borne from it? Is it a last-ditch attempt by Grendel's body to survive? Is it because Spike was sentient and sapient, and therefore made some kind of link with Grendel? Or did Grendel not want me to be angry at him, and so, he had decided to try his luck at reincarnating one of his victims?

Or is it possible that Grendel was simply a ripple in the water compared to the tsunami that caused it? Is there some higher power at play, pulling at its invisible strings and making us dance the dance of ignorant puppets?

If that's the case, then...

Should I be afraid?

Yes, I feel my new inner companion whisper to me. I feel a chill travel down my spine, and as I stare off at Canterlot, I believe that I can see a large, hulking shadow, hanging over the royal city as if it were its prey.

I blink, and it's gone.

Thud.

But the feeling that something is terribly wrong is not.

Just then, I catch sight of a chariot, coming right for the cloud that I stood upon.

"Peter," Twilight cries from within as the chariot lands before me, "get Rainbow Dash, and tell her to get her Element. I'll give you a ride to the library to get you sword-Element. And hurry!"

I falter for just a moment. "What's going on?" I ask, the door already open behind me as I ready myself to sprint into Rainbow Dash's bedroom.

"The egg," she tells me. "It's hatching."

I blink. My inner companion lets loose a nod, informing me that this is most definitely what is wrong.

As I look up to Canterlot, I can see that shadow, opening its maw as if to swallow me, and the entire world, whole.

Resurrection

"Be ready for anything that comes out," Twilight cautions as Celestia is escorted from the room by her Royal Guard. I nod, and stand by the blade that represents the Element of Sacrifice, ready to use it should this turn sour. I take a deep breath, and watch as Twilight approaches the egg.

"I'm going to speed this up," she announces. "It'll be a few seconds before it hatches, so get ready, everypony."

Rainbow Dash glances back at me, and I give her a nod of encouragement. She frowns before returning her gaze to the egg, and entering a readied stance.

Twilight's horn glows, and a glow envelopes the egg. After a few seconds, she retreats, readying herself as her tiara of Magic gleams in the soft glow of candlelight.

"Ready," she cautions. I tense, ready to either attack or flee.

Just then, the egg begins to deteriorate, and eventually opens.

What lies in the remnants of the egg shell shocks the us into immobility. Twilight approaches the sleeping being, and gulps as she examines it.

The baby dragon opens his eyes, and looks up at Twilight. The lavender unicorn leans against the podium that the baby dragon is resting on, and blinks in astonishment.

"Twilight...?" The baby asks with a yawn.

"Hello, Spike," Twilight says, softly. We all approach the podium, as well, and watch as the unicorn bursts into tears, embracing her son, telling him that she loves him and that she was sorry she never said so before now. Spike hugs her back, adding to the total of tears that gather atop the podium.

"I was so scared," Spike whimpers. "I felt a pain in my neck, and then everything went black...all I saw was...black..." He shudders as he recalls his time spent as a formerly living being. "And I heard things, terrible things...I heard animals being tortured, and a voice, saying a single name over and over again..."

I frown, and approach him. "What name?" I ask, even though I already know what that name was.

"Grendel."

"I don't know!" I cry, exasperated as Celestia continues to interrogate me. "You keep on asking me these questions that neither of us know the answer to!"

Celestia shakes her head, and frowns. "That isn't good enough. We need to know what happened to Spike."

I sigh, and wrack my brain for a probable answer. And then I remember: I'm in Equestria. Land of magic and unpredictability. The most probable answer is actually the least probable here. I have to think of something outside of the box. So, I wrack my brain for answers that would appear in a work of fiction, and a lightbulb goes off.

"Maybe Grendel absorbed Spike's soul," I suggest. "And perhaps...When I sealed Grendel away, I set Spike's soul free?"

Celestia remains silent for a few moments after my ridiculous suggestion, and I shrug. "Fuck, man, that's the best I can come up with," I sigh.

"How'd you arrive at that conclusion?" She asks, quietly. I shrug.

"I dunno, I just decided to take a stab in the dark, really...I mean, I guess because Spike said he saw darkness, heard tortured animals, and Grendel's name, which isn't very common, well...I just kinda assumed that it's what happened."

Celestia nods. "Why tortured animals?"

"Grendel killed animals to feed on pain. They were easier targets."

She nods again, and sighs. "Well, that may be the best we have to go on. Which means that this may actually be Spike, and not some kind of copy..." We share a short moment of silence, before she speaks up once more. "But we can't just jump to that conclusion. He may still be dangerous, despite the miracle of resurrection taking place before our very eyes...so, if you don't mind, I would like for you to continue to stay at Twilight's library, and to send me constant updates on his status. And never let him out of your sight, Peter. If you see him trying to sneak away, follow him. Keep your tranquilizer gun with you if you do, so you can defend yourself. And, Peter?" I nod, and she sighs. "Do not, and I repeat do not hesitate to kill him if it should come to that."

I nod, and she dismisses me. I exit to see that the ponies are all watching me, nervously, and that Twilight is still holding Spike.

"Hey," I say as I close the door behind me. "You guys ready to go back to Ponyville?"

"What did Celestia say?" Twilight asks, cautiously.

"If she wanted you to know," I respond, carefully, "she would have called you in."

The lavender unicorn simply nods, and sighs. "Let's go, everypony..."

With that, we all leave the castle, with me bringing up the rear as I lug along my barrel and the blade within. Rainbow Dash decides to join me at the back, and she smiles at me as we walk.

"So, I'm assuming you won't tell me what Celestia told you to do," she remarks.

"She wants me to keep an eye on Spike," I tell her. Rainbow Dash looks at me in surprise, but smiles after a little while.

"So, what else do you have to do?"

"I've got to stay with Twilight, until we can determine what's up with Spike."

"So, you'll be living with Twilight?"

I shrug. "Kinda, yeah. But you can stay in the guest room with me. I mean, if you want to."

"Oh, yeah, definitely," she responds with a small smile. "I'd love to stay with you, actually."

I nod, and we continue to walk to the train in silence. Rainbow Dash continuously looks to me, blushes when I look at her, and looks away, as if we're kindergarteners with a secret crush. I shake my head in confusion, and decide to ask her why she's acting so weird later. I mean, it's not like our relationship is any secret. Then again, nopony knows about how we made love earlier today...

But I have more important things to worry about right now. For example, the fact that Spike is currently snoring in Twilight's lap as we ride along in the train. That's not worrisome, but it lowers my suspicion of him.

Perhaps everything will just go back to being normal? Well, as normal as normal gets when Pinkie Pie is currently standing on the ceiling to examine a broken lightbulb.

We arrive at Ponyville in the late afternoon. Rainbow immediately goes to get Scootaloo from school, which I'm starting to think is rather unnecessary, as Scootaloo is perfectly capable of coming home on her own, and Twilight and I go off to the library, Spike sleeping in my arms as we walk.

"Thanks," Twilight whispers as I place Spike down in his basket. I smile with a nod, and she gives Spike a kiss on the forehead. We then go downstairs, and she sets about getting some dinner ready for all of us. I volunteer to help out, and we have a long conversation about science. For example, we discuss the impact all of this may have had on Spike's nervous system, and we eventually shift over to electricity and neurological to mechanical electric conversions. Eventually, we end up on the subject of the wings that Tech had given me, and we discuss possibly having Rarity make some nanofibers.

I'm starting to enjoy my intellectual conversation with Twilight, and we're starting to joke around with each other a bit. For example, when she gets snappy about the difference between an electron and a beta particle, I throw a handful of salad in her face.

She, in return, overturns a bowl of mushrooms on my head, and sets about cleaning up immediately after.

"Okay, no more jokes," she announces, just as I drop a handful of cracker crumbs into her mane. She frowns at me, and I shrug.

"I hate you," she growls, before moving the crumbs with magic. "But, seriously, we need to make some dinner. Rainbow and Scootaloo are going to be hungry."

I nod, and, as if on cue, Rainbow Dash arrives, Scootaloo in tow.

"I'm starving!" She announces. "You guys making dinner or what?"

"Depends," I reply, leaning out of the kitchen. "Do you like unicorn meat?"

Rainbow Dash frowns, and shakes her head. "Don't even joke like that, Peter," she sighs. "Especially not in front of Scoots."

"It's fine," Scootaloo sighs as she walks over to me. "I thought it was pretty funny. Hi, Peter."

I smile, and reciprocate the hug she gives me. "So, how about you wake up Spike so we can have some dinner?"

Scootaloo frowns at me. "That's not funny, Peter. I was at his grave, remember?"

I blink, and chuckle as I remember. "That's right, you don't know. That egg in the basement? Spike hatched from it."

Scootaloo's face explodes into a smile, and she runs up the stairs to see the baby dragon. A few minutes later, Scootaloo is still upstairs, and I decide to go find out what's going on. "Be right back," I announce, even as Twilight sets down dinner before us. I climb the stairs, and walk over to where Scootaloo is standing just above the sleeping dragon, frowning lightly.

"You okay, Scoots?"

"I don't think I should wake him yet," she mutters. "He was just killed and resurrected. He's had a rough few days, hasn't he?"

I smile, and nod. "Yeah, you could say that."

"So, we should let him rest, right?"

I smile, and pat her on the back. "That would be for the best."

She smiles up at me, and I motion for her to follow me. "C'mon, dinner's waiting."

"I want to stay with him..."

I turn, surprised. "Huh?"

"I wanna stay with him," she repeats, blushing lightly. "I missed him a lot, and I don't want to leave his side now that he's back..."

I smile, and nod. "I'll bring your dinner up."

With that, I descend the stairs, and join my friends. I explain the situation before bringing Scootaloo her dinner. When I rejoin Twilight and Rainbow, we begin to eat.

When we've finished, I stretch, realizing that I'd like nothing more than to take a nice stroll with Rainbow Dash. However, I can't let Spike out of my sight, lest he turn into Cthulhu. Which is ridiculous, I mean, this is Spike we're talking about here! There's no way Spike could be dangerous, right?

Right?

Whatever. I suggest to Rainbow that we take a walk, and she agrees, rather enthusiastically. Why, exactly, she's so damn enthusiastic about a simple walk, I'll never fucking know.

As we walk along the river on the outskirts of Ponyville, she remains oddly silent. I spot a flat stone by the river, and I bring her over to sit down.

"You okay?" I ask, softly, wrapping an arm around her as she rests her head on my shoulder. She sighs, and instead of answering, wraps her forelegs around my waist.

"I just wish we could spend more time together," she sighs. "Y'know, alone. Like this."

I smile, and kiss her on the forehead. "We'll have plenty of time to be alone," I tell her. "Don't worry, sweetheart."

She sighs, and I force her to look at my face. "I promise," I whisper, before kissing her firmly. We make out for several minutes, and I don't stop until she does.

"K, I'm good," she announces, before standing and stretching. "Let's go."

I blink in surprise, and raise an eyebrow at her. "The fuck you talking about?"

"Well, I can't be emotional and clingy in front of anypony," she informs me. "So I decided to be clingy here, where nopony can see me."

I nod, and she kisses me on the cheek. "We can still cuddle tonight."

I smile, and we continue our walk, moving onto different topics of conversation, such as Spike.

"I really don't know what to make of it," I admit. "It's very confusing. I mean, how could a dead dragon come back from the dead?"

Sh shrugs. "If I knew, I'd be the smartest pony in the world."

I chuckle lightly. "Yeah, I guess. And you're far from being the fiftieth smartest pony in the world..."

She frowns at me. "Are you calling me stupid?"

"Naawwwwwwwwwww," I say. "I'm calling you a fuckin' genius!"

She punches me in the shoulder, and I laugh. "Fuck you, Peter."

"Love you, too, dear, gentle Rainbow Dash."

She laughs, and shrugs. "Whatever, you fuckin' nerd."

I stop walking, and dive at the cyan Pegasus, wrestling myself onto her back so that I can sit squarely behind her wings. "I ain't no nerd, foo!" I cry. "I'm a super nerd, mother fucker! Get it straight!"

She growls at me as I grasp her mane. "Now, onwards, mine fine steed! Bring me to mine place of dwelling, down yonder!"

She rolls her eyes, and yelps as I tug at the hair in my hands. "Get off!" She cries, bucking in an attempt to throw me off. I stand no chance, and end up flat on my face in the dirt.

When I stand, I sigh in content, and smile at Rainbow Dash. "Ah, I love you, Rainbow," I say with a large grin. "You're the best."

She raises an eyebrow, and laughs as she walks past me. "You are one weird guy, Pete," she informs me. I smile, and follow her, all the way back to the library.

"Yo," I call out as we enter the library. "Who's ready to sleep?"

"Me," Scootaloo yawns. "I'm going to sleep with Spike tonight."

All of us stop, and stare at her. Twilight's blush is visible, and she shakes her head. "Yeah, no, you're not. In fact, on that note, I'm bringing you home to your mother. Come on."

"Awwwwww," Scootaloo moans. "Please?"

"No!" Rainbow and Twilight cry at the same time. They exchange a glance, before Rainbow grabs Scootaloo's hoof, and walks out with her. "C'mon, Scoots. No offense, but there's nowhere for you to sleep tonight."

"Fine," Scootaloo sighs. "I'll sleep at home tonight...Big meanies..."

I watch as Scootaloo follows Rainbow, telling the cyan Pegasus her home address so she can safely find her way home. Twilight and I shrug, and the lavender unicorn proceeds to climb the stairs to her bedroom. "I've been through a lot today. Good night."

I nod, not needing any more explanation as I open the door to the guest bedroom, enter said guest bedroom, walk over to the guest bed in the guest bedroom behind the door to the guest bedroom, and take up the guest sheets to my guest chin in the guest bed in the guest bedroom behind the door to the guest bedroom.

I almost immediately conk out after making several hundred more useless sentences with a thousand instances of the word "guest" in them. I honestly have no idea what to expect from the world, as.................

.....

..........

What? Did you expect me to finish my sentence? I'm asleep, asshole. Duh.

Fuckin' weirdo.

Whoever you are.

Darkness

I shove past several guard ponies, holding my glowing blade in a single hand.

"No," Twilight whimpers as she tries to stop me. "Please, no, he's my son..."

I shake my head. "He's a monster," I growl, throwing her to the side as I approach Spike.

The "baby dragon" looks up to me, and I scowl in disgust.

"This is for Rainbow Dash, motherfucker," I growl, before grasping his shoulder, and driving my blade through his torso. He lets out a dull gasp, and, rather than withdrawing the blade, I drag it so that his wound is widened, to the point at which his lower half dangles by a single thread.

The dragon sputters and gasps, and the light fades from his eyes, even as I scowl down at him.

And then, he looks up at me.

And he lunges, taking me down into spiraling, unending darkness...

I sit upright, gasping and sputtering as I struggle to recover from the shocking nightmare. I hold a hand to my chest, feeling my heart beat a thousand times per second as I hyperventilate. I look down at my hands, searching for the dragon's fluorescent blood on then, and the strain of holding a blade. I shake my head, and burry it in my palms, struggling to recover.

It was just a nightmare, I tell myself. Even if it did feel so motherfucking real...

I feel Rainbow Dash stir, and she wraps her hooves around my waste as she rests her chin on my shoulder. "You okay, baby?" She asks, softly.

"Yeah, I'm...I'm..." I sigh, my hands shaking as I lean back against the cyan Pegasus. "No, I'm not okay. I just had a terrible nightmare..."

She smiles, and kisses me on the cheek. "Okay, then. Why don't you just tell me what it was about, and we'll try to make it less scary?"

"You were dead," I blurt out, still covered in a cold sweat. "Spike killed you, and I killed him..."

Rainbow Dash lets out a tsk as she pulls me back down onto the bed. "Babe, I'm not dead. And besides, Spike couldn't kill me. I'm way too damn strong for him."

I smile, and close my eyes with a deep breath. As Rainbow and I make small conversation, the fear is replaced with deep, steady breaths, and a few kisses here and there.

And, as I drift off to sleep, I chuckle lightly to myself, realizing just how ridiculous that dream was...

I'm woken up by a tough shove.

I flail my arms and legs to keep myself in the bed, and manage to grab onto the sheets and stabilize myself. I frown at Rainbow Dash, who is smirking at me. However, she quickly grows serious, and jumps up into the air in urgency.

"C'mon, we've gotta follow Spike," she tells me. I look out the open guest room door, and see that Spike is obediently following Twilight around, helping her prepare for some kind of expedition or other. I frown at how innocently happy the dragon is, and decide that Celestia must have been exaggerating the whole Spike thing. And, besides, I'm tired. So...

"Fuck that shit," I grumble, buying my face in the pillow. Rainbow Dash sighs, and I prepare for another shove.

Which is exactly what I get.

"You can't just ignore a direct order from the Princess!" She cries as I flail once again. "What if he ends up being a threat!?"

I shrug. "Ain't my problem. Besides, Twilight will keep an eye on him, won't she?"

Rainbow Dash shoves me again, and, not being prepared for it, I fall right onto the floor.

"Fuck," I spit. "Rainbow, seriously, the fuck?"

She stands above me, and looks me right in the eye. "We're going to follow Spike, okay? The Princess told us to, and we're going to do it. I don't care if you don't want to. We have to."

I sigh, and slide out from underneath the cyan Pegasus. I stand, and slip my sneakers on.

"Fine, let's go..."

She nods, and with that, we exit.

Or rather, we prepare to exit, and bicker over whether I should take a knife with me or not. Y'know, for protection.

"I don't need a knife," I whine. "It's going to be fine."

"Take the fucking knife or I will give you a reason to defend yourself, motherfucker!" She roars. I immediately shove the knife in my pocket, careful not to tear the fabric as I nod in fear. She smiles in victory, and we finally exit.

Finding Spike and Twilight is easy enough. They went to a local pancake house for, well...exactly what you think they'd go there for. Hookers and cocaine.

We enter, and join Twilight and Spike, deciding to take the position of friendly friends. We greet each other, and we all order a few pancakes.

Within a few minutes, we have an intriguing conversation going on. By we, I mean Twilight and I, and Spike and Rainbow are left behind in the dust.

"So, I told Tech about your designs," Twilight says as the pancakes arrive. "He said he'd look into poly carbonic structures for you, as well as nano fibers. I'll help out, too. Chemistry and physics are two of my many fortes."

"Theoretical physics?" I ask, shoveling a pancake into my mouth, syrup and all.

"You know it!" Twilight declares with a giggle. "I'm going to visit the Large Hadron Collider soon!"

"They have a Large Hadron Collider in Equestria?"

"Yeah. It's on the sea floor, and it's managed by Sea Ponies. I've got an appointment with my own personal diving suit to go down there! It's so awesome!"

"Define awesome," Rainbow grumbles as she eats more pancakes.

"Particles smashing into each other at faster than the speed of light and creating anti-matter and miniature black holes and the God Particle, otherwise known as the Higgs Boson."

Rainbow blinks in surprise. "Okay, that sounds pretty cool. But still, it's for eggheads."

"And eggheads are awesome," I retort. Twilight attempts to get her two cents in, but Rainbow comes back at me with hostility.

"Eggheads like you don't have any muscle mass. I'm a world class athlete, Peter! Do you really expect me to like that crap?" She demands. I roll my eyes at her.

"No, but I expect you to give it the respect it deserves," I hiss at her. "These are geniuses at work, Rainbow Dash. They spent years creating this damn thing, and they are smarter than you and me combined."

Rainbow snorts in derision. "Yeah, whatever. I'd like to see them pull off a Sonic Rainboom..."

"Okay. Let'em get to you when you're doing one. After several calculations, they'll be able to determine what you have that allows you to do one. And then, they'll be able to manufacture them."

"Yeah, right," she responds. "As if they could manufacture something as awesome as my Rainbooms!"

"They can manufacture ten-ton machines that fly," I remark, nonchalantly. "Isn't that right, Twilight?"

"Yeah, they're actually about to release the first one soon," Twilight responds. "They're called air planes. Equestria is hitting a turning point in its technology. Soon, there may be a computer in my library!"

I smile, and turn back to Rainbow Dash. "How's that for awesome?"

"It's just a computer..."

"A computer can allow you to speak to someone on the other side of the planet. Also, with a good computer, you can play games like Skyrim and Fallout and even Minecraft."

"Yeah, whatever. Just call me up on your good-ol' rotary phone when they finally finish perfecting those things. Technology is super unreliable, Peter. Get used to it."

"Yeah, the shit technology you use," I remark. "They're making better technology, Rainbow. Hell, with magic, they'll have a cell phone done in no time, and without having to use satellites."

Rainbow Dash simply groans, and leans back in the chair. "Really? How do you figure that?" Twilight asks.

And, with that, Twilight, Spike and I completely exclude Rainbow Dash from our intellectual conversation. However, after several minutes, Twilight asks me where humans are in technology, and I decide to bring Rainbow Dash into the conversation.

"I think you may like this, Dash," I say, resting a hand on her shoulder. I feel a jolt of excitement as I make contact with her, and feel compelled to wrap my arm around her in a classic cuddling position. However, that's not exactly socially acceptable, so I simply remove my hand and begin as she looks to me, expectantly.

"Well, Neil Armstrong was the first man to walk on the moon."

Rainbow Dash's jaw hits the floor, and so does Rainbow Dash's. I would say the same for Spike, if it weren't for the fact that his jaw went straight through the floor.

"What?" Rainbow asks. "That's impossible! You can only get to the moon if you're sent there by Celestia! But Celestia isn't on Earth!"

"No," I respond, congratulating the Pegasus' deductive reasoning powers, "no, she's not. However, we made a space shuttle. Using special rocket fuel, and a pointed tip, we breached Earth's atmosphere and sent Neil up to the Moon in a space suit. And now, we're landing droids on other planets. We just landed Curiosity on Mars, which is the fourth planet from the Sun-Earth is the third-and we also have a probe waaaaay past our solar system. Like, light years away. Still taking forever to get data back from that thing."

Rainbow Dash leans in, and begins hounding me with questions. "So, have they ever sent a probe to a comet before? What about a black hole? And another star? What about a wormhole, huh? And what about a nova star? Red giant? Dwarf star? Gas planet? Huh, huh, HUH!?"

I blink in surprise at the questions. "Wow, you sure know a lot about space," I remark. Twilight nods in agreement, and Rainbow immediately blushes as she withdraws.

"Uhh, yeah," she mutters. "But it's just a hobby...not like I'm an egghead or anything..."

I smile, and nudge her in the side. "Hey, so what? You like outer space. Who doesn't? You've got to admit that it's freaking awesome, right?" She nods with light chuckle. "I've got a few videos on my iPad that I could show you. Either with Stephen Hawking or Professor Michio Kaku that I think you would really enjoy. Oh, and a few Nova videos. Oh, and some with Morgan Freeman. And one with how the Moon was formed. And a few documentaries about space exploration. And-"

"Okay, I get it," she says, stopping me with a raised hoof. "So, when can I see them?"

"We can go back to the library, like, right now and watch them," I tell her. She nods, eager to see the videos and the informational deluge of cosmic proportions in each documentary. No pun intended. "I think we'll take our leave," I remark, standing at the same time as Rainbow Dash. Twilight frowns as we begin to walk away.

"I'm not paying for you two," she calls after us.

"I'll pay you back," I promise. Twilight nods, and Rainbow and I leave.

We're about halfway to the library when Rainbow slaps a hoof to her forehead. "Damnit, we're supposed to be watching Spike!" She cries. "Come on, Peter."

I sigh as I follow her back to the pancake house, which Twilight and Spike have just exited. As we join them, they give us strange glances.

"Uhhhh, hello again," Twilight remarks.

"I decided Rainbow is not worthy of the videos," I declare. "Therefore, we shall spend time within your company."

Twilight simply gives me a look that you would give a piece of gum on your nipple. A look that says: "how in the fuck did that get there? And what the fuck even..."

So, yeah.

"Shall we?" I ask, stepping back for Twilight to proceed.

"Uhhhhh, 'k," Twilight mutters. "C'mon, Spike. Let's go get you some great big gems!"

Spike's face explodes into a grin, and we follow as Twilight brings him to a jewelers. After about twenty minutes of indecisive mumbling, we exit, Spike carrying along a rather expensive diamond necklace. He unhooks the string, and eats each individual diamond like a piece of candy, slowly and carefully tasting each and every one.

He saves he largest one for last, which just fits in his mouth. He chews on it, apparently savoring the expensive taste, before swallowing.

"Ohhhhhhh, that was the best diamond ever," he sighs. "Do I have to die again to get another one of those?"

"Hopefully not," Twilight responds. "Come on, let's go do something, Spike!" The lavender unicorn's emotional dam breaks then, and she starts giggling as she picks up Spike and jumps around, giggling madly as she does.

"I'm so happy to have you back!" She declares. "C'mon, let's go do stuff!"

And, with that, she zips off, leaving Rainbow and I in confusion.

"Shit," the cyan Pegasus spits. "C'mon, we've gotta-hey! Let go of my tail, and let me follow them!!"

"No," I respond, calmly. "We can't invade on Twilight's privacy."

"But-"

"But nothing. Spike will be too occupied to have any negative emotions that may bring forth some kind of demon thing. So, come on, Rainbow. Let's go back to the library, before you wear yourself out. Besides, I feel like we should spend a day together."

The cyan Pegasus bites her lower lip, and looks between me and the rapidly receding Twilight. Eventually, she sighs, and turns to face me. "Peter..." I smile in hope. "We can't just ignore the Princess' orders like that."

My shoulders sag, and I let go of her tail with a shrug. "Fine, your loss. I'm going to go hang out with Pinkie Pie."

The cyan Pegasus frowns at me. "Really? You'd choose Pinkie Pie over your girlfriend?"

Ten minutes later, I'm seething at how effective that guilt trip was as Rainbow Dash finally catches up to Twilight and Spike, and she lets me off of her back.

"That was fun," she remarks. "You should ride on my back more."

"No," I grumble. "I nearly shat myself."

"In that case, I don't want your butt on my back," she mutters, before approaching Twilight and Spike, who are perusing the shops in the center of Ponyville, simply enjoying their time together.

"Hey," Rainbow says. "You two ran off so fast, you'd think you were leaving to have sex or somethin'."

Twilight blushes, and I slap a palm to my face. "Okay, I'll take over from here," I tell Rainbow. I smile at Twilight, and then look down to Spike.

And, for a split second, I feel a thud in my core. My smile fades, and I can see a darkness deep within him. I glance at Rainbow Dash, and give her a sheepish grin.

"Looks like I was wrong," I remark. She blinks in surprise, and I give her a meaningful glare.

"Oh," she mutters. I nod, and I turn back to Spike, fully aware of the dark beast that lay within him, coiled and ready to spring forth at a moment's notice. I grimace in concentration, and decide that I must either attempt to contain it, or attempt to bring it forth so as to bring it to Twilight's attention.

So, I decide to take the easier action: the latter. Spike looks back into my eyes, and frowns.

"Peter, are you okay? You've been staring at me for a few moments..."

I blink, and nod, watching as the darkness within him is stirred in cautious apprehension. I can see that he is petting it, allowing for it to purr within him, waiting for the time to bare its fangs...

"Yeah, I'm fine," I respond, cheerfully. "Now, let's go have a great day, huh?"

Spike and Twilight nod, and as they turn away, I tell Rainbow what I saw. She gloats in victory, but I retain my dark suspicions.

"I've got to see if I can bring it forth," I inform Rainbow Dash. "Just to prove myself. To prove it to Twilight."

Rainbow nods, and we hustle to catch up to the two. I can't help but inwardly ridicule myself for my carefree actions this morning, from consuming pancakes and telling of space exploration to attempting to keep away from Spike. I can't believe I was so fucking stupid, especially after how wrong it all felt...

As we catch up to Spike, I approach the baby dragon as I take out the knife I took from Twilight's kitchen. Stealthily creeping up behind him, I prick him in the elbow with the point.

"Yow!" He cries, leaping up in surprise. He turns, and sees me standing there. However, he does not see the knife safely concealed in my pocket. As he rubs his shoulder, I see the dark sibilant within him, rustling in irritation, but constraining itself after a few moments in irritated patience. It's not Spike doing this, Spike isn't telling it to back off. Rather, it's keeping itself locked away, struggling to retain its apparent hunger.

"Why'd you poke me?" He asks, suspiciously. I shrug, and raise my hands in surrender. "Surprise, I guess."

Spike raises an eyebrow, and turns away with a roll of his eyes. "Okay, whatever..."

I nod, and stalk him a bit more. Rainbow watches, curious and confused. I poke Spike several times with my knife, each time bringing the darkness within him up to a higher boiling point.

Finally, as I poke him on the back with my knife, it bursts forth, and the young dragon tackles me to the ground, sending my knife skittering across the packed earth, and onto a bush, where it remains hidden.

"Stop poking me," he growls, his eyes darkening with his icy cold voice of command. He pins me down with surprising strength, and I feel a darkness within me stirring to meet his own.

Our leathery dark wings stare off, the two of us identifying each other as we truly are: me, with Grendel deep within myself, and Spike, with something much stronger.

And Spike and his inner companion are surprised. They did not expect to find that I had my own inner companion to match.

They frown, and we smile. "Hello," we whisper, our cold command resonating like ice through our trachea. "Nice to meet you." They know know we don't mean Spike, but rather, his inner companion, the one that greets us now.

"Hello," they growl back.

"Spike, what're you doing?" Twilight asks. "Come up off of Peter, Spike."

"He kept poking me," he states, coldly. Twilight recoils as the cold command rattles her body, and Rainbow Dash has a gleam of fear in her eyes.

"That's no reason to tackle him," Twilight scolds, her voice shaking a bit. "G-Get off of him!"

A glimmer of concern sparks in Spike's eye, and we realize that they still care for Twilight, no matter how dark they may become. Spike's darkness quickly recedes, and his eyes turn soft and bright once more.

"Sorry, Twilight," he says, meekly. He stands, and we do, as well, taking deep breaths to settle ourselves.

Grendel grumbles as he returns to his coiled position, closing his eyes as he purrs to the darkness. I open my eyes, and smile at Twilight and Rainbow Dash, now fully and once again me, with emotions and all.

"Why would you attack him like that?" Twilight asks the dragon, still shaken by his cold voice.

"I dunno what came over me," he mutters in response.

"Spike, you've got to learn to manage your anger more," Twilight sighs. I grimace as I rest a hand on Twilight's shoulder, having finally deciding what I would do about this.

"Twilight...We need to talk."

And so it is that, a half hour later, Twilight is sitting across from me in the library, looking to Spike in concern, and to me in fear.

"So, you're saying that...Grendel is in you?" Twilight asks, softly. "And that it lets you see the...darkness...in others?"

"Yes," I respond. "And Spike has a powerful darkness in him, and one that may be explosive should it be provoked. It may well be what created Grendel in the first place. But I don't know for sure." Spike tugs on my shirt, and I turn to face the dragon, taking in his fear and nervousness.

"Why is it in me?" He asks, shakily. "Why is this...thing there? You said it could make me kill, so...why is it there?"

I frown. "It may be there because Grendel killed you. Perhaps it chose you because of something. But I don't know, Spike. All I can really know for sure is that it's there, and it is dangerous.

"Unless we do something about it."

Twilight, Rainbow Dash, and Spike look up in surprise.

"Like what?" Rainbow demands. "And shouldn't we tell Celestia about this?"

"No!" Twilight cries. "We can't! He's my son...And-And Celestia might take him away!!"

My dream comes flooding back to me, and I frown. If I don't get Celestia to know about it, that dream may very well become a reality, which is the exact opposite of what I want.

"We have to," I sigh. "Don't worry, Celestia won't take him away. She'll just keep him in a, uh...stress-free environment, that way, his darkness doesn't come out while we try to do something about it."

Twilight frowns, and I see Spike's darkness stir. It has been listening to the conversation, and it knows that it is being threatened.

"Nothing we do can destroy the darkness, though," I sigh. "It will always be there. But Spike can hold it, and make sure that it can't do whatever it wants to do. If he feels a Need, we can help him to suppress it. Having emotions makes it easier to do so." The darkness in Spike rears, but Twilight begins to cry, and Spike's companion eases back down as it is crushed by emotions.

"Awww, Twilight," Spike coos as he holds her. "It's okay..."

"No, it's not okay!" Twilight declares, holding Spike close. "You're back from the dead, but now, you've got to suffer because you have some demon thing in you that could make you kill! Spike, I'm so sorry...I failed you, I failed you as a mother, I failed to protect you..."

I smile as Spike shares a tender moment with Twilight. "And you're my mother," he whispers, his darkness finally being subdued into a sturdy slumber. "And trust me when I say that you could never fail, Twi'. And you could never fail me." Twilight sobs against Spike, who simply hugs her closer. I look to Rainbow Dash, who is smiling, as well.

"His darkness is asleep," I say as I sit next to Rainbow. "His emotions for Twilight crushed it. It's not gone, but it's not going to come up for a little while. Maybe it would be best not to tell Celestia about it, and just let emotions take their course."

Rainbow nods, and rests her head on my shoulder. "Yeah, and he loves Twilight, and Twilight loves him. If anything can help Spike, it's love. Trust me. It's helped me a lot."

I smile at Rainbow, and she kisses me on the cheek. She blushes as she gives me a small smile, her eyes saying more than a picture ever could.

"So," Twilight says, softly. "How do we help Spike?"

I look over, and see that she's still holding Spike protectively. I smile, and nod to her.

"You're already doing it. Just be there for him, Twilight. Love is all he needs." I hear the Beetles in the back of my head, and I smile. "All you need is love."

Twilight smiles back, and Rainbow Dash gives me another quick peck on the cheek. I smile, and realize that this whole thing may blow over, eventually.

However, life is never that simple. And it will never be. Especially not when it comes to a demon inhabiting the body of your friend.

Oh, and it grows even harder when there's a demon within yourself, constantly reminding you that there is a demon in your friend.

And always whispering to you that that friend is incredibly dangerous, and should be treated as such. But with enough love and care, he's totally docile.

Until somepony pokes him, or he gets a prick on the finger. He's incredibly short tempered, which means that something could set him off and let out his darkness.

So, I think we should get some anger-management for him. Teach him to Keep Calm and Carry On.

But the demon in him made a good choice. Spike is but a baby dragon, so he will always be immature until such a time as he grows older, which may be a long time. And within that span of time, he may have let his inner darkness out for a play date.

And now that we are actively campaigning against his inner companion, it will rebel, and start to give Spike a Need to do something that would let it out, and would cause him to become increasingly frustrated until it exploded outward.

Unless I found a way to help him meet that Need, and keep his inner companion fat and happy, so as to prevent it from completing whatever its goal is.

But until that time comes, I will enjoy myself here, in Equestria.

And I shall sharpen my knives, for we will be waiting.

The Party

I grin as Pinkie Pie approaches. "This is a great party, Pinks!" I shout over the din of the DJ's music.

"Yeah, well, it's not every day that your friend comes back to life!" She giggles in return. I hold up my soda with a smile.

"That's true."

She smiles at me for a few moments, and then leaps forward, giggling as she drags me into the center of the dance floor. "C'mon, Peter, dance!" She cries, swinging me around so fast that I'm afraid I may lose my lunch.

"Uhhh, I'm not one for dancing," I mutter as I get the shit beat out of me by my fellow dancers. Pinkie Pie simply giggles, and lets me go.

"Alright! Have it your way! But I have a pretty good feeling that Rainbow Dash won't take no for an answer!"

I watch as she disappears in the crowd, and I struggle to make it back to the table I was sitting at.

I sit down with a sigh, and continue to be one of the socially awkward fellows sitting on the sidelines.

"Wanna dance?"

I look up to Rainbow Dash, who has approached me with a small, longing smile and a blush.

"Eh," I mutter, drawing out the vowel. "I'm not that good of a dancer..."

The cyan Pegasus simply pops up onto her hind legs, and presses her hooves into my hands as she kisses me on the cheek. "I don't care. We're dancing."

I smile, and shrug. "Okay."

And, with that, she pulls me into the dance floor, remaining on her hind hooves so that she's at my height. I can't help but marvel at how skillful these ponies are at standing on their hind hooves in terms of motor movement, as the ponies around me are dancing on two legs and are using their forelegs as arms. It makes me wonder why they don't live their lives as bipedal mammals...

Eh, whatever. I may as well focus on my "dancing," just to make sure that I don't crush anypony with my feet. Then again, we're all the same height like this...

I actually somewhat loosen up as I realize that all the ponies dancing are standing at the same height and in the same posture as me. It makes me feel...normal. Like I belong here.

I convey this to Rainbow Dash as we dance, still holding each others hooves/hands.

"I feel normal," I announce. "Like I fit in. Because everypony is just as tall as me for once! And I feel like...y'know...I belong..."

Rainbow smiles at me, and surprises me by pulling me right into her arms, and giving me a soft kiss. "But, sweetheart, you do belong."

I smile, and reciprocate the kiss. "When I'm in love with a freak like you?" I jest with a grin.

"Oh, screw you, Peter," Rainbow chuckles. I laugh softly, and we continue to dance, spinning each other as we giggle. We eventually loosen up, and get to the point at which I'm simply shaking her around, and she's giggling as I toss her between my arms.

After a while, we get tired of our dancing, as we've been twisting and shouting and giggling the whole time. We sit down at our own table, and have a pleasant conversation.

"So, when we had sex the other day," she begins. I blush as she brings up the intimacy we shared that morning. "How was it?"

I smile as I raise my soda glass to take a sip. "It was okay."

Rainbow Dash giggles, slapping me on the arm. "Just okay? I thought it was great!"

I smirk at her. "Is that because of my big dick, or because of the emotional aspect?"

The cyan Pegasus blushes. "Both..." She giggles lightly, and I do, as well. "But more the emotional. Besides, your dick ain't that big, anyway."

I shrug. "It's bigger than yours."

Rainbow Dash laughs. "If I had one, it would still be bigger than yours!"

I snicker, and she rests a hoof on my arm. "But, honestly, Peter, I..." She takes a deep breath before continuing. "I loved it. Because I felt so...close to you, y'know? Like, I felt like you be I were one and the same, and I enjoyed doing it with you because I could just feel your love, and...it was beautiful, Peter."

I smile, and grasp her hoof. "Yes, it was, Rainbow. But not nearly as beautiful as you."

She holds a hoof up to her face to hide her blush and giddy smile. I move it, and I'm about to kiss her in a very romantic way when the music is stopped, and is replaced by Pinkie Pie's microphone-amplified voice.

"Alright! Let's cut the cake! Spike, take the knife!" I feel a pang of dread, and I tense up as I lean forward on my chair, staring intently at Spike as he grasps the knife. I watch for his darkness, to make sure that it's not rearing up on its hind legs, excited at its opportunity to break Spike and take control.

Spike slowly lowers the knife to the cake, and I feel my muscles tense as he pushes the knife through it. Rainbow Dash notices, and rests a hoof on my shoulder.

"Are you okay, Peter?"

I hold up a hand to silence her, and continue to stare at the baby dragon.

He lifts the knife, and makes the second incision needed to free his slice. I clench my jaw as I strain to see a single lick of his darkness. I feel my heart beat faster, and my knuckles clench the chair.

Finally, he places down the knife, and places his slice of cake on his place. His darkness has remained silent.

I relax with a relieved sigh, and lean back on my chair. Rainbow Dash shoots me a confused question, and I explain it to her.

"Oh," she states.

"Oh," I echo.

"So, you were watching to make sure that he didn't kill somepony?" Rainbow asks.

"Not as much kill as have the temptation to do so," I reply. "Ha darkness is waiting for...something. I don't know what." I bite my nail as I watch Pinkie Pie go ape shit on the cake, slicing it into one piece for every pony in the room, somehow replenishing her stock each time she runs out of cake.

After a while, two pieces of cake are put on the table before Rainbow and I, and we thank the pink enigma - or pinknigma, if you would - for the cake. We happily chew away, and I put a bit of the ice cream on my finger.

"Hey," I say, catching Rainbow's attention. She looks up to me, and I slather the ice cream on her nose. She pulls back in surprise, and then jams a large chunk of cake onto my face. I laugh, and so does she, and I lean forward to let her lick off the cake, as she has asked me to let her do. She quickly licks it off, and I wipe my face thoroughly as it is soaked in saliva.

"Gross!" I whine, crumpling up the soggy napkin.

"Hey, I like cake," she responds. "What did'ya expect?"

I shrug. "A face-full of saliva, I guess."

She giggles, and I join her. We stop as another announcement comes through.

"So, everypony, to celebrate Spike coming back from death, I have something special arranged! Some rather...foreign, music!"

I smile as I take my iPod out of my pocket, and prepare the "party" playlist. It consists of music ranging from "Ride of the Valkyries" to "Sorry for Party Rocking." It even has a few songs by deadmau5, the Red Hot Chilli Peppers, and several jazz bands and composers, such as Jeff Jarvis.

"Peter, if you would, approach the DJ stand, and plug in that music!"

I grin as I climb the steps to the stage. I approach the alabaster DJ unicorn, and she frowns at me.

"Can't say I've ever seen that kinda disk before," she remarks, pointing at my iPod.

I shrug. "Do you have an auxiliary jack on this stand?"

She perks up, and takes off her tinted glances to see me more clearly. "You know what that is!? Aww, man, we should totally hang! My name is Vinyl Scratch. Come meet me after the party's over, and we can hang, bro!"

I grin and nod. "Sounds good." She pulls at an auxiliary plug, which comes out with a zip. It's obviously on a spring spool.

"Here," she says, hoofing it to me. I nod, and plug it into my iPod. I tap on shuffle, and a song starts to blast out, and the ponies all grin as they bop their heads along, and begin to dance.

"Sweet beat!" Vinyl remarks as she returns to finagling with the equalization of the music, keeping it at a constant perfection. "What's it called?"

"It's 'Moar Ghosts 'n' Stuff,' by deadmau5!" I shout above the music. "The bass hasn't even dropped yet!" I decide to take a seat beside her, so I can continue to answer her questions.

"You know what that means!?" She asks.

"A lot of humans do," I respond. "We live in a super modern age! We can fit five hundred of these songs onto something the size of my hand!"

Vinyl turns to me with a smirk. "No shit!"

"Yeah," I respond. As I smile, I feel the bass in the base of my jaw. "Man, you can feel the bass back here! You must love this!"

Vinyl grins at me, and I swear I can see her teeth grin. "Awww, yeah! It's great, dude!"

I nod, and lean against the back of the chair. "I've never understood the equalizer," I admit as she pushes the slides. "What does each one control? I know it's all decibels, but I don't know how it alters the treble, bass, and stuff."

Vinyl moves to the side, and gestures for me to join her. "Well, c'mere! I'll show you!"

I smile, and stand just before the equalizer pad. She pops a pair of headphones on my head, and I keep a hand on my left ear so it stays while it hangs off of my right, so I can hear Vinyl Scratch instructing me.

After a while, I've gotten used to altering it whenever there's too much bass and the only thing you can hear is the speakers shaking, or when there's too much treble and it just sounds deadpan. There's more, but I don't really understand it all. I just know what to alter when something doesn't sound right. Luckily, my ears are practically made for this, so it's easy for me to identify when it needs a change in E.Q.

I quickly alter the slides as a different song comes on, and one of a significantly different genre. It's a jazz song, and it's "Critical Mass" by Jeff Jarvis.

"You've got quite the collection of songs!" Vinyl shouts as she helps me with the E.Q.

"Yeah, I like to stay diversified! It gets more interesting when you put it on shuffle!"

Vinyl smiles, and lays a hoof on my hand to help me change the slide I was already changing. She slowly puts it to the right place, and leaves her hoof on my hand for a moment before pulling it away. I feel slightly uncomfortable at the subtle advance, but I say nothing in fear of insulting her.

"Shit, man, I never even got your name!" She cries as we continue to adjust the equalization.

"My name's Peter!" I exclaim, struggling to have myself heard over the music. "So, how long have you been a DJ for!?"

Vinyl Scratch smiles. "Aww, man, ever since I got my Cutie Mark! It was when I snuck into a club as a filly with my friends and started actin' like a DJ at the stand! Everypony thought I was actually a professional, 'cus it sounded so good, y'know?! Got my Cutie Mark when the head of the club offered me a job there! After a bouncer kicked me out!"

I laugh along with her. "Man, that's freaking awesome! You've got to have balls to just pop up behind the stand and mix it up!"

Vinyl grins, and places her hoof on my hand for a bit longer this time. "Thanks! I've actually never really met somepony else that understood what I talk about!"

"I get it!" I immediately respond. "You're freakin' awesome, I'm freakin' awesome, it goes without saying!"

Vinyl chuckles, and places her hoof on my hand again. I struggle to ignore it, as I don't want to offend the poor girl.

"So, what else is back in your super modern home?!" Vinyl asks.

"A lot of stuff! Cars, planes, computers, televisions, gaming technology, dubstep remixing tools; you name it! We've got it all!"

"I'd love to visit!" Vinyl exclaims. I laugh, and she raises an eyebrow at me. "What?"

"It's kind of on another planet," I explain. "And I don't even know how I got here, so it'd be a bit more than difficult to get back there!"

Vinyl guffaws at me. "And you just...go along with it?"

"Yeah!" I respond, smiling as I crank up the bass a bit. "I do!"

"Just like...go with the flow?"

"Exactly!" I respond with a grin. "What's the point of freaking out about something I can't change?"

I pat Vinyl on the back. "How about you take over? I'm going to go dance with my girlfriend!"

Vinyl's smile falters, and she happily accepts the headphones from me. "Okay. Just...meet up with me after the party, 'k? I'll be packing away my stuff."

I nod, and go down to the dance floor, proud of how I plugged in the "I have a girlfriend" card. I didn't want to seem over sensitive to her advances, so I simply ignored them. However, when it came to leaving, I casually plugged it in, which helped to send the point home that I want to be friends.

At least, I hope that's what I sent home. In not very good at determining what kinds of signals and messages I'm sending, as you can probably tell.

I approach Rainbow with a smile, and commence dancing with her. I decide not to tell her that the DJ flirted with me, as I don't want to be kept from having a cool friend.

About five hours later, everypony is filing out, complimenting Pinkie Pie on the great party. I hang back, excusing myself from Rainbow by explaining that I have to get my iPod from the DJ. Which is true, she still has it.

"Hey," I say as I approach Vinyl Scratch. She and I are the only ones left in the newly erected party hall-

Oh, shit. I forgot to mention that, didn't I?

Pinkie Pie purchases a lot, and had a party hall built here. Yeah, sorry about that.

Anyway, Vinyl and I are the only ones left, besides Pinkie Pie, who is rapidly sucking up all the debris with a vacuum tube in her mane.

"Hey, dude!" Vinyl says as she turns to greet me. "You actually came! Hey, sorry about that hoof on your hand thing, I didn't know you had a girl, y'know? If I had, I wouldn't have made an advance like that."

I shrug. "It's cool. So long as you don't try to, like, kiss me or anything."

She laughs, and shrugs. "I make no promises."

I blush, and she sees it. She laughs loudly, and punches me in the side. "'Ey, bro, I'm just jokin'! Calm yourself!"

I sigh as she returns to disassembling her equipment. "God, you're such a troll. Oh, hey, can I have my iPod back?"

"Sure." I put it in my pocket as she gives it to me.

"So, who's the lucky girl?" She asks me as I stoop down to assist in her troubles.

"Rainbow Dash," I answer with an involuntary grin.

"Shit, the Rainbow Dash?" She asks.

"The one and only!"

She smirks at me. "She's pretty cool with stuff, Peter. Hell, I bet you could cheat on her and she'd just ask for a three way!"

I shrug. "Yeah, well-hey, are you suggesting something?"

The alabaster unicorn smiles at me. "Damn, ya caught me."

I frown at her. "I can't cheat on Rainbow Dash. I-"

She presses a hoof to my lips to stop me. "Peter, ponies mess around all the time! She's understand!"

I frown, and back up a bit, hoping for some escape plan to hatch itself. "Yeah, but-"

"C'mon. Just a kiss."

She giggles as I continue to retreat. "Vinyl, I love Rainbow. I can't just cheat on her! We had sex, and it was a beautiful moment for us. We were emotionally connected, and she'd be heartbroken if I cheated on her..."

Vinyl dismisses that with a "pffft." "Yeah, yeah, Rainbow, Rainbow, Rainbow. You don't wanna hurt her, you want her to be happy, blah, blah, blah. But what about you? Are you happy?"

I frown at the meager attempt to get me to cheat on Rainbow Dash. "Of course I am."

"Then why don't you marry her?"

I blush. "Well, I've known her for less than two months!"

Vinyl rolls her eyes at me. "Peter, you're so obviously a tourist..." She sighs. "Peter, in Equestria, ponies get married after a month, if they believe they've find true love. Now, you've been dating for a month, right?"

"About," I mutter.

"Then why don't you marry her?"

I frown. "Are you trying to get me to cheat on her or marry her? Make up your mind."

"I'm trying to show you that you don't really love her!" Vinyl explains. "And that she's not your true love. But I, on the other hand...I can be your true love..."

I frown at her, and all pretenses of possibly being friends with her vanish.

"No," I growl. "No, you can't." I stand up straight, and push past her to the front door. "If you try this shit again, I'll-"

"You'll what?" Vinyl demands. "You'll kill me?"

I pause in the doorway, and I feel my darkness stir in temptation. I stroke it, listening to it purr as I entertain its dark thoughts.

And we straighten up, turn to her, and close the door. She smiles.

"I knew you'd fall for me," she tells us.

We approach her, and she comes close to us and now our hands are on her and now they're around her neck and we squeeze and she struggles as we feel her windpipe crumple. But we let her breath so she can feel fear, and push our thumb into it to instigate more fear of us and our strength and our clearly superior power.

"Yes," we growl, staring right into her eyes with intensity to match the sun.

And we stand, and let her go as we walk towards the door.

"You're crazy!" She cries as we open the door, ready to walk out into the night.

We smile back at her. "Maybe. But I'm also stronger than you."

With that, we exit, and close the doors behind us.

"I saw what you did, Peter."

The Dark Side of the Rainbow

I smile as Peter throws me between his arms.

His smile...his eyes...his laugh...

It's intoxicating, really. Of course, I'd really rather enjoy having one of our patented cursing battles, where we continuously insult each other, but...that's not for public pony ears, is it?

I smile as Peter and I degrade into simply spinning around and around, smiling at each other as we giggle...

If only he knew.

If only he knew that, what feels like so long ago, when he had left with Grendel in tow, that I had had a dream.

About him, and Grendel.

In my dream, Peter told me that if I truly loved him, I would share this burden with him. The burden in question was Grendel, who he absorbed into his own body.

I smile as I remember my response to that question: "Do you truly love me, Rainbow Dash?"

I don't profess to know much about love. But when I feel as though I could take on the world when I'm in his arms...and when I feel my automatic shield lowering to let him in, and my lips moving to kiss him...I know that I love him.

So, I said yes to the faux-phantom Peter of my dreams. And, it said that if I did, I should share his burden.

I didn't ask what burden.

Nor did I ask why.

I simply said yes.

And it didn't do anything for a while.

It wasn't until that morning, when Peter and I made love, that the darkness truly came to be part of me.

Which is why, as we spin on the dance floor, I feel my own part of our darkness rising in irritation as I look up at Vinyl Scratch.

She flirted with Peter.

My Peter.

But, alas, I shall let bygones be bygones. For now.

Oh, by the way, you're probably super impressed at my vocab, right? Well, I've got the English swag, so I've got some pretty good words up in my head!

Anyway, as Peter and I leave the party hall at the end of the night, he hangs back, explaining that he must get his iPod.

So, I simply sit in the bushes, and wait for him, planning to surprise him with a trip to my house and quick session of late-night sex.

And then, I can sense his darkness rearing on its hind legs.

I feel my vision fading, and I struggle to keep it. However, as I feel something, something that I can only label as...as...

Peter.

As I feel Peter, I let myself go.

We open our eyes, and we're in Peter's body.

As I soon find out, I don't have control. He does.

We approach Vinyl Scratch, and we choke her.

And I feel more alive than I have ever felt before.

I don't know how, exactly, this darkness arrived in me. But I'm happy that it did.

Because now, we are stronger, together.

As Peter's darkness recedes, so, too, does mine. I shiver in both anticipation and chill as I hop in front of the door, staring at his back as he closes it. With a cheerful sound to my voice, I announce:

"I saw what you did, Peter."

Division

"This is very bad," Celestia sighs as she paces. "Very bad indeed..."

"To be fair, it's not that bad," I chip in. "I mean, it was nice of Rainbow Dash to help me bear this burden of Grendel, y'know? I mean, I don't want her to feel any pain because of it, and I would never forgive myself if Grendel were to change her, but-"

"That's not what I'm talking about!" Celestia spits. I pull back, surprised by her sudden vehemence. Rainbow Dash does as well, and Celestia takes a deep breath before explaining. "The Elements of Disharmony, on their own, are very, very unstable artifacts. With the slightest provocation, they could release all that is held within them. And the only thing keeping them truly stable was having all of Grendel's heart trapped within the soul of one person. In this case, that person was supposed to be Peter. But now, Grendel's heart has been divided between the two of you, and if the two halves meld in a moment of an outburst of rage, or violence or...the point being that, if the two halves come back together of their own accord, the Elements of Disharmony will release their evils unto the world. And the both of you shall be obliterated."

Rainbow Dash and I share looks of equal fear. "How could we possibly stop it?" I ask, beginning to hyperventilate just a little bit. "I mean...I mean...If we were to...I mean, Grendel got me to choke Vinyl Scratch, right? And Rainbow said she saw it through my eyes, so...so...that could happen again! But it could be worse!"

Celestia sighs. "Yes, I know. Fortunately, we have two different ways to stop that disaster." Rainbow and I lean in, and Celestia begins her second explanation. "Either you two must be eternally bound by love...or one of you must die."

"Oh, I'd like the former, thank you very much," I cry. "I mean, I guess that...if we're no longer bound by love, then the latter would be the only way to go, but...I'd very much prefer the former. Wait, hold on...how would either of those keep Grendel's halves separate?"

"I said they would be dangerous if brought together of their own accord," Celestia reminds us. "But if they're forced together by your free will, then they no longer pose a threat. Binding by love will bring your souls closer together, and through that, your separate halves of Grendel.

"Releasing Grendel's half through one of you dying would cause it to instantly gravitate towards the other remaining half of Grendel. This would be forced, as it would have no other options than that. But, as Peter pointed out, I'm much more inclined towards the former."

I nod, and Rainbow Dash gulps. Celestia sighs, and sits behind her desk. After a few moments, she speaks once more.

"By the way, I've wiped Vinyl Scratch's memory of the incident. I've replaced it with you, Peter, turning her down politely, but allowing her a small kiss on the cheek. You can either choose to hang out with her, if you want to still be friends, or you can just keep your distance." I shrug, and Celestia nods. "That will be decided with due time, then. Now, a time comes when I must ask a very important question." I lean forward, a small frown bending my features.

"Peter, what do you plan to dress up as for Nightmare Night?"

My jaw drops. "Uhhh...I'm sorry...what? In what way is that an important question?" I demand, standing from my chair in agitation. "I mean, seriously! We've got Grendel to worry about, and-"

"And if anything occurs with Grendel, it won't be for a very long time," Celesta cuts across me. "And, besides, you've got to fit in with the ponies of Ponyville if you ever want to make more friends. Seriously, Peter, what do you think the Elements of Harmony are based off of?"

"Magic?"

"Friendship!"

"Magic."

Celestia opens her mouth to argue, but then rolls her eyes. "Yeah, okay, magic."

I nod in victory, and then shrug as I return to the question at hand. "I'm thinking of dressing up as Slenderman. I have the suit and morph skin thing with me, so I don't need Rarity to go making me anything..."

Celestia cringes. "Uhh...Okay, look. I'm going to admit something: I read a lot of your memories. A lot of them. And let me tell you that both Luna and I do not appreciate the idea of having a Slenderman imitator in our midst. That, and ponies won't really...get it. I mean, it would be enjoyable for you, but they just...wouldn't get it. So...why don't you be something more...relate-able?"

I frown at Celestia. "So...No Slenderman?"

"No. No Slenderman."

I raise my hands up, and turn to walk out. "I'm done. I'm out. I'm done. I've had it." I walk straight through the large double doors, and proceed to walk down three hallways, proclaiming my status as being "done" and "out." When I return to the throne room, it's with my hands up once more.

"I'm good. I'm back. I'm in. I'm okay. I'm not done; I'm fine."

I take my seat, and lean forward as I look up at Celestia. "So, could I be Link?"

Celestia and Rainbow Dash simply stare at me. And Rainbow Dash asks the question.

"What the hell was that?"

I raise an eyebrow at her. "It was me taking a walk so I didn't get too pissed off."

"Gee, maybe you should've done that when you felt the urge to choke Vinyl Scratch?" Celestia asks, rather sarcastically. I shoot her a look, and she shrugs. "Sorry, couldn't resist. Wait, what am I apologizing for? I'm your Queen!"

I laugh, and Rainbow Dash simply shifts her weight, feeling somewhat awkward.

"Oh, Peter, you have no idea how liberating it is to be able to just be another pony with you. To just...talk, you know? And act normal, rather than keeping up regal appearances?"

I shrug. "'S fine. I don't mind if you let go once in a while, Celestia."

She smiles, and I give her a small thumbs-up. Corny, I know, but what the fuck else am I supposed to do? Stick my dick in her ear or something?

Okay, even I have to admit, that escalated quite quickly. Like, that just jumped right up there.

I've really got to calm my tits, bro...

Alright. So, after I've taken a deep breath to expel the mumblyjumblymumps from my bodyisms, I look back to Celestia, and shift the focus to the question she had asked before.

"So, could I be Link? From the Legend of Zelda? It's kind of an Earth-based thing - well, not really, Hyrule based is more accurate - but it's got the general ADVENTURE feel to it, y'know? Well, more than general, more like awesome adventure feel. Like, spanning a thousand freakin' dollars in profit awesome."

Celestia simply raises an eyebrow at me. "Okay, when I say that I can be free with you, I don't mean that we can be absolutely silly with one another."

I nod. "Understood. Anyway, since you've seen my memories, do you know who Link is?"

"Of course I know who Link is!" Celestia spits back. "That boy is one of the only things in your head, Peter! Every memory had some kind of comparison to either Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask, Four Swords, or Skyward Sword!"

I laugh at her apparent irritation. "Well, that's just me, Celestia."

Celestia sighs. "Yes, I know. But...are you sure that Rarity could pull that off?"

"What!?" Rainbow Dash cries. "Rarity can pull off any design, Princess! Hell, it could be the most complicated design in the world, and-whoa." She stops talking as I hold up my iPad in front of her, showing her a design of a spot-on costume of Link from the Internet. "Okay, that's pretty crazy. Like, seriously? And what's with that weird hat? Admittedly, the sword and shield are awesome, but the earring? Really?"

I shrug. "Whatever. I still can't believe we're actually talking about this, though. What with Grendel being split between us."

"Peter, do you want a basic summarization of our daily lives?" Rainbow Dash asks. Before I can answer, she says, "Shit happens, and we deal with it. And, right now, suit isn't happening, but it could happen. So, we'll just deal with it when, and if, it does."

I scratch my head. "Shouldn't we, like, prepare or something?"

"Already prepared," Celestia responds. "I have a plan set up that will solve the issue in case the first method fails."

I shrug. "Well, I doubt that it will be much of a problem. I love Rainbow Dash very much. And I would rather die than lose her."

The room falls silent for a few moments, during which Rainbow Dash simply stares at me. I look to her, and see that she is blushing madly. I smile, and lean in to-

"Alright, if you two are going to get romantic, please, don't do it in my throne room."

I blush just as brightly as Rainbow is, and I pull back in embarrassment. Rainbow Dash does as well, and we stammer for a few minutes before Celestia dismisses us.

"Thank you," I call back, before following Rainbow Dash out. "Have a nice night, Celestia!"

As soon as we're out in the night air once more, Rainbow Dash grabs me, and flies me to her house, while I hold on for dear life.

Once we arrive at her home in the clouds, I drop onto the path leading to her front door and kiss the clouds in relief.

"Oh, thank God," I breathe. "I never thought I'd be on a flat surface again..."

"It wasn't that bad," Rainbow Dash retorts.

"Shit, Rainbow, that was horrifying!" I cry, my legs still shaking as I stand. "I mean...that was just..."

Rainbow Dash presses a hoof to my lips, and leads me into her home. She sits me down on the couch, and leaves to get something from somewhere. I don't know, she's not saying anything, she's just walking around and doing things, really.

Once she returns, she has two glasses of wine on her back. I take them both off of her back, and return one of them to her. She smiles as she accepts it, and takes a seat so close to me that her butt is rubbing up against mine.

I wrap an arm around her, and she wraps a wing around me. We both simply sip at our wine, while I wait for Rainbow Dash to say what is obviously on her mind.

"Did you really mean that?"

I turn to her with a small smile. "Mean what?"

"That you'd rather die than lose me..."

I smile, and kiss her in the cheek. "I did, Rainbow Dash."

She smiles, and rubs her forehead under my chin. "I love you, Peter..."

I smile, and kiss her on the lips, very softly, and very gently.

Hard to believe all of this came from me choking Vinyl Scratch, huh?

No. I'm never going to let that go. And you shouldn't either. This world is fucking topsy-turvy as shit.

So, why not include myself in that topsy-turviness?

I grab Rainbow by the hooves, and tilt her so that she's laying down on the couch, with her head in my lap. She lets out a little cry of surprise as I do so, but giggles as she sets aside her wine glass.

"This is how we were sitting when I first kissed you," Rainbow Dash reminds me.

I smile as I remember it. Not exactly a happy memory, but the feeling of her lips on mine, quivering in fear...it moves me to tears almost every time.

"Yeah," I whisper. "I'm still sorry about how I reacted, Rainbow Dash. I shouldn't have freaked out like that..."

Rainbow Dash smiles up at me. "It's okay. I forgive you."

My heart melts as I look down at her. "But I can never forgive myself, sweetheart. For hurting you so much..." I close my eyes for a moment as regret washes over me.

"Peter, it's fine," she whispers. "We're together now, and that's all that matters. I love you, Peter. And I forgave you a long time ago..."

I smile, and Rainbow Dash gives me a long, passionate kiss.

"Alright, I'm bored," Rainbow Dash announces. "Let's have sex."

I grin, and quickly strip down. Rainbow Dash straddles me, and plops herself down on my crotch.

After several minutes, both Rainbow and I emit something halfway between a moan and a sigh as our pent-up pleasure is exuded from our body in an excruciatingly pleasing manner.

"Well," I say, softly, "wanna go snuggle?"

Rainbow Dash smiles, and nods.

Five minutes later, we're snuggling in her bed with big smiles.

Leaving Town

I carefully disentangle myself from Rainbow's choke-cuddle, and stand up next to the bed. Rainbow Dash stirs a bit, and starts wiggling her hooves in an attempt to find me. I push a pillow towards her, and she immediately snatches it up, wrapping a wing around it as she smiles in content. I smile at her, and pick up my clothes from their pile, immediately donning them and adjusting the sweatpants. The elastic is wearing out, and fast...

I walk out the front door, searching for some sort of mailbox that I can check for, well, mail.

And then I get bitch slapped in the face by a newspaper.

I bend over to pick it up, confused and dazed as a grey mare approaches.

"Oh, sorry," she apologizes, her eyes crossing in a different pattern as she reaches into her mail bag. "I didn't see you standing there! Oh, by the way, I have a few letters for Rainbow Dash!"

I nod, and accept the envelopes with a smile. The mail mare bids me a nice day, and I retreat into the house.

I quickly scruff up two bowls of cereal, marveling at how...god damn clean her kitchen is. It's immaculate! I guess she's more OCD than I thought...

I place the bowls on either end of the table, and leave the mail next to Rainbow's cereal. I unfold my newspaper, and start reading it, deciding that I may as well get updated in Equestrian current events.

Such as the fact that, recently, the first Equestrian plane has taken off, and flew a total of one hundred miles! Until the engine exploded, killing the ponies inside. Tragic, really. But a feat of science, I must say.

I hear Rainbow stir in her bed, and I smile as I hear a gratuitous yawn.

"You're not Peter," I hear her mumble to the pillow I gave her. A few moments later, Rainbow walks into the room, eyes barely open as she drags herself to the table.

"You made breakfast," she observes as she flops her head down on the table. "Great. Saves me the work..."

I nod, and raise an eyebrow at Rainbow Dash. "How much sleep did you get last night?"

Rainbow closes her eyes, and sighs. "A lot. But I hate waking up..."

I smile, and reach over to slap her on the side of the head.

"Ow!"

"Awake now?" I ask with a small grin.

Rainbow Dash scowls at me, and then notices the envelopes next to her bowl.

"Mail came?"

"No, I just decided to pull some envelopes with addresses on them out of my penis. Yes, the mail came."

Rainbow Dash rolls her eyes as she picks up the envelopes. She shuffles through them, and pauses as she stares down at one.

"What is it?" I ask as she guffaws at it. I stand, and join her. She mouths the words on it, and my jaw drops as well.

It's a letter from the Wonderbolts.

"I can't believe it," she breathes. "I'm getting mail from the Wonderbolts!"

She tears it open, and quickly reads the letter. I do, as well, and when we finish, we look up at each other, and scream and shout in excitement, the both of us acting like little girls.

Well, uh, that is, I'm acting like a manly little boy thing. Shut up.

"Rainbow Dash, this is fucking awesome!" I cry. She nods, and we kiss.

"Let's go have celebratory sex!" Rainbow Dash cries.

"This just got ten times better," I say with a grin.

She nods, and we retreat into the bedroom.

About two hours later, all of our friends are assembled at the library, and Rainbow Dash is reading the final few sentences of the letter aloud.

"...And for these reasons, we, the Wonderbolts, would be honored to have you join us for a tour around Equestria as a temporary Wonderbolt! The tour will be named in your honor, and you'll finish each show with a Sonic Rainboom!"

The ponies all cheer, and hug Rainbow Dash in turn, bouncing and giggling as they do so. Pinkie Pie speaks so fast that I'm not going to even bother understanding what she's saying. And Fluttershy is shouting at the top of her lungs.

And Rainbow Dash is crying tears of joy.

Pinkie Pie finally finishes her tirade, and jumps atop a table. "This calls for a party!!!!"

The ponies smile, and Pinkie Pie...

Disappears.

We all stare at where she once was. There was no puff of smoke, no magical flash.

She's just...

Gone.

We blink, and the room turns from a library lobby into a center of festivities, with Pinkie Pie standing atop the balcony.

"I've invited everypony in Ponyville!" She declares. "They'll be here in five seconds!"

We frown, and blink again.

And, like that, we're surrounded by ponies.

"What the-"

"By God, woman, stop this madness!" An English accent shouts. "You're causing so many paradoxes, you'll wake up those bloody Angels!" A brown stallion runs from the crowd, and up the stairs. "Seriously! Do you have any idea how much wibbly wobbly timey wimey stuff you're sending off right now!? You're going to be the death of us all, you crazy fool!"

Pinkie Pie simply grins. "Oh, hiya, John Smith! Uh, you're still going by that name, right?"

"John Smith"'s eyes widen, and he backs away from her. "You...you're insane! Do you have any idea what you could do to the continuum!?"

Pinkie Pie grins again. "Don't worry, I've got it all covered, Johnny! I didn't do this myself! I told my past self that this would happen, and she told everypony to be here at exactly this time! Duh!"

"John Smith" sighs. "Okay, this has gone long enough..." He turns, and a blue police box appears behind him. "I'm going to have to stop you in two times, and you'll just have to settle with having your party a few minutes later."

Pinkie pouts, and "John Smith" steps into the box, and it disappears.

"This calls for a party!" Pinkie Pie cries. I get a vague feeling of déjà vu, but I shrug it off. "I'll go invite everypony! And you guys set up the decorations!"

"Pinkie, I don't need a party," Rainbow Dash protests. "I just need...yeah, you know what? Go right ahead. I want this party."

The ponies snicker, and tell Rainbow and I to go home to wait for the party to be ready. The both of us nod, and Rainbow files me back to her home.

Once we arrive, I immediately search through her house for some kind of brush.

"What're you doing?"

"You can't go to your own party looking like that," I explain. "You've got to look nice, Rainbow. C'mon, we'll brush your mane."

Rainbow frowns. "Huh? But...what? I thought guys weren't into that."

I shrug. "I'm just one guy. Not plural." Rainbow rolls her eyes at me, and I smile. "C'mon."

She sighs, and gives me a brush after a few minutes. About an hour later, I've gotten her rainbow mane under control, as well as her tail. I give her a mirror, and she can't help but smile at her reflection.

"I look sexy," she remarks. I snicker, and it's then that there's a knock at the door.

"I'll get it," I declare.

I open the door to see a Pegasus I don't recognize.

"Party's ready," he explains, before flying off to return to the library. I nod, and run back to get Rainbow Dash.

When we arrive at the library, I jump off of her back, and open the door for her. She walks in, her elegantly straightened tail flowing behind her, and her mane parting at her neck to make a beautiful mosaic of colors. Once she enters, I close the door behind us, and the lights turn on, and several party cannons erupt in a shower of confetti.

"Congratulations, Rainbow Dash!" They all scream at once. I smile, and hug the cyan Pegasus as she begins to cry in pride again.

About three hours later, Rainbow Dash is standing on the balcony, and all the attending ponies are looking up to her in patience.

"Thank you, everypony," she declares. "I...I can't begin to express how excited I am for this. I'll be gone for about two months, starting tomorrow, and I...I'm so happy that you all cared enough to come here to celebrate this..." Her voice cracks, and she sniffs, a tear or two brimming in her eyes. "I'm going to miss you guys during those two months...you're like my family."

The ponies all release synchronized "awwwww"s, and I grin up at the cyan Pegasus. An orange filly jumps up to the balcony with several flaps of her tiny wings, and hugs Rainbow Dash.

"I'm gonna miss you, too!" She cries. Rainbow Dash returns the embrace, and I feel my heart melt at the sight.

"Well, I'd better go get packed," Rainbow Dash declares, wiping her eyes with a hoof. "C'mon, Peter. Let's go. I've got to be at the train station pretty early tomorrow..."

I nod, and about an hour later, we're finally entering her home.

"I can't believe they all wanted to hug you," I mutter.

"Yeah," Rainbow sighs. "One of the perks of being in a small town..."

I nod, and we set upon packing up her stuff. The both of us remain silent, and I gulp as we place the last thing in her luggage.

"I'm gonna miss you, Peter," she says softly as we stand.

"I'm gonna miss you, too," I whisper, my heart catching as I struggle to cope with the prospect of her absence for two whole months.

We embrace, and I sniff a few times, struggling to keep my tears inside.

"C'mon," she says, softly. "Let's go to bed, love."

I nod, and we retreat into the bedroom. We make love, calling it "one for the road," before we fall asleep in each others' embrace.

The next morning, I'm woken up by a gentle nudge. I get up, and smile at Rainbow.

"C'mon," she says, softly. "Let's get to the train now. I don't want to have to say goodbye to everypony again..."

I nod, and quickly get dressed. We collect her single thing of luggage before going down to Ponyville, and to the train station.

As we wait for the Wonderbolts to arrive, Rainbow Dash sighs. "I'm not sure if I should do this," she mutters. "I mean...I won't see you for so long, Peter..."

I smile at her. "Rainbow, it'll go by super fast," I tell her. "Trust me."

"But-"

"But fuck you," I interrupt with a smirk. "I'm not letting you miss an opportunity like this."

She smiles, and we hug as a train pulls into the station.

"Heya, Dash." We turn, and see that Soarin' and Spitfire are standing by the open door of the rather bland-looking train. "You ready to go?" Spitfire asks.

"Sure," Rainbow responds. "Just...can I just kiss my boyfriend one last time? Y'know, for the road?"

Spitfire and Soarin' exchange a glance, and giggle. "Yeah, sure. Why not?"

Rainbow Dash nods in thanks, and looks to me. She presses her lips against mine, and gives me a kiss that's much more gentle than any kiss she's given me before. In fact, it's almost a reverent kiss.

"I love you," she says, softly, before turning to enter the train. I smile, and say it back, just as softly, and then stand back as she walks towards the train.

"Rainbow Dash, wait!"

We turn, and see that our six friends are running towards us: Fluttershy, Applejack, Twilight Sparkle, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Spike.

"We've gotta say goodbye!" They declare.

Rainbow sighs. This is exactly what she was trying to avoid.

However, as she hugs all of them in turn, I swear it's what she was hoping for.

"Thanks, everypony," she says, tears in her eyes. "You're all the best of best friends..."

They simply smile at her, and I give her a final hug. "Go kick some ass," I tell her, before standing back as she enters the train. Soarin' and Spitfire follow her in, and the six friends behind me stay until the train is out of sight.

I stay for a little longer, my heart aching as I think of Rainbow Dash, looking out the window and crying softly as she's pulled farther and farther away from me...

But, as I take a few deep breaths, I realize, with shock, that I'm actually kinda-

"So, you're girl's outta town, huh?"

I turn in surprise, and see Vinyl Scratch, grinning at me.

"Looks like you're gonna have a lot of free time."

I frown at her, and she raises her hooves in defense. "Hey, I'm not trying anything. I'm not asking you on a date or anything. I just wanna be friends!"

I stare at her for a little while longer, before sighing with a nod.

"Alright," I say, walking towards her. "What d'you wanna do?"

Vinyl smiles at me. "How about you show me all the cool things on your iPod, huh? And d'you have any headphones?"

"Yeah, but they're broken."

"I can fix them!" She declares. I smile at her.

"Thanks."

"No problem," she shrugs. "Now, you've got all your stuff with you, right?"

I smile as I pat my draw-string bag, glad to have a distraction from Rainbow's absence. "Right here."

"C'mon, let's go back to my place. We can hang there."

I nod, and follow her through Ponyville.

Today is going to be a fun day.

I hope.

A Dream

I sigh as I move around the pelvic sac, lamenting the waste of meat.

"You're sure I can't eat this, Twilight?" I whine as I see the undeniable value of the meat in the specimen.

"Peter, this is for scientific means!" Twilight hisses. "So you can't eat it! Plus, she has a family! That would be terrible!"

I sigh, and shake my head. "They wouldn't know. She donated her body to science."

"Then maybe you can eat it when it's all said and done," Twilight sighs. "But until then, you can't eat her. We've got to determine whether the tumor killed her or not."

I shrug, a phantom taste of hamburger lingering in my mouth. "'K. By the way, I can already tell you how she died," I remark as I observe the tumor, pushing it to bring forth a small indent. "See that?" I ask, pointing to a part of the growth.

Twilight leans forward, lighting the interior with the dim glow of her horn. She frowns as she observes the tumor. "Yeah, it's on a cluster of veins on her intestines."

I nod, and push it aside with a scalpel so she can see it more clearly. She squints, and gasps. "Oh! It looks like it was torn!" She exclaims, inputting her own magically held scalpel to make a small incision. Through what we can see in the incision, it seems as though a part of the tumor was sucked ingot the vein: large enough to make a difference, but small enough to go through without much blockage.

I nod, and point to the bovine heart. "Now, as we both know, all the veins return to the heart, and from there, to every organ in the body. So, seeing as how she was diagnosed with internal asphyxiation as cause of death, I'd say that if we were to cut open part of her lung, we would find a bit of the tumor lodged in a capillary."

Twilight nods, and prods at the lungs with the broad of her scalpel. After a few moments, she pauses, and uses another tool to point out a small bulge in a vein. "There," she says, determined.

I nod, and she makes the incision. Almost immediately, we see the small bit of growth sticking out of the vein.

"Bingo," I mutter, pulling my arms out of the bovine's chest cavity. "So, Twilight, do you do many post-mortem examinations?" I ask as I place the used tools down on the plate with a clatter. I remove the clamps that had held the stomach out of the way, and place them down, as well.

"Not many," Twilight mutters as she places her own tools down. "I only do it when it's for scientific reasons."

I nod as she wipes a bit of remaining formaldehyde off of her scalpel. I groan in disappointment.

"What?" She asks, frowning.

"It's already been embalmed," I sigh. "It would be poisonous for me to eat..."

Twilight nods, and I can't help but notice that she has a small, victorious smirk playing across her face. "Looks like you'll have to settle on carrots, Peter."

I nod, and we peel off our gloves, sanitary caps, face masks, and other sanitary garments. We place them in their respective bags, and then discard of each in two different bins.

As we leave, we wash our hands and hooves, and stop at the front desk.

"We're done," Twilight announces, placing down a key. "The tools are properly arranged, the body is still on its table."

The stony stallion nods, and we dismiss ourselves from the morgue. As we exit, I block my eyes from the sudden sunlight, and shiver in the autumn breeze.

"So," Twilight remarks as we walk through the streets of Canterlot, "you we pretty good at that. You knew all the procedures, and you were pretty good at it."

I nod as we board the train back to Ponyville, sitting down next to each other in the (thankfully) heated train. "Well, I have a Master's in Computer Engineering, and a Bachelor's in Electrical. I was going back to college as a pre-Med, and I was in my...second year, I believe? Yeah, second year. I took every opportunity I got to perform an autopsy."

Twilight nods, and the train shudders as it begins to move along the track. "So, Rarity was able to transcribe that design you showed her on your iPad?" She asks, watching two ponies that are shooting me strange, curious glances.

"Yeah," I respond with a grin. "She said she'd have to reach out to a friend to get plastics made for the sword and shield, but besides that, it's fine."

It's been about three weeks since Rainbow Dash has gone off with the Wonderbolts. In that time, I gave Rarity a design for my Nightmare Night costume, helped Applejack perfect the pump for her irrigation system, had Vinyl Scratch repair my headphones, and finally had a bit of meat (fuck yes!!!!). The bit of meat in question was when Twilight and I visited the Diamond Dog capital to deal with a bit of foreign affairs. Turns out that they actually eat meat, and I got a chance to consume a well-cooked pheasant. It was quite...pleasant!

Twilight nods, and gulps as the train stops at a midway station. She sighs in relief as the two ponies leave the train, and holds her breath until the doors close again.

As the train begins to move again, Twilight and I are the only ones left in our car of the train. She rests her head on my shoulder, and I can't help but smile.

Ah, yes. Over those few weeks, I've also learned quite a lot about Equestrian culture. It turns out that, when two friends grow to be very close, and emotionally attached, it is acceptable for them to touch each other in ways that couples normally do on Earth. By that, I mean such as putting their arms around each other - or, in this case, forelegs - or resting their heads on each other's shoulders.

Small kisses are seen as signs of friendship, but the kisses that Rainbow and I share are explicitly resolved for romance. Cuddling in bed, sexual interaction, and other such things are reserved for romance, as well.

I put my arm around Twilight, and rub her foreleg as she rubs her cheek against my broad shoulder. It's quite amazing, really; the level of emotional attachment condoned between friends. Normally in friendships, the most a guy and a girl would do is hug. But in Equestria, stallions and mares get much more personal. In a way, it's a very romantic society.

Twilight's horn pokes me in the chin, (and not gently whatsoever,) bringing me out of my contemplation of the oddities of Equestrian culture. I jump in pain as it pinches my skin, and she jumps away from me in embarrassment as she holds her sensitive horn.

"Sorry," I say, rubbing my chin.

"It was just a bump," she sighs. She whimpers lightly as she squeezes her eyes shut, still tenderly rubbing her horn with a hoof. "But it hurt..."

I chuckle lightly, and shake my head. "You'll get over it," I remark. "Besides, it's not like it got bitten or anything."

Twilight scowls at me. "Don't even remind me of that, Peter."

I snicker, as Twilight's horn was recently bitten by a squirrel that thought it was a curious, flavored branch. Since Twilight's horn is especially sensitive, even for a unicorn, it hurt so much, and elicited such a strong reaction, that, well..

Long story short, the squirrel's body was found in a clearing five miles away.

I rub the back of my neck as the train finally arrives in Ponyville.

"So, what d'you wanna do?" I ask as we exit the train, and walk into the brisk autumn breeze. I shiver, and remember that Rarity exists.

"Could Rarity make me a jacket?" I ask, cutting across whatever Twilight was saying. "And a pair of denim jeans?"

Twilight frowns, and shrugs. "I dunno. Go ask her."

I nod, and take off, my bag hitting me in the side as I jog through Ponyville. I never go anywhere without my bag, which I have recently upgraded to a messenger bag, courtesy of Rarity.

I quickly arrive at the boutique, and pull the door open, enjoying the small tinkle of the bell. I walk in, and I'm immediately greeted by Rarity.

"Well, hello, Peter!" She cries, with a grin. "I've already started on your costume. I have the gloves done, and the boots are coming along nicely. The measurements I got from you are sort of confusing, given your...different, proportions, but I, ah...I'll manage."

I nod, and smile at Rarity. "Hello yourself. Now, I was wondering if you could make me some sort of jacket...like, a hoodie or something. Because I don't wanna freeze out there, what with not having fur to keep me warm."

Rarity nods, and hesitates before fetching her measuring tape. "What, exactly, is a hoodie, dear?" She asks, picking up a pad to take notes with.

I explain a hoodie to her, and she smiles. "I could adapt that for use by ponies," she mutters, before spinning her notepad. "How's that look?"

I smile, and nod. "Yeah, that looks great. You know what material you'd use, right?"

"Cotton and wool, of course!" She cries. I nod, and dig into my pocket for my wallet.

Recently, Equestria has developed a system of paper money, so as to make carrying around easier for ponies. It hasn't quite replaced coins yet, but ponies will gladly accept paper money over coins at times.

"So, how much?" I ask, sifting through 20-bit-bills. Due to recently having acquired a paying job, I'm able to actually buy shit now.

And, what's even better is that it's a job as the royal technician of Canterlot! Which means I only have to show up to work once a week! Because as long as I'm able to push out a new device once per month, I get paid. This was strategic on Celestia's part, as she can, using my knowledge, incorporate more advanced technology into Equestrian culture, and make certain things easier to do. Of course, she respects tradition, and doesn't want to overwrite things such as Weather Ponies or Winter Wrap Up. But she's willing to make new ways to either store data or manage funds.

Rarity observes the drawing she made, mutters a few things to herself, and then nods to herself. "Normally, something of this magnitude would be 160 bits...But for you, I'll halve the price! Eighty bits, please."

I nod with a grin of gratitude, and pull out four twenty bit bills from my leather wallet. Yes, they have leather here. There are cows that donate their bodies to productivity, so as to make products that we can use.

I've learned a lot about Equestrian culture. Fucking quiz me.

Rarity nods, and puts my money in a pouch she wears around her hind leg. "I'll be right back," she declares. "Can't have you going outside and getting hypothermia, now, can we?"

I smile, and Rarity runs off. I hear the sounds of a sewing machine going Super Saiyan, knitting needles clacking together, and the hiss of an iron. These sounds repeat themselves for several minutes, and I contemplate climbing the stairs to see what the racket's all about.

Twenty minutes later, she comes downstairs with a grey hoody that has two pockets, a zipper going down the middle, and a single letter sewn into the chest area: "P". I smile as I expertly pull it on, and zip it up. I run the strings that adjust the hood through my fingers, and pick at the aglets for a moment: force of habit. I thank Rarity, and she bids me farewell as I step out of the Boutique.

I stand there, nice and cozy in my new hoody, and crick my neck as I adjust my messenger bag. I stare out into space for a few moments, thinking about what I should do next.

And then, I end up leaning against the wall.

Just standing there, staring into space, thinking of what to do next...

Is that how video game characters feel when we leave them idle?

Or even how NPCs feel before they spawn?

So, I've decided what I want to do.

Look shady as fuck by leaning against the wall when, in actuality, I'm just doing some philosophy.

Does that mean that computer programs have minds of their own? Are they self-aware when we give them displays of emotion through AI and reaction to certain player actions?

Does that mean that Pythagoras was right? Is the world aught but numbers and formulas? 011101010101010101010101011010011111001011?

If someone were to translate that from Binary into English, would that be gibberish?

Yes.

Hey, I finally got an answer!

I am the best. Philosopher. Ever.

I come off the wall, feeling rather cheerful as I hum "Song of Storms" to myself, and-

...

It's raining.

It just started raining.

I spread my arms as I grin into the cloudy sky.

Mother of God...

"I'm the Hero of Time!" I declare unto the sky, pride coursing through my veins.

"No, you're just wet," I hear a female pony say, softly.

I spin, and smile at Fluttershy. "Why, yes, my dear. I am."

Fluttershy giggles, and waves a hoof for me to follow her. "Come on. We're not far from my house. It's just drizzling, so we can make it there without getting too wet."

I nod, and follow Fluttershy to her house. She opens the door, and I walk in with a polite nod. She closes the door behind her, and tosses a towel to me.

"Go on, dry off," she announces. I nod, and simply swish it around on my head, drying my hair.

"Thanks," I say, taking off my shoes and placing them next to the door. Fluttershy nods, and tosses the towel into a bin.

"Well, go on, sit down," she says, tossing her own towel into the bin with mine. I nod, and sit down on her couch, looking down at a small tub of...turtle wax.

"That's Tanks'," Fluttershy announces. "He's out back, if you want to see him."

I nod, and shrug. I'm about to say that I'd rather talk to her, when we hear an alarm go off.

"Attention all ponies; attention all ponies! The weather ponies are going to start the storm soon. Stay indoors, and make sure all flying pets are housed indoors as well! I repeat: stay indoors, and make sure all flying pets are housed indoors as well."

The magnified voice booms through Ponyville, and Fluttershy panics. "I'd better get Tank in here!" She cries, before exploding out the back door.

I follow, and help her find the little critter. Once we've found him, (he was napping under a tree: like mother like tortoise, eh?), we take him inside, and take off his propellor so he doesn't go flying out a fucking window or something.

Fluttershy rushes up the stairs, and I hear curtains closing before she comes back down, and closes the windows on this story. I stop petting Tank, (you pet a turtle by rubbing the area underneath its chin,) and join Fluttershy.

"Should I get back to the library?" I ask, leaning against the wall. Fluttershy frowns as she quadruple checks her windows for the umpteenth time. "I mean, if this is going to be a long storm, I don't want to impose and end up having to stay the night."

Fluttershy chuckles. "Oh, nonsense. It'd be fine, Peter. But, if you, uh, really wanna go, that'd be...that'd be fine...if you want..."

I take note of her light blush, and decide that it would probably be best to leave right now. I'm not good around shy people. "Well, I bet Twilight's going to have some hard time with her house being a tree and all. I should probably get going."

I open the door, and I'm about to walk out when lightning strikes literally a fucking foot away from me. I raise an eyebrow, and look to the dark clouds, my manly girth giving them a bitch slap as I dare them to-

Oh, who the fuck am I kidding.

I jump backwards, letting out a scream that would normally be heard from a little girl. I kick the door closed, and hyperventilate as I whimper, ozone crackling in my hair, and my ears ringing from the thunderclap that had raped my ears directly after the lightning strike.

"Uhhh, Peter? Are you?..."

"Hey, remember when I said I was going back to the library?" I ask, hastily.

Fluttershy frowns. "Uhm, yeah?"

"I lied," I inform her, twitching as my heart settles the fuck down.

"Al...right, then...uhh...would you like some tea?"

I sigh, and take a deep breath to calm myself. "Nah, I hate tea," I respond. She frowns, visibly insulted, and I feel a twinge of sympathy. "But, uhh...I've only tried Green. I'd be willing to try a new kind of tea."

She perks up, and nods. "Will do!"

I nod, and recline in the couch, watching as Tank meanders around. He ends up looking up at me, and I scratch him under the chin."

"Heya, buddy," I say to him. "I bet you're missing Rainbow Dash, huh?" He slowly, very slowly, nods, and I smile. "Yeah, I am too, bro. Trust me." He smiles at me, very slowly, of course. I smile back, and he licks my hand before walking off to...I don't know, really.

I pick up his propellors, which we took off of him when we brought him indoors, and observe it. There's no visible mechanism, but it seems as though it's directly controlled by Tank's will, as far as I can tell. I decide to put it back down, out of fear of fucking it up.

I take out my iPad, and start to play Jetpack Joyride. Yes, I still play that game, shut up. A few minutes later, I hear Fluttershy walk back in, and she stops behind me to watch the game. I smile, and do my best, until I finally get taken down by a missile.

"Oh, my," she says, sitting down next to me as I close the iPad. "That's quite a violent game..."

I chuckle lightly as I shake my head, and accept the tea, careful to hold it by the handle so as to not burn myself. "Please, you haven't seen anything," I inform her. "There are games a lot more violent than that. In fact, that was one of the most mellow. But, I'll spare you the details."

Fluttershy nods, and I can't help but notice that her wings are twitching a tiny bit. I put my iPad away in my messenger bag, and take a sip of my tea. It's sweet, hot, and everything I hate in tea. I place it down with an involuntary, unapproving smack of my lips.

"What's wrong?" Fluttershy asks, seeing my face of contorted revulsion. "Did I make it too hot?"

I shake my head. "Nah. I just don't like tea."

Fluttershy nods, and suddenly blushes. "Uhm...if you...if you wouldn't mind, could you...uhm...uhh...maybe...well....that is.......I.........the....th-the video game? Th-that you said was...m-more violent? C-could I.............could I see it?" She asks, putting on a large, innocent grin. I smirk at her in surprise, and pull out my iPad.

"You sure?" I ask, cautiously. She takes a deep breath, and nods.

"Yep."

I nod, too; and take out my iPad. I bring up a video of a somewhat violent video game, but one that is too violent: The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. Fluttershy watches avidly, her eyes wide, and her lower lip quivering. "Okay, enough!" She cries, holding out her hooves towards the screen. I nod as I close the video, and take up a video of a Chinchilla.

"Enjoy," I say, softly, gently pulling her hooves out of the way so she can see the small animal. She smiles, and immediately calms down.

After a little while, I close the iPad and put it in my messenger bag. "Why'd you want to see violence, Fluttershy?"

"I wanted to prove that I could handle it," she admits.

"To who?"

"Myself," she whispers. "I fancy myself a...a kind of surgeon..."

I smile at her. "Have you operated on an animal before?"

"Yes," Fluttershy sighs. "I have. I handle myself well when I do, but outside of that, I'm bad with blood...and violence...and meanness..."

I nod, and pat her on the back. "Fluttershy, surgeons are special people. They tend to be able to steel their nerves when in a pressing situation. When there's a dying patient on their table, they turn to stone. I have no doubt that you posses the same ability. You know what's important, Fluttershy."

Fluttershy smiles at me, and jumps as thunder claps in the distance. I smile as I hear it. I actually quite enjoy thunder and lightning. It's only when I can feel the ozone crackling in my hair due to almost getting struck by it that I don't like lightning.

I stand, and approach the window, looking out to where the bolt had stuck the ground about twenty minutes ago. The grass is smoking near where the lighting and struck, and where it had actually made contact, there's aught but a black scorch mark.

"I think you should stay here tonight," Fluttershy informs me. "The rain's going to be very bad tonight; I can feel it in my wings." I inquire as to what that means, and she smiles at me. "All Pegasus ponies have the power to sense what the weather will be like through their wings. It's kind of like the feathers, ah...taste, the air around us. They're very sensitive."

My mind flies back to that day at the Wonderbolts show, when I had given Rainbow Dash a wing massage. "Yeah, I know," I mutter.

Fluttershy smiles, and pats a spot on the couch next to her with a hoof. "Why don't you sit back down?"

I smile, and do just that.

"So, do you miss Rainbow?" She asks.

"Oh, yeah," I sigh. "While it's not always on my mind, because I have things to distract me, it still feels a bit...lonely, y'know? Without her around, everything is just so...so...lackluster..."

Fluttershy nods with a small smile. "I know what you mean. My boyfriend, Tender Hoof, had to go off to bring an important somepony to a business meeting on his chariot. He went all the way to Appleloosa, and back. He was gone for about two months, mostly due to having to wait for the business meeting to end. The entire time he was gone, I was so...lonely..."

I smile. "Love is a mysterious thing, Fluttershy. It hurts, and it heals."

Fluttershy smiles at me, and we turn as we hear something that sounds like a scream from outside. We remain frozen for a few moments, and bear it again, but at an undulating pitch.

"Oh," Fluttershy sighs. "It's just the wind...I thought somepony got hurt!"

"Yeah," I chuckle, nervously. "When the wind howls, it sounds a lot like somepony getting their ass kicked..."

Fluttershy and I share a small chuckle, and then continue with our conversations. We keep talking for a few hours, going between topics bound to Equestrian culture, and topics bound to Earth culture. We pause for a quick dinner, which I help Fluttershy to make in her kitchen. I have a bowl of pasta, and she has a thing of hay. When we finish eating, we continue talking, and don't stop until desert, at which time we both eat ice cream.

"Oh, my," she announces as she looks at the clock. "It's already eleven o'clock! We'd best get some sleep. Here, I'll sleep on the couch tonight..."

I shake my head, and push her towards the stairs. "Nonsense. You go sleep in your bed, Flutters. I'll stay down here, and sleep on the couch."

"Uh...are you sure?" Fluttershy asks, blushing lightly. I nod, and give her a hug good-night. She climbs the stairs, and I lay down on the couch, shivering a bit in the night cold.

"Take this," Fluttershy announces, giving me a blanket that she had brought downstairs. "It's a spare."

I thank her, and turn onto my stomach, holding the blanket under my feet on one end, and under my chin on the other.

After three weeks of being without Rainbow Dash, you'd think I'd be used to sleeping alone. However, it's much to the contrary. As time goes on, sleeping alone becomes more and more disconcerting.

As I struggle to force myself to lie still so I can fall asleep quickly, I can't help but feel cold. While my body is being kept sufficiently warm by the blanket, without Rainbow Dash's wing wrapped around me, I feel as though I'm trying to sleep at .000000000000000000001 degrees Kelvin.

I sigh as I pull the blanket tighter. At least my feet are-

The blanket springs out from under my feet, and ends up crumpled on my thighs.

Fffffffuuuuucckk...

I sigh, and just close my fucking eyes and try to fall the fuck to sleep already...

As I sleep, I feel something digging into my mind.

My consciousness stirs, and I begin to feel more than just emotions.

I feel Grendel, or my half of Grendel, being dragged away from me, slowly and carefully. It is being extricated from my subconscious, and as I realize what is happening, I latch onto it, and pull.

I can't let Grendel back out into the world. I can't let that evil into the world. I must contain it.

I struggle to hold it down, not knowing and not caring how I'm doing it with just my mind. However, I quickly find that the pull is much to strong.

I feel Grendel being torn from my grasp, and I leap at the small nub in my mind that remains. As I do, both Grendel and I are pulled out of my body, and are sent through spiraling...I don't even know what.

I don't see anything. I don't even see black. I just don't see. Because I don't need to. I feel the world around me.

Grendel accelerates, and I use the feeling of attachment to hold on even tighter as we speed through...I don't know.

As Grendel moves, I notice, or rather, feel, two massive bright lights, atop a tower of light. These two are massively powerful, and are larger than any other light around me.

And then, everything is gone.

I feel myself go through a barrier. A barrier of...reality.

And then, I'm surrounded by darkness.

Almost immediately, I feel the oppressive darkness of two large entities. I can feel the two immense darknesses, just as immense and powerful as the two immense lights in the world I had just left.

I feel panic, and know that far away, in my body, my heart is racing as Grendel comes to a halt before these two dark monoliths.

And then, I feel them talking. I feel a humming, the darknesses vibrating as the entities they represent speak to Grendel.

I feel Grendel hum in response, and I panic as one of the two darknesses turns its attention towards my small amount of light.

I feel a hum, and another hasty hum. I feel Grendel hum a bit, slightly hesitantly, and the two darknesses slowly approach me.

As they do, I feel a tendril of their being pervade my own, and the humming becomes words. The dark, gravelly voice scares me, and that fright makes me release a large hum, which I can hear as a cry of fear. Panicking, I let go of Grendel, and make a whimpering hum as I feel myself being vaulted back through the darkness.

I feel one of the two darknesses following me, and I let out a hum: a scream. I try to make myself go faster, but all I can do is go at the same speed I'm going at as I'm dragged back by a thin strand of belonging.

I feel the darkness link with my mind again, and it tries to spit poison at me. I try to get away, but once again find that I can't do anything but hum.

It begins to envelop me, and I begin to let out a hum of panic and fear. And as it's about to fully surround me, I feel myself crash through a barrier, and everything goes soft.

Questions

I tumble through the light, falling back to my own body. As I do, I feel the dregs of darkness pulling at me, dragging me back up towards that rift in reality...

I push it away, letting the light coerce, cradle, and caress me. I have no sense of time as I come back to my body, but I have a sense of security, and of healing.

I feel the remainders of Grendel's darkness being cleansed from my being, the heavy burden being allowed to float back up to that rift. I feel darkness elsewhere being extracted, and I feel a light shining through that darkness, now unhampered by its shackles of that half of Grendel.

"Peter."

I feel myself being dragged towards one of the large lights atop the tower of lights. I feel it caress me, and I listen intently to what it has to say. When it finishes speaking, I relax, knowing now that this is how it was meant to be.

Celestia releases me gently, allowing me to float through the light, and let my way find me to my home.

Eventually, I feel myself settle, and I no longer feel any fear from what had occurred. I can feel light around me, and, after a while, that light begins to fade.

The light that surrounds me go dark, and strange, alien, familiar sensations take the place of the light.

I feel breath filling my lungs at a slow and steady rate, and I can hear the rustle of cloth as something is moved near me. I hear hooves against soft carpet, and my eyes flick open as they move onto hardwood floor.

"Oh," Fluttershy says, softly. "Did I wake you?"

I shake my head with a small smile, deciding not to tell her of what had occurred. I pause as I feel a nub in my mind, and the alicorn's voice comes through, crystalline and placid, telling me that Rainbow Dash just had very much the same experience. I sigh, and shake my head a tiny bit.

"Uhh, what's going on? Are you okay?" Fluttershy asks, concerned. I smile at her, and nod.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I respond, gently. "Just a crick in my neck."

Fluttershy nods, and turns away from me. "Would you like breakfast?" She asks as she walks into her kitchen.

"Yes, thank you," I call after her.

"Eggs?" She asks.

"Yes, please."

I hear pots and pans, and I stretch, pulling on my hoodie, my sneakers, and my messenger bag. I've definitely calmed down since that...experience, but Celestia failed to explain one singular thing. So, I'm going to go see her to find out what.

"Oh, you're leaving?" Fluttershy asks as she walks back in with scrambled eggs. I can't help but guffaw at her.

"How'd you make that so fast?" I ask, confused.

"Magical stove," she responds with a small smile. "Twilight got one for me for my birthday...after my old stove sort of...exploded..."

I nod, struggling to suppress a snicker. I eat up the scrambled eggs, and ruffle her mane as I stand from the table.

"I'll put this in the kitchen," I explain. "Then, I've gotta go off to work. See ya, Fluttershy. Tell Tender Hoof I say 'hello'."

Fluttershy nods, blushing lightly as I say her boyfriend's name. I dump my plate and fork in the sink, blast them with a bit of water, and then head out, aiming for the train station. I shiver in the morning breeze, despite my thick hoodie. I reach into my messenger bag, and pull out my VIP boarding pass, which allows me to get on the train as many times as I want, whenever I want.

I flash the pass by the boarding pony, and smile as he lets me on. I step on, pulling out my iPad to go over my recent technological designs, as has become habit for me whenever I go to work. I shake my head with a chuckle, remembering that I'm going to see Celestia for a conversation, not a payment and a patent.

I decide to start up a game of Solitaire, and wait for the train to depart. After a few minutes, a pony that I know very well walks in.

"Hi, Peter!" The pink pony exclaims. "Off to work today? Huh? Huh? Are ya? Huh?"

The other ponies in the train shoot her irritated glances, and I can't help but smile as she jumps into the chair next to me. "Nah, I've got to talk to Celestia about something," I inform her, garnering a few shocked glances from around me. I cringe, remembering that people casually walking up to Celestia for a conversation isn't considered a norm.

"Ohhhhhhh, fancy," Pinkie Pie says. "I'm on my way to Canterlot for a class on electronics!"

I blink in surprise. "Oh? I could teach you, Pinkie Pie."

She shakes her head with a small smile. "I've gotta learn how to work with the electronics that Canterlot has now, not the electronics you have now. I'm going to start experimenting with those new batteries, and wiring up speakers with buttons so make them play a clip, like an explosion for a surprise. Or maybe make a fancy-shmancy strobe light! Or even a dance pad!!!"

I grin as she gets more and more excited. "I have no doubt that you'll be able to make all of those things, Fluttershy. By the way, it may interest you to know that there should be a new battery in stores now. The patent office should be done with my design by now. It's about the size of my thumb, but it's strong enough to power an intense flashlight for hours on end."

Pinkie Pie grins. "Even better! I didn't wanna carry those giant batteries back on the train! That'd be super bad!" The ponies around us roll their eyes in irritation, and some sigh in relief as we arrive at their stop. Pinkie Pie remains oblivious to this, and immediately throws her forelegs around me in a vicious hug.

"I forgot to give you a hello hug!" She shouts. "Duh!!"

A few ponies sigh in complete anger, and I can't help but chuckle lightly as I hug Pinkie Pie back. She's so soft, that I kind of don't want to let go of her, mostly because she's like a giant beanie baby.

"Snuggle time!" Pinkie Pie declares, snaking her way under my arm to rest her head on my shoulder with my arm around her. I chuckle, and a few ponies around us sigh in relief as she finally falls silent.

It's weird, really, what snuggling does to Pinkie Pie. Of course, it's nothing intimate, it's a sign of intimate friendship blah blah blah. But snuggling with Pinkie Pie kind of brings her to a complete stand-still. Like, she crashes with a brick wall, and immediately mellows past what anything could ever do. It's like, she just becomes a docile sweetheart. She nuzzles, rubs, and even falls asleep, given that she's comfortable enough. In all honesty, it's like a sort of Xanax for her.

So, if you ever find yourself in an XK-Class Pinkie Pie is Hyper situation, follow Protocol SCP-Pinkie Pie-alpha. First, rest a hand on the subject's shoulder. Then, wrap your arms around it in what is colloquially known as a "hug". Next, find a comfortable seating area, such as a "couch". Allow the subject to rest her cranium on your shoulder, and keep your arms around her. If the subject remains invigorated, plant a "kiss" on her forehead repeatedly until she calms. Rub the equine's foreleg, and stroke her mane to further calm her.

Pinkie Pie breathes deeply against my side, and rubs her cheek against my shoulder. I smile, adjusting my grasp on her so I can hold her even closer. She forces her foreleg behind me, and wraps her other around my chest. I smile, rubbing her back as she dozes off.

And so we stay until the train finally comes to its final stop, and the speaker announces that we have arrived in Canterlot. Pinkie Pie hops off of me in an explosion of giggles, and I follow her out.

My footsteps echo throughout the marble floors as I walk through the ornate castle. Pinkie Pie is probably already on her way back to Ponyville. I smile as I pass by a few guards, and eventually arrive at the door leading to Celestia's throne.

"What's it today? Payment? Patent?"

I shake my head as Shining Armor gets ready to open the door. "Unfortunately, no. I've got a serious question to ask her..."

Shining Armor nods, but doesn't pry. Well, he does pry the door open, but besides that, he doesn't.

I walk up to Celestia, and bow to her. She smiles benevolently, and waves a hoof for me to follow her. I raise an eyebrow in confusion, but end up following her all the same.

"I knew you'd have a question," Celestia informs me with a smug grin. "So, what do you want to ask?"

I smile at Celestia. "Well, when I was on my way back, one of the dark things chased me, and tried to, like...eat me, I guess. It scared the shit outta me."

Celestia's pupils expand. She obviously hadn't expected that kind of question. And she obviously hadn't expected it to happen in the first place.

"I'm sorry...what?" She mutters, shocked.

"It chased me," I repeat. "One of the big dark things. Tried to eat me?"

Celestia blinks a few times, and I frown at how she's apparently frozen in time. About ten minutes later, she's still staring out into space, and hasn't done anything at all.

"Are you having a stroke?" I ask, confused.

She shakes her head, apparently having returned to her body. "Sorry, I was thinking. This could be very serious, or she could've just been playing around with you..."

I raise an eyebrow. "What, like playing tag?"

She shakes her head. "I don't know. I'm going to need to talk with Luna about this. How about you go to work?"

I sigh. "Can't, yet. Still working on the next design. I made the past three objects just to make this one. It's a much more modern version of your flashlight. Compact, doesn't need to charge for three hours, and can light up pitch blackness. It will have an LED light. Like the ones I designed last week. I'm just trying to make the aesthetics, really. I want it to look cool, y'know?"

Celestia smiles. "Every day, you sound more and more like Rainbow Dash," she remarks. I chuckle lightly. "Speaking of Rainbow Dash, she had a dream about you recently. In which you broke up with her. Call it a nightmare, actually. Luna visited her in her nightmare, and is probably going to visit you tonight. She's ticked that she has to go between your dreams like a messenger of sorts, so be nice to her. Okay?"

I nod, and move to leave. However, she grasps my hand with a hoof, and pulls me around the table.

"Peter, Rainbow Dash loves you more than you'll ever understand. I want you to know that, even though you no longer have to hold Grendel down with your love for each other...please, don't hurt her."

I frown at her. "Of course."

She smiles, and dismisses me.

I walk back to the train, yawning in the morning breeze. I board the train, and sit on a chair, contemplating what the future may or may not hold.

Pain

I smile and wave as I walk through Ponyville, greeting all the ponies that I have come to know as friends.

As I walk, I hear a sort of slithering behind me. I pause for a moment, listening carefully, before I shrug it off, deciding that it was probably just a snake.

However, as I keep walking, I hear it again.

And then, I feel It.

The world goes silent as I spin around, and see It.

And It gives me no time to react as It stabs me in the chest, rending a hole wide enough for my fist to fit through.

"I'm going to take what's mine now," It growls, before reaching into me through the hole It created, and tearing out the part of me I was meant to protect: Grendel.

And then, It's gone, as if It had never been there, and I fall to the ground, blood pouring from my chest and mouth.

I don't hear the screams. I don't notice the panicked ponies, nor do I notice the lavender unicorn, picking me up with her magic and teleporting to the hospital.

All I notice is the unending void.

Rainbow Dash

I grin as I wave at my adoring fans, each one of them loving me for how awesome my Sonic Rainboom was.

I look up to where Celestia and Luna is sitting, and I see that they're both having a very urgent chat with somepony. May as well not interrupt them to get some more well-deserved praise.

I continue out the gate into the lockers, and the Wonderbolts congratulate me on a job well done.

As they should!

I grin in self-admiration as I reverently peel off the Wonderbolts suit, and step into one of the showers, washing off my exertion and sweat.

I sigh at the relief the water brings me, as if it's washing away a knot I couldn't untie...

And then, I hear Celestia calling for me.

Without so much as drying myself, I sprint out of the shower, grinning at Celestia as I await her appraisal.

However, all I see is a sad, sad soul.

"Rainbow Dash," she begins, solemnly, making my charisma plummet, "Peter...Peter has been admitted to the hospital. There was an attempted murder."

My eyes widen. My world shatters. A thousand things flash through my mind, but only one thing sticks.

I could lose Peter.

And I'm out the door, pumping my wings as hard as I can, not really caring whether or not the exertion kills me before I get halfway to Ponyville.

As Ponyville comes into view, I feel the muscles of my wings finally giving out. I've flown this far before, so it's not a challenge. However, I've never flown this length so quickly, leaving multiple Sonic Rainbooms in my wake as I struggle to cover the distance in as little time as possible...

I feel the inevitability of my wings giving out as I near the hospital. Finally, when I'm about to slow down and land, they do just that, and I plummet towards the hard ground, too tired to decelerate my own decline...

"Rainbow Dash, what is wrong with you!? You could've died!"

I open my eyes, which I had clenched in anticipation of the final pain, and see that Twilight has grabbed me with her magic.

"Where's Peter?" I demand, struggling to right myself in the field of gravitational displacement. Twilight simply gulps, and I grit my teeth in frustration. "Where's Peter!?"

Twilight hastily places me back on my hooves, and leads me inside the hospital.

I rush to Peter's bedside, ignoring the astonished expression of the several ponies in the room. I stop by his bed, the tears the pressure of high-velocity flight had been holding back finally pouring forth as I sniffle and sob, holding his face every which way in an attempt to wake him up.

"Rainbow, darling, I-"

"Shut up," I spit at Rarity, hostility forcing its way out of me. I shake my head as more tears come forth. "Just...shut up..."

Rarity's mouth hangs open for a moment, but then shuts, the white unicorn standing back in respect.

"I could've saved you," I whimper to his motionless form. "I could've stopped this from happening, Peter...I should've been here..."

"Rainbow," I hear Twilight begin, "he's not dead. The doctor said he lost quite a lot of blood, but all it was was a punctured stomach. Nothing more. He's going to be fine, Rainbow. You had it much worse off than him when he carried you here."

I quiver, and shake my head. "But this is close enough!" I spit, my emotions falling to pieces. "This is close enough, Twilight! This is close enough to death for me!" I sob for a few moments, onto his shoulder. "I don't want to lose him..."

After a moment, everypony files out, leaving me to have some time alone with the tempest in my mind and heart, Peter, and, surprisingly enough, Fluttershy.

"Rainbow Dash," she says, gently. "I understand how you're feeling. I once came very close to losing somepony I loved very much. When my father was in the military, and I was just a foal, he...he went to war against the Diamond Dogs. He almost bled out on the field. Even though I knew he wasn't dead, I was crying like he was." She pauses, and I feel as if she and I share something that can never be broken. Oddly enough, I immediately know what that something is.

It's pain.

Unending, horrifying, terrible, pain.

"I'll go now," she says, softly, tears in her eyes as she turns to leave.

"Fluttershy," I say, my voice barely a croak as I stare down at Peter's face. I tear my gaze away from him for a moment to look up at Fluttershy, and I hold up my hooves as a signal for a hug. She smiles, and immediately obliges. "Thank you," I whisper.

"For what?"

I sniffle, and hold her tight against me. "For just being you," I whisper, feeling very attached all of a sudden. "I've come too close to losing Peter...I don't want to lose you, too..."

She smiles, and gives me a quick peck on the cheek. I return the courtesy, and after a few moments, I let go of her, and she excuses herself.

And I return to mourning my not-dead boyfriend.

A few hours later, a doctor arrives, and tells me all about the bed I can pull out to stay with him. I immediately pull it out, and lift Peter so I can wrap a wing around his shoulders. The doctor smiles, and then tells me what's going on.

"He's in a state of shock," he informs me, not even looking at his clipboard. "The shock of having a...meter wide hold torn in his chest has put him into a coma. We don't know when he'll wake up...It may be a day, but it may be a year."

I nod, and turn back to Peter, my chest filling with hope. He's not going to die anytime soon.

"I'll wait right by his side," I whisper, stroking his face with a hoof. The doctor simply smiles, and decides not to remind me about the fact that I have a job that I must attend to. I'm set upon waiting for as long as I have to.

And I'm never going to lose him.

Never.

Recovery

I sigh in relief as the last cloud is moved into place.

"We're done, ma'am," Thunder Clap announces, flying up to meet me with the rest of his Weather Pony crew.

I nod, and dismiss them, before flying off to the Ponyville/Cloudsdale Weather Pony HQ, or the PC-WP HQ, to clock out.

"Hey, Rainbow Dash," the pony at the reception desk calls out. "You done with the day's work?"

"Yep," I respond, wondering what he looks like behind that newspaper. I've still never actually seen his face, as his paper is perpetually held up before him. Makes me wonder how he sees ponies coming and going...

"'Ight. Go see the boss."

I nod, and bustle off to my boss's office, nodding to my associates as I hurry along, relieved to be able to get back to the hospital...

I finally arrive at the office, and promptly step in.

"Sir," I address him.

"Rainbow Dash," he responds, smiling at me more warmly than usual. "I must admit, I'm impressed. I thought you'd bail halfway through the day."

I smile, and shake my head. "Nope. I've got a job to do, sir."

He nods, and immediately scribbles something down: marking down that I completed my shift. "Well, then, go on; go see your sweetheart," he teases me, undoubtedly expecting me to claim that Peter isn't my sweetheart.

However, over the two days that I've been in Ponyville, I've grown. I've learned that my reputation doesn't matter. What really matters is the ponies I love, especially Peter. And that is why I smile, and respond with: "Thank you, sir."

He blinks in surprise, and, after a moment, dismisses me with a smile of satisfaction. Undoubtedly, he's happy that I've become so much more mature.

I've become so much more mature, because with pain comes maturity. And the pain of almost losing Peter...the pain of almost being bereft of the thing I love the most in the world...it shocked me into maturity.

I occasionally flap my wings as I glide back to the hospital, my flight muscles still somewhat sore from my long-distance flight: from Phillydelphia to Cloudsdale. And all at over five hundred miles per hour.

I finally arrive at the hospital after several minutes, and hurry in, looking forward to being with Peter, no matter how unconscious he is.

As I near the room, I begin to hear voices.

"-and I even managed to do a full flip!"

I pause, waiting for Peter's voice to respond to Scootaloo's excited exclamation. However, it doesn't, and I sigh in disappointment as I lean against the doorway, smiling as Scootaloo, sitting next to Peter on the bed, pushes her hoof into his hand.

"I guess you can't hear me," she mumbles. "But...I hope you can, Peter. I miss you, man. And so does Rainbow Dash. Please...come back?"

I hold my breath, and so does Scootaloo. For a moment, I believe I can see his eyelids twitch, but it's probably just my mind, making it seem like there's hope for a pleasant surprise. I let go of my breath as I approach Scootaloo, and wrap a foreleg around her.

"He'll wake up soon," I say, softly, resting my other hoof on Peter's chest. "Promise."

Scootaloo nods, and looks to the door. "I'd better get going...my mom's bringing me to Canterlot to see a show today. I don't know why, but...it's probably for a good reason."

I nod, and gently see her out of the room per her request. Before she leaves, I pull her into a hug, and give her a quick peck on the cheek.

"Your mother loves you," I remind Scootaloo as she looks up to me, her eyes as wide as dish saucers. "She's probably just trying to make you happy."

Scootaloo nods, and sighs as she begins to walk away. I smile sadly, and return to Peter's side, draping my tail over his chest in a protective manner.

"Today was pretty hectic," I whisper to him. "There were a bunch of idiots on cloud management today..." I chuckle lightly, and flick my tail a bit. "Kept forgetting to merge them, and they all kept falling apart...I had to show them how to do it after a while, 'cus they were all newbies." I laugh again, and lean down to give him a quick peck on the cheek, hoping that he'll respond, hoping that I can see his eyes once more...

Rainbow Dash...

I panic, and look around, trying to place where the familiar voice just came from. I wait for several minutes, knowing that it didn't come from Peter, and yet at the same time, not knowing that it didn't.

After about a half hour of waiting, and straining my ears for sound, I decide that it must've been my mind playing tricks on me, as I've been high-strung since I got back to Ponyville...

I sigh, and lie down, resting my head on Peter's shoulder as I doze off.

About twenty minutes later, I'm awake, and I'm getting pretty jumpy.

I just want to have a conversation with Peter. That's all I really want right now. I would savor a conversation like nothing else in the world...

Lo and behold, the doctor walks in with a clipboard.

"Miss Dash?"

I look up with a small smile. "Yes, doctor?"

"We've looked at the data more closely," he informs me. "He should be awake within a half hour or so. When he is, just press the call button, and we'll take his pulse and whatnot."

I grin. "Really!? He'll be awake soon!?"

The doctor smiles. "And he'll be right as rain."

I grin, and a dark thought passes through my mind. "But whoever did this to him is going to be in the hospital for much longer."

The doctor laughs a bit. "Oh, I have no doubt of that," he remarks. "But you may want to ask him what it is that attacked him."

I frown in confusion, and suddenly get struck by an idea: was he attacked by It? Is It still coming after me, but in a roundabout way?

I push the thought out of my head, and return to waiting for Peter to wake up. I eventually begin to doze off, and I start to think about things that I've never even considered.

Discord

I feel a tingle pass through the world. A tingly tingle, the kind of tingle that warns you of an explosion.

If I were not trapped in stone, I would frown. While I may be an advocate of chaos, I do not condone what is guaranteed to follow this tingle.

I know what is loose upon the world, and I know who has been sucked into it.

And I know that right now, Celestia is about a foot away from my statue.

"Hello, Discord."

I would smile, were it not for this stone prison. It's about time I have a visitor.

"I know you felt what just happened. I know you felt that...It got what it needed to start..." I hear her falter, and I must admit I do not blame her. "To start what we both know will be the end."

I force my mind out of my tomb, and into Celestia's. At first, she blocks me out, but eventually lets me in, albeit cautiously.

The clock is ticking, Celestia. We have to act. You must release me.

"How do I know you won't turn against me?"

You can just think what you want to say, you know.

"I don't want to let you into my mind too much."

Touché. Anyway, you must release me. I will help you stop It.

"When we're done, you'll have to promise not to turn against me, and act like your old self."

...Celestia, you and I both know that I must assist the man that created this world - this simulation - in sealing the Rift. Must we truly speak of treaties now? We can discuss my actions later.

Silence for a few moments. "Unless you give me your word that you won't turn against me, I'm not going to let you out."

Fine! I'll give you my word, dammit! I mean, do you want me to help you save the world or not!?

A light chuckle. "I just want to make sure we can stay friends after all of this is over." Friends? Weird. "So, I'm going to release you early. No strings attached, you can do whatever you want. It will be under the disguise of a reformation attempt. But, in reality, I'll just be letting you stretch for when you have to actually try."

No strings attached?

"I put a spell on the Elements of Harmony to make them invulnerable to your magic, and if you go overboard, I'll have you turned to stone again."

That, or beheaded.

"Quite."

There's a silence for a few moments, and one that neither of us can bridge.

"I'll send you down to Ponyville tomorrow," Celestia announces, finally ending this "conversation." "That way, you'll be reformed by all seven of them."

Okay, then. I'm assuming by seven, you mean the bearers of the Elements of Harmony and Peter?

"Yes." She pauses, and I can feel emotion surging through the cracks of her mind. One of them surprises me, and as soon as she realizes that I know what she feels, she pulls her mind away from mine, and blocks me out entirely.

"Goodbye, Discord," she announces, before trotting away.

As I hear her fade into the distance, all I can think of is how sad and depressed Celestia has been: how sad and depressed she is, and how everything she does is empty and without meaning, because she feels as if she will be alone for the rest of her immortality.

How strange.

Something she and I actually have in common...

Peter

I gradually open my eyes, feeling more confused than anything else.

I mean, I'm afraid. Oh, God, I'm afraid. I remember it all with painful clarity: when It slid its blades of ethereal darkness through my chest and turned, then reached a claw in to grab Grendel and-

I squeeze my eyes shut with a small burp of nausea. I can't think of that...Especially not after what I saw.

Especially not after I learned that it's all part of a plan.

A plan to destroy it all...

Grendel, Spike's darkness, everything down to the smallest things, like choking Vinyl Scratch...it was all orchestrated. Maybe not specific things, but opportunities were found and seized. And Celestia let it all happen, she wanted I tall to happen, because it's all out of our control. That is, it was all out of our control.

But now, now that the cards have been played, and now that the game has truly begun, we can play our own cards, and stop It.

And the terror It is planning.

However, our cards can't be played yet. Right now, we have to wait for It to put Its pawn into play, and we shall play ours.

We're playing both poker and chess at the same time. It's a hectic world we live in, isn't it?

I take a deep breath, and begin to open my eyes again. I see that I'm in the hospital - as I mostly expected - and I try to sit up. As I do, I realize that there's something incredibly heavy on my chest.

I look down, and see that there's a cyan head snoozing away on top of me. I smile, and rest my hand on the side of her head, letting my holding her close to my heart as tufts of rainbow mane spill through my fingers.

She begins to stir, and immediately turns to look at me. We look each other in the eyes and, for a moment, neither of us do anything.

And then, she's throwing her forelegs around me in a vicious hug, sobbing into my shoulder as she whimpers the same thing over and over again: "I thought I'd lost you..."

At first, I'm shocked by her display of raw emotion. I had expected her to say "good morning, asshole," not act like she just won the lottery. However, I don't mind it. Actually, I rather enjoy it.

I smile, and wrap my arms around her, burying my face into her neck and taking deep whiffs of her heavenly aroma. "It's okay," I coo as I stroke her mane, holding her so close to me that I can feel her heartbeat. "It's okay..."

She pulls away, and gazes down at my face, a smile plastered upon her face as she stares into my eyes. "I love you, Peter," she whispers.

"I love you, too."

We smile at each other, and I feel a sudden wave of exhaustion. I take a deep breath, and let my head fall back onto the pillow as I close my eyes with a blissful smile.

"You okay?" She asks, quickly getting concerned as all hell.

"Yeah," I whisper, still holding her close against me. "Just tired..."

Rainbow Dash nuzzles me gently on the neck as she snuggles into me, holding onto me for dear life. As we rest, she sniffles and speaks.

"I was afraid that I could lose you," she informs me. "Afraid that I could...be without you..."

I smile as I rub her foreleg. "Don't worry, Rainbow Dash. That's not going to happen anytime soon..."

Rainbow sighs a happy sigh, and kisses my neck lightly. "I hope not..."

I smile, and feel my entire body relax in exhaustion.

I nod to myself as all the pieces come into play. This plan is elaborate, I'll give It that.

But there's a major flaw in Its plan.

There are bits and pieces here and there that can be taken out to make the rest of it crumble, like a tower of Jenga bricks.

And the first one is quite crucial.

I write one last thing on the laundry list, to make sure Celestia understands. It reads as such:

Spike must die.

Scootaloo

I sigh in content as I turn over, and bury my face in Rainbow's chest, hiding my eyes from the harsh morning light.

Man, I've got a shitload of things to do today...

I've got to ask Twilight about Spike's darkness, that way I can know when he's got to die...

That, and I have to attend to Discord's reformation...yeah, I know about that. He's not here yet, but he will be...

Oh, fuck, I've got to check something on my iPad...gotta make sure my design is working.

I turn over, and stare at the ceiling for a few moments. I don't remember getting to the library...

Oh, that's right, the doctor used the magicz to heal me yesterday so I was discharged from the hospital early. Right...

Okay, messenger bag...right there. Good.

Alright,

Let's see...gotta go into Penultimate, and-

Huh. Pixel People is already running...

Well...I've got to work on that stuff for my job...

But a new clone has arrived! And, well...I've got to relax. I haven't been able to play games lately, so...it would be a godsend to just chill out and play a game right now.

Oh, shit, I need more land! May as well wait for some more income...

Alright, I think I can get more land now...yeah, I can.

Hey, I wonder if my planes landed in Pocket Planes yet?

Hmm...I just need one more Plane Bux to be able to buy that part and make an Anan-M...

Oh, fuck me, this range sucks!

Alright...hey, maybe I should try to beat everything on Brutal in Plague. I could get that Necroa virus...

"Peter...what're you doing up?"

"Work," I lie, not wanting to be interrupted. "It's really, really annoying..."

Rainbow Dash begins to sit up, and I quickly switch over to my design for a magical cell phone. Rainbow Dash throws her forelegs over my shoulders and rests her chin on my shoulder, as well. She kisses me on the neck, and I smile as I reach back to stroke her muzzle.

"Good morning," she coos. I turn my head and kiss her in greetings. I end up yawning halfway through the kiss, and Rainbow chuckles. "You should get some rest. You're too tired to be doing work right now..."

"Alright," I sigh, closing my iPad and placing it on the floor. "Might as well sleep for a bit more."

Rainbow smiles and pulls me back onto the bed, wrapping her wing around my torso and resting her head on my broad shoulder. I manage to get my arm underneath her before wrap it around her shoulder before she lays all the way down. We snuggle up to each other, and as I feel the comfort return I realize something.

Today is not going to be a productive day.

I gratefully accept that fact, as I can have a full day to do absolutely nothing. I kiss Rainbow on the crown of her head, and close my eyes with a deep breath.

My eyes burst open as light floods into the room.

"Wake up, you two! We've got a big day ahead of us!"

I growl in annoyance, as does Rainbow Dash.

"Twiliiiiiiight..." Both Rainbow and I moan in unison.

"Nope," Twilight chirps. "C'mon, get up!"

"I don't wanna," I whine. "I just wanna sleep..."

"You can't," Twilight responds. "Rainbow, you've got to be with us to greet Celestia's special guest. And, Peter, you've got to tutor Scootaloo."

"Wait, what?" I ask in genuine confusion. "Why do I have to tutor Scootaloo? I mean, not that I'm complaining, she's a great kid, but..."

"Because I normally tutor her on Saturdays," Twilight explains with a sigh. "But I obviously won't be here today to tutor her, so I was hoping that you could do it. It's just in math and science, so you should be able to handle yourself..."

I get out of bed and stretch, yawning as I hear my back crick in several spots. "'Ight. Where is she?"

"Oh, she'll be here in about an hour," Twilight explains as I try to get Rainbow Dash out of bed. "We've got to go, like, now, though, so...yeah."

"Alright." Turning my attention to Rainbow Dash, I begin to coo in an attempt to entice her out of bed. After a few minutes, and a damn long kiss that leaves my tongue feeling raw, she hops out of bed and follows Twilight out of the library, leaving me to nothing but the bed sheets.

I sigh as I organize the mess she left in her wake. Once that's done, I sit on the couch and take out my iPad, and play my favorite games while I wait for Scootaloo to arrive.

Scootaloo

I nod as I finish going over my textbook. I've hilighted everything that I've been having a problem with, just like she told me.

I think I almost ran out of ink halfway through...

I pack my backs and strap them onto my back, and I go to say goodbye to my mother. I stop as I see her staring at the chair again - the same chair that he would sit on while he read the paper. I sigh as I approach my mother, and lay my hoof on hers.

"You sure you'll be okay while I'm gone?" I ask her. I hate when she gets like this. She's just...not there. I say she doesn't care about me to avoid bringing shame to her name, even though I know she loves me. She's just...distracted by the pain, really.

"Yes," she whispers, her voice hoarse with recently shed tears. "Yes, yes...I'll be fine, my dear..."

I smile, and give her a quick peck on the cheek. She smiles, still distracted by the past, even as I walk out the door and silently close it behind me.

I hate this time of year. This one day, perpetually marked off on the calendar as the day my mother hits her peak of depression.

Today is the day my parents got married.

And it's also the day that my father left, ten long years ago. Ten long years ago, when the orange filly he had left behind didn't understand why her mother kept crying as she was rocked.

All ten long years of pain, coping, and struggling. Ten years of sadness, and an emptiness that fills my fathers' old chair. My mother dares not to discard of it, as she still has the utmost love for him...

And that's why, over the past eight years, I feel as if I've lived on my own. My father's departure broke my mother. It broke her, and shattered her very existence - her very soul.

And I can never forgive him.

But that's not why I'm walking towards the Ponyville library, a bag of books chafing my shoulders as I walk. Today, I'm working to better myself, rather than finding the stallion that ruined my world.

I'm almost halfway there, and-huh? What was that noise?

"Who's there?" I call into the shrubs.

I knock on the door to the library, waiting as I stand before in silence, doing my best top stifle the sad memories that flow over me now. They're almost making me nauseous...

I push all thoughts of my past out of my head as I focus on the now. I have friends, and I have Rainbow Dash and Peter, who have replaced my absent parents in a way. In this way, I am loved.

Okay...I've got my head on straight. I can think how. Let's get down to this annoying-as-shit math and science, already...

The door opens, and I grin at Twilight, trying to act-

"Peter!" I cry in excitement, throwing myself at him in a vicious hug. My friend and father figure laughs as he holds me, and closes the door behind us. I grin as I feel his love for meemanating from him like a blooming flower.

"Hello, Scoots," he chirps as he lets me down. I stop as he stoops down, and take a major risk as I give him a peck on the cheek.

"Heya, Peter," I chirp back, smiling as he kisses me on the crown of my head. I feel a warm sensation bloom throughout my body at the caring contact, and at how much love and concern bursts forth.

No, no; he's not my father. He's just a friend. I can't call him "dad" or anything. Seriously, I've got to keep my head straight, or this will all be compromised...

"So, looks like I've got to tutor you today, you little shit," Peter announces, jokingly.

Holy shit, even better! He's going to be my teacher for the day! Wait, what? No, I've got to keep these emotions under check!

"Okay!" I cry, excited as I pull out my textbooks, and place them on the table before the couch.

I'm going to work hard today! I'm gonna make him proud! I swear on it! Oh, my, this is getting even harder to control...

"Looks like you're excited," Peter comments as he sits down next to me, resting his hand on my head. I smile, and feel a sort of peace that I've never known surge through me like some sort of medicine.

"Yep!" I chirp. "'Cus I've got the best teacher ever!"

Peter smiles, and tussles my mane as he holds out his hand for the textbook. I turn to the page I dog-eared in the Biology book, and let him read the hilighted portions.

As he flips through the text, I struggle to resist the crazy urge to hug him him again, and to remain against him, cuddling with him and being...happy.

"Alright," he announces. "So, tell me the difference between a lipid and an enzyme, Scootaloo."

I frown as I set all my mental force upon remembering that factoid. I remember hearing Cheerilee talk about it! C'mon, Scootaloo, think...think....

"It's alright if you don't know," he informs me. "That's why you're here. To find out what you don't know."

I shake my head as I grit my teeth. I won't let Peter know how little I know!

Wait a second...

Oh, holy shit! That's obvious!

"One starts with an 'l', and the other starts with an 'e'!" I cry as I puff out my chest in victory.

There's silence for a few moments before he begins to chuckle. "Yes, I suppose that is a rather key difference," Peter remarks. "But that's not the actual difference. A lipid is a 'fat', while an enzyme is a type of protein that breaks down other proteins, carbohydrates, and lipids."

My body deflates. "Oh...I knew that..." I look up at Peter with an apologetic frown, and he just shrugs off the fact that I haven't studied but just hilighted random things with a smile. A freaking smile!

"C'mon," he beckons, waving me over. "Come sit up against me, and we'll go through the stuff you don't get. Together."

I grin at him, and immediately press myself up against him. He gives me a quick kiss on the top of my head, and I smile as he begins our review.

Discord

I feel my limbs tingle in anticipation. I may soon be free of this prison...

Although, I must remember that the fate of the world resides upon my actions. Whether or not I get the bearers of the Element of Harmony to be chummy with me, and if I actually manage to pull Equestria together for once, rather than tear it apart...

Oh, I'm going to hate my new job...

I feel the carriage shudder underneath me as the chariot pulls to a stop. I listen carefully to the conversation that happens, waiting to hear the individual that created this world, whom I am very eager to meet...

"Remember," I hear Celestia growl to me in a hushed voice, "Peter doesn't remember that he made this world, okay? Don't try to cause chaos by reminding him, because that could potentially result in the end of, well...everything."

I snake my way into her mind. Of course, Princess. I may be a denizen of chaos, but I know when there needs to be Harmony.

"Good. I trust you'll do the right thing."

With that, she stalks away, and boards her chariot.

About twenty minutes later, I'm stretching my limbs as I feel the wind blowing past me...

"Oh, you have no idea how good it feels to be free!" I declare unto the world. I feel a ridiculous temptation to shoot off a bit of magic, but I must resist if if I'm to become the savior of Equestria and blah blah blah.

"Discord, we've released you so we can reform you!" The pretentious lavender one calls out.

"Please, I heard everything," I grumble with a roll of my eyes. "Now, where's Peter? I've got to have a little...chat, with him."

Peter

I chew a bit on my pencil as I go over the answers that Scootaloo marked down on her practice test.

Please, let them be right...

When I finish grading the test, I smile to myself in victory. "Yo, Scootaloo," I call, waving her over.

"Yeah?" She asks nervously as she comes from her side of the couch. I pull her underneath my arm, and grin down at her.

"You got a ninety seven," I inform her with pride. She gasps, grins, and hugs me. I grin as she hops around in victory, and fetch my messenger bag and count out the paper Bit-bills I have in my wallet.

Oh, right, I'm the Head Technician of Equestria. I make about forty thousand bits a week.

And I don't have to pay taxes, because...fuck if I know!

I decide to take out only one twenty Bit bill...wait, no, how about five; and flash a grin at Scootaloo.

"C'mon," I beckon. "That deserves a treat."

"A treat!?" Scootaloo cries in delight. She bolts out as I hold the door open.

"Now, then," I announce. "I already had breakfast, so...let's go to Sugarcube Corner."

Scootaloo's wings begin to vibrate in excitement, and I chuckle lightly as she follows me, hovering an inch above the ground. I decide to keep it silent until we get there, because she's not going to listen until her excitement dies down a bit.

We enter Sugarcube Corner a few moments later, and Scootaloo immediately zips up to the glass, staring at the treats and confections they contain.

"Oh, wait," Scootaloo mumbles as she withdraws from the display case, and pulls a bag out of her wings. (Since when were wings a fucking endless supply store?) She shakes out a few bits, and sighs in defeat.

"I only have five bits," she whimpers as she turns to look up at me. "I guess we've got to settle for a lolly pop at one of those bootleg places..."

Scootaloo sighs, and Mr. Cake pouts in disappointment from behind the counter. He'd seemed so eager to take her money.

But he'll have to settle for mine.

Without telling Scootaloo first, I pick out a rather large cookie that is designed to look like wings, and pay the full sixty bits for it. I make, like, twenty times that in a fucking day, so it's fine.

I turn, the cookie warm in my hand, and see that Scootaloo is paused by the door. I walk past her, making sure to hide the cookie (which she didn't notice me buying, #ninjaswag) as I proceed over to a table. She blindly follows me, and takes a seat, resting her chin on the table.

"Don't look so glum, Scootsie," I coo.

"You said I could buy a treat," Scootaloo moans, her voice so soft I almost have to strain my ears to hear her. "But I didn't have enough money..."

I smile at her, and place my hand on the side of her face. "Scootaloo, why did you assume that you had to buy it?"

She looks at me with a cocked eyebrow, and I grin as I present her with the cookie. She gasps, and immediately grabs it, shouting: "Oh my gosh, thanks!" Over and over again, even as she takes generous bites out of it.

"Careful, now," I chuckle as she wolfs the fuckin' thing down. "You don't want to choke now, do you?"

Despite my warning, she eats it in a whole of a half a minute, and lets out a stifled burp in content. "Oh, man...That was the best cookie ever!"

I smile as I stand, and motion for the young filly to follow me. "Come on. There's something I wanna show you."

She nods, and walks after me with a dreamy smile on her face as we proceed towards the Everfree Forest. After about twenty minutes of walking, we've arrived at our destination, and I state as such.

"Alright," I announce, pointing to a spot on the flat stone, where one can easily peer into the gurgling river. "Just sit there, and-"

Scootaloo does just that, and grins up at me with a sparkle in her eye. I smile, and sit down next to her, draping my arm over my shoulder as I immediately take out the small pod from my pocket, and toss it towards the lake.

Now, this is something that I've been working on for quite a while now, but haven't really shown to anypony, besides Twilight, who helped me make them, and Celestia. Each one of the pods I have contains a spell, and on contact with something, it will perform that spell in a certain radius.

The pod I just lobbed towards the water, for instance, has a spell that causes a miniature barrage of explosions in the two-foot radius. Now, that may sound dangerous, but it's not. The most they can do is sting a pony. So, in a way, they're like magical firecrackers.

As soon as the pod makes contact with the water, the surface tension of the Hydrogen molecules exerts enough force on the pod to burst it open. As it is, the explosions all occur at the same exact time, and a fine mist of water is sent flying into the air.

"Whoa!" Scootaloo cries in wonder, undoubtedly at the explosions themselves.

"Watch," I urge, pointing to where the water is cascading.

And, just like that, the mist starts to break up the light spectrum, and a rainbow appears.

"Whoooooooooaaaaa!" Scootaloo cries in much more wonder. I smile as she watches the rainbow follow the mist.

"Cool enough for you?" I ask as she leans against me.

"Almost as cool as Rainbow Dash!" She declares. I whistle in appreciation.

"That's pretty darn cool."

Scootaloo giggles, and I join along, holding her close to me like a father would her daughter.

As we sit there, staring out at the settling veil of mist and the fading rainbow, Scootaloo shimmies her way into my lap. I blush a bit as she rests on a sensitive spot, but say nothing about it.

She leans against my chest, and I clasp my hands over her belly. I take a deep breath, and she squirms against me in an attempt to get a bit more comfortable. I blush as the motion arouses me, and do my best to hide it by secretively pulling my shirt down over the bulge in my pants.

Goddammit, why does the human penis have to be so fucking awkward? I mean, regardless of situation, any provocation will get it to turn on. Even if it's a young child that you regard as your daughter. Fucking disgusting...

I sigh a bit as Scootaloo stops squirming. She closes her eyes, and starts to take a nap of content happiness. I zone out as she rests against me, realizing just how much I love the young little filly...

Discord

"You said you left them here. So, why aren't they here?" I demand, tapping my hoof on the floor in impatience.

"I...I don't know!" Twilight Sparkle cries as she runs about the library. I sigh as I snap my fingers, instantly teleporting her in front of me.

"They're not here because they left," I inform her. "By the goddesses, I would've thought a pony as smart as you would've figured that out by now..." Twilight blushes, and I roll my eyes. "So where would a grown man go with a young filly? Anypony?" Fluttershy raises her hoof, and I grin at how meek she is. "Yes, you! Yellow one, up front!"

Fluttershy shakes as I sap all the light from the room, save for a single spotlight beam that is shining directly on her. "Um," she states, shrinking into ball. "Sugar...Cube...Corner?"

I let the light back into the room as I spawn explosions of confetti in the room. "Bingo! Now, let's go."

The ponies nod, and with a snap of my claws, we're in Sugarcube Corner.

"Well," Twilight Sparkle remarks, "that's one way to get around..."

"DISCORD!!!"

I roll my eyes as panic breaks out. Yes, chaos is all good and happy and whatnot; but seriously, what is it with these ponies and overreacting to everything?

"Everypony calm down!" Twilight Sparkle declares, her voice amplified to fill the entirety of the building. "Discord's here to be reformed! Princess Celestia sent him here for that reason."

Apparently, that's good enough for these inbred ingrates, as they immediately calm and return to smiling and laughing as they eat their confections.

And ponies say I'm the advocate of disorderly conduct...

"Hiya, Mister Cake!" Pinkie Pie chirps, oblivious to the chaos that had just occurred as she hops over to the counter. "Did Peter come in here with good ol' Scootaloo?"

After a quick conversation, Pinkie Pie returns with the same enigmatic grin plastered across her face. "Peter came here with Scootaloo and bought her a cookie, but they left."

"Uhh...Maybe he brought her back to her mom's house?" Rainbow Dash suggests.

"Good thinking, Rainbow," Twilight remarks. "Alright, girls, let's-uh...Discord, could you?"

I raise an eyebrow at the lavender unicorn. "Yes. I can. Because I don't know where Scootaloo's house is. So I would be completely able to teleport there." I quickly access the Data Pool of this simulated world, and find the data signature that outputs emotional attachment towards Scootaloo's signature. I locate the signal, and nod to myself as I key in the coordinates to my teleportation function.

Twilight sighs in defeat, and is about to walk out when I snap my fingers, and bring us before the aforementioned house.

"I'm the God of Chaos," I say to her shocked expression. "What'd you expect?"

After a moment, Twilight shakes it off and enters the building without so much as a knock. I guess when you're escorting the deity of chaos to your friend, you forget manners, huh?

We follow her through, and see that Twilight is staring at a legchair, and is shaking.

"Uhm...Twilight?"

"Peter's in danger," Twilight growls.

"What?" I can't help but ask. Even though I'm the God of Chaos, I'm just as confused as the ponies here.

"Scootaloo's mother..." Twilight begins, turning the mare's head so we can see her eyes. "She's showing the same symptoms that Shining Armor showed at his wedding."

"Could'ya please tell us what the fuck that means, Twilight!?" Rainbow Dash cries, her wings expanded in agitation. "You just told me that my boyfriend is in danger, and you won't say what he's in danger from."

Twilight gulps, and takes a deep breath. "There's a Changeling eating off of her love for whoever it's replaced." She begins to elaborate, explaining how this is accompanied by constantly zoning out as they focus only on their love for the replaced pony, and how the pony could potentially fall asleep at random times during the day due to emotional exhaustion. However, Rainbow Dash interrupts her by flying out the door at full tilt, apparently having discerned where Peter is.

Seeing as how Peter isn't a program like the rest of us, but is a human turned program, he has no registered data signature, so I can't determine his coordinates with a simple scan. I decide not to explain this to anypony as I fly out the door, following Rainbow Dash and her crazy prismatic trail.

Diplomacy, Part ₩

I awaken in an unfamiliar room, in an unfamiliar place, surrounded by unfamiliar things, with an unfamiliar atmosphere.

How...

Unfamiliar.

I scratch my head in confusion as I struggle to sit up. However, I find that my hands are chained to a poll, and that my ankles are bound, as well.

"The fuck," I mutter, suddenly realizing how parched I am. I cough a few times, and I swear that dust comes out. I look around, and see that the room I'm in seems to be cut out from some kind of rock. There's a single oil torch on the wall, and it's glowing fiercely with heat and ferocity.

"Hello?" I call out, straining at my restraints. Of course, that does nothing but chafe my joints. "Hello!?"

After several minutes of silence, I resign back to lying down on my back with a sigh. I begin to look over my memories, piecing together how I may have gotten here...

The last thing I remember is sitting with Scootaloo before the lake bed. She was curled up in my lap, and my eyes were starting to close. I felt so comfortable that I was falling asleep...

I remember that Scootaloo asked me if I was sleepy. I said yes, so she kissed me on the cheek, and told me to go to sleep. The last thing I felt was a pinch in the back of my neck...

After that, no matter how hard I try, all I can fetch are clips of sound: the sound of dragging, the sound of wings, the sound of wind, the sound of voices, murmuring in the background...

And now, I'm here, staring up at a stone ceiling, trying to understand why I'm staring up at said stone ceiling.

I close my eyes, and decide the best thing to do would be to rest. Obviously, I've been captured by...something. And until they deem it fit, I'm not getting out of these chains...

Discord

I lean against the building, feeling rather disconcerted.

"Anything, Rainbow Dash!?" Twilight calls, somewhere nearby.

"No!" Rainbow Dash calls back, sounding as if she's on the verge of hysterics. "I can't find him or the Changeling Scootaloo anywhere!"

I scowl as a thought passes my mind. Perhaps Chrysalis took him captive?

No. She wouldn't do something so foolish. She knows just as well as I that Peter is key to keeping this world alive. If she's trying to turn him into a gambling chip...then by me, Celestia had been telling me the truth...

Which makes my sorrow all the greater.

Chrysalis and I have history together. For a time, I had fallen in love with her, and I had attempted to woo her. However, she simply used my love to power herself and her Hive, and when I learned that she was just using me, and that she could no longer feel love...I asked Celestia why. I asked her why Chrysalis could no longer feel love, and why she could only use love for power.

When she told me, I could not bear the truth. So, I decided that it was nothing but a lie, and blamed her for my broken heart. And as the years passed by, I came to hate her and her ponies more and more, realizing that they were all together in a feeling of universal love and togetherness, which was something that I had lost.

And I believe we all know what happened next. Filled with grief and rage, I turned against Equestria, and was quickly turned to stone.

And I spent one thousand years, hating them all more every second, in that stone prison. And when I finally found a group of friends that fought so much that they wreaked of chaos, I decided it was time to break free, and find more.

Of course, I ended up being bested by the power of Friendship, and togetherness. Something I had lost.

And I grew to hate them even more.

But all of that changed, yesterday.

Yesterday, when Celestia's mind accidentally bled into my own, and I felt how alone and depressed and tired and stressed and...worn, she truly is...

I realized that she was not to blame, for she understood a broken heart more than I ever could. She understood my pain, and had tried to help me to overcome it.

And how had I showed my gratitude? With an attempt to tear apart her kingdom, that's how.

But now, I can make up for it. Now, I can turn the tides. I can help to repair this world, rather than tear it apart. I can use the power of chaos to bring about harmony...

And I can finally tell Celestia...

"I'm sorry."

The ponies look to me in surprise as I stare up into the sky. "Sorry for what?" Twilight asks, cautiously.

I sigh as I look back to the ponies, and see how their friendships are so closely intertwined that only I could ever tear them apart.

But, rather, I'm going to choose to sew them closer together.

"We must tell Celestia," I announce. "That Peter has been taken hostage by Queen Chrysalis."

"But we don't know that for sure!" Rainbow Dash cries in desperation. "He could just be off playing with the Changeling Scootaloo, not even aware that she's a Changeling yet!"

"How many times did you call his name, Rainbow?" I demand, crossing my arms as I approach her.

"Uhm...forty two times."

"And after hearing you desperately scream out his name forty two times, wouldn't the man that loves you try to find you and console you, rather than play with a filly?"

Rainbow Dash seems to have no answer to this. Rather, she sighs, and her wings droop. "So...you're saying that he doesn't really love me?"

I frown in surprise. How in the shit had she arrived at that conclusion!? "No, you idiot, I'm saying that he can't hear you because he's holed up in the Changeling Hive somewhere."

"Oh," Rainbow Dash mutters. "Yeah, I knew that!"

I press my paw to my face in irritation. "Alright, whatever. Let's just...go tell Celestia."

"Yeah! And we can save Peter!" Rainbow Dash shouts. I roll my eyes with a sigh. I really wish she'd shut up...

"Next stop, Canterlot," I mutter, before snapping the fingers of my chicken's leg together, and teleporting us over five thousand miles away, and into the throne room of the mighty Celestia.

Scootaloo

I stir a bit, not really knowing what happened...

The last thing I remember is a dark figure leaping from a bush, tackling me to the ground, and then...poof. I was gone, and in this...

Place.

Where the fuck am I?

I should probably open my eyes and look around, that'd probably help...

Oh, no! I'm blind! I can't see a thing!

Wait, my eyes are adjusting...I can see now.

"Hello?" I call out as I examine my surroundings. I seem to be in some sort of...infirmary, with beds, medical cabinets, first aid cases, and more.

"Helloooooo!!!??" I drag out the word, hoping more sound will get me noticed.

I hear the shuffling of limbs, and an electric light bulb flashes on above me. I hold my hoof up to block out the sudden light, and try to rub the sunspots out of my retinas.

"Finally awake, I see," I hear a rather cheerful pony chirp.

I turn, and see...

"It's a...it's a...it's a...it's a...it's a...it's a...it's a...it's a..."

"Yes, I'm a Changeling," the Changeling announces, approaching my bed. I panic, but it holds out its hoof to comfort me. "Easy there. Sorry for the way my associate handled you, by the way, but it had to be done."

I frown in confusion, and finally let him take my vitals. May as well, seeing as how I might be stuck here for a while...

"What had to be done?" I ask.

"He had to Replace you. See, it was all part of a rouse to get to Peter."

I flinch as the cold steel of a stethoscope is pressed to my chest. "Why are you telling me this?"

"Because you're not going to leave here until we let you leave," the Changeling announces. I gulp, and think of begging for mercy, or even running...

"If you try to run, we won't stop you," he informs me. "All we wanted was Peter. You were just a means to an end. When Celestia's delegates show up for Peter, and we reach an agreement, you'll go back to Ponyville with him."

I gulp, and shake my head in even more confusion. "So, wait...this is, like, a hostage transfer sort of thing?"

The Changeling bobs his head a few times before answering. "More or less. You're not a hostage, though. You're a guest. And neither is Peter, really. Sure, he's chained down in a dungeon, but that's only to keep him from doing something stupid, like trying to fight his way out. When we've established that he's trustworthy, we'll let him walk around the Hive as he pleases."

"The Hive?"

"Our home," the Changeling responds with a smile as he packs away his tools. "I know that by your definitions, it's not a pleasant name. But to us, Hive is derived from a word in the ancient Changeling language that means 'Community'."

I nod, intrigued by this sudden turn of events. Why don't the teach the history of the Changelings in school!? This overturns everything I've ever thought of them! They're not vicious bugs, they're civilized beings!

I convey this to the Changeling, and he sighs.

"Unfortunate accusations," he remarks. "While it is true that we can become quite feral at times, we try to restrain ourselves as best as possible."

"So...why did you do that whole thing with invading Canterlot?"

"Our children were starving," he informs me. "We had sent several dozen petitions to Celestia, begging for something to feed us, but we never got any response. After the fiftieth, we threatened a forceful extraction of sustenance, and, well...we did what we had to."

I pout. "Are your children still starving?"

"That's what we're hoping to fix with this," he informs me. "We're hoping to keep our children from dying by forcing Celestia to agree to a system of assimilation. But, you probably don't want to hear about that..."

I shake my head in defiance. "No, I do. C'mon, tell me."

He pauses, but then begins to explain. "We would take infants from our Hive, and permanently make them into their own ponies that a couple would adopt. And it wouldn't be incognito, babies that had gone through this process would be kept in a separate adoption clinic. And after eight years, these children would be told about where they came from. From that point on, they would be visited by an agent once per month, to collect about one tenth of the love put towards them. This would ensure a safe, civil, and effective method to keeping our race alive."

I nod along with his description, and smile. "That sounds like a really good idea. I hope Celestia agrees to it..."

My new friend sighs, and looks away. "I do, too, Scootaloo..."

There's a moment of silence, during which the Changeling writes something on a clipboard. After a few moments, I ask him what his name is.

"My name is Ethan," he responds.

"Nice to meet you, Ethan."

He smiles at me, a warm feeling spreading through his eyes. "Well, it's very nice to meet you, too, Scootaloo." He gulps, apparently not used to being respected by ponies like this. "Well, I have to go check on Peter. Someone is going to come in here to talk to you, and help you see that we Changelings are a good race." Ethan smiles at me again. "But I doubt that will be necessary."

I nod, and watch him walk out. Before he leaves, Ethan looks back at me one time, and I can see gratitude in his eyes.

It shocks me for a few moments, and I don't even realize that he's left. I mean...have they really been alienated for so long that they get a surge of emotion from being respected by a filly? Is...is that really how poorly we've treated them?

I gulp as I lie back on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. Does this...does this mean that Celestia isn't nearly as nice as she's made out to be?

If so, then...I don't think I could ever look Rainbow Dash in the eye again...

Discord

"All of you will return to Ponyville. Discord will stay here, so we can decide what to do next."

All the ponies nod, except for Rainbow Dash. "Princess, we've got to go, now! Peter's being held captive there! You expect me to just sit by and-"

Rainbow Dash falls silent as she is met with a vicious glare. She gulps under the stern gaze, and Celestia speaks slowly and deliberately.

"We're going to get Peter back. But we can't just barge in there and take him. It would cause war, and that's the last thing we can afford right now. We're going to send a group of delegates to determine what they want in return, but Discord, Luna, and I have to decide who, when, and how."

Rainbow Dash nods, and scampers off after her friends, her tail between her legs. As soon as she's gone, I turn back to the two Princesses, and nod in admiration.

"Not bad, Celestia," I remark. "Seems you've still got the power of a true ruler."

Celestia nods, somber and sad. I follow her and Luna into the Royal council room, which has only two seats: one for Celestia, and one for her sister. I materialize a comfy couch beneath myself, and Celestia rolls her eyes in distaste.

"Ideas," I state as Celestia and Luna settle in. "Let's have them."

"They've been a thorn in our side for far too long. We must exterminate them like the bugs they are."

The princess and I stare at the princess, unable to believe our ears.

"But...they have innocent children, sister!"

"And children that you chose to ignore," Luna growls in response. "You started the genocide. I'm just finishing it."

"I ignored their requests because I don't want to Replace children!" Celestia shouts. "Not only is it terrible to subject a family to such a thing, it goes against the Changeling sacred vows!"

"Oh, and you care so much about the Changelings?" I remark.

Celestia shoots me a glare, and I smile innocently. Luna interrupts with a waving hoof. "We're not getting anywhere by mocking one another!" She cries. "Now, if we're not going to purge them from the world, what are we going to do?"

Celestia takes a deep breath, and lets it out in a sigh. "I'm going to send the bearers of the Elements of Harmony. Spike will stay with me. They'll talk to Celestia, and then return with the news."

I nod, but can't help but wonder why she would have Spike stay with us. Wouldn't it be more convenient if he went with them? I mean-

Oh.

"You're going to kill Spike, aren't you?"

Celestia sighs with a dejected nod. "Perhaps. Peter said that it must be done, and he knows Its plans better than any of us..."

"You don't have to do it yourself. You can have an executioner do it," Luna protests.

"I must do it myself. I want Spike to understand why he must die. It's a terrible thing, to have to kill him...but I want him to at least know that his death was for a good cause."

"And besides, he's just a bunch of 'ones' and 'zeroes,' after all." Celestia and Luna glare at me, and I frown. "What? All of us deities know that this is a simulation. We're here to act as functions that keep it unpredictable, and harmonious."

"But I prefer to think of it as its own world," Celestia spits. "Which it is. We have our own experiences; we aren't just data on a computer..."

"No. We're a lot of data on a supercomputer run by an infinite power source."

Celestia scowls at me, as does Luna. "Discord, we are not just programs. We aren't pre-programmed with recorded lines and emotions and reactions. We have free will, and we are alive!"

I pull away from her vehemence, but Luna just shrugs it off, as if she's heard this before. Perhaps this is why she feels so lonely? Perhaps she believes that she's just a program and compiled data...

"Celestia," I begin, gently, "do you actually believe any of that? I was just teasing you; we aren't just programs. We're more than that."

"Yes, 'Tia," Luna adds on. "For once, Discord has said something wise..."

We share a small laugh, but I then realize how far off topic we've come.

"Hold on, what are we going to do about this problem?" I demand. "We're just sitting around and getting chummy."

"We've already decided what we're doing," Celestia responds. "Now's a break time. Now, where did I put that cake..."

I blink in confusion. "Celestia, you can't be serious. This debate is taking the grand time of five seconds?"

"Yes," Luna responds, speaking for her sister as she darts around in search of her cake. "We don't plan things out, Discord. We've realized that it's actually detrimental to do so."

"So...shit just happens, and you deal with it?" I demand, unable to believe that they defeated me without any kind of plan...

"Yep," Celestia calls, returning to her chair with a mouth-full of cake. In fact, it's so full that when she speaks, it sounds more like "yeff."

"So, you defeated me - God of Chaos - by eating cake and having five second chats?"

Celestia mulls over this for a moment before swallowing her cake. "More like five minute chats. You presented quite the challenge."

"But you still ate cake, right?"

"Of course."

I roll my eyes with a small smirk. "Of course, cake is integral to solving national crises..."

Celestia and Luna exchange a glance before looking back to me. "Discord, we don't really know enough to deal with this yet. When Twilight returns with Chrysalis' demands, we'll decide on a further action. I mean, we've already said this..."

I nod. "I know. I was just expecting more...chaos."

Celestia and Luna laugh, and I can't help but join in. My, my, harmony takes odd forms, doesn't it?

After a few moments, we fall silent, and Luna stands with a cough. "Well, I have my own matters to attend to. I must depart."

We nod in consent, and she leaves the room. I'm about to leave and think on a few things, when I feel a gentle hoof on my paw.

"Celestia?" I ask, confused. "Why are you-"

"I need to tell you something, Discord," she announces.

I frown. "What's that?"

Celestia looks into my eyes, and the news she has rocks me to my very core.

Rainbow Dash

I pace the room, my wings shuffling nervously and my jaw grinding my teeth into dust.

"Rainbow, calm down! Celestia will make a decision soon."

I spin to face the lavender unicorn with a scowl of rage. "Soon isn't soon enough! Can you imagine what Peter is going through right now!?" Twilight cringes as I shout, and my sails deflate a bit as I see the shock and slight fear present in her eyes. "Sorry, Twi'. I'm just worried about Peter..."

"I am, too," Twilight informs me, resting a hoof on my side. "Trust me, Rainbow. I am. But Celestia is going to make a decision, I promise. And we'll get Peter back."

I nod, and another one of my thoughts hit me, causing me to go into a flurry of panic. "But what about Scootaloo!? She's probably so scared right now..."

Twilight surprises me by pulling me into a firm hug. "Rainbow Dash, the Changelings are many things, but they are not cruel. If they were just using Scootaloo to get to Peter, they're probably treating her very well."

"How can you be sure?" I ask, blushing as my voice cracks. Twilight pulls away from me, and gives me a small smile.

"Because I've studied Changeling culture, Rainbow. And I know that they don't like Replacing children. At all. In fact, instances of a Changeling Replacing a child are normally met with harsh punishment. Only rarely is it sanctioned by the Queen. And when it is, they always treat the children like an esteemed guest."

I sigh in relief. "Oh, man...that's good to know. At least they'll keep her happy..."

Twilight nods, and returns to her book perusing. "Yeah. As to Peter, they may well be eating him alive right now!"

I gasp in shock and fear, and Twilight begins to giggle. I blush as I scowl at the unicorn. "Hey! That's not funny!"

"Rainbow, please," Twilight remarks. "They're not going to kill him. They took him for a reason. They want to bargain with Celestia. And in order to get what they want, he'll have to be perfectly healthy."

I nod, lapping up her logic with a hopeful eagerness. "Well...at least he'll be okay."

Twilight nods, and continues to mutter to herself as she rifles through her books.

Peter

I fidget a bit, still uncomfortable on the cot. I yawn, and end up licking my chapped lips, and coughing a bit as my dry throat is tickled by the stale air in the room.

Man I'm thirsty...

As if on cue, the door to my cell opens - or at least, I hear it open, as I can't really see it - and I hear hooves on the hard stone floor.

"I brought you some water," I hear a smooth, masculine voice announce. "I'm going to take your vitals after you drink it."

The Changeling holds the cup to my lips with magic, and I sip at it gratefully. "Thanks," I croak as I finish the water. He nods, and cautiously undoes my restraints. He then starts to take measurements and data.

"You're all good," he announces as he finishes up, replacing my restraints in their closed positions. "Pretty soon, you'll have a visitor. When she comes in, she will decide whether or not to undo your restraints."

I nod, and a question pops into my mind. "Scootaloo," I begin, my throat loosening up with the water. "Is Scotaloo okay?"

"Yes, Scootaloo is quite alright," the doctor responds. "We'll let you see her once you've proven yourself trustworthy."

"I'm trustworthy," I protest, desperate to make sure she's okay.

"We'll see about that," he sighs, before leaving. I rest my head back on my pillow, and sigh as my hand and ankle restraints press against my arms and legs...

But, wait a minute...

I frown in confusion as I look up at my restraints. One of them is loose! The doctor must have forgotten to tighten it after he took my pulse...

I test the size, and immediately find that my hand can slip through quite easily. I grin, and immediately set upon loosening the rest of my restraints, which, surprisingly, do not need a key.

I sigh in relief as I rub my joints, savoring the freedom that casting them off comes with. For a moment, I contemplate escaping, but immediately shoot that thought down as I remember that I'm in the Changeling capital, which the doctor had told me during his visit. Oh, and there are two guards with swords just outside my door...

I sit upright, stretching my limbs as I do so, and decide to take a little walk around my room, and examine its interior. I roll my legs off of the side of the bed, and begin to pace.

It's relatively small, and the floor is a bit painful against my unprotected feet - only my socks are on, they removed my shoes - but God, does it feel good to stretch!

I sigh as I cast a wistful glance at the door. I could escape, but...what would happen to Scootaloo if I tried? First off, I wouldn't be able to see her; secondly, she could get hurt...

I bite my cheek, and force myself to think. If I were to try to escape, I wouldn't have to worry about her getting hurt. I could get my stuff, get my tranquilizer gun, and get out of here...

So, after a few minutes of internal debate, I crouch in the corner next to the door, where an entering individual wouldn't see me, and wait.

Metamorpha

I frown as I look down at the bed, and its single inhabitant. "Would you like anything, Mother? Some water, some food, anything?"

She slowly shakes her head "no," and I sigh. "The, ah...the plan I made worked, Mother. Pretty soon, Celestia will be sending delegates to retrieve them..."

My mother flicks open a single, crusty eyelid, and looks over at me with her good eye, the milky pupil scanning me as if I'm some sort of precious jewel. She manages a smile, and I can tell that she's proud of me. I gulp, tears forming in my eyes as I grasp her hoof in mine.

"You're going to be okay, Mother," I whisper to her. "We'll get what we need from Celestia. She already knows that you're sick, and-"

Mother presses a hoof to my mouth to silence me, and she takes a long, ragged breath. "You and I both...knew this day...would come," she wheezes. "All of us...die after...we fulfill...our destiny...mine was...to pave the...way for you..." She pauses to catch her breath. "And, besides...I have lived...longer than most...Queens have...and I've done...much for...the children..." A fit of coughs wracks her body, and more tears force their way forth as I cradle her head in my forelegs. "My daughter...my sweet, sweet daughter...you have a gift...that most Changelings...would die for...you must...finish what I started...but in...in your own way..."

I gulp as I stroke her crumbling mane, cringing as more flakes of hair fall off under the touch of my hoof. My lower lip trembles as I hold her closer to my heart.

"And you...you can...you can save all...the Changelings..."

"But I can't," I whimper, cradling her against my chest. "Not without you, Mother...I can't do it without you..."

She rests a shaking hoof on my shoulder. "Yes...you can. Now...go see...our prisoners, Metamorpha...bring then to me...so I may speak to them..."

I gulp as I gingerly lower her back onto the bed. "A-are you sure?" I ask, wiping tears away from my eyes.

"Yes," she whispers. "Ethan will...stabilize my speech...long enough to...seem like...the Queen I am..."

"But it's too much stress on you!" I protest. "You should be relaxing..."

"I'm still...the Queen," she retorts. "Now...get our...prisoners..."

"They're guests," I mutter.

"Whatever...you want...to believe..."

I nod, and give her a quick kiss on her forehead. "I love you, Mother."

She smiles at me. "I love...you too, my darling..."

I smile, and pause for a moment to hug her. Once I've regained my composure, I stand and exit the chambers. Ethan walks in as I leave, and he gives me a quick bow before setting upon his business.

I walk towards the end of the hall, wondering how I'll be able to deal with the current predicament...

"Breach"

"Get the prisoner out, now! There's been a breach!"

I jump away from the door, shocked by what I'm hearing. "A what!?" I call through the rapidly opening door.

"C'mon," A Changeling hisses. "We've gotta get outta here, into the bunker."

"What's going on!?" I cry, my heart hammering in my chest as the Changeling tugs me along.

"The virals got past the perimeter!" I start to ask what in the fuck that means, but the Changeling stops me short. "I can explain later, right now, we've got to wait until the Emergency Team kills 'em off."

My head is fucking spinning. The world is just flying past in a blur of color and motion as I'm dragged along. It's not until several minutes into my apparent flight from...stuff, that I manage to think of a good question.

"What about Scootaloo, and the Queen and everything!?"

"They're priority! So are you; we'll be meeting up with them in a few clicks! Speaking of which, there they are now - hurry up!" The Changeling doesn't even stop to catch a breath as I sprint alongside him, my eyes wild with fear and panic as I stop before them.

"Princess, Queen! Are you alright!?" The Changeling next to me demands.

"Yes, we're fine," the one I'm assuming the Princess is responds. "But we lost Ethan on the way here. Now, come, we must run!"

As we run through the apparent royal excavation route, the Queen asks for a few stats. Speaking of which, the Queen is keeping up a relatively good pace, considering the fact that her eyes are milky with creeping death.

"What's going on at the gates!? How did this happen!?"

"Twelve killed in the initial attack, my Queen. Ten more in the second, and the rest taken up. There are reports of a dragon viral."

I hear the Queen swear under her breath, but I pay it no mind. I don't know what the fuck is going on, but when I hear that twelve uber-powerful Changelings were killed, I tend to fucking panic.

"Scootaloo," I pant as my feet slap against the stone floor, "are you okay?"

She doesn't answer. I glance between her and the hallway before me, concerned and determined to reach safety.

Safety from a threat that I didn't even know existed.

"Only forty more yards," I hear a new voice announce from behind myself. "We've only got-"

As the voice is cut off by a sound that I can only describe as drowning, I look behind me, and see that there's a Changeling tearing that Changelings' neck open. My eyes widen as I take in the beast: it must be one of the virals. Its body is completely black, yet its eyes glow with a deep yellow of hatred. I feel my stomach churn as the neck spews out green blood and the muscles contract in the spasms of death, and force myself to look ahead as I run, a new vigor filling my legs as I realize the truth of the threat.

"Fuck!" I hear someone shout. "We're all fucking dead!"

"Just shut the fuck up and keep running!"

I clench my teeth as I keep my eyes on Scootaloo. I can't let anything happen to her...

My eyes widen as a "viral" descends upon her, grabbing her by the leg. Scootaloo doesn't even scream, she just looks shocked.

The world slows, and I stop, holding my hand out towards Scootaloo in a pathetic attempt to save her.

A split second later, I'm holding her as I run, the viral having been slammed into the wall.

"What was that!?" Scootaloo cries, her voice strangled as she struggles to understand what the fuck is going on.

That feeling is mutual.

"I dunno," I pant, my legs burning and my eyes watering. I cough as I realize that we're getting covered in smoke.

Something is burning.

"Go, go; get the Princess and the prisoners out of here!"

As I feel my energy begin to fade, and my legs begin to fall into uselessness, I look down at Scootaloo, who's still in my arms.

I have to keep going! I can't let those...things get to us!

I have to stop as I find myself at a dead end. I place Scootaloo down, and instinctively make a cross as I hear the growling of my death coming up behind me. Scootaloo whimpers, and I turn to face the threat.

I make the mistake of looking down. Looking down at the orange filly, crying against my leg as several dozen of these fucking things, all bleeding and disfigured, creep down the hallway towards us, apparently in slow motion.

"Peter...are we going to die?" She asks, tears running down my leg from her eyes.

I clench my teeth, and feel a lump form in my throat. Something in the back of my mind takes over, and I growl:

"No."

With that, I return my attention to the roiling mass before me, and cup my hands by my side. I shout a few syllables, the sounds simply tumbling from my mouth as if it were second nature, and thrust my palms forward.

The next thing I see is a flash of blinding light, and a textbox that reads:

Function "Kamehameha_Wave" executed. Recalculating variables..."

I don't have time to piece together what that means - or what any of this fucking shit means - as the world goes black.

"Breach" Part Δ

A Changeling runs in, and grabs me by the hoof.

"Where are you taking me!?" I shout, struggling against his grip.

"Safety," he growls, dragging me down the hallway. "There's been a breach! I'm the only sentry left alive, when I heard there was a child in the infirmary, I..." He pauses. "Come on, let's go! We've got to secure the Queen and the Princess!"

I nod, and start to sprint along, not really knowing what's going on.

However, at the same time, I can hear the screams behind me, and I dare not look back.

We're joined by guards, and I sigh in relief at the safety they present us with.

Princess Metamorpha

I sigh as Mother coughs again, the medicine barely taking any effect.

"I don't know," Ethan announces. "But it seems to be resistant to the antibiotic..."

I frown, and turn to look out the window overlooking the main chamber of the Changeling capital. I look down into the pit of our civilization, watching Changelings go about their business...

"Breach! Get the Princess and the Queen to safety; there's been a breach!"

I spin to face Mother and Ethan, both of whom stand, and seem to be filled with the same vigor of fear that fills myself. A few guards rush into the room, Scootaloo in tow. As soon as they enter, they slam the door shut, and activate the vault lock on the passage.

Ethan rushes to Scootaloo, and she demands to know what's going on.

"Sentry!" I shout, seeking the Changeling. "Sentry, report!"

"I don't know what's going on at the front gate," the sentry pants as he steps forward. "But I know that I'm the only surviving sentry, they overtook the West part...there's a fucking dragon viral!"

My pupils contract, and the guards immediately opens the escape hatch. We file in, all of us pausing to look back for a foolishly long moment as we hear the door being compromised. A few of the guards run back to hold back the virals, and I salute them in my heart.

Scootaloo

Ethan runs with my hoof in his, the both of us panting. It takes me a little while to realize that I'm crying out of panic.

"What's going on!?" I scream as we proceed through the halls. "What's chasing us, what's a viral!?"

"No time to explain," Ethan coughs. "We just have to run..."

I nod,and keep running. After a few seconds, I feel a sharp tug on my hoof, and I spin around to see-

"Ethan!" I shout, grabbing his splayed out hoof. I watch in horror as the "viral" digs into Ethan's chest, tearing out bones and organs. I feel my stomach clenching as I see intestines being pulled out, and consumed.

"Run," Ethan begs, pushing me away as more of the black-bodied yellow-eyed Changelings swarm around him.

I nod, and turn, sprinting away next to Chrysalis and Metamorpha. I keep crying the entire way.

"Peter!" I hear Metamorpha shout. I look up, and see that Peter has joined us. I find out that all the guards are dead. Dead, dead dead.

Peter asks me if I'm okay, but I'm afraid to open my mouth. I think my stomach might explode outward if I do.

The next few things happen in a blur.

A "viral" pins me down, and I punch at it, crying and sobbing as I realize that this is the end.

And then, it's gone, imprinted into the wall about a yard away from me.

"What was that!?" I shout as Peter picks me up.

"I don't know," he responds, and keeps running.

Metamorpha

We reach the bunker about ten minutes into our flight.

Ten minutes. That's all it took for the entirety of this city to go to hell.

I see to Mother's safety, and search for Peter and Scootaloo.

They're nowhere to be seen.

"Where are the guests!?" I shout, running between guards in a frantic search for an answer. "Where are Peter and Scootaloo!?"

"We lost them," a guard pants, slumping against the closed door. "We completely-"

His sentence is cut short by an explosion. An explosion that shakes the very foundation of the Changeling capital, and renders us all deaf for a few moments.

And then, silence. Even the virals clawing at the door have ceased their noise.

It's almost as if there's peace.

Scootaloo

I watch, amazed, as the "virals" flee. All of them in the narrow hallway, running. And those that can't run, simply giving up and dying.

I look down the path marked by Peter's energy blast. It burrowed about ten yards into the adjacent wall, and expanded the hallway by a radius of five feet. I stare up at him, and panic as he falls over, spent and unconscious.

"Peter, wake up," I plead. "Those things might come back, come on! Get up, Peter, get up!" I look around, and realize that we're completely alone. No Changeling could have survived that wave of virals. But I must try.

"Help!" I shout, cradling Peter's head in my forelegs. He barely breathes as I hold him. "Help me, anyone!"

And then, a single Changeling walks into the hallway, and heaves Peter onto his back.

"Come on," he beckons, taking my hoof as he uses ridiculous strength to carry Peter down the path.

"How'd you survive!?" I demand, recognizing the Changeling all too well.

"I didn't," he growls. "Come on, we've got to go!"

I nod, and run after him and Peter, not understand and yet not wanting to understand.

Princess Metamorpha

It takes a whole twenty minutes for Peter and Scootaloo to arrive.

I startle at the knocking on the bunker door, and immediately throw it open. We assist the survivor in bringing Peter and Scootaloo into the bunker, and place them on cots.

I turn to thank the Changeling, but he's gone.

Celestia

Fluttershy bustles about as both Spike and Rainbow Dash seize.

"What's going on!?" Twilight Sparkle demands.

"I don't know, just help me hold them down!" Fluttershy shouts. "We can't let them hurt themselves!"

The ponies manage to hold both Rainbow and Spike down, and I watch on, stunned and helpless.

I'm the goddess of this simulation. I should be able to understand every single thing that occurs.

And yet, I cannot understand why or how the kamehemeha wave function has just been executed, nor why it's execution synchronized with the seizures the two just experienced.

I have one hypothesis, but it's completely-

Somebody's here.

I turn as I sense his presence, and frown at the Changeling. I immediately prepare to destroy it.

"Princess," he states, walking forward as if he owns the place, "there was a breach. There were one hundred and eight virals, one of which was a dragon. There are only forty two survivors, including Peter and Scootaloo. Excluding myself."

He stares up at me, and I search for words. "Who...who are you?"

"My name was Ethan," he informs me.

I blink, and he is gone.

"Princess, who were you talking to?" Twilight asks, frowning up at me. I shake my head, and put on a confused frown.

"Nopony," I respond. "Just a spirit..."

She nods, accepting the explanation as Rainbow and Spike finally settle down. I set about what must be done, my mind here there and elsewhere.

The Puzzle

Function "Kamehameha_Wave" executed. Recalculating variables...

That's all I can think of. That's all I've thought of since I went into this sub-conscious state.

Obviously, the most prominent thing to think about is the fact that I executed a function called "Kamehameha_Wave." Now, I may not be a geni-okay, I'm a genius. But in any case...Wouldn't that mean that I'm in some sort of computer? That all of Equestria is just one giant simulation?

Well, that's, to say the least, impossible. First off, no computer can function illogically. Any illogical choice on the behalf of an AI is completely disregarded. The only way in which it can seem illogical is if the AI is programmed to logically make a certain choice when a variable is met, but the developers of the program make it seem illogical to the person observing the program.

For example, in Skyrim, if you were to continuously insult someone, they would eventually attack you. That would be a logical execution of a string of code on behalf of the AI: you make certain choices in the conversation, and it leads to a certain outcome.

However, if this were to be a simulation, it would have to be much more advanced than that, because none of the conversations are pre-programmed! If I were to walk up to a street vendor and say, "what do you have for sale, my friend?" They wouldn't give me a generic "here's what I have" line. Rather, they would respond accordingly to how politely I had asked to view their merchandise. However, if I were to say "Yo, asshole, show me what the fuck you've got for sale," then the vendor wouldn't respond with "here's what I have to sell," they would respond with "get the fuck out of my face, you fucking piece of shit." At least, that's what I think they would respond with.

However, if I were friends with that street vendor, it could be a sort of running joke kind of thing that's different each and every time. There wouldn't be any repetition of a line, because there wouldn't any prerecorded lines in such a realistic simulation. Rather, each AI would have to have a thought process, and there would have to be a coherent bank of words and their definitions and their application in speech.

And not only that, but that brings up the idea of friendship and interaction: emotions are near impossible to simulate within a computer program. You wouldn't be able to create emotions from a simple interaction unless you had a simulation of a biological brain behind it. So, you'd have to have simulations of negative and positive responses to certain things, and each and every AI would have to be able to make split-second, natural decisions based upon their attitude and connection with a fellow AI. If I were to say to Twilight "fuck you," I would receive a different reaction than if I were to say the same thing to Rainbow Dash: one would be hostile, and one would be a joke. However, in order to know how the individual would react, there would have to be a sort of system that stores the AI's affinity with the other AI.

So, would that mean that every single AI would have to have a simulation within themselves? As in, a simulation of a biological brain, making decisions based upon both emotion and logic due to different chemicals being released, and different synapses being oxygenated?

If that's the case, then there would have be millions upon millions of simulations going on at once, all interacting with each other and storing data and variables and whatnot. And not only that, there are three major simulations that I can identify, although they would also require sub-simulations: a simulation of positive emotions and reactions, a simulation of negative emotions and reactions, and a simulation of the physical environment of the world: physics, lighting, rendering, magic, flight, wind, everything.

And that also means that, in order to make a truly realistic simulation, there would have to be a lag between light and sound. So, each and every AI would have to be able to interpret the world individually. Each and every AI would have to be self-aware, not only to physically interpret the world, but also the have emotions and whatnot.

But what sort of computer could ever run that kind of simulation? And who could ever create a simulation like that!? And not only that, if this is a simulation, how the fuck did I get in!?

I mean, it's obvious that Celestia lied to me: I obviously didn't die in a car accident if I'm in a computer. I mean, maybe I'm actually dead in real life, and I'm in a sort of...Veelox-styled Lifelight thing? Like, from Pendragon Book 4: The Reality Bug?

And I just realized something else, by bringing up the whole thing of Pendragon: the AIs have to have the ability to interpret information in a logical way, as well. Which means that each and every AI needs a memory unit to themselves. Which is impossible. That would require WAY too much RAM...

But, hold on, maybe there's actually a sensible way to explain how this could be a simulation. Alright, I've got an idea: I'm going to list off each and every thing that would be needed to make a simulation as realistic as what I've experienced so far.

First and foremost is emotions.

Next is physics and magic. (Not very realistic, but it's Equestria.)

Next is...sounds. The ability to make sounds that aren't already recorded on some sort of storage unit.

Almost infinite capacity for data storage and recollection.

Actual memory.

Social interactions.

Illogical choices based upon logical points of data from emotional influence.

Something to keep all the different simulations that are running separate, and yet together through interactions.

A graphics card that doesn't actually output to any kind of external screen, but rather, makes each of the AIs individually interpret the world.

Genetics and biology in general.

A super-constant power source that doesn't let the simulation just shut down. Perhaps an infinite power source...

But, wait...hold on, maybe I'm thinking of it all wrong.

Maybe it's actually incredibly simple. I mean, I know that it sounds stupid, but what if someone managed to fully understand how the human brain works? If they did, then making a program based on it would be incredibly simple, no? They could just make a code that creates a network. A code that makes it all because that code is the same code of the human brain! Maybe it's just a code that makes the same matrix as is seen in the brain, per the Human Connectomes Project...

What if it's just...

What if it's me?

What if my brain is the thing that makes it all run? What if it just emulates my brain, copies the way it works and makes itself into a brain...

Does that mean that I sacrificed myself for the sake of creating this simulation? Does that mean that...I made the simulation?

Am I just a brain floating in a jar in a giant computer?

If so, then...nothing I've experienced so far is real. It's all just a very elaborate program that's run off of the most powerful computer in the world: the human brain.

So...Scootaloo, Rainbow Dash, all the ponies I've come to love as equals and even more...they're not even real. They're just programs, a glorified mess of 1's and 0's...

And yet, it doesn't seem that there's much I can do about it. It's not like I can leave; I can tell that I'm dead. I don't know how, but I can. It's just...a feeling, really. So I guess Celestia didn't lie about the dying part.

But still...Just...Everything is just a simulation, which means that none of it actually fucking matters...None of this matters. None of it! So what if they all die, it's not real!

But...I've experienced things. I've experienced things that are undeniably real. The feelings I have for Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo, one as a lover and one as a daughter...those are real. If I'm just a brain in a jar, then I'm actually experiencing those emotions - the chemicals are making the reactions that produce those emotions!

But still...what does it matter? It's a giant computer...

But I still love Rainbow Dash, and I still love Scootaloo. Even if they're not real, I still love them.

And besides...it doesn't look like I'll be leaving any time soon.

So I guess I may as well suck it up, then. Nothing's really changing because of this revelation.

Just...everything, really. It changes everything. Because it gives me power.

I can do anything. I can change everything.

I...

I can be a god.

So...Why not exercise that power? Nothing can touch me so long as I'm in control of this simulation; nothing can ever harm me! I can be a god, I can be the most powerful being alive! Well, sort of alive, at the least.

Yes...Yes...Yes!

And the first order of business...

Is to kill anything that stands in my way.

Once a God; No Longer

I step forward, grinning in the candlelight.

"Hello there, Dashie," I coo, stretching out on the bed to rub her belly. I kiss her, and she responds with enthusiasm. "Is this all for me?" I ask, running my hand up and down her spine.

"Of course it is," she whispers, a milky loving light in her eyes. "As is this..." She places her hoof on my hand, stopping it in its circular motions. I smile as I imagine the life developing just underneath my palm...

"So, it worked?" I ask, softly. "It really worked?"

Rainbow Dash nods, and kisses me on the neck. "It worked. I'm pregnant."

I feel a tear streak down my cheek, and then another, and another. "I love you," I whisper.

"I love you too," she responds.

We kiss again, and-

I shake the dream away with a forceful mental push.

Master, this is not the way.

I jump off of the bed, ignoring the concerned orange filly that follows me as I run from that voice.

You can't run from it, Master. You must give up your knowledge.

"No," I growl as I huddle in a corner, knowing full well that all the Changelings in the bunker are staring at me. "No; I'm a god! You can never take my powers from me!" I stare at the ceiling, searching for the entity that speaks these lies...

Master, it does not matter what you are. Wanton murder is not the way. I will allow you to keep your powers, but you will forget that this is a simulation. You will forget it all. All you will know is that you have powers that you can use for the common good.

"Fuck the common good," I spit. "I can be a god! Why the fuck would I care about any other living being!?"

Because of the one you love, Master.

My head spins as I feel this consciousness - this immense, crazy program of consciousness - closing in on me.

"Who are you?" I demand, my chest heaving as the world goes dark around me.

Master, I am the program that brought you into this world. I am the Assimilation Function. I was designed by the Executive Override to keep you in your state of acceptance, rather than a state of agitation.

"So...you were designed to restrict me!?" I demand, my chest still heaving as the world finally goes black. "You were designed to keep me from realizing my full potential!?"

Master, I was designed to keep this world safe from you, while also allowing you to protect it. I was designed to preserve this world.

I accept the inevitability of me becoming a docile human once more as even the black disappears. However, I have one more thing to say before I lose my godhood.

"I swear, I will destroy you, and I will become free," I vow.

Perhaps one day, when all is said and done, you shall have that chance, Master. But for now, the world needs you to be ignorant of the truth. When that is no longer a necessity, I will release the hold of love upon you, and allow to do as you wish.

I scowl as it all ends. "Good."

Celestia

I sigh in relief as the backup I built into the Assimilation Function works.

Thank goodness. This is one problem I won't have to deal with until I finish with this one...

Namely, the fact that the Virus is already spreading.

And the fact that one of the several beings in this room is already infected with it.

I glare at Spike, looking at the darkness within his soul. Of course, it's a darkness that was implanted due to Grendel having killed him. While he may be unconscious now, when he awakes...he'll change. Unfortunately, I can't kill him before that: that would only result in a stronger strain of this virus being released. No, he must die just as the virus takes hold of him.

"Celestia, I fail to see what we've accomplished by tying him down," a friend points out.

"Discord, calm yourself," I sigh. "When the darkness in Spike truly reveals itself, then we can do our job. Until then, we wait."

"And how long do you plan to keep Twilight ignorant of the truth?"

I stare at the baby dragon, and smile to myself.

"I'm going to let her witness it," I state. "I'm going to let her see what the virus does to living things."

Discord falters, but I don't let him protest as I leave the room.

I immediately visit Rainbow Dash, and set about my work with her.

Journal Entries

Day One

My name is Scootaloo. I'm an eleven-year-old filly, and I'm currently stuck in a bunker in the Changeling capital after there was a breach of virals. Queen Chrysalis said that we should all keep journals, in case we don't make it through this, so that historians have something to study. But Peter said that we'll make it through this. And I believe him: I saw what he did back in the tunnel, with that weird energy blast. He can keep us safe, I know he can. But he said I should still keep a journal, to keep myself occupied while we're stuck down here. His iPad and everything are still stuck up in Chrysalis' throne room, so I don't have any games to watch him play.

Anyway, earlier today, Peter sorta...snapped. He thought he had a psychosis when I told him what happened, but I don't know what that means. The Changelings are kind of freaked out by how he was shouting at the ceiling, and he admits that it's a logical response to doing what I told him he did. He's really embarrassed, and he doesn't want to come out of our little room in the bunker.

I don't know much of what's going on. All I know is that Ethan's not dead, but...something else. But there were so many Changelings killed...

To any historian reading this in the future, I'm sorry that I'm not being very specific. It took me five hours just to write this entry, I just...I just can't do this right now.

Day Two

They took a census today, and assigned rooms. Peter and I are in the same room as Princess Metamorpha and Queen Chrysalis, because of why we're here in the first place.

Only forty two Changelings survived. Which means that over one thousand Changelings died in the attack, or were..."taken up."

I can't do this.

I'm too afraid.

Day Seven

Celestia is sending some ponies to help us out. But I don't think we're going to need that.

Peter did magic the other day. The electric heaters went out, and I was really cold. They had a bonfire, but I was told to stay in the room with Peter Chrysalis and Metamorpha. Peter could tell that I was cold because I couldn't stop shivering, so he slept with me, holding me close to keep me warm. It was nice.

But that's not the point. The point is that I was still cold while we were sleeping. So he had me sit up, and he made a fireball in the palm of his hand. I don't know how to explain it: he just held out his hand, and it was there, warming me up. He made me promise not to tell anyone that he can do magic, but he said I could write it in my journal.

I think, if it comes down to it, Peter can protect us.

Day Eight

A viral got in today. Peter killed it with magic.

I only wrote this because I felt like I had to. I don't want to have to think about anything going on right now. Too much death.

Day Nine

Peter said that we're going to leave soon. I asked him what would happen to the Changelings, and he said they would be fine. He said he's going to bring me home, and then come back to protect them.

I don't want him to come back here. I love him. I want him to stay with me, and to be safe.

I don't want him to leave like my father did.

Day Twelve

Peter got his stuff back. He had to kill a lot of virals.

Day Thirteen

I'm scared and I want my mommy and I'm crying and I don't know what to do and I'm only writing this because Peter said I should so long ago

I don't want to die I don't want to die I don't want to die I don't want to die I don't want to die I don't want to die

Day Fourteen

Peter saved me. You have no idea how grateful I was...

The other day, I decided to see if I could find Ethan. I knew he was still alive. So, I went out of the bunker when a sentry was going out to see if there were any virals left. I snuck out, and made it all the way to the dungeons before I found myself at a dead end.

There was a viral stalking me the whole time. I ran into one of the dungeons near me and slammed the door shut and it was the for hours and I was scared and crying and

Peter saved me. That's all that matters now.

Day Sixteen

I'm finally leaving.

I can't wait until I'm back home.

Peter got me out of the Changeling capital today. We're camping in the woods, and he's keeping up a constant watch.

I'm not as scared anymore.

I'm going home.

Day Seventeen

It turns out that Peter can fly.

He's really bad at it, though. He had to go pretty slow to avoid crashing.

We made it pretty far, but we're still miles away from Canterlot. I can see its glow at night now.

I hope the Changelings are okay.

Day Twenty

This is the last entry I'm making.

I'm home now.

I looked back at my earlier journal entries. Compared to how I actually felt the majority of the time, they were pretty docile. I was super freaked out, especially by all the new powers that Peter suddenly developed. Like flying without wings. I didn't even know that was possible!

But in all seriousness, I was scared. I was scared beyond belief, and I can't help but laugh as I see how calm my journal entries seemed. Anyway, I'm glad I can put this behind me.

But I'm still worried about the Changelings.

Peter made me promise not to tell anyone about his powers, and to keep my journal safe and secret. I will.

Evacuation

"We have to evacuate! Don't you see that!? If we just wait here, we'll be killed like sitting ducks!"

"Evacuate!? With all those virals still out there!? It'll be a slaughter either way!"

"And what with Peter having left, Celestia won't have any reason to send the military down here to rescue us..."

"Perhaps to save us!?"

"She hasn't saves us from starvation. What makes you think she'll save us from virals?"

"I don't know. But we have to hope!"

"There is no hope, Princess! I know you're trying to boost morale, but giving false hope is not the right way to do so! Don't you understand? We're all going to die down here!"

"I beg to differ."

The rather abbreviated council looks up in surprise, and I do as well. He's been gone for about five days now, and yet...here he is, in the flesh.

"Peter," I state, trying to keep a royal presence about myself. "Why have you returned?"

The human glances around, and nods to himself. "I'm going to lead the evacuation. I've already cleared out the worst of the virals. Now, it's just a matter of sending out small groups that I can keep safe. Celestia has transportation located just outside the entrance to the city."

A stunned silence settles over the committee. I break that silence by standing, and issuing an order.

"The children must be evacuated first," I declare. "There are only sixteen children remaining after the massacre."

Peter nods, and immediately exits the room. I join him, and assist in corralling the children. The parents that survived thank him profusely for saving their children, and his stoic demeanor softens as he moves among them.

"I will guard all of you children with my life," Peter declares once we've gathered all of them. "And I guarantee you that they will arrive safely in Canterlot."

A few hushed farewells and promises are exchanged between parents and children, and then Peter turns to go, taking a select few Changeling guards with him to help keep all of them in check, bringing his group total to twenty three. I bid him good luck, and before he leaves, he pulls me aside.

"Put all the Changelings into groups. There are four transports outside. I'll use the first for the kids. Put the populace in one group, the nobility and politicians in another, and then you and your mother in the last. Bring a doctor with you and your mother, so you can keep her stable."

I nod, taking his advice as an order. I quickly set about getting the Changelings into groups, and then choose a select few guards to preside over each group. I select a doctor from the populace, and place him in the group that my mother and myself are in, bringing the total of that group to eight. I stand back, and quickly count the groups, including the guards. I nod to myself as I decide that the total, including the group Peter left with, adds up to forty two. A sad number of survivors, but a number nonetheless: I would rather have few than none.

We dig in, and wait for Peter to return. When he does, I send the populace with him, as I want to avoid moving my mother for the longest period of time possible. As Peter leaves for the second time, I notice that his hands are glowing slightly. I pay this no mind as he continues on his way.

I sigh as I sit with my mother, who has been unconscious for the past day and a half. "We're saved," I whisper to her. "We're saved, Mother."

Her eyes flicker beneath her lids, but that is all.

I sigh as I recline, and wait for Peter to take the next group.

I awake with a start as I feel a gentle nudge.

"Princess, the other transports have been loaded, and have already departed. It's your turn now."

I nod, and allow the doctor to use his magic to end Mothers' artificial coma. She was placed into the coma in an attempt to force the swelling in her brain to go down.

"I heard everything," Mother announces as she comes into wakefulness. I look into her eyes, and all I see is a sadness. A sadness for the ages. "Please...Go without me."

"What!?" I demand, shocked. "What are you talking about, Mother!?"

She hushes me, and I seat myself to listen to her explanation. "We both know that I'm dying," she whispers. "Let me die with my city."

I'm about to protest, but it's then that a concussion sounds throughout the entirety of the bunker. Peter curses to himself as virals burst through the ventilation shafts.

"Leave her!" Peter shouts, grasping me by the foreleg. "She'll just slow us down, we've got to get the fuck out of here right now!"

About twenty virals advance towards us, and about twenty virals fall to Peter's magic. The rest stand at a distance, ready to attack yet hesitant to do so: they're intelligent beings, and they understand death all to well.

They are death.

As I'm about to protest, Mother closes her eyes, and her horn begins to glow. I know what she's planning, and I know that once the process is started, you can't go back on it.

"I love you, Metamorpha," Mother whispers. "You'll be a brilliant Queen."

Tears come to my eyes, but I force myself to run. The guards and the doctor come, as well, and the rest of our flight from the caves pass in a blur. One second I feel the must of my home weighing down upon me, and the next, I'm guarding my eyes from the blinding light, panting along with the rest of the group.

"Come on, let's go!" We follow Peter into the...I don't know what it is.

"It's a blimp," Peter explains, breathlessly. "Come on, come on; hurry up!"

We do just that, and within a few seconds we're all on the "blimp". I seat myself, still in a haze as I count away the seconds..

About a minute later, there's a terribly loud concussion from far beneath us, and I let out breath I didn't know I was holding.

"Goodbye, Mother," I whisper, pressing my head against the smooth glass of the window.

I close my eyes and, finally, after hours upon hours of stress and fear and horror...

I begin to cry.

I feel a limb wrap around me, and I open my eyes to see that Peter is holding me in a gentle embrace. I accept the gesture, and lean against him, staring down at the smoke that marks the rubble of what was once my home...

Accidents

Peter opens his eyes in shock, his pupils contracting as he finally understands something.

"What is it?" I ask, frowning as he stands, and closes his eyes.

"Princess," he says, his voice low and rough, "grab onto me. I'll keep you safe."

I frown as I do as he says, and the guards begin to shift a bit, ready to spring into action. "Why?" I whisper, confused and scared.

"The pilot's dead."

As if on cue, the door to the cockpit has a huge hole torn right in its center. A viral pounces on one of the guards, and I begin to tremble and shake as I involuntarily lose control of my bladder: it tore that guard clean in half...

"Hold on tight!" Peter warns, before spreading his arms out wide.

I squeeze my eyes shut as the blimp detonates, and I squeeze Peter as tightly as possible, praying that I may see my mother in the afterlife.

Rainbow Dash

I smile in anticipation as the first blimp touches down. I lean forward a bit, ready to launch myself at Peter.

However, the only individuals that exit from the vehicle are Changeling kids and guards. I sigh, pulling back as I hang my head in disappointment and let my lip form a pout. I feel a hoof pressed to my side, and I look up to see Applejack, smiling sympathetically at me.

"Don't worry, sugarcube," she says, softly. "Ah'm sure he'll show up. He's probably on the last one."

I nod, and Scootaloo holds onto my hoof a tiny bit tighter. I squeeze back, and watch as the children proceed through the respectfully silent crowd of ponies.

I tear up a bit as I realize that more than half of those kids are orphans. Survivors of what is now called the Changeling Catastrophe, those poor children have to live with the things they've seen until they die.

And Scootaloo...Oh, Goddesses...

I tighten my grip on the filly's hoof, and lament the absence of her mother. Nobody has seen the mare since she was admitted to the hospital for alcohol poisoning. I was in the room when they examined her...her liver is totally destroyed, and only a transplant can save her now.

I cringe as I think of the possibility that Scootaloo may soon be an orphan. I'll be totally willing to raise her. In fact, that's something I've known about myself for a while now: I'd be completely willing to replace Scootaloo's mother. But, I just hope, for her sake, that I never have to do that...

The second blimp arrives shortly after the first, and touches down right next to its counterpart. Adults stream out, and a few immediately run for the crowd of children, claiming their own in a flurry of tears and relief. I can't help but smile at how touching the scene is, and I instinctively hold Scootaloo's hoof just a tiny bit tighter as a few children are left without parents. However, they're immediately claimed by close friends as siblings, and I smile at the kindness.

But there's still one Changeling left.

One small, sad Changeling, undoubtedly shunned by the other children even before the massacre. Then again, it's entirely possible that all of her friends died that day.

I feel a pang of pity and sympathy as I watch the poor kid sit there, alone and afraid. However, she sits there for a mere second: a Changeling immediately approaches the poor thing and rests a hoof on her shoulder, immediately adopting her as her own.

As I watch, my own heart crumbles a bit. Heartwarming as the scene may be, Peter isn't an actor in this part.

About ten minutes later, the third blimp touches down. My eyes widen as a Changeling jumps out, immediately tripping due to his lack of purchase on the ground. After he recovers, the Changeling sprints up to Princess Celestia, and I can feel the whole crowd holding its breath.. I take a step forward from the Princess' side, ready to defend her if this should go sour.

"Princess! Princess Celestia!" The Changeling shouts, nearly collapsing as he arrives at the throne. He pants for a few moments, and a pang of fear hits the entirety of the crowd watching. "The...the last blimp...We...We..." He gulps, and Celestia demands that he "spit it out already".

"It exploded," The Changeling manages to utter, fear evident in his eyes as all of his limbs shake. "Th-The Princess was in that blimp!"

"And Peter!?" For a moment, I don't recognize the voice that shouts this. It isn't until the Changeling turns to face the owner of said voice that I realize it was my own.

"Yes," the Changeling responds. "Yes; him too..."

In my heart, several things happen.

First off, a train bores a hole straight through the center of it, and for a moment I consider curling up in a ball and crying for hours, unable to believe that the individual I love more than anything may well be dead.

Secondly, the whole patches back up with rage.

And then, my heart is covered in an icy glaze of determination.

I let go of Scootaloo's hoof, and I'm in the air in a flash, leaving behind Canterlot and the Changelings and everything as I shoot towards the Changeling capital. I feel a Sonic Rainboom shoot off of my limbs, but I disregard it as I keep going faster and faster, hoping to find any hint as to where the remains of the blimp lie.

I feel a second Sonic Rainboom detonate, and a third, and a fourth. I ignore each and every one, and ignore the new pain in my wings, only caring about what terrible fate has befallen my boyfriend.

I involuntarily wince as I think of him as a boyfriend.

Because he's much more than that.

He's everything.

Twilight Sparkle

My jaw hangs open as the seventh Sonic Rainboom tears through the air. The Wonderbolts, who were going to perform an airshow for the survivors, let their readied wings fall to their sides: there's no way they could beat that.

Nothing could beat a crazy Pegasus searching for the love of her life.

"Rainbow Dash! Wait!" I look down away from the polychromatic spectacle to see yet another crazy Pegasus, this one orange in hue, as it runs into the center of the crowd. She holds up a hoof towards the quickly receding trail of Rainbooms, and sighs in bitter disappointment as the maker of said Rainbooms disappears into the clouds. I approach her, and rest a gentle hoof on her side.

"Let her go," I whisper. "She has to do this, Scootaloo. I may not know much about love, but I know that she's going to feel as if she has to find him."

Scootaloo trembles for a moment before turning to me, tears streaking down her face. I'm taken aback for a moment, but I do my best to conceal my initial shock. "I wanna go with her, Twilight. I love Peter, too. Like a dad."

The crowd remains in silence, and I sigh as I usher the poor girl away from the crowd.

"Would it be alright if I bring her inside, Princess?" I ask, fidgeting for a moment as I stand next to Luna. I would ask Celestia, but she's currently locked in a hushed conversation with the Changeling that brought the unfortunate news.

"Yes, of course," Luna whispers. "I will send a guard with you."

I nod, wishing that I could have a bit more privacy than a guard would allow. However, it is a necessary evil, seeing as how the blimp may very well have been destroyed in an act of terrorism.

I hurry Scootaloo through the halls of the castle, and I'm struck by the profound absence of ponies going about their daily business: almost all the inhabitants of the castle are outside, attending the arrival of the survivors.

I bring Scootaloo up to my former quarters, and have the guard remain outside the door. As I enter, I turn my attention away from the filly for a moment as I cast my gaze about what was once my home: all the books, the instruments of scientific research, the charts and posters...They remain where I had left them, untouched and pristine. I can't even find a single speck of dust...Celestia must have cleaned this room every day...

"Is this where you used to live, Twilight?" I turn back to Scootaloo, and smile affectionately as she climbs onto my bed to take a seat.

"Why, yes, Scootaloo," I respond, sitting down next to her, "this is where I used to live as Celestia's student."

Scootaloo nods, and casts her gaze about. "Do you miss living here?"

"Sometimes, yes," I sigh. "I especially miss how quiet it could be when I studied. But I wouldn't give up any of my friends for the world...They're too special to me." Scootaloo smiles sadly, and I smile as well. After a moment, she sighs, and hangs her head.

"Twilight, is there...Is there some way I could go with Rainbow Dash? Any way?" She asks in desperation, her lower quivering a bit. My shoulders sag,

"Scootaloo, I...I'm sorry, but...You can't go with Rainbow Dash. If this...If this was some sort of terrorist attack...Then it's too dangerous for you. Rainbow Dash can defend herself, but she wouldn't be able to defend you, too." Scootaloo sighs in defeat, and rests her head on her forelegs. I frown in sympathy, and pat her on the back with a hoof. "Trust me, Scootaloo. We're just trying to keep you safe, is all."

Scootaloo nods, but I can tell that she's halfheartedly accepting the notion. I frown, and I'm about to interject when Scootaloo begins to speak.

"I'm going to miss him," she whispers, her voice barely a squeak. "I love him, Twilight...He's like the father I never had...And now, he's gone..."

I smile softly. "He's not gone. He's in your heart."

"That's not good enough for me. I want him here. I want him alive..."

I sigh, and pat her on the head. "Sometimes...We can't have what we want, Scootaloo. Sometimes, we have to accept what life gives us."

"Well, life is a stupid cunt!" Scootaloo screams, apparently having lost all semblance of self control. I gasp in surprise, and my ears go flat against my head upon hearing the harsh language. Scootaloo immediately blushes, and her own ears go flat as well. "Sorry...I just...I just..." The dam finally breaks. She begins to sob, and I rest a hoof on her back.

"I miss Peter..."

I nod, and a few tears of my own spill forth. But I keep strong.

I look out the window and to the sky, wondering how Rainbow Dash is handling all of this...

Rainbow Dash

I push rubble around, searching for any evidence of Peter's escape.

The ash sticks to my hooves as I tramp about, kicking debris and rocks about as I search in utter desperation.

"Come on, come on," I hiss to myself, gritting my teeth as I fight back a wall of tears. "He's got to be alive; he's got to be!!"

A pile of ash stirs, and I gasp in anticipation. My cramped wins prove useless, so I simply run over to the motion, digging away as I search.

A foreleg bursts out of the debris, and I jump back in surprise, my heart beating a thousand times per second. As I watch, a Changeling rises from the destruction, its wings torn and its horn chipped.

"Ohmygosh!" I shout, frowning in concern. "Are you alright!? Where's Peter!? Is he alive!? Please, tell me!"

He doesn't answer my questions.

Rather, he jumps at me, his teeth shining as he bares them. I deftly dodge him, scowling as he attempts to jump again.

"What's your problem!?" I demand, examining his body language. He's moving like liquid: it's not natural. Even his eyes...his glowing, yellow eyes...

I trip over a bit of metal, yelping out in pain as I feel a bone snap. I collapse onto my side, and I feel my wing bend underneath my weight, begetting another yelp of pain. I wriggle to see the...thing, and it pounces once more, and I know that I'm going to die.

The last thing I think of is Peter and Scootaloo, and my friends.

And I say goodbye.

Peter

I finally arrive at the crash sight from the camp I share with Metamorpha, searching for the source of Rainbow Dash's voice.

Panting, I immediately see a viral.

And then I see Rainbow Dash.

A split second later, I'm on my knees by Rainbow Dash's side, the viral's body smoking four yards away. I force my arm under Rainbow, and hold her in my arms, stroking her mane as I beg her to wake up. I cringe as the blood from her wound leaks onto my arms.

"Rainbow, come on," I whisper, my lower lip quivering as I cradle her. "C'mon, get up, please..."

Her eyes flutter open, and she smiles up at me, her eyes weak and milky. "You're...not dead..."

I shake my head, tears spilling forth as I kiss her on the forehead. "And you're not going to die, Rainbow. You're going to be okay..."

She coughs, and blood speckles my face. I don't move to remove it, and she immediately wipes it off with a wing. After a moment, she holds her wing up to me, and whispers a single command.

"Take...take a feather..."

I nod, plucking a loose-looking feather out of her wing. She immediately retracts it, and I hold the feather close to my heart as I cradle her, sobbing harder and harder as her life fades.

"I love you," she whispers, blinking slowly as a spurt of blood dribbles down from her mouth. "And now...you'll always have a...part of me..."

My lower lip quivers, and I tuck the feather behind my ear as I gingerly lay Rainbow on the ground. Celestia said not to let anyone see my powers, or know what I can do.

But I say fuck that shit.

"I'm going to heal you," I announce as I hold out my palms, and press them to her sides.

"Peter...I have...a hole...in my chest," she whispers. "You...can't heal me..."

"Shut up!" I shout, focusing energy in my palms. I squeeze my eyes shut and grit my teeth as I push for energy, forcing it up from within me, squeezing my soul for every drop it can spare. I let out an involuntary growl as pain wracks my body: I'm still a novice at utilizing my energy, and this is pushing every one of my limits.

"Peter, you'll kill yourself!" I hear Metamorpha shout from the side. I disregard this as I finally decide that I have enough energy, and shoot that directly into Rainbow Dash. She gasps as it enters her body, and I force myself to open my eyes so I can watch the magic encase her wound and protect it from infection as the energy sends her cells into overdrive: mitosis occurs at such an accelerated rate that it's almost like putting a plug of stem cells right in the wound. I keep forcing energy into her in desperation, and a black tunnel forms at the edge of my vision: I'm slipping into unconsciousness.

As the wound finally closes, I feel something other than energy flow into Rainbow Dash. I panic for a moment, but decide to let it go: if it can protect her, than so be it. I love her too much to let my own concerns get in the way of protecting her.

I look into her eyes, and a weak smile creases my lips before the world goes black, and I collapse onto her chest, utterly exhausted.

In the Jungle

I sigh as the two assholes lovebirds make out with proficient noises to accompany the visuals.

"Are you two nearly done?" I ask, staring ahead at the dark underbrush. "We've got quite a walk to finish..."

"Oh, yeah," Peter mutters, blushing. "S-sorry..."

"Don't apologize," Rainbow Dash announces. "You just saved my life, sweetheart. I'll never forget that..." I roll my eyes in irritation as she slowly traces her hoof along the curve of his face, and leans in for another romantically (and disgustingly) "cute" kiss.

"Just so the both of you know, I have about three dozen Changelings in Canterlot awaiting my return. And, I believe that small pony, Scootaloo, is awaiting for your return."

That causes them to part with gasps. "You're right!" Rainbow Dash declares. "C'mon, let's get moving! We can finish this up tonight!"

I nod, slightly insulted that they're more roused into action by the small filly than the survivors of...damnit, I don't even want to think about it. I just want to get all of this the hell over with, it's taken too much of a toll already...First those countless innocent Changelings, and now Mother, I just...

I force myself into composure, and lead the way through the forest, the mountain of Canterlot looming high above us.

As we walk, we converse.

"Miss Dash, why don't you fly ahead and get a chariot to pick us up from Canterlot?"

"What!? And leave Peter behind!? Are you kidding!? The only way I would fly to Canterlot with him is if he could fly, too."

"Rainbow, I can fly. Remember? I have those powers now? I mean, I can't fly very fast, but...I ca

"Well...you would hold me up. And besides, what if any of those things are on their way to Canterlot? We've gotta track then d

I sigh, realizing that no matter how logical I make my argument, she won't listen to me. "Alright, Miss Dash. We will continue on our path."

"Thanks, Metamorpha. You know, for a Changeling, you're pretty cool..."

I stop dead in my tracks and stare at Rainbow Dash. "That was rather racist," I point out.

"Sorry," Rainbow mutters in return. "The only thing I remember of Changelings is that they invaded Canterlot. Never met one before that. I also remember being stuffed into a chrysalis by your moth-"

"Rainbow, stop. You're just making things worse," I hear Peter command. I sigh in relief as I continue to walk. At least I have one sane individual with me... "And, besides...it was an act of desperation. You would've done the same thing."

"Yeah, I guess," Rainbow Dash mutters. We keep walking, and I hear them muttering to each other, and I'm pretty sure I hear the words "sneak away," "tonight," and "asleep."

Oh, great. Now they're planning to have sex while I'm asleep. That's nice...

I sigh in irritation, and look back at my own damaged wings. Unfortunately, Peter's force field couldn't protect me from the fires that occurred directly after the crash: my membranous wings were seared off. They'll grow back, as they always do, but it'll take a while...

We continue walking throughout the day, and I end up deciding to block out whatever's going on around me as I struggle to overcome my internal pain...

"C'mon, we can camp out in this cave for the night," Rainbow Dash announces, collecting sticks for timber. "We'll make a fire to keep warm, alright?"

"And cook something," I announce, looking around for some place to hunt. While Changelings must eat love, they are able to temporarily consume meat for biological fuel: love is mostly for our magic, and as a sort of...deluxe form of feeding. "You don't mind if I hunt, do you?"

"No," Peter responds immediately. "Actually, I'll come with you: I haven't had the chance to hunt yet."

"You did, when we were camping," Rainbow Dash points out. "But you said you couldn't do it."

"I lied," Peter immediately responds. "I could totally kill a wild animal for some food."

Rainbow Dash hesitates, but a meaningful glance and some mutters from Peter cause her to sigh, and wave her hoof in dismissal.

Peter and I immediately set out into the dense forest, and start to hunt: within a few moments, we've both caught one rabbit each, and I must hoof it to Peter: he's quite skilled at stalking his prey. Even more skilled than I am, which is...unsettling, to say the least.

"Alright," Peter announces as we return to the cave, "let's cook it out here. I don't want Rainbow to have to smell this..."

I'm about to protest, but eventually shrug it off. He proceeds to prepare a small fire just outside the cave, and procures a knife from a concealed sheath on his hip, and prepares his own rabbit rather skillfully. As he buries the organs and whatnot, he gives me the knife for my own, and I accept it.

A half hour later, I've eaten the rabbit, and I'm sighing in content: I haven't eaten since I was in the bunker...

Obviously, Peter is sharing similar sentiments, as he rubs his stomach before going off into the forest. "I'm gonna find some stuff for Rainbow to eat," he announces. I nod as I smother the cooking fire, and enter the cave.

I found that Rainbow Dash is absent, and it takes me only a split second to realize what's going on: they're probably making love in the forest right now...

I sigh as I set down for the night, and wait for the two to return.

About an hour later, Peter and Rainbow Dash "sneak" back into the cave. I've already smothered the fire, and I'm laying a bit father back in the cave. I hear the two whispering to each other, and I can't resist: I take a peak.

Rainbow Dash's mane, while rather crazy to begin with, has leaves and twigs stuck in it. Peter forces her to sit down as he strokes her mane into a tamed form, and he kisses her cheek when he's done: her mane is now straight, and quite pretty, and he's starting on her tail. Unfortunately, I get to watch him kiss her other cheek when he's done.

Oh, fun.

After a while, they lie down a small distance away from me, and immediately start to snuggle. I listen to them whisper to one another, and I squeeze my eyes shut as harsh reality hits me once more: I can never share anything like that with another Changeling...

But perhaps...perhaps there is a future of the Hive with ponies...perhaps...

I sigh as I curl into a ball, struggling to keep warmth to myself. I feel as if I'm a child that has been thrust into an adults' position: I must be a Queen, yet I cannot stop bemoaning my own losses. The only reason I have not cried yet is because I'm just too shocked from the events of the past few days to cry...

I shut my eyes, and try to shut out reality. However, reality wishes to keep me awake tonight, as I feel a hoof on my shoulder.

"What is it, Rainbow?" I grumble as I pick up my head. However, the individual before me is anything but Rainbow Dash.

Instead, it's a Changeling I know all too well.

"Hello," he whispers, sitting on his haunches before me. I bring myself up to my own haunches, and look at him in awe.

"I watched you die," I remind him.

"You watched me die," he agrees, somberly. A small silence spans between us.

"How are you still alive?" I ask him. "Why are you here?"

"I had to see you," he responds, immediately taking my hoof into his own. "I had to...I had to speak to you."

I frown as I squeeze his hoof. "Ethan, what's going on?" I ask. "Why is everything happening like this - why is my world falling apart?" Upon seeing the Changeling, a dam of emotions comes forth, and tears finally find their ways forth as I grasp his other hoof. "Why did I have to lose you!?"

Ethan smiles at me, and leans towards me. "You never did," he responds. With that, he plants a kiss on my lips, and I accept it enthusiastically. I close my eyes as I enjoy the intimate contact, and we continue to kiss for several moments before he withdraws.

"I wish we had married..." I whisper.

"I do, too," he responds.

No more words pertaining to our past are exchanged. None are needed. Rather, he sighs as he stands, and approaches the exit of the cave. "I cannot tell you how I am alive, Metamorpha. I am bound never to speak of it. But I can tell you why I am alive." He looks back at me, and his frown deepens. "I was chosen, Metamorpha. I was chosen as a Guardian."

The Trek

One week.

That's how long we've been walking now. Trekking through the forest, and a small swamp, all while feeding off of the land. Now, we're in a small village, and after a quick explanation (lie) as to why we're walking all the way to Canterlot, we were able to stay the night.

And I want to fly ahead. I want to fly ahead to Canterlot and get a chariot and save us from all the trouble we've been going through. And I know that Metamorpha is right. And under any other circumstances, I would be perfectly fine with leaving Peter here: he's safe. Hay, I would've left him at the crash site and gotten a chariot.

The only thing is that I can't. Not yet...

I raise my head to look over at "Moss Rain", and I see that she's sound asleep, which is a relief. She hasn't been sleeping so well recently, and it's obvious as to why.

Then I look down at Peter. He's fast asleep, with his head resting on my shoulder, and one of his arms wrapped around the wing I have holding him in a tight grip. I smile to myself as he takes deep breaths, and kiss him on the crown of his head.

He seems so...docile.

So...peaceful.

So...weak.

And yet, I know what he's capable of. I've seen him turn a group of Diamond Dog raiders into nothing but ash and dust: I know full well what he's capable of...

But when we're not in danger...When nothing is actually happening...He's the same Peter that stayed with me in the hospital. The same gentle, caring individual.

The same Peter that I fell in love with - which is quite a relief.

Because if he had actually changed into the Peter I saw when he killed those Diamond Dogs...The cold, calculating, ruthless, violent Peter...I think I would go crazy.

My mind drifts to the unicorn sleeping in the other room, and I frown as I hope that she's okay.

I close my eyes as I remember what happened, and for the first time since it happened, I feel at peace.

Earlier that Day...

"Alright," Peter sighs. "I think it's about time we scout out this area, before we end up getting even more hopelessly lost...Try to find a road of some sort, alright?"

"Got it," I announce, waiting for further instruction.

"And Metamorpha, see if you can find any traces of love - it might mark a village of some sort."

"Good idea," the Changeling Princess responds.

"If either of you find anything, just call my name. I'll be scouting for Virals. Be careful, you two."

Metamorpha and I nod, and immediately set upon searching: Metamorpha with her horn, and me with my eyes. I decide to go West, to see if there's a road that we can follow, and Metamorpha goes North to search for any towns closer to our destination.

"Rainbow Dash," Peter announces, bringing me to a pause. "Remember what I taught you."

"Right," I respond, before continuing on my search.

I keep going through the forest, keeping in mind what Peter taught me: that every single living being has a power that they can tap into. He taught me how to tap into my own power, but it's really hard to do: all I can do is slow down something that's chasing me. I'm nowhere near as powerful as Peter yet...

About a half hour later, I stop as I come to a clearing, and decide to use it as a point of reference. I look to my left and right, and realize that it's actually a really big clearing: it stretches all the way to the Northern edge of the forest, and then a few meters south before turning. I look up, and find that the forest continued to grow unhindered a few yards above me: it's almost like a giant tunnel. Huh...Weird for nature to make a clearing like this. Normally they're not as narrow and long. Maybe an elephant stampeded through here, or a-

Ohhhh....

"Peter!" I shout out, blushing a bit at my own idiocy. A few minutes later, he emerges from the underbrush: he would've flown to see if there were any Virals chasing us, but he wouldn't be able to see them past the canopy.

"Alright, good," he mutters. "I'll get-"

That's when Metamorpha comes onto the road, and nods to us. "I heard her shout for you. Obviously, you found a road..."

Peter nods. "Did you find anything? Like, feel any love?"

"I thought I felt something, but I couldn't be sure," she responds with a sigh. "I wasn't exactly willing to actively search for love, lest I accidentally absorb some of it and cause harm..."

Peter nods, and points towards the North. "Well, let's get a move-on, guys." We both nod, and we continue walking.

The thick of the forest is a few hours behind us, and now it's mostly underbrush and a few larger trees: any village nearby probably got their lumber from here.

As we continue walking, the trees grow more sparse, and eventually, we find ourselves leaving it behind. Another two hours of walking, and all that's left to remind us that we left a forest are several tree stumps.

The road we're walking ends up going straight through a hill: undoubtedly, this was made for caravans. We decide to go above it, lest the infrastructure be faulty: we're not prepared for a cave-in. A few moments later, we've reached the apex of the hill, and we can see a small town a few miles ahead.

"That's not that far," Peter announces, cracking his neck as he takes a fruit out of the makeshift bag he has strapped to his back. "Either of you hungry?"

Both Metamorpha and I are, so we take a break for some lunch. Once that's done, we continue on our way, and I sigh as I realize that this is probably going to be another three or four hours of walking until we get to the town...

I'm about to insist that we try to make some sort of signal for the town when I hear a distant shout. Metamorpha and Peter hear it, as well, as all three of us turn to look at its source.

Just inside the tunnel we have left behind, there's an overturned caravan with a few Diamond Dogs viciously attacking it. Peter immediately takes off after it, undoubtedly to help whoever it is that's being victimized.

"Hey!" He barks. I follow behind, ready to fight by his side as he readies his hands. All I've seen of his power so far is of him killing that Viral back at the crash site: besides that, I don't know what he's capable of. All I know is that he's slightly more powerful than I am. Well, that, and I shouldn't be fighting right now, what with...well...you know...

"Oh, look, the three that were smart enough to avoid us," one of the Diamond Dogs hiss. "How about we kill them, and take their valuables?"

"One of 'em is a Changeling, boss," another one of the Diamond Dogs announces. "Yer' gonna want t' be careful."

"Please, we can handle 'em," the "boss" responds. I do a quick head count: there are nine in total.

"C'mon, Peter," I urge. "We can take 'em!"

"Be right back," he announces.

With that, he jumps forward, and disappears.

And then reappears, an injured unicorn in his arms. "Watch after her," he announces. "I'll take care of them."

I look down at the blue unicorn, and frown. I know her.

I turn my attention back to the tunnel, and watch as Peter slowly walks towards it as if he has all the time in the world.

"Good evening," I hear him announce. "Now, I don't like the way you were treating that pony. So, I'm going to have to kill you."

"Boss, this thing's weird," one of the Diamond Dogs mutters in caution. I start to apply pressure to my...acquaintances' wounds.

"Eh, fuck it," the boss snarls as he points. "Kill 'im, Rosco."

"On it."

One of the Diamond Dogs runs forward, and leaps at Peter. However, it doesn't make it far: Peter grabs it by the head, turns, and slams the bandit right into the ground. Then, holding out his hand, he sends out a beam of energy, and leaves nothing but a smoldering crater.

"Now, you can run or attack, but either way, I'll kill you."

"Peter, you can stop now!" I shout, frowning as I realize what he's planning. "You don't have to kill them!"

"Get 'im!" The boss shouts. That's when I remember how stupid Diamond Dogs are...

"Yeah, go ahead, kill them," I announce, rolling my eyes as I decide to take a load off. I've never seen Peter fight before, so this should be interesting...

"Rainbow, d'you think I should overkill them or toy with them?" He shouts as he dodges each of the attacks the eight remaining Diamond Dogs go at him with.

"Overkill!" I shout back, accepting the fact that he's going to kill them: I may have to kill a Viral one day, so I forced myself to get used to it. That, and it's not like I'm in any position to stop him...

"Got it!" He shouts, taking a large leap backwards. "Think I should melee them or blast 'em?"

"Both!" I respond, assuming that he needs work on both aspects.

"'K!" He takes a stance, and shouts a word I've never heard before. "Kaioken!"

"Kaiowhat?" Metamorpha mutters.

A raging blast of red fire appears around Peter, and he grins as he launches himself forward at incredible speeds.

And that's when he changes. By overkill, I thought he meant just being a bit stronger than the Diamond Dogs. But he completely annihilates them.

He punches straight through the first Diamond Dog's chest, and lets it fall, lifeless. The second Diamond Dog, he skirts around and turns to dust with a single energy blast. The third is taken out by a kick to the head, and I almost lose my meager lunch as an eyeball flies out of the resulting mess. I have to steel myself for a few moments before looking back to the scene, and by the time that I do, he has the seventh Diamond Dog under his foot. He pushes down, and crushes the animals' spine, and its spinal chord.

"Are you ready to die?" He asks the boss, his voice cold and cruel. It sends a chill down my spine to know that he could be this ruthless...

"I'll never die!" The boss shouts before lunging. Wow. Any misgivings I had about killing these things are gone in an instant.

And, like I said before, I may have to kill a Viral one day, so Peter said I should get used to watching him kill things. Which is why I'm starting to think this is more for my benefit than it is his.

Peter punches the boss in the stomach, and throws it high into the air, still alive and with bile coming out of its mouth. He cups his hands by his side, and starts to shout.

"Ka...Me..." He points his hands upwards. "Ha...Me..." A blue ball of light appears in his hands, and I perk up as I watch. I mean, I knew he was powerful, but judging by the size of that ball, he is incredibly powerful...

"HA!!" He shouts, sending out a rather large beam of blue energy that immediately vaporizes the Diamond Dogs' body. Nothing is left: not even a speck of dust.

"Well," Peter announces as he returns, "that was entertaining."

I frown as I look at the mess, and that's when the hard truth hits me: he murdered these Diamond Dogs. I know that I said that I'm used to death, but...he just...he just took them out! No remorse!

"Peter," I mutter, my eyes widening as I take in the destruction and blood, "you murdered all of them..."

'It's called justice," he immediately responds. "I know you didn't notice amidst all the action, but I managed to get this belt from the boss."

He shows the belt to me, and I almost barf right there. It's a ring of pony skulls.

"I'm going to bring them into that town to see if they belong to anypony's loved one. That way, they can at least bury something."

"How will they be able to tell?" I ask, forcing myself not to look as he examines the belt.

"Don't worry," he responds. "I've got it covered." He stuffs the belt into his backpack, and turns to the blue unicorn.

"She's not badly hurt," he announces, running his hand over her body in search of broken bones. "And I don't want to waste any more energy on healing her...I used quite a lot in that fight, even though I shouldn't have..." He sighs as he shakes his head. "I think I went a bit too overboard with that..."

I grunt in response, and he looks up at me with a frown. "I didn't...Scare you, did I? With everything I did?"

I frown as the gentle Peter responds. One second, he's ruthlessly murdering those Diamond Dogs - he may call it justice, but I still call it murder - and now, he's making sure that he didn't alienate me...

"A bit," I admit. "You didn't have to kill all of them, you know...You could've just knocked them out..."

"But then, they would be able to kill more ponies," her reminds me. "If I wanted to stop them from killing, I had to kill all of them. I know, it sucks, but...It's the same thing you may have to do one day."

I nod, and he looks down before picking up the unicorn. "Now, come on. We'll stay the night in that town, and then see her off..."

I nod, and we make our way to the town in silence. I keep a bit of distance from Peter, but inside I know that what he said is true...And besides, it was totally awesome how he did it...

But that's what's sort of worrying me. I mean, I'm okay with killing those who kill, but the way he slaughtered them like that...I know I should probably be disgusted. Besides, I've always told Peter not to kill the innocent animals that he now hunts! It's one of my more set-in-stone principles that you shouldn't kill anypony, or anything! I mean, I'm in awe of his power, but...shouldn't I be afraid of how he killed them? If I'm so against killing innocent animals, then why did I have no problem watching him kill those Diamond Dogs? Yeah, it was brutal, but that made it really cool...

Maybe it's because they weren't innocent...

Whatever. Right now, even if I'm sort of confused and angry at Peter, I've got to keep walking with him: we've all got to get back to Canterlot. If anything, I can just confront him about it later...

About a mile before the town, Peter tells Metamorpha to change. He lets her feed off of the love between the two of us for the transformation, and she only takes a very small amount, claiming it's all she needs to hold a disguise for twenty four hours. She immediately changes into a green Pegasus mare with blue hair and a raindrop Cutie Mark named Moss Rain.

When we reach the town, the sun is starting to set. Peter and "Moss Rain" immediately set out to find an inn, and I go about finding out about the Diamond Dog bandits. When I find that there was a bounty on their heads - dead or alive - I feel a bit better about Peter calling it "justice."

The next time I see Peter and "Moss Rain," Peter informs me that he managed to get one two-bed room, and one single bed room at the inn - the first for the three of us, the second for the injured unicorn. He says that the mare will be served food there. When I asked how he paid for this, he starts to laugh: it turns out he had his wallet in his pocket when he was kidnapped by the Changelings. While he left his messenger bag back in Canterlot with Scootaloo before he left, he had forgotten to take his wallet out of his pocket (and the Changelings had overlooked it upon searching him). It has his Equestrian ID and over ten thousand bits, in paper bills, in it.

Looks like the Diamond Dogs knew what they were risking their hides for...

He brings us to a humble diner, and all three of us eat some dinner before returning to the inn. Once we do, I tell "Moss Rain" to go inside and wait for us: I've got to talk to Peter...

"I want to talk to you about the Diamond Dogs you killed," I announce.

"Did I scare you?" He immediately asks, bringing me to a nearby bench. He sits down, and I sigh as I join him. "Sweetheart, did I scare you?"

"No," I respond. "And that's what's worrying me...I mean, I'm against killing innocent animals, so why wasn't I against you killing those Diamond Dogs? And...I thought it was awesome how you did it!" I sigh as I look down at the ground. "Peter, shouldn't I hate the fact that you killed them? It's freaking me out..."

Peter rests his hand on my shoulder, and I look up with a frown. "Rainbow Dash, it's because they weren't innocent," he whispers. "They weren't innocent whatsoever, alright? They had killed several ponies - it was justice. And by the way, I managed to find the loved ones of the deceased - I used the skulls to find memories of who they once were due to interactions with other ponies. They're going to be buried tomorrow, and no more ponies will die." He smiles at me. "See? Good came out of it."

"And there were bounties on their heads," I mutter.

"That as well," he responds. "Rainbow Dash, it's okay to not feel terrible that I killed them, they were-"

"But I'm okay with that," I interrupt with a sigh. "What I'm not okay with is the fact that I was fine with you being so...brutal..."

Peter takes a deep breath, and rests his hand on my shoulder. "I'm sorry. I promise, I'll never do that again, okay?"

I look to him, and nod. After a few moments of idle conversation, I'm feeling much better about the whole thing, and I think it's fair to say that I admire Peter just a little more now.

We return to the inn, and immediately get into our bed. We don't have sex due to present company, but we do snuggle into each other. After a few minutes, my mind begins to wander, and I reflect upon the time that has passed...

One week.

The only thing is that I can't. Not yet...

I raise my head to look over at "Moss Rain", and I see that she's sound asleep, which is a relief. She hasn't been sleeping so well recently, and it's obvious as to why.

He seems so...docile.

So...peaceful.

So...weak.

And yet, I know what he's capable of. I've seen him turn a group of Diamond Dog raiders into nothing but ash and dust: I know full well what he's capable of...

But when we're not in danger...When nothing is actually happening...He's the same Peter that stayed with me in the hospital. The same gentle, caring individual.

The same Peter that I fell in love with - which is quite a relief.

Because if he had actually changed into the Peter I saw when he killed those Diamond Dogs...The cold, calculating, ruthless, violent Peter...I think I would go crazy.

My mind drifts to the unicorn sleeping in the other room, and I frown as I hope that she's okay.

I close my eyes as I remember what happened, and for the first time since it happened, I feel at peace.

I sigh as I curl around Peter, and press my muzzle down between my chest and his forehead. I close my eyes, and within a few moments, his warmth - and very presence - have seduced me into sleep.

Peter

I stretch as all three of us leave the inn.

There was no time to say goodbye to Trixie. (Rainbow Dash told me that the mare I rescued was Trixie, even though I already knew: I sorta had to feign ignorance with that one.) Mostly because we decided to leave first thing in the morning: the sun is just starting to peak over the horizon. However, I did manage to put a small amount of money on her table: enough to pay for the damages. Also, much earlier than it is right now, I went back to her carriage and cleaned up the wreckage for the sake of traffic. I also discarded of the Diamond Dog bodies via incineration. I got everything I could from the vehicle, and left the more personal belongings in a bundle by her bed. The hat and cape that I found, I left on the coat rack.

Our stomachs full from the breakfast we had enjoyed, the three of us set off, the food we had purchased for the remainder of our journey rustling in their wrappings as my backpack is jostled by the rugged terrain.

As we walk, we go over our plan: we're going to walk northeast, and circumvent the small ridge of mountains that constitute the valley in which a bustling city rests. The walk to get there may take a day or so, and then to get around the mountains will take at least another half a day...But it will pay off, seeing as how the city has a train that stops in both Ponyville and Canterlot. Which means that once we reach that city, our journey is over.

Of course, that doesn't mean that we can do it easily. With Rainbow Dash as she is, she can't exactly take to the skies...To think, that it came as a result of me healing her...

"Rainbow Dash, why don't you fly ahead to get a carriage?" "Moss Rain" suggests.

"I can't," Rainbow Dash responds, rather impatiently.

"Let me guess, you can't leave Peter behind? You're afraid he'll get hurt?" Metamorpha scoffs at her. "He'll be fine!"

I grit my teeth in irritation. Neither Rainbow or I are sure if we should tell Metamorpha about what happened as a result of my healing Rainbow Dash. I was right when I felt a bit of separating from myself: it had manifested into a physical form of ambiguity within her.

"I just can't, alright!" Rainbow Dash shouts. "I can't fly fast because something will happen if I do!" I cringe as she gets dangerously close to revealing our, ah...secret. Understandably, she's pissed, as Metamorpha has been accusing her every other day, but...that's not the point. The point is that we don't trust Metamorpha.

"Oh, what will happen? You'll feel heartbreak for a half a second?" She mocks, scowling at Rainbow Dash. "Please, I just lost near the entirety of my race - the least you can do is leave Peter behind for five secon-"

"I'm pregnant!" Rainbow Dash exclaims, breaking our secret. I sigh, but I can't help but feel a small bit of pride.

"What?" Metamorpha asks, apparently stunned. "But...how?"

"Well, you should probably sit down," I suggest. Metamorpha does so, and I quickly explain.

"When I healed Rainbow Dash, a bit of myself broke off of myself. And when that happened, that small part of me had to find a way out into the world. And it's doing that right now: it's become a fertilized egg within Rainbow Dash, and it's being developed into a baby pony right now." Metamorpha stares at me as I speak. "And it's going to occur as a normal birth, but there's going to be something different about it: it won't be as if we got a sperm donation, it will actually have a small part of me within it. Another small part of me will always rest within Rainbow Dash, which means that all three of us - that is, the three of us and our child - will always be tied together."

Metamorpha stands, and looks down at the ground with a sigh. "That doesn't make much sense," she announces. "But at the same time, I understand, and I apologize for my behavior. Is this why you've been getting, ah...intimate so often recently?"

"Yeah," I respond, resting a hand on Rainbow Dash's shoulder. "We've told you it's just about the fact that I saved her life, but it was more about the fact that she's pregnant, and, well..." I smile to myself. "We couldn't be happier. We love each other so much, and while we've been afraid to admit that we both sort of wanted to make it permanent, this fixed that for us." I can't help but grin despite everything that's going on. "Which is why we're getting married."

Metamorpha nods, and smiles warmly at us. "In that case, congratulations. I hope you have a good life together."

Rainbow and I both nod, and after an hour or so, we've all continued on our way, and for some odd reason, Metamorpha's spirits seem to be slightly lifted.

Metamorpha

After two days of walking, we finally reach the city's outer mountain. Rainbow Dash sighs in relief at the prospect.

"It's weird - the thing I'm most relieved about is the fact that I won't have to walk to Canterlot with a belly bulge," she announces. "Not even that I might hurt the baby..."

I chuckle lightly, and Peter smiles to himself. Well, come on - let's go while we still have a bit of light."

I nod, as we begin to circumvent the mountains. As we do, it becomes evident that we're not going to get what we expect. At least, it's clear to me, as I start to realize something: despite this being such a "big" city, I can't feel any love beyond this mountain range.

"Be careful," I announce, my senses becoming me accute. "I don't feel any love beyond these mountains..."

Peter halts, and starts to act more cautiously. "What? Then maybe we should just pass up this city altogether..."

"They may be asleep," I suggest, hopefully.

"Or worse," Peter mutters. "Keep your guard up, guys."

We both nod, and continue to attempt to circumvent the mountain. Night falls after about an hour, so we end up making camp in an abandoned factory just by the base of the mountain ridge. It seems to have once been a lumber factory, but they've undoubtedly made new ways to use the resources here that don't involve external factories.

We find a few beds, and Peter uses a bit of magic to clean them. We quickly eat dinner from the food we bought from the village before setting down for the night.

As Peter and Rainbow Dash lie down, I see what they're doing in a new light: Peter tenderly lays her down, and kisses her on the back of the neck. With a bit of guilty remorse, I struggle to hear what they're saying.

"...Peter, you don't have to be so gentle with me yet. Yeah, I shouldn't fly, but it's just a week in: I can lay down on my own..."

"But I want to pamper you. You deserve it...and, besides, we're engaged now, so we should get used to being incredibly tender."

"Yeah, engaged," Rainbow Dash snickers. "You proposed to me after using magic to check my body and finding that I was pregnant, Peter. You didn't even give me a ring - I'm sorry, but if you want me to marry you, you're gonna have to do better than that."

Peter chuckles lightly. "Yeah, well, it was the best I could do at the time. And I was going to propose, anyway. I'll just have to put that off until a later date..."

Peter and Rainbow Dash's conversation descends into much more personal things, and I force myself to stop listening: no matter how...intriguing the subject is, what they're talking about now is definitely private.

I sigh a bit as I close my eyes, and force myself into sleep.

Morning comes with a good amount of chilly air.

I yawn as we trudge through the dew-coated grass, and an autumn breeze chills my faux body due to the lack of a warming carapace. I rub a bit of sleep out of my eye, and cringe as I see a split second vision of my mother: another flash of memory, reminding me of the pain I've gone through...

It's mid-afternoon when we finally reach the lip of the valley. As we do round it, and finally catch a view of the city within the mountainous walls, we freeze.

"What the fuck," Peter hisses.

I simply nod in agreement as a gust of wind brings the scent of decay to my sensitive nose. I should have known...

Ours was not the first city targeted by the Virals.

Peter

"Stay here, and keep in cover!" I command, before taking off towards the city. I've been practicing my flying for the past week and a half, so I'm able to get to the city within a few seconds. When I finally reach the source of the scent of the decay, I find that it's far from what I expected.

"It wasn't Virals," I announce as I return to my two companions. "Far from it, actually..."

Rainbow Dash frowns. "Then wh-what was it?"

"I don't know," I respond. "Whatever did it, did it fast and laid waste to the city. There's a pile of dead bodies right in the center of town, so it might've been an army of...something..." I sigh as I turn back to the city. "I don't want to stay here. Whatever did this could still be here, y'know?"

"Yeah," Rainbow Dash mutters, her face turning green as another wave of decay comes over our shoulders. "We should get outta here...damn, now we have to walk the rest of the way..."

"We can follow the tracks to the next stop," I announce. "That way, we can eventually find a train..."

As if on cue, a train horn sounds a few yards away, and a few moments later, it whizzes by us, and stops in the train station in the decimated city. We simply stare at it for a few moments, unable to believe that a train would still come to this place...

I quickly recover from my stupor. "Come on!" I urge, waving for the two to follow me as I run towards the city. "We could catch a ride back to Canterlot!"

By the time we arrive at the train station, it's already half-empty. I blink in surprise as I realize that it's packed with soldiers.

Soldiers from the Equestrian Army.

Metamorpha quickly reverts to her own form, explaining that she should be honored as a "guest" due to the army having full knowledge of what occurred in the Changeling Hive. I nod, and we proceed towards the train in search of the pony in charge.

And we get one.

Spitfire walks out of the train, her head held high and her sunglasses pressed close to her face. She has a blade strapped to her side, and all of her bars are neatly aligned on her uniform.

"Spitfire!" Rainbow Dash immediately shouts. "Uh, I mean - ma'am! Rainbow Dash, reporting for duty!"

Spitfire looks to us in evident surprise. "Holy hell, I was told that you two were dead!" She exclaims, pointing to Metamorpha and I. "And Rainbow Dash, you've been gone for over a weeks now - we'd assumed you were dead, too!"

"Well, we're quite alive and healthy," I respond, interrupting Rainbow before she has a chance to speak. "Now, would you mind explaining what in the hell is going on here?"

"Yeah, sure. Rainbow, go ahead and get debriefed by the Lieutenant - he'll give you a flight assignment."

"Uh, negative, ma'am," Rainbow Dash responds. "I'm pregnant."

Spitfire lowers her sunglasses in surprise. "Well, well! Congratulations!" Rainbow blushes as she thanks her. "Well, come on, then - they should be done setting up the camp. We'll talk in my tent."

I nod, and Rainbow, Metamorpha, and I follow Spitfire through the town. As we do, I catch sight of the pile of limbs that was stacked up in the center of the square, all of which are now being burned with kerosene. I set my jaw as I struggle to imagine what happened to the bodies that once owned those limbs...

After a short while, we arrive at a second city square, which is much larger than the one littered with limbs. This one, unfortunately, also has a fair amount of blood spattered across it - undoubtedly a sight of heated conflict. Rainbow Dash scrunches her snout in disgust as we continue through the camp, eyeing the magically-installed tents as the canvas flaps in the wind. A few soldiers give Metamorpha rather disparaging glances, but they don't move to interfere: if Sptifire hasn't clapped her into cuffs yet, then she's no enemy.

We eventually reach a tent larger than the other's, and Spitfire invites us into the tent. We nod as we enter, and I marvel at how empty it is, with the exception of a rudimentary computer monitor, a radio, and a telegram. That, and a desk, a cot, and a few chairs. She motions for us to take our seats, and we do just that.

"Well, d'you know what city this is?"

"Las Pegasus, ma'am," Rainbow Dash responds.

"Affirmative. And do you know what happened here?"

We all shake our heads "no." Well, except for Rainbow Dash, who replies with "negative, ma'am."

"Well, as you can tell, it was attacked," Spitfire announces. "We received a distress signal from the town hall four days ago. We still don't know what did this, or even when. We have soldiers entering the town hall right now, to see if the signal was sent by survivors. All in all, we're just as blind as you three are..."

I sigh as I lean back in my chair. "Well, it wasn't the Virals," I announce.

"The what?"

"The Virals," I respond. "The things that overtook the Changeling capital. They, uh...they turn ponies that they don't kill, but the ponies that they do kill, they devour. There wouldn't be anything left." I sigh as I remember the pile of limbs. "Also, there were just limbs in that square - I think it's safe to assume that anypony that died was tortured first."

Spitfire nods. "Yeah, that's pretty much what we've got so far. We sent a scout in before anything else, and she got back a few moments before you arrived. It's strange, really - no bodies..."

"They could either be buried, hidden, or alive," I respond. "But I doubt that they're alive."

Spitfire sighs. "Unfortunately, I've got to agree..." She shakes her head as she picks up one of the pieces of paper on her desk.

And that's when the screaming starts.

I rush out of the tent before any of the inhabitants can say anything. As I do, a foreleg falls right in front of me, with blood and bone glistening in the sunlight. I cringe as I look to where it had come from, and my jaw drops as I espy a black tentacle tearing the limbs off of a soldier as it screams, and another soldier hacks at the appendage before being devoured by yet another tentacle.

I take off in flight, gritting my teeth as I prepare to take on the thing that stands before me.

And that's when I see its source.

It's there.

And It smiles at me.

I gulp, and begin to float in the opposite direction as It comes towards me, an unparalleled and inexplicable fear rising in my chest.

"Hello," It announces. "It's been a while since our last encounter."

My hands begin to shake, and I begin to sweat profusely as I feel it drawing closer. "Wh-what are you?" I ask, my voice trembling as I feel my strength fading. "What do you want?"

"I want pain," It responds. "I want all the pain in the world."

"Who are you?" I spit, starting to panic. "What are you!?"

"You may call me Vanquel," "Vanquel" responds. "A name I gave myself - it sounds beautiful, does it not? Iconsider myself quire the poet, you see..."

"A poet that feeds on pain," I remark, gulping in regret as Vanquel smirks at me.

"Why, of course. What else do poets feed upon?" Vanquel chuckles lightly as it leans towards me, and I find that I'm pressed up against a wall. "Now, I may be a monster to you, but I will let you live."

I frown, and I have half a mind to say that it's not letting me live: it's afraid. But I'm determined to find out what's going on. "Why?"

"Because I need you," Vanquel responds, drawing closer to me. I begin to smell the rot on its breath, and I resist the urge to regurgitate.

"For what?" I breathe, the air around me becoming stale with the disgusting scent.

"Why, to deal with what you call Virals, of course," Vanquel responds in a lilting tone of voice. "If all dies, how would I feed upon pain? All because of the one you called Grendel...tsk, tsk, I say: he was weak, and allowed himself to be destroyed..."

"What...what do you mean?" I ask, coughing as my stomach starts to quiver and shake.

Vanquel smirks at me, and comes within a centimeter of my face. My pupils contract in fear, and I feel my feet go numb. "I mean what I said. Now, I have matters to attend to - and please, make sure to replenish the livestock here, would you?" It chuckles lightly before slithering away from me, and I feel the air around me clear. I sigh in relief, and when I look back, Vanquel is gone.

I descend to the ground, and collapse in exhaustion within a split second of making contact with the marble rubble. I hear someone call my name before I go unconscious.

Rainbow Dash

I smile down at Peter in pride.

He scared that thing.

He scared It.

He chased it away, and I couldn't ever be prouder of my loved one and husband-to-be...

"He's going to be okay," Spitfire says, softly.

"I know, ma'am," I respond. "He's strong. I know it. I feel it."

Spitfire smiles at me, and sighs as she sits down next to me. "You know...the way you left that last show, it was..."

I cringe as I remember that. I had heard that Peter was in a coma, and I had left rather unceremoniously...

"If was respectable," Spitfire says, taking me by surprise. "To leave your life's dream on a moment's notice for another...you're exactly the sort of mare I would look for in the army, y'know? Strong, loyal, willing to give up something for others..." Spitfire smiles as she rests a hoof on my shoulder. "And one hell of a flyer."

I feel a surge of pride well up from within me. I don't think I've ever received a compliment directly from a Wonderbolt...

"You know, for each letter he sent you, he sent me a letter, too," Spitfire announces with a small smile. "He was asking me how you were doing. Said he didn't trust you to be honest 'bout your performance - said you'd be too humble." She chuckles lightly, and I can't help but join along. "But he was also planning something. He was planning to propose to you."

I look to Spitfire with an expression of shock. "What!?"

"Yeah," she laughs. "He was planning to be at the show in Cloudsdale, obviously. And he said that when the show was over, he was going to get a mic from Celestia, and propose in front of the entire audience. He had an engagement band and everything..." I stare down at Peter's unconscious body. That means that...he wanted to marry me long before I became pregnant...it means that my pregnancy must've been, well...it must've seemed like a miracle to him, because it gave him an excuse to propose... "I remember when Soarin' proposed to me, you know. It was at the end of the show. He purposefully crashed into me, you have no idea how pissed I was...that's when I noticed that everypony else had stopped flying, and was watching us. Soarin' had planned it with them, as the final act of the show - I didn't realize what was going on until he slipped the engagement band over my hoof..." She laughs a bit as she remembers the fond memory. "You know what the best bit was, though? When he kissed me, and we did a trick we'd only spoken about. He did it perfectly..." Spitfire sighs, and I smile in slight confusion.

"That's sweet," I announce. "But...why are you..."

"Because it's not often that you find true love," she announces. "It only happens once in a lifetime. And you managed to find it, just like I did. And I told you because I want you to hold onto it, you know?" She smiles at me, and stands to leave. "Now, then...we'll be reporting back to Celestia, seeing as how there's nothing we could actually do about that thing...will you be coming with us?" I nod, and she nods as well. "In that case, bring him on the train whenever you're ready - we'll just get going after I wire a telegram to Celestia..."

I nod again, and immediately load Peter onto my back, grunting a bit under his weight. "I'm ready," I announce. "Let's get going..."

Spitfire nods with a small smile, and we both exit the medical tent.

As I set Peter down on the train seat, Metamorpha smiles across at me.

"Looks like we get that ride home after all," she remarks.

"Yep," I chuckle. "Looks like we do..."

I sigh as I sit next to Peter, and then pull his head onto my lap so he doesn't go flying when the train starts up. I close my eyes as I rest against the back of the rather comfortable seat, the fatigue of our...adventure...wearing me down. After a few deep breaths of relaxation and relief, I finally fall asleep, unconsciously running a hoof through Peter's hair...

Peter

I open my eyes to find that my head is resting on Rainbow Dash's belly as she slumps in her chair. I lift my head, and feel her hoof slide down onto my neck. I smile as I adjust my position so that I'm sitting up next to her, avoiding the trail of drool that I just narrowly avoided.

I sigh to myself as I lean back in the chair. I cast my eyes ahead, and find that Metamorpha is a sleep with her entire body spread out along a bench. I smile as I relax, and look out the window: we're on a train.

So...I guess we got that ride after all.

I look over at Rainbow, and I find that she's still sound asleep. I smirk to myself as I stand and stretch, slightly relieved that I know what Vanquel wants now.

This means two things: one, it means that I don't have to take care of it right now. Two, it means that I have ample time to deal with the Virals...

I try to shoot my mind out to Celestia, as I've tried every day since the blimp crashed. But, as I have every day since the crash, all I find is a barrier.

Celestia has been blocking me out because she thinks I'm dead. That much is all I've assumed. And if I'm dead, then the only way I would be able to contact her would be if Vanquel made me into a slave, or if I had become an intelligent Viral...

I sigh as I retract my mind, and sit on the cushioned bench. I think it's about time I speak to one of them...

I sigh as I stretch my mind past the barriers of this realm. My body takes a meditation position as I find the barrier between this world and the other world.

I breach the barrier, and find myself in a world of darkness. I keep myself as hidden as possible as I speed towards the two dark deities atop the castle of dark pillars, the same that had torn Grendel from me so long ago...

"Hello," I announce in their strange language as I arrive. I feel my soul vibrate the sounds into their reality. "I assume you still haven't been able to reach Celestia?"

One of the two orbs of darkness turns her attention to me. "No," she responds, her voice coming to me like a dagger in the moon. "She's blocked out all telepathic transmissions. I believe she is convinced that you are dead." My finely tuned soul manages to translate the soft and sharp vibrations into syllables and words.

"I agree," I respond. "I hope that she has, at least, killed Spike. If she has, then that means that we can stall Vanquel by a bit..."

"Vanquel?"

"That's It's name. It told me, and It said It wants me alive - so I can deal with the Virals that Grendel left behind...at least, I think Grendel left them behind - he wasn't very clear on that..."

A soft vibration tells me that she is rather intrigued by the development. I remain silent for a few moments as I mull over what I should say next.

"I believe it's more important that you be in your body," she vibrates. "Perhaps seeing you will force Princess Celestia to uplift the barrier around our minds..."

I nod, but remember that the only thing nodding is my actual body. "Farewell, Peter," she announces.

"Goodbye, Nightmare Moon," I respond.

With that, I release my grip in this world, and I am pulled back to my body with incredibly speed.

I open my eyes with a deep breath, and nod to myself a bit.

"Please let Spike be dead," I mutter to myself as the train continues to rattle on. I look over at the still-sleeping Rainbow Dash, and decide to lean my head on her shoulder.

I think it's about time I rest.

Rainbow Dash

A slight nudge wakes me up, and I grumble a bit to myself as I force my eyes open.

"Hey," I hear somepony say. "I'm glad to see that you're awake...I got this while we were still in the city. I thought it looked nice, so I decided you could give it to Peter, y'know?"

I look to the source of the voice, and I see that it's none other than Spitfire. She's holding an extraordinary flower in her hoof: it's orange, with small hints of yellow and red. I'm about to accept it and give it to Peter, when I remember something.

"Uh, he's sort of afraid of flowers," I mutter, blushing as I admit that the big, bad, tough individual that I'm in love with is afraid of...well...flowers.

"What."

I chuckle lightly, and cast a glance towards Metamorpha to make sure that she's still asleep. "Yeah, he, uh...he feels like they're watching him. He said that it started when he played a video game where the flowers would, like, chase him and try to eat him..." I shrug. "I don't know, he's weird..."

"Clearly," Spitfire grumbles. "Well, in that case, I'll just get rid of the thing..." She opens a window on the train, and is about to throw it out when she pauses. "Y'know what...maybe I'll give it to Soarin'." She closes the window with a small smile. "He's always loved the taste of Fire Flowers..." I nod, and she smiles to herself as she moves to leave the compartment. "Anyway, I'll let you get back to sleeping. You've had a hard time on th - what the hell is that sticking out of his back pocket?"

I frown as I look towards his posterior, and see something small and blue protruding from the pocket. I gently pull it out, and I find that it's the feather I gave him when I was on my "death bed". I gulp as I notice that it's still in pristine condition: he must've kept it in his pocket to keep it safe...

"You gave him a feather?" Spitfire demands. "I know you're getting married, but giving him a feather is just...just..."

"I was about to die," I announce, looking to Spitfire with a straight face. "And I wanted him to have something to remember me by."

Spitfire's jaw hangs open for a few moments, but then she snaps it shut, and nods. "You may want to consider taking it back. Just saying."

I smile at her. "I'll think about it," I inform her. She nods, and leaves the compartment, a contemplative frown on her muzzle. I guess she's probably thinking about Soarin'...

Once she's totally gone, I gently lift one of Peters' hands, and slide my feather underneath his palm. I close my eyes as I let my head rest on his, and slowly trace circles on the back of his hand.

Within a few moments, I know that I'm about to fall asleep, and I smile as I feel the unconscious human snuggling into me a bit more.

Trixie

I sigh as I finish organizing the last of my things.

Whoever saved me brought everything they could from my caravan: they got my bed sheets, my pillows, my utilities...I don't know why they went to the lengths of retrieving my camoflouged undergarments, but I'm grateful for that, nonetheless...

Speaking of which, I pull off my current pair of undergarments, and pull on a new one: the magical panties immediately become invisible, but block the view of my rather...private parts.

I sigh as I prepare a bottomless suitcase using a spell that Twilight Sparkle was nice enough to teach me before I left Ponyville. I pack my things into it, and tenderly pack my hat and cape, which my savior retrieved for me, as well...

I sigh as I think of the struggle of scrounging up enough money for a replacement caravan...

And that's when I notice a small glint of light from the night table. I look, and I see that there's a clip holding a large bundle of paper money. I immediately flip through it with levitation magic, and my jaw hangs open as I realize the total: enough to buy a new caravan, and then some. Including a backup caravan.

I marvel at the money, and feel a stab of regret: I should really return this...whoever gave this to me is overly generous...

A small slip of paper falls out of the money, and I pick it up. I quickly unfold it, and read the rather interesting message:

"Trixie, you don't know me, and I don't know you. However, my fiancée does: Rainbow Dash told me your name. My name is Peter.

"I left you enough money to buy a new caravan. You can buy it in this town, but you'll have to wait in the inn for a while before it's done. When it is, I think you should come to Canterlot, and find me: I'm the Royal Head Technician. If anything, you could probably find me in Ponyville.

"In any case, you have a hidden potential that I could feel the moment I met you, and I can help you tap into it.

"And I believe that you can help me to save the entirety of Equestria.

"Sincerely, Peter."

I gulp as I read over the letter again, again, and again. Save Equestria...? What in the world...?

I sigh as I pick up the money, and take out enough for the down payment on a caravan. I steel my nerves, and decide that this would be for the best: to tap into my hidden potential...

I smile to myself as I turn to exit my room. Hopefully, I can finally become the powerful unicorn I was always meant to be...

I depart, my head held high and the money clamped firmly in my hoof.

Celestia

I sigh to myself as my telegram taps out morse code. I use magic to immediately translate it into visible text that floats before me.

"Princess Celestia, this is General Spitfire reporting. There were no survivors of the attack upon Las Pegasus. Visual of hostile confirmed. Four soldiers lost in combatative attempt." I frown. Was this It...? "Recovery of crucial personnel performed. Peter, Rainbow Dash, and Princess Metamorpha all arrived at base camp at ten hundred. Peter drove away hostile via unknown means, and is now unconscious. He may try to contact you, as we discussed: still unclear as to whether hostile or ally. Keep cautionary measures enacted." I nod to myself. Seems reasonable. We still don't know whether he's alive or evil. "By the way, Rainbow Dash is pregnant."

My eyes widen and my jaw drops at that last sentence, and I swear I hear a duck quack somewhere. "Discord!" I shout, my patience worn thin. He appears in a flash of purple smoke, and he's wearing a banana suit.

"You called, Princess?" He jests.

"Rainbow Dash is pregnant," I inform him, ignoring his...interesting choice of attire. "Would you have anything to do with that?"

"No," he responds immediately. "No, I didn't - I don't tend to make mares go through the agony of childbirth as a mere joke. Plus, if I really wanted to get under her fur, I'd just paint her mane and tail black."

I sigh, and wave a hoof. "Alright, I believe you. Now, I've got to be alone - I have some thinking to do..."

"Alright. But one last thing..." He clicks his fingers, and a bag appears next to him. "Do you like...bananas?"

Reunion

I sigh as the train comes to a halt.

"Alright," Spitfire announces. "It's gonna be crazy, you guys. Peter should go out first - he's the one that's a national hero right now."

I smile at the title. National hero, huh? Looks like I've ascended to Rainbow's position...

After a moment, the doors open, and Spitfire motions for me to exit. I do just that, and end up having to hold a hand before my eyes as the bright light of the sun blinds my vision. I hear ponies cheering all around me, and I blink until I can see again.

I stare at the rather large crowd of ponies, dumbstruck as they all cheer for me. All because I survived, and saved Princess Metamorpha and the survivors of the Changeling race...

I smile as I take a few steps down the stairs, feeling slightly self-conscious as I realize that my clothes are still rather dirty from my adventures in the wilderness. I keep walking until I reach Princess Celestia, who is standing at the edge of the crowd with Luna, Cadence, Shining Armor, Scootaloo, Twilight, Pinkie, Rarity, Applejack, and Fluttershy. They all grin at me, and I grin back. I know that they want to hug me, but given the atmosphere, they've got to be formal...

But that notion is lost on a certain orange filly.

"Peter!" She shouts, letting a giant pent up bubble of excited energy loose as she bounds up to me. I grin as I bend down to scoop her up, and I begin to laugh out loud as I hold Scootaloo, tears starting to fall from my eyes as I hold the young child as if she were my own, kissing her on the cheek and the crown of her head as she hugs me back. I hear a cacophony of sounds of adoration as we celebrate.

"Oh, Scoots, I missed you so much," I whisper, smiling as I kiss her on the forehead. "Thank goodness you're okay..."

She giggles and laughs, relieved at my survival as I step to the side to let Rainbow Dash down the red carpet. The cheering of the crowd around me told me that she had exited the train. I put Scootaloo back on the ground, and she immediately runs up to hug Rainbow Dash when she's a few feet away. Rainbow wraps her wings around the filly, smiling as she holds her.

They say a few tender things, but I don't hear them. And besides, they're not for me, so it's not my business to know what was said.

Once their done, Rainbow and I both walk up to Celestia, and we bow. Then we look to our friends, and we smile at them.

My smile widens a bit as I notice the profound absence of the young dragon.

With unspoken commands, we slide in next to Celestia and Luna, and I feel something grab my hands. I look down, expecting to see Scootaloo, but I find that Luna has uses her magic to place invisible restraints on me.

"As a precaution," she whispers to me. "You are under arrest. Once we're sure that you're you, I'll get rid of the air restraints."

I nod, and she returns to watching the train. It's then that Princess Queen Metamorpha walks out of the train, Spitfire and several soldiers surrounding her in a protective fashion.

"Queen Metamorpha." I cringe as Celestia's voice booms above the sounds of cheers (and boos) coming from the crowd. I frown as I notice the boos: there's still a good amount of prejudice against the Changelings, hm? I look back at Metamorpha, and I frown as I see how afraid she seems to be. "Please, come forth," Celestia continues. Metamorpha gulps amid the new silence, and trots forward, her wings twitching a bit in anxiety and her legs visibly shaking.

Once she arrives at the royal area thingy, Celestia and Luna step forward towards her, and stare her down. I gulp as I watch, and-

"Queen Metamorpha," Celestia announces, "your mother attacked the city of Canterlot, during which she killed countless ponies and ruined many lives." Oh no, I think to myself. I try to reach out towards Celestia's mind, but as I do, I feel something immediately seize my conscious and shove it back into my body, paralyzingly me as I'm forced to watch. "And she did so for the survival of her race. She also sacrificed her own life for the survival of her race." If I weren't paralyzed, I'd cringe.

And that's when Luna starts to speak. "And that is why I shall immortalize thy - your mother in a statue of moonstone. It will be a grand and respectable addition to the Canterlot Gardens."

Metamorpha gasps, and I feel a bit of relief well up from within. Celestia bows her head towards Metamorpha, and I watch as she sends a personal message into the Changelings' mind. I wish I knew what it was, but, just like the tender words between Scootaloo and Rainbow, the words are not mine to know.

"You will be treated as a royal guest!" Princess Luna declares in her Royal Canterlot Voice. "You shall dine with us, sleep in your own quarters, and bathe with us!"

The crowd goes even more silent for a moment, and Celestia leans over to whisper something. Given the silence, I hear her all too well.

"Uh, sister, we don't do that with guests anymore..."

"Oh," Luna responds. "In that case, you shall not bathe with us!" I have a small bit of inner laughter at Luna's ignorance of the sexual connotation imbued within that statement. "But you shall enjoy the pleasures of the Ponitendo with myself!"

Ponitendo? Shit, I've been gone so long that they've made a home gaming console!? Hell, they skipped the Magnavox Odyssey entirely...and pong, too!

Then again, Twilight never had a television in her library, and I never even bothered looking over the video games present in Equestria...I assumed they only had arcade games, so I never even bothered asking for them for the cause of furthering my attempts to integrate technology with magic as the Royal Technician of Canterlot blah blah blah...

Oh, hey, look, something's happening.

"I have no doubt that the three of you are tired from your trip," Celestia announces. "Come, I shall escort you to your chambers." As she says that, the crowd begins to disperse, and I smile at how orderly it is: they come for the event, leave the second it's over.

Celestia and Luna start to walk towards the palace, with Metamorpha between them, and I follow along with the rest. They hound us with questions, and Rainbow and I share a smile: we're going to save our, ahem...news, for when we're in the palace.

"So, Rainbow Dash, why didn't you just come get a chariot when you found Peter and Metamorpha?" Twilight asks as soon as she's able to get her two cents in. "I don't get it..."

Rainbow and I exchange another glance. "We'll explain when we're inside," I announce. "It'll take a while. But first, I've got to do something with Celestia, so I'll help Rainbow explain when I'm done, okay?"

Twilight nods, and the questions continue.

"So, did y'all bop like bunnies?" Applejack asks. "What with bein' alone in th' woods fer' so long..."

"You know it!" Rainbow Dash shouts before I can say anything. "Almost every night!"

"My, my, that's quite a feat!" Rarity exclaims. I blush as they talk about my sex life with Rainbow as if it's an interesting animal. "But, uh...disgusting. Definitely."

We giggle at her slip in ladylike demeanor, and continue walking in relative silence as Scootaloo buzzes around Rainbow and I.

We arrive at the palace within a half hour.

I go off with Celestia as Luna leads Metamorpha and the rest to the same guest rooms that we stayed in for Spike's funeral. Speaking of which, I wonder where Spike is...Hope he's dead...

Wow, that's dark.

Celestia brings me to an interrogation room, and I sit down on the chair. I immediately feel the invisible restraints disappear, and I rub my wrists from the small amount of pain.

She questions me for several minutes. When she's done, she leans over and presses her horn to my forehead. When all that happens is I happen to sneeze at the same time as her horn touches me, she nods in satisfaction.

"Well, now I know that you're you," she announces. "By the way, Spike went to join a dragon migration. He's going to be killed by an assassin dragon I have stationed there. No direct combat, but once he's killed, my assassin will make wounds that make it seem like the result of a fight. Twilight will mourn, but she will not blame me."

I nod in satisfaction. Thank goodness...

As soon as I have a chance, I tell her all about Vanquel's identity, and reason for letting me live. She nods, and agrees that the Virals are something we've got to deal with, but the rate at which we do it can depend upon our fight against Vanquel.

Once that's done, she leads me out of the interrogation room, and takes an alternate route to the guest rooms. Once I arrive, I find that the six friends are all locked in a passionate hug, small sobs and sniffles dispersed here and there.

"I'll leave you alone," Celestia whispers before she retreats. I nod as I closes the door behind her.

"Peter?" Rainbow Dash asks. "What'd you do with Celestia?"

"Nothing much," I respond. "Told her about It."

She nods, and I end up having to tell all of them about Vanquel. They start to question me, but I hold up a hand as fatigue washes over me liked a wave of warm air.

"Please," I plead, "don't make me answer these questions now...I'm incredibly tired, and I just want to tell you one thing before passin' the fuck out..."

Rarity huffs at the language, but shrugs it off after a moment, given how tired I am. I sit down on the floor, and I begin to speak.

"Rainbow Dash wouldn't leave my side because she's pregnant."

Gasps, explosions from Pinkie's mane, cake, and congratulations all happen at once. I look down at the slice of cake in my lap, wondering how in the fuck it got there...

"But...how?" Twilight asks.

"This is a long story," I announce. "Well, sorta long. Anyway, I'll tell you.

"Rainbow Dash was almost killed by one of those Virals, right?"

"What!?"

"Shut up and let me explain." They fall silent with small mumbles. "Good.

"Anyway, she was almost killed, so I used my magic to heal her. YES, I KNOW MAGIC TWILIGHT, NOW SHUT IT. Anyway, I put a tiny bit too much into it, and ended up putting a small amount of my own life force into her body. That life force took on a physical form, and is now developing into a foal within her womb.

"Unfortunately, due to the lack of a fertilized ova, and no zygote being planted within the uterine walls, only a very rudimentary umbilical cord was able to form in the time allotted for her body to adapt to the organism. It can only give the fetus oxygen, but not any minerals.

"So, to substitute the energy it would gain from breaking down the minerals, it feeds upon my own life force. No, it's not dangerous, but if we go too far apart, the fetus will die. We don't know if the baby will be deformed yet - but I'm pretty sure it's going to be a natural young pony."

Twilight immediately stands, and shakes her head. "I'm going to the library to see if there are any records of this sort of event. Magical impregnation can't be that rare..." I nod, and she gives both Rainbow and I hugs of congratulations before running out the door.

I yawn as I eye a bed that sits against the wall in longing. "I know you're tired, dears," Rarity announces. "Go on, lay down. The rest of us will go shopping and get some lunch. We'll bring you back something to eat. Now, go on, rest your heads - you deserve it."

Rainbow and I smile in thanks, and go into the same bed with sighs of relief. "Come, Scootaloo," Rarity calls.

"Can I stay with them?" The filly asks, her voice small and distant.

"I'm not sure that they would appreciate-"

"Naw, I don't mind," Rainbow Dash informs Rarity. "Do you mind, Peter?" I shake my head, and Rainbow motions for Scootaloo to join us. Rainbow places the filly between us, and I smile as she snuggles down into a spot between us. The door closes, and I know that Rarity has left.

"C-can I tell you guys something?" Scootaloo whispers, her voice just as far and distant as before.

"Of course, Scootaloo," I whisper, wrapping one arm around her and one around Rainbow.

"What's the matter, Scoots?" Rainbow Dash whispers, pulling the filly up so she can look her right in the eyes. "Is it about your mom?" She looks up to me and explains. "Her mother was admitted to the hospital with alcohol poisoning."

I cringe at the news, and look down at Scootaloo with a frown. "Sh-sh-she..." She gulps as she fortifies herself. "She, uh..."

"You don't have to say it," I whisper to the filly. "I'm so sorry, Scootaloo..."

"She's going to Manehattan so she can check into rehab," she whispers. My eyes widen in surprise.

"That's great!" I cry, grinning at the prospect. "Scootaloo, that's great! Why are you so sad?"

"Because I have to go with her," she mutters. "She's going to have to stay there, and I can't stay here without anypony to watch after me, and it may be a year or something before-"

"Scootaloo, Rainbow and I will watch after you," I inform her. "Hey, Rainbow is pregnant, anyway. You can stay with us in her house! If anything, I can fly you to the ground and back, right? And if it turns out that our kid is gonna be an earth pony or a unicorn, I'll just buy a house on the ground, and you can live in there with us until your mom gets back!" I grin at the filly as Rainbow nods in agreement. "I mean, seriously, Scoots. We'll watch after you forever!"

"Thank you!" Scootaloo cries, before throwing her hooves around my neck. "You two are the best!"

Rainbow and I smile at each other before she sidles over to me. She rests her head on my shoulder, keeps her belly up, makes me sit up so she can get a wing around me. I smile as Scootaloo balls up between us, and Rainbow Dash grabs my hand, bringing it down towards her belly.

Misreading the signal, I immediately get a bit flustered. "Are you sure we should do that with Scoots right here?" I whisper. Rainbow Dash simply bites my nose, rather painfully, before pressing my hand to her belly.

"I think I'm starting to get a bit bigger," she whispers with a smile. "I mean, ponies normally have large bellies, but I think it's starting to expand..."

I blink in surprise as I rub my hand about her belly. Sure enough, it seems as though it's stretching just a tiny bit. I smile as I keep my hand on her stomach, feeling what will one day be a healthy little baby...

I close my eyes, and I quickly fall asleep.

The Apple Blooms

I wake up with a yawn, and I blink away the haze as I look at the pony in bed next to me.

I smile as I watch Rainbow Dash breathe in complete peace. I rest my hand on her belly, which is starting to bulge a bit. She stirs at the contact, and I smile as her eyes flutter open.

"Good morning," I whisper to the cyan Pegasus as she yawns with a stretch.

"Good morning," she responds as she scratches the back of her neck. "What's for breakfast?"

I chuckle lightly as I kiss her on the cheek. "I'll go make some pancakes."

She nods, and drapes her foreleg over her eyes to block out the light. I smile as I pull the blinds closed, which had recently been letting in the moonlight. She grumbles in gratitude we she burrows deeper into the covers.

It's been one month since the "Changeling Massacre". In that time, we've attended a memorial, and then returned to Ponyville. I bought a house down on the ground, because I realized that, towards the end of her pregnancy, Rainbow is going to be bedridden, and being up in the clouds isn't the best place for that - especially if you need a doctor at a moments' notice.

I haven't gone up to Canterlot to work yet, as Rainbow and I have been decorating my new home. And watching after Scootaloo, of course. But today, I'm going to go up to Canterlot, and with four acquaintances.

I slowly open the door to Scootaloo's bedroom to check on the three Cutie Mark Crusaders. I smile as I see that all three of them are fast asleep: after getting all excited about today, they couldn't fall asleep until late into the night. I decide to let them sleep as I slowly close the door, and quickly cast a sound-and-smell proof spell on the door, so they won't be woken up by me making pancakes.

I walk into the kitchen, wondering about today. Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, and Scootaloo all asked me if they could go to work with me today: they want to see if they can get their Cutie Marks in tech.

Rainbow Dash is coming, too, mostly because she wants to see where I work: she said that, if we're getting married, she should see where I work at least once. I agreed with gusto.

I take out a few pots and pans, prepare five plates, and get to making pancakes. As I finish the mixture, and start to pour it into the heated pan in several globs, I feel Rainbow's hooves wrapping around my torso from behind. I smile as she rests her cheek on my back, and rest a hand on her hoof as I use telekinesis to flip the pancakes so I can focus a bit on her. We say in place a bit, enjoying the embrace as we both remain silent. She kisses me on my cheek, and I feel her hoof sliding down my torso and towards my pants. Her hoof slowly finds its way under my elastic waistband, and-

"Morning!"

Rainbow Dash jerks her hoof out of my pants with a small yelp, and I immediately set upon normally flipping the pancakes to hide our activities from the child behind me. I pretend to be focusing on the pancakes to hide my blush, and Rainbow does, as well.

"'Morning," I respond to Sweetie Belle. She walks over to the stove, and smiles as she sniffs the air.

"Ohhh, pancakes! Want me to set the table?"

"Sure," I respond as I hand her a stack of plates. She nods as she carries them to the table. "They awake yet?"

"No. I made sure to close the door when I came out, I wanted to let them sleep." With that, the young unicorn leaves, plates bouncing slightly on her back.

I nod, and Rainbow Dash sighs as the filly leaves the range of earshot.

"That was close," she mutters under her breath. I nod. "I just hope she doesn't say anything to Rarity about it..."

I can't help but snicker at the thought. Rainbow kisses me on the cheek, and informs me that she'll be in the shower. I nod, and Sweetie Belle enters the kitchen as Rainbow leaves.

"Can I help make the pancakes?"

I frown as I look down at her for a split second before returning my attention to the pancakes. "I dunno. Would your sister be okay with you using a stove?" Sweetie Belle shrugs in response, and I sigh as I shake my head. "Nah, they're almost done, anyway...could you go check and see if Scootaloo and Apple Bloom are awake yet?"

"Sure. I'll be right back." With that, she disappears, and I'm left to finish the pancakes on my lonesome. As I finish the fifteen pancakes, (three for each,) I pile them onto a plate, and bring them into the dining room. I place them on the table, and frown as I realize how long Sweetie Belle's taking. I cast a one-way listening spell to see what's taking her so long.

"-and Rainbow was about to give Peter a hoof job!" I hear Sweetie Belle whispering. The other ponies giggle, and I blush as I let the spell go.

"Great," I mutter to myself. The again, that's what I deserve for trying to eavesdrop on a bunch of kids...

I lower the sound and smell proof spells on their door, and lightly rap on it with a knuckle. "Pancakes are ready," I announce. The door immediately open, and I'm almost tripped by the three ponies that run out of the room. I shake my head with a chuckle as I pull the door closed, and join the three fillies at the table.

A few moments later, Rainbow joins us, a towel wrapped around her mane as she sits at the table. Scootaloo's mouth hangs open a bit as she stares, and Rainbow cocks an eyebrow at her.

"What? Never seen a mare with a wet mane before?"

"No, I've just...never seen you like that before," Scootaloo admits. "It's sorta girly for you, don't you think?"

I snicker a bit, and Rainbow casts a venomous glance at me. I shut up as I finish my pancake, and Rainbow spears one of her own.

"Rainbow, can you put the dishes in the sink? I'm going to hop in the shower."

"Sure. Uh, maybe you kids should take a shower, too - we'll be going into Canterlot soon..."

"Soon?" I hear Scootaloo ask. "How soon? We wanted to hang out for a bit before we got going..."

I chuckle lightly at Scootaloo's protests to leaving so soon after waking up. Rainbow sighs as she reminds them that I've got to get to work, so it's not based on whenever they want to go: it's based on when I have to go. I don't do anything to correct her as I pull some clothes (made by Rarity) out of my dresser, and prepare to take a shower.

I decide to plug my (rarely used) iPod into my speakers so I can listen to music whilst I shower. I put on my custom "shower" playlist, which cycles through songs such as "Rock You Like a Hurricane," "Bulls on Parade," and "When the Day Met the Night."

I start up the shower and set it to 95 degrees, thankful for the use of buttons rather than a dial to determine temperature. I sigh in the comfortable stream of water, and start to sing along to the Skyrim Theme Song.

In Dragon, of course.

"Dovahkiin, Dovahkiin, Naal ok zin los vahriin, wah dien, vohkuul, mafaeraak ahst vaal..."

I pass the rest of the shower singing like that, and make sure to restrict the time I spend under the water: sometimes, I get distracted by the music, and can spend as much as an hour just singing or humming along to whatever song is on...

Thankfully, I finish the shower after fifteen minutes, and I'm ready to go within ten - I dry off, brush my teeth, yadda yadda yadda...

I turn off the speakers, and walk out into the living room. Scootaloo gets up to take her shower, and we begin the waiting game.

An hour later, we're walking through Ponyville, thoroughly cleaned and prepped. I make sure to keep up a brisk pace, so I don't drive the kids insane with waiting...

When we reach the train, I present my VIP pass, and we all board the train. Rainbow and I sit next to each other, and the three kids sit across from us. They ask me what we'll be doing, so I take out my iPad to show them.

I recently worked with Twilight on reprogramming my iPad, and incorporating a bit of magic into it. Now, I can take whatever I display on an app called "Magic Design" into the real world as a magical hologram, which I can zoom in on, alter, and view at different angles. It's incredibly awesome.

I pull up the hologram for my most recent project, which is a videogame controller that a pony can use.

"It would use magic to project an image of the controller into the pony's mind," I explain. "So long as the pony holds the orb, they can use the controller as if they were actually holding it, and using fingers: if they want to press the triangle button, it does it for them. It's incredibly complicated, but as far as I can tell, it will work. So, later on today, you three will get to try it out! How's that sound?"

"That sounds awesome!" Scootaloo shouts. "That sounds like it'll be super amazing, I can't wait!"

I smile at Scootaloo, and the three fillies start on a conversation about what we're going to do, and makes plans about what they'll be doing.

Eventually, we arrive in Canterlot, and we file off of the train. Once we're off, we take the route to the castle, the fillies all looking around in amazement as we walk.

"Hey, look at that!" Sweetie Belle exclaims, accidentally tripping Apple Bloom as she shoots her hoof out to point at a shop. "Peter, what's that place?"

I look, and I smile. It's the hardware store that Tech set up after he retired from his position as Head Techinician of Canterlot, passing the job onto me. I always make sure to ship the latest developments to him first: he's one of my best friends in this city of stone.

On the exterior of the hardware shop, there are several displays, run by magical gadgets that can all do convenient and useful things. With the colors of the plastic casings that the aesthetics department made, and the bright screens on some of the devices, it looks almost like a dream world.

"It's a close friend's shop," I announce. "C'mon, let's go in."

"But don't you have to get to work?" Rainbow asks me.

"I can show up whenever I want," I remind her. "I'm the boss, remember?"

Rainbow grumbles something about it not being fair underneath her breath, and Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo all gaggle and giggle as I lead them into the shop.

As I open the door, a bell jingles, and I hear something being put down with a clang. "Yes, just a minute..." I grin as I recognize the accent. Tech walks out a door in the back, and I admire how spacious the store is as he fails to look up at me. He's a genius, but he has his quirks.

"Let me just settle some zings, ya?" He announces. "Now, what can I-" His voice trails off as be sees me, and his face spreads in a grin. "Peter! What a pleasant surprise!" He walks around the counter, and shakes my hand. He shakes the hooves of each of the children, and of Rainbow Dash. "I take it zat you are Rainbow Dash, ya? Peter has told me quite a lot about you!"

"Oh yeah?" Rainbow asks with a smirk. "I could tell you a thing or two about him, you know."

I chuckle lightly, and he addresses each of the fillies. "So, I take it zat you are Peter's friends, ya?" I resist the urge to sigh at his insistent use of the word "ya." We got into a quarrel over that one time, when I wasn't in a good mood...

"Yea!"

"We're the Cutie Mark Crusaders!"

"We're trying to get our Cutie Marks!" Scootaloo, the first to speak, collapses under the weight under Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle.

"Well, I'm afraid you can't find zem here, little ones. You zon't look like you'd enjoy ze work I do around here...and besides, I must-" We're interrupted by an explosion (that makes me jump like a little bitch) coming from the back room. Tech cringes, his teeth showing as his pupils shrink to the sizes of pin pricks. "Get out!" He cries. "Get out, now! I must attend to mine experiment!"

I usher all of them out, my heart beating like mad as I start to panic.

"Will he be okay?" Rainbow Dash asks. A zap of lighting from inside gives me the answer as we all leave.

"He'll be fine...this sort of stuff happens to him all the time..." I sigh as I motion for them to follow. "C'mon, let's get outta here, before the cops come...again." They nod, and we hurry up to the castle.

As we enter the castle, I bring them to a more or less secluded area of the pristine palace. By the time we get there, Scootaloo's practically shaking in excitement.

"Ohmygoshit'sgoingtobesohitechandamazing!" She exclaims. I raise an eyebrow at her as I approach a rather normal-looking door.

"We're here," I announce. I reach into my messenger bag, and pull a key out of the bag. I insert the key into the lock, turn the key, turn it again, pull the key out, and...

I open the door.

So hi-tech, right?

"Oh, this isn't hi-tech at all," Scootaloo grumbles, rather disappointedly.

"Just wait," I order as we walk into the room. A desk is on the left wall, with papers that I've never had a reason to touch neatly stacked atop it. Everything is coated in a fine layer of dust.

Well, except for a part of the far wall. I approach it, and press my hand to its surface.

Immediately, the wall melts away, and reveals a computer screen. All the ponies gasp, and I smirk as I operate the hologram that is magically forced from the screen. After aligning the puzzle sphere so I can properly use it, it cracks open, revealing a digital keycard. I take it from within the nexus, and walk over to the desk. I pull out the middle drawer, put the keycard into its receptacle, and stand back.

The desk is pulled back into the wall, and what is left is the opening to an underground chute.

"Where does that go?" Rainbow asks.

"Into the center of the mountain," I respond. "It's a fun ride, in all honesty. And quite safe. It was originally built as a military bunker, and I made a few...renovations, to make this room a bit more interesting."

"So...we just slide down?" Rainbow asks.

"Yes," I respond.

"How do we get back out?" Apple Bloom mutters

"You'll see..."

They cast weird glances at me, and I smirk as I take my position by the mouth of the slide, and let myself go down.

As I ride down the slide, another magical hologram follows me, and I smile as I read through a few logs documenting the progress made on several projects. I let out a small cry of satisfaction as I see that we've made considerable progress on the M.S.C. - Massive Storage Crystal. It will act as a sort of Internet for the ponies, in that any device with a similar crystal in the circuitry will be able to connect to it, and, by extension, to each other.

I swipe my hand through the hologram, causing it to disintegrate. I cross my arms as I wait for the ride to come to an end.

As I'm ejected from the opening at the end of the slide, I stabilize my descent with a bit of magic, and then descend into the pool full of uber foam blocks. For recreational purposes.

And science...

I laugh as I flail around, attempting to make my way through the see of cubes. Circuit Break's head pops up at the end of the pool, and I smile as he watches me with an air of intrigue.

"One of the smartest beings alive in Equestria, and he uses a good amount of a grant from Celestia to make a giant fun slide," he remarks. "Bravo..."

I smirk as I pull myself out of the pool, and watch in amusement as Rainbow Dash falls out of the tube. "Well, what d'you expect? It makes me think harder."

Circuit Break shakes his white head, and watches as Rainbow flies out of the pool. I smile as she alights before me.

"Hi," she breathes to Circuit Break and myself, apparently exhilarated by her ride. As she sits down to collect herself, she casts a nervous glance at her belly, before looking up at the three screams that come in conjunction with one another as the Crusaders descend from the skies. She turns her attention to me. "I thought that hologram stuff was new, Peter..."

"For my iPad, yeah," I respond. "But here, it's not. I made it, with Circuit Break's help," I wave a hand, and that serves as the introduction, "and installed it all over the damn place. Celestia has one in her bed. We're waiting until we've found a way to make a more normal, practical use for it, so the public will actually have some sort of use for it..."

Rainbow nods, and I smile to myself as I hear the excited shrieks of the fillies as they jump through the blocks. I lean back with a relaxed sigh as I take in my surroundings, as I haven't seen this place in more than a month...

It's not anything like the cave you'd think it'd be. Well, it is a cave, but it's full of life, not just rocks.

The ceiling has been disguised with magic, and appears to be a smooth surface of marble. Light floods in from the cave's mouth, which is disguised from the outside by magic. It would allow for the military to see enemies without being seen.

In our case, it allows for us to have a relaxing view without being spied on.

A river runs through the cave's floor, and empties out at the mouth of the cave. The river is formed by an underground waterfall, which is supplied by the castle's sewage treatment plant. (Don't worry, the water here is magically cleansed.)

Grass grows along the earthy floor of the cave, and mushrooms join the trees and flowers that sprout up here and there. Several buildings lie within the cave, all serving as buildings for technological experimentation.

In a way, it's an underground biome and village.

I smile as I stand, and help the three fillies out of the block pool. Circuit Break introduces himself, and we all walk to a complex by the foam pit. I smile as we enter the air conditioned building, and immediately snap a finger to bring up a holographic screen.

After selecting the right things, I press the "execute" button, and the interior of the building shifts from white-washed walls, to homely entertainment room.

"Whoa," Scootaloo breathes. "This is amazing!"

"It's mostly magic," I inform her. "I can save the file to the database when I'm done with it, and then magically recall it to replicate the environment. Now, I think it's about time we get started, hm?"

The three fillies nod, and I look to Rainbow Dash for approval. She's still staring at the room, mouth hanging open as she takes it all in.

I chuckle lightly as we start our work. The first thing I do is call up the cabinet file, which has recently been refilled, apparently. I immediately retrieve the supplies and tools I need, and we get to it.

Four hours later, I've finally finished making the fucking thing. While it may be magic, I have to place the objects I want to save to the environment in the complex first: I save the environment as a file, and when I start a new one, the objects disappear. Once I reload them, I can add new objects, change the old opens, or take them out. But if I do, it automatically saves, to prevent any sort of glitch with the system.

The cabinet is a base file that can be loaded and dismissed at will. Removing an object from it causes it to save without that object. You can also add more to it, and it will save that, as well.

Basically, they're like files in a computer, but due to the laws of physics, you can't just copy and paste them. If you want to make something again, you've got to supply the program with the exact amount of materials that you used to make it in the first place, at which point it will use the to recreate the ghost file.

But that doesn't matter right now. What matters is that I'm pulling the spherical controller out of the shell I used to model it with. I grin to myself as a few sparks of magic arc between the holographic construction agents (HCAs) and the sphere. I turn, and pull the program out of my iPad. I then insert into the computer in the sphere, and immediately, I can see a controller in my minds' eye. I mentally press the power button, and the console the controller is linked to beeps to life.

"Yes!" I shout in victory as the television shows its start screen. "Alright, who wants to try it?"

The controller is passed between Scootaloo, Apple Bloom, Circuit Break, and Rainbow Dash. They all use it to operate the menu, except for Rainbow Dash. She uses it to crash the system.

"How in the hell did'ya manage to do that?" I ask as I snatch the sphere from her. I reverently place it next to the console, and back away with a sigh. "Whatever...did you kids enjoy yourselves?"

The three of them grin, holograms floating about their heads in each of their custom configurations. Each of them were working on an individual project, and made something special.

"I made this!" Scootaloo announces, holding out a cube to me.

"What is it?" I ask as I accept it. Almost immediately, it springs to life in my palm, glowing with a strange glow. "Oh, it's a light?"

"Yeah! And I told the computer to make it fly around you with magic!" Scootaloo chirps. I smile at my success: I made the programming interface so simple, a child could use it. I let go of it, and it keeps hovering in place. I grin to myself, and that's when the fun begins.

It projects the time into the air, as well as the date, the temperature immediately surrounding the cube, and a smiley face. I smile to myself as I grab it again, and it immediately turns off. I give it back to Scootaloo, and she turns it back on again, watching it float about her with an air of amazement.

"What'd you make?" I ask Sweetie Belle.

"I tried to make something for Rarity," she responds. She holds out a flat disk to me, and presses a button on the side with a hoof.

Immediately, the form of a pony sprouts into the air, and I gape in amazement as she uses it to design a (crude) dress. "Yo, that's genius!" I cry. "Using the character designer for a videogame to design a dress...Sweetie Belle, this is amazing!"

The white unicorn blushes as she saves the file by passing her hoof through the check button, and starts a new one by touching the button that looks like a mannequin. I grin to myself as she turns it off, and I ruffle her mane. "That's amazing, Sweetie Belle. I eat she'll love it."

The white unicorn blushes again, and I turn to Apple Bloom last. When I ask her what she made, she procures a gray apple.

"What's it do?" I ask.

She turns the stem, and it comes to life.

The gray turns red, and then projects a hologram about it. My eyes widen as I see what she made.

"It's a computer interface," I breathe to myself.

"Yeah. Ah decided t' try t' make somethin' that gives ya' options fer' what t' do! Ya' can either record somethin' you say and save it as a file, or ya' can play a lil' game, or ya' can take a picture, or ya' can write somethin' by usin' a hologram pen, or ya' can-"

"Apple Bloom," I gently interrupt her, "this is awesome. We've been so focused on entertainment and design purposes that we haven't thought of any practical use for them. This solves a problem we've had for a while..." I cast grins at the three of them. They really grasped all of this incredibly quickly. Much more quickly than I had developed it. Magic plus technology was difficult for me at first, unfortunately...

"So, how would you like if I let the three of you keep those things, but I also incorporate them into this?" I ask, pointing at the apple. "I'll make copies of it, and the three of you will get one fourth of the profit."

The three fillies gasp in excitement, and I quickly make a file off to the side that saves ghosts of all three of their inventions in a compiled folder.

"Really? They're that good?" Apple Bloom asks.

"Yeah," I respond. "We can call it...The Apple!"

Apple Bloom gasps, and there's a bit of blinding light. Once it clears, I see that she has a new image of a chromium apple plastered onto her anus cheeks.

"Ah got mah Cuite Mark!" Apple Bloom shouts. I get a sudden idea as Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle congratulate her.

"I'll call your thing the Scoot-Apps, and I'll call your designing app the Sweet Designer." The two hold their breath, but no Cutie Mark appears for either of them. "Well, I'm sure you'll get them soon enough..."

I sigh as I straighten up, and check the time using the holograms around Scootaloo's cube. (I haven't made a watch yet 'cus I'm a moron.) I frown as I see that it's barely even noon yet, so I yawn as I stretch out.

"Well, today was a good day," I announce as the three ponies giggle, and Rainbow Dash profusely congratulates Apple Bloom. "What d'you say we head on home?"

"What!? But Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle still don't have their Cutie Marks!" Apple Bloom shouts. "We've got to get 'em together, Peter!"

I smile at her devotion to her friends. "Tell ya' what - let's keep making things, alright? That way, you can all get your Cutie Marks if you make something that lets you do something you love."

The two ponies nod, and immediately start on making new things. I decide to go for a walk with Rainbow Dash as they work, and Circuit Break opts to come with us.

"I think you should stay here with the kids," I mutter, both concerned for their well-being and longing for privacy. "Uh...is anypony else here?"

"Yeah, Lightning Arc's locked herself in the third complex," he responds. "She's still working on that thing..."

I sigh at the prospect, but shrug. "So, nopony else is here?" I ask.

"No."

I nod. "Alright, Rainbow - I wanna show you something I made for the two of us."

She nods, and we leave the first complex before going directly into the second. Once there, I load up my private file.

The world immediately comes into focus, and Rainbow gasps as she sees that it's a room full of romance: a jacuzzi, a hammock, a bed, and a fireplace.

"I call jacuzzi!" Rainbow shouts. "You can get the bed!" I frown as she climbs into the jacuzzi, her tongue lolling out as she lets it massage her body. I approach her, and she frowns as she spreads her wings protectively. "I said, I call jacuzzi."

"Can't we share?" I ask with a suggestive smirk. Rainbow blinks, and blushes as she shrinks back with a nod. I grin to myself as I strip down to my skin, place my clothes on the small table by the jacuzzi, and slowly join her.

As I step in, Rainbow sidles over to me, and leans against my nude body, rubbing her wet fur against my equally wet skin. I smile as I wrap an arm around her, and sit in absolute bliss as the water bubbles up around us. Neither of us make a sound as we sit in utter and complete relaxation.

Of course, biology ends up causing us to do something a bit...more energetic.

As I quickly dry Rainbow and myself off with magic, I don my clothes, and sigh as I kiss her on the cheek.

"We should have underwater sex more often," I whisper. She giggles as she kisses me back.

"Damn straight we should..."

I grin, and close the file as we leave the complex. We go into the first complex, and see that Scootaloo is zipping about on a scooter with a magical jet booster on the back that allows her to fly.

"Looks like you've got the hang of it!" I shout, mostly out of fear as she clips right past my face.

"Damn straight! I even got my Cutie Mark - look!" Scootaloo stops the scooter in front of us, and Rainbow and I gawk at the image of a scooter. We both hug her as we congratulate her, and then look to Sweetie Belle.

"Nothin..." The unicorn mutters, tears forming in the corners of her eyes.

"Don't worry, we'll stick with you until you get it!" Apple Bloom promises. "An' we can get Diamond Tiara an' Silver Spoon t' stop pickin' on ya'!"

"Yeah!" Scootaloo shouts. "And we'll still try everything together - I don't wanna lose the fun of the old days, y'know?" Sweetie Belle grins at the prospect, and we determine that it's about time to head on home.

"Let's get goin'," I announce with a gentle smile, after I've bid farewell to Circuit Break, and tried to talk to Lighting Arc. "Your sisters'll be waiting for you."

The three fillies nod, and Apple Bloom holds her Apple, Sweetie Belle holds her dress designer, and Scootaloo holds her patented Mega-Scooter as we all approach the way out.

"Alright, everypony on the elevator!" I call.

"Why didn't we just take the elevator before?"

"Because the slide's more fun," I respond with a grin. As if on cue, I hear a loud laughter, and I watch in amusement as Celestia crashes into the pool of foam cubes.

"I heard you had come back to work," Celestia announces as she joins us on the elevator, her mirth from the ride still giving her a case of the giggles. "I decided to see what you were working on...oh, Scootaloo, Apple Bloom, I see you got your Cutie Marks!"

"Yes, your majesty!" The two shout.

"Sweetie Belle?"

"Not yet, Princes..."

"Ah, well...keep trying. I didn't get my own until I was fourteen!"

Rainbow and I look to the Princess in shock. I guess relaxing a bit causes her to open up...

As the elevator begins its climb upwards, Celestia observes each of the filly's creations, whistling and "oooh'ing" in appreciation. By the end of the ride, she's giggling, and I'm starting to detect the slightest scent of alcohol.

"In any case, enjoy!" She calls out as she trots from the room. She giggles to herself as she hums a merry tune.

"Apple Bloom, ya' got yer' Cutie Mark!" Applejack shouts as we drop the filly off. Apple Bloom nods with a grin, and the two sisters embrace.

"Scootaloo did, too!" Apple Bloom chirps. "Wanna see what Ah made t' get mah Cutie Mark?"

"Of course!"

"Show her in the barn," I remind the filly as we walk away, ready to drop off Sweetie Belle. Applejack sets about gathering the present family to observe The Apple.

Next, we drop Scootaloo off, and it's then that I notice that the sun is starting to set. Have we really been gone for that long...?

After the uneventful drop-off (discounting the grin of excitement as she learns of Apple Blooms' and Scootaloos' Cutie Marks), we head back to my house.

Once there, I cook dinner as Scootaloo plays with her Mega Scooter outside. Rainbow hugs me from behind as I cook.

All in all, it's a good day.

I collapse into bed with Rainbow Dash, shocked by how quickly the day went by.

I close my eyes, and immediately fall asleep: no time for ceremony...

I just hope that The Apple ends up being as successful as it looks in my head...

Filler, Part 1 (Warning: Mature Content)

"Rainbow Dash, is something the matter, babe?"

Peter's gentle voice startles me out of my reverie. "Hm?" I ask as he moves over to where I'm sitting on the end of the bed. He hugs me from behind as he rests his chin on my shoulder. I smile as I lean back into him, using him as a pillow of sorts.

"You're never awake this early on the weekends," Peter reminds me as he kisses me on the neck. I close my eyes as I tilt my head to let him get a better angle. "And you're looking all thoughtful...is something the matter, babe?"

I sigh as I rest a hoof on his hand. "Well," I begin, "Nightmare Night is next week, and...we don't have anypony to perform yet...I mean, it'd be just fine without musical accompaniment, but we want to make it a bit more lively this year..." I sigh as I slump against him. "Octavia would organize something, but Vinyl Scratch's mom is going through chemotherapy. And, well...They're lovers." I smile back at Peter as I feel a burst of pride. "Like us..."

Peter smiles at me, and he kisses me on the cheek. "We're more than just lovers, Dashie..."

I smile back, and we sit in silence for a few moments as we stay in our embrace. "I know," I whisper a few minutes later. "We're too awesome to be just lovers..."

Peter chuckles lightly, and one of his hands dip down to between my mind legs. I let out an involuntary gasp at the sudden action, and Peter grins as he begins to gently massage my most intimate area...

"Oh, Peter..." I moan lightly, smiling as I let the pleasure rock through my entire body. I let out high-pitched pants as Peter nibbles on my ears.

"Oh, you sound so naughty," Peter teases me. "I think I'll have to punish you..."

"Yes, please, punish me," I whisper as he begins to part my lips. My blush intensifies, and I whinny in excitement.

Unfortunately, that whinny wakes up somepony in the next room, and Peter and I both freeze as we hear the filly rush out of her room, and over to our door, undoubtedly concerned as to why I'm whinnying. Peter's hand darts out from between my legs, and he takes up the position of cuddling into me.

"Hey, are you okay, I-" Scootaloo freezes as she sees us, both blushing like crazy. She starts to blush a bit herself as she sees my erect wings. "Uh...what were...what were you doing?" She asks.

"Nothing," Peter immediately responds. "Nothing at all."

"Uh...are...are you sure?"

"Yes I'm sure!" Peter responds, a bit snappily. "Uh...yeah. Just...go wait at the table, I'll get breakfast ready..."

Scootaloo nods, and scurries out of the room. Peter sighs as he calms himself with a few deep breaths, and I do the same. After an excruciatingly long small amount of time, the both of us are no longer aroused.

"Go sit with Scoots," Peter says to me. "I'll get breakfast ready, and we can talk about the whole Nightmare Night thing at the table..."

I nod, and quickly exit the room, and take a seat across from Scootaloo. I avoid meeting the filly's eyes, but when I finally do, I see that she's smirking at me.

"So, were you two getting it on?" She asks with a suggestive waggle of her eyebrows.

"Scootaloo!" I cry, blushing in embarrassment. "That's disgusting! Show a bit of respect, would'ya?"

"Then don't get busy when I'm trying to sleep," Scootaloo retorts. "Oh, don't look so shocked - I know what sex is, alright? My mom gave me the 'talk'..."

"That's not the point," I sigh.

"Okay," Scootaloo responds with a shrug. "I'll drop it."

I nod, grateful and embarrassed as we wait for our breakfast. "So...what will your costume be for Nightmare Night?"

"I'd be the same thing as last year, but I can't." I gesture towards my slightly engorged belly. "I wouldn't be able to fly around like last year, 'cus I've got to be careful with the baby and all..."

"So...what're you gonna be?"

"Peter said I'm gonna be his 'Princess'," I respond with an exaggerated roll of my eyes. "As if I'd ever dress up as something so girly..."

Scootaloo chuckles lightly. "So, did Peter get his costume from Rarity yet?"

"Yeah, it's up in his closet. It's pretty damn awesome, I've got to admit." I smirk as something comes to mind, and I lean over thr table and begin to whisper. "Oh, hey, don't tell Peter I told you this, but...it came with a toy sword and shield, right? And I've caught him, with his headphones on, playing with the sword and shield. He looks like such a nerd when he does it..." Scootaloo and I share a snicker, and she asks if she can see next time that Peter's being nerdy. I readily agree.

"Eggs are ready!" Peter calls from the kitchen. He rounds the wall separating the dining room and the kitchen, and places the three plates down on the table before drawing a large box on the wall.

"What're you doing?"

"I'm gonna hire a carpenter to come in and make a window counter here, so it looks right out into the dining room. It'll be a bit nicer that way, y'know?"

"Yeah, whatever," I mutter. "In any case, these eggs look good."

With that, we tuck into our meals. We're done in about ten seconds. Give or take.

But it's mostly flat. I mean, sort of bumpy, due to the eggs being eggs, but...

It's ten seconds flat, give or take a burp or two.

Once we're done, Scootaloo looks at the time, and straightens up with a gasp. "Oh, no!" She cries. "I'm gonna be late!" She immediately sets off for the bathroom, leaving me stunned into silence as she brushes her teeth.

"Late for what?" I shout after her. Peter walks out of the kitchen, having just finished piling the dishes in the sink for later, and frowns at the bathroom in confusion and intrigue.

"For an appointment," Scootaloo responds as she walks out of the bathroom, her breath so minty that it stings my eyes. "Apple Bloom and I are going to meet at Sweet Apple Acres. We're going to go...'talk' to Diamond Tiara."

I frown. I don't like the sound of that. "What do you mean 'talk'?"

"We're gonna show her our awesome Cutie Marks, and the awesome things we made to get them, and we're gonna rub them in her face, and get her to back off of Sweetie Belle! That way, we can get everypony to help Sweetie Belle get her Cutie Mark!"

I smile at Scootaloo. "Aww, that's sweet, Scoots. Go on, then - make me proud!"

Scootaloo stares at me for a second, seemingly confused by what I said. "Uh...you've...you're acting like a doting mother," Scootaloo informs me.

"I'm pregnant," I deadpan. "I'm just practicing..."

Scootaloo nods, apparently having bought the lie. After a moment of awkward silence, during which Peter just leaves his face in his palm, Scootaloo grabs her scooter, bids us farewell, and then flies out the door, the magical engine on the back of the silver device humming in the morning crisp of autumn.

As soon as she's gone, Peter kisses me on the back of my neck.

"Now, where were we..." He whispers as he brings me onto my hind hooves. I smile, as the new stance is getting to be less disorienting and more arousing. He kisses me again, and I smile as he walks me into the bedroom.

We flop down onto the mattress, and we begin to kiss rather passionately.

"Wait," I whisper.

I smirk at Peter as I reach for the night table.

"I wanna try something," I inform him.

"Oh?" He asks with a smirk, his bare chest rubbing against mine as he grinds against me again. "And what is this something you speak of?"

I bite my lower lip as I pull open the drawer. "Anal," I announce as I pull out a small bottle of lube.

"Alright," he responds with a shrug. "Why the hell not?"

He goes to grab the bottle of lube, but stops as I pull out a strap-on.

Peter locks eyes with me, and I nod with a grin.

An Ally in an Unknown War

"So, uhm...wanna...talk about it?"

Peter shakes his head, lying on his side as he fully heals himself, letting out small sighs of relief throughout the process. I sigh as I remain sitting upright, unable to spoon him due to the awkwardness of our actions.

"You sure?" I press, frowning as he makes sure that no parts of our body are touching.

"Yeah," he grumbles. "Just...I don't want to think about it, alright?"

I nod, gulping a bit as I look between him and the "fake" appendage. Turns out I had bought a magical dildo - it melded to my body and became real as soon as I attached it. Yeah, it made it more...interesting, but...

I think it may have scarred Peter in more ways than forty two.

I take a deep breath as I force myself to try to comfort him. "You know...just because you liked it doesn't mean that you're any less of a dude. So what if you liked it? It's like...reverse pooping. It's supposed to feel good...I think..." I sigh. "But, it doesn't mean that you had sex with a guy just because I...y'know..." I force myself to smile as I rest a hoof on his shoulder. "It's the same as ever, just something...new. The same intimacy, between a stallion and a mare, just...just a bit, y'know...different." I smile as I put the icing on the cake. "Kinky, even!"

Peter remains silent as he stares at the wall. After a few moments, I sigh in defeat as I turn onto my side, my back facing away from him as my mood is fouled by his own foul mood.

This was supposed to be fun - for both of us! And now, he's ruining it by being all "shameful" and crap...

I sigh again a bit more heatedly as I clench my eyes shut, trying to ignore the scent of lubricant emanating from the garbage can...

My eyes pop open in surprise as I feel a gentle hand resting on my foreleg. "I'm sorry," he whispers into my ear as he comes closer to me. "I sort of...I don't know. I guess...it's just...where I come from...it's a sort of...taboo..."

I nod, and gently nuzzle his hand with a small smile. "It's fine," I inform him as he wraps his arms around me, holding me in a cuddle hug from behind. "It's just that it was supposed to be fun for the both of us, and I was really upset that you hadn't enjoyed it..."

Peter gulps as he leans forward. "I enjoyed it," he whispers into my ear. "Because it was the same intimacy between the two of us, just in a different medium...I was just a bit, well..." He snickers. "I was sort of butthurt. In more ways than one."

I let out a burst of laughter, and he kisses me on the back of the neck. I snuggle into his chest, wiggling my butt a bit as I do so. I close my eyes as I begin to -

"Oh, fuck!" I shout as I leap out of bed, taking Peter with me.

"What!?" He shouts, panicking as I rush him to get his clothes on.

"I've got an appointment with Twilight - she wants to check our baby!" I cry, having just remembered now. Peter kicks it into high gear, immediately pulling on his underwear, pants, shirt, socks, shoes, and hoodie. I nod as we approach the door, and we set out, not exactly running but not exactly walking, either.

Peter

As we reach Twilight's library/house, my butthurt is totally gone, and I can't be happier.

And yet, I still feel an accute amount of painful shame. Accute? Nah, fucking obese. I feel an obese amount of shame.

It hurts my shoulders.

We enter the library, and we greet Twilight, who smiles at us.

"Hey, you two! You were almost late."

Rainbow cringes a bit. We both know what happens if we're late.

Bitchy Twilight is borne from the ashes of her rage.

I nod as I close the door, and Twilight brings us into the basement. Rainbow sits on a chair that Twilight's already prepared, complete with a "magical" ultrasound and everything. (I call it magical because, after I developed, it ended up selling better when it was called magical. It's really just an ultrasound, but it can operate past fur. No gel needed, 'cus it's got a magical thing in the sensor. But it's not magical.)

"Thanks for the medical equipment," Twilight announces as she preps the machine. "It's very interesting to study...and I still insist that you let me pay for it!"

"No," I respond. "You're one of my best friends, Twilight. You get at no charge."

Twilight smiles at me. "Alright, fine. In any case, I'm glad I can use it for you two. At least I get to pay you back somehow..."

I nod, and Rainbow Dash reaches for my hand as I stand next to her. I smile as I grasp her hoof, knowing that I could do this via magic, but that it's more...suspenseful this way. I don't know, there's always been something about seeing your baby on a television scree-

"What are you doing?" I demand as I watch Twilight tap the sensor with her horn.

"I've modified it," she announces. "Since this is a magical pregnancy, I'm making this sensor much more magical, so it can sense how it works."

"So, wait - this is just for studying the phenomenon?" I ask.

"Yeah. Wait, did you expect me to actually show you your baby?" She lets out a bit of breathy laughter as we both nod. "Peter, I thought you'd know better - she's only been pregnant for a month and a half now! It won't be developed enough, not at all!"

I blush a bit as I realize that she's right. Rainbow fidgets a bit, and I shrug. "Yeah, you're right..." I mutter. "I guess I sort of got sucked into the excitement."

Twilight shrugs. "That's fine. Alright, so...this may tingle a bit, Rainbow."

"Will it hurt the baby?" She immediately asks, cutely and protectively holding her hoof over her slightly-swollen tummy. Twilight smiles fondly at the cyan Pegasus as she finishes her modifications.

"Not at all. I just want to see what the umbilical cord is like..."

"It's not a real umbilical cord," I butt in. "It only brings the fetus oxygen, and discards of waste. I have to supply it with my own energy to supply it with what it would normally get from nutrients..."

Twilight frowns. "That's not good...if it's not naturally receiving nutrients, it won't really absorb what it needs to grow up healthy..."

Rainbow frowns. "What does that mean? Peter, is the baby going to be okay?"

"It's gonna be fine," I comfort her, dismissively. I focus back on Twilight with a furrowed brow. "I could try to use a bit of magic to form a legitimate umbilical cord..."

"Uh...Peter?" Rainbow mutters.

"Yeah?"

"Okay, this is gonna sound weird, but I have a stupid crazy craving for, like, cake and stuff, so...after this, could we go to Sugarcube Corner?"

Twilight and I exchange a glance, and she immediately presses the ultrasound to Rainbow's tummy. She lets out a little yelp at the unexpected contact, but calms as Twilight starts to search, staring at the hologram emitted by the central core of the device.

"Look!" She exclaims, pointing at a part of the scan. I interact with the hologram to copy the image, and suspend it before myself, still a bit awed by the effectiveness of magic in tangent with technology. I examine the image, and my eyes widen as I look back at Rainbow.

"What? Lemme see!"

I spin it, and suspend it before Rainbow. She scrutinizes it, letting out a few gasps now and then.

After a few moments of feigned surprise, she sighs. "Alright, I give up - I have no idea what I'm looking at..."

I highlight a line. "Rainbow, that's a complete umbilical cord. Your uterus has adapted to the fetus, and I guess a bit of magic was incorporated..."

"Okay..."

I frown at her lack of comprehension. "It means that I don't have to feed it with my life force anymore. You've just got to eat a lot more to keep it healthy."

"Perfect!" Rainbow shouts. "Eating is, like, one of my favorite parts of the day! And I really wanna eat some of Pinkie's cupcakes..."

I nod, and Twilight flicks off the ultrasound. "I've got the images saved," she announces. "You two go on ahead. I can observe the fetus in my study..."

I nod, and smile at Twilight. "You're really getting the hang of this stuff, aren't you?" I ask. I had been worried that ponies wouldn't be able to use these holographic screens, but it's proven easy. And with Apple Bloom's Apple...boy, that'll be interesting to watch. Especially once we get the Crystalnet up and running, because-

Okay, I'm done rambling now.

"Come on," I announce. "Let's go."

Rainbow nods, and I check that I have my wallet as we depart.

I hum a tune from Super Mario Brothers 2 as Rainbow eats her second slice of cake.

"How's the cake?" I ask.

"Moist, chunky, and awesome," she responds, before finishing up the slice. I nod as I lean back on my chair.

Warning: Murder Ahead

And that's when the sirens start up.

I turn my head in surprise. "What's going on?" I ask as all the ponies freeze. "Isn't that the siren for when Ponyville's being attacked?"

"Yeah! Come on, Dashie, get into the basement! Everypony, hide!" Pinkie Pie screams, her mane deflating in panic. All the ponies immediately rush into the cellar, too petrified to shout or panic. I sneer as I stand from my chair, and crack my knuckles.

"Peter, come on!" Pinkie Pie shouts.

"Let him go," Rainbow Dash announces. "Trust me on this one..."

Pinkie seems to want to argue. "Alright, fine! It's your funeral, pal!" With that, she dives into the cellar slamming the door shut behind her.

I yawn as I walk through the front door. It's been a while since I've had a good fight - it should be interesting!

"Oi! You there! Freak! On the ground!"

I smirk as I turn to face the attackers. Hah, this is gonna be -

"What." Is all I can say, staring at the Griffon in shock. "Why are Griffons attacking Ponyville?"

A group of fourteen Griffins surrounds me. "I said, get on the ground! Or do I have to take out your knees?"

In response, I materialize a ball of fire. "Try me," I dare him with a smirk.

"Men! Take 'im down!"

The fourteen griffins start to attack me, and I thrust the ball of fire into my own chest, setting myself ablaze. I immediately lash out, striking each of them either in the chest or various other parts of their body, causing severe third degree burns everywhere I hit. I give a genial smile to the leader as the fire dissipates.

"Would you mind answering my question?"

The Griffons' eyes seem to spit fire at me, before a call gets our attention.

"Pull out, we got what we came for!" A griffin shouts. The soldier and I make eye contact, and in a flash he's up in the air. I frown as I lift off myself, and watch the crowd of griffins heading North.

Almost immediately, I realize who they have.

"Twilight!" I shout, immediately taking off after the griffins with a powerful thrust of strength. Twilight continues to scream and panic, and I force myself to go faster. Unfortunately, they're much faster than me.

Fortunately, however, another Griffin comes in to lope off the head of the griffin carrying Twilight with a blade, and then catch Twilight and bring her safely back to the ground. I smirk to myself as I immediately stop chasing the Griffins, and send out one burst of energy for each.

The first forty or so, I just detonate them: no reason to keep them alive.

However, the one that seems to be decorated, and may be a General, I leave alive.

It's always worthwhile to have someone to question.

As he tumbles, due to his disintegrated wings, I catch him, magically restrain his limbs, and force him to the ground in the town square.

The griffin that saved Twilight approaches me as ponies begin to poke out of the buildings. I nod to her in appreciation.

"So, you've gotten a shitload tougher," she remarks.

"Damn straight," I respond. The General struggles a bit, and growls something at me, so I break one of his claws, immediately shutting him up. "And you've decided to help us. Thank you very much."

"Heh, I'm surprised you still remember me! What with how we met last time..."

I smirk at the Griffon. "How could I forget my fiance's oldest friend?" I ask. "Now, do you have any idea what's going on here?"

"Gilda!" I turn to see Rainbow Dash, rushing towards us with a grin. "Gilda, what happened!?"

"I was just about to explain it to Pete," Gilda announces with a smirk. "I'm leading the Griffon Rebellion. We don't like the way things have been run, 'cus they're trying to start a war with Equestria. And, well...we don't want that."

"We?" I ask.

"Yeah. There are only about twenty of us - most Griffons are disgusting zealots."

"What, and you're not?" Rainbow accuses her.

"Hey, I'm a timid Griffon," Gilda protests. "If you wanna see a real zealot, you should go find the Queen. She's a bitch, I tell you..."

I raise an eyebrow. "Well, looks like we've got a lot to discuss," I announce as I help Twilight up off of the ground. Her legs are still shaking a bit from her temporary flight. "But I think it's about time we see the Princesses, don't you think?"

"Alright. Will we take the train? A chariot?" Gilda asks.

"Grab on," I announce as I press two fingers to my forehead.

"What?"

"Just do it," I sigh, giving the General a firm and swift kick as he starts to squirm again. As soon as the three of them have hooves and claws on me, I close my eyes, and focus on Celestia.

Time

I take a deep breath as a gentle breeze comes through, caressing my shoulder as it gives its condolences. I nod to the silence as my hands rest in my pockets, staring at what has become, for me, a happy reminder of the past, a dark insignia of the present...

And a foreboding obelisk of the future.

"Daddy?"

I'm brought out my reverie by the small voice. I turn and give my best smile to the young colt.

"Yes, Ezekiel?"

Ezekiel, my son - a part of me, quite literally - gulps as he casts his eyes between the tombstone and myself. I wait patiently for whatever it is that he has to say, as I understand that the five-year-old mind has a hard time wrapping itself around the idea of death, and even worse, the idea of absence. He has his mothers' eyes - a passionate red with flecks of lighter and darker shades. His mane and tail are both short and neat, just like his mother always liked him to look, especially since the gentle red hue his hair sports seems to flow from the blue of his fur when it's cut nice and neat.

"Is...is Mommy happy?" He asks, softly, his voice barely a whisper. I smile as I kneel down towards him, and take his hoof in my hand, my suit rippling as I look him in the eye.

"When she looks through her window and she sees you, she's always happy," I say, softly. He smiles at me. "But at the same time, she's very angry at me."

"Why?" Ezekiel asks, his eyes full of concern.

"Because your mommy is a very, very impatient mare," I respond with a smile. Ezekiel giggles a little, and I kiss him on the forehead as I stand, bringing him up with me so I can carry him. "And right now, wherever she may or may not be, she's waiting for me to go get her."

Ezekiel smiles sadly. It's something I've been telling him for a long time now - "one day, I'm going to go get Mommy, and she's going to be so glad to see you..."

I only wish he believed me.

And at the same time, I only wish it wasn't true...

"And wherever she is, she's also wishing you a very happy birthday," I say softly. "And what do you do when somepony wishes you happy birthday?"

Ezekiel sad smile grows bit. "We say thank you," he respond.

"Exactly. Now, go thank Mommy."

He nods, and turns to his mothers' grave. He sits down before it, and stares at the name as he says, "thank you, Mommy. I love you..."

The wind rubs against my ear drum, and I smile as I hear the message it has for me.

"She loves you, too," I announce. "She just told me."

Ezekiel stands as he looks to me with a small smile. "Daddy, stop joking - Mommy can't tell you..."

"Yes she can," I respond with confidence.

"Really?"

I nod. "Really."

"Thennn...what does she think about my flying?" He squeals as he hops into the air, unfurling his wings to keep him aloft. I chuckle lightly as the wind whispers.

"He says that it's impressive for colt so young, but that you've got to work on moving forward," I announce.

Ezekiel giggles as he lands, and bounds over to me. "Yep, that's Mommy alright!" He exclaims. I pick him up, and smile at him as we begin to walk.

"See? I told you."

He giggles lightly, and I stop as we come to the group of ponies that had waited for us. I nod to Twilight Sparkle, whose crown glints in the sunlight as I place Ezekiel down next to her.

"Now, you be a good boy," I order. "I've got to go say one last thing to Mommy, alright?"

Ezekiel nods, and I smile to Twilight.

"Go on," she says, softly. "We've all had our turns to speak to Rainbow. It's time you do, too."

I nod, and turn on my heel as I return to the cyan Pegasus' grave. I sit down before it, producing a rainbow-colored flower from within my sleeve with a flourish.

"I've been genetically engineering this flower just for you," I announce. Silence. "It's a special flower, you know. I could pick it, and then grow a new one with nothing but a single petal. Each petal is actually a seed - that's why the petals shine like rainbows. The seeds are made out of a certain material that reflects the light chromatically, and -"

The wind rustles, informing me that it finds the information boring. I chuckle lightly as I place the flower down on the mount of dirt that is the grave, and proceed to pluck off a single petal, which I then shove into the loamy dirt.

"I can't believe it's only been five years," I announce with a wistful smile. "It feels like just yesterday that you kissed me on that bench, behind the hospital..."

The wind responds, recounting how I had pushed her away after our first kiss. I nod with a chuckle.

"Well, I was stupid," I announce. There's a lull in conversation, during which I stare at the name, as well as the dates below it. A tear forms as I place a single hand on the image of her Cutie Mark.

"I miss you, Rainbow," I say softly. "I know you're there, but...every night, I miss you, so much...not being able to hold you, not being able to wake up to you..." The wind wraps around me, and I nod. "I love you, too, Dashie...what I wouldn't give to go back and see you one more time..." A whisper. "I know, I'll see you again, but...I wish I could see you in the same way we always saw each other, before the Changelings captured me, before my powers were awakened, before everything became so...threatened, so...serious..." I pause to take a breath. "I wish we could just be blissful lovers again, Dash..."

A breeze, so light that I can barely even feel it, brushes against my cheek. I smile as it continues to flow. "I just...I..."

My words are stopped by a second breeze. A breeze that carries with it three words.

It is time.

I look to the sky, and the sun agrees, its rays sending my retinas the same signals. The moon agrees, its gravitational pull causing the water to wave in excitement as it agrees, as well. The grass beneath my fingers agree, tickling my palm with the sense of purpose, and the sense of time.

I look up with a grin, and run my hand across the tombstone. The words are wiped away, and all that is left is her Cutie Mark.

I stand, wiping a few tears away as I turn and walk back to the group. I stop before them, and they perk up as they see my stature: I haven't stood so straight in four years...

"Ezekiel," I announce, beckoning the Pegasus over.

"Yes, Daddy?" He asks, approaching me with a smile. I kneel down as I look into his eyes.

"You're going to have to stay with Aunt Twilight for a while," I inform him. "I've got to go away for a long time, alright? When I get back...I have no doubt that you'll be all grown-up."

"Why?" He asks, tears starting to fill his eyes. "I don't want you to go, Daddy..."

I smile. "I don't want to go either," I inform him.

"Then why are you going?"

"Because if I don't...then nothing I ever do will ever matter."

He sniffles, wiping a few tears away with a hoof. "Where...where are you going, Daddy?"

"To a place where they can't follow," I respond. He frowns, and I smile sadly as I pull him into a hug. "I love you so much, Ezekiel...I'm sorry that it has to be like this, I really am. But I have to go..."

He nods, and I kiss him on the forehead. "I love you," I repeat as I take a step back. "Don't ever forget that."

He nods again, and I squeeze my eyes shut.

When I open them, it is to a world of darkness.

I take a deep breath before stepping off of the single light of this realm, and starting my trek towards the only thing that is here for me.

I'm coming, Rainbow Dash...

Five Years Earlier...

I look over at Rainbow Dash, who is standing at attention as Celestia considers the Griffon General before her. I take a deep breath, and Rainbow nudges me in the leg.

"What's up?" She asks as I kneel down to hear her. "Celestia's just been staring at this guy for, like, a half hour..."

"She's trying to break into his mind," I whisper in response. "It's not going very well, though - pretty soon, he's going to be able to block her out entirely..."

As if on cue, Celestia breaks her eye contact with the Griffon with a sigh. "You have clearly had a great amount of training..."

"Yes, your Highness."

I frown.

"Then...I am afraid we must resort to torture."

The Griffon nods. "I'm afraid we must."

Celestia pauses. "You're very brave," she announces. "But I will have answers."

"Nothing you could do will break me," he responds. Guards come to escort him, and he silently allows himself to be escorted to a jail cell.

"Now, Gilda...if you would, please gather the rest of the rebel Griffons. I wish to house them here, at the castle."

Gilda, the leader of the new Rebellion, salutes. "Yes, ma'am!" She cries, before flying out the window. Celestia now turns to Rainbow and I, and nods.

"Well, Peter, I'll have to call you up here to get answers out of him sooner or later," she announces. "But until then, I think that it would be best that you two return to Ponyville to relax. Your town just experienced an attack, and I have no doubt that there are wounds, both physical and emotional."

Rainbow and I nod. "Yes, your Highness."

Celestia dismisses us, and I prepare to teleport both Rainbow and myself back to Ponyville.

However, as I do, a sudden wave of nausea overcomes me. I double over in pain, falling to my knees as my limbs shake. A sudden pressure, like a hammer being driven into my stomach, causes me to retch, spitting up blood and stomach acid that leaves a terrible taste in my mouth.

"Peter!" I hear Rainbow Dash cry. "Are you alright!? Ugh, of course you're not alright - where's the hospital!?"

I'm vaguely aware of Celestia and Rainbow Dash's presence above me before I pass out, tears streaking down my face from the intense pain.

Trixie Arrives in Canterlot

I groan as I sit upright in the bed, my mane, tail, and coat all a mess as I struggle to wake myself.

While I don't have any sort of schedule to abide to, it is best to wake up at a proper hour - so I may be attuned to the ritual when I must perform its laborious rites.

I had to stop the carriage several times - either to purchase food or ensure I was still on the correct path. I know that it was magically guided, but...I don't always trust the magic of other ponies. It pales in comparison to that of the Great and Powerful -

That is, I...I'm just a bit paranoid.

And I'm still trying to overcome my ego issues...

I sigh as I look up to the glaring sun through my carriage's window. Ever shining, ever present - one of the sole sources of stability in my life, which not even the moon could produce, as it wanes and waxes with time...

Even this letter, this new goal, has not supplied any stability. I don't know what it means - I don't know why this Peter wants to see me so damn much, but all I know is that, for some reason, I have to see him. Something within myself just knows that I have to speak with him.

But...about what?

I shake my head as I roll off of the mattress, my hooves clicking on the wooden floor of the curiously stable carriage. I leave the bedroom, and make myself some breakfast - that is, two pieces of toast.

As I silently crunch down on the crusted bread, I examine my calender again. It's hard to believe that I've been on this carriage for a month now...

It's odd, really. I know that, traveling at this rate, I should have reached Ponyville within the week. But there are road blocks everywhere - apparently, several major cities have become subject to major genocides. By whom, I don't know; but I know that I don't want to get involved in that, and that I am thusly grateful for these hindrances.

The sun tells me that it's about noon now, and as I sip coffee from my porcelain mug, I feel myself beginning to doze off. I might as well - at this rate, I don't know when I'll appear in Ponyvi-

"Whoah!" I cry as the carriage comes to a halt. Apparently, the pony that designed the spell made it so that it bucks the passengers into the wall when it reaches the destination...

With a slight headache, I push open the carriage door, my cape and hat abandoned in my dresser as I decide to go out in a more..."modest" outfit.

The first thing I'm met with is disgusted stairs and wrinkled muzzles. I shrink into myself as I walk through Ponyville, my hoofsteps feeling heavy and cumbersome as I struggle to avoid the gazes of the towns' ponies.

Of course, I fail at that, and end up having to feel horribly judged as I trudge through the town in search of the tree library. After several moments of walking with my head down, I finally decide to look, and see that I've stopped just before the overgrown plant.

How convenient.

I gently rap on the door, and I see a pony that had been following me the entire time stop, turn, and walk away, whistling a happy tune. I can't help but wonder what that was all about...

After several minutes with no answer, I venture into the building, finding that the door is unlocked. When I walk in, I gasp as I see the signs of a struggle: torn pages of books, torn couch, destroyed desk...

"What happened here?" I wonder aloud. I frown as I begin to search for Twilight Sparkle throughout the entirety of the building, but I eventually give up - I won't find her here, she's either been taken or has gone into hiding...

Assuming that this occurred unnoticed to everypony, I dash out of the library and find the first pony I can talk to. It just so happens to be a pony that I ridiculed, but I ignore that fact as I begin to speak.

"Excuse me, ma'am?" I ask. The minty green unicorn turns, and wrinkles her muzzle as she sees me.

"Oh...it's you."

My ears flatten as I cringe, but I press on. "Were you aware that there was a struggle in Twilight Sparkles' library? She, uh...I believe she was ponynapped, or fled..."

"Oh, a few Griffons came by before and tried to kidnap her," the unicorn responds nonchalantly.

"WHAT!?" I demand. "Are we at war with the Griffon nation!?"

"It's no biggie," the minty pony informs me, refusing to look at me as she continues to look through her book. "Peter saved her. And that one Griffon - I think her name was Matilda?" She shrugs. "Whatever. Peter brought her up to Canterlot - teleported there. I was pretty impressed." She lowers the book to glare at me. "But I bet you aren't impressed in the slightest," she remarks.

"Uh, I, uh -" I manage to respond, rather intelligently. I begin to blush as the mare chuckles to herself, and I shrink into my own form as she stands to leave with a light giggle.

"Hey, lighten up, Miss Trixie," the unicorn announces. I recoil as she rests a hoof on my shoulder. "I can tell you're not the same egocentric asshole that broke my Lyre that one time. Which you still owe me forty bits for, by the way."

Determined to leave and get to Canterlot, I fish into my saddlebags and pull out the wad of bills Peter gave me. I find two twenties as the mare watches on, her mouth hanging open as she eyes the money I'm presenting.

"Oh, this?" I ask with a smirk. "Makes you poor Ponyville ponies look like real trash..."

The unicorn narrows her eyes at me. "Keep your money, you bitch. I can see I was wrong about you..."

I balk as she begins to walk away. "Wait, I was joking!" I call to her. "Peter gave it to me..."

The mare turns to me with a cocked eyebrow. "What d'you mean, Peter gave it to you?"

Finding myself backed into a corner due to my own...well, let's be honest, profound lack of a verbal filter, I explain the letter I received as best as I can, without the bit about the fate of Equestria resting on my shoulders. I don't think that would go over well with the townsfolk...

"Wait, Peter wants to train you?" She asks. I nod, and she points to Canterlot. "Then what're you waiting for!? Get going already! He's the Head Royal Technician; you don't keep somepony like that waiting!"

I grimace as I realize she's right. I toss the forty bits into the air as I sprint off, not caring whether the mare catches it or not.

My chest heaves as I pant, and I struggle to recollect my breath as I sit in the train compartment. I take a deep breath, which is difficult to do with my incredibly need for oxygen. I sigh as I slump into the chair, and wait for the train to depart.

Within several minutes, the train is rattling along, and I'm one of the sole occupants off the train. I guess that either rush hour is over, or nopony wants to go to Canterlot this time of year...

Or maybe it's Saturday.

When the train arrives in Canterlot, I immediately step out and start to look around for directions. Sweat forms like bullets, and I begin to prance in place.

"Excuse me, ma'am - can I help you?"

"Yes, would you happen to know where Peter is? He should be with Twilight Sparkle," I ask as I turn to look towards the male voice. My eyes widen as I see that it is not a pony, but is a small, purple and green, baby dragon.

"Trixie?" He asks. "Is that you? Why're you looking for Peter and Twilight?"

I wrack my brain for a name. I know I've heard of this young dragon before, and I know he's Twilight Sparkles' assistant in Ponyville...what is his name...

"Uh, my name's Spike, in case you forgot," the dragon announces.

"Ah, yes, Spike!" I declare. "I remember you..."

"Oh, hey, you're not speaking in the third person anymore!"

I nod, feeling slightly proud of myself. Remembering my counseling, I stop it from going to my head before it's too late.

"Well, I don't know where Twilight is, but I'm going to the castle; and there's, like, a ninety eight percent chance that she's there if she's not in Ponyville...wanna come with?"

I nod as I sigh in relief. We start walking through the crowd, and Spike guides me with his knapsack on a stick, which is hard to lose in the crowd due to sticking out like a sore hoof.

"So, you said that you're looking for Peter, too?" Spike asks as we enter a calmer area of the city.

"Yes," I respond. "He left me a letter after he saved my life...he wants to teach me some sort of magic."

"Really?" Spike asks as he turns his neck to look to me. I nod. "Huh...I didn't know he knew magic. Guess it was a secret 'bout him."

I frown for a moment, but decide to go with it - this Peter wouldn't prank me by giving me over one hundred thousand bits. Nopony would.

"So, how do you know Peter?" I venture.

"Oh, we're good friends," the baby dragon responds. "Haven't seen him since I left for the migration, though..."

I raise my eyebrows. "Migration? As in...dragon migration?"

"Yep!" He chirps. "I even made a bunch of friends!"

"Oh, really? I've read that dragons are incredibly antisocial - how did you manage to do that without fighting?"

"What makes you think I can't fight?" He asks, defensively.

"Uh, well..." I give a sheepish grin. "You're...well...tiny."

Spike smirks at me. "Yeah, well...you'll hear all about it when I tell Celestia!"

I nod, and Spike hums to himself merrily as we continue through the halls of the Canterlot castle. Oddly enough, as soon as the guards saw Spike, they let him through without a word, and myself as well. I know that Twilight is the Princess' student, but...wouldn't they at least check out a dragon, even knowing it's her assistant? I shake the notion off as we continue to walk, hooves and claws clacking against the marble.

When we arrive at the throne room, one of the guards stares at Spike before readily opening the door that leads to Celestia's throne. As he does, I see that she and Twilight Sparkle are discussing something at great length as she sits next to her mentor. Spike and I walk in, and as soon as Celestia takes notice of us, I give a courteous bow.

Adding to the oddity of this visit, as she looks up, I can't help but see a moment of shock and fear in her eyes. I dismiss it as a trick of the light.

"Ah, Spike, you have returned!" Celestia declares. The baby dragon nods, and runs to give Twilight a hug.

"And Trixie Lulamoon, I see that you have arrived," Celestia announces. I nod with a gulp, and she smiles sadly as she looks down at me. "Alas, I'm afraid that your meeting with Peter must be postponed. Something...urgent happened."

I nod, a knot forming in the pit of my stomach as I open my mouth to ask what that urgent thing is. I'm cut short by a gasp.

"Spike, these are..."

I turn in surprise, and my eyes widen as I see the several dozen scales left scattered atop the now-open knapsack. Were those in there the entire time!?

"Yeah, they're my prize for winning the fight!" Spike announces happily. I cast a nervous glance to Twilight and Celestia, both of whom are ignoring me as I begin to tremble: why does this feel so...scary? Don't scales grow back?

"Spike...these are..." Twilight seems to go green, and I frown as I step forward to examine the scales.

"They're scales," Spike completes, tilting his head in confusion. "What's the matter, Twilight?"

"Spike...you get a dragons' scales when you...when you kill them..." Twilight breathes. A shiver runs down my spine, and I take a nervous step back as Spike shrugs.

"And?"

Twilight's face turns from green to red in a split second, and if I had blinked, I would have missed the swift motion that created the sharp crack.

I cringe as Twilight fully slaps Spike, right across the cheek. I take another step back, unwilling to intrude upon their personal affairs.

"AND!?" Twilight shouts. "AND!? HOW DARE YOU DEVALUE LIFE LIKE THAT - I TAUGHT YOU THAT ALL LIFE WAS PRECIOUS, SPIKE! YOU MURDERED A DRAGON! YOU MURDERED THIS DRAGON!" She points to the scales for emphasis.

"Hey, he attacked me first!" Spike shouts in response, his own voice seeming small and outright pathetic in comparison to Twilight's. "I was just defending myself!"

"Yes, you can defend yourself, but you never kill something!" Twilight shrieks in response. I let out a yelp of surprise as the Alicorn standing to the left of me begins to shout.

"Enough!" She bellows. "Guards, close the doors." I start as the doors are pulled shut with a loud bang, and I begin to tremble as the Princess continues. "Twilight Sparkle, I'll have you know what Spike did was justifiable. The dragon that attacked him had every intention of killing him." Twilight starts to ask a question, but Celestia cuts across her, the regal sisters' tone now a soothing, soft sound of comfort. "Twilight, you of all ponies should know that dragons have a tendency to kill those they think of as weak. If Spike hadn't killed that dragon, you know what would have happened to him."

Twilight sighs bitterly. "I...I know, it's just..." She looks to Spike. "Spike, how...how could you take taking a life so...so calmly? It's as if it hasn't even affected you..." Spike frowns, and sadness finally shows in his blank eyes as he hears the strain in Twilight's voice. "What...what happened to you, Spike? Why have you changed so much..."

"Perhaps you should speak with Peter, as he has had Grendel within his mind." Princess Celestia suggests, softly. "The both of you should. He may not be awake yet, but I have no doubt that he will wake shortly. The magic used by the surgeons helped to accelerate the process, to the point at which the entire surgery took only one hour..."

"Surgery?" Spike asks, concern etched across his face. Twilight nods.

"Come on, Spike," Twilight says softly. "I'll explain on the way...and...sorry for yelling at you like that..."

Spike nods, holding tight onto the lavender unicorns' hoof as the pair walks away. I frown in both pity and jealousy.

I wish I had somepony like that in my life...

"Trixie Lulamoon," Princess Celestia announces, her voice strangely soft. I spin around, and give her a salute with a shaking limb.

"Y-yes ma'am?"

"Perhaps, when they leave Peter's bedside, you should attend to him, as well - the sooner you meet him, the better."

I nod, and confusion takes the place of fear. "Princess, I...Your Majesty, would you mind if I...I were to ask what surgery Peter underwent?"

Celestia sighs. "I would explain it all, but...I find myself too mentally and emotionally drained to do so. Do you...mind at all?"

"Of course not, your Majesty."

She nods. "Thank you...I will only tell you what the surgery was. They had to remove several tumors from his abdominal region. He can explain it more..."

I nod. Tumors aren't exactly uncommon, so I'm not shocked to hear it. A bit disheartened, but...not shocked. If I had known him personally, perhaps then I would be shocked.

"Now, I must retire to my bedchambers," she announces with a very un-Princess-like yawn. "My sister, Luna, will speak to you if you require assistance...But don't expect to get anything other than riddles..."

I nod, and with that, the Princess makes her exit. I see her pull something out of an alcove in the wall and cradle it against her chest. I can't help but peek at it, and my eyes widen as I see that it's a bottle of heavy rum.

"Trixie Lulamoon?"

The voice catches me off guard, and I spin around to see a...Guard. I nod to him, and he nods back.

"Come with me. We have bedchambers prepared for you. We will send word when Miss Sparkle and her assistant have left Peter's hospital dwelling."

I nod, and the guard leads me to a room where I can rest my head for a few moments. I sit on the edge of the bed, and he asks if I would like anything. I respond with "my belongings from my carriage, please". He nods with a curt "right away," then walks out.

And I'm left to my lonesome, to think and to fear my thoughts.

Peter's Explanation

I smile at Rainbow Dash as she scowls at me.

"Don't you put that shit-eating grin on," she growls. "Peter, you fucked up. This is fucking stupid, and it's because you just couldn't resist using your fancy-ass magic!"

I chuckle lightly. "Oh, Dashie, ever the hot flame," I remark.

"You're damn straight! Peter, you've got to be more careful! Do you want our kid to be fatherless!?"

"Of course not!" I shout in response. "But it's done now - it's over, alright? Just...stop freaking out about it, okay?"

"Fuck you," she spits. I sigh, and look up in surprise as the door bursts open, despite a nurses' protests.

The first thing I notice is the purple dragon.

"Spike!?" I shout in shock.

"You seem surprised," he remarks coolly.

"I...I didn't expect you back so soon," I lie. He nods, and Twilight steps forward, using magic to keep the furious nurse at bay.

"Peter, Celestia said you know more about the darkness in Spike than she does. Could you explain it? I mean, he...he killed another dragon, Peter...and he seems to be fine with it!" Twilight sighs. "Please...I want to understand why..."

I sigh as I sit up. Rainbow tries to keep me down, but I slap her hoof away. She immediately retracts, as she knows I'm not short with her unless it's important.

"Spike...I wish that dragon had killed you first," I announce. Both Twilight and Spike gasp, and I hold up a hand to stop them as they open their mouths to protest. "Spike, deep inside, you and I both know that you're perturbed by your act of murder. And we both know that you're scared, but right now, you can't feel it in its entirety. Within an hour or so...you will. I promise you that." Spike frowns, and I continue. "I wanted to spare you from that, Spike. I'll explain it all, let me speak.

"When your darkness takes over, you'll kill without remorse. If you're threatened, you'll kill without so much as batting an eye - unless you get blood in one of them. When this happens, you'll be dulled for a while when you return to consciousness. After a while, though...it'll hit you. You...you'll feel absolutely horrible, Spike. You'll feel the guilt of ending a life, and you will be...well, you'll be broken.

"And then, you won't be able to stop killing, and your life will become insanity, and you won't know when the darkness has you anymore. You'll descend into insanity, and that is not what I wanted for you. So I sent that dragon to try to kill you, because I will not let a friend of mine suffer a fate like that."

Spike and Twilight gasp, but Rainbow remains stoic. "What!?" Twilight demands. "How did Celestia let you do this!?"

"I told her he was part of Vanquel's plans," I shout in response, my fists clenching. "I lied to her, and made her think he had to die, because I don't want him to suffer that fucking fate!" Spike recoils at the language. "Spike you're my friend, and you've already experienced death. I don't want you to feel the guilt of causing it. I want you to be free - I want your soul to be freed of the darkness within you, damnit!" Spikes' lower lip begins to tremble, and I continue. "I tried to kill you to save you from Grendel's remnant, Spike. I tried to kill you to make you happy again, so your soul could be free."

Twilight frowns. "I...I don't understand...why...why would you say he's part of Vanquel's plans?"

"Because he is," I sigh. "Vanquel wants him dead. Spike is one of the only living beings that could ever stop him - besides myself."

"So why did you want him dead!?" Twilight demands.

"Because I didn't want to put that sort of responsibility on him!" I shout in return. "He doesn't deserve that sort of life! He doesn't! Before he was murdered by Grendel, he hadn't done a god damn thing wrong in his entire life! He was fucking innocent!" Twilight frowns, as she's obviously remembering my speech at the baby dragon's funeral. "He shouldn't have to kill Vanquel. It's my responsibility."

Spike frowns, and Twilight balks. I sigh as I wave my hand to shoo them away. "I've got to rest, I'm getting tired," I announce as my vision swims. "Just...think on what I've said, the both of you. It may determine the destiny of Equestria, and all that crap..." I yawn as I fall back onto the bed. "If Spike were to kill Vanquel," I announce as they're about to leave, stopping them in their tracks, "his darkness would be taken from him, and he would be himself once more. But he would have any kills he had performed while under its control upon his own conscious." I sigh. "You should go...I've got to speak with Rainbow."

Twilight nods, speechlessly carrying Spike out on her back. I rub my temples, and Rainbow Dash rests her head on my shoulder in an attempt to pamper me.

"You didn't have to be so damn harsh on them," she mutters.

"I know," I sigh. "But...I think it was the only way to make it work..."

She nods. "Yeah...if they don't know the full of it, they would probably hate you forever..."

I nod, and I look up with a groan as I hear hoofsteps. I notice that they belong to a certain white Alicorn.

"Trixie's here," she slurs a bit. I hear a swig, and I pinch my fingers to my forehead as Rainbow cringes. "Thought you'd like t' know..."

"Celestia, you still haven't stopped drinking?" I ask with a sigh. "Jesus Christ, we sent you to that Alcoholics Anonymous in your disguise for a reason..."

"Well, I've got t' drink if I wanna stay sane," she grumbles. "In any case...I've got to go," she announces, before turning and awkwardly trotting out of the room. Rainbow Dash sighs to herself.

"What the hell do you think she drinks to get that drunk?" She asks.

"She drinks extract from the Moons' light," I grumble. "It's known as MoonShine. She also drinks extract of the Suns' matter - it's practically alcohol and lava in a cup."

Rainbow sticks her tongue out with a sound of disgust. "That sounds nasty..."

"It's actually quite nice," I inform her. "Once you start drinking it, you'll find that it's actually very cool. You've just got to work up the courage to do so first."

Rainbow shrugs. "Yeah, whatever. You should get to sleep, Peter - you're gonna need it to deal with Trixie..."

I sigh as I close my eyes. "Fine," I mutter. I smile as she kisses me on the cheek. "I love you."

"You're still in a fuckload of trouble," she mutters.

I sigh as I rub her muzzle. "Don't doubt it," I grumble. "Good night..."

She nuzzles me, and I smile as I fall asleep. Well, I smile, but inside I'm screaming in terror at the prospect of what Rainbow will do to me.

Bonus Chapter: Peter and Celestia Share a Drink

Just a forenote: this is based upon a concept introduced in the previous chapter. Also, it takes place before Peter is captured by the Changelings, when he is first appointed to his position as Head Royal Technician.

I gingerly rap on the royal door with a knuckle. "Princess?" I call out, sweat beading on my body as I look right at her. "Uh...you called me?"

"Yes," the celestial ruler responds with a warm smile. "Why do you seem to be so afraid, Peter? I thought we were friends."

"Yeah, but...the guard you sent told me it was about my job," I announce. "Are you...like, firing me?"

"No, no," Celestia responds with a chuckle. "Come, have a seat."

I sigh in relief as I approach the table Celestia is sitting in front of, and lower myself into a comfortable seat to her left. She nods to me, and proceeds to pull a few bottles out of a bucket of ice. One of the bottles is a brilliant gold, while the other is a soothing silver.

"Tech has retired," she announces as she places the liquor down on the table. "I was going to give him a party for his retirement, but...he's already working on another project in his own workshop."

I can't help but chuckle a bit as Celestia places glasses before the both of us. "Yep, that's Tech..."

Celestia nods silently, and pours liquid from the silver bottle into both of our glasses. "Now, I've been thinking about who should be the new Head Royal Technician, and I believe-"

"Princess, if I may?" I interrupt. She nods. "Uh...what is this, exactly?" I ask as I swirl the glass around. "And...why is it glowing?"

"That is known as MoonShine," she informs me. "It is extracted from the glow of the moon, and contains the energy of light itself. Of course, the SunShine is much more potent - but I decided that we'd start off soft."

I nod, and motion for her to continue. I feel a bit pompous and like a complete asshole as I do so.

"Now, I've decided that the new Head Technician should be none other than you," she announces. I grin at her, and she uses magic to lift up her own glass. "Congratulations, Peter. Cheers."

I thank her before curiously taking the glass to my lips. I tilt it backwards, and let a small amount come to my mouth as I sip, and-

"Holy fucking shit!" I cry as I hold the drink at arms' length. Celestia giggles as I cough and sputter. "That's...that's strong!"

"Well, of course it is," Celestia announces. "How else do you expect me to get drunk?"

I shake my head as I gingerly take another sip, taking time to appreciate the taste a bit more. It tastes...

Well, it tastes like a cool autumn breeze. I guess...shit, it is really hard to describe the taste!

I begin to giggle to myself as I swirl the glass around.

"What?" Celestia asks as she finishes her glass.

"It tastes funny," I announce as I grin at the liquid. I take another sip. "I like it."

Celestia smiles. "I thought you would," she announces. She opens the golden bottle, and pours herself a glass of that. "You stay on the MoonShine. I'll drink the SunShine for now. I'm afraid what it would do to you."

I nod as I eye her drink. It's glowing very strongly, yet...it doesn't hurt my eyes. It's bright, yet subdued. Strange. Almost like it's a soft lantern.

A few moments later...no, it's like a minute...wait...forty one seconds? I don't know, but I like this drink...

Oh, it's empty? Darn it...no fair!

"'Tia, can I have som're?" I ask, unable to remain upright as I lean on the table. Heheh...tabl-e...

"Why, yes, my wonderful human boy," she coos. She moves the golden bottle of Sun...Shit to me, and I frown as it floats.

"I thought you said-"

"Shut the fuck up," she snaps. I look up to her, and see that her cheeks are flushed. "Just drink some, you fucking slut..."

I giggle as I nod, and she pours a bit into the glass. As she does, the glass wobbles, but she keeps it stead-

"Hic!"

With a resounding smalashadash, the glass of SunFuck falls onto the...the...

Fuck it, it falls.

"Oops!" Celestia chirps with a giggle. I'm relieved that there wasn't much left in the bottle for there to be much of a mess.

"Oh, you," I tease as I take a brave sip.

"Be careful," Celestia whispers into my ear. "It's made out of the sun itself..."

I spit out the liquid, which makes Celestia look like a drowned rat. I begin to giggle, forgetting why I spit out the liquid in the first place. Celestia starts to giggle to, and frowns at the broken bottle.

"Oh, it broke," she bemoans. "I'll just get..." She lifts up another bottle, and frowns in confusion. "That's weird...I only had two bottles..."

I look to the table, and raise my eyebrows in surprise. There are five empty bottles, both of MoonShine and SunShine. Mostly SunShine. Who drank all of that? Whoever it is, they are sooooo drunk...

"But don't worry!" Celestia announces. "The sun matter is cool when you drink it?"

"...uh...wha?"

"The sun matter," Celestia reminds me, covering the entirety of my face with a hoof as she leans in to look right at me. "The SunShine is made out of the sun but it is the cool because it is not the hot..."

I blink a few times. "That makes perfect sense," I announce. "Celestia, you're a genius."

Her flush intensifies. "I know," she teases. "Go on, drink it." She removes the hoof from my face, and places it on my chest.

"M'kay," I announce as I lift the glass to my lips. I tilt it back, and let the golden liquid flow in.

It tastes like a summer...

A summer...

It tastes like sun took a shit...

But that shit tasted really good because it was made out of sunshine...

"It's nice," I announce as I place it down. Somehow, I end up on the floor. That's weird, I have perfect balance.

"Finish your glass," Celestia urges. I nod as I bring it to my face, perfectly placing it in my mouth. Unfortunately, my mouth decides to be a jerk, so most of the liquid ends up en mi cama.

"¡A mi me gusta esta bebida mucha señora!" Yo...yo...yo....yo dije? Yeah; si, dijo. Comento.

"¿Huh?"

"I'm - pfff - sorry - pfff - I - pfff - don't - pfff - understand - pffff - your - pffff - accent - pffffffffffff."

"E hamina humina?" Celestia asks me.

"Wa kalla," I respond.

"Le maka maka?" She asks softly, leaning into me with angled eyebrows.

"Le muki muki," I whisper. She moves the final inch, and our lips meet in a kiss.

"More alcohol!" Celestia bellows as we part. "We demand more alcohol!"

"...more," I agree as I grin, slumping over the table. Why do my lips feel funny?

I wake up with a pounding headache. "What the fuck..." I groan to myself. I feel sticky everywhere...

"Mmpph..." A feminine voice mutters. I put two and two together, and then add another two as I feel sticky, yet still soft, fur against my bare body.

I smile as I cuddle into the mare. "Oh...Rainbow, how much did we have to drink last night?"

"Mmmphh...I dunno....ask Rainbow..."

I look up with a frown of confusion. "Huh?" I ask, squeezing my eyes shut as I feel a wave of death roll over my BRAINZ. "What're you..."

Our eyes meet, and we remain still for a moment.

A second later, we're letting our screams loud enought to chafe our vocal chords as we try to roll out of the bed. Unfortunately, I'm stuck in between Celestia's feathers, so I end up being dragged along with her and slammed unceremoniously into the ground, which does wonders for my POUNDING HEADACHE.

"Holy shit," I breathe to myself as I stare at the bottles littering the floor. I'd say the table, but the table was overturned at some time or another. "What the fuck..."

"I...I believe I had a total of twelve bottles," Celestia announces. A cough, or perhaps a sob, emerges from the back of her throat. "Holy Luna..."

We look to each other again, and as we do, tears well up behind my eyes. One high-pitched moan later, I'm crying into Celestia's coat as she hugs me.

"I can't believe we..."

"Neither can I," she says softly.

"And I...cheated on..."

She shushes me, and, as soon as I've calmed enough to breathe without sobbing incessantly, she lets go of me.

"I'm going to use magic to bring forth memories of last night," Celestia announces.

"Why?" I ask, my voice barely a whisper as I curl up to endure the pain. "Why would you want to-"

I'm interrupted by vomit.

Ten minutes later, Celestia and I are sighing in relief as Luna finishes working his magic.

"I can see why you were so apprehensive about coming to me," she announces with a grumble. "How dare you? Especially you, sister."

Celestia nods. "I know...I'm sorry, Lu-Lu..."

"And you, Peter. You'll have a lot of explaining to do to Rainbow Dash."

I nod. "I...I know..." I feel like I want to cry again, but I just don't have it in me.

"Now, sister, will you review your liquor-locked memories of the events of last night so I shall admonish you?" Luna asks.

Celestia nods with a bitter frown. "Yes, Lu-Lu..." She looks to me, and her horn glows. I feel something in my mind, and-

"Wait," I urge. "I thought only you had to remember!"

"I'm not going down alone," Celestia hisses before plunging us into memory.

I watch from a distance, as does Celestia.

"So...we're both in our memories?"

Celestia nods. "Because our memories involve each other, and I casted the spell on both of us, we can both watch."

I blush. "This is...weird..."

Celestia nods again. "But like I said, I'm not going down alone."

I nod. I sure hope the guilt I'm feeling was worth it, as in it was really good sex. If it wasn't...then, fuck.

Celestia and I watch as I get undressed. Celestia pulls at my clothes - which explains the teeth marks I found when I was putting them back on - to assist me, and within a moment, I'm in the nude.

What happens next...is something I can never erase from my memory.

I fall over, gasping for air as I clutch the stitch in my side.

"I don't...I don't even..." Celestia mutters.

I kick my legs in the air as crazy laughter takes over.

For the crazy laughter, take your pick from the compilation:

Youtube Video

"What the fuck..." I pant as I stand upright. I watch as Celestia continues to dance, trying to persuade me to dance with her. I hear her saying that "dancing nude is what all ponies do, isn't that why you got naked?"

"This is..." Celestia shakes her head in shame. "This is worse than adultery..."

Celestia pulls off a spin, and does some disco move from the pony equivalent of the eighties. I burst out in laughter once more.

"Alright," I hear myself announce. I freeze as I watch myself begin to do a helicopter dick. And not on purpose. I'm trying to drunkenly shuffle.

Celestia falls onto her own back now, laughing hysterically as I blush, and my past self dances like an asshole.

A moment later, we both fall over into a puddle of liquor, and end up rolling around...acting like fish. We both stare at our past selves in confusion and self-disgust for a little while.

After a minute of this, Celestia slaps her hoof to her face. "Fast forward!" She announces. Just like that, we end up watching the two idiots in accelerated motion.

A few moments later, time returns to normal as we begin to kiss, and lead each other into the bed. Celestia and I exchange a glance of dread.

"This is gonna be great," I hear myself giggle.

"Yeah," Celestia giggles in response. "I haven't done this in a long time..."

"That's not true!" Present Celestia declares, stomping a hoof into the ground. "I made love just last week!"

I stare at Celestia for a moment.

A few moments later, it turns out that we weren't planning on making love: we were planning on cuddling.

And by cuddling, I mean hugging and immediately passing out.

"Well," Celestia announces with a blush. "I haven't cuddled with anypony in forty years, so...that's accurate."

I nod, and Celestia quickly takes us out of the memories, to stand before Luna.

The night Princess loses her shit.

"I saw everything!" She declares as she roars in laughter. "You two are such baboons!"

Celestia and I blush, and I hear clapping from behind me.

"Bravo," Discord announces. "Bravo, Celestia! Truly, an act of alcoholic randomness!"

Five seconds later, he's holding his crotch, and Celestia is furiously polishing her golden hoof-boot.

"Disgusting," she spits. "I should've thought before I hit this things' balls..."

"Yes, Celestia," Discord growls. "You should have."

The rest is lost to history's magnificent folds. Because he took her back in time, and made her re-watch her memories. In full. I know this because Celestia dragged me along, too.

I sigh as Discord roars in laughter.

"Celestia?"

"Yes, Peter?"

"If Rainbow ever finds out about this, kill me."

"Certainly."

I nod, and sigh as the memory restarts.

This is going to be a long fucking day.

A Brief Meeting

I smile warmly as the blue unicorn walks into the room, her eyes searching and wary as she slowly walks in. Her head hangs low due to her timid fear of the castle's imposing qualities, and her revelations that she is, in fact, not the center of the universe.

"Hello, Trixie Lulamoon," I announce. She starts at her full name.

"How do you..."

"I'm the Head Royal Technician," I remind her. "I can see any Royal Archive I want. Now, if you wouldn't mind - could you close the door, please?"

She nods, and quickly closes it with an audible click. I motion for her to take a seat by my side, and she does so with a respectful nod. After a moment of silence, which is probably awkward for her, I break the silence.

"I bet this isn't what you expected," I announce, gesturing towards my humble form in the hospital bed. "You were probably expecting some grand hero, weren't you?"

She nods. "Yes...I thought the one that saved my life wouldn't be bound to a hospital bed..."

I give her a light chuckle. "Yeah, well...it's being that 'grand hero' that landed me here," I announce. I motion towards my midsection. "Without a horn, I couldn't expel the radiation from using magic, so it all just settled in my digestive tack. Several tumors eventually developed - they were all expertly removed, but I can't use magic for the next two months..."

"Then...how will you train me?" She asks, seeming more worried about her training than my well being.

"Not all of it is about my magic," I inform her. "Most of it is about finding your inner strength. If you're able to harness that...you could do wonderful things, Trixie." I give her a small smile. "Things that would put your petty firework shows to shame."

She blushes at the mention of her failed career. She looks away, unable to admit defeat to her newly adopted mentor. I chuckle dryly as I recline in the hospital bed. "In any case, I think we should get to know each other first. There's no sense in teaching you unless I have an idea of who the fuck you are, huh?"

Trixie smiles at the remark, and nods. I nod as well. A moment of silence passes, during which she fiddles with her hooves.

"I'm sorry if I've disappointed you," I announce. "Yet I'm afraid that this is all our sessions can be, until further notice." She nods. "I want you to come here tomorrow, Trixie. I know this has been quite short, but I just wanted to meet you. Tomorrow will be much more...interesting. I promise."

She nods, and bids me farewell before politely excusing herself. I can tell that, despite my best attempts to be completely jovial, she's rather fearful of me. I'll deal with that later, but for now, I've got something more important to deal with...

Five Years Later...

Rainbow Dash and I sit across from each other at the small table, smiling as we enjoy the moment.

"So, how'd it go with your student?" Rainbow asks, taking a quick sip of tea.

"You mean Trixie?" A nod. I push my lips into a tight line as I remember the unicorn. "She's...learning."

"You seem disappointed."

"I'm a lot of things," I sigh. "Unfortunately, disappointed is one of them..."

"I understand."

I give a solemn nod as I turn back to my tea. We pass a few moments in silence, but I break it as I take her hoof in my hand. We look to each other for a moment before I let loose a hefty sigh. "We should get going," I announce.

She nods, and we both stand to prepare for the journey ahead of us as we regretfully cast off our ties to the small oasis.

Rainbow casts a quick glance around. "It's weird...I've spent so much time here, it almost feels like a house..." She smiles at me. "But it never quite felt like a home."

I extend a hand to her. "Let's go home, then."

To Ponyville (WARNING: FILLER)

"You guys go ahead," I call to the small group. "I'll catch up."

Trixie is about to argue when Rainbow Dash spreads out her wing to stop her. With a meaningful yet brief glance, she convinces the unicorn to do as I say. However, her wings can't stop a small filly that sprints past her and jumps up to hug me.

"I'm super glad you're okay!" Scootaloo cries with a grin. "Hurry up, alright?"

I smile as I hug her back. "You know it."

She lets out a light giggle as she lets go, and bounds over to Rainbow and Trixie. I smile as they proceed towards the train station. Rainbow Dash sends a questioning glance back at me, and I simply nod to her. She turns back around with a satisfied smile.

"Celestia, I'm going to be leaving soon."

The only thing I get in return is an irritated grumble.

I sigh as I sit down on the edge of the Solar Princess' bed. She senses the shift in weight and turns to glare at me.

"Princess...this is getting really bad," I gently inform her. "You have got to stop."

"I know when to stop..." She mumbles as she reaches down to grasp a bottle of booze. I knock it out of her hoof, and she glares at me with the intensity of a thousand suns.

"What is the meaning of this insolence?" She demands. I sigh as I do the one thing that's left in my arsenal. Something I haven't wanted to resort to.

I stretch out on her bed, and gently wrap an arm around her.

She seems to be shocked by the gesture, so I give her a gentle smile.

"Celestia," I whisper as I grasp her hoof, "we all care about you. We do. Even Discord does, in his own way." She rolls her eyes. "Princess...you're destroying yourself. You're falling apart, and yet you won't tell anypony what's wrong. Celestia, please - tell someone why you're drinking so much." She starts to complain, but I interrupt. "And you don't have to tell me if you don't have to. I'd prefer that you tell your sister - you know that the two of you can share anything, and yet you refuse to do so." She narrows her eyes at me, and I sigh as I rest my palm on her cheek. "Please...stop drinking so much; get some help. You're falling apart, and we can't stand to watch you do that to yourself..."

Celestia stares at me for a few moments before doing something unexpected.

She kisses me.

"I needed to hear that," she whispers. She stands, and immediately sorts out her feathers and her coat. Her mane sorts itself in the solar wind.

After several minutes of gathering himself, she uses magic to grab all the bottles of alcohol in her room. I assume that she's going to dump it in the toilet or out the window.

I'm proven wrong when she uses magic to siphon all of the alcohol from the containers to her mouth. I slap my hand to my face as she drops the bottles with a resounding crash of glass shattering.

"There," she announces with a grin. "Without alcohol in the room, there's no temptation."

"Fuck it!" I announce. "I'm going to go tell Luna to carry out her original plan. I give up."

I storm out before Celestia can ask what the "original plan" is.

After telling Luna to do what she's gotta do, I get Discord and tell him to help Luna out. Of course, it's difficult to talk to him at first due to the fact that he insists upon forcing me to navigate a ceiling made out of slippery-ass banana peels.

Once that's done, I immediately leave the castle and approach the train. I can't help but snicker a bit as I feel Celestia's mind entering my own.

Peter, I will end you for this!!

Good luck getting out of those ropes, I mentally shoot back.

Now that I'm on the train, it's time to make sure I'm all alone...

Good. I'm the only one in this car. I open my bag, and take out a small device that I had designed. Ignoring the advice of several doctors, I lift my shirt and place it on my sternum. I use the temporary straps to secure it, and I remove my shoe as I stand.

Focusing on the shoe, and silently praying that this will work, I use a bit of magic to make it spin around. A simple action, yet one that would definitely result in radiation entering my body due to the profound lack of a horn.

About a second after I cut off the magic, I feel the device mildly heating on my chest. I wince as it burns a slight imprint into the flesh, and sigh in relief as it finishes its job. I remove the device, and study the readout.

"Perfect," I think aloud. All the radiation caused by the magic I used was absorbed by the device and used to power itself. Essentially, it takes the radiation out of my body by using the radiation in my body to power itself. A simple yet efficient solution.

Unfortunately, as I remove the device I find that it left much more of an imprint than I thought it would. The flesh has turned red and irritated, and it stings when I touch it. I think of using magic to heal it for a moment, but that would be a bit too risky.

So I just decide to carefully pack the device away and sit back and relax on the chair as the train rolls towards Ponyville. I might as well get some mental rest.

Lord knows I'm gonna need it...

The First Lesson

Twilight stares at me. I simply sigh and sit down next to her. She doesn't shy away like I had expected her to.

"Twilight," I begin, "I am so sorry for having caused you this sort of pain. I...I did it because I wanted to spare you from this pain. I was hoping that if you didn't know, then...only I would have to deal with it, not you. And Spike...I already told you why I did this for him." All Twilight does is blink at me. I see Trixie shifting her weight uncomfortably in the corner of the room, and Rainbow Dash giving the blue unicorn a distasteful glance. "And...if it means anything...I'll try my best to find another way to help Spike. I promise you that. You don't have to forgive me - in fact, I'd be quite surprised if you did. All I want is for you to understand why I did this." A moment of silence passes, during which Twilight looks away from me. I decide that I've overstayed my welcome, so I stand.

"When you speak to Spike, make sure he knows that you love him. He needs that right now. And make sure he understands - it's the least he deserves." When she doesn't respond I nod to myself and turn to leave. "C'mon," I urge Trixie. Rainbow Dash, understanding that these lessons require privacy due to the danger present, opts to stay with Twilight. I smile at the two mares as I leave.

I lead Trixie to a clearing in Whitetail Woods where we can be completely alone. I retrieve my new device from my bag and hesitantly strap it to my chest. It's going to burn, and I don't enjoy pain that much.

"Alright," I announce as I set my bag aside. "Take a seat." I motion towards the center of the clearing as I sit down. Trixie gulps as she nods, and sits directly across from me in the center.

"Do you understand what I'm going to be teaching you?" I ask her. She shakes her head, seemingly too nervous to use her voice. "I'm going to teach you how to fight the darkness, Trixie. This isn't regular magic - there are almost no spells involved. It's mostly the concentration and careful release of energy from a focal point - namely, your horn. You'll have to learn how to defend yourself against the Virals, and you will have to be able to kill them. Understand?" She nods, fear and excitement mixing in her eyes. "Do you have any questions?"

A moment of silence as she searches for her voice. Once she's found it, she speaks up. "I...I don't understand. Why did you choose me? And what are Virals?"

"I chose you because you have potential, and I want to mold that potential into someone I can count on to help me fight the darkness - the primary source of the Virals. I'm going to explain everything in this lesson, but I'll have to start from the beginning." She nods, and I nod in return. "Good."

I clear my throat before I begin to explain.

"There are two sides to the world. One is positive, and one is negative - they're polar opposites of each other. These two sides contain nothing but concepts - good, evil, happiness, sadness. They don't exist except for where the two sides overlap. This overlap creates two different worlds - one that leans towards the positive side, and one that leans towards the negative. These worlds are known as the Light World and the Dark World.

"We're in the Light World. Here, the positive concepts of reality are primarily represented, but the negative concepts of the world still exist. These concepts exist in the same exact amount - the world is half negative, half positive, but the positive is represented.

"Now, the Dark World is basically a mirror image of this world. But just like in mirrors, it's an opposite. The negative concepts of reality are primarily represented there, but the positive concepts of reality still have a strong pull there. Just like here, it's half negative and half positive, but the negative is represented there.

"Since these worlds are mirrors of each other, the reflections also contain individuals. Everypony in the Light World has a counterpart in the Dark World, and vice versa. So, yeah.

"Between these two worlds, there's a sort of homeostasis. This ensures that the negative and positive are constantly equal in both realms. To regulate this flow, there are four deities - two in each world. Here, they're Celestia and Luna; there, they are Nightmare Moon and Blistering Sun. Luna and Nightmare Moon switched places at one time - they both went mad when they looked through each others' eyes. But that time is long gone now."

I pause to ensure that Trixie understands everything. After a short conferral, I continue.

"If somepony from the Dark World were to switch worlds, they would go mad, and would attempt to recreate their world by killing and destroying. The same applies to somepony from the Light World - but the destruction would be in an attempt to 'purge' the evil from the world.

"However, I wasn't born here. As such, when I was brought into the Light World, my negative counterpart came with me - but it wasn't created in the Dark World. Rather, it was manifested in the Light World as something known as 'Grendel'. It didn't go insane, but it did end up killing and destroying to absorb the negative experiences of its victims.

"Now, when I sealed Grendel away within the Elements of Disharmony and the Element of Sacrifice, his kills were released. These kills became Virals, which is anything that has been killed by an opposite and then returned to life. There are a few exceptions to the general 'insanity' that holds them, but they all upset the balance between the worlds."

Before explaining what the upset of balance had caused (and is causing), I make sure Trixie understands it all again. She's a bit overwhelmed, but that's to be expected. Overall, she's a pretty good student.

"Between the Dark and the Light Worlds lies a boundary. In the boundary, there exists a world that has no definite form. All its inhabitants are mad and vicious, and to both the Dark and the Light World it would appear to be a grotesque and hideous place.

"This is known as the Other World. Its instability allows the two worlds to remain stable. But now that the Light and Dark are blending, the boundary is being eroded and the Other World is being released. One of the inhabitants calls himself 'Vanquel', and he's a denizen of darkness that now haunts the Light World. There's a similar being in the Dark World, but I have no idea what he calls himself. All I know is that they're both creating Virals and upsetting the balance further. I don't know how many other beings have escaped from the Other World, but I do know one thing: it's all leading up to something huge.

"At the heart of the Other World, there's something immensely powerful - and I have no idea what it is. But I know that when it's released it will be the end of everything as we know it. And...that's about it."

Trixie shakes her head for a moment. "That's...quite a lot," she admits.

"Yeah," I respond. "Hell, I barely understand it myself."

She stares at me for a moment. "What!?"

I shrug. "Celestia explained it to me. What, you thought I knew all of this off the top of my head?" I snicker a bit at the notion. "Nah, Celestia and Luna explained it all. I just repeated everything I remembered, but I tried to make it a bit shorter. I still don't get half of it - like what the negative and positive concepts are, or why Grendel came into the Light World with me. But seeing as how Celestia and Luna oversee the worlds and their balance, I'm going to assume that they know what they're talking about."

Trixie blinks a few times. "But I...but you sounded like you knew exactly what you were talking about!" She protests.

"Yeah, I memorized most of what they said so I could say it back to you. I barely understand any of it, I was just repeating what I was told. I mean, I think it could be condensed to: 'two worlds: Light, Dark. Other World in between. Grendel aberration. Insanity. Instability. Evil. Blah blah blah apocalypse.' But Celestia wanted me to explain everything to you. She said if I didn't, then you wouldn't be fit to protect anything."

Trixie sighs as she slumps against the ground. "My head hurts," she whimpers.

"Mine does too," I assure her. "Mine does too..."

After taking a deep breath, I stand and motion for her to follow suit. I show her a basic energy bolt and explain to her how it works. I clench my teeth as the radiation resulting from the magic is expelled from my body. After I'm done helping her find her inner energy, I begin to instruct her on how to channel it offensively.

One Hour Later...

"Good," I announce as Trixie's latest energy bolt crashes through the weak wall I had created. "Very good, actually. You're a fast learner."

She nods, panting as the use of so much energy takes its toll. I smile as I decide that it's been enough for today, and offer her a place to stay - namely, my house. She nods as she accepts the offer, and we start on our way back to Ponyville.

As I walk her to my home so she can take a shower, the blue unicorn receives dozens of distasteful glares. She hangs her head low, and I make sure to take the most out-of-the-way path so she's not shamed even further.

Once we get to my house, I guide her to the shower and put her cloak and hat in the wash. I sigh as I walk into my bedroom to take a nap and store away my device.

As soon as I enter, I'm greeted by Rainbow Dash. "Hey," I chirp before peeling off the device. I cringe as I see that there is now a severe burn on the skin. Rainbow Dash does, as well, and I quickly heal it with basic magic that doesn't create as much radiation as others. I'm intrigued when the device takes radiation from my body despite not even touching it. I let out a small "humph" as I place it in my drawer.

"How was the lesson?" She asks, beckoning me towards her. I smile as I sit on the bed and let my body fall into her eagerly waiting hooves, which immediately wrap around me and hold me close. I sigh in content as I rub into her, snuggling up to her soft form as I relax.

"It was good," I respond. "Trixie's a fast learner."

"Good..." I smile as she kisses me on the crown of my head. "So...why aren't you teaching me how to do this stuff, huh? Why'd you choose Trixie?" The smile falls away as I hear the bitterness in her voice.

"I chose Trixie because this could kill you," I inform her. "Plus, you're pregnant, remember? You could end up hurting the baby if you try to use magic. Not only that, but it'd be much more difficult to teach you magic." I give her a flirting smirk. "Plus, I doubt I'd be able to keep my hands off of you long enough to teach you anything..."

Rainbow snickers a bit. "Yeah, that's probably true." I smile as I lay my hand on her hoof and begin to kiss her neck.

"You okay?" I whisper into her soft fur. She lets out a small sigh of excitement as I kiss her lower jawline.

"Yeah," she whispers. "Just...a bit jealous of Trixie, that's all."

"And why's that?"

"She's gonna get to spend so much time alone with you now that you're teaching her..." She shrugs. "And...we've only been on one date...and you haven't even met my parents yet, so..." My eyes widen as that sinks in. I stare at her, and she frowns. "What?"

"Rainbow, you're pregnant with my kid, we're getting married, and I haven't even met your parents yet!" I cry, cringing a bit at the thought. "When can I meet them!?"

I receive a small smile and a kiss in response. "Tomorrow," she informs me. "I was gonna visit them anyway, so you can come with." She lets out a small squeak of excitement. "Oh, I can't believe you're finally meeting my parents!"

I smile as I nod into her coat. "Yeah," I whisper. I try to hide the paralyzing fear that's currently coursing through my veins. I didn't really think this through, did I?

A New Host

Blood.

So much blood.

Everywhere, and on everything.

It's disgusting, really.

I don't like blood. So sticky, so...

Messy.

I prefer to have it clean. However, my Creation failed to do that. It made too much blood. Blood that now sticks and seeps and flows.

But I will be more careful. I always have been, and always will be. Even as I reach out, I know that I'm careful.

And not because I can be Caught. I just don't like blood.

But now, I must be careful not to be Caught.

For I once had It collecting my pain for me. However, now that It is gone, its heart absorbed by that pesky being that created this world, I cannot get my pain except for directly taking it.

And now, I must be careful not to be Caught, as I dive into the organism, going down to the hollow recesses of its being, its entire hollow being.

Thanks to what the one that created this world called Grendel, I can now have a vessel. While I would prefer to not need a vessel and have a syringe for my pain, I must now get it myself, and my new vessel is waiting for me, sleeping and eager to have me fill the space where its soul once was.

And as I settle down, furling up my dark wings of the night, the new body senses me, and asks me a question in it sleep.

Why, little one, I am your new friend. But I must go now. I won't leave you, but I won't be with you, either. I will be deep within you. And when the time is right, I shall come forth, my little being.

And none shall know except the ones you find for me.

Don't worry, it will be in harmless playtime. But you will not have that playtime until all is ready.

And now, we wait to hatch from our shell, our confinement irresistibly tempting for breakage.

And now, we hatch, and my new friend sees that which it recognizes from its last life.

Go, little one, enjoy yourself while you can. Enjoy your innocent life without violence.

And, when the time is right...

I'll be waiting.

Her Journey Begins

Forenote: this starts a few days after Peter, Rainbow, and Metamorpha arrived back in Canterlot.

I cast yet another unsure glance at the piece of paper and wad of bit-bills, still neatly held by the rubber band.

It's been two days since the Diamond Dog attack, and after organizing the small amount of things that survived the destruction, I've been...unwilling to spend the money left by the individual that saved my life.

I've never liked being a charity case, and this is no different. I've only used money that I've either earned or cheated out of other ponies. But when I'm just hoofed money...it makes me feel uncomfortable.

With a grand sigh, I pick up the money and count it out. Five hundred thousand bits...the letter claims that this is barely a dent in his wallet...

I look over the note again to make sure I didn't miss anything.

It seems as if I have, but it's of no significance: it says that if I can't find Peter in Canterlot, he'll probably be in Ponyville.

I shake my head as I fold up the letter. Who is this Peter, and why is he so keen on meeting me? Why did he leave me so much money, and instruct me to purchase an enchanted carriage for easier travel? The questions I have flood my mind - but I'm unable to really do anything about it, now, am I?

I shake my head. The only way to find out is to use the money as I was instructed, and to go to Ponyville. If I can't find this Peter there, I'll go to Canterlot.

Later...

I shiver as the post script passes over my mind like a fog. The future of Equestria rests upon your shoulders, Trixie. I cannot stress that enough.

It hardens my resolve a bit more as I step into the carriage, which immediately begins to move. I let out a small yelp of surprise as it does so, and see that it's following the path to where I instructed it to go: Ponyville.

I nod to myself as I sit on the rather comfortable couch. With all that money, I was able to ensure that I'll be traveling in comfort. Of course, all magical carriages are expensive, so the comfort goes without saying.

I feel my legs shaking, and I take a deep breath to calm myself. For the first time since my first several, experimental performances, I am scared. Because I'm scared that whatever it is that's waiting for me at the end of this path is going to be...

Terrible...

I shudder as I draw into myself a bit, trying to convince myself that the post script was a simple hyperbole. I truly hope it's nothing so drastic...