I've actually started to grow fond of this side series. But sadly, like all the greats, it must end all too soon.

Okay, maybe it's not that good, but you get what I mean hopefully.

Please enjoy!


Twilight breathed heavily as she looked to the wagon full of supplies TD had requested of her to gather for the spell. She felt a sense of pride for managing to gather the supplies as well as a sense of accomplishment. But at the same time, there was an air of disappointment around her. With this spell, TD would be gone and she would be forced to let him go. It was a detail she didn't like to think about, for she had hoped so badly to get answers out of him since his stay. He had promised to tell her when the spell was complete, but that did little to reassure her. What if he took the opportunity to leave as soon as it was prepared? Could she really take his word for it? Maybe he wouldn't tell her and she'd be left without the answer forever... or until the time in the future came around for her when it would be revealed. But she didn't want to wait that long...

Letting out a sigh of disappointment, Twilight harnessed the wagon to herself and began the slow journey towards the place TD had instructed her to meet him at. For the moment, he had told her that he needed to figure a few things out as well as fix a few things before his arrival. She didn't fully understand what that meant, but it sounded important.

And Twilight wasn't going to question it this time around.


"Hmm," TD said to himself as he trotted through the landscapes of Equestria, far far away from Ponyville. "It seems that by bringing Chuck here, I caused the events of the movie to arrive much sooner than originally intended. Well, that would explain why Storm King was already taken care of when I arrived." He shook his head in amusement. "I'll never understand how that works..."

He stopped when he heard a rustling in the bushes nearby. Hoping he hadn't been spotted yet, TD used an invisibility spell to hide himself, then trotted closer to investigate. He was surprised to find two Changelings in the bushes talking to each other over something. Curious, he leaned closer to hear what they were saying.

"...searches feel hopeless," one Changeling, a male with a green mane and wings remarked. "I understand how the General feels, but we've been searching for more than twenty years, and even with that chemical we left behind at the place where our Queen died, we haven't even gotten a glimpse of Princess Pill Bug." He sighed. "Maybe we should accept that she's dead and never coming back."

"Don't speak like that!" the second one, a female with a baby blue mane and wings, scolded. "She's still out there, and you know it! Would you give up searching for your own children?"

TD's mind started to click together. The way these Changelings looked; he was willing to bet that they were the same species of Changeling as Pinkie Pie! And it sounded like they were searching for someone from their hive? From what it sounded, it was a Royal Changeling they were looking for. As TD listened, the female sighed.

"Our numbers are becoming too few," she said. "The only other options we've got is to disband from the hive."

The male's eyes widened. "And live among the ponies?! No offense, but that doesn't really work out for me. It may have worked with Mayfly, but not for me. I can't live with the idea of... abandoning the Ki- I mean, General Hornet in his time of need."

The female sighed again. "I know, but how else do we live on? Without a queen..."

The male hung his head, then started trotting off. "Let's get back to the hive and report in."

TD watched them leave and he felt a small twinge of sadness. It sounded to him that they were a dying hive, barely holding out as they tried to cope with the loss of one of their monarchs, the queen no less. Without a queen, they could not replenish the lost Changelings in their hive, and it sounded also as if there was a member of their hive, a Royal Changeling, that was missing. Some believed her dead, but others still held onto the hope that she was still alive somewhere. He had a vague idea of who they were looking for, but he had been wrong before. Still, just in case...

Looking back towards them, he silently called out to them even though they wouldn't hear his words.

"Don't give up, not on your General, nor yourselves," he whispered. "You'll find her... I promise."

He stayed there for a moment longer, then teleported away from the area. He had a princess to meet, and he had to meet her fast.


Twilight sighed once more as she looked out towards where Ponyville was located, even though she couldn't see it from the mountain she was on. The spell was ready for use; TD would soon be heading back to his time zone in the future, but she didn't want him to leave. He still hadn't answered her questions. This was making her more than a little annoyed. If he left, there was no guarantee her questions would be answered. As she pondered what she could do, she heard hoofsteps approaching, then his voice spoke.

"I had a feeling you'd be here," he commented as he came alongside her. "Is the spell ready for use?"

Twilight gave him a small nod.

"Good!" he remarked with satisfaction, then looked down from the cliffside out towards the horizon. He sighed. "Do you know why I had you do the spell here?"

Twilight's curiosity got the better of her. "Why?"

"Because this is close to the place I was at when you pulled me back in time," he explained. "It also holds some lovely memories in my head."

"Like what?" she asked him.

"Of you and me, mostly," TD answered without turning her way just yet. As such, he missed her expression of confusion as well as a blush that formed on her face. The alicorn was unsure of why the latter had occurred.

You can't be having feelings for him, she chided herself. After what happened last time, you promised you'd-

"Never fall in love again?" TD questioned, breaking through her thoughts as if he had been reading her mind. She gave him a shocked expression, to which he gave a small chuckle.

"Yes, I read your mind more or less," he stated.

"Th- that was p-private information!" she stammered, trying to feel mad at him, but failing as her entire face turned a bright crimson color. TD laughed as he turned her way.

"Ah! You look so adorable when you're flustered and embarrassed," he teased, giving her what was clearly a cheeky smile even with his draconic eyes. This only made her blush harder, much to his amusement.

"St-stop!" she protested weakly, while TD just giggled. He then looked to where the portal was to appear and sighed.

"Let's get this over with, shall we?" he suggested, sitting down in the middle of a circle of randomly assorted objects he had asked her to gather for him; among others she could see a strand of hair (probably from her mane), a doll, a tiny bit of hay, a feather, a gem, and a tiny blanket. It was an odd combo, but if it helped him get back to his time, then she'd use it. Yet, that's what caused her to hold her ground for a while longer.

"Wait..." she insisted, making TD look to her with a raised eyebrow. "Before you go... tell me, what is your connection to me? Why am I so important to you? What exactly am I to you?"

TD gave her a smile, and she could've sworn that there was a tear forming in his eyes.

"You are a beauty beyond compare," he answered, catching her attention. "You are my light in the darkness, my anchor on rough seas, and the North Star that guides me at night when I've lost my way." He found himself getting closer to her and she tensed a bit, unsure of what was going on. TD continued, emotion being felt heavily in his tone. "You're the one who comforts me on a rainy day, the one who reminds me that who I was in the past is not who I am now. And... you are the one who saved me from myself."

His horn was almost touching her own and Twilight felt a slight twinge of fear. Flashbacks of her previous date, the one who had broken her heart and tried to take advantage of her, flew through her mind and she almost pulled away from him. Yet, his voice felt soothing to her mind, piercing through the illusions and instilling a sense in her that she had not experienced in any stallion before outside her current group of friends: trust. TD brought one of his hooves to her face and gently brushed away a bit of her mane that had started to cover her eyes.

"You are Twilight Sparkle, and to me you are a treasure more precious than all of the riches in Equis," TD finished, staring into her own purple eyes with his own orange-yellow dragon eyes. Twilight was speechless at what she had heard. Never had anyone spoken to her in such a sincere, genuine, and caring manner before. It made her feel... special inside. Seeing TD back away broke her train of thought and back to reality, where he stood patiently waiting for her to cast the spell.

"Okay... here goes," she said, and began charging up her horn. It started to glow with a bright light, then gradually became brighter and brighter to the point of which TD had to shield his eyes to avoid blindness. Twilight then fired a beam of magic from her horn and it flew above TD's head where it formed a portal of some kind. The portal lowered down to his level and he smiled in satisfaction when he looked to the other side.

"Thank you Twilight. And well done," he said to her. "I guess I'll see you in the future. And if I arrive with evil intentions, be sure to become a real pain in my flank. But whatever you do, don't stop seeing the good in people even if no one else can."

He turned around and started to walk on through, but stopped again when he felt her hoof on his shoulder. He turned to see what she was talking about, and was surprised when she threw her hooves around him for a few moments.

"What... are you doing?" he asked, a bit confused. It was then that he noticed her silent tears.

"Nopony has ever spoken to me in the same way you just did," she whispered. "Thank you..."

TD smiled again and hugged her back, resisting the urge to kiss her because of how he felt right at that moment.

All good things come to those who wait, he chided himself inwardly. He hugged her a little tighter and whispered, "Be safe, Twilight Sparkle. Next time we meet for real... kick my butt."

"You be too... TD," she answered, then they released each other as TD backed his way into the portal, both figures reluctant to break eye contact with each other until the portal closed on TD and broke their gazes. Once he was gone, Twilight managed a small smile. She may not have gotten a precise answer like she had originally intended, but she felt as if her question had been answered nonetheless.

Because whatever TD's true connection was with her, she did know this; in his eyes, she was a precious treasure that he would cherish forever.


Some time later...

Normally, parties would make Pinkie Pie feel very happy and lively inside, causing her to bounce about excitedly from one form of entertainment to another. A party at Canterlot shouldn't have been any different, and at first glance it seemed to be no different. Outwardly, she seemed to do just that, but inwardly she and the rest of her friends were feeling a bit stressed out. Only recently, they had heard from Discord that a great disturbance had been felt in Equestria beyond anything they had ever had to face before, and it was possibly on its way to them soon. To make things worst, it was during a party! That for Pinkie was a low blow to pull, but she didn't mention this aloud. In truth, she was more concerned for her coltfriend Chuck.

"He still doesn't know what I really am," she noted to herself a bit sadly. "I have to tell him soon... but am I really ready to let it out yet?"

As she pondered this, she noticed a small commotion occurring where the rest of the girls were hanging out. Confused, she bounced on over to see what it was about, just in time to hear Twilight speaking to the unicorn figure before her...

-Twilight's view-

"Who are you, and what do you want?" Twilight demanded to the red unicorn figure before her. Just recently, the unicorn had tried to gain entry to the party and was blocked by the guards at the doors, only to have some spell placed upon them that caused them to change their minds. It made her feel a bit suspicious... so why did the figure before her seem familiar. The unicorn gave her a smile.

"I'll answer your questions and more, but first where are the other Princesses?" he asked. "I'd prefer that they know too."

"Twilight!" a voice called out from behind.

"Speak of the devil," the unicorn muttered as Celestia, Luna, Cadence and Shining Armor rushed up to her with a large crowd of Royal Guards. Celestia spoke again.

"Twilight! I just received a letter from Starlight Glimmer and Spike! The creature just attacked them and locked them in the Castle. He's on his way here!"

Suddenly, the unicorn began to laugh as if he had seen or heard something hilarious. He laughed so hard that he ended up attracting the attention of everyone in the party. Finally, the unicorn managed to compose himself and smiled wickedly.

"Funny you should say that," TD said, "Because I'm already here!"

TD removed his sunglasses and revealed his evil draconic eyes, making Twilight gasp in surprise, for she knew who he was. Heck, all the girls seemed to recognize him now as the figure who had saved their lives during the Attack on Canterlot several years ago. The Gala room was suddenly darkened and the exits were sealed off by magical barriers. Ponies ran screaming towards the exits. Surprisingly, they were able to leave through the exits, but they weren't allowed to get back in. Likewise, more guards were allowed to enter, but none were allowed to escape. Apparently, TD wanted to be uninterrupted by the civilians during this fight. The pieces started to fall into place for Twilight now.

He told me to kick his flank when he returned, she remembered. Well, I won't disappoint him.

TD continued to laugh some more as his image changed into something different from what they had seen before: an eighteen year old boy with blue eyes and brown hair. He had a reddish brown "Amish" beard, white skin, and a mischievous look about him. When Twilight saw his form, she was taken aback at what she saw, for she had not anticipated his true form.

"You're a human?!"


And with that, hopefully this series comes to a close! Whoo! Man, this took way too long to finish. Oh well! If you want an epilogue, tell me please. Until then, this story will officially be labeled "complete."

Thank you all for staying with me! I'll cya in the finale!