Disclaimer: All MLP:FiM characters belong to Hasbro and DHX Media. I do not own any of them except my OC.

Previously…

"Good morning, Twilight."

"Good morning, Zach. How are you feeling this morning?"

"I'm doing okay."

"Oh good, because I have a surprise for you."

"What is it?"

"It's a special soup that I decided to make for you this morning. The flower I put in there is said to increase your physical strength and endurance throughout the day. It's just my way of showing how much I appreciate you."

"Thanks Twilight. I appreciate how much work you put into this."

"Well, we gotta stop over by the school."

"I thought you got everything out of there before Starlight took over."

"There are still a couple of last minute things I need to get out of there before we take the throne in Canterlot."

"Are you okay, Zach?"

"I'm okay, Twilight. I think I have to go use the bathroom."

"Did you really expect me to stand by while they all basked in your false prophecies?!"

"False prophecies?"

"There can only be one ruler in Equestria, and that ruler will be ME!"

"Zachary! This is not you! You have to fight it!"

"Zach, I don't want to have to fight you. You must lower the Moon! That's Luna's duty!"

"I am Nightmare King! I have but one royal duty now. TO DESTROY YOU!"

"And where do you think you're going?!"

"Yona and Friends defeat evil pegasus before! Can defeat evil lion as well!"

"Does anyone else here want to interfere with my plans or will you finally shut up?!"

"Good. I have a Headmare to find."

"Well, well, well. If it ain't Starlight Glimmer, the self proclaimed Headmare of this school."

"Who are you and what do you want?!"

"I am Nightmare King!"

"Zachary?"

"NO! I AM NOT HIM! I AM NIGHTMARE KING AND I SHALL CONQUER ALL OF EQUESTRIA!"

"You will never take over Equestria and you will NOT harm any of my students!"

"It's kinda funny that you were once the most dangerous villain in all of Equestria, but when you face an actual villain like Chrysalis, Cozy, or even me, you stand no chance."

"That was a long time ago!"

"Do you really think that you were that dangerous?"

"Don't you dare bring up my dark past!"

"You were NOTHING compared to the other villains and never will be."

"Now if you excuse me, I have a kingdom to conquer. Ha ha ha. HA HA HA!"

"PONIES! HEAR MY VOICE AND LISTEN!"

"What have you done with Prince Zachary?!"

"That fool is gone. Now I, Nightmare King, reign over Equestria and shall conquer it!"

"You will never have Equestria!"

"Does my crown no longer count now that I have been imprisoned in that fool's body ever since he was born almost 30 years ago?!"

"Mankind has been evil since the beginning of time and they have driven me to the bone."

"And as for you, my little ponies, oh I have some great things in store for you."

"Remember this day little ponies, for it was your last. From this moment forth, the night will LAST FOREVER! HA HA HA! HA HA HA!"

"Stop this instant!"

"Do you ponies really think you can stop me?! You don't even have the Elements of Harmony anymore and even if you released the magic from within, you would still need me."

"I'll deal with you six later. You won't get away forever."

"I had used the wrong flower! They look so similar, but the difference was the seeds. Because I gave him the wrong flower, it caused him to release his animal instinct and terrorize Ponyville!"

"The Princess of Friendship is upset because she made a mistake. How tragic."

"Shut up, Nightmare King!"

"NO! ONLY I TELL YOU TO BE QUIET! I AM ROYALTY AND YOU ARE NOT!"

"Yeah, an evil kind of one."

"Care to repeat that, you incompetent farm animal?!"

"HOW DARE YA SAY THAT!"

"I don't care. You look at me as a tyrant, yet you fall flat on your faces all the time."

"What are you talking about?"

"I remember explicitly that each of you went through some sort of trial throughout the last year or so. I called them The Six Trials."

"I created each of those situations and gained power from the negative emotions that radiated off of you. Because of that, I was able to get the strength I needed to finally break free."

"You monster!"

"Really? I hadn't noticed. Thanks for the heads up."

"Anyone else want to foolishly try to attack me? That's what I thought."

"You guys have lost. I have bided my time waiting for the right time to strike and now I have my opportunity."

"Thank you princess, for doing exactly as I expected you to do. Now, all of Equestria will fall and you have NOPONY to blame but YOURSELF! Ha ha ha. HA HA HA!"

"What's happening? Wait! No. No. NO! HELP US!"

"Twilight, what have ya done?!"

"Give it up guys. You're no match for me. Once I have you all out of my way, NOTHING CAN EVER STOP ME! HA HA HA! HA HA HA!"

"Prepare to die, my little ponies."

"You might get the upper hand most of the time, but you can never truly defeat friendship!"

"Spare me that ridiculous friendship speech."

"Hey! It's not very nice to leave shards of Crystal all over the place!"

"Crystals. Yes."

"Sombra! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH ZACH?!"

"You were the one that made him say such vile things to us! How dare you try to harm our friend's poor head!"

"You thought you ponies had actually defeated me all that time ago."

"How did you return this time?!"

"I let that prince serve his rampage before he let me take over!"

"How long have you been in there?!"

"Since the time he became prince."

"But-but that was over five and a half years ago! How could you be in there all that time?!"

"Ever since that foolish lion defeated me that long ago, I cursed him with dark magic that would linger in him for the next couple of years."

"When Twilight gave him that flower that I had created, it threw all logic and common sense out the window and made him transform into Nightmare King!"

"All this time… How come he never told any of us?"

"Because he didn't want to worry any of you with his problems."

"I can't believe he never told any of us."

"Indeed darling. We could have helped him!"

"I feel so awful. He's been suffering all this time and he told me everything was fine."

"He was suffering all this time and because you never bothered to help him, he fell into my trap and is gone for good!"

"None of this would have EVER HAPPENED IF YOU DIDN'T INFECT HIM WITH YOUR DARK MAGIC!"

"I didn't cause it. It was your incompetence and foolishness that led to this incident."

"Do you really think that your friend came to me with desperation? I saw an opportunity to show him the truth about how much his life sucked and how much he hated himself."

"What are you talking about?!"

"The boy always hated himself and always thought he was a nuisance to society. He thought that the world would be much better without him and fled to Equestria."

"He became so sick and tired of his own generation that it gave Nightmare King motivation to transform and wipe out his own kind from existence because of the foolishness and stupidity that radiates from all of them."

It would have been so nice to have all of you executed with the prince's royal seal on it, but you saw how that turned out."

"Since we're your worst enemy, you would want us killed!"

"Yes, I would. You six have gone into the way of my plans for this prince so many times now that I had just about enough of it! But now, the tables have turned. Because, nothing can stop me!"

"Well, now if you excuse me, I have an Empire to take over! Ha ha ha. HA HA HA!"

"You won't get away with this."

"With the Crystal Heart now in my possession, there is NOTHING TO STOP ME FROM RULING THE CRYSTAL EMPIRE!"

"That's cute that you think that will do anything."

"It might not, but a certain group of ponies will!"

"In case you forgot, the Elements of Harmony were destroyed by me a long time ago!"

"What happened to you all?"

"Just a local neighborhood friend."

"What did you do to her, you monster?!"

"As you can see, that prince that you are friends with suffered the effects of a certain flower that your favorite family member retrieved to show her "appreciation" for him."

"You monster!"

"You incompetent ponies really need to come up with better insults."

"We will defeat you Sombra!"

"In case you forgot, you don't have the Elements of Harmony anymore. I destroyed it! There's no point anymore in trying."

"Oh no, you ain't doin' that again!"

"Without that seventh element, your "magic of friendship" is useless! With the most powerful creature in all of Equestria under my total control now, NOTHING SHALL EVER STOP ME FROM CONQUERING EQUESTRIA! HA HA HA! HA HA HA!"

"Bu-But HOW?!"

"The Alicorn Amulet was originally created by me. When those foolish alicorn sisters banished me to the Frozen North, that alicorn magic I had went with it."

"I never knew there was a sixth alicorn."

"I was born that way. Now, with the returned power of mine, I AM THE MOST POWERFUL BEING IN EQUESTRIA! Thanks to that flower I created in the Everfree Forest!"

"This is all my fault. If I hadn't picked that up, this never would have happened. Now, I turned the creature I care about most into a monster."

"I did, didn't I?"

"Goodbye Princess. Any last words?"

"I love you."

"YOU CAN'T DEFEAT ME! I AM THE MOST POWERFUL VILLAIN IN EQUESTRIA!"

"I SHALL HAVE MY REVENGE!"

"What happened?"

"Zach? Where are you going?"

"No please. Stay back."

"Zach… don't do it."

"I'm sorry Twilight. I just can't."

I was fleeing as fast as I could and I finally made it to the Everfree Forest. I slowed down and went back into my lion form. I looked up at the Sunrise that was sitting there and sighed. I slowly kept moving and no creature decided to attack me. They knew I would just blast them away, so they stayed back which definitely helped. After what seemed like hours, I finally reached the Castle of the Two Sisters. I know it seems kinda cliché, but I really have no other place to go. Time to get to work. I lit up my scepter and cast a spell on the castle that would change it into something that would look a lot better and not extremely abandoned. Once I was done, I went inside the new master bedroom and I just cried my eyes out. I had to get out all this pain because it had been stuck in there for a really long time. I eventually cried myself to sleep and I was suddenly in the dream realm.

I had come across some sort of nightmare and it was really terrifying. I was struggling like crazy against the Nightmare forces who were trying to turn me evil again while also hurting Twilight and trying to kill her. Of course, as Twilight was desperately pleading to get them to stop and for me to help her, Nightmare King continued to laugh evilly and pressed on with the torture. Eventually, he pressed so hard that he… killed her. NO! Suddenly, a voice said "ENOUGH!" and banished the nightmare away. Luna appeared before me and I was shocked. I said "Luna? What are you doing here?" Luna smiled and said "I sensed a nightmare coming from the dream realm. It seems I have come at the right time. Why are you feeling this way, Zachary?" I sighed and said "Why do you think, Luna? I've hurt Twilight and I can't do it again. It's no use at this point. I might as well give up." Luna raised a brow and said "Why give up when you can just run to her?" I scoffed at the idea and said "Why in the name of God's green Earth would I do that? She probably doesn't even want to see me anymore." Luna shook her head and said "Hmm. Your beloved Twilight seems to think otherwise." I stood there in disbelief and said "Luna, I destroyed Ponyville, almost killed Twilight, and almost took over the Crystal Empire! How could she possibly see past that?!"

Luna didn't answer and instead showed a playback of the events that transpired after I fled the Empire. Twilight was sitting there on the crystal bed crying her eyes out as if she just watched me die or something. She had said "Wh-what have I-I done? He just RAN OFF! He-he never pro-probably wants to ever see me again!" Her friends were comforting her and Rarity said "There there, Twilight. It will be okay." Twilight grew angry and said "IT'S NOT OKAY! If it wasn't for MY MISTAKE, none of this would have EVER HAPPENED! Now, I-I've lost him forever." She continued to cry more and then I saw something very disturbing in her head. She was somehow still crying and I heard Chrysalis say "You know what's stronger than friendship, Twilight?! FEAR!" NO! That day must still haunt her to this day and because of what happened, those words still echo in her head. After hearing that line, Twilight was trembling in fear and crying even more. Man, I really wanted to comfort her, but I can't do that. I'm a monster. She wouldn't even want to be around me. That sounds too good to be true.

The screen went away and I stood there in silence. Luna was the first to speak up and say "As you saw, Twilight was pretty devastated by this." I glared at Luna and said "How do I know it's not just for an act or something?! You never know the intentions of anyone these days!" Luna said calmly "Doesn't your scepter have the power to tell the intentions of any creature?" I looked up at my scepter and said "Yes, it does, but it's not really behaving right now. But that's not the point! I caused serious physical and emotional harm to her and now, I have to suffer the penalty! It's too late to go back. It's over Luna." I started to walk away, but Luna said "Wait! You can't run from your problems. Twilight wants you back. Don't you just want to run to her and comfort her like a true friend would?" I stopped and thought for a second. I had sadness in my eyes because I just wanted to fall for that temptation, but I shook it off and ignored it. I said "Any sort of comfort I had left to give died in me years ago and I was a fool to believe otherwise." No point now in trying.

Luna said "You still have a chance Zachary to go back and return to Twilight. Don't throw it away just because of a terrible mistake you made. We've been in that boat together." I walked away and I said "Go away." Luna said "But-" before I interrupted and yelled "GET OUT!" Luna turned away and said "As you wish, but give it some thought. It's not too late to seek forgiveness from Twilight." She left and I scoffed. That mare doesn't know what she's talking about. She'll never understand what it's like. I woke up and went outside the castle. I laid down on my back and stared up at the stars. *sighs* I guess this will be the new life out here. Can't really go anywhere else. Everywhere I go, I'll be recognized and they'll probably tell Twilight where I am. Out here, most ponies wouldn't even dare venture through here and most of the dangerous creatures stay in the Everfree Forest and don't come here in the open field. I stood up and stared at the stars. I yelled "You said you'd always be there for me! But you're not. It's because of me. And it's my fault. It's… my fault."

Dad always said he would be there for me wherever I go, but I don't see him anywhere. Where is he now in my time of need? I looked down at the pond and just saw my own reflection. I thought I saw something, but I dismissed it. I looked harder into the pond and saw the reflection of my own father looking at me in the pond. Oh. That makes sense. He lives in you. Now I get it. But I don't know why I'm seeing his reflection here in a pond. Suddenly, I started hearing a faint voice that said "Zachary…" I looked up at the night sky and said "Dad?" I watched as my Dad came walking out on a cloud in the shadows and eventually I saw his entire face. He said "Zachary, you have forgotten me." I shook my head and said "No. How could I?" Dad looked at me and said "You have forgotten who you are and so have forgotten me and God. Look inside yourself, Zachary. You are more than what you have become. You must take your place in the circle of life." How though? I yelled with desperation "How can I go back?! I'm not who I used to be." Dad shined with a bright light and said "Remember who you are. You are my son and a child of God. Remember who you are." He started fading away and I ran after him. I said "No please! Don't leave me!" He continued to fade away and I knew I couldn't catch up to him. "Dad! Don't leave me." I sighed and looked at the ground.

[Insert Don't Wake Me from Skillet]

I sang this song because I didn't know what else to do. I hoped all of this was a dream and it was probably the best I could get. It was all like a movie that was playing, but I didn't want to look as I knew how it ended. All those words I wish that I said I never would say, and all the promises I broke that I said I never would break. I want to talk and laugh like me and Twilight used to. I really don't want to wake up from this dream at all because at least I have Twilight. The dreams of her only get stronger as time goes on. I'm just going to keep sleeping longer because I WANT HER BACK! But… I could never get her back. I can never get a second chance because of what I have done. Things just aren't the same without Twilight. But I have to live with the choices that I've made and I can't live with myself. I never even got a chance to say goodbye. I never wanted her so bad. I would give up everything I had just so I could have her back in my arms. The life we never had. But I can't go back, so I'm stuck with how things are and accept reality.

Once I finished the song, I went back to bed and slept for a good while. I need time to think. After what felt like years, I got up and saw that it was the crack of dawn. I didn't want to go back to sleep, so I went outside and sat in the flower patch that I created for myself. I couldn't stop thinking about Twilight, so I went back and forth with the flowers even though they did me no good. I said "She loves me not. She loves me… Not in a million years! She… Oh big surprise. She STILL DOESN'T LOVE ME!" I burned through flower after flower when I suddenly heard a loud scream coming from the Everfree Forest. I knew it was Twilight and she was definitely in trouble. "Huh, Twilight?" I heard her say "HELP!" very loudly and I knew I had to help her. No further words needed. I saw that she was surrounded by Timberwolves and she couldn't defend herself even if she wanted to. I know this area of the forest. No one can use magic and no one can fly either. She was about ready to die when I appeared before her and protected her like a shield. I growled at the Timberwolves and said "DON'T. YOU. DARE. TOUCH HER!" The Timberwolves howled in the air, but I let out a super loud roar that shook the Earth and Twilight was literally trembling in fear as I was protecting her. "You are in for a world of pain! NOW DIE!" I roared again and took out the Timberwolves myself with my magic, summoning fangs and dumping radioactive waste on top of them.

The Timberwolves burned to pieces and they were finally gone. "That'll teach you not to mess with the KING OF ALL BEASTS!" I turned to Twilight and she was still scared. "Twilight, are you alright?" Twilight nodded and now, I was determined to know why I found her out here. "What were you doing out here in the middle of the night?! Do you have any idea on what would have happened if I hadn't-" Suddenly, Twilight cut in and said "You… you saved me." I rolled my eyes and said "Of course I did! Do you think I would be able to live with myself if anything happened to-" before Twilight jumped onto my limbs and started crying and whimpering. I stood there in shock and then suddenly, I saw Rarity and Applejack appear. I rolled my eyes and looked away. "I know, I know. I shouldn't be here and blah blah blah." Rarity's eyes went wide and she said "You just… saved our lives." Did I now? That's just lovely. Applejack seemed confused and said "Come again?" See? Even she can agree I did nothing except defend Twilight.

I saw Rainbow come out and she had a broken wing. She looked at me and asked confused "What are you doing here?" Why does it matter to you? You never seemed to care in the first place. Rarity defended me and said "He saved our lives." No I didn't. It was only Twilight's. Rainbow seemed confused and said "Say what now?" See? Look at that Rarity! They have no idea what you're talking about. You're talking nonsense! Rarity said "It's true! He burned the Timberwolves with dangerous chemicals and used crazy magical attacks to hurt them." Applejack's eyes went wide and she said "Well, I'll be." Don't think about it. It's not that great compared to what I just did about a day ago or so. Rainbow asked "Hey, where's Fluttershy and Pinkie?" Oh, I have no idea. That's not good. Rarity said "Oh dear. I nearly forgot! One of the Timberwolves snapped at Fluttershy's wing and she fell on top of Pinkie Pie! They can't get up!" They did what now?! Oh, I shall fix that right now. Before Twilight said anything, I teleported both of them over and made a medical tent appear with an X-ray machine inside. Both Fluttershy and Pinkie were sitting on the bed and they were confused on why they were in this environment. Fluttershy said "What the? Zachary?" Twilight came up to her and said "No time to explain." She came back over to where I was and looked at me. "Can you fix them?" I looked at the patients and said "One second." The X-Ray machine did its scan and what I found was pretty disturbing.

"Let's see what the damage is, shall we? *X-Ray machine makes noises* Mhm. Uh huh. Yep. Oh dear me." Twilight asked with concern "Is it bad?" Unfortunately, yes. I said "Well, according to their X-rays, Fluttershy and Rainbow have a broken wing. Fluttershy also has a sprained hoof and Pinkie has two broken ribs." The looks on their faces didn't look too good and that seemed worrisome, but it's nothing I can't handle. Pinkie tried lifting the mood by laughing, but she felt the pain. "Ah ah ah. I wouldn't laugh if I were you Pinkie. It will only increase the pain. Now hold still. This won't hurt a bit." I lit up my scepter and all the injuries that Fluttershy, Rainbow, and Pinkie sustained were wiped away and they didn't feel anything painful or whatnot. They all thanked me and I said "Oh, don't mention it. Now that that's taken care of, will somepony please explain what you were all doing out here in the middle of the night?!" Twilight looked at me and said "Come back to Ponyville with us and we'll explain everything." Okay then. I followed them, but suddenly, I felt nauseous and blacked out.

For some reason, I couldn't feel my heart beating at all, but I could still hear things out of my ears. It's somehow weird like that. I heard Twilight say "Please don't leave me! Don't die on me!" I wasn't planning to, but I'm in this death-like state for some reason. I felt her fur press up against mine for any vital signs and I knew she wasn't going to find any whatsoever. "I can't hear his heartbeat!" Of course you wouldn't. Twilight started crying on my chest and I felt really bad. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry I wasn't there with you when you needed me the most. This is all my fault! I didn't even notice there was something wrong with you!" There's nothing you could have done Twilight. It was bound to happen one way or another. "Please come back. You promised me! You promised me everything would be fine! You're my best friend! I need you! I love you with all my heart." You can't love me. I'm a monster. I hurt you in ways I couldn't even imagine. I don't belong with you. You belong with someone who will actually take care of you and never hurt you. That creature isn't me. "You're my hero and I'm proud of you." How am I your hero? I nearly killed you and said such vile things to you. I'm not worth it to you. All of them started crying and I was in disbelief. How could they mourn over someone like me? I nearly destroyed them and wiped them from the face of the Earth.

I even called Applejack a farm animal! That was wrong of me to say and I need to be punished for my sin. I deserve to die. I'm not worth the pity. Finally, Rarity said "Twilight, I'm so sorry." Twilight obviously got mad at that and said "Are you sorry?! None of you have ever really cared for Zach! Every time he'd screw up, you would back away in fear and didn't bother to help him! You have no right to mourn him!" You did the same thing at times as well, so you can't really make that argument. Rarity said "Twilight, I didn't wish he died!" I'm sure you didn't, but it doesn't really matter to me now. Rainbow said, "Me neither." No comment on that. Twilight didn't care and said "Leave me alone. Everypony, just leave me alone!" Are you sure that's wise? Fluttershy said "No, you shouldn't be alone now. Zachary was our friend too. We're sorry too." The feeling's mutual. Twilight said "You have no idea how I feel! Besides Applejack, you don't know what it's like to lose a loved one!" Oh, I know that all too well. I've been in that boat before. I've lost multiple loved ones over the years.

Even the people who gave birth and raised me have passed away as well. "I'll never look into his eyes again. I'll never hear his laughter again. He was always with me. He could always listen to me. Make me laugh and comfort me. I know he wasn't perfect. He made mistakes, but he wasn't bad." What I did as Nightmare King was beyond just bad. It was pure evil. "He cared about you. He cared about me. Zachary, he… he doesn't deserve such a fate. He doesn't deserve to die." What are you talking about?! Of course I deserve to die! The sin I committed against you and God is unforgivable! There's no turning back now. It's over. "I would give everything I have. If he could come back to me." How can you still care about me even after everything I've done to you?! I'm not worth your time or pity. Just go home and leave me be. Everypony started heading back, but then, I suddenly got lifted into the air and a cross that was shining a white bright light made me conscious again and I could feel my heartbeat. I felt very weak and Twilight knew I had to be treated. "Get him somewhere safe before he passes out again. I've already lost him twice. I don't want to lose him a third time!" I wanted to retort something, but I was too weak to do anything about it. Eventually, I just passed out again and went unconscious. I woke up again to where I found myself in the bedroom I had created inside the Castle of the Two Sisters. I guess she saw that and put me in here.

I rubbed my head and I saw Twilight standing there. "I'm so glad you're awake! I thought I lost you again!" I looked at her and said "What happened?" Twilight blushed a bit and said "Well… you were in a death like state for a little bit." WHAT?! I said "WHAT?! I WAS DEAD?!" Twilight said "No Zach. You were just in a bit of a coma. You weren't actually dead, but you appeared to be." Oh, okay. I noticed the bandages that were over my back leg. I saw that before I passed out and I think one of the Timberwolves bit me resulting in a huge loss of blood. "Oh, Fluttershy tended to you and was able to fix that right up." I see. "I think you should be fine to walk now." I got up and I seemed to be fine. I said "Well, since that's all settled, explain to me WHAT YOU WERE DOING OUT THERE TWILIGHT! YOU COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED! Why, if I hadn't heard you-" before Twilight said "I was coming to see you." What? I was perplexed and said "What?" Twilight looked at me and said "There's... um something I need to tell you in private." Okay then. "Girls, do you mind?"

Rarity said "Take your time, darling." They closed the door and Twilight looked at me. I said "You… came back… t-to see me?" Twilight nodded and I seemed surprised. "Why?" Twilight said "I came to apologize." For what? I was so confused and said "Apologize? You?! Twilight, if anyone should be apologizing, it's me! I destroyed Ponyville, I nearly killed you and your friends, and I almost took over the Crystal Empire! I hurt you! I committed the one sin I vowed never to do. There's nothing you need to apologize for!" Twilight seemed to disagree and said "Oh, but there is. I gave you something that caused you to turn evil! I was doing something to show my appreciation for you, but instead, it cursed you and caused you to turn on everyone. I tried to do one nice thing for you, and then it all gets thrown out the window! I'm the monster, not you." I scoffed and said "Yeah right. Twilight, look at yourself. Take a good long look at yourself. And then look at me. I think it's obvious who the monster is here. You should just quit wasting your time here with me and go back home. I'm not worth the pity." Twilight looked at me and said "I do pity you, but that's not the reason I came." Then what is it? "You see, I miss you." What? I said "You miss being my target for a killing spree?" Twilight shook her head and said "I miss being your friend. I miss spending time with you. I miss all of that." I raised a brow and said "Why would you miss that?" I'm quite curious, but I think I know the answer.

Twilight said "Because I love you." What? No. That can't be possible. I said "Twilight, you can't possibly love me! I'm a monster! I committed sins far beyond I ever imagined! I insulted your friends with my slanderous tongue, I wrecked havoc on two different places, and I tried to wipe ponies from the face of the Earth! But the worst part about it is I hurt you. I can't bear to live with that knowing I hurt you." Twilight looked at me and said "Zach, that wasn't your fault. You were simply acting off of instinct from that flower. I don't hold any ill will or grudge against you. You need to let that go." I glared at her and said "How can I let that go?! I committed the one sin I promised never to do EVER! You know, you were right. For a long time, I was lonely. Every time I saw two people together, it always made me jealous. I didn't hold any grudges towards the person, but it made me angry and sad because I could never have what they did. I was a hopeless romantic for a while." Really, I was. But that changed five and a half years ago.

"But when I met you, things seemed different. I didn't want to believe it at first, but as time went on, I began to like you. Because I now had something to protect, I didn't want to lose it. But because my actions were so awful, I lost it for good. My sin is so awful that I deserve to die on a cross facing all of God's wrath being poured out on me! It would be the only thing that would serve best. Nothing else will work. I-I don't want to d-die, but I can't think of anything else!" I felt so awful that Twilight had to comfort me. "I wanted to protect you, but I hurt you instead and that can never be forgiven. I would rather die in the most painful way possible than to see you hurt again! I always cared about you and thought I loved you, but it could never work out. Even if you did want to marry me, I would break your heart and leave you miserable. I'll always be a monster." Twilight saw the hurt in my eyes and said "Zach, don't you see? I'm miserable without you." What? I'm so confused. I said "What?" Twilight continued and said "Now it's my turn to talk and your turn to listen." Okay then. I'll keep quiet. "Ever since I met you, you have helped me and our friends countless times. You saved the world with us, you helped us through tough situations, and you provided guidance to the lost. I could list all the achievements you've made over the last five and a half years, but we would be here all day. So I'll skip that for now." Yeah, that would be a good idea.

"You see, you've changed all of our lives in some way. Especially mine. Like I said, I miss being with you. I miss seeing your handsome face every morning. I miss hearing your wonderful voice. I miss your protection around me. I even miss our banter we used to have! You proved to me over the years that you were no monster and I still stand by that. You may have done some horrible things, but we all make mistakes. The achievements you made outweigh a small little mistake caused by me. Even if you say you're bad, you have shown that you're really not especially after saving me and our friends. I cherished our time together, but after losing it, I can't imagine a life without you." Oh dear. I think I know where this is headed. I watched in silence as Twilight fidgeted around. "It's basically a long way of saying… I love you." I was so confused that all I said was "Huh?" Twilight looked at me and said "It's true. Going into this relationship, I wasn't exactly sure how to properly date someone. But as time went on, you showed me how to properly maintain a relationship." I guess that's true.

"After you sacrificed yourself and allowed the Storm King to take your magic instead of mine, I realized then that's when I loved you. I was so scared at the time to confess it, but after losing you three times in the last day, I couldn't help it anymore. I knew I had to tell you before it was too late." I looked at her with hope and said "You… you mean it?" Twilight nodded and said "I do. I love you." I was still quite perplexed and said "But-but how? I still hurt you and in case you haven't noticed, I don't exactly look like prince charming here." Twilight looked at me and said "I don't care how you look. You are already royalty. And I want my King to protect me for the rest of my life." My eyes went wide and I said "Really?" Twilight nodded and said "Even if the entire world turns against you, I will still come running for you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you." I smiled and said "Oh, Twilight." Twilight smiled and said "Zach." We both leaned in and gave each other a passionate kiss. There were fireworks that went off outside and I heard chatter coming from outside the door. Eventually, Twilight pushed me to the ground and got on top of me. I heard the door lock and looked over where the door was. She put the enchantment on there. You know where this is headed. I'll skip over it so Fanfiction doesn't come after me for violating their TOS.

One year later…

So obviously, it's been another year. Just a quick recap so that we're not here all day. I've done a lot over the last year and tried my best to redeem myself. I helped rebuild the School of Friendship since I… heh heh destroyed it and burned it to the ground, and everyone in Ponyville came to help that day. I apologized to the whole town for how I acted, and they all forgave me. I wasn't really expecting that, but they said they'd understand. After that, I've been hanging out with my friends helping them with things and giving advice to them on tough situations. I heard from Spike and Discord that Twilight was trying to propose to me, but I wasn't going to let that happen. That's not how I was raised and I was going to beat her to it. I've been taught that the man is supposed to propose to the woman, not the other way around. Anyway, when we were out on a picnic one day with my friends, that's when I decided to propose to her.

The rest of our friends were snickering because they knew what was about to happen, and Twilight was clearly annoyed at them because she was so confused and they wouldn't answer her. Twilight went to sit on a tree branch, but it snapped and fell. I catched her on my back and brought her in front of me. She was still confused and that's when I changed into my human form back home and got down on one knee. I opened the box and asked Twilight if she would marry me. Of course, she said yes a million times and tackled me to the ground. She was crying tears of joy and it brought a smile to my face. All of our other friends were happy and they congratulated us. Of course, Pinkie was very excited for the wedding and we all had to tell her to chill because that takes quite a bit of time and costs a lot of money. Today was finally the day, but I couldn't do it. I would make a fool of myself out there. I have no idea what I'm doing, and this is terrifying. I've been to weddings, but I've never actually been part of one. Yeah, I might be getting cold feet, but who cares? I have a good reason for it. The door suddenly opened and I hid inside the wall in my shadow form. Spike said "What the? He was just here a minute ago!" I'm that clever. Discord rolled his eyes and said "Zachary! Get your flank out here! You're getting married in 30 minutes." I don't care. I hung myself from the ceiling and Spike saw me. He said "Uh Discord? Look up." Hello.

I came floating down and said "Oh, um… uh… h-hi Discord. How's it hanging?" Discord was having none of it and said "Get down from there!" I rolled my eyes and said "Make me. I can stay up here all day." I put a pillow up there and rested my body on it. Discord said "But you gotta get married!" I looked at him and said "No! I can't go out there! I'll make a fool out of myself!" Discord said "Oh no you don't. You're not abandoning Twilight at the altar!" I didn't care and said "I'm sorry Discord, but that's just the honest truth. I can't do it!" Discord glared at me and said "You can't get cold feet! You're the one who wanted this to happen!" I ignored him and said "I'm not the one with cold feet." I lit up my scepter and trapped Discord in blocks of ice. Obviously, since I'm using harmonics magic, he can't get rid of it. Discord was surprised and said "What the?! *snaps his talons, but nothing happens* Ugh, Zachary! Get me out of this ice and get down! Twilight's gonna be heartbroken!" No she won't. I levitated myself down and summoned a mirror.

I said "What makes you think she will be?! What makes you think she'll care if I leave her?! She'll probably be relieved!" Spike seemed shocked and asked "How can you say that?" Why do you think, Spike? I said "Well, just look at me! I never could have possibly thought I am worthy of her. Sure, I am royalty, but I'm a human who has no idea what he's doing! I'm a hot mess! *sighs* She's the most beautiful mare that ever lived in Equestria. And I'm just a lonely man. Even if I'm not evil anymore, that's never going to change." Discord said "But you're-" but he couldn't free himself from the ice that I placed on his feet. "Get me out of this!" Spike went over and said "Here. Let me." Discord jumped in surprise, but Spike was able to melt the ice. Discord said "Whew. Thanks." You're not welcome. He came over to me and I waited for the inevitable. "Now listen here my dude, you may be different, but I've never seen Twilight so happy in her life. You may not be the same species, but love comes in all forms." That is true, but how would the Lord of Chaos know about that? He's never even experienced romance before! Spike said "Yeah, like me and…" What? Rarity? Oh please. I scoffed and said "Like with you and Rarity?! *scoffs* Like that's ever going to happ- *gets slapped on the back* OUCH! What was that for?!" Discord rolled his eyes and said "Never mind that. My point is that I know what love looks like." Yeah right. As if I'm going to believe that.

"For all the years I've been around, I've seen what that looks like. And I've never seen two creatures more in love than you and Twilight. Unless… of course I was mistaken and you don't love her." I looked at him like he was stupid or something and said "What are you talking about?! Of course I love her! You think I would've asked her to marry me if I didn't love her?! You think I would be able to move on with my life if I didn't love her?! Well, let me tell you something, Discord. I love that mare more than anything and I would give up EVERYTHING in my life to make her happy! You hear me?! EVERYTHING!" Discord smirked and said "What are you waiting for?" I was about to say something, but I had no answer for that. I said "Good point. *changes into wedding tuxedo* Look out Twilight! Your King is coming! Yes, I can do this!" I rushed out to the altar, but I was quickly having doubts again. The only reason was because of the crowd. I invited every single creature to this wedding which included other species from beyond Equestria's borders.

"I. Can't. Do. This." Discord slapped me again in the back and I hissed in pain. He said "You better not bail." Right. Don't do that. I said "Oh yes. Right. *sighs* Pull it together Zachary. You can do this." I started fidgeting a lot and darting my eyes around because of how nervous I was. That somehow grabbed Celestia's attention and she asked "You're not getting cold feet, are you?" I quickly denied it and said "Oh, of course not! In fact, it's uh… getting quite hot in here, don't you think? *laughs nervously* You don't suppose she changed her mind, do you?" I hope not. Rainbow said "She's not late. The ceremony's not supposed to start until three." THREE?! OH COME ON! I said "But everyone's already here, shouldn't we start now?!" Discord had a look of annoyance on his face and slapped me again. He said "Pull yourself together." I glared at him and said "Will you quit doing that?! That's going to hurt after a bit. Seriously, can somepony open a window?!" I summoned a fan and blew myself cold air which made me feel better. Discord rolled his eyes and said "Will you relax?! We haven't been standing here that long." It sure does feel like it. I asked with skepticism "Are you sure? This seems to be taking an eternity. I might only be like 28 years old, but I feel a lot older than that." Seriously, I feel like I'm over 1,000 years old at this point.

[Insert Wedding Day from Casting Crowns]

The wedding song started playing and Discord said "Put that fan away. It's starting." I quickly put the fan away and I looked towards the door. The door opened and out came the CMC's dropping the flowers. They might be getting a little old for it, but Twilight thought they were the best choice. I thought to myself "What am I doing here? I shouldn't be here! Why am I here?!" The crowd suddenly gasped and I looked at the door. There she was. Twilight in all of her glory with that beautiful wedding dress. That's the reason I'm here! Because of her! I looked at her in awe and said "She's an angel." Discord smirked and said "Easy, lion. Save it for the honeymoon." Yes Dad. Twilight walked down the aisle and it allowed me to see the dress fully. It was white obviously, but it had some detail to it. It had red and purple stitches go down the side all the way around and it extended past her hooves by quite a bit. She was also wearing the necklace that I gave her for Hearts and Hooves Day like three years ago.

If you read that chapter, you know what I'm talking about. The veil that was covering her face was put together by red and purple beads and went all the way around her head. She also had the back of her hair tied up into a bun which made her look even more beautiful. I heard Sweetie Belle say "It's so romantic." Well of course it is. Apple Bloom said "Ah hope he doesn't go all berserk again." What makes you think I will? Scootaloo said "Nah. If anypony can handle that guy, it's Twilight." Thanks Scootaloo for having my back on that one. All of our friends were watching as well on the left side and Rarity had to bring out the tissue and wipe the tears away. Applejack put on her hat in stealth mode and looked around to make sure no one was looking. Twilight finally made it to the altar and I kissed her on the top of the head. I whispered to her, "You look so beautiful." Twilight smiled and said "You look so handsome." I smiled and we both looked at Celestia. She said "Mares and Gentlecolts. And of course other creatures as well. We are gathered here today to celebrate the union of Princess Twilight and Prince Zachary. Never before in Equestria has there been a love so powerful, so strong, yet it started in the most unusual of circumstances." That's mostly correct. "These two have proven that love surpasses all differences, all flaws, and all faults." That is pretty much true. We've been through so much together over the last six and a half years, and now we'll be here as one.

Celestia turned to me and said "Do you, Prince Zachary, take this mare in marriage to be your lawfully wedded wife, in sickness and in health until death do you part?" Celestia's voice kinda faded into the background because I couldn't stop staring into Twilight's beautiful eyes that shine brighter than the stars in the universe. However, I did hear Discord's voice say "That's your cue." What? Oh right. I said "Huh? Oh, oh uh, Yes! I do! Yes. I most definitely do." Whew. That was a close one. Celestia giggled a bit and then turned to Twilight. She said "And do you, my dear student, take this lion in marriage to be your lawfully wedded husband, in sickness and in health until death do you part?" Twilight looked at me with tears in her eyes and said "I do." That's my girl. Celestia looked towards the side "May we have the rings please?" Spike held out the rings sitting on the pillow and Celestia picked them up with her magic. Twilight took my ring and placed it on one of my claws. It's kinda weird, but it's the only spot that it can fit.

I took Twilight's ring and put it on her horn very carefully. Horns are very sensitive and can send the wrong message sometimes if you're picking up what I'm putting down. "By the power invested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride." I was about to kiss Twilight, but Twilight beat me to it and wrapped her legs around my neck and back to hold herself up. I didn't care and returned it. The crowd gasped and some looked away. That's fine. But then, everybody cheered for both of us. Suddenly, a rainboom appeared in the sky and both me and Twilight smiled. Thanks, Dash. I took her hoof and we walked outside onto the balcony where thousands more were cheering. Twilight was waving and I felt a light shine down on me. I looked up and I heard God say "Well done, my faithful servant." I smiled and waved to the rest of the crowd down below. This was part of God's plan for me, but I know he's not done with me yet. I'm going to tell the world about his greatness and power while continuing to worship him as well. I will serve him and him only. Anyway, after we waved to the crowd, we went back inside and our friends were right there. They were all extremely happy for us and had smiles on their faces. Shining and Cadence came up to me and the former said "You take good care of her, you hear?" I sweated nervously and said "I will try my best, heh brother-in-law." He'll get used to it.

Twilight giggled and said "Don't bully him too much, big brother. I know he'll look out for my well being." Shining sighed and said "I know Twily. Just don't want to lose you." Twilight smiled and said "Aww, Shiny. You know I'll always be around. Even though I might be busy, I'll always make time with you and I'll never forget you." Shining smiled and said "Thanks, little sis." I noticed Shining starting to cry, but I didn't say anything. Twilight also saw it and said teasingly "Are you crying?" Shining wiped the tears away and said "Of course not. Like I said at your coronation, it's liquid pride. It's a totally different thing." Uh huh. Whatever you say. Pinkie said "Best wedding ever!" She says that about everything. She'll probably say that at Dash's wedding. I know she likes Soarin. I know that feeling all too well. Fluttershy said "We love you Twilight." Twilight smiled and said "I love you too girls." It put a smile on my face and they hugged me as well. How nice.

Now, we're finally husband and wife. It's kinda hard to actually imagine that, but it's one hundred percent real. Anyway, the wedding reception went great and then it moved outside. The Sun had set and night time had started to come. Me and Twilight were dancing together in each other's embrace because you know, that's what you do at weddings. If you've ever been to one, you know how it works. I heard Celestia say to Luna "I'm glad to see that Zachary was finally able to find happiness in his life." Yeah, after so long, I finally have it. Luna looked at Celestia perplexed and asked "What do you mean, sister?" I think you should know Luna. Celestia said "From what Twilight told me, he was lonely and sad most of his life and had a brutal past." Yeah, I remember that. Luna said "I can only imagine how that feels. But it also makes me happy that he now has someone to take care of him." Yeah, but I will do most of the taking care of. She needs her mighty King to protect her and care for her. She'll only help me with my weak and vulnerable heart. And maybe some other things too. But we'll see. I noticed Soarin went to Rainbow and basically asked for a dance. She was hesitant, but once Soarin basically doubted her ability to do so just by playing around, she grew confident and took him to the dance floor. Others joined in and did the same. I looked deep into Twilight's eyes and said "Perfect." She was confused and said "What's perfect?" I said "Absolutely everything." I heard foot movement and I saw Starswirl behind me. Oh good. Perfect.

I said nervously "Oh, Starswirl! Uh, nice to see you again, my friend." Starswirl smiled and said "Indeed, my dear friend. It's so nice to see you finally found love in your life." I wrapped my paw around Twilight and said "Yeah, it is pretty amazing." Starswirl nodded and said "I just came over here to give you my salutations and congratulations as well." Thanks Starswirl. Twilight smiled and said "Thanks Starswirl." I said "Thanks man." Starswirl said "I kinda figured you two would eventually be together." I raised a brow and asked "What do you mean?" Starswirl said "From the time the Pillars and I were released from Limbo, I noticed how aggressively you defended Twilight and gave her the benefit of the doubt when I didn't. Then, as you wrote me letters each week, you told me about how much you valued Twilight and how much she meant to you. I knew it was only a matter of time before you two would finally be together." I stood there confused and said "I guess that makes sense, but how would anyone be able to predict that?!" Seriously, how do you?

"It was only a little while ago that I finally realized my feelings for Twilight and that I loved her! Ugh. This is so confusing!" Twilight giggled and said "Does it really matter, honey?" Uh… I guess not. I sighed and said "No, not really. Sorry Starswirl. Things get so confusing sometimes." Starswirl smiled and said "Perfectly understandable my friend." He probably had that issue when he was creating all those spells. "Well then, I wish you guys the best and hope you have a happy marriage." Twilight smiled and said "Thanks Starswirl That means a lot." I agree. I said "Thanks, my dude. I'll make sure to write to you in my next letter about this pretty soon." Starswirl nodded and left the two of us. Suddenly, the music changed and everyone was dancing like crazy. It was basically the kind of tone like how it was with the song "Love is in Bloom" in the Season 2 Finale "A Canterlot Wedding." After what felt like forever, both of us went to the carriage and everyone said bye. Spike opened the door for us and Twilight gave him a massive hug. She said "Thanks Spike for everything." Spike smiled and said "No problem Twi." She got in and I said "I'll see ya later bro." Spike said "See ya. Make sure you take good care of her." I laughed and said "I promise." I went inside the carriage as well and I looked at Twilight. "Ready to go?" Twilight was about to say yes, but said "Oh wait. I nearly forgot." She stuck her head out the window and threw the bouquet of flowers. Ah, yes. That tradition.

It doesn't necessarily mean whoever catches it is going to get married next, but it's just a fun tradition that brides love doing for some reason. They've been doing that probably since the beginning of time. Rarity was determined to catch it this time, but it fell into the hooves of Rainbow. Your time is up, Rainbow. The crowd gasped and Pinkie said "Rainbow, you caught it! That means you're next down the aisle!" Not necessarily, Pinkie. She could if she wanted to, but that doesn't mean she has to. Rainbow was confused and said "What?" Pinkie started making weird music sounds and Soarin said "Oh, that reminds me. Rainbow, there's something I've been meaning to ask you." There we go. Rainbow looked like she was about to crap herself and said "Oh boy." You'll be fine Rainbow. After that, I said "Ah finally. Alone at last. We're finally together. Husband and wife. I never really thought the day would come around, but I wouldn't trade anything for it. I love you." Twilight smiled and said "I love you too, my handsome prince." I said "You know, how exactly is this going to fit in with all of our responsibilities? I have no idea where to start!" Twilight giggled and said "Oh, what am I going to do with you?" Hmm.

I said "Oh, I don't know. Love me for all eternity?" Twilight giggled some more and said "We'll see about that." We kissed one more time and the carriage finally took off. So now, we finally got married. I have now fulfilled Genesis 2:24 "Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh." My parents might be dead now, but I now have a wife and we have become one flesh, so it is still fulfilled. However, there is still more work to be done. I shall declare the good news of Christ and preach it to all of the nations in this world and make disciples basically fulfilling Matthew 28:19-20 which says "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." So that's what I'll do. But for now, me and Twilight will be at each other's side and support one another. I love you, Twilight.

AN: Well, that is the end of this chapter. I really am happy that Zachary was able to find someone who can care for him after being neglected and rejected in life. He did have his YouTube career, but he still had a hole in his heart that only Twilight could fill. I admit, it kinda makes me jealous because I don't have that, but I know I will find the right one someday. I have my trust in God that he will give me the perfect wife. Anyway, Zachary will now lead Twilight and they shall rule to the very end of the age. Hope you enjoyed the chapter!

Next Chapter: Time Travel! When Luster Dawn is struggling to fully grasp the meaning of friendship, Twilight and Zachary share their story about how it seemed like it would eventually fade right after the coronation. The story seems suspenseful and Luster Dawn is doubtful that friendship is actually useful. Will the story prove her wrong, or will her point stand and miss the value of friendship?

Until then, my fellow readers