Author's Note: I decided to experiment a bit with story form, so this chapter will be a bit different than normal. I'm not sure if I'll do it again, but hey! Enjoy!

Hello, Celestia. Just checking in again.

I found Sunset Shimmer. Yeah, I'm surprised it barely took us a day, too, but here we are. Our encounter was less than stellar, to say the least. She has a vicious grudge against you, no…she absolutely hates you from what I can gather. I admit, I failed to be patient with her and spoke completely out of turn. She pulled a weapon on me and forced me and the others to leave the house where she's staying. I'm honestly very worried about her. She's not really in a good state of mind right now. But I'm not going to give up just yet. Tomorrow, I plan on going to some others who might know more about her appearance on Earth.

Your friend,

Jethro

Dear Jethro,

Forgive me for not responding sooner. Official princess business kept me away. I am pleased to hear that you have finally found my long-lost student. It pains me, however, to hear that she is in such a state of hatred, however I cannot blame her. I wish you luck, and I also beg of you to remain safe. I couldn't bear to lose one of the few friends I have, and my sister I know would be just as distraught.

Your friend,

Princess Celestia

Present

How did things get this bad? What the hell could I have done differently? Am I just as much of a fuck up as Sunset called me?

Those were the thoughts on my mind as I sat in the back of the Chevrolet Suburban, frantic voices around me as the driver did her best to keep the bumps in the road at a minimum. The owner of the terrified female voice next to me (Shye's) was pressing towels against my shoulder to keep the bleeding from getting too bad. Dash was next to me, holding my left arm where the second bullet had found its mark. She was holding a soaked bloody towel around me, looking both angry and terrified. I could hear Zecora's voice in my ear, telling me to hang in there since we'd be at Jackie's farm soon. In the front seat, Trisha was urging Jackie to drive faster, and Jackie was yelling back that if she did, it could only make my injuries worse.

I could hear a loud thrumming in my head and tasted iron in my mouth. We hit another bump in the dusty road and the pain in my shoulder flared up. I grunted in pain in response, and Shye practically yelled at Jackie to be more careful.

"Ah'm tryin' damnit!" she shouted back in a mixture of anger and fear. "We're almost there! Keep 'im safe!"

"What the fuck do you think we're doing?!" Dash exclaimed as Jackie turned down a smaller country road.

"Love, please hang in there," Zecora said as I felt and saw the world spin around me.

"Keep your eyes open! Please!" A terrified Twilight Sparkle shouted in my ear, shaking me hard and sending new waves of pain through my wounds.

"Jethro! I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry!" Spike's guilt-ridden voice came from the back seat. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the young pre-teen human Spike look at me with terror on his face.

"No! He's losing consciousness…" Shye's horrified voice began to fade away, and their voices began to blend together until I couldn't distinguish the chaos between them. "Stay with us, Jeth…"

How'd it come to this? What did I do wrong? Could I have prevented it?

Past

The day had started out normally. I hadn't slept that much the night before despite my swim the day before. The looks on Scarlet's and Zecora's faces seemed to indicate the same thing judging by their exhausted faces. We barely spoke as we ate breakfast, and we went completely silent after I revealed what Celestia had finally written back. We didn't even say anything on our way back to the college. Scarlet watched YouTube on her phone, and Zecora leaned against me, eyes closed and arm wrapped around mine in a presumed attempt to cheer me up. I put an arm around her and held her close and I did begin to feel a little bit better. We were all hoping to get an audience with the dean of the college in the hopes that we could figure out more about Sunset's arrival on Earth.

The weather had gotten steadily worse as the bus approached the college, and by the time we reached the drop off point, the rain that had begun falling had become a torrent. Even running towards the main building got the three of us drenched. As we entered the building, I made a mental note to buy us all umbrellas.

The moment we walked into the first building lobby I'd seen the Humane Five, as the fandom called them, sitting at one of the couches near the windows. Trisha was the first one to see us, and her smile turned to alarm when she saw how wet we were. "Darling, whatever is the matter? You look positively dreadful!" she gasped.

I tiredly pointed outside as the three of us approached the five friends. We sat in a couch opposite them. "Rain got us…and we finally did meet our friend."

Their mood changed from concerned to slightly angry, but it was Shye who spoke up first. "So…um…was she…okay?"

"Physically, yeah. She's got a good living situation for now," I said. "Mentally and emotionally? She seems mentally out of it. Very volatile and prone to rash decisions. Emotionally, she's hurting a lot. Turns out that mentor she idolized never once reached out. Then again, the last text Sienna sent to her mentor was one that was full of anger and hatred."

"Did she do anythin' to ya?" Jackie asked.

"Aside from yell at us and pull a gun on us, nah," Scarlet said, still extremely frustrated by the past day's events.

"She did WHAT?!" Dash stood up, fists clenched and teeth barred in extreme rage. "I always knew that girl was trouble, but pulling a gun on somebody? That's fucked up!"

"Dashelle! Calm yourself!" Trisha said, pulling on Dash's hoodie sleeve in a frantic effort to calm the sportsy girl down.

"Did ya call the police?" Jackie asked, her own green eyes cold with barely restrained rage.

I shook my head. "I didn't want them involved. It's more trouble than its worth."

"Sugarcube, she pulled a gun on ya," Jackie said, her voice trembling a bit. "Nobody does that tah their friends."

"Former or otherwise," Trisha added, fiddling with Dash's hair while the rainbow colored college girl sat and fumed angrily.

"She was angry and hurt," Zecora said, putting a hand on my arm, "and none of us handled the situation very well."

"Me especially," I admitted. "I said things I regretted."

"That's no damned excuse for her," Dash snarled.

"Maybe not, but I didn't make things any better," I admitted. "I antagonized her before the aimed that gun at my head. I couldn't help it. She just got to me."

Diane, who hadn't said anything since we sat, suddenly stood, walked over to me, knelt, and looked me in the eyes. She had no smile, but she had a determined look on her face. To my surprise, she reached out and flicked my forehead. "Ow!" It had stung a bit more than I expected, and I reacted on impulse. "What the-?"

"Are you giving up on her?" Diane asked, her voice sounding a bit deeper than before. "I know she's been a meanie-pants, but are you giving up on her?"

I frowned, then shook her head. "Of course not," I said. "I have a duty to help her. She needs professional help, and I want her to come back home with us."

Diane's smile returned, and I immediately saw how close to my Pinkie Pie this girl was. "Then don't give up! Make that meanie into a smiley!"

I snorted. "Heh, Pinkie Pie would approve," I said, pointing to the Pinkie Pie beanie she still wore.

Her eyes widened. "You know My Little Pony!?" she asked.

"More than most," I chuckled. "It's a long story. But for now, could I ask you guys something?"

"Of course, darling," Trisha said.

"Where's the dean's office? I'd like to see him or her and try and find out more about Sienna's first appearance here."

Present

"Mac, c'mon! Yer the best chance we've got! Yer the one who went tah medical school, didn'tcha?"

Consciousness came back to me, and I opened one eye slowly. My vision was completely blurry, but I could tell that I was in a living room somewhere. The smell that assaulted my nostrils was familiar. Agrarian. Am I back at Sweet Apple Acres? How'd I get back to Equestria? How'd I get back to Ponyville?

"Jackie, he needs a hospital!" A deeper voice replied to the frantic western girl's demands. Big Mac?

"He can't go tah one! Can'tcha get them bullets out of him?"

"Jackie, I flunked out of medical school! I can't just do any operatin' on him! I could get in trouble!"

"Don't use that excuse tah muddle the issue! Ah said he can't go to a hospital! He ain't got no I.D. on him!"

"Then why bring him here?"

"He was shot, Mac! Ah thought if anyone could help, it'd be you! C'mon! Yah can't just leave him tah bleed out! Ah've no idea what tah do, and nobody else here can!"

Somebody's face came into view, and a new voice said, "He's coming around, girls!" Shye.

Another black-haired woman came into view. "Jethro! Please tell me you're okay!"

I opened my mouth to try and say something, but it only came out as a croak. Why is this happening? I was only shot twice in the arm! Pain overwhelmed me once more, and darkness swirled around the outer edge of my vision.

"He's going back under…!"

"…sorry Jethro…! Don't leave…."

Past

As it turned out, there were two deans on campus that day. One was the Dean of Staff, and the other was the Dean of Students. It came as little surprise to me that they were sisters, the Dean of Staff being a younger forty something woman with shimmering black hair named Selene and the Dean of Students being a blonde woman named Celeste. They were both located in an upstairs portion of the building, past a few other staff offices. Dash, having met the two deans on more than one occasion according to a smug Applejack, took us up the stairs and to the rather large office.

The dean's office was a large square room with a wall-to-wall window overlooking the campus directly opposite the door. On either side of the wall, the two deans sat in similarly designed desks, but ones that were completely different in color. Selene's was made of a darker wood and she had a globe of the moon sitting beside her computer. She was sipping on a cup of coffee when we arrived. Celeste's was made of a brighter wood and she had a globe of Earth on hers. There were two doors right behind each desk, which led into another more private office, presumably one where they could have meetings without disturbing the other. Celeste was standing at the window, looking out at the stormy skies. She turned when the door opened, and sighed a bit when she saw Dash. "Dash, are you causing trouble for the teams again?"

"Wha-no!" Dash said defensively.

"She was just leading us here, ma'am," I said, holding up my hand in greeting.

Celeste's demeanor became warm and welcoming, and her smile reminded me so much of Celestia's that I knew she was this world's version of her. "Oh? Are you three new students?" she asked.

"Not…not exactly," I admitted. "We came here to ask you something about an incident that I was told occurred on campus about ten years ago?"

Celeste's expression became one of confusion, but she beckoned us in anyway. Selene had taken notice of us by now and was looking with such curiosity at the two of us that I felt a bit uncomfortable. As Dash closed the door quickly behind her, Celeste made her way into her private office. "Selene, could you come with us?" she asked. "I have a feeling I know what our guests are talking about."

"Oh, of course," Selene said, and the voice matched Luna's exactly. She stood and grabbed her coffee mug, following us into the room and shutting the door behind her.

Celeste motioned to the chairs in front of the desk. "Please. Have a seat, you three." The three of us took the offered seats and Selene walked to stand beside her sister. "Now, before we begin, are you reporters?"

"No. ma'am," I said, "My name's Jethro Bethridge. This is my girlfriend Zecora Mtunga Dawa and one of my best friends Scarlet Dusk." I hadn't bothered to come up with a cover name for either since both names sounded like they'd belonged anyway. "We're we're former friends of a certain teenage girl who showed up on campus about ten years ago, if my source is correct."

"Ah, yes," Selene said, "I remember that incident." She sighed sadly. "That poor girl…"

"I was fortunate enough to get some backstory from a former student here," I said, "but I was hoping you could tell me a bit more."

Celeste looked at her desk, appearing to contemplate an answer. Finally, she inhaled and looked up at us. "This incident you're referring to is one we here at Camelot tried to keep quiet and away from the press," she said. "It would have not gone over well for any of us if the truth about it ever gotten out."

"What…do you mean?" Scarlet asked, now sounding a bit concerned. Celeste's tone sounded much like Celestia's had when revealing something she was ashamed of. I'd spoken often enough with her to know.

"The incident…got out of hand," Selene said softly. "Very badly. Our only saving grace was that this happened on a weekend and there were hardly any students were around."

I felt myself getting angry all of a sudden, but forced the anger down. Did they hurt Sunset when she arrived? Was that her first impression of humanity? "What happened?" I asked, unable to keep the tremor from my voice.

"Selene, do you want to tell them?" Celeste asked.

The black haired dean sighed, but nodded. "November 11, 2000," she said. "I was just a teacher back then, and it was my lunch break. I was just walking back from my car when I heard some raised voices. I ran towards them and saw this teenage girl being restrained by two of our campus security guards. She was struggling to get away from them."

Damn, not the best welcoming committee to Earth, then, I thought. "Did she say anything unusual?"

"It was ten years ago," Selene sighed, "so I don't remember much. I remember her mentioning something about a statue, a portal and a princess who she hated with every fiber of her being, it seemed. But that's all I remember."

"A statue?" I asked.

"I do remember she mentioned something about there being a large statue in the woods somewhere," Selene said, "but when we investigated later, we didn't find anything."

"Earlier, you said that the incident got out of hand," Zecora spoke up. "How exactly do you mean that?"

"Our security was…less than gentle when apprehending her," Celeste said sadly. The look in her auburn eyes was the same look of regret I had seen a few times in Celestia's eyes as well.

"When I found her, she had a few cuts on her face, her bag callously tossed aside, and the leather jacket she had on was torn at the shoulder," Selene said in an equal display of shame. "The guards involved were promptly dismissed, of course, but the look on that poor girl's face…I've been a teacher for years, and I've never seen such hatred in a girl her age. I…well, I should have taken her home, but I foolishly just let her go. She muttered something about making us pay in the end, but I've never seen or heard from her again since that day."

"I think we found her," I said. "We met with her yesterday."

Selene closed the distance between us, looking at me with an intensity I'd only ever seen from her Equestrian counterpart. "Where? Is she okay?"

"Sis, calm down," Celeste said, standing quickly by her side and pulling her back.

Selene took a deep breath, her expression softening as she straightened her dark blue button down sweater. "I'm sorry. It's just…that day hasn't been one I care to remember. I hated seeing her like this, and I was so inattentive that I just…let her go."

Another wave of anger washed over me, and I had to take a couple of deep breaths to calm down. It felt like something had temporarily taken hold of my emotions. Almost like my lie about her being my friend was actually true. "I…I see. Sorry, it's just…when she ran, she had nothing with her but that bag. She had no identification on her, no cell, nothing like that to help her find a home. Obviously she found a place to stay, but I can't imagine how hard it must have been for her at first. Having to grow up so fast." As I spoke, I began to realize just how hard it must have been for Sunset those first few months, if not years. I've got to help her, somehow! She's not lost yet!

"Sir, I'm really sorry about our lack of involvement," Celeste said. "If I could take it back, I would. My…well, my priorities back then even as a newly appointed dean were not in line with what I wanted."

I sighed. "Mistakes were made all around, then…" I stood slowly, as did Scarlet and Zecora, the latter of whom put her hand on my shoulder. "Thank you for telling me this. I'm sorry for bringing up such painful memories."

"Don't be sorry," Celeste said. "It's me who should be sorry. I sent her away."

I nodded solemnly and, after thanking her again, Selene led us out. However, before we left, she stopped me. "Sir…Mr. Bethridge?"

I turned. "Yes?"

"If…you do see her again, please tell her I'm sorry."

I nodded again. "I will."

She smiled gratefully at me as the three of us left the room.

Present

Pain. I was awash in a sea of pain. I could hear panicked voices all around me as I once more started coming out of the fog. The voice of an older man was prominent, and I heard him using terms I'd only ever heard on shows like M*A*S*H*. There was a tearing sound, and I could feel cold air on my now exposed left arm and chest.

"Doc, how is he?" A guilt-ridden sounding Spike asked.

"He's lost a lot of blood," the man said, "and the bullets are lodged in pretty deep. Does anyone know his blood type?" A short pause. "Alright. Who here has O-Negative blood?"

"I do." Rarity? No, Trisha. "I can give him some of my blood, doctor."

"Are you absolutely sure? What I'm doing is dubious at best."

"I might not have known him for very long, but he's proven to be a very kind and caring man. I can do it." There was the sound of fabric tearing.

"Mac, you've done this before, right?" the voice of the doctor asked.

"Yes, but-"

"But nothing! The tools are in my bag! We don't have the time to lose! Hurry!"

Darkness once more enveloped my vision…

Past

"Did ya find out anythin'?" Jackie asked as the three of us approached the girls. Only Shye was absent.

"Just a bit more information about when she first arrived at this school," Scarlet said as the three of us collapsed into the couch again. "Where's your friend Shye?"

"She went to powder her nose," Trisha said, and I knew better than to ask more.

"Right. Well, I guess Sienna had a rough time here," I said. "At least when she first arrived. I'm not saying that's an excuse for what she did to all of you and to Flash and anyone else she hurt, but she's hurting and I'd see her getting help if I can."

"Yer a good guy," Jackie said. "Ah'll admit, ah'm not sure ah could do somethin' like that if I was in yer shoes."

"She is not all that evil deep down," Zecora said. "Her hurt is why she wears a frown."

"Agreed," I said.

"She's hurting?" Diane asked, looking worried now. Ah, Diane, element of laughter in both worlds.

"She was pretty sheltered as a child, and that caused her to lash out finally," I said. "Look, again, I'm not expecting you to automatically forgive her for what she tried to do to you, but she's a decent girl at heart."

"Oh, I wouldn't say that, now, would I?" a cold, calculating voice said from behind us.

I turned, and gaped. A grinning Sunset Shimmer was approaching, one arm around Shye's own. Sunset's other hand was in her pocket, and I sat something poking out towards Shye's stomach. Fluttershy's counterpart looked absolutely pale, pure terror stretching across her face. I quickly stood, but she gave me a warning glance. "Ah ah ah, nothing sudden. We wouldn't want to cause a scene now, would we?"

"What do ya want, Sienna?" Applejack growled angrily.

"Let Shye go right now," Dash added.

"Hmmm…not until I get what I came for," Sunset said with a triumphant grin. She nodded at me, Zecora and Scarlet. "You three will come with me, or this one gets it. Kapish?"

"We're coming too," Dash said through gritted teeth.

Sunset raised an eyebrow. "Hmmm, alright fine. It won't matter much anyway. Now, you will take to the portal." She directed this last one at me. "That is, if you want to keep this cowardly cunt safe," she added, gesturing towards Shye, who gulped.

My heart was pounding. The Sunset I knew was never this direct. She must be getting desperate, I thought. A part of me, however, wondered just why she didn't try and become the queen bee of this school. "Okay now, there's no need to get violent," I said calmly. "I'll show you where the portal is."

"You'd better," Sunset said with a glare as she tightened her grip on Shye's arm, causing the terrified girl to yelp.

I took a deep breath and made my way out into the rain…

Present

Once more, the incoherent sounds of voices began becoming more distinct. There was that same worry in the various female voices I heard. I heard Zecora crying, and that broke my heart. I'm useless! She needed me there, and I get myself shot! Twice!

I was lying on a very soft bed as I slowly opened one eye. The room I was in was crowded, and there was a girl seated next to me. I couldn't tell who it is at first, but the permed look told me pretty quicky that it was Trisha. Looking down at my right arm, I saw a tube connected to it. It led up to Trisha's own arm. I was shocked to see the blouse she was wearing torn where the tube connected to her blood vessel.

"Tri…sha…wha…?"

She jolted up at that, as did everyone else in the room. She turned, and I got a good look at her face for the first time since this whole ordeal started. She had bags under her eyes. "Darling…you're awake!"

"Not…for long…probably…" I admitted. "You…did this…?" I looked at the tube connecting us.

"You tried to protect me, darling," she said, and I could now hear how exhausted she was. "And I'm the only O-Negative blood here."

"Trisha, here," the older male voice from before said as someone walked up. The voice belonged to a man who had to be in his seventies at least. He was slightly portly, with white hair that was balding slightly. He had a pair of glasses on, and was looking down at me with a stern expression. "You had us worried there for a while, young man. But for now, you need to rest. Transfusion aside, you've still endured a shock to your system and need bedrest. Mac, get me the sedative, would you?"

"No…can't sleep…" I said, but even as I said that, the exhaustion from the events of the day began catching up with me.

"You need to recover, young man," the fading voice of the doctor said. "Trust me…you'll be fine…"

Past

"Still here…after all this time…it's here," Sunset was saying minutes after we left the college when we reached the small glade where the massive King Arthur statue stood. The canopy kept out some of the rain, but not by much since the torrential downpour was hard enough to break through in many different areas. We were soaked already, but I didn't really notice. Sunset still held Shye in her grip and since we were now hidden from prying eyes, she'd taken the gun out of her pocket and was holding it directly in Shye's back. "I've waited so long for this."

"Alright, you've got what you wanted," I said. "Let Shye go."

Her attention returned to me, and she smirked. "Oh, no no no. We aren't done yet. You've got one more thing to do."

"That wasn't part of the deal, you backstabbing bitch!" Dash shouted.

"Let her go!" Diane shouted.

Sunset wrapped one arm around Shye's neck then aimed the gun at me. "You have a way to contact Princess Celestia, don't you?"

I tightened the grip I had on my backpack. "I do."

"Then you will take it out and have her send the bitch who she callously replaced me with come through the portal," she demanded. "And you'd better do it quickly!"

"Fine! Fine!" I took my backpack off and began rummaging through it. Retrieving the journal, I brought it out. "Here!"

"Good," Sunset sneered. "Now, come closer and write down exactly what I say."

I grabbed a pen and walked over to her. Opening to a blank page, I looked back at her. "What is it you want me to write?"

She put the gun to my head. "First of all, tell me the name of the cunt who replaced me," she said coolly.

Seeing no other way out of it, I replied honestly. "Twilight Sparkle."

"Then here is what you'll write." Clearing her throat, she began. "'There has been a complication here. I need Twilight Sparkle's help in order to accomplish my goal here. Afraid I can't be more specific since time is of the essence. Please hurry. I'm at the portal's exit waiting.' And include your name." Once I was finished writing this, she grinned. "And now we play the waiting game."

"Just let Shye go and take me instead," Dash said, and I could see the tomboy trembling with barely restrained rage and worry.

Sunset scoffed. "Yeah…not going to happen there, Crash. You're not in any position to make any kind of demands. Besides, I like seeing this side of her. It's delicious." She licked her lips, and the look in her eyes was one of true demented insanity.

What the fuck is going on in her head?! I thought angrily just as the journal in my hand began to glow. I looked down and saw Celestia's impeccable cursive being scrawled on the page, but it looks like it's a bit hastily written. Sunset watched over my shoulder, the gun still to my head.

Dear Jethro,

I understand and have already informed Twilight. She is getting ready as we speak and will be there in a few minutes. Hang in there, and please tell me more about what is happening when you find time.

Your friend,

Celestia

The other five were watching this in awe, having seen the journal glow and vibrate much like a cell phone would. Sunset's grin became wider. "Oh my! That's rich! You're friends with the Princess of Equestria?" She looked at me, then her smile lessened. "Well? I asked a question, dipshit!"

"I'm friends with Celestia, yes," I replied.

"Hah! I bet she's just keeping you close to make sure a freak like you doesn't do anything to harm her precious Ponies," she scoffed. She turned to Shye and growled. "Now…get back there with the others. NOW!" She shoved Shye forward towards Dash, who caught the trembling and now crying college girl. Sunset put her arm around my neck, holding me in a vice grip. "You'll make a more valuable little hostage anyway."

"Take me instead!" Zecora shouted anxiously, stepping forward.

With a flash, Sunset pointed the gun at the ground, pulling the trigger. The blast echoed everywhere, and the small bit of dirt that erupted from where she had aimed was enough to stop Zecora. She put the gun back to my head. "You'd better tell your Equestrian buddies to back off. You know what a gun can do, and now so do they."

Swallowing the lump of fear in my throat, I nodded at Zecora. "Just stand back. Don't do anything stupid."

Sunset looked between me and Zecora, then threw her head back and laughed again. "You're an even bigger freak than I thought! You're dating a Pony!?"

"Zebra," I corrected automatically.

"Shut the fuck up," she said, her hand around my throat and squeezing. I heard gasps of fear from the women gathered, but I motioned them back. Sunset eventually loosened her grip on my neck. "You're still a freak. Dating an equine like us? You're into some fucked up shit, aren't you? Just like that country hick over there. Isn't that right, Piggly Wiggly?"

Jackie's face darkened. "Yah can shut the fuck up," she snarled, and I wasn't the only one to be surprised at her use of language.

"Ooooh! You kiss your mother with that mouth? Oh, wait," Sunset sneered.

"That's a low blow even for you," Dash snarled angrily.

Before any of us could say anything, the statue's base began to warp. The five humans watched in complete shock as two forms burst forth from the statue. One I knew right away was Twilight. The clothes she wore were similar to the ones she had on in the Equestria Girls movie. She had on a pair of slightly high heeled boots, dark purple tights, a long purple skirt with her cutie mark emblazoned on the side, a light blue blouse and a similarly colored hoodie. She had long shining black hair with well-trimmed bangs, hazel eyes and light colored skin.

But what really surprised me was the young pre-teen boy who came through behind Twilight. He couldn't be more than ten years old, and was wearing red and white sneakers, blue jeans, a white t-shirt with the Fairy Tail guild logo on it covered by an unzipped purple hoodie with a green lightning streak through the chest. His light brown hair was spiked and his green eyes looked around in fear. Finding Twilight, he gasped. "Twilight, are you okay?" the boy asked, standing with ease and running over to the fallen Unicorn turned Human.

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine," Twilight said, slowly standing with the boy's help before she looked around. When her eyes found me, they widened in recognition, then fear. "Jethro, what's-?"

"So, you're the bitch who replaced me," Sunset growled, pulling me closer to the portal. "If I were you, I'd be very careful."

Twilight looked between me and Sunset. The boy, who I now knew was Spike, growled at Sunset. "Jethro, what's going on?"

"Twilight, I'm sorry," I said apologetically. "But please…stay back. She'll kill me if you don't."

Her eyes widened and she took Spike's hand, pulling him back. "Sunset Shimmer?"

"Oooh, so that fuck-up of a princess deigns to say my name after all these years, does she?" Sunset growled. I felt her body tremble as she continued pulling me slowly towards the portal. "And where the hell was she before?"

Twilight raised her hands in a disarming gesture. "Sunset, please…you don't have to hurt anypony else. The princess only wants to see you."

Sunset's eyes flashed suddenly, and their color briefly changed to a bright red and yellow before returning to their normal hue. "If she'd wanted to see me, she had plenty of time! No, the time for that is gone! I'll get what's mine, whether she accepts it or not!"

The fear in Twilight's eyes only increased. "Please, Sunset-"

"The time for pleas is over, Sparkle!"

The next few seconds became a blur. I remember shouts of fear, Spike shouting something as he leaped forward towards Sunset, me tumbling to the ground with Sunset and somebody else on top of me, two shots, screams of fear surrounded me, then there was a flash. I looked around, adrenaline flowing through me. The gun was out of Sunset's hands. I reached over and grabbed it, looking for her, but she was gone. The portal was shimmering briefly, just like somebody had jumped into a sideways puddle.

Then the pain began.

I looked down at my left arm only to see blood dripping down to the ground. My left arm hung limply, any movement only exacerbating the pain. I reached over and held my now limp left arm with my right, falling to my knees as the pain threatened to overwhelm me.

"JETHRO!" Zecora's screams of horror reached me before she did. She ran up, knelt beside me and looked at the wounds on my arm. She turned to the others. "We need to get him to a hospital!"

I shook my head fervently. "No…no hospital…have no insurance…can't pay…"

"Darling, I can pay for your hospital bills," Trisha said, worry evident in her own voice, but she stopped when I glared up at her.

"No…hospitals!"

"Ah've got an idea," Jackie said, coming over to me and putting my right arm around her shoulders. "Mah brother used to be in medical school! Maybe he can help! Ah'll take him back to the farm! You all coming?"

Present

I woke once more, but this time I knew I'd been asleep for much longer than before. The room I was in was silent except for the sound of a nearby heater fan. That, and the sound of someone else breathing. A few someone elses, actually.

I slowly opened my eyes, reaching up with my good hand to wipe sleep out of my eyes. There was a dull ache in my left arm, and looking down at it I saw it was wrapped up in plenty of bandages. I was shirtless at the moment, only wearing boxers when I checked.

Looking around the room, I saw Zecora kneeling on the bed next to me, her head lying on the mattress. Her eyes were puffy and her breathing was labored. On the floor, I saw Scarlet, wrapped up in the sleeping bag I'd brought with me from my house. She too looked worried despite her sleeping. Twilight was next to her, in another sleeping bag. Her own worried expression was clearly visible in her sleeping face.

I looked up, and locked eyes with a the now human Spike. His eyes were facing me, but he looked absolutely miserable. His hair was a mess, his eyes bloodshot, and he had bags under them. After a bit, he looked away, down at his lap where his hands were balled into fists. I could see him trembling. "Jethro…I'm sorry," he croaked out. "It's my fault…"

"Spike, what do you mean?" I asked, hearing my own voice sounding hoarse. Clearing my throat, I repeated the question. "How is it your fault?"

"I…I was a…damn idiot," he said, sniffing. "If I hadn't tried to jump in to save you…Sunset…she wouldn't have…I'm so sorry…"

So…that's what happened, I thought. Spike acted, and I got shot in all the confusion. I very slowly sat up and motioned for him to come over. Spike rose, walked over in an almost mechanical motion, finally standing beside my bed. I reached out, took his hand, pulled him down to eye level, then raised his chin to face me. "I forgive you, Spike," I said calmly, putting my good arm around him and pulling him into a close hug. "Don't go beating yourself up over it. I'm not mad at you."

"P-Promise…?" he asked, not returning the hug at the moment.

I nodded. "Promise, dragon boy."

He threw his arms around me then, bringing a fresh sensation of pain where the gunshot wounds were, but he figured he was on some kind of pain medication, so it was tolerable. Spike kept on apologizing over and over again, clinging to me like I was some kind of lifeboat.

This began to wake the others, and I heard gasps of astonishment. Zecora was immediately on the other side of me, hugging me close as well. Twilight stood a few feet away, trembling in barely restrained worry mixed with joy. Scarlet stood beside Twilight, helping the new human stand on her feet. Her own face was full of worry, but she was hiding it underneath a smirk. "My, my, my. Sleeping Beauty's finally awake," she chuckled.

I smiled a bit, letting Spike go. I turned to Zecora, who was in my lap, giving me a fearful expression. "Hey, babe."

For the first time in a while, I saw a small smile break on my lover's face. She reached up and planted a tender kiss on my lips. "I'm so glad to see that you are well," she said in Farasi.

"I am glad to be well," I replied, "and I also apologize for being the cause of your worries."

She waved her hand. "Don't start with that," she switched to English. "All that matters is that you are safe."

I ran my good hand through her hair as she buried her face in my chest slowly before turning back to the other three. "How long have I been out?"

"A couple of days," Scarlet said. At my shocked expression, Scarlet nodded somberly "The doc told me he wasn't sure why either. He said you shouldn't have been out that long." She clenched her fists. "I was scared, I'm not going to hide that. But…I'm so relieved to see you awake."

Twilight slowly walked forward, kneeling beside the bed next to Spike. "Are…does it still hurt?" she asked hesitantly, pointing to the bandaged left arm.

I looked back at it, then back at her. "The doctor probably put me on some pain medication, so it doesn't hurt as bad as it could be, probably. Stings, yeah, but not as bad as it could be."

"I just wish I could use my magic here," she whispered. "I could help speed up the healing process."

"Calm down, Twi," I said. "Relax."

"I'm not sure she can," Scarlet said, her voice hollow.

"What, how come?" I asked, her tone making me hesitate. Looking up, I saw her looking down at the ground with barely restrained anger. "Scarlet…what happened?"

All it took was one sentence to bring my world crashing down. "Sunset's in Equestria."