"…in shock…be out for a while…"

"Love…come back…"

"So sorry…should have been there…"

"…can't die…live Jethro Bethridge…please…"

"…need you…"

I found myself back at the base of the Tree of Harmony. The runic carvings in the wall came to life and lit up the vast cavernous expanse in front of me. The tree glowed with its typical silvery moonlike blue sheen. There was complete silence within the domed cavern.

As the cavern lit up, I walked towards the tree. "Hello? Is anyone here?" Silence. "Miss Harmony? Are you there?" More silence. "Heh…good job there, Jethro! You fucked up well enough that even the Tree of Harmony wants nothing to do with you."

"Not so, Jethro Bethridge," a familiar voice said from the tree itself. With each syllable, the tree lit up. The voice was Zecora's again. A glowing pillar of light began to form in front of the tree, which shrank into the form of Anthro Alicorn Zecora, only now she was wearing a pair of jeans and a Zebra-striped T-Shirt. "I am here. Forgive me if I seem tired. Whenever the Elements are used they tend to drain me."

"Oh…" was all I could say as I walked across the small bridge towards the tree. I leaned against the smooth crystalline trunk and slid into a sitting position, hugging my knees close tightly. "You're alright, aren't you?"

With a mirthful laugh, 'Zecora' came and sat next to me, "I will be quite alright in time I can assure you," she said, before her expression became much more serious. "But I sense that you are in quite the tumultuous state of mind."

"Understatement of the fucking century," I scoffed as I held out my hand. A transparent gun appeared in it and I grasped it. 'Zecora' looked over it without a word. It was a simple gun, just glimmering metal in the shape of a pistol. My imagination began working overtime and more and more details formed. The memory of unloading the contents of Sunset's pistol into Eris came back, unbidden, to the forefront of my mind. I couldn't pin down exactly what I was feeling. Was it satisfaction at my attempted murder? Was it self-hatred at having succumbed to my desire to hurt her? Was it terror at finally having my secret exposed to the entire world? Fear that whatever she shot at me would morph me into some sort of monster? I wasn't sure.

"Tell me what is on your mind, young human," 'Zecora'said kindly.

"What isn't on my mind?" I asked. "Do you know what happened to me? What Eris did? What I did?"

"I am the Tree of Harmony, Jethro," she replied. "I know much. But tell me what transpired."

And so I did, not leaving out any details. To her credit, 'Zecora' didn't say anything. Instead, she just sat there and gave me her full attention as I bared my soul to the tree. When I finished, she moved closer, reached down and clasped my hand in hers. She held up our intertwined hands. "Jethro…no individual is perfect. You have not done anything that is irreversible or irredeemable. What you did to Eris will not kill her, but since the weapon you used was from a magicless world, it did serious harm to her. And do not forget that you were under the influence of the magic he stole from the Sirens on Earth."

I chuckled harshly. "Of course you knew about that stuff."

"My friend, I am the Tree of Harmony. My roots run deeper than those of this tree," 'Zecora' replied good naturedly, patting the crystal tree behind her. "Jethro, every individual has their weaknesses. Yours just so happens to be Eris. Her past actions and your close relationship with Obsidian Star made it easy for her to get inside your head."

"I can't help it," I admitted. "Something about her makes me just so…vengeful. Full of hate. Angry beyond reason. She brought out the worst in me!" I snapped my fingers and the gun vanished. I clenched my fists. "I hate her…but I know my parents would want me to try and release the hatred. It's corrosive."

"Hatred does have a way of embedding itself into one's soul. It does lead to internal suffering, and in many cases outward suffering," 'Zecora' replied, squeezing my hand gently. "You are wise enough to know this. But to release hatred is no easy task. You will need the help of others. And from what I can sense, you have the makings of a very close-knit group of friends willing and ready, in their own various ways, to help you as you have helped them in the past."

I looked back at her. "I just…I don't know where to begin."

"No one does at first, and that is okay," she said. The runes around the tree began to fade, as did the light from the tree. "But there is one who has more experience with this than most. And she will be the first Pony you speak to upon your awakening. Speak with her in private when you find that chance, and heed her words. They may just save you…"

And before I could ask what she meant, the world around me was swallowed in darkness…

…and when the light came back, I was in front of Celestia's Golden Apple tree, with a stoic looking Melora standing before the tree. It was nighttime, and rain fell all around us, pouring down heavily and forming small rivulets in the garden around us. Melora had her arms crossed and she was looking at me with an expectant look in her eyes. A fresh wave of guilt overcame me and I looked away. There was silence between us for a while, until she finally spoke. "I stand by my judgment of you, Jethro Bethridge. You have great potential to be a ruler in Equestria."

I turned to her. "How can you say such a thing now? You couldn't have missed what Eris showed! And even if you did, I still tried to murder someone!"

"You put a lot of blame on yourself," Melora said, this time with a kinder tone as she approached me. She put her arms around me and held me. "The world may have seen you at your darkest and worst moment, but they have yet to see you at your best and brightest." She turned me towards her, a small smile on her tree-like face. "Even the best of rulers stumble. Celestia did when she banished Luna. Luna did when she allowed her jealousy and hatred to fester. Moses did when he disobeyed God and struck the rock with his staff at Meribah instead of speaking to it as God instructed him and Aaron to do. King David did when he had Uriah murdered so he could be with Bathsheba."

"What…how do you know about those last two?" I asked.

She chuckled. "Harmony told me. Her roots run deep."

"She's reading the Bible now?"

Melora laughed and reached up, giving my nose a poke before she released me. "In a way, she is like Twilight. She's absorbing the information from your world and expanding her worldview. But that's not the issue on the table, here." She put her hands behind her back and gave me a gentle smile. "You can do great things for Equestria. To quote one of your favorite TV shows, you are not alone. You never have been since coming to our world."

As she began to vanish, she called out one last thing. "Why do you think the Tree of Harmony sent Zecora towards your house the day of your first meeting?" And with that, the world darkened once again…

I slowly came back to consciousness to the sounds of rain falling against a nearby closed window as well as a roaring fire from somewhere to my left, illuminating the domed ceiling with light. I was lying on a very comfortable and familiar canopy bed mattress, covered by warm, thick blankets.

And I wasn't alone.

Slowly looking down underneath my blankets, I saw Zecora snuggling up close next to my body on my left, fast asleep but still looking worse for wear. I saw her leg wrapped up in a cast and bit my lip. It hurt to see her like this, and the guilt came rushing back to me.

Fluttershy was on my right, front legs wrapped around my arm tightly. She was crying softly in her sleep. Pinkie Pie was sprawled across my lap, her mane completely straight and her sleeping expression full of grief and sorrow. Rainbow Dash was lying near my legs on my left, worry on her face as well, Spike near my legs on my right and Scarlet lying on my legs.

I slowly looked around, seeing a few cots surrounding my bed. On the left side of my bed, Twilight Sparkle lay, fast asleep with one of my laptops open. The browser was open to . Rarity was on the right side of my bed, her mane a complete mess and her eyes puffy and bloodshot. Applejack was in a nearby chair by my right side, her Stetson covering her face.

To my left, I saw two disheveled Alicorn Princesses curled on the floor next to my bed. Celestia was asleep, but looked miserable.

It was Luna who was awake and who first locked eyes with me. My heart shattered at her emotionless expression. Slowly, she released Celestia, covering her with a thick, warm looking blanket, and quietly approached me. I shrank back, unsure what she wanted of me. She stopped, and an expression of hurt formed on her face. Immediately, I felt guilty for retreating from her. Opening my mouth and taking a deep breath, I croaked out two words. "I'm…sorry…"

Her expression changed to that of worry as she reached out with her wing, caressing my cheek gently. "For what, Jethro?" she asked in an uncertain voice.

"For…everything," I said, before trying to clear my throat. Luna used her magic to bring a glass of water over to my lips. The cool substance flowed down my throat, and I cleared my throat again. "It's my fault this happened," I continued. "All the secrets…the untold truths…Eris being released…it's my fault."

"Do not say that, my friend," Luna said softly. "What Eris has done was not your doing. She is a dangerous creature, one of true chaos and malevolence. If there is blame to be had, pin it on me."

"And me," Celestia's somewhat hoarse voice said from beneath the blanket. She sat up, looking down at me with a both relieved and worried expression. "Welcome back to the world of the living, Jethro." She approached and nuzzled my face affectionately.

"I…thank you," I said, reaching up slowly and cupping her cheek with my hand briefly before letting go, "but it's still my fault what happened. Now the whole world knows about the show…and the fanfictions…."

Celestia's teeth clenched in anger. "No…it's my fault. I should have come up with a more…permanent solution to Eris a long time ago."

I gaped at her. Is Celestia seriously suggesting what I think she is? "Celestia…are you seriously considering-?"

"Yes I am!" she said angrily, her wings spreading and her hoof stomping the floor in anger. I jumped in alarm, swallowing hard in fear at the sheer rage in her voice. She noticed this, and her ears flattened, her wings returning to her side once again. "Jethro, I-no, we-almost lost you. Again," Celestia said with a hitch of sadness in her voice. "You were so close…to death."

"But…how?" I asked. "I wasn't injured…"

"Our best physicians weren't sure," Luna admitted. "Physically, you were not injured, but you were brought to the brink of death many different times. Your new human friend Trisha came back to Equestria to give more of her blood for you."

"Came back…does that mean that the Stargate was reopened?" I asked.

"Not just that," Celestia said, "but thanks to Twilight's nonstop efforts, she managed to discover the method for keeping it open permanently thanks to the journal. The humans in the other world have been writing to us constantly, asking about your progress."

I breathed a sigh of relief. "At least they're back home…that's some good news…"

"Indeed," Luna said. "You should write to them soon to inform them of your recovery."

"I will. Were they…harassed during their time in Ponyville?" I asked worriedly.

"They told us that they were treated well enough," Celestia said.

"That's good." I looked between the two mares, then took a breath. It was time to address the elephant in the room. "How long have I been asleep?"

"You've been unconscious for a week," Celestia said. "They've hardly left your side," she added, gesturing to the others surrounding me.

A smile came to my face automatically. That made me feel a swelling of admiration, adoration and joy at the thought, but it lasted for a few moments before reality came crashing in. "But their lives…don't a lot of them have jobs? Especially the Bearers?"

"They insisted upon remaining here," Luna replied. "Their attachment to you is very strong."

"Despite me only knowing them a few months?" I asked.

"Jethro, from what Twilight tells me in her letters, humans form friendships in a manner a bit differently than we Ponies do," Celestia said. "Friendships can form fast here."

"So I've noticed," I said, automatically looking down at the still sleeping Zecora. I reached down to stroke her mane and I smiled when she relaxed to my touch. "Hell, I was friends with her before I even could acknowledge it."

"And your past trauma hindered it for a while," Celestia said. "They all deeply care for you, and were scared for your safety. I was too."

"As was I," Luna added.

Slowly I nodded, another smile of gratitude forming on my face. "I'm sorry I made you worry," I said.

"All that matters is that you're back among us," Luna said. "My sister and I couldn't be happier about that. And it seems we aren't going to be the only ones here in a few minutes." With a smirk, she pointed to Zecora. "I'm sure a certain Zebra wishes to see you."

Beside me, Zecora was indeed stirring. She opened one eye, then the other, and looked up at me. Her eyes shot open. "My love!" she shouted, throwing her forelegs around my neck and beginning to sob. "I'm not dreaming, am I? Please tell me this is real!"

"No, my dearest, I am here," I replied, slowly putting my left arm around her as my right was still being clung to by Fluttershy. Seeing Zecora wincing as she moved, I stroked her mane and said, "Be careful, your leg-"

"Forget my leg! It's fine!" The two princesses smiled as my Zebra lover kissed me all over, as if she was compensating for days of affection lost. "Don't leave me…please don't leave me…" she whispered between kisses.

"Nothing could keep me away from you." I whispered, my heart breaking once more at her tone as I kissed her forehead.

"Monkey-man?" I heard a familiar child's voice gasping. Turning towards it, I saw a wide-eyed Spike looking at me in disbelief. Then he too was crying as he ran towards me and buried his face in my chest, sobbing. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!"

I gently extricated my right arm from Fluttershy's vicelike grip and wrapped Spike up in it. Tears were forming in my eyes as I whispered, "I'm sorry, too," to the sobbing young drake.

Slowly, the other Ponies in the room woke. Fluttershy was next after Spike, and when she saw me awake, she clung to my chest, crying in relief. Rainbow Dash woke next, and she tried to hide her relief by telling everyone that she knew I would wake up, but the way her voice cracked more than usual told a different story. Rarity shed a few 'ladylike tears', as she called them, at my recovery, and told me she was relieved to see me awake. She also mentioned how regal I looked with the beard I now sported.

Scarlet was, of course, furious with me but relieved. She also called me a badass for how I'd surprised Eris, as well as spouting that one liner. Applejack welcomed me back with a nod of her Stetson, a smile and a "Good tah see yah awake, sugarcube." Pinkie Pie showered me with tons of hugs and, to my surprise, kisses and face nuzzles. Twilight was by my side in an instant, trying to see if I was okay and bombarding me with questions until Celestia told her to calm down.

Once their greetings were over and we all calmed down, Celestia faced me again. "Jethro, how are you feeling now?" she asked in a tender voice.

I looked down at my hands, which slowly balled into fists. "Physically…fine. But I'm a mess. A complete fucking mess. I completely screwed everything up…"

Celestia put a wing on my mouth, silencing me. "Hush," she whispered. "Jethro Bethridge, you didn't screw up. I did."

"As did I," Luna said. "My sister and I knew just how dangerous Eris was, and we both failed to take the threat of her return as seriously as we should have."

"When you told us about this Discord from the show," Celestia said, "he sounded more like some child with powers who spread chaos for fun. But Eris is nothing like that. She's dangerous, and was willing to sew strife in all Ponykind, no…through the world…to get satisfaction."

"But I brought her back here," I replied. "And I-"

"No," a new voice said from the door, "This was my fault, Mr. Bethridge."

I turned and saw a despondent looking Sunset Shimmer standing in the doorway. Outside, I saw Gemini and Mica, still in their warrior's uniforms, standing guard. Gemini took one look at me, nodded in acknowledgment, and went back to guarding. Mica waved at me with a relieved smile on his face. "Sunset…?"

Sunset Shimmer walked in and Gemini closed the door behind her. Approaching, she looked down at the floor. "If anyone is to blame for what's happened here, it's me. I'm the one who allowed a portion of Eris' essence into me, I'm the one who was so driven by revenge and the desire to hurt the Princess that I released Eris."

I looked down. "I made it easy for you to find the Stargate," I said softly. "It's my fault. And because of that, the entire world knows about My Little Pony and the fanfictions and fanmade stuff surrounding them."

Celestia stood straighter. "We can go around pointing hooves at ourselves all we want, my friend," she said with the regal air of a princess, "but it wouldn't do us any good. The truth is out there now for the entire world to see." She dropped the regal tone, leaned forward, and nuzzled my face once more in an affectionate manner. "You need to recover and rest," she added.

I frowned. "Celestia, I want to help."

"I know you do," she said, "but you need time to process what has just happened. My sister and I will help to run interference for you."

"Recover your strength," Luna added.

"I need to help somehow," I insisted.

"If you truly wish to help, then rest first," Celestia said. "Take the time to talk with everypony here. You need it. They need it. If you need anything, there are two Pony guards outside the door who have been instructed to you as personal guards."

"And what about Gemini and Mica?" I asked.

"They have volunteered to guard you as well," Luna said. "My sister and I couldn't persuade them otherwise. Gemini was insistent on it."

I nodded solemnly. "I see…" I looked at Celestia. "Listen…about what you saw-"

"Twilight has told me about these so-called fanfictions of our world," Celestia said somberly. "Seeing them was…a horrifying experience." I swallowed hard, and was about to apologize, but she put a wing on my lips again. "But that's all they were. Fiction. None of it was real. I would never abandon this world just to attack Earth and ponify the human race. I am not Xenolestia. I would never allow harm to come to one of my citizens, Pony or otherwise."

"Ponies would never go around keeping a sapient species like humans as pets," Luna said. "The very idea of keeping another sapient race like that is abhorrent to our very way of thinking. And Caribou live in a small microcontinent northeast of here. We have had decent relations with them for years, from what Celestia has told me."

"I wouldn't go killing my friends with a smile," Pinkie Pie said somberly, "Or cut up Rainbow Dash to make cupcakes!" Shit…she read that?! Pinkie must have seen my shock, because she leaned in and gave my cheek a tender kiss. "Jethro…you know I wouldn't do that, right?"

I nodded and stroked her mane gently. "You're the Number One Party Pony," I said. "You'd never do that."

"I'd never murder foals in some sick, fucked up rainbow factory," Rainbow Dash added.

"I would never become so deranged that I'd trap my friends in some puppet universe to keep them around," Twilight said, ears flattened.

"Cheerilee would never use a stage play to murder her students," Fluttershy said, clinging tighter to me.

"One story ah read involvin' mah kin…it'd never happen," Applejack said, and I could see her burning with a rage I'd never seen from her before. "If ah ever find the human who wrote that, ah'd buck them into the moon. It made me sick." Fuck…I hope it wasn't the story I think it is…

"Love, none of that would ever happen," Zecora finished.

"Did you hide this from us because you were scared of how we would react?" Luna asked. "Even though it's all fiction?"

I lay my head back, mind racing. What was there to say now? I could easily say I was protecting them from the horrors of human nature, but that would fall on deaf ears here. I could say I was afraid, but was I afraid of them, or of something else? Was I afraid of being judged by Ponies because of those fanfictions? What was my reluctance? Where did it come from? They were adults here, for God's sake! This world wasn't a cartoon anymore. This was a real world. To everyone's astonishment, including my own, I chuckled softly for a bit at the absurdity of it all. "I guess…I have no excuse."

"Damn right, you don't," Rarity said, surprising me with how ferocious she sounded as well as her own profanity. She came to my side immediately and grabbing my cheeks. "Darling…as horrid, sickening and depressing as hearing seeing those dark depictions of our world was for all of us, the Princess is right. They are just stories. You didn't write them, so why should we hate you or judge you for them?"

My small chuckle returned, but this time morphed into sobs. Rarity put her forelegs around me, stroking my hair lovingly as I whispered apology after apology. Celestia smiled sadly as she said, "We would never judge one individual on the acts of another of the same species, Jethro Bethridge. I hope you know that now."

"I'm so sorry," I sniffed as Zecora came closer and nuzzled me affectionately.

"All is forgiven from us," Luna said. "And I mean everypony here."

"But…I lied to you all," I replied.

Unsurprisingly, Applejack took this one. "Yes, ya did," she said, "and ah'd say ya need tah make up fer it, but ah feel like you've been punished enough." She walked up to me and held out her hoof. I reached out with a shaky hand and took her hoof in my hand. "Ah know why ya didn't want us tah read those sickenin' stories. Ah can only imagine what ya must have thought when ya saw them." She let go of my hand, then reached out and pushed her hoof on my nose. "Ah forgive ya."

All around the room, every Pony, as well as Spike, repeated the words in their own way. With each forgiveness, I felt simultaneously relieved and more guilt stricken. Zecora was the last to forgive me, and with that, she wrapped her forelegs around my neck, leaned in, and gave me the tenderest, most loving and comforting kiss she'd ever given me. In that kiss, I felt the warmth and affection of true forgiveness washing over me, but even then, after she broke the kiss, a part of me still wanted to know. "Why…why forgive me this easily?"

It was Twilight's response that got to me. It was simple, to the point, and just made the most sense. "Because we're your friends."

I wiped my tears with my hand, smiling through the tears. "Thank you…" I tried to sit up more, and Zecora immediately helped me to a sitting position. I looked at them all, giving each of them a good look in the eyes. There was a general expectancy there in everyone, even in Celestia's and Luna's eyes. "So…what now? What's been happening? And don't hide it from me. I need to know what happened."

To my surprise, Sunset, who had backed away and was looking out of the window at the blackened rainy landscape, turned to me. "The riots have been stopped, but the Princesses have been receiving many official letters from other nations on the continent. They're demanding explanations."

"Correct," Celestia said sadly, "They're putting pressure on us, clamoring for a response. They all saw that 'news report' that Eris showed. They're demanding to speak to me and my sister about it."

"What about what Eris said about riots in other countries?" I asked.

Luna's and Celestia's ears flattened immediately. Celestia nodded. "The death toll is…it's in the hundreds, if not more."

I covered my mouth as a new wave of nausea hit me. Rainbow Dash immediately brought a glass of water to me, and I swallowed it fast. Pushing the nausea down, I felt my anger and rage at Eris returning. "That cunt…"

"That she is," Luna snarled.

I looked up at the ceiling, and a dry chuckle escaped my lips. "You know…I'm surprised they aren't all demanding my head," I said sardonically. I immediately saw Celestia's ears flatten back. It was brief, but it was there. "They didn't…"

"Not in many words, but in the intentions behind the letters we've been receiving," Luna said. "One letter in particular all but demanded blood retribution. I think you can guess who."

"Amber…"

Celestia nodded. "Correct."

"I hope you wrote them back and told them where to shove it," Scarlet replied.

"As much as I wanted to, we must be delicate about these things," Celestia said.

Zecora's grip on my tightened, and she grit her teeth. "She'd have to go through me before she could lay a claw on my colfriend," she snarled with surprising venom.

Celestia smiled sadly. "Relax, Zecora. I would never allow Jethro to fall into their claws, or into the clutches of any other country." Her smile became full of mirth as she turned to me. "Especially since not only are the two of you now full-fledged Equestrian citizens, but you, Jethro, are a knight of the crown."

All I could do was stare at the beaming Solar Princess; all other thoughts banished from my mind about the situation I'd been in a week ago. I stared at her in shock for what felt like minutes before I opened my mouth and uttered a disbelieving, "What…?"