It was late into the night, the entire server quiet. Grian and Mumbo were cuddling in bed, sharing the single mattress. Bdubs and Scar were meant to be sharing as well, though the mayor was missing. The allay stirred in his sleep, waking up when he realized his partner was missing.

"Scar?" He yawned, looking around. The mayor was missing, having wandered off somewhere most likely.

Bdubs was still pretty drowsy, but he pulled himself out of bed, heading out of Doc's base in search of Scar. He glanced around for a few moments, rubbing his tired eyes, before eventually spotting the mayor sitting on the top of Doc's goat statue. Bdubs frowned, opening his wings to fly over to his partner.

"Hey," Bdubs spoke up as he landed nearby, walking over to Scar. "Everything okay?"

"Y-yeah!" His boyfriend sniffed, wiping away tears as he glanced away, clearly caught off guard.

The allay frowned, sitting down on the edge of the statue. "What's wrong?" He tilted his head, staring into Scar's green eyes. They were watery and red, filled with sadness and...something else. Guilt, maybe?

"I...I need to do something." Scar looked down, twiddling his thumbs as he spoke. "I don't want you to be mad."

Bdubs cracked a smile, playfully punching his partner in the arm. "Awe, come on! I wasn't mad when you turned me into a vex!"

Scar looked at him, clearly upset at the comment. The allay's smile quickly faded. "Too soon?" He asked, softly.

His partner nodded slowly. His legs dangled over the edge of the stature, staring down at the water that was far below them. "I'm just sick and tired of everything." Scar said, shutting his eyes for a few quiet moments. "I wish I never did any of this."

"We can't turn back time." Bdubs placed a hand on the mayor's shoulder, shaking his head. "All we can do is look back and remember what we did wrong. We just need to fix our mistakes."

"About that.."

Bdubs tilted his head, his light blue eyes filled with curiosity and puzzlement. "What are you planning?" He teased, but Scar didn't smile. He still seemed weighed down by guilt, something clearly on his mind.

"I'm going back." Scar let out a heavy sigh, "I gotta turn myself back into a vex."

"WHAT!?" Bdubs yelled out, his eyes glowing as his wings flapped anxiously behind him. "That's suicide, Scar! You can't do that! You'll turn evil again, you'll—"

"Bdubs." Scar's voice was calm, collected. He placed a hand on his partner's thigh, his touch warm and comforting. The allay quickly shut his mouth, his eyes wide as he stared at his partner's solemn expression.

For a moment, the two stared at one another, sitting in the moonlight. Scar leaned in, bringing their lips together for a long, tender kiss. Maybe it was to shut Bdubs up, maybe it was to calm both of their nerves, but either way, it managed to work. After they parted, their lips remained close, as if they both wanted to return the kiss.

Scar pulled away, his eyes serious. "Do you trust me?"

Bdubs sat there for a few moments, his eyes studying his partner's expression. "More than anything." He eventually said, despite his reluctance.

"Then let me do this." Scar said, "Please."

"Alright," Bdubs brushed a bit of hair out of Scar's face, placing his hand on his partner's warm cheek. "How can I help you?"

Scar smiled, though his eyes remained tired and sad. "Just...stay with me. For a little bit longer." He closed his eyes, leaning into the gesture.

"Of course." Bdubs rested his forehead against his partner's. "I'll stay with you forever."

—

"And...you're sure?"

"I am." Scar spoke with such firm certainty, it was hard to doubt him. Still, Mumbo, Grian, and Bdubs had all seen firsthand the monster Scar turned into when he was a vex hybrid. It was hard to trust him with that unstable power.

Mumbo and Grian shared a look of concern, before the allay let out a sigh of disapproval. "I don't know, there's gotta be another way..." He scratched his head, trying to come up with an alternate solution. Still, the mayor seemed adamant.

"Cub has an army." Scar frowned, shaking his head. "And he's too powerful for just the four of us to face. If I can take back control over the other vex-hermits, maybe I can even the playing field, or even change things for our favor."

"This is way too dangerous!" Grian argued, looking to Bdubs to convince his partner to stop this reckless behavior.

Placing his hand on his partner's shoulder, Bdubs stood firm. "I trust Scar. If he says this is the best way to stop Cub, then I believe him."

Mumbo and Grian once more shared another look, but there wasn't anything they could do to convince Scar otherwise. Letting out a heavy sigh, Mumbo stepped forward. "Alright, I'll try to change you back. But...I don't like this. It feels like Grian and I will get banned all over again..."

"I need to control myself," Scar clenched his fists, looking away. "I know I don't deserve your trust, especially after everything I did. But this is the best shot we have."

"Alright Scar. How should we turn you back?" Mumbo asked, still reluctant.

Scar walked over to the glass jars they had trapped the two vexes in. The ones that were extracted from Mumbo and Bdubs, to be more specific. "Would these guys work?" He asked, holding up the jars. Mumbo frowned, scratching his chin.

"I suppose...It would likely turn Bdubs and I human again though, so our allay forms would be gone for good.."

"Boo!" Bdubs huffed, flapping his wings in an upset manner. "I liked flying without an elytra."

"Agreed, but I'd like things to go back to normal." Mumbo said, turning back to Scar. "Place those jars in the machine and step inside. Once you're sealed in, let the vexes out."

"Can you reverse the machine to put vexes back into people?" Grian asked.

"Maybe. Probably. Hopefully." Mumbo just shrugged as he started pressing buttons on his keypad, typing things into the machine. The metal door slid open with a hiss, allowing Scar to step inside the machine.

Bdubs followed Scar close behind, anxiety in his eyes as he watched his partner step into the pod. "Be safe." He said, trying not to show his worry. The door slid shut before Scar could respond, but they could still see one another through the glass window. The mayor just smiled and nodded, his gaze soft and calm.

"Alright, I think this might work!" Mumbo poked his head round the corner of the machine. "Scar, release the vexes!"

Scar twisted the metal caps off of the jars, freeing the two vexes. They began to fly around the machine, trying to search for an escape. "I'm ready!" He yelled out, standing tall as he shut his eyes.

Mumbo flipped on the machine, causing it to rumble and shake and whirl. The glass window quickly fogged up, making it hard to peer inside. The redstoner glanced over at Bdubs, noticing the bright blue wings on his back slowly beginning to fade. "It's working, I think!"

"Working for us," Said Bdubs. "We still don't know about Scar."

The machine continued to shake and run, a few minutes of waiting and worrying eventually passing by. They felt much longer now, especially waiting for Scar as he turned back into that horrific creature.

Then suddenly, it stopped, and the room became quiet.

Mumbo waited a few moments, almost as if he were waiting for a response, before pressing the button to open the door. He once again looked to Bdubs, who was fully human now. Mumbo didn't feel very different, but he no longer felt the wings on his back, so he must have been turned human as well.

Stepping through the smoke, there was a cold blue glow in Scar's eyes as he walked into the room. His wings were large, his claws sharp, and his teeth looked like fangs. He glanced around slowly at the three, from Mumbo, to Grian, to Bdubs, who all stared at him in fear and horror, waiting for the vex to say something.

Scar walked forward, locking eyes with Grian. "Go hide," he commanded. "I'm going to bring Cub back to the machine. Get ready to lock us in at any minute."

With that, the vex opened his massive wings, and flew off towards the shopping district.