Fallen Eagle

Chapter XV: An Unexpected Find

Okay guys, I'm going to cut you all a deal. I've been looking up Fimfiction a lot more and I've come to a decision on Fallen Eagle's fate. IF I can get at least 85 followers, 65 favorites and 150 reviews by Chapter XX (Chapter 21 in reality) then I will create a Fimfiction account and publish this there, but don't worry, I won't delete it off here, though I am nervous about how this story will be received on the other site.

Dixie Darlin: If anypony in MLP world would like Jim Carrey, Discord would love the randomness Carrey brings to every character.

Mallory Shadowielder: Well, I wouldn't say that since he really didn't ask her out, that'd be weird. But more like she kicked him to the curb.

adhadluke: I wanted to get the chapter out and I just thought of a name on the spot, had a feeling it was used somewhere else, but had no clue exactly where.

ninjagofangirlb: They have Tartarus, but I get what you're saying. Maybe Cerberus can use him as a chew toy?

King Rocket: Thank you for the compliment and thank you for pointing out my mistake about the faux beef.

OBSERVER01: I really have no clue what you mean by that, sorry.

Youtubepoopfan: Nope, just came up with the name on the spot. I had a feeling it was used before, but no idea WHERE exactly.

PRR Gangsta: Thank you, hope you like this next one.

Guest: I'm glad you liked both, though Tia has been used numerous times for Celestia and it fit in this particular chapter so I used it.

Fear Less-1300: Well with Discord, I combine randomness with taking metaphorical phrases literally. For instance, if he wanted to see time fly rather than kill it, he would've shot the clock out of a cannon.

Okay guys, so this chapter will follow Bat Fang, Cougar and Luna chasing Darkheart through the castle, alerting other guards in the process in case the drunkard passes by them. Also, Cougar makes an unexpected yet amazing discovery; this chapter is going to deal with the end of the Estrus as well. It will also get a bit emotional in some parts, I don't expect anybody to cry, but it will get emotional for some. Just so you guys don't get confused and question whether or not I left some good chunks of the story out of place.

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(Canterlot Castle, Cougar's POV)

Surprisingly, the armor shielding my body didn't slow me down, at all. I was still able to run as fast as I could while being able to maneuver around. "BUCK!" Bat Fang exclaimed as all three of us rounded the corner after leaving the court room, only to find an empty hallway. "There's a million bucking hallways he could've hidden in!" He cursed again, punching the marble wall.

"Calm down Bat Fang," Luna said in a comforting manner, "we will find Darkheart and bring him to justice. But for now, we must alert the remaking guards of the castle to keep a close eye on the doors so he does not escape," she added. Bat Fang and I nodded in response, allowing Luna to take the lead for the time being as we covered her six.

"So, do we need to wake up Celestia and-" I began before Luna spun around, knocking Bat Fang and I to the ground with a crash.

"NO!" Luna bellowed in her loud stadium-like voice, "Sister needs her sleep! Waking her up unless there is a threat against Canterlot is one of the worst things anypony can do!" Luna warned, "Tartarus hath no fury like a tired Celestia." I got to my feet and helped the bat pony to his hooves as Luna turned back forward and began to patrol the hallway.

"Okay then, asking Celestia for help is out of the question," I adjusted the strap on my helmet. We began to walk and trot briskly through the castle hallway. The torches lining the walls in between the large bay windows were barley lit so as not to disturb any nighttime wanderers in the castle, but Luna's moon cast a silvery sea of light, filling in the role of the torches. All of a sudden, we heard the distinct sound of hooves clopping against the marble flooring of the hallway.

Clop, clop, clop.

"Hold on your majesty," Bat Fang stopped us as we came across another corner. "There's somepony coming," he whispered and pointed his spear forward. The shadow of a pony was slowly creeping up on the marble wall in front of us. Bat Fang motioned for Luna to get behind us and for me to strafe the wall to surprise the guest. I set my spear down, knowing it would just get in my way and crept up with my back flush against the wall, crawling along the surface with the palms of my hands. The shadow on the wall was growing bigger and bigger as the pony trotted their way closer to us.

Clop, clop, clop. The hoof steps were growing closer, evidenced by their sound growing louder.

"Get over here," I whispered to the bat pony guard who silently as he could tip-hoofed his way next to me. The hoof steps coming towards us were getting louder and louder until we knew the pony was right on top of us.

"GRAB HIM!" Bat Fang shouted as he took off into the air and dive bombed the pony that just stuck his head around the corner. Bat Fang tackled him to the ground and I joined into the fray on top. Holding down his legs, I waited for the bat pony to wrap his forelegs around the mystery pony's neck. The pony began to put up a damned good fight. He thrashed his legs around violently, throwing me off and back into the marble wall. The pony raised his fore hoof and struck Bat Fang across the jaw, sending him flying back.

"Stop! Stop immediately!" Luna's voice shouted just below her booming stadium voice just as Bat Fang and I were about to jump the pony again. The midnight blue Alicorn lit up a few of the torches on the walls to reveal a pissed off and shocked Glock. He was slightly dazed and his mane was a mess, though I couldn't decipher if that was from bed head or the fact we jumped him. "Glock, what are you doing out and about in the middle of my night?" Luna demanded, "I thought Sister allowed you to retire for the night several hours ago?" She helped Glock to his hooves. Celestia's personal guard cracked his neck a few times and sighed in relief.

"What the buck was that for Bag Fang?!" Glock hissed at the bat pony and punched him in the shoulder. "And you Cougar!" Glock turned to me and punched my shoulder where the armor didn't cover, "why are you wearing this armor?" He demanded.

"Do we really have time to explain this right now?" I asked Luna, "we've gotta make sure Darkheart doesn't escape!" Glock looked back and forth from all three of us, confused as hell. Luna grumbled in frustration and took the stage for the time being from myself and Bat Fang.

"We three are tracking a criminal that escaped my Night Court," she explained to Glock, "and I needed one extra guard and asked Cougar if he would like to fill the role for night, why are you up?" Luna questioned the guard.

"I was just getting a drink of water and a small bite of some hay from the guards' break room when I heard you shout, so I was heading over here to see if I could be of assistance," Glock replied.

"Yes, you can be Glock," Luna quickly responded, "we must alert the rest of the night guards to keep their eyes peeled to the doors so Darkheart cannot escape!" She declared and retook the lead of the group.

"I'll run back and grab my armor and spear from the break room," Glock galloped ahead and around the corner. Luna dimmed the flames of the torches back to their nighttime settings and followed Glock to the guard break room. As we entered the room, I set my spear against the wall and scanned my eyes around the room. On the back wall where Glock was slipping on his golden armor, I saw a shelf which contained about a dozen or so flashlights, backups most likely.

"Hey Bat Fang, are those flashlights for backups only?" I questioned. The bat pony looked up and over to the supply shelf and shook his head.

"No, we just have that many flashlights at the castle," he replied and quickly snatched up three of them. I was about to question why he didn't grab one for Luna while handing one to me and Glock while keeping one for himself when I realized Luna could probably see in the dark.

"Are you quite ready Glock, time is of the essence!" Luna impatiently tapped her hoof on the floor.

"I'm ready to roll your highness," Glock bowed quickly and took his position next to Bat Fang and myself in our little formation. Bat Fang and Glock stuck their respective flashlights into their mouths and clicked them to the on position. I looked down at the handle of my flashlight and grimaced, but pushed the thought into the deep recesses of my mind; there were more pressing issues at hand. Switching the torch on, I pointed the yellow stream of light forward, illuminating the wall at the end of the long hallway.

Meanwhile, a bright ball of silver light appeared at the tip of Luna's horn, emitting a brilliant beam shooting down the hallway as well. "So, shall we split up to cover more ground?" Luna suggested, pointing her personal beam of light down an adjacent hallway.

"Sounds good to me your majesty," Bat Fang replied, looking back behind us.

"I'll go down this hallway," Glock said as he started to turn away from the group. My hand shot out and grabbed his tail, yanking hard as I could. A pained yelp shot out of Glock's muzzle, followed by an angry stare in my direction.

"Sorry Glock," I apologized, "but obviously you guys haven't watched enough horror movies," I stated.

"What are you talking about Cougar?" Glock snatched his tail away from my grasp.

"It's too dangerous and too cliche, we've got to stick together; Darkheart couldn't possibly handle all four of us," I explained. The three ponies all exchanged glances before looking back at me with raised eyebrows.

"Fine Cougar, but this will take longer," Luna complained, once again taking the lead.

"There should be a pair of night guards stationed at the next pair of doors," Glock exclaimed, "unless they're moving around," he added. Up ahead, there was indeed a pair of nighttime unicorn guards, standing still as statues on either side of a large set of golden doors.

"Good evening Princess," one of the guards greeted when we reached them. "And Glock? I thought you retired several hours ago soldier?" The guard asked.

"Look Remington, we don't have much time to waste, but there's an escaped felon running around the castle, you haven't seen anything have you?" Glock asked. Remington and the other guard shook their heads.

"No, but we'll be sure to relay a message to you Princess Luna if we do see anything," the second guard replied.

"Thank you Spear Head, just be sure to stay here at this door, do not move unless we ask for your assistance, is that clear?" she questioned. Both Remington and Spear Head stood at attention, spears clenched tightly against their bodies as they nodded. "Good, we'll be on our way then." We all froze suddenly as Bat Fang sprouted his bat wings. He opened his muzzle to reveal his literal bat fangs and furrowed his eyebrows.

"I think he's down here," Bat Fang pointed his flashlight down an empty hallway that housed several doors but no guards. We couldn't see anything, even with our flashlights, so Luna's silver light emitting from her horn glowed even brighter, fully illuminating the long hallway.

"AHA!" She exclaimed as we saw the familiar tan fur of Darkheart as he was sneaking his way down the hallway.

"SHIT!" He shouted and began to try and run away; the marble flooring holding him place for the time being. I turned around and ordered Remington and Spear Head to stay put in case Darkheart somehow got past us. Bat Fang and Glock dropped their flashlights onto the floor where they clattered loudly and the glass casings over the bulbs shattered. The two sprouted their wings and launched down the hallway.

"Climb aboard Cougar!" Luna ordered me. I hopped onto her back, surprised that she was able to hold me with all my armor on, but that wasn't important. Remington and Spear Head conjured up a magic shield to prevent Darkheart from escaping the end of the hallway. Luna's large wings sprouted and we took off for the criminal. With the air whipping past us, the three ponies and myself barreled down the hallway. Looking behind him, Darkheart had his flank against the magic wall that had him trapped.

"Stay right where you are!" Bat Fang ordered as we neared the creep.

"Your ass is under arrest," Glock growled. Darkheart then lunged at one of the doors nearest to him, hoof on the door handle, desperately trying to escape. However, the door was locked for him, leaving him up shit creek. Standing up on Luna's back, I jumped off and skidded down the flooring, grabbing ahold of one of the stone columns to stop myself from skidding in to the magical wall.

Just as we were about to catch him and Luna was about to cast a spell to lock him back in chains, Darkheart kicked the door with so much force that the hinges broke off, and he entered the room. "No you don't!" I shouted while I skidded to a stop on a column and swung myself into the room, pointing the flashlight inside. The room was a supply closet with various carts, tools, cleaners and books, but no pony. "What the fuck?" I asked myself.

"Oh no, this supply closet leads to the library," Bat Fang cursed and pointed to the closed door that was partially hidden by some shelving.

"But I thought you locked the library at night?" I asked in response.

"Only the highly advanced and dark magic sections," Luna explained, "the rest of the library is closed, but unlocked; he can still get out and hide from us," she punched a wall with her hoof. Glock and I backed away from the night Princess' fury, though Bat Fang seemed pretty nonchalant about her rage. She ripped open the door leading to the library and turned to all three of us, "Well, what are you all waiting for?" She shoved us into the library and lit the torches up slightly brighter, but not by much.

"Okay, there's no place he can run now," Glock commented and made sure to lock the door he was closest to. Taking his cue, Bat Fang and I locked the rest of the doors surrounding the library, trapping Darkheart inside. "Good, it's just him and us now," Glock took to the second floor of the library with Bat Fang, leaving me and Luna to cover the bottom floor. Luna's horn once again cast the silvery glow to light up the aisles in between the tall book cases. Thankfully, I didn't drop my flashlight like Glock and Bat Fang, so I could help her shed some light.

"Have you ever had a court appearance end like that Luna?" I questioned, casting the yellow glow of my flashlight onto floor in front of us. I never knew how creepy a library could be at nighttime, especially with all the pony statues at the end of every aisle.

"Never Cougar. Though I've had my fair share of delinquents and fighters, my court has never had somepony escape. I've had fights break out and the average pony swearing death to myself and my guards, but a runner?" Luna shook her head back and forth.

"I guess that's my fault Luna," I solemnly said and pointed my flashlight at a few book titles on the shelf on the wall. Luna turned her head to face me and accidentally blinded me temporarily with the bright light from her horn. Shielding my eyes, Luna extinguished her horn light and her jaw dropped.

"How could you say such a thing Cougar? It's not your doing and I nor Bat Fang blame you!" She exclaimed. We kept on walking while continuing the conversation, "what in Equestria could make you think I'd cast fault onto you?" My armor clanked against itself as I raised my hand and rubbed the back of my neck.

"Well, I was the last one who had Darkheart contained and I let him go," I said, "there was more I could've done to keep him held down while Bat Fang locked him back in chains," I explained. The Alicorn stopped us right at the end of an aisle of bookshelves, right next to a statue of what looked to me like a pony version of Merlin the Magician. She placed a hoof on my shoulder and her eyes glowed white. My whole world then flashed white and I felt myself being pulled away. "LUNA!" Came a scared shout from my mouth. "Oof!" I exclaimed when my body slammed into the ground.

"Stand up Cougar," Luna's soft and tender voice spoke. Her silver hoof grasped under my arm and she gently pulled me to my feet. I still couldn't see a thing; stars still clouded my vision. Shaking my head, my vision became clearer and I found myself and Luna back inside her court room, though we were transparent. "I shall prove that it is not your fault Cougar." I wanted to slap myself a good few times when I saw another me holding Darkheart down on the ground.

"Stay where you are mother fucker!" The other me shouted. Darkheart then raised his back leg and slammed it into my exposed gut. My doppelgänger released Darkheart and clutched his stomach in pain, rolling on the ground.

"See you in Tartarus Assholes!" Darkheart shouted and ran out of the room. I turned to the present time Luna whom had her eyebrow raised, looking from my clone back to me. Her wings then flared out and we were blown back to the present time, but this time I landed on my feet.

"So you see Cougar, you did everything you were supposed to; Darkheart was just a slippery bucker. If you hadn't had been there, I fear for what could've happened to Bat Fang," the princess patted my back.

"But now he's gone and can still hurt somepony, especially if he gets out of the castle," I replied.

"Yes, but we will bring him back to justice Cougar, and I have faith you will not let me down," she smiled and relit her horn. My mouth opened to say something else, but out of the corner of my eye, I saw the giant statue behind Luna shift in the dim glow of the torches.

"MOVE!" I lunged into Luna's body and tackled her out of the way just as the statue of the Merlin pony crashed to the ground.

"Princess Luna!" I heard Bat Fang exclaim from the top floor.

"Shit, you're quick on your feet monkey," Darkheart teased from behind the bookcase, "let's see how you like some 'light reading,'" he then pushed against the bookcase as hard as he could. I grabbed Luna by her forelegs and yanked her out of the way just in time again as hundreds of hard covered books smashed into the ground along with the bookcase.

"GET AWAY FROM OUR PRINCESS!" Glock drew his spear and aimed it at Darkheart. I got up and off of Luna's body, helped her to her hooves and got her out of the way of harm, but she insisted she stay to help, which I wouldn't argue against.

"You're gonna pay for attempting to murder our Princess," Bat Fang bared his fangs and also drew his spear. The two ponies backed Darkheart into a bookcase, trapping him. "Come on, you're done maggot," the bat pony sneered.

"I'd rather die than go to the dungeons based on this bitch's order," Darkheart growled in reply.

"Come with us, or we'll use force," Glock threatened, "and we've been itching for some excitement this weekend," he added.

"Excitement? I'll give you something to get excited ABOUT!" Darkheart shouted and drew a letter opener from behind his back. It happened so fast that Bat Fang and Glock didn't have time to react. The criminal pony slashed the sharp device so fast he cut nice gash into Bat Fang's muzzle, drawing blood from the end.

"RAHHHH!" Bat Fang screamed in pain and grasped his bloodied nose, trying to stop the bleeding from escalating.

"Bat Fang!" Glock shrieked and tackled Darkheart, slamming him into the bookcase. Numerous texts from Equestrian History fell around them with loud thumps. I turned to Luna and grabbed ahold of her shoulder.

"Get Bat Fang away; I'm gonna help Glock," I gripped the top of the flashlight, prepared to use it like a police baton. Luna teleported over to Bat Fang and transported him to the second floor of the library to help him heal. Meanwhile, Glock had Darkheart pinned to the ground, the letter opener still in Darkheart's right fore hoof, Glock was still trying to get it away from the criminal.

"I'm gonna stab you and gut you, you white faggot," Darkheart clenched his teeth and shook his body as he fought against the royal guard pinning him down. He kept trying to raised his hoof to slice or stab Glock, but the guard was too strong.

"You're lucky I don't just stomp your throat in," Glock grunted as he utilized every sweat of strength in his body. I ran up and kicked the letter opener out of Darkheart's hoof, rendering him weaponless. However, this distracted Glock enough to where Darkheart used his rear foreleg and kicked Glock in his nether region, sending him onto his back in pain.

"NO!" I shouted and pinned Darkheart to the ground as he grasped Glock's spear and chucked it at the guard.

"AHHHHH!" Glock howled in pain as the spear tip pierced into right foreleg, trapping him into the ground with blood gushing out of the wound.

"LUNA! HELP HIM!" I shouted and began to pound the shit out of Darkheart. I reared my fists back and hit his face as hard as I could, my anger rising with each blow. "YOU, *Punch* MISERABLE *Punch* PIECE *Punch* OF *Punch* SHIT!" I shouted with each blow to his face. The punching ceased momentarily as I stopped to breathe, "I SHUOLD RIP OFF YOUR FUCKING HEAD!" I slammed my fist down into his face again. There was a loud crunch as my fist demolished his nose; blood was pouring out of his nostrils and his eyes were blackened and swollen.

My fingers wrapped around his neck and squeezed as hard as they could, choking the life out of him. The anger inside me completely took over as I started to slam his head into the floor, Darkheart making barely audible gargling noises as I did.

"COUGAR STOP THIS AT ONCE! HE'S HAD ENOUGH!" Luna ordered me, but I ignored her, continuing to slam Darkheart's head into the floor. "I ORDER YOU NOW!" Luna's stadium voice bellowed, knocking me off Darkheart's body and bringing me back to reality.

"Princess Luna, are you alright?!" Remington unlocked one of the doors and he and Spear Tip ran inside frantically. Bat Fang flew down holding his nose and landed beside Glock who had some cloth tied tightly around his wound, but he needed more medical treatment. My hard breathing returned to normal as I collapsed onto my rear end and rested my head onto the wall. Remington slapped cuffs and other golden chains onto Darkheart who was still conscious, but not speaking. Spear Tip helped Glock to his hooves and helped balance him.

"Those cloths should keep the blood from flowing out of the wound," Luna explained to Spear Tip, but he must keep himself from moving at all until the Estrus ends and our medical staff returns," she added as Spear Tip slowly helped Glock walk out of the library. "Bat Fang, go get that wound dressed, I must speak with Cougar alone," Luna turned her gaze to me.

"Yes your highness," Bat Fang held his muzzle up in the air. Luna closed her eyes and wrapped her wing around my torso. A huge vortex appeared around us and we were suddenly in the dungeons, I knew this because of the cells and the dripping wet stone blocks. Luna conjured up a table and a pair of stools.

"Sit down," Luna said quietly, so I did.

"A MALE! COME HERE BIG BOY! I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU ARE!" A raspy female voice blurted out. I ignored it and faced Luna. She sighed softly and placed her chin in her silver plated hooves.

"Cougar, what was that? You had Darkheart detained; you didn't need to pulverize him into jelly," Luna said with care and concern. Sitting back in my chair, I rubbed my hands over my mouth, trying to come up with something to say in return.

"I don't know," I groaned out, "I-I was just so angry at what he did to Glock and Bat Fang and what he said about you and your sister that, I just lost it," I replied and covered my eyes. Luna shook her head and placed her hooves onto the wooden table.

"That's no excuse for trying to murder the pony Cougar," Luna scolded, "true, he did attack two royal guards, however, one or two blows had him detained; punishing him further like you did was borderline torture. He was a cynical, foul mouthed and easily tempered stallion, but that was uncalled for Cougar, why didn't you stop when I first asked you?!" She demanded, raising her voice. Clasping my hands together, I brought the pair up to my lips and sucked in a deep breath through my nose.

"I'm sorry Luna, I lost control of my emotions, I just wanted to punish that fucker for what he did; I don't know what he would've done had he escaped, what if he ended up escaping and hurting somepony in Canterlot? And it was obvious he didn't care for who he hurt or what he hurt, he needed to be brought to justice," I explained my side.

"Yes, I haven't a clue what he would've done had he escaped the castle grounds, but you took it too far Cougar and I am worried for you," she lowered the volume of her voice and took my hands in her hooves. "I sense much anger and violence in you Cougar; I don't want you to snap and do that in front of somepony somewhere else and have you thrown in jail or worse. However, I do sense much love and compassion in you as well, but if you feed that violence like you did tonight, you'll end up causing more harm than good, I should know," Luna looked off into the distance.

"Hey," I said, thrusting Luna back into reality, "I can keep a tab on my anger okay Luna? And if I do start to lose it again like that, I'll come talk to you about it, is that okay?" I asked her.

"Of course Cougar, as they say: What are friends for?" She made the table disappear and wrapped her forelegs around me in a hug. We soon released the hug and she fell back onto her legs. "Oh and you can keep the armor if you want, I do like how it looks on you," she smiled.

"Thanks, I kinda like it," I replied. My head then turned to another cell and my jaw dropped. It couldn't be, no, I thought it was destroyed. Slowly, I picked my feet up and walked over to the cell which housed something I thought I'd never see again.

"Cougar, what are you-" Luna started before looking at the cell I was attracted to. "Ah yes, don't you remember what we said when you were brought to the Royal Infirmary?" Luna asked.

"No, I don't remember if you told me or not," I replied and rested my head against the cell door, staring at my wrecked F-15C.

"Celestia and I transported it here when we found you," Luna explained, opening the cell door for me. "We sort of forgot about it after awhile, but we had to get it away from the citizens of PonyVille so they wouldn't cause a panic," she said. I nodded in understanding as my hand grazed softly against my Call-sign painted just below the cock pit of the fuselage. "Is there a chance you could repair it Cougar?"

"There's no chance in repairing this thing," I chuckled, "it's torn in half Luna," I checked out the gaping hole in between the front and rear of the jet. The wings and tails were still in great shape, but the impact ripped the front end from the rear end, so I could use it for spare scrap metal if I wanted. So many memories came rushing back as I climbed into the fuselage and sat where my seat used to be housed. Looking down, I saw the yellow and black striped ejection handle that saved my life almost four months ago now.

"Tell me, were you a talented flyer Cougar?" Luna landed on the front of the nose of the jet and closed her wings back up.

"I don't mean to brag, but I wasn't the leader of Ghostrider Squadron for nothing Luna," I chuckled and gripped the joystick.

"Do you miss flying?" She asked.

"Yeah, but maybe it's for the best that I'm done flying Luna, I've grown to enjoy the peace the ground has to offer here," I began to climb out until I spotted something unusual. Behind where my seat used to be, there as a door ajar, most likely from the impact of the ground. Curious, I reached back and ripped the door off, tossing it onto the stone ground with a clatter. Behind the door was a little compartment with what looked like a backpack inside.

"Is that a medical kit Cougar?" Luna asked me and inspected it as I held it up in the air.

"It's heavy, I can tell you that," I replied and slipped the loops over my armor. The belts then tightened up against me and a loud beep went off. A paper note was ejected from a pocket on one of the leather straps and I grabbed it.

"What does the note say Cougar?" Luna questioned me. I brought the note up to her horn where she lit it up so we could read easier.

'Dear Cougar, if you are reading this, the Air Force has been working on better technology for ejection sequences for pilots for years. We believe you would be the best candidate to test out this new and much safer ejection practice should you ever need to eject. This is a prototype jetpack that attached itself to your seat after you pulled the ejection handle. The point of this was to be able to steer you safely to the ground slower to reduce the risk of broken bones or blacking out, making for a safer landing with your parachute. Once having landed, you'll be able to strap the jetpack on and fly to allied land. From there, you'll be able to radio us and we'll bring you back home, we hope this has worked and we would like your input on the practice.

-Stinger.'

"A jetpack?" Luna questioned, "what does that do?" her mind was boggled.

"Well, in science fiction and comic books in my universe, jet packs allowed people who couldn't naturally fly, fly and fast too, but I thought that technology was too advanced for my time," I looked over the jet pack that was strapped to my body. On one of the straps was a large, round and red button. Curiosity taking over, I pushed the button and two large wings appeared out both sides of the jetpack. They were flexible and were cut on the bottoms to represent feathers.

"Fascinating," Luna cocked her head from side to side at the wings. Suddenly, there was a roar as I was lifted off the ground and hovered in the air. "Cougar," Luna giggled as she too floated up to meet me, "enjoying the weather up here?" She teased. I hit the button again and the wings disappeared back into the jet pack and I landed on my feet. I was panting; the breath was just gone from my lungs from the shock of finding a real jetpack.

"This is, surprising," I finally spat out and took the jetpack off of my armored torso.

"Well, now you can fly again if you wish Cougar," Luna gave me another friendly smile, "of course you might need lessons on how to pitch, roll and bank your body, perhaps Rainbow Dash and her Stallion-friend Soarin' could give you lessons?" She suggested. I stepped out of the cell with my new jetpack in hand and held the cell door open for Luna.

"Maybe, you know, if they're up for teaching a human how to fly," I replied nervously, "I'm not even sure how fast I can go with this thing," I added.

"Oh, I don't think you'll have to worry about speed Cougar," Luna laughed, "Rainbow Dash is the only pony to ever pull off a Sonic Rainboom," she explained. Before I could answer that I knew about Rainbow's speed of sound achievement and that it wasn't exactly what I was talking about, a pony in another cell scoffed at us.

"HA! Rainbow Dash! That cyan bitch ruined my career!" I turned my head to see a golden fur colored and fire-blazed maned pony shouted. "If it weren't for her, I'd still be the captain of the Wonderbolts and basking in glory!"

"Hey, who the hell are you to talk about my friend like that!?" I demanded and stood up next to the pony's cell door. I soon remembered I forgot it was Estrus weekend.

"Oh hey there sexy, wanna come in and have a party?" The pony licked her hoof and slicked her fiery mane back.

"Wait a sec, you're that Spitfire pony that tried to frame Soarin' aren't you?" I realized.

"So? The past is the past right? Anyway, I got a fire that you could help me extinguish," she winked. I groaned and rolled my eyes, turning around back to Luna. "Come on, you can't ignore me forever!" Spitfire flashed her eyes at me.

"Let's get out of here Luna," I escorted her out of the dungeon. Just as we left, Remington appeared with a grumbling and moaning Darkheart. Luna teleported myself back to the temporary room I had been staying in all weekend.

"Well Cougar, this has been an interesting night," Luna looked all over with a smile, trying to think of a way to say it.

"Yeah, you said it," I unbuckled the strap of my purple and yellow helmet and took it off. Luna chuckled at my greasy helmet hair and the sweat trickling down my forehead. I swiftly wiped my hand through my hair. Opening the door to my room, I chucked my helmet onto the bed and set the jetpack next to the door. "Well Luna, I guess this is goodnight," I stuck out my hand. Luna pushed it aside and squeezed my armored torso as hard as she could in a tight hug.

"Friends hug each other Cougar, hoofshakes are much too formal for me anyways," she released me and bowed her head. "I shall resume my duties of watching dreams tonight Cougar, I will see to it that you have happy dreams," she disappeared in a cloud of magic dust or whatever.

"Good night Luna, hopefully I'll see you tomorrow," I said to the void where she was, "I'm thinking of sleeping all day," I yawned, stripped my armor and clothes off and headed into the bathroom for a quick shower.

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(The Next Day. 3:00 PM Cougar POV)

I was sleeping peacefully, dreaming about fishing by myself when I started to shake, not violently, but enough to grab my attention. "Cougar, Cougar come on wake up man, I'm bored," Spike's voice cut into my dream void.

"Wha!?" I shot up and swatted at the air above Spike's head.

"Hey, watch it!" Spike exclaimed and ducked so I wouldn't hit him. Shaking my head and rubbing my eyes, I looked over at the clock on the wall of the bedroom. "I didn't mean to startle you, I'm just bored and I don't want to hang out with Discord, I don't know what he'll do to me," the little dragon shuddered.

"Damn, I've been asleep for nearly twelve hours?" I yawned and scratched my back. "Did I miss anything exciting so far Spike?" I stretched my arms and back and slipped my T-Shirt back on.

"No, there's nothing to do here!" Spike grumbled and crossed his arms.

"Well, what'd you want to do today kid?" I slipped my pants and hat back on. Spike produced a few stacks of comic books from behind his back and grinned. "Shoot, I'm game for some reading," I commented and produced my Daring Do book from my duffel bag.

"Hey, I think Celestia has copies of the other books in the library if you want to see," Spike offered.

"I thought you said you were going to avoid the library at all costs today Spike?" I asked and opened the door for us to leave the room. On our trek down the hallway, we ran into Remington who looked dead tired. "Oh hey Remington, what are you still doing awake?"

"Hey Cougar," the poor guard yawned loudly, "I have to pull a double until Glock is fully healed," he explained and struggled to stay awake.

"Doesn't Celestia have a spell to keep you awake buddy?" I questioned with deep concern for the guard. He didn't hear me as his eyes closed and snoring started to come from his mouth. "Oh boy," I said and hit over the head with one of Spike's comic books.

"I'm awake!" He saluted me and snapped his eyes open.

"Go get some coffee before you keel over Remington," I ordered the guard. Without argument, the guard walked passed us and headed to the kitchen.

"Woah, what happened there Cougar?" the dragon asked as I handed back one of his comics and we resumed our trek to the library. To be honest, I was at war with myself over whether or not to tell him. I'd probably have to explain how I lost my cool and almost killed that bastard Darkheart, and I didn't want to kill the progress the two of us had made this weekend.

"Nothing Spike, Glock injured himself training last night," I lied, which he bought. "Anyways, back to my question, didn't you want to stay far away from the library while we're here? Why're you so cool with going to it all of a sudden?"

"Eh, I may say stuff like that, but I was raised my whole life around books with Twilight, so being away for too long makes me homesick," he replied, "a tiny vacation is all good, but soon the books start calling me back," he added.

"Ah, good morning, or afternoon as it were Cougar, and to you too Spike," Celestia's heavenly voice called as Spike and I entered the library. The sun goddess was busy writing something down on a scroll when we had entered.

"Afternoon your highness, Spike and I just decided to have a more peaceful day in the library today," I bowed and patted her shoulder.

"Yep, these comic books won't read themselves!" Spike instantly plopped down into a chair and opened up the issue on top of the stack. Celestia and I both chuckled while Spear Tip and another guard both hoisted up the statue of the Merlin pony back onto its base.

"Cougar, could you tell me what happened in here last night?" The princess asked calmly, "I'm not upset if you had anything to do with it, but I just don't like to find books on the floor and bookshelves toppled over in our nice and quiet library."

"I completely understand Celestia, but you might want to ask Luna, she might be able to give you a clearer answer when she wakes up," I suggested. Celestia thought about this for a moment before shrugging her shoulders and walking out of the library with her scroll.

"You're right Cougar, and I'll see you at dinner in awhile, have fun," she called and left. I turned back around and hovered near the Action and Adventure section of the library until I found the Daring Do shelf. I scanned my index finger over the spine of the first book and pointed to the book next to it.

"Daring Do and the Griffon's Goblet, is this the second one?" I asked and opened up the to Chapter 1 of the text.

"Yep, that's the second one, it's one of Twilight's favorite of the series," Spike looked up from his comic book. Smiling, I sat back down, plugged my headphones into my phone and cranked up some Def Leppard. After getting about halfway through the book and through the first three albums by Def Leppard, I shut the book, paused the music and decided to stretch a little bit.

"Aw come on Radiance, why can't you at least give Humdrum a chance?" I heard Spike talk to his comic book. Rubbing my ears to get the feelings back, I studied Spike while he was reading his comic with a hint of sadness in his voice. "Everypony knows he's clumsy, but his heart is in the right place, can't you see that he'll always be there for you and your friends?" Standing up, I walked over to Spike's chair and peered over to see what he was talking about. I couldn't help but smile a bit as he was staring at two characters working together. One was named Humdrum and the other named Radiance; both bared a striking resemblance to Spike and Rarity.

"She reminds you a lot of a certain fashion pony?" I asked quietly, bringing Spike back to Earth.

"Uh, no! No of course not Cougar," Spike shut the comic book and tossed it to the bottom of the pile, "what makes you say that?" He drummed his fingers across the armrest of his chair.

"Oh maybe because those two look exactly like you two and I know how bad you're crushing on Rarity," I replied in a smart aleck tone. Spike blushed a scarlet red and hid his face from mine. "Spike, it's nothing to be ashamed of kid, I mean having a crush on an older woman is perfectly normal and a part of growing up," I explained and sat back down.

"It's not a crush Cougar," Spike replied gravely, "I do love her, but I just don't know how to tell and I just can't," he admitted.

"I may not be a psychologist or some mumbo jumbo doctor, but I listen fairly well if you want to talk about this," I placed my hands on my knees and put on a comforting smile for the dragon. Spike looked up and down a few times before sitting down in a more relaxed position and nodded.

"Only if you promise to take this seriously, most of my friends think it's just a crush too," he asked me.

"Not here to judge Spike," I put my feet up on the table in between us and crossed my arms. "Alright, just tell me about your feelings for Rarity Spike," I allowed him to start.

"Okay, well it all started back when Twilight and first moved to PonyVille five years ago. We were just checking out the decorations for the Summer Sun Celebration when we came across, the most beautiful pony to ever exist," Spike said dreamily. "I knew I loved her the instant I saw her deep blue eyes, finely coifed mane and heavenly accent."

"Alright, so bam, love at first sight huh?" I asked.

"Oh yeah, I never felt like that about any mare before in my life," Spike replied. "Well, as time went on, I just kept falling harder and harder for her, though she kept giving me cute little nicknames and petting my head, I always had a feeling that she only saw me as a little brother," he said sadly. I rubbed my chin, thinking about what he said.

"Did you ever even try to tell her how you feel?" I questioned.

"Yeah, but only once. I tried to tell her after I shrank back down to normal size after growing to a full grown dragon and wreaking havoc in PonyVille the day after my birthday a few years ago," he explained. "But she stopped me and gave me a teary-eyed look, as if she knew what I was going to say, so I never did. She did kiss me twice on the cheek for my birthday," he added.

"Godzilla rampage and a kiss on the cheek, interesting," I made a mental note.

"After that, I mainly just helped her around her boutique, gathering supplies, putting orders away or helping her straighten up. It wasn't until last year that she was told off by a customer and she was crushed, I mean so crushed she downed about fifteen cartons of ice cream in an hour," Spike exclaimed in surprise.

"And what did you do to help?" I asked.

"I found a book in the old abandoned castle called Inspiration Manifestation, it allowed Rarity to create anything she could think of so she could fix the problem she made with the customer. And it worked, a little too well though. She went crazy and started changing PonyVille into something so twisted that Discord would've been freaked out. Anyways, I told her the truth that she wasn't changing things for the better and the spell wore off," he finished explaining and rested his head on the chair. I calculated everything that Spike had said to me, trying to come up with my own answer.

"Well Spike, I think it's safe to say it isn't a crush like most ponies believe, I'd say you're certified in love with her Spike."

"You agree with me?" Spike asked with enthusiasm.

"Yeah, I mean if it were just a simple little crush, you wouldn't be so loyal to her and you would've moved on years ago to another pony. And that thing about you turning into a full grown dragon, how did that happen; I have a theory about all this if it's true," I asked.

"Well, my dragon greed was activated when I received a bunch of presents for my birthday and I went crazy, why?" He retorted.

"Hmm, and Rarity is the Element of Generosity, now it's starting to make more sense Spike. You're a dragon, and like you say, dragons are born with a natural sense of greed in them while Rarity is the most generous pony in Equestria. I think you two are meant for each other. She compliments your dragon greed and counteracts it with her generosity. Tell me, did you act differently to other ponies besides Twilight before meeting Rarity?"

"Yeah, I was a little more of a smart aleck and while I did and still do care for Twilight a lot, I never really thought about other ponies, but that changed once I met Rarity. I was still a smart aleck a lot, but I thought more about other ponies' feelings."

"I see it now kid, you're attracted to the generosity flowing within her, but you still love everything else about her," I explained.

"That makes sense now! But what do I do about it Cougar? Do you know how I can tell her and be with her?" He begged for an answer. I clicked my tongue and drummed my fingers together.

"Unfortunately, all I can tell you is to stop acting like a puppy around her. Don't give her cheesy compliments like "Anything for you most beautiful," or "Whatever you say m'lady," those are cute, but you'll only drive her to think that you're a little brother. Give her more natural responses and compliments like, "Hey Rarity, looking good as always," and just say no problem or happy to help someone like you if she thanks you, that's a start at least," I replied.

"Thanks Cougar, I feel so much better about it now," Spike smiled and jumped into my chest and gave me a hug.

"Ha, no problem Spike, I'm just happy to help," I replied.

"And if you want, I can tell you how to get closer to Applejack."

"What?!"

(The Next Day. 10:00 AM. Cougar's POV)

"Thanks guys, we'll be sure to say hi next time we're at the castle!" Spike called as two pegasus guards took off from PonyVille with the chariot in tow. It felt nice to finally be back in PonyVille with everypony going on about their normal routines instead of, well I've thought about that enough. Spike and walked along the main road through town waving hello to all of our pony friends. "Morning Cougar, morning Spike!" Vinyl Scratch waved as she unlocked the door to her music shop.

"Good morning boys, we'll be up and running shortly," Mrs. Cake appeared from inside Sugar Cube Corner. Spike and I waved back and turned to another road to lead us back to the huge castle just on the outskirts of the town.

"Spike, is there anything I need to know about how they are after the Estrus?" I questioned.

"No, they're pretty much the same, except a LOT more satisfied and mellow, at least for the first day," he replied. I nodded in respond and adjusted the strap on my duffel bag. Luckily since I didn't pack much, the jetpack fit nice and snug inside, the only thing left was to explain what it is to my friends, oh joy. "Hey, there's Twilight's pet owl!" Spike exclaimed as an owl greeted us outside the castle. "Hey buddy, did you miss me?" Spike gave the owl a high five.

"Hoo, hoo," the owl replied.

"Good, now are Twilight and the girls up?" Spike asked. the owl opened up the castle doors and led us into the foyer.

"SPIKE!" A bunch of girl voices shrieked, followed by the sound of clopping hooves against the ground and basically attacked Spike with hugs.

"It's so good to have you back!" Twilight hugged her, son I'll say.

"Sure ain't the same without ya partner," Applejack patted his back.

"I'm thinking of a reunion party!" Pinkie exclaimed.

"Welcome back Spike," Fluttershy smiled.

"Sup kid, did ya have fun without us?" Rainbow teased and gave Spike a noogie.

"I am so happy to see my favorite Spikey-Wikey back," Rarity cupped Spike's cheeks and pinched them with her hooves. I smirked as kindly as I could and set my duffel bag on the floor.

"And Cougar, don't think we've forgotten about you," Fluttershy walked up and patted my arm.

"Eh, it's cool guys, Spike's been around you all longer than I have," I replied.

"Forget that!" Rainbow smacked my back, "we can't forget about the coolest human to ever set foot in Equestria!" She exclaimed.

"So, how did you and Spike fair in Canterlot with the sisters?" Twilight questioned.

"We had a lot of fun Twilight, we went swimming and watched movies and just sat and read in the library," Spike pulled a gem from a treasure chest and began to munch on it. Twilight froze in place, trying to process the information.

"I thought you didn't trust Cougar?" She said in shock, her wings twitching a little.

"Yeah well, that was before I got to know him a little better and realize he's not such a bad guy after all," Spike fist bumped me. I looked around the room and locked eyes with Applejack who still hadn't said a word to me. In fact, she looked away the instant I locked eyes with her, as if she were scared of me. I then pushed my way past the other ponies to talk to my closest friend here besides Luna.

"Hey Applejack," I greeted cheerfully. I won't be afraid to admit it, but I was a little hurt when she didn't even look up at me. Instead, she continued to look at the ground and kick her foreleg back and forth.

"Can we talk in private?" She finally said, but darkly and down at the ground.

"Y-yeah, sure," I replied. Applejack turned tail and I followed her into an empty room of the castle. She let me in and shut the door behind me. "So, any plans for today Applejack? Chores at the farm or do you usually wait after the Estrus is over to recoup?" I asked.

"Alright cut the crap Cougar, and just say it already, Ah can't live with ya bottlin' up how angry you are with me," she blurted out. I was taken aback by her outburst and I darted my eyes around the room.

"What do you mean Applejack? Why would I be angry at you? You've been a good friend to me and allowed me to stay at your farm," I replied.

"Jest stop it already with this playin' dumb crap Cougar!" Applejack shouted, "you should be afraid 'o me 'n callin' me a monster!" She exclaimed. "Ah tried ta rape you Cougar, Ah'm a buckin' monster!"

"You remember that?" I asked.

"'O course I do! Ah can't forget how Ah tried to molest 'n try ta rape one o' my best friends. Yer scared face'll haunt me forever Cougar, the day Ah ruined our friendship because 'o the monster inside me!" She collapsed onto a chair and covered her eyes, trying to stifle her tears. "Ah've been through the same thing, Ah know how scared you were," she added with another cry.

"Applejack, please stop, you're not a monster, and I don't blame you at all for what happened," I rubbed her back.

"What do you mean Ah'm not a monster?!" She screamed as more tears flowed out of her emerald eyes, "ya begged fer me ta stop, but Ah couldn't. Ah didn't care if Ah hurt you or not, jest as long as Ah was pleasured. Ah don't deserve yer friendship. You should jest stop talkin' ta me altogether so Ah don't hurt you ever again," she choked out as she just let her tears fall. "Ah'm a freak, a sicko 'n Ah belong in Tartars fer mah actions," She cried out.

"Applejack, stop thinking that," I asked her, starting to feel my chest tightening.

"No, Ah'm a predator, 'n you should be reportin' me fer what Ah-" she kept beating herself up until I had enough.

"APPLEJACK, SHUT UP AND LISTEN TO ME NOW!" I bellowed out. Her crying stopped, but she kept her eyes glued to the ground. "Look, I was afraid and scared when it happened, but after learning about how mares go into heat in the spring and fall, I immediately forgave you!" I lifted her chin up with my index finger so she'd be looking at me.

"Wh-why would ya forgive a sick pony like me that quickly?" she croaked. I stuck out my thumb and gently wiped her salty tears out of her eyes before wrapping my arms around her.

"Because you're my friend, and what you did was in your nature. I could never live with myself if I killed our friendship over something you have no control of. Following something like that because it's built into your code isn't your fault, it's how you were made," I explained and held her. "And I know if you were able to think straight, you would never do that to me because I trust you," said and let go of the hug.

"B-but, those things Ah said and I t-touched you in a p-place Ah should never touch," more tears threatened to escape her eyes.

"Applejack I forgive you. The past is the past, we can't change that, but we can put this behind us and continue our friendship, I want nothing more out of you, okay?" I asked with hope that she could put the incident behind her.

"How c-can Ah make it up to ya Cougar? Ah gotta make this up to ya somehow," Applejack finally stopped crying.

"Just accept my forgiveness and keep our friendship, that's all I ask Applejack," I replied with a smile. She smiled and wiped the residual tears from her eyes and hugged me back.

"You got it Cougar," She released the hug and we stood up. "How about we go get sum grub from Granny Smith 'n git sum chores done today?" She offered.

"I thought you'd never ask," I smiled and exited the room with her.

End Chapter XV

---

Alright so Chapter XV is in the books! And Cougar forgives Applejack for what she did after realizing it was in her nature and she was just reacting upon those Estrus Urges. Next time: The Running of the Leaves! We finally get to see Checkered Flag!

As for the jetpack, Cougar will reveal it probably after the Running of the Leaves so he can practice it. He won't use it 24/7 after getting lessons from Rainbow, but there will be times he needs to use it.

And just in case anyone is curious, Caramel, Cheese Sandwich, Soarin and Flash Sentry already left to go back to their respective towns or back to their jobs.