I was nervous. And this time I didn't have magic or avatars of Chaos or immediate threats to blame it on... no, I was nervous because of one certain gryphon, and how she might react to what I held in my hand.

Ever since our talk in the train, I'd been trying to figure out just how I saw Sveti- a task I'd been more or less putting off ever since I'd gotten to know her. From the time I'd first encountered the pony species on this world, I'd created a kind of mental wall between them and myself; they were “other”, alien, the sum of biology and culture both completely different from my own, and due to this I had to moderate how I interacted with them- even the ponies I liked and trusted- for fear of setting off instincts or stepping on expectations that I had no analogue for.

At first, I'd done the same with Sveti. Not only was she just as alien to me as were the ponies, but to my own instincts she was much more threatening- abstract concepts like magic, fast flight or great strength ranked below visible dangers such as talons, claws and a sharp beak... and truth be told, early on I was actually a little scared of being near her. But as time had gone on, and I'd come to know the mind behind those oversized golden eyes, I'd eventually realized that my mental wall had developed a gryphon-shaped hole in it; she'd gradually and steadily earned my trust, until I'd stopped treating her as a member of an entirely different species and was relating to her almost as if she were a human woman.

Learning that she underwent a heat cycle just like the ponies did had been a splash of cold water across that mindset, a sharp reminder that she was different from me in a number of fundamental ways.

But none of this negated everything she'd done for me in the months since she'd figuratively taken me under her wing. I had a home, a job, and protection from those ponies still looking to give me grief, all thanks to her; she'd even saved my life, taking one of those timberwolves off of my leg, and I didn't doubt for a moment that she would've faced the entire pack head-on if she'd had to despite her many assurances that she was no kind of warrior. Wondering why she'd done all these things- adopting the mindset that her non-human instincts somehow made her actions "different"- seemed like it was cheapening them, somehow.

What I held in my hand, though, represented a different scenario. Human history was rife with violence and even wars stemming from cultural misunderstandings, and that was within a single species. Would this simple gift run afoul of some gryphon belief that I didn't know about? And if it did, how would she react? Intellect was warring with emotion in my head, my brain telling me that I had to use caution to not anger my closest friend, while my heart told me that Sveti would do her best to understand no matter what.

Intellect was fighting a losing battle. In the depths of my mind, I had to know how she would react to this; I couldn't think of a better way to express myself to her than what I intended to give to her. I wanted her to know how I felt about her, how much I appreciated what she'd done for me, and how much I cared about what she'd been through. Whatever she ended up thinking of it, I wanted- needed, really- to believe that she'd understand the intent behind it and not assume I meant any harm.

And maybe I'm overthinking this and need to just man up and knock on the door already.

knock-knock

“Come in,” I heard from inside. I opened the door to her quarters, seeing her doing some writing- probably handling the monthly budget; it was around that time- before looking up at me. “Oh, hello!” she said, giving me a smile as she put her quill in its holder. “You have good timing; I was just thinking of taking a break. What's on your mind?”

“I, uh....” Despite myself, I hesitated, just a moment. “I've... got something I want to give you.”

It was an act of willpower to give her the small package, and once her claw took hold of it, I found myself irrationally wanting to run out of the room- especially as I watched her talons easily tear through the wrapping paper. “A picture frame?” she asked quietly, putting the ripped paper on her desk before turning the object over. “And what's....”

She went quiet, staring at the picture I'd spent countless hours drawing for her- a picture of her, as detailed as I could make it, gazing towards the left side of the page with a thoughtful expression on her face, framed by a window looking out into a sunlit sky... and behind her, a transparent image of her father drawn as if standing next to her, looking down at her with a smile.

Worry started to bubble up in my mind as the silenced stretched on. I'd gotten Sveti to start telling me about gryphon culture, and it'd been incredibly informative and interesting- but there was a whole lot we hadn't covered, and I was starting to fear that I'd violated some ancient superstition about depicting the dead or the like. As a full minute ticked by without a single sound from her, I began contemplating giving her some time alone, and I began to lift a foot off of the floor while the first words of an excuse formed in my head-

“...it's beautiful....”

I realized I'd been so intent on her expression that I hadn't noticed her claws shaking, nor the tears that were beginning to well up in her eyes. “Sveti...?” I murmured.

“Peter, this....” She pressed the picture against her chest. “I- I don't know what to even say, I've never been given anything like this before....”

“Do... do you like it?”

“Like it?” She looked up at me in astonishment, apparently catching sight of my confused expression before I could quash it. “Peter, I love this! You put so much detail into it; I'd almost think it was a photograph....” She opened the frame's stand and gently placed the picture on her desk, staring at it a moment longer. “You... you really did well with Dad, too,” she said quietly. “It's almost like he posed for you....”

“I just... sort of imagined how he'd want to be there for you. The details came easily.”

She got out of her chair and reared up to hug me tightly; I still found it amazing that she stood a full head taller than me when standing on her hind legs. “Thank you,” she whispered. “It's a wonderful gift, Peter.” She leaned back to look me in the eyes, an expression of curiosity coming across her face. “But you almost looked frightened to give it to me... why?”

“I, um... I've been meaning to talk to you about some things.”

She dropped back down to all fours, motioning to the small couch that sat against the far wall of her quarters. “Have a seat and we'll talk,” she said. “You know I'll always listen.”

Sitting on that couch felt like one of the hardest things I'd ever done, despite the warm smile on the beak of the gryphon that sat next to me. “Sveti,” I said quietly, “I'm... confused as to how to think of you.”

“What do you mean?”

“Sometimes it's hard to remember that you're a gryphon, and... sometimes it's hard to forget.” I took a moment to try to organize my thoughts. “I worry sometimes that I'll start treating you too much like a human, and then sometimes I worry I'll start assuming you're nothing like one.”

It was a really bad explanation, which meant that I was entirely surprised when she actually chuckled at me. “Okay, I think I know what brought this on,” she said. “Our conversation on the train, right?”

I couldn't quite hide a sheepish grin. “Right.”

She reached up and laid a gentle claw on my shoulder. “Peter, I honestly understand what you mean. There's been times I've started thinking of you like a gryphon just because of how much more you're like one than ponies... and then all of a sudden I'm reminded that you're not one, and I start worrying that I might cross some line that I don't even know is there. That's why you were worried about giving me that drawing, isn't it?”

I gave her a short nod.

“It's okay.” She squeezed my shoulder. “I think we're a lot more alike than we are different... and I also recognize that we are different in a lot of ways. But I won't get angry at you if you accidentally break some 'gryphon rule', and I suppose I know somewhere in the back of my mind that you'll give me the same leeway, even if I do worry a little excessively otherwise. So... maybe we should both just calm down a little and feel free to be open with each other. What do you say?”

“If I agree, do you promise to understand if I end up being dumb about it anyway?”

She snickered. “Only if you give me the same consideration.”

“Deal.” I patted the claw that she still had on my shoulder... and found myself leaving my hand there for perhaps a little longer than necessary. I cleared my throat as I folded my hands in my lap, and she lowered her foreleg.

“So!” she said suddenly. “Um... right, there was one other thing I wanted to ask you about. That invitation from the Princesses for a formal recognition ceremony.” She could obviously see the slight frown on my lips. “And I know you don't trust the Princesses, but thnk about it- a public ceremony with them awarding you, on top of all the publicity you got for what happened in Ponyville? The saying we'd use here is 'icing on the cake'.”

I looked away for a moment. Sveti was right; I still didn't trust either Princess Celestia or Luna... but the sort of ceremony they proposed would be a public-relations touchdown, to horribly misuse a metaphor. And I figured that if they hadn't banished, imprisoned or executed me by now, they weren't going to. “Okay,” I said quietly, not quite able to keep a little resignation out of my voice. “I can't promise you I'll like it, but I see your logic.”

“That's entirely fair.” She smiled at me, leaning back against the couch. “I'll send a message to the castle first thing tomorrow morning.” She glanced over at the desk. “How would you like giving me some help with the budget in the meantime? And while we're doing that, maybe you can tell me more about where you're from, and all those strange and wonderful things humans have made.”

“Well, I studied law, not accounting. But I'll do what I can.”

She snickered at my cheesy grin before stopping for a moment. “Hang on,” she said, going to her dresser; carefully, she picked up the picture of herself and her father, brought it to the desk, and set it next to the drawing. “There,” she said quietly. “That's much better.” She gave me a gentle smile before settling down at the desk, and together we got to work.

(-)

“Royal Guard! Open the door!”

The heavy thuds of a hoof against the door jostled her from her half-asleep state, but it was the words that sent her heart racing despite the sense of resignation that washed over her. She'd been both anticipating and dreading this moment for weeks now. “Alright, alright,” she called out, leaving the ratty chair of her rented room to open the door.

The hard stares of the guards on the other side was expected; the burnished gold filigree of a lieutenant's armor was not. “I didn't expect that I'd rate having an officer sent for me,” she murmured.

“Silence.” The lieutenant's tone brooked no argument, and she fell silent as he raised up a piece of paper; by the light coming from his horn, she surmised that it was a picture of herself. “You're who we're looking for. Come along peacefully.”

“No.”

The other guard's expression flickered for only a moment, and the lieutenant's remained as impassive as a rock. “That's not a wise decision,” he warned her.

“I know why you came for me, and I know what it is the royalty wants from me.” She looked him straight in the eye. “But if you want answers, I want guarantees. And I want them straight from the alicorn's mouth.”

“Do you honestly think that one of the Princesses will come deal directly with you?”

“For what I know? Yes. And you know exactly which one will come to find out.”

He stared at her for a long moment; she had to admit, he might as well have been a statue for all the emotion he showed. Finally, he gave an almost imperceptible nod. “I'll make no promises, but I'll send the request up my chain of command. In return, you come with us peacefully and follow whatever requests are made of you. Am I understood?”

“Perfectly. And it's about time you finally found me- I'm sick of living like this.”

Neither stallion reacted. “Do you need to retreive anything from here?” the lieutenant asked.

“No; I don't have anything. Let's just go.”

It was a long and silent walk through the nighttime gloom to the Vanhoofer guard barracks, where she was led to a side office and told to have a seat. The walls were thin enough for her to hear the words of the lieutenant to one of his superiors.

“Ma'am, we have the mare named Suture in custody by request of the Canterlot precinct. I believe we should request that Princess Twilight speak to her directly, as soon as possible.”

(-)

“...it's a vehicle owner's manual.”

Twilight couldn't help but chuckle. “Well, that makes sense, I suppose,” she said. “Was there anything interesting in it?”

“Well, that depends on your definition of 'interesting'.” Able Assistant flipped through a few pages of the booklet, glancing down at her notes. “For being such an incredibly complex machine, regular maintenance seems fairly easy. Fuel, lubrication for the engine, fluids for a few other systems, maintenance of moving parts. It turns out that both steering and braking are handled by liquid-based mechanisms.”

“That makes sense too. Liquids resist compression, so with a powerful enough pump you could use them to provide much more force than simple mechanical systems.” Twilight glanced down at the other booklet. “Is that an owner's manual too?”

“It is. Also very straightforward; lots of warnings about proper use and maintenance for the weapon- to be expected, given the power and ease of use... or misuse.” Able paused a moment, looking through her notes. “The weapon is called a 'firearm', or alternatively a 'pistol'. I suspect the first classification is more broadly applied to the kind of weapon this is, and the second applies to this particular configuration.”

“Peter did tell us that there's many different types of this sort of weapon. I wonder why there's so many?”

“Probably for the same reason we have things like daggers, swords, spears and bows. Different situations, different weapons.”

“That makes sense too.” Twilight took a sip of her tea. “What can you tell me about the language itself, Able?”

“To be honest, Princess, it's not terribly different from ours. There's some differences in grammar, subject-predicate agreement, a few other rules....” The earth pony went through her notes again. “Vocally, it's not a complex language. We've found that there's only forty or so phenomes to it, opposed to the sixty-eight for Modern Equish; it seems that there might be some contextual assumptions that allow them to use similar sounds for different words.”

“He still has some trouble with the neigh-tout and the semi-nicker. Given the shape of his tongue and jaw structure, it's a wonder he can manage them at all, really.”

“Griffons who learn Equestrian complain about those as well, though they have an easier time than he would due to their having a syrinx.” Able shrugged. “This is a fairly utilitarian language, which made things easier once we got over the double-letter-set barrier. There's no gender-for-every-noun nonsense like Prench, or having an enforced rhyming structure like I heard Zebrican does. And don't even get me started on Taurian-”

The mare's rant was cut off by a knock on the door. “Princess Twilight?” came a voice from outside. “I have an urgent message for you from the Vanhoofer Royal Guard.”

“Uh oh.” Able began to gather up her notes. “Sounds important, Princess. I'll write up a summary for you on the human language while you take care of this; it should be on your desk by tomorrow morning, along with a preliminary translation-spell matrix from Wise and his team.”

“Thanks, Able. Looking forward to it!” Twilight got up from the table and went to the door, seeing a fresh-faced Guard recruit standing on the other side. “You said there was a message for me, Private?” she asked.

“Y- yes, Princess.” The stallion- barely past colthood, it seemed- drew a folded parchment from an armor pouch. “Your eyes only, Protocol Violet.”

“I see. Thank you, Private; please return to your duties.” As soon as the Guard turned, Twilight teleported herself to her office and tore open the magically-reinforced seal, then laid the parchment down on her desk.

Forty seconds later, she was in Vanhoofer, standing before a somewhat startled lieutenant in his office. “Take me to see Suture,” she said, her tone allowing no argument even if the guard had been inclined to give one; he quickly brought her to the room the prisoner was being held in. “Thank you, Lieutenant,” she told him. “Your prisoner is now under my authority; I'll see that the appropriate paperwork is filed. You may return to your duties. Oh, and also....” She allowed herself a slight smile. “Thank you for the foresight to have a trackback spell placed on your message- it saved me quite a bit of time and effort in getting here. I'll see that you receive a commendation for cleverness and initiative.”

“Thank you, Princess.” He bowed his head briefly before leaving, and Twilight let herself into the small room, closing the door behind her and schooling her expression into as close a copy of Celestia's usual calm demeanor as she could.

“Suture,” she said quietly.

The unicorn mare looked up at her with an almost unreadable expression of her own; what little there was to see seemed to be caught between resignation and relief. “Princess Twilight,” she replied in a flat tone.

“I'm going to give you a little credit here, Miss Suture; you're being straightforward with your request. But if you want any sort of guarantees at all from me, you are going to answer every last question I pose to you, with all the honesty you can muster. Do you understand me?”

“I understand you perfectly, Princess.”

“Good. You and I are returning to Canterlot-” she saw the immediate look of panic on the mare's face- “to my secure offices. Nopony will know you're there. Then you're going to tell me everything I want to know.”

“I... okay. Fine. Just so long as nopony knows I'm there.”

In a flash of purple magic, both of them were gone.

(-)

“Wh... what...?”

Sveti didn't know what woke her up, but something had gotten her to bolt upright in her bed, her heart pounding in her chest. I wasn't having a nightmare, was I? she wondered, putting a claw against her breastbone in a futile effort to calm herself. I don't remember having one, so what the pluck just broke me out of a sound sleep-

thunk

There was a quiet but audible noise from the floor above, almost sounding like wood hitting wood. Oh, great, she thought, slowly getting out of her warm, comfortable bed. That's probably the window in the third floor guest quarters coming open again. Welder was right; the whole thing's got to come out... but that'll have to wait. I'd better go close it now before all the heat gets out.

It was a quiet and weary trudge up the dimly-moonlit staircase to the third floor, and yet all the while something in the back of her mind was ringing an alarm bell, warning her that something was terribly wrong. Still half-asleep, she dismissed it as her imagination, making her way to the guest room and opening the door, heading inside to close the window... only to find it tightly shut.

creak

She saw motion in the corner of her eye, and only the reflexive movement she made to track it kept the cudgel aimed for her head from braining her; instead, the short wooden weapon glanced across her eyebrow, sending her reeling back in panic with a loud caw of distress. She felt blood start to flow down the side of her face as she scrambled to keep all four limbs under herself. Something moved in the darkness, coming towards her, and she instinctively brought her forelegs up to protect herself- and a blow meant for her skull slammed into her left tibia, hard enough to crack bone.

Disoriented, afraid and in pain, Sveti made a rush for the doorway, bowling over something dressed in leather; a muted squawk came from the shape, and she cleared the creature's body and leapt for the door- only to have a taloned claw grab her hind leg and yank, and she crashed to the floor. Her own talons scrabbled for purchase against the hard wood beneath her as her bruised chest struggled to draw in air. Terror flooded her mind, her vision blurred and her heart seeming to thud inside her skull, each beat bringing fresh pain to her head wound.

“What's going on up here?!”

Everything came to a halt for a moment as hoofsteps stormed up the staircase, followed quickly by lighter footfalls. Something came through the doorway- Sveti's swimming vision could barely identify it as Ensemble, a lantern clutched in her teeth-

thwip

-and the lantern promptly shattered, sending glass flying everywhere, and Ensemble let out a brief cry as she fell back. Shadows danced crazily around the room as the lantern's flame guttered and threatened to go out, dimly illuminating the two creatures that had attacked her- a pair of griffins, their fur and plumage both dyed a dark grey, and much of their forms covered with black leather armor. One of them was just lowering a small crossbow and turning back towards where Sveti lay, when another shape entered from the hallway- this one standing on two legs and carrying a small blue object that shone a bright cone of light.

“Peter... run....” she wheezed.

The claw on her hind leg let go. “That's the target,” one of the attackers exclaimed in Griffinic. “Secure it before we get more interference!”

The other griffin brought up another crossbow, and Sveti thought she could see the glint of glass in the bright light of Peter's hand-lantern- but when the human brought his light up, the direct beam of illumination apparently blinded the griffin's darkness-adjusted eyes, and the shot sailed wide.

The tercel didn't get a chance to try again. Peter charged him, lashing out with one empty hand clenched into a fist; the resulting blow to the side of the griffin's face carried the unmistakeable sound of bone cracking, and the tercel collapsed. His partner, though, was better-prepared, and in a blur of darkened feathers she leapt towards him, slamming him into the near wall and sending the hand-torch clattering onto the floor. Sveti shook her head in an effort to clear it, blinking away blood from her right eye, fighting the urge to vomit as her sense of balance went haywire. Pull yourself together! she commanded herself. Peter needs you! He can't fight a trained solder by himself-

whoomf

Somehow, the human had gotten himself out of the grapple the hen had him in, pushed her back, and delivered a kick powerful enough to send her flying backwards across the room and crashing into the opposite wall. He hadn't come away unscathed, though; two red lines decorated his cheek, bleeding slightly, and his right shoulder bore a red mark that looked like an unsuccessful bite attempt from a hooked beak. None of that seemed to slow him down any, though, as he cautiously approached the downed hen.

click

Sveti saw the tercel slowly raising his crossbow again, his foreleg trembling badly as he leveled the weapon at Peter- but at that close range, it would take more luck to miss than to hit. Gathering her strength, she brought her hind legs beneath her and leapt, tackling the other griffin and shoving the crossbow aside, the bolt flying off to imbed itself into a wall. She wrestled with him for the weapon, trying desperately to pull it free from his grip while he kicked her in the stomach to get her off of him; after a moment, she managed to wrench the weapon from his claws, and it went clattering across the floor, lost to the darkness. Her attempt to disengage to retreive it left her vulnerable just long enough for her opponent to land the back of his claw across her beak, laying her flat on her side in a daze.

“Disengage and exit!” she heard the male shout as he regained his footing.

There was a scuffle just out of her view, and she managed to raise her head to see Peter struggling with the tercel over something he held in his claw, before the human placed his own hand over it and slammed it into the wall. Something gave off an intense burst of light through the griffin's clenched talons, and Peter winced as if he'd been stung; the tercel took advantage of the moment to shove Peter clear across the room, leaving him sprawled on the floor in a daze as something small and metallic clattered past him. "Jump charm depleted!" the griffin yelped.

"Grab me!" came the hen's reply.

Her companion complied, holding onto her as she fished something out from her vest and squeezed it in her claw. A bright flash of light went off, blinding Sveti for a moment; when her vision recovered, the two griffins had vanished.

She was still trying to get back up when she heard Peter gasp. “Oh no. Ensemble!”

Sveti forced her eyes to focus on the mare, who was still lying on the floor... in a spreading pool of blood. “Ancestors!” she yelped, rushing over to the pony's side- and feeling an ice-cold shot of fear go down her spine when she saw the crossbow quarrel stuck in Ensemble's chest. “Is... is she....” she whispered, before noting the mare's still-moving chest.

“Hello? What's happening up here?” Quick Service rushed up the stairs. “I heard a lot of scuffling...” The stallion froze in place when he saw the carnage. “...oh my Celestia.”

Peter's head snapped up to look at the pony. “Get a doctor, now!” he practically roared.

The commanding tone seemingly broke through Service's shock, and he was gone almost as fast as thought, barreling down the stairs. “Peter, we can't take that bolt out, but we have to stop the bleeding,” she told the human.

He took a moment to look around, took one step towards the door, presumably to retrieve the medical supplies on the first floor... then slipped out of his thin pants instead, leaving himself clad only in an undergarment. He balled up the trousers and pressed them firmly against the wound. “Hold while I get medical kit,” he said, before tearing down the staircase nearly as quickly as Service had, leaving Sveti with the wounded mare.

“Hang on,” the griffin murmured, her own wounds forgotten for the moment as she tended to the stricken pony. “Just hang on, Ensemble. Help is coming.”

(-)

“I can't believe this even happened.”

Shining Armor looked at the pictures that had been taken of the inside of the guest room of the embassy; the treaty with the Empire prohibited him and any other Equestrian law-enforcement official from actually going inside in an official capacity without approval from the ambassador... and with there being none, he was left to rely on pictures and samples taken by the staff. “It's like something out of one of those Gleam Flitwing spy novels Cadance used to always read,” he told Twilight. “Thank Celestia no one was killed. Have we gotten a status update on Ensemble?”

“Still critical, but stable. The quarrel only missed being lethal due to hitting her lantern first. The doctors are cautiously optimistic that she'll make a full recovery.”

“Good. What about Sveti and Peter?”

“Sveti was admitted with a concussion, a superficial head wound, a cracked foreleg bone and deep bruising in the chest area. Peter had only some scratches and light bruising, and he refused admittance to stay with Sveti.” Twilight paused for a moment. “You've read the report, Shiny. You know what this was all about, don't you?”

He nodded slowly. “Two griffins, obviously trained in close-in combat, who were able to disarm the anti-intrusion alarm enchantments that protect the building. The syringe dart that was fired at Peter turned out to be filled with a potent sleep serum that probably would've put him out for hours; he told us that they seemed to be holding back fighting him, probably not wanting to do any serious damage to him. Denied their target, they activated what were probably some kind of teleportation charms to escape capture. Pretty obvious to me- they wanted to foalnap our favorite human and weren't going to let themselves be captured if they failed. Were you able to trace the spell they used to escape?”

Twilight sighed. “I'm afraid not. The thaumatic signature was far different from anything I'm familiar with, and it apparently came with a heavy masking effect to cover the trail. I can tell you that they went roughly northeast, but I have no idea where the terminal location could be.”

“I wish I could say I'm surprised.” Shining let out a quiet sigh. “Charms like those are nearly impossible to make and even harder to acquire- in fact, I'd say there's only one place a griffin could realistically go to get even a single one, let alone two.”

“Their own government. A good reason to teleport northeast, I suppose... toward the Empire.” Twilight carefully placed a few papers into a folder. “You don't imagine the Emperor himself is behind this...?”

“I honestly couldn't say for certain. If I really had to guess, I'd imagine that he's too busy with the White Plains War to coordinate this personally, but there's nothing saying that some enterprising hen or tercel in the Blue Creche isn't looking to gain favor by bringing Peter right to the throne.”

“Peter, and everything he knows about the technology of his world.” Twilight frowned. “Maybe the publicity was a bad idea. I hadn't considered that other nations might catch wind of what he brought with him... it wouldn't likely even be a problem in a normal situation, but if the Empire is getting desperate enough to start grasping at whatever advantage they can get....”

Shining shook his head. “Maybe we could've been more cautious about who saw what... okay, definitely we could've done that... but the publicity was needed to get public opinion on Peter's side. At least this is something we can actually help defend him against.”

“You sound more sure of that than I feel.”

“They can't do anything major; they need plausible deniability to avoid sanctions, and a larger operation runs the risk of a captured operative or enough evidence left behind to prove a conclusive link. Not to mention that it'd require resources they're probably badly in need of for their war effort.”

“But they only need to get it right once. And if you think we've been doing a bad job of dealing with him....”

“True....” He shivered just a little at the prospect of Peter being in the claws of an Empire desperate to win a war. “We just have to hope for some luck.”

His sister frowned. “I'm not inclined to rely on luck. There's one other thing I can think of that we can do... and to be honest, we should've done it a while ago.”

(-)

“Sveti, I'm relieved to see you on the mend.” Celestia gave the griffin a warm smile as she and her companion entered the clean room. “How are you feeling?”

“Still a bit sore, Your Highness, but I'm recovering.”

“Excellent. And you, Peter?”

“I'm fine.” The human was doing his best to appear neutral, but centuries of dealings with other species had given Celestia the widsom to read almost any sapient creature like a book; Peter didn't like being here. She couldn't blame him for that.

“I'm truly glad to hear that,” she said. “Peter, Sveti, once again I find myself thanking you for the efforts you made to preserve the life of one of my little ponies... and I apologize profusely that this attack even took place. I feel as though we of the royalty have failed to uphold the responsibility we have to safeguard all those within our borders, citizens or otherwise.”

Beside her, Luna nodded slightly. “I would have you both know that, while we are barred from assigning guards directly to the Embassy building by our treaty with the Empire, there are other, more indirect but still effective stratagems we may employ. We shall not be caught flat-hooved in such a way again.”

“One of those stratagems involves these.” Twilight materialized a small wooden box, inside of which was a dozen or so gleaming golden pins. “These are alert charms, which can be given to your staff. As the Embassy is now under a known threat, the treaty allows for a Royal Guard response to any call for assistance from the building's staff, and by pressing the small button on one of these charms twice, the central precinct will be alerted immediately and can have guards at the site within two minutes. These can be pinned to clothing, or worn on a lanyard around the neck or a band around the pastern or wrist.” She closed the box and set it down on a nearby table.

Celestia nodded in satisfaction. “In addition, I have granted an increase in the Embassy's budget for improved security measures. These must be decided upon by you, Sveti, but if you wish, I can make recommendations for workponies who are absolutely trustworthy and discreet.”

“Thank you, Princesses.” Sveti gave them a smile. “Both of these things are appreciated.”

Twilight returned the smile. “You're welcome, of course. There's... one more thing we'd like to do as well.” She glanced behind her, where Shining stood with a small box on his back; the stallion approached, levitating the box up and gently placing it in the human's hands.

The look of shock that flickered across Peter's face when he opened the box was almost amusing. The ponies watched as he retrieved the black case within, opened it and withdrew his weapon and the small object- a “magazine”, Celestia had been told- that were within. “You... giving me back weapon?” he asked in a quiet voice.

“Aye.” Luna nodded. “It is our most ferverent wish that you never see cause to use it again, but... we four are all agreed that you should be allowed to defend yourself and those around you, should the need arise.”

With swiftness obviously born of extensive practice, Peter pulled back part of the weapon to peer inside it, then loaded the magazine into it and let the top part slide forward with a heavy-sounding click; Celestia knew now that, if the shells were still fully-functional- and she had no reason to doubt they would be- his weapon was now armed. Despite herself, she felt a tiny sliver of fear run up her spine, watching as he held the weapon before him for a moment...

...and then, just as swiftly as he'd prepared the weapon, he disarmed it and returned it to its case, which he closed. “I can't,” he said.

Twilight's jaw dropped. “You... can't?”

“Princess Twilight, I still not know why I get angry or afraid because of magic. Can't trust I be straight-headed if need to use... and that makes it dangerous to all around me.” He turned. “Sveti, you take it, keep it in embassy. I teach you how to use.”

The hen looked shocked for a moment before nodding. “Alright, Peter,” she said quietly. “If you're certain.”

Celestia couldn't help but smile. “Your decision shows great wisdom and maturity, Peter,” she told him. “And speaking of the subject of magic... Twilight? You said there was something you wanted to do?”

“Oh! Yes. Peter, there's a small test I'd like to perform on you to confirm a theory I've developed. Are you alright with that?”

He nodded slowly, looking nervous but not overly so. Twilight brought him to a large chair and had him sit. “I'm going to draw two blood samples,” she told him, materializing a small syringe and a pair of vials. “One will be a baseline, and the other will measure your body's reaction after I use a particular spell on you. I need you to remain as calm as possible for me while I do this, alright?” When he nodded again, she smiled. “Good. Thank you, Peter. I'll try to make this as quick as I can.”

With that, she expertly drew a tiny bit of blood- which hardly brought a flinch from the human- and deposited it in one of the vials, then stepped back. Celestia could sense the magic Twilight was drawing upon, but didn't at all recognize the spellform- either the Princess of Magic had found some spell previously lost to history, or had designed an entirely new one. “There's two stages to this spell,” Twilight told Peter. “The first will open a conduit between you and I; the second will send a tracking spell through it. I want to see exactly what happens to it. Are you ready?”

“Yes.” Peter's face could have been set in stone; he was determined to go through with this. Celestia watched with interest as a wide, pale beam of magic shot forth from Twilight's horn into the center of the human's chest, gently illuminating him. Her sharp hearing picked up an increase in his breathing, but other than that he gave no sign of being affected.

“That's phase one complete,” Twilight said. “Now for phase two.”

Her horn glowed more and more brightly, and after a moment a bright pulse of magic streaked from it into the human's body; he stiffened, closing his eyes and furrowing his brow, his hands gripping the arms of the chair. Twilight stood transfixed in front of him, her eyes gazing off into the distance. “Amazing,” she murmured, before shaking her head quickly. “...okay, now let me get that second blood sample,” she said, placing a calming hoof on Peter's forearm before drawing a second sample. She capped both vials and teleported them away. “How are you feeling, Peter?” she asked the human.

He was visibly trying to get himself under control. “Panicky,” he admitted. “Not want; trying to calm myself.”

“It's okay. That was a powerful spell I used on you; I expected a strong fear response, but I knew you could keep yourself under control. If you'll excuse me just a moment?” When he nodded his assent, she vanished, leaving the rest of them to wait five minutes or so before she teleported back in with a clipboard in her magical “grip” and a smile on her face. “I love it when I prove a hypothesis,” she said.

“What have you discovered, Twilight Sparkle?” Luna queried.

“It's a natural law that magical energy can neither be created or destroyed, and there's just no way Peter's body could be simply absorbing all the magic that's been around him since he appeared here on Equus, let alone what's been used on him both directly and indirectly. The question's been, where does it go? I'd been reluctant to test anything extremely powerful without a better understanding of magic's effects on him- but a few days ago, we had a major breakthrough. Shining?”

Shining Armor nodded. “Twilight discovered that her records from Peter's first round of tests had been altered. The Guard launched an investigation with the hospital and found that a nurse had transferred into the department two days before the tests began, left the day after they ended, and then vanished from the city. We managed to track her down and apprehend her, and she gave us some important information- she'd been hired to sabotage the testing, and furthermore she'd used a large quantity of magic on Peter the night before he wound up being confronted by Blueblood.”

Peter raised an eyebrow. “That why I felt so nervous that morning?”

“I'd bet a week's pay on it.”

“And now we have scientific confirmation on the 'why' of it all.” Twilight held up the clipboard. “Peter, aside from the heightened fear response, you've told us that absorbing magic has a temporary energizing effect for you, correct?”

“Yes.”

“The blood test confirms what I suspected- your body is attempting to metabolize a small amount of the magical energy.” She saw his confusion. “It's treating it like a source of biological energy, like food. Only it seems your body doesn't quite know how to manage it- the magic is sending your metabolism into overdrive, doing all sorts of conflicting things to your body's systems. It's low-level enough to not be a problem normally, but when something happens to increase your body's needs, especially combat or fleeing from a threat... well, it ends up being a cascade effect, really.”

“That... explains some things.” Celestia brought to mind the reports she'd been given from when the human had first been captured. “Peter was said to have a serious case of malnutrition when he was examined. Could that have been a side-effect of this process, Twilight?”

“Most likely. Peter, you told us that you were surviving on typical pony food while you were on your own, weren't you?” When he nodded, Twilight tapped a hoof on the ground. “The food we ponies typically eat wouldn't have nearly as much protein content as he'd need. With all the time he spent moving, running from pursuit... his body was probably starting to cannibalize itself for reserves. And the extra energy he was getting from absorbing ambient magic levels probably kept him from feeling the vitality loss for the most part.”

“Ancestors,” Sveti murmured. “We're lucky we got you when we did, then, Peter.”

Shining tilted his head curiously. “What would've happened if we hadn't?”

“If the symptoms are the same for humans as for griffins? Oral lesions, numbness, dementia... even heart failure. They were very serious about teaching proper nutrition in civil service training.”

“Fortunate indeed, then, that we recovered you when we did, Peter.” Celestia gave the human a slight smile before turning back to Twilight. “But you said that only a small amount of the magic he's absorbed is used that way. What becomes of the rest?”

“Like I said, he couldn't possibly be absorbing it. Until I used that beacon spell, I didn't have a clue as to what could be happening to it. Now, though... not only do I have an answer for that question, but another one as well.”

“Twilight Sparkle, thou'rt prolonging the suspense needlessly,” Luna chided.

“Sorry, sorry.” Twilight couldn't quite keep a little grin off of her muzzle. “The magic isn't being absorbed; it's being drawn away elsewhere- not to a physical location, but a metaphysical one.”

Sveti blinked. “Could those of us without horns on our heads get a translation?”

“The magic is being pulled out of this physical dimension by what I suppose could be called in laypony's terms a 'siphon effect'. Essentially, if this world were a bathtub, Peter would be a living, moving drainhole.”

“Is there a risk to Equus in this process?” Luna asked.

“Not likely, given current conditions. The amount of ambient magic he's drawing off is so small as to be neglegible.”

Celestia nodded. “That is all well and good, Twilight, and your research skills are to be commended. But what else does this mean for Peter?”

“A simple truth- everything must go somewhere. I can't tell where the magic is going yet, but I have a theory, based on yet another natural law- nature abhors a vacuum. I think it likely that this magic is being pulled to a place where magic isn't to be found.”

Peter stared at Twilight. “You mean...?”

“I mean that there's a possibility you're siphoning magic back to where you come from. And if that's so... there's a chance I can use that to find a way to get you back home.”