“How is he?” asked Twilight.

“Well he is recovering faster and faster based on what I can tell. Although I doubt that he’s going to wake up anytime soon,” said Raúl. He continued to stare at the sky, as if pondering about the series of events that occurred this morning.

Twilight frowned as she leaned against the bench that they were sitting in. Barely an hour had passed since the climax between all of them occurred. She was sitting next to Raúl, whom she found completely alone while the Dark King was nowhere to be seen. As expected, he was likely within the train itself with his heir. It was safe to say that all ponies had abandoned the train station in fear of the hostile unicorn that intimidated them to no end. Then again, Twilight did consider the fact that he was forcing some of the train employees to work on taking them home.

That would also explain why Princess Celestia was speaking with various ponies regarding King Sombra and Prince Adalricus not twenty feet away from them. It was funny considering that it was almost as if they did not recently battle with him. Hell one would expect Princess Celestia attempting to strengthen her forces right this minute.

“So Princess Celestia is making sure that you’re able to travel towards the changeling kingdom without any issues. Or at least as close as this train can get you,” Twilight explained, knowing what Princess Celestia was up to.

Raúl laughed softly as he heard that. “I see. Well maybe I should give my regards to her for doing us such a favor,” he remarked with a gentle smirk.

“…” Twilight was obviously not convinced. “Are you being sarcastic-”

“YES I AM BEING SARCASTIC!” he said with annoyance. “Forgive me but nothing that you nor your ruler can do will make up for what has occurred today,” he confessed. Sighing, he leaned forward and began to rub his face. “I should have never brought him here…”

Twilight was naturally not amused with his anger but knew that she had to see things from his point of view. “Was it always Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie that kept the two of you here after all this time? 3 months in Ponyvile and you two didn’t seem to be concern with the risks here,” she pointed out.

“Has it been that long?” Raúl asked, taking a moment to cease the rubbing. “I honestly never kept track of how long it’s been since we arrived. And I think that even without Pinkie and Fluttershy we would have still remained.” Raul slowly lifted his body and shifted his position. “We just didn’t care about anything…”

Twilight was confused. “But how long were you actually planning to stay? I mean, you couldn’t have stayed away from your kingdom forever; you were obviously going to head back at a certain point, right?”

Raúl gave a slight nod. “True, we were going to go back home at a certain point, but we were not in a rush. Adalricus wanted to get away from his mother since she was always pampering him and never taking his words seriously,” he explained.

“I see…” Twilight turned her body slightly and looked at the train and thought about the changeling in topic. “Do you have a better idea of when he’ll wake up?”

Raúl turned his head slightly. “Why do you care-”

“Raúl,” Twilight said, interrupting him. She was giving a serious look as she turned to face him completely from her position. “I do care for you two. Even if you don’t believe me, I am giving you my word that the well-being of the two of you means something to me,” she explained.

Raúl looked at her for nearly a good minute. “…” He closed his eyes and leaned back before stating, “So you really were crying…”

Twilight’s expression lightened when she pointed out her reaction to Adalricus’ near-death experience. “I don’t want to talk about it…but I am just happy that he didn’t die,” Twilight said.

“Heh,” Raúl chuckled. “I was wrong about you and many things…”

Twilight looked at him.

“Ever since I came here, I’ve been proven wrong about your kind and I am actually happy. It gives me the idea that things can get better between our two races,” Raúl explained. “Adalricus’ hunch on you was spot on…” This time, Raúl actually smiled towards Twilight for the first time in a while.

Twilight was pleasantly surprised as she heard those words from him. She smiled for a few seconds before realizing something about Raúl. “Raúl, back there, you mentioned about us ponies being ‘terrible parents’…what did you…?” What he said with the usage of terms such as “deceiving” and “heartless” made the Alicorn wonder.

Raúl opened his eyes as she asked him that, soon abandoning his smile afterwards. “…” He placed his hands on his face, rubbing at a slow gentle pace before he began to speak. “My mother is a Pony,” he started.

“Your mother?” Twilight asked with a surprised tone.

Nodding, Raúl continued on. “My father was a changeling who befriended my mother after finding her lost in a forest near my country. From what I understood, she was an Earth pony who was recklessly drunk and wondered off by herself. When he found her, he actually pitied her to the point where he decided to help her find her way back home.” Raúl chuckled. “A changeling helping a venerable pony was something unheard of. Yet my father took a liking to her to the point where he checked up on her occasionally. At a certain point, they began a secret relationship without a single pony or changeling knowing about it.”

He paused as if he wanted Twilight to have more time understanding him. “I was eventually born however and my mother was shamed by the ponies who lived among the same community. As if playing the ‘victim’, she insisted that she was raped and completely disowned her abomination of a child. I learned that my father came for me to live with him and his sister, whom I today considered to be my own mother.”

“Your mother?” Twilight asked in confusion.

Nodding, Raúl elaborated. “While I knew from a young age that my aunt never carried me inside of her, she cared for me like her very own. I made the choice after I attempted to meet with my mother when I was quite young.” Raúl suddenly had an expression that was beyond unappealing. “She called me ‘disgusting’, saying that I was a ‘mistake’ that was just as bad as an ‘abomination’ to have ever existed. I truly believed that she would accept me as her own had she actually met me at a later age.”

Raúl chuckled gently after realizing that he was actually telling Twilight what happened between him and his mother. “Why am I telling you this…?” he asked quietly.

Twilight’s expression lightens as she moves slightly closer to the changeling whom she pity. “She…didn’t accept you back, did she?” she asked softly.

“She didn’t. She…” He rubbed his face softly before tilting his head upwards. “She said that disowning me was the ‘best decision’ of her life. Hell she refused to speak with my father who still held feelings for her even after everything that has occurred. He was foolish, as his love for her continued on to the point where he started to experience the same symptoms that Adalricus was with Fluttershy,” he explained.

“Wait, what did Adalricus experience?” asked Twilight.

“Remember when Shining Armor placed up that pink barrier and Adalricus forced himself into it? Well the black smoke and abnormal disfiguration with his body was happening to him for quite some time when he started to have feelings for Fluttershy. I am guessing that Fluttershy wasn’t 100% sure of how she felt about him,” Raúl explained.

“Wait, so changelings do suffer a form of pain when they exchange their own love to a creature that doesn’t at least feel the same?” Twilight asked, gathering all the pieces together. “From what I actually know, it’s not normal for changelings to give ‘love’ when they’re not at least getting some form of it from the opposite side, right?”

Raúl nodded. “You’re quite right Twilight. Hell I was hesitating at first whether or not if I should keep allowing him to meet with your friend. But I thought that he would have a chance given by the type of changeling that he was,” said Raúl.

Twilight gave a slight nod. “So you also risked yourself with Pinkie Pie as well.”

“To be honest, it was mostly for the sex,” Raúl confessed with a laugh. “But we happened to hit it off pretty well when she showed me just how trustworthy and fun that she could be overall.” He smiled as he then looked at the sky. “I am going to miss her a lot,” he then said.

Twilight gave him a sad smile as she reached for his head and gently asked, “When you said, ‘the type of changeling that he was’, what did you mean exactly? I mean, you’re different from him and look at how things were between you and Pinkie…”

“Well I actually meant by not who we are by personality, but by who we are physically.” Raúl pointed out.

“I don’t understand-”

“We’re only half changelings, whereas our other half comes from a pony. Me, a mare. Him, a stallion,” Raúl pointed out with a slight nod. “Despite our seemingly lack of obvious pony-like traits, I figured that our hybrid anatomy would have made him less likely to have any negative consequences. Unfortunately, I was wrong; the same symptoms that took my father away was happening to him-”

“Wait, what do you mean?!” Twilight asked suddenly. “S-so he actually…”

“Died, yes.” Raúl said honestly. “My father wanted to reunite with her so badly that it drove him of hunger from lack of love. While me and his sister loved and care for him, that form of love was not enough. And the worse part of it all is that my birth mother knew that it would kill him and she still did nothing to at least make peace with him. She was nothing but a whore-”

“Don’t say that!” Twilight said with absolute disgust. “Yes it was terrible of her to abandon you and allow your father to die to that without remose but-”

“BUT ‘WHAT’ EXACTLY?!” Raúl shouted loudly, glaring at the alicorn. “DO TELL ME PRINCESS TWILIGHT SPARKLE TELL ME WHAT THE BUCK EXACTLY ARE YOU GOING WITH THIS SHIT?!” he yelled, glaring more and more at the purple pony beside him as he yanked his hand away. “You expect me to forgive that bitch after what she’s done?! Love for your child is supposed to be unbiased! Unconditionally! I’ve done nothing wrong to deserve such treatment from her! She did little to comfort me nor explain to me in greater detail to how she felt and why she felt that this was the most appropriate path for her to take! Was she being discriminated to the point that her own family disowned her? Was she doing this so that I would be safe? Was she doing this because I would have a better life with my father’s own race? I NEVER RECEIVED AS MUCH AS A LETTER TO WHY SHE DID THIS! Not even giving me even 5 minutes to actually talk to her, the most I ever got from that cunt was a single minute of verbal abuse and being chased away with a bucking broom!” he screamed, standing on his feet with his fists shaking at a dangerous rate. “I was forced to run away in the nearby forest where I ate nothing for 2 days before I found myself back to my home! I wasn’t even old enough to fly yet!”

Twilight watched as Raúl voiced his anger towards ponies, slowly shaking as his face grew even redder with each passing second. Twilight slowly stepped up from the bench and slowly moved closer to him, seeing the pain in his face as she slowly hugged him. She could feel some of his tears pouring from his eyes as she pulled his face to her neck/shoulder. “I am sorry…for everything,” she said softly.

Raúl only allowed some tears to leave his eyes as he shut them as tightly as possible. Hearing her kind words humbled him to where his anger began to diminish. He took a deep breath and gently broke away before holding her hands and said, “Thank you Twilight. You’re…somepony that I can trust…” He leaned in and gently kissed her cheek. “…as a friend.”

Twilight smiled in return as she came in for another hug that lasted for a few more seconds before pulling away. “It’s a shame that we can’t hang out anymore for the time being. At least, I do hope that we can meet again one day and soon enough?” Twilight hoped.

Raúl was not completely sure. “…We’ll see.”

“There you are!”

Both Raúl and Twilight turned to see Pinkie Pie and the rest of the mane six hurrying behind her. Spike and surprisingly Scootaloo were spotted closely behind them as well.

“Don’t tell me you’re leaving now Raúl!” Pinkie Pie whined, stopping right in front of him with a smile.

“Any minute I can possibly leave,” Raúl confessed with a sad smile. “Was thinking about you…” He came closer and held her closely as they shared a nose kiss with each other.

“How’s Adalricus?” Applejack asked, arriving with the rest of their friends. “Has he…you know, changed his condition?” she asked curiously.

“Well he is recovering, so that’s the good news,” Raúl said, gently moving away from Pinkie. “But he’s still in his partial coma…” He looked at the train behind him before facing them again. “How are you Fluttershy?” he asked kindly.

Fluttershy wasn’t crying or anything close to that, but she was deeply affected by what happened only an hour ago. “I-I am just worried about Adalricus…c-can I see him…?”

All had turned their eyes to Raúl, who sadly shook his head. “His father is likely on edge; there’s a very good chance that he won’t trust those who were former adversities to him. If anything, it’s best if none of you try to even enter the train itself just to be safe,” he explained. Obviously that brought up quite the verbal disagreement amongst them. “I am sorry but I dare not try to convince King Sombra to allow any but me to enter.”

“Perhaps you can convince him to come out here instead?”

All turned to see that Princess Celestia had soon became involved with the conversation itself. Naturally, all but Raúl had bowed once she joined their presence.

“Your highness,” Raúl said with a slight bow of his own. “May I ask why you request this?”

“Well I wanted to speak to him regarding about what has happened here. This was something that should have never occurred, and I worry that Chrysalis and Sombra may retaliate in response,” Celestia confessed. “I know that he is likely furious and-”

“That would be quite the understatement my dear Princess Celestia,” said a voice from above.

All looked up to acknowledged the devil himself, Discord. He seemed weary as he let out a long yawn before rubbing both eyes with a single hand. He floated above them as if he was leaning lazily on an invisible couch. “Really my dear, what on earth were you thinking having Shining Armor attempt to handle the situation of our honored guests? For shame!” he said in a wheezy tone.

“Discord…” Princess Celestia rolled her eyes as she crossed her arms.

“Not now Discord,” Twilight said with annoyance.

“Oh is that anyway to treat a friend of yours??” Discord asked. “I mean honestly; after everything we’ve been through-”

“DISCORD!” Princess Celestia thundered, causing the ground to shake for a few seconds. She was really not in the mood.

“Oh my I seemed to have angered you?” Discord disappeared and suddenly reappeared next to the sun goddess with a slight lean on her shoulder with his arms crossed as well. “Oh my, I feel just terrible for making you upset! As it’s quite the last thing that I would ever want to do!” he exclaimed with that familiar tone. He disappeared again and appeared on her left side this time. “Just what can I ever do to make it up to you, your majesty??” With that, he actually groped her large breasts after shifting his position to behind her. He grasped them firmly causing Princess Celestia to go red, as well as the rest of her subject.

“D-DISCORD!” In an instance, lighting came down striking where Princess Celestia stood with her attacker. As the blinding light vanished, so did the smoke that followed in that instance. However, the Alicorn was left untouched without a single scratch on her body. As for Discord however…

“Where did he-” started Raúl. However, the devil in question was sitting where he and Twilight were sitting not too long ago.

“Oh dear, I have really gotten on your nerves now haven’t I?” Discord said with a “gasp”. “Oh woe is me for being in trouble with the ruler of all Ponies!” he cried.

“WHAT.DO.YOU.WANT. DISCORD?!” Princess Celestia asked with a deep shade of red.

“Well if you must know, I wanted to see how our guests are doing. After all, I could hear all the ruckus from the other side of Ponyvile! Honestly, is it so demanding of me to have some peace and quiet as I nap after a stressful morning?” Discord asked with a dramatic tone.

“You? Under stress? That’s a good one,” Rainbow Dash said with her eyes rolled.

“Now Rainbow Dash, even I have times where I am doing something that tries me appropriately,” Discord claimed. He snapped his fingers and a handheld fan appeared. “Boy did that take a lot of magic out of me,” he claimed before cooling himself down.

Twilight raised an eyebrow before looking at Celestia, who exchanged the same reaction. “And just what was it that ‘took a lot of magic out of you’?” she asked, slowly walking towards him with everyone else.

“Why Twilight my dear, the releasing of King Sombra!” Discord said in a wheezy voice.

“Wait, what?” Raúl asked. Could it be?

“Excuse me?” Applejack asked, raising an eyebrow as well. “I don’t follow…”

“And just what do you mean exactly by that Discord?” Princess Celestia asked, not liking where this was going.

“Oh my, I do apologize for being SO vague about it my dear, dear, friends!” Discord said with a smile. “To clarify, I released King Sombra from his imprisonment, allowing him to rush to the aid of his son Adalricus,” he said flatly.

Every single pony’s (and Spike’s) jaw dropped when he confessed to perhaps the greatest of sins. “WHAT?!?!?!?!”

“So it was you?” Raúl asked, taking this new information quite well. “You freed him?” Even he was surprised with the possibilities of Discord’s own power.

“How is this possible?!” Twilight asked in great confusion. “Wait, why-”

“WHY DID YOU DO THAT?!” Princess Celestia screamed in horror. Discord freed King Sombra from his imprisonment just like that?

“Why did you do this?” Raúl asked calmly, but curiously.

“My dear friends, I am one who can manipulate the laws of physics and reality; it’s only a matter of how much magic I must use in order to get the results that I want~” he said smoothly. Obviously he was proud of himself. He suddenly disappeared and appeared next to the changeling, casually leaning on his shoulder just as before with Celestia. “Now as to why I did it, let’s just say that I did not like the direction that things were heading for you and your prince.” He smirked at Raúl who was pleasantly surprised.

“But back at the market a while ago, you said that you wouldn’t ‘help’ him out of the situation that he was in now,” he reminded him.

“Wait, you knew that they were in Ponyville this entire time?” Fluttershy asked, after realizing what he just said.

“Discord!” said every mare present.

“What? I knew that you would all overreact! Look at what has happened because of how you all tried to handle things!” Discord pointed out. “And my past relationship with both Chrysalis and Sombra forbid me from just simply ‘watching’ what was occurring! After all, I am the one who introduced them to each other~” he said, whistling as he disappeared and was floating above them yet again.

“Are you bucking kidding me?” Twilight said angrily. Discord’s colorful history did set a series of unfortunate events for more than just her and her friends. Hell how was this even possible that he knew so many of previous enemies of theirs?

“Now, now, that’s no way for a princess to speak Twilight,” Discord insisted. “Now into the matter at hand, I do believe that it’s best to take Raúl’s advice. In fact, I think that the train is about to leave now…”

As if on cue, the train whistle was blown loudly, causing a shift in the environment around them. Emotions changed as this meant that Raúl was about to leave with King Sombra and Adalricus.

“I guess this is goodbye huh?” Raúl asked, having a sad tone in his voice. He looked at Pinkie Pie and immediately held her closely. “Good bye Pinkie…”

Pinkie did not cry, but she was pretty damn close to it as she started to shake. Both of them enjoyed the moment for ten seconds before gently pulling away and shared a smile before kissing each other gently.

“Um, Raúl?”

Raúl stopped kissing Pinkie Pie and turned to see that Scootaloo had walked forward. She looked to the side, as if she was embarrassed about something. “I am…sorry about rating out on you and Adalricus…if I hadn’t said anything…” Guilt weld up inside of her.

Raúl chuckled. “Nah Scootaloo, there’s a good chance that we would have been founded out. Just you just take care of yourself alright?” He smiled as he took a step forward and played her head in a friendly gesture, causing her to smile softly.

“Write to us Raúl,” Applejack requested with a smile as she came closer and hugged him. “Tell Adalricus to do the same if possible,” she added.

Rarity nodded. “Yes, please do!”

Rainbow Dash rubbed her neck while looking to the side. “I wouldn’t mind getting a letter,” she confessed with a slight blush.

“You take care Raúl,” Spike said with a smile as he shook his hand.

“Tell Adalricus’ parents that we must have a drink sometime,” Discord said with a smirk from above.

After finishing the exchanges with them, he turned to Fluttershy and said, “I’ll make sure that he writes to you too ok?” Raúl promised.

Fluttershy simply nodded as a few tears left her eyes. She managed to smile softly as she moved in for a gentle hug. “T-Thank you…”

As Raúl turned to the royal subjects, he said, “Tell Shining Armor that I’ll get payback for our last fight one day,” He gave a cocky grin out of humor.

Twilight smiled as she hugged him and said, “I will…”

Raúl turned to Princess Celestia. “Your highness,” he said before giving a small bow. “I think that things will be ‘quiet’ between our two races for the time being. I’ll contact you somehow if something comes up,” he promised.

A small smiled formed. “Thank you Raúl…please give my regards to Adalricus.”

With that, he turned to Pinkie Pie one last time and gave yet another kiss. “Love you~”

“Write to me okay??” Pinkie Pie asked, as a teary smile soon came as they broke away.

“I will…” With that, Raúl gently broke away from her and started to rise himself into the air. He saluted them and began to fly towards the train that was already on the move. Conveniently, he landed on the last cart just as it began to pass the ticket booth. He waved at them until they were no longer in view, indicating that they were indeed out of Ponyville.

He stood there for perhaps a few minutes before sighing and entering the cart. As expected, it was empty given with the arrival of King Sombra and his heir. He continued to walk until he reached the fifth cart, to where a dark atmosphere was present. At the end of the corner, King Sombra sat with his arms and legs crossed, staring out the window. His expression was calm, as if it were just another day in his life. His eyes shifted to Raúl as the changeling came closer and closer while they passed the landscape at a fast rate.

“Your highness,” said Raúl, bowing lower than he did for Princess Celestia. “How is he?” he asked.

“Quite the same as a matter of fact,” King Sombra said coolly. He closed his eyes and sighed before adding, “However, I am pleased that you’ve managed to keep his body stabilized to the point where all he needs is rest.”

“Of course, his life is my own,” Raúl said humbly. Sitting down from across the powerful dark unicorn. “Discord informed me that he freed you from your imprisonment. Had it not been for that, both me and Adalricus could have been in trouble…” He also looked in the same direction as Sombra. “…”

“He has my gratitude,” King Sombra simply said. He closed his eyes as if he was pondering about something. After a minute, he asked, “This pony that my son was obsessed with…was she presently nearby when we left?”

“She was,” confirmed Raúl, turning his eyes towards the king.

“I would have liked to meet her…”

This time, Raúl turned his head completely in his direction. “Your majesty?” he asked in confusion.

“It still makes me curious to why my son was obsessed with this mare to the point that he risked his own life,” he confessed. “Tell me, who was it? Describe her to me.”

Raúl paused for a few seconds to muster up what he needed to say. “She is the one with a pink mane and yellowish body tone. She is known as Fluttershy and she is one of the close allies of Twilight Sparkle. You may remember her and them when you came into her home where you carried Adalricus away and when you attempted to retake the Chrystal Empire long ago.” He explained.

He turned his head slightly and gave a stern look towards Raúl. “Twilight Sparkle?” He blinked a few times before remembering who she was. “Ah yes…her. I remember her and her friends. Especially after recently seeing them when I came to find my child on the ground floor.” He closed his eyes. “So this…’Fluttershy’…she also happened to have quite large breasts, correct?” He opened his eyes this time.

“That’s the one my king,” Raúl confirmed.

“Heh, well I take it that it was more than just her body that he was after, correct?” He leaned back and watched Raúl for a few seconds longer.

“…” Raúl also leaned back and mimicked the king before him. Only this time, he looked out the window. “He was in love with her your highness…he, put everything at risk just to hold her at least one last time.” A smiled merged after speaking those words.

King Sombra looked at him for a while before saying, “Hmpf, of course…” He also looked out the window.

After hearing his response, Raúl decided to check on the prince of topic. “I am going to check on him…” Standing up from his seat, he began to walk past Sombra, where he came across closed curtains on either side of him. “Oh and before I forget…” He leaned backwards and looked at King Sombra. “Discord insists that he would enjoy a drink with you and Queen Chrysalis,” he explained.

“HEH!” said King Sombra. “Not likely; he’s a jackass.”

A wide smirk appeared on Raúl’s face as he leaned forward yet again, failing to see a smirk on the King himself as he continued to look at the landscape.

Raúl passed three compartments before finding the right one. He walked through and much to his surprise, found Adalricus awake and looking out the window from his bed. “Adalricus…”

Adalricus turned his head slightly and saw Raúl. “Raúl…” He gave a small smile, as he was pleased to see his close friend yet again. His physical appearance seemed to improve as he was less and less disfigured. He mostly carried a changeling appearance with only small hints of pony-related traits. “I trust that you are well?”

“That I am,” Raúl said, as he moved and sat across from Adalricus from the other bed. “How long have you been awake? I assumed that it would be at least a week before you awoke again,” he confessed.

“The moment my father placed me in my bed. He doesn’t know that I am awake, but telling from the look of my situation, I am assuming that we’re returning home?” he asked, looking out the window again.

“We are,” said Raúl. “They all wanted to see you before we left…we thought that you were still sleeping?” Raúl was confused why Adalricus pretended to be asleep.

Adalricus looked down as he heard Raúl’s words. “Fluttershy was there too, wasn’t she?” he asked.

“Of course, why wouldn’t she show up?” Raúl asked.

“…” He closed his eyes. “I…couldn’t let her see me like this.” he explained.

“What?”

“At the moment I can’t even do a transformation. I attempted to change my body into a pony again but it failed and I felt nothing but pain again. At the very least, I tried to simply remove as many pony traits on my body, thinking that it would lessen the strain on me. Lucky for me, I do feel a lot better because of it,” he explained.

“Well that’s good,” Raúl said with a relief. “But that means that you could walk right? You could have seen Fluttershy and-”

“Did you not hear what I just said? I don’t want her to see me like this!” Adalricus argued.

“But you’re not as disfigured as before! You look great as you are right now-”

“I don’t want her to see me as a changeling Raúl!” Adalricus said angrily. He shook gently as he said those words. “I…I never want to see that look on her face again!”

Raúl couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “What, THIS again? You know that Fluttershy cares about you!” Raúl argued.

“Not like this…I can’t bear the thought of her being disgusted with my changeling appearance…” Adalricus’ expression was tensing up.

“She’s not disgusted with your looks Adalricus! Hell she hugged me goodbye and I was still like this: a changeling!” Raúl explained sharply.

“That’s not good enough Raúl!” Adalricus argued yet again. “It’s just not good enough!”

“I…” Raúl wanted to say something but couldn’t. Adalricus was self-conscious about how Fluttershy looked at him and Raúl couldn’t convince him otherwise despite his desire to. Realizing that he could not assure his friend, he decided to leave him be. “I won’t tell your father that you’re awake…but let me know if you want to talk ok?” With that, he stood up and began to walk out.

“Raúl?”

Raúl stopped and turned his head.

“You’re a good friend, thank you.”

Raúl’s expression softened when he heard those words. He smiled and nodded as he left the prince alone.

Adalricus then decided to lie down and stare straight at the ceiling. He thought about Fluttershy endlessly since he woke up, and the terrible memory of her reaction towards his disfigurement continued to hunt him. Regardless, he thought about her every single possible second that he could. Glancing out the window yet again, he began to softly sing:

“Cuando nos volvamos a encontrar
No dejare de contemplar la madrugada
No habrá mas llanto regado sobre tu almohada
No habrá mañana que no te quiera abrazar

Cuando nos volvamos a encontrar
Ya no habrá tiempo para tristes despedidas
No habrá un instante que no adore de tu vida
No habrá una tarde que no te pase a buscar
Cuando nos volvamos a encontrar

Cuando nos volvamos a encontrar
No dejare de contemplar la madrugada
No habrá mas llanto regado sobre tu almohada
No habrá mañana que no te quiera abrazar

Y traerá tu amor la primavera
Y una vida nueva que aprender
Nada volverá a ser como ayer!
”

****Meanwhile****

Fluttershy and Twilight stood inside her cottage home, finding a mess of broken furniture and spilled tea all over her rug. For some miracle reason, her tea set was still intact with barely any damage seen whatsoever. The walls were also seemingly fine, as neither mare could spot any damage either.

“By Celestia, they really did have a confrontation here,” Twilight said with a frown. “Princess Celestia did promise to pay for any damage to your home Fluttershy,” she said with a small smile. “I am so sorry- Fluttershy?”

Twilight just finally noticed that Fluttershy was not paying attention to her. Fluttershy slowly lowered herself to where a pillow of her couch was on the ground, covering something. Slowly removing it, she found a bouquet of flowers that were nearly destroyed in the process of Celestia’s and Adalricus’ confrontation. Most of the petals were scattered, with the stems snapped into pieces. But they mattered little as Fluttershy spotted a small white card under 3 large petals. Lifting it carefully with both hands, both she and Twilight read the card silently in their minds:

To the sunshine in my life, my dearest friend Fluttershy~

Fluttershy’s hands slowly trembled as a steady flow of tears came almost immediately. She made some noises that were difficult to comprehend, before she let out her emotions completely. She cried and cried endless to where her face became completely red, causing Twilight to immediately hug her friend…

Author's Notes:

God damnit Fluttershy!

TT__TT