After narrowly escaping death, thanks to the aid of the Atlantic Army, our heroes end up finding more questions, rather than answers... and most of which are now directed to Maud Pie, and are related to the first statement that Commander Fire Wing (the one in charge of their rescue operation) said upon entering the S.S. Atlantis.

"How did you find us, exactly?" Maud asked Fire Wing, who was escorting the group through the massive metallic halls of the Poseidon, the massive ship that the Atlantic Army appeared in.

Fire Wing chuckled before replying, "Well, it wasn't easy, Ms. President. At first, we had to send a few scouter ships to find any signals... turns out, though, we could only find the signals of your ship through bouncing waves from distant satellites. As a result-"

As they went on with their conversation, Ruby and Pinkie, who were following behind Maud and Fire Wing, remained close by each other, with Gilded and Gilda beside Pinkie, and Ruby in front. All four of them had worried looks on their faces... which Swift noticed, despite being behind them. (He noticed when Gilda turned towards Pinkie, and started to frown.)

Clearing his throat, Swift turned towards Fire and asked, "So... you guys pretty much ran into us by a stroke of luck, then?"

Quill shrugged his shoulders before adding, "To be fair, there were a lot of Sirens out there... and according to the books about them, the red orbs in their chests are considered to be disruptive of any known signals."

Zero looked at him and tilted his head in confusion. "Really? I didn't think it was possible for anyone to even write that kind of information on Sirens, and survive long enough to make a whole book about them!"

Quill looked at Zero and chuckled. "No, it's quite possible! In fact, the only known way to be able to resist their curse is to plug your ears and strike down the orbs in their chests!"

Fire turned towards Quill and hummed. "That is correct... but do you speak out of experience, or...?"

Quill turned to Fire and shook his head. "Good heavens, no! I'm more of a poet than a fighter! I just know about their weaknesses because I've read The Siren's Call... it was a classic by Quill and Ink... I'm sure you've heard of him?"

Fire chuckled before nodding his head. "Indeed. I even read one of his foal-friendly works to my daughter back when I was free."

Ruby looked up at Fire and raised an eyebrow. "You have a daughter?"

He looked at Ruby and smiled warmly. "Indeed I do, little one. She lives in Equestria, under the care of a trusted family friend... somepony whose family has a historical tie-in with mine, in fact! My parents and her parents both worked in Cloudsdale at the Weather Factory!"

That statement caused Ruby to tilt her head in confusion. "Weather Factory? What's that?"

Fire cleared his throat and began speaking in a way that, if listened to closely, could almost guarantee was the result of years of rehearsing.

Well, let me try to make it as simple as I can...

The Weather Factory is, as the name implies, a factory that helps control Equestria's weather... think of it like a huge air conditioner, but operated by magic, instead of the technology the Fox Race uses in their works.

You see, as a result of the Magic Ward around Equestria's shoreline, the weather in there, unlike the rest of the world, has to be supervised and controlled manually, rather than naturally.

The ward, as you may be able to guess, is to keep the dangers of the world out of their peaceful community.

"In fact, Equestria might seem more... detached to the rest of the world metaphorically... and it only got worse after a recent magical surge that, according to eyewitness accounts, even put the princesses themselves under a state of shock... some unimaginable power from Gryphonia. As a result, they requested that Gryphonia's Airship Route be directed as far away from Equestria as possible... though that's not to say it didn't help morality for most visitors." He shook his head and sighed. "And after the knowledge of an Element of Harmony missing from their kingdom... I'd hate to imagine what the princesses might do if the cause of that surge happened to capture the Element."

The group was silent for a moment to let Fire Wing's words sink in. Then, Gilda was the first to speak. "Wait... so they didn't redirect the route to Gryphonia because of me?"

Fire tilted his head in confusion at the confused Gryphon before replying, "Not that I know of. My information came from President Maud, who told me about it from a letter from the princesses, themselves!"

Gilda then looked at Maud with a slightly annoyed expression plastered across her face. "You mean you knew that I wasn't the cause of that mess?! Why didn't you say anything?!"

Maud turned towards Gilda and replied, "You never told me you thought that. I would've explained it to you, if you'd have asked."

Gilda opened her beak to retort, but Gilded decided to cut in; much to his sister's annoyance. "So, anyways... Commander Fire Wing, right?"

Fire Wing turned to Gilded and nodded his head. "Yes?"

Gilded looked around at the large number of doors across the hallway. "Going back to when you saved us from the Sirens... you wouldn't have happened to come across a... person, have you?"

Fire rubbed his lips in thought. "Hm... long, dark brown mane, with a long beard? Barely any fur on his face?"

Gilded's eyes widened in surprise... along with the rest of the crew, minus Maud. Then Gilded asked, "Long yellow jacket?"

"More of a jacket modified to fit like a coat."

Gilded's beak quickly formed a smile. "Please tell me you found him alive!"

Fire turned up front, to where the hallway finally ended, and pointed at the larger door that would slide open from the center when someone were to get close to it. "Why don't you ask him yourself?"

As soon as the doors were open, the group was met with the sight of a large, plain gray metal room with several heavily armored guards standing around each wall who were aiming their rifles at an all-too-familiar human who was merely sitting in the center of the room with a tired expression on his face. His tiredness was cut short when the sound of the doors sliding open filled the room.

Despite the large number of armed guards in the room, however, Ruby was the first to react... and shortly after her, Justin.

"DADDY!" Ruby shouted with a wide smile on her face.

Justin's tired expression quickly changed to a mixture of joy and relief, as he stretched his arms out and caught his beloved daughter in a loving embrace. The guards in the room lowered their weapons and tilted their heads in confusion.

Then, while Justin's eyes were closed, he couldn't hold back his tears... and neither could his daughter. "Thank goodness, you're okay! After seeing those Sirens head towards the ship... I thought I failed you all!"

Ruby shook her head and replied, "No, Daddy! I-if... if you didn't get their attention, then they wouldn't have stopped targeting everyone else... and we wouldn't have made it!"

As the father and daughter continued to hug, Fire looked at Maud and asked, "So... I take it there's more to these two than meets the eye?"

Maud nodded her head and replied, "Indeed... but they are both on our side, so there is no need for security to be working against them. In fact, I want you to increase the security around those two... and everyone else involved with them, for that matter."

"For an unknown species and its Unicorn daughter? I... well... it shall be done, but may I please ask why, exactly?"

Maud turned towards Justin and Ruby, who were now looking at them. When the two of them broke from the hug, Justin nodded at Ruby, and motioned for her to move closer to the two.

"There's... more to this Unicorn than you might think." Maud finally said before turning back to Fire Wing.

With a confused look on his face, Fire asked, "Um... what's so special about her, exactly? Well, besides having a mutated dad?"

Ruby looked around nervously before reaching behind her back and lowering the back half of her dress to reveal her wings that were tucked underneath. Just the sight of the wings caused all guards' eyes inside the room to widen, and all jaws to drop... save for those who already knew.

Fire, after regaining his ability to speak, slowly raised his right pointing finger up towards Ruby and asked, "W-wait... so... she's the 'Forth Alicorn' we've been hearing about?!"

Maud nodded her head and replied, "Yes... but she isn't a threat to anyone, so long as she isn't threatened. Also... her dad isn't a mutant. He's a Human."

That statement caused a few more comments from the guards in the room to fill the already increasing sounds of other guards talking amongst themselves.

"But she's only a filly!" some were talking about.

"As in the old legends?!"

"How is a Human the father of an Alicorn?!"

Maud then looked at the guards and loudly cleared her throat; silencing all of the noise instantly. "Yes, I know that this is... unexpected, to say the least... but I can assure you all that they are good people, despite any of the rumors that may have been spread about them. Due to the nature of those rumors, however, they will need to remain under the protection of the Atlantic Army at all times. You are not, in any way, allowed to point a single weapon at them, and if your presence is not needed, and they say so, then you are to obey them the way you obey me. Is that understood?"

"YES, MS. PRESIDENT, MA'AM!" the entirety of the soldiers in the room shouted as they saluted her in unison.

"Good." Then Maud turned to Fire and added, "When we get to Atlantis, they are all allowed to enter my manor, and use the Guest Bedrooms for as long as they need. Understood?"

"Of course, Ms. President!" Fire Wing saluted before turning towards Justin and Ruby. "Please do forgive my quick judgement earlier. Though I had a feeling your intentions were to save the president and her allies, I was only going by the rules."

Justin shook his head and chuckled. "There isn't any need to apologize, Commander. I've been down that road a couple times before. You were just doing your job, so there wasn't anything wrong in your actions... and I would've done the same thing if the shoe was on the other foot... err... hoof."

Fire smirked at the alien word before tilting his head. "So it would seem." Then he sighed. "I have to admit, though... seeing you and your daughter slightly reminds me of me and my daughter."

Justin nodded his head. "I heard that from down the hall... that door isn't sound-proof."

"It... isn't?!"

Justin shook his head and chuckled. "Nope... not to me, at least."

"But... I thought we had this entire room under a sound-proof spell!"

Justin shrugged his shoulders and shook his head. "Eh, don't worry about it... the spell might be working, still, but I wouldn't know."

Fire tilted his head in confusion. "Why wouldn't you know?"

With a smile, Justin replied, "Because I'm immune to magic... to a degree, that is."

"You're... immune to magic? So you're saying that if we were to hit you with a magic blast-"

"It won't work on me. Correct. Now, if you were to toss a physical object after me, like a sword or something, then it could be problematic... but if you were to try to lift me up with magic, or anything in my possession, then it will have no effect."

Fire thought for a moment before smiling. "Do you... mind if we test that?"

Justin shrugged again before nodding his head. "As long as it's controlled, and won't risk harming anyone else, then sure. I've already been hit by magic fireballs, conjured water and ice spikes, as well as conjured rocks. The conjured items just vanish before they could even reach me."

With a nod, Fire drew a pair of pistols from his waistcoat and aimed it at Justin's shoulders. Then, in the blink of an eye, he fired both in unison; sending two flaming projectiles at the calm human. The second the projectiles reached his shoulders, however, they vanished into thin air, which caused the eyes of the guards in the room to widen even more.

"By the goddesses... you must be very lucky, my friend... and to think, you could've easily survived my soldiers' weapons, yet you continued to remain patient with them!" Then he nodded his head with a smile and holstered his pistols once more. "That alone is proof that you're trustworthy enough to roam freely in here. Please, though, look through the laws in the library of this ship. It'll be another day until we reach Atlantis, so you'll have plenty of time to look through the most important details." He then turned back towards the group behind him and smiled. "I will escort you all to the Dining Hall... no doubt the discomfort of combat has left you all parched... especially after being cursed with the Sirens... bloody monsters' powers can be draining! And I speak from experience, as well!"

With the group's approval, the soldiers, the group (along with Justin) headed back into the halls, where they would then be led towards their next destination... the Main Lobby, and through that; the Dining Hall.

Despite the plainness of the hallway that they were going through, the group was surprised at the size of the ship. Five minutes have passed, and they were still in the same hallway. "Now that I think about it... how big is this ship?" Gilded asked one of the guards that was walking next to him.

The guard he asked chuckled before replying, "Would you believe me if I were to tell you... the size of a small city?"

"I... don't have an answer to that. Gonna need more proof than a huge hallway, to be honest."

Fire Wing, who was leading the group in the very front of the line, looked behind his right shoulder to where his eyes met Gilded, and chuckled. "Well, there's no need to worry! The end of this hallway is just around the corner up there!" As he said that, he pointed forward, towards the tenth left turn that they saw. (This one would be the second that they took, however.)

Shortly after they took the left turn, they were met with another long hallway... but on the right side of this hallway, just a few meters away from the turn they took, was an opening, where they could see the Main Lobby, even from a distance. Needless to say, they were amazed at what they saw.

Well over twenty stories below them were long balcony-like platforms that surrounded a huge open dome-shaped room... and that wasn't counting the ten stories above them, either. On several corners of each and every platform were square platforms that lowered, raised, and even moved across the walls at the push of a button. The platforms would, thanks to a conveyor system on the walls, bring the passengers to whichever floor they requested by carrying the platform in the direction that the button they pressed directed them to.

Countless arched doorways were also visible in each and every floor, with most of them leading to even more hallways. Some, however, merely led to rooms where shops were open. One, in particular, caused Pinkie Pie's eyes to open widely... a bakery was open, and running.

Another thing that the group noticed that seemed off was the fact that not all of the hundreds, if not thousands of people on board the ship were soldiers. In fact, a vast number of the passengers appeared to be commoners.

Zero looked at Fire and asked, "I take it this isn't just a military ship?"

Fire chuckled before shaking his head. "Of course not! Why, this is actually more of a simple civilian transport!"

"But... why did you choose to risk the lives of these people to face a swarm of Sirens, then?" Swift decided to ask.

Fire shook his head and replied, "I didn't risk these peoples' lives! What you saw out there was just a mere pod out of this ship, meant strictly for the military! While we were traveling through the halls, that was when the pod re-attached to the ship itself!"

That statement caused Swift's eyes to widen in shock. "So... that was just a pod?!"

Fire nodded his head and shrugged his shoulders. "But of course! Atlantis has quite the abundance of unused metals and materials, so we had to find a way to make use of the excess!"

After hearing that, Stealth's ears perked up, and a sly smile rose on his cheeks... which was quickly dropped when he felt Gilda's right paw nudge him in the back, implying for him to not get any ideas. With an annoyed expression, he turned around and saw her deadpanning at him. "Y'know... sometimes I really don't like you, mate."

She smirked before shrugging her shoulders. "You wouldn't be the first."

A little over two hours have passed, and the group, with the addition of Commander Fire Wing, were gathered at a large table in the center of a large dining room area, surrounded by different food stands of different kinds. During their break, Fire was informed of the adventure that they were in... and throughout most of the story, Fire quickly found himself impressed by the feats that they have shown.

Then came the latest events... as well as their encounter with Grogar. Hearing that name caused Fire's brow to furrow, and his right hand to cover his jawline. "So... The Necromancer is out of Tartarus now... I should've known."

He looked at Swift and frowned sympathetically. "I'm sorry for what he did to your father, Mr. Swift Justice. I actually met King Goldheart a few times in the past... and to hear that he was inflicted with the Black Heart... well, I know the feeling of losing my father, but not in that kind of way."

Swift nodded his head and sighed. "To be honest, I was left with no choice. He wasn't my father anymore... just a shell of greed and power. Whatever it was that made him him was long gone before we even returned to The Highlands." Then he smiled. "But in his final breath, I didn't see any anger or hatred in him... it was more... appreciative. Like the curse was hurting him, and he needed a way out... sorry, can we please change the subject?"

Fire nodded his head quickly. "Of course!" Then he turned to Gilda and Pinkie Pie. "So, Mrs. Gilda Blade."

"Just Gilda" Gilda replied as she bit into a hunk of grilled tofu. "And for the record, I'd like real meat at some point, y'know. No offense, but it's been too long since I had a nice Hydra Steak."

Fire shrugged his shoulders. "Unfortunately, we had to cut down on the meat imports from Gryphonia, due to the routes being shut down, so now we find less and less in the stocks... though I've heard that the new monarch of The Highlands is doing what he can to improve conditions, but since he's new, he has to go through a series of practices that would help him do so."

Swift chuckled and nodded his head. "Glad to see I gave the monarchy to a good person."

Fire nodded his head. "Indeed. If The Highlands was to become the victim of a tyrant, I'd hate to imagine what would become of our exports in metals!"

For another hour, the group continued to talk. While they did so, however, Pinkie looked at Justin, and noticed that he was unusually silent throughout the whole conversation... in fact, the only time that he seemed to talk was when they were being sent to their rooms, which were conveniently placed one after another in the same hall, on the same floor as the Dining Hall. "Thanks, Commander." he said, to which Fire looked at him with a smile.

"Of course, Justin. I hope everything turns out better for you and your daughter."

"About that... you said that you have a daughter?"

Fire chuckled before nodding his head. "That, I do... and I would do anything for her, so long as it is within my power!"

Justin nodded his head. "What about a wife?"

That statement caused Fire to freeze, before sighing and turning away. "She... didn't make it through my daughter's birth, I'm afraid. Cardiac Arrest, to be more precise." Then he stopped for a moment and looked back at Justin. "And you?"

"Same thing." Justin then nodded his head. "Looks like we're in the exact same boat."

Fire nodded his head and lightly chuckled. "Metaphorically, and literally, no less."

The two shared a laugh, before Fire cleared his throat. "Anyways, I'm sure you have a lot on your mind now... but if you need anything at all, there's a buzzer beside your bed. Just push the button on it, and someone will be right up. And if you need to talk to a fellow single father, just let me know, and I'll do what I can to help you."

With a nod and a handshake, Justin replied, "Thanks... and the same goes for me, too. If you need anything, just let me know." Then the two parted ways; Fire Wing heading back down the hall where they came from, and Justin heading to his room, with the door sliding shut from the top to bottom right behind him.

Once inside, Justin headed into the bathroom to wash up for the second time that day. Then, after taking a warm shower and re-dressing in his blue jeans and gray sweater that he wore beneath his yellow jacket, he held the said jacket up for a little while before sighing. After staring at it for an extended period of time, he stepped into the bedroom area and sat down with the jacket in his hands. Then, with a long, drawn-out sigh, he folded the jacket neatly on the bed beside him and placed it on the nightstand at his left.

Letting out a yawn, he rested his head on the pillow and stared at the ceiling for what felt like eternity. He was so lost in thought, however, that he didn't even notice the tears forming in his eyes.

The sound of a distant knocking caused Justin's eyes to bolt open. Looking around, he noticed that the room was slightly darker than, what felt like, mere minutes ago. When Justin looked to his left at the clock that hung over the door, he noticed that he fell asleep for four hours without even noticing it.

The knocking continued, but this time, a voice followed suit... Pinkie Pie's voice. "Um... Justin? Is... is it okay if I come in?"

Justin slowly stood from the bed and walked up to the door. Then, after yawning once more, he pressed the button on the door's right side. The first thing he noticed was that Pinkie Pie was no longer wearing the clothes that she wore before (the black leather beneath the long red coat). Instead, she was wearing a white sailor's shirt with a red bow tie, blue stripes on the sides, and a blue skirt that lowered to her knees. The skirt was rigid, and slightly open at the bottom to allow her legs room to move. Altogether, she practically looked like a sailor, minus the hat.

She looked up at Justin, and weakly smiled at the fact that he was examining her change of clothing. "Um... hey, Justin!" She waved her right hand, which caused Justin's eyes to quickly jump back up to her blue eyes.

"Oh, um... hey, Pinkie." Then he stepped back and motioned with his left arm for her to enter. "Please, come in. Make yourself at home."

She nodded her head in appreciation and stepped in, while Justin closed the door once more. "Thanks. I... see you've decided to change your clothes for once!"

Justin smirked before shaking his head. "Nah, I've worn this sweater beneath my jacket since I got here... but I'd like to say the same to you, though."

Pinkie giggled before nodding her head. "Yeah. I didn't really like wearing that old jacket and that... kind of clothing, to be honest. While it was a little comfortable, I felt like it was still too inappropriate. So, I asked around where I could find something better to wear... though for sailors, the outfits are quite limited."

Justin nodded his head in response. "Well, I think it suits you. At least it gives a better message to anyone who sees you."

"Yeah..." Then Pinkie looked at the jacket that was folded on the nightstand and walked up to it. "So... if you don't mind me asking, what is so special about that jacket? And why do you wear it all the time? Especially with a sweater below it?"

Justin took a deep breath and slowly exhaled; clearly showing signs of recomposing himself. Pinkie noticed right away and gasped. "Oh! I mean... y-you don't have to explain, if you don't want to! Sorry I asked!"

With a weak smile, Justin shook his head. "It's fine, Pinkie... maybe it's best that I tell you. After all, talking about problems is one of the best ways to find a solution for it."

"Problems? Is... is the jacket a burden to you?" Pinkie asked, to which Justin shook his head in response.

"No. In reality, the jacket is one of my most prized possessions. It... was a gift to me from my dad, before he passed away."

Pinkie gasped at that revelation and put her hands in front of her mouth. "Oh my gosh! I'm... I'm so sorry..."

"It's fine, Pinkie. You don't have to be sorry, when you didn't do anything wrong."

"B-but... but I brought those bad memories up!"

"No, Pinkie. I did, and I still do every time I put it on." Then he walked up to his bed and sat down next to the night stand, while Pinkie stood there in the center of the room, until Justin motioned for her to take a seat next to him. When she did, he opened his saddle bag and pulled out something he didn't show anyone before... a dark brown leather wallet. When Pinkie tilted her head in confusion, he clarified, "This is a wallet. It's what us humans used to hold our money, our identification cards, and a few other things. Me, though?" He opened it up, and pointed at a photo that was attached to the inside of it by a paperclip. "I use it to hold pictures."

When Pinkie inched closer to the picture, the first thing that caught her eye was a pair of humans... one in particular looked strangely familiar... a pale-skinned human male with short brown hair combed over his right eye. He didn't have a beard, but did have the same bluish-green eyes, and was wearing a yellow hooded jacket.

The next figure in the picture caused Pinkie's eyes to widen... a human female was there, standing next to him. She stood up to the man's neck, and was smiling widely at him with her unusually red eyes. Her hair was also red, and lowered below her back in a ponytail. The two of them were in the middle of a hug, and were smiling at each other... almost like they were slow dancing.

"That was during a party. Needless to say, the photographer was quite good, and decided to give us the picture for free."

Pinkie's eyes were still glued at the girl in the picture. "She... she looks so... pretty, actually!"

Justin smirked before nodding his head. "Yeah. Back then, I was too nervous to tell her that up-front... but even so, that day ended up being the same one that we shared our first kiss together."

Pinkie winced at the last three words. "You... you both looked very happy, then."

With a weak smile, Justin replied, "We were... and what's more, she was like you in so many ways."

Pinkie tilted her head in confusion. "She... she was?! How so?"

"Well..." Justin began rubbing his chin in thought while looking up. "First off, she was always the life of a party. She would always help out, and assure everyone that they would leave with a smile, or she'd chase them back home wearing a clown outfit." Pinkie smirked at that comment. "Then there's the fact that she always put her friends ahead of her own personal needs. Sometimes, I would have to remind her to eat something or take a break... three times in a row. Even then, she would always be cheerful in the end, and ensure that everything is perfect for our friends."

Pinkie hummed before rubbing her chin in thought. "Did... did she like parties?"

Justin nodded his head and chuckled. "Every day would be treated like a party, at least. She even helped host quite a few birthday parties for the neighbors of the city we used to live in." Then he looked at Pinkie and added, "Honestly, if she and you were to meet, I'm sure it would almost be like the two of you were twins."

Pinkie stared at the picture with a saddened expression. Then she closed her eyes and sighed before nodding her head. "I... I can see why I make you uncomfortable, then."

Out of confusion, Justin raised an eyebrow and tilted his head. "I beg your pardon?"

"Please... don't lie. If there's anything I know about being the Element of Laughter, it's that I can easily tell when someone is happy... and sad." She opened her eyes and looked at Justin's confused face. "I can see that I remind you too much of her... and for that, I'm sorry."

She turned to leave, but before she could even take a step away, though, she ended up kicking her hoof on Justin's saddlebag, and gasped as she fell from her hooves...
...and right into Justin's arms.

She slowly opened her eyes after expecting a painful face-plant... and her eyes widened when she saw Justin's concerned face staring right down at her, with his arms behind her back to keep her from falling. In a brief moment, both of their cheeks were red.

Before anything else could be said, Pinkie sighed and regained her balance by gripping onto Justin's shoulders and pulling herself up on both hooves again. "Um... s-sorry..."

Justin looked away and scratched the back of his head. "It's okay... accidents happen. Just... please be careful... and also..." he then surprised her by wrapping his arms around her shoulders. She stood there frozen and silent, while Justin added, "Please don't stop being yourself because of me. While you're both similar, there's also quite a few differences... and not just because she's a Human, and you're a Pony."

Pinkie started to shiver, as her arms found themselves slowly rising up to Justin's back. Then she closed her watery eyes and buried her head in his chest. "B-but... I... I don't want to be the one that causes you to frown, though! You're... you're the only friend that I wasn't ever able to get to smile!"

"Hey, Pinkie... look at me." She slowly pulled herself away, but her eyes were closed, and she had to wipe her eyes with her right arm before opening them. When she did, though, only more tears came out, as she saw Justin smiling at her... and being the Element of Laughter, she could tell that it wasn't forced, either. "Just you being there to support Ruby and I is enough to make me smile... you just haven't noticed it." Then he gently used his thumbs to dry her cheeks, while she breathed heavily at both the close proximity and the crying.

"B-but..." Justin's right pointing finger quickly found its way over her lips, while his head shook left and right.

"No buts, young lady. You have been nothing but a great friend to us all. And plus, Ruby seems to have grown attached to you, now."

That statement caused Pinkie Pie to gasp. "W-what? But... how do you know that?"

Letting out a light chuckle, Justin replied, "Because she's been mumbling your name in her sleep." Then he gently patted Pinkie's shoulders. "And speaking of which, you should probably start heading to your room before-"

Suddenly, the sound of the door locking echoed through the room... much to Justin's disappointment "Well, crap. Looks like this place has a curfew, after all."

"Y-you mean that... we're..." Pinkie began, to which Justin nodded his head.

"Don't worry, though. I'll talk to the operators. Perhaps they can escort you, or at least direct me to an escort for you." Then he walked up to a desk that was positioned in the opposite corner of the Minotaur-sized bed and took a seat on the chair below it. Checking around the desk for any writing utensils, he ended up finding a quill and a bottle of ink, along with a scroll. On the top-left corner of the desk was a lantern that had a green fire lit. Justin knew from the manual that it was the fires of a Messenger Wyvern; A Wyvern commonly mistaken for a Dragon, due to their similar shapes at birth. Though greed would cause them to grow colossal sizes, a fully-grown one would normally stand at nine feet or taller.

After adjusting the light of the lantern to the point where he could see the scroll in front of him, Justin dipped the quill in the ink pot, tapped the excess ink back into the rim of the pot, and started to write in the Common Tongue. (Due to the fact that he was still getting familiar with the handwriting, he had to redo a few words here and there. In the end, he had to get Pinkie to proofread it, and correct it where necessary.)

Finally, when thirty minutes of writing were up, Justin double-checked the letter.

To anyone who can hear this!
There's been a slight mix-up in someone's schedule. While we read the manual and tried to be as cautious as possible about the time, we ended up running out of it. Is there, perhaps, any portal services available that could send one visitor out, and another one in? One of us has a daughter, and we need to ensure that she is safe!

Thank you in advance!
--Justin Daniels.

With a long, drawn-out sigh, Justin wrapped the scroll up and placed it in the lantern, where it immediately combusted into a sparkling smoke that faded into the wind... and materialized right back on the desk.

When Justin looked at the scroll, he groaned. Double-checking the contents, it ended up being the same one. "Well, crap! Looks like nobody's available!"

Pinkie shifted uneasily and turned towards the door. "This isn't good! What if Ruby isn't in a room?!"

"They'd escort her here... maybe we can ask that escort to help you get to your room!" Justin's smile returned.

Then Pinkie's ears drooped immediately. "Oh, wait... last time I saw her, she was with Gilded Blade. If I didn't know any better, I'd say she might've been sent with him to his room!"

Justin sighed at that statement. "Well... guess we're stuck here, then. At least until six tomorrow morning."

Pinkie hummed for a moment before nodding her head. "I'm really sorry, Justin! I promise, this was not intended!"

Letting out a light chuckle, Justin waved his hands defensively. "Hey, easy! I'm not accusing you!" Then he shrugged his shoulders. "It is what it is."

Pinkie nodded her head and yawned... which resulted in Justin yawning in response. "Well... I'm okay with sleeping on the floor, at least. Perhaps that-"

"Not gonna happen." Justin interrupted, before motioning towards the bed. "I've been sleeping on the floors of inns several times, while giving Ruby the bed. If there's anyone who's sleeping in the bed, it's you."

"But Justin! This is your-"

Justin covered her lips with his right finger again and shook his head with an amused look on his face. "Again, no buts, young lady. You're a friend first, and a guest. As such, my friends get nothing but the best." Then he gave her a quick wink. "And besides, ain't I the leader of our little group?"

Pinkie lightly chuckled at the word. "I'm... not so sure little seems to cut it anymore."

Justin shrugged his shoulders. "Regardless, it isn't an army, at least." Then he pointed at the bed and gave Pinkie a mischievous smile. "As your leader, I order you to sleep on the bed tonight, where it's comfortable... and I also order you to have a good night's rest, and try not to worry so much... okay?"

Pinkie thought for a moment before sighing in defeat. "Well... i-if you insist." Then she looked at him and smiled. "Thank you, Justin."

Justin smiled and nodded his head. "Any time, Pinkie. Good night!"

"Good night, Justin." Then she crawled in the bed and tucked herself beneath the covers... but stopped when she looked both ways of the bed. "Um, Justin?"

Justin, who was now relaxing on the floor with both of his hands behind his bed, looked her way and asked, "Yes, Pinkie?"

"There's... enough room for both of us to sleep on this bed."

Justin raised an eyebrow at that request and remained silent for a few seconds, before replying, "Um... no, thanks."

"...Please?"

Justin sighed and sat up from his spot on the floor. "Pinkie... it's fine."

"No, it isn't! I... won't be able to sleep comfortably, knowing that I'm stealing your own bed from you! And... and there will even be enough space between us to avoid any visitors from thinking anything!"

Justin thought for a moment, before sighing. "I'm okay, Pinkie. Really, I am."

"But... but I'm not..."

Justin sat there for a moment, before closing his eyes and sighing. "Very well, then... but please stay on your side of the bed."

Pinkie nodded her head and scooted to the far-right corner of the bed to allow Justin his room. Then he folded the blankets inward to scoot his legs in, before folding the blankets over his chest. Afterwards, he rested his head on the pillow and yawned, before turning towards Pinkie, who had her back turned his way... much to his relief. Then he turned his head to where he was facing the ceiling and slowly closed his eyes.

About an hour passed, and he still couldn't sleep, due to a mixture of discomfort and worry for his daughter. Justin was still staring at the ceiling with the same expression on his face.

Little did he know, however, that Pinkie was now rolled over his right arm... much to his shock. He turned her way and noticed the back of her mane was all that was visible... so he couldn't see her face. "Um... Pinkie? You're not-" he was interrupted by her light snores, "-even awake anymore, are you?" She didn't even move her head left or right to signify any sign of being awake. All he received in response was an ear twitch. Then he raised his left hand to try waking her up, but froze before his hand could even hover over her.

For some odd reason, memories of several years ago began to play in his head... of his former fiance that he loved dearly. Feeling the extra weight on his arm caused him to feel unusually peaceful.

With that in mind, all he managed to do was sigh before placing his left hand back on his chest. Finally, after just a few minutes of silence, he closed his eyes, and was, for the first time in a while, able to sleep peacefully, without any worry in the world.

Swift Justice stood there in the bathroom of his dorm washing his face. He couldn't face his girlfriend after the incident with the Sirens. How was it that he suddenly found himself attracted to several different-looking women?! And why was it that none of them were Gilda... or Gryphons, for that matter?!

Then he froze in fear when he heard the said Gryphon call him from the other side of the door. "Hey, dumbass! Ya want a pillow in there, or are ya gonna get out anytime soon?!"

"Um... c-coming, dear!" he nervously replied before looking at himself in the mirror once again. "You've got this, Swift! Just... act natural!" After having a brief mental conversation with himself, he took a deep breath and opened the door... only to find the room completely dark, except for the bed area with a dimly lit candle beside it.

"G-Gilda?" Swift began, only to jump when he heard the door behind him slam shut. When he turned around, however, he felt a talon grip his mouth to keep him from screaming.

Then, from the darkness, he heard Gilda say, "Relax, dumbass! It's me!"

"Gilda? What's... what's going on?!"

Gilda sighed before guiding him to the bed and pushing him onto it so he could sit down and see her. She was standing over him at that point, with an unusual expression on her face... one of slight worry.

"Gilda? What's wrong?" Swift began, only to be cut off by her glaring at him.

"I know that you saw other women in those Sirens, Swift." If Swift's fur wasn't white, then he would've gone pale at that point... but before he could even speak to defend himself, she already began speaking again. "But I'm not judging you. And besides... I happened to see a few good-looking studs in my hypnosis, also. That's why I gotta ask you this." Then she inched closer to him and smiled slyly. "Before I ask you this, though, I want you to know that a Mercenary's word is that Mercenary's life... so when I say I ain't gonna kill ya if you're honest, then I mean it." Her smile slightly shrunk, but her eyelids lowered halfway down her eyes, as she stared at him in a slightly sultry way. "Would you say I look better than those girls, or not?"

"Y-"

"Oh, and if ya lie to me, then that deal earlier is off. I want the truth, only."

Swift gulped nervously and closed his eyes. "O-okay, then..." He began to say a silent, mental prayer, before regaining his breath. "I... don't know."

Gilda stood there dumbfounded at his answer. "What do you mean by that, exactly?"

"W-well... the truth is, I haven't really seen a Gryphon female... like... right there, y'know. Being a Soldier, I was always too busy to start any relationships."

Gilda stood there for a moment, before sighing in relief. "Well, that's good enough, I guess." Then she raised an eyebrow at him flinching from her. "Hey, Swift! Look at me!" He did as instructed, only to find that she was now right there in front of him, mere feet from his face... and now, she was sitting next to him on the bed. Then her next action caught him by surprise... she gripped his right hand and lifted it up behind her chest plate; causing his hand to "accidentally" bump into what was hidden beneath the armor piece. After that, she pressed his hand onto her chest, where he could feel her heartbeat. "I may be a Mercenary... but inside, I'm still just another girl... so grow a bucking pair, and treat me like one, okay?"

Swift's entire face was red at the sudden bold move, but he nodded gulped and nodded his head nonetheless.

Gilda then removed Swift's hand from her chest plate and stood back from the bed. "Good. Now, then... just so you know, I'm in the same boat that you're in... metaphorically, of course."

Swift raised an eyebrow at that statement. "Wait, so... I'm your first, then?"

Gilda nodded her head and turned to where her back was facing him. "Yeah... and while I promised I wouldn't kill you, I'd make living a pain if you told anyone that." And now, Swift was nervous again. "But... I trust that you wouldn't."

Then she turned back towards him and asked, "So anyways... you haven't seen any Gryphons in that band of Sirens?"

Swift shook his head and replied, "N-no, dear. I didn't see any Gryphons."

His eyes then went wide when Gilda's sultry look returned on her face. Then she walked closer to him and placed her talons on his shoulders, before pushing his back on the bed, and locking her beak onto his lips for ten seconds. Then, when they broke from the kiss, she grinned mischievously and said, "Well... since we're a couple, now... we're gonna have to find a solution to that problem together."

Slowly, she lifted her talons behind her chest plate and undid the strap holding it on. Before she took it off, however, she turned towards the dimly lit candle, inched closer to it, and blew the flame out, leaving the couple in the darkness, with only enough light for the two of them to see each other.

When the sound of the chest plate hitting the ground echoed through the room, Swift only had three words to answer her question with.

"Better! Definitely better!"

Author's Notes:

And now, I must go wash my brain out in milk... or, I'd suppose my stomach will be washed from that, instead!

Anyways, here's the long-awaited Episode 7 of Season 3! Expect a few newcomers to show up in the next one! Also, I figured I'd give the "Romance" tag a few boosters, since so far, the story was lacking in it for so long! (Until Gilda and Swift became a pair, in fact!)

So yeah... I've been up to my CHIN in work, lately, what with babysitting my niece and nephew, then helping a few of my friends in "Fantasy Life" for the 3DS.

Of course, I also learned that my new friends are okay with Bronies, so I introduced 'em!

Anyways, that's about all I got to say, besides an apology for the delay. Since I've been apologizing a lot, however, I've decided to post a picture of Pinkie Pie dressed as a chicken, instead!

All joking aside, I want to thank you all for your undying attention, your amazing patience, and your outstanding support in making this story get this far! Without you guys/gals, I would've given up ages ago!

THANK YOU ALL, MY LITTLE BRONIES