Author's Notes:

Hello. I apologize if this chapter sucks. It's been a while and I'm still kinda rusty from the forced hiatus. I hope to get back into the groove soon and make the event a lot better than this one was.

Next time; Chpt. 21: Wild Wild East

Twenty four hours had passed and already the imprisoned ponies that stayed to help were showing much progress. With Ra’om dead and gone, it seemed to restore a sense of vitality to the ponies. Though they were somewhat wary of him taking control of the diamond dogs, he had shown that keeping them imprisoned was something he didn’t plan on. In fact, he had shown that his goals included them leaving, but not without mounting a rescue mission for Twilight Sparkle. With a new sense of urgency, they got to work right away and now they were about ready to mount their rescue.

Fashioning blades made from gemstones, the diamond dogs were hard at work just like the other residents of the cave. Using special techniques and make-shift forges to see to it that the gems stayed in place as jagged, sturdy blades for the ponies to use. Shining Armor would test their quality and found that they would be of great use. Not grade A craftsmanship, but being armed was what they needed.

The ponies gathered around Draco’s squad as Gilda began to divulge every weakness the griffons had. Fighting styles, chinks in their armor, flight patterns, biological weaknesses. She told everypony everything she knew. They were hesitant to trust a being that had her sent down into the depths of the caves but the others would vouch for her loyalty.

Yet, they couldn’t win on ground combat alone. Without magic, they would need something else to fight the griffons in the skies. That was where Strong heart came in. The little buffalo would craft slings from the cloths they had at their disposal. The ponies were quick to learn, throwing rocks at impressive speeds that managed to leave large dents in the griffon armor. With all of this going on, Applejack stayed back and looked over everything that was going on. Something was bothering her and this problem stemmed from Aaron.

After reemerging from the caves, Aaron seemed different to her. Not just in his new-found strength, but something else. His soft eyes had become hardened, his smile was gone, and for some reason he had been avoiding her. She tried to tell herself that it was nothing and she was getting worked up over nothing, but she had a nagging feeling in the back of her mind that told her something was very, very wrong. “Applejack?”

Pulled out of her thoughts, Applejack would give her attention to Draco, coming in after a basic training session for some of the newer warriors. “Oh, howdy Draco.” The Pegasus came up to Applejack and resting beside her, trying to catch his breath.

“Something eating at you, little lady?”

“E-Excuse me?”

“Your face; I know that look all too well. You’re afraid of something.”

“I don’ know what yur talkin’ about. I ain’t afraid o’ nothin’.”

“Come on, AJ. You had that same look when I came around your house with a busted wing. So fess up, what’s wrong?” Sighing to herself, Applejack figured she may as well talk to somepony about her fears.

“It’s Aaron, he’s been actin’… strange.”

“Yeah, I noticed. The way he took out that huge Diamond Dog, I practically felt my jaw hit the floor.”

“I know, it was impressive, I agree… but somethin’ about this whole thing makes me feel uneasy. Aaron wasn’t the strongest stallion I knew, but then he one hit K.O.s a diamond dog way out of his weight class. It just doesn’t add up. Heck, I saw him bleeding out on the ground in front of me.”

“Maybe it’s some weird human thing?”

“He never mentioned anythin’ like that to me or Twi.” Applejack sighed once more out of frustration. “Draco, I don’ know what’s gotten into him. Whatever it is, I can’t help but feel it’s bad news.” The room went quiet for a moment to let Draco think of what to say to her.

“Well… in this case, I would just go talk to him. See if he’s fine for myself.”

“But what if-“

“No buts, just talk to him and see for yourself. You’re good at telling when a pony is lying, so if he’s not telling the truth, you’ll know that something is up.” Applejack weighed her options but she made her decision easily.

“Alright. I guess I could talk to ‘em. Who knows, maybe all this is just in my head.”

“I’m telling ya, there is nothing you need to worry yourself about.”

“Thanks, Draco. I guess I just needed a push.”

“No problem, AJ. It’s what friends are for.” The Pegasus brought her in for a hug that quickly turned awkward. Unsure how to respond, Applejack softly patted his back before he eventually let go. Applejack had a soft blush on her face as she cleared her throat; she would quickly take her leave.

Making her way through the small village was much easier now. With a noticeable chunk of ponies already having left, Applejack found herself maneuvering through with relative ease. She would begin her search with somepony she knew that had better eyes than the rest of them. Cautious of where she walked, Applejack began to search for Strong Heart, only to narrowly dodge a few flying rocks. “Hey! Watch it!”

“Sorry!” A small group of ponies looked in frightened, thinking they hit a bystander. Coming from the group, Strong Heart met up with Applejack. “I’m so sorry about that, Applejack. Some of the ponies can’t handle a sling all that well.”

“It’s okay. I was actually looking for you.”

“For me?”

“Yeah. Have you seen Aaron anywhere? He and I gotta talk.”

“Oh, I saw him around here a while ago. He came to see how things were going with the sling training.”

“Where’d he go after that?”

“Dunno. I think Shining Armor and Demo may know. If he checked up on me, he’s probably going around seeing how everypony else is doing.”

“Right. Thanks, Strong Heart.”

“Anytime AJ.” With a new destination set, she would go to the planning table, but the more she would walk, the more she felt her bad feeling grow in the back of her mind. Shining Armor and Demo were showing off a crude drawing of the prison, planning where they would attack and what squads would do what. While Shining handled Strategy, Demo would explain it to those who didn’t understand the first time. “Demo.” Applejack caught the attention of the tall stallion. “Have you seen Aaron anywhere?” He shook his head slowly.

“Try Rainbow Dash.”

“Dash? Why’d he be with her?”

“They’ve been getting kinda close since the two left the caves together. Though, I haven’t seen them together as of recent. Maybe she could direct you to him.”Applejack turned around and started walking, frustration building as she was directed yet again to another source. “… You’re welcome.”Her frustrations would soon give way to worry. Clouding her mind and creating paranoid thoughts.

“Dash! Dash, where are you!?” Applejack called out, a worried tone sneaking out with her voice. The Pegasus was difficult to pin down. Applejack caught small glimpses of her wandering the area here and there, but she never stayed in one place for too long.

“Yo.” Dash was coming to meet Applejack, rolling her arm joints as she fitted into her old armor. “What’s up, AJ?”

“Have you-… why are you in your armor?”

“Duh. So I can join the fight. I ain’t gonna be a spectator for this, I’m gonna be taking the fight to the griffons just as much as everypony else. Besides, I want to help rescue Twilight too.”

“But… Never mind. Have you seen Aaron?”

“Thought he was with you?”

“Haven’t seen him since you both came out of the caves.”

“Weird, maybe he’s at the main building. I could have sworn I saw him walking that way.” Applejack felt her eye twitch as she gave Rainbow a blank stare. “Aj? You alright?”

“Y-Yeah… just uh… Thanks Dash.”

“No problem. Hey, can you help me with the straps in the back? It’s grazing against my uh… well, injuries.” Rainbow turned around, showing the loose straps to her armor chassis. Applejack arranged them so they weren’t touching her wing stubs. Yet, from the suppressed yelps Rainbow gave off, it was clear that it wasn’t without error. “There, feel good?”

“Better though it does feel lighter than usual. Hopefully I can get used to it.”

“Glad to help. Just… be careful, Dash.”

“I only promise to try.” Dash walked off, heading for Draco and his students he had been training, hoping to get a demonstration out of the stallion. As for Applejack, she would return to where she began, but soon heard something that made herself turn pale. Around the corner, Applejack would hear a horrendous sound of what could only sound like coughing mixed with dry heaving.

Following the sounds, even to her own stomachs pleas to turn away, she would finally find Aaron. Hunched over and placing a hand on the wall of the building, he was hacking, coughing, and at some points, vomiting onto the ground. Applejack would watch in a frozen stupor, fixated on the event that seemed to drag out.

Gasping desperately for air, his legs would struggle to hoist his body upright, leaning against the wall. The glow from his eyes would open and turn towards the frightened Aaron. “Wh-… what are you doing here?” Aaron’s voice was strained, trying not to start the process again by one wrong move of his throat.

“I… I-I was looking for you. Wanted to make sure you’re alright.”

“I’m fine.”

“BULLSHIT!!!” Applejack snapped. Silence fell around them as her profanity spread through the cave to the entirety of the cave. “Aaron, please… tell me what’s wrong with you.”

“Nothing. I’ve never been better.” Aaron pushed himself off of the wall and stumbled forward and disproving his statement. “I’m fine, really. You have nothing to worry about.” He slowly started to walk forward towards her, only to be disturbed by the look in his eyes. They were cold, very cold. Looking into its unnatural glow sent a shiver through the mare’s spine. Needing a diversion, Applejack turned to where he was standing to find another green glow.

Yet, she would soon regret and wish to turn back to his gaze. She pretended she didn’t see what she saw. She pretended that she didn’t see a glowing green puddle, and she pretended that there weren’t hints of red in it either. Fear was starting to consume her from the inside out and she could feel herself tremble the closer Aaron got. She knew it was him, but something told her to run from this thing that took Aaron’s place. His hand came forward and Applejack could only close her eyes in terror. Expecting pain to fill her, she soon found a comforting hand caress her cheek. She opened her eyes slowly, seeing that same warm smile. “Applejack, trust me. There’s nothing wrong, I promise.”

Her hand touched the one on her cheek, holding it close. “I wanna believe that, sugar cube. I really do… but my gut is tellin’ me something is off and I’m scared.” She felt some of her fear subside but the glow from his eyes kept her fear well fed.

“Well… what do you want to do then?”

“I… I don’t know. I just want to help you.” Aaron paused for a moment, only to bring Applejack in for a kiss. She happily leaned into it, despite the taste of blood and vomit that lingered in his throat. Once they broke away, the two would hold one another close.

“I… may not be one hundred percent alright.” Applejack knew it, but she didn’t want to believe it. “My chest aches, my strength comes and goes randomly, and I’m pretty sure my migraine has a migraine.”

“Can I get you somethin’?”

“Maybe another kiss?” Applejack couldn’t help but giggle. She leaned into his chest and listened to his heart beat. *Thump Thump… Thump… Thump thump… Thump.* The beat was off pace and often skipped or added another.

“Aaron.”

“Yeah?”

“I want you to promise me something.”

“Anything.”

“… Don’t be afraid to talk to me, alright. I’m here for ya, just like we’re going to be there for Twi. If something’s buggin’ ya, just let me know.”

“Alright.” Aaron held Applejack for a few more seconds, before they heard Draco and Shining calling everypony together. The time had finally come and the ponies would soon be seeing daylight once more. Stealing one last kiss, Aaron would savor the feel of her lips pressed against his own in case this would be the last time they ever did such. “You ready to go save Twilight?”

“As ready as I’ll ever be Sugar cube.” The two would walk out from the other side of the building, joining hands as they went to join the ponies for the attack. Walking through the crowd of pony warriors and Diamond dogs, Aaron walked up to join Shining Armor, Dash, and Draco while Applejack stood in the crowd to watch. With Aaron by their side, Shining Armor would go on to address their forces. The white unicorn looked upon his troops and spoke after a dramatic silence.

“Everypony, listen closely. We’ve prepared you as best we can with what little time we have. In my opinion, you’ve all demonstrated the determination and will of a true royal guard. I am proud to be in the company of you all this day. But… I will admit we are facing better trained and better equipped enemies. We may outnumber them, but they have a significant aerial advantage. Despite all of this, I am confident in each and every one of you here. We have all been locked away in this dreaded mine for far too long, and though you could have chosen the immediate freedom, I am glad to see that you all decided to stay and help our beloved princess, and my sister. If we make it out of this, I will be sure to buy each and every one of you a drink.” The crowd would chuckle in amusement at that part. “I sincerely wish we had more time to properly train you, but as long as you follow my orders, I will be sure to bring you out of this alive. Trust in me, and I shall put my trust in all of you.”

With the speech finished, the crowd would await what they would do next. “At high noon, we will attack the griffon outpost. We shall do so quickly and take them by surprise, but do not forget; Twilight is the main objective. We get her out and free before Tirek’s representatives get her. She is the last princess we have, and I don’t want to lose anymore princesses. So, with that said… I wish everypony here the best of luck. May Celestia’s light watch over you. May she watch over us all.” After those final words, the crowd would gather their equipment. Noon was starting to approach and they would need to be ready for the attack.

~~~~~

The griffons were readying their camp for their visitors. The general made sure that everything went according to plan and every griffon was on their best behavior for their visitors the coming day. Twilight’s cabin was put on constant watch and an hourly check to make sure she was still in her bunk. Sure enough, she was still there, huddled in her bed with nothing to do but wait for her fate.

Patrols were on told to be on their guard. The General didn’t want anything going awry with this prisoner, and he made it clear that no one was to do anything that would jeopardize this for himself or any loyal griffon in the compound. Nothing was going to ruin this for him, lest they wished to face the general’s wrath himself.

One such squad was walking through the center of the compound, making everything was in tip-top shape. They would be ready for anything, at least almost anything. After taking several steps through, one of the four griffons let out a yelp as he mysteriously vanished. His three companions as well as any bystanders would turn to where he was, baffled as to where he could have gone.

The griffons would reach for their swords, thinking that this was what they were preparing for. Yet nothing could prepare them for this kind of attack. Another griffon yelped in shock as he too vanished, his helmet was the only thing left of him. The griffon soldiers were on edge now, brandishing their weapons for anything that could probably find and attack. More griffons would yelp, even squawk as they vanished one after another. Soon enough, the smarter griffons took to the skies after a small number of their forces had been removed.

This caught the general’s attention as he came out to investigate. “What’s going on here!?” The griffons took shelter on the wooden roofs of the shacks.

“Sir, we’re under attack!” The veteran warrior’s eyes widened as he brought out his sword, scanning the area for anything out of the ordinary. One slow griffon would wander the area, scared out of his mind. The general would watch this soldier before sand was kicked up and he was swallowed by the desert. Seeing this, the general leapt off of the ground and joined the others. When there wasn’t anyone else to pull under, they saw something else started to happen.

Sand slowly started to rise from the ground, slowly rising as a small geyser but gave way to show a creature. A creature the general recognized. His skin was a bit paler than he recalled but he knew it was the deformed pony from before. Once he had emerged, his gleaming green eyes turning to them and sneered.

Aaron took his first deep breath of fresh air in a long while and sighed. He had missed the soft fresh air and sunlight. His savoring of his environment was put on hold, as he turned to the general. “Hello again.” The griffons were left dumbstruck at what they saw. Aaron was a prison and he had escaped; the first prisoner to ever escape. Ready to pounce, the general held his troops at bay for the moment. “I must say, creature, you are the last being I’d see make it out of that hole alive.”

“Well, appearances can be deceiving. Secondly, why does everyone keep calling me a thing?” The griffon general wouldn’t answer the question, but instead offer his ‘reward’.

“Well, regardless, I’m afraid that as an escapee, you are to be executed. I won’t have you ruining the perfect record of this establishment.”

“Aw, but I didn’t even get a chance to give you my ultimatum.” The griffons burst out into laughter, finding Aaron’s words as the funniest joke they’ve heard in quite a long time. Even the griffon general joined in, wiping a tear from his eyes as he tried to calm himself down.

“Oh, that is quite amusing. Please, do go on, what is this little ultimatum of yours?”

“Free Princess Sparkle… or I will kill you all.” The laughter started up again, this time much more powerful than before. A griffon or two fell over clenching their chests, finding it hard to breath.

“And is this how you plan on doing so? Making us all laugh ourselves to death?” Aaron would shrug at the general’s remark. “Well, by all means,” The general pointed to the far right on the west side of the prison. “The princess is in that cabin, but I assure you, the moment you leave, you’ll be killed on the spot. So here is my ultimatum; return to the underground or die.” Aaron didn’t even wait to think, already walking to the cabin. The general was amazed that he would so brazenly walk to his death.

With an eager smirk, the general motioned for two guards to attack. With a heavy flap of their wings, they took up their spears and dive bombed the man. They would be able to clean the mess with ease, but this was going to be one of the best shows they have had since the prison was established.

The griffons were closing in fast. To Aaron, time seemed to slow down as he turned around and took hold of their weapons in each hand. Locking his hands onto them, the griffons were absolutely dumbfounded once their claws slid out of their hands and they went flying into the cabin. Dumbfounded, the general and his troops would look upon the human and try to rationalize what had just happened.

While the griffons were left in a daze, Aaron walked into the cabin and found it to be empty. He would sigh to himself once he realized he was just lied to. He figured he should have seen that coming in hindsight. Stepping out of the semi-demolished cabin, Aaron turned his attention to the general once again. “She wasn’t in there. If you don’t tell me, I’m going to burn this place to the ground until you tell me where Twilight Sparkle is.” The general’s patients had been stretched long enough as this had gone from amusing to bothersome in a matter of seconds. Leaping down, the griffons surrounded him, their weapons pointed right at every vital organ they could think of.

“Really? Do you plan on doing such in ribbons? Because, I doubt you are going to make two feet before you are cut down.” Aaron looked around, his green eyes flaring softly. He could see a look of unease in the griffons that saw it. Feeling the unnatural energy inside.

“Of course I can’t… that’s why I brought help.” Aaron stamped his foot on the ground three times. The griffons had no idea what he was doing, but it soon became clear once the ground began to shake. Without a hint of warning, the ground seemed to erupt as the griffons were swarmed by their remaining prisoners. They all had barely any time to react before they were over run. Swords would clash, and claws would spark against gem armor. It was a flurry of desperation from the griffons as they had let their guard down, complaisant in thinking that nothing like this would ever happen. Now, their lax attitude would be the end of them.

Some of the griffon archers took flight, resting above the battleground as they tried to see who to shoot at first. However, one griffon let out a cry of pain as a jagged gemstone was lodged in its eye, bringing it to the ground. The remaining archers would find a young buffalo leading ponies, swinging strange weapons as they sent shark ammunition hurtling towards them. Some missed, others would clang against their armor, but a lucky few would shred the griffons’ wings, bringing down their advantage.

The general was looking at the battle, gritting his beak together as he rushed in, drawing his sword. That’s when he was met with a familiar face. “Hey buddy.” Draco had emerged with Spitfire and Demo standing close to him. “Remember me?” Draco held his sword at the ready, unfurling his wings as the two would do battle once more. Hopefully with a better outcome now that he had a cooler head.

In the fray, Aaron would use his immense strength to aid the course of battle. His reflexes felt heightened, his strength was unmatched. For every swing he was able to dodge with ease. However, he wasn’t omnipresent, leading to a few missteps and cuts grazing against his back. Yet, he would ignore the pain and send griffons flying with his powerful punches. Metal would bend and dent as he unloaded onto his opponents, trying to find his objective. Every cabin he went into would be empty. Once he knew it was free of anyone that mattered, he would not care when he demolished it and used one of the boards as a weapon until it shattered against a griffon’s chassis.

Rainbow Dash and Shining armor would do their best, fighting in almost perfect synchronization as they fought off the griffons. Though her wings were gone, she felt much lighter and making her much more nimble in the battle. Her old sword felt like an old friend come back to her as she felt it clash against the sword and shield of her enemies. She couldn’t believe how much she loved being in the fray of battle, the rush it gave her.

As for Shining, he fought with another purpose entirely. The griffons were merely an obstacle in his way as he aided in searching the cabins for his sister. Aaron couldn’t do it alone and he was just as determined to find her after being apart for so long.

Walking up to a cabin, he would find the door locked. Figuring something important must have been behind it, he would proceed to kick the wooden door down. The moment he walked in, he saw a purple mare on the bed, trying to see what was happening outside the window just out of her reach. “Twilight!?” The voice of her brother had caught her attention as she turned to him in disbelief.

“Shining!?” The elder brother ran to his sister with much joy, tossing his blade and shield to the ground as he embraced his long missed sister. Though it wasn’t the proper time to share a tender moment together, Shining would make an exception just this once to be with his sister. “Wh-… How did you escape? What’s going on?!”

“No time to talk. We gotta get you out of here.”

“R-Right… but-“ She shows him her missing leg, turning the stallion whiter than usual.

“D-Did they-“

“No, it happened a while back. I’ll tell you the whole story later. For now, let’s focus on getting the hell out of here. Can you carry me?”

“Not through that. Do you have a leg or staff we can use?” They heard a pair of footsteps coming into the room. Twilight gasped as she saw a bloodied griffon general walking in absolutely furious, holding the mare’s leg.

“You want this, you little pony bitch!?”

“Don’t talk to my sister like that.” Shining would sneer, clenching his fists. The griffon general brought his claws out, having lost his weapon in a prior fight. Shining would rush the griffon leader, picking his new sword up and swung at him. Though the griffon was wounded, he still managed to dodge Shining armor with relative ease. Swing after swing would miss or be parried by the griffon’s sharp claws.

“Come now, is this really all the great Prince Shining Armor really has to offer?” After a particularly powerful swing, the griffon general took hold of Shining’s horn and removed the sword from out of his reach. Twilight could only sit back and watch as her brother was disarmed and depowered. Holding the horn tight, the general brought Shining to his knees as he grunted, trying to get free. “It was a valiant effort,” The griffon raised his hand, his claws at the ready to cut into flesh. Twilight’s eyes shrank as she watched helplessly. “But it was all for naught.” Shining took one last look to his sister before he could feel his end near.

“JOHN CENA!!!” Without warning, or much context, the wall soon burst into pieces as a human man came barreling through feet first. The three were left dumbstruck at what they were seeing. Aaron came rushing through with his arm held out. Time seemed to slow for a moment so he could take in the scene, and see Shining Armor’s look of utter shock and disbelief.

The griffon general was clotheslined against Aaron’s arm, taking him along on his journey through the walls of the cabin as Twilight’s leg fell out of his grasp with the two falling into the course sands. The two were stunned for the moment but it would give Shining Armor and Twilight the chance they needed to grab the leg and escape. Just in time for the general to get up, his rage and anger for this strange monster coming to a boil. “You!”

“Me.”

“If I knew how much of a nuisance you would be for me, I’d have killed you the moment you were brought in.

“Nuisance? I think we both know that I’m a little more than a nuisance.” He motioned to the battle that was going on behind the cabin, the battle of which the griffons were losing.

“You think this is funny?!” Aaron slowly got up, dusting himself off.

“Do you really want me to answer that?” The griffon general roared in anger, lunging for Aaron. With his new power, he would casually side step the nearly invisible swipes of his claw. They would tear away his clothes, but never touch his flesh. However, after a small pain in his gut, Aaron’s abilities faltered. With the opening, the general sliced his claws through Aaron’s side, filling him with more pain that was coming over him.

Forced onto his knees, Aaron would cling to his sides as he felt something starting to lurch in his gut. “Your luck has ended, and after I kill you, I’m going to gut every last one of those infernal equine.” Aaron would try to get up but the general would have none of that. His foot drove into Aaron’s back, forcing him onto his side to look at his pained expression. “As much of a pain in the feathers you were, I must say… you were the best challenge I’ve had in years. Though, don’t flatter yourself, it’s not as high of an honor as you think.” Grabbing Aaron by the neck, the griffon pinned him down and proceeded to strangle Aaron with a maniacal and deranged glare in his eyes.

Aaron could feel his strength start to fade, as well as his consciousness. The glow in his eyes slowly began to fade as the claws dug into his neck. He could feel the tips break the skin, drawing a bit of his blood. Making a final struggle, Aaron would take hold of the griffon’s arms, and try to pry him off. His strength would flux in and out, giving him the edge then taking it away from him. He only had one last solution he could use to get out of this situation. Holding the griffon’s arms, Aaron would use the last bit of air in his lungs to save himself.

With a focused glare, Aaron did the one thing he knew could save his life; he spat in his eye. A small mass of blood and saliva struck the general in the eye, making him rear back from the stinging sensation. “GAH!!! What the-“ He didn’t get a chance to finish as Aaron kneed the griffon in the testicles several times while his strength was in use. Once the cup had shifted to an inverted shape, Aaron used what strength he had left in him to punch the griffon off of him completely. Free from his grasp and able to breathe once more, Aaron would come across another issue. The nagging pain had returned as his body began to burn.

The glow in his eyes flickered as his strength began to fail him, but soon turned into weakness. Whatever had given him his strength was tearing himself apart. His veins began to glow green, his chest began to tighten. Aaron could only fall to his hands as his body was being torn apart, just as he could hear the growl of someone behind him. “Your time is up, beast.” Aaron clenched his fists as he mustered up what little strength he had left and unleashed it into the griffon’s face. It sent him flying into a nearby cabin, collapsing it on top of him. While he enjoyed the finishing blow, it was all that Aaron had left in him. He soon fell back onto the ground with a trail of green liquid slowly trickling out of a smile.

The griffons were slowly pushed back into a corner, soon disarmed and rendered helpless. Many of the soldiers wanted to see the griffons dead for imprisoning them for so long. Many of them had perished both griffon and pony. Yet, the ponies held a clear victory over them. With a victorious cry, the ponies celebrated their victory and their freedom.

It wouldn’t be long before the ponies started to disband and take their leave with friends new and old. Shining Armor and Draco would see to the fallen. There didn’t seem to be much respect in burying them in the desert, thus they would have to settle with cremating the bodies in a mass bonfire. It didn’t seem all that honorable, but an unmarked grave in the middle of the desert seemed worse.

With the battle set, Applejack would reunite herself with Twilight, who was explaining the story of her lost leg to her brother. “Hey Twi.” The purple alicorn smiled at AJ, thankful to see she was alive.

“Applejack, you’re okay!” She leapt up and brought her longtime friend in for a hug. “I’m so glad you’re safe.”

“Likewise, sugar cube. Did they do anythin’ to you?”

“Not really. They fed me and I was mostly just sitting in a bed. Unless they were planning on boring me to death, they didn’t do much anything else.”

“I’m glad to hear that.” She let out a sigh of relief. The two would hear a small awkward cough, catching their attention. Turning to meet another friend, Twilight was left speechless as she saw the newly wingless Rainbow Dash.

“H-Hey Twilight.” The two wouldn’t speak much other than that, but Twilight soon expressed her joy to see another friend with a long hug. “Ah, w-watch the stubs please, they’re very sensitive.” Twilight would hold back tears of joy. She had two of her five friends back; a fee only seen in myths. Now, when the odds were never in their favor, they had pulled it off.

“I missed you so much, Rainbow.”

“I missed you too, egghead.”

“I’m… I’m sorry for what happened in the New Crystal Empire.”

“No need to apologize. I’d do it all over again if given the chance.” Twilight managed to pull herself away from Rainbow. “So, I hear you got yourself a coltfriend.” Twilight soon felt her cheeks burn. “Speaking of which, where is Aaron anyway?”

“Um… guys.” The mood shifted, as the joyous moment had turned into a melancholic one. Walking into the scene was Strong Heart with Aaron being carried in by Bulk Biceps. The camp had gone silent as they gathered to see the strange being that had freed them after so long. None of what they did today could have been accomplished without his aid, and seeing him lay there lifeless took a toll on everypony. No more was that felt than with Twilight, Rainbow, and Applejack. The three mares fell to their knees as they looked him over.

“W-What happened?” Twilight demanded.

“We don’t know. We just found him like this. We don’t know what caused it.” With an analytical eye, Twilight began to look him over. Most would say the bruises on his neck were a clear sign, others would say he bled out. Yet Twilight and Applejack had a different suspicion. Applejack was always wary of Aaron’s newfound abilities, and Twilight could easily tell her why.

The unnatural glow in his veins gave it off to her, knowing full well what it was. “Applejack, help me out here. We need to drain him.”

“Twilight, I-“

“NOW!!!”

~~~~~

Aaron stood in a black void, feeling nothing. “So… this is it huh. Never thought I’d go out this way.” His voice echoed through the nothingness. “I never really knew death would be this dull. Do I just… float here for the rest of eternity?”

“Nay.” Aaron looked around at the strange voice that echoed.

“… God? Is that you?”

“Not exactly.” The voice became clearer as Nightmare Moon slowly emerged from the blackness.

“Nightmare? You’re… the angel of death? Or are you just taking that form just to make me feel more comfortable?”

“Nay, tis the real me.”

“Oh. Well, okay then. So, are you… gonna take me to the pony afterlife or something? Am I to frolic with the ponies of history’s past?”

“It is… unclear. The realm of death is not my domain.” She slowly flapped her wings, bringing herself closer to Aaron. “However, I would like to think that now is not your time.”

“So, this is just a dream then?”

“In a way. That is how I am able to talk to you. I do not know how death works for your kind, but the fact that we are here means that there is a chance that you may yet live.” The two froze as they heard a voice, too faded and distorted to make out properly. “Tell me, are you ready to die?”

“Are you serious?” Aaron would ask with a skeptical look.

“… Aaron…” They recognized that voice. The echo of Applejack’s concerned voice filled his head. “… Don’t you… give up… on me!”

“She sounds terrified.”

“Yeah. I really should get back to her and Twilight.”

“That you should, but before you go, I have something for you.”

“What’s tha-“ Aaron was soon silenced as Nightmare brought him in for a kiss. The action threw him off his guard. The kiss was something beyond explanation, as if it was the perfect kiss a mere mortal could ever hope to receive. Once she departed, she would look into his eyes with a warm expression. “Wh-What was that for?”

“For a successful rescue mission and helping to defy my husband. I figured I could do something that would aggravate him as well.”

“You’re so bad, Nightmare.”

“Actually… call me… Luna.” Aaron smiled at her as he felt a tug pulling him away.

“I’ll come by later, when I’m not… well, on my death bed.”

“I shall look forward to our next meeting, noble Aaron.” The darkness was pushed aside for a gleaming light. He could hear the concerned calls of the two mares that mattered most to him. The light was overwhelming, like looking directly into LED head lights mixed in with looking into a laser pointer. He felt his eyes slowly opened to see a blurred blob of colors. Letting out a pained groan, Aaron’s eyes would focus to see the worried expressions of his newfound friends. Closest to his face were Twilight and Applejack.

“Hey… Did we win?” The two mares soon brought him in for a worried hug.

“Don’t ever scare me like that again!” Twilight shouted, holding the man close.

“Ya had us scared nearly to death there.” Aaron wanted to make a joke about that, but he felt that holding the mares close and not saying anything was the much better idea. He enjoyed the soft warmth of his marefriends as their hug, while a bit taxing on his extremely soar body, and were very welcome at the moment.

“Hey, guys, could you help me up please. I can’t exactly feel my legs.” Twilight retreated as she wiped more tears from her eyes, Applejack doing the same. They carefully sat him up on a table they had found, showing the near absent base say for Draco and his crew.

“Glad to see you’re alive.”

“Glad to be alive.” The Pegasus platted the man on the back, only to give him something.

“Here, I went and fetched this for ya back at the old HQ.” He untied something on his belt and showed it to be Aaron’s sword. Applejack took it for him, seeing as how he could barely stand let alone hold a sword.

“So, where do we go from here?”

Rainbow came forward. “Actually, if it’s all the same to you guys, I was thinking we could head on over to the main headquarters to regroup and rest for a bit. Plus, from what Draco’s been telling me, sounds like they could really use me there.”

“That’s fine and all, but I don’t see how we’re going to get there.” Twilight would say.

“Well,” Draco began to vent an idea. “We could head on down to Dodge and catch a train.”

“Out of the question.” Twilight knew the risk of catching trains. There were always guards and they could easily point out Rainbow and Twilight in a crowd.

“No, princess, here me out; about a year ago, we started using these special trains.” Twilight cocked a brow, slightly curious. “Some of our agents sneak by and slip a few bits to ‘miss’ their next train out of town. I figured, we head on over to Dodge, slip a few extra bits for a safe ride and sneak on before any guards catch us.” There would be some silent debate among them.

“Can anypony think of anything else?” Rainbow would ask with no pony coming to reply. “Alright then, looks like we got a train to catch. Everypony pack up your shit, we’re heading out before nightfall.” The small crowd would disband, say for Aaron, Applejack, and Twilight.

“Hey Twi, before you go, I gotta ask… what happened to me?”

“Oh.” She cleared her throat, preparing for a long winded explanation. “Well, when you were brought to us, I saw the substance leaking out of your mouth and your glowing veins. It could have only meant that you somehow absorbed the synthetic magic.”

“That explains a lot.” Applejack would say. “I always thought that new strength of yours was out of the ordinary.”

“True, but the substance wasn’t made for your genetic makeup. I have no idea how your body would react. Turns out it is a double edged sword.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, never having been exposed to magic, you seem to be sensitive to its effects. However, it’s quite toxic. How long have you been exposed?”

“Uh… almost a day I think. I have no idea how long it’s been. It was around noon-ish.”

“I see."

"So... how did you get it out of me?"

“I uh… drained it.”

“… I… uh…”

“She kissed ya. Sucked the magic out of you and into her.” Twilight would fluster at Applejack’s blunt explanation of the ‘draining’ process.

“Applejack!”

“Sorry, you were talking too long.” Twilight sighed.

“The point is, I got the stuff out of you before it could do anymore harm. I then used that magic to heal the wounds you got from it… but not all of them. I did all I could for you but you’ll have to heal the rest of the way on your own.” Aaron would softly smile at Twilight, bringing her back in for the hug.

“Thank you for saving me, Twilight. I owe you my life.” She soon leaned into the hug.

“No problem.” Applejack would softly lean into her friends. They were back together again and they couldn’t be happier. With Rainbow back, she would be able to help them rescue the rest of their friends in the coming future.