Fawkes couldn’t help but stare at the massive building before him. He’d seen the once great majesty of the Lincoln Memorial, the imposing figure of the Citadel, and even the proud stance of the Washington monument, but this… this building stood proudly and brilliantly, shining like a star in the night sky. The crystal walls of the structure gleamed with the light from the actual sun, and seemed to radiate an air of its own. It was as if simply staring at this castle was doing something to him. He could feel his transfigured and mutated heart elate with every breath he took under its shadow.

“Fawkes?” a voice called.

Fawkes snapped out of his trance to see the source of the voice, Apple Bloom, looking up at him with a smile.

“Are ya’ll alright?” she asked.

The Meta-Human looked back up to the castle and nodded.

“Yes… I’ve just, never seen something of this…. Majesty, before,” he answered.

He looked around to see Twilight walking up to the massive doors of the castle. Again, the protrusion on her head glowed a purple hue before the doors were encased in the same glow. They parted easily and allowed Fawkes to peer inside.

“Well, come on in,” Twilight stated before going inside herself.

Apple Bloom followed her inside as Fawkes gazed around the interior. It was a stark contrast to the outside, being mostly greyish, smooth stone for the walls and floor, while the ceiling overhead remained true to the exterior’s color scheme. The main hallway was massive in width, length, and height, easily able to likely fit an entire army, should one need to. The passage was decorated with a few busts and paintings here and there, but did not stick to any specific theme or share any semblance that Fawkes could notice at first glance.

Just as they were entering the main area, Fawkes’ eyes attempted to widen in shock of the beauty of the room. There were six massive seats, all made of stone, with a single throne off to the side of the largest one. Each throne had a different imprint on it, likely to differentiate who sat where. There was one with three butterflies, one with three diamonds, another with three apples, a cloud with a three-colored lightning bolt, three balloons, and the largest one with the same mark Twilight had on her flanks, a star-pattern.

Past the massive room was a large spiral staircase, tall and wide enough to support at least three Super Mutants. Fawkes followed Twilight and Apple Bloom up the stairs, looking around to take in the atmosphere of the castle.

As he walked through the castle, each step had seemed to be lighter than the last. Since Fawkes walked inside the building, it was like he was constantly becoming more at ease with everything around him. Every sight he took in, every step climbed, and every rough, uneven breath he took with his mutated lungs, the burden on his mind and body seemed to lessen. It was as if the castle was actually trying to help him calm down.

"Well, if you'd like, Fawkes," Twilight started, walking onto the landing of the next floor, "I can start reading up on psychological studies, and you could take a look around my library."

"Thank you, Twilight," Fawkes stated as he climbed the last few stairs to reach the upper floor. It was like the other hallway he was in earlier, only not as massive, being only around 16 feet tall, and 10 feet wide. Plenty of room for him to maneuver, though. On the wall to the left was a set of large double-doors, like an iron gate. Twilight's strange light covered a small locking mechanism before the doors swung open. Fawkes followed closely, stepped inside...

... and nearly froze.

The room itself was like the rotunda from the Capitol Building in the Mall, only three times as large in every direction, barely able to fit in his sight all at the same time. Though its size was impressive, it wasn't what stopped Fawkes. The interior was vastly different, coated in a brilliant sky-blue crystal that lined the walls up to the curvature of the dome itself, changing into a beautiful stylization of the night sky, each protrusion in the castle's ceiling blinking like a star in the false sky. These features, however, weren't even noticed entirely by the Meta Human.

What caught Fawkes' attention, was the massive collection of books that were stored in the room. Wall-to-wall, rows of shelves, spaces in the walls removed to hold more of the small holders of knowledge. Books, as far as the room stretched. Scrolls, papers, parchments, piled up and stacked about like a workshop belonging to the greatest minds.

It was beyond anything he could remember. Information of a thousand-thousand secrets and then some waiting to be touched, to be read, and yearning to be remembered.

Fawkes couldn't form the words.

Thankfully, Twilight could.

"So, if you'd like, I can get you some copies of Encyclopedia Equestria for you to start on while I look for my psychological studies textbooks. I got them from the Canterlot University Library, so they'd be our best bet to try to start off on. Does that sound good?" she asked with a wide smile.

Fawkes stood almost as still as a statue for a full thirty seconds after Twilight's inquiry. Twilight looked to Apple Bloom with a questioning gaze, to which the filly responded with a shake of her head. Neither of them had any idea how to respond to Fawkes' current state. As if moved by their concern, Fawkes slowly stalked up to the nearest shelf. It took him less than three full strides of his large legs, and when he got close enough, he got to one knee. He seemed to scan the shelf before plucking out a trio of books, and tucked them into the space underneath his left arm. After that, he rose a bit from his position and grabbed two more books from the next shelf. Fawkes continued to grab more and more tomes of Equestrian literature until he was holding a pile of 37 books in his left arm. Unable to carry any more, Fawkes made his way to the nearest table and put them down gently.

After setting down the books, Fawkes reached around himself and unlatched the Gatling Laser from his back before he set it down on the table to the left of the books. Shortly after being set down, the weapon was joined by the sack that Fawkes had carried over from the Wasteland. The Meta Human pulled out a crystal-reinforced stool and brought himself down to sit on it. Thankfully, it was strong enough to hold Fawkes up, and without a word spoken, Fawkes pulled the first book off the pile and slowly opened it. He brought it up to his nostrils and inhaled as smoothly as he could. A relaxed sigh escaped his perpetually-barred teeth as Fawkes lowered the book to eye level.

"The smell... of a classic. A great day, truly, for reading. Thank you, Twilight."

Twilight smiled warmly at the sight while Apple Bloom came up to her.

"Twilight, what's he readin'?" she asked.

"'Classical Literature from the Age of Union', a book on the famous short-stories during the time the Three Tribes unified under the Equestrian flag," Twilight said proudly.

Apple Bloom looked over the stack that Fawkes had pulled out, and then back to the shelves. Right by one of the shelves that Fawkes had gotten his collection from, the filly spotted the next book she would need to study for her potion classes with Zecora and Twilight. She trotted up to the shelf and pulled the book out with her teeth. Apple Bloom then pushed a stool over to the table Fawkes was at and sat atop it before putting the book down in front of her.

"Fawkes, would ya like some company?" the filly asked with a small smile.

Fawkes found himself able to actually look away from the book in his hands to see the look on Apple Bloom's face. The Meta Human still couldn't believe the scenario he was in. Not only had he found a fully stocked and pristine library, practically bursting with tomes of awaiting knowledge, but was also asked if he could be joined in his reading.

'These... ponies,' he thought to himself, 'they... they wish to stay by my side. Even in Underworld, they would leave me the moment I found something to read. But the ponies... these children...'

Fawkes nodded to the little filly, happy to have some company at last. She beamed, but jumped out of her seat. Before Fawkes could have a negative thought about her actions, she spoke.

"Ah just remembered! Today's Twilight Time! Ah can bring the Crusaders! We'll study together!" she cried joyously before running out the doors.

Twilight shook her head with a smile on her face. Her horn was lit up as several stacks of parchment, an inkwell, and a quill were settled down on the table across from Fawkes. The alicorn took a seat as she spoke to Fawkes.

"I've been helping Apple Bloom and her friends learn some new skills. I'm sure they'd love to meet you. But be careful with Sweetie Belle, she's still recovering from a foalnapping from a few days ago. Still, I'm sure they'll be thrilled to see a new friend join them for their studies."

'Friend,' Fawkes echoed in his mind.

"If you'd like, we can talk about what you were saying earlier, about your imprisonment. I'd like to compare notes with what we can find in here to what you've experienced. I'd also like to send a copy to my old mentor, Princess Celestia. If you're looking for somepony that came from your world, she might be able to help find them."

Fawkes slowly closed the book in his hands as he leaned forward towards the table. He placed the book onto the pile and brought his elbows to the table's surface.

"Very well, Twilight," he answered. "The first I can remember, was a searing pain in a small room, two hundred years ago."

As Fawkes talked about his past, Twilight took notes autonomously, the notes practically being written by Fawkes' voice as his voice wavered at certain parts. He had to pause every few sentences, trying to keep his mind calm as he relived every detail of his painful existence. Twilight refused to withhold her sympathy for the strange being, having known nothing but pain his entire life. Little did she know, however, that the story would have an uplifting turn that would remind Twilight of her last guest, almost as if they were talking about the same pony.

\\\\\\//////

Sweetie Belle slept softly on the couch in Rarity's work area, curled up with her tail underneath her head and her legs tucked close to her barrel. She breathed softly as she remained mostly still on the red cushions while Rarity worked about her boutique. The alabaster mare was switching between projects constantly, her mane in a fritz as she switched between taking notes on one dress, to retaking measurements on a suit, to sewing up the hemline for another dress, and back to her notes to check her work with the specifics in her orders.

Every now and again, Rarity would check on Sweetie to see if she was still there, and doing alright. Thankfully, the former hadn't changed, but the latter had been constantly changing the past few days. Being abducted was indeed a traumatic experience for Rarity, but they merely wanted her for her special talent to locate gems, and even then she was a fully grown, intelligent and strong-willed mare who could use her wits to get her out of the situation. Sweetie Belle was but a filly and had witnessed a stallion of Celestia's Royal Guard be mutilated before walking into a literal deathtrap. Results were guaranteed to be different. Rarity had ceased all work for the remainder of that day to hold Sweetie Belle close as she wept into her sister's barrel.

Of course, the demand for her craft were tripled with the discussions of the next Grand Galloping Gala in the spotlight of Canterlot's elites, meaning that she needed to start the next wave of attire before she could be overbooked. Thankfully, Sweetie could rest in the main workroom on her couch, allowing Rarity to attend to her work while also keeping an eye on Sweetie's recovery. Rarity, however, still felt as though she should close up for the rest of the week and help her sister, but Sweetie told her that she was physically fine, and insisted that Rarity needed to work to maintain her image in the industry.

Even now, she couldn't help but marvel at the speed of her recovery. Rarity remembered when she had confronted the nurse about Sweetie's recovery.

"We're still not sure how she was able to heal that fast, but she should be fine. There's no sign of infection, the bone's reset properly, and from what we can see, there's no scarring present, nor will there be," the nurse explained to Rarity.

Rarity sat in the waiting room with Sweetie Belle drifting between being awake and being asleep as the nurse gave the older mare details about Sweetie's results. Thankfully, there were mostly positives. No infections, no permanent damage, but still, it looked as though the mare was holding something back.

"However," the mare started again, "what she needs right now, above all else, is mentally recover."

Rarity was at a temporary loss for words.

"How... how do you mean?" she asked, growing afraid of what the nurse might prescribe.

"Well, you could schedule her with a therapist for a few months-"

"B-b-but, I can't just leave her out of my sight now! I've got to let our parents know, they'll want to come down and make sure she's okay," Rarity quickly interjected.

"Well, I'd strongly recommend that she get some degree of help. Even if it's the small things, like time with loved ones, it'll help her a lot more in the long run."

Rarity nodded her thanks to the nurse as she began to stir Sweetie awake to go home.

A bell ringing from the door snapped Rarity back to reality. She sighed as she started towards the entrance, preparing herself to drone out her usual greeting. Even if she was still exhausted from her work and already taxing her limits, she wouldn't dare to ruin the reputation she had built with Carousel Boutique.

"Welcome to Carousel Boutique, where everything is-" her mantra was cut off as she saw who had entered her store. "-oh, hello Apple Bloom. How are you doing?" she asked with a relieved smile.

"Hi Miss Rarity," the filly greeted. "Is Sweetie Belle okay enough to come to Twilight Time?" she asked hopefully with wide eyes.

Rarity sighed as she weighed the options in her mind. Sweetie Belle should have her rest, but she might have an easier time recovering if she spent this time with ponies she cared about and were willing to return in kind. Plus, they'd be with Twilight Sparkle, the most capable pony since Celestia herself. Not to mention the distraction would help to get Sweetie's mind off the... gruesome, events.

"I'll see if she's up for it," Rarity answered.

She went back into the work room and saw Sweetie fidget a bit on the couch. The filly let out a yawn as she stretched.

"Rarity? Is somepony here?" she asked while rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

"Yes, Apple Bloom wanted to know if you'd like to join her for Twilight Time. Would you like to spend some time with your friends?" Rarity asked as she ran a hoof across her sister's back.

Sweetie smiled softly as she nodded and rose from the couch. She made her way to the door where Apple Bloom waited. Rarity watched as her sister walked out of the boutique with her friend, and soon, they galloped off to find their third member. With a deep breath, Rarity returned to her work.

\\\\\\//////

Alone, at a rather average sized desk, sat a lone mare. She sorted through the hundreds of books at a time, studying the contents at a speed that would put scholars to shame. Still, for her, it wasn't enough. The mare continued to sift through the dusty area of books and quills. Old notes were piled aside as she looked for something that had been unattended to for quite some time. Finally found beside an old picture-filled book, the object was surrounded in a pinkish glow and levitated towards the mare. Without hesitation, the mare used it to slice open an envelope, and quickly tossed it aside, likely to never be used again.

The mare took the contents out of the letter, and found it to be filled with medical records. Curious as to why she would be sent something like this, she checked the return address and saw it was still the same. The mare decided to look for the answer in the files she was sent and began to look through them.

Almost immediately, she was hooked on the results.

Blood tests coming up inconclusive, unknown bacteria being found in samples, strange micro-organic phenomena inhabiting throughout the host's tissue sample, CAT scans and X-rays that looked like something out of a work of fiction, all of it grasping the mare's attention like a wild Zebrican Python.

The envelope was held upside down until it dropped a small folded-up paper. Unfolding it, she read it to herself.

I know this may seem strange to just send the results of somepony I don't know to you, but these results are unlike anything we've seen at Canterlot Medical. Everypony thinks these are just some pranks by some hick-doctors in Ponyville, but I know most of the ponies that work there. They wouldn't try to pull a prank like this at all. Tartarus, the records show that since its founding, they've sent us notes on medicines and herbs we didn't know even existed. These results are real, and we need to find who they belong to. We need to make sure this isn't some kind of patient-zero of a future outbreak, but nopony wants to admit it. That's why I'm asking you to go to Ponyville and study this stallion and try to get whatever samples you can of his DNA, tissue, blood, anything. I know I can trust you. I notified the staff of Ponyville Central that you're coming to assist, but I didn't tell them what with. Just keep your badge close and your eyes open for that stallion.

P.S. Try making some friends, deary. I haven't seen them with you once since your twentieth birthday.

The mare ignored the last part of the letter, focusing instead on the main bulk of the writing. She adjusted her glasses and went to pack her things. In a matter of seconds, a suitcase filled with toiletries, sweaters, quills, parchment and ink wells was packed and by the mare's worn-down door. She adjusted the band that kept her hair up as she walked out the door. Before she got too far, however, she opened the front of the bag, where she kept her work ID. She brought it out and stuck it to her sweater as she locked the house behind her.

\\\\\\//////

A single, lonesome figure watched over a massive cavernous area. This lone figure stood on four legs, each covered in a pale green fur. The figure's fur was obscured as it wore a large officer's coat that faded to a lighter shade of green. Atop the figure's angular head was a patch of brown hair that was spotted with grey hairs. To each flank, a different weapon was strapped, one being thing and the other being a larger rectangular prism on a small handle. A horn protruded from the figure's forehead, lightly aglow with a brown shade.

A drink floated by his side, a glass of amber liquid with a few blocks of ice in it. As he lifted it to his mouth to sip, he watched his loyal followers working diligently in the cavern they had claimed as their own.

Only a few months ago, these dogs were trying to pillage the remains of his once great army, only to fall in line as his primary line of troops. He had heard their woes, their need for survival, but wasn't moved in the slightest by it. Plenty of parasites, including those that were so disgustingly mutated as these freaks, were in need of a host to drain of life. One fact, however, they mentioned to him managed to bring them under a more favorable light.

To think, that he would loose one army to gain a somewhat superior one.

He remembered coming to this land, what seemed like a lifetime ago, and loosing nearly everything he had worked to achieve. Until he found these, "Diamond Dogs," as they are calling themselves, he had nothing to do but curse a God that may or may not even exist. Then they told him about where he was, and showed him what this world had to offer.

It offered a new chance for the Enclave.

A knock on the door behind him drew the pony's attention.

"Enter," he stated with a force behind his voice.

The doors behind him opened up to reveal three Diamond Dogs in Mark-II Power Armor, who saluted upon seeing the Colonel.

"Colonel Autumn, Sir," the smallest one greeted as he stood at attention, "we've come back with something you might be interested in, sir."

Autumn was pleased. In a mere few weeks, he was able to not only train the New Enclave, but also discipline these elite Diamond Dogs into soldiers that he might actually consider Americans one day.

"What is it?" he asked, placing the drink onto a smoothed mahogany table.

The smaller Dog waved the other two forward, each carrying something in large bags. The first one unloaded an assortment of at least four books, three looking fresh while the last one was faded. The second Dog placed the bag on the table, standing something inside it up, before lifting the bag off and revealing something strange.

"What am I looking at, Corporal, and where did you find it?" Autumn asked critically as he examined the object.

"Sir, we found it while scouting the Griffon city nearby, Griffonstone," the larger one that brought it in answered. "As for what it is,we secured this book," the scout pointed to the worn-out book, "that details the artifact's history."

Colonel Autumn lifted the book into view and read the title to himself.

"The Idol of Boreas. Interesting. What of the rest of these books?" he asked, pointing to them with his blunt appendage.

"When we recovered the idol, sir, we came across several small towns nearby. We've been taking notes on their populations, their structures, layouts, and the environment around them. But, that's only two of them. The third is from when we found another Griffon village near the bottom of the mountain range. It's a list of names."

"Why did you accumulate a list of names on a scouting mission?" Autumn asked sternly.

"Sir, when the Griffons had seen us pass through, they bowed to the idol. When we told them of the Enclave... they pledged allegiance to our flag, so long as we hold this idol."

Autumn nearly dropped his jaw. He looked down at the golden object on the table and slowly began to smile.

"These Griffons, tell me about them," Autumn ordered as he pulled his drink back to his lips.

As the Dogs began to tell Autumn of the Griffons, the Colonel began to devise new strategies in his mind, and the promise this idol brought to the Enclave's future.

Author's Notes:

Sorry this took so long to write, but hey! Season 5 is about to get Wandered!
Did I really just f^cking say that?

P.S. If you can't figure out who the mare is, you deserve a slap across the genitals.