The Arch Magister slowly cracked her eyes open, blinking owlishly. Her chest hurt terribly. It hurt to breathe. Above her head was a face, blurred by her state of consciousness, "W-who?" She rasped out.

"It's Mike." the figure explained.

"Keep your questions simple and brief." Came the irritated voice of Bobby Jewel, "She needs to rest as much as possible."

"We need to know how to track somebody using Blood Magic." The Captain said quietly, "I know you're going to have some reservations about doing this but we need you to tell us how to do it."

Catalyst groaned, 'I don't need this.', "Can't tell... too dangerous... can lead... to dangerous... path. No... turning back."

Mike leaned in closer to the Arch Magister, "Catalyst please, we need to find our people and time is of the essence. You're in no shape to do it, we need you to tell us."

'I can't tell them. It's too dangerous. Unless...' , "Have Princess... cast geas... Full Spectrum... never use... without Princess... permission."

Mike straightened up, "I'll be back later. I'll need her to wake up then too. I'm sorry Bobby, but we have to do this." Mike limped out of the room while Bobby Jewel grumbled angrily about his patients needing their rest.

Mike closed the door behind himself and looked at the curious faces of his officers and one Sorcerer, "She'll teach Full Spectrum, but only if one of the Princesses casts a geas on her only to use it with permission."

Full Spectrum clenched her right fist and raised her chin, "Fine. I'll do whatever I need to. I'm not letting any of our people suffer any longer than necessary."

Mike smiled grimly and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder, "I know. Thank you. Let's go find Luna."

* * *

The lunar Princess was resting in the middle of a dream-delve on a pair of hospital beds that had been pulled together. Her room was quiet and the recovering, sleeping Diamond Dog Bloodmage was lying on another bed on the opposite side of the room. Despite her protests, her forelegs had been bandaged thickly. Celestia and Twilight were in the room as well, waiting for Luna to awaken from her dream-delve.

A knock on the door alerted the Alicorns to the presence of somebody outside. Celestia lit her horn and opened the door, "Ah Captain. I am so pleased to see you are up and about already. I have heard of your injuries, but you know your limits, so I will say no more on the matter." she lowered her head and her eyes, "I am grieved to hear about the fates of so many of your officers. They did not deserve what happened to them, nor did the Sorcerers. Once word reached me, I sent out messages to the other nations." she raised her head back up, "The Peacemaker Initiative has been reactivated. All applicants will be considered, their species notwithstanding."

Mike gave Celestia a microscopic nod, "I appreciate that, but that's not why I'm here."

Celestia tilted her head and Mike pointed to the dark blue Alicorn on the bed, "I need Luna to cast a geas on one of the Sorcerers so that Catalyst can teach her the Blood Magic spell to track our people." He straightened his shoulders and looked Celestia square in the eye, "We're getting our people back."

Celestia's eyes widened and she took and involuntary step back. She held off her initial reaction and closed her eyes briefly. She solidified her mindset and reminded herself that she had made a promise to trust the Humans, "The Arch Magister thinks the situation is so severe that she needs to teach," her face contorted as if she were biting down on bitter herbs, "Blood Magic to somebody?"

Mike nodded, "Yes. Our Sorcerer has already volunteered to accept the geas. I can't stand here all night arguing about this..."

"I'll do it then." Celestia said quietly, "My sister needs her rest and I trust both you and the Arch Magister. If you are willing to trust one of your people with... this kind of knowledge, then I will too." she stepped out of the room and closed the door behind her, "Where is your volunteer?"

"Right here Princess." Full Spectrum said from across the hallway. She was leaning against the wall biting her fingernails nervously.

Celestia looked at her and the ancient Alicorn's face saddened, "I'm so sorry that we let this happen, that this is necessary." she slowly crossed the hallway and sat her white rump down on the cold tile floor, "You can have the geas and the knowledge of the Blood Magic removed anytime you want. I won't force you into this." She took a slow breath before continuing, "Are you really ready to take on this kind of a responsibility; this evil knowledge that has brought death and destruction to so many of the officers and your fellow Sorcerers?"

Full Spectrum pushed herself off the wall and thrust her face right up to Celestia's muzzle, "Knowledge is a tool, nothing more. Just because others have done terrible things with it does not mean that I will too. I'm not doing this because I want to or because I want power. I'm going to help find a bunch of innocent people who were kidnapped by Bloodmages and bring them back. I want to know Blood Magic about as much as you want to feast on your own road-apples!" she stepped back and tossed her head, flinging her long dreadlocks around her head, leveling a determined glare at the Princess, "But if this is the best way to find our people, I'll take one for the team."

Celestia held her tongue, 'I'm so sorry you feel the need to do this.' She lowered her horn toward the young woman, "Very well, please hold still."

* * *

The young woman once known as Tamika Edison walked out of the Arch Magister's hospital room silently, closing the door behind her. She had gone in alone and had come out alone. Catalyst would not allow anybody else in the room while she was teaching the young Sorcerer. Four other Humans waited patiently outside the door, as they had been for the previous half hour. Mike, Darryl, and Chris all brought their attention to the closing door and the woman closing it. Everybody was quiet for several long moments. The seriousness of the situation weighed on their minds, bringing a certain somberness to the air. Bobby, who had been waiting outside the room, inclined his head to Full Spectrum then went to administer a mild sedative to the recently stitched Arch Magister.

The people left in the hallway silently stared at each other for a few seconds before Darryl broke the silence, "Did she teach you?"

"She did." Full Spectrum said quietly, "She gave me permission to use it as many times as necessary to find missing Humans who were taken by Bloodmages." she flashed a small, pensive smile, "She worded that very carefully too."

Darryl nodded firmly, "Alright then, now we need to go have a talk with Riffin..."

He was cut off by a blood-curdling scream from the front of the hospital which was accompanied by bellowing yells and angry, stressed voices. Before any of them could even flinch, Bobby Jewel burst out of Catalyst's room, banging the door against the wall, and sprinted toward the direction of the screaming. Chris, Full Spectrum, and Darryl turned and sprinted after Bobby, while the Captain shambled along behind them as quickly as his body would allow, 'Can't we get a break?!'

As they followed the sound, a single bellowing voice overpowered every other voice, "WHERE ARE THEY!? WHERE ARE THOSE FISH KISSING, DUNG WALLOWING MONSTERS!? BY ALL THAT CHANGES, I'LL TEAR THEM APART!"

"Sir, you need to calm down..." a voice said, trying to be commanding.

"CAPTAAAAAAAIN!" the deep voice bellowed again, shaking the hospital, "I HAVE A GRIEVANCE! MY SISTER HAS PERISHED! MURDERED BY BLOODMAGES! WHERE ARE THEY!? WHERE ARE THEY!?"

Chris, Full Spectrum, and Darryl arrived at the front doors of the hospital and stopped and stared. Riffin, in all his massive glory, was stalking back and forth in front of the hospital like a feline predator. He was being held back by the other Changelings, who were flying around his huge head and blocking his vision from the doors.

"I COULD HAVE SAVED HER! I COULD HAVE SAVED SO MANY! I SHOULD HAVE COME SOONER! CAPTAAAAAAAIN! I WOULD SPEAK WITH YOU!" Pain-filled tears the size of cantaloupes splashed down on the street as Riffin stopped and roared again.

The Changelings kept Rifin away from the doors, but Rifin was becoming steadily more and more upset. Joyner limped into the waiting room and continued outside with a bellow, "Cool it Riffin!"

The colossal Changeling stopped and the smaller ones darted away to give the two space to talk. Mike stepped up to Rifin and the two regarded each other for a time. Riffin's eyes were filled with pain and anguish as he heaved his chest, breathing in sobs. Mike panted and stifled grunts of pain from his exertion. Neither spoke for full minutes as they communed with their eyes, conversing in a way that most wouldn't understand. Mike's eyes spoke of a raging inferno of anger and loathing at the murders of his officers. Anger that was held in check by a monumental level of self control. Riffin's eyes spoke of the emotional pain of loss and the burning shame of perceived failure. They looked at each other, communicating their feelings without moving a muscle, speaking without words. Nobody spoke. Nobody moved. Nobody was willing to break the spell of silence which hung thick in the air. Nobody even took notice when Celestia and Twilight walked out to the waiting room and gasped at the sight of the monstrous Changeling. Although to Twilight's credit, she did teleport a sheaf of paper and a quill from her library and began taking notes.

The still silence was broken by the wail of a tiny voice, "Mr. Rifin!"

Which was, of course, followed by the sound of adult voices, "Amber come back here!"

The clopping of hooves against stone heralded the arrival of one small filly and her parents. Amber eyes darted around the corner of a house half a block away and made a bee-line for her humongous friend. Straight Edge and Long Wind rounded the corner after their daughter and caught sight of Rifin. They both slid to a stop, eyes wide as Amber Eyes galloped up to Rifin and collided with his armored left foreleg, gripping onto it with a filly style bear hug.

"Mr. Rifin stop! You're scaring everybody!" Amber pleaded loudly.

All eyes shifted between the filly and the huge Changeling, most wondering what was going on. There were cries and screams of protest as Riffin's massive head suddenly swung around and nuzzled Amber Eyes. The filly sniffed and rubbed her face against his chitin, "Stop scaring everyone Mr. Rifin." she whimpered, "My sisters are crying and... why are you crying?"

Rifin, his attention solely on Amber, flopped his huge body onto the ground and held Amber in his immense forelegs, keeping his battle arms away from her. He said nothing but continued nuzzling her as she let go of his leg and clamped onto the side of his face, "What's wrong Mr. Rifin? Why are you so upset?"

"My sister is dead," he choked out between breaths, "Bloodmages killed her tonight." he leaned the right side of his head onto the cobblestone road, "I wasn't there." he clenched his eyes shut, "I wasn't there to protect her."

Amber, being the sensitive filly that she was, clamped her hooves even harder around Riffin's head, nuzzling him while her own tears spilled down his cheek, "I'm so sorry Mr. Riffin."

Unbeknownst to Amber Eyes and Rifin, all of New Humansville had come out of their homes at the ruckus. The Humans and Kavim all stood in a massive circle watching the two strange friends on the road. Despite her extreme reservations about Rifin, Long Wind suddenly felt very foolish for her prejudice. She was angry almost beyond words that her daughter had, at some point, snuck out and somehow MET the colossal Changeling, but even she could not argue the heartfelt tenderness of the moment.

In the tense silence that followed, the only sound was that of slow measured steps against the tile floor of the hospital. One leg in front of the other, the steps approached the touching scene taking place in front of the hospital lobby.

A wave of loud and startled gasps echoed in the long silence and all eyes turned to the small, shaking figure standing between two startled Alicorns. Celestia and Twilight, eyes wide with disbelief, stepped silently away from either side of the figure. The figure took slow, measured steps into the waiting room and toward the front doors of the hospital. Chris and Darryl held the doors open and watched in awestruck silence. Rifin opened his eyes and his mouth fell open as he took in the sight before him.

The figure had streaks of dried blood crusted onto the side of her body but no sign of any injuries left by the crossbow bolts. Vaiawa stood in front of all of New Humansville with only one thing to say, "Okay, now I'm mad. Nobody makes my friends cry."

She's alive! The typos will receive no such resurrection!