"Gaahh! Twilight!" Spike gasped as he practically jumped out of his bed, the evening light shining through his window and into his eyes. He quickly rubbed them to adjust his vision.

"Woah, calm down Spike," Gin got out of her chair next to the window and placed her hand on his chest to ease Spike back down onto the bed, and reluctantly he put his head back on the pillow, putting his right hand on his forehead as he felt his head throb. It felt like a scalpel was digging into his brain. "You took a nasty blow to the head."

"What?!" Spike groaned furiously as he jumped back up, he had hoped what happened was just a terrible nightmare. "Where's Twilight?!"

"Evelyn thinks she was taken to the northern district," Gin explained, trying to calm Spike down. Although, that would not be an easy task. Spike had a deep connection with the purple alicorn, deeper than most friendships.

"Damn it!" Spike punched one of his pillows in outrage, ashamed of his failure to rescue her in time. "It's all my-!"

"Spike, don't do that to yourself. Masami told me what happened, and it wasn't your fault." Gin tried to reassure him, but it didn't seem to help. Spike began to pound his fists against his head in a mindless rage.

"I almost had her, Gin! She was right in front of me!" Tears began to well in Spike's eyes as he thought back to his last conscious moments. "I had her, and now I'll never get her back!"

"I know, but we'll help you get her back..." Gin agreed with him but put a positive spin on it to comfort him. She drew closer to the bed and hugged him abruptly, catching the purple dragon off-guard. She knew it was the only thing that would calm him down. "I'll help you get her back."

Spike found the situation odd. Again, here Gin was, waiting for him to wake, her presence as comforting as ever. She had a profound effect on him like they shared a connection. Although this connection was not like brother and sister, it was purer, like a spring morning, like radiant sunshine that made his woes lighter; less of a burden. Spike wiped the remaining tears from his eyes as he returned the hug, holding her tightly, then loosening his grasp as Gin's heartbeat drained the fear from his body, and her warmth melted the cold and empty doubt that plagued his mind. "Thanks, Gin..."

"For what?" Gin asked as she broke away from the warm embrace.

"For being there for me..." Spike pulled off his sheets as he sat himself down at the edge of the bed beside her. "If there were a seventh Element of Harmony... I think it'd be you. Although, I'm not sure what that element would be called."

"Thank you." Gin beamed as she stood back up and aided Spike to his feet. "Come on, everypony's downstairs waiting for you. We've got a-!"

"You're awake! I was so worried about you, buddy!" Rainbow Dash launched herself at Spike and gave the dragon a bear hug, crushing him a little. "Don't you worry! We're gonna get Twilight back! Evelyn's got a plan!"

"Thanks, Dash..." Spike patted her on the back to "tap out". Rainbow Dash's herculean strength rivalled that of Applejack's, and the hug that pressed his organs together was certainly a display of such power. "But, maybe you should ease up a bit," Spike started turning purple, or rather, more purple than usual. "Please..."

"Oh, sorry," Rainbow Dash's face flushed red as she watched Spike pant profusely. She then gestured to him with a gleeful nod, her mug as brazen and steadfast as ever, even in the face of all the misfortune and uncertainty. "We need you downstairs, pronto! We've got an alicorn to save!"

Spike and the two mares descended the stairwell and looped around, entering the living area, where he was met with the disgruntled expressions of his friends who were gathered around the coffee table, and it seemed as if Rainbow Dash was the only one keeping it together after what happened. Draven greeted Spike with a half smile, pleasant, but grave as if he had failed. "Good to see you awake, lad."

As Spike entered the gathering, Masami approached Spike, and he lowered his head as she drew closer. She put a hand on his shoulder to try and loosen him up. "Spike, I promise we'll get her back no matter the cost. No matter what it takes. Evelyn, tell him the plan."

Evelyn tossed a small disc onto the coffee table, and it made a clicking noise as it landed on the table, latching itself onto the wood surface. As it clicked in, it emitted a bright blue flash; releasing a holographic, three-dimensional map of an expansive area.

"What is this, Evelyn?" Spike inquired as he inspected the territory displayed by the hologram.

"Isn't it obvious? This is The Silence, the district where Twilight is being held captive." Evelyn explained as she rotated the hologram with her hand as if she had telekinesis. "Agent Amos and Golde visited again last night, and they left this with me to plot our course. It has been very helpful."

"We're going to the north district, tomorrow," Masami added as she sat down on a nearby sofa beside Liazo, resting her leg on her knee to get comfortable. "We'll pack up our gear and get going tonight. Charles will be waiting for us at Brandon Military Base, just outside of the southern wall of The Silence."

"But what if it's too late? What if they've killed Twilight?" Spike began to panic as images of Twilight's dead corpse began to dance around in his head.

Draven and Winslow stared at each other for a moment, then gathered around Spike. Draven was the first to speak. "I think it's time..."

"Time for what?" Spike wondered as his attention bounced from Draven to Winslow, back and forth.

"Lad, back at the tournament... Twilight came in contact with Gek, The Sorcerer of Mind. He was trying to corrupt her." Draven sighed for a moment as he watched Spike's face contort into a confused expression, then he continued. "It was then that Winslow intervened and used a mental spell on Twilight to kick him out long enough for us to find a cure."

"It appears to have worn off sooner than expected." Winslow chimed in as he crossed his arms. "The cultists were able to track her using the aura ponies emit when in the process of becoming one of Gek's puppets. That's how they captured her."

"You bastards!" Spike's fists ignited, and he lunged at Winslow. However, he was restrained by Edgar, who stood behind him.

"Still your tongue, Spike!" Winslow bellowed, offended by Spike's outcry."She didn't want you to worry about her, to distract us from our goal! She could have told you earlier, but she chose differently! None of us expected the spell to wear off so quickly, so none of us are to blame! Now listen, or you'll surely never see her again!"

Winslow's words knocked some sense into the young dragon, and Edgar let go of him when he felt that he had cooled down. Spike was still furious, but he accepted the truth and listened to them. "Go on, Evelyn."

"Thank you," Evelyn cleared her throat and began elucidating the details. "We'll enter the district through the front door-."

"The front? Are you out of your damn mind? Why don't we just use the teleporter in Liberty Square to get the jump on em'?" Liazo commented as he put a toothpick in his mouth (he couldn't smoke in the house).

"That's far too risky. We could be falling right into a trap." Butch supported Evelyn.

"Yes, a good point, Butch. But that's only half the story." Evelyn interjected as she took the map and zoomed in on a singular point, a tall rectangular building with a signal tower at the top. "This is an old radio station used to transmit encrypted messages during the civil war. Agent Golde informed me that this station is still running, and emitting a strange frequency, the same one used to shut down the communications systems and teleporters."

"Who's creating these... fre-quen-cies?" Winslow tried sounding out the word, but it didn't roll off his tongue like he thought it would. Admittedly, he wasn't very familiar with the Ausrüstrian language.

"Good question!" Evelyn clapped her hands together as if she were a schoolteacher who just taught a foal how to handwrite. She pressed a button on the disc, and the display morphed into what appeared to be a biological profile of a skeleton-robot, only it differed from the others. "I believe this monster is the prime suspect."

"Who in Equestria is that?" Gin gawked at the strange looking machine, in awe by the complexity of the creature's mechanical body.

"Agent Amos and Golde's associates haven't a clue as to who, or rather, what this pony actually is." Evelyn uttered with disappointment in her tone. "Although, they've made an educated guess that this pony is the one who created the skeletons, and based on patrol reports, this contraption goes by the nickname of Dr. Gearza. Although, he seldom visits the radio tower. He controls it from a distance, but something tells me he'll want to defend it at all costs."

As Evelyn uttered that name, Spike noticed the change in Butch's demeanour. He seemed in shock like an arrow just struck him through the heart. However, he quickly shook his head and relieved himself from whatever was troubling him, trying to hide his revelation.

"What makes this... thing so important?" Rainbow Dash asked as she shot Butch a suspicious look, and he turned away as she did so.

"He can interrupt communications, which, based on the reports, are why patrols are often wiped out. They get separated, and then they perish." She continued. "But we aren't just some average patrol. If we can take this tower out first, we'll be able to communicate with one another inside The Silence."

"Seems like a sound idea," Draven added. "But what's our plan for rescuing Twilight?"

"Amos and Golde will meet us at Brandon Outpost and fill us in on the rest of the details," Masami answered him. "Until then, we best be getting packed."

Draven looked back at Spike, who was still overwhelmed by dread, and Draven could see the tightness in his chest. "Hey, lad. Don't worry, we'll get her back."

"You don't know that," Spike moped.

"I wish I could tell you we're going to get her back for sure, but I can't make promises, Spike. We're all jumping into this whole business blind. Hell, I bet the rest of my crew are confused as hell up in the loading bay of that massive flying machine up in the sky." Draven tried to cheer him up. "But Spike, I'll do all that I can to get her back, and I know you will too. You two are inseparable."

A weak, doubtful smile spread across Spike's face. "Thanks, Draven."

"Hang on a sec!" Rainbow Dash interrupted everypony. "What about Fluttershy? Is she going to join us?!"

Masami thought for a moment. "Well, she's not exactly-."

"I'm coming," Fluttershy insisted.

"Are you sure?" Evelyn questioned her. "The Silence is a dangerous place, you could get killed."

"Yes, I'm sure," Fluttershy nodded. "I- I can't sit on the sidelines and let my friends go without me anymore. I need to be there with them."

Spike felt a lump in his throat and began to protest. "Fluttershy, you can't-."

"Spike, I've made my decision. "Fluttershy stomped on the floor with her hoof.

"Alright then," Masami clapped her hands together. "Let's get ready, why don't we? Meet me and Evelyn here in twenty minutes. I'll prep the teleporter."

****

Upstairs, as Rainbow Dash prepared her clothes in her room, she saw Butch pass by her opened door, and she tried to catch up with him. When she did she grabbed his shoulder, and he recoiled in response, knocking her hand away as soon as it made contact with him. "What the hell do you want?" His reaction seemed too abrupt, almost panicked.

"What's your deal?" Rainbow Dash interrogated him. "Back there, I saw you react when that name was mentioned, Dr. Gearza."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Butch flatly denied her and tried to walk away, but Butch was stopped in his tracks when Rainbow Dash stepped in front of him. "Get out of my way."

"Not until you tell me what's bothering you." Rainbow Dash insisted with a determined expression. "I want to help-."

"Fuck off, you foal," Butch growled at her. "I ain't your friend. You have no right stickin' your nose in my business."

"Something the matter, you two?" Masami interrupted their heated argument as she turned a corner, leaning against a wall adjacent to Rainbow Dash's door.

"No," Butch grunted as he nudged Rainbow Dash aside and continued to the end of the hall, to his room.

Rainbow Dash dusted herself off and huffed as she watched Butch slam his door. "What the hell is his problem? Can you believe hi-." Rainbow Dash stopped once she saw Masami's intense glare. "What?"

"What were you thinking?" Masami said as she crossed her arms. "You can't talk to him like that!"

"Why? He told me to fuck off!" Rainbow Dash snarled at her, and Masami scoffed.

"That stallion has been through a lot of shit in his life, Dash," Masami explained with a somber, empathetic tone. "He's... broken, not right. He never talks about his military service, his family, nothing. All he can do is just bottle things up, keep it inside. If he knows something, he'll tell us eventually... all right? Until then, just give him some space. Let him clear his head."

"I get it, Masami." Rainbow Dash shook her head shamefully. "I got heated, and I'm sorry. I should go-." She was stopped by Masami, who grabbed her arm.

"Like I said, just leave him be. Let him punch something first, vent his emotions." Masami said as she kissed her on the cheek, which made Rainbow Dash blush. "I'll see you downstairs, Kitten."

"Yeah, see ya..." Rainbow Dash chuckled to herself and went back to packing her clothes.

****

Butch groaned as he took a sip of apple juice from his fake whiskey bottle and stared at the ceiling, and he plopped a few pills in his mouth as he got up off his bed and checked the clock hanging up on the wall: 8:18, which left him with five more minutes of time to himself.

He walked over to the chest at the foot of his bed, and he grabbed an old comic book, from before the war. The one a friend gave to him a long time ago, back at Galloway, the last major conflict before The Civil War. He read the cover to himself aloud, but in a soft tone of voice so that nopony would hear him. It was a comic he and Elliot read growing up as a kid, and a friend of his liked them a lot more than he did. It was a gift he never got the chance to give Butch, a thank you gift.

"Captain Ausrüstung: Finest Hour... Issue Number One." He laughed under his breath and flipped through the pages of the comic. "The Cap battles Dr. Gearza." The name echoed in his mind over and over. "Nopony else knows that name but you... that was your favorite villain."

He read the last page of the comic, a page that was inserted by his close friend. It read: Thanks, Butch, you're my hero! Sincerely, Dr. Christoph Kaiber. He weakly laughed again as old memories of his friend came flooding back, memories of his wit and charm, his laugh, his funny accent. He remembered his wife and how sick she got during the war. He remembered when he saw his close friend get kidnapped by the government, and how it sparked his hatred for the old president. He remembered Christoph's drive and his passion for science. It was all gibberish to him, but Butch listened to Christoph when he ranted about physics and engineering. Their conversations made Butch feel whole again like the world wasn't crumbling around him, even though it was.

Then Butch remembered the look on his face, the look on his face when he told Christoph about his wife's passing. He had been imprisoned by the government throughout the war for speaking out against their policies, for eight long years he had been imprisoned, and then Butch had to tell him. He had to tell Christoph about her death. Butch knew the grief all too well, he knew his sorrow, he knew the hate and the self-loathing. But he knew Christoph couldn't handle it. It drove him mad.

Butch closed the comic book and tucked in his coat pocket, just in case he needed to remind himself of a purer time, a time when, for once in his life he didn't feel like a hollow shell, a worthless sack of flesh. He groaned as he took another sip of his apple juice, then he set his cup on the bureau as he exited his room. "I'm sorry I forgot about you, Chris. I'm sorry..."

Author's Notes:

I'm back! After two months I'm finally back!