Chapter 18: No Sleep for the Stricken

It would be a frivolous attempt to sneak around in the labyrinth-like dungeon that stretched beneath Canterlot castle: Cantor heard the hoofsteps approaching minutes before the pony they belonged to came into sight. Guarding something down there would have been a part-time job: if treasure of any description stashed in the Canterlot dungeon were to fall into the interest of thieves, the unfortunate souls would likely become lost trying to rob, what would happen to be, their graves...

Deep within the most magically airtight caverns in the world, it radiated three harsh sensory strains: bitter cold, loneliness, and an almost never-ending darkness... Exciting it was, then, when the caged alicorn noted the signature clang of princess Celestia's golden horseshoes as she approached his stony cell.

A swirl of golden candlelight grew in intensity alongside the sound of the approaching hooves. Cantor pressed his face up to the chiselled metal bars of his cage in an attempt to cut down the time it took to make visual contact with the resolved mare.

Of course, it felt as though it took longer than it actually did for the princess to come into view - and when she finally arrived, the handle of an enchanted lantern gripped by her lustrous magic, she was almost at the white buck's cell anyway.

Cantor pushed himself from the irritating bars and waited for the princess to appear, watching the light grow brighter until it and its bearer came to stand in front of the cell.

"Well good morning, Cantor." The regal mare greeted softly, shining her light in to see the ecstatic stallion sat alert on his haunches like an exultant dog. She even thought she saw his tail shifting about in elated agitation.

"Morning?" Cantor asked, cocking his head, a little normality returning to his demeanour following the valuable conversation. "Huh, I thought it must be nearly midnight: I'm pretty tired!" He continued as he stood, a little sprite seasoning his tone - yet he didn't laugh.

Princess Celestia sighed and looked somewhat ashamed. "I apologise..." She said with a slight chuckle. "I would not have put you in this terrible place unless I was certain every ounce of spiritual angst had left you." She set the lamp down on the floor and wrapped the bars of the cell with her golden magic. After focusing intently for a moment, the bars clunked with a magical jolt and sunk quickly into the floor, leaving only small holes in the floor in their place.

Cantor looked on in amazement as his confides disappeared and the princess regarded him with a serene smile. The two were quick to make eye contact, and Celestia was elated to note the joy in the young pony's expression. With a calmed nod, she happily noted, "And I am pleased to see I have my old Cantor back."

Cantor's smile brimmed. "Aww..." He cooed comically. "That's sweet." He strode over to Celestia and sucked her into a tight embrace, and whilst resting his head on her shoulder, stated, "Cheers for confining me into a small, pitch-black cell for a week, though." The humoured sarcasm was clear - but the underlying hint of genuine gripe was not so much so. "You know how much I love being left alone, devoid of senses for days."

"Cantor," Celestia started with a shamed sigh.

"I mean, I know you came to visit a few times a day, but still, lonely, yeah...?" He responded, sounding a little too much like the old Cantor than Celestia thought she was comfortable with. "Actually," Cantor returned, experiencing a legitimate attitude improvement as he reasoned internally with himself. "All this time alone has given me a good opportunity to think things through: I'm actually starting to get over that ordeal where the whole crew of the ship I was in charge of were brutally killed and eaten in a failed plan devised by you to kill me..."

He pushed away from Celestia and stared into her shocked and concerned eyes with his own, consumed with a silenced and buried resentment.

After a moment, the princess softened her expression and drew herself up with a revered - if insulted air about her. "Yes, Cantor, I am well aware of how deeply I was in the wrong... I- I don't expect you to ever forgive me..." She said with a sigh. However, she was a little startled to say the least when Cantor gave his response.

"I don't think I ever will, princess." He decreed bitterly - although with a quiet sense of closure. As Celestia's eyes met him once again, he was able to see her in a whole new light... though perhaps it was due to the darkness trying to smother both of them, that he noticed her deeper temperament. "I'm sorry, but I would think it's kind of hard to forget the fact that someone you thought loved you almost ended your life intentionally... Although, that's not the biggest reason I'm upset with you..." He added, nodding knowingly to the quiet princess.

She gave an understanding nod. "I see..." She replied under a guilty hush. "I have been making preparations for the memorial funeral this past week. Despite my involvement, I trust you'll be there to pay your respects."

"Of course." Cantor answered with sincerity.

Celestia called back the gruesome memories Cantor had shared with her and grimaced with regret. "...I only wish we had the bodies to lay to rest." She stated after an exhausted sigh. "Even after these several days, I find it difficult to comprehend simply how awful it must have been for you ponies... Although I shall receive harsh criticism, I shall always think highly of everypony who lost their lives out there..."

She hung her head respectively, muttering, "And I suppose a part of you died there as well... I... I don't mean to sound laudatory, but I commend your sense of perseverance: my spirit would have broken a long time before your's if our positions were reversed." She turned her head up to look at Cantor with admiration, a slight smile gracing her lips. "I am proud to know that you were fighting with all your heart right up to the very end..."

Cantor gave a soft nod of acceptance. "Thank you." He said with reverence.

Following a deep breath expelling the lingering woe, Celestia straightened herself up and regained her composure. "Anyway," She stated with a bereaved confidence. "I am dreadfully sorry for locking you down here, but you should be pleased to know your money has been paid into your account in Ponyville." She said, noticing the stallion's ears perk as the pair made their exit into the tight corridor. "I don't wish to impose a price on your, or anypony's lives, but I believe it will bring you at least a little comfort knowing that you and Twilight have enough wealth to live very comfortably until your grandchildren are your age." She said, returning a grin as Cantor smiled meekly.

He would never be able to fully move on from the ordeal that took many of his friends' lives for a very long time, but hearing this from Celestia helped him realise it was all in the past, and his recovery was, financially, at least, insured.

The sunlight - even from within the castle, stung Cantor's eyes, and he found he had to squint for several minuets before he could bare to open one eye fully...

Celestia led the way to the throne room. Surprisingly, for one who had been locked up in the fear that not all malice had left his system, Cantor saw very few guards along the way - and the throne room was no exception: the vast room was void of all life except for himself and the two princesses. Luna had been waiting in the elaborate room upon hearing Cantor was due for 'release.' She smiled dearly when she saw him.

"Cantor!" She cried with a happy gasp, making up the distance between herself and the other two alicorns to meet in the centre of the wide carpet slicing the room in half. "Welcome back." She added, keeping in mind that they hadn't had a chance to properly welcome each other since he returned on the verge of death and attacked her.

"Hey, Luna." He replied with a wide grin: excited to see his 'favourite' princess after all this time. Despite his enthusiasm, his voice showed he was clearly tired. "'Hometime', I suppose." He said, holding his eyes open.

Luna chuckled. "Yes, I should think so..." The two stared at each other for a moment as their smiles were slowly deflating. Soon enough, though, the gave each other a firm hug.

"Sorry about that whole 'trying to spiritually enslave you' thing..." He mumbled over her shoulder. "There was really nothing I could've done."

They separated, and regardless of the dark time, princess Luna still wore a gentle smile. "I understand, Cantor." She spoke under a hush. "I anticipate a few years from now when we can look back onto all this and laugh." She shot Cantor a quirky grin, but the alicorn stallion shifted his eyes uncomfortably.

"I- I don't know about laugh, Luna..." He said gloomily. "...But yeah, I get what you mean." He added, relighting her smile with a reassuring smirk of his own, followed by a heavy yawn.

Princess Celestia chimed in from the rear with a little chuckle. "I recall you saying you were tired, Cantor." She said with a parting air. "And whilst I have full confidence in your ability to fly, the least I can offer you is a chariot ride home."

Home.

That word struck the young stallion hard: it was one of the things that had driven him across this whole misadventure, and whilst he was locked up, it was all he could think about.

"Cantor?" Came Celestia's raised voice: breaking through the thick nostalgic haze that had blocked the world from Cantor for just a moment.

He shook the grogginess from his mind and turned to Celestia.

"Are you alright?" She asked tentatively.

"Yeah... Y- yeah, I'm fine." Cantor replied whilst rubbing his tired eyes. "It's just that... well I think it's gonna... It'll be nice to go home after all this: take it easy for a while."

Assured, Celestia replied with a contented smile. "I understand..." She softly spoke before leading the way outside to a grounded carriage. Four pure white pegasi were harnessed to the front of the vessel Cantor was climbing into, waiting patiently for their lead: eyes all facing directly forward in a focused glare. He turned around after quickly taking a seat in the fabulously comfortable interior, and was surprised to see the two mares follow him in. As they both sat on the opposite row of floor cushions, Cantor reasoned with himself that it would have been uncomfortably large inside if he had been alone - and regardless of his wish to sleep, he still took gratification from the two mares' company.

Celestia shut the carriage door with her magic and sent a firm nod to a pony outside of Cantor's view through the small glass hatch set in the middle of the door. The soft wooden floor creaked a little as the pegasi took off at a trot and levelled quickly when the four stallions pulling it took off.

Clouds and pleasant sunlight was the minimal view provided from the tiny windows the carriage boasted. Regardless, it was plenty bright enough for the three ponies to watch each other slowly rock in time with the pegasi's flight path. A minute of slightly awkward silence passed before Celestia grew impatient looking at Cantor's tired face.

"It should not take too long to reach Ponyville travelling like this." She affirmed. Cantor turned to her from gazing out one of the windows at the swirling crisp clouds, his eyes sporting pronounced veins from his tired demeanour. "...My goodness," She started at the sight of him. "You really do look tired, Cantor."

Cantor smiled with a humoured huff in the place of a more brisk chuckle and nodded.

"Well, try to get some sleep on the way to Ponyville: we'll ask the ferrying pegasi to slow down a little." Luna added, her caring tone ever pleasant to Cantor's ears.

Cantor produced a weak grin and blinked slowly, shuffling into a more comfortable position in the corner of the flying room. "It's okay, Luna: staying awake'll just make my bed more attractive." He chuckled quietly and closed his eyes 'to rest them.' Retreating back into darkness placed him into a deeper state of comfort - and even though he shut his eyes for barely ten seconds, he awakened to the soft thud of touching down in Ponyville.

Startled, he looked to the princesses perched opposite him as the carraige slowly rolled to a stop. The both chortled a little.

"You fell asleep." Celestia noted with a smirk.

Cantor surveyed as much of his surroundings through the small windows as he could in a daze. His tiredness was still present - but for now, at least, distant. "Where are we?" and "How long was I asleep for?" were the two questions fighting for the lead on Cantor's tongue, but Celestia seemed aware of this, and promptly answered both.

"You were asleep for nearly an hour: I asked our pegasi to take the 'scenic route.'" The white mare explained, unconsciously gesturing towards the little windows.

'Scenic route...?' Cantor silently queried, wondering just how much scenery one could see through this chariot's lacklustre windows without pressing their face up against it...

"Furthermore," Celestia continued with a pleasant smile, reaffirming the stallion's attention back to her, "We are in Ponyville... I believe your friends are waiting for you."

Cantor's face grew an enlightened grin as he slowly rose. Eyes wide with glee, though still tamed beneath composure, he nudged open the carriage door with his head and stepped out into the nippy afternoon air. He felt a shiver ruffle through his feathers as the clean air filled his lungs. Outside, lined up in front of the iconic library were the six mares he had come to call family. It was a sight he was assured he'd never grow tired of: his excitement was overtaking him as he stumbled towards the group of welcoming smiles. He had been in Equestria for some time, but only now did he feel as though he were truly home.

"...Guys..." He spoke with a soft yet awe-inspired breath.

Everypony gathered around Cantor and shared a group hug whilst Celestia and Luna watched with contented features from their chariot. As the re-united friends were preoccupied, princess Luna discretely whispered to her sister, "I thought you were going to ask him about... Faith..." Her voice, although hushed, still carried complex consideration as she asked the question. Luna watched a wave of forgiving hindrance pass Celestia's face, but ultimately, her thoughts produced a smile of closure.

With only a short pause, Celestia responded. "...I've had the misfortune of sharing the poor boy's memories - including his emotions..." She explained emptily. "I feel as though it's safe to say he's been through more than enough grief without rousing such an issue at a time like this." She cast a cheery glance back towards the group of friends, who were chatting avidly amongst themselves, a wide smile worn on each face. "Besides," She continued. "Who am I to break up a moment like that?"

Luna turned from her sister to her closest friend: despite what Celestia had assured her he had suffered, he was sporting a carefree grin amongst the six other ponies. A smile of her own grew upon her face and she replied, "I think he'll find his own way to tell Twilight. I wouldn't imagine for a second he'd try and hide something like that..." Her voice held grim undertones, yet radiated a pleasant trust overall.

"Hey!" Rainbow Dash barked playfully at Cantor, "Even by your standards, that was a close one!" She said, gripping the stallion the tightest of everypony. She hid her overwhelming relief well, but it was clear she was dearly thankful to have her friend back. "Next time, think before you decide on an adventure!"

Cantor chuckled. "Of all ponies, I'd have never expected to hear that from you!" He replied with an elated grin. "You sound like Twilight!"

"Damn right." The purple unicorn quickly chipped in with a sly smirk. "Gone are your days of crossing the street without holding my hoof. I hope you're aware I'm never going to let you out of my sight from now on..."

Celestia poked her head from the open carriage door. "Well I shall rest easy assured he is with capable company." She commented with a parting smile.

Everypony turned their gaze towards the princesses, but it was Twilight who broke from the group and approached the rulers. A troubling silence befell the previously energetic scene as the lone unicorn found mid-ground between her home and her mentor's ride. The air was lit with a buzzing electricity as the townsfolk became intrigued by the commotion: peeking past their front doors and parting curtains to see the princesses.

Twilight shut her eyes and took a long, calming breath. Her change in demeanour captivated princess Celestia, and she became compelled to hear what the young unicorn had to say. She finished blowing out her breath and gently peered up to look Celestia in the eyes. "...I'll never forgive you for what you were trying to do." She simply stated. A couple of her friends gasped, but this statement was no odd news to the princess - although it made her wonder why Twilight was telling her this again.

"However..." Twilight continued, a sad look in her earthbound eyes, "I realise that it must've been a horrible decision for you to make all by yourself: Cantor's your friend, too." She stated, glancing to the stallion in question, who was watching with considerate eyes. Turning back to Celestia with a warm grin, she offered further understanding... "And then after all that... After your terrible plans failed, you had the courage to stand by your decision, admit it was wrong, and that it was all your fault - even though you knew I would despise you for it."

She reconciled Celestia with her smile, which the princess happily returned. "I..." Twilight continued, holding herself back slightly, "...I just wanted to say I'm sorry for the awful things I might have said to you: I never stopped to consider you were placing a lot on the line as well - far more than I would have lost..." She turned her head downward, looking depleted, but relieved all the same.

By the time she had allowed herself another deep sigh and looked back up, princess Celestia was in front of her, wearing her usual omniscient expression. Her lavender eyes widened a little as she stared up at the female alicorn, waiting for her to say something.

"I understand fully, Twilight Sparkle..." She spoke gently as her stony expression melted into a compassionate smile. "But regardless of my wrong actions, I will stand by the fact that it is unwise to want to change the past: regardless of whatever atrocities one commits... doubtlessly, it helps shape who you are. I would not be half the mare I am today had I ensured everything in my life played out perfectly." Celestia explained with care, lowering her head to rest on Twilight's neck. "I suppose in the end, we both have things to be sorry for..." She added with a slight twist of humility as she pulled away and clambered back into her chariot.

Displacing from her character for just a moment, Celestia gave a discreet wink to Twilight. "Take care of him." She noted with a smirk. "Try to keep him out of trouble." She added with closure.

Twilight chuckled. "I'll sure try..."

Celestia and Luna gave their parting statements before closing the humble carriage door and making their leave.

Everypony watched the four pegasi pull the royal duo into the air, and basked in the mutual distraction before the cold air became a greater diversion.

"Brrr, it's chilly." Twilight stated with a shiver. "Let's get inside before we catch colds." She said, bringing up the rear as her company entered the library.

Cantor couldn't agree more, yet he didn't voice anything at the present time. He had survived his ordeal, but scars both physical and mental had been set in place to remind him every day for the rest of his life what atrocities befell him and his companions around a month ago. Yet despite this ever-lingering black torment fogging his subconscious, above all else, the young alicorn was relieved and contented to be home.

Pinkie Pie, given the occasion, had been much rather hoping for a more lively atmosphere; the parties she was used to. But, when presented with the circumstances, even she, the mare famed for the most swinging atmospheres, reasoned that a party may not be all-too appropriate considering all that had happened. Regardless, the bitter glint broadly worn in Cantor's eyes failed to stop her, nor anypony else relishing in their friend's company.

It had taken a while to persuade him, and truly, it was only ever a debate with himself, but the alicorn eventually agreed to share his story... It was a slow start - to say the least... But after a while, he began to grow more comfortable with talking about it. Prior to the small session, he had feared telling this story would almost be like re-living it: agitating his mental wounds. Yet, as he neared the end, he realised the whole gruesome event was in the past. It was a story, and a story was all it could be from now on...

"...And so then, she managed to untie her other foreleg from the bed and drag the doctor off of me." Cantor explained, a slight smile beneath his slightly bloodshot eyes. "That wasn't the first time she saved my life -- not the last, either..." He paused for a moment, contemplating the words to follow as he stared into his steamy mug of hot chocolate. "...Then, uh... I think she wasn't really thinking clearly as she killed him: it was like all she cared about was getting rid of such an insane threat."

As he took a slow drink from his mug, the girls (as well as Spike, who had joined the discussion quite early on) exchanged conflicted looks of varying concern: all unable to comprehend how a pony could talk about the death and killing of other ponies with seemingly little hindrance. It was clear, however, that there were more specific, grizzly details regarding each crew member's passing that he chose to leave out of the story - but alas, as with Cantor, it was nearly impossible to tell to what degree these memories were hurting him inside.

Rainbow Dash shifted uncomfortably. "What happened then...?" She asked a melancholy eagerness. To say she was enthralled would be no word of truth whatsoever. Yet, she would be lying to say she was not gripped by this macabre tale.

Cantor lowered his simple white mug, confused as to why it seemed to drain his energy even to magically pick up the half-full beverage. "I think we both passed out for a while..." He mused, licking the chocolate foam from his lips. "I seem to remember waking up with a fright before we moved on, but I can't remember why..."

"I'm not surprised." Rarity, who had been almost silent the whole time, chipped in. "All that fighting must have taken a great toll on you both."

Cantor replied with a thoughtful nod.

"When you get that hurt, and that scared, you just start to run on adrenaline." Rainbow Dash added, speaking from personal experience, though deciding to leave that information out. "You can't really feel anything until it's all over - and then you just fall apart."

"Yeah..." Cantor agreed with a slightly detached tone. "...Anyway, shortly after that, we found out that the room we were in was a hangar, and ready for launch was the personal ship of one of the creatures that used to run the place. Even then, when we had the opportunity to escape, we still both felt quite hopeless deep inside: how the hell were we supposed to know how to get back home without the guidance system our ship had?"

Everyone waited for progression: not saying anything as they silently urged Cantor to continue.

"Before me and Faith got-"

"Faith and I." Twilight corrected, drawing a warm, amused smile from her alicorn.

"Thanks." He replied with a relaxed smirk. "Before we went any further," He started again, shooting Twilight a wink in the last of his delightful diversion before returning to his previous, solemn tone. "I discovered that Blue Bolt: the unicorn doctor, had stolen the Peripherous Crystal from our ship, and hid it in his saddlebag..." Cantor looked about the croup as eyebrows rose in response to this information. "Anyway, when I touched this thing I just..."

He broke away for a moment, recalling the horrible spiritual sodom almost a clearly as the pain from loosing his horn. "...I could... feel the evil inside it. I knew there was more to that little rock: and I knew it wasn't good... But, being drawn to power, and deciding it would be best to do so anyway, I took it with me. Good thing I did, too: when we went into the control room, it sort of... 'reacted' to all the instruments - I think it kinda 'uploaded' Equestria's co-ordinates to some kind of homing system on the prepped ship."

Cantor rolled his eyes. "If there is such a thing as 'divine intervention', that was a first-hoof experience. Either that or something along the lines of divine luck... To be honest, they can both be written with the same chalk."

As the stallion took another sip of hot chocolate, Twilight sent a confused look to Rainbow Dash, who merely returned the expression along with a shrug. "...Uh, what was that?" The dumbfounded unicorn asked, staring at Cantor with a bemused smile. He peered down at her past his mug as the steam billowed past his face. "Was that your contribution to philosophy and/or poetry?"

Cantor took the drink away from his face. "That was alright, wasn't it?" He asked with a smile.

"Not particularly." Twilight replied, wearing a pleasant grin of her own. "But I'll let you have it." She added with a nod of enthusiasm before continuing to say, "So anyway, what happened after that?"

Cantor's amusement visibly died as he stared off into the dark space of the library. He was lost in his own corruption for a moment: the virtue he supposedly represented used at the expense of somepony else - moreover, somepony he cared about. Gently shaking the angst from his head, he responded to Twilight's question. Despite having put the grim experiences (for the most part) behind him, heinous thoughts frayed his words. "We found out that one of us was going to stay behind to launch the ship... In other words, one of us needed to die -- or at least, in a phrase, 'seal their fate.'

Cantor peered solemnly at the floor as once again, the tale sparked a curious murmur about the group. In their eyes, he could see what they were all thinking.

Rainbow Dash, the concern for her friend now more pronounced than ever, turned to the alicorn. "So... I suppose you volunteered?"

"Yep." He replied plainly. "It's in my nature, unfortunately..." He continued with a somehow sad smile. "But Faith told me something that I'll never forget... that some ponies have far more to live for than to die for..." He said with an ill sense of morbid narcissism, staring at his chocolate. "I hated to agree with her when she put it like that, but at the end of the day, she died protecting me, my family, and all my friends..." The stallion only realised he was crying as a tear fell across his cheek. "So I suppose that sentiment cuts both ways..."

He wiped his face and gingerly looked about his friends. "Sorry." He whispered with a meek smile. "I suppose you guys can fill in the rest from there."

Everypony withdrew to a sombre state: casting their eyes to the wooden floor with the heaviest strain of concentration - if not simply moved, the alicorn's tale gave them an awful lot to think about, and a new light to regard him under. As he finished off his drink, Rainbow Dash, quite possibly his closest friend, made a point of proving this...

"...I... I mean, I don't really know what to say..." She declared heavily, her voice ever so slightly strained. "But... even knowing the situation, I... can't look at you without being aware that you killed somepony."

Rarity turned slightly aghast, but not entirely void of understanding to the blue pegasus. "Rainbow Dash." She discretely snapped,
as if she were reminding a foal about their manners (or rather lack of).

Cantor wasn't offended, however -- far from it, in fact. "You know I've killed ponies before." He stated with a confused stare, wondering why, of all his friends, Rainbow would be the one to bring such a topic up. "I- I mean only on one occasion: when I was in Manehatten."

"Wh- well yeah, but..." The colourful mare struggled, seeking out a means of wording what she was trying to say so as to avoid dragging the horrid atmosphere in the room down any further than it already was. "Like, when you told us about that, I could see it really shook you up... But just now... y- you were talking about it like it was just a casual thing - l- like it was just 'a job to do.'" Her rose eyes shone with contempt, and it pained Cantor to see, a flicker of civil terror as well.

"To be fair..." He started with a conflicted frown. "That unicorn was trying to kill me: all I thought was it was either him or me."

Rainbow dash said nothing, the silence surrounding the pair intensified by the adamant stares from everypony else. She gently shook her head,lips parted ever so slightly as she stared at the alicorn with harrowed eyed. "That doesn't sound like you..." She calmly stated, the eye contact between herself and Cantor the most profound of psychic bonds.

Cantor blinked wearily and made a poor attempt to shrug. "Maybe I've lost all sense of innocence..." He suggested solemnly. "I just... don't know what to feel anymore..." He let his eyes drift to the floor, coming to rest on his empty white mug stained with the remnants of chocolate froth.

Void of emotion for what seemed like an eternity, Cantor merely sat there haunted by a grim veil of lonely trauma. How fortunate he was, then, to have a pegasus friend who could alleviate even the darkest storm clouds...

He peered up when he sensed Rainbow standing above him. With a defeated sigh, he groggily rose to his hooves, looking at her and noticing his own depressing expression reflected in the large pink eyes.

Rainbow Dash provided a firm hug for her friend, yet he felt in no way able to return the gesture. She laid her head upon his neck, feeling a dim pulse beneath his white fur. Even deep down, Rainbow discovered, he sounded frail and without purpose.

She pulled away and silently consoled with the rich amber eyes before going on to affirm, "You're my best friend, Cantor... I know this has always been on offer, but if you ever need somepony to talk to if you feel you can't talk to Twi - even just somepony to listen... I'm your mare." She gave the buck a firm couple of pats on the shoulder before walking behind him and towards the door. She fiercely cleared her throat as the door squeaked open under her hoof. "Thanks for the drink, Twilight." She quietly said, hurriedly turning to Cantor before adding, "See ya 'round, buddy."

Nopony had time to acknowledge her departure before it was too late, and Rainbow's space was re-occupied by a plume of quickly fading colour.

Thankfully, the uncharacteristically sombre pegasus took a deal of the tense air with her, and all at once, the ponies and a humbled Spike decided to take their leave.

As another uncharacterised act, Fluttershy took the initiative. "Well, girls, I think it's best we all go home now." Her soft voice helping dispel a little more of the awkward air.

"Sounds about right." Applejack agreed. "It's gettin' late anyhow." She added, noticing the hour had reached double digits some time ago.

As everyone piled out rather quickly in light of the past conversation, Twilight remained seated, staring deeply towards Cantor until she noticed her reptilian assistant snaking out the door in tow of everypony else. "Spike," She called out quietly, though the dragon easily herd her. "Where are you off to?"

The purple dragon stopped in the doorway, the chill of the night cooling the scales on his back. "Oh, I uh... I just thought I should... y'know, l- leave you..."

His voice faded as Cantor turned to observe his dialogue. Upon seeing the alicorn's un-threatening, yet conflicting eyes, Spike hastily dropped his explanation. "U-uhh, s-see ya." He proclaimed before dashing outside and closing the door heavily behind him.

Cantor shut his tired eyes as his whole body heaved in a stressful sigh.

Twilight, too, closed her eyes and took a breath to reaffirm her place. She and Cantor made eye contact. As ever, the purple unicorn was taken to a special place as she stared into her stallion's stunningly coloured eyes, and it was clear that a dark fog lingered somewhere within. Regardless, words could not express how elated she felt having him back in relative safety - which she kindly made him aware of.

Cantor dragged his hooves as he took the short walk to Twilight's side. He fell ungracefully to his rump, the depleted expression showing no signs of fading from his face. His thoughts were screaming so loudly he didn't bother looking at her as she spoke to him.

"I'm glad you told us what happened..." She started quietly, resting her head against Cantor's firm neck. "If not for the pursuit of curiosity, I think it'll help to better understand how you're feeling."

Cantor began yet another sigh, but his mental capacity easily made it grow into a long yawn. "...What am I gonna do?" He asked hopelessly. "How do I even start to get over this...?"

"It takes time." The appeased mare simply replied. "Just a long, long time..." She took pleasure in something she'd missed for a while, and unfurled one of Cantor's huge wings, wrapping it mostly around herself as she stroked the silky-soft feathers. "It's like a scar in a tree: it doesn't go away, but it does fade: it gets easier to deal with as you grow around it..."

They sat there in silence for some time, Twilight finding a subconscious rhythm in stroking Cantor's feathers ever smoother. But eventually, the steady ticking of the ornate clock perched a modest distance above the entrance grew maddening, and Twilight let go of the aviary appendage. She helped it fold into place upon Cantor's back before struggling to her hooves.

She took a couple steadying breaths before speaking. "I'll start a bath running." She declared to the still seated Cantor. "There's something I want to show you." She trailed with a warm smile.

Growing mildly worried when Cantor failed to reply after a considerable pause, Twilight gently called his name as she circled him, only to quickly discover he had fallen asleep.

A grin spread across Twilight's face as she drew a soft blanket from upstairs and draped it across the stallion's calmly heaving withers. She planted a kiss on his forehead before strolling off into the bathroom.

The taps, despite being in any state of appliance, new, gave a squeak as Twilight twirled them slowly with her magic, the white glow around her horn shining pure as ever. She ran a hoof under the cocktail of hot and cold and took an odd solace in the notion that she had gotten the temperature just right on her first try.

She sighed and came to rest on the toilet for a moment: the extra weight beneath suspended from her back still somewhat alien to her - despite having grown with it the past seven months. She allowed the sound of running water to wash over her for a long while, the scent of a cherry bubble mixture infusing with the air as the fall of water threw up small clumps of pink suds to flutter back into the spacious tub.

She traced the white walls of the large square basin. It had been installed a short time before Cantor had left on his voyage. As she stared at the smooth plastic, she found herself questioning its suitability once again. As well as being quite expensive, it was also very modern; and looked really rather out of place in the rustic Golden Oak... As she thought deeper, there were few houses in Ponyville she knew of where it would seem appropriate.

Regardless, function was favoured far over form (as was an always pleasing theme with Twilight Sparkle), and the young mare was happy with its presence - despite having the size and depth of something more closely resembling a factory vat than a bathtub that now dominated more than half of her already rather petite bathroom.

It wasn't long, however, before Twilight's thoughts turned to Cantor... And she realised that this survey of the new tub was a subconscious distraction from thinking of a way to deal with the quietly traumatised buck of hers. Whilst even in the company of friends, Twilight had noticed his ears constantly twitching to the faintest sounds from outside, and more frequently than she was comfortable with, she noticed a sterile darkness take over his eyes as they scanned the dark corners of the room.

Knowing the stallion was barely afraid of anything given his insurance of magical supremacy, and seeing him react to stimulus in such a way gave Twilight a chill. But thankfully, there was a fragrant bath here she was eager to settle into.

Lumbering from the wooden seat, Twilight poked her head out of the door, smiling idly to herself. She gasped, and her eyes went wide however, when she noticed the crumpled blanket lying in the middle of the room where Cantor used to be. Panic only existed for a second, though, as she discovered the alicorn standing before the open front door staring out into the night.

She quickly tightened the taps up with a squeak, and the sound of falling water muffled by soap suds faded away. She returned to the silence of the library just as Cantor closed the door after bidding "Goodnight" to whoever had apparently visited. He turned around, staring at the briefcase held weakly within his magenta aura.

He had taken a mere few steps into the room before he faltered and dropped the case with a buckled grunt. It clattered to the floor with a thick 'bang' as Cantor dropped to one knee somewhat strapped for energy.

"What's wrong?" Twilight asked with quiet concern, keeping mindful to give the alicorn space.

Cantor gave a loud, exaggerated exhale and shook his head. "I just..." He started, dumbfounded as to why he felt so powerless. "I can't seem to keep my magic together: I feel so weak..." He explained, a certain (and understandable) degree of shame in his voice. Regardless, there was little time to dwell on the matter before Twilight's trademark curiosity won over her concern.

"What's inside that?" She asked, nosing towards the rich brown case lying closed on the floor.

Cantor, crouching on the warm wood, slid the briefcase in front of him and examined the clips holding it shut. "It's from Celestia: a guard just dropped it off: all he said was that Celestia thought I might want to hang on to this..." He relayed as he unfastened the shiny gold buckles either side of the handle, each springing open with a satisfying mechanical 'click.'

He raised the top of the case like a treasure chest; Twilight was close to his shoulder, eager to see what was inside. She noticed Cantor's brow furrow in a passive mix of surprise and perplexion: lying in the deep purple-lined case was an odd metal contraption, like a cylinder with wide leather straps made for accommodating a foreleg. For a partially educated guess, this contraption was some kind of medical brace; so she soon found herself wondering why the princess would have sent such a thi-

...Then it hit her... The unmistakeable tang of blood. Her eyes swelled with panic for a course moment before she noticed the rich stains on the padded harness. With a restless demeanour, Twilight softly spoke out. "What is that, Cantor?" She asked with as much confusion as the alicorn's face bore.

Cantor felt his reply catch in his throat: why would Celestia think to send something like this to him? As an overall emotion, he felt little more than curious: there was no cynicism in his thoughts as he felt as though there should have been - though he was unsure as to whether he was merely just too tired to care for such feelings.

"It-... It's my shotgun." He stated once he had found his voice again - realising the main hindrance to his speech affliction, above anything else, was the sticky remnants of hot chocolate lining his mouth. He removed the weapon from its case and cradled it in front of him, the realisation that the smell of blood failed to sicken him brought back a good deal of its unpleasant charm.

Twilight took a step away from the gun, eyeing the device like it was a heinous creature. "Is it dangerous?" She asked hurriedly, keeping her eyes fixed on the shiny metal barrel.

"Can be..." Cantor replied emptily, consumed by some sort of trance at the hand of this creation. "But not at the moment..." He added, a note in his tone reassuring Twilight a great deal. Still, she took mental precautions when approaching the stallion. "...I wonder why she sent this..." He asked, not particularly expecting an answer, only to have Twilight give an in-particular response.

"It looks like there's a note." She stated, levitating a small-sized crisp scroll bound by no ribbon from the edge of the smart case.

She unrolled the parchment and darted her eyes across its surface quickly before returning to the start and beginning aloud. "...Cantor," Read the first line of the letter, "Despite the more-than macabre memories this object withholds, I can't help but feel it produces an oddly negative flavour of 'special...'" The note went on into greater details, and as Twilight's lips made the letters into sounds, Cantor merely sat, staring through his weapon, but at nothing in particular: simply listening to his mare's pleasant voice.

"In any instance, I think it would be wrong to destroy it or simply stow it away somewhere: this is my thoughts, at least - you may do what you wish with it, but as my sister agrees, this particular weapon belongs to you and you alone." Twilight continued to read the letter. Even in writing, the princess' matriarchal order she upheld in her tone was clear; and soothing for Cantor to hear. "...Without keeping you from recollecting your thoughts any longer, I bid you farewell for now, and wish you a quick return to normality."

Twilight rolled the letter back up and dropped it into the thin case, reciting the conclusion to the brief note that she had read prior. "Sincerely, Princess Celestia..."

Not long after Twilight had finished reading, Cantor set the gun back into the case and closed the lid with an emotionally frayed sigh. He clicked the buckles into place and rested his hooves atop the dark leather covering the case. Coming to stand after an unpleasant pause, he shook his head groggily. "I'm tired, Twi..." He said with drained discontent, shambling his way towards the stairs. "Can we just go to bed and try to make sense of this in the morning?"

He continued on his way to the broad staircase when a quiet protest came from behind him. Stopping, he turned to see Twilight staring at him starry-eyed.

"Um," She began, cheeks rosy from the warmth of both the library heat and her soul-mate's kindred kindling in his patient stare. "I thought we could share a bath - it'd be a shame to waste such a big tub on just either one of us." She gazed to the floor for a moment before turning back to Cantor with a benevolent smile. "I thought it would be relaxing for you." She stated with mild excitement which grew as she added, "There's something I've been wanting to show you."

Cantor failed to reply, but had now turned his whole body to face the unicorn. "What's that?" He asked with no particular emotion.

Twilight noticed his empty tone, and similarly caught sight of the bags under his eyes. She felt sorry for him, yet at the same time, was assured that what she was thinking would set his mind at ease. "Come on," She beckoned, leading the way into the steamy bathroom. "I'll show you..."

Clear, fragrant water pooled around Cantor's body as he lowered himself into the large, accommodating bath. As the stereotype held, the water's temperature was fit for a mare, and the alicorn felt a mild scolding travelling up his chest as he sank into the tub. Despite this, he eventually came to appreciate the heat as he felt the warmth penetrate deep into his flesh and wrap his bones in prickled comfort.

Cantor closed his eyes and gave a short sigh as the aromatic suds reached his shoulders and he sunk back into the underwater seat. The pleasant warmth touching every part of his body reminded him of his fatigue - but in this instance, there was a relaxing beckoning to rest in the small waves breaking against his neck rather than the rough, painful eyelids with which he was previously afflicted.

He sleepily opened his eyes to notice Twilight had already dunked her head beneath the surface of the water, and was now brushing strands of wet mane that insisted on clinging to her face away from her eyes. She caught Cantor's transfixed expression and returned an adoring smile, eyes lighting up with fascination as she scanned with great detail her stallion's intense amber spectacles. She saw love, mystery and hope. Yet beyond all these complacent emotional textures, was a baron loneliness and great sorrow daunted by nothing but his arid and shattered innocence.

Twilight's delighted grin faded as she began to delve into Cantor's troubled eyes. She could see something was hurting him dearly - far greater than any mere scare he had likely suffered. A number of candles she had scattered about flickered within the flare of Cantor's stare, and threw his gaze into an odd realm of longing and dependency. She privately admitted she didn't understand what this look meant, but was doubtless of the fact that Cantor had no one to turn to in such an instance of intimacy.

"...Cantor..." She spoke, her voice a whisper among the utter silence of the bathroom.

Cantor raised his head slightly and answered. "Twilight, I..." He began, evolving slightly from this overly-rich demeanour he held before. "I really love you. With... With all my heart..." He bit his lip as tears rolled down his cheeks. Twilight raised her head in turn, her eyes growing a little wider as she listened: whatever she was expecting, somehow, wasn't this...

With a shallow breath, Cantor continued. "Like... You can't even imagine." He wiped his eye and took a calming breath. He hated this idea of looking such a mess - but in this scene, he merely accepted what a broken wreck of a pony he had become. "...You're all I have in this whole world. I... I'm sure I've said this before, but... I had no idea I would ever feel this way about anyone: it's like it's too good to be true." He gave a little smirk. "And in the same sense, I don't know why somepony as amazing as you would settle for someone like me..."

"I know I have all this alicorn magic... I can pull the largest things from thin air, build colossal, detailed structures... overpower anything and anyone with barely any effort, but... even this... everything I can do or offer, just... doesn't seem like nearly enough to deserve you." He shook his head and stared away for a moment before turning back to Twilight with agonized eyes. "So with all this to lose..." Biting his lip harder than before, feeling dead inside, he asked, "...How the hell could I start to feel this way for somepony else?"

Twilight said nothing, but raised her eyebrows and let her mouth fall slightly open. Her eyes suddenly filled with worry and hurt, but she didn't know at all how to feel: this had never happened to her before, but before she could make any kind of judgement, Cantor carried on with a loathing vigour in his voice.

"I don't know what it was about her..." He continued, hating himself even more with every passing second. "I mean... maybe it was because we were in danger together, we spent weeks in training together, or... maybe it was just... something else, I..." He sucked in another breath, afraid now to even look Twilight in the eye. "I don't know what it was... Maybe it was because she was alone, like me: she had no family: nopony to love her except for Celestia. All she knew was loneliness and abandon, and I hated that, and... and for some stupid reason, I forgot about who it was that really mattered to me in that way."

He turned one more time to Twilight, eyes filled with pain as tears pooled and fell like rain, landing in the bathwater with tiny splashes. "I loved her, Twi. I didn't know how to be there for her without owing some part of myself: the same part that belongs to you." Twilight's expression hadn't changed except for a small tear collecting that made her eyes shimmer. Once again, the sight was too painful for Cantor, and he had to look away.

He screwed his eyes shut in fear of what was going to happen next as he spoke with all the affliction of a broken heart. "What I'm trying to say is... Y- you're all I have in... in this whole world... Please..." He whimpered as he hung his head. "I can't loose you..."

Silence had proven itself once again to be an imposing force - particularly in environments such as this... For a long time, both mentally and physically, neither pony said a word. Even the sound of the lax water running through the pipes as they warmed was too distant to notice.

Cantor's feelings were nothing less than apocalyptic: too many inward accusations of what this spiritual contract called loyalty was supposed to mean were beating him further into a dark and endless shaft of shame. How could he expect any kind of resolve after this? He had thrown a loosing hoof on the table, and could now only await the mercy of the abstinent mare with a rare sense of complete uncertainty.

"...Cantor..." Twilight started, her voice engaged and intimate - in this moment, Cantor was the only other pony in the world.

Cantor didn't reply. He didn't even move.

"Cantor... Look a me..." She continued, the purpose in her voice undying and unstoppable. Yet, the dishevelled alicorn didn't respond. "...I can't say what I need to without seeing those eyes of yours... Please, Cantor... If... If nothing else, you owe me your attention..."

At this, there was nothing else Cantor could do. Regardless, he still sported a great deal of aversion as he made the long, painful journey to connect with Twilight's gaze.

Twilight took a shallow, painful breath before making her statement. "...You're right..." Was what she started with, her voice assuming the intense demeanour that would ensue. "You are, unquestionably, the most magically gifted alicorn alive... But... that's not enough - that'd never be enough..." She paused momentarily to blink away tears that immediately dispersed amongst the water dampening her face. "When I look across this bathtub, you know what I see...? Nothing less than a god. And yet... that's not enough, because... Because you know what else I see? I see... you." She shook her head unassumingly. "And you're worth far me to me than any amount of pure, unmatched potential."

Her dark breed of passion elevated somewhat as she envisioned her Ponyville friends. "Of course, I feel similarly about everyone else, but... There's just something... There's always something special about you that I wouldn't want to live without..." Slowly, she shifted around the bath to rest next to her stallion, who's focus was entirely hers. "I love you, Cantor." She said with no sense of hesitation whatsoever. "And if it's forgiveness that you're looking for, then I'll gladly give it... Whatever you may have felt for this mare, what's important is that you remembered me in your darkest hour, and... and for that I'm thankful..."

She laid her head against Cantor's chest and smiled as she felt him embrace her, holding her close to the perfect rhythm of his heart beating the life through him.

Cantor began to doze once again as the warmth from both the water and Twilight Sparkle became more familiar. Time moved quickly outside the bathroom, but for the ponies within, an eternity was spent in each other's company. If a more serene environment were proposed, Cantor and Twilight, in this frozen moment, couldn't care much for it: it became clear as the minutes passed, that only now had the return to normality truly begun.

Still, there were many ventures to undergo, but being together - especially in such a peaceful moment, sent gratification to this couple, and reminded Twilight of why she brought her Cantor here in the first place...

"Hey..." She quietly said, looking up at the sleepy-eyed alicorn. He turned to her drearily, but to the unicorn's merriment, not without a warm and loving smile. "...I wanted to show you something..."

After having some kind of fearful aversion moments ago, Cantor was now unable to take his eyes off of the purple mare he shared his life with. "What's that?" He asked with a somewhat out of place tranquillity.

Twilight returned his kind smile. "Put your head beneath the water." She insisted with a joyous medley of serenity and excitement. "Listen... Tell me what you hear."

Cantor paused for a second before giving a brief amused snort and dunked his head. He held his eyes closed and listened carefully, but all he noticed was the expected pulsing of blood through his ears. He surfaced and turned to Twilight with a mildly questioning look. "All I can hear is my heartbeat." He said blandly, for some reason having expected something more.

The young unicorn chuckled softly, and with a fair blush upon her cheeks, happily replied, "Now listen here." As she rubbed her stomach beneath the silent waves.

Cantor produced an obedient, albeit ever so slightly quizzical look and lowered his head once again. Twilight's pregnant belly lie only a few inches below the water's surface, and Cantor's head wasn't even fully submerged as he rest against it. After moving around the slight shock of just how hard the mare's maternal glutton was, he could focus on listening, and what he heard made him fall away inside himself in a cascade of true captivation.

As well as his own viscous thumping pulsing through his head, He heard another petite, much faster drumming aided by the water. He opened his eyes wide in awe as he listened to the beating heart of the little life growing inside Twilight. If not for the necessity of air, Cantor felt as though he could stay down there for days listening to that tiny sign that was more of a part of himself than he previously realised.

Alas, Cantor soon needed to breathe, and he rose back out of the water. He would have quickly returned if it weren't for Twilight's joyously placid expression. He froze in a moment of sedate eye-contact with the purple mare. "Wow..." Was all he could think to say as he stared with his own loving elation into Twilight Sparkle's deep, mellow, lavender eyes.

With a frustrated sigh, Cantor rolled from beneath the heavy quilted duvet and onto the warm floorboards beside the bed. He caught his haggard reflection in the vanity table against the wall on the opposite side of the room. His night-light, pleasant as its warming glow was, made the alicorn's tired eyesight that much more painful: every roll of his eyes to look somewhere different felt like there was grit beneath his eyelids.

He lit some fires about the room: finding less trouble in using his magic now than when he returned to Equestria just under two months ago. The encroaching shadows slunk back into slithers of darkness at the base of the library's walls, and Cantor gave a second sigh, happy to be bathed in light once again. Twilight stirred in her bed and sat up, the change in brightness waking her.

"You can't sleep?" She proposed apologetically, peering over to the now illuminated clock hanging on the wall opposite the stairs. "It's one in the morning..." She stated.

"That makes thirty six" Cantor grumbled in thought.

Twilight placed her head back onto the warm pillow, not bothering to re-affirm its feathery stuffing that had bulged to either end over the night. "Isn't that thirty six hours you've been awake for, now?" She asked in a sympathetic tone.

Cantor chuckled: even having been awake barely ten seconds, her maths and memory were sharpened as ever. "Yeah..." He grumbled, amused.

"Ooh..." Said Twilight, adding her contribution of disgruntled sighs to the atmosphere. "I don't know what to... ~Ah, suggest..." She continued, sharing sleepy yawn mid-sentence. "Maybe you should go for a walk or something: see if you can clear your head."

With a tired smirk, and little say over his verbal chastity, Cantor began, "Well... you could maybe try-"

"If it's anything sexual, Cantor, I'm afraid I'm too tired to acknowledge it or even smile at your attempted sense of humour..." She replied with satire, before lifting her head a little from the deformed pillow and adding, "Unless you're serious, and it might help you sleep."

Cantor peered down at the dozing unicorn, the fire beside the bed throwing her features into darkness. "No, it... I was joking." He answered in a hush brought about by a lack of effort rather than a concious judgement of the time of day.

There was a brief pause, nothing moved, then Twilight laid back down again, a soft "Good" passing her lips as she promptly fell back to sleep. Cantor reduced his magical fires, watching the young mare sleep for a short moment before making his way to the front door, barely bothering to tread lightly on the staircase as they would have creaked and bowed under his weight either way...

He left the library without a thought of anything else on its interior; he disliked the idea of staring into the hardback darkness as it was... The alicorn shut the front door subconsciously gently and took off effortlessly into the night. For a long time, he was entirely alone with his thoughts. The stars and the moon glimpsed past his eyes as he flew above the shadows of myth. Here he was, the most magically robust alicorn ever to have lived: against all odds, he had survived a bounty placed on his head by princess Celestia herself, and was now back in his home town, comfortable, and surrounded by friends.

"Why, then," His mind asked, taking these factors into deep, intimate consideration, "Do I feel so shit...?"

He came to perch on a leafless branch jutting from a large oak tree in an open field outside Ponyville, wrapping himself in his wings like an aviary blanket as the moon retreated behind a thick layer of cloud, burning the fluff of vapour a dark grey whilst washing the edges out into an almost turquoise hue. He took a deep breath of the winter's cool night air - careful not to emulate a sigh... Instead, he made himself yawn, which did nothing but remind him how long he had been awake.

Closing his mouth, he found himself staring at the somewhat dark feathers adorning his left wing - the same one he had lost... then gained again in a terribly gruesome manner. "Come to think of it, it was lost pretty nastily, too..." He thought with a mild grimace. The macabre memory left, thankfully, quite suddenly, though were replaced by thoughts of the deep grey pegasus he owed nothing short of his life to -- the thought was even more troubling...

It felt bad, Cantor found himself admitting. He knew which outcome of the terrible excursion he preferred, as much as it depressed him to admit. But it didn't help the fact that a pony he cared deeply about died for his sake. "I thought it was supposed to go the other way around..." He scoffed grimly, resting his head on the soft down around the top of his wings.

He left himself alone with his jumbled thoughts for a while: not really making any kind of headway toward finding a solution that could condole him. He stared down at the night-washed ground below, the rich moonlight making the light dew twinkle like the stars above. He was completely devoid of stimuli whilst his head swam in dark waters.

Whether hours or minutes had lapsed, Cantor didn't know or particularly care, a fair shadow suddenly flickered through his periphery, and by the time he had taken to laboriously lift his restless head, a sympathetic looking princess Luna had taken a place beside him.

The young stallion was slightly starstruck, yet his first thought, he couldn't help, was "Strong branch..." Before the princess of the night spoke up.

"Evening, Cantor..." She stated, wrapping herself up in her wings for warmth, too. "Having trouble sleeping?"

Cantor said nothing; just turned away to stare at the ground again.

"...I see." The princess replied after a moment. "You know," She started, turning to stare at the full, crisp moon above, "I'm not like my sister. I shan't fill your head with this 'feel-good bravado' I know first hoof she likes to deal..."

Cantor still stared, not particularly hearing Luna over his racing mind, but still somehow listening to what his good friend was saying. "...But that doesn't mean I don't know my way around emotions -- and in addition to that, you had the same creature plaguing your mind as I did all those years ago, only I came closer to filling its will; that's why I was exiled." Princess Luna seemed vexed; rightly so, but she knew, as well as anypony graced with a long life, that loosing one's cool brought no description of happiness in the long run.

Cantor, at that particular note, finally looked Luna in the eyes: a legendary stare that made the princess shift her demeanour. She shook the trouble from her head. "I dislike watching nightmares, Cantor - especially ones within the heads of my friends. Your woe shall leave under your own discretion, but there's nothing to say talking to ponies close to you won't make it go away sooner."

After a moment, Cantor's gaze fell away once more. Princess Luna was disgruntled, feeling as though she had yet to break through his hardship, but was surprised to hear the stallion respond.

"I miss her." He stated plainly, tracing the dark mountains far to his left with his eyes.

Princess Luna didn't miss a beat. "I know who you mean." She replied, her tone reflecting the complication in Cantor's head. What she said next, though, were words to blow the fog from his mind. "I'm sorry."

Cantor wound his full attention back to princess Luna: the first pony to offer any kind of apology for this particular loss. "Luna..." He breathed, eyes wide and gratified.

"I know that nopony's offered condolences for her to you... even at the memorial." She averted her eyes to think back to the garden ceremony - of the distraught parents, children and lovers who were affected most by her sister's intentions. Only once that day had come, and Cantor was publicly scolded by the bereaved for suspiciously being the only survivor, did Celestia fully realise what she had done. "Not one of my finest endeavours." She had tried to lighten the castle air with later that night... Princess Luna hadn't spoken to her since.

"You're not at fault." Luna continued, turning back to Cantor. "Love's a strange emotion: it's at the very core of our world's magic... All one can do, is choose, and ask forgiveness." She gave Cantor an affirmative nod.

His thoughts once again consumed by the steel-grey pegasus, Cantor drew out a very important article from under his feathery cloak and examined it under the moonlight. The glint of silver caught Luna's eye, and she peered down to see what it was. Cantor was holding the pink strap Faith had given him, its heart-shaped buckle shining brightly.

Luna didn't ask what the accessory was: all she needed to know was that it meant a great deal to somepony. "I forgot to give it to her." Cantor stated, caressing the dyed leather in his hooves. "It's the band Faith wore around her leg - she told me it was the only thing she had that belonged to her birth parents." The princess was captivated, unsure about what to make of this information. "She asked me to give it to Celestia before sh-she..." He gave a hurtful sigh. "...Before I escaped." He rubbed his exhausted face with his free hoof. "After all that mess with the Umbra, I just... totally forgot."

"Understandable." Luna replied, trying to reconcile the stallion.

"Yeah, but, I mean..." Cantor continued, his confidence rising to the point he felt comfortable hearing his own voice again. "It's too late now - to give it to her. She seems like the mare that's seen enough loved ones go that she's already starting to get over it." He clutched the bracelet firmly. "This'll just bring it all back."

Luna appeared thoughtful for a short moment: all her hundreds of years of emotional experience working in her favour - she knew just what to say -- especially to such a close friend. "Keep it." She declared readily. Cantor's stare remained upon the bracelet. "Whether or not my sister would appreciate it back; if how you think she may react is accurate, I wager you should hold onto it yourself. In any case, you'd be the one to hold its memory dear."

Cantor turned to Luna, his eyes seemingly glowing in the dark, merely listening to what she had to say, letting the lunar alicorn's words finish an almost complete picture in his head.

"And it's not just to 'get back' at Celestia..." Luna continued. "As I'm sure you're aware, now more than ever, if at all, we are not the evil in the world." Cantor understood what she meant. "I'd never tell you to keep her bracelet for that reason: that's simply cruel..." She turned her head to her stars, a smile gracing her lips upon the sight, as with every night. "I know there are long gone ponies both Celestia and myself continue to remember in our hearts: if Faith were so dear to her, and I would like to imagine she was, she shan't be forgotten - even if so, certainly not by you."

Cantor let his tired eyes fall down to the stiff garnment he cradled between his hooves, catching the moon's steadfast wink in the shiny silver buckle. Another sigh, a fatigued exhale left his lungs as he followed princess Luna's gaze to the heavens.

The princess of the night gave a demure chuckle. "Hm, hm... Such a unique name, isn't it? Special, in a way..."

For the first time that evening (or rather, very early morning), Cantor grew a genuine smile of happy reconciliation. "Yes... I suppose it is..." He said softly.

"Oh, morning, Rarity." Chirped Cantor as he peered through the library's grand, rustic doorway, his view of Springtime Equestria blocked only by the beaming white unicorn stood on the porch.

He stepped aside, closing the door telepathically after Rarity entered the noticeably warmer home: the bright and cheery season still in its very early days...

"Not at work, today, Cantor?" Rarity chimed as she found a seat beside Twilight Sparkle on the thoughtfully placed sofa, sure the fabric was never always such an 'off' shade.

"Nah." The alicorn echoed. "I'm still having Fridays off. The perks of PTSD, right?" He added with a smile more sweet than sour...

Offering a somewhat awkward yet dignified "Right..." to Cantor, Rarity turned her attention to Twilight, who had called upon her for nothing more than afternoon tea. For lack of a more complimentary phrase, Rarity had nothing better to do, so had no objections to spending an hour or so with her lavender friend.

"Hi, Rarity." Twilight greeted, her lips a crescent smile. "Thanks for coming over." She said cheerily.

"My pleasure, Twilight - it's always nice to make your aquaintance. And... for lack of a more complementary phrase..." The white unicorn continued, "I had nothing, um... else to busy myself with." She proposed a submissive look at Twilight, who simply snorted a laugh and turned to Cantor, her eyes broadcasting a particular message the pair of them had worked out.

He shot the pregnant mare a wink and skewed smile before trotting slowly off to the kitchen. The sound of clattering cutlery quietly chimed away off-stage as the girls spoke.

"Friday evenings are usually very busy, but my shop's practically a ghost town until around six." Rarity continued, flicking her silky hair away from her face, a navy beret perched atop her mulberry curls. "I wouldn't want to miss time spent with you to be wasted on staring at fashion (eh, fine as it is...) drifting in a still breeze."

"Ooh, very poetic." Twilight jested.

"I do try..." Rarity giggled in response.

...The library descended into a tranquil silence, the imaginary echo of the last comment fading away into the faint roar of a gas burner in the kitchen. Rarity peered past Twilight, seeing nothing twitch beyond the kitchen doorway leading off around a corner.

"Is..." The fashion-concious unicorn began under a cardinal hush, "Is he getting better?" She whispered.

Twilight shot a glance over her shoulder before returning with an easygoing grin. "You don't need to whisper." She replied, keeping the conversation to limited ears despite her affirmation. "...I'd imagine so. There are good days, and... bad days, but a good deal of the time, at least, he mostly seems like his old self."

"Mostly?" Quizzed Rarity, both Twilight and Cantor's well-being reflected in her compassionate stare.

Twilight shrugged. "Well, you can't expect somepony to completely get over what happened -- I mean, just his story frightened me, and you know he's not that good at telling stories, but... he must've seen some pretty awful things to still be loosing sleep occasionally these days." She explained, feeling helpless against Cantor's legitimate inner demons.

An intense whistle that had been gently growing for a short while reached its climax, then hurriedly died away as Cantor poked his head around the corner. "Sugar?" He asked, looking openly at Rarity.

With a smirk, "Yes?" Twilight cooed in response.

"No, I was ask- What? I never call you 'Sugar.'" Cantor replied, his sudden confusion falling away to reveal an amused grin. "No..." He chortled. "Rarity, do you have any sugar in your tea?" He asked, staring wide-eyed in the white unicorn's direction.

"Uh, uhhh..." She stumbled slightly. "No, thank you." Came her reply. Cantor quickly traced Twilight's body, his eyes once again half-lidded before he returned to his 'duties.'

Twilight still wore her smirk. "Difficult question?" She asked. Rarity chuckled. "Seriously, though," She continued, returning her voice to a benign whisper. "Don't worry about Cantor: he's getting by just fine - you could say 'he's far better than worse...'"

"Okay." Rarity nodded agreeably as another wave of chinking arose from the library's kitchen. "Good to know."

Cantor rounded the corner, three mugs of steaming tea grasped in magenta telekinesis. Rarity offered a "Thank you" as Cantor set hers down atop the stout table in front of her. He mimicked the action with Twilight's drink, and she gave her thanks as well.

Rarity lifted her cup, but paused as a thought struck her. "Hold on a moment," She started, "Don't you usually boil water with those 'elemental' powers of yours?"

"Ah, yeah..." Cantor began, taking a seat on the floor behind the small wooden coffee table. "I think I sort of lost all the progress I made on my magic powers when you guys used the Elements of Harmony on me." Rarity said nothing, but stared into her steaming mug of tea. "It doesn't matter." Cantor quickly added, noting her apparently guilty expression. "I'm already stronger than Celestia and Luna combined... but I doubt I'll be tearing apart the moon any time soon." He jested.

Twilight lit her smile again, raising her tea to her lips with magic, when out of nowhere, she was hit wit an almighty burst of sickness. She yelped and dropped her cup. It somehow didn't smash, but sent a cascade of steaming brown liquid onto the wooden floor.

Cantor and Rarity both snapped their attention to the distressed-looking mare as she sat very still and breathed, staring unblinkingly.

"Hey, you alright?" Cantor asked with rapidly growing concern.

Twilight slowly shifted her frightened eyes to the stallion's, but another surge of unease made her lurch back into the seat before she could answer.

The other two ponies watched with intensity as the young unicorn winced in pain.

Gradually, Twilight managed to make eye-contact with Cantor, who had risen from his place on the floor and was now standing over her with energetic conviction. "Cantor-" She huffed. "I... I think it's...!"

The alicorn's worry managed to span just a few seconds before his features relaxed and he huffed a smirk. "This again?" He asked jokingly. "You can't do the whole 'The baby's coming!' thing twice and still make it funny." He laughed. "But you really had me going - good effort dropping the cu-" All of a sudden, he caught the full weight of Twilight's genuine, primal, fear-filled eyes staring up at him pleadingly. "Ohh..." He murmured.

"Are you okay, dear!?" Rarity called out, rising to her hooves and taking an active stance beside Cantor.

"Cantor..." Came Twilight's very scared, frail voice. "I mean it this time. I..." She swallowed a breath, tears brimming at the corners of her eyes. "I- I think our foal's coming...!"