Celestia looked over at the group of six mares around the sleeping human. Someone, at some point, draped a blanket over him, where he had fallen asleep, clinging to Applejack. It really did not surprise her, from what Luna had been able to deduce, he had not slept more than a few hours each night since his arrival here. Combined with ten years of nightmares, never grieving properly for his loss, it truly was a wonder how his sanity was intact at all, and it spoke highly of his personality.

She lifted one ear to hone in on what was being discussed by the six, even as she covered her mouth and yawned.

“Why does he hold all that in?” Twilight asked, glancing over to the orange earth mare who seemed to know him better than the rest of them already.

The apple mare took her hat off and put her hoof on the blanket-covered form laying right next to her. “Sugarcube, he is ‘lot like us earth pony farmers. A country colt to his core, ain’t our way to burden others with our pain,” she said, lowering her ears. “Ya know that well enough from my past actions, ah reckon.”

Rainbow shook her head. “What are we going to do? We can’t let him go this alone, can we?”

Twilight looked from one eye to the next, then shook her head. “No,” a soft tone, but the poise and command of being a princess held firm in it. “He is our friend now, and we will stay by his side to show him he isn’t alone.”

Rarity spoke, not lifting her eyes from the sleeping human form. “Darling, do you suppose this may have any reason to do with why he has found his way here?”

Twilight again seemed deep in thought about that as she lay there, one wing over Pinkie still who was not taking this well at all. “It may be, Rarity. Even if not, we will do what we have to. I can’t imagine what it must be like. To lose all that, to ignore the pain, then to have everything else you knew ripped away and ending up in a strange land. It would have driven any other ponies mad.”

---

Luna found four pony approaching her, the three guards and the maid. They had all been quietly talking for the last hour, and she suspected they had questions.

“Princess Luna,” the captain bowed his head. “I—we have a question, or two. With respect, may we ask?”

She gave a soft nod of her head. “You may, Captain, but before thy do, understand we will need to place a spell of binding on you. Do all of you agree to this?” looking the three unicorns and earth pony in the eye in turn.

She watched all four nod their heads. “We do,” they said together.

Then, she gave a nod back. “So be it. Understand what you will learn, just like tonight's events, are a crown secret. You will carry them to your final rest, never speaking of them.”

Dipping her head, she touched each unicorn's horn with her tip, before gently laying the same tip to the forehead of the earth pony mare, binding a spell to each that would keep them from ever speaking of tonight, outside the ones in the room who already knew.

Bowing his head, the captain again spoke. “Princess Luna, what did he mean by... the show, by the words... my little pony?”

Luna exhaled and lay her ears down. “We were afraid this was the question. Sit, my ponies, let me tell you an unbelievable tale who’s very proof lay there sleeping,” she gestured to the human curled up under the blanket, passed out cold.

---

Cadence had not taken it well, then again, she was the alicorn of love, as well as a new mother. Shining watched her sleeping, little Flurry Heart pressed close and hidden beneath a pink wing.

He himself had a lot on his mind. The human, Shane, had lost his family, his wife and daughter. Sitting here now in their room, he watched his family sleeping. Could he say he would have reacted better?

To watch a stallion break down like that, to see hope and personal drive fade out of his eyes and be replaced by pain and fear, he wished that on no pony, and could only hope he would receive the help he desperately needed.

Knowing that, right now, his sister and five of the strongest mares in Equestria were staying by Shane’s side, helped. Shaking his head, he crawled up onto the bed next to his wife and hooked a leg over her, pressing his muzzle into her mane and inhaling her scent, re-memorizing what he already had done a million times over, in his head whispering a soft prayer to the gods to keep his family safe.

---

Dusty quietly looked over at the slumbering, blanket-covered figure. What Princess Luna had informed them had been quite a lot to process. She found herself heartbroken for the human, for his loss, for ending up here of all places he could have ended up.

A voice to her left distracted her and she turned to look at the earth pony mare next to her. “I am sorry. What was that, Golden? I missed it, I was thinking a bit too deeply.”

Having removed her helmet, breaking the enchantment all guards had on the armor they wore, now showing his light green fur, her blond mane, and the cutie mark of a golden shield blocking an arrow.

“It’s a lot to take in, isn’t it? I found myself wondering out loud, why us? Why did Luna tell the four of us?”

Dusty glanced over at the not-unattractive mare and back to the group sleeping around and near Shane. “He needs friends, Golden. Luna is right, he is a broken stallion—man, whatever he calls himself. Friendship brought our princess of the night back to us, perhaps friendship will help that poor soul there find peace.”

Golden Shield remained quiet for a time then said in a softer tone. “You should go lay down, Dusty. I am sure he is going to sleep for a while, and the others are here to watch over him. Go get some sleep for yourself.”

She blushed just a touch at his sentiment and nodded. “I think I will, Golden, goodnight,” rising to her hooves and heading for the door out of the small room. Golden couldn’t help but watch her leave, she wasn’t bad looking.

---

“Sergeant, I want your real answer to this question. It is not an order nor do I want you giving me standard guard answers.”

Turning his head to look at his captain, Cortland gave a single nod. “Fair enough, Cap, honest Apple it is.”

Cross glanced over at the sleeping lump under the blankets. “If I assigned you and Golden to be his personal guards for now, at least until we have a good hold on where he is going to be staying, would you lament the transfer?”

He was silent for a time, the unicorn looked over at the older stallion then shook his head. “No, I would say knowing what we know now, knowing just how broken that stallion's soul is. It would be my honor to take that posting.”

Giving a grunt and a nod, looking back over at the group sleeping. “I think once we are relieved for the morning. I am going to go home and hug my wife and foals. It has dawned on me that sometimes I am so tied up in my job in the guard, I forget to tell them how much I love them.”

A bit of a nod of his head in agreement, the Apple guard smiled lightly. “That sounds like a wonderful plan, sir.”