“Oof!” John complained as he was suddenly thrown into the inside of a flying carriage, landing on the other side of the carriage upside down. “Gee, it’s nice to see you again, Mr. Guard,” he blew a strand of hair from his face, managing to see the upside-down smirk of Guard. He set aside a mental note to cut his hair at some point.

“John!” he turned to the source of the voice and noticed Twilight with Spike right next to her.

“Hi…” he was wrapped by her hooves instantly in an attempt at an awkward hug, one she quickly broke after realizing it.

“John! Are you okay!? Your body is covered in cuts!” she pointed out in shock. John looked at his leg where the glass had been before, a moderate trail of dry blood as well as other small spots in his hands. He hadn’t noticed them when crashing through the window.

“I’m okay…” he groggily got on his feet and stared at the door he had been thrown into, noticing it had been closed and they were now on the move. “It’s... a rather odd story. I think it might be best if I explain with the Princess. Please?” Twilight looked doubtful but accepted the terms with a nod. John headed to the nearest seat and laid back with a heavy sigh, unable to grasp what had happened just minutes before.

“Oh my god… What is happening to me?” he thought, placing his hands over his eyes, ignoring the looks of worry from Twilight and Spike. He released a heavy sigh, the thought of what happened up to the point of the kidnapping attempt, which he quickly pushed to the back of his mind..

-You know, that isn‘t a healthy thing to do-

“Shut up! You aren’t real, get out of my head! NOW!” he yelled in his own mind. He didn’t want to acknowledge the voice. To him, doing so would have meant him accepting his own insanity.

“John?” called Spike who was right next to him on the seat.

“Don’t! Just, please. I got a lot to think about,“ Spike seemed hurt, but didn’t argue, and the rest of the trip remained in silence as they arrived in Canterlot Castle.

They pulled up by the castle courtyard, where John, Spike, and Twilight were promptly dropped off.

“What about Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo?” whispered John to Rough Patch, getting away far enough from Twilight and Spike to ask the question.

“They’ll be taken to the hospital wing for examination, and don’t you worry, that gryphon won’t bother you anymore—he is going to a rather secure place,” John smiled thankful at the bit of news and nodded. “Now go, Her Majesty awaits you in her study, Miss Sparkle here should know the way.”

“Thank you, Captain,” John said with a sad smile which Rough Patch acknowledged with a nod. She returned to the carriage, before it took off once more, heading to what John imagined was the dungeon.

“Let’s go, Twilight, you know the way to her study, right?”

“Y-yes…” she replied with some discomfort as they headed into the castle.

Nothing had changed since John’s last visit, though some of the ponies in there did give him fearful looks, like recognizing him from his previous incident months before. He tried to ignored as best as he could as they made their way through a smaller hallway. After a few minutes, they stood in front of the door to Celestia’s study.

“Ms. Sparkle,” Twilight jumped at the sudden call of her name, and she turned to the side just to find a familiar face.

“P-Princess Luna?” said Princess nodded, a silent greeting to the three of them.

“Greetings, Ms. Sparkle. It has been a while, hasn’t it?” Twilight smiled awkwardly, looking at the door and back to Luna not wanting to be rude, hoping she would take the hint.

“Oh the ’hint’ as it may has been taken,” Twilight gulped at how easily she was read. “However, you are coming with me, my sister has things to speak of with John,” Twilight began to protest, but was quickly stopped. “Privately,” she rubbed her leg awkwardly at the information and readied an excuse, but was again interrupted. “And with good timing, as I have something to talk to you about as well. It is quite important, I assure you.”

“B-but…”

“Go. I’ll just tell you everything later, alright?” John said with a weary smile. Twilight grimaced, noticing the pained sound in his voice. Something she couldn't help him with.

“I guess just another thing I’m useless at right now…” she thought miserably. “Alright… We’ll see each other later, okay?” John only gave her a weak nod before turning to the door and giving it a single nod.

“Come in/Let’s go,” came the voices of Celestia and Luna respectively. John and Twilight looked at each other one more time, and without another word, headed to their respective meetings.

“Afternoon, your Majes-” John said as he made his way in, he instantly stopped as he was suddenly engulfed in an odd attempt at a hug, giant wings enveloping him completely, the surprise in him was expected, after all, he was being ‘hugged’ by Celestia herself. “Y-your Maje-”

“I told you before, you can call me Celestia,” he was once more fazed, this time by her tone, it sounded much more open. She showed some strain to her voice, something which quickly raised a flag for him.

“Are you alright?” he asked Celestia, who gave an air of sadness about her. “W-what’s the matter?”

“Look at you. To think that I didn’t actually predict this—I have been a fool!” she stomped the ground harshly, leaving an indentation where her hoof hit.

“C-Celestia! Can you explain what’s going on? What’s the matter with you? You are acting rather…”

“Odd? Friendly? Forward, even?” John only stared. “That’s because I am. Worrying over a friend should be something natural, don’t you think so?” John‘s eyes moved wildly, his mind racing to understand. “Or is this perhaps too strange for you? Twilight herself never liked me acting this way, so I’m usually the same around her as with everypony else. She doesn’t want any special treatment,” John sat down on the floor, holding his head.

“This is… A bit to take in…”

“Is it?” she moved away from him and her horn lit up, dozens upon dozens of scrolls came up, noticing a familiar seal on them. His seal, at Twilight's insistence to use in his own letters. “As these letters show, you and I have been far more close than you think. You’ve been very open with me, and have protected the one who I see not only as a student, but a daughter… I think this is a rather normal reaction to that.”

“Heh…. Heh, heh, heh…” John laughed out loud, taking in the absurdity of it all. “Well, I guess you are right, and I’m glad you think of me as one, now I can do the same for you,” he said honestly. “Well, I guess you want me to talk about what happened, right?”

“… Yes, but maybe you’d like to talk about something else first,” John tilted his head confused.

“What do you mean?” he felt two spots of wetness in his face, he reached to each and felt it; the familiar texture of tears, freely falling without his consent, he shook his head in confusion and looked at Celestia. “I-I don’t know why I’m crying… This can’t be ri-” his mind began running amok, different memories running through his head without question.

“I-I-I can’t!” John shouted, plumbing on the floor as his legs gave way, he was sobbing as he hit the floor, shaking as he hugged his legs and cried, cried like he hadn’t done since arriving in Equestria.

“It seems that you have things on your chest,” Celestia said, approaching John and putting a protective wing over his crying self. “Go on, I’ll gladly listen to everything you have to say.”

Their steps resonated in the halls, the two ponies and the dragon made their way through the castle in total silence, something that Twilight quickly pointed out.

“Princess Luna! What is it that you wanted to talk to me about?” she asked rather forcibly, stopping midsentence.

“Patience, Ms. Sparkle, we are almost there,” true to her words, they reached a pair of doors. Luna pushed them open, and the three made their way in, the doors magically closing behind them, following a hallway which contained multiple plants and flower pots randomly set up, and then came upon a pair of black doors, which Luna easily pushed with her magic. Inside, they found a rather lavish room, it had a regal looking bed with blue covers, the rest of the room was nothing more than a small shelf and a small drawer with but a single window with a just as plain curtain.

“What are we…?” Twilight began to ask, but was stopped by Luna’s hoof as she moved to her bed. removing her regalia and placing it in the table, and climbing on.

“Welcome Ms. Sparkle, to my room,” Twilight eyed the place quickly, having already realized as much.

“Yes, but what are we doing here?”

“Well, I figured that the only place I could feel comfortable being myself was my room, so I moved us here,” she said simply, laying on her back and lazily stretching an odd sight for the pair.

“Uh, huh… how come you didn’t just teleport us here?” Twilight wondered.

“A valid question, indeed. Why didn’t I? You may ask,” she jumped off the bed and moved towards Twilight. “The better question is why I should have. Tell me, was it really something I needed?”

Twilight replied, taking a step back. “I… I suppose not.”

“Tell me, Ms. Sparkle. How have you been faring?” Twilight backed away once more, the seemingly casual question implying more than it seemed.

“Why do you keep calling me Ms. Sparkle? You know my name, Princess,” Twilight noted, showing a hint of annoyance at the prospect.

Luna smiled. “Well, I only refer to my friends on a first-name basis, ponies who bother to keep in contact with me; don’t you think that’s fair?” she said, turning her head towards Twilight almost mockingly.

“I… I have been busy. I apologize if I haven’t been keeping in contact, but is that all this is?” Twilight asked, trying to dodge the topic.

Luna shook her head. “No, it’s not something as ’trivial’ as that. In any case, you seem to be avoiding to answer my question, so I will be blunt,” she turned towards a window looking outside, the sight of a great forest far away. “Tell me: how have you been faring without magic?”

Twilight flinched, and Spike clenched her hoof, staying close to her. She knew how to answer, but it wasn’t a response she was ready to give with Spike there.

“Go on, Twilight. It’s alright,” Spike said, noticing her hesitance. Sometimes, the small dragon really knew how to read her.

"It's been tough. Is that all?" Twilight answered uncomfortably.

“No, it is not,” Luna approached Twilight with a simple leap, a glare plastered in her face. “Tell me, how would you feel if you were to never regain your magic?” Twilight’s eyes widened at the question.

“W-well, that question is irrelevant! I’ll get better… That’s what the Princess said, and I trust her! Not to mention I’m looking for a cure… “

“Do you really believe that?” Twilight seemed to freeze at the question.

“I-I…”

“Princess Luna! What are you trying to say!?” Spike asked angrily, he noticed his tone and nearly backed off, noticing Luna's neutral look.

“Young Spike, I will say this—s she not the element of Magic? What will happen if she does not recover? Not only her, but her friends, the world. Her role as the Element of Magic is not a simple one, it bodes much more than just a simple ‘element‘. She is an important beacon, one that brings hope to other ponies. Can you imagine if she were to never recover? It would upset not only the trust of the ponies, but may even bring upon conflict between our own,” she eyed Spike with knowing eyes before asking. “You may be young, but you are wise enough. Is that explanation enough?”

Spike stood frozen, not having realized the implications of such a title. He closed his eyes, and thoughts ran through his head. “It’s Twilight, I'm sure she can fix this. She can fix anything!” he opened his eyes once more and glared at Luna. “W-well, she’ll deal with it! You’ll see! I believe in her”

“Spike…” Twilight said, looking at him with a big smile. “Yes, I will deal with that!” she said, donning a hesitant smile. She thought not only of Spike, but her other friends who would have more than likely said the same to her. She would have to try.

She had no other choice.

“A naïve thought, but even naiveté can work for one such as you, Spike, as well even you, Miss Twilight. Hopefully, your will is as strong as your words,” she said with a serious stare.

"...”

“Still, it seems that many of those previous doubts are gone,” Luna said with a grin.

Twilight smiled a bit, realizing the fact, but quickly regained her frown. “S-still! That was a rather mean thing, even coming from you, Luna!”

“Thanks for actually calling me Luna that time, Twilight.”

“Oh, I guess I did.“

“Now, if you could send my sister and I letters again, that would be most appreciated,“ they all stared at each other, and without warning, burst into laughter. An uncalled for laughter, but the kind that just made the tension disappear.

“So, is this what it was all about?” Twilight asked, wiping the tears of laughter from her face.

“Yes, I needed to know if you were ready for whatever may come, and I have hopes that you will,” she said, donning a confident smile.

“…That doesn’t mean I’m going to forgive you, that was quite a mean thing to do,” Twilight said, glaring at Luna without remorse.

“Of course, and I am sorry, really,” she sighed wistfully and turned to the door. “We may go now, you have seen my room more than even my sister lately,” they quickly left her quarters, making their way outside, but instead of going the way to Celestia’s study, they went towards the opposite direction.

“Luna?”

“Do not worry, we’ll see them later; however, you must want to see your friend Rainbow Dash, no?” Luna suggested.

“Dash is here…?” Twilight asked confused.

Luna closed her eyes in understanding. “I see. I‘ll fill you in.”

Through the closed room, no one could hear the sniffles of John, who by this point, was on his feet, already getting his bearings.

“Feeling better?” Celestia asked..

John nodded. “Y-yeah… I guess I needed that, didn’t I?” he said, wiping tears from his now red eyes. “Oh God, I feel so pathetic…”

“Now, now, it’s never bad to have a good cry once in a while, you’ve had a rather hectic three months, and frankly, things that no human has really been put through; you needed release,” she comforted him.

“I guess I did…. Thank you, Celestia.”

“Pardon my change in topic, but it must be brought up… Do you have any idea about the creature that captured you? Did you do anything else?”

“You mean the one I, er, fought? I did dsomething to it… but are you trying to bring up that odd ‘singing‘ thing I did?” he tried explaining, shivering a bit at the recent memory.

“I don’t mean that. I will admit it‘s quite odd, but I wouldn‘t really put it in the 'otherworldly' section,” she explained.

"I see," John sighed, he had already expected the answer.

"But," Celestia continued. “I do have one theory, of course,”

“What?” John asked hopeful.

“Music.”

“Huh?” he responded, losing it already.

“Music is a powerful thing in this wonderful planet of ours, all creatures are linked to it, and as such, are driven to act alongside it. Of course, that’s implying that all creatures are born here. Understand?” it took John a moment to realize it, but he quickly face palmed once he had.

“You can’t be serious…”

Celestia snickered. “But I am! It’s a rather common thing in Equestria, have you not seen ponies spontaneously bursting into song before?” the memory of a certain moment in the Crystal Empire returned to him, bringing in the explanation he’d wanted so much back then.

“Yeah, I have,” he rubbed his temples at the absurdity. “But how did I manage to dodge that gryphon then? It doesn‘t explain anything,” Celestia seemed thoughtful for a bit, recalling something, she smiled once more as she came up with an answer.

“It’s all about timing and rhythm.”

“You know, if I didn’t know any better, I would say you are screwing with me... are you?,” he groaned, his doubt more than valid.

“Simply said, he may have been slowed down by the tune you sang, that would explain him missing every time he attempted. Of course, this should tell you that nopony sings in battle,” somehow, John bought every thing she’d said easily.

“Wouldn’t be the first time something crazy has happened… But what about the voice?” he asked, and Celestia's grin turned into a grimace.

“I will look into that and your dreams in more detail, I know for a fact that you aren’t crazy—I would know if you were—and I can’t really see or feel any sort of magic hex on you. In any case, for the time being, there is a place you should go to first,” her horn lighting up, a guard appeared out of nowhere, and saluted Celestia without question.

“Yes, your Majesty!”

“I apologize for the surprise summon, but could you take Mr. John to the dungeons? There is somepony… Or rather, somegryphon he needs to talk to.”

“W-what? Why?” John asked, clearly scared of meeting the creature that nearly took him.

“Well, there is something I would like to say, but maybe going directly to the source might get you to understand their motivations, as well as the implications,” John gulped, but nodded, hesitatingly agreeing to her suggestion.

“Okay… Let’s go.”

The walk to the dungeons was a longer journey than John had expected, and having to make numerous turns through many hallways, he arrived to what appeared to be a secret passage. Before even realizing it, he passed from the overbearing feel of the castle, to a much less comfortable dungeon motif with flickering torches to add to the mood.

A mood John wasn’t enjoying too much.

“Well, well, if it isn’t the pony beating human,” John rolled his eyes. Ahead of him, waited the pink maned form of Gleaming Guard, the guard with John saluted him, and was quickly dismissed.

“Hey… Guard,” John greeted him awkwardly.

“It’s Gleaming Guard, but you can just call me ‘G’ for short, trust me, it makes it easier. And don‘t worry about ‘that‘, I‘m over it,” he said, referencing the incident from their first meeting, John only nodded.

“After tossing me into the carriage, right?“ John guessed. Guard grinned, practically acknowledging it. "And no promises on the 'G' thing, but enough of that; what are we doing?"

“Follow me.”

The walk seemed to be longer than expected, and John quickly grew bored, choosing to start a talk with Guard.

“So, how have you been?”

Guard turned to him with a gleeful smile. “Honestly? Much better than last time we 'talked'. Let’s just say that putting me under Rough Patch was a smart move from her Majesty and leave it at that. would ask how you were, but I’ve read the report: so much in so little time, more than any normal pony would see in a lifetime,” John growled at the information, not liking the fact that his life was an open book, Guard noticed this and coughed. “Sorry, I’m the Captain’s second-in-command, so I am told these things. it doesn‘t say more than just general information, so no need to worry.”

“Right. So, how did Rough Patch even become Captain?” Guard chuckled at the question.

“That’s her story to tell, human… or rather, John. Can I call you that?” John only shrugged.

“Sure. I can see you aren’t angry at me anymore, and I’m not one for grudges, so go for it,” Guard laughed loudly.

“Oh, I‘m still very ‘grudgy‘! You‘ll be my punching bag from now on,” John’s smile disappeared with the words, Guard didn‘t pay it any mind and continued. “Now, how about we see to our guest?” he said, pointing to the door, having failed to notice they had arrived.

He opened the door for John to enter, and gulping a bit, he entered the small room. There were stone walls just like the outside, but the whole place had but two torches illuminating it, and a single table with a pair of chairs, where he noticed a gryphon; however, it was not the same gryphon from before.

“Well, what a nice surprise… If it isn’t our human?” the gryphon greeted him, its face covered in bumps and cuts, obviously fresh from a recent beating. Recognizing the voice, John turned to Guard with a confused face.

“Yes, that’s him, or rather, her,” John let his mouth hang open, surprise over the out of nowhere reveal.

“B-but how?” John asked dumbfounded.

Guard entered the room and closed the behind him. A barrier suddenly popped up and closed the passage completely, making John gulp again. “It’s just protocol, don't worry,” Guard said, noticing his fear.

“Heh, don’t worry Pinky, I wasn’t going to escape; not that I really could anyway, what with the seals and all,” she explained.

“Can you explain that!?” John said loudly, getting Guard’s attention before he could make a retort.

“Right… See this?” he brought out a small transparent bag, it seemed to contain seemingly random items.

“Yeah… What am I looking at?”

“Make-up and other such things, our gryphon here is the mistress of disguise,” he explained. “She is wanted in multiple countries, including her own of Griphonia.

“The name is Hilda, not that my name matters," she sighed. "I‘ve heard of Canterlot‘s security… I‘m not getting out,” Guard scanned her for a moment and brought out a pad where he quickly jotted down something.

“I’m still confused… Why were you after me!?” John demanded.

Hilda scratched the back of her head and snorted. “As if I’d tell you, if I didn’t tell the ones who ‘warmed me up‘, I’m not telling you… But our ‘handsome’ Guard here has an idea, don’t you?” John turned back to him.

“Yes… We do," Guard said with a groan.

“Tell me then!”

Guard took a deep breath, before speaking. “Fine, but keep it mind that Princess Celestia has made it clear that you do NOT divulge this information, and that includes Twilight Sparkle and the other elements of Harmony. Got it?”

With a tinge of fear, John asked. “W-why?”

“Because this is being kept under wraps, even the stallion who contacted us was told to keep the talk with her secret, this is just a special occasion due to your involvement, so please, do as Her Majesty has commanded, alright?” Guard explained.

“Ugh, I knew he had something to do with you being there,” grunted Hilda instantly at the revelation.

“Alright, I swear I will,” Guard sighed nervously, but allowed himself to continue.

“Let’s go outside though,” they left the room quickly, mostly avoiding the complaints from Hilda for not being allowed to listen.

“Good enough,“ Guard took a gulp of air before letting out the words. “Without mincing words, you are a rarity: a creature who managed to beat Sombra, and the only one of its kind; and from what I read, someone with… Gifts,” he stopped for a second before continuing, letting John realize how much they knew. “We believe that she was send from another land to capture you and take you to them.”

“W-what?” John couldn’t believe the words.

“In a way, you are an asset to Equestria, and this gryphon here, she was hired to give you, well, as an asset to that other land, “ John simply stared. “Of course, it’s all theory, and there are other dozen reasons that may work as well, but this one is the most worrying of the bunch, and unfortunately, we haven’t been able to get much… Yet.”

“I… See…”

“Come on, let’s head back inside,” they entered the room once more, finding the laid back form of Hilda on the chair.

“Hello boys, I missed you!” they both rolled their eyes, ignoring her.

“So, what now, Guard?” asked John, still bewildered at the possibilities.

“Rotting in prison for life is the best we can giver her; besides, we have Princess Luna to get the information out of her. I‘m sure her ‘dream treatment‘ will get some answers out of her,” Hilda let out a loud obnoxious laughter and spoke.

“Well, that‘s just wonderful, I get a free room!” G’s lack of amusement caused Hilda to stop. “Geez, chill a bit lame-brain. Anyway, before I head to my ‘permanent vacation‘, I was wondering if you could tell me something, Guard?” he turned to her with a bored look, but allowed her to continue. “What happened to the colt that was with me? I already told you he was innocent.”

There was a second of surprise in his face, which was quickly hidden by an amused chuckle. “He is fine, and not going to prison for all I care to tell you. Is that all?”

“Yes, it is,” she sighed content, then turning to John. “Hey, you!”

“Y-yes?” he answered a bit unnerved.

“Firstly I wanna say that I’m sorry for taking that filly like that, I wasn‘t going to hurt her if it makes you feel better… I don‘t hurt children,” John only stared, but didn‘t say anything. “And second, this might be yours,” she made some gagging noises, making John back away while Guard opened his wings, ready for whatever she was about to do, Hilda continued her act, and with a single spit, let a small bag out. “Ugh, take it… I don’t really need it where I’m going,” John approached the package warily and stared, gagging at the smell and look of it.

“What is….?”

“Hey, John?” she interrupted.

“W-what is it?”

“Take care of the colt for me. We might have not known each other for long, but… he was a nice kid, and he doesn‘t seem to have anyone,” she released a big sigh and smiled. “Well, I believe that’s all I have for you—I think it’s time for goodbyes, don’t you think?”

“I believe it is,” agreed G, a pair of guards behind him ready to help take her, each hooking a cuff in her talons.

“You know, I have no regrets. I lived my life the way I wanted, and that means I don‘t regret what happened in that hall… And you know? I will leave this world just as such,” she looked up to the roof, staring at it for a few seconds before letting out a sad laugh. “You know? It’s a bummer that I didn’t get to see the sky one more time…”

“What are you…?” Guard began lost.

But it all quickly made sense.

Hilda opened her beak wide to the confusion of all present, and with an ear shattering crunch, she slammed it shut; the sound of something breaking was heard through the room, and she suddenly fell back on the floor with a heavy thud, shaking violently,to the horror of all present.

“W-what’s going on?” noticed John, terrified at the sight of the now convulsing Hilda.

“Horse apples! Get the medical team, now!” ordered Guard to the other two.

“H-Hilda?” John said approaching her. As she looked up to him, she extended her talon; she reached out to him, and not even getting close, she closed her claw and smiled a bit as the life left her eyes. She had one more spasm, and she moved no more, her talon staying upright, the smile never leaving her face.

“A doctor is h- dammit!” Guard kicked the floor with one of his hooves, a nurse noticing the body and staring intently, John backed off slowly, allowing her to do her job, but it was obvious to all present that nothing would come out of it.

It was too late.

“John!” Guard called out to him. “Let’s go, I‘ll take you to Ms Dash‘s room. We are done here.”

“Hold on!” he ran to the table and grabbed the bag, ignoring his disgust, he opened it and saw the lines of a small object; a lighter, his own. He pocketed it and went to Guard, no more words were said, he turned once more to the lifeless body of Hilda and stared, the events from before conflicting with his current emotions.

“Yeah, I think we are done…”

Twilight, Luna, and Spike continued their way to the infirmary, Luna finishing the rundown of what had happened to Rainbow Dash hours before.

“But how is she!? Is she okay?” Twilight asked, afraid of what the answer may bring.

“She is alive, however, I believe her wings were broken quite badly. She was still passed out when I checked on her, but I left to get you; thus, I was not able to give her a proper check up,” Twilight sighed, but didn’t question any more.

“Your Majesty!” they stopped as they came upon Rough Patch trotting towards them.

“Captain? What’s the matter?” Luna asked as Patch looked at Twilight for a second before focusing on the Princess.

“Princess Celestia wishes to speak with you, something has happened, and it’s urgent,” Luna closed her eyes in thought for a moment at the request.

“Very well. Captain, can you take Miss Sparkle to the infirmary?” she nodded and saluted her. “I apologize Twilight, but we will have to see each other another time, excuse me,” she nodded and disappeared in a flash of light, leaving Patch and Twilight on her own.

“I know my way to the hospital wing, I‘ll go there on my o-”

“Let’s go,” Patch ordered. Twilight didn’t bother with an argument and chose to follow her.

“Um, sure…" as soon as they began walking, the awkwardness settled in for all. "Um, congratulations, by the way! My brother told me he’d be leaving his position due to him staying up on the Crystal empire… I was wondering who’d gotten the post,” she said sincerely, starting a conversation with the usually rude pony, hoping that her usual friendly demeanor could cut through.

“Is it that surprising?”

“Nah, you seem like the type!” replied instead Spike, getting a chuckle out of her.

“Heh, I knew me liking you wasn‘t a one-time thing, hello little dragon dude,” she said, ruffling his soft scales in a friendly manner.

“Thanks… I guess,” he huffed, fixing his flattened spike.

“I was actually going to say the same, you seem like a responsible one,” Twilight continued.

Her laughter died instantly, giving Twilight a serious look instead. “Well, I DID work for my title, after all.”

Twilight raised a brow, the comment having come out more insulting than anything. “I wasn’t implying anything, Patch,” she responded just as rudely.

Patch glanced back and laughed. “Well, I take it you read the papers, I‘m sure you already knew of my position,” Twilight faltered for a bit, giving Patch the opening she needed. “I thought so.”

“It's not like the rumors are true though, right?” Twilight asked, hoping for something out of Patch.

“What do you think? You should know it’s odd, I mean, an Earth pony as a Captain?”

Twilight shook her head. “Well, I don’t believe it, in all honesty, I don’t even know why I asked.”

Patch hissed angrily. “Make up your mind, Sparkle. I hate indecisive ponies,” Twilight didn’t manage to make a response as they reached the pair of doors leading into the hospital wing. “Here we are. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a job to do,” Twilight and Spike looked as she left, never taking their eyes off her until she disappeared in a corner.

“…She is mean…” said Spike simply.

“You can say that again. Come on, let’s see how Rainbow is doing.”

“Sure, but what did she mean by papers with Ms. Patch?

“… Something that honestly isn’t of my concern. But Rainbow is of concern right now, so let‘s go.”

The hospital wing in the castle was simplistic in comparison to Canterlot’s own hospital, it didn’t take much for Twilight and Spike to reach Rainbow Dash’s room and gain permission to enter.

“Rainbow..?” asked Twilight, slowly making her way into the room.

“Twilight!” she found herself in the hooves of a crying Scootaloo before even entering the room.

“Scootaloo? What are you doing here?” she quickly recalled what Luna had explained as she asked, and set a note aside to focus more on the conversation, while Scootaloo continued her awkward sobbing.

“Rainbow! Her wings!” she continued with a sadness she’d never seen on her, and Twilight felt her heart sink at the implications of Scootaloo’s words.

“She’ll be fine, she always is…” she looked at the sleeping form of her friend for the first time since entering the room and gasped; her wing had more than likely bended into place, forcing the team to put a cast on it, obviously due to the serious damage it had suffered, only one wing had been affected, it appeared, as the other one remained with but a simple bandage. The rest of her body was covered in other such bandages, but nothing really catching Twilight’s eye like the cast did.

“Hey, Twilight.”

Twilight reacted to the familiar voice, and going around the bed, saw Rainbow who was grinning. “Dash! You are awake!” they all ran to her placed a careful hug on her form.

“Thanks, guys... ugh, I really hate hospitals. By the way, anypony care to explain how I got here…?” all of them looked at Scootaloo, being the only one who had been present.

“I don’t know… I was passed out the whole time. Sorry, Dash…” said Scootaloo with a shamed look.

“That’s okay, squirt, maybe somepony else saw what happened.”

“And that would be me,” all but Dash turned to the sound of the voice, noticing John standing in the doorway with a guard in tow. “Alright G, that’s all I know, do you have everything for your report?”

With a satisfied grunt, Guard nodded. “Yes, go ahead, and thanks for the help,” he nodded to the other ponies in the room and left as John made his way in and closed the door behind him.

“Hey guys, hey Dash. How are you feeling?”

“I’m a bit grounded, as you can see,” John couldn’t help but admire her for her optimistic attitude… As well as chastise her for her horrible humor.

“You are just as bad as me with the jokes, Dash,” he laughed, but she only huffed in response.

“Hey, John… So how was the talk with Princess Celestia?” asked Twilight with some worry. He went on to explain the events leading up to his meeting—leaving out his breakdown with Celestia—while Dash shook as she heard the story.

“Grr, that stupid gryphon… I could have beaten her! She just caught me by surprise!” protested Dash, now aware of the gryphon’s real gender.

“Literally,” John added, the others laughing a bit at the Pegasus’s expense.

“I set myself up for that one, didn’t I… Anyway, what happened to the jerk!? I wanna beat her up once I’m healed up and ready to go!” John’s face darkened at the question.

“Well, doing that will be impossible, Dash,” she raised a free hoof to the air and shook it as best as she could.

“No way! Even if we have to do this in the dungeons, we are settling things, like… ‘ladies’ heh, heh…”

“… She is dead, Dash,” all present became silent at the information, Dash lowered her hoof as John resumed the explanation up till the point of their meeting—leaving out the attempts and other motives out as promised—they all looked at each other, uncomfortable after knowing of her fate.

“Wow… So they couldn’t help her?” asked Twilight with a doubtful look.

“No. It was too late when a nurse arrived, “ he explained uncomfortably, remembering the macabre look on her face after she died.

“You don’t seem too sad about it,” Spike noticed, looking at John’s neutral face.

“Well, it’s difficult to feel bad for someone who tried to kidnap you, but… I do feel a bit bad, and it helps that well… She didn’t seem that bad, I mean, for a criminal,” he finished quickly while the others looked from him to Dash angrily. “Yes, I know!”

“Did they get anything out of her?” wondered Twilight, but John shook his head.

“No… Well, she did ask me to do something before she did it.”

“And you are going to ignore it, obviously?” asked Twilight with some anger behind her words, not caring much for whatever Hilda had asked.

“I would, but…”

“John, I th-”

Knock, Knock

“I’ll take it!” yelled Scootaloo, reaching the door with a leap and a push of her tiny wings. “Yes, who is i- You!?” while Spike and Twilight held confused stares, only John stared with some reservations at the new guest now in front of them.

“I’m sorry to bring him here, but he said he wanted to talk to the one called John,” said the guard, explaining his visit, Scootaloo kept her glare as the colt from earlier that day backed away slightly.

“Well, he ca-Umff!” she was stopped by John who covered her mouth.

“Yes, you may leave him here,” the guard granted John's request, and left. The young colt stood there, fidgeting uncomfortably at the crowd in front of him. “Hey, kid…”

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry for taking your fire making thing…” he said right away

"Fine! You deal with him," Scootaloo groaned, marching towards Rainbow's bed and sat down, only occasionally watching them.

“Heh, at least you don’t beat around the bush… It’s alright kid, no hard feelings,” John said with a smile. Relieved, the kid looked up and jumped with joy.

“Wooh! Thanks, monkey man!” ignoring John’s serious face, he looked behind him and his eyes grew in size as he noticed a certain pony there. “I-is that… Twilight Sparkle!?”

“Huh!?” were the collective sounds of all there, the colt ran around the bed and raised a hoof to present to Twilight.

“Miss Sparkle! I am yours, please, take me!” he bowed to her in a respectful way, leaving any previous childish behavior he had from before.

…

“HUH!?” all repeated. Twilight was unable to as she had now fainted at the colt’s request.

“Y-you could have been more specific! Ugh!” Twilight facehooved constantly as the colt explained what he hadn’t meant.

“S-sorry… A- anyway, I haven’t introduced myself!" he jumped back and raised a hoof to the air. "My name is Lemon Lime! It’s an honor to finally meet you!” he said happily revealing his name and bowing once more for her.

“I’m not used to this kind of attention…" Twilight sighed to herself before speaking again. "Well, can you tell me exactly what you want, please?” he looked to the others with embarrassment before returning to Twilight.

“Yes… But can we talk in private? Please?” she looked to the others who only shrugged in response.

“… Alright, but Spike is coming with me, alright? We’ll be back, guys.”

“Oh, okay, sure! I always wanted to see a dragon! Ooh! Can you tell me about you?” Spike grinned smugly and rubbed his small hands.

“Can I? Well you see, my story is a great one…” and with a groaning Twilight in tow, they left the room.

“… Interesting kid, huh?” John pointed out amused, Rainbow huffing on the other hand.

“Whatever. He stole things, that alone places him on my ‘bratty list’,” John nearly asked what the reason for the list’s name was, but was interrupted by Scootaloo.

“Um sorry to interrupt, but… Is there a bathroom here? I REALLY have to go! I was here with Dash for a while and I can’t hold it anymore!” Dash chuckled a bit and raised a hoof.

“It’s out the door and three doors down… What? I’ve been here before, I have good memory!” Scootaloo didn’t wait for permission and ran out the door, slamming it shut, causing Rainbow to shiver at the shock waves, making her body ache.

“You alright?” John asked noticing.

“Yeah… I am,” they remained silent afterwards, awaiting for the other to speak.

“So... Wanna make out?” suggested Rainbow, causing John to jump back and fall off the stool he was sitting on. “Ouch… I was joking,” she said laughing a bit “You okay, dude?” John groaned as he got on his feet, giving Dash an icy stare while blushing. “You should see the look on your face! It’s priceless!"

“W-what was that for!?”

“Well, I wanted to get your attention, and since I can’t really punch you, I figured I would go for the unexpected route."

“Fine, but what are you s-Oof,” he was stopped as a hoof went over his mouth.

“I wanna say sorry about the crash today, it was probably why that stuff happened to you…” it was now John’s turn to place a hand on Dash, she removed the hoof from his mouth as he spoke.

“And now I say you don’t have to do that, I never blamed you, alright?”

…

“That was the lamest warm apology ever!” said Rainbow bummed out.

“Yep… Wanna pretend it never happened?” John suggested.

“Fine by me,” they stayed silent once more, Dash breaking it again. “Hey, John, wanna make o-aha-ouch-haha-ouch-ha!”

“F-I mean, buck you!”

“Time and place, please?” Dash said with mocking bedroom eyes.

“Ugh!”

And so, Dash continued laughing while in pain, as the others returned to the odd sight of an angrily embarrased human and a laughing pony, confused over what was going on.

The events that transpired afterwards passed in a flash, and John, Twilight, and Spike now slept in a room together. Scootaloo had decided to stay with Rainbow Dash, while Lemon Lime had been taken by the guards, apparently having come to like the kid during his stay in the barracks.

“Dammit, Rainbow Dash, didn’t think of her as the type to use that… But it was kind of… I’m not going down that road,” he turned to his right, the bed next to him housing Twilight and Spike, sleeping soundly together, nothing bothering them.

“Um…” John looked into his mind, carefully thinking of things, he took a deep breath, and began. "Hello?" he received no response. "Of course no one answered... It wasn't real," he returned to bed, and despite his relief, felt a slight tinge of disappointment over it as he passed out.

The night passed without incident, and the three slept soundly, the chambers they had been placed in proving to be great at keeping any sort of noise out.

"Wheee!"

But of course, it was also able to keep all noises in.

"Oof!" John complained, as he fell something land on his body, providing a rough waking upon him. "What the hell!?" he said between rasped breaths. He looked over his covers, finding a pink blob... A very familiar pink blob.

"Hi there!"

"Oh..." he said simply, realizing who he was talking to.

"Well, somepony seems lost," came a pompous voice from the door, where four other ponies stood, some more happy looking than the others.

"John! You are alright!" shouted Derpy, flying directly into him, carefully avoiding a hit with Pinkie, who was now in the process of waking Twilight up.

"Oh, hey girls! I guess we took too long, huh?" Twilight said, rubbing the sleep from her eyes, Spike barely stirred as she got off the bed.

"That's alright, Twi, Ah' take it you've been busy," replied Applejack looking a bit somber. "So... Where is Dash, Ah' heard from a guard that she wasn't doing too good."

Suddenly, John jumped off the bed, walking to the door. "Come on, I'll take you to her roo- Oof!" he felt himself being tackled and landed on the ground, groaning at the fall. "Thirty bucks say it's the girls..." he looked down, noticing as he expected, the forms of Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle, with Babs hiding right outside the door. "Well... Let's go then," he laughed, forcing Applejack to keep a figurative leash on the pair, something easy due to Babs' much more mature attitude and at times, a literal leash from Applejack.

"Pardon me, Princess, but can you repeat that again?" Rough Patch said, drooping her ears and raising them again as if attempting to notice some fault.

"I believe you understand what I'm asking quite well, Captain Patch."

Slowly, Patch shook her head. "B-But Your Majesty!"

"It has already been arranged... And I'm giving you the task because I trust you. You can refuse, of course."

"I mean..." with a defeated sigh, Patch bowed. "I'll gladly accept, Your Majesty..."

"Very well, you may take two ponies of your troops with you. I am perfectly sure of your capabilities to handle this," Patch released an uncharacteristic sigh, and a thought she hadn't had in years crossed her mind.

"This is gonna be a drag...

Everypony was now in the train station getting ready to leave, a special train had been set up to take all back to Ponyville, as the workers there finished its maintenance, the passengers were engaged in much more problematic talks.

"WHAT!?" came the outraged voices of some of the group.

"There is nothing wrong with that. He apologized... Didn't he?" Twilight explained, trying to get her point across to the group of ponies deciding that for once, Twilight wasn't having a good idea.

"But I swear... I'll behave! Please!" Lemon Lime begged, as the four crusaders, Rarity, and an oddly sitting Rainbow Dash, glared at the colt.

"Ah' don't see why not, it's Twilight, y'all, we should trust her judgement, don't you think?" the six remained silent, unable to agree, but not yielding for an agreement either.

"Well, I suppose if Twilight is really up for it, then I suppose that i can understand it," yielded Rarity.

"Yeah? Well, I'm not letting him off the hook easily for what his friend did to me," Rainbow Dash said bitterly, as she was pushed into the train, still shooting a glare.

"And we ain't either!" replied Applebloom for practically the rest. Lemon looked down, saddened by their disapproval. "Unless he joins the CMC, that is," the girls grinned evilly, getting Lemon to laugh nervously.

"The... What?" he was soon dragged inside as the conductor gave the train the okay to go.

"Heh... I think it's time for us to go, don't you think, Twi?" John noted.

"Yeah... But it feels as if nothing happened... And yet, I can't shake the feeling that something is still wrong, maybe something is going to happen" Twilight said ominiously, as John looked to the train, thinking of a response.

"I don't really know, but... We can handle it, right?"

Twilight smiled. "Of course! So how about we get on, brother from another mother?" John couldn't help but chuckle at the wording.

"Yeah, yeah... Let's go..." they both turned to the sound of the voices, noticing three ponies going towards then; a strange unicorn they had never seen before; Gleaming Guard, who donned a pair of sunglasses despite the day been cloudy, and finally, Rough Patch, who held an annoyed stare.

"Wait, are you guys coming?" John asked bewildered. Patch and Guard passed by them without another word, while the Unicorn stopped by them and saluted, also extending his hoof towards John who shook it confused.

"Greetings, Mr. John and Ms. Twilight, my name is Recon, and I hope we can be mo-"

"Recon!" came the voice of Patch from the train.

"Oh, pardon me!" he excused himself while John and Twilight looked at each other confused.

"Well, this'll be fun," John said sarcastically as they made their way into the train and into their cabin, where John quickly jumped for the window seat, getting a huff out of Pinkie Pie who had to sit in the opposite edge, it didn't last long as she spend the rest of the trip playing with the Crusaders. Next to him, saw the newly acquired member Lemon Lime, as well as somepony that Twilight, Spike, and John had agreed to interrogate further once back in Ponyville.

The train ride remained peaceful, they all shared some light conversation, John holding a bored expression while looking outside as Rarity sat across him, occasionally stealing a glance.

"Eh, whatever," he thought instantly, keeping his eyes outside. It was a beautiful, yet boring sight as the cloudy skies darkened the land. "What the?" he looked at the distance noticing something, his eyes widened as he realized it, but was unable to do anything else as the words left his mouth.

Author's Notes:

Here it is! THIS ONE WAS HAAAAAAAAARD

Anyway, sorry that I left it in a cliffhanger, but well... What can I do? As you see, I introduced some rather odd... Things... Since last chapter, but hopefully, you all enjoy it regardless and take it for what it is.

If it isn't obvious, there will be a part 3, which is currently not written nor completely drafted, so don't hold your breath. I will, however, try my best to get it out in two weeks max, so yay.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed, and remember to tell me if I royally effed something up, as I am sure I did during the rewrite. Enjoy!

Spoiler Notes 27 - 06/02/18

JESUS CHRIST THIS WAS A BITCH TO GO THROUGH AGAIN. I REALLY don't know how many people managed to get who was speaking with the way I used to write dialogue. Now, I won't say I'm perfect nowadays, but that was bad. I've rewritten a lot of it to make it more readable, but only so much I could do.

Also, I'm an idiot for making 'G' become a thing, so it has now been changed to characters referring to him rather than the name being shortened.

As for the chapter contents, it was okay. I did enjoy the bit with Hilda, though everything else was even more set-up for my now cancelled future project (I even removed a single clue I had left there, which was so hamfisted it hurt).

Overall, probably one of the least fun chapters to go back to—I just hope the next one is a better one.