“Another morning, another attempt.” John said to himself, annoyingly getting out of the comfort of his bed. He looked outside, noticing the sun barely rising, signaling the start of the day for most ponies. “Well, I’m not just any pony. For that matter, I’m not a pony,” he thought amused.

-Hey! I thought I was the funny one here!- the Voice in his head complained as John headed into the bathroom.

“Good morning to you too, guess you are ready for the daily routine?” he asked, ignoring the attitude.

-… I remember when you were fun.-

“And I remember when I didn't know you had an attitude, life isn't perfect,” he huffed getting into the small tub, opening the faucet, and getting no reply. “Come now, you started it.”

-Hmph! Is that really the way to treat a lady?- the Voice asked indignantly, feigning a loud harrumph.

“My head, my rules,” John said, awkwardly removing his shirt as the amulet he wore trampled his efforts. “Gah! Stupid thing!”

-Please don’t take it off,- the Voice pleaded, hearing his complaints.

“Or I won't be able to hear you, I know,” he said as he looked at the amulet curiously, momentarily wondering about its history, but soon losing interest as he got into the tub. “So, how about we get this over it while I shower?”

-… Fine,- the Voice begrudgingly accepted.

“So, what’s your name?”

-You still call me voice, so I have no idea.-

“Where do you come from?”

-Beats me.-

“What do you remember first doing when you were conscious?”

-Me somehow popping into your head at the Crystal Empire, then occasionally getting to you and calling you a loser. At least from that one time,- Voice shrugged.

“What’s your gender?”

-I’m thinking I’m male now…-

“Voice…” John groaned.

-Kidding! Geez, you sure are grumpy in the mornings!-

This interrogation continued until John returned to the room, fully dressed and groaning in annoyance as he threw himself on the bed. “And as usual, other than your attitude and your gender, we learned nothing new!”

-John, it’s been two weeks. Can’t we cool it down with the daily questions? I’m sure if I remember something I’ll tell you!- she said frustrated. -For that matter, I’m still not sure why you haven’t told Twilight about me!-

“You know I can’t do that,” he sighed, looking out the window, noticing the already bustling ponies going about their business. “I convinced Twi to let me keep the amulet since it doesn’t affect me, but I don’t know how long that’ll last, and if Celestia couldn’t feel your presence back when I asked, Twilight won’t either. I shouldn‘t need to say this, but I’ll look insane.”

-Alright, relax!- the Voice said in resignation. -But can you call me something OTHER than Voice? It makes me feel like, um, not someone-

“Didn’t realize that was a thing that bothered you, sorry,” he apologized. “It’s just that ‘Voice’ became a thing,” he explained as he sat back down on the bed, eyeing a nearby table with half a sandwich waiting for him. “But tell me, do you have anything in mind?” he asked, walking to the table and eagerly taking a bite out of it.

A few seconds of silence later, the Voice spoke up. -Not really… I was hoping you would have something for me, maybe.-

“I suppose I can try,” he shrugged, shoving down the rest of it. “Don’t worry, I’ll see what I can come up with. Thankfully, I’m free from RD’s attempts at killing me today,” he said, shivering at the thought. “So it’s all smooth sailing for today!” *knock knock* “… Or maybe not.”

“Hey, John!” came the unmistakable voice of Spike at the other side.

-Don’t worry, go for it. I can wait,- the Voice replied, going fully silent as John headed to open the door.

“Morning Spi—” he greeted him, but stoppedhimself short when he caught sight of Twilight right next to him. “Spike and Twilight then… something wrong?”

“No,” Twilight spoke first, clearing her throat. “I was going to have Spike tell you, but I think I’ll just do it myself. Spike?”

The dragon rolled his eyes, walking away. “Yeah, sure. It’s not like I was already up here or anything,” he grumbled downstairs.

Waiting until Spike‘s complaints were no longer audible, he spoke up. “So, what’s up?”

“I wanted to inform you that Princess Celestia summoned me to Canterlot. I’ll be gone until tonight,” she explained, pointing at the satchel she wore.

“You said ‘I’, um, I mean ‘you‘, er… did you say alone?” John grumbled in resignation. “Leaving us behind, I see.”

“Sadly, not my orders,” she noted with a sigh. “Just wanted to tell you not to do something dumb, and maybe…” she trailed on, looking at the amulet dangling on John’s chest.

“Twilight, the amulet is fine,” he continued, reaching for his neck and grabbing the necklace. “But if you can take it off, you can take it!”

“Nice try, but I already read the book saying it can only be taken off by the user an—” she paused, understanding dawning on her. “Alright, alright, I see your point. You are off the hook for today, if only because I have to go and the guards are waiting for me outside,” she raised her legs, waiting for John to kneel down to hug him. “Just don’t do anything dumb,” she whispered into his ear.

“You already said that, Twi,” he chuckled, rolling his eyes. “I’m not deaf.”

“Yes, but as you already know, I like to leave an impression,” she retorted with a grin. “Anyway, wanna see me out?”

“Sure,” John shrugged, heading downstairs behind her and out of the library. “You gonna be gone long? I don’t know if I can keep the library open without you.”

Twilight rolled her eyes. “Don’t you worry, I’ll be back by tonight; besides, Spike knows what to do. Right, Spike?”

“Wait, what?” Spike shouted from inside.

“Take care, you two,” Twilight said dismissively as John and Spike watched her get into the Pegasus-powered carriage and fly off towards Canterlot, leaving the pair waving her goodbye until she disappeared in the distance.

“So, now what?” asked Spike.

“I don’t know,” John shrugged, turning his head to look back inside. “Hey, where is Patch anyway? Haven‘t heard her shout in like an hour. It's a new record!"

“Miss Patch went out to do her usual patrolling,” Spike replied as he walked back inside and into the kitchen.

“Oh. How about little Lemon?”

“Maybe he went to hang out with Pinkie,” he shrugged, grabbing a bowl with popcorn nearby and heading upstairs. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be catching up on my comic book reading!”

“What about the library?“

“Oh, right,” Spike realized. "Let me fix that," he grabbed a scroll from a nearby table, and after some quick scribbling, he walked to the door and placed a note that read 'closed for the day' before slamming the door shut. "Problem solved!"

“That works,” John laughed, and waiting for Spike to disappear into the second floor, he spoke again. “Welp, ready to come up with names for you, Voice?” John whispered, grabbing parchment and quill from Twilight’s podium.

-I thought you would never ask!- Voice replied excitedly.

Plan in mind, John flopped down on a couch and began. “So, how does ‘Voice Mail’ sound?”

“Hourly update, nothing out of the ordinary. Continuing patrol,” Patch sighed out loud, rubbing the sleep from her tired eyes, forcing them wide open as she observed the area with a careful motion. “Yep, nothing," she received strange looks from passerby ponies as she walked, carefully searching for signs of strange behavior in each one of them, but to her relief, she had yet to see any such show. “I suppose it’s better this way…”

“Captain? Who are you talking to?”

“Aaah!” Patch yelped, quickly turning around with raised hooves, jumping on the pony who had spoken and pushing him to the ground. “Huh?”

“P-Patch, it’s me!” Recon shrieked, looking at her terrified.

“Hmm…” Patch hummed thoughtfully. “Yeah, it is.”

Recon winced as Patch remained on him with a humorless look. “M—ma‘am!”

“Alright, alright, settle down,” she chuckled, helping him back on his hooves. “That goes to everypony watching. Carry on, nothing to see here!” she ordered to the gathering crowd, dragging Recon into a more secluded area. “Now, what is it, Recon? You were supposed to be watching over the West part of town.”

“My apologies, Captain!” he said while saluting. “It‘s just…”

“Yes? Have something on your mind?” she asked interested. “You have permission to speak freely.”

“Thank you!” he said, clearing his throat. “You see, well…”

“Yes?”

“Um, it’s just that…”

“Go on…”

“Er…”

“In Her Majesty’s name, you are a soldier!” she huffed annoyed. “Out with it!”

“Ah! I think you need to stop being such a tight flank!” he said in a panicked tone, catching himself and Patch off guard. “I mean…”

“What?” Patch growled, slowly inching closer to him with a scowl on her face. “You have five seconds to rephrase that.”

Recon gulped. “W—what I meant is that you have been overworking yourself! You really need to rest, you haven’t taken any time off since the Trixie incident!”

‘Hmph!” she scoffed, turning away. “What do you mean? I am perfectly fine!”

“Are you?” Recon walked around to look at her. “I know you are great and all, and I know I’m not the best soldier, but even I can notice that this is getting to you.”

“You are exaggerating,” she scoffed, turning away once more.

“You are making reports to yourself!”

“Recon.”

“And I watched you for a few minutes, you’ve been walking in circles!”

“Recon…”

“And look at you! You look terri—”

“Recon! I get it!” she shouted to his face. “And you no longer have permission to speak freely. Ever.”

“Er, sorry, I got carried away,” he said sheepishly. “My apologies, ma’am!”

“Whatever! I got your point!” she huffed, frustratingly holding a hoof over her forehead. “I suppose I will take the break if it will get you to shut up!”

“Just looking out for you, ma’am! I worry about you!” he squeaked embarrassingly. “Um, I mean, ahaha…”

“Aren‘t you the gentlecolt?” she laughed heartily. “And I’ll appreciate it more since you are taking over my patrols for the day, right?” she asked, placing a hoof on his head.

“Y—y—yes!” he replied quickly, before realizing what he said. “Wait, what?”

“You are a true underling,” she replied with a grin. “Good luck!” she waved him goodbye, leaving him momentarily lost as to what had just happened.

"... Is this what love is?” he asked himself, miserably watching as the captain walked away. “I think unrequited love is more fitting,” he sighed, returning to his patrolling with a heavy heart.

…

“Why did I accept to do this again?” Patch sighed mere seconds into her aimless walking. She unconsciously looked around as if she were still patrolling, a thing that she quickly caught on to, much to her frustration. “Dang it, I need to get out of here!“

She directed herself along a small line of trees in the distance, following the welcoming sight of green which soon outnumbered the multicolored mash of buildings that was Ponyville, leaving behind the constant chatter of voices in favor of the more subtle noises of animals going about their days.

“Oh?” Patch mumbled, stopping as an immense field of flowers came into her view. “What a sight,” she commented, looking at the many rows of flowers gently moved by the soft breeze with a smile. “Hmm… I think these are roses?"

“Tulips, actually.”

“Ah!” Patch jumped, turning quickly to the sound of the voice. “Who is it this ti—… me?”

“Oh, I‘m sorry! H—hello,” greeted her a startled Fluttershy. “My, what a surprise! Is there something I can help you with? Did you come to visit, maybe?” she asked eagerly.

“To visit…” Patch turned her head, noticing Fluttershy’s cottage a dozen feet or so from her. “… you? Huh,” she looked at Fluttershy again, biting her lip awkwardly. “Ma‘am, look, don’t take it too badly, but I was just aimlessly walking around, I didn’t mean to impose, an—” as she attempted to leave, Fluttershy put her legs around her in an awkward hug.

“Please don’t go!” she pleaded, quickly getting off her. “Can you stay? Please? I can make some tea, and we can talk! Unless you are busy,” she finished sadly. “I can understand if you are…”

“Miss, I,” Patch began, but cut herself short with a sigh, shaking her head. “… Maybe I can stay for a little bit, for old time's sake,” she said with a tired voice.

Several minutes later, Patch sat in one of Fluttershy’s couches, quietly waiting as the aforementioned pony returned with a tray carrying two glasses and a pitcher.

“Here you go!” Fluttershy said, serving Patch a glass before sitting down on the couch right next to hers while Patch took a sip of her cup.

“This is some cold tea,” Patch noted, shaking the glass slightly and looking at the ice cubes inside..

“Is it bad? Oh, I must have messed it up!”

“No, it’s not that,” Patch waved her hoof dismissively. “I just imagined it would be warm is all.”

“Well, I thought you might like it cold since it’s warm outside, is all…” Fluttershy explained awkwardly. “A—anyway, I wanted to talk about you a little bit…”

“So, Element of Harmony, huh?” Patch interrupted with an impressed tone while looking all over Fluttershy‘s home. “I owe you a very late congratulations,” she said cheerily.

Fluttershy shrunk in her seat, looking around nervously. “Um, w—well, it really was nothing; it just sort of happened; it could’ve been anypony, but I’m still glad I could help regardless of the circumstances.”

“Of course!” Patch said in agreement. “You‘ve grown and become a strong pony, Fluttershy.”

“And you became captain,” Fluttershy pointed out in return, her eyes locked on Patch’s flank. “That reminds me… how is Flower?”

"Flower?" Patch‘s eyes narrowed at the question, noticing Fluttershy’s stare and lowering her tail over her flank. “Ahem, well, Flower is doing fine,” she replied, hiding her face behind the glass of tea.

Fluttershy blinked, noticing the reaction. “We went to school back in the day, and as you know, she was a really sweet pony. I’ve been wondering what happened to her.”

“I wouldn’t know,“ Patch shrugged, turning to gaze to the field of flowers swaying outside. “Maybe that Flower became a huge jerk.”

"Why would you say that?” Fluttershy frowned.

“Sorry,” Patch sighed in apology. She rubbed her temple, feeling an ache rise up by the minutes. “Force of habit.”

“Well, I’m sure she still is the same pony I met years ago!” Fluttershy said defensively. “Somepony who did such a thing for me back then couldn't be the jerk you are referring to…”

“P-please, I‘m sorry! I didn’t mean to anger you…” the shy pony apologized, looking around for help of any kind, but quickly realizing that nopony would help in such a concealed part of Canterlot. “Oh no!” she cried out, finding herself in a dead-end, turning to meet the mares who had been pursuing her.

“Don’t even bother, Fluttercry,” one of them said while grinning mockingly, lighting up her horn.

“Yeah, nopony can hear you so far into this garden,” another one continued, pointing to the overgrown hedges around them.

“Not that they would care about a Pegasus, would they?” the last one finished, raising her head up high and laughing with exaggerated vigor alongside the others. “You think you are better than us, Fluttershy? Is that it?”

“P—please, I didn't mean to…” Fluttershy cried out as she backed up, bumping in one of the edges. She shrank back on the spot, hiding behind her mane to what she knew was coming.

“What’s going on here?”

The four ponies looked up, noticing the new pony pop up from one of the roads, wearing a simple dress and a gardening hat, she carefully approached them with a reproachful look.

“And who are you supposed to be?” one of the ponies asked.

“I… I’m the pony on charge of this garden!” she shouted awkwardly, marching towards them. “And trust me, fighting of any kind is not allowed when I’m involved!”

“Heh, and what will you do? Punish us?” another mare asked, looking her over thoroughly. “You can’t use magic, you aren’t even a Pegasus. What could you possibly do? Besides, this pony here needs to learn a lesson!”

The strange pony looked at herself and shook her head. “Yeah? Well, I may not have magic, but I do know Princess Celestia! And whatever you have against that Pegasus, Her Majesty will not accept this kind of behavior in her personal garden!”

The three ponies looked at each other and nodded, turning to Fluttershy one last time. “Whatever, we have better things to do anyway,” one of them huffed, walking away with the other two in tow.

All while Fluttershy remained hidden behind her hooves, wondering if they had truly left.

“Miss?”

She slowly lowered her guard, looking up and noticing a hoof hovering right above her. “Huh?”

“Are you okay?” the strange pony asked, keeping a smile as she waited for her to respond.

“W—who are you?” Fluttershy asked timidly, warily keeping an eye on the stranger’s hoof.

“I’m Flower, but can this wait until you are up? My leg is getting tired,” Flower complained, looking at her shaking limb.

“Sorry!” Fluttershy apologized, reaching for Flower’s hoof and getting back on her own.

“Phew!” Flower sighed in relief, moving her leg. “I t hink I almost got a cramp there!”

Fluttershy looked around, taking notice of the large garden. “Thank you so much, Miss gardener. For helping me, I mean…”

Flower looked at Fluttershy with a sheepish grin, scratching the back of her head. “Gardener is a strong word to use on me, ‘botany student’ at Canterlot’s Advanced Studies school might be more fitting, hah-hah…”

“Are you saying that you lied to those ponies?” Fluttershy asked with a shocked expression.

“Gosh, I was just trying to help Miss…” Flower replied dejectedly.

“T-t-thank you!” Fluttershy replied, quickly hugging the confused Flower. “I’m sorry! I’m Fluttershy: I’m also taking courses here, and it’s a pleasure to meet you!”

“Nice to meet you too…!” Flower muttered surprised by the contact, awkwardly returning the hug. “But maybe we should get out of here, lest they come back once they realize I lied.”

Taking the advice, the pair rushed out of the hedge maze, exiting near a small coffee shop where they decided to sit down to rest.

“Are you alright?” Flower asked, watching Fluttershy drag her hooves on the ground.

“I-I’m alright, yeah,” she lied, slumping down on one of the shop’s seats.

Flower shook her head amused. “That‘s a relief.”

“Can I help you?” a newly arrived waiter asked, giving the pair a bored look. “Are you gonna order something?”

Fluttershy and Flower looked at each other and shook their heads at the same time.

“Well, either you order, or you leave,” the pony said, pointing to the street with her hoof.

“Okay, okay! I’ll have some coffee, and my friend will have some water!” Flower replied in a panic while the pony noted down the order and bowed before heading into the shop to get their order. “Geez, that was rude…”

“You didn’t have to do that, Miss Flower,” Fluttershy wheezed with a tired voice.

“Just Flower, please. And, I mean, you look so tired, it was all I could think to say,” Flower attempted to explain, just as the server returned with the two glasses. “So, can you tell me what happened?” she asked, pushing the glass of water towards Fluttershy.

“Thank you,” Fluttershy said thankfully, grabbing the glass and gulping down the whole thing in one go, exhaling satisfied. “W-well, I was trying to look at the dog one of them owned, oh, it was the most adorable thing! It had the cutest ears! And the most heartwarming bark I’ve heard, an-”

“Don’t mean to sound rude, but what does that have to do with it” Patch interrupted curious.

“Oh! I’m sorry! You see, I get carried away, I just love animals so much!”

“I noticed,” Flower noted amused. “But I still don‘t understand what‘s wrong with what you did.”

“Well, I saw their dog…”

“Uh-huh?”

“And I noticed it was in pain!”

“Oh dear! And?”

“I might have grabbed it out of her owner’s grasp without asking for permission…”

“Huh,” Flower hummed, piecing the events from there, aided by Fluttershy looking down miserably. “Well, they shouldn’t have tried to get you like they did, that went from rude to just bad!”

“You really think so?” she asked warily, looking around as if she were being observed. “I mean, they probably hate me now...”

“They looked down on us for not being unicorns,” Flower said with a serious tone.

“They did,” Fluttershy sighed, fidgeting in place.

“But it’s over now, right?“ Flower said with a smile, placing her hoof over Fluttershy‘s. “Still, maybe next time you can try asking before taking other ponies‘ pets, alright?”

“Y-yeah…” she whimpered, looking down in shame.

“Oh!” Flower exclaimed, noticing the change of mood. “But tell me! Was the pup okay? And on a scale of one to ten, how cute was it?”

Fluttershy instantly looked up with a beaming smile. “It was, thankfully! And oh my goodness, it was a breed I had never seen before!”

From that day forward, the pair became fast friends. Taking every opportunity they could between classes, they met up for coffee in the same shop, talking about the various events of their days. The routine continued for months, until a certain day, Flower brought up a question to Fluttershy.

“Fluttershy, why are you doing this?”

“Sorry?” Fluttershy asked confused, putting down her cup and focusing on Flower. “What do you mean?”

“I'm not being obvious. I mean to say, why are you studying to become a vet? What compelled you to do it?” Flower explained.

“Oh, so that‘s what you meant?” Fluttershy realized, smiling as she recalled the event in her head. “Well, it happened when I was in flight camp back in Cloudsdale, a certain pony I met back then was involved in a race to defend me from some bullies.”

“Was it because of your flying?” Flower guessed, taking Fluttershy’s clear discomfort as confirmation. “Sorry, go on?”

“Well, I was the flag pony, and the moment they began, I was instantly thrown off Cloudsdale,” she raised a hoof as Flower nearly jumped out of her seat in disbelief. “That wasn’t even the strangest part! I was saved by butterflies!”

“Whoa, really?” Flower asked amazed. “How?”

“I really don’t know,” Fluttershy shook her head. “And after that, I saw a strange rainbow in the sky which made the animals scared, and for some reason, I felt compelled to calm them down. And it worked!” she brought the cup of coffee to her lips, savoring the bitter flavor and sighing contently. “Just then, I realized I wanted to help animals, so I decided to learn how to take care of them, which is why I’m studying what I require to do it.”

“That’s amazing,” Flower sighed happily. “So, did you get your cutie mark that day too?”

“Uh-huh!” Fluttershy replied, looking over at the three butterflies on her flank.

“It’s good that you getting your cutie mark was that great, mine wasn’t particularly amazing,” Flower lamented, frowning at the bed of flowers represented on her own flank. "I used to help my family with a flower shop they own, and then, well, flowers on my sides!”

“Oh my, I mean, I’m sure not everypony has to have some big event happen to then to realize what they are good at,” Fluttershy explained with a frown of her own. “I actually wish I hadn’t been in danger for me to realize what I did.”

"I see..."

Flower pondered the words overnight, and a day after, she came back with another question.

“Do you think cutie marks can be wrong?”

“Huh?” Fluttershy asked surprised. “Wrong? In what way?”

“As in wrong on what our talents are, you know?” she attempted to explain, but Fluttershy’s arching brow said enough of her understanding. “I mean, as in maybe you aren’t good, or maybe you just aren’t interested in what your cutie mark means.”

“I’ve never heard of anything like that,” Fluttershy said perturbed at the idea. “I don’t mean to be rude by asking, but is that how you feel?”

Flower shook her head, donning a cheerful look. “It’s nothing, I-I was just curious about it, you know?”

“Are you sure? You looked very serious,” she walked over by Flower, awkwardly attempting to hug the pony.

“Positive,” Flower replied, gladly accepting the comfort. “So, my class starts in a half-hour; wanna come with?”

“I would love to,” Fluttershy eagerly accepted.

They headed off along the beaten path, leaving behind the many Canterlot shops and businesses and passing by the castle, which never failed to catch their eye whenever they passed by.

“What kind of creatures do you think the Princess must have inside,” Fluttershy wondered out loud, looking at the castle with wonderment in her eyes, envious of the ponies who were able to interact with them. “Maybe someday I’ll be able to access the Princess’ own personal garden!”

“Y-yeah,” Flower muttered, her eyes staring into the multitude of ponies entering and leaving the castle.

“Flower?”

“Huh? I’m sorry! I-I got distracted, er… L-let’s go, I’ll be late!” she said loudly, running off without explanation and leaving Fluttershy on her own.

Patch remained silent, taking in Fluttershy’s words. She looked outside, noticing the sun setting in the distance, showing a good amount of time had since passed.

“Wait,” she said, looking at Fluttershy. “So is that it?”

“Uh-huh, that’s all,” she replied calmly.

“Interesting way to end the story, don’t you think?” Patch noted.

“That was the day Flower began acting strangely, but I never learned why,” Fluttershy explained. “We continued meeting up like usual, but when I finished my courses, I moved to Ponyville. I told her she should visit after she had finished her own, but she never did… Wonder why she never did."

Patch nodded. “I see..."

Smiling, Fluttershy got off her seat, placing a comforting hoof on Patch’s. “You know, you really remind me of her.”

Patch chuckled amused. “Do I, now?”

“You‘ve been understanding,” Fluttershy continued, laying her head on Patch’s hoof. “The time you’ve spend here you’ve been nothing but kind to me.”

“Fluttershy,” Patch tried to cut in, passing a hoof over her mane as she tried to come up with something to say. “Stop this pretending. It’s just…”

“No, Patch, I know,” Flutterhsy raised her head and stared into her eyes.

“Fluttershy, please.”

“The Flower Patch I know is still there.”

“Enough, Fluttershy!” Patch lashed out, pushing her off.

Fluttershy looked up, shocked at Patch’s reaction. “F-Flower?”

“The name is Rough Patch, and don’t you forget it!” she growled, taking a deep breath after realizing she had been holding it in. “Good day, ma’am. I-I’ll see myself out,” she dismissed herself, opting to not look back and slamming the door shut.

Left alone, Flutershy got back on her hooves and grabbed the glass that Patch had dropped in the commotion, taking a deep breath as she thought about what had transpired. “What happened to you, Flower? What happened after I left?”

-John, I don’t mean to be rude, but your name ideas stink.-

“Hmph!” John huffed, crossing out the last name on the scroll and tossing it on a pile of other used ones. “Whatever, you are just jealous you didn’t think of them first!”

-How about Crystal Mind? I like the ‘crystal’ part and I’m in your head, so it fits,- she suggested.

“Or how about Loud Mouth? You sure like to be way too loud about what you think of my names!” he growled, sitting back down with his arms crossed, silently fuming. “Hours wasted!”

-I’m sorry, John. I didn’t mean to be rude, I know you are trying to help.-

John shook his head, laying down on the couch. “I'm just kidding, if you are being called something, it should be a name you like… Although Crystal Mind isn’t exactly catchy.”

“What about Crystal Thought?”

“Ah!” John bolted upright, watching Patch enter the library. “Patch! How long have you been there?”

“Just got here when I heard you talking to yourself and I gave you that. Use it as you will,” she shrugged, heading for the stairs.

“I’m surprised, I thought you were out on duty or something,” John wondered.

Patch stopped in her way up, turning to John. “Well, even somepony like me needs a rest every once in a while, and… I just need to sleep off today, is all. Have a good evening,” she excused herself, leaving John on his own.

“Weird, what’s with her?” John asked out loud before shrugging it off instantly. “I guess it’s none of my business. So how about we get ba—”

“Good evening.”

“Gah!” John cried out, caught off-guard once again, noticing Twilight entering the library. “Twilight! You scared me!"

She didn’t reply right away, keeping her sight on the ground for a few seconds before saying anything. “Huh? I’m sorry, what was that?”

“Er, I said you scare me,” John mumbled confused, noticing her somber look. “You look strange. You alright?”

“Alright? Alright… Alright! Yes! I’m alright, it’s just… my head is a bit fuzzy since I was working with the Princess all day! I-I need a rest!” she said quickly, going towards John and hugging him tightly. “Goodnight, John!” she yelled before running upstairs.

“Night…” John trailed on his own, blinking in his confusion. “What is with everyone today!”

-I don’t know, but right now I’m thinking of using Patch’s suggestion…- Voice said, recalling Patch’s name idea. -I like the sound of it.-

“And there go all of my scrolls,” John complained, tossing the remaining scrolls into the trash. “I would burn them, but I fear this library would burn down along with them.”

-So you like it then?- she asked.

“I want to say no, but I would be lying,“ John complained mockingly.

-It‘s that a yes?-

“Well, it’s been a long day. How about we hit the hay early tonight, Crystal Thought?” he said loudly.

The newly named Crystal Thought laughed excitedly before responding. -That’s a thought for sure!-

John groaned all the way upstairs.

Author's Notes:

Welcome to 3 in the morning woes! And new chapter! Very tired yay

A very chill (for the most part) one. Hope you guys can enjoy it for what it is! Also, hope you liked the sorta explanation for the vagueness that was Fluttershy and Patch, it is HARD to work when I drove myself into a corner.

That being said, enjoy, tell me what you think, and have a great day... Night.

I'm going to pass out now.

Spoiler Notes 35 - 06/15/18
This one was a bit of a character backstory chapter. Nothing much to say here.

I guess instead, I'll start by talking a teensy bit about the character of focus, that being Patch. She was one of the characters I brought back because, well, I just ended up needing characters, and she came to mind. She was NEVER supposed to return alongside Guard.

That being said, I liked her more than I thought. Then I even introduced Recon, who alongside Guard, don't get a lot of screentime but I still enjoy having around. I kinda wanna do something using these three as bases for a different story. Maybe someday?