Celestia wasted no time descending to the ground, landing with a harsh *THUMP* of her hooves against the dirt.

"You!" She shouted, sounding less than pleased at the sight of Gillian. "You were supposed to be incarcerated in Saddle Arabia!"

"Yeah..."

"And now not ONLY have you escaped, but I hear that you also DARE to plot against me!?"

"It's not what... *sigh* y'know what? Yes. Yes I was," the stallion shamelessly answered, seeming not to care anymore.

"You have SOME nerve, I'll give you one thing, Gillian. But even I didn't expect your tendency for petty grudges to go so far as to take it out on my subjects."

"Well believe you me, I actually WASN'T going to involve ANY of them... except for a couple. But then your precious little student and her IRKSOME friends decided they weren't going to have that, and chose to defy me! I made sure to give you a welcoming gift, anyhow..." He trailed off, pointing at me.

"A... welcoming gift? What in Equestria is that?" she asked, turning around to see me pitifully lying there, observing with a hidden sense of joy at his misfortune.

"H... Heeeey, Princess..." I rasped, feeling much too weak to move. She looked at me in total bewilderment, seeming to be vaguely registering me in her thoughts. After about a few seconds, she trotted over to me, examining my beaten, tired body, unable to draw a definitive conclusion.

"What in the name of...? What is this thing? A part of your scheme gone wrong?" she asked in noticeable hostility. It's PROBABLY worth note at this point that although she knew I was a human being, she actually still had no idea what a human actually looked like. Twilight and I always made it a point for me to transform either before she brought me to her library or while we were in the library.

"Well... excuuuuuuse me, Princess..." I indignantly replied. "...but this 'thing' has a name. Here's a hint... it... nrgh! Rhymes with 'Twi...'" The instant I mentioned her student's name, she seemed to have put two and two together as her eyes widened in surprise.

"*GASP* My gosh... Ty???"

"In the human flesh..." I gave her a small thumbs-up, congratulating her.

"What happened to you?? You look like you'd spent a day as the chew toy of Cerberus!"

"Gee, thanks... but this... this is all courtesy o' that guy... right over there..." I slowly pointed an accusing finger at the stallion who was already in hot water. She clearly didn't like what she'd heard, as she glared at him again. All he could do was shrug, trying his best to pull an 'oopsie' face, wherein he grinned stupidly while closing his eyes in embarrassment.

"My word...! Where is Twilight?"

"Here..." I heard the unicorn present herself in a melancholy tone. She came into view, seeming very unhappy.

"Twilight..." the Princess beckoned the unicorn in a tone of worry. "Why do you seem so upset? And what is wrong? I can't help but notice a considerable strain in your walk..."

"It's... *sniffle* just a stomach cramp that's bothering me... but I'm upset at a lot of different things I'm sure you don't have the time to listen to..." she answered.

"There is always time for you, my student. Now tell me... what is wrong?"

"Um... with all due respect... Is it *sniffle* okay if I tell you in private?"

"Of course..." With that, Celestia bent down, lending Twilight an ear, where I heard some incoherent jumbling that I assumed was the unicorn informing her mentor of the events past. "Oh... Oh. Oh my! Is that right...? Hmm... I see..." A minute later, Celestia brought herself back to a stand and took a look around. Eventually, she brought her gaze over to me. "So... it appears you are needed for a... very special purpose..."

"So she definitely told her about the 'heat' problem..."

"...and that all of you have been dealing with Mr. Swardson and Ms. Gazer for quite some time now..." she continued to guess, bringing her gaze to the stallion and mare responsible for the present situation.

"AND she told her about Gillian an' Comet..."

"In addition, you've been exposed in your current form to the vast majority of the townsfolk?" she inquired again, looking around to see quite a few spectators around the vicinity.

"Yea..." I answered.

"...and I also understand that there'd been a physical confrontation that ended in the defeat of our human friend here?" she asked, looking back at Twi.

"...But Twilight thinks I lost the fight..."

"Yes, Princess..." Twilight somberly assured.

"For the record... I actually WON that fight..." I corrected. "I only look an' feel this way because I pushed Fluttershy outta the way of a magic blast from Mr. Sore Loser over there..."

"Really...? Is that true?" Celestia asked, looking toward the pegasus in question.

"Yes..." she quietly answered. "Twilight was in a lot of pain, so I went to get Ty to come over. I saw him standing over Mr. Gillian and called him. But... after I did that, Mr. Gillian shot some magic at us. Ty pushed me out of the way and got hit..." Celestia merely nodded before turning back to me. Rather than speak, however, she stared in silence, seeming to be contemplating something.

"Why's she jus' starin' at me? I'ss kinda scary..."

"Beats me... I hope it don't mean she's gonna punish us or somethin'..."

"No way... We didn't do anything wrong... unless she disapproves of fightin'..." After an admittedly-awkward silence, she spoke again.

"Ty..."

"Yes...?"

"I... need you to answer me something, and I'd like for you to be as totally honest as possible."

"Shoot..."

"How do you feel?"

"How do I feel? How do you THINK I feel!? Look at me!"

"Like shi... er, I mean... terrible... Like you said, I--! Ugh! ...look like the chew toy o' Cerberus. Tha'ss also how I feel..."

"I understand your physical condition, but allow me to finish... How do you feel... about Twilight?"

"Oh! Aw shit, way t' put me on the spot...!"

"Oh... well, to be blunt... I love the girl."

"I see..." she replied, seeming to be deep in thought as her graceful, unwavering gaze locked on me. "Is it too much to ask to what degree you love her?"

"At a time like this, yes. But I don't suppose you of all ponies would be askin' for nothin', so..."

"I feel like I'd do anything for her... I've already taken care o' her when she was sick... I actively participate in her studies, makin' sure not t' get in the way... An' as you heard and saw nine... agh! months ago... I Pinkie Promised-- through song-- never t' hurt her in any way. Plus, jus' this past weekend... I... I told him I'd beat him up if he touched her... and surprisingly enough, I did... heh heh... But we've had some trouble between us regardin' some misunderstandings that involved some of our friends recently... but I'd like t' think we settled that without anyone gettin' too mad... nrgh! But... but I know there's somethin' more she needs... that... ah...! That I haven't been sure about givin' t' her..."

"Yea! Me!"

"Seriously... NOT the time...!"

"And what might that be?"

"Hmm... How t' put this...? I guess you could say, my... 'Full acceptance of our physical differences...' Between the two times o' me bein' taken hostage by Comet an' Gillian... I had some time t' think... an' at this point, I feel I... I need t' cast my doubts aside... an' show Twilight how much I love her..."

"D'aww, that's just... *sniffle* so marvelously romantic... I may need a tissue..." I heard Rarity compliment, seeming to take some emotional enjoyment out of the moment.

"Ugh, I HATE bein' sappy...!"

"Ty..." I heard my sweet little filly-friend whisper in a quavering tone.

"I see... Then there is one thing I must do..." Celestia replied. With that, her horn took on a bright golden glow. In an instant, my own body was highlighted in an identical shade of spectral light. Soft, warm tingling engulfed my entire form as I lay on the ground, motionless. Aches and pains began to diminish, strength was returning to me, and I suddenly felt much less tired than I had before. Before I knew it, Celestia's magic glow disappeared and I pulled myself up to a seated position to examine my newly-healed body. No more scratches, aches, cuts, bruises, or anything... except for my clothes, which still very much looked like I'd tried to shove them through a paper shredder. "Twilight?" the Royal Alicorn spoke.

"Yes, Your Highness?"

"Take Ty and find somewhere you two can be alone. I will take things from here. The rest of you are free to go for now."

"Even us?" asked Gillian, seeming to be hoping for a favorable answer.

"EXCEPT you and Comet Gazer. You two are to come with me. Immediately. I'd like to have a word with both of you."

"Damn!"

"I wish to acquire a full account from everypony involved in the conspiracy of these two within the next... give or take, three hours."

"Princess! A-are you sure? We could stay and--! Ooh! Settle things right now..." Twilight offered despite cringing at a cramp of hers.

"Twilight, I admire your selflessness, but right now, you are in need of immediate assistance. What I'd like for you to do is take him to a private location and attain the help you are in need of. Now go."

"But... what about--?"

"Twilight..." the Princess sternly interrupted. "Are you, my most faithful student, doubting me?" Celestia asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Of course not!" the unicorn frantically responded. "It's just that... that... *sigh* Y'know what? You're right..." she conceded.

"Good. Now take care of your business."

"...Thank you, Princess..." Twi humbly replied before walking over to me, placing a hoof on my back. "Well... let's go, Ty... There's a long, awkward talk awaiting us..."

"Yea... but there's one thing I gotta do before we go..."

"What?" Rather than respond, I turned my gaze toward the cerulean unicorn.

"Hey, Comet!" I called. She seemed alarmed by my shift of focus over to her.

"Yes?"

"Thanks..." I replied. That simple reply sent everyone into a collective state of wonder as they each made their own sounds of confusion at my word. Even the mare's colt-friend seemed confused (and a bit upset).

"Oh! Um... Y-you're welcome..."

"Thanks? For what?" Twilight asked, expectantly wanting to know exactly what I meant.

"Yeah... what?" Gillian added, looking at Comet in confusion.

"I'll explain later," I answered the lavender unicorn. "Now we should prolly get goin,' no? Come t' my house. We'll talk there..." I suggested, rubbing Twilight's back.

"Okay..." With that and a *POOF*, we were out of there...

About two and a half hours later...

*POOF* The two of us made our way back to Equestria after our short break; specifically, we appeared within the confines of the library, where Spike seemed to have been organizing Twilight's work desk.

"Hey, Spike!" we greeted simultaneously as I took a seat on the floor.

"Oh! Hey! You guys are back," he replied, tearing himself away from his task. "So... how was... whatever it was you were doing?" he asked, which took both of us by surprise.

"It was... *ahem* it was good," I uneasily answered.

"Yeah, good..." Twi concurred.

"He must NEVER know...!"

"So I take it you're feeling all better, Twi?"

"Yes. I'm at a hundred percent now!" the unicorn brightly responded.

"That's good. I was worried you might've gotten sick or something..."

"Sick? Well... 'sick' wouldn't be the correct word for it, but I guess you could say it's somewhere in that approximate area..."

"Right... In any case, I'm curious: What did you need Ty to do to help you?" Both of us froze in sheer, unadulterated terror at his question.

"Umm..." the mare shakily trailed off, awkwardness scribbled across her face.

"We... uh..." I began, trying to think of something to satisfy Spike's inquiry.

"Shoulda seen THIS comin' from a mile away..."

"Um... we... made some.... hot coffee..." I sheepishly blurted out.

"Hot coffee?" he asked, puzzled at what he THANKFULLY didn't know was a subtle reference to what we REALLY did...

"Yea! It's a... *Yawn* a recipe o' mine that only comes from my universe... It's delicious."

"Oh. Well I don't really care much for coffee, but it looks like it did the trick."

"That it did!" Twilight agreed, reasonably out of sorts as her eyes darted nervously around the room.

"*Yawn* Oh, man..." I remarked, feeling drained of energy. "Yea, it did the trick..."

"...Wait a second..." Spike said, seeming to find something wrong with what I told him.

"Oh no..."

"What?" the lavender mare asked.

"Why's your hair all messy? It looks like you just woke up." At that, Twilight scoffed indignantly.

"Well excuse me for not dolling up after some much-needed stress relief, Spike..."

"Sorry. It's just that with as uptight and obsessed with order as you normally are, you'd have time to keep your mane from getting messy."

"Gee, thanks..." the unicorn sarcastically remarked. I resisted the urge to laugh at his (possibly) unintentional insult, puffing my cheeks for a second before exhaling through my nose.

"Ouch. That wasn't even directed at me, an' that still hurt. Heh heh..."

"Wait a minute... How is it that a problem you had could only be solved with Ty's help, but then when you go with him to get it, the cure winds up being coffee?"

"Well... 'cuz i'ss my recipe!" I lied.

"But Twilight's hair is all frizzy!" he countered, showing the slightest sign of frustration. "How does coffee solve your problem, but mess up your hair?"

"I'ss really good coffee," I calmly replied. "Maybe she jus' wasn't expectin' it t' taste so good, an' it blew her mind..."

"Genius!"

"And that's another thing! I remember you telling me one time you didn't even like coffee! How would you know any 'special recipes' if you don't even drink the stuff?"

"Goddammit! Why can't you jus' accept the answer we gave you at face value!?"

"Plus, you seem really tired. I thought coffee was supposed to wake you up."

"Yea, but with all the caffeine in it, you are subject t' crashin' once it wears off."

"Uh-huh. Well there's still the fact that it's only been a couple hours. I'm pretty sure coffee lasts longer than that. Besides, you specifically told me, and I quote: 'I would rather choke down a three week-old bottle of spoiled goat's milk than drink a cup of coffee...'"

"Wow, you REMEMBER that?? It was a joke! Who knew it'd come back t' bite me...?"

"Um... it was an exception...?" I shyly stuttered, unsure of what else to say.

"Okay, now I KNOW you guys are lying. What did you REALLY do to solve your problem, Twilight?" It seemed the dragon was more than curious, judging by his tone of voice. He seemed a bit... frustrated.

"We... *sigh* Spike, does it really matter?" Twilight asked in annoyance.

"It does if you have to keep it secret from me."

"Nopony's keeping any secrets... You know that I had a problem, and you know that Ty helped me solve it. What more is there to know?"

"What you did to solve it, obviously. I don't understand why I'm being kept in the dark about this. It's one thing not knowing how you solved your problem, but it's a whole 'nother thing when I apparently can't even be told what the problem was. All I know is what Applejack said about you being 'in heat.' What does that even mean? You were hot and needed to cool down or something?"

"No! Well, sort of... I... You'll understand when you're older..."

"Of course!" he practically shouted in exasperation. "I got responses like that from everyone else, too! Why won't any of you just spit it out!? If it's a secret, then you already know I'm good at keeping them..."

"Yeah, I'm SO sure," Twilight snarkily replied. "Like how you told Rarity all those things about me when you were spending time with her?"

"What?? That was months ago! I've grown and learned since then."

"Or how you an' Rarity started that rumor about Twi an' me when I first came here..." I added, knowing I was only fueling the fire.

"Oh, come on! You should be THANKING me for that one! Look where it got you two!"

"He MIGHT have a point..."

"Or, more recently, how you told the Cutie Mark Crusaders AND Cheerilee that Pipsqueak had been stealing baked goods from Sugarcube Corner and the case just wound up being that he was helping the Cakes with a few small orders around the town?" Twilight accused.

"H-how'd you find out about that?? Uh *ahem* I mean... I-I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Suuuure..." the unicorn smirked, at this point having the dragon checkmated.

"W-we're getting off-topic anyway," he conceded. "What's so secret that you two and the girls can't tell me about this 'heat' problem you had?"

"That's quite enough, Spike," another voice called to the dragon. In a moment's time, a tall, white Alicorn came trotting out into the area.

"Princess??? What are you doing here??" Twilight asked in total shock.

"I'd been awaiting your arrival since you two left to fulfill that errand of yours a little while ago. I'd actually expected you to be done much later," she explained.

"We thought it'd be better to finish up as soon as we could so we didn't make everypony wait..."

"Hmph. 'We'? More like 'you...'" I mumbled under my breath, rolling my eyes.

*Thwack* "Ow!" ...or at least, I tried. Twilight heard me and hit me upside the head to shut me up.

"*Ahem* Um... so, we're here now. Should we go and get the others?" the lavender mare asked her mentor.

"That won't be necessary. Spike will send word of your arrival. Would you be a dear?" she beckoned the dragon, who'd already had a pile of letters in his grasp. He set them down and, one by one, he incinerated seven letters, sending them along their way to their respective recipients.

"Soo... where are Gillian an' Comet?" I asked.

"They are being looked after in an improvised holding cell."

"Is that right? Where, exactly? If i'ss alright t' ask..."

"I was originally going to take them back to the Palace with me, but our good friends Applejack and Rainbow Dash volunteered to watch over them at Sweet Apple Acres while the others, myself included, waited for your arrival."

"Whoa, are you sure about that? I mean, they're some pretty crazy characters. How do you know that you can trust them not t' do anything bad?"

"I'm absolutely certain Gillian and Comet wouldn't jeopardize their situation any worse than they already have..."

"Right, but I ain't talkin' about them... I mean A.J. an' Rainbow." At that, the Princess raised an eyebrow and tilted her head slightly.

"What do you mean?"

"Gillian gave them a pretty hard time as well. An' if I'm not mistaken, each of them had a bone t' pick with those two..."

"Oh, come now, Ty..." Twilight countered. "Those two wouldn't do anything of that sort."

"I certainly wouldn't put it past 'em..."

"In any case," Celestia began. "...How do you feel, Twilight?"

"I feel completely recharged! Good as new!" she informed with a smile.

"Good, good. And you, my subject?" she asked me.

"Like a new kinda guy," I calmly, happily answered. "A li'l bit... *Yawn* tired, though. Thank you for healin' me, by the way."

"No thanks are necessary. I'm glad to assist you. On another note, I suppose you had quite a time, taking into consideration your new hairstyle, Twilight..."

"ZING!" Twilight's jaw dropped in embarrassment as Celestia chuckled at her own joke, joined by Spike. I decided against laughing myself, as I didn't want the unicorn to make me suffer for it in the future.

"Now now, she's feelin' good," I defended, hugging the flustered mare. "Her hair looks good this way, anyway..."

"*AHEM* Well... um... i-in any case..." Twilight shakily began as I let go of her. "What about the rest of the town?"

"Yes, I've arranged an address meeting for you scheduled for later this afternoon. I did so in advance because there were a numerous amount of sightings of him as a human, and quite a few of the residents were startled by what they'd seen of his altercation with Gillian."

"Oh, no..." the purple mare murmured in worry.

"Do not fret. I've explained the situation regarding our international intruders to the best of my knowledge, which served to mostly calm the townsfolk. Of course, my word won't have as much of an effect on their inherent tension as yours and Ty's should..."

"Oh, boy... THIS should be interestin'..." I sarcastically muttered, expecting the worst.

"If it's any help... then you should know that it's possible some of the townsfolk have pieced together your identity and, given how you've behaved as a stallion, may possibly be more willing to accept you in your current state..."

"Yea, but they also knew that 'Ponder Memoir' was in a relationship with Twilight Sparkle for the last nine months an' that they, like the majority o' Twi's best friends, thought I was a full-fledged Earth pony. I'ss jus' such a bad way for them t' find out... It worries me..."

"Damn that Gillian an' his conspiracy plot...!"

"Have faith in Ponyville's residents, Ty... If you keep calm and explain yourself to them, they will understand. I have faith in you."

"I-if ya say so... Thanks for the vote o' confidence..." I replied, still unnerved by the potential hostility I'd be met with for being a species of life form that was completely nonexistent in this dimension. Before I knew it, I was suddenly shrouded in the embrace of my loving young mare as she held me to comfort me.

"You're not in this alone, honey..." she whispered as she held me tight. I couldn't help but return the hug, feeling as if I REALLY needed it. "What you may face for being human, I'll also face for being romantically involved with you. No matter which way we see it, we're in this together..." I looked directly into her eyes to see the air of comforting confidence I'd come to know her for. Gazing into those vibrant pools of deep violet didn't melt ALL of my worries away... but it sure did quite a lot to ease the apprehension I'd built up for the upcoming public address. I brought one of my hands to her face, caressing the beautiful pony's cheek in my palm.

"...Thank you..." I meekly answered. Rather than reply, she leaned forward, planting her lips on my cheek and staying there for a good amount of time before slowly pulling away.

"No... Thank YOU..." she smiled, her eyes glimmering as their gaze locked onto mine. I couldn't help but smile back at her, the fear now almost completely gone and replaced with a roaring wave of affection for the lavender mare.

"HIYA, GUYS!!" shouted a familiarly shrill voice coming from the library's entrance. We all turned to see Pinkie bouncing in as excitedly as ever, followed by Rarity. "We came just as soon as we could!"

"Heeey!" "Hi, girls!" "Hey!" "Good morning!" we all greeted the two mares as I released Twilight from my grasp.

"Twilight, you still seem quite disheveled," Rarity worriedly observed. "Did you and Ty not go through with your errand?"

"No, no, we did. In fact, we just got back after taking care of that."

"Then why is it that your mane still seems unruly? In fact, with all due respect, it seems like it's more out of shape than it was when you departed..."

"Well, y'know... We just didn't find the time to freshen up after we were done."

"Ye... *Yawn* Yea... not enough time," I added as I stretched and wiped my eye, trying to fight my fatigue.

"Well how can that be? Ty looks like he found time to refurbish himself. Speaking of..." Rarity shifted her focus over to me. "You seem as if you hadn't gotten a proper amount of rest at all..."

"Great, now SHE wants t' play 'detective...' What the fff..."

"If I'm not mistaken, then that implies..." The white unicorn trailed off, as she stared at me, seeming to be having some sort of epiphany. A second later, she began giggling like a schoolgirl as she approached me. "My my, Ty... I didn't take you to be such a mare pleaser..." she commented, giving me a flirtatious look as she moved to where her face was up in mine, causing me to instinctively back away.

"Wh-what are you talkin' about?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. She stood up on her hind legs and placed her foreleg on my shoulder, leaning into my ear.

"...You must've really shown her a rousing good time, if you catch my drift..." she sultrily whispered with a hint of playfulness. Hearing that made every hair on my head stand up as my eyes widened to the point of possibly being able to pop out of my head and my face suddenly got hotter than a tea kettle.

"Hooo-lyyy shiiii..."

"D'ah! *AHEM* Yea, um..." I nervously stuttered, unable to find any words as Rarity released me from her grasp, giggling. I took a deep, awkward breath to try and blow out the hot air that suddenly built up in my chest while tugging at the collar of my shirt to let out some literal steam. "I-I er..."

"Rarity..." Twilight called, shooting her fellow unicorn a look of visible contempt. "What did you say to him?"

"N-n-nothing, darling..." she lied, stifling her laugh. "Just... er..."

"She said that Ty must've shown you a--!" Pinkie Pie almost announced, not even trying to hide her amusement before Rarity shoved a hoof in her mouth.

"Pinkie!!" Rarity laughingly shouted before losing it. Pinkie joined in right away.

"That's quite enough, ladies," Princess Celestia said. "It's time we... *snort* w-we got serious..."

"Et tu, Princess? Way t' be a friggin' team-killer...!"

"*GASP* Princeeess!" Twilight whined, clearly upset with the Princess's failure to hide her amusement. "Ohh!" The poor little unicorn could only cover her face in shame. I joined her by closing my eyes and pinching the bridge of my nose, shaking my head as Pinkie, Rarity, Spike (who was likely just going with the flow), and even Princess Celestia shared a laugh at our expense.

"*sigh* You KNOW i'ss a sad day when even the ruler of an ENTIRE COUNTRY is laughin' at you..."

"Hello, everyone!" Another voice called. "Why is everypony laughing?" I peeked over my fingers to see Fluttershy, looking reasonably confused at what was going on.

"Oh, no..."

"Hey, Flutters," I hurriedly greeted. "Everybody seems t' have a case o' the funnies for no reason, don't mind them. We're jus' waitin' for Lyra, Zecora, A.J., an' Rainbow t' get here, an' we'll be all set."

"Oh, okay," she replied before noticing Twilight with her forelegs covering her blushing face. "Twilight? Why are you--?"

"Say, would ya like a hug?" I asked with a nervous titter, interrupting her so no one would hear her question.

"Oh! Um... s-sure..." she uncertainly replied as she trotted toward me.

"C'mere, you!" I was quick to grasp the yellow mare by her sides and yank her in.

"WHOA!" she shouted in surprise, calming down as soon as her body made contact with mine. To make sure things weren't too awkward, I ran a hand up and down her back. She flinched in what I assume was a mix of relief and delight.

"I don't think I ever told you how much I value you as a friend, Fluttershy. You're the best."

"I refuse t' subject you t' the joke bein' thrown around here."

"Oh! My... well... um... I value you as a friend, too..." she quietly admitted, nuzzling into my shoulder as she wrapped her forelegs around my neck.

"I'm prolly gonna pay for this..." About a few seconds later, everyone seemed to calm down, done with their laughing (or in Twilight's case, her hiding). I assumed it safe to let Fluttershy go. I couldn't help but notice her cheeks turning a bright pink as she backed away, casting her gaze to the side.

"Great. Now that everypony's all laughed out, can we PLEASE discuss something else?" the purple unicorn suggested.

"Wait!" Pinkie Pie loudly called as if we were some great distance away from her. "Fluttershy didn't get to hear why we were laughing!"

"An' she won't need to," I sternly countered. "Ain't all that important anyway... On another note, Princess?"

"Yes, yes," Celestia began. "I'll be explaining it a bit later, but what I'm gathering you all here for is a sort of... group testimonial. As I said before, I wish to gain as full a personal account as possible of what happened between each of you and the escaped criminals you'd come across."

"Wait... HERE??" Twilight asked.

"Yes. It will save us an enormous amount of time. There's... something else I must attend to regarding a spell book of Starswirl the Bearded with an unfinished spell in it."

"An... unfinished spell??? Of Starswirl the Bearded??? What kind???" the unicorn was very much interested in whatever it was regarding this spell book.

"I'll fill you in when the time comes. For now, we focus on resolving our issue with Gillian."

"Right..." she replied, seeming a bit disappointed.

"Hey, guys!" "Howdy!" called a pair of new voices. In all of a second, Rainbow Dash and Applejack strolled in together, leading in their less-than-prideful-looking P.O.W.'s with rope that was tied firmly around each of their necks.

"Good morning," Celestia greeted, although a little perplexed. "I don't remember telling you to tie these two with rope."

"It's okay, Princess. We only did this to make sure they didn't try to escape," Dash reasoned. I had some other reasons in mind, buuuut... they're irrelevant...

"Well... wouldn't they just be able to teleport out of it?" asked Spike.

"Believe me, little dragon: We'd have tried that a while ago," Gillian spoke. "But even I know when to quit."

"Bullshit..." I mumbled.

"Hmph! Okay, when there's no chance of my triumph, I know when to quit."

"Such a liar... Comet musta finally set him straight...." I simply shook my head at him in disapproval. He rolled his eyes at me and looked back to the ground in shame.

"Besides, our magic was temporarily disabled in the case that we DID try something conniving..."

"Or that..."

"Yes, well I'm glad to see you're being cooperative," Celestia praised. "It will make this last-minute hearing much shorter for you."

"I still don't see the point in all of this..." the stallion argued. "I mean, isn't it enough that I've been caught for breaking free of my incarceration?"

"I think i'ss necessary..." I answered, to which the stallion shot me a spiteful glare, which I shrugged off nonchalantly. "We gotta take into account the kidnappin'..."

"The assaults..." Twilight added.

"The conspiracy against me..." Celestia added on.

"And the fact that you seriously injured--!" Fluttershy was about to add on.

"Okay, okay, we get it," the stallion interrupted. "But like I told you before, Princess, it WASN'T a conspiracy! I was telling you the truth when I told you we did this to--!"

*Knock Knock* "Hello?" a feminine voice called from the door.

"Yes! Come in!" Twilight permitted the visitor to come in. The door opened to reveal a mint-green unicorn mare followed by a zebra mare.

"Lyra! Zecora! Nice o' you t' join us!" I greeted. "Hope we didn't keep ya..."

"Hey, Ty!" the green unicorn greeted.

"Seeing you in good health is quite a treat. The wait, my friend, was none too steep," greeted a gracious Zecora in her trademark rhythmic speech pattern.

"Hey, Twilight?" beckoned Lyra.

"Yes?" the lavender mare responded.

"There's... something I want to talk to you about... y'know... um... o-once we're done here..."

"Oh? Well I'd be glad to talk with you."

"Okay, cool... Nice hairdo, by the way... I-It really brings out your wild side..." Lyra shyly complimented, although Twi didn't take it that way. She frowned slightly and lowered her head in embarrassment as she quietly groaned.

"Ach, mein gott... I'ss worse she actually sounded like she meant it, too..."

"Um... th-thanks..." Twilight meekly responded.

"Yeah, what gives with the hair, Twi?" Rainbow inquired. "I thought you and--!"

"Don't ask," I answered in her stead. "Le'ss jus'... *yawn* get on with this, eh?" I suggested, not wanting to hear more snickering at why Twilight's hair was a mess.

"Yes. Let us migrate to the balcony, shall we?" Celestia proposed. Everyone gave their collective signs of approval at her request, and with that, we migrated to the tree/library's balcony to commence the 'trial' of Gillian and Comet...