//------------------------------//
// Tears to Shed 
// Story: The Returning Nightmare 
// by Lord Dico 
//------------------------------//

As the sun was starting to set, Hydra had brought Twilight to his humble home. She was quite surprised that her uncle would own such a nice home in Ponyville. It was a big manor, that had pillars at the doorway. As he let her inside, she was stunned at the amazing decorative furniture.

'Gee, if Rarity saw this, she'd have a heart attack,' Twilight thought.

"You really have a nice place here, Uncle Hydra," she said.

"Well, it's the best we could do," Hydra replied, "After all, it WAS given to me back twenty-five years ago."

It was then, Hydra started to feel his eyes water a bit. Twilight noticed her uncle looking up at a portrait.

It was of Beatrix.

It showed her in her gold-chested armor and sapphire leg armor. Her luscious brown hair was flowing with grace, with her horn sticking through it, and her emerald cape with it. Even in portrait form, she was still beautiful.

She wanted to do something to help cheer him up, but she felt like it was best to let him be for now.

"Twilight," Hydra said, "could you wait in the other room for a bit? I just...need some time to myself."

She didn't need to respond. She just walked towards the door, and headed outside. As Twilight turned away from Hydra to ease the door close between them, a noise made her hesitate and freeze. She could hear Hydra's attempts at silencing his sobs, at suppressing the tears that just start to leak out. Even the most courageous and selfless soldiers have a soft, vulnerable side to them.

Turning away from Hydra's sobs, Twilight closed the door. The wind whipped her multicolor hair around as she started to trot away.

"Hey."

The voice made her freeze for the second time that day. Turning slowly, she was met with a furious gaze.

"Can I help you?" Bishop snarled. 

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Meanwhile, Applejack and two of the others had arrived at Fluttershy's cottage, worried about the young pegasus. They needed to know what Doctor Hooves told her, about Rainbowdash. They knocked on her door, but no response came.

"Maybe she isn't home," Pinkie said.

"Well, where else could she have gone?" Rarity asked

"It just feels disturbing, the way she acted," Applejack said, "what if Rainbowdash's condition is worse than we thought?"

"Don't think that!" Rarity exclaimed.

Just then, the door started to open up. The three ponies looked worried, as Fluttershy stood in the exposing light in the doorway. Her eyes were red and puffy, and she looked a bit dehydrated.

"Fluttershy," Rarity started, as calmly as she could, "Is everything alright?"

"*sniff*...n...no..." the pegasus replied.

"Listen, Sugarcube," Applejack said, "we want to know what they told you about Rainbow's condition."

Saying Rainbowdash's name alone, brought Fluttershy into tears again. She tried her best to hold them back, but apparently, nothing was working. Tears were seeping out her eyes like waterfalls.

"*sniff*...They...they said..."

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As Fluttershy finished her story, she looked around at the others, and she felt her eyes water. She started to sob for the hundredth time that day and ran out, trying to run away from everything, all the problems she had to face.

But she wasn't alone.

x x x x x x x x x x x 

Bishop started to feel his legs go weak as he sat there in the den. He couldn't recall Celestia's exact words that day. Bishop couldn't bring himself to. It was ironic. One of the most powerful soldiers in the whole kingdom was weak in the legs because of a few words. However, it was more than that. It was the shame, the distrust and doubt that made him weak. Bishop eyed his drink next to him as he thought of that. 

'A life isn't the worth of twenty,' he recalled from the jumbles of his memory.

There was a sudden creak. The door was opened. Bishop turned to see who it was.

It was Twilight.

She didn't notice him right away. She had a thoughtful expression to her. As Twilight slowly eased the door closed, Bishop walked up to Twilight with a dark expression on his face.

"Hey," he said in a deep tone, recieving a small 'eep' from her.

She turned around to see him, and looked very cautious.

"Who are you?" he asked in a deep tone.

"Uh...well, I..."

As she stuttered, Bishop looked at her closely, and then a sudden thought came back to him, but with the same expression on him.

"Wait a minute," he said, "Haven't I seen your face before?"

"Probably from the race, from earlier today," Twilight said.

"Could be. But why are you here?"

"I...I came with your father."

"What?"

It was then they heard a sudden sound come from the den. Bishop then pushed Twilight aside, and went in through the door. As Twilight followed him, they saw that Hydra was looking up at the portrait of Beatrix. Bishop walked towards his father, he noticed the tears coming out his eyes. Bishop started to back away, not wanting to bother his father when he's in this state of mind. He turned towards Twilight, with a look that she could understand.

Twilight only nodded at this, and started to head out the door, with Bishop following her. As they were outside, Bishop looked at her with a serious look on her face.

"I'm sorry," he said softly, "...about your friend."

Twilight was a bit set back by what he just said, but then started to smile a bit.

"It's just that..."

He started to hesitate, bringing himself back to that day again.

"Things have just been really hard for the family, ever since that dreadful day...I just hope that Shining will be okay."

"Shining?" Twilight asked, with worry, "You mean...Shining Armor? Captain of the Royal Guard?"

"You know my cousin?"

"Yes! He's my-"

Twilight then cut herself off. She figured that maybe she should hold off from telling him that she's his cousin.

"Your what?" Bishop asked, arching an eyebrow.

"My...friend! Yeah, I've known him since childhood."

"Really now? That's interesting."

"Tell me," he started again, "Did Dad tell you why we came here?"

"Well, yeah," Twilight started, "it was for a vac-"

"He lied to you," Bishop said, interrupting her, "...the truth is...we were exiled."

"What?" Twilight said with Shock.

"Yes," Bishop said, "It happened one year ago..."

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