//------------------------------// // Chapter 14.10 A Bittersweet Victory // Story: As a Family // by Dashzilla93 //------------------------------// The battle was over. They had won the fight. Now it was up to them to get their friends who were injured in the fight to the hospital. It was a nightmare, but they fought and prevailed. Having been told to bring any of the injured to the hospital, Gallus, along with Smolder and Spike – the latter helping Gallus in case Smolder needed extra leverage – returned to the area where the battle took place, instead. The fight scared them to no end but they did their best in their participation. They wanted to come back to examine the carnage; see if they could find anyone else that may have been harmed from the destruction. Fortune smiled upon them when they saw not a whole lot of the area was damaged, but that didn't mean it was a happy end. The area looked bleak and empty like Ponyville became a ghost town for decades. The griffon and dragons felt uneasy, feeling so sorrowful for what happened. The damage Marabunda had caused was grim and haunting. Some of their friends got hurt and a few of them would likely need therapy soon, especially the one who didn't deserve the casualty that she had got – Gallus knew all too well and the image of Bon Bon's terrified yet heartbroken look was burned in his mind. He had to find her and make sure that she was alright. As soon as possible – if she was still around the area, since she disappeared halfway through the battle after that monster managed to climb his way out of the well. Spike and Smolder saw the wrecked-but-still-standing Sugar Cube Corner. The large hole on the front made Spike wince, his already pained body feeling sore – not just from the beating it took, but also from guilt. Even though it wasn't his fault, that didn't stop him from feeling so guilty for trashing someone else's home. Smolder wasn't feeling any better. When Marabunda swiped Spike out of the air, she was all alone in that first fight and, try as she might bring the beast down to bitter success, she wasn't able to fully defeat Marabunda; that resulted in her being the most injured out of the three there. But, she mentally cherished the thought that of the three dragons that participated she was able to cause more damage to the manticore; that was a one-up, she guessed. She wasn't gonna say that out loud because it wasn't the best time to boast. Right now, she was just happy and relieved Spike, Gallus, and she made it out alive. "Hard to believe one manticore did all this destruction," Gallus said, holding Smolder by her arm over his shoulder. He could still barely believe that a lone manticore was capable of doing so much damage. "Well, we believe it now," Smolder replied, not even attempting to joke or sass back when it was true. The well, the Apple families pie cart, it was remarkable that Marabunda didn't go after any other buildings. He was just deadset on attacking anything that moved. Spike snarled and growled in frustration, smoke puffing from his snout, "Darn you Diamond Tiara and Spoiled Rich. You two went too far!" There was no doubt Twilight was aiming to bring the Rich family back and tear their hides for what they did – well, mainly Diamond and Spoiled. But even if Filthy helped out, Spike didn't know if it was gonna be hard to convince his mother not to bite Filthy's head off for what his family did or tried to do; it was mainly Spoiled who started it all; Diamond was just with her. Or Diamond was the one behind it all and Spoiled just encouraged it. Regardless of who started it and what went through their psychotic minds, they failed and now they'll get what's coming to them. Even if all this started because of a black eye, something about those two ponies made him ponder if they had their own checkered history with Ponyville. Gallus looked over to Spike, "So, what was their damage anyway? Do they always hold psychotic grudges?" Gallus wondered because he never thought ponies would ever go so far as to bring an abnormal animal into their grudges. Griffons were known for their greed, wrath and bad attitudes, even some held grudges, too. But he started to think that maybe ponies had more in common with the griffons than he thought. That question got Smolder pondering. From what she recalled, ponies are usually a lot more accepting than dragons and griffons. Since Spike was raised by Twilight and her friends, somewhat, she wondered if he knew something they didn't. "Yeah, what's the deal with that crazy filly and her even crazier mother? What exactly is her problem anyway?" Smolder asked. She thought Headmare Twilight was crazy when it came to teaching her and her friends about themes she was interested in; friendship felt like an afterthought when things like Starswirl, grammar, or math came up. Now she knew that there was a good crazy... and then there's just plain psychotic. Spike can only answer half of that question. Throughout his experiences in Ponyville, he only had a few run-ins with Diamond Tiara. And, like everyone else, he was not a fan of her for obvious reasons. He's never had any encounters with her mother, so he had no info on her, and thank Celestia he hadn't, "I only know a few things about Diamond Tiara. Apparently, she and her sister had some kind of beef with Scootaloo and her friends," Spike shrugged. "Don't ask me why because I don't know; I rarely got involved with any of their shenanigans. If I were to guess, it probably had something to do about their butt-marks – er, cutie-marks. To him, they were butt-marks because it sounded funny; the confused looks from Smolder and Gallus gave to the name were a rightfully earned bonus. As much as he loved getting into pranks and hanging with Scootaloo, to this day she and her friends still don't have their own cutie-marks. He felt sorry for them, but that didn't seem to stop her. "Diamond was always quick to rub it in the Cutie Mark Crusader's faces about them not having their cutie marks yet like the rest of their class does." Still, he had no clue why other ponies would belittle, bully or shun other ponies for not having a cutie mark. Why would they feel superior about getting them? They got a tattoo on their butt and they think they can walk all over other ponies. Where was the logic in that? Then again, he's never encountered other ponies who behaved like that, so it must've just been Diamond, Silver, and Spoiled. Still, the amount of weirdness of that thought alone made him so glad he was a massive introvert. "That or it could be a social status thing – concerning how her mom seems to act." He could only guess with how Spoiled seemed to behave or look. "I honestly don't know about her mom." He admitted with a shrug. "Hey, I'm just as confused as you two. I'm just glad we don't get them." "I don't know what's weirder, growing to monster-size by greed or getting so full of yourself because of a mark," Gallus said teasingly but was also genuine. "So, I guess ponies aren't as kind as we were told before, right?" Smolder and Spike pouted at the greed-growth comment. But, as much as he hated to admit it, Gallus guessed right. Most ponies were not as kind as stories lead on. Equestria was full of positive energy, but to say there was no negative energy would be a big fat lie. He loathed that fact since ponies like Diamond and Spoiled exist, but he couldn't imagine there could be more out there. The stuck-up ponies in Canterlot came to mind, but that'd be scratching the surface. Oh, how he hated some of them. He looked at Gallus and nodded, confirming his curiosity, "Yeah. Not all ponies are as nice as you think." "And what about that Filthy guy?" Smolder asked. "Does he have a few screws loose like his family?" She makes a cuckoo sign, twirling her claw counterclockwise on the right side of her head as she looked at her brother. Surprisingly, no! Spike shook his head at his sister. "Not even the least, sis. Filthy Rich isn't insane like his wife." Though, if he had to guess, he also had a feeling Gallus and Smolder might want to know a few other things, "And, his name isn't just a name, either." There was another thing Spike found out that was bizarre about ponies, too: their names kind of tie-in with their personalities – at least that was his theory. With Gallus and Smolder listening to him, he went on and explained as best he could from what he was told by other pony folks, "As odd as it sounds, Filthy's got tons of bits. More so than a dragon could hoard – at least that's one of the rumors. Twilight told me that his grandfather's business had been around since the founding of Ponyville." He didn't know exactly how rich Filthy Rich was, but exaggerated rumors floated around that he held a massive record; some say he had a vault with a pool of bits in it; a rumor of a secret island full of his riches. There was a lot, but he couldn't boil it down to what was true and what wasn't. It was a mystery. And it was gonna be like that for a long time. Although, Twilight did give him a little information that the Rich's family business had been around for quite some time – he may not have paid too much attention to detail, but he distinctly recalled that part. That sparked some interest. Gallus and Smolder looked baffled and amazed by this nugget of info. A pony that hoarded more than any dragon or griffon? It seemed remarkable. They never expected a pony to hoard so much. Perhaps ponies are a lot like dragons and griffons after all regarding their behaviors – just, the only difference was accepting friendships. Spike chuckled, amused by Smolder's and Gallus's faces, "I know, crazy, huh?" But he waved a reassuring claw, "But, even with all those bits, Filthy never really was a bad guy." As hard as it was to believe, Spike was honest with that. "Actually, I ran into him a couple of times and he seemed like a chilled guy. Whether out doing business stuff or not, he seemed to always have a leveled head. Not once have I heard from anyone else say anything bad about him. In fact, compared to his crazy wife and one of his wacko daughters, he's really nice." And it still surprised him to this day! However, his surprise might be amplified since no one ever mentioned, or told him, anything about that stunt he did with his friend when they fought off Marabunda. Just what were those gadgets they had? Did Filthy know martial arts, too? What else was Filthy hiding? As much as it seemed cool to theorized, Smolder and Gallus were still unsure about him and his family. Spike may have just said Filthy seemed like a down-to-Equestria kind of guy, but they still didn't trust him; mainly for one reason... "Alright, then. If he's so awesome, then why did he marry a crazy pony, bro?" Smolder asked, unsure about Filthy's decision in that. "He sure wasn't awesome doing that." Gallus nodded in agreement. If he ever got together with someone, his first choice wouldn't be some wacko griffon girl, "Yeah. What does he see in her?" Now that was a question only Filthy knew. Spike merely shrugged at Gallus. All he knew was what was told to him. He never bothered asking about Filthy's love life because he never gave a ten-ton crap and it wasn't any of his business, either. As far as he was concerned, he was just happy this whole chaos ended. "That's something only he'll tell ya." Their conversation was quickly cut short when a soft, pained, irritated grumbling groan caught their attention near a grill shop with an open hole near identical to the one Sugar Cube Corner had. There didn't need to be a click for them to realize who was in there and Spike and Smolder were beyond worried. Smoke rose out from within the building and they were about to rush over, but the revived form of Ember casually walked out dusting herself off before using her tail to pluck a spatula out from behind her back spines and tossed it away. The young dragons were immediately relieved. They thought she was a goner or worse. "Never thought I'd be caught off-guard like that," Ember said, embarrassed of herself for being thrown away so easily as she stretched her wings out and popped her wing-bones before she folded them back. "Man, these tough scales sure do come in handy." She muttered to herself as she fixed her back-spines and ruffled head-spines. She was lucky to have survived that explosion. Her body was sore and she thought one of her back spines was dented, but she was back on her feet and breathing – heavily – like everyone else. She was so lucky she was born with tough scale; her body was bruised in some places and, thanks to the grill she crashed onto, she had dark scorch marks, too – but her pride was probably more bruised than anything. Training was definitely in order when she goes home. "Welp… as we dragons always say… "Push past the pain!"." She reminded herself; despite any rough spot dragons get into and if they got roughed up, they as a tough-scaled bunch of fighters always encouraged their fellow dragons to walk it off. Still, she was glad she was the only one injured in that area. She looked back with a sincere smile and waved at the ponies inside the grill shop once the smoke cleared, a little pink blush on her cheeks as she apologized to the owner. "Sorry, again, for what happened. I'll make sure to pay back for the damages." She couldn't control where she was gonna land, but she was grateful the ponies inside were so forgiving and understanding – and the fact they didn't run off screaming upon seeing her. That was remarkable to her! Least a dark note wasn't written on her; she was very relieved she didn't land on any of them when she crashed. Dragonlords above could only imagine how that could've ended. She was definitely gonna make a mental note and repay them for unintentionally saving her. A light dirty-tan earth pony mare with black hair wearing a trucker-like hat waved back to Ember with a kind smile as her two little colts stood next to her and waved back with her. "Oh, thank you, dear. But, don't worry about it, for now, we're just happy you're alright," Sandy Hooves said, relief in her voice. Before, when she looked out her window when she was about to go out into her built-in grill shop, she saw a huge menacing creature looming outside. Mother-mode turned on right away and she immediately grabbed her kids before they could have a chance to see it or have it see them. She had no idea where her husband was or what he was doing, but it was her duty to protect her little boys and hoped that her husband was alright. They hid under their bed in the master bedroom. They were terrified and unaware of what was going on but waited until it was all to be over. They expected to hear magic blasts, feel powerful tremors, or something unexplainable. They got just that and were rightfully scared. They expected that, but what they didn't expect was to find a dragon – and a young dragoness too at that – planted into one of their highly expensive grills. Sandy Hooves felt a lot of emotions rushing through her. She would've been so furious by how her grills were smashed into. Scared by the fact that it was a dragon of all creatures, but concerned about her well-being when she saw that while this dragon crashed into one of her grills – she had also been knocked unconscious from the impact. Sandy was also protective of her little ones if the dragon decided to attack. She looked outside and saw the circumstances regarding what happened and saw a fight between a large lizard, a bear, and the creature from before. Just what was going on? How did all this happen? She'll have to close down her grill shop so her grill stand can be repaired. Even if it was a dragon, she still cared enough to tend to her if she needed it. But the moment that dragon got up, there was a bit of fire dancing near the other grills that could spread around her home. She could've quickly gotten a fire extinguisher, but the poor dragon was very quick to act and already blew the flames away with her wings like a fan and all that was left was the smoke. "Thanks for putting the fire out!" Dirt called out innocently, thanking Ember for saving his home. He never knew dragons were so friendly. He was told before by his parents that some dragons were aggressive and wouldn't think twice about eating him. It scared him, at first. Seeing Ember scared him! He thought she was gonna go after him but after seeing her risk her life to put out the fire, injured no less, he thought that was pretty awesome. "Heh, she's very pretty," Grime said with a puppy-love grin on his face. Like his brother, he was told dragons were fearsome creatures and that he should stay away from them. But after seeing Ember save them and their shop, kindly apologize for what happened and smiled at them so kindly, his heart fluttered and he didn't see a fearsome creature; he saw a sweet angel. And having said that out loud, Dirt smacked him out of his love trance. Grime smiled and chuckled awkwardly. Sandy thought it was just adorable as she giggled in amusement at her little boy's little crush. Ember blushed a little by that little compliment and smiled lightly at them, especially little Grime. Flattered, she gave him a little soft patting on the head, similarly how she had done with a certain purple dragon. She waved goodbye to them and walked off, with her thoughts accompanying her. She'll meet them, again; hopefully to start a new friendship with them, too. They seemed rather nice, too, so having the common courtesy to help them pay for the damage was definitely on her to-do list. The first was to go find her other friends before tending to her injuries. Smolder and Spike widened their eyes in shock when they saw her, but they were so happy and relieved that Ember was up and about. "Dragon Lord Ember!" Smolder called out and waved to her. Spike waved, too, letting her know they were here. And one thing on her to-do list was done. Ember heard Smolder and Spike and noticed them waving next to Gallus. She gasped once she saw them. Aside from the annoying pain in her body and her need to help out those pony folk, her worry skyrocketed when she saw Smolder and Spike so hurt. She was happy to see them alive, but that didn't stop her from having a newfound heartache. Pushing down her own pain, she rushed up to them, and hugged them close; all three of them tight, "Smolder, Spike, you guys are alright!" Ember said in a relieved, caring tone. It pained her to see them so banged up and bruised. Spike, Smolder, and Gallus were all thrown back by this sudden turn. Ember hugging them threw them off-guard, just a bit. But, Ember showing deep care for them really had them confused. Ember wouldn't normally act like this, would she? "Ember, are you alright?" Spike asked, wondering what this was all about. Back before he got a little growth spurt - when he was still a small dragon when they met, whenever he hugged her, she gave him an affectionate pat on the head. "Yeah. You're usually not the hugging type. What gives?" Smolder was weirded out. Spike was an exception, but dragons don't normally hug others out of nowhere. Unlike the dragons, Gallus just watched. He didn't really know what to think about Ember's mood swing. But, he oddly accepted the hug; he felt like he needed it after today. But that didn't stop him from wondering what was going on like Smolder and Spike thought. Ember ignored her underlings, released them from her caring hug and looked at them with glossy eyes, almost as if she was about to cry. Smolder and Spike noticed Ember's snout quiver until she made a U-turn and thumped both of them on their already bruised heads with those glossy but now narrowed eyes. Both young dragons yelped in pain. "Ow!" They frantically rubbed at their bruised yet sensitive heads. "Are you two out of your minds?! Going out there like that and fighting something that clearly outmatched you?!" Ember barked, lightly scolding the two for pulling such an idiotic move that would've cost them their lives. Gallus backed off a little as she went off on them. He was gonna sit this one out and just continue. He was slightly amused by the banter, but felt a little bad that they were being told off. Sometimes it's great to be smart. But, as he watched, he noticed the glossy shine from Ember's eyes as a tiny tear rolled down. It was instinct to go out there and fight. What else could they have done? If that manticore were to go attack right away without someone to hold it off, things could've ended badly, Spike tried to explain that to her, "Ember, we were trying to defend Ponyville. No one else would – " But Ember wasn't having it. Spike and Smolder risked their lives over something that could've ended differently, but instead, they just jumped in without thinking, "I don't want to hear it, Spike!" She sharply pointed over to Sugar Cube Corner while keeping her glare at them. "You could've killed others by doing what you two did." She clenched her fists, "Dragons like to fight, obviously. But our limits are met if we fight someone stronger than us! We know when to stop and ponies can defend themselves!" She knew; Spike knew; everyone knew. Ponies seem like pushovers, but they've proven they had fighting spirits like dragons. Smolder winced and crouched a little, groaning in pain but she tried to hide it, "Dragon Lord Ember, all we tried to do was help. Isn't one of our lessons to help friends in need?" Smolder paused and watched in bewilderment as a few tears drop to the ground. She looked up and saw her leader... crying? Ember was trying to keep a firm stance but it was hard to when she was clearly hiding something. Spike saw it, too. It didn't take him long to figure out why Ember was acting the way she was. And it was obvious from her shaking hands and quivering lips, "We're sorry, Ember." It had to be said. Ember was worried, scared, and cared for their well-being. How could he and Smolder rebel? They knew better than to put Ember through such grief. Smolder got back up and looked at Ember innocently and apologetically, "We didn't know. We just jumped in because it seemed right." She thought she and her brother could take Marabunda on no sweat, but they didn't take to account it could lead to something worse. Her tough demeanor was shattered. Ember couldn't fight back the tear anymore, she scolded them and brought out her feelings to them, "My whole job is to keep my subjects safe – that includes you two. You two are still young. And that stunt you pulled with that psycho-core could've cost you your lives!" And that's what terrified her the most, she had almost came close to losing the two of them and such a thought tore her apart. "If anything were to happen to you two, it would come back to me!" she pointed at herself. Her breathing was quick because she tried to hold back her pain, but her stress and worry for them were too much. "Just... just..." she came up and hugged them both, again. "You two had me so scared. If you two were to die, I wouldn't forgive myself." Not only that, but Spike was the first legit friend she ever made. If he and Smolder were to end up dead, Twilight would be furious, but so would their biological parents. Spike and Smolder looked at each other, feeling so bad for putting Ember into such turmoil. They hugged her close and gave her apologetic comfort, letting her know that they were more than alive and were willing to be more careful. But they shared the same thought: with how Ember was acting and how much she cared about them, she seemed like a caring older sister rather than a scolding, strict leader. And it was something they appreciated and it earned more respect out of the two for how great a leader Ember actually was. Gallus watched Ember speak her feelings to the two. For how long he's known Smolder, he always thought dragons had a tough exterior, that it was always pride, greed, and all about themselves that drove them to be what they actually were. But that quickly changed when he saw Ember sob over Spike and Smolder – what she shows right now, is that even dragons have soft sides. If only Grandpa Gruff and the other griffons in Griffonstone were like that. Sure, his somewhat guardian was a grouch, but he took it upon himself to take Gallus to the Headmare Twilight's school. So that was a subtle hint he somewhat cared. The only other griffons he could think of that were so caring and friendly were Glinda, Gilda, and Gabby. The former he knew through letters and the latter two he had met face-to-face and they weren't so bad to talk to. Additionally, Grandpa Gruff also requested Gabby to give him daily letter reports on how he was doing in school – so that was a plus. Unlike other griffons, he and the three girls were willing to try making new friends. But, with that thought in mind and how the way Ember was behaving towards Smolder and Spike made him wonder something. "Uh, Dragon Lord Ember?" Gallus said, wanting to get her attention. Ember calmly looked at Gallus, letting go of Spike and Smolder as she wiped the tears from her eyes, "Yes, uh, Gallus was it?" Gallus nodded. He was a little nervous to talk because Ember was a higher-up for dragons and some of his words might not get through to her, but he had to at least try to calm her down, "If I may share my view of that story, it was two ponies who brought that manticore here and caused all this carnage, to begin with. We – they got hurt because they wanted to save everyone else, not because of impulse or something like that." Ember widened her eyes in shock. Two ponies brought that monster here? She thought that creature came here of its own choice. So, Spike and Smolder jumped into action to protect others, not because they wanted to fight. That revelation made more sense and she felt a little silly getting all worked up – even though it was justified. But, Gallus continued to speak to her calmly and reassuringly, "I don't see you getting in trouble for something someone else caused. The fault will go to them, not you. You fought bravely like Smolder and Spike did. I believe you'll be fine regardless." Gallus hoped that got through to her and calmed her down. Ember had every right to be upset, but in a scenario where she thought she was gonna get in trouble, Gallus had to let her know. She was still a great leader and a formidable fighter from what he saw. There was no denying that. Ember stood there and looked at Gallus a little baffled – Spike and Smolder were more surprised and overwhelmed with how strong Gallus's silver tongue was. Spike felt so silly for not bringing up that part of the story. Guess it slipped his mind. If it was all true, Ember nodded to him. His story checked out and she could rest easy knowing it wasn't her fault, "That's a relief.' Her body was already sore as it was, she didn't need to have a sore mind to weigh her down. "Thank you, Gallus," She said in an appreciated, soft tone that made Gallus smile. His smile quickly faded as another thought occurred to him. It was only two ponies that brought a creature to their own hometown to attack others. Dragons, griffons, and ponies alike were victims of the assault and he had to ask her, "Are you still wanting to be friends with ponies after what happened?" He didn't ask her to manipulate her. In fact, he sounded sincere and curious to know. This act seemed like an act of treachery on different species and it worried him that Ember might go against ponykind and hate them for what occurred. Ember paused when Gallus asked that, but kept a calm, collected look to her after letting that emotional storm of worry out. Since Gallus saw her breakdown, there was no point in keeping a tough leader act toward the young griffon. She looked down in thought as she crossed her arms, trying to come up with a good answer. His question also held a good point to it and it made her wonder. Yes, it was a pony that had used a creature to attack her kind. But, the creature attacked other ponies, too. She arrived with Twilight; a friend; an ally; a pony. No, after all they've worked to achieve, it shouldn't end like that so excessively and easily. Smolder and Spike were a little worried when Gallus asked her that. He pulled a risky move asking that question and they prayed she wouldn't just throw everything away like that. Ember sighed heavily once she came to a conclusion and answered him, maturely, "Just because a few rotten ponies made a stupid decision doesn't mean all ponies are like that. My friendship with Twilight and her friends are still strong as ever, so there won't be any conflict between us over this." Gallus, Smolder, and Spike smiled happily and were so relieved to hear that. The last thing they needed was to have another fight go down. "That's good to hear, ma'am," Gallus said, accepting that answer wholeheartedly as he bowed his head. Ember blushed a little and cringed at what Gallus said, "Okay, you can refrain from calling me 'Ma'am'. It makes me sound old," Ember said as Smolder and Spike chuckled at how funny Ember winced. But that made her beam her glare at them. "But, as for you two – " she pointed at them " – you two are going to the hospital." Smolder objected to that and groaned out loud, refusing to go because she wanted to stay, "Aw, but I don't wanna. I'm fine." But, like she did with Spike, she wasn't having it, "Are you refusing a direct order from your dragon lord?" Ember barked. "This is not up for discussion, you two are injured. So, you both are going to the hospital." Spike chimed in next and tried to convince Ember, "But mom told us to --" "Twilight is not here right now. So, you two are coming with me, that's your new order," Ember said, throwing her leadership at them at full force. Though, it seemed more like now Ember was acting like a mother than a sister. "You are coming with me to the hospital to get those injuries checked and that's final." She crossed her arms, giving the final say and they will not change her mind. But, then it dawned on Gallus: with all of what's going on around him, he almost forgot something he needed to do. He looked over to the damaged well and felt a cold chill run through his body, remembering his own objective. "Bon Bon..." Gallus whispered under his breath. "You say something, Gallus?" Ember asked as she thought she heard him say something. Smolder and Spike peeked over, but they saw Gallus wave a claw. "Uh, nothing. I'll catch you guys later, I need to go see someone." Gallus quickly left before the dragons could say anything to him. The direction he was going gave them a clue, so they didn't object or even attempted to stop him. For now, Ember had to get Smolder and Spike to the hospital. She'll leave Gallus to deal with this himself. **** Gallus stopped by the well. Immediately wincing at the horrid sight before him, from the impacts it took, it was busted some and yet there was still blood that had spilled there. He could still feel the little bits of tail hair that his talons had dropped, which got him to sulk a bit. He still felt guilty for not saving Lyra, but the least he could do was do his best to help Bon Bon, or try to. He looked down at the ground and froze in place; eyes widened in shock if not horror, and almost felt the need to vomit when he saw the abandoned horn of Lyra Heartstrings that had fallen from Marabunda's jaws. He wished he hadn't seen it, but he did. He then noticed hoof steps heading to a house nearby and quickly got away from the gruesome sight mere inches away from him. Nopony should've suffered what Lyra went through. ***** Bon Bon sobbed in her arms. Her back was planted behind her door leading outside as she curled up. She couldn't move, nor did she want to. It happened so fast, so suddenly. She tried to stop her, but she couldn't. Now she was gone. She didn't want to believe it. She wanted it to be a dream; be some nightmare. She wanted to wake up from this nightmare! But, there was no graceful appearance of Princess Luna to help her clear the nightmare away. No void to bring her into a dark realm of emptiness. Not even a graceful touch of her sweet Lyra to help wake her up. It was real. And it hurt. The one she loved was taken from her and she felt her life crumbling apart. She was in so much pain and all she wanted to do was just scream at the world. She wanted to curse at it for taking what was hers. Curse at that manticore who had done the deed. Curse at Spoiled and Diamond who brought him here. Curse at anyone who got in her way. She was furious! Angry that Lyra made a stupid decision and got herself killed. She shunned herself for not stopping her; she could've been firm with her, but no. She stayed behind like a frightened idiot and now she was taken from her. She was heartbroken. Her best friend, her comfort in life, her true love, was murdered right in front of her. She didn't want it to be true, but it was. Her mind raced a mile a minute. She didn't know what to do. The atmosphere felt so different without her here. Lyra wasn't great with words, but her comfort and company always made her feel so good. She could still live life, but she couldn't function without someone as special as Lyra had been to be by her side. But not today. Today, she wanted to be alone. Today took a piece of her. She didn't want to see anyone after what had happened today. The weight of her loss was too much for her to handle and no one else could help her like how Lyra could. If she saw anyone right now, she'd just reject them. She didn't want to see anyone. She didn't want to see anything. Nothing mattered to her and anything else today felt pointless. All she felt was anger and rage but also heartbreak and sorrow. If she so much as saw a glimpse of Spoiled, she would not hesitate to -- Knock. Knock. A couple of knocks on the door snapped her back into reality. She lifted her head and looked behind her, confused. She paused and looked at the door like a confused puppy; she didn't know what to do. Should she answer or leave them? She didn't want to deal with anyone right now and whoever was at the door wasn't helping her, at all. A few more knocks told her whoever was in front of that door wouldn't leave, her anger vented out and a loud, furious "Go away!" came out of her mouth. She was not in the mood, not after what happened today. "It's me, Bon Bon," a familiar voice rang in her ears and she perked up, shocked. And it sounded like he was not gonna leave. Bon Bon turned and looked at the door. Okay, maybe there was one exception. And that one beacon of light pointed in that direction as she asked him, "M-Me who?" she asked, trying not to choke on her words and desperately trying to keep herself together. They knew they hadn't properly introduced themselves, especially now was okay for the most part, "My name is Gallus. I tried to help you save Lyra." "How do you know our names, Gallus?" Bon Bon asked, not sure how to handle that nugget of info that was handed to him. "Your names are on the sign next to your door," Gallus plainly said as he taps said sign, he had just a teeny bit of humor in his voice for that one but it quickly vanished because this was no time for jokes. Oh, she completely forgot about that. She shook her head to wake herself up. All her crying was making her mind go off track, "Right. One second." She reached up and unlocked the door. When she opened it, her red, puffy, teary eyes were introduced to the one who tried his hardest to help save Lyra, but even he wasn't so happy, either. Like her, he was hurt by what happened. Unlike her who was mentally damaged, he had patches of fur that were ruffled, dirt spots in some places, and eyes that spoke guilt and heartache as tears start to build in them. How could she reject him? He was the only one that tried. He at least earned respect for it, but who else was she going to turn to? "Please, come in," Bon Bon opened the door as Gallus walked in. He looked around her home as she closed the door but never looked at him. "Quite a nice place you got here," Gallus complimented, but received no response. He looked back and saw Bon Bon just standing there looking down at her floor as if she was nothing more than a husk of her former self. Guess lightening the mood was out of the question. He sighed to himself as he calmly approached Bon Bon and sat next to her, "I'm so sorry for what happened out there, Bonbon. I really tried to help but--" he noticed the teary streams leaking down her cheeks. Her eyelids crushed. She couldn't hold the dam in for any longer as whimpers started escaping her. Gallus didn't have a clue what to say, he came to try and give Bon Bon as much comfort as he could. But, it hadn't been a second and he felt the pain of grief in his body start to ache. He failed to save Lyra and he knew he had to make it right by talking to Bon Bon, but he just didn't know what to say, the only things that came out as he too looked down in agony, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I tried to save the both of you… I did the best I could… If only I was -- " but a tight embrace latched onto him as Bon Bon brought him in for a mournful, but thankful, hug for risking his life to try and save Lyra after he had saved her first. She knew he had tried his best, and that was what mattered, and right now – his accepted presence was comfort enough. "You tried, Gallus… y-you tried… t-that's all that matters…" Bon Bon was failing to say any more words. The last thing she could mutter was a choky, stuttery, "Th-thank you…" before she broke down crying over Gallus's shoulder. Unable to keep his own tears in any longer, Gallus cried alongside her. He couldn't hold it in himself and he wrapped his arms around Bon Bon as they both cried, grieving over a painful, undeserving loss. The only thing that they could do was support each other in comfort as they both take the first steps of healing.