After bringing him back to the house, the first thing they did was send Rainbow to inform Twilight about the encounter on her way back to her home. Immediately following this, Applejack finally noticed the deep cut on the Warden's back which had been partially treated by Apple Bloom the day prior. Despite the Warden's insistence that it was fine, Applejack instantly went about cleaning it and treating it properly.
Apple Bloom could not help but feel somewhat amused to see her older sister act like a caretaker and fuss over the stallion whom she considered to be an enemy less than an hour before. True to her character, Applejack could not suppress her nurturing and caring nature after all!
Along with the amusement, Apple Bloom also felt very relieved as well. Applejack had finally come around, it seemed. Plus, if Applejack was finally seeing the Warden as the goodhearted pony that he was, Big Mac and Granny surely were as well.
Eventually, the Warden gave up protesting Applejack's help, and soon she had his injury set up properly. Granny then got supper ready, and they all sat down for perhaps the longest meal that Apple Bloom had ever sat through willingly.
For about two hours, they all sat around the table, eating and discussing the events of the past three days. Apple Bloom did most of the storytelling, explaining the various dangers and moments of excitement that she and the Warden had encountered.
Once that was done, Applejack, Big Mac, and Granny all explained what had happened in Ponyville, and how close they had gotten to assuming that she had been lost forever. They also relayed how Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo had handled it, and Apple Bloom could not help but feel sorry for her best friends. They had been heartbroken for sure, especially Sweetie Belle. Hopefully, they will have heard of her return by now, though.
Soon, the telling of their adventure had finally drawn to a close, and despite her excitement, Apple Bloom was beginning to feel drowsy. After a particularly powerful yawn, Applejack decided that it was time for her to go to bed. Apple Bloom tried to protest, but when she was stopped by another yawn, she knew that it would only be futile.
She went and hugged everypony goodnight, the Warden included, and Applejack put her in bed upstairs. After a brief lullaby from Applejack, something which Apple Bloom had only grown to appreciate after her adventure, she soon found herself lying on her bed, alone in her room.
However, she didn't go to sleep quite yet. Due to where her room was located, she was directly above the living room. This meant that more often than not, if things were quiet enough, she could make out conversations going on below.
Tonight was no different.
From her bed, she could hear Applejack and the Warden talking downstairs quite clearly.
"So," She heard Applejack say; "why did ya do it?"
"What?"
"Why did ya save her and bring her back?"
"Why do you want to know? Isn't it obvious?"
"Well, the last time Ah saw ya, ya left Princess Celestia for dead an' almost killed Princess Luna. Saving a filly was the last thing Ah would've expected from ya."
"Fair enough. But I'm afraid my reason for saving her is not anything extraordinary. I saw her in danger, and I decided to get her out of trouble. That's it. Any other pony would've done the same."
"Would any other pony have destroyed those timber wolves an' gone through so much trouble to get her back home?"
"Before I answer that, I must ask: How in Equestria did you all know about the timber wolves in the ravine? I didn't see any indications that we were being watched."
"That was because a bird was watching."
There was a pause, before the Warden spoke, sounding skeptical.
"... What?"
"Do ya remember the yellow an' pink pegasus from Canterlot?"
"I believe so."
"Her name is Fluttershy, an' she has the ability to talk to animals. Because of this, one of her bird friends happened to see ya and Apple Bloom escape those timber wolves."
"... I see…"
"Ah know, it sounds mighty strange when Ah say it out loud."
"I'll take your word for it, I guess... But if you knew I was coming, why did you seem so caught off guard when you all decided to fight me earlier?"
"Because we didn't know it was you specifically. If we did, we'd have hunted ya down."
"That's what I was afraid of."
"Which is only yet another reason why Ah'm so astonished that you'd run such a risk to bring Apple Bloom home. Not only were ya fightin' off all sorts of nasty critters, but you were willin' to run the risk of arrest as well! That ain't somethin' that jus' anypony would be willin' to do."
There was a period of silence, then Applejack spoke again.
"Ah guess the point Ah'm tryin' to make is that ya ain't what ya seem to be."
"Really? I don't look like some sort of revenge-obsessed psychopath with a horrifyingly effective arsenal of technology at his disposal?"
"Apple Bloom said that ya regret goin' after the princesses. Ain't that the truth?"
"I know what I did was wrong, yes."
"Then ya ain't some sort of crazed, evil killer after all."
"Just because I regret trying to kill them doesn't mean that I'm not angry. Trust me, I'm not the good pony you seem to mistake me for."
"Would a bad pony go through so much trouble to rescue mah sister without asking for anything in return?"
"..."
"See? You're more than just some pony who tried to kill the princesses and holds an understandable grudge against them. You're a pony who knows right from wrong, and a pony who is definitely a lot more noble than most of us were willing to give you credit for."
"That still doesn't change the fact that I did something unspeakable."
"Nor does that change the fact that ya did a mighty noble thing bringing Apple Bloom back. Keep that in mind."
"Your optimism is reckless."
"No, it ain't. Ah'm just tellin' ya what Ah'm seein'. Ask any of mah friends, Ah'm nothin' if not blunt."
"... What is it that you see?"
"Ah see a stallion who has suffered a loss which Ah cannot understand, but still possesses a good heart regardless. Yes, ya lashed out against the princesses, and Ah guess Ah can understand why, considerin' they were the ones who caused ya to lose your loved ones. But Ah can see that ya regret that, thanks to Apple Bloom. I can also see that because of what ya did for her, ya have a kind, good, and noble heart. Ya ain't evil, you're just… Confused and in need of some friends."
"... That's who you see?"
"That's the honest truth, Warden. Besides, ya can't be all that bad if Apple Bloom really thinks of you as a friend."
A period of relative silence passed on, and after a while, Apple Bloom heard Big Mac's heavy hoofsteps walking into the room below.
"Ah've got a place set up for ya in the barn, mister Warden."
"Thank you. It will be nice to not sleep on the ground for one night."
"Applejack, what's goin' to happen tomorrow?"
"Well, hopefully Rainbow would have gone and told Twilight by now. Before ya leave, Ah think ya need to meet her."
"Are you referring to Princess Twilight?"
"Ah am. She prefers that Ah don't use her official title, on account that we're good friends."
"No, it's not that. She's the one who talked me down at Canterlot, correct?"
"Yes she is."
"... Okay. I think I would like to have a few words with her in the morning."
"That can be arranged."
Yawn!
"Whooo, Ah'm beat. Ah think we oughta get to bed."
"I agree."
"Eeyup."
Apple Bloom heard the three ponies all stand up and begin to move around. But before the sound of hoofsteps faded, she heard Applejack speak one last time.
"In any case, thank you, mister Warden. We're all mighty thankful for what ya did."
Then, the last hoofsteps faded away, indicating that everypony had gone to bed.
Apple Bloom closed her eyes, knowing all too well that it was not going to take long for her to get to sleep. Her thoughts began to drift, and her mind soon settled down as a happy warmth burned within her heart.
It seemed as if her family and friends finally saw the Warden as she saw him.