Celestia paced up and down the throne room with worry. Her student still hadn't replied to her letter and it troubled her greatly.
"Tia, it is unusual to see you so worried..." Luna spoke up softly.
"I know..." Celestia replied quietly, "But it troubles me... was it right to inform Scar of this?"
"What do you mean?" Luna asked with surprise.
Celestia stopped pacing to look at Luna, "I am scared. Scared of how he will react when he meets Redfield... scared of how I would react should he lose his temper and attack him... I am scared of losing a friend."
Luna nodded, "I understand your worries, but I have learned to trust that Scar is not one to kill out of anger or for revenge. You took the right step to inform him."
"I hope you are right... but still, I..."
Celestia's words were interrupted by a commotion from outside the doors to the throne room. Before they knew what was happening, the doors burst open and Purple Haze accompanied by the mane six stormed inside the throne room looking like they were ready to go to war.
"Where are they?! Where are the ponies that dare hurt poor Scar? I will destroy them!" Rarity shouted at the top of her lungs.
"Leave a piece for me, Rarity." Applejack spoke up, "Nopony messes with friends of the Apple family!"
"Yeah! Nopony hurts Scar and gets away with it!" Rainbow Dash looked about ready to throw herself into battle.
"Girls, slow down a bit..." Twilight tried to calm them.
"There are no breaks on the friendship train!" Pinkie Pie shouted with her canon at the ready.
"Everypony, shut up!" Purple Haze thundered over them. When they finally quieted down, she turned to the princesses, "Princess Celestia, we came as soon as possible!" She looked around herself, seemingly confused by something. "Where is Scar?"
Celestia raised an eyebrow in surprise, "He didn't accompany you?"
Purple Haze shook her head, "No, he told Spike he'd head on without us... Hasn't he arrived yet?"
"Not that I know of..." Celestia replied with worry, "He couldn't have gotten lost on his way, could he?"
"I don't think so, he's been here often enough after all..."
"Princesses... If I may interrupt..." a guard poked his head through the doors, "I was passing by outside during my patrol and couldn't help but overhear your conversation..."
"And?" Luna asked.
The guard cringed, obviously troubled by something, "I met the gnoll about ten minutes ago, he asked me where the dungeons were so I..." he visibly shrunk under Luna's and Celestia's bewildered stares.
"What did you do?" Luna asked, her voice on the verge of snapping.
"I showed him the way to the cells?"
For a moment, Celestia and Luna just stared at the guard, letting his words sink in. The gnoll was already in the dungeon, presumably in Redfield's cell... Celestia felt a shiver run down her back.
It was Pinkie Pie who finally broke the silence, "Hey, where's Fluttershy?"
---
Scar eyed Redfield without moving. For the last ten minutes this had been going on. The gnoll had found the cell, Redfield had seen him enter, and the two had just stood on their side of the bars in silence, simply observing one another with mixed feelings of hate and fear.
After minutes had passed, Scar finally spoke up, "How does it feel?"
Redfield remained silent.
The gnoll repeated his question, "How does it feel? To sit in cage, just like Scar?"
"What would you know about feelings? You're a monster!" Redfield barked, "You should be sitting on this side of the cage and not me!"
"Scar still wants to know, how does it feel?"
"I'm not answering to a beast like you! If you're going to eat me then do it already! Show the princesses that I was right! Show everypony what a monster you..."
He was cut off as the gnoll simply ripped the bars of the cage apart with a snarl and stormed towards him, bent pieces of metal and destroyed bolts flying through the air. In one motion he had pinned Redfield on the ground, his bared teeth only inches away from his face.
"Scar could..." he said with a dark voice, "Wouldn't even be hard... just one bite, is all it takes and skull would be crushed." For a moment longer, his teeth lingered in their position, but then, the gnoll simply removed his grip on Redfield and backed up a step, "But Redfield is wrong, Scar is no monster... never was, and never will be. Scar is gnoll, and gnoll only kills to protect its friends."
His eyes followed Redfield as he picked himself up again, "When Scar heard Redfield was here, it wanted to come and see for itself... wanted to see Redfield sit in his own cage... thought it would give it peace..." he shook his head, "But Scar was wrong. It saddens Scar that Redfield still doesn't understand, but gnoll will talk with Redfield no more."
The gnoll started to head for the door, "Gnoll will ask Celestia to let you go."
"I don't believe a word you say!" Redfield snarled.
"Believe what it wants... but Scar never wants to see Redfield again. Should Scar and Redfield meet again..." the gnoll turned around and bared his teeth for Redfield to see, "Scar will not hesitate again."
With those words he turned back around and opened the door. But before he could step through, a yellow blur shot past him and latched onto Redfield.
"How dare you! How dare you put dear Scar in a cage! You should be ashamed of yourself! Hurting a poor and innocent soul like him! I can't even find words for how angry you make me! What would your mother say?! How could you! I don't even..."
Scar couldn't find words for this... he had never seen Fluttershy so angry, so determined and wild. He simply watched as she continued to pelt Redfield with accusations and a glare that would have put even Purple Haze's to shame.
By the time Fluttershy was done, Redfield was nothing more than a sobbing mess on the floor, wailing over and over again how sorry he was. Scar had already left long ago, there was still one more pony left he intended to speak to.