The Winds of Redemption

by RagingPonyRider

Act 1: Hero-Anthropophobia

"Get up, Samuel!"

A whack on his head had him scrambling to get up. "What the hell!?" he hissed as he clutched his head. "What's your prob-"

Another whack, this time on his foot. "Get up! You're late for training!"

"Training?" Sam shook himself awake and stood up. "What training? And who the hell do you think-Dad?!"

A man was standing over him, pointing a wooden sword in his face. He was wearing a dirty white uniform, but his torso was bare, revealing a thin yet muscular build.

"That's Rodrigues-sensei to you, boy!" He swung his sword again, but Sam caught it between his hands.

"Dad, what the hell-I mean, this all has to be-" Sam froze when he saw it: his right arm. His eyes traveled to the rest of his body and saw he was also bare-chested with a similar uniform.

"Don't lose focus!"

The sword slipped through Sam's hands and hit his head a second time. However, Sam ignored it and looked at his assaulter and absorbing the scenery. All he could see was the wooden floor of his father's dojo. Other than that, only a white void filled in for the walls and ceiling.

"You've gotten slow, boy!" Rodrigues swung again but hit only air. Sam backpedaled in time to avoid his skull being cracked. "Admit it, kid! Without your fancy suit and my sword, you're nothing!"

Sam's confusion was replaced with anger. Another wooden sword appeared in his hand. "A punk? It's been years and that's the first thing you say? What are you even doing here?" He blocked another strike and lunged forward.

"I saw your fight with those animals, Samuel, and you were so pathetic that I had to come back from the dead just to teach you a lesson!" Rodrigues grunted as he parried Sam's attack. Sam rolled to the side just in time to avoid a strike across his stomach. "You fought like a damn savage back there! No style or form whatsoever!"

A smile crept up on Sam's face as he parried another attack, but staggered back from the force. "Yeah, well you never taught me how to fight against talking ponies half my size!" He launched a roundhouse kick, but Rodrigues blocked it with his arms.

"Bah! Excuses, as always, Samuel!" he snarled. "However, your behavior in this new world was understandable. You were never the subtle one and you at least showed those ponies business. Now, passing out right after that? That was pathetic."

"Let's see you try to fight over thirty trained guards after eating nothing but salads! Even you would be exhausted after that!"

"I don't need a damned suit to show some pack mules who's boss, and that's why you passed out, burro!"

"I didn't need that and I sure as hell don't need it to take down merda like you!"

They were now face-to-face. Their weapons pushed against each other and their wielders held their ground. One wrong move from this position and one of them was going to get a nasty scar.

"Are insults the only thing you learned from me, boy?"

"No, I also remembered that your arthritis is kicking in again!"

In a blink, Sam stepped forward and slid to his right. Rodrigues's sword slipped out of his fingers as he fell back. A red line formed on his chest where the sword struck him. Beside him, Sam rested his weapon on his shoulder.

While Rodrigues rubbed his chest, Sam gazed down at him. He wanted to laugh; his father, his teacher, his superior, was on the ground instead of him. A rare sight.

He held back, sickened with himself.

"Rodrigues-sensei, here." He pointed his sword at him.

He scoffed. "So now that your old man's on the ground, you pity him?" He looked at his twitching fingers and curled them into fists. Their cracks made Sam flinch, but Rodrigues pulled himself to his feet.

When neither of them spoke, Sam averted his gaze. He never did like tense moments with his father. It was often a sign that said Sam did something wrong, such as being too slow to dodge or improperly holding the sword. "So, Sensei-"

Rodrigues reclaimed his weapon and immediately swung to Sam's left, only to be blocked.

"Good! Kept your guard up." He slowly turned his body to its normal position and his arms went limp. The sparring was over.

Sam sighed in relief. "So dad...I know this is just a dream, but...you're still you, right?" He still could not look at his eyes.

"What are you talking about?" he grumbled. "Of course it's me. How can you doubt your old man like that?" He crossed his arms indignantly. "What's with that attitude of yours, huh? It's been over a dozen years and you still can't even look me in the face?"

Sam was growing more uncomfortable by the second. Everything felt so surreal to him.

"Dad, I..."

"You have a lot of explaining to do and I would rather hear it from my own son's mouth than dig into his subconscious to find out." He sighed, releasing his arms and holding them out in front of him. "Well, that can wait. Right now-"

But Sam could not wait for him to finish. It would have been an amusing sight for anyone watching. His arms wrapped around his father, who was nothing less than shocked. However, this look quickly softened as he reciprocated.

"Get a hold of yourself, boy." He rubbed his son's shoulders. His voice took on a gentler and deeper tone. "Or do I have to beat the tears out of you?"

"I haven't seen you in decades, and that's what you say?" Sam chuckled. "Besides, I'm not wasting what little tears I have on a dead man." The pair separated and Sam looked at his father straight at his face. "You look exactly the same. Wrinkles, arthritis, bad teeth, the works."

"This is all happening in your subconscious, you little monster. Of course you would make me look like how you remember me."

"That explains why you look older than usual." Both barked in laughter at his remark. "Now what, though? I'm alive, but I've never had a lucid dream like this before."

"How about a drink?" A small table with a bottle and two cups appeared between them. Rodrigues tossed his sword away and sat down, gesturing Sam to do the same. "Reality can wait. It's been too long since we talked."

"Thanks for the offer, but the last thing I need is some pony doctor poking at me with needles or taking off my suit." He shivered at the thought of those ponies gawking at him naked. "I need to wake up." He slapped his cheeks, pinched himself, and shut his eyes as tight as he could, but he could not wake up.

Rodrigues smiled and drank straight from the bottle. "Give it a rest. Your body's exhausted from the suit. Even if you woke up, you wouldn't even be able to open your eyes."

Sam was close to tearing the skin off his new arm before stopping. "Damn. What the hell are those ponies doing to me?"

"Relax. If you're dreaming, you're alive." Rodrigues took another swig. "That princess wants you alive. How else would she learn more about the Winds?"

"Dad, they have magic. No bullshit." Sam sighed and sat down on the opposite side of the table. "I've read enough fantasy and myths in school. They can just read my mind and dispose of me afterwards. They could be screwing with my head right now."

“If you had time to read fairy tales, why didn’t you spend that time studying, huh?” Rodrigues shook the bottle angrily. “All you got were half-ass grades, and you wouldn’t have gotten knocked to the ground by your old man every time you brought home your report cards.”

Sam groaned. “Hey, even with my goofing off, I still got a scholarship." He rubbed his eyes. "But those ponies. I don't care about them. If I was sent here, I can get back home. I don't care what some spirit of chaos or a damn book tells me is impossible."

"Aye!" Rodrigues lifted his bottle to him. "Couldn't have said it better myself! Now hurry up and have a drink! You're going to be here for a while."

Sam took it and peered inside. It was still filled with clear, bitter-smelling liquid. "You know I don't drink. I don't even know what booze tastes like."

"Watch it, boy." Rodrigues raised a finger at him. "Sake's more than just a beer. Just pour a glass already."

He did as he was told. To his surprise, a dark purple liquid poured out instead.

Dream logic. Of course. At least I can have all the juice I can drink.

"Grape juice," he muttered to himself, smiling. He returned the bottle to Rodrigues, who poured out sake into his own glass.

"Kampai." The father raised his glass, nodding and smiling as wide as he had seen him.

Just like old times.

"Kampai."

---

"Princess Celestia, I know the hospital wing's full, but did you have to bring him here of all places?" Twilight asked, looking around the damp walls.

"I'm sorry, Twilight, but this is the only place in the castle where he won't be disturbed. He needs all the rest he can get."

The cell was large enough to fit three medical ponies and an unconscious Sam. Celestia and Twilight would have joined them, but the remaining space was occupied with various machines with cables and other devices attached to them.

The doctors were informed that the human had overworked himself and passed out and that they were to do all they could to help his recovery. Unfortunately, his suit proved too difficult to remove and due to this, the most they could do was do a diagnosis on him based on his vulnerable face and whatever information they could get from the readings on the machines and their own magic.

"Shame my friends couldn’t even visit him. I'm sure Pinkie Pie's worried sick about him," Twilight said, remembering how downcast the party pony was.

"This matter with Sam does not concern them. Them being here has helped us learn more about Sam and these Winds of Destruction, but I'd prefer if they did not interact with him too much." Celestia faced her student with a somber look. "You have seen what he can do, and what he wants to do."

"B-but!" Twilight stammered. "If Sam wanted to hurt any of us, he would have done so!"

"He does not view us, or at least those that do not disturb him, as threats. But you remember how he behaved? I've heard from Luna that he has frequently threatened you and your friends, no matter how sarcastic or joking his comments were." She returned to looking at Sam, but lowered her volume to a whisper. "Sam is different from the humans I know. He actively seeks violence. When humans first met us and ponykind, they did not initially resort to violence. Terrified, yes, but we were all scared at seeing a new kind of creature. Although we were both ready to fight, none of us wanted to."

"Princess Luna said they were brought here by Discord," Twilight whispered back. "Why did he do that?"

"Mostly, to entertain him. Discord never told me the real reason why, but I'm guessing he thought Equestria was too boring, even with his chaos. One of the humans told me that they struck a deal with Discord: cause even more chaos than he has, and he would send them back to their world," Celestia sighed. "An obvious lie, but the humans believed him."

"Discord must have been horrible when he ruled," Twilight moaned, shuddering.

"’Irresponsible’" would be a better word. But the humans were understanding. They had brought their weapons and tools with them, but they did not use them against us, and even lent them to us to study. Sadly, there were those opposed this idea of sharing knowledge, mostly from the griffins and diamond dogs. They wanted a piece of their knowledge, and due to the instability caused by Discord, negotiations or any kind of interaction between races were impossible. Some extremists have even tried to stea thel humans."

Celestia wanted to hit herself. She did not mean to reveal so much at once, especially now that the doctors were packing up their tools.

"Are you finished already?" Celestia asked as they opened the door.

They bowed their heads before one of them stepped forward. "There's not much we could do. We can't use magic to scan his body for abnormalities, and most of our tools can't get through his suit. We tried to find buttons, zippers, anything, but it's as if the suit's glued to his body. We've also found traces of some unknown chemical, but it's not harmful to the body. The only thing we found wrong with him is that he is extremely malnourished and tired. We have found out his body is showing signs of starvation response. Thankfully, it's not that severe."

Twilight stared at Sam's gaunt face, but Celestia was confused. "Starvation response? You mean..."

"His body has begun to deteriorate by eating itself." The doctor kept his face stern, but his voice quivered. "His body's metabolism must be extreme for him to...exert himself so much during his fight." He gestured to the IV bags with their needles poking into Sam's neck. "Thankfully, his suit did not stop parenteral nutrition, but he needs more of everything, with a body that size. Aminos, vitamins, lipids, everything."

"Go get them. Hurry." Celestia wanted to kick herself for not knowing more about humans and their physiology, lightly chastising herself for not learning more about them when she had the chance. "Try your best to keep him alive."

"Yes, Your Highness!" The ponies scrambled out of the room, leaving Celestia to ponder out loud.

"But how? Pushing himself that hard, he would have passed out before starving. He had all he could eat during lunch, and still, it's more likely for him to faint during his fight, not after it."

Twilight looked away from Sam and faced Celestia. "You said you've seen humans, Princess. Have you seen how they fight?"

"Ferociously," Celestia answered, albeit puzzled. "Some of the kinder ones defended ponies from the wild beasts Discord allowed loose. But no human from back then could fight off thirty guards alone. Why do you ask?"

Twilight looked at Sam again. As if on cue, a small smile appeared on his face. She allowed a smile of her own, slightly uplifted by him, before returning serious. "I think it's his suit." Twilight entered the cell, inspecting the green material.

Before she could ask her mentor more questions, Luna came back. She had spent her time moving Sam's sword to a secret location and helping out in the hospital wing afterwards. "I saw the doctors leaving. Have they found what is wrong with him?"

"He's starving." Twilight answered automatically. "I think the suit's caused his body to burn too much energy."

Luna was aghast. "How can a mere suit do that? We have magical artifacts that fatigue users, but there is no magic in his world."

"That's just it: it's not magic. The doctor said it was as if the suit was attached to his body, and it looks form-fitting too. It also looks like the suit's attached to his right arm somehow, and in turn..." She snapped her head away from Sam as if she was in a daze. She turned to the two princesses both wearing surprised looks. She looked down and shirked away. "Uh, I mean...that's what I think."

"A likely hypothesis," Luna finally uttered. "But until we can study the suit further, we cannot prove that. The cause could very well be a human illness or a special condition of his. Maybe after he wakes up, he'll take it off and let us inspect it and his body more closely, but until then, we can only hope he wakes up as soon as possible."

With nothing more to be said, Celestia raised a hoof to her head. "It's my fault," she muttered. "I never should have let him fight. And now there's the guards I'll have to explain to. It'll be a miracle if I can keep all this within Canterlot."

Twilight noticed her distress and returned to her side. "Princess, please don't be so worried. Nopony died, after all right?" she asked, but she knew her words, trembling as they were, did not help much.

Luna stared at her incredulously, but it quickly hardened as she walked up to Celestia. "You see?" Luna seethed. "This is exactly what I was talking about! I showed you how against this I was before, but you still allowed it, and now look what happened."

Twilight stared at the alicorn. She never heard Luna adopt such a harsh tone against her own sister, but it was as unnerving as she thought it would be.

Celestia remained still. "What else would you have me do? Deny him? Arrest him? Lock him up in chains? If I had, there could have been an even worse incident, with fatalities, maybe!"

"You-no, I would have restrained him, like Discord has! Magic cannot affect him, but we could have at least halted him. He was in no position to request nor deserve something like an opportunity to kill our ponies. Do you not realize how risky this was?" She slammed her hoof down.

"He has kept his word and did not murder anypony!" Celestia countered. "You saw humans before. You saw how they reacted to Discord when they found out his lie. I could not risk-"

"So you allow him to freely go about as he pleases? We, the two powerful princesses of Equestria, now obey the whims of a single human!?"

"He could become a crucial asset to us in dealing with the Winds! While he was here, he was kept under watch by either you or me. Who was the one the left him alone with just Twilight and her friends when I notified the guards of his challenge?"

"So now you doubt your own student's capabilities?" Luna chuckled hollowly. "Besides, no harm befell them-."

"BE QUIET!"

The sisters tore their eyes off each other to look at the now-standing speaker. Twilight's eyes were wet but unwavering as they glared straight at the pair like they have never seen before.

"We have a human and thirty guards, all injured from a fight they started. Princess Celestia, you allowed them to fight. They were not forced to fight. And Princess Luna, you claim you would have stopped him, but you didn't, neither verbally or through action. Princess Celestia said that either of you could have stopped the fight. Now will you all please stop arguing and help everypony that's hurt?"

The room was silent aside from Twilight's panting. She furiously rubbed her eyes and stared again, only for her to realize what she had done. The gravity of her outburst was felt like a buck to her stomach and nearly forced her legs to give out.

Oh no...what did I just do? Did I just scream at Princess Celestia? Oh, this is really, really bad! What am I-no, what's going to happen to me?!

Luna was the first to break the silence. Her mane had returned to hovering aloof and she was looking down as well. "Very well. We shall return to the hospital wing to see what we can do to help." Luna walked to the door. "We will talk again later, sister." She returned to her austere self, but Twilight and Celestia noticed she was weaker in her steps.

"Twilight, I-" Celestia began but stopped when Twilight looked up, running her mouth a mile a minute.

"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to snap at you like that, Princess, I swear! I was just-it was just-we have so many ponies to treat and-"

"No, Twilight. You are right." Celestia had to nearly shout her words to stop Twilight's. "We are princesses. You are the only one in this castle that can talk to us like you have."

"But I-but I..." Twilight stuttered, not sure how to take this. "But I'm still your student!"

"You are also a princess. And you have taken the initiative to diffuse a rather heated argument between me and Luna. You saw we were getting nowhere, and took action.You did a very good thing, stopping us, before things got too out of hoof. I hope you can forgive us."

Twilight did not know what to say. Her mentor, Princess Celestia, one of the highest authorities in Equestria, just complimented her for scolding her? She read somewhere that standing up to friends takes more courage than standing up to enemies, but applied in this situation made her suddenly lightheaded. "Uh-well, I...sorry. princess. it's just, most of the time, I’m the one apologizing to you about something."

Celestia chuckled. "Even I make mistakes Twilight. You know that better than most." She looked at Sam, almost heaving for air. "Like this one here. Unfortunately, there's not much we can do for Sam other than IV therapy. I suppose Luna may wish to venture into his dreams to investigate later. I will join her in the medical wing. Afterwards, I will hear Mayor Mare's testimony, then contact Shining Armor to see if he can visit and bringing some additional forces. With our latest captain incapacitated, we need a temporary replacement." She turned away and headed to the door.

"Wait, Princess!" Twilight called out. When Celestia turned around, she hesitated. "I-uh, I know it sounds silly to say it out loud but..." She gulped knowing what would come next. "what should I do now?"

Her heart stopped when she saw Celestia with a strange look. It was like a mix between confusion and humor. "Do what you think is best. You can stay here with your friends, return to Ponyville and study more on griffin culture and history, or use the library here instead. I don’t mean to offend Ponyville, but the castle library has a wider selection for you to choose from. I cannot keep telling you what to do, Princess Sparkle, and even if I could, I wouldn't."

She turned away and continued to walk, and as if on cue, the doctors returned with a cart full of IV bags. After giving a quick "Your Highness." they opened the cell door and began replacing most of the machinery with the cart.

Twilight felt an emptiness growing larger in her stomach. She knew Celestia’s words to be true, but for a while, her mind remained blank.

She's right. I've been following in her hoofsteps ever since I was a foal. And now, she sees me as an equal, not just a student. I should be experienced enough to decide what to do now without her every suggestion.

She galloped out of the room and up the stairs that led to the ground floor. She immediately noticed the shimmering mane and caught up to Celestia, who turned around and blinked in surprise.

"Twilight! Have you decided to help me and Luna with the injured?" she asked.

Twilight's smile faltered. "Uh, not exactly, princess. If that's what you want-"

"Oh, don't give me that, Twilight," she laughed. "That wasn't a suggestion for you to take up."

"No, it's just that...what I want to do may need your permission and you to show me where it is."

"This is a pleasant surprise. Of course you have my permission. But what is kept so secret you needed me for?"

Twilight took a deep breath before pressing on. "At first, I wanted to learn more about Sam and his suit, but with the doctors tending to him, that can wait. Right now, I want to study his sword if you'll let me."

---

Somewhere, in one of the castle's guest chambers, Twilight's friends were pacing anxiously, unable to get their minds off of Sam. Right after they had followed the princesses to the dungeons they never knew existed, they were escorted by able-bodied guards to the largest bedroom they could find. Rainbow initially caused an uproar with her friends, asking them why they could not join their friend, but they were mostly silenced when they were told by Celestia they could see Sam and Twilight tomorrow.

Key word there being "mostly".

"This stinks!" Rainbow screamed into her pillow. She threw it to the wall, where it hit and landed on the floor harmlessly. "We don’t even get a so much as a glimpse and Twilight gets to stay with Princess Celestia?"

"Rainbow Dash, I know you're distressed with the situation, but calm yourself." Rarity levitated the pillow and fluffed it before placing it on the bed. "I’m sure they’re discussing very important things about Sam. That might be why she sent us here with guards, to keep us safe. I can imagine her worry when she has not just the guards, but her friends in the same building as that brute."

"Rarity, I think that was obvious when there was one Sam against an army of ponies," Rainbow added. "But whoever these "Winds of Destruction" guys are, if they're as strong as Sam, what do you think we could do against them?"

At this, Pinkie Pie popped out under the pillow and sat next to the pegasus. By now, everypony was used to her impossible antics and did not question it, but Rainbow seemed even more indifferent to her than usual. “Oh, oh! I have an idea! We can throw them a biiiiiiig welcoming party so they don’t feel like destroying everything!”

"Oh, come on, guys!" Rainbow urged, growing more heated. "We've defeated Nightmare Moon! Discord! Helped take down the changeling queen and King Sombra! Are you telling me there's nothing we can do about them?"

"Well, the thing is, Rainbow Dash, is that we...what I mean to say is...we're just not..." Rarity could not bear to speak out.

"We're just scared, is all," Applejack finished for her, looking rather edgy herself. "Nightmare Moon bringin' eternal night, Discord turnin' Ponyville into the chaos capital, but Sam? He wasn’t kiddin’ when he mentioned killing hundreds of other humans, and I think he would have killed those guard all too happily if he had the chance. What if the Winds of Destruction are just like him?"

"So what? Are you saying we should just wait for this to all pass over?" Rainbow buried her muzzle under the blankets as she remembered Sam's words.

While you and your guards remain in the castle and the cities, pushing pens and signing paperwork, I go out there, into the world, killing those deserving death. I've spent my time doing what those servants of the law do not...

...picking a fight with a bunch of miniature horses is an afterthought...

...I've done things, captain. Things that would probably list me here as one of the greatest monsters, and things that would have me remembered as a legend...

"Aw, don't be so grumpy, Dashie!" Pinkie patted Rainbow’s back. "I know you don't want to be left out on all the action, but we don't even know where the Winds are, or what they're up to! Even Princess Celestia doesn't know what to do, but I just know she'll need us for them."

"Pinkie Pie's right, Rainbow," Applejack added. "Ya haven't forgot about the "Mare Do Well" incident, haven't ya?"

"That's not what I mean!" Rainbow nearly shouted, but her voice was muffled by the blankets. "It's just that...it's about Sam." When she said this, her friends walked closer, ready to comfort when needed. "I just...feel so useless compared to him. The princesses called him a vigilante. When I heard that, I thought he was pretty cool and all, you know? Like one of those comic book superheroes, like Batmane. But then he said all those things during his fight, and how he fought...he looks like he spent his whole life fighting and killing. Is that really what a vigilante does?"

“Well, I suppose things like that’s only so dramatic in real life.” Rarity said, reminded that her story were just that-a story. “But you’re not like Batmane or Sam. We may be Equestria’s heroes, but we cannot simply consider ourselves above the law.”

“Exactly.” Applejack nodded her head. “Remember what Twilight said before? We start looking and hunting criminals ourselves, and we’re no better than them.”

On cue, Pinkie Pie reached over to the bedside table, where the remains of her cake lay. Before leaving the hospital wing, she insisted Celestia to offer everypony in the room a slice. Now, it was almost gone, and Pinkie placed a slice on a plate and handed it to Rainbow.

"Thanks." She bit into the cake and moaned in familiar euphoria. "Anyways, what if there's more than what he's telling us? He said he worked with these Desperado guys, what else could he be hiding--Fluttershy?"

Fluttershy was standing away from the pair of beds. In fact, she had remained in her original position, not moving at all and instead was sitting still. Rainbow Dash would have mistaken her for sleeping if her eyes were not open. However, she was staring straight down, as if trying to see through the floor, obviously in thought.

"Huh? Oh, sorry, Rainbow Dash!" She noticed everypony's stares and practically leaped off her chair to join her friends on the second bed. "I didn't mean to ignore you or anything! It was just…I was just thinking about Sam is all."

"You must have been pondering even more than Rainbow for you to be so dazed!" Rarity brought her over to her side, and patted her shoulder. "Tell us: what's got you so worked up about him?"

Fluttershy was stuck. She wanted to sound as unbiased as possible, but she did not know how without antagonizing Sam. "Well, I was just wondering," Fluttershy muttered, looking down at the blanket. "What made Sam like he is now? Are all humans as violent as him? So then I thought to what he said, back at the courtyard, said he killed criminals...why would he do all that?"

"Maybe he wanted to be a good guy, like in those comics Rainbow mentioned?" Applejack suggested sarcastically. "Like a more extreme version of Batmane. Didn’t he get his parents killed and that's what pressured him to fight crime? Maybe somethin' real bad's happened to him too."

"As dashing it may sound, a life fighting crime’s not all it's cut out to be. He even admitted he was no better than a criminal." Rarity finished dejectedly, her sigh taking on a disappointed tone. "A rogue at best, but a murderer at worst, no?"

"Oh, but he can't be that bad!" Fluttershy cried, as if Sam could hear them right now. "Besides, I just overreacted when I first saw him fight that timberwolf! He was just defending himself is all! I'm sure he had a good reason to-"

"A reason good enough to go down hurtin' and killin' any he sees fit?" Applejack crossed her hooves with disapproval. "No offense, Shy, self-defense is one thing, but like Rarity said, killin' other criminals is just gonna bite him in the flank eventually."

"But remember the other thing he said? After blocking all those swords the captain sent at him, which, I gotta admit, was pretty cool." How could any of them forget? He suddenly moved as fast as Pinkie Pie when she had tried ten of her experimental coffee cupcakes. "He said something about there being no one else that could kill him?"

"He must be quite skilled if no one else could stop him." Rarity answered. "But didn't Princess Celestia say he was resurrected by Discord? That means he must have met someone that finally...ended him." She wiped her eyes, saddened by the tragic end. She was familiar from her numerous novels the idea of a hero-turned-villain.

"Did you have to put it like that?" Fluttershy was shaking again, tears filling her eyes as well. "It almost sounds like he wanted to die."

"Nonononono!" Pinkie shook her head fast enough to create a pink blur. "Sammy-I mean, Sam's not like that! If he died, how would he be able to fight crime like he did? He must have a lot of experience with it, and a lot of confidence in his skills, so why would he think of such a thing?"

"But then, why would he undertake such a nasty occupation?" Rarity asked. She remembered his broken smile when he told his "lost-and-found" joke. No normal pony could make such a smile. "Being a mercenary might be a profitable job, but I imagine there's a very high mortality rate, and there must be some other jobs that need doing."

"Maybe he didn't have a choice," Rainbow muttered. "Remember that arm of his? My guess is that he owed this Desperado for giving him that cool new arm. And he said Desperado was some kind of terrorist group. Maybe they needed Sam's skills with some big conspiracy in trade for his arm."

Applejack clutched her head between her hooves. She was starting to feel Rainbow's frustration. "This is all too much. The more we talk about him, the more questions keep poppin' up!"

"He is quite the enigma." Rarity laid her head to a pillow. "But he must have a lot of stories of his travels to tell! Oh, a shame we return to Ponyville tomorrow," she groaned.

Fluttershy looked out the window and saw the moonlight shining through it. "Oh my! I didn't know it was so late! With the princess offering dinner and hearing Ms. Mare's testimony, time must have flown by without us realizing!"

"What? That's silly! Time doesn't fly! It just goes!" Pinkie giggled, but remembered her newest friend's predicament. "But Sam's not back from his cell. He must have been pooped if he's still sleeping!"

"But he passed out so suddenly, and for him to need medical help...what if something's seriously wrong with him?" Fluttershy could not help but worry.

"Don't worry, Fluttershy." Pinkie reassured. "I made sure to give him a slice of my cake before we left, so he's sure to be back on his feet in no time!" She pulled herself closer and wrapped her in a one-legged hug. "I'm sure Twilight and the other princesses are doing all they can to help him!"

"Yeah, leave to good ol' Twilight to handle everything," Rainbow grumbled before wrapping herself in blankets, yawning as she did. "Sorry, guys, guess I'm just tired's all."

Rarity joined in on her friend's yawning. "Well, Fluttershy's right when she said it's getting late. We should hit the hay as well if we want to catch the morning train home." Pinkie and Fluttershy nodded drowsily. There were only two beds, so they opted for the largest one, enough to accommodate the three mares snugly.

Applejack's eyes narrowed as she joined Rainbow in her own bed, thankfully large enough to give the two mares space to prevent awkward moments. Fluttershy, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie pulled back their own bed's blanket and turned off a nearby lamp, flooding the room in darkness.

"Mind tellin' me what that was about?" Applejack whispered.

As the Element of Loyalty, it felt wrong to even think this way, so she could not hold it in for any longer than she had to. "You notice Twilight's been cooped up in the library more than usual?"

"Yeah, but she told us that she's just studyin' up for the griffins visitin'. As the newest princess, she has a lot to live up to now."

"I know that." She hissed for breath. "But she's doing all this work by herself. Worrying and helping Sam, on top of these griffins coming...I just wonder if there’s anything any of us can do to help."

Applejack's mouth formed an "O", even though nopony could see it. "So that's why you were so wary of him? Ah thought it was just because he was dangerous and all that." She scratched her head with a hoof before speaking. "Don't you remember what Princess Celestia said after lunch?"

"What, about letting us go back to Ponyville?"

"Yeah," Applejack yawned out. "Even if Twilight's life's changin', we still have our own to live out. We'll still be her friends, always, but she has new responsibilities now, like Ms. Mare. She's gon' to be busy for sure, but what kind of friends would we be if we didn't help her out when she needs it? She's helped us out plenty before, but she shuts herself in that library everyday."

"Yeah, but with this issue with Sam and the Winds of Destruction, what if she doesn't need our help, or what if we can't help at all?"

"We can and we will, Rainbow. We just gotta find how. That's what you've been doin' all day, weren't it?" A thought crept up in Applejack's mind. "What, you sayin' it's better to not even try to help a friend out?"

This earned her a snort from Rainbow. "Just who do you think you're talking to? This is Rainbow Dash, Element of Loyalty, here!"

"Exactly." Applejack was getting too tired to open her eyes at this point. "So don't fret none. You're expectin' too much from yourself. Why, even Daring Do had some things she couldn't handle by herself." Yawning for the last time, she finally dozed off, with only her snores audible to Rainbow.

However, even with her words of comfort, she still felt an emptiness in her gut, What if she can't help her out? She would not just be disappointing a friend, but royalty! How would that reflect upon her?

But the one thing that left her secretly shaking was the thought of her inability. What if she truly could not help Twilight, and this was something she and the princesses had to do themselves?

I've done things, captain. Things that would probably list me here as one of the greatest monsters, and things that would have me remembered as a legend.

Sam could probably handle the Winds of Destruction easy, with those awesome moves of his. But is letting somepony like him really a good idea? He doesn't even look interested in helping us out, and what if he turns against us?

A familiar sensation struck her heart. It was the same ugly feeling as the one she had when Mare-Do-Well popped up in town The recognition of fear only muddled her mind further, tiring her out even more.

Finally, too tired to even shake her head free of such thoughts or wipe her eyes, she surrendered to exhaustion.

Author's Note:

(fixed/rewritten 10/08/2014)

Comments

[Bradbotpony]

I didn't get to read the entire chapter (because I'm in a hurry) but I'll read the rest later
So far, from what i have read it seems pretty good!
But i know one way Sam can wake himself up.......
N-N-N-NUT CRACKER!!!

[High Moon]

She read somewhere that standing up to friends takes more courage than standing up to enemies,

: And finally, it takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to your enemies. But a great deal more to stand up to your friends. I award ten points... To Twilight Sparkle.

*SOUNDS OF CELEBRATION*

: Problem Slytherin.