> The Warden: Part 2, The Crusader and The Warden
>  by FortressLegacy
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Chapter 1: Freak Accident
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Hey, Sweetie Belle! Hol' up!"

Apple Bloom's breathless exclamation went unanswered as she ran along beneath the sprawling rows of apple trees in the orchard. 

Scootaloo was right beside her, flapping her wings as hard as she could as she rolled along on her scooter.

"Ugh..." She panted. "It's no use. She's… She's  too far ahead."

Apple Bloom shook her head, amazed that Sweetie Belle had not only tired her out, but Scootaloo as well.

"What the hay has gotten into her, anyways?" She asked. "Since the moment we set our hooves in school this mornin', she's been climbin' up the walls like it's Hearth's Warmin' eve!"

"I know." Scootaloo puffed. "It wasn't until lunch that she finally told us that she wanted to show us something, but she kept on telling us that it was a surprise."

Apple Bloom gasped for air, and nodded. "As excited as she is, this had better be a mighty big surprise."

The two fillies continued to rush along, ducking beneath the unkempt apple trees and dodging the undergrowth on the outskirts of Sweet Apple Acres. 

All over Equestria, summer had come to a close a few weeks prior, and fall had begun to settle in. The trees above were ablaze with a brilliant spectrum of yellow, orange, and red; and fallen leaves littered the ground beneath their hooves. The days had also been growing shorter as well, and the sun was lowering in the sky, lowering just over the rolling hills to the west of Ponyville.

As they got closer to their clubhouse, the two crusaders saw Sweetie Belle in the distance, waving excitedly. An apple was hovering next to her, underneath the influence of her magic.

"Come on!" Sweetie Belle squeaked. "Hurry!"

Scootaloo groaned, and both she and Apple Bloom picked up the pace, eventually catching up with their excited compatriot.

"Can ya please tell us what's goin' on?" Asked Apple Bloom, looking and sounding a little peeved.

"You'll see!" Sweetie Belle chimed, smiling and pulling ahead of the two once more. "I can't wait to show both of you!"

Too out of breath to give a response, Scootaloo and Apple Bloom followed behind Sweetie Belle. 

Much to their relief, they weren't very far from the clubhouse now. Less than a minute later, they finally reached their destination, and took a moment to catch their breath. 

Meanwhile, Sweetie Belle rushed up the wooden ramp, gesturing for the others to follow.

"I can't stand it any more!" She declared, a massive, excited smile on her face. "Get in here!"

Scootaloo, however, was lying with her back on the ground, panting and waving in Sweetie Belle's direction, mumbling something incoherent. Apple Bloom had remained upright, electing to lean against a tree as she breathed uncontrollably.

"Give… Us… A… Few… Moments... Please..." She begged, her sides heaving between each word.

Sweetie Belle finally realized just how tired her friends were, and her expression became less excited and more concerned. She placed the apple that she had been taking along down on the deck and walked back down the ramp.

"Oh..." She sighed apologetically. "I'm sorry! I didn't think that I was going to tire you both out like that…"

"It's… Okay." Scootaloo said weakly, reassuring her close friend that no hard feelings were present. "But please… Pease tell me that this surprise was worth… Worth keeping a secret all day…"

Sweetie Belle nodded enthusiastically as her eyes lit up. "It is!" She squeaked, her energy making a swift return. "I think you will agree!"

"That's all fine," Apple Bloom remarked, pushing herself to stand on her hooves again, albeit a bit unsteadily. "but can we make this quick? My big sis will come hunt me down if Ah'm late for supper."

Sweetie Belle looked up to the sky, and noticed the sun was well on its way to disappearing below the horizon.

"I'll try, but for something this amazing, you'll want more than a few minutes, trust me."

This piqued the other two crusaders' interests. Surely the surprise was truly worth seeing. After a few more seconds, Scootaloo picked herself up, and the three walked up the ramp to the deck. Sweetie Belle picked the apple back up with her magic, and the crusaders all entered their headquarters. Sweetie Belle immediately rushed up to the podium at the far end of the clubhouse, not making any effort to mask the immense excitement bubbling up from within. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo sat down in the center of the room, looking inquisitively at her.

At first, Sweetie Belle pulled out the correspondence from the last Cutie Mark Crusader meeting, seeming as if she wished to stick to their regular procedure. 

Both Apple Bloom and Scootaloo suppressed the urge to groan out loud. Sure, it was the proper thing to do, but they were now just as excited as Sweetie Belle to see what she had in store.

"Cutie Mark Crusaders;" She began, doing her best to sound official, "I have summoned you all here today to…"

Her voice trailed off as she saw the pained expressions on her friends' faces. Instantly, she realized that they wished to cut it to the chase.

"You know what? Forget our procedure!" She exclaimed excitedly, throwing the papers haphazardly behind her. She then proceeded to pick up the apple with her magic, and placed it on the floor in front of her friends. "Watch this!"

Apple Bloom and Scootaloo looked at the apple, and back at Sweetie Belle. Her smile had given way to a contorted scowl, her gaze fixed on the apple. 

A magical, green aura surrounded her horn, and small sparks began to swirl around it. Then, the apple became surrounded by an aura as well, and it was clear to the fillies that Sweetie Belle was in the process of casting some sort of spell on it. Sweetie Belle began to groan a little, closing her eyes as if she were exerting herself. Her horn's glow began to intensify, and both of the other crusaders began to seriously wonder what exactly she was doing.

Then, with a strained exclamation, Sweetie Belle's horn flashed brightly, and the apple disappeared in a small explosion of color and sparks, causing the dim interior of the clubhouse to be bathed in a bright, green flash. Both Scootaloo and Apple Bloom were dazzled a bit by the flash, and they had to wait a few seconds before they could see clearly again.

"Hey! Where's the apple?" Scootaloo asked, noticing that the apple was no longer sitting in front of her.

Apple Bloom noticed as well, and looked at Sweetie Belle, who looked a little dizzy, but also incredibly pleased.

"Look behind you." Sweetie Belle instructed her friends, gesturing for them to look there.

Apple Bloom and Scootaloo turned around, and to their amazement, there was the apple, sitting in the doorway!

"What?!" Apple Bloom exclaimed, looking quite confused. "How the hay did- Huh?!"

Scootaloo also looked confused momentarily, but soon a shocked smile took over her face. "Sweetie Belle! How did you do that?! I didn't see you move it there!"

"I didn't!" Sweetie Belle squeaked, prancing excitedly. "I teleported it!"

"What?!" Apple Bloom shouted again, this time louder than before. "Ya learned how to teleport things?!"

"Yeah! Princess Twilight taught me how to do it yesterday!" Sweetie Belle happily declared. "She said that I was the youngest pony she knew who had the ability to do so! Well, besides herself, of course."

Scootaloo ran up to Sweetie Belle, grabbing her and shaking her around in excitement.

"That's amazing! Coming from Princess Twilight, that must mean that you really do have a knack for magic!"

Apple Bloom joined the other two, and all three went into a shared embrace, all happy at Sweetie Belle's accomplishment. After a few seconds, they separated, and Apple Bloom looked a bit disappointed.

"But… Ya still don't have your cutie mark?"

Sweetie Belle sighed, calming down for the first time all day.

"Yeah… I really thought that I would have gotten one for teleportation, especially after what Princess Twilight said about my talent."

All three crusaders sat down, each feeling quite disappointed that Sweetie Belle had not yet earned her mark.

"Well," Apple Bloom remarked, "I guess we've got to keep tryin'…"

Scootaloo nodded. "Yeah! And even though you haven't gotten your cutie mark yet, you still have learned a cool new thing that we can't do!"

Sweetie Belle nodded and smiled, happy that her friends still appreciated her new skill.

"Ah know that Ah said that we needed to make this quick," Apple Bloom mused, her eyes shining in excitement; "but could ya do that again, Sweetie Belle?"

Sweetie Belle grinned and nodded, excited once more. She motioned for her friends to stand back, and once they did, she moved the apple from the doorway back to its initial location on the floor. Scootaloo and Apple Bloom both stood to each side of the apple, each looking intently at their friend at the podium.

Once again, Sweetie Belle's horn began to glow, and she began to stare at the apple intensely. Sparks began to fly from her horn, and the apple began to glow as well.

But then she inhaled sharply, her snout scrunching towards her face.

"Ah…"

With each breath, she began to recoil backwards, and her eyes became shut as she put a hoof to her mouth.

"Ah… Ahh!"

It then struck Apple Bloom and Scootaloo that Sweetie Belle looked like she was about to sneeze. Despite this, her horn was still glowing, and the apple was still glowing a bit as well. Not knowing what to expect, and knowing that the imminent flash would probably blind them, the other two crusaders closed their eyes, ready for the teleportation.

"Chu!"

Right as Sweetie Belle gave her adorably anticlimactic sneeze, a bright flash enveloped the room, as well as the fillies within, before fading away just as swiftly.

After a second or two of silence, Sweetie Belle groaned.

"Ugh… That didn't feel quite right…"

Scootaloo opened her eyes, and saw Sweetie Belle wobbling around dizzily as green sparks floated to the floor. She instantly ran up to Sweetie Belle, looking very concerned.

"Woah! Are you okay?"

"Yeah." Sweetie Belle replied, shaking her head in an effort to stave off her lightheadedness. "That felt kinda weird."

After verifying that her friend was alright, Scootaloo looked to the floor, and noticed that the apple was still where it was before.

"Well, you missed the apple." She remarked disappointedly.

"I did?" Sweetie Belle asked, sounding confused and a bit disappointed herself. "Then what did I teleport? It definitely felt like I teleported something."

"I don't know." Scootaloo answered, shrugging. "Did you see what was teleported, Apple Bloom?"

No reply.

"Apple Bloom?"

Still no response.

"Where'd she go?" Scootaloo asked, taking a moment to look around the clubhouse, not seeing Apple Bloom at all.

Sweetie Belle shrugged as well. "I don't know. You were the one sitting next to her."

Then both fillies felt their hearts freeze as a terrifying possibility occurred to them.

"D-did I…?" Sweetie Belle stammered, her eyes growing wide.

Scootaloo looked at Sweetie Belle with an identical expression, and immediately they both knew what had happened.

"Nonono!" Sweetie Belle cried, running to a window. "Apple Bloom?! Where are you?!"

Scootaloo ran outside, desperately scanning the surroundings. Between the trees and the dying light, she could not make out much.

Apple Bloom was nowhere in sight.

"Apple Bloom?!?"
> Chapter 2: Lost and Afraid
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

When Apple Bloom awoke, she found herself face down in the dirt. Besides feeling sore all over, a strange tingling sensation played about on her body.

"Ugghhh…" She groaned, beginning to stir. "What the hay was that?"

She wracked her mind, trying to remember what had just happened. Last thing she knew, Sweetie Belle was trying to teleport that apple again. But then it began to look like she was going to sneeze, and when she did, there was a bright flash, then darkness.

Still face down, she called out.

"Sweetie Belle? What happened?"

No reply.

A cold breeze then swept over her, and she heard the wind working its way through some trees. Apple Bloom turned her head, and opened her eyes for the first time since Sweetie Belle's sneeze, pondering where she could be.

She was in what appeared to be an evergreen forest, the trees towering tall above her.

Her eyebrows furrowed slightly. There weren't any evergreens near Ponyville, at least to her knowledge. 

She continued to lie on the ground, her orange eyes taking in her surroundings as her clouded thoughts slowly cleared.

Then it struck her.

She gasped and bolted upright. If there weren't any evergreen forests near Ponyville, then where was she?

She looked all around, desperately trying to figure out where she was. The forest extended as far as she could see, an endless sprawl of tall evergreens. In fact, she couldn't see very far at all, for it was quite dim. The sun was nowhere to be seen, although the sky could be seen in between the treetops, a brilliant spectrum of blue, purple, and pink.

Apple Bloom could not help but put a hoof to her face and growl a bit in frustration. This was the fourth time she had gotten lost in a forest at night, and the irony was infuriating.

"Aw, horseapples!" She exclaimed angrily. "Why am Ah always gettin' lost like this?! This time it ain't even mah fault!"

She snorted, sending a cloud of condensation flying from her nose as she stomped the soil in frustration. She groaned, and began to walk away. But after a few steps, she stopped, and the full realization that she was lost finally set in. She turned around, and began to trot in the other direction, traveling a short distance before stopping again.

She had no idea where to go.

Slowly, fear began to take hold.

"Sc-Scootaloo? Sweetie Belle?" She called involuntarily, desperation for some somepony she knew growing more urgent.

"Big sis?! Big Mac?! Help!"

Her cries went unanswered, echoing through the forest, eventually fading away into the vast wilderness.

She was alone.

Apple Bloom sat down and curled up, grappling with the fact that she was alone with absolutely no clue as to where she was.

"Ah'm lost. Ah'm really lost this time!" She exclaimed, rocking back and forth fearfully. "This time, nopony knows where Ah've gone!"

After a minute of panic, her rationality began to slowly take back control. She sniffed, and wiped away any tears that had come out.

"Come on, Apple Bloom." She encouraged herself. "What would your big sis do?"

Applejack always seemed to know what to do in an emergency. She never seemed to panic either, instead jumping into action to try and resolve the issue. Right now, the best thing to do would be to try and think of what she would do, and imitate that.

"She'd remain calm, an' try to find a high place to look for a landmark." Apple Bloom reasoned, standing back up. Climbing a tree was out of the question, however. The lowest limbs of the trees were at least twenty feet up. 

However, there was an alternative. She noticed that she was on an incline of some sort, like a hillside. Maybe she should work her way upwards to the top?

She began to trek up the hillside, working her way around the shrubs and trees. But after a minute of walking, a spine tingling howl stopped her in her tracks. It came from up the slope, carried by the chilly wind. She couldn't say for sure, but it sounded a lot like a wolf.

After freezing in place for a moment, she took a quiet, trembling sigh. So much for heading uphill. She looked around, hoping to see another elevated area that was away from the origin of the howl. After a moment, she noticed a mountain through the breaks in the forest canopy, rising above the surrounding landscape, its top still bathed in the sun's warm glow. Even better, it was towards where she came from, away from the wolf's howl.

It looked to be some distance away, but it was her best bet. She swiftly turned around, and began walking downhill, towards the mountain peak. 

Several minutes passed, and the light continued to diminish as she worked her way down. She tried to calm herself all the while, reassuring herself by acknowledging the fact that every single time she had gotten lost, no harm actually befell her. Of course, there was no guarantee that she would make it out this time, but she shut out any doubts out of desperation. She needed to remain hopeful.

Time passed on, and every few minutes, a distant howl would send shivers down her spine. Thankfully, they seemed to be behind her, and because the wind was to her flank, there was no chance that the wolves would catch her scent.

Gradually, the environment began to change. The slope gradually grew less intense as she went down, and it occurred to Apple Bloom that she was heading into a valley. This, combined with the fact that it was twilight meant that the light was growing dimmer with each passing minute. 

She knew that after a while, she would have to stop for the night. Fearful thoughts began to swirl in her mind. The prospect of having to remain in this forest at night with wolves prowling around was not a pleasant one.

Her stomach growled as well, and she began to worry about what she was going to eat. The ponies back home probably would have already eaten warm, filling dinners by now, but she was wondering if she would have to resort to eating the ferns beneath her hooves. She thought forlornly of Granny's delicious cooking, and felt a wave of hopelessness sweep over her once again. Would she ever taste her grandmother's food again? Would she never find her way back to civilization and be forced to become a hermit, surviving off of the land for the rest of her days?

These thoughts dominated her mind so much, she was not paying attention to where she was going. She walked face first into a spider web, putting an end to her mind's downward spiral. Sputtering in surprise, she swatted her forelegs around, trying to remove the sticky material. After a few seconds, she wiped it away and looked around. It was now so dark, she could barely see more than a few feet ahead. No wonder she ran into that web.

A tickling sensation then drew her attention to one of her legs, and she could see a small shape working its way up. It was the unfortunate inhabitant of the web that she had inadvertently destroyed. She brought her foreleg up, and gently blew the spider off, sending it falling to the ground. It wasted no time, promptly running away into the darkness.

"Maybe Ah should stop now..." She thought to herself, barely making out a clearing in the trees a short distance ahead. 

"There's a good spot." She told herself quietly, working her way towards it.

However, the darkness would cause her to encounter yet another obstacle. As she walked along, she stumbled over an exposed tree root. 

"Whuuph!" She grunted, falling with a thud.

She shook her head, and noticed that she felt something sticky once again, this time beneath one of her forelegs.

"Another web?" She wondered out loud, trying to stand up. However, this was a lot stickier than the other web. In fact, it was almost pulling her back down to the ground.

"Ugh… Come on…" She groaned, pulling as hard as she could. Suddenly, she came free, and she stumbled backwards, stepping on another sticky spot.

This time, she remained still, and took the time to try and examine it. The moon then emerged from behind some clouds, providing her with the light required to see a bit more clearly. Indeed, it was a strand of a spider web. Curiously, it was thicker than any spider web that she had seen before, being more akin to a thin rope than a thread. She visually followed the strand, tracing it to a cluster of trees.

She shuddered. That entire group of trees was encased with a white sheet of webbing that was far larger than any spider web that she had ever seen.

An urge to move on and get away from this particular spot began to intensify, and Apple Bloom began to try to pull herself free. Whatever occupied that massive web, she didn't want to stick around and find out.

"Hrrrrnn! Let go!" She exclaimed, struggling to free her hoof.

Then she felt the strand vibrate.

Plink!

She froze, unsure if that was caused by her own struggling. She held her breath for what seemed to be a full minute, not moving a muscle. Deep down, she felt a horrifying dread grip at her heart.

But after some time, no further vibrations were felt. She exhaled, breathing once again.

"Okay… Ah guess it was just mah strugglin'." She thought, beginning to tug on the web again.

Plink!

Plink!

The vibrations began again, this time far more strongly and for a longer duration.

She froze again, and her fur stood on end.

She wasn't causing the vibrations.

Several of the nearby strands began to pluck, sending sharp, needly sounds into the air from the direction of the webbed trees.

Apple Bloom, now wide-eyed and breathing heavily, slowly turned her head towards the trees.

She saw it.

The largest, hairiest spider that she had ever seen was slowly and meticulously working its way towards her, delicately picking its way along.

It was way bigger than Big Mac, and each of its long, spindly legs had to have been at least ten feet long.

She remained absolutely still, resisting the strong urge to try and run. She knew that spiders typically had poor eyesight, relying on vibrations to locate their prey. If she didn't move, maybe it wouldn't find her.

The spider continued to move, though. Slowly, it worked its way towards the terrified filly, its spindly legs plucking at the strands as it closed in.

Plink!

Plink!

Plink!

The sound steadily grew louder with each occurence, and Apple Bloom began to shudder in sheer fear.

Plink!

Plink!

Plink!

It was less than thirty feet away now, and it was not stopping. Maybe it had good eyesight after all. 

Apple Bloom could now make out two massive, curved fangs on it, each glimmering in the moonlight as they twitched. She imagined what they would do to her if the spider bit her, and it was not a pretty picture.

She was running out of options. She would have to try and break free, or become a meal. But it was getting closer by the second. If she tried to run now, it would have her in a few seconds.

She frantically scanned the ground, trying to think of a way to buy herself more time.

Then she saw a tree branch on the ground, within reach. Thinking fast, she slowly grabbed it with her mouth, resisting the urge to spit the nasty tasting piece of wood out of her mouth.

Then, swinging her head, she flung the branch as hard as she could, sending it sailing out beyond the spider, towards the webbed trees.

She heard the branch impact the ground, and the spider swung around in the blink of an eye. With horrifying speed, it rushed off towards where the stick had landed to investigate, disappearing into the darkness.

Apple Bloom felt the vibrations that the spider created die down as it ran away. After a few seconds, she exhaled and relaxed a bit. She had bought herself some time, and an opportunity to escape.

She began to slowly pull away from the strand, trying her hardest to be as gentle as possible. But try as she did, her hoof was still stuck.

She gulped. She would have to try harder, and risk alerting the spider again.

She counted to three, and swallowed her fears as she gave a massive tug, and felt some of the strand let go. A sudden surge of joy caused her heart to jump. She could escape!

Plink!Plink!Plink!PLINK!PLINK!PLINK!

The sudden increase in the strand's vibration and the intensifying sound of the spider's plucking caused Apple Bloom to go numb.

It was coming back!

Adrenaline flooded her veins as her body began to move on its own. She gave another massive tug, feeling as if she was going to tear her leg off of her body. But this final effort was all that was needed, and she came free!

She stumbled forwards, barely avoiding the first strand that had caught her in the first place. She could not suppress a breathless laugh that bubbled up as the joyous euphoria from her escape overwhelmed her.

Then she looked behind her.

The hairy, spindly mass that was the spider was closing in at a speed that killed her laughter and sent her into a mindless frenzy to escape.

She gave a shriek and bolted away as fast as she could, faster than she had ever ran before. Ducking under branches and weaving clumsily through the undergrowth, she fled in a sheer, desperate effort to save her own life.

She could hear something crashing through the forest behind her, steadily growing louder with each passing second. She didn't dare to look behind her, for she already knew that the spider was chasing her down.

More than once, she ran into a tree or straight into a bush, but she didn't feel any pain. The adrenaline was simply too potent.

For Apple Bloom, time slowed to a crawl. It was just like one of those nightmares in which she was running for her life, but could only run agonizingly slowly.

Then, one of her hind legs got caught on something, and she heard a sickening pop as her leg twisted in an unnatural way. Immediately, an intense, burning pain gripped her leg as she fell to the ground, the impact knocking the breath out of her lungs. After inhaling, she gave a painful cry.

"aaaAAAAGGGHHAAA!" She screamed, a combination of pain, terror, and hopelessness causing the outcry.

She rolled onto her back, and she saw the terrifying creature approaching fast, its fangs unfolded and ready to deliver a killing blow, drops of venom shimmering in the moonlight.

Apple Bloom whimpered and desperately scooted backwards, her life flashing before her eyes. 

Her fate was sealed. She would die a horrifying death as a spider snack and nopony would ever know. 

She would never see Scootaloo or Sweetie Belle again. Her closest friends would never see her finally find her cutie mark, nor would she see her friends earn theirs.

Tears came to her eyes. Not only would she see her friends again, but she would never see her family again. Not Granny, not Big Mac, and not Applejack.

As the spider loomed over her, it reared back, its fangs twitching excitedly as venom dripped off.

Was this going to be the last thing that Apple Bloom would see?

As she prepared herself for the killing blow, she began to cry gently, heartbroken that things had to end like this.

"HRRAAAGH!"

An angry shout from the trees caused Apple Bloom to look upwards, beyond the spider that was readying a killing blow.

Up in the trees, she made out a large metallic object coupled with a single green light falling towards the spider. It impacted the horrific creature with a soft crunch, and the spider recoiled back, screeching. As the spider flung itself back, Apple Bloom caught a glimpse of what  had saved her.

It appeared to have the general shape of a pony, but it was covered in metal parts, shining in the moonlight. One of its eyes was the green light that she saw, and its face appeared to have been torn, its other eye not visible.

The spider contorted violently, and the metal pony lost his balance and fell to the ground. He swiftly rolled over and got back on his hooves, the sound of scraping and grinding metal being made as he moved. The pony then approached and faced the spider, to Apple Bloom's astonishment. He was clearly not afraid to fight, and this display of sheer courage stunned her.

"Go! Run!" The pony commanded her, lunging at the angered arachnid.

Apple Bloom didn't waste any time, and she stood back up. But as she did so, she placed some weight on her wounded leg, causing it to be consumed in piercing pain once again. She cried out in agony, falling once again. As she tenderly picked herself up, she saw the metal pony trying to work around the spider's legs and fangs, holding it at bay.

"What are you doing!?" He shouted angrily. "Go!"

Despite her injury, she couldn't afford to stick around. This time, Apple Bloom hobbled off as quickly as she could, making an immense effort to remember to keep off of her bad leg. Running on three legs was slow and difficult, and it didn't help her fear to know that she wasn't nearly as fast as she was before. If she was barely outrunning the spider before, she now had no chance of escaping it if it kept up the chase.

An alarmed shout and the sound of rustling underbrush behind her compelled her to look back, and her stomach twisted in horror. The spider was chasing her again, looking like a writhing mass of legs and hair.

"Help!" She shrieked, knowing that it would be on top of her in seconds.

Then she heard the spider screech again, and watched it tumble to the ground. Somehow, the metal pony had gotten back on top of it, and was now punching it in its eyes.

The spider screeched again, and it bucked forwards, causing the metal pony to lose his balance and fall in front of it. To Apple Bloom's horror, he was right underneath its fangs. The spider noticed as well, and in the blink of an eye, it clamped its venom filled fangs onto him. 

She heard a hollow clunk as the spider's fangs impacted the metal pony, followed by a sickening squelch.

Apple Bloom felt her stomach churn. Had the spider killed her savior?

But the spider gave a screech that was louder than any it gave before, and it jumped back. Apple Bloom gasped. It was missing one of its fangs, and the armored pony had it in his grasp!

He then rolled off to the side, barely avoiding an immediate and wrathful counterattack by the spider. The pony extended one of his legs, and a line shot out of it into the treetops. He then flew up and away into the trees, and the spider angrily began to hiss.

In an instant, it turned towards Apple Bloom yet again, and it began to run towards her.

She tried to call for help again, but it stopped in her throat, resulting in an unintelligible, terrified noise.

Where did the metal pony go?!

Then she saw him, jumping down from the treetops, holding the spider's severed fang below him like a spearhead. He impacted with an audible splat, and the spider's internal fluids exploded out of the gaping holes created by its own fang. 

The spider had been dealt a fatal blow. It gave a weak hiss, and its legs curled up as it rolled over.

It was dead.

Apple Bloom could not do anything but stare at the creature's corpse, and think about how close she had come to a disgusting death.

Out from behind the spider's body, the metal pony emerged, an unnatural hulk of steel and mechanical parts.

Then, with heavy hoofsteps that she could feel in the ground and the sound of grinding metal, he approached.
> Chapter 3: A Frightening Savior
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Apple Bloom felt a surge of instinctual fear wash over her as she fully realized just how frighteningly unnatural this pony was. He was intimidating, and knowing that he had just brutally killed that spider only drove more fear into her heart.

As he got closer, Apple Bloom began to unconsciously back away, whimpering fearfully.

Sure, she was braver and more courageous than most foals, but after what she had just been subjected to, combined with the fact that she was lost and injured; meant that she could not help but be absolutely terrified.

As soon as he saw her back away, he froze. Then, speaking in a deep voice and in an unexpectedly comforting tone, he spoke.

"It's okay, little one. I'm not going to hurt you. You're safe."

Apple Bloom went silent, tears welling up in her eyes as her adrenaline began to fade. The stranger came a few steps closer, and she remained where she was. His words had compelled her to not run.

He walked to within a few feet of her, and she looked up at him, her big orange eyes showing a mixture of fear and awe as she examined the figure towering above her. He looked to be about Big Mac's size, but the armor made him infinitely more imposing.

Upon approaching her, he stopped and kneeled, lowering himself to her eye level, his armor grinding and scraping as he did so.

Apple Bloom gasped slightly in surprise as she finally got the chance to look over her savior in detail. The gruesome gash on his face was not a nasty wound, but a tear in a mask. She could see the eye of a pony glinting in the moonlight underneath the damaged mask.

"I know..." He said quietly, sounding surprisingly calm. "I look scary, but this is just a suit of armor. I can assure you that I am a pony underneath all of this, just like you."

Apple Bloom had to take a moment to process it all. He was a pony! She had been found by a pony!

She was safe!

Apple Bloom didn't say a word, her breaths becoming more sharp as all the stress from her brush with death began to escape. A sob escaped her mouth as she began to shudder.

Without thinking, her instinct took over. She hobbled over to the armored stallion, and embraced his foreleg, finally perceiving him as a source of safety. Then, she began to cry uncontrollably, shaking and holding on as hard as she could.

The stallion gave a quiet utterance of surprise, possibly not expecting this from her. But after a moment, he hesitantly wrapped his other foreleg around her. The cold metal made her shiver and caused her discomfort, but she didn't care, only continuing to cling to him as she cried.

After a few minutes, Apple Bloom's crying slowed as she began to calm down and gather her thoughts. Seeing that she had begun to collect herself, the stranger spoke.

"Are you hurt?"

Apple Bloom nodded.

"Where?"

She released the armored pony, awkwardly realizing that she had just hugged a complete stranger while crying. After taking a moment to process this somewhat embarrassing revelation, she gestured to her injured leg.

"Ah think Ah twisted it." She murmured, sniffing and wiping away her tears.

"Oh…" He said sympathetically, "That can't feel good. Can you walk?"

Apple Bloom shook her head, the pain in her leg having intensified. Now it hurt to even touch it, much less move it.

Just then, a wolf's howl pierced the night sky, and Apple Bloom instantly latched onto the stranger's leg briefly.

After a moment of silence, the stranger spoke.

"We can't stay. I need to get you somewhere safe."

He then lay down on the ground, and motioned for Apple Bloom to get on his back.

"Hop up. I'm going to fix you up and figure out how to get you home, ok?"

Apple Bloom nodded. This went against everything that Applejack and Big Mac had taught her about interacting with strangers, but she clearly had no choice in the matter. It was either go with the one pony that had found her against all odds, or stay lost in the woods. She tenderly got onto his back, and after letting him know that she was ready, he stood up and began trotting away.

Apple Bloom settled in between two folded wings, and noticed that they were made of metal, just like the rest of his armor. She wondered why she hadn't seen him use them while fighting against the spider, but didn't feel like asking.

She struggled to stay awake while she rode along, watching the moon and the stars peeking out from between the pointed treetops as the stranger walked urgently along, following a meandering path through the forest.

Another howl was heard, and Apple Bloom clung onto her rescuer. He seemed to take notice, glanced back at her, and spoke.

"What's your name, little one?"

She hesitated to answer, debating whether or not she should tell this complete stranger her name. While her rational side advised against it, she couldn't help but feel as if this pony could be trusted. After all, he did just save her from certain death and show concern for her injury. In her emotionally charged state, this overrode her sense of caution.

"Mah name's Apple Bloom." She croaked.

"Hm." The armored pony mused. "That's a pretty name. I like it."

"T-thanks…" Apple Bloom murmured, not quite able to figure out what else to say. 

Before long, the stranger spoke again.

"What are you doing all the way out here?" He asked. "Are you lost?"

"Eeyup." She replied. "Ah… Ah'm lost."

"Hm…" The stallion mumbled. "How did you end up over here?"

"Ah think Ah got teleported…" Apple Bloom answered, still sounding and feeling as if she were in a daze.

"Teleported?" The stallion asked, sounding a bit surprised. "On purpose?"

Apple Bloom immediately shook her head. Sweetie Belle certainly did not intend to teleport her at all.

"No…" She mumbled. "It was… an accident." She replied.

"Oh, wow." The stranger muttered, shaking his head. "You can count your lucky stars, then. You could have gone to the dragonlands or gotten deposited in the ocean."

The filly shuddered. If Sweetie Belle really had sent her to some random location, the night could have gone a lot worse. Considering that she had nearly become a spider's meal, that meant something.

As the stranger continued to press onwards, Apple Bloom drifted in and out of sleep, losing all track of time. After falling asleep a half dozen times or so, she woke up to see that they were approaching a short cliff face, only fifty or so feet tall.

"Okay," The armored pony declared, "We're almost there."

Apple Bloom woke up a bit, examining the wall of stone rising high above her, trying to make out where they were going.

The pony strode up to the wall, and Apple Bloom noticed a small metal box on the cliff face at the stallion's face level. He walked up to it, and spoke to it in a clear voice which commanded attention.

"I'm back, and I have a guest. Open up."

Then, much to Apple Bloom's surprise, the box replied in a pleasant sounding, male voice.

"Very well, sir. Opening side entrance now."

A harsh clack was heard, and a portion of the cliffside, about the shape and size of a doorway, began to recede into the wall. After it slid back a foot or so, it swung inwards, revealing a darkened cavern-like passage hewn into the rock, leading into the cliff face.

Apple Bloom could not believe her eyes. She had never seen anything quite like that before. Whatever drowsiness she had been experiencing faded away in an instant.

The stranger walked into the darkness, his single glowing visor creating a green glow which fought the darkness. As he cleared the doorway, the stone door began to close shut. It closed with a mechanical noise, and as soon as it shut, several lights turned on.

Apple Bloom became wide awake in an instant, greeted with a sight that she had never even imagined.

The lights turned on to reveal a large, cavernous chamber, about twenty or so feet high and at least a hundred or so feet long on each side. All throughout the room, machines and workbenches filled the space, looking like something out of a mad scientist's lab. At the center of the space, a large metal column ran from the floor to the ceiling, dwarving the machinery around it.

"Welcome back sir." Said the pleasant voice, seeming to come from all corners of the space. "Good work on saving the filly."

After having paused for a moment, the stranger began to work his way around several machines and tables, walking towards a fabric bed with strange machines mounted above it.

Apple Bloom continued to marvel at the spectacle, only breaking her daze when the stranger spoke.

"Alright. Roll onto the bed and stay still for a moment." He instructed, kneeling down so that she could do so. She obeyed, and lay on her back on the bed, looking up at the intimidating instruments above her. She squirmed nervously, uncertain of what he was going to do.

"This won't hurt at all." He said reassuringly. "I'm just making a quick scan."

He paused, and spoke in a louder voice. "ARTIS, I need a diagnostic scan on her left hind leg, suspected sprain."

"Very well, sir." The disembodied voice replied. "Please remain still for fifteen seconds, miss."

"Uh, okay…" Apple Bloom responded, still unsure of how to process all of this.

The machinery above her suddenly whirred to life, and a bright light was shot onto her wounded leg. This lasted for precisely fifteen seconds, just as the voice said, and swiftly stopped.

"Give me a minute, and I shall have the results for you sir." The voice declared. "You may move if you wish, miss."

Apple Bloom nodded, and turned her head to the stranger, being able to finally see him clearly. His armor was completely unlike anything she had seen before. From head to hoof, the armor nearly covered his whole body. The only spots that didn't were sites of damage of some kind. One such spot was a gaping hole near the pit of one of his forelegs, where dark blue fur emerged from underneath the layers of metal plates. The worst damage, though, was to the mask. A large tear existed over where one of the mask's eyepieces would have been, exposing an emerald green eye with a concerned expression.

Something didn't sit right with Apple Bloom. This seemed to be eerily familiar, but why? She had never seen him before, but she seemed to remember a description that fit him.

While she struggled to recall why he struck such a vibe, the stranger sighed.

"Stay here. I'm going to get this armor off, okay?"

Apple Bloom nodded, and the stranger turned around, beginning to walk off.

Then she noticed the cutie mark painted onto his armor's flanks. It looked faded, and the paint was flaking off, but she could make out the shape. It looked like a hollow, pentagonal shape, with odd protrusions jutting out of each outside corner. Her unease grew as this detail stuck out to her.

Then, she remembered, gasping in surprise.

Her gasp compelled him to stop in his tracks and look back at Apple Bloom. He tilted his head, looking confused.

"What's the matter?"

Apple Bloom raised a hoof as an expression of terror overcame her face.

"Y-you're the Warden!"

It all clicked now. It had been a little over two years, but she had finally remembered what had happened. She remembered Applejack telling her, Big Mac, and Granny about the big fight at Canterlot, during which an angry armored stallion called the Warden almost killed Princess Celestia and Princess Luna out of rage. She recalled her sister's vivid description of the Warden's feats during the fight, and what he was capable of doing.

The thing she remembered the most, though, was how shaken Applejack was. Sure, nopony died, but seeing her big sister be genuinely disturbed by what happened had a profound effect on Apple Bloom.

Now, she was staring him in the eye, and was completely at his mercy.

The Warden closed his exposed eye and sighed, shaking his head.

"Of course…" He muttered. "You know who I am?"

Apple Bloom, still wide-eyed, merely nodded in response, unable to summon a verbal answer.

The Warden gave a quiet groan, before speaking in an oddly comforting manner that she never would have thought that the stallion who had almost killed the royal sisters was capable of.

"Okay, just… please hear me out. I am not going to hurt you, I am trying to help you." He explained. "However, in order for me to do so, I need you to trust me."

He then opened his eye, looking at her with an earnest expression.

"So, that being said; you have my word as a Warden and as a sworn protector of Equestria that I will not bring harm upon you. Do you trust me?"

Apple Bloom took a few seconds to process this. He looked honest enough, sure. But he was the Warden! He drove a dart into Princess Celestia's chest and could have killed everypony else if he had so desired! Applejack certainly wouldn't trust him.

But then again, he saved her life. That spider would have certainly drained her insides if he hadn't stepped in. If he wanted her dead for some reason, he would have simply let the spider kill her. Not only that, but the gentle and calming manner with which he spoke was quite compelling. 

Against all odds, he seemed to be trustworthy.

This outweighed her nagging doubts, and she took a deep breath, giving her answer.

"Ah… Ah trust ya." She answered, nodding slightly, her eyes wide and shining in awe.

Internally, she couldn't believe she had said that.

The Warden let out a sigh of relief, slowly blinking and relaxing.

"Good. Now stay there, and I'll get out of this armor." He remarked, turning back around and walking away.

As the Warden worked his way towards an elevated platform near one of the corners of the spacious chamber, Apple Bloom watched on. She was in awe that she was in the presence of the Warden himself.

He stepped onto the platform, and mechanical sounds began to echo throughout the chamber. Multiple mechanical arms extended from around the platform, each with some sort of claw or other device mounted on the end. Despite being surrounded by this intimidating machinery, the Warden did not flinch, remaining still. Then, each of the arms went to work, drilling, grabbing, and prodding at him.

After a few seconds, the arms began to remove pieces of the armor, starting with the thick outer plates, and working inwards. Apple Bloom watched in awe as the armor was meticulously disassembled in front of her, piece by piece. Soon, all that remained was the inner layer of segmented armor. With two of the arms holding it, the inner layer then split outwards from the belly, like a metal wetsuit. After a few more seconds, the remaining armor had been peeled away, marking the end of the disassembly process and revealing the pony underneath in his entirety.

He was rugged and well built, roughly Big Mac's size, maybe a little smaller. His fur was navy blue, and his mane and tail were silver grey. His mane was cut very short, only an inch or two in length, and it followed the contour of his head and neck. His tail, not unlike Big Mac's, was cut short, but seemed to be more well kept.

The Warden looked back at a computer screen, and she could hear the disembodied voice talking to him. After what felt like a minute or two, he stepped off of the platform, and worked his way back.

As he approached, Apple Bloom could make out more details of his appearance. Part of one of his ears was missing, looking as if it had been torn off by some violent accident. There was a distinct scar above his right eye, more or less aligned with the nasty gash in his mask. She could also see a bigger scar near where his right foreleg met with his chest. There were other scars and small patches of missing fur on various parts of his body, but the aforementioned injuries stuck out more.

But the thing that drew her attention the most was his face. It looked a bit weathered, and a few lines revealed that he was beyond middle aged, perhaps in his late forties or somewhere in his fifties. A calm, concerned expression was in his eyes, which were emerald green in color, not entirely unlike Applejack's or Big Mac's.

"So," He began, "you've managed to sprain your knee. Not bad, considering how much worse things could have gone."

Apple Bloom sighed and nodded, the blunt truthfulness of this statement having struck her. Just then, her stomach growled. A pitiful expression overcame her face as she placed a hoof over her belly. She had completely forgotten that she had missed her dinnertime by a substantial margin.

Concern flashed in the Warden's eyes as he took notice.

"Are you hungry?" He asked. "I can make something for you if you want."

Apple Bloom nodded, noting that she was now requesting food from a complete stranger. Applejack would've been mortified.

"Well," The Warden continued, "it is going to take a little while. In the meantime, let's get you cleaned up. You're a mess."

Up until now, Apple Bloom had failed to notice just how dirty she really was. Dirt and mud had gotten into her fur, and her hooves were still a bit sticky from the spider's web.

"Your bow could use some cleaning too." The Warden mused, carefully removing it from her mane and holding it for her to see. Indeed, it was stained and dirty from her misadventure in the forest.

Apple Bloom felt worried, looking at her beloved bow.

"Are- Are ya goin' to clean it?"

The Warden nodded. "If you are fine with that. I'm not taking it away, if that's what you are worried about."

"No, it ain't that." She said, "But please be careful."

The Warden nodded understandingly, and carefully placed the bow on a table to the side. Then, turning back to Apple Bloom, he kneeled down.

"Hop on. Let's get you clean and some food."

Apple Bloom slowly slid herself off the table, onto the stallion's back. Once she did so, he gently stood up, and began walking towards a stairwell that led upwards.

She was immediately reminded of riding on Big Mac's back, the Warden's steady pace and strong build resembling her brother's. 

As she rode along, a table with several strange objects on it caught her eye. The first object was a small suit of armor that looked very similar to what the Warden wore, but for a filly or colt. Not unlike the Warden's armor, a cutie mark was painted onto the flanks; a strange looking arrow-like shape.

Next to the small armor suit was a terrarium with several small, white flowers in bloom inside. Her knowledge of flora allowed her to immediately identify them as edelweiss flowers. She had never seen them being grown before, but she knew that they were an extraordinarily resilient flower, growing on mountain slopes above the treeline.

They soon reached the stairs, and began to walk up. There were several flights, and upon reaching the top, they came to a trap door on the ceiling. The Warden lifted a hoof, and pushed the door upwards. 

As he walked through, Apple Bloom saw that they had just walked into what appeared to be a rather rustic looking living room. Moonlight poured into the darkened room through several windows, revealing that they were no longer underground. 

Once he had cleared the trap door, the Warden shut it with a subdued thud. Then, he pressed a button on the wall, and the whole room was bathed in dim electric light, which steadily grew brighter.

Assisted by the dynamic lights, Apple Bloom's eyes had little discomfort while adjusting. Now able to see clearly, she looked all around the room. It was a medium sized room, and was furnished like a living room. The furniture looked very rustic, appearing as if it had been fabricated by an amateur carpenter. Several doors led into other rooms, and a larger door seemed to mark the entrance into the dwelling.

The Warden then carried her to one of the interior doors, and opened it to reveal a restroom. It looked quite clean, and it featured a toilet, a sink, and a wooden bathtub, which the Warden walked up to.

He kneeled yet again, signaling for Apple Bloom to get off, which she did. She looked on as the Warden turned a handle, and water started pouring into the tub from a faucet.

Once the flow had started, he turned around to face Apple Bloom.

"Alright," he began, motioning to a bar of soap and a towel, "go ahead and get cleaned up. I'm going to cook up something to eat in the meantime. Let me know when you are done, alright?"

She nodded, a feeling of gratitude beginning to grow within her.

"Ah will. Thank you."

He remained silent, responding with a nod as he walked out of the bathroom, closing the door behind him.

Apple Bloom gingerly got into the tub, careful to keep pressure off of her hurting leg. The water was pleasantly warm, catching her off guard. Despite the rustic appearance of the cottage, it certainly had a lot of commodities.

As she began the process of getting clean, her thoughts dwelled upon the Warden. This whole scenario was oddly similar to the one which had occurred between the Cutie Mark Crusaders and Trouble Shoes only a few weeks prior. Not unlike that bumbling mountain of a pony, the Warden was not at all who she first thought he was.

Was he really the same pony who had nearly killed both of the princesses?

She sighed as she continued to bathe, her thoughts revolving around the series of unexpected events that she had just been subjected to.
> Chapter 4: His Promise
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

A few minutes later, Apple Bloom finally completed the laborious task of removing the dirt and webbing from her fur. Once she finished drying herself off, she opened the door, hobbling into the living room.

The Warden was sitting next to a fireplace, tending to a skillet mounted over the flames. The sound of sizzling from the pan and the crackling of the fire immediately put Apple Bloom at ease, the familiarity of these sounds having a soothing effect.

"Are you done?" The Warden asked, still focused on the food.

"Eeyup." She replied.

"Good timing." The Warden remarked, turning around and walking over to her. "Food's almost done."

He picked her up, carrying her to a table sitting to the side of the room and placing her upon a chair.

As she settled in, she noticed two empty plates and two cups of water sitting on the table. Feeling thirsty, she leaned over and she slid one of the cups closer and took a sip. 

The stallion, meanwhile, turned back to the fire and carefully removed the skillet. As he brought it over, the sizzling sound and the aromatic smell caused Apple Bloom to completely focus on the food. The Warden placed the skillet upon the table, and she could finally see what he had been cooking. Various vegetables and mushrooms were piled onto the pan, and some seasonings and herbs were mixed in as well.

He carefully spilled some of the food onto her plate, and Apple Bloom immediately began eating. While the food was uncomfortably hot, it was not hot enough to dissuade her from trying to sate her hunger, which had only grown over the past few minutes.

"I guess you really are hungry." The stallion remarked, the filly's appetite seeming to have caught him by surprise.

"Muh huh!" Apple Bloom responded with her mouth full, not showing any signs of slowing down until her plate was empty.

The Warden began to eat as well, also not showing much regard for table manners. For a few minutes, the two ponies ate their meals in silence.

Despite Apple Bloom's fast eating, the Warden finished off his plate first. After sliding it off to the side, he asked her a question.

"Where do you live?"

Apple Bloom took a moment to swallow the food in her mouth and answered.

"Ah live in Ponyville."

The stallion mumbled something, his brow furrowed in thought.

"I don't know about a place called that…" He murmured, gazing thoughtfully down at the table. "ARTIS, come down here."

"Right away, sir." Said the same disembodied voice from before.

Almost immediately, a computer screen slid down from the ceiling, attached to a mechanical arm.

Apple Bloom, now far more curious than hungry, looked at the screen, wondering how she had failed to notice the mechanism until now.

"What do you need?" The voice asked.

A symbol was being displayed upon the screen, the same as the Warden's cutie mark. However, the image was split in two by a horizontal line which rose and fell in spikes as the voice spoke.

Without thinking, Apple Bloom asked the screen a question, cutting off the Warden from making his request.

"Who're you?"

"My full name is Artificial Intelligence System, Miss Bloom." The voice explained, this name being displayed on the screen in place of the odd cutie mark. "But I often go by ARTIS, for ease of reference."

"He's my computerized assistant." The Warden added, talking to the screen next. "Is there any record of a place known as Ponyville in your archives?"

The screen then displayed an arrow travelling in a circle momentarily, before reverting to the cutie mark.

"I can't find any place by that name in my archives. It may be a newer settlement."

The Warden murmured something beneath his breath, then looked at Apple Bloom.

"Where is Ponyville located? Is it near any major cities?"

Apple Bloom took a moment to think about Ponyville's general location.

"The only big city Ah can think of that's nearby would be Canterlot." She answered. "Ponyville's to the southwest of Canterlot."

"Is that so?" The Warden remarked, a slight hint of surprise in his tone. "Are there any distinct landmarks in Ponyville?"

Apple Bloom tried to think of any features that were distinct to her hometown.

"Well… There's Sweet Apple Acres." She answered. "It's probably the biggest apple orchard in all of Equestria."

The stallion shook his head. "Hm. Not a very distinct landmark. Is there something else?"

Just then, Apple Bloom remembered Twilight's new castle, which had appeared immediately following Tirek's rampage only a few months prior. She felt a bit irritated at herself for not mentioning that first.

"There's also the castle of friendship! It appeared a few months ago."

The Warden shook his head. "No good. If it's that new, then I don't know about it. Are there any natural landmarks nearby? A lake? A forest or mountain, perhaps?"

Apple Bloom placed her forelegs on the table and rested her head on them as she thought. After a moment, her ears perked up as something came to her mind.

"The Everfree forest! Ponyville is right next to it!"

This time, the Warden's eyebrows lifted a little. "The Everfree forest?" He asked, his mouth drawing into a tight frown as he mused. "I know where that is…"

He turned to the computer screen, and made a request. "ARTIS, find all possible locations for a town southwest of Canterlot and next to the Everfree forest."

"Give me a moment, sir." The computer responded, briefly displaying the circling arrow before changing to a map of Equestria. Then, the map zoomed to the Everfree forest, highlighting a region where Apple Bloom knew for a fact Ponyville was located. "If her info is correct, Ponyville is here."

Apple Bloom was confused. On the map, there was no Ponyville to be seen, only the Everfree Forest.

"... That ain't Ponyville." She said hesitantly, hoping to not offend either the Warden or ARTIS with her correction. "That all looks like the Everfree Forest."

The computer spoke. "My archives are dreadfully outdated, miss. This data is over a thousand years old."

It took a second for Apple Bloom to process what ARTIS had just said. "A thousand years?!" She exclaimed, trying to wrap her head around that statement.

"That is correct, unfortunately." The Warden sighed, seemingly oblivious to the computer's unbelievable remark. "Although I can try to confirm-"

"How old are ya?" Apple Bloom asked the computer, cutting off the Warden again.

"I am not quite certain." The screen replied. "But I do know that I was activated as ARTIS roughly one thousand and forty-five years ago."

That was mind boggling.

Apple Bloom propped her forelegs on the tabletop and put her hooves to her head, trying to process this fact. If he was telling the truth, then was ARTIS some sort of ancient computer? Although she hadn't seen only a few computers before, she knew that they were a fairly recent invention, less than a century old.

If that was true, then how was this one over a thousand years old?

The Warden coughed, drawing the stunned filly's attention.

"As I was saying," He began, his tone having lowered slightly in annoyance, "let me try something. ARTIS, review my flight data from my flight to Canterlot. I seem to remember flying by a town on the way there and back."

"Yes sir, just a moment." ARTIS replied, the circling arrow appearing once again. A few seconds later, the machine showed an aerial image.

"Is this it?" ARTIS asked.

Apple Bloom caught her breath. The image was of Ponyville!

"Yeah!" She cried excitedly, her eyes wide and shining in happiness. "That's it! That's Ponyville!"

She took a closer look, and out beyond the outskirts she saw a big red barn rising above a sprawl of apple trees. In an instant, she recognized her home.

"Ya see that barn?" She eagerly asked the Warden, who leaned towards the screen. "That's Sweet Apple Acres! That's where me and mah family live!"

The stallion nodded, briefly stroking his chin thoughtfully with a hoof.

"ARTIS, can you correlate this with your archives and place it on the map?" He asked.

"I already have, sir." The machine replied.

"Good." The Warden responded, still looking as if he were deep in thought. "How far is it?"

Apple Bloom listened intently for an answer. How far away from home was she, anyway? Hopefully, not very far.

"Fifty-eight miles by air."

Apple Bloom's heart sank like a stone. That sounded pretty far. But the bad news was not done there.

"But I'm not flying there, ARTIS." The Warden said plainly. "How far by land?"

"The quickest and easiest route over land is seventy-one miles."

Apple Bloom could not believe her ears.

"Now hol' on a minute!" She protested, her eyes showing a degree of despair. "Why can't ya just fly me there?"

The Warden sighed. "It's too dangerous. You saw how damaged my armor was. I would crash before we made it ten miles."

He shook his head and sighed again. "The princess and her lackeys really banged it up…"

Apple Bloom suspected that he was referring to his attack on Canterlot. Furthermore, the damage was probably why she never saw him use his wings at all when he was fighting that spider.

"So, we're looking at a three day hike one way?" The Warden asked ARTIS, who swiftly replied.

"Correct. Provided you keep a steady pace and stay on the route I have calculated for you, of course."

Apple Bloom groaned quietly.

Three days? She would have to wait three days until she could see her family and friends again?

There had to be a quicker way.

"Can't ya get in contact with somepony in Ponyville and tell them to come get me?"

He shook his head, causing Apple Bloom to tilt her head and start to feel irritation.

"Why not?" She asked, her tone demanding an answer.

"I would rather keep a low profile and not draw attention to myself." He answered plainly. "As you might guess, I'm not on friendly terms with the princesses. They most likely have a warrant out for my arrest, and if they were to find out that you are with me, they would just assume that I abducted you."

Apple Bloom groaned. He had a point, though. After what happened at Canterlot, he would probably value his ability to not get caught. 

Then, another idea came to her.

"Wait, what about the railroad?" She asked, looking at the Warden. "Ponyville has a station. If you don't want to call for anypony, couldn't you just drop me off at the nearest station and send me on mah way instead?"

Once again, the Warden shook his head. "Unless you want to spend an extra day on the road, no. The nearest station is in the opposite direction from Ponyville, and almost just as far. Besides, I don't have any money."

Any prospects for a swift return home were fading fast, and Apple Bloom's heart began to sink even further.

"Well- Can't ya fix the armor?" She moaned, sadness and desperation evident in her voice.

The Warden's expression softened a bit, catching on to her despair. "Unless you would rather wait four or five days to get to Ponyville." He remarked. "That would be the quickest way for me to go to Ponyville and back, but it would take longer for you to get there than if we just walked."

That was not what Apple Bloom wanted to hear. She sniffed, wiping away a few tears that had appeared as she planted her face on the table in despair.

Three days was a torturous amount of time to spend away from her family, and the quickest way back was to be taken along by a complete stranger who was an enemy of the royal sisters.

She gave a muffled moan, shaking her head as she found herself mired in her sadness and disappointment.

She heard the Warden give a sigh, get out of his chair, and walk over to her. Then she felt a hoof on her shoulder, and he began to speak in a matter of fact way.

"I know you want to get back as soon as you can, and I know that you wanted for this to end quickly. Unfortunately, that is not possible."

The realization that there was no better option finally set in for Apple Bloom. As painful as it was, she was going to have to wait a few days before she got home. There was no other way.

After a moment's pause, he continued, his voice changing as he did so. It became less blunt, and more... Comforting?

"I know that you miss your family. I know how bad it feels, which is why I am going to get you to Ponyville as soon as I can. I'll even carry you all the way there, if I have to."

Apple Bloom turned her head toward the stallion, and saw that he was at her eye level, an earnest expression in his eyes. After quelling the urge to keep crying and sniffing again, she asked him a question.

"Y-ya promise?"

The Warden nodded once.

"Upon my honor as a Warden and a member of the Fortress family, I will do whatever it takes to get you home as soon as I can."

Apple Bloom went silent for a moment, debating whether or not she should believe him or take his word for it.

She couldn't tell for sure, but against her better judgment, she was leaning towards trusting him. Besides the fact that she really didn't have much of a choice, his whole demeanor didn't strike her as being strange. He seemed to be earnest in what he said, both in tone and appearance.

After weighing all of this in her mind, she made up her mind.

"Thank you." She said quietly, picking herself up.

The Warden nodded, and Apple Bloom took a few deep breaths, collecting her emotions as he began to collect the leftover dishes from the table.

"So," The Warden remarked, "if we want to get there as soon as we can, then we should leave at daybreak. That being said, you need to get some sleep while you can."

Apple Bloom nodded, feeling a new wave of drowsiness from the warmth of the fire and her full stomach.

The Warden placed the dishes to the side, walked back to her, and kneeled, signalling for her to get on. Once Apple Bloom had gotten on, he walked to another door, and walked into a small bedroom.

Inside the room, there was a bed that looked like it had been hastily thrown together and a nightstand with a single lamp upon it. After turning on the lamp, he kneeled down next to the bed, allowing Apple Bloom to roll onto the mattress. With his help, she slid into the blankets and did her best to get comfortable. Once she had gotten settled in, he stood up.

"Alright. I'm going to be down in the lab. I've got a lot to do."

Apple Bloom nodded as he continued. "If you need me, use that." He instructed, pointing to yet another screen, this time mounted on the wall next to the bed. "Just tell ARTIS what you want, and he'll pass it on to me. Okay?"

Apple Bloom continued to nod, and gave a grateful smile.

"Ah will… Thank you, mister Warden."

The stallion looked at her, and for a brief moment, a small, almost invisible smile appeared on his face.

"You're welcome, little one. I'll wake you up before dawn."

He then lost his smile in an instant, proceeding to turn the lamp off and walk out, closing the door behind him. She heard his hoofsteps fade away and the trap door open and shut. Soon, there was complete silence, and Apple Bloom was alone with her thoughts.
> Chapter 5: Pictures
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Apple Bloom took a final look around the room. Moonlight poured in through the window, and part of its pale light fell upon the nightstand beside her.

It was because of this that something caught her eye. A drawer on the nightstand was slightly ajar, and there was a piece of paper inside, revealed by the moon. Feeling a burst of curiosity, she quietly opened the drawer and pulled out the paper. Unable to make out what was on it in the darkness, she leaned over and turned the lamp back on.

Once the light had been turned on, she saw that the paper was what appeared to be a print of a portrait painting. On it was a tough, yet cheery looking stallion with a very sharp looking uniform. He was dark grey in color, with a neatly kept brown mane and a fantastic looking mustache. He only had one eye visible, which was blue in color; and over his other eye was an eyepatch. She noticed that he had numerous scars on his body, along with a wooden hoof showing from underneath one of his uniform's sleeves. His uniform was mostly white, with red trim and a sash that had numerous medals pinned to it. Most prominent though was a golden medallion that was hung around his neck, shaped like the Warden's cutie mark, oddly enough. She turned the print around, and saw something scribbled onto the back.

Grandfather, ~50 years before NM

It was a painting of the Warden's grandfather, no doubt. But what was up with the medallion? Why was the Warden's cutie mark showing up everywhere? Furthermore, what did fifty years before NM mean?

She slid the picture onto the nightstand, and noticed a few more papers inside the drawer. Despite feeling like she could fall asleep as soon as she closed her eyes, Apple Bloom could not resist the urge to investigate further. She pulled out another one.

This time, it was a photograph, a colored one at that. There was a smiling couple standing in front of a cottage in an evergreen forest. Apple Bloom noticed that the environment seemed to be very similar to the area she had found herself earlier that evening. Could the cottage be the same building in which she was currently in?

After wondering this, her attention was drawn to the two ponies. One was a brown stallion, about Big Mac's size, possessing a silvery grey mane and tail, like the Warden's. His eyes were blue as well, not unlike the stallion in the first picture. The other pony was a pregnant mare, navy blue in color with a red mane and tail. Her eyes were a deep green, like the Warden's.

Apple Bloom then turned the photo over, and there was another caption written on the back.

Father and mother, 38 years before NM

Apple Bloom smiled, the happiness displayed by the two parents-to-be spreading beyond the confines of the paper.

A thought occurred to her. The physical traits of the two seemed awfully similar to the Warden's. Were they his parents? Had she stumbled across pictures of his family?

The remark of years before NM also confused her. What was NM?

Maybe the answer lay in the next picture. She placed the picture atop the print of the uniformed pony, and pulled out another.

Yet again, it was a color photo taken in the same place. The brown stallion from before was there, along with a blue colt with a silver mane and tail, and green eyes.

Apple Bloom gasped silently. It had to be the Warden!

But something compelled her to take a closer look. For one thing, the mare from before was noticeably absent. Also, neither the father or the son were smiling, contrasting with the happy mood of the prior photo.

Apple Bloom tilted her head, and a thought at the back of her mind suggested that maybe the mother had died at some point, striking a personal note. She sighed, and turned the photo over, looking for an explanation.

Father and me, 32 years before NM

So much for an explanation into the mother's absence. But yet again, years before NM made a reappearance.

She put the photo away, and pulled another one out, the only one remaining.

Like the last two, it was taken in front of the cottage. However, there were three ponies present, an entire family! There was the Warden, grown up but also looking younger than he did now; a mare; and a filly being held by the two of them, all smiling happily.

The mare was white in color, with a yellow braided mane and tail. She was fair and beautiful in appearance, and her eyes were a piercing blue. She was smiling in a sweet, gentle manner, and Apple Bloom felt a strong motherly aura coming from her.

After pondering the mare, Apple Bloom turned her attention to the child. The filly was a shade of bluish gray, with a white mane and tail, also braided. Her eyes were green, like the Warden's. Unlike her parents, her cutie mark was visible, and naturally, Apple Bloom took a closer look. It had the appearance of an odd, upwards pointing arrow.

She recognized it: It was the same mark that was on the filly-sized armor downstairs!

Did it once belong to her?

Apple Bloom flipped the photo over, and was greeted with another caption.

Me, Edel, and Barb; 2 years before NM

She stared at the backside of the photo for a minute, pondering what in Equestria NM could mean. Try as she could, her mind was too clouded with fatigue and the aftereffects of almost dying earlier to think clearly. She yawned, and nearly fell asleep in her current position.

She shook her head and blinked a few times. Summoning the focus required to do so, she carefully slid the pictures back into the drawer, closed it, and turned out the lamp. 

Slumping back into the bed, Apple Bloom's thoughts did not take very long to start drifting towards home. She missed Ponyville dearly, despite only having been gone for only a few hours. She had been away from home before, and for much longer; but these instances were planned, and her friends or family were always near.

But now, she had been taken away from home to a place that was completely foreign to her, isolated from everypony she knew, and she wouldn't get back for a few days at the very least.

She sighed shakily and shook her head.

What a fix to be in.

Why did Sweetie Belle have to teleport her?

A spark of anger flared within Apple Bloom's chest. This was all her fault! If she weren't so eager to show off her new skill, she would be back in Ponyville, sleeping in her own bed, preparing for another day in Miss Cheerilee's class! Applejack would have Sweetie Belle's hide for sure. That would teach her to be more careful when showing off new talents!

This thought killed most of her anger in an instant.

"What the hay are ya thinkin', Apple Bloom?" She said quietly, scolding herself. "It ain't right to get angry at her just because she was excited to show me an' Scootaloo what she could do."

She sighed, her mood shifting away from anger and more towards worry.

Poor Sweetie Belle. She had to be feeling beyond awful all of this. How could Apple Bloom even consider being angry towards her? They were both dear friends, and Sweetie Belle never would have deliberately harmed her.

From the bottom of her heart, Apple Bloom hoped that Applejack didn't blow up at Sweetie Belle. She didn't deserve it, but knowing how protective Applejack could be, Sweetie Belle probably got a good chewing out.

On that note, what was Applejack doing right now? Probably tearing all of Ponyville upside-down with Big Mac, desperately searching for her. Even Granny was probably doing all she could to help look as well. 

Heck, all of Ponyville was probably searching for her! Well, with the exception of Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, that is.

At least she knew that she was being missed. There was no way she wasn't.

She sighed again, and felt a tear come to her eye as she remembered how much her family and friends loved her. Unfortunately, they were not going to find her close to home.

Still, while she was lost to them, she felt comfort knowing that she had been found, even if only by the Warden. The odds were piled against her survival, yet she had managed to survive, thanks to him.

Her thoughts then shifted solely to the Warden. Was he seriously the same pony that Applejack described as a ruthless killer who had the ability to use the princess' own magic against them?

From what she had seen since he first appeared, leaping down onto the spider from above, he was selfless, kind, and understanding. 

After all, he had saved her from that spider, brought her to safety, and provided for her; not to mention that he seemed sensitive to her plight.

His demeanor also instilled a feeling of trustworthiness as well. His presence was commanding and a bit intimidating, but he seemed kind and honest. It almost reminded her of her brother.

Oddly, the more she thought about it, the more she felt… Secure.

He gave off an aura of a pony who was protective at heart, of this she was sure.

She was in the custody of a complete stranger who made her feel safe.

How strange…

If this really was the same stallion who almost killed both of the princesses, then what in Equestria could have possibly driven him to do such a thing? 

All she knew about him came from what Applejack had told her: That the Warden was an enemy of the royal sisters, that he had disappeared a thousand years ago, and that he came back to try and kill them.

Apple Bloom never knew why he tried to kill them. She had tried to ask Applejack, but her older sister always seemed to work her way around this question.

If the Warden was really this kind-hearted, then what sort of thing could have happened for him to go after the princesses like he did? Nopony does something like that without reason. Especially not one who clearly seemed to be of sound mind and noble at heart.

Perhaps something bad had happened between him and the sisters?

Now that she thought about it, he did seem a bit… Sad.

The only expression of happiness that she had seen from him was that fleeting hint of a smile that he had after she thanked him a few minutes ago.

At all other times, he spoke in a subdued, depressed manner, and he looked as if his spirit had been dampened. After being around a vibrant, happy place such as Ponyville all her life, she couldn't help but notice the aura of sadness emanating from the Warden.

In any case, there was certainly a lot more to him than she had been led to believe.

Apple Bloom yawned, and her thoughts grew foggy.

"Ah best better be gettin' on to sleep." She murmured, remembering that the Warden told her that she was going to be woken up before sunrise.

Putting an end to her thoughts, she closed her eyes, and within seconds, she succumbed to slumber.





"What the hay do ya mean that there's no spell to get her back?! There's gotta be some sort of fancy spell 'round here somewhere!"

"Applejack, please! Summoning spells don't work unless the user knows where the pony in question is!"

"Then what about the map? Can't ya figure out where she is by using the map?"

"It doesn't work like that! It only seems to tell us where to go, not track where-"

Click!

Creeaaak.

Clack!

"I am so sorry for taking so long, darlings! I finally got Sweetie Belle to bed."

"Rarity? Thank Celestia. How is she doing?"

"Not well. She was inconsolable until she cried herself to sleep. Applejack screaming at her earlier definitely didn't help much."

"Well excuse me, but maybe your sister should've paid more dang mind to what she was doin'!"

"She was already out of her wits before you blew up at her! She did not intend to harm poor Apple Bloom, and you know it!"

"And yet mah baby sister is gone! For all we know, she could be dead! All because your brain dead kid sister of yours was playing with a power that she shouldn't have been!"

"But what kind of mare screams at a poor filly like that?! She knew what happened, and she felt positively awful about it before you-"

"Okay hold it! Both of you please stop for a moment! It's not Sweetie Belle's fault, it's mine!"

"Twily, what do you-"

"I taught her how to teleport objects yesterday."

"Ya did what?!"

"I-I've been seeing signs that her ability to use magic was greater than most fillies her age. After seeing how quickly she was able to levitate objects and use basic spells, I thought that maybe I could teach her how to teleport objects."

"What the hay did ya do that for?!"

"Applejack, it's not like basic object teleportation is dangerous. Sure, I don't use teleportation at all, but I can attest along with Twilight that when used on small objects, there is little risk involved. Plus, Sweetie Belle's ability to focus when using magic is impressive. I, for one, believed her and Scootaloo when they said that it was an accident."

"Yes, I agree. Out of all the foals in Ponyville, Sweetie Belle's ability to focus is immense. Plus, I have read about instances where sneezing while teleporting resulted in objects being sent to random locations. Such instances are extremely rare, but they can happen. Thankfully, the less powerful a unicorn is, the closer the object ends up. In Sweetie Belle's case, she couldn't have put her more than fifty miles away."

"So, you're just gonna take the easy way out by sayin' it was a freak accident?"

"Applejack!"

"Rarity, please don't. While I believe wholeheartedly that it was a freak accident, I still accept the blame for it. If I didn't teach her teleportation spells, this wouldn't have happened."

"Darling, you were only-"

"Can it, Rarity! You heard her, she's to blame for Apple Bloom goin' missin'!"

"Applejack, please…"

"Ah said can it! Furthermore, if neither of y'all are goin' to be of help right now, Ah'll just keep on lookin' for her. Let me know if y'all plan on actually bein' good friends and helpin' me out."

Clop! Clop! Clop! Clop!

Bang!

"Woah! AJ, where are you going? AJ?"

Slam!

"Oookay... She's definitely peeved."

"You have no idea, Rainbow dear."

"Twilight? Are you okay? You look like-"

"I'm… I'm okay, Rainbow, thank you. Did you find anything?"

"No… As soon as I dropped off Scoots, I searched all of Ponyville and the surrounding area until it got too dark. No luck."

"How is Scootaloo, the poor darling?"

"Shaken up pretty bad, but she'll live. What happened between you two and AJ? All three of you looked-"

"I… I'd prefer not to dwell on that, if it's all the same to you. Just give her space."

"Oh. Understood."

"What do we do now, darling?"

"It is too dark for us to be out there searching right now. At first light tomorrow, we'll start a proper search effort. I'll be leading the ground team, and Rainbow will lead the air search, if you don't mind."

"Not at all. In fact, I could probably get the Wonderbolts to help."

"I have already sent word to Princess Celestia, and she said that she would mobilize the Wonderbolts in a search and rescue function."

"Okay, cool. So what now?"

"We try to get some sleep. We have a big day tomorrow, and I doubt we will get much sleep tonight, so the earlier we go to bed, the better."

"What about AJ?"

"She's distressed right now, and I do not blame her in the slightest. Best to do as Twily said and leave her be for the time being, dear."

"Sigh… Fine. I'll be here at first light, Twilight."

"I shall be here as well."

"Alright. Thank you both."

"Darling, are you certain you don't need a friend here tonight? I know that you blame yourself for this."

"… I'll be fine, thank you. Go and get some sleep, both of you."

"Alright. In any case, don't blame yourself, darling. You were simply trying to help."

"T-thank you, Rarity… Good night…"

Clip clop clip clop.

Click.

Squeeeeaak.

Clack.
> Chapter 6: Final Preparations
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Apple Bloom? It's time to get up."

The lamp turned on, and Apple Bloom stirred a bit, steadily waking up. After a moment, she opened her eyes to see the Warden looking down at her. It was still dark outside, but several years of consistently waking up in the predawn hours allowed her to realize that dawn was not far off.

She closed her eyes again, inhaled deeply, then slowly exhaled, taking a moment to overcome her sleepy daze and remember where she was and why she was there in the first place.

"You awake?"

She nodded, and opened her eyes, sitting up. It was then that she noticed that the Warden was holding on to two objects. One of these objects was her bow, completely clean and pressed. This observation woke her up quickly, and she smiled.

"Mah bow! Thank you!"

The Warden nodded and smiled slightly, giving her the bow. Apple Bloom wasted no time putting it on her head, happy that she had her favorite accessory once again.

"I also have this for you." The Warden said, placing the other object that he was holding onto the bed.

Unlike the bow, Apple Bloom did not recognize it. It looked like some sort of metal frame with foam lining the inside and a hinge halfway down.

"What's that supposed to be?" She asked.

"A leg brace." The Warden answered. "I made it earlier. Try it on."

It was then that she saw that it was about the size of her hind leg, and after a moment's examination, she realized that it was, indeed, a leg brace.

She backed out of the blankets and sat atop them, carefully moving to the bedside. The Warden grabbed the brace, and instructed her to lift her injured leg. She did so without hesitation, trusting that he knew what he was doing. He carefully unlatched a part of the brace, opening it up before closing it gently around her injured leg.

She inhaled sharply as the brace made contact with her knee, compelling the Warden to stop and look at her with concern.

"Sorry. Does it hurt?"

"A little." She replied.

"Should I leave it off?"

"No... Keep goin'. A little pain doesn't scare me, Ah'm a big filly!"

The stallion gave a single, subdued laugh, catching her off guard. "You're a brave one, you know that? Give me another moment."

Apple Bloom felt some happiness surge through her at his praise, in addition to her surprise. It seemed as if his mood had gotten a bit lighter since last night.

It also seemed that he understood that she was, indeed, quite a bit braver than most foals. That was something that most adults seemed to miss completely.

The Warden shifted the brace a little more, then tightened it up snug against her leg. It was a bit uncomfortable, but it kept her knee in a fairly painless position.

"Alright, let's try standing up." He suggested.

He put out one of his forelegs, providing a means of support for Apple Bloom as she slowly slid off the bed, hind legs first. She held her breath, and her hooves made contact with the floor. She winced as a little pressure sent her knee into pain. Hearing this, the Warden lifted his leg, pulling her off of the floor.

"Keep goin'." Apple Bloom instructed. "Ah can do it!"

He nodded, and slowly let her back down. This time, she inhaled slowly as pressure was placed back on her knee, realizing that while the brace didn't remove the pain, it did allow her to put some weight on it. After she stood on her hind legs for a few seconds, the Warden carefully let her forelegs down as well, and soon she was standing on all fours, albeit with her injured leg lifted up slightly.

"Do you want to try walking?" He asked.

Apple Bloom did not respond, for she was already thinking about what the best way to walk would be. After a moment, she cautiously hobbled forward.

She winced again once she placed more weight on her injured leg, but kept on going, working towards the open door. Progress was a lot slower and painful than she would have liked, but she didn't stop, walking into the central room.

Once again, there was a fire in the fireplace, and a pot of oatmeal was simmering over the flames. While Apple Bloom didn't really find oatmeal to be particularly appetizing, her hunger had returned, overriding her distaste.

The Warden followed her attentively, watching for any sign of trouble or need for assistance. But once she had shambled well into the central room, he walked up to the table and pulled out a chair. When she was close enough, he hoisted her upon it, and slid it closer to the table.

He then turned to the fireplace, and as he stirred the oatmeal, the screen lowered from the ceiling and faced Apple Bloom.

"Good morning, Miss Bloom!" ARTIS said cheerily.

"Mornin' to ya, ARTIS." She responded, finding herself unable to contain a smile upon receiving such a greeting.

"I see you are making use of your new brace." The computer observed. "On a scale of one to ten, how satisfied are you with it?"

This question caught her off guard.

"Uhhh…" Apple Bloom murmured, trying to think of a way to respond.

"Don't confuse her, ARTIS." The Warden said, picking up the pot and bringing it to the table, looking at Apple Bloom. "Just give it to him straight, little one."

"Ah… guess it works fine enough?" She answered, shrugging slightly.

"So it is satisfactory?" ARTIS asked.

"Ah guess so?"

"Good! I was afraid that my precision measurement capabilities were in need of calibration after a thousand years of inactivity."

Apple Bloom nodded, briefly staring off into space as she remembered how old this computer claimed to be.

"Well, even if it is helping, I would hesitate to say that it'll enable you to walk all the way back." The Warden remarked, snapping her out of the stupor as he poured some hot oatmeal into the bowl in front of her. "If you want to get home in a timely fashion, I'll have to carry you."

Apple Bloom had conflicting feelings about that remark. She didn't like the idea of being dependent on somepony else, but he was right. Who knew how long it would take if she were to try hoofing it?

The sensation of steam hitting her face compelled her to focus on the food in front of her. In moments, she was eating heartily.

The Warden also began eating, but paused after a few bites. "ARTIS, let's review the route."

"Yes sir." The computer replied, displaying a map of Equestria on the screen. 

Apple Bloom noted that the map encompassed the north central portion of her homeland, with Canterlot at the far eastern 
edge of the screen, and Ponyville near the southeastern corner. The Unicorn Range stretched along the western edge, working its way southwards then eastwards after a point.

Then a meandering line appeared on the screen, working its way from the central portion of the western stretch of the Unicorn Range, snaking around mountains and through forests. Eventually, it terminated next to the Everfree forest southwest of Canterlot, where Ponyville was.

"So, the first thing you shall do is descend out of the Unicorn Range by heading east." ARTIS began, highlighting a portion of the path that led out of the mountains, before highlighting another segment which seemed to run between the western and southern stretches of the Unicorn Range. "Then you will traverse the lowlands, going southeast."

Then a third and final segment was highlighted, traversing across the southern portion of the mountain range and terminating next to the Everfree forest. "At this point, you will scale the Unicorn Range by heading south, before descending into Ponyville. Any questions?"

The Warden shook his head. "I don't. How about you?" He asked, looking at Apple Bloom.

She swallowed another spoonful of oatmeal, and briefly wondered if she had anything to ask. After not finding any, she shook her head and resumed eating.

"I guess that's it. Thank you ARTIS." The Warden declared, also resuming his meal.

"My pleasure sir. Enjoy your breakfast." The computer replied, his screen retreating back into the ceiling.

Both ponies sat, quietly eating for several minutes. Apple Bloom noticed that the darkness outside was not quite as prevalent as before, and she knew that the sun was going to be up in less than an hour. Then she looked down at her new brace, and she suddenly remembered that the Warden had said that he had made it.

"When did ya make the brace?" She asked, sounding curious.

"A few hours ago." He said nonchalantly. "Why?"

Apple Bloom almost choked, surprised at his answer. "Gahk! Last night?! How?!" It was truly beyond her how he had made something so robust that fit her so well in only a matter of hours.

The Warden shrugged. "I'm a good fabricator. I have all the equipment I could possibly need in the lab downstairs to make pretty much anything. What's wrong? Is it unheard of for ponies to make things like that in such a short time nowadays?"

After taking a moment to think, Apple Bloom shook her head. "... Ah guess not? But Ah'd say that it is still mighty unusual for somepony to make something like that so quick!"

"Mmhm." The Warden replied in an understanding manner. "I must admit, I'm a little curious to see just how far technology has come in Equestria, despite the interference of the princess."

"What?" Apple Bloom asked, wondering what he meant by that.

The Warden's eyes widened slightly, seeming as if he had just said something that he didn't mean to say aloud.

"Uh, never mind. Just forget I said that."

"Why?"

"Because I told you to forget it."

"... Alright…"

What was that about?

Which princess was he referring to, and why would any of them try to hamper technological progress?

A few more minutes passed, and both ponies finished their bowls at roughly the same time. After letting Apple Bloom down from the chair, the Warden took the dishes into a side room and cleaned them. While he was doing so, she noticed a pile of gear lying next to the door.

That stuff wasn't there last night.

She approached the pile of gear, looking at it all. It appeared to be a mixture of saddlebags and clothing of some kind, topped by strange metal gadgets. 

One of these gadgets was a small metal block, which had what appeared to be a multi-piece metal ball embedded within it. On it appeared to be a button of some sort, and it had a blinking blue light. This caught her attention, and she felt an urge to touch it arise. Cautiously, she slowly put a hoof up to it, her eyes fixed on the metal sphere while she held her breath.

Her hoof then contacted the button with a click, and suddenly the ball seemed to come to life!

A tiny circular door opened up on the sphere, and a small camera lens popped out, looking around as if it were an eye. It shortly caught sight of Apple Bloom, who was staring right back at it with wonder and apprehension. They sat there staring at each other for a few moments, and Apple Bloom began to grow uneasy as she spoke.

"What in tarn-"

That was as far as she got before the strange object gave a few rapid chirps and jumped to life. The sphere flew upwards from the block, jumping into the air. Four small arms deployed from the orb and an upwards facing propeller unfolded at the end of each arm. Then, the propellers began to spin with a whir as it rose up to Apple Bloom's eye level.

She involuntarily took a few steps back, not sure what to think of the strange contraption. Like many of the things that she had seen since she got teleported, it was unlike anything she had ever seen.

The machine then flew in a circle slowly around Apple Bloom, its camera "eye" watching her carefully as it emitted a bright light as if it was scanning her. After making a full orbit around her, the machine chirped and tweeted, bouncing in the air excitedly.

Apple Bloom felt compelled to relax a bit. Whatever it was, it certainly didn't seem dangerous. In fact, it almost acted like a bird of some kind.

"What're you doing?" Asked the Warden, who had silently walked up behind Apple Bloom.

She jumped a little, having been caught messing with the Warden's gear.

"Ah, uh- Ah was just lookin' at… At whatever that is." She answered, gesturing at the little flying machine.

The machine flew back slightly and made an irritated noise at her remark.

"His name is RAD." The Warden explained. "He hates being misidentified."

"Oh." Apple Bloom murmured, thinking it strange that it had such a name. "Sorry, um, RAD."

The machine chirped in a happier manner, and Apple Bloom turned to the Warden. "What is he?"

"He is a Recon and Assistant Drone, or RAD for short." He explained. "He'll be coming with us."

The small drone tweeted as if to affirm the Warden's remark. Then, it flew up to Apple Bloom and made an inquisitive sound, its camera looking around her face. The filly simply stared at the contraption for a moment, before turning towards the stallion for an explanation.

"He wants to know your name." The Warden explained.

"Oh! Mah name's Apple Bloom!" She replied, looking at the little drone while putting one of her hooves to her chest.

The machine tweeted excitedly and performed a flip, compelling Apple Bloom to think that it was happy to make her acquaintance. She could not help but smile, in awe at the advanced nature of the little drone's tech and its friendliness.

"Alright," The Warden commanded, "fold up and save your battery for the trip."

RAD gave a sad beep and landed in his block, folding up into a metal ball as he did so. The Warden then walked over, taking two metal gadgets from the top of the pile and placing them on the floor.

Apple Bloom looked on, and looked over the strange devices. One appeared to be a grappling claw of some kind, attached to a spool of steel cable. The whole assembly had an elastic strap on it, as if it were meant to be strapped to a pony's leg. The other device looked like a two-pronged fork of some kind, attached to a small metal box. Like the previous device, it too had a strap.

The Warden then put one of his forelegs inside the loop formed by the strap.

"Grapple, tighten." He commanded, and to Apple Bloom's amazement, the strap tightened around his leg, attaching itself to him!

He then did the same with the other device on his other foreleg, and turned around. He lifted the leg with the grappling claw, pointing at one of the chairs.

What was he doing?

Her question was answered when he gave another command.

"Grapple, shoot!"

The claw shot out with a hiss, shooting across the room and latching onto the chair. Then, the Warden barked another command.

"Grapple, retract!"

Making a sound similar to a reel on a fishing pole, the spool retracted the claw and chair, pulling them both to the Warden.

"That still works. Good." He mumbled to himself, giving a final command. "Grapple, release."

As soon as he said so, the claw let the chair go.

Apple Bloom's eyes widened. She had thought that such a device was restricted to superheroes in comic books! In fact, a lot of things about the Warden seemed to be straight out of a comic book, now that she thought about it.

The Warden then lifted his other leg, and the Warden made another command.

"Taser, on!"

Apple Bloom flinched when a series of harsh crackles filled the room as blue sparks flew between the two fork prongs. 

"Taser, shoot!"

The two prongs shot out, sailing across the room and embedding themselves in the other chair, still popping and crackling. After a second of this, the Warden made a final command.

"Taser, off and retract!"

The prongs stopped making noise and retracted back to their original place.

"What in tarnation was that?" Apple Bloom asked, her mouth agape.

"A taser." The Warden answered, tinkering briefly with the device. "In case I need to use it."

Apple Bloom had heard of tasers before, although she had never seen one. Still, she knew that if shocked by one, a full grown stallion could be knocked out in seconds. Remembering the dangerous creatures that roamed the Equestrian wilderness, she came to the conclusion that perhaps bringing such a weapon was a necessity.

She hoped that they would not have to use it.

The Warden now picked up the saddlebags, which were attached to a harness. Four large bags, each either having several smaller pouches or a canteen attached. Despite the complexity of this arrangement, he smoothly put it on and began attaching the straps together. When he was done, he jumped around briefly, and Apple Bloom noticed that the bags did not flop around like normal saddlebags, firmly attached to the Warden thanks to the straps.

All that was left was two ponchos, the clothing items that Apple Bloom had seen earlier. One was large, about the Warden's size, and the other was small. Apple Bloom was given the latter.

"Put this on, it's cold out there." He instructed.

She put it on, and found it to be a bit heavy and uncomfortably warm. Still, she didn't complain.

Meanwhile, the Warden rolled up the other poncho and when Apple Bloom was finished, he rolled it over to her hooves, kneeling as he did so.

"Do me a favor and put that in here, please." He instructed, gesturing to a loop that was attached to the harness on his back. Although she was swimming a bit within her poncho, Apple Bloom managed to do it, and the Warden stood back up.

"Thank you." He said, shaking around and looking back to make sure that it was firmly attached.

Now that the pile was gone, he took a deep breath, as Apple Bloom's stomach twisted a bit out of excitement. It had just dawned on her that she was about to start her journey home.

The Warden walked over to the fireplace, whose fire had died down somewhat, and spilled a bucket of dirt over it, smothering the flames.

He then walked back, and after making a few more checks and adjustments to his gear, the Warden looked down at her.

"Well, you ready?"

She nodded, her eyes shining in anticipation. "Eeyup!"

He then kneeled down, and motioned for her to get on his back.

"Then hop on."

Apple Bloom clambered onto the stallion's back, and he stood back up, turning towards a screen that had lowered from the ceiling once again.

"Well, we're off. I should be back in six to seven days."

"Understood sir." ARTIS replied. "Best of luck to you both. Especially you, Miss Bloom."

"Thank you, ARTIS!" She exclaimed, waving at the screen.

The Warden then walked to the door, opened it, and walked out. The damp fall chill immediately settled down on Apple Bloom, making her glad that she had been given that heavy poncho. The Warden then closed the door, and a click was heard as it locked behind him.

It was now bright enough for Apple Bloom to see the exterior of the cottage that they had just walked out of. Her heart leaped in her chest. It was the same cottage that was in the photos after all!

The Warden walked forward a few paces, towards the middle of the clearing that the house was situated in, and stopped.

Apple Bloom took the opportunity to take it all in. The green grass beneath her was lush, covered with a silver coat of frost. All around, towering pine trees dwarfed them both, and bent slightly under the cold breeze, which could be heard rushing gently through them. Through the treetops, the sky was a mixture of deep blue, pink, and orange; and the mountaintops were basking in the glow of Princess Celestia's sun, revealing that it had risen. A light mist was visible just over the ground, only adding to the serenity of the scene.

The Warden then sighed, and began walking away, heading off into the forest.

Apple Bloom took a deep breath, filling her lungs with the cold, mountain air. Then she exhaled, sending a cloud of condensation out of her nostrils as a warm feeling arose within her heart.

She was on her way home.
> Chapter 7: Hidden History
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Apple Bloom's excitement kept her awake for at least an hour as the two ponies worked their way through the towering pines and along the rocky slopes. Still, the combination of not getting enough sleep the night before, combined with the warm, filling breakfast, and the warmth of the poncho caused her to grow drowsy.

Eventually, she curled up as best she could within the poncho, settled in between the saddlebags on each side, and closed her eyes.

She woke up every so often, still presented with the pines and mountains surrounding her before drifting back off.

Then she was awoken by an audible growl from her stomach.

She yawned, sighed, and stretched out, the sleepy murkiness swiftly being chased away by the sensation of hunger. She looked up, and noticed that the sun was almost right on top of them now. Was it already midday? To her, it felt like less than an hour had passed since they left the cottage! But her stomach did not lie: It was lunchtime.

The Warden must have felt her stirring on his back, for he turned his head towards her.

"You're awake. Have a good nap?"

"Eeyup." She mumbled, rubbing one of her eyes. "Can we eat?"

The Warden looked up at the sun sitting high in the sky.

"I guess it is about lunchtime, isn't it?" He mused. "I know a good spot to stop only a few minutes ahead, if you don't mind waiting."

"That's fine." She answered, taking stock of their surroundings.

While pine trees were still prevalent, a few other kinds of trees were mixed in, providing isolated spots of red, yellow, and orange among the sea of greens and browns. She also noticed that they were walking on a downwards incline, meaning that they were probably on their way out of the Unicorn Range like ARTIS instructed.

It was not long before they came across a rather large thicket. The Warden paused for a moment, looking around.

"Huh. I thought it was here…" He murmured. "I hope it hasn't become overgrown."

Then, after a moment's thought, he gave a command.

"RAD, wake up."

The drone instantly deployed, unfolding and coming to life as it darted upwards.

After giving a salutary chirp to Apple Bloom, it flew in front of the Warden, its camera looking inquisitively at him.

"RAD, see if the overlook is still accessible." The stallion commanded.

The drone chirped, then zipped away above the treetops, disappearing from sight. Apple Bloom watched it as it flew off, and proceeded to sit still, enjoying the scenery and the peaceful ambience of the forest.

As the last remnants of her sleep induced grogginess faded away, she looked downwards to the Warden, who also seemed to be enjoying the peace. Her eyes wandered to his strange cutie mark, and inevitably, her curiosity piqued.

"Mister Warden?"

"Yeah?"

"Outta personal interest, what's your cutie mark?"

The Warden looked back at his marks, and back up at Apple Bloom.

"It is a top down profile of a star fort." He answered.

"A star fort?" Apple Bloom asked, never having heard of that before. "What's that?"

"Well, before Discord came and regressed our technological advancements, star forts were what replaced castles."

"Huh? Hol' up." Apple Bloom requested, confusion building within her. "Before Discord did what? How're castles replaced in the past if we use 'em now?"

"That's… A long story." The Warden said hesitantly. "And it's a story that nopony has ever told you, thanks to Celestia."

Apple Bloom tilted her head, still confused. He had just made another disparaging remark about one of the royal sisters. What was he saying?

"What do ya mean by that?" She asked, sounding just as confused as she looked.

"Again," He replied, "it's a long story. She and my family have… Quite a bit of history."

That confirmed what Apple Bloom suspected. Between his remarks and his attack on Canterlot, it definitely seemed like he and the royalty did not get along previously. She still didn't know why, and he still hadn't explained his cutie mark either.

"Well, Ah've got time to hear it." She replied, hoping that he would take the time to explain.

The Warden nodded, still looking back at her. "I suppose we both have plenty of time."

Before he could continue, RAD's whirring became audible as he zipped down from the treetops, coming to a halt in front of the two. It then emitted a bright light, projecting a small, three-dimensional hologram of their surroundings. They appeared to be on a mountain slope, and directly ahead seemed to be a fairly flat plateau, standing out above the lowlands below. Between them and the plateau appeared to be an area with thick foliage, the thicket before them.

After looking at this for a few moments, the Warden nodded.

"Show me the best way through."

The drone tweeted, then began to fly off, leading the way through the underbrush. The Warden followed, trampling the plants beneath his hooves as Apple Bloom flattened herself to his back, trying her best to avoid the foliage lingering above her head. After a minute or two of picking their way through, the two ponies suddenly broke out of the tangled mess of undergrowth, onto a natural stone platform. 

Apple Bloom gasped, and her orange eyes widened as they shone with awe at the sight that greeted her.

The view was incredible. It was as if they had walked out onto a rooftop overlooking the most majestic landscape that she had ever seen. A sea of colorful trees fell out below them, stretching out for miles around, from the north to the southeast. The bright blue sky was almost completely devoid of clouds, allowing her to see clearly over a long distance. While the horizon was mostly flat towards the East, the Unicorn Range towered above them, running as far as she could see from the northwest to the south. As the range extended south and started to run eastwards, the mountains became less rugged and more rounded in shape, almost like the mountains near Ponyville.

"I'll be..." The Warden said quietly, his eyes lighting up. "It's just as beautiful as I remember."

RAD chirped in agreement, looking eagerly at Apple Bloom as if he was proud of leading her to such a location.

The Warden kneeled to the ground, allowing Apple Bloom to hop off. She only briefly turned her attention away from the spectacle to stretch her limbs. Once she was done, she tenderly walked a bit closer to the edge of the plateau, followed by the drone. She turned her attention to the sky, noticing that there was a cluster of clouds off in the distance to the east, contrasting with the clear atmosphere. Although it was very far away, she could make out several ribbons of color falling from the cluster.

Was it what she thought it was?

"Do ya have binoculars?" She asked excitedly, looking at the Warden with wide eyes.

"I do." He said, reaching back into a bag and pulling out a set of binoculars. "What do you see?"

"Ah think ah see…" She began as he handed her the binoculars. She paused as she found the cluster and got a better look at it.

"Cloudsdale!"

Her heart leapt into her throat. That was the first familiar landmark that she had seen since she had gotten lost!

The Warden squinted, also making out the floating city of the pegasi.

"Looks like it." He remarked. "In fact, it might be clear enough to see…"

He paused, and gently redirected the binoculars more southwards. Apple Bloom scanned the horizon, trying to figure out what the Warden was trying to show her. Then, she made out a rather prominent mountain standing all on its own to the very distant southeast, beyond where the Unicorn Range terminated. It seemed to have something rather high up on its slope.

Apple Bloom gasped.

"Canterlot?!" She exclaimed, bouncing up and down briefly before her knee hurt too much for her to do so. "We're not as far away as Ah thought!"

The Warden nodded. "Relatively speaking, I guess not."

Apple Bloom then began scanning around Canterlot. If they could see Equestria's capital city, then Ponyville might be in sight as well. She spent a few seconds scanning around, and her excitement died down a little.

"Where's Ponyville?" She asked, sounding confused.

"I don't think we can see it from here." The Warden explained. "It should be behind the eastern branch of the Unicorn Range."

"Oh." Apple Bloom sighed, discovering that he was correct. Her heart sank a little upon realizing that she would be unable to see her hometown for a while. She lowered the binoculars and looked downwards, giving them to the Warden.

After putting them away, he took notice of Apple Bloom's change of mood.

"Come on," He said reassuringly, "we'll be there before you know it. But for now, let's eat."

Apple Bloom raised her head, sighing as she did so. The prospect of food helped dispel her disappointment, along with the Warden's encouraging words.

He unlatched two canteens from his saddlebags, then took off a bag completely from his harness. He sat down facing the edge, and Apple Bloom walked over and did the same. RAD chirped harmoniously and came to a landing next to her, seeming to be content with keeping her company.

As she took one of the canteens, the Warden rummaged around in the bag and pulled out a loaf of bread. He then broke it into two halves, and gave her one before taking two apples out of the bag as well.

Apple Bloom took a sip from the canteen, realizing that she had gotten quite thirsty. She then took her piece of bread and took a bite, chewing thoughtfully as she looked at the panorama before her. After taking a few more bites, her question came to mind.

"So, are ya goin' to tell me about your cutie mark?"

The Warden swallowed his food, and after a few seconds, replied.

"Yep. But first, I'm going to ask you a question, okay?"

She nodded, her eyes sparkling with anticipation.

"How much about Equestrian history do you know?"

Her expression turned from excitement to deadpan bored in an instant.

She sighed. "What do ya mean? All that Ah know?"

The Warden scoffed a bit, making her wonder if he was pulling her leg.

"Relax, young one! I'm not asking for you to recite every little thing. Just list the biggest events in our history."

Apple Bloom felt a bit relieved that he wasn't looking for some sort of comprehensive overview that only somepony like Princess Twilight would enjoy creating. She went through her memories of the many history lessons given by Miss Cheerilee in school, and began to answer.

"Well, there was the first Hearth's Warmin' an' the unification of the three pony tribes…"

The Warden nodded, compelling her to continue.

"Then Discord came an' caused all sorts of trouble, until Princess Celestia and Princess Luna came an' turned him into a statue. Then Princess Luna became Nightmare Moon an' got sent to the moon for a thousand years."

"Hm." The Warden murmured, shaking his head disappointedly.

Apple Bloom tilted her head in confusion as she took another drink from her canteen. Did she get something wrong?

Before she could ask, the stallion spoke.

"So you didn't learn about the Fortress family, the Equestrian Republic, or the Changeling War?"

"... No?" Apple Bloom replied hesitantly, trying to remember if she had forgotten some of Cheerilee's lessons.

"I see…" The Warden said in a serious tone. "Apple Bloom, what if I told you that they don't teach you everything about our past in school?"

"What do ya mean?" She asked. "Are you tryin' to say that mah teacher ain't doin' her job? 'Cause Ah can't imagine miss Cheerilee doin' that kind of-"

"It's not your teacher's fault, actually." He explained. "She probably doesn't know herself. In fact, I'd say that the only ponies in Equestria who know about these events are probably myself and the royal sisters."

This piqued Apple Bloom's interest. While history wasn't her favorite subject, the idea that there was some sort of secret history that almost nopony knew about intrigued her.

"So," He continued, "I'll start from the beginning. I belong to a long bloodline of warriors and leaders, which was started by an earth pony long ago, shortly before the first Hearth's Warming. His name was Fortress, and all earth ponies owe their existence to him."

"How?" Apple Bloom asked. "Ah've never heard of him."

After taking a drink of water and taking a bite out of his apple, the Warden answered.

"You see, while the three tribes left each other to fend for themselves, it was the earth ponies who suffered the most. The unicorns could use magic to defend themselves, and the pegasi had their weapons and flight. But as you well know, earth ponies don't have such strengths. This meant that the earth pony tribe fell victim to monsters and other threats the most."

Apple Bloom nodded. "Ah guess that makes sense…" She said somberly. "What did Fortress do to save us earth ponies?"

"Do you know about the Mighty Helm?"

In an instant, Apple Bloom's excitement soared.

"Ah do!" She gasped, "It was a unit of guards that was made up entirely by earth ponies! Rockhoof was the greatest of 'em all!"

The Warden glanced down at her for a moment with a questioning expression.

"Well, I won't deny that Rockhoof was certainly the strongest, or that he did many great deeds. But could he possibly be any greater than the pony who started the Mighty Helm?"

Apple Bloom felt slightly indignant now. Was he seriously saying that her favorite hero from her favorite story was not the greatest earth pony of all time?!

"Now hol' on a minute!" She protested. "How could Rockhoof not be the greatest? Ah mean, he literally saved an entire village from an eruptin' volcano!"

The Warden smirked a bit upon seeing her rush to Rockhoof's defense.

"Well, at least they passed down the story of Rockhoof." He sighed, shaking his head slightly. "But did he save earth ponies as a whole?"

Apple Bloom paused, trying her hardest to remember all of her sister's stories about Rockhoof. But to her dismay, none really came to mind in which he saved the entirety of the earth pony tribe.

She begrudgingly sighed, looking irritably up at the stallion.

"Well, like I said before," The Warden continued, "Fortress saved the earth ponies. He did so by founding the Mighty Helm. He taught the earth ponies how to use their great strength and resilience to defend themselves. Because of this, the tribe decreed that his bloodline would be named after him, the bloodline which I belong to: The Fortress Family."

Apple Bloom nodded, taking a bite out of her own apple.

"Well, he sounds important, even though he wasn't the strongest pony ever." She admitted with a sigh.

"Indeed." The Warden replied, clearing his throat before continuing. "Not long afterwards, the first Hearth's Warming happened, and the three tribes became unified. It was at this point that the newly formed nation of Equestria sought out a new leader, and each tribe thought that their own leader was the best choice."

"That doesn't sound like it ended well."

"Almost. If it wasn't for the appearance of the first alicorns, the three tribes would have fallen back into mindless squabbling again."

"You mean Celestia and Luna came to restore harmony?" Apple Bloom asked.

"No. Actually, they wouldn't be born for another two thousand years."

Apple Bloom had to do a double take. Although she wasn't strictly taught that the sisters were always the rulers of Equestria, she didn't remember anything about any other alicorns existing before them.

Seeing the confounded look in her eyes, the Warden clarified.

"These alicorns were their grandparents. Nopony really knows where they came from, but when they arrived, almost everypony suddenly realized that they were the perfect rulers."

"Almost?"

"Well, the Alicorns did possess traits from all three pony races. This made them appealing choices for becoming the leaders of ponykind. But some ponies had misgivings about giving such powerful beings a position of power, Fortress included. Alicorns are incredibly powerful when compared to regular ponies. If they were to decide to abuse their power, they could cause a lot of death and destruction…"

He went silent for a moment as he looked out at the landscape before him. While he did so, Apple Bloom's thoughts instantly turned to Nightmare Moon. While she didn't cause a lot of damage, she was prevented from doing her worst by Princess Celestia and the Mane Six.

How much damage could have she done if Princess Celestia had failed to banish her?

The Warden sighed, took another drink of water, and resumed.

"When the alicorns rose to power, Fortress became the commander of Equestria's military. While he and the new rulers had different beliefs and ideals, they got along well enough. Between him and the rulers, Equestria established itself as a sovereign nation and propelled the ponies into an era of untold prosperity. Of course, Fortress eventually died and his mantle was passed on from generation to generation for over two millennia."

He paused to take another bite of his apple, and Apple Bloom looked back out at the landscape before her, pondering what she was learning. How did she know that he was telling the truth? There was no proof of what he was telling her, as far as she knew. Still, the Warden seemed genuine enough. He hadn't given her any reason to doubt him thus far.

"Incidentally, it became customary for the foremost member of the Fortress bloodline to take up the title of Warden, due to their status as the protectors of Equestria." The Warden added.

"Huh?" Apple Bloom asked, looking confused. "Wait… Does that mean your name ain't really 'The Warden'?"

He nodded.

"Yes. It's merely a title."

All this time, Apple Bloom had assumed that the stallion's name was Warden. If it wasn't, then what was?

"What's your real name, then?"

The Warden glanced down at her, and a disapproving look in his eyes showed that he wasn't going to tell her.

"Look, it's nothing personal, but I would rather not say. I have my reasons."

Apple Bloom simply nodded, seeing nothing else to do or say about his name. She wondered if his conflict with the princesses had anything to do with his reluctance to share his name.

In the meantime, the Warden continued.

"Anyway, the king and queen died after a long time on the throne, and their heirs; King Solaris and Queen Nova, took the throne. They had two daughters, born two hundred years apart."

"Celestia and Luna?!" Apple Bloom asked excitedly, wondering if she had just found out the origins of the sisters.

"Yes." The Warden replied. "Unfortunately, the sisters were born into Equestria's darkest time…"

Apple Bloom's excitement died upon hearing his somber change in tone.

"King Solaris was a tyrant, for he had known nothing but a position of power and superiority to the ponies he ruled. The queen less so, but the king's domineering nature meant that she was unable to rein him in."

He sighed, and took another sip from his canteen before continuing.

"Needless to say, the differences between Fortress' descendants and the king boiled over. One of my ancestors, a pony named Castle Keep, attempted a coup but failed. The king was enraged, and ordered for him and his whole family to be executed."

Apple Bloom caught her breath.

"Executed?!" She asked, her eyes wide. This was far more violent than anything that she had been taught in school. "B-but why?"

The Warden shook his head.

"He was mad with power. He had always thought of his subjects as being inferior to him, and as such, his pride got the better of him."

He paused again, and looked at Apple Bloom with an earnest expression in his green eyes.

"Unchecked power corrupts those who possess it."

After another moment of silence, Apple Bloom felt compelled to press on.

"Well, what happened next? You're here right in front of me. Somepony must have survived, right?"

The stallion nodded. "Yes. Out of the whole family, one colt survived. Castle Keep's son, Citadel. He went into hiding, overcome by bitterness and a lust for revenge. When he came of age, he sowed the seeds of rebellion. It wasn't very hard, for many ponies suffered beneath the heavy hoof of the king. Unicorns were an exception. Solaris favored them over the other races, and they displayed loyalty to him as a result. Regardless, Citadel gained enough support from the earth ponies and the pegasi, and started the Equestrian Revolutionary War."

"We had… A war?" Apple Bloom asked, her eyes still wide. She knew what a war was, but she had never heard of a war between ponies.

The Warden nodded. "We did, and after a few years of violent conflict, the capital city was put under siege by Citadel and the rebels. The king, seeing that all was lost, surrendered, and agreed to go into exile along with all of his family and all who were loyal to him. Finally, alicorn rule was put to an end, and Citadel became the new leader of Equestria."

"But why do we still have alicorn princesses?" Apple Bloom asked.

"To answer that, we first must understand what happened when Citadel took power." The Warden answered. "He reformed Equestria from a feudal state into an industrial republic. Within decades, he had turned Equestria into the foremost military powerhouse in all the world, and ponykind experienced an industrial revolution."

He motioned towards his cutie mark.

"This was the peak of ponykind's achievements. New technologies arose, and propelled the Equestrian Republic to conquer far flung lands. Castles, spears, and arrows gave way to fortresses, bayonets, and guns. This was the era during which the star fort came into being. It was the ultimate fortification, nigh unassailable from all sides, and able to house huge cannons that could destroy threats before they could get anywhere close. Star forts were the ultimate symbol of security and safety, as they represented protection from practically all possible threats. It became the symbol of my family, and everything good that it stood for."

He sighed, looking somewhat regretful.

"Unfortunately, it would also come to represent the worst of what ponies are willing to do in the name of security. You see, there was a period of peace that lasted for a few decades. But when Citadel's wife was assassinated by loyalist extremists, the war was rekindled. Although the assassination wasn't sanctioned by the loyalist leadership, Citadel decided that the alicorn loyalists needed to be destroyed outright."

He paused, looking out over the landscape.
 
"He killed all the alicorns that he was able to hunt down, several dozen of them. That's not counting the tens of thousands of loyalists that he massacred."

Apple Bloom looked at her half eaten apple. She had thoroughly lost her appetite.

"That- That's terrible…" She said, her voice shaking a little. "But… Celestia and Luna survived, right?"

"They were the sole alicorn survivors." The Warden replied.

"Ah… Ah see..." Apple Bloom quietly said, looking towards the ground. 

That would explain why there didn't seem to be any alicorns quite like the sisters. Both Cadence and Twilight were different from the sisters in several ways, namely in age.

Then she looked up at the Warden, looking offput. "What happened to Citadel?"

"Discord destroyed him."

"Discord did that?"

"He did." The Warden explained. "It was suspected that he had been entrapped by the first rulers of Equestria, and freed by King Solaris in a last-ditch attempt to defeat Citadel. Of course, Solaris was caught and executed, but Discord did end up taking over the Equestrian Republic, wiping it clean overnight, and taking Citadel with it. Thus began the reign of Discord."

"So that's how he came to be?" Apple Bloom asked, amazed at this unexpected twist. "Then the princesses turned 'im into a statue, right?"

"After three centuries, yes. Ironically, it would be a descendant of Citadel that would enable the sisters to find the Elements of Harmony and restore order."

He paused to take another drink of water, and resumed.

"His name was Cornerstone, and he was my great-grandfather. With his help, the princesses found the Elements of Harmony and dealt with Discord. Although harmony had been restored, the newly reformed Equestria now had to contend with many foes who had grown to resent the ponies. Of course, Discord had kept them out of his domain with ease. But with him gone, Equestria was in a very vulnerable state."

Apple Bloom nodded, glad to be in more familiar territory as she continued to listen.

"Because of this, Princess Celestia put aside her resentment of my family and put Cornerstone in command of Equestria's army; and not a moment too soon, for another war broke out."

Any relief that Apple Bloom felt at arriving at a more familiar time went away.

"Another war?" She asked, looking a bit saddened.

"Sadly. This one was justified, however." The Warden assured. "Because the enemy was threatening to destroy all of ponykind, we had no choice but to fight in the Changeling War."

"Ah still don't like the sound of that." Apple Bloom remarked, remembering the changeling incursion at Canterlot that happened about two years prior. "Were they tryin' to eat up all our love?"

The Warden shook his head. "Worse. You see, love was understandably in short supply during Discord's reign. Because of this, some changelings evolved to feed off of something else: Blood."

"Y-ya mean that they were eatin'-"

"They would eat living creatures, ponies included. Once Discord fell, they soon threatened to overwhelm Equestria. Thankfully, with the power of the princesses and the Equestrian military led by Cornerstone, they stopped them before they invaded too much land. Unfortunately, the process of forcing them out of the territory they had gained took a lot longer."

"How long?"

"From beginning to end, it took almost forty years."

Apple Bloom practically reeled. That was longer than Big Mac has been alive! How in Equestria could a war last so long?

"The war lasted so long, that my grandfather was a little colt when it began, and was about my age when it ended." The Warden added.

Grandfather? Apple Bloom remembered the portrait of the uniformed pony from the night before. Was he referring to him?

"His name was Hightower, and he would go on to become the greatest war hero in Equestrian history." The Warden continued. "His story could take hours for me to tell you. But to keep it simple, he was full of himself when he was young, and disrespected his father greatly. Cornerstone put him in command of a unit full of misfits as a punishment. As it would turn out, he learned his lesson and ended up turning his unit from a laughingstock to the most revered in Equestria, the envy of every other soldier in the military; The Rogue Brigade."

Apple Bloom's eyes lit up a bit. At least this didn't sound nearly as depressing as the previous war.

"What did Hightower do?"

"Well, he always led his unit into battle, leading from the front and personally fighting the changeling horde alongside his ponies. This led to him taking many wounds and injuries, including losing an eye and part of his foreleg. But he always kept going, ready for more no matter his injuries or the circumstances. In fact, he garnered a nickname: The Unkillable Stallion."

Apple Bloom's deep, orange eyes lit up even more. Hightower sounded like a proper hero! Not as exciting as Rockhoof, but still exciting nonetheless.

The Warden paused momentarily, and smiled slightly as he looked out into the distance.

"Cornerstone stopped the changelings, but it was Hightower who defeated them. The war ended once the last hive was demolished, and for the first time in centuries, Equestria was at peace."

The Warden fell quiet, marking the end of his tale. Apple Bloom also remained silent, quietly reflecting on what he had told her.

It was a lot to take in. She had never heard about a lot of the ponies or events that he had just described to her. Furthermore, she had doubts nagging her regarding how truthful he was being with all this.

But his description of Hightower the hero seemed to align with the picture of that uniformed stallion that she had found the previous night. Surely that gave some credence to his claims.

Could she take his word for it?

It then struck her that she still didn't understand what his cutie mark stood for.

"So, what's all that gotta do with your purpose?" She asked, breaking the silence.

"Well, have you seen a pattern with my ancestors?" The Warden asked after taking another drink. "They all were protectors of Equestria. From Fortress all the way down to my grandfather Hightower, we all were called to protect Equestria. Even Citadel rose up to protect his homeland, in his own twisted way. I am no different. My purpose is to protect Equestria and the ponies who reside within from all threats."

Apple Bloom nodded. "That makes sense, Ah guess." She mused, pausing momentarily. "But why would ya try to kill the princesses if your purpose in life is to protect Equestria?"

The Warden looked down at Apple Bloom for a moment, his eyes spelling out a feeling of discomfort before he looked away.

"That's… an explanation for another time." He said hesitantly.

He then stood up, stretched, and put on the detached bag and canteens back onto his harness.

"Alright, we've been sitting here long enough." He remarked. "Let's keep on going."

Apple Bloom nodded, noting that he had deliberately cut the conversation short because of her last question. Perhaps he didn't want to explain why he wanted to murder the princesses? Then again, maybe it wasn't such a stretch to think that.

Regardless, their conversation had given her plenty to think about. 

The Warden kneeled, and she hopped up onto his back. He then called out for RAD, who promptly chirped and flew back into his spot.

Both ponies sat silently for what felt like a minute, taking in one final look at the majestic fall landscape sprawled before them. Then, the Warden turned around, and once more, they were on their journey.
> Chapter 8: Conflicting Views
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

A few hours had passed by since the two ponies had stopped for lunch. Since then, they had left the Unicorn Range behind them, now finding themselves in a brightly colored forest of oaks, birches, and the occasional pine. The leaves crunched under the Warden's hooves as he walked along, with Apple Bloom silently observing the scenery passing by.

They hadn't made much talk since they stopped earlier, giving Apple Bloom plenty of time to think about the Warden's tale about the hidden past of Equestria. 

How in Equestria could such significant events and figures like the Equestrian Revolution and Hightower be simply forgotten?

"Hey, Apple Bloom!"

The Warden's call disrupted her thoughts and snapped her attention to him.

"Huh? What is it?"

"I've been trying to get your attention for a few minutes, young one." He explained. "You must have been having one heck of a daydream."

"Oh. Sorry. Ah was jus' thinkin', that's all."

"That's fine. I was wondering if you might be able to bring me up to speed on what has happened since I… I first left Equestria."

Apple Bloom nodded, understanding that he must have been referring to when he had disappeared a thousand years before.

 "Well, where should Ah begin?"

"How about your hometown?" The Warden suggested. "How did Ponyville come to be?"

"It's funny you should ask that." Apple Bloom remarked. "It was mah family that started Ponyville!"

The Warden's ears perked up. "Really? How did that happen?"

Apple Bloom couldn't help but feel some warmth at the Warden showing what seemed to be genuine interest in her family's story.

He was surprisingly considerate.

"Well, it all started when mah ancestors, the Smith family, was lookin' for a place to settle." She explained, reciting the tale that Granny Smith had told her countless times before. "They were makin' a livin' by collectin' new seeds an' sellin' the old."

"So they were settlers?" The Warden asked.

Apple Bloom nodded. "Eeyup! They'd been travellin' for years, on account that they hadn't found a good enough place to settle yet. That is, until they went to Princess Celestia for help."

The Warden's ears lowered slightly, revealing a shift in mood upon hearing the princess' name. Apple Bloom cringed a bit internally, not knowing how he would respond. However, he spoke again, sounding calm.

"Go on."

Feeling the need to make a point of Celestia's kindness towards her ancestors, Apple Bloom continued.

"Anyway, the princess agreed to help an' showed 'em a plot of fertile land next to the Everfree forest. Not only that, but she granted 'em ownership of the land as well, free of charge."

"Let me get something straight." The Warden interjected. "You're saying that Princess Celestia actually took the time to personally assist some lowly settlers and grant them a hefty plot of land for free? What was the catch?"

He was clearly skeptical, that much was certain. Why was he so distrustful of the princess?

"Nothin'." Apple Bloom replied.

"Nothing?" He asked, sounding even more skeptical. "That doesn't sound like her… Are you sure this story is truthful?"

"Did ya see me questionin' your history lesson earlier?" Apple Bloom asked, feeling somewhat irate.

The stallion sighed. "Somewhat, but I see your point. Just carry on."

Apple Bloom took a moment to clear her head and remind herself that she should perhaps give the Warden the benefit of a doubt.

"So, after the princess' generous an' selfless help, mah family settled in and planted a whole lotta apple saplings, startin' Sweet Apple Acres. Of course, food was scarce on account of their isolation an' the fact that apple trees take years to grow. Because of that, mah Granny Smith, who was a little older than me at the time; went into the Everfree forest an' found a zap apple tree."

"Zap apples?" The Warden asked, looking back at her with a confused expression. "What are those?"

"Only the tastiest apples in all of Equestria!" Apple Bloom declared excitedly. "Their trees can also grow overnight! Of course, the apples are only ripe for a single day."

"That's odd." The Warden remarked. "Why is that?"

"Nopony knows for sure. We do know that they are magical in some way, though."

"Fair enough." The Warden conceded.

"That bein' said," Apple Bloom continued, "you have to make zap apples into jam in order to eat them after the day they go ripe. Granny created a jam recipe so good, ponies from all over Equestria came to buy it! One pony, Stinkin' Rich; made a store nearby to sell the jam along with other things, an' before long, ponies moved in and created Ponyville!"

The Warden nodded, understanding the origin of her hometown.

"How long ago was this?" He asked.

"About seventy years ago, Ah think."

"Hm." The Warden mused. "No wonder I had no idea about Ponyville's existence. It's very young."

He paused momentarily, and spoke again.

"So you live on the family farm, correct?"

"Eeyup. Mah granny eventually ended up marrying into the Apple family an' took ownership of the farm. She still runs the place, but mah brother and sister have to do a lot of the work."

The Warden tilted his head slightly.

"Your siblings have to take the brunt of the work? How old are they?"

It occurred to Apple Bloom that for all he knew, Applejack and Big Mac were about her age. Understandably, he felt a bit concerned.

"Oh, Ah'm the youngest siblin' actually. Mah brother Big Mac is the oldest, an' he's a grown stallion. He's even bigger than you! Then there's Applejack, who's two years behind him. Between 'em both, they can carry the workload enough to where I can go an' get an education!"

"Uh huh…" The Warden muttered. "Where the heck are your parents in all of this?"

Apple Bloom felt the unpleasant sensation of realization and heartache slam into her. She didn't expect such a question at all.

"Uh… Ah- Well… Ah don't have any."

"Wh-" The Warden's eyes widened a bit as realization set in. "O-oh. I- Ahem! Forgive me, I was too slow on the uptake to think of that… Sorry."

Apple Bloom nodded in a melancholy manner. "It's fine." She said quietly. "Ah didn't tell you until now…"

Both she and the Warden fell silent for a few minutes, taking an occasional sigh as they thought of a way to move on from the heavy subject that they had stumbled upon.

"What about friends?" He asked, breaking the silence. "You must have at least a few."

Apple Bloom perked up a bit, happy to shift the subject and explain the Cutie Mark Crusaders.

"Ah have a few." She answered. "Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo are mah best friends, on the account that none of us have our cutie marks yet, an' that we're all about the same age."

"Now that you've brought it up," the Warden said, "I did notice that you didn't have yours yet."

She nodded enthusiastically, taking the Warden a little off guard by her confidence.

"Eeyup! Me, Scootaloo, an' Sweetie Belle all had the same problem: we're the last ones in our class to still be blank flanks, an' we have no clue what our purpose in life is goin' to be! So we formed a club of sorts for other blank flanks like us, to help us all try out new things and find our marks! We call ourselves the Cutie Mark Crusaders!" She declared proudly.

The stallion paused, processing this revelation as he thought up a reply.

"That's… Actually quite a noble undertaking, to be honest." He remarked, looking back at her. "It sounds like you and your friends are truly driven by a desire to help others."

He sighed quietly and shook his head.

"Equestria would be a far better place if ponies kept the same degree of imagination and genuinity that they had as foals…" He mused, before looking back at her. "What you and your friends are doing is incredibly important, Apple Bloom. I hope you realize that."

She couldn't help but beam a bit at that praise, and her eyes sparkled happily. It wasn't very often that adults would actually take the time to recognize her and her friends' efforts.

"Something else that has made be a bit curious…" The Warden continued. "How did you get teleported out here accidentally?"

"Oh. That was… Sweetie Belle, actually." She said hesitantly.

The stallion's brow lowered slightly. "She did that to you?"

"Not on purpose!" Apple Bloom protested, sensing that he was insinuating that she did so deliberately. "She wouldn't! She- Well, Ah'm fairly sure that she sneezed as she was tryin' to teleport an apple."

"That's… Odd." He remarked, falling silent for a moment before adding; "I had no idea that could happen."

"Ah didn't either. But apparently, teleportin' spells are hard to do."

The Warden nodded. "You're telling me. There is an immense amount of focus involved in teleporting. A lot could go wrong if you aren't careful. For a filly like your friend, it's probably a bit too much to handle."

Several things occurred to Apple Bloom as the Warden's words sank in. First off, how in Equestria did he, an earth pony, understand what it was like to use teleportation magic? Second, was he doubting Sweetie Belle's talent with magic? She immediately felt the urge to rush to Sweetie Belle's defense first.

"Ah'll give Sweetie Belle credit where it's due; She did teleport that apple just fine once before. She might be a filly, but that doesn't mean she can't handle it!"

The Warden seemed to notice that she was a bit taken aback.

"My apologies. I had no idea that she had actually pulled it off before. Although, I must admit that it seems unlikely that she had learned how to do it by herself."

"Well, she did learn it from Princess Twilight." Apple Bloom remarked without thinking.

The Warden's ears perked up in surprise.

"Who?"

"Princess Twilight! You know, the princess of friendship?"

"No, I do not know."

"How do ya not know her? I thought you had a fight with her up in Canterlot."

"Okay, just hold on a second!" The Warden ordered as his tone turned a bit sour. "I only fought two princesses that day. I knew that there was a third who had gotten married only a few days beforehand, but her name was Cadence, princess of love."

He paused, and Apple Bloom came to the unpleasant realization that perhaps she should have not revealed that Twilight was an alicorn princess now. Given the Warden's behavior when talking about the princesses and how he had attacked the sisters before, it was obvious that he didn't think too highly of the princesses.

"Are you saying that there is a fourth princess now?" The Warden asked, his tone demanding a response.

The cat was out of the bag, so to speak. Apple Bloom sighed, and gave a truthful reply. "Eeyup…" She said hesitantly, hoping that he would not be quite as disparaging towards Twilight as he seemed to be towards the royal sisters.

"But I didn't fight any other alicorns that day." He said in a confused manner. "If I fought her, then that would mean that one of those mares using the elements had been turned into a…"

His eyes widened, as he realized who she was talking about.

"Princess Celestia turned that purple mare into an alicorn?"

Apple Bloom nodded and replied hesitantly.

"... Eeyup."

"Oh, wow…" He said under his breath, looking Apple Bloom dead in the eye. "What did she even do to earn that? For that matter, how in the hay was she able to use an Element of Harmony?"

"That's a bit of a tale." Apple Bloom answered. "But it all started when she was sent to Ponyville by Princess Celestia a couple of years back to learn about friendship."

"This was before my fight?"

"Eeyup. The very first night that she arrived, she met all of her closest friends. Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Flutterhshy, an' mah big sister Applejack!"

She paused, and the Warden's face showed that something occurred to him.

"Your sister was one of them? Which one was she?"

"She's orange with three apples as her cutie mark and always has a hat on."

"Hmm." He mumbled. "That complicates things…"

He fell silent, then asked another question.

"These were the ones using the Elements of Harmony?"

Apple Bloom nodded, and continued.

"It was also that very night that Nightmare Moon escaped from her banishment. In order to defeat her, Twilight and the others went and used the Elements of Harmony to defeat Nightmare Moon!"

"She- They-" The Warden tried to speak momentarily, but stumbled over his words. "They defeated Nightmare Moon?"

"They sure did! They used the Elements of Harmony for the very first time, and Twilight was the one who led all the others to do so. Because of them, they reformed Nightmare Moon and turned her back into Princess Luna!"

The Warden stared off ahead for a few silent moments, not speaking as he reflected on Apple Bloom's explanation. Then, he spoke again, quietly and in awe.

"So that's why… I guess Celestia did end up banishing her after all…"

Apple Bloom tilted her head.

"You didn't know?" She asked, astounded that he did not know that Princess Celestia had banished Luna. How could he not know?

The Warden's ears drooped a bit, and his pace slowed down as he shook his head.

"That… That explains…"

He sighed, and his head fell. To Apple Bloom, it seemed as if he had just realized something terrible.

"It's worse than I thought…" He said, barely loud enough for Apple Bloom to hear. "Why did I go and do that?"

This made Apple Bloom descend into thought. Was he talking about his attack at Canterlot?

She gasped silently. Was it possible that he attacked the princesses because he thought that Luna was still Nightmare Moon?

It seemed probable. After all, she remembered that Applejack had told her that the Warden had been gone for a thousand years, not unlike Nightmare Moon.

But that still didn't explain why he almost killed Celestia too. Maybe he thought that she had something to do with Nightmare Moon?

She shook her head. That was nothing but speculation. She still didn't know for sure. Of course, she could try asking why he attacked again, but she wasn't sure if it would work.

While she was debating with herself on whether or not she should ask, the Warden spoke.

"What else have those six done with the Elements of Harmony?"

Apple Bloom had to take a moment to shift her thoughts and think about what else the main six had accomplished.

"Well, they also reformed Discord."

The Warden stopped.

"They did what?" He asked, his eyes widening in shock. "Why would they free him to begin with? He wants nothing more than to-"

"He broke free from bein' a statue a while ago." Apple Bloom interrupted, rushing to cut him off from making a false conclusion. "It wasn't anypony's fault."

She fell silent, and took an uncomfortable breath, remembering how he broke out.

"Actually… It may have been me who caused him to break out in the first place…" She admitted, putting a hoof behind her head awkwardly. "Me, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo had an argument around Discord's statue which may have allowed him to break out."

The Warden glanced back at her as he began to walk once again.

"I guess that makes sense." He said plainly, his initial surprise dying off. "But I still find it remarkable that they managed to reform him."

"Well, to be fair, it involved them turning him back into stone for a while." Apple Bloom explained. "He didn't actually reform until after Princess Celestia decided to assign Twilight with the task of changin' him."

The Warden shook his head.

"Why would the princess even give her such a task? She knows how dangerous he can be."

"Princess Twilight said that it was a test." Apple Bloom explained. "She says that Princess Celestia wanted to see if she had learned enough about friendship to make her into an alicorn princess."

The Warden looked out ahead, clearly thinking hard.

"Has Princess Twilight always been a favorite of Celestia?"

Apple Bloom nodded, although she found his choice of words a bit odd.

"Ever since she was a filly, Twilight's been Princess Celestia's student. She said that Princess Celestia had apparently seen her potential to become a future princess."

"... I see." The Warden responded, deep in thought once again.

For a minute or two, the two ponies went along in silence, each thinking about their conversation.

Then, the Warden broke the silence.

"How did the reformation of Discord turn out?"

"Well, Fluttershy ended up becomin' his first friend, and he stopped tryin' to take over Equestria. But he still causes problems. That whole mess with lord Tirek was partially Discord's fault."

"I remember that…" The Warden mused. "It was impossible for me to not notice that, even from back at the lab. Unfortunately, there wasn't a lot I could do at the time. I assume the six also took care of him?"

"They did." Apple Bloom explained. "They even did so by channelin' the spirits of their elements, or somethin' along those lines. They didn't even need the Elements of Harmony."

The Warden tilted his head a bit. "They didn't?"

Apple Bloom nodded.

"Huh." He murmured. "That's surprising… They must really embody the Elements of Harmony, then."

"Eeyup!" Apple Bloom declared. "And Ah didn't even mention Queen Chrysalis, the Tree of Harmony, or Starlight Glimmer's village! Time after time, the six have saved Equestria with Princess Twilight at the lead!"

The Warden nodded slowly. "Interesting. Perhaps Celestia wasn't foolish in bringing her under her wing after all…"

Once again, here was a remark that struck Apple Bloom as being somewhat disparaging towards Princess Celestia. This time, the urge to ask why he acted in such a way grew too big for her to ignore.

"Why don't ya like Princess Celestia?" She asked, a hint of irritation in her voice. "Ya don't seem to have anything nice to say about her."

The Warden looked back at her with a look that gave her the feeling that she had struck a nerve. In an instant, she was questioning the wisdom in asking.

Still, he gave a response.

"Remember when I said that my family and her had some history?" He asked, causing her to recall the beginning of their lunchtime conversation. "Let's just say that it was because of her that I ended up the way I did, and it was because of her foolishness that her sister fell."

Apple Bloom felt a bit shocked. What was he suggesting? Was he saying that she was at fault for Nightmare Moon?

She shook her head slightly.

There was no way that was true.

Was he seriously saying that Princess Celestia, the beautiful, regal, powerful, benevolent ruler that all ponykind looked up to was the cause of Luna becoming Nightmare Moon?

Up to this point, she had been more willing than not to take his word as the truth. But now, she was not quite so willing.

"What the hay do ya mean by that?" She asked in consternation. "She would never-"

"Listen!" He interrupted, shooting another glance back at her. "She isn't all who she would like for you to believe she is. If she didn't mess up before, then why is she unable to use the Elements of Harmony any more?"

This pointed question struck Apple Bloom profoundly after she took a few seconds to think. He had brought up an interesting point.

Princess Celestia had used the Elements of Harmony to banish Nightmare Moon, that much she did know. She also knew that the princess could no longer use the elements. The reason why remained unanswered, however.

"She got too old?" Apple Bloom asked, adding; "Ah doubt it was because she did somethin' wrong."

The Warden shook his head. "The Elements of Harmony don't select their users according to some superficial factor such as age, Apple Bloom. They select their users according to how genuine they are and how well they embody the spirits of the elements. Would you agree that the six were able to use the elements because they embodied them?"

Not seeing any alternative, she nodded, wondering what he was getting at.

"Would you also agree that both Princess Luna and Princess Celestia also were able to use the elements because they once embodied them?"

Apple Bloom nodded once more.

"Now, why is Princess Luna unable to use the Elements of Harmony?"

"... Because she became Nightmare Moon?"

"Correct." The Warden replied, his voice growing more energetic. "She did something so evil, the elements rejected her! Now, my question to you is this: Why is Princess Celestia unable to use the elements either?"

Apple Bloom thought for a few seconds, trying to come up with a reasonable explanation for this fact which did not compromise the princess' image.

But none came to mind.

After a minute of silence, the Warden spoke again, still sounding and looking agitated.

"Celestia is not above reproach. If she were, there would be no need for Twilight, your sister, or the other four. She would still be wielding the Elements of Harmony with no problems whatsoever."

That put a bitter taste in Apple Bloom's mouth. She had to choose between believing the Warden or keeping her perception of Equestria's figurehead intact.

She simply took a deep breath and stared off ahead into the forest, electing to remain silent.

She didn't want to choose what to believe.

The Warden sighed, becoming visibly calmer.

"Look," he said, "let's just forget about it, alright? I don't want us to be arguing about this all the way to Ponyville."

This was a proposal that Apple Bloom was glad to accept.

"Fine. Ah'm fine with that." She grumbled.

With that, the two ponies went silent. 

As she rode along, Apple Bloom tangled with her thoughts.

She didn't want to admit it, but he had made a good point about Princess Celestia not being able to use the elements any more. If Princess Luna was cut off from the elements because of her fall, then was it such a stretch to say that Princess Celestia was cut off for a similar act?

Apple Bloom shook her head. She refused to believe it, despite the Warden's argument.

Speaking of him, he got a bit agitated when she brought the subject up. Clearly, he didn't seem to enjoy the subject. Neither did she, for that matter.

Perhaps it would be for the best if she kept silent about Princess Celestia, like the Warden suggested. 

He didn't seem terribly unreasonable, besides his opinion on the princesses.

She sighed, and internally decided to no longer continue her defense of Princess Celestia, instead electing to settle in for the rest of the day.
> Chapter 9: Fireside Scare
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The sun was sinking quite low in the west, painting the sky a brilliant spectrum of orange, pink, and purple. Since they had stopped for lunch, neither of the ponies had stopped their journey, continuing to walk along beneath the colorful trees. As she rode along, Apple Bloom noticed that the forest was steadily thinning, and clearings became more and more prevalent.

"Mister Warden, how far have we gone?"

"Roughly twenty three miles since this morning, I imagine." He replied, sounding a bit gentler since their argument a few hours prior.

"How long before we reach the valley?"

"Not until tomorrow, I'm afraid. But once we do, we'll make good time."

Apple Bloom nodded, feeling a bit relieved that they would soon be making a beeline towards home soon enough. However, she did notice that night was not very far off. Then, an unexpected yawn crept up on her, and she rubbed her eyes briefly.

The Warden took notice.

"Maybe we should start looking for a place to stop for the night, huh?"

Apple Bloom took a deep breath, and nodded in agreement.

"Eeyup, Ah guess so."

"Well," The Warden said, "there should be a river only a short distance ahead. We'll stop there."

The two ponies continued along, and Apple Bloom turned backwards, facing the peaks of the Unicorn Range to the west. She could make out the snow capped mountaintops through the ever increasing gaps in the trees, and watched as the sun dipped lower and lower, eventually disappearing behind them.

A few minutes later, she turned back around to see that they were approaching a body of water up ahead, and not a moment too soon. She was getting tired and daylight was dying quickly. Before long, they were near the riverbank and the Warden stopped only a few feet from the water's edge.

The river itself wasn't very big, only about twenty or so feet wide and it was clearly shallow, the water running over various rocks and stones on the riverbed, creating a bubbling, rushing sound that was quite relaxing.

The Warden kneeled down, signaling for Apple Bloom to disembark, which she gingerly did, careful to not put too much weight on her leg. The ground was sandy and pleasantly warm, still retaining some heat from the now absent sunshine. This was a welcome effect, for the evening chill had already begun to set in.

Apple Bloom stretched out, happy to be able to spread her limbs after riding on the Warden's back all afternoon. He also took a moment to relax, unlatching his saddlebags and allowing the entire array to drop to the ground with a sandy thud. He then took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and also stretched out. Several loud pops and cracks caught Apple Bloom off guard as he did so, but the Warden only smirked.

"Sorry." He said, almost sounding sarcastic. "My joints are just reminding me of my age."

After finishing his stretching, he unlatched the canteens from the dropped harness and motioned towards them.

"Can you fill those up while I get firewood?"

She nodded, and hobbled over as he walked a short distance into the woods, his eyes peeled on the ground. A few minutes passed by, and one by one, Apple Bloom refilled the empty canteens as the Warden walked back with a pile of sticks wrapped by one of his forelegs. Before long, he had them arranged in a neat pile about twenty feet from the water, and he placed a small pile of kindling near the bottom.

Meanwhile, Apple Bloom pulled her poncho back out and wrapped herself up. The chill was intensifying, as night fell and the stars began to shine. There was hardly any light now, but she could still make out the Warden putting one of his forelegs up to the pile of wood.

"Taser, on." He commanded, and a series of harsh pops and a small blue arc flashed in front of his hoof. Then, a small flame began to grow among the kindling, and soon, the entire pile was aflame. The fire's warm glow illuminated the area, showing the Warden and Apple Bloom quite clearly in the enveloping darkness. She shuffled up to the fire, and the Warden passed another apple and piece of bread in her direction. She grabbed these items hungrily, and proceeded to eat as the Warden did the same.

They ate in relative peace for a few minutes, listening to the gurgling river and the popping fire. Apple Bloom soon finished her food, and looked skyward. A spectacular array of stars were above them, sparkling, glimmering and glowing among brilliant galaxies and colorful novas.

"Princess Luna sure doesn't disappoint, huh?" Apple Bloom sighed, wrapping herself up a little tighter in her poncho.

The Warden didn't say anything, instead staring into the fire.

This was odd. He was quite attentive to her questions throughout the the day. That is, up until they had that argument.

Just then, it occurred to her that she didn't really understand something. Their argument was about Princess Celestia, and she could somewhat understand his stance on the matter. But she still didn't quite know why the Warden went after Princess Luna.

"Um, Ah know we said we ain't gonna talk about why ya don't like Princess Celestia and all, but why do ya not like Princess Luna? Ah mean, didn't ya know that she wasn't Nightmare Moon any more?"

"Hm." The Warden grumbled, falling silent once more as his expression intensified slightly.

Once again, it seemed to her as if he wished to skirt around the subject. But her need for answers was growing. Why did he go after her?

"... It just strikes me as bein' kinda unfair that you attacked her after she got reformed. Ah mean, why would ya try to kill her and Princess Celestia for makin' mistakes? No real harm seemed to-"

The Warden suddenly snapped upwards from his sitting position, and his eyes changed. No longer were they benevolent, but a steely, chilling stare shone coldly in the flickering firelight. In an instant, the foreleg with his taser was aimed at her.

Apple Bloom's heart jumped into her throat.

This was not at all what she was expecting.

Was he… Was he threatening her?!

She froze in place, inhaling sharply as fear gripped her heart.

What in Equestria was this all about?!

"Taser, on!" He said loudly, the device crackling to life as Apple Bloom recoiled backwards in fear. "Fire!"

The two metal prongs shot out of the device, the popping electric arc missing her by inches as they flew overhead.

Before she could think again, she heard an awful roar from behind her as the prongs made contact with something. She whipped around, and saw a mass of fur and claws recoiling wildly less than fifteen feet behind her.

It was a manticore.

Her mouth gaped open as she realized that it had crept up behind her. She hadn't even heard it! Somehow, the Warden had spotted it!

Then, she saw something fly overhead, landing between her and the creature.

It was the Warden, and he looked terrifying. His mouth was drawn into a fierce snarl as his eyes showed an intensity that Apple Bloom had never seen before.

He looked as if he was ready to kill it.

His stance was defensive and unyielding, not showing any hesitation or fear. He retracted his taser, and the wobbling manticore steadied itself, moaning slightly in pain and surprise. The Warden stared at the creature, which looked at him with an expression of wrath and fear.

It inhaled, reared to its full height, and roared, showing all of its chisel-shaped teeth and curved, dagger-like claws while whipping its stinger forwards, making certain that the ponies saw all of its killing implements.

Apple Bloom backed away slowly upon this intense display. She vividly felt the unpleasant shock of fear penetrate her very soul.

This creature had the capability to rip her and the Warden to shreds in an instant, there was no debating that.

Yet, the Warden stood completely still, keeping his death stare fixed on the apex predator.

The manticore lowered itself back down to a normal stance, and froze, still staring at the defiant stallion. It looked confused as to why he didn't run.

Then, slowly, the Warden raised his taser once again, and activated it. The manticore flinched as the device arced once again, and it took a fearful step back.

"Go." The Warden snarled, baring his own teeth as his stare somehow got even more horrifying. He took a single lunge forward, keeping the crackling taser pointed at the beast. 

The manticore had enough. It jumped backwards, turned around, and fled into the forest. The sound of crunching leaves and sticks soon faded away, and once again, the two ponies were alone.

Apple Bloom could not believe what she had just seen. Her fear swiftly faded and was replaced by a sense of incredible awe. He had just scared away a manticore!

He turned around to face her, and thankfully his gaze had softened significantly.

"Are you alright?" He asked, looking and sounding genuinely concerned.

Apple Bloom nodded, gathering her senses enough for her to speak. "E-eeyup..."

The Warden walked over and helped her up.

"Sorry about not alerting you. If I had waited a little longer, it would have jumped you." He said, pausing before adding; "You… didn't think I was trying to hurt you, right?"

This caused Apple Bloom to think for a moment. Although it was obvious now that he had no choice but to attack the beast, the thought that perhaps that he was lashing out because of her questions about Princess Luna did occur to her before she caught sight of the manticore.

The fact that she had reached such a conclusion made her feel a bit guilty. How could she have thought that he would hurt her over such a trivial question?

"No. Why'd ya ask?" She lied, trying to assure the Warden that the thought hadn't come to her.

He remained silent for a moment, looking her dead in the eye with a sorrowful expression.

"Well, you looked- Ah, no. You know what? Never mind. Let's just get to sleep."

"But what if it comes back?" Apple Bloom asked, sounding a bit fearful as she looked out into the forest.

"It won't." He replied bluntly, putting on his own poncho. "Manticores know when they've been beat. That one is no different."

While Apple Bloom's instinct was to doubt this answer, she still felt as if he wasn't lying.

After taking a few more minutes to calm down, she moved close to the fire, curled up, and lay down on the ground. She yawned, and looked up at the Warden, who was doing something peculiar.

He opened up a bag, and pulled out a small syringe. Aided by the firelight, he carefully stuck it into one of his forelegs and injected some sort of liquid into his body.

Apple Bloom looked on for a few moments, wondering what it was that he had just injected himself with. Medicine, maybe? He didn't look hurt, but maybe it was for something that she couldn't see?

She then looked up at the stars above, and her thoughts began to drift as slumber approached.

The Warden standing against the manticore would stick in her mind for a while, that much was certain. Sure, he also defeated that spider, but this time, he wasn't wearing his armor. If the manticore had wanted to, it could have easily ripped him to shreds.

Yet, the Warden didn't even flinch or hesitate.

His courage, resourcefulness, and knowledge was unlike anything that she had ever seen in anypony ever before, barring Applejack. He was truly willing to go to great lengths to protect her, that much was certain.

She looked back to the Warden, who was now curling up inside of his poncho, a short distance away.

It was at that moment that Apple Bloom came to a realization.

She admired him.

A part of her mind expressed alarm. Was she really feeling this way about the pony who had almost killed the royal sisters?

She was, but it felt warranted.

He had done almost nothing to make her feel otherwise.

Despite being separated from her friends and family, she felt safe. He had saved her from death twice, had cared for her, and was taking her back to Ponyville.

Sure, his stance on the princesses was very questionable, but that was really the only thing that she disliked about him. All of the good things that she had seen of him outweighed this difference in her mind, however.

It was these thoughts that accompanied her as she drifted off, listening to the gurgling river and the occasional pop from the dying fire.

The Warden definitely was not as bad as she had first thought, that was for sure.





"Did anypony from your group find anything?"

"No. Me and the Wonderbolts covered everything within a fifteen mile radius of Ponyville. We found nothing."

"Sigh… Well, I guess we'll just have to keep up the search tomorrow…"

"Hey! Cheer up, Twilight! We'll find her soon! Sweetie Belle couldn't have teleported her too far, right?"

"I hope not…"

Click!

Creeaaak.

Clack!

"Twilight? Rainbow? Please tell me that y'all found somethin'. Anythin'."

"Sigh… I'm sorry, Applejack. We haven't found anything yet."

"Oh. Ah- Ah see… Hey, uh… Thank y'all. For tryin', that is. It- It means an awful lot."

"That's what friends are for, AJ. We'll find Apple Bloom yet, just wait and see!"

Sniff!

"Woah, AJ? Are you actually cry-"

"S-sorry, y'all… Ah'm so sorry for blowin' up at you two last night. 'Specially you, Twilight. Ah- Ah really feel awful about it."

"Oh, Applejack… You were upset last night, that's all."

"Ah know… Oh Celestia, Ah know."

"Hey, uh, AJ? I gotta ask; did you make up with Sweetie Belle yet?"

Sniff! "Ah did, and with Rarity too. Ah can't believe that ah yelled at 'em like that, though."

"But did they forgive you?"

"Both of 'em did. To be honest, Ah don't deserve friends like 'em…"

"Applejack… Don't be too harsh on yourself, please. If Spike were to suddenly go missing without a trace because of a mistake that somepony else made, I would be upset too. But now all that matters is that you've made amends, and that shows all of us that you are still a dear friend to all of us."

"Thank you, Twilight… You too, Rainbow. Y'all went above and beyond today."

"For Apple Bloom, I would do it all week if I had to! Speaking of which, I did have the opportunity to talk to Fluttershy about the matter earlier, and she said that she would ask her animal friends to spread the word and help out."

"Really? That would be a massive help."

"I know, right? It's only a matter of time before we find her, I'm sure of it!"

"Y'all's optimism is appreciated, you two. Thanks."

"Not a problem, Applejack. We'll get through this."

Yawn!

"You ready for bed, Rainbow?"

"Yeah… I never said I wasn't tired."

"We're all pretty tired. Let's all get some sleep. We've got another day ahead."

"Alright then. Thank y'all again for doin' what you can."

"Goodnight, Twilight!"

"Goodnight."

Click!

Creeeaaak!

Clack!
> Chapter 10: Strange Tech
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was a rather uneventful morning for Apple Bloom and the Warden. After waking up from an uneasy but uninterrupted sleep at daybreak, they ate a quick breakfast, forded the river, and continued towards the southeast. 

As the morning mist lifted, Apple Bloom could make out the mountains far behind them, as well as the ones ahead. In fact, it seemed as if they were in the middle between the two sections of the Unicorn Range.

The terrain had become a lot easier to traverse as well, the rocks and trees having become far less frequent and flat ground began to become common. Every so often, they would exit the forest and enter vast, open meadows which provided a refreshing change of scenery. Instead of there being trees and dead leaves as far as the eye could see, there was now tall, lush grass and even a few stubborn wildflowers which refused to succumb to the autumn chill.

They both trekked along, mostly silent besides the occasional brief exchange of words or short conversation between the filly and the stallion. This didn't really bother Apple Bloom very much, for she had begun to get used to biding her time observing the beautiful Equestrian countryside from her vantage point on the Warden's back. 

All the while, she was lost in her thoughts, which also helped to pass the time. The events of the previous night occupied her mind especially. Of how she had been saved a second time from a beast by the Warden, and how he scared the manticore away. The more she dwelled upon it, the more she could not help but feel a mixture of awe and security to be in the presence of such a stallion.

Of course, if it weren't for his weapons, they would probably both be dead.

This gave rise to a question which had been nagging her since she was in his lab.

How in Equestria did he have such tech?

Sure, she had seen some incredible machines back in Ponyville. The Flim Flam Brothers' Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000 came to mind. But that was powered by magic, as was a great many other machines made by ponies. However, as far as she could make out, there was no evidence of magic in the Warden's various machines. Not even the little drone seemed to be powered by magic.

As the hours passed, her curiosity grew and grew. Eventually, during the late morning, she finally could not resist the urge.

"Mister Warden?"

"Hm?"

"How do all your machines work? How many do ya have?"

The Warden remained silent for a few seconds, as if he were hesitant to answer. Then, he spoke.

"I can tell you, but I need you to promise to keep it a secret."

"Why?" Asked Apple Bloom, confused.

"Because the last thing I need is for my enemies to find out my secrets."

He was referring to the sisters as his enemies again, Apple Bloom knew that much. While she still felt some irritation at this, she conceded.

"Ah promise."

He looked back, his expression showing a small degree of appreciation as he began.

"What machine do you want to learn about first?"

Apple Bloom paused, thinking about which one she wanted to ask about. After a brief period of deliberation, she replied.

"Your armor suit."

He smirked a little.

"I knew you were going to pick that." He said. "Prepare yourself for a lot of technical description."

Apple Bloom shuffled around a bit to get comfortable, then looked attentively at him with wide eyes. Finally, she was going to find out about the technical marvel that was his armor.

"My armor is the result of several decades of research and development." He began. "It is truly a massive feat of engineering. Of course, your sister described the nature of it to you?"

Apple Bloom nodded. She still remembered Applejack's vivid description of the fight at Canterlot.

"She said that it could absorb an' use magic against their users, along with the ability to fly, right?"

He nodded in return.

"Correct. Do you know how it has these sort of abilities?"

Apple Bloom shook her head.

"That's because it's made of a very special type of metal." The Warden explained. "It has very unique properties which, when exploited, enable its users to do things previously thought to be impossible."

"What's it made of?"

"It is called capacium, and it forms the basis for all of my tech. No other metal is quite like it. This is because it has the ability to absorb and store cosmic energy."

"Cosmic what now?" Apple Bloom asked, unintentionally coming across as skeptical.

"Cosmic energy." The Warden reaffirmed. "I know it sounds like a bunch of nonsense, but trust me when I say that it is very real. In fact, it is because of this cosmic energy that magic even exists in the first place!"

This, along with his explanation on his family's distant past, was all new to Apple Bloom. Of course, she didn't know a whole lot about magic to begin with, but she knew well enough that the exact origin of magic was a topic of hot debate between Equestria's greatest scholars.

The Warden resumed, and Apple Bloom promptly paid attention.

"Equus' core is made primarily of molten capacium, believe it or not. Billions of years ago, our world was nothing more than a giant blob of this metal. Due to its properties, it absorbed a massive amount of cosmic energy left behind by the creation of our universe. Of course, the planet eventually took on the form that we know of now, but the core still remained chock full of this energy. Over time, certain objects and even certain creatures evolved to harness this cosmic energy, thus giving rise to magic!"

Apple Bloom nodded slowly, finding that this explanation took some faith to believe, but also seemed to make some sense.

"Ah know that there's a theory goin' round that magic comes from our world. Ah guess that would explain it."

"Indeed it does," the Warden agreed, "but capacium is a metal that is currently unknown by most ponies since the collapse of the Equestrian Empire. It was actually known to exist back in that time, but like a great many other things, Discord's reign caused it to be forgott-"

He suddenly froze in his tracks, and his ears perked up. Immediately, he and Apple Bloom went on the alert.

But after a few seconds, he shook his head.

"What is it?" Apple Bloom asked, wondering what in Equestria had prompted him to do so.

"I thought I heard something." He said as he began to walk again, gesturing to his torn ear. "I guess my ear and a half are playing tricks on me. Anyway, capacium was forgotten because of Discord. That is, until my grandfather rediscovered it and found out about its properties."

"Like absorbing magic?"

"Yes, although it could do several other things." The Warden explained. "You see, when it's mined and refined from ore, it's still full of that cosmic energy; or magic, depending on which term you want to use here. Depending on how much metal you have, it has a limit on how much energy it can store. As such, the pure, cosmic energy has to be drained in order to maximize the amount of energy it can take in. That is how my grandfather discovered that it makes an excellent energy source."

"How does it do that?"

"He discovered that if the metal is melted down, it radiates pure, concentrated energy. He found a way to harness this energy and turn it into a way to power his equipment. The process itself is actually quite dangerous, but well worth it if executed properly in a capacium reactor. As an added benefit, once the metal has been drained of its cosmic energy, it becomes depleted capacium."

"Depleted capacium, huh?"

"Yes. My armor is made from this metal, and since it is made of depleted capacium, it can absorb any kind of magic. For example, if an alicorn were to try and blast me while I was wearing the armor, the capacium would simply absorb it, protecting me from harm."

Apple Bloom thought that this was an oddly specific example to use, but her curiosity prevented her from dwelling on it for too long. Besides, another question was arising.

"But if it can absorb the magic, how can ya use it? Mah sister told me that you were able to use the magic that was used against you."

"She is correct." The Warden replied. "The answer lies within a miniaturized capacium reactor in the armor. It has a tiny amount of molten capacium inside, and the magic that the armor absorbs is channeled to it once it is time to use it. Using a combination of my own willpower and focus along with some computerized assistance, the reactor can release the magic in the form of spells."

Apple Bloom recalled his remark from the previous afternoon about the difficulty of teleportation spells. This would provide an explanation as to how he even understood how spells worked as an earth pony. Of course, the fact that he, an earth pony, was even capable of using magic was remarkable in of itself.

Her train of thought was interrupted once again as the Warden promptly froze and went alert once again. This time he turned his head off to the side, staring off into a distant treeline.

Apple Bloom held her breath, doing the same. She hadn't heard anything outside of the rustling grass or the rushing breeze for the past few minutes.

For a few moments, they both remained where they were, and Apple Bloom felt a creeping sense of unease.

"What is it?" She whispered.

"I could have sworn…" The Warden murmured, before exhaling and shaking his head. "Forget it. My mind is fooling with me. I don't get out of the lab much…"

Apple Bloom silently nodded, still feeling slightly uneasy. It almost felt as if they were being watched.

Almost, however.

"Anyway…" The Warden continued, his voice a little more subdued and his head slowly swiveling from side to side as he spoke. "My armor also makes use of cosmic energy to power engines within a set of wings. It allows me to harness the power of flight and travel at fast speeds. Not as fast as some pegasi, but still faster than most. Does that all suffice as an explanation of my armor?"

Apple Bloom paused, then asked another question, not quite satisfied.

"Why didn't you use it to fly during that fight with the spider?"

He remained silent for a moment, then spoke.

"Princess Twilight and her friends trashed my wings, that's why. That's also why we're walking rather than flying right now."

Sensing that his tone had grown a bit sour, Apple Bloom elected to change the subject.

"Is there anythin' else that capacium can do?"

The Warden nodded, any irritation disappearing.

"Yes, and this is perhaps the most unbelievable part about this metal." He remarked, pausing to take a breath. "The cosmic energy that raw capacium posesses can be used to warp time and space."

"Do what now?" Apple Bloom asked, her eyes growing wide. That sounded like something out of a science fiction comic book!

"It can bend time and space any way you want, in theory." He said. "My grandfather, with the help of ARTIS, created a machine that was capable of refining cosmic energy and projecting it in such a way that travel beyond our own universe was possible."

While this did sound impressive, Apple Bloom would have found this unbelievable a year ago. Up until she had heard about Princess Twilight's adventure in another world that could only be accessed through a magical mirror, she didn't think such things were possible. Well, outside of chaos magic, that is.

Meanwhile, the Warden continued.

"It was then that my grandfather realized something. You see, during the peacetime following the Changeling War, he didn't have a lot to do, and he went looking for a new way to defend Equestria. By realizing capacium's full potential, he programmed the machine to prevent all interdimensional travel to and from our world, thereby defending Equestria from threats unknown. Of course, pre-existing methods of travel remained open, but new portals would be prevented from being made. He dubbed this machine the Gatekeeper."

Apple Bloom nodded once more, sensing a few more questions. Specifically, about ARTIS.

"Did your grandfather create ARTIS too?"

The Warden shook his head.

"Well, he found ARTIS. Not far from where my lab is, in fact."

"All the way out there?" Apple Bloom asked. "How?"

"He just… Happened across it." He replied with some hesitation.

Apple Bloom couldn't quite say for sure, but it seemed as if he took a bit too long to make that answer.

"It was during his wanderings that he happened across something strange:" The Warden continued. "A mechanical being, left in the middle of the Unicorn Range, deactivated and greatly deteriorated. It was totally alien to Hightower, unlike anything which he had ever seen."

"Was that ARTIS?"

"It was what would become ARTIS, yes. My grandfather accidentally reactivated him, and the machine immediately swore that he was its master. To this day, I don't know exactly where the machine came from or who its master was to begin with, but neither were obviously from Equus."

Apple Bloom nodded thoughtfully.

"That's mighty strange."

"It is." The Warden affirmed. "But regardless of where it came from, it helped my grandfather build the lab that you saw, along with most of the equipment within. The machine revealed advanced technologies to him that were thousands of years ahead of his own time, including capacium tech. My grandfather eventually used the machine's operating system as a template for ARTIS, thus creating the first AI in Equestria's history."

The Warden went quiet for a moment, then shook his head, adding: "It was an incredible stroke of fate. In spite of his exile, he still found a way to protect Equestria."

This caused Apple Bloom to tilt her head.

"Exile? Hightower was exiled? Why?"

The Warden tensed up a bit, groaning quietly as if he had just realized that he had said something that he didn't want to say out loud.

"Uh… I meant to say-"

AAAWOOOOOOO!

A fur-raising howl caused Apple Bloom's heart to leap and twist in fear as the Warden immediately lowered his stance and looked in the direction of the noise.

Apple Bloom followed his gaze, and saw that it was fixed on the distant treeline once again. This time however, she could see large things moving around within the forest.

Then, two hulking masses of wood and leaves crawled out of the trees, and both ponies stared in muted fear at the creatures.

Timber wolves.
> Chapter 11: Run
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Hang on."

Upon hearing this instruction from the Warden, Apple Bloom latched onto his back. As she did so, she watched as the timber wolves trotted towards them, closing the distance.

Then, the Warden ran.

Apple Bloom clutched him even tighter, almost being thrown off as he broke into a desperate gallop.

"RAD!" He cried, looking around for a potential escape route.

The little drone unfurled and went into a hover, beeping confusedly for a moment upon being left behind. Then it gave an alarmed wail, and Apple Bloom looked back.

RAD was now rushing to catch up, and she could not blame him, for the wolves had now broken into a full sprint, chasing them down and gaining ground.

The drone hurriedly overtook the ponies, and chirped a question at the Warden.

"Find us a way to lose them!" He commanded, his voice showing a large sense of urgency.

The drone chirped and darted upwards into the sky, shortly disappearing from sight as the Warden continued to run.

A few seconds passed by, and Apple Bloom looked worriedly behind her. The pair of timber wolves were still closing the gap, now only a few hundred feet or so behind.

"They're gettin' closer!" She cried out, knowing all too well that unless the Warden did something soon, they would be overtaken.

"I know!" The stallion shouted back, glancing at another one of his bags. "Take out a metal ball from that bag!"

Apple Bloom reached out to the bag he was referring to, and briefly rummaged around until she felt a metallic ball.

"I got one!" She shouted, pulling it out and giving it a cursory examination.

It was about the size of a tennis ball, completely metal in construction, with a button located on it.

"Press the button twice!" The Warden commanded, and Apple Bloom immediately did so, and a small light on the ball began to slowly blink on and off.

"When I say so, drop it on the ground!" He instructed, looking back both at Apple Bloom and the trailing wolves.

The filly nodded, looking behind as well. The wolves were closer now, less than a hundred feet away. In about ten seconds, they would be upon the two ponies.

The Warden glanced ahead, watching where he was going, then looked back again. For a split second, Apple Bloom saw a massive amount of worry in his eyes. She felt chills run up and down her spine. Was he unsure if they would make it out alive?

But the anxiousness in his expression quickly gave way to a determined glare as he gave a decisive command.

"Now!"

Apple Bloom dropped the ball, and watched it disappear into the grass, directly between them and the wolves. A couple more seconds passed, and the ponies continued to run away. 

Then the wolves were caught in a small explosion! One flew into pieces as the other stumbled to the ground, flailing around as it lost its footing.

Apple Bloom could not help but let out a triumphant laugh as the two wolves were stopped in their tracks.

The Warden looked back, not sharing her sense of mirth.

"That won't stop them for long." He said, his voice beginning to sound a bit strained. "Where's RAD?!"

Just on cue, the drone zipped down from the skies, flying directly in front of the Warden.

"What do you have?!" The Warden asked the drone, sounding apprehensive.

The drone tweeted a reply and projected a map of the surrounding area onto the ground in front of the running stallion, highlighting what appeared to be a small canyon to the south.

The Warden immediately nodded.

"It's desperate, but it'll have to do!" He shouted, taking a sudden turn towards the direction indicated by the drone.

Apple Bloom looked ahead, and saw that they were now headed for a treeline about a quarter mile away. Then she looked behind and saw one wolf, probably the one who didn't fall apart, closing in on them again. The other was in the process of reconstructing itself, and was almost ready to take off after them.

"Mister Warden?" She asked fearfully, "what're we gonna do?"

"Something a little crazy!" He said back. "I'm going to need your help and for you to trust me!"

Apple Bloom didn't take long to decide. In such a matter as this, the worst thing she could do is not trust him.

"Alright!"

The Warden nodded. "Good." He said quietly, before increasing his pace.

Thirty seconds later, they had made it into the trees, and now the Warden was burdened with the task of ducking and weaving through the trees and underbrush. He was forced to slow down a bit as he did so, but he still kept close to RAD, who was picking out a pathway through the trees.

After almost a minute of this, a howl echoed through the forest, coming from behind. The wolves were still on their trail.

Then, the Warden gave an exclamation, causing Apple Bloom to look ahead just in time to see the ground fall away from before them. The stallion slid to a halt, coming within inches of the canyon rim, sending a few small rocks hurtling over the edge.

Apple Bloom gulped. They had come disturbingly close to careening into the gorge, which looked to be at least a hundred feet deep and twice as wide. The near wall was nearly vertical, the opposite wall not quite so much, and the floor was littered with boulders and stones of various sizes. A fall into there would likely be deadly.

"Get off." The Warden instructed.

Apple Bloom hopped off, careful to not land on her injured leg, which did feel somewhat better when compared to yesterday. The Warden then walked up to the edge of the cliff, and began looking around, running his hooves along cracks in the rock.

"What're ya doin'?" Apple Bloom asked, sounding both scared and uncertain, despite her best efforts to sound otherwise.

"Finding an anchor point." The stallion replied, not diverting his attention from his task. "We're going in."

"Wha-? How?" Apple Bloom asked, remembering how deep the gorge looked.

The stallion almost made a reply, but he was cut off by another howl, this time a lot closer. In fact, they could hear the sounds of tree branches snapping and underbrush cracking now, indicating that the wolves were getting closer.

RAD beeped in alarm, further driving the point home that they didn't have much longer.

The Warden mumbled something about having to make do, and he pointed his leg with the grappling hook at a crack in the ground near the rim.

"Grapple, shoot!" He commanded, and the grapple shot a few inches into the crack, anchoring itself.

After giving a few tugs on the line to test the anchor, he grumbled "Good enough.", and motioned for Apple Bloom to come to him. "Come on!"

Immediately, Apple Bloom knew what they were going to do. She had done some rather daring things before, but this felt a lot more like a stunt that Scootaloo would do. Plus, whenever she did anything like rock climbing, there was a lot of safety measures in place. That was not the case here. In her mind's eye, she imagined what would happen if somepony were to fall into the gorge. It was not pretty. 

She hesitated, looking fearfully at the Warden. They both looked at each other for a second, and the Warden's expression softened slightly.

"You'll be okay." He reassured her, outstretching his free foreleg. "I'll carry you down."

As if to further drive the urgency of the situation home, another howl was given among the ever increasing sounds of crashing in the forest.

Apple Bloom swallowed her anxieties, and ran to the Warden, who immediately scooped her up, wrapping his foreleg around her.

"Hold on!" He commanded, as he walked to the edge of the gorge.

Apple Bloom looked down, and immediately closed her eyes, regretting that she did so. The sheer height was petrifying.

"Grapple, rappel!" The Warden ordered, before leaping off of the cliffside.

For a gut wrenching second, Apple Bloom felt the terrible sensation of her stomach lurching as she went into a fall. The spool for the grapple line whizzed for a moment before giving a distinct click and locking, stopping their descent. The Warden's hind legs were then brought back to the wall, bringing them to a complete halt with a lurch and a grunt from the stallion. Despite this, his grip on Apple Bloom did not loosen at all. 

She opened her eyes, taking a deep breath as he kicked off the wall, starting the cycle again. His eyes darted up and down, his entire focus on the wall and the line keeping them from plummeting to their deaths.

He shortly came up against the wall again, and repeated the process over and over. Within seconds, they were halfway down, and Apple Bloom's mind was racing.

Underneath any other set of circumstances, this would actually be a lot of fun. Indeed, this was thrilling, but more in a terrifying way. She also momentarily thought of the Warden, and how much calmer he seemed to be, despite the danger. He was in a situation that many other ponies wouldn't make it out of, but he wasn't panicking at all, escaping the wolves while keeping her safe.

Despite the danger, Apple Bloom felt a wave of relief. She was safe as long as he was there to protect her, she couldn't deny that now. That was a feeling that was mainly reserved for her siblings, which was not a fact that was lost on her.

An unexpected lurch and an audible curse from the Warden broke her thoughts.

"Don't come out!" He hissed, Apple Bloom realizing that he was referring to the grappling claw. She looked down, and saw that they had about another thirty feet left to go before they reached the bottom.

Chills ran down her spine. If they were to fall now they might survive, but injury was certainly guaranteed.

The Warden paused, looked down as if to think, and took a breath.

"Hang on!" He ordered again, as if he were anticipating something the next time he kicked off.

Apple Bloom wrapped her forelegs around his, bracing for something bad.

He then kicked off, and once again, they were in a descent. Then the spool locked, bringing them back to the wall. 

But as the Warden came up against the cliff, the line gave way.

He gave an alarmed cry, as did Apple Bloom. They were in a free fall, and there was little they could do. In an instant, he wrapped his other foreleg protectively around her, bringing her close to his underside, which was facing upwards.

About a second later, he hit the wall with a heavy thud, sending them both into an uncontrolled tumble. He exhaled sharply as Apple Bloom felt the impact through his body, doing her best to hold on.

Then they hit the wall again. This time, the wall was more of a slope than a cliff face. Although the impact was hard, the slope allowed them to roll down to the floor without coming to a deadly landing. The sound of falling rocks and the rushing air were the only things that Apple Bloom could hear as they tumbled down.

Soon, they came to a halt on the gorge floor, being peppered with stones knocked free from their fall.

They lay there for a few moments, Apple Bloom still being held close by the Warden, who was groaning quietly. They were both alive, at least.

She heard RAD fly down to where they were at, and heard the drone give a fearful sound.

The Warden loosened his grip, and Apple Bloom gently pushed herself away. She then stood up, wobbling quite a bit as she did so. The impacts combined with the tumbling had made her quite dizzy.

"A-are you alright?" She asked, sounding very concerned.

The Warden took a pained breath.

"I… I don't know…" He groaned, rolling onto his legs. "Are you?"

"Ah think so." She replied, then noticing several wounds on his body. Most were small, but one in particular was bleeding profusely, located on his lower back. "You're bleedin'!"

"Yeah?" He asked sarcastically, painfully and slowly standing up. "I wonder how that happened."

Apple Bloom didn't have much time to think about this, as a loud howl caused both ponies to look upwards. At the rim, right where they had begun their descent, a pair of glowing eyes were staring ominously down upon them. The timber wolf was angrily pacing back and forth, clearly annoyed at the ponies' escape.

"Well," the Warden remarked, "at least the plan worked."

Apple Bloom, while concerned for the stallion's well being, could not help but agree. But then a thought occurred to her.

"How're we gonna get out?"

The Warden began retracting the grappling claw, which had managed to remain intact throughout the ordeal.

"The best way will be the opposite of what we did to get down here." He replied, walking painfully towards the other wall.

Apple Bloom couldn't believe her ears.

"Why in tarnation do ya think that goin' up will be a good idea?!" She asked in consternation, following him. "We almost died, for Celestia's sake!"

The Warden calmly looked back at her.

"Because I have time to do it properly now." He responded, summoning RAD. "Besides, that wolf will shadow us until we get out. The safest thing to do will be to get onto the other side where he can't get to us.

Apple Bloom was not quite so reassured. Still, the other wall was less steep than the one they had descended, and it looked a lot rougher, with plenty of hoofholds to use. In any case, it looked easier to traverse.

"Shouldn't we at least try to fix you up a little?" She asked, finding it impossible to not notice that the Warden was visibly in pain.

"Let's wait until we're safe for sure." He replied.

Just then, a gust of wind rushed down along the gorge, stirring up Apple Bloom's mane, causing it to flow freely. Initially, she didn't think much of it, until she realized something: Her mane was flowing freely in the wind.

She didn't have her bow.

She immediately put her hoof up to the back of her head, and she felt her gut twist with the realization that it wasn't there. She looked around frantically, hoping that it was somewhere nearby.

Meanwhile, the wolf at the top howled again, and this time it received a reply.

Echoing from a distance down the gorge, a chilling howl reverberated between the walls. Having heard this, the wolf at the top broke into a full sprint along the gorge, towards the howl.

Both ponies looked at each other, processing what they had just heard.

The other wolf had found a way in, and was showing the other one how to enter as well.

The Warden closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and began giving orders.

"RAD, find a suitable anchor point! Grapple, extend!"

The drone beeped in reply, and attached itself to the claw. It then took to the air, carrying the claw up to the top of the ravine, searching for a good anchor point.

Apple Bloom suppressed the urge to look for her bow. It had to wait.

The two ponies quickly walked to the wall, and the Warden began giving instructions to Apple Bloom, kneeling as he did so.

"Alright, I need you to get more of those balls out." He said, motioning to the bag which contained the explosives that she had used to disrupt the wolves earlier.

She nodded, taking out three remaining balls from the bag before looking inquisitively at him.

"Do you see how rough this wall is?" He asked, pointing to the cliff face. "Do you see how many spots there are where you could place these?"

Apple Bloom nodded again, not taking her gaze off of him.

"I want you to press the button on each one three times, and place each one on the wall when I say so, okay?"

"O-okay!" Apple Bloom answered, right before two howls were carried up the ravine.

She held the three charges close as she looked down towards the howls, and saw two shapes in the distance getting closer.

The Warden picked up Apple Bloom like he did before, and held up his leg with the grappling device on it, waiting for the drone to come back down.

A few unbearable seconds passed, and the timber wolves kept closing the gap.

"Come on…" The Warden mumbled under his breath, shifting around uneasily as he waited.

Apple Bloom shared his sentiment. She could not help but feel increasingly uneasy as they were forced to remain trapped in the ravine.

Then, to their collective relief, RAD came darting down, twittering frantically. The Warden gave a few tugs, and found the line to be quite taut.

After taking a deep breath, he looked down at Apple Bloom.

"Ready?" He asked.

She nodded frantically.

"Eeyup! Go!"

"Grapple, ascend!" He commanded, and the spool began to retract.

One step at a time, he walked along on his hind legs, working his way up the towering wall of rock with the assistance of the grapple. Before long, the two ponies were about a third of the way up. Then the Warden stopped, pointing at a crag in the cliff.

"Put one there!" He commanded, and Apple Bloom activated a charge and placed it.

As they resumed their climb, the two wolves came into clear sight. Apple Bloom could hear the creaking of their wooden limbs and the hungry panting from their mouths as they approached. They slowed to a steady trot, each looking up at the two ponies who were scaling the wall.

The Warden, however, remained focused.

"Put one over here."

Apple Bloom shifted her attention away from the hungry beasts below and planted another charge.

Once she had done so, the Warden continued up the wall. Meanwhile, one of the wolves leapt onto the wall, growling as it managed to gain a grip on the steep surface. It began to follow the ponies, climbing faster than they could.

Before Apple Bloom could point this out, the Warden lost his footing, falling for a short distance and slamming against the wall with a grunt. For a brief moment, his grip on Apple Bloom loosened, and she gave a worried glance downwards.

The first wolf was getting closer, and the other was following close behind. They needed to start climbing soon, and fast.

She looked up at the Warden, who was breathing heavily. He looked tired and in pain, but when her eyes met his, she saw a fierce determination burning within. He took a deep breath, regained his footing, and resumed their climb, the first wolf having closed to about fifteen feet below them.

The Warden seemed to catch his second wind, for he began to climb faster than before. After a few more seconds, the top was now almost within reach. The Warden stopped for a final time, and pointed to another crag.

"Put the last one there!" He commanded, and Apple Bloom did as she was told.

The wolf closest to them then made a jump upwards, opening its sharp, jagged maw wide as it snarled. It came within a foot of the Warden's legs, and its jaw snapped shut with a sickening pop. 

Apple Bloom could not help but give an alarmed cry at how close the wolf had come, but the Warden didn't even flinch. He instead kept on climbing, finally reaching the top of the ravine.

Upon doing so, he tossed Apple Bloom onto the ground, and he started the process of getting himself over the edge. Apple Bloom heard a wolf snap once again, and she clutched one of the Warden's forelegs, trying her hardest to pull him up.

"Come on!" She groaned, straining as she frantically pulled.

The Warden said nothing, rolling onto the ground with Apple Bloom's assistance and swiftly standing up. He then hoisted her onto his back, and began running away from the edge of the cliff right as the wolf's claws were getting a grip on the top.

"RAD, blow it!" The Warden ordered, coming to a stop a short distance away.

Apple Bloom turned her head around right as three loud explosions pounded her ears and a deafening roar ensued. The ground next to the edge where they had been mere seconds before fell away into the ravine, taking the unfortunate wolf with it, disappearing into a cloud of flying rocks and dust.

A few seconds passed and the roar soon died away, turning into an eerie silence. The Warden slowly walked back towards the collapse, and looked downwards. Apple Bloom also peered over the edge, and she was met by the sight of a massive pile of shattered rocks and debris littering the bottom of the ravine. Mixed in among the rubble were bits and pieces of the timber wolves, who were not showing any signs of life whatsoever.

A few more seconds of silence passed, then the Warden spoke, still sounding a bit breathless.

"Well done, Apple Bloom. We got them."

Apple Bloom looked up at him with wonder in her eyes. He had just saved her and destroyed two timber wolves! 

She watched as his expression went from being relieved to concerned.

"Where's your bow?"

"Oh…" Apple Bloom groaned, remembering that she had left her bow behind.

She looked back down, looking all around the ravine below them. Her heart sank a bit, still unable to locate it.

She spent about a minute, looking in vain.

"I'm sorry." The Warden said with some remorse in his voice. "It probably happened when we fell…"

Apple Bloom closed her eyes and swallowed her disappointment.

"It's fine. We escaped, didn't we?" She asked, trying to sound a bit more cheerier. "Losin' a bow seems like a small price to pay after all that."

The Warden nodded. "I know. But it still seemed to be special to you."

She shook her head. "Ah've got more back home, don't worry."

She then noticed a trail of blood running down the Warden's side, mingling with his dirty blue coat.

"But now, Ah think we need to get that cut cleaned up." She remarked.

Despite the loss of her bow, Apple Bloom felt extreme gratitude for the Warden. Yet again, he had saved her, but this time he got hurt in doing so. She felt a little guilty, but also felt no small amount of admiration as well.

How could this heroic stallion be the same who attacked the princesses?

This recurring question rattled about in her mind once again as they walked away, leaving the canyon behind them.
> Chapter 12: Uncovered Anger
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Following their narrow escape, Apple Bloom took a few minutes to clean up the Warden's wound on his back as best as she could. Upon doing so and taking a few more minutes to eat a quick lunch, the two ponies resumed their journey.

They exited the forest near the ravine and before long, they were back in the valley meadows. Despite his wound having been treated, the Warden's pace was clearly slower than it was before the encounter with the timber wolves. Still, they seemed to be making good time; the mountains in front of them seemed to be closer than the ones which they had come from yesterday.

The adrenaline rush from their escape had finally run its course after about an hour. As her thoughts slowed down and turned away from the timber wolves, she began to think about their conversation that had been interrupted. Specifically, she recalled something odd that the Warden had said; a passing remark on how his grandfather had been sent into exile.

Why would the pony he called Equestria's greatest war hero be sent into exile? What happened? Who exiled him?

The fact that the Warden seemed to immediately try and redact what he said also gave her reason to think. He clearly meant what he said the first time, so why try to dismiss it?

Inevitably, the temptation to probe deeper grew.

"So…" She began, trying to be as nonchalant as possible. "Didn't ya say that Hightower was exiled or somethin'?"

Initially, the Warden didn't say anything, instead shooting a mildly sharp glance back at her before looking back ahead. After a moment of silence, he spoke.

"I didn't mean to say that out loud."

That confirmed what she suspected.

"Well, ya did."

"Indeed." The Warden said bluntly, still looking off ahead.

Apple Bloom spent a few minutes in silence, waiting and hoping that he would elaborate further, to no avail.

"... Why was he exiled?" She asked, having eventually run out of patience.

The Warden gave a deep, somewhat forced breath before hesitantly giving his answer.

"I'll tell you, on one condition: You don't start mindlessly defending Princess Celestia."

Apple Bloom took a moment to process this request. It seemed to be an odd one to make, and it caused a bit of apprehension to start building within her. Was he about to start saying bad things about Princess Celestia again?

Still, she found herself nodding in reply, silently agreeing to his terms.

He noticed this, and after a moment's thought, he began.

"So, do you remember what I said about what happened after the end of the Changeling War?"

Apple Bloom nodded again.

"Well, what I said about what Hightower did after the war was half true." He admitted. "After his father's retirement, my grandfather took his place as commander in chief. Although this was a relatively peaceful time, the royal sisters clashed with Hightower several times. For the most part, it was because of Princess Celestia."

Apple Bloom tilted her head and her eyes narrowed slightly. He was accusing Princess Celestia of poor behavior again. Still, she remained silent as the Warden continued.

"Regardless, Hightower remained the commander of the military, until one decisive day. You see, there was a gang of dragons that were raiding settlements on the Equestrian frontier, and steadily working their way further and further into more populated areas. They were pillaging villages, burning them down and taking anything of value in them, leaving nothing but charred ruins and terrified survivors. Hightower and his forces had several opportunities to fight them off, but the princess forbade any sort of fighting."

"That ain't really that much of a surprise, actually." Apple Bloom remarked. "Princess Twilight said that Princess Celestia always taught her that seekin' out a fight before tryin' to negotiate ain't the right thing to do."

The Warden shook his head, causing Apple Bloom to feel slight irritation.

"It cannot be denied that the princess was trying to avoid a fight, but it was only because she saw an opportunity to have her way, not because of diplomacy."

The irritation in Apple Bloom began to spin up in intensity. Was he really just going to keep on slandering Princess Celestia like this?

She momentarily closed her eyes and focused on her breathing, reining in her urge to speak up. She made a promise to not do so, after all.

"After a few more raids and unsuccessful attempts at negotiating, Hightower finally made the right choice." The Warden explained, continuing his tale. "Going behind the princess' back, he led a team made up of former members of his Rogue Brigade against the dragons, and sent them running back to the dragonlands. Finally, the dragons' reign of terror over Equestria was over."

Apple Bloom's agitation died down a bit. Sure, Hightower disobeyed the princess, but it seemed to be a necessary action to her.

"Of course, this meant that he had played straight into the princess' hooves."

This remark undid any reduction of Apple Bloom's consternation.

"She finally had the justification she needed to get rid of him once and for all. As soon as he returned, she put him on trial, found him guilty of insubordination, and had him exiled. She would have executed him if she could, but he was simply too popular. Still, she sent him away into exile, out beyond Equestria's borders at the time. It was during this time that he found-"

Apple Bloom felt a surge of anger flood her heart. The urge to speak out against his slander of the princess suddenly overwhelmed her, drowning out her need to keep her promise. Was he seriously saying that the princess let those dragons raid all those ponies just to get rid of Hightower?!

Forget the Warden's request! She had to say something!

"Alright, you jus' hold on an applebuckin' minute!" Apple Bloom protested, cutting the Warden off. "Princess Celestia would never, ever do anythin' so selfish!"

The Warden turned his head around and glared at her, his green eyes piercing her own.

"You agreed to not do this." He said, his tone taking on an intimidating aura.

Apple Bloom paused. True, she had agreed to not rush to Celestia's defense; but his accusations were just beyond unbelievable. The princess deserved better!

"Ah'm sorry, but there ain't any way that's true!" She said in an exasperated fashion. "It jus' ain't in her nature!"

"Really?" The Warden asked, a hint of anger beginning to show in his voice. "What would you know?"

"Ah know that she's kind, friendly, gentle, and mighty wise! Ah know that she abides by friendship, and doesn't jump to conclusions about ponies she doesn't get along with!" Apple Bloom declared, shooting a glare right back at the Warden.

The Warden's brow fell, and his gaze intensified.

"So, basically you don't know squat. Considering you've been spoon fed a whole set of lies which she created, I shouldn't be surprised."

"What lies?!" Apple Bloom asked, raising her voice. "Every time Ah bring her or Princess Luna up, all you seem to do is accuse 'em of somethin' or other! The only lies Ah'm hearin' are comin' from you!"

The Warden stopped abruptly, almost causing Apple Bloom to tumble off of his back. Gradually, his breaths grew more intense and more frequent, and Apple Bloom felt his body tense up.

She felt a sense of dread overcome her. Why did she have to speak her mind? How was he going to react?

Slowly, insidiously, he turned his head towards her, staring at her with a gaze that could only be described as furious.

"You think I'm lying, do you?" He asked, his voice terrifyingly subdued. "Fine. How about I tell you the truth, so that you will no longer be underneath any further delusions, huh? Get off."

He kneeled down, and Apple Bloom gingerly slid off. She picked herself up, and took a few steps back. The dread within her was growing even more. She had made him angry, that much was certain.

She looked timidly up at the stallion, who towered over her with an intense expression on his face.

"You want to know what Celestia and Luna did to me?" He asked, still sounding eerily calm.

"Ah- U-uhh…" Apple Bloom stuttered, the full realization that she had crossed a line becoming clear.

"Don't you?!" He barked, his voice reaching an intensity that Apple Bloom had never heard from him before.

She flinched, closing her eyes as she nodded. Fear pierced her heart, fear of what he was going to say.

The Warden inhaled sharply, and began to speak in a quieter voice.

"Celestia was a petty, power hungry dictator, who didn't care at all what happened to anypony else as long as she got what she wanted." He began. "She wanted nothing but groveling yes-ponies beneath her whom she could control. My grandfather wasn't so submissive, so she got rid of him."

He ground one of his hooves into the dirt, and after taking a sharp breath, he spoke through clenched, bared teeth.

"But that was just the beginning. Because of that, I grew up in exile. I lost my mother, and I had to get away from my father because he didn't treat me like a son."

Apple Bloom opened her eyes, processing what he had just said. 

His father didn't care for him?

She felt her heart twist a bit. She didn't have any memory of her father at all, and she couldn't imagine having a father who didn't love her.

Meanwhile, the Warden continued, his voice gradually growing louder and more terrifying.

"I managed to get away, and found a mare who loved me so much, she was willing to help me heal and become a better stallion. We had a daughter whom we both loved dearly!"

He began to pace around, stomping the ground with every step, causing the soil to shake a bit.

"Do you know what happened to them?! Nightmare Moon took them away right in front of me, banishing them to some random universe and banishing me to some other forsaken world!"

Apple Bloom shrunk back, her breaths becoming sharper as fear took hold. She felt her eyes begin to grow misty as her thoughts and emotions became a tangled mess.

Still, her thoughts did dwell momentarily upon the pictures that she had found in the cottage. Namely the picture of the Warden as a colt with his father, and the picture of the Warden with the mare and the filly.

Then it struck her.

NM.

Nightmare Moon.

The notes on the backs of the pictures was an indication of time, using Nightmare Moon as a point in time!

"It gets better!" The Warden hissed. "Do you know who drove Luna over the edge to become Nightmare Moon? Celestia did. She drove her own sister to become a monster and kill the ones I loved the most! Why? Because she couldn't stand the thought of possibly sharing the spotlight with her own sister!"

He paused for a moment, catching his breath, his gaze becoming fixed on Apple Bloom. A few tears began to fall from Apple Bloom's eyes as she shrunk back even more.

"I saw Celestia push her sister away, and I was there when Nightmare Moon sent them away to die!" He roared, taking a step towards Apple Bloom. "I was there! You don't get to call me a liar when they were literally ripped away from under me!"

Apple Bloom stepped back, tears falling from her closed eyes.

"A-ah'm sorry!" She cried in desperation. "Ah d-didn't mean-"

"Of course you didn't!" The Warden interrupted, his voice dripping with fury. "Because the long list of injustices by Celestia doesn't end there! Like the sniveling, cowardly slug of a pony that she is, she censored out huge swaths of our history to not only erase her wrongdoings, but my entire family history as well! She projects this disgusting persona of perfection, acting like she is above reproach and pretending that she isn't the most repulsive, silver tongued creature to ever disgrace our world with her very existence!"

The Warden fell silent, his voice echoing around them and gradually fading away.

Then he spoke again, his voice still revealing intense anger, but also more hoarse as well.

"So, do you know why I hate them? Do you know why I tried to kill them?!"

Apple Bloom inhaled sharply and took another step back, unable to answer before the stallion resumed.

"Because Celestia is an insidious fool who fabricated a situation to banish my grandfather, who drove her own sister mad with jealousy, and who decided to lie to her subjects for centuries in order to remain on the throne which she had built on lies, blood, and innocent lives! As for Nightmare Moon, she killed the two ponies whom I loved the most!"

He gave a furious growl, turning his back to Apple Bloom and stepping away.

"I spent ten years in that other universe, and the only thing keeping me sane was the hope that I would see my wife and daughter again. But do you know what I found after I found a way back?! Not only were my wife and daughter long gone, but both sisters were still on their thrones, acting like nothing had even happened!"

Apple Bloom was at a loss for words. She simply remained where she was, trying as hard as she could to not completely break down.

At long last, the Warden seemed to take a controlled breath. He stood silent and motionless for over a minute, slowly regaining control of his composure.

Then, he spoke in a manner that was a lot quieter than before, but also a bit hoarse as well, which compelled Apple Bloom to look up at him.

"So," He began, wiping his eyes with a foreleg; "if you still doubt my word, consider the evidence. The Elements of Harmony have rejected both of the sisters because of their evildoing, they have been very vague about my reason for attacking them, and most ponies wouldn't try to kill them for no reason at all. They took my family, and I hate them for it. Should I have tried to kill them? No. But I have a feeling that most ponies would have tried to do the same."

Apple Bloom couldn't speak. She could only look in disbelief at the stallion standing before her.

As much as she didn't want to believe it, the evidence seemed damning.

It was odd that nopony seemed to know why Celestia had lost the ability to use the Elements of Harmony, even after Luna lost hers clearly because of her fall.

It was also odd how the main six seemed to work around any questions regarding the Warden's reason for attacking Canterlot. 

Only a truly evil creature would try to kill the sisters without an understandable reason.

But the Warden wasn't evil. He had saved her too many times for her to think of him as being evil.

He had a reason for snapping and attacking the sisters, and his rage-fuelled explanation seemed to fill in the blanks.

There was also another piece of evidence that seemed to fit, however. 

The pictures.

The captions on each made sense, showing how long before the coming of Nightmare Moon they were taken. It would also explain why the Warden seemed to have a happy family in the last one, but was alone now.

Plus, she was certain that he didn't know that she had found them in that nightstand. His explanation seemed to align somewhat with them regardless, only adding more credence to his claims.

He was likely telling the truth.

But if he was, then what about the sisters?

Celestia wasn't at all who Apple Bloom thought she was, in the likely case that he was being truthful; and Luna was a murderer.

The sensation of betrayal and dread tore at her from the inside, causing her to shed tears once again.

However, these feelings were not solely caused by the princesses.

With a feeling of despair, she came to an unpleasant realization.

Her trust in him had been severely damaged.

He had just lost his temper at her, causing her to feel a deep fear which she had rarely felt before.

She was afraid of him.

The Warden kneeled down, silently indicating for her to get on.

She sniffed, wiped her shimmering eyes, and shook her head.

"Ah'll walk." She croaked, looking down as she backed away.

The Warden's eyes softened a bit, but he didn't say a word. He merely stood up, turned in the direction they were headed, and began to walk.

Apple Bloom took a shuddering, trembling breath, standing back up. Then, keeping her gaze fixed on the ground, she began to hobble after him, taking care to keep her distance.





Not a single word was spoken between them for the rest of the day. In complete silence, the two made their way to the foot of the eastern stretch of the Unicorn Range. The grassy plains and patches of temperate forests gradually gave way to evergreens and rocky terrain as the sun set behind the mountains on the western horizon. When the sun had disappeared, they set up camp once again, and they ate a quick meal.

As they sat around a small fire that the Warden had built, Apple Bloom was thinking about his outburst earlier.

Did she deserve it?

He did warn her to not speak out in defense of the princess, but she did so anyway.

Although her rational side told her repeatedly that she was not at fault, she still could not help but feel as if she were to blame. She had been asking a lot of questions without any concern for the Warden's feelings, after all.

Still, his outburst was seemingly out of nowhere. It escalated far beyond what she could have anticipated.

Regardless, she felt as if she had trespassed upon a part of his life that he didn't wish to discuss.

An urge to apologize began to arise.

"Mister Warden?" She asked meekly, looking at him sitting across from her.

He didn't move a muscle, looking off in some other direction, refusing to acknowledge the sorrowful filly.

"Ah- Ah'm so sorry for makin' ya angry earlier. Is there anythin' Ah can do to make it up to you?"

He shook his head.

"Just be quiet." He said bluntly. "I've had enough questions for one day."

Apple Bloom felt a few tears begin to well up. She felt awful about the whole thing. After all, he didn't have to go so far out of his way to rescue her. He risked his life repeatedly to save her, and had put up with so much in order to get her home. Now, she had caused him to blow up at her.

She didn't say another word. She merely wrapped herself up in her poncho, and walked a short distance away. Now, she wanted nothing more than to just get to sleep. Tomorrow, she would be back in Ponyville, and she would be able to put all this behind her. She curled up and closed her tearful eyes, her heart longing to forget the Warden's outburst and finally make it home.





"Could it be-e-e-e-e?"

"No way…"

"I think it isssss!"

Those voices were eerily familiar.

Apple Bloom opened her eyes. It was still night, that much was clear. The fire had gone out, and the moon was almost overhead. A few hours must have passed since she had gone to sleep.

"Haha! He isssss helplesssss!"

"Finally, a decent meal! A full grown stallion, and a pretty hefty one at that!"

"Quick! Le-e-e-et's e-e-e-eat him up!"

That didn't sound good at all.

Slowly, Apple Bloom rolled over to see what was talking.

When she saw it, her heart froze.

No wonder it sounded familiar.

It was a chimera, and it had the Warden in its grasp.
> Chapter 13: Her Choice
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Apple Bloom watched in horror as the three headed creature carefully inspected its meal.

The Warden was completely limp, but his eyes were wide open. He was awake and aware, but wasn't actually moving.

What was he doing?! Why wasn't he fighting back?!

She remained quiet and still. It seemed as if they had not noticed her yet, thankfully. It was not likely that it had forgotten its failure to catch Apple Bloom, back when she had been caught in the fire swamp trying to make a pie delivery.

What could she do?! Abandoning the Warden was out of the question. She had to do something.

But what?

She remembered her last encounter with the Chimera mere months before. She remembered that Applejack used a special flute, a chair, and a lump of ricotta cheese to defeat the beast.

None of those items were available.

"Hmmmmm…" Muttered the tiger head, looking at the Warden's numerous scars. "He has a lot of blemishes, though."

"Stop complaining! We-e-e-e-e'll just e-e-e-eat around the-e-e-e-em if it is such an issue-e-e-e." The goat head chided.

"Regardlessssss," The snake head added gesturing to the weapons on the Warden's forelegs; "we cannot eat these partssssss."

"Agre-e-e-e-ed!" Said the goat head, before assisting her sisters in removing the Warden's taser and grapple, carelessly tossing them in Apple Bloom's direction.

The two devices landed close by to her, and an idea occurred to her.

It was risky, but she had to try.

She tried to reach them from where she was lying, but it was just out of reach.

"What was that? Something just moved!" The tiger head exclaimed, looking in Apple Bloom's direction.

She had been discovered! 

A distraction would be extremely useful about now!

Then, an idea occurred to her.

"RAD!" Apple Bloom cried.

The drone burst out of the bags which had been discarded by the Warden earlier, and buzzed into the air, tweeting confusedly. Then, it wailed in an alarmed manner when it saw the Warden in the clutches of the chimera.

"Distract 'em!" Apple Bloom commanded, to which the drone gave a courageous sounding beep.

It then began flying in circles around the stunned monster as it tried to make sense of the situation, each of its heads turning every which way. The little drone kept just out of reach, flashing a bright light repeatedly whenever it was in front of one of the creatures heads, doing his best to keep its attention away from the Warden.

Apple Bloom swallowed her fears and leapt up, lunging at the two weapons. She oriented each one so that their straps were ready for her to put her legs in.

The tiger head roared as the goat head spat some fire at RAD, who easily dodged it and kept up its effort, enraging the beast.

Apple Bloom froze upon hearing this uproar, but swiftly rallied and placed her forelegs within the loops.

"Taser, tighten! Grapple, tighten!" She shouted, her voice trembling slightly with fear and stress.

Thankfully, both devices obeyed her command, and each device's straps tightened around her legs, firmly yet comfortably attaching themselves to her. 

The sensation of wearing these was unlike anything that she had experienced or expected. The feeling of cold metal pressing against her fur was not exactly pleasant, and the weight was a bit more than she anticipated. Still, they seemed usable.

Then, RAD gave an alarmed wail as he was sent flying by the snake head, who had whipped around and knocked the drone away.

Then, all three heads of the Chimera turned to the small, yellow filly for the first time.

All six of the creature's eyes widened in surprise when they realized who she was.

"What? How-"

"It can't be-e-e-e…"

"No, it issssn't! Ssshe doesssn't have a bow!"

Apple Bloom gulped. The creature still had the Warden in its grasp, and she needed to save him.

"It- It's me!" She said, trying her best to sound confident. "Ah'm back!"

"Hah! It is! It's that apple pie filly!"

"We-e-e-ell, whe-e-e-e-ere's your siste-e-e-er now?!"

Apple Bloom stood up as straight, putting on as much bravado as she could.

"Let 'im go!" She demanded. "Now!"

All three heads looked at each other, then laughed.

"Ssssseriousssly?" Asked the snake head. "What will you do, little filly?"

Apple Bloom sighed. She was not going to intimidate them, that much was certain.

She took a shaky breath, and replied.

"Ah'm givin' y'all a final warnin'! Let 'im go!"

The tiger head scoffed. "Oh, please. Stop with the drama already. You're barely a morsel compared to this guy anyway!" She said, shaking the limp stallion slightly before adding; "That being said, if you run away now, we might just forget about you completely."

Apple Bloom thought about this remark. Was it seriously giving her a chance to run away? Was it even telling the truth?

Although she didn't have any reason whatsoever to trust the chimera, perhaps it did have a point. Maybe by eating the Warden, it would be too full to try and eat her instead.

For a split second, she also remembered the Warden's angry outburst earlier. She also remembered how he almost killed the princesses, as well as his constant disdain for them.

Maybe she should abandon him, after all. He deserved it.

…

No.

Absolutely not.

She shook her head. How could she entertain such a thought?

That was against everything that she had been taught!

The Warden could be hostile, sure. But so could Discord. Fluttershy gave him another chance when nopony else would, and he mostly reformed.

Why would the Warden be any different?

If anything, he was actually better than Discord. He was a pony with issues, admittedly. But he also cared for her and kept her safe through the past several days.

He had saved her a couple of times, and was actively trying to get her home. Even after he got angry with her, he still didn't abandon her!

No, Apple Bloom was not going to abandon him.

She stood up on her hind legs, groaning a bit in pain as her injured leg bore more weight than usual. Then she pointed both of her forelegs at the chimera, aiming both weapons at it.

"Taser, on!" She commanded, and she flinched slightly as the weapon crackled to life, electricity arcing between the prongs.

"Oooh!" Said the goat head mockingly. "Look out! She-e-e-e has a little-e-e-e light!"

The tiger head seemed less amused.

"Fine." It said. "Let's get her!"

The chimera let go of the Warden, tossing him aside like a ragdoll. Then, the creature lunged at Apple Bloom.

In a panic now, Apple Bloom tried to command the taser to shoot, but mixed up her command.

"G-grapple, fire!" She stuttered, only realizing her mistake once the grappling claw shot out. 

The claw sailed through the air, and by some miracle, hit the tiger head in the eye, latching onto its face.

The tiger roared in pain and surprise, stumbling to her side and causing the rest of the chimera to follow suit amidst a chorus of protests and cries of alarm.

The chimera inadvertently drew the line taut, and Apple Bloom was pulled off of her hooves.

Now being dragged along the ground as the two unharmed heads tried to calm the panicking tiger head, Apple Bloom frantically tried to think of how to get herself out of this situation. She then blurted out another command, not thinking it through yet again.

"Grapple, retract!" She cried, and the spool began to rewind, drawing her ever closer to the terrible creature.

Out of instinct, she placed her foreleg with the still active taser in front of her, and within a few seconds, she impacted the chimera's side.

The taser's prongs dug in slightly into the creature's flesh, and the electrical current surged through the chimera's body.

All three heads howled in agony as every muscle in their body contracted painfully, subjected to the full amperage of the taser.

At that moment, Apple Bloom remembered what she needed to say to detach the claw.

"Grapple, release!" She shouted, and immediately, she fell away from the chimera. She wasted no time in running a short distance away, also giving the command for the taser to turn off and for the grapple to retract the rest of the way.

After doing so, she turned around, taking stock of the situation.

The chimera was still reeling, trying desperately to remain upright. After a few seconds of this, all three heads looked at the filly with a mixture of raw fear and awe.

Apple Bloom, still breathing heavily, saw that they were definitely fearful of her now. On a whim, she gave a final command.

"Taser, on!" She commanded, pointing the device at the chimera again.

It crackled to life again, and Apple Bloom stared at the chimera, her bright, orange eyes glaring fiercely at the monster.

Seeing this, the snake head hissed.

"Forget thissss!"

The creature broke into a run, thoroughly frightened.

"Le-e-e-et's get out of he-e-e-e-re!" The goat head wailed as they disappeared into the forest, trying to get away as quickly as possible.

Apple Bloom stood there for what felt like a minute, her chest heaving with each deep breath that she drew. She stared off into the forest where the chimera ran, slowly coming to the realization that she had actually defeated the chimera.

"A-apple Bloom…" A weak voice snapped her out of her daze.

The Warden!

She looked around, and saw him lying in the grass a short distance away, still completely limp.

Immediately, her priority shifted to helping the Warden. She still didn't know what had happened to him.

"Ah'm comin'!" She shouted, running as fast as her short legs could carry her. "What's wrong?! What happened?!"

As she ran up to him, he gave an answer, his voice alarmingly weak.

"Syringe… Please…"

Apple Bloom recalled how he had injected himself with something the night before, and remembered what bag it was in.

"A-alright! Hang on!" She cried, running to the Warden's bags lying near the bonfire. She rummaged through the bags, and shortly found a smaller bag filled with the same small syringes that he had used the night prior. Grabbing it in her mouth, she rushed back to the stallion's side. When she got to him, she opened the bag, took out one of the syringes, and carefully stuck it in one of the Warden's forelegs, injecting the contents into his body.

"Thank… You…" The Warden murmured, closing his eyes in relief.

"Are ya goin' to be alright?" She asked, sounding legitimately concerned.

"I… Yes." The Warden groaned, sounding a bit louder and clearer than before. "I'll be back to normal in a few minutes. Can you please start another fire in the meantime?"

Apple Bloom nodded. "Ah will. Just… Hang on for a few moments, okay?"

The Warden nodded, and Apple Bloom turned away, scanning the ground for potential firewood.

In the back of her mind, she was processing what had just happened.

She had saved his life.
> Chapter 14: Reconciliation
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ten minutes later, Apple Bloom had relit the fire and helped the Warden get closer to it. He was still somewhat weak, but improving by the minute. She also recovered RAD, who despite being damaged, seemed enthralled that the two ponies had survived the encounter. Still unable to make delicate movements, the Warden verbally guided Apple Bloom, and instructed her on how to get the drone back into working order. After doing so, the two ponies sat quietly, listening to the wind in the trees and the crackling of the fire underneath the starlit skies.

After a long period of silence, the Warden finally spoke.

"Thank you for saving me."

Apple Bloom looked up at him for a moment, then back at the fire.

"You're welcome." She said in a tone that revealed the mixture of emotions that she was feeling. Anger towards herself for pushing the Warden to lash out at her, sadness upon realizing that the princesses were not who she thought they were, lingering wariness of the Warden, and the helplessness that came with trying to grapple with all these feelings at once.

The filly and the stallion both sat in silence, staring at the fire once more in near complete silence as they struggled with their thoughts.

"Why?" The Warden asked, breaking the silence.

Apple Bloom tilted her head inquisitively. 

"What?"

"Why would you go to such lengths to save me? After how I let loose, I didn't think you would ever be willing to risk your own hide to save mine. Not only that, but it gave you a chance to run. But you stayed and saved me nonetheless."

Apple Bloom glanced downwards, thinking about why she had gone to such extremes to rescue him.

Why did she stand her ground and save him?

After a minute or two of deep thought, she began to answer.

"Ah guess it's because of what ya did for me." She replied, warranting a questioning look from the Warden. "Ya saved me from that spider, the manticore, and those timber wolves. Not to mention that you went so far as to take me back to Ponyville, make a brace for mah leg, and put up with me in general! After all that, abandonin' ya just didn't sit right…"

The Warden nodded thoughtfully.

"So it was out of fairness?"

Apple Bloom paused to ponder if fairness was really the only reason she saved him.

"... Eeyup." She replied after thinking for a moment. "Although, it wasn't the only reason."

One of the Warden's eyebrows lifted slightly, indicating curiosity.

Seeing this, Apple Bloom continued.

"Mah sister and her friends, they never stand aside when somepony's in trouble. They always try to help them if that pony needs it." She explained, adding; "An' if that pony or creature is doin' wrong, they do all they can to help 'em do what's right. Ah guess that's rubbed off on me."

The Warden nodded in acknowledgement, looking back into the fire. Then, he sighed, shook his head, and rubbed his forehooves against his face.

"Apple Bloom?" He asked, sounding remorseful. "I'm sorry for lashing out earlier. You didn't deserve that."

Apple Bloom looked back at him, some sadness evident in her gaze.

"Are ya sure that it wasn't mah fault?" She asked, sounding sorrowful as well. "Ah mean-"

"It wasn't your fault at all!" The Warden interrupted, catching himself before he got too loud, lowering his tone. "I… I let myself lose control."

"But Ah brought up Princess Celestia when you told me not to." Apple Bloom protested. 

"Well… That's true." The Warden admitted, shooting an earnest look at her. "But that was no reason for me to unleash myself the way I did."

Apple Bloom glanced downwards, pondering whether or not he was correct.

Meanwhile, he sighed again and shook his head.

"I lost control of my anger, and made you feel like you were at fault. I mistreated you, badly."

Apple Bloom looked back up at him, her eyes shimmering slightly in hopefulness. Gradually, her feelings of guilt and sorrow for his outburst were being dispelled, replaced with a sense of relief.

Perhaps there was a chance to set things right between them. Should she accept his apology?

After all they had gone through, it didn't seem right to simply reject it.

Incidentally, why was she so hopeful that they would be on good terms with one another?

This question resonated within her, dominating her mind.

Was it because he seemed to be generally good? Sure, he was staunch in his beliefs and somewhat coarse, but the more Apple Bloom got to know the Warden, the more she began to see the kindness and goodness lying underneath. While Applejack wasn't nearly quite as difficult to read, Apple Bloom saw some similarities between her and the Warden in how they acted.

Or was it out of pity that she wanted to set things right? His outburst definitely shed some light on his past, that was certain. He had suffered a loss that was nigh unimaginable to Apple Bloom. It caused her pain to know that she had lost her parents, even though she had no memory of them. But the thought of ever losing her remaining family suddenly after being with them for years, like how the Warden lost his, was far more painful. He didn't mean to take it out on her, he was just angry and upset at those responsible. Would it be heartless of her to reject the apology of a saddened and sorrowful pony?

She sighed as she looked into the fire, the dancing flames reflecting off of her eyes.

He was a lot like Trouble Shoes, in some ways. He was a lonely, misunderstood stallion who really seemed to be in need of a friend.

Perhaps that was why she wanted to set things right: She wanted him to have a friend.

He didn't deserve to live a life of loneliness and sadness. Nopony does, especially if they are clearly sorry for doing wrong and are genuinely good at heart. The Warden fit this description exactly.

What's more, accepting his apology would be what Applejack, Twilight, and the others would do, right? At the very least, she was certain that Fluttershy would've done so if she were in Apple Bloom's position. After all, she gave Discord a second chance when nopony else did. Why wouldn't she do the same for the Warden?

Apple Bloom looked back towards the Warden, who had put his face into his hooves yet again. She could tell he felt awful about his outburst.

At that moment, she made up her mind: She would accept his apology.

Not only that, but she was going to do everything in her power to try and show him the magic of friendship! He clearly needed a friend, and she was going to be one for him!

"Ah forgive ya, mister Warden." She said quietly, looking at him with an earnest expression.

The stallion remained still for a moment, but his ears visibly perked up. Then, he turned his head and looked at her with an expression which she had not yet seen from him. 

He looked… Touched?

"You do?" He asked hesitantly, skepticism present in his tone.

Apple Bloom nodded.

"Eeyup… Ah can tell you're mighty sorry for what ya said." She replied, pausing before adding; "But Ah can also see why you were so mad. Losin' your family like that, Ah can't even begin to understand how that must've felt like…"

The Warden's expression turned thoughtful, before sighing slowly and raising his head. He looked back into the fire, clearly in thought.

"Thank you…" He said quietly, looking sideways at her.

Apple Bloom smiled slightly and quietly nodded in reply, any and all feelings of dread, resentment, and guilt completely replaced by relief.

It seemed as if things were turning out alright after all.

Both ponies went silent, watching the dancing flames, listening to the occasional crackle or pop. Crickets chirped around them, and the chilly breeze from the nearby mountains rushed through the trees above.

Then, the Warden coughed and began to speak.

"Do you want me to answer any questions you might have tomorrow?"

Apple Bloom glanced at the Warden in surprise.

"Do what now?"

"I'll be willing to answer any questions you might have about me or my family tomorrow." The Warden clarified, looking back at the filly. "You deserve some straight answers after the kindness you've shown me."

Apple Bloom had to take a moment to process this offer.

"Are ya sure?" She eventually asked, sounding uncertain. "Am Ah goin' to upset ya again?"

He shook his head, taking a slow breath.

"I can't guarantee that I won't be upset, but I won't take it out on you again, believe me."

Apple Bloom remained silent, internally debating if she should take up his offer. While part of her was eager to jump at the chance to get some answers to some of her more pervasive questions, another part was urging for caution.

Did she trust him?

She probed her innermost feelings and deductions, trying to determine the answer to this question.

While his outburst had definitely hurt her trust in him, his apology and his previous actions made to save her outweighed the damage done.

Yes. She trusted him.

Slowly, she stood up and walked over to the Warden. Then, she placed one of her forehooves up on his shoulder, and smiled.

"Alright. Thanks, mister Warden." She said, nodding slightly as she did so.

The Warden's eyes softened, then a slight smile began to appear on his face. It wasn't a smirk, unlike how Apple Bloom had seen from him before. Instead, it was a genuine, happy smile; slight, but genuine.

This observation made Apple Bloom's heart jump a little. For the first time since they had left the cottage, he seemed to be showing signs of genuine happiness!

After a few seconds, she lowered her hoof and stepped off to the side as the Warden stood up.

He sighed, looked back into the fire, and closed his eyes.

"We need to get more rest." He remarked, moving to where he was laying before the chimera's attack.

Apple Bloom nodded, and went back to her spot next to the fire, curling up inside her poncho while the Warden did the same in his spot.

As she closed her eyes, her thoughts swirled around what had happened. She had gone from being afraid of the Warden to being trusting of him once again in the course of an hour. 

Not only that, but her perception of him had evolved. He wasn't simply some mysterious and noble hearted figure who seemed to be bigger than life. He was a pony who was struggling with his anger and guilt. He was a pony who needed a friend to pull through.

She shook her head slightly in disbelief. Was she really becoming a friend to the Warden, of all ponies?

Despite the outlandish nature of this, it felt like the right thing to do. It was what Fluttershy did for Discord, and now it was about to be what she would do for the Warden.





"Rainbow! Is that mah sister's bow!? Where did ya find it!?"

"I-in some canyon on the other side of the mountains…"

…

"Rainbow, what else?"

"Well… I-it was…"

…

"Rainbow?"

"A-are you completely certain that you want to know?"

"Ah am. What is it?"

"We… Found no more evidence of Apple Bloom there, and it was mixed in with a pile of rubble left behind by a recent rockslide."

…

"Applejack?"

…

"Are… Are ya completely certain that none of y'all found anythin' else?"

"I'm afraid so, AJ…"

…

"Applejack, this doesn't mean that she's dead. Like Rainbow said, there was no other evidence of her anywhere around. She could have just simply been through there, or maybe she lost the bow and the wind carried it there."

"Then why can't Ah shake the feeling that something has happened to her, Twilight?"

"Applejack, we have to be optimistic! It is the only way we are going to get through this!"

"Hopes an' dreams ain't gonna keep her alive. It's been two days. Two days, separated from her kin, and lost somewhere out there! Ah want to be hopeful! Ah want to believe that she's survivin'! But with each passin' hour, mah hopes keep givin' way to dread!"

…

"Mah baby sister is out there, and all we've found is her bow next to a disaster site. Ah ain't feelin' very optimistic."

Click!

Creeeaaak!

"Applejack! Applej- Whoops, sorry Rainbow!"

"Woah! Look out, Fluttershy!"

"Fluttershy? What is it, sugarcube?"

"Yeah! Why all the excitement?"

"Oh, Applejack! I have exciting news! Apple Bloom's alive!"

"She is?!"

"Yes!"

"Woohoo! Yeah! That's awesome, Flutters!"

"Oh thank Celestia…"

Sniff!

"Need a tissue?"

"Eeyup. Thanks Twi."

"Well, where is she? How'd you find out?"

"So, as you know, I sent out word to my animal friends, and they started spreading the word all around. As it turns out, one of my bird friends came across another bird who saw two ponies; a filly and a stallion; running from timber wolves up over the Unicorn Range."

"Timber wolves? For real?"

"Well? Don't keep me waitin'! What happened?"

"That bird followed them, and the ponies went into a ravine to try and escape the wolves!"

"Did this ravine have a rockslide?"

"I- It did! How do you know?"

"Never mind that! Keep goin'!"

"Well, I had to ask my friend to tell me this next part a second time, it was so incredible. The stallion carried the filly back up the other side of the ravine and set a trap for the timber wolves. When the wolves tried to climb up after them, the stallion caused a rockslide, destroying the wolves!"

"What?! This guy sounds awesome!"

"What about the filly? Is it her?"

"The bird led my friend in the direction that the ponies went, and my friend tells me that the filly is actually her! She didn't have her bow, though."

"That settles it, then. The odds are in the favor of that filly being Apple Bloom!"

"Where are they now? Where are they going?"

"Well, my friend says that they are moving directly towards Ponyville! If I remember right, he said that they were about twenty-five miles to the Northeast."

"So… This stallion is bringing her home?"

"I would assume so! He seems like such a good pony for him to go through such lengths to keep her safe."

"I would say so, too."

"Heh heh… I feel more relieved than a tree that's survived Hearth's Warmin'! If Ah see that stallion, Ah'll be liable to kiss him on the cheek!"

"Heh! I'd love to see you do that!"

"This is all wonderful news, Fluttershy. Even so, I don't think it would hurt to keep up the search for them. What do you think, Rainbow?"

"We can try, but Cloudsdale said that an unstoppable air mass is going to bring clouds and rain to that area tomorrow. It's going to be difficult."

"Hm... We still should try. Tomorrow, we'll keep up the search, but it sounds like she'll be here tomorrow if that stallion keeps his pace up. Yawn! Regardless, we all need to get some sleep."

"Will do, sugarcube. Ah think Ah'll actually be able to sleep better tonight… Thank you, Fluttershy."

"You're welcome, Applejack. I think I might be able to sleep better tonight, too."

"I think we all will."

"Alright, good night everypony!"

Clip clop clip clop clip clop

"By the way, AJ; I'm gonna hold you to your word."

"What? 'Bout me kissin' the stallion?"

"Haha! Yeah."

Creeeaaak!

Click!
> Chapter 15: Answers
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Apple Bloom was awakened by the sensation of raindrops hitting her face sometime shortly after sunrise. The skies were overcast, a sharp breeze fell from the nearby mountains, and a damp chill was in the air. Thankfully, her poncho provided her with good protection against these elements. After a brisk breakfast, she and the Warden set off once more. 

Despite the gloomy atmosphere, the mood felt different than in days past. Apple Bloom felt hopeful and joyful. Not only did she and the Warden reconcile earlier, but she was going to be home by the end of the day! The Warden also seemed to be feeling a bit different as well. His gait was a bit more energetic, and he seemed to hold his head a bit higher than usual.

Despite this new, invigorating mood; Apple Bloom was still tired after they set off. The excitement of the night before had left her feeling a bit drained. More than once, she curled up within her poncho and fell asleep on the Warden's back, regaining what energy that she had lost the night before.

She woke up from her final doze right before lunch, and after stopping for a quick meal in drizzling rain, the two set off again.

The terrain had become a lot more rugged as the morning passed, with rocks and mountain peaks towering above them as they approached the final obstacle between them and Ponyville.

It was during this upward trek towards a pass within the range that Apple Bloom finally decided to make good on the Warden's promise.

"So… Mister Warden?"

"Yes?"

"Ah know that ya promised to answer mah questions last night…"

"I did. What do you want to know?"

Apple Bloom had to think for a moment. There were several big questions that had been circulating within her mind during the day, but some of them seemed to be somewhat personal. Namely, she wanted to ask about his family and what had even happened for them to be harmed by Nightmare Moon, in an effort to try to understand fully why things turned out so tragically for him.

However, opening with that struck her as being… Wrong.

Was reopening all that trauma really the best course of action?

Perhaps a less impactful question was needed.

"What happened to ya last night?" Apple Bloom asked, having chosen which question to ask. "Why weren't ya able to fight back?"

The Warden didn't immediately answer, cocking his head slightly to the side as he thought of how to reply.

"It's a side effect of capacium poisoning." He answered after a moment's hesitation.

"Ya can get poisonin' from wearin' the armor?!" Apple Bloom asked, sounding a bit alarmed.

The Warden shook his head, somewhat to her relief.

"No. It can happen if you are exposed directly to the energy that molten capacium gives off, though." He assured her. "If enough of it gets into your bloodstream, it can cause neural degeneration. Specifically, it gradually takes away your ability to move."

"O-oh…" Apple Bloom murmured. That took a far more depressing turn than she had hoped for. "So ya gotta inject medicine into yourself to stop it?"

He nodded. "In a sense. It stops the degeneration and boosts my ability to use motor functions. It requires regular doses, though."

Apple Bloom thought about his answer for a moment, then spoke.

"Ya forgot to take it last night?"

He sighed and nodded again.

"Yeah…"

Apple Bloom could not help but feel a pang of guilt pierce her soul. He likely forgot because of how she had made him angry yesterday. Sure, he took the blame, but she could not begin to imagine the fear that would have come with completely losing her ability to move. 

"Ah'm… Sorry about that…" She murmured slowly. "It sounds like a horrible sickness to live with…"

The Warden glanced back at her, and seemed to notice her shift in spirit.

"Well, it isn't all bad, I suppose." He said in a reassuring tone. "It does come with quite an amazing side effect."

"Huh?" Apple Bloom questioned, looking just as confused as she sounded. "How's losin' your ability to move amazin'?"

"Because that's not the side effect I was talking about." He responded. "You see, while the capacium does damage my motor functions, it also grants me some of the characteristics that it possesses."

"Like?"

"Like the ability to absorb magic and limited immunity to magic spells."

"Wait, really?!" Apple Bloom asked, her eyes widening in wonder as the Warden nodded.

"To an extent, yes. I can't use said magic without the help of my armor, and I can't absorb quite as much as it can either." He replied, looking out ahead. "But it was enough to allow me to resist having my earth pony magic taken by Tirek."

"Tirek couldn't take your magic?!" Apple Bloom asked, still sounding astonished. If that was true, then he was the only pony who had managed to do so! Even the princesses couldn't match that feat.

Yet again, the Warden had managed to amaze her.

Meanwhile, he simply nodded.

"I know. I guess there's a bit of a silver lining to being poisoned." He remarked, wincing slightly as a gust of wind caused a few snowflakes to fly into his face.

Apple Bloom drew in her poncho tighter in response to the gust, concluding that they were encountering snow now instead of rain because of their altitude. They were about halfway up the mountain range, after all.

After a few seconds, the wind let up, and another question came to her mind.

"How'd ya even get poisoned in the first place?"

The Warden took a deep breath, indicating that she had perhaps asked something painful. Apple Bloom flinched internally, remembering that he had said that he could not guarantee that he wouldn't get upset.

Still, he also said that if he did, he wouldn't get upset at her.

In any case, after a moment, he gave a swift reply.

"I was exposed to the energy when Nightmare Moon-"

He fell silent, staring off ahead uncomfortably.

Apple Bloom began to wonder if even asking him anything in the first place was even a good idea. Internally, she berated herself for bringing a painful subject back up.

Then, he seemed to awake from his daze.

"Sorry. I- I promised to be truthful." He said in a subdued manner. "I was exposed when Nightmare Moon attacked me and my family. She blew up the reactor, and I got a heavy dose before I got taken to some other universe. That's how I got poisoned."

Apple Bloom felt disbelief. Was Princess Luna really responsible for not only taking his family, but saddling him with this horrible sounding illness?

Slowly, unconsciously, a question escaped her mouth.

"Why? Why would she do somethin' like that?" She asked, sounding as if she were in a daze, only realizing after the fact that she had asked such a question.

The Warden shook his head sadly.

"Do you remember what I had said about the relationship between the sisters?" He asked somberly.

Apple Bloom debated whether or not to inform him that her question was unintentional. However, he seemed to be willing to explain, and she did want a bit more context in regards to his past. In a swift moment, she decided to simply listen to what he had to say.

She nodded quietly, her ears raised and ready to hear his explanation.

"Well, as I said before;" He began, "Princess Celestia took after her father. Like him, she was domineering, petty, prideful, and jealous for attention."

Apple Bloom suppressed a small wave of anger upon hearing him speak of Celestia in a negative manner. Unlike last time, she now held a lot more belief in the Warden's words. Still, she found it difficult to discard her favorable perception of Celestia.

Meanwhile, the Warden continued.

"Princess Luna was not quite so flawed. She was caring, kind, and genuinely protective of her subjects."

This statement immediately caused Apple Bloom's thoughts to shift in a jarring manner.

Did he just praise Princess Luna?!

After all that he had said about her, it was shocking to hear him say such things about her.

"However," He continued; "she never quite got the reverence and adoration that she deserved from her subjects. Over time, she began to grow envious of her sister's popularity."

Apple Bloom nodded slowly. While she was familiar with the tale of Nightmare Moon, she had not heard it told quite like this before. It was a bit surreal.

"Celestia should have addressed that as soon as it became clear, but that meant that she would have to share the adoration of her subjects with Luna. So, instead of getting over her own pride and helping her sister overcome her bitterness, Celestia simply did nothing to fix the problem.

Apple Bloom felt her heart sink a bit. She knew where the story was going next.

"One day, Luna snapped." The Warden said somberly. "She gave in to her innermost, darkest desires; and became Nightmare Moon. She tried to kill Celestia, who had finally come to realize how poorly she had treated Luna. Celestia brought out the Elements of Harmony, but because of her guilt, she could not bring herself to banish Nightmare Moon, giving her a chance to escape into the night."

He fell silent, and for a minute, the only sound that could be heard was the blustering wind.

Apple Bloom tilted her head in confusion. Wasn't Nightmare Moon banished to the moon? There was no way that she had escaped Princess Celestia.

"That doesn't sound quite right." She remarked confusedly. "Ah thought she was banished."

"Well, she was." The Warden explained. "But it is at this point in the story where I come in."

Apple Bloom's ears raised in interest. Was he about to finally explain how exactly he fit into this narrative?

"As you may know, Nightmare Moon prevented Celestia from raising the sun in an effort to bring about eternal night. Naturally, this drew my attention and I went to confront Celestia in order to understand what was going on." The Warden said, adding: "When I arrived at the castle, I gave her an ultimatum: Banish Nightmare Moon, or I would find her and stop her by any means necessary."

"By any means necessary?" Apple Bloom asked, her ears lowering. "Y-ya didn't mean-"

The Warden nodded. "If Celestia couldn't banish her, then that left one alternative to save Equestria: Kill Nightmare Moon."

This left Apple Bloom feeling disturbed.

"But doesn't that seem kinda drastic?" She asked, her expression showing her surprise.

"Under those circumstances, no." He responded. "Bear in mind that Equestria was at stake. If Celestia and I failed to stop her, all ponykind would be living in darkness, under the rule of yet another tyrant."

He paused, and looked back at her, his gaze seeming to pierce into her soul.

"Assuming that Celestia had failed, would allowing Nightmare Moon to live be worth allowing all of ponykind to suffer for centuries to come?"

This question provoked some deep thought from Apple Bloom. It seemed horrible, to think that the Warden seemed to have no doubts that resorting to killing was a proper course of action.

Still, he had a point. When everypony else's well being was on the line, and there was no other options left, was there anything else that he could do?

After a few moments of thought, she responded.

"Ah… Ah guess not…" She murmured, glancing downward as she did so. "But didn't ya at least try to think of somethin' else to do besides killin' Princess Luna?"

The Warden looked downwards as well, Apple Bloom's question causing him to think before answering.

"I suppose I did, but there was nothing else to do." He replied, glancing back at her. "Make no mistake, I didn't like the idea of possibly having to kill her. That's why I went to Celestia first; to give her a chance to banish Nightmare Moon and defeat her without harming her."

Apple Bloom was sent back into thought upon hearing this reply. Her disturbance faded somewhat, now understanding that he didn't take the prospect of killing a pony lightly. This also made it clear that he was willing to make choices that seemed to be impossible to make.

"What happened next?" She asked, wishing to continue the story.

"Well, as I said, I told Celestia that she needed to find and banish Nightmare Moon, or else I would take action." The Warden continued, stopping and sighing before adding; "However, neither of us realized that she was eavesdropping on us. She didn't dare show herself while Celestia had the elements and I had my armor, but she did overhear our conversation. Needless to say, once she realized that I was also a threat, Nightmare Moon decided that I needed to be dealt with."

The Warden paused again, lowering his head and closing his eyes as another gust of wind brought more snow flying into his face. Apple Bloom did the same, raising her poncho to block the oncoming barrage of stinging snowflakes.

Once the wind let up, she lowered her guard to the elements once more, and the Warden did the same.

"You okay?" He asked, sniffing and looking back at her as he did so.

Apple Bloom nodded.

"Eeyup." She replied.

The Warden drew his mouth a bit tighter, and looked back out ahead, resuming his pace.

As he was looking back at her, she could have sworn that she saw a few tears in his eyes, most likely a result of wind driven snow flying into his face. But she couldn't quite say for certain, for she was beginning to feel dread and sorrow grip her heart as his story progressed. 

She knew how it was going to end: With the destruction of his family. But that didn't make listening any easier.

If it wasn't easy for her to hear his story, then how was he really feeling about it?

Meanwhile the Warden had gone silent, his ears having lowered as his overall mood visibly changed, having gone from energetic in the earlier part of the day to now almost depressed.

Apple Bloom wondered if he was going to resume his tale. This possibility made her apprehensive. Would she not find out what exactly had happened to the Warden's family after all?

Then, with a low, saddened tone, the Warden broke his silence.

"After I confronted Celestia, I flew back to my home, unaware that Nightmare Moon was following me." He explained, his ears having drooped very low, visibly indicating his sadness. "After I had taken off my armor, she revealed herself and cornered me, my wife, and my daughter…"

His voice trailed off, and he closed his eyes. He took a slow, shuddering breath, shaking his head slightly. Then, he opened his eyes and raised his head back up, staring off into the distance.

Although he was trying to not show it, Apple Bloom could tell that he was greatly saddened. Once again, she felt a pang of guilt for even asking him to bring up this painful subject once again. This time, the urge to act upon this realization grew too strong for her to ignore.

"Hey, ya ain't gotta continue if ya don't want to." She told him gently, sounding concerned.

The Warden looked back, and a vague hint of a smile could barely be seen on his face.

"Thank you for your concern," He said in an appreciative manner; "but telling you isn't going to hurt me."

The Warden sighed once again, and looked ahead.

"In any case, Nightmare Moon cornered all three of us. She gave a speech about how we were going to pay for aligning ourselves against her, and she tried to kill us with a blast of magic."

He took a moment to pause and take a breath, then resumed.

"She missed, and hit the gatekeeper instead. It exploded, and the raw, cosmic energy fueling it escaped, tearing open portals between other worlds. I… tried my hardest to shield them, but…"

His voice fell away for a moment, and he shook his head before resuming.

"Time and space was ripped to shreds for a few seconds, but it was enough time to rip me away from Equestria… And my family…"

He took a shaky breath, closing his eyes and bowing his head.

Apple Bloom felt a lump begin to arise within her throat. She could not even begin to fathom the degree of grief that the Warden had to be feeling at the moment. Although she had lost her parents, she had no memory of them. To lose two family members after knowing them for so long, was a concept that broke her heart.

Perhaps it was the fact that Granny, Big Mac, and Applejack had undergone such a tragedy with the loss of Bright Mac and Buttercup that had made her so sensitive to this. On occasion, especially on the anniversary of their passing, Apple Bloom would feel a bit out of touch, seeing how much more the family's loss seemed to affect them rather than her.

Still, on such occasions, they would welcome Apple Bloom's efforts to comfort them.

Without thinking, Apple Bloom did what she usually did to her family members when they were feeling down.

She leaned forward and wrapped her forelegs around the Warden's neck, closing her eyes as she did so.

He raised his head, and he went tense for a moment, but soon relinquished and relaxed.

"Ah'm sorry..." Apple Bloom said quietly, feeling guilty that she had made him feel such a way. "Ah didn't mean to make ya feel so bad..."

She felt him shake his head.

"It's alright, young one." He said, sounding far quieter than she had ever heard him before.

Apple Bloom released him, and shuffled back a bit, resuming her usual position as they continued upwards, the slope becoming less intense. After a few minutes of silence, she asked a question.

"What were their names?"

The Warden shot a brief glance at her, giving his answer.

"My wife's name was Edelweiss. My daughter was Barbette."

"What were they like?"

"Beautiful and precious. Both of them." He replied, his voice starting to sound aloof. "They changed my whole outlook on life and showed me that I was meant to be far more than a warrior."

To Apple Bloom's surprise, a slight smile began to appear on his face, despite his saddened eyes. It seemed as if talking about his family was bringing him a form of serenity.

"Do you know about the edelweiss flower?" He asked, his question catching Apple Bloom a bit off guard.

"Ah do." She replied, her knowledge of plants allowing her to answer quickly. "It's a white an' yellow flower that often grows above the treeline on mountain slopes. It's known to represent both resilience and beauty."

The Warden nodded.

"Correct." He sighed. "Like her namesake, she was beautiful and deceptively tough. She grew up an orphan on the streets, but she didn't let that define her. She was kind and loving, but her compassion was her true defining trait."

Apple Bloom envisioned the mare in the last picture that she had found in the cottage. Although it had been several days at this point, she could still envision her quite clearly. The kind, blue eyes and the calming smile on her face brought a peaceful feeling to Apple Bloom's heart.

No wonder the Warden loved her so much…

"She showed me compassion and love at a time when I needed it most. If it weren't for her, I would certainly have become a slave to anger…" The Warden continued, shaking his head. "She changed my life, and showed me that I was meant to be so much more than a violent warrior bent on protecting ponykind at all costs."

"She sounds like she was a good mare." Apple Bloom remarked, looking at the Warden with an earnest expression in her shining, orange eyes.

"You have no idea…" The Warden sighed, before continuing. "She was the love of my life, a light which kept me from getting lost in the dark. I simply could not imagine life without her. I thought things couldn't get any better, then we had Barbette."

"Your daughter?"

He nodded slightly.

"She turned my world upside down in the best way possible." He said with a smile. "She was a part of me, an extension of my body and soul. Both me and Edel knew that we had the opportunity to give her a childhood which neither of us had, and we didn't squander it. We gave her the option to not take up the mantle of Warden. We didn’t want her to have a childhood that she would resent."

Something stirred deep within Apple Bloom’s soul upon hearing this. She understood all too well the value of having parents who loved their children and gave them a good upbringing. It was a blessing which she did not have, albeit it was obviously not the fault of her own parents. 

The fact that the Warden and his wife were determined to love and raise their own daughter in spite of their own difficult childhoods and that the Warden was willing to potentially end his family’s long-lived traditions had stirred up a new feeling of admiration within her. Yet again, he had indirectly proven that was not the evil pony that others viewed him to be.

While Apple Bloom was processing this, the Warden kept on.

“Although we gave her the option to back out of being trained to become the next Warden, she simply seemed to become more determined to take up the mantle. Barbette was just as loving and tough as her mother, but shared my courage and willingness to do well by our ancestors. She truly possessed the best traits between me and Edel. She would have become the best of the Wardens, no doubt about that.”

He fell silent for a moment, inhaling slowly and exhaling, sending a cloud floating out away from his nose.

“But now… Equestria won’t ever have the blessing of having such a heroic young mare rushing to its defense in times of need…”

Apple Bloom felt her heart sink as the Warden bowed his head and closed his eyes. Together, the two remained silent as he continued up the slope, which was growing less and less intense. To each side, the mountains' rounded, snow covered peaks towered above them as the last of the trees and grass passed by. Soon, the terrain became exclusively rocky, and it seemed to Apple Bloom that they were approaching the summit of the pass. In addition, the snow stopped falling, and she could see patches of blue sky through breaks in the clouds.

After what felt like a few minutes, her thoughts still revolved around the Warden's lost daughter. She remembered the small suit of armor that she had seen in the lab, and how it shared the cutie mark of Barbette.

"That armor in the lab… Was that your daughter's?" She asked, hoping to perhaps shift the conversation somewhere else.

He nodded and looked back at her. "It was. I made it for her."

Apple Bloom's eyes lit up. The thought that a filly had a suit of mechanical armor like the Warden's had left her enamored.

The Warden seemed to take notice.

"You seem to be blown away by the fact that my daughter had a suit similar to mine."

Apple Bloom nodded in agreement.

"Ah do! Did it allow her to fly and do other things that earth ponies can't do?"

He nodded.

"To an extent. It could fly, and it's made of capacium, but it doesn't have all the weapons that mine does. It was intended for training, after all."

Apple Bloom nodded, understanding what he was saying. It made sense to her. Perhaps giving a filly a suit of armor that could kill an alicorn was not exactly a good idea.

"That sounds smart." She remarked. "Still, Ah can't help but wonder what it would be like to use somethin' like that."

"I know." The Warden replied, looking back with a slight smirk. "The expression on your face said it all."

Apple Bloom smiled back, wondering if her thoughts were really so obvious.

Just then, they reached what appeared to be the crest of the mountain pass, and she could not help but catch her breath.

Below them, a familiar landscape opened up. Off in the distance, to the southeast, was a collection of buildings.

Ponyville.

From the town hall, to the castle of friendship, to the big red barn at Sweet Apple Acres, there was no mistaking it.

It was home.

The Warden stopped upon reaching the top, and took in the scene as well.

For a minute, they both sat in silence, gazing upon the distant town below.

"So," The Warden asked; "that's Ponyville?"

Apple Bloom couldn’t answer for a few seconds, she was simply too excited and overjoyed to finally see her hometown.

“Eeyup!” She exclaimed, breaking her silence.

The Warden nodded, squinting to take a clearer look at the distant town. "Huh. Seems like a nice place."

However, Apple Bloom didn't hear him. Her mind was in a massive rush. The fact that she was almost home had finally sunk in for good. She was going to see Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, Applejack, Granny, Big Mac, and everypony else again!

Both she and the Warden sat atop the pass for a moment, looking down. Then, the Warden looked back at her.

"Hey…" He said in a subdued tone. "Thank you."

Apple Bloom broke from her thoughts and looked confusedly at him.

"For… What?" She asked.

He looked at her, his green eyes showing an expression of gratitude.

"Thank you for listening." He clarified. "It… It may sound a bit sappy, but I feel as if some weight was removed from my soul when I told you about my loved ones. I've never told anypony about them in such detail before. It feels… Relieving."

Apple Bloom's eyes widened in a combination of wonder and joy. "Ya mean ya feel better because Ah was willin' to listen to your story?"

He nodded.

"I guess so, but you did far more than just listen." He explained. "You asked. You showed genuine concern and interest in my past. You saved me from the Chimera, and you don't treat me like a criminal. In fact you almost treat me like a…"

His voice faded away, as he seemed to struggle with coming up with an answer. However, Apple Bloom already knew what he was going to say.

"Ah treated ya like a friend?" She asked. 

Deep down, hopefulness was growing within her. Was he coming around? Was he admitting that they were friends? Did this mean that perhaps other ponies would be able to see him as she did, and give him a shot at redemption?

He looked back at her, and a gentle smile began to show.

"I… Guess so."

"Then… We're friends?" She asked, her hopefulness ever clear in her voice.

The Warden nodded.

If Apple Bloom didn't have an injured leg and wasn't sitting on the Warden's back, she would've started jumping for joy!

She did it! She had befriended the Warden! He didn't have to suffer so badly any more!

Just like how Fluttershy had befriended Discord and helped him reform, Apple Bloom had helped the Warden overcome a massive hurdle towards redemption!

He deserved it. He had saved her several times, showing bravery, intelligence, skill, kindness, and nobility which she had never had personally seen before! He regretted his attack on Canterlot, and clearly needed a friend by his side.

It thrilled the filly to think that she had accomplished something that the other ponies probably would've considered to be impossible.

A feeling of accomplishment flooded her heart as the Warden began working his way down the slope away from the pass.

She had definitely performed an act of friendship that even Twilight would be impressed by! But more importantly, she had opened the door for the Warden to potentially be changed for the better.

She sighed happily as they worked their way down, towards the town which she called home.
> Chapter 16: Showdown
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ponyville was still a few miles distant, but the downward trek off of the pass enabled the pair to make good time. They made their way down, away from the rocks and pines of the mountainside and down into the temperate forests that were familiar to Apple Bloom.

Once again, they were surrounded by trees that were ablaze with all sorts of colors. From red to yellow, from orange to brown, the spectrum of colors was spectacular.

When they were within a few miles of the center of town, Apple Bloom finally began to recognize her surroundings. They weren't too far from the orchard now, and she began to direct the Warden towards her home.

A couple of hours had passed since they had gotten over the pass, and the sun was getting low in the west. Apple Bloom could not help but be reminded of the accident that had occurred three days before, which had happened about this time of day.

She wondered how Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo were at that moment, and how happy they would be when the Cutie Mark Crusaders were finally united once more.

She wondered about Applejack, Big Mac, and Granny as well, and how overjoyed they would be to see her once again.

Her heart warmed up as these happy thoughts went through her mind. Her happiness only grew in intensity as apple trees began to appear, row after row. With a sudden, joyful realization, Apple Bloom recognized where she was!

Home.

Then it occurred to her that the Warden was cutting straight through the orchard, instead of taking the main road in.

"Hey, mister Warden?"

"Yeah?" He replied, looking around apphrensively.

"Why're we cuttin' through the orchard? The main road is only a short distance away."

The Warden stopped and kneeled down.

"Because I don't want to draw a bunch of attention, least of all from your sister." He explained as Apple Bloom hopped off.

"What do ya mean?" She asked as he pulled out his poncho. "Ah kinda want ya to meet her, along with the rest of mah family!"

He shook his head.

"I've already met her, remember? I didn't make a very favorable first impression, either."

It was all Apple Bloom could do from planting a hoof onto her face. She had completely forgotten that Applejack had fought him at Canterlot.

"That being said," he continued; "I'm going to cover up my cutie mark, I'm going to drop you off, and I'm going to leave. The last thing I need is to be accused of foalnapping you, on top of charges of attempted murder of the sisters. Furthermore, I want you to keep my identity, and everything I have told you about myself a secret, understood?"

"Eeyup…" Apple Bloom sighed as she nodded. 

She had been hoping that she could tell her sister and her friends about the adventure she had alongside the Warden, in addition to telling them about how she had befriended him.

He had a good reason behind this, though. She really didn’t want to put him into needless danger, and keeping quiet about who he really was seemed to be the safest thing to do. To expose him would be very unfair, after all he had done for her.

Still, her heart sank upon realizing that he wouldn’t have the opportunity to make more friends and clear his name. Or in the very least, show everypony how noble and good he really was.

Then, a whooshing noise in the air above the trees caused both ponies to look upwards as a curtain of leaves fell to the ground. Through the now bare branches, a trail of rainbow colors darted overhead.

Apple Bloom's heart skipped a beat.

Could it be?...

A familiarly raspy voice then called out from behind them, and it was unmistakable.

"Apple Bloom?!"

Both the Warden and Apple Bloom whipped around to see Rainbow Dash staring at the pair, her tuscan eyes wide in shock.

Apple Bloom was euphoric to see a familiar face.

"Rainbow Dash!" She cried, bolting towards her as quickly as she could, her orange eyes shining bright.

"Oh no…" The Warden murmured.

Apple Bloom immediately slid to a halt upon hearing him say this. His voice was laced with apprehension and surprise.

Seeing that she had stopped, Rainbow Dash spoke in a serious tone with an angry expression.

"Apple Bloom? Get away from him. Now."

A confused look came over the filly's face for a moment, then she remembered that Rainbow Dash was there at Canterlot as well.

His cover had been blown, that much was clear. While this could be bad for the Warden, this meant that Apple Bloom could try to explain without fear of compromising him any further.

"Now hol' on a second!" She exclaimed. "This ain't how it seems, trust-"

That was as far as she got before she was forcibly hoisted into the air, and in less than a second, she was being flown away from the Warden, towards the barn, carried by Rainbow Dash.

"Hey!" Apple Bloom shouted angrily above the rushing air. "Stop!"

"Are you kidding?!" Rainbow shouted back, looking at her with an expression of pure consternation. "Heck, no!"

There wasn't a lot that Apple Bloom could do. To try and break free while she was in the air was a bad idea, so she instead tried to think of a way to explain to Applejack or Big Mac how the Warden had saved her.

She didn't have very long, however. Thanks to Rainbow's speed, they landed in the barnyard within seconds.

"AJ?! Big Mac?!" Rainbow shouted at the top of her lungs. "Come quick!"

Applejack was the first to appear, poking her head out of the barn doors with a confused look upon hearing Rainbow's frantic cry.

The moment that her eyes met Apple Bloom's, Applejack's expression instantly changed from confusion to sheer joy.

She bolted out of the barn, running faster than Apple Bloom had ever seen her run before.

"Apple Bloom?!" She cried, her big green eyes shimmering brightly in the diminishing daylight.

Despite the dilemma on her hooves, Apple Bloom could not help but begin to run towards her older sister, her longing to reunite with her family taking all control.

When she finally reached her, Applejack scooped up Apple Bloom into an extraordinarily strong embrace, which the filly gladly accepted.

"Oh, you're back! You're safe and sound, thank Celestia!" Applejack cried, tears beginning to run from her closed eyes.

Just then, the sound of heavy hooves galloping near announced the arrival of Big Mac. He came running out from the orchard, his expression was similar to Applejack's.

"Little sis!" He bellowed, sounding far louder than he usually did.

Applejack let Apple Bloom go, and Big Mac picked his youngest sister up with complete ease, also shedding tears.

Then Granny Smith came shambling out of the house, as quickly as she could go. Big Mac, laughing joyfully, carried Apple Bloom over to her, and set her down gently for Granny to embrace her.

"Ah thought ya was a goner, little 'un!" The old mare exclaimed, hugging her little granddaughter tightly. "Ah was worried 'bout half to death!"

Apple Bloom returned the gesture, openly crying now. "Ah know! B-but Ah'm back!"

Meanwhile, Applejack turned to Rainbow.

"Where's that stallion who got her back? Ah'm about to make good on mah word!"

Rainbow shuffled awkwardly.

"Well, now that you asked, you can forget about kissing him. We've got a big problem."

"What'd ya mean by that?" Asked Applejack, her smile fading a bit as her eyes showed confusion.

"You are not going to believe this…" Replied Rainbow, making eye contact with a dead serious expression. "It's the Warden."

Applejack's smile completely disappeared.

"Huh?"

"It's him!" Rainbow cried, sounding a bit exasperated. "He doesn't have his suit on, but he's got the same cutie mark that was on that armor, scars that align with the Warden's wounds, and those eyes are unmistakable!"

Applejack's face visibly hardened over the course of a few seconds, and her jaw set slightly. She turned to Apple Bloom, who was looking right back at her.

"Apple Bloom," she asked, suddenly sounding stern; "do ya know if Rainbow's right?"

Apple Bloom debated whether she should tell the truth. If she were to be truthful, would she be selling out the Warden? After all that he did for her, how could she do that?

On the other hand, the Warden was not at all who she was led to believe that he was. Would it be fair to him to not show the others that he is not the mindless killer they likely thought him to be?

"Apple Bloom?" Applejack asked again, now sounding and looking more concerned than angry.

Apple Bloom made her choice. She took a breath, hoping that she was about to do the right thing.

"He's the Warden." She answered quickly, her stomach twisting anxiously as she did so.

Everypony fell into a shocked silence.

After a few seconds, Applejack looked at Rainbow with an expression that gave Apple Bloom chills. Before she even spoke, Apple Bloom could tell that Applejack was incredibly angry.

"Rainbow… Do you know where he is?"

The pegasus nodded.

"He doesn't have his armor?"

Rainbow shook her head.

Applejack nodded, and spoke again.

"Then we can get ‘im if we’re quick. Rainbow, lead the way."

Apple Bloom felt her stomach drop. She did not like where this was going.

"Now hold on!" She protested. "Ah know that he attacked the sisters, but he ain't like what y'all might think-"

"Apple Bloom, he tried to kill the royal sisters!" Applejack interrupted, noticing the brace on her leg. "An' what happened to your leg!? Did he hurt ya?!"

"Wha-? No!" She shouted back. "In fact, he saved me sever-"

"Granny, keep her here while we go and deal with 'im!" Applejack commanded, cutting off her younger sister once again.

"Eh?" Her grandmother questioned back, sounding confused. "But ain't he the one who brought Apple Bloom back?"

That question went unanswered, for Applejack, Big Mac, and Rainbow went rushing off into the orchard in the direction that the Warden once was, leaving Apple Bloom alone with Granny.

"Well, how'd ya like that?" The elderly mare huffed. "I thought I raised them children to show more gratitude towards ponies who deserve it! Well, not Rainbow Dash of course, on account that she ain't- Anyway, if that stallion brought ya back, he deserves better!"

Apple Bloom looked at Granny Smith.

"Why didn't she let me finish?" She asked angrily. "He ain't at all who they think he is!"

"You mean he ain't jus' some sort of mindless fightin' machine?" Granny asked. "I figured 'bout as much."

Apple Bloom came to the realization that Granny was actually believing her.

"Hol' on! Ya believe me?!"

"Bet yer bow Ah do!" Granny replied. "Yer sister never told me why he went after the two princesses that day, but Ah've been around long enough to know that a pony doesn't do somethin' like that without some reason or 'nother."

Then a disturbing thought occurred to Apple Bloom.

"Oh, Celestia! What if somepony gets hurt?!” She cried, her eyes widening in alarm. “Ah need to stop 'em!"

"Then go, young'un!" Granny replied. "Ah ain't gonna stop ya!"

That was all the permission Apple Bloom needed. She immediately bolted away, running as fast as she possibly could with the brace on, in the direction that the others went.





Two minutes later, she was still running. Although she had lost sight of the others long ago, the disturbed leaves showed the path they took, allowing her to follow along. All the while, her knee was hurting more and more as she ran, but she didn't slow down. If they were fighting, somepony was going to be hurt. While she wasn't worried for the Warden, she was worried for her siblings and Rainbow. None of them knew of the various gadgets that he carried, and the images of the possible injuries that he could cause arose in her mind's eye.

Then, she heard Rainbow give a loud cry, shortly followed by the sounds of crashing underbrush in the near distance.

That didn't sound good.

She continued to run, closing the distance between her and the source of the sounds.

She burst through some underbrush, and was greeted by a chaotic sight.

Rainbow Dash was lying on the ground, her sides heaving heavily as if she were trying to catch her breath. The Warden was in the clutches of Big Mac, and Applejack was running towards them.

"Hold 'im! Hold 'im!" She shouted, turning around as she prepared to buck the ensnared Warden.

"Stop!" Apple Bloom shouted, trying her hardest to make herself heard. "Please! Stop fightin'!"

Her cries went unheard as the fight continued. Right as Applejack coiled her hind legs in preparation for her blow, the Warden picked up his own hind legs and delivered a deep kick into Big Mac's gut.

"Whooof!" The red stallion groaned, the air having been forcefully ejected from his lungs.

The Warden then shifted his weight forwards, causing the dazed stallion to tumble forwards with him. Applejack immediately stopped her attempted buck, stumbling backwards awkwardly as she prevented herself from accidentally kicking her brother.

The Warden shoved Big Mac up and away with his hind legs, pushing him directly into Applejack, who toppled over.

She rolled away just in time to dodge a vicious stomp by the Warden, and she responded with a swift jab to his face, which made contact with an audible smack. The Warden swayed a bit from the blow, and Applejack tried again.

This time, moving with precision and swiftness, the Warden blocked her attack. Then he responded with a harsh blow to her head, knocking her sideways and causing her hat to fly off. Impressively, Applejack remained upright, although she was visibly disoriented by the strike.

After shaking her head in an effort to clear her head, she gave a furious cry and charged the Warden. But he was ready, and he caught her in a hold, lifted her up, and slammed her into the ground. She gave a stunned groan, and lashed out with one of her forelegs, catching him in his side. He visibly winced and gave a brief grunt, but maintained his hold.

"Taser," He shouted with pain in his voice; "on!"

He lifted his foreleg up, and the taser that was on it crackled to life.

"AH SAID, EVERYPONY STOP!!!"

This time, Apple Bloom succeeded in making herself heard. All four ponies, including Applejack and the Warden, looked at the filly with a mixture of expressions.

"Big sis, quit tryin' to hurt 'im!" She huffed, stomping towards where Applejack and the Warden were, directing her gaze at him. "An' for Celestia's sake, turn off that taser! Ah ain't gonna stand for ya hurtin' mah sister an' brother!"

"Thanks for thinking of me…" Rainbow grumbled sarcastically, having finally managed to regain her breath.

Meanwhile, the Warden turned off the taser, but still maintained his grip on Applejack, who had an expression of pure consternation on her dirtied face.

"What in tarnation has gotten into ya, Apple Bloom?" She asked, sounding appalled.

"Ah was goin' to tell ya, but y'all jus' ran off before Ah could finish!" Apple Bloom retorted. "He saved me and brought me back!"

Applejack snorted angrily. "Did he knock ya upside in the head?! He left Princess Celestia for dead an' sliced Princess Luna's leg wide open!"

"While I didn't hit her in the head, I won't deny that I tried to kill the princesses;" The Warden said cautiously, lowering his foreleg with the taser; "But you really should listen to what your sister has to say."

"Oh! Like Ah would listen to your advice." Applejack scoffed. "Unlike her, Ah saw what you're capable of!"

Apple Bloom felt a fresh wave of frustration come over her. Her sister's stubbornness was getting to her. Thankfully, Big Mac spoke up next.

"Applejack, he's tellin' you to listen to our sister, not him. Just let Apple Bloom explain."

Applejack snorted again.

"Fine. But tell this ornery fool to get off of me first."

Apple Bloom nodded and shot a glance at the Warden, who looked skeptical.

"Are you going to jump me if I let you go?" He asked Applejack, who was still firmly held to the ground.

"Not if you don't give me a reason to." She sighed, still looking angry.

He remained silent and unmoving for a few seconds, then released her. For a tense moment, Apple Bloom half expected her sister to jump up and begin fighting again. But thankfully, she merely stood up, and backed away from the Warden, putting herself between him and Apple Bloom.

"Alright. Explain." Applejack commanded her sister.

"Applejack," She began; "Ah swear to ya, he saved me, three times! He found me right after Ah got teleported, an' he brought me back. Ah swear, Ah'm tellin' the truth!"

"Did he now?" Applejack said, almost sounding sarcastic. "Did he save you by bustin' your leg?"

"Seriously!?" Apple Bloom cried out. "He's the one who fixed it! Why would he hurt me just to give me the brace?!"

"She has a good point, Applejack." Big Mac remarked, trying to keep things calm. "If he meant her harm, why would he give her that brace to begin with? If he didn't, then who did?"

Apple Bloom shot a thankful look at her brother as he continued. 

"An' didn't you say that Fluttershy said that her bird friend saw him rescue her from timber wolves?"

Apple Bloom was stunned. How did they know about that?

Rainbow Dash nodded, albeit somewhat begrudgingly.

"Yeah… What she described aligns with what I saw at the ravine… I- I think he did actually save her, AJ."

Applejack remained silent for a few more seconds, looking downwards while deep in thought. After a while, she closed her eyes and sighed.

"Fine, so he saved her." She said, sounding less angry than before. "But why? What's he hopin' to get out of it?"

Rainbow and Big Mac looked at each other and at the Warden, each pondering this question. Apple Bloom was shocked that her sister could be so callous to suggest that the Warden had an ulterior motive.

"Oh for cryin' out loud, big sis!" She exclaimed. "He saw that Ah was lost an' in danger, so he saved me! What's so hard to understand?!"

Rainbow, Big Mac, and the Warden each looked at Applejack, awaiting her response.

"Ah don't know!" She shot back. "Maybe he wants a pardon? A ransom? Possibly somethin' far worse?"

Big Mac's eyes widened slightly as he caught on to what Applejack was suggesting, and a slightly angry glint shone in his eyes.

"Apple Bloom?" He asked cautiously, "Did he hurt you at all, in any way?"

Apple Bloom was in disbelief. Was Big Mac being swayed by Applejack now?

"No!" She cried, sounding a bit emotional as she did so. "He did no such thing! Why can't any of y'all jus' believe me?!"

"It's okay, Apple Bloom." Said the Warden, breaking his silence. "They have every right to be skeptical…"

"B-but you did so much to get me home!" Apple Bloom responded, tears beginning to form in her orange eyes.

The Warden closed his eyes and shook his head. "I know. But I'm afraid that what I did at Canterlot is too much for them to think of me capable of doing good."

He went quiet again, opened his eyes, and looked at Apple Bloom with an earnest expression before speaking again.

"All that matters is that you are safe and back home now." 

After a moment, he spoke to Applejack. "All I ask in return is that you let me take my leave in peace. Nothing more."

All the ponies present went into thought for a few seconds. Then, Rainbow Dash spoke up, sounding stern.

"Yeah, I don't think so! After what you pulled at Canterlot, we oughta lock you up!"

Applejack, for the first time since the confrontation started, spoke in a manner that was mostly calm.

"Rainbow, how exactly do ya propose we do that? Did ya already forget that he almost took all of us down a few minutes ago?"

Rainbow opened her mouth to respond, but then closed it shut upon realizing that she had made a good point.

"That's what Ah thought." Applejack remarked, shaking her head slightly before looking at the Warden. "He ain't gonna let us catch 'im, and like it or not, he did bring Apple Bloom back. That bein' said, Ah'm gonna let him hightail it outta here like he asked."

She paused, and a steely glint began to shine in her eyes.

"But rest assured; If Ah see ya again, Ah ain't gonna be so generous. Don't make us regret lettin' ya go."

"Understood." The Warden said plainly, nodding as he said so.

He then stepped to the side, looking around Applejack at Apple Bloom, who was looking saddened. 

Indeed, her heart had been sinking lower and lower as it became clear that the others' prejudice against him was going to keep them from seeing him as she saw him.

To them, he was a criminal; A stallion that was to be hated and feared. But could she blame them? After all, they saw him attack the princesses at Canterlot. She didn't see that, although Applejack's description of that day was vivid enough.

Still, what she saw from the Warden had convinced her that he was anything but evil. He was kind, protective, and selfless. He loved his family dearly, and they were taken away because of the royal sisters. 

He was broken, not evil.

Regardless, it was clear to her that he was about to leave, and the odds of them meeting again were low.

A strong urge to give him a proper goodbye and a final display of gratitude took hold of her, and she unexpectedly rushed forwards, trying to reach him.

However, Applejack caught her, holding her still.

"Apple Bloom!" She scolded, sounding surprised. "What in tarnation are ya doin-"

"Let me go, sis!" Apple Bloom shouted, trying in vain to struggle free of her sister's grasp. "At least let me say goodbye!"

Applejack didn't say another word, but simply picked up her younger sister and walked backwards, away from the Warden.

The Warden's eyes widened slightly, and he took an involuntary step forwards. Seeing this, Applejack and Rainbow each shot a fierce glance at him, compelling him to back away a bit.

"Leave." Applejack growled. "Now."

The Warden's eyes showed some sadness, and mouth opened slightly, as if he wanted to say something. But then, he closed his eyes and nodded, conceding.

To Apple Bloom's dismay, he turned around, and began to walk away. Her chances for giving a final farewell were fading away. Although her sister was not going to approve, she found herself determined to shout something to him. Doing her best to resist the emotions that were trying to choke out her words, she gave a final cry.

"Goodbye, mister Warden! Thank you for everythin'!"

Applejack shot a glance down at her, obviously not happy. However, Apple Bloom's attention was not on her sister, but on the Warden. He had stopped upon hearing her, and turned his head around to face her.

Despite the sadness that was evident in his expression, a slight smile appeared on his face.

"You're welcome, Apple Bloom." He said quietly, barely audible. "Thank you for all you've done for me."

Applejack's grip on Apple Bloom loosened a bit upon hearing that. Rainbow Dash's expression softened slightly, and Big Mac sighed. Still, they said nothing, and the Warden took a breath, looked away, and began to walk off among the rows of apple trees. All four ponies watched him without saying a word, until he disappeared among the trees.

After he had disappeared, Applejack let Apple Bloom go with a sigh.

"Well," she sighed, "that's that. Come on, let's get supper."

She turned around, walking over to her hat and putting it back on. Then, she began to walk towards the house, and Big Mac began to follow, along with Rainbow.

But Apple Bloom remained where she stood.

When the others realized that she was not following, they turned to look back at her.

"Apple Bloom?" Applejack asked calmly. "Are ya comin', sugarcube?"

Apple Bloom shook her head, staring in disbelief at her older sister.

This wasn't right. After all that the Warden had undergone to get her back, he deserved better than to be jumped and then sent on his way without even so much as a thank you.

Slowly, where sadness had been predominant in her soul, disappointment and anger began to creep in. Why couldn't they see him for who he actually was?

"So that's it?" She asked angrily. "We're just gonna shoo him away to fend for himself tonight?"

Applejack sighed, closing her eyes. "Apple Bloom, Ah told ya about what he did at Canterlot. He's dangerous, not to mention an enemy of the princesses."

"He only did that because they were the ones who made him lose his family!" Apple Bloom shot back. "He was confused, big sis! He says that he knows what he did was wrong!"

Both Applejack and Rainbow Dash looked as if they had been surprised in an unpleasant manner. 

Big Mac looked a bit shocked. "What in Equestria are you sayin'?!" He asked, sounding completely astonished. "Are you actually suggestin' that the royal sisters did-"

"Hold on, Big Mac." Applejack sighed, closing her eyes and speaking with an uncomfortable tone. "She's tellin' the truth."

Big Mac turned to Applejack with a stunned expression. "She is? Then what- Did ya know this?!"

Both Applejack and Rainbow nodded somberly.

"Yeeeeahh…" Rainbow said hesitantly. "We were kinda told to keep that part a secret."

Big Mac was speechless. He simply sat still, processing what he had just heard about the royal sisters. Like Apple Bloom, he had no idea about the Warden's true motive behind his attack, thanks to the secrecy by the main six.

Meanwhile, Applejack spoke to Apple Bloom.

"He… He told you about that, little sis?"

"He did, and he said that he regrets tryin' to kill 'em!" Apple Bloom replied. "He ain't at all who you said he is, either!"

This compelled Applejack to look skeptically at her little sister.

"No?" She asked bluntly.

"No, he ain't!" Apple Bloom reiterated, her frustration nearing its climax. "He saved me three times! He kept me fed and safe, fixed mah leg, fought off monsters, an' carried me seventy miles back to Ponyville! He's kind, carin', and protective! He loved his family so much, when he lost 'em because of what the princesses did, he got angry! Ah mean for Equestria's sake, can't y'all at least understand why?!"

All three adults remained silent. Even Applejack's expression softened significantly as Apple Bloom continued.

"He told me that he regrets tryin' to kill the sisters. He knows that what he did is wrong. He's still angry, but who wouldn't after what’s happened to him?! He ain't evil! He's confused an' sad! He needs friends, now more than ever!"

Applejack now appeared to be at a loss for what to say. She looked at her brother, who was looking back at her with an equally helpless expression. She then turned to Rainbow, who narrowed her eyes and shook her head slightly.

Applejack sighed, closed her eyes, and shook her own head.

"Ah'm sorry, Apple Bloom. The Warden's jus' too dangerous."

"So's Discord!" The filly fired back, without any hesitation. "He's literally the apple buckin' lord of chaos, and he's done plenty of wrong in the past! Yet, y'all seem to be able to give him a second chance! Why can't y'all give a hurtin' stallion one?"

"A- Well…" Applejack tried to explain, but found herself stumped.

However, Apple Bloom's hopes for any resolution were dying away. If Applejack wasn't going to be swayed by her point about Discord, then what hope was there?

"Ugh!" Apple Bloom exclaimed, shaking her head and stomping past the adults. "Jus' forget it! Ah guess y'all ain't gonna believe me anyhow!"

"Apple Bl-" Applejack sighed, trying to console her little sister as she went past, extending her foreleg towards her only to have it violently swatted aside by the angry filly.

Applejack fell silent, looking at the ground, her green eyes showing no small degree of regret. She sighed again, and looked up at Big Mac, who was looking at Apple Bloom storming off.

"What'll we do?" Applejack asked her brother.

He looked pointedly at her, and spoke.

"Ah know what he did at Canterlot, but Ah think Ah believe Apple Bloom when she says that he's had a change of heart." He explained. "After savin' her, the least he deserves is a place to stay for the night."

"Waitwaitwait, what?" Rainbow asked, sounding stunned. "Are you seriously suggesting that we let him into Ponyville?!"

"As a matter of fact, yes, Ah am." Big Mac replied bluntly. "It seems mighty hypocritical of y'all to give Discord a second chance but not give that stallion one."

Then, Big Mac's brow fell in a visible display of anger. 

"Besides, after keeping everypony in the dark about the real reason behind his attack, y'all owe it to him."

Applejack shook her head, now looking ashamed. 

"That is not what Ah wanted to hear," She said uncomfortably, "but Ah know that's the truth."

Both she and her brother then looked at Rainbow, who then sighed and slumped her head in defeat.

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but you're right. If what Fluttershy said was true, that guy really put his life on the line to save her." She stopped to take a breath, and made her admission of guilt. "Apple Bloom's right… We're doing him dirty by chasing him off."

Applejack nodded. "Ah agree. The Apple family doesn't do wrong by anypony, 'specially anypony who has saved one of our own… Big Mac, are you thinkin' what Ah'm thinkin'?"

He nodded. "Eeyup."

"Then it's decided." Applejack declared, turning to Rainbow. "Go get Apple Bloom back here."

The pegasus nodded and zipped away, bringing back an irritated Apple Bloom mere seconds later. Before the filly could protest, Applejack had placed her upon her brother's back, and the ponies began rushing away in the direction that the Warden had departed.

"What's goin' on?" Apple Bloom asked, demanding an explanation.

Applejack sighed, and replied. "Doin' the right thing."





After a few minutes of running and calling out for the Warden, they finally reached him. He was standing next to the fence that marked the edge of Sweet Apple Acres, and was looking at the oncoming ponies with an expression of wariness and confusion. But when he noticed that Apple Bloom was with them, he relaxed a little.

The group came to a stop a short distance away, and the Warden spoke.

"What do you want?" He asked plainly.

Applejack looked at the others, sighed, and stepped forward.

"Uh- Ah- Well- We did some thinkin'..." She began, rubbing one of her forelegs along the back of her head in an embarrassed manner. "An' we think that we were somewhat harsh towards ya."

The Warden's ears perked slightly as he tilted his head, clearly paying close attention to Applejack as she continued.

"Ya saved Apple Bloom, and went through an awful lot of trouble gettin' her back here. That bein' said, you deserve a lot better than bein' chased off." She confessed, adding: "It's gettin' late, an' ya look kinda tired and beat up. Would ya…"

Her voice trailed off momentarily as she cleared her throat and shifted uncomfortably before finishing.

"Would ya please consider stayin' the night, mister Warden? It's the least the Apple family can do after what ya did for us."

Apple Bloom felt a near unbearable surge of hopefulness clench at her heart. 

The Warden's ears drooped slightly as his eyes widened a bit. He looked taken aback at this offer, and didn't seem very certain of how to answer.

Apple Bloom then decided to utilize a technique which she only reserved for dire circumstances. She gave a heavy sigh, put on a pitiful frown, and gave him the biggest bambi eyes that she could muster.

To her joy, this seemed to work! The Warden looked her way for a few seconds, sighed, and nodded.

"Very well." He answered.

Apple Bloom made a sound that could only be described as an overjoyed squeal as she jumped off of Big Mac's back and ran to Applejack, hugging her sister as tightly as she could.

"Woah there, sugarcube!" Applejack exclaimed, returning the embrace with a relieved smile.

Big Mac was smiling happily upon seeing this, and even Rainbow Dash could not help but smile a bit as well.

After a few seconds, Apple Bloom rushed over to the Warden, who was looking down at her with a calm, yet genuinely happy expression as well.

"Well?" He asked; "Lead the way."

Apple Bloom did not hesitate, taking one of the Warden's forehooves and proceeding to pull him along, leading the group back to the barn.
> Chapter 17: Honest Evaluation
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

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.
> Chapter 18: Greetings and Farewell
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Apple Bloom woke up when the rooster first crowed, as was her habit. She had slept well, finally having been able to sleep in her own bed after a few days away. She lay in the bed for a few minutes, looking up at the ceiling as she waited for the grogginess to fade.

After a while, she sat up, stretched out, and walked to the window, opening it and looking out. It was still somewhat dark, but she could make out the eastern half of the sky steadily growing brighter. Clearly, Princess Celestia was about to raise the sun once again.

The Princess…

Apple Bloom sighed. After being told about what had happened to the Warden, she didn't quite know how to think of her.

Up until a few days ago, Princess Celestia had been the pure, blameless, benevolent figurehead of all ponykind, seemingly above all reproach and deserving of all the reverence that her subjects could possibly muster.

But for Apple Bloom, that image of her was at risk.

She didn't want to admit it, but her admiration for the princess had been shaken. Of course, she still couldn't quite bring herself to believe wholeheartedly that Princess Celestia had caused Princess Luna to become Nightmare Moon, and in turn, caused the Warden to lose his family. 

Still, his story made sense. Was Princess Celestia really so blameless?

She sighed again, diverting her thoughts elsewhere as the sun breached the horizon, bathing the treetops in a warm, orange glow. The impressive light from the sun was only intensified by the blazing colors of the leaves that remained on the apple trees, presenting a brilliant palette of burning colors. Birds were waking up as well, and an increasing amount of chirping and twittering arose from the orchard as a morning mist hugged the ground, blanketing the area with a hazy layer of cloud.

It was then that a smile crossed her lips as contentment overflowed her soul. She took in a deep, long breath of the chilly morning air, and exhaled slowly, watching the resulting cloud float off into the air.

She was home.

Just then, there was a knock on her door.

"Apple Bloom? You up?" Applejack's voice called.

"Eeyup!" She replied, closing the window.

"Alright." Her sister said, opening the door and peering in with a warm expression. "Good mornin', sugarcube."

"Mornin, big sis." Apple Bloom responded, walking over to Applejack and sharing a warm embrace with her.

After spending almost half a minute hugging, the siblings separated, and Apple Bloom walked to her wardrobe.

"Granny's got breakfast cooked up." Applejack told her, adding; "Plus, ya ain't gotta go to school today. Ah'm sure Miss Cheerilee won't mind."

Apple Bloom could not help but feel a bit invigorated by the fact that she was taking a break from school today. Perhaps there were a few perks to getting lost after all.

"Okay! Thanks sis!"

Apple Bloom rummaged around in the wardrobe briefly, pulling out a bow and placing it on her head. As she was checking herself in the mirror, a thought occurred to her.

"What about mister Warden?"

"He's still sleepin'." Applejack remarked. "Ah think he was more tired than he was lettin' on. Best thing to do will be to leave him be for a while."

Apple Bloom felt slightly disappointed, but understood perfectly. Besides, waking him up seemed kind of mean.

She nodded, and glanced down at a photo of her, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo.

"Can Ah see Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo today?"

"Ah believe they're gonna be off school today as well." Applejack reassured, straightening out Apple Bloom's bow. "They should be here in a few hours."

Apple Bloom's heart jumped. She was going to see her best friends again! Even better, she was finally going to be able to forgive Sweetie Belle!

Then she remembered the discussion about the Warden meeting Twilight. A pang of worry briefly burned within her chest as she worried about how she would perceive the Warden. In fact, would it only be Twilight, or would the other four also come?

"Is there anypony else comin'?" She asked, looking a bit worried.

"Yup." Applejack replied. "Rarity, Rainbow, an' the others are comin' too."

That just about confirmed it. Twilight, Rarity, Rainbow Dash were coming, which only made it more likely that Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy were coming as well.

"T-they ain't gonna try to do anythin' to mister Warden, are they?"

Applejack's emerald green eyes displayed an expression of mild confusion, but then she realized that Apple Bloom was asking out of concern.

"Oh Apple Bloom, don't worry. We ain't gonna hurt him. We're just gonna talk with 'im for a bit, that's all. Besides, if the need arises, you an' Ah can vouch for him."

This encouragement did alleviate some of Apple Bloom's fears. If Applejack was ready to support the Warden, the others would as well. 

Apple Bloom nodded, glancing appreciatively at her older sister. Then both of them walked out of her room, ready to face the day ahead.





The morning was crawling by for Apple Bloom. The anticipation for the upcoming meeting was nigh unbearable. She felt like she finally really knew what Pinkie Pie meant by feeling nervouscited, and it was a mess of different feelings and emotions.

After eating breakfast, she stated that she wanted to do her normal chores, to Applejack and Granny's surprise. While they protested this at first, Apple Bloom finally made a convincing enough argument and they relented.

Finally presented with some work to do, Apple Bloom found that the passage of time was a bit more bearable, although she still felt a lot of anticipation.

It wasn't too long before her chores were done, and there was still some time before the others would arrive. Now faced with the prospect of having nowhere to go with nothing to do, she finally decided to check on the Warden, despite her sister having told her to do otherwise.

She carefully snuck over to one of the side doors of the barn, taking care to not be spotted by anypony as she did so. When she verified that the coast was clear, she cracked the door open and peeked in, her eyes taking in all the light within the dimly lit space that she could. The musty smell of dirt and hay hit her nostrils, the familiar smell easing her nerves somewhat.

She slipped through the doorway, and shut the door behind her as quietly as she possibly could, hoping to not wake up the Warden.

"You know, I bet you think you're awfully sneaky." Said a familiar voice from one of the corners of the vast space.

Apple Bloom jumped a bit, the combination of her existing nervousness and the knowledge that she was blatantly disobeying her sister causing her to start.

She snapped around to see the Warden sitting on a hay bale, tending to his gear while eating an apple.

Apple Bloom breathed out in a combination of relief and slight irritation. He had given her a scare, but at least she hadn't woken him up.

"Good mornin', mister Warden." She said cheerfully, walking over to him.

He smiled in return, his eyes shining as he did so before returning to his task.

"What're ya doin'?" She asked, walking over while gazing curiously at what he was doing.

"Packing." He replied.

"Packin'?" She asked, becoming worried that he was planning on leaving now. "You're gonna leave before meetin' Princess Twilight?"

He shook his head. "No. But as soon as I do, I've got to go back home."

"Ya ain't stayin' any longer?" She asked, sounding disappointed.

He nodded. "I don't wish to impose any longer than needed. Besides, I'm barely in your family's good graces."

"But- but there's so much more to show ya!" Apple Bloom protested. "Ponyville has other places where you can stay for a while! Ya can go an' meet other ponies, maybe even make some new friends and-"

"Apple Bloom, I've got to keep working on the Gatekeeper. It isn't going to fix itself. The longer it's off, the more chances extradimensional threats have at getting in. I can't just leave it broken."

"W-Well…" Apple Bloom stuttered, trying to argue further but failing to find the way to do so. Acknowledging defeat, she bowed her head, and nodded. "Alright…"

The Warden stopped what he was doing, and saw Apple Bloom's apparent disappointment. He sighed, and placed one of his forehooves on her shoulder.

"Look." He said gently, compelling her to look up at him. "It's not that I'm ungrateful for what you've done for me, but I've got a job to do. I've got to protect Equestria, like my cutie mark says."

This was something that Apple Bloom understood perfectly. After all, the importance of cutie marks was very significant to her.

Just then, a cacophony of musical sounds shattered the atmosphere, causing both ponies to flinch. The music was cheery, yet jarring.

Then, a shrill voice called out from somewhere outside the barn.

"Alrighty then, Warden! This is Pinkie Pie, Ponyville's official party pony and welcoming committee! I've got the building surrounded, and there is no way for you to escape!"

The Warden immediately jumped upright and his eyes widened, darting around as he silently and frantically took in his surroundings.

Apple Bloom, however, simply put a hoof to her face and groaned.

"Oh no…"

Seeing her reaction, the Warden relaxed a bit, sensing that perhaps Pinkie Pie was not as much of a threat as he may have initially thought.

Meanwhile, Pinkie's ominous speech continued with the oddly energetic tune still playing in the background.

"I'm gonna give you till the count of ten to come out and get welcomed! If you don't cooperate, then I'm gonna come in there and welcome you by force! One! Two! Three-"

"PINKIE! What in tarnation are ya doin'?!" Applejack roared, her voice clearly showing anger.

"Oh! Hi, Applejack!" Pinkie said cheerfully, not indicating any confusion or concern whatsoever. "Me and Dashie were going to welcome the Warden to Ponyville! Want to join us?"

Applejack let out a loud groan as Apple Bloom heard Rainbow Dash begin laughing.

"Bwah hah hah haaaah! Oh- Oh Pinkie, you had to have given the Warden a good scare with that whole speech! The way you were going, you made it sound like you were going to arrest him or something!"

"Awww, really?" Pinkie said, only now sounding sorrowful as the music screeched to a halt. "I wanted to give him a surprise, not scare him!"

Apple Bloom shook her head, wondering how Pinkie could have possibly thought that staging a welcome song as an arrest could ever be not scary.

"It's alright, Pinkie dear." Rarity's voice sailed in from outside. "But please, refrain from doing anything else until we say so, okay?"

"Okie dokie lokie!" Pinkie replied, going right back to sounding like her happy, energetic self.

Apple Bloom's ears perked up as her stance straightened. If Rainbow Dash and Rarity were here, then Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle were probably here too!

"Okay…" Applejack sighed. "He's probably awake now, thanks to Pinkie… Ah'm gonna check on 'im. Everypony stay out here till we come back out."

Applejack then opened the front door, and peeked in.

"Eehhhhh… Mister Warden? You awake?"

"Yeah…" The Warden replied, looking over at her. "I was already up."

"Oh, good…" Applejack sighed, walking inside. "Ah'm so sorry about the racket. Pinkie means no harm, but sometimes she can be mighty-"

She stopped as soon as she saw Apple Bloom standing next to the Warden, and her brow lowered. It was at this moment that Apple Bloom suddenly realized that she had just been caught disobeying her sister, and that she had done absolutely nothing to try and hide it.

"Apple Bloom!" She scolded. "Ah thought Ah told ya to leave 'im alone while he was sleepin'!"

The Warden stepped forward, glancing at Apple Bloom then at Applejack 

"No, wait. She didn't-"

That was as far as he got before a joyous cry erupted from outside.

"Apple Bloom is in there?!"

"Apple Bloom!?"

"Hey! Hold it, you two!"

Despite the protests, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle darted in through the open door, making a beeline past Applejack and towards Apple Bloom.

Apple Bloom felt a lump grow in her throat as her heart overflowed with joy. She also broke into a wobbly run, and collided with the other two crusaders, all three engaging in an emotional group hug.

"You're back!" Sweetie Belle squealed, tears flowing from her shining eyes. "You're safe and sound again!"

Scootaloo was crying a bit as well, albeit not quite as much as her other two friends.

"Thank Celestia, Apple Bloom! We were so afraid that you weren't coming back!"

"Ah know!" Apple Bloom cried. "Ah'm so happy to see y’all again!"

As she said so, Rainbow Dash and Rarity quickly entered the barn, pursuing the two fillies. But when they saw their reunion, they both stopped and watched along with Applejack, their eyes all growing a bit misty as well.

After a few seconds, the three crusaders released each other, and Sweetie Belle's ears drooped.

"Apple Bloom," she began, sniffing as she did so; "I'm so, so sorry for teleporting you. It was an accident, I swear it was! I would never-"

Apple Bloom held up a hoof to her mouth, gently silencing her as she responded.

"Ah know it wasn't on purpose, Sweetie Belle. Ah put two an' two together, an' figured that it was the sneeze that did it!"

Sweetie Belle sniffed again, wiping her nose.

"So… You forgive me?"

Apple Bloom smiled and nodded.

"Of course Ah do!"

Sweetie Belle threw herself into another hug with Apple Bloom, holding her tightly as she began to smile as well.

"What happened to your leg?" Scootaloo asked after a few seconds, compelling the other two to separate.

"Ah hurt it runnin' from a giant, pony eatin' spider!" Apple Bloom declared, pointing to the Warden. "It would've gotten me, but mah new friend; mister Warden, rescued me an' brought me back!"

At this, everypony present all looked at the stallion still standing near the corner. Applejack was smiling, having seemed to have forgotten her anger. Rainbow was also smiling, albeit not quite as much. 

Rarity, however, looked as if she was looking at a ghost. Her bright, blue eyes widened as she caught her breath, her mouth briefly hanging open.

"T-t-that's him?" She asked, sounding stunned as she gestured towards him. "He's the Warden?"

"Yup. He is." Applejack said bluntly.

"O-oh…" Rarity murmured quietly, now seeming to have become a bit flustered, rather than astonished. "I- Ahem! I see..."

Meanwhile, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo both looked up at the Warden in silence, seemingly in awe of the stallion towering above them.

Then, the corner of Scootaloo's mouth curled into a smile as her purple eyes began to shine.

"Woah…" She declared, running up to him eagerly. "He looks awesome!"

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes and frowned.

While Scootaloo looked the Warden over, Sweetie Belle also ran up to him. However, instead of examining him, she immediately embraced one of his forelegs, holding him tight.

"Thank you!" She exclaimed. "Thank you for bringing Apple Bloom back!"

The Warden hesitated for a moment, then smiled gently as he returned the gesture.

"You're welcome, little one."

After a moment, Sweetie Belle let him go and backed up a few steps, looking the stallion in the eye.

"Rarity said you were mean." She said, tilting her head slightly. "But you don't seem very mean to me…"

"Yeah…" Scootaloo murmured, rubbing the back of her head with one of her hooves. "The way Rainbow Dash described you, I would have thought you were some kind of crazy guy."

Both Rarity and Rainbow looked at each other for a moment, each looking a bit ashamed.

The Warden simply shook his head.

"I was, two years ago..." He sighed, warranting surprised looks from Rarity and Rainbow. "But I hope to put that behind me."

"Huh..." Scootaloo murmured, one of her ears drooping low as she tilted her head.

After thinking about his response for a few seconds, Sweetie Belle smiled.

"Well, you seem nice anyway! A friend of Apple Bloom is a friend of ours!" She declared happily.

Then, Pinkie's voice interrupted the conversation.

"Hey, Applejack! Twilight and Fluttershy are here now! Can we come in too?!"

Applejack looked at the three fillies, then at Rainbow and Rarity.

"Did either of y'all tell 'em about what happened to his family yet?" She asked quietly, and both mares shook their heads.

Having gotten her answer, she nodded and spoke to the fillies.

"Hey, gals, do y'all want to go on outside for a few minutes?"

Apple Bloom nodded. "Eeyup! Come on, crusaders!"

She shot a happy look at the Warden, then ran out the door into the bright sunlight along with her two friends.

As they rushed out, they were greeted by Pinkie Pie, Twilight, and Fluttershy, each of whom looked overjoyed to see Apple Bloom. Needless to say, Pinkie was the first to run up to her.

"OHMYGOODNESSAPPLEBLOOMYOU'REBACKANDYOU'REOKAY!" She shouted, scooping the filly up into a particularly strong hug. "OOOOOHIWASSOWORRIEDABOUTYOUANDIWASSOSCAREDTHATSOMETHINGBADHADHAPPENEDTOYOUBUTNOWI'MSOHAPPYTHATYOU'RESAFEAND-"

"Pinkie…" Apple Bloom groaned; "Ah need to breathe…"

"WHA- Oh." Pinkie said, realizing what the filly had said and loosened her suffocating grip. "Sorry… But- EEEEE! I'm just so happy to see that you're back!"

Twilight walked up to Apple Bloom, clearly happy as well. Without saying a word, she opened her wings, and Apple Bloom came in for a far gentler hug than Pinkie's.

After a short embrace, they separated and Fluttershy then walked up, smiling and almost looking as if she were about to start crying. She and Apple Bloom hugged each other for a few moments.

"Oh…" Fluttershy murmured; "You have no idea how relieved I am to see that you're alive and well!"

Apple Bloom squeezed the gentle pegasus a little tighter for a moment, then released her as she replied.

"Ah'm glad to see y'all too!"

"It sounds like you had a big adventure!" Twilight said, speaking for the first time. "You're going to have to tell me and Spike all about it later."

"Oh, Ah've got a lot to tell ya, trust me…" Apple Bloom replied, thinking about the Warden's lecture on the forgotten history of Equestria and wondering how Twilight would take it.

"Can that wait until after her 'Welcome Back Home!' party, Twilight?" Pinkie asked, kneeling before the alicorn while raising her forelegs in a dramatic fashion. "Pleeeeeaaase?"

Twilight smiled, nodded, and rolled her eyes.

Then, Applejack called out from inside the barn.

"Pinkie? You an' the others can come on in, you know!"

"Come on, Pinkie." Twilight said, gesturing for her and Fluttershy to go in. "You can get excited for the party after we get this done. Also, please don't try to perform any welcome songs for the Warden, okay?"

"Ugh! Fiiiiine!" Pinkie moaned, walking inside.

Fluttershy's eyes widened when Twilight mentioned the Warden, and she seemed to shrink a bit as fear flashed in her eyes.

"Are you going to be okay?" Twilight asked, looking concerned. "You don't have to-"

"No, it's- um- okay, Twilight." Fluttershy assured her, taking a deep breath. "He's probably not as bad as we first thought… Like Discord…"

As Fluttershy walked inside, Twilight sighed. She turned towards the door, paused, and looked at Apple Bloom, who was standing alongside her two friends.

"In any case, I'm happy that you're back, Apple Bloom." She said, smiling as she did so.

"Thanks, Princess Twilight." Apple Bloom replied, returning the smile. Twilight then turned back around and walked inside, leaving the three fillies alone.

After a moment of silence, Scootaloo spoke.

"So… How about we go to the treehouse?"

"Yeah!" Sweetie Belle squeaked. "I can't think of anything better than a celebratory meeting!"

Apple Bloom, however, was gazing at the now closed door leading inside.

She was weighing a choice in her mind. While spending time with her best friends was tempting, she still couldn't just not see how the Mane Six were being introduced to the Warden.

"Uhh, Apple Bloom? Are you okay?" Scootaloo asked, waving a foreleg in front of her face.

She shook her head, gently pushing Scootaloo's leg off to the side.

"Not yet, gals. Ah've gotta see how this is goin'." She explained, breaking into a hobbling run along the exterior of the barn, seeking out a window that was within reach.

The other two fillies looked at each other, shrugged, and followed along. A few seconds later, Apple Bloom found a window with a convenient hay bale placed beneath it, and hopped up. The other two fillies followed along, peering over the windowsill.

The Warden was still standing where was last, next to his pile of gear while Applejack, Twilight, Fluttershy, Rainbow, Pinkie, and Rarity were all standing in a group in front of him. No words were being spoken, each party looking at the other silently.

"What're we doing?" Scootaloo whispered. "Why are we here?"

"Shh!" Apple Bloom hissed quietly. "Ah jus' wanna see."

After a few silent seconds, Applejack took a few steps forward, walking up to the Warden's side and turning around to face her friends.

"So, everypony…" She began; "This is the Warden, for any of ya who're unaware."

"T-t-that's h-him?" Fluttershy stammered, shrinking back a little behind the others.

Applejack nodded. "The same."

Twilight took a step forward, her eyes narrowing a bit as she visually examined him, head to hoof. The Warden's eyes also narrowed as he remained where he was, glinting a bit in the dim light as he sized up the alicorn standing before him.

The atmosphere seemed to grow a bit tense, and the other ponies shuffled around uncomfortably as Twilight and the Warden stood in complete silence. 

Finally, the princess spoke.

"Hello, Warden." She said as she extended a hoof towards him, her tone showing a degree of uncertainty. "I'm Twilight Sparkle, the princess of friendship."

The Warden's eyes made contact with hers, and his expression relaxed somewhat. Then, he extended his own hoof to hers, exchanging a brief hoofshake before resuming his usual stance.

He took a moment to clear his throat, and then spoke.

"I've heard a lot about you. Finally, we meet on peaceful terms."

"It would appear that way." Twilight remarked plainly, taking a breath before asking; "So, you rescued Apple Bloom?"

He nodded. "I did."

Twilight's ears perked up a bit, and her eyes widened as she briefly looked downwards, thinking before looking back at him.

"Why go through the risk of bringing her back here after what you did at Canterlot?" She asked, her tone earnest and begging for an answer. "I know you have the means by which to get our attention. Why didn't you just inform us to reduce the risk to yourself?"

"Because I wanted to guarantee her safety." He replied without hesitation. "Besides, there was no guarantee that you would have believed me. You would have just assumed that I had abducted her, anyway."

Twilight's ears drooped a bit as she glanced downwards, not making any effort to rebut him. 

"Don't sweat it, Twilight." Applejack reassured. "Me an' Rainbow both jumped him even after he got her back. We all would've been too harsh on him."

Twilight nodded, looking at the Warden.

"I understand. I- We just never imagined that you would do such a good deed after what happened at Canterlot…"

"I tried explaining to Applejack why that isn't your fault," The Warden explained; "After what I tried to do, it was only natural to assume the worst."

"Ah had to explain to him that just because he did somethin' he regrets doesn't make his rescue of Apple Bloom any less noble." Applejack interjected. "Wouldn't ya agree?"

Twilight nodded, turning to the Warden.

"So, you regret attacking the sisters?"

He nodded.

"What I did that day betrayed everything that my family taught me." He said with a sigh. "Of course I regret it. They… would have been ashamed."

Then Fluttershy shuffled forwards, her expression showing curiosity.

"So… Um, does that mean that Twilight was the one who made you stop?"

"Yes." He replied, looking at Twilight. "What she said that day, asking me if that was really what my family would have wanted, it made me question what I was doing. It was her wisdom that stopped me. The princesses owe her their lives, and I owe her greatly for keeping me from slipping too far."

Then, the Warden closed his eyes and bowed his head, showing a sign of respect towards Twilight.

"On my behalf, as well as the behalf of my loved ones," He said with a serious tone, "I thank you."

Twilight looked a bit stunned, her wings unfolding slightly as she processed this revelation.

After a moment of shocked silence, she spoke.

"There is no doubt in my mind, then. If you truly regret what you have done, and you have undergone such a risk to bring Apple Bloom back, then you really aren't the villain that we once thought!"

The Warden shook his head.

"I'm a stallion who has done far too much to be a champion of good. I'm not a hero."

Twilight shook her head. "No. After what you did for Apple Bloom, I cannot see you as anything but."

Applejack nodded. "Eeyup! Ah already told ya, but Ah'll tell ya again: Ya ain't an evil pony, jus' a good one who's kinda confused an' lost."

Rarity elegantly cleared her throat and spoke next.

"I agree, Applejack. I think he has had a change of heart."

"Yeah!" Pinkie exclaimed, bouncing up and down. "I can't think of any bad ponies who would go through the trouble of bringing a filly home and who regrets beating up the princesses to within an inch of their lives and-"

"We know, Pinkie!" Rainbow interrupted, rolling her eyes before looking at the stallion. "What she's saying is that you aren't nearly as bad as we first thought. Honestly, I was doubtful at first, but I think I agree with them now."

Then, defying all expectations, Fluttershy took a breath and strode up to the Warden, her big blue eyes showing pure earnestness.

"Don't you see, Warden?" She asked, "We all know that you aren't a monster. You are a good pony, we can tell!"

"Yep!" Pinkie declared. "In fact, you're an awful lot like Princess Luna! She's a good pony too, even though she regrets-"

The Warden visibly tensed up when Pinkie mentioned Luna. Twilight noticed this, and in an instant, her horn began to glow and Pinkie found her mouth forced shut by magic. However, it was too late.

The Warden closed his eyes, raised a hoof, and took a deep breath. Apple Bloom could not help but flinch. Was he going to blow up?

Everypony looked at Pinkie for a moment, then at each other, wondering what he was going to say.

Thankfully, he exhaled slowly, and turned around to face his pile of gear.

"Don't ever compare me to her." He said in a darker tone. "Understand?"

Everypony remained silent, looking at each other with a mixture of emotions.

The Warden placed the saddlebags onto his back, fastening them before placing his grapple and taser onto his forelegs. After doing so, he straightened up, stood still for a moment, and sighed. Then, he turned back around, facing the six.

"Thank you, for your decision to not try to imprison me and for your kind words. There is no doubt in my mind that you are the heroes that Equestria needs. Especially you, Princess Twilight."

Twilight looked a bit surprised to hear such praise from the stallion who had once tried to kill the royal sisters out of anger.

"Now if you will excuse me," The Warden said, "I have work that I need to do. I must go."

He then walked forward, the ponies in his path moving to the side. Twilight opened her mouth for a second, as if she wished to say something. But a sorrowful expression overtook her face and she closed her mouth, remaining silent.

As soon as Apple Bloom saw that he was headed for the door, she broke into a hobbling sprint to intercept him, leaving the other two fillies wondering what she was doing.

When she finally reached him, he was outside, looking around. Although he looked quite determined to leave, he stopped as soon as he caught sight of Apple Bloom running towards him.

In a few seconds, she had ran up to him, and she began to speak.

"Are ya leavin' already?" She asked in disbelief.

He nodded.

"You know why I have to go." He reminded her. "My life and purpose lies back at my home."

"But- But what about them?" She asked, gesturing towards the main six, who were gathering outside the barn door. "Ya could have new friends! Ah don't wanna sound judgy, but ya didn't really seem very happy all by yourself! Ya need friends!"

The Warden looked as if he were about to deliver a rebuttal for a split second, but he changed his mind. Instead, he sat down in front of Apple Bloom, placing a hoof on her shoulder as he looked her in the eyes.

"Apple Bloom…" He sighed, "There's nothing for me here."

"But ya have me!" Apple Bloom declared, brushing off his hoof as her vision started to become misty. "Are ya just going to forget your only friend?"

She sniffed and closed her eyes, looking away as she did so.

She had hoped to show him that friendship could help him heal. For his sake, she genuinely wanted nothing more than for him to be able to move on from his painful past. Besides, she also loved the idea of having such a kind, courageous, and admirable friend.

Was he really about to throw away any chance of them being friends after all?

Her heartfelt question seemed to catch him off guard. His eyes widened slightly, and he fell silent for a moment. Then, slowly, he began to speak.

"No, I'm not going to forget." He replied, gently lifting her head back up with one of his hooves. "You… You will always be a special friend to me."

Apple Bloom sniffed again, looking him in the eye once more.

"Then… Am Ah ever goin' to see ya again?" She asked pointedly.

He fell silent once again, obviously deep in thought. His eyes glanced down at the ground, and Apple Bloom could tell that he was weighing his next words.

The anticipation was awful. A lot of her hopes were riding on his next answer.

Were they going to have the friendship she wanted?

He looked back up at her, a small smile appearing on his face.

"You will."

Her ears perked up, and a slight smile played across her lips. She sniffed once more, and wiped her nose with a foreleg before speaking.

"Really?"

He nodded.

"I'll visit someday, once I've fixed my armor. You have my word as a Warden."

Apple Bloom felt her heart leap upon hearing his answer, and without thinking, she jumped up, wrapping her forelegs around his neck as she caught him in an unexpected embrace.

"Thank you." She said quietly.

The Warden simply nodded, wrapping one of his forelegs around her in return.

"You're welcome, little friend…"

Apple Bloom then caught sight of the main six and the other crusaders all standing together, watching on with a mixture of happy and touched expressions. Especially Applejack, who was discreetly wiping her eyes.

The Warden then let her go, and Apple Bloom followed suit, falling to the ground and regaining her footing. Both she and the Warden looked at each other for a few seconds, each not saying a word but somehow understanding that the friendship between them was now undeniable.

Then, the Warden gave a command.

"RAD, say goodbye."

The drone deployed with a whir, immediately going into a hover in front of Apple Bloom, its camera looking at her.

Apple Bloom felt a pang of sadness as she fully realized how much she would miss the heroic little drone.

"Bye, RAD." She said with a smile.  "Ah'll miss you…"

The drone gave an emotional sounding beep as it gave its own farewell.

Then, RAD began to hover next to the Warden, who was now standing up, towering above Apple Bloom once more. The stallion took a step forward, about to leave. But then he paused, looking down at Apple Bloom.

"You know," He said, "my friend should know my real name."

Apple Bloom was a bit shocked. He had seemed averse to sharing his name before. But was he about to tell her now?

"What is it?" She asked, her big, orange eyes shimmering in anticipation.

The Warden smiled, and he made his reply.

"Casemate."

Apple Bloom could not help but release a large smile upon hearing this. It felt like he had just shared an important secret with her.

"Huh." She remarked, remembering what he had said when she first told him her name. "That's a good name. Ah like it."

Clearly, Casemate remembered as well, for a warm expression appeared on his face. He chuckled, and briefly shuffled Apple Bloom's mane with one of his hooves in a playful manner, causing her to laugh quietly.

After a moment, he brought his hoof back to the ground, stood up, and took a step back.

"Goodbye, my little friend." He said with a nod. "Until next time."

Then, he began to walk off, going towards the entrance of the orchard, followed closely by his drone.

Apple Bloom waved, and gave a final shout.

"Goodbye, Casemate! Ah'll see ya soon!"

He shot a final look in her direction, smiling as his eyes shimmered happily. Then, he faced away, continuing to walk down the dirt pathway leading out of Sweet Apple Acres. Apple Bloom remained where she was, thinking as she watched him walk away, soon going out of sight.

The thought that she had managed to make a friend out of the stallion who had almost killed the princesses was nigh unbelievable.

Then again, he wasn't really bad to begin with. He was hurt and confused, but not evil.

Over the past few days, he had gone from being a mysterious stranger to a lonely stallion in need of a friend in her eyes.

Deep down, she understood that by befriending him, she had perhaps given him some hope of finding a form of redemption. How exactly, she could not know. But she had given him a chance, which was no less than he deserved.

He now had an opportunity to be the good, brave, noble hero that he seemed to actually be, thanks to her.

Her thoughts were interrupted when Applejack strode up next to her and placed a hoof on her back.

"You doin' alright, sugarcube?" She asked, looking tenderly down at her.

Apple Bloom nodded.

"Eeyup. Ah'm jus' thinkin' 'bout 'im is all."

Applejack smiled and knelt down next to her.

"Ah am too…" She said quietly. "Ya did real good, sugarcube. We can all tell that he needs a friend, and you're bein' the best friend you possibly can be for him."

Apple Bloom sighed and nodded.

"Ah know…"

"HEY!" Pinkie Pie shouted, shattering the serene atmosphere. "CAN WE HAVE APPLE BLOOM'S PARTY ALREADY?! I CAN'T WAIT!"

Both Apple Bloom and Applejack looked at Pinkie, who was eagerly sitting atop her party cannon, which she had seemingly pulled out of nowhere.

Apple Bloom smiled and nodded, and Pinkie wasted no time in displaying a massive smile and pulling the firing cord.

The cannon shot off red and yellow confetti into the air, along with apple themed decorations, balloons, and even bow shaped party accessories.

Apple Bloom's eyes lit up in excitement, and Applejack hoisted her onto her back with a joyful expression. Then, the two sisters went off to join the party, ready to celebrate her return home.





"Well AJ, I gotta admit, I'm a little disappointed that you didn't smooch him after all."

Groan... "Rainbow?"

Snort! "Yeah?"

"Shut up."

Snicker! "Oh, I'm not gonna let you hear the end of it..."
> Chapter 19: Troubling Tidings
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Later That Evening…


The time was drawing near for the shift change.

Princess Luna gracefully strode through the limestone and marble corridors of Canterlot Castle, sipping thoughtfully on a cup of coffee as she analyzed a clipboard floating in front of her face, reviewing her list of tasks for the night. Her pet opossum, Tiberius, rode along happily on her back, straightening up her adornments and ensuring that her mane was straightened and in order.

As per usual, Luna had woken up about a half-hour earlier, about a full hour before Celestia put the sun down. Now, she was on her way to the daily debrief with her older sister, to ensure that any tasks that went unfinished during the day were passed off properly for completion during the night.

She trotted along the gilded halls, passing groups of royal employees eager to end their shift and head home for the day. She also passed a number of guards, who in contrast, seemed content to remain where they stood. After all, they almost never left the confines of the castle during their duty cycle.

Eventually, she reached her sister's study. A large, white wooden door with her sister's cutie mark indicated that she had reached her office. Two guards flanked the door, and went to attention as the princess of the night approached.

"Good evening, your highness." Both guards said in perfect unison.

Luna nodded in return. "Javelin. Silver Sword. Is my sister in?"

"Yes ma'am." Both replied, stepping aside, allowing her to walk up to the door and knock.

"Yes?" Celestia's voice called, sounding regal as always.

Luna opened the door, walking in without hesitation. The room was moderately sized, but very richly adorned with golden trim and prismatic crystals, matching her sister's visual aesthetic perfectly. To one side, a fire crackled and popped in a fireplace, and to the other side, bookshelves containing various binders and documents covered the walls. At the center of the room, a large mahogany desk stood, and atop it sat various papers, along with a steaming tea kettle with several cups.

Behind the desk was a plush, swiveling chair, and in it was Princess Celestia, facing away from the door and towards a large window overlooking the city of Canterlot. Outside, the sky was bathed in orange hues, and the sun was getting rather close to the very distant horizon. Celestia's mane and tail were gently billowing and waving as always, shimmering and glinting in the evening light that was coming through the window.

Luna shut the door behind her and walked up to the desk, awaiting her sister's greeting.

But it didn't come.

This was odd. Usually Celestia gave Luna a cheery greeting whenever they met. Today, she was silent, facing away from Luna and the door.

Somepony was going to have to take the initiative, and Luna decided to do so.

"... Good evening, my sister."

Celestia immediately looked around the back of her chair, and gave a slight gasp.

"Oh! Luna! Good evening to you, dear sister!"

She whirled her chair around, taking a letter that she was levitating before her face around with her.

"My apologies, I was preoccupied." She said with an apologetic expression, setting the letter down on the desk.

"It is quite alright, Tia." Luna assured her, passing the clipboard back to Tiberius, who proceeded to jump onto the floor. "Do you have anything for me before we switch?"

Celestia stared blankly at Luna for a moment, causing her to wonder if her older sister had even heard what she had just said.

"Tia?"

Celestia blinked, shaking her head sharply as if she were making an attempt to clear her mind.

"Uhhhh… No, nothing I believe."

"Good." Luna replied, "That makes tonight easy, then."

Celestia nodded somewhat absentmindedly, her attention turned back to the letter lying on the desk.

This was not normal. Celestia was usually very focused and concise when it came time for her to hand over responsibilities for the night. But now she seemed unfocused and unaware.

"Are you alright, sister?" Luna asked, sounding concerned. "Did you have a hard day?"

"No." Celestia replied, looking back at her. "Why do you ask?"

Luna's eyes narrowed a bit, seeming a bit skeptical.

"You seem unusually aloof, and are not acting like yourself. Are you certain all is well?"

Celestia sighed, leaning back in her chair and swiveling to the side.

"I'm not sure."

"Sure of what? Pray tell, what is wrong, sister?"

Celestia paused, turning back towards Luna.

"I received a letter from Twilight today regarding Apple Bloom."

Luna felt a bit of dread pierce her heart.

"Apple Bloom? I thought she was safely back in Ponyville." She said worriedly. "Nothing bad has happened to her, I trust?"

Celestia nodded. "She's fine, don't you worry."

Luna exhaled quietly in relief.

"Then, what has troubled you?"

Celestia's brow lowered slightly, as if she were irritated. She looked back at the letter, then answered.

"Twilight omitted an important piece of information in her initial letter regarding Apple Bloom's return, and has waited until she sent me this one to tell me." She explained, gesturing to the letter lying on the desk before the sisters.

One of Luna's brows fell in an expression of confusion.

"Well? What is it?" She asked, tilting her head slightly.

Celestia looked up at Luna, her expression beginning to look worried.

"It was the identity of the pony who brought her back." She said somberly. "It was the Warden."

Luna froze in place for a few seconds. She couldn't believe it.

"Wha- I- Sister, are you certain that you are not pulling my leg?" She asked, her eyes wide and her breaths growing a bit sharper.

Celestia shook her head.

"I would never joke about a matter such as this." She assured her. "And yes, I checked back in with Twilight, and she confirmed it. It was him who brought Apple Bloom back home."

"T-the odds of it all…" Luna stammered, shaking her head and pacing around. "What are the odds that h-he of all ponies, would find her and rescue her?"

"I couldn't believe it at first either, trust me." Celestia remarked.

Luna took a deep breath and stopped next to the fire, gazing into the flames while she became lost in her thoughts. A few moments passed, and she spoke.

"So he's finally come out of hiding?" She asked.

"I am not completely certain of that." Celestia answered, shaking her head. "If he wanted his presence to be known, Twilight would have simply told me as soon as she found out. But she waited until after he was long gone before she told me."

She let out an exasperated sigh, putting a hoof up to her face and rubbing her eyes.

"Why didn't she tell me to begin with?"

Luna looked back at her older sister, taking a moment to think.

"Pray, don't take offense, Tia; but perhaps she didn't quite know how you would have reacted?"

Celestia shook her head and threw her forelegs up.

"I don't know. All I know is that she didn't trust me with that information at first."

"Well, was that mistrust unfounded?" Luna asked bluntly.

Celestia lowered her legs and exhaled again.

"After what happened two years ago, I guess not." She moaned. "Twilight did catch me lying, after all. It would seem as if she trusts me in all things except for matters regarding the Warden."

Luna nodded. That would certainly explain why her sister was troubled. It was not often that she and her former student were at odds, but when they were, it often shook Celestia to her core.

After a few thoughtful moments, Luna's thoughts shifted, focusing more on the Warden.

"Celestia," She murmured, "do you think that… That he might be more open to the idea of forgiveness now?"

The elder sister looked at Luna with an apprehensive expression in her eyes.

"Luna," She said, sounding dead serious; "just because he rescued a filly in danger does not mean that he has had a complete change of heart."

"But it has been several years!" Luna implored. "Surely if he is rational enough to do noble things once again, then he will at least listen to what I have to say!"

"That is irrelevant if he still harbors bitterness in his heart, sister!" Celestia explained.

Luna's ears drooped, and her expression fell, displaying sadness.

"Sister…" She said quietly, "I've been living with guilt for all this time. I don't know if I will ever be truly rid of it, but if there is a chance that some of it can be dealt with, then- then I must try!"

Celestia didn't respond. She merely looked at her sister with an expression which told Luna that she was at a loss for what to say.

The two sisters remained silent for some time, thinking and listening to the crackling of the fire.

Soon, Celestia closed her eyes and slumped back into her chair, exhaling slowly as she did so.

"Luna, I advise against trying until we know more." She sighed, opening her purple eyes and looking at her sister. "His bitterness may still be too great. Not only is he not likely to forgive you, but he may also leave your guilt worse than before!"

Luna shook her head.

"Tia, I have to try."

Celestia's expression fell, realizing that Luna was not going to be swayed.

"I'm not going to stop you from trying, I know better." The sun princess said in a concerned tone. "But please understand that it may not work as well as you seem to think."

"I know, and I am grateful that you are doing your best to look out for me now." Luna admitted. "But I'll wait only a little while longer. Regardless of how he may be, I have to do something."

Celestia glanced away for a moment, turning around to face the window once again. Luna strode up next to her sister, looking out as well. The sun was nearing the horizon, painting the sky a beautiful spectrum of blue, orange, and pink.

"We can discuss this more later if you desire." Celestia said gently, standing up and facing her younger sister. "But for now, we need to bring the day to an end."

"Of course." Luna sighed, turning around in preparation to leave.

However, she felt a strong wing wrap around her, stopping her in her tracks. Celestia had caught her in a tender embrace. Luna initially froze in place, uncertain of what to do. But after a few moments, she gave in and leaned up against her sister.

For a few seconds, Luna's tumultuous mind was soothed, calmed by the presence of her elder sister.

"I hope you find peace, one way or another, Luna." Celestia whispered. "I hope that above all things, he finds it in his heart to do the right thing."

Luna took a trembling breath, nodding quietly.

Soon, Celestia brought her wing back to her side, and Luna moved away.

"Come, let us start the night." Celestia encouraged quietly, motioning towards the door.

"Yes." Luna replied. "Let us do so."

The two sisters then strode out of the room, side by side.