After leaving Raritys' place, I wanted to frly around town to work up more of an appetite. Never really liked eating outside of meal times, or constantly snacking. And judging by the chime of bells from a clock tower, I had half an hour before considering an afternoon meal.

And I'm fairly certain that the Stallion from earlier was following me and I jetted out of there definitely not wanting to face that kind of music.

So, a quick but lazy flight later landed me at the front of Sugarcube Corner, having spotted the Library and a massive apple orchard on the outskirts- and now I'm hungry for blueberries. Walking in I was greeted to a few colts and fillies enjoying their treats, the ever so mixed aroma of a bakery and the most cheerful pony I've come across since Cemor got his new bar on his uniform ....... And now I'm down again. Shaking my head, I stand in the rather short line to order, staring at the display case trying to pick something good. Before I realized it, I was at the counter a walk of fluffy pink taking up my vision.

"Hiya!! Welcome to Sugarcube Corner!....." The overly cheery mare paused before gasping and floating similar to a balloon before letting it all out just as a balloon would, squeaks and all. "OH. MY. CELESTIA!!!!! I totally didn't have a chance to greet you in town this morning! Hi I'm Pinkie Pie! I spotted you when I took Gummy for a walk- he's my pet alligator but he has no teeth so he's actually harmless and totally my best friend, except for my other best friends- Oh! Nice vest! I guess you already saw Rarity!!! But when I walked by the tree to were in you were still asleep so I didn't want to wake up because I get a little of a cranky pants when I'm woken up early....." She sped talk my mind giving up after ten seconds ranting about anything and everything related to me, her and all in between. I tuned back in when I heard her ask my order before she wiggled in an odd way. "Oh, as an apology for not greetings you; have this Blueberries muffins and Oh on me! I insist." She smiled wide taking me by surprise as I once again remembered I had no money.

"Uh..... Thanks Pinkie. I'll pay you back for this, promise." She just eagerly nodded as I took my food and turned to find a seat. I spotted one near the door, with a window letting in sunlight. Smiling, I take a seat, moving it so I could open my wings more and warm them up. The weather may be warm on the ground, but a half hour in the air left them aching. Warm and fed, I spaced out cloud gazing when I heard a heavy hoof knock on the table causing my to jump and hit my head on the window. "Gah, mutha f-.... Hey. Whatcha want?" I asked the grey coated Stallion in a dark blue uniform- judging my his size I'd say he was an Earth pony.

"Are you a Mr Ripper Shadowclaw? Currently employed on the HMRAS Enterprise..." He asked in the natural cop tone.

"Uh, Aye I am. Why you asking?" I have no problem with people doing their job, but I was almost asleep when he startled me.

"Your CO want to speak to you about certain events that happened. Any questions should be asked to them. A five minutes flight North by Northeast will land you on the airship. Good day Sir." He didn't so much salute me as nodded his head before leaving.

Confused, I left the bakery found my heading and flew off every possible question and senerio running through my head. Like since when did I have a Commanding officer? As far as I knew, I was unranked and was just an apprentice. Just like the cop said, five minutes found me at the Docking Bay of the Enterprise. A security pegasus led me through the halls, stopping at the Head of Security's office. The guard knocked twice before standing guard outside as a gruff voice and a green aura opened the door with a "Private Ripper? Come in an sit down, please."

I followed his request, already having that feeling of being in the principals office. A grizzly brown unicorn was seated behind a desk, with a metal placard the only decoration in the office. Unsure on what he wanted with me, I stayed quiet untill he spoke first. "My name is Corpral Cage, Head of Security aboard the HMS Enterprise. For the record, please state your name and rank...." He spoke after using his magic to pull a dull red crystal from a drawer, placing it on top of the desk as it started to glow.

"Uh.... Private Ripper Shadowclaw.... Sir." I spoke, that uneasy feeling growing.

"Thank you. This interview is for the purpose of my investigation towards the recent assault on an officer, property damage to our Blacksmiths workshop and the damaging of a Royal Battleship during piece time and outside of a training drill. Pending a Full Trial, I shall act as Council." He turned to me, a neutral look on his face. "The charges placed against you are grounds for a Court Martial. Depending on your oral accounts, you may face Jail time." He motioned with his forehoof for me to begin.

And so I did. Every bit except for what went on in my head during the growth. How as a dragon- another bit I hid was my mixed blood, easier to explain things as a dragon- being woken up during a Growth resulted in aggression and a lack of forward thinking. My relationship to Rikoche, which is probably over. And my..... Attempted suicide. That last one caused me to pause as the actuality of what I nearly did shined a light on some mental problems I had.

By the time I recounted everything around that afternoon, the sun was setting over the horizon and my mental state was poor. "If that is your final statement, then you are dismissed Private." He paused long enough to stop the crystal recorder, placing it back in the drawer it came from. "Since you are the suspect of an investigation, I have to order you to have no contact with the Victim. You may gather your personal effects, but are hereby placed on Suspended Leave. Off the record Son, I know it may be an accident but the evidence is hard to dispute. You're fresh, so I'm not hitting you with Desertion, and you're not discarded either. But stay in town, period. You will have a guard following you, and they will escort you back to the ship if you're needed." He sighed, leaning back in his chair. "You have half an hour to get your stuff..... See to it that you don't waste it. Dismissed, Private." I gave a salute before he waved me out, a different guard following me as I went to my room.

As I was gathering my personal belongings, I realized many things. One was how little I owned; I'm not greedy or anything, but I literally owned a sword, a pair of glasses, pants and a vest, and a gun. And I was living in a rented out room the size of a small kitchen.

Two was just how much I just messed up. Not only did I attack a girl, I probably broke any trust she had in me. And I nearly went to jail because I acted like a child throwing a temper tantrum.

And lastly was the fact that I so quickly chose death to solve a problem I didn't want to face. I may be a bit of a loner, never really liked groups of people well, but I've never been so bad in my life that killing myself seemed like my only choice. A hardened shoe hitting the bulwark knocked me out of my introspection, the pegasus guard holding up three feathers. Sighing, I strapped the pistol around my waist and the sword over my back, handle tilted for a right hand draw. Nodding to the guard, I left the room and jumped ship from the Cargo Bay, my mind a mess and my heart in a knot.

Aiming for Ponyville, I slowly flew not paying attention to direction or weather. I checked out and moved on autopilot.

Author's Note

Hey! Couple days of work for a 2 part chapter.

Only slit because I'm uncertain about keeping the chapters short or aiming for 2k+ words like in chapter 10.

Let me Know your opinions in the comments below.

Grim