The deep blackness began to pull apart, he flinched, his eyes fluttering rapidly as a bright light assaulted his senses. He struggled to focus as his consciousness returned, with his eyesight coming back Samuel was met with the off white ceiling often found in government and medical facilities.

The softness of a pillow propped his aching head up and the thin blanket on top of himself provided a comfortable warmth. He noticed a steady soft dripping sound to his right, grunting he struggled to shift his head towards the sound. An I.V. bag was set up on the bed, beneath it an empty aluminum table.

Feeling a semblance of strength again the young man shakily hoisted himself up on his elbows and began to survey his surroundings. At the end of the bed was another table with a clipboard and what he presumed was a report on it, beside it lay various tools for medical examination.

The left side of the room was bare except for a window that overlooked Ponyville and allowed the light of Celestia’s sun to shine in. The right side had a doorway with a small rectangular window and a counter up against the side wall where various medications along with supplies sat at attention.

He struggled to lift himself up further, eventually getting into an upright position, he brought his knees up and closed his eyes. His arms and legs felt beyond sore and there was a dull but consistent pounding at the front of his skull, he brought a hand up over his eyes to rub at the throbbing ache.

He grimaced at the creaking noise of the door opening unexpectedly,”Finally awake?”

He glanced through his fingers at the mare in the doorway, a little cap with a red cross atop her head told him she was a nurse,”I seem to be...”

She gave a small motherly smile and stepped into the room proper, she was an older mare middle aged it seemed and her creamy off white coat matched the room perfectly. She moved towards the end of his bed,”I thought I saw you moving through the door there.”

He gave a hard blink, his head was still catching up with him and her movement was hard to follow,”Yeah, I actually just woke up.”

She grabbed hold of the clipboard,”Alright then, so Samuel, how are you feeling? Do you remember much of what happened before any of... this?”

“I’m... feeling okay overall, I’m kind of sore but it’s manageable and my headache is starting to go away.” He lowered his hand back down to the bed,”As to what I remember I’m not too sure, I remember seeing Twilight and Applejack... I think Mac was there too.”

“I was on my knees in the dirt and it was hot, really hot. My eyes stung from the sweat and it was hard to move, I said something to them about surviving and then everything went black.” He gave a small shrug,”Can't recall anything else after that.”

“Hmmm.” She scribbled on the clipboard,”Well then that’s good, it sounds like you know most of what transpired before you blacked out. No memory loss there.” She chuckled to herself.

He sniffed and shook his head lightly, looking over and out of the window he squinted at the town that it overlooked,”What exactly happened after the...”

“You collapsed.” She looked up at him with a more serious expression,”You suffered from a combination of extreme exhaustion and severe dehydration, Princess Twilight and her friends brought you directly from the cave entrance to here, Ponyville General Hospital.”

She placed the board under her arm, her expression softened again,”Then we put you in here, I and the doctor have been keeping a close eye on you since then.”

He looked down,”Guess I owe them.”

She nodded in agreement,“They’ve all been worried about you, showing up and trying to see you. I admit it was hard to turn them down but we needed you to rest without disturbance.”

He swallowed,“H-How long ago has it been since I got here?”

She narrowed her eyes in recollection and looked up,”I think that was three days ago now, maybe four, I’ve been so busy that I’ve kinda lost track.” She gave another chuckle.

He nodded to himself,”Do I have any wounds I need to watch out for?”

“Eh, a few bruises on your left shoulder, some on your arms, but not really that bad considering what you went through. You’re especially lucky considering we wouldn’t have been able to treat you very well if you had any serious wounds, what with your immunity and all. Oh! That reminds me.” She brought the board back up and continued to scribble on the paper.

He couldn’t help but feel a little pride in his craftsmanship, a few bruises after such an intense confrontation? He’d made some nice armor.

Samuel sat quietly as she finalized whatever it was she was writing, he watched her manipulate the pen furiously across the paper for a minute or so. She took the report off the board and placed the wooden tool back on the table.

“So then, what happens now?” He looked up at her with a raised brow.

“First I’m gonna take this report to doctor Smoke, then we’ll run some basic tests on you. Once we’re sure you’re totally okay then we’ll inform Princess Celestia that you are in fact awake and well, she wanted to speak with you before anypony else.”

“That makes sense.” He said with a sigh, what he had done was foolhardy, she probably didn’t approve. He could only imagine what Luna, who already hated him, was going to think.

The mare smiled at him,”Yes, now I’m gonna run these on down to the doctor.” She came around the side of the bed and held out a hand,”My name is nurse Wellness, I’m going to be the one making sure your on the right track for the duration of your conscious stay.”

He reached up and gave her the best handshake his weakened arm could give,”I really appreciate all you’ve done for me ma’am.”

“Oh you don’t have to thank me, after all you did for our little town here, your a hero. I don’t mind taking care of wounded heroes one bit.”

“Hero?”

She gave a last small smile before turning around and making for the exit.

Sam’s eyes followed the back of her head as she left,”Hero...” He wasn’t really sure what to think about that title.

Was he a hero?

Maybe, but he didn’t particularly feel like it. He didn’t feel any sort of regret or guilt and definitely felt he’d done the right thing, but does simply doing the right thing make somebody a hero? Especially if the right thing was something so brutally violent.

His father had always told him to do what he knew was right, Sam often asked how was he to know what was right or wrong but the answer was always,”You’ll feel it, when the facts come together and your integrity is called up to bat, you’ll feel it.”

Sam blew a breath out of his nose and clasped his hands over his face.

Killing was something the young man had always been conflicted over, probably like most other people. The idea of taking somebody’s life, destroying all they had done or will do, was abhorrent. Yet he had killed creatures who were morally bankrupt, they enjoyed the act of kidnapping, raping and enslaving. They deserved it, how could they not?

He shook his head and sighed,”Damnit.” There was a lot to think about.

~

What the fuck had happened?

He went from being the most powerful chief in the area with the ambition and means to reach higher than he ever could have hoped for- to surviving in the wild and trying to avoid pony patrols. Gods, even worse than the rest of it all, he was being forced to scavenge the bodies of dead animals for food.

The former leader hadn’t slept the past couple nights and he had no idea if the water he had been drinking was clean or not. His paws stung with every step he took across the forest floor, the rustling of leaves and snap of twigs made him jump in fear and he felt like he was being watched constantly.

Razor was thoroughly and completely humiliated.

It was worse than when he had been exiled from his clan, at least that was an honorable exile and he was given the opportunity to take supplies with him before being driven off.

This was... insane. He still wasn’t sure who or what had led him to this.

He had been sitting down overlooking the tribe’s celebration, the prize mare on the table in front of him was being broken. His dogs were in high spirits, drinking and singing, not a single fight had broken out which at the time he considered a blessing.

He himself was even thinking of taking a turn on the new slave, something he almost never did what with how busy he always was. That’s when the door had burst and some kind of... metal warrior charged in.

It was pure chaos, a flurry of shouting and indistinguishable movement. Flashes of violence and panic permeated his memory, he hadn’t regained his senses until he was in the back halls again. How he got there he wasn’t sure, he must have just gone along with the rest of the panicking dogs.

When he finally had managed to reign in the stampeding tribe all of the best fighters were already dead, either having attempted to stop the metal monster in the main hall or being killed beforehand. Rainbow Dash had been freed too and to top it off the rest of the slaves were gone.

In a matter of minutes all of his accumulated power had been decimated.

He did all he could to coordinate a counter attack only to have this single fighter slaughter his soldiers at the entrance of their own home. It was disastrous, after the first five minutes his troops had lost all morale, they did all they could but the position the enemy had taken was well placed. He forced them into a choke point and they could only attack two at a time, there was no room for any more.

Before long the confusing fight grew to be too much and the dogs had fallen into another panic, they were simply trying to get past him to safety at that point. That shining steel creature was merciless though, soaked in blood he swung his large sword to and fro, cutting down the fleeing dogs like a scythe through wheat.

Eventually he grew tired and sluggish and the dogs started to get by. That’s when Razor made his attempt to run and managed to get through, though at the expense of the dog that went with him.

Now he was here, out in the open woods, deprived of his tribe and the luxurious life he had become accustomed to.

After all that work, the blood, sweat and tears that were put in, everything that had been achieved, was destroyed and thrown to the four winds. The slaves free, territory taken, mines gone, all of this was done by that metal son of a bitch.

It had taken Razor two years to get those damn dogs up to snuff. Countless hours of teaching and training, planning and scouting, building and mining.

He had worked for all he had, mostly from the ground up and this bastard, whoever he was, came in and took it all? It was infuriating, a fiery fury rose in his heart as his mind reformed the image of that metal warrior, his breath picked up and his fists clenched.

The rightful chieftain had no idea how he would do it, but he wanted that fucker dead.

His head would rest on a pike outside the main hall till it wilted away, his armor melted down to be made into a weapon that Razor could wield and his affiliations, whomever they be, enslaved for the rest of their lives. Then and only then would his dogs be revenged and his shame ended.

Razor was ripped from his inner monologue when his paw caught on a tree root.

An instinctual yelp leapt from his throat, he fell straight towards the hard ground. He was barely able to get his hands out in time to catch himself and all that did was lessen the impact. He grunted in pain as he hit the dark dirt, soil immediately found itself in his mouth and despite his spitting it’s taste refused to leave.

His arms flexed as he pushed himself upwards, as he raised up his arms began to shake and suddenly his strength gave out. He fell back to the earth with a thud, with a pathetic sigh the deposed canine lay there in the dirt and allowed tears to fall from his now watery eyes.

He laid there in the dirt shifting about and crying for an unmeasurable amount of time, allowing all the emotions of grief and shame to make their way out. His fist beat on his chest as his anger also showed itself on the surface.

He had finally broken down, the horrors of all he had he had witnessed and all he had lost was finally hitting him in a way his mind could comprehend. He should have felt even more shame at this display of “weakness”, but he didn’t, in fact he felt good getting all of it out.

His exhaustion eventually caught up with him, as the day grew dim his sobbing died down and his eyes became heavy. Despite the pain of hunger gnawing at his gut he slowly drifted off into a deep sleep, oblivious of the red eyes scanning his sprawled form.

~

Samuel jolted awake as the door to his room was slammed shut, he sat up with a gasp and his eyes widened as he was met with the imposing sight of an angry Princess Celestia in the dim light of the setting sun.

Her seven foot tall amazonian form stood over his like a tower. The monarch’s ethereal mane flowed wildly in several directions at once, her magenta eyes were narrowed and filled with anger. She folded her arms over her chest and clenched her fists,”What in the name of the goddess did you do?” She asked in an intense low tone.

He swallowed thickly and stuttered out,”I-I-“

“You attacked a whole tribe of diamond dogs, in their lair, by yourself, based off nothing but a hunch!” Her voice boomed making him cringe,”Have you any idea how reckless, no, how foolish that was!?”

He nodded realizing he was going to be unable to get very many words out,”Well I’m glad you can see that now you’ve already put yourself through such immense danger! Have you any idea how worried I have been? How upset all of your other friends are!?”

She threw her arms out,”Did you give a thought to the consequences of your actions at all?!”

“I-I’m sorry.”

“Oh? Well that’s great, he’s sorry, I’m certain the other tribes will forgive him for slaughtering, what was it? Thirty two of their fellows?” She gave a sarcastic laugh,”Of course they won’t mind at all, they won’t become more hostile then they already are, or form some kind of coalition against us.”

“I don’t regret it.”

She paused and looked down at him with teeth clenched, her forearms started to shake,”I figured you’d feel that way, I know you better than any of these other ponies, you and your damned moral integrity.” She let out a heated breath,”What if you hadn’t been successful Sam?”

“You would not only have been butchered, your insides hung on the cave walls and head placed on a pike, but Ponyville would have suffered the fate of a diamond dog attack. One that was, in their eyes, justified.”

She shook her head whipping her mane about,”Mares raped indiscriminately, your friends killed, the lucky ponies would be enslaved and on top of that it would embolden every other tribe in Equestria. That’s what would have happened.”

She sighed and growled under her breath,”Did you even think of any of these possibilities in your arrogance or am I just regurgitating all of what you envisioned but still went forward?”

He simply nodded, resolute to stick with his decisions.

Her arms fell down to her sides and she sighed,”You could have died in there.” Her eyes softened and her voice lowered,”Do you know how we all would have felt if you’d died?”

He drew in a breath and lowered his gaze down to the folds of the beds sheets,”I know, I really do, but... I couldn’t just do nothing Celestia.” He twisted his mouth,”Yes your right, I was goddamn stupid, I could have and still might cause hundreds of problems. But, I did what was right.”

He looked back up to her with determination,“Isn’t it better I put myself in danger rather than your troops? More ponies still alive and unharmed right? Aren’t you glad I freed your enslaved little ponies and rescued Rainbow Dash? Or does that matter?”

She opened her mouth to answer but he cut her off.

“I am no narcissist but I know that I was more than successful, I started the trek confident I could accomplish what I set out to do and I ended up doing exactly that.” He narrowed his eyes,”Yes I had my doubts, we all do, but deep down we all know our own capabilities. Please don’t mistake my confidence for arrogance Celestia, I thought of all of the possibilities my actions might have entailed and you laying them before me only solidifies the confidence I have in myself.”

He began to pick up energy as he defended himself,”You and your sister did the same thing yourselves when you united this country, don’t your remember? There was no way to guarantee the high and mighty unicorns would stick by you but you had the same confidence I do in my skills in your diplomatic skills and you used it perfectly. They listened and without a single battle submitted to you and Luna.”

“So criticize me all you want for making the decision in the first place, but don’t tell me I was wrong to do it when you would have done the same thing in my place.”

Her nostrils flared, she looked down for a moment before sighing,”You’re too righteous for your own good.”

She seemed to deflate and gave a grunt as she sat down on the edge of the bed,”I’m glad you’re still alive my little historian.”

“Me too.” He chuckled to himself.

“You know almost none of my little ponies would ever dare to stick by their actions if I was as mad at them as I am at you.” She gave a small laugh of her own and looked back at him over her shoulder,”You really are something else.”

He returned the smile she flashed at him,”I just do what I know is right.”

She huffed and looked forward again,”Even if it kills you?”

“You’d do the same.”

“Fair point Samuel, fair point.” She clasped her hands to her knees.

They sat together for some time in silence, the light of her sun dying on the horizon as the two of them mulled over each other’s words. Samuel relaxed back into the bed his previous energy dissipating, he wondered if there really would be a huge backlash caused by his actions and whether or not Celestia would end up being correct about the whole thing.

That would be... unfortunate.

His Alicorn counterpart found herself leaning forward in contemplation, her eyes were narrowed signaling that she was in deep thought. Samuel was no mind reader but he understood her well enough to know the Princess was developing something within her mind, like any good ruler she always laid her plans out far in advance.

He had a distinct feeling whatever she was thinking about included him to some degree.

Suddenly Celestia looked up and broke the silence with a light clap,”Well then now that’s out of the way and I’ve said all I wanted, how are you doing after all this excitement?”

He shrugged,”I’m okay, a little sore, some bruises here and there.”

“Yes the doctor said you were relatively unhurt all things considered.” She looked at him with a raised brow,”From all the information I can gather that armor and sword you made seems to have performed quite well.”

“I’ll take that compliment.”

“Well you should, despite my qualms with this whole thing I will admit it is an impressive feat to destroy an entire diamond dog tribe with nothing but the armor on your back and sword at your side.”

He hummed,”You wouldn’t happen to know where those two items are would you?”

She nodded,”They were taken back to the Apple’s farm, before you ask, I don’t know if they’ve been cleaned at all or what damage they have sustained.”

He scoffed,“Probably going to have to clean them when I’m out of here but that’s fine, I can always fix any damage.” He cocked his head,”So what’s happened to the ponies I freed?”

Celestia swallowed,”They are being treated for their injuries and abuses in a different more private facility, I am having them treated by doctors specialized in dealing with the trauma they’ve gone through.”

“And dash?”

“The element of loyalty is, well, doing far better than her others counterparts. She’s still suffering from nightmares and panic attacks as is to be expected, but physically she’s already showing signs of improvement. I wouldn’t worry too much if I were you Samuel, that mare has a strong spirit and it wasn’t close to breaking even at her lowest moment in captivity.”

His mouth curved upwards slightly,”Good, that’s good to hear...”

Celestia smiled at him before leaning in a bit,”I can’t say for sure but I think even Luna is awed by the whole story.”

He raised an eyebrow,”Hey now that’s an achievement, of course getting her to even exchange words with me is an achievement.”

The Princess laughed,”Yes, as much as I hate to say it my sister is far too paranoid over you, it’s like she has forgotten that far more... fantastical things that have transpired around us.”

He paused before cocking his head, “You know maybe it’s just that, I’m not fantastical, if she’s used to things being crazy and I’m not the same kind of crazy then I’m something she’s never really encountered before.”

She shrugged,”You may have something there, when you first arrived I believed she would be more understanding and realize that your immunity to magic was not in your control. We both know how that turned out.” Celestia crossed her legs along the edge of the bed and laid back on the mattress.

“My sister has been through a lot in her life Samuel, you’ve got to remember it wasn’t three years ago she was cleansed of Nightmare Moon. It’s no wonder she’s so cautious and quick to defense, she does not want to be enthralled by that spirit of malice a second time.”

“She’s described the experience of becoming that monster to me a few times, from what can tell it’s like unwillingly becoming a different person.”

He nodded,”Yeah, I get that.” He leaned back into his pillow and looked up at the ceiling,”I think about that kind of thing a lot myself, I’m still trying to figure out if I’m a different person now that I’ve killed...”

Celestia’s smile faded,”I know how you feel Samuel, I’ve been there too, many times actually. You’ll find that you are the same person as before, you just never realized what you were capable of.”

He became quiet again, he couldn’t help but notice that tonight was a night of reflection with many complex thoughts swarming his mind. Talking with Celestia often ended up being like... this and he enjoyed it, it was always far more stimulating than talking with most other ponies.

Not that he didn’t like his other friends or valued their conversations any less, he simply appreciated being forced to think and form his own ideas. That was something his mother used to do back home, she would converse with him on all sorts of different subjects and make sure to ask him his thoughts or opinions.

He and his mother were close back home, they spent a lot of time together and a good chunk of his personality was influenced by her. She was a kind, thoughtful woman who payed meticulous attention to everything around her, she seemed to know Sam better than he knew himself.

He made a point to spend as much time with her as he could when he was on Earth, they used to go to lunch and talk for hours on end about anything from everyday issues to worldwide politics.

Samuel hadn’t been blind to the fact that since coming to Equestria Celstia had in a sense filled the gap left behind by his now missing mom. They had very similar conversations every time they met up and they both made a point to stay in touch.

He opened his eyes as Celestia began speaking again,“I think it’s kind of tragic actually, you and Luna would probably get along if she would give you a chance. She loves history too, almost as much as you. I personally think she would enjoy talking to you about your people and their grand march through time.”

She laughed,”I know I enjoy listening, especially about the history of your little Britain and it’s turbulent development.”

He smiled,”You know I still haven’t finished telling you about the Hundred Years’ War.”

“No, I don’t suppose you have.”

The alabaster alicorn spoke with her friend about the history of a certain little island in the Atlantic deep into the dark ominous night.

~

“I am sorry to disturb you.” His canine ears perked up at the echo of a deep disembodied voice.

Razor’s eyes burst open and he let out a cry as he realized there was something talking to him in the darkness. Scrambling to stand he slipped and slid along the cold dirt, eventually getting his hands down he pushed himself up from the ground.

He stood up shakily, with panic in his eyes he spun around,”Who’s there!?” He erratically looked back and forth struggling to focus in the pitch black of the forest.

”I’m right here.”

His head shot towards the sound of the voice and he finally spotted what he was looking for. Beside a dead tree not fifteen feet away was some kind of a phantom, two slanted glowing red eyes sat atop a tall blob of floating gas, it’s billowing form was darker than even the night.

He gasped at the sight,”There’s no way...” He immediately felt a profound amount of fear, Razor had never experienced anything like this, he was at a total loss. There were stories of ghosts and specters wandering the Everfree at night but he’d never put much stock in them, especially since his tribe had so extensively traveled the land and never saw anything odd.

The eyes seemed to look upon his fear with amusement,”No way? Well then I suppose I should just disappear and abandon my efforts to help you.”

Razor’s heart beat rapidly against his chest, he stared at the sentient blob with trepidation,”You want to help me?”

“Of course, why else would I be here?” It let out a dark chuckle.

He narrowed his eyes and lowered his shoulders,”Who... why?”

The red eyes seemed to scan his body before locking onto his own eyes,”Because I believe your survival would be beneficial for the both of us.” It began to move towards Razor, the form looked as though it had two gaseous legs moving beneath it’s main bulk,”The two of us have very similar goals, goals which face the same obstacles, the same... enemies.”

“We do?” He blinked his fear turning to confusion,”What?! Y-you don’t know me, gods, I don’t even know who the fuck or what the fuck you are?!”

The jet black spirit began to slowly circle him, it’s eyes boring into Razor like an ever digging drill,”Who I am? I suppose that’s a fair question.”

”I appear before you now as a projection of my physical self, I apologize for scaring you awake earlier but I’m only able to project myself at night when the sun isn’t up. You see the sun dissipates this form, it’s rays break apart the darkness that must be accumulated in order for it to function so I was forced wake you before the night was over.”

“Alright, that makes some sense...” The dog was beginning to relax, his eyes focused on the projection and he listened attentively as it spoke again.

”I am or was, a great emperor. My lands once spanned from the Celestial Sea to the forgotten oceans in the north, I dominated my enemies on land and sea and my people prospered greatly from it. I gave an order and a legion of servants followed it, I commissioned a building and an army of slaves built it, I was the greatest ruler of my time.”

The description formed a glorious vision in Razors mind, it was like a dream that only a young pup would have before realizing how harsh the world actually was.

”Now, I am barely remembered, what’s left is only a fragment of what I was.” He heard a sudden and definite change in the tone of previously prideful voice, it became almost melancholic and elicited a feeling of deep sorrow. The bright eyes suddenly turned to stare off into the trees,”They deposed me long ago for completely unjust and outrageous reasons. My lands were taken and the nation I led was destroyed in front of me, the same way your tribe was unfairly destroyed in front of you.”

The voice paused, almost as though it was hit hard by the ancient harsh memories it now recalled,”Not only was it done in the same way, but by the same ponies.” An eyebrow raised on the dog’s face, he could see where this was starting to go.

”They destroyed every trace of me and my subjects. They butchered our culture, destroying statues, burning our writings, tearing down buildings. Then they spat on our religion, claiming it was evil and incited savagery, I remember watching as the wise stallions that had led us for centuries were executed.”

“I’m sorry about all that, I... I know what you feel but, shit what is it that you could possibly want with me? Why tell me all this?”

The red orbs turned to Razor, a deep almost primal anger emanated from within them and he almost gasped when their eyes met,”I lost everything I held dear, everything... exactly as you have Razor.” It stepped closer to him and a tendril of smoke shaped not unlike an arm grabbed hold of his shoulder.

It’s grasp was heavy and cold, like an iron clamp it bit down into Razors arm, yet it also felt oddly reassuring.

”I know what it is like to be in your place, believe me. I was kept in a dungeon for years after I was defeated, surviving off of nothing but the pig feed they threw at me and the flesh of the any rats I could catch. The situation you are in now is sadly no different, worse in fact, for you have no hope of a guaranteed meal.” The grasp tightened even more, Razor payed no mind to the pain,”We have both suffered great injustices inflicted by the same foe, I feel that if we were to join together then perhaps we could take back what is rightfully ours.”

It let go of Razor and stepped back again,”Already I have gathered a small band of likeminded individuals that found themselves in situations like us, if we join our skills and build up our forces then I believe we stand a greater chance of success.”

Razor nodded in agreement with the idea, he was becoming enthralled by the being’s logical words and charisma. He was beginning to feel a budding sense of strange comradeship with this thing in the night.

”I will understand if you don’t want to join me, I’ll still help you out of this forest of course I couldn’t let someone so similar to me die, but I beseech you. Please join us, your organizational, training and scouting skills would be essential to our efforts.”

Razor looked down, his mind unsure,“I... I’m not... I’ve only just met you and you’re already asking me to... fight for you.”

The flowing mass looked away again,”Yes it is a big commitment with great risk, we could fail and all be summarily executed, maybe exiled to tartarus or perhaps even tortured in the deepest dungeons of the planet. But if we do succeed, if we do restore my lands and the lands of all those that followed me, then you will become the most powerful diamond dog to ever live.”

”You will be granted a kingdom, I will help you to unite all the tribes of the East and west. You will become the first diamond dog king to ever live and your dynasty would span generations under my protection.”

The projection of a once great emperor, a true leader and warrior looked back at the insignificant little dog with real empathy in his eyes,”So what do you say? Will you join me?”

Razor looked into the eyes of the specter, in that moment he seemed to see a tall regal figure filled with pride and determination. He couldn’t explain it but the speech had filled him with a sort of sympathy and inspiration, his mind seemed to clear up and he decided rather quickly.

“I won’t survive this forest only to be forgotten, I will join you and your group. I will fight to take what is rightfully ours even if I die doing it.” He narrowed his eyes,”And I will have my revenge no matter what the cost.”

The figure seemed to smile at Razor,”I knew you would see reason, I’m glad you stand beside me. Now let’s get you out of this forest.”

Razor smiled back,”Yes please.”

Without wasting any time the projection started to move, with a quick command Razor began to follow close behind. They walked westwards for at least an hour, ducking under thorny branches, pushing past thick bushes and even slogging through a few muddy river banks.

The journey was fairly quiet, neither of them had much more of a conversation instead focusing on the task at hand and making their way. Razor stumbled quite a few times in the dark, though his new acquaintance caught him every time in his odd smoky tendrils.

Before long the dark sky began to light up, it was faint but noticeable and as they exited a particularly dense thicket of trees the emperor stopped.

”When the sun rises in the east I will disappear, when I do keep heading to the west in the same direction I’ve been leading you. In a few miles you’ll exit the forest and come upon a series of hills, keep your eyes open and you’ll find a small encampment.”

”Inside the camp are three of my servants, they will be the ones to guide you on the long journey north and to me. You will have to be cautious and avoid as much contact with civilization as you can, travel only by foot and kill anything that recognizes you. Do you believe you can do this?”

Razor nodded,”Yeah, I can do that much. Will they have food and water for me, I’m starving.”

”Of course, all is taken care of and all you’ll need is in the camp. A fresh set of clothes, rations for your journey and some money for any possible expenses that you may have. Everything you need is prepared.”

He smiled, his sharp fangs glimmering slightly,“Alright then, let’s get on with it.”

”Indeed.”

~

“Y’all hold still! I ain’t stopping till I make sure!”

“The doctor said I was fine, I appreciate that you care but please let go of my arm!”

With a final jerk Samuel managed to dislodge his shoulder from the iron grip Applejack possessed, she attempted to grab at him again only to have him jump back. She gave a final huff and glared daggers at the smarmy faced human on the other side of the bed,”Ya put us through this much worry and won’t even let me look at ya, it’s downright disrespectful!”

“Jack come on, he’s not even outta tha hospital yet and yer already pestering him?”

“Yes.” She turned back to where her brother stood leaning against the counter,”Yes Ah am.”

He just smiled and shook his head, remaining characteristically quiet he gave a knowing look at Sam who smiled back in kind.

“Now then.” She turned back to her target,”You will let me look ya over or so help me Celestia Ah will hold you down and do it myself.”

He sighed,”Is it really that important to you?”

“Yes.” She gave him another glare,

With a shake of his head he threw up his hands,”Fine, look me over all you need, you’ll see the doctor was right.”

“Thank you.” She slid over to his side of the bed and grabbed hold of his arm again, she looked over the appendage and felt at his bruises. She pushed along them and watched to see if he felt any pain, every time she did this he looked at her with an annoyed expression.

“Hmm well Ah guess the doc did his work right cause I’m seeing what he said.”

“My god, who would have thought.” He quipped in a blank tone.

“Ah don’t need any lip Samuel.” She let go of him and pulled herself back over the bed, standing up up she placed her hands on her hips,”Alright then well, long as your alright I’m satisfied.”

Sam laughed,”Well I’m glad your satisfied, now I can really rest easy.” His voice dripped with sarcasm. He ignored her dirty look and laid back down, pulling the blanket over himself he looked back at his friends,”Despite that little interaction I’m glad you guys came to visit, haven’t seen much of anybody else.”

Applejack lowered her arms and her face softened into a small smile,“Aww, it’s no problem surgarcube, you know we care about ya. Weren’t gonna leave you all alone in this damned depressing place.”

He shrugged and looked up at the ceiling,”Its not so bad, fairly boring and the food sucks compared to yours but, not altogether horrible.”

Applejack pursed her lips,”Yeah Ah know, still just have a bad feeling in these places.”

He nodded in understanding,”I get it, but hey I’m doing fine and everything’s working out pretty well.”

“I know, there’s plenty to be thankful for. So when are they gonna let you outta here?”

“Uh...” he looked to the side,”I think the nurse said it could be tonight but she thinks it’ll be tomorrow morning.”

“Alrighty, that’s not so bad. You looking forward to getting some fresh air?”

“Oh you have no idea.” He chuckled,”I’ve had nothing but the scent of sanitation for the past two days and I was tired of it in the first ten minutes.”

She smiled and opened her mouth to speak when Mac suddenly spoke up,“Ah forgot to mention earlier, Applebloom couldn’t make it today cause of school, she wants ya to know she thinks your the coolest guy ever. Least that’s what she said. She’ll be asking plenty of questions when your outta here so uh, be prepared.” Mac warned with a chuckle.

Applejack nodded,”Twilight also wants to see you too, she’s been real busy lately what with handling the aftermath of yer little war and won’t be able to visit before your out.”

“What’s she doing to handle it?”

“Well there’s been a lot more guards about and apparently there’ve been patrols going through the forest, you know catching any fleeing dogs to make em’ face justice.” Mac said,”I wish I could help honestly, specially’ after I saw them mares they kidnapped.” His eyes narrowed and mouth twisted.

“Oh yeah, they deserved all they got Sam, you did a good thing for this town.” The orange equine crossed her arms,”Everypony’s grateful for all ya done, heh, a might impressed too. That was a lot of animals ya put down.”

“Yeah, I’ve been told that...”

“How’d ya do it anyway? Ah know the armor and all is great but you killed so many it’s almost hard to believe and Ah saw what you did!”

Her brother blew a breath out his nose,”Can’t say Ah’m not a might curious myself.”

He scrunched up his mouth,”All I did was surprise them and then lead them to a choke point, pretty simple tactic, always works when the people attacking are confident they can win.” He looked up at the two,”It was also just a lot of luck too, can’t leave that factor out of it.”

“Not to complex then huh, Ah like that, yer gonna have to tell us the story in detail when ya get back and we got the time.”

“Why don’t I just tell you the whole damn thing right now? You guys have the time right?”

The Clydesdale smiled,”Sure do, you mind AJ?”

One agreement later and Samuel recounted his tale in the detail that Big Mac had requested. Though the story ended eventually the siblings and their warrior friend continued the conversation for awhile longer, before long Applejack looked over at the clock above the door, she almost shrieked when she saw what time it was.

She quickly explained that there was more work than he could imagine that needed to be done and she needed to leave now if she were to finish any of it. Despite his protests she pulled Mac along with her as she gave her friend a brief hug and running over to the door threw a quick wave goodbye his way.

Samuel slowly waved his hand back at her, as they left his sight he lowered his hand and sighed. Closing his eyes he let his head go limp and roll above his shoulders.

Despite their visit and the reassurances the two had given him about everything he still had many doubts about all that he had done and all that was going on around him at the moment.

Though he was sure of one thing. He had good friends and no matter what happened he knew that all of them would be there for him through anything.

Author's Note

Sorry for the long wait, a mixture of work, school and a good game of CK2 kept me a bit busy for a while.