"So...how's the treatment here?" Arel heard Celestia ask while he tried to keep himself up by just using his legs.

Physiotherapy, examinations, blood tests, psychiatric evaluations and therapy, and so forth. Arel had been working himself to the bone since the first day he woke up, the wounds caused by the explosion had been healed just as the spider spirit had promised. However, the scars that were by it left still plagued him.

"A drag. I want to get out there and start working again. This place is making me sicker than I already am," Arel replied with a cold tone, after waking up he found it harder to keep his regular behavior given how things were going. "But what are YOU doing here? Shouldn't you be getting rid of Harmony-Tech?"

"You know that I can't do anything about it," Celestia replied as he continued to do his exercises. "Without hard evidence, all I can do is boost their morale as victims if I simply start to throw accusations. You have a lot of bags under your eyes...bad dreams."

"I wish," Arel replied to her as he struggled to sit down on the wheelchair without completely dropping his body on it. "At very least I would be sleeping if that was what was happening."

"What do you mean?"

"Rather not talk about it."

Arel discovered another thing after he woke up, trusting others was something he had a tough time doing, a REALLY tough time. The doctors said that being left behind in the explosion gave him PTSD, and that was the reason for his distrust. Arel denied it, he explained again and again why he stayed behind and that it was his choice to stay. But they would insist that Arel was simply traumatized by the explosion. They seemed a bit desperate to make him believe that.

Arell concluded that they must have been paid to brainwashing him into believing that crap, that made him simply pretend to listen to their advice. The moment Arel started to 'accept' that he had PTSD, the doctors left him alone and then started to try to talk about other subjects.

'It isn't PTSD. If I am like this now, it's all Audrey's fault. There is nothing wrong with me,' Those were the words that repeated themselves inside his head during every session, reassuring him that nothing was wrong.

Now, there was something else that became a common occurrence after he woke up was the attention he got from the nurses. The female ones would pay a lot of attention to him, bring him extra food, try to talk to him more often. When he was still bedridden they would go the extra mile to make him comfortable, some would always make physical contact for several minutes even after he had said that he didn't need anything.

The male ones, on the other hand, were extremely aggressive and brute with whatever they did. Some even tried to shove medications down his throat, medications Arel did not require. Eventually, the hospital director made sure that he was only attended by the mares. However, there were a few exceptions to both sides, some mares seemed to have the same aggressive behavior of the stallions, and vice versa.

To top it all off, Arel discovered the thing that made him stay up every single night. After waking up sweating from a nightmare where Audrey had come back to finish him off at the hospital, Arel saw the director and some other nurses staying at the feet of his bed staring straight at him. They apologized and quietly left, after that night, Arel saw them hanging by the door, glaring at him from a small opening on the door.

"Arel!" Celestia's voice woke him up, he had blacked out on the chair after finally managing to sit down. "Are you feeling threatened?"

"..." Arel sighed as he stared into the floor. He wouldn't touch his food unless somepony else tried it. He wouldn't sleep because he was being watched, he wouldn't speak if he didn't need to. He had completely closed himself from others, there was only one pony that he would speak to, however. And that pony was Celestia, though he wouldn't go in details about anything, he would at the very least talk to her.

"Arel, please. I'm here to help, I got you into this mess. I'll help you in whatever way I can," She said crouching down in front of him. Her gentle gaze locked into his eyes, it hurt to look at her eyes. Arel looked away, but Celestia would keep making him look at her.

'Can she be trusted? Should I trust her? Can she help? Can I make myself trust her? There has to be somepony who can be trusted, or maybe there isn't. Maybe it's best that I do everything on my own.

"I..." Arel mumbled, his words were stuck on his throat, he wanted to ask for help. But something was bothering him, Celestia had been visiting him every day, but there was no sign of his parents. "I'll level with you. As long as you level with me."

Arel saw Celestia back away, he had hit a sore spot given the face she had on. "What do you want to know?"

"Everything you been hiding. Aside from the fact that Harmony-Tech has painted me as a monster. And before you ask, it isn't hard to figure it out when everypony is whispering this whenever I pass by them in the corridors." Arel replied, making Celestia sigh and then sit down on a chair.

"Well, for starters...you won't be able to research any new magi-tech within the walls of this city. My hand was forced on that matter."

"So, the bastards send me to death's door. Paint me as a lunatic terrorist, and prevent me from doing what I love? If I go out they can get me easily..." Arel asked earning a positive nod from the Princess. "And you were hiding this because...?"

"You had been through enough. I wanted to wait until you were healed up. I didn't want that news to get in your way," Arel saw the Princess squeeze her hands as she appeared to be bracing herself for more bad news. "Then...there is your parents."

"I swear on all that I believe that I will kill every single employee of that place if they hurt my family!" Arel exploded as he glared at Celestia.

"As far as I know they are okay. Your mother was relocated to Mane Hattan. Your father...the lab he was working with was bought by Harmony-Tech and they sent him to the borders by the dragon's territory."

"And why did they go with it?"

"To...to pay for your hospital expenses," Arel felt his eyes starting to water up, everything was rigged against him.

'With that reputation as a terrorist I'll never get a job. And that means I won't be able to pay for a place to live. I doubt even shelters will take me in. Then there is my family...without them around. I won't have anypony to turn to. I'm alone. I have nopony...I don't have anything!'

"Why?" Arel muttered.

"I'm sorry," Celestia said getting up. "What did you say?"

"WHY! I ASKED WHY! Why is all of this happening to me?! Why do I have to lose not one of my projects but all of them?! Why must I lose my family?! Why can't I simply die and let all this be over?!" Arel shouted trying his best to clench his fist.

There was no reason for him to be there, there was no meaning to his life other than that anger that didn't allow him to think straight. Anger towards the corporation that destroyed his life, anger towards himself for allowing himself to be fooled by others again and again, and anger towards the wretched world that sought only to make him suffer. As far as Arel cared, the world could explode and be reduced to nothing but a pile of ashes and it all would be fine by him.

That was when the idea to end it all came to him, he was on the seventh floor. At this current height, he could toss himself out of a window and then BOOM, all his trouble, all his pain, all his sorrow, all his anger would be gone. He would be free, the world would no longer have any way of torturing him. Arel looked at the gigantic window that allowed the patients to see the shining sun reflect its rays over the rooftops.

Most saw beauty in that view, to Arel, however, it was only a reminder of the darkness that lurked where the sun couldn't reach. Where the shadows waited to hurt him, where they waited for his suffering. Arel convinced himself that there was no more light in his life, there was no more meaning for him to research, for him to fight. The very room where he was staying was nothing but a dark gloomy cell where he was forced to stay.

"I don't know," Celestia said grabbing his hand and squeezing it. "I guess that every life has its value, and yours still has much to offer. So, my guess is that it wasn't time for you to go."

Celestia's words pierced Arel's heart, she spoke exactly like his father once did. She made him remember one of the principles his father always told him to remember. 'Every single life is precious, even yours. So, don't toss it away.' She spoke the message with the same tone, the same peace, the same kindness and smile his father used every time Arel heard it.

Arel felt tears rolling down his cheeks, the room started to clear up. It wasn't a complete darkness anymore, there was a single dim light standing right next to him. A small golden orb that was by his side, even if she didn't actually have an obligation to help him, even if she had more important things to do, that small light was by his side.

'Maybe...maybe there are some beings worth living for. Maybe there are some beings worth protecting. Those are the lights I can try to trust.'

"Mr. Areneo? Arel?! Are you ok?" Arel was brought back from his sudden realization by Celestia shaking him to the sides.

"Y-yes," He replied drying the tears and looking her in the eyes. "Well, I need to level with you now. However, I need you to come closer." Arel said as the Princess got closer. Once she was close enough, Arel whispered on her ear. "There are ponies stalking me."

"What?" Celestia said in a low tone. "How do you know?"

"They watch me from a slightly open door every night. I'm not sure I'll be safe here for much longer."

"I'll see what I can do," Celestia replied as she got up.

(Two months later)

"You actually came all the way here?" Celestia heard as Arel was brought out through the hospital's front door. "Don't you have a country to rule?"

"I have," Celestia replied watching him getting on his hooves with a bit of effort, his right leg seemed a bit damaged still. "I brought you this," She said using her magic to levitate a cane to him.

"Now give me monocle and a suit. Then I'll have the full set to scream 'I am a villain, end me here'," Arel replied before mimicking an evil laugh. "Seriously though, thanks."

"No problem," Celestia replied as she started to walk by his side, accompanied by two guards. Both of them female, after hearing that males seemed to be getting a bit violent towards Arel, she didn't want to risk him getting hurt or anything of the sort.

"Did you find a place I can stay for a while?" The stallion asked as his eyes kept darting around, he looked terrified. "I don't want to stay here in the open for too long."

"Well..." Celestia said biting her lip. She didn't want him to be on his own, especially with the condition he was in. "I've prepared a room for you to stay in the castle."

Just as she finished saying that, one of the soldiers almost tripped and ended up bumping in a cart that was passing by them. While the other one got so distracted that she walked up into a light pole. After both of them had regained their composure, Celestia watched them look at each other and giggle.

'What is going on?'

"Well, it is one of the safest places in terms of guards. But..." Arel said looking over his shoulders and then all around him as he kept walking. "How can I be sure that none of the guards will come for me?"

"Because you'll be working in a public space. A place where a bunch of ponies that happen to be of great importance to our friends are studying right now. My academy."

"What?" Celestia heard as they kept on walking. "Are you insane? I can't teach! Those stuck ups won't ever allow me-"

"I decide my staff. And just to be sure that you won't be having any issues because of your prohibition, you were assigned the spot of a magic teacher."

"I'm sorry if I'm being rude right now but...did you hit your head? This has to be one of the stupidest ideas I ever heard! I'm an EARTH pony! I can't use the magic that is taught in those classes!"

"Yet your scores in that subject were exceptionally high. Even though it was an extra curriculum for your course," Celestia replied, she heard more giggling from the guards, they were looking over their shoulders straight at Arel. "And since you'll be teaching magic by itself they won't have anything left to attack you with. Although it would be best that you secure a second source of income."

"Since they are ought to find a way to kick me out as well."

"Correct," Celestia said looking back on him, Arel was still a bit fidgety. And something about him seemed different. "Did you change your mane?"

"What?" He replied raising an eyebrow.

"You look different somehow," Celestia said after stopping and looking a bit more closely, trying to identify what was so different about him.

It was weird, for some reason Celestia felt some kind of pull towards him. There wasn't anything appealing about him as he was, his body was scrawny, his face was bitter, his eyes were dull. And even with all of that, something made it harder for her to look away, to step away from him. It was easier to move closer, it was easier to look closer, to reach out for him and touch his skin.

"Uh..." That interjection made Celestia snap back into reality, she was millimeters away from Arel's face. "What are you doing?

Celestia yelped before backing away and stumbling into one of the guards that seemed to be doing the same as her. "I-I thought I saw something on your face. I'm sorry for getting so close."

"Suuuuure," Arel replied raising an eyebrow and tilting his head before he continued to walk.

Celestia watched him walk away for a few seconds, attentively looking at him top to bottom, almost as if she was looking for something on him. Carefully studying every detail in his garments, the way he was walking, his arms, his legs, his mane, and so forth.

'WAKE UP!' Celestia screamed in her mind before slapping on both sides of her face at the same time. There was a rush of blood going straight to her face making her cheeks feel warm. Closing her eyes, Celestia took a deep breath before her eyes opened and she went after Arel again.

After a long walk with a few more bumps regarding that strange sensation, Celestia and Arel reached her castle. She guided him through the halls. Along the way, Celestia noticed that almost everypony on the streets and inside the castle had their eyes on him. Some had scowls, others seemed eager to walk up to him. Inside the castle, she also noticed that most of the maids they came across were following them while keeping their distance, there were a few butlers as well.

"This is your room," Celestia said pointing to a room. "I contacted your mother and she sent some of your old clothes. They are already stored in the furniture. If you need anything, just ask the staff. I'll instruct them to aid you in whatever task you need help with."

"THAT'S RIGHT!" A chorus of voices cried out from the corner.

"I'm slightly...no I am deeply disturbed by the number of ponies following us the entire day," Arel commented as he walked into the room. "Thanks for everything, Celestia."

"You're welcome," She replied standing in front of the door for a few seconds while Arel sat down on the bed.

Celestia simply stood there for a few seconds, watching him stare into space. He looked so focused on something, so lost in thought. Celestia took a step forward, and another, and another.

"Do you need something else, Princess?" Arel asked, bringing her back from whatever thing was keeping her in trance.

"Oh! I-I forgot! T-the dinner is around 7:00 PM."

"Very well," Arel said getting up again and walking up to the door. "I will rest up and change. These clothes reek of hospital air. I had enough of that for a lifetime."

"Agreed," Celestia said walking away.

'What is going on here? Why am I acting like this?' Celestia thought as she walked away from the room.

It was all very strange, she had been checking up on him since he was admitted to the hospital. And after each visit, Celestia did notice that something slightly different about him, even though his body remained the same. She would look more closely searching for that little change, that fleeting sensation of something being amiss, of an invisible trait that somehow escaped her. Something she had felt before, long ago. But it was something Celestia had to push away due to her lifespan.

'I don't suppose...No. That is ridiculous, I? After all this time? I doubt something like that would ever happen to me. Not to mention that...that anything like that can ever work when you don't age...Better to send those thoughts away, I'll just enjoy the new company.'

"What are you doing?" An echoing voice asked as Arel placed a chair blocking the handle.

"Making sure nopony can enter this room," Arel replied walking normally again. He headed towards the window and closed the curtains, the darkness activated the crystals in the room illuminating it.

"Pretending an injury? That isn't very like you."

"I think its best that ponies underestimate me. Besides, you're just a voice in a statue, don't lecture me," Arel said stretching up a bit. "But I have to ask, what the fuck are you doing in my room?"

"I no longer emit energy. Therefore those friends of yours no longer needed me. Thus I ended here now that nopony wanted me around."

"And I have to deal with a disembodied voice? Who writes the script for my life and where do I find them? I really want to beat them up," Arel commented as he searched the drawers picking up some clothes.

Arel's clothes weren't actually smelling like hospital air, his clothes had been carefully washed and they had a floral scent. All of this attention he kept receiving made him stay on the edge, he wasn't knew he wasn't attractive, so why? Why was he receiving so much attention from mares and a handful of stallions? Actually, why was he getting so much spotlight?

Arel wasn't comfortable with all the eyes, he just wanted to find a way to live by and try take down a huge corporation that ruined his life. No big deal, there was no need nor reason for anypony but those involved to be interested in him. Yet, there they were, trying everything they could to follow him. Did he have a bounty on his head?

"So...are you going to have a romantic dinner with the sun princess?" Arel rolled his eyes as he put on his clothes. Luckily for Arel, he didn't grow up during his little nap after the explosion.

"You're talking about a diety that literally has never, EVER, had any lovers registered throughout history. I doubt that a flimsy stallion like me can even think of courting her."

"She did act strangely with you a few times now. And you haven't even realized the changes yet," Arel's ears perked up and he turned towards the statue.

"How do you know what happened?"

"Well, since I inhabited your body for a little while...I have access to all your senses. Everything you see and feel I do as well. But when it comes to communicating...I can only communicate within this room."

"So I have stalkers and an ancient spirit that sees and hears everything I do. I fucking hate my life," Arel said facepalming. "Actually...you mentioned changes once before. What do you mean? Does it have to do with the stalkers?"

"Like I said when we met. I cannot give details about what the energy did to aside from what I already told you."

"And if your statue were to somehow suffer an accident and be crushed to bits?"

"At your current state you would perish. Besides, seeing you discover how to deal with all of that will be amusing."

"I am so tempted to toss you out the window," Arel said pressing his temples. "But I guess I'll take a walk around this place and try to find something to do," He continued walking up to the cane.

Limping once again, Arel removed the chair and the door opened up with a loud thud. About five or six maids and two butlers appeared to be trying to open the door and peek inside, Arel watched all of them let out some embarrassed laughs before they walked away looking over their shoulders.

'Creeeeeeeeeeeeeepyyyyyyyy...' Arel thought as he started to limp away from the group. However, as he walked away, he heard a very low and familiar voice whispering in his ear.

"It's already happening, I wonder if you will remember what got you so far. What you'll do with the gifts you were given?"

Arel felt a strong stinging sensation inside his head as he limped away, the pain disappeared just as soon as it appeared. It wasn't before long that Arel saw the world a bit clearer. The shadow looming over everything was still there, but his sight saw more color, more life than before. Something had changed, but he thought better to think about it later, being outside the hospital made him want to wander for a bit.

The empty halls echoed the sound of his heavy steps as he dragged his 'injured' leg, the high walls proudly displayed banners of the sun princess' cutie mark, vast tapestries of different regions of the kingdom that Arel had never visited before, grand illustrations of heroes and battles of the past. As Arel analyzed each one of the pictures, he noticed something wrong with the composition, almost as if some spots were missing a character or had something painted over it.

The walk continued, only meeting the eventual servant or soldier that would also stare at him until he was far enough away. The great banners that hang from the top of the arcs gave a view of vast courtyards where armored soldiers were sparring and training. From up there Arel could see a single soldier handling multiple attackers, judging from the magic auras that kept appearing, a unicorn. A very thin soldier compared to his opponents, some sort of pink almost transparent cloud floated around him and circled his horn.

'That one seems to put way more effort in their training. Though his magic can also be giving him a huge advantage.'

The tour continued, the endless maze of twists and turns slowly being memorized as he saw more and more works of art. This time stained glass windows depicting the fall of Eris, the banishment of Nightmare Moon, Celestia's ascension as the keeper of Harmony. Arel felt almost as if he was walking through a book of history, it was then that he found himself before a set of big golden doors with the sun emblazoned on them.

'If this thing is made out of gold, then I guess I found where tax money goes to,' Arel thought as he chuckled. When he was on his own it was easy for him to behave as his usual self when other ponies were interacting with him, Arel couldn't help himself but be blunt or crude. 'Celestia is on my side...I could try a bit harder o be less blunt...'

Arel touched the golden door's surface, the sound of cracking and something heavy being moved started. Arel looked at the doors as they opened towards him, a strange and thick golden cloud poured from within the chamber that lied beyond the doors. The cloud was so thick that Arel couldn't see beyond it, he could hear steps and a voice.

"We have a special guest tonight, so have the chefs prepare the best dishes they can. It's been a while since we had a new face here to make these empty halls a bit livelier," That was Celestia's voice.

The doors closed and the golden cloud disappeared just as suddenly as they had appeared. Arel then could see through the figure that was staring at him, Celestia stood with a confused expression as Arel stared into her horn. The golden cloud slowly drifted into her horn as it disappeared, leaving behind only a few traces of it behind.

Arel reached to one of these traces and touched it, it felt as if he was holding a thread, a beautiful delicate thread golden as the sun. The golden line danced around his fingers until it rested on his fingertips, they emitted a faint glow. Arel tried to get it out of his hands by snapping his fingers, the result was a small shock followed by a very small flash.

'Is that what he meant by seeing the magic flow?'

"What did you just do?" He heard as he kept staring at his fingers.

"I guess that strong soundwaves within an area that was filled with magic residue can cause a small flash of light. It would be wise to avoid noisy equipment or ponies if you are to cast a complex spell," Arel replied instinctively.

His eyes widened, that was way too fast. He saw a small phenomenon related to the magic residue and understood its functioning, his mind had assimilated an image he saw for less than a second and applied to a knowledge he had previously attained. It was known that certain waves of the right frequency and wavelength could damage objects, however, it wasn't considered that a simple snap of a finger could cause that effect in an area with high enough concentration of residue. How did he even connect what he saw with magic residue in the first place?

"And you came to that conclusion because."

"I'm not sure," Arel replied once again by instinct.

"It's good to see that at least you're still full of surprises," He heard Celestia say before she started to laugh.

Arel, however, was worried about another thought. 'What would have happened if I had snapped my fingers while inside that cloud? Small quantities caused a bright flash...could I have triggered an explosion?'

"Well, Mr. Areneo," Arel heard as he considered the possible outcomes of what he had just witnessed. "I think we may go to one of the small dining rooms."

"Sure, sure," Arel replied looking at both sides of his hand and following as the Princess walked away.

"How's the castle?" Celestia asked as they sat in silence.

The chefs were taking a bit longer to finish the dishes, which was understandable considering the specifications she asked, however, she was left to deal with the awkward silence while waiting. Celestia couldn't tell if Arel was angry or simply bothered by something else entirely.

"Feels like walking through a museum. There are plenty of pieces here I only saw in books," He replied while playing with a fork, meanwhile Celestia served herself a glass of water. "Although the paintings seem to be altered somehow."

Celestia choked on the water after hearing that. 'I paid good money to hide the images of Luna, I know she will come back one day and I want her safe. But if anypony makes the connection about her and Nightmare...she might end up like Arel.'

"Sorry. Didn't know that it was a soft subject," Arel commented as Celestia regained her posture. "I just figured I should point out that your precious decoration might've been stolen and replaced with fakes."

"Oh. That's what you meant," Celestia said drying up the water she had spilled on herself and over the table. "I didn't expect anypony to notice it actually. How did you notice it?"

"I dunno," The stallion replied shrugging. "My guess? I can see better than I think."

"You don't say. What else can you tell me about yourself?" Celestia inquired leaning forward and resting her head on her hands.

The answer she got made Celestia gulp, Arel completely stopped toying with the fork, he raised his gaze and locked eyes with her. His completely dull and uninterested expression shifted into a serious one, his eyes went dark like when he was back in the hospital.

'Oh, I think I might have forced something here. Um...what should I do?'

Celestia saw the stallion frown as his jaw opened moving up and down as if he wanted to speak but something kept him from doing so. His right eye began to twitch as the movement started to become more erratic, Celestia watched as he started to scratch his head with one hand as the other gripped the table cover.

"I-I...t-the..." The stallion muttered as his breathing became faster. He was really struggling to speak.

'Is he forcing himself? I did hear he had some sort of PTSD but...what triggered it? Is his personal life the trigger? Or something else entirely?

"You don't have to speak! It's okay!" Celestia said raising up her voice as she got up and went to him. "You can speak when and if you want about those subjects. I'll drop it and leave it to you when you want to talk about it. So, please don't force yourself," She continued resting her hand on his shoulder.

The response to that was even better than she expected, Arel's breathing came back to normal. His eyes slowly lightened up and his muttering ceased, Arel took a deep breath and closed his eyes before exhaling. Then he started to let out an awkward laugh as he turned away from her. Celestia made him look back at her.

"I guess that I am just a crumbling pile of flesh, aren't I?" Arel asked with a sad smile.

Celestia stared at that face, he was sad, he was angry, he was confused. The bright colt that she met years ago was just one big mess, and she couldn't blame him for it. She was actually surprised he even talked to her, after all, considering his record, he would probably never trust another being.

'If anything, he has more willpower than any pony I ever met. He has endured a lot in such a short span of time...how didn't he become a lunatic or a mad stallion seeking revenge?'

"I can't say that you aren't in a bad place," Celestia said with the softest voice she could muster as she brought him up close hugging him. "I can't say that I understand what you are going through. In fact, I can't even say for sure you'll ever be the way you were."

"That's really motivational," She heard as she continued to hold him.

"But I can say that you are not weak. You are not a crumbling pile of flesh, you're damaged. But it's up to you to fix what you can and move on. A lot of bad things may have happened to you. But you learned from it, you spent your entire life learning. You have knowledge that nopony can take away from you, and that is your greatest strength. A power that is yours and yours alone."

"Power?"

"Yes, and you can use that to prevent that others go through the same thing you are going now. If you are willing to teach them, to guide them. If you don't do it, then I'm afraid, not many will and many more beings will go through the same thing."

"A...a responsibility..." After hearing those words, Celestia heard him start to sob.

Then she felt his arms wrap around her as he cried out, his voice screaming like when he asked her why did he have to go through all this. He looked like he was using everything he had to hug her back. Celestia felt a warmth building up inside her chest, blood rushed to her head as she realized how close she was to him.

'Maybe he shouldn't have left the hospital yet. He is way more hurt than he looks, but...this feels...nice. Maybe I can help him? Maybe I can be there for him now that he is on his own, his shoulder to cry on. Wait, what? WHAT AM I THINKING?! He needs a specialist's help! I'm no psychiatrist! I might worsen his state! But in that case...he would rely on me more...NOOO! I AM NOT GOING TO HURT HIM! I REFUSE TO DO SO!'

(The following morning)

"Have you heard that we got a new magic teacher?"

"I bet it's another old unicorn."

"I heard he graduated here in the academy!"

'Just ignore them, Twilight. Once the new teacher comes by you'll go back to doing what you were meant to do. Studying.'

"Do you think he will be like the previous one? That annoying know-it-all?"

Twilight continued to try and ignore the conversations happening around her, such petty and trivial things didn't matter to her. Research, discovery, technological and magical development were the only things that mattered. Who was the next teacher? Who was dating who, who had the most advanced Harmony-Tech devices, who was the most popular? All of that was just a waste of time, after all, what would any of that matter once they graduated? Those kinds of things didn't matter, academical achievements were the things that would count.

And to take it all, Twilight knew that she couldn't afford to waste time with things like friends. Unless it was for studying, that was the only reason to waste time worrying with others. Because once she started to help others she could go over materials once again and assure her top class spot.

Her reading was interrupted by the sound of the door opening, which caused a sudden silence to take over the room. Twilight raised her head and saw a familiar figure walking into the room.

"Mr. Areneo?" She muttered watching the stallion wearing a brown t-shirt with some jeans and a lab coat entered the room, limping.

"An earth pony?"

"Is that a new student?"

"Somehow he is pissing me off."

"Isn't that the terrorist stallion?"

"Was he sent back here as punishment?"

These whispers and murmurs kept on going as the stallion walked up to the teacher's stand. Twilight was sitting on the first row, which allowed her to see him more clearly. Arel had a lot of bags under his eyes, the look he had in his eyes was strange. Arel looked tired and uninterested, very different from the time she met in his lab.

'I guess that's to be expected after what he went through. He must've been trying to figure out what to do after he got out of that hospital. The princess must have helped him to get here again.'

Then Twilight saw Arel pick up some chalk, turn to the blackboard and start to write something down with big capital letters. Once it was finished, Twilight could barely keep her excitement in check.

"Very well class, I am Arel Areneo. Your new magic teacher," He said before yawning. "Now, I spent the last night trying to catch up with what you all learned so far. Just so I would be able to teach you properly. And upon inspecting the books and notes of the previous teacher, I decided where I should begin."

'OHMYGOSH! OHMYGOSH! OHMYGOSH! What is he going to teach?! What will he show us?!' Twilight thought as she hopped in her seat giggling and almost squealing while she watched Arel pick up one of the books on top of the teacher's desk and lifting in front of his face.

Then Twilight stopped and all of her excitement seemed to disappear, it was the very first book they had to read once they started the course. 'Channeling and casting, an advanced guide'.

'What? That has to be a joke. here is no way that he is...' Twilight's thought process was halted by Arel tossing the book in a perfect arch that landed in the trash bin near the entrance door.

He then picked another book and did the same thing, and then another, and another. Tome by tome, they all ended inside the trash. Even the ones that they were yet to cover were discarded. Then Twilight watched awestruck as Arel turned around and started to write on the board again, once again the capital letters formed on the board.

FROM SCRATCH

"That's right," Arel said discarding the chalk on the desk. "You are all going to see the entirety of this thing from the very beginning."

At this point, all of the students started to yell and complain.

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!"

"DO YOU KNOW HOW HARD WE HAD TO STUDY TO GET HERE?!"

"WHAT CAN A MUD PONY POSSIBLY KNOW ABOUT CASTING MAGIC?!"

"I WILL COMPLAIN TO MY PARENTS!"

While the students continued to rant and complain, Twilight watched Arel reach into one of his pockets and pull out an empty flask. He carefully placed the flask on top of his desk, then he walked to the trash can and placed the trash can with all the tomes on top of the desk by the flask's side. Then Twilight saw him hold his cane by the tip and strike the top of the desk, causing everypony to quiet down.

"Now, are all of you done whining?" He asked with an annoyed tone, the answer was silence. "Listen up! Your bodies are like this flask when compared to other races. You lack the speed of a pegasus and the strength of the 'mud pony'. So, how do you compensate? Through you fancy magic that makes you all believe to be so great and better than the others."

"You all learn your fancy spells by memorizing magic words. Chant them in your mind and boom! Magic happens, however, what's the biggest issue all of you face?" Arel asked making the cane rest over his shoulder. "Your teacher asked you a question. Anypony?"

"The casting time," A voice by Twilight's side said. "The greater the complexity of the spell the longer the chanting."

"Correct, Mrs. Moon Dancer. Did I get your name right?" The teacher asked pointing his cane to Moon Dancer, that replied with a nod. "Well, it is as your colleague said. In your current method, you are forced to memorize the spells and focus everything you have into chanting. That is why most of you cast spells sometimes stronger than you mean to."

Twilight watched as, during that speech, Arel placed each book he had tossed away on top of the flask. "And that means, that when it comes to channeling, all of you are but novices. And all of you are also the ones responsible for filling up this place with magic residue. Which is also the cause of a lot of accidents out there. Earth ponies and Pegasus can also cause that, but our contribution is way smaller."

"And how do you propose to resolve that?" Twilight asked raising her hand. "Because so far you just accused us of causing the magic residue accidents."

"Thank you for asking, Mrs. Twilight! You get my point. As you can see, the flask is slowly cracking because of all the weight it has to sustain from the books. Your minds are mainly focusing on the words, meaning the other parts involved in the casting are being left to chance. It's a miracle none of the unicorns have blown themselves up, or caused severe damage to their bodies."

"So, you're saying that we could make more accurate and carefully executed by focusing on the channeling? But if the focus on the chanting is lost the spell fails," Another voice from the back said.

"That's why you all should throw away the chanting. Read the explanation, then channel the energy as the phenomenon you desire to happen is supposed to go," Arel said limping away from the desk, there was a brief moment of silence and then...

"Are you insane?!"

"That's the only way known to ponies on how to cast magic!"

"Celestia must have been crazy to hire you!"

"Therefore you are all doubting the choice from the ruler of Equestria and keeper of Harmony?!" Twilight saw a stern look on Arel's face as he limped towards them. "Mrs. Twilight, front and center, please," Twilight heard as he kept his gaze fixed on the crowd.

Twilight obliged and got up, then she walked up to him.

"I have a proposal to all of you. If I manage to make Mrs. Twilight over here cast a precise spell, more advanced than anything anything she ever done before. You all will shut up and listen to my teachings. If I fail, I'll give up and leave."

There was silence the students looked at each other, Twilight just stood there confused about what was happening. His first day on the job and he was putting his job on the line?

'He won't win this bet! I should try to stop this. Or maybe contact Celestia,' Twilight thought right before Arel spoke again.

"I'll take your silence as a sign you all accept the challenge?" Silence once again followed. "Mrs. Twilight, are you familiar with the healing spells?"

"Y-yes."

"And the spells related to lighting?" Twilight nodded once again. "Very well, what does the spell of healing do?"

"It causes the metabolism of cells to spike allowing the receiver's body to recover quickly from injuries. The longer the chant the greater the heal."

"Perfect, and what are the limitations to those spells?"

"As I said they accelerate the metabolism of cells. Meaning that if the target has no energy substrate to sustain the process, the spell will not function properly. The subject can even get in worst shape than he was prior to the spell."

"We are talking about raw energy correct? Something usable by the organism?" Arel asked as he limped around her, Twilight replied with a nod. "Now, what is the essence of the lighting?"

"Electricity."

"And what is an electric current?"

"Charged particles moving in an organized fashion. In a flow through a conduit."

"Amazing! Ok, now here is another question: what's the most advanced healing spell you ever cast?"

"I...um...I-I never cast one of them...my magic is a bit erratic. S-so..."

"All of them ended up in failure," Twilight nodded to him in response. "Now, you are going to be using that on me."

"W-WHAT?! You can't expect me to heal you!"

"Everything will be fine. I'm confident in my theory, and your numbers are solid. Numbers are trustworthy. Given the right directions, your spells won't fail."

Twilight's eyes widened. 'Only the Princess has ever trusted me like that. I...I have to try! He is right, with the right instructions I will be able to cast them.'

"Do you want me to patch your leg?" Twilight said with a bit of confidence taking over her.

"Don't worry, for your first time I have a better target," He said before walking to his desk and taking off the books from the top of the flask. Then Twilight watched him pick up the flask and crush it with his hands, which made Twilight wince as she watched Arel take each shard of glass from his bleeding hand. "You'll heal these."

"You are crazy," Twilight said picking his wounded hand. "Now what do I do?"

"First, forget all the chanting and words you memorized. You won't need them."

"That might be hard..."

"Have you ever heard somepony telling a story and then you created the scenario in your head?"

"Yes," Twilight answered as she remembered her mother and her father telling her bed-time stories, then the princess. When they would tell her those, Twilight could see those worlds so clearly, the world around her would disappear and only the fiction would remain. Something similar could happen when she read some books, not to the same extent but it was there.

"Then close your eyes and charge up your magic," Twilight obliged. "Focus on the energy charging up. Remember the wounds on my hand, charge up the amount you believe that would be needed to heal them. Nothing more, nothing less. Then imagine the cells multiplying, the ions moving, the..."

His voice continued to describe the spell as Twilight followed his instructions. The process happening in her mind as the muffled voice in the back of her mind kindly guided her step by step. the image of his hand appeared in her mind. The magic amount required to heal them came naturally, a lavender cloud surrounded Twilight, gently flowing from her horn through her body.

The cloud traveled down from her head towards each of her arms, passing from her hands into Arel's hand. The energy slowly entering the wounds as the wounded tissue grew back into its original form from the inside out. Each layer of wounded skin closing at a time, while charged particles moved through the cells supplying energy for the process.

Once the final layer of skin had regenerated in the image that appeared before her, Twilight noticed that the voice had stopped. She couldn't remember when, but there it was the silence. Opening her eyes, Twilight saw Arel's hand.

"I-It's...it's healed! I did it!"

"There you go, class!" Twilight heard Arel exclaim. "Just as I said, no chanting. Just picturing the process and then magic happens. Not only that, Mrs. Twilight just performed the most complex spell known in the medical field. A healing spell that both heals wounds and restores stamina. The only known spell that can heal a wound without consuming the energy reserves of the target."

"W-what?!" That was the first thing that blurted out of Twilight's mouth as multiple questions swirled in her mind in a maelstrom that was making the world around her spin. "I-I performed..."

"Light's Blessing? Yeah, you just performed the spell that only three other magic casters have ever managed to pull it out successfully," She heard him reply looking over his shoulder. "Now, do any of you still want to question my methods?"

'I can't believe it. I cast Light's Blessing on my first try. He...he figured out a new way to cast spells. How did he do it?! I have to know! He has to have access to something we don't have. But...with this method, mixing spells will be a cinch. There is no end to what we can do! There is no spell we can't try! Wait...if we can focus only on the phenomenon...can we change the effect? Can the outcome be manipulated?'

"Show us what to do!"

"Go ahead smart guy!"

"Now, now! We can't have you all tossing spells at random here. There are a few things we need to get down first. First, I made a request to the principal requiring a test room so all of you can practice. Until then, only minor spells. Second, I made a list of magic spells based on your current scores in tests. I left three empty places for each of you. These are for spells you believe you can perform. Pick wisely for they will compose part of your evaluations."

"Mr. Arel!"

"Yes?"

"How did you figure this out?"

"Do you have some sort of talent?"

"Do you have some sort of tome that showed you that?"

At this point, Twilight didn't expect anything less. However, as the other students started to ask the same thing, Twilight started to realize that something was off with her new teacher. His eyes were rapidly moving to the sides, his grip on the cane's handle was so tight that the metal seemed to be bending. She could see him starting to sweat, his breathing seemed to be getting out of rhythm.

'What is going on here? They're just asking him how did he figure it out. He shouldn't be so anxious. It's just students asking how he made a breakthrough...oh no. Celestia did mention that he seemed to be having some issues back in the hospital. Is this what she meant? But what is this about?'

"I-I'll get the lists. Y-you all can...s-start to c-choose your own spells," Arel stuttered as he quickly limped away from them and closed the door.

"That was odd," Twilight whispered to herself as she kept looking at the door.

"He still pisses me off. But I can't deny the guy knows his stuff."

"I couldn't get my eyes off him!"

"I know! I wish that I was the one over there in the front with him."

"Twilight is so lucky!"

'What are they talking about? I was just holding his hand for a spell. Though...his voice...it was so...calming. His instructions were so clear...and how sure he was that I could do it. It was all so...what am I THINKING?!' Twilight screamed in her head as she felt the blood rushing to her head, her cheeks felt warm as she slapped herself on them trying to recompose herself.

'Think straight Twilight! You need to focus on your studies! In the classes that he will be teaching. On what HE has to show us. EVERYTHING he has to...NO! NOPE! NOPE! NOPE! I can't waste time thinking silly stuff! Though...I might need extra classes.'

Arel quickly limped through the halls as he headed to the teacher's lounge. More and more students paying attention to him as he walked past them. There was no end to the number of eyes peering on him, he had to get away. Arel had to get somewhere where they couldn't see him. Where the Harmony-Tech couldn't look at him.

Arel finally reached the teacher's lounge, he opened the door and locked himself in. 'Ok, ok. This should be fine. I won't have to worry here. The teachers are all out in their classes right now.'

"I wasn't expecting anypony coming here," A strangely pitched voice spoke making Arel open his eyes. "Especially a student."

Before him, Arel saw the same soldier he had seen in the courtyard the previous day. Upon closer inspection, he was different from most soldiers he had seen. He was thin compared to the opponents, whose size was considerable even from a distance, he had faced in the previous day.

His armor was also different, a golden armor with purple details etched in the shape of a six-pointed star. He looked more important, and he seemed to care more for his appearance than the other soldiers. His mane was carefully kept, his coat as well.

"Well, what does a student need here?"

"I'm a teacher," Arel replied pulling out the temporary ID that Celestia gave him before he left the castle that morning. "This is my first day. I came here to get the list I asked to be stored in my locker."

"My apologies. I am the captain of the royal guard. The name is Shining Armor. If you wish to file a complaint about my behavior, please feel free to do it. I was wrong to assume you to be a student based on your age," He said standing up and bowing.

'He is way too formal. And how come he isn't at my throat?'

"I'll just get my things and go. I have no business messing with the captain of the guards."

"I have given you my name. The polite thing to do is give me yours."

Arel looked at the guard with a frown. "Why bother? You've probably seen my face in the newspapers and such."

"I rather not judge a pony based on the words of another. I prefer to meet and be the judge myself."

"Then you already know my name. Arel Areneo, also known as the terrorist or the magi-tech maniac."

"Given those bags under your eyes, I would take those monikers for being lies. You have the eyes of somepony who doesn't sleep due to worries. The figure painted by those clips is that of a maniac with no sense of guilt or conscience."

Arel gritted his teeth. 'What is going on here? How does he know that? He looks like he is talking from experience...I'll just leave. I really don't like this guy.'

"Well, I got to go and deliver the assignments to the students," Arel said walking to his locker and gathering his lists. "Have a good day," Arel continued as he grabbed the doorknob and opening it, just as he was about to leave, he heard from behind him.

"Just so you know. Celestia is the one who asked me to stay within the grounds. I placed the entirety of the guards on patrol to compensate for my absence. So, I just want to ask you to be kind to my sister. And to please not make the Princess regret aiding you."

Arel didn't reply, he simply looked over his shoulder towards the guard for a few seconds before closing down the door. Now he was away from him again but out in the open.

'I'm out and I have my own guinea pigs to test my theories. None of these spells are dangerous enough to put them in harm's way. I carefully calculated their abilities to check what they could do. But...I can't keep on acting like this in public. I have to remember how to behave in public...if I can't act normally as I am...maybe I can make somepony up who can. Somepony who can remember how to act in public.'

Author's Note

Here is another one, sorry for the delay.

I'm finally free from my exams so now I can write more freely, but this story, in particular, takes longer since I'm practicing to write longer chapters.

Thank you for reading. Please let me know your thoughts on the chapter! Sorry if it is shorter than the previous, but I gave it everything I had.