A Better Equestria

Chapter Three: Trouble

Smoke rose from the blackened wreckage of the late Hot Spot Hotel, only to be carried away by the cool breeze of the mountain city. The bottom half of the structure still remained intact, but was badly damaged by the unforgiving flames. It's smoking ruins were the only blemish in the beautiful city. Only a fraction of the guards that quelled the fire still patrolled the area, either interviewing the remaining witnesses or hovering around the wreckage for seemingly no reason.

Blossom, Fortune and Iron all sat on the other side of the road between buildings, looking towards the remains of what was supposed to be their retreat. Only Iron sat up straight, showing off his good posture, as opposed to his two companions. Blossom sat on her haunches like Iron, but with a slouch. Her half-open eyes set on the short grass in front of them all. Next to her lay the sprawled-out Fortune Find, fidgeting every few minutes and constantly changing his sitting position. He stared at the sky with a bored expression on his face.

"How much longer?" the overturned pegasus complained to nopony in particular.

Either his friends didn't hear him, or they didn't care to answer.

Deciding yet again that his positioning was unsatisfactory, the uncomfortable pegasus sat up straight with his hind legs in front of him. Upon inspecting his friends, he only now noticed just how despondent Blossom Cheer appeared.

He couldn't have that now, could he? "Hey Blossom, you alright?"

No response. The brown mare seemed lost in her own thoughts.

It was faster than he was.

Blackened scales.

Bloodied feathers.

"Blossom?" He repeated.

She responded with a short, muffled noise.

"Blossom. Hey, what's wrong?"

The distant mare snapped out of her stupor. "Oh, sorry. I'm just disappointed is all, what with... that." she gestured towards the destroyed building. "Where are we supposed to stay now? I mean, I'm sure we can find another hotel no problem, but after spending our bits on another place, we wouldn't have enough money to do much else here in Canterlot." She paused for a moment. "Plus, your whole lemonade fiasco doesn't help either." Blossom finished that last part with a chuckle.

"Thanks for reminding me." Fortune sarcastically replied.

"No problem."

Fortune laid back down on the ground on his back, still unsatisfied with just sitting. "I guess it's just our luck, huh? We finally get out of Ponyville for some fun and our place bursts into flames."

Blossom snorted at that. "Yeah. I bet you don't think Canterlot is so boring now, huh?" she took the same position on the ground as Fortune, looking towards the sky.

"Well, It was no wyvern fight, but it was just as hot." Fortune Find said brashly.

Blossom's expression darkened as Fortune laughed it off like a joke. "And dangerous." She added with hint of stern in her voice.

"Are you still mad at us for that? We made it out fine, y'know."

Blossom slightly narrowed her eyes. "That's not the point."

"Well, what is the point then, Blossom? If we didn't do anything, ponies could've died in there."

"The point is you don't think, Fortune!" Blossom snapped at her friend, sitting up on her haunches. "Just like the stupid wyvern incident in Ponyville, you threw yourself into danger without thinking of your own safety! What would you have done if you got trapped in that Hotel and Iron couldn't help you?!"

Iron Forge turned his head so he could see the two ponies in his peripheral vision. The overturned pegasus sat up to protest, but Blossom cut him off.

"One of these days you're going to get yourself killed by running into danger like that! Where would I be then, huh?! I don't want to lose anypony!"

Both of them were silent as Blossom turned her head away from Fortune.

"I don't want to lose anypony." the distraught mare mumbled.

Fortune and Iron exchanged regretful glances. Iron Forge knew he was just as guilty as Fortune was, only saved from Blossom's scolding because of his ascetic manner.

Silence reigned over the three for a few moments. Fortune shifted towards Blossom Cheer and wrapped his front legs around her. She leaned into his embrace, closing her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Blossom." The sorrowful pegasus comforted.

"I... apologize also," Iron Forge started. "We never meant to hurt you."

Blossom and Fortune held each other still. Only the sound of the breeze could be heard in those moments.

Then the distraught mare broke the silence. "Promise me."

"Huh?"

"I want both of you to promise me you'll never do anything dangerous like that again."

Fortune Find recoiled slightly at her proposal. He opened his mouth to argue, but Blossom cut him off.

"Please. Just promise me." The worried mare pleaded to her friends.

Silence overtook the three yet again as Fortune and Iron contemplated their friend's request. The two stallions were stumped. If they agreed to this, what were they to do in times where others were in dire need of help? Stand on the sidelines? Trouble would eventually find them again. Times were changing rapidly, and not for the better.

But Blossom had a point. Blindly throwing themselves into danger would eventually get them killed.

Fortune started to speak again when a new voice cut in. Gruff and hardy, it shouted towards the trio.

"Sorry to keep you folks waiting for so long!" The guard stated as he trotted towards them. "Me and my crew had to secure the entire area, make sure the whole thing wouldn't start over again, yadda yadda yadda. Basic protocol."

"Oh, no problem! We've only been waiting here for several hours." Fortune spat as they all stood to meet the newcomer.

The guard waved off Fortune's complaint without a care. "Like I said, we're sorry about that. We couldn't exactly let you three go just yet. You all played a bigger part in this than anypony." He snorted. "Well, except for maybe Steam Sear. Which reminds me! Private Gale!" His holler was immediately answered by another stallion in the same, gold armor.

"Yes, sir?" Private Gale inquired with a salute.

"Go inform Steam's parents about her arrest." He started back towards the trio, before he remembered something else. "Oh, and go tell the ol' egghead Sparkle, too! She'll want to know what happened."

As "Private Gale" took off, The former guard nonchalantly took off the familiar golden helmet and shook out his gray mane. The sky-blue pegasus stood nearly as tall as Iron Forge.

"Captain Rainfall, at your service. Who might you three be?"

"I'm Fortune Find." the impatient pegasus started. "This is Blossom Cheer, and that's-"

"Iron Forge." Rainfall finished.

"Uh, yeah. How did you know that?"

"Ah, one of my privates told me about him earlier this morning. Wouldn't shut up about the beating this one gave to some would-be muggers." The captain explained with an everlasting smile.

"So that's what you did when we separated!" Fortune exclaimed to Iron Forge. "That is so you!"

"Who would want to rob you? You're the biggest pony I've ever known." Blossom interjected.

"Not me. Somepony else." he responded, uncomfortable with being the center of attention.

"A take-charge kind of stallion. I like it!" Rainfall approved. "You know we could use more ponies like you in the royal gua—"

"Alright alright alright!" Fortune interrupted, clearly irritated. "Look, we've already told you about what happened in the hotel. Can we leave now? Why have you been keeping us here?"

"Leave? Ho ho ho, no! You three ain't leaving yet!" Captain Rainfall laughed. "Fact of the matter is, you three are heroes! 'Specially this one right here!" He pointed a hoof at Iron Forge. "You see, we here like to honor our heroes and give them the recognition and respect they deserve.

"So, none of ya are going anywhere!" he declared with exaggerated movements. "You're coming with me to the castle. I'm gonna make sure all of Equestria knows what the three of you did!"

All three ponies stared in surprise at the captain's revelation. Fortune sat back down on his haunches with his mouth agape. Iron's face didn't change much save for his eyes widening. Blossom wasn't much different, but over time, a growing smile crept onto her face.

"We're... We're going to Canterlot Castle?" Blossom stuttered.

The captain let out a chuckle before confirming. "You are correct, ma'am!"

If the mare could explode in excitement, she would've done it. There would be no survivors from the massive mushroom cloud of pure enthusiasm Blossom Cheer seemed to emulate.

Instead, she just fainted with a wide, toothy grin on her face.

Fortune shook himself out of his stupor to see the collapsed mare. "Ah, geez."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Twilight paced the tall corridors of the castle with no destination in mind. Every guard she passed gave her the same salute she had seen at least a thousand times over. Her mind raced with thoughts of every event that had happened today. Steam Sear's lesson. Her talk with Luna. A guard asking Twilight about his missing helmet. That poor sap never was too organized. How he ever got to be a part of the Royal guard was beyond her.

The most pressing matter at hoof, though, was the resonant noise she and the Princess heard just a little while ago. Twilight was deep in thought wondering about all the different things that could have made a noise like that. In truth, Twilight already knew what it was, but she wanted to be wrong. Few things could make the same noise that a fiery explosion could.

Which Steam Sear could easily create.

The thoughtful unicorn shook her head in annoyance. What was she worrying about? Even if it was Steam who caused an explosion, it was probable no harm was caused. The inexperienced unicorn has accidentally detonated things numerous times in the past, and no harm ever came to anypony.

But those blasts were never too large. Based on the loud noise it made, this one had to be massive in size.

Twilight cursed her own realistic mind as she grunted to herself. She couldn't make any assumptions yet. Assumng never got anypony anywhere. She would just have to wait for somepony to fill her in on the situation. Surely, Twilight would find out exactly what happened any minute now, and then she could look back on how silly she was acting.

...

Confound it, where is Captain Rainfall?!

Twilight and Luna had heard the boisterous noise well over two hours ago, and still she had heard nothing from it. She needed something to get her mind off of the subject. What had she not done yet today?

Spike! How could she ever forget? Twilight cursed her mind for a third time, letting her worries occupy her thoughts.

With a spring in her step, she hurriedly made her way to the Castle's own library. The old unicorn was thankful it wasn't very far from where she was. Only one more turn around this corner and she'd see the fairly large decorative doors.

A bright red figure blazed past the unicorn in the opposite direction she was headed. She didn't even need to look twice to tell that it was Philomena. Where the fiery bird was off to in a such a hurry, she could not say. Not that Twilight cared too much. The Phoenix seemed to know how to take care of itself, for the most part.

Ignoring the speeding bird, Twilight quickened her pace to the library. It took her not one minute to approach the twin doors, seeing one of them already slightly ajar. Inside, she could hear the unintelligible ramblings of a very familiar voice.

Twilight opened the doors and immediately spotted her reptilian friend at a white table, wiping a spilled drink with a small rag clutched in his large claws. The table was quite small in comparison to the dragon. He was easily four times the size of a large pony, with sharp green spines running down the back of his entire body. His scales were almost the same color of Twilight's purple coat, if just a little darker. His wings were folded to his sides, as always. The dragon hadn't had the chance to fly for quite a while.

"Lousy, good-for-nothing phoenix. Peewee never gave me this much trouble..." He muttered to himself. The look on his face suggested he wasn't very happy at the moment.

"Hello, Spike."

"Oh, Twilight!" The dragon immediately stopped what he was doing and turned towards the old unicorn.

She examined the library's less-than-stellar state. The small white table was covered in a spilled beverage of sorts. One enormous sandwich much too big for a pony to eat sat disturbed and uneven on one of two saucers. The floors and stairs of the library were littered with books knocked down from their rightful place on the shelves. In the center of it all, a guilty looking dragon stood on his hind legs, diddling his claws.

Twilight had to ask. "What happened here?"

"Well, I had lunch prepared for the two of us, but I guess Philomena had other plans."

With a smirk, Twilight moved to take a seat at the table. "Did she now?"

"The stupid bird took one of the sandwiches! I chased her all around the library trying to get it back." Spike grumbled as he took notice of his surroundings. "Looks like I've got a bit of cleaning to do, now." He said with a defeated sigh.

"That can wait until later. Right now, let's just take a seat and relax." Twilight said, getting comfortable on her chair.

The large reptile sat on his hind-legs, well aware he was much too big for the chair at the table. It was a ridiculous sight, seeing such a large creature sitting at the miniscule table. Spike glanced again towards what food was left of the phoenix's pillaging. He felt a tinge of guilt letting the phoenix steal only Twilight's food.

"Philomena didn't take my sandwich. You can have it, if you want."

"That's okay Spike. I'm not really hungry. You go ahead and eat it."

His face lit up immediately. Unlike the old unicorn, he was starving, and the sandwich was devoured in an instant. It may have been enough to feed three large stallions, but it wasn't large enough to last two seconds against the massive beast's maw.

"So. How's today going for you, Twi?" he asked with a full mouth.

"It could be better." She responded with a huff.

"Really? What happened?"

Twilight retold the days events to her scaly friend, from her morning with Steam to the present moment. Spike said nothing during Twilight's rant, nodding when appropriate. His face turned grim when Twilight told of her discussion with the Princess. The painful memory was a scar that would not fade.

Twilight finished her monologue of the days events with a sigh, slumping in her seat and laying her head on the ivory table. The worrisome unicorn's magic reached out for the single glass of orange juice, chugging the entire thing before spike could say anything.

"Not every explosion is caused by one mare." Spike argued. "Whatever noise you heard could've just been caused by another random outlaw."

This did nothing to help Twilight's mood. "There does seem to be more and more of them these days." Twilight said with a downtrodden expression.

That may have been the wrong thing to say. Spike regretted to himself. He reached out an enormous clawed hand to Twilight, gently stroking her back with experience that told this wasn't the first time he had to do this.

"I miss the days where I could walk in the streets at night without having to look over my shoulder." She started. "I miss the days where I could say 'hello' to any random pony without getting a suspicious stare in return. I miss the days when the guards were hardly necessary."

With a heavy sigh, Twilight buried her head in her forelegs.

"I miss my friends."

"I know, Twilight." Spike picked Twilight up off her seat, lifting the old mare to wrap her in a gentle hug. "I miss them, too. So much."

Twilight leaned her head against the dragon's warm chest. To the best of her abilities, she returned the hug, only able to grasp Spike's front.

For a short while, the two silently held one another. Through good times and bad, they had always been there for each other. An inseparable duo who had been with each other their entire lives. Twilight knew she could always turn to her number one assistant for support, and Spike the same.

Finally, Spike gently put down Twilight with practiced care.

"Thank you, Spike. For listening."

"Always, Twilight." He assured with a wide grin. "Speaking of friends, how's Applejack been lately?"

At that, Twilight's face lit up. "Well, she hasn't sent any letters recently, so I really couldn't tell you. Last I heard, her family was trying to get her to retire."

"Applejack? Stop working?" he snorted as a puff of smoke blew out his nostrils. "They'd have better luck trying to move mountains."

"She always was a stubborn one." Twilight agreed.

"Remember the time she headbutted the minotaur king?"

"Oh, how could I forget? The guards must have been chasing us for miles!"

Spike ended up falling on the floor, grabbing his sides as the two shared a bout of laughter.

Twilight was the first to calm down "Whew. That hurt my sides."

"Mine feel like they're about to burst."

"Me and you will have to visit Applejack sometime soon. It's been too long since we've seen her."

"Yeah, I could fly us down to Ponyville! I haven't been out in forever."

Twilight raised an eyebrow at her enormous friend. "Why is that?"

"Well, uh..." Spike scratched the back of his head. "I don't think ponies would react too well if they saw a dragon strolling around town. Especially these Canterlot types."

"Spike, you can't just stay in the Library and routinely trash it." Twilight said with a motherly tone.

"I clean it up!"

One look around the Library told differently. Spike had yet to clean up Philomena's raid. Twilight gave Spike a stare as if to say Really?

With a exaggerated groan, the exasperated dragon went to work picking up the many books laying on the floors.

"While you're at it, Spike, Could you please find a me a book?"

"Sure. Anything specific?"

"Anything you can find about magical disabilities."

"Steam, again?"

Twilight nodded her head as she reclaimed her seat at the table. "She can't be the only unicorn in history who has had a problem like hers."

"You got it."

Spike advanced from bookcase to bookcase in search of any book that may fit Twilight's needs. The dragon stood as tall as he could for some of the higher shelves, but even then he wasn't high enough to reach the unnecessarily high shelves. Seeing as how he was too large for the ladder, the dragon resorted to climbing the shelves of the Library, grasping the bookcases with his claws.

Spike crawled around on the library's perimeter until he came across an old tome which looked as though it hadn't been touched in ages.  Although, the same could be said for a lot of the books in here. Gently grasping the dusty book in his jaw, he descended the bookcase upside-down, and made a bee-line for Twilight.

"Blech!" Spick wretched, clearly not liking the taste of dust. "I think I found something new for you." He said as the book was lifted from his claws in a pink aura.

The aged unicorn smiled as she read the title; Unicorn Diseases and Abnormalities: An Overview

"Thank you, Spike. This could be exactly what I needed."

Spike smiled to himself. The smug dragon was always proud of his efficiency.

Time quietly passed by as Twilight silently read her book and Spike tidied up the Castle Library. Seconds turned to minutes, and minutes turned to hours. Spike had all but made the Library spotless early in the time that passed, and decided a nap would be nice. Twilight was too engrossed in her reading anyways. She wouldn't be doing anything else anytime soon.

Spike's quiet breathing was the only sound one could hear in the Library. Twilight barely made any noise save for the occasional page turn.

Twilight was almost all the way through the entire book, and other than a new awareness of 'Freeze Fever,' she had nothing to show for it. Anything that could've related to Steam Sear's problem was either listed as a temporary or a myth. Even if Twilight did find what she was looking for, the text rarely spent any time explaining how to treat or cure the illnesses it described.

End of the book. There was nothing more to read.

Twilight seethed in anger at the old tome. Letting her rage consume her, she enveloped the book with her magic, giving an annoyed yell as she hurled it against the bookshelves. More books toppled over onto the floor from the impact, and the sleeping dragon opened his eyes as he heard the commotion.

"Hey, I just cleaned this place." Spike half-joked.

"Nothing! Not a single useful sentence!"

Spike yawned as he lifted himself from the floor. He wasted no time moving to Twilight, lest she trash the Library any more and undo his work.

"I understand that it can be a little annoying, but don't you think you're overreacting?"

Twilight marched around the Library with no destination. "No, Spike, I don't. I have been trying to find a solution in these books for the past week, but I haven't found anything!" She stomped her hoof for emphasis. "Usually, I would have found something to go off of by now; A page, a paragraph, even a sentence! But nothing on a mare with involuntary combustion powers." The old mare sat on the floor in defeat, hanging her head.

Spike soon joined her on the floor, having to lay down completely. "Look Twilight, I know she's your 'student' and everything, but..." Spike paused as he searched for a way to word his next sentence. "Why do you care so much? She hasn't even been your student for very long. I think you're worrying about this more than Steam is."

"She's not just my student." Twilight stated firmly. "Besides, I've told you how I met Steam Sear, didn't I?"

"Not really. You were actually kind of vague about it, to be honest."

Twilight stared at Spike in surprise. "I've never told you? Really?"

"Nope." Spike shook his head.

Twilight straightened up, preparing to recall a long memory and turn it into a story. "Well, one day I was touring Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns, mainly just for the nostalgia. But as I left th—"

Twilight's story was interrupted as a guard entered the library, uncaring of any loud noise he made.

"Miss Sparkle."

"Yes?"

"Captain Rainfall sent me. He claims you would want information about Steam Sear."

Twilight's eyes widened as she braced for the worst.

The school hadn't changed much. Aside from a different layout in each classroom, and some new instructors, it was still the same place she knew all those years ago. Almost to a fault. The entire structure looked almost old and outdated compared to some of more recently constructed places In Canterlot.

Just another reminder that Twilight wasn't getting any younger.

When she was lucky enough to pass by a classroom with it's door still open, she couldn't help but sneak a glance inside. Young unicorns of various colors were either scribbling notes as the teacher gave his lecture, taking a test in complete silence, or even conducting experiments in small groups. It reminded Twilight of when she was a mere filly, taking tests and completing essays. It was a simpler time.

A happier time.

Why had she come here? It all reminded her too much of the days when Celestia was still around. Just seeing the name 'Celestia' above the school's entrance pained her so. She didn't want to long for those days. Just to remember them as they were. Why, oh why couldn't she put it behind her?

Time to leave. She couldn't be here any longer, lest she end up teary-eyed. That is, if she had any more tears to shed.

Twilight exited the school with a touch of haste, not daring to look back at the name emblazoned above the entrance.

She slowed down from her nervous trot, now more relaxed. Her slightly disheveled breathing returned to normal, and she cursed herself for acting so absurd. How could she lose her head like that? She'd defeated vastly powerful foes without so much as breaking a sweat, but she couldn't stay in a school without freaking out? She really was getting old.

Right as she moved to return to the castle, something in her peripheral vision caught her eye. A far distance away, a single unicorn mare stood alone on the streets of Canterlot. The young pony had a mane as bright as fire, and a soft green coat. Her blue eyes were fixed on the school for gifted unicorns with an emotion Twilight could not read. The teenaged unicorn just appeared bored.

Normally, this one pony wouldn't have held her interest for so long, were it not for one thing.

She was throwing rocks at the school, but she wasn't using her magic to do so. Rather than levitate the stones with her horn, she scooped them off the ground with her hoof, or flung the rocks with her teeth. Why wasn't this unicorn using her magic? All grown unicorns knew basic Telekinesis, at least. The sight of it both baffled and captivated Twilight.  She couldn't look away as this pony threw rocks at the school.

...Wait, she's throwing rocks at the school! TWILIGHT'S school!

With a new motivation, Twilight trotted over to the young delinquent. On a good day, Twilight would've probably let the kid go, but this was anything but a good day. Twilight was mad, and ready to take it out on somepony.

The offender must not have heard Twilight coming, because she didn't turn to look at her or try to flee.

"Just what do you think you're doing?" Twilight asked with irritation.

In her own surprise, the young unicorn dropped the rock she was about to toss. She took one quick look at Twilight, and tore off in the opposite direction.

Or she would have, if Twilight had not caught the young mare with her magic. Lifted in the air, she was turned to face Twilight as she struggled to free herself from the pink aura.

"I'll ask again. What do you think you're doing?" Twilight repeated, her eyes narrowing.

The young pony matched Twilight's glare and retaliated "Bite me, you old hag. Let me go!"

Twilight had never been labeled a 'hag' before. There was a first for everything. "You could have broken a window, throwing rocks like that!"

Twilight's words fell upon deaf ears. "I said let me go!" This young mare was a feisty one.

Unsurprisingly, Twilight did the opposite. "I have half a mind to confront your mother about this."

The young mare's expression instantly changed to one of dread. "No, not her! Anything but that!"

Twilight's face lightened up a bit, confident she had won this little spat. She examined the pony pleading for mercy before her.

"What's your name?"

"Twilight Sparkle." the mare snorted, not intending to reveal who she really was.

Twilight disregarded the fake name. "There's only one Twilight Sparkle here right now, and that's not you."

The young unicorn stared at Twilight briefly before her eyes widened to the size of dinner plates.

"Y-you're...? No way..." her jaw bobbed up and down, trying to form words, but failing miserably.

Twilight gave a smirk. The young mare did not. She instead stopped squirming, and hung in the air with her head facing the ground.

"Why were you throwing rocks at the school?" Twilight asked.

The floating unicorn said nothing.

"Why were you throwing rocks?"

Still no answer.

"Answer me!" Twilight demanded, her patience having run out.

"Because I can't do any magic, okay!?"

Twilight eyes widened at her captive's outburst. Twilight started to ask what she meant, but didn't need to as she was cut off.

"I'm not able to do anything with my horn. Never have! My entire life it's been completely useless. I've been completely useless!"

Twilight couldn't get a single word in. The green pony didn't let up on her rage.

"I bet you love being able to use that horn, huh? I don't get that! I had to watch as all my friends learned how to levitate, teleport, or do other amazing things with their magic. All the while I was left behind, unable to lift a single quill! Do you have any idea how humiliating it is to be the only unicorn who can't do any magic? I may as well be an earth pony!

"So I come here sometimes, to relieve the stress of it all. Most kids have to worry about passing their entrance exam to this place? I couldn't even apply! So there's your answer, miss 'Element of Magic.' I throw rocks to vent about the fact that I am WORTHLESS!"

If there was anypony else around, they would surely all be watching the unfolding events. The seething mare's speech came to an end, and Twilight didn't know what to say. The two sat in silence, one more angry than the other. Twilight didn't say a word as she released her prisoner from her aura. The green unicorn, now more calmed down, looked away and attempted to retreat.

"Wait." Twilight begged, her voice less hostile.

She didn't wait. The indignant mare walked away from Twilight, ignoring her plea.

"Please, wait." Twilight moved to block the young unicorn's path.

"I don't want your pity. Just let me go."

Twilight refused to move out of her way. "I'm sorry. I had no idea. I thought you were just another vandal."

"Yeah, okay." The impatient unicorn wanted nothing more to do with this conversation, and pushed past Twilight.

Twilight didn't give up, and followed after her. "It's just... A unicorn without magic? I've never even heard of such a thing."

"Yeah, well, you're looking at the exception."

"And you've tried everything to treat this... problem?"

The green mare shot Twilight a look that said 'Of course I have.' Or maybe she was hinting for Twilight to buck off.

"Leave me alone."

Compelled to do the opposite, Twilight once again moved in front of the curious mare. They both stared each other down, as if trying to read each other's minds.

"Listen," Twilight spoke. "I think we got off on the wrong hoof." Twilight reached out a foreleg. "I'm Twilight Sparkle. What's your name?"

She didn't answer right away. She instead glanced back and forth between Twilight and her extended foreleg, contemplating weather or not she wanted to associate with this old mare.

With much hesitation, she lifted her own hoof to meet Twilight's. "Steam Sear."

"Steam Sear, I'm sorry I scolded you for a problem so petty."

Steam Sear rolled her eyes. "Yeah, you said that alread—"

"And!" Twilight interrupted. "I would like to make it up to you."

Steam Sear's face read a mix of emotions. "Uh, that's okay, you really don't have to do anything."

"No, I don't have to, but I want to." Twilight rebutted. "Steam, how would you like some magic lessons from the Element of Magic herself?"

Either the hospital bed was quite uncomfortable, Or her side was still acting up. Either way, Steam Sear felt anything but one hundred percent right now.

The hospital room was mind-numbingly bland, and had no windows. There were no paintings decorating the wall, no vibrant colors anywhere, almost nothing except for the bed she was on, and scattered medical equipment she had no idea what they were. The only door leading out into the hospital was locked, with a guard standing right next to it.

Was the guard even necessary? Even if Steam wasn't shackled to the bed, it would hurt too much to even attempt getting by him. Much less get off the hospital bed.

Steam Sear smirked slightly as she entertained the idea of a decrepit pony trying to take on a trained military stallion. It was a silly thought, but she had to take whatever little pleasures she could get at this point. It seemed things were only going to get worse.

When she was first left alone, her first idea was to use this opportunity to go to sleep. The pain in her side, however, was too flagrant to ignore, and thus kept her awake. The only other thing she could do was reflect on the days catastrophic events.

There was no way she could've destroyed the hotel, Steam thought. She wasn't even conscious for it. Steam had to have been framed, but for what purpose? What would anypony have to gain from incinerating a hotel?

The same questions had plagued her mind since she was levitated away by the guards. None of them she had answers for. Only one thing was crystal clear to her in this moment.

Next time Dad needs me to get frosting, I'm going back to sleep.

Speaking of, the inevitable arrival of her parents should be quite soon. What would they even think? How will they react to hearing their daughter has been arrested for arson? How will her mom react?

Fighting the guard for freedom suddenly sounded like less of a silly idea.

Steam found it surprising how little attention she had received from the hospital staff. Once they wheeled her into this room, a few spells were casted on her torso, (none of which helped soothe the pain,) a doctor told her one of her ribs was cracked, and that was it. Everypony walked out of the room to do Luna-knows-what. For all Steam knew, they were dancing in the hallways.

Steam smirked again. This was a very inopportune time to be joking around.

She really was her dad's daughter.

A sudden knocking on the door derailed her train of thought. From the other side, a stallions voice was heard. Probably the guard, Steam assumed.

"Culinary Slice is here to see Steam Sear."

The stallion guarding the door moved aside as the door swung open. Through it appeared a very familiar and distraught looking blue stallion.

"Steam! Oh, dear Luna, you look terrible! What happened?! Are you okay?!" Culinary panicked.

"Dad, calm down. I'm alright." She winced in pain as she moved to sit up on the bed. "For the most part, at least."

"When you didn't come back, I must've worried my mane off!" Steam's father frantic manner slowly turned to frustration as he spoke. "After a couple hours, I had to close the restaurant just so I could go out looking for you, and when I come back empty-hooved, a guard stops by to tell me you've been arrested?!" Steam knew he was not directing his anger at her, but it didn't make it any less painful to sit through.

"What. Happened?" He finished with a cold stare.

"Well, I—"

Before she could retell the events, they found themselves rudely interrupted by another knock on the door.

"First Lieutenant Merry Heart has arrived."

Oh no. Steam's eyes widened.

The guard in front of the door didn't even have time to move before the door flung open, smashing him against the wall like an insect.

Through the door flew a caramel colored pegasus, her body adorned with the brilliant golden armor all guards wore. Her salmon colored mane was short, and hardly visible under her helmet save for a few strands. Steam's eyes met the guard's angry gaze, knowing that look all too well.

"Steam Sear!" The enraged mare hollered.

Steam laughed nervously like a filly caught with her hoof in the cookie jar. "Hey, mom."

"Don't you 'Hey, mom.' me, young lady! What in Tartarus' dark depths have you done?!"

"Merr'." Steam's dad tried to interject, but to no effect.

"You've gotten into some trouble in the past, but getting yourself arrested?!"

"Merr'." He retried.

"Do you have any idea what prison is like? Let me tell you right now, you don't want to find out!"

"Merry."

"Not that it matters, because right now, you are in so much trouble!"

"Merry!"

"What!?" Merry Heart turned on him in the blink of an eye.

Culinary looked bravely into the face of his wife's scorn. "Calm down."

The airborne mother landed, standing up to her full height. In reality, Merry Heart was the smallest pony in the room. She was barely the same height as her own daughter, but that didn't make her any less intimidating.

Closing her eyes and taking a long, deep breath, she spoke again. "Okay. Alright, I'm good." She pivoted back to her daughter lying on the hospital bed. "Now explain yourself!" She demanded.

Steam started with a sigh. She told them everything she remembered from when she left Twilight to her escape from the hotel. While her dad gave looks of horror and wonder accordingly, her mother was stone-faced the entire time. Then again, she did have time to practice that as a royal guard. They were practically famous for their unchanging expressions.

"—and that's when the floor under me collapsed. I fell through two floors before I landed, and when I did, I got stuck." Steam said.

In the blink of an eye, the lieutenant flew to Steam Sear until their faces were mere inches apart.

"You fell through two floors!?" She exclaimed in shock.

"Yeah, that's why I'm lying in this be—Eeyah!" Steam's explanation was cut short when her mother gave Steam the death-grip she called a hug.

"And here I am yelling at you! Oh, my poor girl!" Merry Heart cried apologetically.

"Mom. That hurts."

"Oh! Sorry, sweetie."

"So how did you get out, then?" her father cut in, curious to know the full story.

"I was rescued by a couple of random stallions. Iron Forge and..." Steam thought for a second. What was the other one's name? "... Finder... Keeper? I forget his name. Well, they got me and the two foals out of there, and that's when I got diagnosed with a bad rib by..." Again, Steam could not recall the name. "Flower Power... I don't know her name either.

"Whatever. Point is, some other crazy mare started screaming at me, and that's when other ponies started blaming me for blowing the place up."

"That's it?" her father asked, as though disappointed by the end.

"Yup."

"That's all?" her mother parroted.

"Yes, already." Steam confirmed, irritated of their repetition.

"I say that's a load of horse-apples! You risk your life trying to get yourself and two kids, and you get arrested for it!?" Her dad scoffed, pacing in the small, featureless room. "You deserve a damn trophy! Half of Equestria wouldn't even consider trying to save those foals!"

"It's not about the foals, dad."

Her dad continued, uncaring of his daughter's words. "Bunch of slimy ingrates, accusing you for this! I'll bet they just wanted somepony to blame for this!"

"Calm down, Cul'." Merry interjected. "We're actually on the edge of a knife right now."

Steam and her dad both looked towards the Lieutenant in confusion.

"What do you mean?" her father asked.

"From what Steam said, there are multiple eye-witnesses claiming to have seen her blow up the hotel." Merry went into full lieutenant mode. "We don't have much to counter their arguments other than 'we don't really know, she doesn't remember.' and that's a weak dispute. You already look guilty in the eyes of many, Steam."

Steam's heart sank upon hearing her mother speak.

"And nowadays? Ponies love to convict those they see guilty."

There were no words from Steam, nor her father. The only thing she could do was let the information sink in. The realization that she may very well go to prison only now took it's toll. Steam's eyes watered, and she sniveled. After everything, Steam was finally driven to tears.

Merry Heart was taken aback, now aware that what she said may have upset her daughter. "Oh, honey..."

"Now look what you did, Mer'." Her husband half-joked.

After shooting her husband a look he'd seen many times over, the lieutenant hugged her daughter, and the father soon joined them in a big family hug. Steam's quiet sobs served as a substitute for her actually talking about how horrible her day was. She didn't need to. Her parents understood entirely what she wanted to convey. That this was the worst day of her life. That she was afraid of what could happen. That she felt powerless.

"Shh." Her father comforted. "We're here for you, Sear."

"It will all turn out okay, Steam. You'll see." Her mother assured.

"I'm... sorry..." Steam managed to blubber out.

"You have nothing to be sorry about. Anypony in their right mind would be sobbing their eyes out right now." The stallion argued.

The family's heartfelt hug was interrupted by a rude knocking on the door. Almost instantly, Merry Heart screamed at whoever was behind the room's entrance. "Who's the idiot that has the nerve to disturb us right now!?"

To answer her question, an all too familiar purple mare peered inside. "Did I come at a bad time?" she asked almost sarcastically.

"Oh. Sparkle." Merry Heart said her name with overt distaste.

"Merr'. Be nice." Steam's father warned.

Closing the door behind her, Twilight took her place next to the bed. "Lieutenant." Unlike Merry, Twilight had no venom in her voice. "Steam, are you alright?"

"No. I'm not." Steam Sear sniveled, calming down from her episode.

"I've been told about what happened, Steam." Twilight lamented. "I'm glad you're safe."

"Yeah." Steam flatly muttered.

"May I ask you something, though?"

Steam nodded.

"Did you do it? Did you destroy the hotel?"

Merry Heart, who had been glaring at Twilight the whole time, took the opportunity to speak up. "How dare you! Of course she didn't! My Steam would never do something like this! How could you even think about accusing her, you—!"

"Settle down, Lieutenant." Twilight stopped her. "I just need to hear it for myself."

"Don't you tell me to settle down!"

"Merry!" Culinary Slice shouted.

"What!?"

"...Settle down."

Merry Heart reluctantly complied, grumbling something unintelligible.

"Steam?" Twilight retried.

The very fact that Steam hesitated to answer made Twilight uneasy. Steam looked at nopony, contemplating to herself. Twilight was thankful when Steam answered her with a look of determination, "No. I didn't."

Twilight smiled, relieved to hear it. "Well then," she started. "all we have to do now is clear your name."

She should have been here by now.

The streets of Canterlot were bustling with activity, filled with the prim and proper. It was perhaps possible she didn't see him due to the crowds, but she wasn't one to make a rookie mistake like that. None of them were. They couldn't afford to screw up. Not anymore.

The smell of the alleyway was starting to get to him. He started to regret setting up the rendezvous point next to a pile of garbage. Still, he stood there casually, leaning against the wall. Hardly anypony noticed him. Those who did only stole a glance before they disappeared in the masses of ponies.

The noise of four hooves touching base with the ground was heard behind him. He didn't have to look to see who it was.

"About time you showed up." He criticized as the two descended further into the alley out of view.

"You did your job?" She asked, not wasting any time with banter.

"Indeed. I already know you did yours."

She paused for a moment. "I feel bad for doing it."

"It was necessary."

She didn't respond.

"Don't worry." He said. "Gradient said Luna will likely take mercy on her."

"And if he's wrong?"

He gave her a look that plainly said Yeah, right. "Come. Let's go inform Gradient."

"Very well, Charm." She said.

Making sure nopony was watching, she pulled out the familiar yellow crystal, and placed it on the ground. Dashing's horn released a spell unto it, causing it to crackle with energy. Long strands of magical lightning erupted from the crystal and engulfed them both, and In an instant, they were no longer there.