The Mane 6

Having overcome their initial shock from seeing Samuel return in such dire conditions, the six friends came together, working like a single unit. Rainbow Dash was back with a report within seconds; a pack of Timberwolves had been summoned by the howling and were headed this way, running paralel to the more hospitable path the human had traveled along.

Fluttershy had accompanied the human and the mysterious mare who clung to his side as if both of their lives depended on it, but neither had even enough spirit to acknowledge her. She had seen this behaviour only a few times before and usually only in abused animals. She feared the worst for them, but she couldn't dwell on those thoughts. Her friends needed her.

Returning to the edge of the forest, she was just in time to see a Timberwolf dashed to pieces against an incandescant magical bubble that Twilight had put up in the last moment. Applejack and Rainbow Dash were in that moment demonstrating the rarely seen protective side of the ponies. When the powerful Earth Pony rushed forward, she trambled an unfortunate Timberwolf to pieces, crushing it underhoof. Rainbow Dash had landed on top of another with enough force to daze its two packmates with the shockwave (which was amazing and showed all the hues of the rainbow), and by the time they had recovered, one received a wing buffet, disintegrating under the sheer momentum of the wingbone.

The remaining Timberwolf turned and came face to face with true madness. With the maniacal grin stretching almost beyond the boundaries of her face, Pinkie Pie pulled the string on her decorative cannon and the beast was reduced to tinder in a shower of confetti.

The only pony who did not partake in the fight was Rarity. Most would assume she was in fact doing what she appeared to be doing; refusing to risk getting a hoof chipped, instead carefully inspecting the white appendage for any imperfections. Twilight however, knew what to look for in a pony whose mind was so thouroughly preoccupied sorting things out, that her body seemed to simply run on automatic. She witnessed such tension in the white Unicorn just then.

However, the threat had abated by then and Ponyville was once again safe. More out of old habit than anything else, the ponies lined up and Twilight debriefed them in case anypony had missed the obvious. Rainbow Dash was napping in a tree branch and Applejack was giving Rarity inquisitive stares, but the white Unicorn shrugged off her concerns, claiming she was having a rough day so far. Pinkie Pie was hugging a distraught Fluttershy whose fears had finally caught up with her as she worried for the mental health of the two survivors. Twilight knew they were all paying enough attention to her however, so she went on to explain that yes, the Human known only as Samuel had indeed returned, his Pegasus Frame in pieces and the alter ego, SAM, nowhere to be seen, but she assured them that as long as the section of the suit that held his 'mind' was unharmed, then even SAM could be considered a survivor. She knew nothing of the white mare and neither did the others. It also remained unanswered what trials they had faced in the Everfree Forest, but it was obvious that Samuel had found a great adversary and nearly paid for his discovery with his life. The mare seemed to be involved and they were both resting in Samuel's cottage, not to be disturbed.

The last bit got a few reactions out of the ponies, especially from Fluttershy who got in the purple Unicorn's face, insisting that she needed to check on their injuries or at least take the mare to the hospital. Twilight looked pensive, but it was Rarity who spoke up just then, her voice catching their attention because it sounded too subdued for her usual style; something was wrong.

"They need each other, didn't you see? It was as if they were each holding on only by the strength the other had taught them," she cast a worried glance in the direction of the cottage. She took a breath to steady herself and went on, "whatever we do, seperating those two is not an option."

Any comments about reading too many cheesy romance novels died on the brash Pegasus' tongue as she reminded herself that Rarity spoke as the element of Generousity just then, always giving until it hurt. That aspect of things wasn't too different from her own view of things and honestly, if she were in their horseshoes, she wouldn't want to leave her partner either, though she didn't know what they had partnered up to accomplish other than survival.

The others all murmured assent and by unspoken agreement, they went to the treehouse library; none of them wanted to be alone just then.

The Mare

So tired. Had anypony ever truly known fatigue? It seemed she had only just understood the sensation here, today. Still, the ponies, they were so beautiful! They had worked together much like she an her stallion, though she didn't suspect they'd done it for quite the same reasons. She had flushed with foalish anticipation to be invited into Samuel's domicile, but really, who was she kidding? Samuel had already keeled over, unconscious before he hit the ground, and she wasn't far behind him.

Remembering what little strength she had, she put on the visor and immediately, the Simulated Artificial Mind had a plethora of information for her. Everything was labeled correctly and it made sense; he lived here after all. The place looked new though, and many shelves were still vacant, their items yet unpurchased. She found what she was looking for however, hidden under a bolt of cloth that she painstakingly had to move with her mouth (her jaw ached so!).

"Power Cells" [3], the visor informed her. She lay flat on her belly and squirmed out from under the saddlebags, knocking them over to spill their contents. The Pegasus Frame came out in a hundred pieces, but just as she had hoped, the visor was eager to point her towards the section of 'spine' that held an input slot for the power cells. Again working with her jaws, she had to try several times, turning the cartridge over and flipping it before she found the way to make it fit. A flashing red light indicated to her that the suit was now receiving emergency power supplies sufficient to restore full functionality. Such lengthy words the visor used to tell a simple tale; the spectral voice would be revived in time, if she left it like this.

Turning towards her stallion, she frowned as she set to work dragging him to his bed.

The Mane 6

That evening, after whiling away many hours with trivial conversation and games, having avoided the topic of Samuel and the Everfree for as long as possible, the argument finally broke out. Fluttershy was incensed, she needed to check on them. Rainbow Dash took her side and with Applejack and Rarity speaking for their privacy, Twilight finally silenced them by raising her voice above theirs. They all grew still, watching a section of her mane sticking out erratically; she was only two steps from grinding her teeth and making the twitchy eyes.

Heaving a deep breath, she calmed herself with a hoof to her chest, closing her eyes. She smoothed out her mane and promised them they would all check in on Samuel tomorrow, as visitors. That meant knocking.

So naturally, they were all 6 gathered in front of his door before the sun had rissen and Fluttershy had made the meekest sounding knock in the history of Equestria, flinching when the door creaked open; unlocked. No response and with no possible way for any of the mares to reign in their curiousity, they all crept towards the doorway.

They saw the devastating sight of the Pegasus Frame in a hundred pieces, scattered across the floor as if it had been kicked over. One section was 'alive' so to speak, glowing softly with a deep crimsom color, but they ignored this when they saw the door to the bedroom standing open. Creeping up to the doorway, heads appearing at six different and varyingly impossible angles from around the doorframe, they all grew very still at what they saw.

Never before had Samuel's body looked quite so stick-like or so long and gangly. With the armor off, wearing only his tight-fitting black flight suit, and only the lower half at that, he lay on top of the bedsheets and nothing was concealed from the sickly blackish-purple bruises on his chest to the way his body stirred minutely with his breathing. His left arm was in a splint, released from its sling to rest carefully on the matress next to his haggard body. His right arm was slung about the body of the pristine white mare who looked almost luminescant in the dark. Her blonde mane hung over her face with her muzzle pressed into the crook of Samuel's shoulder, inhaling his scent with each breath. So they slept together, their faces drawn in different expressions of subdued horror and fatigue, even in their otherwise peaceful sleep. It seemed whatever they were each dreaming about, caused them to inch closer together, needing more surface contact to soothe their fears. Yet at the same time, they looked strangely fulfilled. As if the sweetness of their success could eclipse the horrors they had lived through.

Retreating from the cabin entirely, shutting both doors on their way out, the six mares made it down the road before they had to share their reactions.

Rarity sniffled into a kerchief lent to her by Applejack who simply smiled and rolled her eyes at the mare's romantic nature. Pinkie Pie was squee'ing and already plotting her next party to be thrown in their honor. Rainbow Dash was spellbound by imagined tales of the glorious quest Samuel had gone on, complete with a damsel in distress, too. Fluttershy was relieved almost to the point of tears, saying nothing, simply pleased that they looked healthier than they did last night. As for Twilight Sparkle, she had a lot on her mind, for her analytical eye had caught things. The halberd was obviously taken from a Royal Guard and that drew frightening implications. She would have to question him on this sooner rather than later, if she were to preempt a royal hearing where the human might be held accountable for the disappearance of one of the Princess' personal entourage. She was also positive she'd caught the lingering scent of dragonfire, from a very old specimen judging by the persistance of the scent. Furthermore, that mare was mysterious to say the least. She had worn the skirt (Samuel's flight suit, also saturated with his scent), even to bed.

So many questions...

Author's Note

I had this chapter finished last night, but I needed to sleep on it and re-read it before posting. I hope you like the Mane 6 POW, but I'm not sure I'll be writing them too often. It's hard to get their personalities to click just right, as if you were watching the show. Hopefully I didn't mangle their characters.

Enjoy and as always, please feel free to comment with specifics.