One very determined looking Twilight Sparkle was now standing in my livingroom, fixing me with a look that seemed to say, 'you've got information and I'm not leaving until I get my answers.' The sight of Euphoria had thrown her off just for a moment though, but I was certain she was going to question me about my companion, too. I was still seated by the low traditional equestrian dinnertable, sitting on a floor cushion with my left arm in a sling. I motioned for her to join me.

She glanced towards Euphoria who visibly shrunk under her gaze, doing an even better job of hiding behind her hair than Fluttershy, but then she was also hiding more than Fluttershy - I knew she didn't want other ponies to see her broken horn. The pity would just kill her, so I distracted Twilight by getting straight to the point when she didn't immediately join me at the table.

"You're probably wondering what I was doing that caused this," I motioned to my still-bare chest with the three white strips of gauze taped over the incisions from Euphoria's impromptu surgery, and my broken arm. "You're probably also wondering about my new weapon," I pointed to the halberd propped up against the far wall behind the Pegasus Frame which was presently being piloted by SAM, shrunk to its more equine quadruped form.

That got her attention and Euphoria visibly unwound as the purple Unicorn turned away from her, looking first at SAM, then the halberd and finally she came to sit by the table, fixing me with a cool, calculating look as she replied, "yes, I take it you found that heat signature, then?" Her voice was level and controlled on the surface, but I'd been taught how to pick up even small traces of tension in a voice as well as how to read faces. Blame SAM for that; you can't get anything past that machine intellect.

"Yeah, it was a dragon, an old one. He'd settled in a deep cave beneath an old section of the royal castle, luring in prey by giving away his presence. He was a sadist and a monster, adding their corpses to his hoard. I killed him with that halberd, which used to belong to one of his victims," I tried to sound calm, but I could tell my anger was leaking through towards the end and I probably sounded a little too pleased when I announced his death at my hands.

Twilight frowned and nodded as it seemed my story corroborated with her theories. She cast another look towards the halberd, her thoughts on its owner, so I went on, "he was a royal guard, months dead. He'd crawled towards the exit but he must've realised he was dying, because he'd used his last strength to carve the word 'VENGEANCE' into the wall before he lost consciousness. I fulfilled his dying wish."

The purple librarian's composure was cracking by then. I could tell she'd never heard of anything so grim, or at least, she'd never personally interviewed a soldier about his bloodiest battles before. Suddenly, she seemed less eager for answers, but she needed to know, so I went on, "I would have died from my wounds if not for Euphoria. She saved my life."

Twilight followed the pristine white mare with her gaze as Euphoria made her way around to my side of the table, hiding behind me as her anxiety warred with her desire to come closer; to see and hear and touch and smell another living being. She hadn't been around other ponies for so long, I could feel her body trembling with anticipation as she leaned into my back, peeking at Twilight from under my arm.

"We burried his remains out in the Everfree. We never knew his name," I went on as it seemed Twilight was busy sorting the information I'd fed her, so I figured I might as well get it over with. "If you want to explore the cave, just ask SAM for directions. As far as I know, that dragon is still down there, lying on top of a great big heap of rotting matter," I finished, idly massaging Euphoria's jaw with my gloved hand.

Twilight just sat there, watching us. She seemed tense and I could tell she was dreading what was to come, but her anxiety wasn't centered on myself or Euphoria. She was trying a bit too hard not to look at the halberd, fearful suspicion written all over her face. I'd wondered about the weapon's magical properties myself. It didn't exactly strike me as Standard Issue for the Royal Guard to be decked out with ultra light-weight, non-corrodible weapons.

"Aren't you going to examine it?" I finally broke the silence which had been dragging on for a while. Twilight seemed to steel herself and with little more than a thought, she lit up her horn (Euphoria tensed and held her breath, witnessing Unicorn magic for the first time since captivity) and engulfed the weapon in a soft, red glow, levitating it over to the table and setting it down between us.

She hesitated minutely before casting another spell which caused her eyes to white out as she gazed upon the weapon with enchanted eyesight. She kept staring at the weapon for a few seconds before her eyes fell shut and the spell died. Twilight just sat there, eyes closed, supressing a shudder. She swallowed and when she opened her eyes again, they were their usual purple, but they looked dull.

When she spoke again, her voice was subdued, "he was a Unicorn and he cast a spell on the weapon. A forbidden spell; it takes some of your magic and transfers it to the object. The change is permanent, so whoever casts it will diminish their magical powers forever. He poured the last of his strength into the weapon..." she trailed off.

I stared at the halberd with newfound respect. It only seemed all the more fitting that I should end up killing the dragon with this weapon. Clearly, the dying stallion had prayed this would be the case. I resolved to keep it then, and use it well, to honor this unknown Unicorn. He was a righteous soul if ever I'd seen one.

I was brought back from my musings when I realised the two mares were staring at each other. Euphoria was still mostly hidden behind me, peering through the gap between my good arm and my body with her one visible blue eye, and Twilight was staring right back at her, trying to figure out who this silent mare was. I chuckled softly, shocking them from their staring contest. I gently stroked Euphoria's mane and she seemed to forget about her reservations as she stretched her neck, leaning into the caress.

"She's a rather reserved mare, as you can tell, but she's glad to meet you. I'm sure the two of you will have ample opportunity to get to know one another," I smiled and Twilight nodded her head, her curiousity abated for the time being. She probably had too much on her mind as is, or she just knew when not to pry. I was thankful for that.

"You look cute together," she giggled and I tried not to blush too deeply, but Euphoria didn't stand a chance. With a stark white coat, it was always easy to tell when she was embaressed. She hid behind me again, causing Twilight to chuckle some more. She shook her head and got up, waving as she headed for the door, calling over her shoulder, "Pinkie's probably planning a party for the two of you. I told her to hold off until you'd at least gotten back on your hooves."

I chuckled and told her goodbye. As the door clicked shut, Euphoria squirmed into my lap and I held her close. She looked rather pleased with the way the 'interrogation' had gone down and to tell you the truth, I was, too. For the rest of the morning, I entertained her with stories about Ponyville and its inhabitants. She sat spellbound as I told her about Twilight and her friends and how they'd all saved Equestria a few times over. Anytime a particular subject would make her eyes widen or draw a gasp from her, I launched into a more detailed explaination. She was easy to read, so while it might have seemed like a very one-sided conversation to an outsider, I caught every reaction to my tales and she gladly contributed her viewpoint with a plethora of expressions. After a few hours, I stifled a yawn and she caught on quickly. She got up and began to shove me with her head until I relented and retreated to the bed. She stayed with me until I fell asleep. She probably didn't need the bedrest as much as I did, though. The nanites did most of their miracle work when I was out for the count. I might as well let my body recharge so I would be more prepared for a Pinkie Pie party.

...

Who was I kidding? Nobody's ever ready for one of those.

Euphoria

She watched her stallion sleep. He'd told her so many things! About his world, about this world, about the beautiful ponies that came to their aid. She found it amusing that he casually refered to the tight-knit circle of friends as the Mane 6. They sounded very friendly, but she had her reservations about some of them. Twilight Sparkle was a Unicorn whose special talent (she didn't even burst into tears this time, she was getting better at adressing this subject already) was magic. How would she react to the sight of someone like Euphoria? Yes, Twilight seemed like she might have the strongest reaction to her broken horn, but she was just as wary of this Pinkie Pie who seemed liable to just materialize in front of you with deafening proclaimations of Party and all things related. Rarity sounded like the kind of mare who was liable to put her on a pedistal and play dress-up with her and that thought, she simply couldn't stomach.

She climbed out of bed and started pacing before her wayward thoughts could incapacitate her. She was tired of crying her eyes out. It seemed like she'd been doing a lot of that lately. Casting a glance towards her stallion, her heart swelled to see his arm groping for her on the bedsheets as soon as she'd gotten up. She liked his scent, though she was sure it wasn't appropriate to go so long without bathing, but these were exceptional circumstances. Still, taking one whiff at her own coat made her nose wrinkle so she went to the bathroom, relieved that the door was left ajar. She pushed it open with her head and looked around, finding a sponge. She soaked the sponge and squeezed it between her hooves, draining the excess water. Carrying it carefully in her teeth, she returned to the bedroom and climbed into the bed, trembling with joy as her stallion lazily wrapped his arm around her in his sleep. She spent a few minutes washing his body, paying special attention to the armpits and the area around the incisions.

By the time she had washed most of his upper body, her jaw was aching. She wanted to do a more thourough job, but she knew they could always get a proper bath together once he woke. That thought made her blush and she was happy nopony was around to see it this time. Her stupid white coat made it all too obvious when she was embaressed or aroused.

Returning to the bathroom, she squirmed her way out of the shirt, leaving the knot so she could take a quick shower. Thankfully, the nozzle was easy to work with her snout and the showerhead was already properly aligned, hung from the wall. As the hot water poured over her, she simply closed her eyes and reveled in the sensation. She wound up just standing with her face upturned, letting the rivulets of water cascade down her face, mane and body until she'd used up all the hot water. Still, even the cold water was bliss to her, but she'd best try to show some restraint so she shut off the water. Stepping out of the shower, she blushed at her own short-sightedness. How would she get dry without tracking water everywhere? There was a towel hung from the wall, low enough that she could brush her sides against it. She sat back on her haunches and used her hooves to brush the towel against her mane and then spent a minute brushing her body against the towel like a cat marking its territory.

Feeling reasonably dry or at least damp, she returned to the discarted shirt. She spent another minute worming her way through the loop made by the knotted sleeves, craning her neck back to gently grasp the fabric in her teeth, tugging at it until it fell into place over her flanks. The shirt still smelled of Samuel and truthfully, she was pleased with that.

By this time it was already noon. She tried not to dwell on just how long she'd spent doing trivial things, but some of that time had been spent under the shower. Still, she wasn't breaking any speed records. She walked back into the bedroom to check on Samuel. He was still sleeping and again, he looked the healthier for it. By this time tomorrow, he ought to be fully restored. Her ears perked as she heard something stirring in the livingroom. She'd all but forgotten about SAM, as he was called. She could hear his ghostly impersonation of Samuel's voice, speaking in perfect Equestrian; somepony was at the door and he'd answered. She crept towards the doorway to the livingroom and peered out, catching sight of the dull black metallic frame that so strongly resembled an equine. He was talking to some of the locals and by the look of things, they were well-wishers, delivering baskets of flowers and fruits. Apparantly, the whole town knew of their arrival, or at least they had heard of Samuel's return and his dire condition.

SAM dismissed the well-wishers, the latest in a steady stream of locals who had all stopped by. The livingroom was quickly running out of tablespace for the various bouquets and fruits baskets with colorful ribbons and notes attached to them. She took a moment to marvel at the sea of colors and scents, breathing in deeply.

"It baffles me that some of these were intended for me as well. Some of them were even arranged as mementos because I'd looked and sounded a bit 'dead' when we came back," the spectral voice droned on. She didn't know why, but she felt strangely at ease with this bizarre creature, wrought from steel and Samuel's own mind, so she laughed freely without a voice. SAM looked appropriately miffed that she was having fun at his expense. He even managed to turn away in a huff and that just did it; she collapsed, laughing in little breathless gasps, clutching her sides until tears streamed from her eyes.

"You seem to be doing well," he remarked once she'd regained her composure and sat wiping away the tears with a hoof. She responded by hugging the Pegasus Frame and SAM had the good grace to return the embrace; it was far from the first time anypony had thought to hug him. She did feel much better.

She glanced towards the many baskets, taking one in her teeth, bringing it to the bedroom so they could snack on the contents when Samuel awoke. Resisting the temptation to just dig in now was hard, but the only thing that could possibly make the taste sensations any sweeter would be to share them. So she curled up next to Samuel who once again embraced her in his sleep.

Such lovely ponies, brining all these gifts. She awned contentedly, soon drifting off to sleep again.

Author's Note

Nothing much really happened in this chapter, but I didn't want to just rush through the recovery. It seemed important to write Euphoria's point of view as everything is new to her. We also got a bit of exposition on the origins of that halberd.

Well, enjoy. I'll hopefully have more plot progression in the next chapter as Euphoria tries to reintegrate herself in pony society. As always, feel free to comment. I greatly appreciate it anytime someone takes a minute to let me know what I'm doing right and what could be changed for the better.