Aidan sat in the tent with Rainbow while she tried to focus on anything but the pain. The human could do nothing but stare blankly at the floor as he leaned against the side of the bed Rainbow was on. Something about the whole ordeal screamed setup, but Aidan didn’t care enough about that. No matter what Aidan tried to think about, the one persistent thought that he caused everything took hold of him time and time again. That one terrible thought kept prevailing no matter what he did. In his usual nature, he logically ruled out the possibility that he caused anything; even so, he still felt responsible. Not in the way that he could have done something to change the chain of events, but that he had done something really bad somewhere along the way. Murder is no doubt bad, but this was something more. Somewhere in his corpse of a mind was a memory, forever locked in a perpetual state of regret, but never fully realized.

Some time passed like that, Aidan just sitting there thinking about who knows what. Rainbow had been taken care of and was now sleeping under a sedative to ease the pain. Aidan wondered what to do next; over and over he thought of the best and fastest way to continue south in Rainbow’s current condition. Of course, he only did this to pass the time. In reality, he would elect to just carry her there. Something about thinking helped to numb Aidan’s pain. There was a feeling of peace when he was deeply lost in thought, in his own little world of perfection in the midst of chaos.

Aidan got to his feet and walked outside into the morning air. The cool breeze washed over him as he closed his eyes, “Gotta enjoy it while you still can…” He muttered to no pony in particular. One of the patrolling guards took notice of the towering human and strolled casually on over.

“Can we help you with anything?” He nervously said, as if the question could kill him.

“Lighten up…” Aidan said with a half-hearted smile.

“The Elements of Harmony… they trust you?” He asked, still uneasy.

“I certainly hope so. Why else would they come this far with me?” Aidan replied. “It’s not like I forced them to come or anything.” Aidan gave a long sigh, slowly breathing away all the troubles in this world.

“R- Right,” The pony said.

“What do you think of me, eh? I want to know what you think about this mess,” The boy said, looking down to the pony standing next to him.

“I don’t know what to think…” He said. The guard made it seem as if his whole life was a lie, as if his whole life came down to this very struggle and yet it wasn’t the truth. “One minute we’re being shipped out here to ‘defend the kingdom’” He said, adding air quotes. “And the next we come to find that you aren’t all that bad.”

“Aren’t all that bad… Heh, that sounds kind of nice,” Aidan said.

“What is your story?” He asked, sitting on his haunches. “What happened back there in Canterlot?”

“I don’t really know to be honest, why Celestia didn’t trust me anymore. Back when I was possessed I could understand… but I’m not anymore. I woke up and was thrown into a prison against my will. After that the other two humans got together and busted me out, saying that I was wrongly imprisoned,” Aidan said, sitting down in the grass with elbows on his knees. He was actually a bit shorted than the guard when he sat next to him. “She still didn’t trust me for God knows why… Man I wish I could go back to the way things were. Anyway, she attacked and we left, only to be assaulted by all the guards she sent after us.”

“A- And you killed them?” He asked tentatively.

“I’ll admit that it seems like I do a little too much when fighting, but… I can’t really explain it. Whenever they want to fight something inside just says yes… and never stops ‘til it’s over,” Aidan said.

“Does that mean you’re still possessed?” The guard asked.

“I can see why you would think that, but no. Being possessed is like taking a back seat and just watching, this was like my soul was being torn out while something else worked. But hell, it could be… It just doesn’t feel like possession, ya know?” Aidan asked.

“No… not really,” The guard replied. “But I think I can imagine what you mean. Where are you all headed?” He asked.

Aidan let out another sigh, enjoying the simplicity of an innocent conversation in the early morning air. “South… I don’t really even know where… I just know that something is down there… Looking at it from this perspective makes me look crazy; mysterious creatures go on a killing spree and flee south for no apparent reason.”

“Well sometimes ponies get this feeling when they should do something, deep down inside it just feels right. It’s magic, kind of like when you get your cutie mark. Maybe you can get the same thing?” The guard asked.

“I never thought of that before. Well that makes me seem a little less crazy…” Aidan said with a crooked smile.

The guard smiled before standing, “I have to get back to work. Good luck with whatever you’re looking for.”

Aidan watched the guard start to turn and walk away. The boy sprung to his feet, “Wait!” He called after the guard.

“What?” He asked, turning to face Aidan.

“Thanks… And…” Aidan said, looking down to the ground. “If you can… don’t go back to Canterlot… not until this is over. Tell the others,” Aidan said. “Call it that magical feeling, but just don’t go back, not yet. Spread the word, it won’t be safe.”

The guard looked at Aidan with a raised eyebrow. He could see that the boy knew something more, but couldn’t ask what. “O- Okay,” The guard replied with a reassuring smile. He left Aidan alone wondering what the human could have been hiding. Magical feelings don’t tell the future…

Author's Note

Again, sorry for the long delay in updates and lack of good material from me. Sorry that this chapter in particular is so short, but with the new school year started I've been more than a little bit stressed and it's hard to find time to write currently. Soon I should get back into the swing of things, with all the added work and such, and start updating more often. As always if you have any questions, suggestions, or other ideas please PM me or drop a comment!

I'm not sure if I've said this before, but thanks for reading. It means so much to me that you will take time out of your lives to read something from little old me. Thank you.

~Aidan