Wind whipped at Deans face as he sat in the chariot. The wood beneath him groaned when his weight shifted, but otherwise held his immense weight. His eyes scanned the scenery below, his SCAR constantly perched against his shoulder. One leg hung off the end of the chariot, lazily waving back and forth.

"Sergeant Dean?" Dean turned his head and regarded the little dragon behind him. Spike had uncurled and was staring at Dean with a familiar look: Curiosity. He had seen the same look on Twilight when she asked him about his technology.

"What can I do for you Spike?" Dean turned back towards the forest below, it's sprawling and beautiful landscape lost on him as his thoughts remained elsewhere. He heard the young dragon shift slightly.

"I was wondering if a certain pony was with the Resistance? I figured that if she got away, then she would take shelter there." Dean spotted a dove just off to the left, it's pearly white feathers seemed to shine in the morning light.

"What's her name? I only arrived the other day, so I haven't had time to meet many people." He heard Spike shuffle before going quiet once more.

"Never mind. If you haven't been around that long then you might not have seen her. Sorry for b-bothering you." Dean heard a sniffle behind him and chose to look back once more. What he saw sparked pity in his heart.

The little dragon was leaning with his back against the chariot wall, his tail between his legs while he stroked it's length in a comforting manner. Spikes eyes slowly looked into Dean's, causing him to let out an 'eep' of fear.

"I-I didn't mean to bother you. It was just a stupid question." Dean stood up as the dragon mumbled those words, causing the whole chariot to shift. Wind buffeted his face and body, but he held firm. He took a half step forward so that he was standing beside Spike before slowly kneeling down. The Dragon was cowering away in fear, tears in his eyes. Dean sighed and placed a gloved hand on Spikes shoulder, causing him to flinch.

"Spike, look at me." The little dragon side eyed him, his face scrunching up in a wince. It was as if he was expecting Dean to hit him.

"You can ask me anything. I won't get angry." Dean saw the little guy look at him fully now, his tears slowly starting to dry up.

"A-are you sure? I d-don't want to offend you or anything." Dean chuckled and sat back against the chariot wall beside the young dragon. A smile made its way across his features as he admired the sky. A few chariots carrying the ponies of Ravenford came into view just behind them.

"I don't think there are many things left in this world that can offend me anymore, Spike. I have a job to do and I don't have time to get angry over words. Plus, I think your a pretty good guy, so anything you say won't make me mad. That's the honest truth." Dean continued to smile as Spike looked at him in wonder. After a moment of silence, he snapped his jaw shut with a clack.

"T-thank you, Sergeant Dean." Spike smiled as Dean chuckled.

"Just Dean, kid. What was your question earlier? You said you were looking for something?" Dean felt their altitude drop slightly, more chariots becoming visible in the process.

"Well, I was going to ask if you had seen a pony named Tw-"

"We are at our destination, prepare for landing!" Midnight's shout reverberated through the air in volume. A few more Pegasi nearby made the same announcement. Dean quickly stood up and slid his rifle onto his back.

"I'll help you find whoever it is you are looking for when we touch down. In the meantime, hold onto the railing. We are going to pass through an invisibility field." Dean faced forward and looked past Midnights beating wings. The forest started to come to an end a few kilometers ahead before dropping off into an ocean.

'One.'

A flock of birds seemed to materialize off to the left, heading away from the chariots.

'Two.'

Spike raised an eyebrow at the bleak landscape, probably looking for the invisible barrier. Dean snorted in amusement, it was considered invisible for a reason.

'Three.'

The world suddenly warped, as if they were looking through rippling water. Dean winced as a strange sensation came over him, making goosebumps appear on his neck. He heard Spike yelp and fall back into the chariot.

The first thing Dean saw was the sprawling city of Maritime Bay. The main infrastructure was surrounded by spiked wooden and stone walls piled haphazardly in order to make a barrier and ramparts. The ground sloped up the closer it got to the cliffside, a large fortress made of stone sitting at the very top. Dean spotted the side exit he had used to leave the area halfway between the main city and the fortress.

Ponies moved about to and fro below them. Dean heard more than saw the shouts of surprise coming from below, but he ignored them. His focus was directed towards the fortress airstrip, where ponies in all sorts of gear were waiting for them. Dean reckoned that the majority would be medical personnel for the sick and wounded. The ponies of Ravenford would certainly need the help seeing as they were locked away without care.

The strip grew closer and closer before the wheels of the chariot finally touched down upon the smooth dirt with a clank. They finally came to a stop some ways away from the main body of ponies in order to make room for the other chariots. The human soldier quickly hopped out, but stumbled as he hit the ground. A wave of fatigue had washed over him, but Dean pushed forward. He walked up to Midnight, who was still strapped into the chariot. The poor Pegasus had worked his ass off all night and day without rest; Dean couldn't be more proud.

"Midnight." Dean patted the pony on the shoulder, causing him to look up. His eyelids were drooping and his wings were hanging limply at his sides. Dean noticed the ponies eyes harden into determination.

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"Sergeant Dean! Would you help me get out of this so that I may help the other ponies?" Midnight reached behind him and dried to grab one of the buckles that were tied around his torso. Dean put a stop to the ponies actions by placing a hand on his neck and gently pushing it away from the harness.

"I'll get this, but once you are out, I expect you to get some R&R." Dean saw the Pegasus about to retort, but a hard glare shut him up. "You may be a higher rank, but you have earned it. What you did tonight was an act of heroism in the highest regard, and you need the rest if you are going to function properly. I'll take care of the townsfolk."

After a second of pause, Midnight nodded his head.

"Very well, thank you Dean." The Human quickly undid the straps of the harness, allowing Midnight to finally be free. The Pegasus gave him one more grateful look before walking through the growing crowd and to the barracks. Guards, medics, and the occasional civilian ran about, helping ponies out of chariots and treating those who were injured or sick. Dean saw a young stallion be given a needle of some sort, upon closer examination, dean found it was a painkiller for the ponies broken leg. Dean felt a wave of weariness wash over him, but he steeled himself and pushed forward. His job was not done until all the ponies of Ravenford were okay.

"DEAN!" The sudden cry caused him to turn around... and be met with a lavender ball of fluff and feathers. He stumbled back in order to lessen his attackers impact and wrapped an arm around her fuzzy torso. Looking down, he saw the Princess of friendship nuzzled up against his chest with her eyes closed. A small smile crossed her muzzle and the traces of tears trickled down her face. Dean chuckled as her wings wrapped around him protectively.

"I guess you missed me?" He gave her a scratch behind the ears, resulting in a coo of appreciation as well as a nod of the head.

"Yep, I'm just happy you made it back okay." He chuckled as he carefully set her down.

"Dean? Where'd you go?"

Dean saw Twilight tense up and her pupils dilate. Confused he called back to the dragon.

"Over here spike, by the front of the chariot!" Dean looked back at Twilight with a smile, but the expression quickly died when he saw her features. Her ears were pinned back, her breathing was sporadic. Her eyes were wide and much more noticable tears were gushing forth.

He was about to ask what was wrong when she let out an ear-piercing cry of grief and suddenly lurched forward, catching Dean off guard.

With a huff, Dean moved to follow.

*****

Dean? Where'd you go?"

She couldn't believe it. She just couldn't. That voice... that voice was just like her little brother, the one she lost just two years ago when the Dark Elves invaded. It still held that same youth, the same energy that only Spike the dragon could hold. But it couldn't be him, the Dark Elves would have made sure he would never see the light of day again, especially if they knew he was her little brother. So no, it could not be her number one assistant, it just couldn't.

"Over here Spike, by the front of the chariot!"

All train of thought instantly died, her motor functions not responding in the slightest. She felt her own heart hammering in her chest, it's constant thumping sounding like a gong repeatedly being smashed. Her legs felt like jello, wobbly and weak. She also felt sick to her stomach, so many emotions building up inside her. They all jumbled together: Excitement, sadness, horror, elation, grief, disbelief, and so many more. It built inside her like a fire being fed, and soon she couldn't hold it in any longer.

With a cry that would have woken the dead, she took off like a shot. Her destination was clear, her mind set in stone. Her hooves carried her forward, she didn't slow down. Even when the stubby little legs of her companion waddled around the edge of the chariot and into view, she didn't stop. When her little adoptive brother, whom she had thought she had lost forever, gave a shout of surprise, she did not slow down. Her forelegs were already wrapped around his torso faster than the blink of an eye, her wings encased the both of them and shut out the world around them. Twilight head the sound of weeping, but she couldn't place if it was her own or that of somepony else.

She sat there for what seemed like days as time became a concept of the past. She could feel the rough scales pressed into her chest as well as the stubby little arms gripping around her torso.

Opening her eyes, Twilight saw the purple scaled head pressed into her fluff. She gave a sniffle and leaned down to nuzzle the little dragon, causing him to tighten his grip. After several more seconds, her little brother spoke.

"T-Twilight? I-is it really you?" She heard him sniffle and tightened her hooves.

"It is S-Spike. It's m-me." She choked back a sob and rested her chin on top of Spikes head. A joyful smile was starting to make its way onto her face. She heard the baby dragon let out a sob as he tried to bury himself further into her chest. His tears began to wet her fur, but she didn't mind in the slightest. All that mattered was her adoptive little brother, right there and then.

"Twilight, i-it's been-" She quickly squeezed him and nuzzled the top of his head.

"Shh, don't worry Spike, I-I've got you. I won't let you out of my sight ever again, you here. N-N-never a-again!" Something she was not used to feeling was growing inside her. A feral protectiveness and loyalty seemed to radiate off of her very being. Twilight felt raw energy around her, but she remained focused on the dragon. Twilight would never let him go again, she would die first.

*****

Dean stared in amazement at the two hugging companions. He still did not know the significance that Spike posed, but he was now getting an idea. This dragon was important to her and they had obviously been separated by the invasion. It brought him joy to see them united once more.

He was about to take a step closer, when something truly remarkable happened. There was a brief flash of purple light, bright enough to be noticable and cause Dean to squeeze his eyes shut. When Dean opened his eyes, he could only stare in amazement.

Purple particles were floating around through the air aimlessly, one passing by his nose by only a few centimeters. He looked around and noticed that something had happened. All the equines had happy smiles on their muzzles, but otherwise seemed oblivious to the stuff floating through the air.

Dean was about to say something, but a particle began floating towards his face. He watched in mild fascination, unmoving as the thing got closer and closer, before finally landing on his nose.

Almost immediately, Dean was overcome by a sense of comfort and happiness. It was so overwhelming that he momentarily forgot where he was! However, it soon got to the point where it was making him uncomfortable. He knew that his body was not obeying his commands and had to do something. With a gargantuan effort, He focused every once of his being. When that didn't work, he went for another method.

The image of Marie suddenly appeared before him like a ghost. It was as if someone had decided to flip a restart switch in the back of his brain, for everything seemed to black out. Fatigue washed over him as he slowly became hyper aware of his body. His leg felt sticky, he figured from sweat, and his head pounded. His eyes slowly opened, only to find a concerned white equine staring down at him along with a tiled roof. How did he get inside? He knew the ponies name, but at the moment, he couldn't place it. Everything was hazy for some reason. He reckoned he needed a bit of sleep, that was all.

"We need the stabilizer immediately!"

"What if he has a reaction?!"

"Hold on Dean don't g...."

"The poison has re...."

"Administer s..."

"Please Dean, Plea..."

And so Dean slowly drifted off into unconsciousness. But right before he passed out, he briefly saw the figures of his wife and kid, causing him to smile. Closing his eyes, Dean fell into a dreamless sleep.