(This is mostly just something for my brother, but on the off chance someone likes it...)

I give a nod to the guard pony as he lets me by, keeping my head low as I return to the tower. I spot Homage at the cheese bar and smile, trotting over.

"Need anything else?" I offer, seeing her turn with a look of surprise makes me smile more.

"Melody!" She laughs and happily comes over, nudging my shoulder lightly, "I didn't expect you back for at least another week!" I laugh and nudge back before taking a step backwards.

"I have everything you asked for, and a little extra just in case you run out again." My horn glows as I slide payment over to Monterey for Homage. She looks back.

"Oh, you don't have to do-" She starts, but stops herself as she sees my determined look and sighs. "Thank you."

"Anytime." I reply cheerily and then turn with her to talk. "Would you like me to install these new parts, or do you have it?" She takes a moment to think about it before sending me a sweet smile.

"Thank you, but I think I've got it this time." We pause at the base of the stairs and I levitate the parts she requested over to her. She takes them and I nod.

"Always a pleasure to do business for you, Homage. I'm leaving in at least a week, after that I may or may not be here." I warn her as an ear twitches. She smiles and thanks me for the notice, then heads up the stairs.

I watch her for a second before turning and trotting back through the door to the market place.

Alright, so I need to get some more repairs done on my sniper, maybe my shotgun too. The pistol should be an easy repair, so I can do that pretty easily. The AK-47 somehow didn't even get a scratch.

I weave around a group, not really paying attention as I head for the repair shop.

     "Wait a sec, don't I know you?" The accent makes me pause, glancing back as I slow down.

That accent... I know that voice.

When I completely turn around, I'm face to face with an orange pegasus. My tail swishes in slight annoyance as I have to stop my mission for a second, but I quickly recognize this stallion.

Play it dumb, maybe he doesn't recognize you as much as you fear.

     "Didn't you guard a town out there?" I nod to the doors, ignoring that the entire population seems to be avoiding us at all times-I don't blame them with the smell here. "New-... Apple.. loosa?"

He nods as he narrows his eyes at me.

"Yes, but when did I see ya there? What were ya doin' there?" He presses as his tail swishes beside him. It's now that his friends step in.

"Hi, perhaps we should take this somewhere else?" A charcoal colored unicorn with pretty gold and red streaks steps forward, seeming to have all the elegance and grace this place so requires.

"Sure." I respond blandly, keeping an eye on Calamity. "Follow me, I'm sure my place will be much nicer than yours." There still two more ponies, but she's keeping quiet-making me a little nervous, but not as much as the Steel Ranger standing behind her.

However, I still have turn my back to all of them in order to lead them. I pass the first set of stairs that their room, or rooms, will probably be on and head over to another set of stairs. The entire time ponies are parting like the we're some sort of plague, and it seems to really bother the mare from before.

She's the one who'll get something done here, probably one of the only ones who could pull off the look too.

My sympathies go out to them as my room is almost to the top of the tower-meaning stairs after stairs after stairs pass below our hooves. Passing halls and halls of rooms, I get the end of the hall and open the last door on this floor for them.

"Here we are." I motion for them to walk inside, but they all hesitate. I understand their hesitance. "Would you rather I went first? I promise nothing in there will eat us." When they still don't make a motion to enter, I start to go in-but the mare who didn't speak before beats me to it.

The leader?

Sure enough, the other three follow in suit. The last mare stopping in the door with a small gasp as she looks around.

"This... This is amazing." She sounds a little breathless. I have to move around her to close the door, allowing a small smile as I pass her.

"One of the bonuses of being their main trader, so I'm able to buy a room of this size." I take a seat on the pillow in the floor.

My room has five separate parts to it. What we're in now is the main room, a simple place with pillows and other blankets strewn about for sitting or an only slightly abused couch in the corner for lying.

There's a door directly behind the door you enter through that leads off into the washroom, or bathroom as some call it, with a place to do your business and then a bath area; A little ways down the wall from the bathroom is another door that leads to a guest bedroom I've filled with the overflow of pillows-because apparently that's all they had for this room.

Across the room there are two more sets of doors. The one in the front leads to a walk in closet, lined to the brim with all sorts clothes that I've traded for goods I've found in the wastelands; The door to the back of the room leads into a wash room that's just for the clothes, which seems like extra to me but they insisted on it being there.

Then we get into the last room, the door straight forwards opposite the door you enter. It's a room that is more of a rectangle than a square like the other rooms, with an entire half of the far wall being one large window. That is the main bedroom, a small table in one end of the space and a wide-surprisingly white-mattress in the other.

I take a moment to tell all this to the group, offering the bathhouse to them.

"No doubt at least one of you feels the need for a bath." I glance to the mare who was so disturbed by being outed by all of the ponies outside. She immediately jumps up.

"I would love that." She glances to the door, then pauses. "But I'm afraid I'll have nothing to wear that is clean..." I smile and nod to the closet.

"Go pick you out something, some of them no longer fit me-so they may for you." My offer has her almost giddy as she prances in place, dragging the other mare-the other unicorn-into the closet and shutting the door. I give a small chuckle as I shake my head a little.

"Hey, Steelhooves." Calamity, which I'm sure is the pegasus' name, calls to the Steel Ranger. "Do ya mind checkin' out the other room?" He motions towards the guest bedroom. The ranger gets the hint and stands.

"Sure. Why not." His low voice seems to rumble in my head, but my ears go up in surprise.

That's... Applejack's second in command??

There's a moment of silence before one of us speaks again.

"You weren't a unicorn when I saw ya last." Calamity's voice puts doubt in my belief he wouldn't remember me, making me slowly inhale.

He remembers.

"Ponies don't take well to change." I look back at him, our eyes meeting as his narrow. "Wouldn't it have been better if this was how you met me? Instead of in my other form?" He sighs and shifts on his pillow.

"I suppose you have a point there." He agrees, "The uproar you made woulda drawn less attention had ya looked like a normal unicorn." I nod again, my ears laying back as I wrap my tail around me.

"Not only that, but I also can't fit through the doors in my other form." The joke does it's job and the air lightens considerably as Calamity snorts.

"Didn't think of that." He admits as he looks to the entrance door. "And whoever runs this place knows, don't they? They know that you're not... you. That's why ya got such a fancy place."

"Correct." I answer seconds before the unicorns step out of the closet. The mare with what I'm thinking I recognize as a pitbuck on her leg looks happy with her choice as she sits on a pillow and lays the outfit down in the couch. The other trots over to me.

"I apologize, I didn't mean to be so rude." She smiles kindly at me as the outfit is levitating behind her, "My name is Velvet Remedy, Little Pip is sitting near the couch,-" She nods to the other unicorn, "-Calamity you may have already known,-" Calamity smiles and tilts his hat as she continues, "-and last, but not least, is-"

"Steelhooves." The metal pony interrupts as he comes out of the guest bedroom. Again, I'm drawn back to Steelhooves' voice.

Okay, maybe not her second in command, but I swear he reminds me of someone that I keep tying to Applejack.

There's a second where we make eye contact and I quickly turn my attention back to the group as a whole.

     "Nice to know your names, at least. My name is Melo-" I'm interrupted before I can finish.

      "I trust 'em." Calamity huffs, looking at me and nodding. "And if ya don't tell 'em now, at least Littlepip will figure it out sooner or later." I take his words into account as I'm greeted with a surprised Velvet, a curious Littlepip, and probably a suspicious Steelhooves.

     "Only after I figure this out first." I turn to Steelhooves with what I'm hoping looks like an innocent stare, "You have no reason to answer this, but is your name not Applesnack? The Sergeant "Steelhooves" Applesnack?" My questions are met with silence so thick you could cut it.

But I don't regret my actions-the doubt in my mind completely put away as he doesn't answer. I nod.

      "My true name is Harmony." My magic covers me in a pale blue as my eyes glow, I step forwards as a normal unicorn. However, by the time I come out of the blue haze I am no longer so.

My height returned to me, the weight on my back and muscles tensing tell me my wings are free again.

      "And I am who used to be the Protector of the tree of Harmony."