It was always a favorite spot of hers. The little cove behind the Reservoir was peaceful, with nothing but the babbling brook and the occasional frog to break the silence. The morning sun shone its first beams over it, making the water sparkle and the light dance. The long shadows of the reeds and cattails cast over the muddy, rocky shore, making strange primal shapes. It was a beautiful place. It was exactly what they needed. John sat on a large flat boulder by the edge and watched as the little unicorn girl gathered up a few flat stones and idly tossed them in the pool from the bridge, sometimes skipping them, usually not. She didn’t seem to care either way. That wasn’t good.The walk there had been a little disturbing, to be honest. Angry sobs and half-muttered grievances had faded to silence. She had just plodded alongside him, her face drained of emotion. John wasn’t one to mind that much, but it wasn’t like her in the slightest. The direct approach was typically the best, so he figured he might get it out of the way. “She doesn’t think you’re a problem.” Sweetie tossed another stone in and stared at the ripples. “She said I was…” Her voice was flat. John straightened himself on his seat. “She was angry, she wasn’t in control.“It was one of the first lessons he had learned: Control your anger or it controls you. Sweetie broke her trance and looked at him, her stoic mask beginning to slip off. “She’s still right. I just get in the way. She’d… she’d be better off without-” “Don’t.” Even through the helmet, she could tell he was glaring. “Don’t ever say that. You are never better alone.” Sweetie shrunk back a little, and with a little whimper, she murmured “Rarity would be…” He looked at her and patted the rock beside him. Hesitantly, she climbed up and nestled beside him. John gave a long sigh. He never liked telling stories, never liked dwelling on the past, but the situation called for one. “I used to think that too. I was proven wrong.” She perked up a little at that. “What do you mean?” He cocked his head, thinking. “It was my first day of training. The class was divided into teams of three and we were each told to climb to the top of an obstacle course and ring the bell. I ran ahead and reached the bell before anyone else, leaving my teammates behind.” Sweetie looked confused. “So… you won then?” John shook his head. “No. We lost.” Sweetie was even more confused at this. “But you reached it first!” “Exactly. But we lost. The team had to ring it together, and with my team one man short now, they were the last ones to reach it. As punishment for coming in last, we went without dinner. They never let me forget that.” Sweetie scooted a little closer to him, the faintest hint of a smile starting to form. John continued. “They made us do the exercise later on. We worked as a team, and nothing could stop us. Victory was ours.” She smiled a little more, but then frowned, her brow furrowing. “But wait, what about all that other stuff you did? Weren’t you alone then?” “I was never alone. I always had backup. Johnson, Blue Team, The Arbiter…” He paused. “And Cortana.” After a brief silence, he looked down at the girl. “You’re always stronger together, Belle. You two need each other, more than anyone else right now.” “But if I mess up, or- “ He gave a quiet, gravelly chuckle. “That’s why you have backup. You’re both going to make mistakes, but that’s why there’s two of you. You can fix them.“Sweetie sat there, pondering all this. Seeing she wasn’t entirely convinced, John went on. “She needs you, as much as you need her.” She stared at him as though he had said Celestia didn’t raise the run. He was unfazed. “You give her purpose. She saved you from those people and can give you a chance at life. She wants you, Belle. She wants you to be happy, even at her own expense. There’s a reason the Elements chose her.“He looked down at her after he said that. She was looking away, and was choking back a few quiet sobs. “Belle…?” He put an arm around her shoulder, startling her. She slowly looked up at him, tears glistening but smiling for the first time that morning. “John?” “Hmm?” “…Thanks.” She wrapped her arms around his torso, or tried to at least. He pulled her a little closer. “Ready to head back?”  They both looked at the little pond, taking it it, watching nature at play.“Not yet.“A bit of an expansion on rarisweetichief.tumblr.com/pos… Probably kind of out of of character for Chief, but eh, I blame it on the environment. Besides: www.youtube.com/watch?v=8iG1El…