Back in the throne room, the group was being looked at by a couple of castle nurses. Everyone was mostly alright, since the Doctor was focused on fighting E-30. One of them walked up to him tilting their head curiously.

"Would you like for me to look at that?" the pony asked.

E-30 slightly shook his head. "I can take care of it on my own." He could feel his tiny helpers crawling along and inside his neck. The nurse stared a little longer before nodding and moving on.

He walked over to his trio of former hostages. Blue Wing was slumped against the wall with his head down, while Comet and Brisk sat beside him quietly. E-30 decided not to say anything, and sat against the wall as well. He watched as a team of ponies reconstructed the destroyed sections of the room at a rapid pace.

He looked back at the trio, seeing Blue Wing looking up at him. Or rather, staring at his repairing neck.

"That's really freaky." He said quietly.

E-30 felt a bit self conscious, suddenly feeling itchy on his neck. "Yeah..."

Blue Wing snorted, smirking slightly before it fell from his face again. "She didn't deserve it. We haven't been close for years, but she was always a good pony. She..."

E-30 tried to speak up. "Blue...I'm s-" but Blue cut him off.

"No, don't even start with that. You didn't do it. HE did. And when I find him, I'm going to melt him down and use him as shoes!" He was visibly shaking with anger.

Before he could go any further, the group of 6 walked over. Twilight stood in front, speaking softly to Blue. "I'm s-"

Pinkie Pie cut her off by zooming past, embracing Blue in a hug. Blue struggled to escape. "Can you get off of me?"

"No."

Blue stared at her. "...ok."

Brisk put a hoof on Blue's shoulder as well, while Comet joined the hug entirely. Before the others could try the same thing, Blue stood up. "Alright, that's enough!" He shook off the ponies. "But...thank you."

He looked at Twilight. "Like I told E-30, don't say sorry. It's not your fault, and I'm going to enjoy getting my hooves on HIM..."

She looked uncomfortable at the anger in his face, but she nodded anyway. Nearby, a pop sounded as Celestia appeared. The powerful ruler looked anxious to him.

"I flew overhead and searched what I could, but it seems they have disappeared into the forest." Her head slumped slightly. "I'll send out search parties, but it's unlikely they'll be found until they poke their heads out." Celestia turned to look at the thrones. "I think Luna might have to cut her trip short as well..."

She looked back to the group. "In the meantime, I think it would be best if you all stayed in the castle for a few days. Go rest, and we'll come up with a plan after." With that, she walked away, going to speak with her guards.

Twilight spoke up first. "Come on, I know where the guest rooms are." She and her group walked away, while E-30 and his three thieves followed. They walked through long hallways, many of which he recognized from his time spend running through them. Nobody spoke, but he could see the six in front of him glancing back at him sometimes. Or, in Pinkie's case, completely turning around to smile at him.

When they reached their destination, they all went to their own rooms. In his room, E-30 stood at the window, looking towards the forest far below the mountain. He tried to use any sensors he could to get a clue about The Doctor's location, but he was either too far or good at hiding his scent, so to speak.

Once more, the shining sun in the sky raced rapidly toward the horizon, replaced by this world's bright moon. 'Out of everything that has happened, that's still the weirdest.'

There was a quiet set of knocks on his door. E-30 carefully opened it, revealing Celestia standing in the hall. "May we talk for a moment?" She looked tired. Her visage was flawless, of course, but he could see it in her eyes.

"Yeah, sure." He let her in, following her to the middle of the room, where she sat right on the floor, legs curled under her. He sat as well.

Celestia spoke first. "Do you wish to go back to your world?" She stared at him, waiting for his response. He felt conflicted.

"I kind of want to go back, but given my status as officially dead..." She raised an eyebrow at this. "...and that psycho running around out there, I guess the best choice would be to stay." E-30 decided.

Celestia continued to stare. Then she looked at the window. "You would be willing to help find Jovan, to stop him from hurting more of my ponies?"

He nodded. "Of course."

She studied his face for a moment. "Very well. In the morning, we will discuss getting you a place to live within Ponyville. That will keep you close to the Elements of Harmony to combine your efforts." With that, she stood up. "See you in the morning."

He stood too. "Yeah. See you... wait. I've got to ask." He pointed out the window. "Why does the sun and moon only move at the end of the day?"

Celestia looked back and smiled. "That's because my sister and I move them to start and end the day, of course." Then, she teleported away.

"...Huh?"

Dealing with the bizarre revelation, he heard another knock at the door. When he opened it this time, he saw Pinkie Pie smiling up at him. "Hi! Can we come in?"

"We?" He opened the door more, and saw all five of her friends in the hall, as well as his three sewer acquaintances.

Pinkie Pie nodded. "Yep! We decided to meet in Twilight's room, then we wanted to come here so we could all talk, and YOUR friends were also coming here, so now it's like a big sleepover!"

E-30 looked at Brisk, who just shrugged. He stepped to the side and gestured in. "Sure, I guess." Pinkie Pie bounce past, followed by the group of ponies at his door. He decided to follow Celestia's example and sat on the floor. Blue Wing, Comet, and Brisk all sat next to him, with the rest sitting to finish the circle.

E-30 clapped his hands together. "So, I spoke with Celestia, and she said I will be staying in Ponyville while we try to fix this situation."

Applejack stamped her hoof. "Well that's great to hear! We can show you 'round town and give you a proper welcome."

"A PARTY welcome!" Pinkie rocked back and forth excitedly.

Blue Wing looked over at him. "So... are we going with you?" E-30 shrugged. "I guess you guys can stay with me."

Twilight spoke up next. "I remember Princess Celestia saying your...metal... was Moon Steel, like the Night Guard."

Rarity waved her hoof in his direction. "Yes, I didn't know it was called that, but I always thought the color was a bit too dark." Rainbow Dash slightly hovered off the ground. "I think it looks awesome!"

Twilight smiled, shaking her head. "Right. Well, looks aside, how did you get it? I tried getting some a while back, but they only sell a small amount and are always sold out."

E-30 glanced at his new partners in crime. "I needed more metal to heal, so we kind...sneaked in and took it." His companions all winced at the statement.

Applejack's eyes widened. "You stole it?! Did you tell-"

Twilight interrupted her. "I'm sure he and the Princess will work it out later." She said, diffusing the situation. "By the way, did you know that Moon Steel absorbs and stores magic?"

Comet spoke up. "You mean like Dispersion Rings?"

Twilight looked his way. "Not exactly. Dispersion Rings block magic from activating." Comet looked sheepish. "Right..."

E-30 looked at his hands. He didn't know that when he found it. He just saw it was strong metal. "That sounds good. What does it do once it absorbs the magic?"

Twilight slightly looked up, as if remembering something she read. "Well, you can usually use it to augment your own magical ability temporarily. The Night Guard use it for armor, so a unicorn's spells can be bigger, a pegasus can fly faster, and an earth pony is stronger. Of course, it's limited by the charge the metal can hold."

Rainbow perked up at this, before catching herself. "I wouldn't need that, but it sounds neat."

"I guess I'll have to get more of it. Or find out how to make it myself." E-30 thought aloud.

Twilight shook her head. "Only the Night's Crucible and the Princesses know how to make it. You would have to ask them."

E-30 nodded. "Then I'll do that tomorrow. I guess we should all get to bed."

Rainbow hovered again. "No way! Didn't Pinkie say this was a sleepover?" She looked over, but Pinkie was sprawled out on the ground, sleeping with her face against the floor.

Rarity was the first to get up. "Well, I don't know about you, but I'd rather sleep in my bed rather than on the floor."

Applejack scooped Pinkie onto her back. "Alright then. See y'all tomorrow!" She trotted out as Pinkie drooled on her side.

Rainbow dropped to the ground. "Okay, fine. I'm tired anyway."

Twilight left after, with Fluttershy quietly following behind her like a shadow.

That just left the trio and E-30. Blue Wing spoke. "If we're gonna stay with you in Ponyville, what are we gonna do? We're not exactly the most employable."

E-30 looked at them. "Well, my place is gonna have to be a workshop of sorts, so you'll help me with that."

Brisk raised an eyebrow. "That sounds vague, but we don't really have a choice. I assume we're not getting paid?"

E-30 smirked. "Hell no."

...

The next morning, they all met back in the throne room before Celestia. She looked very regal in her throne, her mane waving for no reason.

She addressed E-30 "You will go with the Elements of Harmony to live in Ponyville. I imagine you would want to build something yourself, so it can be on the edge of town. You'll help them locate and apprehend Jovan while you are there. Should you need it, I can send a team of guards to aid you."

E-30 nodded. "Thank you. I'd also like to ask how to make Moon Steel, if I may?" Celestia raised an eyebrow. "That's a highly guarded secret. Hm... no, I don't think so. However, I will send you some to use. If you can manage to make it on your own, then I must ask that you refrain from selling it."

E-30 smiled. "Thank you very much."

Pinkie Pink jumped up. "Ooh, can you make me a Moon Steel hoof band? Or maybe earrings like Zecora's? Or maybe a Moon Steel tooth!" She continued suggestions as they left, beginning their journey back to Ponyville.

...

They had trekked all through the night. This forest showcased the uniqueness of this world, being the home of so many bizarre creatures. 'When I have time, I'll need to collect each of these fascinating predators.' For now, he would have to make do with slaughtering them as they attacked him.

He needed a place to build his research and development site. Luckily, they saw the perfect place in the distance through the trees.