For the rest of the train trip Raven stayed eerily quiet, not looking up, despite many attempts from the others to get him to talk.

"I wish he'd just SAY something." Rainbow Dash quietly said to Rarity.

"I agree. I think his weird remarks were better than this dead silence." Rarity whispered back.

One slightly awkward train ride later, they arrived at Canterlot and unloaded the cage containing the still silent Raven, bringing it to the throne room. Raven looked around him, and spoke for the first time in at least four hours.

"Wow. They really have changed this place since I was here last." He said. "I like it. It used to be truly dreadful, a really cold castle full of drafts. It was terrible. And don't even get me started on the depressing decorations!"

Just then, Princess Celestia opened the large golden doors, making all of them jump. Twilight introduced Raven to Princess Celestia, and they all walked inside, a guard closing the doors behind them.

"So it was you who ordered these six ponies to capture me?" Raven asked Princess Celestia, turning his head to scrutinize her.

"Yes, it was me." said Celestia. She smiled "And you can stop pretending that that enchanted cage can stop you."

If Raven was surprised that Celestia knew that he was only pretending to be trapped, he didn't show it. Instead he bowed to Celestia, looking back and grinning at Twilight as he simply walked through the glowing gold bars of the cage as if he were no more than a misty shadow. He flapped his wings once and sat up on top of the golden cage that had never really trapped him, simply held him.