“What are you wearing?” I grinned, peeking at Sunset past the filled seat from the back of the truck where a medic was currently tending to me.

“What? You don’t like it?” Sunset smirked, feigning insult. “You don’t like a woman in uniform?”

“Nah, I love it. I’m just wondering where the blue and silver came from. What was wrong with the Army green that I had?” I replied, lying back again to let the medic pony prod me with needles.

“Oh that? Rarity and her team of seamstresses couldn’t match the same colour scheme so they started over and designed these.” Sunset replied, her eyes on the lack of road ahead of her as we slowly crawled back to Equestria. Occasionally the turret above, which I had taken offense too having been installed, would open fire for a burst to either scare off or eliminate hostile entities.

“So then where did the blue and silver colours come from?”

“That was Princess Luna’s fault actually. Because you and her are the highest ranking officials in the NLAF, she figured that it’d be best for the troops to wear your combined colours.” Sunset explained, looking back at me in the rear view mirror. “It’s taken quite well with the soldiers wearing the uniforms, as well citizens seem to like it more than the camo green.”

“Probably, but that’s because these ones don’t look like they’re trying to hide in a forest. They look authoritative as Police, not as a proper military.” I replied as my body began to be washed in warmth provided by a tranquilizer. “Oh, remind me to shpeaq whish Twilighth.” I requested before I was rendered unconscious.

***

“How’s he doing?” Dash asked as she flew alongside the vehicle, next to Sunset.

“I think he’s doing fine. Started off by criticizing the uniforms though…” Sunset sighed, resting her head in her hand and her arm on the window sill.

“Probably because they weren’t his original ones.” Dash chuckled and rolled her eyes at the same time. “You know better than any of us how stubborn he can get.”

“I don’t know, I've always thought of Captain as being quite laid back and forgiving of changes.” Sunset replied, looking back at her rescued boyfriend again. “I will say though, and don’t tell him I said this, but even in the last hour or so he seems… Different somehow...”

“In what way? He still looks the same to me; save for those scales of course.” Dash drifted back to press her muzzle against the back glass for a minute to watch the human sleeping before rejoining Sunset at the window.

“It’s just… I dunno. Maybe something happened during his imprisonment that may have altered his mind or something… It’s just something I can’t put my finger on.” Sunset complained before hitting the Aux switch for the grille and forward light bars. “Have you talked to the Princesses yet?”

“About what?” Dash inquired casually floating on her back, her wings swinging beneath her to keep her aloft.

“Your promotion. You were promoted from Private to Corporal because there was nopony else who had proper military training that Captain would have approved at the time. Are you going to get to keep the rank now that your superior is back in action?” Sunset looked directly at Dash and her ranking printed on the pegasus’s jacket.

“I don’t see why not. I think I've earned the promotion, don’t you?” Dash grinned proudly as she dusted off the patch.

“Sure, I do. But it still remains to be seen if Captain agrees with the promotion or not. He is the one who makes those decisions you know?”

“You don’t think he’d demote me, do you?” Dash demanded anxiously, now considering this to be a possibility.

“Couldn’t tell you Dash. I’ll tell you what, I’ll try and talk to him and see if he’ll let you keep your rank. You talk to Princess Luna about it as well and see if she’ll endorse your rank.” Sunset suggested and Dash all but immediately zipped up into the sky again to do just that.

Looking back at the man behind her, the man who’d give his life to protect her and the man whom she fell in love with, Sunset couldn’t help but feel the nagging sense that something was wrong in him. She just couldn’t tell what it was.

~*~*~

“Captain! Thank Celestia’s sun you're alright!” Twilight announced as I was extracted from the back of the truck via telekinesis. The littlest Alicorn trotted alongside me as I was taken into the Castle for more in-depth medical care that I'd already received.

“Hey… Twilight!” I grinned childishly, my hand lolling around on the stretcher until it eventually landed on Twi’s head. “Have I ever told you that your great? Cuz you’re… so… great!” I chuckled and let my hand go limp again before being tucked back under the blanket I was under by the purple princess.

“You just remember that for when you’re not jumped up on Morphine.” Twilight smirked, though a white pony with a red medical plus sign on her flanks whispered something into her ear. “Oh, sorry; not jumped up on tranquilizers.”

“Tranquilizer is a funny word.” I announced as we passed through a set of large doors into the Castle hospital. “Ow! Ow Ow Ow! The light hurts me! Why am I living in a world where the light hurts me!” I flailed to try and shield my eyes but was quickly restrained and calmed only after a cool cloth was draped over my eyes. “Oh, thank you Ice Queen.”

“Hey! You’ve been gone almost a month and the first thing you call your daughter is Ice Queen? Rude.” Weiss scoffed dejectedly. As soon as I hear her voice I shot upwards, breaking through the thin leather straps to scoop up the white dragonling and cradle her in my arms.

“Oh, you! I’m so sorry that I left! I shouldn’t have left anyone alone! I’m a failure as a soldier!” I announced, suddenly and openly weeping. I felt like I was a mind trapped in an idiot’s body. “Even after I rescued your mother and had a silver scale grafted onto my body, I was powerless to stop the attack!” I shouted in grief before flopping back onto the cushioned table. “I’m a bad boyfriend, I’m a bad father, I’m a bad Captain and I still can’t say the name Captain Soren Mercer!” I announced before collapsing unconscious.

“No, you’re not a bad boyfriend!” Sunset argued, apparently my name not having registered that I'd said it given that she already knew it. “You’re a wonderful boyfriend and I’d never trade you for anyone else!”

“Did he just…” Weiss whispered in shock to Luna whose jaw hung slack. Sunset turned and glared at the two, demanding that they help console the human and ignore the distinctly human name. “I mean, no! You’re not a bad father! You’re the greatest father I could have ever gotten!”

“And you’re my best friend!” Luna added consolatory as they stood next to my unconscious body. “Not many ponies were as kind to me as you were when we first met! Even if they were under confusing and suspicious circumstances.” Luna admitted with a sheepish grin. “I still haven’t apologized for keeping you locked up past your imprisonment.”

“You see, Captain? You are a good father, a good boyfriend and a great captain! You’re the best of all three!” Sunset took my hand in hers and held it close to her chest. “There’s no need to worry about that!” she said forcefully, though I remained asleep it the cloth on my face.

“Can we talk about what he said now?” Weiss requested quietly, looking up at Sunset from the top of Luna’s head. “Did he just say his name?”

“No, he said a name.” Sunset replied firmly, turning back to the ladies in the room as she wiped off a tear from her eye. “He wasn’t introducing himself.”

“But, how was he able to even say that name? I’m almost willing to bet that that name is distinctly human in nature!” Luna replied in concern. “There should have been no way for him to be able to say that name, right?”

“Normally, yes.” Twilight announced, stepping around the table with a couple of pages leading her walk. “But after taking some measurements with some of my portable equipment, I’ve determined that the Captain is suffering from an acute magical burn-out.”

“How is that even remotely possible if he doesn’t have magic in the first place?” Sunset almost demanded, leading everyone out of the medical room and to the waiting lobby to let the staff do their jobs. Finally.

“While it’s true that he doesn’t have conventional magic, it’s not true to say that he has no magic.” Twilight explained, spinning around one of her sheets of paper. “it would be more correct to say that he has anti-magic.”

“What’s anti-magic?” Weiss looked over the page in front of her cluelessly.

“It’s a sort of magic that purifies all other forms of magic. He doesn’t seem to be able to use magic like a unicorn, to cast spells of any kind, but it seems he can direct his strange magic as he needs.” Twilight replied as her face suggested she was slowly approaching the confusing part.

“So then he was using his anti-magic past his limitations while in Griffonia? Shouldn't he have been unable to do so?” Luna was just as confused as the others were now.

“Normally, yes. And for the primary of his captivity he was unable to do so.” Twilight replied firmly, still looking over her pages. “Until something changed.”

“What change?” Weiss handed off the page before her to Sunset before looking up at Twilight.

“More like, who changed.” A ragged male voice replied, coming in from the walls. A certain multi-creature fizzled into view wearing a housecoat, mismatched slippers and a hot water bottle on his head between his horn(s) with a steaming cup of what looked like tea in his claw.

“Discord, you’re looking rather worse for wear. What happened to do?” Luna demanded, offering a seat next to her as Twilight smiled appreciatively to the Draconequus.

“What do you think? I gave myself a severe burn out trying to help your monkey friend escape captivity. I still haven’t been able to fully restore my magic yet; which is odd since I'm usually so spry and full of energy in Equestria.” Discord replied curiously, trying to think up some reason that this was the case. “It’s as though I'm unable to fully refill the tank, as it were.”

“Why?” Sunset asked.

“My theory is that Discord had too much of his magic stripped away too quickly, and so his body needed to desperately refuel thereby attempted to restore some of his magic with the purified energy. His body may think he’s fine now, but that pure magical energy is playing havoc with Discord’s ability to cast magic of any kind.” Twilight explained, magically drawing out little cartoon diagrams in the air for visual aid.

“What would happen if Captain were to do that on a regular pony? Purify their natural magic whether they’re an earth-pony, pegasus or unicorn? Would they lose the ability to restore their magic?” Luna looked concerned first at Twilight, then to Sunset hoping for an answer.

“Probably. But in order to do that, Captain would have to either have some kind of vessel to put the purified magic into or suffer through this anti-burn out again.” Twilight replied, putting her notes away as she’d reached the end of her presentation.

“What about that clever gauntlet of his?” Discord suggested through a sneezing fit. “Ugh, I could really use some anti-histamines right now.” he complained before sucking back on his tea. “If he were to have some kind of empty spellstone, I believe you’re calling them, would the purified magic be stored in that?”

“Probably not. We’d have to find some way of letting him store the magic via other means, but that gauntlet of his does seem to be the best- Wait!” Twilight suddenly shook her head clear of the theories and hypothesis running around in her head. “Why’re we discussing how we could use Captain to remove a pony’s magic? What possible service would that achieve?”

“Criminals?” Weiss suggested, lifting a claw to bring her idea to the forefront of the conversation. “If he can remove their ability to use magic, whether they’re unicorn pegasi or EP, then Equestrian criminals would become significantly less dangerous, right?”

“I suppose…” Twilight admitted. “Personally, I’m having an issue with the mere fact that we’re forced to create magical weapons for a war that we really have next to nothing to do with.”

“Princess Twilight, don’t tell me that you're on the side opposing the war altogether with the idea that if the Captain left Equestria, the war would go with him!” Discord feigned shock and/or ignorance with a paw over his heart.

“Except for that last part,” Twilight paused to consider her position. “Yes, I am. I am wholeheartedly against this war and what it’s doing to us as a species!” she proclaimed adamantly, even going so far as to stomp her hoof down. “We’re supposed to be peaceful! What happened to friendship and getting along?” she demanded, looking at the faces of the women and noted their shame. Discord looked too sick to care.

“Then what would you suggest?” Luna inquired softly, looking up at Twilight from under her drooping mane.

“What if we were to try and figure out what the Griffons wanted with Captain and see if there was a way to peacefully resolve all this?” Twilight suggested with a modest smile.

“All the Griffons want is to kill Celestia and Luna and claim Equestrian territories for themselves before either enslaving the Equestrian races or butchering them up into their next meal.” I announced, having appeared in the doorway and leaning against Nurse Redheart (she’d introduced herself once I was of sound mind and body).

“What?” Sunset demanded, wheeling around fearfully. “What’re you even doing up? You should be resting!”

“I can’t rest knowing that one of our own Princesses would willingly hand our leadership over to the Griffons on a platter to be summarily executed.” I grimaced as Redheart helped me to a seat near to Weiss and Luna. Weiss swapped out for Sunset who sat down next to me and began checking my vitals.

“How do you know that?” Twilight asked, looking sick to her stomach. I was too when I heard the news.

~~~

"You know, since you’re never leaving here…” my griffon torture artist grinned at me as he plunged a butcher’s knife into my shoulder blade. “I feel I should tell you what I plan to do with this knife after we take Equestria.”

“Oh? And what’s that?” I asked, grimacing from the hot blade just inside my shoulder socket.

“Well, that blue Princess you just so happen to be such great friends with? I plan to carve her and her sister up and serve them on a platter for our King when he conquers Canterlot and hosts his victory banquet in the Canterlot throne room, with that purple princess as part of his harem. The banquet will be served by pony slaves who will be forced to either serve or be served.” The griffon cackled and pushed the blade in further, ignoring the hissing coming from my mouth.

~~~

“I was told that.” I replied, returning to reality to view the sickened looks of everyone around me. “That’s what they told me as they tortured me, drove large knives into my skin and between joints.”

“Then it’s entirely possible that they were making it-” Weiss suggested helpfully, but I held a hand up to silence her.

“No. With the amount of passion in his eyes and voice as he told me everything, I believe he thinks it's going to happen.” I replied sternly, mostly staring at the floor to avoid looking at the ponies around me who’d… if I failed…

“It’s not going to happen.” Sunset announced, placing her hand on my back lovingly. I sat back up and took a breath.

“So I hear that you’ve modified the magic guns?” I asked trying to change the topic. “How’d you manage that?”

“You’re first design was still rather crude; basic. We refined it as best we could after Sunset studied the rifle you left behind.” Twilight replied, magically producing a weapon with an actual skin on it instead of just tubing and structural supports holding everything together.

“The SCAR? Yeah, I can see the similarities between this and the DMR.” I replied, taking the weapon and noticed the plates that would conduct the magic had been replaced with a more bone-like substance.

“What with these plates? What’re they made of?” I asked, trying to get a closer look. They almost felt like…

“That, would be horn.” Twilight replied with a calming breath. I raised an eyebrow and pulled the gun away a bit but refused to give it up. Inspecting the underside, I found what looked like a magazine well that lead into the firing chamber. “And that would be where the spellstone magazine gets inserted, but I'm sure you already figured that out.”

“Magazines? When’d you start making magazines? And how are you producing all this?” I asked with a smirk. Man, I’d really missed a lot in a month.

“We’ve gotten help from Sunset Shimmer to start mass-producing everything for the war effort.” Luna explained. “I’ll admit, despite things being as terrible as it is right now, this war is really kickstarting our technological abilities.”

“Yeah, humanity went through the same thing in World War One and Two. A lot of medical practices advanced through the German’s torturing their captives.” I replied, still examining the weapon in my hands. Looking through the sights with the bolt locked open for a second, I looked around the beige room a bit before tossing the weapon back to Twilight who stowed it away in some magical field.

Standing up with a bit of startled help from Sunset, I stretched myself out and nearly blacked out from the exertion before stabilizing again.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Sunset demanded as I began to trudge down the hallway, still in the ratty clothing I was captured in a month back.

“Home to get changed and make some modifications to the cells.” I replied firmly, collapsing against a wall before Sunset slung my arm over her shoulder to properly help me walk.

“What exactly are you planning on changing?” Weiss asked as she gingerly climbed up onto Sunset’s back to ride along.

“Not much, don’t worry.” I replied simply; eyes set forward purposefully as we exited the Castle altogether and entered into the Courtyard where, surprisingly enough, the mass majority of the NLAF had camped out and upon noticing my arrival, all stood at attention and saluted.

“Sir! Welcome home, Captain!” they all shouted in unison. My night vision enhanced eye picked out the recognizable mane of Rainbow Dash near to a fire with a number of other pegasi, but the cap on her head was not of a Private. Rather, it was that of a regular soldier with the rank of Corporal printed on the front of it.

“Uh-huh. Rainbow Dash, on me!” I ordered and continued my barefooted walk through the snow until we reached the large wooden door down into my abode.

“Sir, are you alright? Are you sure you should be moving?” Dash asked friendly enough, keeping pace behind us once she'd caught up.

“Do not argue my condition, soldier!” I barked back, surprising all women with me. “Who authorized your promotion to Corporal?” I demanded as we finally hit the landing and I was helped to my room.

“Uhm,” Dash stuttered a moment, fighting for words until I shot a glare at her. “Sir! Princess Luna promoted me for exceptional behavior in the line of duty, sir!” Dash perked up into a semi-frightened stance at attention, remaining just outside my cell room to allow me to change; as had Weiss. “I’m told that Princess Luna will back my promotion if you decide to dispute it, sir!”

“Yeah I'm sure she will.” I grumbled as I sat on the side of my bed and worked my shirt up over my head. Soon I had it off and began working on the shredded cargo pants as Sunset silently went through my wardrobes to find me new clothing. Pulling out a blank t-shirt and some slacks, I held up my hand and pointed out to my carpentry work clothes.

“You’re not planning on working on one of your projects right now, are you?” Sunset looked at me in stunned silence as I shot her a glare. Why was it so hard to believe that I'd want to wear work clothing to overhaul my workspaces? “Y-yes sir.” she stammered and put my clothes away before collecting my work clothes to help me into them.

As soon as I was dressed and mostly stable I exited the room to Rainbow Dash’s salute and anxiety as I entered into the wood workshop.

“Everything must go.” I announced low and slowly and returned gasps filled the air as I entered and began tossing out tools, my tool belt and some of the lighter projects. “Weiss, send a message to Eben to cancel all outstanding work orders and give the clients refunds.” I demanded as I began hauling out an incomplete kitchen table piece with some of my finest scroll work in the banding.

“B- but… all of them, dad?” Weiss questioned weakly. I completed my list of people to glare at when Weiss gave a small yelp and ran off to complete my order while I tossed out another partially completed rocking chair.

“I’ll need to keep the tool cabinets, I’ll have to build gun racks and armour stands…” I muttered to myself as I broke down a number of nearly finished pieces to use for scrap. “I’ll need proper work benches, gun oils and weapon maintenance tools; Luna will help me get those.” I continued muttering as I approached a finished rocking chair that was due to be shipped, but to whom I couldn’t remember.

“Stop this!” Sunset appeared before me with tears in her eyes. “This is madness! Why are you destroying all your hard work and the hard work of Weiss?” she demanded through large teal eyes.

“Move it or lose it.” I growled. My hand met the handle of what felt like a paring chisel and spun it so the blade would be ready to strike if need be. I had shit to do and this human was getting in my way.

“Wha-” Sunset began to say and was knocked out of the way by a flying blue body as the chisel tip came up and narrowly clipped her shoulder. The chisel itself found itself buried into the stone wall a foot away, my hand still up post-throw as the human and the blue pony evacuated from the room terrified.

“Come on, move it!” The blue pony demanded, shielding the human with her wings from another potential attack. I paid them no mind as I turned back to the large chair ahead of me and brought my foot up, then back down and through the seat. My scales provided plenty of armour from wooden splinters as I brought my foot back up again and down into the legs before ripping off the backrest and tossed it aside.

“Good, now all you need is that blue Princess to build you your new equipment.”

And if she won’t provide?

“Then you’ll make her provide. You can force her to use her magic, remember?”

Right. Where’s she at anyways?

“Captain? What are you doing?” Oh, speak of the devil. I whirled around to find a distraught blue alicorn princess standing in the doorway, looking at me confused. Afraid.

“Perfect timing. I need your magic to refit the workshop.” I announced, slowly advancing on the Princess who took a couple steps backwards, remaining out of my reach.

“Captain, I’ll ask you again: what’re you doing?” The creature demanded again, casting off her fear for determination for answers.

“I’m preparing for work.” I replied with a slight smirk. She’s going to help me whether she likes it or not. This creature has the magic I need. “Come here, now.” I ordered, pointing to my feet as though I were scolding a child. Or as though I were ordering of my soldiers back home.

“Ahh, those were the days…”

“I will not move until you tell me what is going on!” the beast replied. I lunged and took hold of it’s horn in my hand, keeping a firm grip on it as I swung up onto it’s back and held on.

Placing my hand on the back of it’s neck, I focused on a number of images in my mind and began pushing them into the mind of the beast beneath me. The horn began to glow a pale blue and the creature cried out for mercy but I had none to give as a white swirling light began to spiral around in the workshop, using the scrap materials as an offering, a base.

A minute later and I had a number of metal and wooden benches, some with vices others with racks for future guns and others with peg boards to hold every tool I was now focussing on conjuring up.

The creature bucked beneath me a couple times before collapsing to it’s knees, sobbing openly and gritting its teeth as I continued to push more and more information into into it’s head.

Soon the horn glow turned completely white, almost silvery, as I completed my shopping list and let go. I dismounted and gave the beast a kick in the side to get it moving.

“You’re dismissed.” I ordered, entering into the workshop to get to work. I completely ignored the protests and cries of pain from the creatures behind me. The weeping of the human never even registered with me as I shut the door on all of them.

Then came the blackness.

Author's Note

Heh, so I like to think that shit is starting to heat up now. Had the Crysis 2 soundtrack playing in the background for the last quarter and was helping to get me into a proper state of mind for finishing the chapter.

I don't really like the first half of this chapter though, it felt forced to me.

Kein Frieden