Luna was playing with a snake and she knew it. "Chrysalis is a dangerous mare, when she isn't kept on a tight leash. I would ask that in future you find other messengers." She avoided looking anywhere in Dash's direction. "But, let us not dwell on that," it hurt to brush off Jade's attack, "we have serious plans to discuss."

Brightening, Cadance smiled. "We do! To begin with what do you offer the Crystal Empire for its part in this? Trade? Land?" The Princess of Love grinned wide at "land," with two armies to support and only the frozen north to support them, actual farm land was quite a tempting thing.

"A contract, was my thought." Luna lifted her hoof and made a map of Equestria manifest in the air. "We have a lot of coast line, a good chunk of it will be bordering seas where the dragons roam. We are going to need an army to guard us, and I am sure we can pay well for that."

"We wouldn't even need to farm it? We could watch your borders and you would tithe us food?" Cadance was bright with excitement. "Maybe we could even expand a little?" She waved a hoof at the island off the coast of Manehattan.

"That would be for you to do. But if you do this, if you free Equestria for me, you will be rewarded. Take back Manehatten and all our east coast to the badlands and I can assure you that the deal is yours."

"This sounds like a lovely plan, but there is one little problem." Cadance stepped around the map, coming right to the base of the dais that the throne stood on. "Your sister."

"My sister is a lunatic who doesn't know if it is night or day sometimes. She actually forgot, one week, that we're even locked in this cold war." Luna shook her head in dismissal. "Let me worry about her, and the nobles," at mention of the noble families Cadance perked up even further, "you know they still hate you for what you did, but freeing Equestria from this splintered state and the dragons would go far toward mending that gap."

"Shining Armor came to me willingly, you could see for yourself that her bridle does nothing to her mind." Cadance turned to the mare she loved. "She would, of course, be leading this army. My Shiny is still the best military mind in all Equestria."

"That is now debatable." Luna smiled so widely at the look of shock on Cadance and Shining's faces. "What? You look panicked? Is it so unbelievable that I would find a pony with a head for war tactics and bring them into my guard to train them?"

"And when do we get to meet this new commander?" Shining spoke up, asserting her role as leader of the Crystal Empire armies.

"Your envoy poisoned her stallion, I think she is allowed a little time to take care of him?" Luna loved it when circumstances came together in her favor.

"Touche." Cadance laughed and turned for the door. "With your leave, it has been quite the journey. I assume my normal suite is prepared?" At the nod Cadance made for the doors.

Luna waited for the other princess and her companion to leave, then unloaded another blast of magic to upset any possible scrying. "And now we see the truth."

"You think she was telling the truth?" Rainbow Dash was visible again and lifted up on her wings, flapping them slowly to just hover. "I admit, she seemed genuinely upset with Chrysalis, but that could have been for something else."

"You worry me sometimes, Dash. But I am very happy you accepted my offer to be a Shadowbolt." Luna found herself having even more to ponder about the conversation.

"Wonderbolts were cool too, but their kind of fighting doesn't really challenge a mare." Rainbow arched an eyebrow under her rainbow-colored mane. "Not like this does, it's like flying, but everypony in the air is a problem."

"Am I a problem?" Luna squinted.

"The biggest and best problem. That is why I work for you." The cocky pegasus made her way for the door before offering a, "Your Highness," over her shoulder.

~~~~~+++++~~~~~

Applejack startled awake. He lay in the bed, another stallion pressed to his back. A warm spot had grown in AJ, for Bright; a warm spot that had developed despite Molestia's meddling.

"You okay?" Bright reached one wing over AJ's big body and gave the other stallion a squeeze. "Regular armor today."

"But I have to wear the other stuff." Applejack was neither flying nor walking, he could just relax with his lover. "I can deal with it, even if I can't get relief." He turned in the bed, the poor frame groaning under his weight. "Maybe even liking it a little…" AJ blushed hotly.

"You like getting worked up without relief?" Bright Sunshine leaned in to nuzzle at Applejack's chest. As his snout touched the alicorn he pushed the rest of himself forward, bracing his wings and pressing against his lover. "I could help that, if you like?"

"You are such a tease." Applejack liked being with Bright, he was warm, nice, and didn't mind doing hard work when it was called for. He leaned down and buried his snout in Bright's tousled mane.

"Thought you just said you liked teasing?" Bright had missed the signs at first, but knowing who Applejack was before now made much more sense to him; like why he snuggled like a mare would.

"Different sort of thing. How long until we are on duty?" AJ nuzzled around Bright's mane a little, finally finding an ear and mouthing at it. When he didn't get a response at first, Applejack let the ear drop from his mouth. "Bright?"

Bright was a little conflicted. He liked Applejack quite a bit, but part of him just wasn't sure about him being a mare, despite what he had told her. "Sorry, just thinking."

"Heavy thoughts." Applejack looked down at Bright. "Want to share them?"

"You are a lot of fun, AJ. You are great but…" Bright hated the "but," despised it even. "I thought I could ignore that you were a mare, that we could just have a little fun and then go on our ways."

"Ya can't?" Applejack tilted his head a little. "Ah thought we were having fun?" The other stallion muttered something and AJ poked his snout into Bright's cheek. "What was that?"

"I said I think I am falling for you." Bright couldn't believe he had said it, had admitted it.

"And?" Applejack used his snout again, urging the other stallion to explain.

Bright gave the deepest sigh of his life. "I was living happily, calmly. Molestia's guard is not the most glamorous part of the military, but we fill an important role. Fact was, I can see I was in a rut now." Bright leaned in and tucked his head into AJ's neck. "I had convinced myself that nopony mattered, that they were all just having fun too. Then, a week ago, you came along."

"Is it because I am a mare?" Applejack made a guess at the problem.

"No, that is an excuse. The problem is me, I am a little set in my… rut, and I don't know what will happen if I leave it." It was a scary prospect. "What happens if I become more attached? When you leave, you aren't going to want to be a stallion anymore. You even say 'I am a mare'."

"Ah…" AJ closed his mouth. "We can't just see how it goes?" His voice was almost teetering on worry. The problem for Applejack was, he could see where the stallion was coming from. "You want me to promise somethin'."

"If we keep going, if I am going to commit to this, I need you to as well." Bright looked at Applejack. "Would it be so bad to keep this, without all the stupid enchantments?"

It was a question that shook to AJ's core. He opened his mouth to reply twice, but found no answer each time. Applejack closed his eyes. "Ah need some time to think on it."

"Good. I don't want you making a blind promise that you will stay, I want you." Bright felt his heart burn, but it was touched with melancholy. "And talk to your friend in the Lunar Guard. You knew her before all this, I take it?"

"My sister." Applejack pressed his snout back into Bright's mane, pressed his body against the other stallion's enough to feel his heart beating. "Night Reign is my sister."

"Brother, you mean… okay, this is getting confusing. How are you dealing with it?" Bright looked up, seeing only the curve of AJ's neck above him; for a moment he had forgotten how big the other stallion was.

"Ah think the armor did something to make me accept it. But it is strange. She… Night was my brother, my big brother that is—that made it even more confusing—but she is still him, still the loving brother Ah always loved. Yer right this is confusing, but as long as Ah still have friends," Applejack squeezed the other stallion with his forelegs and a wing, "and as long as my sister is close, Ah'm okay."

"Good. No matter what AJ, I will be your friend." Bright was glad Applejack couldn't see his damp eyes. "But before we get… closer, I want to know if you are in this. Into 'us'."

~~~~~+++++~~~~~

Rainbow Dash marched into the workroom where Moon Dancer was working dutifully on the bridle. "Hey, Moony, what's up?"

Moon Dancer didn't take her focus from the step of enchanting the bridle. "What you want, Dash?" She vaguely knew the pegasus from the various enchanting jobs she had done for her. "You need another 'mane color' enchantment?"

"Pfft, of course not, Moony." Rainbow walked around the room, giving the unicorn time to finish her work. "Gotta say, you do the best work." Just as she saw the unicorn relax, Rainbow Dash reached up and released the catch on the collar.

The world rushed in around Moon Dancer. Her eyes narrowed to points. "Uh, Sir?" She looked back in embarrassment at Rainbow Dash, all her memories still with her.

"Time is just about here, Moony." Dash grinned and lifted the collar away. "Once you have done this you can go home, no collar needed." Rainbow Dash had amazing reflexes, but they could not save the pegasus from the laughing unicorn.

"You mean it? No more collar? I can be 'me'?" Moon Dancer was almost bouncing in place, she wanted to scream from the top of the castle that she loved Rarity. "Please Sir, don't mess with me."

"A deal. You climb off, you finish making that little thing up for Princess Luna's guard. You deliver it and take the train out of here, and I will tell you it is all true." Rainbow couldn't help the grin plastered on her face, nor the happy feeling that filled her. "You saved a lot of ponies, Moon."

Waving for a moment, Moon gave a deep sigh. "I won't say it was completely terrible, I still got to be with Rarity, and she knew; but I don't want to do this kind of thing again. I quit."

"Nope." Dash squirmed to the side but had a hoof clop down firmly, pinning her again.

"What do you mean, 'nope?' " Moon's voice rose with each word. "Haven't I given enough? Do you really need me for more?" Rage was rising, insomuch as Moon Dancer could really get angry.

"You aren't leaving the Shadowbolts, Moon." Rainbow lifted her forehooves up to ward off the angry unicorn's glowing horn. "Whoa, slow down. You aren't going to be an active member, fine. But I will still count you as a sister in all this. Equestria deserves better than what it has, and you gave a lot to make sure it could have it." Rainbow saw the wrathful mare suddenly stop. "So you are still a Shadowbolt, but apart from some enchantments, I hope I never have to ask you to do anything again."

"You 'hope'?" Moon Dancer climbed off Dash, walking back to her desk. "What do you mean you hope?"

"Things will get crazy, soon. Everypony will be affected, even in quiet little Ponyville." Rainbow got up, adjusting her wings and mane with a flick of her shoulders. "Take care of Rarity for me, she is one of the best friends I have known."

"Where are you going?" Moon Dancer caught on to the tone the blue pegasus was using. "What is going on, Dash?"

"As I said, crazy." Rainbow took a deep breath and let it out. "And here I am, stuck in the middle… I am flying out to see two different 'allies' tomorrow. I hope they really are allies." Dash was suddenly wrapped in a hug by the overly emotional mare.

"Take care of yourself, Rainbow Dash. Equestria only has one of you, and what would happen if you weren't in charge of the 'bolts anymore? Ugh, they might pick me!" Moon gave her friend and co-conspirator a hug.

Author's Note

So I do this "Ask x" thing, x can be any pony within the story. You can ask them anything and ~~I~~ they will definitely hopefully reply. Keep the questions appropriate to the age-rating of the stories and of course, ~~I~~ They will answer the best question(s) in the author notes of the next chapter. The more votes a comment has the more likely I will get it to the right pony to answer, try and keep it to one answer per post! ~~I~~ They will pick one question per chapter.

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