Neighmericans were a funny bunch, Night Glider mused as she flew over the houses, farms and fields of New Jersey, the faint glows of small towns and cities beneath her with the setting sun off in the distance. It cast a rather beautiful yellow glow over the rapidly darkening landscapes. Personally, the Italian-borne pegasus never understood them at times. Their love of guns, for one thing. What was so fun about shooting off a bunch of weaponry making a rather large racket and acting like a general idiot while you hooted and hollered all the while?

She was crazy as evidenced by her signing up to find Neighlantis not to mention being daring enough to date Twilight Sparkle of all ponies, but not that crazy. But nonetheless, some enterprising group of both Neighmericans and some old-money Trottingham types had thought the idea of creating a group devoting to guns to be in Fancy Pants’ words: “A rather smashing idea and a grand enterprise.”

Granted, this idea stretched longer than when Fancy Pants was alive, it actually went back several generations to the Civil War and was thought up by Rainbow Blaze’s -Night Glider didn’t know how many greats- grandfather twice removed. A pony on the Confederate side of the war, Night Glider thought in amusement. The Southerners loved their guns. Almost as they loved their ‘Shine and their fast cars.

Now, when a Neighmerican had an idea of any sort, he would probably seek out a friend or colleague of his to share it with, and think it over. That’s just what happened back during the years of the Reconstruction period. Now, there was a third involved, a former cotton plantation and griffon and zebra slave owner, and when three Neighmericans got together, they would elect a president and possibly a secretary. Then maybe a treasurer given a fourth and given a fifth and the group is ready and able to convene at a moment’s notice.

As Italians are experts in art and design, and the Germanes with engineering capability that was almost frightening at times, the Neighmericans were experts with guns. That was possibly more frightening, at least to Night Glider, than possible Nazi weapons of war. Neighmerican idiots, shooting off weapons. Bang, bang, bang! Like that. Far too much noise for anyone’s liking. Granted, they didn’t just shoot off weapons but discussed them as well at times. But it seemed they mostly shot them off.

In any case, thus was born the Gun Club. A bit on the nose, the name was but it worked and it got its point across and ponies’ attentions. Everyone knew what they were signing up for. Speaking of that…

At it’s height, before weaponry and hunting began to be seen as unfashionable as the years passed and Wall Street went belly-up, the Gun Club numbered some 2,000 members in total all across the states.

Alas, the Gun Club was no more, as after Fancy’s fortune was finally spent on the ill-fated venture to Neighlantis it too fell to the whims of the changing times. Fancy, for his part, didn’t really mind actually. Personally, at only three members during the last days of the Gun Club and a former Great War veteran, he was rather tired of the whole affair.

Nowadays, he and his wife from Prance whom was a rather beautiful mare named Fleur De Lis, -or Fleur Dis Lee. Night Glider was never sure which- lived on a farmhouse making wine from grapes and generally living out the rest of their days in peace. They got their visitors, of course, such as old friends like Sudoku and Spent Thrift but not many. After the Gun Club fell apart and the Neighlantis venture ruined the last of Fancy’s fortunes most of his friends would rather not have bothered with him. Fancy didn’t mind, quality over quantity he had remarked. When life decided to use you as it’s toilet, you found who your real friends were.

Night Glider could get behind that, she thought to herself as she landed on the little gravel driveway leading up to the small farmhouse. A light was on in the kitchen window, and Night Glider sighed in relief. So Fancy was still up.

Knocking gently on the door, she was let in by Fleur, and not for the first time Night Glider felt that little bit self-conscious compared to the Prench noblewoman. Sure, Night Glider may have looked alright to most, but how did you compare to Fleur’s beauty what with her snow white fur and her elegant pink mane? Simple answer, you didn’t. Fancy was a lucky stallion, Night Glider mused to herself. Very lucky indeed.

“Oh mademoiselle,” Fleur said in her soft voice. “Always a pleasure to have you by, non?”

She directed this statement towards Spent, who was washing the dishes and wine glasses in the kitchen alongside Fancy. A radio played in the background, and in spite of herself, Night Glider found herself humming the tune under her breath.

“Ev'ry morning, ev'ry evening
Ain't we got fun?
Not much money, oh, but honey
Ain't we got fun?

“The rent's unpaid, dear
We haven't a car
But in any way, dear
We'll stay as we are

“Even if we owe the grocer
Don't we have fun
Tax collector's getting closer
“Still we have fun

There's nothing surer
The rich get rich and the poor get poorer
In the meantime, in-between time
Ain't we got fun?”

“So, what brings you by?” Fancy asked as he pulled up a seat at the dining room table, tuning the radio off so there would be no distractions. He’d noted the worried look on Night Glider’s face, plus there was the fact that she’d flown all the way from Princeton. “Has to be serious, Celestia knows you’d normally never leave Twilight’s side really. She even know you’re out and about?”

“No, this was something I had to take care of myself, really,” Night Glider sighed as she looked around. “Have any tea? Need something to soothe the nerves really.”

“Ah, it’s like that is it?” Fancy hmmed placing two of his hooves under his chin and stroked his goatee, and Night Glider nodded.

“I’ll see if I can find some, I know there’s some lying about the house somewhere…” Fleur murmured to herself before commenting: “Oh chérie, pourquoi devez-vous gaspiller de si bonnes boissons..?” and shaking her head.

Night Glider also caught something else from Fleur before she walked out of earshot, her remarking something to the effect of: “Amintește-mi să vă învețe unele ‘maniere’ potrivite mai tarziu in seara asta!”

Spent snicked, seemingly at some private joke while Fancy looked clueless. Night Glider gaped wordlessly to herself, at least she had an excuse for not learning Prench but him? The guy was married to a Prench noblewoman for crying out loud!

Then again, Fancy may have been faking, as evidenced by the smirk he sent a now frowning Spent. This was only confirmed by him stating: “Oi! Mintea ta și ochii tăi față de tine, flirtezi.”

While Night Glider didn’t understand a word of Prench, she got the general gist of the remark. The pegasus groaned to herself even as Spent huffed and grumbled something impolite under his breath, she hated getting caught up in matters like this. What a stallion and a mare did in the privacy of their own bedrooms was their own business, she didn’t need to hear about it!

“Anyways…” a now blushing bright red Night Glider remarked as Fleur soon returned with a cup of hot tea levitated in her magenta aura of magic. “Can we get back on topic, please?”

“Yes… Er, quite,” Fancy agreed, blushing as well. Fleur cast a confused glance between the two, but decided it was better not to know. “So, I can assume you only came out here because you needed advice?”

“Ooh, troubles in your love life?” Fleur remarked in a concerned tone as she sat down next to her husband. “Because I know some rather great remedies that can help improve you and Twilight’s ‘extracurricular activities’ if you get my drif-” she continued cheerfully before being swiftly cut off.

“It’s not THAT! Far from it, in fact!” Night Glider exclaimed in an angry tone, chest fur fluffing up in her fury. “I’ll be happy to have you know we have a very fine sex life thank you ver-” she stated, before smacking herself in the face with a wing realizing what she’d just admitted to even as Spent sniggered in the background.

Spent was sent another look in his direction, before Fancy coughed clearing his throat. “Think nothing of it, my dear, we’ve all had our verbal blunders. I know I’ve had more than a few!” he joked.

“Yes, quite so,” Fleur smirked, and Fancy tugged at his collar in embarrassment.

“Please do continue,” he said, waving his hoof.

“Had a visit from the FBI, of all things,” Night Glider remarked, and Fleur gasped. “Both me and Twilight, scared the ever-loving shit out of me if you pardon my language.”

“What, did they catch you in a… rather compromising position?” Spent smirked, and once more a dirty look was sent in his direction this time by none other than Fleur herself as Night Glider blushed a furious red.

“Do you have a one-track mind?” she asked in a tone of very thinly veiled disgust.

“Apologies,” Spent said, looking a little ashamed of him but not by much. “Won’t do it again. So, if not them catching you and dear Twilight in the middle of something, what was it? Actually, who were the agents? Did they ever give their names?”

“Peace Keeper and Steel Gaze, that’s what they called themselves,” Night Glider replied, and Spent groaned and Fancy sighed to himself rubbing his temples. “What, I assume you know them?”

“Yeah, I know them alright…” Spent grumbled. “So does Fancy, tried to pay us both visits at our homes before we slammed the door shut on them. They didn’t take that very well I imagine, but fuck ‘em real-”

“Langauge!” Fleur admonished, but Spent continued all the same, ignoring her completely.

“Nothing but trouble, that’s all those two ever bring!” he grumbled. “So, what’d they want to hassle you about, considering they failed to bring up whatever it is they wanted with me or Fancy. Can’t be a simple coincidence that they decide to visit survivors of the Neighlantis Trek. ...Hmm, maybe I should give Sudoku a call just in case.”

“No, it’s hardly any sort of coincidence,” Night Glider huffed. “In fact, I suspect they’re on a recruitment drive, given what they went on about. Brought up the Nazis.”

Fleur blinked in shock. “T-The Nazis? Are you sure?”

“Yep, can’t exactly mishear a word like that!” Night Glider replied.

“...Maybe we shouldn’t have turned them away in that case…” Fleur murmured, and Fancy nodded in agreement lighting up his pipe.

“I’ll requote what Peace Keeper said to me,” Night Glider replied, before taking on a mock version of Peace Keeper’s voice. It was a rather good impression if one was to be honest. “Not too long ago, a friend of yours, one Target Quartermane discovered this while out on a dig in Baladi, we’re not sure of the exact details, but we do know a certain Germane dictator wants whatever this… well, whatever this is, and what it may or may not be connected to.”

“And what was this item Target actually discovered may I ask?” Spent remarked, now all business. Night Glider fumbled through her saddlebags for a moment, before she then showed them a crude drawing of the box she and Twilight had been shown.

“Hmm, interesting little trinket. Haven’t seen anything like it…” Spent murmured as he rubbed his chin in thought. “Did they say anything else?”

“Said something about an ancient curse, and eternal life, but even they believed that to be a load of nonsense. They more likely believed Hitler is after gold to fund the war we all know he’s building up to. Still, I sorta get the feeling that they were leaving something out…”

“Of course they are, that’s what they do. They never tell you the full story, really…” Spent grumbled in distaste. “And good luck trying to pry it out of ‘em.”

“I’ll pry it out of ‘em if I have to with my own bare hooves, because I hate being lied to,” Night Glider stated. “...Honestly, since the whole adventure to Neighlantis I’ve lost the taste for grand treks, grand journeys with high stakes.”

“...I think we all have really,” Spent murmured in agreement. “It’s just not us anymore. We were young, foolish. Hell, I never wanted to be on the Neighlantis venture in the first place but if only to bring justice to Greta and her crew and find Neighlantis in her stead,” he murmured, fighting back a sob in memory of his late wife.

“Someone always ends up getting killed in the end, and with my luck, it’ll be Twilight,” Night Glider whispered, Fleur rubbing her shoulders in support. “I… I just… I’m tired of losing people, you understand? That journey brought about far too many deaths. Far too many.”

“You don’t have to accept you know,” Fleur said. “Send those two a letter, tell them to handle their own matters. Surely they have agents in place in Baladi or wherever, let them deal with Hitler’s little plan.”

“No, I have to accept, if only to keep them off my backs and for Celestia and Country. I know it’s a fool’s endeavor, but if there’s a chance to stop Hitler at the gates before he lays siege to some poor country then I’ll gladly accept,” Night Glider stated. “Twilight’s already made up her mind, sadly, and I’m not letting her go to Baladi without me.”

“Well, I suppose I should probably tag along with you,” Spent smiled. “Just to keep you from doing something foolish, y’know?” he winked.

“I’d… I’d like that,” Night Glider replied, fighting back a tear. “T-Thank you Spent.”

“Hey, what I’m here for,” he said with a wily grin some of that old spirit returning if only for the briefest of moments. Then, a thought came to him. “Oh sweet Celestia, I can think of at least one more pony those bastards would try and recruit…” he trailed off, his voice at the barest edges of turning into a growl.

“Wait, you don’t mean…” Fancy whispered in stunned horror.

“Yeah, Grape Vine…” Spent snarled. “The kid, he doesn't need this! He’s got a wife to look after. A child now as well! He’s barely recovered from the Neighlantis venture as it is! Sudoku had him write that ‘speculative fiction’ novel, just as a form of therapy! Just to get it all out there, tell the world what really happened in a way.”

“That settles it,” Night Glider stated. “We’re booking a trip to Florida, back to that old home of yours. You’re flying first class, Night Glider style.”

“But a flight to Florida, that’s over 1,120 miles!” Spent sputtered in disbelief, only for Night Glider to be the one tossing a wink this time around.

“Didn’t I ever tell you, first class winner in the round the country endurance flight championships a few years back. Took the gold medal thanks to a little thing called the Sonic Rainboom.” she smirked, and Spent returned it.

Somewhere over Baladi’s deserts, Daring was experiencing troubles of her own. Just because she’d escaped the Doctor in Luxor, didn’t mean she was out of the woods just yet. Far from it actually. As it had turned out, seemed her pilot had been paid off and was now pointing a gun at her.

“Oh, you gotta be joking…” Daring muttered, before she in a blur of movement kicked the gun out of the pilot’s hands before knocking him unconscious. She then saw the flaw in her little plan, remembering she didn’t exactly know how to fly a plane.

“Oh shit…” she muttered, and rapidly began tossing the plane’s cargo in search of a parachute only to growl in anger. “Idiots, idiots! The whole bloody lot of us! Me, for not seeing this, and that pilot for not keeping a parachute onboard!”

She eyed what looked to be an inflatable raft, and then looked out a window to the Nile river below.

“...You gotta be kidding me,” she muttered even as she threw the door open, icy cold winds rushing up to greet her and biting at her face. “Well, any port in a storm I guess…” she muttered in self-disgust even as she dragged the raft over to the door, and began inflating the raft.

“Right, what was that catchphrase that Brit Doctor liked to spout off every so often?” Daring murmured to herself. “Oh yes… Allons-Y!” she cried, grabbing Target’s hat as she shoved the raft out of the plane and jumped into it. The raft went into free fall for a few moments, before hitting a sand dune sliding down it at high speed dust and sand flying into Daring’s mouth.

She spat some of it out in disgust and her eyes widened in fear as she hit the water, the River Nile carrying her down the waters out of control. She heard an explosion come from somewhere behind her, and felt the searing heat of a fireball, and had just enough time to crane her head as she rounded a bend to see the burning wreckage of the plane’s fuselage. Daring crossed herself with a hoof, and sighed.

“Well, that wasn’t so bad was it…?” she asked no-one in particular as the river slowed to a crawl. She muttered: “Just a few hundred miles to Cairo, just a few hundred miles…” she muttered as she placed her hat atop her head as the scorching heat beat down upon her.

Such was the life of an adventurer, never a dull moment. Or in other words, never any chances of getting a break.

Author's Note

Okay, so maybe not my finest work, but on possibly a tight schedule here as I may be leaving for Alabama again tomorrow. I just did what I could. And maybe that was enough in some areas. Also, apologies for the lateness of this chapter, don't take a cue from my book and run multiple stories like I do ay once ladies and gents! Okay, maybe the scene with Daring wasn't needed, the homage to Temple of Doom but I liked it, and I did want to continue her side of things.

Anyways, as ever, comments, thoughts and critique are welcomed.