"Merde!" Widowmaker cursed as her shot ricocheted off her target. She tried to aim for another shot, but that large armored oaf deployed his large energy barrier around her prey. Not only that, but the chance of exposing herself would be high by then.

Her mission was complete, and there was nothing keeping the assassin there. That was, until a flash of light invaded her peripheral vision.

If it were not for the Spider's cat-like reflexes, she would've lost her head to Genji's wakizashi strike. But that was not the end of her troubles, as Lena blinked and tackled her off the ledge. As she fell, the sniper fired her grappling hook to a nearby cliff, taking the young Brit with her outside of the fortress grounds with her rifle pointed at the latter's stomach, switching on the weapon's automatic mode.

"Adieu,chérie."

Bullets spat from the weapon and tore through Lena's unprotected stomach, blood rapidly gushing out from her abdominal wounds. Unable to continue holding on to her target, she felt her grip slipped and the Brit fell to the ground at breakneck speed. Just before Lena lost her consciousness however, she tapped into her Recall ability - rewinding her seconds back into the past mere moments before the French assassin pulled the trigger.

Before Widowmaker could empty her gun into the Brit once again, the latter blinked away from her assailant, returning fire of her own - but alas her twin rapid-fire Pulse Pistols works best at close quarters, thus rendering her shots ineffective.

As her grappling hook line reached its end, Widowmaker landed on top of a waiting Talon gunship which quickly left the airspace and the Spider vanished into the jet-black aircraft.

Sparing no more seconds, Edward fired a surface-to-air missile at the fleeing aircraft from his remaining shoulder-integrated multipurpose missile launcher. However, the gunship deployed its flares, disrupting the ordinance from its intended target and causing it to explode by the countermeasure. Before he could ready another shot, the jet-black gunship accelerated into hypersonic speed.

"Target out of range," AEGIS declared.

The crusader cursed under his breath. Seeing no remaining hostile activity Edward turned his attention to Lena, who was walking straight towards him with a happy-go-lucky grin on her face.

"The fuck was that Lena?! Are you trying to fucking kill yourself!?" Edward roared as the pilot walked up to him, losing his usually calm and collected composure.

"Relax love, I came out of it just fine!" she parried with a small chuckle, pointing to the chronal accelerator strapped to her chest. Truth be told, she didn't expect him to explode like that.

"And what if you find yourself in a similar situation and that device stopped working? Or cooling down after extended use? I knew it happened before, and it could happen again!" Edward sighed, frustration and anger thick in his tone "I’m sorry," he said.

"Are you alright?" Lena asked softly.

"Of course." Edward cleared his throat which was rather parched after the ensuring battle as they regrouped with the others. "Just try not to be so daring next time. Judging by how Reinhardt looked at you before this mission I think you have someone important waiting for you back home."

The young Brit chuckled. "Remind me to introduce you to her later."

"Ray, we're done here," Jesse called their pilot while lighting up his cigar.

"Roger that, arriving shortly at LZ," the pilot answered.

"How is she?" Edward asked as he approached Angela who was tending to Fareeha's wounds. He saw her chest rose and fell, a sign that she was still breathing, a major relief for him.

"She will be fine, but I’ll examine her thoroughly after we return to base."

"Well, you people certainly did quite a mess here." Roberto and his men walked up to them.

"Yes, but better here than on your streets no?" Genji countered.

"Very true. Regardless we cannot thank you enough for what you did today. Had all of you not came...I think this whole show could’ve gone even worse. We will take it from here, we have an arrangement to fulfill anyway." The Dorado police sergeant winked.

"Much obliged sarge." Jesse extended his hand, which Roberto shook. "And uh...we’re sorry for your loss."

"Those men knew the risks when they signed up as undercover agents. They will be remembered as heroes." He smiled sadly.

"Heads up people, this is not over yet. There is one massive bogey coming at you," Ray relayed.

At that moment, a quartet of steel grey Talon dropship appeared overhead with a giant mech suspended by equally massive support cables. The mech was at least as tall as a three-story building, its body armored with a combination of red and dark grey plating, and of course armed with a plethora of weaponry, but its most distinct tools of destruction were its shoulder mounted Gatling gun and massive particle cannon.

A Triglav Protector combat mech, courtesy of Volskaya Industries.

Not wanting to let his opportunity go to waste, Edward fired his remaining surface-to-air missiles towards the dropships and their cargo. The dropships were unable to evade due to their heavy load, and blew up mid-air as the missiles hit. But the mech was protected by an energy shield and thus spared from the explosion. Detaching from its support cables, the automaton landed on the ground, kicking up a plume of blinding dust to the air.

"Get outta here Ray, LZ's too hot, you and your men too sarge. We can't let this thing loose on Dorado." The cowboy huffed a smoke from his cigar, terminating his transmission with the aircraft.

"Roger, good luck."

"And let you fight this diablo alone? Not a chance!" Roberto and his men laughed.

"You too doc, get Fareeha outta here." Jesse drew his Peacekeeper, tossing away his cigar.

"Don't bother, I'll take care of that. But I only can teleport four at a time, myself included." Lightning relayed his message to everybody via telepathy.

"Alright then," Jesse said, aiming his gun at the Triglav, knowing full well on which remaining three Lightning meant. "Take 'em away."

Before Angela could protest, she was back on the Orca alongside an unconscious Fareeha, Olivia, and a heavily panting Lightning - much to Ray's shock.

"What the fuck?! How?!" Ray jumped on his seat as if he just saw a ghost.

"Magic..." Lightning said through ragged breath, before collapsing on his side on the aircraft's floor.

As Ray flew away from the scene, the ground force realized it was going to be one hell of a fight, one that they may not live to see through.

It was at that moment, Edward felt a very familiar burst of energy surging through his veins, one that he had not felt in a long while. Jesse's barks of orders turned into a cacophony of muffled whispers in his head, as his thoughts were only focused on reducing his adversary into heaps of scrap metal.

He stood still like a metal statue.

The Triglav Protector saw Edward as a prime target, and brought down its massive arm on top of him. Regardless of the blaring of his armor's warning system, Edward remained still, unflinching.

Everybody else screamed for him to get out of there, emptying their guns into the behemoth to no avail as their bullets failed to even nick the shield and screams fell on deaf ears. Seeing his stillness, Genji brandished his sword, sprinted, and leaped high into the air in hopes of severing the massive limb. His plan; slash his way up to the top, and cleave the mech's head clean off.

Suddenly, Edward dropped his weapon as his palms shot open, feet planted firmly on the ground, causing the mech's arm to stop dead on its tracks as if being held by an unseen force. The word 'disbelief' would be an understatement for the witnesses. Despite his own shock, Genji nevertheless took advantage of the opening and sliced the massive arm in two. But despite continuing on with his initial plan, the cyborg ninja jumped off the falling severed mechanical limb and returned to cover, curious of what might happen next.

Despite his distance, Lightning felt a powerful stir on the atmosphere which sent shivers down his spine. Then, he knew a potent arcane force was at play. By whom however, he did not know at that time.

Edward lifted both of his arms and the mech was violently hoisted to the air, suspended fifteen meters above the ground. The crusader closed his palms, and the mechanical giant was instantly crumpled into a ball of deformed steel with deafening sounds of shattering steel. He brought his hands down in a slamming motion, hurling the massive war machine to the ground and destroying it to oblivion.

As the surge of power began to fade from his system, Edward felt his muscles turning to iron as severe exhaustion was gripping him. With his consciousness and strength ebbing away from him, he collapsed to the ground with rapid footsteps coming towards him being the last noises he heard.
________________________________________
When Edward opened his eyes, bright white lights shone through his eyelids, blurred shapes moving around him, and muffled noises invaded his ears. Slowly but surely however, all those began to clear up.

"He's waking up, Edward...Edward...can you hear me?" The soft tone of Angela's voice rang in his ears followed by flashes of white light, her visage slowly coalescing in his vision from a blurry shade into the soft, caring, motherly face he had known for so long.

Edward gave a barely perceptible nod, blinking a few times more to focus his sights on his surrounding, dizziness clouded his nerves. He realized that he was inside the Medical Wing with Angela flashing his eyes with her flashlight, stripped of all combat attires and was wearing a pristine white medical undersuit instead. He sat up before turning his attention to the bed on his right beside him, and saw Fareeha sleeping with biotic bandages covering her wounded face. She was also wearing an outfit similar to his' instead of her signature Raptora Mark VI combat suit.

"She’s going to be okay." The combat medic smiled reassuringly, pouring him a glass of water.

"How long was I unconscious?" Edward asked, rubbing his head.

"Twelve hours." Angela handed the glass to him, which he downed in one gulp as his throat was parched beyond words.

Edward turned his attention to a nearby wall clock and the time showed 10:00 p.m.

"What did I miss?"

"I thought you can...explain that." Winston brought up a computer tablet and showed him a recording from Genji's visor camera of what happened during the Triglav fight. Specifically, the part where he lifted the massive walker, turned it into a ball of crumpled steel, before slamming it into oblivion.

"Scheiße..." he cursed under his breath, burying his face on his palms "All those years...all those years of painstaking therapy and medication...are now for naught."

Angela crooked her eyebrow "What do you mean?"

Edward sighed, frustration thick in his tone "Please Angie, it's...not something I want to talk about right now."

"But you have to," Luna said as she entered the room with Reinhardt by her side, "if you want to learn to control it."

"This is not your fucking business Luna." He growled at her. Realizing his rudeness however, he quickly got off his bed and bowed in apology. "It's not...that I can't control my powers or anything of the sort...but for as long as I have this ability, all I have inflicted is suffering and death."

"Tell us everything, from the start," Luna told him. At this moment, all eyes in the room fell on the young Crusader.

Edward nodded and told everybody to take a seat as this was going to be a rather long story "On my 20th birthday, I joined the Bundespolizei - Germany - er, my country's federal police force. It was there my powers sparked, internal at first, and manifesting at certain times only -- specifically, when adrenaline started pumping in my veins."

"What happened back then?" Luna shifted on her seat.

"Well, my physical capability excelled that of a normal human being. Being able to run at 40 kilometers per hour for two and a half hours and not dropping dead afterwards, punching through reinforced concrete wall without shattering my own bones, and dodging bolts fired from an automatic plasma rifle without so much as a single scratch on my skin just to name a few. But, when I am outside of combat, the magic ceased, and I am a regular human being again. Something that still happens now I guess."

He stopped to let everybody digest his words, and by their looks they seem to have a hard time believing him. Which of course, was no surprise to him. Hell, he himself couldn't believe it.

"My superiors deemed me to be a waste in the regular force, so they had me transferred to the newly formed Ordnung der Morgendämmerung or in our common tongue, Order of the Dawn. A small independent rapid response force specifically formed to defend Germany against the growing threat of cyborg terrorists and other inhuman threats. Of course, we were not only comprised of normal infantrymen, but the elites, super soldiers, cyborgs, omnics, and other talented individuals. We were given the authority to strike any target within Germany's borders at will, access to any and all possible resources my country could muster, and we only answer to the chancellor alone. It was there when my telekinesis started to develop, and I proved to be a very useful asset for them. Back then I was granted the rank of ritter-kommandant, or knight-commander, and a squad of the best under my command. Soldiers and friends." His tone beaming with pride.

"Ah I see, but I have to admit, for a commander you commanded a rather small force. No offense my friend, but a commander in our ranks command at least two hundred soldiers."

Edward smiled. "Why, we are a rather small force Luna, and super soldiers along with cyborgs are not produced in the masses. That, and our doctrine demanded us to operate in minimal numbers to wipe out targets swiftly and efficiently. Something rather difficult to execute with a large force I daresay. But back to the main topic. I taught myself to control and manipulate magic, and realized that it was, and still is a very powerful weapon. The user's creativity and endurance being the only limitations. Take something too far however, consequences are bound to happen - hence why I fainted. Worst case scenario, death."

Edward aimed his open right-hand palm and lifted a clear drinking glass from the nearby sink into the air, Luna observed him intently, using her own magic to gauge him. While the others still cannot grasp what they were seeing at the moment.

"It can be as simple as levitating an object," he closed his palm, instantly shattering the glass into jagged pieces mid-air "to this, and this." He turned his wrist, simultaneously causing all of the glass shards to point at his chest.

Before anybody could do anything, Luna's horn glowed with magic, and seized the sharp shards from him with her own arcane grip and disposed them to a nearby trash can.

"That. Is. Enough," Luna sternly said, sensing his foreboding intention.

Edward sighed. "Old habits...die hard--"

He was cut off when Angela walked up to him with fire burning in her eyes, and socked the crusader hard against his jaw, causing his lips to bleed a bit. "Du idiot!" she spat.

Reinhardt and Winston shook their heads, not because Angela punched someone in the face which was very uncharacteristic of her, but their slight disappointment was directed to Edward's self-harming intention.

"I deserve that, forgive me." He wiped the blood away with his finger.

"And what was that about the therapy and medication?" Angela asked again after a brief pause to collect herself. Her gaze considerably softened than before, but still retained that spark of anger and shock.

"After our final mission, my superiors told me that I am the sole survivor of my team. Guilt tore me apart. At that moment, I vowed that I shall never use my powers ever again. Afterwards, they disbanded the Order and disavowed of its existence, so I started taking medications, or more appropriately, chemical lobotomy, as they severed my connection to my powers which was controlled by the brain's prefrontal cortex. But when I was without power, I felt a great emptiness inside, so I considered ending it all...to relieve me of this torture."

After hearing his story, Angela immediately walked towards him and wrapped her arms around Edward's back and cradling his head on her chest as a mother would do to her child, whispering her apology for hitting him without knowing his side of the story first. To which, he responded by returning the hug.

Luna followed by draping her wing across his shoulders. Edward tensed due to the sudden contact, but quickly relaxed and patted the feathery limb as a sign of gratitude. They were similar to that of a bird's, no, an eagle.

"Why didn't you tell me this?" the combat medic asked again as they pulled away from each other. "I could have helped."

"That sounds like a grand idea!" he smirked, creating a phone gesture with his right hand "‘Hello Angela, how are you? Listen, I need your help, what is your medical verdict on telekinesis? Also, I am in a severe state of depression bordering to insanity.’ Sounds like a good way to get locked up in a padded cell with a straitjacket on."

The Swiss smiled sheepishly, realizing she had asked her previous question out of emotional impulse rather than rational thinking "I... haven’t thought about that." Winston, Reinhardt, and Luna chuckled at this remark.

"But Luna, what might have caused this awakening in him?" Reinhardt inquired after the laughter died down.

Luna put a hoof under her chin, thinking for a bit "I... don't know for sure, but it is possible if...Edward, did you expose yourself to any external source of magic recently? Maybe, Lightning teleported you somewhere, or talked via telepathy to you?"

Edward nodded.

"Ah that explains it. When you carry the gift of magic, no matter how hard you try, you can never get rid of it. Even when you do not use magic for a long time, it only lies dormant. True, you cannot use magic in that state, however, expose yourself to any source of magic and/or the appropriate stimuli..."

"I see...well, it's not Lightning's fault, he couldn't possibly have known. But now, as my powers are reawakened, it becomes a grim reminder of what I have done and what I am capable of doing. I don't know, I only wish that I can do something else than just...killing."

Hearing this, Luna smiled "I think I can help you with that. Meet me at the cliffs by the sea, adjacent to Winston's workshop at seven in the evening."

"You have my gratitude, princess." Edward bowed courteously.

"I beg your pardon?" Reinhardt questioned him with a teasing look "I never knew you fancy her so." Luna merely smiled at the aged crusader's statement, but beneath her midnight blue coat she was actually blushing a bit.

"What? No, uncle, you misunderstand me." Edward then explained what Lightning told him en route to Dorado about the truth of the Equestrians' identity. Thankfully, although a bit shocked by the revelation that they have been sheltering monarchs from another realm, Reinhardt and Winston took the news rather well and even (Reinhardt especially) insisted on giving them better accommodations, a gesture which Luna politely turned down.

"Well, I thought of telling you the news myself but apparently my soon-to-be-apprentice already did the job for me." Luna rolled her eyes in amusement. "But please, for all of you, I am only Luna. My title means naught here." She smiled.

With that, Luna wished everybody a good night and left the room with Reinhardt trailing behind her.

"Magic...had you told me that magic was real a week ago, I would have laughed in your face. But now that I have experienced everything myself, I don't know what to say anymore."

"Well Angie, that is a statement I hear too often. So, how is my condition from a medical perspective? Am I cleared for active duty?"

"Medically, yes, you are completely fine. But until we hear what the Equestrians have to say about your talents, I think it would be best for you to remain here. And before you say anything, yes, doctor's orders."

Edward felt a tinge of anger at Angela's statement as he felt there was nothing holding him back from field operations. But he also knew very well that this is his opportunity to learn more about magic and its secrets, as he was probably the only one left on Earth who possess such power. And there's also the fact that he never had any sort of teacher in this field before.

"Fine..."

"I’m glad you see it my way." The Swiss flashed him a cheeky smile. "On a different topic, I will have your uniforms delivered here tomorrow."

"Danke, Angie."

"I-if you don't mind, I would also like to come tomorrow," said Winston, clearly intrigued by chance to investigate something that the scientific community was trying so hard to debunk.

"Of course, it would be great to have a scientific point of view in all of this," replied the German with a smile "By the way Winston, is ATHENA here?"

"At your service, Agent Berg," replied the AI from the speaker above them.

"I'd like to make a request if you don't mind."

"Certainly, what can I do for you?"

"Can you tell me if you will be needing any kind of dessert tomorrow, for breakfast, lunch, dinner maybe?"

"A moment please, I have to cross-check with the Subsistence Department log."

"What are you doing?" Angela asked, heavy curiosity audible in her inquiry.

"You will see." he winked.

"Thank you for waiting Agent Berg, according to the logs, ingredients needed for the regularly served coffee cakes just ran out, it will take at least a day for --"

"Perfect! I just happen to have something that might help. If it is within my authority, I would like to cover for tomorrow's line of dessert. My signature butter-filled, coffee-cream-smeared-bun, the Frühstück."

"Technically, you are not authorized, agent. But, according to my background check a moment ago, I found that you have the necessary qualifications for kitchen works, and we also need all the help we can get. Okay, I shall alert the kitchen staffs of your visit tomorrow."

"You have my undying gratitude, ATHENA."

"Anytime."

"Waiiiiit, when did you start baking?"

"Another story for another time Angie, I am very exhausted right now."

"Okay, just don't forget to save one for me."

"And me," Winston chimed in as well.

"One is never enough my friends. I know that very well." Edward smiled slyly.

"Everyone will be the judge of that, little brother. Everyone." The Swiss medic pecked his cheek, much to his amusement and embarrassment at the same time.

They both wished him a good night, and left the room.

Before going back to his bed however, Edward walked towards Fareeha and placed his right hand on the exposed side of her cheek, wordlessly conveying his condolences for her lost, his joy of seeing her again after so long, and his wish for her speedy recovery.

If it were not for his exhaustion, Edward could have sworn that a very faint white light glowed from his hand when it rested on her cheek. But again, that was probably due to severe exhaustion, so he brushed it off as a trick of his mind, and went to bed.
________________________________________
It was very early in the morning when Edward headed to the mess hall, behind him were a quarter of large food containers labeled "Morale Booster!!!" were being hauled on a compact sized hovercart. The appliances had an advanced integrated cooling system that lasts up to a year, so transporting the containers over long distances were a trivial task without worrying the spoiling of foodstuffs inside.

As it was around 0450 in the morning, most of the base's personnel were still getting ready for the day, save for those being on duty at the hour. Now, replacing his armor with a standard-issue black short-sleeved overwatch undersuit, tan tactical pants, and matching tactical boots, he was able to walk more spryly, feeling the cool morning air blowing against his skin in the base's corridors.

"What do you got there?" asked a curious sentry as Edward passed him on his way to the kitchen.

"See for yourself at the mess hall when your shift is over."

"Will do!" he replied enthusiastically, reaching over to his communication device to contact his friends.

"Good morning!" Edward entered the kitchen area and greeted the omnic kitchen staffs who were already up and about, receiving a collective of good mornings in return.

"Ah Agent Berg is it? ATHENA told us you are coming, so we will be working on buns, correct?" asked the omnic sous-chef with a thick British accent known as Codsworth, extending his right hand in greetings.

"Correct, er, Sous-Chef Codsworth, correct?" Edward took the omnic's hand and shook it properly. "I thought this kind of situation might happen, so I have pre-made them into lots of dough balls which are currently stored in these containers, so we just have to proof them in your fermenting boxes, pipe them with coffee cream, and bake them in preheated ovens for 15 minutes per batch at 200*C."

"Marvelous! But first we have to unpack these containers no?" the floating omnic glanced at the hovercart behind Edward.

And so, they brought the hovercart into the kitchen and got to work. Soon, wonderful coffee aroma began filling the kitchen as freshly baked light brown crusted buns were served for all to enjoy.
________________________________________
After breakfast, Edward and Angela returned to the Medical Wing to check on Fareeha's condition, nervousness clawing at their chests and throats. Both have witnessed people dying under their wings, strangers and comrades alike, either in battles or hospital beds. As hard as it were watching them perish however, it was even harder breaking the news to their loved ones - the wails and tears would never be something they could ever get used to.

True she witnessed her men's deaths personally, so it was not about telling her, but rather seeing her reaction.

As they entered the room, they were shocked to find Fareeha's bed empty save for her unfurled biotic bandages, but was soon relieved when they saw the balcony doors opened. And there she was, gazing to the Mediterranean Sea with the morning sun shining overhead.

Angela and Edward both placed their hands on each of her shoulders, pulling her away from her reverie. They noticed her eyes were red and puffy, a sign that she had been crying her eyes out...but it seemed her tears were that of acceptance, the ones a person would shed when a loved one is saying goodbye.

They could tell she was very sad, but...there was also sound satisfaction etched on her face.

"It's weird," Fareeha said, still maintaining her gaze out to the ocean. "I am very sad, but...I feel like I should be feeling more than this. I almost feel..." she paused, choosing her words carefully inside her head, "at peace."

None of them said a word. Angela was a bit curious of her statement but took it positively. Edward however, had a hunch. That spark of white light, did he do this to her? And if he did, was that a right thing to do? Of course, he wanted to help her through her sorrow, but on the other hand, was it wise to abruptly whisk those feelings away? Shouldn't Fareeha be given a chance to accept and heal on her own?

"None of that matters now. What's done is done." Edward thought to himself, wrapping his arm tightly across her back, silently letting her know that they were there for her.

"I am sorry for your losses Fareeha. They seemed to be good men." Angela finally spoke, breaking the silence.

"They were good soldiers, and better friends." She smiled sadly.

Angela folded her hands "Well, let’s check you up for final diagnosis and if you are well enough, we can drop you off at the nearest Helix H.Q." Angela proposed with a slight smile.

"I will take her. We cannot risk an Overwatch aircraft to go anywhere outside mission territories. Mine is unaffiliated, private use." Edward countered.

"No," Fareeha interjected, her tone suddenly filled with burning determination. "I won't serve under Helix Security International anymore. There is nothing for me there now. But here, I have all of you with me."

"Fareeha, are you sure?" Angela questioned her, grabbing the soldier and turning her so she could stare into her eyes "Remember the Petras Act? We are fugitives now. If you join us, you constantly have to look over your shoulders, your reputation will be tarnished, and most of all this is not what Ana would have wanted for you."

"Don't." she growled. "Don't speak for her, Angela. She is her own person, and I am my own. It has been my life-long dream to someday join Overwatch, and I cannot see a better opportunity than now - when the world needs it the most," Fareeha stated boldly. "That, and you have the best capability and resources to combat Talon. If I am going to find the bastard who did this to my team, Overwatch is my best chance. Besides, I don't give a shit about my reputation and well-being. How can I, when the lives of others are in danger? If I am with Helix, they are going to fuss over bureaucracy and administrative bullshit while people are dying. And lastly, if I am to die in the end, I'd rather do it fighting alongside my family."

"Fareeha, we appreciate your determination, and you know we will all be happy to have you with us. I will be happy to have you fighting by my side on the field of battle. But if this is about vengeance... it is best to rethink your course of action." Edward said, moving to Angela's side, trying to dissuade her for the last time.

"No, this is about justice. I am sure you would do the same in my shoes, Edward. And if I start acting crazy, I have you to remind me to stop, won't I?" she smirked.

Edward nodded. "ATHENA, did you get that?"

"Of course." came her voice from the ceiling's speakers.

"There you go, that should serve well as your reminder." Edward smirked at his friend. "Welcome aboard, Captain Amari."

"No, call me Pharah."
________________________________________
After an exchange of hugs between the three, and a quick bath for Fareeha, the new recruit's physical and mental capabilities were declared fit for duty. Angela sent her to the quartermaster for her standard issue pistol and accompanying amenities alongside a strict order to get some food. Once she was out of earshot, Edward took the combat medic aside to her office to converse in private.

"Speaking of the Petras Act, be honest with me Angie, how's our...diplomatic condition so far?" Edward knew it would be impossible for Overwatch to stand undisturbed by the U.N. for so long if it did not have any political, military, and economic support from sympathizers in the worldwide organization that has now condemned them. All supports were, of course, off the records.

Despite being a doctor rather than a politician, as a member of Overwatch's inner circle she was aware of the organization's political state "Well, I suppose it's a 50-50. The good news, we still have plenty of unofficial supporters inside the U.N. but they are barely enough to keep us off the grid and the numbers are dwindling. The bad news, powerful Talon supporters are also plenty inside the U.N. and they are growing in numbers. Corrupt politicians and corporate owners I say." Angela seethed.

"Come now my dear Angela, 'corrupt' is a point of view. The world is not so black and white, especially when it comes to political and economic interests. While a lot people consider us their knights in shining armor, plenty of people also think Overwatch is no better than Talon. We are breaking the law here Angie, and for that we are outlaws, accept that. But sometimes, to do the right thing, one must act beyond the boundaries of rules and become mavericks. As for our adversary, while they are considered terrorists by most folk, for some people Talon is their savior. The omnic partisans for instance, they fight because we do not grant them equal rights, yet charge them with an exorbitant amount of obligations. Whether if Talon will grant them a better future or all of this is merely propaganda, is another story. All omnics on our side are treated with utmost respect and equity, I know, but I suppose we are partly to blame for not acting enough for omnics and people across the world. While on the other hand, we know even with our power back then, it would be impossible to reach every single person and omnic in the world. Plus, as humans we have an inherent tendency for conflicts and all of us wanted to 'make the world a better place' without realizing the ambiguity that exists within that statement."

He concluded with a rather monotonous tone, "But, enough with philosophy. I shall draft a proposal for the inner council about our next diplomatic maneuver along with possible allies to recruit and adding more support to our side as I do have a lot of strings to pull, and a lot of favors to call in."

Angela nodded, her face beaming with pride "My my, you have definitely changed, dear. You're no longer that fat little brat I used to know. The one who would pick fights with everyone on the base, the one that had to be chased around so he would do his homework, and the one that absolutely had to take every single one of my dessert...remember him?"

Edward chuckled, his cheeks flushed with a light shade of red. "Hey, you were the one who kept talking about doing diets and staying in shape, I was only helping you out." he smirked "As a matter of fact, I can still do that for you, you know?"

Before Angela could answer, the door leading to her office slid open and in stepped Lena along with Twilight and Fizzlepop in tow.

"Hiya luvs! Got some visitors for ya'!" the cheery Brit chuckled.

"Ah the man of the hour!" Twilight grinned when he saw Edward in the room "You, my friend, owe me some explanations."

"Well Twilight, I have Lightning to thank for waking me up. But if by explanations you mean how I came to possess magic, I have not the faintest idea myself."

Twilight nodded. "It's wonderful! We didn't expect to run into any magic users in this world, and to think this is the first case of magic dormancy we've ever encountered..." the lavender coated mare trailed off.

"What brings you here today?"

"I promised I would try to look into Fizzlepop's broken horn today, there must be at least something I can do to mend the damage." Angela told him, her tone filled with glittering hope "But, I need to analyze her physiology first as we know nothing about how a unicorn's horn works..." she trailed off, realizing how ridiculous she might be sounding like if she were discussing this with her peers, "which is why Twilight is here today, to help me out."

"Darn it, I’m a klutz." Twilight smacked her forehead. "I left that book about pony physiology somewhere, hang on, be right back guys." She declared before disappearing in a bright flash of light purple. Of course this was not the first time they had seen Twilight's teleportation, but the bright flash was something they won't be accustomed to in a long while.

"That was rather...flashy of her, am I right?" Edward chuckled awkwardly, sweeping his eyes on Angela, Lena, and Fizzlepop, who except for the latter gave him looks that said 'really?'

"Ahem, by the way, where is Lightning and Luna?" Edward asked again, finally breaking his own awkwardness.

"Last I saw them, they were heading towards the war room with Jesse. Want to go there m'self after this, coming with?" Lena chimed in.

Edward nodded in acknowledgement. "Yes, we have a long discussion ahead of us."

Just before the two took their leave, Edward noticed Fizzlepop was awfully quiet since she entered the room.

Edward knelt to meet her on eye level and looked into her cerulean eyes "What's wrong?" he asked the Storm King's former second in command, also noticing the tension on her neck.

"Nothing." she replied flatly.

"I can see your neck's tension Fizzlepop. Whatever is stressing you out, it must be quite the pickle."

"With all due respect, this is all horseshit." The warrior mare growled, her eyes narrowing in anger and despair. "I relished at the thought you humans could cure my condition. But then I realized, my own kind gave up on me, told me that my horn is incurable. And in Equestria, magic could cure almost everything, so what can you possibly do? You barely know anything about us let alone magic!”

"You are right," Edward countered. "We barely know anything about your kind let alone magic, but that doesn't mean we are not going to help you, or at least try to do so. Besides, you said magic could cure almost everything, that means your condition is incurable with magic alone. But what about if we combine technology to that effort? Not to sound arrogant, but do you Equestrians possess the same level of technology as us? I am dead certain with Angela and Winston's efforts combined, we can do something for your horn." He glanced at Angela.

The purple mare's gaze turned from anger to curiosity. Indeed, most of Equestria's healing techniques are heavily based on magic, with very little technological intervention. Aside from things like X-rays and the like, most treatments are based on the arcane. Angela moved over to Edward's and showed her his steel gray robotic left arm.

"Our technology is not capable of regrowing limbs organically...yet, but, like this arm here, we might be able to create something similar for your horn. Of course we will require a lot of studies, primarily on how you can harness magic, which part of your horn is responsible for that, et cetera." She squatted to meet her on eye level "Fizzlepop, we can't promise you anything. As you know, you are our first. But I assure you, we will do our best to help you."

Hearing the honesty and gentleness in Angela's voice, Fizzlepop smiled in acknowledgement. Not only the latter appreciated their intentions for her, but the doctor's honesty of not promising anything somehow brought relieve for her as well...perhaps because the last time she was promised of having her horn restored, things did not go so well.

"I am sorry, for fuming out like that. That was selfish of me, and it won't happen again. It's not my place to demand so much from you. I’m not going to lie, I can use magic...but the only thing I can do, is dangerous. It's only good for destruction, and nothing more. Well, some fireworks show, but...that's it. I suppose I am a painter with a broken brush, but the catch is...I cannot just simply buy a new brush." Fizzlepop said, lowering her head in a mix of shame and regret.

For Edward, her statement hit him on his core, because it appeared he and the purple mare have more in common than they realized. He gently lifted her chin up, wiped away a tear which managed to escape her scarred eye, and with a kind smile assured her...

"But a brush is not the only way for a painter to color." He winked before taking his leave with Lena in tow.

"Hey...Edward?" Fizzlepop called out to him as he was about to exit the office.

"Ja?" He turned towards her.

"Thank you."

"Anytime, later Angie." He smiled and disappeared around the corner.

Just then, Twilight reappeared in the office "Ha! Found it!" The lavender coated mare triumphantly hoisted a thick book in her telekinetic grip "What did I miss?"

"Uh, nothing much." Fizzlepop said with a faint smile curling on her lips.

Author's Note

My apologies after a year of absence my friends, as I said before in my last two blog posts, last year has been very eventful for me, so I had to put writing aside for a while.

But I am back now, and I am ready to pump up new chapters for you

Anyway, I think I will put one more chapter to this story before getting back to work on Back Into the Light for its final...yes, FINAL chapter. Then, I'll probably get working on Legacies of the Fallen and then Sentinels of Equestria.

I hope you enjoy this one my friends, leave a like if you like this story, or dislike if you don't like it and please do talk to me in the comments about what you like or dislike, and just to chat in general.

And as usual, thank you so much for XIII Hearts for being such an awesome editor