New guy at CHS: The next generation

Before they could make it to Depab and create an army, they would have to traverse through the ravine. A ravine that could cause for trouble for them at any time. Alicia led the refugees and the leftover soldiers of her army moving quickly but cautiously, "Quartz, are you sure it was smart to leave that small of rear guard?"

"It's not a real rear guard. It's really just to alert us if Platinum's army gets too close. Don't worry, I'll make sure nothing happens to you or the villagers. My mother and her friends should be ready with the ship when we get there. Don't worry about an escape."

"I hope so. I'm just so worried about our people."

"Our?"

"U-Uh I mean...," Alicia fell silent as she looked away in embarrassment.

"Quit being such a school girl," Quartz started to poke Alicia while teasing her slightly.

"Stop it! I'm not a child!" Alicia tried to fight back, but Quartz was overpowering her.

From a distance, Silver glared at the two as she held her head low, "Look at them flirting it up. That should be me..."

"No, that should be me...," Lavender retorted. The two obviously had rainclouds above their heads as they saw the two flirting so openly.

"Those two should respect their relationship. Those two could be dating in the future and you'll have to accept it," Fluffy stated, but Electric raised an eyebrow.

"Oh really? If I remember correctly, you were jealous of those two hanging out with Quartz at home. You would say how you wish Quartz would hang out more with you instead of those two. How will you feel if he starts dating, huh?"

"W-What are you on about Electric? Are you implying that I might have a crush on our own brother?"

"Yes," Electric responded, "That's exactly what I'm implying."

"W-Well, you're wrong!"

"You're blushing...," Fluffy and Electric started arguing back and forth just like Lavender and Silver. Blaze stood back with Cupcake and Kat watching her sisters argue about their brother.

"Blaze, what's the matter?"

"Oh, uh... it's nothing really."

"No, it's something. You seem... perturbed?"

"Perturbed? Possibly, but I don't know why. I just feel like this plan won't help us win this war. I know numbers aren't everything in battle, but I'm worried about the famous officers they have in their ranks. Numbers can be beaten, but an army full of that much talent can surpass any strategy with their own game changing strategy."

"Blaze, there's more to war than talent. Talent can only get you so far. It's the hard work and dedication of those individuals that will get them to where they are now. Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard enough."

"I'm still... worried."

"I say," Kat started, "we trust whatever your brother has planned. We have two great minds on our side and we have our own officers of talent and valor. I trust your brother Blaze and you should to."

"I trust him, I just don't trust our chances of coming out on top. We may win one battle, but what about the battles leading after it? Sure we can endure a few assaults and skirmishes, but for how long? With our low provisions, we can only hold them off for so long."

"Yeah, I guess we didn't think about that..."

The large group continued moving before a soldier ran up to them scared, "Platinum's army have over taken us! They'll be here any minute!"

Quartz groaned in frustration as he stopped walking along with everyone else, "Damn it, we gotta keep moving. We can't give them a chance to...," Quartz paused and looked up towards the top of the ravine, "Ambush!" Thousands of soldiers walked to the edge of the upper ravine with rifles in hand and began firing down into the group of refugees.

"Get the people to safety!" Alicia ordered as multiple resistance soldiers slid down the side of the ravine with their swords in hand and began slaughtering the remaining refugees, "No!" Quartz and his family sprung into action as they did their best to get the people to safety. Quartz raised his hand up brining up a massive rock wall to protect the refugees.

"Follow me. We need to split up and make ourselves harder to hit! We'll meet back up at the shorelines!" Quartz led his group of refugees down a separate path along the ravine as did everyone else. Now, everyone was separated once again. In the 50,000 refugees that were with them, nearly over 30,000 of them perished in the surprise attack.

Quartz only had about 20 or so refugees as he continued along his path in the ravine. He looked back and saw that the villagers were growing tired. He sighed as he punched a wall out into the ravine and looked inside, "Everyone step inside for a rest. I know all of you are tired, so take a brief rest in here," Quartz proceeded to light a fire with his hands.

He sighed as he glanced away from the refugees he has to protect, "Hurry along. I'll block this entrance...," Once the last refugee entered, Quartz closed off the entrance and slid along the wall of the makeshift cave, "I'm sorry for anything that has transpired so far."

One of the refugees spoke almost apologetically, "No, no, we're all grateful for what you've done for us and our queen."

"Oh, I haven't done much. I mean, I was out for most of the time. What could I have possibly done in the 2 or 3 days that I was awake?"

"Well, you've made her happy. We've never seen the queen so happy and lively. Once everyone saw how happy she looked when with you, we just knew you had changed her life forever."

"I guess I can say the same for her. She's changed my life in so many ways that I feel almost indebted to her for my new outlook on life. Not only have I been able to reconcile with my family, but I've discovered powers I never thought I had before. Alicia is my life changer."

"We can see that. We've heard rumors about your actions against your family back on the mainland. After what we've seen, we thought it was only just that... rumors."

"Well, I won't lie. I was pretty bad before I got here. So much of me has changed. Who'd thought that I'd be the one to lead the attack on Discord and Platinum."

"Quartz...," One of the villagers began, "this Discord fellow I heard is so powerful that he even took out your father and his wives. How will we stand a chance against such a being of power?"

"Anything can be defeated if you find their weakness. I need not fear Discord, and neither shall any of you. I believe I have a on-going plan that might be... a shot in the dark."

"How so?"

"Oh, you'll see. You'll see...," Quartz nodded as looked at his necklace and sighed, "I hope it works..."

-An hour later-

"I think the coast is clear. He might call it off for now or he may have gone for the others. Let's get going," Quartz knocked the rock wall down and glanced outside and saw nothing, "It looks like they didn't even check over here. Let's go!" The refugee villagers followed Quartz as he ran towards the northern shore.

They didn't stop running for nearly a hour before they saw the boats, but he saw everyone except for Cupcake's and Kat's group of refugees, "Where are they? I would've thought that they made it by now."

"Quartz!" Alicia yelled as everyone boarded the boat, "What's happening? Nobody has seen Cupcake or Kat. Have you seen them?"

"No, I haven't passed anyone when we were separated."

"Oh no, I'm worried. Get the rest of your refugees on the ship. We're all waiting here for them to return," Quartz nodded as he led his group of refugees onto the ship. Once he stepped on board, Rarity tackled him for a hug.

"Oh dear! I'm so glad that ambush didn't kill you! I was so worried that you had perished from them!" Again, like before, Quartz's face was buried in her massive breasts, "Quartz deary, please don't worry me like that again!"

"Mom!" Silver yelled from behind them, "I was worried too!" Silver was coming in for a hug, but they heard Cupcake and Kat scream as they ran with only 3 refugees.

"Huh? Only 3 left?"

"Help!"

Behind them, a group of resistance soldiers carrying plasma swords. Quartz shot up as she saw them being pursued by the resistance soldiers. Quartz looked around at what he had, but he didn't have any ammo, "What do I use?" He glanced around and saw his father's old dragon spear on the boat, "I see," He quickly grabbed it and jumped off the boat with his spear.

"Quartz!" Everyone yelled in worried. His father only smiled as he saw his son take action.

Cupcake and Kat tried their best to fend off the resistance soldiers, but it seemed futile. They were soon surrounded on all sides, "What do we do? We need help!" As she said this, two soldiers smirked as they charged for them. However, they were immediately stopped as Quartz landed in front of them and killed them both. This caused the resistance soldiers to fall back a little to give themselves room.

"Quartz?" Cupcake questioned, "What are you?"

"Head to the boats. Get the people out of danger. We've already lost too many."

"What about you?"

"Just go! I'll found a way out!" He signaled them to move off without him as they did, "Hopefully I'll find a way out...," He glanced around as another two group of resistance soldiers attacked, but he countered them and took them both out quickly.

"Get on! We're leaving," Cobalt ordered. However, everyone was against them leaving him behind.

"Father, we can't leave him alone."

"We have to worry about the safety of the people first. He'll be fine. Just watch...," Cobalt brought up the bridge of the ship and they set sail.

"Cobalt!" Everyone yelled. They glanced over at Quartz who were taking out crowds and crowds of them. He looked away from them for a second and saw that the ship was moving now. Quartz then saw multiple riflemen take aim through the bushes in front of him.

"Shit!" Quartz balled his hand as a large wall formed in front of him to block the bullets, "Damn it, I gotta make a run for it..."

"Father!" Lavender exclaimed, but he didn't look at her. He just kept watching. Lavender then took a deep breath in frustration and ran over to side of the ship, "Quartz! Come on!" Everyone looked at Lavender in shock. The former shy girl was no longer shy. She was becoming a bold, confident in herself. This made her mother extremely proud of her.

This voice echoed through Quartz's ears as he slowly stepped back before sprinting off. Some of the resistance soldiers chased after him as some appeared in front of him. He sliced through of them and threw his spear at the side of the boat. The spear was now stuck on the side as he used another soldier as a boost to launch him towards the boat. He reached for his spear and grabbed onto it.

He hung off of it as the riflemen ran around the wall and started firing at him, "Quartz!" Lavender yelled. Quartz moved his body back and forth as he launched himself onto the boat. He landed in front of everyone and stood up slowly. He glanced around as Lavender walked up to him, "Quartz?"

He twirled his spear and turned around, "This is our first step towards freeing this land from Discord's grasp. No, not just our land, but our whole universe! To Depab!"

During the trip to Depab, Quartz stared at his father's spear, "I never really thought I would use you. Father gave me you when I was younger, but I never thought I'd actually user you. Wait," Quartz turned towards a door behind him, "Mom!" Almost instantly, Rarity burst through the door.

"Yes Quartz deary, are you hurt? Do you need a massage? Or?"

"First of all, don't just stand outside my quarter's like that. It's weird. I expect that out of the...," Quartz stopped and looked out his door, "other girls!" As he yelled that, he heard crashing and the fast shuffling of feet, "But not you..."

"I'm sorry, I'm just trying whatever I can do to make up for all the years of torment."

"No, I'm just not used to it. Anyway, I'm wondering how you were able to get an exact replica of the spear. How?"

"It's from Manifest. You know, the one thing that you refused to learn."

"And I still do refuse to learn it. It feels like a straight handicap. Why would I wanna learn something that can shift a duel or battle in just one spell?"

"It also changes lives too if you've never noticed. That family beach house was manifested by that spell."

"What? I thought dad built it."

"No, he laid the foundation. He never actually built it from his hands. He was in a time crunch and just threw it together."

"Ah, well, I'm still not gonna learn it. Doesn't matter what you do or say. I'm not gonna learn it."

"Even if I... tempted you?" Rarity traced her finger over Quartz's chest which caused him to shutter a little, "Feeling good?"

"Ahem!" They heard a loud cough come from the hallway. The turned to see Cobalt raising an eyebrow at the two, "Mind if I ask what's going on here exactly?"

"Uh, n-nothing is going here Cobalt darling."

"She's trying to seduce me into learning Manifest. You should do something about that dad."

"I see," Cobalt walked off causing Rarity to chase after him.

"Sweety please," She turned back to him and glared before saying, "I'll make a man out of you one way or another!" And like that, she was gone.

"Welp, I should walk around on the boat. Talk too some of the people I never had a chance to talk to," Quartz stood up and walked out into the hallway. He looked around and sighed, "Question is... who?"

He looked around and walked to the upper deck and saw Cupcake glancing out into the endless ocean. Feeling as she probably still misses her sister, Quartz walked over to her, "Cupcake?"

"Oh, Quartz..."

"Are you still worried about your sister? I'm sorry we've had to bring you around for such a ride or that my dad brought you along."

"It's fine. It's good to know that you're all still willing to help."

"Count on me to help you find Meadow. I'll do my best," Cupcake smiled as Quartz walked off.

However, Cupcake spoke up, "Quartz," He turned to face her and she smiled, "Thank you for saving Kat and I. Who would've thought you'd be the one to jump in."

"I can't leave anyone behind. The old me wouldn't have cared, but this new Quartz will help you in your time of need. Be safe now you hear?"

"Yeah...," And with that, Quartz walked off to talk to more people. Quartz saw Saber as she stood with Rainbow and Applejack.

He walked up to them and greeted them, "Hey girls."

"Hey Quartz," Saber responded.

"Ya' need somethin' sugar?"

"Nah, just wanted to talk. I don't know how far we may be from Depab, so I decided to walk around and check on everyone."

"In that case, I wanna know what changed in you neph?" Rainbow asked, "Before you were all stubborn and hated seeing us. Well, apart from Lavender, Silver and Fluttershy."

"I guess you could say I had an epiphany when I had met Alicia. I don't know how to say how I got that realization. It's really hard to say."

"It's fine. I just think this new you is something we've wanted to see from you for a while."

"A lot of people have..."

"Ya' know, 'Ah think that this plan of yours is gonna give us the win. But uh, don't ya' think that Discord could have a counter. 'Ah mean, he could have an ace up his sleeve."

"Which is why I say we lose the first skirmish with him," Quartz suggested shocking all three of them.

"Lose on purpose? What do you mean? One loss could cost us."

"Sometimes, it takes one loss to win it all. We need to know how his army is commanded first before we make any hasty moves. However, we have to be precise...," Before Quartz could finish, Rainbow stopped him.

"How about you save it for Depab. No use wasting on all of us. Man, you're just like Cobalt," Rainbow chuckled slightly as Quartz nodded.

"Yeah, sorry. I spent a lot of time in the family library reading. So I have so many strategies in my head. But uh, I'll leave all of you to what you were doing. I'm gonna see if anyone else wants to talk or something."

"Oh actually, your Aunt Twilight was looking for you. She should be in the lower deck with Fluttershy."

"Alright, I'll be sure to stop by to see what she wants," Quartz walked off towards the lower deck but ran into Lavender, "Oh, hey Lavender."

"H-Hey..."

"What's the matter?"

"It's just... I was worried. When I saw you jump down there to help Cupcake and Kat, I was worried. I felt my heart sink as I saw you do that. I mean, I was glad you stepped up, but I was afraid you were gonna get hurt. I don't you getting hurt or killed."

"I'll get hurt regardless, but I'll do my best to keep myself and all of you alive," Lavender shook and tackled him for a hug, "For tonight, can you sleep with me?"

"Why?"

"I wanna make sure nothing happens t you while you're asleep."

"That seems a little unnecessary."

"S-Sorry... my older sister instincts kicked..."

"I didn't say I wouldn't. I just said it was unnecessary."

"O-Oh..."

"Now come on. You're a grown woman. No need to look weak. You've looked strong these last few weeks. Especially that yell you did earlier. It shocked me, yet motivated me. That's what I like to see from you. I'm glad I'm not the only one changing," Lavender blushed as she looked away, "Sorry Lavender, but I have to go see Auntie Twilight right quick."

"Alright, don't forget."

"I won't."

The two siblings smiled as Quartz walked off. He kept walking before he saw Electric and Fluffy playing... rock paper scissors? Confused, he confronted them on it, "Girls, is there a reason you're playing rock paper scissors?"

"N-No reason...," Electric started, "Definitely not trying to fight for your...," Before she could finish, Fluffy slapped the back of her head.

"We're just trying to pass time while we're here. I wonder why we just don't use Gate. I mean, our father has been to Depab before. Why don't we just use Gate?"

"Maybe there's a whole different reason. we do have to transport all these refugees safely across the ocean. I guess this is a way to keep them safe."

"Hey Quartz, we know your 16th birthday is inching closer and we were wondering if you... wanted anything special for that special day?"

"Uh, I don't think so. I've never really wanted anything. I kinda just want everything to go back to normal."

"That's something that may uh... not happen for a while little bro...," Electric said as she placed a hand on his shoulder, but she sort of had trouble since Quartz was taller than her, "Damn it, why are you do tall?"

"I guess I get it from dad."

"I can tell...," Quartz chuckled as she looked away from him, "I think it's because I'm the shortest out of everyone..."

"I don't know, Alicia is pretty short too."

"Yeah, but at least she has something happening here!" Electric traced around her chest area causing Quartz to blush and Electric to raise an eyebrow before yelling, "You've stared at it before haven't you?!"

"I mean, I'm not gonna deny it...," Quartz looked away as Electric stated hitting his chest.

"AH! You pervert!"

"How does that make me a pervert?!"

"Can you two stop?" Fluffy asked, "I don't think it's his fault. However, I do think it's inappropriate for you to stare at a female's chest."

"But..."

"But you're a growing boy and you would go through that phase...," Fluffy then decided to shy away, "so if you need know anything to help in future... don't be afraid to ask..."

"H-Huh?"

"Fluffy! Don't say that!" Electric tried to talk sense into Fluffy as she was grasping her body as she moving around. This was Quartz's chance to sneak away from them only for him to run into Pinkie and Sunset. Pinkie sported the biggest smile he has ever seen.

"Uh, Auntie Pinkie, Auntie Sunset, is something wrong? Why are you smiling like a psychopath?"

"Oh just wondering...," Pinkie began, "How long do you think it'll be be before you propose to Alicia!"

"What?!" Quartz, Fluffy and Electric yelled in unison.

"Pinkie, I think it's too early for him to ask for hand in marriage. However, I do believe that it's definitely time for him to ask her out, right?"

"U-Uh..."

"Oh come on Quartz! I need to know so that I can plan the biggest wedding ceremony... EVER!"

"Uh, g-give me a second to...," Before he could finish, Quartz sprinted away so that he could avoid the question.

"Geez, you scared him off Pinkie. Look, don't come off to hard on him. Give him time. I think he's still trying to find himself."

"What are you talking about? I thought he was already good?"

'Yeah, no. He may be different now, but he's still finding who he truly is. He still seems to be... confused as to what his real goal is. He said his goal was to ensure that peace would come back to Uskain, but look at it now. He needs to find himself, and I believe a new goal will help him realize that."

"Oh, I get it. Well, what will he do when Cobalt...," Sunset placed a hand over her mouth and chuckled as she pointed over to Electric and Fluffy, "Oh... right..."

"What do you two mean?"

Quartz jogged away as he ran into Silver and Alicia talking to one another. To not get seen by them, he hid away from a nearby corner, "No way, was he really like that as a kid?"

"Definitely, and he's afraid of bugs."

"Bugs?"

"Get it right Silver. I'm not afraid of bugs, I just don't want them being around me."

"You know Silver, Quartz is very clueless about girls. Why haven't you taught him about how to determine a girl's feelings?"

"Blame my mother for that. She should've done that a long time ago, but no, she had to be an ass..."

"Isn't she gonna punish you though?"

"E-Eh?! What for?!"

"For trying to kill everyone..."

"I-I wasn't myself...," Silver glanced away as Alicia laughed.

"Man, now that I look at them, they look and act nearly the same. Silver has my mom's purple hair while Alicia ironically has silver hair. It's strange. Do I feel connected to Aliciabecauseshe's like my sister?"

Quartz quietly snuck away as he ran into Twilight and Flutterahy, "Oh, Quartz, we were looking for you. I wanted to talk about those blades in your wrist."

"Yeah?"

"I've decided to ask you if you didn't want them in your wrists anymore. You seem to know your way around a spear, so I just wanted to ask."

"Where would they go then?"

"Fluttershy allowed me to put them in Lavender."

"What?!"

"We feel like that can be her weapon from now on and you can teach her how to use them properly."

"But didn't you even consult her on this decision."

"Yes we did, we asked her first before you."

"Dear," Fluttershy began, "didn't she ask to sleep with you earlier?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, that's why. She's worried a little bit. We know you prefer a spear more. Your father and his family have specialized in polearms, so it's best if you sticked with the spear. We can set those blades in Lavender."

"But..."

"We're not forcing you," Twilight added, "It's your choice if we do this or not. Tomorrow morning once we arrive in Depab, we'll perform the procedure if you agree with it. Talk it over with Lavender before you both fall asleep."

"Uh, I'll think about it...," Twilight nodded as seen walked off leaving Fluttershy behind with him.

"Quartz..."

"Give me time on that decision. I already have a lot on my shoulders...," Quartz walked off clearly frustrated causing Fluttershy to worry.

"Please don't stress yourself. Once your father is gone... You'll have to take the reigns..."

Later that night, Quartz was on the upper deck look out into the see with the moonlight shining down into the water. He looked down into the water and stared at his reflection. He soon saw his face form into how his father looked when he was his age.

"What would you have done in this situation? I know you had a sister, so what if this was her? What would you do?" He then glanced at the spear beside him and then he shot his blades out, "What do I do?"

Quartz stared for a long time before he groaned in frustration before snatching his spear. He got into a fighting stance with it and he stared in front of him. Then he pictured Platinum standing in front of him. He took a deep breath and thrust forward and continued thrusting before swinging his spear around him. He slammed it on the ground before thrusting once more.

He did one massive sweep as he did a back flip before jabbing the end of his spear before bringing his blade around for one big slash. He jammed his spear into the ground as he used it to lift himself into the air. However, he left his spear in the ground as he brought his wrist blades out performing a combo of lightning fast slashes and sweeps with them. Electricity started building in his blades as he unleashed it all in one point causing a massive shockwave.

Quartz heavily breathed in and out as he put his blades away and picked his spear up from the ground. He looked at his spear and then at his hand, "I know what to do..."

Quartz soon arrived at his room to see Lavender waiting for him. She was wearing a pretty blue and white night gown that matched her battle gear, "You're already here?"

"Yeah, I've just been sitting here awaiting your arrival. Why were you out on the upper deck?"

"I had some thinking to do. About switching my blades from me to you."

Lavender fell silent before she asked, "What do you wanna do?" Lavender awaited a response as Quartz glanced at his spear before stepping forward.

"I've made my decision. I want to keep the spear and let you use the blades. I'm just worried about how it could effect you in the future."

"I... I'm worried. I've never tried any other weapon before. My harp is what I'm used to."

"I... feel like this would be a good change. I can teach you all I know," Lavender looked away as Quartz placed his hands on her shoulder, "You know, this does mean we'll get to spend more time together. Isn't that what you wanted?"

"H-Huh?" She quickly turned around to meet his gaze only to avert them quickly, "N-No..."

"Don't be shy. You're not your mother. You need to be... a little more assertive. Like earlier, that was your first towards that assertiveness. I know you can do it. I believe in you Lavender...," Quartz proceeded to embrace her as Lavender savored each moment during in his embrace.

"Quartz... I love you. Did you know that?"

"Of course, that's what a sister is suppose to do, right?"

Lavender wanted to say more to clarify her true love, but opted against it, "He loves Alicia, and a relationship between siblings is unacceptable. I have to think about him first. His love for Alicia far exceeds any love that he could feel for us. I need to support any relationship he wants... even if it means letting him go in the future...," Lavender glanced at him and smiled bright, "Yes, that's right..."

"Lavender, could you manifest me some decent clothes, or at least my battle gear? I don't wanna walk around with bandages and torn BDU pants..."

"Don't worry. I'll take care of you."

The two continued embracing one another while Silver listened in from the outside. She slid down onto the floor as she thought about them, "I... can't let her show me up..."

That next morning, once they had arrived on Depab, they were greeted by Cupcake's master and the rest of her family, "Cupcake...," His sister's hugged her as she stepped off the boat.

Quartz raised an eyebrow as he looked back and forth from them and his mother and her friends, "Don't they have similar features to our parents? Look at them..."

"I don't know. I don't see the resemblance," Silver responded.

"Oh my gosh Cupcake, we were all worried sick about you. We had thought the worse...," Silver asked.

"Don't worry Silver, I'm fine..."

"Silver?" All of Cobalt's kids wondered.

"Huh? Oh right, Silver, one of Cobalt's kids is named Silver. Come on Silver, meet Silver," Cupcake ushered Cobalt's kid, Silver to move forward to meet Silver, "Don't be shy. You two specialize in ice, so you two are practically the same."

"Are we the same in personality though?" Silver wondered, "I mean, she has my mother's weird refined accent..."

"Weird? I don't think it's weird," Rarity said as she twirled her hair.

"I agree. There's nothing weird with having a refined voice."

"Finally someone who agrees with me," Rarity and Silver both locked arms and did some haughty laugh causing everyone to dead eye them.

"Anyway, girls, meet the rest of Cobalt's kids," They all bowed before each other as Quartz stepped forward.

"It's an honor to meet such legendary warriors from the old times. I'd never thought I'd meet such people of your caliber."

"Oh my, I didn't know you would have a son like this. Impressive," Silver said as she looked at Rarity, "Almost like our good dear Brian here."

"Well, he wasn't always like this," Everyone raised any eyebrow at Quartz as he uttered a small chuckle, "Now, he's a charming young man who has... stolen the hearts of a few," Rarity glanced at the kids and Alicia who all blushed and looked away.

"Well, Brian has won our hearts all the same. However, I do believe that everyone being here isn't good news on our sister, right Cupcake?"

"Yes, I'm afraid I could not get glimpse of Meadow at all during my time in Uskain before we were forced off by the resistance. Now, we just found out that the same army that drove us out is in alliance with Discord and will more than likely arrive here in Depab."

"The enemy will outnumber us greatly," Brian began, "It'll be too dangerous to risk an attack."

"That's why my son has a plan to throw the enemy off and lower their morale."

"Really now? Mind telling us how?" Brian questioned as Takam walked up to join everyone.

"What's going in here? Oh, Emperor, you're here... and your family... and a whole bunch of other people!"

"Sorry Takam, we were driven away from Uskain. I was able to reunite with my family, but we failed in finding their sister along with news of a impending attack on Depab."

"What?!"

"Don't worry though, my son has a plan that just may get us through. Quartz... mind explaining?"

"Uh, s-sure..."

"Great! Bezsius, please show them to our war tent. By the way, Moonlight is feeling much better since you left. Harmony has been awaiting your return."

Cobalt glanced at his wives and nodded, "Very well, I shall visit her. As for the rest of you, follow them to prepare the war council."

"The refugees you have will settle just fine in the village. Let's get this planning started."

As everyone started moving, Cobalt headed straight for the village to see Harmony. He stopped in front of the hut's door and sighed. He knocked only to hear, "Come in!"

Cobalt stepped only to be met with a surprise hug from Moonlight who seemed fully healed of her fever, "Daddy!"

"Huh?"

"She made a full recovery last week. She hasn't been able to sit down since she recovered...," Harmony let put a soft cough as she looked pale and weak.

"Harmony... your time is coming soon isn't it?"

"Yeah, I don't know how long I have before then. You yourself only have a few months, right?"

"Yeah..."

"What will your family do? Do they even know?"

"My wives sort of have the idea, but my kids are clueless..."

"I see, well, they need to know."

"Mommy, can I see my brother Quartz? I've only been and be to see through Astral Projection."

"She learned how?"

"Yeah, when she first caught the illness. She would tell me how she would visit Quartz all the time. Although, she said she couldn't directly talk to him."

"I wanna talk and see him daddy!"

"Quartz is busy right now. Maybe in in a little bit..."

"Fine...," Rarity stood outside as she walked away leaving them alone.

"Cobalt..."

-The Night Before-

"Are you really making your move on him now?"

"I have no choice to. You say you have only a few months to live, but what if that comes faster than you think? Quartz is the only one that I've seen that can fill the void you'll leave. I think Fluttershy and everyone else is taking notice too. Soon, your son is going to be only thing that will be able to fill that void you'll be leaving."

"I understand that, but are you fine with seducing your own son? Not only will he perform polygamy since the rest of you are doing the same, but incest as well. Both would be frowned upon..."

"In our world, but in the Mystic Relam, you said something like this is common."

"I know, but are you fine with that?"

Rarity fell silent before answering confidently, "Yes, I love Quartz with all my heart just as much as I do you..."

Cost nodded before laing on his bed in the boat, "Very well, do as your wish."

-Present Time during the War Council-

"Discord will definitely attempt to surround us on all sides using the artillery from Uskain to suppress us while he moves in. However, if we attack Discord now when he least expects it, his men will be confused and have no chance to retaliate."

"But what if we're not fast enough? What if he has the army to defend long enough for reinforcements to arrive."

"That's where our extra units come in. We'll have a decoy unit to distract his army forcing him to call for reinforcements and supplies. When he does, our excess units will attack his supply line and cut off his reinforcements. Once that is taken care off, we'll surround him and move in fast. This will weaken his army for any upcoming assaults on us. It won't take him out indefinitely, but it'll offer us some breathing room."

"And what of Platinum and his army of resistance soldiers?"

"I'm sure our mystics can do something to combat weapons like that now that they're not in Uskain now, right Alicia?"

"I see, but who will lead the decoy unit?" Bezsius asked.

Quartz looked around and said, "I'll do it..."