Skystrike woke up in his bedroom inside the Wind Waker. Last night was the party with Jeshan and his friends. They were all very welcoming... well, more than he was expecting. Sure, it took time for them to warm up to his group, but it was at least within the first hour. Leagues better than Zecora's and Tethys's welcome to Ponyville. But he wasn't here to think about that.

Last night, he had another visit from Luna and Nightmare. From what they said, all it took was Luna telling her sister Celestia that Magnus was involved with Skystrike and his mother's passing, and she was more willing to go along with whatever Luna planned. She told him mere moments before waking up.

That meant that he didn't have too much time. It's late evening in Equestria from what Pinkie Pie said yesterday. Luna said that they'd be there in two hours. He stretched before putting on his arm and walking out of his bedroom. Thankfully, the girls were already up. He smelled muffins... Blueberry muffins. He sniffed at the air one more time to make sure he wasn't imagining the smell. It was coming from the kitchen. As his feet went from hardwood to tiled floor, the smell grew stronger and stronger. He met Zecora, Tethys, and Elytra.

"Oh, good morning, Skystrike." Elytra smiled. Skystrike looked down at her, crouching down and squinting to get a better view. Her nose scrunched up. "What? Is there... something on my face?"

Skystrike picked up her hoof, pulling it out to the side, then dropped it to walk around her. They all looked at him confused as he did so. Finally, he looped back around before he spoke. "Elytra... I think you're growing bigger."

The changeling immediately got flustered. "Are you-... I'll give you the benefit of the doubt to explain now. Because it sounds like you're calling me fat."

Skystrike stood back up. "Oh, no, it's not like that-"

"What do you mean 'Not like that'!?"

"Mother fucker, can I finish my thought!?" Skystrike groaned. Elytra begrudgingly shut her mouth. "Thank you. What I was going to say was that I think you've gotten about an inch taller. It could be because of you feeding on my magic..."

"Oh..." She felt embarrassed. "Sorry... I haven't really been myself lately."

"Elaborate. Could be side effects of feeding off my magic. It's only been... nine days since we started, so we need to figure out effects sooner, rather than later."

Elytra thought about it. "Well, now that you mention it, I've felt more... anxious lately? Like... I've been thinking on the actions I've been taking a lot more, like I don't want to mess anything up. I've been getting annoyed a lot easier... I've also felt like I've gotten stronger. My body and my magic."

Skystrike winced. "Ugh... sounds like you're taking off some of my bad attributes.' Elytra looked at him confused. He began to elaborate. "Basically, magic and emotions are nearly the same thing for your race. Add on top of that that my mana when converted into magic depends on my emotional state, it's not too far fetched that my emotional state is affecting yours... On the upside, part of this trip is so I deal with the problems in my head."

Elytra thought on what he said for a moment. "You know... that makes sense. I'll tell you more about it if anything else changes. But if it makes you feel better, it's not a big enough change where I would've noticed until you said so."

He pet her on the neck. "Thanks, Elytra." Then he turned to what originally caught his attention. "So, who made blueberry muffins?"

Elytra and Tethys pointed to Zecora, who was wearing an apron. "I tried a recipe I was told. They’re cooling off now, fresh from the mold."

Skystrike moved his eyes to the pan on the counter. He controlled his excitement as he spoke. "I fucking LOVE blueberry muffins!" He failed as he walked to the muffins for a better look. "You even put the sugar on top!"

Tethys laughed at his excitement. "Wow, didn't know you like these that much. I've never had one, to be honest. Hopefully they aren't overhyped."

Elytra giggled. "Actually, Zecora got in contact with Paprika. Zecora asked what food you liked as a colt, and Paprika was more than willing to share."

Skystrike looked at Zecora, who was hiding her flustered face. Skystrike walked over and picked her up under her armpits, her back legs hanging as she went wide eyed. "Zecora, this is the best thing to wake up to. I'm not kidding. This act of kindness will not be forgotten." He pulled her into a hug before picking up and biting into a muffin. The sweet fluffy goodness filled his mouth as he savored each bite. "Oh FUCK yeah, these are good."

Tethys took the half eaten muffin out of Skystrike's hand and ate it in one bite. "Mmm, you know, these are pretty goo-" She cut herself off once she saw Skystrike's face. It was one of betrayal. She couldn't control herself and began laughing, slapping her tail on the ground. "AHAHAHA!" She slapped her hand on the table too."

Skystrike pulled her head down by her lower pair of horns, making her crouch down to eye level. She flapped her wings at the sudden jerk in motion as the human spoke. "Tethys... I am a simple man.... A man of principle. I wake up, I smell my favorite god damn breakfast food, I chow down. Now, because I like you, I'll say this. Everyone gets one." Tethys stared at him, wide eyed. Her eyes darted to Elytra.

"Don't look at me. Though I am surprised that this is the first time it happened." Elytra put a hoof on Tethys's leg. "Trust me..." The Changeling had a thousand yard stare. "You don't mess with Skystrike's food. Everyone gets one."

Zecora nodded along. "We all get one."

Tethys looked back to Skystrike, staring into his azure eyes. "I-... ok, I won't take your food again."

Skystrike let go as his demeanor went back to normal. "Cool, thanks." He picked up another muffin and began eating it. "Mmm. Now, what I originally came in here for was to tell you all that the princesses are coming over for a... personal matter." His voice fell a bit. "It relates to what happened about a decade ago. With Khrusalis..." Elytra tensed up as that word came out of his mouth. "Elytra, you deserve to know what happened to the late queen. I will make sure nothing happens to you if you wish to spectate. Zecora, Tethys, you two are welcome to be here, or you can spend some time in Diamondia."

They all looked at him in mild concern. Tethys put a claw on his shoulder. "I trust your judgement. Do you want me and Zecora to be here?"

"It's... not that I don't. I just... don't want you two to see that side of me. I don't want Elytra to see it either, but she served Khrusalis. She deserves to be there." Skystrike sighed.

Elytra's ears shot up. "Wait a minute. From what you told me, it was Celestia's guards who attacked you and the late queen those years ago... And then you said Celestia said she didn't know about it... We aren't meeting who I think we are, are we?"

Skystrike nodded. "We are. Khrusalis's killer." Elytra's heart stopped from that bomb shell. The other two present looked at each other, then between the two siblings in an attempt to get a read on either of their faces.

Elytra's face changed. From one of surprise, to confusion, to anger, to anxious, then with a deep breath, to apathy. "I'll be there. Give me a minute to change."

Skystrike shook his head. "This isn't something Stardust should confront. This is something Elytra should confront. Like I said, I'll make sure nothing happens to you."

Elytra sighed. "I... trust your judgement." She turned to Tethys and Zecora. "And you two? I won't mind if you come, this is just... a very personal matter."

Zecora cleared her throat. "Tethys, I think it's best we depart. This is a family matter, close to the heart."

Tethys sighed. "You know, you never did tell the rest of us about what happened with her." She crossed her arms. "Sure, you gave us a brief summary, but... I- we want to help you through this. Can you promise to be more transparent once this is over?" They way she said it came out as a plead.

Skystrike stayed silent for a minute. He grabbed his left arm with his metal one, stopping himself from shaking. "I... don't like talking about. I'll... try to tell you two more about it. We've known each other long enough where I should be able to tell you, it's just... really hard."

Tethys sighed. "We won't force you. Come on, Zecora. We'll need to give Jeshan an update on todays plans."

Before they could leave, Skystrike quickly gave both of them a hug. He let them go before speaking. "I appreciate you two. Don't come back for a couple hours, it'll be a... slow process."

They gave him a worried look before leaving the ship and going towards Diamondia. Skystrike and Elytra walked to the deck of the ship before sighing. He crouched down before surrounding himself in neon green flames. In moments, he went back to being a pony, giving his wings a few test flaps as he got used to walking on all four hooves. It's only been twelve days, yet it took him longer than he thought to get used to being a pony again.

He turned to look at Elytra. "So... ready?" He put on his helmet.

"As ready as I'll ever be." Elytra sighed with a nod.

The siblings made their way to the cargo bay, where the teleportation circle Casta made was hidden. Luna told him to give them a signal when he was ready. Skystrike quickly wrote the words on a piece of paper before setting the destination to be Casta's tower, activating it and sending it to it's destination. It took a few minutes, but the circle began to respond.

The lines of the hexagram began to glow a dim green light. In moments, the faint glowing became bright as magic charged within. A flash of light blinded the two for a moment. As their eyes came to, three figures were before Skystrike and Elytra, Celestia, Luna, and a certain unicorn that he hasn't seen in a long time.

Skystrike looked at Celestia and Luna for a brief moment before looking at the unicorn. Grey with silver hair. He never did figure out what happened to that criminal organization Magnus was involved with, but they had to be hurting losing one of their figure heads, signaled by the tattoo of a Hydra on his neck. But that wasn't for him to deal with. At least not yet. He could feel his body heating up from the anger at the unconscious Magnus, but it would have to be put aside from now.

"Hello, Nebula. It's been some time." Celestia greeted. "My sister told me about what happened. Who could've guessed this also lead back to him-" The alicorn of the sun cut herself off as she met eyes with Elytra. Silence fell between the four before Celestia narrowed her eyes. "And who is this?"

"My sister Elytra." Skystrike made sure to give emphasis to that word, making sure that she understood the importance of Elytra to him. "The goal of my travels was to meet up with old faces. That includes the Changeling in my group I told you about. I assume this won't be a problem?"

Celestia looked at him, then to Elytra. "No... I suppose not. You trust her, so I trust her for the moment." She used her magic to levitate the bound unicorn over. "So, how do you suppose we get answers out of him? Our interrogations haven't gone anywhere over the past months."

Skystrike huffed. "Celestia, I never told you the reason why I stopped wanting to become a guard did I?"

She shook her head no. "I assumed it was because of Blueblood, as well as what this pony supposedly did."

"Well, that's a major part of it, but what do you mean 'supposedly'?"

"Well, your memories have only been seen by you and my sister Luna." Celestia stated. "While I trust you both, you have to understand my hesitance."

Skystrike hummed. "Fair enough, but it will all come to light soon. The other part of why I didn't want to be a guard anymore was because of all the red tape."

Elytra cleared her throat. "Dude, is that really the best thing to say to the princesses?"

Skystrike looked at her. "I mean, probably not, but that's kinda part of the reason they come to me for issues. Precisely because I can do some things that the legal system won't allow." He turned back to the alicorns for confirmation. Their silence was all the answer that he needed. "Now then..." Skystrike eyed the unconscious Magnus in front of him. "Let's get to work."

Magnus groaned. His vision was coming back to him as he awoke. The past months have been Tartarus to him. Because of that pegasus, his cover was blown. Not only did the organization he used to work for not help him, he was put into a maximum security prison, not even allowed to see the light of day. The ring on his horn stopped him from using magic, and it felt fused on at this point.

As he became more and more conscious with each passing second, the first thing he felt was the heat of the sun, then he saw the fleshy red of his closed eye lids. What was new was that he was tied up, his forehooves bound behind his back and the other pair tied together. Magnus opened his eyes, them going even wider as he saw the sky above him. Then he saw the balloon above attached to the wooden floor he was on. Was he on an airship?

Magnus rolled over to get a grasp of his surroundings. With luck, he'd be able to make it out of this. That hope faded away when he saw Celestia, Luna, and- "...YOU!" He looked at the pegasus.

"Me." Skystrike, clad in his raven black armor, smiled under his helmet as he looked down at him.

"Haven't you ruined my life enough!?" Magnus grit his teeth. "My voice, my freedom, my legacy! All taken away by you!"

"Trust me, I wish I could've done it to you, but you did it to yourself first." Skystrike flexed his wrist as he spoke. "Honestly, you really should do your research before challenging ponies to duels. But that's not what we're here for today."

Magnus scowled, then grinned. "Well, sad to tell you, but they haven't gotten anything out of me, I doubt you'll be any different."

Skystrike stood up. "As of now, I don't care about you and your fuckass criminal organization." He picked up the unicorn by the ropes binding him. "Eleven years ago, you encountered and fought a certain Changeling Queen. You're going to tell us what happened."

"Or wha-" Magnus began to speak before a punch to his stomach was delivered with same day shipping, courtesy of Skystrike. He groaned as he looked up to the pegasus holding him. He looked to the princesses. "Why... why aren't you... stopping him?"

"Come on, Magnus. Don't tell me you figured royalty didn't play dirty from time to time. Besides..." Skystrike pulled back a clenched hoof. "I'm sure you've given this form of treatment to a number of ponies. Don't you think it's fair to experience this at least once?"

Magnus looked into the eyes of Skystrike, then adverted them, seeing Elytra standing behind him. He coughed, then laughed. "Heheh, I see what this is now. You friend here from your rag tag group of mercs wanted some answers? Ha! Sorry, you're not getting anything out of me. It's bad for business..."

"Oh, there's more to it than that..." Skystrike used his free hoof to open up his helmet. "Allow me to make you more comfortable with a familiar face."

Magnus' eyes went wide. "You... This isn't real! You're supposed to be dead! The fire should've-" He caught himself and stopped his sentence.

Luna took a step forward. "Oh? It seemed that thou had something important to speak of. Do continue."

"I'm quite interested as well." Celestia's magic flared.

"Elytra." Skystrike got her attention. "Bring me my blades, and some potions from Zecora's room. You can infer which ones we'll need." Elytra nodded before teleporting away. "And as for you, Magnus, I'll give you some time to elaborate before things get serious. The fire should've what?"

Magnus looked at him, his purple eyes of hate burning into his soul. Then to Celestia, her magenta eyes judging his every action. Finally, Luna, who's cyan eyes stared coldly at him, wanting to strike him down where he hang. His reasoning got the better of him. "Look, I'll talk, I'll talk!" Skystrike dropped him on the ground. "Blueblood ordered me to do it! No way I could go against him! Besides, you were there in that forest. Surely you understand why I had to take that chance to get rid of you! It was only a matter of time before you spoke!"

Skystrike grit his teeth. For the first time in a while, his eyes burned white in anger. "It all comes... back to him..." Skystrike took a step forward. He felt a hoof on his shoulder, seeing Elytra was back with the gathered items. He pulled back a closed hoof, wanting nothing more than to bash Magnus' head in. With a few deep breaths, he regained his composure, but his eyes kept burning. "I see... Now, what did you mean that there was no way you could go against him?" He squatted down in front of the unicorn. Magnus stared him down, keeping his mouth closed. Skystrike grabbed one of the swords that Elytra bought him. He extended the claws on his armored hooves and pinched the edge with his thumb and index, sharpening it as he moved down the blade. "Won't talk anymore? Well, let me take a guess. Surely it wasn't just because he's part of the royal family, else you wouldn't have came after me... He has dirt on you, doesn't he?"

Elytra raised a hoof. "Actually... I think I might be able to answer that." Skystrike, Celestia, and Luna all turned to look at her. She shrunk a bit at the eyes on her. "Skystrike, uh... when you left All and we disbanded, I went looking into the attack on us. It took a couple months, but I was able to gather enough circumstantial evidence that linked Blueblood to some sort of group with enough power to send guards to kill us, as well as cover it up. If this group is the same as the one this guy is in, then that's the dirt."

"...What sort of 'circumstantial evidence'?" Luna asked.

"Well... there were two dozen that attacked our group a couple of years ago, all wearing the official Royal Guard armor. That meant that either A: Blueblood gathered a small platoon of soldiers unnoticed and was able to cover their deaths without incident, or B: somepony within the guard was able to acquire enough armor to arm their own ponies. Option B made more sense, since it was a escort mission to Canterlot. But after what Skystrike said about his talk with Shining Armor, and Shining armor wanting to avenge them, those were real guards, and option A had to have happened." Elytra explained. "That also means that somepony had to know how to cover up their deaths without raising suspicion. The only ones who'd have that power at the time, besides you, Princess Celestia, would be a General. And we have a general in front of us now with a now well known history of corruption..."

All of their eyes turned back to Magnus as he metaphorically shit his pants. Skystrike clicked his tongue at him before speaking. "And Elytra, why didn't you talk about this before? And no, I'm not mad, despite my tone. Just would like some clarification."

Elytra regained her composure and stood up straight. "Like I said, it was circumstantial. I wouldn't have been able to piece this together if Blueblood didn't tell Shining Armor what you did in that forest..."

"Alright." Skystrike hummed. He tightened his fingers around the edge of the blade and ran them along one last time, sparks flying toward Magnus, bouncing off the wooden floor just below his feet. "Well, that answers that question... Not only were you behind the fire, you were behind the attack of my friends. Now, I wonder how far back your sins go..."

Celestia put a hoof on the pegasus' back. "Skystrike, let's try and calm down a bit for now." Celestia walked between the two stallions, eyeing Magnus. "Though it pains me to say it, you were one of my most trusted ponies at one point. So, was it all an act?"

Magnus rolled over onto his stomach before sitting upright. "You already know the answer to that."

"I suppose I do..." She sighed before picking him up with her magic, making sure he was eye height with the alicorn. "For now, I will... ignore your attack on the crown, and your attack on Skystrike and his allies under his alias. Currently, we are here for the alleged murder of the now former queen of the Changelings. What say you in your defense?"

Magnus smirked. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"He's lying." Elytra stated. Celestia looked at her, as if asking for an explanation. "Most of my kind can only detect love, as it's our main source of food. Caretakers like I were taught to be more in tune with emotions. He's feeling a lot right now. Fear, amusement, apathy... he's lying."

Magnus scoffed. "You're really going to trust that bug? I don't even know what forest it happened in."

Skystrike smirked, pushing his mane out the way. "When did we say it happened in a forest?" Magnus could feel the sweat bead on his forehead. He got caught. "Can't talk your way out of it. You were involved. Want to get it off your chest?"

Magnus held his breath. "Dear sister, it seems that thou hast forgotten how we deal with ponies of his like." Luna stood next to her. "We didn't think our departure would make you so soft." She took Magnus into her magic. "Know this, pony, we are not as merciful as my sister. You will speak of what you know."

Magnus grinned. "Over my dead body."

Skystrike groaned, wordlessly walking up to Magnus and taking him out of the grasp of Luna. He held him over the edge of the Wind Waker, letting him look down to see the ground with terror. Celestia's face contorted into a confused one. "Skystrike, what are you doing?"

"Since he won't talk, I have a question that he can answer without speaking." Skystrike waited for Magnus to look at him. "How long would it take this unicorn to reach terminal velocity?" Skystrike released his grip, letting Magnus fall towards Eques bellow.

"Skystrike, have you lost your mind!?" Celestia began to jump after him by spreading his wings.

Skystrike put a hoof on her chest as he kept falling. "Calm down, I know what I'm doing."

"He's falling to his death!" Luna ran over and put her hoofs on the railing, looking over the edge as well.

"Yeah, because he needs to think I'm actually going to kill him." Skystrike's eyes were still burning white. "Thing is, I already know when he'll reach terminal velocity. I also know when he'll hit the ground, and how much time I have before his death is unavoidable."

"And how do you know this isn't what he wanted to happen!?" Celestia shook the pegasus.

"Simple. If he wanted to die, he would've found a way to kill himself in the cell you guys kept him in, did more to try and antagonize me to kill him, or just bit off his tongue... Despite everything, this bastard wants to cling onto life." He pushed Celestia's hooves off him. Skystrike rolled his neck as he stood on the railing, turned around, and fell backward. "I'll be back."

Skystrike dove backwards off the Wind Waker, his dive speeding up as he pointed himself towards the ground. Magnus flailed in a vain attempt to try and escape the ropes on him, even biting at them to no avail. He didn't want to die like this. He looked down at the ground, his eyes as wide as dinner plates. Time seemed to slow as death began to whisper in his ear. It felt like he was falling for minutes already. They said his life would flash before his eyes, but nothing happened.

"Man, I'd say you still have... two minutes before you hit the ground!" Magnus looked to his left to see Skystrike Falcon diving next to him. Streaks of white light came from his eyes signaling the high speed they were falling at. "Do you think you'll hear your skull split open before you die!?"

"Why are you doing this to me! Why not Blueblood!?"

"Oh don't worry, his judgement will come soon. But this isn't about him right now." Skystrike put his hooves behind his head. "You know, we're on the other side of the Celestial Sea... No pony is coming for you. See, you can see Diamondia over at that ravine!" Skystrike and Magnus kept falling. "You'll die here, a splat on the dirt in the middle of nowhere. The only ones who'd know what happened to you would make sure that word doesn't get out... I'd feel bad for your family if you had any... Man, there's just nopony to remember you, is there!?"

Magnus' eyes began to water from the wind blowing in his face... Well, that would be his excuse if he wasn't fearing for his life. Even in a prison, it'd be better than this ending. "Ok, ok! I'll talk! I'll talk!"

"Hmmm..." Skystrike hummed and put his hooves under his chin. "But that'd ruin the fun. I imagine a splat at this speed would sound great. If I had something to record, it'd be a great stock sound effect."

"You'll want to hear what I have to say! That Changeling was your mom right!?" Magnus turned to look at Skystrike with pleading eyes. "I was told to capture her, not kill her!"

His interest was peaked as he grabbed onto Magnus' ropes. By turning his wings upwards, he began to pull the two up and fly back to the Wind Waker. In a moment, they were back up on the deck. Skystrike smirked as he threw Magnus down. "Well, don't keep us waiting."

Magnus rolled over on his side, catching his breath before speaking. "There isn't much to say... I was given a mission. Said they'd pay me anything, said I'd be a hero. The queen of the Changelings would be in a forest on the outskirts of Canterlot with a traitor... If I made sure that the Changeling was dealt with, I'd get whatever I wanted." He huffed as he saw the skeptic looks on the princesses faces. "Heh, I had that same face, but then they showed me what they could do. I saw them create something from nothing before my eyes, saw magic that not even Starswirl would think of. I couldn't pass that up! All I needed to do was capture her alive and take her to the rendezvous point!"

Elytra shook at the news. "Wh-... where did you take Khrusalis?"

Magnus looked at her. "Some secret bunker they had in the north western part of Equestria. In the North Luna Bay."

Skystrike thought he knew what it was, but he didn't want it to be. He had to confirm it. "...Who did you make this deal with?"

"You wouldn't believe me-"

Skystrike drew his sword and bought it to Magnus's neck, droplets of blood pooling at the edge of his blade. "SPEAK!"

"I don't know, ok!?" Magnus yelled through the tears falling off his face. "They were aliens! They stood on two legs, had long, lanky limbs! Each one were at least eye height with princess Celestia! They had tan skin of all shades! They had no coat! Only manes! They... they looked like apes!"

Skystrike clenched his hooves. "Who did you talk to specifically?"

"I... don't know, ok! He always wore a robe or something! All I know is that they called themselves 'hoo-man'!"

Skystrike wordlessly stood up and sheathed his blade. He pulled back a fist before punching a dent into the floorboards, making the entire ship rock. Everyone had to catch their footing as the ship stabilized itself. "She's alive!" Skystrike thought to himself angrily. "She's alive, and they took her!"

The white eyes of rage burned brighter as Skystrike began growling. He couldn't hold back his wrath anymore. Years of build up anger, self loathing, self blaming, all began bubbling up. He could almost feel it coming out of him. The pegasus felt hot, throwing off his armor, leaving on only his underclothes. His eyes burned even brighter. Elytra began to worry. "Skystrike...? Skystrike! Can you hear me!?"

Skystrike's head snapped in her direction. He could see her, he could hear her, but he couldn't focus on any of them. He stood on his hind legs and squatted down with his arms over his head, trying to contain his anger, fighting himself within his mind. He was failing, as the burning white of his eyes spread over his head, then snaking to the rest of his body as he groaned. "Skystrike!" Celestia, Luna, and Elytra all ran to him, the first picking him up and hugging him. "Skystrike! Everything will be ok, my little pony... I'm sure this is a lot to take in right now-"

He pushed her off of him. He couldn't be near them right now. Skystrike felt like he was literally about to explode. This never happened to him before, but something instinctual told him to get away from them. Skystrike jumped of the edge and flew as hard as he could away from the ship. The three saw him fly away, stopping when the pegasus was just barely able to be made out by squinting. Skystrike roared at the top of his lungs as he screamed to the vast emptiness of the sky around him. As he did so, a ball of white fire burst from him, growing to an amazing, and worrying size around him. The ball of fire was equal, if not greater to the size of the Wind Waker itself, the flames swirling around him as the round of his pained screech hit the onlookers.

Then the force and heat came simultaneously at the three. Celestia, Luna, and Elytra all had to plant their hooves into the deck once more as the ship rocked from the force. Even that wasn't enough as the Wind Waker rocked violently. The three flew into the air and looked at the ball of fire, squinting at the blinding light. Each had a different, yet eerily similar face of worry and fear for and of Skystrike. The two sisters looked between each other as Magnus looked with an unhinged jaw.

As the fire began to dissipate. Elytra quickly flew towards Skystrike, using her magic to teleport closer and closer each time, fearing for her little brother. Once the magical fire was completely gone, she was able to make him out. He flew in the midst of where the explosion once was. An empty look was plastered on his face. She couldn't quite make out what he was feeling, but that wasn't what she needed to do right now, she needed to be there for him.

As soon as she was close enough, she tackled him into a hug. Skystrike was staggered, but regained his elevation as he looked down at his sister. "It's... ok to cry sometimes. You don't always have to stay strong for us." The pegasus could feel something come out of his eyes. He wiped them with a hoof, realizing that his eyes have stopped burning, and that tears were falling like rain. "Everything can be thought about later." Elytra held his head to her chest. "You got a lot of pent up emotions to let out."

Celestia and Luna looked on in worry. The pegasus and changeling slowly flew back to the ship. Celestia looked for the right words. "Luna, you've been... speaking to him through his dreams, right?" Her sister nodded. "Could he... always do that?"

"We... do not know..." Luna admitted. "We mostly spoke about our problem with Nightmare Moon until recently... The brief times he spoke about his problems was to gain our trust."

Celestia's heart wavered. "It just... feels like I barely know him anymore."

"Thoughts for later, sister." Luna put a hoof on her shoulder. "If he wished to speak about it, we believe he would have. Give it time, he may open up."

Skystrike and Elytra slowly flew back onto the ship, the former landing with a thud. He fell to the ground still weeping at the realization he made. He stayed silent as he looked at the floor. Skystrike didn't even know what to do, what to think. On one hand, it's really good news. Khrusalis is alive. On the other hand, it was terrible news. She was with the rest of his kind... on the other side of that portal he destroyed.

There has to be some way to get her back.

Skystrike stood back up, his empty expression still on his face. He turned to look at Magnus. "So, what did you ask for?"

Magnus backed away in fear. "W-... what?"

"You said that the humans gave you something when you completed their task. What was it?"

Magnus quickly answered. "I... never wanted this life. I was in too deep by the time that those... things came around. I asked for a new life to live through. There was this sort of... monkeys paw, for lack of a better term. They cloned me, changed some things around for the clone, then made it so I don't remember what it looks like... They also made sure I didn't know whether I was the clone or not."

Celestia and Luna looked between each other before the former looked back at the unicorn. "Wait, just so I'm understanding right, there's clone of you walking around Equestria? With your memories and past experiences? And the humans made you forget what it looked like?" Magnus nodded. Skystrike scoffed and turned to walk off. "Skystrike? Where are you going?"

Skystrike stopped in front of the door, not looking back at them. "I got all the information I needed from this interaction with Magnus. All that's left for you two is to get whatever information you need about Hydra... But if a certain unicorn doesn't feel so talkative, I will be in the dining room."

Skystrike sighed as he walked to his room and took off his armor before walking to and sitting down in the dining area. The muffins were still there, but he didn't feel hungry. He dug his forehooves into his hair as his elbows laid on the table. Bouncing his knee in thought, he needed to figure out what to do. Skystrike tried to think, but he couldn't focus. The clicking of the clock on the wall, the small humming of the engine, he couldn't get his mind in order.

The pegasus looked at the time. It's been about two hours since Celestia and Luna got here. Celestia already held distrust for him and humanity. From his dream two nights ago, he could tell that Luna was already wary of him. He didn't blame either of them.

He was snapped out of his thoughts by a thump on the deck above him. They were here. Several agonizing minutes passed before he heard the door behind him open. Then he felt a hoof on his back. It was Elytra's hoof. Several sets of steps were heard entering the room. "Zecora, Tethys, and Jeshan are here. I... told them what happened."

Skystrike didn't dare turn around or make eye contact. The rest took his lack of response as an invitation to sit. None of them knew what to say. What could they say? Would it be anything he wanted to hear? Saying that things would get better, that they were there for him, would it matter? The only sound that bounced between the walls of the room was the tapping of Skystrike's hoof on the floor.

Celestia broke the silence. "Skystrike..." His bouncing stopped, notifying that he was listening. "This is... a defining point in this story of yours. When I wept in my chambers for my sister's absence, I thought it was my pain to bear alone. But you were there, reminding me that there will always be someone to pick us up at our lowest. Whether we take that hoof of support is up to us. And from all the beings in this room, it is plain to see that you have so many that wish to help you."

Skystrike inhaled deeply, then let it out. "Your words are... appreciated, Celestia. As well as is the presence of everyone here. I just... need a moment to think." And so he did, for minutes on end. None dared to speak as the humming of the engines went on in the background. Skystrike finally had the words to break the silence. "I think... no. Unless-..." He grinned his teeth together. "Celestia." Her ears perked up as he stammered out her name. "I... Do you trust me?"

She looked confused. "What? Of course I do, my little pony. Why do you ask?"

"There's... there's only one guy who even has a chance of finding a way to get to her."

Her ears went back as her pupils shrunk. "You don't mean-..." It was her turn to take in a deep breath. "You must understand my hesitance to trust 34. Despite that, I trust you enough to at least hear out this... idea of yours."

Skystrike nodded. "When I met Tethys again, in that village to the north, I never told you that I worked with the human to destroy the lab. As 34 told you, that laboratory was made to monitor him, and had a way to get back to his world. As he also said and I can confirm, we destroyed it. But with this new... information Magnus gave us, I need a way of getting there. If we're lucky, 34 knows some way to fix the portal, or make a replica of their portals. If we're able to replicate that magic, there's a sliver of a chance that I can get her back."

Celestia mulled over that thought. "Despite my wish for you to get Khrusalis back, I have my hang ups over this. First, you must remember that a portal opens for both ways. You may as well give the humans a red carpet to waltz in. Second that magic was made a millennia ago. My sister and I made sure that not even a trace of how to conjure a portal was left, and we never learned the spell. That human, 34 is also around your age. He wouldn't know how a spell that old is engineered. All he could potentially know is the destination. Finally, the amount of magic needed to cross the distance to wherever the humans are is near impossible to keep up. A portal takes constant magic to keep active and stable."

Skystrike nodded. "The first part, that makes sense, but I should be able to convince 34 to fight off any that come through. From what he's told me and seen there's no reason they can't invade right now besides lack of manpower. As for the second, we'd basically be starting from zero. 34 did share that he has some information left over from the trashed lab. As for the third, there's two things about that. The first, you more than likely already know, magic is denser in the upper atmosphere, which is most likely why 34 entered up there all those years ago. Second, you just felt how much magic that I have."

"Ah, I've been meaning to ask about that." Celestia leaned forward. "So you do have magic, and a staggering amount of it. Could you always do that?"

"That was the first time it got to that level, but yes." Skystrike stood up and poured himself a cup of water, then some for the rest of them. "It's very complicated, so I'll sum it up as short as I can. While normal beings in this world can use magic as it comes to them, there's a few extra... gimmicks with mine. It ties in with Casta's theory of mana. Basically, you all make magic naturally, subconsciously. I need to focus to turn mana into magic, consciously. On top of that, the magic I use and the level of magic I can use relies on my emotional state. I can get into more detail another time, there's a lot that I've kept from you two." He sighed. "Didn't want attention on myself, so I kept it secret." Then he looked around the room. "Oh, right, now that I'm not about to explode, where's Magnus."

"Frozen and in storage." Tethys breathed out some cold air. "Honestly, I'm surprised you controlled yourself enough to not fillet him then and there... I would've."

"I thought about it." Elytra huffed.

Celestia's ears perked up at the changeling speaking. "Oh, I've also been meaning to ask you, Ms. Elytra, how do you know about the stuff within my Royal Guard?"

"...Let's just say I'm a very good stealth operative." Elytra answered. "But if it makes you feel better, I didn't infiltrate the guard until after we were banished."

"Oh... you were both banished... I'm sorry, Elytra. I've been treating you unfairly."

Elytra waved a hoof. "Water under the bridge."

Skystrike jumped back into the conversation. "Anything else anyone wants to share? I have a bit of work to do."

Jeshan raised a brow. "Your gonna work on that portal stuff already?"

"Oh, no, not yet." Skystrike shook his head. "I need to check on the engine. That burst of magic I had could've messed something up. Being honest, it's more to get my mind off... this..."

Zecora spoke up. "Should I fetch Casta and Alder near? We're all here, and it seems you need cheer."

Skystrike nodded. "That would be nice. If Astral's there, then she can come too. Tell me when they get here." And with that, he got up and began walking to the back of the ship.

The rest of the beings present sat in silence. Once again, they didn't really know what to do. Tethys looked at the muffins on the table before picking up one and eating half in one bite. "I've seen him when he goes through something tough, but..."

"Never that bad?" Jeshan, Zecora, and Elytra finished.

Celestia sighed. "He's changed so much since he was a colt. I just..."

"Wish you were there?" This time, Luna joined in.

"I can't imagine how much he's changed." Tethys started. "You two, being alicorns, can probably back me up on this. There's so many beings that we see over our lives that so many change ever so slowly. But with all the hardships he's lived through, he's grown more than most of the other beings I've met...." She groaned. "And while I don't know what he was like before, it feels like he's regressing."

"I can say for certain that he's not 'regressing' but he's definitely changing." Elytra stated. "I'm not sure if he told the rest of you, but he trusts each of us. I have quite a story to tell. Let's just make sure that it stays between us."

In a matter of minutes, with Celestia going back to Casta and Astral to signal the importance of the meeting, and Zecora going to get Alder, they all came back and sat around the table. Elytra crossed her hooves and sighed. "So, for the few of you who aren't familiar with the rest of us, I'm Elytra, the Diamond Dog is Jeshan, and the Griffon is Alder. We were all part of Skystrike's group, and are still friends to this day." Then she turned to two ponies in particular. "Princess Celestia, Astral Night, before I begin, I must ask how much you know about Skystrike's past?"

Astral looked to Casta and Celestia, who both nodded. "If you mean as a colt, I was there with him up until he faked his death. Specifically, from 10 to 16. Before that, he never talked about it aside from that one time at his house."

"Well... Astral knows more than me." Celestia admitted.

"Very well. I will start from the beginning." Elytra rolled her shoulders. "Almost twenty years ago, the former queen of the Changelings, Khrusalis, introduced an orphaned pegasus to the hive. We were instructed to treat him as one of our own. I was his caretaker, meant to tend to all physical and mental problems that came to my attention." She sighed. "I felt from the beginning that Skystrike had much to untangle, but he didn't wish to speak on his past until a few months ago. There's no pleasant way to say this, so I'll speak bluntly. His words, he was an investment, and was bought up to be a soldier. He escaped, slaughtering everyone in his way. When he came to the hive, he was surprised at the change in environment, where he, again his words, wasn't forced to kill anyone. As he grew older, he began to open up more. Began to laugh, smile, enjoy the life that was almost taken from him. By his request, Khrusalis sent him to Canterlot to live in an orphanage so he could live around ponies like him. I wasn't there for much of that, but we can all fill in the blanks from the stories he's told us. He helped raise his siblings, went to school, got adopted by Princess Celestia, and then, on his 14th birthday, something happened in a forest outside the Canterlot walls. Princess Luna, he said he spoke to you about this subject. You've actually seen his memories. Can you continue for this part?"

Luna nodded, then cleared her throat. "We will leave out some of the more... gruesome details. He and Khrusalis met within a forest to spend time together for his birthday. Magnus interrupted their reunion to capture the Changeling, mortally wounding Skystrike in the process. Try as he may, he could not have saved her. There, Skystrike blamed himself for his mother's assumed death, and where one can assume his megalomania, his desire for a greater power, began."

They all looked to Astral, who realized it was her turn to fill in the blanks. "...Now that I think on it, he was... different around that time, but I just thought it was normal. He did just come back from being in Cloudsdale for two years... He was protective to all of us, overprotective at some points. I guess he didn't want to lose us. Even though he was adopted by Princess Celestia, he still spent every night back home. He started to get better I think... and then... the fire happened." Astral winced at the word coming out of her mouth, the scar on her back leg tingling. "You know, he never did tell me at least how he got out of that... I saw the building collapse in on him."

"I'm able to answer that." Elytra exhaled out of her nose. "A couple of us Changelings switched shifts, watching him and making sure he stayed save. One of my colleagues was able to get him out and nurse him back to health. But from about 16 to 18, none of us really know what happened during his life personally. He gave us his diary to read through. Skystrike began working as a mercenary, and where he first began his... 'persona' for lack of a better word, as Atlas Nebula. He had a friend he worked with, Steel Ace, who taught him the ropes for those years. But something happened with him too..." Elytra sighed. "Steel Ace was accused of rape, and the only one to believe him that he didn't do it was Skystrike. Even his own family abandoned Ace. Skystrike still stood by him, and went to his birthday party, though they were the only two there to celebrate it. The morning after, Skystrike, now 18 at the time, found Steel Ace dead in his room... he hung himself..."

"I remember that." Celestia sighed as well. "A few days after Ace's passing, he lured the accuser to one of Canterlot's clock towers and got her to admit to her lies... But what he didn't tell the mare was that he rigged the room with magic to announce it to everypony within earshot of the clock tower. It was my first interaction with Atlas, since it was trespassing on government property and entrapment. But he said he'd go with any punishment as long as she was punished too. In the end, I just gave him community service. He was clearly grieving."

"And then I met him." Tethys said, laying her arms on the table. "Don't know how many months it was between that and when he met me, but I guess it doesn't matter." Then she chuckled slightly. "I was being hunted down by some ponies who heard of a dragon on the outskirts of Canterlot. Four ponies almost bought me to my end, and Skystrike needed the money. But he saw me there, waiting on death's doorstep, and for some reason, decided to nurse me back to health... He was the first one to show me kindness, no strings attached."

"And after my voyage across the sea, It was then that he came to meet me." Zecora continued. "In this new land, no one by my side, just a goal to study magic, my guide. I thought I'd spend my time alone, forlorn. But at that port, he offered help, reborn. Seemed too good to be true, I must confess, but he became my first friend in this new address."

"And then we met." Casta used her magic to pick up her cup of water. She sighed. "It was a few months after Zecora joined, he was still 18. I... used to be a noble. I specialize in Enchanting and Destruction magic. My ancestors specialize in Conjuration. I 'did not look good' as part of that 'family'." She made quotation marks with her hooves. "I was a stain to my family, a bad enough one where they sent two assassins after me... It was by pure luck that Skystrike found me when he did, but he fought them off at the risk of his own life."

Elytra spoke again. "And then he met Maud, the earth pony of our group. Something about graveworms on her family farm. It was a solo mission, and he didn't talk about it that much, said it wasn't important. But after that, I officially joined. He'd have been 19 at the time, but it wasn't a meeting with a happy ending." Her wings spread open at the memory. "I was still in the hive at the time, and was given a task by the current queen, Chrysalis. I was to find Skystrike, and bring him back to the hive... I can't talk about what was spoken there, but the aftermath wasn't pretty... A family was torn even further apart. Chrysalis had a plan, and Skystrike threatened to kill her if she went through with it. In the end, he was banished, and I couldn't stand by a hive so far gone. I left with him."

"Yeesh, didn't know about that part... I met him a bit after that I guess." Jeshan blinked. "You know, we never really talked about how we all met him, huh? Mine is boring compared to the rest of you. While I was studying to be an artificer, I was looking for ways to perfect my craft. You ponies rely on magic much more than us dogs, so I travels to Equestria to learn. Unfortunately, no pony was really willing to teach a Diamond Dog about magic. I met that pegasus on my way back home, was on a train from southern Equestria to Griffonstone to make the trek back to Diamondia, but I met the rest on the ride there. Skystrike said that he and Casta knew a lot about magic, and they could learn from me about my race's magic and culture."

"Same here." Alder nodded. "Came to Equestria because my niece said she liked the place. I was getting up there in age, and I decided I needed to make some bits. Luckily, Skystrike was looking for someone to take over finances. I thought it'd be a competitive position, but I was the only applicant. Most ponies didn't want to work with all of our kinds, and the few that remained weren't comfortable with the constant danger we would be in. After that, Celeano, the Avian and Skybeak, the Hippogriff. Don't really know how they met, but they weren't around for too long compared to the rest of us. We'll ask once we see them again."

Tethys addressed the elephant in the room. "And then... Blueblood happened."

"Aye." Alder sighed. "We got a contract from the crown, and it promised bits up front, and even more on completion. When I showed it to Skystrike, he said it'd be an easy job, plus we were short on bits in the first place. But looking back on it, we were never told who we were transporting... By the time we realized, we were already surrounded on all sides. Each one of us fell unconscious aside from Tethys, Zecora, Casta, and Skystrike."

Casta hummed. "You know, thinking back on it, we never told the rest of you how we got out of there alive, did we?" Then she sighed. "That was for a reason... He begged us, and I mean begged, to not talk about it. Even with all we're speaking about right now, I'm still... He did a lot for us, least we can do is respect his wishes. But I'll say this: he did what he always does. Protect us."

Zecora tried to find the right words. "Then we parted ways, a bitter start,. Without him, things just fell apart. He brought us together, a bond so tight, without his presence, his absence darkens the light. Two years passed when I chose Ponyville's cheer, the Everfree Forest seemed best for me, clear. And then, to my surprise, he was there, a reunion of fate, beyond compare. " Her lips curled up a bit. "Though hesitant at first, our bond renewed. Such friends in this land, rare and true. For beings like us, it's a special find, a friendship rekindled, hearts aligned."

"Then it was pure coincidence that you two princesses sent him to that village in the north. We were after the same targets, those dragons." Tethys rolled her shoulders on her wings. "Took a bit of a talking to, he still blamed himself for all that happened to us, but he got better. We got better. He even introduced us to some of his friends. Went to Canterlot, fixed the broken bridges with Casta and Maud, started this trip, now Alder and Jeshan are here... Things were looking great too. Then... you know, Magnus happened."

Astral stayed quiet for a minute. "So... how do we help him? Can we help him?"

Silence clouded the room before Luna was able to answer. "We do not know. All we can do is be there for him."

Casta inhaled through his teeth. "You know, I'd agree with you, but I'm not sure that's the best idea. Skystrike is a smart guy, but not so much emotionally. If we all try to barrage him with support, he'll feel like he's a burden to us. It's why he left in the first place. If he wants to talk about it, he'll talk about it." She straightened her wizard hat. "Speaking of, where is he?" She looked around the room, then realized somepony else was missing. "Where's Astral?"

The unicorn in question was galloping through the halls of the ship, looking through each door to find her older brother. Down another set of stairs, she was at the cargo bay, but he wasn't there. Then the bedrooms, he wasn't there. Each room she cleared, the more she worried. Did he leave the ship? But then her ear flicked at a sound coming from the end of the hall. It was the sound of magic being cast. A lot of it.

Working with Casta Spell made her a bit more attuned to magic. She could feel the excess magic expelling from the room. Astral slowly walked over and pushed the door open. A large spherical object sat at the back of the room, pipes extending from it and going into the walls. There was a loud hum that went throughout the room, as well as an azure blue glow that hugged each piece of metal. She looked closer, seeing how the reactor had a sort of reinforced glass letting an observer look within. Azure magic swirled within. Astral realized that it was turning mana into magic, and an astounding amount of it.

She stopped her mind from wandering so she could get back on track. Skystrike was sitting in the center of the room, his back turned towards her as he checked and took note of several valves on each of the pipes. "Skystrike..." Astral unconsciously called out.

Skystrike jumped at the sudden call of his name. Turning to look through his vizor, he saw his little sister. His heart slowed at the sight of the lilac unicorn before he took off his helmet. "Hey Astral, what are you doing here?" He forced a smile. Astral had to admit, it was convincing. "If I knew you were coming, I'd have at least made dinner... Well, with your time zone, it'd be a late lunch."

Astral walked up to him and sat down. "Well, this came as a surprise to me too... They told me everything."

Skystrike blinked at that. "...Everything everything?"

She nodded. "Everything everything."

Skystrike sighed. "I tried to keep it from you for a reason."

"Do... do you not trust me?"

"What? Of course I trust you, Astral! It's just... hard for me to talk about stuff like this." Skystrike shook his head. "I already fucked up your life enough, everyone's lives enough. The more you all worry about me, the worse it'll get for you. Best to not worsen it any more... Besides, what would you do? What would any of you do? This arm isn't going to come back, the pain we all went through wont go away.... I'm just prone to keep making these mistakes. I don't want the rest of you to get caught up in them anymore."

Astral could feel the tears well up in her eyes. "Stop it! Stop talking about yourself like your a problem! An object!" Skystrike jumped at her sudden yelling. "You say you don't want to hurt us, but you hurt us the most by doing this!" Skystrike's heart cracked as those words came out of her mouth. "And you know what? It's okay!" His ears perked up in confusion. "You keep going through this things thinking that, but that's life! To live! To experience everything! The good and the bad! That's what living is! You taught me that!" Skystrike had no words. "When you came back, I... I didn't know what to feel. But it hurt... and I'd go through that pain time and time again if it meant I got to see you again. And I can speak for everypony- eveyone on that."

Skystrike winced. "I... forget how much I mean to you all... Thank you, Astral." Skystrike once again jumped, this time at the sudden hug. She wept into his chest as Skystrike slowly brushed her mane with a hoof. "I promise, I'll do my best to get better."

After a short while, Astral night reentered the kitchen. Although a bit nervous, he knew he could trust them. He had to. He sighed. "I've gathered my thoughts. I'm doing better than I was earlier, but my mind is still wandering. While I know you're all here for me, and I appreciate it, I... need some more time to think on it."

They all smiled at the change in mood. Although he wouldn't be his normal self for a while, he wasn't visibly in distress at least. "Glad you're feeling better..." Jeshan chuckled. "Now, I don't mean to be that guy, but can you make more of that pasta dish you made yesterday?"

"Jeez dude!" Tethys slapped her forehead. "Really? Now??"

"Your stomach was rumbling the whole time we were talking." Jeshan quipped back. "And I doubt you ever learned how to cook."

"Oh, she learned... well, began to." Casta giggled. "And I can tell that you didn't make these."

Alder chuckled. "Well you couldn't really cook either from what I remember, magic mare."

"Okay!? I at least have an excuse! Not necessarily a good one, but I went from being a noble to in the group where Skystrike always cooked. Nopony taught me."

Elytra laughed. "You're right, that wasn't a good one! But Tethys' excuse is that she can eat raw meat."

"Wh- but-" Casta stammered for her words. "You can't cook either!"

"Yeah, because I'm a Changeling. I don't even have to eat solid food." Then she hummed. "Though I will admit, that pasta dish yesterday was great. I could go for it again..."

"I could go for some pasta..." Astral pulled on the neck of her sweater.

Skystrike looked at her, then looked at the princesses. Their faces showed that they also wanted some. Skystrike stretched. "Alright, so, you all want pasta. Which of you are going to help me cook? I'd be cooking for nine, but with some of us here, it might as well be twenty."

Celestia narrowed her eyes. "...What do you mean by that?"

"I mean that I eat enough for four ponies." Skystrike started, then pointed at each of them. "Tethys is a whole ass dragon, who's shaped like a pear." Elytra choked at the comment. Then Skystrike pointed to the alicorn of the night. "Luna is insecure for a reason, and Celestia, I can see your cutie mark from the front." The room went silent as Celestia sat flustered. Her sister began shaking, trying to contain her laughter.

"Jeez, Skystrike, have you lost your mind!?" Astral's jaw dropped.

"It's only bad if the joke didn't land." Skystrike gave a small smirk before putting a hoof on her back and pointing to the surrounding faces of barely contained laughter. "I think it landed."

Celestia sighed before laughing lightly. "You know, while I do get tired of the jokes about my rear, once in a while, I hear a new one."

"Oh I got plenty of jokes I can make about you." He affirmed. "During my diss track, I made fun of your forehead." Luna couldn't contain it anymore and laughed. Hard. The rest soon joined in. "I also said in my letters that I'd give you silly nicknames. Celestorol, Cake n' Bake, Sun pone, Celery, Sunburn, And those are just the ones I remember."

"...Can-... Can we eat?" Celestia stammered out making them all laugh more.

"Oh my, sister, Skystrike surely has some gossip on you. So much had to have happened over the years I was away. We'd love to keep this conversation going." Luna leaned forward.

Skystrike looked at Celestia, who sighed. "She won't leave it be unless you indulge her."

Taking it as confirmation it was ok, Skystrike went to grab his apron. He began to think back as he tied the cloth around him. "Uh, when I was twelve, I... no, I'll tell a different one. When I was fifteen, Cadence asked Celestia on advice to get the attention of a colt she liked. Then I walked in on it, and you could tell that she didn't pull any in a long while." Skystrike chuckled. "I had to explain to a mare almost three years older than me and another mare however many years older than me that no, it is not a good idea to do an ancient pegasus dance to attract a suiter... with a demonstration..."

"No way..." Casta stood up with her hooves on the table. She looked at Celestia's face, the alicorn hiding it in her hooves. "NO WAY! AHAHAHAHA!"

Zecora brayed, making the rest laugh even harder. Celestia cleared her throat. "I wish I had some form of gossip on you. Sure, we shared some cute moments, but nothing was embarrassing... At least not as much as that." Then she thought. "There was that time for a few months straight where you sang in the bathroom without realizing that it wasn't sound proof."

A few giggles were heard from that comment. "That is pretty cute! Come on, you have to have something else!" Astral egged her Celestia on.

"Well, for about a week, he asked me and Cadence to teach him how to do makeup."

Astral tilted her head and looked at her brother. "Why did you need to learn that?"

"Who taught you and Dawnstone how to do their makeup?"

Celestia cooed at that. "Aww... how precious! By the way, Skystrike?" He looked up from mincing garlic. "What was the first thing you stopped yourself from speaking of?" Skystrike stopped mid grate before putting down the garlic, and walking over to the princess of the sun, motioning her to lean down.

She did so, letting Skystrike whisper into her ear. "When I was twelve, you told me that I could get some bits out of your nightstand. I remember you telling me 'bottom drawer'. The thing is, you didn't tell me which nightstand."

Her eyes went wide in shock, the thousand yard stare etched across her face. She slowly sat up straight and crossed her hooves. "Skystrike?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm very... very sorry."

"...By the dragon lord, what did you say to her?" Tethys raised a brow in mild worry.

"Nothing important." Skystrike went back to grating the garlic. "Oh, Tethys, can you get the shrimp from cold storage? We only need four. Elytra, can you get the parmesan from the cargo bay?"

"Oh, we ran out of parmesan cheese yesterday. You cooked a lot."

Skystrike fell to the floor is somewhat mock sorrow. Jeshan and Alder put their respective appendages on his back as they wept at the meal now lost. Luna chipped in. "Um... if thou would like, we have spare wheels of the cheese in our kitchen."

Skystrike slowly stood up and turned to her before clapping his hooves together. "I beg of you, we need the cheese. It'll be worth it." With a flash of her magic, a ten pound wheel of cheese fell into his hooves. Skystrike held it out to Alder, who used one of his sharp talons to cut a thick line in the cheese. Skystrike then held it up to Jeshan, who split the wheel with his laser eye. "Aw fuck yeah." Skystrike set the halves on the counter before getting out the butter. "Jeshan, pass me the salt and pepper. Alder, get the heavy whipping cream."

The rest watched as Skystrike reached to one of the top cabinets, opening it and showing- "Jeez, what do you need that many types of seasonings for?" Astral looked at the dozens of jars of spices, all seemingly personally made.

Skystrike grabbed one of the jars and sniffed it. "...To season?" He snickered before placing it onto the counter next to the cheese. Jeshan wordlessly threw Skystrike a box of butter. He caught it with his hoof before opening it and putting in the butter. Simultaneously, Alder threw him the container of cream for the pegasus to catch and scoop out half the container and also throw it in the skillet, letting the ingredients simmer. As if on queue, Tethys came back in with two shrimps under each of her arms. "What in Tartarus are those!?"

"Shrimp." Tethys answered.

"Specifically, Pistol Shrimps." Jeshan clarified. "They taste pretty good."

Skystrike opened a bottom drawer and pulled out a large pot and filled it with water. He put it on heat and waited for it to boil as he added his seasoning to the mixture of butter and cream. Then the salt, pepper, garlic, and parmesan. "Glad they aren't native to Equestria."

"We have them in the Dragon Seas actually." Tethys put down the shrimp. "They migrate there every couple years. There's a huge hunt for them, since they are pretty dangerous."

Casta leaned back in her chair. "You know, I always wanted to go there to study magic. But most of your kind don't treat those they see as weaker very well."

Tethys sighed. "Yeah... it's a pride thing, ingrained in our culture. Weak should fear the strong and all that. I mean, we have schools and stuff, but not like you ponies. Instead of teachers, we have shamans and elders, who pass on stories and techniques to the newer generations. Actually, our Rite of Passage is to bring back worthy prey."

"Really? How long does that take? And with this passage, what's at stake?" Zecora asked.

"Well, there isn't a time limit, but you aren't allowed back into the Seas until you bring back worthy prey or some emergency happens." Tethys scratched the back of her neck. "Most dragons stay in what you ponies call the Dragon Lands until they are able to get a good hunt. Some decide they're fine with that life and never come back. Enough where they have their own Dragon Lord and set of rules. I decided to go back home, bringing back a Bugbear."

"You took down a Bugbear alone?" Celestia was surprised. "And that's a normal prey?"

She shook her head. "No actually, it was considered amazing for my age. I was around 120 at the time. I'm just glad I did it. Thing is, the older and bigger a dragon gets, they're expected to bring back greater prey. Eventually, some get so big where the only prey they can bring back is other dragons. Probably why the Dragon Lands started."

"So if I'm understanding this right..." Casta took off her hat and pushed up her glasses. "The Dragon Lands are where the weaker dragons are, and the Dragon Seas are where the strongest of your kind are?"

"Sums it up, yes." She nodded. "Though the rule is broken sometimes. Every couple of centuries, all the dragons across the world are invited to the Dragon Seas for a tournament called 'Kein Fah Fin Sil.'" She could feel the eyes on her. "Oh, right. That was the old tongue. It would best translate to 'War for the soul'. Basically, the standing Dragon Lord's children all fight for the position. The sons and daughters all bring in their thralls to battle it out."

"...We must be missing some steps." Luna cleared her throat. "How does thou fight for the throne through these... what exactly are thralls within this context?"

"So basically, thralls are... well they would be similar to a noble's personal knight? Someone that the dragon in question trusts with their life, normally another dragon. The thrall is supposed to represent the strength of the one they serve under. And the thrall is often weaker than said dragon. Onto the fight itself, because it's a battle to be the Dragon Lord, other dragons are allowed to participate. The participating dragons are randomly chosen to fight the thralls, back to back or in groups depending on what the thrall wishes." She turned her chair around to give her tail more room. She slapped it against the floor as she continued. "Once the thrall beats all challengers, the thrall must then fight the other thralls. If a thrall is defeated, the dragon in line can no longer compete unless they wish to fight themselves, though it is seen as dishonorable. Once all those thralls are defeated, then the dragon battles the thrall. If the dragon wins, they become the new Dragon Lord. If the thrall wins, then they must fight the current Dragon Lord, as to show they have a superior bloodline. Either way, the new Dragon Lord is then allowed to choose from the strongest participants for spouses to then spread that blood for a stronger generation."

"Other spouses?" Alder fidgeted with his lighter, flicking it open and closing it over and over again. "You know, for some reason, I always thought dragons were... what's the word? Monotonous?"

Jeshan chuckled. "Monogamous, Alder. And from what I know, monogamy is mostly a Diamond Dog thing. Something about our primal instincts or whatever..."

"Yeah, ha!" Alder chuckled. "It depends mostly on the griffon for us. The bird part of us wants one mate, while the lion part wants several."

"That's how that works?" Skystrike began making plates. While they were talking, he already finished their meals. "Now that you mention it, your brother did have one wife."

"It's a bit different for us dragons. We don't care like you ponies about the amount of spouses, or even the concubines. We just wish for a child to surpass their parents. A male can have several wives, or one, and vice versa. Of course, it's also a bit of a power thing. For example, my father had three wives by the time I left about seven decades ago. He is expected to be able to dominate each of his wives, and any new ones... I suppose it's similar to how you ponies are with your herds?"

"Oh my~" Elytra went.

Casta groaned. "Girl, get a coltfriend!"

Astral tilted her head. "Wait, Tethys, if the thralls help the dragon they're under become the Dragon Lord, what happens to the thrall if they lose? Also, what about the thralls that aren't dragons?"

"Normally elope with the dragon. They are at least the second strongest after all." Tethys breathed some cold air out of her mouth with a huff. "The ones that aren't dragons aren't allowed to become the Dragon Lord, the fight itself would more be for fun than anything else. But, the children of that thrall can still try for the title the next time around. Dragon blood is so pure that no matter the race we breed with, the child will be considered a dragon. For example, around six hundred years ago, the Dragon Lord Naaslaarum had a wife that was a minotaur. Four hundred years ago, one of my mothers had a Changeling husband, though I never met him. He had to return to his hive before his passing."

Elytra gasped. "You're related to Old King Rathuum the Dauntless!?"

"Oh yeah, that was his name! was he someone important?"

"He was the greatest, and strongest of all of the Changelings to date!" Elytra said excitedly. "All I've heard of him was tales of him defeating countless dragons! I actually heard how he first gained the throne by protecting our hive from a dragon that he fought to submission! So that's where he went..."

Skystrike balanced each plate on his wings and forehooves before serving everyone, giving the shrimp to the meat eaters. They all thanked him before digging in. "Mmm, Skystrike, you must give me the recipe." Celestia licked her lips. "Though I didn't know that you also ate seafood."

"How do you think I got so big?" Skystrike swirled the pasta around his fork before putting it in his mouth. "And I can send you the recipe, but most of these seasonings I got in Griffonstone and here in Diamondia... Gives me a reason once I become a noble I guess."

"You're a noble?" Jeshan and Alder stopped mid bite.

"Oh, yeah, I guess I didn't say that part. Basically, because I was adopted by Celestia, I'm technically a prince. Once I deal with Blueblood, I'll actually be acting like one... Speaking of, Celestia, Luna, how many extra tickets you got? And what do I have to do to convince you to give me..." He quickly counted in his head. "Ten of them?"

She hummed in thought. "Well, I already gave you three... I assume you'd give them to your friends and siblings. Honestly, we have a few extra tickets, as Cadence and Shining wont be able to attend. I've actually already sent invitations to your siblings and Paprika. I could fit in five more."

"Thank you-"

"But in exchange, I need the ingredients for this meal. Also, just a word of warning, the many nobles at the party won't be a fan of the other races here. Try as I may to curve their discrimination, it is Canterlot."

"Well fuck em. What are they gonna do, kick us out? Besides, we're used to it."

"Yeah." the non-ponies sighed.

"Oh yeah, Tethys?" Skystrike looked to the dragoness, who had half of the shrimp in her jaws. "Jeez, finish chewing first." She did, gulping down the piece. "Now, about your fight thing, the Kein? You said that the sons and daughters of the Dragon Lord bring in thralls to fight right?"

"...Yeah?"

Skystrike put down his fork. "And you were telling me about some thing we're doing once we reach the Dragon Seas earlier. Assuming those are one in the same... Are you a princess?"

They all looked at her expectantly. She sighed. "Guess I talk too much, huh? That or you catch on too quick. Yes, in your pony terms, I am a princess."

Celestia put down her fork and held her head. "...You're telling me... when those ponies almost killed you, it could've caused a war?"

"Oh, no. If I would've died there, nothing would've happened. I would've just been seen as weak." Tethys waved a hand. "Princess is more of a title. All it does is tell you what my lineage is. We don't even have a military."

"Oh thank me." Celestia sighed and leaned back in her chair.

"Wait so that thing about thralls becoming-" Astral was shut up by Casta elbowing her side. "OOoooh..." Then she looked at Skystrike who was obliviously destroying his meal.

Skystrike finished chewing. "Well, princess Tethys, any idea who I'm going against."

"Don't call me princess." She sighed. "I grew tired of that title after the first two hundred years of hearing it. As for the who, they will most likely be fully grown dragons. My siblings, if they're smart, will bring someone as strong as them if they want to be the Lord. If they just want to stop me from being the Lord, you may have your work cut out for you."

"Are they as strong as you?" Skystrike asked.

"Oh, no, not at all." Tethys laughed. "Like I said, I'm one of the strongest out there. We're assumedly equal in strength, so you should be fine."

"Wait, you're going to be fighting against dragons!? Again!? You can't be serious!" Astral said with worry. "It took your stake launcher to take out the last one, and you needed help!"

"Yeah, true. But I did this cool thing called 'holding back'." Skystrike put up his front hooves and made an explosion motion with them. "Remember, I can make magic, and I specialize in destruction."

"Yeah, if you saw that explosion earlier, you would not be worrying right now." Elytra finished her plate.

"Wait, so if Skystrike is gonna win this Kein, then you know what that means!" Jeshan smirked.

"Dragon hoes?" Alder and Skystrike turned to him.

"Dragon hoes!" Jeshan confirmed as the three boys cheered.

"I will turn all of you into popsicles!" Tethys roared, making the boys laugh.

Jeshan kept going though. "Skystrike, you know they're still reptiles... that means that they don't have a gag reflex."

"YO!" Skystrike shouted before laughing. Tethys responded by shooting a ball of ice at Skystrike and Jeshan. Jeshan's face was frozen solid, while Skystrike used his right arm to catch the one coming at him. He crushed it in his hoof. "Jeez, Tethys, it ain't that serious."

"Wh-... Skystrike, how did thou catch that? Tethys is merely across the table." Luna asked.

"Spend enough time with someone, and they become predictable." He hit the ice on Jeshan's head to break it. The Dog shook his head to get the fragments of ice off his fur.

"But-... Even so, you had less than half a second to process it, let alone react!"

"Well, the funny answer I can give you is that I have a really good reaction time. The actual answer is that my adrenaline is still pumping after earlier." Skystrike shrugged.

Jeshan decided to change the mood to one better. "Hey, did the two of you decide who's stronger yet? Because me and Skybeak made a bet and I want to win."

"Oh, no." Skystrike shook his head. "I fight for business, not so much for pleasure."

Elytra furrowed her brow. "You suplexed Tethys yesterday?"

"You what? How did you manage that?" Casta asked. "She's so-..." She cut herself off when the dragoness stared her down. "You know..."

"That was not much better." Tethys groaned.

Celestia sighed. "You get used to it."

"Oh, that's because I'm just strong. I'm that guy. But that was also for fun. To answer your question, Jeshan, I'm stronger." Skystrike began serving more plates to those who wanted it.

Tethys took a second plate. "I'll let you think that, but remember, we've never fought seriously."

Skystrike looked at her. "Tell you what, you start preparing for that tournament thing, and I'll fight you." Then he put his hooves on her shoulders to look into her eyes. "And just so we're clear, I will fight you, magic and all. You can back out at any time and I won't judge you or bring it up. While I can't promise I won't hold back, I will try as hard as my brain will let me."

Her grin grew wider as each word came out of his mouth. "It's a deal!"

"Cool." Skystrike said before going back to destroying his Shrimp Alfredo. Then he suddenly paused. "...A thought occurred. Celestia, Luna, how is our relationship with the Hippogriffs? We are about to go to their capital."

"Well, we're on speaking terms." Luna started. "Admittedly we do not keep well enough contact besides the yearly meetings for territories and possible exchange programs that are never seen through. Their current ruler is Queen Novo, and just had a daughter almost a decade ago."

Celestia nodded. "I do remember there is some issue they're having though. I'd recommend erring on the side of caution." Then she remembered something. "Speaking of caution, how was your stay in Griffonstone? Their crown is in shambles right now... Somewhat pains me to say it, but I had my suspicions that it's related to you."

Skystrike looked at Alder, Alder looked back, both of their mouths were full of pasta. They both swallowed before Skystrike nodded. Alder cleared his throat. "Well, I didn't think it would get to you so soon, Princess. Me and my griffons were after a noble named Wattle, I'm sure you're aware of the corruption in my country. While Skystrike visited, one of my men gave me a tip on some 'goods' that were being transported by one of Wattle's airships. As we had no way of getting up there ourselves without Wattle fleeing, I asked to borrow this airship we're on. Other than that and taking over their airship, Skystrike wasn't involved with Wattle."

Luna looked at her sister as Celestia's eye twitched. "Skystrike, honey, do you know how much work my sister and I will need to do to cover this up if word gets out you helped them?" She forced out with barely hidden frustration.

"A friend asked for help, and I gave help. None of the griffons besides Alder and the ones under him know I helped. We... dealt with the rest." Skystrike kept eating. "Even if he didn't ask for help, I would've stopped Wattle anyway, the dude was the scum of Eques.'

"You... you killed him!??" Celestia shouted.

"No." Skystrike answered.

"I did." Alder clarified.

She looked between the two, her frustration growing to annoyance. "Skystrike, this is serious! If this gets out, it's a political nightmare! And I won't be able to do anything to protect you!"

Skystrike furrowed his brow, getting annoyed himself. "I'm going to ignore that last sentence, you don't have a good track record." Celestia's ears went back as she winced. "Just know that no blood is on my hooves. I did it for a good reason. Besides, I'm very good with covering my tracks."

Luna shook her sisters arm to get her attention. "Not now, Luna! Skystrike, what could this griffon have done to make you get involved!?"

Skystrike sighed. "Fine, want the truth?" He put his fork down. "Wattle was trafficking Farasians and Saddle Arabians to eat them. I'm sure I told you my history with that, right?"

Celestia cringed. "Ah... I see... I am sorry, Skystrike..."

Skystrike sighed as he crossed his hooves. "I'm not annoyed at your ignorance of the situation, Celestia. You just learned about it. I'm annoyed that I had to bring up what he did for you to get off my ass." Then he sighed. "Don't worry about it. I'll forget by the morning if I sleep tonight. Also, expect some message from the Saddle Arabians and Farasians. You would've found out from them that I was involved anyway." Skystrike put his dishes in the sink before putting on his helmet. "Hope you all enjoyed the meal. I'll send the stuff for the recipe later. If you need me, I'll be on the deck of the Wind Waker."

And with that, he walked out the room. They stayed silent as they heard the hooves steps move out of earshot. Tethys groaned as she slammed her head into the table, visible frustrated. "And it was going so well..."

Alder huffed, walking over to one of the windows and opening it to begin puffing at his cigar. With a long exhale of smoke, he clicked his beak. "Sorry about that. I just wanted to protect the guy, you know?"

"It's not you I'm mad at, Alder." The dragoness showed her teeth.

"Tethys, I know this isn't the best thing to say right now, but you need to calm down." Casta put a hoof on her leg.

Tethys looked at her angrily, then inhaled deeply through her nose. Cold mist left her mouth as she exhaled. "Then one of you tell her, because I'm gonna be mean about it."

Casta looked to everyone else, each of them turned away. She sighed. "Princess Celestia, one of the focal points in our group is that we all trust each other. Sure, friends trust each other, but we've all silently bonded over the trauma each of us went through... When you kept pushing to the point Skystrike had to tell you why it happened, he took it as you thinking he had a weak moral compass..."

"Also remember that he made the group in the first place to deal with beings that hurt us." Elytra put her plate and fork in the sink as well. "In a sense, you compared him to the ones we fight against. They actually have a weak moral compass... I'd recommend going to talk to him."

Celestia quickly nodded before getting up from her chair, speed walking to the deck of the ship. She saw Skystrike there, sitting at the bow of the ship, looking up at the stars above. The princess of the sun looked at him, standing in place before calling out to him. "Room for one more?" Skystrike didn't turn around, simply scooting over to give Celestia space next to him. She walked up and sat down. The two looked up at the stars for minutes on end, Skystrike letting his mind wonder in an attempt to let the woes of the past day escape his mind. "Skystrike..." His ears perked up at her voice, though he kept looking up. "I... I'm sorry." She couldn't stop the words from coming out. "I didn't mean to hurt you... heavens knows that I've already done enough. It's just... I still see you as the colt from all those years ago. I want to help you... I don't want to mess this up again."

He finally decided to look at her. "Celestia, aside from Khrusalis' death, who I've now learned is still alive, I didn't blame you for anything. You couldn't have known about anything that happened to me. And despite my flaws, you still wanted to have a relationship with me." He sighed. "But I've grown. I'm not the same pony I used to be, and neither are you. It's not fair for either of us to treat each other like we are."

The two stared at the stars for a few minutes more. Celesita chuckled awkwardly. "You know, despite all my talks as a ruler, I'm... not good at these talks."

"Heh, me neither." He chuckled. "But it's part of the process if we want things to be better. But let me be clear on who I am... or who I think I am at least." He tilted his head to look at her. "I am not a good pony. I'm somepony who's had to go through more hardships than any living being should of. Because of that, my moral compass isn't the same one as I had as a colt. For the sake of others, some beings have to die. Of course, that doesn't mean I go around killing anyone I disagree with, but I try to rationalize my decision with the actions they've done. For example, with Wattle gone, there will be countless lives that are now better, since they won't end up in his gut."

Celestia sighed, then smiled. "I know you wouldn't take an innocent life. It's why I wanted you to deal with the problem at Nebula Bay." Then she chuckled too. "You know, it took years of training to make Cadence into a proper leader, yet you're almost there with your own efforts... Am I allowed to say I'm proud of you?"

"Why wouldn't you be?" He asked. "Even though I blamed you for a while, I never stopped considering you and Cadence family."

Celestia felt her heart skip a beat. At first, she hesitated, then wrapped her arms around him and pulled the pegasus into a hug. "Thank you, my little pony..." They sat there for a few more minutes before she had another thought. "Skystrike, can I ask you a... personal question?" Skystrike nodded. "Did you feel like I wasn't there for you as a colt?"

"You were there as much as you could be." Skystrike answered. "Even as a kid, I knew the responsibility you shoulder. And between leading this country, having two different students over the years, and raising a whole other alicorn, you still made an effort to have breakfast and dinner with me, Cadence, and Blueblood. While I do wish you were around a bit more, I knew that it wasn't a realistic ask. Don't blame yourself for it."

"You know you can be a bit selfish? If you wanted me to be around more, I would've found a way. Even know, we can communicate through more than just letters."

Skystrike looked up at her. "Not gonna lie, I will say I thought about it at some point, but then Magnus happened. I didn't want to be close to anypony at that point. Also, if you want a vacation again, you can just say so." He chuckled.

"Well, it was nice, seeing how much Equestria changed over the centuries.... It also did help seeing the gaps within the guard... I'll get back to you on that." She laughed. "Wait, I just realized what you said earlier. How do you know about the student before Twilight?"

"Oh, Sunset Shimmer? Sure, it was a well kept secret you had a student at the time, but I asked Cadence about it. Apparently they talked for a bit, but she disappeared or something. When I realized that there were no guard reports or anything about her death, figured she just decided to leave and live her own life and stopped looking into it." He shrugged.

Celestia sighed. "It was... one mistake of many. But even if I make more, I hope you hold me accountable, and we get through this together."

Skystrike finally hugged her back. "We will. You have my word."

Author's Note

Lore drop. Magnus came back. See, he wasn't a one off character!

Not too much to say for this chapter. Next one I plan to be a bit more positive, and also will be going to Hippogriffia. Skystrike will be getting the last one of da bois. I do find it fun doing the world building of places that we've never gotten to see in the show.

I'm getting back into the groove of writing these. Honestly the part I dread most is proof reading, but I feel like that's most writers.

Anyway, thanks for reading, and I hope to see you next chapter!