Three days later

Jason trudged along through the sand with sweat dripping off his brow. Each step forward sapped at his energy and drained his resolve, until he was barely more than a walking zombie in a white desert. Following not too far behind him, Eddie, Mike, and Rebecca were in much the same state. The blinding sun beat down on the marines like an unending furnace, and they were powerless to stop it.

Trailing just behind the group of humans, Tempest, Sky, and Midnight walked along, their coats slick with sweat and covered in a thin layer of white sand that only worsened the unbearable heat. Sky held one wing open over Midnight's back, to keep some sun off of her, but even that did little in the vast expanse of the open desert.

"Sarge... where the fuck is this place?" Mike wheezed.

Jason glanced down at his map and frowned.

"Should be just another twelve miles. We're almost through this guys. Just a few more hours." He said, glancing back at the group.

"Oh boy, only a few more hours. That's just lovely." Rebecca bitterly replied.

"Ah, shut up Chief. You'll make it." Eddie quipped, just as bitterly.

"Fuck off."

"Hey, that's enough. Look, we've been going for a few hours now, and everyone's a little dehydrated. Let's take a break, and pick back up in fifteen minutes." Jason ordered, stepping between Rebecca and Eddie.

"Roger that, boss." Mike replied, before flopping onto the ground and sighing.

"You okay?" Tempest asked, upon walking over to the sprawled man.

"Oh just lovely..." Mike said.

He sat upright and unslung his pack from his back. After a few seconds of digging through the side pouch, he found his canteen, and opened it. Mike quickly unscrewed the cap and poured out what little water was inside out to his waiting mouth. Only a few drops of waters dripped out before the canteen was completely empty, and Mike cursed under his breath.

"Fuckin' desert..." He muttered.

For a moment, Mike just sat there in angry silence, until the sound of magic filled his ears, and he turned his head to see Midnight levitating her canteen over to him.

"I don't have much, but I can spare some for you." She said, giving a tired, yet optimistic smile.

"Thanks... but you need water too. I'll be alright." Mike shook his head.

"I'm okay. Besides, you're the one carrying that big thing," Midnight replied, pointing to his machine gun with a hoof, "You're probably carrying more weight than the rest of us."

Mike sighed and glanced down at the sand for a few seconds before taking the canteen out of her magic.

"Thank you." He gratefully said before bringing the canteen to his lips and drinking down a good portion of what was left of the water.

"Any time." Midnight smiled.

She magic'd the canteen back into her pack once Mike was finished, and quickly made her way over to Jason, Sky, and Tempest.

"How're you all holding up?" Midnight asked.

"Loving... life..." Sky panted.

"Sky... you need more water. Here." Midnight brought her canteen out again and brought it over to the crimson pegasus.

"You know... this fluff... is great for high altitude flying... not so great for walking in the desert..." Sky continued before taking the canteen and greedily drinking down the rest.

"The desert is particularly harsh on pegasi. I would say he should fly up ahead of us, but I don't think the air up there is any cooler than it is down here." Tempest chimed in, glancing up at the flaming ball in the sky.

"Sky, you're gonna have to take it easy for a bit." Jason added.

"No complaints... here." Sky replied after finishing the canteen and hoofing it back over to Midnight.

"How're we all doing on water?" Jason inquired.

"Mike and I are completely out now." Midnight said.

"I've been out for hours." Sky added.

"I have a few sips left in mine." Tempest replied.

"Empty." Eddie called.

"Same." Rebecca finished.

"Alright... so we're just about completely out of water... and we've got about twelve more miles to go until we get to the town... Now I wish we'd brought more from the train station." Jason said, wiping a bit more sweat off his brow.

"That hermit wanted to charge fifty bits per canteen. Biggest rip off I've seen in years." Midnight grumbled.

"Well... at the moment... I'd pay a thousand bits for a bit more water..." Sky mumbled.

"You can have the rest of mine." Tempest said, bringing her canteen out of her saddlebag.

"No, no. It's okay... You need water too... I'm just... being a bitch." Sky shook his head.

"You're not 'being a bitch'. You're a pegasus with more fur than either me or Midnight. You're at the greatest risk of dehydration here. Don't worry, I'll be fine." Tempest assured, holding her canteen out to the crimson pegasus in front of her.

Albeit with some hesitation, Sky eventually took the canteen out of Tempest's hoof and greedily drank down what water was left. He hoofed the canteen back to Tempest and sighed.

"Thank you."

"Anytime." Tempest replied.

"Alright... so that puts us at... a quarter canteen. For all of us. The cloud Rainbow gave us will be a last resort if one of us is about to die or something," Jason wiped his brow once more, "Alright, we need to pick it back up and make the last of this trip. Once we reach the town, we can rest up for a bit, but that mountain is gonna be calling our names by tomorrow morning." Jason announced.

"Alright, Sky, Midnight, you both okay?" Tempest asked, rising to her hooves.

"Yeah. I can make it. Don't worry about me." Sky replied.

"I'll be fine, and I'll take care of him, don't worry." Midnight added.

"Mike, Eddie, Chief, let's go!" Jason called.

With a groan, the rest of the group rose to their feet and continued forward into the blistering sunlight.

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Mike took two steps into the town entrance before collapsing onto the ground. Jason fell right behind him, dropping Sky off his back in the process. Midnight and Tempest were quick to come in from behind, both panting heavily and checking to make sure Sky was still okay. Just behind them, Eddie walked in with Rebecca on his back, and unceremoniously dropped her to the ground before falling down himself.

"Fuck... the... desert..." Jason wheezed.

"Sky... you... okay?" Midnight asked, nudging the stallion with her muzzle.

A dry groan was the only response she received, and the graphite mare quickly placed a small kiss on his ear.

"Okay... I'll get some water... Just hang on..." She said, before turning to Tempest, "Tempest... Are you good?"

"Y-yeah... Just... a little... thirsty..." Tempest managed as she unsteadily walked towards the downed pegasus.

"Come on... Let's go get water..." Midnight said, turning on her hooves and heading into the sparsely populated town.

Tempest followed behind, and for a few moments, the two mares walked through a town that barely seemed to notice the arrival of three ponies and four humans. However, the further they progressed along the sandy road, the more heads turned their way. Large scaly creatures watched them with curious eyes as the two exhausted mares walked to the nearby water tower. A gruff, reptilian creature with spines as sharp as razors stood behind a table in front of them, his arms crossed, and an eyebrow cocked back as they approached.

"Welcome to Outer Reach Springs. What can I do for ya?" It asked.

"We need... water... Our friends... are dying..." Tempest managed.

"Water is forty silver shills per canteen fill." The creature replied.

"We have bits... Do you know the currency exchange?" Midnight asked.

"Bits? Never heard of 'em."

"Oh come on! Bits are solid gold! Equestrian currency? We'll give you gold, sound good?" Midnight exasperatedly shouted.

"Calm down little lady. Gold you say? Lemme see and maybe I can cut you a deal."

Midnight ignited her horn and a small vortex immediately opened to her right, allowing for dozens of bits to spill out onto the table in front of her. The creature grabbed one of the bits and eyed it suspiciously. After a moment, it placed the bit in its mouth and bit down. Appearing satisfied, it placed the bit back down on the counter and eyed Midnight curiously.

"Alright little lady, you've got some genuine gold there. I'd say... twenty per canteen fill." The creature smiled down at her.

"Alright, fine. Deal. Just give us some water. My husband needs it now." Midnight ordered, slamming more bits onto the table.

"Relax, relax. Hand me your canteens."

Midnight and Tempest hoofed over their canteens to the creature. It quickly turned around to the water tower and opened the tap, filling the canteens in a matter of seconds. Once it was satisfied, it turned back around and handed the canteens back to Midnight and Tempest.

"Pleasure doing business with you." The creature took an exaggerated bow and collected the deposited bits off the table.

Midnight and Tempest quickly galloped back to the town entrance where Jason, Mike, Rebecca, and Eddie were all busy trying to cool Sky off. They managed to drag him into the shade of a nearby building, and were in the process of trying to elevate his hooves off the ground.

"Sky!?" Midnight called as she quickly reached him.

Sky slowly looked to her and gave a lousy grin.

"Hey there... Mid..." He managed.

Midnight quickly unfastened the cap on her canteen and brought it to his lips.

"Drink this," She ordered. Once Sky complied, and the water quickly began to drain into his throat, she turned to Jason, "What did I miss?"

"He's at the stage of heat stroke where he's getting pretty loopy. We got him to the shade as fast as we could, but he started getting really dizzy so we elevated his hooves. You should probably pour some of that water onto his coat. It'll help him cool off." Jason explained.

"You need some water too." Midnight replied.

"I've got them. You worry about Sky." Tempest cut in, hoofing her canteen to Jason.

"What about you?" Jason asked.

"I took a sip before I came back here. I'm fine." Tempest responded, still holding the canteen out.

"Alright... If you're sure." Jason said, giving her a curious look. He took the canteen and took a long swig before a grateful sigh left his lips.

He immediately handed the canteen to Mike, who took an equally long swig. Eddie and Rebecca followed up and drained the canteen to just a fraction of what was originally inside. Tempest took the canteen back and took a few steps away from the group before chugging the rest of the water down and sighing. After placing the canteen away, she looked back to find Jason's eyes on her once more, and she hurried back over to the group.

"You okay?" Jason asked.

"I'm fine. Why?" Tempest replied.

"Nothing. Just making sure." Jason said, turning his attention back to Sky.

"How's he holding up?" Tempest inquired.

"He's dehydrated as all hell, but he'll be okay. We just need to take it easy for the rest of the day. Maybe get some food and more water in him. Once we leave tomorrow, we won't have civilization like this for another few weeks at the least." Jason replied, frowning at the sad state Sky was in at the moment.

"Here, I'll go see if I can't get us a room or two for the night somewhere." Mike said as he stood up to his feet.

"Eddie, go with him." Jason ordered.

"On it." Eddie replied.

The two Marines quickly made their way to the nearest saloon and entered, leaving the rest of the group outside to focus on Sky.

"Rebecca, can you and Tempest go get more water? Midnight and I will take care of Sky." Jason asked.

"Yeah... yeah, on it." Rebecca replied as she rose to her feet and headed to the water tower.

"We'll need some bits." Tempest pointed out.

Midnight quickly ignited her horn and opened the portal, spilling a small pile of bits out in the process. She levitated them over to Rebecca's waiting hands before she turned around and headed to the water tower. Tempest quickly followed behind, leaving just Midnight, Jason, and Sky out on the street.

"Ugh..." Sky groaned, "Tell Tia I hate the sun now..."

"Hehe, I'll let her know, big guy." Midnight chuckled.

"You need to be more careful out there man. I can't have you dying of dehydration on me." Jason chastised.

"Well... in my defense... I've never been in a desert as a... pony before..." Sky weakly chuckled, before his dry throat caught him and he fell into a quick coughing fit.

"No more trying to be tough. You feel like you're dying, you tell me, alright?" Jason said.

"Deal... deal..." Sky said.

"Just... take it easy for right now, okay big guy?" Midnight whispered, nuzzling her cheek against his.

"Hehe... I will... don't worry about me."

"Hey guys!" Mike called, diverting attention to the saloon across the street.

"What's up?!" Jason responded.

"They got three rooms here that we can stay in. Bring him over and we'll get him situated." Mike called back.

"Alright, I got him. You go get Tempest and Rebecca. Tell them where to go." Jason instructed as he grabbed Sky.

"Okay."

With that, Jason lifted the crimson pegasus into a cradle, and Midnight hurried over to the water tower.

"Uh..." Sky said as Jason carried him across the street.

"Don't make it weird. It's hard enough carrying your furry ass, I don't need you making it awkward too." Jason cut him off.

"Got it. Shutting up now." Sky replied.

Quick enough, they were across the street, and Jason deposited Sky onto a chair near the entrance.

"Alright, I'll figure out which room we'll be in, and then I'll come get you." Jason said.

With that, the man walked into the saloon and made his way over to the front desk. There was another strange reptilian creature standing behind the desk, eyeing Mike and Eddie curiously.

"So how much for three rooms?" Mike asked.

"One hundred silver shills a night." The creature replied.

"Well... we don't have any silver shills... but we have bits. Tons of gold bits, actually." Eddie responded.

"Hmm... that will do. Eighty bits a night per creature then."

"Man that math just don't add up." Mike muttered.

"Deal. Do you have any food here?" Jason chimed in.

"We have some food available... for a price." The creature smugly replied.

"Figures. We'll deal with food later. Right now, we need to get our friend to a room. He's very dehydrated." Jason explained.

"Payment first. Room and board, second."

Mike turned to Jason and slowly walked over to him.

"Can I just waste this fucking guy?" He whispered.

"No. We don't need that kind of attention or hostility right now." Jason replied, before looking back over to the creature at the front desk, "Hang on, the pony with our bits will be here in a moment."

As if on cue, Midnight, Tempest, Sky, and Rebecca filed into the building just a moment later.

"Hmm... ponies? Never seen any of your kind this far away from Equestria... and such interesting companions you brought with you." The creature mentioned, its eyes drifting from the ponies to the humans in the room.

"How much for the room?" Midnight asked.

"He wants eighty bits per person." Jason explained.

"That's more than a hotel in Canterlot, but fine." Midnight bitterly replied.

She ignited her horn and the small vortex opened once again, allowing a steady stream of bits to flow onto the table in front of the creature. As with the last one, it took a bit in its claw and bit into it. With a predatory smirk on its face, the creature handed the keys to three separate rooms over to Jason.

"Thanks." Jason said as he took the keys.

The group quickly made their way up the stairs and up to the three rooms in question before Jason abruptly stopped and turned to face the group.

"Alright, I don't trust that guy as far as I can throw him. I want at least one person awake the whole night, just in case he tries something funny."

"But we're gonna be in three separate rooms." Mike pointed out.

"That doesn't mean one of us can't stay awake and just check on the other two rooms for an hour or so throughout the night." Jason replied.

"Well Sky is pretty much out for the count, if I'm being honest." Mike pointed out, looking down at the sluggish pegasus in front of him.

"Sky's just going to rest for tonight. The rest of us are in much better shape than him so we're going to pull guard shifts," Jason looked down at the watch on his wrist, "It's five o'clock now. If we want to get a decent amount of sleep, lets go to bed soon and start taking shifts. We leave first thing in the morning."

"I guess it's MRE's for dinner." Mike sighed.

"I wish we had another option, but like I said, that dude is shady. I have a feeling he'd probably drug our food or something just to kidnap Midnight for all our bits." Jason replied.

"Fair point. That said, we've only got enough MRE's for about a week, and it's gonna be about a week for us to travel over that mountain and get to Ponpei." Eddie chimed in.

"Well we're just gonna have to figure something out as we go. I don't like this place at all. I've got a bad feeling about staying here for long." Jason shook his head.

"Then we'll leave tomorrow and find food along the way. Water won't be a problem on the mountain. We can just melt the snow and drink that. I'm sure that we can find somethi-ARRGH!" Eddie started, before a rocket of razor sharp pain stabbed at his brain. He instantly fell to his knees and gripped his temples while the pain shot through his head over and over again.

"Ed!" Jason said, quickly moving to grab the man as he clutched at his head.

"It's the magic..." Midnight said, a sad frown on her face.

A few more seconds passed before Eddie finally let go of his head and got back to his feet.

"Fucking... shit... Fuck me..." He gasped.

"You okay?" Jason asked.

"Y-yeah... yeah I think so... fuck me." Eddie replied.

"That shit does not look fun." Mike shook his head.

"Trust me, it's not." Eddie grumbled.

"You sure you're good?" Jason asked.

"Yeah... yeah, I'm good." Eddie replied as he slowly got back up to his feet.

"Take it easy for a bit." Jason replied, before turning to the rest of the group, "Okay, come on, everyone get to a room and let's get some food in us. I want at least one human with a loaded rifle in each room."

Eddie and Rebecca made their way to the door on the far right while Sky, Midnight, and Mike took the middle room, leaving the last room for just Jason and Tempest. The mulberry unicorn in question glanced back and forth between the two other rooms for a moment, before Jason unlocked the door and stepped halfway inside.

"You coming?" He asked.

"Y-yes. Right behind you." She replied.

They stepped into the room and closed the door behind them without another word.

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Tempest awoke to the sound of footsteps to her immediate left. Her eyes quickly darted open, and her ears flicked toward the source of noise. In the darkness, she could just barely make out Jason as he donned his armor and grabbed his rifle. He took a cursory glance around the room, and stepped over to the doorway. As gently as he could, he opened the door and stepped outside to check the other rooms. A few moments later, he returned, apparently satisfied with the lack of hostility outside. He closed the door behind him and made his way back over to the other side of the room.

Jason opened the door to the small balcony and stepped outside to the wooden railing and sighed. He glanced out at the full moon and the stars littering the sky. He only glanced down when he heard Tempest's hoofsteps on the wooden floor behind him, and he turned around to greet her as she stepped outside.

"What're you doing up so late?" He asked, genuinely curious.

"You uh... you kinda woke me up when you got up." Tempest sheepishly replied.

"Oh... sorry about that. I tried to be quiet." Jason rubbed the back of his neck.

"It's fine. Don't worry about me. I'm pretty used to getting only a few hours of sleep," Tempest dismissively waved a hoof before walking over to the railing and looking up at the stars, "I still remember when I was lost in the desert all those years ago. Every day felt like it was going to be the last day, but somehow... I managed to last until the night. That was my only solace, I suppose. The moonlight always looks so soft and gentle in the desert." She reminisced.

"Yeah..." Jason replied, turning his head up to the stars as well, "It kinda reminds me of Horizon V in a way."

"How's that?" Tempest fixed him with a curious look.

"Well, when I was there we were at war... Most of the time we were fighting somewhere depressing, like a swamp or in a blizzard... but there was this one time when we took a fuel depot in the Ranger Desert. I still remember getting orders to prepare for a counter attack and being told to set the men up for security the whole night... Funny thing is, they never showed up. That night, there wasn't a cloud in the sky, so I got a good look at the stars. In fact... I think that was the first time I ever saw stars. I never bothered to look out the windows of the frigate when we left Earth, and the light pollution is so bad there that you can't see anything anyways." Jason said, his eyes glued to the sky.

"How... how old are you, Jason?" Tempest asked, eyeing him with surprise.

"I'm at the ripe old age of thirty. Joined the Marines as quick as I could, and spent the last decade or so fighting a civil war between two galaxies... Sounds crazy, doesn't it?" Jason darkly chuckled, prompting Tempest to fully turn to him.

"A decade of just war? I... I'm sorry... That must not have been easy." She said.

"It wasn't..." Jason's eyes fell to the sand below, "I lost a lot of good friends over the years... Managed to get promoted all the way to staff sergeant during the war... then I blew it... hehe, that's kinda why I'm here right now." He admitted.

"What do you mean? What did you do?" Tempest asked.

"Well... I'm not sure if you want to know all that. The war... things got dark... so dark that we starting doing things that made us not sleep so well at night." Jason turned away from her.

"I know what that's like... trust me." Tempest admitted, looking down at her hooves in shame.

"What did you do?" Jason asked.

"You tell me first." Tempest replied.

Jason chuckled for a minute before turning around to face her once more.

"Let's just say that a lot of good people died in that war... on both sides... It's something I regret every single day." Jason admitted.

For a while, Tempest stared at him in silence. Her face was a mix of concern, surprise, and most surprisingly of all, understanding.

"I've... learned a lot since I came back to Equestria... One of the things that stuck with me the most was forgiveness. Even for things that didn't affect you specifically. Besides... I've noticed you kind of split yourself off from the rest of the group a lot, just like I used to... You did bad things but you thought you were doing them for a good cause..." She replied, her soft turquoise eyes trained on his.

Jason sighed deeply before leaning against the railing and sliding down until he was sitting next to Tempest.

"Yeah... Our orders were to destroy everything... Scorched Earth policy. They refused to surrender, even after twelve years of war... One day, they ordered me to blow up an entire town with the people still in it. At that point... I'd done so much wrong... killed so many people... I just couldn't do it anymore. When I refused, they took my rank, threw me in the brig and court martial'd me. Called it 'disobeying a lawful order from a superior officer during a time of warfare'. I was going to be executed, but my old captain had some connections and pulled me out. Next thing I knew, I was with a Marine Raider unit and leading the final assault on Bellruse. We got something of a name for ourselves after that... 'The Legendary Team Two' they called us... Said we struck fear into the hearts of our enemies... Heh, I never bought that crap. We're just men... nothing more..." Jason trailed off.

Tempest looked at him with a sad frown before taking a step forward and placed a hoof on Jason's thigh in a comforting manner. He slowly glanced over at her and gave a bittersweet smile before continuing.

"Anyways... once I survived that, they put me on this mission. Said I had to make up my disobedience by serving for another few years after the war." Jason explained.

"I... I'm so sorry that happened to you. That sounds-" Tempest began.

"Don't feel too sorry for me, Tempest... I still killed a lot of people that didn't deserve to die... When we attacked Bellruse, we hit the city with everything we had. It was going to be the 'first planetary bombardment in history' as the general put it. Fuckin' prick wanted to wipe out the entire world, not just their leadership." Jason bitterly recounted.

"Why... why did they send you in there if they were just going to blow everything up?" Tempest asked, an awestruck expression on her face.

"We had to disable their defenses. The planet had shield generators in Bellruse that would have protected all of the major cities from the incoming attack... Tempest, you have to understand... this was at the end of the war. Horizon V was the last planet they had, and they had no space faring ships. We had already won... Bellruse was revenge, plain and simple... I think over a billion people died on that day alone." Jason trailed off, a sad look on his face.

"I... wow... a billion? I can't... I just don't even know what to say to that..." Tempest shook her head in disbelief.

"I wish it wasn't true, but that's just the way war is... So much killing... So much death... Out of my original squad, Eddie's the only one left... Mike joined us five years into the war, and, well... Everyone else I fought alongside is dead." Jason shrugged. It wasn't much, but Tempest could just faintly see a glossy look in his eyes, one that made her heart ache.

"...How... how do you deal with the things you've done?" She asked, her hesitation evident in her voice.

"I think... for me at least, you never really deal with it... It's always just... kinda there. In the back of your mind, waiting to remind you of how horrible you are. Eventually the guilt starts to fade and you're just left with numbness... Sometimes I wish I could just go back in time and fix my mistakes, but... you can't live in the past... you have to move forward," Jason replied, thoughtfully looking at her, "You seem like you have something you want to get off your chest." He pressed.

"Me? Well... I... I've never really talked about the things I've done... Always been too ashamed I guess." Tempest admitted.

"You shouldn't be ashamed... The things you did... they made you who you are now, even if they were bad. Hell, just earlier today when we got into town, I know for a fact that you lied to me about the water." He chuckled.

"What are you talking about?" Tempest looked at him nervously.

"You didn't drink any before you gave the canteen to me and the rest of the guys. I told you to drink some water and you said you did, but that was a lie." Jason shrugged.

"How... how do you know that?" She asked.

"Just by the fact that it was completely full when you gave it to me. Also by how you chugged what was left... You put the rest of us ahead of yourself. That kind of selflessness... it means something, Tempest... Even if you did some bad things before, you're not a bad pony." Jason recounted, giving her a level smile.

Tempest looked around nervously for a few moments before pursing her lips and finding her voice.

"Well... When I was a filly, my horn was broken by an ursa minor... For a unicorn, to lose your horn... especially at such a young age... to say it was devastating would be an understatement. I ended up running away from home and Equestria altogether. I thought that if I could find a way to fix myself, then I'd be whole again, and everything would be alright. Heh, as it turns out, I was half right." Tempest explained, her eyes drifting down to the floor once more.

"How so?" Jason asked.

"After nearly two decades on my own, I met the Storm King. Despite my instincts telling me that he was evil all the way to his core... he promised to restore my horn in exchange for magical power... I guess that was all I needed to hear." Tempest continued.

"I thought you couldn't really use magic because of your horn." Jason inquired.

"I can't... At least, not anywhere near as easily as Midnight or any other unicorn. That's why I agreed to lead him to Equestria to... to take the princesses magic from them." Tempest admitted, a pit forming in her stomach all the while.

"Woah... you... betrayed your country?" Jason asked. He was shocked, and his face confirmed it.

"I know... I was selfish, rotten, bitter... maybe even a little evil myself. When Twilight offered me friendship, I didn't take her offer... It wasn't until the Storm King betrayed me that I knew I was fighting for the wrong side... I was so stupid then..." She said, her shaky breaths indicating that she was nearing the verge of tears.

Jason quickly picked up on her pained expression and leaned toward her. He placed a hand on her wither and gave her a gentle squeeze, breaking her from her thoughts and redirecting her eyes to his.

"Hey, what you did back then, it's in the past now, and Twilight clearly forgave you for it, otherwise she wouldn't have you as her guard." He said, giving a comforting smile.

"That's... not the worst part though..." Tempest's gaze again fell to the floor.

"You can tell me, Tempest. I promise you that I won't think any less of you." He replied, his brow furrowing in concern.

Before she could speak, a nearby door opened, redirecting both Tempest and Jason's attention back to the other side of the room. Mike stepped into their room and looked around for just a moment before finding them outside on the balcony.

"What're you both still doing up? It's my shift now, Sarge." Mike said.

"Is it?" Jason asked as he looked to his watch, "Damn... I guess that last hour just flew right by me."

"Eh, it happens when you're talking with your girlfriend." Mike teased.

Tempest's cheeks heated up immediately while Jason cocked an eyebrow back at Mike.

"Mike... just... go do your job for a bit." He said.

"You got it boss." Mike chuckled as he headed back through the door and back to his room.

"Sorry about that." Jason apologized, turning to look at the mulberry unicorn still sitting next to him.

"It's fine, really. Don't worry about it." Tempest lied, faking a smile.

"Anyways... if you don't want to talk about it, then I understand. Hell, I still have a hard time talking about Bellruse." Jason sighed.

"W-why's that?" Tempest asked.

"How's about I make you a deal?" Jason said giving her a sideways glance.

"Okay." She replied.

"When you're ready to tell me about what happened to you, I'll tell you about what happened to me in Bellruse. Hell, maybe you can tell me why you always wear that bodysuit while you're at it." Jason chuckled lightly, prompting Tempest to laugh a little herself.

"Alright... just... when that time comes... just know that I might cry a little." She joked.

"Hey, I've been there. Spent a solid month crying like a baby when we lost Johnny. You won't get any judgement from me." Jason replied.

"Alright. Then we have a deal." Tempest held out her hoof, to which Jason, albeit hesitantly grabbed and shook.

Tempest giggled at him for a second before his confused look caught her attention.

"Hehe, you're supposed to bump it, not shake." She explained.

"Oh... my bad." Jason shook his head before bumping her hoof with his fist.

For a few more moments, they simply watched each other as the moonlight gently filtered down onto the world around them. In that moment, Jason was struck with a striking realization. With the white light softly bouncing off her mulberry coat, and a gentle smile on her lips, Tempest was strikingly cute for a pony. He swallowed nervously and pulled her into another one armed hug, to which she gratefully accepted, before gazing up at the stars once more.

Tempest felt a blossoming warmth fill her entire body, and as she looked up at the stars, her vision was just partially obscured by the tall man holding her close against his side. It was a strange feeling, being held by someone bigger than her, but for only the second time in her entire life, she didn't want it to end.

Unfortunately, that only made it that much harder when he pulled away and looked back into the room.

"We should probably get some sleep. We need to head out pretty early tomorrow." Jason said.

"Right. I'll... see you tomorrow then." Tempest replied, some disappointment clear in her voice.

The pair quickly made their way back inside and laid down on their respective beds. Sleep came quickly, and soon enough, they drifted off.

Author's Note

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60AgrbubX5E

Hey all. So we finally did it. We finally left Equestria. About time, right? Well, for those of you that have stuck with me for this long, it means a lot, and I'm glad we're finally on the road. Now, as for this chapter, all I can say is that I'm doing my absolute best to show Jason and Tempest the alone time they deserve before things get more difficult. I hope that Jason's backstory wasn't too cliche for you, but I figured it made a lot of sense for him and the story to take this route. I didn't want him to be the one 100% righteous soul in a horrible war, but rather, a man that did so much wrong, that he reached his limit, and could go no further. I hope that you can see my logic there and agree with me. Anyways... Take this chapter as a... calm before the storm, if you will. I can't wait for you all to see what happens next :D