The train chugged along the warmly lit tracks on its way to the Crystal Empire at a steady pace. The only seven passengers on board could barely be bothered to look out the windows to appreciate the beauty of the outside world though. There was something far more interesting inside the train keeping their attention.

"So, hold on, you ate an entire wheel of cheese in the middle of a firefight?" Sky asked, tilting his head to the side and raising his eyebrow.

"Hell yeah. No shit, there I was, wearing nothing but my helmet and boxers, shooting out the kitchen window with all that food around me, and I hadn't had anything to eat in three days, so I took a break." Mike shrugged, smiling smugly.

"What he neglects to mention, is that he hadn't shaved the whole time we were out, so he looked like a viking, in underwear, with a machine gun." Jason added.

"And that's not even mentioning after we fought off that insurrectionist assault and the Captain came by to congratulate us all. I don't think that man stopped laughing for an hour straight." Eddie finished.

"Well... that's... gross." Rebecca rolled her eyes.

"Hey, you gotta do what you gotta do." Mike shrugged.

"Sky, what about you? You got any good war stories?" Jason asked.

"Well, uh, no, not really. I was in the Army during peacetime. I didn't really get to see much of anything other than Fort Valor." Sky recalled.

"Ah, well, now's your chance to explore the world, isn't it?" Eddie offered.

"Hehe, I guess it is." Sky shrugged.

"It's definitely exciting to go see the Crystal Empire. I've never been this far up North before." Midnight chimed in.

"You're going to want a scarf... and a beanie... and boots." Tempest recollected.

"You've been up here before?" Jason inquired.

"I... spent a few months up near the Crystal Empire before returning to Equestria... The Empire itself is warm and pleasant, but outside the effect of the crystal heart, it drops to negative twenty just about every night." Tempest replied, sticking her tongue out in thought.

"Oh... well that sucks." Sky frowned.

"Not a fan of the cold?" Tempest teased.

"Not when it's that cold." Sky replied, shivering slightly.

"I'm sure we'll be alright. We're not planning on being up here more than a day." Jason offhandedly replied.

"Well that's good, 'cause we're hitting the snow now." Eddie commented, looking out the window.

Sure enough, a moment later, the train plowed through the snow piling over onto the tracks, and pushed forward into the Crystal Empire. Everyone inside the train took a gander out the window to find dark skies, and harsh, billowy snow pouring from above. At best, they could only see a few hundred feet outside of the cart due to the horrible visibility. Mike shook his head and turned away from the sight.

"Thanks, I hate it." He muttered.

"When I was in the royal guard, we were issued magically enchanted armor that kept us warm in freezing temperatures, but I don't think they'd do much for this kind of cold." Midnight mentioned.

"Is that like a police force for ponies?" Rebecca asked.

"Kind of. The Royal Guard is more like our military, but they also do the local police work in Canterlot. Just about everywhere else has its own local police department, but crime is a pretty small occurrence in Equestria." Midnight explained.

"Huh? A pony military. Interesting." Eddie scratched his chin in thought.

"What was your job in the guard?" Jason inquired.

"I was a medic." Midnight proudly replied.

"No shit?" Mike smiled, "Well how's about that? Everyone here has at least some time in some form of military or another." He turned his attention to the mulberry unicorn to his right and nudged her with his elbow.

Tempest hesitated for a moment before biting her lip, "I... uh, hehe. Yep." She fake smiled.

Jason's brow furrowed some at her answer, but he maintained a smile and returned his attention to the rest of the group.

"Anyways, we should be arriving at the train station in a few minutes. Once we get inside, Twilight said a princess 'Cadence' was going to meet us along with her brother, Shining Armor, or 'BBBFF'... whatever that's supposed to mean." Jason explained.

"What time are we heading out tomorrow?" Sky asked.

"First train leaves at seven, so we'll head out and catch that train in the morning. Once we leave, we'll officially be out of Equestrian territory. Our next stop is gonna be..." Jason paused for a moment as he pulled a notebook out of his admin pouch and opened it to the first few pages, "The Jewel Desert. How there's a desert up here, I don't know, but that's the route we worked out." Jason elaborated.

"It's... pretty far to the East. We're gonna be on that train for a whole day at least." Tempest added.

"Well, there you go. Once we're in the desert, expect long hikes from there on out. We won't have any more trains or serious transport at that point." Jason pointed out.

"Where're we headed after the desert?" Sky inquired.

"After we get out of the desert, we're going to have to scale a mountain and find a giant cave... Yikes." Jason shook his head.

"Great... Climbing mountains is always so much fun..." Midnight rolled her eyes.

"After we're done scaling the mountain, we'll be in an arctic climate again, and apparently it's somewhere in the neighborhood of twenty four miles to the coastline. There's supposed to be a town there, named... Ponpei?" Jason raised an eyebrow.

"I've been there once before. It's, uh... it's a small village. Only a few hundred ponies live there." Tempest chimed in.

"Why are ponies living this far outside of Equestria?" Mike asked.

"There's nothing keeping ponies from moving anywhere they want. Most countries are pretty welcoming to any creatures that want to move in, especially now after all the work Twilight and her friends have done for foreign relations the last few years." Tempest shrugged.

"Well, hopefully that contact Twilight has over there got her letter and has a boat ready for us, 'cause the rest of the trip is pretty much just gonna be sailing a few hundred miles up North until we find this place." Jason explained, before a shot of pain rocketed through his brain.

He immediately grabbed his forehead as his face contorted into a pained grimace.

"Jay?" Eddie asked, quickly moving to his side.

"Are you okay?" Tempest quickly grabbed him with her hooves.

For a few seconds, Jason couldn't reply. The pain in his head stung like a railroad spike being hammered into his eyeball, and he grunted in pain as it only got worse.

"Looks like it's starting..." Sky sadly admitted, his eyes falling to the floor.

"What's starting, what's going on?" Mike demanded.

"It's the magic. The migraines are starting. They'll start for all of you soon enough. It only took me a few days to get them too. Don't worry, the pain will go away in a few seconds." Sky explained.

Mike quickly looked back at Jason while Tempest held onto his shoulder and rubbed small circles on his back with her free hoof. A few tense seconds passed, before Jason finally let go of his forehead and leaned back up, breathing heavily.

"Fucking... Christ..." He gasped.

"You okay?" Midnight asked with a genuine look of concern on her face.

"Y-yeah... holy shit. That was fucking terrible..." Jason replied, before turning to Sky, "You said this is only going to get worse?"

"Yeah. About four months in, on Hearth's Warming, it got so bad that Luna had to knock me out. I think that was one of the most painful moments of my life." Sky somberly responded.

"Fuck... me..." Jason groaned.

For a moment, Jason stared at the ground. His mind still reeled from the excruciating pain finally leaving his brain, and only one thought kept bouncing around in his head while he completely recovered.

It's only gonna get worse from here...

"Are you sure you're alright?" A voice spoke to his left, and in that moment, Jason realized that there was still a pair of hooves on his body. One tightly held his arm while the other softly stroked his neck down his back, just to the top of his armor.

Jason slowly turned to the side to see Tempest holding him with a fearful look in her eyes, and even though he still felt the remnants of pain darting across his vision, he felt a need to reassure the mulberry unicorn.

"I'm okay. Thanks, Tempest." Jason said, giving a soft smile.

Tempest slowly nodded and released her grip on him. She quickly settled back into her seat, although, noticeably closer than before, and returned her attention to the rest of the group. Jason watched her for another moment, and, to his surprise, saw the tiniest trace of a blush on her face. He hesitantly looked away from her and returned his attention to the rest of the group as well.

"So... on a scale of one to ten, how bad was that?" Mike asked, looking at Jason as if he had just seen a ghost.

"Thirteen. That shit was awful." Jason shook his head.

"Fuck..." Eddie leaned his head back until it gently thumped against the wall.

"Is there any way to... I don't know, maybe dull the pain a bit?" Rebecca suggested.

"Well... Twilight did cast a spell on Sky to relieve his migraines one time... but that was on Hearth's Warming." Midnight sadly shrugged.

"And it only made the pain a thousand times worse, until Luna knocked me out." Sky finished for her.

"Well, that's not good." Jason pursed his lips.

"What about something more physical? Like, pills and shit?" Mike proposed.

"Mike, you find me Tylenol that can deal with pain that intense, and I'll give you my entire paycheck for a year." Jason shook his head.

"All the more important that we get you to the island then." Tempest declared.

"Amen to that." Eddie replied.

For a few moments, the rail car descended into silence. Mike and Eddie both took to twiddling with their thumbs, while Rebecca entertained herself by poking Sky's feathers and inspecting his wings, much to his annoyance, and Midnight's amusement. Jason simply stared out the window at the snow covered landscape, that is, until a bright light caught his eye. He squinted at the sight until he realized that whatever it was, it was only getting closer.

"Hey, uh... does anyone know what that light is?" He asked, directing all eyes to the window.

"That's the outer edge of the Crystal Empire. We're just about to cross over through the shield." Tempest explained.

Just a few moments later, the train plowed through the barrier, and instantly, white light beamed in through the windows. The storm clouds and mountains of snow were gone, and instead, open, grassy fields stretched as far out as the eye could see. Distant mountains and clear blue skies greeted the train, and the instant temperature shift caused steam to billow off their cart and trail behind as it was warmed by the much hotter temperatures inside the shield.

"Woah..." Mike whispered.

"It's... beautiful." Sky smiled.

"Can't believe we've only been up here one time." Midnight added, casting a loving look Sky's way.

"If you think that's impressive, just wait until you see the crystal ponies themselves." Tempest pointed out.

"It sure is a gorgeous sight." Jason mentioned, more to himself than to anyone else.

"And I think I see the train station over there." Rebecca said, pointing out the window.

Sure enough, there was a quaint little station for the train to pull in to, just a few minutes ahead. A small tower, with a spiked roof, and a few windows, stood tall next to the actual station itself, and covering everything, was a sheen of reflected crystal light.

"So... is that whole thing made of crystal? Like Twilight's castle?" Mike raised an eyebrow.

"Yes. The whole Empire is made of Crystal. Literally. Like, even the houses and roads." Midnight replied.

"Well ain't that something?" Sky said.

A few moments later, the train station came into full view, and the train came to a complete stop. The horn sounded, and everyone inside the cart moved to get their things and get out to the Empire. Jason, Eddie, Mike, and Rebecca quickly shouldered their packs and slung their weapons while Sky, Midnight, and Tempest strapped their saddlebags on and headed for the door. Upon exiting the train, the warmth of the sun quickly permeated into their coats and heated the cool air from the inside of the train.

"Man, even with that thing being magically heated and everything, it was a little chilly in there, not gonna lie." Mike commented as he stepped outside.

"You know, if you said that exact sentence to me a week ago, I would've asked you what you were smoking and told you to give me some." Eddie replied.

"And you wouldn't have gotten a damn ounce." Mike smugly smiled.

"Right, right. You two can go smoke when this is over. Right now, wasn't there supposed to be another pony princess here to pick us up?" Rebecca said, looking around for the aforementioned pony princess.

"Twilight said we would either get picked up by a princess named... Cadence, or her brother, Shining Armor." Jason said, once more reading the notepad for information.

"Well, I think that might be him then." Sky said, pointing at a white unicorn stallion approaching them.

The stallion in question stood just a couple inches shorter than Sky, excluding his horn. He had a cobalt blue mane and tail accompanying his shiny white coat. His eyes, which seemed to exude authority and calmness, were a soft blue, like an early morning sky after the sun had risen.

"You must be the humans Twily told me about." He said, his voice was a mix of friendliness, and hesitation.

"That's us. I take it you're... Shining Armor?" Jason replied, reading off his notepad once more.

"That's me. Glad to meet you all. Twilight told me that you're in a bit of a hurry, so I won't hold you up too much, but if it's not too much trouble, could I get your names? I got them in the letter, but I want to make sure I pronounce them right." Shining replied, giving a friendly smile.

"I'm Sergeant Jason McKnight. This is Corporal Eddie Icon, Lance Corporal Mike Jones, and Chief Warrant Officer Rebecca Williams." Jason replied, gesturing to each member of the crew.

"It's good to meet you all. An officer, huh? So, I take it that you're in charge then?" Shining Armor responded, looking at Rebecca.

"Me? Oh no, not me. I just fly the V-45," She replied, shaking her head. She quickly pointed to Jason, "When we're on the ground, he's in charge. I'm just here because we all crashed together."

"Interesting. I have no idea what a 'V-45' is, but you humans have a strikingly similar rank structure to us ponies." Shining commented, scratching his chin.

"We've been hearing that a lot lately." Jason replied.

"I'm sure you have. Most ponies are probably just excited to get to talk to aliens," Shining smiled, "But uh, anyways, here, I'll take you all to the Empire. Cadence would've come to greet you all herself, but Flurry Heart decided to throw a temper tantrum and dealing with that is kind of an alicorn level job these days." He explained.

"Flurry Heart? That's your daughter, right?" Jason asked, skimming through his notes.

"Yep! First alicorn ever to be born. All the rest ascended, including Twily." Shining beamed.

"Well... congratulations," Jason awkwardly smiled, "Let's head over there and meet the rest of the family."

"Of course, just follow me." Shining replied.

The stallion quickly turned on his hooves and trotted toward the city, prompting the rest of the group to hurry after him. Once they were all caught up, they slowed down to a comfortable walking pace, and took to perusing the city as they slowly entered its premises. Brilliant, angular crystal buildings as far as the eye could see stuck out and grabbed the attention of the four humans while they walked along, but even that paled in comparison to the crystal ponies themselves.

As the group made their way past the gathering crowds, more and more details of the local population stuck out to the humans' eyes. Their manes and tails, while still freely flowing and having the composition of normal hair, appeared to be completely crystal, and semi-transparent. Even their coats, which again seemed to be covered in actual fur and soft to the touch, appeared reflective, and almost geometrical in nature. Every color of the rainbow reflected off the crystal ponies a thousand times over, and even their irises seemed to be octagons instead of the circular shape every other creature had.

"Okay, I know we've seen some weird shit before, but this... is some weird shit." Mike muttered as a small crystal mare waved to him.

Mike hesitantly returned the wave and continued onward with the rest of the group. The further they walked into the heart of the Crystal Empire, the thicker, and denser the crowd grew, until there was a sea of crystal ponies lining the streets and investigating the strange new alien creatures following their prince.

"Woah." One said.

"Are those things aliens?" Another called out.

"Oh my gosh, they're adorable!" A young mare gushed.

Mike frowned, "Okay, one more of these ponies calls me cute, and I'm gonna get upset." He muttered.

"Oh, quit being such a baby," Rebecca nudged him with her elbow, "It's better than 'oh god, eww' when they see you."

Mike sighed and carried on. Soon enough, the group arrived at the massive Crystal palace standing in the center of the city. Said palace stood on four large bases that arched together to form the spire itself. Sapphire white crystal lined the entirety of the structure, only to be covered by massive blue tapestries displaying checkered patterns of cobalt. At the top of the spire, stood three separate towers, and at the top of the center tower, a bright white light shone out and dispersed all over the empire.

Eddie gave a long whistle.

"That sure is something, isn't it?" Sky asked, his eyes practically glued to the palace.

"Heh, if you think the outside's nice, just wait until you see the inside." Shining replied.

"How do you ponies build things like this out of crystal but you don't have electricity?" Mike asked.

"Well, we use magic for just about everything that needs some form of power to run. As for the crystal, that's actually pretty interesting. See, we use a spell to turn the raw crystal into a paste, and then we bring it to wherever it's needed, apply that paste to what we're working on, and then blast it with a heat spell until it's hardened. Then, it's just a matter of cleaning it up and shining it with some polish, and voilà, crystal castle." Shining beamed, gesturing to the castle in question.

"Huh? Neat." Mike nodded.

The group continued on until they were under the massive crystal castle. Jason, Eddie, Mike, and Rebecca looked around for an entrance, but could see nothing that looked to be a door.

"So, uh... How do we get inside?" Jason asked, eyeing Shining Armor curiously.

"Juuuuuuuuuuuuust a second. Sometimes I have a hard time finding it." He replied as he walked over to the nearest base.

Shining tapped on the crystal a few times until there was an audible click, and two plates of crystal separated in front of him. A moment passed before the doorway opened further, and revealed a dozen crystal guard ponies standing along a silver staircase. They instantly saluted their prince, to which he returned the gesture. Shining turned around to find the humans and Sky staring at him with a mix of surprise on their faces.

"Oh come on, you can't tell me that's the coolest thing you've seen all day." Shining teased.

"He's got a point, you know." Tempest chuckled.

"Yeah, it's just a door, guys." Midnight smiled.

"Right, right," Jason replied, snapping out of his surprise, "Let's go meet this princess."

The rest of the group quickly followed his lead, and headed into the structure. Once inside, they followed the staircase as it spiraled upwards and into the actual castle. All along the way, more and more crystal guards snapped to attention and saluted Shining Armor while he led the group towards the castle foyer. He quickly returned the salutes and proceeded on until arriving at a set of white doors guarded by two more crystal ponies.

Shining gave a quick salute and nodded to the guards, and the door was promptly opened, revealing the crystal castle in all its glory. A long, maroon carpet was strung out over the brilliant white floor, all the way to the next set of cobalt double doors. The walls were lined with several crystal columns and windows, reaching all the way to the impressive thirty foot high ceiling. Above everything else, white hot light gently filled the room from the crystal light fixtures, shaped into hearts.

"Well, this is cool and all, but those crystal spikes on the walls are a safety hazard, just saying." Mike shrugged.

"Hehe, well we haven't had any accidents yet, so hopefully we won't need to worry about them." Shining laughed.

Mike gave a small nod and continued forward.

"So where's Cadence? It's been a while since I've seen her." Sky chimed in, trotting alongside Shining.

"Just through this doorway." Shining replied.

With an effortless flick of his horn, Shining pulled the massive cobalt doors open to reveal the throne room. At the far end of the room, with a tired look on her face, sat a pink alicorn. Her mane and tail were a mix of purple, magenta, and cream colored highlights. She held a small bundle in her hooves - A bundle that moved and squirmed with each passing second.

Shining quickly led the group over to the throne and smiled as he approached his wife.

"Everyone, I'd like you to meet Cadence." He addressed, holding out a hoof to the pink alicorn in question.

Cadence tiredly looked up at the group gathered in front of her and smiled.

"It's a pleasure to meet you all." She said, her voice was soft and friendly, like a cool breeze on a summer afternoon.

"It's a pleasure to meet you too, your highness-" Jason replied, only to stop as she held up a hoof.

"Please, if you're friends of Twilight, then you're friends of mine. Call me Cadence." She smiled.

"Thank you, Cadence." Jason gave a polite nod.

"Is that Flurry Heart?" Midnight asked, stepping toward the throne.

"It sure is. She's kept me up for the last twenty seven hours... but I finally got her to take a nap before you all arrived. Thank you for not making too much noise and waking her." Cadence gratefully answered.

Midnight stepped up the throne until she was standing on equal level with Cadence. She hesitantly looked down at the bundle of slightly squirming pony, only for Cadence to gently magic her closer.

"You can look, you know?" Cadence teased, smiling down at the slightly shorter mare.

Midnight stifled a gasp at being unexpectedly moved, before leaning down and looking at Flurry Heart for only the second time in her life. The alicorn baby was a soft, pinkish-white color, with a curled mane and tail of pinks, purples, and sky blue. She softly snoozed away, unaware of the now growing number of ponies and humans looking down on her.

"Oh my gosh... She's adorable..." Midnight whispered, finding it hard not to smile at her. A subtle lightness filled her chest and made her heart beat just a tad faster. She quickly glanced up at Sky before looking back down at Flurry Heart and sighing softly.

"Wow... It's like you took a baby, and dialed the cuteness up to eleven." Eddie shook his head in disbelief.

"I want to hold her so bad..." Rebecca whined.

"Chief, don't take this the wrong way, but I really don't think you should be holding anyone's kid right now." Jason replied.

Rebecca glared daggers at him.

"Hey, look at what you did to Sky and tell me I'm wrong." Jason shrugged.

Rebecca sighed and looked away, "Jesus, fine. I won't squeeze anymore ponies." She pouted.

"You squeeze ponies?" Shining asked, eyeing her suspiciously.

"Not in a bad way!" Rebecca defended, "It's just that some of you guys are so cute and fluffy..."

"Hehe, I take it you're the human female Twilight wrote about." Cadence said.

"Yep... That's me." Rebecca replied, twiddling her thumbs.

"Well, if you promise not to squeeze her, I'll let you hold Flurry Heart." Cadence smiled.

Rebecca gasped, "Really!?" She asked.

"Mmhmm." Cadence nodded.

She ignited her horn and brought the small bundle that was Flurry Heart over to Rebecca's waiting arms. She gingerly received the foal and brought her into a secure cradle, supporting her head with one hand, and the rest of her body with her forearm. Rebecca gazed down at the sleeping pony and felt a wide smile form on her face.

"Oh my god she's so cute I think I'm gonna cry..." She breathlessly whispered.

"Heh, I know the feeling." Cadence smiled, before turning to see Tempest at the back of the group, "Tempest! How are you? I didn't think you were coming along." She jovially exclaimed.

"I'm doing well, princess. It's good to see you again. Twilight allowed me to come along at the last minute, so she probably just hadn't put that in the letter." Tempest replied, returning a friendly smile.

"Ah, I see. Well, regardless, I'm very happy to see you again so soon." Cadence smiled.

"Likewise." Tempest grinned.

Cadence turned back to Jason and fixed him with a friendly, yet slightly apologetic look.

"I hate to just cut to formalities, but we do have a few rooms available for you and your friends, should you want to take some time to rest. I understand that you're on a rather tight schedule, but I would recommend exploring some of the Empire and mingling with my ponies. I'm sure your arrival attracted at least some attention, and they'll all be ecstatic to meet you all." She explained, giving a hopeful smile.

"I'm... not sure how much time we can spare. It's already past noon, and our train to the Jewel Desert leaves at seven tomorrow, so we can't stay out and about for too long." Jason reasoned.

"Sarge, it's not like we're just gonna sit in the rooms for the next twelve hours." Mike shook his head.

"I know that. My only concern is someone getting lost." Jason replied.

"Oh yee of so little faith. It's not like the castle is hard to spot or anything." Sky chimed in.

Jason sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, "Alright, how about this. If you want to go and explore the Empire a bit, you have until eight o'clock tonight to do so. At exactly eight, we all meet back at our rooms. Does that satisfy everyone?" Jason asked.

The group shared mutual nods and signs of approval before turning to Jason and unanimously nodding.

"Alright. Cadence, could you please show us where we're going to be staying for the night?" Jason asked, turning to the pink alicorn.

"Of course. Shining?" Cadence looked to her husband with a pleading smile.

"On it." He quickly replied.

Shining hopped down from the throne and led the group toward the end of the room and out the door.

"Right this way." He said as he hooked a right and headed to another doorway.

Shining used his magic to pull the large crystal door open and revealed a long hallway. There were several bright blue doorways on the right side, and long, clear windows on the left that held a stunning view over the Empire.

Eddie whistled at the sight while Shining led the group ahead and to their rooms.

"Alright, so here you all are. We have six rooms in total, so you can each have your own, with the exception of Sky and Midnight," Shining explained, "We kinda figured you two would prefer that anyways."

"Thank you." Midnight gratefully replied.

"Don't mention it. If you guys need anything else, just let me or one of the servants know." Shining smiled. before turning around and walking away.

"Alright people, put your shit away." Jason ordered.

The group quickly entered their respective rooms, and set their packs down. It only took a few minutes before they had all of their belongings downloaded and left to explore the Empire.

.

.

.

.

.

Jason walked through the streets of the Crystal Empire with close to a hundred ponies following him. He groaned while pinching the bridge of his nose at the obsessive amount of attention he and the crew were drawing to themselves.

Why did I agree to this? What's wrong with me? We don't need this kind of attention. At this rate, we'll never make it back to the castle or to the train station tomorrow morning...

Jason trudged along with the sound of camera flashes and ponies scrambling for his attention close behind. He took one step, then two, then three, and finally, on the forth step, he reached his breaking point. He quickly spun around and pointed a finger at the nearest building.

"Look! I just saw the rest of my team!" Jason shouted loud enough for the entire crowd to hear him.

"Where!?" The crystal ponies shouted in unison, their heads all pointed in the direction Jason had indicated.

Jason immediately dove into the nearest ally and hid in a bush. Once the ponies turned back around to find him gone, they let out dejected "aww's" and groans. The crowd quickly dispersed with no alien to keep them entertained, and Jason hesitantly lifted his head out of the bush to scan the area. Once he was sure there were no more crystal ponies that would see him immediately, he sighed and crawled out of the bush.

"You know, I gotta hand it to you, I've never seen that actually work before." A familiar voice spoke, prompting Jason to fall back into the bush from the surprise.

"Jesus fuck!" He shouted.

Jason looked up to see Sky hovering just a few feet above the bush, his wings flapping effortlessly every second or so. The crimson pegasus suppressed a chuckle at Jason's reaction, but lowered himself down until he could reach him and offered a hoof.

"Need some help getting out of there?" He teased.

"Uh, sure," Jason replied, grabbing the offered hoof and pulling himself out of the bush, "How are your wings not displacing any air? I was right under you and I didn't feel anything at all? Also, how the hell were you just hovering when your wings were flapping so slowly?" He questioned, giving Sky a quizzical look.

"Do you really want me to say it?" Sky raised an eyebrow.

"Magic?"

"Magic."

"Right, should have figured. Anyways... What're you doing here? I thought you'd be with Midnight." Jason commented.

"Eh, Mid's with Tempest. They wanted to go try the crystal ice cream down by the park." Sky shrugged.

"Ah, okay. I didn't take Tempest for the kind to have a sweet tooth?" Jason asked.

"Well, it's a bit of a secret, but she's really got a thing for smoothies. Don't ask me why, but you get her one and she'll drink the thing down in thirty seconds, max. No brain freeze or anything. Not sure how she does it." Sky replied.

"Huh? I'll have to ask her about that later." Jason thought aloud.

"So where are the rest of your guys?" Sky asked, looking around for any sign of the crew.

"Well, Rebecca is over by the spa, giving out free hugs to every pony she sees... Which is a lot. Mike's out at the park, and Eddie wanted to go watch a movie and get the 'pony movie experience', whatever that means." Jason shook his head.

"Heh, everybody just wanted to do their own thing for a bit, huh?" Sky chuckled.

"Normally, I'd be against it... but with how friendly the ponies have been to us so far... and the fact that we've spent the last year and some change on that ship all cooped up together... I guess we all needed a little time to relax, even if the crystal ponies are making that kind of hard with how much they want to talk to us and take pictures." Jason explained.

"Yeah, they are kinda excited about you guys... but you are right though. Some time away from each other for the night will do you all a lot of good, and I know for a fact that the ponies would never try to hurt any of you. It sounds crazy to a human, but these ponies... well they're just the kindest creatures I've ever seen." Sky replied, gazing out at the crystal ponies off in the distance.

"Is that why you married one?" Jason asked.

"That's... not something I'd expect you to ask." Sky raised an eyebrow.

Jason sighed and leaned against a nearby wall.

"I know. I'm just kind of curious, you know? I mean... did you fall in love with her before or after they turned you into a pony?" Jason asked, trying his best to not sound offensive.

"Why the sudden interest?" Sky replied, skeptically.

"No reason... I just... I had to ask. These ponies are adorable... but... they're just so different." Jason shrugged.

"You were born over a century after me. Has humanity really not found any kind of alien life in that time?" Sky questioned.

"We have, it's just that they're not sapient. Well, some are kind of sapient, but nothing like the ponies. It's just plain bestiality to do the nasty with one of them." Jason shook his head.

Sky sighed, "Well that's disappointing. I was hoping that inter-species relationships were gonna be more common like they are here in Equestria."

"They're common here?" Jason asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"Oh yeah. Most species are sapient here. Inter-species relationships are really common. I mean, didn't Pinkie tell you she was dating a yak?" Sky replied.

"No, I... I never asked... You still haven't answered my original question though, you know?" Jason responded.

Sky pursed his lips in thought for a few moments.

"Well... She makes me happy. When I wake up in the morning, and I see her face, it genuinely makes me feel good. She saved my life... she gave me everything and asked for nothing in return... I guess... It's not the pony on the outside that I fell in love with in the first place, but rather... the person she is on the inside. She's beyond adorable, and I really, truly do think she's beautiful now since I became a pony, but that was never the real reason I fell in love with her. She makes me a better person, and if I have to live in ponyland with four hooves and wings instead of hands and feet, well... I think that's a pretty fair trade at the end of the day to be honest." Sky explained, looking thoughtfully into the fading sunlight.

"Wow... That's... I don't know what to say to that... I'm sorry that you crashed here and lost your friends... but I am glad you found someone that makes you happy. She really seems like a nice girl." Jason replied, smiling softly.

"Thank you. That means a lot. Actually, speaking of Midnight, I think I see her and Tempest over there." Sky said, looking past Jason to the edge of the nearby park.

True enough, Midnight and Tempest were both headed their way, and upon seeing them, Midnight gave a friendly wave. Sky waved back, and within a matter of minutes, the mares were within earshot.

"There you are. I was wondering where you flew off to." Midnight said before stepping in and giving Sky an affectionate nuzzle.

"I just wanted to see if I could break the sound barrier. Rainbow Dash makes it look so easy..." Sky joked, returning the nuzzle.

"Heh, maybe one day, big guy," Midnight replied, before turning to Jason, "How're you doing, Jason?" She asked.

"Oh I'm doing alright. Just trying to get away from the crowds for a bit. Sky was just keeping me company." Jason replied.

"You wouldn't mind if I stole him from you for a bit, would you? I need a little bit of help with... a thing." Midnight said, smiling sheepishly.

"A... thing?" Jason raised an eyebrow.

"It's uh... kind of private." Midnight replied, a slight trace of a blush creeping onto her face.

"Well, uh... okay. Don't let me hold you up. Have fun with... your thing... I guess." Jason responded, a stark amount of confusion in his voice.

"Thank you." Midnight gave a grateful smile before her horn lit up and her sapphire aura wrapped itself around Sky.

"Wait, why ar- wah!?" Sky began as he was yanked away by Midnight's magic.

She hurriedly galloped off toward the palace, leaving Tempest and Jason alone.

"So, uh... They seem to be in a hurry..." Jason said, trying to get some conversation started.

Tempest, who thusfar had been completely silent, and staring at Jason with a muted look on her face, broke out of her stupor at his words and stuttered for a response.

"Oh, u-uh, y-yeah. They're... always doing things like that this time of year. Midnight must be hitting her estrus cycle." Tempest replied, glancing down at the floor while her cheeks heated up.

Stupid stupid stupid! Don't just stare at him like that, are you trying to creep him out!?

"Estrus cycle?" Jason asked, tilting his head to the side.

Tempest's blush darkened even further.

Nononononononononononono!!!! I can't explain that to him!

"Uh... it's... well..." Tempest stammered, quickly casting her gaze to the floor.

"Hey, you're looking a little... off again, are you alright?" Jason asked, stepping toward the mulberry unicorn while she fumbled for her words.

"I-I'm fine, i-it's just that... well..." She trailed off again as her eyes finally came up to find Jason standing less than a step away from her.

Before she could speak, Jason brought his hand down to her forehead and gently pressed the back of his hand against her short fur. Tempest's mouth hung slightly agape as Jason held his hand against her, and her blush somehow managed to darken even further.

"Well, uh... I'm not too sure how to tell with you guys, but you seem really warm... Like, almost too warm to be okay. Are you sure you're feeling alright? I don't want you to get sick or something." Jason warmly smiled down at her.

The soft feeling of his gloved hand felt unbelievably gentle and calming pressed against Tempest's forehead, and even though her heart was pounding in her chest, she felt an overwhelming calmness blanket over her body. Her eyes fluttered shut, and she could barely feel her body lean forward into the touch. For a few blissful seconds, there was nothing except for that gentle warmth that settled into her fur and calmed her erratic mind.

As with all good things, it was destined not to last, and soon enough, she felt those wonderful digits pull away from her head and return to Jason's person.

"Um... Tempest? I'm starting to get a little worried now." He said, eyeing her with concern.

"Oh, um... Sorry about that. I just kind of... spaced out for a second. I-I'm fine. Really." Tempest replied, giving her best attempt at a reassuring smile.

"Okay... but seriously, if you're not feeling well, just tell me. You're a part of my team now, and your health is just as important to me as the rest of the guys." Jason said, giving a friendly smile.

"Thank you... I really appreciate that." Tempest replied, glancing down at the floor once more and shyly rubbing her foreleg with her hoof.

"Well... In any case, you were going to tell me about what estrus is?" Jason pressed, determined to continue the previous conversation.

Tempest's blush immediately returned in full force.

"U-uh, w-well... basically... estrus is a time of year, or two times, rather... when a mare becomes..." Tempest trailed off, her eyes gluing themselves to the floor.

"When a mare becomes... what?" Jason asked.

"Well... we aren't exactly... fertile all year." Tempest managed.

"You aren't what?" Jason leaned closer to hear her better.

"Y-you know... fertile." She finally said, before biting her lip and looking away.

"Fertile? As in... you can't have kids?" Jason tilted his head to the side.

"Um... yes. Under normal circumstances... pregnancy is pretty hard to accomplish unless a mare is... well, in estrus." Tempest had to fight to keep the recurring blush from staining her coat a permanent dark purple color.

"So estrus is just... a time when a mare gets really fertile and can have kids?" Jason pieced together.

"Yes." Tempest quickly replied.

"Huh? Well that's interesting. Good to know. You aren't... you know, going into estrus or anything, are you?" Jason asked, looking at her curiously.

"What!? No!" Tempest shouted, her eyes widening to the size of saucers.

"Woah, woah," Jason defensively held up his hands, "I wasn't trying to insult you or anything, it's just... with the blushing, and the stuttering, I wasn't sure if maybe that might be it." He hastily explained.

"I-I am not in estrus! I'm just... nervous, is all..." Tempest trailed off after realizing how much she was saying.

"Nervous? What are you nervous for? It's... not because of me, is it?" Jason asked, his tone taking a softer approach.

Tempest felt a pit form in her stomach, and she quickly glanced away.

"Tempest? Look, if I've done something or said something to make you nervous around me, I'm sorry but-" Jason began.

"It's not that..." Tempest cut him off, "I mean... it's not your fault. It is you, but it's not because of you... if that makes any sense." She said, turning on her hooves to face away from him. She slowly sat on her haunches and gazed up at the darkening sky.

"I... don't think I follow... Why are you nervous because of me?" Jason asked, hesitantly stepping forward.

"It's... ugh... why'd I have to open my big mouth." Tempest muttered, dropping her gaze to the ground.

For a few seconds, Jason did nothing. He did not reply or move, however, as the seconds ticked by, and the mare in front of him looked more and more upset with herself, he stepped forward and sat down beside her.

"Tempest... I promise that you can talk to me. Even if it's a problem with me. I just want to make sure that you're okay." He said, a friendly smile quickly appearing on his face.

"I just... I'm not sure what to say... I don't know how to describe it, but when I'm around you... my heart beats faster, and I get this pit in my chest... my throat dries up, and I can't, for the love of Celestia, stop blushing!" She exclaimed, exasperatedly stomping a hoof into the ground.

"And... it's just around me? Not Eddie, Mike, or Rebecca?" Jason asked, curiously.

"No... At least, not anywhere near as bad... I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said anything-" Tempest started, only to be cut off by Jason wrapping his arm around her barrel and pulling her close.

"Hey, don't worry about it. I think I understand, and... you can't control how you feel about certain people. All the same, I'm really glad you came with us." Jason said. There was a friendly warmth in his voice that did not go unnoticed by Tempest's ears as they flicked toward him.

"So..." Tempest trailed off, her eyes slowly trailing over to the human seated to her left.

Jason pursed his lips and fell silent for some time. Tempest felt her heart grow heavier with each passing second, and her eyes slowly fell to the ground below.

"I'm not saying it's impossible-" Jason suddenly spoke up, prompting Tempest to quickly look at him, "-but I'm not Sky... I don't really... see ponies in that way, at least... not yet. I can't say anything for sure is going to come of us being here for the next few months, but... I do like you, Tempest." He explained, squeezing her tighter in the process.

Tempest felt a wave of relief wash over her body, and her shoulders slumped as she let out a shaky sigh.

So... there's a chance... there's really a chance... please... please let this go further... just once... She thought to herself.

Tempest subconsciously leaned into Jason's side, and rested her head against his shoulder. Judging by the way he only held her a little tighter, he wasn't opposed to the gesture. In fact, after a few seconds, he leaned his head to the side and rested his cheek against Tempest's head, squishing down her mane in the process. They both gazed up at the sky to find that night time had fully settled over the city, and there was a beautiful purple aurora lining the skyline. They both shared a pleasant smile and watched the stars for some time after that.

Author's Note

https://youtu.be/a5jEiTlH-Mw
Hey guys. At the time of posting this, I'm on my w as y back home after 4 long years in the Army. To everyone reading this on the day of uploading, happy new year 😁
I hope you guys like the story so far and I hope you're ready for the next chapter...