The following morning, Kepler awoke to the rising glow of dawn, sunlight gently filtered through the curtains of his and Gloria’s shared room, falling upon their sleeping forms in the large bed.

His weary eyes traveled across the finery around them, the gilded gold and polished marble, interspersed with the expertly carved wood and satin cloth of the furniture. Still, if anything, nothing else could compare to his beloved, sleeping softly in the bed beside him, her feathers glittering in the dawn with each tender breath. His heart swelled with awe in his chest, her beauty still stole the air from his very lungs. This angel somehow had found him worthy enough to love, to defy her king, and to betray her lands; for a lost, forlorn, and lonely soul such as himself...

Whether or not it was truly treasured as a gift from God, it was nearly enough to bring tears to his eyes as a smile pulled the corners of his lips upwards. A vow once made, renewed and revitalized in his mind and his heart as he swore to never let any darkness, in life, and in this war diminish the light of their love, no matter the cost, nor sacrifice.

If he could, he would bring her the world, because that was what her love meant to him.

A trio of loud knocks echoed through the room, snapping the stallion from his thoughts, the ethereal moment passing like dew in the morning sun.

A grumble of annoyance was bitten back as he climbed out of the bed, the warmth and soft siren’s call of Gloria’s feathers a nearly impossible feat to ignore. The knocking sounded again, more forceful this time, and Kepler found his voice even as he stumbled over to said doorway.

“I’m coming, I’m coming.” His voice was gravelly from sleep and phlegm, sounding more akin to an elderly rasp, but it was enough to make the insufferable knocking cease as soon as he cracked the door open to stare down the offending party.

The solar guard on the other side stepped back in surprise at the single glowing cat-like eye boring into him, the startled stallion stammered out, “P-Princess Cadence and Prince S-Shining Armor request your presence in the dining hall; I-I’ve been sent to personally guide you there at your earliest convenience.”

Kepler let up on the glower, sighing before clearing his throat, “Very well, let’s head there now.”

The stallion briefly glanced over the German’s shoulder as Kepler pushed the hunk of wood fully open, “Should you wake your companion?”

Kepler looked over his shoulder at Gloria, still asleep; softly cooing with each exhale. Beautiful; at peace.

He shook his head, turning to walk over to the desk and hastily writing out a quick note before placing it on the bedside table in a neat and tidy roll. Kepler paused for just a moment to kiss Gloria’s forehead, her beak curling at the corners as she snuggled deeper into the cushions. Slowly closing the door behind him, Kepler motioned for the guard to lead the way; a nod was the only reply as the two stallions made their way through the halls of the castle, the early morning sun doing little to slow the everyday hustle and bustle as maids and other staff wandered about around them; though many did pause to glance curiously at the strange bat pony walking by in their midst.

None appeared to be hostile, thankfully, much like the day prior after the trial's events.

Kepler’s rumination was cut blissfully short as the guard opened the tall door before them, revealing a surprisingly small dining room with much more homely décor.

Instead of the grand hall that Kepler had been expecting, this room looked much more like an overly large family dinner table, with warm crystal lights and tasteful wood furniture in contrast to the polished stone and precious metals the rest of the castle used. Seated around the square table were a collection of ponies of various tribes, with Princess Cadence and Shining Armor seated on the far side from the door. Two others were seated on either side of the table, rounding out the attendance at seven, including himself. His guide saluted and beat a hasty retreat, closing the door behind him as Kepler stood before the gathered Equestrians. He didn’t know what this was, but it had to be important if both ponies leading the war effort were here.

Princess Cadence smiled as she glanced up from the menu in her magic, “Sir Kepler, we appreciate you for joining us.” She paused as she saw only him, “where is Ms. Gloria?”

“Still resting in our bed chambers.” He replied as he sat on the far side of the table, facing her while making note of the others around him as he did so. “I chose to let her since I can fill her in on anything she missed later.”

Princess Cadence nodded, the corners of her mouth twitching for a moment before quickly schooling into a calmer expression. “That is understandable.”

This time Shining Armor spoke up. “We called you here because we wanted to go over the plans you have for helping us win this war, as well as to verify what may or may not be viable given our own… capabilities. With us are some of the leading members of our respective military branches.” He nodded at the golden pegasus on his left, a mare with fireball mane to match for the fierce amber gaze she bore into Kepler’s own, “Captain Spitfire of the Wonderbolts; she commands an elite unit within the larger structure of our air force.”

The mare’s quiet stare-down lasted a second too long to be considered polite before she turned away, a muttered sentence too quiet for even his hearing to pick up escaping her muzzle as Cadence’s hoof indicated the next pony, an enormous male earth pony with dark blue fur and a snow-white mane.

It was rare for Kepler to have himself look up to meet another's gaze, but this behemoth of a stallion was nearly a head taller than him and likely to be twice his weight. Kepler had heard of being built like a brick house before, but this was absolutely ridiculous. The stallion’s body was partly covered by a prim and pressed dress uniform, littered with numerous medals, somehow appearing to be both properly sized and about to burst at the seams at the same time. The pristine white cloth quickly brought a naval officer’s kit to Kepler’s mind, and the giant’s sea green eyes were calm as they inspected Kepler’s form with calculating precision.

“Admiral Riptide,” Cadence introduced the hulking stallion, “commander of the navy and the designer of the ironclads your… ship sank off the coast of Manehattan.”

Kepler’s eyebrow curved slightly at that, his appraisal of the stallion going up several notches as he realized who he was facing. Both in terms of potential assistance in building a counter for the Tyr, but also the direct commander of all the service ponies he killed while captain of his own ship. The calm behind the stallion’s eyes gave nothing away to Kepler’s searching gaze, yet he felt chills run up his spine vaguely as he also knew just how badly things could turn out if he ended on bad terms with this one.

Shining Armor pointed to the mare on Kepler’s right, “General Hard Tack, commander of the Solar Guard and one of the many ponies in charge of our army.”

The miniscule pony Kepler’s gaze fell upon was yet another… surprise, her head barely tall enough to crest the edge of the table before her. Yet even at a glance, Kepler could tell that this was not a mare he would underestimate. What the pipsqueak lacked in stature she more than made up for with sheer magical presence; given the horn on her forehead positively brimmed with power, palpable to even his non-magical senses. Immediately, Kepler’s mind brought forth Celestia’s raging inferno, and yet, the pocket-sized powerhouse seemed to not care a wit about the sheer magical might she possessed, smiling up at the stallion with a controlled yet sincere expression. She seemed to be genuinely happy to meet him as her ice blue eyes met his own. Her rose-colored mane was neatly curled over one shoulder, hanging down nearly to the elbow of one of her forelegs, while her soft cream coat was covered by a more advanced version of the Solar Guard gold uniform. Fitting, given her position.

Cadence indicated the final pony to her immediate right, a stallion of admittedly little outward note. The earth pony was the very definition of forgettable, with a light brown coat and a dark gray mane. Even his expression seemed to find hardship breaking away from a bored, neutral face. “And lastly, Agent Blank Slate, of the International Division of Equestrian Affairs.”

Kepler barely held in the snort that left his muzzle as he registered the name, “Your intelligence agency is called I.D.E.A.? Forgive me, Fraulein, that acronym must be something Celestia cooked up when she was bored. Poorly thought out and lacking in creativity.”

A single eyebrow rose on Blank Slate’s face, “Guten Morgen Leutnant zur see Kepler Wolff. Oder wäre es jetzt Kapitän?”

Kepler paused; he had never heard any of the Equestrians speak his tongue so fluently, not even the gryphons were that exact. There had been none of the subtle shifts that the gryphons had because of the shape of their beaks, causing whistles and changes in some words’ phonetics.

Blank Slate hadn’t been speaking Gryphish, he’d been speaking German.

Princess Cadence glanced between Kepler and Blank Slate with a confused expression, a hint of worry surfacing as Kepler slowly stood from his seat, “Kepler, is there something wrong?”

Kepler ignored the mare as his gaze stayed locked to the stallion across from him, scrutinizing every feature, every movement, looking for some hint, some sign that he wasn’t being deceived. He had to know, had to be certain that what was running through his mind was real. Could it be? That a member of the Marinenachrichtendienst, Naval Intelligence, another human, also found their way into this world?

Blank Slate lived up to his name, his expression revealing less than the face of a gravestone, save for the lowering of the eyebrow that had initially departed from its default position. Kepler dared to hope, to believe that he wasn’t alone in this world, but when no other signs appeared, a crushing weight fell over his shoulders, a thunderous sigh escaping his lips as he sat back down.

“Kepler?” Cadence asked, quieter this time, “Is there anything I can help with?”

Kepler lifted his gaze from the table before him, locking weary eyes with the princess across him, “No, fraulein, just a figment of my imagination I'm afraid, a fleeting memory of past ghosts. Thank you still.”

The alicorn looked like she wanted to press further but was interrupted by Riptide as he rumbled out in a ridiculously deep voice, “I believe we have strayed from the topic at hoof. Shall we discuss the defense of our nation or sit here idly chatting?”

Direct and to the point, Kepler liked the behemoth already, admittedly. “Yes, we shall.”

Hours passed like minutes as the ponies discussed anything and everything that could be pertinent to the war effort, from supply capabilities to troop numbers to offensive and defensive armaments. Kepler was so focused on the information being passed around that he barely remembered the omelet he ate for breakfast, let alone what it tasted like amidst the sheer volume of information he was being presented with. None of the information he was given was considered a state secret and could have been found in almost any public library, but to have it all pushed on him at once was a bit much. Through the course of their talks, Kepler gained a thorough understanding of the Equestrian’s military capabilities, and the titanic gap between their technology and what he was familiar with.

Even considering the advent of magic, Equestria was still a couple hundred years behind the technology of his homeland, at best. Let alone, the gryphons even. Domestic technology wasn’t quite as stunted, refrigeration and locomotives existed after all, but when comparing the machine guns and heavy artillery he had helped the gryphons design, swords and ballista wouldn’t come close to being enough. When presented with his summary of their chances as they currently stood, nearly every member of the staff, sans Cadence, bristled with anger.

“So that’s it?” Spitfire’s ire blazed in her eyes as her wings flared over her back, “We’re powerless to stop them, is that it? What about your promise to help us level the playing field? Where’s your amazing secret power that will give us a chance?”

“I’ll bet just a platoon of my Solar Legionnaires could break through their lines.” Hard Tack added as her horn sparked with barely controlled energy, “Give me a chance and we’ll crack their formations like an egg.”

Even Riptide, who Kepler thought would have understood his reasoning, was glaring at him like an avalanche getting ready to fall, “You dishonor the ponies you killed by speaking so ill of our chances, Captain. I’ve half a mind to toss you back in the dungeon myself after such a blatant slandering of our —”

“STOP IT!!” Cadence’s voice rang through the room and Kepler’s ears weren’t the only ones to fold over against the thunderous assault. “Stop it, all of you. We are on the same side, and like it or not, Kepler is right. We don’t stand a chance as we are now, but I’m certain we can find a solution if we work together. We gain nothing from fighting amongst ourselves except giving the enemy an even greater advantage.” Her gaze bore into each of the officers until they averted their eyes, her own softening as she returned her attention to Kepler, “Now, I presume you have a solution after giving that rather grim summary of our situation?”

Kepler nodded, “I do, and it will be much easier if you’ve managed to capture any of the gryphon’s weapons during your engagements with them. It isn’t required but having a physical model of what I am trying to explain will make comprehending the concepts easier.”

Hard Tack nodded, her previous fury once again overshadowed by her bubbly smile, “We have managed to bring back some of the smaller weapons the gryphons carried during the attack on Manehattan, but we have yet to figure out how they work.”

Kepler’s lips curled into a smile for the first time that day, “Then allow me to show you, as they are fundamentally the same as the weapons on the Tyr, simply shrunk for personal use.”

That caught everyone’s attention, even making the stoic Blank Slate perk up with interest. Kepler’s smile grew even wider, knowing that the playing field had just been balanced, and he was one step closer to ending that insufferable insect once and for all.

Princess Cadence called a recess for lunch while Hard Tack gathered the materials they would need from the research centers in the castle’s lower levels. Kepler, taking a moment to stretch his legs, stopped by the room where he and Gloria were staying, finding the hen still sound asleep in the bed where he had left her. Shaking his head but smiling nonetheless, Kepler closed the door once more and returned to the meeting room to begin his explanation.

Now if only the rest of the war could be so easy.

Kepler marched through the halls with his guard escort beside him, pausing at the doors to the dining hall to take a deep breath to steady his nerves. He was just about to push the door open when his ear caught the faintest sound of metal sliding on leather.

Instinctive reaction spurred his body to the side just as the guard sailed through the space his body had been, the sword driving deep into the wood of the door as Kepler’s right hoof impacted the side of the guard’s helm.

An echoing clang rang through the hall and Kepler hissed as his hoof split from the impact, blood smeared on the helm as the guard reeled from the blow. Taking only a second to register, Kepler charged the stallion, knocking the other pony off his hooves as the door to the dining hall flew open behind him.

“What in Faust’s name is — KEPLER?! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!”

Kepler didn’t heed as he focused on the stallion beneath him, smashing blow after blow upon the guard’s head, his helm doing little to protect his muzzle and neck as the thestral punched again and again.

Finally, his assault was halted when a field of magic enveloped both of their bodies, freezing them in place before pulling them apart.

“THAT IS ENOUGH!!” Cadence’s voice was on another level as she glared at Kepler, horn ablaze with energy as her magic held him aloft. “Explain yourselves, RIGHT NOW!”

“The freak tried to kill me!” The guard called out as Hard Tack helped him to his hooves, “We were about to enter when he started beating the apples out of me!”

Kepler murderously stared down the bastard as he continued his tirade of painting him as some kind of homicidal maniac that needed to be locked up; yet something on the stallion’s muzzle caught his attention. His blood began to boil over as fury raced through his veins.

The blood on the pony’s lips was green ichor.

Pests.

Finally, the stallion ran out of words to slander the still-restrained Kepler, his pained expression shifting to sadistic glee while the eyes of everyone turned to face the levitating bat-pony. The hidden bug grinned up bloodily at him from behind the others, confident that his ploy had been successful. Two can play that game…insect.

Kepler knew that calling out the changeling wouldn’t work, at least not without proof. So, he pretended to hang his head in shame, keeping the insufferable worm in his peripheral vision discreetly as Cadence lowered him to the ground.

“I apologize,” Kepler did his best to quell the fury in his voice, “my instincts acted on their own and I just reacted to what I thought was an incoming threat.”

The bug seemed to buy his act, for his hoof began reaching into his armor while the other ponies’ attention was fixated on Kepler; pulling out a wickedly serrated blade, black metal illuminated with a sickly green hue and dripping with what Kepler could only assume was poison. Even as the others got right into his face, Kepler remained stoic as he locked his focus on the bug, inching towards the first pony closest to him with deadly intent, Hard Tack.

Just as the blade poised to plunge into Hard Tack’s spine, Kepler acted. His wings rose and fell in one powerful stroke, propelling him to the changeling just as the blade began its descent. A roar of fury escaped him as he barreled into the would-be assassin, his left forehoof blocking the downward strike as he punched the stallion square in his already bloody muzzle.

The others cried out as his momentum carried them into the wall, the assassin reacting to the attack quickly as he tried to reposition his strike on Kepler instead. Kepler managed to avoid the deadly weapon as he dodged and struck back, kicking out the weapon from the changeling's grip and spun it around to point at the stallion’s throat instead.

Silence hung in the hall as Kepler locked baleful eyes with the changeling. Cadence and the others were frozen, staring at them, and more specifically the blade in Kepler’s grip.

“You’ve failed, changeling.” Kepler stated between ragged breaths, “Surrender now, and you shall be given mercy.”

The stallion’s blood-covered muzzle twisted into a sinister grin that had no business being on a pony’s face, “You will fail in stopping the Queen. She knows of your betrayal and will seek endlessly to make your world burn.”

Kepler smiled ruthlessly, “I know she plans to, I never expected anything less from that sadistic bitch.” His lips dropped into a frown, as his gaze bore into the drone before him, “But coming after my comrades, my heart? That, I will never allow.”

“You cannot stop it,” the drone ranted, his body flickering as green flames began to overtake his form from his hind hooves, “Queen Chrysalis will destroy you all. Nothing you do will make a dif—GLK!”

Some of the ponies behind him threw up, Kepler didn’t care who, as he drove the blade into the changeling’s throat, silencing his rant as the disguise fell apart, revealing the insectile creature completely as the blue light dimmed to nothing behind his eye lenses. Kepler ripped the blade free, the assassin’s head falling to one side as his body fell to the other, causing another round of vomiting to ensue behind him.

Kepler stared down at the changeling’s lifeless eyes, a cold and impassive expression on his muzzle as he whispered to himself, “I hate monologues.”

Kepler dropped the blade next to the corpse, turning and walking back the way he had come, head held high while passing by the shocked and very green ponies behind him, “If you need me, I’ll be in my room. I wouldn’t put it past these insects to try multiple targets at once. We can continue the weapon demonstration later, but first I’m going to the baths.”

No one replied, either due to shock or nausea Kepler couldn’t say. All he cared about was that none of them tried to stop him as he marched through the halls at a quickened pace. Chrysalis had just poked a hornet’s nest, and he would be certain to repay her treachery in kind when he dismantled her plans piece by agonizing piece.

Author's Note

YAY!!!!! Another chapter finally up and running!! **Dodges incoming rotten fruits and vegetables by hiding behind desk** ALRIGHT! ALRIGHT!! Ceasefire!!

Ahem, as I was saying, I am so very excited to finally get back to writing! It has been Tartarus at my now former workplace, and I've finally found somewhere I can be true to both myself and earn a decent living as well. I feel revitalized and more creative now than I have in almost a year, and it shows.

Speaking of which, I have another chapter already up and rolling with my amazing editor, LeadlessSteed, who has been so very patient and helpful even through my ridiculously long hiatus. Please give them a huge round of applause in the comments section as well, because my writing wouldn't be the amazing story you all love if not for their tireless efforts.

Please let me know what you all think of the latest installment and be on the lookout for chapter 26 soon!! I'm so very excited to be back in the saddle and hope you all enjoy the revitalized spark that has led to these new updates.

See you all next time,
Shadow Quill, Messenger of the Moon.