Another morning, another day of meetings and instruction. Kepler hated feeling the way he did, but it never ceased to amaze him how unbelievably boring it could be when all he had to do was talk about his world’s technology. While there were ponies that had very intelligent questions and even brought ideas forward that he had never considered, there were also the inevitable neigh-sayers and skeptics amongst the gathered researchers and officers. Had it not been for Gloria’s endless support and calm bearing beside him, he was certain that at least a few of the morons pushing his buttons would be in the infirmary instead of pestering him about minute details that had no real importance.

Two weeks of diligent hard work, and already the Equestrians were making headway against the invading forces. Survival rates had skyrocketed during engagements thanks to new armor that used replaceable mana stones to power slanted magic shields, allowing pony troops to close on gryphon emplacements while any incoming weapons’ fire was deflected up and away. Mana rifles and other weapons were quick to follow, with prototypes for automatic systems already being tested, last he had heard from the research and development side of things.

The once overwhelming advantage the gryphons once claimed had been shrunk to nothing in short order, with neither side making headway on the battlefield as soldiers dug in around the coastal cities on both sides. Kepler had been sharing his knowledge as readily as he could but kept some of the most powerful secrets to himself. Just as he had with the changelings and gryphons, trust must be earned, and so far, he had yet to see full cooperation from his new allies.

Sure, he was helping them win the war, but it was in large part his fault the war had started to begin with. Thus, there were a sizable number of ponies that disliked him but worked with him out of either necessity or under orders. Most of the former were members of the castle staff, stuffy nobles that had more interest in their personal finances than saving lives, while the latter were officers or other military service ponies that had lost someone or resented him because of their reliance on his knowledge.

Either way, Kepler never went anywhere without his pistol tucked away in his new officer’s uniform, the cold steel a reminder and comfort that he wasn’t as powerless as some of the idiots around him believed. Now if he could resist the temptation to put a round between the eyes of every noble moron who saw fit to question his every word, things could finally start moving forward.

He had received word that the navy had begun construction on a new ship, using the principles and designs from the Bismark and Tyr to improve upon the ironclads Riptide had built not long before. So far, things seemed to be going well, as the concept trials for the new engine and weapon systems had succeeded with flying colors, leapfrogging Equestria’s technological capabilities forward by decades at a time while also incorporating magical principles to bypass or improve upon the originals.

It shocked Kepler how fast the ponies were able to adapt and improve upon concepts that he had only introduced to them a few weeks prior, their ingenuity and innovation a marvel to witness as they expanded upon his teachings in record time. At points he almost felt like he was behind in his own briefings, the magical jargon and rapid-fire brainstorms of the research team being forward enough to make his head spin.

It was with palpable relief that the mentally exhausted stallion walked back to their shared suite with Gloria at his side, her wing a welcome support over his withers as he leaned heavily against her.

A giggle escaped her beak as they pushed into the room, Kepler’s body slumping onto the bed face-first as he groaned into the pillow, “I take it you don’t feel like moving after all of that?”

“Mmhmmmff.” Kepler’s reply was muffled by the fluffy embrace of his pillow, but his ears swiveled towards his love as she laughed, a wonderful sound that did wonders to soothe the mental fog that had settled over his brain.

The bed groaned slightly before Kepler felt himself being rolled onto his side, a quick kiss on his cheek his only warning before he was literally enveloped in soft, feathery heaven. Gloria’s wings were better than any blanket he could ever hope to own, and he felt his stress melting away as she gently ran her talons through his mane and down his neck. A deep, satisfied groan escaped before he could stop it, inciting another round of giggles and a playful nip against the tuft on his left ear.

“Eep!” Kepler would deny anything so feminine could ever escape his lips, even as lightning ran down his spine from the tip of the affronted ear. He would have moved away, had Gloria not used her advantageous position and larger body to pin him in place.

A teasing coo sent a different form of tingle down his spine as she whispered into the ear she had just lit up like an electrical wire, “Oh, someone seemed to like that. Would my darling mate desire some more?”

Kepler was seconds from taking her up on that offer, even planning on how he would turn the situation in his favor, when something else caught his attention. Some sixth sense, an instinctive warning, told him danger was nearby. His tensing muscles shattered the mood in an instant, Gloria’s wings pulling tight to her body as Kepler sat up on the bed, pistol drawn from its holster and steady in his grip. His eyes roamed the room in search of the presence he had sensed, the trigger millimeters from firing and primed to kill the intruder.

“Show yourself, assassin!” Kepler’s voice echoed slightly in the otherwise empty room, “I know you are there!”

“Peace, warrior.” A distinctly feminine tone echoed around the room, impossible to pinpoint even with his superior hearing, “I mean you no harm.”

Kepler positioned himself to be in front of Gloria, her safety jumping to top priority in his mind as he questioned the absence of the guards outside the suite. Surely, they heard him yelling?

“You are wise to be cautious,” the voice continued, “given the enemies you face. I would help you to fight them, if you will permit me to explain.”

Kepler’s ears spun back and forth, his eyes taking in every detail of the room, “And why should I trust you?”

Movement caught his attention, his aim spinning to face the intruder as they stepped out from behind one of the curtains framing the window. Kepler’s eyes widened as he heard Gloria gasp behind him, his grip on the pistol tightening even as his teeth bared in anger.

A long, curly red mane framed a demure muzzle that held the smallest hint of a smile. Her height was sufficient to put her long, curved horn on par with Luna’s stature. Twin, amber irises watched his every move with calm, calculating precision. Four dragonfly-like wings folded under ruby-colored elytra, their edges rippling with rainbows of color as they refracted the incoming sunlight across the walls.

“Because we share a common enemy,” the changeling queen replied, her lips pulling back to reveal twin fangs as her long tail swayed softly from side to side, “Chrysalis of the Jade Hive.”

Kepler’s aim remained steady as he leveled the pistol between the royal’s eyes, his hoof grip a hair’s breadth from firing, “Say I believe you, why should I trust a changeling when it is in part your kind’s fault we are all in this mess to begin with?”

The queen either didn’t understand the threat his weapon posed, or simply didn’t care, because she stepped forward until the cold steel was pressed against her forehead just under her horn, “You can’t. Nor should you, without evidence to back it up of course. I can offer you and the Equestrians something you desperately need. An ace up your sleeve to turn the tide of the war.”

“And that would be?” Kepler’s eyebrow rose slightly, intrigued, but still cautious.

“Intelligence.” She replied, her grin growing wider even with his weapon pressed against her skull, “About the plans of your enemy, military and otherwise.”

The staring contest held for a moment longer, tension rising like a wave in the room as the queen waited for Kepler’s response. The stallion had no reason to listen to her, even direct evidence to kill her right then and there because of the assassin sent after him before. Yet, something in her eyes, that hard glint of confidence so desperate to be believed, told him there was more. It couldn’t be that simple.

“Why are you really here?” He asked, pulling his weapon back but still holding it ready just in case, “What do you get out of this by helping to win a war that does not concern you?”

The confident grin held for a second longer before falling into a frown, a heavy sigh escaping her lips as the queen turned around and walked up to the window. Gone was the prideful and cocky queen image from before. In her place, a frightened and desperate ruler who didn’t know what else to do.

“My hive lives, or rather, lived, in the Gryphon Empire.” Her words were heavy, filled with pain as she lifted a hoof to press against the window glass. “We have never been large in number, nor do we feed on the love of others like Chrysalis and her ilk. We lived in coexistence with the gryphons, feeding on their pride and devotion to their nation while helping to defend their way of life, either as soldiers in their military or as informants of impending danger.” Her head hung low as another sigh escaped, her horn scratching with a pained screech against the glass as her fangs bared in fury, “Then Chrysalis got a hold of you and your ship. At first, we thought nothing of it, but as talk of war and the advancements your technology provided spread, so too did her drones, sniffing around in every corner for possible threats to her plans.”

Her head turned, the raw pain and fury mixed in her eyes enough to make Kepler lift his weapon again, although he lowered it just as quickly as tears ran down her cheeks in rivers, “My children were slaughtered by the hundreds. Any that were discovered by Chrysalis’ hive were mercilessly cut down, without question, and without hope. You asked me what I got out of all this by helping you. There is only one thing I want in this world, and I have seen enough of both you and your loyalties to know the truth. You and I want the exact same thing.”

Kepler lowered his weapon, understanding dawning as he slipped the pistol back into its holster, “Chrysalis’ head on a pike.”

A nod was his reply, the changeling turned back to face him fully as she cleaned her face with a burst of magic, “Now you understand. I cannot avenge my murdered children alone. I need your aid to put an end to the slaughter so that my hive can return home. We are small, but we can be of use if you are willing to give them, give me a chance. I know you have no reason to trust me, given all that you and others have suffered at my kind’s hooves. But I ask not for myself, but for the murdered innocents that were cut down simply for being there, help us. Help me bury that monster and I will suffer any pain, any humiliation imaginable.” Tears ran down her face anew, as choked sobs robbed her voice of any strength it had, “P-Please, help m-me put my children to rest, s-so that they may f-find peace in dea —”

Kepler’s hoof gently shushed the distraught queen, her eyes widening in shock even as his sad smile fought with the righteous fury burning in his heart, “That’s enough. You honor your children’s memory by going to such lengths for their sake.”

The queen jerked back, tears flying wide from the force of her movement as her wings flared open, “But I should have been stronger, should have taken the fight directly to that conniving bitch’s face and made her pay.” Her eyes screwed shut, green ichor running down her lips as her fangs dug into them, “I’m pathetic, turning to others for help like this. I’ve forsaken my pride as a queen, fled our ancestral home in fear. Why would any of that be worthy of honor?!”

The force of her shout rattled the rafters slightly, yet there was still no indication of movement or sound from the other side of the door. At that point Kepler was certain the queen had put some kind of barrier up to prevent them from being overheard before she had made herself known.

He was moments away from replying when he was surprised by Gloria stepping forward, her head held high and her stride sure as she approached the distraught changeling. Kepler held his tongue as the hen lifted the queen’s chin with a talon, a kind smile causing the queen’s eyes to widen in shock once more.

“You honor them by doing what is right.” Her words were soft yet held a tremendous weight as she lowered her talons to the queen’s chest, “Your courage by standing here on your own, without guards, without weapons, shows me you are willing to do anything to protect your hive. A weak ruler sends messengers, yet here you stand before us. A pathetic ruler would roll over and give up, yet you have only just begun to fight. A prideful queen would never ask for help, but they also wouldn’t care about their people as you so surely do. As a being who has lived amongst us, you know what it means when a gryphon says this. Taten sagen mehr als Wrote.”

A thick chuckle escaped the queen’s lips, her lips pulling into a true smile for the first time as she lifted her head to her full height, “You are wise beyond your years, Dame Windcutter. You are correct, actions do mean more than words.” A soft giggle escaped her lips as she glanced at Kepler over Gloria’s shoulder, “You have good taste in mates, young warrior. She will be a force to be reckoned with in years to come.”

A vibrant blush enveloped both of their faces as the queen laughed, a musical sound that helped to lift the fog of pain and distrust that had settled over the room, “Please, call me Karminrot, or Carmine if you prefer. I hope this means that I have earned your trust, Herr Wolff?”

“We shall see,” he replied as he stepped up to Gloria’s side, “you’ll first need to convince the Equestrians that you are trustworthy as well. They have an even more negative outlook on your kind than I, so it will be no easy task.”

Carmine nodded, her mane rippling with her movements as her horn glowed a soft ruby, “Then allow me to make the first move. GUARDS! SIR KEPLER REQUIRES YOUR HELP!!”

Kepler barely had time to think as magic enveloped his body, his pistol flying into his grip as he and Gloria were pulled on top of Carmine, her body slamming into the floor with them on top of her as the door burst open. Both stallions’ eyes widened as they beheld the pinned changeling queen, their swords springing forth from their scabbards as battle cries erupted from their throats.

Kepler had just enough presence of mind to cry out, his hoof intercepting the first guard’s blade before it could remove Carmine’s head, “STOP!!”

The guards froze in shock as Kepler winced in pain, the first guard’s blade having dug into his foreleg just above his hoof, “This changeling is detained as my prisoner. Stow your weapons, that’s an order!”

Either out of shock at his actions, or simply because they were used to following orders, both stallions sheathed their swords, the first guard looking rather queasy at Kepler’s blood staining his blade. Kepler remained calm, at least outwardly, as he climbed off Carmine and holstered his pistol, wincing as Carmine’s magic healed his wound in short order. “You will escort Queen Carmine alongside us to the War Room. We have some very important information to share with Princess Cadence and Prince Shining Armor.”

“But I —” The guard’s words died in his throat as Kepler’s glare bore into him like a drill, “Sir, Yes Sir!”

Carmine giggled softly as Kepler turned and marched out of the room, leaning over to speak to Gloria as the duo of guards hesitantly brought up the rear, “He really is something else, isn’t he?”

Gloria nodded, a chirped trill of her own escaping her beak as she whispered back, “Everything you’ve seen and more.”

A hum of approval followed the hen’s statement, “Well, I look forward to seeing what else he is capable of in the future.”

Kepler rolled his eyes, even as a smile tugged the corners of his lips. It felt good to know he was doing well in the eyes of others. Now he just had to prove to the two Equestrians who hated changelings the most that Queen Carmine was there to help.

A simple task, surely.

Author's Note

Another one up and rolling!! So happy to be able to write on a more regular schedule for you all. Please, let me know if you are enjoying the new chapters in the comments section below. Comments are an author's food, if you didn't know. It provides the energy we need to keep writing new chapters.

Once again a HUGE shout-out to my editor 🎉🎉LeadlessSteed 🎉🎉for their tireless efforts turning my 'Eh' writing into 'Yeah!' for all of you to enjoy. I couldn't have gotten as far as I have without their help and will continue to extol their skills and assistance for as long as they offer their aid. The effort put into polishing my raw wording into a finished product deserves no less.

Enjoy this newest installment and I will eagerly await your thoughts below, until next time,
Shadow Quill, Messenger of the Moon.