Kilian and Anderson sat alone in the meeting room, across from eachother. Anderson had plenty of files in front of him, looking for jobs to assign the two new aliens that had recently left the room with Jake to find out where they'd be staying for the time being. Kilian looked to the right, staring and studying something on the wall before looking at Anderson, giving him a slightly confused and intrigued look.

"You... really think it's okay to just let them descend onto the city so quickly?" Kilian asked. "That's a risky move."

"Everything we've done here was a risky move, Kilian. Establishing a trade operation on a planet in which people will rob, murder, and pillage everything they see is risky alone. They are different from us, but as I see it so far, only in appearance. Aliens do exist, just not many on this planet Kilian. In fact, I think they might boost morale. We all have a common enemy." Anderson said, not even bothering to look up at the man he was speaking to. He simply shuffled the papers in front of him around, writing things in a red pen coated in gold and silver.

"That's just it though. Not many aliens exist on this planet. Don't you think the public would be scared to see two horses walking around, talking with people? They can move stuff with their minds too. That in itself is cause to bring up some sort of conspiracy in the shadows."

"You're right." Anderson said, glancing up at him for just a moment, before focusing on the papers. "It will cause conspiracies. It will cause some public out-lash and even some resistance, and when it does we will give them a stand to talk on, and to share their thoughts. Just because those things are inevitable doesn't mean we refuse someone help."

"But-"

Anderson let the paper he was holding fall onto the table, bringing both hands onto the table and clasping them together. "Kilian, if a family member of yours was dealing with a tough and deadly drug addiction, would you help them? Many will call you crazy, and say it is a waste of time. Many will say that he is an outlaw, and a thug. Would you still stick by them?"

Kilian nodded his head. "Yeah, of course I would! But that's family, and they aren-"

"Our people are our family, Kilian. Sure, not everyone here is related by blood, but that doesn't stop the bond from being made. Those who seek help, and need help, will get it here. Just because things might become difficult doesn't mean we simply throw them to the wolves, or in this case, worse. Tarbo."

Kilian stood up, turning away from Anderson and taking a seat on top of the table, giving a large sigh. He shook his head. "Yeah, I suppose you're right. Yet, that doesn't calm my nerves. Hell, you sent Jake out there with them. That was a bad call already! Jake was the one that was terrified of those fuckin' things and now he's the one directed to guide them."

"A bad call, you say?" Anderson said with a smile before standing up. "A bad call would be something that would prove to be detrimental. This is not the case with Jake leading those two. In fact, his fear will crack eventually. If we can get Jake, someone terrified of the forest and of its nature, to like two aliens that came from said forest, wouldn't it surely convince the public?"

"Holy shit... You're right!"

Anderson smiled, before taking a seat. "How do you think Starlight would like the job of Dishwashing?"

"I-I-Uh-" Jake stumbled over his words while talking to the lady in charge of the housing complex. She occasionally eye'd the two ponies behind him, but was more concerned with the way Jake was behaving himself. Ever since he was tasked with taking both Luna and Starlight to the housing district, he was a stumbling mess. Conversation proved to be futile.

Well, that might be because Luna told him to 'stop blabbering on with nonsense, or I'll cut your tongue out!'

She must be great in political debates.

"Jake-" The lady stopped him from speaking further by covering his mouth with her hand. "-you've said enough. I'm assuming Anderson gave you an order, to order me, to let these... horses-" Ouch. "-into our housing complex?"

Luna was the one who spoke. "Yes, that is the case. We were informed that you would help us get a place for ourselves."

The lady nodded, though not before giving a flinch to Luna speaking. She shook her head, giving a sigh, looking away. "I swear- if it weren't for serving on a trade-ship for years, I would be as bewildered by them like the rest of the town." She turned to look at them. "Look, I can get you a room, but it won't be anything luxurious. It'll be very cramped. We won't be able to get you anything better until the new housing complex is built, and that won't be for weeks. And even then, you'll have to pay to upgrade." She turned around, looking at the big housing complex. It looked like a giant apartment complex, but were considered permanent households.

Luna nodded. "That is fine. Anything with a roof over our heads is certainly better than staying outside in the blazing sun and the dangerous open landscape."

The lady gave a weird look. "Err... Yeah... Anyways- Come with me. We'll get you situated as soon as possible. I'm sure Jake here isn't exactly in the mood to handle you both- he looks petrified."

"Shutup!" Jake said, his face turning a little red. "B-Besides, I was instructed by Anderson to escort them wherever they go... something about 'making s-sure they stay out of trouble'..."

"Sounds like him, but the way you said it makes him sound like a pussy. Or, is that just you bleedin' over into it?" The lady said with a grin, before turning around towards the complex. "Come on now. Let's figure out where you'll be staying while you're here. I'm sure you'd feel a lot better when you two get a place to stay. Maybe there's an opening next to Jakes room-"

"Please dear god no!"

Daybreaker sat on the throne that Tarbo would usually sit on, but since she had quite the temper, Tarbo decided it was futile to argue with her. She was strong, more-so than Tarbo himself, given her magical abilities. Sure, his mindbending machine in the back of his head could count as magic, but nothing compared to being able to summon a sword out of literal hellfire.

Tarbo didn't need the Throne anyways. Instead, he was on the floor of the room, with a giant map splayed out. A couple of his high-ranking officers surrounded it with him, including JO-11. He seemed to be in the middle of trying to figure out where their escapee's were, and was trying to get opinions from the officers themselves, and any survivors. Daybreaker wasn't pleased with this.

In her own words, she described the plan 'useless' and cited that she would be better off by travelling in whatever direction any magical signal came from. She had said that with her 'superior capability' she would be able to find them much easier. However, she was a little glad she wasn't called upon that strategy. There hadn't been any strong magical essence on the planet since they left.

Tarbo sighed. "We must plan for the worst of scenarios. And, in this worst possible case, that would be them ending up right over here-" Tarbo pointed with a stick onto a large forest. "If they wanted to get the farthest way from us, it would be in this direction. This forest is right in the middle of that- and right next door to it is," Tarbo pointed to what seemed like a large fortress. "Anderson."

"Anderson?" Daybreaker asked. This seemed important.

"Yes, Anderson. An enemy of mine, and an enemy of yours. He's in charge of the largest trading company on the planet, with multiple fortresses dotted across the landscape. His military is something to be feared, even with our superior capability. He's a strategic genius."

"It sounds like your a fan of him." Daybreaker said with a grin, before giving a light chuckle. "To think that any one of your species could hurt me is to say that you could drown the sun. It's impossible, so please, give your speech a rest. It's useless to tell me such things."

"That's what you might think, but I've dealt with him first hand." Tarbo continued, despite her lack of interest. "He's more than just a simple human. He landed on this planet years and years ago, and is what I think a product of experimentation. He's a military genius, a scholar, and a killing machine. Though he'd rather stay behind his walls instead of out there on the front lines."

Daybreaker stood up off of the Throne. "Then we'll go there and turn his entire fortress into ash."

"Can't. Too risky."

"Bah- too risky?! Why do you place me far below my intended position? Aren't we supposed to be-" She smiled viciously. "-friends~?"

Tarbo felt a shiver go down his spine when he saw her jagged teeth and her reddish orange eyes staring at him. He nodded his head. "Of course we're friends, and because of that I don't want anything bad happening to you. Or me. Or my kingdom. Going in there with such a crazy plan will leave us with nothing more than a destroyed kingdom here, and that would mean my battle with the broken empire will be over before it starts."

"Sir." JO-11 spoke. "There is something that came up recently that I'd like to say openly."

"Go ahead."

"Well, since we are on the topic of Anderson, some of our informants that we heard from a month or so ago had heard rumors of spacecraft."

"Well that's hardly anything that'll-"

"-with ICBM's, sir."

Tarbo stopped speaking, and stared at JO-11. "ICBM's. Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles. Is that what you mean to tell me, JO-11?"

JO-11 nodded.

"It's a rumor, but if that does become factual, then I say we're fighting a losing battle. Even more of a reason to not charge in without a plan. We must make them fall, one by one from the outside- or even the inside. If we can get someone inside there, we'd have a much easier time getting their defenses down, and to find out if what that informant says is true."

"Understood Sir. Would you like me to inform our spies? We could have them deployed as soon as you give the word."

Tarbo nodded. "Civilian clothes, make them look rugged. Tell them to take pieces of silver and gold with them, along with a bar of plasteel. It'll be used as a barter to get inside, even if they can't offer anything in return. All we need is information, which will be worth more in its weight than plasteel itself."

JO-11 nodded. "I'll inform them. Deployment should only take a couple of hours- that is if we're permitted to take our aircraft."

"On normal occasions I would deny that, but with the recent events and how it could turn the tide of this battle, yes. Take the aircraft."

JO-11 nodded for the last time before leaving the room, leaving Tarbo, Daybreaker, and four other officers to stand over the map. Tarbo continued detailing his plan, and explained it in great detail to the people around him. Even the dis-interested Daybreaker found herself asking questions that would later on prove to be vital information.

The room Starlight and Luna were standing in was, as described previously, quite cramped. The floor was a dark brown carpet, with the walls being covered in white dry-wall, with the tiny bumps making it look worse than it probably should. The living room was quite small, but both of them could stand in it without bumping into eachother. The kitchen was only able to fit one of them. There was a small, slightly cramped hallway that led to the bedroom. It was oddly the most spacious of the 'house,' with a big bed sitting inside. It was easily able to hold both of them at the same time, so that solved the bedding issue.

The landlady had already left, along with Jake since they told him that they were going to rest for a little while. He seemed relieved with that information, and left in a hurry just after they told him. With the both of them now alone, they sat together in the living room on the floor. No furniture except for the bed in the bedroom, which didn't necessarily bother them.

Luna was the first to break the silence. "I suppose this is decent enough. It could definitely go with some more furnishings, but I don't expect us to afford something so soon. It is nice to be in private, though I do feel somewhat uncertain and on edge."

Starlight nodded. "I feel the same way. Twilight and Rex are in that hospital. It just... feels weird that we don't know whats going on over there, you know? If they wanted to, they could just end them right then and there and we'd never know."

"Why would Anderson and his people do such a thing?"

"Why not?" Starlight said with a shrug. "This planet is completely different compared to ours Luna. I'm sure you've already figured that out. People here just do things because they want to. There doesn't even have to be a reason. From what I've seen, there usually isn't a reason. It's just a sad reality that comes with living on this planet."

Luna shook her head, giving a sigh. "I cannot believe what it would feel like living here, alone from ones own kind. You had Twilight, but that was it. And, Twilight had nopony. She had Rex, but how can you feel like you aren't alone if you're the only one of your kind in the entire planet?"

"It wasn't easy for her. It wasn't even easy for me. But Rex? Even though he's shown little emotion, I know it's been the hardest for him."

Luna tilted her head in question. "How so?"

"He crashed here. His life was fine- well, as fine as one could get with childhood trauma. Anyways, he lived two years here by himself, where he had no one to teach him how things worked here. He had to figure out himself, and that is something I couldn't imagine doing. I almost didn't believe anything him and Twilight told me when I got here- so could you imagine what it would be like to have to have it happen to you?"

"Sure would get you to believe it though." Luna said.

"Sure, but it wouldn't be exactly the nicest of greetings. Twilight told me that the first night she had here was a relatively okay one. Rex offered her a blanket and a floor to sleep on- despite literally meeting her five minutes beforehand. It's... strange."

Luna laid onto her side, staring at the wall. "What do you mean?"

Starlight laid onto her back, staring up at the ceiling. "I don't know. It just seems like with everything this world has thrown at us and with everything that's happened, it would be impossible for someone nice to exist. Like Rex. His existence here on this planet seems like a fluke."

"Didn't you just say earlier that he isn't from this planet? Couldn't that be a reason?"

"Sure- but he lived here for two years. It's almost amazing that he didn't automatically adapt to the world around him. Well- atleast in that sense. He definitely adapted to the world, but not in the cut-throat way I would expect somebody normal to have."

Starlight could imagine patterns on the ceiling from the tiny bumps, imagining a picture in her head. It was almost like the stars- being able to simulate some sort of art. She saw herself, Rex, and Twilight, but the second she barely moved her head away the picture was gone, as if it lost signal. She huffed and turned over to her side, looking at Luna. "And now you're here. You're subject to this world now too."

"That may be so-" Luna said, continuing her staring contest with the wall. "-but I chose to come here. I've also been through survival training, which most regular ponies have not, even Twilight herself. I would have a much easier time living on such a 'cut-throat' planet."

"Maybe you'd have an easier time, but that doesn't mean it wouldn't be immensely difficult."

Luna nodded. "That is true. The best way to get yourself killed is to act like you're unkillable."

The both of them sat in silence. For the first time, the silence was welcoming. It wasn't deafening, leaving a ringing tone in their ears. It wasn't silence where they could feel their nerves creep up on them. It wasn't anything where they could feel something bad about to occur. It was just peaceful silence. Something that hardly existed on the Rim.

After a few minutes of the silence, Starlight spoke up in an almost whisper.

"I wonder what Rex and Twilight are feeling right now."

"Unngghh- get the fuck out of my head!" I yelled towards the copy. I was on my back, sprawled out onto the gigantic white nothingness as the copy was standing, simply pacing around the nothingness with a smile on its face. It looked over at me with a nod.

"Oh come now- you don't actually hate me-"

"Yes. Yes, I do. I would rather die than have you here with me. I would rather be fucking obliterated by the fucking sun! Hell- can't you kill me right now?! I'd pay you!"

"With what?"

"I-I don't fucking know! Uh- uhhh... Uh- my life! Yeah, I'd pay you with my life."

"Rex, you truly are going mad."

It was right. I was going mad, and it was all thanks to that fucking thing. Its annoyance only grew over the hours, or what atleast felt like hours. It kept talking and talking, and I was forced to listen. I couldn't sleep, I couldn't ignore it by keeping my ears covered with my hands. He would just... speak through them somehow.

I was a victim to this fucking lunatic!

"A lunatic? That sounds a little too harsh to describe me."

"Oh my fucking god- get out of my head! Jesus christ... I-I still don't even understand what you are. I'm some normal idiot living on the edge of the fucking universe- what the hell do you want with me? My brain gets zapped and all of a sudden- you're in me. I didn't even fuckin' consent."

"Oh hush- i'm not in you like that. Besides, I'm you, remember?"

I shook my head violently. "You are most certainly not fucking me!"

"Relax- relax. I'm not going to fuck you. But I am fucking you."

"God- your humor is so bad!"

"It's yours!"

I lifted my hand into the air, balled it up into a fist and slammed it down onto the white nothingness that I laid on. There was no sound, no pain, and in fact it felt like there was no resistance. I shook my head, confused by this concoction of my imagination. Why did it look like this?

"This isn't your imagination. This is what is held between reality, and nonreality. Most people look to black as the absence of color, but it is truly white that makes you unsettled. In a room of darkness, you light a candle to see where the monsters are coming from. Yet, in a room of light, you find out just how many of them there are that were watching you all this time."

I ignored it.

"You want answers. I'll give them to you. I'm something between reality and nonreality. Something that exists in this landscape that you're seeing right now. I've been everywhere, you know. I'm not a god, yet i'm certainly not mortal. I can't die, yet I can be contained. In fact- the last time I was contained was from your dear friend Luna. Or, well, her sister."

Now that peaked my interest.

"A summoning ritual. Yet when it wasn't what they wanted, they put me in a container. Obviously not a physical one, but one that existed between dimensions. A spell that became forbidden to trap me- but eventually, one day, dear Luna was afraid of being alone for all that time up there on the moon. She let me out of it, out of the invisible binds that held me captive."

"She didn't like me. Well, after awhile, that is. At first she loved me. We were friends, good pals, the best you could imagine. She saved me- I owed her my life. Atleast, whatever life meant when it came to something like me. I told her she was right all along, that her idea's were true. To bring eternal night to her world. The opposite happened though. She returned to her normal self- and I only wanted her to see through her original idea."

"She hated me- until I managed to piss her off just enough to get her to come out again. The other her. Nightmare Moon. Just in time for her imprisonment to be over. She descended upon Equestria with a vile hatred, fueled by myself and her own intrusive thoughts. But instead of conquering Equestria like she said- she fell victim to it. Once she was back to normal, she broke down. Her sister couldn't identify what it was about her- just that something was wrong."

I shook my head. "You got her to do all that evil shit?"

It shook its head. "No. I was just simply fueling her hidden desire for it. Once she was truly back to normal, I went to what I've been doing ever since I began existing. Overseeing reality, and the barriers behind reality as well. All was well until you showed up."

I folded my arms, now sitting up. "You've been saying something like that over and over. Just out with it."

"You should've died, Rex. Should've. It was my job to see that it happened, too, and yet even with my little nudges you still didn't. A special bond was there that I never had felt before- like we were connected right from your birth. It almost felt like I was always apart of you, and you were always apart of me."

"But... Why?"

It shrugged. "Even I don't know such a thing. I suppose the universe has its own secrets, even ones that I can't find out. That's kind of ironic, isn't it?" It said with a light chuckle and a smile. It happened to be infectious, because I gave a little chuckle as well, and a smile too. "See, I got you to smile. Am I really that bad?"

"Yes. Yes, you are. That's like asking... that's like asking if The Joker made a really funny joke, and you laughed, that it didn't matter that he was currently stabbing your sister or some shit in the throat. That logic just... doesn't play out here, bud."

"B-But I'm not stabbing anyone!"

I groaned, looking up at the non-existent ceiling again. "It sure feels like your stabbing my fucking brain over and over with your constant talking. Seriously- why don't you just shut the fuck up?"

"Because before the incident with Luna, and after the incident with Luna, I haven't had anyone to talk to. And, Luna didn't seem to have as much of a problem with my talking as you are."

"Maybe that's because, I dunno, she was in crazy evil villain fuck mode? I don't know! How am I supposed to know? Aren't you the demigod or somethin'?!"

"Correction: I said I'm not a god."

"Ugghhh!"

Author's Note

It's been awhile hasn't it guys?

I needed a break. A big one. Especially from this story. Things in my personal life aren't really going the way I needed them to go also- so that didn't help! But I'm back, and I'm better than ever. I've got a lot more free time to start writing, and hopefully that means more chapters, faster.

I created a new story, which will also be updated from time to time; but to those who were wondering, this is my main story. This is where all of my thinking and research goes into- I want to make this story the best it can be. Which means lots and lots of story developing behind the scenes.

Let me know how you liked this chapter. Since it's been awhile, I no doubt have a lot of things to get back into the groove of. Especially for this story. Let me know if you guys like the third person approach I have with Luna and Starlight too.

It's 2021. Let's hope things go smoother than last year, hm?

And hey, even if it doesn't, we always gotta remember:

Atleast we aren't living on the Rim.