I find my way back to the Crystal Castle the next morning. The hospital's canteen isn't that terrible, but there is no comparison between staying in the hospital and enjoying breakfast with my closest friends and family.

When I finally reach the dining room, I open the door to find almost everypony already there. They all look up and smile at me as I sit down, and the first thing Sombra does is plants a gentle kiss on my lips. I close my eyes for a moment and we read each other's minds.

Last night it was incredibly lonely without you.

It was only one night, though.

The longest night that I have endured in a long time.

I wrap a wing around him. Hey, it wasn't that bad.

Yes. It was. If Wishbone does that to us ever again-

She's going to, I almost burst out laughing.

Eos, have mercy.

I look around the table at everypony, and notice a certain three stallions are missing. “Where's Skywalker and the others?” I wonder aloud.

“Trenches,” Cozy answers. “Golly, I didn't realise Old Sky was that much of a perfectionist, but he said he wanted to ‘double check’ everything.”

“He's been out there since yesterday,” adds Hope, taking a sip from her cup. “Neither him nor Hanzal have returned, only Swift has. Though he left again half an hour ago.”

“Wow.” Those stallions never cease to amaze me. They just don’t stop.

Sombra tells me, “Really, I would like to go there myself, however-”

“Not a chance,” Wish interrupts. “The moment either you or Moonlight step out there, King Sombra, the Crystal Empire is in trouble. Moonlight had a dream about Tirek, so he'll be here. The last thing we need is for you to be injured in a fight against him - or the Solar Guards, for that matter.”

“I rest my case.”

I roll my eyes and smile at both of them before taking a sip of a nice warm cup of coffee. Bliss.

“Gee, Mum, did you hear me or did you just completely zone out?” Cozy grumbles.

“Huh?”

She shakes her head at me. “I said, how are you? Look, I might be a bucking rude pain in the flank, but you are my Mum, so I want to do something nice for you every once in a while.”

“I'm fine," I say.

“Sooooo…” she smiles, “frantic, insecure, neurotic and emotional?”

“Um, wait, what?! No!” I laugh.

“Well, give me a proper answer, then.”

“I'm ok. I actually managed to sleep last night, which was good, and I don't have anything to worry about at this single particular moment in time. Happy?”

“Yep, I’m good.”

We finish breakfast and I go to the lounge to look up at the To-Do List that Cozy has helpfully stuck to the wall. I cross off 'Tell the nobles to shut up' and look at the various other entries, grinning at her sense of humour.

• Make sure the Crystal Army and the trenches are A-OK
• ~~Tell the nobles to shut up~~
• Moan at Sunbutt one last time before the fun begins
• Rescue Old Colonel Sky's besties from Equestria
• ~~Give special recognition to everypony who annoyed the Solar Guards back at Starlight's place~~
• ~~Stop sitting on our butts all day and get some crap done~~
• Go back to Starlight's place and capture it when the Solar Guards leave
• ~~Finish doing taxes and other finance crap~~
• ~~Send awesome news article to Harmony Magazine~~
• ~~Get Harmony Magazine to start publishing in the Crystal Empire to annoy Sunbutt~~
• Meet up with old Tirek and convince him NOT to steal our magic
• Take over Equestria

Take over Equestria? This is typical Cozy talk, and something that I don’t plan on doing because I know I don’t need to. She may or may not have a point about Tirek, though. If we could speak to him-

“Yer Majesty?” a familiar voice speaks.

I turn around, startled by the sudden disturbance to the calm silence in the room. Swift Lightning approaches, smiling apologetically. “Hope Ah ain't stopping yeh from doing anythin' too important.”

“Hey, it's nothing,” I brush off his concerns. “How are you?”

“Ah'm good. Just thought Ah'd swing past ter talk. Ah ain't had a chance recently.”

“I know.”

He looks down at the ground. “Ah overheard summat in the barracks that Ah ain't real sure what ter think of.”

“Tell me about it,” I almost laugh. The irony would make Sunbutt crack a smile.

For a moment, he seems to be lost in thought, staring downwards and scraping a hoof against the floor. I begin to worry about what could be on his mind.

He hesitates, then asks me, “Mah marefriend Astral… she's alive, ain't she?”

“Uh-huh,” I confirm.

“She's back in the Solar Guards, ain't she?”

“…She is,” I have to admit.

“An' we're gonna be fighting on opposite sides now,” he concludes. “Ain't we?”

This time I find myself unable to answer him and have to turn away from him; the memory of what Astral Charm and Skywalker tried to do to each other returns with vivid detail. The sword fight, Skywalker's injuries, Astral's gruesome eye, and then her again holding that knife above Skywalker with a look of grim determination written on her face…

“Look at me.” It's a command, not a request, and a hint of his old self returns in the form of a glare.

I glance sideways at him.

“Ah still don't 'ave a clue what the bloody Tartarus is going on inside Sky's mind, but Ah… what Ah do know is that he's got some kinda grudge against the Princess. An' Astral's got a grudge against anythin' ter do with 'im, so she ain’t about ter switch sides.”

I take a moment to process this.

“Now Ah'm pretty grateful yeh didn't leave me ter rot in that cell, but… Ah love mah Astral. Ah ain't even kissed or dated another mare since we last saw each other, 'cause Ah love 'er too much. Thing is, she ain't gonna start listenin' ter anythin' nice anypony says about yeh, so…”

Swift's in a mess. As far as I can see, he has few options as to what to do with his life, and none of them are great.

If he fights on the front line and he's captured by the Solar Guards, he'll be punished. That punishment isn't going to be lenient, either. He'll probably go to trial in Canterlot and be executed by those who used to be his friends.

If he returns to Equestria to see Astral Charm, there will be some sort of inquiry about which side he's on. That could potentially also lead to him suffering an untimely death and a lot of pain - something I am not going to allow to happen.

If he stays here in the Crystal Empire, which is what I'd like him to do, he will be alive and safe… but unhappy, too. Whilst I don't want him to essentially make the same mistakes I did and potentially hurt a lot of other ponies, he should at least get to spend some time with his marefriend again. Even if said marefriend happens to be fighting on the opposite side.

But bringing Astral here isn't an option, either: it would only result in her and Skywalker killing each other. Naturally, it's the sibling argument that sends everything spiralling downhill.

“Oh.”

“Ah got a lot more sympathy for yeh now Ah'm stuck in yer horseshoes,” he grins. “Whatever Ah do, Ah'm stuck. At least you could actually do summat about it.”

“I couldn't, really,” I say without thinking. I add, “If I'm honest, I didn't know what I was doing half the time, and I still don't always know now. I just go along with things, and if something goes terribly wrong I do what I can to make it right.”

Wait… this might or might not be possible depending on how ruthless the Solar Guards end up being, but there was Skywalker's plan. To find locations across Equestria where somepony could cause disruptions to allow the Crystal Army to attack somewhere else. There was the promise to keep Skywalker's friends out of harm's way, so if we're going to risk so much to make sure they survive, why can't we find some way of helping Swift and Astral find somewhere quiet and out of the way?

It's risky. It's probably stupid. The likelihood is it wouldn't actually work from a tactical point of view. But it's something that I'll have to talk about with the others when I actually get a chance to speak to them all at once.

I grab a quill and ink, and I write a new entry on the To-Do List, aware of Swift watching me as I write.

• Call a War Council Meeting with Crystal Army leaders, all advisers, Chrysalis, Rutherford, Torch, Luna and/or Blueblood

“Nope,” Swift interrupts.

“What's wrong? I-”

“Yeh gotta understand, Ah ain't popular as it is. A few ponies gonna have bones ter pick with me if yeh tell 'em what Ah've told yeh, about caring more about Astral than Ah do about them, even if you did the same fer His Majesty. And Sky…” he trails off. A mixture of emotions wash over him. Distrust, concern, guilt, hopelessness.

He looks back at me and says, “You ain't been told, 'ave yeh?”

I raise an eyebrow.

“Ah don't care what other ponies tell yeh, you should go out to the trenches. Speak ter Sky an' Hanzal. Ah might not always be on the best terms with either of 'em,” he smiles a little, “but Ah know sure as Tartarus when Sky's stressed an' about ter snap at somepony. Ah'd say he's about a day or two off of what Ah call the get outta mah sight before Ah make a nice size dent in yer skull stage. Somepony's gonna get hurt real bad.”

“Ouch,” is all I manage to say.

“Ah mean,” The Lieutenant adds. “Ah ain’t seen Skywalker this stressed since training! An’… let’s be sincere ‘ere, he ain’t the best at controlling his anxiety.”

I bite my lip. He has a point. Skywalker overcompensates, and although I haven’t seen him completely fall apart yet, it might be only a matter of time until it comes to that.

“I’ll talk to him at some point,” I promise. “If he has somepony to offload to, maybe he’ll be able to relax.”

Swift doesn’t look convinced. To be honest, he seems to be anything but. His look reveals that he knows this kind of situation too well, and is aware of the many ways it might end; I do so too. Despite the Colonel’s surprising honesty on most occasions, I acknowledge just how difficult it is to make him talk, instead of avoiding the questions.

I know what I’m talking about, since he has done that to me a couple of times now. Though he’s not a regular liar, despite what happened days ago, he somehow maintains himself inside the large sphere of honesty by just opting to not say a word; however, I’ve noticed how common this has become after the big reveal.

“Alright, Yer Majesty. Just… keep an eye on ’im for me.” He says. “We might hate each other's guts sometimes, but… he’s still Astral's brother.”

“I'll do what I can.”

“Thanks.” He gives me a small smile and walks away. “See yeh later.”

“I will.”

Later that day, I happen to encounter Cozy and I know that she’s done something she shouldn’t have. That huge smile on her face is not natural. She practically beams with happiness as she passes me in the corridor. I stop, stand right in her way and shake my head at her, waiting for an explanation.

“Gee, what, Mum?” she says casually.

“Why are you so happy all of a sudden?”

“Psst, don’t tell anpony, but I’ve sent Wishbone on a little wild goose chase for the fun of it. If you wanna go speak to Old Sky, now’s your chance.”

My jaw drops. First of all, how much trouble has she caused, and second, where on Equis did she learn to think ahead and trick other ponies like that?

“You can thank me later. Byeeeeee!” She skedaddles off before I have a chance to say anything else.

I don’t hesitate and get myself ready as quickly as possible. I go back to my room and fetch my battle armour just in case things happen to get nasty, although I’m not expecting the Solar Guards to be putting up a fight at the moment. Nopony interrupts me as I walk through the castle corridors. Probably they’re a little intimidated seeing me like this, but they should know by now that I’m not about to hurt them.

I enjoy the flight to the southern border of the Crystal Empire, the feel of the breeze rushing under my wings as I soar over the rooftops and the many different creatures below. Something that I have noticed about the huge city is that some buildings have returned to their original state - shining brightly in a range of dazzling colours - and others remain looking dreary or have only partially transformed. It’s odd to see the city like this, but I think it’s a positive sign. It shows that some ponies at least are managing to heal despite the situation.

When I do finally reach the edge of that huge protective shield around the Crystal Empire a good half-hour later, I hesitate. Should I have told Sombra about this before I left? Probably. Should I leave the Crystal Empire whilst knowing of the chaos outside? My common sense says no, but I’ll be fine. Hopefully.

I take that final step through the magical shield, and the temperature drops. I haven’t been out here in a while, and my Celestia, it’s cold. Currently there isn’t much snowfall, but the sky is a mixture of grey and white with no sign of the sun at all.

I can see a short distance away the first trenches, the ones closest to the city for reserve troops, medics and presumably the Crystal Army leaders. I can’t imagine that Skywalker would particularly want to be right on the front line in a situation like this. Maybe I’ll be able to find him somewhere nearby.

I walk slowly towards the trenches, and when I reach them and look around I find that everything is well-organised. Nopony is wasting any time or energy in preparing for the Solar Guards’ arrival. It looks like Celestia’s supposed army is going to have a rough few days.

“Your Majesty?” a voice asks.

I turn around and see Hanzal walking towards me, wearing a heavy uniform for winter.

“Hey, how are you?” I say.

“Not much different to the usual,” he shivers. “Other than the cold… but I'll live. At the end of last year Skywalker and I managed to get trapped in the Foal Mountain Range by an avalanche, so we know what it’s like.”

I try to imagine the two of them huddled together on snow-covered mountains with a large blanket wrapped around both of them to keep them warm and a small fire burning through the night. The scene in my head is heartwarming.

“Speaking of the Colonel,” I say, looking around us and snapping myself out of my daydreams. “Where is he?”

“On the frontline.” The pegasus answers. “Old Sky wanted to go and check on everycreature there. Though something tells me he’ll be digging the trench himself.”

“That sounds about right.” I honestly should’ve known better.

“Do they need us back at the castle?”

“No, it’s just…” I trail off. “Swift asked me to check on you both.”

Hanzal reacts pretty much the way I expected he would: raised eyebrows and a condescending tone. “Is he trying to spy on us, or just stirring up trouble like he always does?”

“Neither. He was worried about you both.”

“Well, tell him he doesn’t need to worry. We’re both perfectly fine and we don’t need his large nose in our business.”

Again, he’s lying to cover for Skywalker. This just gets better and better. How long are they going to keep this up for?!

I keep looking at him, not saying anything. He can’t see my face, so he has no idea what I’m thinking or if I’m reading his thoughts. His face remains the same, though. He’s a skilled liar, apparently, but not skilled enough. The problem is, I can’t find the right words to explain my feelings. The staring contest continues, then Hanzal opens his mouth to speak.

I hear somepony clearing their throat, to which both Hanzal and I turn to face an earth pony mare with a brown coat, wearing a Captain’s uniform. She bows in respect. “Your Majesty-”

“There’s more important things to worry about than royal titles,” I cut her off.

She nods. “Um, ok… Anyways, it’s good to see you here. Reassuring.”

“Thanks.”

The mare looks past me at Hanzal and reports, “All’s going good so far. Apparently there’s no sign of the Solar Guards at the front line. The trenches are all exactly the way the Colonel asked, as well.”

“Good to hear, Autumn.”

“Only thing is, apparently nopony’s actually seen the Colonel in a while.”

My ears prick upwards in alarm. “When was the last time anypony saw him?” I demand.

“I don’t know.”

Hanzal and I share a look. I can’t believe it. Why has nopony said anything about this until now?! If something has happened to him, if he’s been injured or captured by Solar Guards-

My internal monologue is interrupted by Hanzal saying, “He can’t have gone far. Probably he’s just been sitting somewhere out of the way of everypony else and not told anypony.” He seems to be trying to convince himself as well as Autumn and I.

“Keep me up to date,” I tell both of them.

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Autumn responds, saluting.

Hanzal leads me through the maze of trenches, and I find myself surprised at exactly how much has been completed in such a short period of time. Various ponies and changelings wearing armour nod and salute as we cross paths, and we ask a few of them if they’ve seen him anywhere.

Eventually, we get an answer, and I’m surprised by what I hear.

“The Colonel? He’s just taking a coffee break,” a unicorn tells us. “Don’t blame him, either. He’s been busy digging trenches all day long.”

“I… excuse me?” Hanzal questions the stallion.

“It took a while to convince him to stop overworking, but he’s taking a proper break now. Perhaps he’s even had something decent to eat.”

I slap my armour-covered forehead with my hoof. “False alarm,” I sigh. “Where is he?”

The stallion takes us through a series of interconnected trenches to a little underground room of sorts, where we find the Colonel and a few changelings having a relaxed conversation while sitting on a table. They all look up and smile.

“Ma’am, welcome.” The bat pony greets me. “What brings you all the way down here?

“I-” Great. As much as I’m incredibly relieved to know that nothing serious has happened for once, this is a little bit ridiculous. “Nothing much.”

Author's Note

Fillies and gentlecolts, I present to you... the anticlimax of the year.

~ Angel