After the events that took place a mere couple of hours ago, sleep hadn't made itself much of a viable option to spend the rest of the night, leaving the tall Reindeer plenty of time to waste. So after no amount of convincing, she eventually found herself wandering the many maze-like halls that the palace mainly consisted of. She had thought about checking out the garden but quickly decided against it.

As to be expected, the sudden assault had put Canterlot on high alert, those who survived the incursion were being referred to the royal infirmary with the vast majority of available Guards from the Solar and Lunar Guard being deployed throughout the city. Residents were informed to stay within their homes and to lock their doors. None were allowed out unless absolutely necessary. Dozens of patrols monitor the streets while towers scour the skies. The city was in an effective lockdown.

After what felt like hours of silent meandering, though it was possibly only minutes, Vixen found her mind back within reality and she took in the sights around her and finally realized where she ended up. In front of a familiar sight. A single plain dark oak door. Though she initially thought it odd she found herself here of all places, she simply chalked it up to random chance.

Taking a step towards the door, a noise made itself known in the peripheral of her hearing and only got louder the closer she got. Once she was within knocking distance, she could discern what the noise was—whistling.

Curious, she knocked on the dark wood door, resulting in the whistling to stop and the sound of muffled movement to come from the other side. After several moments, as she was about to knock again, Fendrals voice piped up.

"The doors open," He said, his deep, smooth voice clear as day.

Taking that as a go-ahead, she opened the door and quickly entered, letting the door close behind her.

"I'm sorry for the late social call, I....oh,"

Sitting at the room's vanity table at the far right side of the room was a half-naked Fendral, wearing only the lower half of his appeal with the rest sitting on the second chair not far from the table. And from where the Reindeer stood, she got a clear view of his back. His back was caked in dried blood, which flaked off as he moved, his gloved hands too covered in the crimson substance, one more so than the other.

In his hand was a pair of small pliers which held a suture needle, clearly sharp enough to puncture flesh with ease, while his other held a small mirror. On the table lay a tray with roughly a few dozen blood-drenched cotton balls sitting inside along with a roll of suture threads and beside it, a box of latex gloves.

Wordlessly, she strode over to where the Mandalorian sat, her long legs making quick work of the small distance. Taking the box of gloves, she took a pair and put them on, ensuring she didn't touch too much of them. Standing behind the man, she took the pliers from him and began doing her best to close the wound.

"Thanks," Fendral said, taking his gloves off and flinging them in the nearby bin.

"Of course," Vixen replied softly. "The back is always hard to get alone."

"Tell me about it."

"Why did you not go to the infirmary for this?" She asked as she very carefully brushed away the dried blood. "And why is it still open?"

"My family or I have always worked on the wounds I collect, it's become a force of habit," He replied, completely unfazed by the needle repeatedly poking into his skin. "And as for the wound, it reopened while I was patching up my coat."

Stopping briefly, she looked to the coat in question, the hole had indeed been sewn shut, and seemingly to a professional level. Either he's had plenty of practice or Rarity Belle had shown him a trick or two. Looking closer, she spotted several other sewing lines dotting his long coat, these ones seemingly far older than the newest addition, if the slightly faded colour was anything to go by. Definitely practice.

"I see."

Fendral only hummed as Vixen continued her work. The two stayed in relative silence as Vixen worked but before long, she was finished, quickly cleaning up the area around the wound before stepping back to give the man some breathing room. Now not having to worry about an open wound, she was able to get a good look at the man before her.

Obviously, she could tell he was in very good shape, but now that she could actually see what he looked like, she was a little surprised at just how well built the man was—years upon years of Bounty Hunting had left him in remarkable shape. With large muscles with just the right amount of definition, he was far from being lean but he wasn't strong pony levels of big, a good in between of the two leaning more towards muscle mass. It was no wonder he was able to hold his own for as long as he did.

And now that he wasn't wearing as much as before, she could finally see his neck, something briefly mentioned by Princess Luna that caught her attention. Starting at his collar bones, a black rubber-like material took the place of his regular skin, continuing up and wrapping around to the sides a small bit, though she couldn't see how far up it went. Two bright red tubes emerged a small distance from where the black material started and warped around what would have been his Adam's apple and disappeared presumably into the back of his throat. Though she imagined his helmet didn't help matters, she wondered if this was the reason for his almost digitized voice.

She was also able to see his tattoos, which she remembered Luna also mentioned. His left was one that started at his wrist and ended at the nook of his arm, a complex design of thick overlapping lines, segmented with thin unfilled lines equal distance from each other, a half-filled circle at the nook, the whole thing consisting of black and red ink. The other was far less intricate, with it taking up the entirety of his right arm. It took up a large portion of his peck, shoulder and shoulder blade with it to ending at his wrist.

But what truly caught her attention was something of a Bounty Hunter staple: scars. A myriad of scars covered the man's pale skin - lacerations, claw and bite marks, and the occasional arrow shot wound. The Reindeer eyes traced each and everyone as her mind created tales of how he could have amassed such a vast collection

Snapping herself out of her stupor, she realized she had been staring for longer than she had intended and Fendral was seemingly quick to notice, as he briefly peeked over his shoulder to look at the mature Reindeer. Quickly looking away, a light blush graced her cheeks though it was thankfully hidden by her fur.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to stare," She said sheepishly.

"No worries," Fendral replied, reaching over for his satchel, careful so as to not upset his wound again. "I'm used to it."

Retracting his hand out of his satchel, he pulled out what looked to be a pair of syringes, poking both into his shoulder, emptying their contents before placing them back into his satchel, doing so carefully like before. Shifting his chair, he turned to fully face Vixen, who was still impressed with the man's physique despite his age, leaning back while his leg bounced lightly in a quick rhythm.

"It's a tick," Fendral said suddenly, almost as if to answer a question she was yet to ask.

"Do you get asked about it often?" She asked.

"Less so now," He replied.

"So," He continued, lightly slapping his knees before standing. "What brings you here?"

"A mixture of sleeplessness and boredom," She replied, watching the man as he put on a clean white shirt.

"Indeed."

"I hope it's not too much of a bother?"

"No," He replied. "My nights are generally sleepless as well."

"The joys of Bounty Hunting huh?"

"Indeed," Fendral said with a single chuckle.

Winter Ivory stood at the edge of her bed, her armour laid neatly upon its sheets, her analytical gaze scanning every crack and crevice for any sign of dirt or grime, guaranteeing its utmost cleanliness. Much like her peers, she far and away preferred to gear up within the confines of their room as opposed to the armoury.

The Lunar barracks weren't anything special, but far were they from mediocre. With there being less overall personnel, this meant that each room was assigned four beds per room, contrasted by their Solar counterparts, who housed eight per room via bunks. Every room was given a single, full-sized mirror and each bed rested parallel to each other with simple metal frames. A lone window rested on the far wall, a small chain connected to its frame and the wall it was housed on prevented it from opening fully.

Satisfied that it was without any form of grime, she began securing the first pieces of her armour to her body, zoning in and out as she did. Strapping on her chest plate, she contorted herself in all manner of odd and otherwise uncomfortable positions to ensure that mobility wasn't restricted where was needed, should the need arise that it would be required. Next were her pauldrons, which were easily done.
Slipping her hands through her gauntlets, she tightened the straps around her forearms, copying the motion for her greaves. Finally, only her armoured skirt remained, which was a simple act of tying and tightening the restraint around the required loops and she was suited and booted.

Zoning back into reality, she caught the three other mares mid-conversation. As she was about to tune them out, the contents of said conversation did catch her attention, however. Double-checking that everything was secure and in its rightful place, she listened intently.

"So did you hear about that Bounty Hunter that was there when the Gala was attacked?" Platinum star asked.

"Which one?" Nightlight asked.

"Which do you think," Platinum asked rhetorically.

"Yea," Aurora asked, adjusting the straps of her gauntlets. "Heard he took out fifteen Griffons himself."

"Do you think he actually did?" Nightlight asked.

"Fuck yea I think he did," Aurora answered near instantly. "I mean, the guys ruthless, you've heard the stories during his service years."

"Pretty sure the stories are embellished," Nightlight replied

"Have you seen what he's capable of?" Platinum asked.

"Have you?" Nightlight rebutted.

"Once, when I was a filly," Platinum replied. "When my village was attacked, he was there picking up...something, I'm not sure. He was like a blur, faster than anything I'd ever seen."

"Oh come on," Nightlight responded. "You were young and in distress, you were just imagining things."

"Maybe," Platinum said quietly. "But the things he can do...his reputation is warranted."

"What about you?" Nightlight asked, looking towards the other mare.

"Didn't see it personally, but there was a Diamond Dog camp he cleared out some weeks back, I and a few others were sent out to clean up," Aurora said, cringing as she thought back on the carnage. "It was a pack of twenty-five. It was a massacre."

"Don't even get me started on the stories of when he went rogue," She added. "Enough to make even grown stallions cower like foals."

"I think it's all bullshit," Nightlight said, a clear look of scepticism on her face. "Do I think he's an incredibly dangerous man? Yes, absolutely. But there's no way he can do any of what the stories say he can do. There just that, stories."

"Trust me, rookie," Aurora warned. "When you see him in action, you'll believe the stories."

"What do you think Major?" Platinum asked suddenly.

"Care to elaborate?" Winter Ivory replied, not bothering to look up.

"Well, you served with him during his service years right?" She asked, earning a hum from the Thestral mare. "What was he like?"

Winter paused in her inspection and looked at the three expectant mares. She briefly looked away with a contemplative look before looking back.

"Different."

The mares looked at the older mare curiously, expecting her to continue, but glanced about themselves when she didn't. Although unsatisfied with her answer, the trio went back to securing their armour, moving on to other matters and before any of them knew it, they were off to their assigned posts with Winter splitting off in the opposite direction, as she was yet to be informed of her assignment.

This was far from being preferential, as she, like many others, did not enjoy being ill-informed, especially at a time like this. Despite her attempts to pull some strings with her CO to be stationed in more populated areas, they bore no fruit due to several heavy scheduling conflicts. She would love nothing more than to stand ramrod at any of the city's more populated venues, feeling as though her presence would ease the populace even by a small margin. But as life would have it, she would have to wait to be told where to go.

Deciding to cut across the Palace gardens to make the trip quicker, she passed more than a few other guards, both of the Lunar and Solar verity, all of whom were also swiftly making their way to their posts. A frown broke through the mare's otherwise stoic expression as she passed her many colleagues on this otherwise night.

Coming up to one of the garden's many doors, she took a hard left and down the palace's long hallway, she found herself nearing her destination. Making her way across the thick carpeted floor, maintaining a quick but light pace, again passing her already stationed colleagues, took another hard right and then a left then another right and before she knew it, she was almost there.

Counting the doors, she stopped and opened the sixth, swiftly and quietly walking in, the other Guards present briefly looking at her before going back to what they were doing. Sitting at a nearby table, she removed her helmet and ran her hands through her short, curly hair, a slight sigh managing to escape her lips as she and the other guards mentally prepared themselves.

"Ok, since everypony is already aware of the situation, we'll go straight into assignments." Shining armour said, readjusting his reading glasses. "Brave Heart, you and your squad are to be stationed at the Briston residential area, report to Cold Fire for further orders."

"Aye, sir."

By this point, Winter had partially zoned out, only listening to who the order was being given to as opposed to the orders themselves, going in one ear and out the other. By the time her name was called out, most of the guards present had filed out.

"Winter Ivory," Shining armour called out, lightly stroking his beard, a habit he picked shortly after growing it out. "You are assigned to be Fendral Marika's escort."

The moment the words left the Captain's mouth, a quiet murmur broke out amongst the still remaining guards.

"With all due respect Captain, you can't be serious," A guard called from the back of the room. "The guy is practically his own personal escort. There ain't no damn way he would need any of our help."

"These orders were given to me straight from the Princesses themselves," He replied evenly. "If you have a reservation with their choice, then I recommend you take it up with them."

"Oh I...uh, um,"

"Then I suggest you sit down and await your orders."

"Yes sir."

"Good," He continued. "Now Winter, you are to report to Swift Lotus asap."

"Yessir," She replied after standing from her chair, giving the Captain a crisp salute.

"Very good. Your dismissed."

~~

It had taken Winter far longer to find her escortee than she had anticipated. Roughly an hour and a half had passed since she had received her order and was yet to see hide or hair of the Mandalorian. Eventually, she had to resort to asking her fellows if they had seen the man, to which the vast majority had not, much like her, but one thankfully had seen him. And of course, he was in the first place she looked: The Guard Training Grounds.

Actually getting to the Grounds took a further half an hour, something she quietly scolded herself for. Upon arriving at the Grounds and making her way through the front entrance, she wasn't surprised by the utter lack of personnel present within the mess hall as most that were on duty had already been deployed through the city.

Making her way out of the mess hall and farther into the Grounds itself, she briskly walked passed the on-sight barracks and towards the sight's own gym. As she got closer, grunting became known within the peripheral of her hearing along with the sound of slamming.

Rounding a corner, she arrived at the sights gym and finally found her ward. Next to the large boxing ring, laying waste to the punching bag was none other than Fendral Marika, her old shield brother. She'd recognise that helmet anywhere. She was about to approach when she noticed the nature of the punches he was delivering to the punching bag. It wasn't the pace he was going at that gave her pause, it was the power behind them.

Standing in place, his head lowered slightly, he twisted his body as he throw each punch, maximising the power he delivered. Seconds passed and the semi-regular pace began to quicken and the punches became more powerful, shaking the specially designed rack overhead before he threw one quick, final haymaker, breaking the bag off of the metal chains that were attached to the rack, sending the bag and the sand inside flying back into the wall that stood damn near ten meters away.

He simply stood there afterwards, his heavy breathing now being the only sound within the gym. Letting out a sigh, he walked to the side of the boxing ring where he had more bags laid out. Lifting one by the chain, he quickly strode back over to where he was, lifting the sand-filled bag as though it were a simple bag of groceries and attached it to the overhead rack and continued his onslaught.

Winter simply stood there, awe-struck. Punching bags are about ninety kilos a piece, so for him to break one open and lift another with apparent ease was no feat to scoff at. She almost chuckled, after so many years of not seeing him and with this being the first introduction after that time, it caught her off guard a little bit. She and he had served together for years, so she knew he was strong, but not like this. Apparently, he had gotten stronger with age.

She knocked herself back into reality when she heard the thumping stop. Gazing back over to the man, he began making his towards a nearby table, taking off the thick hand wraps and placing them in a nearby bin to be washed.

"Long time no see, killer."

The Mandalorian stopped in his tracks as the voice registered in his ears. Looking up, their eyes met. Quickly standing, he strode over to the significantly shorter mare, his long thick legs making for work of the distance. Once within arms reach, he stopped once again. Seconds ticked by and the two began chuckling, devolving into full laughter and the two embraced.

"Fancy meeting you here," Winter commented as she let go of her former shield-brother.

"Not my first choice," Fenrdal chuckled, his deep timbre resonating within her chest.

"That much is obvious," Winter replied with amusement. "So who roped you into it? Your niece?"

"Who else," He replied as the two made their way out of the gym and towards the Grounds exit. "Her and her friends."

"Big surprise there," She said, making no effort to hide her sarcasm.

Fendral shifted his gaze and looked to the short mare, who peered up at him with an innocent smile plastered into her muzzle, her cat-like eyes seemingly glowing ever so slightly. He couldn't help but smile under his helmet.

"It may have been damn near twenty-five years since we last saw each other," She started. "But you've always had a soft spot for them."

Fendral only hummed in agreement.

As the two walked the ever-complex labyrinth of halls and corridors, Winter couldn't help but quietly observe her former shield-brother. The passage of time had changed him immensely. Gone now was the energetic, wise-cracking merc, replaced with an old grizzled veteran, the scars marring his body showcasing his extensive years of experience. His sheer muscle mass now completely dwarfing what he used to be. Even the way he walked was different, the usual spring in his step she was so used to seeing was gone also, devolved into a light, uneven limp.

Before, in the barracks, when she told her colleagues he was 'different', she was only making an educated guess. But now that she had actually seen him, she realized just how right she was.

She glanced down, noting that his hand stiffly swung by his side, never straying too far from the pistol strapped to his thigh. She wasn't surprised by this, however, if you have as many years of experience as he has, this habit is guaranteed. Besides, not all injuries are physical after all.

"Time has not been kind to you my friend," She thought.

Giving the large decorative door a hard few knocks, Fendral placed his hands on his hips, leaning on one leg and then shifting to the other, giving Winter Ivory a quick glance. After several moments of silence, he went to knock again, before the door swung open to reveal a certain pink mare.

"Fen!"

Before he knew it, a pair of impressively strong arms locked themselves around the large man's neck, forcing him to bend to compensate for the added weight. He wordlessly wrapped his arms around the younger mare, giving her a reassuring squeeze. The party planner swiftly let go, taking his hand and leading him further into the room, Winter close behind them.

"Come on, the others have been worried sick!"

The door quickly closed behind them as they made their way into the room proper. It was slightly larger than your average guest room, though it still paled in comparison to the Princess's private chambers - for obvious reasons. A well-stocked bathroom lay to the left as you came in, with a large shower and bathtub inside. A queen-sized bed sat on the far left-hand side of the room, leaving plenty of room for a well-sized desk on the right at the back with a vanity mirror above it. Modest, but high-end enough that no one would bat an eye.

"Fen!"

Before the man had time to react, a sizable weight crashed into his chest, resulting in him stumbling and falling onto his back with a grunt. A sharp pain came from his shoulder but thankfully his wound didn't reopen thanks to Vixen's work. Trying his best to move his head, he was able to see the rest of the group, including Spike and a certain Timberwolf, were all piled on top of him. Deciding it best to simply accept his fate, he rested his head on the carpeted floor, letting the group do their thing. Slowly, one by one, they got off the man, finally letting him get to his feet.

"You all ok?" He asked, worry clear in his voice.

"We should be asking you that," Dash said.

"Exactly darling, we know you have a knack for this sort of thing, but we're still worried," Rarity added.

"I'm ok girls," Fendral replied, scratching Orion's chin, who happily thumped his leg as he hit just the right spot.

"Uh huh," Applejack nodded, her brow deeply furrowed, pointing to the man's shoulder. "Then what's that?"

"An occupational hazard," He replied.

"That's a bullshit response and you know it."

"It's my job to make sure you're all safe," Fendral started, rising to his feet. "Your safety is my priority and I'll be damned if I let anything happen to any of you."

"And if you don't come back? What then?" Applejack demanded, her face contorted in anger. "What then!"

"Then someone else will take my place! Yes, I will ensure that will be able to continue protecting you all but there will always be those to replace me!" Fendral shouted. "You are not so easily replaced!"

"How dare you belittle yourself!" Rarity shouted in an equal tone, stomping over to the larger man. "You are an incredibly important and special man! You have touched the lives of so many! So don't you dare suggest you are replaceable!"

The Mandalorian simply stood his ground, his breathing, though calm, was heavy. Memories flashed in his mind of his past. Memories of his past actions. Memories of the people he's met. Memories of them. They knew the stories well but they do not know what truly happened. To him, he did not believe himself worthy of being deemed irreplaceable. There will always be those to rise to take his place.

Fendral let out a sigh, stepping past the alabaster unicorn with Orion by his side, swivelling the chair to face the group and easing himself down onto it. He sat for a moment, searching for his words.

"I have lived a long and arduous life," He started, letting his head fall slightly while he stroked Orion's head. "I've lived on Terra for over forty years. During that time I lost everyone I held close. I have done things I am proud of...and many more I am not. I've many Killed people who deserved it, and those who didn't."

"I'm an old man with a life filled with mistakes," He continued, his voice, usually filled with determination and experience, was now weary and tired. "But knowing and protecting you all is not one of them. It has given me a renewed purpose to my name."

He quickly stood from his chair, surprising most of those gathered in front of him, Orion simply stepped back.

"I made a promise to each of you, that I would protect you with my life," He continued, determination clear as day in his voice. "And if that means laying down my life so that you may live then so be it! It's my duty to ensure your safety! And I will not break that promise!"

Now only silence remained, an almost palpable tension that lingered in the air as the group of ponies nought but stare at the man before them. None dared move for several moments, until, surprisingly, Fluttershy stepped forward.

"And it's our job to make sure you're ok," Fluttershy signed, a spark of confidence flashing in her eyes. "We may not be family, but we don't need to be for us to care deeply about you."

"Yea big guy," Dash said finally working up the courage to say something. "We may not be related, but you're practically everyone's Uncle here."

"You're the best damn Uncle ah could ever have asked for," Applejack said, slugging the man hard in his good arm.

"Yea! And you're awesomest guy anyone can have the pleasure of knowing!" Pinky said, appearing on top of the man's shoulder, her smile as bright as ever.

"You're an utter privilege to be around darling," Rarity agreed.

"And you're incredibly smart to boot," Twilight added, a smile spreading across her muzzle. "And there's so much more to you than you give yourself credit for. You're one of the most amazing people any of us know. Fluttershy is right, it's also our job to make sure you're ok as well. We care immensely about you. And that'll never change."

Orion barked in agreement.

The man couldn't help but faintly smile under his helm. Though he felt deeply that he was not deserving of it, he felt lucky beyond words to have himself surrounded by those who cared as deeply as they did for him. He looked to Winter who simply watched the whole thing go down. A warm, fang-filled smile gave him everything he needed about how she herself felt.

Giving in, he stepped into the now open arms of the six in front of him, tightly embracing the group as best he could, while Orion pressed his head against his leg, allowing himself to revel in the moment. To revel in the care of those surrounding him.

Giving the large decorative door a hard few knocks, the sound echoing down the long hall for a second or two, Fendral stepped back slightly and crossed his arms and gave Winter Ivory a quick glance. After a couple of moments of silence, the door was enveloped in a golden aura and quietly opened. Without a word, the man stepped in with his escort not far behind.

The room was nothing more than a simple if extremely cosy study. the room consisted of warm browns in various shades. Off to the right sat a large fireplace, which snapped, crackled and popped as the wood thoroughly burned while an oversized couch sat in front, the fire itself casting the expected warm orange glow across the room. To the left was a rather impressive bookshelf which spanned the entire room. A thick, simple throw rug lay neatly on the floor. And at the far back was a large dark brown wooden desk, facing towards the studies entrance door. And who sat on the couch and at the desk but none other than Princess Luna and Celestia respectively with Vixen sitting near the large bookshelf.

The two monarchs appeared rather dishevelled, their manes held back into messy buns. Light bags hung tightly under their eyes while they darted over the parchment in front of them. Celestia dug greedily into an impressively large slice of cake all while not once taking her eyes off of the document in front of her while Luna sipped on a cup of tea. Vixen however looked to be the same as Fendral had last seen her.

"Are you sure there is nothing from Blackgate?" Celestia asked after swallowing a forkful of cake. "Nothing at all out of the ordinary?"

"Absolutely nothing sister," Luna replied. "All reports indicate everything is well within the set parameters."

"Then where could they have come from?" Celestia muttered before going back to her cake.

"No luck?" Fendral asked.

Celestia looked up finally from her parchment, a few crumbs of the cake falling from her mouth and onto the desk, while Luna sat up on the couch, arching her back and stretching eliciting loud pops and cracks from her joints before noticing Fendrals shoulder. Beckening him to sit on the couch beside her, he wordlessly complied.

"Unfortunately my dear friend, we are as of yet empty-handed," Celestia sighed, leaning into her chair.

"What of the Griffon Empire, have they nothing to say?"

"They are currently unresponsive to our attempt at communication," Luna replied, igniting her hands as she enveloped the man's shoulder wound with healing magic. "Which is unusual as they are normally very responsive, even to us."

"So we're back at square one," Winter piped up, unfazed at seeing her superiors as they were, having already seen them like on several occasions.

"That we are."

"What of Discord?" Fendral asked after a moment. "Eris?"

"Though Discord is highly knowledgable of a great many things, I highly doubt he'd know where these augmented Griffons may have come from, Eris as well," Luna replied as she continued healing the man's injury carefully removing his stitches as she went along. "And besides, the two of them are on a long vacation and aren't due back any time soon."

"Speaking of the Griffons," Winter started. "Have we performed an autopsy? Perhaps that could yield something of use."

"An autopsy has already been performed," Vixen quickly answered. "Unfortunately we weren't able to get anything from the bodies, other than that the modifications were grafted directly to their skeleton and seemed to be rather crude if highly advanced."

"And since we have never seen modifications on such a level, we were also unable to pinpoint where they might have originated," Luna added leaning back, having finally healed Fendral's shoulder.

"So we're shit out of luck," Fendral commented, leaning back into the couch as well.

"Indeed we are my friend."

The Mandalorian simply stared into the fire for a while, listening to the wood burning and watching the embers rise. For a while, they sat in silence before a thought came to him.

"What of the Guards?"

"Each Guard will be buried according to sub-species traditions and with full honours," Celestia replied. "And their families will be compensated as best as possible."

"Good," Fendral nodded. "It's the least they deserve."

"Indeed," She sighed. "So many lives lost."

"And for what?" Winter asked, the question being aimed at no one in particular.

"I think they were sending a message," Fendral answered, keeping his gaze on the fire in front of him. "Maybe even a warning."

"What makes you say that?" Celestia questioned, putting down her fork for the first time since she had picked it up.

"A hunch," He replied, inclining his head to face the solar matriarch. "I could be completely wrong and this could very well be an isolated incident conducted by those hell-bent on revenge, but I have a feeling that this isn't over. I think there's more to come."

"You are not alone in this my friend," Luna said. "We also believe there's more to this than simply being a one-off situation, but without further information to act upon, we would be taking a stab at the dark, which could worsen the situation."

"So what? We do nothing while whatever or whoever green-lit this attack could very well be plotting another?" Winter interjected, her voice giving off a clear tone of frustration.

"Well as Princess Luna said, without any info, we can't do much else but play this by ear until such times we can act accordingly, there are just too many unknowns right now," Vixen said, earning a slow but earnest nod from the two monarchs.

"Until such times we can act, all we can right now is wait," Celestia said, giving the bridge of her nose a hard rub.

"Earlier, you said that the Griffons Empire is unresponsive," Fendral started. "What of neighbouring countries? Do we know if they're reporting similar findings?"

"My sister and I recently had a meeting with Princess Alia Sohra of the Lycan Commonwealth about discussing better trade routes," Luna replied. "And had they had similar interactions, she would have mentioned it, which she did not."

"So either the lack of a response is purposeful, or it's a recent development," Fendral mused to himself.

"Indeed, though I doubt it's the former," Celestia said. "Despite our...coloured history, they are an honourable people and would never break the treaty they willingly helped put in place."

"You never know," Fendral said quickly, again turning to fully face the powerful mare, his voice low and his tone dark. "Time changes people, what they would do years ago does not mean that would be what they would do now. You saw the Griffons at the Gala"

"And I understand that," Celestia responded, putting a little more authority behind her voice. "But we simply cannot go pointing fingers without the proper information. Doing so would not end well for any party involved."

"I am with my sister in this," Luna said in a more gentle tone, softly placing her hand on the man's shoulder. "Though yes, we believe there is more to this act of violence, anything we have we can only speculate upon, and acting on speculation will only make matters worse. Please, my dear friend, I know you have more history with Griffons than most, but think about this rationally."

Fendral said nothing as he shifted his gaze and again stared into the fireplace, letting the words of his friends run through his mind. Sighing, he nodded his head.

"The time will come when action can be taken," Celestia said, rising from her seat, stepping away from it and behind the Mandalorian, resting her hands softly on his shoulders, visibly calming him down. "But right now, there is nothing more we can do."

Author's Note

Ok, this took way longer than it should have. I suppose doing a couple of complete rewrites cuz I wasn't happy and then losing all my progress would do that. And life got in the way as well, you know the drill by this point.

This was a fairly tame chapter, all things considered, kinda lost it near the end but I'm pleased with how it turned out, but I sincerely hope it was worth the wait.

Please point out any mistakes I may have made
Constructive criticism is always appreciated
Until next time, TTFN!