What do you want?

Is that really the way to treat a friend?

I'm not in the mood for your cryptic predictions, just tell me what you- Wait, why aren't you--

That is of little consequence. I must tell you that foreign powers have noticed the magical burst. Several armies are already being assembled to march on Equestria and its territories. They are scared.

Wouldn't you be?

I would if I didn't understand what it was, which is why we must reveal her to Equestria as the Grand Councillor. She's only going to garner more attention as she grows and it will become impossible to hide her.

It already is impossible!

"Pleeeeeaaassseee?" The filly gave her cutest blinks.

"We already have a pet!" Twilight answered again for the third time in the past two days.

"But Owllicious is your pet! I want one of my own!" She smiled. "If it makes feeding easier, I'll pick a bird."

"I don't feed Owllicious! He finds his own food in the woods!" Twilight sighed, knowing that Somnia wouldn't give it up. "We'll go to the fundraiser and see what's there, okay?"

"Thank you!" The filly hugged her.

"No promises though!"

"I know!" She trotted out of the door towards Celestia-knows-where while Twilight went back over to her writing desk to answer another letter. The ponies in Hollow Shades had gotten a hold of her address and were telling her about the changes they were making around the town. It was like a revolution swept the town, an entire restructuring of their society. Elections for a mayor were planned, ponies formed into teams on their own to carry out specific tasks, all with only the idea they were in charge of their destiny. It brought a smile to her face to hear their determination and drive. They also were reaching out to other thestral settlements, spreading word that it's up to them to rebuild their communities, that things weren't hopeless.

Dipping her black quill in its ink well, her gaze went to the window where the crow was hovering. Opening the window with her magic, she let it fly onto her desk, staring into her eyes with its own.

Twilight Sparkle. She nearly fell off her chair as she stared at the talking bird.

"Y-You can talk?!" Twilight gawked at the crow.

Of course I can. It answered indifferently, hopping over to the black feathered quill, examining it. Do you like my gift?

"Y-Yeah, its saved me a lot on quills." Twilight got back into her chair, scooting it closer. "Who are you?"

A friend. I've been watching you since your mother carried you within her. I suspected that events would align themselves for the reemergence of the Grand Councillor related to you. Once you had been sent into the psionic plane, I knew it was going to happen.

"You mean when I became an alicorn?" She asked curiously, her eyes widening. "You've really been watching me for my entire life?"

Where I could. You ponies are indoors more frequently than you used to be. Industrialization, and all of that.

"But who are you really? Why are you watching us?" She narrowed her eyes, trying to assess who this stalker really was. Were they after her and Somnia? An old foe? Or perhaps an old friend?

I shouldn't reveal my purpose at the moment. Trust me, Twilight Sparkle, a great change is coming. You and the Grand Councillor will need to be vigilant. Forces are at play that would seek ruin upon existence, if unintentionally.

"Right." She squinted, tired of being left in the dark so often. "So what are you doing here?"

To warn you of a great threat to your daughter's safety. She must not be left alone under any circumstances, for I fear there are agents at play nearby that would seek her harm.

"That's..."

Vague. Future-sight isn't precise when dealing with a Grand Councillor, I can only predict so much before it falls apart. All I know is to keep an eye on the skies, watch for suspicious souls.

"You can see the future? Don't only the best wizards of all time have those spells?"

If you are so curious, please speak with my companion. Grogar would probably be willing to spill our sensitive information, like always. Farewell for now, I must be returning elsewhere for urgent business. The crow took flight out the window, much to Twilight's annoyance.

So they do know Grogar... Just how old are they, and does Somnia know them? She shook her head and closed the window before getting back to responding to the letter.

Something for another time, but right now she needed to finish her letter and inform the guards.

Lifting another barrel from the cart and setting it down where it needed to be, Lovisa wiped the sweat from her brow and examined their work. Nopony would suspect anything until the dust settled, giving them plenty of time to get away safely.

"Heavytalon! Quit standing around! Close it up and let's get out of here!" Her fellow griffon annoyedly yelled at her.

"On it!" She closed up the wagon and went ahead of her fellow mercenary to check for any ponies in their path from the orchard. The trees had some sort of bats in them, unfortunate casualties when the distraction went off tomorrow. The two made their way back through the orchard towards the forest to the north-west where they had set up camp. Besides the occasional pegasus overhead, they had a relatively calm walk back to the forest camp.

While her colleague chopped up the cart they had been using for firewood, Lovisa went back over to the commander, a particularly angry unicorn with a broken horn and scar across their face, to receive her next order.

"Have the barrels been placed exactly where I requested?" She looked up to the griffoness.

"Ready and awaiting ignition." Lovisa replied, standing firmly under the intense gaze of the unicorn.

"It better be. Go help with sharpening the talons." She nudged her head in the direction of the small whetstones they had been provided by their employer. Without question, Lovisa made her way over to her fellow griffons to get the metal talons ready.

She still wasn't entirely certain who their target was, only that they would likely be defended by an elite earth pony guard with professional reinforcements close by. The distraction would draw all attention away from the target while the snatch-team acquired them.

Her fellow mercenaries were of a different sort from her. While she stuck to the more honorable lines of mercenary work, usually guarding some noble, many of her companions were brutal killers who fought in wars. Having fifteen of the best independent operatives in all of Griffonia and Equinia for a single pony seemed like overkill, but then again, it was to make sure they could quickly overwhelm any guard presence around their target.

She could barely make out the conversation the commander was having with one of the other mercenaries to the side: "I know it isn't protocol, but our employer wants them to understand that their words have no effect on us. It's to break her will by failing over and over again to convince us."

"Heavy, pass the spares." She passed the spare mechanisms to the tester who flexed the claws to make sure they could rip out a pony's throat if necessary. With a sigh, she got to sharpening the claws on the whetstone, sparks falling against her leather armor. Her thoughts drifted to who would hire so many deadly mercenaries for a simple snatch-and-break job.

It's not like they were going to be foalnapping a princess.

"Dawny~" Dusty nudged the sleeping stallion from his slumber, getting a grumble of disappointment. "It's time to get up."

"Ugh." He sat up, wiping his face. "What time is it?"

"Almost sunset. Shield wants us all on duty for the pet center fundraiser." She pulled the blanket off of him. "Have a good dream?"

"Not really." He got up from the bed, glancing down to the stiffy he was sporting. "Give me a minute to get ready."

While Dawn got ready, Dusty went over to the garrison desk to look through the papers. No advisories had been sent out by the royal guard about potential threats, which was odd since Princess Twilight herself knew there was an imminent attack. The local garrison also had been cut back down to the one local stallion to make room for the Queen's Guard, and even they weren't very active lately. Not that they were reliable before, anyway.

"Alright, let's go." Dawn trotted out the door in his guard armor followed shortly behind by Dusty. The two met up at the library with Princess Twilight, Shield, and Somnia then they all made their way to the fundraiser grounds set up in the park, the sun setting just as they got to the edge. There were a lot of ponies to watch, and it being at night didn't help anypony except Dawn.

"What kind of pet were you thinking of?" Twilight asked her daughter from ahead of them.

"I don't really know. Maybe something small?"

"Well, there will be plenty of small critters. I'm going to tell you right now though: No cats or dogs. I don't want them ruining any of the books in the library."

"Aww... Alright." The filly pouted, wracking her mind for what sort of pet she was looking for.

They gathered at the front of the crowd, guards dispersing to key points around the park as to not spook anypony. The 'Pony Tones' on stage began their song, receiving cheers of delight from the crowd. From where Dusty was watching, a small crow picked at the ground for food just in front of her hooves.

"Hungry?" She whispered rhetorically.

Easier energy source than self-maintenance. Dusty nearly dropped her spear at the unexpected response, the crow seemingly being unbothered by her surprise.

"W-Wha..." She didn't quite have the words to speak as it flew off towards the crowd, the Pony Tones coming to the end of their performance. Putting a hoof to her ear, she communicated with her fellow guards. "Did anypony else just see a crow?"

"Yeah, it's like it wanted to preen my wings." Dawn snickered from her ear. "Maybe it thought I was a pegasus, or something?"

"It's not some dumb bird, that's the one who gave us the warning. Probably a friend of the queen." Shield responded.

"Yeah, I know. It spoke to me." Dusty walked towards the now dispersing crowd. While Princess Twilight spoke to her friends at the side of the stage, her daughter was staring at the now empty pen in disappointment, all three of her guards gathering around her.

"Looks like you'll have to try another- OW!" Dawn reactively extended his wings to shoo away whatever had picked at them. The crow flew over them to land on the fence in front of Somnia, it's single large cyclops eye staring directly at her.

"Woah..." She walked forward, offering a hoof to the bird that seemed to ignore her attempt to pet its feathers. "Hey there, little fella."

Lass, they're a female. Grar corrected.

"How do you know?" The crow hopped onto Somnia's hoof, bringing it closer to her face. "I can't tell the difference."

Slightly leaner frame, quite tricky if you don't know what the males look like.

"Right." Somnia giggled as the crow hopped up into her mane. "I think she likes me."

"I guess that's one mystery solved." Shield muttered to his fellow guards.

"Huh?" Somnia turned around to face them, crow perched atop her horn.

"It's nothing. Let's go get your mother." Dawn led the way over to the stage where Twilight was waving off her friends. Her eyes focused on the bird atop her daughter, watching it with suspicion.

"Mom! I think she likes me!" Somnia called out to her. "Can I keep her?"

"Somnia..." Twilight got close, glaring directly at the crow. "Are you sure? It's a bit--"

"Unique!" The filly cut her off with an excited shout. "It's so cool! Can I please keep them?"

"Do you even know who that is?" She asked, putting forth a hoof that was picked at by the crow to remove bits of dirt.

"It's a bird! And my newest friend!" The filly exclaimed. "Pretty please?"

Twilight bit her tongue. Clearly this creature was willing to do anything to get on Somnia's good side, meaning that it probably wouldn't be very difficult to take care of. The small corvid picked at its wings from atop Somnia's horn, preening itself on the spot, completely indifferent to the gaze focused on it.

"Yeah, why not?" Twilight shrugged. "But if it makes a mess in the library, it's going back into the wild where it belongs."

"Thank you!" Somnia leapt at her mother for a hug, crow leaping into the air and settling atop the princess' horn.

"I really hope I don't regret this..." She looked up at it staring down on her.

Another day, another couple of random trips around town. Dusty brushed her teeth in front of the mirror, crusties still at the corners of her eyes. It had been a long night. Not because she had any difficulty sleeping, simply because it had been so long since she had a relaxing sleep. The note she received before bed confirmed what she had suspected: Somepony was watching them closely, and they were an old friend of the queen.

Putting her armor on, she adjusted the badge attached to it slightly, making sure to look her best like always. The life of a guard was one of constantly being alert, both for safety and for appearances. Doing one last check of her equipment, she set out towards the library.

Today Somnia wanted to go to Fluttershy's in order to learn more about how to take care of her new pet. Dawn bumped hooves with her as she took his place in front of the library, waiting patiently for her charge to deal with what they needed to do, which probably meant waking up. About an hour later, the three fillies she only knew as the 'crusaders' came by to talk to Twilight about tutoring them or something.

The queen left not long after, clearly disappointed. The two walked through the town in the direction of their destination in relative silence until:

"What are you frowning about?" Dusty asked the question on her mind.

"The crusaders are going to be busy today." Somnia turned up to her. "I was hoping to hang out with them, but mom is going to be helping them develop their practical skills. I was thinking that maybe we could take Little Fae to the park?"

"Little Fae?" Dusty raised a brow. "You named the bird after your deceased friend?"

"Felt like it would be right. Not like I can talk to them to ask for their name." The filly giggled.

"Uhm, about that..." Dusty nervously laughed. "They kinda can talk."

"But not to me!" Somnia pouted. "I'm not Fluttershy! I can't understand what they're cawing!"

"I didn't..." She sighed. It was going to sound crazy to the filly without some form of proof. They continued to walk towards the edge of town, nearing the path to Fluttershy's cottage.

"Did you have any pets growing up?" Somnia asked, smiling to her trusty guard.

"No, not really." Dusty admitted. "Never really had the money for pets, and it was pretty hard to take care of anything big when you lived in a three-room apartment in the middle of a busy city."

"Where are you from?"

"Originally, Baltimare, but we moved to the other side of the river from central Manehattan after I got my cutie mark. Parents worked the factories there." She smiled back. "They expected me to follow their hoofsteps, but I wanted to make a difference, so I joined the guard."

"Do you regret it?" The filly stopped to face her.

"I used to. Hay, I used to want nothing more than to finish my duty to you then get out. But you reminded me of why I joined the guard." The filly closed her eyes suddenly, her face contorting. "Is something wrong?"

"T-They're coming..." Somnia opened her eyes and looked to the horizons. "We need to--"

A deafening roar cut her off as she held her hooves to her ears. "GET DOWN!" Dusty readied herself, turning to face a massive cloud of smoke coming from Sweet Apple Acres. The shockwave nearly knocked her off her hooves, but she managed to steady herself by the time she saw the approaching griffons.

"To the cottage! Move!" She picked up the filly onto her back and made a run for the cottage. They were too far from town to make it before they arrived, but hopefully the others would arrive in time. She couldn't signal the others until she was boarded up in the cottage, getting Somnia into safety was her top priority.

Three griffons dropped down in front of her, each wielding steel talons and snarling at her. She took one last look around her, realizing there was no way out. Eight armored and armed griffons growled and snapped at her in combat stances.

They were surrounded.

"Somnia, I need you to--" She couldn't finish her thought before the griffons charged her, swinging their talons furiously. She took up position over Somnia, using her spear to keep them at bay. Wacking one in the face with the back end, she managed to reset their positions temporarily.

The next attempt wasn't so lucky. A griffon from behind her had flown into the air and dug its talons into her sides, lifting her with it into the air. She grabbed the combat knife from the hidden spot on her armor and began stabbing the griffon with as much anger as she could muster, eventually getting it to let go.

She only realized her mistake far too late...

"Twilight!" Applejack rushed over. "Thank Celestia yer here!"

"What happened?" Twilight took a look over the burning orchard, pegasi coming in from all directions with rain clouds to suppress the flames. Fluttershy was leading the efforts to safely evacuate the animals from the area along with Rarity, her voice unusually deep and masculine. Earth ponies were doing their best to dowse the flames with what water they could ferry from the well and farm pond, preventing the flames from spreading further into the orchard.

"I don't know! I came as soon as ah could! Nopony was here to see what happened and granny was asleep!" Applejack's face scrunched up slightly as she watched her hard work burn to cinders. The vampire fruit bats were in that section, none of them would have survived unless they were at the edges.

Rainbow Dash descended from the sky, landing next to them. She was completely covered in soot, coughing a few times before speaking to them. "We've got it contained, but the center of the fire will need to run out of fuel. I'm sorry, AJ. We're doing what we can."

"Dagnabbit! What in tarnation could have caused this?" Applejack asked, frustrated at the loss of so many of her trees.

"Twilight, come in!" Shield said over the earpiece. Putting a hoof to her ear, Twilight responded.

"This is Twilight. Is Somnia safe?"

"...You'll want to come back to the library." Her heart dropped, blood running from her face. This was it... This was the attack! Flying as fast as she could towards the library, her mind couldn't focus on anything other than hoping that Somnia wasn't- No, she's fine. She has to be!

A knock at the door startled Morning Drops from his daily routine. The second such instance that morning. "I'll get it!" His 'marefriend' called out, trotting to the door.

"C-Captain?!" Blossomforth stepped aside to allow Captain Shattershield entry. "W-What can I do for you?"

"Where's your coltfriend?" He demanded

"Here!" Morning Drops put down his wrench, wiping the sweat off with a towel before going over to see the captain. "What can I do for you, sir?"

"I'm calling you in." He walked into the small study that was converted into a workshop. "Thank you for your assistance, Ms.Blossomforth, but your services will no longer be required."

"It was my pleasure. Anything for the princesses." She bowed before grabbing her saddlebags and departing, leaving the two stallions to talk.

The captain took one look over the yellow and green stallion, frowning. "Take off that ridiculous disguise. The queen has been foalnapped!"

Changing back to his natural form, the changeling lead the captain up to his room. While he got on his armor, the captain filled him in on everything he knew then the two left for the library where three other ponies and the damn crow were waiting. Other than the other two Queen's Guard, there was a doctor that tended to the earth pony one, he kinda forgot her name.

"Is she stable?" The captain turned to the doctor.

"For now. Heavy blood loss, but the wounds are manageable. I would like to take her back to the hospital for observation and assessment on the severity of the concussion."

That won't be necessary, she'll be fine. The crow responded, perched atop Broken Dawn's head.

The captain contacted Twilight while the others discussed strategy, but nothing would be final until Princess Twilight weighed in.

A minute later, the door burst open and the princess stopped in her tracks at first sight of the changeling. "What are they doing here?!"

"Corporeal Scutellum, Queen's Guard infiltrator." The changeling bowed. "Good to finally meet you, your highness."

"Scutellum was recruited when the Queen's Guard was in its infancy. They've been handling threats that we otherwise wouldn't have been able to." Shield filled in her in, providing a bit of comfort before the bombshell. "Somnia has been foalnapped."

Twilight took a seat, putting her head in her hooves. "How?! When?!"

"The explosion was a distraction. Meant to draw everypony's attention towards it. When Dusty didn't answer her comms, I went looking for her. She was thrown into a bush next to Fluttershy's cottage, no filly in sight." The captain finished, nodding to the bird. "Our organizer went to get the doctor while I gathered the others."

Twilight Sparkle, I am Excalion, loyal servant of the Grand Councillor and colleague of Grogar. It cawed out.

"I can't believe this is happening..." Twilight whimpered into her hooves. She turned up to look at them all, eyes in shock. "Do you know where they might be taking her?"

"I've told you everything we know." The captain sat down across from her. "Maybe Dusty will be able to tell us more when she wakes up, but otherwise we're in the dark. Whoever did this were professionals, leaving quickly and quietly."

"Could be griffon mercenaries." Scutellum suggested, choosing to stand. "There's been rumors circulating within the Lunar Guard about the best-of-the-best being hired for some super-secret job by an unknown client the past two weeks."

"If whoever it is can cherry-pick from the merc gangs, they must have made quite a lucrative deal." Dawn added. "Only somepony rich, powerful, or both could afford to do that."

"That's all you have?" Twilight looked between them, receiving reluctant nods. "THAT'S IT?!"

"We didn't even know about the threat until yesterday morning!" Shield defended. "How were we to do any preparing on such short notice?"

Twilight took a shaky breath, letting a few tears drop. "Just find her, please. I don't care what you do, or who you need to hurt, I just want her back." The princess got up from her seat, walking up the stairs to go to her desk. Celestia needed to know.

"Scutellum, Dawn, scout the local forests. We need to determine what direction they are headed. I'll go to Isirilas to see if they can give me any additional details about the attack. Doctor, stay here and make sure Dusty is alright." The captain ordered. "Alright, move out!"

"Please!" The filly pleaded to the merc that was holding her against him. "I've done nothing wrong!"

"Shut it!" They yelled at her. "Or I'll tape it shut!"

"Would you two quiet down?" The commander turned on them. "We need to get to the clearing before nightfall, and we can't risk being discovered!"

The group continued to walk through the forest in the direction of the Unicorn Range. From what Somnia could see, there were about fourteen creatures, twelve griffons and two ponies, one of which was the unicorn with a broken horn that was calling the shots. That didn't include the dead body one of the mercenaries was carrying, of course. Other than the commander and the other mare, the only other female was a griffoness that didn't look amused with the trek through the forest, the fifth creature she had to readjust her eyes for, and the one she realized would probably be willing to help her.

They walked for hours, none even daring to open their wings in case they felt compelled to fly. Eventually, they reached a small concealed section of the woods and began to set up their tents. Somnia tried struggling free when they untied her, but nothing came of it when they held her against a tree to put on the shackles. Two griffons stood guard while the others set up their camp for the night.

Through the leaves above, Somnia could see the sky shift from day to night, plunging the camp into darkness. A few candles were lit so that they could see around the camp, but not enough to draw suspicion for anypony flying overhead. The largest light source was the fire at the center.

"Bring the corpse over!" The commander ordered and two griffons dragged the corpse of their fallen comrade over to the fire, tossing it in unceremoniously. Somnia watched as the feathers caught fire, engulfing the entire body and emitting the horrible stench of burning flesh. The griffons and other ponies had nose plugs, she didn't.

Gagging, she tried covering her nose in vain as the griffons continued about their tasks. Grar? Can you hear me?

Only the silence of her own mind responded. He was out cold for the next couple of days, she needed to think of a plan on her own.

"Status?" Shield came over the earpiece.

"Blood trail ends at a stream. They've been careful not to leave tracks, but it seems they're headed to the Unicorn Range." Scutellum answered, picking up the loose feather next to the stream. "It's not looking good."

"Nothing from above either." Dawn answered. "Either we're headed in the wrong direction, or they are moving a lot faster than we can keep up."

"It's the right direction. Those mountains have plenty of caves and wooded alcoves to hide out in." The changeling started walking past the stream in the general direction he believed they had went.

"We'll never find her if she gets to the mountains." Shield growled. "Where the buck is our reinforcements?"

"Apparently, delayed." Dawn flew down next to Scutellum. "Unless we get the Lunar Guard's trackers or a thousand guards to comb the forest, the guard won't be much help."

Shield sighed over the comms. "We can't do this without support. I'll go speak to Princess Twilight about that letter I asked her to send."

Somnia finished her small rock sculpture. It wasn't much, not that you could make anything fancy with three rocks, but it was at least something to do. Two of the rocks were leaned against one another with the third balanced at their peak.

"I'm bored..." She laid down in a huff, knocking over her little sculpture. "Can I please have something to eat?"

"I said shut up!" One of her griffon guards yelled at her before turning back to his fellow guard. "You sure?"

"I'm sure." She stated simply. "Look for a whorse when this is over."

"We don't know how long that's going to be. We could be damn near holding that filly for years!"

"I'm thirsty. Can I have a drink?" Somnia tried again.

"I said shut up!" He went over to give her a punch in the stomach. "Keep your trap shut!"

"Oww..." She whimpered out, the other guard turning to glare at her companion.

"She's allowed water. I'll go get some while you keep an eye on her."

With the griffoness gone, Somnia turned on the charm by slyly smiling up at her sole defender. "You know, if you don't know how long you're going to be on assignment, is it really worth it?"

"Like you would know anything about how much its worth." The guard returned to his post.

"I'm a princess, going to be queen one day. I could make it worth your while... A full pardon for your crimes, and a generous pension for your heroism in my rescue? You could retire fat and happy anywhere in Equestria, living life without the danger. Is a one-time payment really worthwhile?" She smiled to the guard's back receiving only silence in turn as he considered it.

"It's only a matter of time before I'm found." The filly tried again as the griffoness returned. "My guards probably won't take prisoners, unless I order them to. I can give you both pardons." The griffoness handed a cup of water to the filly to drink.

"Has she seriously been trying to bribe you?" The griffoness looked to the other guard while the filly drank her water.

"Yeah. Whatever she can give ain't worth shit compared to the pay." He answered while the griffoness took the cup back.

Somnia sighed, laying her head back on her hooves. Plan A wasn't possible since Grar was out, plan B clearly wasn't going to work, plan C then...

Giving a yawn, she stretched out as much as she could with the restraints. "Can I talk to your leader, at least?"

"No." The male griffon responded simply.

Plan C could wait until the morning, right now, she was too tired to do anything.

If there was one good thing to be said about being foalnapped, Somnia didn't need to walk from place to place. The mercenaries set out just before sunrise and had been walking for several hours at least before taking a small break. Through the breaks in the trees, she could see the mountains looming overhead.

Due to the temporary arrangement, Somnia finally got a good opportunity to see the the entire mercenary team up close. Scarred griffons stretched out or relaxed while the leader checked a map, likely planning their next route. She really couldn't move within the ropes around her, which were particularly uncomfortable around her wings.

"Do you even know where we're headed?" One of the griffons approached the leader.

"Shut up and go back with the others!" She snarled back, casting a spare glance to Somnia. "And get a magic suppression ring on her!"

"Didn't the boss say she couldn't use any magic?" Another of the griffons chuckled while chewing on some jerky. "What kind of pathetic princess is she? Can't even use magic..."

"You know," Somnia called out, getting the attention of the leader, "I can pay you all even more than whoever employed you."

The leader tucked away the map and walked over to the filly, leaning down to position her snout within smelling distance of Somnia's. "You're a nopony. The other alicorns would have to be even more pathetic than you if you're able to access the treasury." She picked up the filly, holding onto the ropes, their snouts touching to drive the point home. "Nopony believes you. Face it, you're going to our client no matter what you say. You're going to be hoofed over, and we're going to get paid."

"I don't believe that's true." Somnia stated. "We're all creatures of Equus, there's good in all of your hearts." She regarded the other unamused mercenaries, receiving several eye rolls. "You always have a choice in what you do, even if it may not seem like it. I'm offering you all a chance to leave your life of violence behind, to live without worries of going hungry or not having a roof over your heads. You can make friends, ones you can rely on through the thick and thin. Isn't that worth more than this?"

The unicorn dropped her back to the ground, going back over to where she was before. "Alright, listen up! We're moving out! Gather your supplies and let's get moving!"

The griffoness walked over to Somnia and picked her up, tucking her under an arm. For the next couple of hours, Somnia considered her options. These mercenaries were clearly prepared for whatever she threw at them. Well paid and informed with information that isn't public. Whoever was behind all of this was somepony within the Equestrian government, but who?

"You comfortable?" The griffoness whispered down to her.

"As comfortable as I can be tied up." Somnia answered, her mind transitioning back to Plan B. "You're not like these other griffons."

The griffoness kept her mouth shut so Somnia continued. "I meant what I said before. You'll be safe here in Equestria. You can retire from all of this dangerous work."

With no response, Somnia resolved herself to working out plan D. They stopped after a few more hours to take another short rest while the leader rechecked their movements on the map, giving Somnia her opportunity. She struggled against the ropes, hoping to release her wings from their prison. While she couldn't get them out, she did manage to make enough room to do what she had planned.

"That's it!" Somnia yelled out, activating her magical aura by mustering enough anger. "If you aren't willing to--"

One of the griffons leapt over and smacked her face, punching her gut several times. "Don't you even think about it! We know about your little 'gift'! We're not going to fall for it, bitch!" He went back over to his bags, another few griffons giving her dirty looks.

Somnia spat blood onto the ground, catching her breath from the assault. Her mind slowly drifted from planning to despair. Grar... Help me. I can't do this alone.

Swiveling her ears, she could barely catch the conversation one of the griffons were having with the leader.

"What exactly are we supposed to be doing with them anyway?"

"Our job is to secure her somewhere nopony will find her and break her spirit. It's not that complicated."

"Break her spirit, huh?" The griffon turned back to the filly with a devious grin. "Ya know, some of the others wouldn't mind getting a piece of her."

"I'm not going to tell you again." The leader grabbed the scruff of his neck. "I'm not allowing you to do that to her!"

"Then let's contact the boss and ask! It's not up to you!"

The leader turned to the others. "Everygriff, we're moving out!"

"This doesn't bode well." Dawn picked at the charred bones while the others fanned out around the site. Common pathways signified the most commonly traveled paths through the camp and several spots had also been flattened indicating where the tents had been.

"They really aren't taking risks." Shield ignited his horn and started scanning the different disturbed areas. "Definitely griffons, at least ten, but there seems to be at least one pony too".

"You sure it isn't the queen?" Dusty examined a particular spot that was disturbed, small rocks arranged in a peculiar pattern making a simplistic statuette.

"I'm sure." He sighed, putting a hoof to his ear. "Where's our support?"

"The guard is mobilizing but it's going to take time." Twilight responded from Ponyville.

Scutellum activated his earpiece. "The buck do you mean it's going to take time?! They're ready at a moment's notice by design!"

"There's something else that's distracting them. Apparently there's been some movement at Equestria's borders that's preoccupied them." Twilight's voice conveyed defeat.

"Just our luck." Dawn muttered under his breath. "How convenient that they can't spare a single squad to help us out..."

"Shut your mouth!" Shield marched up to him, turning them towards him and jabbing his chest-plate. "They're busy with something else important. Looking for a single pony isn't worth mobilizing the entire guard when others are in danger!"

"That's a load of horse apples." Dusty walked over. "You were assigned to the search effort for her like us, you know how much they care! They spared no expense to find her when she initially appeared!"

Would you three settle down? Excalion asked from the tree above. I'm having trouble focusing because of your bickering.

"Aren't you supposed to be some expert agent? What's wrong, too tired?" Dawn sneered.

Shield smacked him in the face. "She's been nothing but supportive to us! Maybe if the Lunar Guard had any discipline you'd understand what patience is like!"

"We're not as disorganized as you think." Dusty raised a questioning hoof. "Did you ever actually try seeing us work?"

"I've seen him and his division! It's a mess!" Shield retorted. "Barely any structure, distracting themselves on duty, prioritizing meaningless patrols over standing guard at key locations! It's disgraceful!"

"The royal guard ain't much better." Scutellum added, finally weighing in.

"And what's a changeling know about us?" Dusty turned on him. "You infiltrated the coronation to hurt or kill her when we were all serving dutifully!"

QUIET! Excalion cawed. What is wrong with all of you?! We're trying to save our queen from the grip of those that would hurt or kill her! It's what we all agreed to sign on for!

We've all made mistakes, but that doesn't justify turning on one another the moment the queen isn't around! We're sworn to her service, and we'll be damned to erasure if we let her die on our watch!

Each of the guards mumbled as they dispersed back around the clearing, each mulling over their position in the Queen's Guard.

No, all of you get back here. She flew between them, plucking at their manes until they returned to the tree. Once they all reluctantly gathered together, Excalion flew to behind them and unleashed a burst of light. Each turned, their eyes going wide at the sight, looking up at the colossal figure which now towered over them.

I was assigned to ensure the emergence of the Grand Councillor of Harmony and to assist them to realize their potential! Each of you were hoof-picked by her. She pointed to each of them with her claws. I wasn't. I was given my orders by the Prophet, not her. But each of you are personally sworn to her service. Your very essence was intrinsically tied to her, from the moment of your conception.

Look to your cutie marks, you all knew it was true since you laid eyes upon her. It doesn't matter if you have different ways of serving her, you are all equals in her eyes. She chose you for who you are, and will release you from service when she deems fit. Your duty is to her, and her alone. The creature extended each of their arms, letting light shine from their core.

That is what it means to be a pentus. Each of your lives are for her to choose the direction of, so that you may carry out her will without question. Get over yourselves! You are all equally important to our efforts! If you want to abandon your duties, then leave! She pointed in the direction they came. The Grand Councillor can't afford to keep weak-minded creatures around her. You'll have a chance to live a normal life before your last moments, free from duty to the highest cause!

The choice is yours to make, as it always was!

From where Somnia laid, she could barely see the activity in the camp as they set up their tents. The leader had went off into the woods with two griffons and some sort of potion while the others worked, making the filly wonder exactly what they were doing. Her answer came soon enough as they came back, the leader looking absolutely furious.

"I quit! You're in charge!" She jabbed the other mare with her hoof, passing the key-ring to the confused unicorn. "I'm not going to be part of this!"

The other two griffons walked over, the smirks on their faces told Somnia that whatever they were about to do, she wasn't going to enjoy.

"So? What did they say?" The griffon guarding Somnia asked them.

The original instigator leaned in close to them, whispering something the filly couldn't hear. The third griffon donned the grin, and all three moved towards her.

From the camp, Lovisa carefully pitched her tent when the first noises came from the prisoner. She sighed, closing her eyes as the filly cried out and swearing under her breath.

"Wait, what are you- Ow, that hurts! Stop it! Please stop! NO! STOP! P-PLEASE!"

It was going to be a restless night for both of them.

Author's Note

The original alias for Lovisa was 'Heavytalon', but I decided to go with a more canon name for... later. But Heavytalon was still a nice alias to use for her mercenary work.

I'm still disappointed by the ending. It feels like I should add more to that last scene, but I just couldn't think of what. Anyway, it's finally out.