Simplified

Chapters

Chapter 2: Decisive Disengagement
Chapter 3: Friendly Favors
Chapter 4: Reluctant Royalty
Chapter 5: Overtly Obsessed
Chapter 6: Sunrise Ceremony
Chapter 7: Eternal Echoes
Chapter 8: Sultry Situations
Chapter 9: Tertiary Troubles
Chapter 10: Amorous Avoidance
Chapter 11: Crushing Cultivations
Chapter 12: Diverging Discoveries
Chapter 13: Otherworldly Optimism
Chapter 14: Breaking Bondage
Chapter 15: Past and Present
Chapter 16: Present Predicament
Chapter 17: Emergence of Envy
Chapter 18: Wordless Whimpers
Chapter 20: Limited Luxury
Chapter 21: Beloved Burnout
Chapter 22: Dungeon Dispute
Chapter 23: Coordinated Chaos
Chapter 24: Ex Exhibitions
Chapter 26: The Djinn of Dreams
Chapter 27: Fondled Feathers
Chapter 28: Goodbyes and Greetings
Chapter 29: Insidious Intrepids
Chapter 30: Subconscious Submission
Chapter 31: Vanishing Virtue
Chapter 32: Seeking Salvation
Chapter 33: Turnabout Terror
Chapter 34: Countryside Crossing
Chapter 35: Risky Retirement
Chapter 36: Sailing Surfaces
Chapter 37: Flight to Foalsom
Chapter 38: Fight in Foalsom
Chapter 39: Cause and Consequence
Chapter 40: Seaside Standby
Chapter 41: Scalding Scourge
Chapter 43: Royal Rumble
Chapter 44: Imperial Introduction
Chapter 45: Mischievous Mismanagement
Chapter 46: Debating Diplomacy
Chapter 47: Distressing Deviance
Chapter 48: Rusted Remembrance
Chapter 49: Queen's Quarrel
Chapter 50: Elevated Envy
Chapter 51: Foreign Fraternization
Chapter 52: Stirring Shadows
Chapter 53: Lost Luggage
Chapter 54: Rolling Rapture
Chapter 55: Buoyant Buzzsaws
Chapter 56: Spectral Splendor
Chapter 58: Solemn Summit
Chapter 59: Reading Relations
Chapter 60: Serendipitous Squabble
Chapter 61: Engaged in Errors
Chapter 62: Helletic Haines
Chapter 0: Selfie Shenanigans
Chapter 1: Royal Restrictions
Chapter 19: Perilous Permissions
Chapter 25: Doubled Down
Chapter 42: Haphazard Homecoming
Chapter 57: Polarizing Principles

Chapter 2: Decisive Disengagement

The train ride to the south was as long as it was awkward. Ever since the moment Ember made mention that I would be getting a mate, she hadn't said anything to me since. I started to quietly think that she was probably looking to drag me away for a little bit of practice for her own self. But then she gave me a look, almost as though she was gonna kill me if I had kept staring at her, and that idea had gone as cold as a festival in Yakyakistan.

Safe to say she was off-limits.

When we got as close, it was time for us to start flying the rest of the way there. Since there was a large body of water separating us from the continent, we were gonna have to wing it from there. Our final stop on the train was Fillydelphia off the coast of Horseshoe Bay, and from there we flew southeast across the Celestial Sea.

I know what you're thinking, that's a long ways to fly. But in actuality, it's rather short for dragon standards since we were built to handle longer distances. There are even dragons who come from as far west as Saddle Arabia with no layovers, others do at least one or two before landing back home. So this was a short trip in comparison, I'm actually surprised Ember didn't make us fly the whole way out here. Maybe she thought I couldn't handle the distance and settled for a closer starting point. But I won't lie and say that I didn't appreciate the gesture.

Once we landed onto the lava-soaked, craggy and often jagged shores of the Dragon Lands, I made a mental reminder that we were no longer subject to Equestrian laws and standards. We were in an entirely different country, all under the jurisdiction of Ember herself. And with her being in the position she was in, a few dragons came around to check in on her.

As lord of the dragons, she grew wise to the many who thought to usurp her from power for their own gain. As such, she appointed her father, the former dragon lord of well over a thousand years, to hold guard over the Bloodstone Scepter. So whenever she left, he was the last one she saw, and the first one she'd see upon return. And due to his enormous size, no one was going to dare pick a fight with him to gain power. "Well if it isn't my own speck of pride."

"Well don't tell me you lost a battle yet, dad." She replies, causing him to show the scepter he's guarded between two of his smaller claws. He makes his own daughter look like a flea next to him. However, she's picked up a lot of his strength and mannerisms as the years went by. She's still trying to learn to be a empathetic ruler unlike his iron-fist method, but that's just how many dragons accept their rulers, and it has hardened her to a degree. So I can imagine her not being an easy one to negotiate with... And I can even wage that her fight record probably looks way better than Smolder's, who claims she hasn't lost a bout yet.

Yeah, being her mate would probably kill me. I'll pass.

"So who's the little purple runt?" He asks her with his booming voice.

"You know that's Spike." She points to me. "He's the Equestrian ambassador to the Dragon Lands, and the Ambassador of Friendship."

"Ah, the de-facto prime minister to the purple horse herself?" He looms large over me as he glares down. "And where are the promised shipment of pillows we were owed?"

"Well sir, we're still making one for your size. The others will be in within two business days." I reply, earning an earth-shattering cackle from the ancient dragon.

"I can already imagine how many of those ponies are going to struggle with bringing it in! It'll be most amusing to see them languish for my comfort!"

Ember, while hardened as the years went by, still showed sympathy towards the ones who worked hardest. "Dad, we've talked about this."

"Yeah, I know." He says as he gives her the scepter. "It's just hard to put aside old habits."

She reassumes her role along with her scepter before turning to me. "Now as for you, I need to know just how strong you are currently."

I point to myself nervously. "Me, what for?"

She points the scepter back at me. "Duh, so I can assess who to mate you with."

I can understand her purpose, but I am not going to challenge her in front of her dad of all dragons. I already know I'm going to lose, I just don't want it to be now. "Shouldn't we just let me go out in the Dragon Lands and see who I can beat instead of just fighting you?"

"You're seeking a mate, and you're already being this much of a cowardly wimp!?" Torch announced loudly. "What a weakling, Surely Equestria can put together a better representative than a weak little dragon like you."

...Even if I was going to lose this one off the rip, I still have my pride to consider. And if I wanted to be seen as weak, it would be because I was physically unable to beat one of the strongest dragons around here, not for running from the challenge. I have no other choice. "Okay then, you wanna see what I can do, then I'll give you my best shot."

As she positioned herself to brace for my attack, I'm sure she knew that I wasn't going to win. She pointed the scepter at me and made a mocking request. "You held this scepter once before, Spike. You remember how it felt when it's power surged through you before you gave it to me. So go on, call for it, take it back, accept the legacy you've taken, no matter how short it was!"

I run directly for her, not aiming for the scepter, but in an attempt to sweep her legs. But in my running for her, I hadn't noticed how she threw the scepter at me. Next thing I notice is the world being turned upside down. She had kicked my legs from under me, grabbed me by my tail and started swinging for the fences. She tosses me to the air and wait for me to stabilize before attacking me again. I barely shake off the dizzying attack from just a second ago before she pushes me into a craggy wall. All the air escapes from my lungs as I inadvertently heave a ball of fire into her face. My back aches from the pain of that impact, she pulls me out and throws me back to the ground. I try to fight back, but she rams a fist into my face before torch calls out. "Alright, that's enough!"

While I'm in a lot of pain, I see Ember heaving above me. She's staring at me angrily like I had called her out of her name and committed a grievous injury to her honor. I try to get her off of me, but she just shoves me back into the ground again before flying off.

Torch laughs as his daughter sulks away quietly. "Well that puts you out of the running!"

"What kind of assessment is this!?" I call out painfully.

"I thought she filled you in on that." He says while laughing. "Guess you're still no match for my pinkie claw, no matter how much you grow."

I'm slow to get up, still fighting against my injuries. "Okay, so why couldn't I just do this with someone on my own level?"

"It's dragon lord tradition to assess the strength of every dragon of the opposite sex. I've had a number of offspring when I was doing my assessments, at some point, I had about three hundred eggs with my seed fertilizing them in one year! And no one could stop me!" The former dragon lord cackled with enormous presence as his voice echoed throughout the ashy beach.

As I nurse my injuries, a thought came to my head as he spoke from his experience. "So wait, does that mean Ember could choose who she wants to mate with if they're strong enough?"

"Of course she can, but she doesn't lose! She's got my spunk, and I don't like losing to anyone for anything! And neither does she. I bet she sauntered off like that because she found out how weak you are."

"I'm not upset for that!" Ember's voice ring back out from behind her father. "I'm upset that he's too weak to mate with anyone here! He needs to get stronger, and that's going to take more than a month to develop! That's why I'm upset!"

"So you're upset that this is going to take twice as long?" I ask.

"Twice!?" She shouts. "Spike, you'll be lucky if it only takes a year to get you in shape!"

"What!?" I scream out in protest. "I can't stay here a year!"

"Don't you think I know that!?" She shouts as she flies back down, placing her claws on my shoulder. "I promised Twilight a month because I thought your heroic pedigree would've bought you some bit of strength! But fighting against you makes me see the truth! You're too weak! You won't even last a month if you don't start improving now!"

"You could always let him get crushed." Torch recommends.

"No way!" She answers vehemently, standing by my side. "Spike is my friend, I'm not going to just let him get crushed, nor will I let his dragon nature get the better of him. I don't want anything bad happening to him just because he had a different upbringing. The only thing I want for him is to be able to compete! Now it feels like he'll be in danger all while he's here."

I look down to my own self. My mind went back to the picture I unwittingly sent out to Twilight. I felt that I looked good enough to appease anyone. If anything, I felt my frame was ideal. I was really comfortable in myself. Now, I feel like that was more of me lying to myself. And now I was a problem. "...I could just always leave to some random island for a while until I calm down."

"Spike, dragons are competitive and territorial by nature. If you claim something, someone will look to claim it from you. If you can't defend that, you'll be better off wandering the globe for the rest of your life." She replies with a much softer demeanor than the one she had when she challenged me. "I want to help you avoid that at all costs. But living with ponies can only do so much for you until you lash out and do something you'll forever regret."

"Sadly, the days of pillaging and plundering ponies are long-gone. And if we're going to keep peace with those puny equines, we got to keep our reputation clean. This isn't how it was when I was in charge. Ember wants to do it her way, the way she learned with you." Torch adds. "Now she's giving back, doing what dragons don't normally do. You should be grateful."

As I think more on myself and my current circumstances, I see Ember holding a smaller rod made of what appeared to be obsidian. She issues the item to me and gives me a warning. "Carry this with you everywhere you go, and don't lose it. That's your protection."

I accept the item and question her. "What does this do?"

"I already told you, Spike. Just try to keep up with it, please." She says once more before flying off into the distance.

As I look at the item, I notice the many indentures that seemed to have been carefully constructed. It appeared to be crudely sculped into a staff as opposed to crafted with time and care. The edges are still frighteningly sharp. I look to Torch and direct my question to him. "So what does my having this mean?"

"It means you better keep up with that thing... or else." He answers with a menacing tone.

I gulp reactively. "Right."

After a bit of a flight across the barren lands populated by mainly rock and lava, I landed myself into a cave where I could store my stuff. After that drop off, making my temporary space to my liking, I began to look around the lands to see what all was being done around the place, especially since I haven't been here in some years.

So far, it doesn't seem that much has changed. I would've figured with their integration to Equestria's open trade policies that they would start building up some new buildings or monuments, maybe even a sign or two to tell any visitors where they were going. Not everyone can just memorize where a certain boulder is, give it a name, and fly off to remember where they are. It's a boulder for many, and they'll be bound to run into it a number of times before realizing that they're pretty much lost. Dragons don't use roads either... and I don't dare to think about the modest idea of sewage infrastructure. Bathing for them is taking a dive in the lava pool and jumping back out, and it also doubles as a toilet. Does it matter if a dragon shits in the lava pool, not really since it's bound to be crispy and crumbly by the time it surfaces as nothing more than ash, and urine turns to steam anyhow. It's perfect for them, everything is instantly disposed of and hardly any bacteria remains.

So yeah it does work, but I prefer scented soaps and water, keeps me smelling nice instead of sulfuric.

I finally get back and notice that there's a yellow dragon hunching himself over a pile of goods, namely all of my belongings. I call out in disagreement. "Hey!"

He dismissively pops an eye open and rolls over. "What do you want?"

"I was hiding out here!" I point out.

"No you weren't." He answers, throwing a claw in the air to wave me off.

"I was just here for the past seven hours! I leave for, what, ten minutes, and you're just sitting here like you set all of this up!"

"I don't see your name on anything." He replies.

"I literally carved my name into the floor!" I point out, actively slapping my palm against the place where I scratched my name on the ground.

"Oh?" The dragon gets up from the mess of a pile consisting of all my stuff, leaps over to where my name was, and swipes his claws against the ground, striking out my name. "Whoops, that settles it. Guess I'm staying here."

I shout angrily, feeling myself becoming violent with each passing second of my patience getting worn. "GET OUT!"

He tilts his head and looks at me with a smug grin. "Or what?"

While I wanted to assert myself, I had to remember that I had a position and image to uphold. After all, it wouldn't look good on Twilight if her friendship ambassador had gotten into a fight on the first day I arrive to the Dragon Lands. I take a deep breath and mentally draw up a compromise. "You know what, never mind. Just let me get my stuff."

I walk past him, but he stops me with a claw on my shoulder. "Oh, what stuff?"

My patience already thinner than parchment, I peel the dragon's claws from off of me. "Don't worry about it."

I reach the pile and the first thing I get to is the obsidian staff Ember gave to me. Almost immediately, he hollers in defiance. "Hey, that's mine!"

"Where'd you get it from then?" I question.

"It was always there!" He lies instantly. "It doesn't matter how long it's been there! I claim it, therefore it's mine!

"I brought it in." I say in a calm but seething rage. The next thing I pick up is a friendship diary, a few quills and some ink, a few scrolls, and a homemade cotton-feather pillow I explicitly had custom made from Rarity. The pillow was probably what set him off the most aside from the staff.

"Where do you think you're going with my property!?" His nostrils begin to smoke, indicating that he's ready to incinerate everything I own.

"I was invading your space, surely you don't want any pony-perfume-smelling thing around here in your cave. So I'm taking it with me." I reply, getting more and more confrontational with his every step forward.

"I said that's mine." Flames jump out with every word he speaks. His intent is immature and all the more selfish. The corners of my mouth begin to glow with the warmth of the flames I was ready to distribute back to the fool-headed dragon.

But before it can get violent, a familiar figure lands at the mouth of the cave, calling out to the yellow dragon he quickly approaches from behind. "Hey, you!"

"Garble?" The dragon's demeanor quickly changes to a more subservient one. "Hey, what's the matter, dude? I was just getting the cave warm for you."

The red drake instantly sees through his his bullshit and calls him out. "Give him his shit back, and leave him alone."

He shakes his head and points towards both the pillow and the scepter. "Nuh-uh! All those things are mine!"

"So what is it then?" He asks.

"Just some decoration for the cave. It was already here." The yellow dragon replies meekly.

This time, Garble puts his claws on both the dragon's shoulders, letting his teeth show as he speaks in a low voice. "So how about this, you're either gonna give me everything in here, or I'll beat it out of you like I did the last four times."

It takes virtually no time for the yellow dragon to make a decision. He glances back at me and pouts. "You know what, this cave does smell too much like those stupid ponies!" He promptly flaps his wings and take to the air, leaving the cave with grumbling complaint. "I'm outta here!"

The red dragon who came to my rescue looks back to me with a frown. Meanwhile, I walk up to thank him. "Thanks a bunch, Ga─"

"Please don't tell me 'thank you'. It's bad enough you and my sis are running around with those ponies. Why can't you just be like other dragons and keep your snout shut?"

...I see he's still nervous about seeing me around. All it does is remind him that he's actively missing out on what both me and Smolder are getting into. But the conflict of being a dragon and maintaining that image still plagues his mind all too often. So his response tends to be abrasive, but not out of anger or disdain. "You know, you could always leave here and join us in Equestria proper."

"And be around ponies? No thanks, I have a reputation to keep." He's especially nervous about being seen as stupid with the new technology floating around.

I still plead with him to leave. "Garble, you wrote a book of poems and sent it to Starlight to mass publish. You don't even know how much of a hit you are, ponies love your poetry. I could give you a few bookings in Canterlot, if you want to get your feet wet."

"Tempting, but no." He answers fairly quickly.

"Just think on it a little more."

"Ugh, you and Smolder sound alike." He proceeds to mock the voice of his younger sister in an exaggerated manner. "CoMe To PoNyViLLe aNd dO YoUr PoEtRy ThErE, ThEy'LL lOvE iT! All that's gonna do is show the world just how stupid it looks for a dragon to be doing poetry."

"But you love your work." I point out to the prideful dragon.

"I love it because it's mine." He pauses for a moment before he realizes what he uttered. "Ugh! I hate saying that stupid word!"

For the longest time, it came to be that Garble never understood his disdain for ponies up until a certain pony helped him embrace his poetic doings more often, opening himself up to become more comfortable in his gifts. Since then, he's been secretly sending her what all he had written and performed for Smolder. She and he kept correspondence for a while, until recently when he discovered that her heart had belonged to a much more powerful creature. Since then, he's actively avoided the idea of leaving the Dragon Lands, all to avoid any chance of seeing her again. "Still can't get over her, huh?"

It's still a sore topic for him. "Shut up, Spike."

"Fluttershy says you haven't been writing to her recently." I point out.

"Why should I? She's got that ugly thing hanging around her neck like a scarf. Why should I even care?"

Looking at his face, I could do nothing but relate. I still have my own pony crush that's gone unfulfilled. I'm not in any position to critique him when I haven't made any attempt to visit Rarity whenever I'm in the area of where she's doing business. If anything, I also try to avoid it because I know I'm gonna do something stupid. In that aspect, we are kindred spirits. "I guess I know how you feel too."

"You and me are nothing alike." Another thing Garble doesn't want to admit, seeing me and him standing on the same ground. Guess his pride is stronger than his will to move forward in life.

Of course, I do my fair share to point that out to him. "You crush over Fluttershy because she was a pony who embraced who you were and encouraged you to accept it. It is a different kind of strength, after all."

"Look, it's different with us than it is with you and your own pony crush, alright? If dragons found out why I wanted to go to Ponyville, they'd make me the laughingstock of all the Dragon Lands. It was already hard enough to fight for my poetry..." Garble freezes for a second in thought. "Please don't have me fighting for that now."

I answer happily to the despairing drake. "Your secret's always safe with me."

He rolls his eyes and grumbles in a low voice. "Eh, I owe you a gem." That's his prideful way of saying thanks, he was never big on saying thank-you to me. Besides, I'm not gonna turn down a free snack. "So, dragon lust, I hear you got it pretty bad."

"Yeah, and now I'm supposedly here to seek my first mate."

Garble seizes with surprise. "Wait, you haven't mated yet?"

"No." I confess.

Garble starts smiling, now realizing that my secret is probably outshining his by a wide country mile. "Wow! Now that's something that will spread around the place like some bad molt smell!" He begins to laugh, already throwing out his thoughts of me and his sister, despite him threatening me an innumerable amount of times to not get it in with her. "I know Smolder's hard to beat, but she didn't do you a solid while you were out there?"

"Nope. I can't even beat my meat with all the things Twilight has me running around and doing for her." I admit quite frankly, and a little annoyed with the aforementioned princess.

"Oh no, not the meat!" He groans out mockingly.

"Yeah. It's been a pretty long time." I conclude with my cheeks flushing with embarrassment.

"But if you got dragon lust, you can beat at it for the whole day and it still won't matter."

I tilt my head at Garble, wondering if he had any similar struggles. "You sound like you have experience."

"I don't even wanna talk about it." He confirms with a nervous chuckle.

I fold my arms and think to myself out loud. "Wait, hasn't Smolder said that she went through it?"

"Oh yeah! She couldn't find a mate out here because most of the guys she'd wail on them too hard. Honestly, I'd think she give Ember a run for her money. I think the only one who'd beat her would be Torch. But have you seen the size of that guy? I don't think she'd want to try running a sesh with him."

That thought is giving a whole new image to the term bottle rocket. Pump it up and watch it fly... and crash to the ground in a pile of elder dragon spooge like a deep-dunked glazed doughnut. Yeah, not a pretty image. "How many times has she come over here to get that settled, by the way?"

"Just twice. Nowadays, she usually has a friend over there to help her keep stabilized."

Huh, I didn't think Smolder was in a relationship. I always thought she was like Rainbow Dash from a few years ago, often keeping it cool, never really talking about her personal feelings, maybe getting it in every once in a while to keep herself honest... or possibly sneaking off to the clouds, having a ride on the sky, and destroying the evidence promptly after. Then again, even she started opening up after some time, especially with Applejack in the past year.

I wonder if Smolder's really into something and she's just keeping it low. "She has a mate in Ponyville? I never heard her say that she had one."

Garble looks to me with a raised brow. "Yeah, I thought it was you. I know she's pretty chill with you, and you're the only male she's like that with other than me."

"I mean I've thought about it, but I don't think she's interested in me like that. She never gave me any hint that she was." I admit.

Garble chuckles and looks me up and down. "Yeah, she probably sees you like a little brother, though not as little anymore."

Well that does a lot to my confidence, thanks Garble. "That's not a good look to have."

He posts himself against a wall, trying to pose a little for the sake of appearances, especially since he still sees me as the little wingless drake that couldn't smash a phoenix egg. "So, Ember filled me out on why you're here. She assigned me to help you get stronger."

I glance back to him, a bit of annoyance in my tone. "Can I be honest with you?"

"What?"

"I'm not trying to be here for a month, much less a year." I complain. "The only reason Ember beat me up so bad is because I didn't want to fight her. I just took the beating and kept it moving."

"Uh-huh." He knows that I didn't just take a beating on purpose, and scoffs with a head shake. "It's not that I don't believe you, it's that I don't see you being ready when she fought you. You found out just how fast and strong she was."

I try to deny him. "I could've countered with something─"

"And she didn't give you a chance to do it. That's how it's supposed to be. It's no-holds barred, full-aggression, all-or-nothing. And you didn't give that to her, so it's natural you got your dragon ass royally served back to you."

"But that's the other thing, I don't like fighting." I complain once more.

Garble squints as he observes me and asks. "Spike, how strong are you?"

"Why?"

"You're gonna be competing with more than just that yellow-bellied douche from earlier. So I'll need to see some results, Spike. That'll tell me where you stand in all of this."

"You mean if I'm forced to fight for a mate?" I question.

"Not if, but when." He says as he points to an area of the cave filled with some large craggy rocks. "See that rock over there? Move that over a bit."

I don't really see a point in all of this, especially since I'm not really going to be fighting while I'm here, and neither do I want to get into an altercation. But I do as he says and I walk over to the area he points out. I thumb a decent size rock that seemed to be the size of a kickball. "This rock?"

"No, that one." He causes me to readjust my sights to a much larger target, one that's about three of me stacked on top of one another high, and about five of me standing with my arms out wide.

"That's a boulder."

"Boulder, rock, same thing. Now move it." He says dismissively.

I groan and I shoulder the large hulking mass, putting a great effort to try to dislodge it from where it sits. It didn't take as much effort as I thought it would, so I try to find some measure of being able to roll the stone instead. In a few seconds I found myself toppling the stone over till it was moved some twenty feet away. "Okay, I moved it."

I'm a bit caught off guard by the expression on Garble's face. It seemed as though I had not just met his expectations, but probably bypassed them in a way. But he readjusts and tries to play it cool again. "Not bad. But now I see how off it makes the cave look. Move it back over a few feet."

I roll my eyes and push again, this time back towards the direction to where I started from initially. "Right here?"

He points back the other way. "Too much. Back to the left."

By this point, I'm incensed. So I push the boulder once more, even getting a little past where I had stopped the first time. "Here?"

"Eh, really throws off the feng shui. Little more to the right this time."

"How much more!?" I scream.

I'm about ready to chuck the damn thing out of the cave at this point. "I dunno, more-more?" And his shrug made it all the more apparent that it's probably what he wanted.

I let my frustration and impatience get the better of me, my claws sharpen to the point where I sink them into the boulder's side violently. I snag the boulder and give it a spin along with myself before shot-putting it out of the cave itself. It lands some hundred feet away with a craggy thud before rolling a little more to a complete stop. Garble stands in awe as I grunt my reply. "There! Now I'm done."

He looks back to the boulder out in the field. "Huh, for a particularly scrawny build, dragonwise anyhow, you're pretty damn strong."

"Told you." I answer back confidently.

"How'd you get that way?" He asks.

I started thinking out loud what all I did when I was younger. "Well I was always helping Rarity carry all of her supplies on her shopping trips, and that was when I was a wee-little thing."

"You mean the puny pipsqueak you were, you did all that heavy-lifting back then?" He questions curiously.

"I moved a boulder off of you during the race for the Bloodstone Scepter. And then you kicked dirt on me." I point out vividly.

"Yeah... A dragon that size isn't supposed to have strength like that." After that quick blast from the past, he acknowledges me with a sagely nod. "You've been holding out."

"Again, it's not that I'm not strong enough. I just don't like fighting is all." I say again for the umpteenth time.

Garble appears a bit more reserved, but still just as dumbfounded over my reasoning and restraint. "That's ridiculous. You're just as strong, if not stronger than the rest of us. Why don't you wanna fight to prove your strength?"

I close my eyes as I hint back on my past, all of it especially when I was playing the supporting role for the six element bearers of Ponyville. "I had to do a lot of it when I was younger. I saw a lot back then..."

The faintest shouts of danger filled my head, I could remember the countless scenes of ponies being thrown about, the dangerous beams of magic narrowly missing me, the number of dangerous obstacles and monsters that threatened my life, the sensation of my wings nearly being pulled off from my body, the terrifying aftermath of my once home being reduced into a pile of smoldering ash, blackened bark, and burning book pages. I could even remember the countless worlds Twilight and I saw when our future was changed right before our very eyes.

I could even recall the tension in the room as great evils were discussed, or as preparing parties readied themselves for the fight of their lives. Even as young as I was, I've seen life at it's inception for some... and conclusion for others. I've even seen the aftermath of the damage that was done, the mournful cries of family and friends, many horrible things that still replay in my mind to this day. I might not have ever served a day in the guard, but I sure know the costs more than many.

I wonder if that's how he feels at times.

"I saw a whole lot back then, went through a lot, everything and just about anything. I really don't like having to do it anymore. I rather make friends and provide good memories, than fight just because I'm a dragon and it's in me to do it." I look to him and give him a sad expression. "I've seen one creature in the past dedicate his life to fighting for what's right. He had all the technology, the weapons, a quick thinker, and all that, he could take down a creature five times his size in the blink of an eye. His species had known conflict and resolution for over thirty-thousand years, so fighting was firmly in his DNA. He took on one assignment, the right one... and he ain't been right ever since."

Garble hums to himself solemnly. "Wow, that bad, huh?"

"So bad that Princess Celestia pushed him to a desk job for the rest of his short career, so bad he couldn't look himself in the mirror for months, so bad that he retired after three years on the job and went into hiding in a coastal city far west of Canterlot. So bad he couldn't get it up for a whole year."

"Wow, that's... that's pretty fucked." He replies nervously.

"Seeing his story, that's why I don't want to dedicate my life to fighting. I know it's not a dragon thing, but I don't want my life to be like that. It's not anything a typical dragon will ever understand." I conclude.

A period of silence ensues as Garble gathers his thoughts on what I told him. He sits down and look at me with a uncertain gaze. "I can understand your reasoning, especially with what you saw. But you know, you're gonna have to explain all of that to Ember. She tends to take a lot of things at face value."

I sigh and walk out of the cave, taking Garble's advice. "Trust me, I know."

It took a half-hour of rummaging throughout the lava-dotted lands before I could find Ember. I landed in a bowl shaped area that appeared like snow from a distance, but was really bundles of eggs that were laid out to warm in the pits. Ember alone walked the paths, staring down at each egg with a smile on her face that appeared fond of what was to come. She seemed not just invested just the unborn drakes, but very much invested in her own emotions.

"That's right. Soak in all that heat. I wanna see you all take on the world pretty soon."

I sneak closer to see her crouching down to the eggs, speaking sweetly to them as she has this glow on her face. In the solitude, she becomes more of her true self, acknowledging her own emotions and even displaying them to the yet-seen faces she cared for. She really seems to like the isolation, almost more than she likes beating up the other dragons. I wonder...

"Hey!" I come out from hiding and call out to the dragon lord herself.

Her back immediately straightens and her tail shoots upwards in surprise, She pivots around quickly with a pinkness set in her cheeks. "Spike, didn't expect you! What's going on?"

"I just finished my workout with Garble. I actually wanted to talk to you about something." I inform her.

She turns her face away, going right back in the routine of looking at the eggs. "Sorry Spike, I got egg duty today. My attention is going to be on these little ones until later on."

"Well you don't have to pay me no mind then, but just hear me out." I suggest, still keeping a fair distance away.

She seems mildly inconvenienced, but not annoyed. "Okay, what's the deal?"

"It's about the spar from earlier."

"We all lose sometimes, Spike. It's just a part of life." Her tone is dismissive, a far cry from the cooing and gentle whispers she offered to the eggs.

I still inform her of what had happened. "What I mean to say is that I didn't really... try."

"They all say that." She quips back. "You're no different."

"I mean I held back." I say a little louder. "I wasn't in any mood to fight you."

"I heard that one thirty-seven times." She points out.

"I'm saying I don't like to fight."

She paused for a moment to count in her head. "Five times."

"Can you be serious for a moment?" I call out to her. "I feel like you're not even trying to listen to me, you're just pointing out how many times you heard something I said instead of trying to take me seriously. I'm trying to tell you that I'm not emotionally available to keep fighting for what I see as no real reason to do it! I don't like fighting, and I especially mean that whenever it comes to my friends. That's why I really didn't understand why you went in so hard against me earlier. I'm strong, but─"

"That's not surprising, Spike." She interrupts me as I was ranting. "You dragged me from an ocean while I was wearing armor when you were no higher than my kneecaps. As if I couldn't come to grips with how strong you were then."

"Then why did you call me weak?"

She rotates her wrist and glances away. "I called you weak because you didn't think to challenge me for real. How are you going to even mate with anyone when you can't even find the strength in yourself to be ready to fight for that right?" She points to me and sharply raises her voice. "What dragon female is going to even give you a shot if you can't be serious about your own strength? You might as well accept the fact that you'll be a cave-dwelling recluse never once getting the opportunity to perpetuate the dragon species."

I answer back to her. "Personally, I just don't see why we have to fight to have sex. Like what good does that do? What relationships do you forge with that kind of toxicity? How is that even remotely attractive?"

"Spike, stand over here for a moment." She orders, pointing to the spot next to her. I comply and approach casually.

"Okay. So what is it?"

"You see these eggs?" She points down to a pit of the many unborn dragons, all of which have still remained unhatched. "Most of these little ones will never get to know who it was that laid them, who it was that provided them the spunk to be who they are. They're fighting even now to get out of the shell that contains them. From there, they're fighting for resources to live, siblings will fight each other, those who do know their parents will be fighting against them once the molt happens. Then the real contest begins of who lives, and who doesn't."

"You mean when the rocs start trying to eat us?" I recall.

"That exactly." She confirms. "A lot of dragons don't make it out of that phase, Spike. Of the many that will be born here, only thirty percent will live to be where we are now. That's why there are so many eggs here every year, because we're fighting just to keep going. Dragons don't do familial attachments that often because of this. The fact that Smolder and Garble both came out is more of an indicator that they both deserve their spot amongst the rest of us. But our lives are nothing but fighting for the right to live, it's an honor and a rite of passage. That's why you have to be strong, to prove that the eggs you fertilize might actually be good enough to grow and survive on it's own."

I remember for a moment just how hard it was way back when to get a batch of eggs to hatch when there was a heat shortage in the badlands. It took a group effort to get those eggs to hatch the way they did. And not to mention the amount of trauma and beating the egg shells can endure.

~𝓟𝓪𝓾𝓼𝓮𝓭~
Oh yeah, I should probably highlight a little something about dragon eggs while we're here.

Because of our unique anatomy, our egg shells are often so hard that the yolk has to be heated enough where the shell can break easier. In the yolk is a chemical compound that reacts with the heat, making the inner wall of the shell much softer to break. The higher the temperature, the more reactive the fluid becomes, the softer the shell becomes, the easier it is to break. And once they free themselves, the outside air will rapidly cool the fluid on our scales, making it easy for us to get picked up. So when the eggs are trying to hatch and it's too cold, the baby dragons will rock and bash in their effort trying to break free. Time is usually limited with that process, and waiting too long will risk the life of the dragon before it's even born. I'm what dragons call a 'cold hatchling', meaning that my shell broke with the absence of the heating component. Though to be fair, that was really brought about when Twilight had her entrance exam for school.

With that explanation out of the way, let's snap back to where we were.
~𝓟𝓵𝓪𝔂~

"Wow, I didn't think our existence was so predicated on fighting." I reply with some sarcasm in my voice.

"It's always been this way. We aren't exactly apex predators, you know." She says as she kneels down to look over the eggs below our feet. "But yeah, fighting's in our DNA. And if you don't have enough of it now, you're not gonna have enough for when you need it most. Not exactly a turn-on, you know."

I shake my head and reply. "I understand your view of it all. But there's got to be another way other than fighting."

She giggles at my statement, thinking how absurd it is to her. "Well if you find one, let me know. I can't find a mate to save my life."

I initially take her words for ignorance, then I stop and realize what exactly she said, and the manner she said it. "Wait, you too?"

She scoffs as she places her hand on one of the eggs. "Have you seen what the gene pool consists of in these parts? Not much to look at, nor is it anything to admire. And most of the guys here aren't strong enough to beat me. I'm just too good, and plus female dragons are notably better fighters than males. So my reason for not finding a mate is way different from yours."

"Your dad did say that you couldn't be beat." I reply quietly. I look towards the sky, seeing Twilight's sun creeping towards the edge of the horizon. It's getting late. "Well... I guess maybe you could ease up on the next guy, if that'll help. I'm gonna head back to the cave."

As I try to take to the sky, I hear her call my name in a firm voice. "Spike!" I look back to see her holding an egg, nervously looking down as she cradles the unborn dragon in her arms. "How do ponies mate?" Her voice is quiet, but curious.

"Well... Um... They don't fight, I know that much." The topic rouses my interest, and my bout of dragon lust is urging me to present myself to the dragon lord. I pivot away from her, to avoid giving her an unwanted surprise cresting from within my scales. "I guess I can simplify it this way. If girl meets boy, boy likes girl, girl likes boy, then they do stuff together, talk, eat, laugh, hug, kiss. Then I guess if it works out from there, then boy hops on top of girl and I'm pretty sure you can fill in the blanks."

Her voice trembles for a moment. "You said hug."

"Yeah?" I reply slowly, still trying to hide myself.

"I mean, you used to do that a lot to me when you were smaller. I know then I thought it was pretty awkward that you did that when you were so small."

"Well a hug doesn't have to be sexual. It can just be a show of emotions, like how happy I was to see you." I clarify to her, not wanting her to get the wrong idea.

I hear her groan in a slight discomfort. "So you have to do all that mushy stuff just to get to that point? Seems like a lot of work."

Really? Absolute carnage and domestic violence is the way to proposition for a quick fuck, but flowers, hugs, and conversation is a lot of work? I know I'm a horny bastard but this is ridiculous. "Well if you want it to be easy, it can be, all you gotta do is be upfront with it."

"But I like easy. You pick one out, you wrestle, beat each other senseless, and fertilize a few eggs. See, easy!"

I'd much rather fight Queen Chrysalis, Tirek, and Cozy Glow again. At least there's some legitimate merit for me to fight there. "Yeah, I guess that's the dragon way. But me, I don't mind establishing a relationship with someone before we get to that point. Cut the fighting and work up to something that's a little more steady, and easy."

"Why would you wanna do all of that?"

Yeah, I can tell she isn't too well-developed emotionally. "Well... I know I can get sex easily... I think by pony standards. But I don't think I'll be satisfied with just that. To me, it'll feel like I'm just using you."

"Didn't you proposition Smolder just yesterday?" She aptly points out.

I turn around to face her, covering myself as I gave my rebuttal. "That's different! We've know each other for years, interchangeably! We live just a town over! Anything could grow from that!"

Ember rolls her eyes as she places the egg back with the others. "So what you're saying is that if you know someone, you're more likely to bond with them? Is that it?"

"Well, yeah." I bluntly confirmed.

She flies up to me and points a claw into my chest, angrily trying to make her point. "So lets say you do the unthinkable, and you proposition someone like one of your pony friends. What's that white one's name again?"

"Rarity? Oh I would stay by her side each and every day if she'd let me." I confess.

She points out a valid argument. "But you used to do that, and you still didn't get anything like that from her. All that mushy stuff you did, all those flowers, the long talks, the hugs, and you got nothing but unresolved emotions and a pent-up sex drive! Look at you now, you haven't mated once because she's altered your perception of reality! You wanted pony love, and you've got nothing now! How is it that you can accept that?"

I still keep myself concealed as I respond to the astute point she brought up. "I didn't accept it, I just put up with it and accepted her decision. I loved her... still do."

She pushes me even further on the issue. "So you feel that part of your heart is why you haven't mated with anyone yet?"

"It's a pretty huge reason, yeah." I admit.

"So you can't let go of that either, huh? I don't know how I'm gonna fix you in a month at this rate."

"It's not like I can't let go, it just takes some time." I tell her, all while still trying to sell myself that idea. "I'd like to think I could maybe have that kind of relationship with someone else. I wouldn't mind trying."

Ember turns away, rolling her eyes in disgust once more. "Hmm, guess we have a lot of work to do to get you a mate."

"Yeah. Fair enough." I agree.

She flies back down to her work, looking over the vast amount of eggs collected. "You know, you don't have to stick around to watch the eggs. I can handle it on my own now." After all of that, I'm sure that was her way of trying to invite me to stay, that or her special way of telling me to get lost.

"Maybe I wanna help." I'm gonna bank on the former option.

She looks away, but I still get a glimpse of the smile that crept on her lips. I land next to her, she turns away to try her best to hide it. "If this is your way of trying to proposition me, you might want to reconsider."

"I can't just help a friend?"

"The term 'friend' means a lot of things these days."

"I know what you mean."

Ember and I spent the entire evening together, just watching over the eggs to see if any would hatch. She had a few questions about how Twilight is raising and lowing the sun. I told her about the one tool both former princesses gave to her to be able to control the sun and moon. But as time went along, Twilight eventually got to where she didn't need the tool anymore, that her magic had finally gotten strong enough to be able to handle the load.

Ember really likes the stars at night. She told me a story of how she and Torch stayed up one night looking at the falling stars, it reminded her of her pre-molt days. Though she didn't talk much about her past, she did lightly hint that her dad was heavily involved in her being able to make it past her first molt.

We talked more about my relationship with Rarity. She respects her for who she is and what she's done for the world, but harbors some anger for how the situation with me was handled. It seems that she was watching our development from a considerable distance, wanting to see how it all played out. But then I was appointed Friendship Ambassador of the nation and I was so engrossed in my duties that I never really had the honest chance to focus on myself. In essence, that same reason is how dragon lust manifests in the manner it does.

She went into greater detail of how it affects all dragons, especially females. For males, it makes them want to assault basically anything and everything that's not their own species as well, but in a more feral manner than anything else. If unchecked, it's possible that a male would sooner conclude business with a timberwolf if not possible with a female of his own species. Males do often compete with one another as well, and males also outnumber females in a 2-1 ratio in many instances. So it makes it all the more harder to secure a mate for the season if he loses a fight. For females, they like to claim their mates, and they fight not just the males for privilege, but females for territory. It is possible that a female will simply beat a male into submission for mating, but considering the ratio, those instances are considered rare. It was a lot of information, but I managed to absorb it well enough.

I'm beat. It was a long day and I was more than tired from it all.

Finally, I get back to my cave. But to my surprise, there was a brown dragon sitting on top of a pile of all of my stuff. I was already up to my head with annoying dragons looking to claim all of my stuff as theirs, plus I was tired. So I was obviously not in any mood. "Hey!" I called out to the dragon.

"Sorry, loser! This is my cave now!" She announces shamelessly, waving her arm back at me to send me away. "You can go somewhere else!"

"This isn't your cave!" I strongly argue.

She then pulls out the obsidian staff that Ember gave me earlier in the day. "Oh? And what's this then?"

"It's something that was given to me. It's a gift." I inform her strongly.

"How do I know this isn't yours when you don't know what it is, or what it does?"

The words of Ember's warning play back in my head on repeat. I start to assert myself in preparation to get the item back as quickly as possible. "It's for me to know and you to imagine!"

She dangles it in my face as she flies to the ceiling of the cave. "Keep-away!"

My anger is already at an all-time high, mainly exacerbated by the dragon lust that I'm afflicted with. Self-control becomes a secondary thought, while my first is to get back what's mine. "GIVE ME THAT!"

I dart into the air after her, she dives down to avoid me, landing on the ground to offer yet another taunt. "Can't catch me!"

"You..." For a moment, the vision in my eyes flash for a second as my voice grows deeper out of both greed and fury. I grab a piece of the rock from the cave's ceiling and hurl it at the dragon's direction. Instead of it being a small something to pelt her with, I failed take into account my strength and found a large boulder hurled her way. She stops short to avoid being crushed. She looks back at me nervously as I drive my claws into the boulder that kept her pinned between me and it. I snarl at her as I took back the staff. "THIS! IS! MINE!"

She stammers as she appeared to look at me with some mode of fear in her eyes. "Wow... That's pretty aggro of you."

"You don't know anything about me." I growl to her.

She buzzes her lips and kisses her teeth in a sudden show of confidence. "Of course I do." Her entire body is engulfed in turquoise flames before the spitting image of my face appears before me, also speaking with my voice. "See, now I am you."

I'm disturbed by the sight of my own face smiling back at me. Obviously this is a changeling I'm dealing with, and I need to calm myself before I make more of a mess of this. With caution, I question the figure before me. "Who are you?"

"Aw, am I that good? Here, let me give you a hint."

In the flash of turquoise flames, the changeling transforms before me to their original form. I'm even more surprised by the sight of a familiar turquoise changeling with pink, fluttering wings. "Ocellus?"

"Hi there, mate."

Chapter 3: Friendly Favors

Years ago, I remember the day when Twilight opted to open up her own school. She at first thought she could establish a place that could model itself after her former mentor, the former high and honorable majesty Princess Celestia. The first batch of students were a pretty exciting bunch. Wouldn't have even guessed that same inaugural class would manage to house six element bearers, much less the bearers each being a different species from one another.

Sandbar never really caught my eye as anything special, he was just a run-of-the-mill earth pony who had that usual Ponyville charm, but he was awfully headstrong and determined. The others were literally a different breed. Yona, a yak from the northern snowblinds of Yakyakistan, she was enthusiastic, strong, powerful, but very emotional and empathetic of others. Gallus, the hotheaded, slick-beaked, wise-crack griffon of the group also happened to be the glue that bonded them all together. Silverstream was the cheerleading hippogriff of the pack, the one who was all for exploring the new things that she didn't have back at home. In a way, she was the driving force of their sense of adventure, but she wasn't the only one. Smolder, a dragon like myself, was the main conspirator who tied both Gallus and Silverstream into the fold of things. But there was always the one who they used as their get-out-of-class-free card, an adaptable mind and a hell of a deviant for forging signatures, faces, and voices.

Enter Ocellus, the high changeling of noble blood.

Years ago, there were a number of offspring Queen Chrysalis had that were considered as candidates for succession of the throne, that is if Chrysalis ever planned on abdicating her crown. Spoiler alert: She never did. So when the changelings got tired of being sent to do skirmishes against Equestria, and losing an unspeakable amount of changelings within the hour because of their run-ins with the new humans on the block, they soon found frustration with her methods. A species who thrived on the love of others were never taught to offer that same love to one another, but to ruthlessly take from everyone and everything else at all times, they starved often.

The first born of her bloodline was killed in the Everfree Forest. The second was brutally eliminated in a skirmish outside of Ponyville, the same skirmish that boosted the reputation of our residential human and his fellow kind. Then there was the third, fourth, and fifth born. The third born was exiled for his wanting to do things differently, and he eventually came back to redeem the changelings from being blood-thirsty, love-ingesting parasites, to a functioning clan of fairy equines. Thorax ascended to the throne after defeating Chrysalis for the title. Ocellus transformed along with the many from the hive, and Pharynx, the fourth born, soon changed after.

While Ocellus never had any interest in being royalty, she was always the one who got into all sorts of trouble, and even helped threaten the changeling kingdom with war with her shenanigans. While outwardly shy to many who she didn't know initially, she became a little more outgoing as time went on.

...Perhaps too outgoing.

"Hi there, mate." She says with a giggle, never minding the seemingly dangerous position she's in.

I pull my claws from out of the rocks and soften my approach. "H-how in Equestria did you get here? These are the dragon lands, they aren't safe for you."

The changeling rolls her eyes. "Dragon-shmagon, changelings have been known to infiltrate all walks of life, big or small. And dragons are no exception."

"Haven't you got a class to teach or something?" I question her, citing her employment at Twilight's School of Friendship.

"Spike, it's Saturday night. I don't have anything to do until tomorrow evening." She shrugs.

"Why, is that when you start grading your papers?"

She's quick to answer me. "Oh no, that's when I start getting my lesson plan together for the week. I do all my grading when I'm at the school in the afternoon. I spent most of today trailing you."

Curious development. "Why?"

She gives me a little smile and sits herself down. "Well a little fly on the wall told me that you were gonna get shipped off to here. It also helps that I was that same fly."

I forgot how messy she can be at times. If and whenever there's a moment some juicy details are bound to be shared, she's there in whatever shape or form to be able to hear what's going on, especially with her circle of friends. "So I guess you're here to make fun of me?"

"Nah. If anything, I'm just here to keep an eye on you."

"Enlighten me, how are you going to do that for a whole month when you have a whole ass class to teach?" She snickers after my question, displaying her morphed sense of humor. "Oh great, I forgot you're such a perv these days."

"Paid time off."

"How do you have that many days?" I question her in disbelief.

"I don't, but I do have more than enough days to stick around for a little while."

"For what reason?"

She tilts her head and places a hoof on my chest. "What, I can't do a friend a favor?"

My heart starts to beat a little faster as I find her looking at me with an intent that's far from innocent and wholesome. "Wait, what kind of favor?"

She scoots closer, wrapping her forelegs around the back of my neck while she whispers. "You know what kind, TiltedScales42."

"How did you know my profile name?" I ask in shock, trying to pull back.

Instead, I end up causing her to dangle off of my chest like she's a pony-sized chain. "Well, let's just say I did some perusing on your profile." She runs a trace of her magic on my chest. "You take a bunch of black-and-white pictures of your chest, but the scale pattern and creasing don't lie. Plus one pic had the bottom of your chin. Since I know you, I figured that you wouldn't show any face pics unless somebody asked you in a dm. I know you messaged me a week ago, but I was in the shower when you did. By the time I got back, you were offline. It took a little snooping to see what happened, and I found out what."

See what I mean, she's another level of deviant. "You went from the most pure and naïve changeling, accidentally nearly causing wars and playing hero, to being one of the most dangerous and perverted. What happened to you?"

She summons her own phone, a black Neighsay T420 touchscreen smartphone, one of the three models natively made here in Equestria as opposed to being imported from the human world. It's also complete with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth capability. "Ah, the dangers of being engrossed in too much human media and technology. Their world's a mess right now." And of course, the Wi-Fi routers near the portals to the human world have human world connections. And given the school is seated right by one, it's pretty often that she has connection to human social media.

I mean I did too, but I didn't really care for their world that much to dig into it often. I just keep updated enough to hold a conversation whenever I see the residential human family in Ponyville. Meantime, I don't remember getting in contact with her. "So wait, you said I messaged you. What's your username?"

"BabyGirl339." She answers with a smirk.

I'm temporarily confused because I don't remember all too well who else I chatted with before my phone was taken, especially since Twilight became the highlight of that event... if you could call it that. "Uh..."

She pulls up her dating profile on Snuggle, the dating app that caused me and Twilight to run into each other. The first thing I see is a picture of her in a number of costumes, from that of perky cheerleader, to a stern teacher ready to deal out some overdue punishment, to a royal guard looking to keep you locked up in her dungeon, to even posing as a sultry slave stymied by steel shackles. "You didn't jump on my profile at all, did you? I do some cosplay on here to keep things interesting. I'm surprised you haven't seen any of it. It's all over my page."

I'll admit, the things I'm seeing scrolling down her media posts, I can't help but to let my imagination run for a bit, that is before I snap back and try to explain myself. "I didn't get a chance to find out. Twilight took my phone. Had I known you were doing all of this sooner..." I stop myself short of completing that thought.

"If you had known sooner?" She asks, leaning in and tilting her head. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing." I try to turn away from her, but I feel a force keeping me from moving.

The nosy changeling takes it upon herself to get a closer look at me as her magic seals my feet to the ground. She's careful as to where to place her hoof, but her intent is as clear as day. "For a dragon who's not sure of what he means to say, your body sure is speaking for itself."

In all honesty, I am growing both nervous and excited, mainly nervous because I've never been in this situation before. I'm trying my best to cover my pelvic scales, but the changeling's touch is growing more enticing with every waning second. I try to diffuse the tension by swapping to a different topic. "Wait, you said you wanted to do me a favor. So what are you trying to do?"

"You said you needed a mate, right?"

...WAIT, SERIOUSLY!? I thought she was just teasing me, but she's actually for real! My mouth dries as rapidly as I feel myself growing into the palm of my claws. "You? But you're a changeling."

She scoffs, snatching one of my claws and tossing it aside to reveal her prize. "And? I can turn into a dragon."

Once more, I try to tilt myself away out of embarrassment, but her hoof soon finds me before I can conceal my loins. Instantly, I'm brought to a purr by her touch. I'm growing more anxious, still nervous but incredibly anxious. "But won't I hurt you if I'm too rough?"

"Spike, I can turn into lamps, rocks, walls, and weapons. Our skin is made to harden at will. I can be as rough as coarse iron..." She gives me caressing stroke, I wince from the jolt of enjoyment. "But I take it you prefer me being as soft as I am now."

Greed is slowly taking over my mind, replacing the restraint I once had. I want only one thing at this point, but I wanted to know if I was really dreaming this or if I'm really about to break dams with a changeling girl. "So you're saying that I can... do you?" ...I'm not used to talking dirty in person, as you can tell. I'm usually so formal, so dignified that I don't ever really get a chance to talk sexy.

She sighs and pushes off of me giggling. "Why do you have to make it sound so awkward?" She uses her magic this time to part my claws from hiding what I have. "Yes, Spike. I'll be sure to get you right before you go to sleep tonight."

My excitement overwhelms me and I don't even care about hiding so much anymore. I can already drum up one request I have in mind. "So you'll transform into anyone?"

"Dragons first." She says with a smirk, already beating me to the punch. "Can't let you get too rough with me in the state you're in."

As if I'm going to complain at this point. I'm a thirsty dragon looking at a well spring full of water, I'm taking what I can get out of it. "Ember?"

She motions her forelegs into an x shape. "I'd much rather not. Impersonating a ruler is still a big no-no. But I know who I can start you off with."

Her eyes briefly glow with a flame before her entire body is consumed by a similar flash from earlier. Before I could completely process it, I was suddenly looking at Smolder.

Figures she would turn into the one dragon who got me into this mess. "Oh, wow."

"Down to the last scaly detail. I see her everyday, so this one is pretty easy to pull off." She speaks in Smolder's voice, even rolling her wrist in careless fashion like she does in the middle of casual conversation. Everything about her is truly Smolder in every way.

But still, I can't help but to listen to a quiet part of me that would wonder if Smolder would be okay with Ocellus transforming into her for my sexual gratification. "I feel pretty weird about this, not that I'm refusing. But I don't know if Smolder would be cool with you doing this."

She creeps up towards me. "Here's a fun fact: She asks me to turn into you before I help her with her dragon issues."

My guard is dropped harder than my jaw to the floor. "Wait, seriously!?"

"Oh yeah, Spike. I'm surprise you never even noticed, but I guess you're too busy having rocks for brains to even care. My eyes were locked on you for a while." Aside from the sudden confession, she's doing a pitch-perfect replication of Smolder.

"I always thought she saw me like a platonic friend, or a little brother or something." I mumble to myself.

"Nope. Hard-stuck on you and you don't even know it... until now cause I just told you."

She turns around, lifts her tail and places her claws between a set of scales between her legs. She parts them slightly, giving me a more intimate glimpse of what the dragon looks like. "Holy fuck." My own claws start reaching for my own self and I prime myself at the sight.

"So how about it, rocks-for-brains?" She teases.

"C-can I?" I stammer as I get closer, more giddy than ever. I kneel down and start letting my claws feel the moistness of her folds.

It's different than what I expected. For such a hot-headed dragoness, she sure is cool to the touch. I take my time to get to know what it feels like to finally be inside of the opposite sex. It's invites me to go further, but it's also so constricting that I can barely fit a claw in.

However, my attention to the foreign sensations aren't without some call of complaint. "You're new to this, aren't you?" I know she's in character, but I felt that Ocellus was really the one asking me that question.

"I haven't gotten this far yet, okay!?" I blurt out in a blush.

Ocellus completely drops character, still appearing as Smolder in both voice and appearance, but not in words. "Aw, you should've told me that you needed this sooner, big guy."

I could've, but I was always nervous about it. "I just didn't want to seem like the type to fill in the blanks with... you know, something that ain't the person." Though to be honest, I didn't have many second thoughts of the possibility that she could turn into Rarity. If she did it right here and now, of course I'd turn feral and take it. But Smolder, I feel like she would probably deck me in the snout if she found out.

"Spike, do you know how often I turn into something else for the sake of my friends not wanting to break a bond, to walk that thin line between friendship and carnal disarray?" She seems to become all the more determined. "I'm to the point where I know what all my friends feel like, smell like, what all they like, how they speak, act, react, and even how they feel. If you want to, I'll be every bit of Smolder, feeling just like every bit of her. You won't even know the difference." She coils her arms around my neck, looking at me with a sultry glance. "You can even kiss me if you want."

It's not that I'm not attracted to Smolder, I am. But there's still some part of me that's not really sure if I can accept Ocellus taking Smolder's place. Ember and Rarity, not so much because I've accepted the reality of those being longshots. But she and I have been such good friends throughout the years. "I don't know. I just don't feel right." I confess.

She gives me a peck on the nose. "I'm pretty sure she won't mind."

My legs lose their strength as I feel her claws grip me, slowly working underneath me. I back off quickly, trying to not burst so quickly. But as I look down, I realize that I'm already done more than enough damage. A small stream of white oozes from within me. "Sorry." I begin to apologize profusely. "I just didn't─"

She giggles and places her hand back on me, whispering into my neck. "Aw, poor thing. Still pretty pent up, huh?"

More than ashamed that I just unloaded without even feeling it, I try to back off. "I'll just... you know."

But her grip is more than sufficient enough to keep me from drawing away. I begin to pant as I hunch over her shoulder, her claw slowly increasing it's pace as she mewls teasingly. "Spike, don't run from it. Let it go." My claws dig back into her, actively seeking which slit her folds were hidden behind. As soon as I discover it, she gasps in appreciation. "Plus I already made the trip out, might as well make something of it."

She lets me go and drops to her knees. One of her claws start to fill herself as she bats her own face with my still oozing form. From the immediate shock of her ministrations, I issue concern. "Wait, I still haven't─"

But my concerns for personal hygiene were ignored altogether as she succulently swabs her tongue around me before her lips enclose around me. I'm weakened, her head bobbing back and forth as she seems to gulp down the copious amount of seed I spilled against my mind's knowledge.

She's eager to tease me on that front. "Didn't expect you to be that easy to keep quiet."

I could only moan in response, getting lost in the sensation of the claws that gripped me closer. The sight of Smolder devotedly sinking her head upon me while I lose all will to think is hard enough on me as it is. Resisting the urge to palm her cheeks and drive myself into her with complete abandon becomes a taboo in my mind. She releases me to breathe for a moment, and a small stream of my seed land on her snout as she grins to me. She's kissing up against me and pleasing herself all the while.

I've had enough.

I leave restraint back at the front door of the castle, and finally indulge in the moment of carnal debauchery. Finally, I'm no longer 'Spike, the royal friendship ambassador' but the online brute that hides himself behind that mask, the one who takes selfies for the ladies, showing off my wares to those who inquire. I quickly grab her head, guiding her jaw back to where I demand for it to be. I'm brought to a pant as I feel the surge coming. I whisper and mouth words of praise as she accepts my sudden turn for the rougher approach. Her attention to self intensifies and my hips thrust on their own accord, feeling her struggle with each impact.

"Yes... yes!" I know even now she's struggling to keep up, but she's still doing her best to keep with it. However, there was only so much her thirst could handle, and I seemed to be too thick of a beverage to consume, especially in the quantity I so readily issue. I whisper in vain. "I can't... fuck... I can't stop... I can't─" Climax impending, I palm her forehead back to paint her face with what I have. Viscous ropes of cream coat her cheeks, her eyes, her teeth as her maw opens to collect as much as she could take in a single setting, the overflow glazing her neck, her upper back, and much of chest. My upper thighs tense, my shoulders seize as I pump myself empty onto her, and her eyes close to accept what is given.

I unleash a flame-coated scream to the ceiling of the cave, followed by more snarls of smoke and live embers. I fall back to my tail and look at the mess that I've made, but I'm basking in the afterglow of seeing Smolder's likeness marked in me. I still feel an inherent drive to continue, but I'm so worked by that one orgasm that I can't even stand.

While I'm still recovering from the orgasmic shock, Ocellus is eager to show her enthusiasm for the mess I've made. "Wow, there you go! You dragons really do produce a lot when you're in season."

I look back down at myself, finally noticing that I'm still finishing up a bit. I've never in my live blew one that hard. That was amazing. "Oh shit... I should definitely call you more often."

"What are friends for?" She giggles before transforming back to her true form. "But all fun times aside, I should probably start heading back now."

I'm suddenly a lot less willing to see her go. "Hey─"

She plants a hoof into my mouth to stop me. "Now let's be fair about this, Spike. I'm not for the pillow talk, especially in a place where there's hardly no pillows. When your month here is done, you can come and get me whenever you need me. Just try not to send nude pics to Princess Twilight this time."

"That was an accident!" I shout out as she hops up to the air and disappears from out of the cave. I try to follow after her, but she uses a teleportation spell to clear some distance.

All of a sudden, I'm alone again.

I meander back to the cave, take note of the mess that we made, and look back at that moment with some confusion over my own self, but also fondness for the changeling who gave me my first sexual experience. I couldn't believe that moment was what I was probably going to be cranking to for the next week or so, and I bet none of it will feel as good as that.

But in terms of tonight, I'm thoroughly spent.

It's been a week since I've managed to get used to everything that's been going on. Now that I think on it, I never spent more than two days in the dragon lands, for any specific reason. And I still didn't quite how my moments of self-intimacy end up producing way more than my usual output. My cave started to smell odd as a result, I might move elsewhere to try to keep things fresh. Garble told me after one visit that I should do just that, especially with me sitting there marinating in my own musk.

As he was helping me move things over, I asked him what was the deal about all of these changes I was going through. He then informs me that it's just more of the symptoms of dragon lust that's taking place. Everything from frequent masturbation, increased ejaculation volumes, strong after-scents, and drastically increased testosterone levels, all of it points to the affliction I suffer from. And it doesn't go unnoticed either, there have been a few females lurking around the parts where I was, but it seemed that none of them were interested in at least paying the afflicted a visit.

He went on to explain that female dragons are actually strongly attracted to the scent a male makes while he's in season. Because of that, they grow curious and start scoping out not just who's unloading the bait, but also who else is lurking about for competition. But so far, none of them seemed to even make a move on me yet, which I thought was odd.

I sure wouldn't mind the attention of getting my balls drained, I wonder what's the holdup.

Along the route for my new cave, we fly over the nesting area where the eggs were laid. I swoop down to greet the dragon lord, but she's quick to pick me out of the sky with a wave. "Hey, Spike!"

"Hey, Ember!" I hover just above ground as I address her. "Not as many eggs to look after today, huh?"

"Nope. A good group of them hatched yesterday evening." She informed happily before seeing Garble in the distance, waiting for me to get moving. Her smile is wiped away and replaced by an attempt of some stoic impression.

I pay it no mind, she's never really into showing her emotions in front of the other dragons. "Well that's good." I land and pick up an egg, feeling the life wobbling inside of the hard shell. "I guess their lives are only bound to get harder from here."

"We were all there at some point, Spike. There's no need to get too attached." She said as she plucked the egg from my claws and placed it back to the heating pit.

"Wouldn't you be attached if it was one of your eggs?"

She glares at Garble in the distance, who takes the cue and darts off to leave the both of us alone. "It's not for me to stay attached to something like that." She seems upset at the question I asked, but I still grill her a little on the topic.

"Even if it was your own little dragon?"

She grimaces and walks over to a boulder to punch it, cracking it into two halves. "I don't want to be that attached to something like this. It's better to just let things be what they usually are."

"You know, if I knew I had an egg here, I'd be running after the little miscreant until they molt." I announce before thinking a little more about what I just said. "Well, I wouldn't quite leave them alone then, I'd probably keep a good distance to protect them or something until they're done."

"Why would you do something that stupid?" She asks.

"Raised by ponies, remember?" I point out for the nth time. "I know the value of loving your family, even when they're at their worst. I know I had my times, and I still came out okay. Maybe if I do the same for them, they'd be the same way."

"You'll be teaching them to be soft." She criticizes sternly.

I quietly walk beside her and offer my own thoughts. "Well I think us dragons should embrace being softer to one another."

A slight blush appears on her face. Despite my slight move towards proximity, she's not easy to reciprocate the emotions. "Spike, we're already allied with the ponies of Equestria among with a myriad of other species. I already encourage dragons to be themselves. How much softer can we afford to be before it becomes a weakness that others of our own kind will seek to exploit?"

While I'm not exactly privy to playing my usual role in my current condition, I still impart what little wisdom I have to her. "Through unity, strength prospers. It's okay to stay true to you, and it's even better to encourage others to do the same instead of trying to fit in circles that aren't meant for you. And even in appeasement, what do you do when there are those who want to do bad by others? Do you forsake your own principles and desires for trying to look the part?"

She turns to me and offers a direct retort. "You and I are leaders on the global stage. I'm sure we've already had to make that choice."

"I never accepted that life." I argue back.

"Being a world leader?"

"Being who I'm not." I clarify to her.

"Spike, sometimes being who you are doesn't always get the job done. Sometimes you have to be what you're not to be able to keep things moving the way it should."

While I don't necessarily operate that way, I do however see the wisdom of her approach. "I understand."

She appears convinced that I just wrote off her statement. "Do you really?"

I look around the sky for a moment, becoming quieter as I ask her a most personal question. "Ember, what do you want for you? What do you want to be able to do, to become?"

For the years I've spoken with her, she always had one overall objective in mind. At this point, I'm seeing if her intent has changed. "I want to rule the dragons as a kinder and more understanding ruler, not just through strength alone." So far, not much has changed about that at least.

"Do you really?" I ask again.

She grows a little upset over me grilling her and pushes back at me instead. "Now hold on, I answered your question. Why don't you get to answer mine?"

"Because I do understand what you have to do. I understand because I'm sometimes forced to do what I do, mostly out of reputation and the obligation of that." Like setting myself and my personal wants aside for the sake of a country's image on the international stage. "Now I expanded on my answer, how about you? What do you really want for you?"

"Spike..." She's getting quieter as I ask her the one question she never really liked answering.

"C'mon. Out with it."

If there's anything about all the dragons I've gotten to know, its that they all hide their most selfish desires from the view of their fellow kin. I'm a little more outward about it, I like to sew, cook, play music, and live my life in the protagonist of a romance novel. Now that last one not everyone knows about, but anyone who knows me will point that out. For Smolder, it's being able to embrace that girly side of her. So for Ember... "I want to..."

"You what?" I ask.

"I want to be..." She looks away and murmurs her answer inaudibly.

"I can't hear you." I taunt playfully, earning the dragon lord's ire.

She yanks me by my throat and pulls me in, her cheeks running red. "You tell anyone, you're funeral will be planned out at sea by nightfall." I nod and await her whisper of an answer. "I want to know what romance is like."

"That's it?"

"YOU TELL ANYONE, YOU'RE DEAD!" She reiterates as purple flames leap from her lips. "So yeah, that mushy stuff ponies do, I wanna try it out. I know I want to show that side of me more often, but what do I look like being the dragon lord and getting all sentimental!? I beat up every male who tries to mate with me, much less someone trying to show me some affection. It's weird, but I want to try it out for once, no matter how nasty and icky it makes me feel inside."

I make an attempt to reassure her of her feelings. "Ember, it's okay to want something like that for yourself."

She folds her arms, rubbing them as she voices her thoughts and insecurities. "I'm the dragon lord, Spike. What do I look like if I'm just being all mushy!? Dragons don't like any show of weakness, so it's pointless to try and look vulnerable."

As she said those words, my mind starts to replay the moment when I saw her taking care of the eggs a week ago. I still remember the smile on her face, her being soft and gentle towards the unborn dragons. Almost motherly in a way. Now that I think about it... "Do you want my honest opinion of you?"

She turns off and start to go right back to looking after the dragon eggs. "If I know you, then this conversation sounds like it's gonna take a weird turn, so I'll pass."

I didn't even say anything yet. "Are you sure?"

"Certain." Her tone is harsh and bitter. It's a sign that she's tired of talking, and I should commence to, in a human's words, fuck right off.

"Okay." I take to the air, offering a final word for her before setting back out to my search for another cave. "But a little food for thought, you're pretty cute when you let your walls down."

She snarls back at me with her nostrils smoking. "Don't you have some stupid cave to go jack off in!? Get lost!"

"Later then!" I call out as I make a quick exit.

As I fly away, Ember kneels to the eggs and start tracing out a number of shapes on them with her nail. She smiles as she starts to think of the words that were spoken. Her eyes and voice soften by a great degree, becoming warm with thoughts of her own conflict.

And the underdog was winning. "Cute, huh?"

Another week passed, and it was time for two things. The first was the great dragon migration, which adds a lot more to the dating pool, both candidates and competition alike. The second thing it was time for was for me to change caves again. The females that lingered outside of my cave have gotten a little more aggressive, especially with the migrating females who seem to give fewer fucks than the non-nomadic types. Turns out that the stench of dragon semen can act as a potent aphrodisiac to attract mates across a good distance, almost as potent as the effects of the molt. That meant that for the past few days, my daily retirement ritual had been plagued by an altruistic pack of sex-driven dragonesses all looking to beat me into a pulp for exclusive mating rights.

Yeah, turns out that fighting for my own autonomy is becoming more of a diplomatic reality than it is an abstract thought.

I had to hurry and high-tail it out of that cave, I'll let the stench of my nightly releases keep them busy for a few more days like the last time before they catch on that I'm posted elsewhere. For now, it's better that I keep moving in silence until both the end of the migration, and the effects of my dragon lust starts to subside.

I can't say there weren't any close calls. One dragoness had waited until I had fallen asleep last night before straddling me to get me to perk up for her. Then when I woke up, she immediately started trying to choke me out in an attempt to keep me docile. But thankfully I'm pretty damn strong, and I still retained some mode of self-control as opposed to letting myself get angry and take things the other way around. I was fortunate, from what Garble told me, it would've been days before she was finished.

So yeah, I moved my cave a little closer to where Ember usually looks over the eggs. And since that's closer towards dragon lord disputed zoning, there's hardly going to be any females looking for a fight with her over a dragon she apparently shows interest in.

In speaking of interest, Ember and I have started to open up a little more with one another. Now we aren't communicating at the level Smolder and I have, but she is starting to accept the idea of me being around, whether idly hovering around or actively helping her with the eggs.

Today, I'm doing the latter of those two options.

When I get back to the grounds, I see an abnormal amount of eggs placed in warming beds around the crater. Poor Ember looks stressed as she's darting back and forth to keep the eggs warm. And as I show up, she sighs in relief and shouts out my name. "Spike!"

To my surprise, she flags me down and ushers me to help her. "Hey, you're looking like you're getting stretched thin. What's going on?"

She hands me three eggs and points me in the direction of a heating bed with some spare room behind me. "It's laying season."

As I put the eggs in place, I continue to question her over the sudden intake of precious cargo. "Didn't we just watch a bunch of eggs hatch this week?"

"Yeah, I even remember seven of them puking on you."

"I don't want to remember that." I groaned, still remembering the rich sulfuric smell of baby dragon vomit, and how hard that is to wash out of my scales. "So what's this 'laying' season?"

"Well it's not so much of an actual season, but it's more prevalent at this time of year. Shortly after the great dragon migration, the one we're having now, there are those who come by only to drop off their eggs. They straggle behind to lay them here before they head back their own way."

Well, I'm sure a bunch of deadbeat parents would hear of that little idea and perk up with anticipation. Imagine knocking up someone and leaving, then imagine being the one who gets knocked up and having the burden of motherhood completely left at someone else's doorstep. It's almost as if there should be infinitely more dragons in Equestria with the way this works, especially with how little responsibility there is. You'd literally get back to being irresponsible and mating with complete abandon.

Actually... that is a bit odd, and that's putting it mildly. "Don't you think there's something wrong with that?"

"With what?" She asks, apparently not seeing anything wrong with that.

"Just dumping the eggs on you and bolting?"

She seems to shrug it off like it's completely normal. "It's just how it is for us. My only responsibility is to make sure the eggs hatch. They can live however they want after."

"Who's gonna feed them?" I ask, trying to answer the logistics of this debacle in my own brain.

"They'll probably find themselves a nice lava pit, snack on a few lava mites before their teeth come in, then they'll start snacking on the mineral deposits around here. That's how we get used to what we are now before we molt."

Hands-off approach to raising the young. Yeah, I figured as much. "I didn't jump in lava pits, or snack on lava mites, or chew on rocks like you say we're supposed to do. And I came out just fine."

"That's because you were raised by ponies." She argues, despite not really looking at the truth of how that answer doesn't make perfect sense on it's own.

"Yeah, I learned not to snack on so many gems because I know that ponies use them as currency and high-end decoration, not for sustenance. They also fed me pony food too."

"And how many years did it take for you not to eat through someone's savings?" She asks as she folds her arms.

"I guess twelve to thirteen years, give or take."

"An awful lot of time to break a natural habit, don't you think?" She points out proudly.

"Well either way, I don't eat gems as often now. I actually know how to cook as opposed to snacking on gems like candy."

"Cook-schmook, can't beat a good gem." She bats off my argument before she notices a shadow passing over us. I look up to see a dragon darting past us overhead. The dragon appeared to be in a rush to one of the heating pits. As she lands, she glances around.

As she's scoping out the area, I feel a mighty force pull me towards the ground. Ember snatches me behind a sizeable boulder to hide with her, watching and waiting for the dragon to get done with her business. I whisper over to Ember. "Uh... is she going to the bathroom? Here of all places?" I asked as she squatted down.

Ember's cheeks flush as she keeps my head low. "Take a closer look, Spike."

While I am still inflicted with dragon lust, I'm not too turned on by the thought of watching another dragon conduct their personal relief in front of me. I avert my eyes to the dragoness beside me. "I don't know if I should."

"I'm giving you permission." She rolls her eyes and points at what's ahead.

"Still, it's not her permission." I answer.

"It's for education, now pay attention." This time, she forcibly turns my head to see what's actually taking place. I can already see the expression on her face, straining and blushing as she lifts her tail. "She's squatting down because she's probably three weeks done with mating. The eggs she's been carrying are fertilized and the shells have hardened. She needs to pass the eggs or it'll affect her digestive patterns."

"Still not certain I should be watching this." I voice with concern.

"She's laying her eggs now. You can tell by the contractions of her chest when she breathes." She explains quietly.

As I'm observing from a considerable distance, I can only gauge from the constrictions of her facial features that she was struggling. "She looks like she's in pain."

Ember keeps her head down as she quietly bats her tail against the ground. "Actually... not really."

I glance at her with piqued curiosity. "Why not?"

In the corner of my eye, I can see one of Ember's claws slowly crawl to her belly. She pets herself as she whispers quietly. "Spike, I'm telling you from the female dragon experience, especially having watched a few fight, mate, and lay their eggs, it probably feels like a really good weekend."

Somewhere in the back of my mind, I'm drumming up the thought of why she keeps petting her belly, why her tail keeps hitting the ground. Her jaw slightly falls as she's watching the dragoness squatting above the heating pit. Her claw wanders a little lower, not as low to give it away but enough to imply she's stirred by the sight. "You're kidding."

"Nope. She's enjoying the last leg of her pilgrimage before heading back home." I don't even see how she's being so calm with this. She's obviously turned on, maybe this is how she's been getting her gems polished all these years.

I glance back to the dragonness, this time seeing her rigorously working her claws into her slit. She's grunting pretty loudly, almost announcing her actions. I clench up as I start to feel myself harden. "What the hell?"

"It's common to stimulate the vaginal cavity to help ease the process. It amplifies secretions and makes it easier to pass eggs. If she lays more than three, that means she definitely had a really fertile mating session."

I'm not even paying attention to what's going on with Ember at this point, I'm more captivated with the sight of the dragon visibly masturbating to help her pass her eggs. My claws begin their own migration southward. "She's really... going at it."

"Oh yeah, big time." Ember slumps for a moment, her claws beginning to embark on their own journey.

"Does she know that she's being watched?" I whisper.

Ember lowers her voice almost to an airy quality I've never known her for having. I can hear the nervous trembles in her breathy voice. "If a female eyes a male watching, she's likely to come back for him in the next season. Some males do their best to catch one in the process. It's like setting an appointment."

I look down to myself, I'm already instinctually grasping and pulling, almost to the point where I'm buckling over. But as I'm working myself, my thoughts wander to the dragon beside me. "Do you ever... get excited watching this?"

Ember appeared embarrassed that I asked her such a question, she started lashing at me over my sudden pivot to her. "Why would you ever ask me that!?"

Realizing that I might have messed up, I turn completely away from her, offering myself the little privacy one can have with the given situation. "I'm sorry!"

"Do you think I'm just looking to get off or something!?" She turns away from me, not wanting me to see just how bad she is right now.

"No! I─"

I feel a shiver up my spine as she unexpectedly lays her back against mine. I feel the tip of her tail kick up dirt as she tries to hide her own apparent arousal. "Ugh, just keep paying attention to what's over there, and not at me, you idiot!"

While I know our current situation makes for awkward conversation later, I'm becoming enticed by just the meager contact she issues. But moreso, I'm brought back to being distracted by the grunting dragoness already having laid two eggs. She's beginning to intensify her motions, moaning freely as another egg breaches from within her. "That's her third egg."

As that one falls to the ground, Ember takes note of her ongoing efforts. "She's still got more."

I poke my head from behind the rock, seeing now how she's propped herself with one arm in her squat, fervently flicking at her now-exposed mound. "How do you know?" I whisper with a deep breath.

"She's still going at it." Ember whispers back.

"Has it ever occur to you that she might just be an exhibitionist?" I argue quietly.

"Spike, all females do this." Another shudder in her voice tells me that she's begun giving attention to self. The spear of her tail flicks up more dust as I see not just myself engorged and oozing, but her tail creeping towards my leg.

But her quiet statement further spurs my imagination. My claw reaches for hers to hold. "Really, all of them act like this?"

She glances back in feigned disgust. "What are you doing?" She knocks my claw away, all while accidentally getting a glimpse of what I was trying to quell. She gasps and her back tenses against mine.

I realize that she saw me and try to hide myself, using my tail to conceal my endowment. "Sorry."

Ember's brought to a quiet pant, I can hear already that she's began her promiscuous climb to the summit. "I understand dragon lust and it's effects. You and I, we're in the same boat. Male dragons do it all the time when they see a female like this. Just be careful not to blow a loud one across the badlands. You don't want any unwanted appointments."

With her given consent, I let my own self-control fall by the wayside. My claws go to work, and my tail straightens from the tension built up in my body. In the midst of my actions, I whisper to her an apology for my blatantly explicit display. "I'm so sorry you have to see me like this."

"Just get it over with. Do what you gotta do." She says with her own tension climbing.

"Fuck." I whisper, keeping a palm to my mouth to muffle my cry of pleasure. I look back to the dragoness in the pit, a fifth egg falls from within her. She reaches a climax in the midst of her actions, ejecting a stream of her essence onto the eggs she laid. "Fifth egg. She must've been feeling it."

But Ember points out her continued ministrations, all while greedily biting her own wrist. "Yeah, she is pretty fertile."

"Sixth one..." I mewl into my palm.

Her tail coils around my leg. "She's probably coming out of a bout of dragon lust herself. I bet she went for eight, that slut."

"Seven..." I count out as I lose a little more focus on her, applying it to a much better source right next to me. "Is she really that wet?" I ask the question about her, but my intent is now on Ember.

"Oh yeah." She's doing a decent job at hiding where she is in her ascension, but I can bet that she's pretty close with the way her tail just coiled around my leg. "I wonder how strong her mate had to be to keep going after all that."

My tail seek hers, she looks back with surprise as I whisper in desperation her name. "Oh Ember... shit."

Bashful to suddenly receive my mostly undivided attention, she hides her smile almost as well as she hides her own orgasmic approach. "Keep your eyes on her, not on me."

In a move of wanton disregard, I murmur to her with my eyes closed, imagining her being the one perched over that pit, laying egg after egg three weeks after I've given her my fill. "I'll give you your first clutch. I'll give it to you."

"Don't look at me, you idiot!" She says as she's the one staring me down, taking in the sight of my getting lost in the fantasy of being inside of her right now.

"Ember!" I'm not much paying attention to my own volume at this point.

Her claws find mine, she faces me at full frontal, her cheeks red, her touch as cool as our surroundings, but her breath as heated as the lava beneath these pits. "Don't call my name out like that. It's weird." She glances back to see the dragoness laying yet another egg. "That's her eighth one, does she seriously have another one?"

As our tails meld, I close the distance between us, frotting myself against her belly in a show of want. She clutches her claws into my shoulder as I start to bump into her repeatedly. "Ember... Ember... Ember..." With each thrust, I'm losing my mind until I at last unleash upon her belly what should be rightfully inside of it.

The mess I make prompts her to her own peak, her eyes clench shut while she buckles and her tail constricts mine much like a boa. Her shudders tell me of her release as she issues yet another complaint. "Spike, what are you doing calling my name like that?"

As we separate, I can see the mess we've made. Ember's claws emerge from within her own body, covered in her own mess, all while my close rub with her leave us both to be covered in my own offering. As I'm starting to climb back down, I pump myself of some residual seed and hold myself against the boulder in my recovery. "Holy..." As I was about to truly get lost in Ember's eyes, I felt something tug at my left claw, the one I used to hold myself up against the boulder. "WHAT T─"

Without warning, my jaw is pinched closed as a crimson claw covered in fluids covers much of my face. I peek over to see it's the dragoness who was laying her eggs earlier. She giggles with a satisfied and sultry tone, her voice deep and mature. "So young with all that spunk... I bet you're so pent up, aren't you? Poor baby needs a release." She makes sure I'm hard on breathing as her palm covers my nostrils. I can see Ember almost ready to tear her a new one behind her crimson digits. The dragoness quickly leaps up and flies off as she speaks one last time. "Tell you what, stew on me for a little bit, babe. I'll be in touch." Ember is snarling at the other female as she darts off. I finally collapse to the ground, finally able to breathe for a change.

But something goes wrong.

As I'm breathing, the relief I once felt after my initial orgasm is replaced by an incredible, insatiable, and insurmountable lust that consumes all rational thought. I breathe even heavier, my claws digging into the craggy ground I kneeled on. I don't understand what is happening, or why. But all I know is that I need to mate. Now. No questions, no warm-up, just sink my dick into whatever's living.

Ember looks at me with concern, worry even. She's backing away from me slowly, speaking just as slowly. "Spike... Take a moment and don't breathe too hard through your nose anymore."

I'm growing angry for no real reason. The slightest thing annoys the shit out of me, I don't understand what's going on but I hate it. All I can feel is the sensation of my loins refilling. "Dammit... cum." I try to prime myself, my last bastion of self control. And while I'm quick to culminate, my body's even quicker to refresh on what I need to dispose of. "It's not enough!"

"Spike!" Ember calls out, trying to snap me out of it. But my mind is consumed.

I'm relentless, spurting forth rope after rope, unable to control myself as I pump my fist in and away from me, up and down my veiny length. "Cum... Dammit... cum..." All I can do is grovel on the ground, spilling seed and grit my teeth out of the dissatisfaction of my claw not being enough for me.

A deep growl rattles from my throat, smoke leaves from my nostrils. My eyes focus towards the nearest female I can see. And she's backing away even faster, taking to the air to hover as she pleads with me. "Spike! No!"

"Ember... EMBER!" I scream her name, pouncing towards her.

She flies to the air, but I grab her by her tail before she's able to escape. Her eyes widen while I wrestle with her, I claw at her scales, violently trying to wear her down as she's showing every bit of resistance towards me. "Snap out of it! You're not you right now!"

She kicks me off of her, launching me a few feet away. As I stand back up, I can see the trails of fluid coating the inside of her legs. It bears a strong scent, an enticing aroma that beckons me to their source. I snarl and launch myself towards her again, but she's quick to think on her own feet. She finds a rock and waits until I'm close to her face before bashing me with it. While initially stunned, I shake off the blow as I growl her name. "Ember..." I align myself in an attempt to mate with her, but she begins to punch me in my face, throwing off my vision and further adding to the stun effect she gave earlier. She picks up another rock and smashes my head with it.

All strength falls by the wayside, and my world slowly drowns to darkness. The defensive dragoness looks over me, breathing heavily as she curses herself.

Before I pass out, I hear the faint words from her lips. "Not like this, Spike."

I awaken to the sight of a craggy ceiling not known to me. There's a pool of lava nearby, providing a rather dim light to the cave. I turn to my side to better take in my surroundings, noticing that this wasn't my cave.

But Garble is sitting at the entrance, looking just as annoyed as I am confused. "Just now waking up?"

"Where am I?" I question him.

"Back in my cave. You got laid out by Dragon Lord Ember."

As he states that, I can't help but to be reminded of the fact that she took a few rocks to my skull. "Ugh, my head." I hold myself, nursing my bruises and aches.

"She told me you got caught staring down a female laying eggs." Of course Ember would leave out the part where she was just as guilty, as if her claws weren't fishing for eggs inside of her own self. "Did she give you a parting gift?" He asks in reference to the the other dragon.

"She just grabbed my snout with her wet claws."

Garble shakes his head. "Wow, that's a hell of a way to make an appointment. But yeah, Ember told me you tried to mate with her out of a frenzy."

"I went into a frenzy?" I ask myself aloud. "I remember being really pissed off and horny, but I can't really recall much of what happened. The only thing I can still remember is the smell."

"Oh you'll be smelling it alright. You'll be smelling that for a year... unless someone else books an appointment with you." He explains with a chuckle.

Just as he mentions it, I'm already starting to think about that dragon laying her eggs, with about two claws deep inside trying to shove me into a corner and giving me the business. Hell, I wonder how many eggs I could've given her. "Dammit, all I can think of is sex right now."

"Tell me about it. When you get just a tiny whiff, you'll be hunting that girl down for the rest of the year until the next migration. I bet she'll be on the move all year too. They love to go nomad when they book appointments, a male can get worn out pretty easily if they chase a female around the world for a whole year."

Okay, I'm not going to be playing tag with some lady I just caught in a mood, especially for a whole damn year. My dick can't stay hard for that long, and I sure as hell don't want to be dealing with this dragon lust for even longer than I am now. I ask him for a solution. "How do you deal with it?"

"Duh, book an appointment with someone local."

"And how do I do that?" I ask.

"I guess catch a local girl laying a few eggs until you get her to mark you up like the last one. That or have a female just mark you for the hell of it. Sometimes you'll have some aggressive females who'll mark over an appointment just because they want that dragon for themselves. It happens."

"So I need to find an aggressive female and get her to rub her vag juice on my face─I cannot believe I'm saying that out loud." My cheeks were already red from being flushed with sexual thoughts, much less hearing that sentence coming straight from my mouth.

"Yeah. But I suggest you find one soon within the next month, or else you'll be chasing them for the next year."

Well there's a possibility I could get Ember to do me a favor, but then again she nearly put me in hospice care with those rocks. I can bet she doesn't want anything to do with me right now. "Wait, I attacked Ember. Why did I attack her instead of the one who got away?"

Garble then explained further. "The scent isn't closed to a particular identity unless you let it stay for a month. But after that month, you're all theirs. As for the initial response, it's a lot less controlled. especially if it's your first time getting done up like that. So in short, you'll be gunning for the nearest female you can find en route. If she fights you off, you're better off not trying again."

Ember almost knocked me into a coma, guess that means I'm well and out of the running. So it's probably better if I just try to come up with an alternative. "Is there any way I can cancel an appointment?"

"Dragon sneeze pollen. But you'll be stuck with bad allergies for a week." He recommends.

Seeing how bad I fucked up with Ember, I might as well clean house and keep myself separated from everyone else until this all blows over. Maybe I'll apologize to her in the future, that is if she's in any mood to see me. "Ugh... I guess I'll start looking for some dragon sneeze flowers tomorrow."

"Good luck, they grow on the mainland, plus you're locked down here for another two weeks." In other words, I can't leave the island, I'm stuck here. "I hate to break it to you, but you'll probably be out looking for that same female next month. Dragon sneeze are hard to come by."

"Not if I go to Canterlot, some of the gardens near the castle are rife with them." I reply.

Garble looks at me and rolls his eyes before glancing away. "Uh, yeah. Also, your mail is showing." I look down to see myself already staring to grow from out of my scales. Not only am I annoyed sexually, but I'm also embarrassed from Garble catching me like this. He walks out and starts to fly away. "I'll let you have a moment to work off your stuff, just try not to make too much of a mess. And if you do, blow it off in the lava so you don't leave a scent. I don't need aggro females trying to mount me in my sleep." And just like that, he's gone off to leave me to my vices.

This entire day has been one huge unexpected fuck up, this entire month has been nothing but that. First Twilight catches me in a mood, then she takes my phone, then she keeps me so busy that I can't even masturbate with the spare time I have in my schedule, then I get shoved on a train and told I have this dragon lust shit, and now I know just how bad this shit really is. I'm sitting in a cave with two different kinds of headaches, the first being the one caused by two rocks rocking my world, and the other's because I can't properly get my rocks off. Now I've gone and fucked up my friendship with Ember because I couldn't control myself, and I still have two more weeks of this shit. Dammit, why does it have to be like this?

...I'm gonna just try to get one off before I go nuts, this is just getting on my nerves.

My first thought is to reminisce the moment she lingered over that pit, rigorously servicing herself, the means by her soaked slit would part with every inflection of her claws' direction. I remember the crude calls she made, the vulgar vernacular her voice made, a voice that could be dipped in the richest chocolate and her words with the most delectable caramel consonants. The charge she took in grabbing me, setting up our very next playdate. What discipline I had for Ember would've probably been easily replaced by my obedience to her. I know that she would not be warm to my touch, but the moistness would do more than suffice.

But I am plagued by a significant deterrent. "Fuck, I don't even know your name."

It's a shame, her voice was really nice for a dragon female. In a way it almost reminds me of Celestia with how commanding it was, how mothering it was. I wonder if she would hold me down and force me to seed her next clutch, milking me for every bit I had left. It's too bad I don't think I'll ever see her again... But given the day this was, I do know who I will see again.

"I would do you a solid..."

Damn, she said that, didn't she? I can already imagine her temperament, especially being around ponies for as long as she's been. I'm willing to bet that she'll be a lot more agreeable. I can already imagine how gentle she'll be when I tell her I'm not into fighting. Hell, I'm willing to bet that she's not too into it now because of her being an element bearer. Maybe she would let me be close to her, run my claws down her scales, give me a smile, or even drag me into a sensual kiss or two just to see how it feels for her. "Smolder."

Moments of her image consume my thoughts, namely the ones from weeks ago. What I would give to see Smolder between my legs, providing me with her body to use in any way I see fit. What I would trade for her to talk her little mess, trying to sound sexy, how I would conquer and claim the deepest parts of her. Damn... where's that changeling when I need her?

"Ocellus..." She knows everything about Smolder's desires, what she would want out of me. I'm willing to bet that she's probably already had a grand time invading her without knowing the truth about me and my measurements. Perhaps she exaggerated the size, maybe even oversold me a little, but she's got to know how Smolder is at her most intimate and vulnerable moments. I'm willing to bet she does.

Hell, I can almost guarantee that Smolder and her experimented, often, as they were in the throws of their high school years. I won't even deny the tension they resolved in seeking one another, especially since Ocellus is so open. I wonder, has she ever just gotten tired of being other beings, and once requested a moment of clarity? What would that look like, what would she say? What would be the expressions on her face.

My mind flashes a vivid image of it's own artistry.

"Oh... FUCK!" I'm not even being subtle about it anymore. I'm curled up, furiously mending the flesh which my claws encircled. An unrealistic speed for penetration, a mismatch of breathing in contrast to the haphazard percussion of flesh on scale, I seize with nothing more than the ambition to meet the end of my expedition. I lock that image in my head, counting off until the rocket's ignition.

"You should be careful where you aim that thing."

The familiar voice startles me, all while accurately filling the profile of the changeling I imagined. Only this time, she was sitting idly in front of me, patiently waiting for me to finish. "Ocellus, where did you come from?"

She uses her magic to sever the bond between my claws and their intended, holding me away and denying me the closure I sought. "I saw you getting carried in by another dragon. You looked like you got it pretty bad with how you were knocked out and all, I thought some female had gotten the better of you and I was probably going to have to keep tabs on you. Turns out that other dragon didn't have an interest in you, and you obviously seem to have more interest in me right now."

"I know this looks bad, but I'll explain when I finish. Can you transform, please?" I beg so selfishly.

The changeling smirks as she steps towards me. "Wow, you must really have it bad. No 'hello', no 'how's it been', no 'what are you doing here', just an immediate request to transform."

"Please just turn into Smolder again." I ask again.

"Smolder?" She scoffs. "What where you imagining when you called out my name?"

I'm still throbbing in want, doing what I can to alleviate the pressure that drive me silly. "Do I have to say it?"

"I really wanna know why you just called out my name before you bust a load all over my face again." She mocks, placing a hoof on me, gently tapping against the firmness protruding from my body.

"I don't wanna talk about it. Alright?" I'm buckling, trying to thrust my hips to meet with her inquiring hoof.

The changeling uses her magic to pull me down, a means to further control me as she takes all initiative, climbing on top of me. "There's nothing to be ashamed of, Spike. I'm not as soft and tender as most ponies are..." I pant heavily as the unexpected warmth of her body lays onto my belly, my towering form now being introduced to a pleasantly moist sensation, an entrance so soft and warm, so enticingly inviting. "...Well, I can't lie and say that this part of me isn't."

I slow down, ready to take on whatever she was ready to give me. I'm anxious again, but I'm so close to finally being inside of her. I can't believe she's moving this fast. "Are you really doing this?"

She holds my face, petting my head as she leans into whisper, her warm breath tickling the relative coolness of my scales. "You called my name, Spike." Her hips begin to rock back and forth, I feel her greeting me with every stroke. She stays close to me, making sure that I'm bearing witness to exactly who it is that's giving me this level of attention. No distractions, no visual stimulus, just the luxury of prolong eye contact along with the eager acquaintanceship of our bodies. "That's my biggest turn-on right there. So you aren't getting anything but this lovebug today."

I look down to see past her, she teases me yet again by placing her face on my chest, biting her lip as she shakes her posterior against me. I whimper in submission. "Please, sit on it. Please. I need it."

"Nope!" She mouths intently with a cheshire grin. "Too dangerous, can't let myself just sink on down on a young, thick, bulging drake consumed by dragon lust. Though I always wanted to know just how you'd feel inside of me." I feel a ring of magic guide me closely, tracing the outside of her moist folds. I whimper in response, unsatisfied by the distinction I now know between male and female being so rudely denied. "Sadly, I have to play it safe and use what I already know." She lifts her body, parting us for a moment before she whispers a question to me. "You wanna see it?"

"Yes..." I beg. "Yes, please."

"Good boy." She coos sweetly, allowing me to flop to my own belly, fully engorged and oozing with the signs of my pre-release. She sits down, allowing me to see her hips achieve contact with mine. I'm greeted by the sight of her lower lips reuniting with the bottom of my shaft. I reach for her out of instinct, but her magic holds me back. "No grabbing, house rules."

I watch as her belly rolls slowly, her hips lagging just that much behind. Her motions are slow, almost as though she's grinding with the intent to warm herself up. Upon her kissing at my tip, I am greeted by an unusual smell, a musk that calls for me to worsen it. I grit my teeth as I feel myself coming to a peak. She takes notice and clamps her magic at my base, keeping me from drawing fire. I howl in desperation her name, she begins to speed up her pace.

It's in that moment I came to a realization, one that she already explained. Since calling out her name is her biggest trigger, all I have to do is bless her with me pressing on that very same thing more and more often. "Hah... fuck, you're so thick." She whispers under her breath.

I know that it isn't my intent to go so far, especially with one I'm not romantically involved with, but I sit up to meet with her. With the increased pressure against her, she begins to feel every ridge I have to offer. Her rhythm speeds to a hurry, and I open my lips to her. She dodges, but lets my blow land amidst her nape. She stops to readjust her position, finding more forwardness and change to her approach. This time, her grinding is hard and deep, she wants me inside of her but still has the discipline to keep to her principles.

Meanwhile I'm left to discover the scent of her body. I try to control myself as I bury my lips into her neck, but I end up opening my mouth a little too wide in ambition to taste her. I nibble at her neck before biting down softly to hold her. She gasps and shakes as we're both sent over the edge. Yet again, I make a mess of myself while she leaves much of a trail between us. Her body shimmers and falls limp on me. I look to her and almost get lost in what she is.

"Wow, you still leave one hell of a mess, Spike." She points out.

However, she's not as lost as I am now. Instead, her mind is a lot more sober, and she's quicker to break off from me. Her magic dissipates and I'm left to enjoy the afterglow of our encounter alone. It's a different emptying feeling, but it's not one I enjoy.

"Well, that was more fun than what I bargained for on a Saturday night."

"Yeah, it was pretty fun." The moment was fun, the release was fun, but the not getting to break my cherry and getting left high and dry wasn't. I'm sure it shows on my face. But for her, she's easy to shrug it off. Maybe it's a changeling thing.

She takes out a notepad and quill, writing down what I can assume is her experience with me. "So, since that's how it goes for dragons, I wanna see if this is a thing that goes beyond dragon physiology. I guess I could write a report of my findings and send it in to the sex-ed teacher for next semester."

"Um, aren't you teaching sex-ed?" I point out.

"This semester, yeah." She confirms. "It's a pretty trying course to constantly teach on the things that turn you on in an official capacity to a bunch of horny teenagers. But headmaster Starlight thought it would be an appropriate punishment for me treating Miss Trixie in her office while I was playing as Vice Headmaster Sunburst. Moral of that story: Go in with at least three towels, one for the desk, you, and the wall."

That's... that's a story if I heard of one. "Right... Can you not list me by name in your research?"

She stops writing and looks at me with an annoyed expression, it seems she already had me down by name. "Fine... Subject designation: 5P1K3. Species: Dragon. There, anonymized."

"Thank you." I nod as I start to think about cleaning up my mess. But before my claws start finding their way into the lava, I pause and look back to the changeling who already started to sneak off. "Hey! Isn't that's just my name with some of the letters replaced as numbers?"

"What, nooooo. I would never..." She lies before darting off at break-neck speed. "Gotta run!"

"OCELLUS!"

Time went by a bit slower on the day after my uncontrollable run-in with Ember. But I soon found myself not wanting to deal with the embarrassment of being near her. So I had to find ways to make the day feel faster, since I wasn't going to be around her. Talking to her really made my day go by faster, but since that was removed from the equation it was time for me to find alternatives.

There were times where a dragon or two was sent my way to escort me to Torch, I wasn't taking that appointment because of obvious reasons. And then finally came the envoys from Ember herself, which really pissed me off because of the incurred dragon lust issues affecting my temper. In time, I've learned to relocate caves from day to day. Can't send envoys to me if they don't know where to look. And besides, the reason why she's sending those guys to me is because she doesn't want to speak with me. So why should I put myself in a position where I go on to embarrass myself further?

"Fuck it, I'll just be alone until my last two weeks are done." That was my ultimatum.

I ran short of my hygienics, so I had to start doing what dragons do, take a dive in lava, pop a few loads in lustful thought, hop back out without a scent or trace to be found. I never much liked the smell of sulfur, but since I was covered in the stuff, I eventually grew used to it. I missed laying on my pillows since some asshole decided to take a lava nap after stealing them, and they were also custom made by Rarity to boot. You wanna talk about a fight almost broke out that day, I was about ready to rip the dragon lands apart for that one.

Two weeks of being a dragon of the lands, bathing like one, smelling like one, acting like one almost, hoarding gems like one because I had to keep myself busy, time flew by eventually. I haven't seen trace of Garble since I left his cave, not that either of us mind, I did bring some unwanted attention to him the morning after I left.

The good news is that my lust has waned over these past two weeks. The temperamental outbursts have toned down, I don't feel nearly as confrontational, I'm back to my sarcastic self. I feel great with the exception of some lingering thoughts on Ember, but I'm just fine now. It's only a few days left before I can finally leave this place and integrate back into pony society, get back to being the royal friendship advisor, take overtly long trips to other lands and resolve the problems of others before having to find some time to unwind some of my built-up tension. Sure, the sexual tension will still be there, but it won't be as dominant. I'll be able to get by with reading a book or something.

Yup, a day or two more and I'll be right back to my regularly-scheduled programming.

"Hey."

...And I was only a day or two off of not having to worry about seeing Ember anymore. Guess who shows up. "Sorry. I'm a little busy." I lie, picking up a large boulder to just push around for the sake of looking like I'm busy.

She sees right through my actions and walks beside me. "Spike, can you please look at me."

"Sorry, not now." I tell her as I keep pushing the boulder.

In a fit of anger, she flies to the other side of the boulder and drives a claw into it, shattering the poor thing into a thousand hapless chunks. Suddenly, she's the only thing in my line of vision. "How about now!? Can you see me now that the big boulder isn't in the damn way!? I've been trying to call you for two weeks, you haven't answered! Normally that level of disrespect is worthy of my foot up your ass!"

I guess that's her way of saying she's been worried sick. But still, I'm not really in the mindset to deal with her today. "Can you please leave me alone?"

"Dammit, Spike!" She grabs me by my wings and holds me still as she grumbles an admission. "I want to talk."

"What's there to talk about? Me nearly raping you? I know I wouldn't wanna talk to me either." I bluntly explain as I shake off her grasp.

"Spike, you couldn't help it." She tries to reassure me, all while keeping pace with me.

I look back to her and shake my head. "So? I lost control. That's all that matters."

"Do you honestly think I'm faulting you for what happened when I'm the one responsible?"

"You should." I rebutted very quickly.

"Spike..." She grabs my arm, pulling at me as she appears hesitant to speak. "Look, I knew what I was getting myself into. I just didn't know how to say it clearly to you. But the fact that you tried doesn't totally ring all that bad with me."

"You don't even like me like that. So what does it matter?" I reply sarcastically. "You used to look at me and think I was weird for hugging you. Just admit it, I'm different and I'm not what you're looking for."

"Did I say that?" She asks angrily.

"You beat the shit out of me. Twice. According to dragon code, I can't fuck with you, so I'm not gonna deal."

"I beat you up that second time because you attacked me! I'm the dragon lord, I can't just let you take what you want without you earning it the right way!"

"And I'll never beat you in a fair contest. You know this. So what does it matter?"

"...I..." She stops to argue, but then thinks about her argument. Even she knows that she's possibly the most powerful dragon in the lands outside of her father. She hesitates to say something, but appears to change her mind at the last moment. "Never mind. I guess it'll hit you whenever it hits you."

"Yeah, I know. That dragon is gonna be the one I'll be chasing after in a week or two."

Saying that appeared to have made her even more upset, probably at both herself as well as me, but mainly me. "Sure."

I turn back to her and shrug. "But hey, look at the bright side. It's been a month, and I feel better. Don't need to crank one out every two hours, I'm not even mad anymore. I still haven't found a mate yet, but it's bound to happen eventually, right? So I think it's better to cut this thing short and I go back home."

She rolls her eyes and replies in a sarcastic manner. "Maybe you're right. Maybe I do need to let you go."

"Something else we can agree on, I suppose." I turn away, accepting the consequences that may be.

Ember bats her tail against the ground as she takes to the sky, appearing infuriated as she flies away. I can hear her mutter one final insult before she disappears. "Fucking dumbass."

Finally, I'm back to my lonesome.

Honestly, I feel pretty satisfied with this not working out. Like what would I do to make this work, become what I'm not and do what I didn't like doing in the first place? It's bad enough I went a whole month essentially not being myself, much less getting into scrums at times. I don't need that kind of energy, not on the regular.

Ember means well, I'm sure. But she doesn't seem to get past herself when she wants something, and I'm not interested in trying to fix and mold something into existence if she's so headstrong on image. I'm not going to force her to be something different, to feel something different...

I'm not trying that again, I had enough when I tried to compete for Rarity's attention all throughout the years, always getting overlooked by some random stallion, or she nabs him and end up getting her back beat in, her heart broke, and then I'm getting my mind broke over having to play rebound. And just as naïve as I was, I stayed in spite of her telling me outright that we would never work. I played the fool then, thinking that I would make something of it, I learned my lesson.

Maybe I'm being short-sighted, or bitter. But I think it's better this way, for my mental health at least.

*SCREEEEEEECH*

That noise instinctively made every nerve under my scales crawl. The recoil of my neck turn could've been enough to break it with how fast I looked up above me. And just as my eyes turned to the sky, I was greeted with an uncomfortable shadow being cast across the ground where I stood. With hulking wings as large as hydras, a beak strong enough to crush rock, and talons that can scoop up any dragon of mostly any size, the beast proudly soared inland towards the settlement.

For me, that only spells trouble. "What the hell is a roc doing here?"

Chapter 4: Reluctant Royalty

If there's anything I remember clearly in my life, it was my first experience with the molt. If there was one thing I could distinctively point out about that experience, it would be the moment I came face to face with a large hungry roc dead-set on grabbing a quick snack of anything it could get it's talons on. In that case it was a bogo deal, a baby dragon and a free zebra to go along with it. I'm sure the roc was pleased with it's options. And of course that deal was immediately sweetened with an additional unicorn to boot.

Yeah, no fun memories of that moment. Watching both Zecora and Rarity getting swept up into the air, nearly getting spirited away as Twilight tried her best to save them both. And for the longest time, all I could do was scratch an unstoppable itch before my body hardened to stone. Then there was the brief freedom of having wings, the pulsing adrenaline that I operated on, the rush of emotions I felt, the boost of confidence I had in the moment I burped fire in the roc's face. But after that when I got home, I crashed. Everything fell dull, my body grew unresponsive, and I couldn't do anything for a full day.

That's what I remember about the rocs, the fear especially, the panic, the adrenaline, the need to save my friends, and after doing just that the feeling of my body closing shop for the day. It was a lot for my younger self to push through, especially a struggle that affected me internally above all else. I blamed myself for a lot that day, even nearly getting Rarity killed. That was the thing I could never truly process...

It was almost like that one time... when I paired up with a senator, only to betray my friends.

...Never mind that, there's a roc flying overhead in the dragon lands, and I'm deeply concerned for whatever that means for me right now.

"Psst!" A whisper grabs my attention, snapping me out of my thoughts. I look around to see a red tail poking from behidn a boulder. Not before long, a familiar red dragon pokes his head out. "Spike!"

I hover over to him. "Garble, what's going on─" He quickly snatches me out the air to hide along with him.

He covers my mouth, his eyes darting in various directions. "Rocs are here, we have to get out of sight before they get tired of the appetizers and start looking for an all-you-can-eat buffet."

Just as I feared, the roc that flew past me had a lingering appetite. "Wait, don't they usually come when dragons are in the molt?"

"Yeah, but that doesn't stop them from coming after dragons like us too. Let's get a move on."

As he starts to pull me away, I stop to ask a question. "So are we just gonna ignore the fact that there might be some young dragons in trouble out there?"

"It's not for us to wonder why, it's just for us to hide or die." He says in a hurry.

As we capitalize on our fortunes, I can't help but to see another two hovering up above in the distance, seemingly to circle around one particular location on the island.

Something's not right.

Garble and I fly down to a rather spacious cave, inside appears to be much of the dragons who inhabited the area. Young dragons and elder drakes with much to show for their years barking with words of concern. The both of us are fortunate enough to gain close proximity to the two dragons that faced the growing crowd.

"Everyone, settle down!" Torch appears the least phased about the appearance about the giant predators.

"How can we settle down when there are rocs sitting on our grounds!?" One dragon questions loudly above the others.

"Whoever's molting needs to be out there fending for themselves instead of putting us all in danger!" Another jumps in.

"There's three of them out there! Who's molting that bad!?" A dragon from the back shouts.

"We can't allow for this to continue! For generations we've led the rocs away from here, now that we started being all namby-pamby about us being friends with the ponies, all we've been getting is frequent visitations and more dragons getting eaten!" This particular dragon flies up from the crowd to directly shout her words to Ember. "Your way of doing things is going to get us killed!"

I take observation of the furious crowd and mutter over to Garble. "Everyone is so hostile here."

"You would be too if your way of life is threatened on a monthly basis." Garble answers back quietly.

A scrawny male dragon jumps up to point his finger at the leading dragoness who's a good seven inches taller than him. "Clearly you're not fit to be the dragon lord! You're strong, but that's all you got from Lord Torch!"

"We want the old dragon lord back!" An elder dragon calls out from the midsection, prompting a lot of agreement from the crowd.

Garble nudges me with a smirk. "Peh, that's your queue."

"SILENCE!" As the crowd still shared some audible complaints, Ember tries to establish some reason to them. "THE ROCS WILL TAKE WHAT THEY WILL AND LEAVE OUR LANDS SOON ENOUGH! WE WILL NOT BE HARRASSED BY THEM ANY FURTHER ONCE THIS IS DONE! WE'VE DISCUSSED THIS I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY TIMES! THEY WILL CLAIM WHO THEY WILL AND LEAVE!"

"There! Are! Three of them!" The scrawny one sounds out. "They look like they're doing more than poking around for a snack!" Five rubies say he's worried about being next.

One dragon comes rushing in from the back of the cave to make an announcement. "Another two were sighted over the southern forest!"

"Great! That makes FIVE now!" It seems that the scrawniest and smallest adult dragon of the bunch also happens to be the most vocal towards Ember. "So much for 'They'll go away!' I don't recall there ever being five rocs infesting the island at once!"

"What do we do about this!?" Another cries out.

As Ember is showing more and more signs of being ignored, and also being burdened with the stress and pressure, she seeks me out and calls on me. "Spike, as much as I still think of you as a risk to the others, you're the only real resource we have to getting some reinforcement. I'm willing to grant you early leave from the island, but you need to inform the ponies of Equestria that we may need their help─"

"Ponies!? Those things snack on us like we're a cheap bag of gems and you want the soft and squishy ponies to come out and help us!?" Says the smallest and softest dragon in the whole cave right now.

This time, Garble enters the fray. "Those ponies are stronger than they lead on! We've seen them in action before! We fought alongside them!"

"That's because there were windigos circling the sky! Any colder and we would've been automatically put into hibernation until the ice thaws! We didn't have a choice then!" The small dragon voiced out boisterously.

"And we don't have a choice now!" Ember silences him with her sharpened response before looking back to me. "Spike, please... help us."

...And wouldn't you know it, it's almost as if I haven't left my post as Royal Friendship Advisor.

After four weeks of being on the island, now I'm forced to do my job on the island I've been confined to. But all at the same time, I can't really offer to help them until I reduce the number of variables that can cause something like this to happen again in the near future. The only sensible outcome I can come to is the fact that there's a lot of molting dragons.

In fact, that makes plenty of sense. All the eggs I helped Ember hatch, the absurd amount of eggs that were laid, this time of year being the dragon migration which also brings about rampant mating, that means those dragons born around this time grow up eventually, and there's more than a few, which means there's dozens out there molting right now.

Dozens upon dozens of dragons if not hundreds, molting at the same time, during the tail end of the dragon migration. It more than adds up. Those rocs see this as open season, and rightfully so. Now that narrows down the cause, let's work on a possible solution. "Can I say my peace before I agree on anything?"

"Just hurry up and get those squishy ponies already so they can snack on them instead of us!" I'm almost ready to go chuck that guy at the lot of them for bait.

I calm myself and bring my attention back to the dragon lord. "Ember, what are we doing to protect the molting dragons?"

"Nothing, that's what! Let them fend for themselves! If they make it, they can live like the rest of us! If they don't, then it wasn't meant for them to be here in the first place!" REALLY about to just leave him tied to a boulder for them to find.

I turn to the crowd on that note, calling them out for what they do. "I know that some of you at least had to have laid the eggs that they hatched out of! I know you know which ones have your features. So what about that!?"

"Does it matter?" Of fucking course he's still talking.

I had enough, I direct my attention directly to the scrawny yet vocal bastard. "I find it hard to believe that you all don't see the issue of leaving your own out there to die, much less the ones that aren't strong enough to fend for themselves. And yet you all want to be saved instead?"

"We did our part! We live because we fight every day to do that!" He argues strongly.

"I've been here for the better part of a month. Do you all really fight so little that you don't know how to fight rocs?"

"Spike, I know it sounds absurd, but he speaks with reason here." Ember surprises me, and not in a good way, by taking on his merits. "Fighting dragons over gems and stuff is one thing, but fighting rocs is different!"

"Yeah, I know! I fought one!"

Gasps sound throughout the room with the resounding exception of the scrawny dragon. "That's probably because those ponies helped you, didn't they!?"

"EXACTLY!" I shout out as he defeats one of his own arguments. "I'M HERE BECAUSE MY FRIENDS LOVED ME ENOUGH TO COME BACK FOR ME WHEN I VENTURED OUT ON MY OWN, THINKING THAT I HAD TO GO MY OWN WAY! THEY TOLD ME OTHERWISE, THAT I DIDN'T HAVE TO GO AT LIFE BY MYSELF! THEY TAUGHT ME THE VALUE OF PROTECTING THE ONES AROUND YOU!"

He makes yet another crude argument. "Well those ponies have more than enough of themselves to throw at the rocs! We dragons don't! And if we go out there acting like a bunch of ponies, there will be less of us to go around! We fought to survive up to this point!"

"WHICH IS WHY IT DOESN'T MAKE FUCKING SENSE!" I shout again as he defeats yet another one of his own arguments. "THINK ABOUT IT, YOU FOUGHT OUT OF AN EGG JUST TO BREATHE THE AIR FOR THE FIRST TIME, YOU FOUGHT OTHERS WHEN COMING UP JUST SO YOU CAN LIVE, THEN YOU FOUGHT AND RAN TO AVOID THE ROCS WHEN YOU WERE COMING UP, AND THEN YOU FIGHT FOR TERRITORY TO OWN ONCE THAT'S ALL OVER! You wanna know what's really crazy, YOU FIGHT TO PUT THOSE LITTLE GUYS IN THE WORLD, IT'S LITERALLY PART OF THE MATING PROCESS! I'm pent up to hell trying to find out who I'm gonna be chasing after in a year, AND YOU ALL ARE SCARED TO EVEN FIGHT FOR THE ONES YOU BROUGHT HERE! HOW, MAKE IT MAKE SENSE TO ME!"

"Dragons are different! If they can't defend themselves, then they can't be one of us." In comes Torch with a particularly conservative viewpoint.

I point up to the hulking dragon and his daughter. "You want to continue the dragon race, right?"

Ember answers for her father, who's upset that I dared to point a claw at him. "It's my duty to make sure the dragons continue to exist. It's my obligation as dragon lord."

"Then you tell them to fight those rocs out there. You tell them to defend the ones who can't fend for themselves! That's what makes a community thrive! Send in the ones who can fight the best, so that way we can have more dragons who will grow up stronger, be wiser, kinder, and more protective of their own! Where's your sense of dragon pride!?"

Ember shows a lot of hesitation, apparently wanting to voice agreement. But with the limitless amount of faces staring back to her to validate their reason for not going in, she feels a great deal of pressure to speak for her populace. "Spike. I don't know if they'll do that."

"You're the dragon lord, remember? Whatever you command, they'll do." I remind her.

"It's too dangerous." She argues, this time a lot more firm on her position. "If we go out there and dispatch those five rocs, how many of us do you think they'll go through before they all leave us alone?"

She elects to keep her dragons out of the fight, mainly for their protection. But I seek to start a movement within some of those who quietly think like her. However, the only way I can do that is to call her out publicly and make her act on her obligations. I take a deep breath, assessing the risk that this would further damage our diplomatic relationship, and speak with an iron resolve. "You know what, you can stay here and hide with your dragons, and show your so-called compassion to these bitches, because that's exactly what they are right now."

She immediately calls me out for my insult. "Now you know that's out of line, Spike!"

"Then stop me!" I pat on my chest repeatedly.

"As dragon lord, I command you to stand down, Spike!" She announces loudly.

"As the Friendship Ambassador of Equestria, I hereby say your instruction will be duly noted, your highness. But as Spike the Dragon, I formally say kiss my scaly ass with that shit!" I fly off to the mouth of the cave, announcing myself loud enough that my voice echoes off the walls. "Now I'm going to save those kids, you can stay here and give these wimpy dragons all the pillows and blankets you can get from future trades. I'll even be sure to stitch some together personally when I get back, since all of you are so fucking soft!"

Garble quickly jumped in my way, impeding my exit for a short while. "Woah, Spike. Are you sure you wanna go out there and take on five rocs like this? Remember, you're the one who said you don't like fighting."

While he has a point about my preferences against violence, I never said that I wasn't afraid to fight. In fact, I'm encouraged by the circumstances that surrounds me. Most often times, my fight is within the dockets of democracy and politics. But I do fight when it is necessary, not when it's for self-gain. I mean it can be for my gain, but it has to be for someone else above me.

Funny... all those years ago I thought he was fighting just to get some action, put a princess or two in a mating press just so he can brag about it to his friends. It took me up till recent years for me to understand it a little more, that it wasn't just for the action. He did it outside of himself mainly, he benefitted to an extent, but he suffered far worse because of the scope of who he was trying to protect.

I'm not going to be in his position, but I am going to take example from him. "I think I told you that story already. A guy I know, he was captain of the guard some years ago, a human. Didn't know anything about the world we lived in, but he didn't shy away from the craziest things that stood in his way. He got banged up pretty bad in his fights, but he never gave up." I whisper into his ear my intent, all while glancing back at Ember from the side of my eye. "Sometimes, it takes a fool to charge in for the so-called 'wise' to see their potential. If dragons revere bravery and accomplishment as much as they do strength, they'll kick it into gear eventually."

As I'm about to dart off, Garble holds my arm and makes a quiet comment about his standing. "Spike, I know you're pretty crazy. I'd help you, but I'm still a dragon bound to code. What the dragon lord says goes, you know that."

I smirk and pat him on his shoulder. "In other words, I'll see you soon."

I penned a letter to Twilight for the first time in a month. I know she's probably worried sick about me because I haven't really gotten around to writing her. I mean my mind was on other things, and my claws were working the shaft almost every other hour. I'm sure she wouldn't want any of my letters to her to smell like sulfur, ash, and dragon cum. I don't want another situation like the dating app incident, so I played it safe. Unfortunately if there were any lingering scents, she would have to endure it for now.

Once I blew my flame to send that off, I looked off to the distance, seeing the five rocs circling in pattern above an open area of the Phoenix Forest. I mutter to myself my own thoughts. "Twilight, I hope you can get here soon."

Without me knowing, a voice pops out from beside me. "So... what are those?"

I'm startled to see a brown dragon sitting next to me, but I'm now aware of the disguise. "You're here again?"

Ocellus smiles proudly as she commends herself for her stealth. "You know I'm good for blending into a crowd. And that show you put on earlier, that was pretty convincing."

"You gotta stop popping in like that, you almost gave me a heart attack." I shake my head at her and look back to see the giant predatory birds soaring high in the distance. "I guess I can get around to answering your question now. Those are rocs, we dragons are prey to them."

"Huh..." She murmurs curiously. "Never imagined a fire-breathing entity to be lower in the food groups to a giant bird."

"Yeah, and you look like you could fit the bill." I warn her. "You need to get out of here."

"Why should I?" She shrugs.

"Beeecaaause it's dangerous?"

"Okay, and I'm not used to danger? I'm so sorry that my pony-like posterior isn't something that's capable of a bit of posturing." She replies with a bit of sarcasm.

"This is a different kind of danger here." I stress again.

"How many times have I heard that over the past number of years?" She asks as she walks past me, letting the spear of her tail tickle at my nose. I slap it down to avoid sneezing.

"I just hope Twilight got my letter." I say in a nasally voice, still holding back a sneeze.

"I'm sure she did." She said as she tickles my nose with her tail again.

I end up sneezing directly at her, sending both fire and smoke in her face. I cover my mouth in horror for a moment before I notice that she's smirking back at me, just as unaffected as a dragon would be to high temperatures. She even gives me a few flutters of the eyes before turning around. Sometimes she annoys me... and others I'm tempted to punish her for it in a very promiscuous way.

Hey now, I'm on the downturn of dragon lust, it doesn't mean I won't breed her senseless. "Let's go. You stay behind me."

"To watch your back..." She playfully swats at my tail. "Got it." She answers innocently.

I'm thinking with my dick here... But yeah, she's earned that top spot of my speed dial when I get my phone back.

Okay, now naturally in a situation with an urgency such as life or death, I'm a lot more focused on what all needs to be done. I've established myself in that aspect many times before, even when I have some inherent thoughts or maybe some sidewinders from the right side of my brain. But it's becoming more and more apparent that dragon lust enhances those distractions even in the midst of a cool-down period.

Case in point: Every time Ocellus walks in front of me.

She purposefully aligns herself in my line of sight, almost teasing me with every sway her hips make in stride. I have to tell myself it's a basic walk cycle dragons have, that I shouldn't be so distracted by something so small... well yeah by dragon standards she is a bit on the petite side in that form. But all I can think about is the moments she stayed true to her relatively thick self, planting her haunches on top of me without giving me the horny honor of plugging her shut. Why am I like this?

But she's not even trying, she's being serious about the search and rescue effort. Yeah she was toying with me earlier, but she's operating under a sober disposition while I'm still thirsting. She's checking every bush and tree, making sure we're not being followed or pursued. I stop to look for stragglers and survivors, then look up to see her bending over in the midst of her search, and my priorities are altered as instant as magic.

Though that attention span of mine is brought right back to the present as a large shadow darkens the forest for a split second before clearing back up. I see the looming feathers of a roc gliding overhead, maintaining it's position.

"I never imagined rocs to be so big up close." Ocellus comments.

Seriously, how did she not imagine that when she could see them as clear as day from a considerable distance? "That's the going rate."

She appears stumped, not really understanding what it is we're looking for besides trouble from above. "Hey, is there any way we can identify where these little ones are?"

I politely inform her. "Follow your nose and see what it tells you."

She quirks a brow before shrugging and sniffing the air. We start walking along again, hoping to hit on a trail before we're noticed. It doesn't take long before the disguised changeling gags. "It smells pretty bad in this direction."

"Then we're not too late. Let's go."

I'm right back in the mode of getting things done, distractions are a side point now. While Ocellus appeared to be hanging back because of the smell, I braved the odorous scent and tracked down the source of the pungent aroma. Before long, I was greeted with a group of young dragons of varying sizes. Each of them had red and purple stone scales all over them, some of them trying to stick around each other while holding one back from running off out of fear when the bushes rustled.

As I showed myself, they realized I wasn't a threat. The taller one approached me with a quiet plea as Ocellus finally caught up to us. "Help us, please."

"I'm sorry, what was that?" She asked the young dragon.

Before he could take a breath to speak, I plugged his mouth shut with my claws. "Don't answer." I look back to the disguised changeling and inform her cautiously. "Ocellus, the reason why I don't want them speaking is because their voice has massive volume influxes. So they either whisper like a mouse, or they roar like a lion begging to get an obituary."

One of the smaller dragons even provided some ill-timed evidence of that issue by sniffing one of their fellow molting comrades. I'm sure they meant to whisper, but... "Ugh, you stink!" ...nature had other plans. The small dragon immediately covered their snout and sniffled with remorse. "Sorry."

"That's natural." I reassure for a moment, looking over to see if Ocellus had gained anything from the experience. But I'm surprised that she's taking the rank odor in a relatively calm stride. "How are you not affected by the smell anymore?"

She smiles proudly, pulling out a small tub of jelly. "A trick one of the humans brought to my attention some years ago when dealing with unfortunate circumstances, cause element bearer, bound to see and smell some unforgettable things. Add some Vaseline beneath your nostrils, you're all set."

"Really?" I ask her, which she replies with a confirming nod. I take her up on the suggestion. "Wish you'd taught me that trick sooner." I dig a claw in and apply the jelly under my nostrils. While I still smell the odor to an extent, the overpowering mint scent overrides much of my olfactory responses. So that really strong cotton-candy, sulfur, diet sewage smell is mostly phased out. I give her a thumbs up to show my thanks and bring my attention back to the kids. "Okay, I know this is gonna sound like a lot, but try not to scratch yourself. You'll just grab more attention with the smell. The last thing you want is for the rocs above us to feel like they found themselves a scratch-and-sniff in the food catalog."

Almost on cue, there's a young dragon already going to town on themselves, reaching behind themselves and clawing away at the discolored scales on their body. The taller dragon of the group quickly calls out the main offender. "Didn't he just say not to scratch?"

*SCREEEEEEECH*

That's trouble. "Down!"

Well all drop to the ground as a pair of talons the size of trees sweep through the forest, clutching at branches and bark in the midst of it's flyby. The green canopy that once concealed us has become a break in the usually verdant path to the sky. I feel my tongue warm rapidly while I ready my fire for it's second dive.

Ocellus takes note of the predator's appearance, pointing out it's beak in particular. "Not to alarm you or anything... It's beak is really bloody."

Signs of an unfortunate victim or two. I issue command to the others as I stand up to try to intercept it's second dive. "We save who we can, no excuses."

One of the younger dragons holler in horror. "It's looking this way!"

It screeches loudly upon it's descent, but rears back it's talons as I unleash a consistent torrent of green flames upon them. The intense heat drives the wary predator away from us, if only for a moment. I call out while in a rush of adrenaline. "Yeah, you better run!"

Ocellus makes a note of what happened. "So they don't like fire, good to know."

"Normal fire, they can handle. But remember, I don't breath normal fire." I strongly advise her.

She stops for a moment and appears confused. "Okay, so is that like a magic fire that's specific to only you?"

I expound on things a little further. "Not entirely. There's normal fire that most dragons breathe on a regular basis, then there's laughing fire, fury fire, belching fire, and enchanted fire. I'm an enchanted type. Ember could work out too because she's a fury type who also has access to enchanted fire."

Ocellus grows more and more curious and cross-eyed. "So what about laughing types?"

"Every dragon has it, but they have to be laughing. This ain't something to laugh about." I briefly summarize for time.

"Belching fire then?" She asks in similar fashion.

As I am about to explain, I hear a belching sound, accompanied by a red flame incinerating a nearby tree. Both the disguised changeling and I look at the tree and the young dragon responsible for it's destruction. "Yeah, that."

"SORRY!!!" The dragon blurted out with an uncontrollable volume, gaining the attention of another roc in the area. Now there were two of them closing in on our position with murder on their mind, and a stomach to fill.

"Run!" I called out to everyone, causing them to scatter. "Stay close to the ground, you'll have a better chance of it grabbing a tree over grabbing you! And whatever you do, don't run straight if it dives at you!"

"Or what?" Ocellus inquires in a hurry.

"You wanna find out how a roc's breath smells like from the inside of it's mouth?"

"No thanks, I'll pass." No hesitation on that response, and for good reason.

I stop and wait for a moment to pretend I'm cornered against a tree, I start to feel my throat grow warmer by the second. I see the roc coming in for a swipe, which is what I'm banking on. The predator grabs a chunk of the earth, a clump of dirt, trees, and me along with it. I'm in it's captivity but only in a loose grip thanks to the dirt falling away. I'm close enough to get a clean shot of it's chest. The wind blows wildly past us as we soar through the air at a breaking speed, but the air isn't enough to quench the heat I have for this unfortunate bird. I unleashed all I held, burning feathers and flesh alike. The bird halts it's advance, just long enough for me to get a better look at it's flapping wing. I reload, take aim, and unleash a torrent of green, superheated flames to it, and with such intensity that I reduce much of the bird's feathers used for flight. The crucial blows sends the predatory beast spiraling to the ground, a trail of smoke signaling it's descent towards the earth. Upon landing, I take a large branch of the tree and drive it into the roc's chest.

The beast soon succumbs, and I look back at my handiwork. Personally, I'm pretty impressed that worked out for it being something I heard Smolder doing. It seems her strategy checks out, I'll have to thank her later.

The younger dragons are impressed by the sight of the downed bird. "You really gave it to that one!" The taller one calls out proudly.

But that accomplishment is hard to pull off for consecutive tries. It's a risk that can easily go wrong, provide that the tree isn't strong enough to hold, or that I get caught up in a bunch of boulders, or even getting the full brunt of those talons, all could lead to severe injury or worse. Can't do that every time. "That's one down..." I mutter to myself. "Only four more to go."

"Spike, look out!"

The surprising call quickly grabs my attention, but I'm not quick enough to stop the incoming roc that noticed my compromising position. I'm grabbed straight on with those grueling talons and suspended into the air. I think quickly, concentrating my fire to the claws that continued to clutch down on me. I scratch and claw with complete desperation, adding in the effort of my fire to break one of the nails that clutched me down. I weasel my way out of the creature's grasp, but it's at a painful cost. On my way out, the webbing of my right wing is slashed through, and I'm unable to fly safely. I can only glide, but uncontrollably into the branches of a waiting tree. I take a tumble through the branches and fall to the ground.

Ocellus quickly gathers to me, noticing how I'm wincing in pain and favoring the injury. "Spike, your wing!"

"It's done for now, guess I'm grounded for the remainder of my time here." I grimace through it, trying to stand in the midst of all the pain. While my wings will heal over time, it doesn't bode favorably for at least a week.

The changeling drops her dragon disguise, her horn glows in the attempt to nurse my wing to good health. "Thank Celestia I know a thing or two about unicorn magic."

"Save it for something else." I urge, but she refuses to listen.

"Spike, I don't know how to fight rocs. If you stay down, we're all done here."

I groan with some frustration, trying to think of a solution to deal with the other roc that we ran into. "Really wishing Twilight wasn't so busy where she couldn't read my letter right now."

In the distance, I could see the same roc I partially declawed swooping in for another pass. The younger dragons gather around us. They aren't as interested in the changeling standing in the midst of them, especially when we're all staring death in the face. Ocellus gets jittery as she comments on our predicament. "So, on a scale from one to dragon lust, how done are we?"

"How many eggs you want?" I chirp back.

"I take it that's not a good response."

"It's not." I groan for a moment.

Almost at that instant, a bright beam of light zips in from overhead, making it's way towards the surging beast. It makes a direct impact, quickly sending the creature to the forest floor with a sizeable hole in it's chest. Upon falling, it stakes itself upon a tree, breaking the once-cauterized wound back open. The roc struggles for a moment before falling silent.

The younger dragons are amazed at the miraculous save, but I grow confused from it's source. "That wasn't Twilight's magic."

A motherly voice sounds from the sky above. "Sorry if I'm cutting into your fun!" Without further warning, the ground shakes lightly from the impact of a white alicorn mare landing firmly on her hooves. She raises her head, looking over to where I stood injured. "Ah, well isn't this a pleasant reunion."

Years ago, I remember the moment where this same alicorn along with her younger sibling graced Twilight with a crown as well as their responsibilities to rule the land. It was only a year ago when I last saw her face, she sported a much shorter mane than what the world was used to seeing her have. She was escorted in her chariot to the royal air station, to be charted off back to the west with her towering human husband.

And just like then, her smile never seemed to fade at any moment. "Princess Celestia!? How did you get here, and why are you here?" I know she's not a princess anymore, but habits are hard to break. Calling her by title is one of those habits.

At least she's not annoyed enough to correct me for it. "Actually, I was on my way over to deliver a bit of some good tidings to a fellow retiree of power. But obviously that can wait."

In speaking of retirees... "Wait, if you're here... then where's the hubby?" Would really love to run into him again because human weapons are really powerful. Him showing up with a sniper rifle would probably be the best thing ever right now.

"Hmm?... Oh, no no! He's still back in Silver Shoals at the school." And just like that, my hopes are dashed. Obviously she's still got him in bubble wrap ever since that whole terrorist incident in Canterlot some years ago. She's overtly protective of him, but then again I understand why.

Ocellus greets the former princess with a bow. "Your highness─"

"Celestia or Cella, just call me either of those. And save the bowing for the one who wears the crown now." And there it goes, figure she would get irritated by it sometime during this venture. "Okay, so here's the status update. There are at least nine of those things around here."

"NINE!?" I shout almost to the top of my lungs.

The former ruler flicks a bit of her shortened mane as she thinks aloud. "Well to update the status update, I guess that makes it eight now."

I'm still upset that our odds are even worse right now, I argue against the princess about her assessment. "There were two in this area alone. I killed one, and you did away with that other one."

"Yes, there were ten floating around. We got two. So again, eight." She points out yet again.

I groan with despair, already thinking the worst of this situation. "How do we fight off that many?"

The former ruler gives me a cheeky smile. "I don't know, maybe I can ask a few friends about that one." She looks up to the sky, watching as a large shadow looms overhead.

To my surprise, it's lord torch hovering in with his commanding presence. Behind him are an assortment of dragons, big and small, old and young, each of them flying behind the duo that leads them. And the one who descends down first is the one who carries the scepter.

Ember immediately notes my condition. "SPIKE!"

While I'm not surprised, I like the fact that she still came forward, even if it might cause her some flak later on. "Wow, so you actually came through."

Ember politely bestows her scepter to Celestia, who holds it in her magic long enough to let the dragon lord lay into me with a loud lecture. "You actually came here! You dumbass, how are you going to run into some rocs trying to make a nest by yourself and think that you'll get out of it alive!?"

"Wait, there's a roc nest?" I ask, completely astounded.

"They're trying to establish one. The fact that you're even here only makes matters worse." Before long, she notices the lingering odor of the molt taking place. She coughs out of recoil. "And that... that's what's drawing them in. Who's molting?"

"Them over there." I point casually towards the group of young dragons.

"It's not just us." The taller dragon announces. "We're just a scouting party for gems and stuff. There's another forty of us deeper in the forest."

"AND YOU'RE ALL TOGETHER!?" Ember seemed to seethe with rage as she called out the young troupe, causing them to shiver out of fear.

"W-w-we just th-th-thought that we could beat the molt and the rocs if we stuck together, us molters. We didn't know we would draw in so many. We're sorry."

With the truth revealed, I looked to the dragoness. "Okay, now's your moment. Either leave them to suffer, or show them the compassion they deserve. Your choice."

Of course she's hesitant, but she succumbs to the pressure of having Celestia nearby. After all, she's our only life line outside of Torch. "...This smell is gonna get on my nerves."

Ocellus then jumps at the opportunity to give me the Vaseline she used. I offer her the tub, she looks back at me with bewilderment before Celestia explains the reason. "You might want some of that under your nose."

"Why?" She asks.

"Trust me, I know."

It took a while for us to get close to the gathering of molting dragon youth. We had to fight off a number of rocs to get there, and we also disrupted their nest-making process to stop them from getting established in the dragon lands. Ember won't say it out loud, but my calling her out managed to be to the benefit of the entire dragon race.

Since the younger dragons were brought up more on the ideals of how we operate in a modern Equestrian society, it made perfect sense that they would try to look out for one another. Ember didn't quite see that, I'm sure none of the dragons paid any attention to it because they don't really look after the younger generations they simply breed into existence. Even Ember's attention is more divested in keeping the eggs warm, and the whole idea was that they could fend for self once they were born. In that perspective they succeeded, but the overwhelming molt smell became something that attracted some unwanted real estate.

Again, it's something that they'll have to deal with more often in the near future. But this go around is a great way to start learning how to further unify all us dragons as a species, even when there's some minor inconveniences involved. Plus this also adds to the relatively small list of trade demands dragons now have. So that makes both pillows and Vaseline the primary imports for the dragon lands.

Huh, seems my job follows me even when I don't want it to.

After all was said and done, the younger dragons finished their molt, and were reintegrated into dragon society. The young dragons from earlier happily thanked me and Ocellus for reaching out to them when they needed help, as well as saving them from the first two rocs. Ocellus was also given a offering specially made from the dragons, just a simple quartz rod, crudely crafted, but it's the thought that counts.

While we're still in the midst of our celebration, I can't help but to notice both Celestia and Torch casually having a back-and-forth. Ember also notices it and questions her father about their acquaintanceship. "So, how do you two know each other again?"

Celestia looks towards the gargantuan dragon and chuckle with friendly glee. "Well if you want to know, it started some centuries ago. Torch visited our lovely little mountain way back when. He really caused one hell of an uproar when he managed to shut down our mining operation, not that I was complaining much about it. My nobles demanded I do something about it, and I sent my best guard to check things out. My best guard came out in bad shape, so I went in to check for myself, and there he was."

"She visited me for a while." Torch continues. "I told her that I struck a deal with that pegasus she sent in for me. All throughout the time, we were pretty frequent, at least once a month or so. But that all changed when that pegasus fellow turned up as mincemeat one of those days. So when she stopped visiting, and I got tired of finding bones and rotting corpses in my gems, I flew off."

"Well, that's comforting." Ember mutters sarcastically.

"So yeah, I heard you got a mate now, got married and all that last year. Ember kept my ear to it. How's the meatbag you got now?" Torch asks the former princess.

"Adorable, kind, sweet, a little rough around the edges but I don't love him any less for it. He could easily say the same about me."

Torch goes on to make fun of his fellow retiree. "And you snuck out the house without telling him. I take it that honeymoon part of your marriage is beyond over now."

"Hardly!" She rebuts passionately. "That man does things to me I didn't even know was a thing until he taught them to me. I have been alive for well over a thousand years you know, and I never once thought that something as simple as breathing would lead to longer-lasting orgasms."

The claws of my feet quite literally crack the ground as I tense up from the shock of her making sex into a casual conversation. Like seriously, is this the same Princess Celestia I knew from Twilight's school days? Torch laughs at my visible reaction. "HA! Look at that puny bastard. Couldn't handle a real conversation even when it lands in his lap."

Ember isn't too easy-going about the conversation either. "Dad... please, change the subject."

Torch continues on. "Ah, what it is to be young and consumed in dragon lust. The two of you are so naïve, it's rich."

Celestia chuckles as she looks at me. "Oh no, Spike! What is Twilight doing to you? Is she not giving you the time you need to yourself?"

I look away from her awkwardly. "It's... it's a long story."

"Poor thing! Have you mated yet?" Just the fact that it's her voice asking me that question has my cheeks red with embarrassment.

Torch answers the question for me. "Not even once! He's too scared to wrestle up with any female around here, much less my daughter. He doesn't even realize that fighting is pretty much foreplay!"

"DAD!" Ember shouts out of shock.

"Oh don't be ashamed, Spike. I understand if you don't want to get a little physical to start off with." She says, trying to ease my nerves. "Though if you want my personal preference, getting into a battle is like a pre-marital workout."

Nevermind, lady, nevermind!

"I don't do much in fighting these days, and I don't take much of a beating either. So the aggression's got to come from somewhere. I don't think I've even learned what it meant to overcome my own pain until my husband slapped me on my ass that one time in Ponyville. He called me 'sunbutt', like what captain of mine does that?"

MA'AM!

"At one point I was so scared of whips because of... reasons. But my husband really got me to understand trust, ensuring safety, consent, aftercare, hydration, obedience..." A most unfamiliar smile crept to her lips, one I sure haven't seen before. "...I'm a good girl, until I want to be."

...Oh my Faust. "Did that really need to be said out loud?"

Celestia turns to me, still with that lust-driven smile on her face. "Spike, I know this is going to sound awkward to you, but I think the dragons are on to something with the whole 'fighting before mating' thing. Adrenaline, blood flow, and preconditioning. Like yeah I fought some rocs, and I'm sure my husband is looking for me right now, he's the scarier of the two, and I'm not going back home until he finds me because I cut off my phone. But when he does find me, I'm getting dragged back home by my tail and my husband is going break the box springs again."

"Feeling a bit bratty, are we?" Torch asks.

She whispers under a giggle. "Whatever gets him to hit me harder." Holy hell, she's full-blown kinky.

Torch's nostrils fill with smoke as he cries out with excitement. "That's the spirit! I like this meatbag the more I hear about him!"

Ember's face reddens deeply, she covers her face from the embarrassment. "You know, I want to preface this by saying that you two are certifiably insane." I point out.

"Well we all have to be that way at some point in our life, Spike." Celestia states proudly. "Just be sure it's sooner rather than later. Don't leave any room for regrets."

"CELESTE DELANISE VALKYRIE, HERE! NOW!"

As the voice seemingly booms from all around us, I look down to see a massive shadow enclosed on her position. She giggles, tapping her hooves in glee. "Ooh, in speaking of regrets! Well Torch, this was fun and I wish I could stay, but I have a score to beat!" A shadowy tendril climbs from the massive shadow and wraps itself around her body, threatening to take her under. "Now one more tip for mating, Spike. Gently push down two to three inches above where you enter, she'll love it and squirm harder."

As soon as the tendril finishes wrapping around her, all that remained of her was some loose feathers floating in the air as she was violently taken under. The shadow disappears completely as Torch taps his chin in thought. "Huh... I never thought to do that one. Theories for later, I guess."

...So how do I go about telling Twilight her former mentor evolved into a dick demon?

Shortly after the celebrations, Ocellus took her leave back to the mainland. I also had a few dragon females trying to set an appointment with me, which Ember sternly denied. I got some much-needed rest in spite of the pain in my wing, and my other wounds on my body healed up just fine.

The next morning, I was a bit pent up and had to work off some of that stress from yesterday. I went with the usual method, took me a good lava bath, and took to the shoreline. I walked the black sands of the beach, taking in the combination of both the peaceful silence, as well as the chaotic crashes of waves landing ashore. Interestingly, the place really is beautiful if you just go from the start of the vegetation line leading out to the water. The sand is glossy, composed of larger bits of worn minerals, quartz, and obsidian. The occasional speckling of white came from the shells that drifted in from the sea.

"Spike!"

I turn to my side, seeing Ember floating towards me with a hold of all the things I came in with. She carefully places the sack down to the ground, anticipating me to grab what's mine. "Really, I'm getting booted out now?"

"Well, a promise is a promise. It's been a month." She states matter-of-factly.

"But I haven't found a mate since I've been here, at least one I wanted personally." I bring to her attention. "Doesn't that mean that I'll have to be back here in a little while?"

"No doubt about it." She warns. "You're not totally out in the clear yet. You're just mild-tempered until you find that one who'll get it out of your system. So don't be surprised if you're brought back here in your sleep."

I take that thought into consideration, and promptly shut it down. "I'm not too keen on being in the dragon lands. I mean, I am Canterlot hatched and raised you know."

"Yeah, whatever."

I look back at my injured wing and favor it for just a moment. "So... Maybe next time you'll go easy on me?"

"As if." She says with a smile. "You still gotta beat me before you get me. Those are the rules, no favoritism."

I sigh in defeat. "Well, guess I'll try elsewhere."

Her tone quickly changed to a more critical one. "And where do you think that'll be? Huh? How do you think you'll get with any dragon female around here if you can't even win one little spar with me? You'll be in for a thousand sleepless nights before you dare set me aside for some other dragon around here!"

I'm honestly flustered at her strange, threatening method of a confession. But I am even quicker to use it as ammo against her. "At least you're saying it openly."

Her eyes pop wide open before she pouts and looks elsewhere. "You know, I could still beat you up if I felt like it."

"Now you're just being violent."

"SO WHAT ABOUT IT!?" She hollers, letting her voice ring across the beach. She realizes that she lashed out at me and tries to correct herself. "Sorry. I still a little competitive."

"Dragon lust?" I ask.

"...I'm just a little better about managing it. Doesn't mean I'm perfect at it."

"We all gotta start from somewhere, I guess." I reply.

Ember picks up an obsidian stone, smoothly polished from the waves of the ocean from off the ground. "I know it's a lot now, but dragons do get better about it as they age."

"Does that mean you'll be more open to being romantic later on?" I question her, causing her to become sheepish about answering.

"I guess, I don't know."

"It seems to me your dad grew a soft spot for you over time, keeping you close, looking after you, protecting you─"

"Sheltering me. My dad was sheltering me, at least until I became the dragon lord." She looks towards me directly, her cheeks flushed as she struggles through her own thoughts. I can see her at conflict with herself before she finally speaks again. "One clutch."

"Huh?"

"One clutch." She says as she holds up one claw to match her offer. "You made me dragon lord. Hell, you were the dragon lord before me. So yeah, when you get strong enough, I'll bring up and look after one clutch we have together. That's my only offer, take it or leave it."

I grow a bit nervous... okay, really nervous because I know that's her way of saying we're having kids together. I stammer as I tell her my honest feelings on it. "Uh... I-I don't know if I'm really ready to be a f-father yet."

"Spike, we're dragons." She answers casually. "The eggs will hatch, they'll be fine when they get out. We don't have to do all of that until you absolutely want to, which even by dragon standards is really unusual." I even think of giving her an answer, but she stuffs the rock in my mouth before I can say anything. "Take a moment to think about it first, and then get stronger."

I spit the rock out of my mouth and gather my things. As I go down a checklist, I give her a final instruction before I take my leave across the sea. "You just be sure to keep those little ones safe next time. Don't want a hungry nest of rocs to get any bright ideas."

"We'll be sure to keep them in a cave deep underground where the rocs can't get to them." She confirms. "Just be sure to get some of that funky human construction equipment from Canterlot over this way so we can start digging."

Finally, some infrastructure. I'd thought they'd never ask. "That won't be a hard request to file. I'll be sure to put that on the list along with the pillows."

I take up my travel sack and head out towards the sea, waving at Ember as she starts to disappear in the distance.

Ember stops waving as the purple dragon disappears into the distance. She sighs as Garble lands beside her. "You sure you'll be fine with him going like this?"

A smirk develops on her face. "He'll be back."

"More like he'll be chasing that female from the start of next month onward." Garble comments.

Ember smirks with confidence. "Who's says he'll be chasing her?"

The red drake appeared perplexed with her confidence. "Wait, didn't you knock him out and say that he got marked?"

"And you don't think I didn't mark him over once he was out cold?"

The male dragon jumped back in shock. "Whoa, power move."

The dragoness crosses her arms as she looks to the sea. "Oh yeah. In a month, Spike will be right back here looking for me again. And I'm gonna make sure he's strong enough to be considered worthy."

Garble nods for a moment until a realization hits him. "Uh... So wait, you didn't tell him that you marked him instead?"

"Why would I do something like that? I'll let his instincts lead him back to me."

The male dragon then informs her of his unintended error. Slowly. "Because he's worried that he'll be chasing after that other dragon female you told me about."

"So, what about it?"

"I... kinda told him to make provisions to avoid that."

Ember's head slowly turns towards Garble, her claws visually sharpening as she seethes towards him. "You WHAT!?"

The Next Morning in Canterlot...

*ACHOO!!*

Agony, thy name is Spike. The back of my throat is itchy like a bitch, my nose is reddened, my eyes are forever watering as my sinuses are tickled without end, all of this caused by the pollen of the dragon sneeze flowers I specifically requested. But it took a whole day since I got back for that request to be fulfilled, since Twilight apparently didn't get the letter I sent out. The request for help also had a post-script note telling her to have some of these flowers ready by the time I arrived.

I guess Celestia intercepted the letter and showed up in her place.

*Eh... ACHOOOO!!*

Twilight is looking at me as if I'm completely out of my wits. "You know you dragons are allergic to that, right?"

"Uh-huh..." I confirm in a congested manner before sniffling up some phlegm. "Ah cahnt breev."

"Then stop sniffing the damn thing." She urges.

"Ah cahnt!"

Chapter 5: Overtly Obsessed

It took a while for me to recover from that awful bout of allergies following my self-induced sniffing diet of dragon sneeze pollen. But now that it's been a week after that day, I'm back to being in top shape. This morning was the first time I could safely smell my pancakes without having to worry about snot getting in my syrup. Yeah, that wasn't fun.

Usually it's the royal chefs in the kitchen that give me the delicious start to my day, but this time Twilight made breakfast for me. Honestly, I couldn't be prouder of her and how far she came along throughout the years. I remember at some point in Ponyville, way back when we were still living in the Golden Oaks Library, she was capable of burning milk as it poured into a bowl. She called it science, I called it her absolute negligence in her assigned school electives in favor of magic study by having me represent her in home economics, namely 'bullshit' for short.

But throughout the years, she worked hard to improve her abilities, and after some instruction from a mature human woman that favored her friendship, she's gotten around to working the spice rack for all it's worth. Anytime she cooks, it's tastes like home-style love, days after a visit to church... even though I never really went to church, the long wait while your stomach grumbles as you're smelling the food, the final presentation on the dining room table, bowing our heads and thanking Faust for our meal, and that first bite that makes the sides of your cheeks sore from the overwhelming flavor.

Yeah, Mrs. Haines got her right. Faust bless her for it.

As the plate of pancakes land in front of me, I reach for the fork and instantly go for the heated syrup. No need for butter, she makes sure there's more than enough in the batter to make up for it. A cup of orange juice is sat next to me, along with a different side item for today, sausage. My eggs were done over easy, topped with salt, pepper, and just a hint of cilantro. I plug my fork into the side of the pancake, crudely cutting a slice for me to consume. As the soft and moist flapjack enter my mouth, I instantly forget about the gems most dragons snack on and hold my cheek like I'm in pain. But it isn't pain, it's the sensation of me finally getting my tastebuds back in full capacity, only to be decimated by Twilight's cooking.

I was gone for a month, and I couldn't have this... I swear I'm the victim of a war crime.

Twilight sits her own food down, predictably in greater portions than I'll ever ingest in a day. Girl always had the appetite of an arimaspi, and the metabolism of a wood chipper. While there was only three or four flapjacks on my plate, she had at least twenty. My two eggs, her dozen, My two links of sausage, her entire pack. And while I'm savoring the food, she's chowing down like it's about to walk out of her life like her ex-boyfriend.

I often tease her for it. "She has beauty, she has grace, she has syrup and egg yolk on the side of her face."

"Ah, the illustrious splendor of royalty." She doesn't skip a beat on her food, chomping down on an impaled stack of flapjacks.

She never changes, no matter where she is in life. "Twilight, do you think that maybe your table etiquette is another thing that drives away any potential guy looking to get close to you?"

"So what am I supposed to do, Spike? Eat less and slow down?"

"I already know about the alicorn metabolism. I've seen hints of it from both Celestia and Luna. But I don't think I've ever seen Cadance this bad."

"Then you haven't been around Cadance much after she gave birth to Flurry. You think I'm terrifying, wait until she demands a plate from that barbeque shack." Twilight laughs for a moment but starts to think aloud over that same idea. "I can't help but to wonder if there's any way we can increase the frequency of our trades between our two worlds."

Ah yeah, the current trade resolution between our worlds is a light one, but a useful one to boot. Any and all sources of modern construction has come from human infrastructure. And also a lot of our food ideas have been floating back from there too. Our griffon head chef haven't been able to replicate a lot of what's going on, so he orders some food and have it shipped in. It's another sign of our ongoing commercial exchange, but it's starting to prove too small of an exchange to keep stabilized.

As friendship ambassador, I made it one of my goals to establish an official business exchange between our two words, as opposed to enlisting one billionaire we also happen to know over on the other side to do our running around. The billionaire tycoon, Alex Haines, has a jewelry company that prides itself on exclusive imports, and you can't get anymore exclusive than importing your gems and metals from other worlds. That mantra alone has gained the eyes and ears of all of his fellow billionaire bracket dwellers. Precious jewels are imported in exchange for these favors, sometimes big, sometimes monumental, sometimes small, sometimes minute, and he does what he does on that end. He turns a profit and has the good shipped to a warehouse, the warehouse is secured from the outside with no windows, and at a certain hour we come through the portal there and collect the goods.

Things have been going like that for some years now, and sad to say that Alex alone can't keep the demand satisfied by himself. He's suggested going open with our trade, even so far as allowing exchange to happen between our worlds in official capacity. That means being an exclusive trade partner to the United States. However, that lofty goal is hard to itemize when you have one world with unknowing humans and another world with very knowledgeable creatures that also happen to not be humans. As for me, my goal is to assist in opening that line of communication between our two worlds, bringing us up as a player in the first officially recognized interdimensional trade exchange.

In short, I'll get the chance to do what he never got to do. "I'm sure he would've found something out. It's too bad he retired before he could get any traction going on that."

"I'm sure Mr. Haines just took one look at what his older brother was doing and said 'You got it' before dusting off his hands and calling it a career." Twilight sighs. "I mean the most that jerk could've done was not leave everything so open ended for me. Like seriously, why did he think dumping me over my first batch of cookies were a good idea?"

Did I ever mention that sometimes Twilight gets a little bitter about her ex boyfriend? "Hey if he didn't, you wouldn't be as good as you are now." I try to reassure her.

"Don't give him any credit, it was his mom that taught me everything I know."

"But he did introduce you to her, and that's what matters." I point out.

"Yeah, he introduced me to her, AS HIS GIRLFRIEND." She falls into a pout yet again. "...Which I was. I still can't believe I messed that one all the way up. And to make matters worse, he went for Celestia! He knew I couldn't win against her! Why couldn't he go for something simpler? He could've at least given me a fighting chance."

"You're still holding on to the past, Twilight. You gotta learn to put it behind you." I tell her for the umpteenth time.

"I know, I know!" She replies in a mode of frustration. "It's just that the things he did for me, the way he carried himself, all of that, it's like living the life of luxury on an airship, only to get demoted to coach class on a train. I mean I don't have any discrimination against riding coach on a train, but emotionally it doesn't feel the same, you know what I mean?"

"Yeah I know. But do you know what's just as emotionally draining for me?" I ask her, knowing she's going to tell me the correct answer out of defeat.

"Ugh... the fact that I keep going on about this?"

"The fact that you keep going on about this, yes."

Twilight downs a glass of orange juice almost as quick as a surly drunk. "I swear, it's between dad, Shiny, and you, all three of you just keep me stable in that regard. But it's not like I can be comfortable with just that anymore! I need that extra... push."

"You need someone to sleep with." I answered for her.

"Yes, ugh!" She drops her head into her pancakes in shame as she continues her early morning confession. "Keeping it real with you, Spike. I need dick in my life, just clopping off to books isn't what's getting it done for me. Toys feel great, but they don't hold me after, whisper sweet nothings in my ear, none of that. And it's not like I can just have a casual sortie with one of the guards without them telling their friends about it."

"Have you ever tried going into the human world?" I ask her.

"Like I haven't before!? I'm too tall! No guy wants a six-foot eight woman who could pass as a WNBA player. My height intimidates them. And the ones who are interested are much too short for me, like they look like a child!"

"They do say big things can come in small packages." I joke to her.

"Yeah yeah, but I can't see myself being happy with a four-foot six guy with a Napoleon complex begging me to crush their head in my thighs. It's not my kind of kink."

"Well I think your standards are way too specific." I reply.

"Well is it too much to find a guy who's willing to just take me as I am?"

"You mean find a human who would be willing to date a not-human female? A not-human female who also happens to walk on all fours, to openly and proudly engage in a public relationship with an equine? Well I'm sure it would fly, but you'd have to leave town to find someone like that. That or you could look up this weird phenomenon humans have called 'furries'. Bet you could really strike gold with that bunch." I suggest.

"I'm not looking to be fetishized, Spike. I'm looking for a relationship." She answers stubbornly.

"See, that's your problem!" I stand up out of my chair, pointing back at her. "That right there! You're too picky, too specific, too narrow-sighted! Like what if one of those guys ARE interested in having a committed relationship with you?"

"How am I sure that I'm not some sort of fetish realization for them? It works both ways, Spike!"

I sit back in my chair and throw my claws up in surrender. "Okay, Twilight. Just do you."

"Look, I know what it looks like, but I'm not trying to replace him." I look to her with an unimpressed expression as I force her to tell the truth. "Okay, I might be trying to fill in the blanks here and there. But still, is it really that bad to have a standard?"

"It's bad when you don't open yourself up to more opportunities because of that self-imposed standard. That's when it's a bad thing." I inform her.

"It's just a standard." She argues again.

"You have to let go, Twilight."

"I know. But I can still─"

"No buts!" I interrupt. "He's a married man now. Drop him."

Twilight sulks as she accepts the truth. "I'm not as attached as I used to be, Spike. I'm just angry with my younger self, I guess I'm just trying to make it up to her."

"She's you now." I inform her. "Do you remember that one time you tried to go back in time to warn yourself of an impending disaster, only to find out you've trumped it up to yourself over how bad it was? Well here we are again, stuck in that same loop in a different place in time, only you keep going forward to go back."

She finally picks her head up out of the stack of pancakes, one still impaled on her horn. "See, this is why I can't deal with you for too long. You're too real with me." She levitates the delectable flapjack from off of her and promptly stuffs her mouth with it. "Dad always tells me I will find someone. Shining tells me that I'll always be beautiful to someone. You just keep telling me the truth, and I don't like that."

"Who does?" I say as I finish my food. "Truth ain't pretty. You know that."

The high princess shakes her head, but smiles at me instead. "Thanks, Spike."

"Yeah yeah, same time next week." I mumble as I walk away.

But before I leave the room, I hear her call to me again. "Wait, are you sure you're not forgetting something?"

"What could I be forgetting?" I ask as I turn around. She's proudly holding up the phone she confiscated from me, then levitates it to me as though to present to me with a gift. "Wait, really?"

She warns me in a soft voice. "Just be careful who you send your stuff to. I don't want to be in your dating pool, and you don't want nobody holding your goods as hostage."

I gladly take back my phone and give her a thumbs up. "All good."

You already know what I did with my phone when I got back to my room.

Yup, I straight up went back into my dating profile and searched the messages I sent and to whom they were sent to. Once I found Ocellus' profile, I loaded up my best ammunition and shot my shot. Of course it was in the middle of the day, so I had to wait a while before she dinged my phone's notifications. That wait was pretty long, I was losing patience with every moment she didn't even show up on the read receipt. Then she did show up, only to leave me on read.

I went the whole day, waiting for a reply. And now she finally popped back in with one. "Hey there."

The speed to which I start typing and deleting is unrivaled. I'm trying to not sound so desperate, but also not trying to appear too indifferent. "Busy day?"

"Hardly." She replies back. "Pretty easy day. Stayed on my phone for most of it. 😊😊😊"

Well I'm sure excited to know her day was so easy that she elected to ignore me for most of it. "You were on your phone all day?"

"Yup."

God dammit, she's playing it cool. Now I'm on the defensive. Guess I could break the ice with a distraction. "I see you got a pretty large following."

"Yup.😊" These one-worded answers are killing me.

"I guess that's a lot of creatures to entertain. 😰"

"It can be. 😏" She's not even breaking a sweat.

Maybe I should be a little more forward since that's really more of her style. "Entertaining anyone right now?"

"Maybe. 😏"

"Livestream?"

"Nope. ❌" If only she would. "Can't do stuff like that when I work in education."

"Have you tried any work-arounds?"

"Idk... You tell me.😈"

Ugh, she's hard to pick online. "Am I the workaround?"

"Using my friends? I would never. 😇"

"You used me three weeks ago. For research."

"Research... 😇" She's playing coy.

Okay, I'm pushing up the pressure. "Got anymore experiments?"

"Nope. 😊" Well, that was anticlimactic.

"None at all?"

"Nope. Just hanging out with my friends now." She also sends me an image. I open it with the anticipation to see something I would like, only to see her posing with Smolder. "Guess who's asking about you."

Dammit, she's trying to cool the temperature. And I can't help but to keep it that way. "You two look like you're watching something."

"Clopperella of the Damned." She also sends an image of the couch, but there's an empty seat. "Silverstream was supposed to join us, but she's busy right now."

"Busy with what?" I ask.

"Gallus and her went upstairs."

From the way she was talking, I figured it was just a girls-night-out thing. Now Gallus disappeared from Canterlot to join them? "What's he doing there?"

Ocellus doesn't hold back on the answer. "🍆🔩🐱. Gallus is like 😩, Silva's like 💋👅💦👄 📣, and the two of us are here like 🙈🙉🙊. Movie's on like 🔊🔊🔊."

No wonder she's keeping the temperature low. It's already hot as hell where she's at. "Are they really that bad?"

She doesn't even send a worded reply. She sends a ten-second video clip of her sitting on the couch, her face halfway captured by the camera as it stares at the ceiling. I barely hear the movie in the background, but I can hear something else even clearer than that. It's faint, but very distinctive. On the video itself, there's a text in the middle. "That's not the ceiling fan that's squeaking."

"C'mon!"

"Shit!"

"Yeah baby! Fuck this pussy! C'mon!"

"Aaaagh... shit!"

"Smack it! YEAH!"

...Note to self: Silverstream is a hell of a power bottom.

"I forgot that we're all in the same age bracket." Yeah, it's hard to act my age when I'm stuck representing a whole country twenty-four hours a day. Meanwhile these guys get to save the world on special occasions, be teachers by day, and themselves by night. Maybe I should follow their example. "So... room for one more?"

"Sorry. Movie night's almost over anyways."

Well that sucks. "Bummer." Way to shut me down, Ocellus.

"Yeah... maybe next time." She types quickly. "Gotta go. Ttyl."

The green icon indicating her online status is replaced by an empty gray circle, showing she's offline. I sulk in defeat as I stew on the idea that Gallus had the time to leave his shift, drop out of town, haul ass to Ponyville, all to plug Silverstream during their free time. I know they've been involved for some time, but just hearing what was on that video...

I'm gonna replay it, aren't I... Yeah, it's playing now.

Just hearing how those two are going at it makes me jealous. It also makes me very much aroused. I look down at myself and think of whether or not I should feel guilty about spilling seed to a video with only some audio for stimulus, much less the actual actors in that clip. Actually, I don't think they'll mind it much, what they don't know won't hurt nobody.

I download the video and go back to Ocellus' page, perusing all of her media files. And just as she warned me, most of her pictures are awfully tame. A lot of cosplay, most of it dealing with famous figures in pop culture and movies. There's maybe a few role-playing videos where she displays her acting chops, needless to say she's very adept at it. But there were a few that teetered on the line between safe and very suggestive.

I wish I had her number. Maybe we could get into a video chat. She likes to tease and whatnot anyways, so it's not like she would have to do much. My imagination is pretty vivid, so I can already play make believe with the little I get. Maybe I'll just ask her to do simple stuff, since she has to play it safe. Work her up a little, get her sold on the idea of seeing each other again, just like I do now.

Damn, after all these years of being between Ponyville and Canterlot, I never thought Ocellus would be the one to get me like this. I mean it's hard to ignore that time she straddled her hips over me, planting herself on me while I wanted to go further. She drew a line and dared me to cross it. And I was somehow disciplined enough to not have my way with her back then. But if she let me, would I have lasted long?

*bla-king*

The top of my screen was a notification, a friend request on Snuggle. I hit the notification, seeing the name BabyGirl339 in bold print. I don't even hesitate, hitting the confirm prompt before I hop back in the bed, feeling myself becoming more and more turgid. I go to her profile, just to let my imagination run a little. But I am instead greeted by a much different media page.

Hooves tugging skirts and dresses to hide compromising views. Sultry gazes at the camera as she licks the length of a longways lollipop. Tactical censorship involving a plushie of a purple and green dragon slotted between her haunches as the camera faces her, her eyes looking away coyly as she lays on her back. A picture with her standing on her hind legs with a translucent night gown on, barely outlining the shadow of her feminine form as the slightest web of her secretions breech the hem of her gown, she stares with a bitten lip with the text at the middle of the screen saying 'You wanna see?'.

Jackpot.

But as I select the picture, Ocellus' name pops up for a video chat request. My nostrils smoke a little at the suggestion of what could happen next. I accept the request and I'm quickly greeted by Ocellus looking down at the phone. "Hey." She chime to me quietly.

I try to play it cool, posing up on my bed as I answer back. "Hey, you're looking pretty chill."

"Well... I would be a little more chill, but..." She rolls her eyes, appearing very much annoyed. She flips to the back-facing camera showing her bed, or rather the white stains and puddles on it. "Yeah."

I should be disgusted, but I'm way too horny for me to even care. "Uh, is that what I think it is?"

"Yeah. Pro tip: Don't let your friend fuck her boyfriend in your bed." She flips the camera back around to her face. She's walking in a dimly lit room. "So yeah, I'm waiting for a change of sheets before I head off to bed."

"Yeah, I bet. You're probably pretty tired." I say as I ease my hand down to tease myself against my scales.

The changeling denies the thought. "Nah, not really."

"You ain't got work in the morning?"

"Nope, three day weekend. Tomorrow is a royally sanctioned holiday, remember?" She replies.

That's right. Tomorrow's the anniversary of the day the humans saved both of our dimensions from certain doom. I can remember that whole naming process being a political nightmare. Lots of lawmakers were pretty pissed off that the previous captain of the royal guard pulled a fast one in parliament. So they reluctantly agreed to acknowledge the human involvement, only to deny any naming rights to any of the humans involved.

So instead, they went with another name. "Oh yeah, Alabaster Day. How could I forget?" Of course, the name of a city council member killed in the fight against the infamous interdimensional terrorist at the time, how could they turn that down?

"Yup." She appears to walk into another room, peeking around as she ask the question. "So, wha'cha doin?"

"Laying in my bed. Can't really sleep right now." I answer as I feel myself growing into my claws.

She notices my face as I look at her, she can tell I'm fantasizing about her. "Thinking about something?"

"I might be."

She softly giggles. "Me?"

"Who's to say it's about you?" I playfully respond.

"Ow, that's cold." She says, feigning offense.

I chuckle back at her. "You know I wanted to join you all on tonight, it's not often I get to have free time with creatures in my age bracket. But I guess it wouldn't have really mattered since you guys are in Ponyville."

She smirks and whispers. "Who says we're in Ponyville?"

I stop and sit up in my bed, surprised to hear that they aren't in Ponyville. Then how did Gallus get there so quick after his shift? "What, then where are you guys?"

"The Sun Cryst downtown, penthouse suite to be specific."

No wonder Gallus got there so damn quick. Now that's just even better for me. "Wait, you're all here!?"

"Yup. All of us except the residential yak and her fiancé. They're busy back home." She explains.

"Really, so it's just you four?"

"Yup." She confirms. "You busy tomorrow?"

Very. Unfortunately my job doesn't necessarily observe national holidays as often as it should. But I'm willing to make that change. "Not entirely."

She looks over, presumably to check if everyone is still asleep. "So I know the checkpoints to the castle are closed up, and Gallus ain't got the clearance to push me through─"

Say less. "I mean I'll come swing by."

"I mean... you don't have to. I know you're pretty busy." She teases.

I stand up out of my bed, and look down at myself. I can take one minute for a cold shower. After that, flying there won't take any time. "Five minutes."

She bites her lips and leans into the phone. "I can't bring you here, it'll have to be someplace else we can meet."

"How about the fountain in Corrotto? That place has a pretty nice vibe this time at night." I offer.

She walks out of the room, into the hallway of the resort she's staying in. "Sure. I'm sneaking out now."

"See you then?" I say as I forget the shower, rushing completely out the door while still trying to coax myself down.

"Yup."

"Bet."

The Corrotto District, Canterlot's shining jewel in the midnight hour. It's because of this place that Canterlot has been booming in the night scene. But it wasn't like this until recently. In fact, there's a few horror stories that floated around this place all the years before Celestia finally cracked down on the district. And even then, there were so many safeguards to prevent seizures and searches here that you couldn't get anything done. It was a bunch of dirty money, dirty business, and dirty transactions taking place here. Needless to say that all changed less than a decade ago.

Now the streets are so brightly illuminated that there's an ordinance on how bright the lights can be. Video boards fixed to the sides of buildings, they all flash bright colors and images of advertisements. Some even give a 3D illusion of a character jumping out of the frame. There's some buildings with lights at the top of them glowing various colors, but also well coordinated with the other buildings in the district. It's just as glitzy as how the humans made it to be.

The streets are of a special designation also, pedestrian only so that there's no trolleys or carts taking you anywhere. Lots of green space to interact with others, a large statue of the former city counsel pony who stood up to the corruption here, and paid with his life. There's even a world-class buckball stadium, second to none in the entire country with it's ingenuity, design, connectivity, and brilliance. Since the humans had a serious hand in making this vision come together, it's been often cited as, and I quote, 'The pinnacle of modern construction combined with the ultramodern touch of human technology, making it the brightest and most promising beacon of unity between our two words, speaking of promises past, present, and the future to come.' The real estate owner of this stadium must be looking north of two billion bits assessed in value.

At the center of the square is a wonderful park filled with beautiful flowers, it's center is a large fountain with a number of spouts that light up in different colors when the water shoots out. And at the center of that fountain is a large statue of the six humans who took up the elements to defeat a great evil. It's the only instance of their achievement being publicly recognized in physical form, all thanks to that special zoning some of those politicians fought to keep in place all those years ago. Their names are inscribed in a golden plaque: Clifford Stoudemire, Richard Santaña, Melanie Brewer, Alexander Haines, Stanton Haines, and Nondis P. Haines.

Taking the statue's position into account, you can tell that there was a lot of thought to the direction it faced. Stationed behind them was the blitzball stadium, and the statue of it's namesake council pony. To their left was the entertainment bureau. To their right was the distribution center. And to their front was none other than the newly-opened Memorial of the Fallen, an old chapel converted into a museum of holograms set through memory spheres. They depict those who were involved, who were victims, who were heroes, and the sole place where they housed the name of the one responsible for the tragic events. In the countless words that litter the museum, the endless murals that move any visitor to tears, his name is only mentioned but once. It's almost so insignificant that you'd probably gloss right over it if you weren't paying any attention.

It's also the only place not covered in colorful lights, with it's lighting a solitary white out of reverence.

For a while, I stood at the foot of the fountain, seeing the white-clad museum staring back in the distance. I start to wonder if Ocellus is really coming by. Fifteen minutes passed and went, but I'm still here looking just as desperate as I was when I begged for my phone back. I don't see her anywhere. I start to dust myself off and look at the prospect of her not showing up. Maybe it's time for me to pack it back up and head back home.

A pair of hooves stealthily creep up from behind me and blind me. "Guess who."

I smile as I easily recognize the voice. "Took you long enough."

"Still didn't answer my question." She replies.

"Ocellus, I know it's you."

[color=#cyan]"But who am I right now?" She asks playfully.

I question her for a hint. "Hmm... is it anyone I know personally?"

"Nope."

"Is it anyone I've seen before?"

"Probably not." She leans into my ear, snickering as she held me.

"Is it an answer I'm going to get wrong?"

This time she leans into my other ear. "I could be a face you haven't seen personally, but it's someone you've heard of."

"Umm... The owner of the arena."

"Cloooose."

"A family member of hers?"

"Getting awfully hot."

"A brother of hers?" I ask, getting a little peeved.

"Well she only had one brother." She says as she lets me go, allowing me to see her face in front of me. "Tada! Did I nail it?"

I snicker a bit before politely warning her. "Well you certainly look like him. But maybe it's better not to do these kinds of transformations out in public. You know, sensitive stuff."

She transforms back into her true self as she dances closer to me. "I get it, I just wondered how long it would take you to even notice me. I've been watching you for a good ten minutes."

"Maybe a text or a DM will be better for next time?" I ask.

"Yeah, I suppose." She says as she grabs my claws in her magic. "But it's time to go find a room now."

"Damn, you don't want nothing to eat?"

She pulls me along as she trots onward. "We'll have room service for that. Now c'mon!"

Neither of us set a reservation, but there were a number of rooms available for use. Since we only planned for one night, they gave us the keys and told us to have fun. Though to be fair, it was pretty obvious what we were planning on doing when we got in the room. Ocellus kept touching me, I'm flirting with her, both of us started getting a little grabby, and that clerk at the front desk was fumbling to hurry and give us our keycard. I offered him my deposit and we were well on our way.

There's no time wasted, we got in the elevator already planning the very simple thing we wanted to do. When we hit our floor, she commenced to pulling me by my arm. We got to the room, slid in the key, damn near kicked the door in as she takes the lead.

The door closes behind us, she's already teasing my pelvic scales. I shudder with anticipation for what's next. "Damn, just drag me in a room like you own the place."

She clings on to me, knowing exactly where to lick. "You know what I want. Now get it up."

My body reciprocates her aggression by showing a growing response. She's pleased to see that her effect on me is just as potent as it was weeks ago. But I'm more amazed by her drive, her desire for making this happen between us. "Hearing Silverstream and Gallus got you feeling this way, huh?" I tease.

"You have no fucking clue." She says as she uses her magic to keep me warm for her. "That whole movie turned into a Manhattan standoff. Both Smolder and I were contemplating whether or not we'd just have our fun on the couch, or maybe just keep it casual and jill it. Smolder just cut off the movie and went straight to her room. As soon as I heard the vibrator, I knew it was over for that."

"Did Gallus ever apologize for the sheets?"

She gives my underside a caressing lick, making sure her tongue shows attention to detail for the speed which we're moving. I palm her head, enchanted by her eyes as she responds. "He did. I didn't care. His load wasn't even that big." She promptly wraps her lips around my tip and take a quick descent, needing virtually no warmup for such an explicit act. She keeps me to herself for a moment before popping back up with a sultry giggle. "Not like yours."

She hops back up, no longer interested in foreplay. She bends herself down, raising her posterior high to meet where I am. I move her tail and spread her moistened folds, seeing the walls that welcomed me with much of her feminine fanfare. "Well that's beautiful." I compliment the changeling on her body.

She's not patient, and she prompts me to close the distance between us. "I know it's your first time, don't worry about holding out too for long. Just get it out the way so you can keep going."

She winks at me, not with an eye but with a welcoming fervor. The machinations of my mind run wild with the ideas I have of taking her. I measure an approach, all while poking myself at the entrance I looked to part. Once more, I'm graced by the heat of her body, my relatively cool self starts to adapt to her giving temperature. "You're so warm."

"Are you playing with me or are you gonna break your dry spell already?" Her magic lifts me further upwards, prompting me forward.

The ridges of my underside file into her as my topside glides within her welcoming walls. Her body responds to my initial entry by grasping at me, making it fairly difficult for me to proceed past half of my length. I pull out slowly, feeling every last bit of her clasping me, begging to not withdraw from her. "Oh... shit."

She isn't fond of my retreat, so she backs herself into me with much of her might to take all of me at once. Her eyes pop open as she looks up to me with an excited smile. "Fuck, you're thick!"

"You're beautiful." I compliment back at her as she pulls away from me.

"Stop thinking with your dick and fuck me already." She chides, planting herself against me a few more times to get me to move on my own.

As I start to move, I find some difficulty adjusting. As I push in, I feel like I'm not quite getting much out of her as I thought I would. Before long, I hear a grunt from the changeling as she presses her hoof into my abdomen. As I lean forward again, she pushes her hoof against me to stop me. "Sorry, bad angle?" I ask with some concern.

"Down." She pulls away from me completely and her magic wrestles me to the bed on my back. She doesn't seem all too happy with my attempt, but she's determined to salvage her experience. I'm once more brought to the familiar sight of her straddling me, giving me a wonderful view of her aligning myself into her body. "I'm on top now. You can just relax and let me do the work."

She sinks down quickly, letting me see the moment her body clashes into mine. As she hilts me, a soft gasp parts from her lips along with an explicative whispered to herself. She takes deep breaths as she bounces up and down, building the friction between us. I'm so invested in the visual of her that I'm building myself up to climax from the mere sight. I close my eyes, still feeling the warmth grasping at me with every withdrawal, inviting me with every invested inch.

She gives a breathy rebuke of my silence. "You should moan more. Girls really like hearing their guys enjoying the ride."

As awkward as I long thought it to be in the presence of another, I let my mind envision the sight of her grinding against my hips. I start to become more vocal, putting a little more effort into displaying my approval with her effort. But as I do, I notice that I begin to enjoy it a little too much. My legs shake as I feel a powerful surge prompt me to grab her hips and pound mine further into her.

Just as quickly, I grunt and howl while my body seizes. "Shit!" I feel the tremendous shift of my body enduring climax, my loins pulsing and emptying with every erratic thrust. Ocellus stops to notice my sudden pause, she's sure to notice the copious load I've offered within her. She looks at me, as though she's unimpressed. I'm embarrassed to admit the truth. "Sorry, sorry. I usually last a little─"

She stops me with a hoof to the mouth, shaking her head amidst her explanation. "Spike, it's your first time. You're not gonna be perfect on the first try." She feels me beginning to soften, but carries on as though I had more to give to her. I wince from the initial overstimulation, but I realize she's only doing it to keep me active. "Sex is a skill as much as it is recreation. The difference between one partner over the other is how dedicated are they to one end over the other."

"I'd like to think you're pretty awesome at it." I say as I still recover from my downfall, still enduring her body milking every bit of my first load.

"Of course I am. Now stand up." She pants, appearing tired from working so hard. She allows for me to rise from the bed, positioning her rear on top of a small stack of pillows to better accommodate my height. She lays on her back, welcoming me into her with both open hooves and a magically separated pair of lips oozing with my seed. "It's your time to work now."

I obediently dive into her, sliding and pressing along until I find the right angle to insert myself. She whispers a bit of confirmation while I offer myself, then shows some discomfort as I try to repeat the action. "Something wrong?" I ask.

Her horn glows, grasping at both of my legs, locking them in place. Next I feel her aura press against my buttocks. The magic holds my legs in place, all while mitigating that movement directly to my hips. Upon pulling out, I feel her shift that attention to the front of my waist and lower abdomen. She pushes against me until I am just barely inside of her, only to shift that magic back to my buttocks to press me back inside. "Use less of your legs. Give me more of your hips, that's where it's at."

I follow the guides of her magic, starting to see and feel the difference it makes. Not only do I waste less energy on trying to go deeper, but I actually get to reach deeper within her all while keeping a better posture, allowing me to become more consistent with my stroke. My tail bats at the ground while I find the newly-learned sensation more than pleasurable. It allows me to dictate my rhythm, to experiment with my pace without being so much of a distraction.

In the course of my actions, I still feel her magic restrict me and my tempo. "Slow down." She breathily moans. "Match me when I breathe."

"Mmm'kay." I confirm as I start to feel a bit more energetic.

As I repeat the motions I'm given, I'm very slowly building back up the tension I had once before. Ocellus is a lot less commentative, cooing a lot more frequently. Her body occasionally squirms, her eyes roll back for a moment with a sharp exhale. Her hips begin to shift with every push, she starts to look at me with approval, occasionally looking down to notice the creamy connection that further develops between us.

It's at this moment where I truly take in the mare I'm in the process of breeding. I start to see the various fluctuations of her chest, the twists her hips make on occasion to better acquaint herself to my sex, the impacts that ripple from where we clash, the eye contact she makes when I'm in sync with her. Her wings pop out and flutter, a pulsing glow that starts from a dim glimmer to a bright flash with every kiss I give to her womb. Her forelegs are caught in indecision, conflicting with the choice of bracing for my impacts or planting themselves into my chest. In the course of her internalized skirmish, she grasps at the sheets and rests herself on the claw I rubbed against her belly.

Soft whispers of her confirmation fills my ears as I snicker greedily at a thought that passes my mind. She takes notice of my moment of ill-repute. "Wait, what are you about to do?" I carefully feel against her, measuring with my thumb the length of where we now join to it's bottom segment. Without any hint of warning, I do as a certain retired alicorn instructed me to do. My claws lightly press into her, causing her wings to suddenly glow brightly along with her horn. Her eyes shoot wide open as she screams. "Ooh SHIT! Why did you do that, who taught that to you?" Her voice sounds as though she's on the edge of crying.

"Celestia might've mentioned it to me once." I say as I slow my pace to answer her question.

"Oh Faust, she wasn't wrong." Her hooves clutch onto my arm, her hips rocking a bit faster to beg for a slightly faster tempo. I match her demand and place myself deeply within her body. Her cries show even greater approval of my work. "Right there!" She breathlessly moans. Seeing her sudden rush of pleasure stirs a feral twitch in my mind, I begin to look at her shoulder with a curious intent. I see the slight palpitations in her neck, the arteries and veins that barely show a throb. I lean into her with my mouth open wide, and pinch down lightly on her body. "Whoa, teeth! Teeth!" She screams in shock before I feel a rush of warm fluids down my thighs.

Her breathing stops for a moment as she seizes, her wings flutter as vibrantly as they glow. A light fills her eyes as I look down to her and ask. "Can I kiss you?"

"Fuck me." She demands in a squeaky surrender. "Fuck me, please." She follows her words with a powerful grasp at my head, her hooves dragging me into her lips while she rides out a powerful orgasm. Her tongue is invasive, as is her hooves wrapping themselves around the back of my neck. I feel her hind legs tighten on me, trying to lock me into her. My tail bats at the ground faster while I grow closer to my own moment of culmination.

Her eyes stare back at me, intently demanding my full attention. I start to grow within her. She notices the girth increasing within her body and sobers up for a second to take note of what's soon to come. My pace increases as she tries to adjust to my new, but temporary size.

"Hey now, careful where you unload that thing! Meaning I'm a changeling doesn't mean I want to get popped!"

It's almost too late for me, I'm barely able to exit within a second of my absolute peak. But in a moment of weakness, I look down to see myself engorged within her, a maddening mast filling her swollen lips. My dragon instincts kick in at a moment's notice, and my only objective begins to overtake my line of judgement.

I plant myself within her one last time, screaming as I give in to the feral nature of my internalized code. Her belly fills as I deposit within her several years of long-awaited pleasure and anguish. I pull out from within her only from the magic she uses to separate us both. She stares at me amazed of the fact that I am still spurting on her body, as well as the pillows she sat herself upon and the sheets of our bed.

I plop down on top of her, very much satisfied with the choice I've made in acquiring my first mate. "Oh... shit!... Fuck... Finally..."

Ocellus giggles as she sees how much semen I left on the bed. "And here I am complaining about Gallus when I got you. Now we have to apologize for this bed."

As she tries to adjust herself from underneath me, I pant out in joy. "That... was amazing!"

She pats me on the back, tiredly knocking at the scales of my spine. "Not bad for a rookie. You got some potential, but you really need to warn me of some things."

"What things?" I ask.

"The whole biting me thing, the whole getting bigger than what I'm used to, stuff like that. You got the gist of it now, but maybe we can work on some of the other things next time. But kudos on tonight, you actually made me cum pretty hard. Not what I was expecting."

The fact that she spoke out the words 'next time' already has me elated for myself. I'm gonna have to make some time for that in my schedule. "Think you can teach me what all I can do better? I could always use the lessons."

"Eh... I'm not sure if I'll have the time." Well that's a bit upsetting to hear. Goes to show that I should temper my expectations. "And that's probably even harder to come by for you. Free time in your world ain't even assured on royally sanctioned holidays."

"I can make time for you." I say without hesitation.

"Hmm... What's your Saturdays look like?"

Consider ALL my Saturdays mass dumped from today on. "I can clear them up."

"Are you sure?" She questions with a raised brow.

"Hell yeah. I've been said I needed time for me."

She sighs out of tiredness, but her face shows content. "Okay. You and me, Saturdays, we'll make reservations."

"I can probably ask Twilight to clear you for a late-night visitation pass. It's nothing for me to do if I tell her ahead of time." I suggest.

The changeling purses her lips with pondering. "Nah, I don't want the princess in our business too much." She says as she sits up on the bed. "We'll book a room. I'll be in charge of the next reservation since you covered this one, you'll be in charge of the one after that, we'll trade that task every other week between us."

"Does that include room service?"

"It's part of the bill, so yeah." She says as she's about to stand back up. I hum with a little discontent. "What's wrong?"

After all that energy we spent, I'm still pretty weak. It's more of me being lazy, but I just wanna chill here for a while until it's time to get moving. "Can we just lay here?"

The changeling's ears perk up, almost like she's beyond excited for something. "You... You wanna cuddle? With me???"

Honestly, I wouldn't mind that either. That would be a bonus. "I don't know, I just feel like I want to."

She dives back into the bed, eagerly facing me with her wings beating with joy. "You better be careful, Spike. I may be a love bug, but I'm still a changeling. Too much of this and I might get too dependent on you showing up."

Guess I forgot about the whole changeling feeding off of love and affection thing. She's probably even more elated that this was even an offer on the table. But it's one I wouldn't mind. "That's fine."

She gives me a playful sneer as she wraps her hooves around me. "I should just wrap you in a cocoon and feed on you, you know, for old time's sake."

"That I can pass on." I say with a chuckle.

She laughs along with me for a while, her smile just as bubbly before giving me a more realistic response. "I'm just joking. I wouldn't do that, not anymore. Those days are pretty much in the past."

Now that I think about it, I don't think I've seen a changeling glow up this much since Thorax. Her wings are just as shiny right now. I start to wonder if she's ever been in this situation before, or maybe been with someone and had this kind of interaction. There's only one way to know. "...Have you ever been in love?"

She seems taken aback by the question, then tries to laugh off the question. "Hey now, don't get too comfortable with me where you start asking stupid stuff like that."

Maybe she thought I was talking about me being in love with her. That's not a good misunderstanding to have. I should try to walk the question back safely. "Okay, fine, you're the boss." I say, neutralizing the situation.

However, she does answer the question. "...No. Not really." She leans in closer, hugging me as she starts to recount her experiences. "I've never been in love, per se. Just feeding on it, redistributing it, stuff like that. I never really been in a situation where I really wanted something for myself like that. Now what I did have before was a crush."

"Really?" I ask with interest. "Who was it?"

She squints her eyes, giving me a bit of a stern warning. "I'll say it if you don't judge me." I give her a nod and she whispers in my chest. "Sandbar."

"Aw, that's so adorable." I comment.

"Can you shut up?" She batters a hoof against my chest as she continues to hide her face in my chest. "I guess back then, I was still pretty shy about being a changeling true to form in Ponyville. Like I know our species did a lot of shit, and some of that is why we still have certain habits, phobias, fears, stuff like that. Just to name one, I'm still terrified of humans. They wiped like two-hundred of us in like twenty minutes, it was just six of them. That's not normal."

As if I could forget, they ran that one in the papers for a whole month after the situation in Arimaspi Territory. "I think I remember something about that one."

She continues from where she left off before her side comment. "Yeah, but back to the story. I was pretty shy back then, but then Sandbar really tried his best to get over his own fear of changelings and make friends the best he could. And I liked that about him, you can even say I wanted that for myself. I tried being subtle with my little advances, small things, offerings that changelings would normally make for their queen, he didn't really see it that way. Cultural differences and stuff. And then came the big dance at the school... I turn my head for just a moment, only to find he asked out Yona. They've been close since, and I had to grin up and bear that for a little while until I didn't feel any way about it."

Well that sounds a bit familiar. "Bummer."

She also makes the parallels between us known. "I guess that makes us both fellow crushers after all. In the end, we opened our hearts to something that was as present as a mirage of water in a sandstorm."

While a bit depressing, I do have to laugh at her joke "Not very present, is it?"

"Nope." She sighs. "But I guess that's us."

We lay in each other's grasp for a while, just silently thinking of our past and what happened on tonight. I then joke to myself quietly about how I did what I did to Ocellus without even being any bit of a gentledrake and providing dinner. Maybe I should rectify that. "You hungry?"

Her wings pulse for a bit with a warm glow, she smiles sweetly at me. "Nah, I just wanna lay here for a bit." Again, I forget the whole changeling feeding on love and affection thing. This is probably a four course meal for her.

"Breakfast in the morning? My treat." I advertise to her.

She nuzzles into my chest. "I would... but I'll miss my train."

"I'll buy you a ticket." I propose.

She hums as warmly as her wings glow. "You're doing too much, Spike."

I give her a kiss on the top of her head, laying on my back and bringing her on top of me. "I owe it to you."

She wraps to my chest, using me as her mattress to rest on. She places her head over my heart, listening to the sound of my heart beating. "You are much too sweet for the world, you know that?"

Once more, we stay quiet together. I'm almost at peace with the world in this moment. There's only a little something that throws me off, just a minor gripe. "We should really ask for more pillows and sheets."

"Agreed... but later. I like this for us."

As my eyes opened to the biological alarm clock I've unknowingly established, my arm reaches out to the other side of the bed, expecting to snuggle a little closer to the changeling that brought an end to my dragon lust once and for all. I woke up with hardly any morning wood, still thoroughly satisfied from last night. I open my eyes a little wider now, proudly greeting the world and it's challenges.

But to my surprise, the only thing that my arm embraces is a bunch of pillows and a small letter written on a sheet of blank paper. I wipe my eyes of the crust as I start to read to myself.

Dear Spike,

I'm sorry that I couldn't stick around today. I know that you were willing to buy me a ticket back to Ponyville, but I can't burden you like that, not when you've already paid for the room on a last-minute reservation. Breakfast will have to be on a later date, preferably on a day when I take care of the room, that way you're not so burdened financially. Though to warn you, I'm can't get too attached to you. I'm still a changeling by nature, and my being around you in that kind of mood brings up some bad habits I don't want to relapse into. I'm not saying that I will, it's just that we changelings have to take precautions. But I look forward to seeing you again this upcoming Saturday.

Till then, keep my new seat warm.
Ocellus.

Damn, she just up and left me like that, huh? At least we've already scheduled for a second meetup, so I can't complain. In fact, my joy isn't bruised or detracted from in any way. I just had sex, I fucking won. I'm gonna get me a big ass breakfast and push it through the day.

*♫Life in Equestria Shimmeeeers! Life in Equestria Shiiiii♪─*

I pick up the phone, knowing that it's Twilight calling me based on the ringtone. "Hello?"

"SPIKE!" She screams through the phone, causing me to jump up out of my scales.

If I wasn't awake before, I sure as hell am now. I start getting my stuff together, running directly to the bathroom. "Yeah, I'm already here in Corrotto for the ceremony this morning."

"Well as much as I appreciate your readiness, the procession starts at the castle this year."

...Oh yeah... grand opening ceremony. Oh yeah, I fucked up. "Ah shit, my bad!"

"You know we can't get started without you!" She continues to lay into me while I turn on the shower for a quick sprucing up.

"I'm on my way now. Won't be ten minutes." I assure her.

"Five, Spike!" She demands.

I look at the time on my screen, seeing that it's still 6:49 a.m.. "Procession starts at eight, its not even seven yet."

"Never be late for being early, Spike! You know that's the standard I hold you to!"

Ugh... as much as I love her for the sibling figure she is, she's still just as annoying when there's a time crunch. I tell her ten minutes, she wants me to be there earlier than that. Twilighting as usual, I see. "Okay, okay! Let me shower and I'll be right with you."

"Be here."

Chapter 6: Sunrise Ceremony

When I arrive at the castle, it's no later than 6:57. As soon as I arrive on scene, there's a multitude of guards and city officials lined up to commence the march over to Corrotto. Along the way, I see a pair of young foals playing around with each other. The pair of colts energetically went back and forth in pretending that they were a giant monster, and the other being a brave guard with a stick for a sword.

"Raaah, I am going to make every day a school day! No weekends! No vacations! Triple homework for every creature!" Indeed terrifying, the young zebracorn colt is playing his role very well. His accent is the main thing that rings out about him.

"Every creature deserves a free day! More video games for everypony! Equestria wills it!" For being a transplant from the human world, the young pegasus throws out everything he wants to see more of here.

An older zebracorn mare quickly approaches from behind me, firmly barking orders to her child. "Nafasi, stop playing around so much! You're going to get messy before the parade!" She spoke with a similar, but a much more tame accent, seemingly finding an in-between tongue. "Get over here now!"

"Kali, c'mon. They're boys, let them run around for a bit." Walking beside her is a much more mild-tempered earth pony mare. She may be a transplant also, but her role in the parade is more pivotal than anyone else around here. "The more they wear themselves down, the easier it will be for us."

"Mom!" The young pegasus calls out to his mother, flying eagerly for the mare who embraces her son upon his landing.

"Sweetie, you know I can't be with you the entire time today, so just be sure to behave, okay?" The mare also takes the time to greet me as she pats her son's head. "Hey, Spike! You look pretty excited about today."

"I didn't think you'd bring little Jasper along." I point towards the young colt by her side.

"Kali said Nafasi needed someone his age to hang around for today, just to keep things simmered down for a bit."

"Simmer down a lot." The aforementioned zebracorn corrects emphatically. "Gala couldn't attend today. Some of the things on display is still going to be a bit raw for her. I mean how could it not be? You know exactly how it affected her."

"How it affected you too." The mare responds, looking a little worriedly to the zebra-unicorn hybrid. "I mean besides Nondis, Gala, and Blue, you're top of the list of traumatized souls."

"It could have been worse, if it weren't for a timely arrival of an air balloon and it's dependable pilot." The zebracorn says as she gives me a smile.

"Hey, I didn't even know what the deal was until I read about what happened. Twilight wouldn't let me come to anything. I can understand her not wanting me around for the execution of the terrorist, but the trial, the sentencing, all of that I had to find out through the papers."

"If I could tell you anything, it would be to trust me. There were a lot of things you didn't need to see." Kalimba rhymes for a brief moment before she quietly falls into reflection. As her thoughts wander, she levitates her son over to her side and holds him closely. "The world is a frightening place, and I plan to protect this one from ever seeing something like that."

"Amen." Melanie agrees as she hugs her own son. "Hey, do you think Blue might come around today?"

"It may be her brother's namesake, but I doubt she will want much to do with this." The zebracorn responds with a solemn tone.

"Spike!" I turn quickly to see Twilight approaching me fairly briskly. "What time did you get here!?"

"Not even seven." I reply. "I told you I'd be here on time."

"Where were you last night anyways? The guards at the checkpoint said you flew off castle grounds late last night and never returned. How would you be in Corrotto by the time you woke up this morning?"

"Seems to me Spike had a little pick-me-up over in Rotty." Melanie chirps with a smirk.

"He is of age now, I suppose it's typical of him to do things like that." Kalimba adds.

"Momma, do you mean to say dat sir Spike is grown?" The young zebracorn colt asks.

"I am saying he is growing up, child. You too will get there, but in due time."

Twilight doesn't seem to care much for that much, only about me being in place in a timely manner. "Spike, I can understand you wanting to spread out a little more, and I agree that you should find some outlet for your dragon lust, but timing is of the most importance. You can wait on stuff like that. What you should be doing is adhering to your given duties, put your work before your foreplay."

"Mom, what's foreplay?" The pegasus colt asks his parent.

"I'll let your father explain it when you're older." She answers quickly.

I can't help but to show defeat as I lower my head and reply to her in official capacity. "Yes, your majesty."

She purses her lips and hands me three different scrolls to carry. "Now, these scrolls are the speeches I intend to give. One is for the start of the march, one is for our arrival in the district towards the downtown fountain, the last one is for the lobby of the museum. I've color coded the wax on the seals to indicate which is which."

"Red for the parade. Gold for the square. Black for the museum." I answer.

"Precisely." She says as she steps aside, allowing me to see a fairly fatigued mare walking up from behind her. She's slow to approach, but upon her getting closer I can smell the alcohol all over her. She's visibly drunk. "Also, I need you to keep an eye out on her."

Melanie steps up to intervene. "Uh, can you let me be in charge of her? I can deal with her just fine, why not let Spike handle some of the other things you got going on?"

The mare stumbles over to me, looking me up and down as though I had said something wrong. "What subsection of the guild are you part of again?"

"Uhhh..." I don't know how to answer her inebriated question.

She takes a sniff of me and clears her throat. "Wow, you smell like soap, cologne, and late night sex... and marecum."

Seeing that both Melanie and Kalimba are more familiar with how to deal with the drunken unicorn, I propose a means for my own out. "Hey, how about I look after the boys while you ladies keep her lucid, is that alright?"

"Quick thinker, good idea." The zebracorn mother says as she allows her son to stand by me. "Nafasi, you will be with him on today. Kuwa na tabia. (Be good.)"

"Ndiyo, mama. (Yes, mother.)" He replies.

Melanie brings me her son also. "Sorry to pawn you off to be the babysitter on top of your royal duties, Spike."

"No, I understand. The holiday's the namesake of her brother, and he's obviously not with us. She'll definitely need the familiar company on today."

"I swear, when she's not like this, she's the most brilliant thing out there, and really the nicest being you'll ever know. I hate that this whole thing gets to her so bad." She bows her head at me in a show of thanks. "Again, I'm sorry. I will pay you back for this, even if I have to drop a little something in your account."

"No it's fine." I fumble with my arms, trying to come up with a solid counterargument to why she shouldn't pay me until I point back at the castle. "This is where I live. I don't need much more of anything else."

"Two rubies with your name on them."

Fuck, I forgot she knows what gems I have a preference in eating. My stomach rumbles long before my mouth utters a noise. "I mean I could go for the snack since I didn't get breakfast."

"Bet." She says, digging her hoof into her bag and pulling out a sack full of pristine dragonfire rubies. She hands the rubies and gets closer to me. "Did you really go out and get you some last night."

"Maaybe." I answer shifty-eyed.

She snickers and whispers again, keeping her language coded so that her son doesn't catch on. "Yeah. Blue may be drunk, but she's never wrong when it comes to sniffing out the fun. You just don't get caught up by her, or else you'll be her next victim."

Ah, so that's why she stepped in. I guess she's what Melanie calls a 'maneater', or a mare who goes through males like Rarity goes through pints of ice cream in a crying fit. No thanks. "Ahh, okay. Thanks for that."

"It's what friends do." She says with a wink before waltzing to her inebriated acquaintance. "Alright hun, let's get a move on."

"What, no! I want the dragon!" She urges in a bout of brief resistance. "Seriously, haven't you heard what they're like!? I'm surprised Twilight hasn't figured it out yet, but he is literally ribbed for our pleasure."

Twilight's horn crackle with a shock as her expression matches her surprise. I snort out a small puff of smoke through my nostrils, a puff of smoke I have to immediately waft off to not get all over the boys. Young Nafasi looks up to me and asks curiously. "What does she mean by dat?"

"I'll tell you when you're older." I say as I cover my nose.

The parade to Corrotto wasn't really a boisterous affair as one would make it seem in terms of the word 'parade'. In the public eye most see it as such, but Twilight was always picky on how it was called amongst the royal staff and guards. To her, it's what she'd call a procession.

The boys however saw it as an opportunity to act out as though it was a parade. I know that I can't control young foals looking to keep things interesting for themselves. They get to be in a large ceremony where their parents are the ones getting thanked and celebrated. I'm sure that bit of pride, along with a hint of youthful entitlement, stirs up a lot of ideas in their minds. Plus getting this much attention is bound to make them overstimulated and energetic. So for the boys sake I kept my voice low as I called it a parade, all to avoid the nagging voice of Twilight in my ear.

When we reached the museum, everyone waited for Twilight to finally give her speech to the world as the ribbon was placed on the large white granite pillars standing beside the hallowed entrance. Twilight, having gone through already two speeches, asks me to give her the scroll with the black seal. She uses a voice amplification spell and addresses the gathered audience.

"Once more, my dear citizens, it is with great honor and duty that I may serve you in these days of peace. While I am honored that you would join with us and celebrate the victory that was won on that fateful day seven years ago, I am still burdened by the memory of those who did not see such a victory. There are far too many who cannot speak today because of their predispositions, circumstances, and some for their sacrifice. This museum, a standing edifice of what once was in the days of Corrotto's past, is now a memorial. It is a powerful reminder of the ones who could not share their stories... until today."

Blue Royal, the drunken mare from earlier, appears sulking and slow as she walks to Twilight with a pair of gilded scissors. Her head hangs low before turning to the statue in the far distance, namely the one before the buckball stadium. She begins to cry silently, earning the empathy of both the ponies who know and shared her story.

Twilight also comforts the mare. "Blue, you okay?" The mare gives a quiet but rapid nod as she works through her emotional moment. She offers the scissors to the high princess, but Twilight takes only one of the loops in expectation that they would take the task together of cutting the ribbon. "Okay, on three. One... Two... Three."

Their magic unite for a moment as the loops of the scissors close in together, the bladed tool swiftly cutting the bright red ribbon that once gated the entrance. The crowd gives a respectful applause as they watch the mare wipe her eyes from the tears that pour from them. Melanie approaches her to commend her for what all she's done in the district. "Hey, he would be beyond proud of you, you know that?"

As she nodded, Twilight continued her speech. "For those looking to enter, I wish to warn you that this museum is not for the faint of heart. It is filled with truths that are often difficult to absorb, accounts from voices long lost belonging to the faces that some of you may know personally, and also visuals that turn many a cold heart to warm in sorrow. These things I warn for you now, but I pray your experience will not be a triggering one. Those who know, they forever will know. For those who don't, enter and know, and remember them for their sacrifices."

While a few begin to file in line to visit the museum for the first time, the boys run past me to take their spot in line. But while Jasper continues on, Nafasi is stopped by the magic of his mother holding him in place. She approaches him to guide him the opposite way. "Come, our work here is done."

"But mama, I want to know what is in dere!" He stamps his hoof in protest. "Jasper gets to see, why can't I?"

She offers a smile, alongside a bribe too good for the colt to pass down. "Because our time begins at the ice cream parlor. You and I get to have ice cream."

His eyes blazed while he became even more eager for the treat that his mother offered. "Well in dat case, forget dis boring place anyways!"

I can't help but to laugh at the young child and his blunt reaction. I watch as the two trot along their way, happily moving along while also disappearing into the crowded square. Melanie walks beside me and makes a note of the willingly absent pair. "She's still not quite over it herself, you know."

"Wasn't she with Nondis in the thick of it all?" I ask.

"There and living it." She answers quietly. "A lot of times, she tries to act like there's nothing to be ashamed of, that she's strong enough to tell her story. But I honestly think she's not."

"Why do you say that?"

She points to the mother-son pair in the crowd, their being very visually distinctive aids in that task. "Well, would you want to tell your own kid that you were victimized since a little over their age? How do you have that conversation? 'Gee son, I would love to tell you why you don't have a father to lean on because of my distrust in most men, but if I told you that they used to do bad things to me, I'm sure you'll understand, not that it's your personal experience or anything.' I don't think that would smooth over very well, especially for a mind as young as his."

"Your son's walking into the museum." I point out, quietly citing the age similarity.

"My son has watched a huge family squabble. He saw how one side got sent away to somewhere else, and the other slowly poisoned by propaganda so bad that they took it to heart and died with those misbeliefs. He's watched us funeralize both of his grandparents, nearly lose his father to COVID, watch as his classmates go the same way, and then endure the freezing cold because of state politicians wanting to turn a profit over updating the electrical grid. Our world had a global pandemic that took away two years of his development, leaving him isolated at a home where we couldn't even keep up with our bills. Plus there's also the internet, it's hard to avoid the gray areas of it when it permeates throughout society. I don't see a problem with him understanding the truth at a young age, not every place is perfect."

Her vivid argument allows for me to see the differences in how Kalimba and Melanie raise their kids differently. One allows the other to build on the personal experience to ultimately grow wiser and smarter from it, not running from the fact that these things do happen at any time. The other having gone through those traumas at a young age seeks to not instill that trauma onto the one she birthed. It's a strange, but understandable juxtaposition that gives thought to any being. "Oh yeah, I forget that the human world had some serious issues leading up to you moving here."

Just as we're having this heavy discussion, the blue unicorn from earlier runs up to us both, her eyes reddened from crying a lot. "Blue, you still need a moment, hun?"

She shakes her head and takes a trembling breath. "I went to see if the memory sphere had my brother right. His voice, all of it, I remember it now. That's all I really wanted, a place I can come to see him again."

"I'm happy you got your wish, ma'am." I add respectfully.

She takes a deep breath, wiping her eyes. "I had my time now. I'm ready to leave back to my little abode."

"I can assign a guard escort for you, ma'am." I offer, waving over two armor-wearing ponies.

"That won't be necessary." She denies. "I can manage on my own."

"A pony as important as you, I would think that having protection is in your best interest." I suggest.

She uses her magic to formulate a dagger completely made of her aura, a high-tier skill that only licensed specialists can legally use. "Trust me, I can manage."

I shrug being that I can't contest her abilities. "Well if that's the case, then I hope you get home safe."

She starts to walk on, but cuts right back under me and snags me by my tail. "Actually, you're the one who manages the interdimensional trade dealings, right?"

I look to Melanie, hoping she can bail me out of this one. "Uh... I do happen to deal with some of the proceedings."

"Great! Then I need to talk with you then!"

Melanie offers her best attempt to neutralize her apparent ploy to whisk me away. "Hey, don't you have a direct line to Alex?"

"Alex can only control things on his end. I can only do things on mine. But what we need is the assistance of a moderator between the two transacting parties." She explains a little more. "To keep it short, the access point we're working with is too small. We need something bigger, something that can handle a warehouse's demand with every transfer per day."

That's a lot of transfer, and a lot of portal to build. Then again, I guess that does help move along some more infrastructure projects that can be further inspired by the humans. I know Twilight wants to upgrade the rail system as well, the dragons want to build a shelter for molting dragons, and we need the technology to further increase phone production. It only makes sense to increase the size of the portal, but that can take north of four months to complete that process. "Well, I─"

"AHT!" She calls out loudly, walking in front of me. "Chocolate ice cream. I feel a little more like my non-depressed self with chocolate ice cream. Let's mosey over to the creamery, then we can discuss the logistics from there."

Wait... Did she just use a business request to set up a impromptu date? "Uh, okay. I guess we can discuss that, provided that negotiations are civil and work-safe."

"All business, no funny." She replies before crossing her eyes and dropping her head in defeat. "Though taking the fun out of the deal isn't what I was going for."

Melanie looked back to see where her son had went off to. "Alrighty then, I'll leave you two to it."

The two of us talk up a storm as we walk the crowded streets of the district. It seems much of everyone is enjoying themselves. Meanwhile miss Blue looks on fondly at the multitude of foals running by us. She starts to go on about her childhood, recalling the things that she and her brother used to do before their mother came by to pick them up from the park. She also explains that she lived on the back end of the mountain, where the highly influential and wealthy reside.

It seems she has lots of fond accounts of her brother, but hardly none of her adolescence. It's only after her college years where he reenters the picture. After that, there's not much positive she has to say about her life but the fact that her brother was there to support her every step of the way. And it remained that way until his untimely death, all because he threw himself in the line of fire for her sake.

She goes right back into the subject of the children running up the street. "You know, a while ago this wasn't possible, not even a remote reality. This place was a wasteland in the daylight hours, only things you'd see around here are the things that'll haunt you for a good while."

"Well it's really your work that put all of this together, ma'am. You did all of this, on your own bits no less." I praise the mare.

"No, I took property that was dilapidated here, bulldozed what was here, sold off the lots for a markup ten times the cost of my purchase, and then offered those displaced affordable housing... that wasn't as affordable as my realtors were willing to put up with. They wanted premium price points, I wanted to give the residents who lived here for all of their lives a chance to start all over again. I couldn't even do that without having to pay the cost upfront. And of course..."

"Can't buy your own property." I conclude.

"I mean I get it, consumer protections against those looking to purchase their own stuff, then appraise the value for more than it's worth with a few soft hoofshakes, and sell it off again at a higher premium. It's a damn good law to have... just wish it didn't work against me when I wanted to do good."

"Well at least Twilight was willing to spot you for that." I remind her.

"Still, I felt bad about it. I've known some of those ponies for a while, just seeing them out there without anything to go by after promising them better, I felt terrible. I'm just glad Twilight and you made that happen as quick as you did before the aspiring rich kids came up looking to turn a few profits off of their backs."

"It's nothing. You do right by others, we're more than happy to help."

As we show up to the ice cream parlor, miss Blue takes a peak through the front window to see if Kalimba was inside. "Huh, she's not here."

"Excuse me?"

"Kali. She's not here. And she left before us." She points out.

"Maybe her taste in treat changed and she's going downtown to do some dining."

"She promised her son ice cream. I know Kali, she never promises her son anything she won't deliver. That's always been her promise to herself." Her ears pin back as she starts to look elsewhere. "Something's wrong."

"You think they might've gotten lost?" Miss Blue gives me a very harsh look. "What? I mean it's possible that Nafasi might've run off and she's looking for him."

She takes a glance to my left and her eyes lock on to something. Her horn starts to shine and a ghostly field engulfs the both of us. "Found her."

I turn around trying to see what spell she just cast, and then I see a group of four stallions surrounding the pair. I ball my claws into a fist and start to slowly walk over, but Blue erupts into a full gallop. "C'mon, they can't see or hear us right now as long as you're in my field! Keep up!"

A stealth spell? This mare is full of surprises.

We get in closer to a quartet of sleazebags, each of them taking a corner around the two zebracorns. The first one chuckles as he calls her out. "Well well, if it isn't the diva herself."

"Diva Kalimba." The second cosigns. "Haven't seen you around these parts in I don't know how long."

"And you got a little franken-shit with you. Since when did you get plugged up?" The third questions.

"He's gotta be good for something." The fourth jokes, causing the mare to step into a protective pose, her body very much covering over her son as she stood. "Aw, c'mon, I was just yanking your tail a little, just like old times."

"She looks pretty nice, doesn't she, boys?"

Kalimba whispers to her son quietly in their seldom spoken language. "Kaa chini yangu. (Stay under me.)"

Nafasi looks on, afraid of what was happening as his mother covers for him. He watches as the leader of the pack closes in on her. "I see you changed up your look. I never though I'd say this but your body looks nice in that dress."

As we watch, I can see Blue's magic start to form the dagger that she created earlier. It seems more and more that this will get pretty confrontational very soon. "Spike, can you sneak in closer and touch Nafasi, and only him? If you touch anyone else, they will be thrown in my barrier. I don't want to have to make a mess before we get the kid away from here."

As I'm about to comply with her directions, Kalimba finally speaks, but with a heightened confidence. "I trust you are looking for something other than the foal beneath me, correct?"

The leader snickers at her. "I couldn't care less about the little striped shit. All we want is you, maybe you can spark up a little something old in a new place. And you know what I mean."

"Then you will let him go without harm. That is my only provision." She calmly requests.

The leader rolls his eyes and orders the others to step aside. "Whatever."

She whispers to her son to run. "Nenda. Haraka. (Go. Hurry.)"

He's obedient in her commands, darting off at the widened opening. Blue steps in the way to grab him before he gets too far. He yelps for a moment after being caught, but none of the sheisty stallions notice. Miss Blue comforts the colt and turns to me. "Okay, let's head back to the creamery."

Nafasi quickly argues against us, reaching for his encircled mother. "What about mama!?"

Blue quiets and nuzzles him. "She'll be with us in a minute. Why don't you come with us and order a flavor she would like. You know your mom's favorite flavor of ice cream, right?" He nods. "Great, then let's get you both started before she comes back."

While we walk, I question the mare. "You sure she can handle this on her own?"

She responds to my concern almost dismissively. "Spike, she's in the jurisdiction of foreign ministry, literally a few steps below you. Out of all the dignitaries trained for hostile encounter, she's literally the best by default. We'll see her in two minutes, tops."

"She placed a lot of faith in letting her son go." I add.

"Only because she saw us standing there. If she hadn't, teleportation would be her next alternative. She thinks so far ahead that even most in the guard's chain of command will get outwitted by her. She's got that taken care of." She opens the door and drops her field, letting the other patrons see us entering inside. "You coming in or what?"

I look back to the zebracorn mare, seeing she's still standing. But all of her assailants are lying on the ground writhing in pain as she dusts herself off and walks in our direction. I hold the door open for her as she walks by. Her crimson eyes glances back at the four defeated malfactors, she pokes her lips with a strong sucking sound. "Idjiots." Her accent suddenly falls on the heavy side, her voice deep yet smooth, reminding me of that one dragon who tried to leave her mark on me. Her voice changes again as she questions her son in a much lighter accent. "What flavor do you want, Nafasi?"

"Can I get peanut butter and chocolate?" He answers happily.

"Whatever you like." She says as she goes to the counter to confirm her order. "One double scoop of peanut butter and chocolate, I'll take a single of vanilla."

...She's scary and well out of my age range, but goddammit who's the lucky fucker that gave her a son!?

Meanwhile at Silver Shoals

After a long session of marital affairs, the former princess Celestia lays in the afterglow of her husband's work. She sits up and feels her stomach rumble. She calls out to him while he cleans up in the shower. "Honey, what do you want for dinner!?"

"I could go for... ah... ACHOO!" He sneezes.

"Gesundheit!"

After a long day out in the town, we return back to the castle and start our daily decompression. I look nervously at my phone, seeing the new number that was stashed in my contacts. All I can think of is the idea that she's going to send me some unsolicited texts requesting meetups at every hour aside from the usual daylight and business hours. If I'm not careful, she might have me working the graveyard shift... and it will likely be a drunken affair that not even her unicorn self will be able to recall fluidly. She even left her picture in the contact information.

*knock knock knock knock*

I holler to the door for a response. "Who is it?"

"Spike, it's me." Twilight says urgently. "Come to the door."

I open the door, Twilight walks in unimpeded. "What's the issue, you sound serious?"

She closes the door behind her. "I just wanted to talk to you about this morning."

"You mean with miss Blue?" I question.

"No. What I mean is your leaving the castle unannounced."

I shake my head and batter back at her argument. "Twilight, I am nineteen. I have a life too, and I want to live it."

"I can respect that... sort of." She says as she looks at me. "I know you're growing. But there's just some part of me that still see you like the little brother you are to me. I still see that small baby dragon who just grew his wings."

"I was fourteen." I strongly recall.

"And dragons can live up to over five hundred years, a thousand if you're really special. So my point still stands." She sits on my bed, taking off her regalia and making a small quip about it. "Ugh, can't see how Celestia managed to keep this stuff on her all the time."

"Well when you got a lot of scars and history to hide, you tend to make it a regular practice." I answer.

"Scars and trauma, yet another reason why I couldn't walk down the aisle." I tilt my head at her, knowing that she went through her own troubles. "Look, all I'm saying is that my life wasn't as traumatic as those two. But I digress, let me get back on subject. Spike, you cannot just leave the castle in the midnight hours and expect that to be okay with me. What if something were to happen to you? I'd have no Equestrian clue where you would be. So from here on, I'm gonna need you to tell me when you're going out, where you're going to, who you're going with, and what you're doing."

I aptly throw my palm to my face, still feeling more and more restricted. "Twilight, I'm old enough to have a personal life. I can tell you when I plan to leave, but I shouldn't have to have a full briefing every time I go to get laid."

Her cheeks redden as a silence grows between us. The situation becomes even more awkward as we remember what Blue said about me before the procession. The mare clears her throat. "Again, I just don't want anything bad happening to you and I not know where you are."

I grumble as I come up with a solution. "Look, how about I take a picture of the place I'm at, not of the party that I'm with. That's my business, and mine alone."

"The last person who moved in silence without telling us anything, you know what happened to him?"

"Can we not?" I urge in frustration. "I don't need every comparison of my life to be paired up with your ex. You need to find you a new guy to call your ex after you break up with him next. And then you need to bitch about him and what he does. Like can you seriously find a new ex to rant about?"

"This isn't about me, Spike."

"Since when isn't this about you, Violet!?" I knows she doesn't like me calling her that name, but I do it just to hound my point further. "You're the princess of a nation now, trying to be mom of her adopted dragon spawn. Half the shit about me you don't even know outside of a research novel, and those are all outdated stereotypes. So how about you stop hounding me about what I'm acting like and look at the fact that I might be different from what you think I am?"

"I just want to protect you, Spike." She says softly. "I fall back on you because I don't have any alternative aside from my brother and my father, and both of them have their own lives to live."

"And I have mine." I say again. "You can still manage to find your own, just stop being picky."

"I know, I know."

"And besides, I'm not gonna just outright ask you to do nasty things with me, alright." I joke to much of her chagrin.

"EW! SPIKE!"

"Hey you're the one who's down bad, not me." I tease again.

She groans in disgust as well as envy. "'Kay, I get it. Just... clue me in on when you're leaving out next time."

"Every Saturday, schedule's been scrubbed clean from here on." I answer plainly.

"Spike, you can't do every Saturday! What about─"

"Balance." I remind her in a soft voice. "I work from sun-up, to well past the sun-down. I've done that everyday for the past five years, no vacations, no breaks. Now I'm reclaiming my time for my mental health, physical well-being, and sexual discovery."

"Ugh, Spike." She rolls her eyes as I continue.

"I don't wanna hear it. I take Saturday to break it in. You take Sunday to branch out. I get mine, you get yours, there's no disruption in power, we each have a day to ourselves, and we get to hit Monday hard as hell. Deal?"

She sighs, but only out of admittance that she needs the time off. "Okay. You win this one."

"Good." I say as I extend my claw for her to shake.

She retracts herself in questioning. "Uh, you and Blue didn't do anything today did you?"

"We just had the talk over ice cream, that's it."

She finally extends her hoof to shake with me. "Good. So you want your Saturdays clear. Glad to know you told me this on today as opposed to Friday."

"Twilight, you know me. I'm all about the schedule."

The rest of my evening is pretty quiet. I finally get a moment's peace where I don't have to worry about paperwork, changes to travel schedule, packing clothes for a trip out of town, and a bunch of other things. I'm more than thankful for it, especially if it gives me a chance to chill for a bit.

Honestly, it feels weird not having to bust nut after a day like this. Usually I'm good for two or three, would've been seven if I was the way I was two weeks ago. Who knows, I probably would've already turned my brief conversation with miss Blue into a different kind of business engagement. Maybe she's not into soliciting pics, but I'm sure she would've been somewhat thrilled of the idea of a young dragon flooding her inbox with pictures of dragon meat oozing with precum. Who am I kidding, she's probably standing by her phone right now, waiting for a name to come up on her screen.

Meanwhile...

Bottles of wine litter the bedside of the messy room of the billionaire heiress. Her eyes glazing up and down her phone as she browses an article on mating habits of dragons. Being that there's virtually no porn of dragons in existence, she's forced to access the online archive of tomes regarding dragon anatomy. She programs her phone to take a picture in selfie mode, smirking as her drunk self places the camera view firmly on herself. She tucks her tail between her legs to hide enough of herself to not offer a wide view. But not so much that they hide the redness of her prior activity, nor the dampness that coated her legs.

The mare giggles in a drunken manner. "Mr. Dragon, I got a special late night dessert for you." The camera snaps a photo, and she reviews the incredibly compromising image before she sends the picture to the unknowing recipient.

My phone buzzes, to indicate I have a message sent to me. As soon as I read the name, I start to worry. As soon as I see there's an image attached, I get flustered. I open the message just to see what it is she sent me...

...She's not wasting any time, is she?

The next message that pops up in my feed is from her also. "Hungry?"

I'll be the first to admit it while I'm alone, it brings up a bunch of ideas, namely to question if she can pay a visit, but I realize that it would be bad for business if I threw myself in that kind of situation. I'll just keep the picture to myself for now and tell her to cool down. "I thought our communication was to be strictly professional, ma'am."

"Sometimes sex is part of the profession. It's a great way to close the deal." She messages back.

I know Melanie warned me about her, and I'm starting to believe it. A lady like this will probably chew me up, spit me out, and forget what flavor I was five minutes later. I still try to be strong. "Ma'am, I am not able to reciprocate your request at this time. Please contact me during business hours."

I put my phone down, already trying not to stir myself back up. But as I put my phone on the nightstand, it vibrates again with yet another message. "I saw how you looked at Kali earlier today." I start to sweat at the pressure she was putting on. Is she always so pervasive? "You had some ideas about her after she beat up those goons, didn't you?" Not only is she perverted, she's incredibly observant. "You're not the only guy who's had a thought or two about her. That dress she wore hides a lot of things most stallions want."

"Ma'am, please stop this." I need to put my phone down, but I'm more afraid that she'll just send me more lewd pictures instead. I can already bet she's drunk right now. "Have you been drinking again?"

"Yeah, but I need a drinking buddy to tell bedtime stories to." If she wasn't laying it on thick with the pic she sent, I know she's putting it all out there now.

"Ma'am, I don't have time for this." I need to calm down before I lose composure and start browsing on certain websites.

She's still persistent, sending me yet another message. "If you don't have time for me teasing you, then why you keep answering?" As I start to text back a response, another message pops up, one that grabs my full undivided attention. "You know, Kali and I had a foursome once. Do you wanna know what all happened?"

...Yeah, I think it's time for me to go back to that picture and start all over again.

I scroll back up to the photo of her indecent gift, very much unsolicited but also appreciated for the moment. She's still texting me, sending message after message. "She and I were with a maid, we had a contest with this one stallion who was hard to make cum. Both the maid and I gave him a blowjob. Kali rode him real slow. He wouldn't even cum for us until both she and I started taking sides, if you know what I mean. He shot ropes across the entire room when we were done. I'd bet you'd like that too."

Dammit, I'm gonna have to make this quick.

"Leaving me on read, or are your claws busy with something?"

Dammit, Saturday cannot come soon enough. Let me answer this mare so I can get this over with. "Can I just go to bed? What do you want?"

True to her drunken sexuality, she pushes the envelope even further with a simple message. "Let me see it."

I know I've already learned my lesson about what I send to who. And if she's drunk now, I know she's not going to be all too confidential with my secrets. It's better that I don't. "I can't right now."

"Aw, why not? Boys your age stay ready."

"Phone call." I lie on the spot. "Important call, royal jurisdiction, ttyl."

I save the picture and leave the message app. I take a deep breath, completely overwhelmed by the pressure that mare was putting on me. I somewhat regret giving her my number, but I at least have a little something to commemorate my miscue. I going to enjoy that image starting now.

Or at least I was going to until Smolder's name pops up on the caller ID. I take a moment to scream into my pillow from the frustration before I answer the call. "Hello?"

"Sup!" She answers with a boisterous bellow. "Ocellus tells me you got your phone back on the train ride today."

"Yup. Just got it yesterday." I tell her.

"Ha! I bet you're jacking off right now." She jokes.

"Uh, no not really." While I try to disguise my voice to hide the fact I was about to, she breaks out in laughter.

"You totally were! I knew it!"

While most would see her as being condescending, I know she's just playful with virtually no filter whenever she's not dealing with any classes. "Look, what I do in my own time is my business."

"Yeah, yeah." She says as she jumps straight to the point. "So, you clutch up any mates lately?"

While I could tell her about Ocellus, I don't think it would be wise to do that unless Ocellus made mention of it to her. But in terms of dragons... "Nope. Not one."

"Ugh, tragic!" She shouts on the other end. "I seriously thought you would've beaten up on some female while you were over there. How do you mess that up!?"

"Well considering that Ember kept most of the competition away, and with her being the strongest dragon aside from her dad... yeah, go and fill in the blanks."

"Yikes, Ember competed for you? No wonder you never got laid."

"I know." I deadpan. "It's late and you got classes to teach in the morning, what's your deal?"

"Just checking in, seeing if you got taken care of. So far, that's a no. Looks like you might have to keep Ember updated."

Well that's a disaster waiting to happen. "Uh... sure."

"I know you don't want to do it because of how things might've went." That's exactly the reason why. "But you gotta keep her updated on stuff like that. It's dragon business after all, what you do and how you act reflects on all of us. You and I are pretty big figures in the dragon world, can't let anything bad happen."

"I hear you." I say, growing a little more annoyed.

"You hear me, but are you listening to me?"

"Yes, I am." I respond.

"Okay. I'm warning you, Spike. Let me down and I'll be coming after you with a knuckle sandwich. Don't fuck up."

"I got you. I'll be fine." I assure once more.

"Good. Now drop by the school tomorrow. Headmare Starlight wants to talk to you about something. I don't know what it is, but she seems to have a lot of paperwork for you to sort through."

Oh what joy, to visit Ponyville for the exclusive purpose of filling out paperwork. I didn't know being an adult was so boring compared to the days when I used to trail behind Twilight's friends. I miss that already. "Okay, I'll be there by noon."

"See you there."

After the sun comes up I do my little 30 minute cardio workout for energy, breakfast, and knock out some preliminary stuff here in town before heading down to Ponyville. When I arrive in the growing town down south of the city, I'm greeted by a few of the locals passing through. Pipsqueak is getting some work done with the local political action committee, working beside Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara. It seems she's running for a position on the city council. Rumble's darting through the air, busting clouds before giving me a wave of greeting. I walk by the boutique, seeing Sandbar carting along some heavy supplies like it's nothing. But then his yak fiancée opens the door to greet him, snagging him up in a tight hug he doesn't even flinch at.

I finally get to the school, passing by a number of students in the hall. I end up waiting for some of the traffic to clear before Silverstream greets me with an enthusiastic wave and a smile. I pass by Ocellus, who gives me a smile before tending back to her classes. Sweetie Belle is in the middle of teaching a chorale, going over some interesting vocal techniques that I only caught wind of at the big wedding last year. Scootaloo's running physical education, having some of the students running laps around outside. Applebloom is teaching chemistry, repeatedly shouting out that the fire extinguishers are not meant to be used as rocket thrusters.

As chaotic as that last part may be, it's still a peaceful day in Ponyville. And it's a peace that's so often missed.

Turning into the administrative wing, I'm greeted by Sunburst, wearing a teal cape decorated with moons and stars. He sees me and offers a friendly greeting. "Spike, good afternoon. I trust you're here for Starlight?"

"Yeah, is she in her office?"

"She's never not." He says a little quietly before erupting back to his cheerful self. "But you're cleared to go in."

I take the stallion's word and knock at the door before poking my head in. "Hey hey, guess who's in town."

"Hey, Spike!" She leaps up from her desk, teleporting right next to me to give me a hug. "Oh, I can barely keep up with how big you are now. What does that make you?"

"An even five." I answer in regards to my height.

"Might be a little taller than that. You're human height at this point. I don't know what's in the water in Canterlot, but you and Twilight have been shooting up!" She says as she pats me on my back, guiding me towards her desk.

"I guess so." I take my seat for a moment, expecting the paperwork to be a long slog. "So what's the deal, you got some paperwork?"

She pulls out a small manila envelope, removing only a single page to place at the center of the table for me. "Actually, just this."

I read the document seeing it's just a simple list of books for the school curriculum. I wince with surprise and confusion. "A grant for books? You could've just sent this to a town administrator, that would've been the end of it right there."

"Well you're here, aren't you? Go on and sign that bad boy so we can get us some new books!" She seems pretty elated to have the proposal at the foot of her desk for me to sign, so much so that she smiles and levitates a quill and a phial of ink.

I give it another once-over, seeing nothing out of the ordinary. After that, I sign the dotted line. "You know, this isn't really that big of a reason for me to take an express visit to town."

She places her hooves together as her mood grows serious. "Yeah, but I think there's something else we need to talk about."

"What, are you and Sunburst finally getting hitched?" I joke.

"No, he hasn't proposed yet." She answers with an eye roll. "But maybe you'll be interested in what's in here."

She slides the manila envelope that she hid the grant in, expecting me to go through it a little more. "What is this?"

As I pull out some vague pictures of some robed apparent ponies, I take notice of the background they're in. It seems thaty they are moving suspiciously in the Everfree Forest, name the ruins there. "There's something fishy going on in the ruins of Everfree Castle. There are these figures wearing black hoods just hunching around the place. I'd ask Zecora for help, but she's been traveling more with Mage Meadowbrook. These are images are what some of the local tourists snapped along their way. They reported them to the town constable. They give it to me, and now I'm giving them to you to give to Twilight."

Yeah, if I wasn't keen on keeping track of things, I'd be double cross-eyed by now. "There's a literal treehouse in the cave down in the ravine, and you mean to tell me that no one saw them moving until now?"

"Well that's why we're here." She shrugs.

While I don't think there's much to be concerned about with the ruins, it's better to err on the side of caution. I take the documents and take a shallow breath while holding the envelope and it's contents. With a soft exhale, green flames leave from my lips and engulf the folder into an enchanted ash to be carried by the winds. "Okay. They're forwarded to Twilight, she'll send some investigators to look into it. If it's serious, we'll nip it in the bud."

"Thanks, Spike." She smiles softly. "If there's anyone who can get the busiest princess' attention, it's always you who's got her ear."

As I walk out the room, I joke back to her. "As if she really listens to me much these days more than I have to repeat myself."

The door closes and I make my way down the hall again, running into Sunburst once more. "Hey Spike, did it go well?"

"Yeah, new books coming your way."

The stallion pumps his hoof with excitement. "Yes! I knew we could count on you!"

While I'm on my way onward to meet up with Smolder, I give the stallion a comment of personal importance. "Also, you may want to seal things up with Starlight before she loses patience."

He rolls his eyes seemingly fatigued with my suggestion, probably because he's heard it all before. "Trust me, I know."

"Then what are you waiting for?" I ask.

He sits himself down as he explains to me what's been going on. "For the right moment, where we're just being us, not headmare and assistant. Whether you believe it or not, she keeps her focus mainly on the school. Our relationship's been taking a back seat to it all."

"You ever tried making time?" I suggest.

"I do, but Trixie and Maud always beat me to it. Always girls night out and never a night out for us. I get we see each other during the day everyday, but it's not enough."

Seems the both of them have some things to work on with each other. "Uh... have you tried talking to her about it?"

"She's too busy. Everything is about either the schedule or the students, I thought she learned that lesson before, but with the enrollment shooting up over the past few years, she's been all in on the school. I know it's Twilight's namesake entrusted to her, but I wonder if she's even realizes that we're in a relationship just as much as we are business partners."

I tap on my chin, coming up with a possible solution that could probably bring some spark into their relationship. The first idea that comes to mind is that the two are probably not getting sexually involved. I know that's a pretty big reason why most long-term relationships start to fail. "I know this is gonna sound real douchy, but walk in that office, knock something from off her desk, put her on it, and blow her mind."

He groans in defeat. "I've tried that, Spike. We've been at it on her desk five times yesterday. It's almost everyday with us doing that. But when we get home, she just locks herself in her room and goes right back to administrative work. 'Now's not the time, Sunburst. You're being a distraction, Sunburst. Can we do this later, Sunburst? I promise I'll make it up to you, Sunburst.' She doesn't even call me honey or sweetie anymore."

Yikes, didn't think it was that bad with them. Okay, change of approach. "Okay, so I have a better idea. Don't ignore her like you're not aware of her, but ignore her in the sense of removing yourself from her schedule for a day or two, if not longer. Let her come to you with the conversation. And try not to wilt under pressure. Make her see that you have an emotional need outside of feeling an occasional touch on a tightly planned schedule. If she doesn't make time for you, don't make time for her. Relationships are a two way street, can't have the flow going one way while you're moving into oncoming traffic."

Nodding quietly with approval, he takes my advice into strong consideration. He also gives me a look of subtle disbelief. "You know for a young guy, you sure do give some good relationship advice."

"I've been doing this for years, still do it now." I answer.

"You still give advice to Rarity and Twilight?" He questions, both partially joking and genuinely curious.

"Not so much to Rarity. But Twilight on the other hoof..." I roll my eyes and sigh in thought. "...Don't get me started."

Chapter 7: Eternal Echoes

On that day, seven years ago...

Six heroes not born to these lands would go on to save not only Equestria, but their own home world. The entire time during all the trials and executions, a painful reminder of the events grow heavy in the hearts of those who were deeply affected. If I recall what I was doing at the time, I was watching as a gathering of mournful souls weeping and calling out to the ones they held dearest to them. I remember the absurd number of wreathes decorating the streets, each representing a guard no longer present.

I was with Mr. and Mrs. Sparkle at the time. And they held me particularly close that day, especially Mr. Sparkle. He seemed quiet, but unusually cold in the eyes. Mrs. Sparkle couldn't help but to weep, weep for the mothers who had watched their young depart for their first few months on post at the castle. Sadly, none of those mothers had a body to mourn over, just a pair of tags with their cutie marks, an empty helmet, a folded flag, and a colorful photo of their deceased loved one in uniform. The chilling screams, the horrible howls, the broken siblings who pleaded to the photos of their deceased to return to them, the ever present question of 'why' never once left their lips.

The streets were clear, as the six humans quietly walked the Canterlot cobblestone roads. Behind them was a wagon filled with beautiful flowers, bouquets from their own world with cards of loss. While I'm sure the load of the cargo was not holding them back, the burden they issued themselves was nothing short of magnificent.

Leading the party was a human dressed in a specially made Equestrian dress uniform. He walked to each of the parents quietly, giving them the flowers their loved ones deserved to see in life. While a few cursed at him for the offering of his condolences, he slowly bowed in reverence to them. He walked close to us, favoring the emotionally distraught mother beside us calling for the name of her dear daughter who would never come home. The father screamed at him as he walked closer, but his hostility was made no louder than a mouse's travel.

The hulking figure, now standing at least seven feet tall, bore scars on every part of his body, including a hauntingly odd surgical scar that seemed to wrap the entirety of his neck. It looked fairly new. The human gave his flowers and bowed, he offered no words. I watched as the mother started to lunge herself at him, but the father held to her quickly. He looked at the eyes of the human who raised himself, quietly seeing something he identified. The human then started his walk back to the wagon for more flowers.

Following behind him was a shorter, but slightly older human male offering a card to the family. He gave a nod of respect and repeated the words he offered to all who was on the route. "Justice doesn't do enough for them. They deserved a better homegoing than this, but this is all we can do, for your sake. We are deeply sorry."

Mr. Sparkle's grip tightened on me as that statement was uttered. I never understood why his hoof dug so painfully deep into my shoulder back then. I just know his eyes were locked on the human who led the group of foreign heroes down the street.

Now that I think about it, there was never once a victory parade after that battle I dropped Nondis off, the human who led the quiet procession down the Canterlot cobblestone road. No confetti, no rejoicing, no ceremony, just a group of six element bearers who gave flowers instead of receiving them. The funny thing was that I was on the parade oversight committee at the time, even for my young age. I watched as Celestia started planning a route to celebrate the six humans, the ceremony where they were shown their stained glass window, the feast to be held in their honor. And they shut the idea down unanimously. Instead, they did this.

I always wondered why they were so quiet, why no one really talked about what they saved the world from.

...At least until now.

After the conversation with Sunburst, I get back to searching for Smolder. It doesn't take too long before I'm embraced from behind by the dragon, or rather punched in the shoulder by her. We exchange a quick greeting before she drags me off to the staff room to talk a little more.

In the staff room is also some of the other instructors on their lunchbreak. A few of the faces were some I've never seen before, others being very familiar over the years. So I know that I'm going to hear a few quips when I enter the room. Today is no different in that department.

Sweetie Belle finished with her first half of classes while I was in meeting with Starlight. "Well if it isn't Mr. Heartbreak." She especially loves to poke fun at the fact that I've been into her older sister for years, not once being successful. "Don't tell me you're here for some dirt on my sister again."

"No thanks, I've already said it a million times, I'm done with her."

What makes matters worse is how perceptive she is when it comes to me in particular. "Spike, the number one reason you're single isn't the fact that you're so busy. It's the fact that you're still attached to Rarity."

"I couldn't care less about what happens with her." I reply.

"Not even hearing about her fling with Thorax?" She teases, knowing that I felt a little sore about that topic.

Smolder finally interjects into the conversation. "Hey, ease up on him. It's not his fault he's stuck between a rock and a hard place."

"He has a hard place, alright!" Silverstream squawks as she enters the room behind us. She nuzzles under me for fun as she mocks me over my constantly stuffed schedule, as well as my sexual frustration. "Poor baby, all that hard work and no time to play. Kinda makes you a bit dull on life, huh?"

"Hey, chill." Smolder reiterates to the room. "He's here to hang out with us today."

"Aw, you sure you got time for that?" Sweetie asks. "I know some paperwork that Twilight definitely needs signing on, and you're probably going to have to spend the entire afternoon signing papers."

"If you're referring to the grant Headmare Starlight requested, I've already finished it." I state with a raised claw.

The white unicorn mare drops her head on the table in relief. "Finally! More music books to teach theory. I'm tired of having to teach these new methods of vocal exercise without being able to explain in detail what it all means. These kids are smart enough to be able to handle the new bits of information we're getting shipped in."

"Ooh, does that mean we get a new shipment of sexual education books for Ocellus to teach to the class?" Silverstream questions. "Oh, those poor boys are gonna hate the hour they have to spend in that class now."

"I'm sure they'll get used to it." Smolder answers dismissively before dividing her attention to me. "Now, I wanna get back to you and the month you spent over in the dragon lands."

"You mean the dragon lust situation?" Silverstream questioned rather loudly. "Like how do you get that far deep in the bad?"

I look to Smolder and give her a disapproving glance. "I thought this was a thing that was going to stay private."

"It was, until Twilight made mention of it to Headmare Starlight and counselor Trixie. And you know how Trixie loves to talk gossip." Sweetie informs me. "So how about it, did you do the thing?"

"Not while I was there." I answered quietly.

"So you did do it." Smolder says as she pulls out a drawer with her name on it, pulling out a few sapphires to snack on. "Okay, so how did you manage to sneak one under Ember's snout?"

"Look, can we keep things casual?" I ask.

"Seriously, Spike. Every creature talks about sex nowadays. We're all grown in here. Be real with us." Silverstream urges as she pulls a chair behind me, pulling my shoulders down to get me to sit. "So, let's get the elephant out the way, Ocellus told us she was taking some weekend trips to check in on you."

I immediately dropped my head, unable to keep a good poker face. Everyone in the room almost erupted in shock and awe while Smolder gave me another hit on the shoulder. "Heh, you cheated."

"I did not!" I exclaim in defense.

Silverstream clapped her paws together as she excitedly addressed me. "I know you probably don't wanna say much about it, but we checked out Ocellus' wings on the train ride back."

"Not to mention she wasn't even in the suite with us when we woke up. Gallus caught her while she was sneaking in, he had to get ready for the big ceremony later that day." Smolder adds. "So fess up, did you and Ocellus get it in on Saturday night?"

I can already feel my cheeks redden with embarrassment, I really don't want to answer that question. "Can we please talk about something else? I think that should be something I should keep to myself."

Sweetie jumps back into the fray, trying to play mediator between all of us. "Girls, let's take it down a peg. First, we're still in a school. Second, the students can hear us. And third, we don't kiss and tell with name drops." The mare sits herself and places both hooves together, her eyes starting to glow with a metaphorical gleam. "So we're not gonna say any names. But did you pay a special someone a visit on Saturday night?"

"What's the point in keeping out names when you already know who you're talking about?" I chide the trio.

Silverstream didn't seem to care about my statement, still forcing the issue. "Look, Ocellus said that she checked in with you during your dragon lust bout. And every time she came back, it was always a story to tell. Now she shows up on this train, her wings are glowing really bright, her eyes are shining even brighter, and she looks like flowers could start popping out of her head whenever we start talking about that night. So... whatcha do?"

Since she was trying to get details on me, I try to flip the conversation on her instead. "You know what, let's talk about Saturday night. So what was with you and Gallus? So are you like the power bottom between the two of you?"

"Old stuff." She replies bluntly. "Out with that and back to you with the news."

I shake my head as I grow even more adamant on not answering the question. Before they can force another word out of me, Ocellus walks into the office with a sigh from her lips and a small box lunch in tow. "These boys nowadays are so bad around the others. I might just have to keep these classes gender-segregated." She looks up to see me being pressed into a chair like I'm being interrogated. She takes another deep breath and turns to the door, walking out quietly as she whispers to the group. "I'll let you guys finish."

I holler back out to her. "Oh no, you put me in this situation! You get your ass back here!"

She swings the door wide open to chide me for my language. "Um, hello! School! Classes are in progress!"

Sweetie walk beside the changeling and drags her into the room as well. "You're so right. And we can't have classes without our teacher of the hour."

The changeling looks at me like I said something. "Spike, what did you say to them?"

"What did I say? How about you learn how to hide your wings next time." I argue back.

The changeling appears taken by my point. "You were the one who wanted to cuddle!" She snaps back. "I can't help the fact that changelings feed on cuddles!"

"You could've said no!"

"And miss out on free cuddles!? Have you been dropped on your head when you were a baby?"

"No, things were dropped on me. Thank you. But somehow through all the brain damage, I'm perfectly able to formulate where the blame lies in this situation."

"Well maybe you need to get your head checked!"

"Ah, young love already at a bloom." Silverstream hums sweetly in admiration.

"A dragon and a changeling, and I thought I was curious how an alicorn and a human were going to make it work." Sweetie Belle mutters.

Both Ocellus and I freeze at Sweetie's statement. "What do you mean by that!?" The both of us ask in unison.

"Duh, you two obviously did the do. Now we ask the main question. In or out?"

Ocellus' face flares red so much that she's turning into an apple without even transforming. Meanwhile I'm not as seasoned as her on picking up the mare's implications. "Uh, what do you mean by that?"

"Sunshine or rainy day? Fun out in the front yard or playtime inside? Dry season or monsoon?"

Sweetie Belle continues to throw out innuendos, and I'm starting to slowly catch on. I timidly respond to the mare. "Look, what does that have to do with anything?"

"Did you like your pie clean or creamy?" Silverstream finalizes, bypassing all the innuendos in favor of a direct question.

I turn away from the female creatures within the room, refusing to answer. But unfortunately I'm not the one who succumbs to peer pressure as easily. "Extra creamy." I turn back around, seeing Ocellus just now closing her mouth as she sighs in defeat. "Sorry, Spike. They always egg me into it."

Et tu, Ocellus? "Yeah, you probably don't know Ocellus that well, Spike." Smolder goes on to explain. "So let me clue you in on how she operates. If you give off enough innuendos, she'll pop like a cork."

"Speaking of corks, she says you pop off a lot, both in action and volume." Silverstream adds with a smirk.

I jump out of my seat, easily pulling Smolder up with me as she tried to keep me down. "What kind of volume you're talking about!?"

"Umm... yes." Sweetie answers.

"Oh my..." I flop back down into my seat, covering my face as I didn't want to face the group of girls in the room. "Ocellus, how much do you talk?"

"She knows what happens when she doesn't talk." Smolder says, not so much in a very threatening voice. But the look on the changeling's face indicates that she's not wanting to endure the punishment. The dragon gives her a playful wink. "Isn't that right?"

"Smolder, can we not right now?" She mutters.

Smolder snickers as her eyes narrow. "Last I checked, July's just around the corner, a month and some days now. I would hate for you to not get any sub-ins before getting assigned to the summer school shift. Can you imagine all those teenage boys who's struggling in their academics, all housed in one room, constantly emitting their teenage pheromones, throbbing and smacking the bottom of their desks? You, one of the only female teachers partially resistant to the sweet smell of the equine estrus season, trapped to endure the constantly growing puddles of young adolescent precum. You remember how last summer went, don't you?"

"PLEASE, DON'T LET ME DO THAT AGAIN!" She bows her head, begging fiercely to not be subjected to that fate.

"I'm sure you remember that bit of punishment, especially when you laded on Starlight's shit list for a whole year for turning into Sunburst to help out Trixie and her... feminine issues."

"I did my time, alright? I ain't going back to that!" Apparently last summer was so traumatic for her that she's planted her whole face into the carpet. I wonder what happened to her.

"Okay, ladies. That's enough."

Everyone turns to the owner of the voice, finally entering into the lounge for himself. Sandbar walks into the room with a comfort and confidence unlike what I originally pinned him to have back when he first enrolled. At least then I pinned him to be the quietly spiritful type with a can-do attitude. I guess being with Yona all these years made him more comfortable with himself and what all he can handle. So I shouldn't be surprised that he can command a presence when he enters a room. Hell, he's dating Yona, she's an enormous yak capable of causing earthquakes with every jump, and he asks her to be on top nearly all the time. Glory glory...

While he's familiar with everyone in the room, he's completely unbothered by the shenanigans taking place. "Hey, Spike. Got in trouble with the gossip brigade?"

"Yeah, it's not really fun to watch them bully Ocellus like this."

"Oh you're only saying that because you two are seeing each other." Sweetie announces.

"Really, you're seeing Ocellus?" He questions mildly. "Funny, I thought you and Smolder would've given it a try. You two seemed close."

I can see he's the mentally mature one of the group as well. "Well... it is kinda interesting."

"Well I hope you two work it out. Ocellus can be a bit needy, though she doesn't like to admit it."

"I thought you weren't going to jump in on this! C'mon!" The changeling screams.

"What, you are needy." He replies flatly. "A lot of the interactions you get, you complain that they aren't fulfilling enough. In a way you are needy of that attention. I just think it's cool that you finally might find that attention given to you for a change outside of the usual circle of friends." He looks to me and makes another comment. "Albeit that you didn't have to look too far outside for it."

I don't know if that was a joke or an unintended insult. I just know it could go either way.

"Sweetie, did Rarity ever tell you when she's coming back to Ponyville for her next regional event?" He questions the purple-pink maned mare.

"Your fiancée is literally the regional manager of the Ponyville branch. Why are you asking me instead of her?"

"You two literally hang out for Spa Sister Sunday, she flies you out on airship every Saturday night to some random city and you two unwind at the spa the next day, it happens every week."

"Well she'll be just north of us this Friday for the Friendship Summit up in Canterlot. She'll probably drag me up that way instead."

"Alright. I'll fill in the request to get Yona fitted for her gown later." On that note he walks out the room, ready to finally head over to his next class. But before disappearing down the hall, he pops his head back in to notify everyone in the room. "Oh yeah, first lunch period is over. Time for shift change."

All the girls in the room groan outside of Ocellus. Sweetie being the main complaining party. "Aw, it was just getting juicy."

A little after that exchange, I pay a visit to Sugarcube Corner for some snacks before setting out on train back home. Along the way back, I start to think of how funny it is that I actually see myself leaving from home more than I am going back. There was always something about Ponyville that struck me as a place I could stake my claim to. But unfortunately I have to face the reality that my first breath wasn't drawn there, my mental maturation didn't take place there, nor am I living there now. But the friends I've made in my life are there, all of my adventures, how I became who I am, it's all circling back to that not-so-small town that's becoming more of a suburban sprawl towards the foot of Canterlot.

Even as I manage to get back to the castle, it still doesn't feel quite like home. The food is great, the guards are nice, the maids know me by name, the senators in the parliament are mostly accepting of me. But it doesn't hit the same, it doesn't have the warmth I'm so used to having. All I feel is the cold floor, a sense of urgency, and the impending dread that comes with a shit-ton of paperwork. I live where I work, and that's the best way I can put it.

After a few long hours of catching up on some peace negotiations, property disputes, and trade agreements, I'm back in my room, wondering if I'm really happy staying here at times. Maybe it's just seeing the others interact with me and tease each other is what's making me feel so nostalgic.

Yeah, it's probably that.

I remember the old library, the hard oak wood floors, the warm colors of the relatively simple décor, the sounds of a gaggle of mares all laughing with one another over the simple stuff, arguing about what to do when saving the town for the nth time, the words that forever ring my ears...

Spike, take a letter.

Even when we changed addresses, the castle was a lot more cavernous but the warmth was still there. Then the first human came along, there was that whole situation. Everything revolving around the more recent appearances from more of their ilk, the conversations from them, their messing around and teasing one another, their arguments, their interactions with the others, and the talks of differences between worlds.

Then came the new kids on the block. They were a few years older than me, but at least they were in my age range. While I was staffed at the school during the time, I still felt like I was going to class right along with them. They have their moments where they do the same thing, banter, fuss, argue, and come together to save the world. And even at the moment where it seemed the most dire, I too was imbued with the elements' magic to assist in the big moment. It felt good to be apart of all of that, and today was a reminder of what all I was missing in my life.

I wonder...

♫With a taste of your lips, I'm on a riiiiide. Your toxic, I'm slipping under─♪

Seeing Ocellus' name pop up on the caller ID, I'm quick to swipe and answer her. "Hello?"

"Hey."

Her voice appears drained of any emotion. Seems like something's on her mind. "Hey, you sound tired."

"Long day. The girls let me have it after the dismissal bell." She says with a light giggle.

"They aren't teasing you too much, are they?"

"No. I'm fine with it, it's actually pretty fun at times."

She seems pretty lighthearted about the others getting on her case about us seeing each other. I guess her troubles might be stemming from somewhere else. "So what made your day long?"

"I guess you could say I had some pretty intense thoughts."

Uh oh. "Like?"

"Well... So some years ago, there were six humans that came and saved Equestria, right? Apparently we're supposed to be taking a field trip out to Canterlot on Friday for the new museum over there. You know, the one that has the eerie displays. I only read up on what all happened, pretty messed up stuff."

To think I was on the very end of that whole situation by giving something as simple as an air balloon ride. It's pretty creepy in hindsight. "Yeah, no kidding. I happen to know some of the survivors."

"It makes me wonder sometimes about them. Like how did they react to the museum?"

"Well one of the survivors went inside to see the image of her brother. The other just said 'Fuck it, I'd rather take my son for ice cream.' And since it was the opening ceremony, we had one of the heroes from that day swing by with her son. She took him inside to see what all happened. Though I'm sure she could probably point out a lot of things that weren't on display."

"Like what?" She asks.

"I dunno. I never went inside." I confess with a shrug.

"You know Princess Twilight, she was there too. How did she react?"

To be honest, I never really gauged her personal response to the museum. If anything I was still trying to make sure everything was running according to how she had it laid out in her agenda. "I'm sure she's tired of talking about it by now, almost as much as I'm tired of her talking about her ex-boyfriend."

She giggles once more. "Wow, he must've done her pretty bad."

"It's really on both of them. She let outside shit mess up her relationship. He left things alone with her to get with Celestia."

Ocellus groans in thought. "Yikes, him."

Oh yeah, I forgot she's not too open to humans. "Does he scare you?"

"Not that he should since he's not really like that anymore, but there's still the matter of two hundred of us changelings getting... you know."

"Oh yeah, the Ponyville invasion. Apparently they say he fought off fifty changelings by himself using a sword and a brick. I used to think that whole story was bullshit. But considering Rarity was a witness, and what all he ran into his first year of tenure, I guess I can say that's a thing he did."

The changeling continues to speak with a somber tone. "Yeah, just... You know he wiped out half of my siblings, right?"

"Yeah. And he wasn't too fond of the changelings then when Thorax wanted to negotiate a peace agreement."

"I was there, Spike. He scowled at us like something fierce. The only saving grace was that he had a changeling that he spared. But still, it was just the one. Like you couldn't spare any of the others?"

I think it's safe to say that she hasn't fully digested the humans' presence. Then again, I do understand why. "So do you feel like he doesn't deserve the praise he gets at times?"

"No, I get it, I'm not saying that at all." She admits. "I'm just wondering. If he makes shivers run down my spine, what made him not even want to show up for anything celebrating him and his fellow humans' victory in that regard? Was that situation so bad that every little thing triggers him about it?"

"I don't know everything, but I heard a lot happened to him. A lot about his case was left under top secret clearance, a level of clearance I don't have right now. And if you were at the trial hearing about it, Celestia forced a mandatory gag order on you as a prerequisite to keep your seat in the parliament. Twilight not only kept it active, but renewed it. Every time I ask about it, she changes the subject."

"I just wanted to know what we're getting into before I go there and see for myself how bad it was. Guess your knowledge is as good as mine."

I know that the museum has a disclaimer stationed outside of the entrance. I grow curious to see if it would affect her in some way. "Since it's supposed to be pretty bad, you think some of the things might trigger you too?"

"I don't know. But these permission slips I sent out to parents, most of them came back to me with a lot of complaints and objections to the trip, and of course without signatures. So there's only a few of the students going."

Figures that would happen. Not everyone in Ponyville wanted to keep tabs on that situation considering how controversial the criminal responsible turned out to be. They didn't want his name floating around for a cult following to develop either, so they just kept it confined to the city. Now it's circled back to the school. "So let's narrow it down, the situation with you and your trauma with the humans, the field trip coming up, and the fact that some parents confronted you over the trip is why your day was so long after I left?"

"Yup. That about sums it up." She confirms.

I can imagine how challenging a day like that would be on her. Maybe I could drop by and offer some encouragement. Who knows, maybe I could break the ice a little for Saturday too. "Do you need me to come along?"

There's a period of silence on her end before she speaks again. "Spike, can we level with each other for a bit?"

Probably more of those intrusive thoughts, but this time relating to me. "What's up?"

"Now this isn't in any way a gripe or complaint about you, it's just me being honest." She begins slowly. "I don't even know you all that well. Like I know of you, I see you every so often, and we talk every other time. I know I took advantage of you and got my rocks off, but in terms of using you for comfort... I don't know if I can do that."

"You don't trust me?"

"...It's not that I can't trust you." She staggers off.

"I mean we just started talking." I add.

"See!? That's the problem! Are we talking or are we just going through the motions of meeting up every Saturday for the intent of being fuck buddies? I don't know what this is!"

"I mean it's up to you. What do you want it to be?"

I hear her stammering to herself on the other line, seeming to be at conflict with herself over what she wants us to be. "I dunno. I guess I'm fine with what we have now."

"Sex and cuddles?" I answer in brutal honesty.

She sounds even more frustrated now that I said it out loud. "Do you have to boil it down so much?"

"I'm still a dragon, you know. By most accounts of my species, cuddles aren't even supposed to be an option on the menu."

"Well I'm glad you offer it on yours."

I trio of beeps sound on the speaker, I look back to my screen seeing Smolder's name pop up on the ID. I inform her of the call on the other line. "Hey, Smolder's on the other line for some reason."

"Oh." She says quietly. "Well I guess I'll talk to you later then."

"No, I can hold you real quick." I propose, not wanting her to rush herself off the call.

But it seems that she was already trying to get off the call with me. "It's fine. Just go on ahead."

"Ocellus─"

"Bye!"

Her call ends, leaving me with the option to pick up the incoming call or reject it. I don't have much time to think on it, answering to see what it was she was contacting me for. "Hello?"

"Spike! What's good?" She sounds just as cheerful and brash as she always is. It's almost as if the situation Ocellus talked about earlier didn't have any bearing on her.

"Just got off the line with Ocellus."

"Aw, you two are already chatting it up? I knew castle life makes you move fast, but damn." She jokes boisterously.

"It's not even like that!" I argue.

Her tone then takes a shift. "Whatever. Look, I just wanna know something. Like how serious are you with her?"

"We just started talking." I answer with some uncertainty.

"So what's that supposed to mean?" She pressures a little more.

"It means I haven't really had a chance to find out how serious this is gonna be."

"But you can go all the way with her?" She's really protective of her, as a friend should be.

"We both agreed that this is something we're doing right now. That's as much as I can tell you."

"So she didn't say anything else?"

"No, was she supposed to?"

The dragoness gives off a sigh on the other end. "I guess not."

"Okay, something's wrong." I ask, still a bit concerned.

"Nothing's wrong. I'm just checking in on what you're doing. Like I know you're my friend, but she's my friend too. I don't want her to get hurt, and I don't want you to just jump into anything with any set expectations."

It's pretty hard to have expectations when you don't even know where the starting line is. "Okay. So that means I'm doing good then."

A frustrated growl sounds from Smolder. "Just don't do anything stupid, Spike. Ocellus is as sensitive as she is freaky. Anything you say can and will probably be taken to heart."

"I'll keep that in mind." I nod to myself.

Her tone shifts again, back to a more relaxed approach. "So... what you got this Friday?"

"I dunno, I'll have to go back to my schedule."

"So we got this field trip to the new museum up there in Canterlot. You mind helping us with the group since we're going to be short-staffed? I know you can clear up time with Twilight since it's relative to her own damn school."

I wonder if it has anything to do with what Ocellus told me earlier. "Any reason for the staff shortage?"

"Lots of parents didn't want their kids going to it. Too sensitive and graphic, way too much trauma for a young mind to absorb. Stuff like that."

Yup, that about sums it up. "I mean I can try to clear up the schedule."

"I figured Ocellus would've asked you since she was on the phone with you, but it seems that she was preoccupied with her next date with you that she didn't even bother to ask you up on it."

Wait, was that the reason why she called me? Either way, I guess I'll actually get the opportunity to warm things up afterwards. I'll go into my Saturday already being satisfied. Maybe I'll actually go on a date with her instead of just being the primetime event. "No it's fine. I'll keep you posted. I may just take the time to do it anyways, I ain't got nothing better to do."

The dragoness sounds relieved. "Thanks, Spike. I knew I could count on you."

"Don't count on me too much, I might disappoint you one of these days." I joke lightly.

She chuckles in response. "I'm sure."

Two days passed since Smolder and Ocellus told me of the field trip they were taking. A lot of my time was spent going through a bunch of documents, fussing parties of various disputes, and even a few gripes from the dragon lands saying they haven't gotten their tunnel boring equipment. I didn't get in touch with Alex, but I got to his accountant... who's also his wife. She managed to oversee some of the trade deals in his place. It seems he's pretty busy with an overseas deal going on in a place called Dubai, which probably explains why we haven't been able to reach out to him directly. At least his wife is doing fine, and she's more than capable of running the trade without him. One less issue to go on about.

However, my confirmation of that detail to Ms. Blue didn't carry on without a few tempting offers of the immoral variety. I know she's not exactly my age, but she hasn't exactly turned me off of the idea of engaging in that kind of trade. In fact, I'm more worried that she might get me to buy in. And considering Melanie's warning to me, I shouldn't be entertaining any phone calls from her past nine at night like I have been. It's hard to stay professional when you're still gripping with the final stages of puberty going into adulthood, and it's even harder to not get aroused at the very compromising pictures she sends out on occasion.

I swear I need to not think with my dick sometimes. Especially on today.

Once I was finished with my preparations for Sunday, I inform Twilight that I'm soon to head towards the train station to meet up with the class coming in. She halts me for a moment to ask where the class is coming from. I inform her it's from her school down in Ponyville. Her ears perk up and her eyes widen at the opportunity to see more of her students. She has me wipe out most of her day save the evening meeting with the Friendship Summit, and tags along with me to the station.

The train rolls in just a minute ahead of schedule. Twilight takes note of the improvements in the train's arrival, contributing the improvement to the new rail system that they had installed for the Ponyville-Canterlot connection. She also strongly commends the tunnel boring operations that took place throughout the mountain, making the tunnels a lot safer and stable for future riders. She's also raving on and on about wanting a maglev train system installed throughout Equestria in about twenty years.

As she's raving on and on, she doesn't even notice the the fact that Ocellus and Smolder walked up to us. Smolder hi-fived me as we greeted one another. "Spike, you made it! Way to keep a word."

"Yeah, I didn't exactly come alone as you can see." I say as I point back to the rambling princess. "Forgive her, she's exhibiting some unusual levels of Twilight behavior."

"Smartass says what?" She grumbles before realizing she's surrounded by a bunch of younger teenage students trailing behind the two instructors I spoke with. She looks a little embarrassed from her briefly colorful language being displayed in front of the class, trying to play it off by greeting both Ocellus and Smolder. "Ah, ladies. Good seeing the both of you again."

"Your highness, it's always an honor." Ocellus replies with a bow.

"So how's the school been running?" Twilight asks casually.

"It's been great. How's it been going up here?" Smolder questions in kind.

"It's been... going." She says with a light smirk, not really telling how rough the schedule's been for both of us.

"You know you didn't have to come by today, we just asked Spike." Ocellus states while pointing at me.

"Well I would've let Spike lead the tour, but he never walked into the museum." She gives me an accusatory glance before speaking again. "Plus I know what all's there and what still needs correction."

"Always a history buff." I roll my eyes back at her.

"Well when you've been there for enough, you tend to want your information to be a little more precise." She rebutts before finally addressing the crowd of young teens. "Hello everycreature! It's an honor to meet each and every one of you on today. Since the lot of you were allowed by your parents and your own pursuit of knowledge, I will personally oversee your tour on today. And shortly after, we're gonna hit the castle and get you all the best food you've ever eaten before you head back home."

A young kirin girl raises her cloven hoof. "Your highness, will there ever be a tour of the human world?"

"Well, maybe later on, but not today. I'll gladly let you know if they become available."

I tap on Ocellus' shoulder and whisper down to her. "Ain't that place a mess right now?"

"Oh boy, let me tell you."

As we walked out of the Canterlot station, the young students marveled at some of the recent implementations that have been made on the streets of the city. It's not only a bustling hub of commercial and militaristic success, it's a good way of seeing some of the human architecture and infrastructure in play. We rode an electric trolley system where the carts were ran on rechargeable batteries along a guided rail. As we took our little ride, many of the students noted how much quieter it was than the train they rode in on.

The ride to the Corrotto district wasn't long at all. But along the way, all the young boys asked about Princess Twilight's search for a suitor. It was a most surprising subject to her, and an amusing one for me. Twilight always replied to them that she's not in a search for one at the current time, but maybe if there was a brave young guard looking to climb the ranks to reach her, she would reciprocate their affections and offer her hoof on a date. We all collectively read through that massive lie and laughed about it.

Twilight gave me a deathly glare for laughing.

At short last, we arrive at the foot of the museum. Ocellus and I glance to one another as we both recognize the personal significance of our being here together again. But this time our attitude isn't as carefree or nearly as horny. We have a group of kids completely ignorant to the experience they're about to have. And for those of us who recognize the seriousness of where we are and what it stands for, we're about to experience for the first time some of the darker accounts of Canterlot's history.

We enter the lobby, seeing what appeared to be a room filled with white lights. The stone pillars, some broken, some cracked more than others, towers above us on each side, guiding us forward. These were apparently the columns that once supported the weight of the ceiling, but were also replaced by a more modern construction of them comprised of reinforced concrete. The whole lobby appears to be a massive welcoming area with a intricate stained glass mural lit from below and covered by a thick layer of polycarbonate. The mural depicts six humans and nine ponies standing up to a great shadow that brought ruin and despair wherever it went.

Personally, I more so remember the bad smell that reached up to the air balloon I was piloting that day.

The room is far from empty, there are many who walk the lobby. Some with souvenirs, others with heaving friends and loved ones trying to gather themselves from the experience. The students start to grow concerned for what they'll soon partake. The wall ahead of look like a number of sealed ticket booths, a façade for where you'd actually go to start your journey. While many are curious of the appearance of the façade, Twilight guides us along the path to our left. We enter a craggy looking tunnel guiding us downward below the ground level. The lights are grafted into the floor, giving a most ominous feeling upon walking further.

At last we came to a room, within it sat two doors. One massive door to the left is a black gate adorned with gold trim. The other to the right is a red door with apparent claw marks digging into the surface. A voice sounds from all around us.

Long ago, there was a young, bright unicorn born of a noble family who once held lordship and rule over the district of Corrotto. He was an affluent unicorn who had a family surrounding him for most of his young life. But on the eve of the Equestrian Civil War, the citizens of the district grew upset with the corruption of the magistrate. As a result, the young unicorn watched upon his rescue as the crowd surrounded and liberated themselves from the corrupt magistrate. While his family was brought to justice, he was spared. This angered the young unicorn into researching a means for his vengeance. Centuries later, he grew into power, holding the largest collection of wealth that anyone could ever hope for, even amongst those of royal blood. And with that wealth, came a greed so profound that he could corrupt many of the leaders of parliament to hide his most hideous secrets.

Those secrets was some that no living family should ever wish to endure.

Smolder, who's largely unimpressed by the presentation, shrugged as she questioned aloud. "I wonder what this unicorn did that was so bad."

"He didn't do anything bad at all." Another voice chimes in from within our group.

Ocellus turns around to see a strange disheveled stallion standing in defiance of the exhibit. "What are you talking about, dude?"

"THIS DISPLAY IS A FARCE! IT'S A MOCKERY OF THE REAL CORROTTO, OF WHAT IT TRULY USED TO BE!"

While Twilight looked at him with indignation bright in her eyes, I facepalm and shake my head at his rant. "Are we seriously doing this right now?"

"CORROTTO USED TO BE A PLACE OF UNBRIDLED FREEDOM! IT USED TO BE A PLACE WHERE WE WERE TRUE TO OURSELVES AND OUR DESIRES! AND THE ONE RESPONSIBLE FOR THAT VISION IS NOW THE ONE THEY CHOSE TO DEMONIZE FOR THEIR PROPAGANDA!"

Of course, while Twilight did agree to oversee the group, it did not come without proper security measures being taken. I flag over a command. "Guards." Using enchanted cloaks with invisibility spell runes on the seams, they discard their cover and approach me. Gallus, who is also among the detail, salutes me in greeting. "Deal." I point towards the ranting stallion as he continued his tirade.

"LOOK AROUND YOU! THE ABSENCE OF COLORS, THE FLOOD OF WHITE LIGHTS, THE GENTRIFICATION OF GROUNDS ONCE RAVING WITH CHEERS AND PRAISES OF THE TRUE CITIZENRY OF THE CITY, SILENCED AND PAINTED OVER! EVEN NOW, THE ROYAL FAMILY THAT MADE A MOCKERY OF THIS ONCE TRULY RESPECTED DISTRICT CONTINUES TO PARADE THEIR SELF-RIGHTEOUS CAMPAIGN, IGNORING THE TRUTH OF WHAT REALLY HAPPENED HERE! LIVES WERE CHANGED FOR THE BETTER OF THOSE WHO SOUGHT IT! FREEDOM AND GLORY WAS CELEBRATED EVERY FRIDAY AND TUESDAY! RESTORE OUR CORROTTO! RESTORE OUR CORROTTO! RESTORE OUR CORROTTO!"

Gallus hears enough and approaches the raving stallion. "Okay you, come with us."

"SEE!? EVEN NOW THEY WANT TO HIDE THE TRUTH! THEY'RE THE ONES RESPONSIBLE FOR THE BAD HERE! HONOR FOR THE DOC! RESTORE OUR CORROTTO!"

As he's getting towed away, Twilight sighs quietly as Smolder makes a joke. "Didn't think there were nut jobs on display too."

"That wasn't part of the tour." I inform her.

"Oh we know that." She giggles.

Ocellus looks after Twilight, seeing the princess visibly disturbed. "Princess?"

Twilight moves forward without skipping a beat. "We shall now continue with our tour."

The voiceover once again speaks out.

"On today, we will have guides issued to you through means of transient magic spheres to recreate the images, voices, and even personalities of each of our guides on today. One guide each will be assigned to a display. Questions may be asked and answered, but please limit your topics to that of them personally or the display they preside over, as answers are very limited at this time. We understand that the things you will see on display today will provoke a sense of unease, dread, depression, emotional distress, sadness, stress to those bearing offspring, and even post-traumatic-stress for any surviving family and friends. If you do not desire to endure such things, please approach the section to the left of the guide. (You may also skip the tour by clicking the icons in the brackets [►►] to highlight the skipping prompt and fast forward to the next section by pressing ctrl+f and pasting the prompt into the search bar.)

We shall now give you a minute to decide."

Sixty seconds for courtesy, at least they're offering the chance to not get too invested. Thank goodness, it's almost as though you have the option to go straight to the gift shop and keep your experience as fluffy as possible. I'm willing to bet if the school had properly conveyed that bit of information, there would be a lot more students here. Then again, I'm not gonna shoot down an easier chaperone job.

However, I do have concerns over one thing. "I guess now's a good time for you, Ocellus."

"I know I'm nervous about it, but I still want to see for myself what happened." She states with some nervousness in her voice.

"You sure?"

"I'm positive." She answers before the voiceover pops back up over the loudspeakers.

"To those who wish not to go on this tour, we respect the decision to protect your mental well-being and personal health. A guard will be more than happy to assist you on your way to the waiting area for the hall of heroes.

Those who remain, we humbly thank you for your patronage and bravery. We wish you a safe trip through our hallowed museum. For any further questions, please consult your physically present guide."

A series of lower pitched beeps indicate that our time is winding down. I circle back to Ocellus, making sure she's okay with going along. "Looks like the tour is starting. Last chance."

"I'm good, Spike."

I nod in admiration over her determination. "Okay then." A higher pitched beep sounds as I finish my response. No one in our group is daring to join with the other tourists who might be squeamish. They wave at the princess as she guides our group towards the direction of the right, watching as the large red doors open to introduce a darkened room,

"Those who are still on tour with us, please enter through the door to your right. Be wary to look down at the orange lights below to guide you along your path. It is also requested that all patrons walk in a single file line to best observe safety and comfort throughout the course of this interactive experience. We thank you for your willing cooperation."

We all do as instructed and follow Twilight along the way, moving in a single file line within the given guidelines of the rather dim orange lights. In doing so, we find ourselves in an almost pitch black hallway. Some of the students hold to each other just to know where they're going or who they're running into.

Smolder even makes a note of it. "Yikes, it's really dark in here."

Ocellus, among another two students' eyes glow perfectly in the dark as she makes an interesting point. "Uh... I take it that we changelings, since we're already adept at seeing things in the dark, aren't supposed to spoil what we're seeing ahead of us, right?"

"Already been taken into account. The glass is a special one-way mirror that will disallow changelings from seeing through them, even in total darkness." Twilight responds.

"Dang it." One of the students mutter to themselves just seconds before the voiceover sounds a warning.

Please stand clear, the door is closing.

Behind us, the large wooden door falls slowly to the ground as it slows even more just seconds before the light of the outside world is completely snuffed out. Along with it came a noise over the loudspeaker.

*errrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr─CHUNG*

The orange lights that lit our path are extinguished. Only darkness remains. Ocellus grips my arm as she makes a mention of the obvious. "I don't think the doors were that big to be that loud."

"It ain't made of metal either." I point out as a conversation is simulated over the speakers, along with a number of sound effects to appear as though we're in the midst of a party walking along their way.

"Wow! This door is huge!"

"It's almost like a giant safe. I wonder what was in here."

"Doesn't smell all too great either."

"And it's so chilly in here. It feels like a freezer."

"No kidding."

"This place is huge."

"And it smells like that thing from earlier."

"You don't think we're gonna run into another one of those, do you?"

"We just saw them take that thing down. There's no way."

"Uh... girls... look up."

Slowly, the opaque glass that shelved us off is lifted. As that is happening, a rush of cold air hits our feet and hooves, we start to feel a chill in the room as the glass curtain begin to reveal a room with enormous hooks dangling from the ceiling. I squint as the room is so bright with a blue-tinted light. There are hooks everywhere from where we can see. At the other side of the room is a set of double doors, they apparently lead to the next part of the exhibit.

But before we get a chance to breeze through the unsettling display, a swirl of light from a magic aura begins to manifest before us into the shape of a guardsmare, namely our current captain. "Hey, isn't that the captain of the guard?" One of the young teens question as the figure starts to speak.

"Greetings guests. While I would say it is nice to meet you, I'm afraid our discovery has made any pleasantries obsolete. You see, we've stumbled upon a dark lab, a lab used for dark magic experiments. The test subjects: Your grandfathers, your grandmothers, your moms, your dads, your sisters and brothers, your friends, coworkers, lovers, neighbors, your kids, all of them... including you if you were of the less fortunate. But know that this display is but a tiny representation of what our eyes beheld on that fateful morning, the very same morning shortly after a harrowing battle.

This was the caust... before the final cost."

Smolder curled all of her fingers as she replied in a sarcastic manner. "Ooh, pretty dramatic."

Ocellus looks at the dragoness with a correcting glare before requesting context for her to understand a little more. "Guide, what's the purpose of these large hooks?"

"They are a memorandum. For each of these large hooks, they stand in place of approximately fifty more. And the thickness of the chains represent the age of those who were draped from them.

To answer a post question, none were alive."

Smolder immediately stop her taunting as she looks at a set of fairly thin chains collectively holding up a large hook higher in the rafters. She turns to Twilight and ask. "How thin are those chains?"

"Toddlers." Twilight answer coldly.

Smolder shook her head as she immediately went for the double doors. "Uh, I know we're in front of the kids, but hell no. I'm out. Next please!" However, she finds that the doors are locked tight. The hologram speaks to Smolder a warning.

"Those doors appear to be locked, and due to the previous bout here, they are frozen shut. I'm sure the captain had some genius plan to defeat the monster here, but it's left a frozen mess behind.

Perhaps we should wait for the locks to thaw before we proceed."

Smolder looks to Twilight, who looks back to the doors. "Well, you heard her. We wait."

After we wait for the doors of the exhibit to open, we are brought into a hallway where all the walls are seemingly made of glass and aluminum. They house grueling displays, some images that are upsetting such as a representative wax figure resting on a table appearing very much deceased. Other figures are suspended with their back toward the window, but their spine revealed. There's even a dolly in the hallway covered in a sheet, but the wax body on it appears to be that of a small foal. Some of the students begin to turn away from the painful images, including one display with a pair of human bodies laying on a number of tables without their heads. On the table between them, they were sat with their faces turned away. Ocellus looks at that particular display for only a moment before she hurries forward, starting to cry.

A sickness curls in my stomach.

We finally get to the end of the hall, where there's another set of double doors. They lead into a large elevator. We all enter inside and another message informs us to stand clear of the closing doors. The elevator starts to move, but slowly in descent. Meantime, a filly's voice appear on the loudspeaker singing the words 'Darling daddy's wasting away'. Smolder immediately clutches one of my arms, Ocellus already grasps at the other.

At last, our descent comes to a halt, and the doors of the elevator open to a large room that looks like an arena. Smolder darts out, only to hear a clanging noise with each step. She looks down to see the steel plated representations of the ponies who were taken. Her eyes expand as we all are forced to walk on the floor, constantly hearing the clatter of metal plates beneath each step. At the center of the room, there's at least one young filly who stands high above the rest of the representations. A voice rings from all around the cavernous room, calling us not to step on her 'dollies' unless we wished to join them.

There's nowhere you could run, no place to give reprieve from the faces we walk upon. And from what Twilight explains, it's an accurate reflection of just how vast the collection of bodies were, or rather the dolls the filly referred to. And towards the exiting doors, there appears to be a pair of tendrils rising from the ground, wearing some of the masks, but with hooves, horns, and wings misshapen to it's form.

We all walked through the massive doors, seeing a large hallway of newspaper headlines depicting a monster weaving through the streets of Canterlot, an enormous shadow haunting every dark alley, and even a photo of a large spiraling tentacle towering high over the city.

As we load into the elevator to take us back to the surface, all of us have something to say about what we saw and experienced. Smolder is haunted by disbelief. "...No way that was real."

"That was a nightmare! Did you see that thing!?" One of the students questions.

"No wonder most of the class didn't show up." Another mutters.

I check in on Ocellus, who looks like she's still going through a crying fit. "You hanging in there?"

"Why did they have that last display? That's so cruel!" She angrily directs her comment towards Twilight, who remains stoic for most of the tour.

"Yeah, not exactly a fun time walking across that room." I also bring up to her. "You sure that was a needed add-on?"

"If anything, I settled for the lesser option that was on the table. The parts we went through before was already rough enough to recreate." She replies.

"As creepy as it was, it was also pretty noisy." Smolder adds.

"It's a manifestation of the lives one has to walk over in order to achieve a terror of that magnitude. Believe me when I say it was the safer option... and the quieter one."

The fact that all of what we walked through was considered the 'quieter' option is absolutely maddening. "If that was the safe bet, then I can imagine the real thing was pretty terrifying."

The elevator closes it's doors, letting us have a moment to finally recover from what we all had to endure. When we reach back to the surface, a holographic figure stands before us with a warm smile and a bright demeanor.

"Ah! Greetings to all. I know many of you do not know me entirely, but to the few of you who do, I wish you greetings and well-wishes. I am Somber Spiral. I was a senator of the parliament at the time. Unfortunately, my demise came at the hoof of a cruel murderer who disposed of me and my family, all while blinding my youngest daughter. Things happen for the better though, my demise was not met without justice done for me and my family... as for many of us as well.

I'm sure at least one of you have managed to step on the representation of me, and to that I say 'Ow!' To the second one, I say nice hooficure. And to the third one, well... there's a spa nearby, take a breather, get a nice file-down for those things.

Okay, enough jokes. I just thought you would appreciate a little lightening of the mood. And in speaking of which, you've all done well to come this far. You're now in the Hall of the Fallen. While this is more so a memorial for those who know us, we also open ourselves for you to get to know a little about us. Of course, our answers are pretty limited unless you really and truly know us. But for all purposes for the sake of fun, lets see how many of us can you get to talking. You may strike up a conversation about similar interests! We're all here, it's not like we have anything better to do.

So in the words of this departed senator, the floor is all yours."

While many don't know it, he's the parent of one of the heroes of that day. I call out to him and ask a question about his family, namely a reference to his eldest daughter. "Hey, did you know you had a grandkid?"

"Your question is invalid, please try again."

Huh, I guess my wording was a little to vague for him. Ocellus questions me about the figure as the other students walk past us to interact with more of the deceased holograms. "Do you know this guy?"

"I heard of him. But I do know another senator around here." I say as I look on the walls, trying to poke around for a name I distinctively remember.

Smolder watches as I start to go to the section with the names starting in the letter D. From there I start working my way backwards. "You must know a lot of senators."

It doesn't take long before the name pops up. Senator Count DuMoneé. "Yup, his name is here too. Didn't think they'd add him, but I guess he does count as a victim because of what Mel said." I tap on the small orb next to his name, a magic aura swirls before us and he stands at his usual height. He responds in an uncaring voice while looking at his pocket watch, they at least have that detail of him down to a science.

"Hmm? Do I know you?"

"It's me, Spike." I answer.

"Oh, the dragon runt. Tell me, how's that adopted sister of yours doing."

I look over to her as she goes to one of the orbs to summon a figure. I answer him back. "Her majesty is doing just fine."

"Well that's unfortunate."

He rolls his eyes and disappears into the orb. Smolder doesn't seem impressed with his personality. "Wow, he's a whole hole of an asshole."

"Right on the DuMoneé." I joke as I turn to Twilight and check up on her, she's already moving on to another figure.

"It seems Princess Twilight knows some of the victims here." Ocellus points out.

"Oh yeah, I guess it would be that city council member who died, Blue's brother." I predict, only for a young purple unicorn stallion to show up. "Or maybe not."

We walk up beside her, watching as she interacts with the figure. "Thank you for guiding us through that place when you did. I wish I was there myself, I could've done more for you."

"It's alright, your highness. Doing right by the dearly departed is what I long for, even now as I'm among them. Just do your best to make sure they stay dignified."

"Oh yeah, certainly. It's just as you said, can't let the freezers do all the work." She lightly joked.

"Ah, a good one, your highness."

"Who's this guy?" I ask.

She's slightly startled but she's also quick to answer. "One of our informants. He died helping dad and Starlight in the investigation. His name was Guiding Light."

"What did he used to do?" Ocellus questions.

"Mortician." She answers bluntly.

Smolder writhes from the shudder running up her spine. "Creepy."

"He showed us the room, the one with the hooks." She briefly elaborates.

"Oh... mega creepy." Ocellus answers slowly.

"Yup... thousands." She whisper before the hologram cosigns with her with an eerie detail.

"Do yourself a favor. Don't look up."

Ocellus and Smolder both snag each other, shivering from the chill that ran through their bodies. "W-w-w-was that a p-p-planed response!?" The dragoness questions.

I'm left a bit unnerved by the chilling words of the hologram. "I now understand why you left me at the house as opposed to taking me with you." I say to Twilight.

"Yeah. You're welcome." She answers as she dismisses the figure and heads to the doors leading to the other part of the exhibit.

After everyone has their fun in trying to get some of the holograms to talk and converse, everyone gathers where the princess is and waits for the doors to unlock. But they don't unlock without a final word from the holographic guide into this portion of the tour.

"I hope all of you had a time talking to all of us here in the hall of the departed. But unfortunately it's time for you all to move back on to the world of the living. And you can't be anymore alive than the Hall of Heroes. Maybe you should talk to them, they have a lot of responses. You should give them a try!

And one more thing before you all go. Can you give them our most sincerest thanks? We wouldn't be at peace without them."

Several moments later... ►►

This entire tour was a major creep factor turned up to eleven. Some of those displays were pretty harrowing and disturbing, others were just downright sad to think about. My heart can only go out to the victims, as well as their families for not being aware up till the last moment.

But now we're almost back to where we started. It's a relief to finally be able to look at something a little more optimistic. I can bet that both Ocellus and Smolder are more than willing to agree. "Alright. Last leg of the exhibit." Ocellus calls out.

"Who's the guide on this one?" Smolder asks me.

"Beats me." I answer as the magic begin to swirl up one more time before the group. Suddenly there's a holographic figure of a mare... rather a stallion who could easily pass as a mare. He has an extremely bright smile and a lot of energy.

"Hey, hey, hey! I know I'm a little out of place, but I'm here! I'm fabulous! Get used to it! So you either made it here through the tour, or you took a shortcut. Don't wanna see all the nitty gritty stuff, I understand, it's a mess. This whole place used to be a mess. Hell, I make my own sister a mess every time she sees me!

As I said, I'm not quite in place, but for a good reason. For many who are here, they lived to tell their tale. As for me, I didn't quite make it out before the sunrise. But hey, that's the cost of fighting Umbra. Anyways, I'm Alabaster, Alabaster Charm. I'm sure you've seen my face plastered on the statue across the way in front of the stadium my sister and Alex aptly named after me. But hey, I'm... flattered.

Meantime, I know that the heroes here in these halls may have a lot of answers for some of your questions. Like how did they manage to overcome the odds? How did they beat the clock to save both their world and ours? Or even how they manage to become element bearers in the first place, humans as element bearers? Pretty wild stuff to think about, I know. But they aren't the only heroes here. My sister's situated next to me, sometimes she'll be here for real, sometimes she won't. And according to the roll call algorithm, she hasn't made it in today. So she's bound to be a lot happier than you'd see her out and about. There are also some you may see around here, familiar faces, all that other stuff. Pay them a visit too! They played their part after all!

Ocellus gawks at the feminine-looking stallion and tilts her head. "Wow, would not have put that voice to his face."

"He does look like a mare." I point out.

"That is a good question." Smolder says before she questions the hologram. "Sir, why do you look like a mare?"

"Because if I wasn't here, I'd be in some corrupt politicians' home, wrecking their family, and keeping the pictures as blackmail."

Ocellus appears confused and troubled by his response. "Don't you think it's kinda mean to do that to someone's husband?"

"Oh... you thought I kept pictures of the wives as blackmail? Actually its the husbands that called me to do what their wives couldn't.

Oop, did I say that part out loud?"

...The sass, the fucking sass. "Why are you like this?" I ask as Ocellus and Smolder both try not to burst out laughing.

"Well between me being me, and me being me to piss off my dad... I think I win out both ways! JACKPOT!"

Smolder recovers from her laughing fit, breathing heavily as she thumbs back at the hologram. "He's a crazy one. I kinda like this one."

"I love him!" Ocellus perks up with wings fluttering with enthusiasm.

"I see how him and Blue are related." I mutter as I think about some of her mannerisms.

"In speaking of which, who's his dad he's pissing off?" Smolder questions.

"You know that 'whole hole of an asshole' you talked about earlier?"

The changeling grimaces in thought. "Eugh, that's unfortunate."

"Try working with him." I answer in deadpan.

Wanting to push the envelope a little further, Smolder bounces the question towards the hologram. "Hey, tell me more about your dad."

"Really?... *scoff* ...That question is invalid, please never try that one again."

Smolder giggles as the personality of the hologram resonates with her. "That's an answer if I ever heard of one."

Meanwhile, not one of the students are even paying attention to the fun we just had with the ghostly figure. They're all busy crowding around the human figures conjured up, namely the leading figure of that group. "Figures." I mutter to myself.

"Well he is the one that everyone easily identifies. Wasn't he a whole hero before doing all this crazy stuff to get here?" Smolder questions.

"Yup." Ocellus answers quietly. "Hero to some, I guess."

The crowd of teens continued to barrage their questions towards the tall human figure standing in a heroic pose. "How did you beat the monster!?"

"Hard work, perseverance, and a few friends... mostly the friends part."

I purse my lips as I think to myself. I don't find him answering that question so lightly, if anything it appeared very much out of character for him. I walk over to Twilight and mumble to her. "So... think there's something off here? That wouldn't be his usual answer."

"Well do you want me to swap on the real him?" She asks, knowing that his personality would probably be a lot more reclusive towards the matter.

In hindsight, I guess this was one of those executive decisions made with a little creative liberty in mind. "Yeah, I think this version is a lot more lighthearted than the real one, considering the circumstances."

Some of the students still tried to probe him for questions of accountability. "What's the name of the one responsible?"

"He's a necro-terrorist, his name will always be forgotten."

"Is Umbra an evil organization?" A kirin student questioned.

"Umbra is the Latin word for shadow."

"I think this one's broken." A griffon girl said with a shrug before moving on to a different model.

While everyone started moving away, I sneakily grow a massive grin on my face as I pop an unexpected question he's unlikely to answer. "Hey, how was your first time with Twilight?"

"SPIKE!!!" Twilight shouts as she's about to conjure something sharp and pointy to shove down my throat. To both of our surprises, he answers the question.

"Princess Twilight Sparkle is a good mare. She's pretty, wonderful, enthusiastic about reading, and really headstrong in the instance of standing up for her friends. As far as lover... well, she's bound to make me blush at times. I truly do wish her the best, she deserves it."

Ocellus and Smolder look at the flustered princess before probing him for a few more intimate details. "Who else did you have your fun with?" Asks the dragoness.

"Sorry, but a gentleman never kisses and tell. It's disrespectful. I can tell you that all my partners have left me with a lasting impression, as well as a few tips to take into the future."

"Where did you run off to after your retirement?" She asks again.

"I'm currently happily betrothed to my beautiful wife in Silver Shoals. You can come on by, but try not to bring any of my old work back to me. I'm retired for a good reason."

I get a closer look at the hologram, noting a few glaring omissions. "Hey, where's all your scars?"

"My scars were removed for the purpose of this exhibit. I didn't want them to be a distraction. Besides, I wear them enough, can't I just have one image of me that still looks remotely good?"

Now that was the real him coming through.

While the students are going through some of the other heroes in the gallery, a lot of attention is being brought to an unlikely character, one who's cold and mysterious demeanor grabs at the young and impressionable teens' attention. "Hey guys, this one's a zebracorn!"

"No way! Gotta be an animation error!"

As the others gather around Kalimba's younger visage, I thought of the the ways she changed her appearance and approach. Visually, she's even a different pony. Her accent also sounds heavier than it would be now. "Did you really help save the world?" A young changeling questions the hologram.

"I played my part. I helped de captain with his work. A lot I cannot speak on, but our success is ever present."

"What is your name? And is your horn really real?" One of the students asks.

"Kalimba, Kalimba Mavembe. And my horn is very much a part of me."

Of course, some questions go back to the criminal so rarely mentioned. "What do you think of the bad guy?"

"He is not worthy to be spoken of."

Ocellus places a hoof on her throat as she tries to mimic the mare's voice. "My voice is so deep and rich, I wonder if I am from a different land far from here." Both Smolder and I stare back at her after her near-perfect immitation. "What? I really like her voice."

I folded my arms, not entirely admitting that I wasn't enticed by it's reappearance. "You are not the only one."

One of the students seems really perplexed over not knowing who it was that caused all this tragedy and insists further as to why the name of the monster has not been revealed so regularly. They inform Smolder why it seems unfair, and she pops the question for Kalimba to answer. "Hey, when one of us does something bad, the whole neighborhood knows about it. Cozy Glow nearly took all the magic in Equestria for herself and we know her, King Sombra tried to enslave all of Equestria and he's known for it, Tirek absorbed almost all the magic of Equestria for his own gain, Queen Chrysalis abducted ponies and fed on them till they died of malnourishment, Nightmare Moon tried to cover the world in eternal darkness, Discord tried to envelop the world in chaos. We know all of their names. So why is it when this individual does something terrible, they don't even get the infamy of having their name blasted all over the place?"

It's a well-articulated question, one that brings a lot of glances towards Twilight in the process of it's airing. But to our surprise, the hologram of the leading human steps out to speak.

"This was my idea exclusively. As to why, allow me to explain by giving you some information about my home world.

My home country especially, we remember such tragedies that happen to befall our own at the hands of as many as several conspirators, to even as few as the deranged lone wolves. Many of them have had their names sketched into the annuls of human history for their cruelty, their malice, their corruption, and especially their body count. Many I can identify by name because our culture has quietly grown from shaming them to unironically glorifying their achievements by the constant retelling of their stories, the listings of their victims and their methodology, all the way up to their motivations publicly being made known.

As some of you would be surprised to know, these individuals, mass murderers, tormentors, all of their ilk have cult followings. Some are simply idolized because of their looks, others are idolized for the hypothetical fictions of being the ones who could bring change to their ways all while throwing themselves in the midst of mortal danger. Finally, there are those who not only idolized what they've done, but also wish to improve upon it in their own way. As the saying goes, imitation is the greatest form of flattery. And to our misfortune, I recognize that this world could also just as easily follow in these trends.

For many surviving victims, it reopens wounds that should remain closed for the sake of healing. And if I were a victim, I would not want this to be repeated by an obscure fanatic who quietly worships violence. To give name to this monster is to give an epitaph to the very same individual who wished not to be called by their name in life. So we adhere to that part of their legacy by keeping them anonymous, an unmarked plot of land where even the ashes are burned and the grass fails to know the name of the one who fertilizes it's existence.

The intent is not to misinform you, but to leave no avenue for many who would wish to research their doings, their dealings, and most importantly their methods. There are some surviving supporters even to this day who will undoubtedly protest these issues. I wish to offer them no such recourse.

So to reinforce my prior edict. He's a necro-terrorist, his name will always be forgotten."

Author's Note

Well it's been a really long time since I've released a chapter. I apologize for the long wait for this one, especially with it not even being that long. But to my misfortune, I couldn't do much writing with so much going on IRL. I'll spoiler for those who don't really care to know about my personal struggles, but those who don't mind I'll try to abridge it.

Slew of rehearsals, sometimes twice a day, in the middle of the day, every single day of the week, casino engagements, music recording deadlines, my ceiling collapsing again, ac unit short-cycling and malfunctioning before a terrible cold snap, and a bevy of Christmas programs that had me more concerned about pooling the money for repairs. And then there's the matter of the mass shooting that happened in my city, on the street I was performing on just two blocks away, 20 minutes into the New Year. I had to comfort a guy who watched one of his friends get carted off to a hospital, so my mental wasn't all too great. But now that I'm sick from being out in the cold waiting for an uber, I have time to write again. Hence the chapter being released today.

So yeah, it's been a while and not much has come out from it. But I have drafted the next three chapters at least, so things should be moving forward to schedule for a short while before the Mardi-Gras crush next month. I will try to bring you guys a chapter per week for three weeks before rehearsals pick up and I'm back to grinding.

I apologize for not being frequent to message you all and hope you have a good 2023.

Chapter 8: Sultry Situations

The visit to the museum was an eye-opening experience for not just the students, but also for Smolder, Ocellus, and even me. I didn't anticipate that the displays and guides would be so intricate, the narratives so distinctively woven that the characters they portray come to life in a haunting but mostly informative way. It wasn't what I was expecting, but it did give you the weight of the events from seven years ago.

That said, we brought the students to the castle for a bit of a brightening up and threw them a thank-you party for coming up our way. And just as we were putting that together, Twilight also managed another group of guests: our friends from Ponyville who went along with her in her adventures. Apparently Twilight and I both had a bit of an oversight in the scheduling, forgetting that the monthly Friendship Summit was supposed to be today. But since she figured that they all were going to enjoy the weekend in town anyhow, they extended it to the entire weekend. For the time being they'll keep the students entertained, even on the train ride back home. And since that was the new plan for the evening, both Smolder and Ocellus formally requested the princess to give them some time for the evening to enjoy the city. Needless to say she agreed and left the two to loiter about town.

"Finally! Let the weekend begin!" Smolder rejoices emphatically.

"You'd think that teachers would be eager to be around the kids they teach." I joke lightheartedly.

"Oh no, love them to bits but sometimes you miss having time for you." The dragoness replies as Ocellus stretches her wings.

"Pretty awesome of Twilight to take over for us and escort the class back to the school in Ponyville." The changeling also notices that while we're walking, my face is buried in a phone screen trying to keep up with a few updates being sent through our government app. I go through a few more things before confirming some appointments for later on down the line. "You're just all up in your phone."

"Well someone's gotta keep the country running somehow." I point out.

"Wouldn't you be at the castle if that were the case?" She questions.

"Phones makes it easier for me to give commands while on the go." I reply. "I can call a secretary and give her the word on what's happening next, or quietly be informed of a security update. It's pretty easy to keep track of things while you're on the go as opposed to keeping a bunch of scrolls on me at all times. Also, helluva lot lighter too."

"I may not like that one particular human cause he scares me, but his appearance did bring out some really good shit." She smirks as she summons her phone. "Like the newest tea on some of the global politics over there. Like did you know there's a war going on over there?"

"Well Nondis did say that his species was accustomed to conflict." I say with an eyeroll. "Not really surprised that he wasn't lying about that. I'm still stuck on the global pandemic thing."

"Yeah. It's crazy how that one guy who was in the American office tried to override an election just because he lost."

"Or the fact that Nondis' home country keeps having mass killings in places like schools, clubs, churches, and grocery stores. Like what's going on over there?"

Smolder, who's growing more annoyed by our recital of ill news, loudly grumble to us. "Can we please focus on Equestrian matters as opposed to a world we don't live in or won't really be involved with? Like seriously, everything's so depressing! Let's lighten up, it's the weekend!"

"Yeah, I guess she isn't wrong there." I nod in acknowledgement. "So you two camping out here for the night?"

Smolder scoffs as she gives her enthusiastic confirmation. "Hell yeah, I always wanted to check out some of the night scene in Corrotto."

As we're walking away from the train station, we wait till another trolley comes down to our stop and rides us straight into the district, which seems to be brightening up with all sorts of colorful lights and LED advertisements on the buildings. "Yeah, it does pretty glitzy down here."

"Right. Like y'all remember that one dunce in the museum?" Smolder mentions. "I don't know why we had that one idiot trying to claim that it should go back to what it used to be."

"Yeah, like what was so great about the old Corrotto? I didn't hear much about it, even on the tour." Ocellus adds.

"Some dragons who've been there say it used to be a place where there were a bunch of guilds and shit, doing odd jobs and hits on targets. Pretty much a seedy underworld if you ask me." Smolder briefly summarizes.

"When I was younger, Twilight and Shining were always told to avoid going there because of some bad ponies looking to do bad things to you. After a visit to that museum, I can understand why." I think aloud.

Smolder throws her claws up as we exit the trolley going towards one of the hotels to check in for the weekend. "Well we're here now. Might as well see if there are any clubs opening on tonight."

Ocellus, already being invested in her phone, quickly scrolls through her contacts. "Messaging Gallus and Silverstream now."

"I love how you guys can just throw plans together and it somehow work out for you. It's almost a herculean effort just to get the Friendship Summit to kick off every month because of conflicting schedules."

The changeling's phone jingles to notify her of an incoming message. "Ooh!" She says with her wings abuzz.

"What, what's the word?" Smolder asks.

"Sandbar and Yona are dropping by!"

The dragoness pumps her fist in celebration. "Yes! We finally got the whole squad together again!"

"I thought Yona and Sandbar didn't like going out to party." I bring up curiously,

"Well to be fair, clubs don't open up till later anyways. Plus Sweetie Belle coming along with them to see Rarity." She adds.

"Oh yeah, I forgot they have plans for Sunday." I mumble.

"Well we got two hours before the next train drops by with our friends on board. I already texted them the address to the hotel." Ocellus states happily.

"We haven't even picked one out yet." I point out.

"I think you already know what place we're crashing at for the weekend."

Ocellus wasn't lying about knowing what hotel we were going to book. In fact, she made it a point to quietly remind me of which hotel we just brazenly invaded over the past weekend. Turns out that place wasn't just some run-of-the-mill high-rise establishment. It was a full-on resort with a massage parlor, an eatery, an indoor swimming pool with a hot tub, and a sky light opening over an indoor courtyard. I thought it was pretty strange that we overlooked all that while rushing to unload some sexual tension during a heated exchange.

Shortly after we get settled into the suite, the others call and inform the three of us that they made it to town and will meet up with us shortly. Smolder, being the impatient dragon she is, don't like to wait too long to find someplace to eat, so she books us a table for seven at the restaurant. By the time the others arrive, the waiting staff guides us to our seating and we glance at the menu prices. Since we're all pretty well-off from royalties and grants given to us for our prestige, plus the fact that we all work and have stable finances, that obviously leaves us with some fairly disposable income. We don't gawk too badly at the prices either, they're surprisingly not that steep for a tie-in establishment.

After some time at the restaurant, we wait a bit to let our food settle before finally taking the town.

All of us have varying ideas on what we should do next. Some want to just see what the hype of the place was about, others want to see which venues offer games or karaoke, some even propose bars to hang out in. We stand at a deadlock, so they all look to me like I have some idea of a solution. Yona and Sandbar then say they need to visit a club for a short while before coming to a final decision of what to do for the night. Personally, I always wanted to go to the club and see what the hype's about. If anything, it should feel like an over-bloated, overproduced, overbudgeted party Pinkie would throw whenever there was a huge event. So why not? I vote club, the others fall in line, and we agree to escort Yona and Sandbar to the venue.

When we arrive, it's pretty obvious that this place is the hype of the district. Ponies from various walks dress in various accessories and sashes all stand in a line that wraps around the building and shoots down the block. And the three bouncers that run the door are screening who would get in or not seemingly on appearance and posture. Some walk in with a posh lift of the head like they're important, others walk away with their head lowered like they lost out on something important.

"What do you mean I can't get in!? I sent in my reservation two weeks ago!" A scrawny stallion with a pair of orange-tinted shades questions the head bouncer.

"Name?" The bouncer questions.

"Sigma Slide." The stallion answers emphatically. "I literally called in two weeks ago. I spoke with the manager. I made my reservation for tonight."

The main bouncer glanced down at his clipboard and nodded. "Your rez' was moved."

"What!? How!" Ask the appalled stallion.

"Have you looked at the line behind you?" The bouncer asks. "Busy night. Try coming by on Monday."

"Who's here on a Monday!? I work on Monday!"

"Sorry, them's the breaks." The other two bouncers politely guide the stallion away from the door as the head bouncer calls out to the front of the line. "Next!"

Two seemingly rich mares walk up to the front, jumping the entire line and the misfortunate pony who waited their turn. The two posed immediately upon giving the bouncer their ID's. He gives the two a glance before turning to the others, who give a nod. He quietly unhooks the velvet rope and allows them in. The entire front of the line erupt into complaint as the two mares flick their tails at the many dissenters.

Obviously they were either famous or they were notable figures. So I try my own attempt to jump the line to see if I would get instant access. The bouncer latches the rope and looks up to me with a stoic face. "Name?"

"I'm Spike the Dragon, you know, Royal Friendship Advisor?"

The bouncer glares down to his list, flips the pages, and then motions the other two to step forward. "Not on list."

"What, really? Damn." I guess my societal status doesn't matter here either. It was worth a shot.

"Step to the back of the line, please." The bouncer order me before seeing a large yak stand in his way. He pauses to observe her size, his eyes widening all the while.

The yak calls out confidently. "You know Yona."

He skims to the last page of the list, picking out her name. "Yup..." He's quick to unhook the rope, the other bouncers are also quick to move the line back a little for her to pass through. "Party of six. Come on in."

"Dragon with us too." She says as she walks behind me, headbutting me to move forward.

The bouncers just get out of her way as she pushes me along. Only the head guy gives me a quick warning on the way in. "Don't start any trouble."

I shake my head in both disbelief and amazement. "Geez, I can't get a VIP clearance on title alone, but you guys can just waltz right on in. I want the life you guys have."

"There's a reason why Yona has access." The yak responds as we pass into a hallway lit up by only black light, causing some of our distinctive features to glow in a greenish color.

"Rarity put in a reservation to visit. So we managed to get bumped up to the VIP slot. If she's coming in from Ponyville when we called her up, that was like two hours ago, she should be here in the next fifteen minutes if she's not here already." Sandbar explains.

"Ah, okay." I nod.

From the moment we walk in, I realize just how big this place really was. If anything, this place was built to be like a concert hall, a giant room with flashing lights rigged above and behind the stage. The stage's backdrop consists of giant LED panels flashing bright colors to either match or catch the lighting that shines on the DJ. The sound system is massive, subwoofers pulsing with omnidirectional bass that can rattle the glasses right off of your face if you stand by them. There's a set of speakers hanging on each side of the stage, curving into a J that emits the most powerful signals known to an indoor venue.

The DJ pumps the crowd as they turn a knob, introducing the risers that fade the bass out. The crowd pauses with growing anticipation, waiting for the drop to come up. The dancers on the floor are jumping, waiting for that moment of release on the rhythm. My eyes widen as the entire venue glows red like we've stepped into the danger zone. The energy is so pent among the club goers that you could see the one moment everyone takes a single breath in unison, it's amazing. Then a cutaway to silence.

♫BLOW THIS BITCH UP!♪

The drop blasts me into an alternate state of mind, a sudden rush of endorphins fill my body as my eyes widen to the flashing strobes and lasers shooting through the air. The chaotic splices of noises and synths make everyone completely euphoric, almost chaotically spasmodic. It's like watching everyone bang their heads to the electric rhythm as well as dancing to whatever rhythm they feel. I can't help but to get lost in it.

I look around, still riding the magnificent high of the experience, seeing the colorful bar sprawling across the entire side of the venue, with drinks catalogued by color and alphabet. The other side had a gaming lounge mainly dedicated to human video games. A screen above shows one game that's being played where a character with a huge sword throws one guy off a stage and jams the oversized blade into a green dinosaur's back. The screen flashes red and zooms in on the characters before watching as the unfortunate victim is sent to bottom of the screen with the word 'GAME' superimposed on the screen.

We're all looking around like we've stepped into the portal leading straight to the human world. It's as if there's a party there, and us Equestrians got the invite to invade and party like we ain't got shit to live for the next day. Smolder just starts to laugh in excitement while Silverstream loses herself in the music. Gallus joins her while Ocellus starts to slowly get captivated by the sight of the video games being played at the arcade, aptly named 'The Smash Corner'. Meanwhile, I'm more interested in what the drinks are like.

"SPIIIIIIIIIKE!"

I'm snapped back to reality for the moment, recognizing the owner of that voice and the possible implications of what it may bring. "Oh no, I don't like the sound of that."

Without warning, the blue mare teleports right beside me and gives me a tight squeeze with a huge smile on her face. Smolder and Ocellus both look at me like I just met up with a close 'friend'. "Huh, who's she?" Questions Silverstream.

Ocellus looks a little surly before realizing for a moment who she resembles. "Hey, isn't she one of the displays at the museum?"

"Yeah, she's the sister of that one hologuide that we like." I answer.

"Ooh, so what's she like?" Smolder asks while nudging me in a teasing manner.

"Well─" I don't even get to finish as she jumps up and yanks me down to her eye level.

"Oh my gosh, you're here! This is way too perfect!" She immediately starts dragging me away from the others, who follow me with curiosity. "Come this way, I got a booth to my little lonesome. We got trade discussions to go through, and possibly a few other things we can talk about for fun!"

"Are they in official capacity, ma'am?" I ask quietly, mainly looking back to Ocellus.

She shrugs with complete abandon. "I dunno. Might be. We could find out! Come around and keep me company while we have a few talks about some stuff we're short on."

Not wanting to seem like I'm just leaving Ocellus to dry on what's supposed to be the day before our more intimate meetup, I propose for her to come along with us so she can at least gauge things and possibly bail me out if things get too hot and bothersome. "Can I bring a friend?"

She looks back to the group of creatures all trailing behind me initially before trying to feign disinterest. The mare giggles as she levitates all of them over to where we were. "Oh please, all your friends can come on by. Drinks on me!"

Gallus snickers as he makes a joke about earlier. "So apparently you know the owner of the district, AND you still don't have VIP access?"

"Wait what!?" Ms. Royal appears very much offended, taken aback by the idea that my entry was still on a survey basis. "Honey, you didn't tell me you needed the goods! You got me looking like I'm fucking up here! What is this, the old VIP Lounge where you pay a quarter mil to get in!? FUCK THAT SHIT!"

"No, it's oka─" Suddenly a bright flash appeared before my face, causing my pupils to painfully dilate. "Owie."

Ms. Royal takes her phone and shows me the screen of me looking just as off as anyone would be when caught off their guard. "I'm sending your pic to everyone in the fucking sphere! Box seats to the stadium, season tickets, free weekends and immediate seating at the local four-star restaurant, whatever the fuck you want babe! I got you!" She guides us to a more secluded hallway, one that had a clear label for VIP access. We travel a short walk to an elevator that leads us to what I could assume the VIP area. "Okay, everyone on! Let's get to where the real party's at!"

The doors close behind us and the lift activates. As I rub my eyes, still recovering from the sudden flash of her camera, Ocellus grows curious about some of her statements. "Uh, just out of curiosity, what club costs a quarter million bits to get in?"

"Oh that? Old Lounge. The old lounge they burned up because of all the dirty stuff that happened there." She freezes for a moment. But after a short while, she glances back at me and asks. "...You know the museum across the street from the stadium?"

"We just left there today. Your brother was pretty funny." Ocellus adds.

"He's always been like that. I just never really got a chance to enjoy the character he was because... a lot was going on." She looks up to the ceiling, summoning a bottle of wine. "He was strong, a really good fighter, and a way better brother than what he needed to be. I'd reckon if he was any worse, he'd be the one here greeting you instead of me."

"We're sorry for your loss." Smolder answers with a quiet tone.

Ms. Royal takes a swig of her drink. "But yeah... it took a quarter mil to get in. That club was different. The wait staff would do almost anything you'd ask, even if it was sexual, or you requested from someone of your own orientation or otherwise. But when the head honcho makes an announcement... or an example of someone, bar was shut down, wait staff remained on standby, and members were made to attend whatever fucked-uppery he had planned for the evening. He did a lot of cruel things... and for a quarter of a million bits, you got to be a witness to it."

"Why would you pay that much for something like that?" I question her.

"Information." She answers quickly. "The VIP members there were the cream of the crop, and not just in Canterlot either. They had the info, the insider trade news, the schematics to some of the security patrols, even access to the offices of the parliament."

"They were that deep?" Sandbar ask with shock.

"Oh yeah. Politicians who had secrets were a definite shoe-in." She takes another swig before speaking. "My dad was a member of his inner-circle, and he was a senator. Then my brother, a city council member over the Corrotto District itself, was a member out of initiation, he did a thing that pissed my father off. Then... I was made a member."

"Let me guess. Initiation?" Gallus questions quietly.

The mare takes the whole bottle like she was guzzling down water after being caught in the arid sun for a day. Her lips don't break from the bottle until it's all gone. "Sorry. That's something I keep to myself." Her eyes water for a moment as her eyes clench shut. "Lots of terrible memories there... including the cremation of my brother. A lot of my hell, it's all rooted from that damned museum. The VIP Lounge of the Corrotto Underground Arena, right past the red wooden doors with the golden trim, those were the doors to hell."

We all stand quietly until the elevator chimes to inform us that we have reached the VIP area. The mare slaps herself on either cheek of her face and the bright cheerfulness of her demeanor immediately pops back on like a light with a faulty filament.

"Alright! Rooms are down the hall. Ours is at the very end." Most of us just gawk at her, watching as her slap appear more to a hard reset at a simple button press as opposed to a gradual emotional reclaiming. Obviously she's not well in the mind, but I was warned of it, so I can't complain. I just motion everyone to move forward.

We get to the end of the all, Ms. Royal swipes a card next to the door and the locks click, giving us access to a room that looks more like an extravagant hotel lobby. Another thing we notice is how quiet the room is in contrast to the massively loud concert that's taking place downstairs. There's a TV with a few game consoles imported from the human world as well. We all marvel at the modern-looking room with it's many human implementations. "Whoa, nice pad!" Silverstream praise excitedly.

While some of us are still questioning if Blue Royal is okay, she doesn't seem to even acknowledge the massively disturbing truth she just laid out on us before banking that bottle of wine down her throat. In fact, she's starting to really feel that wine. "Wanna know what else you can do?" She goes onto her phone and swipe at the screen, the lighting of the room goes from the traditional white to purple. "Boom, lights change."

"Awesome, can we get red?" Smolder requests, which Ms. Royal more than willing to oblige. The room is now in a deep red glow that almost matches what we saw earlier. "Ah yeah!"

While she's busy amusing Smolder with our lighting options, I tag back to a topic from earlier. "So Ms. Blue, you said something about supply chains. I know there were a few disruptions as of recent."

"Meh, supplies-shmupplies, it's all good! Besides, I'm feeling great right now, and I don't think I'm gonna harp on it for too long." The alcohol is really doing a number on her judgement right now. "Ooh! Wanna see what else this place has?"

She presses a button underneath a seat, causing the walls to open to reveal a hidden bar. The selections of drinks appear to be top-rated and highly expensive. She walks over to the bar and hits another switch, opening a hole in the floor that reveals a bubbling hot tub with seating inside. I tilt my head at the absurdity of how incredibly loaded this place actually is. I watch as Silverstream bolts right by me and transforms into her sea-fairing form upon diving in. She pats her fins on the rim with excitement. "Gallus! You gotta get in on this! It's soo-oo-ooo toasty."

"Don't mind if I do. I ain't gonna ignore a party invite when I see one." He replies with a smile. As he gets close, Silverstream leaps out of the water and swamps him under. The two crashing into the hot tub causes a wave that crashes against the floor.

"Hey, guys!?" Ocellus calls out to the pair before turning to Ms. Royal. "Sorry about them. They don't often see each other because of Gallus' shift here in town, so they do stuff like this on the regular. We're sorry for the mess." Their heads crest above the surface for the first time and the griffon looks unamused as he looks at his hippogriff girlfriend laughing at his expense. He runs a claw against the lower extremity of her sea-fairing form to embarrass her. Her demeanor changes slight embarrassment before diving on top of him and planting him down before kissing him. Ocellus rolls her eyes and offers another apology. "Oh great. We're also sorry for the unnecessary PDA." She says before chewing the couple out. "Guys, cool it, we have a room for that!"

"Yeah, the room's here! There's a reason it's soundproof." Ms. Royal announces with a snicker. Ocellus appears shocked that she would not only permit the pair's actions, but full-on endorse them. The unicorn mare seats herself in the hot tub across from the pair, putting on some slow music for the two to enjoy. "I may be in my thirties, but I like to have fun too! In fact, I'm pretty interested in seeing how far they go with it. Never seen a griffon and a swimming hippogriff go at. How do they get it in like that?"

My mind goes back to what she said in the elevator about how they used to have wait staff that would do anything the clients requested, even if it was sexual favors. "Huh... something tells me you didn't mind getting into your fair share of bad over in the old club."

"Yeah, the place was terrible, not even gonna lie about that. But there were some good things you had there, good food, really strong drinks, high-quality mixed beverages, and really friendly servants who knew how to snatch the soul out of whatever set of genitals you had. You could even make a three or foursome out of it." She cuts her eyes to me, watching how I would react to her words. "I'm sure a dragon like you could handle a little something like that."

In a bid to hide myself from showing my blooming excitement, I take a dive into the hot tub. Ocellus glares at me as though I took an invitation to do something she didn't sign up for. I plead to her for forgiveness. "I know what it looks like, but I'm just trying to be somewhat decent, okay!?"

Smolder plants her claws behind Ocellus and pushes her in the direction of the hot tub. The changeling looks back at the dragoness with rapidly flushing cheeks. "We all got our needs, Octy." The orange dragoness replies. "And it looks like your 'friend' could use a hoof with his. So..." She then shoves the changeling into the hot tub. "Get in there!"

But not wanting to go without a vengeful retort, the changeling's magic wraps around the tail of the devious dragon and pulls her in to join the fray. While I'm trying to cover myself, the two start to splash at each other. Ms. Royal laughs almost maniacally at their exchange. I sink myself well past the seat, crouching at the bottom of the tub but keeping my nostrils clear of the water.

Yona looked on quietly, her eyes growing fixed to mainly Gallus and Silverstream. Sandbar starts to look at her with intent before an idea darts across his mind and he quickly grabs at the yak's attention. "As much as we'd love to join the party, Yona and I are gonna head to the other room to meet up with Sweetie Belle and Rarity. We'll be back after that."

Ms. Royal levitates a bottle of wine over to her possession. "Aw, well at least they can join after." She also levitates a glass my way, pouring me a beverage. "Shy guy, huh? It's okay if you're not used to the debauchery."

A part of me want to refuse out of habit. It isn't a set habit like I just don't like doing it, it's mainly out of obligation to my job. So often when I was offered drinks, I had to turn it down because I had to have a clear mind to negotiate deals the next day. But with tomorrow being my day off, the first in a very long time, I don't have to subscribe to that practice as much. I mean I still want to hide myself in this water, but at least I can probably enjoy myself a little while I'm here.

I know, I got warned against being a drinking partner of hers, much less spending any time with her. But I'm with my friends first and foremost. It's time I'd join in the fun, live my life a little, take an opportunity to forget a night worthy of remembering. You only live once, and youth isn't forever. Fuck it. "Sure, I don't mind." I take a sip of the drink she poured, the first thing I notice is how fruity it is to the initial taste. It's easy to go down, like juice. So I end up going through a few glasses like it's a simple drink. But only a few moments goes by before it really punches at the nerves. Suddenly I feel off balance, loose, stumbling in the water while I watch both Ocellus and Smolder take their own respective drinks. "That was some pretty strong stuff! What was that?"

"A special little mix I had made just for me." The mare replies with a smirk, offering me the bottle.

I gladly accepted her offer. "I bet being a billionaire is the life, ain't it?"

"It has it's ups and downs." She answers quietly before laughingly calling me out for bottoming out the bottle. "Don't act like you ain't a lightweight, Mr. TheDragon."

"I'm not!" I point back at her.

"Have you ever gotten drunk before?" She asks.

I shake my head, stumbling just a little. "No. But it can't be that bad." She levitates me another bottle, preferably to pour into a glass instead of chugging it down. "See, I don't feel a thing. It tastes just like juice."

"That's the fun part." She says with a smirk.

Smolder checks in on the changeling after watching her take on a glass. "Ocellus, you okay?"

"Not exactly a drinker myself. I know I can't handle my liquor too well." The changeling admits, holding her head a little.

"Then you may wanna take this one easy." Ms. Royal advises as she takes the glass from her.

Smolder doesn't even think about it, she just hawks the glass back and takes a big gulp of what could be her fourth drink. "Huh, you're right, Spike. I don't feel much of anything with this."

The mare shakes her head. "You two just wait until it really kicks in."

Further down the hall...

Yona and Sandbar waits quietly in another room similar to the one they just left from. Sandbar looks to his fiancé and questions her if they had gone to the wrong room. "Hey hun, are we in the right room?"

The yak appears a little distracted, staring down at the floor as though she was caught in a daze. But she catches herself to answer him. "Yona knows this is right room. Yona checked. But Yona is confused, Rarity not here."

"Maybe she's running behind?" The stallion questions.

The yak groans as she starts to twist impatiently. "Yona wish she would come sooner!"

Sandbar's eyes widened for a moment. "Wow, pronoun." He points out, knowing his fiancé rarely often uses them. "Hun, you good?"

"Yona's just impatient right now." She announces as she starts to breathe in and out slowly. "Yona needs to calm down."

Just a moment after, the door opens to both Sweetie Belle and Rarity stepping in the room. The pair seems to be a bit on edge, obviously from rushing to get to the room. "Sorry I'm late, darlings. Train ride back was a bit delayed for maintenance. Had to wait a bit before we could get going."

"Definitely need that spa day now." Sweetie said with disapproval. "I would kill for a haunch and back rub after the school week.

"No kidding." Rarity cosigns from her own experience as an educator. Her attention snaps back to her associate. "Now on to business. I know that you have some fairly good reports, I just briefly looked at the information about our earnings for the branch, all I can say is that there isn't a minus next to the number, a good thing, not a bad one. Yona, what does the quarterly earnings really look like in your branch?"

The yak seems distant, hunching over for a moment as her soon-to-be husband jabbed at her side. "Yona?"

"Oh, right. Sorry, Yona's a bit airheaded right now." She takes another deep breath and goes on about her report. "Yona reports quarterly increase by fifteen percent. Ponies and other creatures come in very frequently to buy more products. Fragrances and accessories are the primary draw. But customers seek more variety in browsing options from birthroot storefront in terms of apparel. Yona knows this is unlikely request to make of Rarity, but Yona advises boss to bring more of the newer lines to drive up customer draw."

After she finishes her report, the yak lowers her head and begins to breathe again. Rarity appears concerned for the large creature, but continues on knowing that she would want business to reach a conclusion before anything else. "I think I can keep this one short then. I know it feels like I've given the Carousel Boutique less and less attention over the years, but it's not with any intent that I do that. A lot of my larger outlets have been really pushing for the exclusive releases. I suppose I could design an exclusive line and relegate it to only the Ponyville branch to further increase demand and engagement. I could call it 'the Birthright.' That way if you want it, it's only at one location so it's nearest you. My personal thank you to the town that gave me life and a foundation to build my humble little business empire from."

Sandbar reacts for his fiancé. "That's great! That means you'll be able to sell even more goods, Yona." But he stops to notice that she's breathing even heavier than before. Her face is sweating and her cheeks are growing warmer. The stallion lifts her head to check on her. "Yona, are you okay?"

Sweetie stands up for concern of the laboring yak. "Is she alright?"

Yona places her head against his and mutters in a quiet voice. "Sandbar... we need to go." She says as she puts a little more weight on him. "...Yona made huge mistake. Stupid Yona should've stayed home, let Sandbar have fun with friends without Yona."

He identifies what it is she's struggling with and nuzzles her, fanning her with a hoof afterwards. "Honey, you know I'm not gonna let you do that."

Sweetie Belle guesses what it is that's bothering her. "Uh oh, looks like a certain yak's fallen into cycle."

"She's not in cycle." Sandbar explains. "But she is in a bit of a spurt. Probably from seeing Gallus and Silverstream getting a little touchy earlier."

"Wait, they're here?" Sweetie asks.

Rarity, understanding how Yona can be at times, recognizes that female yaks can sometimes be aggressive when triggered into a mating mood. "Well if you were in a mood, darling, you don't have to force yourself to behave on my part."

The yak pleads with her boss. "But the store... and the customers─"

"I've made my decision already, and you've been made aware of it. Now go and find you a nice hotel to pack in and... get busy."

Sandbar helps his fiancé up to her cloven hooves. "Yona need to tell others. Looks bad if Yona and Sandbar don't show after saying we would."

Rarity pulls out her phone, already looking up a place to reserve. "I'll pay for the room, you two. You just tell us where they are and we'll relay the message while you get going."

"We have a room already." Sandbar explains. "And the others are in another booth with the owner."

Rarity's face freezes with worry as she manifests a thought to her own self. "Oh my, well let's go and peek in before things get awkward."

Sweetie Belle scoffs at her sister's concern. "Seriously, how bad can it be?"

Meanwhile...

I don't think I've ever had the opportunity to study just how aggressive hippogriffs were in the water, or when mating for that matter. I don't think I've seen a griffon so easily subdued where his head is leaning backwards for air. But that's the apparent calling card for Silverstream and Gallus' sexual relationship. Those two have been at it for a while, and they're going like he's going off to war. Doesn't matter if she's got a lower extremity of fins, she's making him suffer with the satisfaction alone. All of her weight is upon him, her body crashing against his as he stares into the ceiling like he's content in going out this way. Onward, brave soldier, to the great ethereal plain.

Meanwhile I can't seem to shake off a drunken Ocellus. She's entered a whole different state of mind. It's like the combination of watching the avian-hybrid pair mating their brains out and her weak bodily resistance to alcohol is pushing her already devious mind to get into some public debauchery. Thank goodness these rooms are privatized, otherwise anyone could see her hoof teasing me at my most vulnerable state. Ms. Royal and Smolder are watching just a few feet away, curious if I would really bust or not. The changeling's slurring giggles are a constant reminder of how intoxicated she is.

I'm not exactly towards climax, but the sight of seeing Ms. Royal enjoying the premium primetime performance is putting me in a place of satiating her curiosity for a dragon's lust. Smolder wades closer to sit herself beside me, looking at the drunken changeling work her magic. Her claws begin to wander a little, hovering but not yet indulging on her own self. She gives me a measure, seeing how endowed I am before snickering to herself. She calmly guides Ocellus' head to where her hoof had worked, and allows her to coat me in her saliva.

The changeling looks down greedily, hungrily drooling as her compound-colored eyes halfway lid. Her forked tongue slides slowly onto my tip. I'd close my eyes to savor it, but the sight of Smolder guiding her entices me to continue watching. Her tongue plays around me, the slit occasionally wrapping me from both sides before reuniting with the mouth that falls upon me. I sigh in enjoyment as she takes me on. I mumble in lustful praise. "That's right, it's yours."

The door suddenly opens and a voice pops through with a hurrying tone. "Sorry to interrupt Blue, but these two need another booth to deal with some important natural business─" I snap back to reality upon hearing the voice in front of me. I look up to see a blushing unicorn with a prominent curl in her indigo mane. "SPIKE!"

"Oh shit!" My first instinct is to find something to hide myself behind. But before I knew what to use, Ocellus proceeds to deepthroat me at the most inopportune time. I hold her head in place, conceding that this was my only option to keep myself hidden from her. "Rarity... Uh, it's not what it looks like!

Ocellus darts her eyes up to me and in a jealous fit raises her head to happily reveal to the unicorn what it was I tried to hide down her throat, rather how much of it. Rarity quickly closes her eyes and turns away with a hoof to her face. Sweetie Belle, who walked in behind her alongside Sandbar and Yona, caught the moment and gawks in awe of what she saw. "Holy fuck, that thing was inside of her mouth!... How'd she make it fit?"

Ms. Royal smiles as she places her self-pleasure session on pause. Since her back was to the door, they don't immediately see what she was up to. She turns around to greet the four walk-ins. "Ah, there you are! The party's just getting started."

The green-eyed unicorn mare takes but a step forward before Rarity snatches her in her magic to force her in an about-face. "Okay, I think it's time Sweetie and I take our leave, and we take these two to the room they have."

The younger unicorn fights her sister on the issue. "What, no way! I wanna keep tabs on this!" She says as she pulls out her phone to record.

As she hits the button, the older sibling tries to censor much of the footage with her own hoof, all while blinding herself. "Sweetie Falabella Belle, we need to go!"

Being no stranger to magic herself, Sweetie Belle moves her phone out of the way to record more footage. "Rarity Andalusia Belle, we can wait!"

I try to cover my face, but I know it won't do much good. Rarity stops shielding her eyes to finally get a grip onto her sister. She glances at me covering my face, but shakes her head. "Do pardon our abrupt dismissal."

Sweetie tries to get a closer angle, but her phone is snatched by her sister shortly after the older mare places a hoof to her horn to quench the green aura around it. Her horn erupts in a bright flash. "Hey, I just started recording─" Sweetie yells out before the four of them completely disappear from the room.

"Aw. Shame, I thought those two were really going to join us. Would've even had an extra unicorn for fun too." The care-free billionaire says as she gazes back to me. "Guess I'll have to settle for the current plotline."

I look down at myself and see that I'm just as exposed as I feared that I would be if I were in a public setting, worst off to the one I had been crushing on for years. But as my mind starts to become littered with doubts and regret, Ocellus is the one to pull me back forward with a playful bat at me, causing my length to smack against my belly before freestanding again. "Chill out, you're with us tonight." She gives me a series of kisses along my shaft as she speaks. "You know I'm not gonna let you come back down that easily."

"Now she's a girl who knows what she wants." Blue comments on the drunken changeling. She herself wades over to visit as the changeling goes back to her work. "So how do you go about sucking this thing? It's pretty big for a little thing like you."

"He likes it if you tease him a bit before you give him full lip service." The alcohol is doing more to spare Ocellus her pride than it does her skill. Though I wish she hadn't come up on me so soon.

The mare starts to step out of the hot tub, asking a question along the way. "Does he do oral himself? Is he any good?"

The changeling's eyes expand as she jumps up in realization. "Oh shit, I forgot about that!"

"Forgot what?" I ask as Ocellus jumps out of the hot tub, walking behind me. She lays herself down next to me. Her magic pulls me around to face her as she pats the inside of her haunches.

"Come on here, Spike." She orders as her magic offers me little choice but to obey. "Dig in."

Smolder and Ms. Blue watches in curiosity over how I would perform. I'm nervous to an extent, but I give it a try. My mouth opens to show her the tongue that would be sloppily serving her before pressing my lips towards her wet folds. She hums quietly as she patiently awaits my next maneuver. I give her a kiss amidst her thighs before pressing them to where she wanted the most attention. I nuzzle into her, letting my lips embrace her folds.

Ms. Blue laughs behind me. "Your first time eating out?"

"You can tell, huh?" Smolder cosigns.

"I've done my fair share of giving and receiving, so I know what to look for." The mare replies as she leans down to me while giving Ocellus some much-sought assurance. "And I've had plenty of years of experience. You just chill out there while I give him the in's and out's." She pats me on the back of the head. "You. Less lip. More tongue."

Smolder takes my other side and offers her own advice. "Try not to poke and prod in one place until she tells you to. For now, be adventurous. Don't worry so much about the taste, you'll get used to it."

I didn't really know that there was a taste to worry about. But I'm sure the water really helped to dumb it down so I shouldn't have to taste much of anything. While I'm not used to putting my tongue in places I'm not familiar, I guess it's only fair since she's been so diligent about wrapping her tongue around what I often keep to myself. I take a deep breath to prepare myself and take the plunge.

"Ah, there we go." Ocellus whispers with a bit of relief, prompting a snicker from Smolder.

"Good boy. Now broaden your strokes, but don't be too harsh." Ms. Blue continues to hold my head as she gives instructions. "Your lower jaw is where the magic happens, it's also where your tongue's attached. So if you feel you need the reinforcement, get engaged. But no teeth."

I never knew there was as much technicality to giving a girl this kind of service. I always thought that what was good for the goose is just as good for the gander. Turns out the requirements are applied differently. While she had a lot to work with me in terms of surface area, I have little to maneuver around. Ocellus looks down to see me glancing at her face, trying to judge myself from her eyes. She seems pretty satisfied for it being my first time tasting her. She cradles a hoof to the back of my head, stifling a moan while I take a periodic peek down to my work. I pull away, starting to find the confidence to push myself a little further in my endeavor.

I grab her waist, settling her inward to me, adjusting myself to truly apply some pressure if need be. I think she wants me to be a little more passionate. So I oblige, opening my jaw to let her see my tongue flick at her before my lips closed around her, allowing my tongue to fully encircle her innermost folds. Her back arches as she retracts her hoof momentarily. "You might want to tell him to slow down." She's grasping at the floor, signifying that I'm doing a fairly good job at being aggressive.

Ms. Blue whispers in my ear breathlessly. "Okay, ease back a bit. She's not ready to go just yet."

I peek back, wondering what the older mare was doing that made her pant. But being the jealous love bug she is, Ocellus drags my attention back to her, shoving my snout back into her. "Mine." She moans in a bratty manner. "You eat what I give you. Don't go digging for anything else when you're not even finish with me."

It seems she's quite a dominant figure when receiving. Her eyes are more stern, her hoof grasps at the back of my head, pushing me down on her. She sits up to watch me with those stern eyes. Her hips rock against my lips, I part them and allow for my tongue to warm her yet again. Her bottom lip becomes suppressed by her bite. What were moans had devolved into grunts, it seems that after wanting me to repress my efforts, she's ramping the pressure to achieve her own ends. I go as she goes, and allow my tongue to flick against her folds.

"These two are really into it. I like." Ms. Blue comments as she takes a look down to see just how pent up I was out of the lack of attention I received in my work. "Aw, poor thing's feeling a little neglected. Tell you what, if you make her squirt, I'll make you do the same." She offers.

Ocellus grunts even harder, Smolder takes notice of her inclining ambitions. "Wow, someone's greed is coming out."

The changeling lets out a brief mewl before addressing the orange dragoness. "Nngh... Shut it!"

Seeming as though she's displeased with the changeling's crude retort, she smirks and stoops to my ear to speak. "I want you to use your claws for this one. Open her up."

I pull back and do as Smolder suggests, sliding my claws between and using my thumbs to open the changeling up even further to me. I am greeted by a thick bead of white fluid pooling from inside of her. I am greeted by a most welcome sight, the pinkness of her inviting me inside like my tongue was a long-lost friend. Ocellus takes an embarrassed exception to my revealing of her body. "HEY! I didn't tell you to get too far into that!"

"You're a shy one for offering a meal." Smolder teases as she gets out of the hot tub, aiming to suppress the changeling from acting any further. She even goes so far as to sit on her slowly as her claws get involved in my workspace. "Now, with your tongue, point out where her clitoris is." I look to her with bewilderment to point to wherever my tongue had last touched. "Close, but a little further up north." The changeling is struggling to free herself from the dragoness that subdued her. Meanwhile, Smolder politely rubs her thumb at the top of her sex to indicate my next point of attack. "There you go. Now give that a flick or two."

I do as requested, watching as the changeling's hips jump from my instant of contact. "Mmmm!" She mewls loudly.

Smolder giggles as she watches me eagerly look to attack the newfound weakness gracefully given to me out of spite. "You see what she did there? Now you know where to go. Hit her at that same spot, give it a light suck."

Maneuvering herself to where she could speak, Ocellus pleads with the dragon subduing her. "Please don't teach him that!"

As I start to apply my focus to her most sensitive mound, I feel a hoof at the back of my head that comes from a foreign direction. I feel a body sink into my back as the familiar voice chimes in from behind me. "Ooh, look at that tongue go. I may want a turn with him next."

My tongue swirls around the changeling's weak point, but Smolder signals me to hold up for yet another hint. "Hey Spike, just for fun, slide your claws inside and slowly work them in and out. Do that while you keep doing what you're doing."

The changeling writhes under her captor. "Don't encourage him!" She screams.

While I don't typically endorse bullying of any kind, this is proving to be an outstanding exception, one I will be open to engaging in more frequently. Smolder climbed off of her, letting the changeling see the grin on my face as I tap deeply into her resource, urging for more. Judging from the tremor in her lips and legs, she seems partial to this form of bullying as well. "Uh oh, she's almost there."

The dragon gives me yet another hint to crack the once-oppressive changeling. "Now rub your thumb where you have your tongue now, and put your tongue where your claws are. Just swap places."

The changeling is rapidly approaching her climax, but is also reprimanding the dragoness for disclosing her secrets. "Fuck! Dammit Smolder, stop tell him how to get me off!"

I sink my tongue into her as though I penetrated her with my claws. I question the dragoness about my form. "Lih hihs? (Like this?)"

"Nope, you can still talk. You're a dragon, Spike. You know how long you can stretch your tongue." She places her claw at the back my head, shoving me deeply into her hips. Ocellus' hind legs nearly crush me as my tongue reaches deep inside of her. The changeling unleashes an ear-tickling scream as she makes a mess all over my face. The bottom of my jaw is coated white with her fluids, my tongue even more so as I pull out. Her back fully arches in on itself as I watch her seize for the moment.

She jolts a few more times as her hind legs release me. Her body starts to slump in between the staggered impulses. She recovers quickly, feeling a high as she quickly rises to profane the dragon that aided me in my work. "Smolder, fuck you!"

Blue congratulates me on a job well done. "Oh, she gave you a good one." She looks back to the other dragon and questions her. "You two did this before, you and her?"

"Let's just say that our knowledge of one another is mutual." She answers proudly, all while watching me recover from my dive.

Now that I'm retracting my tongue into my mouth, I finally acknowledge to myself the unusual taste of the changeling. "Never thought my tongue could do that."

"Spike, of all things you're aware of in the throws of our government, you mean to tell me you didn't take your own tongue into consideration?" Smolder ribs at me. "The literal smooth-talker of the kingdom and you somehow don't think to use that damn thing to talk in other ways?"

"I didn't exactly have the time to search for business partners." I reply before looking down to Ocellus as she recovered from my prior negotiation. "Well I guess with the way things turned out, I guess you could consider me searching for victims."

"Well you got another victim right next to you." The changeling points out.

"I offer myself as tribute." Ms. Blue shouts excitedly. She strolls by me quickly, only to get yanked back by Smolder.

"Sorry." She says with a snarky grin. "But you gotta be this tall to ride." She announces, measuring off the top of her horns as a means to show her height superiority over the mare.

She pushes me down to my seat, slowly walking towards me with her hips tilting and swaying with her approach. The dragoness wraps her claws around my snout as she plops herself down to my lap. Her posterior sinks to me, giving my endowment the easement of her well-cultivated crevice. Her tail coils around my neck while she maliciously grips at my snout, taunting me as she slid her posterior around my relative show of interest.

I still mind the idea that she's not too terribly aroused, she's probably playing with me more than anything right now. And if I go by extension, she's also toying with Ocellus and Ms. Blue by keeping me to her lonesome. "I bet you're really pent up right now, aren't you?"

How can I not be? Her body is warm from the water, her cheeks embrace me with each subtle sway and swing of her
thinning waist. The petite form of her stature is deceptive in what it really hides. She knows I'm itching to bend her down and take the plunge for my self-gratification. She removes her claws from around my snout, allowing me to answer her question. "You're annoying, you know that?"

"I aim to tease." She grins with a demonic countenance, completely on board with keeping me on edge. If I could pinpoint her intent, she's probably gauging how close she can take me before leaving me to deal with the unresolved consequence. Even as I look to wrap my claws around her waist, her tail bats them away so emphatically. "Don't even think about touching." She stands up, swatting the spear of her tail against the tip of my sex. "Like you even deserve to hold me down, pathetic."

She gives it another swat, leaving me throbbing and thrusting into the air. The antagonistic nature she continues to exhibit pushes me further to display my frustration. I'm on the verge of collapse and she's got me dancing in the palm of her claw like I'm a toy to be played with. Quite frankly, it's pissing me off in a way. "Hey, you gonna finish me off or are you going to keep treating me like shit?"

Smolder's cheeks arch further upwards. "Aw, what's the matter? Can't accept the fact that your little dragon cock ain't gonna plug me up real good? Meaning you can get Ocellus to shut up doesn't mean I'm just as easy." Willing to push the envelope even further, she lifts her tail and uses just the very tip of it to tickle at me like a feather. "Uh oh, don't tell me you're gonna cum from something like this." While I do my best to abstain, my body doesn't sell the lie as well as I would like it, a thin stream of precum ooze from within me to create a unbreaking thread that garners her attention. "Ha! You're so weak."

In most instances I would probably get up and walk away from this, citing how I wouldn't accept this kind of treatment from anyone. But in this one, there's some part of me that's beyond insulted at her antics, so much so that I'm willing to confront her on the matter. In fact...

I push back on her, causing her to fall into the pool next to the climaxing pair of lovers. As those two broke their limits with one another, they start to recover and turn their attention to how Smolder's pupils narrow for a moment. "Careful, Spike. This might turn into a rough wrestling match if you keep pushing me."

Ocellus shouts at me, cheering me on to bring the bratty dragoness down a few pegs. "Hey Spike, since she's telling me what makes me go off, let me tell you something about her. She likes rough play. So go and bite on her like you did me!"

I quirk my brow at the idea of digging my teeth into Smolder, then glance back towards my pending victim, who willingly offered herself as tribute in place of Ms. Blue. I lunge for her as she questions the changeling. "Wait, he seriously did that to you?" In the midst of her question, she's inattentive to my rapid approach, only noticing at the very last moment before I grab at her shoulders. I give her neck a firm but undamaging nibble. The dragoness' chest stops moving, her shoulders slouch, and her arms dangle down as her head raises in surprise of the blow she took. "Oh, here we go."

I let her go and triumphantly mock her temporary inaction, seeing how stunned she is. "Ha! So you do have a mute button─"

Her head drops, her eyes lock on to me with dilated slits for pupils. She flexes her claws and lunges for me with wings spread for flight. "MOVE!" She calls to the others, dashing past everyone else before flexing her claws against my neck. I'm thrown onto my back as she gives me a manic expression, her claws are pressing hard at my throat as her madness consumes her. "Go on, try to fight me off."

While everyone gathers with concern over what's happening, only Ocellus seems to be the non-dragon creature with an understanding of what's taking place. Meanwhile, Ms. Blue is concerned for what's taking place. "Uh, what's going on?"

"Oh, so here's a thing about dragons. Usually their species happens to be really rough and abrasive during mating. I guess the biting thing is a trigger that activates that drive in even the most passive of dragons." The changeling explains calmly.

She's strong, strong enough to keep me here if I don't assert myself pretty soon. And it's of no consequence that she returns the favor in biting me back. A numbing pulse renders my body mostly immobilized for a brief moment. She holds on to me while everything in my vision becomes just that much sharper. I regain the control of my muscles, but not over my instinct. I shove her over, wrestling her down as she claws viscously at my chest. "They're going at it pretty rough. You think we should stop them?" Even Gallus shows some concern.

"Nah, let them sort it out." Ocellus answers as I start to show an advantage over the dragoness. 0

I reach down, feeling for where I should aim for my entry. But she's not making it easy for me, squirming and writhing all the while. Her teeth are bared and her breath heated as she snarls to me. "You want me, Spike? You gotta find it."

She's using her tail to distract me, but I'm still focused. Her eyes still remain locked on me as I try to hold her thighs open with a leg planted between hers, she's pressing her claws into my chest. I roar at her, demanding that she'd surrender to me. But she roars back with sparks and ash threatening to eject themselves along with her feral growl. "Wow... he's really going at it." Silverstream comments.

"You know what the funny thing is?" Ocellus begins.

"What?" Gallus inquires.

"Spike's actually the most passive of all the dragons by a country mile."

"If he's the passive one, then what do you call this?" Ms. Blue questions.

"An activated passive." Ocellus answers.

In our physical bout, she's clawing and slashing at my chest, but I barely feel much of anything. Her swipes are dangerous to many, but they go unnoticed by me in this moment. But upon feeling a wetness against my sex, it's become apparent why her claws a landing a little closer to drawing blood. However, I sink myself inside of her after having gone through so much trouble. I grimace as the moistened entrance welcomes me much more openly than it's host. She snarls as I sink fully into her body, her claws no longer slash at my chest but rip down my back.

Her nails dig deeply into my shoulders, they hurt for a bit but I don't mind them too much. Each time I withdraw, they dig in deeper with the intent to coax me back inside. Her legs lock around mine, her tail curling tightly around mine with each thrust. I look down to her, seeing a most pleasant surprise.

She's smiling, not exactly with excitement but with pride instead. She knows what she did, she knew how to press me in a way that would get me to this point. And she's pressing her hips to mine with every withdrawal I make, trying to keep me in for as long as she wanted to have me. I go from finding her annoying, to her pissing me off, to suddenly being infatuated with those sapphire eyes of hers. She's not the one to make orgasmic faces or cute mewls, but her body demands more from me. And I look to oblige.

I start a rhythm, pressing inward and withdrawing from her. The dragoness' expressions soften a little more. She's pretty quiet still, but her claws do less digging and more holding my back down to press us together. She slows in breathing, patiently waiting for me to finally get enough.

Our display becomes the talk of the room. "Look at their tails. They're coiling around one another." Silverstream points out.

"Spike's really taking the role here. I'm surprised Smolder's letting him." Gallus adds.

"I'd never thought I'd see two dragons fucking in my lifetime, but here we are." Ms. Blue says as she's keeping herself warm for her turn.

Smolder leans her head into me, whispering quietly in my ear. "Go on... pop a clutch with me."

I start to feel the pressure building past the point of no return. I try to fight myself over it, pulling back out with the intent to finish elsewhere. "I need to─"

Her legs lock around me, namely my backside. She shushes me and deeply guides me back into her with her claws. "It's okay, big guy. Let it all out. I can take it." She holds me by my chin in a move of reassurance. "Don't hold back. Give me what I want."

The general kindness she exhibits in her smile, it's what I'd often see sometimes after seeing how excitable I was to be a dragon coming up in my younger age. Each time she did it, it was almost a marked measure of me passing a milestone in my walk of life. After my first molt, she greeted me with that smile. After my first time being an element bearer, even for how short the moment was, she welcomed me among the ranks with that same expression. But now here we were, I'm firmly bound by her body, my climax unavoidable, and she gives me that smile.

I hunch into her once more, pausing as I purge all that's within me. It's so powerful that I threaten to collapse onto her, she giggles as she breathily holds on to me. I look down seeing where our two bodies united, still in partial disbelief that this is happening right now. I give a few more thrusts, riding out my climax before all within my body weaken. I lay atop Smolder, panting with satisfaction while her tail continues to embrace mine.

I try to make a conscious effort to remove myself from off of her, but she holds me close with all of her self. "Yeah, you're not going anywhere, big guy. Chill out."

Gallus snickers as he gives the moment an unexpected applause. Silverstream coos sweetly over our display. "Wow, those two look romantic."

Ocellus rolls her eyes as she clops her hooves together in joining Gallus. "Finally, I thought they'd never do it."

Appearing satisfied in the performance, Ms. Blue commends me for my efforts. But her approach comes with an ulterior motive. She makes that very much apparent. "Um, I know it's a magical moment for the both of you. But can I get next on the dragon ride?"

Smolder scoffs as she releases me. "Sure thing... If you can get him out of me first."

While I myself am tired, I suppose it shouldn't be much of an issue to give it one more go. I pull myself up to withdraw, lifting my torso with my arms. I move to stand up, but notice that an unshakable weight has grasped me where I matter most in the situation. Each move I make away from Smolder, her body still joins with me. I even threaten to stand, but it becomes painful with her still clutching on to me. "Um... What's going on? I'm stuck."

The dragoness leans her head back as she victoriously wraps her legs around me. "Oh yeah, I guess Ember never told you about dragon females, especially when mating. And to keep it blunt, we dragons call the process of egg fertilization a 'clutch' for a good reason. When the female is ovulated in her heat, the eggs can get really hot and bothersome to deal with. So relief can only be achieved when the eggs in her body are cooled by dragon semen, which also fertilizes the eggs and causes them to grow. But when she reaches orgasm, her vaginal walls clutches down to her mate and ensures that all semen is directed to the eggs she's housing. And since he's fully engorged, it makes it harder for him to slip out." I look back down to where we joined and then to her grinning face worriedly. "Ninety-eight percent fertilization rate."

...Oh fuck. "So... we're stuck like this!? Like there's no possible way to pull out before this gets─"

"Nope, we're locked up like diamond dogs." She says before laughing at my sudden expression of panic. "Don't be so upset, big guy. You got your first dragon clutch. You might've got it in with Ocellus first, but you're now officially out of the dragon lust gauntlet. Though to warn you, I wouldn't go run and tell this to Ember." I try to pull out once more, but she yanks me in by my chin. "Hey you, this hurts me as much as it does you. So just let this one ride out till you get soft again."

While I am upset over the circumstance, I'm not the only one. "Soooo... raincheck on the dragon ride?"

Author's Note

Well, didn't expect Mardi Gras season to sneak up on me like it did, but it did. And the rehearsals have kept me busy. I've been so busy learning music that I couldn't separate myself to get back in the zone of writing for a while.

Thankfully, I did manage to work my way through it during the days I didn't have much to do. I know I said I'll look to release this chapter a week and some change out from the last one, but I forgot how much everyone wants to rehearse for all the balls and galas that come up, plus a number of recording sessions that pop up conveniently when I have bills to pay. I'm just happy to be back in the groove in that part of my life, I might actually get some time to do some original music like I used to do way back when, may even do a few themes and arrangements for the story based on the music I had in mind for the prequel to this story.

Oh yeah, btw, I sucked back then. But here's a link if you dare yourself to listen to my old stuff, cause lord knows I don't really listen to it much these days. I was working with highly limited VST's and stuff, and tried to make the best of what I had.

Now for real, I will see you guys sometime next Wednesday. The Mardi Gras rush is real and next week is the culmination of it all going into Ash Wednesday. I'll drop the chapter then. Until next time, take care and thanks for visiting.

Chapter 9: Tertiary Troubles

Ninety-eight percent...

I'm only nineteen, I'm just now getting into the throws of acting my age. I, Spike the Dragon, who had no active adolescent experience worth remembering or accounting past a government obligation, am looking down the barrel of life with absolutely no recourse. There's a ninety-eight percent chance that in a few weeks, there are going to be a few eggs with my spots on them. That thought alone made me drink the rest of the night onward. And by the time we got back to the room, I just dropped in a bed and thought about it for a brief moment before my alcohol-dumbed senses took over and ushered me to sleep. Now, I have but three words to describe my mood.

"Ugh... my head."

While I didn't drink enough to black out and forget all of the dealings pertaining to last night's wet and wild debauchery, I'm still granted the status effects of the alcohol doing a number on my body. Nausea is evident but not pronounced, the headache is carrying the weight of my symptoms. I look at my phone, even the moderately low brightness of the screen causes me to loathe existing. Well I guess this is what they call the hangover, didn't know dragons could get those. Glad I could fuck around and find that one out, really happy to know I'm not immune to that, such a fucking honor... Kill me so I don't deal with the pain, please make it quick.

Oh yeah, my chest and back hurts too. My body's still healing from the romp Smolder and I had, and she wasn't about to let me have that one for free. Maybe I can negotiate with her the next time she might want to get frisky, if there's even a next time after this. Oh shit, I'm imagining how Ember's gonna react to me dealing with Smolder before her. I don't think I can visit her for a long while, at least until I know how soon dragon pheromones can dissipate. And last I checked, those tend to last for a while, a year or more even.

The sound of something hitting the ground next to me sounds out loudly, I look at the clock on my phone to see it's about noon. I look over to see that my roommate and his fiancé are currently going at it. I would be able to commentate on the action, but there's a lot of brown fur blocking me from being able to see much. All I can say is that there's a pair of mint green hooves slowly patting the hulking brown figure above him. The yak raises her head, revealing her flushed face and unbraided hair cascading down her sides. Often times her voice is so blunt and loud, but now it's soft and pleading. "One more before we go."

Sandbar's face pops up after he unveils himself from the curtain of his fiancé's mane. "Yona, we went seven times. You woke me up at 4:30 in the morning to do this. We rescheduled the train four times already, we need to go."

She leans down, covering him up inadvertently as she kisses him in yet another plea. "Yona still too hot."

"Yeah, I know." He comments before blowing a few strands of her hair out from over his mouth. "But don't you think we need to let room service change these sheets? They're a mess right now."

"Sweet, please?" She mewls as she grinds herself against him.

"No... we need to go. And you need to stop suppressing your urges. We talked about this a million times." He says, trying to escape from her.

She kisses him yet again. "One more, promise. Sandbar can complain later."

"You said that two rounds ago." He gripes.

"Please, it's so hot." She moans, her hips rising and falling a little faster.

Seeing that she's already started on her next round of Faust-only-knows-how-many, Sandbar capitulates with a pained grunt and a tap on her side. "Okay. You're insatiable when you're like this."

"Yona can't help it. Sandbar make Yona too hot and bothered." She says in between moans.

I try to leave the room, not to disturb the two going at their rounds. Sandbar can only see the slight movement of a shadow before lifting a lock of Yona's hair out of his eyes to address me. "Spike, you're up?"

"Yeah, I'm just gonna leave you two to do what you do." I reply as I walk out.

Yona makes a brief apology. "Yona sorry Spike has to see this. Yona go without for weeks because of business."

"Don't apologize for that. We're all grown here. Get it in." I encourage before walking out of the room. Ocellus lays on the couch, going through her phone as she watches me enter the room. "Well I'm surprised to see you're not pouncing at the opportunity to dump some built-up sexual frustration after hearing those two in there."

"Yeah, they've been at it for a while." The changeling confirms as she puts her phone down.

"Seems like he's bit off more than he can chew." I note of his very obvious size disadvantage in contrast to her. "I just hope he doesn't get smothered by her hair or something."

"He's fine, he's living for every moment of that shit. He likes for Yona to smother him, that's all he could think of for years until she got comfortable enough to let him try to mount her. You should've seen how bad he was for her around four years ago. You ever see a stallion belly slap himself out of frustration?"

"Uh, no." I answer.

"Yeah, he was busting loads all over campus just because he saw her walking in front of him. That's how bad he was for her. And she was so scared to hurt him, he had to beg her to sit on him one time. And from there, he just had himself a ball."

"Did you help him with his thing?" I ask curiously.

"Nope. But I worked with Yona because she trusted me to tell me if I was hurting her. I mean she's a nice girl, just way too big for me to handle. I don't see how he does it, but he loves that about her. I guess some ponies are bonafide mountain climbers by designation."

I chuckle at her comment. "You can say that again."

The changeling crosses her forelegs and narrows her eyes. "You know, you promised me breakfast."

"I did." I confirm. "Sorry I didn't wake up sooner. My hangover's still pretty bad."

She snickers at my reasoning. "It's a good thing I didn't drink as much then."

"Oh yeah, just laugh it up." I groan in defeat.

She hops off the sofa and walks up to me, pulling me down and whispering in my face. "So, I take it coffee over lunch isn't what you're fiending for right now."

"I can still go for coffee."

While they don't quite have breakfast at the bar, it's still a fairly impressive spread of items to be consumed. And since Ocellus and I aren't strangers to the meat options, we've decided to take the opportunity to partake. Ponies around occasionally look at us, but not stare in an obvious manner. We sit at our table and start getting into the meal. But while she's going in, I'm more contemplative and reserved.

The changeling is done with her plate far sooner than I am. So she takes the opportunity to speak to me while I'm off in my own thoughts. "So..."

"So?"

She points her fork at me. "Smolder and you finally got it in."

I shake my head at the memory of us doing what we did last night. I start to favor my coffee over everything else. "I'm still pretty confused about the whole biting thing. I bit her, she gets aggressive. She bit me and I lose control of myself. What the hell was that all about?"

"Smolder and I had a conversation about that earlier this morning. She says that biting is often a mating trigger in dragons. Something about certain actions, namely that one releasing certain chemicals into the body to trigger a hormonal response. It's pretty interesting stuff."

"Huh, never would've figured that was a thing for us." I mutter quietly into my mug.

"Well it is. So how do you feel now?"

"Well... I don't know, there some stuff on my mind, nothing for you to worry about though." I answer, trying to skirt the topic. "What about you, hangover aside of course?"

"How am I doing... let's see." She glances around as she goes into her cup of coffee. "My legs are still shaking thinking about what we did when Rarity walked in." I hold my head out of frustration. "What's wrong now?"

"Did you have to remind me of that?" I groan in dismay, remembering that I was out there for her to see like that. "Ugh, she's never going to even look at me with any kind of respect again."

"I would've stayed down longer... but the intrusive thoughts won. Guess it was the alcohol." She said with a light blush.

That was more like you than anything. "I see. You also seemed pretty possessive at times, does the alcohol make you act like that too?"

"Nope. That one was all me." She replies as she goes into her phone. "I guess you could say I'm pretty competitive, and at times I don't like losing."

"So that was you when you did what you did in front of Rarity." I confront her.

She gives off a devious turn of the cheek before answering. "I mean... it happens sometimes. I just know that you have a thing for her, she's been ignoring you for years, so I thought it would be fun for her to see what's she's been missing out on." I face palm at her response as she tries to justify her approach. "Hey now, how many of those stupid romances did she have before they all went haywire? Then how many times did you stick around to try to reinforce her feelings, only to watch her fall for the same trap again and again and again?"

"I'm not saying she didn't deserve it." I answer. "I'm just saying it wasn't necessary."

"See, there's some part of you that liked it too."

"Not saying that either." At least out loud.

"Think about it, Spike. You get to have a cute changeling girl blow you, a cute dragon girl ride you, and a pretty billionaire club owner looking to give you the VIP status... if you know what I mean. Now be real, you have your life and now it's getting pretty spicy. You don't have to chase after that strange sense of validation anymore. Be you and live!"

I lower my head in thought as I realize that my life is indeed getting interesting, but now even that spattering of a bright spot might be clouded over by the uncertainty of the words Smolder uttered to me. "...I guess I could be a little irresponsible for however long I have left in the coming weeks."

Ocellus tilts her head in bewilderment. "The coming weeks? What, you got an assignment out of the country or something?"

I gulp down the coffee, the rush of the caffeinated beverage shooting down my throat to offer me one hell of a reality check. I start to think aloud. "Do you think Smolder will keep the eggs we've made?"

Ocellus looks at me for a second before laughing off my question. "Nah, she's not the type to keep things maternal. She always told me if she had some, she'll just fly them off to the dragon lands and leave them in a heating pit."

"Kinda cruel, don't you think?" I ask quietly. "I mean you experienced what we had to go through over in the Dragon Lands."

The changeling crossed her forelegs and placed her phone aside. "Better question, do you want the eggs?"

"I can't even say that I'm remotely close to ready for that responsibility. I'm just nervous about it all. Am I really going to be a father, even a good one?"

"If you're not ready, don't throw yourself in that role. If it's in you to put that aside until later, then do it. Never force yourself to do something too early unless there's an absolute need to. I know Smolder doesn't want that kind of life for her, so you don't put in that kind of energy just yet."

"Yeah, but now I feel wrong for thinking that way." I respond with a worried sigh.

She grabs at my claws, her hooves coming out to meet with me as far as hers could reach. "Why don't you talk to Smolder and then decide. You get your mind clear, move on from there."

I feel the warmth in her hooves, compared to my relatively cold-blooded claws. A tinge of guilt stirs in my mind as she holds me. "Do you think this will affect us in any way?"

"What exactly did we have before this? Should I be hurt about it?" She asks, appearing to not have much of a reaction other than nonchalance.

I grasp at her hooves in return. "I mean, if you wanted something out of this, I guess you should be."

She rolls her eyes and reiterates her position. "Spike, we're just now stepping into the puddle of dating. It's not that deep to worry about future implications unless there is a need to be."

"I guess. I just don't want to mess things up." I add cautiously.

She lets go. Moving her plate around to go for a second round at the food bar. "You know, I'm starting to think you worry too much about the small things."

"How is this small?"

She rises from her seat. "Spike, I'm telling you now this isn't going to be that big of a deal, especially to Smolder. And if you don't believe me, talk with her when we get back to the room." She moves my plate out of the way, seeing that my food is far from warm at this point. "Now... I'm gonna go get something from the bar. You can sit here while I fix you a plate."

"I have a plate already." I point out.

"Yeah, a cold one. No creature likes food gone cold. Now sit there and wait. And when I get back, you eat something."

"Fine, okay."

An hour after our brunch at the buffet, we head back up to the suite to see both Yona and Sandbar in the hallway. They seem a lot less flushed in hair, sweat, and other things, but he's still warmly nested between her forelegs as she hugs him from behind. We barely make out the whispers between the two as they openly display their affection. We don't even interrupt them, we just watch as Yona kisses him on the top of his head before lowering her horn to vault her smaller significant other onto her back. Her hair cascades down for a bit while he gathers her braids to place them back to their sapphire studded bands.

She starts walking forward, running into the both of us while we watch the pair pass by. "Hey, friends." She gives me a subtle giggle. "Hey, papa dragon."

I shrink at the nickname she gave me. Meanwhile Ocellus pays it no mind. "You two are still here?"

"Actually, we're just about to head out. Yona's feeling a lot better from last night." Sandbar asks from on top of the yak.

"Yona wore poor Sandbar out, can barely walk now. So Yona gives snookums yak-back ride to train station." Honestly, I never really looked at their relationship past the massive size difference. Now that I think about it, the two of them have an adorable chemistry, if also a risky and fragile one.

"Yeah, you were working pretty hard there." I note to the stallion on her back. "You gonna be okay?"

Sandbar lays on her back with a satisfied smile on his face. "If only you knew how heaven feels right now." Yeah, the mountain climber seems to be okay.

"Gallus went back to work?" Ocellus questions the pair.

"Yup. Silverstream shadows him on post too." Yona adds.

"Yeah, she's gonna get him reprimanded for indecency while on duty." Sandbar chuckles. "So it'll be just you two and Smolder, the three of you will be having the place to yourselves."

"Yona and snookums has to go now. We need to get back to work." She says as she starts to make her way to the elevator.

Meanwhile, Sandbar reclines on his lover's back. "Well guys, gotta run. See you next time, it was fun being out and about for a change."

"See ya!" Ocellus chimes out as they disappear into an elevator.

We continue on our trek to the suite, pulling out our keycard to enter the room. "Huh, I woke up to those two going at it, but I never thought Yona would be such a slow lover."

"I don't think she has a choice. If she goes her preferred speed and crush Sandbar, she'll be really devastated. That's why you see her care for him the way she does. She really loves him."

I lightly make a joke of the two as we walk in. "Find you someone who'll love you in spite of like those two." I open the door for Ocellus to enter before me and then I follow behind her. Then I call out to the room. "Roll call, anyone here!?"

"Just me." Smolder calls out as she quickly flies out of the room she was perched in. "Yeah, it's been pretty quiet since those two got done."

"I'm surprised you didn't leave them behind already." I point out.

"Better question is where am I supposed to go? I don't know Canterlot all too well for me to just up and leave."

"Seriously? There's plenty to get into. I could show the both of you around town and we can go from there." I propose.

Ocellus groans for a moment and starts backing up. "Actually, I'm gonna go take a dip in the pool. You guys can hang out here for a moment. You know, do what dragons do." She gives me a scoot towards the dragoness before taking yet another step back. "Or I dunno, talk. Maybe you two have some things you want to discuss."

While I catch the hint she's advertising so obviously that it could be seen on a billboard, Smolder doesn't and offers to tag along with the changeling. "Wait, we could totally join you."

"Nah. I need the moment to collect my thoughts on this week's lesson plan anyways."

"I thought you didn't like thinking about that stuff on a Saturday." Smolder deadpans as the changeling dismisses herself quickly.

"Well sometimes we gotta do what we don't like. Bye." The door closes behind her, causing Smolder stop chasing after her before she even attempts the pursuit.

Smolder looks away for a moment before folding her arms. She turns her head towards the television, posturing to take a seat on the couch when she realizes that the remote originally rested on the table is replaced by a single sticky note, seemingly made out in Ocellus' hoofwriting. The dragoness groans as she grabs a pillow and smothers herself to scream. She peeks from the corner of her eyes, seeing me already coming down to sit with her. "Sure! Force us to interact, it's not like it'll be awkward or something!"

It's evident that she doesn't want to talk about last night. So I stay quiet for a while, waiting for an opportunity all while toying away on my phone. There's not much interesting going on with the local news, the castle's feed has been equally as quiet, and the topics of the human world seem to be utterly depressing to look at. So I just sit there, waiting for her to say something, at least sneeze so I can break this awkward silence as 'naturally' as possible.

Smolder plays games on her phone until she notices her battery running low. In silence, she rises and heads off to her room. I close my eyes, regretting the fact that I didn't just speak up. But as I'm about to take the entire couch to myself, she pops back up and sits next to me on the far side. She folds her arms, drumming her claws against her biceps wile stewing in the lingering silence.

My throat is a little dry now, so I rise to get some water. I pour a glass to drink, then I pour another. I walk towards the couch again, offering the drink to her, hoping she'd say anything. She says nothing, accepting the water and guzzling it down like she's upset. I offer her the other glass and she snatches that one away with an apparent fury. I slowly back up and keep my distance. Seeing how territorial she is, I quietly vouch to park myself elsewhere before she finally chides me loudly.

"If you don't get on this couch, I'm going to claw your eyes out and shove them down your throat." Wow... guess that female dragon being violent thing is a species trait. I quickly abide by her order and park it. She looks elsewhere while I drum my claws against my knees. She chides me for that too. "Can you stop that? It's annoying!"

"Sorry." I squeak out, knowing that Smolder is probably on the verge of beating me to a pulp probably. I'm a bit nervous to ask her what's got her so upset, but I finally chisel away at the ice keeping us separated. "So..."

Her eyes cut back to me with a fierce gleam. "So?"

I keep my eyes off of her, very much intimidated by her tone. "...How are things?"

"Good, I guess." She answers with disinterest.

I don't sigh in relief yet, still trying to gauge her a little. "Don't feel any different from last night? No side effects... mood swings?"

The dragoness hovered towards me in a lunge. "What, so you're scared I'll pop an egg!?"

"Not saying I'm scared, per se." I answer, holding my claws up in preemptive surrender.

She rolls her eyes, sucks her teeth and plops back on the couch. "Then quit being a bitch about it. If it happens, it happens. If it doesn't, it doesn't. It's not for you to worry about."

"I just want to be sure that if you and I do have the egg together─"

"Oh here we go." She mumbles. "There's no egg, you dork! I'm not even in season! You and I weren't even supposed to lock up like that!" She jumps back up to her feet, pacing back and forth in the continuation of her rant. "Seriously, it was supposed to be me teasing you, making you mad on some dumb shit, and then you were supposed to start jacking off like a desperate, hopeless teenage horndog not even giving a shit about Rarity popping up out of the blue. You weren't suppose to bite me, I wasn't supposed to bite you in return, I should've been clawing at your eyes like the rapist you could've been! But no, I had to open myself up, I had to take your fucking teeth to the nape of my neck like some horny lizard, I had to just pounce on you like I wanted you to ram my shit senseless, I just had to be that instead of showing some self-control! I had to deal with that shit all day today, now I can't stop clutching my fucking claws when I masturbate!" She grabs a pillow and violently slams it against the ground, panting after a long-winded diatribe. "FUCK THIS!"

At least now I have a small understanding of what's she's trying to barter with. I quietly take the glasses off the table to refill. I come back to offer her the drink. "Hydration's healthy for the fun." I lightly joke before taking an instinctive step back, hoping that some of her humor is still there within her.

She takes the glass and guzzles the water before making a move to snatch me by my topmost fin. I duck down, but find her grasp at me far too strong to resist. I wince as she snarls at me... but I'm left waiting for a hit that never comes. Instead, she crouches down and pouts through a reply. "I'm gonna do something for a second. And you're gonna promise to not say anything about it."

"Is it about the joke?" I ask.

She tightens her grasp, causing me a bit of pain. "Just shut up, will you?"

"Sorry, sorry, sorry." I say as I hope she loosens her grip.

She doesn't give me direct eye contact, but she's voicing herself with honest intent. "You know... Ocellus and I have been pretty quiet about each other."

"I wouldn't exactly say 'quiet' is how she kept your business between the both of you." She gives me a death glare, to which I instinctively hold my claws out in pleading. "T-To me, I mean. J-Just me."

"Figures." She rolls her eyes. "Knowing her, she probably told you just to see if you'd jack off to the thought of us getting busy. I bet you did anyways."

I'm not proud enough to admit that to her face. "Well... I was in dragon lust. That's not too strange, is it?"

"You say it isn't. Doesn't mean that other creatures don't see it that way." She orates bluntly with a slight chuckle before growing somber for a moment. "Like changelings, dragons, who ever thinks of that pairing whenever you talk about interspecies relations, much less in sex? To other dragons, I bet that's something like a desperado move. Like I'm halfway expecting some of the other dragons to pop up and say 'So I guess that pony-wannabe dragon ain't doing nothing for you, you gotta resort to a changeling to fill in the blanks. Totally weak how you chickened out and got a changeling to keep you cool.' You know, typical annoying dragon banter."

"They'd probably be upset because they didn't think about it first." I retort with a smirk.

Smolder smiles at the thought and snickers. "Ah, bunch of dumb losers."

"No kidding, I'd bet that they'd be trying to start trade talks with the changelings if that idea started going around." I laugh while in thought before another grim idea came to mind. "Yeah... I guess that would be pretty dangerous."

The dragon sits down next to me, letting go of my primary fin to get comfortable. "You know, me and Olla have been thinking. We've been together doing what we've been doing, and I'm sure she's told you why she's been dealing with me at times."

"You mean the whole her being me thing during your dragon lust phases?" She gawks in embarrassment as she doesn't believe that I've been made aware of that. "Yeah, she told me about that too."

Smolder covers her face for a short while. "Is there anything that changeling didn't spill to you?" She perks up once more and shakes her head. "You know what, fuck it, it's out there now. So, with that being said, I made a suggestion to say that there's been something missing between the both of us."

"Like what?" I ask, a little concerned.

"I guess you could say that we're both here in Canterlot for the day to try out something new, to see if that thing we're missing is probably in the cards for the both of us." She tilts her head as she finally promotes her intent. "Maybe you could help us out."

While I can be dense at times, it's not hard for me to put together a puzzle that's been missing a few pieces. I'm just surprised that the idea's been easy to come across for them. I'm sure that Smolder developed some inkling of an attachment to me, it's been in the works, and last night solidified that to a degree. Ocellus and her have been at it for years, probably getting together because they felt comfortable enough to go past being comfort buddies. However, it's still a lot to take in. "Me... Like a third wheel?"

"Ocellus never really likes to ask for threesomes. But I think what you two did last weekend really got her on something else." She explains. "All this past week, she's been pretty bratty and bottom-heavy. Usually she likes being the one to be in charge, but something about her nature woke up after she came back from dealing with you. Even sleeping with her has been different. She's been really into her phone more often, looking at a few vids to... you know."

"Oh." I answer with a heavy concern for the pair. "I mean, if you don't mind, how do you feel about it?"

"If this was with any other creature, I might be pretty fucking violent. But you... I have a bit of a soft spot for, it's not like pillow soft, more like raw gold soft. But you get the gist. So yeah, I can definitely see us giving it a try."

Even now, I'm excited but also extremely worried and nervous. I've only had one relationship before and that ended pretty badly with just the one partner. Now I'm looking at the prospect of being a partner to two different creatures, both figuratively and very literally. I know it's a decision to think on, but I've already seen how choosing between one and the other can hurt the rejected party... and that rejected party went on to be ruler of the entire kingdom. Given both of their status, I guess I couldn't go wrong with either option. Honestly, my inherent greed is telling me to give this option a try. "Can't say it's an often-requested thing."

"Yeah, but here we are, caught up in the bullshit better known as you." She mumbles. "But I wanna get something out of the way now. We're not just talking about you getting to have your way with the both of us, or the two of us using you as our fun toy. Like we want to try to see if there's something that can be felt between the three of us. Mutually. Like if you and I can develop something with Olla, me and her with you, you and her with me, bounce it around."

My carnal desires are screaming with approval. But there's still something my mind can't quite shake off. "I know it's an idea you have, but I'm concerned that she's not here to have this talk with us."

"Eh, don't worry about it. She'll come around." The dragoness shrugs confidently.

"Are you sure she's okay with this?" I ask yet again, earning a pretty telling glare from Smolder that more than answers my question. "Okay..."

Smolder looks at the clock on the wall, growing curious. "Huh, wonder what taking Olla so long to come back."

Sitting closely to the lip of the swimming pool, Ocellus blankly stares at her phone's screen seeing the amalgamation of news on her feed. Preferring to keep up with the affairs of the human world, she quietly critiques the matters of what all is taking place. News of a war increasing in a portion of the world stews a darkness many fears would ignite the fires of conflict not seen in almost a century.

Her mind wanders back to her own life and what's currently taking place. She closes the browser and meanders through her photos for a bit. The bulk of images are that of her and Smolder doing an assortment of things together. Then there's a scarce amount featuring Spike, namely the moments she got to sneak around the Dragon Lands. Naturally they were blatantly explicit and voyeuristic in nature. But in seeing the lewd imagery, namely of the tall slender-framed dragon frozen in his act of lust, she sinks herself into the water with a mumbling thought. "So much for my Saturday plans."

A voice speaks from behind the changeling. "You look upset."

Nervous that she's caught in a bit of a sultry moment, she quickly navigates back to her home page and turns around to see an unexpected figure towering above her. It was a creature unlike many others in the Kingdom of Equestria, one of long legs standing, a proud biped with friendly smile on his face. His hair grown out to barely touch his shoulders, his eyes a rich auburn and shoulders broad and wide. He's a differing build from others of his kind, more developed in physique. Seeing the human behind her, she wades to the opposing end of the pool. "What does it matter to you?"

Seeing a human present before her makes the changeling upset enough to want to cut her swim short, she climbs out of the pool. However, the human does not leave her undisturbed. "Damn, I was just checking in, being all neighborly and whatnot, trying to keep things cool. Did I hit a nerve?"

"I know it's a lot to take in, but I'm still not too fond of you humans." She replies.

"Oh, so it's like that, huh?" He questions as he climbs into the pool himself.

"It's not a 'you' thing, it's just a 'human doing scary things' thing." She answers while taking her towel and her phone.

His chin lifts for a moment, not taking long to ponder what it is that has her being so guarded around him. "Let me guess, Ponvyille situation from years back?"

"Yeah." She confirms.

"Yeah. Sorry for that one. Pretty long story of how that happened." He starts to explain. "With all the invasions and abductions and shit, it was pretty wild for us to deal with. Plus it didn't help that Chrysalis was doing her usual 'being evil' thing. And there was that mind control thing she tried to pull on my older brother. You know, we couldn't let her get away with snatching him up, and that was after she held one of our other friend hostage. We were riding on a lot of emotion, and we just couldn't afford that to happen."

"Two hundred of us. You humans, six of you, killed two hundred of us, in TWENTY MINUTES!" She points out sternly. "I get protecting your own, but was it really necessary to go that far?"

"Sometimes peaceful solutions don't always present itself. Honestly, a lot could've ended that day if things weren't the way that it was. But I'm sorry that happened, also sorry for your queen being a bitch at the time too."

"I'll admit, my mom wasn't the best character to be around. But the rest of them, the others, they could've been left out of it." The changeling rebukes strongly. "And don't even get me started with the massacre that happened on the castle grounds that other human was in charge of. I never forgot that one."

"Now that one was pretty straight forward, the queen hurt my dad while posing as my brother, could've killed him. She and those same changelings wiped most of the guards running their shifts in the dungeon. I can't really say much for that." He gives the changeling a helpless shrug before climbing out of the pool. "Now that incident aside, I don't think me saying 'sorry' two hundred more times is going to make it all any better."

"I know it won't." She says with an icy tone. "Nothing will ever change what you lot are in my eyes. You're all monsters, and the fact that you somehow bore the same elements we bore makes it all the more unbelievable. I still don't see how Thorax accepts you and your kind, especially considering all the hurt you've done."

"That's a fair view to have." He says before he claps his hands together, an orange aura starting to glow from them. "Hey, I still wanna talk to you. So how about you let me change into something that's a little more comfortable for you."

"As if." The changeling rolls her and turns around as the bright flash of light shines brightly to overtake the human's appearance. In the instant, his entire body is changed to that of an equine himself. His quiet footsteps are replaced by drastically louder hoof clops.

He appears as an off-white unicorn stallion with a maroon mane and eyes in walking before the changeling to intercept her before she leaves. "See, not a human anymore. Happy now?"

While he is not nearly as tall, she still takes into consideration what he actually is. "It still doesn't change what you are, or what you did."

"Yeah, but it does keep me low key out in public. Only reason I revert back is when I want to save money on check-in." He jokes with a light chuckle. "Trust me when I say it's a little easier being able to hide out here than it is back home."

"I bet that's great." Ocellus mumbles while seething. "To be able to seamlessly integrate in spaces others call home."

Still taking the verbal blows from the changeling in stride, he smiles and adjusts the topic back to her. "Yeah, but enough about me. Let's get back to you, what's been messing up your Saturday?"

"Other than you showing up?" The changeling grumbles.

"I mean that's a bonus apparently. But you were already upset to begin with."

The changeling shakes her head and starts to walk off. "You wouldn't understand."

"Yeah, I say that a lot in my home world too." He replies sarcastically, still shadowing the changeling.

Already with his physical appearance being different, she starts to subconsciously open up to the pony walking close behind her. "I don't know how today's gonna be for me... and my partner. Just leave it at that."

"Relationship issues. Sounds familiar." He says as he catches up to her. "Have you two talked about it?"

"Barely." She continues. "All I know is that they're gonna go for it, and all I can think about is how it changes up the dynamics of what we have now. I may be a changeling, but I get scared of changes in my life too. I'm already comfortable with where I am, I just don't want this to stir it up too much where it starts to feel... unfamiliar."

"Ah, I see you."

She still goes on subconsciously unaware that she's still talking to a human. "I just don't want things to completely alter what I feel about my partner. I don't want anything in our dynamic to change."

"Everything changes, you know. That's life." He responds quietly.

"Okay, like I don't know that." She says as she doesn't want to verbally point out the obvious.

"Yeah. But it's true." He continues. "I didn't anticipate learning magic years ago, or being a pony, or dating outside of my species, even being a hero and stopping a dimensional calamity. I anticipated me having a good career, being rich enough to pay for my parent's retirement, being a name thrown out in a number of American households, simple but not simple stuff, you know what I mean. But a lot of things we grow into, the changes we develop may not always be something we look out for or welcome eagerly at first, but they do come. It takes getting used to, and that's not always in the cards of preference."

"Really great pep talk there." The changeling deadpans.

"Yeah, I'm still working on the non-gameday stuff. I'm not like my older brother in that regard, I can't fucking pull speeches out of my ass for the masses to shout and dance to, I can't lead a legislative revolution that changes how we love, I can't walk into an underground syndicate and have that shit shut down in a month's time, so sue me. But I don't mind being an ear to listen, and a mind to encourage others to keep striving." He walks in front of the changeling, lifting her chin. "Even if we are different, there's always some change that comes from within us, sometimes even birthed out of our most uncomfortable or shameful moments."

"Oh here you go." Ocellus says as she moves his hoof away from her chin. "And why am I still even talking to you?"

"Hmm... that's a good one." He replies before diving into his point. "But let's air out some understanding. So you're a changeling, that's the obvious. Do you remember how you saw ponies before your species reformed?"

"What you humans did and what we changelings did was different!" She issues in a raised voice before quietly answering his question. "...Prey. We saw ponies as prey, beings to feed on, weak, pathetic, one bite and they're down for a while."

"Did you personally feed on a few?" He asks quietly.

Feeling the shame and embarrassment build inside of her, she tries to turn away to stop herself from welling up tears. "...Yeah. The ones they brought in, but they weren't really healthy when they arrived."

"Yeah, I've been told. And there was some three hundred of them that went missing, most being residents of Ponyville and the surrounding areas." He answers quietly. "So yeah, you did your dirt. We're all products of our environment, moreso of circumstance. So on the days following your reformation, how easy do you think it was for you to approach ponies in a casual manner?"

"Not at all." The changeling deeply inhales, feeling sadness as she tries to stave off the immense shame. "I was scared. Everything I did came back to haunt me, all I could do was see the faces of those I fed from on the shoulders of every other pony that smiled and greeted me. I couldn't take pride in myself, I felt like I was humiliated in being who I truly was around them. It was hard having to deal with that, knowing what I did for 'survival' only for that to be proven wrong."

The unicorn nods. "Yeah. Did the ponies ever tell you to go back to where you came from?"

"A lot." She sniffles.

The unicorn summons a box of tissues and kindly offers them to her. "Much like how you wish I did?"

She lowers her head even lower as she accepts his offer. "...Yeah."

"Okay, so why didn't you leave at the time? Was it the friends you made along the way that made you want to stay? Was it the comfort of knowing that they didn't care what you did or who you were in the past, the fact that they opened themselves to you so you could feel comfortable in who you were, and reassured you that who you were back then isn't who they saw you as now?"

"Yeah, that's... that sums it up." The changeling's tears finally broke ranks from her eyes, falling into the tissues she was offered instead.

The stallion sits beside her, rubbing her back as he gives his own perspective. "My brother's the same way. He was raising hell just to get back home, but then he made some friends, got into a relationship, and then he decided to stick around a little longer. Of course there were some who wanted him to go back and stay there, and others who were hell-bent on making him a science experiment. One guy actually did it, can't really talk about that one too much..." The disguised human falls silent for a while before speaking. "Yeah, even through all of that, he stayed here in the end because this place had become so much like home to him that he couldn't come back to our world without feeling different. And you probably feel that to a degree too."

"Yeah, I guess I do." She sniffles before recovering her composure.

The stallion pats her on the back with reassurance, smiling as he lifts her chin in the manner he wishes to lift her spirits. "So, we know you had a questionable past. We know you had a chance to redeem yourself, and you took it. And we know you stuck around instead of going back home because the friends you made along the way keeps you rooted on solid ground. Some of those things were huge changes you had to endure, from leaving home to be in a world that wasn't your own to begin with, to a change in perspective and thought, and even taking a chance to show your growth over basking in the comfort of your own nostalgia. I'd say you're already swinging it out of the park on most of it."

The changeling doesn't too much like being touched on her chin by the transformed creature, so she politely moves his hoof away. "Well that's all good and whatnot. But what does any of this have to do about my relationship?"

"I swear I thought it would've hit you by now." The unicorn replies. "Your species is literally made to adapt to anything that any form of light can touch. It's up to you whether you want to embrace the change or reject it. Either way it ends, you'll adapt and move forward. You're that strong already, I can't tell you shit else." He says as he starts to walk away, but not yet diving back into the pool without getting one last word in. "You know, in a weird way I really wish I had what you had."

"And what's that?" The changeling questions with some partial disgust.

"The strength to start over in someplace new." He says as he readies himself to cannon ball into the deep end. "It's a lot harder than you think."

A loud but lonely splash sounds in the mostly empty room. Ocellus turns away before the disguised human can resurface. A thought begins to poke at the changeling's conscience, but not in a way to dissuade her. It continues to prod at the back door of her thoughts, never minding the multitude of items she left back there to be sorted out later. By the time she reaches the elevator to go back to the room, it becomes the very thing taking the front podium.

"...Am I really ready to do this?"

The changeling finally reaches her room after almost an hour of meandering in the elevator, wallowing in thought over if she's going to go through with the plan Smolder and her came up with. And as of now, she's certain that more can go right than wrong. Her only supporting measures are the ideas that both Smolder and her communicate fairly well, and the fact that the third party is such an open book.

She pulls out her keycard, placing it to the door to grant her access to the room. She sighs a hopeful prayer. "Okay, Ocellus. Go in there and see what these two are up to. Can't be that bad, right?" As the door slowly creaks open, she whispers one last time to herself. "...Right?"

Both Smolder and I are posted on the couch, the two of us are mutually glued to our phones as they keep ourselves entertained. The TV is still off. Ocellus begins to think that things between us didn't go over well, at least until Smolder lifts her head to take notice of the changeling entering. "Ah, look what the wind brought in."

"You two seem pretty comfortable." Ocellus notes both quietly and nervously.

"You could say that." The dragoness responds as she walks over to me, grabbing my phone to gain my undivided attention.

"Sorry, I bet it was pretty quiet without me here." Ocellus lowers her head as though she did something wrong.

"Nah, Spike and I were just talking about some dragon things."

"Dragon things... while the both of you are glued to your phones... Yeah, this doesn't look like a disaster of a conversation."

"No seriously." I speak up. "We talked about the whole mating thing. She had to explain to me that she wasn't exactly in season to be having eggs. Now say we try what happened last night again in like five months, yeah, different story."

Now she seems a little more relieved that some some semblance of dialog was had between us. "You look pretty relieved to not have the burden of fatherhood placed on your shoulders."

"You have no idea." I say with a proud sigh.

"Well kudos to you, I suppose." The changeling replies with sarcasm.

"Spike ordered pizza for us. I thought it would be nice if we could watch some movies tonight, but a certain SOMELING decided to hide the remote."

The changeling's face brightens drastically, it seems she's a lot more enthusiastic about our night. For now at least she can look forward to a good time with some friends. She casually summons the remote and wags it with her preferred options. "Romcom or thriller?"

Both Smolder and I look at each other before collectively beaming down the changeling with our eyes. "Adult drama." The dragoness suggests.

The changeling's cheeks redden with anticipation. "How 'adult' are we talking?"

"Well I guess we'll find out together." I add as I reach for the remote.

A knock on the door sounds, causing Smolder to hover out of her seat. "Pizza's here!"

As I cycle through the number of sections before going to the content rating filter, I smile as I pick the highest ratings. A number of highly suggestive titles pop up on the screen as Ocellus plops herself on the couch. "Hey, Spike?"

"Yo." I answer while browsing my more mature-rated options.

"So... Yeah. I know it's a little weird on tonight─"

"Take it slow?" I answer for her.

"Okay, just rob the words right out from my throat." She says before folding her forelegs together.

"I understand." I say as I go back to the filter and change my preferences again, this time to include the more work-safe viewing options. "Stuff like this can take some getting used to. Plus I'm sure that you're pretty nervous about Smolder throwing the three of us into this thing so quick."

"Right! She just springs it on me so quickly. I thought we could've tried to work it up a little slower, but I guess she said 'fuck it' since you two already got it in last night. I know she's spontaneous, but I wish she didn't try to strongarm me into it while Yona and Sandbar were still on round seven this morning."

"Yeah. She can be a bit persuasive." I agree noddingly. "She thought that maybe we could stir back up some of the trouble we got into last night for an ice-breaker."

She giggles as she levitates the remote from me to make a choice on what we'd be watching in the coming minutes. "It's a fun idea, but maybe we can save it for later. I guess for tonight, we'll just be, you know... a little more than friends?"

I snicker as I tease her with an offer she couldn't possibly refuse. "So, since a threesome is off the menu, I'm thinking we can settle on having three-way cuddle time afterwards."

Her face goes from it's usual turquoise color to a deepening red hue, her wings sputter sporadically at the thought. "Maybe that might be a bit... Okay. We can do that."

Smolder lands right next to her as she places the two boxes of pizza on the table. "An Ocellus dragon sandwich."

Now her ears are practically glowing red. "Okay, you need to chill."

"Hey Spike, if you nibble her ears while they're red like that, she'll make a really sound."

Ocellus sharply objects. "DAMMIT, STOP TELLING HIM MY TRIGGERS!"

Both Smolder and I grow devious as we wait quietly for the changeling to settle into the movie she chose for us. As the opening scene comes up, we both count to three and playfully chomp down on an ear each. The changeling unleashes a trembling whinny, both high in pitch and oddly comparable to Fluttershy.

"Mmm, this pizza sure is good."

"I wonder what they put in it."

"So help me,
I WILL MATE YOU BOTH INTO NEXT WEEK!"

Author's Note

Hey there, readers. So I know that a few of you recurring readers are probably looking at the word counts and seeing the relatively low number. I'm actually trying something a bit different this time and condensing my chapters a bit to keep things from getting too out of hand. I know that the sweet spot is generally around 4-6k for most, 8-10k being a pretty generous showing, and anything more than that is a bit stifling and hard to process. So I'll be looking to keep my chapters within the 7-12k range unlike the last story where things... might've gotten out of hand.

Other than that, I look to do a lot more exploring beyond the boarders of Equestria with this one because of a certain map I ran into giving me the overall inspiration of the direction of this story.

As always, it's fun being able to imagine worlds unlike your own. It's also pretty hard to see things through in a way that can make mostly everyone happy. But now, much like our recent developments in this chapter, we get to take an alternate route and see how far this goes. Maybe it will be easier than going the route of choosing just one... or maybe not. Only time can tell.

Chapter 10: Amorous Avoidance

In the peak of any being's mating season, the female can begin to initiate a cycle called estrus in the warmer seasons. And during those times when the many are expected to prepare for the long winter months, there is a cycle called anestrus. Both cycles run in tandem together much like yin and yang, achieving polar opposite purposes. One is where the body can tell you that you should be invested in having offspring, the other tells you to focus on your own survival in the often inhospitable weather.

Although, with the modern improvements to home building, anestrus for equines have become a thing of the past, allowing for ponies to more actively procreate out of mere recreation. Species like yaks, bovines, bison, arimaspi, and griffons still carry out their anestrus cycles, provided that they remain in their native climates. Meanwhile those who don't, or creatures in more temperate dwellings likes ponies, kirin, hippogriffs, and zebra do not. The only drawback is that the estrus cycles, in spite of being in more climate-controlled dwellings, will actively worsen and go on for longer periods of time. Some creatures like diamond dogs, abyssinians, and dragons are periodically activated on cycle with the possibility of synchronizing along with others. So while we can procreate recreationally, those periods of time can be a peculiar nuisance.

However, there are even fewer species who offer themselves the luxury of being able to mate without any time-bound limit or seasonal window. Humans and changelings are often the outliers. For them, it's only the matter of a light switch, turn it off to get your relatively docile setting, or turn it on to get your hyper-engaged setting. And since both creatures are masters of adaptation to their climate, they have no need for things like anestrus or estrus cycles. The females of their species may encounter periodic hormonal changes, but neither truly stop the process of seeking a mate. Long story short, they don't start until when triggered, and they don't stop until they're ready.

Having that said...

Smolder and I were beyond unprepared for an activated changeling engaging in hyper mode. It seems that our little bid for fun ended up in an unexpected romp that lasted for hours and hours and hours on end. So instead of watching a movie for a few hours while messing over some unwanted pizza crusts, Smolder and I left a box and a half of uneaten pizza on table, a prompt on the TV screen questioning if we were still watching the movie currently on hold, a bunch of knocked-over furnishings, and a bed with a cracked box spring.

I have never expected myself to be used in such a manner where I could be seen as disposable. I have never seen Smolder be in a position where she's the submissive one. I've also never had my dick sucked, orgasmed, and then milked for another load... twenty-seven times in a row. I didn't think chafing was a thing during sex, but I soon find that out while lying in a bed with my dick on semi soft, and there's a changeling cackling like a maniacal despot overlooking the razed ruin of her conquest. Smolder tapped out hours ago, she's clutched and clutched until her muscles cramped. I gave until there were naught but ghost loads. And still I am made to thrust. The changeling, she's feeding on every moment I'm brought to a painful rapture, so much that her wings are prismatic and florescent in the otherwise pitch black room.

Queen Chrysalis' daughter indeed... a greed befitting a cruel dictator with the endurance of stone, and the determination of a crazed loli hellbent on absorbing all the magic of Equestria for herself. That last comparison is more of a nod to Cozy Glow, but it's even more of an affirmation that her plan held no flame to the changeling that currently grinds herself against my pelvis with the same broken cackle her mother once had in her prime.

Dear Princess Twilight: What I learned about friendship today is that I should NEVER, IN ANY CAPACITY, BULLY THE CHANGELING THAT HAS MATED TWO DRAGONS AT ONCE... AND WON BY TWO COUNTS OF SUBMISSION.

My alarm wakes me to get ready for my day, and my hips and legs do more than remember the torture Ocellus provided after nibbling both her ears. I look down to see I'm sheathed but aching a bit from all the extracurricular activity. Smolder's lying on the edge of the bed, legs splayed open and no covers to air herself out. She's out like a rock. And comfortably coiled up in our tails is none other than the changeling responsible for our current state.

Smolder stirs after I deactivate my alarm. Ocellus sits up and stretches her hooves like she's had a good night's rest. The changeling is the first to speak. "Morning, you two. How are my lovely dragon buns doing today?"

Smolder groans groggily from her sleep. "Why are we still called buns? Can you call us something else other than that?"

"What, I like being sandwiched between the both of you." She says as she yanks us both into her. Her wings give off a light buzz as she nuzzles herself between our bodies. The both of us groan, fearing that she was still in an activated mood. "What, don't tell me you two are still complaining about last night. We can go another round if you want, I'm game. "

"Please no." Smolder complains.

"Well you both shouldn't have pushed me into that. Maybe next time you won't overload my triggers so suddenly to cause me to go into breeder mode. Now, do we have an understanding my, lovely dragon buns?"

"Yes ma'am." The both of us dragons grumble in unison.

*♪Life in Equestria shimmeeeers! Life in Equestria Shiiiiiiines♫!─*

Already expecting the call, I cut my ringer short to answer it. "Y'all hold up a sec." I advise to the pair before tending to the princess on the other line. "Hello?"

"Spike. You and I are going to have a long talk, mister."

"What did I do this time?" I ask with a roll of my eyes.

"Look, I know you're a growing drake, and it's normal for you to go have fun on occasion. But what I don't need to hear about is what Rarity ran into on Friday night. I don't need to hear about whoever doing whatever to that part of you in such graphic detail! You know she talks about those things on the frequent, and now I and the others have to hear about it! Sweetie Belle even caught it on camera!"

Yeah, I figured she'd say something about that. "Sorry."

I almost want to place my phone down and do something else while she continues her rant. "I get it, you're young, but you have the funds to get a room. Do that there instead of a club like you're asking for trouble. The press is already trying to get any scoop for whatever reason to publish out to the masses for a small bag of bits, and a story of you receiving fellatio in a VIP booth will NOT go over well for us! It can ultimately get out past the boarders of the country, and then you'll get a reputation of being some sex-crazed party boy looking for some dignitary's daughter to defile! Equestria can't do business with a pseudo pervert in charge of foreign relations! You got that!?"

"Got it." I answer without much life in my words.

"Good. Now you haven't forgot what today is, right?"

"No, I didn't forget." I mumble.

"Good. Now report to the castle for duty so that I can take the time I need to make good for myself, and try to make Rarity forget about what she saw from her 'young and innocent Spikey Wikey' on Friday."

"Yeah, yeah, I hear you. Be there in a bit." I answer, mashing the end-call icon so quick that it's a secondary nature at this point.

Ocellus teases me over my getting chewed out, as though she wasn't also the root of the problem. "You gotta go now?"

"Duty calls." I answer.

The changeling expresses her disappointment. "Aww... now my sandwich is ruined!"

"Pizza's still on the table if you want to heat up a slice for the go." Smolder suggests.

I get off the bed and start my way towards the bathroom. "Eh, I'll do that after my shower.

From the moment I set foot to the castle grounds, I'm already being greeted by a number of the guards on post and the maids working the grounds. Once more, I'm back in my place of work and residence, mainly the former. And already, things are off to a dry start. And I don't mean dry by the sense of bad, just by the means of my day looking to be as uneventful as ever.

"Morning, sir!" A non-commanding officer snaps with a salute.

"Morning." I say as I walk into the castle foyer.

The maids continue their work as they keep their eyes on their assigned tasks. And much like usual, I am greeted by a cream-colored unicorn mare with a black mane with a few silver hairs between here or there. Her brown eyes lock on to me as she approaches with a firm and professional tone. "Good morning, Sir Friendship Advisor Spike!" Her name is Raven Inkwell, one of the few holdovers from Celestia's administration. Twilight was already familiar with her workflow and opted to keep her after Celestia visually certified her retirement. From there, she did everything to keep Twilight from Twilighting and to keep me honest on all my work.

"Morning to you, Inkwell." I say as I continue walking.

While she's not as fast as she used to be keeping up with Celestia, she's still sharp on giving herself a head start to keep pace with whoever she walks with. "Sir, the princess has this scroll she wishes you to follow." She's also a stickler for paperwork, another reason why Twilight hasn't retired her yet.

"Of course she does." I mutter to myself before taking the scroll. Once I started to unroll it, I felt the familiar weight of parchment pulling me down mentally. Even as the bottom of the scroll drops and unfurls several feet out behind me, I can't help but to roll my eyes in annoyance and disgust. In a rapid motion, I start to roll back up the seemingly ever-ongoing parchment. "Can you just photograph this and convert this into PDF format for me?"

"The princess figured you would want that, I've already sent you the PDF in your email. This, however, is just the physical copy in case something were to happen to your mobile device."

Always prepared for the unlikely occasion, another reason why Twilight kept her around. "Typical."

"She also wished you'd take more initiative in not ignoring your physical mediums for digital substitutions." And traditional, she's all about maintaining the status quo, even as evolution proceeds to give us alternatives that would make this magnitudes easier. Yup, she's not getting fired anytime soon.

"Yeah I know. But given it is a stupid reason, I've elected not to give a damn. I'm not making my arms sore carrying a bunch of paperwork around like we haven't gone through the troubles of trading for access to human tech. If we're going to do this, we're going to keep it efficient and smooth. Now if you would so kindly fetch me my phone charger, we can get started." She summons one for me to use, it's not mine but it fits my device all the same. "Much obliged."

"Sir!"

Oh yeah, in speaking of holdouts from Celestia's administration, here comes another one now. "Captain Solemn Oath, you're as diligent as ever. Status report."

She's the current captain of the guard, replacing the previous captain of the guard who was... safeguarded to say the least. I don't mean he was lazy or entitled by any means, but Celestia did actively keep him away from a lot of the additional drama and world-saving missions that popped up soon after that necro-terrorist incident from years back. And when she retired, he did the same as per some personal agreement they had with one another. His stint was always controversial in the eyes of many, a human who suddenly popped up in the realm gets trained for a few months, then thrown to the captain's seat soon after basic training, goes on a few missions, saves the world once, and then gets thrown in a glass trophy case for everyone to see. It didn't go well with a lot of the guards from the initial offset, and it especially didn't go well with Solemn Oath.

The two did, however, learn to work together. And in doing so, they earned a mutual respect for one another. But when it was his time to hang it up, he tabbed her for the job. Twilight wasn't so sure if she could keep the job, she actually made several requests for him to not retire and build up ranks before doing so. But part of that was really because she had a thing for him. He reinforced his decision, left the city, and Solemn Oath's been pretty much working uphill since then. I can't say she's done a bad job, if anything she's by the book.

The lack of large scale problems have been mostly because of the element bearers. But she's been great at one thing in particular, and that's nipping the issue from the bud. Equestria's been quiet in part because of her bypassing a lot of bureaucratic red tape. Twilight only enables her to do so, and it's achieved notable merit. She's here because of her proactive nature. "Security level is at green."

"It's been green for almost a year now." Green is a step above blue, which means we're still pretty damn quiet, albeit with a few incidents needing preemptive intervention.

"Well the only reason it's been elevated is because of the uptick in demonstrations from the denizens of the old Corrotto guilds. If we knew where they were all popping up from, we'd be in better shape. We'd probably might even go blue for a change." Did I mention she's a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to public safety?

"Green isn't a problem either."

"But it's still something of note to take into concern. We should always be cautious." She's also quite argumentative.

"Look, these weirdos will phase out after a few more years. It ain't like Corrotto's gonna change back for them anytime soon."

"Believe me when I say that these cultist can hold on to some dangerous habits. I'd recommend a security crackdown that will further prosecute these creatures before they cultivate a stronger following." Once more, she shows the same proactive nature that keeps her seat filled.

"Are our surveillance figures not enough?"

"They aren't doing a bad job. It's just that more and more reports are starting to crop up." By up, she means a factor of 3 more protests than this time last year.

Of course the only way to satisfy her is to give her the room to operate when she requests it. "Tell you what, if I give permission to elevate the level to yellow, will that help you find peace with all of this?"

"Personally, orange would do it better." As one can imagine, yellow is a heightened level of alert to indicate there may be a problem in need of addressing on a slightly larger scale. However, orange is to say that there should be some significant military involvement. There are levels like red, brown, and black that could be discussed, but those are for another day.

Right now, I have to explain to her why we can't go that high just yet. "You can't let your past dictate a harsher course of action in an era peace. I can't explain that high of a security level elevation to any of the other diplomats, nomads, and even the citizenry. You're asking for a lot of panic to come from that sharp of an uptick."

"I understand that."

"So then, I'll give you a week of yellow clearance to do what you need to do. You already work quick, so this will probably be best. That way we can write it off as a security drill for a future threat instead of making it a concern to the citizens. Diplomats won't even know a thing, the nomads won't see it as a hinderance to trade. Everyone wins."

"So, limited questioning of creatures of interest?" She inquires.

"Exactly."

"What if they won't talk?"

"I'll trust you'll make the right decision, but I want you to make the more conservative option a priority."

"If that's what you wish, sir." She says with a salute before walking onward. Raven and I stop as we see a growing line of ponies looking to enter the throne room to voice their royal concerns.

"It seems our first item will be a bit overdrawn on time." Raven comments.

"No shit, there's a line for inquiry." I say as we walk into the throne room. I practically burst off into my seat just to keep the others from waiting for me to sit down. "Okay, send the first one in." I prompt to the unicorn secretary.

She nods and signals to two of the guards at the door, both donning silver armor and moon sigils on their chests to signify their high ranks. The doors open to reveal yet another guard, this one with a crystalline sheen and a slicked back mane. He seems to hail from the Crystal Empire. The stallion approaches reverently and bows. "Sir Spike the brave, honorable, and glorious."

"Ah, so you're from up north." I acknowledge, a little amused over the different figure breaking the mold of my expectations right out the gate. I'm sure Twilight would like to keep tabs on the family up that way. "Okay, I know your trip was pretty exhausting, coming so far south. I'll try to keep you a short while so you can get some rest. How's everything going with the royal family up that way? What's the update?"

The stallion gives a heavy sigh as he gives me exactly what I ask for. "Sir, Sombra cultists have continued their insurrectionist campaign against the Crystal Empire."

The news is surprising considering how strong the imperial tandem have become over the passing years. Cadance knows world-breaking magic and Shining is a juggernaut of brutal precision when wielding a blade. And Flurry is already showing signs of taking both their attributes as her own, all while exhibiting rapid mental, physical, magical, and spiritual growth. A certain victory was what I'm expecting. "Still? I thought Shining would've nixed that in the bud by now."

"Well the reason for the cultists' strengthened front is their newly acquired skill in the art of beast-taming. It's been keeping most of the forces busy taking down some much larger beasts known natively to the mountains."

That's not good. "Princess Cadance, how's she?"

"She's been keeping a barrier over the city for the time being. Her magic still holds strong." That's typical of her, she's put out barriers that have put Shining's to shame.

"Have they requested reinforcements?"

"So far there have been no such requests in pending." Ah, Shining's afraid to ask his younger sister for help. I guess he's not quite over the fact that his little sister controls the kingdom at large, much less being higher in status. He doesn't like to show it, but his pride has cracks in it. These are one of these cracks he likes to hide until they inevitably get worse.

"Then let's beat them to the punch." Since Twilight is out, she'll just have to go searching in the paperwork to find out what happening. Meh, I'm sure she'll keep mum on it until they meet the next time. For now, there are more important matters that need resolving. "Second Lieutenant Cobalt!" One of the guards at the door saluted firmly. "I wish you to send a platoon of guards to aid the Crystal Guardians up north. The situation is deemed stable, but anything can and will change that. It will be our job to make sure that stability is maintained." I guess Solemn Oath's proactiveness is wearing on me.

"Sir!"

I turn my attention back to our guest from the north. "How's Flurry Heart?"

"She's growing more and more eager in her pursuit of magic. She wishes also for Princess Twilight to give her instruction should she find the time."

Yeah, she'll do it... and probably dump the remaining workload on me as always. That's gonna be fun. "I'll be sure to pass that one on to her."

"Thank you, sir." He says with a final bow before exiting the room from whence he came.

As he leaves, I call for the next group of individuals. "State your business."

Instead of being a guard from up north, this one is a guard from in town. "Sir, a situation update on an issue taking place in the Corrotto town square."

"Cultists?" I guess.

"Not so much cultists, just a small group of protestors arguing that the museum is, and I quote, 'Inaccurate to all accounts of the incident that occurred seven years ago.' They say the displays are inaccurate representations."

Well I guess it's time to find out what these guys are all about, and how to deal with them. Let's do a lightening round. "Do they advocate for a return of the old Corrotto?"

"Yes."

Probably not cultists, but definitely regurgitating cultist talking points. I shouldn't let them go about freely spreading misinformation, but I shouldn't lock them away without knowing what's the deal. Better to play it safe. "Have them detained for questioning. See what their motives are. After that, report your findings and we'll move from there."

"Sir!"

The second guard departed and a residential informant walks forward to give me an update from the south. "State your business."

"Sir, there's been an influx of complaints made about the school down in Ponyville. Many parents have requested an explanation from the princess as to why their youth have been granted the option of touring the memorial museum. They cite the extremity of the displays as a primary concern."

Of course they do. Goddammit, this is where the civil complaints begin. "...This is going to be a long day."

It took at least four hours to go through that line of ponies all looking to voice their concerns and opinions. It went from residential informants giving me updates on the towns across the land, to groups of complaining citizens looking to get some sort of grant, all the way to a bunch of noisy politicians complaining about their bills not getting a look in parliament. I simply tell them that accepting donations from larger corporations and personal business interest groups are not allowed in the coming cycle of elections. I then remind them why that law was passed to begin with. They then complain, I don't budge, they look at me as though they want to legislate my existence into a grey area of legality, and the process repeats another fifteen times.

I don't care what the list says at this point, I'm going out for lunch.

I go to a local hotspot for great food and drinks down in the Corrotto District. I shoot a quick text to Smolder and Ocellus to see if they're still in town. They shoot me back saying that they had left town and arrived back in Ponyville about an hour ago. Guess that just leaves me to my lonesome.

I sit at the counter, watching the game on the TV. It seems to be a competitive matchup of American football. I barely know what the emblems represent location-wise but the team names are just as easy to read on screen. It's Cowboys vs Colts, and there's a minute and some change on the clock. Looks like the Colts are losing. "Quarterback takes the snap. Three defenders on him, he avoids the blitz, throws into heavy coverage! HAINES! A ONE-ARM CATCH JUST BEFORE FALLING OUT OF BOUNDS FOR THE HUGE 53 YARD RECEPTION! And that will put them in the red zone, first and 10 on the 18 yard line! The QB is rushing everyone to the line of scrimmage! They're going up-tempo! Ryan takes the snap. Colts will go to Haines again, AND HE SCORES AGAIN! TOUCHDOWN, INDIANAPOLIS! HAINES GETS FREE FROM HIS DEFENDER AND HAULS IN A SPECTACULAR SET OF CATCHES TO PUT THE COLTS UP BY TWO! EXTRA KICK... WIDE LEFT!"

"Spoiler alert, Colts lose." One stallion says to me as he sits himself down.

While I'm not exactly a human sports fanatic, it's hard to not keep up with the only two teams that everyone seems to go for here in this world; Colts and Broncos being the only two teams that are remotely equine-themed. And last I checked, it's currently March. "Ain't the season over? Superbowl was like last month."

"Yup." He says as he extends his hoof for me to bump. "We ain't win shit, obviously."

I return the gesture, knowing by voice who the stallion is sitting next to me. "Didn't think you'd be stalking around here, Stanton."

"Hey now, low profile. Keep it that way." He says as his ears pin back and his head ducks low.

"Oh, sorry." I quietly apologize to the disguised human.

"It's been pretty lively around here these days. What's been going on?" He asks as we sit in a mostly empty sports bar, the both of us missing the busier post-lunch rush.

"New museum opened up in the entertainment district. There's been some... well... dissent."

"I can imagine." He scoffs sarcastically.

"Hey, you know what Alex's been up to?" I ask him.

"Overseas trade deals and shit. Guy is running a Fortune 500, he's all over the place these days."

"You've kept in touch?"

"Not really, not as much as I should. I've got my schedule, plus he's been hard to reach out to. I'd argue he's harder to talk to than Nondis, but I can at least tail him down. The moment he posts a picture to Instagram, it's like 'Oh, he's in Shanghai. He's in Shibuya. London, Paris, New York, L.A., Berlin, Dubai, whatever.' Shit like that, it's there. With Nondis, it's fucking 'Where's Waldo' in this big ass foreign world where there's hardly any cell phone reception outside of the bigger towns. And then there's the fucking boat. Like I don't even have one of those, I want one but my damn accountant is all up in my shit telling me not to buy one. When did that asshole learn to sail a fucking luxury-class yacht?"

"I guess he picked it up during retirement." I say as a waiter provides me with a menu to choose from.

"How many times do I have to tell people, that man still has a job. He's the damn crosswalk guard for some elementary school in Silver Shoals. You'd think with a job like that, he's easy to find."

Huh... strange career choice after being Captain of the Royal Guard. "A cross-walk guard? He retired from the actual guard that pays like triple that salary to help fillies walk across the street? A street with no trolleys or drawn carts?"

"Like bro, c'mon." The waiter offers him a menu as well. "Thanks."

As I lean over the counter, my mind is mostly made up on what I'm going to eat. "So, what brings you around here?"

"Gave myself a vacay. All the hustle and bustle of the human world is fun at times, but the mental strain of being in the midst of all the politics, social issues, social media, discrimination, economic warfare is the main one I'm seeing these days, it's too much to keep absorbing. Like there were two football games I went to where we had a moment of silence to honor the victims of mass shootings. Yeah, getting away is a pretty nice alternative if you ask me. I mainly come here to unplug."

"You ain't got no girlfriend to take that off your shoulders, at least rub you down a bit?" I give him a playful nudge.

"Spike, I'm a pro athlete. Every woman I've ran into thus far has been all about child support or Instagram status. The most successful relationship I ever had was to this one lady who had a premium Snap. And that was my junior year in college before I dipped to the draft. After that, my PR team said I couldn't stick with it because of her notoriety online, that and the fact that I have some identifiable tattoos on my person. Yeah, had to cut it after that."

"Damn, sounds rough." I comment as we both get our drinks.

"Oh yeah. We were pretty good about each other too. But she liked being a sex worker and I didn't want to take that away from her because that was her empowerment, you know. I mean she was a baddie too." He gives out a dejected sigh before going in for his first sip. "Gotta admit, no woman ever turned me out like she did, or even kept it real like she did. Goddamn, I miss her."

"Maybe you should reconnect." I suggest.

"Can't." He says from the side of his mouth.

"Why not?"

"COVID got to her before I could. Shit took her out just like it did Melanie's parents, she died in December of that year. It is what it is." He says before taking another swig.

Wow, shitty news. "Sorry to hear that."

"It's life, especially in our world these days." He says as he places his menu down to get his order out the way. "Let me get the fried pickles, and the Seafarer Shrimp Special. Cocktail sauce on the side."

The waiter takes down his order and looks to me. "You ready to order, sir?"

"I'll get the Griffon's Choice." I announce. The waiter takes our menus and we continue our conversation. "So... you plan on seeing someone else?"

"Dunno, might have my eye on someone, but I don't know how it will work out though. What about you? I know you got something goin' on by now."

My pelvis still hurts thinking about it. "Yeah. It's a fun one. I'm thinking of giving herding a try."

"Hey, you be careful of who's heart you toy with. I know some girls ain't into that. Try to be open about it before you get things moving." He warns.

"We did. They came to me about it. Thankfully we've all been knowing each other for some years, so I guess those first few steps can get moved aside."

"Well that's good." He says as he takes another gulp of his beer. "So, you say they're pretty close to you already? They from Ponyville?"

"Well... yes and no." I begin. But before I can get to explaining, the doors of the bar open to reveal a pegasus guard dressed in their uniform. They quickly fly over to me to salute me.

"Sir."

Damn, my lunchbreak ain't worth shit. "Give me a sec." I turn my full attention to the armored pegasus. "What's up?"

"I'm sorry for interrupting, but your presence has been requested at the castle."

I call for the waiter. "Hey, you guys do deliveries?"

"No sir, but we do takeouts." He answers.

"Okay then." Well I'll send a maid to get my food then. Too bad it'll be cold by the time I get it. Now back to this guard who so happily interrupted my lunch. "What am I being asked for?"

"Um, it's a matter of diplomatic sensitivity, sir."

I sigh in defeat as Stanton makes note of the guard's response. "Sounds pretty serious. You probably need to head out then."

"Yeah." I say as I guzzle down my own drink without interruption. "It was good catching up with you again."

"Same here. You've done some growing up since you were no higher than my knees." He says with a smirk, giving me a parting fist bump. "Take care of yourself."

"Will try to."

Arriving back at the castle, I sight out the cream colored middle-aged mare, she's still holding on to that enormous scroll I told her to do away with. I try to quietly avoid her, but her eyes are too quick to cut to me. I try to pretend as though I don't see her, but the next thing that's shoved in my face is the scroll I don't want to carry. Even as she's approaching, she makes sure that I don't sneak out of her sight. "Inkwell, I see you're still bringing the hardware that I'm not gonna ever carry again."

"I understand your intent, more than anyone else, sir. But it's princess' orders that─"

I start walking away with the intent to cut her rant short. "Okay, whatever. My lunch is ruined, I was conversing with a friend, having a nice drink, waiting on some good food, and now my vibes are all fucked up. So let's get down to it, what's the big deal?"

She guides me to the throne room once more. "I sent a guard in the event that you wouldn't check your email on the recommended quarter-hour intervals. If you did, you would've seen that the purpose of your arrival. It's the prince of Ponyland, sir. He highly requests an audience."

Ponyland, ain't that the huge country from the other side of the world? What's a guy like that doing here on today, much less a prince? In all the years I know of and have served, we haven't been able to establish trade and commute with those guys because of some administrative squabbling. It brings up the question. What does he want coming here?"

"Well, sir, see for yourself." She says as she opens the door for me to enter into the throne room.

Upon entering, I see a well-dressed black unicorn stallion with a silver mane. He appears to be looking up at one of the stained glass windows, particularly the one above the throne with Twilight's profile on it. He appears to be mumbling a mess of things to himself just before I grab his attention. "Hello?"

He startles out of his rumblings and sees me standing on the other side of the room. "Ah, you must be Sir Spike, the dragon her majesty speaks of so favorably! How does the day bid you, I hope well." His voice is young and high-timbered. The amount of exuberance catches me off guard, especially coming from a figure who represents Equestria's most established rival.

While he knows my name, I'm not too keen on knowing his. I look to Inkwell with the intent to find out more about him before going any further. "I'm fine, sir. Can you excuse me for just a moment? I'll be with you in a sec."

"Not a problem." He responds.

I walk back to the doorway, whispering to Inkwell. "So... who this be?"

Prince Amor Ambrosia

Ponyland prince, Lesser Blood

"That's High Prince Amor Ambrosia. He's the eighteenth in the line of succession to the Emperor of Ponyland, quite possibly the largest country in the world based on population. I'm sure you'd remember just how prosperous they are, had you gone on the visit with Princess Twilight."

I vexingly combat her pointed commentary with an excuse. "Hey, sorry. My visit to that place was postponed to an unforeseeable date on the account of a nasty stomach virus, if I recall that correctly." In truth, I was dealing with something else, and I wasn't up for it.

"Forgive me, I was under the impression that you were faking it rather than being present for the meeting of the global powers that takes place every five years." Well she's not wrong there. "But back to our topic at hoof. He usually attends to represent Ponyland in it's entirety, and that summit is also where he first laid eyes on Princess Twilight. He and she seemed to be frequent writers at one point."

Oh... so she has been treading the international waters a bit. "Frequent writers? Like how frequent and on what subject?"

"The matter of the letters were deemed classified, but the frequency to which the letters were exchanged could be noted to be up to three letters a month, which is more than frequent by their standards."

Yeah, considering that most of the world is still running on the old system of delivering letters and mail, it makes sense that the exchange is so slow. Still, I'm starting to swell with pride. She can finally shut up about her past relationship and how this and that went wrong. Can't wait for these two to get it in. "You think this guy might be trying to send some smoke signals to Twilight over a few things?"

"Perhaps, but their status to one another is a secret even I'm unsure of."

"Right." Maybe she's shy about it. Or maybe there's some sort of taboo going on with the two of them interacting. It's happened before, she's not the only princess who's done it. "Guess I'll let him know Twilight's out and about, and that he can't really reach out to her today."

"Please do so, carefully." She emphasizes in a cautious manner.

I nod and walk back into the room to converse with the bright-eyed prince. "Okay, I apologize for my sudden break away from you. I wanted to be sure that I would approach you with all the respect that's due, your highness. So you are Prince Amor Ambrosio." As I'm bowing to him, he's gone right back to being in Lala Land. "Sir?"

He startles once more and apologizes for his attention's brief absence. "You'll have to forgive me, I have much to inquire about these stained glass windows. They depict much, they're almost like the tapestries back home." His eyes lift to an image of the younger Twilight still with the Element of Magic adorning her head. "And in that one, she looks to be younger."

"Oh, you mean Twilight's initial coronation into the royal fold. Oh yeah, that's her alright. Probably looks a bit smaller than what you remember seeing from the summit two years back."

He sighs longingly, gazing at the portrait. "She's always been beautiful in my eyes."

Yup, he's struck. "You really seem to be all in for her. I hear you two exchange letters."

"We did! We sent out a lot of letters to one another in the first few months, then I guess she started to get a little busy in her schedule. It's been pretty one-sided for a while now." Goddammit, Twilight. "I know that my visit is probably more than unexpected, but I didn't wish to cause an uproar because of it. So I'll hope you'll forgive me for my lack of transparency and the informality of arriving unannounced."

"I get it, not everyone wants to make a scene everywhere you go." I agree quietly, thinking back earlier to my time with Stanton.

"Exactly!" He cheers for a moment before springing back to the reason of his sudden appearance. "So where is she, Princess Twilight?"

"She's out for the day for some R&R. Actually, I think she's gone to the spa with her friends. She and the others had the bulk of their Friendship Summit set for today. I think they should be finishing up with a little indulgent pampering come a few hours from now."

"My heart wishes to stay, but my absence from home is not what one could call a... you know, sanctioned leave." He promptly explains.

Ah, so he snuck out and he's gotta get back home without them noticing. Now I finally get why he wants to keep things low-key. I still look to encourage him. "So... you drop by for an unexpected visit to a foreign land for the sake of love, might as well go the full distance."

"I couldn't!" He argues, much to his own chagrin. "To remain waiting while being unannounced would be an affront to not only her status, but also her dignity. Perhaps my lack of advanced notice has caused her to not be present for my visit. And for that, I will have to take full responsibility."

Damn, he's pretty modest. I wonder why Twilight just decided to pull the olden version of being left on 'seen'. Perhaps if I give her the message myself, she'll give it a little more thought. "So, I know you're probably tired of leaving your heart on some old piece of parchment, but I'll be sure to keep her updated if you leave a message."

He doesn't just accept my offer, he whips out a letter sealed with a dollop of rich blue wax and places it in my claws. "Thank you so much. I haven't been easy on the mind as of late, and you doing this puts me in a much better state. I didn't know if my recent letters have been getting through or if they've been sequestered to some idle pile of brochures trying to inform you of your chariot's extended warranty."

I cackle out loud at his joke. "Right. Don't you hate when they come from a no-name source?"

"Can't even return to sender because the address don't even exist, or it's tethered to some plot of uninhabited rural land."

"Right, damn scams." I say as I take his letter. "But yeah, I'll be sure Twilight sees it."

He gives off a sigh of relief, bowing his head to me to show gratitude. "Thank you so much."

"All in a day's work... if you can call it that."

"Hardly working is the best kind of work, if you ask me." He responds a moment before a stallion walks from behind a pillar wearing a black cloak, approaching him from his side. The figure is masked, but bears a sigil on his cloak. The pair proceeds to walk out of the throne room, but not without the young prince offering his farewell. "Until we meet again, Sir Spike. Ciao."

As he and his shady escort departs down the hall, Inkwell approaches with disbelief over what had just occurred. "I can't believe he showed up like that! To call it bold would be a vast understatement!"

"Eh, I'm sure Twilight would appreciate the boost in her romantic getaways. I think she deserves something like that, we all do. She sure as hell needs it." I say with a smirk, eager to play matchmaker for the two.

Inkwell rolls her eyes at me. "Always referencing the princess' amorous inefficiencies, I see."

I shrug in response. "When do I not?"

Meanwhile at Canterlot Body Promenade...

Within the session room of what is often ranked the most luxurious and reputable spas in town, seven mares continue to sink in the warmth of a heated mineral water pool. More are without mud masks on their faces than not. Twilight is fairly quiet while the others are going about various topics.

However, her sulking has drawn a silence from the others who begin to observe her notable lack of participation in the topics of mutual interests. The high princess doesn't even know that someone is calling out to her as she's going in and out of her zone. "Hellooooo?"

"Huh!? What!?" The purple princess is suddenly made attentive, finally snapping back to the present. "Oh. Sorry."

Rarity calls out to the mentally distracted royal. "Darling, what's the matter?"

"Yeah, ya ain't even asked fer ya usual full-body, hooficure, horn cleanse, preen package." Applejack adds.

"And that's like your favorite thing!" Rainbow Dash adds as she adjusts the slices of zucchini over her eyes. "Even I know that it's good to be treated for what you are every now and then! So what gives?"

Twilight shakes her head as she sinks a little further into the bath. "I'm just thinking about a few things is all."

"Like what?" Fluttershy asks in a soft voice.

"Just... coming of age things." The alicorn briefly explains while trying to negate the topic altogether. "It's not a big deal."

Rarity already has an idea of where the princess' mind is at. "Oh, you mean those coming of age things."

The princess moans out of frustration as she sits back up in her bath. "I swear he's different from what I've known him to be throughout my life! Now he's going into this bad-boy, youth-is-wild, I'll-do-what-is-more-convenient-as-opposed-to-doing-it-by-the-book lifestyle. I don't even know what Spike is these days."

"Well I can tell you what he is: Hung." Calls out the youngest mare of the bunch.

"SWEETIE BELLE!" Rarity scolds her younger sister for her brash statement. "Sorry, darling. If it's watching as your sibling grows up and becomes more of an adult, I can clearly empathize."

"I just thought somewhere in my mind that he would stay the same no matter how old he got. To me, he's always been this snarky little dragon who grew warm to mostly anyone. I mean yeah he has his cold moments, but I just thought that part of his... maturity was better subdued. Then I find out he had a serious case of dragon lust, then there's the accidental run-in with him on the dating app, then his late arrival at the processional this past Monday. Now Blue's got a hold of him and I don't know what all he's got going on. I'm starting to believe that he's been around some bad influence. Perhaps his time with the dragons altered him somehow."

Everyone else in the room is silent for just a moment before they start to laugh loudly. Applejack is especially the loudest of the bunch. "Ah shucks, Twilight. Spike ain't did nothing but become more of himself. I mean yer the prettiest of our bunch by a wide country mile and a moon, but you ain't gonna see us broodin' over the fact that ya grew out of yer humble unicorn frame. You gotta look at it like we do!"

Rarity cosigns with another close example of seeing growth. "Darling, we all grow up and out. Look at Fluttershy, she used to be the quiet one with small little moments of whispering her assertions. Now she's more outspoken when she needs to be, and she's not nearly as afraid of taking a runway every now and then."

Fluttershy joins in with her own testimony. "My brother's still the same... despite being a successful hair dresser in Las Pegasus. He's just allocated his usual habit of changing venues to a more regional method. So I guess in a way he is different... still the same lazy brother I know when it comes to other things."

"And that's a lot coming from Fluttershy." Rainbow agrees.

Rarity applies the same prospect to the troubled princess, but with a shifted context. "Don't you think Shining Armor ever saw you that way? I mean you two were so attached for the longest, and then he got married, became the ruler of a city-state, that's had to have changed him in some way too. But then when he saw you get into a relationship, do you think he looked at you in a different light after that?"

Twilight sighs in admittance. "I guess so."

"Ah yeah, that one situation between Shining and your ex." Pinkie mulls.

"You mean OUR ex?" Twilight corrects the pink earth pony.

"Hey, I only kissed him. You and Rarity were the ones who full-on rode the meat train." She argues.

The young mare blurts out her complaint for the direction the topic is taking. "I'm not jealous in any way, thanks for asking."

"Sweetie, you were a literal foal." Rarity stresses.

"And that changes what, the legality of it all? Legal or not, I was still humping pillows with his fine-ass face on it."

Distressed over her younger sister's crass commentary, Rarity calls her by full name. "Sweetie Falabella Belle, please show some candidacy!"

"Just being real about it all. I know I wasn't the only one riding their bed over it." The younger sister points out, calling out her elder subliminally.

The aforementioned sibling gives a dejected sigh. "I'd just wish you'd practice having a bit of a filter."

The younger snaps back. "I. Have. A filter. I use it at the school, I will use it again tomorrow. As for today, much like any other day I'm not at work, that filter can kiss my ass."

The two continue to argue a bit longer. "While I suppose that argument is fair for the time being, not everypony wants to hear about your prepubescent exploits."

"Well we all had them. We all came from somewhere, didn't we? And we're all of age here, might as well keep it real."

Applejack chuckles as she goads on the fashionista. "Sugarcube, you think she's bad about this."

"I know. Your sister's even worse." Rarity complains with admission.

"Would ya believe the fact that she tried to sneak a feller in the barn in the estrus season? She was 'bout to make a lot of trouble fer him! Legally! Ah kept tellin' her about fibbin her age just to get it in with a guy she likes. Darn girl nearly got him arrested."

"I thought he did get arrested." Sweetie says, breaking away from the argument with her sibling.

"By who, Big Mac? Nah, he had other plans." Applejack says before she shifted her tone to a much lower but deadlier one. "Can't say Ah ever reckoned him as an enforcer, that version of him was the most scary. In short, that feller ain't never showed his face in town since then."

"All's well that ends well." Rainbow cheers briefly.

Pinkie goes a little further on the topic with her own unique view. "We all change as we get older, Twilight. Spike is only doing the same, just differently than what you're expecting. I just had my little baby back in late May of last year. But even I know my Little Cheese is gonna grow up too, and he's gonna be different than what I think he's gonna be. It's sad to think about looking forward, but it's also fun to think about too. Now you get to have the more nuanced conversations with him instead of holding back all the time. And he gets to communicate those things with you too. I think that's the much better way to look at it. Like seriously, consider all the conversations you had with your brother and Cadance up till now about relationships. Or even your mom and dad, do you think they talk down to you about it or do they respect the fact that you're grown and keep it honest?"

Pinkie's more rational approach to the princess proves to have the greater effect. Twilight mulls her conversations with Spike and begins to look at things differently. "Maybe you're right, girls. Perhaps I'm just overreacting like always."

Rarity wades over to the princess, giving her a hug. "That's right, darling. Try not to stress it too much. Deep down he's still the same little Spikey Wikey we all remember him to be."

Then comes Sweetie with her off-color retort. "Rarity, you know he's not that little in your eyes anymore. You know how big he is now."

The two siblings strike back up their argument. "Sweetie Belle, I'm going to strangle you if you keep talking."

"I'm just saying, he's obviously on the market. He's young. We've seen he's got some experience. And he's literally built for the ride. Ribbed for your pleasure, if you will."

Twilight's entire face glows red as that statement triggers a vivid reminder of an accidental memory that she can't quite shed out of her mind. She quickly ducks her head under the water and surfaces with the intent to cleanse her mind of the memory, only to fail in obvious fashion. "CAN EVERYPONY STOP SAYING THAT!?"

Rarity cuts her eyes to her younger sister, who continues her ribbing. "What? Oh don't look at me like you wouldn't give that monster a test drive."

"A lady does not offer test drives." Rarity says with a pout.

"A lady also doesn't offer paid parking either, but I guess that excludes us both." Everyone gawks at the comment Sweetie makes about both herself and her sister. Rarity raises up slowly out of the water, horn glowing with a burning sapphire glow. "Hey, I just take after you. You the one who taught me what it's like to go after the finer things in life."

Already sensing where things are headed, Twilight teleports herself and the other four non-combatants out of the pool, following her quick act with the raising of a containment barrier around the quarreling duo. Rainbow Dash sheepishly leans over and side-mouths to Pinkie Pie. "I'm beginning to think there was some merit to having an underground arena built for blood sport."

The pink mare hits her hoof twice into the air. "Sound the bell."

*DING-DING*

Later at the Royal Castle...

After some time away, Twilight appears back in the castle in full regalia. She makes her way towards the royal residential wing, walking silently with an expression that causes many passing workers to not utter a word at her in greeting. Along the way, she and I run into one another.

Inkwell is still with me, but greets the princess warmly. "Your royal highness, it's good to see you again."

While she doesn't pay no mind to the scowl on her face, I can tell that she didn't exactly have a good time. "Hey Twilight. Didn't expect you back so soon."

"I just had some time at the spa with the girls. That's all." Uh oh, something's got her in a really bad mood.

"Summit finale didn't go too well today?" I ask.

"Let's just forget about it. There's always next month." She replies as she walks past me.

I catch her in step, matching her pace as I inform her of our special guest. "So, your boyfriend came by today."

"What boyfriend?" She asks.

"You know, the prince from Ponyland."

Her hooves come to a near screeching halt as she shouts loudly at me. "THE WHAT FROM WHERE!?"

Inkwell appears to look back at me with a nervous and strained expression. "You know, Prince Amor Ambrosio."

"Oh gosh. He came here!?"

She sounds somewhat disgusted at the idea. I wonder if something happened to make her feel this way about him. "Yeah."

"He talked to you?"

Her disgust is very apparent. "Yeah. And he left a note." I said, prompting Inkwell to pass the letter with the wax seal over to the princess.

Twilight levitates the letter and notices the color of the wax seal. She exhales and calls out to the secretary sitting right next to her. "Raven!"

"Yes, your majesty?" She replies with an unquestionably hospitable demeanor.

Without even opening the letter, she levitates it back to the estute secretary. "Sort this with the other letters."

"At once, your majesty." Inkwell complies, seemingly poofing the letter out of existence.

While she appears to be firm on not granting the young prince any sort of audience in that field, I still do my part to come to his defense, at least to see if something could possibly shake between the pair. "Seems like a pretty nice guy. I think you should at least hear him out."

Twilight turns to me with a serious scowl on her face. "Spike, Ponyland is one of our fiercest trade adversaries. Diplomatically speaking, we're supposed to be neutral oppositions at best. Why is a high prince of a foreign nation paying us a visit unannounced? Where was his escort brigade? Why was there no alarm sounded!? Are you that trusting that you're borderline incompetent!?"

I reply back to her. "Other than one guy, he came alone. He also seemed to be on the hush side by sneaking away from home. He did all of that just to see you. I even heard you two were exchanging letters for a while. so I just thought─."

She interrupts me before I can finish. "Yeah we exchanged letters, for diplomatic negotiations and nothing else."

"Diplomatic negotiations, huh? You're doing that when you've literally assigned me to that very field?" I say while folding my arms. "If you're looking for a little extracurricular friendship, you can just say that. We're both grown here."

Her glare turns cold and threatening, her voice even quieter than usual. Her horn gives off a soft pulsing glow to indicate some violent magics are stirring within her. She grits her teeth before loosening her jaw to speak. "Spike, I know you're feeling all boisterous and brave because you've gotten fresh with a few girls who brag about your endowment. But I am not the one to be played with right now, do you understand me?"

I raise my claws, showing that I have no intent to antagonize her. "Hey, put the artillery away, I'm on your side."

"You don't seem to understand, Spike." She mutters.

I take a step back, not trying to show any intent of quelling her anger or forcibly quenching her magic. "I understand he's head over hooves for you. And if this could smooth things out diplomatically, why is that a bad thing? Maybe I'm in the wrong, maybe I'm misunderstood. So please clarify to me what the issue is, and I'll come correct."

For the moment, the two of us have a quiet standoff. I even try to breathe slowly just to show that I'm not trying to batter back against her in some way, because I know her temper is a dangerous thing once she pops off. Even as a unicorn, her fits were so magically explosive that it launched us into the air and sent us crashing back to ground level. She finally takes the first step in calming down, taking deep slow breaths, and even subduing the magic that visibly stirred. Her voice softens again, but still issuing a stern warning. "Let's just leave this alone, never talk about this openly... EVER! We won't have an international incident, we won't have an issue with the reigning king of that realm, and we won't ever have to find out the consequences that entails."

I back out of her way, separating myself to one side of the hall for her to walk by unimpeded. "I just thought the two of you would be cute together. I didn't mean─"

"Spike..." She walks over to the doors of her bedroom, opening the doors to enter inside. "...Just leave me alone today."

Even Inkwell offers her some space as the doors close to the bedroom. I look over to her to inquire what I did wrong. "Was it something I said?"

She's a lot more reserved in her judgement, but takes the side of the storm-minded princess. "Maybe you should keep separate from the princess for a while." She, too, walks off to leave me by my lonesome.

And still, not a word on what I did wrong. "...Sorry?"

Chapter 11: Crushing Cultivations

It's been a little under two weeks since the last time Twilight and I had that conversation. And it's been even longer since we've spoken to each other. Every breakfast since then she's avoided speaking to me. She even made sure that my days were busier than ever before by sending me off to various towns and villages across the kingdom. What's especially strange is the fact that I've resolved many more issues away from here than I have within the walls of this castle. It's depressing to admit, but I guess that factor would be easy to do the math on when the only divisible number in that ratio is 1.

It's within reason to say that the more time I spend here, the less I find any pleasure in staying. And I'm sure she's probably open to that truth, just out of the principle of her sending me off to do so much. So I politely pen a carefully-worded response to her silence, hoping to explain to her that our close proximity has become a troubling issue. I also explained to her in writing what my future intentions would be, and that would be to move back south to Ponyville. If I'm going to be too much of a distraction, then I might as well do it in the place that has a lot less attention paid to it.

Funny thing about that is it spurns the first direct response I've ever gotten from her since that day...

"ABSOLUTELY NOT!"

...It also happens to be in the middle of a citizen rambling about some dispute pertaining to opening a military base out west. And given the context, her sudden outburst greatly confuses both the citizen and me. "Wait, you mean the protest of the citizens of the town?" I ask her.

"No! I mean you leaving!" She hollers. "What would it look like if you just decided to up and leave!?"

I also forgot to mention that I had wrote that letter like sometime a week ago. So this is all the more baffling to me. "Hey, can we talk about that some other time?"

"No, we need to discuss this right now!" She argues quite loudly.

"...In front of a concerned citizen discussing their protest to the military installation plan out in Silver Shoals?" I reiterate what we should be discussing for the time being.

"Fine, I'll hold the plans to install a Forward Operations Base adjacent to the town. I'll let you deal with the generals on that matter since we wanna get back to topic so bad!" She also gives out a direct decree to Inkwell. "And also, Raven, two-hour recess, all inquiries will be held until then. Dismissed."

Inkwell bows to the princess and walks off to carry about her duties while also escorting the guest to leave the chamber. Meanwhile, Twilight and I continue our argument. "Really, you call a two-hour recess to start an argument out of thin air?"

"I'm not starting one, you started it by sending that stupid letter to me saying you're going to move away!"

"I... you... we were... ARGH!" I facepalm myself wondering how her mind somehow formulated how this was the perfect time to strike up the band to sing her usual song of why I should always work in the royal capital as opposed to anywhere else. "You know what, I completely understand why you're single! You're impulsive, irritating, irrational, and unstable! How do you not take the time to talk this up with me during, oh I don't know, say BREAKFAST!?"

"I needed time!" She shouts.

"Oh and that was the perfect minute to pop off about it?"

"I was holding it in!"

"And that was the best moment to let that one blow up?"

"Spike, I'm not letting you go to Ponyville just to blow off all of your responsibilities because of you wanting to indulge in some deep-seeded nostalgia!"

"Oh here we go with that one." I roll my eyes at her. "What if I want to move there because that's what I feel would make me happier with my job!?"

"I know you think I'm being unfair, and that's fine! Your duties are predicated here!" She argues. "I don't care what you say, your job is here. Your home is here. Your life is here."

"With you?"

She gives me a baffled response. "Okay? We've always been together, and you can't just live on your own!"

"I was in the Dragon Lands for a month." I expressly illustrate to her.

"And look what it's turned you into!"

"The dragon lands have not changed me! If anything has changed me, it's you! I used to not mind being here helping you out, I used to openly accept that this was a mutually beneficial partnership. Back before you were princess of the realm, you had your time, I had mine, and I had a lot of freedom to branch out and do different things! That doesn't happen anymore! I can't stand being here, it's too stagnant, too busy, way too suffocating, and I can't even enjoy most of my week because I have no life outside of Saturday. I live where I work. I work where I eat. I can't even cultivate personal relationships because I don't get enough time in the day to take off to do that, nor do I have the privacy with a bunch of guards and maids being nosy while on patrol! By the time I'm done traveling, I'm dogshit tired and don't wanna do shit anymore. I can't stand it! I want to be able to be myself and live a little more, with the absurd amount of disposable income that I find myself literally eating on and shitting out on a daily basis! How is that living!?"

"Are you done?" She tilts her head as though she has every answer to what I've just said. "Spike, I keep you here because I keep you from embarrassing yourself! I know what you want to do, you want to do all the things that most others get to do at your age. But you have to realize that your life has more weight to it than most others. They don't work in a position you work, they don't carry the prestige you have─"

"I can give you six names right now." I interrupt, looking to give her an elemental example of why she's wrong. "And all six have this luxurious thing called a weekend. They also a little something I know you wrote the book on, they call this certain collection of individuals 'friends'. And I know you can only meet up with yours every once a month, but you can also choose to do the same thing that they're doing right now, and that's called 'living'. You should give it a try, you should let me give it a try."

"So you're upset because you feel like you don't make enough friends?" She asks in a simplistic tone.

"No. I'm upset that I don't get to spend time with the ones I do have now. I know you deal with that too, but why do I have to suffer along with you, like I'm tethered to whatever torture you put yourself through? Then when you're upset, you feel it's right to ignore me and shove me off to the side until you're ready to talk."

The shuffling of armor draws both of our attention. We look down from our thrones to see Solemn Oath standing quietly by. Twilight instantly puts me on hold as she addresses her captain. "Solemn, what's the update?"

"We're ready to commence operations out in the Everfree Forest. All units are in position to flank and detain." She says with a salute.

"Do what you need to, Solemn."

"At once, your highness." She says with another salute before turning around and leaving.

Twilight carries on from where we left off. "Spike, it's hard for me to adjust to you growing so quickly. At times, I wonder if I've done something wrong just by letting you go out and about. I get scared of what you might become."

"Usually, it the sheltered kids that becomes the worst off." I point out to her. "Just like you trust me to do the dealings of this country, I want you to trust me in being an adult. I also want you to tell me what I do wrong and why it's wrong as opposed to telling me it's wrong and leaving things at that. I feel like all the things we went through together, we at least owe each other that respect."

I rise from my throne, hovering by my wings. "Where are you going?"

"Pulling a 'you', leaving the conversation until I'm ready to come back to it. So yeah... later."

I won't even lie about how fast my heart was beating after I told Twilight that I was 'pulling a her' as I left. I was halfway expecting her to mass up a security detail to keep me holed up in the castle for a while. I don't put it past her, she can be petty at times. But it was nice to be able to exercise that freedom when I know she's all for doing the same. It's high time I start drawing my boundaries with her anyhow, she needs to see that I'm not for the hypocritical bullshit.

Instead of taking a train, I simply fly to Ponyville myself to work off some steam. My main target is the castle on the northern part of town, adjacent to the School of Friendship where the others work. As I arrive, it seems that many of the students are running about. Apparently classes have concluded for the day, and the teachers are all just looking over who's doing what, going through the grounds to make sure they weren't getting into some trouble. Hell, being that all the teachers aren't too far off in the age bracket, they're already knowing of where all to go to get it in.

I see an unfortunate couple being brought from the back of the buckball stadium, escorted by none other than Ocellus herself. She's smirking but chewing out the pair, encouraging them to find someplace off campus to get physical. Smolder flies overhead and chatters with the changeling for a while as the shamed pair slink away from the school grounds. As I'm flying closer, Smolder takes notice of my descent. "Hey Spike!"

"Let me guess, youthful romance?" I question the pair.

"Ah yes, one of the many walks of their becoming of age." Ocellus answers with a sigh. "They should try to find someplace we haven't used."

I chuckle over the thought of the students trying to dodge who was considered one of the most devious beings on school grounds. It's funny to think about them trying to experience adolescence, all while some inconspicuous rock or cardboard box is waiting to intervene before they try to get frisky. "Damn, I needed the laugh. I'm so glad to be down here again."

"Here?" Smolder quirks a brow at my admission. "Away from all the fun and life up there in the city?"

I scoff at the dragoness. "Canterlot, fun? I'd rather find out what the old Corrotto District was about just out of curiosity."

Both Silverstream and Gallus walks in on our conversation, the former speaking up first. "Uh oh, old Corrotto?"

"Careful now, don't want you getting questioned for conspiracy." Gallus jokes.

I shrug in response. "Look, I already have access to most of the records. I know what went down there for the most part. It wasn't fun or pretty."

"Yeah. I heard it was pretty wild." Smolder comments.

"More like pretty scary if that thing on display was something to go by." Ocellus adds. "All that metal clanging, I can't imagine going through that exhibit again."

"Yeah, so does a lot of the parents apparently." The dragoness sarcastically comments.

"Don't remind me." I say, thinking back to the past two Sundays I've filled in for Twilight. "So, what you guys about to get into? I'm pretty tired of being in the city, the rush, constant buggering, being sent to and from, it's a busy life. I wanna take things slow for a change. Hell, if not that then maybe get into a small little adventure. Maybe we can hang out at a bar around here tonight."

"Here? Spike, all the clubs here close at one." Ocellus brings up.

"Hell, it's better than what it was when I was coming up. Nothing stayed open past ten. You were either home, or you were working security somewhere at town hall. There was no in-between."

"Ain't much to do here either way." Says the griffon. "Ponyville's one of those places where you make the best of things with friends, and that's if you have them."

"Well it's a good thing I didn't piss any of you off." I answer with a smirk. "Now that I think about it, I don't mind surveying the old castle ruins again. There's some pretty interesting books we could get into."

"The Everfree Ruins? Ain't that where those weird guys in the cloaks were sighted?" Silverstream inquires quietly.

"That's literally where the treehouse is." Ocellus reminds her.

"Oh yeah." The hippogriff hums quietly.

"Well, it might be way more fun than sitting around here." Gallus answers with preference.

Ocellus mulls the thought before coming to a conclusion of what to do next. "I wouldn't mind a little mini-adventure to be made of it. We haven't done much together but party and spend money. Maybe it'll be fun to go down memory lane for a bit."

"Yeah I'm down." Smolder confirms.

While it's exciting to see that we're all going to be setting out to the old ruins together, I can't help but to draw attention to the ones of this social group that are being omitted. "Too bad Yona's gonna be busy, and Sandbar doesn't like to leave her behind."

"We don't need to use the elements today, do we?" Asks the griffon.

"Nope!" Silverstream replies cheerfully. "Next stop: The Treehouse!"

We didn't leave immediately after announcing our plans, having to wait until all the kids were moved from the school grounds before setting out for the evening. But when we did, I began to feel the bit of nostalgia with the whole process of keeping our eyes peeled for dangerous creatures like cockatrices, timberwolves, and cragodiles. And going along our path, we reach the crystalline bridge leading to the treehouse, quietly situated where the old royal hall of the castle once stood.

As we walk into the foyer, I find myself growing all the more nostalgic. I guess a lot of my personal development happened all because of what happened here all those years ago, eleven of them at that. Almost a fateful dozen have passed since the day Twilight was essentially booted out of Canterlot to go make some friends, instead of being coddled by a small group of classmates who didn't mind her staying quiet for the entire time. And yet all five of them stretched the purple unicorn I knew and held in a sibling's regard to her social limits. At first, they annoyed her, then their personalities grew on her, and her to them. They even came to the grounds where we all stand now, being the first in thousands of years to use the elements to save the world from an unending night.

Here and now, I stand in the company of four of the six newer bearers of that harmonious spirit. Their fates are more closely bound than that of the previous groups I've known. The group of ponies who have gone about their own lives, expanding their own paths and branching out to their own destinations. The group of humans who briefly bore the enchantment for the sake of saving their world and ours, they too parted from one another to carve their own paths. But even if that future is destined for this group, there's still time to enjoy them for who and what they are before that comes to be.

"Here we are, old magic treehouse that sprouted from a disaster of different construction defects." Silverstream calls out laughingly.

"Oh boy, the things we did while we were here." Gallus says with a chuckle as he nudged his girlfriend.

Smolder walks by the pair, reminiscing on the past. "Remember that one time we came up with that plan to unite all of Equestria's forces to save Twilight and the others?"

"Not exactly what I'd call good times, but it's a memory worth remembering." Ocellus responds. "Remember when we first caught Yona and Sandbar kissing on the balcony?"

Gallus giggled at the thought. "Poor Yona almost fell over when she realized we were watching."

"I remember how heavy she was, that's what I really remember." Silverstream blurts out, laughing out loud.

The griffon sighs in recovery of his moment of hysterics. "Took all three of us while poor Sandbar was about to burst into tears over that."

"Those two really made a life for one another. I can't wait until May." Says the hippogriff, hugging her significant other from behind.

"So they're making it official then? Guess I gotta start opening my schedule for some wedding plans." I say as I pull out my phone to clear my calendar for the month.

"Oh yeah, those two are definitely gonna have fun." Smolder states. "Though we might need to send a guard on a welfare check after three days. She might be an early widow if they're not careful."

Even as they go about talking on and on about their past, I'm reminded of the things I tried to have in my adolescent period, rather the remnants of one I tried to have. It reminds me of how little of a life I lived for the past five years, being sent off to work and trying to do my best to uphold the mantle I was given. I had so many unmet needs and wants, so many adventures I missed out on, so many days I spent everywhere doing everything but acting my age. It almost angers me to a point, but I really don't have anyone to blame but myself.

"You okay?" Ocellus taps me out of my thought for a brief moment.

I look at the many pictures of their social circle on the walls, pondering about my own walk in life. "Thinking."

"About?" The changeling prods on.

I shake my head, thinking about an old relationship I had with someone, how it all went bad because I chose not to have time for myself. "Eh, old stuff. Something I didn't have time for."

While I didn't tell anyone much of anything about myself, I did open up to this group of creatures quite frequently. They knew what was the source of my melancholy. "Ah... that."

"Yeah." Before I can go back into stewing, I feel the slight sting of an impact against my spine. "Ow!"

Smolder points a claw to my face and gives me a snarky smile. "What you moping for!? You got friends now, you dolt! You're right here talking with them now!"

"Yeah, I just wish I could make more time for you all like how you did with each other." I reply while nursing my back a bit, that shit stings and she's not exactly gentle-clawed. "I really miss being in a group that can go back and forth on stupid shit and laugh about it."

Silverstream nods along with an understanding. "Yeah, I can see why. It's pretty hard living in a world separated from everyone just because."

"Duty-bound for the sake of the greater picture." Ocellus adds. "Even if doing your duty feels like you're going nowhere fast."

"Always trying to live up to certain societal expectations." Smolder says as she hovers beside me. "It's hard keeping a face when you know you're different from what they want you to be."

"Not having anyone to be around that's like you." Gallus cosigns. "Not having anyone to talk to when you feel you need to express yourself in a certain way. Trust me, we've all been there."

While I feel upset for the moments that I wasn't there for, it's moments like these that warms me inside. They could've said from the jump that I was too busy to keep up with them, but they stuck around and guided me every step of the way when I had time. I reach out my arms and wrap around whoever's closest to me. "You guys are the best."

Smolder, especially being the one who guided me throughout my varying stages of adolescence, reciprocates the hug. "We're down two, but we're all here for you when you need it, big guy."

Gallus taps me on my chest. "And you know where we are."

As we all embrace each other, a voice from outside throws a bit of a wet blanket on all of us in the moment. "NO, YOU DUMBASS! THE CRUCIBLE GOES TO THE COURTYARD! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!"

The young voices are what draws our attention the most. Ocellus, already a keen listener, points out the direction of where they're coming from. We gather around a window to check out what's going on. "What are they doing here?" She asks.

"If we're quiet, we'll find out." Smolder suggests as we all stake out the trio of young-looking colts running around the grounds with some odd wooden tray folded in on itself.

"You seriously think this is going to work?" An orange colt with a yellow mane questions the leading figure.

A green colt with a dark green mane answers the question. "It's just like it says in stupid pamphlet. We put the thing where it's supposed to go, then we do the chant, and then we get to hear the new 'revelation' or whatever it is from the spirit medium, we become A-tier magic casters. Can't possibly mess this up if we DO WHAT IT SAYS DO!"

A third colt with a maroon coat and a gray mane speaks out. "So what do you think this so-called 'revelation' is gonna be?" He's carrying a saddlebag filled with candles.

"Don't know. Could be talking with the dead for all we know." The second answers as they carefully carry their wooden tablet.

"Ew, who wants to talk to a dead body?" The third asks.

The first colt grumbles with annoyance, carrying nothing but the aforementioned pamphlet and a box of matches. He's obviously the ringleader of the group. "Can we just get this MOVING ALREADY!? This place gives me the heebes."

"Oooh, he's scared of ghosts!" The second mocks with a cartoonish tremolo. "Will we run into some famed killer, or an old legend, maybe we might run into a murder victim! Ooh, or worse, we could run into that one guy who's name they won't say!"

We can all see the shudder running up the leader's spine from a distance. He violently snaps back at the pair of subordinates. "Shut it! You talking like that already got the others pussing out from doing it with us, now we gotta work twice as hard! Let's just hurry up and get this over with already!"

While they disappear into the ruins even further, the five of us begin to discuss what we just saw and heard. "Talking with the dead?" Silverstream murmurs. "That doesn't sound legal by any means."

"It's not." Both Gallus and I answer in unison.

Smolder rolls her eyes. "Guess we should stop them before they unleash some ancient horror on the world the likes Equestria hasn't seen in over a thousand years, like we always do."

"You sure we don't need Yona and Sandbar?" Ocellus questions.

Gallus denies the thought of getting the absent pair involved. "Not if we bust them before they get things rolling."

While the treehouse signifying the friendship of the current element bearers stands to uproot the crumbling atrium of the old castle hall, much of the ruins are left reasonably whole. The library, the old chamber that seated the parliament, the courtyard, and even the tallest tower once dedicated to imprisoning the condemned is still left standing. And though the stony bricks have mossed over, their features are still as well defined as some parts of the current castle in Canterlot.

The five of us quietly roam the abandoned halls of the Castle of the Two Sisters, they who no longer hold power. Our approach is quiet and stealthy on the account that all of us can fly. We're brought to a courtyard where there is a prominent stone sat in the middle. It's surface facing towards our exit is hewn and chiseled flat with a slight curve deviating away from the stone's base. But while it is grassy in appearance, it's centered place offers a grim suggestion to it's former purpose.

That stone is where they place their wooden tablet, unfolding the sides to reveal a circle with a set of old Ponish runes, those that no untrained magic user can decipher. If one were to start a spell with those runes without knowing it's purpose, all things could come to a quick end for them. And since the boys appear no older than being middle schoolers, this could gravely endanger their lives.

"ARRGH! NO, THAT'S NOT HOW IT GOES!" The leading colt appears knowledgeable, but even he may be just as blind to the consequences.

Meanwhile the third sets up candles to encircle the wooden block, the second helping while responding in frustration. "Well what do you know!?"

"I know what I'm doing! You obviously don't! Shut up!" The first calls out.

As the five of us watch the trio, Smolder makes a sarcastic comment of their interactions. "I can tell they're the best of friends."

"I can tell they have no idea what they're doing." I point out.

"Could be worse." Silverstream shrugs.

Ocellus proceeds to draft up the worst possible outcome. "This is possibly the worst-case scenario. What if they accidentally conjure up some thousand-year plague on Ponyville and the surrounding areas?"

Since her significant other has a better resume on municipal matters, Silverstream turns to him and inquire about their approach. "Think we should jump in now?"

Gallus visibly shows his displeasure. "I would like to, but our guidelines are that in these instances, we wait until they fully commit the crime before apprehending them for whatever they do, that is unless it's an actual act of violence or property damage. It's mainly to see if what's going on is really harmful or worth apprehending, for legal purposes─"

"Soooo we're just gonna squat here until they do something stupid?" Smolder quickly wraps up his explanation.

"Paws tied till otherwise." The griffon confirms.

An excited shout rings from the courtyard, sourced from the young leading figure. "HA! GOT IT!"

Gallus kisses his own beak and sighs. "Let the stupidity commence, I guess."

The pair of underlings go about lighting the twelve mismatching candles, apparently they got whatever they had sitting around their homes. The leader sat before the wooden block, rubbing his hooves together. "Finally! Limitless magic, untold powers, now we'll be the talk of Ponyville! No more of our families telling us that our magic is worthless! Now we're gonna show them that we can do all the stuff they teach over at that School of Friendship! Then we'll be the popular ones!" Well... Interesting and compelling motive, truly striking and not shallow in any way. "Quartz, READ THE INCANTATION!"

"Uh... Bronze..." The third raises a hoof as he voices his complaint. "I can't read it. I need my glasses."

The second pony facehoofs as he points back to the third. "Quartz, they're on your forehead."

The colt looks up at his own self, seeing the spectacles seated just above his eye level. "Oh, yeah. Thanks Ruby." The young colt places on his glasses, clears his throat, raises an unfolded leaflet, and proceeds to read from it in a forced voice. "Mystic realm of the great beyond, we come here now to open thy passage! Grant us the corporeal audience we seek, let us open the way to a brand new revelation from the great beyond! Oh mystic Aether, grant us the visage of one who dwells within your eternal void! Give us wisdom from beyond our lifetimes, and let us speak amongst your refuge! Let us─"

"Booooring!" Bronze groans with impatience. "Get to the good part of it already!"

"I'm not done, let me follow the stupid brochure." Quartz replies, adjusting his glasses in a stating manner. "Now where was I─Okay, right here. Let us be filled with your boundless knowledge! Oh great land of everything and nothing, heed my call! Give us the soul of that which no longer dwells! And let them dwell amongst us once more! Et singt vahm damælut!"

The pair joins in the chant after looking to one another with confusion. "Et singt vahm damælut. Et singt vahm damælut. Et singt vahm damælut."

While the trio continue to chant, the five of us stand by with quirked brows and visible bewilderment. Ocellus questions the authenticity of their ceremony. "They're reading this off of a brochure?"

"This sounds just as stupid as it looks." Gallus initially responds just seconds before the flames of the twelve candles transform from their usual orange to a green burn that started to draw lines into the mossy cobblestone of the courtyard, each zigzagging to the wooden block. The runes of the block begin to glow, emitting a bright light shining to the high heavens. A small but bright opening into what appears to be a star-infested void with ever-changing colors begins to manifest itself. The trails leading back to the candles change the flames from green to red. The entire courtyard darkens to reflect that same cataclysmic red glow.

I glance back to Gallus with a retort to his prior statement. "Uh... not looking so stupid now."

"Yeah, kinda looking pretty official to me." He murmurs.

"Now do we go in?" Smolder questions.

"Oh yeah, we're stopping this." He says as he flies out from cover.

"Et singt vahm damælut. Et singt vahm damælut." The three continue their chants, appearing a lot more panicked than before. They seem to be scared of what's happening around them. For Quartz, regret sets in on his face, while Ruby's eyes begin to glow, his head raises as he unconsciously walks towards the beam of light. Bronze looks over to see the unresponsive colt slowly marching onward where he felt he should be going and tries to hold him back.

But before things can escalate further than it already has, Gallus swoops in to interrupt the ceremony. "HOLD IT!" He shouts loudly to the trio. "There won't be another Et sing von dumbslut, whatever. You're done here!"

Two of the young unicorns panic while the third continues to blindly march into the light. "Quick, let's get out of here!" Bronze shouts.

"What about Ruby!?" Quartz asks loudly, watching as the young colt reaches his hoof into the beam.

"Oh no you don't!" Smolder calls out as she snags the zombie-like colt. Ocellus aids the dragon by grabbing his hind legs in the attempt to pry him away from the beam.

Gallus turns back to see both the dragon and changeling struggling with the boy still half their size. He glares down at the one leading the group. "What the hell did you boys just do?"

"I dunno! We just did what the guys with the brochure told us to do! They told us we could do something special if we gotten something called a 'revelation' from this!"

I jump in, asking the terrified pair their ages. "How old are you? What grade are you in?"

"Eighth. I'm fourteen!" Bronze announces quickly.

"S-s-seventh. I'm thirteen!" Quartz stammers nervously. "R-Ruby's in eighth, h-he's thirteen!"

The colt is lifted off the ground, but not by the means of the two holding him. Instead, his body is turned to the beam and levitates slowly into the red glowing light. Ocellus and Smolder lets go out of fear of being dragged in. "Um... guys... problem!" Smolder warns as the colt opens his mouth, sitting before the wooden slab. His horn glows a similar red color as a tall shadow figure appears behind him, lunging out at the nothing around it.

A voice calls from the darkened shadow, starting to take shape as a tall figure with a slowly defining shape. "Let me at him! LET ME GET AT HIM! C'MON! Let me pay him back for knocking me off!"

The very next swipe it makes with it's limbs starts to give it's shape more definition. The shadow develops fingers, hands, legs, feet, a torso, and a head. The voice is that of a male, and it's face begins to reveal itself from the darkness. "It's... a human." Ocellus points out.

As we see the man appear before us, his face showing uncontrollable anger, we see that his legs are still blacked out in shadow, very much still attached to the young colt that remains unresponsive. "Hey, you! Where are we!?" He points to me, demanding answers.

I'm hesitant, but I do give him an answer. "Everfree Castle Ruins."

"Where the fuck is that?" The man questions as he folds his arms. "Wait, is this that one place ol' dude told me we were at? Some Camelot place?"

Ocellus looks oddly back at the figure. "Camelot?"

"No, we're not in Canterlot, if that's what you're asking." I correct him.

"Look, name's Jasper, don't care about any of that shit! Thank you. I've been stuck in hell for the better part of some ages! It feels like a thousand years since I felt like I could breathe. What year is it!?"

The name Jasper is familiar at the moment, I can't quite put my claws to where I last heard it from. But he has a question and I'm here to answer it apparently. "Year 5 T.V.S, the reigning years of High Princess Twilight."

"The fuck does all of that shit mean? Can you give me a 2015 A.D., C.E., some shit I can understand?" He demands.

"I forgot human time measurements are parallel to ours, just the formatting is different." Ocellus states as she pulls out her phone. "Let's see, go to Google, what's today's date... Ah, okay. March 25th, 2022 of the Common Era."

"Aw fuck, I've been out cold for seven fucking years!? IT'S ONLY BEEN SEVEN YEARS!? THE FUCK!" He screams before making yet another lunge. "Hell naw, that Camelot place, let me get back there! I wanna get that motherfucker who stuck that damn knife in me!"

All of us are pretty baffled by the whole ceremony that's taking place, the fact that this kid hasn't moved in over five minutes, much less the fact that this human figure announces the cause of his demise. I tilt my head in the confusion. "Hold on, wait, what's going on?"

"You know, sonovabitch looks like me, bit taller, I think he had a ponytail last I remember. Pretty hard to forget his ugly ass face when it's the last fucking thing you see before your vision gets all blurry and dark and shit."

Ocellus slowly looks to me like I'm supposed to answer her question. "What did we miss?"

"C'mon! You know who he is, they called him some weird shit! Captain fuckface or whatever!"

Ocellus tries to put it together while I've already fitted the picture in my mind. "Looks like you, captain fuckfa─OOOOOOOH!" She screams out in shock, placing both of her hooves over her mouth. "I know who killed you!"

He nods his head rapidly. "Yeah, so you wanna help me get the get-back or what? C'mon, let me get one in!"

Gallus notices that the young colt is starting to show signs of responding to his surroundings. A soft set of grunts and groans indicate that he's getting his consciousness back. Even his eyes begin to flash back to what they were originally. "Whatever this is, it's getting significantly weaker."

The human figure starts to take notice that his influence is flickering out, his hands disappearing and his features becoming less and less defined with every passing second. The process becomes rapid, so he begins his enraged plea. "C'MON! LET ME OUT OF HERE! I GOTTA GET HIS SORRY ASS BACK, MAN! C'MON! LET ME KILL HIM! LET ME─" The figure dissipates into a black mass before settling off into a visual black ash blowing back into the shrinking beam of light.

The courtyard stops glowing red, the place appearing just as it did moments before. Gallus looks around to take what appears to be an indication of how much time there was with the spirit medium being opened and closed. "Huh... those candles completely burned out. Some of these were full stalks just a few minutes ago."

Smolder checks in on the colt, who falls asleep. "Who... was that?" The young Bronze questions.

"I dunno." Apparently his name was Jasper, it rings a bell but not in a way that's familiar.

"HALT!"

Just out of instinct, all of us raise our claws and forelegs. Swooping in with a small detail of guards is a pegasus donning the typical gold armor, but with a moon's crest on his chest. "And now comes the reinforcements." The griffon says as he casually lowers his talons.

The pegasus, Sergeant Humbreeze Highwind, approaches the griffon. "Gallus, report!"

"Bunch of kids opened a wormhole into another dimension, apparently one that lets you talk to dead spirits." He simplifies.

"Necromancy?" The sergeant questions before looking over to the two still conscious colts. "And by chance what are you doing this for?"

"We were told it would help us fast-track our magic! We didn't know it let us do all of that crazy stuff!" Quartz pleads emphatically.

"It was literally in the incantation you just said." Silverstream bluntly points out.

Bronze continues the trio's defense. "We didn't mean for it to be real. We just thought it was one of those urban legends or something!"

The sergeant approaches the pair and sternly gives them a firm lesson. "Let me break this down for you boys. What you just did is a SERIOUS offense."

"We're sorry, okay!?" Quartz replies.

The apology falls on unwavering ears. "Sorry's not gonna cut it. None of you are going home because you did this. You're going straight to lock-up. You're going to be questioned. That means you can't see your friends for a long while, you can't talk to anyone you like, you can't even sleep in a room without us checking in on you." He walks over to the sleeping colt and points to him. "You see this, the actions you all made has put his life in jeopardy, much less others. You could've ran across something hideous and far more aggressive. Your friend here would never be the same. You're lucky this ended the way it did, because if it was someone... or something else..."

"Please! My mom will kill me if she finds out I went to jail!" Bronze pleads once more to the unwavering sergeant.

"That's a rough sell, kid. You all did what you did."

Quartz pleads even louder this time. "PLEASE, DUDE! WE AIN'T MEAN TO HURT NOBODY! LIKE WE DIDN'T KNOW THAT WOULD HAPPEN FOR REAL!"

As the other guards gather around the pair, one other places the unconscious colt on their back and ties them down. The sergeant points them back to the entrance. "Take 'em away. And notify their parents." As the pair are escorted away, we could hear the boys starting to cry apologetically. Sergeant Humbreeze takes a deep breath and informs us what the three will likely be facing. "Few days of lock-up, maybe a week to scare them straight. But this still might see a courtroom, possibly more time. It's sad what these kids are getting into these days."

While I appreciate the leniency he shows to the boys, I can't help but to think about the absent party. "Hey, wasn't Solemn in charge of this op?"

"She's currently... it's hard to explain." He confirms. "She hung back for personal reasons. She's should be on her way here now."

I look back to the hallway, seeing the mare in her purple armor. "There she is." She walks up to us quickly, but quietly. I finally greet the mare. "Hey Solemn─"

"That was one of the victims..." She quietly answers without prompt.

While the others look to her wondering what she's talking about, Ocellus calls her out over it. "Victims of what? You heard him, the former captain, your predecessor, was the one who killed him! I think this warrants some kind of an investigation, don't you think?"

While her face is drained of much color, she slowly looks to the changeling with a distant stare. "You saw the exhibit in the Corrotto Museum, didn't you?" She looks away, staring off into the distant memories she harbors within her psyche. "It wasn't just about who all died... There's a noisy part of that tour you're forgetting."

She walks away, almost in a perfectly straight line. It appears that she's still in a daze, that or she's mortified into reliving some uncanny memories. Sergeant Humbreeze makes a note of her demeanor. "She has her moments when she truly shines. But not everyone sees this part of her. Some things from seven years ago still stresses her out. She's not keen on sleeping either. What we ran into today might be playing a part in her trauma."

"Does she need anything?" Ocellus questions the sergeant.

"Time." He pauses to look inward and rubs at his chest before giving me and Gallus a nod. "Well done, you two. Though a bit of friendly advice, try not to dig on this one too deep. You're gonna run into trouble."

As he walks off, Ocellus' ears flicker as a thought comes to her mind. "So..."

"Don't you dare." Gallus interjects before she could even get out her suggestion to the group.

"What!? He clearly says we shouldn't dig too deep on this case, so we won't." The griffon sighs, but a bit too early as the changeling goes on with her roundabout way of getting into trouble. "But he didn't say anything about the figure we just saw. I mean come on, a human killing a human on Equestrian soil, that's like the big one right there!"

Thinking to myself aloud, I fail to recall reading any documents relating to an incident like that. "I'll admit, I never heard of anything like it. And as long as it doesn't have direct relation to the big case of seven years ago, I don't think there are any records that would be redacted on the issue."

Gallus continues to be the voice against our growing curiosity. "Guys, it happened seven years ago. You know what else happened seven years ago?"

"Yeah, the Necro-Terrorist Incident. But we're not looking into that, we're looking into the mystery of why a human was murdered by the former captain of the guard." Ocellus is firm on the matter, and she's very much excited to dig into something new pertaining to human affairs. It's always been a thing of hers after all.

"That can be a pretty juicy story to read up on." And Smolder is almost her unofficial cheer section with the way she encourages her. "Maybe we can dig around, juuuust a bit." She says while pinching her claws together.

"No!" Gallus groans as even his significant other starts to give him puppy-dog eyes.

"Aw, c'mon, Gallus! We could do it quietly! It'll be fun!" She snickers and gives him a seductive look. "I'll promise to do your favorite thing after."

The way his nostrils expands tells me everything I need to know about her offer. I can even see his feathers shade into pink as the scenario plays out in his head in vivid detail. He then turns to me with a nervous smirk. "Buddy, pal... You still got level 4 access to the Canterlot Archives?"

Now it's my turn to take Gallus' place as the arbiter of denial. "Oh no. No. I'm not going back there today."

This time, it was Ocellus and Smolder getting on either side of me trying to replicate the same method Silverstream pulled on him. "Uh oh, looks like a certain dragon needs some convincing." Says the conniving dragoness.

"Tell you what, big guy." The changeling proposes with a tug of my arm. "We go back there for a quick run around, then we can head off and do whatever you like." She climbs into my ear and whispers quietly. "Maybe I'll even turn into a certain unicorn you used to crush on real bad."

"Her Rarity impression is pretty spot on." Smolder hugs on me from my left while leaning into my ear. "She even knows how to replicate every. Single. Physical. Attribute."

The changeling mewls in my ear, in the prime fashionista's voice. "Perfect in every way, darling." She blows into the nape of my neck. "Anything that changeling did to you in that club, dear... I can assure you my method is all the more.... sophisticated."

She gets an A+ for delivery, I'll admit. I turn to Gallus and admit my weakness. "We're total suckers, aren't we?"

"Vampire fruit bats are known for sucking less than we do." He deadpans.

"Worth it?" I smirk back at him.

"Totally."

Chapter 12: Diverging Discoveries

Years ago, there was a great disaster called the Necro-Terrorist Incident. The one they refer to as the necro-terrorist was none other than a megalomaniac necromancer looking to spread his influence around one world, all while looking to subjugate another. And as one who deals in necromancy, he takes the deceased and uses them in a myriad of cruel and unequine manners. Much of his cruelty have been noted in records stretching to as far back as almost five hundred years before his final expiration date.

To this day, all the affairs of his personal doings are often locked away behind strict security clearances, many of which require a level four access to even touch, much less opening the files and reading them. Some files are set to a tiered schedule of declassification, predicated on the intersectionality they have to that of the then royal family and members of the guard. But the accounts of lesser victims are so widely discussed that they simply enshrine it in the museum in the Corrotto District. And to this day, the one responsible has yet to even be named in any of the documents. Even the court documents have redacted the name of the accused party, mainly on the account that court records are for public viewing.

But with all of that said, why is it so damn hard to find any information about this Jasper guy?

There's nothing in the Canterlot records, nothing in the library about the humans other than their achievements, trades, technological influences, and their existence. Records outside of the six humans who saved their world and ours, they're virtually nonexistent. This Jasper guy clearly stated he was here in the city, and yet there's no record of him even showing up, much less existing. But then again, that's all on the surface level. Maybe it's time I look a little deeper.

Leaving the castle checkpoint, I guide the others to a fairly dark and inconspicuous alley, namely filled with a bunch of junk and crates storing goods for the nearby businesses. The others follow close behind me, showing confusion over our sudden turn to the narrow void between the local businesses and the towering parapets of the castle's keep.

After all of the dead ends we endured up till now, patience is starting to wear thin on some. "You'd think that whatever information there is about this would be stashed away in the castle. So why are we here in some dark alleyway?" Silverstream questions.

"Can't say I'm too familiar with what's over here specifically that needs our attention." Gallus, who's a member of the guard, has seemingly been left unaware of what I'm to show them.

"That's because it looks like there's nothing here, doesn't mean that there's nothing here." I inform the griffon, checking both ways to see if we're being followed.

"Wait, no way. Is this some sort of secret passageway into the castle?" He asks, becoming slightly less skeptical.

"Few know of it. Twilight told me about it way back when." I answer quietly before placing my claw against the tall battlement. I whisper a silent chant. "I am the mare who arranges the blocks."

Suddenly, the firm and unmoving structure gave way to a swirling blue portal that appeared to sink into the infinite nothingness. I bow my head and gesture the others to enter. "Okay, that's new." Gallus praises as his significant other darts past him to enter the portal.

"Ooh this is gonna be so exciting!" She says just before disappearing to the other side. The others follow after her, while I check one last time to see if there's anyone else following. After confirming, I slide through and join the others in the dark hallway.

As I take the first step forward, blue flames erupt beside us in an enchanted torch. I go on to warn the others of this going to be a recurring thing. "It's a bit eerie, the halls light up by themselves as you pass. Don't mind it too much." I say as I look ahead to the portal leading to the next room.

"Okay. This is creepy." Smolder comments.

Ocellus doesn't seem to mind the atmosphere much, a stark contrast to the others. "Dark cavernous halls, sparse lighting elements, almost feels like home before we all swapped up our identity."

We walk through the portal on the opposing end of the hall, being brought to a tall room with an abundance of bookshelves. The torches nearby show the same color of flame, but they appear to also give a more natural light than that of the hall we just left from.

"So where are we?" Gallus asks, looking around the room.

I start to look around as I answer his question. "An underground basement of the castle. The royal family used to meet here to discuss legal plans, counteroffensives, and host clandestine love affairs."

Silverstream laid herself across the desk at the center of the room, appearing to tease her boyfriend more than anything else. "So basically, somepony at some point must've fucked on this table?"

While the griffon's eyes widened at her proposal, I roll my eyes and keep searching the shelves for the information I want. "I don't know. Frankly, I don't care."

Gallus gives the desk a few shoves to check it's stability. Despite it's dusty appearance, it shows more resiliency than the griffon shows discipline around his girlfriend. "Seems pretty solid to me."

"Oh yeah, they got nasty in here." Smolder jokes.

While the group is still on the part where I mentioned royal love affairs, I continue to scour the shelves for the information based on what we can find on the humans. But out of a hunch, I begin to think about some of the circumstances the one named Jasper spoke of. And since it had something to do with the former captain, I figure it would come up in some of his records. So I change my search for anything having any record of what might have happened to him instead. "Um... no, no, no... that one."

I pull out a heavy book cross-referencing any and all of the previous captain's doings. I place the heavy tome on the table where the others gather, going straight for the table of contents. "What... is that?" Ocellus asks, amazed by the sound of the book's impact, and equally disgusted by all the dust it kicked up.

"Account of victims from the necro-terrorist incident, apparently. It carries the records of every creature that has been terrorized, mutilated, or directly affected by the incident seven years ago. I figured it would have some information about the former captain."

"That's a thick ass book." The changeling points out.

"There's a lot of victims. And since necromancy was the play, there's a lot of nasty stuff in here too." I say as I skim the page for the topic of my inquiry. "Let's see... Okay, 'Humans' on page 14. Guess they really wanted to get that part out of the way." I mutter, relieved that I don't have to go tabbing for page numbers. The preamble to the section covers five key names. "Hmm... Brewer, Haines, Santaña, Stoudemire, Wembley."

"That human ghost said the last captain killed him. Maybe we can start from there?" Ocellus suggests.

"Way ahead of you." I say as I flip to the figure of our topic, only to find a bunch of black bars impeding much of the text on the page. "Huh... his whole section's been blacked out." I flip through a few more pages, his subtopic being the thickest and most detailed of the bunch. All to no avail. "Damn, ain't shit readable but his name."

"Here, let me do something real quick." The changeling pulls out her phone and turns on her flashlight. She places the light against the back of the page in hopes of seeing something through them. But they appear just as opaque as they did before. "Nope, ink's too dark." She sighs in disappointment.

"Well either way, we can just narrow things down." I state, trying to look back at some of the other subtopics. "So I know one off the rip. Brewer is the name of the human female, I remember that much. Santaña is her husband now." I look to the next available name. "Stoudemire is the darker skin one, he's over in another world now." By default, I already go by the name I also know fairly well. "All the Haines' are brothers, Alex, Stanton, and Nondis, the latter's report being completely redacted."

"And he's the one we needed to look at the most." Ocellus grumbles. "Bummer."

"But that leaves one more we haven't gotten to. This one named Wembley." I start flipping over to the section with that name.

"Who's Wembley?" Smolder asks. "What kind of name is that?"

"No clue." I answer as I come across the first line of the section. A revelation hits me right there as the name reads out in the first sentence. "Ah, okay! So the guy's name is Jasper Wembley."

"JACKPOT!" The changeling shouts excitedly.

Another revelation also hits me as the name resonates even louder in my mind. "You know what, it's odd to think about that name because when I hear 'Jasper', I think of the little kid belonging to Melanie and Rickey." The others look at me with confusion as to who I was referring to. "Oh yeah, you guys know them by their equine names. Cherry Balm, Strapping Lad, and their son Jasper. They're two of the heroes from seven years ago, and also the residential human family in Ponyville."

"Oh." Smolder nods slowly. "Wait, why didn't we start with them?"

I want to give an answer, but find myself being stupefied over my own short-sightedness. "...Yeah, you have a point. Why didn't we start there?"

"We're here now, so let's get back to the present." Gallus interjects. "So what's this guy's deal?"

I start to read on the mentioned human's report, seeing a lot of shady details that could be better explained other than the way they have it depicted in the book. "Apparently abducted from the human world... surprise there. Says here that he was forced into a battle-to-the-death in an underground arena... located in the Corrotto District. He caused serious bodily injury to the captain at the time, dislocating a shoulder, breaking an arm... Holy fuck, stabbing the captain's hand too? This guy was fucking hardcore!"

"Wow, he did some serious work to do that to the last captain." Gallus says as he hovers over the page to read more. "Like seriously, we thought the last captain was damn near immortal. He could punch a brick and the brick would howl in pain, if it didn't shatter from the first blow."

"It also says it's the first time a conflict of two humans have ever been witnessed in Equestria." I read aloud. "The final cause of death seems to be attributed to blood loss. All caused by the rupture of the aorta chamber by means of a knife plunged deep in the chest."

"Wow. Return to sender." Gallus says with quiet amazement. "I knew that guy was immortal."

I go on reading. "Motive was noted to be self-defense. Well that's obvious. State of retrieval... eugh."

"What?" Silverstream asks.

"Heavily embalmed in a refrigerated formaldehyde solution specialized to maintain the consistency and functionality of blood. The part after that is blacked out." I move the book away, admitting that we wouldn't get any further. "There would be a whole record of those who were labeled as 'retrieved', but this one is oddly redacted."

Ocellus tries her hoof on the page again, using the same method. This time she points out a slight difference. "They used a weaker ink to start with on this one. The ink gets considerably thicker from there. It just says deca─"

"For an instance of retrieval? In records like that, usually the only word that starts off like that in a retrieval report is something like... Eugh." Gallus concludes, holding his neck. "Yeah... that's bad. I wonder why he was done like that."

"This whole situation is really something else. Like why would the former captain have this guy hidden? What did they do to this Jasper guy that they keep it hidden?"

"That's information you don't need to know."

The unfamiliar voice stirs all of us to a startle. All of us turn around to see a Zebracorn approaching from the darkness of a nearby corner. She looks back to us with a stern glare.

"Sorry, hun." Yet another voice rings out. Suddenly Ms. Royal appears before us with a saddened expression on her face. "I know you guys are pretty curious about what's going on. Solemn told us about you guys and what you saw. She said we should at least keep tabs."

"Captain Solemn!?" I ask in shock. "But she was out of it, like she was halfway gone from one world to the next!"

"Post-traumatic episodes are like that." Ms. Royal explains. "You probably don't even know, but she saw the one you call Jasper. If anything, she's the one who wrote that report."

Gallus approaches the pair of mares with his own set of questions. "I know you guys don't like talking about it, but why was this guy done like that!? Why is he only looking for revenge against the former captain? Was he really... done over like that?"

The zebracorn's eyes wander as she answers the griffon. "Some things are better left unanswered, some accounts are better left to rest."

"But─" I begin before a hoof is placed on my arm. I look behind me to see none other than Twilight staring me down.

"Sorry. But I'm gonna have to ask you all to leave now."

We were escorted from the basement quietly, Twilight led the way the entire time. As we made our way back to the throne room, I could feel this strange aura coming from her like she was going to do something I wouldn't agree to. Considering that she caught us in the middle of doing some unwarranted research, I can assume that my freedoms for tomorrow are going to be severely limited.

But when we arrived, it was just Solemn and Humbreeze giving them the rundown of what happened. It took a short while to go into the details of what the young colts were doing and who gave them the information to go by. But all of that isn't even the thing that pisses Twilight off the most.

You can pretty much guess what part makes her blow a gasket.

"A way to supercharge your advancement in magic!?" It was the brochure. Not even the crime itself, just the ad on the brochure. "Learn more through these revelations that will have you cast the highest levels of spells in no time. Be the talk of your peers by showing them your new powers. Get your revelation today and see the increase of your magic in seven days or less!?" Right there, that's the part. "This is exploitation! Magic isn't learned in seven days, it takes a lifetime of cultivation of both the mind and body! It takes hard work, practice, discipline, and not to mention proper instruction to be able to perform a spell at it's most fundamental level! Even levitation, that takes years of mental development and control. There's literally no shortcuts!"

"I think we know of at least two cases of that being subverted." Solemn mentions.

"Oh please! We know why they were gifted magic in that manner, so that's a moot point. It doesn't just happen for us unicorns!"

While all of us are sweating nervously for the fact that we might be in trouble, Silverstream points out the obvious. "Your majesty, you're an alicorn."

"I was a unicorn first!" She snarls back as she crumples up the brochure. "If there's one thing I can't stand about magic scams is the crap they spew to young, impressionable minds. The slew of misinformation about magic has been on the rise for years now! And I won't have anymore of this dangerous propaganda poisoning the minds of magic-using citizens everywhere! Find whoever is printing that junk out and have them in chains, especially the makers of this one! This false junk will incentivize young and impressionable foals to delve into the grey area between magic and necromancy! Put an end to this now!"

Both the sergeant and the captain bowed in acknowledging her request. "Your majesty, your word is law."

While the two guards dismiss themselves, the high princess finally brings her undivided attention to us. "Now as for you five, you were given strict instructions to not delve on this matter any further. Why did you find it appropriate to disobey those simple instructions?"

"We weren't investigating the incident, we were just looking for more information about the guy we saw." I try to reason with her. "I'm not trying to look for trouble."

"Spike, even I'm restricted to how much I can look into things! We both share equal clearances! What makes you think that any of this was just fine?"

"It wasn't about the incident, it's just about the guy!" I argue once more.

"That guy is a victim of that whole situation from years ago." Ms. Kalimba responds. "Believe me when I say that even the princess has not seen the visual details of what occurred. And I will not permit her to see it. The idea that you tried to investigate redacted material is nothing short of troublesome."

The situation is already looking bleak. Even when we were at the ruins, Sergeant Humbreeze told us not to look any further into it. Gallus even warned us against it. All the signs were there, and we ignored them. The only thing I can do is take responsibility. "Alright. We're sorry. We didn't know this guy would be on the record for that. We just wanted to find out who he was since he said he was murdered. Obviously that's not the case, but we thought there was some weight to his claim. We didn't know it was this deep."

"Yeah, it's pretty deep, hun." Ms. Royal rebuts as she walks past me. "A lot that happened can't be explained beyond the confines of the museum. The only reason why Twilight's clearance isn't as high is because Celestia felt it was better to reclassify some details to a higher tier. If you don't know, then you won't know. If you know, then you'll know but don't talk about it. She even left it up to one figure to declassify everything. And that creature is the only one with the remaining executive privilege, by Celestia's royal decree, to break the seal."

"But Twilight's the princess now." Ocellus counters. "If she and Spike are the powers that be, then she can reclassify it to her clearance, or even raise her own clearance, right?"

The purple alicorn shakes her head. "It's not that easy. After a transfer of power has been completed, all confidential matters that have been left under seal of a previous administration are to be left in a 'half-life' cycle. That means I can't forcibly break the seals to those documents for another forty-five years. And even then, that won't be my call to make."

Smolder groans and confronts the princess. "Is this situation really so bad that we have to have this whole blow-up about─"

"Without. Question." Ms. Kalimba answers with a slightly thicker accent. The zebracorn lowers her head, clenching her eyes in thought. "The image I remember, it's still... too much." She starts to storm off as she carries her heavy thoughts. "Spare your minds of our nightmares."

After the zebracorn leaves the room, Twilight issues out another set of orders. "Blue Royal, I know you're often busy, but can you you keep an eye on Spike while he's here for the rest of the weekend? He is to not leave the castle grounds until further notice."

"WHAT!?" I shout before flying over to confront her. "Hold on! Tomorrow is my day off!"

"You can spend your day off here, where you'll be kept out of trouble." She says as she starts to walk past me.

I try to keep up with her. "But─"

"This conversation's over, Spike." She declares as her horn begins to glow bright with magic.

I call out to her. "Twilight─" But she disappears in a flash of her magic, leaving me in the room with my friends and the one who's supposed to keep tabs on me. I grind my teeth and shout out to the room loudly. "GrrrrrRRRR─FUCK YOU!"

Ms. Royal mumbles quietly to herself. "To be the younger sibling, been there before."

Ocellus sees how upset the untimely restriction makes me, she measures how heavy I'm breathing over it. "So... rain check on us then?"

I'm too mad to not complain, much less call her out for everything. "My one day off and I'm stuck in the place I don't want to be! But you can dip and go wherever the hell you want while leaving me all the fucking work like usual!? It's cool when you do it, it's a problem when I do it!? Fucking BULLSHIT!" My anger is profound enough that my nostrils begin to smoke.

Smolder looks over to the changeling. "Heavy showers and thunder. Guess we're gonna postpone."

Gallus tries to cheer me up. "Hey, it won't be so bad. Besides, she just said you can't leave the grounds. She didn't say anything about you not having company over." He turns over to both Smolder and Ocellus, giving them a thumbs up. "Just keep your fun to a moderate decibel level and we should be good."

Ms. Royal snickers a moment as she gives a glance back at the doors, speaking in a low voice. "Actually... I think I know a way to satisfy all parties here."

"Hold on, you just got through helping the princess chew us out. Aren't you supposed to be on her side?" Silverstream asks the mare.

"On that topic, yes." She says in a lowered voice. "But the rule is that you don't leave the castle grounds. And last I checked, she'll be inspecting the logs of every checkpoint to the grounds. That'll make it even more difficult for you to leave. However... there is one way you and your friends can disobey that order, all while your cell phone signal is still registered on castle grounds."

"You're a troublesome influence, you know that?" Comments the dragoness.

"Yes, but I like having fun and taking my mind off of bad memories. Wanna know how I do that?"

"Spatial distortion spell?" I guess at the answer.

She shakes her head. "Not even close."

While I'm still a bit miffed over Twilight trying to keep me holed up in the castle for the weekend, Ms. Royal seems to have vastly different plans. I guess she's a little upset that I don't get to wander about the Corrotto District, so I guess she's trying to make up for that somehow.

The manner in which her compensation comes is something I would've never seen coming.

We walk into a room with a seemingly uninteresting mirror, the outer casing made of some cheap black plastic. But attached to it is the same apparatus that seems to function like the mirror over to Ponyville City, an access to a parallel universe where all the equine friends I'm used to seeing are very much humans themselves. The only drawback is that I would be turned into a dog upon entry. So as Ms. Royal steps through that unassuming mirror, I'm expecting myself to come upon similar circumstances. I take a deep breath, mentally prep myself to assume the role of a canine again, and took that step forward.

The mirror's surface warps around me as I approach, the light around me starts to change from a more ambient setting to that of a much brighter source. Everything about my surroundings change. What was once a large room with marble floors, large pearlescent pillars, and a cavernous ceiling, is replaced by a room that could pass as a large hotel room. I look down at myself, seeing nothing but my usual dragon body. The others follow behind, entering as they are.

Ms. Royal stretches her hooves and look back to us. "Okay, we're here."

Ocellus takes note of the fact that the bed's mattress is essentially at eye level. But that's not the only thing that sits that high to her. The nightstand, the vanity dresser counter, all of those things make her feel smaller than what she actually is. She issues her complaint emphatically. "Why is everything taller than it needs to be!?"

Being a few inches taller than the changeling, Ms. Royal also notices the unusually tall furnishings before coming to an epiphany. "Oh yeah! Excuse me for a moment."

She closes her eyes, illuminates her horn, and her body glows with a sapphire blue light. She levitates herself to the air and disappears in a brilliant flash of light. Within that instant of transformation, the blue unicorn mare is replaced by a much taller figure, she even clears me by a few inches. She now appears as a human woman with blue hair, wearing a black and white dress. She gives herself a twirl and winks at us. "Alright! Now I look the part."

The rest of us are baffled to near shock, watching as the transformed mare walks towards us with that bubbly personality of hers. "Wait. You're a human now?" Gallus questions.

"Of course, you gotta be a human in the human world." She further emphasizes her point with her hand movements.

While I was aware of what the sudden changeover meant, the others were caught unaware. So it made their discovery all the more exciting to them. "WAIT, WE'RE IN THE HUMAN WORLD NOW!?" Ocellus screams hysterically.

"Uh, I thought we weren't supposed to leave castle grounds." Gallus also adds. "I didn't think we'd be leaving our world, much less the castle."

"Yeah, leaving the castle grounds through the usual means would be an issue. But she didn't say anything about leaving the world while on castle grounds. It's a legal gray area that can't truly be infringed because of trade." She replies with a smirk.

"And if you're not reported by a checkpoint, then it can be assumed that you've never left the grounds." Gallus concludes with a moment to awe at the mare's legal workaround. "I can tell you got in trouble a lot when you were younger."

She bashfully rolls her eyes at the griffon. "Not in a mood to talk about all of that! Let's get some transformations going!" Ms. Royal turns her head to me, her hand already starting to glow with magic. "Starting with you."

While I'm relieved to stay my true self, I have a shaking feeling that I'm going to be turned back into a dog at a moment's notice. "Oh no."

She giggles as the spell takes hold of me. "You're going to be a total piece of candy, I can already tell."

My body is engulfed by a flash of light, everything about me feels vastly different. Suddenly the room I'm in feels cooler. My line of vision seems to be slightly altered, raised even. I look back down to my four claws, now seeing five fingers in their place. The scales of my body are turned to flesh. I feel against my arms and note how comparatively smooth they are. I look to a mirror, seeing a figure with green hair slowly approaching me. I get closer, as does the figure. I pull my cheek down to see the figure doing the same motion.

It's me... I'm actually a human right now!

Smolder sees what I've turned into and scowls with objectivity. "Uh... human standards are weird."

"Mine aren't!" Ms. Royal says as she posts herself by my shoulder. I stand at least two to three inches above her, a resounding eight inch difference from my usual dragon height. "And mine say that you are... prime snack material."

Smolder doesn't find the sight of the mare posturing up beside me ideal. She breaks between us both, already well below our heights. "Okay, me next. Let's get this over with before you get too distracted." She points to Ms. Royal, trying to get her to focus.

Meanwhile, the billionaire heiress seems to be amused by the dragoness' territorial tendencies. "Aw, poor little dragon girl wants to see where she stacks up with her dragon boy toy. Well I'm not mean enough to deny you that opportunity. So consider your wish granted."

Yet another bright flash of light illuminates the room. And much like how I've come out of my transformation, Smolder performs the same actions. She shivers a bit while holding her arms. She notices the extra digit on her hands and plugs them into her pants. She notices the beam of light filtering through the window close to blinding her and squints. Her hair is curly and holding a mix of violet and indigo strands.

She raises to the tips of her toes, but notices that she's not going any higher. She turns around and feels the shirt against her back. "Where are my wings?"

"You don't have them in this form, none of you do. I don't have my horn in this form either." Ms. Blue explains straightaway.

"Then how do you do the magic thing?" The transformed dragon inquires.

"Well a certain human gave me lessons on how to translate my magic across forms." She quickly summarizes before looking to Ocellus. "Should I go ahead and do you up next?"

The changeling scoffs proudly as she sits in a chair by a wooden work desk. "No thanks, I got it."

Her transformation isn't nearly as bright and bombastic. She opts for her usual mode of changing forms. Turquoise flames consume her body and flash upwards quickly to reveal a young woman with pink hair and a small frame. She wears a light blue crop top and a short white skirt. She smiles as thought she figures herself to be the prettiest girl in the room.

"Now that's adorable."

"What?" She asks Smolder, as the former dragon picks her up to get her to stand. It's immediately made known that while she may try to be the prettiest in the room, she's also the shortest by a country mile. Her height tops off at around 4'10", maybe getting an extra inch on shoes. Smolder and I start to snicker at her short stature. "Oh you better not be talking about my height."

Ms. Royal doesn't laugh, but only points out another painful fact. "Well... You are small by female human standards."

"I'm small because it helps me sustain my form longer!" She erupts in her own defense. "Geez, I swear I could make myself six-feet tall if I want to, but I won't last for too long. It's a logistics problem!"

I walk up to her, seeing how her head can't even seem to clear my shoulders. "You are so tiny, I can still pick you up like a kid."

She pushes me away in a pouting fit. "If you're not throwing me on a bed like it's a sexually charged wrestling match, I don't want it."

We all share a laugh at her reaction, but turn our attention back to the transformations of Gallus and Silverstream, namely the former. "Alrighty then, that leaves the both of you non-bipedal adapted creatures. Just to warn you off the bat, you're going to struggle in the first hour or so."

As her hand glows, Gallus pops his neck and psychs himself up. "Yeah, I'm not exactly used to not having wings to help with that counterbalance either. I'm gonna be in for some work, aren't I?"

The woman smiles kindly, offering some emotional and mental support for the griffon. "Trust me, you'll get used to it."

Yet another flash of light beams throughout the room, yet another figure is transformed. Gallus comes out of the spell appearing taller than the rest of us. I'm surprised to see that he clears six feet easily. The spikey blue hair goes well with his blue eyes. His demeanor is nervous as he sits on the ground. "So... what's the verdict?" He questions.

Ms. Royal nods. "Straight up cute. But I can't say too much because I know your girlfriend might have something to say about it, and I do wanna be respectful of that." That comment makes Smolder blurt out a loud 'Ha!' in protest. The transformed unicorn pays the dragoness no mind as she focuses her magic one last time, this time to the hippogriff. "So let's get you ready to go, hun. I know you're vying to give that new form of his a test ride."

Silverstream nods as she looks down to her transformed beloved. "Yeah, I'm kinda curious now."

Ms. Royal offers one additional bit of incentive. "Spoiler alert, human endurance can be five times as long as that of a pony. Or twice if you really know where and how to break him down."

The hippogriff's eyes widen. "FIVE TIMES AS LONG!? Griffon males last about as long as they do on average! You're telling me I'm gonna get five times that!? SIGN ME UP RIGHT NOW!"

"That's my girl!" Ms. Royal cheers, using her spell on the final creature that has yet to be transformed.

Much like Gallus, she clears everyone else height-wise. But she's still shorter than Gallus by at least two inches. But something about her appearance is different than the rest of us. She appears pale in comparison.

The pale skin doesn't seem to match her irrational exuberance. "Ooh, so how do I look!?"

Ms. Royal appears stunned, as though Silverstream just hit the lottery and the machine's still ringing with her prize. "I didn't expect you to be this pale on the skin, some idiots would complain that you probably don't go out in the sun that often, but I guess that's a reflection of your species with being in the water for so long. Either way you look really fucking pretty! You have like this... enchanting elven look about you, at least what humans would consider it." She looks down to Gallus and gives him a stern warning. "You keep an eye out for her, she's gonna be on a lot of human males' hit list. And they don't mind competing."

"So now what?" Smolder asks as Gallus tries to stand up, only to fall on his face.

Silverstream tries to reach out to him to help, but her lower body is vastly different from either of her forms. She also has no wings to help her counterbalance standing on two legs, so she too falls over her boyfriend. Gallus groans out in pain the next point of his agenda. "I think the first order of business is getting us to walk straight."

While it's easy for Ocellus, Smolder, and I to bear with the transformation, Ms. Royal acknowledges their hardship while also having a plan to deal with it. "Well I think I know just the place to do it. But let me get some preliminaries out of the way first." She says as she pulls out her phone. She taps away at her screen before putting the device to her face, waiting for the dial tone to connect.

"What preliminaries do you have set aside?" I ask her before she points a finger out to put me on hold.

A voice pops up on the other end of the call. "Hello?"

Ms. Royal immediately puts the phone on speaker while conducting her call. "Hey Melanie, how's the day going!?"

"It's going alright! Is everything okay on your end? I know you usually stay pretty busy keeping up with the flow of goods going from portal to portal. You're not getting stressed? No one on your corporate staff getting on your nerves."

"Nope!" She answers with a bright smile.

"No episodes creeping up on you?"

She gives me a slight glance but goes back to the conversation. "Well, you know... just one... but we'll get on that later. I'm over at your place now."

"Really!? You're in Ponyville?"

"No, I'm actually at your place in Austin." She corrects her friend on the other end.

"Oh! Okay."

"Yup, I brought Spike and a few of his friends along."

"Did you transform them?"

"Yeah, but Gallus and Silverstream are the only two who are struggling to walk right now. I thought that I could take them over to the Haines' place so they can have a little more, you know, free range of motion." She suggests as she flags us to help move Gallus and Silverstream along.

"That sounds like a great idea! I still remember when we did that with you seven years ago! We know you needed the time to get away from it all and take your mind off of a few things, and you turned out to fit in just fine! Just do me a favor when you drive, try not to get pulled over on the way there. Watch for traffic, you know it's a mess over that way, especially with the 5-7 o'clock crowd."

As we arrive to what seems to be the kitchen, we're amazed by how spacious the home really is. Ms. Royal goes to a drawer situated next to a door, looking around for something. "Girl, it's Texas. The road is always busy."

"And you already know it! The keys to the Escalade are─"

"Yeah I know, top drawer of the cabinet close to the garage." She says, pulling out the keys and jingling them over the receiver. "I'll try not to scratch it."

"You're almost a human yourself at this point. I'm starting to think that I trained you a little too well."

She opens the door and introduce us to a dimly lit room. Inside of it appears to be a large black vehicle with mirrors on either side of it. As I'm holding Gallus, he motions me to get closer to the large vehicle. "Well I'm thankful you taught me how to drive other than some of these other guys out here." Ms. Royal continues her conversation with the native human.

"Alright, friend. Do what you need to do. Be safe, call me when you get there. You know the code to the gate already, I'll call ahead to mama Haines and let her know company's coming over. You know she's gonna try to bake you some of her famous red velvet cake."

She hits a button, causing the vehicle to light up as we hear a clunk on all the doors. "Yup, can't wait to get my ass over there to get some! Love you to bits, girl!"

"Love you too! Smooches!"

She fakes a kiss onto the receiver as the other party does the same before hanging up. She pulls on the handle of the door and hops into the vehicle. "Alright, kiddos! Let's load up!"

"Wait, are we all really about to get in this thing?" Gallus asks as the others try to help Silverstream do the same thing.

"Yup." She says as she reaches up to what appears to be some unusual mirror situated at the center of the front window.

While she's making her adjustments, she waits for all of us to load up into the vehicle. Ocellus takes the front seat, Smolder sits behind her. Silverstream situates herself right behind Ms. Royal. Both Gallus and I sit in the far back. While our legs aren't offered too much space, we're still amazed over how many of us it fits, and that's with one more seat between me and Gallus to fill. "This thing's a tank!" The transformed griffon comments.

"Not as tanky as you think it is." She replies as she presses a button on the console by the steering wheel. The vehicle issues three arpeggiated chimes just before we hear a roar from the engine. All the ladies up front are amazed over all the lights and screens popping up on the dashboard. She hits a button just above her head and a large door starts to open behind us.

A map pulls up on the screen on the dashboard, Ocellus eagerly presses at where it says destination. "Wow, this thing has an onboard navigation system like a ship! So... where are we going?"

The transformed unicorn begins to sing. "♪We're going on a trip in our favorite piece of shit, doing 25, on I-35. Come aboard, get ready to be floored, never mind the wait on the Texas Interstate.♫"

"Traffic's that bad?" She asks.

"Oh yeah." She answers as she pulls down a buckle from over her left shoulder. "Seat belts, everyone!"

As soon as we leave the driveway, Ms. Royal pulls up a playlist of her favorite songs to drive around to. As we quickly discover, her personal tastes are vastly different from the bumping and throbbing bass of the club she owns. Instead, it's much more mellow and calming. The first song that pops up is one called 'The Other Side'. But as for us, our eyes are glued to the windows, taking in the passing world around us.

In a way, the song makes sense to us as to why she chose it.

The world is a teeming mess of suburbs and passing life. Vehicles of all sorts of builds, ages, and sizes pass us by, that or we pass them. The stores are many, offering many opportunities to purchase anything you may desire. It's incredible. It's so different from the relative hamlet of Ponyville, and we haven't even reached the main attraction yet.

As one could predict, the traffic picks up as we get closer to the junctions leading us to the main road. A blue shield marks our key point of access. It takes a while to get on, but when we finally get on, we really get to moving. There are occasional slowdowns, but I don't think we were ever as slow as what Ms. Royal playfully advertised.

The road widens, passing signs continue to signal where we want to go or stop. One name continues to remain prominent, 'Austin'. There are giant intersections with bridges towering high above the road. The cars split off and almost fly to their preassigned destinations. Other are guided into us and merged to our flow. The confusion it causes makes our heads spin, just being within the mayhem is almost astounding. It's just so much to absorb, there are signs everywhere telling you where you want to go, what you want to do, what you want to eat or buy, where to sleep, who to call for car accidents, hospitals, schools, churches, it's all here!

As we continue southward, we catch glimpses of towering buildings in the distance, massive multiplexes that shoot upward, stadiums that spread far and wide, all of these things that could never be seen so consistently in Equestria, it's all here. It's almost like going through the streets of Manehattan again. I'm taller than a lot of ponies, I gained inches in the transformation, and yet I feel so small in this moment. More and more, the glimpses offer more sights of the massive city that almost seems to garner little sleep. Before we know it, it's hitting us in the middle of the face, building after building, tower after tower, large dwellings of power and finance all culminating to the lively urban footprint. Glass reaching the sky at heights unfathomable for even the urbanite dwellers of Manehattan. At least until we reach the bridge crossing the river is where it all stops. And then we finally see it.

We finally see Austin.

We would see it for a short while before having to make our next exit. Then we travel alongside the river for a bit until we reach one of the other roadways, taking what Ms. Royal calls a service road. Then we make a few turns into the area, and finally reaching a gated neighborhood. She puts in a code, the iron gate opens, and we continue our ride a little further. Our ride is a lot slower now, but it's coming to an end. And before we know it, it comes to an end in the 'driveway' of a monstrous estate.

Our jaws are drawn to the ground as the car comes to a complete stop. Ms. Royal jingles the keys as she opens the door. "Alright, here we are! Everybody out!"

Ocellus just stares at the height of the home with her jaw agape. Silverstream is helped along by Smolder while I help Gallus. The changeling sees the massive home and how far it stretches from side to side. The grounds around are plentiful and green for a mere home. The transformed changeling makes a comment of it. "This isn't a house, it's a castle."

"Eh, more like something over at the Canterlot Backend." Ms. Royal replies.

"You're kidding. The captain's parents live here?" Gallus questions, shaking his head in disbelief.

Ms. Royal explains further. "Well it's more like a family estate... that actually feels and operates like a family estate. It's quite homey compared to my last house on the back end of the mountain."

"You lived on the back end? Why'd you stop living there." He inquires her further.

She shakes her head. "It's complicated, pretty long story."

The front door opens to reveal an older lady coming from within. She walks up with a warm and welcoming demeanor to embrace the mare. "And there she is! My little Blue Royal!"

"Mama Haines!" She squeals out before warmly embracing the older woman. "Ooh, it's so good to see you up and at it still!"

"Honey, I'm not that old. I might be looking at sixty in a few, but I'm still good to go." She replies. "I bet you're hungry after being out and about for so long."

"I heard there will be cake." She's not even hiding it.

"I swear you ponies are so bad for that. If it wasn't for my daughter-in-law, I wouldn't have even prepared one. Is my cake really that good?"

"The best!" Ms. Royal proclaims openly and loudly.

"Well I'm glad I took the time to make more than one." She says with a smile, then turning to us. "Oh, and I haven't forgotten about our new guests!"

"Hello, Mrs. Haines." I greet her with a wave.

"Why do you sound like Spike? Is that you!?" She says as she gets a little closer. I suppose over time she's gotten fairly perceptive of who is who whenever they transform. I could even say she has a natural talent for it, almost cutie mark worthy. "Oh! It is!"

"Yeah, I gotta get used to this body." I bashfully explain to her.

"Aw." She pinches my cheek and hugs me all the same. "Well I'll say you're working it pretty well, I think you'll be fine. It's so good to see you again. How's your sister?"

She's referring to Twilight. "She's fine."

Ms. Royal steps in and also introduces the others. "Mrs. Haines, you know Spike already, but I want to introduce you to the others. This is Gallus, he's a griffon. Silverstream is a hippogriff. Smolder is a dragon. And Ocellus is a changeling."

"Oh my, we have quite a collection today." She says as she greets each and every one of the others with a handshake.

While initially nervous, Ocellus warms herself to shake hands with the older woman. "Nice to meet you, ma'am."

She notices how Gallus keeps leaning on me and immediately gives him attention. "Oh dear, it seems they're not quite comfortable walking yet."

"Yeah, it's pretty much why we're here. We figured we could use the room for branching out, that or getting them back to being themselves without too much hassle." Ms. Royal states.

"Do they fly?" The older woman asks.

"Yes ma'am they do."

She looks around the sky, trying to come up with a compromise if they ever want to ever transform back for their own forms for comfort. "So let's do this. I know that the skyline is pretty overwhelming if you've passed it on on the way in, but if you want to see it after the sun finally goes down, I would recommend that you try to wait until after ten tonight to hit the sky, stay a bit low as to not get involved with the usual air traffic, and try not to bring too much attention to yourselves in a manner like using magic, fire breathing, landing on someone's house, things like that. Otherwise, feel free to feel at home." It seems she's a lot looser with her restrictions than I figured she would be.

Smolder looks to her back and makes a note of something previously brought up. "There's air traffic? I thought you humans couldn't fly."

"We can't, but there are vehicles that can. And some we do ride on, like helicopters and such." Mrs. Haines clarifies. "Just steer clear of those and you're good to go."

"But for now, let's get you two used to walking!" Ms. Royal chimes in. "We'll save you all flying about for a reward of your progress."

Gallus smiles as he remembers the huge city we just passed recently. "Now I really can't wait to get started."

It took an hour or so, but both Gallus and Silverstream can now run perfectly as humans would. The other interactions leave much to be desired, but they'll catch on much faster than a pony would, and that's on the account that they already had claws with opposable digits to begin with. It's just working with the extra finger that's pretty confusing for all of us. But I find that if we pretend that the tiny one doesn't exist, it becomes pretty standard.

After that, she finally brought us the cake she made and broke out the family photo album. We're now in the living room of the home, which is pretty damn boisterous by most traditional standards. There's a stairwell leading to the second floor of the home, a chandelier hanging from the high ceiling, comfy seats, a grand piano, and enough room to hold a party of many. Gallus even jokes that coming in here makes him feel like he should check in with security for his next post. To be honest, I don't blame him or Ocellus calling this place a castle. It feels like one, a much more homelier one but one I'd like to spend a few nights in.

Silverstream is much more interested in the photo album than anything else. Mrs. Haines obliges to show what she has on all of the family. And the way it was sorted was all by age, starting from the humble beginnings of her marriage. The pictures show her and Mr. Haines sharing a slice of cake, feeding a bite to one another. And it sprouts out from there. There's photos of the first born Alex, his first day at home, his first steps, his first family vacation, first visit with the grandparents, all of it. Then came the pictures of the next sibling, the captain himself.

"Aww, he's so small!" The hippogriff notes loudly. "And look at that smile!"

Everything on him seems to be a lot more subdued, probably because of all the attention a first born would normally have, the later kids don't get as much. But if that smile he had was any indication of his outlook on life, you'd swear nothing could go wrong. "Huh, didn't know the captain ever had a smile that big." Gallus notes.

"Oh he had that smile ever since he was young. The last time I've seen him with that same smile was what, the wedding?" Mrs. Haines points out.

The photos continue from there on to the point where he was on a farm, taking care of a large equine that vastly dwarfed him. But the smile started to wear a little after that point in time. But it was still there, he was still a bit optimistic. Even as he goes through his adolescent phase, he begins to look a little awkward but he's still smiling. "Huh, even he looks so unassuming." Ocellus mumbles to herself.

The smile is holding, but it's obvious that some things might have happened to lessen it's strength. All in all, he's still trying his best. Photos of him being next to his younger brother, Stanton, he's even smaller than him. "This was him graduating from high school." Mrs. Haines illustrates.

Smolder's attention is brought to the fact that he stands between both Alex and Stanton, being shorter than the two. "Oh, he's not as tall as I thought he would be."

"Probably an even six." I comment.

"Five-ten, but he never liked to admit it. The extra two inches came after his freshman year." Mrs. Haines adds as she flips the page.

Another thing pops out about the captain's appearance that the others didn't get to experience. If they were there the day he first showed up in Equestria, they would note how chubby he was at the time. Even staying in Equestria for those first few months managed to get him to drop considerable weight because of his diet changes and the lack of vehicular travel. In short, he had to walk everywhere. "Wow, he didn't really stay too fit." Gallus tilts his head at the photos, especially one ones where he and a few of his friends were in dresses.

"No, he was just a normal college frat boy back then." She briefly explains. "That's when he first ran into Rickey and Cliff. Those two ended up being better friends than most of that fraternity would ever try to be. They even helped us when we thought Nondis had gone and disappeared in the gulf. We figured he didn't make it, but those two and Melanie kept us hopeful for as long as they could. Meanwhile, he's off in another world."

As soon as she flips the page, I see a familiar picture. It's of him getting past boot camp, and more specifically a picture of him and Twilight getting in a big smooch right in front of the graduating recruits. "Wooo-ho-o-oah! What is this!?" Silverstream screams with excitement.

"Oh, that's him graduating basic training. That was back when he and Princess Twilight were seeing each other. He had a pretty bright smile then."

As the pictures go along, they're also mixed in with a number of headlines of significant accomplishments. There's the headline where he's first announced as captain of the royal guard. Then there's some noting his rescue operation at the Everfree Castle Ruins, where he saved a number of citizens from a changeling abduction ring. There's some with the parade celebrating his victory. There's another with him and his five friends stopping a large changeling invasion of Ponyville by themselves, that event especially has Ocellus looking away. Then there's the photo of him being in dire straights with an arimaspi looming over him, that being followed up by a photo of him covered in blood holding several bags of gold. The picture of him after his assassination attempt, holding his thumb up while he's in a wheelchair. A picture of him standing next to his brothers with their weapons in tow.

It's a lot to go on and on about, and the main one who's really fawning over this stuff is Gallus. "I still can't believe the story of a history the captain had. Like he did all of this and we didn't even get to see him in action. It's pretty disappointing." Ocellus on the other hand is not as imaginative over the circumstances, especially since a lot of his accomplishments came at the cost of what all her mother had accomplished.

The page flips, and now the image becomes more of what I'm used to seeing in recent years. It's the picture of him after the cleanup operation of the Necro-terrorist Incident. It was after that point where he stopped trying to put on a brave face. It was almost like looking at Shining Armor after one of his deployments. A broken expression, cold eyes, thousand yard stare for days, and scars for years to come. "Wow, his smile is... gone." Smolder points out with a somber tone.

"Oh yeah, he was rehabbing at that point." Mrs. Haines replies as Ms. Royal looks off, not able to bear seeing the human at his most vulnerable. "Poor baby, that awful psychopath did a number on him. I can't believe he went through all of that pain just to be able to marry someone he loved. He's a tough one." There's not much of him, no headlines after that aside from him helping remove a millennium old marriage edict from the law books. Everything from there appears quiet, intimate, and humble. The smile tries to come back, but too much has happened for it to be anywhere near what it once was in his youth. But it's return could only be attributed to the figure often seen with him in the photos.

And at last, with the turn of a page, are the images of him and his wife, Celestia. "And there's the wedding." I mumble, seeing a number of photos, some even moving with a number of enchantments. They recreate all the moment Mr. and Mrs. Haines had in their union and then some, there's even the moment where they both used all they had to set the sun, the first dance, the party of the reception, the reunion of the six human element bearers, him standing behind his niece, the picture of him with Solemn Oath, Humbreeze, and a freshly-recruited Gallus, a few gag pictures involving him, Twilight, and Celestia, one where Flurry Heart gets carried away and tries to abduct him for her aunt, the parting parade, and the last picture of the couple departing in an airship to Silver Shoals.

Gallus continues to wax on about his disappointment. "I'm still pretty bummed I didn't get to see him in action. I always thought with the whole Union of Evil ganging up on Equestria five years ago, he would've came to the forefront of it all and showed some of his stuff."

"Yeah, but I think Celestia did good in keeping him out of trouble since then. He didn't need to do anything else so grandiose as saving the world." Mrs. Haines comments, letting her personal bias for her son show.

"Still would've been cool to see." Says the transformed griffon.

Silverstream sighs as she pinches the pages, going between the moment where he shared kisses between the two royal figures. "Poor Princess Twilight. Can you imagine having to marry off the guy you dated first?"

"Eh, those two were bad for each other." I sigh heavily. The others in the room aside from Mrs. Haines and Ms. Royal stare at me like I've said something off color. "No, really. It was a really toxic cycle that seemed to only end after she broke off from him publicly. She had intentions to get back with him in private, but never conveyed that properly. Instead, they just argued and fought a lot over a bunch of shit, then followed that up with some flings with each other here and there. Then Celestia pops the idea of him and her being an item, and suddenly Twilight's locked in her bedroom for twelve hours. But seriously, her love life fell apart on that day while his actual life went south after she broke up with him while he was in the hospital recovering from an assassination attempt."

The others look at me completely slack-jawed. Smolder slowly gives her response. "...That's a lot to process."

Ocellus then snaps at me loudly over the information I just spilled. "YOU FUCKING HAD TEA, AND YOU HELD OUT!? FOR SEVEN YEARS!?!?" I try to give a response, but she stuffs her palm over my mouth and points her finger against the tip of my nose. "Oh no, Mr. The-Dragon, we'll talk later." ...Either I'm gonna have to tell her in greater detail all of what happened, or I'm going to have to have the endurance of bedrock itself. No matter the requirement, it's going to be a long night.

"Meanwhile, I'll have another cup of that one, please." Silverstream requests with a raised hand.

The older woman groans in despair over the conversation taking this specific turn. "Oh goodness gracious, can we not discuss my son's amorous affairs? I don't need to reimagine the polygon of relationships that boy had throughout that one year."

"Ha! It was a decagon!" Ms. Royal laughs out loud. "Yeah... can't say it didn't have it's fun moments though.

"Like please, can we not?" The mother requests emphatically.

"Yes, ma'am. We'll swap it up." Replies the devious billionaire. "So, would it be possible to have a game night since we have so many creatures here?"

Mrs. Haines immediately draws a breath of relief. "With all of us? I don't see why not. Harold's not gonna complain too much about having company in this relatively empty castle we have as a home." Guess I'm not the only one who'll call it that.

"Great, guess that makes an even eight if Mr. Haines is looking to join us!" Ms. Blue applauds.

"Eight?" The older woman hesitates. "Actually, I was thinking we could have one as like a referee and ten others. Harold went out to get the other three who'll be joining us tonight."

Ms. Royal quirks a brow. "There's supposed to be eleven? Who's the other three?"

"That'll be us."

All of us turn around quickly to source the voice coming from above. We look to the bannister of the second level seeing two alicorns and two men standing up there. They're posted against the railing as though they're watching us, or have been for a while. Both the alicorns are easily identifiable, they're the former princesses of Equestria Celestia and Luna. The two men are none other than father and son. Mr. Haines being an older man with a smirk...

"Honey! You made it here already?"

And the former captain himself, Nondis P. Haines, who's voice boomed throughout the room.

"Yeah, ma. It's almost as if this ain't my home world to begin with."

Chapter 13: Otherworldly Optimism

Envy, frustration, and scars.

Years ago, I was still living in Ponyville. At the time, I was still so infatuated with Rarity that I couldn't bear the thought of seeing her walk into another dead-end romance. If anything, I was starting to come into my adolescent mind, challenging the idea of her constantly telling me that we weren't viable. I kept telling her that if she could, I could even wait until I was of an age where the legality wouldn't matter. She denied it and kept trying to move forward, all while leaving me behind to watch her drift yet again to a hopeless obsession. Her obsession: A certain human who spent a month living in her boutique.

With her, it's always a sudden ramp-up that makes the romance fall apart so easily. But this one was slow, it had time to cultivate over months of him staying here. She didn't mind making him the clothes he wore, even if it put her budget in the red. She didn't mind him drawing up her bath, then walking out of the room while she was still walking in. She rented out rooms in Canterlot while on business trips, and had him in the same room. And when he left to solidify his relationship with Twilight, she couldn't bear losing out.

So what did she do, she doubles down.

She forces me to acknowledge how his actions were so heroic that it put a bitter taste in my mouth, all while mewling his name into her pillows at night. She rocks her hips to her imagination of him, stirring the desire of taking from one of her friends. And it leaves me to look from a distance, beating with arousal and envy over how much this one human had taken from me. How could she encounter something that wasn't even her own species, and look to cultivate a relationship when I had been there first? How could she risk damaging the bonds of friendship for sexual infatuation? How could it be him instead of me? How was it fair? Those were the thoughts that stewed in my mind, breeding a storm of greed and betrayal.

Then one day, I met a politician who felt the human's presence was disrupting the natural harmony of Equestria. His name was Count DuMoneé. He preached to me about how he wished the human would put his impromptu battlefield promotion aside and allow for a more conservative option of captain to be made. After all, his selection went against the grain of every officer and guard who worked hard to get there the old fashioned way. Why did he go against the grain, why couldn't he just keep his head down and stay out of the way? That's how I felt too.

So we worked together, looking to find some way to get him out of his position by any means. Of course his option was a lot more personally driven. It seemed that his own children had grown supportive of the human, a figure they had never met once and they were cheerleading him forward with their support, creating business and organizations to aid in the advancement of the rights of his species. They were beating him to the punch, and their campaigns were more than favorable.

While I could see that his ambitions were becoming dark, mine too started to fester in that area. So I was left with a choice, either go along with his plans or face my problems alone. I knew I couldn't get much done by myself, therefore I opted to trust him. But his trust with me was already limited because of his personal beliefs in differing creatures. He wanted me to prove that I could be trusted, that I was truly on his side.

He gave me a simple instruction: Kill the captain in his sleep.

Obviously I failed, and he didn't really like that too much. But he did see that I was willing to go through with it if I hadn't been disturbed. That moment had me really thinking though, was I really strong enough in my anger that I was ready to commit an act of murder at the young age of twelve, all because of a crush? It was a secret that I had to keep, after all what would Rarity think of me if it was known that I had tried to do away with her crush.

She found out eventually. In fact, it was that same politician who lobbied me for his trust that broke mine in turn. He told them all what I did, he threatened Twilight with a smile, and also managed to walk away with the captain, having him face the wrath of the parliament in a midnight session to send him on a suicide mission. He did all of that without me, he didn't have to put me out there in front of Twilight, her parents, all of our friends, but he did it anyways to keep me reigned in.

It was the only time where being punched in the face felt like a reward, and Nondis gave that to me in spades.

After all of that, I realized it would be better to confess my crimes to the others and face my time. But Twilight shielded me from facing those consequences. Even then, when I've done so much damage, I was still offered the freedom to watch as he suddenly became a national icon, a beacon of hope, a survivor of a suicide mission, and an overcomer of assassination.

At that point, I realized I had nothing to stack up against him. I only hoped for that politician to get his penance somehow. I got mine in a sense, he and Rarity hooked up for a day or two, I got a few licks to the face, I had to endure the shame of being in the wrong, and I had to accept that. We patched things up sometime after Starlight came into the picture, so we're good. However the politician known as Count DuMoneé, he was still deranged in his obsession. But his kids, who wanted to help the human by any means, they made him face his past demons. The senator couldn't bear with it, and he committed suicide by means of defenestration.

That all happened during that fateful timeline, leading directly to the events of seven years past.

Even looking at the past now, it's weird that we even speak casually about it. At the time I disliked him for petty shit, now I respect him for who he is... while also fearing what he is now. Those events changed him, now he's putting on his best mask to hide it all. Perhaps it's grafted to him pretty well considering his marriage and his wife working him through it all, but I fear the moment where that mask has to come back down.

Playing a game of Cards Against Humanity isn't one of those times.

None of us have ever played this game before, except those who are native to the world or at least used to it. To my understanding, we're supposed to either play the game like it makes sense, or play to the card czar. At the moment, it's Celestia who's holding the title.

"Okay, so the card of the session reads 'Maybe she's born with it, maybe it's _______.' Maybe she's born with something."

I can see a number of hands shuffling through cards to pick out which one will tickle her fancy. Since she's a fan of dark humor, I figure it's better to go with the more offensive option. My cards aren't as offensive as I would like, but I pick one and go with it. We place our cards down on the table face down, then watch as she shuffles the cards around without seeing who it belongs to. Finally, she lines them up and starts reading from them one by one.

"First one. Maybe she's born with it, maybe it's unnatural anxiety."

Silverstream cracks up laughing as she points to herself. "Oh yeah, I've been there before."

The former princess smiles as she reads another option. "Maybe she's born with it, maybe it's a restraining order." That one gets a bit of a giggle from her.

"That one's mine." Gallus raises his hand in confession.

"Can you imagine being born with a restraining order." Mrs. Haines questions mid-giggle.

"I was born to someone who deserved one, does that count?" Ms. Royal blurts out loudly.

"Well now he has the best restraining order possible, the cold embrace of death." Mr. Haines states.

"Yeah─let's not go there." Nondis rolls his eyes.

"Honey, it's not like he's gonna come falling out of the sky this time." Celestia comments, causing the man to groan agonizingly. Mrs. Haines covers her mouth in shock as her husband bursts out laughing. Honestly, even that joke was incredibly hardcore for me. "Okay, continuing on. Maybe she's born with it, maybe it's crippling depression."

"Alright, who's throwing shade?" Asks a disgruntled Ms. Royal.

"That one's mine. I didn't really have any good options." Confesses Smolder.

"I mean it's still a good option." Nondis replies. "If Blue was the card czar, it might've been a winner."

"It would've worked just as well with you." The billionaire heiress shoots back.

He quickly hits back at her. "I know everyone in here saw the photo album, mom always shows the shit whenever we have otherworldly guests. Like there's no way I was born with crippling depression with a smile that big."

"Shut it before I put one on you." Celestia chides her husband. "Alright, next one. Maybe she's born with it, maybe it's a vagina." She turns to her sister. "Luna, I know this one's yours."

"I'm just saying the timing is perfect with what you just said to your husband." The former princess snarks.

"Hey, it works for me too." Mr. Haines calls out, causing his wife to gawk at him. Gallus walks over to him and gives him a handshake of affirmation. He points back to the transformed griffon. "See this, man of culture! He knows what's up!"

Celestia shakes her head at her sister's card and goes on with the game. "Maybe she's born with it, maybe it's a third leg!?"

"Well it's a fifth for some." I comment about my card.

"If that's what you want, Spike, all you have to do is ask." Ocellus replies back to me.

Both Nondis and I shout back at her. "NO!"

"Okay, I think we should keep it moving before this gets any worse." Celestia says as she flips the next card. "Maybe she's born with it, maybe it's a miscarriage─" She covers her face with her wings. She immediately turns to her husband and screams at him. "YOU MOTHERFUCKER!"

"So does that mean I win?" He says with a smile before putting up a defensive barrier to ward off a few slaps of his wife's wings. He's laughing as she continues her assault. She also flips the other cards up, not even giving them a read while she pairs Nondis' card with her own. She shoves the deck over to him and pouts quietly, trying to suppress her laughter. But it's even funnier seeing the veins in her neck strain from keeping back her laughter. "Maybe she's born with it, maybe it's a second chance at the abortion clinic."

"DIVORCE!" The former princess screams.

"Eh, I'll screw you out of it later."

Her ears fall in response to his threat. "I know."

"I'll even scratch you behind your ears and brush your mane." He says as he organizes the deck.

Her ears now pin back. "You damn well better."

I never thought that a game of cards based around insulting you and others would ever be so fun, at least until today. If anything, it's a great takeaway on how to deal with past issues that can sometimes trouble you, especially when others have similar issues. I've even talked to Ms. Royal about producing a deck made just for Equestrian pop culture. She said it will have to be cleared with a focus group first before making the cut. She then sighed and noted how many in her corporate space don't have the humor we had. Guess that's a no then.

Having gone through our training of being humans, Nondis politely asked us if we were comfortable being that way for the night of if we wanted to take a midnight fly out in the sky. All of us voted the latter option. Once we were turned back, we were given our warnings to stick around some trees when we land, and to also make sure that we weren't too far into the city proper where the lights start to give us away.

On that note, we heeded our warnings and took to the sky.

We all take up a few trees on our landing, still in amazement over how bright this place is. All of us start to imagine what it would be like to wander around in a place this big and boisterous. Ain't no buildings nearly this big in Manehattan, not in Las Pegasus, Phillydelphia, Canterlot, none of them. It's crazy to think that human architecture is so advanced where you can plop down buildings this big, stuff them full of lights, and have people live in them. We all dream of seeing ourselves in one of these towers.

"Can you imagine if Ember saw something like this?" Smolder asks. "She'd probably lose her shit over how the buildings look like mountains."

"I think it looks more like a drastically advanced changeling colony." Ocellus argues. "The way these buildings shoot up and touch the sky would drive Thorax mad. He already doesn't like heights too much."

"A changeling king who can fly over all of Equestria looking for you is afraid of heights?" Gallus asks her.

"It's just like how you're afraid of small spaces." Silverstream points out.

"You know I'm claustrophobic, I don't like spaces that seem to choke me out."

"You don't mind the little spaces I give you." She teases.

"Silvy, those spaces are different. I plug those with all sorts of fun things." He replies with bouncing brows.

"Can you two hold off on it till we get back?" I ask the pair. "I don't think the humans are asking for any exotic shows right now."

"I don't mind giving a show." He grins back at me.

"And neither do they." Smolder snickers as she points to a car on the side of the road. We all look down below to see a human couple situating themselves in the back seat of their vehicle. The female figure climbs in after the male after taking off her bottoms and closing the door behind her.

"Wow, to think humans are this free to express themselves." Ocellus comments as the car begins to rock.

"So... our going time is two minutes. Place your bets folks!" Gallus laughingly announces.

"I got three!" Smolder raises her claw.

"I'll say four." Silverstream announces.

"Are we really going to sit here and measure out how long this guy is going to last?" I ask with an amused smirk.

"Well we can't go in the city as is. Might as well." Ocellus replies.

I look back to the rocking car and sigh. "...Seven minutes."

"Dangerous bet." She jokes.

"I laugh in the face of danger."

Before she can say anything else, the car stops rocking and we're looking down wondering what went wrong. Suddenly the car door opens and we see the woman with her pants in tow. She briskly puts on her underwear and pants, then storms away. The man steps out and looks to apologize. She's not hearing any of it, making an immediate phone call. There's an inaudible argument taking place as he drives up beside her. She refuses to get in the car. Another car pulls up and all of a sudden, there's another girl getting out with a baseball bat.

Gallus leans in, perched on his branch like the avian he is. "Ooh, this show is getting good!"

"Romance, betrayal, and violence." Ocellus waxes fondly. "You can't possibly sell a better combination."

"This is some shit you see in the movies." Smolder says as the situation continues to unfold.

The man gets out, trying to stand in between the two of them. The first woman throws her hands up and walks away briskly, while the second points her bat at the other. He steps in, seemingly trying to convince her not to be violent. She grows irate and shouts at him. He backs away as she points the bat at him now. The situation quickly goes off the rails as she walks up to his car and bashes the bat into the front lights. We all groan while watching the carnage unfold even further. She's unceremoniously waving the bat around at him, screaming like a maniac possessed by some unholy spirit. She cracks another blow at the front of his car, hitting the windshield and side mirrors. The man rushes over to stop her, trying to wrestle the bat away from her. She gives him a knee to the crotch and he buckles over in pain. She screams one more insult before throwing her bat in the back seat of her car and driving off, leaving the man to deal with his current circumstances.

Gallus laughs as he comments. "And there we go, folks! If you had money on this one, there's no getting that one back."

"Like how you gonna get into a three-way relationship and not discuss anything about it?" Silverstream asks while gawking at the damage the car took. "Wow, she did a number on that thing. So much for those things being tanks."

"That or she was really fucking strong." Gallus replies.

"Actually, humans in these parts are pretty monogamous. It's just like the ponies of Ponyville." Ocellus explains.

"Then why the hell would you even try some shit like that?" Gallus palms his face in disbelief.

"I don't think he knew she was going to follow him up." Ocellus comments. "Probably thought he could get away with it. But being that phones here have location sensors on them, I think he had to have messed up there because ain't no way she knew his exact location without having him pinned."

Meanwhile, Smolder is clapping it up for the woman that left the scene. "I really like how she grabbed that bat and took to a more primitive approach. Some modern problems require prehistoric solutions."

"You're only happy it turned violent." I point out.

"Hell yeah, dragon seal of approval." She gives the situation a thumbs up. "Better than any movie I've seen in the past few months."

Gallus snickers as he comes up with an idea. "Hey, you know what, maybe we should be humans tomorrow night and mess around in that city."

"I don't know, I gotta be back in Canterlot for Sunday, Twilight's day off and whatnot." I groan with annoyance.

Smolder scoffs at my concern. "Spike, Canterlot may be another world away, but we can get back in like an hour or less. All we gotta do is cross a mirror."

"You know, you have a point." I nod in agreement. "Maybe I should take it easy tomorrow. Hell, we're in another world, we can chill for a bit."

"Now you're thinking smart." Ocellus says as she hovers over to me. "How about we get back to the mansion and sleep in so we can do all of our exploring tomorrow. Gonna be a busy day."

"Yeah, I guess we can do a little more when the sun's out." I think aloud. "Alright, let's head back."

"Hold up!" Silverstream requests as she jumps in between us. "Why don't we take a picture for Sandbar and Yona! I know those two are missing out, but maybe we can kinda fill them in!"

"Yeah, I'd be pretty bummed out if they'd get totally left out of this experience. Maybe we can get them to come by somehow." States the griffon.

"Unfortunately, they'd have to learn how to walk and move as humans. That'll take all day. Maybe next time we can convince Yona not to work so hard and enjoy another day off." Ocellus suggests. "I hate to admit it, but time's not on our side to do that."

"Maybe we can try this again next weekend." I propose.

"Hell yeah we try this again next weekend!" Smolder cheers loudly. "For now, let's scooch in for a pic!"

We all gather around, making sure that the skyline of the city is firmly in our background. Ocellus hums for a bit before using her magic to push her phone out to get a wider angle. She brings us all close together before counting down the shutter. "Okay, wish we had both of you Sandbar and Yona."

"How would they be able to fit in the tree?" Gallus questions with a chuckle.

"Yona is pretty big. And she's bad for having vertigo." Silverstream announces.

"Yeah, we'll have to be humans for the next time." I say in agreement. "That way taking a picture at ground level won't be as big of a problem."

"Right!" Says the changeling. "Okay, now everybody smile in 3... 2... 1... Cheese!"

*CHICK*

After a good night's rest in the mansion, Nondis had an idea for us, basically an outing worthy of a few newcomers such as ourselves. Since this was our first time in the world, he suggests to his parents that we take the day out to a place called San Antonio. Apparently it's an hour and twenty minutes away by the usual mode of transportation, but I don't think I'll mind the ride too much, and neither would the others. The only thing that's the downside to it all is that we'll have to transform into humans in order to make the trip. And even with that downside, Gallus and Silverstream are more invested in seeing how the day goes.

We thought we would be hauled in with Ms. Blue like the last time, but she got picked up by Mr. and Mrs. Haines. Instead, it was Nondis and Celestia who took the wheel today. His dad asked if he was okay with driving, he replied that he didn't mind the drive since it wasn't going to be that long anyhow.

Along our way, the married couple go on to talk about some stuff happening on their end. Apparently a waterspout managed to damage their yacht, so they have it in for repairs. Then they talk about who would be a good pair-up for Luna so that she doesn't have to be alone. While I'm sure that the former princess of the night wouldn't like to discuss the topic too much, they're chatting it up like they have a few candidates in mind. They even tease me with the offer, which I graciously declined.

At last, we're within viewing distance of our destination. Off in the distance is the the city of San Antonio, it appears to be a fairly big town, not nearly as glitzy or shiny as Austin. If anything, the buildings are a lot more earthy, and much shorter. But apparently, population-wise, it's almost on par with Austin. We still take our preference with the place we just came from, but he argues that we won't be thinking that way for too long. Instead of heading into the city proper, we take a detour around the north end of it. We start thinking that we're not going anywhere specific, but our journey instead ends in a large parking lot with a number of signs indicating where we now were. And the roller coasters in the distance are a dead giveaway.

Seeing the archway reading out 'SIX FLAGS FIESTA' in bold letters would probably make any human kid jump for joy. And honestly we're no better than them. As we start walking up to the ticket booth, there's already discussions of who's going to get grouped up with who. Mr. Haines avidly claims Ms. Royal, Silverstream, and Gallus to his group. Mrs. Haines claims Luna and Ocellus. That leaves me with Nondis, Celestia, and Smolder.

However, the boat doesn't take long to rock.

"But Nondie!" Celestia mewls over to her husband, who reassigns her to her parents and her sister.

"Tia, I've got the literal rest of my life to spend out with you. Why don't you and Luna get some time to reconnect."

"Honey, we're neighbors! What is there to reconnect!?" She fusses adamantly.

"Look, I'll be with you in a bit. In fact, call me in an hour and a half, our groups will reconvene for lunch, and then you can tag along with us." He gives her a kiss on the forehead and walks away. "Love you!"

"How dare you go about abandoning me!" She shouts mockingly, but also a little upset that she won't get to latch to her husband to start off with.

"Spike, Smolder, y'all coming or what!?"

"Coming!" The transformed dragoness calls as she grabs my hand, pulling me along for the ride.

The one thing I figured out about the park as we went along is the fact that it isn't just one park, it's actually two meshed together. There's the majority of the park that's dedicated to all the thrill rides you'd see from the front gate, roller coasters and other amusement rides located to the east, west, and northern parts of the park. Meanwhile there's a southern part of the park that's completely dedicated to water rides and recreation, it comprises of about thirty-three percent of the entire park. My personal preference is to go straight for the water park, but unfortunately that part doesn't open until late next month.

So we're sitting at a section of the park where there's a wood-themed coaster looking to give us a thrill. Unfortunately, the line is pretty long, so we'll have to wait a little while. Nondis doesn't mind the wait, but he's preemptive on where we could go next, pulling out a map illustrating where we might be. "So after this one, where else do you wanna go?"

"I don't know this place, how can you be asking me!?" I reason with the former captain. "I thought you knew this place."

"I haven't been here since coming out of high school." He replies. "We came here to just chill out for the summer. It was hot as hell that year and we wanted to just hit the wave pool."

"There's a wave pool here!?" Smolder blurts out with excitement.

"Yeah, but it doesn't open till next month, he says." I respond as I look down to the map.

Smolder appears to be genuinely interested in hearing of the captain's time before Equestria. "Hey, so what else did you do back then? You know, coming out of high school. What kind of friends did you have?"

He folds his arms and think to himself. "I just really had one friend at the time." He begins to scratch at the back of his neck in thought. "Huh, to think about it, I was crushing on her pretty hard too."

The transformed dragoness now brims with interest. "You brought a crush!? How did it go!?"

"Eh, we didn't get anywhere. She ran into her boyfriend in the lazy river... turns out he was with some other girl from another school. She didn't know anything about that one."

"Ouch." She groans in disappointment. "I guess you had to make her feel better than she already did."

"Meh, can't really do that when you're already at a place designed to distract you from your problems." He looks around, pointing to a wooden billboard at the center of the square. "She had a pretty big mental breakdown over by that stand there, created a little bit of a scene. So I had to cut the day short and take her home."

"Sucks pretty bad that you two didn't pop anything off after that." She mutters. "What better revenge than to have a guy friend make her happy in place of all of that?"

"I know!" He laughs off before sighing. "Yeah... as if I didn't try at the time. But she saw me only for a friend, no changing her mind there. But in hindsight, it worked out. She's happy."

"You still keep up with her?" Smolder asks.

"She lives in Ponyville now." He responds.

"Wait, seriously? One of the humans who helped you save the world was your crush at the time!?"

"Yeah, but she didn't see me that way." He shrugs. "Besides, by the time she started to entertain the thought, I already moved on."

"To Twilight, you mean?" I conclude with a smirk.

"Yeah... How's she been?"

"She's..." I roll my eyes just thinking about her inability to go beyond her own stagnant standards and attachments. "...She's Twilight. That's all I can say."

The former captain scoffs. "Still? I thought she would've at least shacked it up with some other guy by now. I mean I know the large body is pretty imposing for a number of stallions, but all you gotta do is get her laying down."

"That sounds like an oddly specific approach." I glance up to him.

"Spike, I have a wife who wants to have kids. I'm no bigger than Shining Armor in pony form, and Celestia's not gonna change her height for me, nor do I want her to."

"Oh, so you're like Sandbar." Smolder comments. "You like the thrill of the climb."

"More like she likes the thrill of being held down." I mutter, thinking back to our interaction back during my waning dragon lust phase. "Still, can't believe she's like that though."

"I love that mare regardless of the form she takes." He says as he looks down to his arm. "And she loves me in spite of what all has changed about me. I wouldn't have it any other way." The man stretches his arms and tilts to the side. "Alrighty then, so let's look at where we're going next."

♫Life in Equestria shimmers! Life in Equestria shiiiiiiines!♪

I sigh from the dismay of hearing that ringtone on my phone. Nondis already sees the discomfort on my face. "Uh oh, slave master's calling."

"Give me a sec, you guys." I warn as I ready myself to answer the call. "Hello─"

"SPIKE THE VIOLET DRAGON, WHERE ARE YOU!?"

I'm relieved of the fact that my ear isn't near the receiver, other wise I would be dealing with a nasty case of tinnitus. "I'm in the castle." I lie.

"Uh-huh, where?"

"My room?" I guess.

"Well I'm in your room right now, Spike. And I see that your reading material is just as sexually charged as your fins are spiky."

"Wait' what are you doing in my room!?" I complain back to her. "I thought we agreed that we wouldn't violate each other's spaces like this!"

"Well I'm violating it to find where you are! And wouldn't you guess it, YOU'RE NOT EVEN IN THE CASTLE TO BEGIN WITH!" She hollers. "So where are you, Spike!?"

"I mean I still technically haven't left the castle." I explain just a second before a rollercoaster flies right by us in the distance, filled with screaming patrons. "At least positionally speaking?"

"Is that a rollercoaster I hear in the background?" She sounds even angrier than before, all the more glad that I'm nowhere near her at this current point in time. "Why does it sound like you're at an amusement park!?"

"Well..."

"Okay! Where's Blue!?" She snaps.

I'm starting to lose track of how to manage the situation. While I never really thought about what would be the immediate ramifications of my departure, the possibilities are starting to manifest in the back recesses of my mind. "Uh... she's not here."

"WHAT!?" She screams.

"I mean I know where she is, but she's─"

"YOU STAY RIGHT WERE YOU ARE! I'M GONNA COME AROUND AND FIND WHERE THE HELL YOU ARE!"

Nondis and Smolder both overhear the conversation taking place, but he acts on it before Twilight can manage to hang up. He snags my phone and talks as though it's his call now, placing the phone on speaker. "Hyyyello?"

"Who is this!?" She screams.

"Howdy, this is your residential douchebag undergoing the therapeutic release of white noise and screams." He answers as another rollercoaster comes whizzing by. "Not to be confused by the howling screams of the damned, those are in my nightmares enough. Thank you very much. How may I be of service today?"

Even from this end, I can make out the confusion in her voice. "Nondis!? What are you doing there!?"

"Well duh, I'm over at Six Flags. I'm showing Spike and the others around the place. Blue told me that Spike was under restriction, I dragged him along with his friends because we're cool like that. I'm sure you don't have a problem with that little bit of world-building for his venture into deepening the relations between our two dimensions."

"Uh, where is this 'Six Flags' exactly?" She asks.

"San Antonio, Texas."

"YOU'RE IN ANOTHER CITY!" She screams.

"Well yeah. I didn't wanna stay in Austin." He replies casually, almost ignoring the rage of the high princess on the other end. "So yeah, Spike is in the midst of popping his human world cherries, so don't you mind it none." I really wish he didn't have to phrase it like that.

"Get him back here, this instant!" She demands.

"Why?" He says as he crosses his arms, still holding the phone.

"Because he shouldn't be there!"

"Why?"

"Because he's under punishment!"

"Why?" I feel like I should be taking notes on how he deals with Twilight so casually, though I'm sure that my results will vary to an unhealthy degree.

"Because he got himself involved in some business he had no business being in!"

"Why?"

"Don't play games with me, Nondis!"

"Why?"

I can hear her sigh on the other end, her nerves are beyond got. "You know what, it's classified! THAT'S WHY!? ARE YOU HAPPY, YOU INSUFFERABLE ASSHOLE!?"

He gives me a smirk before holding the phone up to his mouth. "...Why?" He asks, matching tone with every single time he says the word.

I can already imagine the poor work Inkwell and some of the others are going to have to do to clean up behind Twilight's rage at this point. It sounds like she might have accidentally knocked over a vase, though I'm sure that part might not be so much accidental. "NONDIS PATRICIA VALKYRIE-HAINES, SO HELP ME─"

"Oop, sorry Twily. Celestia's on the other line. Call you back."

"YOU BETTER─" And just like that, he left Equestria's highest ruler a ticking time bomb, a short fuse, and all the fire that could be considered a five-alarm blaze. Most notably, he did it with a smile on his face.

He tosses my phone back to me and motioned a pair of scissors with his fingers. "Might wanna cut bait and leave your phone on airplane mode for the time being. The first reason why is that it's your day off and your second reason is─"

♫Life in Equestria shimmers! Life in Equestria shiiiiiiines!♪

"That's why." He deadpans. "Let it ring out, and snap that damn thing to airplane mode."

"Airplane mode?" I tilt my head.

♫And I know for absolute certain, that everythiiiiiiiiiiing, yes everythiiiiiiiiiiiiing, yes everything is ceeertaaaaaaaainly fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiine!♪

As the phone finally stops ringing, he slides a finger down from the top of the screen to reveal a number of operational functions. He taps on the one icon I never use and explains it's function. "Airplane mode is like a do not disturb button with the additional certification of a 'to whom it may concern' being sent directly to voicemail. I suggest you get intimate with that option if you feel you need the time away."

"You sure you wanna piss off the princess of Equestria?" Smolder inquires slowly.

"This is just another day ending in Y for him." I summarize to her.

"And he catches on!" He proudly remarks. "I feel like a proud uncle already."

While I'm accepting of his praise, I snap back to the moment in the call where he explains how Ms. Royal had discussed with him how I'm supposed to be under restriction. "In speaking of catching on, can we circle back to something?"

"Sure, what's up?" He asks, pulling out his phone as it starts to ring. He doesn't even let it ring out, he sends it straight to voicemail.

"So, how much did Ms. Royal tell you about my restriction?"

He props himself up next to a light pole and taps his chin. "Well, she didn't explain everything, but I did manage to scoop the rest out of her."

"How?"

"She and I go back to the times of our investigation of that bullshit seven years back. You could say that our friendship is more predicated on the idea that I have to block her on all social media apps because of something you've probably figured out on your own."

"Why would you do─" I stop myself as brief images of her sexual deviancy pop up in my brain, stirring a bit of arousal in my human form. "─Oh, okay, I see what you mean."

"Yeah, her plus wife equals drama with a letter 'u' in it. Not interested in that one."

"There's no 'u' in drama." Smolder comments.

I nod at him, understanding his metaphor. "Okay, so what all did you scoop?"

"Enough. How's Jasper doing by the way?"

The sudden jump to that particular question has me seized for a good moment. "Uh... how did you?"

"It's just as I tell Blue, we don't have conversations." He says with a lowered head. "And also, I'm sure he probably has a grudge against me still."

"Major hate boner." Smolder adds.

"Figures." He sighs. "I don't blame him, he's been hating me since I knocked his sorry ass out on the frat house lawn. If anything, I warned him twice on not to come across me, and he did it anyways out of a fucking power trip."

"Why would he do that?" I question the former captain.

"Cause he and Mel had history, my sudden reappearance after appearing dead to this world seemed to take up all sorts of real estate in his mind. He didn't like the idea of her reconnecting to me because she started to like me. We had a fight, he lost, was sent to the hospital, found out he had some charges and warrants for some felonies, got locked up, paid bond, got abducted and sent to Equestria, thrown into an arena with me, we had another fight, he died, I lived, he became a science experiment." He then breathes a heavy sigh. "...And I was on a table beside him shortly after. Not a fun time."

"Wait, I thought he was the one who died. Not you. Why were you on an operating table beside him?"

He nods and cycles through his phone and pulls up a picture to show to the both of us. "Because of this."

At a moment's glance, I knew I was looking at some terrible nightmare-inducing stuff. I felt the warm human blood in my form run cold as the image remains undying on the screen. "That's him." I identify the face to the left.

"Yup."

"That's you." Smolder identifies the face to the right.

"Yup."

"Those are your bodies... right?" Smolder questions.

"Swapped." He answers bluntly.

As the brutal carnage persists on the screen, I notice a green unicorn with fiery orange hair dressed in a white lab coat. He appears quite pleased with the circumstances. "Who's the figure in the middle?" I ask.

"That's a face I want you two to hammer into your brains." He answers a moment before he goes back to his home screen and putting his phone away. "I'm sure that's the part of seven years ago that they won't exactly explain, but I figured you lot wanted answers for some questions, and being stuck at home wasn't going to get you anywhere. So while Blue was looking to circumvent some rules for fun, I took the opportunity to unofficially brief you on today."

"That's a hell of a way to brief us." Smolder complains.

"Well you wanted to look past the redacted text. I gave you a peek at what was redacted from all the files. And that bozo's name and face will be one of those items."

"Both his name and face?" She mulls. "Wait... was he─"

"Yeah. It's him." Nondis confirms in a low voice. "Now let me get you to understand the reason why I gave you a face to go by. Let's start off with something you might have seen."

He places his hand in his shirt, a soft glow appears. Shortly after, he's holding what appears to be some brochures for something. But the themes are certainly familiar. Promises of rapid magic development, a series of instructions on how to make it happen, and something speaking of a 'revelation'. While the brochures look to be trampled on and disfigured, the methods varying from one another, the intent is all the same. "Yeah... it's like the one we took off from those kids."

Smolder gives them a glance over, realizing what I had seen for myself. "Where did you get these?"

"I work as a crosswalk guard for an elementary school. Every now and then I'll see something like this on the ground. I talked about it with wifey, she had a word with school staff and administration, even had an audience with the students at the school, they were pretty excited to see her. But in short, we did all of that to warn the kids what this was really trying to accomplish."

"A revelation to speak with someone no longer living." Smolder concludes. "It seems someone want's to have an audience with that guy we saw."

"And with so many test variables, they're probably looking for what method works best." I cosign.

"Affirmative."

"So they're trying to dredge up some info from the necro-terrorist of seven years ago. Who the hell would be doing some stupid shit like that?" I ask.

"The Church of the Healing Hooves." He answers in a stately manner. "It's a religious organization that popped up some time ago on our shores. What started as a grassroot effort to spread the good word of their lord and savior upon the masses is now looking more and more like a cult trying to dig up some old bones. What makes matters worse is that these guys have absolutely no founding in Equestria."

"No founding means no royal investigations into their financial resources." I simplify.

"Exactly." He nods in affirmation. "No founding, no public money to keep things rolling. That can only mean one thing."

"They're financed from another country." I answer.

"Hot damn, you're on a roll." He briefly praises me. "But see, countries are a funny thing in the world of Questis. There are smaller countries like Zebrabwe, Yakyakistan and Saddle Arabia, then there are city-states like the Crystal Empire, Griffonstone, Arimaspi Mountain, places like that, but then there are overall larger powers that are more than capable of keeping an operation like this in the black."

"Like Equestria... and Ponyland."

"He can't be stopped, folks!" Nondis calls out sarcastically. "But yeah, they're sourced out in Ponyland, where this religion is not only founded and operational, but thriving and sanctioned on an imperial level."

That probably explains why Twilight doesn't look too favorably on their prince paying a surprise visit. "By sanctioned, do you mean─"

"I mean their emperor is a devout follower. Most of the imperial family is as well."

Yup, that about does it. "And there's no going there to change their minds, is there?"

"To Ponyland? No chance." Smolder finally interjects into the conversation. "Dragons are warned of going further east of Abyssinia because that's delving into Horsetralia, and they do as the Ponylandians do."

"Which is what?" I ask.

"Hunt down dragons."

I gawk back at Smolder in disbelief. "Seriously?"

Nondis steps in. "Regardless, if you want to make friends with someone from that region, I suggest you start with making them in high places. At least you could probably get away with being seen as a dignitary as opposed to a walking bag of roc bait."

Smolder expresses the impression the former captain's made with the information he was willing to share. "You know, you seem to really know your stuff. How did you poke around and get so much info?"

He rubs the back of his neck once more. "If you ask anyone I've worked with, they'll tell you that I don't condemn others to some shit I haven't went through myself." He looks over to me and gives me a concerned expression. "That's also a warning to not go as far as I have. Do what you can to keep your head attached, or you'll end up like me in that picture. Savvy?"

I give him a firm nod. "Savvy."

"Good." He says as he changes his tone back to a more up-tempo mode. "Now, let's get our minds back on the fun stuff!"

"Yeah, could use a little distraction." I mutter, still thinking about that haunting image.

The three of us finally get in line, walking to at least the midpoint of the entire queue. As we start to stand around and wait, Smolder taps on the former captain's side. "Hey, is the reason why you pulled us to the side was to discuss this without your wife seeing?"

"Look out Spike, you have a challenger."

Our time at the park was more than a fun distraction, it was also a helpful bit of insight and a critical juncture of information. While Nondis disclosed a lot of information, he also allowed us to get wise to what's taking place. And with the information at our disposal, I can at least go back and do my job tomorrow with some added benefit of having some greater knowledge of the subject.

We reconvened at the mansion, said our goodbyes, and Ms. Royal happily drove us back to the house where we started our journey. Walking through the garage and into the kitchen, we were greeted with an angry Twilight waiting in her usual regalia. Ms. Royal smiles for a bit before tailing off to the portal. Meanwhile, we were transformed back on the spot and marched through the portal into the throne room.

As of now, she's made us wait for fifteen minutes in complete silence before speaking.

"You know you're going to work extra hard tomorrow, Spike."

"Yeah, I know." I groan in response.

She looks to the others, mainly Gallus. "And you all know better than this. The fact that you did what you did, going along with Blue, was enough to put you yourselves and our world at a risk."

"Twilight, they just─"

"Spike, I don't want to hear it from you." She snaps at me before redirecting herself. "Now... what was the reason for all of you to do what you did?"

Everyone is quiet, not saying much of anything out of not eliciting an uncontrolled magic response. Twilight paces back and forth before Smolder clears her throat, quickly gaining the princess' attention. "So... yeah... we just wanted to spend some time with Spike."

"I know that Blue is impulsive. Don't try to take fault where it's not yours to do so." She answers to them. "But as for you Spike, I gave you a direct order and you disobeyed me. When she gave you that offer, it was your duty to refuse. I am deeply ashamed of what you've done. You could've caused more trouble for us getting Nondis involved."

I know I can't say much because Twilight communicates with Celestia frequently. I can only imagine the trouble Nondis will find himself in if she finds out that he's been doing investigations behind her back while in retirement. I grimace and accept the punishment to follow. "Sorry."

She shakes her head, looking towards the others. "The rest of you can go. Spike and I need some time alone. So please be dismissed."

The others quietly and slowly file out of the room. Smolder glances back for a second before walking out after the others. As the doors close behind them, it's now just me and Twilight in this spacious room. I stand quietly as she walks in front of me with a scowl on her face.

"What did you two talk about?"

"Nothing." I answer her.

She presses me further. "It's not like Nondis would drag you to another town in another world without reason. He did that so that it wouldn't be easy for me to come and get you."

"See, there we go." I grumble back to her. "Always making assumptions, never knowing the fact that he doesn't like his hometown as much as we loved seeing it. Can't I just chalk up the past day and some change as me getting the chance to enjoy myself in someplace new!?"

"I always said he's a bad influence." She snarls.

"Did you say that before or after you two dated, because I remember you getting him in trouble all the time."

"Me getting him into it, more like he always started it! Why do you think I say that, Spike!? I say that because I know how he's trouble!" She flares out her wings in frustration as she lets out a grunt. "Ever since you came back from the Dragon Lands, I wonder if you're even the same dragon that I took care of when we were younger!"

"That's it. That's the answer to all my questions right there." I say as I start to walk towards the exit. "Get a little older, develop a little more mind, and apparently everyone else can recognize me other than you. Maybe you should've picked up the hint when I started going through Dragon Lust, maybe that should've been your cue to pay attention. Obviously, you missed it."

"You are not walking away from this conversation." She says as she holds my feet in place with her magic. "You don't get to decide when to disobey me when I give you a set list of instructions. You don't get to act out, you have a position to maintain."

I take a deep breath and start counting down. "Ten... nine... eight... seven... six..."

"Oh what are you doing now?" She snaps.

The harshness of my tone slowly wilts as the numbers go lower, reaching even a whisper. "Five... four... three... two... one." I turn to her and inform her where I am at the moment. "I'm done with this conversation. I'm going to go to my room and stay there until tomorrow. You'll have your day off, I'll have my day away from you, we both walk away happy. Now please let me go."

Her bindings remain, she doubles down. "I am not finished with you."

I take another deep breath, but this time reaching deep into my chest. The heat begins to swell and creep up like a controlled burst of acid reflux. I breathe out from my nostrils, but they don't push air, rather smoke and green flames. A deep rumble sounds as I reach the tail end of my breath. Twilight stops to see that I'm not just telling her how done I am, I'm warning her.

"Oh sure, throw another fit if you want to."

I snap a claw out to grab at her horn, quenching the magic that seals my feet in place. I lean into her and speak in a threatening tone. "I. Am. Done. Here." I say as the crackling in my chest continues with each breath I take. She doesn't back down, but she's also not doing anything to stop me. I walk away from her, daring her to even try to stop me. She watches as I leave in a grumbling and crackling mood.

She gives one more set of instructions. "You raise the sun at dawn. Get up early to use the sundial."

"Fine."

Chapter 14: Breaking Bondage

I already had my alarm set last night. The last thing I need is for some stupid guard knocking at my door telling me what time I should be up to do whatever I have to do for the day. I'm already on edge because of the situation from yesterday, dealing with Twilight's annoying ass. I'm almost to the point where I'm done with her. I think I see why Nondis didn't really stick it out for her, and maybe that's just be being bitter.

Whatever, it's 4:45 in the morning and I'm trying to wake up out of this bed.

I have to sit on the edge, gather my thoughts so that I don't snap at the first pony I see. My early mornings haven't been exactly great these days. But I need to not take these feelings out on the others who have nothing to do with anything between me and that annoying purple princess who acts like a slave master more than a big sister. Yeah, this energy needs to disperse before I sling it at the wrong party.

I mostly sit here coaching myself. 'Just try not to close your eyes too heavy, try not to lay back down, try not to reach for the pillow, try not to show any signs of grumpiness to anyone, try not to scream.' Everything else seems to work out just fine, everything except that first part. My eyelids are so damn heavy, maybe I should close them and meditate for a while. Yeah, nothing wrong with a little morning meditation. Helps clear the mind, calm the nerves, lay a new canvas for the day. Yeah, let's clean house, and take on a brand new day.

A knock on my door sounds, and I'm already mostly awake before they can get to me. I was almost on the verge of dozing off, but that's changed since I have to get up and walk to the door. A young guardsmare greets me with a salute. "Sir, good morning."

"Morning to you." I reply. "What time is it?"

"It's currently 5:01 sir. I'm sorry for being late at your door, sir."

Guards, always looking to get as close to perfection as possible. She's probably cursing herself out over the smallest minute details. I smile back to her and answer her. "It's fine. I woke myself up fifteen minutes ago. You're not late for anything."

She seems to be a bit more relieved now, but it's all business for her. "Sir. I was ordered to escort you to the sundial."

"To raise the sun, I got it." I answer. "Lead the way."

Going through the halls, I find myself being unusually melancholy. The dimly lit halls are easy on the eyes, but they seem far less glamorous than what I thought they were in my younger days. At some point back then, I used to see these halls and know that something special was going to go down. Maybe a special assignment from Princess Celestia, a call to do some details with Princess Luna, a request to help Princess Cadance with something, or even a meetup with Shining Armor, probably a call to action in dealing with matters pertaining to the future of Equestria.

Those days are done. Celestia and Luna retired, the former getting married to the last captain of the guard. Cadance left before they did, going north to rule over a city-state of her own, and taking Shining Armor with her. Rarity's gone to be a multi-millionaire fashionista entrepreneur. Applejack's taken the reigns of the farm since Granny Smith's passing, being the head of a multi-million dollar agriculture development that stretches so far out that Ponyville had to annex acres upon acres to accommodate the expansion. Pinkie took over the bakery while her husband runs a party-planning bureau, coming into her own humble mass of wealth. Rainbow Dash is off touring the countryside, running shows and training camps for aspiring Wonderbolts candidates. Fluttershy seems to be the only one who doesn't care too much about wealth, but her animal sanctuary brings in millions of visitors a year, fully staffed with a number of veterinarians, professionals, and environmentalists making sure that the place is ran to the comfort of the animals. It's more of a literal zoo nowadays, but the animals are so well-trained that they seem like a massive collection of domesticated pets.

They all visit once a month, but they visit Twilight with less and less of the bond they shared when they were off saving the world. They're still good friends, just not as tight as what they used to be. And these halls seem to reflect that same change of atmosphere. Everything is running just as it should, all according to design. And that's just it, business as usual.

We arrive to the hall of the great vault, the one that used to hold the elements. It now holds the sundial used to change the sky whenever Twilight is absent. While that is not the case, I'm still assigned to use it. The windows to the outside still show darkness. I look to Inkwell, who holds a silver pocket watch. "Three minutes till sunup." She calls out.

I remember the days of being at the Summer Sun Festival, back when Celestia was still teaching Twilight. I remember the group of friends she had then, how they were a collection of unicorns with personalities, albeit with pairs of matching mane styles. Moondancer seemed not as engaged as the others, while Twilight was overtly so, so much that she could've taken the role of Pinkie Pie for that moment Celestia raised the sun past the golden effigy on her stage. The act was always the same every year, but it had a mystic charm to her. And seeing her like that made me happy.

That charm is no longer there.

"Mr. Spike, it's time."

I place my claw on the center of the dial, twisting clockwise until the gilded arrow met with the mark where it started to tick on it's own, indicating that the sun is on it's rightful path of timing the day away. Another glance to the windows peeking to the outside shows that the sky is silver with the light of the sun poking past the horizon, the clouds as pink and orange as they are pretty.

And yet in this now hollow beauty, it's just as charmless as the halls I now walk.

Twilight went over to the human world, it seems she's still trying to prod around over what all happened and what was discussed over the past few days. Ms. Royal is tasked with driving her around the town since Twilight doesn't know how to drive. I'm just happy that she's gone, but it doesn't change my feelings for this place. It might be a bit quieter, but everyone knows that won't last the entire day.

Walking along, I pass by a group of guards getting a stern talking to from Sergeant Humbreeze. They appear to be getting grilled pretty bad. I swing by to satiate my curiosity, hoping to go unnoticed. Unfortunately, I'm far too big to get away with it. "Sir Spike is present, attention!" One of the younger guards calls out over their stern sergeant.

The stallion calls out the younger squad for overshadowing him. "YOU THINK THAT BECAUSE SOMEONE'S HERE YOU GET TO JUMP PAST ME WITHOUT CONSEQUENCES!? I'LL TELL YOU WHAT, YOU HOLD THAT POSITION UNTIL THE END OF YOUR SHIFT! YOU'LL BE PRESENTING ARMS UNTIL THE THE SUN GOES DOWN! WHEN THAT FINAL SPECK OF LIGHT IN THE SKY GOES OUT, YOU WILL BE GIVEN PERMISSION TO DROP YOUR SALUTE AND AWAIT FURTHER INSTRUCTION!" He looks to me and gives me a salute as well. "Good day, Sir Spike."

"Geez, what did these guys do to make you so angry?" I question the non-commanding officer.

"These four blunderheads thought it was funny to invade the maids quarters after hours. They thought they could get past the head maid on staff, knowing that all male guards are on restriction from entering the compound. Obviously, they got caught in a closet... all four of them in the same closet."

"Ah, okay." I nod.

He shakes his head at the quartet of policy violators. "Yeah, these guys aren't too bright, and obviously they aren't any good for espionage either. So what can I do for you?"

"Actually, I wanted to talk about some stuff with you and Solemn. I know it's going above the princess' head at this point, but I think it's pretty damn important for you to know."

The stallion shrugs at me. "Well, sounds to me that you've done some digging around after I advised you not to. Got word from Solemn that you can't leave the grounds."

"That may be the case, but we still need to have a talk." I reiterate. "And yes, it's about a certain topic that I can't discuss openly."

He glances over to the four before lowering his voice. "How sensitive is this information?"

"Fairly sensitive."

"Hmm..." He places a hoof to his chin in thought before snapping over to another guard on post. "You!"

"Yes sir?" The guard calls out sheepishly.

"Watch these four. If they move, you report it to me. If you allow them to move and don't report back to me, you'll have what they're having."

"Yes sir!"

The sergeant walks close to me. "Okay, let's talk."

We arrive at the barracks, situating ourselves inside of Solemn Oath's office. She takes a while to get finished with her early morning errands, but she still arrives in a relatively timely manner. She greets us with a casual nod before sitting at her desk and pulling out some files from her in-bin.

As she pulls the first, she comments. "Sir Spike, Humbreeze, I'm sure the matter you're trying to address with me is this important."

"Sir Spike here says he's come across some critical information, claims it to be 'highly sensitive'." The sergeant announces.

"By highly sensitive, do you mean it has something to do with this past Friday evening?" She asks.

"Apparently so." He answers.

She looks up to the ceiling and groans in dismay. "Can we not talk about this one right now? I don't think it's good for my mental health to keep nose diving into trauma. It was bad enough that one guy popped up like he did."

I pull out the pamphlets Nondis gave me back in the human world and place them on the desk. "Well if you ask me, we might end up seeing a lot more than just that one guy. This stuff is getting spread all over."

Both Solemn and Humbreeze pick up the items and go through their contents, reading up on the various methods proposed. "Well, this is troublesome." The sergeant replies.

"These are different from the one we collected from those boys." The captain points out. "Have they ever been tested out?"

"I don't know but I don't think you'll want a certain someone popping up from one of these rituals."

The captain raises a brow and stares me down. "What kind of someone are you referring to?"

"I guess a green unicorn male, orange hair, copper-colored eyes, markings on the face─"

Solemn jumps out of her seat, putting a magic bind around my snout. Her eyes shift back and forth from either side of the room. She walks from around her desk and immediately cast a bubble of silence around us. She slowly eases the binding on my snout bit by bit as she asks me about my description. "Okay. Now I know you were caught digging around for information shortly after that run-in with the summoning ceremony. Now you need to describe to me where you got this information."

"Awfully sensitive to casually describe the appearance of the necro-terrorist. There ain't no visual ref to go by the guy, much less a name. How did you get his visual?" Humbreeze questions.

At this point I'm finally able to speak a little, the bindings on my snout are loose enough to form coherent words. "Your former captain took me on a trip while in his world yesterday."

"Did he give you the visual?" She questions.

"Yeah... among some other things that are nothing short of nightmare-inducing. I won't say what I saw, but it was pretty graphic."

"These pamphlets, where did you get these?" Humbreeze inquires.

"Same source. For a retired guy, he still operates like he's employed for E.S.S. or something." The bindings on my snout fall away completely.

Solemn inhales deeply before speaking. "Okay, so he knows. Great, that's less on my conscience."

"Yeah, no kidding." Humbreeze agrees, wiping his brow. "We were trying to operate like we didn't want any news of this getting to him in any way out of fear that he'd unretire. Last thing we need is for him to go all-out at this point."

"He knows more than we do at this point." I bring up. "Those brochures, the rituals, the probable intent of those rituals, who's spreading the stuff around, where they came from, how they're financed, he's on top of it like he's still here at the office."

The sergeant facehoofs himself at the thought. "Sheesh, he stays on it. If his wife gets word of him still snooping around─"

"He's not the only thing we'll have to fear temporarily coming out of retirement." Solemn concludes. "I've seen Celestia operate with maximum lethality. She can give you a little of the top without you or your body even registering the blow. I've seen her do it to one guy who was sabotaging the security detail to make Captain Nondis look bad. Turns out you can't fuck over the princess' fun-toy just because you're a petty creep."

"Okay, is there something about these two that makes them so fear-inducing?" I ask the pair.

"Have you seen the captain at his prime?" Humbreeze questions. "Like I'm not even talking about all his accolades before learning magic, I'm talking about after Starswirl got a hold of him. He and I had a wager that he couldn't change the orientation of the sun just a bit. He couldn't move the damn thing much, but he nudged it to where the sun had to be set forty-five minutes early. Tried to move it backwards, but it dropped on him instead. He barely caught it, and it almost broke his arm. The fact that he stopped it from collapsing out of the sky is monumentally insane."

"Princess Celestia literally had a dark age, she almost single-hoofedly fought a whole civil war against Equestria for marriage rights and avenging the death of another prince. It was her and Prince Blueblood going against the entire E.U.P. Guard. Do you wanna know how the war ended?" Solemn asks.

"Okay, how?"

"It was a stalemate. That one event is why we currently have a two-to-one mare-to-stallion ratio. And at the time of the armistice, it was as bad as five-to-one." She answers with a shudder. "They had to enact mandatory breeding laws just to keep the country afloat, breeding laws that weren't ever repealed until seven years ago."

A lot of things happened seven years ago. "Okay, I see your point."

The pair recover from their thoughts of seeing the two retirees back in action. "Alright, bullshit aside. What all did the former captain tell you?"

"You may need to write all of this down." I warn the two guards. "The pamphlets are rumored to be a way to bring about the reemergence of the necro-terrorist, hence the word 'revelation' being used. I don't think they have a face to go by, so it could be that they might not even know who they're trying to bringing up."

"Another move of foreshadowing by the captain." Solemn replies.

"He warned us of that one." Humbreeze adds.

"Well we know what to look out for, and it's better that we keep it that way." I state as I go on to my next point. "The second thing is that this group doing the distribution isn't a domestic group, it's actually a foreign religious movement. They call themselves 'The Church of the Healing Hooves', not sure why they went with that one."

Solemn ponders on that issue. "You know, there's a little known truth to the necro-terrorist. Thanks to five-hundred years of being active in the shadows, he authored a lot of the medical research we currently use today. Most of our medical advances are due to him playing God. As such, the ones who know that, they called him 'The Doctor' for that reason."

"Do we know when this religion managed to come up?" Humbreeze inquires.

Solemn quickly offers her rebuttal. "Who knows! The necro-terrorist was active for over five-hundred years. His literature on medicine is known worldwide, from small city-states to large empires spanning massive swaths of land stretching from shoreline to shoreline. Everything has his stamp. So it could be reasoned with that this religion could span up to a century or two. The better question is how prevalent is it's influence?"

"Apparently, it's an imperially sanctioned religion in Ponyland." I respond to her question.

Humbreeze drops his head. "Holy fuck, that's bad!"

"How sanctioned are we talking?" Questions the guardsmare.

"Paid for in full by the imperial family."

"Oh Faust, we hate it." She sounds out in dismay. "Nondis told you all of this?"

"Oh yeah. Made sure that me and the current element bearers are aware of the risk."

"That bastard doesn't know how to retire, does he?" The sergeant replies with a slight chuckle. "Well, I guess it's a good thing that he knows how to work in covert. I can imagine the look on Celestia's face when she finds out her husband's been going around collecting intel behind her back."

"Yeah, because it's not a matter of if, she's gonna find out eventually. And it's gonna be UH-GLY." The captain stresses heavily.

"Let's thank our lucky stars he came through on this before it get ugly." I comment, the pair both sagely nodding in agreement. "He already warned me of how bad it will get with that photo he showed us. Let's try not to land ourselves on an operating table, and double down on keeping our heads screwed on tight."

"Second the motion." Solemn raises a hoof.

"Then it's unanimous." Humbreeze raises his as I raise my claws in tandem. "We'll do what we can to crack down on these religious groups looking to make our kids an unnecessary sacrifice."

"Please do." Solemn mutters as she starts to stare off into space. "Oh Faust, please do."

I turn to Humbreeze and question him about her. "So... what happened with her that has her like this?"

"You remember that part of the exhibit with the metal masks, what they represent?"

"Oh yeah, that's not good."

"Some of those were her coworkers."

"I still see them... dancing like puppets." She whispers.

...Yikes. "Yyyyeeahhhh─Definitely didn't need the nightmare fuel."

After our meeting, we agreed to start an awareness campaign to further bring attention to the current acts being performed under this unknown religious group. We also agreed to explain the matters to Twilight, but withholding the source of this intel. We don't want our pipeline of information to be compromised by an angry wife and a spiteful ex-girlfriend having a simple catch-up conversation over the phone. Just that combination alone could doom a number of kids to a misguided fate. It's honestly pretty funny in a sad way that we all see eye-to-eye on that matter.

The day progresses slowly after that meeting. It's more of the usual sleuth of tasks, conversations, and casual dinners with some of the local municipal leaders looking to gain favors. All of it runs into each other with the clarity of a traveler looking at their immediate field of view through the window of a passing train. So much goes by without you even being able to properly absorb the smaller details of things. All I feel is an unfortunate compromise of seeing a greater picture without having the nuisances of the smaller bits that make it up, individual moments swallowed by the monumental shadow of running a country. And no friends to connect with on the daily.

I wonder if this is what Twilight feels whenever she wears that tiara out in public.

Just out of curiosity's sake, I go down my list of phone numbers and try to pick out a few of her friends I'm still able to communicate with. I start off with Pinkie, but she doesn't answer. I go on to Rainbow, but her phone is off, probably in the middle of a show right now. I go on to Fluttershy, she doesn't answer. Applejack picks up, but cites that she's about to close in on a deal with Queen Novo to bring her family's zap apple jam to the shores of the hippogriff city-state. I look down to the final name on my list, not really thinking that this would even work to begin with because of her busy schedule. But I give it a quick ring, seeing that no one answers. I guess they're all busy.

♪The perfect dress, a color all the rage but still unique. Now loose the♫─

I'm still surprised by how instinctive it is for me to take the call whenever Rarity's name pops up on the screen. "Hello?"

"Spike! I saw you called, dear." She answers in her usual prim cadence.

"Hey, I thought you were busy. Didn't expect you to reach back so... instantly." I say with a bit of a blush from personal embarrassment, my mind is already wandering back to that moment in the club.

"Well I can imagine, darling. I was just short of catching you by a second or two, so I rang back. What can I do for you?"

"I was actually calling to see if you and Twilight had spoken recently. I know you both got up like two weeks ago. I'm trying to see where her mind is at this point because we can't seem to stop fighting."

The mare sighs on the other end. "I swear, that mare does not handle her personal emotions too well. Why do you feel she's fighting you so much?"

"She and I had a standoff yesterday in the throne room. She wouldn't let me go, I had to do a dragon snarl to get her to catch the hint."

The fashionista appears surprised by my revelation. "You snarled at her!? Why!?"

"She wouldn't let me go!" I reiterate firmly. "I was pissed as shit because she keeps talking down to me like I can't be my own being for some fucking reason! I have to be what she wants me to be, otherwise we get into it. Then if I try to walk away from the conversation, even to try to cool off, she holds me hostage! Like how is that healthy? I just wanna know where her mind is so I can move forward. That's all."

"Twilight Sparkle, you are a mess." She mutters through a sigh. "Alright, I can assume that she's not too enthusiastic that you've managed to make yourself available on the more... well... intimate end of things. She worries that she might run into you yet again."

Once more, the intrusive thoughts of her walking in on us while Ocellus was in the midst of her 'sword swallowing' act rings very loudly. "Okay, it was one picture, and I didn't even mean to send it to her! I thought she was someone else! How was I supposed to know that she was the one I was shooting my shot at that one time!? She was literally a gray account, no profile, no prior contact, no name color, nothing!"

"Spike, it was a full-frontal."

"And? That was supposed to go to my girl of the night. I'm nineteen with a full-time government job and no personal relationships like that, and I have the sex drive applicable to those of my age group. I was down bad and I had needs. What else was I supposed to do!? I can't just be fueled by imagination the entire time I get to─" I pause for a moment to realize who I was discussing this with. "─Okay, you know, maybe I'm getting too far into this."

"No, Spike. I understand." She replies with a sympathetic tone. "You are at an age where your sexuality is going to be widely expressed. And I've also seen for myself that you are in that time in your life where that's going to be a thing."

"Yeah..." I can already tell she's referring back to the club. "Sorry for letting you see me like that."

"I walked into a room where a dragon and a changeling were enjoying themselves. Why am I to be offended?"

"Because you saw me... and that... you know. I'm sure it broke a lot of images you had about me." I reply, my cheeks reddening with each moment I speak.

"Spike, are you afraid that I might think of you differently because of what I saw?" She asks.

"Who doesn't? I know Twilight sure does."

"Yes, and that is a problem. But it shouldn't be your problem." She replies. "How Twilight views you shouldn't be how you view you. You should be more open to yourself, and you should be able to express some of these things with Twilight, even if it can be a bit uncomfortable at times. You should be able to tell her that you need your space and that it's important for you to operate within the boundaries of that space. If it's an unintended message that strays her way, it's not for her to go and explode on you about it."

"Do you think so?" I question the mare.

"Spike, what you do with that thing of yours is your business, not mine. So don't expect me to complain about it to you, and don't expect me to rate you either. My opinion of you have not changed in any variable, you're still my little Spikey Wikey... despite a few growth spurts here and there."

I know she's saying this to make me feel better, but it doesn't change the sense of relief I feel with her saying that. It's the first bit of news that makes me smile all day. "Thanks, I appreciate it."

Her tone shifts once more, from endearing to a bit more critical. "Oh, and Spike, another thing. I would steer clear of Sweetie Belle for a while if I were you."

"Uh, why?" I question her.

"I don't know where you and Ocellus are in your relationship, but it would be better to keep you distance. Sweetie Belle is a bit of a trickster, as you can tell. I'm sure you know how she is considering that you still have some rather candid photos of me that you've used to stir the imagination."

I nearly stumble in place, flabbergasted that she knows about that transaction somehow. It even happened years ago, how did she pick up on that? "I, uh... I-I don't know what you're talking about."

"Twilight texted me yesterday about it."

Dammit, she went through my stash. "Oh..."

"I'm sure you understand that what's good for the goose is good for the gander. She has video footage of what took place at the club, a short little snippet. I know she'll have that for whatever negotiation she may want to entrap you with, and I'm sure that will go over quite well when she locks you in a room with just only the both of you." I can already feel the immense guilt starting to pluck at my nerves as the fashionista speaks. "Or maybe that's what you'd be gaming for."

"No! I don't have any interest in Sweetie Belle! I never did, we're just friends! I'd never even come close to looking at her that way because of─"

"Because of how you felt about me?" She concludes.

"Y-yeah... that." I stammer through the confession.

The mare on the line sighs for a moment before brightening up her tone again. "Well I can have your word that you'll put those unsanctioned images of me to the flames dear, I would really appreciate it if you would do away with those as I will be trying to do away with the videos Sweetie has of you. Is that or is that not a fair accord?"

While I'm going to miss having those images for my 'finishing touch', I'm in no place to disagree. I'll have to honor my word and burn the images. Besides, they're old, sticky, and covered in heavens knows what else. It's been fun to break many an edge session to them, but I have two marefriends now, one that can even transform into her upon request. "Yeah, I guess I'll do that now."

I lift my mattress and pull out one of the special editions of Mare Model Lingerie, going straight to the centerfold of Rarity modeling one of her own sets. While that image is sensually teasing, what's paperclipped to the bottom is a voyeuristic image of her plunging a toy deep within herself. I mentally absorb the image one last time, seeing the painful longing on her face, the way she lays on her back with her hindlegs reaching back to her ears, the desperation that shows in the blur of the toy being inserted at such a rapid pace, surely it had to have been the moment before climax... Maybe I can have one last go before sending it to the ashes.

"SPIKE!"

The surprise of her calling out my name so loudly causes me to unwittingly set fire to the whole magazine. I panic as I throw the thing on the ground, hoping to salvage what I can before it's all turned to ash. However, with my flames being as hot as they are, it's beyond saving. I can only mourn the fact that I just condemned a perfectly good centerfold along with some prime exclusive spank material.

She hears the pain in my voice. "Very good, Spike. Now I trust that you'll be fair to Ocellus and not have her transform into me whenever you feel like you need to vent your frustrations."

What she doesn't know won't hurt, right? I mean Ocellus is more than willing at this point because she knows she'll get the best out of me if she does. "Yeah, I promise not to ask her."

"And you'll make sure she doesn't transform into me because I know how devious that girl is, she's turned into me a number of times while I was teaching at that school just to get out of trouble. It won't be above her to do that to rile you up."

I used to work at a library, how am I the idiot being read up like one? "Sure."

"Good. Now take a deep breath... clear your thoughts... and keep me out of them, dear."

The sadness is starting to settle in. "Yes, ma'am."

"And I'll have a little chat with Twilight tonight when she gets back in. Hopefully I can get her to understand that you don't need to be locked away like some pet phoenix. Savvy?"

"Savvy." I answer as I reach down to pick up the smoldering ruins of the source of my many self-induced orgasms. "Just peachy."

"Alrighty then! I'll give you a ring when I've finished up on my end of the bargain. Do be a good little Spikey Wikey until we meet up next time. And please remember to keep your mental image on the girl you're currently excavating, it's much healthier for your relationship. Ciao!"

She hangs up immediately, leaving me to have a makeshift memorial service for the many years that centerfold and candid-capture combo worked me back from the depths of my lust. I grab a broom and quietly sweep the ashes into the dust pan, carefully escorting them to the trashcan near my bed, and dump the ruined material into the bin. I stare in silence over the loss before giving the items an honorable salute.

I'm going to no doubt ask Ocellus to replicate that exact position to the best of my memory next weekend.

Yesterday was a mostly boring day with the exception of a meeting that went well and a phone call that ended in nostalgic tragedy. Twilight got back from the human world in the late night hours, she seemed even more prickly than before. And with my head on the pillow, I already knew I was going to have to avoid her during breakfast.

So I simply bypassed the dining room this morning in favor of the general mess hall. The food there isn't bad either, it's a lot less curated and polished, but sometimes that's what makes the experience. I had a bunch of guards coming by to ask what was going on with me and Twilight, seeing that I wasn't stepping near the dining hall. I told them that I wanted some time away from her after living with her for so long, and kept things moving.

I'm still bound to the grounds, and all possible permissions to leave for any reason are to be supervised with at least three guards present, each being one pegasi for flight risk, one earth pony for physical restraint, and a unicorn for instant travel to and from the premises. It feels more like I'm being closed down in a high level containment facility more than I am 'living'.

So I sit in my room in protest. I don't leave for any reason. I don't exit the room for any summons, I don't go out and meet contacts. I essentially don't do my job, because how can I do that when I can't even leave the castle grounds. I even go through the rounds of ordering room service when the opportunity is issued. I do nothing the first day, and I keep my phone on airplane mode so that I don't hear Twilight's annoying ringtone.

Another day passes, and work piles up fast. But since I'm under restriction to never leave the castle until further notice, I'm at liberty to remain maliciously compliant. with the given limitations until I am explicitly told that my freedom is granted without term. I turn back on my phone on occasion to shoot a few texts to friends, letting them know I'm fine and what's going on. I also do my orders of room service though the phone. So far, I've been holding out just fine.

It's the third day, and the work is pooling around Twilight fast. Guards occasionally ask if I'm willing to go on assignment. I ask if I'm being escorted, they reply yes. I deny the assignment and let Twilight deal with the situation. I'm sure she's tired of relegating the issue to someone else, who has the freedoms I don't. But I'm content in my isolation, even if it's growing even more annoying by the day. I already don't like being here, but if I'm forced to stay on grounds, then I'm not coming out of my room until those limits are removed. After all, a counsel of friendship can't engage in diplomatic talks without being able to meet contacts abroad.

It seems that Twilight is getting extremely pissed off now that I haven't done anything for four days. All while she's busy relegating my job to others, knowing they don't have the type of relationships I've built with these contacts, I'm quietly penning a letter or resignation. I think it's time for me to start moving on with my life. I'm ready to get my life back, at least parts of my life back. It's bad enough that she's already put room service on halt for the day. It's a battle of attrition now, and I know it's not one I'm going to win. So I'm going to slide this under the door and politely await for my final escort from the grounds.

It's the fifth day now I've woken up to the sun beaming into my room. I shrug off my growing hunger and walk to the bathroom to take a shower. After I finish my morning routine in the bath, I walk back in to see Twilight standing in front of my bed. It seems she teleported inside. I merely pretend she's not there, even as she addresses me directly. "I read your letter."

I don't respond, I merely wait for her to finally dismiss me.

"Spike, we've been needing to talk for a long time."

I say nothing.

She clicks her tongue, trying to find something that will get me to talk. "So your work has been piling up as of late. Care to explain why you won't give these contacts an ear when they're clearly looking for you to negotiate?"

I lay back down in my bed.

She shows a little more patience, I'm more surprised that she didn't flip the bed already. "I know you think I'm being unreasonable with you. All I want to do is make sure you don't get yourself into trouble. The last creature I know that poked and prodded around for information nearly got themselves killed for my sake. I don't need you to go doing the same."

As much as she wishes that shallow puddle of an excuse would make me consider answering her, I don't.

The princess takes a deep breath. "...I'm sorry." I slowly turn an eye to her as she continues her apology. "I know it feels like I'm being cruel with you, but I'm scared. A lot is happening right now and it's bringing up bad memories. And all I can think of is what's going to happen to you if what I fear will come to pass. Each and every day, it starts to overwhelm me. And because it's happening the way it is now, I can't seem to stop much of it. I don't know where it's coming from, how it's coming to be. I just now there are more than a few kids who were affected by it."

"If you know kids are being affected by it, why don't you ask for help?" I finally break my silence, giving criticism to her admission.

"Because this is something way too big for you to get involved in." She answers with a sigh. "Like why should I get you involved in something that could damage you further than you're prepared for?"

I scoff at her excuse. "Oh, so me helping you save Equestria numerous times isn't something way too big for you to get involved in? So how I helped the Crystal Empire by recovering the Crystal Heart from King Sombra was too big for me? Like how helping you gather the elements to help defeat Discord was too big for me? Like having to help you bring Starlight Glimmer to her senses was too big for me? And don't even get me started on fighting off that malicious trio that could've had Equestria swallowed up by windigos, I nearly had my wings ripped from off of my back because of that shit!"

"WHY DO YOU THINK I'M SO PROTECTIVE OF YOU, SPIKE!?" She screams, pacing back and forth. "Watching you scream like that, seeing how hurt you were while trying to say that we didn't need to save you, it reminded me too much of a certain idiot who always ran in doing the same thing! You don't even know how bad he turned up because of that!"

"Trust me, I think I have the picture in my head." I reply.

"No you don't!"

"Yes I do." I argue strongly. "...He already showed me. He already warned me. Him visiting us last weekend was him trying to warn me not to dig too deep. That's why Ms. Royal took me to the human world, so that he could scare me straight. And I can't even begin to say how little I slept those first two nights over seeing that picture. It was bad."

She shakes her head. "Spike, if only you were there."

"I was!" I call out to her. "I was in a hot air balloon wondering what was stinking up the place so bad. I don't even think you remember the little-known fact that I was the one who piloted that hot air balloon to get Nondis in place for the big and bright finish that day. I remember that moment! I remember seeing that huge monster in the distance and how Nondis wanted me to drop him off in front of it. I called him crazy that day, but he did nothing different than what you would do. Hell, between the both of you, where do you think I get this shit from?"

The princess closes her eyes in thought, her mind wandering to the event that day. "Spike, I've seen so much that you don't want to see. So much death."

"And we've seen enough of that after Chrysalis invaded Canterlot. I still remember seeing a mom crying for her daughter caught in some rubble of a fallen house, I can't forget that. I remember the quiet procession that was supposed to be a parade, the decimated homes of those caught in the crossfire of Tirek's wrath... our home, the many alternate worlds we've seen, the terrors of hell and back. And I was still there with you guys for most of it." I sit up in my bed, staring back at the princess who looks down at herself. "You remember all of that, don't you?"

"I didn't want to expose you to all of that."

"I still have nightmares about it sometimes." I reply to her. "Especially the moment Chrysalis nearly ripped my wings off, I couldn't sleep on my back or fly for a week because of the pain."

"I know." She says, her voice sounding broken as she tries to hold back her emotions. "I... I'm scared for what you were getting into. I didn't know if you were going that route or what. I kept my eye on you for so long, I was being cautious, but now I know what it made us into." She sniffles. "...I'm... I'm so... sorry. You are the only one I have left, Spike. All my friends have gone on to live happy lives, having fulfilling relationships, kids, they have their lives ahead of them and a much shorter lifespan than I have now. The thought of losing you to the world scares me. All of this, it scares me."

Finally, she talks to me like an adult. She's looking for help instead of trying to show that she knows it all, but it's sad that her dependency has grown so much these days. It isn't just Nondis that left her behind, it's everyone else. The others have walked forward, while she's standing back. Now she's scared that I've caught up to her, the march of time and it's ever present threat of claiming everyone around us through it's passage, it makes life so much harder for her to bear.

But still, she didn't have to go this far. "I know what I did was wrong, but why would you go this far?"

"I was scared of what you were getting into. Rebellious teenager doing what they want to do, wanting to leave home..." She looks at me, her eyes reddened and puffy. "All I have is you. And I know that I should let you live your life, but I don't have the strength to do it." She wipes her eyes. "You're not the only one who wants to relive the past. I just want to go back to when I had no control over any of this, where I had my friends, where I had you by my side."

I drop my head in thought, pondering over what to say next. "Twilight, we all have our own lives to live. No matter how old we get, we're going to branch off and have our own thing. But in order for that to happen, we have to be willing to take that next step forward."

"I know." She says, walking beside me. "...Which is why I lifted your restriction yesterday evening."

"So... I'm really fired for real." I say with a chuckle.

"Oh no, your letter of resignation is soundly rejected." She replies with a slight smile. "I'm just saying that you can go out and live the life you wanna live. No more of me making your schedule. No more having to report in directly each day, we have phones for that. No more of me clinging on to you for pastime's sake. Raven already does what you did for me when you were smaller, so there's no need to play secretary. I know I've haven't said 'Spike, take a letter in what's going on a decade now..." She closes her eyes, clinching the tears from them. "Sorry, I'm rambling. But yeah, just check in every month... starting two weeks from now. Please?"

I immediately wrap my arms around the saddened princess and hug her tightly. "Thank you."

The princess smiles as she whispers back at me. "You smell like you're running low on soap."

"You have no idea." I laugh. "Being locked in a room made me realize how much I missed bubble baths."

She pulls away, wiping a tear with a smile. "Some things never change about you, Spike."

Shortly after our run in together, I ran through my lengthy checklist of items I need to take with me on my move. After a trip through town in the affluent Saddle Row, I get a number of assorted soaps and deodorants to make sure I stay up to snuff with my hygiene. With my toiletries out of the way, I sign over my waivers to have all sensitive documents that I may need to carry along with me. I'll also have them sent via dragon breath directly to Twilight.

Everything is packed, the golden royal chariot is loaded with all of my goods. I get a few sendoffs from Captain Solemn Oath and Sergeant Humbreeze. Gallus provides escort on the account that he's headed towards Ponyville for his usual weekend outings with Silverstream. Inkwell stands by Twilight, who lists off the items on my check list one final time.

"Did you remember to set your appointment for Tuesday in Manehattan?"

"Yes, I did."

"Wednesday for Seaddle?"

"Of course."

"Did you clear your schedule on Thursday for the representatives of Saddle Arabia?"

"Twilight, I'm on it already!" I answer back, becoming a bit annoyed.

"I just have to make sure! I don't want you getting too excited over going back to Ponyville that you start to lose sight of your work." She nags.

"I'll be even more on top of it now that I'll have a better schedule more catered to my mental health and physical well being, thank you very much." I answer back.

"You'll remember to eat properly, and try not to overindulge?"

"Yes."

"Do you promise?"

"Yes, yes, I'll do it." I roll my eyes at her as I watch as the guards verify that my cargo is secured and ready to hit the sky.

She gives me another hug, tightly coiling her hooves as well as her wings around me. "Ugh, you leaving is like watching Shining Armor go off to boot camp all over again. I can't stand it."

"You'll live." I reply as I give the thumbs up for the chariot to leave. The small squad of pegasi boom out of the hangar into the crisp blue afternoon sky. As they leave, I take to the air myself.

Twilight takes to the air along with me, flying me out of the hangar once more. "Spike, I know your Sundays are your own again, but if I need you, can you come through for me?"

"Contact me ahead of time, and I'll see if I can fit it into my schedule." I reply.

"And you'll keep me updated on how things are going in town?" She persists.

"Yes."

"Don't forget to write me a letter every Friday."

"We have phones. I'll text you."

"You know how I am with physical mediums, Spike." She reminds me.

I groan towards the princess. "Fine, I write you a damn letter every Friday."

"You better!" She calls out as she stops herself midair. The purple princess waves her hoof frantically as she tries to hold back tears. "Don't forget, we meet back up in two weeks at the next Friendship Summit!"

"I hear you!" I holler back to her before darting off.

"Call me when you land in safely! You know how I am when I get nervous!"

"STOP WITH THE TWILIGHTING, ALRIGHT!"

As I land in Ponyville once more, I give Twilight a quick call to let her know I got here safely. Then I meet up with the mayor, as well as a few of the other representatives of the town. They accompany me on my search for a home to occupy, landing me in a familiar plot of land. They hand me the paperwork to sign for the plot of land, all of it with the address of 2407 Golden Oaks Way. They smile as I sign the waivers and documents to have the home built. They say it will be completed within five days.

Something tells me that the mayor was just tired of having this place remain a vacant lot with a bunch of signs pointing to where the old library used to be. She seemed really eager to have this place built up, and what better opportunity than to have one of the former occupants inhabit the address. And while I'm grateful that they saved me the spot, I politely informed them that I would rather have something more traditional as opposed to the tree home that used to inhabit it. After all, there's a much larger tree home in the shape of a castle overlooking the entire town that reminds me of that aspect enough.

In speaking of which, I'll be staying there until the house is finished.

My belongings are dropped off in the foyer of the castle, I look the place with some nostalgia replaying in my mind. I could remember the halls being much more lively with all the visitations from our friends, the shenanigans we'd all get into, the sounds of panic when something went comically wrong, and the crazy things we used to do. It also reminds me of the time I betrayed Twilight's trust, almost alienating myself away from everyone. Just being here makes me recall that memory more than anything else. The place feels awkward to be in now, but thankfully I won't be here for longer than a week.

I go upstairs, taking only what I use for hygiene, to the room I used to inhabit. Meanwhile, there's a sound of a stallion walking though the halls mumbling about something. I go in the hall to check up on who it is, seeing none other than Sunburst with his eyes glued to a book that levitated in front of him. I call out to the stallion. "Hey, Sunburst!"

His eyes leave the page for one take and drops back down to the book. But then he realizes who I am and moves the book out of the way for a second take. Instantly, he greets me. "Spike? Well, I didn't think you'd be here! How's it going?"

"It's great now that I'm out of Canterlot for the time being. How about you?"

The orange unicorn chuckles. "Well, it's going pretty well thus far. The school seems to be in stable working order. I can say we're pretty much in the same boat as we're usually sailing."

"So, no improvements in dealing with Starlight?" I check in with him.

He looks off with a blush, nervously laughing. "Well... maybe things might've... gotten a bit hectic."

"Hectic?" I ask with concern.

"So you remember that time when you told me to ignore her until she could afford the time to pay attention to me? Well... she didn't take too kindly to that."

A sinking feeling starts to develop in my chest. "Oh no... you two didn't break up, did you?"

"What!? Nonononono!" He frantically corrects me. "Actually, what I meant to say was..."

*Two Weeks Ago...*
-Flashback Perspective: Sunburst-

I had just finished going through the monthly academic report. I also did just as you instructed me. Whenever Starlight requested my assistance in the office, I ignored the call. I did just that for the four days leading up to it. Though the calls each day started to get subtly more aggressive. But I held true and ignored them.

Then that Friday when there was that field trip to Canterlot, I subbed in for one of the teachers that went on the trip. It also meant that I had to watch after the students as they were dismissed from their classes for the day. Once I got done with all of that, then it was time for me to clean up the classroom. But I had noticed that there was a distinct lack of a call to office that day. I causally wrote it off.

Then I had this uneasy feeling that I was being watched from the the supplies cabinet. I walked over, checked to see if there was anything inside unusual. I shrugged it off thinking, "Oh, guess it must be my imagination." and moved along.

But as soon as I turn around, I find myself being the one shoved inside of the closet, and Starlight's looking down at me with a vicious look that ultimately spelled out villainous intent. "YOU!"

She was a bit disheveled, and pretty pissed might I add. "Starlight!... Are you─"

"SHUT IT!" She slammed her hoof against the back of the cabinet so hard that I heard the wood crack from the impact. She started to loom heavily over me looking as imposing as a really pissed off Princess Celestia. "Who are you seeing!?"

"N-n-nobody!" I was stammering because of how dangerous she looked.

"LIAR!" She called me out loudly.

"I'm mean it, Starlight! I'm not seeing anypony!" I try to reason with her, but she doesn't buy anything I'm selling at that point.

"Well YOU haven't been seeing ME! What the fuck's that all about!?"

I tried to speak a little calmly, you know, trying to make things gradually deescalate over time. "Seriously, I take a step back to see where we are and─"

"SEE WHERE WE ARE!?" Instead, my answer managed to only piss her off even more, and it also had the unintended consequence of making her sad. "Are you breaking up with me?"

I tried to relay the logic you passed on to me. "N-no! I just thought that a little bit of absence makes the heart grow fonder is all─"

Again, it fell on deaf ears. "Who the fuck are you to not pay attention to me when all I think about is you!? How fucking dare you go about taking me for granted like this!"

"Starlight, we haven't had a decent conversation in months."

Even as I brought that up, she didn't care. "Okay, I might have been a bit busy, but don't think that I don't keep you on my mind! There may be a lot going on, but I still try to have the time to do what I can to keep you satisfied."

I continued to hold my ground when it came to my reasoning. "Calling me into your office for a so-called 'performance evaluation' is not my idea of being satisfied."

But whenever she's imposing, it's hard to get her to come to rationality. If anything, she tried to find any reason why it all went wrong. "Then what is it!? What has you leaving me on read!? Why are you ignoring me!? Why haven't you been in my office and kneading my brains to mush with your─"

I knew we were still in school, and there were some students still lurking the halls. I needed to quiet her down before news of what we did in the office became a community conversation piece, at least for the sake of the school. "Because I want you to marry me!"

I finally told her. While I was expecting her to react emotionally, she didn't quite filter it through on the initial go. Instead, she stared at me with disbelief. "...I'm sorry, what?"

I was just happy that she calmed down, at least for the time being. "I mean I wanted to have something special, I wanted to set up a date where I could just wine and dine you, then take you to someplace special, at least for a local's standpoint, and then I'd pop the question! I'd even give you the ring I picked out and place it on your horn. That's all I wanted to do. I shouldn't have to force the issue like... this."

It was an awkward moment where I had to spill my heart out as I was spilling my guts. But I did that to at least bring things to a calm. But one look at her at that moment, I knew she was obsessed with the idea. "Oh... So you... me... Us... House, thing, all that!?"

She was really excited to hear that I was finally popping the question on her, albeit in a way that I didn't quite intend for it to go. "Yeah, plus the memory of our wedding day, the flowers, the sight of you walking down the aisle to me─"

But I soon realized that I had underestimated her excitement... greatly underestimated it. "CAN IT!"

She pinched my muzzle shut and teleported us to the city hall. Next thing I know, she's toting me around with this magic ring on my muzzle like I'm her dog. Honestly, it was a bit embarrassing... and kinky. She took charge the entire time we were there. She just dragged me to a hall and growled at everyone who was waiting in the lobby, most of the ponies in attendance scattered out so that we were next in line.

So it was just us two sitting in an office, waiting for our names to get called. And I'm still wondering why we were here of all places for her to go through her kink phase. "So why are we here?"

"Why else!?" She starts to impatiently ring the bell at the attendant's desk. I'm practically mortified at this point to see her being so aggressively assertive.

"Starlight, do you really─"

"No, you listen to me!" She tightened the bind on my muzzle as she yanked me in to meet with me, muzzle to muzzle. "If we're doing this, I'm not going to dare ask my dad to give you any kind of blessing, nor are you going to tell your mom about it until she's to be reasoned with! I will not have you spending tens of thousands of bits to put together some stupid day where I wear some frilly dress only once in my life, you are not going on an alter to embarrass yourself, you are not going to have me ruining thousands of dollars in makeup over some emotional corporate bullshit! I am not going to dare have my dad question me about this, and your mom will not be here to talk you out of it! And after we're finished, I'm going to fuck you into a coma, wake you from it, and repeat this whole fucking process until I am due to give birth! DO. YOU. UNDERSTAND!?"

While it was a lot that made sense in her explanation, especially regarding our parents, I was still trying to process how fast she teleported us to Town Hall. Everything was moving at light speed at that point. "Uh..."

"YES OR NO!"

"Yes, yes." As I'm nodding and basically whimpering past the bindings she placed on my muzzle, the notary finally arrives.

"GOOD!" I notice that the notary happened to be an old lady with glasses, and she moved really slow. She took Starlight's information slowly. "ID." And Starlight's demanding that I take mine out as quick as possible.

"Here you go, ma'am." I try to seem as polite as possible, not wanting this to take any longer and risking Starlight getting angry over the process.

The notary at the desk had this really nasally voice, and she spoke really slow. "You two aren't wasting time, are you?"

Starlight isn't shy to make her intentions known. She's tapping away at the ground like there's oil underneath us, that's how impatient she was. "We have a lot to do this evening, so we're going to make this quick."

That notary knew what she was doing, but she gives me a look and side mouths over to me. "Sir, might I suggest aftercare for your impending coma?"

Starlight doesn't even care about the fact that she had made it publicly know what her intentions were for me. "He's got me, he's fine."

The lady pulled out a manila envelope with some documents in it. She pulls out the last page and slowly slides it across the desk. "Sign this please."

Starlight snatched the paper and started scripting at the bottom line, all while I'm still wondering if this is what she really wanted to do so quickly. "Is this really how we're doing this?"

She shoves the pen and the paper in my face. "SUNBURST!"

"Okay." I wasn't gonna hesitate any longer, doing that would probably make it even worse that what I had coming next.

The notary slowly took out a stamp, clamping down on it to provide the seal on the papers, and just as quick as she let go of that stamp, it was done. "Congratulations, you're now lawfully wedded. Kissing the bride is only customary." Almost in an instant, she swaps back to a normal speed. "Next in line, please!"

I wanted to question that mare about her attitude, but then Starlight yanked my face down and pressed her head and horn against mine. "You. Me. Breed. NOW!"

-Flashback End-

"...And that's how that went." He finishes.

I'm left virtually speechless over the fact that I left him one day, and the next time we meet up he's already tied up and fully married. No ceremony, no pomp and circumstance, just straight paperwork. If that's how quick a marriage can be done, I can't even imagine how fast Twilight would make her process if she finds someone willing to propose. "Uh... congrats?"

"Yeah... it's awkward to think about, but─"

"HONEY!" The sound of Starlight's voice popping up nearby startles us both. We quickly turn around to see the unicorn walking towards us with a smile. She greets her now-husband... apparently. "Honey, you came straight home! I'm so proud of you."

She doesn't let her husband speak, instead turning her attention to me immediately as I greet her. "Hey, I heard you two tied the knot. I didn't─"

"Aw Spike, it's soooo good to see you!" She clutches her forelegs around me, all while using her magic to bend me down to her level. She talks softly in my ear. "Let's get one thing clear. If you EVER try to give my husband any relationship advice again, I will go back in time and alter your existence where you will be nothing more than an afterthought. Have I made myself clear?" She instantly swaps her tone back to bright and welcoming. "I'm sure you can't wait to get settled back in! I'll go downstairs and help you with your stuff! C'mon!"

I slowly turn my head to Sunburst. "The rest of your life, huh?"

"If I'm not with her, it'll probably be even shorter." He mutters jokingly, with some undertones of potential truth.

"Boys!? Don't make me come back up there!" She warns. "I would sure hate to get this reunion off to a cold start! Come down here and help me with all this stuff!"

"Yes, ma'am!" We both holler out as we run after her.

Chapter 15: Past and Present

I can remember the night of four years ago, the sights of the moment, the smells around me, the sounds of the world being drowned out for just but a moment when worst came to worst. I remember the second, hour, and day of it all coming apart for me. A year's worth of work in building a personal relationship with my ex-girlfriend. It was a blight of hope I experienced, a moment of clarity that showed me that I could find the strength to move on from the unrequited spiral of affection that led me to simply separate my amorous ambitions from my lustful, yet unrealistic intentions.

'Finally, I can move on from Rarity with this new relationship' I thought to myself. I even went through the trouble of intentionally removing the fashionista from the equation of my mind, so much that she even woke me from my bed one morning wondering what the hell she did wrong. It was a perfect opportunity to push forward in my life. It was also an opportunity squandered not by intent of my own doing, but an unfair draw of schedule.

"All I hear, 'my schedule' this, 'my schedule' that! It's been a year, where do I even fit in for you!?"

I was in a panic in that moment, shocked to see her so angry. She was always patient and understanding, even accepting of my frantic schedule. I wrote letters to her frequently, and that was before the growing spread of human technology that would've made our communication more consistent. But that still took a week before she heard from me, maybe even longer depending from which corner of the globe I was writing from.

If only the use of phones had exploded that year instead of two years after that day, but only fate can control the timing of things. And letters can only get to her as fast as the public delivery service can allow, even with her being apart of that same system. If things were that simple, she'd hear my voice the day I'd call. I'd be able to schedule things a lot easier, fitting in blocks of an hour during a packed out schedule to maybe show her I still cared. But in the year of us talking and writing, I was given the official position of Royal Friendship Advisor. From there, the two months we grew to one another was spaced out, meeting only an hour for every blue moon.

And at the moment, we were at a table in a high-class restaurant for only fifteen minutes while I was stressing to the guard accompanying me to give me more time. "Sir, your meeting with the foreign minister of Zebrabwe is in forty-five minutes. Your time slot only allows you to be here for another twenty minutes before we have to stay true to the schedule the princess outlined."

"Yes, I know that, but can we not right now!?" I stressfully demanded before turning to the griffon who sulks at the news. "Sorry... I've been trying my best."

"Sorry can't cut it anymore, Spike! I can't deal with this! I need time for us, I feel the way I feel for you because we had the time to make that happen. But now it's like I only know you through a stupid piece of paper!"

Another guard walked up to the previous guard and whispers in his ear. The first nodded and then walked over to me. "Sir Spike, I regret to inform you that your meeting will have to be pushed up tonight."

"What are you saying?" I asked him.

"Sir, I'm saying we have to go now."

I threw my head back in defeat. "Sorry, Gabby. I'm gonna have to reschedule─"

If I was thirsty before the moment her glass of water was emptied onto my face, I would've called it refreshing. Otherwise, it was a humiliation grown out of inconvenience, and extreme disappointment. "Reschedule that! I'm done being the last thing you think about! Since everything else seems to be so important to you that you can't even spare some time with me, then how about I make your stupid schedule a lot easier by removing myself from it! I waited ten whole months for this for you! You wrote letters telling me how this was your best shot, how it was going to be an evening for just the two of us! Not only you lied to me, you didn't even think to tell me outright that we couldn't go today! I would've been a lot less hurt if you wrote to me and told me we had to cancel, but no! So congratulations, you wasted my time for ten months all for a twenty minute date!" She turned away, her voice breaking as she started to walk away. "I'm really not even worth it to you."

The guards stood alert as I called out to her while she stormed out. "Gabby, wait─"

She stormed out of the restaurant through the front door, a few patrons shrugging and watching with piqued interest in my adolescent romance ending with a cold drink to the face. A few mares in the back carelessly applauded the griffon's exit, giving out cries of 'you go girl' while my heart filled with sadness and my stomach turned with nauseous depression.

The waiter came back to see our table with one less patron and questioned me. "I see we're one short, are we still taking an order on tonight?"

With a deep sigh, I accepted the fact that my relationship had ended in abject failure. "Just one order tonight, my date just got cancelled."

"Oh, well I'm sorry to hear that sir."

I looked back to the guard with a partially angry glance, but also a wounded heart, asking the server. "Do you guys offer take out instead? I hate to waste the reservation."

"No sir, I'm afraid this is not a 'take out' establishment. This is a fine dining experience with some of the most experienced kitchen staff in the land. To request a takeout would have our chefs in an uproar. It's not advised, it's almost what they would consider a violation worthy of a ban."

Beautiful. It was a perfect way to end a terrible night, with even more terrible news. My reservation was gone and I had to wait another six months for a time slot. Everything I planned for, it was all for the four-star experience of getting a drink thrown in my face.

I started to wipe off my face and neck using a napkin used to hold the silverware. "Thanks for your time."

The waiter stops me with a gentle tug of my tail. "Excuse me, sir. I am afraid that she requested sparkling water. I'm going to have to bill you for the cost."

I turned to the guard who broke the bad news for me and grimaced at him. "Guard, have the royal tab pick it up."

"Sir, this would be an unauthorized─"

"RUN THE TAB! TWILIGHT WILL PAY IT! THANK YOU!" I screamed as I slammed the napkin into the table. The other patrons watched as I briskly walked out of the establishment with a seething anger that showed as I breathed.

The total cost of that night:
Sparkling Mineral Water: 75 bits.
First taxi coach: 100 bits.
Second taxi coach: 150 bits.
Fresh bouquet of flowers and vase: 185 bits.
Train ticket, first class: 275 bits.
Locked-in reservation for two at an exclusive restaurant: 350 bits.
Custom made satin tux: 1200 bits.
Losing your girlfriend and pissing off the princess in the same evening: Priceless.

There are some things money can't buy. For everything else, there's the royal treasury.

As soon as I wake up, I'm already feeling a bit better about opening my eyes. I know it's because I don't just have today to live my life for a change. Instead, I'm going to have the rest of whoever-knows-how-long to go through my checklist. And I'm feeling more than pretty good about it. No more nagging princess, no more of that forced schedule, no more being held hostage to my duties. I finally feel like I graduated high school, if only I'd know how that feels exactly.

Huh, come to think of it, I was always helping around the school, helping Twilight through school, know my friends who went through school, but never have I really been to school myself. In fact, I don't even have a GED. I've been working my entire life, running errands, helping to save the world, arguing with princesses, everything but complete my own education. I know that one of Twilight's representatives had to undergo courses to complete their GED certification, but why didn't I? Like I can understand Ms. Kalimba's situation, but shouldn't I be subject to those same parameters?

Hmm... Guess I know what I'm doing today.

"Spike!"

Starlight's calling me downstairs, probably for breakfast. "Coming!"

I hop out of the bed, giving myself a quick sniff test to see if I'm in need of a shower before hitting the breakfast table. I guess I could use one if I'm going to see the girls today. Yeah, I'm still thinking about putting Ocellus in that one position I know I remember from my favorite picture.

...Maybe a quick shower can help me purge that thought. "Hey, I'm hitting the shower, keep my food warm for me?"

After breakfast, I take a walk through town to get my morning started. As I roam the crowded dirt streets of Ponyville's suburban sprawl, I take notice of a lot of things that appear to be sprouting up. There's fast food options, hardware stores, some apartment complexes, even a number of relatively high density housing developments sprouting up towards the main part of town. It seems with the sprouting of the castle a few years back, the building codes of the town have loosened also, from their original limitations of being no higher than five stories, to allowing a ten story building to sprout up downtown. It seems the place is trending not only outward, but seeds of vertical development are starting to show.

If you haven't been here before, you'd say something along the lines of 'Finally, this dirt town is starting to get some real road to walk on. And those that moved from here years back have at least kept up with the town's economic progress. I know I've read a number of newspapers about some developments and how they would come together and create some of the best ideas, only to get frustrated and disappointed by a local committee of NIMBY's looking to keep things in stasis. I can see their concern, but it's pretty played out at this point.

It isn't just ponies who are moving here anymore. It's kirens, diamond dogs, griffons, yaks, changelings, dragons, donkeys, mules, and even humans who inhabit this place. The draw of it isn't so much of the town itself, but rather the close proximity to Canterlot. It's a suburb town with affordable housing that's also been bestowed with an upgraded rail system to drastically shorten commute between the two municipalities, and a strong local government with plenty of disaster pay sitting in treasury for anything that could possibly going wrong. The food is fresh here, the citizens are nice, the town is teeming with a female populace that outnumbers males almost three to one, and opportunities are abound. A lot of ponies are looking to stash away here.

However, that doesn't mean everyone's still willing to stick around with the new changes coming around the bend.

As I'm walking along, I run into Ms. Cheerilee, who's toting with her a wagon full of luggage. I check in on the mare with a friendly greeting. "Ms. Cherilee, good morning!"

"Oh, Spike is that you!?"

I walk up to her and offer a fist bump of greeting. "You know it, back in the fold now. So you look a little encumbered, you okay?"

She shakes her head stressfully. "Oh no. It's fine. I'm just taking all of this to the train station."

"Oh." I reply with a sorrowful drone. "Moving out of town?"

The mare nods with pursed lips. "Yeah, it's... it's time for me. I've done all I could here, and there's a much better establishment teaching the kids around here than that old wooden schoolhouse."

"Did something happen, a downsize in budget?" I ask her. "Low pay, not enough perks?"

"Nah, it's just that I happened to see the signs of my life going by. And... not much is going for me anymore. It's not a hardship or anything, I'm just tired of being alone here while watching everyone I used to teach get into the thick of their lives." She replies as she struggles with her wagon. "I mean I'm pushing forty and I haven't had anything resembling a stable relationship since Big Mac and I happened upon a love potion all those years back. Now he's married and got a kid."

I see now she's in a bit of a midlife crisis. "Oh, I see─"

"Like seriously, Pinkie Pie, the party girl extraordinaire, the girl who couldn't seem to keep her hooves tethered to the ground has a husband and a foal! The Pinkamena Diane Pie, who is a clear ten years younger than me, just had her foal three months ago! She not only settled down, but she's popping out spawns like confetti cannons! And don't even get me started with that temptress of a mare Sweetie Belle! I've watched that little girl grow from a small, cute little filly, to a male-eater in the course of twelve years! Hell, six years ago I had to start calling her and her friends colleagues because they became instructors at the age of fifteen! How am I even going to compete with those three when I can't even keep up with them anymore!?"

"You know, I'm sure they'd be thrilled to work with you." I suggest.

"I'll pass." She says after taking a deep breath. "I just need to pack it up and go someplace a bit slower these days. Ponyville used to seem so promising when I was coming up, but being here for my entire life and then some has made me aware that I'm not really ready to take the great leap forward the town is making now. It's nothing against the creatures living and moving here, I just feel my time is dwindling in a place where everyone is moving forward while I'm still wanting to be stuck back in time. It isn't what it used to be anymore."

An awfully sad take on moving on, I'll admit. In the end, she's like me in the way I view Canterlot. It's played out because the figures that made this place what it is isn't here anymore. I might not be as old as her, but she's pretty tired of being here after so long. "Yeah, I know how that feels. It's why I had to move here over staying in Canterlot." I say as I take the strap from her harness. "Besides, it sucks being somewhere that only reminds you of the past. It would be different if you had some friends that you can still talk to."

"Yeah, but those friends have either gone about their lives elsewhere, or I'm teaching their kids now. And trust me, that last bit is the deal breaker for me." She says as she allows me to take the cart from her and walk with her to the train station, which isn't a long ways from where we're starting. "I've taught Rarity and the girls, her sister Sweetie Belle, I've taught Pumpkin and Pound, and this year I've had to teach little Jasper, a human child in my school because he wasn't old enough to be with the other kids in the Friendship School. I'm not staying here another five years and finding Big Mac's or Pinkie's kid in my classroom. I can't."

I see she's obviously got way more than the baggage I'm towing along. "Yeah, I feel you."

We finally get to the train station, Cheerilee thanks me for carrying her stuff with a smile, a chuckle, and a lovely looking sapphire I could sink my teeth into. However, it seems her train is running a bit late on today. And plus her train isn't coming from the more advanced rails that we have laid coming from Canterlot. The train station is also seeing some upgrades, a glass ceiling placed directly over the boarding port, new loudspeakers for announcements, and a new concrete platform with caution studs signifying to many hard of seeing a boundary of safety.

The growth of the town is even more evident now than when I first came here over ten years ago.

"I remember when this only used to be a wooden platform. There was the counter for tickets, the outhouse around the side, and a little old poster board that had some of the local celebrations on it. The town was so much smaller when I was coming up. This place used to be called the great escape, if you wanted to get out of town, that is."

I also share my experiences of the past. "I remember everything being bigger than it used to be. Even the platform, I thought it stretched out forever, at least until I started flying. The more I look back, the crazier it gets. All the adventures and friendship missions we used to take, they'd start off here. Crazy, huh?"

"Not as crazy as you think." A third voice speaks out. We both turn to see a pink mare with a red mane approaching us with a smile and a gift basket in tow. "I might not have been here nearly as long, but even I can recall seeing how small this place was when a certain friend of mine was running off to face dangers seen and unseen. I remember seeing the whole platoon he was shipped out with to head south. But now it feels like this place is finally meeting up to the demand that's now required."

"Cherry!" Cheerilee greets the mare with a hug. "You brought me a gift!?"

"I couldn't let you leave without saying goodbye!" She responds. "I know the party was last night, but I figured you deserved a little something for looking after little Jasper for a while. It's sad to see you go, but I understand why you wanna leave."

"Aw, you're so sweet, Cherry." The former school teacher accepts the basket. "But I've only looked after Jasper for a year. That kid is something else, so smart... and─"

"Devious, yeah I know. He's my son alright."

"I was going to blame your husband, at least let me put the behavior on him."

"Nah, Strapping's just too mild-mannered and calm. I'm the hot personality in the relationship. Always been." She turns to me with a wink. "Isn't that right, Spike?"

"Yeah, you are the one who cussed me out years back."

Cheerilee goes through her gift basket, seeing a number of goods, even some human stuffs. "Aw, you really went through and got me all of this. I can't believe you'd do this." She happens upon a black box with a quirked brow. "Uh, what's this though?"

Cherry walks up to her and whispers in her ear, causing the mare's eyes to widen significantly. She looks back at the young parent who responds with a nod. "Yeah, trust me, you'll love it."

The mare begins to fan herself. "Oh... why how... thank you for the... gift."

"I know you got a lot going on. And I figured after our conversation last night, you'd want to start over with a new bit of spice."

"Yeah, that's pretty spicy." She says with a set of rosy cheeks and red-tipped ears. She gives me a glance and mutters to the mare. "Though should we really be having these conversations around Spike? It might seem a bit inappropriate."

"I completely understand. It's more common than not to *ahem* alleviate stress." I respond with a wink and a claw to my lips. "I won't tell if you won't."

Cheerilee's entire ears run red with thoughts. "Oh, I definitely need to get away from you."

Cherry laughs loudly as she also gives me a glance upward. "Yeah, he's grown into a cutie. Might have to watch himself these older ones, might find them being a lot more educated."

I sigh heavily, thinking about Ms. Royal. "Yeah, might be a little too late to warn me of that one."

"Uh oh." The young parent answers with a glance. "A certain friend of mine didn't get your number, did she?"

"She did." I reply. "And she already got a hold of me last weekend."

"Oh yeah, she did." I look over to the former teacher and see her suffering through hot flashes. It seems Cherry's in on the fun and teases her further on the topic. "Heard she drove you around town."

"Yeah, she showed me some pretty amazing things, even some stuff humans do. Pretty wild."

The older mare stammers as she taps her hoof impatiently. "W-where is that damned train?"

The loudspeakers come on with a click. "Train to Las Pegasus now arriving. Repeat: Train to Las Pegasus now arriving."

"Ah, finally!" Exclaims the former teacher.

A school teacher longing to slow things down is going to a place where every night seems to end with a blackout or blur, I can't exactly say that's something I had pinned for her. I figured she would've gone to someplace like Silver Shoals. "Las Pegasus, that's where you're starting over?"

She shakes her head. "Oh no! I'm just going there to retreat for a while before I relay to the real destination. I don't think I'd be able to keep myself contained if I decided to live in a place like Las Pegasus!"

Cherry smiles at the mare, putting a hoof to her shoulder. "It's okay to let yourself be free. You've lived long enough to afford it. Do you!"

Cheerilee closes her eyes in thought before returning the smile. "You know what, I am going to be more of myself. I'm not a teacher anymore, so I don't have to hold back!"

"That's the spirit!" I cheer her on.

"Yeah! I'm gonna go party like it's going out of fashion!" She announces, pumping a hoof emphatically. "I'm gonna go meet a bunch of ponies, drink a lot, and black out till the next morning feeling like I bashed my head against a chalkboard!"

Maybe she's getting a little too excited. "Uh... sure."

"And you know what, I don't have to play nice anymore. I don't have to keep a reputation in a place like Las Pegasus! I can just be what I want to be!" She screams to the sky above before pointing back at me. "And I'm gonna start by teaching young studs like you how to properly treat a mare!"

Okay, maybe she might be a tad bit repressed from the years of work. "Okay, I think they're calling for boarding now."

She grabs her belongings and darts to board the train at near sonic speed, leaving a purple blur behind her. Once she boards, she lets down a window to hang her head out of it. "So long, Ponyville! I'm off to be the real me!" She refocuses her attention to me once more. "Oh, and Spike... do drop by."

Gulp. "I'll... see if my schedule will allow it." I won't.

As the train whistle sounds, the mare's eyes grow obscenely chaotic. "VIVA LAS PEGASUS, BABY, YYYYEEEEAHHHH!"

While the train disappears off into the distance, Cherry giggles as she questions me. "So how many older mare are going to hit on you? I swear you're like prime cougar bait."

"I hope not." I drop my head in disbelief. "Ms. Royal is about the limit I can take at this point. I don't need another one of her."

"If that's what your limit is, then I'd hate for you to get caught up with Mayor Mare. Rumors has it that she's been hiring young interns from various towns, all males, all of them around your age. She even hit on Nondis once. She obviously has a type, and you might be on that list."

"I know I'm on her list." I groan with unease. "Just don't remind me about last year's Winter Wrap-up, please."

Another stop of my day leads me to a familiar part of town. While much around the place has seemed to undergone some mode of upgrade, there's still one community staple that remains the same on the outside. Always and forever the confection-appearing, Sugarcube Corner remains the one venue the community wishes would remain the same for the sake of novelty. The place is pretty well-kept too, lots of the elements of the building have been refurbished to near-mint condition, the paint is always stripped away and repainted exactly as it was, no rebrands, no additions, just the ever-persistent mom-and-pop bakery.

Now the management, that has changed over the past few years. Mr. and Mrs. Cake left the keys to Pinkie and Cheese, the latter of the new pair of owners adopting the last name 'Pie', being all the more of a true baton being passed between the Cakes and Pies. Both Pound and Pumpkin are currently enrolled at the School of Friendship, they come by whenever they get done with school and work part time. They especially come over to help babysit whenever Pinkie needs them to do so, which is fairly often considering her line of work.

The proud Pie couple are a pair of successful caterers, often being called in to coordinate weddings, special events, parties, birthday celebrations, centennial events, cuteceñeras, and even funeral repasses. They use the money they earn from that to keep everything here at the shop up to date and working order. While the culinary technology changes, they keep up with the trends while also practicing traditional methods of creating the sweet confections that everyone loves. It's that dedication to the craft that keeps this place a local tourist trap, everyone comes here looking for a bite. It's one of the foodie's international pilgrimage spots.

As soon as I enter, I greet the pink mare working behind the counter with a wide smile and a boisterous salutation. "Hey Pinkie! How's it going today!?"

"SHHH!" Everyone in the room turns to me to chide me for my volume, the only exception being Pinkie herself. The place with it being so packed is as quiet as a library.

"Sorry." I whisper softly in response. "Is this quiet game day?"

Pinkie turns from measuring out her current order and greets me with an excited whisper of her own. "Spike! So glad to see you!"

"Is this like a game where no one can whisper past a certain level?" I ask her.

"It's nothing like that." She says with a quiet giggle. "I just put Little Cheese down for a nap. So I put up this traffic light I had ordered in from the human world to let everyone know what volume we need to have. Green for normal, yellow to warn everyone that we need to start keeping things down for him, and red to keep it quiet so that Little Cheese can sleep."

As adorable, and somewhat tedious, as that is, I'm more surprised that everyone is going along with it. "How do you get everyone here to keep up with that."

"Sign by the door." She whispers before she pulls out a replica of the sign from the top of her mane. Everything on the page is illustrated just as she described it, having the words bolded at the top of the page reading 'Baby on Board: Keeping noise traffic to a minimum'.

It's amazing to see that the community and the touring public all come to one accord on the matter. "And I come in all loud, sorry for that."

The mare giggle-snorts before replying. "It's always someone. You're just the first of the day. So what can I get for you?"

"You still have the pear-apple muffins?" I ask the pink mare.

"Ah, our papple-sauce perfection, how many you want?"

"I'll take six."

"Aw, Spike. I know you're hungry for more than six. I'll make you a baker's dozen, on the house."

"You don't have to do that." I plead with the mare.

"Duh! Of course I don't! Doesn't mean that I won't though!" She immediately walks into the kitchen and walks right back out with a box of twelve, plus one more from the display case. "Careful Spike, it matches your temperature!"

As I grab for the box, I feel how hot the box is. I chuckle a little over her comment. "Okay, I see what you did there."

"In speaking of high temperatures, I hear that you and Twilight aren't really getting along these days. Is everything okay between you two?" She asks.

"Yeah, everything's fine. I just needed some space, so I moved here."

The pink pony coos with interest. "So, you're moving here. Let me guess, Twilight couldn't handle you having adult interests?"

"Personally, I think it's better we have our own spaces. I feel like my being there takes away from me having the time to make my own schedule, and she's probably so co-dependent on me being a constant that she doesn't actively go out and search for someone." I answer.

The mare rolls her eyes. "Nope, swing and a miss."

"So what is it then?" I question her.

"Big sibling stuff. You wouldn't understand until you either become a guardian of someone real young or have a kid of your own." She replies with a glance upstairs. "It's hard watching everyone around you grow old, including yourself. You'd think that the party lasts forever, it doesn't. Things start to hurt, minds start to be cemented in habit, the innocence we see in others become tainted as they grow and do more things we come to question, even certain lines that might have been drawn in the past may get shifted for better or worse."

"Huh... that's an awfully thought-provoking perspective... and a bit bleak." I reply quietly.

"Fun fact, the amount of creatures who are older than you never increases after you're born."

"Okay, not trying to have an existential crisis here." I warn the mare.

"Really, you don't have those?" She asks with a quirked brow. "I have them all the time."

Well that explains much. "Yeah... So thanks for the muffins. I guess I'll go find someone to share some of these with."

The pink mare snickers as she waves me over to her. I lean down and wait for her to speak. "If you're looking for Ocellus, she's gone back to the Changeling Kingdom with Thorax."

Ugh, great, so much for my Saturday. "Ah, thanks for the info... How did you know I was looking for her anyhow?"

The mare cuts her eyes as she gives me a devious expression. "Well there's this really spicy video me and Rarity happened to run across─"

"Please don't get into it."

I'll be the first to admit that hearing Ocellus had gone out of town on the weekend I move back is a bit disheartening, even depressing. But I can still look forward to spending time with her throughout the week, I should be able to piece together some time to do that after she gets done with her teaching. But it still feels like I won't be able to close the gap on a few things that still meander at the forefront of my mind.

To take my mind off of things, I go on an extended stroll through town. I'm hoping to make things go by a little easier. I take up my next point of interest, visiting the Carousel Boutique to check in on some outfits that were advertised. Passing through, I see a young colt handing out pamphlets and approach him. "Hey there, kid. What'cha dumping out there?"

"Excuse you, I'm no child." The small figure snaps around, speaking with a fully grown tenor-like tone. "Huh... Spike, you've sure seemed to sprout up fairly well."

Seeing the short figure being a grown stallion surprises me. He's dwarfish in stature, but normally built otherwise. He has a shaggy mane pulled back into a rattail style. His brown eyes seem to glare at me with envy as I start to piece together his mottled coat of white and brown. "Hold on... Pipsqueak?"

He throws his head back with an annoyed grunt. "Okay, you know me by that. But I'll have you know ponies around here don't call me Pipsqueak anymore!"

Well his appearance sure doesn't shake the name off very well. "Okay. So what do they call you these days?"

"Pip Fairbottom. I am a member of the Ponyville city council, third ward. And I am spreading the good word of my attempt to unseat Mayor Mare for the position of Mayor."

As small as he is, ambitious is the other thing he's always been. He was always a pretty big thinker, though I guess that makes up for his body being too small to carry out very many physically-demanding tasks. "That's... that's a pretty big upset if you can pull it off."

"So what, you think I can't do it?" Ah, I see his fuse is as short as his stature.

"I never said that. I mean that Mayor Mare's been mayor of the town for over the past two decades."

"Exactly!" He calls out, issuing me a brochure. "All due respect to her, she's been in power for way too long and Ponyville is expanding faster than what she is willing to accommodate! We need to put out a grassroot effort to unseat Magnolia Mare in this year's election! Too long now has the issue of her personal conflicts been getting in the way of equitable hiring of local staff and administering questionable internships. There are plenty of qualified mares who would be willing to offer their ideas on how to further improve the quality of life of this town, not just teenage eye candy for her own consumption."

Okay, at least he has a fair point. "Yeah, but I know a good amount of ponies here are pretty okay with the current pace of development. It's not so overwhelming that it's pricing out the long-time locals, but it's substantial enough to show that there is some gradual improvements around the corner."

"The window of progress can be fleeting, Spike! Progress is ever marching forward, and there are plenty of towns here in Equestria that are already half a century behind! We must push forward! If we want to remain competitive, we need to be able to accommodate for larger conventions, more resting places for tourists, increase draw of attraction to the town, and initialize a campaign of advertisements to extend the reach to all sorts of creatures looking for a great place to stay for the long-run. Think of what future generations will say about us if we don't act!"

My mind lingers back to the development of the Corrotto District. While I can see how great of a tourist attraction it is, it was fashioned in a manner where the old elements that were often dangerous to many were uprooted and replaced by friendlier accommodations. It's reasonably gentrified, whereas this might end up being too much of an economic strain for long-time residents. "I mean it's a great idea."

"But what?"

"Don't you think we should make some sort of leeway path for the ones who've been here for most of their lives? I'm sure it would suck for those who've spent their foalhood here being priced out of everything."

"While I do see your concern, I don't particularly agree that bringing in more amenities will be so much of an economic strain."

"Okay, let me lay it down for you." I start to explain. "I'm friends with a real estate developer and realtor. The usual way of the trade is that they take property that hasn't been lived in for some time, or develop newer properties nearby those new amenities. But due to the proximity of nearby zoning, the property values will already be set to increase in value. Those values go up, the price of development goes up. That goes up, so too does the price of rental or buy. Demand for those areas will already be high enough, so that further drives up the price of the unit being sold. That gets bought up, then it forces some developers to look to build outward, the amenities look to go outward too, the values of the homes already here will diminish because of depleting commercial interest. Local economy suffers, ponies sell their homes to live in a nicer place out there, then the real estate developers scoop up the old properties, and the cycle repeats after every twenty years."

The stallion takes a moment to think to himself. "Huh, I guess I never took it upon myself to see that far into the future."

"Look, I know Mayor Mare has a propensity for post-pubescent perversion, and I might have to question the legality of her activities to see if all of these guys are actually of legal age." Because some will say they are while they really aren't. "But maybe her decisions on having a carefully-gauged pace of development is for the good of the local economy. If you develop too fast, you put too much strain on the local chains to compete with the national chains that come in. If you want to do what's best for your local economy, you'd take your vision and scale it back to phases. See what's good for local development, and see what's really a corporation looking to profit off of a growing town. Prioritize the platform for the many, not the pockets of the few."

The young stallion looks down to his pamphlets, seeing his bombastic promises of change. "Huh... I always thought going big was the huge draw for places like Manehattan and Canterlot."

"It can be." I give him back one of his brochures. "But you have to understand the reason for why it happens, not just look at the glitz and glamor of possibilities. Things are changing, bit by bit. But sometimes a patient approach can prove to be just as powerful as plopping down a few commercial chains. If anything, this kind of 'slow' works out pretty damn well."

"I just thought that we could have something like that thing in Canterlot, that Corrotto District development. We can have that here! I just wanted to appeal to the crowd of our own age group."

"Yeah, but running in with your head down does nothing but drive away what you have now. And plus the Corrotto District is based more on human tech than anything." I start to think back on our trip to the human world, seeing the massive glass towers touching the sky, colors adorning their high-seated crowns. My mind also goes back to seeing the pair of humans having their romantic dispute end in a destroyed car. "And also, the human world's glamor isn't built for every town. We already have a castle that's pretty outstanding, in both appearance and height. Believe me when I say we're not ready for any of that here."

"Speak for yourself." A familiar voice calls from behind me. I turn around to see a lavender mare walking up to me with a jeweled-encrusted necklace, sapphire blue eyes, and a black clipboard with a diamond tiara emblem on the back. "While you were away in Canterlot helping the princess get through her day-to-day, we've been here trying to look for way to further improve our measures for family recreation. I've already traveled the entire land of Equestria to know what it is that this tiny little town needs to zest things up!"

She comes to the side of the smaller Pip. "Diamond Tiara, I see you're still just as spunky as ever."

"You've been to Corrotto, you've seen that place with your own eyes! You can't tell me that we don't need something like that here in town! Just one place where the locals can proudly come to, in and out, be it a casino, a resort, or even a club, we're looking to improve not only family recreation, but also our nightlife for young and middle-aged adults. No longer will Ponyville be considered a quote-unquote 'one-rail town!' We're going to put our stamp on Equestria and make it great!"

Hmm, I wonder if this is where Pip is getting his drive from. "Didn't expect you two to be in cahoots."

Diamond smiles as she wraps her foreleg around the chest of the smaller stallion. "What, you don't expect me to be in the corner of my future mayor! Soon our vision for this town will be even greater than you can possibly imagine!"

Ah okay, I see what's going on. "Pip, is any of this a part of your policies?"

"Yes." He answers quickly. "I'm tired of hearing how we're so small and we have a mayor with questionable integrity. I hear it from the other interns all the time. This is the only mayor with the capability to move things forward for the town but chooses not to."

"Okay, so what else is on your agenda?" I ask the stallion.

"More parks and playgrounds for the kids."

"What about the old schoolhouse, it's in disrepair."

"We'll look to tear it down and rebuild it from scratch." He announces proudly. "That building's been there for decades, and the wood's been replaced far too many times to keep up. The structure is obsolete, so it's going to be transformed into a primary school, one that can better hold the increased amount of young students in the town."

"Diamond Tiara, aren't you a member of the school board?" I ask the mare.

"Why yes I am." She confirms proudly.

"Then shouldn't you talk to Mayor Mare about the condition of the school?"

"We have already." She answers with her ears pinned back, showing her annoyance. "She thinks the School of Friendship and Ponyville Primary should be consolidated! Po-Pri shouldn't be consolidated into the SoF, it should remain an option for parents who choose to embrace a more traditional education route. The two schools have coexisted for years now, there shouldn't be any kind of consolidation happening!"

"We're not just fighting for our town to improve. We're also fighting to keep our options open, and more importantly the ponies who believe in our humble alma mater being transformed to better suit the newer generations to come."

"Yeah they do have a solid point." A third voice chimes in from above me. "Sup, Spike."

"Hey Smolder." I greet the dragoness back. "So, what's this going on?"

"Yeah, the mayor wants to consolidate the schools. She says it's a cost-saving measure to better enhance the education of all of the residents. But in all reality, it'll only increase our class size and increase our workload by around thirty-percent. I get that the other school is old, but that's no real reason to dump that load onto us like that. We gotta have a life too."

I know that problem solving is always a thing I do, but getting too deep into the politics of it on my day off isn't particularly my cup of tea. "Sounds like a pretty strong reason to have a referendum. I wish you the best, Pip."

Diamond Tiara gallops over to me with a brochure in tow, placing it in my claw. "Well since you're moving back in town, your vote matters in this discussion. Feel free to swing by the polls on election day so we can hear your voice."

"Will do." I have no worldly idea what's going on. How do I vote on a referendum when I haven't heard both sides? Anywho, I direct my attention back to Smolder. "Hey, why did Ocellus get picked up by King Thorax?"

"Because of some issues between the humans and changelings, I guess some unresolved stuff from years back." She explains briefly. "Why, you wanna see her?"

"I just thought we could talk about something." I reply with a soft groan.

The dragoness floats down to me and playfully grabs at my tail. "Maybe you should look into saving your own skin before diving into someone else's. Dragon Lord Ember paid a visit just a few days ago, says something about needing to discuss something with you."

...Oh great.

Smolder and I travel throughout the town, discussing some of the things that have been popping up recently. According to her, it seems some local events have been getting really oversaturated with hoof traffic through the town streets with the recent population increases. There's also a growing concern that with the growing numbers of the population coming into play, there's been an increasing trend in the herding practices often seen in larger cities. A lot of the older citizens, or even some who are more traditional in beliefs think that this is a bad thing for Ponyville's image. And some of the recent integration efforts with changelings have been met with some reasonable pushback by concerned citizens, mainly those who have lost family members in the abductions seven years ago. It's a lot of social issues taking the mainstage here in the growing municipality of Ponyville, but that's to be expected.

Along with our discussions, we hover above the streets as to not disturb the traffic of cloud workers above. They appear to be getting a rainstorm ready for the spring crops and flowers. One stallion greets us, a familiar face to me. "Oh hey, Spike!"

"Hey there, Mr. Lad! I see we're gonna be in for some showers today."

"Nah, these bad boys will get going around sunset. As far as the afternoon is concerned, we'll be sure to leave the air clear for you lovebirds around here."

Smolder blushes with a scowl on her face. I can't help but to have a sensible chuckle at her expense. "Thanks for the warning! At least I'll know we can keep floating around until then!"

"All good!" He sounds out before darting off to grab yet another cloud.

Smolder groans in thought over the stallion's comment. "Seriously, 'lovebirds'? Who does he think he is calling us that?"

"Well, he is one of the humans who moved here a little over a year ago. You know, one of the heroes who helped with that whole big event seven years back?"

"Really, so he was actually there when all of that crazy stuff went down?" She asks. "Why'd he move here instead of staying in the human world?"

"From what I heard, things got a little too chaotic for them. So they just packed it up and moved worlds." I briefly summarize. "They say they're pretty happy with being ponies and all, but I can't help but wonder if they miss having hands."

"Curious question. You bring up an interesting point." Says the dragoness.

"I mean I'd miss all the cool stuff they have. I'm still floored from the moment we hit the road over there. It was like stepping into some crazy-advanced future world─"

Without warning, I get a face full of cardboard and addresses. I tumble from out of the air and land hard on my backside. I rub at myself to soothe the pain a little before I notice the multitude of boxes strewn across the ground. My eyes wander to the source of a pained groan. "Ugh... Can today's air traffic be any worse!?"

A head lifts from the packages, shaking off a number of packing peanuts. I blink for a second before I instantly recognize the face of the griffon who recovers from our brief crash. "Gabby?"

She quickly cranes her head at my direction to see me staring back at her. Her eyes widen for a moment as she greets me with some enthusiasm. "Spike! Wow, you grew again?"

"Yeah, pretty much the going rate these days." I confirm as I start to help her pick up the boxes. "Sorry for knocking over your goods here."

"Oh it's fine!" She stresses happily. "I'm just getting a little bit of OT in, clocking in some extra time for a little extra pocket change. If anything, I'm in your way!"

"Not really, I just wasn't paying attention to where I was flying." I reply back to her as I give her three of the boxes I picked up. "You seem pretty overloaded here."

"Nah! I'm fine." She answers. "Don't waste your time on little ol' me. I know you got a pretty busy day ahead of you. So I'll just get this and be up out of your way."

"I'm not that busy." I reply to her, going after a few more boxes. "I can still help if you need to─"

"Don't waste your time." Her voice briefly shifts into a more serious tone. She politely hovers to me to grab the boxes from my possession. "You have a lot going on, meetings, interviews, trades agreements, all the important big stuff you gotta do for Equestria. It's okay, just leave me to do this so you can get back to doing you."

While it's good to see her again, it's obvious that some of her words are still strategically pointed. The situation feels more like a passive-aggressive exchange. Perhaps it would be better for me to leave her alone altogether, but I at least want to catch up. "So... I thought you moved back to Griffonstone."

"I did." She bluntly answers. "And just like last time, it's still the same bunch of greedy griffons only looking out for themselves. So I moved back here to Ponyville again, it's still pretty good."

"Okay, okay. How about the job, any changes there with the new technology being implemented?" I ask.

"The scanners make it easier to organize, that much is certain."

I smile with a bit of pride, knowing that I had a claw in the negotiations myself. "Yeah, you won't believe what it took to get that stuff over here. Lot of trade embargos and red tape on our end. And just the sheer effort of trying to even get that kind of stuff over here from the other world was a logistical and legal nightmare─"

"That's cool." She cuts me off. "Actually, I really need to get these moving. I need to get finished so I can get back to the house and get ready to hang out with my boyfriend."

"Oh, that's cool." At least she's doing well for herself. "I guess I'll run into you again, especially with me moving into town sometime yesterday."

She increases the pace of her grabbing her packages and placing them in her overloaded saddlebags. "Oh yeah. That's pretty cool." She sounds very unenthused. "Well, gotta run. My boyfriend's expecting me to be done and I want to try to make good on our time together. Later!"

She almost fumbles another package as she darts off to the distance. "She looks like she's taking the whole office workload by herself."

"That's Gabby for you, always a hard worker." Smolder comments. "She's always looking to make an extra bit. Seems her griffon side is really showing out these days."

"No kidding." I say as I see her struggle to keep her load in the distance. "She could really use some help."

"No point in offering, she's a stubborn one. Even Gallus tried to help her and she declined. Half of the whole town knows about her, but no one ever sees her outside of her usual routes. It's odd."

"Does she still talk to Apple Bloom and the others?" I inquire, seeing if she still kept up with the CMC.

"Not nearly as often. She's an unusual one these days."

"Strange, she used to be way more open back in the day." I say while thinking back to our dating history. "I guess us breaking up has her being really strict on her time."

"You think she's still bitter about that?" Smolder asks.

I sigh in embarrassment. "I wouldn't blame her. But I would like to at least try to make amends."

"Good luck with that one." The dragoness scoffs with a slight chuckle.

"What, what do you mean?"

"Well with as quick as she blew you off there, I don't think she's looking to amend anything that has to do with you. In fact, saying she's still bitter would probably be a gross understatement. Just saying."

As much as it hurts to think about, I did have to acknowledge that the way I tried to manage the situation back then wasn't the best way to go about it. She has a right to be upset about that, and she's entitled to feel the way she feels about me as a result. I'll just have to deal with it. "Well, I sure hope it doesn't hurt the idea of me getting any mail in the future."

"I'm sure she'll just have someone run your route. Easy fix." Smolder causally concludes. "Now come on, we don't want to get caught up in this rainstorm."

As I glance back to the distance Gabby flew to, I purse my lips and accept the circumstances. "Yeah, don't want that."

Author's Note

Yikes, these past few weeks have been a logistical nightmare, I'm sorry I missed you guys for two weeks running. I got a little busy IRL and a lot of great musical opportunities dropped in my lap quicker than I could type up a thousand words. I'm just glad to be able to release a chapter in the midst of it all.

Thank you all for being patient with me. This month was a struggle, but next month has me running roughshod. I got a full schedule ahead, two major shows where I have to arrange a fifteen-minute set of live arrangement (tedious as hell arranging and production wise), plus our band is opening for T.I. in two weeks after we just got through winning a battle of the bands this past Sunday, which leaves us strapped for time to plan and arrange.

Again, thank you for being patient with me. I'll try to release another chapter in a timely manner.

Chapter 16: Present Predicament

It's been years since I last saw Gabby. I remember seeing her face as she walked out of the restaurant, the scowl and resentment, the fact that a year of waiting and hoping had been summed up in only twenty minutes or less did more than piss her off. She wouldn't take any of my letters, she moved away just so she couldn't see me, she didn't even show up to any of the local festivals in Griffonstone, at least the ones I went to. It was a cold and bitter end, a death of our relationship.

Seeing her again made me pretty happy, but I can't grasp why I'm still so elated. Maybe it's the fact that I can still mend a friendship out of this, at the very least thaw the ice between us. Maybe she does have a special someone else, that's fine. I just want to show her that her time is valuable to both her and me, and that I want to still be friends. Or maybe I just want to prove to myself that I can make things right. Either way, the opportunity stands.

As I sit in the bathtub, soaking my scales in a nice soapy brine, I think back to our fateful re-encounter on yesterday afternoon. She seems pretty happy, maybe her boyfriend's treating her right. I know something's gotta get in the way of her speaking with the girls, she was so close to those three. And the fact that she's barely seen out in public outside of her work should be a concern, but then again it's also her life to live. If she and her boyfriend are just enamored with each other's company, then yeah I can see her locking in with no one else but him.

Still, why do I feel like I want to reach out to her so damn bad?

Maybe I need to get out of this tub, the heat and water ain't doing me any favors. All I can think about is how steamy our letters would get at times. It was always every other letter, or maybe every other letter after the first two. Her way with words through pen, they used to do more for me than the multitude of books that sat on our shelves. They were fresh, personalized, enticing, and even more exciting as I would have to separate myself from the public eye when reading them, you know, for obvious reasons an adolescent teenager can't do that kind of stuff in public.

I remember the night before our relationship started to grow. It was a quiet night in October, she had me come over to her place for a game of Ogres and Oubliettes. We spent hours dreaming up a world unlike any other, a world unlike our own, a land where many dark creatures threatened to assault our lands and hold our kingdom hostage. I played the mage, she played the thief, and we had a number of rolls leading to hilarious bouts of successes and failures. Then our eyes got heavy, we laid out on the floor, and passed out.

She was a wild sleeper, snatching covers and kidnapping pillows, tossing herself about, coiling her tail around random things that were close by. I tried my best to deal with it, at least until she managed to toss the both of us into an awkward predicament.

I had no pillow, but she allowed me to sleep on her thigh, I had no sheets, but she offered me a leg. My pillow was firmly in her claws, hers was tossed to her wings. Before I knew, my nose was dangerously close to her underbelly. If she could open her legs just slightly, I would've had every motivation to dismiss myself for a moment. I even instinctively wanted to feel myself, just as an adolescent boy would at that moment. But then I found her tail coiling around my arm, keeping me in place.

"You're mine now." She mumbled in her sleep.

I didn't sleep for an hour, mainly because I had sprung a bit of a growth and I needed to calm down. But when we woke up, she discovered the rather suggestive pose we were in and tried to politely push me back to a pillow to lay on. Instead, she woke me up and I told her how wild of a sleeper she was. Then as she was about to make breakfast, I finally popped the question, the one she didn't immediately answer.

She finished cooking, bringing the plates to the table. We then ate in silence, but her tail stayed coiled around my leg under the table. She stayed looking at my every reaction to her food, I guess my positive praise for her meal was all the motivation she needed. She flew off to work, and I flew off to the castle to get some things done for Twilight. But along my flight, I felt something pull at my tail. I looked back, only to get a gentle beak to the cheek. She giggled and darted back off to her intended destination.

It was the first time I hadn't even thought about Rarity in a while, it was the first time I finally broke past my unbreakable crush. And it eventually led Rarity to be a bit jealous over it, which was unexpected to say the least. Gabby and I spent a lot of time together when I had it. But two months after our relationship grew, it was time to save the world, then time to rebuild Canterlot, then time to keep Twilight calm for the coronation, and then it was time to get to work being a royal dignitary. Time grew few and far in between, what used to be moments turned to memories, games nights turned to letters, and a date into disaster.

I won't lie and say that I haven't replayed that night in my head, the moment the gradually worn perfume of passion fruit started to mingle with her bodily musk, the heat of her legs grasping at me, the peaceful expression on her face as she murmured in her sleep, the way her tail coiled around my wrist, I could've stirred her awake and we could've had even more memories to look back on, only if I had been bold enough and she was willing. I've had a few nights and mornings in the bath, just like this, but instead of getting out of the tub like I am now, I'd be staring at my own claws covered in the seed I'd wish I had deposited elsewhere.

I look back at the figure staring back at me through the mirror, measuring up his appearance. I'm mostly pleased with what I see, but I'm also determined to make amends for the way I've tried to fit things around, for not giving myself the time I need to make my life work.

...I know the girls may mind it, but I have to make things right with her. It's the only way I can move forward right now.

It may be true that I watched how Twilight and Moondancer managed to reconnect after years of not seeing or talking to each other, but that doesn't mean that I myself might know how to go about this particular experience. My experience could go vastly different, for good or bad. I just need the advice on how to make that elusive first step. And the only ones I know I can talk to that are relatively localized are the ones who happen to live here in the castle. And if I'm Starlight Glimmer, I'd be making sure that everything is looking peachy over in the throne room. That is where the enchanted table's located, and it has the vantage point of being able to point out any issues hat might be a pretty serious issue worthy of some delegation. Actually, in hindsight, that's a damn good perk of staying here for my own self.

I enter into the room, looking to greet the unicorn. "Hey Starlight, I was just─oh boy." Instead of running into just her, I end up seeing her casually flipped upside down on the back of her head, her mane is a curly mess all around her, and her tail is peeled back as Sunburst is perched above her. He's blushes in embarrassment as he can't help but to be seen taking the plunge into his now lawfully-wedded wife from the top of the table.

Goddamn, I should be taking notes for that one.

Starlight sees me and greets me just as casually as she would. "Hey Spike! Sorry you caught us like this."

I tilt away, trying not to look but also enraptured by the unique position the pair is taking. "No, no... I should've knocked."

Sunburst at least shows some form of modesty, flipping his cape over the pair's union. "Oh dear. I didn't expect you to come in here. Sorry─"

Starlight chides her husband and yanks the cape away from her, as it was covering her face also. "Okay, we're all grown here. Let's not get too prim about it, we're doing what lovers do, it's fine." She points to her husband. "I didn't say you could stop, so continue where you left off." She redirects her attention to me. "And as for you, just go on and tell me what you want."

"Well, I was─" I lose track of thought seeing how Sunburst anchors himself against two different chairs before commencing his drilling operations. I can't help but compliment his work. "Damn, you sure you don't do porn professionally?"

"When I was in school, I used to be the porn." He admits shyly, trying to keep his glasses on his face. His wife politely removes them and places them on the other side of the table. "It was so bad in estrus season that I had to drop out because of all the bruising I suffered. For a long time I didn't want to have anything to do with mares. I guess you could say I became a self-imposed wizard for sexual reasons."

Starlight pants through her husband's work. "He's a damn good workout partner. He knows everything there is about pleasing a mare, even the things I didn't even think about. Needless to say that first weekend we got back together, there was no stopping us. To hell with the blizzard that could've killed us, nevermind the alicorn that was just born, we celebrated saving the Crystal Empire the one way we could. And that was the best fucking way I could've ever imagined."

"Yeah, I... uh, wanted to talk about that... not the sex part, but the reuniting after so many years."

"Oh yeah, yeah, it was pretty awkward at first." Starlight answers before she coos a word of praise to Sunburst. "Ooh, keep that pace."

I begin to cover myself, already knowing that any longer in this room, and I might need to revisit the bathroom for another round of shower and bathing. "Okay, other than the awkward things, how did the two of you eventually learn to break the ice with one another?"

"Do you have to ask?" Sunburst questions. "There was a literal ice storm threatening the Crystal Empire all because of Flurry Heart breaking the Crystal Heart, and that's the question you ask?"

"Okay, well it's nice to hear that you two basically had a literal ice breaker to start things up again." I grumble to myself. "I guess I should've called Twilight and asked if I had known you two would be in here like this."

"Well you should know, Spike. You were there." Starlight reminds me.

"I wasn't paying that much attention, I was trying to make sure we weren't snowed in back when that blizzard was getting bad." I turn around to hear that the pair are completely silent. Instead they're just deeply into one another at this point, their lips so rigorously locked into one another while Sunburst keeps with his pace. He doesn't even seem to remember that I'm still in the room. "Maybe I should... yeah."

The stallion's pace picks up, causing Starlight to yelp in surprise. "Oh shit! Yeah, just like I like it."

Sunburst doesn't miss a single stroke in his rhythm. "Hey, Spike, sorry we couldn't help you. But can you maybe leave the room? I think I need to focus a little more on what's on hoof right now."

"Way ahead of you."

As if my libido couldn't get anymore riled up with Ocellus being gone, I run into my ex, I walk in on Sunburst dominating Starlight, and now I roam the crowded streets alone with only thoughts of my ex girlfriend and my wanting to see her again growing all the stronger.

As time moves on, I'm finding myself wandering a little too far on my wings. Not that I'm tired, but by the fact that the scenery has changed. It's not so much of the hustle and bustle of creatures roaming the road and houses stacked up on either side. It's more open sky, trees of a common fruit, the smell of freshly moved dirt and beautifully fragrant flowers. A wrought iron signage appears overhead with three elegantly fonted words reading 'Sweet Apple Acres'.

A young sapling stands alone on the front porch of the farm, it gives a strong fragrant scent of the flowers that grow from it's branches. The young sapling is growing well, but it poses as a bittersweet landmark. An old rocking chair sits out by the burgeoning trunk, cracked and worn but still sturdy. A plaque sits on it's backrest, reading the words in bronze.

Ever the foundation of our beloved farm,
Firmly rooted to create life anew,
She now rejoins our long-lost kin,
From whence our humble farm once grew.
Forever loved,
Granny Anne Smith

I remember as Applejack sang her to rest, how she quietly stopped rocking to hear her sing. Big Mac couldn't sing a lick, he was so broken. Apple Bloom tried to harmonize until she just started weeping. Granny moaned along until she couldn't. I remember the words they sang as clear as the sun started to rise through the fog of the early spring morning.

♪We travel the road of generations
Joined by a common bond
We sing our song 'cross the pony nation
From Equestria and beyond♫

♫We're Apples forever, Apples together
We're family, but so much more
No matter what comes, we will face the weather
We're Apples to the core♪

Applejack tried to brave a new chorus, but broke before she could finish.

♪At our journey's end, we unite once again
Forever and ever more
And you'll lead us in song, as we go into the night,
We're Apples... ♪

I don't think anyone's seen Applejack full on break down, not like she did that day. She dropped her guitar, and screamed over it. Apple Bloom held the faded Granny Smith, Big Mac joined her. Sugar Belle held up Applejack as best as she could while the mare stumbled to her departed grandmother. Each of us lowered our heads in respect for the fallen matriarch, silently offering our prayers for the wounded family.

She got to see one more before going home.

I feel unprepared, not from the emotions the memory brings. If anything, I'm more upset that I didn't bring any flowers like we'd all do whenever we pay a visit. We'd sit them in the chair she used to rock her days away, and bid her good morning regardless of the time of day. It felt wrong to come here without something to greet her with. So I bowed my head in apology.

"Hey Spike."

The sudden voice coming from the top of the house grabs my attention, I shoot my eyes up to the second story window. "Hey, Apple Bloom, how's it been out here in the orchard?"

The yellow mare hops out of the window and parkours to the ground, she approaches me with a bright smile smelling just like the flowers that grow on the trees around here. "Well you know, busy is as busy does. Can't stay around without doin' nothin, Applejack might sprout a bad nerve if she catches me loungin' round here havin' no mind to help."

"Don't you work already?" I question the mare.

"Yeah. She says it's good to keep the mind busy so that no tomfoolery gets drawn up." She says as she prompts me to fly along with her. "Come on, Ah'll take ya around back."

"But what about having a day off?" I ask her.

"This is mah day off, Spike." She answers with a soft giggle.

"But you're working on the farm?" I quirk a brow towards the mare.

"Ah know it's a little physical, pushin' an pullin' an whatnot. But Ah leave Sugar Belle to collect all mah hard work. Ah just buck a few trees here an' there." She answers as she sees one tree worthy of a bucket. She knocks a bucket from one tree that doesn't seem to be producing much to that tree, giving the tree a swift kick from one of her hind legs. The firm red fruit falls to the bucket with a thud, and in numerous supply for the time of year. "And there we are."

"You don't go out much, do you?" I joke at the mare.

"Ah go out plenty! The girls an' Ah don't spare a cold one on no Saturday. But Sunday is mah time to come here in the quiet, buck a few trees, see a few other friends, give the ol' treehouse a good screamin', rest up, send a feller on his way, an' sit my night away here watchin' stars."

Her fairly simplistic lifestyle is a far-cry from what I expected of her while we were coming up. "I always thought you were gonna be the wild one compared to your sister. It's almost like you've turned into her."

The yellow mare scoffs back at me. "Applejack ain't do none of the shit Ah do, much less spare a fancy word or two. An honest livin' is how she stays likin' it. Ah ain't so honest, but Ah live a good livin' to remember."

It's funny to see that even throughout the years, Applejack still hasn't changed her way of living an honest living with no room for danger or harm to come her way. It's also ironic that she paired herself with the one girl who lives her life in the fast lane, going from city to city, doing stunt after stunt, show after show every weekend. Polar opposites made perfect for one another.

As we mosey along our way, the old clubhouse the girls used to use had been fully converted into a suspended home. It's a cozy little fit, but it seems to have everything one needs to keep clean, fed, and well-rested. It also looks like it didn't miss a single coat of paint.

Seeing the place prompts a question of curiosity. "Hey, does Gabby ever come by here on her route?"

The mare gives me a nudge and a wink. "Ehhh, so ya figure since the cat's away, ya might wanna go for some playin' around?"

The thought does seem enticing, but I know doing that would cross a boundary with both Ocellus and Smolder. Plus she's already spoken for, so I can't say that out loud. "Not like that. I just want to catch up to her."

"Well ain'cha always the sugarcube." She says sweetly, grabbing at my tail. "But nah, she ain't one to mosey on over these days. She done changed routes, more in the middle part of town now. Miss havin' her around, but she ain't really doin' much but deliverin' goods and mail."

"So you do keep tabs on her?" I question the yellow mare.

"Once a Crusader, always a Crusader, don't matter the age when y'all done shared the journey." She says as she gives her small humble home a nostalgic glance.

I inwardly smile at hearing the update. "I guess. I'm happy she's doing well. Seems her boyfriend might be doing right by her."

"Uh-huh..." She nods in agreement before slowly turning to me. "She has a boyfriend?"

"That's what she told me." I reply.

The mare sassily giggles and pats me on my leg. "Spike, don't you be listenin' to that girl. Gabby don't talk to nobody."

I snap my neck looking back to her. "Wait, what do you mean?"

"She ain't into nothin' with nobody. She just goes right on home after she finish up. Ah've helped her with her route a few times whenever she's got some heavy stuff to push through, she ain't about nothin' but work and home. Now y'all say Ah don't go out much, she ain't been out since she's gotten back from Griffonstone. She just heads on home and squat there like any other grumpy ol' griff." She slowly gives me a side-eye. "In fact, she's been like that ever since she's been around you."

A hollow sinking feeling starts to grow from the pit of my stomach as I hear the news. "Oh... I didn't know."

"How can ya know when ya do nothin' but travel the world all the time? Ya don't stay home long enough to find out nothin' ya need to know. Hell, ya might not even be here past today."

"I moved back here on Friday." I clarify to my own defense.

"And? Ya moved here but yer job ain't nothin' new. Yer just in town a little bit, that ain't no different unless ya make it different." She argues pretty strongly.

"My schedule's a lot more open. I set up my meetings from here on." I also explain.

"So y'all can spend more time with Ocellus?" She asks with a smug smirk.

"Well, yeah, along with all of my other friends." I confirm.

"Huh, and here Ah done thought yer scaly ass ain't ever gonna give us no time for daylight. Ah'm almost proud of ya."

I scratch at my chin, realizing that while I had visited town on occasion, I never had a chance to stay and find things out. So I guess there's more to my stay than trying to keep up with old friends, but also getting to reintroduce myself to the litany of others who's changed throughout the years. "I guess I've been neglecting a lot of you guys since the move to Canterlot. Well I've got time now, and I don't mind playing catch-up."

"Well ya better not play catch-up with Sweetie Belle fer too long, she's still a bit warm and touchy on you ever since she done made that video of ya."

I sigh in defeat over catching wind of that video again. "Okay, I wanna ask, how many others have seen that video?"

"Well there's me and Scoot's, Rarity's seen it, Applejack's seen it, Pinkie's seen it, Rainbow says you're a 'fair-weighted fella', and Ah wouldn't be surprised if she ain't sold that damn thing off by now to anyone else. She called it a favor repaid for askin' her to get a candid snap of her big sis."

Of course. "Well, it's out there now. Guess I'll just deal with the indignity with my PR team."

I start to fly forward a little more, but not before the mare takes another swipe at my tail to get my attention. "Hey Spike." She gallops over to the ladder leading up to her front porch. "Ya might be a bit thirsty flyin' all this way through the orchard. Wanna come in and knock back a few 'fore headin' back?"

Any offer of cider straight from the farm is like a dream come true, it's usually the freshest in the supply chain. But I'm not a fool by any means. "This doesn't have anything to do with you knocking off that 'seeing a few other friends' box on your Sunday checklist, does it?"

She slumps over her porch railing, snickering as she shakes her tail playfully. "Dunno. Want it to be? I ain't no pony to be holdin' strings."

"All due respect, I ain't no string holder myself. But I got other things to do. Sorry, maybe next time."

The mare shrugs off the loss. "Welp, worth a shot."

Apple Bloom, of all the crusaders that keep tabs on Gabby, she's apparently the one who best knows her entire weekly schedule. She even knows that Gabby usually goes out on Sunday to get groceries. She also explains that Gabby doesn't really like to buy much in terms of food stocks. Compared to the mail she delivers, her load during her food runs are drastically lighter.

Apple Bloom also highlights that anyone living with anyone else would double most of their food stocks, if not triple it. Not just because there's two creatures inhabiting a single space, but there also being another source of income to increase that budget. With Gabby buying so little, she's not showing any sign that she feeds anyone else. And plus she's a great cook, so it would only make sense that she'd go with the triple multiplier to please a guest staying over, much less a significant other.

The yellow mare calmly highlights a plan for my approach, one that I personally don't usually take on my own. She really pushes me to become more assertive, a lot more than usual, even a little past what is necessary. I ask her why I should act like this, she only says that it will work and to 'trust her' over it. I'm nervous over the fact that I might end up acting a little too pushy for my tastes, but that's apparently the going rate to get her to do much of anything.

I guess I'll give it a shot.

Apple Bloom is also quite the saboteur, thinking of the route that Gabby may take, the fact that she doesn't fly as much on Sunday because of her line of work requiring her to stay in the air as often as possible. She knows that Gabby likes to take a casual pace while making her rounds. So it makes it easy to assume that she'll trip over the carefully hidden rope in the middle of the street. I sometimes wonder how she grew to be this conniving, but then again she's always had a plan or two in her back pocket.

Sure enough, Gabby shows up just as predicted. Apple Bloom keeps her head low as she times the moment when she can trip her up without tripping up anyone else passing by. I look on with a bit of guilt, but the yellow mare insists that this will work out anyhow. The griffon gets close, the rope is snapped up, and everything plays out perfectly for Applebloom and I.

The griffon tumbles to the ground, seeing the brown paper bag of her food stuffs crashing against the ground. She jumps up with a bit of a panic. "Sassafras!" She darts over to the bag of goods and assess the damage of what is lost and salvageable. Immediately, she blames herself for being so clumsy, not even knowing the it was the rope that tripped her up. "How is it so easy to pick up huge packages and move them across town, but when it comes to the smallest things like produce, I can't seem not spill anything!?"

I feel even more guilty about this, but Apple Bloom pushes me forward to start with the plan. Just as we rehearsed, I'll offer some help in cleaning up. "Hey, you need some help?"

The griffon notices me and lowers her eyes back to her groceries. "It's fine. I'm just getting some fixtures for tonight's dinner with my boyfriend." As I watch her deal with the mess, I notice that there's hardly any food for two in her returns. She's buying for one, just as Apple Bloom predicted. She lifts up the bag, noticing that the bottom is soggy and wet. She groans out in frustration. "And of course, I break the eggs."

"Oh, tragedies." I murmur in some form of guilt.

Then the truth inadvertently comes out, not realizing she telling on herself. "This sucks. That was supposed to be this week's supply. Well, guess I can go without."

Next up, make an offer to replace the goods that were lost. That part I'm more than happy to do since this only happened because of me. "I can buy you some eggs if need be."

Gabby grimaces as she holds the bag by it's soggy bottom. "Don't you have a dignitary or some foreign national you need to be wining and dining?"

I shake my head. "Not today, I've got time."

"That's nice." She rolls her eyes, trying to move forward quickly.

Next up is to reiterate the offer, but also push the engagement further. "So, I buy everything you lost, I'll carry it to your block. Fair trade?"

"No thanks, I'll just deal with my broken eggs and crushed tomatoes." Gabby says grumpily.

Now here comes a part that I know I feel pretty dickish about, but Apple Bloom insists that this is what's going to work... somehow. "Are you on a budget?" I'm halfway expecting a set of talons to be left streaking across my face after this is all said and done.

"What does that have to do with you?"

Now I'm supposed to take the more passive aggressive approach to answering her. "I'm just looking to help is all. I don't mean no way of looking down on you."

"Usually when someone says that, they end up doing just what they say they don't do." Unsurprisingly, she seems upset over my comments and starts to fly off.

Flying wasn't in our game plan, but the red-maned mare motions me to keep pushing. "Gabby─"

"Don't call my name like you have some care about me. I'm glad you offered to help, but I'll just get my boyfriend to do it when he gets free."

Now I have to ignore the fact that she claims herself to be accounted for, and that's where I really feel like I'm just playing to the script. "I wanna make it up to you."

"Can't. Boyfriend." I can tell she's getting angry. Even though she used to be so patient, I know what it looks like when she's about to lash out. Short, abbreviated responses are one of those signs.

Still, I have to push ahead. Now is where I start to go by my own script a bit, all while adhering to Apple Bloom's game plan. "I know about that. I just want to keep things simple, make sure we're still good on being friends."

"That's nice and all, but I don't need you to make up anything for me." Now her anger is showing, the scowl on her face is growing more and more by the second.

And my only choice in this plan is to keep poking the proverbial bear. "Not even a little bit of time to hang out?"

"You're really pushing it, aren't you?" She lashes out.

Again, my script following the 'necessary' level of aggression, no matter how unnecessary it may be. "I just want to be your friend again, that's all. I'm just trying to reconnect to everyone."

"Maybe you should start with everyone but me." She speeds up her pace.

I keep up with her, but this time breaking the fourth wall a little. "Apple Bloom is worried about you."

"Well she's old enough to tell me that herself." She quickly swipes her flight pattern to swerve me off.

I still keep up. "I'm worried about you."

She stops dead in the air, her voice calm but her anger at the level towing the line between remaining patient and full-on responding with verbal violence. "Then stop worrying. You see me, I'm breathing, it's fine."

Back to the script. Close the distance, make the offer. "You. Me. Monster Minigolf. 5 p.m. on Thursday."

She's quiet now. I see she's still defensive, but even a moment's hesitation reveals that some part of the walls she's built around herself are showing cracks. So far, Apple Bloom's strategy is showing promise. But that still doesn't mean that I'm in the clear just yet. "I have plans. Plus I don't get off from work until then."

Reintroduce the offer, make it more tenable for her to accept terms. "Okay, 6 then. I'll even show up half an hour early to show how serious I am about this."

"No thanks. I know you'll probably have time to play one hole─"

Enhance the offer. "Full eighteen." Make it even more tantalizing. "Two rounds if you want." At this point, I'm ripping from my script from having to do those trade deals.

"I'm willing to bet that─"

Add a sweetener to the deal, a cherry on top. "Plus a little something to eat after, my treat."

"What is this, a date?"

Don't make the intent obvious, but make it be known vaguely. "Nothing like that, I'm just breaking the ice."

She's happy with the offer, I can see that much. Even if she doesn't visibly show that she's interested, I'm sure I can play on some of our old interactions. I know she used to love spending time with me, or with friends in general. From now on, it's only a matter of when she steps from behind that wall, not if. "I like that you're finally willing to forego on your obligations, but it's way too late to try that now."

Now with all the ideal conditions met, we hit the reset button. "Okay, then let's start over."

She looks away for a moment, but even I can see that there's starting to be a smile developing behind that mask she's trying to keep on her face. "I'll clear things up with my boyfriend and see if he's cool with it."

Now we go back to Apple Bloom's script, force the issue to be favorable to all parties, even for those parties that are unaccounted for. "If you need me to, I'll schedule a lunch with him so we can lay out some ground rules─"

"Spike!" Her shriek gives off the level of discomfort at me wanting to schedule a meeting with this supposed figure. But all throughout this encounter, as well as future others, I have to continue playing as though this figure exists. If there is a concern for actual infidelity, then approach it as though you're going to be as respectful as possible to remove all reasons of doubt. "You're doing way too much."

Let's put a schedule to it, dedicate some time for this encounter, show that I'm serious about devoting the valuable resource to keep our respective statuses harmonious. "Tuesday lunch?"

The endgame of Apple Bloom's plan is to make her feel the pressure, all while getting her to gradually agree to the desired meetup. While I do feel a bit slimy about the approach, this is what works for Apple Bloom. I could only take her word for it that this was going to work, and it shows dividends so far. "I'll talk to him. If he says yes or no, you'll find out on Thursday."

Last but not least, finalize the schedule. "I'll make a reservation."

"Whatever." She flies off, still holding her bag of soggy goods.

I slowly descend from the sky to reunite with the Ponyville streets below. Apple Bloom races over to me while I question her on my results. "How was that?"

"Ya were pretty aggressive there. Ah think she'll be openin' up to ya after a while." She answers proudly.

I draw a sigh of relief that I don't have to act like that for a while now, it was out of my character to do stuff like that these days. I remember having done it the last time, and it ended with me getting punched in the face a number of times by an angry human, plus Rarity ostracizing me for months on end. "I felt like a total douchebag doing that."

The yellow mare pats me on my side with affirmation. "Yer fine, Spike. Just be sure to follow through on that reservation, and y'all be right as rain."

I look back to the sky, wondering if I should tell the girls what's going on. "Yeah... right as rain."

Finishing up my rounds with Apple Bloom, we head back to the farm and bid our goodbyes. I at least show up with a nice bouquet of flowers for Granny Smith to properly pay my respects. And upon the conclusion of that matter, I happily rush through town to get over to Smolder's place.

We don't do much but sit on the couch, pretty much looking at videos of what's going on in the human world. It's pretty insane to think that we were just there last weekend and you see so much chaos taking place in various areas that could affect even the least of them. While I envy the world they live in, I don't envy the drama that they have. One place has an ongoing invasion, the other is dealing with a civil war, political unrest seems to be a constant in many forms of government, and corruption is beyond widespread. It would make for good television, but it's toying with very real human lives.

Just us sitting here doing this has me thinking about Ocellus, how she'd always seem up to date about many of the issues that plagues the other world. While we're seeing the surface, Ocellus would've probably done the research to go beyond the tip of the iceberg.

She grow quiet as I ponder over the absent changeling, and I notice her lingering silence. "You okay?"

"Just thinking." She sighs in response.

"About our favorite changeling sex deity?" I presumably call out.

"I wonder what's going on with her. I know the Changeling Kingdom doesn't have any human tech, so she won't be able to get anything through her phone. And it's not like she can dragon breath her way into sending letters."

You know, I never really checked on if changelings could do that while taking the form of a dragon, but I don't think that's likely. Either way, she's missed by the both of us. "Yeah, she's been gone all weekend. And I know you two gotta be at the school tomorrow."

"Yeah." She confirms softly, just a second before the door opens to the cozy loft we stayed in.

The one we spoke up walks through the door quietly, putting her bag by the door and walking past the couch we sat on. She walks straight towards the kitchen. "Well look who just came through." I cheer, breaking the silence.

Smolder leaps from her seat to hug the changeling from behind. "Olla! You're back!"

"So how'd it go?" I ask the quiet creature.

Ocellus doesn't share an iota of a smirk, no sarcastic remark, no hint of a snarky insult in pending. She's crestfallen and somber in her tone. "I don't wanna talk about it."

The changeling peels herself away from Smolder, leaving the dragoness to question her. "What happened?"

"Bad news?" I guess.

She vents a bit of quiet frustration as she plops onto the couch. "Can we just leave it at cultural differences and call it a day? I don't wanna get into it right now."

Since I'm already in her immediate vicinity, I motion for Smolder to move around to her right side, I station myself to her left. We lock our eyes on the prize, hoping to somehow trigger the changeling into a much better attitude. "On three?"

I know she's a little reluctant from the last time we pulled this stunt, but she's not backing down. "One, two, three."

Our lips chomp down on each of the changeling's ears, we give her a slight tug on either side. She changeling gives off a very thin smile, but it quickly subsides. "I get you two are trying to cheer me up with a dragon sandwich again. But I don't think it's gonna work this time."

We realize this situation is much more serious, especially since she has absolutely no drive to shove us around and pretzel us into various positions to show her dominance. Smolder hops over the back of the couch, sitting down next to the discouraged creature. "Need me to hold you?"

Ocellus turns away, refusing the offer. I immediately go into the fridge, picking out a brand new tub of ice cream. "How about some ice cream? Just bought a tub of peanut butter chocolate chip. I didn't know if this was your favorite, but I figured you would liked it."

Almost as quickly as she rejected Smolder's offer, she accepted mine instead. "I want a big spoon." She demands while levitating the frosty tub over to her.

I go through the drawer to find a table spoon, giving her one just to appease her request. She takes a scoop and shoves the frosty desert into her mouth, taking a moment to savor it. "Take your time, Olla." Smolder says as she encourages the changeling to feel better. She even goes as far as to snuggle the mare, causing her wings to flutter and vibrate.

Eventually, the combination of the frozen treat and the close embrace makes her a little more docile, and much less taciturn. She unhinges the spoon from her mouth and stakes the silverware into the tub for another scoop while disclosing the cause of her ire. "So... Thorax doesn't like the fact that I went into the human world too much."

While Smolder is surprised, I am not so much so. "Well that's to be expected. He and Nondis weren't exactly great at the negotiating table, especially with Pharynx and Alex present. Those two hate each other's guts."

She goes on with her explanation. "It's not that so much as him thinking that of us doing something offensive to the humans while we're there. He feels we might end up starting a conflict with them, one we'd be unlikely to win. He thinks it's far too dangerous for our worlds to become too intersected. That's the one reason why he doesn't like to allow human tech around the hive, to keep our world thoroughly separated."

"He doesn't want to stir up trouble." I conclude.

Smolder shrugs at the notion of there being conflict with the human world, especially after having visited there. "I know he's being cautious, but that's just stupid to think that we could start a war with the humans."

The changeling then brings up a reasonable point. "So can we be reasonable for a moment? When have we ever had the chance to be ourselves in that world, and I mean openly in the broad daylight?"

"That's only because they don't have mystical creatures in that world, much less magic." I argue.

"And to add to that, we don't have official trades with any representative of human government. We get our stuff through a billionaire sibling of the previous Captain of the Royal Guard, who then outsources it to a billionaire real estate mogul here. This isn't like it's some deal going through the government of a nation, or even a collection of nations representing that world. All of this seems way too volatile. Who's to say one human on that side doesn't find out what's going on over on this side, and report it to whatever social media outlet for their government to intervene? What happens next?"

Yeah, it's a point that's been brought up in the past, but only rarely. The other humans that we've interacted with here have similar concerns, but we've made it a practice to at least try to mitigate the circumstances should it ever come to that. It's a scenario that we've rehearsed only a few times, but it's a valid concern. "Twilight and I will step in and begin negotiations for a pact of non-aggression."

Ocellus continues to push the argument further while chomping down on another spoonful of ice cream. "But their world is politically unstable. What if something goes wrong and one party in the human world don't like the trades that's going on? What if they see all of Equestria as a collective threat?" She points the spoon back at me. "What do you think happens next?"

"Again, a non-aggression treaty will be drafted and presented to them with representatives from both parties present." I reiterate.

"But the ponies there don't talk. What if they don't see us as equals?" She inquires further.

"I'm sure Twilight will have something up her sleeve when it comes to that." I reply, not truly having much of an answer for her.

Thankfully she no longer pushes the visual of a worst-case scenario, instead opening dialog for a still unfavorable position we could still be in. "So say this non-aggression pact goes through, what do you think will be the terms of their peace? Resources, wealth, access to our magic?"

It's not that I don't mind the questions, it's just that being grilled like this only comes from a room full of reporters looking to find a negative in something. It's almost like I've never left work. "Look, there's a lot that I have to look at too. I see every last one of those questions being asked and I think of answers for all of them each and every day. I also think of the questions that are the main nightmare scenarios, like what if they found out what happened to Captain Nondis during his tenure, or the threat that was posed to their world by a pony from ours, and even the methods that were used. There's not a day I don't have that somewhere in the back of my mind."

"So that means you have the answers, right Spike?" She asks.

"No, I never said that." I sigh, seeing how she's probably the source of my toughest grilling in some years. It only shows me just how prepared we are for that kind of conversation outside of a set collection of individuals. Either way, I don't like having to deal with this issue right now, so I give her a simplified political answer. "My job is to find the answers to those questions."

Ocellus sees that I have no real answer and shows disappointment. "Spike, while I enjoy my time being in their world, much less the technology they bring. But I still have to face the truth about where we are right now with them. And I can't fault Thorax for seeing things the way that he does, especially with what happened seven years ago. Nothing is certain, and it never was. What do you think is going to happen when it's all said and done?"

I exhaustively give her the only answer I can honestly give her. "I don't know."

"Yeah, and neither do we." She concludes before shoving a spoonful of ice cream into my mouth. "You know, sometimes we have to challenge ourselves with reality before coming to an ideal solution. I know you and Twilight get some softballs thrown your way pretty often, but we changelings don't have that luxury with the humans, for pretty obvious reasons." She pulls the spoon from my mouth with a smirk. "Just like you didn't expect that, anything can happen."

While I want to debate a little more on the topic, the savory and sweet flavor of peanut butter intermingled with chocolate triggers my instinctive craving for more. I walk back into the kitchen, surprising Smolder with my sudden relocation. "Where are you going?"

"Getting me a spoon. Want one?" I offer the dragoness.

"Yeah, go on and grab me one too." She happily confirms.

The changeling appears taken aback that I'd show up with two spoons, all while guarding the tub of ice cream with her forelegs. "I thought this was my tub of ice cream."

Smolder reaches past her openings and jabs her spoon into the delectable frozen treat, pulling back a massive wad that almost threatens to fall off. "Sharing is caring."

I reach in for my scoop, the changeling rolls her eyes and surrenders her desert to the doom of being mutually consumed. "I swear you two probably bought this damn thing to eat for yourselves."

"You don't know that." I say with a grin, partaking in my own lopsided chunk. "Besides, you're the one who said that anything can happen."

As the three of us sit on the couch, watching as the tub of ice cream quickly grows lighter and lighter over the passing minute, Smolder cuts her eyes to me and points her tail at me. "So, you gonna link back up with Gabby?"

Ocellus whimpers in surprise as she looks at me to answer the question. "Just to be friends."

The changeling appears initially pleased with my answer. "Only friends?" Smolder questions again.

"Yeah."

The dragoness presses on the matter further. "You sure?"

I look to see Ocellus visibly concerned. I base my answer explicitly on her reaction. "I have the both of you. I don't have a choice in the matter."

The changeling finds comfort in my answer, but Smolder jumps ahead of her and speaks her mind on the matter. "You know, you could trial run her with the both of us one of these days."

Needless to say that Ocellus is left stunned. But she tries to put on a brave face and pretends to be open to the idea along with Smolder. "We don't mind. Just make sure you communicate with us so we don't feel left out."

"You two seem awfully accepting of this." I say, mainly directing my attention to the changeling that seems the most hesitant about it.

Smolder on the other end doesn't seem to care too much, especially with having been a witness to our previous relationship. She was even the one I came and talked to shortly after our breakup. She gave me advice on how to deal with it, but also seemed disappointed that our relationship had gone cold like that after months of cheering us on, and also urging Gabby to be patient with me behind the scenes. "I know you had feelings for her before you had us. It's only fair we take a step back for your 'number one'."

Ocellus looks directly into her almost empty tub of ice cream, playing with the remaining lump that sits at the bottom. It's beyond apparent that she has issue with this development. But seeing Smolder pressing me to bring Gabby along seems to really be a driving force in this conflict. "Why do I feel like this is not going to end well?"

"What gives you that idea?" Smolder asks.

"Just... intuition."

Chapter 17: Emergence of Envy

The sun is relatively warm today, it feels like a fair seventy-five with a slight breeze. The trees are at bloom over here at the Ponyville School of Friendship. The waters just as clear as ever, the students just as lively, and the staff as friendly as I've always remembered. I pop in to pay some friends a visit since I don't have much on my schedule for today. While tomorrow is a different beast, due to the travel I'll have to endure going towards the region of Hippogriffia, I'm taking today to at least take it easy before the trip.

But my mind is at unease from yesterday. I remember the look on Ocellus' face as Smolder advertised the idea of bringing Gabby into the fold. Now that I think about it, I remember her being a bit distant after I voiced my concerns about me possibly knocking up Smolder.

She seems to wear a fairly bright face as she walks down the hall. I happen to run into her. "Hey, Ocellus."

She turns around, and the smile quickly fades. "Oh. Spike... You're here."

I start with a cheerful attitude, hoping that my approach is engaging enough. "Yeah. I just wanted to check in on you and see if things were going okay─"

"They're fine. Just, busy is all." She interrupts, looking elsewhere.

She seems to be looking for anything to distract herself. I tone it back a bit, but I still show concern. "You look a little troubled, is something─"

She pulls out her phone and smiles at me sheepishly. "Well, would you look at the time, I gotta run and do some planning for my next class. Later."

"But your class don't start─" She speeds right through me going at a trotters pace. Meanwhile I still find myself wanting to continue my response. "─in the next two hours. Okay. Good talk."

I hope she's not mad at me.

The school day comes to an end, many of the teachers directing the students to go about their day, others also patrol the grounds for the purpose of stopping any of them from getting into any illicit affairs while on campus. As I watch the groups of young teens pass by with smiles on their faces, joking about their days, I see Smolder hard at work trying to make sure that there aren't also any troublemakers looking to settle a score on the grounds.

She has a teenage colt and a changeling by their ears while guiding them to the headmaster's office. In doing so, she runs into me while I'm speaking to Sunburst about possibly getting together for a game of Ogres and Oubliettes one day, especially since Big Mac, Shining Armor, and Discord all have ongoing familial obligations.

I greet the dragon as she enters with the pair of boys. "Hey, Smolder. Rounded up a few troublemakers today, huh?"

"Yeah, these two were going at it over a kirin classmate. Seems to me she's playing them both for suckers." She announces as she seats the boys in chairs separated from one another.

Starlight comes out of her office and address the pair. "Okay, what in Celestia is going on now?"

"These two were caught scrapping, typical teenage romance dispute." Sunburst explains briefly.

Starlight fastens the two boys to their chairs with her magic as she and Sunburst look to mediate the situation. "I think we can handle this from here. You two just keep your eyes peeled for whatever else is going on throughout the campus."

"Sure thing." Smolder says as she walks out of the room, I follow close behind her.

As we leave from the office, I start to spark up a conversation, hopefully leading to the state of Ocellus. "Man, didn't think the School of Friendship would be a place where fights even occurred."

"Boys will be boys." She shrugs off. "Doesn't matter where you go, or the culture for that matter. There's always an instinct to compete when it comes to the opposite sex. Don't ever get that twisted."

"Yeah, you don't have to tell me about it." I mumble, thinking back to how I felt about Rarity all those years ago.

Smolder opens the door to a classroom, checking if the place is empty. "No matter what, there's always one party looking to show dominance over the other. It's just nature."

"Yeah, that's true." I mutter in agreement.

Once confirming that the room is empty, she closes the door behind us and we go right back into our usual classroom chat. "So I know that you ran into Olla this morning. We talked over lunch about it. I know why you're still here, so tell me what's up."

At least she beat me to the punch. "I think Ocellus has an issue with me trying to reconnect with Gabby. I know you thought that we could probably bring her around, but I'm not even certain of that much. But I still can't shake the feeling that she's ignoring me because of it."

"I mean she shouldn't." The dragoness says with a raised brow.

"Well, she's obviously not talking to me." I point out.

"Yeah, she's like that whenever something new pops up. You remember how she did us when we were back in Canterlot after our club visit?"

How could I forget. "Yeah. I just thought it was weird how she darted out the room like the way she did. We had breakfast together, talked and everything, but then she just kinda shoved me off to you, and that was that."

Smolder takes a seat at the teacher's desk, reclining her feet onto the table as she spoke. "Well I think she was trying her best to give us some space to talk things through."

"Yeah, I remember that part." I say, parking next to the reclined dragoness.

"I especially remember how you were pretty worried that I was gonna pop a few eggs after we hit it off the night before."

I grow a little flustered but not enough to throw me off of my train of thought. "Yeah. I don't mind protecting the young, but I don't think I'm fully ready mentally for the idea of being a dad just yet. That's just me."

"Most dragons don't like the whole parenting thing either." She reminds me.

"And I still feel that's an issue that should be addressed." I reply, thinking back to my time in the Dragon Lands.

Smolder chuckles as she gives me a casual warning on the attitude of dragons. "Don't preach to a stone to give you milk, you'll be at it for a while."

Those thoughts aside, I wander back to the prospective meeting I have set up with the griffon that apparently troubles the aforementioned changeling. "Well I'm glad to know that you're at least willing to mediate between us. Now I'm just worried that I might have to cancel my Thursday if she's not cool with it."

"And let me guess, you wanted to ask her about it?" Smolder points out.

"Hell, you saw how she was yesterday. She ate the last of her ice cream and bolted."

"She did state how tired she was after the travel. That much was pretty apparent when we nibbled on her ears."

I proceed to play with my thumbs, uncertain of what to do. "I just don't want this to end badly. You've been with her for years, I know you can talk to her for a bit and gauge her feelings on it. Can you at least clue me in so I can know what to do? Please?"

The dragon sighs as she pulls out her phone. "Okay, get comfy."

Over the years, what I've learned about Smolder is that if she has a story, or maybe some bad news, she's going to tell you to get comfortable. So in this instance... "Something tells me you've got a story to tell?"

"Of course." Figures. "So let's start off with what happened some years ago. You remember the Fetlock Fete of Ponyville, the first one the school hosted?"

I rack my brain for a second to recall what all happened, it was a fairly eventful week. "Yeah. I think she said she was crushing pretty hard on Sandbar at the time."

"Well... let's just say that she didn't just crush on him a little bit."

"What do you mean?"

Smolder elaborates further. "I mean she once played intermediary between the two. Like how do you think they got around to being able to get cozy with each other in bed? It wasn't because they fucked around and found out the hard way."

"Oh yeah, you mean how she used to turn into me for you?" I point out with a sly smirk.

The dragoness rolls her eyes as her cheeks run red. "Ugh, she told you that?"

"Take it that was a fake story to get me riled up?"

"No, just that I didn't expect her to outright say it." She grumbles before continuing from where she left off. "Oh well, that's for another time. Let's get back to this one. She helped Yona when she felt insecure about dealing with Sandbar physically. That yak was always insecure about her ability to be intimate, considering their size difference and her strength."

"Yeah, I get it. She didn't want to crush him, or his goods."

Smolder snaps her claws and points at me with confirmation. "Right. So she used her for practice."

"And I take it that she pulled a 'her' and did the same for Sandbar." I safely conclude.

"Religiously."

I commend the changeling on her ability of playing matchmaker, albeit in dubious circumstances. "Well she did manage to get them to be comfortable with one another, so there's that."

"Yeah, but try sleeping with your first crush and his girlfriend. You'd think with the way she is, she would be fair about it."

I can easily roll my eyes at that notion. "She wasn't."

Predictably, Smolder continues the story. "She broke character one time while they were doing it, got into it pretty deep too. Then Sandbar realized who he was getting straddled by and he broke things off from her for a while. They didn't speak for weeks."

I notice she has a habit of injecting herself on occasion, that I still remember from my time in the Dragon Lands. "Yeah, that would break the immersion a bit. And I can imagine how guilty he felt about it."

"Yeah, he told Yona what happened, and she stopped dealing with her soon after. The good news is that it pushed them together in the end. But it seriously put our friendship in jeopardy, not to mention our bonds as element bearers."

At least that part isn't new to the struggle. I've watched as Twilight and Rarity quietly be at odds with one another over a human who didn't even end up with either of them. "I take it she apologized to both of them."

She goes on to continue. "It's not like they were offended, it's just that Sandbar wanted the space to separate from Ocellus. And Yona stood in solidarity of that. All's well that ends well, but some of that still lingers in her mind."

I'll admit this does give a bit of perspective to why she acts the way she does, but it also doesn't explain why she's like this with me when we've been seeing each other in the intimate sense for a short period of time. "So what does that have to do with us specifically?"

"She's been doing the same thing for the both of us. My personal guess is that she's concerned that the whole situation will end up happening all over again."

Oh yeah, I even pointed that little bit out earlier. It just slipped my mind that quick. But if that's a concern for her, why is she still doing it? "It wasn't like she minded toying with me while I was in my lust period."

"I think if anything, she was trying to prep you for me."

That still doesn't make any sense. "Yeah, she did show herself as you at one point. Still doesn't explain why she was so frequent."

Smolder taps her foot against the desk as she admits the catalyst of the changeling's frequent visitations. "Only because I was concerned about you. But when she started dealing with you that often, and with such an intimate period ongoing, that pretty much set her off a bit. And she's not shy about it, she's gonna have at it if she sees an opportunity."

So she did it halfway out of obligation, and the other half was because she got horny. The more I find out, the more I have questions about her personality. "So, just like the first weekend when I got my phone back."

The dragoness confirms my thoughts. "Scratching an itch she wanted to have scratched since having to deal with you. She wanted to have her fun."

I grow curious of the changeling's actions, and also her personality. "So you say that she wanted to scratch that itch, so I have a bit of an inquiry. So when you were using her to placebo your way out of dragon lust, did she ever really get into it, sometime putting her real self in the mix?"

"Definitely." She answers. "She's not shy of expressing herself sexually, nor is she timid about taking on a form of someone that may get her partner off at their highest peak. Like I can't say I haven't had something clutched inside of me before you and I got locked up together. She's how I found that out in the first place." Smolder takes a moment to laugh softly with an outward thought. "Funny, she and I never stayed locked up for long." Her face reddens in thought as her claws start to tap against her arm, it seems even she gets a little worked up thinking about the changeling's routine. "So yeah, she's a sensitive little thing. Her gist was always when relationships change around her, especially when she's involved. She's afraid that because of her changeling nature, she feels she's doomed to be a placebo for everyone around her, at least until they find what they're looking for in someone else. And I guess there's also the feeding aspect."

That's the one I do remember her bringing up as a concern. But I haven't really seen her fight it off that much. I can only wonder if she's playing into it more often than not. "So I have another thought. I remember yesterday that I specified that I wanted to reconnect as friends with Gabby. Is that so much of an issue still?"

"She can still read emotions on a wavelength level, you know." Smolder points out. "Something inside of you is wanting this to work, and it's not just for the sake of being friends either. She can sense that much."

Okay, now that makes sense. Changelings feed on love, and they have a strong sensitivity to emotions. I remember Thorax saying how he sometimes had to detach from his emotions while feeding like they used to in the old hive. I'm beginning to wonder if she's struggling to manage all the influx of emotions while enduring this relationship.

Needless to say it's an answer only she can provide. Other than that, I can only go by the personal opinion of the one closest to her on that level. "So, how do you feel about it then?"

"I mean I was rooting for the two of you to work it out in the past. Kinda felt betrayed when she broke things off, but I understood when she told me what happened."

While I understand that the emotional complexities changelings undergo can be complex, I fully turn the conversation to her. I even go as far to point out her own emotional baggage. "Okay, but now I'm curious on why you didn't make a move on your own, especially since you've been going off of the image of me for years."

She rises from her chair, walks along until she places her claws on my shoulders. With a powerful yank, she lays me flat against the desk as she looks at me with a fair smile. "You were literally the only male dragon I could trust that didn't actively hunt me down for mating rights, which I almost took offense to. Like we did so much together and everything, we were friends, but you didn't even think to offer a single wrestling match to see how things would peel out." She lets me go and walks towards the window, seeing the small amount of remaining students loitering about before heading home. "I knew you wouldn't understand dragon mating habits, especially being around ponies for so long. You found a different way, so I wanted to see how I could find that for myself." She tilts her head back at me, the falling sun glistening against her copper-toned scales. "After all these years, it's weird having you around and trying to hold back."

Just for a second, I think I felt everything come to a complete stand-still. My eyes shifted away from her, not really knowing what to say to the often headstrong and brutish dragon. "I... didn't know."

"I didn't tell you." She says as she walks towards the door. "Besides, I knew you were pretty busy, far too busy to have a conversation that wasn't over the phone, much less a relationship. And I wanted the time with you to see if it was right. Doesn't feel wrong thus far."

I walk closer to the dragon, halfway expecting her to give me a jab to my chest. But she steps into me with a smirk, coiling her tail around mine. I hold her chin up to me. "I don't think it feels wrong either. However, I don't want it to feel wrong for Ocellus."

She finally gives me that jab I was expecting. "Big softy."

My Tuesday was spent on maintaining some diplomatic ties with Queen Novo of Seaquestria, it seems that there's also a change in power soon to come with Princess Skystar soon to take the reigns. Apparently the current queen is looking to take her example from another former royal figure in Celestia. Starswirl was also in attendance, he's also eager to go out and venture into some of the other parts of the world beyond Equestria's borders, especially since he hasn't done so already.

I spent the night as a puffer fish over in that part of the world, but got turned back to my normal dragon self and shipped out on the next train smoking. It was a long day of travel each way, and personally I'm looking forward to the soon-to-be expanded modes of transportation that Twilight will be looking to implement from the human world. Her next goal seems to be high-speed rail, the likes that apparently doesn't exist in the country that our portals connect to. But at least Alex has some connections to see if he can get some plans drafted up. Either way, the massive business might look to hurt him in the eyes of his fellow humans, but he's been quietly leaning into contracting a whole firm to assist in the building of these projects.

Guess that means we'll start to see a few new human faces in a controlled arena.

It took over eighteen hours each way, but getting back home made me feel like I was a slug running through a salt mine. If this damn castle wasn't all the way on the north side of town, I'd be dreading the flight back to my room a lot less. Unfortunately, that's not how life goes for my occupation. At least I'll have some time for self this go around. Just thinking about the fact that I have a recovery period is insane by my existing standards.

I spent most of today sleeping in, I needed the energy. But with a certain time slot creeping up on me with every passing second, I grow more and more restless thinking about it. Gone is the dragon of yesterday's dirge, it's a new me now... well more of an old me with new privileges. And I am going to seize those privileges with every moment they're offered to me. I ain't going back now, and I'm moving forward with an anticipation that I will make the best of it. This will be a good day today. I will make a friend smile today. I will make amends with the mistakes of my past, and move to a better present, so that I can maintain the image of an ideal future.

Now let's go fucking get it. "Alright, here we go."

I finally stop staring at the mirror. I'm more than hyped on my own self right now. I'm already check for check on my preparations. Everything is going as planned.

I go check the battery status of my phone, seeing it's at full. I go to the calendar, seeing no colored highlights on this day. "Schedule cleared, certified check." I go to my dresser, seeing my receipt from Monday afternoon's purchase for today. "Reservation made, check." I look past that, seeing a small sack with a substantial amount of gems in the bag. There are so many that I just chuck a few into the air and catch them with my mouth, feasting on the candy-like currency. "Funds secured, check." I pick up a bottle of fairly pricy cologne and take and spray the air, walking through the mist to allow the aroma to properly grace me. "Bath taken, check. Teeth brushed, check. Mouthwash fresh, double check." I stop for a second and bend down to raise a foot up, taking a quick sniff to see if I needed to pay anymore attention to that one flaw that's been an issue for me for some years. I'm pleased with the result. "Feet fairly inoffensive, triple check." I give myself a wink at my reflection in the mirror. "Overall status: I'm looking and smelling real good."

I strike a few poses in the mirror, seeing the shape I'm in. While I am still relatively on the thin end, I see that the charm of my infamous selfie to Twilight hasn't lost any presence. If anything, the month I spent in the dragon lands developed a bit more of a definition for my body. It's a far-cry different from how scrawny I was in the past. When I first grew my wings, I was a little pudgy fellow, shortly after my work started to increase, my height overshot the little weight I had. Puberty came and went, and now I'm growing into the Spike I once fantasized myself to be. Pretty crazy to think about.

Can't think about it for too long, I got a griffon to appease. I open the door to my room, blinding walking into the hallway, though not even paying full attention to who's sitting outside my door. "Alrighty then. Now the only thing I gotta do is walk out this door, go past Ember, and make my way through town─" My eyes shot open as I thought I had said or notice something in error. I turn around to see just that issue popping up unannounced. "WAIT, WHAT?!"

"Spike, bout time you popped up! I've been looking all over Equestria for your scaly ass!" The blue dragoness chuckles in greeting.

Oh no, oh no this cannot be happening right now. This is about as good for me as an international incident. I panic with a nervous twitch, trying to think my way out of this situation. "Um, what are you doing here?"

"Duh, hanging out." She seems so casual with her response.

"Uh, with who?"

"Duh, you." And she speaks as though I'm supposed to be happy about it, and with the gusto that I shouldn't be surprised to see her pop in unannounced.

"Me? Today? As in right now?"

"Yeaaaaah?" The royal entitlement is real with her.

Okay, you've got this Spike. Just take a deep breath, and try not to panic too much about it. Now, make it seem like this is a matter of extreme diplomatic importance so you can go and do diplomatically unimportant things. "Sorry, I got a meeting in a few. I can't be late for this one."

"Meeting huh, can I come with?" Oh great, she's insisting to join. Maybe I can tone down the urgency and make it seem like it's not worth her while. She's always a stickler for wanting to be entertained. Maybe I can make this seem as uninteresting as possible to turn her off of it.

"Uh, it's not really a meeting worth someone as important as you."

"Nonsense, I just want to hang out today." She's REALLY insisting that we'd spend time together. Now I feel a bit concerned, especially since Smolder had made a mention that she came around sometime last week looking for me. Either way, I need to let her down on this one, hopefully I can schedule something at some other time. Let's see if she's willing to be reasonable and postpone.

"Uh, can we possibly do this like sometime tomorrow?" Fuck, I forgot that's a bad day too. I'm moving into my new place tomorrow. She can't know I'm moving out of here.

"So what, friendship advisor too busy to entertain the Dragon Lord herself?" Now she turns my title against me like I'm some sort of pet.

I facepalm and politely give her my critique of her approach. "Ember, you can't just pop up unannounced, you have to write me or something."

She quirks a brow and purses her lips before folding her arms in a pout. "Spike, what are the things that we dragons don't have much of these days?"

I roll my eyes while reiterating an answer I so often hear from her. "Pillows and tunnel-boring equipment."

"No!" She corrects me in a subtlety that could be perceived as a bomb threat. "Pens and parchment! Fucking Garble uses a month's supply for his stupid poetry! All he does is write some shit, ball it up when he doesn't like it, and toss the shit into lava! How can I send letters when he keeps pestering me for my supply!?"

You mean like having a supply more than a pack of two-hundred sheets of wide-ruled paper a month? It's not like I haven't brought that up to you before. "I could petition to send more."

"Sure, do that." Well, that's another thing to add on the growing list of wants for the Dragon Lands and their present-but-absent dragon lord.

"I could also have some cellular towers installed in the area if you're willing to have a phone." I suggest.

"I don't need those stupid, junky, glass-and-plastic toys. Those damn things aren't even lava-proof, what good would they be if we wanted to make a call in a lava bath."

While she does bring up a good point, I bring up an even better one. "How about we don't use our phones in lava?"

"Whatever. Bottom line is that I'm here now, so we're going to hang out today."

For all the years I've known her, Ember's been a major pain in the ass. I get that we have our cultural differences, but I figured that at least by year three of being around ponies more often that she'd at least start to be a little more reasonable. Instead, she's grown more and more determined to force someone's attention to her, namely me. I get that she has an interest, but she's going about it the wrong way. And too often, I have to be the friend who reels her back and let her know what's good and what's not. "That's not how this works, Ember, and you already know that."

"Really, so what do you want me to do since I'm here!? Be bored and eat the fucking walls?" There's a period of silence while she looks around the hall, humming as the imaginary light bulb pops over her head. "Actually, that doesn't sound like a bad idea. The walls here are pretty tasty."

Yeah, I cannot let her find out I'm moving to a new place tomorrow. The last thing I need for her to do is bite into some drywall and burn the place down because it doesn't taste like amethyst. Tell you what, Ember, I'll entertain you AFTER I get done with today's meeting at the local green. If it's of any importance, or even if it isn't, I'll see if I can try to appease you and your inherent streaks of violent outbursts. "If you can just camp here until I get back, I'll promise to spend some time to chat then."

She accepts the offer, scratching off a huge chunk of the amethyst walls and biting into it like an apple. "You better not keep me waiting for long! The longer you're gone, the less of a bedroom you're going to have."

"Fine." It's not like I actually live here anyways. "Just stay here."

Happy that I'm no longer having to deal with a crazy dragon probably looking to enact some form of physical violence against me for reasons I've already explained as unnecessary, I focus on the one thing I've patiently waited for all this week. I finally get the chance to reconnect with Gabby.

I won't even lie about it, I thought about crossing the line a number of times with her when we were dating. There were even nights where I was quietly fantasizing about her much like how any horny sheltered teenage boy would. And the fact that I was on the road so often made matters worse. I figured that the next time we met in person, I would try to press the idea of getting physical. Well in short, she got physical by throwing a glass of water on me, I got wet, and went home to follow through on the crank of shame.

Sometimes my frustration had to be alleviated by means of friction that only a claw could provide.

Now that I think about it, she is a little bigger than what she was back then. But now she's smaller than me, even when she's standing on her hind legs for height. I'm pretty sure I could probably toss her around a bit, maybe body slam her into a bed, make her feel something she probably haven't felt in years, what I would do to yank her by her tail and watch as I sink hilt-deep into her body.

...Okay, maybe I'm a little too excited. Let's reign it in, Spike. Okay, check the time, breathe.

The clock on the dial reads sometime after six. I'm already making a bad impression, I'm just now getting to this place and I'm the one who's late. She did say that she was going to be coming from work. Maybe six was a bit too early, seven's more of her speed. Or maybe she's not even on her way here, she said she gets off at five anyhow. So if she gets off at five, flies home, shower, do whatever else, and fly over this way, she should've still beaten me here.

Maybe I'm being impatient, or I'm just anxious. Either way, not seeing her isn't doing a service for my confidence here. Then again, Apple Bloom did say that she didn't really go out with anyone these days. I suppose this is about as far as my excitement goes then. I tried my best to make it work, turns out that it might not be enough for someone who'd rather move elsewhere than be someplace where there's the remote possibility of running into someone who you don't like.

I look back to my phone, checking the time. It's now well-past 6:30. "Wow, guess I should've saw this one coming."

I walk up to the counter in defeat. While I wish now that I'd taken up Ember's offer, even with the threat of violence looming with every interaction, I'd at least be putting the second set of clubs to some use instead of paying for them to be neglected for eighteen holes.

The clerk behind the desk is a older mare, she seems pretty cheerful. Maybe I should take after her demeanor for a second. "How may I help you, sir?"

"Hello to you, ma'am. I'm sorry for being late, I called in for a reservation at six, is that still open?"

The mare chuckles. "You know, you don't need to call in for a reservation."

I understand that asking for a reservation for something like this is overkill, but I've learned the hard way that not setting aside time to make a reservation is just as bad as showing up to a formal masquerade ball with sports jersey on. False equivalence for sure, but it's better to be prepared in case there's anything that could jeopardize a fair sporting chance, like having to share the same set of clubs or balls.

Now that I think on it, this is just Twilight's habits wearing on me. "I know, but I wanted to make sure the slot was available."

The mare smiles warmly. "You're such a gentlecolt. What's your name?"

"Spike the Dragon." As I give my name, she goes through a fairly empty log book and pulls up the last name that's written down.

"Oh yes, you! You're the princess second hoof in command. Why I remember when you and the princess teamed up to help steer away that beastly ursa minor, also that scary Cerberus that came though town. It's so strange to see you so grown up these days." She seems awfully bright-eyed, I don't know if I can really match her enthusiasm.

"Yeah, I understand."

She skims what appears to be the first page of the reservation book. Turns out that it's only my name down. Guess she's a glutton for chatter and interaction. "Now here you are. Reservation for two, admission paid in advance, full-course play for all eighteen holes, all good. What color ball would you like?"

No brainer. "Green."

"And for your partner?"

If I remember correctly, her favorite color was... "Blue."

"All of our blues are out in rotation, how about a nice pink?"

Yeah, if I remember anything about Gabby, she never liked the color pink on the grounds that it 'systematically binds someone of a specific gender to a preconfigured set of habits and ideals. And I don't want to get off on a bad impression. Guess I'll swallow the bit on this one. "I guess I'll do the pink one instead. My friend will be using the green one."

"I see. Well, here are your scorecards. Have fun!" She says, issuing me a set of cards to keep tally of how we perform.

Though let's be real, at this rate, she might not even show. I'll probably play a round to myself and head home. "Sure thing... I guess."

It's been so long since I've been here. The last time I remember hitting up this place was years ago shortly after we started the power transfer. Celestia was still in charge, but she had finally laid down her plan to install Twilight as high princess. If I remember, there was another clerk here at the time. She was even more of a chatterbox, and she was so nice to everyone who visited. She also had a story of losing her son in the changeling invasion of Ponyville, but she managed to overcome the grief, treating everyone as family. She'd even give me and Twilight a few rounds of golf for free. I wonder where she went off to.

I get to the first hole, it's a simple put made with a ninety-degree corner. The hole is basic and small, but it rewards the real angle magicians with a free albatross. I'm no such thing, but I can at least work my way through it since I've actually played real golf. I know, different animal of a sport, it would be like comparing a lion to a tabby. But instead of full-sending the ball several yards down the greenway, I'm just giving it a nudge in the right direction.

Before I put my ball down, I write our names on the score cards. "S-p-i-k-e... G-a-b-b-y... Okay, guess I'm up."

I place the pink ball on the dot indicating the starting spot. I take another look at the course and guess at my best angle. I lean down and give it a swift whack, watching as the ball roll towards the corner. But my angle appears off, getting an unlucky bounce off the sharp corner. While I gained a better sightline for my next shot, I also threw away any chance of getting that albatross. It sucks, but at least I'm not too far behind.

"If that's what you pass for a good stroke, then you should probably get another practice strike in."

My head jumps up, seeing the griffon walking slowly towards me. She seems mostly unenthused about showing up, while the inner-me is leaping for the sky. I do my best to not visually display my excitement, but it still manages to reflect in my tone of voice. "Ah, Gabby! I was starting to think you'd never show!"

She grumbles and shakes her head at me. "Honestly, I've been watching you mope around for the better part of an hour. It's pretty pathetic, honestly."

Ouch... she's just been watching me for an hour? Wow, I'm more surprised that she even elected to show her face on that note. "Yeah, ain't it?"

"You know, I was planning on just watching to see how you'd do from a distance, and then go home after a few strokes. But I didn't expect you to just start playing a whole round by yourself."

I give her the green ball and her club to use. "Well I spent the money, this wasn't gonna be like how it was back at that one restaurant. I'm gonna get my money's worth."

"Okay then." She notices the ball that I used and pops a joke at me over it. "So, breaking perceived gender norms today? Or were you planning to let me use that one before changing your mind at the nth second before midnight?"

"Well I thought you didn't like pink, and blue was all out of stock." I inform her.

She looks off, giving a slight nod before placing the ball down. "Its funny. I only told you that to see if you'd actually remember it, just so I could be like 'aw, how cute, you remembered' back in the past. But seeing that you actually remembered up till today is pretty... well... creepy." Double ouch. "So what are you waiting on, for me to hit my stroke?"

"Well, you just 'complimented' me on my shot, so I think it might be time for me to compliment yours." I reply.

"Spike, you know I'm a jack of all trades. Why are you even trying to compete?" She points her claws out at the wall of the course, measuring out her angle before taking her first swing. Her ball not only goes further than mine, it also gets pretty close to the hole. If she put a little more into it, she would've gotten the hole-in-one.

I walk past her, looking to make an adjustment on my shot. I don't want to fall too far behind starting off. I also issue a little quip of my own. "Doer of many, a master of none." I dial in, hitting the next swing with a bit of power. My ball bounces a few times before landing in the hole for an eagle. I scratch in a minus two on the scorecard. "I can relate."

"Lucky shot." She says walking past me, her ball only require a slight tap before landing in the hole.

"Save some of that luck for the rest of us." I sarcastically joke back at her.

She plucks out both of our balls and tosses me one of them, noticeably the green one. As I raise a brow at her decision, she snatches the scorecard away and mark down her score, a minus two for the eagle. "You think you're so good, huh?"

"Well I've been known to host a number of guests, gotta stay sharp."

"As sharp as a butter knife?" She jokes.

"Even they have an edge that works for them." I warn.

"So a spoon then?" She further teases.

"They have their uses," I reply with a shrug.

"Meanwhile, you're about as useful as a spoon with a massive hole in the middle."

I see she's just going to be like this for a few holes. "To separate egg white from yolk?"

"That's not how physics work." She answers, walking towards our next course.

"Oh, so you're a physicist now?" I follow behind her.

"Unlike you, I went to school."

"Ooh, spicy. I see you're feeling competitive."

She scoffs with extreme confidence. "I might even be willing to put down a wager."

"Cool, cool." I nod. "Got a phone?"

She side-eyes me with a stern glance. "It has a number you can't call or message."

Already, the ideas are starting to run through my mind on what I want my prize to be. But in the spirit of friendship, at least to keep things relatively low-key, I'll start with something simple. "By the end of this, I'll be shooting you a text."

"That's your wager?" She seems largely unimpressed.

"You ain't got one?"

She looks to the sky as if an answer falls from above. Eventually one does come to mind for her. "Okay, Mr. Renaissance dragon. If you lose, you run my Saturday route for me."

So I want something as immaterial as a phone number for my starter, and she wants me to do hard labor. Looks like I'm actually gonna have to play it serious for now. Golf club, thy name is Lucille. "Okay then."

"That means you do as I do, no gimmicks." She stresses.

"Yeah, sure."

We reach the second hole of the course. It's one of those infamous windmill courses that you have to time carefully. As I lean down to put my ball in the starting position, I feel a cold rod placed at the bottom of my arms. I look down to see Gabby placing her ball where mine was going to go. "Why don't I start this time?"

I happily bow out of her way. "Ladies first, then."

She looks back at the windmill, timing her stroke for an opening. She hits the ball, but it strikes one of the fans of the windmill. She's set back by a score. "Fiddlesticks." She says in disgust.

Since she wagers me to do some hard labor, and I'm taking this bet serious, I might as well play the role of antagonist by taunting her at every turn to throw off her mental balance. I mean hey, trash talk is part of the game. "It's okay to say 'fuck' every now and then, especially with you fucking up your score."

As I take my shot, I time my swing for the moment the blade comes to the ground. I put enough power behind it to where it goes through the tunnel just fine, but I miss out on the finish due to it rimming out. I mouth a swear while she goes for her next shot. "I don't have to live with profanity in my life, thank you. I know how to vent my frustrations without resorting to vulgarities."

She takes her next shot, once more hitting the blade with her ball. It's knocked away and back towards the side, certifying that she'll have to take another shot to align herself with the tunnel. She tries not to show her frustration, but I know that rubbing it in will only drive her to force a shot out of desperation. "The only thing I see that's vulgar is the massive lead I'm about to have with this eagle."

I give the green ball a slight nudge and it falls into the hole. She rolls her eyes at me. "Always the overconfident." She takes the stroke from her awkward angle, not even daring to correct her angle. Once more, the fan blade knocks it off to the side, a complete perpendicular angle from where she wants her shot to go next. "Dangit!" She screams. She's forced to take another shot to correct her approach.

"Ooh, that was for the birdie." I tease as she hits herself back to a better position, costing yet another stroke to do so. I mark down my minus two as I proactively put a plus down in the box for her score. "So much for par."

"You like being irritating, don't you?"

"Only when I need to be." Like right now. I wait for her to make her next shot, hitting the blade yet again. She's losing her focus, and it's becoming a huge benefit. "Damn. Can't even buy a bogey, huh?"

"Shut up." She growls as she takes another shot. Making it through the tunnel finally, but missing out on the power to land in the hole.

I get one last taunt in while she joins me on the other side of the windmill. "Guess you took my advice, you really are saving some of that luck up for everyone else in the universe. You were always so selfless."

She knocks it in finally, shouting in frustration. "Eat me!"

I tilt my head as I deviously make a joke of her exclamation. "Thought that was your boyfriend's job."

"You're so disgusting." She grumbles, snatching the scorecard, already seeing a plus by the number she had to put in. Plus three for her, minus two for me, the score between us shows a difference of five after our first two holes.

I politely take back the score card, guiding her to our next hole. "You're not new to me, you know."

"I thought we were starting over." She points out hypocritically, especially while she's not even giving me a fair chance to start fresh like we did years ago.

I simply tease her over it. "Some things don't change with the patch notes."

"Great, so it's not a bug, it's a feature." She says with disappointment all over her face.

"And your game is a feature presentation on how to suck at mini-golf." I quip back.

Her cheeks get red from embarrassment as she offers her excuse. "I'm just getting warmed up is all."

"Well you got another sixteen holes to warm up. Maybe you can make up for that disaster of a plus-three on your scorecard."

And then she has the nerve to say this. "Gotta give you a running start."

...I'm definitely gonna run up the score for that one. "Sure, head start."

Sixteen holes later, my score is barely under par. If anything, I think I did pretty poorly by professional standards, but at least my overall score ended as a minus-three. Under most circumstances, that would cause one to believe that the game was close by all definition of the word.

Gabby, oh Gabby, what happened?

Her final score ended as a plus nine. I thought that getting in her head might give me a competitive advantage, but I didn't anticipate that much of an advantage. Usually Gabby would wipe the floor with me when it comes to games like this, she's highly competitive and she tries to do her best at whatever. This time I'm surprised that she fell behind so quick, but as she got warmed up, the strokes started to get really dicey. In fact, if it wasn't for those first five holes, I would probably be sweating a lot more than I am now.

"Ugh... You practiced before I got here, didn't you?" Needless to say that reactivation of her competitive drive makes her a lot more lively to talk to. Just earlier I ran the risk of playing eighteen holes by myself, but now I have a winning scorecard, and she has her mojo back. "Ugh, maybe I should've did a little warming up before dropping in."

I chuckle through my response. "I do actual golf too, if you want to expand the playing field a bit."

"No thank you." Guess mini-golf is about as good as I can get it for now.

Oh yeah, that's right, I have a wager to follow up on. "So... can I borrow your phone real quick?"

She gives me a wary look, uncertain if she should trust me with allowing me her phone. "Why?"

"Just need to find mine." I lie.

She operates on instinct, willing to help, but not without questioning me as she does so. "You lost it?"

"On my person." I reply.

"You lost a phone on your person?" She says with confusion growing more apparent in her tone. I dial in my number, calling my own phone for a moment. As soon as I hear the ringtone, I start to smile.

♪I know way too many people here right now that I didn't know last year, who the fuck are y'all♫─"

I pull out my phone and reject the call, all while giving her back hers. "Not anymore."

She rolls her eyes and pouts. "So glad you found your phone."

I go back to my call log and add her name to my contacts. "So glad you let me lock you in."

"Wait, that's what you did!?" She asks with a bit of an alerted tone.

I hold up the scorecard and take a quick picture of what was written down. "I know what my first text to you is going to be." I promptly send her a polite reminder of what our scores were.

Her phone vibrates, she grimaces as the evidence of our wager manifests in the form of a message. She calls me out for my tedious teasing. "You are so obnoxious."

"When I want to be." I remind her, putting my phone away. "See, a promise made. I sent you a message on the phone you said I couldn't call. So I'll at least respect you and not call you if that's going to be an issue."

While I know we both had fun, especially her, she still tries to play it off. "Well... guess I've gotten beat this time. Maybe I'll spend a whole hour going through a practice round before calling up whoever I spend time with on the next time."

"I mean loss aside, you look like you had fun."

She sighs in defeat. "Maybe, if I was happy with consolation prizes. But I play for the win. And sadly, I didn't get the win."

"You always played like that. I miss seeing that drive in you."

She tries not to smile, passing it off for a scoff. "Well, my boyfriend sees that drive in me a lot more often than anyone else." She lies blatantly.

Honestly, I'm getting pretty tired of this boyfriend thing she keeps bringing up. I know it sounds pretty douchey to say out loud, but I just want her to come clean with me about it. Maybe I can continue to hang out with her, keep things on the safe side, see how long it lasts before I have to seriously lay down some ground rules, whether they be for her or myself. "So let's ask a question, what are looking like this Sunday?"

She hesitates before answering. "I got my rounds."

"Groceries and stuff?"

She looks up at me like she's already thinking of a way to shoot the idea down. "Why do you want to know?"

"Maybe I need a shopping partner. I move into my new place tomorrow, it's where the old library used to be. So I'll be looking to stock up, get a few things for the home, some furniture, groceries, appliances, I already have a TV on the way from Canterlot."

"Pretty cool." She doesn't sound too impressed.

"Well we can still do something you'd maybe want to do if you're down." I offer.

She squirms as she wrestles with her thoughts before shrugging her shoulders. "I might have to clear that one with my boyfriend."

There she goes with her ghostly spouse. I know Apple Bloom told me to keep playing along with that aspect if she brings it up, but it's starting to get a little annoying. Either way, I have to honor it. "Okay. Well, I have your number, you have mine, we'll keep in touch. I'll try not to text you at inappropriate times to keep it respectful, don't wanna start drama. So just shoot at me if something's wrong or you can't make it."

"It'll probably be the latter." She warns as she turns away from me.

"Either is fine, I'm just happy to see you having fun."

She once more tries to hide her smile. "Sure."

I know I could be pushing my luck here, but I really don't want to go back to the castle just yet. Maybe I could deal a little more time with her to see if I can crack more of this frigid ice wall between us. "You know, there's a pretty nice burger joint in Canterlot that has this great menu─"

She whips around, her tail lashing at my leg as she interrupts me. "Look... I had fun." Guess she's still not ready to have a one-on-one with no distractions. I might've pushed a little too hard there.

Okay, Spike, reel it back in. "I'm glad you did."

I turn to leave, at least satisfied with the idea of having spent time with Gabby again. It's been some years since we could really do something like this. It's always a pleasure when we share time like this. I do miss it. But now I've left the ball in her court, it's up to her to make that decision on if we can play some other time.

"Um..." Her pause stops me in my tracks. I don't look at her, I don't want to make her nervous or uncomfortable enough to forget or disregard what she wants to say. "So... Sunday, Ogres and Oubliettes, 4 p.m., I'll be the dungeon master."

If I could jump out of my scales and ascend to a higher plane, I think I would. But I have to play it cool, she has a 'boyfriend' and I actually do have two others who speak on my behalf. So yeah, I shouldn't get too excited over this. "Sure, name the place."

"Yours." Okay, maybe I can have a little irrational exuberance once I leave here.

"Mine?" Remember, don't turn around too much. Just give her a glance and keep it cool.

"Think of it as a house warming. We used to play it a lot back in the day. My boyfriend doesn't really get into it like I do, nor does he like it. So maybe I need to dust off the old cards a bit, just like I had to dust off my mini-golf chops on tonight."

Okay, maybe I can nerd out just a teensy bit. "I have a pretty swanky collection of dice, we could play with some of mine."

"Sure. I'm down." She's been holding back too. I guess as soon as Og's and Oub's get a mention, we're both reverting to those moments of nostalgia. It's more so about us looking to express a vein of existence we couldn't possibly live for ourselves. That's what got us in the game to begin with. Now it's bringing us back together.

I think the real us finally broke past that icy wall that stood between us for the lesser part of a week. We're full-on smiling at one another like we used to. However, I make a bit of a sheepish confession, hoping to stir up a bit of controversy. "I probably might change my class this time from wizard."

She gasps in shock, placing her talons over her beak. "No way! That's what you always picked! What happened?"

I deal with a magic unicorn who lords over all of the land. And she used that magic to always keep tabs on me, keep me in check, keep me on schedule, just a myriad of parentally oppressive tactics that disillusion me with the idea of being a magic-casting wizard. Yeah, I'm going for a change. "I might go with a rogue this time. Spice things up." She often went as a rogue herself, so now I'm going to swap the roles and see how well we do.

She giggles as she points out a thought. "You'd be better for a brute than a rogue."

"Ah, massive intelligence nerf right off the bat." I say while lightly knocking my knuckles against my head. I'm not exactly a stealthy individual either, so that's fair.

She starts to play with her tail, she's extremely excited. "Well since we're changing it up, I guess I'll be a red mage this time."

"Yeah, I can see you doing that. Jack of all trades, master of none." I joke lightly.

She smirks at me, giving me a slight shove. "Very funny."

I want to run back to my bed so I can sleep in it, just to make time pass by faster. I know moving to another home is going to make my day go by real quick tomorrow, and so will the furniture shopping on Saturday. Sunday won't even take any time to show up on my schedule. Oh yeah, I can hardly wait. "So. Sunday it is. I'll have snacks."

"Sure. See you then." She says before darting off to the darkening sky.

As she disappears in the distance, I take to the sky myself to fly back to the castle. I'm doing literal loop-de-loops just to press off some of that enthusiasm. I don't want to go back in there and get to bed, only to find myself being unable to sleep with all of the energy. I can't believe it, we're back in business. Once pen pals over great landforms and seas, now text buddies in the same town.

Hmm... You know, I never thought of being a red mage myself. Strong enough in physical stats that I can prove to be a competent fighter, and skilled enough with magic that I can cast a number of spells to keep myself boosted up in the fight. I never thought of that, how come I didn't think of being something like that before?

Oh yeah, I guess I would happen to know one in real life. He just happens to be a human.

As soon as I get back, I'm already thinking of how I'm going to pass the time between now and Sunday. I'm practically dancing through the halls of the castle getting back to the room. I even notice that she sent me a text telling me that she got back home safe. She goes even further to say that she can't wait to hang out on Sunday. It seems that she's forgotten about her 'boyfriend' for a moment, much like how I've left Smolder and Ocellus to a secondary position.

...Yeah, maybe I should dial back my excitement a bit. As much as I think it's great for me and Gabby to reconnect, I still have to remember that Ocellus feels a certain type of way about it. I should try to be cautious, and I should also bring up the fact that I am in an open relationship. Maybe she won't like that news too much, but she deserves to know.

As soon as I turn to my room, I notice that the door is sitting on the other side of the hall, completely removed from it's hinges. I run over to see that the entire doorway has been eviscerated. I look in the room, seeing that the window frame had been put aside as well. And of course, there's one notable figure reclining on the bed, chomping down on a fist-size chunk of amethyst. "Ember!?"

Of course she doesn't seem to care about the damage she caused. "Hey, I warned you what was gonna happen if you took too long."

I can see the entirety of the city of Canterlot from the massive hole left in my wall. I facepalm over that bit of news. "The whole outside can see me while I sleep!"

"Eh, your problem, not mine." Again, she has absolutely no fucks to give.

Luckily, the castle itself is ran on an enchanted lifeforce, meaning that it regenerates on it's own. But it does so overtime, and that can take as short as an hour, or as long as a day. Judging from the damage, it looks like it'll be teetering on that daily time frame. Alright, let's just take a deep breath and address this issue now. "Okay, I'm here now, so what do you wanna do?"

"Let's spar." OF FUCKING COURSE THAT'S WHY YOU CAME HERE!

"Spar? You left the Dragon Lands to ask me to spar with you!?"

"You mad about it?" Her antagonizing words are intended to get me stirred up. If I was a dragon of a more traditional upbringing, I would be trying to drive her through one of these walls she ate from. But I know better than that.

"I'm not someone you can beat up on, you know." She hops out of my bed, giving me a harsh shove at the shoulder.

"Then stop me from doing it. Otherwise I'm going to kick your ass."

Of course she's still trying to antagonize me. But I quickly think of an alternative to disperse some of her energy, as well as work off a little bit of mine since I'm essentially without privacy for a good while. "Can't we just settle on throwing rocks or something?"

She seems mildly disappointed that I pivoted our discussion away from a sparing session, but she accepts the offer. "I guess. You know a good place to throw rocks?"

Well there is that one place that held the Tree of Harmony. Maybe the extra bit of travel can help me take my mind off of the bullshit of not having a place to sleep. Even better, there's a tree house I can sleep in until the morning. You know what, that's our plan for tonight. "Yes. Literally a whole ravine southeast of here."

"Cool. Then let's get moving already before I kick your ass." She threatens.

Ugh... Everything about you has to be violent. I swear.

Chapter 18: Wordless Whimpers

Slinging rocks, fire breathing, wrestling for physical dominance, those are the three things that consists of a dragon's favorite past time. Unfortunately for me, that isn't my idea of a good time. It just feels like an unending power show where one wants to show what they can do and call out the many ways they outclass you. And virtually no other dragon outclasses Ember, even on her worst day. Trench's blood runs deep in her, through and through, his aggression, his bruteness, his mannerisms, and his ego. She's not quite the level of bragging how she can take me down with her pinky claw, but she's undefeated in a rock flinging contest.

Honestly, it's not my cup of tea and it's never been. I have my strengths, but I don't like to show them off as often. But what I do have can show that I can be competitive with her in some arenas. However, displaying that would only make her even more competitive, probably into the idea of proposing a wrestling contest that can easily turn into a spar. And I've already experienced more than my fair share of sparring with Ember, no thanks.

So I let her win each and every contest. I kept it competitive enough to not seem like I was fully selling out, but I was definitely doing that. And it probably made her feel better when I had the few times that I actually managed to make that one throw longer than hers, just to rile up that competitive spirit in a direction that wouldn't lead to frustration or boredom.

It's funny, I went from going full-on try-hard with Gabby to stealthy sell-out artist with Ember in only a few hours.

Ember eventually grew satisfied with our time together and elected to put our day behind us. I couldn't agree more as she slapped me on the back and cheerfully said her goodbye. The only thing that was wrong with her departure was her saying that she hoped we would do this again sometime in the near future.

One night in the treehouse later, I fly back into town to get the confirmation that my new place was ready to be moved into, finally. So I grab all of my stuff and gather it outside of the castle, only to encounter a bit of a setback. There's no way I can move all of my stuff from here to the middle of town in one trip. It's a wagon's worth of personal belongings, including an obsidian scepter that Ember gifted me some time back.

But I do happen to know someone who has a wagon to haul a lot of shit.

I pay a visit to the boutique, hoping to run into Sandbar. He opens up the door and fills me in on his schedule for the day, seems he's pretty open to help. As we move along, Gallus flies overhead, he originally got off of his shift early to spend time with Silverstream. He offers to help as well, but only if we could take a tour of the new house. I'm not going to refuse an easy offer like that, so the three of us set out to the castle, load all of my things, and tote the wagon along the road to the new place.

It's my first time seeing it, but I'm left speechless by what I see. The treehouse library was already pretty big, given it's rather comfy accommodations. It was always built to handle a bit of a crowd, with the elements of being a home tucked away into various areas of the place. As of now, it's completely different. It's a three-story home with the appearance of a regular Ponyville chateau, the main difference being that the roof is sloped to one side. The top floor appears to open up to a glass covered patio. There's also a fair little garden leading up to the front door. It sticks out with how much glass is used, but it doesn't stand out like a bruised thumb. Much of the house is still with a wood and thatch roof, the exterior with the white wood linear siding, along with the areas with dark brown wood highlights. But coming up closer to the home, the third floor reveals a much more modern lighting scheme.

I rub on my key for good luck and quietly unlock the door, walking into a massive foyer with a second and third story balcony access. The stairs situated towards the right of the room circles around to the second floor, then completes it's rotation to join with the third. The foyer features a fairly large window reaching from the second story to the top of the third story ceiling and a skylight high above.

All of us express our shock over the entryway. "Yo, Spike, you wanna trade places for like a week?" Gallus asks.

"No way!" I call out excitedly. "Holy shit, this is me!"

"It's all you. Welcome to independence." Sandbar comments with a smile.

"Welcome to finally being able to walk around your place while being at mast." Gallus adds.

"Yeah, I kinda like the thought of that. It can be a bit uncomfortable going out in public and having to grab an ice drink just to 'cool off' if you know what I mean."

"We all do, Spike." Gallus gives a friendly nudge to the stallion beside him. "Especially Sandbar here."

"Yona gets overzealous if she sees me peeking out a bit." The stallion brags while blushing a bit about the subject.

"Now you get to have over whoever you want whenever you feel like it." States the griffon. "No need to worry about interrupting the neighbors either. It's gets pretty awkward when one of your bunkmates across the wall brings a girl over for the night."

While I'm still in the mind to explore some of the home, I also take into consideration all of my stuff just sitting out in the open. "Hey guys, let's move this stuff into the foyer here so we can have an accountability check, if you don't mind."

"All good." Sandbar says in agreement.

We take a few minutes to move everything to the foyer, seeing how spacious it is to even allow for that same space to also offer ample walking room as we get finished. We start to sort out what all we want to move and where. Meanwhile, Gallus brings up an inquiry. "So, you got your bedroom already planned out for what you want in it?"

"So yeah, all of my life I had like a bed that was either basket sized small or it was big enough for a pony but not big enough for me. So I asked Alex if he could fill a special order for me and have it ready by today. So he gave me these pretty big sizes, something about being named after states or something. I just said get me the biggest one he could. He sent me a picture of an Alaskan king-size mattresses from the human world, those things are huge!"

"Wait, how big are they?" Sandbar asks. "You don't think we'll have a problem moving that in, do you?"

I look back at the doorway and hum with uncertainty. "Well... It's a perfect 9x9 feet."

Both of the boys yelp out in shock over my preferred mattress size. "What do you need something that big for!?" Asks the griffon.

"Well, the bed might end being a bit too big for just me alone, but if things work out, I want to be able to accommodate as much company as possible."

Thoughts of both Ocellus and Smolder come to their mind as I stress my point as safely as possible. "Ah, I get where you're going." Sandbar nods.

I chuckle in thought over the dramatic difference in size I'll soon have compared to the past week. "Still, I didn't even think humans made beds that big. Shocked the hell out of me when I found out."

"Doesn't Princess Twilight sleep on a queen size mattress by their standards?" Gallus asks.

"Well, yeah." I answer.

"And your bed is going to be that much bigger than hers?" He questions once more.

"Unlike her, I have a good reason for wanting a bigger bed." I say before clearing my throat to imply our differences.

The griffon nods with understanding. "Say no more."

After some time of sorting out what goes where, we finally start on the main place that I want to get some sort of order to first. We take the stairs to the second level and walk down the hall to a set of double doors. Upon walking in, I start to realize how large of a space the library actually was, since this takes about a third of the floor plan. "Boys, welcome to the love arena, the master bedroom."

Sandbar walks in ahead of me, startled by the immense size and space that's offered. "Holy shit! This is the master bedroom? What does the bath look like?"

I walk over to a large wooden door, sliding it to the side to reveal an enormous room with a sink, a jacuzzi, and a walk-in shower. Attached to it is also a secondary access to a fairly large walk-in closet. "Yeah, it's pretty big."

Gallus lifts his head to the ceiling, seeing a rather large source of natural light flooding the room. "Huh. It even has a skylight, pretty bold."

Sandbar walks over to one corner of the room, seeing a flat spout hanging from the side of the wall. Beneath it are a few knobs, seemingly to adjust the mode. There's even a movable shower head to be used to reach around certain places with it's own adjustable sprays. He makes note of a missing feature. "So your shower doesn't even have a curtain, or even an enclosure. How does that work?"

"Apparently there's some sort of angle the bathroom floor takes to feed this one trough that serves as a drain. It's not supposed to be noticeable, but it's supposed to be effective enough to guide the water into it well enough that it doesn't leave a mess. I don't know exactly how it works, I know Ms. Royal's company was in charge of the planning and construction. Still, I didn't expect to have a miniature castle here in the middle of town."

"It's also the most modern looking building on the block. Just stepping in here tells me we're not in Ponyville anymore." Sandbar adds.

"Too bad there isn't much room for a yard." Gallus points out.

"Yeah, about that."

"Seriously!?" Lately, that seems to be the only word left in Gallus' dictionary to describe his disbelief at the amenities of the home. Frankly, I don't blame him. Much of this place is rather exorbitant for the location it's in. But then again, I've always had a thing for high-end and luxury. It also doesn't help that I've been brought up in such environments to begin with.

We're now on the third floor, where much of the entertainment area resides, as well as a lovely few other perks that could drive some of the locals up a wall if seen. "So yeah, they set me up with a swimming pool here on the third floor. Pretty weird, huh?" I open up a scrolled piece of laminated paper with all of the floor plans on it. "Three bed, two and a half bath, two stairwells, one to bypass the living space, the other to accommodate it, office space attached to an underground study for holding books, and then there's the den we just walked through that leads out to this swimming pool."

"This place is enormous." I feel that Gallus is getting a bit exhausted from trying to describe this behemoth of a place.

"And modern." Notes Sandbar, pointing out all of the modern lighting fixtures.

At the bottom of the home plans, I notice an arrow pointing to the bottom of the page saying 'flip here for more'. I turn the plans over to see a simple note with instructions. I blink with baffled eyes at the suggestion. "So this is telling me there's something with the windows that I can do."

"What does it say now?" The overwhelmed griffon asks.

"It says to shout out, 'Alexa, Dim windows'."

As I say the words, a voice pops up throughout the home. "OKAY, SETTING SMART WINDOWS TO PRIVACY MODE."

"NO FUCKING WAY!" I scream out as Sandbar frantically points to the windows, seeing how they gradually go from being completely transparent to slightly translucent. I hold my head and crouch down just out of shock as Gallus throws his claws up in defeat.

"Yeah, Ms. Royal really put her best hoof forward on this one." Comments Sandbar.

"All paid for by the royal treasury, huh?" Gallus adds. "Must be nice."

"Actually, from what I was told, Twilight dug into some of the excess of the recovered funds of that one necro-terrorist to foot the bill. So yeah, some dead asshole pretty much just bought my house, and at virtually none of the taxpayer's expense. Pretty wild."

The griffon taps me on the shoulder to get my attention. "You know your house is going to be a tourist attraction, right?"

"I hope not." I reply, not wanting to clean up after having a thousand visitors looking at my home for hours on end.

Sandbar chuckles through his comment. "Yeah, you may not want Mayor Mare to walk in here, she might try to talk you into turning your place to a tourist trap."

"That won't happen." At least I won't try to let it happen.

Gallus folds his arms as he makes a suggestion. "As big and expensive as this place is, you better make sure it stays insured."

"Absolutely." Considering Ms. Royal's expertise coupled by her pride, she's probably already have the claim holders in queue to cover the costs.

Sandbar does bring up an interesting question though. "You think this place, for all the windows it has, can stay insulated properly?"

"According to Ms. Royal, the windows are supposed to do that when they fog up, plus they're pretty thick. And apparently the walls are supposed to be insulated by some stuff called rock-wool, don't know what the hell that means, but apparently it's supposed to be some good stuff."

"Yeah, they did you an injustice." The griffon comments jokingly. "This place sucks ass."

All of us share a laugh momentarily before my mind shifts to another issue that needs to be addressed sometime soon. "The only injustice I have to deal with now is that I have to put some damn furniture in here."

"Well, guess you got tomorrow and Sunday to pull that off." Sandbar says with a shrug. Though I'd like to see if I can do just tomorrow instead, I have plans on Sunday.

Gallus extends his claw out to mine for a good shake. "Well, other than that, congrats on the new digs, my guy."

Actually, I like the idea of celebrating the new home. Maybe we should go out and get a few drinks to start us off. "Yeah... I'm actually fiending for a bit of hydration, if you know what I mean. Y'all thirsty for something?"

"Classy approach." Sandbar says with a hoof to his chin, visibly showing his approval of the idea.

"Can we drink in the pool?" Gallus asks.

"Don't see why not."

The two smirk with approval. "Sweet."

The house is an overwhelming gift. And our mode of christening it is to grab a few boxes of pizzas and a couple packs of beers. The sun is already falling out of favor with the hours Twilight has allocated towards it, she'll be lowering it any minute by now. Meanwhile, the three of us are completely relaxed and sitting in the pool like we own the world. It feels great to finally have my own place, somewhere I can actually scream out to the world and not a soul would hear much of it. The windows are back to being transparent and we're watching as the sky turns purple.

The three of us share a celebratory cheers, enjoying our Friday night before the hard work of tomorrow wears us down a bit. Gallus is floating on his back, just drifting idly by while I soak it all in. "Ain't a damn chair in this son of a bitch, but this is life."

"Who you telling?" He mutters in agreement. "I bet it's pretty wild to be able to look out there and see all of Ponyville beneath you. You still get to see the growing skyline from here."

"Yeah. Now can you imagine if this place was like Austin?" I ponder.

"Now that place is insane." The griffon answers.

"Let me guess, that's the place you guys went to when you visited the human world?" Sandbar asks.

"We're gonna get you there, I promise we will." I reply to the stallion. "But get this. Did you know that King Thorax had a huge issue with Ocellus being there with us? Apparently, the changelings think that the humans would probably go to war with us if they found out we all existed."

Gallus shouted out a laugh of disbelief. "Wouldn't be a war we'd win! Not a war I'd be willing to fight in either."

"I think they're just cautious because of the situation from all those years back." I briefly explain.

The griffon opens an eye over to me. "Can't believe the captain and his friends wiped an entire army by themselves. That's crazy."

"You'd think that way, but it's really true." I confirm.

Sandbar groans with a thought. "Scary. Can you imagine an army of them just invading?"

"I don't want to." I quickly reply. "I'd much rather try to do what I can to establish an official form of contact with them. Their government with our government, there would be nothing we can't do. Our entire economy would explode with wealth and opportunities."

"Not to mention the cities." Gallus adds. "Can you imagine everything looking like it does over in the Corrotto District?"

"I mean we wouldn't be sleeping ever!" Sandbar says with a bit more excitement, only to be interrupted by a chime sounding throughout the house. "What's that?"

"Doorbell." I answer, pulling up one of the apps that I was recommended to use in conjecture with the house. "Apparently it's one of the newer models from the human world, has a camera and everything. Check it out."

I pull up the screen to show the camera, showing it to the others. They also notice a familiar figure standing in wait. "Isn't that Ms. Blue?"

"Yeah, that's who it is." I answer before giving my attention to the mare at the front door. "Hello?"

She clops her hooves together with glee as she hears my voice. "Spike, you moved in!"

"Yeah, thanks for contracting this place, it's fucking huge!"

"I thought you wanted something that was a little more modern since your visit to the human world. So I tried my best to make sure that there was a solid blend between local architecture, and modern fittings, well modern by human standards."

I give the mare my stamp of approval. "Sure. Can I invite you in?"

"Don't see why not. I have your bed."

My night just got ten times better. "I'm on the way down!"

Gallus pops out of the pool, hovering to his wings while Sandbar climbs out and shakes himself dry. "Shit, I wanna see this motherfucker." The griffon announces.

"It can't possibly be that big." Sandbar still holds a measure of disbelief.

The three of us go down to the first floor and welcome the mare responsible for this architectural marvel. She walks into the foyer with a cheerful smile. "Hey there!"

"Good evening!" I answer back with a bit of a bow.

As soon as she steps in, I see her eyes darting back and forth with a fierce critique. "I assume they did everything I commissioned them to do, everything to the letter?"

"You got me living like a human in here, if that's the intent." I reply.

"Great, then nobody's getting fired today." Yikes, I didn't anticipate for this to be someone's surprise performance evaluation. Whoever's in charge of the worksite, I hope you're happy. "Oh, I almost forgot. This is your home now, can't just start barging my way through without a gentledrake's consent." She flutters her eyelids, appearing to beg politely.

This mare, I swear. "Alright, let's get to the bedroom."

"Yes sir." She coos suggestively before allowing me to take the lead. "So, everything in here is what you like?"

"Hell yeah. Couldn't have it any better."

She playfully stares at the other two guys walking with us. "Huh, I don't know how to feel about having such an eager audience, Spike. Are they the camera crew?"

Gallus starts to laugh while Sandbar straightaway answers her with his intent. "Actually, we were here to help Spike move his things in. Now we're just sticking around to see the bed."

As we enter the master bedroom. She closes her eyes and her horn begins to glow. "Now as much as I would love to, don't think I'm stirring up something kinky, boys. Just give me a sec to concentrate."

I wait quietly as she seems to focus a lot of her energy towards the center of the room. I start to see a growing glow appearing around her, a similar aura centers itself in the middle of the bedroom. A bright flash appears throughout the room, blinding all of us save the caster with their eyes already closed. The light dissipates, revealing an enormous bed in the center of the room. My jaw drops from the absurdity, while Gallus verbally shows his own shock and awe. "DAYYUMMMN!"

Sandbar shakes his head, deadpan from the the marvel. "That's a big ass bed. Me and Yona would be at it all day."

After casting the spell, Ms. Royal holds a hoof to her head for a little while. I can already imagine the headache she's going through after telekinetically relocating something so big from the warehouse in Canterlot to this very spot in Ponyville. The guys walk forward, looking to get their first touch of the mattress, only to find a blue aura holding both of them back. It seems that Ms. Royal still has some sense of environment after such a magic feat. "Boys, you know the rules. Only a king worthy of his throne may take the first dive."

"This thing is fucking crazy." I say as I walk even closer to it, startled by the sheer mass of it. "I could stretch out all my limbs and not be able to touch the edge at all."

"I'm willing to bet your ass will probably lay as close to the edge as possible when you sleep tonight." Gallus jokes.

"Man, fuck you!" I jab back at the griffon.

Ms. Royal stops rubbing her head for long enough to speak again. "Fun fact: If you lay all your pillows at the middle of the bed, there won't be a single pony able to reach an edge."

Gallus starts to get impatient and complains much like that of a child wanting to get a lay at the new bed. "Bro, just let me dive the damn thing already."

"Hold up a sec." I hover above the middle of the bed and arrange my pillows towards the center. As I finish building the small mountain of pillows, I call out to the others. "All aboard on three, that way we all dive at the same time. One. Two. Three!"

If there was a such thing as a slow motion moment, it would be the sight of us just flopping into the bed from a variety of angles, all hitting our own unique poses. But the moment my arm hits the mattress underneath, I feel like I'm sinking into a whole new dimension. It trips me out to feel how soft this mattress is. There's almost no resistance, it just hugs every bit of me without discrimination to the formation of springs or any other construct.

As everyone else lands around me, I barely feel their impacts. They too fall into the trap of being melded into the bed on their own. Our bodies fall restless as though we were born into a new plane of existence, to soar high above the clouds with only the air as our vessel of travel. "Holy shit, this thing just absorbs me."

"Memory foam, perfect for all types of sleepers, be they traditional, fetal, belly, side, or even wild." Ms. Royal explains without even moving the slightest bit, her head's buried soundly in the mattress itself.

Sandbar files a protest towards the idea of having to back home. "Ugghhhhhhh I don't wanna leeeeeave."

"Oh no, this is not a procreational bed, this is a 'take your ass to sleep' bed." Gallus lays on his side, staring into the unknown while the comfort consumes him. "That's it. I'm getting me a foam mattress."

"With your salary?" Sandbar jabs at the guard.

"They aren't that expensive." Ms. Royal calls out, her face still buried in the mattress.

"I'll pay you to get me one." The griffon pleads.

"Not a problem. Just send me an address." The unicorn remains unmoved, it seems the comfort is too much for even her.

Sandbar once more complains about having to leave. "I'm gonna have to go home and not be comfortable. Then I'm gonna have to explain to Yona why I'm not satisfied. This thing is literally putting my relationship in jeopardy, I hate this."

As I stare into the ceiling, my body melds even further into the zone of no return. My mind is already a bit numb with the alcohol still in my system, and with this adding on to it, I can't seem to break out of the trance. My eyelids start to grow heavy. "Guys, we need to get out of this bed now."

"Why?" Sandbar is extremely annoyed with that idea.

"I feel the sleep coming." Gallus states as he takes a deep breath.

"Oh that'll happen." Even Ms. Royal's voice is starting to taper off.

"Yeah, it's coming." Gallus says with a yawn.

The unicorn moves momentarily, but only to grab a pillow to nestle with. "Ain't nothing wrong with a quick nap anyways."

"What she said." Sandbar does the same.

My eyes close for a second, I'm starting to doze off, not able to remain lucid to the world for very long. I allow myself to sink under as I give one last concession. "Yeah, I'm gonna close my eyes for just a sec."

The unicorn tiredly moans a response before falling asleep. "Sounds like a plan."

My eyes are slow to flutter open, my limbs don't quite exude a mode of paralysis but they are too fond of the comfort they find in laying still. The room is dimly lit, just barely enough light to see and dark enough to comfortably nod off. The world is quiet. I don't think I've ever had a moment of this peace. No, I've never had a sleep like that, at least as far back as I can remember. I reach up to my face and realize that I'm not exactly drooling. I turn my head to find an unusual source of the compounded moisture, apparently Ms. Royal is too far gone to even be disturbed, not even caring that her mouth is open, or checking the stream of drool pouring from her mouth.

I'll give her a pass, it's five in the morning anyways.

When everyone else wakes up, we all stretch, have our turn in the showers, I find out how liberating it is to actually shower in an open space, and then we start getting our itinerary together. While Ms. Royal is persistent in coming along with, she gets a phone call telling her that her presence is wanted back in the city. She and our group part ways for the morning and we set out to do the shopping on our own.

Along our route, we start to talk about how things went for us throughout the week. And we we're in such a good mood that we don't even mind to talk about what pissed us off, what made us excited, all three of us were like open books to one another. It's fun being able to hang around guys within my age bracket, we relate to one another so much, despite living different lives.

But the main topic they want to talk about is the reason why the dragon lord started to frequent the town so often over the past week. And with the context of me coming back from the dragon lands almost a month ago, the stars can only align to one direction. "So, what happened with you and Ember?" Inquires the earthen stallion.

"A dragon lord coming across the way to see you should be something to look forward to." Gallus adds.

Of course they would tease me about it, I've already complained about how entitled she is. "You guys don't really know too much about dragon culture, do you?"

"Uh oh, it's that bad?" Asks the griffon.

I drop my head to show my disdain. "Horrendous. She flew all the way here to ask me to spar with her."

"Just for a spar? Why?" The stallion questions, unaware of the underlying intent of her request.

"Because if I win, I gain the prestigious honor of becoming her mate. But the thing about it is that the Bloodstone Scepter, the sapphire stick with the red dragonfire ruby at the top, she holds that for long enough and it amplifies strength and dragon's fire. Her fire used to be pink before the enchantment of the scepter started hitting her, now it's outright purple. It's crazy."

"And that means what exactly?" Inquires the griffon.

"If she holds the scepter, her strength is amplified. The longer one holds it, the more power one gains. And since she held it for such a long time, that makes her really strong. Really strong dragon vs relatively strong dragon, really strong dragon wins, really strong dragon gets upset, really strong dragon demands rematch, cycle repeats. I don't like getting my ass thrown into a mountain range on the regular."

The two look to one another before Sandbar offers his own assessment of me. "You know, you call yourself 'relatively strong', but you are pretty damn strong, especially for pony standards. Like I've watched you when you used to help Rarity with her errands, she'd always give you the largest loads to carry. I've never not seen you go around with her and not show off that crazy super strength. Where do you think that strength comes from?"

"It's only because I held the scepter for five minutes myself. I managed a taste of it's power and authority for just that long before forking it over to Ember."

The pair still appears stupefied over the circumstances. "I don't get it, why does she need to fight you to mate with you?"

"Traditional dragon show of strength, not that I give two fucks about it." I bluntly summarize.

"Wait, now I get it." Gallus sits on his hindquarters, folding his arms as he comes to the realization of what occurred when we were at the club two weeks ago. "I remember when you and Smolder finally hit it off, you two were really scrapping at each other. She cut you so deep in your chest, I thought you were gonna fucking die."

"Yeah, but you saw what happened, Smolder held back." I point out to him.

The earthen stallion tries to bring up another point. "So let's say she did all of that and you still kept with it. What if she knew at that moment that she couldn't beat you?"

"That's ridiculous." I rebut against the stallion's point. "You guys know we had a lot of contests between us when y'all first came around, and I lost a bunch of them. I mean sure I was smaller than her, and now I physically look down to talk to her. But I have to look down to even look Ember in the eye, and she can still put me through some random landmass."

"Have you two ever like competed just to see where you both are right now?" The griffon suggests.

I shake my head at his idea. "Why would I want her to prove her strength? That's just asking for trouble."

The griffon continues with his suggestion. "I'm just saying, maybe the two of you should do it just to see where you really are. You could lose, you could win, it could be close either way, I'm just saying you might be giving yourself too little credit, and by doing that you could also be insulting Smolder."

"But Smolder's never lost to anyone in the Dragon Lands." I bring up.

"Exactly!" Gallus' wings flare out as he emphasizes his point. "You're not in the Dragon Lands, you're not a Dragon Lands dragon! You're a dragon raised around other creatures with other viewpoints and strengths and powers, you've got the leg up here! Your strength comes from a different source, not some adrenaline-fueled contest where the strength might be temporary. If you want to prove me wrong, you two duke it out over a wrestling match and see how it goes."

"You guys do have a great practice ring to try it out on." Sandbar cosigns with the griffon, all while alluding to my new bed.

While I want to argue with the two over that idea, I start to lose myself in thought over the prospect of pinning Smolder to my new bed. I know it's not exactly furniture you can rough around on, but the idea starts to seed some fairly enticing thoughts. "...Actually, I might try that for later."

Gallus up's the ante even more. "Can you imagine what she's gonna let you do when you win?"

A bit of smoke starts to file out of my nostril from the sultry thoughts plaguing my head. "Don't give me ideas."

After a successful preliminary furniture run, we get everything back to the house and move everything in preparation for tomorrow. I even manage to get a few guest beds just in case my visitation may consist of the boys coming over. While they aren't nearly as comfortable as my own bed, they are still comfortable by most other standards. While I'm still waiting for my sheets to come in for the bed in my room, I manage to get enough sheets and blankets to complete the other two bedrooms, all while having one for my own use. Afterwards, we go out to eat to celebrate a hard day's work, pay the bill, and go about our separate ways. I come back home to a half-furnished abode, but I'm satisfied in the effort of what we've done. All in all, I take my shower and go right to sleep.

My phone wakes me up this morning, notifying me of today's meeting with Gabby. The early part of the day doesn't seem to go fast enough for me, so I head out to town in search of some things to keep me occupied. I do have a fairly nice fridge that's in need of stocking anyhow. Maybe a trip to the grocery will take my mind off of the time.

I make a few rounds to the local market, visiting various stalls of produce to pick up what might fancy my interest for the week. I'm pretty careful about the quality of my produce, looking for imperfections, signs of age, wrinkles, lack of firmness, even color. My bananas are always green, my bell peppers male regardless of color, my cheese local, my eggs brown, my apples firm, and my flour is carefully sifted before the bag is sealed.

My process is a bit tedious to some, but being that I'm a picky chef to my own work, I make sure that I have the best. I pride myself in my cooking. The several classes of home economics that Twilight had me sub in for her during her days back at school made me this way. And since it was Celestia who sometimes taught the class, I picked up a few things that made me Twilight's go-to during the early phases of her acquired title of royalty. So much of my process of going through market to furnish up the fridge at the castle could take me hours, and it still does to this day.

However, I still have but one conundrum that leaves me in the condiments stall for at least half-an-hour. Two identically labeled bottles, two identically colored items, and yet they have different spellings. "Ketchup, catsup... what's really the difference here?"

As I shake each bottle individually to listen for texture, a familiar voice chimes in from behind me. "There's virtually no difference in what they are."

My heart beats a little faster in seeing the griffon I'm scheduled to meet with later on. "You think so?"

She tosses the bottle of ketchup in my bag while she takes the bottle of catsup in hers. "They're both tomato based, they both taste the same, they both do the same thing, same texture, all that."

"Why is one priced higher than the other then?" I ask.

She immediately takes the bottle out of her bag, seeing the price tag for her product being a few bits more in cost. "Brand name?" She checks to see if the brands are different, they aren't. "Nevermind." She promptly places the bottle back and exchange it for a bottle of ketchup instead.

As she cheerfully goes back into her Sunday routine, I check in with her. "So, how's your day been?"

"It's been pretty good. You see I'm out here a little earlier than usual. Got tired of waiting around the house for our game session." Seems we think alike. "I'm almost done with my rounds. Seems like you're just about there with yours."

"Great!" I say with a bit of boisterous energy. "Uh, I know it's probably a little bit early but─"

She holds up a claw to stop me. "Um... can you wait up on me, I wanna just get this stuff dropped off at the house, check in with my significant other, and then we can hang out. I mean I'm down to start a little early, but our game will probably go all day anyways."

Maybe all night at this point, I haven't had a good session in years. "Fair enough."

The griffon takes off with her bags of groceries, it seems she has a bit more than her haul of last week. Perhaps she's looking to invite me over for the next one. I'm not going to refuse if she invites me over, in fact I wonder if we'll be at it all night, maybe even sleep over.

"Ayo!" Another voice hails at me from above, looking to get my attention. "Hey, what's good Spike!?" It's Strapping Lad who's holding on to what appears to be a pretty dark storm cloud.

"Nothing much, looks like another rain storm today, huh?"

"Not just any rain storm, these are thunderclouds we're putting out. That means there's a higher chance of lightening and high winds. Kinda wish we could do things like this back home." He says as he gives the cloud a few pats before a very volatile bolt of lightening juts upward into the sky. The stallion nervously shakes off his blunder and gives his warning. "So yeah, huge lighting advisory for this evening from around five to around three in the morn. No flying's permitted, you've seen why."

While I know that the storm activity is on schedule to go into overdrive because of the local produce, I still can't help but to think that the universe has set me up with a prime opportunity. Guess I'll do a little more shopping sometime during the course of the week. Either way, those blankets are coming in clutch today. "Oh man! That's bad."

"Yeah, just try to keep to the ground, also it's much better to just pack it in this evening." He says, giving me a wink before flying off. Something tells me that he's aware of what I'm trying to do.

I continue my stroll through the town market, making sure that I have everything I'll possibly need to make a good meal for the both of us this evening. Didn't anticipate this turning into a home dinner-date, but I guess this is where we are for the time being. I might as well take advantage of it.

Gabby comes by a bit sooner than expected, and with a sullen face. "Hey Spike..."

I guess she heard about the weather too. "Uh-oh, sounds like bad news."

She gives off a sigh of frustration. "Well... boyfriend and I had a bit of an argument. He and I don't really see things the same way sometimes, and it makes me feel like I'm pretty much on an island by myself most of the time. It's pretty crazy that we still work somehow."

Huh, I was beginning to think she was really about to call for a raincheck here. "Really? I thought you guys were pretty cool with each other."

"Yeah. It's happens." She sounds very annoyed.

"Bummer."

She takes a few of my bags, offering to walk beside me as I see the clouds in the distance being assembled for the weather change. "So we're still good to go today right?"

Just run with it, Spike. "Uh, yeah! I had some furniture and other appliances moved in yesterday. We're doing the food run now. I mean I'm headed back to the new spot now."

"Might as well hurry." She says as she leaps up to her wings. "I see the weather's scheduled to get a little rough, don't wanna get caught in the rain."

Oh she's fully aware of what she's doing. "Yup, let's get a move-on!"

We don't even walk back to the house, we fly there. I think the excitement of getting back into the grove of our game session is what's driving us to be like this. And with her, there's some added frustration of getting pestered by something her 'boyfriend' said. I still find it hard to believe that she's spending all this time to just one person outside of work, even Apple Bloom said that she's hardly partial to anyone these days. Still, I try to adhere to her boundaries, despite the fact that those same boundaries would often remain unchanged after a few interactions, and that's only if the relationship was actually something typical. But it seems we've already moved the goal post for each other a number of times. Today would be further moving the goal further away from regulated standard.

At this point, I've come to the conclusion that we're both just seeing where the ball lands.

The both of us finally put everything away in the kitchen. She's amazed by the size of the home, and I'm still getting used to being in a home by myself. The company is pretty great, but now there are certain ideas roaming through my head I'm trying to keep suppressed.

As promised, I show her the multitude of dice I've collected over the years, hoping that one day I'd get back in the habit of rolling them as opposed to letting them sit in a glass case and collect dust for days on end. She's mostly impressed by the variety and themes of the dice, but her mind is where I am now: I want to get a few rolls in.

And she makes it known that she's no different. "Wow, I'm just now realizing how long it's been since I've had a roll or two. Pretty crazy I've waited this long."

I chuckle at her eagerness, more than empathizing with her. "Your boyfriend must really not like Og's and Oub's."

She rolls her eyes, groaning in what appears to be annoyance. "He says it's too confusing. Even when I try to break it down, he doesn't see the fun of roleplaying too much. Something, something, real life ain't about dice and numbers."

If only he knew how wrong he really is. "But that's part of the fun!"

"I know!" She plops herself at the end of the table, unfolding the board and the many cards that come along with it. "I'm just glad I have another chance to play again. It's no fun to go at it by yourself."

While I would love to dominate her time with our common hobby, I have to still play as though she's spoken for. So I give her a few options if she ever wants to get out of the house. "You know there are plenty of local groups that you can get into if you want to break into a game."

She looks to the ceiling, conjuring a thought before coming to her final conclusion. "Nah, I think I'd much rather keep it simple for now." She looks directly at me as she says that.

Why do I have the sneaking sensation that she's just tempting me? Either way, I need to play it cool and keep to the game at hoof. And what better way to do that then to set a mood for immersion? "Alexa, dim the lights."

The lights lower to a low ambiance, giving the space a more primal atmosphere. She's very much impressed by the change in scenery. "I still can't believe your house is so high tech. It's insane."

"Just wait until I call out 'red alert' when we're in battle." I smirk back at her.

She claps her claws together much like that of a young impressionable hatchling. "Oooh! Total immersion! I love it!"

"So, still going with the red mage thing?"

"You bet I am." She says as she pulls out a title card for her character. "It's been a long time since I played, I think I should start over with a new character type. Ain't no better way to jump back in it than to start from square one."

I pick up a few cards from the deck, seeing my options. "I know Big Mac would always go with the barbarian route. Discord would always go with the archer class. I used to be a wizard myself..." As I spread out the five I've drawn, I see the five jobs that are offered to me by chance. Rogue, Archer, Barbarian, Paladin, and Bard. Three of the five have low magic stats to start with, bard being the one with the highest for support purposes. But I have no interest in writing a song for every encounter, and I don't like my character being in the backline for too long because their defensive numbers are abysmal. So I go the better of the three options remaining. "Paladin."

"Whaaaat?" She's astounded by my decision.

I slap down the paladin's card and fold the others to the side. "Yeah, I'll go with the paladin class this go around."

"A character build with no magic, Spike the Dragon, what in Equestria has happened to you?"

Other than being exposed to a number of highly magical beings who nearly rip my wings off for a bargaining chip, an overprotective princess who uses her magic to dictate every course of action I take, and live my life in constant subjugation to that power, I don't know what could possibly disenchant me from that class. "I just thought this would be an interesting route to go down. I mean it shouldn't be that much of a problem, right?"

She tilts her head as to warn me. "Your elemental resistance is virtually zero to start, you sure you want to go on this journey with that build?"

"I mean I can always find some enchanted armor." I reply, not really certain if this quest will even yield a favorable outcome to that bullet point.

She finally breaks out the dice for us to use, placing them at the center of the table. "Okay, if you say so."

Alright, enough chatting, let's get to it. "Roll for strength?"

She picks up the twenty-sided die and gives it a few shakes before casting it to the table. A favorable result shows. "Seventeen. Pretty solid starting off." She writes my stat down and adjusts it with the modifiers for my character. Afterwards, she picks up the die for her own build. "I'll roll for mine." She performs the same motion, only to come up with a not-as-favorable result. "Okay, ten."

I nod at her character's moderate strength number. "Ten isn't bad for a mage. It's pretty loaded if you ask me. Okay, so let's roll for vitality."

She cast the die to the table, another favorable result. "Eighteen. You're pretty tanky. Now let's do mine." She does the same for herself, a much less fortunate result. "Six. Okay, I am a glass cannon."

"I call it a fair trade. You did great by rolling what you had for your attack stat anyhow. Next up, magic."

As she writes down the stats for our characters, she looks at the modifier for my build and reminds me of my only setback. "You know paladins don't have a magic stat to start off with. You can upgrade it later with some ability points, but that's later. So I'll just roll for mine." She gains a favorable result. "Fourteen, okay."

"You're doing pretty great." I say as she jots down the results of her roll and calculate it with her character modifiers. "Magic defense."

Luck does not favor me on the outcome of this stat draw. "Ouch, three."

"Damn." Definitely going to make magic armor a huge priority of my build this go around.

"And I got a..." Her roll comes out favorable. "Twelve again."

Damn, it really feels like she's winning at life right now. "Guess we know who to look to survive the special moves."

"Okay, now on to intelligence. You roll for... one."

Yeah, I might as well been a barbarian at this point. "Ah! I'm a complete dumbass!"

"And I roll for... fourteen!"

I hold my head down in shame. "You're holding the map."

"Yeah, your character would probably hold it upside down." She jokes cheerfully, taking a moment to recover from her laughing fit. "So, let's do charm."

I roll my eyes at the possible result. "Can't wait to see how bad I roll this one."

"Fifteen."

So I can charm my way out of a bad situation, I'm dumb and apparently handsome. Am I sure I didn't pick barbarian on accident? "Casanova."

"And I roll... a six." Yeah, she might not be a favorable party member while in a tavern. Lots of barfights in our future.

"So you negotiate the prices down, I sweet talk us into some lucrative deals?"

"Just stick to the script, you big dummy." She says as she looks to complete my stat table. "Okay, now I roll you for luck."

The die lies to reveal a fairly modest outcome. "Thirteen, huh? Guess I'll put out some decent crits."

She gives herself a roll, coming up with an even better result. "Eighteen!"

I sigh over her luck giving her even more of that trait in this purely fictional circumstance. "Guess your luck was spared over from the mini-golf course."

"Shut up." Hey, I won at something. I'm gonna keep bring it it up until otherwise.

With our stats calculated and our modifiers active, I sit comfortably as I await the world she's imagined for the both of us to dive into. "Well, you're the dungeon master, start us off."

"If you insist." She begins with a bright smile, taking a deep breath as she reads from her notepad. "In the world of Blightia, a land of mystical creatures both known and unknown, there is an evil lord responsible for taking the dead of a recent war to build up his armies. Meanwhile, the nations of Darkvein and Luxia open their negotiations for peace. But an attack ensues on the nation of Luxia, many of the perpetrators donning the armor of the Darkvein fallen. Amist the confusion, the king of Darkvein sends for an intervention of the disavowed forces personally, but he suddenly fell under a surprise attack by members of the Luxia fallen. And with the attack observed by many of the Darkvein royal family, all responsibility is thrown to the Luxia high minister. As a result of the confusion, the war between the two nations begin anew, much to the delight of this evil lord puppeting the now-extended conflict from deep within the Blightian shadows."

A dark lord using the bodies of the dead to do his bidding, where does that sound familiar? "Ah, a necrolord."

She continues to narrate our world into it's humble introduction of protagonists. "Our journey begins with the tale of a young paladin named..." She points to me to create a name for my character.

"Praxis the Noble."

"Praxis the Noble, a fledgling squire who's thrusted upon the fields of battle along with his lord."

Wow, not even a backstory to my character to start off with, just in the throws of action. "Oh, I'm fighting already?"

"Not yet." She responds.

"Okay. I though I was gonna have to start getting some rolls in."

"Let me start you off, first." She continues with her narration of the scenario. "Amidst the chaos and carnage of the field, the brave lord hews down many of the Darkvein legion. But a stray spear finds itself lodged in the chest of your lord. He speaks upon you one last title, granting you the rank of paladin to finish the fight in his stead. He passes away in your arms, now you take up his sword and face the number of soldiers that barrel towards you." She looks to me now, coming out of her narration. "You face against three Darkvein soldiers. Each with 90 hit points. It's an easy encounter with an unlikely chance of failure."

Ah, story fodder. Guess we'll see how it goes. "Roll for damage."

The clatter of the die sounds in the room as she carefully weaves the outcome of my first encounter. "You roll a sixteen. Your damage stat is seventeen, your active modifier accounts for a multiple of two-point-five. You one-shot the first guard who falls over in an undignified groan. The other two attack you at once. Rolling for damage taken... six, the first guard hits you with a strike that you parry easily. The second misses and gives you a wide opening."

So far so good. "Roll for damage again."

The die clatters yet again, the results are different. "Eight. You still being relatively new to conflict, you feel the pressure of being thrown in a life-or-death situation. You swing at the off-balance soldier, but you damage for 39 of his 90 hp. The other guard attacks you for... rolled a four, so they completely miss you."

A no-hitter, okay. "Let's roll again for my fallen lord."

Gabby's eyes light up as she screams my result. "Nineteen! You swing your blade fiercely while remembering your training. Just as you hear his voice telling you to follow through, you hew down both of the soldiers for all their hit points. You win the first battle, winning a total of thirty-six sterlings."

Of course the fodder encounter yields some crappy rewards to start off. "Okay, pretty sweet so far."

She goes back into narration mode. "But as you start to get the hang of your sword, another figure flies in from above, taken interest by your show of confidence. 'Nice, very nice work. I see your fallen lord hasn't left you completely incompetent.' The figure is a red mage griffon by the name of Shade the Sable." She breaks out of her narration to inform me of my new encounter. "It's a fated battle, but not one you're likely to win."

Since this appears to be the first boss battle, and a surprisingly early one to boot, I might as well set the mood for it. "Alexa, red alert."

The lights around us flick on to red, giving the room a dark and ominous glow. Gabby looks around with a huge grin on her face. "Okay, that is awesome."

Game nights like this, I think I'm going to heavily enjoy just because of this new mechanic. "Okay, let's get our first roll for damage."

A cackle of the die and my roll is successful. "You roll eighteen, you burst out with a flurry of strokes, almost catching Sable off her guard. The Darkvein red mage is impressed by your skill. She takes on... I roll a five, so that's a critical 124 damage to my 660 point health pool. I roll for counter, six. I swipe at you, but you parry the blow fairly easily, but you get scratched by the blade, suffering... ten on roll, so you receive 73 to your health pool of 900."

So much for an unwinnable encounter. "It's a pretty close fight. Let's see what else I can do. Roll for limit break!"

The die reveals that luck isn't quite on my side as much as I would like. "You roll a one, you try to show off a fancy maneuver that doesn't impress the red mage very well. You get called out for your negligence, no damage given. I roll a nine, I hit you while you're unbalanced, your vitality modifiers are currently disabled due to having casted a limit. You receive a critical hit of 134 hp."

Steep penalty for a bad roll. Guess I'll have to not be as foolish as I was on the last go. "I'm more than 200 down. Let's try a basic attack this time."

The die hits the table and she sounds confident. "Seven, you hit me with a clumsy blow, dealing 58 damage." She rolls for herself, squeeing while pumping her fist to the air. "I roll for fifteen! My character says there's enough playing around. So she unleashes a special skill and hits you for massive damage."

Oh great, a special skill in a 'unwinnable' scenario, there's only one way this can end. "Damage check?"

"You roll a four, your lack of experience coupled by your low stat for magic defense results in 637 damage."

HOLY SHIT, I'M ONLY DOUBLE DIGITS!? "Yikes. I'm totally crit right now. My damn character's gonna end up dead before the story even begins."

Gabby smiles from behind her character card, clearing her throat to get my attention. "My character takes notice of your youth. Would you like to roll for charm? Maybe there's another way you can possibly get out of this fine mess you've gotten yourself into."

Given that I only have 56 hp left out of my original 800, I'm pretty low on alternatives. I'm sure to not have any significant healing items to keep the battle going at this rate. I suppose I'll play along with her mercy route. "I don't have a choice."

She rolls the die, and it lands on the best possible outcome by chance. "Solid twenty." She goes right back into her narration mode. "The Darkvein red mage is smitten by your young and attractive features. She places her sword under your chin with a smirk. She then teases you over your lack of experience, citing that she's feeling... merciful. She takes you as her prisoner of war, in exchange for your life. The other Darkvein soldiers surround you and bind you by your limbs. 'As cute as you are, you're just as inexperienced. Maybe you'll serve me well in due time, fair Luxian soldier. But for now, you are mine to control.' You are taken away by the Darkvein soldiers, but you are spared for yet another day."

Well I took my first loss of the campaign already, but at least it's a scripted affair instead of being a winnable battle horribly lost. The color of the room really helps with my immersion, so much that I almost forget that I'm still here playing a board game. Only a thunderclap reminds me of the weather that's going on outside. It shocks me back to the present. Yeah, I really missed being able to immerse myself on this level. "Hell of a way to start off the campaign, a thunderstorm to accent my first loss and the loss of my master. Pretty fun stuff to start off, I wonder how it's going to be with me being a prisoner of war." I call out to the room, changing the ambiance back to it's original state. "Alexa, cancel red alert."

The lights go back to a dim beige. Gabby claps her talons together with appreciation once more. "Okay, I'm gonna be nerding out over us being able to do that all night, aren't I?"

Yeah, I can tell we're going to be up for some time. "Maybe."

We spend hours playing through the campaign, going from me being a prisoner of war to a fugitive along with the disavowed red mage. And while the enemy forces plotted to simply have me executed for being a Luxian, Shade the Sable came through to save my life in exchange for me serving as her front line while going through the lands in search of treasures and adventure, all while avoiding the encroaching forces of our respective nations of course.

Sorry, it's hard for me to break out of character when the session concludes.

We spent a lot of time going through our scenario, so much time that we forget to eat. But as soon as we finally put a little something in our stomachs, Gabby shows signs of mental fatigue. Unfortunately, I can't send her home on the account of the rain, but I can lay her in one of the guest beds at least. She's not heavy to carry, and she's quite warm. I sometimes have to shake my inherent thoughts a bit just to be able to avoid any unexpected 'conflicts' that could occur. But I get her to a bed, tuck her in, and head over to mine to call it a night.

I stay up for a while thinking about our campaign. Just the fact that we're back to the groove of things has me more than excited to keep things going. All of a sudden, I'm tossing and turning in my bed, imagining various takes and directions we could go with our adventure. I'm so virtually consumed by the world we're building that I start to think of our next location, what would the next dungeon be like.

But a mind running at a million miles a second doesn't get much rest. Guess I'll have to keep myself busy for just a bit before heading back. I should probably write something down, maybe a letter or something. Better yet, I could write a scenario for my next session! I'll do more than be some dumb knight in rusting armor, I'll put together a few quests we could take for when it's my turn to be the dungeon master. I dart out of my room, wings flapping as I stay in the air. I make sure to stay quiet while I go down the hall...

But not all is quiet.

"Ahn~"

I hear a labored breath, it's weak but it sounds of a struggle. I turn my head to see the door to the bedroom I placed Gabby in slightly ajar, as is the bathroom door just across the hall. I follow my ears to the sound, trailing it back to the bedroom. I peek my eye to the crack, just to see if she's having a nightmare or otherwise.

She's far from sleeping.

While the sheets cover her body, the squirming of her body and the rapid motions of her arms give much away of her current endeavor. Her claws, concealed by the covers, are at work. Her eyes are closed as she stubbornly works against the one arm she has embedded between her haunches. Poor girl is working fast, and she's trying to get her reward as swiftly as possible.

I know it's wrong to stare, it's especially rude, but I can't take my eyes off of her. In fact, I'm cursing at myself for not throwing her in the bed with me. At least it wouldn't be like the last time we had a sleepover. I wouldn't be nearly as awkward, being scrunched up against her body with my nose buried so closely to her underbelly. I'd go even further, I'd probably put her on her back and have my way with her, if she's willing. I mean she has to be willing with the way she's going at it right now. I want to touch myself, stroke at the budding mound of my most intimate self. I can feel the scales around me wanting to give way, revealing myself in this very hallway.

Try to keep quiet, Spike. Don't pass yourself to be even more of a creep than you are right now. Dammit, I need to get back to my room. I need to work this off. I need to go now and get this over with so I can get some rest. I'll write the scenario in the morning.

She stifles a moan into her pillow, turning over as she arches her back under the sheets. The dark silhouette implies much, but her forward thrusts leave little to the imagination. She whimpers into the pillow her breathy squeaks. "~ike." Some semblance of a word leaves her lips. I wait to hear more, seeing if it was some sort of mistake or possibly... "Spike." Hardly an accident.

Her talons launch from under the covers, gripping the side of the mattress, her claws tear holes into my new sheets, ripping them to shreds as she mewls herself into a high pitched squeak that chokes itself out beyond her register. Her body seizes for a second before she's left with forceful huffs, riding out the frantically built climax. She tries her best to stay quiet, breathing into her pillow to hide her distress. Her face pops out from the pillow, her body relaxes as she pants in recovery. She slowly turns her head towards the cracked door, causing me to speed away back to my room. I close my door quietly, trying not to alert her to the fact that I'm wide awake.

I hop back in my bed, abandoning all cause and concern with a claw frantically freeing myself from my scales. "Shit." I'm working just as furiously as she was. Hell I couldn't ignore it, that was my name she called. "She wants me, she wants me." I can't deny myself, the thought consumes me.

I anchor myself, my feet planted to the mattress while my back locks to the soft foam. My dominant claw is ambitious, my breathing erratic, my body in complete and total surrender to pent-up lust and intent. I imagine myself abandoning all sense of morality, barging into that room and closing the door behind me. I could even hear her question me as I enter, but I don't care for that.

I just know that she called my name, and I'm here to answer her body in the way her so-called boyfriend never has.

I would peel back those fucking covers, see what a mess she made, the damage she's done to my sheets, I'd make her pay for that. I'd watch her squirm to wrestle me off, but gradually accept me as I align myself to her body. I'd unlock every ounce of her femininity with just one press into her, how I would revel in the moment of being over her in that bed. I'd make her fucking call my name again, and again, and again.

I want her soul with every thrust. "Oh my gosh... Gabby..." Every passion, every taboo broken. I want her. "Gabby... Gabby... I'm cumming..."

My whispers are a little loud, but I don't care. My feet dig into my mattress, my back arches with the impending throbbing from deep in my loins. I hold my breath for that one moment, seizing while my claw motions without ceasing. Instead of a climax, I reach a breaking point, one I haven't felt in such a time. I whimper loudly, my jaw agape as I collect on the self-imposed deficit of air. Stream after stream of my seed spurt from within me, spewing up my chest and gradually decreasing in distance covered. I continue at myself, even well beyond the last stream simply flows down and between each of my fingers.

That was heavenly. I've been holding that in for days now. Such relief at the imagination of a griffon calling my name in the midst of her passionate bout with self, much less within the walls of my home. I look down to measure the mess I've made, seeing a thick coat of my own seed enveloping my own claw. I'm amazed at the load I've put out. But past the mess on my hand, I see an unexpected sight that startles me.

A pair of blue eyes stare at me from the darkness of the hall, a beak left agape in watch. I jump back up to cover myself, all while hearing the scamper of claws against the hardwood floor of the hallway. It seems I've given quite the show to my guest, an inadvertent one at that.

Did I not close the door all the way? "I could've sworn..."

Chapter 20: Limited Luxury

It's been a few hours since I've finished texting Gabby. We've had a fairly entertaining exchange. And by entertaining, I mean a very arousing exchange of ideas and actions. She's almost as bad of a tease as Ocellus, but the difference with her and the changeling is that the griffon is more into innuendo, Ocellus is just out there with it. One leaves nothing to the imagination when describing their escapades, the other gives clues and won't give it away directly. And as a result of not having it out there, merely describing the actions or ideas surrounding the main attraction, she'll snare you into the trap of mindlessly imagining the things that she could be doing.

Needless to say that she's a fairly gifted writer, I've always known that from us being pen pals. Her messages are by far the best I've ever run into. They're heavily implied, but so descriptive that I might as well be reading a smut novel. Her way with words have translated well from parchment to text, I suppose the mind is all one needs to enthrall the senses. She doesn't like to be left on read, she will stay engaged and make sure to give you a little something to keep the conversation going.

She also seems to be fond of her hind legs, taking pictures of her thighs, the socks and sleeves she'll wear, the annoying but enticing method of censorship she has in keeping things tucked away from the camera's reach. She makes even the smallest detail of her body seem like an experience to be enjoyed in fractions. And of course she ends it with a final picture, a cropped image of her placing a single talon to her beak, devilishly calling for my silence on the matter, all of it sealed with that of a single smiling face with a halo over it's head.

The spell on me activated at least three times in the course of our exchange, each time feeling more agonizing than the previous surge. I had to run to my shower, running the water on cold until I could calm down. And by the passing moments of her messages getting hotter and hotter, the more I feel lied to by the changeling who threw me into this fresh hell. The day I have them both will be the day I might collapse towards the end of my hard work.

I go to bed with a different hunger in my system, one that will unfortunately remain unquenched for some time.

I'll admit that most of this day, I've done a lot to keep myself busy. At the very least I'm doing what I can to keep from thinking about Gabby so much. But even that seems to be an impossibility with the fact that she's scheduled a visit on this evening. So for the better part of the past two hours, I've done nothing but think about her.

The fact that she and I readily exchanged messages with the frequency of a pair of star-crossed teenagers, that coupled with the pictures she sent, they already stir the cogs in my mind that vie for unlocking the pent-up load of dopamine that I truly wish to offset.

But something unusual is happening. Gabby's not here, in fact she's supposed to be here like an hour ago. Even with the job in consideration, I made sure that she isn't pressing schedule too much. The table's set up for the game, but she's not here to help get the dice rolling. I grow a habit of checking my phone on the repeat, idly passing the time just by staring at the screen, hoping and wishing she'd say something. Maybe she canceled, something happened to her and she can't get through. I shoot a text, but I try not to appear as though I'm in desperation in spite of feeling just that.

A knock sounds on my door. I sigh as I quickly pace myself to answer, seeing the smoke-gray griffon, her feathers a bit of a ruffled mess. "Hey, you made it."

She looks very displeased. "Ugh, barely."

"Long day, huh?"

I welcome her through the door, offering to take whatever I can from her to make her feel comfortable. "You have no idea. I got swamped by a double run. Derpy called out sick today with feather flu, so they placed her route on me before I could even start mine." She also hands me two envelopes, some junk items. "Oh yeah, here's your mail."

I guess that explains my lack of mail today. Didn't know she had me as part of her route. "Yeah, it is a bit late."

I look through the two letters, one advertising for a national furniture chain, the other is a bunch of coupons for various food joints. I tossed one and kept the coupons. "I came straight from work. Sorry."

I can tell by looking at her she's in no mood to get all huggy. Maybe I should help her out a bit. "No it's fine. Do you need to shower or anything?"

"Well I could freshen up just a tad." Her eyes suddenly buck open with concern, she quickly panics as she sniffs herself. "Do I smell?"

"No! I mean, I just thought you needed the bit of cool-off after running around Ponyville like it's a marathon. If you wanna wait until you get home, that's cool too. I don't mind."

She's quick to take the offer, darting for the second floor. "Thanks, Spike!"

"I have towels on the rack by the tub! They're mainly for decoration, but they're fresh!"

"Great!" Just a second later, I can hear the sound of the water running. Guess she wasn't wasting any time to hop in. I drop my head to exhibit relief in seeing the griffon taking the time to swing by.

I only wish she had given me a heads-up or something while out and about, but I suppose she was trying to push through her route as quickly as she could before coming here. I suppose I should also cook her a little something to give her some energy. I make my way to the kitchen, opening up the fridge to see what all I have to make a good relaxing meal.

♫Life in Equestria Shimmers! Life in Equestria Shiiiiiines!♪

The ringtone gives away who's calling at the moment, I already feel a bit of annoyance at the name I read on the screen. But I suppose it shouldn't be that bad of a call to take. "Hello?"

"Hey Spike. Just checking in." She starts off with a fairly casual greeting.

I place the phone on speaker and start rummaging through the fridge for the ingredients I intend to use. "Yeah, what's up?"

"You didn't forget about this weekend, did you?" And of course, that's her concern.

"No, the friendship summit is scheduled for Friday and Saturday, right?"

"Actually, it's scheduled for Sunday as well."

...For fuck's sake, now I have no time for my own damn self this weekend. Guess I'll have to nix the possibility of meeting up with Smolder and Ocellus on Sunday afternoon. "Okay, so I guess I'll pack a little extra."

"No need. You'll be staying here in the castle so that way you don't have to spend money on a hotel. Everyone will be spending the night here."

As well-intentioned as that action is, I would much rather pay to be away from the castle grounds. I just don't like being there anymore, it has a stigma of being a workplace with a bed for convenience. "Okay, so I know I'm usually part of the setup, but never the actual summit. So what do you girls actually do?"

"A bunch of things. Spa day, walk in the park, visit a few restaurants, see the buckball game, take a few moments to do some catching up on a few others, stuff like that."

I'm willing to bet because it's Twilight, everything is set to a strict schedule. That's not quite selling me on how fun it's going to be. "I guess that sounds like fun."

"We also have a special guest coming along for this one, that way you don't feel too left out."

"Who?" I bet the surprise is going to be underwhelming.

"Shining Armor!" I suppose it's not that underwhelming, I actually enjoy spending time with him. The only issue is since he became a family guy, everything's been catered towards having Flurry Heart around. And she's a handful to manage, I'm saying that part politely.

I chuckle back at the princess on the other end. "Why do I feel like you just coordinated this to make your schedule work around having your brother here?"

"Not just Shining, Cadance and Flurry will be coming in too." I FUCKING CALLED IT! "They're pretty excited to see you again, I told them how you're living on your own now. They want all the details of the new house. I just hope Blue didn't go overboard with what she did, I was thinking she'd probably give you a simple little house that would best fit your current lifestyle."

The funny part is that Ms. Royal understands my current lifestyle better than you do. "Oh yeah, she got me right."

"Yeah, a little traditional home that blends in well with the Ponyville aesthetic. I know that's what you would've wanted, something that feels a little homey like the old library."

I slept in a basket back then. "Well it is a little spacious."

She groans, seeming mildly inconvenienced. "I told her that you don't do big, so I hope it's not too much."

I take one look at my foyer and see the ample amount of space, I don't feel one bit of regret or discomfort. "Trust me, I'm good."

"Great. So your train to Canterlot sets out from Ponyville at approximately 7:45 Friday morning. You'll be here around 8:30, once you step off, you can hang around town until 4 in the afternoon. Then you should be back at the castle before 4:30 to greet Shining, Cadance, and Flurry. The others will come around whenever they get here. At 4:30, we set off to our first activity."

Great, a schedule with an early departure to the city I've grown to dislike with no time to accommodate for my own doings, I hate it already. "Okay."

"Great, but remember to get up early on Friday morning so you can catch your train."

I want to throw my phone. "Yup."

"Alright! I hope to see you then! Get plenty of rest before your early morning! Make sure that you set your alarm two hours early, that should give you enough time to wake up, shower, make your breakfast, and be at the train station with an hour left to wait for your train. That way you get enough time to load your baggage, make your way to your seat, and hopefully not forget anything of importance. Remember the best kind of travel period is a stress-free travel period."

She's never going to change, despite how many conversations we have about this. "Later!"

"Spike, don't forget to─" I mash the end-call icon, placing my phone in airplane mode. I place it back on the counter and drop my head over the fresh vegetables I put on the island during the call.

I walk over to the utensil drawer, drawing a knife to cut my foliage. I start to work with a manic pace to offset the anger I'm feeling. As I'm dicing my tomatoes, Gabby walks in with a tower over her head as though she lives here. I find some comfort in the idea, causing me to slow down a bit and notice the concern on her face, this time aimed at me. "You okay?"

"Just Twilight things." My work start to speed back up again.

She takes notice of the increased impact my knife makes with the counter as I chop. "Oh, are you two, like, clashing right now?"

"It's nothing." I deny as I continue.

"We can talk about it." She suggests.

I look at her and I start to distract myself with much more pleasant thoughts. "I'd rather talk about what you─"

"NOPE!" She screams, startling me to the point where I nearly drop my knife. She flies over to me and forces the knife onto the counter while dragging me away to the dining room table. "Sit down." She ushers me so forcefully with her towel on top of her head, pulling a chair next to me as she points for me to park next to her. She leans onto the table top, never minding the game I had ready for us to play. "Now. Tell me what's going on."

Sometimes I forget just how assertive she is, and even more so how she goes into this mode with all the love she has. It's truly nostalgic. If I'm not careful, I could get lost in conversation with her like we used to do in our letters. My history is catching up with me, it reminds me of what I felt for her then.

Okay, Spike, dial it back and answer her question. "Twilight dictating my schedule again. She promised that I could be more independent when I got around to being on my own, now she's telling me that I have to be at a certain place at a certain time for this stupid summit. Like all I can think of is how she just treated me back when I was in Canterlot, never giving me a schedule to make on my own, always going by the one she makes instead."

The griffon leans in with her question. "Did she pay for you to be there at a certain time?"

"Of course she did, and without talking to me first. Like how is that fair? I might have had plans on my own, she can't just assume that I'm open to being on her time every time we do this."

She pauses, probably taking a moment to look at both sides. She carefully gauges her response. "I can agree that you do have a good reason to be upset. She should've talked with you before finalizing plans, so you get that one."

She obviously sympathizes with my side, but also shows signs of an opposing view. "Alright, so let me hear the other foot drop."

"Having that said, I can also see that she's probably eager to have you back. Maybe the time apart from you is something that gets to her somehow. Maybe she made that decision so the two of you can have some time to hang out with one another."

I shake my head with denial. "She knows I'm sick and tired of her."

"Is it because she's controlling or something─"

"That part!" I holler, slamming my fist on the table. "She's been like that forever."

She gives a sigh before smiling off to the side. "Well, I know how it feels to be in that kind of environment."

"You do?" I tilt my head in curiosity.

She looks back with a simple nod. "Probably a little more than you know."

"Is your boyfriend like that?" I question her.

"Well... my ex, he was like that." I start to point at myself, wondering if I had ever been like that. She quickly grabs at me to correct my assumptions. "I mean I've dated someone like that, after we broke up. It was when I moved back to Griffonstone, his name was Gilead. He never liked for me to leave home when I had time, or have a social life for that matter. And you know usual griffon behavior, if I made some money, he'd want part of it. But if he made any, no sharing. It's a typical thing for griffon males to be like that, but you know that's not my way of doing things. So I did what any sensible griff would do when they're in a position they don't want to be in. I left, didn't even tell him goodbye."

I'm now curious about her time away, especially her romantic past outside of me. My attention completely blanks on the food I have sitting out. "So you left him, then what?"

"I left town. I left the area. I left him on call block. I live in a small little apartment on the south-side of town, and I can't really do too much because of it. I just go to work, fly low, stay to my route, head back home."

Seeing her in this towel, seeing the way she's comfortable while at this table, I start to wonder if she's actually looking for a place to nest in for a bit. The south side of town is pretty far from the post office, compared to here where it's three blocks over. But then again, I have to take things slow, not rush her into cutting ties and leaving nest. Perhaps I should see what all her situation is like before offering her a place to chill. "Does your boyfriend know of this guy?"

"Yeah, he does." She answered that pretty quickly.

"You and this Gilead guy, how long you two been separated for?"

She takes a second to think about it. "Two years."

Now let's take on the present. Obviously she wouldn't shoot those messages at me like she did on yesterday without having some sort of exit strategy in mind. Maybe she is looking to have a bit of fun on the outside, or maybe I could be right in assuming that she's actually single. "So what's the problem between you and your current? Things not panning out?"

She blows a bit of air at herself, playing with her talons as she rambles a while. "He and I, we don't share any similarities. If anything, we're just roommates right now, at least how I see it."

A roommate, so she's renting with a partner. "So that's all you are together?"

I see a smile creep at the corners of her beak. "I mean he's pretty proud to call me his girlfriend. It's hard to tell if he's playing or not. It's just that I don't feel much when we're together."

An unrequited relationship? Maybe she sees him in a platonic sense. "Have you talked to him?"

"I want to... but..." She hasn't said a word to him.

This evening is starting to turn, and not quite for the better. "What?"

"He let me in his place rent-free for a year. He helped me get back on my feet. If anything, he's a really good guy. I just feel bad because I know I don't feel for him the way he falls for me. Like I gave it a shot and everything, we even... you know."
Slept together, I guess I can't be upset for what she does when she's been warning me of this from the start. Plus we just reconnected, I have no place to judge. "Like what would happen if I told him that I'm basically on the verge of dumping him because I'm not feeling it? Wouldn't that just ruin him? I mean he's a good guy, me doing that could probably turn him out for the worse. So I'm working hard to do what I can, to save up as much as I can to pay him back for that first year."

She's in something she doesn't want to be a part of. I can understand her not wanting to take pride in that, but now I feel terrible. The entire time I'm acting like she's not in something, she's just trying to get out of it. I feel shitty for assuming, but now I feel even worse for knowing that I might be an accessory. Dammit.

I piece together my response, choosing carefully what to say while implying that I'm still open to having her around. "I think with the way we're doing this, you and I, that's ten times worse than anything you could say. Maybe you could... clear the air a bit with him. You're going about it the right way by trying to pay him back, but I don't think you leading him on will work."

While she's quiet about it, I do know the symptoms of her lashing back. She starts low, then inevitably explodes overtime. She's now at her low point. "What about you and your girlfriend? Doesn't she have some reservations over me talking to you, coming over to your home when she's not around?"

Well I guess this is about as good of a time as any. I should come clean on what's in the works before she fuels that flame she's got rolling. "Actually, she's pretty open about having a multi-faceted relationship."

"What does that mean?" She tilts her head.

"Welll, she's... open-minded." I explain bluntly. "Fairly open minded, to everything."

She lurches back with some visible confusion. "...Is she... bisexual or something?"

"Very VERY pansexual." I nod. "Yeah."

"Oh... Uh." She starts to look down, that flame of quiet anger metaphorically kicked over like a small campfire. She groans with a few thoughts in mind. "Spike, I don't know... I've never been with a female of any species before. I don't think I can manage that too well."

I try to keep the air from being as awkward while I make a quick joke on Ocellus' part. "Knowing her, she'd probably say something like 'They always say that starting off.' She's unique, I'll give her that."

A simple chiming noise sounds out in the room. I know it's not my phone because of my ringtones, she pulls out hers and pick up the phone while asking me to hold on speaking. "Hey, hold on, I gotta take this." As she puts her ear to the speaker, I can hear another voice on the other end. It's that of a young male, and he sounds worried. "Hello?... Yeah... I'm just out with a friend. I'll be back home pretty soon... I know... Yeah... I get it... Galefor, I'll be there, I promise!... Alright, I'm coming home... Love you too." She hangs up the call, removes the towel from her head and hurriedly folds it to leave on my table. "Hey, Spike. I gotta go."

While I won't say it, I'll admit that the interaction has me a bit numb. I can tell she doesn't mean it, at least some part of her don't mean the words she uttered. But the fact that they left her lips to begin with is discouraging. I feel sorry for the young male she hung up on, and now I feel regret because the thing I thought wasn't real is just another look into the past from a different perspective.

All these years of chasing and hoping, failing and coping, now here I am on the outside of that dynamic looking back in. I'm almost sick to my stomach. "Yeah, I understand."

She hurries back to the foyer, I escort her to the door. She pauses a while to address me. "So um... Next Wednesday or Thursday, question mark?" And she's still showing eagerness to set our next appointment.

The worst thing is that the guilt is there, but so is the desire to continue the pursuit. "I think we can fit that in." My gut twists at the answer I speak. It's truth, and it's a shameful look now, a glutenous indulgence of possibilities and reliving past times with present ambitions. And it's all at the cost of another's heart.

It's a decision to be made, one she's already made for her own self. "Great! So, I'll see you then?"

I stammer a response, trying not to appear too lost in thought. "Y-yeah. See you then."

She finally notices the sullen look on my face. I glance off, trying not to make it anymore obvious, but she turns my head and bring me into a tight hug. The talons that worked a long day hauling mail runs along my spine. I look down to see her uncomfortably close, she looks up to me, her eyes filled with both optimism and uncertainty. I watch as her beak shapes words that fail, before they finally eject some semblance of language. "...Call me, so we can talk."

Her grip is slow to relinquish, her claws slide from off of my shoulders as she peers down my chest. She's trying to control herself in the moment, psyching herself up to leave. Her wings slowly expand, as it's revealed to me that her tail had lightly coiled around my wrist. She takes to the sky at last, leaving a breeze and a few loosened feathers behind on the floor of my foyer, the steps of my front door. Meanwhile, I don't know what to feel other than melancholy and guilt, simultaneously intermixed with joy and anticipation.

So this is the other side, the one being pursued by another's unrequited crush. What shame, what wonder.

I finally broke.

My entire Thursday morning was spent looking after message after message of the things Gabby sent to me. For many hours, I spent hunched over my phone's screen. My claws were as active as they've ever been with the exception of dragon lust. My body chafed with unsuccessful attempts to piston away the lust that had built over the past few days. With every chance I got close, it slips faster than I can keep myself at attention. For moments, I was priming at nothing after experiencing much in tow. I lived a miserable day, both wanting to cross the line and experiencing that post-session clarity with none of the climax in between.

She and I talked for a bit, but only a short while. She mainly texted me afterwards, citing that her 'roommate' had wanted some reading time together. They were reading from a romance novel. And she would describe what scene they were on, pointing out where he is in the story, if he was reading dramatically. Much to her chagrin, they came across a rather warm scene that details one of the protagonist's romantic exploits with a neighboring prince, a taboo considered by that country's laws.

Her messages informed me that she's letting him get immersed in the plot, but I know her language. It's not the book he's getting into. She sends another message, saying that he's trying his best to play the role, but misses a lot of the character's perspective. I send a message to ask if she needs time away, she replies no. She also adds on that she wants him to finish the chapter, but he's too stubborn to give up. Next comes a dry message that says 'I'm busy. Later.' The minutes pass and she gets back in touch with confirmation of what I already knew. 'Sorry, my roommate took my phone. He saw I was texting you.' I ask if she's okay, she merely replies with a simple message. 'I'll call you when I have time.'

We spent two hours talking into the AM. She ranted a lot about the reading session they had, citing that he used it to get close to her again. She doesn't speak directly of her experience, but her complaints make it known that their interaction was far from enthralling. She makes a comment of our time together with the game on Sunday. And before I knew it, we were both taking under our breath over the phone. Pants and quiet whispers come from her end, while mine is much more subdued in part by the spell that continues it's stranglehold on my libido. It takes a while for her to finish, an indirect confession of her catching a glimpse at my most vulnerable moment. The night ends with a final pant goodbye, and a picture of her bathroom floor after her time over the phone. It's hard to tell at first glance, but the stain against her wall, and the pooling puddle on the floor describes much of her.

I spent another two hours just trying to soldier through the spell, to no avail of course.

My alarm goes off and I'm an unceremonious mess from having only forty-five minutes of rest. I simply compromise with myself over the idea that I could just rent a hotel for a short period before making my way to the castle. But as soon as I step out of my house, I see a pair of guards looking to escort me to the train station. I see we're already off to a fine start of the day.

My time going from Ponyville to Canterlot lasts less than the wait I had while I was at the train station waiting for the damn train itself, but I'm relieved to make it in. The only thorn in my plans is that I am made to report to the castle before setting out to do whatever else. And Inkwell is the first one to greet me after my time away.

She gives me a written itinerary of projected meetings with important personnel for the next six months. My once-free schedule is now a blocky mess of travel-on-travel-on-travel like before. It isn't until I finally spend another five hours reallocating those meetings to other representatives to alleviate my load. Now my schedule is back to being more-or-less free. And I'm back to dragging myself to my usual room for less than a two-hour nap.

A knock sounds at my door, it's yet another guard with a schedule to keep me chained to. And just like in usual fashion, I'm dragged to the location of where Twilight is situated. As I'm trudging forward, I see the smile that only a barbed wire bat can wipe away. "Spike!"

Hey, me, I bet it was a good idea to try to jack off through a chastity spell for two hours, totally worth it. "Hey Twilight."

There's not enough coffee in the world that could make her smiling mug all the more bearable to me right now, especially after that shit they tried to toss on me today. "You're early enough to be on time today. I see you haven't slacked off too much."

Let me at least try to act civilized, despite me heavily leaning into my dragon genes at the moment. "I see you're just as meticulous as ever. But why are we talking like it hasn't been anything but two weeks apart?"

"I don't know. I guess not having you around does make things feel a little different." I know she says that with a smile, but right now I'm feeling like that little dump of dates from earlier is a petty power move.

Then again, she could be genuinely happy to see me. It's hard to tell on three hours of sleep. "I'm sure it does."

"UNCLE SPIKE!"

Oh boy, here comes the bundle of energy that could fuel a thousand suns. Remember, Spike, she's not the one who made you stay up all night. Be nice, turn to her and greet her. "Hey Flurry─" As she glomps down on me, I notice that her body is a bit larger than expected, especially for a six-year-old. Her stature is akin to that of a ten-year-old filly with the wings of a fully-grown pegasus, she's probably got the mind to reflect her current age as well. And because of the strange condition she's born with, she ages up faster than what most normal ponies do. Needless to say that her tackle-hugging me is more than a surprise. "Holy crap you're getting big!"

"That's what I'm saying!" Twilight looms over the both of us, seeing how happy Flurry is while holding on to me. She turns back to speak with her older sibling. "Shining, what in the wide world of Equestria are you feeding this girl!?"

Shining Armor, while having sported a chiseled physique during his days as Captain of the Royal Guard, no longer has that same physique. Instead, he's a stocky fellow with a growing beard and a braided mane that runs down his side. He's a more adult-looking stallion firmly stationed in his mid-thirties. He dons a purple and black ceremonial dress uniform with his trademark shield cutie mark pinned to the left side of his chest. The time up north exposes him to a great deal of barking orders, fighting battles, and negotiating with neighboring Yakyakistan. All of that results in him having a body built for strength over agility, a voice slightly lowered and raspier than before, and a demeanor much more cool and collected.

Even as he now serves as Emperor of the small city state, he's still true to himself. "Don't look at me, I'm not the one who cooks."

"You literally made dinner last night." Cadance goes by the way of her aging husband, going for a more conservative appearance over everything else. Her body isn't as thin as it once was, she's got a little more for Shining to hold on to, probably to his enjoyment because of where she's filled out. She also has a lot more curl to her mane these days, pinning up all the hair that used to dangle down her side. As Empress of the Crystal Empire, she's the leading voice of her citizens and the head of her imperial house.

"Daddy's pizza is the best!" Meanwhile, Flurry continues to oust her father for his culinary abilities contributing to her growth.

And the proud empress makes a running joke of it. "Seems the cooking lessons from our staff have paid off. Who knew that one anniversary meal would turn into him nearly becoming our head chef over five years?"

"Cadie, I could always cook, you know." The blue-maned emperor replies with deadpan.

She smooches her husband lovingly with a quick embrace. "Yeah, I know. That military mantra of fending for one's self is a thing to behold."

"I see it's also made you pick up a bit of weight." Twilight only points out the obvious. "Both of you."

"Well, it's harder to stick to a workout regiment when you're the leader of a city-state." Shining argues for himself.

"And it's hard to stay skinny when you have both a husband that can cook, and a bundle of unburnable baby weight." Cadance rebuts in her own defense.

"Don't blame me for your fat, mom!" And Flurry goes to show her razor-like wit, jokingly attacking her mother with the precision not seen since Chrysalis was last petrified.

Twilight takes a leaning glance to her brother's left hind leg. She sees he's still got a bit of a gimp in his step. "How's the leg?"

"It's better. You see I'm walking on it now." He answers, stomping his leg down confidently.

Twilight highlights a massive scar that seems to run down the side of his leg, it appears to have been a gruesome wound that's healed a significant amount. "I didn't expect you to be fighting Sombra cultists armed with trained snow yetis."

"Another tribulation brought on by the north." He says before turning his attention to me. "Hey, Spike!"

I greet the emperor back with a bump. "What's up!"

"You apparently. You've gotten pretty big yourself." He says with a smirk.

The young filly continues to show her excitement throughout our conversation. "Uncle Spike used to be my height, now he's way taller than we are!"

Cadance also chimes in about my lack of visitation. "All that traveling the world and hardly any time to see you up in the Crystal Empire. I see you're doing well for yourself."

I could still use a cup of coffee right now. "That I am."

As we're talking, I notice that there's a red carriage closing the distance between the castle checkpoint and the front steps leading into the castle foyer. I look over to see Twilight staring back in bewilderment over the unannounced visit. "Uh... who carriage is that?"

Shining goes on to explain himself. "Oh Twily, I know this was supposed to be your friendship summit, but since we're going to make a few specific rounds, I thought we could bring on one more to give us a bit of a jolt, you know, for the guys."

The fact that Twilight's expression has turned for the worse is somewhat appealing to me for the time being. She seems pretty peeved at our prospective visitor. "Please tell me you didn't."

Meanwhile, he tries to reassure her. "Twily, you know he's not even that bad."

"Still!" She calls out loudly before the carriage door opens to reveal the apparently unwanted guest.

A white stallion with a blond mane steps out from the carriage, his locks as luxurious and well-manicured as ever. He proudly stands out with a white and gold ceremonial uniform, his cutie mark is born on a sigil to the left of his chest. His body is going much of a similar route that Shining Armor's has taken, albeit a bit less. Still a prince, but not in a direct line of power, Blueblood greets Shining first with a respectable bow. "Well, if it isn't the Emperor of the North."

"Blueblood, I see we're both just putting it on a bit."

The prince lets out a hearty and proud laugh. "Fatherhood does the body wonders, doesn't it?"

"Who you telling? I feel like some of that unburnable baby fat somehow gets translated to us."

"Excuse you!?" Cadance takes offense to her husband's words.

Meanwhile, the prince now stationed in Manehattan greets me. "Well, if it isn't our little dragon friend. How are you pulling through on Princess Troublemaker's schedule?"

So to explain their dynamic, I should cover a bit of history. Years ago, Twilight had ran into some trouble with her then-appointed suitor. Back then there was a marriage law that stated that a royal could not procreate outside of the boundaries of marriage. She broke that law and was confronted by then Princess Celestia, who issued a punishment to her. Since then, Blueblood has called her that name to get on her nerves on occasion. "I thought we were done with that years ago!" To this day, she can't stand him calling her that.

"Twilight, please, you and your friends never seem to not find trouble in some way." He reminds her before turning to me. "Now back to you, you're sprouting up something fierce. What's gotten in you where you feel like you want to reach human heights?"

I shrug back at him. "I dunno, magic scepter?"

"If that's your story, stick to it." He seems to show approval of my increase of height. As he finishes praising me, another carriage pulls out in front of us. A blue carriage comes to a stop before the guards open the door, revealing a party of five familiar mares. The first to step out is Rarity, who he brings his attention to next. "Well if it isn't our favorite fashion deity."

"Charmed." Rarity rolls her eyes at the lingering prince.

"Come now, no need to be so cruel to me, Rarity."

While the others don't seem to mind his antics as much, the fashion entrepreneur places a hoof to his face to move him out of her way. "So, where's our first stop again?"

In a flirtatious tone, he snakes himself away from her hoof. "Are you still mad at me for the cake, that was years ago!"

"You used me as a shield." She reminds him with a quirked brow.

"Well I would've preferred to use you a bit differently, especially with as well as you've aged, my dear." He takes her hoof and kisses it with a smile, never minding the seven wives he already has waiting for him back home.

Years ago, I remember how Rarity would've favored the nearest sharp object and proceed to chase him around the grounds until the guards get involved. That's no longer the case these days, she's a bit more patient with the prince than she is annoyed. However, they still banter as though that much hasn't changed. "I would still prefer to have a restraining order."

In reality, I feel that the tension between them has grown over time. "Always and ever the hurtful, my dear."

And in some strange way, she seems to reciprocate it. "Always and ever the bothersome, darling."

Ugh, for fuck's sake, just get a room already.

As per Twilight's instruction, we stay to her designated schedule for most of the day. We have a forum in some old church downtown, where they start off with a moment to commemorate the ones who we no longer have with us. A lot of time seems to go into thinking back on all the friends who made ways for us, and the emotional release associated with it. There's a lot of tears shed, and for both Shining and Blueblood, a scroll's worth of names to ring a bell for. The others have a few bell rings but only maybe one to three names. Applejack has a few more than the others, but she's pretty stout about it. Me personally, I don't have a bell to ring or a name to call. I sure hope to keep it that way.

After that, we head to a local eatery in the famous Saddle Row. It's a pretty nice foodie joint with exotic foods from the way of Saddle Arabia. It's packed with rich aromas and flavors, a spot heavily recommended by both Rarity and Pinkie. So Twilight rented out the restaurant for a premium, and we eat dinner there.

All throughout the course of meal, Blueblood proudly pulls out his phone and goes through the pictures of every single one of his kids. He's a proud father of twelve, two on the way in the coming months. Most are boys, an unusual draw for many ponies, but he especially takes extreme pride in his four girls. He waxes on and on about his eldest daughter being interested in ballet, he shows concern for his second eldest wanting to do martial arts, he shows pride in his third being interested in music, but his baby girl is the one he truly holds as his favorite. While Shining has only one, he claims his daughter to be the best thing since the Elements of Harmony. The two have a dad debate, and we all just shake our heads over the verbal carnage that erupts at the table.

Following that, Cadance and Shining break off from the group to get Flurry tucked away into bed. Meanwhile the others look to get a few drinks in to celebrate the reunion. Twilight is skittish in asking me to join them, but Rarity holds a stern opposition to having me drink with them. She protests with the idea of me hanging back at the castle until the night's end, a resolution I argue against. However, Twilight favors the unicorn over me and has a guard escort me back to the castle.

As of now, I sit in boredom and frustration over my current treatment. I start to look at the idea of maybe crossing over to the human world for a bit. But with no magic to transform myself, it's merely a wasted thought. So I just lay in the bed, shooting a few texts to Gabby to keep me going. Inevitably, I get hit with the dry 'I'm busy, talk to you later' message, indicating that her current roomie is now in the attempt to make her feel something other than disappointment.

I shoot a text to Ocellus, who purposefully responds with dry answers. She also brags on how much fun she and Smolder are having together. Seems they've gone back to business as usual, keeping each other entertained while I'm stuck with this chastity spell the next town over. They even send me a picture, one from the changeling's point of view. She's holding the camera from over her chest, looking down to a teasing Smolder who's tongue-first into the changeling's body. At the part where it's truly pornographic, she superimposes a text block with a simple but taunting message: 'Wish you were here.'

Everything around me is devolving into sex again. And now I'm about to lose my fucking mind.

♫What is this place filled with so many wonders? Casting it's spell that I am now under─♪

It's Fluttershy who breaks me out of my mood, especially with her name popping up on my screen. "Hello?"

"Hi Spike... I'm so sorry to interrupt you... right now. But are you busy?" She sounds quite out of breath.

"Not really. What's going on?"

She takes a moment to catch her breath before continuing. "Um... just a bit of a small situation... I need you to come down to the lobby for a second."

Well this doesn't sound good. "What for?"

I hear a bit of a struggle on the other end before a familiar voice calls out in a slurring wail. "SPIIIIIIIIIIKE-UH!"

...Really, chastise me because I get drunk once, but oh no it's perfectly peachy when it's on the other end. "She's drunk again, isn't she?"

"Very." I can feel her deadpan expression through the phone.

I grit my teeth and throw my head back in frustration. "Celestia, why me?"

As the struggle continues on the other end, Fluttershy does her best to keep possession of her phone. "Every time she gets like this, it's always you she's calling for. I wonder if you're somehow the solution to make her sober."

"I'm not." I'm more of the brick wall she drunkenly cries and tells all of her problems to while ingesting several tubs of ice cream. She then wakes up in the morning with a disaster of a hangover, hangs over a toilet for an hour, and then comes back with a cup of coffee and a mask to hide the pain. "Can we please just pawn her off to Discord or something?"

"No thank you, my dear Fluttershy is the only one I deem to take into accountability." And just like that, even he doesn't want to deal with Rarity's drunken shenanigans.

Please, end my suffering. "...I'm on my way down."

There's one thing I find that remains consistent throughout the years is how often I've find myself giving up on Rarity, while quietly using one of her pictures as cannon primer, only to be there in the moment she's absolutely torn out of her mind over a few drinks. The years have been kind to her appearance-wise, but she seems to be a lot more liberal in drinking these days. She's not a total drunk, no, but she does get surly and unreasonable when she's taken a dose too many.

These are one of those times.

She's usually overdramatic, easy to bring to tears, and very whiny when it comes to her relationship issues. It isn't just that those traits get amplified when she's drunk, she becomes loud and even more dramatic, shouting out in spurts that would even annoy the shit out of Pinkie Pie on occasion.

While I carry her on my back, she does a lot of wriggling around that threatens to throw me off balance. I sometimes have to lean in her direction before snapping back some momentum to counterbalance her drunken stupidity. Even now, I find it odd how she's the heavier drinker of the group, even surpassing Rainbow Dash for that title, while also... "It's strange to see how poorly you hold your liquor with as much as you drink these days." ...That part.

"I don't drink, Spiiiiiike. I HYDRATE!"

Now dealing with temporary tinnitus, I continue to fuss at the inebriated unicorn. "Yeah, consuming alcoholic beverages in mass is not my way of hydrating myself."

"Oh don't you judge me!" She knocks against the side of my head. "You and your big fucking dragon head." I have to keep an eye on her, just to make sure she doesn't give me anymore surprises like last time. Because the last time I was around and she was like this, she gifted me a lovely parting gift all over my shoulder, running down my chest and back.

We get to her designated room and I try to place her to the ground. "Okay, here's your room. Where's your key?"

She inadvertently wrings a foreleg around my throat, trying to hold on for dear life. "Where did I put my key?" She feels around on her self for a moment, not coming up with an answer for her own question. "Guh... fuck."

"You forgot it at the bar, didn't you?" This is not the only time this has happened in similar fashion.

"I didn't forget it! I'm just having a hard time remembering where it is!" And that is not the only time I've heard that specific answer.

"I cannot leave you in this hallway like this." I look around, hoping to run into a guard nearby. But even they seem like they don't want much to do with her. I suppose they fear they will end up having a drunken night with the seamstress, only to answer to an angry and overtly-protective princess shortly after. In speaking of which. "Where's Twilight?"

The mare on my back hisses at me with slurred words. "Twilight's chatting away at sssome pony. Finally, poor girl can get a chance at some dick tonight." Did I ever mention how crass she can be when drunk?

I look three doors down and see where I'm usually situated. With a defeated breath, I settle on that option while hoping that she doesn't find the bodily function to make a mess of my sheets... again. "Okay, my room it is."

"ONWARD MY NOBLE STEED!" Well now there's tinnitus in my other ear. That faint ringing is going to be hard to shake off.

A short journey is all it takes for me to quietly tote the drunken mare from her assigned room to mine for just a temporary time. I lay her in the bed and remove myself from her space. "Alrighty then, I'll just let you sleep in here while I go to the bar and see if your keys are there." She gives off a few lazy giggles before turning over. Now I have to worry about finding her keys. At the very least if she's too out of it, we'll just trade rooms for the night and I'll bear with Twilight's spat over the situation come the morning.

As I set to walk out, I feel my phone vibrate. I check to see that Gabby has sent a message. The first thing I see under the current hour is her greeting me and asking about my day. I start to lean into our usual back-and-forth, at least I can still keep it casual for the time being. However, her next question is written out with intent. "Wanna guess what I'm doing right now?"

I know I still have reservations from the other day, but she makes it hard to focus on that. Everytime with these texts in the late hours, it's always going one way. I'll at least keep her entertained for a while before I get back to my task at hand. "What are you doing?"

She sends me a picture of her sitting in front of a mirror. Her talons are reaching for dangerous territory, not revealing much past her belly, the positioning of her other paw ensures that. She smiles like an innocent child, but the tuft of feathers at her chest speak a different story. Her chest is a bit puffier than usual, a sign that she's in a very naughty mood. Gallus explained to me long ago how he had to keep his chestplate from being too uncomfortable whenever Silverstream visits him on shift. And her chest is holding true to her intentions. "I'm thinking about Wednesday."

I message her back, biting my lip in thought. "Game day's about to take a different turn."

"I might bring a few things." She responds back. "Just a few items to help with our immersion."

I know she's not talking about the campaign. "Like what."

Just as I feel my phone vibrate with her response, Rarity suddenly screams out. "SPIIIIIIIIKE-uh!" I nearly drop my phone and break my neck with how fast I turn to the drunken mare I've completely forgotten about. She lazily stares back at me before sluggishly waving her hoof. "C'mere."

For the love of fuck, she scared the shit out of me. She really had me thinking something bad had popped up. Guess that's my sign to pop back to this side of reality for a bit so I can get myself a room. "Rarity, I don't have time for this." I start to walk out, finally back in the mind to go search for her room key.

Unfortunately, her magic is about the strongest thing about her in her drunken state. She's always been a fairly decent spell caster, but her drunken self requires that I might occasionally have to quench her magic manually. "Bring that scaly head of yours here, THIS INSTANT!" On that note, she forcefully levitates my entire body into the bed and demands that I sit beside her.

I still see the message waiting on my phone to be answered, but it will have to wait a little while longer. She even levitates my phone out of my grasp and places it on the other side of the room. "Seriously what's the─"

"Down boy!" She yelps as she leaps on top of me, pulling me to the bed. She wrestles herself into position to keep a light lock on my neck with her hind legs. She starts to play with the top of my head as she drunkenly slurs her request. "Lay a while."

Normally, the first few times she's gone about things this way, replicating these exact motions, I would've been over the moon that she's treating me like this. I remember the first time she did me like this and I thought that she was going to seriously make things happen between us. But both time and experience are great teachers, and my current disposition is that I'm just annoyed by this. "Okay, guess we're doing this again. What pissed you off this time?"

She grumbles in a low voice, playing with my prominent fins again. "You know."

Of course, it would have something to do with the bastard that started her long line of unsuccessful crushes. She doesn't get like this until she runs into one of them again. "Let me guess, Blueblood?"

Her legs lock in tighter, I strain myself to keep from getting inadvertently choked out. "Fucking asshole just loves his kids so fucking much! Seriously, why does he always bring a bunch of stupid pictures on his phone like he's some sort of proud father!? He teases me with the damn things, and he knows that I can't have little bundles of joy like that!"

As per usual, it's always the success they have in their relationships that drive her over the top. "You're upset because of him showing off his kids?"

"You know, he wanted to always make me into one of his little fucktoy wives. All those mares and I can bet none of them actually do anything for him! But he sees me and he greets me like I'm just the one who he didn't marry!"

There's a simple solution to this, but I feel that bluntly advertising it would probably cause her to break my neck at this point. "But you didn't want to marry him."

"SHHHUP" While she's drunk, she also has no proper gauge on her actual physical strength either. She may be a unicorn, but she's very physically fit, and she's got athlete genes flowing through her veins. I'm just lucky she doesn't twist herself in frustration.

I hate it when she's like this. "What am I going to do with you?"

There's a lengthy pause. She stops playing with my head for a moment. I try to wriggle myself free but she keeps me locked in place, even pulling me closer in the silence. Her hindlegs are stout and sturdy, her body smells of wine and worn perfume. She mumbles a drunken question. "When did you and Ocellus start with each other?"

This isn't the first time she's nosily kept tabs on my relationships either. "Does it matter if I tell you?" I ask, knowing she'll probably forget once she's hungover.

But the mare is persistent. "Answer me!"

I guess I'll just say it since I'm apparently not going anywhere anytime soon. "It was a little while back."

"Why her?" She sounds extremely critical of my choice, another trait she has whenever she's inebriated. The version of her that's sober doesn't seem to care what I do, but the drunken version of her might as well be another Twilight with curls... "Is it because she can transform into me?" With even more of an ego than the original.

"She never transformed into you." I partially lie, knowing that in some capacity Ocellus has taken her voice a few times before.

"You seriously never asked?" She sounds strangely offended by that, all while she's the one who requested that I'd keep my relationship as clean from her as possible.

Maybe she drank a little too much. "Rarity, get some sleep. We'll get you feeling better in the morning."

The mare sounds unreasonably upset with my request. "So what, you'll beat yourself off to me but won't take the moment to make me happy?" She quickly unwraps her legs from around the back of my neck and shove me away. I catch myself before falling out of the bed. "Ugh... Some gentlecolt you are."

Now this part, I'll admit, is a new one. "Okay, seriously? Like where did that come from?" Be patient, Spike, she's drunk.

She doesn't answer my question, turning away from me and pulling the covers over her head. "Leave me be, I obviously need to be sleeping, RIGHT!?"

Sometimes, you being drunk isn't an excuse for the way you act. All it does is make you more of an open book. I wish I could say that out loud, but she won't remember any of it by the time she comes to. I might as well just grab my shit and head out. "Okay. Goodnight."

I turn to go grab my phone from across the room, at least that's what I do before I feel a pillow hit me in the center of my back. I turn back to see the inebriated mare angrily staring while her mascara runs down her cheeks. She unleashes yet another scream of frustration before turning herself over again. I shake my head and grab my phone before exiting the room.

I check up on my phone to see a few more messages I've missed. It seems Gabby had her entire evening planned for our conversation. I finally answer her back. "Sorry for the late reply. Had to look after a friend who got drunk."

It takes only a little bit before I get a response. "Call me."

I do as the message instructs and I swipe her name for a call. I hear a sigh on the other line. "Yo, you wanted to chat?"

"BF, huh?"

That's not Gabby's voice. I look back at my screen, seeing her name as broad as day on the screen, I go back to check the number, it's the same one. I answer back to the voice. "Who's this?"

"Better question, who are you, BF?" It's a guy's voice, he sounds around my age.

I grimace at the realization of who I'm talking to right now. "Oh, I take it you must be Gabby's boyfriend."

"Yeah. She's sleep." I can tell he's not too happy to be speaking with me right now.

"I didn't know."

"I'm sure." He answers rather flatly. "That's what happens when you keep her waiting for like forty-five minutes."

I didn't expect to be in a leg-lock for that long either. "Look, dude, I didn't mean no disrespect─"

"Yeah, I'm sure you say that now." He's talking quiet, but I can tell he's furious. "You know, she's been deleting a ton of the messages between you guys. I think it's pretty cool that you sent one back. I had my suspicions, so I stuck around this thing and you popped up. Now it's just you and me."

"I just saw the message, I thought─" Why am I even explaining myself? "You know what, nevermind."

"Yeah." He says with a low growl. "Don't talk to her again, since you don't mean the disrespect."

Hey past Spike, you remember when you thought that this guy was someone Gabby made up just to reject you out of some possible spite built up over the years? Well she's been pretty spot on, good job catching up. "Okay."

"She's not seeing you again either, so please cancel your engagements with Gabriella so that we don't have an issue." He sternly emphasizes. "I'll talk with her tomorrow. Maybe we'll come to an agreement... or not." Even he seems pretty doubtful about that. "But no matter the outcome of us, it's of no concern to you. So can I respect you enough to respect our relationship?"

I can't even be mad, he's totally in the right here. "I'll agree that I won't pursue her." But something tells me that my agreement will be voided at Gabby's next convenience. So it's a moot point.

"So be it. Have the night you deserve." The call ends, leaving me with a number of messages from the griffon who might have more relationship problems than I thought. I want to give him the benefit of the doubt that he's just being protective of his relationship, but even that can be a bit controlling if he's that invested into her interactions. It leaves me with half of my mind understanding his approach, the other half quietly waiting to see what Gabby will do next. And he also called her Gabriella, she hates being called that.

Something's not right here. And I need to take some time away to think about it.

Chapter 21: Beloved Burnout

That was a really dizzying night yesterday. I think I've managed to see a new side to drunken Rarity that I've never seen before. I end up having a head-to-head chat with Gabby's current situation. I traveled all of creation to find Rarity's key to her room, only to come up short. And I end up spending a few bits on getting a room to myself... at one of the dingy hotels near the front gate of the city, after searching for an open room for three hours. Just to think that I would end up buying a room after Twilight made sure that I had one to sleep in, that's irony. Still, I had much more peace and quiet outside of hearing about two couples getting their romp on.

How long has it been since that was me and Ocellus?

Yet again, it's another short night of sleep, four hours before I get a phone call in the early morning hours asking me where I am. I tell Twilight what happened and explain to her why I separated myself for the time being. She goes on a rant over how I could've called her, and how quick she could've arranged for concessions to be made. I halfway tune out over twenty seconds in before she calls me out for that. Then she urges me to come to the castle in a hurry before the breakfast slot comes to a close.

By the time I get there, the royal cooking staff have already started to close up shop and make preparations for the general lunch rush. There's a plate available for me to eat, but I have to rush through it just to be able to make Twilight's stupid deadline. And as I come to a licking finish, the guard informs me that the party is about to leave the courtyard. I dart through the halls, flying and narrowly dodging staff and guards alike to catch up to the trio of coaches moving past the castle checkpoint. I reach the checkpoint in just enough time to find the coach Twilight's inside of. She makes note my late arrival, while I quietly sneak on board.

Not a fun way to start the day with an adoptive sibling nagging your ear off.

Our early morning runs completed, we take to our next stop. It seems we're supposed to have a few more with us on today, and our little caravan is going to be traveling every bit of the way to pick up our additional passengers. It's too bad that they'll be riding with Blueblood, since his carriage is only consisting of him at the moment.

Meanwhile, the ride in ours is quiet. I can see Twilight veering off to the distance, she appears pretty happy. Seems like her little meetup from last night went better than expected. Maybe I should probe her on the subject, just to break the monotony of this quiet ride. "So, Twilight."

"Yes?" Her vocal inflections are pretty soft today. Guess she had a real good time.

"I heard you had a special evening planned out last night. How'd that go?"

Almost instantly, she starts to take up a defensive position in the conversation. "Who told you that?"

"Rarity might have dropped that nugget of information while she was drunk." I inform her.

She groans a comment under her breath. "Of course, always going overboard with the smallest interaction I get."

"So what, you ain't get lucky?" I tease the princess.

"That's none of your business." Twilight goes right back to looking at the outside world passing us by.

I continue to tease at her expense, at least happy that she has her own business to get into so that she doesn't start delving into mine too heavy. "So you did. Congrats, I should probably work with Pinkie and throw you a party."

She rolls her eyes and explains with a tired sigh. "It didn't even go that far!"

"Seriously?" I tilt my head at her. "You two did nothing while you were together?"

I can see the warmth in her ears, for her it's the first thing I can tell when she starts to have flashbacks of passion. It's not the first time she's done it either, usually she tries to hide her ears by flattening them, but if she's really happy about it, she'll forget to do so. This morning is an example of the latter. "We just had a moment, that's all."

"Kissing?"

She promptly remembers her habit and folds her ears down in response as she continues to look away. "Why is it that you're even bothering me about this?"

I playfully talk as though I'm mimicking her usual cadence of speaking. "I mean we're both at an age where we should be able to talk about this comfortably. So I don't see why it is that you're so bashful about it."

Now she's growing annoyed. "As if my intimate life won't possibly repulse you."

I continue to mirror her inflections, hopefully getting under her skin a bit as annoying little brothers would. "I'm not asking for details, I'm just seeing if you scratched that seven year itch is all."

She drops her head, showing how frustrated she's getting with me. "Ugh, just one weekend with Nondis and he's already showing to be a bad influence on you."

I mutter underneath my breath as I turn away. "I'm not the one who took him for a ride."

"SPIKE!" She screams at me.

I giggle to myself as I fire back at her. "I mean you got me on this raggedy-ass schedule, I might as well make the best of it."

"Um..." As Shining interrupts, I'm suddenly reminded that the two of us aren't the only ones in this coach. "I know it's not of any real serious consequence, but..."

"Uncle Spike, what does 'raggedy-ass' mean?" Flurry asks in curious fashion, causing her mother to gasp at her daughter's acquired language.

"Flurry!" She chides the young alicorn. "That's a bad word, we don't say that."

"Daddy says it all the time when he screams at the guards. He tells them to get their raggedy asses in shape before he does it for them." I'm mildly amused over her young voice flawlessly swearing much like her father, Cadance is more mortified than anything, and Shining's just embarrassed that he's getting put out on front street.

Twilight however, she politely smiles while informing her daughter to clean up her vocabulary. "Well, princesses don't say that word. Only those nasty boys say that filthy language."

"That's right! You say that!" Cadance cosigns.

Shining takes great offense of his wife trying to align with his younger sister. "Oh don't you start. Didn't you have me learn bubble of silence for certain times of the month? Our scheduled 'love summits'?"

Cadance doesn't like getting ousted by her husband, pinning her ears back for a different reason. "Shining Armor."

"I mean she had to be the most foul-mouthed princess before Flurry was born." He states.

"And don't let her get in front of Chrysalis' statue again." I add to cosign with him as a show of solidarity. I'm starting to feel pretty happy that he came along for the ride today.

Cadance adjusts Flurry while holding her ears shut with her magic. "Boys, can we not right now? Flurry's here with us."

I continue to jab along with the Crystal Emperor. "I know you love being a dad, but don't you miss the times when you weren't one and you could have her to a room by yourself?"

The stallion waxes over the fresh years of his marriage. "Yeah, back when my left hindleg was in top shape."

The aforementioned empress stares back at her husband with a threatening aura. "Keep talking and I might shatter the right one."

"Girls make life so unfun sometimes." Shining smiles as he figures himself to satisfy the requirement of briefly annoying his wife. "Honey, you used to be so fun. Now you're so boring. Where's the pageantry, the spectacle?"

"Probably on the fairer side of twenty-five." I joke lightheartedly.

The emperor chuckles before adding to the joke. "Twenty-five, I wasn't even a thought at the time she was thirty! She's over three hundred years old!"

"I guess I meant to say before she started to look like she went past that." I add, causing both Shining and I to laugh at the pure absurdity of going past the well-established line.

She definitely took that personally, her horn started to crackle with a very ominous and familiar aura. The empress stares daggers at her husband as their daughter takes notice of the magic manifesting in her horn. "Mommy, why is your aura turning black and purple?"

Shining takes notice of her anger and puts an immediate halt to his jesting. "Nothing dear, just thinking of your father."

Meanwhile Twilight, who's already looking down the barrel of year twenty-seven later this year shows her indignation towards me, and in equal fashion. "Auntie Twilight, why is your aura turning black and purple?"

"I'm just thinking of your silly uncle here. Pay me no mind." The fact that she says it with a smile is already unnerving as it is. And judging from that smile, she probably might have some reenactments on the brain, something akin to seven years ago.

Laughter has ceased, commence operation dandelion. "Daddy, Uncle Spike, why are you both so quiet."

In other words, we're going to politely shut the fuck up, and keep our skins firmly attached to our bodies before these two find interesting ways not to. The both of us stare out the window, looking at the sky and hoping that we might either live to see another one, or not see the doom countdown over our heads. "Lovely weather today."

The both of us wear plastic smiles over our faces, knowing any other comment would give either of us an early trip to the morgue. "Our Twily always knows how to really set it up. She's so brilliant." Shining adds with a peaceful expression.

Flurry looks over to me, seeing that I too have resigned myself to being at peace. "Uncle Spike?"

"Ah, the air is quite crisp today."

"It's almost a good day to suddenly expire at the hooves of a spiteful alicorn." Shining says with a peaceful smile.

"Indeed." I reply to his comment.

Flurry grows confused with our antics and questions her mother and aunt. "What's with those two?"

"Boys are sometimes dumb." Twilight answers.

"So daddy and Uncle Spike are big dummies!?" And now her expectation of any and all perspective males have been set to a low bar. We love to see it.

Cadance points back at Twilight with approval. "She said it, not me. I just agree."

Both Shining and I whisper under our breath in unison. "Stupid alicorn magic."

We hear the cackling auras of their dark alicorn magic starting to manifest again as Twilight questions the both of us. "Dummy says what?"

Shining comes through with the quick save. "We meant super alicorn magic, sweetheart!"

While she accepts her fathers reasoning, Flurry calls me out over it instead. "That's not what you said, Uncle Spike!"

I try to distract her from that, at least to save my own life. "Flurry, look, the birds are so high today!"

"We might get blasted up to join them!" Shining adds.

The young alicorn quirks a brow at her resigned father. "Daddy, I thought you always get airsick!"

"That won't matter where your mother's going to send me, sweetie."

One life-threatening coach ride later, we find ourselves in the fairly affluent neighborhood in the Fringe District, an area that's high in residential density and filled with ponies with a comfortable means of wealth. Many of the homes here are either two-level townhouses or five-story condominiums. The area is a familiar allocation of the former, notably it's the neighborhood Twilight and Shining both grew up in before their lives started moving towards the fast lane and in separate directions. The walls may be shared between the units, but they are soundproofed to give intimacy for when it may be needed.

Flurry is the first to jump out of the coach, flying over to the door with a familiar crest of a magenta star with six points. Poor Shining Armor and Cadance can barely keep up with their daughter as she starts to bang the knocker against the door loudly. The door opens to reveal both Mr. and Mrs. Sparkle, my adoptive parents that feel more like actual parents than the very mare that quite literally magic'd me out of the egg. I refer to them as Mrs. V and Mr. C.

Both grandparents snag the young princess from the air, bringing her in for a hug. Then they of course drag all the rest of us over in their magic to embrace us in a large group hug. "Mom! Dad!" Twilight's happy to see them as always, just as long as Mrs. V doesn't nag her about her dating life.

Meanwhile, Mr. C hugs on all the girls, including Cadance. "Ah, and here's our three little angels!" He playfully gives a dismissive greeting to his own son. "Oh hi, Shining."

"Et tú, dad?" Shining understands his father is playing jokes on him. If anything, Mr. V more than realizes how much of an adult his son has become over the years, even sometimes acknowledging him by his formal title.

Meanwhile, Mrs. V has always been partial to her first-born, babying him in spite of him holding significant status. "Aw, don't worry about your father's shenanigans, dearie. You're still my little baby boy."

He still gets embarrassed by it from time to time. "Ma, I'm an emperor now. You're embarrassing me."

"Emperor or not, you are still my darling little colt in Shining Armor." Meanwhile, she'll never change. "Spike, dearest! Keeping Twilight in check?"

"Yes ma'am."

Naturally, she doesn't mind me being around, but lately she's been pretty pushy on one aspect in particular, one I'm not inclined to indulge nor entertain. "That's good! You know, I would love to really be able to have a good one-on-one with you about a few things."

"No thanks." I decline softly.

"Oh, you!" She appears defeated, but that's only for a short while before she'll look to try and push the offer again. "I guess you haven't opened up to the idea yet, but maybe with some more time, you might grow to change your mind and see things differently. I suppose you'll grow into it one day." Again, not even going to entertain the offer.

The pair, while already having me to consider as an adopted child, they also make note of another who they've grown to look after on occasion, especially throughout the past years. "Coming by to pick up our usual candidate for affection?" Asks Mr. C.

"Of course." Twilight answers. "How is she doing?"

Mrs. V nods slowly, slowly thinking more on it. "She's fine. Still a bit concerned for the things in her cabinet, but she's fine."

Just on cue, one of the neighbors walk out of their front door, seeing all of us gathered and waiting. She especially notices me. "Oh, is that who I think it is!?" She teleports over and gives me a tackling hug that almost knocks me off of my feet. "SPIIIIIIIIIIKIIIEEEEE!"

"Oh my word." Mr. C blinks in surprise as Ms. Royal links onto me fairly tightly.

The billionaire heiress, as it turns out, is also a neighbor of the Sparkle family, as she has been for the better part of some nine years. It's just that she's grown close to the family over the past seven because they look after her. While our association has been limited in that time, it's only recently expanded past me seeing her as the drunken neighbor down a few units from the home. "I know it's been a week since you moved in! How's the house!?"

"Loving every inch." I answer with a thumbs up.

She mutters under her breath as she gives me a quick glance up and down, as she usually does nowadays. "I'll take 'Something I'd do' for five-hundred."

Flurry, however, isn't privy to the mare's close connection to the family. "Mommy, who's that?"

"Oh! Little miss princess!" Ms. Royal bends down to formally greet the young mare. "I'm so sorry, I didn't see you there! How's it going?"

"Mommy almost made daddy into a ghost." She excitedly announces, causing everyone to look at the married couple with some concern.

Ms. Royal sits on her haunches as she quietly calls out the princess. "Mommy."

"He started it." Cadance points back at her husband with absolutely no shame or guilt.

She redirects her attention to the aforementioned husband. "Daddy, now why would you start trouble with mommy? You know better than that."

Shining snickers as he gives his wife a kiss on the cheek. "Sometimes living on the edge has a certain thrill to it."

As everyone gathers, Blueblood greets the mare with a smile. "Ah, I see we're back into the throws of old habits."

The greeting is mutual between the two, she returns his smile with one of her own. "Sir prince, didn't expect to see you coming around today."

"I had to show, otherwise I'd be haunted by the ghost of the past for not checking in on you." He replies with a wink.

She shakes her head with a slight chuckle. "Well I greatly appreciate it. You know I do."

The two turn around to look at the castle in the far distance. The blond-maned prince sighs as he thinks of the past. "You know, it's been years since the three of us stood before that checkpoint up there."

"The last line of defense between the element bearers and a mad doctor with unholy intentions." She replies with a saddened tone. "If only my brother could've seen us in that moment."

"That whole week was a nightmare." Shining joins in, looking back up in the distance. "It's one I'll never forget, but it's one that thankfully came to an end the way it did." He then turns to Ms. Royal and ask her of herself. "I know we're about to take off and all, but aren't you forgetting something in your usual ritual?"

Her ears perk up as she realizes that she had bypassed some part of her departure from home. "Oh right, I almost forgot! I'll be right back out in a sec!"

As she darts off, I feel a slight tug at my ear. "Yoo-hoo!" I look to see Mrs. V's horn glowing with a warm blue aura as she waves her hoof to motion at me. "Spike, a little word a dear old lady, if you would."

"Sure thing. What's up?"

As I get in close, she whispers under her voice. "Now I couldn't help but to notice that Blue has apparently taken a bit of a liking to you."

"I think it's more casual than anything." I answer, trying to downplay the situation.

She laughs as she brings me closer to whisper in my ear. "Now, I don't want to alarm you, but I do need to tell you that she's a mare with a good amount of baggage." Excuse me, and your daughter isn't? "And I do mean a LOT of baggage."

To be fair, Ms. Royal already clued me in on that part about some VIP lounge from some years back. "I think I've gotten the hint a few times before."

She's all smiles for appearances, but Mrs. V really stresses the matter. "Well if you want to know just how much baggage we're talking about, why don't you go check in on her right now and see for yourself. I just want you to know what you're dealing with, okay?"

"Uh... okay." It's not like I'm going to date her, I don't even know why she's being this protective.

Either way, I notice that it's been a little while for whatever ritual that's supposed to be taking place. She hasn't made it back yet. So far, it's been over ten minutes. So I humor Ms. V and head over to the townhouse with the cracked front door. As I get closer to the porch, I hear her voice engaging in what sounds like a one-way conversation. I poke my head into the unit, seeing Blue standing in front of a glass cabinet filled with an assortment of items, including a small decorative ceramic phial.

She seems pretty crestfallen but still relatively upbeat as she's engages in her one-sided conversation with the cabinet. "Fine, I promise I won't get as drunk as I usually do. This isn't that kind of thing anyhow." She pauses for silence. "Yeah mom, I hear you." She pauses again, but her tone darkens to a more dismissive one. "Mom, can you please shut dad's mouth?"

As she's seemingly waiting for a response, I speak out to get her attention. "You okay?"

"FUCK!" She nearly jumps completely out of her skin, turning to see me standing in her doorway. She catches her breath and recollects herself. "Oh, it's just you."

"Yeah, just me." I say as I'm quietly weirded out by her very robust one-way engagement with her cabinet.

Her magic swells in her horn as she manipulates the space around my arm, dragging me inside as she speaks. "Well don't fucking sneak up on me like that! I could've beamed you straight in the head! Hasn't anyone told you about knocking?"

"Sorry, I just wanted to check on you. You've been in here for a while."

"Aw, you're such a sweetie." She drags me down my my shoulders, bending me forward as she gives me a quick and unexpected peck on the lips. "I wish I had a little more time, maybe I'd entertain you a little more, maybe brew you some tea or something. Sure would've loved to have you over to explain things a little more instead of you walking in on me talking with the family over there."

"Over there" I ask as she points to the cabinet. Sure enough there's a small portrait sitting at the top of the cabinet, it appears to be a brown, plainly unicorn mare holding her forelegs around a pair of foals, the blue one obviously being her, the other is what I assume to be her brother. There's also a fourth, a very familiar gray unicorn stallion who's posed a bit away from the otherwise happy family. He appears stern and disinterested, almost impatient with the photo. It's Senator Count DuMoneé alright, and he's pissed. "Huh, so you really are his daughter."

"Sadly, not by my choice... or his." Even while she tries to seem upbeat, I feel a deep sadness in her confession, especially when she points out his preference of her status.

I wonder if there was any history of abuse, probably not my place to ask but... "If you don't mind me─"

"Who was I talking to, right? I get it, it's something you're not used to." She's pretty quick to pivot away from the general topic, going straight to the portrait. "So yeah, that's my mom holding me and my big brother. And you already know who it is looking off to the side there."

"Can't imagine you looking straight forward and talking to this picture here." I point out.

"Yeah, I know you're tall. But try looking down at my eye level instead." She clarifies.

I do as she instructed before I see a trio of items that sends a slight shiver down my back. "Uh... those are... faces."

"Death masks, to be specific." She bluntly explains. "You get a clay or bronzed mold of your loved-one's face when they die, it's a special request. I managed to get mine for free. Don't ask how."

You know, the 'how' part of the equation doesn't really ring as loud as the main thing that's front and center. "Why would you do that?"

She's quiet for a moment, her foreleg shaking a bit as she pieces together her response. "Well I guess you could say it was more sprung up on me than anything. I can't really explain it any further than that. Sorry, some things are better left unsaid."

I see the one on the right that looks like Senator Count, the other two aren't as familiar. The one on the left looks like a mare. Meanwhile the one in the middle seems to have a gruesome quality to it. I can't put my claws on it, but it feels terribly off. "This one in the middle looks... different."

She grows a bit uncomfortable throughout her explanation. "That's my mom. She didn't have a... um... how can I say it... a comfortable passing. So hers is a little more organic, namely in the sense that it doesn't hide much of what she went through. Poor thing, she went through everything my father did to her up to that moment."

So there was some abuse. "Well... yikes."

"The one to the right is my father... it's more of a recreation of his senatorial bust than anything. They couldn't use his face after, even if I wanted them to."

If I recall correctly, he fell out of a fifth story window at the castle, landing head first in the garden. I think Mrs. V was there at the time. "Yeah. I remember."

"And the one to the left is big bro." THAT'S YOUR BROTHER!? I seriously thought that was a mare of some sort, not so much a male! Then again, I don't remember the face of the hologram at the museum too well, just that his personality was a bit flavorful. Still, he's a looker, and a strange draw for some. "I know he's a little distressed, but he's mainly worried about me and my drinking habits, as he usually is."

So one mask is the reminder of abuse, the other is a result of that abuse, and the last one can pass as an androgynous model. It's unsettling to say the least, but it's her way of mourning. I can't judge her for it. "Such a collection of personalities."

"Aren't they?" She takes a deep breath before clopping her hooves together and snapping herself to the present in what could best be described as a serious case of mood whiplash. "Alright, let's get a move on!"

While I cannot judge her for her method of mourning, I can still respect her home and participate to some degree. It's not like they'll be offended by the gesture, after all it would be rude for me to not introduce myself. "Well... I'm Spike, nice to meet y'all. See you guys later."

She gives me a nudge, sweetly bumping me out of the way to say her farewells. "Bye mom, bye bro." Then she turns to her father's face. "Sperm donor." She says nothing else and walks out of her home. I follow behind her and we walk towards the carriages. Blueblood kindly guides her into the carriage before he and her take off. The Sparkle family say their goodbyes before we all load into our carriage.

As we move along, two words ring out in my mind about Blue's interaction with her dad. "Sperm donor?"

Shortly after our departure from the Fringe District, we run into a series of checkpoints leading through a few tunnels that seem to bury deep through the mountain. And they were surprisingly hard to get through considering our royal status. I can tell this part of town doesn't seem to like having royalty in their business, much less a visit from one. But after the fourth checkpoint, I soon realize why.

We break through into a fairly open plot of land, one with large mansions speckling the landscape. Each estate seems to be walled off by a combination of greenery and brick masonry. The road is winding and fairly smooth. Compared to the cobblestone streets of the city proper, which has it's bumps and knocks, it feels like we're simply gliding along the trail. I don't even think there's roads like this in any place in the kingdom. And with as massive as a collection of land this is, I'm more surprised it hasn't been discovered sooner by any wayward-flying pegasi.

We come to a complete stop once more, finding ourselves before a wrought iron gate. Sitting at the far end of the walkway is a large Victorian-style mansion standing three stories high with a brick and wood exterior. It looks as though we've stumbled into Ms. Royal's tax bracket of wealth, at least someone with that similar amount of funds. It wouldn't surprise me at this point that this pony might be one of Canterlot wealthiest figures.

I look up to see the massive standing structure with a swimming mass of expectations. "What in the actual high fuck?"

"SPIKE!" Twilight calls me out for cursing, knowing that Flurry might pick up the language.

"Oop, sorry." I apologize while covering my mouth. "This place is stupidly huge."

Ms. Royal giggles as she walks by me. "I forget this is your first time on the back end of the mountain."

"Yeah, why is this house so damn big?" Twilight looks back at me to quickly adjust my language again. "Sorry, let me rephrase that."

Ms. Royal promptly explains. "It's just the affluent part of town that's away from the hustle and bustle. And that's how they like it, to be away from everyone and have their own piece of land, something you obviously don't get in the main parts of Canterlot."

Much like the condos and townhouses that litter every single district. Everything is either sharing a wall or a floor plan. This seems more like if there were a small bunch of houses situated out in Sweet Apple Acres. I didn't even know land like this existed here. "So I've noticed."

Ms. Royal approaches the wrought-iron gate, pressing a button on the side of the access. There's a speaker above the button, it clicks on to reveal a voice. "Hmmmyes, who is it?"

"Handy, it's me." The mare casually replies.

The voice replies with excitement abound. "Ah! Young madam! Why I'm absolutely in awe that you would come by to visit! Please wait, I shall answer the door for the madam of the home!"

As the gate opens for us, I make note of the system that's currently in place. "This doorbell must be the precursor to the one on my house."

The mare smiles at me and explains. "By function, you could say that. But this system's been here for over a decade."

Twilight overhears the conversation and looks to get some clarification. "What do you mean like the one on your house?" I forget that Twilight's not supposed to know that my place is decked out with human tech. So the two of us grow mum until an elderly stallion walks out with a warm smile and an even warmer embrace of the mare I was talking to.

"Young madam!"

"Handy!" She coos longingly as she hugs the elderly butler. "It's so good to see you're still up and at it. Oh my heart is so happy to see you."

"Likewise my dear, there isn't a day where I don't worry for you." He raises one of her hooves and kisses it much like a gentlecolt would. "Ah, so beautiful you still are. Thank Faust you've found strength."

She turns over to me, eager to get us both to greet each other. "Spike, this is Handy Dandy! He's was on my brother's serving staff back when this plot of land used to be our family's estate."

Flurry calls out to the stallion as she flies over. "Wow! You're pretty old, mister!"

All of us freeze up in hearing the young filly blatantly call him out for his age. The stallion, however, laughs it off and greets her with a smile. "Why yes, I am a sprinkle past prime, but I am very much immersed in my golden years. And you, my beautiful little filly, who might you be?"

"I am Princess Flurry Heart!" She boldly announces.

"Of the Crystal Empire!?" His eyebrows raise a significant amount. He looks past the filly to see her approaching parents. He bows before them and reverences the young foal. "Your highness, this pretty old gentlecolt is more than honored to be of service. Do you wish to come in?"

"Yeah!" She exclaims loudly.

"Flurry, calm yourself." Cadance corrects her daughter, taking her in and holding her close. "Sorry, she's a bit excitable at times."

As we are given access to the home, we walk into a magnificently decorated foyer, a crystal chandelier hangs high in the air, refracting lights sourced from some of the crystals themselves. The refractions produce a number of prismatic shimmers throughout the room. Meanwhile, Handy makes note of his experience while looking to Ms. Royal. "Quite alright, you excellency. I deal with the young masters and madams all the time. Some never quite grow out of it."

A familiar mare walks from the top of the staircase, a zebracorn with crimson eyes coming to greet us. Meanwhile Ms. Royal shouts at the top of her voice and darts towards the mare. "KALIIIIIIIIII!"

Cadance's eyes widen but not by much. The butler smirks as he nods his head towards the mare that ran from his side. "As such."

While the two mares embrace each other, I ask the zebracorn of her home. "Holy crap, lady, you live here!?"

Mrs. Kalimba replies while still being mobbed by the billionaire heiress. "Well to be fair, this place is more of a gift bestowed upon me by this one here."

"Yeah, I wasn't gonna stay here after my brother passed, way too many emotions, way too much space for poor little me, and I wasn't comfortable here anyways. We tore down the old home and rebuilt it from the foundations shortly after. Was gonna pass it all off to a certain captain, but he told me to give it to someone else. So I just left it to Kali, she deserves a place like this." Ms. Blue snuggles against the zebracorn, much to her minor annoyance but eager acceptance.

A young filly pops in from the top of the stairs as well, a zebracorn much like his mother. "Muddah!"

"Nafasi, we have guests." Mrs. Kalimba calls out to her son.

"Wow, we got visitors. That doesn't usually happen." Yet another filly pops in from the other side of the stairs. She appears to be wearing some strange assortment of glasses, lenses made from actual rubies. She takes note of my appearance out of everything else. "AND ONE OF THEM'S A DRAGON!?"

Gala Galleria

Kalimba's younger sister

"Hi." I wave up to her as she darts down the stairs to meet me.

She stops short of me and gazes up to see how tall I am. Meanwhile Ms. Royal introduces us to one another. "Gala Galleria, meet Spike. Spike, meet Gala. She's Kalimba's younger sister."

"Sister!?" I shake my head and turn to the mare of the home. "You know she could pass as a daughter or something."

"It's a long story and I don't wanna get into it." Replies the zebracorn.

The butler clears her throat, intending to get the green filly's attention. "Madam, may I introduce to you the youngest of madams. Princess Flurry Heart of the Crystal Empire."

Princess Flurry Heart Mi Amor

2nd High Princess of the Kingdom of Equestria,
High Princess of the Crystal Empire

"Get out!" Her scream of shock pierces my ears as she darts over to the young Flurry. "You're a princess!?"

She responds proudly to her title. "That's right!"

The young adolescent Gala goes on a raving review of the young alicorn. "Wow, your wings are so pretty and big! I wish I could fly like you, I bet you're a great flier! You're so pretty too! I love your mane! You look so incredible! I can't believe a princess like you is here! I bet your place is way bigger than this!"

"We live in a tower in the Crystal Empire. It's pretty high up."

"I bet you can see everything!"

"Just about!"

While the pair of fillies go about their conversation, Shining shrugs off the excitement the pair shows off for one another. "I suppose girls will be girls."

Mrs. Kalimba smiles as she holds her son close to her. "I think they'll get along just fine."

It takes a while before the girls finally calm down a bit. Eventually, we get settled in and the waiting staff politely serves us our lunch. The food they provide are cultural dishes served in what I assume to be Kalimba's homeland. As of the moment, we're seated in a fairly large dining room, at a table with enough length to accommodate at least twenty guests. The food is spicy, but so delicious that I find myself requesting seconds... and thirds. At the end of our meal, we all comfortably recline and have casual discussion.

The staff in charge collect our plates and offer us non-alcoholic beverages to help tide things over. Meanwhile I'm happy and full, almost in love with the cooking staff for their work. While I know he's not a chef, I wish to pass on my thanks. "Mr. Handy, that food was way too good to be a kept secret."

"Tis nothing, young sir. Our wait staff prides itself to it's dedication of service and satisfaction."

Ms. Royal chuckles back at the butler. "Never changing, I see."

"Well I wouldn't want to be a stranger to you, madam Blue." The elderly figure winks back at his former employer.

"I suppose not." She says as she stares down into her cup with an endearing smile.

As we're sitting stationary, a thought brews up in the forefront of my mind. "Hey Ms. Royal. You said you used to live here, why'd you leave?"

"I know I told you about my brother's passing, and how I didn't want to stick around after that. I also made mention that I had the old home torn down, the reason for that was because a lot happened here and I felt those spirits needed a whole-sale cleanse. You're probably wondering why I didn't do that and stay here myself, but I just didn't think this was the space for me. I felt more comfortable going small since I really can't branch things out, you know."

"Do you mean like having a family or something?" I inquire.

"Yeah. I would honestly love to have a little bundle of joy running around for me to pick up after, but I know that I can't really do that." She answers as her smile gradually starts to fade.

"You know, there are also some pretty good adoption agencies that could help." I suggest.

"Nah, it's not my thing." She swirls her glass, going into a contemplative mode. "...Not anymore."

Sadness is starting to manifest all over her face, I grow concerned. "What happened?"

"...Reality happened, Spike." She slides the glass away.

"When you─" As I start to answer a question, a strong magic force shuts my mouth.

Twilight immediately jumps in over me. "So tell us about your expansion into the Griffonstone market, Blue! I'm sure your new venture into the land of griffons is a pretty exciting one."

At that moment, she endures yet another mood whiplash, snapping herself back to present. "Ugh, where do I begin with them!?"

As the billionaire real estate mogul begins her rant, I feel the magic quench around my lips. I look over to see Twilight's horn doing the same. "You seriously cut me off?" I whisper to her.

"Yes, because there are some questions you don't need to dig on." She stresses through gritted teeth, still maintaining a smile.

"How was I supposed to know that?" I ask.

"Maybe you didn't. But I had to jump in." She responds while nodding back to the mare in the midst of her rant. "Now shut up, smile, and pay attention."

"So then they tell me that they don't want to pay that much for a unit that's been renovated. Now mind you, this unit I renovated looks a farcry better than anything else there. But they want me to charge a flat rate compared to the other units in the city. But they're all ran down! Like I understand Griffonstone is in the midst of it's recovery, but most of the creatures there are so hardstuck on the past that they won't budge when it comes to the pricing. I'm at least trying to raise land value and visual appeal, but it's difficult."

Twilight shifts her tone to further encourage the business mogul. "Just stick to it, darling! I'm sure it'll work out eventually."

As Ms. Royal looks to go on with her rant, Cadance takes note of a missing figure who's not sitting beside her at the moment. "Has anyone seen Flurry?"

"She's not here?" Blueblood questions.

Handy, who's probably the busiest pony in the room, shows his capability to also be observant. "I believe the young madam has been escorted to the bathroom by Gala. They shall return shortly."

"Gala has been gone for some time. I guess they're taking turns." Fluttershy replies in thought.

A second or two after, the door opens to reveal the mint-green adolescent. "There you are." Mrs. Kalimba points out to her sister.

"Hey Gala, is Flurry not with you?" Shining asks.

The young filly promptly answers his question. "She was... I think she trailed off when we walked past the kitchen."

"The kitchen? Guess she wanted a bit of an after-meal snack. She's a growing girl after all." Shining states of his daughter.

Cadance chuckles sensibly as she comments about her daughter. "I always said she had your appetite." Just as she finishes speaking, Flurry reveals herself soon after. "There you are! How many times have I told you not to wander off?"

"Sorry mommy. I was talking with the lady in the kitchen." The young princess confesses.

"Is that so?" Asks her mother.

"Yeah!" She proudly answers. "She says she's happy that Ms. Blue came to visit and that she's happy she's doing so well. She says she's really proud of her and all of her accomplishments!" The filly then turns to the real estate mogul and softens her voice. "She says she's sorry for everything that happened, that you're still her little princess."

"Oh... that's..." The mare clutches her pearls tightly, taking a moment to reflect before suddenly rising from the table and hurriedly walking out of the room. She almost knocks over her glass on the way up. "I'm sorry, I need to be excused for a moment."

As she walks out the door, I see her face contort to unveil some considerable pain she's been hiding. Young Gala inquires about the mare and her speedy exit. "Did something happen?"

Cadance looks down to her daughter and carefully speaks with her. "Flurry, what did I tell you about going off and talking to ponies on your own?"

The young princess answers her mother, appearing annoyed for being nagged at. "Never to do it unless you or daddy are present."

"Very good. Now don't ever do that again." She softly warns.

While the sudden development is bewildering to say the least, most of the ponies in the room are quiet and seemingly reverent towards the mare. However, there are the others like me who don't understand what's going on. I stand up and announce my brief dismissal. "I'm going to the bathroom myself. I'll be back."

In truth, I'm lying to leave the room without any possible resistance. As soon as I walk out, I hear the sounds of soft sobbing coming from further down. My feet guide me towards the source, coming from within the kitchen filled with the lingering smell of spices strongly reminding me of the numerous plates of food I ate. My arm swings the door open to see Ms. Royal hunched against island counter, hugging herself as she's wiping her tears with her foreleg. Her weeps are guttural and painful, she tries her best to stop, but each attempt deepens her emotional release.

Admittedly, this is probably the first time I haven't seen her whiplash herself back to being as warm-spirited and carefree as she usually is. She's been hiding this pain for some time, and whatever Flurry said has gotten to her real bad. She rocks back and forth, comforting herself as best as she can. I know I don't want to disturb her, but I still want to show support for whatever she's going through. "Hey, you okay?"

She gasps as she realizes through her water-logged vision that I'm standing in the kitchen with her. She stands up, trying to gather herself. "I'm..." She frantically wipes her tears away, trying to put back on her emotional mask. "I'm just a mess right now."

A soft creak from the ceiling tells me that the house is still settling in place, but Blue's head lowers as she goes immediately back into her breakdown. She lets out a choked yell before she hyperventilates. The mare tries her best to slow things down, but she finally lifts her head with her eyes to the lights above. I look up with her. "Something happened?"

"Just having a moment." She responds between breaths. I walk over to comfort her, she waves me off with a frantic warning. "Oh please don't hug me right now, I'm a snotty, teary mess, I'll just bury my head wherever I can get to and never let you go. I don't wanna get you dirty. I'll just straighten up, I promise."

I don't care too much for that, I just know that she's in pain and that she needs a good release with as much as she constantly slaps herself out of. I kneel down and plant her head deep into my chest, hoping she gets some form of comfort. While my body may not be as warm as a pony, I can only hope my presence helps her relieve these pent-up emotions she's been squirreling away.

My mind goes back to the three masks in her cabinet. I remember how she says her mom went through it all before passing away, how abusive her dad was. I add up the toll of her not wanting to stay here, even though the walls of this house were completely gutted and demolished, the spirits of her past still remain on these grounds. While I'll never understand what all happened, I can at least try to help begin some form of healing. "Sometimes it takes a little more than a slap to the cheek to feel better. You don't have to talk about it, but you don't have to hide it either. Make your mess, but let that all go right now. Okay?"

A constricting hug clenches around my body as the mare's horn poke into my chin, she lets out a pained scream, piercing my ears and echoing throughout the home. She lets out another, muffled by my chest as she leans into me even deeper. I lay my head on top of hers while she lets out one more. The next few outbursts aren't screams, but more of her panting deeply. She nuzzles herself, finally feeling comfort as my body assumes the warmth hers give off.

Her grip loosens as she finally peels away from my chest. It's not a pretty parting as much of her snot is still bridges the distance. I don't mind it much because I know she's been needing the release for some time. I'm just amazed that throughout all this time she never found the time to do it. Maybe it was something that Flurry said that got to her, a trigger that induced this. But whatever it is, she's finally showing signs of recovery. Her eyes are puffy and red, her voice is half-way gone, but she's not uncontrollably producing tears anymore. I look over to the countertop, grabbing a roll of paper towels for the two of us. "Got it all out?" I ask as I start to wipe her face down for her.

She forces a smile, nodding rapidly all the while. The forced expression finally takes root, transforming her entire mood. But even while the symptoms of her sadness persisted, she shows a natural progression to her mood change instead of the usual snap back to adapting to the present. As I finish cleaning her face, she levitates the roll of paper towels and starts to clean my chest. "I love you, Spike." I display a brief moment of shock over her sudden confession, but she clarifies her position. "Not like in an intimate sense, but like on a spiritual thing, if that makes sense."

Honestly, with the kiss from earlier, I could've assumed otherwise. But I do understand where she's coming from. She finishes with my chest, but goes for the sink to wet a few towels to clean me further. I politely quench her horn, all while catching the paper towels before they hit the floor. "It's fine. You got it."

"Thank you so much, Spike." She takes a deep breath, recovering from her release in full. "I guess you got a lot more out of me today than you needed. I bet this all weirded you out something fierce."

"No, it's okay." I answer with a smile of my own. "After everything you've done for me, I'll take this as a badge of honor. Just try to convey to me what you're feeling from time to time instead of holding it all in. I'm here for it."

The mare purses her lips before slapping her cheeks one good time, the impacts leaving a substantial redness on either side of her face. "What a crybaby, am I right?" Guess she had to snap herself back one good time. "Okay, enough of that. Let's get back to the others before they worry about us."

I think it's too late for that now. "Yeah, let's head back."

After our visit to the other side of the mountain, we come back to over to the side we know. Flurry glows so much about the young Gala that she prefers to ride in with her. Since each coach is designated for five, we trade her place with that of Ms. Royal's. The carriage is pretty quiet because of it, but on occasion I find her going from staring out the window lost in thought, to smiling every time she peeks over to me.

I don't know whether to be worried about how she's doing, or maybe what she's thinking about when it comes to me. All I know is that she's between the world outside and me in here. It hasn't gone unnoticed by the others either, they even rearrange the seating to where I'm situated right next to her. Interestingly enough, she falls asleep next to me. It's remains that way until a bad bump in the road shifts her over onto me, and she proceeds to use my body for a pillow. The others are quiet, but show moderate interest in the display of peace the mare has with me.

Just the quiet stares make me uncomfortable for the entire ride.

Hours later, we reach the location of tonight's main event. We at last get back down to the Corrotto District. The traffic is pretty significant in the area, and it's not without reason. Tonight is the opening night of the National Buckball League. It's advertised all throughout the city, the region, even the country. And tonight's game will be against last year's conference finals opponent, who barely scraped out a win over our Canterlot Crusaders in seven-game series, the Las Pegasus Paladins.

We take an underground tunnel for exclusive access, and mainly to avoid the crowds. But the hype is electric, felt from even the modernistic concrete columns that serves as the foundation of this stadium. The kids are already eager and waiting, especially Nafasi. "Finally, it is GAAAAME TIIIIIME!" He does his best announcer impression.

His mother is much more subdued in her excitement, looking around every corner as we approach our elevator to our VIP booth. "Nafasi, calm down."

As we load onto the elevator, Flurry makes a request before we push any buttons to reach a certain floor. "Mommy, daddy, can I go to see the players?"

Cadance tempers her daughter's expectations. "Now Flurry, it wouldn't be nice to just barge in on them and see them. Let's ask if they can first, then we'll do that."

"Okay!" She's not convinced they'll refuse.

Blueblood chuckles at the young filly and her mother. "That girl is something else, I'll tell you that. I bet it's pretty interesting have a daughter that's so much like you, Cadance."

The esteemed mother places her hooves over her daughter's ears before speaking candidly. "Ugh, it's a headache. It's like every bad thing you did to your parents comes right around and bites you in the ass."

I scoff back at her and playfully point at her hypocrisy. "So much for princesses not cursing."

"We only did that to not have Flurry Heart swearing up a storm." She says as she unplugs her daughter's ears.

As we reach the floor to what appears to be the players locker room access, Shining departs from the group and leaves the rest of us in wait. Meanwhile Twilight adds to the topic. "Because if it was up to her, she would probably stir up another blizzard and swear while doing so."

"Yeah, I bet that would be pretty wild." I mutter, thinking about that first week she was born, and all the destructive chaos that came along with it.

Shining returns to the elevator with more than a smile. "Hey hun!" He waits until the doors close before he spreads the good news. "Flurry and I got the green light to see the players. I can take the other kids who might want to see them too."

The young zebracorn colt explodes with energy. "REALLY!? ABEG MOMMA, PLEASE LET ME GO TO SEE!"

"Remember to behave and not annoy them too much!" She instructs firmly before turning to her younger sister. "Gala, can you look after him?"

The adolescent filly answers her older sibling. "I'm only going because Flurry's going, and I totally want an autograph."

"Whatever works, I guess." Mrs. Kalimba answers as the group assembles around Shining to go meet the players.

The three younger ponies and their imperial chaperone departs from the group. As that issue is resolved, Ms. Royal hits the button to reach our box seats. The elevator travels quickly to our designated floor, opening it's doors to a clean hallway with modern carpeting. She raises a keycard to the first room that's directly across from us, giving access to middle-most suite in all of the stadium. We can see the entire field from up here, and there are TV's that can show the action up close. Already, I can see the crowd starting to file in and fill the seventy-thousand seats in the stadium. The LED bands around each tier flash brightly of the team colors, the large screens above the bowl show highlights from last season in preparation of tonight's game.

It's hard not to feel the excitement of being here. Everything's so futuristic, or modern by human standards. The sound system hits almost as hard as the club not too far from here, it's just more spread out is all. Down below, members of the crowd are given wands that change colors at a given whim, almost like it's a concert. This is clearly a place where you just forget that most of Equestria isn't nearly up to date with any of this, quite literally the next generation mecca of buckball for the time being.

My phone vibrates, grabbing my attention from the futuristic pageantry of the upcoming kickoff. I look down to see a familiar name at the top of the text. "I need to see you."

While it says it's from Gabby's phone, I can only assume that this is actually someone else, probably her boyfriend. I text back to be sure. "Who is this?"

The reply is so quick that it's within a fifteen second window. "It's Gabby, who else would it be?" Her boyfriend doesn't type nearly that fast.

"Your boyfriend impersonated you last night." I inform her.

"I've been told." She texts back. "Please, can you call me?" And it's in rapid-fire responses, I can't even get a message in. "Better yet I'll call you." I'm barely getting a chance to read the message before her name pops up on the screen to accept her call. This is obviously her, she doesn't play around when it comes to working her phone.

♪Through drought and famine, natural disasters, my baby has been arou─♫

"Hello?" I promptly answer the call. I get a few stares over the ring tone, but I find a corner separated from everyone else for the moment to take the call.

"Spike, where are you right now?" It's her voice, but she's being awfully quiet.

"Still in Canterlot for a bit." I answer.

She sighs in distress. "Dang it, I'm in a really rough bind. I really need you."

I look back to make sure no one's around me as I lower my voice. "What's wrong?"

"You know how you said that Galefor impersonated me last night to get you on the phone?"

"I don't remember saying all of that."

"Well he did. He and I got into a pretty big spat about it this morning. And I'm still in between paychecks, so I don't have any bits to afford a place to crash for the time being."

"He kicked you out?" I ask quietly, not trying to alert anyone to the subject.

"No. I left."

Well I can tell that's a decision made on impulse. Either something bad really happened between them, they got physical, or she just separated herself with little to no fallback plan. "Why'd you leave?" I inquire.

"Because he said, and I quote, 'If you're going to stay here with me and we're going to have this thing together, then you should have him respect the boundaries that I put down for this relationship.' His words, not mine."

In short, she's risking her current relationship to keep things going between us. Great, she's going about this the wrong way, and now it's subject to get even worse. "Gabby." I shake my head at the griffon.

She continues onward. "So I told him 'Look, you can't just go through my phone and do whatever just to trap whoever you think is doing something with me.' Then he tells me 'I don't care, whatever you have on Wednesday, cancel it.' So then I snap back at him like 'You can't tell me who I can talk to or not. That's our gameday together, I'm going to visit no matter what.' Then he snaps at me and says 'Well if you want to visit him so bad, why don't you stay there for the night?' And then I start nodding like, okay bet! So then I tell him, 'You know what, fine! I'll stay the whole week! Maybe some time away from each other is just what we need to figure things out.' And he's all like 'That's not what I meant.' And I'm like, 'No, that's exactly what you meant. So I'm gonna be about it.' So I packed about a weeks worth of my stuff. And while I'm packing, he's begging me to stay with him. He's all like 'Gabriella please, let's talk this through so we don't do anything we might regret,' I'm fussing back at him, he's blocking the doors, I have to fly through a window, he's following me all throughout the day until I lose him somewhere in town. So as of now I'm hiding in a bush with all of my stuff, and I'm eyeing your place just across the street. I'm literally right here."

Scratch that, it's even more disastrous than I thought. "Oh Gabby."

She keeps her voice down, but she unleashes a grunt of frustration. "He's always so irrational! I can't stand it! Everything about him is so... ARGH! Spike, please just come by whenever you can and let me in. I promise I'll make it up to you when you get back. I'll even pay you back for the week to compensate for groceries, water, whatever."

"I'm so far away, Gabby." I stress to her. I check the time, seeing that the next train to Ponyville will probably leave the station in about two minutes, which means I'll have to catch the next train in about an hour. And I don't want to get Twilight involved with the situation. So I start to think of my options. "If I'm gonna have to fly there myself, it'll be about thirty to forty-five minutes at full speed."

Gabby sighs over the news. "I'm so sorry, Spike. I just need to be anywhere but there with him right now. He gets all desperado when this happens, and I don't like it when he gets like that. It's just... ugh."

I continue to rack my brain with other alternatives, hoping I can reach a middle ground without me having to put my endurance on the line and marathon a flight over to Ponyville. "Can I just arrange for you to stay at my girlfriend's place?"

She doesn't like that idea very much, but she sounds accepting of it. "Does she even know about me?"

"Of course she does." I reply.

"Okay. I guess I'll wait for you to call me back and give me the okay. I really want to hurry, Spike. I don't want him to find me." She pleads desperately.

"Alright, I'll get back with you." I tell her before hanging up the phone.

As I'm in the midst of my quick switchover to find Ocellus' number, Twilight takes note of my isolation and questions me. "Spike, are you okay? You've been in that corner for over ten minutes hunched with your phone."

"Just give me a minute." I say while raising a hand to halt her and answer the call. "Hello?"

I hear soft music in the background as Ocellus gives her reply in a playful accent. "Alas, so you've called me on the eve of my Smolder's dinner."

"Hey Spike!" She sounds to be in close proximity, but still a small distance away from the receiver. It seems she has me on speaker.

"Hey Smolder." I acknowledge before quickly getting back to the main topic. "Ocellus, look, I'm in a bit of a bind here. I need you to do me a favor."

"If it's about the spell, you know what I told you already." It seems she's still in her mood to tease me, but I'm not exactly in that frame of mind right now.

"It's not about the spell. It's about Gabby."

The changeling audibly displays her disappointment. "Oh, what about her?"

Smolder jumps in with a cosign for the changeling. "Wow, you really called her to talk about what you want to do for Gabby!? That's a pretty shitty move, Spike!"

"I know, but it's an emergency!" I reply hurriedly. "Look, Gabby got kicked out of her apartment, she and her guy had a nasty spat, and now she needs a place to crash."

The dragon scoffs at the unfolding drama. "Tell her I said 'Good luck with that one!'"

"Smolder, seriously, she needs our help." I stress back to her.

"Spike, you're the one who's supposed to be buttering her up to join us. You can't just cheat and have us do your job for you."

"And that huge-ass place you got and you don't want to christen it with your first overnight partner?"

I peek back to see Twilight trying to loom over me, I walk away to go out into the hallway so I can be alone. "I'm in Canterlot right now, I'm at a friendship summit."

"Well can't you lot your scaly ass on down here for a friend, or are you going to leave her hiding wherever she is?" Smolder's bad joke leaves me rolling my eyes.

"Girls." I groan back at the pair.

"Spike, I got dinner to eat." Smolder complains.

"Damn straight you do." It seems the both of them are still in a playful mood, but they do still offer some form of explanation why they can't make that happen. "So here's the deal, Spike. Long ago when Twilight was still the headmare of the school, the dorms used to be co-ed, the key phrase here is 'used to be'. Our graduating class kinda ruined that because of the ample amounts of sex. Our grad class had an orgy in the dorm and it smelled like a sex barn for weeks. Took the cleaning staff a while to sanitize the place, and Starlight instilled restrictions from that point on. Dorm occupancies are now only for two at a time instead of four, plus there are no free rooms available here unless you want to count single occupancy. But the catch is that one single occupancy is with a male student. And I don't think Starlight would want to play that risk."

"Can't she get a hotel?" Smolder asks.

"She's in between pay cycles, so no." I answer.

"I don't know what to tell you Spike. Maybe she can stay at the castle." Suggests the changeling.

"Great, I'll call Starlight!"

Smolder quickly interjects. "Wait, don't they have the guest students for the academic decathlon staying there? I think it's that one school from Manehattan."

"Dammit, I forgot!" Ocellus grumbles in defeat. "Sorry, Spike. Looks like we're tied up here. We're really wracking up what we can do. We would pay for a hotel room ourselves, but maybe that's not even in the cards because of the buckball game kicking off at noon tomorrow. We could always call around and see."

I take a deep breath and scream out just to vent some frustration over the situation. "FUCK!" My sudden explicative draws Twilight from out of the suite. "Okay, I'll be down there in a bit, I guess."

"Oh, so you'll leave a friendship summit for Gabby, but you won't leave for me and Smolder!?"

"Lame!"

I shake my head and briskly head for the elevator. "I'll deal with you two later!" I hurry to hang up the call, seeing the purple princess getting closer, never minding that Ocellus was in mid-sentence. I try to close the elevator door before she gets in with me, but she teleports herself inside anyways. "Twilight, I know you're concerned. But I gotta go, please don't beg me to tell you what's going on. It's a private emergency."

"Hold up, what do you mean by a 'private emergency?'" She asks.

As the elevator hits the floor of the general concourse, I pry myself past the doors at first opportunity. I get off to a running start before I take to the air. "Friend emergency!"

Twilight calls out from the elevator. "Spike, you can't just leave in the middle of a friendship summit!"

I holler at her as I dart down the hall to the open bowl. "I'll be back!"

It takes closer to an hour to find myself out of breath and frantically traversing the skies above the growing town of Ponyville. I drop down to find myself back home again, unfortunately not to revel in the comfort of my own dwelling. But I do call out to the street in an earnest attempt to see if she's still around.

"Gabby... where are you?" I'm still out of breath.

She pops out of a nearby bush, still with leaves in her feathers. "Sorry, Spike." She pulls out a heavy suitcase and explains herself. "I didn't mean for you to go through all of this, but I really needed to get out of there."

"Just let me... take a sec..." I urge, trying to find a moment to breathe.

"You really high-tailed it from Canterlot to here, didn't you?"

"Top... speed." I nod tiredly. "My chest burns right now."

She runs over to hug me. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to have you do something like this."

"It's fine... Really." I pant between breaths, still astounded that she elected to hide in the bushes instead of waiting things out at her place, much less talking to him to clear the air about what she feels about their relationship.

She grabs her suitcase and walks me over to my front door. "Let's get you inside, you could really use a breather."

As I unlock the door, smelling the potpourri oil that graces the foyer, I start to feel a sense of normalcy. My brain immediately registers the action of walking up the stairs and diving into my bed. The only thing that prevents me from doing so is the fact that Gabby is walking in right beside me. I even admit it to her. "Gotta say that I want to stay here for the night, but I can't. This schedule Twilight has me on is bullshit."

Her mind isn't so much on her situation anymore, but focused on me instead. "Do you need any water?"

"You asking me like you own the house." I joke, starting to regain my breath just a bit. "Yeah, water is fine."

She runs into the kitchen, grabbing a glass from the cupboard. I look over to one of the chairs in the dining room, longing to just park a seat for a quick moment. She comes back with a glass full of water to get me back to shape. "Here you go."

I guzzle down the glass before looking at my phone for the time. I realize that I don't have long before the next train leaves Ponyville station to Canterlot. "Ugh... I gotta take the train back."

I can tell she wants me to stay a little longer, but deeply regretting the truth that I'm due to leave soon. "I am so, so sorry."

"Stop apologizing, you know where the rooms are. Take a shower, get comfy, do what you do to feel at home." I say as I start to walk out the door. "Next train to Canterlot's the last one for the evening. And it leaves in three minutes. I gotta dart now if I want to catch it."

She gives me a hug, latching on with intent as she looks up to me. "Thanks, Spike." I know what she's leaning in for, but I only give her a kiss on the forehead for the time being. I do so knowing that if I go any further, I'll miss my train, I'll forget that I have other obligations, I'll probably bypass the summit until morning because I know she's going to be in my bed with me. And while I won't be able to give her all of what we know we both want, I'll give her my best for the moment.

I have to break away before I lose myself in her. "Thank me later. I gotta go."

The train leaves before I can get to the ticket counter, so I end up flying back anyhow. It's another hour before I make it back to the streets of Canterlot once more. But my body is far beyond fatigued. My chest burns with a terrible pain, my vision is getting hazy, and my pace is slowed considerably. I finally get to Corrotto Square, seeing the stadium ahead of me before I lean against the statue depicting the arena's namesake. I take a few steps before I feel total weakness wrack my body into submission.

"Can't breathe..." I tiredly pant to myself.

It hurts to breathe. Whatever I do, it feels like I'm trying too hard to get the air I need. I feel deep down like I want to vomit, and I can feel that I'm due for that any minute. I kneel over, holding my chest as it burns. My heart is beating a million times a minute. The world is a blur at the moment, one full of color and sounds barely recognizable. I hear a voice hailing at me from behind, beside, whatever direction. "Hey mister, you okay?"

I try to respond. "...Can't..." My body doesn't allow me to speak.

My limbs feel numb, I can't speak, I can't even breathe anymore. My muscles give way, I crumple to the ground, grasping at my chest. Everything sounds distorted, and I lose focus. "Someone get a medic!" Whoever that is, they sound distant, but they're actually right above me. I can hear a few other voices call out in concern.

"Back off, give him some air!"

"Someone get emergency services!"

"Isn't that the royal friendship advisor?"

"I think he's having a heart attack!"

"Wait, dragons can have those!?"

All of those frantic voices, they fade out gradually. And I black out.

As I start to come to, I realize there's a terrible odor. My eyes open to see a blur of orange light. My vision takes a while to come back to full focus. As it does, I see a torch sitting against a primitive-looking brick wall. I also start to feel an ache from my wrists and shoulders. Slowly, the pain intensifies and I start to adjust myself to not impose on that discomfort.

Someone speaks from beside me. "Oh thank the Doctor, he's awake."

I look to see myself being held by my wrists, there's a chain fashioned to some hole in the ceiling. I attempt to use my wings in order to give myself lift, but they feel constrained by something. I look down to see a leather belt tightly fashioned to my chest. "What the hell, where am I!?"

"Spike, you're alive!" The stallion beside me calls out in apparent relief.

I look over to my side, seeing an unexpected face. "Prince Amor Ambrosia?" He, unlike me, is chained up to the ground, a gray metal ring placed halfway down on his horn. "What are you doing here!?"

"I should ask the same for you, they've seemingly brought you here without much of a fight." He points out.

"I think I passed out after a long flight." I answer. "Where in the hell are we?"

"Your guess is as good as mine, I'm afraid." He answers before a groan sounds from immediately beside him.

The figure next to him, while very beaten and bruised, appear familiar to an extent. I think I remember him escorting the prince out of the throne room back when he visited last. Though now that I think about it, he was wearing a shawl over his face, so I never got a good look at him until now. "Whoa, your guy's pretty beat up."

"I'll bear with it." The bruised stallion announces in a low voice.

A loud clatter sounds from my left. We all jump at the noise to see a unicorn stallion walking into the room. He takes notice of me being up and active. "Well it looks like the princess has finally woken up from her little slumber."

"And it seems we're officially in business."

Chapter 22: Dungeon Dispute

The stadium is rife with cheers and celebration, passionate fans chant and root for their hometown team in what many other places consider as the largest stadium in all of Equestria. The players on the field are sweating profusely, hard at work over the lively competition on display. The hometown team intercepts a play from the visitors and makes an enormous play to get them the first score of the game. The collected viewership goes into lunacy, the atmosphere is positively electric.

Meanwhile in the box seats, the group of royals cheer for the first goal made. While Cadance isn't as enamored with the sport, she's happy to watch both her husband and daughter cheer the team on with the pair also being fully decorated in team memorabilia. All the youth in the room are overtly excited to see the first score go in. All is well, save but one pony who's scowling down at her hooves.

Twilight taps her hoof impatiently, waiting for some word from her friendship advisor. The idea of him abruptly leaving the friendship summit upsets her deeply, she feels as though he's looking to try to get away from it all, especially with the manner of his departure. Even if it was a friendship emergency, she would still expect him to explain what the issue is. But leaving her in the dark only makes her feel just that much more apprehensive.

Rainbow, fresh from cheering for the goal, notices Twilight's sulking mood. "Aw cheer up! Are you still upset about Spike?"

Fluttershy also plays devils advocate. "He did said it was a friend emergency. Obviously he means well when he has to set off like that. You said it yourself that he said he'll be back."

The high princess of the land takes a deep breath as she looks on her own reflection in the glass overlooking the field. "It's not even the fact that he just left, it's like he didn't even talk to me about how he was going to leave. Like we don't have resources to get him to Ponyville and back in a hurry. Even if he's not trying to get out of this, I'm just..." The princess holds her tongue, trying to find the words to describe her feelings.

"Well it could be worse." Pinkie mentions. "It's not like he's gone out of his way to personally fly a marathon to and back from Ponyville, knowing well enough that trying to do that with the differences in altitudes miiiiiight end up killing him." Both pegasi and the purple princess stare back at the pink pony. "Hey, I never said he'd be dumb enough to do it. I'm just saying he could be smart enough to catch a train back."

A knock sounds on the door of the press box. Blue opens the door to reveal a guard dressed in silver armor with a star affixed to his chest. "Your highness. An urgent word?"

Twilight shakes her head as she departs from the group. "Please excuse me for a moment, everypony. I'll be brief." She walks out to the room, closing the door behind her with a prominent frown resting on her face. "Okay, what's the deal?"

"I'm sorry to take you away from your summit, your majesty. I know that you are in the midst of good times, but I have some unfortunate news." She raises a brow at the guard, waiting for him to finish. "Sir Spike has collapsed in the town square, his condition is serious."

Apprehension is gradually replaced with confusion, breeding worry as the seconds start to pass by. "What?"

The guard continues with his update. "Several eye-witnesses say that he seems to have been flying in from the south before coming into the area. Once he landed, he made a number of complaints about his breathing. It's been surmised that he may have passed out due to a combination of exhaustion and elevated arrhythmia. A few good citizens were quick enough to respond to his condition. Thankfully, they've done so well that a group of our royal medics could pick him up without complications. They're bound for the castle even as we speak."

While any fear for the worst is alleviated, the princess still shows terrifying concern for her advisor and adopted sibling. "How long has it been since he was picked up?"

"Fifteen minutes." The guard informs.

Twilight closes her eyes, only the jinxing phrase from Pinkie comes back to the forefront. She knocks on the door to be allowed back inside, but also addresses the guard while doing so. "Call in to the checkpoint. Have them check back with me directly as soon as they see or hear anything pertaining to Spike."

"Yes, your majesty." The guard responds with a bow of reverence.

The door opens and Blue can already see the change in the princess demeanor. "What's wrong?"

As the billionaire real estate mogul closes the door behind her, Twilight sighs as she explains the news. Everyone but the younger ponies grow silent. "Spike came back but he over-exhausted himself, passed out in the town square. He's on the way back to the castle now."

Groans and gasps sound throughout the room. "Has the checkpoint verified his arrival?" Cadance questions.

"Not yet." The princess replies.

"Well they should be calling back─" Just as Blue is speaking, Twilight's phone rings. "I guess that's then now."

Twilight answers the phone with a stern tone. "Colbalt, what's the word?"

"Updating you as we've been told to do, your highness. Spike suffered from over-exhaustion. His condition is stable, he's just being moved to medical for oxygen and recovery."

"Good. Fill me in on any further updates." Twilight hangs up the phone, her wings sagging off of her back as she feels so relieved. "He's back at the castle."

"Oh thank goodness, darling." Rarity rejoices with a sense of ease. "I suppose the hoof traffic for the game makes it a little hard for medical services to navigate the streets to get him back."

"But aren't there the pegasi units. Why didn't they fly him if the traffic was gonna be so bad?" Applejack asks.

"Low on oxygen, plus altitude, that doesn't make for a good recovery from strenuous physical activity. If anything, that might make matters gravely worse, especially since we're already at high altitude." Rainbow explains.

Blueblood ponders quietly as he looks back to the kids watching with their faces pressed against the window. "So I guess we have to leave now?"

"The kids have really looked forward to this." Blue suggests. "Maybe I can watch after them while you guys go on ahead."

Twilight lowers her head as she ponders the difficult decision of whether or not to cancel the remainder of the schedule at the immediate moment or just after the game. But seeing how excited the young foals are values greatly for the immediate moment. She raises her head with her final conclusion. "The kids already met with the players, so that's out of the way. We'll stick around until the final score. You guys can continue with the evening while I run to the castle and check in on Spike. If he's doing well, I'll rejoin you and we'll carry on with the summit. If not, then I'll call you and we conclude matters for the day."

At the conclusion of her statement, everyone understands the evening will likely continue unabated. Everyone carries on, albeit with tempered emotions. Pinkie nuzzles the princess, checking in on her friend. "You don't have to blame yourself, Twilight."

The princess closes her eyes again. "I know... But he could've at least let me help him."

My shoulders are still sore as I see the white unicorn stallion giving us all glances as he walks into the primative dungeon cell. My mind is awash with ideas, none of them having any good in them. I struggle a bit, trying to see if I can wriggle my way around a bit to get a little more comfortable. He takes notice of my motions and makes his way over to me. His horn lights up, the chain holding my arms up loosens, dropping me to the ground at last. I fall to my knees, relieved that the stress on my shoulders aren't as significant.

I ask him a question. "Who are you?"

He quirks a brow at me, tilting his head before a hoof suddenly strikes me at my throat. Suddenly my entire windpipe feels like it's on fire, my breathing greatly disrupted by the blow. Each time I cough, it feels like a painful incendiary reaction taking place, causing me to cough even more. I double over, spewing out spasmodic flames that have no body to them other than brief flickers and sparks. The captive Ponyland prince shouts in my defense. "Hey! What's your problem!?"

As I continue to struggle to breathe normally, I collapse to the ground, writhing as I grasp my captive knuckles at my throat. The stallion looms over me as he speaks. "So, you're probably wondering why I just did that. Well let me be the one to give you a bit of an anatomy lesson, one they don't have in most of the other books on the surface."

"Don't let him break you." Encourages the bruised escort to the prince.

The prince continues to call out the violent unicorn. "You thug! You know you could've killed him doing that! What's wrong with you!?"

He pays the pair no mind, continuing to walk circles around me. "Anyhow, dragons are originally considered to be water creatures by evolutionary standards. Not land dwellers, not sky-high fliers, but water creatures. Serpents of the deep who spew water at their adversaries. But through evolution, they develop habits that brings them to migrate from the deepest reaches of the ocean, to land bound creatures that fight off some of their predators with their newer variant for self-defense: superheated steam. You bunch become steam blowers, and it works out for a while until the rocs discover these tasty looking-creatures on land, walking about like bundles of fruit. So now your species has to evolve to fight off the rocs, and being land-bound doesn't seem to help much in that effort. So your kind evolves to finally take to the sky, bringing a whole new quirk to the fight: fire. But would you like to know why it is you dragons breathe fire these days?"

The stallion gives a strong knock at my throat, reaggravating the same place he struck at earlier. It hurts to breathe as I try to recover, the same incendiary reaction occurs that now makes my chest burn. I start to produce an unstable mixture of smoke and steam along with my sporadic flames. "STOP IT!" The prince screams loudly.

The stallion counters his own motions, circling me in a clockwise motion. "You dragons breathe fire not because you simply breathe in and out. It's more of a simple call back to your humble water-dwelling roots. See, when you have a dragon breathing down your neck, you realize how moist the air is when they breathe out. That's the call back to your roots. But when you breathe fire, it's not because you simply will it. You actually have an chemical in your trachea, just below that voice box of yours, an ignition switch if you will. And the source of that ignition, fine little composites of pure sodium your bodies have developed over that evolutionary process. It flicks like a lighter, and that water vapor acts as a fuel. A violent reaction occurs, the vapor is set ablaze by that sodium dust you let loose, thus coming through your throat as a continuous stream of exothermic chaos, otherwise fire."

He stomps on my chest, forcefully lifting my chin up to look at him as he lords over me.

"Now go on and ask yourself that question again. Why oh why did I just punch you in your throat?"

Shortly after the game's conclusion, many of the patrons walk along with pride for having watch their team wail on the team that ousted them. The game proved to be nowhere near close, and many started to leave to beat the traffic with the results already beyond decided. So the traffic of the town isn't as dense as it was just hours earlier.

But for the princess, that wasn't a concern for her as she took to the air and quickly darted for the castle. She barreled past the checkpoint, entering the medical ward, and checking in with the front desk before being escorted to the room of her number-one assistant. She sees the dragon laying in the bed, calling out worriedly. "Spike!"

He jumps at his name and shows surprise. "Oh, hey! What's going on?"

While she's expressing relief of seeing her assistant doing well, she continues to fuss at him over his decision-making. "Uh, you! You passed out from exhaustion! You seriously flew from here to Ponyville and back! You aren't conditioned for that kind of flight! What's wrong with you!?"

The dragon barely gets a statement in. "Nothing, I just─"

The princess barrels through his explanation as she continues her rant. "I know it was a friendship emergency for you, but that still doesn't give you the green light to just up and suddenly do things without telling me what you're going to do! I could've helped you get there and back, at least meet you halfway! Why didn't you tell me anything!?"

The dragon lowers his head with regret. "Sorry." He answers softly. "It won't happen again."

The princess sighs before calming down once more. "Spike, you know I worry for you, we've been at the hip for most of our lives. Why do you think I not care? I know I annoy you sometimes, but that doesn't mean that I still won't look after you."

The dragon clasps his claws into one another, looking down at himself. "I just made a mistake, won't happen again."

"Come here." The princess says as she approaches the bed and bring the dragon in for a close embrace. She hugs him tightly as she nags yet again. "Don't scare me like that ever again. You hear me?"

"Yeah, I hear you."

Content in seeing the young dragon in good condition, she takes out her phone and takes a quick picture of herself and the dragon together. He's surprised for a moment but goes along with it, holding a thumbs up to illustrate his spirited condition. As she finishes, she sends out the picture to a group message thread. "Okay, now everyone else knows that you're doing just fine. But you need to get some rest. I'm sorry to say it, but you're done for the night."

"Aw, really?" The dragon groans.

"Sorry, you know the rules. Doctor's orders." Twilight says as she walks out of the room. "Now take care of yourself, I'm going to get back with the others so we can finish tonight's activities. You're going to have a bunch of messages come through on your phone asking if you're okay, so you better answer them. I'll be sure to come back to check with you after the night's done, okay?"

"Sure thing." The dragon responds.

"Alright then. Goodnight, Spike." As the princess departs from the room, the dragon waits quietly for a moment before he picks up the phone and stares blankly at the screen. One question comes to mind as he reads the notification of a new message showing on his phone.

"How do I even use this damn thing?"

Times crawls by as find myself still occasionally coughing from the onslaught against my throat earlier. Most of the burning in my chest has subsided, but now it's become hard for me to blow even a simple flame without coughing and gagging. I'll admit if this is his method to get me to not cook him the next time he's in front of me, it's proving to be very effective.

As of now, he has an unusual metal contraption with some runes on it. The item itself appears to be cast iron, but the metal itself is pretty rusted. It seems that it's been sitting out unused for some time. The stallion who holds us captive, unscrews a few bolts with a ratchet. Once the bolt is free, he walks over to me with the rusted item in tow.

While I cannot breath fire, I'm back to being able to speak. "What's that collar for?" Although my voice is very sore and crackly.

He places the device on my neck, affixing it with a screw and the bolt he disassembled a moment ago. While he ratchets up the torque, he stares directly at me, watching my every move. The moment I look like I'm about to breathe heavy, he's got his foreleg lifted to give me one firm shot to the throat. The item is heavy on my neck as he retracts his tools from me. "Alrighty, one more things to test out."

He sparks his horn once, the runes on the collar activate, sending a painful shock through my entire throat, making me cough and gag like earlier, spewing out a combination of smoke, unstable flames, and boiling hot steam. The prince still offers spirited cries in my defense. "STOP IT, HAVEN'T YOU'VE DONE ENOUGH!?"

He ignores the prince's cries for concern, all while praising the effectiveness of the instrument on my neck. "I see the Tamer's Guild hasn't lost their touch, even after all these years."

The prince calls out to the dungeon keeper. "Who the hell are you ponies!?"

At last, he gives the prince a direct response, one with an antagonistic smirk on his face. "Oh come on, princess. You act like this is something new to you, they've been doing all sorts of this shit in Ponyland for generations."

"What others do and what I do are vastly different things!" He rebuts harshly at our captor.

The stallion continues to be dismissive. "Sure, buttercup, whatever you say."

"Could you at least stop torturing him and explain what it is you're doing?" Amor questions.

"I could do that, or I could do this instead." His horn sparks up for a brief moment, sending the same shocks through my throat and chest. I continue to exhibit an unbearable agony akin to a thousand branding irons sizzling against the inner walls of my esophagus. The stallion snickers at my misfortune. "I think this is more fun anyways."

"You're a monster." The young prince seethes through clenched teeth.

The stallion laughs at the prince's insult. "Me? A monster? Ma'am, you don't have a clue of a monster even looks like."

Becoming more and more annoyed at the stallion purposeful misrepresenting the prince's sex, he speaks up for him. "The prince─"

But his words are cut short when a whip, made of captor's own magic aura, cracks against his stomach. The escort eats the pain silently while being corrected. "I say stop talking, I mean it dipshit."

"Why are we even here?" Amor asks the brutal captor.

The captor gingerly walks towards the prince, very much with the intent to mock him. "Well you see, princess, ain't much in the way of girls down here. So I find a bunch of you pretty-boys and look to keep myself entertained. So I do my due diligence and help break in little princesses like yourself into taking all sorts of... responsibilities. But I know pretty girls like you need warming up to."

"If that was your intent, you would've already had your way with me." The prince replies angrily. "What do you really want us for?"

"Aw fine, can't have fun with any surface-dweller these days." He replies as he holds the princes chin up to him. "Ransom, sweet cheeks."

"Why?" Amor turns his head away in absolute disgust.

"Because." The captor forces his head back to him.

The prince opts to simply close his eyes. "Just saying 'because' is not an answer."

"Do I care?" He mockingly asks.

"You obviously care about money."

"Who doesn't?" He leans in closer to the prince. "There are three things that are key in this world, bits, bollies, and blood. For you surface dwellers, that would be bits, the gems that greedy bastard over there eats, and the bodies that you lay up with or step on after you're done."

"Oh wonders, I always hated you edgy types." Amor says with visible disgust.

The captor then defends himself. "I'm not edgy, I'm a realist. My world view isn't all bubblegum and rainbows like the shit that dragon subscribes to."

"Your world isn't his to live."

"It is now." He answers with a shrug.

The prince continues to verbally chastise the captor. "How you live your life is your problem."

While the captor continues to assert his viewpoint. "I live to bring others down in the depths with me, that way it's not just my problem."

"The world would be far better off without thugs like you."

"I beg to differ, princess." He walks away from the prince, carrying on with his views. "Our world was much better when we had a place up there. We had a thriving community, a world of pleasure and pain, a world that was real, with at least some modicum of fresh air. We had fight nights every Tuesday and Friday, all for the masses to see. We had a marketplace to replenish the limbs we lost, now others go around just as crippled. We had our taverns, but now we scourge to bring back the good stuff. We even had our Mecca, then they turned it to a fucking museum."

The prince rolls his eyes at the raving captor. "Well maybe it's in your best interest to move on from the past, especially since it's been enshrined into a play of the archaic."

The stallion chuckles as he licks his lips. "Strange, I'd thought you'd be on our side, princess."

Amor almost takes offense to the captor's insistence of them both sharing a similar side. "Why would I ever be allied with the likes of you?"

"Well you said it when you got brought in, you're a believer of the good Doc."

The prince pauses for a moment, seeming to rev up in anger as the stallion suggests his religious preference. "The good Doctor is not some cruel and callous thug who'd beat up a dragon for his sick and demented idea of fun."

The captor scoffs. "You sure our Doc's are the same?" He walks past the prince with a smile on his face. "Generations of advancement in all medical research doesn't come without some digging around, cupcake. 'It doesn't come at the behest of morality, ethics, and patience. It comes with morbid curiosity, hypothesis, even sadism to a fault.' Those were his words. And you think that our Doc wouldn't take pleasure in something like this?"

His horn glows once more, reintroducing the painful surges into my throat and body. I can't even scream over how much pain I'm in because of the constant coughing and the burning sensation in my lungs. "STOP THAT!" The prince continues to flash his rage towards our sadist captor.

"Only a pussy would think the Doc wouldn't love shit like this." He walks over to me, yanking me up by the chains around my wrists with his magic. "A helpless creature bound in chains, tools, and a number of measurements."

"My Doctor, in our doctrine, would help the sick and poor. He would aid the needy and give them life. He would even offer aid in times of need."

"The Doc did all of that for us, just in his own special way." The stallion recalls from his point of view.

The prince remains adamant that their beliefs are inherently different. "Your 'Doc' is not the great Doctor I know."

The stallion sits beside me, dangling my chains as he speak. "If that's what you believe, then you should be upset alongside us, princess. Your prophet, the one you hold dear, he was taken in by the surface dwellers and burned at the stake for his work. They immortalize an alternate perspective, never telling the full truth and only giving spotlight to those who went against him, hailing them as heroes, all while erasing every last bit of his contributions to modern society. You think Equestria was united with all it's creatures having a say now, he instilled that ideology first! Everything that you see out there is just a powdered reality made to look 'wholesome and safe' when it really hides the truth about life, that there is a death after! They illuminate the world they want while hiding the other side of the truth! Our Doc wrote the book on modern health science, your 'Doctor' is our Doc, the one and only!"

"Then... why won't you... say his name then?" The stallion slowly turns around, seeing me stress through the pain as I try to speak. "Why don't... you tell... the truth of... what all he did."

"Oh I'm telling the truth, alright. It's fucks like you who don't listen!" He flares his horn, unleashing yet another painful shock to me. With me unable to grasp at my neck, I'm left to suffer without any hope to nurse the pain.

"STOP!" The prince screams to the top of his lungs, his voice cracking a significant amount.

The stallion snaps his head back at the prince. "If the Doc was alive today, he'd send you a message like he did that one pretty lass he was fond of." He stands back up, starting to reminisce on the past. "That pretty little diva who showed her ass on the arena floor, what a sight she was. Heard she felt even better too, would've loved to get my shot at her back when I was beating her to a pulp, but Mr. Heroic got in the way of that. Too bad he had a brain to save her rather than let things go, but I still got paid a good bit. I wonder how she's doing now that there's nothing left for her, I bet she's poor and proper broken in a ditch somewhere." The stallion smirks in his thoughts. "Mmm... Now I feel like rubbing something. Guess I'll go be off for a bit."

The prince and his escort watches as the captor departs from the room, passing through the door with a lustful grin on his face. "Everything about you is warped. Your version of scripture is twisted."

"Yours is gentrified." He shrugs back at the prince before closing the door behind him. "But that's okay, we believe in the same guy. I'll leave you to believe your so-called truth, princess. Maybe after some time, you'll finally see things my way." The door closes with a loud clatter.

The escort looks at me with a pitiful expression. "They're really giving you the works. Hang on, dragon."

Meanwhile, the prince continues to show his anger at the captor. "Our Doctors are nothing alike."

Morning has broken in the splendor that is the city of Canterlot. The castle halls are as lively as usual. And to many of the staff's surprise, along came the dragon that once spited the thought of being trapped in the very halls he walks through, much less with a bright and brimming smile that's almost infectious to others. He greets every guard and maid with a pleasing demeanor, many assume that he had to have gotten lucky prior to passing out in the town square. Either way, the dragon continues his tour of pleasantries all the way to the dinning hall.

"Ah, good morning Spike." Twilight greets warmly as the dragon enters the room.

"Morning Princess." He replies with a spirited enthusiasm.

"Formal much?" The princess snickers.

"I had a good night's sleep, did they do something to the mattress?" Asks the dragon.

Twilight oddly looks off to either side as she grows slightly confused. "Uh... no, it's been the same as it ever was─minus the porn─but nothing's changed."

"Yeah, I had a great sleep." He emphasizes.

The others at the table snicker amongst themselves while Applejack notes his main reason why. "Probably from all that flyin' ya did last night."

"Yeah, word to the wise, don't ever do a town-to-town decathlon speed-run if you don't condition yourself for it first." Rainbow adds with a smirk. "You can leave that to the more experienced fliers."

"Duly noted." The dragon answers.

While the others continue about their morning, Flurry Heart sits across from him, intensely staring at the dragon before her. Shining notices his daughter's undivided glare to the dragon. "Flurry, what's wrong?"

The dragon smiles back at the young filly. "Oh, I guess you were pretty worried about me last night. I'm sorry little one, I didn't mean to scare you so much."

Cadance sweetly explain Flurry's intensity. "Yeah, Flurry's been pretty worried over you since she got the news. She wouldn't stop asking about you."

"We're all just glad you're okay, Spike." Twilight reiterates as she levitates a menu for the dragon to cboose from. "Order what you want, Spike, we'll go with your schedule today."

The dragon happily takes the princess' offer. "Sweet! Thanks!"

Just as the dragon starts to make a mental assembly of items to choose from, the filly looks to him with that same critical glare. "When's my birthday?"

An awkward silence ensues. It takes a while for everyone to realize she's addressing her query to the dragon across from her. "Oh, uh, Spike, I think Flurry's trying to get your attention." Cadance points out.

"Is something wrong?" The dragon asks the young princess.

"When's my birthday?" She asks again.

The dragon starts to become uncomfortable, wondering why she's insistently asking such a mundane question. "The way you're asking me, it's almost like you want it to be today."

"It's not." Her brows furrow downward, sharpening her glare. "You should know my birthday."

The dragon hesitates for a moment while the others start to look towards him. "Yeah I know when your birthday is. It's─"

"Why is my name Flurry Heart?" She cuts him off before he can answer the question. "You should know this one, I always get annoyed when mommy and daddy tells me how I got my name."

The dragon takes a while to answer the question before he guesses an answer. "A snowstorm."

"And?" The filly tilts her head.

"Because of the love you share deep within your heart." He guesses quickly.

"Cute.... but no." The filly sternly replies.

The dragon notices the sideways glances he gets from the others, especially from the parents of the young filly. The dragon quickly grows defensive. "Sheesh kid, can't we just have a nice breakfast? I know that there's some uh... pomegranate pancakes coming your way."

The filly sighs as a silence lingers for a few uneasing seconds. Her horn starts to glow a bright gold aura as she gives the dragon an otherwise innocent smile, hiding the violent intent that grows within her. "Strike three."

Her magic shoves him down, pinning him to the table without any effort. The dragon panics as the others crowd around him. "What, what did I do─"

"Dispel." Twilight's eyes narrow as Flurry casts her spell on the dragon. A piercing pain grows throughout the dragon's body before a bright green flame envelops the dragon's body, a dragon who soon reveals himself to be an unreformed changeling.

Rarity expresses her surprise. "A changeling?"

"An unreformed one at that." Fluttershy also points out with some visible shock on her face.

The changeling, now caught, starts to act more like himself. "Sheesh, you really don't like pomegranate, huh kid?"

"Mommy says to never tell anything about myself to a changeling if I don't know them." Flurry quotes with a smile, earning a head rub from her dad.

"Very good job, Flurry." Cadance praises her daughter before directing her attention to the uninvited impostor. "Now you, where is Spike?"

Once more, the changeling resigns to be more of himself. "Look, I just got paid to be here. Something about avoiding some stupid summit."

Twilight appears heartbroken as she hears the changeling's reason for replacing her number one assistant. Rarity takes notice of the high princess' emotional vulnerability at his response and takes to questioning the creature herself. "Did Spike pay you to avoid us?"

The changeling happily answers the fashionista's question. "Yeah, he wanted to stay around Ponyville for a while. Something about shacking up with his girlfriend."

Twilight snaps out of her funk to replace her sadness with indignation. "Girlfriend?"

"Darling, a word." Rarity pulls the princess to the side for a quick suggestion before the alicorn's anger get the better of her. "I know this may seem out of the blue for you, but call Ocellus."

The alicorn gives an incredulous reaction to Rarity's suggestion. "Ocellus? Why her?"

"They're dating." She whispers.

"They're what!" Twilight shouts, getting everyone's reaction. "Okay, fine."

The princess rushes to her phone, accessing the aforementioned changeling's number through speed dial. She answers on the other end. "Good morning, your majesty!"

"Hi there. Um... How are things?" Twilight ensures that the impostor in the room remains unaware of any and all contacts.

"They're good your majesty. Is there something wrong?" She replies.

The princess covers her phone as she speaks quietly. "Actually, I was wondering if you had seen Spike anywhere in town."

"No, not really. I think he might've tried to come down here last night to help Gabby with a situation, apparently she and her boyfriend had a fight and she opted to move out. So I think he's letting her stay at his place for a while."

"Interesting, I do know those two were dating at some point." Twilight quietly mentions.

"Yeah..." The changeling responds with pause.

"Can you check in with her and see if Spike is over that way?" The princess requests.

"Sure. What's the issue?"

"Spike's not present for his appointment here at the summit."

"That's weird." She mulls for a moment. "Sure, I'll check in on him."

"Thanks. Let me know any and all updates."

"Yes, your majesty."

"Thanks again. Talk to you in a bit." Twilight quickly hangs up on Ocellus and directs her discontent to the changeling currently pinned to the table by her powerful niece. "As for you, you'll tell us everything you know."

"Sure, where do you want me to start?" He replies with a smirk.

The dungeon cell is quiet as the three of us take further evaluation of our circumstances. As for the time being, I finally get to where I'm not coughing as much. The other two are strangely shifty-eyed. It's the escort who's really taking a thorough visual deep-dive of our environment.

I wonder if they're cooking up something. "Hey." My voice is immensely raspy.

Prince Amor snickers in thought. "I'll admit I've never been so glad to hear a dragon speak so little in my life."

"Why?" I ask.

"Well, I've never been around them much. Alive anyways." He admits.

Alive? Wow, I guess Ponyland really a poacher's playground for ponies, and a graveyard for dragons after all. "Unpacking that later. But you seem awfully calm for being held against your will."

"Well it's not quite my first rodeo, this is more like the sixth time in my life." The prince explains.

I laugh at the ridiculous amount of times he's been abducted. "How do you end up like this six times?"

"Well when your father owns everything as an emperor, or you have brothers who are power hungry and want to get rid of you, you find yourself in these situations a lot."

I retract my laughter, feeling a bit guilty for having done so. "Sorry, I guess I shouldn't have cracked up on you for that. Your family dynamic isn't very healthy, is it?"

He doesn't even show anger, instead he laughs back at his own circumstance. "About as healthy as terminal stage cancer. I've lost three guards, an advisor, and a fiancée to stuff like this."

Now I really feel like a dick. "That's rough bud."

Instead, he seems fairly dismissive of his loss. "It was an arranged marriage with a distant cousin anyways. Unfortunate as it is, no real love wasn't lost."

"What's going on over there with you guys?" I ask, both curious and concerned.

"Eh... Long story. But I think our priority now is to make sure that we don't let them see us get down on our luck." He says with a slight smile of encouragement.

"Doesn't that make the situation worse, since they're all torture-happy and shit?" I ask, glancing down to the iron collar on my neck.

"Well it could be worse, if it wasn't for the fact that my guard is a renowned escape artist."

The escort groans with minor annoyance. "Your majesty, how many times have I told you not to say that out loud?"

"You should be proud of it. It's a skill not many have in these times." The prince proudly brags.

"Doesn't mean they won't hear us and respond to it." He says with a lowered voice.

"I'm still keeping an ear out, Sir Fencer." The prince assures just a second before his ears flick. His expression quickly shifts from optimistic to serious. "Someone's coming from down the hall. Let's get back in place."

While I can't do too much, the pair seem to have loosened their entrapments. They move back to their places and make their chains appear tighter that what they actually are by sitting on the slack they've seemingly created for themselves. Our captor enters the room once more. "Well bad look on you, princess. Seems your darling dad won't fork over some fundage for your safe return. Guess you're stuck here for a good while." He says while eyeing the Ponyland nationals. "But as for you, dragon, apparently you're the royal friendship advisor to the princess topside. I guess there's more value to you than just chopping your shit up and selling to the highest bid."

His eyes narrow at me with a greed akin to a banker looking at his stock options. "So you're using me for your stupid ransom now?"

"I'd hardly call a billion bits a stupid ransom." He answers with a greedy smirk.

I scoff at his proposed bounty. "That's stupid for the sole purpose of knowing she's not going to pay that much for me."

"You'd be surprise what 'friendship' will do to a princess of her ideologies." He happily argues.

"You know, if they find out I'm missing, which they've probably done by now, they'll just send out a search party."

"And look where?" He asks confidently. "No one knows these caves like us. There's traps and ambushes around every corner. Goons around these parts are so thirsty for glory they'll run headfirst into the spears of the guard like it's a privilege to die. Your guards aren't trained enough for that, are they?"

Okay, now I'm starting to think this guy is dumber than he poses himself to be. "You don't think she'll send special forces, do you?"

"With no lead, she won't know where to send you." He states. "And lets just say that I'll be giving her a strongly worded message, one that'll inform her of how time sensitive this matter really is. If she wants you back, then you'll be paid for in full."

"You'd be crazy to think that a million bits is worth my life, much less a billion."

"And you're far too naïve to think she won't be desperate." He says as he wheels in a tray of assorted tools.

While he may be stupid in thinking that Twilight won't look for an alternate quickly, I can say he's smart enough to know how to torture someone, if not smart enough then sadistic enough. "What's that for?"

"Just a lovely little photo session, we're gonna make post cards you and I." He pulls out a large tool, appearing to be some industrial sized pinchers. "And you're the feature."

Yeah, I think I'm in trouble. "What are you going to do to me?"

"Nothing bad. Just a little trim. Call it a spa day."

The changeling breathes heavily as the young alicorn princess' horn smolders from a number of magic bolts casted at him, the wall behind suffer a number of scorch marks. Shining holds his daughter with incredible concern for her apparent rage issue, all stemming from the dragon who's whereabouts are unknown.

"STAY STILL SO I CAN BLAST YOU!"

The changeling squeaks out a plea. "Please put that thing in a restraint. She's gotta have some stupid alicorn rabies or something!"

"Flurry, calm down." Cadance orders, looking to help her husband retain the young and very vengeful princess.

Twilight hears her phone ring and promptly answers after reading Ocellus' name on the screen. "Hello?"

The background of the phone sounds heavy with wind rush as the creature on the end sounds to be in a rush. "Hey, princess. Gabby said she hasn't seen Spike since last night. She said he mentioned something about there being three minutes left for the last train out. If that's the case, then he missed the train and had to fly back."

Twilight mutters a thought. "So that was Spike that passed out in the town square last night!"

The changeling overhears the comment and screams into her phone. "HE WHAT!?"

Twilight winces over the sudden volume increase, she tries to reason with the horrified changeling. "Ocellus, I know this is a lot to take in, but─"

"SPIKE IS MISSING!?" The changeling concludes with a scream. "WHAT HAPPENED!?"

Twilight facehoofs as the overtly anxious changeling. "I'd explain if you let me─"

A loud banging sound is heard on the other end. It sounds as though she broke a door open. The changeling starts to bark at her roommate. "SMOLDER!!! OUR BOYFRIEND WENT MISSING!!! M.C.B., NOT A DRILL!!!"

Twilight's eyes buck open as she realizes what Ocellus just said. "Our?"

"You're shitting me, right?" Smolder questions in the background.

"I'm on the phone with Twilight now! She hasn't seen Spike since last night!"

"Of all the... FUCK!" The dragoness shouts out violently. "We're on the way!"

While it endears Twilight that the pair seems to care considerably for her assistant, she also realizes that two irrational individuals making a break for Canterlot would not be an ideal approach. "Alright, I may not know the dynamic you three are apparently sharing, but I don't need you two to act out of sorts right now! Please remain calm, I'll just put together a search and rescue team. You two just stay put until this situation gets resolved."

Again, Twilight's eyes buck wide as she hears something fragile breaks in the background, accompanied by a screaming dragoness. "UGH! WHY DIDN'T WE JUST DO WHAT HE ASKED US TO DO!?"

The princess tries once more an attempt to instill calm and rationality. "Girls, now's not the time to put blame on yourselves. Just keep calm and let things develop, we'll find out something in the next few hours. Promise."

Unfortunately, the increasing chaos ensuing in the background indicates that the opposite is happening. Ocellus shrieks and addresses the princess briefly. "Princess, Smolder's having a situation right now, I'll need to call you back."

Twilight stares blankly at the air as the phone call ends. She promptly follows up her blank stare with a question of inquiry over her assistant's love life. "What kind of relationship does that dragon have!?"

The impostor, having overheard the conversation and screaming that took place, expresses envy. "Sounds like he's living the life to me."

Twilight looks to snap back at the unreformed changeling, but the young alicorn vents her aunt's anger for her. "SHUT! UP!"

"Flurry, calm yourself!" Shining urges his daughter.

"NO!" Her magic changes from it's golden aura to the more potent black and purple manifestation. Shining soon finds himself holding only the air as Flurry teleports to zap the changeling at point-blank range. "WHERE! IS UNCLE! SPIKE!?"

The changeling starts to fear the young princess, sweating at the possible violence the young princess seems capable of. "Geez, y'all got a muzzle for this thing? I know some guys with some good tranquilizer if you need some for this one."

Unwary to him, his insults only grows Cadance's own violent impulses. Shining notices how his wife flexes her wings and steps in for the changeling's sake, giving him a stern warning. "Okay, you. Look at me right now. You don't know my wife, so you don't know how much of her my daughter has."

"What do you mean?" The impostor questions.

"I mean she has the dangerous part." He stresses slowly, careful to elaborate on his wife without triggering her intona frenzy. "I suggest you start talking before she gets volatile."

"How volatile?" The changeling asks in a cold sweat.

"Considering her mother's temperament... Yes."

It's been a while since the last visit of our captor. While I had my concerns to start off with, it seems that he did honor his description of what he would be doing to me with that tool of his. However, his usage didn't come without some close shaves. In fact, I'd even argue that he purposefully did that just to prove a point. Some of the nails he clipped off of me were far too close, nicking and cutting me to the point of minor injury. The good news about it is that I didn't lose much in terms of blood, but the bad news is that he's got a box of my claw nails with enough of my blood to be tested and convince Twilight that I am in captivity. That might motivate her to move a little faster.

As far as how I'm doing, my voice is getting even worse over time, I can't even speak in the same register that I'm so used to speaking, it feels like I can only talk an octave down. My chest still feels a bit of a burn from earlier. My shoulders are suffering from ligament pains, and my wings feel so tight against my back. I absolutely hate it here.

The other two seem to be fairing well against the circumstances, unlike me. Sir Fencer, who's probably gone more of a beating than I have, is busy at work stretching out the chains that holds him. Prince Amor isn't as strong as his escort, but he is very perceptive when keeping a lookout. He's doing all he can to make sure his escort can get free so we can all get out of here.

I will say, he's got some serious optimism. "So, good news, he only shocked you once this time." I rest my case.

If only I could feel as good as he can about this, much less me feeling as good as he does with his untortured self. "I wish I could feel like you instead."

Sir Fencer gives me words of encouragement, not quite matching the foreign prince's level of optimism but further fortifying it. "I'm sure we both have that in common, but look at the bright side. You're not doing too bad for being a first time captive."

"Who knows, maybe a few more times and he can be professionals like us." The prince announces with a slight giggle.

I roll my eyes at the pair. "If that's what you call a marketing scheme, I'm sure someone else will buy into the bullshit, but I guess I'll take the compliment."

Sir Fencer continues with his attempt to pull at the chains, probably on the verge of getting enough slack to give himself a fighting chance, at least from what I can assume. He makes a note of their condition. "Well, these things sure look a bit modern compared to everything else here." But as he pulls, there's one link that reveals itself to be quite rusty. He continues to pull, revealing the same result for several links going onward. "Oh well nevermind, seems these chains are rusted to worse going towards the bitter end. And I should be able to pull this much to begin with."

"Maybe they didn't have the budget to replace it all. Probably why they put that ransom on me as high as they have it." I reply to the amused escort.

"These ponies are absolutely half-assed." He gives his chains a quick tug, revealing an increasing number of rusted loops, some so bad that they've completely corroded in spots where there seems to be little metal left. "And to top it all off, I'm not supposed to be able to pull that much out at once. Seems the gear catch on the stock is gone too."

"What do you figure our chances?" Prince Amor asks his escort.

"These chains are critical-failure imminent. They may be enchanted to prevent breakage, but even that's weak. A bit of salt will bring it to a very reduced state. And I think a few pulls here and there will break a few links. Hell, smashing the damn things against the ground will do it."

My stomach rumbles as he mentions the word salt. "Hey, it's been a while since we've ate something. You think they have to feed us sometime soon?"

"They haven't given us anything in a few days other than water. We might get a loaf of bread to split between us." The prince explains. "As far as thinking of ordering something with a lot of salt content, you can kiss that idea goodbye."

I shake my head, disappointed that even my outsider's chance of an idea is so easily struck down. "If only I could breathe fire, I would be able to melt these chains."

The two look at each other and nod in silence. The prince looks back over to me and asks. "So if that's the case, then we'll have to use a sodium alternative. So Spike, think you'll be willing to help with a contribution of some sort?"

The first thing I think of is my throat. "I don't think I can help you with that."

"Perhaps you misunderstood me, we have no intention to pilfer off of your internals." Amor states. "See, our bodies create waste, and that waste excretes over ninety percent of your body's dietary sodium."

It took a while for me to understand, but I do remember taking inventory of a few books Twilight had me tote around for her magic classes, some included bodily anatomy and physiology. As soon as I realize what their plan is, I wince in disgust. "Your majesty, are you suggesting we'd... please no."

"When situations are dire, you learn to survive by any means." Sir Fencer replies with a hapless shrug.

"I don't think you're willing to accept that indignity, dude." I argue with him.

He scoffs in return. "I'd much rather that than sit here in a cave with no discernable way out other than a body bag. That guy just said that his majesty and I are practically worthless. And in these situations, worthless means you're more than likely going to be used in some 'amusing' ways. And I'm sure we don't want to see how amused they can get."

I grimace at the thought of the idea, but also at the plan that's being proposed. "Isn't there something else we can do?"

"Well you can help me aim with your feet then." The escort answers. "You're already on your knees, you might as well. You step on everything else under the sun, might as well."

I shudder at that idea, and submit out of reluctance. "Ugh... fine. I'll go along, but this doesn't leave the room."

The prince chuckles as he makes a joke of it. "That's quite unfortunate, really. I was thinking that we can look back on this as a diplomatic bonding exercise."

I close my eyes, wishing that I had stayed with my carnal mind back in Ponyville. Had I done so, I would be dealing with an upset princess and whatnot, but at least I wouldn't have to bear with the unimaginable comfort of having to escape this dungeon by any means necessary. I would much rather deal with the torture of not being able to finish all over Gabby instead of offering a golden finish to our time in captivity.

I truly hate Canterlot these days. "I'm never doing another friendship summit again."

Hours go by since Twilight announced the abrupt end of the Friendship Summit for this month. All were sent about their way on the account that this emergency development has caused a significant interruption in everyone's mood. And with one of the ones who help made their friendships as fruitful as possible being abducted, operations were made to shift into a recovery mission. Shortly after this announcement, a box came to the checkpoint of the castle by means of an anonymous figure. And within the box was a note etching out a list of demands, along with a set of cut claws that were traced with blood. As one could figure, it grabs Twilight's attention immediately.

It takes her only a half hour to establish a recovery team comprised of five operatives. Three who work within the guard's special forces, and two who have yet to show. The three specialists who showed on what would be otherwise their day off, took the time to heed the princess' call with expedience.

Twilight stands before her throne, looking towards the empty seat holding the box of bloody claws nails. She worries deeply for her number-one assistant, but firms her resolve before maintaining an air of calm, looking down to her three operatives. "Okay you all, here's the situation."

"You don't have to say it, your highness." Says the first. "Your pet dragon, as big and strong as he is, is currently in a bind." The first operative is none other than a mare of the Storm King's former employ. A plum colored unicorn, her horn broken close to it's base but still brimming with unstable magic. The mare, Tempest Shadow, stands with every intent to reclaim the dragon that's absent.

"And you're going to need as many of us as necessary to get the job done." Says the second. "We're all equipped to handle this situation as discreetly as possible." A reformed changeling, one with a light green coloring and yellow fins atop his head, is but another foe-turned-friend after a similar invasion seven years prior. Once in a faction of changelings who vied for power outside of the hive's influence, Padrig has worked in tandem with the old royal family in their efforts to keep peace in what is considered the Canterlot underground.

"Discretion is the better part of valor in this case, Padrig. That much we can all agree." Twilight sagely nods in agreement.

"Just tell us who to follow, your majesty. We'll take it from there." Says the third. "We'll get Spike back no matter what it takes." A griffon of familiar pedigree, already established in the guard's ranks as one of the more talented grapplers and fighters. While far from being the first griffon in the guard's employ throughout it's storied history, Gallus is blazing a trail of his own prestige, all while serving as an element bearer. Only one guard before him has served with such an honor to his name, and he looks to ascend to the same rank that very predecessor once held.

The princess continues with her briefing. "Now I'm sure you're wondering where the other two are at this moment, but I should at least illustrate their qualifications to you. They are veterans in underground surveillance and operations, one could even say they've gone to absolute extremes to produce actionable intel. Those will be the two you follow. While Padrig has operated in the underground a number of times during clean-up operations, these two have long-term knowledge and more valuable connections to the underground, they can guide you in and out safely, and both are tremendously powerful in their own ways. Both are capable fighters, so they can manage when things get tight. As you can assume, this matter will be time sensitive as we don't know what they may be doing to Spike as we speak." She turns her attention to the box on the smaller throne beside hers. "And I don't intend to find out should things get worse."

Tempest raises a concern. "Your majesty, with all due respect, a time sensitive mission with limited intel is a tad difficult to execute. It's one thing chasing you and your friends around Equestria while you lot leave a trail a mile wide, it's another operating in the shadows. It can be a pretty cruel world."

"She knows that much." The three operatives turn around, seeing a zebracorn appearing from seemingly nowhere. "And I can easily tell you that these underground thugs are not nearly the same breed as the ones I've dealt with before." The mare who often wears her mane in a prominent curl has it braided back. Her eyes of crimson shine fiercely as she shows a rather cold disposition, one matching Tempest's own. And already being exposed to the Canterlot underground from the age of ten, she's grown quite used to seeing the cruelty that is produced, even experiencing that same cruelty in various fields. A survivor of not only those instances, but the far graver encounters of necroterrorist himself. While she often wears dresses to hide her legs, she appears much as herself, the scars all over her body being a telling indication of her past. "I am Kalimba, Kalimba Mavembe. We shall make our work quick."

Gallus identifies the mare easily, pointing out what she's often seen doing around the castle. "Are you serious? You? Aren't you like a low-level dignitary? I've only seen you do basic office work."

"Gallus, was it?" Yet another mare appears from nowhere, showing up right beside the griffon with a confident smile. "You should know better than to judge a book by it's cover. Maybe you need to read past daily appearances and see the truth right in front of you." A mare of extreme influence, both in finances and implementations on society's advancements. Her negotiations with the humans have yielded technological features yet seen by many in the world of Equis. But despite her wealth, she harbors the dark secrets of many other influential figures who have participated in the underworld's doings, both in past and present. Also a survivor of her own encounters with the necroterrorist, she holds the infamous position of being the only one to have served to do their bidding, betray them, combat them, and come away with her life remotely intact. Blue Royal deactivates her field of magic, revealing herself and Kalimba after having waited in the room for over half an hour.

"Uh, aren't you a little too rich for stuff like this?" Gallus questions the mare.

"Honey, there are three things the underground runs on." She replies. "And two of those things, I've got plenty of."

Chapter 23: Coordinated Chaos

I don't exactly know what hour of what day it is, but it feels like I've been here for a while. I've wish I could pass out from the pain in my shoulders, just a number of times so that the mental fatigue keeps me from experiencing the discomfort in a full day's cycle. Unfortunately, that's not how life works sometimes. The pain has to be excruciatingly painful for me to check out like that, but sadly the pain falls short of that milestone.

Meanwhile, I'm sure that my day can't be nearly as bad as Sir Fencer's. While he's volunteering to be the victim of our circumstantial method of escape, I can't imagine him going back home to proudly admit what had taken place throughout the course of the past few hours. I know I don't want to admit how I had to watch him use our bathroom breaks as a means of obtaining enough sodium content to weaken the enchantments of our chains. And sadly, our water supply, the small bucket of sediment-rich water that they give us has fallen victim to a few stray streams. And while the two grimaced at the idea before drinking for survival purposes, I outright refused out of disgust.

The prince's ears flicker, he notifies us to get back in place and hide our doings before our cell door opens. Sir Fencer sits quietly, looking just as defeated as ever. The prince assumes his pouting posture, ready to appear just as entitled to the finer accommodations life has to offer, and I just continue doing what I've been doing for all this time... suffering.

The door opens, it appears to be a brown pegasus this time. "Mornin' ya majesties!" His carefree demeanor towards our struggles is further amplified by his laughter before pulling out a moldy loaf of bread for the three of us to share. "Grub time."

His wings show great dexterity, grasping the bread and tossing it at us like he was expecting us to bend down and peck at it like a group of birds in a park. The prince gives the guard a glance before he leaps in to greedily hoard the loaf for himself. The piggish behavior exuded by the Ponyland prince gives the stallion amusement before he looks over to Sir Fencer, wondering why he's not fighting over the bread, or even moving.

I quickly come up with a way to distract him from getting too close to the captive stallion. "Hey! Excuse me!" I call out loudly. "This water is full of dirt and all kinds of sediments! Don't you guys have some bottled water or something!?"

The prince glances at me from down on the ground, pausing with his groveling display to see the pegasus inch his way closer to me. "Oh so you fancy, huh?" He takes note of the bucket and slides it over to my side. "I guess you don't know what good hospitality is, do you?"

I try to emphasize my point. "It's just that there's a bit... in there."

He shrugs me off while picking up the bucket, not even realizing that there's a bit of urine in the water. He guzzles the contents of the bucket to seemingly demonstrate how safe it is to drink. "See? It's water. And for you, it's the best we got. Maybe when your princess pays us, we'll give you the stuff from topside, you know, the chilled stuff with the sparkling clean taste. But you can chug on this till then."

"Hey!" He starts to walk away, but I quickly look to grab his attention as his attention starts to go back to the Ponyland pair. I quickly think of a way to dominate his attention for the time being. "Who the hell do you think you are keeping us locked down here, treating us like animals!? Don't you realize who we are, what we're involved with, are you all seriously this fucking dumb!?" The stallion clicks his teeth as he rushes over to silence me. "The way you treat us is the main reason why you pathetic creatures are all down here in the first pla─AHK!!!"

I double over from the impact his hoof made against my throat. While the blow is partially warded off on the account of the ring on my neck, the blow still lands painfully. I start coughing up smoke and flames again, unable to control the burning in my throat and lungs. He tilts his head at me with a smirk on his face. "Oh I bet that one hurt, didn't it?" He takes the bucket that he drank from earlier and slaps it across my head. "Yeah, that always shut you fuckin' water lizards up. You ain't nothin' down here. You best be rememberin' that." While seeming satisfied from his attack, I know he's deeply upset about what I said, and the matter in which I've placed him down morally-speaking.

My gambit pays off as he grumbles complaints about me during his exit. The pair stares at me while I'm still recovering from the attack I just tanked. They wait until Amor's ears flicker and lower, indicating that the grunt has departed from the hall altogether. The prince spits out the moldy bread with disgust and speaks to me. "You didn't have to take the fall like that, Spike."

"Hnng... dhhhh. (Had to.)" I can't quite speak, but my grunts get through clearly enough.

The prince, already having loosed some of his own slack, comes over to check in on me. "Anymore of this abuse and you might not breathe fire ever again."

"Is he gone?" Sir Fencer questions.

"There's no one else in the hall. We're clear for now." He replies.

I glance over to the bucket, seeing that their only source of hydration is all but chunky sediment drops left at the bottom of the bucket. "Srr... ry... frr... wrr... urrr. (Sorry for water.)"

The escort rises from his seat of chains spiraled underneath him and his tail. "Well it's fresher than what's been beamed at my face for the past few hours." He then shows admiration for my gambit. "It's a good thing you distracted him. He would've surely noticed the chains slacking. You've given us more than time there."

The prince knocks away the moldy bread as he proposes another idea. "Spike, I think our little method could work for your collar as well. Want us to try it to get that thing off of you?"

"Hrrd... prrrz. (Hard pass.)" I quickly refuse.

"Would rather have you breathing fire for us than keeping your pride for the time being." Sir Fencer adds.

"Rrrn grrrd. (I'm good.)" I state once more as my voice starts to recover.

"Well, guess pride is as valuable as one's name, I suppose." He says as he give his chain a good tug, finally snapping the rusted links from out of the wall. "Free at last." He mutters as walks over towards the door. He gives the lock a good look before sighing for a bit of a chuckle.

"What?" The prince questions.

"The security fastenings on the door is..." He shakes his head in disbelief. "It can't be that easy."

"It's that easy, isn't it?" My voice is gravely and rough from the abuse.

"Shoddy craftsmanship, the locks and tumblers are barely hanging on. This shit is rusted to almost breaking, it's only a matter of time."

"Or possibly effort?" The prince asks as he turns to his own chains, gathering his rusted bits before he takes a moment over them.

As I hear the trickling noise beside me, I pay no eyes to the prince's moment of release. "Effort helps time move a little faster too."

While he does smell like he's gone on himself, I ignore the odor for being more concerned over his efforts to use some of those chains to add weight to the hoop that my arms are chained to. He gives it a jiggle, seeing that the bolts keeping them in place is very loose. He feeds his chain into the hoop twice over. "Alright, I know it's gonna hurt, but put all your weight into us swinging. We don't have time to argue."

I reluctantly do as he says and go along with his plan. He helps me to bring my legs up over my head and wrap my feet around the chain I'm on. "Okay, what are we doing this for?"

"We both swing in the same direction, you'll find out." He says as he does the same for himself.

Prince Amor takes a little more effort to pull at his chains, but they do break from their severely-corroded links. Afterwards, he runs over to aid us in our endeavor. "Okay, I'm gonna rock you both."

"Uh, what for?" I ask.

I don't even get an answer before the I feel a jolt towards the ground. I have a brief moment of shock before everything above us breaks off and the both of us are sent back down to the ground. The prince takes note of the failed device. "So it seems that they misjudged the load management just a bit. They are really incompetent."

"And we're loving every bit of it." The escort says as he helps me back up. "I bet it feels good to finally put your arms down. I'm sure they ache like a first-timer's poor broken heart."

"Guess they really put the effort to keeping their facilities up to date." I say as I rub at my back from taking the impact.

"Not that they have the resources to do so, obviously." The prince points out. "Which means that collar on your neck is really more a relic. They don't have nearly the power like they pose themselves to have."

"That's a good thing. Guess we can risk to fight our way out." I suggest.

"Yeah, or we could keep with the stealthy approach and keep our wits about us. That's a better look than wearing yourself tired fighting an unknown enemy." Sir Fencer rebuts, freeing himself from the hoop that kept me bound to the ceiling. "They may be incompetent, but that doesn't mean we should play into that."

I nod in agreement, seeing as he helped get me free. "You are the brains of our group. I follow you from here."

He glances over to the door that keeps us holed up and looks back to me, "Sir Spike, I know you're without your claw nails, but can you gimmick that door open a bit?"

"You want me to yank on it?"

"Please do." He responds.

I walk up to the door, seeing the iron bars in the small window slot that allows our captors to peer into the room to check on us. I give the door a yank from there, my claws still stinging a little from the close cuts they endured by that one guy. I give it a good tug before feeling something come loose. I give it another effort, without even knowing that the second time would actually snap the door from it's hinges and cause me to backpedal into the wall. I end up slamming the door against the wall and floor from my being off balance.

From down the hall, we hear a shout from the distance. "What the hell was that!?"

"Shit!" I whisper to myself.

"Well that alerted someone to us." The prince says in deadpan. "Guess we're fighting the first bastard we see then."

I leave the door on the ground upon my recovery from the fall. "Okay... throat doesn't feel like it's getting attacked by everything all at once now. Can't muster a good breath, but I can fight in other ways."

"Then let's get down to business, shall we, boys?" The prince says as he and his escort stances themselves to take an ambush position beside the door.

"You know how to fight?" I ask the prince as I stand beside him.

"Better than most in my position." He says.

I give him a quick nod as we start to hear more than one set of hooves running down the hallway. "Well it ain't no point in asking now, guess we'll find out. Shall we?"

Amor snickers. "Party doesn't start till they walk in."

While the halls are so well lit for three of the specialists on assignment, the two that have familiarity with the museum's former purpose are fully aware of it's dark history. For the pair, it almost feels like going back in time. While Blue owns the property, and did her best to repurpose it, Kalimba sees much that brings back painful memories. All the zebracorn can think of is the many times she and the captain have walked these halls, looking to close deals and gather information, all while fighting for their lives each and every step of the way.

The halls are empty, the museum is closed to the general public, it's always been scheduled to close because of the Friendship Summit. Originally the day is supposed to be spent paying homage to the ones who suffered, but now it serves as a gateway to the olden ways. The holograms and displays are mostly shut off, voice-overs muted. But Blue herself opens accesses that are very much closed to all who visit.

The three other specialists walk quietly for most of the journey, that is until Gallus finally speaks out. "Not to be that creature right now, but what are we doing here in the museum?"

"Special access." Blue replies.

Tempest looks along the halls slowly, mumbling to herself. "So this is the remnants of the old Corrotto District, the infamous blight known as Canterrot."

"Canterrot?" The griffon tilts his head at the unusual name.

Padrig gives further context to the young griffon. "The Corrotto District used to house all the seedy elements of Equestria's underground. Anyone who knew the area are either locked up, dealt with, or bought out."

"Most of them bought out, others relocated elsewhere." Blue informs the others. "But there are still stragglers looking to rebuild what they've lost, holding on to old glories."

"Not that they lost much." Kalimba says as she looks to a series of holes in the walls, now plugged with concrete. "I know that I didn't."

Gallus continues to question the pair of mares over their past involvements. "So the ones who bought out, those happen to be you two?"

"You could say that we both had to pay something to get ourselves out." Blue answers.

"Be lucky that you don't have to find out how much you'd have to pay." Kalimba warns.

Tempest looks over to the zebracorn, seeing how lost in thought she is over the plugged holes in the wall. "I trust it was a costly price. Nothing in life comes without it."

Padrig also added yet another grim account, but directing his comment to Tempest. "You know, back then they used to sell changeling body parts. If they were still going on now, you could've bought yourself another horn."

"I don't need it. I've gotten comfortable with who I am now. This nub's a good reminder of two things, why you don't trust others offering to give you back what you've lost, and not to run blindly into the den of an ursa major."

"Pretty costly lesson." Kalimba states as Blue walks into a seemingly innocuous maintenance closet.

As the mare shifts around a few things and sweeps at the floor, Tempest gives her response to the zebracorn. "I learned from life, just like you did."

Blue closes the door and waits. A click sounds before she opens it back up to reveal that the closet has been completely replaced by a direct access to a large hallway. Both she and Kalimba are fully-aware of where they're headed to next. "Okay, let's head on through."

Gallus scratches his head out of bewilderment. "Wasn't this a supply closet just a second ago?"

"When you've been in the underground, you learn ways of getting around and out." Blue replies as she guides the entire party into the hallway leading into the large, cavernous part of the exhibit. There's a sole spotlight raining down to a statue in the middle, all surrounded by a bunch of plates crudely shaped into frowning faces. It's all they can walk on for the time being.

The loud clattering from the resting metal shifting underneath the weight of each ground-bound visitor unnerves the young griffon. "This is a creepy display."

"If you know, you know." Blue replies.

"Well I sure don't." Gallus says while he takes to the air instead of walking.

"Then be happy you don't." Kalimba warns once more as they make their way across the exhibit.

After a long and hardly-silent travel across the arena floor, the group comes to an opposing hallway with many other articles of evidence carefully displayed for visitors. Blue guides the group to yet another large door, one that doesn't seem to need any unusual approach, like the maintenance closet, to access. It's a vault-like access with a number of large locks that keep the way closed. "So, what's this one going to?" Tempest questions the mare.

Blue explains the door's unusually large size. "This would've been the tamer's access. They'd bring in all sorts of beasts and ghouls for the weekly competitions come Friday. Back then, they used to have something called the 'Beast of the Week', a title granted to the creature capable of beating the monster of previous weeks. The display in this arena, it's really more of a homage to the final winner of that title."

Gallus sees one of the newspapers highlighting the event, citing that it appeared as a spiral reaching high into the air of Canterlot, towering above the castle itself. "Whatever this thing used to be, it had to win pretty easily. I'm willing to bet the previous champ saw that and high-tailed it on out of there."

"You wouldn't be wrong." Blue mumbles as she starts her spell to unlock the vault-like door.

"So what happened to the challengers who lost?" Tempest asks.

"Circle back to the middle of the arena for a sec." Blue nonchalantly points back towards the display, namely the highlighted statue of a filly.

Gallus tilts his head, dumbfounded. "You serious?"

"If you don't believe her, then you can ask the previous captain about it." Padrig cosigns.

"Why him?" Asks the griffon.

Kalimba promptly answers. "He won two weeks in a row, even killing one of his own to keep himself alive. You see that well-lit statue of the filly in the middle of the room, he had to beat her that final night."

"And he lost, to a filly?" The griffon sighs with disbelief. "That don't make no sense."

Blue is quick to correct him on his viewpoint. "Uh, you forget that all those metal plates you flew over, the ones we were stepping on, those faces? That was all her at the time." While her horn is still active from the spell, she walks over to the same newspaper cutout that Gallus just looked at. "That's all her."

The griffon could only gawk in silence while Tempest came to her own conclusion over the matter. "Huh, guess long-legs was always quiet about his history of achievements. Just when I started to think he was just a ceremonial piece."

"Far from." Blue answers a second before the doors produce a loud clattering noise, followed by a loud clack. The door raises above, allowing just a minimum access for the party to walk under. "Okay. We're in."

Tempest watches as the pair lights their horns, Blue's aura produced an aqua light while Kalimba's produced a bright red. Both lead the way as Tempest questions the pair. "Where exactly does this lead?"

The zebracorn answers her question. "It leads to the underground tunnel system used to smuggle goods in and out of the district. There are all sorts of exits webbed into the Canterlot streets, even some local venues around the city are still connected, and there are a few leading even as deep as the abandoned gem mines in the mountain."

"That sounds like a pretty deep run." Gallus mumbles.

"Knowing these guys, they won't be that deep." Padrig states.

"How so?"

"They need some connection to the surface to operate. They don't have the resources to run a deep-ground operation. So they need to stay shallow, especially if they want to keep an exchange from being too slow, or even keeping a victim alive."

Blue grimaces as she mutters to herself. "Hang on, Spike. We're on our way."

Our fight came to a rather unceremonious end. There were four guards, if you can call them that, who answered to the sound of the old door being pried off of the rusted hinges. Sir Fencer quickly dealt with two of them by himself. To my surprise, Amor proves himself to be a fairly capable fighter, even for not having access to his magic. I had my own confrontation, one that I had to carefully gauge myself and play down to because of my strength. Either way, the three of us come out of the affair unscathed, and with a whole set of keys to use to get even further away from here.

I'll admit, this escape is really not all that I thought that it would be. I figured it would be much harder to pull off. But then again, we haven't even identified where we are in contrast to the surface. I suppose it's better to count our blessings than anticipate things to get easier from here.

A pony lies groaning at my feet while I express my thoughts for a moment. "You know... I never fought a pony in a straight fisticuffs before."

"Your jab could use some work." Sir Fencer offers his criticism.

"Telegraphed blows are often the easiest to counter." Prince Amor also adds his own critique of my fighting style.

"Hey, I beat the guy, didn't I?"

"You did something, not exactly that, but it's something." He says as he points to the stallion trying to raise his hoof to deliver a wearied blow. I jump at the sight of him still being active and instinctively punched him in the head, knocking him completely unconscious. "Now you've beaten the guy."

Amor jokingly calls me out. "It took you a minute and twelve seconds, a new personal best for you. Good job."

I roll my eyes at the pair. "Why do I feel like you two are picking on me?"

"Because we know you were holding back." Amor replies. "You just pulled a door from it's frame, and you're telling me you can't throw a punch that can one-shot a thug?"

I look down to my gargling victim, seeing how concussed he currently is. "If I don't hold back, I could end up doing worse than that, and I don't want that on my conscience. By law, I have to show restraint, it's within Equestrian Confrontation Guidelines for Dragons. And if I break those guidelines, what's to stop any other dragon from doing any worse? I have a position and an image to maintain."

Sir Fencer flippantly dismisses my concerns. "Yeah, whatever. Look, we're in a life-or-death situation right now. We're hostages on the run, which is almost a guaranteed death sentence for many. And judging from our accommodations, we're dealing with a group with absolutely nothing left to give. Can we say that they don't have family that'll miss them? No, but I can say that they shouldn't put themselves in these situations in the first place. You may not like it, but that's where we are now." He says before looking down the hall. "And now, I say we better run with our guts intact and get out of dodge."

While we start to free ourselves of our chains, I see that the pair are first doing away with their magic suppressors, their hooves are hard at work against their horns. "Hey, I don't think you guys should do that."

"You shouldn't if you don't know how to remove them." Replies the Ponyland prince. "The point is to resist using magic while doing so. There are these spikes that run the entire band. But if you get some into the groove of your horns... like... so..." An uncomfortable scrape softly sounds while he grimaces, but his work suddenly becomes that much easier, completely freeing himself from the magic suppressing ring. "Then you screw them off."

Sir Fencer doesn't even make a face when he does his, making his look incredibly effortless. "You two are way too used to this." I point out.

"I already told you why, it shouldn't be a surprise." The prince says as he levitates the keys to the cuffs on his hind legs, unlocking them.

The escort comments on the prince's efficiency at unlocking his chains. "He's becoming a natural."

As they free themselves totally of all bindings, I pull at the large iron ring on my neck. "Wish I could do the same for this piece of junk."

Sir Fencer looks at me, motioning for the prince to hold off on freeing me from my chains. "Unfortunately, your head doesn't screw off and on as easily. But we can use this to our advantage."

"By not freeing me?" I ask.

"We could pretend we're enslavers toting our bounty throughout the caves." I look back at the prince after he advertises the new plan. "No sadism intended, however."

"How does that help me? I'm still in this thing."

The imperial escort cosigns to the prince's outlook. "If you're in it, they don't look at you like you're not supposed to be free. Then they don't start asking questions, getting their friends involved, and things don't get violent." He pauses for a moment before correcting himself. "Okay, they may get violent but not too quickly."

"Really reassuring." I deadpan.

"I know you don't like being captured, neither of us do. But if we play along with this little charade, I can assure you our exit will be an easier one." The prince pleads. "I know we haven't had long to know each other, but I ask if you can trust me, Spike. Work with us and we'll get you out of this. My word."

I grit my teeth at the idea, reluctant as always but understanding that I wouldn't be in this position without them. "You guys are obviously the more experienced. I'll go along with it." I give the pair a stern look. "Just this once."

The escort then snickered. "If you're still upset about the ring, we could still weaken a bit by doing what we did a few hours─"

"Let's... not. Please?"

While going along their route to reach the Canterlot underground, the group of rescue specialists stumble across a large room with many cages and devices strewn all over the room. The room itself appears as large as an industrial warehouse, spanning a tripled length of the diameter of the arena floor itself. Large cages loom on either size of the party, who walked with extreme caution.

"These things are huge." Gallus comments.

Padrig looks up at the towering impromptu cells and shakes his head. "I'm willing to bet they kept all sorts of beasties in here."

"Of course they did." Tempest grumbles. "A lot of underground trade deals with other creatures."

"Actually, this is where they kept the defeated." Blue corrects the three.

"If they're the defeated, why keep them in cages?" Gallus questions.

"Some don't quite die after it's all said and done. So they bring the ones who didn't win here to be euthanized. Then they would sell parts of them on the black market, which at the time was topside in the town square."

"How do you know all of this?" The griffon inquires.

"My brother worked closely with some of the underground operations, however he did it as a means of getting in close to get the good stuff, the truly actionable intel."

"I bet he saw some shit, didn't he?" Padrig comments.

"We saw more than what anyone needs to see in a lifetime." Blue confesses.

"Experienced it too." Kalimba cosigns.

Along their walk, Gallus floats by a large cage with a large skull still sitting inside of it. "That had to be one big arimaspi."

"The body was sold for parts and meat. That's what was left of it." Kalimba briefly explains, much to the griffon's disgust.

"Eugh..."

"That's how they operate, anything for profit. This is pretty much par for the course." Tempest states as she notices the skeletal remains of a hydra sitting in a cage. "There's a place on the southern end of the continent, Klugetown. If you're a unicorn, they'll outright ask you if you want your horn or not. Some cases, they'll saw it off in your sleep and sell it right back to you come morning."

Gallus goes on to vent his disgust. "Places like that need to be exterminated."

Tempest quietly gives her dissent. "Some underground operations like that are a necessity to some fields. Especially the medical field, where certain medicines are created from key ingredients that can only be sourced in it's purity within a creature. Sounds cruel, but sometimes that's what it takes to make potions."

"I'd rather live with an underground market being quarantined to a single town far away than dealing with that hell being advertised on the city streets. That way it's easier for the populations who are capable of engaging in those trades to do so without scrutiny. Not to mention it saves those who don't want to be involved..." Blue looks over to Kalimba. "Or those too young to be exposed to it.

Gallus remains adamant in his opinions. "I just think it's hard to believe that Princess Twilight allows this to go on unabated. Like what's to stop them from coming back to other places and dragging them down that way?"

Tempest continues to justify the town's position. "Have you ever traveled to Klugetown, do you know the geography around it? It's surrounded by nothing but ocean to the east and south, and everything else around it is the Bone Dry Desert. There's no train running to that town, The visibility of walking is a six-of-ten on a good day because the wind is always blowing, nevermind the frequent sandstorms that pop up every three hours. Even by sea, it beats out Silver Shoals on tornadic waterspout activity. The only way you access it is by airship, braving the sea or pushing through the searing sands."

Padrig also adds to the argument. "Plus anyone who stuck around to the old Corrotto ways, they had a choice to either relocate there or assimilate to Celestia's new standard. There were some tens of thousands who took the offer to move. a few thousand even agreed to assimilate."

"What of the others?" The griffon asks.

The changeling gives his answer. "Well you know how there's a tolerance policy for those past-dwellers now?"

"Yeah."

"There wasn't one in the beginning." He emphasizes. "Celestia had a big axe to grind, and very few necks served as a capable whetstone."

The griffon holds his neck and gulps. "Yikes."

The changeling sighs in though. "She really had a bone to pick with the way her captain was treated. Didn't like that too much, and given that he got married to her last year, it no wonder why."

"I guess that makes sense in hindsight." Tempest says as Blue walks towards yet another door to unlock.

"Honey, if you knew what all he had gotten himself into, you'd wonder how he's still sane. Me and Kali have to ask ourselves that question many more times than not. We were all both victims and witnesses to it, one way or another."

Tempest sits patiently as the typically upbeat unicorn mare went about her work to unlock another access point. "I did hear it was pretty bad. Heard he couldn't look himself in a mirror for some time after that."

Kalimba closes her eyes, her memory still fresh to that time. "That's an undersell of an account."

The three of us continue our way out of the compound we're imprisoned in. We ran into a few encounters, but none that proved to be any worse than the first one. Along our route, we walk through a crudely-cut hallway, seemingly tunneled by some means of explosives. Along our journey, we do our best to keep our heads low and gain little attention to ourselves so that we don't run into trouble. However, a familiar voice causes us all to freeze upon hearing it.

"WILL YOU DOLTS SHUT THE FUCK UP!? I'M ON A LINK WITH THE BOSS!"

Just up ahead seems to be a room with a lot of commotion taking place. It sounds like someone is screaming incessantly, while the captor who preached his values to us is trying to have some sort of conversation with his higher-up. I quietly make a note of the situation as we both take to either side of the hall, looking to hide ourselves from the narrow door which the voices erupts behind. "Sounds like a serious conversation."

"Sounds like someone going through the worst right now more than that." Sir Fencer makes a note of the creature who sounds as though they're enduring an agony unlike any other.

"Shh!" The prince urges. "Let's listen for when they're about to leave. This might be our only way out, so it would probably be in our best interest to keep our ears peeled."

As we all do as the prince suggests, we hear the conversation taking place within the room. "We're still trying to get the budget together. Nobody wants to work when there's no funds circulating, no profits to be made." It's the voice of our rude unicorn captor, the one who kept punching me in my throat.

"And all of the accounts are cleaned out, you say?" This voice is an unfamiliar one.

"Every last one, sir."

"Well, should've expected them to rob me now as much as I've been robbed in life."

"Who's that talking?" I ask myself.

The prince once more whispers over to me. "Let's shut up and find out."

"The preparations need more time, sir. With no funds, we aren't able to get operations back up to speed. But with enough luck, our hostage should prove to be a lucrative endeavor. We were going to use that prince from Ponyland for our income, but they mock us and deny ownership of the prince. So now I guess we're stuck on hoping that stupid dragon is worth the payoff."

"A dragon you say?" His voice is awfully... feminine at times.

"Princess Twilight's royal 'Friendship Advisor'."

"Princess Twilight?" The other figure starts to laugh wildly. "Twilight Sparkle, ah yes. As strange as it is to admit, she and I are so close in mind that it's almost like she's my long-lost twin. It's just too bad her methodology is still subscribed to my previous outlook on life and it's dealings. So upsetting to see that none of my works have gone appreciated by her when she's supposed to be an avid acolyte to the process of scientific discovery."

Prince Amor's curiosity peaks with the mention of Twilight's name. "This guy knows the princess?"

"Shh." I call back to him.

He playfully fusses at me. "Oh don't start with my gambit."

"I gave her an offer she couldn't refuse. A billion bits should cover him if he's so pivotal to Equestria's international operations, and not to mention her long-time associate."

The voice appears to show some disapproval. "Ooh, I don't know why you even tried to run that one by her."

The captor sounds confused. "Sir?"

"You're an idiot." I can imagine the other party face-hoofing with that comment. "If you honestly think she won't send a specialist squad to reclaim her beloved pet dragon, you're sorely mistaken. It's happened to me before, so I speak from personal experience. Look where it's got me now. That should tell you the world of disappointment you'll be in pretty damn soon."

The captor seems to grow some hesitancy in his voice. "But... our operations."

The other figure sounds like he's resigned to disappointment. "Sadly a fruitless waste no better than my previous efforts. I was hoping you lot showed some competency in my wake, but you're just as useful as my previous lot of confidants." There's a sigh of defeat followed by an upbeat change in tone. "No matter, I have other means of liberation elsewhere. Consider this the end of your revelation."

Desperation sounds from the captor. "Boss! Please!"

"Do you even have a cold storage to put this one in after I'm done?"

"Uh..." The long silence gives away his unfavorable answer.

"Paaaaathetic." The sheer amount of disappointment in this other voice seems soul-crushing to me, if I were that other guy. "Well, have fun with your dragon toy. You might as well carve him up real good before the specialists get here. I'm sure they'll carve you lot up just fine. Now if you'll excuse me, I'll be waiting for some not-disappointing news made by a group not comprised of pusillanimous vestiges of incompetence. I bid you adieu."

The whole hall is now silent, no screaming, no yelling, no other commentary, nothing. Amor's ears flick as we all know that's the sign to get back to hiding. Well all take either side of the hall while two stallions walk out from in the room. One of them being some other guy we don't know. "Uh, sir, what do we do now?"

The other being the same unicorn who kept us captive. "We stick to the plan. But we start cutting up that drake now. Maybe if we do away with his arm, that'll put pressure on that princess perfect-fuckface."

As they walk briskly down the hall, I feel a cold chill growing in the pit of my stomach. "What about the... um... other guy?"

As they converse, Sir Fencer casts a bubble of silence around us as we infiltrate the room they've just left from. "What about him?"

We barely get inside without them catching us as the other lackey looks back and point to the room. "We can't just leave him in there."

"Get him later. We got some prime dragon meat to ship out."

Sir Fencer closes off the door, finally leaving us to rummage through room. Meanwhile, I ask the question on all of our minds. "What the hell is this place?"

"Don't know. Don't care." He replies as he takes a wooden beam and lodge it where they seem to lock all the prisoners on the inside. "All I know is that their security measures are crude and barely functional, but this is the one that might actually work worth a damn."

"That could buy us some time on our way out." Prince Amor says with a nod of approval. "They'll be trapped in the same complex they've kept us in. At least that's to our advantage."

As the two go on, I take notice of a piece of parchment with some runes written on it. I also take note of how familiar it's appearance is to something I've seen before. "This scroll..."

Sir Fencer calls me out. "Find something you like? If so, buy it and get a move on. We don't have all day."

As I think more on it, I start to come to the conclusion that these guys might have been trying to perform the same ritual that those kids tried to do in the Everfree Castle Ruins. While I can't be too sure that's what's exactly going on, I can still take it with me for the purpose of seeing if this was what they were going for. At the very least, I can research more on it and give the information to Nondis. He might be able to do something with it. "Guess I found something on discount." I say as I roll up the parchment.

After I finish, I notice that the other two happen upon a stallion laying quietly on the ground. Prince Amor reaches out to the stallion before Sir Fencer loudly calls out to him. "Don't!" The prince's eyes widen as he catches a glimpse of something. I immediately come over to check, but even Amor pulls me back. "Sir prince, please keep him turned that way."

"What? I was just gonna check on that guy." I reply.

The prince's jaw is tight as he speaks. "Probably not a good idea."

He keeps me turned away as his escort checks in on the figure. "Slhhhh... Oof... Was that you screaming like that?" He walks past us to grab some tattered curtains used for decoration, ripping them off the beams and dragging the heavy cloth over the figure. Once he finished, Amor turned us around and we walked right past the draped motionless figure. "Don't even ask, just keep walking fellas."

As we make our exit, the prince ignores him and ask about the stallion's condition. "How is he?"

"Still warm, but... gone. He's a looker if you want to burn the midnight oil for a few days. Let's just leave him with some dignity."

I blink for a moment, not exactly ignorant to the prospect of death, but still not savvy to the solidified expressions made by those who endure a painful end. And judging from his comments, I would've been plenty scarred had I turned him over for myself. I suppose Amor caught a glimpse of that himself and thought to spare me from that sight. Neither of the two are phased by that, which makes me wonder how bad did they have it back in their homeland. The only answer I can come to is that if they aren't too disturbed by that, then they've lost a lot more than a few 'associates'. Even in incompetence, the creatures down here, they harbor darkness beyond my understanding.

I'm really looking forward to getting back home now.

My mind hasn't left that room for a bit. Just moments before, we heard a terrible screaming that seemed to go on and on until it eventually just droned out. Thinking about it, we became so concentrated on the conversation taking place that we never really noticed the fact that the guy had faded out. He died while we were listening, and there was little we could do given our own circumstance. We could either live long enough to escape, or put ourselves in danger of being killed or taken captive. Either or, someone had to lose. The shameful thing is that I can't help but feel thankful that it wasn't us. A heavy thought, but one I'll learn to live with eventually.

Along our walk through the caves, we happen upon an unusual sight. Walking out from the dungeon we were held in, we enter into what appears to be large cavern. The entire place is dimly lit with light bulbs powered by struggling generators. Some were out, but others were holding on. And the paths we walked were all lined with walls of tin and wood, sheet metal and crude rivets. A series of numbers are spray-painted onto various doorways, the 'doors' being tattered sheets. The place isn't as lively as the surface, but there is some activity taking place in the corridors that serve as 'streets' in this makeshift town square.

There's a bit of a bustle, no hustle though. Many of the denizens are working hard at varying exchanges. But while they're trying to make it seem busy, there's no real money flowing through the place. Many of the gems they use to trade are unrefined and uncirculated, raw gems with hardly any assessed value other than color. In the distance, I could see some workers performing a dig at a nearby wall with some pickaxes. One of them happens upon a small deposit of zircon, and the other shoves the other out of the way to lay claim to it. A brawl quickly ensues between the two and others gather around to place their bets on who comes out of it the winner.

As we're walking, we see another stallion inspecting the quality of the gem that another is trying to pass as currency. He takes off his spectacles and shakes his head, giving the buyer a stern denial of sale. The patron is adamant that his currency is good for something, but the negotiations fail regardless of his pleas. We pass by another who's roasting a carrot over an open fire, the fire is small. But as he turns away, another pony runs up to steal the carrot, but not before seeing the cook pull out a dagger made of what appears to be his own magic. The would-be thief scampers off while the hungry unicorn continues to watch over his impending meal.

Everything seems to be so impoverished here. And with all the bodies I've noticed moving around, there are no females present. There are changelings, but they are unreformed. There are a number of mules and earth ponies all doing the hard labor. Unicorns seem to run the various shops. Pegasi fly overhead to serve as overseers and managers to the construction efforts. All of this place surrounds one towering structure in a semicircle, a construction crane that looms high over all in the cavern.

Prince Amor disheveled his appearance further to blend in with the crowd. Sir Fencer bears his bruises and scars proudly, knowing that his roughened appearance would be par for the course. They both guide me as I trail behind them, still bound to my chains and collar. Many don't even pay us any mind as we walk through the streets. Instead, we're as though we've been part of the trade since day one. No one suspects a thing.

I make a quiet note of it. "Seems we're getting a good run."

"You're supposed to be a prisoner, keep your mouth shut please." Mutters the prince, who's keeping his ears open for possible encounters.

Sir Fencer makes his own comment about the place we've stumbled into. "So this is the world of the Canterlot underground? Pretty underwhelming."

"Everything is so crude and impoverished." The prince says quietly.

As I look around, seeing that we've stumbled into an area where there's hardly anyone around, I speak out quietly. "That ransom on my head, yeah they're gonna need every bit."

The prince scoffs at the scenery. "Actually, they could pay a little more for what they've had us go through."

The escort looks towards his prince with a slight smirk "So we're in agreement then?"

"Trashing the place on the way out, sign me up."

"How do we go about doing that exactly?" I question the pair. "This place isn't exactly the sparkling splendor of it's halcyon days. So how do you go about trashing what's already considered to be trash in the first place?"

The prince looks up to the massive structure hauling what appears to be a palate of goods to one location near the cavern wall. "What's the purpose of this crane?"

"Looks like to carry some large goods from one place to the other." Answers the escort.

"These homes are awfully shoddy. Tin roofs, spliced wood beams, thin walls, a wrecking ball would be the end of much of this place."

As the crane slowly lowers a crate of goods to a worksite by the wall they have spray-painted for work, I illustrate the obvious. "Well we don't have any doubt that thing works. Everything else might be shoddy, but at least they keep that thing in decent shape."

"Probably takes half of the budget to keep that thing moving too." Sir Fencer states in thought.

Now both the prince and I look to each other, a metaphorical lightbulb shines above both of our heads. "I've got an idea." I say to the grinning prince.

"And I'm all ears."

It doesn't take long to climb to the access platform for the construction crane. If anything, most of the way is unguarded and fairly easy to access. They make sure that it's easy for many of the workers to get to it if they ever need anything done, to relay orders and instructions, or even to call for an emergency stop. Nothing's up to code around here, so it wouldn't make any sense that this would be the one thing that adheres to construction guidelines.

But along the way, we do have a bit of a minor encounter. "Hey!" That encounter is quickly resolved by a hoof to the side of the head.

The dealer of said hoof is quite unamused by the lack of a fight. "Security is a lot looser than I thought this would be. They've really made it this easy."

As we walk onto the work site, we see a myriad of plans strewn about a number of wooden crates. While Prince Amor cleans up after his escort by tying him up, he looks to one of the crates and ask me. "Hey, what's in that crate over there?"

As I look to assist the prince in his endeavor, I crack open one of the lids with a crowbar to see a unexpected surprise. "So... there are fireworks in here. Why does this place need fireworks of all things?"

"There are some plans here on the table." Sir Fencer walks over to one of the plans, seeing a set of blueprints illustrating something that looks like a crudely-illustrated guide to creating demolitions. "Seems they want to collect the gunpowder in these fireworks to create sticks of dynamite for blasting operations."

"What for?" The prince asks.

As I walk over to the table, I see another set of blueprints underneath the ones Sir Fencer happened upon. I see a number of things that don't entirely make sense to me, a bunch of geometrical shapes that crudely outline seating positions, an open space at the center, a place for exclusive seating in press boxes. "Huh, seems there's also some plans for an arena of some sort."

The imperial escort adds up what we've discovered thus far while Amor hollows out a section in a crate full of fireworks to dump the unfortunate victim of Sir Fencer's left hook. "So according to what we can piece together, they're collecting fireworks to create dynamite, which they then use to make some sort of arena."

"Which is what would explain the crane being underground for some reason." I note as I walk over to another crate, this one being locked shut. I yank the lock off of the hinges and pop open the box, seeing an incomplete stash of improvised dynamite sticks. "But it doesn't make sense. All these fireworks would only be good for a crate or two, but I don't think they'd be strong enough to decimate some rock. You wouldn't get much out of this, especially for construction. And then there's the aspect of controlled demolitions for that matter."

The prince turns his attention to the plans laid out on the work bench. "Hey Spike, there isn't a law regulating the sale and distribution of materials mandated for demolition operations, is there?"

"Of course there is. Commercial grade T.N.T. runs north of the thousands and require a blasting permit, a proof of insurance for accountability, and a permit for transport. These guys clearly have none of that."

"What about fireworks?" He asks.

I take a moment to think about it, seeing that there could be more to their operation than just acquiring a bunch of fireworks. "...No. You just buy them at the local party shop. Now naturally they don't sell in bulk like this, but if you have the connections..." My mind quickly flash back to the times I was working around Pinkie Pie while she was planning some of her parties. She could often sweet-talk her way into deals of having lots of fireworks for a special event. In other words, they have a plug somewhere in the city that's giving them what they need. I go back to the box filled with improvised dynamite sticks. "They gotta have way more than this somewhere around here."

"How about that stack of crates they just dropped off earlier?" Prince Amor reminds me.

Almost on cue, a small explosion sounds in the distance. I see a small plume of dust and smoke coming from one of the walls they're have marked to work on. Over in the area, I see a pony already walking from the crate with a bundled assembly of the explosives. Sir Fencer rubs at his chin in thought. "Sir Spike, what's the probability of us setting off some of those from here?"

I look to my back, still noticing the restraints on my wings. "If I could fly, I might be able to drop some in that crate."

"Can't do that, they'll capture you faster than we can free you again." Prince Amor states. "Maybe we can do this the old fashioned way. We can hide you in one of these crates full of the fireworks. You'll get dropped off, you light one off, toss it into one of those other crates, and we'll see what happens next."

Sir Fencer picks up a three-inch shell and lobs it over to me. "How long is the fuse on that?"

I pull the fuse, seeing the length it has before reaching into the shell. "I guess around ten seconds for clearance, five seconds for launch phase before the big boom."

"You got anything left in you?" He asks.

"I take it that me coughing up a spark is all you're looking for here." I say as I find a crate to hide in.

The prince aids me in getting me prepped while his escort brings his focus to the construction crane "Just give us that, and we'll be sure to drop them a little something that will razzle them on our end."

"The ol' razzle dazzle?" The prince questions as he places me in a crate here in the loading bay.

"The ol' razzle dazzle." He replies. "It'll keep them more than busy enough to not come after us."

Something tells me Discord would love these two right about now.

Our plan quickly goes into motion. Before I know it, I'm quietly sitting in one of these crates being floated over to the work area. Down below, I can see a few ponies moving around and transporting the explosives into the areas they have designated for blasting. While the stuff they use isn't quite up to strength or precision for construction, it's still effective in clearing the rock they need to get the job done. I'll admit, it's been thought out fairly well, but the precision leaves a lot of dangerous factors on the table.

As the crane movement stops, I see my intended target. I motion to Sir Fencer, who's running the crane for the time being, to nudge me over to the left a bit more. While that's going on, I start to hear some screaming from down below. "YOU MOTHERFUCKERS ARE ABSOLUTELY FUCKING USELESS!"

I quickly hide my head in the crate again, already recognizing the voice as our captor from before. I'm sure he's at his nerve's end after getting trapped in the dungeon. He's out sooner than we expected, but he's very much thrown off by what has happened. The construction workers down below see that for themselves. "Uh oh, sounds like the boss ain't too happy today."

The group of eight workers gather around, wanting to know what all happened. "Hey boss, what's going─"

"WHERE'S THE DRAGON!? WHERE IS HE!?" I can hear his screams over everything else in the immediate area.

"You mean a purple dragon with green fins and scales, about five feet tall, retainer ring on it's neck?"

As I put myself at further risk, I motion to be lowered closer to the volatile unicorn stallion. "YES, THAT DRAGON! WHERE IS IT!?"

"Oh, I thought that you authorized a move. Two holders just took him on by, don't know where they headed though."

"DON'T KNOW WHE─" He knocks over a table with some construction blueprints. He also tosses a work bench out of a fit of rage. "YOU STUPID FUCKS! THAT'S OUR BILLION-BIT RANSOM WALTZING THE FUCK WHO-KNOWS-WHERE! WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING LETTING HIM WANDER AROUND!? WHO AUTHORIZED THE MOVE!?"

"Just two stallions holding his chains. I thought they were some new guys working the guild shift."

As I motion for the crate to stop it's descent, I listen for the next time I hear the stallion to go off on a tangent. "Okay, let me explain something to you."

"Alright."

"We have little to no money."

"Yeah."

"Listen, yeah? We have almost no funds."

"Yeah."

"All our funds are already locked in with the whole making the T.N.T., right?"

"I guess so."

Another stallion, who staggers next to the captor out of breath, holds a clipboard in his possession. The angry unicorn continues his rant. "And we're currently behind schedule because of the hiring of the engineer who designed the master plan for the new arena, like we paid for the renders, the advertising, the crane, and all of that, right?"

"Yeah we did."

"And as of now, we are currently sitting in the red financially, right?" He doesn't give the worker a chance to answer as he turns to the stallion with the clipboard. "Secretary, am I right to say we're operating in the red?"

"Yes sir."

His attention's brought back to the worker. "How about you, that sounds right to you, doesn't it?"

"I suppose, sir."

He gets into the worker's face. "So that being said, who the fuck else would I hire?"

"Huh, I guess that does raise a good question."

"HuH I gUeSs ThAt DoEs RaIsE a GoOd QwEsTiOn─SHUT UP! SSHZZZZSHUT THE FUCK UP!" Even I was startled by that outburst, I think I almost saw him burst a blood vessel in his forehead on that one. But he takes a breather and soften his voice just for a moment. "Now let's think for a second, kids. We have three prisoners missing. We have, out of the brown rocky sky above, two new guys, whalking awound with a dwagon. Hwhat... is going on there?"

The math finally adds up for the construction worker. "Thuuuuuuuh prisoners are escaping?"

Now's a good time to light this shell. I give it a quick cough before the sparks ignite the fuse, much in a similar fashion how the stallion's anger has finally hit a breaking point. "Yes, the prisoners are escaping. Mmhmm, yes, they're doing that─GET THE FUCK UP AND MOVE, YOU USELESS BAGS OF OVERGROWN EJACULATE!"

As they're going on about that, I drop the shell into the crate and quickly motion for my escape. The secretary tries to reason with the stallion. "Boss, your blood pressure─"

"YOU WANNA LOSE SOME BLOOD!? I'LL FUCKING HELP YOU LOSE SOME!"

"Hey boss..." The secretary points behind the enraged stallion. "I think your rage just set off one of the sticks in the crate."

"THE FUCK You..." Everyone looks at the crate, seeing the small amount of smoke suddenly grow larger as the shell goes into launch phase in the box, undeniably setting off more than a few fuses. The stallion's eyes widen as he uses his magic to shield himself.

Everyone else jumps off the platform in a bid to save themselves. "GET THE FUCK OUT OF THE WAY!"

*BANG!*

The entire cave shakes and rumbles with the sound of a massive explosion, several others seem to take place shortly after the initial report. The five specialists are shaken up by the soundwave that rushes past them. Upon recovery, they strain to understand what is taking place.

"What the hell was that!?" The griffon questions as he regathers his senses.

"That sounds like a very ugly fight with human weaponry." Padrig stumbles back to his feet.

"Human weapons are the one thing Nondis and Alex forbade me from trading over." Blue argues with a wincing expression. "How would they even get their mitts on shit like that?"

Kalimba is the first to totally recover from the blast, she takes point as her magic glow intensifies, risking even more light through the caves. "Let's hurry!"

The others soon join her in the rush. The five gallop at full speed while they venture even deeper towards the source of the ongoing explosions. Tempest takes note of another issue starting to develop along their journey. "Is it getting a little smoky in here, or is it just me?"

"That's gunpowder alright." Gallus confirms. A whistling noise sounds before another explosion is heard. "Sounds more like fireworks now that we're a bit closer."

The five happen upon a sheet of tin covering an entrance. Kalimba blasts the obstacle out of the way to reveal a large cavern engulfed in smoke and bright orange flames. More explosions continue to pop off in various areas. What used to be a makeshift town square is suddenly blown to smoldering rubble. A number of stallions down below are seen organizing a mass effort to fight the fires that continue to erupt across the cave.

Both Blue and Kalimba show immense confusion over the chaos. "Uh..."

"What is all of this?" The zebracorn questions, stumped over the unusual scenery.

"What in Tartarus is going on down here?" Tempest joins the two underground veterans in displaying her confusion. "This is the fabled underground syndicate that we're looking for?"

Gallus looks up to the crane before he facepalms himself. "Guys... I think we found him." The griffons talons point upward, the other four look in the pointed direction to see a figure swinging freely on the damaged crane line.

I'm screaming like a madmare possessed as I continue to toss a number of shells out to various boxes of dynamite and fireworks. Various worksites are left in ruins as I finally indulge in a bit of my dragon habit of pillaging and burning, albeit without my flying around and watching it all burn down in the color of my flames. I don't think I've ever had a streak like this as far as I can remember, but I am having fun over ruining the plans of a bunch of kidnappers and criminals. If anything, I'm doing a service to society by engaging in this rather atypical behavior of mine. Not that I care, they were going to cut my arms off for ransom anyhow.

While I do engage in the chaos, I also make sure that there are no victims directly impacted by my bombing runs. And whenever I get the chance, I swing on the damaged line of this crane like I've lost all sense of care, posing and singing throughout the madness we've created down below.

Ms. Royal takes notice of my expression of unbridled joy. "Oh I see he's just living his best life right now."

Kalimba shakes her head with disappointment. "These underground thugs are getting worse by the year."

Gallus has a completely different line of questioning. "Okay, so we know we found Spike, that's good. But I really think we should get an answer to this one thing. What the fuck is a crane doing down here in the first place?"

Blue walks closer to the ledge from where they stand and shouts up to me at the top of her voice. "SPIKE!"

I look down to notice the five that have come to my rescue. I wave back at them. "OH, HEY GUYS!"

Gallus screams at me as well. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING UP THERE!?"

"OPERATION RAZZLE DAZZLE! THEY HAVE FIREWORKS EVERYWHERE!" I cheerfully reply to the griffon. "LIKE THEY HAVE THE GOOD ONES TOO! I'M JUST POPPING THEM OFF RIGHT NOW! IT'S NOT MY FAULT THEY HAVE THIS SHIT ALL OVER THE PLACE! I'M JUST HAVING FUN"

Blue expresses her relief, but also her concern. "WELL I'M GLAD YOU'RE HAVING FUN, BUT PLEASE COME DOWN SO WE CAN TALK!"

"OKAY!" I say before I realize I'm holding one more. "ONE SEC!"

I cough into the fuse of the last shell I had a hold of, tossing the impending fireball towards another stockpile of dynamite near another construction zone. After that, I quickly crawl up the load wire of the crane and sprint among the suspension beam. When I get back to the control bridge of the crane, I could see both Sir Fencer and Prince Amor dancing a waltz, the ensuing chaos serving as the music for their number. "Spike, join us for our little dance, will you?" The prince suggests with a giggling smile.

"Sorry guys, rescue committee's waiting down below. Twilight sent them."

The pair stops dancing as Prince Amor shows his eagerness. "Ooh, even better!"

The three of us finally unite with our five rescuers, who are puzzled over the other two that accompany me. Blue foregoes that thought momentarily and runs in for a hug. She's hugging me awfully tight, so tight that the bands still constricting my wings are growing even more uncomfortable.

Tempest however doesn't hold back on her question. "Uh... who are those two?"

"Yeah, I didn't even introduce you guys to each other and I'm just dragging them along with." I say as I finally shed myself of the billionaire realtor and pull the other two forward, pointing as I introducing them to one another. "Gallus Griffon, Tempest Shadow, Padrig, Mrs. Kalimba, Ms. Blue Royal, this is Sir Fencer and Prince Amor Ambrosia. They're from the Ponyland Empire."

Padrig's eyes buck open in shock over the pair's status. "Ponyland imperial family, holy hell, what are you guys doing in Equestria?"

"Just passing through, at least until we got captured." Prince Amor briefly summarizes.

Tempest gives the air a sniff, sourcing a rather unpleasant odor. "And why do you lot smell like gun powder and an unwashed bathroom?"

"Long story, don't wanna talk about it." Sir Fencer quickly answers.

Meanwhile, Prince Amor summons up a few of the blueprints we found near the crane. "We found a few things. Seems they were going to build some sort of arena. And I'm sure you're chomping at the bit to find out why it's such a mess here. Well let's just say that these lot are fairly decent at improvisation."

Blue takes a gander at the blueprints, sighing with disbelief. "Now this is just cute, using fireworks to make dynamite for construction. So how far do you think you guys set them back for?"

"Eh, probably some months." I say before another explosion startles all of us. That one seems to come from the place near the crane's base. A loud creaking noise sounds as the crane's weight falters from the damage it took from the explosion, tipping over with a loud thunderous collapse into what appears to be the very dungeon access we just escaped from. "...Scratch that, let's give it a year or two, tops."

The prince giggles as he proudly hoof-bumps Sir Fencer. "And there's the dazzle for the rest of that razzle."

"Well placed, your highness."

"Thank you, my esteemed and trustworthy escort. I learn from the best."

Gallus glances at the foreign pair as he speaks to me. "I see you've made some friends."

"Well they are just visiting." I shrug back at him.

"DRAGON!"

I groan as I recognize the voice screaming out to me. I turn around, seeing the unicorn stallion covered in soot and dirt, his mane disheveled, and his eyes bloodshot. He trots angrily towards us with a cough and a bone to pick with me. The prince makes fun of his short temper. "Oh, he seems slightly peeved."

"DRAGON! YOU SCALY FUCK! I OUGHTA TEAR THAT SODIUM COMPOSITE OUT OF YOUR FUCKING THROAT!"

"Another 'friend' of yours?" Tempest questions.

"Oh yeah, the best." I sarcastically answer. "He kept punching me in my throat and shocking the shit out of me."

"YEAH I SHOCKED YOU! BUT NOW I'M GOING TO MAKE SURE YOUR FUCKING HEAD EXPLODES!" As he gets closer, I realize his magic is active again. The ring is slower to receive his signal due to the distance, but as he gets closer, the signal amplifies, sending a painful shock throughout my body.

I scream out in pain as I start to grasp at the collar on my neck. Blue gathers over me as she calls out my name. "Spike!"

"THAT'S RIGHT, YOU FUCKING COCKSUCKER! I'M GONNA POP YOUR HEAD LIKE THESE GODDAMN FIREWO─" His words are interrupted by a seemingly stray blast of magic. It numbs him to his haunches, causing him to fall over and cancel out his spell. The pain in my body takes a reprieve as the collar goes dormant.

As I'm recovering from the pain, I see the zebracorn walk out from the midst of the formation and step up closer to him. He gets back up in time enough to see her approach quietly, obstructing his line of sight towards me. "Never thought I would be seeing you again."

"Who the fuck are you?" He asks, still pretty vehement over the blow he took.

"My appearance is a lot different from my previous life. But I shall kindly remind you of who I am." She says as her horn once more fills with magic. "I know you remember the night when you were rented off by my owner at the time, to beat me, just so he could reclaim me after his loss."

"Lady I don't even know..." He stops in the middle of his sentence as he takes a moment to think back on her words.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*** Seven Years Ago ***~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

*pant... pant... pant*

Kalimba breathes laboriously as she lays almost helpless on the ground. The vision in her eyes fade a bit as she feels a bit of blood stemming from her nostrils, tasting some between her teeth. She looks up to her opponent, the stallion who lords over her with every possible advantage.

She gets up again, vowing to at least get a lick in. At this time she showed fighting potential, in her recoveries, her attempts to close the distance, and her speed. However, his teleportation gambit, combined with his firing magic bolts at her prove too much for her at the time. Even when she closes the distance, he would get out of her grapples simply by teleporting himself. And with no prior training in magic, it proved to be her glaring disadvantage.

Each time she goes down, she gets right back up and reset herself, only to be knocked down yet again.

Kalimba tries to stand again, but the rich stallion who wagered for her halted the match. Just as he did, he walked up to the zebra and stared her down with a growing smile of dubious intent. "You would serve me well, missy. I would love to have you as my... hmm, personal maid." He leaned into the panting mare and sniffed her neck. "You're a hard worker, and a die-hard fighter at that. I wonder what else you would be skilled at." He brushes a hoof against her cheek, taking measure of all her scars and bruises. "If I gave you time to heal, you would be such a prospect. Surely a life as this is not your calling. So come with me and we'll see about giving you a better life."

Kalimba, having freed herself from a similar situation earlier that night, outright rejected the stallion's offer, turning her head away from him. But her challenger laughed as he mocked her. "Poor thing, has a horn but don't know how to use it." The guild worker then pulled one of his eyelids down while giving the mare a wicked grin from ear to ear. Kalimba takes in his gesture, his expressions, the tone of voice he has as he continues to make a mockery of her. "A cheap brood should sell it for something better."

What followed was the stinging set of words that only reminded her of what she too saw herself as at the time.

"How about a nice bed to sell yourself in? You could call it a business investment."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*** Present Day ***~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The stallion's eyes expand as the mare that stood before him disappears from view. He mouths the words to himself. "No fucking wa─" His world is suddenly turned sideways before he can finish his sentence.

He tries to recover his position, but Mrs. Kalimba is aggressive with her assault. She teleports behind him before he can ignite his horn to perform a similar maneuver, sending a magic blast to his back. He recovers and goes in for a grapple as she lays a successful strike to his chest, but she takes his contact and shifts her weight to throw off his follow-through. He stumbles forward, creating an opening where she jabs the side of his neck twice and the front of his throat once. He coughs as he loses his breath, but she remains merciless. She telekinetically straightens his posture for him, only to deliver a few more sound blows to his chin, following her seven-hit barrage with a devastating somersault to knock him into a wall. But before she lands, she casts a bolt of her magic directly to his head, knocking him completely unconscious.

He makes a strained gurgling noise as he lays seized against the wall, his legs all stiffened to hold at his chest. She walks to him and speaks down on him one last time. "I guess I've learned to use my horn after all, no need for me to sell it." She gives him a final buck to the face before walking away and kissing her teeth. "So consider this my business investment... Idjiot."

As she walks by, Sir Fencer hums with interest in the mare. "Mm... she spoken for?" He asks me.

"I don't know, but she does have a son." I answer.

Having overheard the conversation, Mrs. Kalimba answers his indirect question. "I speak for my own self, thank you very much."

As she walks away, I take notice that there is a subtle but very attractive sway of her tail, one that both he and I both take a mental note of. I've at least accepted that she's out of my league, but the imperial escort is not as sober-minded. "Hummina hummina."

The prince jokes with the stallion. "Back on your leash, Sir Fencer. No barking up trees you won't see again."

After a few turns around the way, we come back to the museum exhibit, namely the ones with the metal plates. As we make our way through, Amor asks what the exhibit is about. I try to give a brief explanation about the necroterrorist without going too into detail about it. He makes a few comments about the criminal responsible, citing that he should be beyond executed, beyond charged, and beyond expunged. While the others issue calls of agreement, I stay tight-lipped over the fact that his doctor may be the same guy who's responsible for this exhibit.

We finally get back to the surface, reintroduced into the night scene of the Corrotto District. The prince's eyes expand wildly as he's overwhelmed by the immensely bright lights and moving advertisements. It seems the technology is far beyond his comprehension, most assuredly beyond that of his home country. Even his escorting guardian is just as in awe over what they were witnessing.

Down at the bottom of the steps are a waiting party. It consists of a few guards for security, Twilight, Shining, Cadance, and Flurry. They seem to be conversing with one another before the Crystal Emperor jolts to attention, calling for me as we walk down the stairs. "Hey Spike!"

Twilight hears my name and look to me walking down the stairs. That obviously isn't good enough for her, she teleports to my side and keeps me in a constricting hug. "Ooh, you dumbass! What the hell were you thinking doing that!? Do you know how much I worried about you since I got that stupid box!?" She buries her head into me even further as she expresses her tearful relief. "Thank goodness you're okay!"

"Yeah, it's been a rough going." I say before I feel something painful stomp on my tail. "OW!"

Hearing my discomfort, Twilight lets me go and we look back to see that Flurry had teleported on top of my tail. She doesn't seem too happy to see me. "When's my birthday?"

While I'm confused by her method of greeting, I politely grab my tail from under her while giving my reply. "The actual day, April 8th. But for you, it's whatever day you want it to be."

She tackles me by my neck, giving me a hug that almost rivals that of her aunt. "That's my Uncle Spike." She also takes notice of the metal collar on my neck. "What's this for? This better not be some changeling contraption to make you look and talk like my Uncle Spike."

She seems to have a strange affixation for changelings as of late. "Did I miss something?"

"Just a changeling taking your place, nothing too serious, it's happened before." Cadance answers as though it's a simple thought. "Don't worry, you'll get used to it."

I groan at her seemingly casual response. "What is it with ponies telling me that I should get used to being abducted?"

"Who was the one to tell you that?" Twilight asks.

"Your highness!" The very answer to that question finally shows his excitement for seeing the purple princess.

Twilight on the other hoof, visibly shows her disgust. "Ugh, you."

While maintaining space out of respect, he bows before her with a sultry smile. "Oh, for my heart aches at such rejection. Have I wronged your majesty in any way?"

Twilight sees the uninvited pair of Ponyland visitors and treats them as spies. "Guards, put these two away."

"IN A ROOM, PLEASE!" I interrupt before turning to Twilight. "No dungeons. Trust me."

She rolls her eyes and motions for the guards to get on with it. They do as ordered and escort the pair away. As the foreign prince passes her by, he resists his forward movement to address her. "Your elegance." The guards seem to exhibit struggle in getting him to move forward as he gives her praise. "If I am to be sent to a dungeon of your design, I would stay devotedly within it's firm yet comforting walls. For the crime that was committed, I am guilty of trespass upon your heart."

Twilight motions the guards to move a little faster in escorting them away. The prince having said his peace moves on without further resistance. Cadance smirks as she takes interest in Amor's proposal to her sister in law. "Oh my, romantic much?"

"Hopeless romantic is more like it." Twilight grumbles.

I shake my head as I try to plead with her. "Twilight, you gotta get out of your mood about the guy. He's a decent dude. He even helped me escape."

"Spike, if you knew what he believes in, you would understand why his presence is so detesting." She answers.

I turn back around and point to the museum from where we came. "Then why don't you teach him the truth instead of keeping him at a distance? You know, make a day of it. Hint-hint."

She quickly comes up with a reason not to. "It's not like I can. Have you seen my schedule?"

She knows damn well she can clear a day for this. As does her brother, who chuckles at her reaction. "Ex-cuses."

"SHUT UP!"

After our reunion, Twilight and Mrs. Kalimba work hard to remove the collar from my neck. Once they identify the runes that keeps it sealed, they apply a counter spell to dissipate the runes and unlock the heavy chunk of metal from off of my neck. The bindings that once kept my wings bound are destroyed in turn and I'm once more free to fly and breathe fire, although that latter aspect will take some time to get back into due to the damage my throat has suffered.

With the friendship summit at an end and my time in captivity along with it, I'm at last shipped back to Ponyville, this time on winged carriage for expediency. They even drop me off directly in front of the residence, just to be sure. As the winged guards take their leave, I walk towards my home with nothing more than an overwhelming relief of being back. And though my time in the Canterlot underground was short-lived and stressful, I did have some dragon fun at the end. I guess I could go back to the Dragon Lands with a story of plundering and pillaging, you know, for the older crowd that loves that kind of stuff. I know Lord Torch would be pretty interested, and Ember would probably ask more about it. But that's thought for another time.

I unlock my door and walk into the foyer, seeing a few extra bags lined up at the side of the door. Seems like Gabby brought in a lot of her stuff. Guess she's pretty serious about this moving in thing.

Funny, I thought she said it's only for a week. "Alright Gabby, I'm back."

"SPIKE!" That's not Gabby's voice. "Spike, that better be you!" Ocellus gallops down from the third floor.

Smolder shows up, but just dives down from the third floor, treating herself as a missile aimed for my chest. She tackles me to the ground and screams in my face. "You idiot, what the hell were you thinking when you decided to marathon your sorry ass from one town to the other and back!? What's your fucking problem!?"

Finally, Gabby pops her head in from above, politely gliding down to greet me. "Spike, welcome back!"

"Glad to be back." I say as I bring my attention once more to the two unexpected guests. "Hey, what are you two doing here?" Another thing starts to add up in my head, seeing that Gabby wouldn't have this much stuff packed up by herself. "And what's with all the bags?"

"Well... you see..." Ocellus begins before staring down Smolder. "Do you want to tell him or should I?"

"Fine." The dragon continues to hold me by my shoulders, shaking me violently as she tells what happened "I got a little upset over you getting kidnapped, dragon activity ensued, our place is a charred mess, and now Starlight evicted us from the place until we can afford to pay for the repairs."

"Which is also docked from our pay!" Complains the changeling.

Smolder intensifies her shaking of me. "What part of 'I'm sorry' don't you understand!?"

Yeah, I'll admit that my shoulders aren't exactly a pantheon of strength and comfort right now. If anything her repeated shaking is making the pain worse. "If you're complaining to her, why are you shaking me?"

"BECAUSE IT'S YOUR FAULT, YOU DUMBASS! IF YOU DIDN'T GET KIDNAPPED, I WOULDN'T HAVE TORCHED THE DORM IN THE FIRST PLACE!"

I finally explain to her why shaking me is a bad idea. "You know, they hung me by my arms for the longest time, my shoulders aren't in the best shape right now. So can we please not?"

Ocellus pulls the dragoness from off of me, getting a nuzzle in while doing so. "We're just glad you're back."

"I'm glad to be back too." I reply.

Smolder quirks a brow at me. "Hey, why is your voice so raspy?"

"And deep?" Ocellus asks while her head is still on my chest.

Gabby helps me back up as she makes her own comment about the state of my voice. "Is that really a problem, lets be honest."

"That's a huge problem if you're a dragon." Smolder answers. "What did they do to you?"

"It's a long story." And there are plenty of parts I don't want to talk about right now. "Plus you ladies have work in the morning."

Gabby tries to be careful while pulling at my arm, gently guiding me towards the kitchen to talk more. "I'm always a glutton for stories, Spike. C'mon, let's sit down so you can tell me something."

Ocellus quickly intervenes, pulling at my other arm. "Uh, now who are you to just walk in and start dominating shit like you ain't the third addition to our little thing?"

"Yeah, who do you think you are!?" Smolder demands as she pushes me from my back.

Gabby tries to turn the conversation against the pair. "Last I checked, it's almost midnight. Don't you two have work in the early morning?"

"Don't you?" Both Smolder and Ocellus ask in unison.

"My job is two to three blocks down from here, yours is across town." Gabby argues in favor of herself.

"So!?" Smolder intensifies her push as she expresses her discontent. "We have every right to hear from Spike what's happened!"

"We're the ones who's the most inconvenienced by you running away from your boyfriend!" Ocellus cosigns. "If you didn't call him up begging to stay here, he wouldn't be in the shape he's in."

"Oh sure, it's my fault that Galefor's being a possessive creep that I have to get away from!" Gabby defends herself.

I know that these three are going to be at it all night, but I might as well find some reprieve before this gets out of hand. As they're about to sit me down, a thought comes across my mind that causes me to jump back up. "Hey, ladies, I'll get to the story in a bit, just... let me go put something up in the basement real quick."

Smolder snarls back at me. "It better be quick, or I'm burning your kitchen down!"

"Please don't!" I call out as I separate myself from the group.

I walk down the stairs and turn on the light to a large room filled with a number of home appliances, items like the water heater, the washer, the dryer, the heating unit for the air, and the circuit breaker. I also keep a chest full of items down here, namely valuables and other miscellaneous goods that I've obtained throughout life. Since I've managed to keep a few souvenirs from this weekend, I'm thinking that I could just dump them here.

I drop three things into the chest of collectibles, the belts that were used for my wings, the collar that they used to keep me from breathing fire, and one of the scrolls I've snatched up. I dump all of the items into the chest, not thinking much about them other than being evidence of my not-so-great weekend, I should probably see them more like trophies of my triumph over the so-called Canterlot Underground. I know I had help getting out, but watching that place burn to the ground does good to the dopamine response. It also helps to see Mrs. Kalimba beat the shit out of that one guy so effortlessly. I bet that felt pretty good for her.

I guess the main thing that still echoes in my mind is the fact that one of the guys I heard screaming in the dungeon didn't make it. They probably tortured the poor guy to death.

"Some call it spite... but I know what's right..."

...What the fuck was that?

"Hey Spike!" Smolder's voice startles the shit out of me, I nearly jump out of my scales as she calls out to me from up the stairs. "What's taking you so long?"

I look back to the chest, hearing nothing else. I take a gander inside, seeing if something has changed or if I brought in anything strange. So far, it seems nothing is showing any kind of reaction, and I'm not hearing anything else. Though that voice did sound familiar, oh well. I take a deep breath, close the chest, lock it up, and walk away.

"SPIKE, HURRY UP!" Smolder screams down the stairs.

I hurry from out of the room, stomping back up the stairs. "Wow, you three are so impatient!"

Chapter 24: Ex Exhibitions

I had a pretty ugly nightmare.

I dreamt that I was sitting in a weird room, a very cold room. Everywhere I looked, there was nothing all around me. I got up to run from where I was, only to find myself standing in an infinite space filled with darkness. I rubbed my eyes to check if I had gone blind, but I could see myself just fine. It seems that everything around me was just dark and I was standing in an infinitely shining spotlight. I look up to see what it was that was shining that light down on me, I couldn't identify it. So I walked forward for infinity, at least until I trip over something.

I grabbed at my leg, looking to check if I had hurt myself, but I discovered that my leg was gone... and so was the other. I start to scream as I start to fly on my wings, only to discover that they had been hug up on a wall that randomly showed up behind me. But they weren't big like I usually am, they were small.

"YOU MONSTER!"

As Rarity voices called out in the void, I turned back around to see the image of my smaller self hunched over in pain, my back bleeding uncontrollably. My cries were hard to listen to, so hard that I try to cover my ears. My legs were also bleeding, or rather the nubs that were supposed to be there.

"TWILIGHT!... HEEEELP! PLEEEEASE!""

"STOP HURTING HIM!" Cried out a sobbing Fluttershy. "HE'S JUST A BABY DRAGON! WHAT COULD HE EVER DO TO YOU TO DESERVE THIS!?"

A smiling alicorn filly, Cozy Glow, giggles as she takes joy in my pain. "You know, all of this could've been avoided if you'd just stop your stupid fight for the bell, right?" The evil filly flew down to me and lifted my head up in her magic. "Now you see that he's not doing any of that 'don't worry about me' crap that he was spouting out earlier."

Chrysalis cackled as she tossed my legs down before Twilight and her friends. "We'll let you have the bell, once we've pulled your precious dragon friend to pieces."

"Promise you'll save the head for me?" Lord Tirek asked.

"STOP IT!" I screamed out to the scene that played out, my words had the same effect as me running away at this point.

The former changeling queen starts to pull at my arm before Grogar's bell lands before her hooves. She drops me down, pleased with the outcome of her wager. Cackling as my younger self crawled away, rapidly losing blood, she recites a statement made shortly after their destruction of the castle in Canterlot. "It's just as I said, the one thing more powerful than friendship is fear!"

"And just as the little worm just showed you─" Tirek chimed in. "When you have to protect yourself, you don't have time for anyone or anything else."

Twilight levitated me over, holding me as I cried out in pain. She lurches over, issuing apology after apology, her voice trembling as her eyes flowed with tears. "Spike... I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I promise I'll do whatever it takes to make you feel better, I swear!"

"There's no changing what's happened." Chrysalis calls out. "The only thing you've changed is how soon you all get to die!"

As Twilight held on to me, I watched as both Rarity and Fluttershy sob uncontrollably as they crowded around me. Applejack and Pinking brought themselves in over me, trying their best to comfort one another as Rainbow stood at the forefront of the impending blast. "We've seen worse. I promise you we have." The mare extended her wings and hooves, thinking to shield her friends from the initial blast. "So no matter what happens, we face it together!" She turns back with a smile, looking down at me. "All of us."

While I suddenly found myself in the middle of the pile of mares, I watched as Rainbow's face evaporated away in a blast that disintegrated her on impact. I looked to see the others around me turned to half-ash, half faces turned and warped by the horror of experiencing their end. But I also see an unfamiliar face look down on me with a smirk.

"Oh... what a terrible fate you could've met."

A powerful impact bashes against my back and I scream out in pain. "Gah!"

I lose all sense of direction, fighting while I'm still wrapped in my sheets. Before long, I fall off of the bed and pull the sheets off of me to see Ocellus looking down at me in realization. "Oh, Spike! I'm so sorry, I thought you were Smolder."

Honestly, I'm happy for that kick in the back. At least I know now that dream is good and over. "I figured." I answer as I get up and stretch my limbs.

As my sheets took off with my fall, the orange dragoness is revealed to still be hunched over her pillow. Ocellus takes aim and kicks her target in the back. "AAAAAAAH!" Smolder screams as she falls out of the bed to join me.

"Wake your scaly butt up! We gotta get to work!"

"Did you have to kick me?" Smolder growls at the changeling.

"You won't wake up unless I do." She replies. "Now get moving!"

While the pair dashes off to the bathroom to take their respective showers and the like, I make an instinctive move to reach for my back. I still feel my wings, and I obviously still have my legs. I sigh in relief over the prospect of not having myself being ripped apart for the mean trio's sadistic amusement. And to be honest, I'm sure there's some parallel universe where that happened and I happened to live past all of that. I feel sorry for that Spike more than anything. But still... it's been some time since I've had that particular nightmare.

I don't talk about it much, but some of the adventures I've endured with the others have left an impression on me, and not in a good way. I still struggle with that moment, it makes me feel like the freedoms of independence could've been taken away from me. To this day I'm still looking back at my wings each morning, thanking Faust that they're very much attached and that all of the villains responsible are cased in stone. The last thing I need to see is any and either one of them go free. I don't think my mind would be able to handle it. I mean yeah, I helped beat them, but the faces of sinister approval they had while Chrysalis was tearing at my wings ring loudly in my mind. And the mornings after I dream that dream, I find myself being very cautious of what's behind me. It's like a tingling sensation that runs up my back, across both of my wings, and deep into my cerebellum, rotating that crawling sensation without end.

My phone buzzes, showing that I have a text from Twilight. As I open it up, I see a massive wall of a message.

Dear Spike.

I hope all is well with you on today. I know you're pretty tired from this weekend and you probably don't want to hear from me at this point, but I just wanted to reach out and check in with you. I also want to thank you for everything you've given over. The information you passed along to us showed us the extent of their plans. Now we know to regulate a limit on what accounts can mass purchase fireworks and which should be held under limitation. This measure should easily pass parliament, and further regulate the actions of these underground thugs. They'll soon realize it will be much harder to maintain their operations here in Canterlot as opposed to simply uprooting themselves for Klugetown.

And per your request, we've also made it a point to offer Prince Amor Ambrosia of the Ponyland Empire clemency for their part in your rescue. They have been offered a room for the time being, however they are to remain under scrupulous supervision as we have no awareness of their reason for being here. I suspect that they are performing some method of espionage to seem as inconspicuous, possibly amorous for means of accessing our technology while undercutting all forms of legitimized trade. I do not subscribe that His Imperial Majesty is here merely for romantic intent, and he will be supervised to obtain more information of his ambitions.

As for this week, I've cleared your schedule, take the time you need to recover from your ordeals, I hope you get back to breathing fire like you normally do. As you can tell, I've taken that into consideration while writing this letter in the unusual format to which it is being sent. And with the method, it should not only find you well but also find you in the minute I've sent for it, as well as being private. There are still some things I need for my number-one assistant to do, and one of them is to send letters through dragonfire should the means of a phone are inaccessible. And I can't have you not being yourself while undergoing meetings with dignitaries, you'll need to be in prime health.

So do what you need to, recover, and then if you can help Starlight with covering the costs of Smolder's outburst, that would be great for the long-run. I know your place won't have that much space to keep so many sleepover guests. And dragons eat heavy, as you may know from experience. The sooner they're out of your fins, the better. Hopefully Gabby's situation will improve and she will also be out of your fins the sooner. Try to stay out of trouble, eat well, get plenty of rest, and try to not do anything that will compromise yourself.

Respectfully yours,
Twilight Violet Sparkle

P.S.: I've noticed your growing situation with the girls in Ponyville. We'll discuss the matter of your 'open' relationship upon a later date.

"It's always something, isn't it?" I mumble as I put my phone away, hoping that Twilight doesn't feel the need to intervene in my relationship because of her personal opinions. The last thing I need is to go through a whole spiel about how I should dedicate myself to one figure, or who I should look to foster a relationship with. Then again, I guess it would be fair since I already do enough of that with her. Still, I wanna be a total hypocrite about this and keep my growing cluster of four to myself.

I walk down to the kitchen, seeing Gabby getting finished with a bowl of cereal and a piece of fruit. She seems to be in really high spirits today, turning my way to greet me. "Good morning, Spike!" She's always been a morning griffon, not my personal preference, but any bit of her is good enough to wake me up in the morning. And she's that much better than a cup of coffee.

"Morning, Gabby. How are you feeling today?"

Her eyes are glowing with enthusiasm, it's like she went back to her teenage self. "Oh let me tell you, I had the best sleep since the last time I was over. I really like these beds you got for the guest rooms. Where'd you get them from?"

"I got them from Quills-N-Sofas." I reach into the fridge for some milk to pour me a bowl of cereal for my own self.

"Really?" She seems surprised by the revelation. "They hardly have anything when I go there."

"To be fair, they are custom made." I reach in the cabinet to pull out a bowl to put my milk in. Gabby snorts at me before she looks away with a whistle. "Oh don't judge me."

"I can't possibly judge you, Spike. It's not like psychopaths with a murderous tendency likes to pour their milk before their cereal."

I roll my eyes at her and humor her logic. "Fine. I'll pour the cereal first."

"Thank you." She says cheerfully while I sit across from her. She watches silently as I chew my first spoonful before popping another question. "Soooo... those two, Ocellus and Smolder, where do they sleep again?"

"I have rooms for them as well." I inform her.

She rises from her seat, walking over to me as she speak. "That's cool and all, but I can't help but notice that none of the other rooms weren't as noisy as the master bedroom this morning."

"That's because they were sleeping in my bed instead." I simply answer.

She politely shoves the bowl away from me, making sure that she has my full attention. "So let me get this straight, they both slept in your bed, but I sleep in a separate room. But doesn't that leave you without a bed? Like where do you go to sleep?"

"In my bed." I deadpan.

"Oh!" She seems a bit annoyed at my answer, not so much of the way I respond but the context of what's taking place. "So they can sleep with you!? That's just so interesting!"

"Do you want to join us on tonight?" I know she's annoyed over that fact, but now she can't say that I haven't presented her with the offer.

She sits herself not next to me, but rather on the table. She props herself right beside me, planting her talons in the location where my bowl once rested. "Well, I don't know if I can get away with that one."

"Just make sure you don't steal Smolder's pillows, and we'll be just fine." I warn, the last thing I need for her to do is flame my room out of spite.

Gabby shrugs in response. "No promises. I'm a wild sleeper who's more of a griffon in that sense. Guess it's a subconscious thing I have where I get griffon greedy in my sleep."

I roll my eyes as I warmly reminder her of our own nature. "You forget that dragons get greedy too."

She places a hind leg on my lap, her paws resting warm on my lower abdomen. She flexes her paws, letting her pads expand and compress in the area she's suggestively coaxing to life. "Oh I'm well aware of how greedy dragons can get. You forgot that I had you for a year and some change."

"Not like this, you haven't." I lean in, grabbing her leg and pressing my pelvis into it.

"Mmm..." The griffon smirks as she leans into me, being inches away from my lips. "Then let's make up for lost time."

"AHEM!"

The two of us stop dead in our tracks, caught in the act by both Ocellus and Smolder. The latter taps her foot with dissatisfaction, while the former uses her magic to grab the griffon from off the table. "You better not forget you got a job to do, Ms. Feather-butt!"

Gabby looks back at herself. "Actually, griffon's hindquarters are much more akin to li─"

"I don't care! Get moving!" Ocellus orders. As she's doing that, Smolder meanders over to my side and coils her tail around my leg. The changeling quickly notices. "Smolder!"

"Alright, fine." Says the dragon who forces herself to shove me away.

While the other two leave the room, Ocellus grumbles over the two trying to have a bit of morning interaction with me. I know she's a jealous one to deal with, but the manner of how she addresses her jealousy manifests in devious ways. She quietly pretends to be angry while I make a brief comment. "I see there seems to be some competition taking place."

She turns to me with a scowl on her face, but her magic yanks me in to mere inches away from her. "Of course, now that I got you for myself a bit..."

Before she can do anything, an orange set of claws pinches her magic clean out. Smolder drags the changeling by her horn to deny her the claim of being the one who gets her morning goodbye kiss. "Come on, bitch."

"Damn." I say to myself as I watch how both Ocellus and Smolder force each other out the door and towards their designated direction of work.

Gabby flies off for a moment, I wave goodbye to each of the three. I shake my head before walking back to the kitchen to get to my bowl of cereal. At least that would be the plan if there wasn't the knock at my door. I open the door to see Gabby's claw forcefully yank me by my throat before sinking herself into me for a quick french kiss. "See you after work. I should be getting off a little early, so make sure you get the board ready."

She darts off once more to go to work as I call out to her. "Fly safe and be safe!"

She hollers back at me. "Oh I know you're not the one talking!"

After breakfast, I take a quick jog through the neighborhood. I make a few stops to see some creatures I haven't seen since I initially moved back. Seems Pip is really serious about his campaign run for mayor, and Diamond Tiara is doing everything in her power to make sure he wins. With elections coming up in September, they're doing all they can to get their platform established.

I get hailed by a local mare pedaling insurances, she greets me with excitement before giving me a pamphlet detailing the number of options they have for home, life, and appliances. It takes a while for me to finally recognize her, but once I do, I happily embrace her. I'm glad to see Silver Spoon doing well for herself, though I notice that she doesn't make any comment or mention of Diamond Tiara. I guess the two grew apart over the years. Interesting to see, to say the least.

I catch a glimpse of Gabby on her runs, she's delivering mail while also speaking with some of the local business owners over their day. It really feels like I'm watching her revert back to how she was years ago. It's strange to see that she's happily chatting away with everyone so cleanly, all while quietly teasing and taunting me behind closed doors. Strange thoughts appear in my head, lingering on the idea of seeing her sitting beneath me with maw open and eyes lustfully locked on the grand prize. I quickly shake the thought as I realize I'm in public still.

I finally finish my run through town, starting to make my way back home. As I get closer, I notice something unusual sitting on top of my roof. "The hell is that?" I mutter to myself.

I get closer, seeing that it's a griffon perched on my roof. They seem to be looking for something with as often as they're shifting around and peering down to the streets around the area. I watch as they continue to dart their eyes around, sharply squinting to focus deep on whatever it is they're looking for.

Now naturally, I know that many homes don't have an issue supporting a few extra pounds of weight, but I know if I don't discourage this behavior, I might end up with a sink in my roof, and some unexpected rain problems in the nearby future. I fly up to meet the creature halfway. "Yo!"

The creature remains perched on my roof as they address me. "Oh, greetings fellow Ponyville resident. I hope I'm not disturbing you too much." It's a male with a very familiar voice, or at least I remember hearing it from somewhere.

"You're on my house." I politely inform the strange griffon.

"Well it is the tallest thing for some blocks. I'm just here for a while." He says as he continues his perch-a-thon on my roof.

Okay, maybe I should see why he's here before I see him to the ground from over three stories high. "So you're camping out on my house for what reason?"

"I'm just looking for someone I know." Okay, that's not creepy in any way.

"Who are you looking for?"

"A girlfriend of mine." He answers.

"A griffon, I take it?"

"Yeah, and a beautiful one at that." If I'm not mistaken, this is a serious flag. And so far, it's already added up to who this guy really is.

"Have you tried the south end of town?" I lie. "I heard there's a griffon that works that way."

"Shouldn't be the case, she works the central part of town as her route."

He's definitely going after Gabby. "Sir, why don't you try perching yourself on over to town hall. That place is way bigger than my house." I say, trying to coax him into a misdirect.

"Is my presence so disturbing to you?" No shit, Sherlock.

"Considering you're perched on my house looking for your girlfriend... I'd kinda say it bothers me."

"Well I apologize for the inconvenience. I'll be gone from here momentarily." While he appears to make his statement with the intent of trying to be nice about his refusal, I'm not taking any answer that doesn't require an immediate adjustment.

"Sir, I won't ask you again. Please remove yourself from my home."

The griffon's eyes shift to me, he promptly unseats himself and take to a high hover. "Understood. I'll perch elsewhere."

"Thank you."

The guy flies off at last, leaving me to check if anything happened since he decided to pop a squat on my roof. So far all seems to be fine, except for the fact that this guy came here to explicitly stake out for Gabby. And given that he called her his girlfriend, I can only deduce that he's the guy who she's at odds with for the time being. Still, I find it disturbing that he has the audacity to try to hunt her down after she makes a request for separation. So yeah, I'm starting to see those red flags she's been bearing with for Celestia knows how long.

I shoot a text over to Gabby, giving her a word of warning. "Hey, I know you're out and busy, just ran past you over in the town market. But you won't believe what just happened. Your guy just perched a squat on the house. I had to shoo him off."

It doesn't take long for her to answer. "How long has he been there?" I'm sure she's pretty uncomfortable with the circumstances.

"A few minutes. He's gone now."

She takes a while before she contacts me again. "I know you're usually supposed to get your mail around the noon hour, I'm gonna push that back to three. I'm just gonna overshoot my lunch break. It may extend my shift an hour, but I greatly appreciate you for shooing him away for me."

Quietly, I can't help but to think about the cheerful smile being wiped away in the instant that I texted her the news. My heart aches for her going through this, and I'm getting more indignant by the passing thought. Perhaps I should dig in more about this situation since it now involves me. "I thought you were done with this guy."

She takes a while before answering back. "I know, I didn't quite break things off with him yet. I said that I would be away for a week."

Now I'm feeling particularly odd about her, as if the moment she locked lips with me didn't register in her mind that what she's doing is wrong. While I hate to play the douche card, I feel like I need to right now. "Why don't you just send him a message saying you're done?"

She takes even longer to reply. "Because I know it's wrong for me to do it that way. I have to tell him in person."

Obviously she doesn't want to talk about this guy, it's pretty apparent by the time it takes for her to respond on the topic. And she can't use the excuse of her working, she just said she was taking a lunch break to extend her shift. I'm willing to bet she's not wanting to confront him at all, much like the relationship before this one. She wants to disappear without really going the whole way with it. Perhaps she's not too keen on confrontation, and maybe that's what's driving her to be like this.

So I offer a compromise. "You know, I'm thinking this in-person thing might have to be chaperoned."

She takes a while, but she doesn't take as long to respond. "I wouldn't mind it, if it was you."

Not that I mind it, I have the time to do it. What I want to do is make sure she's fine on being able to do this without having to bear with the possibility of getting talked back into her situation, or physically strong-armed into reconsidering. Either way, I think it's fair that I set aside the time to get this done. "Okay, what day you wanna do this?"

"Is Wednesday fine?"

And the sooner, the better. "I'd rather do it tomorrow."

It takes a long time before she texts back. It seems she's taken this situation a while to consider. But after ten minutes of an idle chat, she pops back in with three words. "Okay, tomorrow. Promise."

My response is blunt. "Good."

At the School of Friendship, many teachers have started to undergo their lunch breaks while the students are also enjoying their time in the cafeteria. As they gather, the trio of mares formerly known as the Cutie Mark Crusader's, now know for their new moniker Cutie Mark Counselors, balk at the changeling as she explains what's going on with the whole situation with them getting kicked out of the dorms.

Needless to say that some of the details shock the trio. "Wait, seriously!?" Sweetie baulks at the revelation.

"Oh lordy..." Apple Bloom lowers her head. "Ah... might've burnt the cobbler on a holiday with that one."

Scootaloo turns to the yellow mare with confusion. "You did what now?"

"Ah fucked up, alright! Ah don't know no other way ta put it!" She says as she smacks her head on the desk, the others seem to show more concern for the amount of impact her forehead had on the table. "Ah can't believe she was spoken for for real. Ah thought she was jus runnin' smoke up our keisters till we ain't botherin' her no more!"

Sweetie interjects. "How were we supposed to know!? She barely talks to us these days anyhow! The only way you'd be in the wrong is if you knew she actually was in a relationship for real, had evidence that she was in a relationship for real, and then you proceeded to ignore all of that shit to put her and Spike back together again."

"With that being said." Scootaloo directs her attention to Smolder instead. "How do you feel about all of this with what's going on?"

The dragoness shrugs. "I don't really mind it. As long as he takes some time out for me, I'm pretty cool about it."

"But you've been in it for Spike since you two met." The orange pegasus responds. "I'm surprised you're not taking this personally."

"She is, she just doesn't like to show it." Ocellus adds.

"I do not!" Smolder argues. "I just want my time with him. Besides, it's normal for a dragon to have more than one partner in their lifetime anyhow. The fact that he was so hung up on Rarity is what started to piss me off. It was like he couldn't stop simping out for that bitch despite the fact that she played him so much." Smolder promptly turned to Sweetie Belle, having made the comment about her older sister. "No offense."

"My sister's a habitual whore-for-hire. You wouldn't be wrong." Replies the white unicorn mare. "Love her to death, but a spade's a spade."

"Still upset about her turning out your preteen crush, huh?" Apple Bloom snarks at the unicorn.

"She knew I liked him!" The mare replies as she folds her forelegs. "If it would've been me, he'd probably be safe, happy, and dreaming of me to this very moment."

"Yeah, he'd be dreaming of you from a jail cell." Scootaloo adds.

"Call it a crime of passion." She says before she pulls out her phone. "He still deserves better."

"He's married to Celestia of all ponies, how can you do better than THAT!?" Scootaloo asks.

The mare grumbles in anger as she quickly switches the subject, not wanting to answer that question. "Okay, whatever. Now back to the Gabby situation. How is it that her needing to find an out of her seemingly-toxic relationship turns into a Smolder burning down the dorm thing?"

"Spike got himself abducted." Smolder finally answers. "I had a dragon fit."

"How does a 'dragon fit' work?" Asks Apple Bloom.

Ocellus tamely answers the question. "Well it's when a dragon feels themselves to be in 'possession' of a person, place, or thing, then watch or hear as that thing gets taken away by force due to another party getting involved. So when she heard that Spike got snatched up, she exploded."

"You act like I won't do the same for you." Smolder comments to the changeling.

"I know you'll do the same for me." She replies, walking over to the dragon and giving her a hug. "Because I know you love me, and I love you all the same."

The dragoness grows timid over the open display of affection. "Okay... Ixnay on the ove-lay. You know how I feel about that sappy shit."

"You are literally the sappiest dragon I know. And that's even more than Spike." The changeling says with an endearing smile.

"Yeah sure, you believe that if you want to." Ocellus wraps herself around Smolder from behind, leaving the dragon to become even more flustered. "THAT WASN'T A PERMISSION SLIP TO EMBARASS ME LIKE THIS, OLLA!"

"Aw, I love you too, babe!"

Smolder's face grows redder as she starts to mutter to the mare behind her. "You keep this up, I am going to make you regret it when we get home."

"Careful, that might be what I'm going for." Ocellus warns.

"You're the worst." She grunts under her breath.

While everyone's attention is on the couple, Sweetie Belle's attention is brought to the circumstances of the dragon not present in the room. "Wait, so what happened with Spike!? Is he okay?"

"He's fine." Ocellus answers. "He's back at home, doing whatever dragon things he's doing right now."

Forty... forty-one... forty-two... forty-three...

My eyes are closed as I quietly keep myself sunken to the bottom of my pool. All I think on at this moment is the words of that damn unicorn that got the brakes beaten off of him by Mrs. Kalimba. He said we dragons are inherently water creatures by nature. Now I'm curious, if I'm a water creature by design, I should be able to breathe underwater. But that doesn't seem to be a good idea with the sodium composites in my trachea. I'm sure my neck would probably spontaneously combust, maybe even explode and take my head off. My instincts sure do tell me that much. Or maybe I'm overthinking it, since moisture is an automatic trait when we breathe out. Perhaps there is some shielding for when we do go in the water. I wonder...

....NOPE! NOPE! OUT OF THE WATER! NOW!

I surface back to the water, coughing uncontrollably as I come to the common sense answer of one truth. No shit I can't breathe underwater, no shit I can't dragon underwater, therefore I cannot live underwater. But as the winner of my lovely contest of fuck around, I get to find out. And me finding out means I get to hawk up as much water that has settled into my lungs. We love to see it, we love to feel it.

Actually, no we don't love to feel it because this shit hurts. "Okay *cough* I think... I had enough of being stupid and bored for one day."

I meander back to the den, turning on my television to see what is going on. Apparently Blue installed some unusual device called a 'Tubi' and now there's a bunch of stuff for me to watch, including some news from the human world. I flip on the channel to see what's all going on with the human side of things.

"Today, another mass shooting in the nation, punctuating a rise of─" Okay, that's pretty damn bleak. Let's see what's on the next one. "The war in Ukraine, hailed as a 'special military operation' by Russian officials, reach a fevered pitch in the lands around Kyiv. Hundreds of civilian lives are estimated─" Okay, maybe something else. "Gas prices will soon be taking a rising toll on consumers. Economists say that this will lead to a strain in the finances of Americans nationwide. Joining us today is Wall-Street columist─" Okay, that's just boring. Let's see what's going on with Equestrian TV. "Count DuMoneé, Damper Trot, Somber Spiral, those are but three of the senators whose names are all deeply involved with that of the Canterlot underworld formally known as 'Canterrot'. Were they ambitious players in the underground syndicate who's greed took them over the edge, or were they misunderstood victims of their own vices? Today we dive into the darker parts of the Equestrian Parliament, uncovering secrets that no other has yet to reveal to the public... until today. I'm Featherweight reporting on tonight's story, and this is The Hard Look."

Naturally, Equestrian broadcasting hasn't quite hit a stride like many thought it would back when transmission of radio waves was discovered to be able to transmit visual signals. Unfortunately, with many looking to entertain themselves with the already established medium of human entertainment, market for domestic programming readily goes unnoticed. But this one channel, channel 3 of the local feed, transmits a much hazier signal to the few televisions that's able to receive the channel. In truth, it's a fairly good channel, but it's just buried under the competition of the human media.

Naturally, it's not exactly well-made to the standard that many would like to see, but it's a channel for ponies, by ponies, who want to establish some of our own media to the masses. It's not particularly interesting until the hours when no one's really at home, basically taking the same time slot as what most humans would consider to be the soap opera hours of the day. "An educator is often seen to be a paragon of guidance and instruction in the community. As such, a good educator can win over the minds of foals and parents alike. Developing a team of these well-trained or well-tenured instructors will yield more than just optimal results. But for one educator, their status in an esteemed educational facility would prove to be an early look into their depravity, but most importantly their downfall into the world of Canterrot."

A black-and-white photo of the former senator Count DuMoneé flashes on the screen with the title 'Malicious Malpractice' underlined with a red bar.

"Getting his career start in the field of magic and magic education, Senator Count DuMoneé was formerly known at the time as Count Penance, a preliminary magic instructor for Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns. His colleagues at the time praised him for his contributions to the field of magic development." An elderly unicorn mare shows up on the screen to give her testimony. "He was a wonderful instructor in his field, a good colleague who knew how to put his head down and press the issues to find what it was that hampered the development of young students. No one could call his methods ineffective." The voice comes back over to tell the story. "No one, not even the parents of the students who were seen as risks of being left behind, detained a grade, or even removed for lack of skill. Students had to maintain along with their colleagues, or risk remedial resignation. However, his methods would often yield questions for their strange rate of efficiency, not many younger unicorns can just suddenly know how to maintain magic control at an early age so quickly." The elderly mare shows back up again. "We all started to ask him how did he do it, where does he find the resources, what was the way he could make them learn so quickly. And even up to his final days in the school, he would always say, jokingly mind you, 'Well that's my secret to know, and I'm sure many wouldn't me to say that, but some secrets are better kept unsaid. It is magic after all'."

Count Penance... I remember that name all too well. In fact, I think I had to tell both Twilight and Moondancer at one point who and what that guy turned into. I remembered that Moondancer was pretty surprised by the revelation, while Twilight looked absolutely crushed. That same 'kind and notable' instructor had turned into a conniving, cruel politician. I always wondered what made the guy into what he was, seems this will have some answers... Now that I think about it, it'll also clue me in on what happened with Ms. Blue, being his daughter and whatnot.

"Count Penance, going by his instructor's name, was also a personal tutor, one who would use his obscene methods to coax a young unicorn into getting the optimal results. However, a shadow started to loom over his practices. And one event would truly disclose all of that." The older mare shows up on the screen again. "It's been said that he's taken a preferential look at which students he'd look to tutor. But since most of the student population were mares anyhow, that's who he'd tutor the most. And to my recollection, very few students would ever say what it was he did to get them to better use their magic. However, it took one student to reveal it all... by forgetting everything about the previous day." The narrator comes back on. "Count had a much darker secret, one that he knew would jeopardize not only his position at the school, but the administrators and the school itself. And upon discovering this secret, his wife, a billionaire real estate mogul, committed suicide. The motive for her decision: she discovered him sexually assaulting one of his younger students in his study." The older mare reappears. "We were all shocked when we heard about what happened. Then when we found out why it happened, we were even more shocked, mortified even. We didn't know how long this had been going on and how bad it really was. But I especially felt bad for not only the foals who were abused, but also the kids he had back home who had to be shuffled elsewhere, because the family on their mother's side saw him as a risk to their health and development."

Holy fuck... I didn't even know about that part.

*THUD*

I startle at the sound of something that sounded like it came from above me. I drown out the words of the television as I cautiously creep back out to my pool patio. I open one of the glass doors leading out to the balcony, seeing a few ponies below pointing up at my house. I say hello to the figures down below, who point out that there's a griffon on my house again. I quickly fly up to find the guy from earlier sitting on my roof.

Last encounter I was a little more lenient, but this time I'm going to be more assertive. "Hey!" The griffon pays me no mind. I fly up to him and give him a stern talking to. "Yo, I know we just had this conversation a few hours ago. Why the FUCK are you on my house again?"

"I told you already, your house is the highest point for some blocks. I need the vantage point."

"To find who exactly?" I ask firmly, holding myself back from getting too angry with the creature.

"It's nothing for you to be concerned over, sir." He answers back. "Once I find who I'm looking for, I'll vacate the roof and go about my day."

"You don't need to be here. Period." I warn him.

He looks back at me with a smirk. "Sir, I'm a griffon on a mission of love. I understand my position must inconvenience you, but I simply do what I must to repair my strained relationship."

"You ever thought that the things you do could only strain your relationship even further?" I question the creature.

"I do understand that my situation must confuse you to a degree. Perhaps you dragons misunderstand the complex and more nuanced emotions associated with love. I understand, your kind tends to not have a lot of attachment to anything other than your worldly possessions." Okay, who the fuck crawled up his ass and made him this high and entitled? "But I am on a journey of redemption, passion, and most importantly, long-term stability."

Guess I have to push my assertiveness just a tad bit. "Sir, the only long-term stability you might have to worry about is the stability of your bone structure in the next five minutes. I highly suggest you vacate my roof before I have to commence to issuing a firm disclosure."

The griffon smiles back at me, seeming not to care about what I've just said. "Ah, a turn to carnage. Nevertheless, I must say that I wish not to be violent. Such a response would be so Griffonstone of me. And I know I don't want to revert to that kind of living."

Okay, maybe I should really emphasize my point. "PLEASE. Remove yourself. From my home."

He tilts his head before giving me an answer. "I'm so sorry for the inconvenience. I'll remove myself accordingly, but I'll ask you to be patient with me. This conversation is quite a distraction and I am not able to find who it is I'm looking for if I'm to be distracted."

This time I pull out my phone and go through a number of files, finally pulling out a set of notes in bold capital letters. I clear my throat and give my warning once more in a more state-sanctioned form. "I..." Insert name of representative and title, "Spike the Dragon, chief dignitary, and Friendship Advisor to Her Royal Majesty Twilight Violet Sparkle of the realm, hereby disclose my limitations of conflict. As you are a species protected by the Equestrian Alliance Guidelines, I shall not breathe fire upon you, nor shall I bear my fangs upon your flesh, I shall also bear no claws down upon you for risk of permanent mutila─"

He jumps into my face with excitement. "WAIT, YOU'RE THE ROYAL FRIENDSHIP ADVISOR TO THE PRINCESS!!?"

I freeze in place as I start to feel uncomfortable with his beak being in what's often seen as kissing distance. "Uh... yeah."

"Holy crap! I can't believe I landed on the house of the Royal Friendship Advisor!" He screeches. "Wow! I can't believe this! This is gonna be a huge scoop!"

"A huge what-now?" I ask.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" The fact that he's hovering in the air right now should be a relief, but something tells me that I shouldn't be too thrilled that he's finally got his ass off my thatched roof. "I didn't even put two-and-two together! I just thought you were some run-of-the-mill dragon that just, you know, like to be cranky and stuff! But now I know I can always come here whenever I want a scoop on what's going on in the royal echelon! This is great!"

"Uh... when you say scoop─"

He shoves a badge in my face, it reads 'The Ponyville Pauper'. "I'm a fully-recognized member of the local press! I just graduated from the School of Friendship a few years ago! I know it's been three years since I was enrolled, and probably even longer since the princess herself lead the school to what it is today, but now I get to have an inside scoop to the princess herself! My articles are going. TO SELL!"

Great... he's the press. So much for my privacy. "Uh─"

"Galefor Griff! And I love to talk about the royal family!" Yeah, this is a problem. "Oh my gosh! You, have got to tell me, about the princess. Any news about her or some of the other members of the old regime, you gotta give me a little something, that's what the ponies are starving for!"

"Uh... Can't I just give a little nugget of the human world so I can enjoy my day in peace?" I plead.

He brushes up against me, driving an eye towards me. "What do you know about the human world that we don't?"

Let me see if I can strum something up so he can get out of my face. "Well, they apparently have a road network that's nothing like ours. Theirs can tower up and cross over and give all kinds of weird accesses to travelers around the area. Like for example, say you have a road running from here to Canterlot, but that road can either dump you off there or take you directly to someplace like Manehattan, or say you want to go from Ponyville to Las Pegasus. You can make the trip and not have to wait for a switch at the train junction. You just head straight through there, passing by Canterlot and going straight west. It's like having rails stacked on top of rails, and you don't stop until you need to."

"Interesting." He mumbles. "Do you know if the princess would be willing to implement a system like that here in Equestria?"

"Sadly, I can't see that happening sometime soon because we don't have the vehicles needed for a system that complex. Over there, everyone has their own draw-less carriage, it's all motorized. You get on the road and go. We're at least a few years out from that, if not a decade."

"Wow, what an introspective look into our infrastructure compared to their world. I don't think there's any article highlighting that outside of anything to do with the world-famous Corrotto District." He mutters as he jotting something down in his notepad. He slams it shut with stars in his eyes. "GOT IT! My first serious scoop! The world will really be a new place once they figure out that we can have systems like this! I gotta type this bad boy up so I can run it to the papers!" He quickly grabs my claw with both of his, shaking violently with great enthusiasm. "Thank you so much, sir! I can't wait until I get more stuff out of you! See you again, looking forward to it!"

He darts off with the speed of an overtly-excited child wanting to tell his friends about his new birthday gift. Meanwhile I go back inside and see that the segment on the show has changed over to some guy by the name of Somber Spiral. I know he's a victim of the situation from some years ago, but I find that I don't have much of an interest in this guy. So I change the channel to one of the other programs. An animated show comes on with one guy screaming before his hair turns from black to blond. A crater deepens from where he stands. Before long, he charges into his opponent and throws a series of punches at him.

"Cool, action. I wonder what this one's all about."

I've gone into a bit of a rabbit hole throughout the day. What was once me trying to get some guy off of my ceiling and getting some much-needed rest in between, has now turned into me binging episode after episode of this one particular show where mountains get blown up, blasted through, or crumble at the might of whoever's getting their face beaten through it at the moment. It's addicting mindless fun that doesn't make too much sense, but the action and the way the characters just find ridiculous ways to outpower each other is just downright entertaining.

I don't even notice the time, I'm just binging because of the action. It takes my doorbell to bring me back to the present. The ones who show up first are both Smolder and Ocellus. They don't even think about what I'm interested in for the time being, they just want to separate themselves and sit in the silence so they can detune from the daily rush of being over a bunch of adolescent teens talking, fussing, fighting, getting intimate, and grading papers. They retire to my room before I can even ask them about their day, seems they've had a rough going. I should probably cook them a little something to cheer them up.

Yeah, it's five in the afternoon, I should probably get that going.

I go through the contents of my cookbook, seeing what ideas pop out at me to make the girls' day a bit better after a rough out. I suppose something on the sweet side should do it, maybe something a bit junky but also fun. Hmmm... Perhaps nachos and cherry crunch cobbler. Tasty and junky, with a desert that's a good combination of fruity and nutty. I know they'll appreciate that, especially Ocellus and her sweet tooth.

I start prepping the kitchen for what I'm about to put together, going in the fridge to pull out what all I'm going to use. But as I set the temperature for the oven to preheat on, I get another notification for my front door. I already do the math of who it is, and sure enough, she shows up with a shaky smile on her face. "Hey Spike."

"Hey there, come on in." I make way for her to enter the foyer before trailing back to the kitchen. "Didn't know you'd be running this late today, the other girls already made it in. Sorry I didn't set up the game, I know you probably don't feel like it today. How was work?"

She shows some disappointment over my admission of the game board being unprepared. "It was okay, I guess. Guess we'll do some game stuff next time then."

"Yeah." I say as I put the ingredients for the nachos into the oven. As I make my way over to the counter where my cherry crunch cobbler is, I comment to the griffon. "So... You never told me Galefor was a paparazzo."

"How'd you find that out?" She asks.

"He got on the roof again."

"Oh my gosh." She immediately plants her face into the palms of her talons.

"He's not here anymore. He's busy writing some paper based on infrastructure, I fed him some shit about the human world and their roads, he's going to probably be at it for a bit."

"Oh, thank goodness." She sighs in relief.

"He's gonna come back tomorrow."

That relief is very short-lived. "WHY!?"

"Because he knows I'm the Royal Friendship Advisor, and apparently he wants to know more about the royal family, both active and retired."

She bypasses her palms and go for the table instead. "Ugh..."

"You need to speak with him tomorrow anyways." I urge to her.

"Do I have to?" She pouts.

After I place my cobbler in the freezer to congeal, I answer her question. "Yes, you do. Talking to him is the way to get all of this to end. If you don't talk things through with him, he's not going to understand why you're seeking other avenues, much less you living under my roof."

The griffon grumbles as she lifts her eyes momentarily. "He's not gonna let me leave him."

"Gabby, you have to be firm on this. If you don't want to separate yourself from him, I understand."

She jumps up at the moment I say that, seeming to want to take a lunge away from the situation. "Okay."

I quickly add in one more provision before she can leave the room. "But that only leaves five days for you to be here."

She nearly topples over from the sudden ultimatum. "Come on, Spike! Why can't I just stay here?"

"Because you would've made the choice to keep things going with him, and I'm not going to stir up the wrath of a member of the local press. That's suicide." I explain.

"Spike, please─"

I start to be a little firm with her. "Don't beg me for nothing. You have to be up front. I can only go with you, I cannot speak for you."

She pauses for a moment before walking over to me, trying to pull me in for a hug. "Can't we just─"

"Just what?" I say while keeping her at an arm's length.

She takes to the air, grabbing my arm and putting it on her chest. "Can't we just... move on?"

"Gabby, we can't do that until you make this decision for yourself." I politely stress to her.

She rolls her eyes. "I don't wanna hurt him."

"Too late now." I bluntly point out. "He's hurt from you texting me, I'm hurt from coming by on short notice to scoop you up. You hurt both of us by playing around like this. You can't continue to have it both ways."

She gets in closer with me, pleading in a whisper. "I promise I'll make a decision tomorrow."

"Tonight." I correct her, wanting to make sure she doesn't renege on her decision. "And you have to be sold on it."

"Alright, I'll─"

"Another thing." I place a claw on her beak, silencing her momentarily. "If I don't hear your answer by ten tonight, I'll already make plans to assume you'll be moving back in with him." She gives a sigh as I continue on. "That means no more game nights, no hugs, no texts, no kissing, none of that."

As pouty as she is, she doesn't spare a moment to give her answer once she hears how far my ultimatum goes. "Fine, I'll tell him tomorrow that we're done. Like I know I've been done with him for a while now, but I just don't want to deal with him."

"So that your final answer?" I reiterate.

"Final answer, yes!"

"I don't want you to flake out and hesitate on tomorrow." I warn her.

"I understand." She groans.

"Okay then." I say as I go back to the oven to pull out the nachos for everyone to eat. "Now let me fix you a plate, nachos just got done."

As I start to pull out the plates for the food, she tries to hug me from behind, mewling in my ear. "So you really not gonna kiss me after a long day at work?"

"I'll wait to give you that after you have your talk tomorrow."

She rolls her eyes and pushes off of me. "Ugh! So mean!"

"I'm not mean, I'm being firm. Now dig in."

The dinner proves to be a relative success, especially as I brought out the desert. Ocellus shows great appreciation for my hard work by hoarding the entire pan and disappearing upstairs with it. She doesn't even touch her nachos, but Smolder is more than happy to oblige. Gabby's a bit upset that she didn't get a slice of the cobbler, so I have to make her a personalized one and give that to her in the middle of the night while Ocellus isn't paying attention. And after I give her the little make-up desert, I swear that her eyes could light up the dimly lit hallway with the way she brims for my food.

I go to sleep with her on my mind over that moment. I'll admit that she's been seeding up my thoughts over the two currently nestled under my arms. I suppose it's the familiarity of our bond that's making me this attached, but I should try to be a little fairer about the circumstances. I guess we'll see how it runs throughout the week, but I don't think Friday can come soon enough.

Morning breaks and the others finally get to their usual routine. Ocellus doesn't have to kick the both of us out of the bed this go around, Smolder even beats her to the punch. Gabby greets me quietly, finishing up with her breakfast and immediately taking off for work. The other two get their smooches in and they also leave for their work. Once more, I'm left to an empty house with nothing productive to do. Not that I'm gonna complain, I'm just gonna go back to watching those shows I found yesterday.

Today's show is a bit of a different plot. Apparently there's some human kid who watches as this large looming giant kicks a wall in and let a bunch of smaller giants in. One of those giants eat his mom while he's running away. And shortly after, he swears vengeance on them. I watch the entire training arc, he becomes a soldier, top-ten in his class even. But as he starts to get confident in his abilities, the giant shows up and unleashes hell on the wall keeping the other giants out. At this point, I'm on the edge of my seat. Then comes one scene where the main hero rolls out into battle, only to get seriously injured by a random giant.

*THUD*

I instinctively pause my show, wondering if something had just landed on the roof. While my mind is still grossly immersed in the show's happenings, it dawns on me that I'm expecting a certain feathery visitor to pop up on today. I quietly sneak to the patio, peering up to the roof to see the griffon not even peering out into the streets, but tapping his hind leg waiting on me to show up.

I get back to the recesses of my balcony, shooting over a confirmation message to Gabby. "Okay, he's here again."

It takes a considerable amount of time before she shoots back a message. Now it seems like she's truly avoiding the conversation, not wanting anything to take place. It's a whole forty minutes later, and now the griffon is intentionally batting around my rooftop, seems he's doing whatever he can to get my attention. I'm so tempted to go up there and correct him on his persistence, but I finally get a message from Gabby. "You promised to be here." She's hesitant, but at least she seems to be putting the effort into fulfilling her obligations.

Though I wonder where she intends to meet with Galefor. "Where are you right now?"

"In the bushes like last time. I see him up there stomping around." She answers. "Are you sure you'll be here?"

I walk out to my balcony, looking down to the street below. I see her tail barely poking out from in the bushes across the street. I lift my arm to signal her after my message. "Do you see me waving?"

The bush shifts and a pair of sapphire eyes peer out as she confirms by waving back at me. She sends me another message. "So are we going to meet him together?"

"I'm here." I message back. "Now go up there and talk to him. If anything happens, I'll come up there and diffuse the situation. I'm not going to leave you hanging."

"You promise?" She asks.

"I promise."

She seems to gather herself up as she steps out of the bushes. Once she gets a hold of her nerves, she leaps to the air and fly past me, hovering to the rooftop above. Galefor doesn't spare a second before calling for her with extreme enthusiasm. "GABRIELLA!"

I hear the pitter patter of him hazardously running down the slope of my roof before I hear Gabby struggle a bit to breathe. It sounds like she's getting quite the hug. "Hey... Galefor."

The griffon male goes on to shower her with his brand of affection. "I've been looking everywhere for you! I was so worried about you! Are you okay, do you need anything to eat, do you need me to buy you any─"

She silences him before he can continue. "Galefor..."

He sounds concerned for her sudden tone drop. "Gabriella, what is it?"

She stays quiet for a while, the two just look at each other until she looks away. "...I'm sorry."

"Sorry for what?" He asks in a cheerful manner. "I understand that you may need some space, and─"

"I don't need space." She clarifies with hardly an ounce of enthusiasm. "I need to stop this. I can't... It's... it's me."

"I don't understand." From his tone of voice, it seems like it hasn't clicked that she's breaking off from him. Instead, it sounds like he's still being optimistic. "I mean if it's something you feel like it's your fault, we can talk through it. I don't mind─"

"Galefor!" She hollers out, definitively reaching for his attention. "I'm done. I'm done pretending. I'm done with trying to make things make sense. I'm done trying to make someone happy... even when I know that nothing that they do relates to me, nor I to them."

"When you say 'them'..." It starts to finally click for the griffon male. What was once a dense question about to leave his lips soon turn into a realization and an expression of shock. "Oh... Gabriella─"

"That's another thing!" She screams back at him. "Seriously, I know what my name is! Sometimes I want to be called something other than Gabriella! I told you for months to call me Gabby, but did you ever do that!? I could easily say that I don't really like being cooped up in the apartment with you doing nothing, but I respect your wish to not be out in the social! And when I say I'm not in the mood for something, you don't listen too well on it! Naturally I just let you do you, but I don't feel anything good when it's all said and done! I'm tired of feeling like I'm going through the motions when I say 'I love you too'. Don't you want something that's real for a change!?"

As Gabby unloads on the unsuspecting griffon, he sheepishly chirps back a whimper. "But I thought─"

"No, we weren't! The only reason why I..." She stops herself from going any further, probably looking to spare his feelings outside of the bitter truths she just confessed to. "Galefor, I'm done. I want to live like Gabby, not cooped up in some drywall cage as Gabriella Griffonda. I'm tired of living in a make-shift jail going through a loveless relationship, pretending to reciprocate feelings just because of my own sense of pity and obligation. I can't do this anymore, and I'm not going to put you through this anymore either. So please don't ask me to pretend, don't you even start to pretend you're okay with me pretending that this is going to work."

"Gabri..." He chokes back on saying her name, his voice sounds shaken. I can only imagine the grief that's starting to manifest. "So... You've been wanting out for a while, huh?"

She sadly expresses her truth to him. "Months, I mean I've mentally checked out months ago. Now I feel like I'm ready to move on to something that's... familiar."

He tries to sound a little more upset, but the anger is more swallowed by defeat. "So BF is─"

"Literally my best friend... and also my ex." She finally admits. "And I know I told you about the one from Griffonstone, but this is the one before that. The one I said that never gave me attention or time because of his job."

"And now he has time, of all times to have it, now he has the time? He has so much time that now you've..." He gives a heartbroken sigh. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I'm not good enough for you. I thought the time I had for you was good enough, but... I was wrong."

She tries to offer words of comfort, sounding just as emotionally pained as he is. "You're better than what I'm worth, especially after all of this. I wish I could tell you to not close yourself off after this, but I can't say I have any grounds to tell you to do that. I'm going back to old comforts, and you'll be alone again. I know it hurts... I'm sorry."

Galefor's voice has broken finally, I can imagine he's not too stable right now. I get a firm grasp of the balcony railing just in case he goes into a desperate mode. But he asks probably one of the most bittersweet questions in response to this heartbreak. "Well... we can still be friends, right?"

She breaks for a moment, her heart also going through it's own ache. "I can't. I'm sorry."

"...I just want want to be here for you, like we've always been." He mutters.

"I'm sorry, I just can't─"

"I just want to be good to you! I'm at least trying to be good to you, in spite of the pain! I've always been good to you! I've provided for you, I've let you in, I've covered for you, I even stood up for you! Now you're telling me that you've been seeing other creatures, like I haven't been reading those messages you've sent during our times together! Like why, why, WHY YOU DO ME LIKE THIS, GABRIELLA!?" He screams, unleashing his pain at last. "IT'S BEEN TWO YEARS! TWO YEARS AND YOU JUST DROP ME LIKE I DON'T MATTER!" He unleashes a painful shout into the town before darting off into the sky, flying as fast as he can to wherever he came from.

As he disappears into the distance. Gabby slinks back down to the balcony, her face is a tear-stricken mess. I walk over to hug her. "You okay?"

"DO I LOOK OKAY!?" She screams at me before whimpering into a ball, expressing her guilt and hurt over seeing Galefor take off like he did. "Why did I do this... I should've... I should've sent a stupid text. I wouldn't feel this bad."

I hug on her, looking to comfort her in whatever way she needs. But I also remember that she's wearing her uniform, she's supposed to be on shift. I grimace in thought, knowing that she shouldn't be exerting herself after this. So I pick her up and lay her on my couch in the den, starting the show over from the first episode. I lay a blanket over her, give her some pillows to nuzzle into, and I take up her badge. "Where's your map for your route? I'll run it for you today."

"It's in my bag, they're still in the bushes." She tearfully replies.

"You're done for today. If you want tomorrow off, let me know so I can work some things out for you. Take all the time you need. Just let me make it right." As I leave the room, I hear Gabby start to sob. I pause, wanting to comfort her further, but I also acknowledge that her mail has to get delivered.

So I go to the bushes, work past the thorns and grab her bags. I take a gander at the map with her route highlighted in red. I look at the addresses in the bag, seeing them issued in order of the numerical value of their address. The first address I see is 1201 Woodburn Place. I look up the street on the map and set my sights for there. The bags are heavy, but not overwhelmingly so by my standards. However, the weight proves to be a significant issue for pegasi in general. Even the strongest fliers wouldn't dare to carry a load like this in one go, but Gabby soldiers on like it doesn't even matter.

Yeah, she does not need to be carrying this much weight today. She's already under a lot as it is.

Chapter 26: The Djinn of Dreams

Music fills the room as the unknown figure presents a grandiose show here in the confines of my basement. I'm more upset that this pony has even dared to just show up unannounced and have themselves a ball without even my knowing, let alone asking me for permission to host a rock concert. And I know it isn't the drinks that has me hallucinating because I didn't down that many. Three shots don't constitute as a permission for pink elephants to go on parade, much less this shit. And he's carrying on like he's got an audience of tens of thousands screaming his name.

"If you don't like...
The world you're living in...
Take a look around...
At least you got 'friends'...
You see, I called my old lady...
For a friendly word...
She picked up the phone, dropped it on the floor
'Ah-ssss-ah,' is all I heard!"

I immediately see a plug running from the bottom of the chest towards one of the outlets in the wall. The first thing I do is march my way towards that outlet as he continues his chorus.

"Are we gonna let de-elevator bring us down?
OH NO, LET'S GO!
Let's go crazy...
Let's get nuts...
Let's look for the purple banana
Until they put us in the truck, let's go!"

The music intensifies, and as catchy as it may be, I'm still just as motivated to snatch that damn plug out from the wall. And as soon as I do, the light show comes to an end, the fog machines shut down, the sound breaks to silence and the figure looks at me like I'm supposed to be fired over disrupting his set. Meanwhile, I couldn't care less. "What. The FUCK... IS ALL OF THIS!?"

The figure sighs and takes off the guitar, tossing it aside to dissipate into vapor. "Oh... and here I pegged you as a party personality with all of that racket from upstairs. I was just trying to meet the vibe, buuuuuuut I suppose I should be on my way then."

"Who the hell are you sneaking around my basement, putting on a show I didn't authorize?"

The figure steams up a chair for him to sit on, patiently and annoyingly reclining himself against my wall. "Well I would say that I invited myself in, but I know that wouldn't be wholly true."

I quirk my eyebrow at the strange apparition. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying I was brought here." He replies with a smirk. "Nice place by the way. I see it's a bit industrial, but I'll admit it's a better sell than some crude rocky cave with poor lighting."

As I'm about to ask him to leave, I take pause and notice that the voice he speaks with is a familiar one. "Haven't I heard of you before?"

The figure starts to inspect their own hooves. "Do I? I don't recall having met you, dragon."

"No, we haven't met." I clarify. "But I do remember having heard your voice from the prison."

The figure takes a second before rolling his eyes. "Oh yeah, that place."

"Who are you?"

"A simple question." He says as he flamboyantly points at himself. "I am Umi. Umi the Djinn. I grant wishes for all who seek my assistance. And I look to fulfill your greatest aspirations. What you seek, I will have, for I am all-knowing, all seeing, immersed in time and space itself, unlimited cosmic powers at my beck and call, even fates unwritten to you I know. All you must do is simply ask. Something-something, fine-print, you have three wishes."

While I would be privy to take him at his word, I remember a fairly fine detail about the world we live in. "A Djinn? Those creatures are just make-believe."

"I assure you that I am far from make-believe." He replies confidently.

It's hard for me to accept that everything he says is true, especially about the wishing part. But I understand that in legend, djinns will offer three wishes to anyone who asks, but there are always stipulations to those wishes, always a catch or some back-end consequence to follow. And I'm not going to take a chance on finding out what those consequences are by making a wish. So maybe there's some other way he can prove his so-called 'unlimited cosmic powers' and knowledge of 'fates unwritten'. "Prove it."

The pony shrugs as he replies. "Tell me an individual's fate you wish to know of."

I throw out a random name from off the top of my head. "Mrs. Cake."

"Ovarian cancer." I freeze in place as his answer is so quick and bleak. A powerful discomfort grows in the pit of my stomach as I realize that one of the things about djinns is that they are capable of telling you your own fate. To translate that, if I ask about my own fate, I could simply drop dead in that instant. "What, not easy hearing about the deaths of those you know and love? It's just a part of the life you creatures live. Surely you'd know that." He says, grabbing my attention. "Now come on, shoot another one at me."

Another name leaves my lips. "Pipsqueak."

"Air balloon disaster." The pit in my stomach grows a little more, but he laughs at my discomfort. "Oh come now, at least give me a hard one you don't want to know about. Go on... ask the question."

My mind immediately goes to an unlikely candidate for death to take. "Princess Celestia."

His answer is just as swift as the others he gave. "End stage dementia caused by rigor mana, complicating matters until the mind is essentially fried dead. Quite a peaceful exit if you ask me."

My knees buckle as I don't know how to process the news of Celestia's fate being read out to me, someone who's likely to live another thousand years getting wiped out from something so complicatedly common. She has to reach old age by then, and I don't think she ever will, at least not in a few lifetimes. So I go for a more intermediate character. "Nondis."

"Cardiac arrest, occurs in sleep." Again, quick and blunted. "Now I said give me a hard one."

Princess Celestia was literally my hardest one, at least of those I didn't want to put out in my immediate circle of friends and acquaintances. Instead he wants me to draw from that group. So I take a deep breath and utter under my breath one name. "Pinkie Pie."

"Diabetic complications, acute kidney failure."

I cover my ears as I shake my head with horror. "Okay, you proved your point!"

"Would you like to know how you die?"

I scream even louder trying not to hear him. "I CAN'T HEAR YOU! BLAH BLAH BLAH!"

But instead of me hearing him through my ears, his voice booms in my head like he's my internalized thoughts playing over a high-definition sound system. "It's not as though I can't reach you in that thick head of yours." I stare back at him in horror as he looks down upon me. "As I said, I'm a djinn with all power. To speak and be heard is nothing but a trivial matter."

A voice from the top of the staircase startles me to unholy depths. "Spike, you okay down there!?"

"Yeah, I'm fine!" I reply to Smolder.

After I answer her, the djinn speaks out to me. "So would you like to know how she dies?"

"Please no." I beg.

He shrugs in disappointment. "Suit yourself. I won't spoil you the surprise then."

Needless to say that he's fully capable of reading out everyone's fates to me. There are a few I don't believe like Pip's and Celestia's, but there are others who wouldn't surprise me much if they did happen, like Pinkie's and Nondis' because of their believability. Pinkie has always been a glutton for sweets, so to hear her dying from a diabetic complication is nothing short of in-line with her life. Either way, I can't refute anything he says. "Okay. Say I believe you, but what does that prove?"

"It proves my power, that my abilities go as deep as fate and destiny itself." He reiterates calmly. "So tell me, where do you wish to improve, what do you wish to know, what is the power you seek?"

Smolder's voice rings from the top of the stairs once more. "Spike, who's that talking down here?"

I try to come up with an answer. It's not nearly as instant as the ones the djinn gave to me regarding the fates of others, but I come up with something reasonable. "Sorry, I just had my phone on full blast. I just like to listen to something while I'm doing the laundry."

"Oh... okay. I guess that's fine." She says as she starts to come down the stairs to greet me.

I turn back to tell the djinn to stay out of view, only to see he's beaten me to the punch. Not one hint of his existence remains in view. I just shake it off and try to carry on with my day. But after hearing the fates of many of my friends and acquaintances, I feel it's best for me to dull those thoughts as quickly as possible. "Say, is there anything upstairs to drink?"

"After last night, plenty." She answers.

"I think I could go for a bit more of that."

She tilts her head at me with confusion. "It's morning though."

"Yeah, but I got this hangover I'm trying to work through." I lie.

"You didn't even drink that much." She accurately points out.

"I'm still a bit on the bad end though." I lie again.

The dragon chuckles as she knocks me against my shoulder. "Lightweight."

"Yeah, yeah, I know."

She shakes her head before reminding me. "You know, it's Ocellus day today. She's gonna want you to make her breakfast, preferably in bed."

My eyes perk up as I realize that it's a little too soon for me to get shitfaced in light of the revelations I've received. "Shit, you're right. I need to get on that!"

I run past Smolder and stumble up the stairs as she slowly follows behind me. But she stops midway and ponders to herself over what was taking place down in the basement.

"That didn't sound like a phone."

My time in the kitchen proves to be a fairly good distraction for the most part, it's hard to focus on the grim issue of knowing the demise of your friends when I don't want to cause misfortune to occur within my kitchen. And then it's even easier after getting Ocellus her breakfast, who kindly responds to the gesture with a very enticing mode of stress relief. But that post-nut clarity came back with the issue of me imagining how I can prevent the worst from happening to everyone.

Ocellus takes note of my change in disposition, seeing that I'm a lot more absent minded than usual. So she offers that we take a stroll through town to see everyone, all in the hopes to possibly cheer me up. I agree to go, but it only increases the amount of unease I have in seeing certain faces.

Sometime amid our venture, we make our journey through the town square, where a subtle fountain stands in the square and the traffic of a number of shops and business intersect. A variety of creatures stroll through, making way to their respective destinations. But in our passing, a set of voices snags our attention, much less the topic of the discussion.

"So you think somethings off with Discord?"

"I know it is." Fluttershy answers. "It's unlike him to just not show up for dinner, or even wake me up in the morning. He's always making sure that the first thing I see in the morning is him when I wake up. But instead he seemed like he didn't want to talk to me about anything other than the animals."

"And we know he's not a character to look after the animals, even while being comprised of many of them." Strapping answers with a hoof to the chin. "Did he say anything that alerted you?"

"Something about a familiar presence looming in the world." Fluttershy answers.

Cherry frowns as she tries to make any connection to what could be going on. "Well that's vague."

As Ocellus and I start to get in closer, Fluttershy is the first to notice me. And considering my height advantage over most everything else, I'm hard to miss. "Hey Spike!"

"Hey guys." I greet back as Ocellus walks beside me.

Cherry makes a comment of my closeness with the changeling. "Oh, look at you and her. You two seem pretty close."

"Babe, not everyone who looks close is together." Says Strapping to his wife.

"Well there you'd be pretty wrong." Ocellus corrects the orange pegasus. "Spike and I are having our day together. He's supposed to be taking me out for a day on the town." She pulls at my arm, trying to reinforce the fact that we're together.

"Aw! That's so cute, you got you a little something now!" Cherry coos while holding her hooves together in admiration.

"I see you, Spike. Way to put old anchors behind you." Strapping gives me a nudge in the side, showing his approval.

Fluttershy smiles at me as she makes a comment on our relationship. "Though to be fair, we already knew that you two have been an item for some time."

"Since when?" I ask.

"Well, I can't say." She says politely, giving me a subtle wink. "You'll just have to believe me when I say I have my sources."

Why do I have the feeling that she's probably seen that video Sweetie Belle had with me in the club? Cherry narrows her eyes at the yellow pegasus with a snicker. "Sneaky, Fluttershy. Holding out on the tea? For shame."

I shake my head, trying to change the topic. "Yeah, I'm a little involved right now. So what's going on with you guys? I overheard a little of the conversation passing by and I got curious."

"Nothing much. Just chatting up a conversation about Discord. He's pulled an unusual maneuver today. Nothing to really talk on." Cherry responds.

It seems that they're trying to keep this situation in-house. Guess I shouldn't press the matter for the time being. "I hope he's okay."

"He's fine." Fluttershy answers.

"Okay." Ocellus answers with a nod before popping her own question. "Hey, I gotta question."

"Shoot." Strapping points back at her.

"There was some goons that snatched up Spike on Saturday. Would you happen to know anything about them?"

Cherry seems a bit surprised by the news, seems Fluttershy didn't tell them that yet. "You got snatched up?" The stallion asks me. The stallion then purses his lips, unable to come to a clear conclusion. "Uh... not really." He turns his attention back to me. "Spike, man, what's going on where you getting snatched by pendejos?"

"Just some losers looking to rebuild an underground arena." I briefly summarize.

Cherry facehoofs in disgust. "Oh lord, that again?"

I go on to briefly explain how I got myself in that situation. "It's really on me. I did a marathon to Ponyville and back, and that's without the proper conditioning."

"Why'd you do something that stupid?" The stallion asks.

"A friend was in trouble, so I took off as quick as I could. I mistimed the train leaving town, and I had to fly back. Next thing I knew, I woke up in chains, getting punched in the throat, and we made an escape with a prince from Ponyland."

"A Ponyland prince?" Cherry asks. "How'd you come across him?"

"Again, we were trapped in a dungeon together. And we pretty much navigated our way out of jail. The search-and-rescue squad got us back to surface level."

The pink mare sighs with relief. "That's a good thing."

I mumble a side comment about one of the ones who aided in our rescue. "I never knew Mrs. Kalimba could kick ass like that."

That comment perked Cherry up, I could see it on the way she flicks her ears towards me. "Oh honey, she's a package. Back when Nondis and her worked the underground together, she used to bail him out of a lot of shit."

"What's important is that you're back in one piece." Fluttershy says with a gentle smile.

"Yeah..." Cherry cosigns, freezing up in a thought that pretty much has her go into a temporary thousand-yard stare. "That part."

Ocellus takes note of her distant disposition and tries to get her attention. "Ms. Cherry, you okay?"

Strapping Lad steps in front of his wife, snapping her out of her thought as he answers the changeling. "Nevermind her, she's got her mind on something she shouldn't."

The mare shakes her head, jumping back to the present. "Yeah! I'm sorry. But you two go and have your fun. Don't worry about us too much."

"Sure thing." Ocellus says as she pulls on my arm, dragging me away from the trio.

But before we can make distance, Cherry calls out to me. "Hey Spike..." I turn around to see her eyeing me intensely. "There wasn't anything too unusual going on down there, right?"

I shake my head, not wanting to fill her in on too many details. "Nah, just some guys talking to a djinn."

"A djinn?" She tilts her head curiously, but shakes it off and waves me on my way. "Alright, well carry on then."

"See ya!" I holler back as we walk away.

While we depart down the avenue, Strapping verbalizes a thought to his wife. "That's strange."

"What?"

"I thought genies didn't exist in this world."

Fluttershy answers in a low voice. "They don't."

Our day carries on without much of anything happening other than the run-in with Fluttershy, Cherry, and Strapping. Those three are always in constant communication with one another, at least maybe twice a week since little Jasper will sometime volunteer at the animal shelter she runs. Ocellus always shows concern for that fact, but I assure her by reinforcing the fact that he only deals with the smaller animals, like the rabbits, the cats, the smaller birds, and even some of the dogs they have there.

The journey of our day comes to yet another pit stop at a local restaurant, an outside eatery where they serve the usual fixings for many passing equines. Personally, I go with the more junkier options since I can easily digest those. It's much easier to pass a carrot dog with cheese and sauerkraut than it is a dandelion sandwich deluxe with extra alfalfa and dandelion petals. Ocellus, on the other hoof, eats pretty much everything you place in front of her. Since she's a changeling, her dietary limitations are virtually zero due to her need to be able to adapt to any species she transforms into. It's the main reason why she didn't have any issues digesting human cuisine like some others probably would.

We pretty much go over what all happened over the course of the week, especially since she's pestering me over what all happened with my time with Gabby. I just tell her that we've been binging on a show that I've ran into sometime during the course of her argument with now-ex. I don't spare too many details. "And then the guy pops out, and I'm like 'He's alive, through all of that!?' Like I was losing my mind when I saw that scene!" And I admit that I might be a bit of a fan of the show at this point. My enthusiasm is unlike anything else right now.

And the passion is clear to her. "Wow, seems you're really caught up by that show."

"I know it's human stuff, but they have some pretty crazy concepts in their cartoons!"

She's always a big consumer of human media anyhow, and that's in spite of harboring some fears about the species itself. I'm still pretty amazed that she can operate like that, but maybe it's not so much of the whole species she's scared of than it is one of the species that makes her feel uneasy. "Sounds like it's something we'll have to go back to the house and watch."

"Damn, had I known you would've been interested, I wouldn't have spoiled so much."

She fiddles around with her hayfries as she gives her response. "You're fine. What you told me up to this point is enough for me to be interested. Just stop there so I can have more to look forward to."

"I'll have it queued up first thing when we walk through the door." I assure her.

As I finish off the last of my meal, Ocellus gives me a look and grows curious over my interaction with the others from earlier. She begins to touch on the matter. "Hey Spike?"

"Yeah."

"That situation when you got captured, you said that those goons were talking to someone." She recalls. "Why didn't you tell them about the screaming guy?"

I wince in thought. "I mean it was weird enough, but I just didn't think I needed to drop that bit of trauma into it. The guy was apparently dead when they got to him."

"You could've told them that anyhow. It obviously wasn't that traumatic that you couldn't tell us, and you seemed to sleep pretty soundly after that."

I scoff at her suggestion of my manner of sleep. "Soundly?"

Ocellus leans into me, showing definite concern. "So you had a nightmare?"

I stir the straw of my drink, mentally piecing together the details of my nightmare. "Not about that, but about some other thing from the past. Guess you could call it a 'what-if' playback, maybe even an alternate universe take. It's happened to me before."

"What played back to you?" She asks.

I grow mum, looking back at the changeling in front of me. Looking at her directly, you wouldn't even be able to tell that her mother's currently encased in stone and under continuous heavy surveillance. "When I was captured by Chrysalis and she threatened to rip my wings off." I instinctively flex my wings at the memory, thankfully unable to recall much the pain. "Kinda hard to forget about that one."

"I'm sure." She starts to look down, she goes back to playing with her hayfries again. "Do you... resent me for what I am?"

"A changeling?" I ask.

"Her daughter. I'm literally the larva of the family." She clarifies.

I smoothly reach my claw across the table and rob her of a fry or two. "Did I ever show contempt at Thorax for what he was?"

"You could've." She replies.

"But did I?" I ask her once more, robbing her of a few more of her fries.

"I guess not." She says as she goes on the defensive, moving her plate away from my reach.

I toss back the fries I stole. "Then what makes you any different?"

"I don't know." She starts to nibble on one fry before pausing yet again to speak her mind. "I still can't shake what all my mom has done to everyone."

I try to fenagle my way over to her place since she seems to be low on appetite. I manage to successfully grab a few before she shifts the location of her plate. "The one thing I can tell you, don't go on an apology tour like your brother's doing. He does that well enough on his own. Just be yourself, don't worry about everyone else."

She takes a heaping wad of the fries and leaves me with a few crumbs on the plate as she teleports over to the side of the table I once inhabited. "You know, if we had taken your call a little more seriously instead of me just laying in bed with Smolder beneath my tail, you would've never been taken into that place."

"It's okay. I learned more about myself in the process." I comment as I see one last fry on the edge of the plate. "I mean, I can't help that someone didn't quite make it, but I can accept the fact that I did what I could for myself and the others that I was with. I learned how to escape a dire situation, with even more consequences than me just helping six other mares trying to save the world. Maybe it's just the dragon in me talking, but I had to do what I had to do to save myself. Ain't no wishing myself out of that."

As soon as I finish my statement, Ocellus' eyes dart over to me with a thought. "Say Spike, you mentioned something about a djinn. Are you sure that's what you ran into?"

And in this moment, I'm brought back to the same lingering mood that I was trying to avoid all day. The moment of that ghostly pony telling me what fate has in store for some of the others start to retake their positions at the forefront of my mind. "It might be crazy to think that I'm saying this, but I strongly believe that they exist at this point."

"Why?" She asks.

I want to tell her everything, but I fear if I say something, it may get back to someone it shouldn't. And that might complicate matters even worse. "It's hard to explain. But don't they have access to things like past, present, future, and destiny?"

"Beings like that would be supreme beings, and I doubt a supreme being would have even a remote interest in our daily goings. Plus there's all sorts of stipulations about the natural order that can't be broken, like wishing death upon someone, forcing them to love without consent, or bringing back the dead." She concludes with a light chuckle. "Though that last one is a bit of a stretch. No one's been able to bring back the dead before, so why would they be able to now?"

"...I met one this morning." She stops and stares at me with jaw agape as I give evidence of his ability. "He even predicted the death of Celestia."

"Celestia can die?" That seems to be the one takeaway from our conversation that has peaked her inquiry.

"Apparently." I shrug.

"...Where did you meet this djinn again?"

"Your basement?" Ocellus asks. "You met a djinn here in your basement?"

After a brisk walk back home, she pulls on my arm to guide me to the one place of the encounter. "Kinda weird, right?"

"More like unbelievable." She says as she looks around the room, seeing the boiler, the washer, the dryer, the breaker box, and a few other home appliances to regulate the home environment. "So that moment when you told Smolder it was your phone that was talking to you, that was him?" Figures that Smolder would say something about it to her.

"That's because I didn't know how to explain what it was I was seeing."

"She said you started screaming." Recalls the changeling.

"Yeah... I might've did that to not hear about my own fate." I say with a sheepish nod.

"It tried to tell you your own fate!?" Her eyes buck wide open, she starts to scrummage around the basement for something that looks like it could summon the unfamiliar figure back to the room. "Spike, legend says if a djinn tells you your own fate, you die that day!"

"Yeah, why'd you think I was being so loud?" I ask.

"Can you summon that thing right now?" She questions me.

"I don't think it's that easy." I respond to her.

She groans with dissatisfaction, but also annoyance. "Believe me when I say when we confirm what the hell this thing is, we'll be paying an urgent trip to Zecora."

"Honestly, I don't know how it showed up to begin with."

"So it just popped up?" She enunciates a little loudly.

"Yeah." I answer flatly.

"Where exactly did it pop up?" She says before looking over to a locked chest sitting in the corner. "What's in there?"

"A bunch of souvenirs from my capture. Also some stuff from recent excursions, a few treasured gifts─"

She interrupts me in the midst of my answer, making a firm demand. "You may need to get rid of that stuff."

"But what if we open the chest and it pops out?" I ask her.

She gives me a deadpan expression. "Spike, you realize you could've died today, right?"

"Fair point." I say as I walk over to the chest, unlocking the combination lock and popping the taps to keep the lid closed. I slowly open the lid, peeking inside to see nothing but darkness. "So, nothing happened as of yet." I say as I fully open the lid.

"That's good. Now take out everything you have as souvenirs from last weekend."

I only pull out three items. I first lay out the belt harness that was used on my wings. Next I lay out the heavy iron collar that was placed on my neck to discourage me from using my fire. And last is a scroll that I snatched up from the prison. I lay them all out in front of her and confirm them. "Okay, that's everything from last weekend."

Her eyes immediately land on the scroll. "What's the scroll for?"

"I just thought it was some sort of magic spell. I was gonna try to research what it does without activating it." I explain.

"So you just brought a random scroll into your house without even knowing what it does!?"

"Please, Twilight does that kind of stuff all the time. You be surprised the number of tentacle monsters and eldritch horrors she had to beat back into their bindings. And lucky us, I don't have the magic to activate the runes." I nonchalantly respond. "Having that said, if we research what it does, then we know what to do with it or how to seal it, maybe even both."

"Yeah, I can tell we're definitely going to be visiting Zecora." She mumbles under her breath.

"Hoping we don't resort to that." I say nervously as I pick up the scroll.

"Do you even know what's on it?"

"A bunch of runes, I didn't get a chance to read all the way through." I answer.

The changeling folds her forelegs and angrily chastises me over my possession of the scroll. "Spike, you know that magic runes and 'not reading things through' isn't a good starting point to prove how safe it is to have this thing here."

"Well what do you suggest we do, bury it?" I jokingly suggest.

"...Actually."

While I don't have a shovel to use at the moment, Ocellus braves up to the task of transforming into one. So for what I suppose is about twenty minutes of digging, it appears that I'm very much talking to myself. I can only imagine a passing viewer's perspective as they see me digging a hole, talking to myself in the middle of the Everfree Castle Ruins, they'd probably think I'm burying a body or something. But thankfully, I don't have to dig nearly that deep.

As my efforts come to an end, I hold the shovel to my side, asking it while still doused in sweat. "Do you really think this is a good spot?"

"I'd rather you keep that thing as far away from us as possible." Ocellus says as she pops from my possession and transform back to her normal self. "Plus it's near the tree of harmony, the soil will seal it shut anyhow. And as an added bonus, it can also purify the contents of that scroll. Win-win."

"You think the roots will try to wrap themselves around it if it's corrupted?" I ask.

"Do I think? More like I know it's gonna happen." She answers confidently.

I take a deep breath and show some signs of relief as I toss the scroll into the hole we've dug. "Well... no more strange djinns popping up and putting on concerts in my basement then."

"Good." She says as she transforms into a shovel once more. I start to cover the hole I dug, dumping the dirt on the scroll we've now rid ourselves of. All while this is going on, I'm still moderately amused that one of my partners happens to be a literal shovel as of this moment. I chuckle to myself. "What's so funny?" She asks.

"You being a shovel, me talking to said shovel, it's a weird way to spend our day together."

"And meanwhile, I found out that you can be both curious and stupid. But I also discover that you can be reasoned with fairly easily." She notes. "So I guess it's not for nothing, I have a boyfriend who's capable of thought."

"Is that a net negative or net positive?" I ask sarcastically.

"You be the judge."

I start to pat the freshly stirred dirt pile into a flatter surface to walk on. "Okay... I'll say positive."

"Positive it is." She answers as I come to a finish, promptly changing back to her true form.

"Well, it's been a day. So, how about we head back to the house and do what we were going to do when we first got back?" I suggest to her.

"Okay then." She shrugs as she takes my arm and skip ahead, pulling me along. "But don't think I won't try to be a distraction while we watch some of these episodes. I tend to get bored when the plot moves a little slow."

While we walk away, a few roots made of an enchanted amethyst-like wood start to seep out of the ground. The ground that was dug up and disturbed starts to shake up, more roots coming from below as a collection of them gather around the scroll. The roots glow faintly as they swallow the scroll, but a powerful aura surrounds the scroll, seemingly to protect it. As a result, an amethyst orb comprised of the roots of the sacred tree seal in the scroll and drags it back to the ground. But before it disappears, a faint voice is heard before being buried underground.

"It's not what you do for others..."

As soon as we get back home, we walk upstairs to finally get back to our regularly scheduled programming. But before we do, Ocellus really emphasizes taking a shower for herself because of the dirt she still feels on her body. I acknowledge her situation and opt to take mine after hers since I just got through doing the digging myself. Plus me working up a sweat and diving onto the couch would be counterproductive in terms of hygiene.

So I just go upstairs and start setting up the den for some entertainment. And before I know it, I feel a vibration on my side and hear a certain ringtone that starts to sound like nails on a chalkboard the longer it goes on.

♪Life in Equestria shimmers! Life in Equestria shiiiiiiiines! And I know for absolute certain♪─

I answer the phone, bemoaning the fact that Twilight's calling me again. "Hello?"

"Hey Spike. Just checking in."

I immediately read past the simplified greeting. "Let me guess, you want me to start picking back up this week?"

"Not that it should be a problem for you. But in actuality, I have a little something already in the works. It's a pretty important engagement."

I know that it's my job and that I should keep most of my complaints in the pending bin, but this one feels like I'm not gonna like it too much. "So what are you dropping on me this time?"

"I sending you out on a dignitary assignment." She says with a sing-song tone.

I groan over the news, now wanting more details of what I'll have to work with. "What kind of dignitary assignment?"

"One where you'll be heading out of the country for a bit." Of course she's still in that annoying ass tone of voice. In other words, she knows I'm not going to like it.

"Where to?" I grumble, tired of her games.

"Well.... Ponyland, of course."

I already feel my back crawling with anticipation, and by that I mean I feel myself already trying to find ways where I won't be hunted down for fucking sport. What an exciting time it will be to stop some blood-thirsty assholes from ripping and tearing me apart in a way that'll make Chrysalis blush with embarrassment. "That's an unusual location. What's the occasion?"

This time, she's a lot more forward with her response. "I wish you to return Prince Amor Ambrosia back to his homeland safe and sound. Not only will this be a gesture of good will between our two nations, but it can also be a beneficial channel to establish a favorable trade with the empire."

Great, geopolitical favoritism, the best kind of trip. "Twilight, I don't think that's a good idea. They wouldn't even barter to return the prince when he was captured by those thugs in the underground."

"That's because of who they were negotiating with." She responds. "I know that engaging in talks with someone of an official capacity will yield much more favorable results."

And dealing with a dragon, the very species they hunt down, is going to make a world of a difference than the ponies who live in caves and rob people in their sleep to fund their operations. "I get where you're going, but have you even asked him like what's going on with his folks over there?"

"I do know that there is some minor conflict, mainly arguments spouted up in the family over assets and land, but that's all there is to it."

I shake my head at her answer. "Are you sure you want to send him back?"

"Spike, you're talking like his life is under serious threat if he goes back home." She doesn't seem to take me seriously.

I try to illustrate the seriousness of the situation to her. "I know you, and that little comment was your way of showing sarcasm, but hear me out on your little thesis there... you're not wrong."

I can tell a bit of her energy just got sucked out of the room real quick with the way she falls silent. "Really?"

"Yeah, really." I answer.

She signs on her end, she takes a moment to ponder the alternatives, but she still comes away with an unchanged approach. "Well, that does bring up a troubling thought. However, Equestria can't be on the books for offering sanctuary to fleeing member of the imperial family of a nation who's diplomatic status with ours is in shaky neutrality. It could breed talks of a hostile takeover or insurrection. I don't want that to happen because it could be seen as an act of war, which is what this could easily turn into. The fact that those thugs reached out to the emperor leans towards a number of scenarios, one of which assumes that we contracted a group of bandits to abduct the prince and withhold him from his imperial duties, strong-arming them into a trade they don't want. I'm sure you understand that we can't allow for that to happen."

I understand that she wants to err on the side of political caution. But I don't see much of any good coming from this excursion in either case. "I'm sure I don't want to find out what that will turn into either. But I can't help but to feel like this will only play into their hooves here. We're operating on a loss, much less trying to gain a favorable trade out of this deal."

"Then look at it this way, if anything were to happen over on their end, then we can clean our hooves of it. I know this isn't exactly what I'm used to doing, but I have more than me and my friends to think about here. I have a nation of creatures that I have to protect, going this route ensures that they stay protected from any mess they may try to drum up. The decision is final, the prince has to go back home. I'm sorry."

Playing the safe route for the sake of the nation, always a cop-out. Sadly, this is just who she is. It's pointless to argue the logic of her decision when she has all but set it in stone, but I can still bring up the logistics of it. "Twilight, you do realize that dragons are explicitly hunted in those regions, right?"

And of course, she has an argument for that too. "I'm well aware of that, which is why I will enforce your protection. It won't be a large detail that will trigger an aggressive response, but it won't be without a detail of less than twenty staff to keep things moving. So if anything happens to you while you're there, it will be witnessed by others and trigger an international conflict the likes Ponyland hasn't seen to this date. I'm also sending a dignitary and a specialist to join you in your journey, this makes it an official peace-keeping assignment."

I grimace at the thought of all of this going wrong. For the most part, I don't feel safe going on this assignment. "I don't know, Twilight. This is just giving me all sorts of bad vibes."

Twilight sighs on the other end. "I'm sure you're just as nervous about the situation as I am. I'm playing a huge risk by sending you over there. But think of what we could be avoiding if we do this. I'm sure you've never experienced the atrocities of war, neither have I. And if there's one thing I picked up from Celestia's past, it's that we don't want to discover them for ourselves."

I rub the side of my head, feeling a slight headache starting to manifest. "Ugh.... When do I set out?" I ask.

"Tuesday morning. That should give you enough time to get your things together and rest up before the journey ahead."

Once more, short notice. Why am I not surprised? "I guess I'll start getting my affairs in order." I better update my will.

Midnight Castle, Ponyland Empire...

A fairly thin but speedy stallion unicorn trots down the halls of the castle, briskly making his way to the imperial overlook. The current overlook sees over much of the greater city of Midnight Castle, from the walls of the keep, the streets of the city, and the battlements of the outside wall. Flags hang on every pillar, a banner of checkered purple and powder blue, presenting two fencing equines and a golden fleur-de-lis with the words embroidered and outlined in silver reading 'Vince omnem potestatem, vivat imperium.'

Other servants walk by, many of them being male wearing purple shawls. The guards are dressed in a uniform of cloth instead of armor, but they wield lengthy pikes. The maids that do walk by travel in groups of two or three, but are very sparsely seen through the halls unless they are in the midst of cleaning sheets, towels, or dusting off the fixtures every day on the hour prescribed. One of the groups happen upon the travelling stallion informant, simply bowing as they make way for him to pass.

A pair of young mares giggle as they both are embraced by a much older stallion, one in the waning period of his golden years. The figure is donning an extravagant military uniform, decorated with many ribbons and crosses. He is a smoke-gray unicorn stallion with a silver mane reaching down to his legs. He elegantly makes another quip to cause the pair of young mares giggle once more.

The thin stallion briskly makes his presence known. "My lordship." He calls out in a humble and dainty voice.

"Mmm, can't you see I'm busy?" The decorated stallion turns to the informant, glancing at both his escorts. "I'm hosting some rather choice company as of the moment." He says as he leans in to kiss one of the mare's hooves. The one who seems to be left out of the act, pouts visibly, gaining his attention. "Oh I have not forgotten about you." He replies while offering her the same treatment. "Such a succulent choice of essence you've opted into today. What is that, Eau de Pomme?"

The second mare giggles even more bashfully, making the first even more jealous. Meanwhile the informant summons a silver plate with a letter with a broken red wax seal. "My lordship, a letter from her royal majesty of Equestria."

The older stallion rolls his eyes at the news. "Ugh great. What more of these pointless engagements does she wish to encumber our empire with now!?"

"Sire, to return one of your sons." He informs plainly.

The elder stallion mood sours. "The also-ran?"

"Prince Amor Ambrosia, yes."

"Well... this has become a point of misfortune then." He replies, his visible displeasure causing the mares to ease away from him. He turns to them and gives them a temporary leave. "I'll be back to entertaining you ladies in a bit. Just allow me to handle some business and I'll be right with you." He calls for one of the maids to guide them. "Maidens! Please have these two escorted to my lovely garden of roses, I shall be with them shortly."

Without a word, they bow and guide the pair to their destination. In the meanwhile, the informant slowly steps away, sensing the change in the air around the emperor. "Sire?"

He asks in a low tone of voice, his timbre so strong that it could rattle the wooden rafters above them. "Who does she plan to send?"

"Her royal friendship advisor, Spike the Dragon."

"A dragon, as a dignitary, IN MY EMPIRE!?" He asks forcefully.

The informant shies away, but continues to give his update. "I know it's absurd, but it seems that the dragons and Equestria have established some mode of ties. The dragons west of here don't seem to think ill of it."

"So let them." He replies with an uncaring tone. "And they'll continue this foolish endeavor until they grow weak from it."

"That's to our favor, is it not?"

"It can be." The emperor answers, walking ahead while looking out past the overlook. "Gander with me if you will. Do you see the machinations that line the top of our walls, the instruments of destruction that seek to hold our foes at bay? I do know that our siege craft is far more potent then that of their simple means of magic and 'friendship'. She honestly believes that sack of superficial nonsense is worth more than the hundreds of thousands I command, the legions that sing of our country's banner no match for a bit of sunshine and rainbows. You honestly believe that naïve purple prostitute is any more capable of negotiations than the many concubines in my bedchamber?"

"She has evidence of her victory over the likes of Lord Tirek, sir." The informant reminds his emperor.

He scoffs in reply. "A legendary washout."

"A washout he may be, but he did prove to be a substantial threat to our empire in his earlier years. Had it not been for the legendary─"

The emperor slams his hooves into the railing of the overlook, cracking one of the thick wooden rails slightly. "I grow bored of these monotonous history lessons, Gabranth! What more do I need to hear that isn't already confined to parchment and ink!?"

"Sir, those legends are the same ones who got us our start in our being able to build our military. For centuries, our forces have proven supreme over every nation, both in number and strength."

The emperor remains unamused. "As valuable as their contributions they may be, our perfection of their technology even more valuable, please find for me in the numerous grassy fields of my sprawling empire the cares I give." He says as he points to the lands beyond the outer wall.

"You make a fair point, sire."

"As I always do." He affirms with a slow nod. "The one son who proves himself incompetent, and yet he's the hardest to be culled off. Perhaps it was wrong of me to listen to Adelphos and his council to preserve the life of a career criminal, only to be employed to his protection."

"Adelphos has learned from his foolishness and optimism, sire. He was far too trusting of Xerxes." The informant reminds him.

The emperor sighs in thought. "To be poisoned to an early end, truly a fool's demise. What an unworthy son."

"I take it that we shall commence with the usual operations then?" Asks Gabranth.

The emperor perks up with a more optimistic tone. "But of course. We welcome him back like the prodigal son he is, let him feast and be merry, fill his cup, allow him a maiden or two, and let his brothers deal with him accordingly." He says as he starts to walk down the hall, his informant joining with him along the way.

"I'm sure Xerxes has much for him. He truly does love Amor."

The emperor giggles to himself. "Xerxes is a pervert, you know what he'll do should he find him alone."

"And yet you'll allow him to do as he pleases?"

"But of course, he's the one bastard I'll openly call a son. The fact that he has a bit of a tendency to practice dominance with his brothers is but a minor inconvenience at worst." He shifts his tone onto another topic of his conern. "But the dragon, however..."

"A fate far worse?" Gabranth concludes.

The emperor hums with a passing thought. "Xerxes has complained that his robe is short on it's feathery shawl. He's always peculiar about his roc feathers. I'm sure he'll find great use in the dragon's visit."

"And you think the Equestrians will permit it?"

"Of course not. But a dragon shouldn't be in our borders to begin with. His status will be no higher than the rest." The emperor's eyes narrow as he mutters to himself. "And to don the name Spike, no less. A truly cursed name for a truly cursed creature." He shakes himself of his internal monologue and readdresses the informant. "If Equestria brings complaint to the matter, I'll simply point out that they allowed my son to be abducted for ransom, and that they foolishly elected to send a creature that's well-known to be poached in our lands. And I'm quite sure Amor will cite many traumas to our purpose."

"And if they take things negatively due to the dragon?"

The emperor laughs boisterously. "What are they going to do? Take their 'magic and friendship' and field it on the frontlines against our symphony of cannonade and rocket spears? I wish them to try. Our nation needs a good flex of it's might, been needing it for the past eight-hundred years. Should be a simple mind to rediscover the lethality of our arsenal, and possibly make upgrades where necessary. I'm sure our commanders will be most pleased with that outlook."

"And with Celestia out of the way, it should prove to be easier." Adds Gabranth.

"Exactly." The Emperor cosigns proudly. "So let them come. We can turn this into an advantage."

"I will make arrangements for the parade, your imperialness." The informant announces eagerly. "Amor's homecoming will be a display of strength and perseverance in the eyes of our visiting host. I'll be sure to plan big."

"Make it so." The emperor orders.

As the informant takes his leave, he starts to spread word of the news of the celebration to ensue. Many start on the preparations as soon as the word gets out. The Emperor, however, occupies himself with one matter: The mares he has waiting for him in his rose garden. He makes his journey towards the garden, all while emptying his head of his powerful ambitions so that he may focus on the bounty that awaits him. However, it proves difficult when compared to the weight of a greater possibility laying at his doorstep.

"Amor... Your usefulness may yet be proven after all."

Chapter 27: Fondled Feathers

The dawn of a new day arises in the kingdom, busy are the many servants and guards that essentially litter the halls of the royal castle with their presence. It is a lively affair taking place outside of the throne room. As for inside of it, a calm and composed princess continues to filter through her stack of documents, all presented by Inkwell and a number of other assistants.

As they carry on the administrative business of the realm, Captain Solemn Oath enters the chambers with a refined strut. She hails to the purple alicorn sitting upon her throne. "Your majesty!"

"Yes, captain?" The mare seems to not miss a beat in signing her name on the dotted line of one of the papers issued to her.

The mare informs her princess of the current matter. "His imperial majesty has filed a request to pay you a visit."

Twilight rolls her eyes in annoyance. "Another one? Again?"

The captain bows her head with reverence. "Yes your majesty."

She sighs as she continues with the matters of the encroaching paperwork that has yet to be read. "The sooner he gets out of my mane, the better." She complains.

"So... do I send him in?"

"Go ahead." She answers dismissively, sending the mare to open the door as she makes yet another complaint under breath. "Can't get any worse than it is already."

One of the doors to the throne room parts away to reveal an unexpected surprise. Instead of the young Ponyland prince looking to make an audience, it is his bodyguard that makes an appearance. He walks briskly to the foot of the stairs leading to Twilight's throne. "Your majesty."

"Where's your prince?" The purple mare asks with curiosity. "You usually see him being his annoying self, and you're the one to keep him on a leash."

He lowers his head out of respect for the high princess before him. "Your majesty, I come on behalf of him. He's currently... well... conflicted to say the least. So I'm here to speak on his behalf."

"And let me guess, because you want me to accept his feelings." She assumes with a dismissive chuckle.

"While I'll admit that bit of news would be a boon for his majesty's demeanor, but I'm afraid that's not quite why I come before you today."

Twilight quirks a brow and removes the papers in from her line of sight, getting a whole view of the stallion. "Then please explain why you've elected to come here on his behalf."

The guardian takes a deep breath, already knowing that his request is unlikely to be granted. "If I must, to beg for your protection."

"I may be mistaken, but is that not your area of expertise?" Twilight questions the stallion.

"While that may be the case, I know that a return to Ponyland is not ideal in the prince's mind."

The purple alicorn mockingly calls out the reason. "Let me guess, a sibling squabble of some sort?"

"If only you knew." He replies with a doleful spirit.

Twilight rises from her throne, looking to try to understand the depths of the conflict that's heavily implied by the guardian before her. "The last sibling quarrel that occurred here in Equestria ended with one being sent to the moon for a thousand years. And even then, all has turned out well."

The guardian's demeanor changes to a more critical approach. "With all due respect, princess. Don't you find your idea of a sibling struggle rather... for lack of better words, infantile?"

"That may be, perhaps my perspective is far too rosy of a lens to view your issues, and I mean that with no disrespect." She replies. "I have an older brother. And not to mention a dragon for a younger brother. Adopted of course."

"You may have a good family dynamic, but I assure you his dynamic is not as tamed as yours." He iterates adamantly.

While still a bit dismissive of the issue, she does take the moment to hear the guardian out on the matter. "Then I am ignorant, I should be more mindful. Please elaborate."

"To simply put it, your measure of 'good will' may only lead sheep to senseless slaughter."

Twilight turns to her side, viewing one of the glass windows portraying the image of Celestia banishing Luna to the moon. She looks back at that struggle and sees a lack of bloodshed, it becomes hard for her to envision such a thing occurring to the love-smitten prince. "Why would you believe that?"

"I know the imperial family, the idea of slaughtering their own is seen as a countryside past time. It is a family rife with discrimination of blood, lineage, and birthright. His influence is minimal and his power is all but meager. The image he has is almost negligible by comparison to the others. His return may be his last."

"Your majesty, if I may?" Solemn steps in to offer her own line of questioning, which Twilight allows. "While your participation throughout this process is admirable, we cannot ignore the possibility of you two acting as spies on your country's behalf."

"I assure you, I am more interested in the prospect of protecting the prince than I am in putting him in any jeopardy. To assume my status as a spy is both troublesome and a deterrent for his imperialship's intentions."

"And yet we have caught you and him sneaking within our borders." She calls out.

"It was the prince's will that we remained here." The guardian admits. "I'll be the one to truly state his purpose of his flight from the fatherland."

"And what purpose would that be?" Solemn inquires.

"Sanctuary." He answers with a quiet steadfastness. The captain and her princess look to one another as Fencer continues with his response. "Indeed, I'll admit he is a foolhardy romantic with little but idealistic endeavors. But his affections are pure."

Solemn wastes no pity for the stallion and his prince, only pressing at her suspicion. "So his asinine crush on the princess is the metric you wish to invoke to prove against any wrong-doing?"

The stallion closes his eyes in realization that his plea, in truth being the desire of the prince himself, is going unreasoned with. "I understand it's not much. But he's true to his heart."

Twilight picks up from where Solemn left off. "I'm sure you understand that your emperor questions us about the well-being of his son."

Immediately, the body language of Sir Fencer falls to resignation. "That I do."

"Then you understand the dangers involved with his unannounced defection to our nation."

"That I also understand." He knows what's to come next, already preparing in his mind how to comfort the prince he's tasked with guarding.

At last, Twilight utters the words the pair have dreaded to hear against their pleas. "Then you should understand the reason why I cannot allow for either of you to stay."

"Again, I understand the diplomatic─"

"I'm sorry. There are no exceptions." Twilight states firmly, appearing somewhat remorseful but unyielding. "Just as you want to protect your prince, I want to protect the peace my citizens have."

"...I understand." He bows once more to issue his respect and farewell. "I thank you for your time, your majesty. You've been a most fair ruler for your willingness to hear us out."

As the Ponyland guardian takes his leave, Solemn glances back at the princess who sighs heavily with a mode of regret. "I don't think this is the wrong decision, your majesty. But I will say that this situation has raised some glaring suspicions."

"I know." Twilight answers. "But if this is for the good of Equestria, I need to stay true to this path." She promptly goes back to signing the documents that were presented to her earlier. "I just hope that this gives us a peaceful path forward."

"As do I, your majesty."

Upon returning to the room they were sentenced to, Sir Fencer enters with an air of sadness for the young prince currently curled up in the bedsheets. Currently undergoing a bit of an existential crisis, the prince remains motionless in thought over his circumstances.

The guardian calls out. "Sir prince..."

Amor seems to already identify the tone of his protector. "So... even beauty proves to be deaf to bargaining."

The older stallion clenches his eyes shut, knowing the confusion and conflict that's currently plaguing the prince. He harbors resentment to the idea that he's providing yet even more bad news to the otherwise bright-eyed prince. "Our departure is set for Tuesday. We leave by airship to the capital."

"To return to a place where we believe in nothing but cruel mistruth... and live an oppressive lie." The prince turns over to view his bodyguard with reddened eyes, swollen from the many tears that the prince surrendered to the sheets that cocoon over his body. "Can we... do you think we can escape it, one more time?"

"Only a fool believes in hope." Sir Fencer answers with a comforting smile. "I guess we can be fools for one last time. There are other places in this world that would accept us. This one was always a far shot, but maybe we try our luck elsewhere."

"And we'll live elsewhere?" He asks.

"In a peaceful land, a land of enlightenment." Fencer announces. "A land free of cruel labels and bitter alliances. A land where we can forget our past lives... and all that we believed in."

The young prince clenches himself, sniffling as he pleads in a whisper. "Whatever powers there be, please... keep us."

My eyes are fading from a blurry vision of the initial waking up. Normally I'd expect to see little that would garner my attention, but instead there's a griffon staring back at me with a bright and brimming smile. She seems to be eagerly awaiting the moment I'm fully awake. Thankfully that doesn't take too long with how quick she hugs me.

"Good morning!"

Her grasp is a little tighter than usual, and much longer. "Morning, Gabby."

"♫Good morning to you, good morning to you, I love it when you wake up, good morning to you!♪" She sings adorably before pouncing on my back, hugging me from behind. "You know what today is, right?"

"It's your day, I know."

"Well yeah, but what else is special about today?" She quizzes.

I purse my lips and ponder over what she's referring to. "I dunno. I know it's not your birthday."

"Nope." She falls off of my back and walks around me.

"Is it a recent event?" I ask.

She scoffs at my question teasingly. "Wow, you don't know."

"Tell me what it is!" I say, getting a little annoyed from not knowing the answer.

She gives me a feigned look of inquiry. "Hmmm.... nah."

"Seriously!?" I call out to her. "Gabby, you know I hate it when you tease something and don't fill me in on the whole picture."

"I know." She says with a half innocent smile. "But let's just file it under a surprise." The other half of that smile seems to be very sultry, hiding a side of her I'm starting to grow accustomed to seeing.

I grab at the griffon. "Or I could wrestle it out of you."

"Oh no you don't." She says, quick in her method to counter me. She yanks back at my arm and pulls me in. As I try to keep my balance, she lunges herself into me with a high leap, her wings flap to give her the extra air under her bound. I try to avoid her, but she holds me from the top of my head, her legs wrapping tightly around my neck. The sudden weight applied to my upper body causes me to fall back into the bed. She also holds both of my arms above my head as she bats her brows at me.

"What the hell?"

She sweetly declares her victory over my unprepared approach. "Yeah, you forgot us griffons are elite grapplers, didn't you?"

No doubt about it. I'm still in this bed and yet she's got my head locked in a vice, a warm and soft vice that gives a sweet smell of grapefruit and traces of arousal. She snickers as she watches me struggle a bit. "Okay, my bad. Now let me go."

"Nope. Stay in between my legs for a bit." She mocks while repeatedly shifting her weight into me.

In her doing so, I start to feel a pressure growing in my loins. The look on her face tells me that she's intentionally looking to force me into her shenanigans. While I'm trying not to give in so easily, I offer her a sign of my submission. "Gabby, please let me go."

"Is that a plea I hear?" She mocks me even more.

"Oh don't you start."

The griffon giggles back at me. "Oh I believe we have time today. So I'm gonna get comfy while you sit here, helpless, groveling for a release you may have to work for." She wafts her tail down my stomach, tickling the top of my upper thighs slowly as she emphasizes her point. "Just like I had to do for the past two days."

"If I have to, I'll find a creative way to get you to release me." I mutter.

Her grin cracks just a bid wider at the thought. "While that sounds fun, you have to be a little more personal."

"How am I supposed to fight for my freedom with you pinning me up like this?"

"Dunno. I do know that talk is cheap, so show me what you're made of, Mr. TheDragon."

I roll my eyes at that name. "I hate being called that."

"Wow, all that complaining and not the slightest attempt to free yourself. I'm almost convinced you want to stay locked in between my legs." She adjusts herself, presenting me with a most wonderful view of her anatomy. "Not that I mind keeping you here."

"Fine, I'll humor you." I say while leaning my head into her.

I give her a kiss where I could, a slow smooch that for many would lead to a lot more than just a few thoughts on whether or not to cross the line. But for her, she's unconvinced by my attempt to tease. "That's good for a casual greeting. But I need something a little more personal."

I feel her grip on my wrists loosen a bit, she's giving me the chance to be a little more coercive. I take the opportunity, and feel the softness of her legs as I give her lips another kiss, this one being more interactive. My claws begin to massage her glutes as I start to work on her a bit. My tongue is held on reserve while I offer the moistened warmth between her legs worship. She coos softly with my approach, knowing that this moment is what she yearned for.

She rubs the top of my head, giggling all the while. "That's better. I'd even call it a welcome amongst classmates." Her grasp at the top of my head intensifies. "But I need a lot more than that."

Wish granted. I allow my tongue to roam freely from my maw, tasting the tanginess of her body and whilst captured in a loosening vice. My reward is a tender rub at the back of my head. Her coos louden, shudders run through the flesh around my neck, both appendages losing control of me as I damn the concept of restraint. My tongue develops an intimate relationship with her unique anatomy.

The griffon pants as she quickly releases me and rise from off of my mouth. One of her legs slide against my neck as she pulls herself back. She finds that my lower half is showing quite a sign of interest, and I throb at the sight of her plump posterior presented before me. She stretches a hindleg out to me while crawling atop of me. "Kiss my peets while you're at it." She demands, flexing her toes at me.

I placate to the griffon's demands, slowly at that. "Demanding, aren't you?"

"More like sensory-deprived. And you already know why." She answers with her tail tilting up my chin.

I carefully pull her into me, trying not to let my mating instincts take over too much. It takes a great effort in stopping myself from yanking her up to me and just forcing my way in like some feral monster. But I can't treat her quite like how I can get away with both Smolder and Ocellus, the latter to a certain degree. "You're just fiending today."

"And you're currently working on the solution. Thanks for that by the way." My hips yearn to press into hers, but my better self yearns to know her a little more intimately. She knows it, and plays on that fact. In turn, she pulls herself from off of me and leaves me in the cold. "But sometimes a bit of absence grows for a much fonder experience."

"What, you don't want me to finish?" I ask.

"Later. Let me build on what you gave me." She answers with a talon reaching back to check on herself. She reaches back forward to see a thin bridge of her essence between her talons. "And I'm sure you'd like the reward for our delayed gratification just as much as I would. But I urge you, patience, my thirsty traveler. The inn is accommodating, but the room is not yet made for you. I'd wish you to hold fast your inhibitions until the time is right." She plants the two digits that served as the vessels for her visible trait of arousal between her beaks, lolling out her tongue as she cleans them manually. "Only then will I permit you to claim your comforts."

Oh she's disgusting... that wait better not be for too long. I might get a little a little vulgar myself. "That's okay then."

She makes her way to the bathroom, looking to clean herself off for the morning. "I should warn you, the place for you is quite meager. It may take some time for you to truly feel rich with the treasures I hold."

She's requesting the time to adjust. It's a respectable request, but also a foul suggestion to have me wait for the prize that I've worked so hard to claim after years of her slipping through my grasp, the countless letters prior to our split, the numerous days I spent in my bed trying to put voice to imagination, suffering ten thousands deaths in the peak of my adolescence. But I'll at least offer her that grace before I offer her the punishment she's clearly a glutton for. "Then I'll be patient and wait."

She gives off a giggle, the slight rasp of her voice sweetly beckoning me. "Be patient, but not disinterested. I have much for you, sir paladin."

And just like that, I'm already the tyrant thinking of ways to conquer her nation. "I'm sure of it."

She closes the door behind her, leaving only the memory of our minute-young encounter marinating freshly on the forefront of my mind. And my better self is primed on the thought, he seems pretty ambitious on the idea of trying to get himself into good trouble. Meanwhile my claws are debating the next course of action. Do I execute those inhibitions and forego the tension for a moment's reprieve, or do I hold as she would prefer?

*sksssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss─*

Maybe I'd vouch for a better idea, walking into that bathroom while the steam gets good and thick, opening that shower while she's mid-scrub, pinning her smaller frame against the glass, and keep her pinned between that and my stomach, all while I act the tyrant I now think myself to be, impaling my victim with repeated disregard for restraint.

That moment of entry, the sight of such narrow folds embracing a larger host... Sweet bliss.

These cruel thoughts are starting to become more frequent, but bear no ill-intent. If she wishes to make room for me, all she would have to do is ask me to start at a snail's pace, easing and teasing until her little body grows to adapt to the change I'll bring. She knows that I won't look to bring any harm to her... but then again, she's a glutton for it. Even now, my mind replays the words from her own beaks.

"I'm a big girl, I can handle it."

With such thoughts on my mind for the better part of ten minutes, I'm left to a form no less than half-mast. "What is taking you so damn long? Get the fuck out here so I can stuff your shit." I mutter under my breath impatiently. Feral boundaries are starting to become blurred with the passing second, And she knows that she's playing the long-game. I've lost patience at this point, my imagination runs mad with the taste of her fresh on my tongue, the feeling of her sunk in my teeth, the mere moment she even broke her character to beg me to 'pull it out'. Only difference is this time, Smolder's not here to break us apart.

*PLU-KING*

Nope, that honor would go to Twilight and her horribly-timed text messages. I just simply leave it on the nightstand. But instead of it being left at that, there seems to be yet another message with her name attached... followed by a third... and a fourth. And if I know her to be the annoying mare she can be, she'll soon send a bevy of one letter responses spelling out words, complete with blank bubbles for spaces. Might as well get it over with.

"Hey Spike. Just as a reminder that you'll be setting
out pretty early for Ponyland. I know it's a tall order,
but I really think that if this goes well, we can start
to foster a better relationship with the empire. And
bonus points: Amor will finally be out of my mane
for the foreseeable future." 8:39 a.m.

"You would not believe this, Sir Fencer came to me
with a request for sanctuary! As if I could even think
to say yes! It's bad enough that whole underground
thug situation seemed to drive some
misunderstanding like we're purposely holding the
prince hostage. They can have him, I don't care!" 8:41 a.m.

"Seriously, I need to hear back from you that you've
got this message. You'll be leaving early on Tuesday,
so you may want to already be packed for the trip by
tonight if you want to make the best use of your time." 8:44 a.m.

"You have me on 'delivered.' You better text me back." 8:45 a.m.

(...) Twilight is typing a message.

I'll admit, she's pretty damn good at souring the mood. I had my mind completely off of that assignment up until now, at least let me have my fun for the weekend before I have to start considering what my last will and testament is going to have written down. But no, she's forcing me to face the reality of the situation. So I quickly answer her damn texts.

8:45 a.m."K."

"Did you seriously just one-letter respond to me?" 8:46 a.m.

"I'm talking matters of national security, and the best
you can do at the moment is just 'K'? Like have you
just decided that none of this is even worth the time
for you?" 8:48 a.m.

8:49 a.m. "I just said I got your message. Now leave me alone."

"Look, I don't care what you do with Smolder or Ocellus,
but if you don't treat this with the urgency that this
deserves, I'm going to teleport myself to Ponyville and
straighten you out personally. You have a job, and I
expect you to do that job while responding with the
professionalism that's to be expected from one in your
position." 8:52 a.m.

8:53 a.m. "Well forgive me for not signing my will the day of you
telling me where I'm going. I'm sorry. I'll do better."

"Thank you." 8:54 a.m.

(DRAFT) "Go fuck yourself like you wish Nondis still could."

*ssssssskt...*

It takes everything in me to not send that last message. All creation knows I want to, and boy do I just want the satisfaction of it. But doing that is only going to waste more of my time and put me in a worse mood. I barely even notice that Gabby finished her shower a few seconds ago, but instead of plotting for my hostile takeover of her body, I'm thinking about how, and if I'm able to get my body back across the ocean if all goes wrong.

The mood is ruined. And by the time Gabby walks out, she sees the deepened frustration written all over my face. She also notices the lack of an erection that she left there with the intention to come back to it. "Spike, you okay? What's on your mind?"

"Nothing." I mutter lifelessly as I turn my phone over to hopefully never see Twilight's stupid fucking name pop up on the screen.

She sits down right next to me, reaching over my lap to grab at the phone I just put down. "Spike."

"What?" I say, airing the slight bit of frustration out at her instead of where it belongs.

She's visibly disappointed to see I'm unhappy, and also physically disappointed to see I'm in no mood for our scheduled recreational activities. "Okay, grumpy. Tell me what's clouding up those thoughts of yours."

I take my phone back from her. "Assignment."

"Oh." The disgust in her voice rings familiar, much like it did in the months leading up to our initial break. "That's great, I guess."

"It's a pretty risky one for me." I deadpan, knowing I don't want to go on it.

"Can't be that bad." She scoffs. "You've had worse by now."

I give her a glance before laying on my back, still gathering my thoughts. "You know, they supposedly hunt dragons in Ponyland."

"Ponyland!?" The feathers on her neck fluff out in an expression of abject shock. It's the first time I've ever seen her blow up like that. "Spike, why didn't you tell me something!?"

"I didn't want you to be concerned─"

"Ponyland, Spike!?" She interrupts, jumping out from beside me. "You might as well donate your body to science because they'll be selling you for parts! You can't put yourself in that position, and then tell me to not be concerned!"

"I didn't want to make a fuss about it!" I argue back.

The grief is apparent in her voice as she turns back to me. "When do you leave?"

"Early Tuesday, apparently." I say with a sigh.

"Tuesday!?" She screeches. "Spike that's... Augh!... No. No! We are not doing this! Not today!"

"Wait?" I jump out of the bed, seeing her barrel for the door. "What do you mean by that?"

*BANG*

"PONYLAND!?" Smolder screams to the top of her lungs.

"Oh hive save me." Ocellus drops her head into her hooves as she expresses grief over the news.

Gabby didn't just call the whole house into a communal, she basically blurted out the news like she was announcing the death of a close family member. I suppose it's fair that she wanted this to be told to them upfront as opposed to being surprised by it tomorrow. But still, it leaves me in a bad position because I didn't want them to be so up in arms about me leaving.

Smolder's the main one I know has an issue with it, for a damn good reason. "You mean to tell me that you just got out of a hostage situation and now you're going into an even worse deathtrap!? Like what the fuck!"

"It should only be a few days." I try to reassure everyone.

"A few days, right." Ocellus shows extreme skepticism with my projected time frame. "You realize it'll only be a day before they try something, right?"

Smolder jumps back into the discussion. "More like the first hour he shows up! Travel to Ponyland is forbidden by decree of Dragon Lord Ember! Even she knows that our dragon population in the far east have dwindled to a mere fraction of what was originally there some years ago. And lately, that's been getting worse."

Ocellus offers her own words of warning. "Even Thorax warns us against transforming into dragons over there in that region. They already don't like changelings too much as it is."

"Well why not?" Gabby asks.

"You think our hive is the only one out there?" Ocellus adds.

"We're only the largest hive by a mile because of the tactics my mother used to do back in the old days, long before I was born. At the time, she would take her armies and lead them into varying cities across Ponyland, Equestria, Zebrabwe, Saddle Arabia, you name a country of equines and I can guarantee she's wrecked it once before in some manner. Equestria is the only one that hasn't fallen total prey to her, even if she's come close numerous times."

"I don't know, wrecking the royal castle seems to be up there on that list of accomplishments." I add.

"Consider what was taking place at the time. Celestia and Luna just barely seceded power to Princess Twilight. And Discord just threw her a huge monkey wrench so she could prove her power. So add in a suped-up Queen Chrysalis, combined with an alicorn Cozy Glow and a magic-fed Tirek... you get what you get."

I still remember that instance. For me especially, it was like coming back home to the treehouse the first time after Tirek did a number on it. Only that time, I got to watch the destruction unfold before my very eyes, the rubble falling around us and how Twilight's barrier basically protected us from certain death. I'll never forget the chill that outside air brought in that day. "Yeah, Celestia and Luna virtually had to unretire just to help coordinate relief efforts. I'm sure Nondis wasn't pleased in coming back to see that seventy percent of the castle was thrown across the mountainside. Not to mention having to postpone his own retirement for that reason also."

Ocellus quickly shifts the conversation back to her own perspective. "The past aside, there are more hives out there. They're much smaller than ours, but they likely haven't converted to our ideologies just yet. And any means of having them do so is all but impossible due to Ponyland's close-minded manner of diplomacy. A skirmish is inevitable."

"And dragons are no different in that regard. If anything, we're a commodity for their hunt and trade purposes, not to mention our scales being a well-sought-after item. Some even use it for decoration for armor." Smolder explains.

Gabby hums with uncertainty. "I know they're notorious for engaging in trade with Griffonstone, but even our diplomatic ties with them are shaky at best. And over the years, due to our alliance with Equestria, those ties started to get even less stable."

"Well, so much for the little enthusiasm I had in going." I smile back sarcastically. "Now I'm almost ready to convince Twilight to reassign this to someone else."

Ocellus gives me a slow nod. "You probably should."

It does not take me very long to get back in touch with Twilight. It doesn't take long for the topic to be brought up. It takes even less time for me to vent out my concerns. But it takes yet even less time for her to come up with some sort of an excuse as to why I can't reassign this to a more suited delegate.

Once more, I plead to the deaf. "Hello, I'm just saying that you're practically sending me to a suicide mission! Is there no other way you can reassign this to anypony else? No other way?"

"Spike, I've already considered it. I would've gone myself, but I've already have a locked-in schedule with Queen Novo of the hippogriffs. Then after that, I have a summit with Prince Rutherford of the Yaks, a reformation outreach conference with Prince Pharynx, and a very important peace agreement with the arimaspi down in Arimaspi Territory. And as you can probably tell, that agreement is already on an unsteady ground as is. It's not like you're the only one engaging in dangerous negotiations here. I've just merely taken on the bulk of your work."

Honestly, just half of that being delegated to me would be less of a security risk than sending me out into the literal hunter's den. "You mean the Arimaspi Territory that have been fairly quiet, even as our rail upgrade operations continue through the region, the same group of creatures who have actively desired no confrontation whatsoever with us, the same one I went to two years ago to negotiate the rail system deal, that's dangerous to you?"

"Anything can happen! They've killed one of our royal family members before!" She reminds me, referring to some prince who died over five-hundred years ago.

"Twilight, you do realize that you're going to be exceptionally hard to kill, right? You could break your fucking neck and be right back at it in two weeks." The bottom line is simply that she doesn't want to deal with Amor.

"Yeah, but they didn't leave much of the last prince they killed. And I don't think I can survive something like that, nor would I want to."

"Still, you can reassign this to someone else." I mean how could you send someone looking at you with puppy-dog eyes, begging for attention, to their possible execution grounds without sacrificing some of your own morality. That would suck... for her at least. But you know what sucks even worse?...

"It has to be a high-ranking official. They've requested that this get my personal attention, which I've considerably turned down for obvious reasons. So I have to send my next in line, that being you."

"Twilight, I might get killed." That. That's what the fuck would suck for me!

"I'm sending you twenty guards, a crew of engineers, and a specialist for your protection! How bad could it possibly be!?"

Oh that magically makes me feel better now that I know I have a small armed security detail going into a place we're in shaky neutrality with. "The better question is 'How good are their poachers when it comes to their job?' And I don't think I want to find out the answer to that."

As per usual, she looks at things from her fairly deluded lens of optimism. "You'll be fine, I promise. If anything, the specialist I'm sending with you will be a damn good one. So you won't have to worry too much about it."

"I'm telling you, you may have to reassign this one." I plead one last time.

"And do what, let Blueblood take over in your place? He isn't going to take this assignment because he has a grudge with members of the imperial family there. That's just asking for trouble! Shining and Cadance has their own mess to clean up where they're at, and Flurry is way too young. Who does that leave?"

"So I'm the only one who can take this?" I angrily ask her.

"Unfortunately." She answers with some frustration set in her voice.

I shake my head and hold back a litany of swears. "...I'll call you back." Selfish bitch.

Moments of the past still sit firmly on my mind. Not only the terrible things I've done to make the situation into what it was, but also the cringe-worthiness of my motives. Because at the time I felt myself to be a victim, all for not liking someone who had the attention of my crush. I can't help but to grimace at my younger self for the actions performed, the roles played, and thanking the stars above that it didn't get as bad as it could've been. I can only imagine how Twilight would be able to assume power with the restrictions of that time still active to this day... and how quick it would be wrestled from under her.

My room isn't quite a mess, but it's showing signs of disarray. The small trash bin I had sitting by the nightstand is now overflowing with balled-up wads of poorly written statements, wills, and allocations. I know I've finalized my drafts, now all there is to do is wait for a notary to come by and sign off on it. That'll get done tomorrow, but it only seems to enhance the anxiety I'm going through right now.

Gabby walks into the room, seeing me as I look over the papers sitting neatly paperclipped on the top of the nightstand. "No dice, huh?" She asks.

I shake my head. "She fucking knows this is a death trap for me. And here she is, sending me off like I'm a fucking condemned criminal!" I roll my eyes at the thought of the irony, but also find some bitter humor in it. "I'm really starting to wonder if this is karma for the shit I've done in the past."

"What did you do to deserve something like this?" She questions.

I boil down what is basically a week and some change's worth of hell and trauma into a single sentence. "I helped file off the paperwork to ship the previous captain to Arimaspi Mountain. I did it out of spite, I'm sure you can imagine why."

"Rarity?" She's not pleased over the simple guess.

"You got it. She had a huge attraction to him and I wasn't happy about it because he was basically two-timing with Twilight." I also add from my perspective. "And I worked with a senator who had a grudge against the royal family, so it nearly jeopardized their situation as well."

She groans to herself in thought over my past misdeeds. "That's some pretty serious stuff, Spike."

"I know." I reply, starting to feel some sort of accountability for my actions and somewhat accepting the consequences. "But still, Twilight knows this is some bullshit."

Gabby tries to find an argument rooted in some sort of reason. "I'm sure she's doing it because she's left with little choice."

"Oh, of course." I nod with a sarcastic smile.

"I know it's stressing you out."

"Boy is it." I comment.

Gabby gives off an exhausted sigh before pulling me by my shoulder, and with considerable force might I add. "Come here."

"Hey, what the─" Before I can finish, she pushes me on the bed and stares me down.

"You know, being that it's my day, it means it's my day to take all this stress off of you." She pins my back to the mattress as she lands on my chest, pressing all of her weight against me. "So be a good drake, and lay down here on this bed, and I'll make you feel better."

I admire her forwardness, it brings me a little bit of humor and reflection. She tilts her head at me while I snicker for a brief moment. "I know sex is a pretty fun way to relieve stress and pass the time, but I don't want it to be a crutch."

"Spike, can you just forget about that other stuff right now?" She replies, giving me a warm hug. "Let's just focus on each other for the few little moments we do have."

As her upper thigh brush against my loins, she nuzzles into me. "Rushing to get to the point of the matter, aren't you?"

"We're not exactly long for time at this point." She illustrates with a nudge of her leg upwards into me.

"Yeah. I guess I don't mind putting off what's already on the wait list."

She slowly traces a claw down the side of my chin, then suddenly pinching my cheeks and smushing them together. "You have no idea how long I've wanted to have you like this."

"Knowing you, I bet your mind is still probably fresh from Friday night." I tease her.

"Ugh, that was terrible! Did you know she rubbed that thing on my stomach and left me on cycle for hours before my sybian motor overheated?" She complains with a grimace. "I have to get it looked at, but that's nothing compared to constantly getting worked up, only to start all over again without any payoff."

As she raises slight off of me to adjust herself. "I hope she removed that spell on you."

"She did this morning right after our meeting." Ah, now I get why she was being so slow and methodical this morning. She makes it obvious that all the restraints on her are loosened, clamping her haunches around my waist while she playfully mewls at the sensation of resting in my lap. "Which means I can finally commence the efforts of being your muse, to sing you the songs of my temple and offer worship upon your alter of flesh. Such a beast as the one you own is that worthy of an intimate exhortation. Wouldn't you agree?"

I see she's back to doing her usual wordplay, it's funny how she doesn't resort to vulgarities but she can make a simple conversation so raunchy if you look past the surface. It's a delightful stimulation of the mind for me. "I knew it wouldn't take you long to snap back into what you do best."

Her hips show little in the way of subtlety, pressing deep into mine as she gasps from the pleasure building in her body from the contact. "How I wish I had patience enough to fool you with the cuts and crevices of my legs and thighs, but that patience has worn since the moment I have watched you be taken by others. Now it is my turn, and I want nothing more than what I now possess in between the warmth that grows fickle to time."

I look down to see my better self lovingly being crushed under her weight, being dampened by her delegate in this very heated exchange. "In other words, you don't want to wait."

"That appears to be the case." She reaches downward, grabbing a hold of me and pulling me upwards to her sex. "Even the maiden drools with a yearning."

I lean upwards, planting my claws to her hips, my palms almost burning from the heat her body gives out. "Then satisfy her hunger so that she may be well-fed."

"A troublesome beast, this is." She compliments on my endowment.

"You know, I don't like to be teased for too long." I growl in a low voice, looking to get myself more than buried into her.

The low crackles in my voice causes her to shudder as my lips close in to the warm feathers of her neck. She lifts her chin, allowing me the unrestricted access. "Forgive me. It seems that I have much work before I can fully invest myself upon you. My room is not yet made."

She rises up, flicking me firmly against her lower lips. She buckles from the sensation of me continuously kissing against the hood of her most sensitive features. "Too big?" I chuckle at her hesitation to commit to the plunge.

"Perhaps." My taunting does not please her attitude, but only serves to embolden her resolve. "But I can still get used to your size."

She places herself on me, aligning at last our bodies to embrace one another. She takes a deep breath before making trek with just the tip of me. She stifles a whimper while biting down on her own self. I see the bit of discomfort and call to her. "Gabby? You sure you're not hurt?"

"It's a little uncomfortable..." She winces. "You're bigger than most of my toys..." And in spite of her initial show of discomfort, she amuses herself with my form, rotating my tip within her folds as she makes mention of my compatibility with her. "Well... thicker."

"You sure you're okay?" I ask once more, truly not wanting this to stop in the slightest.

"I thought I told you already, I'm a big girl." She cockily responds, rising from off of me to slowly work herself back onto me. "I just have to get used to you. It's like one of my toys... cool and all... but thicker... and it throbs each time I go down... plus you get bigger towards the base."

"Don't get too happy and drop all the way to the bottom then." I warn her.

She rises yet again, slowly taking yet another inch further down. "Oh I know. You get really big then."

While I wish I could experience more of her at the moment, I can truly say that my hard work in reconnecting with her did not come with any disappointment. If I could make mention of the grip she has every time she raises herself from me, it's as though I am hugged with a fond embrace. She's only a third of the way down, so I can't help but to want more of her.

She takes notice of my gripping thumbs pinching slightly with every descent, my eyes closing with each drop, the way my chin raises from every withdrawal, the sharpness of every breath I take. It brings her a fiendish joy. "You like the way I feel?"

"Yes." I mutter, lost in my mix of enjoyment and frustration. "I want more."

She stops moving for a moment, gazing down at me with a light-filled gleam. "You know, I'm really happy I can finally give myself over to you like this." She gives herself a slight raise, not coming off of me completely like she's been doing for a while now. Instead, she sinks herself to take on the next third of me. "I've been wanting this for years, I've thought about you since the moment we got together the first time. Even when we were apart."

"Gabby─" She grips my snout shut with her talons, she leans in with a now-realized greed.

"Gabriella..." I look at her oddly, surprised that she called out her own name for me to use. "I know what you're thinking, but I feel like I want to connect with you deeper while we're like this. So... yeah."

I smirk as she releases my snout for me to speak. "Okay, Gabriella."

She giggles under her breath as she starts to work a slow pace. "Give me that rumble you have in your voice."

I take a deep breath, letting her name resonate from the deepest part of my chest. "Gabriella."

"Yeah. That's the one." She quietly cheers as she inherently picks up her pace.

While I wish she would really just take the dive on the remainder of what I have left over, I'm satisfied enough in knowing that she's currently having fun with what she's working with. It's taking everything in me not to slam my hips into hers just out of instinct, but she's seems to be gradually working herself further down. She's taken in everything but the bulge of my hilt. "Really getting into it now, aren't you?" She tries to shush me, but one slight adjustment I make knocks me a little out of alignment, causing me to slip out. She responds by battering herself with me before continuing matters from where we left off. She lolls her tongue as she intensifies her pace and drive. "You naughty girl." I whisper.

"Only for you." She whispers before she takes a sharp gasp of air. "Oh, I'm gonna cum."

I purse my lips and pull her up, holding her back from sinking into her finish. "Now you hold on a sec."

"Ooh, you tease!" She hollers with ample dissatisfaction.

I laugh like the villain I move to be, but I also look to give her a much better way to reach her desired destination. I wasn't going to force her to do all the work. Plus if she goes off now, she'll probably crumple over and request a break. I wasn't going to let her do that without getting the full experience she know she deserves. So I swap our positions, laying her on her back as I guide myself back within her folds. "I know this is how you really want it."

She grabs onto my arms, her talons gripping tightly against my biceps. "Yes... yes..." As I threaten to bring her to the flaring base of my better self, she digs her nails deep into my arms. They puncture me as she writhes from the unexpected impact. While I slowly withdraw, she takes notices of her nails slightly embedded in my muscles. "Sorry for the nails."

"Tough scales, I can handle it." I reassure her.

As I assert myself upon her body once more, she shifts her hips to accept more of me. I hesitate for a second before I realize that she's grappled herself onto my waist, locking her legs around me while her body threatens to explore uncharted territory. I look back down on her, seeing the fiendish smirk on her face. "I bet you won't do it."

I hunch over her, wanting to shove myself into her without restraint. But Ocellus' warning still runs clear through my mind. I'm already as deep as I think I can afford to be without hurting her. "Oh Gabby... please stop."

"Or what, you're gonna plug me?" She mocks, licking me on my cheek. "Make me reconsider my life choices? Go on, give me a push... you know you want to right now. Plus you said it yourself, I'm a bad girl. I need to get punished." She gives me a nod, squirming her hips into mine, causing me to slowly work the last bit of myself into her. "I keep telling you I'm a big girl. I can take it."

My eyes clench shut as I growl steam from behind my teeth. The last barrier of restraint I held for myself breaks and I anchor myself onto the bed. "You little─!"

My body melds with her at last, one fell press and I am at last in the warmth of her forge. "AAAH!" A yelp of surprise sounds loudly from her throat before I nibble down on her. The wood of my bed creaks as I adopt a more fervent rhythm. Had I not been privy to her reactions on Friday night, I'd take her rapid stammers as tearful cries of refusal. Instead they are the tell-tale signs of her achieving her finish.

I give a few thrusts of my own, before her spasmodic reactions drive me to my own conclusion. I feel her hind paws behind me flexing and straining to allow me to stay. Her natural inclinations are to drive me off so that she can come back down from her climb. But she's willing to persevere, welcoming my deepening encounters with open arms.

At last, the stars in my eyes reappear once more for the umpteenth time this weekend. But this one's quite a surge. I feel my hips jerk involuntarily while I unleash the long-built pressure from my day empty into her warmth. As I pant in relief, I free myself from her neck and hulk over her. My lips seek hers, joining above as we have below. Her eyes look upon me while I spare no passion for retainment. Our tongues dance momentarily as the sweat from my brow falls upon her.

Her eyes glimmer and I'm left to a pant while she whispers words of approval. "That's a good boy." She pats me on my glutes.

I look to pull out, but notices that she gives off an uncomfortable wince in the attempt. "You okay?"

She looks off to the side. "I'm fine, just hurting... a little bit."

Once more, the words of Ocellus roll across my mind as I realize that I am firmly stuck inside of her. We're joined so taught that there's not an ounce or drop of my seed flowing past my bulging base. But I do notice a bit of blood lightly staining the sheets. "Oh my gosh─"

She yanks me down, causing me to fall on top of her body. "Nope, shut up. Let me have this." She demands strongly. "You and I both know this was in the works for some years."

"Damn... I didn't want to fuck you up this bad." I mutter.

"It's fine." She says dismissively, completely ignoring her own discomfort. In fact, she seems to relish in it a little bit. "I just needed to work you in slowly, my body would've taken care of the rest... Obviously, I got a little caught up in the moment and went a little overboard."

"You sure you're okay?" I ask again.

"Meh, It'll sting for a bit... but I don't mind it much." She says with a scoff. "Friday was pretty much light work compared to some of the other stuff my second boyfriend got me into."

"Wait, seriously?" I looked at her oddly, wondering what all she went through to consider Friday's torture as 'light work'. "What did he get you into."

"The whole dom-sub thing, the bdsm stuff, anal, electro-stimulation, role-playing was already our thing... but let's just say he expanded on it a bit too much."

"What do you mean?" I ask.

She groans over the thought. "He was controlling all the time. It's fine in bed, but when the sheets come off I expect to be treated like a equal. He didn't see things that way, I was always supposed to be submissive, obedient, do whatever he says or get punished for it. One time he literally beat me, and that was the last time I was with him." She coils her arms around me as she speak. "It was only one time, but I knew that it only took the first time to see where things were headed. So I just packed my stuff, left Griffonstone, never looked back."

So she picked up that kink from an abusive ex who didn't know where the lines were drawn. That answers one inquiry, now for the next. "So what about your last guy? He kept calling you Gabriella, what's the difference between me and him?"

"Ugh, night and day." She says with an annoyed groan. "You're smart enough to play along my little word-play, he's not. You keep things casual and I don't feel weirded out when you touch me, he makes my nerves crawl. You make sure I'm okay and look after me first, he looks after himself. You don't mind me doing my own thing sometimes, he got annoyed when I wanted to branch off on some things. If I say I'm not in the mood, you'll be like 'okay, guess I'll go entertain myself', while he'll try to force it and slither his way in despite the mood I'm in. You don't mind being rough, but you'll check on me. Galefor can be overtly affectionate and clingy, like he wants me to be a part of everything he does. But when I want to do something, he's either not interested or want to turn it into what he wants to do. All of that's just a huge turnoff."

"And your biggest turnoff with me?" I ask.

"You stayed busy, no time for us. Like I wanted to do all sorts of things with you, including the freaky kind of stuff. But couldn't do that when you're always half a world away." She bluntly explains. "So yeah... not so much of a problem until the coming days."

"Yeah." I grimace at the thought.

She pokes a claw against my snout, booping me with a cute whimper. "...You know I adore you, right?"

"Even through the pain?"

"Worth it!" She seems a little too eager with that response, even as I'm still waiting for myself to calm down before I can pull out of her without any issues on her end. "It's a good kind of hurt." Okay, maybe I should really look into her inventory and see just how depraved she can be... for science, of course.

I look back down below at where we remain conjoined. "My lady, it seems that tragedy has befallen the docks. Should take some time for the necessary repairs to take place."

She dismisses the notion. "Eh... Give it a few hours. Griffons lay eggs larger than what you got packing."

"You sure?" I question her.

She smiles back at me as she grinds her hips into me again. "Technically, this means I can do round two without worrying about the knot."

"You whah???"

She completely pops off of me, freeing the both of us up, only to mercilessly sink herself back onto me. She locks her legs around one of mine as she presses herself firmly into me. I gasp at the fact that she's so aggressive with her own self. "You believed I was done in after just one time? Surely you jest, sir dragon. I've only begun my claim of you." She pulls my head towards hers. "I've got heavens knows how many years of things I want to show you now."

...You know, I think I understand how Sunburst feels with Starlight being the way she is.

Author's Note

Well hello to all after a month and some change of absence. You'll have to forgive me for this extended time away, things got a little busy that I fell a bit behind on writing. I needed to take some time to get myself right with my health, as I was doing poorly for the better part of a month. But now that I'm back in the not-so-busy stage, 30 pounds lighter, and being a lot better in the mind, I can get back to being the creative that I am.

In fact, I might have been so creative that I might have a little something planned for you guys who read the previous story. Of course I can't say what it is but I'll be sure to drop it in the Author's Notes of next chapter.

In speaking of chapters, I took a bit of time to also marathon a few drafts to get a solid direction of where I want to take the story. Needless to say we're back in the author-reader's gap of how far apart we are. It will gradually close back in over time, but as of the time of my writing this, I am nine drafts ahead of you guys. A lot is to come and some new faces will pop up, as well as a few others.

Having that said, thank you all who stuck with me this far. I gotta stop being so infrequent with updates, but it's hard when your mind is going a million miles per hour with ideas, both music and writing wise.

I'll see you guys around for the next one.

ALSO: Hey mods, is that picture of Gabby a little too much for TOS, I tried cropping out the implicated vulva to better meet with standards. Perhaps the teats are a bit too much. Art is by FacelessJr.

Chapter 28: Goodbyes and Greetings

My eyes are slow to open, seeing the sun rising into my windows with a bright yellow glow. It must be pretty early in the morning, as I hear the doves cooing in the distance. They bring back fond memories of when I was in the treehouse, Owlowiscious would glide back in from one of his nightly flights, Twilight would always leave the window open for him. And since our place was a literal tree, combined with that of the windows being open for air, I remember how annoyed I was then. Hearing them would often be our alarm clock. Plus they'd wake us up as early as five in the morning. And if I was bullheaded, trying to stay asleep, Twilight would wake me up anyways to get breakfast started.

Never thought that hearing them from a distance would ever make me feel so nostalgic. But their calls give me a new reminder, namely the very reminder of the one laying next to me in my bed. She's managed to dominate most of the pillows again, but I'm just glad it isn't my head she's got wrapped in that vice grip of hers.

My tail seems to be the only unfortunate casualty in that regard, as it got bundled with one of the pillows, and now that's tugged firmly between her legs. I wiggle it free after a minute or two of lightly nudging it out of her grip. All of that gives cue to the sessions of yesterday, her almost insatiable drive, her ever present arousal, and the many releases we've had together. My sheets seem to be an unfortunate victim with the smell, but they prove to be quite the certificate of our seemingly unending deeds.

Goddamn... She really is a monster in her own right.

As soon as I rise to my seat, her eyes flutter open and she yanks me back down to see her. She's far stronger than she looks. "Good morning."

"Morning to you. How you feeling?"

She chuckles as she flicks her tail. "Sore."

I smirk back at her. "Sorry for that."

"It's a good kind of sore." She says with a grin, kissing me on my lips.

"I don't know. I think being sore isn't a good thing, no matter the circumstance."

Her legs wrap around my body once more, gripping me firmly in place. "To me, being sore means that you're working out some muscles for improvement. So just think of it as us getting in a good workout." She nudges into me, almost giving the indication that she's willing for yet another round. "Plus when was the last time I had a workout like that? I like a good challenge, especially one pertaining to your size."

"In speaking of size, I do know that some of the toys you had left me thinking if you could take them." I jest.

"I took you, so what does that tell you?" She whispers fiendishly.

"You're either brave enough to follow through, or foolish enough to force the issue."

She scoffs at my retort. "Are you really that upset?"

"No, I'm just hoping what we're doing doesn't hurt you too much."

The griffon rolls her eyes back at me. "Spike, I've been hurt before. You don't hurt me in a way I would call painful."

"Well as long as we're on the same page." I mutter before giving her a return on her morning investment, trading a kiss with her.

Before we get too far into our morning, a loud banging is heard from the door as yet another voice calls out to the both of us. "Hey, I know you didn't forget what day it is!"

"Uh oh, that's Smolder." Gabby says with disappointment evidenced in her tone.

While I am also disappointed that I don't get to sink my teeth into her for the immediate moment, I at least realize that it's an opportunity to sink my fangs into a much tougher selection. "Guess we've got a schedule to keep."

"I suppose." She uncoils from around me, getting out of the bed as Smolder hovers into the room.

"Well I know you had fun trying to figure out how you were going to make sense of things."

Gabby cuts her eyes back at me with a jewel-like gleam. "Eh, we ended up math-ing the math anyways. We're good. You have fun."

As Gabby darts out of the room, Smolder takes her moment to leap onto me. "Spike!"

I barely catch her, the momentum of her approach causing me to spin her around a few times before stabilizing. "You're awfully huggy today." I note.

"You know why I'm like this." She points out. "But in all seriousness, did you ever try to talk to Twilight over this?"

"No dice, made the call yesterday. She's caught up with everything else, from the hippogriffs to the arimaspi."

The dragoness sighs with defeat. "Okay, I get that she's taking more of these meetings for you, as she should being the high ruler of the realm. But she seriously can't postpone this trip for a better date for her?"

"Knowing her, she wants this to be done as quickly as possible." She want's Amor gone so that she doesn't have to deal with his romantic intentions.

"Okay then, why not let you deal with the arimaspi instead?"

She does bring up a good point. The only issue is that she feels it just as much of a safety risk to me because I don't have her enhanced longevity and physical endurance. "Guess she wants to make sure that they deal with someone they won't be able to take down as easily."

"And you don't think that she should be able to put that assignment to you instead while she takes the arguably more dangerous assignment?"

Again, her point is pretty damn solid. "I thought about it. She probably did too."

"And?"

"I can't deny that the arimaspi happens to be the more immediate risk, being in our boarders and whatnot. At least Ponyland will still have some significant traveling to do before they reach our shores. Probably a good eight to ten hours from their realm to our shores."

Smolder is not impressed. "Travel works both ways. You getting there is going to take just as long, and getting back may be even longer."

"I know."

"What time do you head out on tomorrow?" She questions.

"No clue. I just know it's early."

She tightens her hug on me. "Well I know that I'm not letting you go without some mode of security."

"I do have a security detail." I inform her.

"She means something for you to go on by." We both turn to see Ocellus standing idle in the doorway, just casually observing our conversation. "You know, like an egg."

My jaw falls ajar as I turn back to the dragoness holding me. "Smolder─"

This time, she grabs me by my shoulders and angrily reinforces her point. "You know I'm not gonna listen to a damn word you've got to say at this point. You're giving me an egg, and it's gonna hatch in the Dragon Lands, and I'll be sure that it comes up being the well-integrated creature we happen to be as of now."

While I am frozen in thought, the look in Smolder's eyes definitely tells me that's what she's looking to go for whenever she gets back from work. Me personally, I don't think it's fair to have a egg and not be there for it. It's a conversation we've already had. "That's a pretty tall order to be demanding. What if I come back safe and sound?"

"Then you'll just have a little dragon with your genes roaming around the Dragon Lands. I'm sure Ember won't question it too much." Ocellus answers.

"I'm sure Ember might question it some." I respond.

Smolder grabs my head, pointing my chin to me as Ocellus walks away. "Believe me, she won't."

Having already gone down the hall, the changeling hails back to her coworker and partner. "SMOLDER! WE'RE RUNNING LATE!"

"Dammit." She grumbles to herself. Instead of running off to travel with Ocellus, she takes the time to chastise me and point her finger at me. "I'm coming home immediately after the dismissal bell. You better be expecting me."

I kiss her on the cheek, allowing her to dismiss herself. "Have a good day."

"Nah, run that one back." She snarls as she grabs my tail, yanks me in by force, press me against my own door, and wrestles her tongue deep past my jaw. She keeps her eyes locked on me as she forces the issue.

She doesn't even pay any mind to the fact that Ocellus just flew back into the hallway, screaming her name. "SMOLDER!"

Her tongue doesn't even leave my mouth as she hollers back in retaliation. "THIRTHY THECONDTHS, THIT!" She immediately jumps back into the fray with me, grabbing my neck and holding my head into her. I pull back to breathe, she seems to take offense and pin me down to take her tribute, as though I owed her a blood debt that only my lips could repay.

The moment she breaks off of me, I see the steam coming from her nostrils, the measure in which she bites her own lip, the sensation of her tail entrapping mine. She's ready to give me more than a farewell kiss at this juncture. "You better go." I warn her.

She warns me in kind. "Don't you fucking move from this house until I get a hold of you, you understand?"

Ocellus slowly creeps back into the room as I try my best to coax her into going to work. "Yeah, now go." She pinches my cheeks and gives me a quick peck before darting out before the changeling could think to punish us both.

A few minutes passes by and I go downstairs, taking notice of Gabby wearing her work uniform and shouldering her satchel. She flies past me at a gingerly pace. "I guess I'll respect the fact that it's supposed to be Smolder's day today."

"I'll see you this evening when you get off of your shift." I respond looking to give her a hug goodbye.

Instead, she takes the initiative and takes her claim over Smolder dominating my tongue, almost as though to remind me who came first in my life. She snickers before darting out the door. "Bye."

She disappears and I'm left to an empty house once more. "...What did I get myself into?"

Some time has passed since the girls all went out for their respective jobs. The house is quiet, and the only thing I can hear for the better part of my time packing seems to be my own thoughts, many of which are rather intrusive. My thoughts soon get an interruption, thankfully to take care of some much-needed business.

It doesn't take long for my papers and wills to get filed up and given the stamp. If anything, this expedited process is all thanks to the fact that my connections are so damn close to me, or rather Twilight. Ms. Royal takes a deep breath as she takes her copy of my will and teleport it off to whatever office. "Thanks for the help, I didn't think I needed to do something like this already. Like seriously, I just moved here."

"It's no issue on your end." She responds. "The only issue I really have is that you're having to go on this trip. I swear it's like what happened seven years ago is playing out in a weirdly different way."

"Yeah, no kidding. It's almost like Twilight doesn't learn from situations like that." I say it with a lot of sarcasm, but it's hard to see where I'm wrong.

"Can you say 'butterfly effect?' Because I'm seeing something similar to it." Thankfully, I'm not the only one.

"Think there's a 'Hooves-for-Dragons' march in the near future?" I joke a little lightly.

"Sadly no, your species isn't as rare, nor is there so few resources to support your species living in Equestria from day to day. It'll likely be a minor civil rights dispute more than something like that."

"Wasn't 'Hooves-for-Humans' a civil rights association?" I inquire, asking about her own charity.

"Of course it is, and it's still active with there being so few humans in Equestria currently residing. But you have to remember that it serves more than just advocating for humans to retain creature rights to life, liberty, friendship, and the pursuit of jubilance."

"You don't have to remind me. Twilight made it a mandatory assignment for me to undergo an internship in that organization back when she started her tenure as high princess."

"Sometimes we all need some reminding." She says.

"Yeah, but some things are better left in the past." I add while I quietly place the manila envelope into one of my kitchen drawers for miscellaneous items.

"You mean how you helped my father in sending Nondis to Arimaspi Mountain?"

Of course she reminds me of that. "Ugh, okay, I'm sorry for that bit. You see I'm paying for that in spades now."

"I mean I do understand the frustration." She says as she goes through her phone, likely confirming some other meetings she has in the day.

"I just feel like something's going to go wrong."

"Usually that happens." She doesn't even skip a beat.

Our conversation grows dormant for a little while as she goes through her phone, checking off what meetings to take and which to reassign to different dates. I see she's pretty much emptying her entire calendar for the next week. "So... are you the specialist that's going to be assigned to me for this trip?"

She closes out her calendar app and shakes her head. "I wasn't briefed, so no. But I do know that Kali is the likely candidate, considering that she's being sent off to join you for what was titled as 'diplomatic internship'."

Diplomatic internship... "Is that another way of saying that she's there to kick ass if things go wrong?"

The blue mare shrugs at me. "Think of it as a secondary life insurance policy. As long as you got her, nothing possible can go wrong that you guys won't be able to handle."

"If you say so." I say with some skepticism.

"You'll be fine." She reassures. "Trust me, she's been through a lot worse than what's coming up next."

It feels like the more I don't want to do something, the slower time goes for me. I know the effect is highly relativistic, but that doesn't change it any more or less. I don't want to go on this assignment, so the hours churning past goes all the slower. I've already packed my stuff, finalized my will, and stared at the news of what's taking place in the human world for the better part of a few hours. The noon hour comes to a crawl, I start to misidentify the very definition of a 'minute'. And so I lay my head in my bed, hoping that time will speed by as I close my eyes for a nap.

I wonder if this will be the last time I'll get to experience peace, or if I'll get to merely exist.

Before way too long, my phone gives me a notification. There's someone at my front door hailing for me. So I check the camera feed, seeing it's Smolder standing in the view. "Well here we go." I mutter to myself, knowing from here on that my time is going to be spent getting clutched. At least I know I'll enjoy it.

From the moment I open the door, Smolder jumps on me and hugs me tightly. "Hey, big guy!"

"Well hello there to you." I say as she and I share a quick peck.

I lean in for a little more, but she holds me off with eyes jumping to a crucial realization. "Quick, let me in."

I do as she requests, but ask her for the matter of her urgency. "Why, what's up?"

"A certain dragon just got spotted in town, and I just got through chatting it up with her."

Well... now I know why I have to be quick about shutting my door. "You don't mean who I think you mean, right?"

"Blue scales, bad temper, and a bitter resentment on the fact that she hasn't seen or heard from you since her last visit."

I shake my head at the thought. "Seriously, it's been only been like a little over two weeks."

"I'd be upset with you too if I was crushing that hard over you and you don't talk to me." She argues.

"Yeah, but you know why I can't see her." I point out.

"No shit, I'm not gonna let Ember just lay sole claim to you, especially not after we've already had a few goes."

"I can already image the shit she's gonna lose when she finds that out." I mumble.

"And the bloody brawl that's gonna happen right after." She sighs.

"You can say that again." As Smolder walks up the stairs, I take notice of something that slung from her shoulder, it looks like a small travel bag. "What's in there?"

"You'll find out in a minute." She says with a snarky smile. "Stay right there, I'll get situated."

A knock on the door sounds shortly after Smolder wanders upstairs. Considering the timing, I can safely come to the conclusion of who it is. "Guess that must be Ocellus then."

I mosey over to the door and open it, only to be surprised and disappointed by who's not standing there. "Good afternoon, Sir Spike."

I look down to see a few royal guards donning their armor, saluting me as they stand idly by. "Uh, hey. What's going on?"

They plainly give their reason. "We're here to escort you to Canterlot, post haste."

"Wait, what?" I squint and blink, trying to come to a reason of why I have to leave at this very minute. "It's only four in the afternoon. Why do I need to go to Canterlot right now?"

"The princess has advised that you leave early to be at the castle by five. Your airship is to leave to it's layover in Manehattan by three in the morning. Then your airship from there will leave at approximately one in the afternoon for a ten-hour nonstop to the capital city of Midnight Castle. Your arrival is scheduled to be at eleven in our evening. By their time zone difference, it will be six in their morning. You'll arrive in time for the Ponyland dawn hours."

Wow... to think Twilight would go so far to get Amor out of her hair that she'd send him out during sleeping hours. But in the process of that, she'd fuck me over even worse! Like what in the everlasting hell is this travel schedule? "The fuck is that layover about?"

"The princess insists that the airship be quadruple checked for quality and safety, as to ensure that there is no sabotage. Also, the crew is being personally hoof-picked by her royal majesty. It will consist of some of the best known maintenance workers, chefs, pilots, and security specialists known throughout Equestria. They'll need time to gather from all corners of the realm to join you in your journey."

And she couldn't think to have that organized like, I don't know, TODAY!? "If my layover is going to be that long, then surely I can take another hour and some change to get my affairs in order, you know, say my goodbyes."

"I understand your strife, sir. But it's to be understood that you'll need the time to rest before your trip."

"I've dealt on little rest before. I can manage to stay up a little late and catch some Z's during the seven-hour layover period." I snarl at the guard before restraining myself. I can't be too mad at him, he's just doing his job. "...I got a small amount of time to do stuff before I leave, can I do that much?

The guard in charge looks back to a few others, they all understandably nod. "We will stand by until you are ready to leave, sir."

Before I turn around, just the thought of Ember coming by and seeing the small gathering outside of my place would easily draw her attention. "I understand it's your job to do that, but can you like... not today?"

"Sorry, sir. Protocol to prevent flight risk." There's no turning off for the sagely nod on that one.

"This is some bullshit." I complain, begrudgingly accepting the circumstances... as well as the high risk associated with the situation. "Okay, but try not to be too obvious about it."

I slam the door after I walk back inside, quickly getting the attention of Smolder. "Spike? What was that?"

As she runs out to the second story flight of stairs, I take notice the blue streaks on her eyelids. "Are you wearing makeup?"

"I mean... I just..." She's bashful about what she's trying to pull off, but whiplashes back to the current situation, namely my reason for slamming the door. "Hold on, I think I just heard what you said. You called something 'bullshit'."

I purse my lips with disappointment, knowing I'm going to have to tell her anyways. "So... The escorts are here, they want me to leave like in the next fifteen minutes. I told them to hold off for like an hour and some change."

The pitiful expression that falls on her face makes me sour, especially the heartbreak in her eyes. She's halfway done up and just getting the news that I'm scheduled for the big leave in only a matter of minutes. "You have to leave now?"

I know there's no way of making her feel any better, especially trying to get her to keep that same energy she walked in with. But I do offer her just the smallest reprieve. "I just said I told them to hold off for like an hour. We got time, probably not as much as I thought we'd have, but there's time."

I see the anger on her face, the sadness of her body language. She doesn't want this to happen any sooner than what we had planned. "Spike... just... no!"

I'm moreso upset that Twilight never told me my complete travel plans. Had I known sooner, I would've planned for it, she would've planned for it, everyone would be satisfied with the departure as it rightfully should be. But instead, we're just left with a broken day, a conflicting schedule, and now what's going to be more than just one broken heart. "Yeah, like I said, total bullshit."

Smolder chokes back her emotions, she's already pretty good at it. "Can you give me like fifteen more minutes? Not exactly where I want to be with this." She motions to her face.

"Take your time." I answer sweetly, but also knowing that some part of that may be a lie I've just sprinkled to her.

Smolder is slow to walk away, glancing back at me a few times before going back to her makeup. As she leaves, I furiously dial up Twilight's phone. For the seconds the tone indicates a ring, I pace back and forth, seething and hoping with every ounce of breath that she answers me. "Hi, you've reached Twilight, leave me a message after the tone." But my effort comes to no avail.

"Dammit, straight to voicemail!"

I bash on the door, it being the only thing I can safely drive my fist into without risking any significant damage. Still dealing with the frustration, I lean my head against the door and quietly think to myself over what I could do. What sense is there for me to do anything other than run away? Hell, I can't even do that without the guards getting involved, that's what they're here for.

"Hey there, pony guards!"

...And somehow this day only continues to get even shittier. "Seriously, how much worse can this possibly get!?" A question I assign to fate, but soon get an answer for. The hard, incessant banging that follows my question is the only answer I seem to need. "Shit."

And wouldn't you guess it, it's Ember's fist sending vibrations through my door and into my forehead at a nauseating pace. "Spike, open up! I know you're in there! The guard just told me you live here!"

Of fucking course they would tell her! Might as well say something before she gets in the habit of trying to force the conversation. I know how destructive she gets when she wants something as simple as a casual conversation. I slowly crack the door open and greet the dragon lord. "Hey, Ember."

"Wow, so you're just gonna move to someplace else in town, and don't even think to tell me after my coming by and finding out you're gone from the castle who's walls are quite literally a meal? Why the downgrade?"

"It's not a downgrade." As soon as I say it, she forces herself inside, already looking to swipe her claws at my walls. I quickly intervene. "Please don't. Drywall don't taste like crackers."

"See!? Downgrade! What did I tell you!?" She says with a mocking tone.

"Look, I know it's been some time, but right now I'm getting ready to leave to a diplomatic assignment." I inform her, trying to get her to leave as quick as possible.

"Well that sucks. I was just thinking to come by and we can hang out. You got some time before you leave today?"

"Literally leaving in the next hour." I stress once more.

"Ugh, lame!"

On that we can agree. "Yeah I know."

On the other hand... "Guess that means we got time for one thing."

"I'm not sparring with you today." I sternly warn. "I don't have the time to deal with the pain, the recovery period, much less the time it takes for me to wake up after I get knocked out again. I can't deal! I have to get a bunch of stuff ready for my trip."

"What's this stupid trip you gotta go on anyways!? It can't be anymore important than making sure Equestria's relations to dragons stay harmonious. Like what's the deal?" If there's one thing I cannot stand out of Ember is that sometimes she can use our association as a means to dangle bait to get me to spend time with her. She doesn't do it too often, but it's deeply infuriating.

Still, for the sake of that very association, I can't disclose where I'm being shipped off to. Doing so is certain to start an external conflict between Equestria and the Dragon Lands. "I'm visiting a country in the east. It's a pretty important appointment. Sorry, but I gotta get ready."

"Five minutes, Spike." She says, forcefully grabbing me by my arm. "All I want is five minutes."

"Five minutes. Go." I quickly quip back to her.

"Can we sit down and talk? It's a bunch of stuff I don't like talking about while still being shown the door. So give me my five minutes, because I know I deserve it."

"Fine." I shake my head at the dragoness, pointing our way towards the dining room. As we get situated and seated, I begin my attempt to speed-run our discussion. "Okay, so let's─"

Ember quickly makes comment of the appearance of my home. "Huh, for the walls not being made of gems, I guess it doesn't look too... I don't know what to call this."

"It's modern human architecture." I quickly respond/.

"Huh, humans live like this? I don't know if it's stagnant or flat. It's like there's no dimension to the place outside of a few rooms, and even the walls are flat."

"Ember, focus, please." I stress. "You got five minutes."

"Alright. Okay." She grumbles.

A period of silence ensues, mostly on the account of Ember just drumming her fingers on the table. She looks at me, expecting me to somehow strike up the topic of what she wants to discuss. So I amuse her by doing so in my own way. "I guess we're down thirty seconds now."

She snaps back at me. "Can you let me get my thoughts together? I didn't exactly rehearse any of this shit, you know."

"Just say what you feel already." Because honestly I might just start with some of the harshest words she'll ever have to hear from me.

"Easy for you to say! I don't know if I want to feel the way I do right now!"

"And what's that?" I ask aggressively. "What's the feel?"

"I feel like I think you should... you know..." She's motioning with her claws as though she wants me to fill in the blanks.

"...What?"

She lightly shakes her head with incredulity. "Get stronger."

My eyes shift to either direction, unamused with her response. "...Okay?"

"Seriously, don't you think you've been playing it safe for the longest?" She rises from her seat. "You literally have the scepter's essence running through your veins. You've only accessed it once, and I had to fight like hell to stop you from... you know... that incident."

Great, now she's trying to avoid saying what happened between us. It's like she doesn't learn. "I don't know, maybe it seems like that's what you wanted to happen from the offset."

"But not like that, Spike!" She argues.

"So like how?" I question, slamming my palm on the desk. "Give me an example."

"Like... you being aware of it."

I roll my eyes and facepalm at her answer. "What if I said that I was fully aware, but a little entranced because of the whole 'dragon lust' thing?"

She scoffs at me. "Spike, you were not aware of yourself."

I throw my hands up, already giving up on the conversation. "You know what, this is starting to feel like a waste of time."

"A waste of your time!?" She shrieks. "Motherfucker, I come from the Dragon Lands, flying across the ocean and halfway across a continent to fucking see you because my feelings don't let me not check in on you! I know you're recovering from dragon lust, I know you haven't mated a dragon yet, and I know that you can't just mate with some other creature and call it a dead issue either! You're either a pain in the ass to get a hold of, or you're so busy that you don't take into account the fact that other creatures just may want to hang out!"

That only seems to be an issue with you. "Your idea of hanging out is trying to get me to fight you!"

"Why do you think I want to fight you so bad, Spike!?" She stresses for the millionth time.

"I get why, I just don't see the purpose in it."

And yet again, she goes back into the dragon bullshit. "The purpose is for you to win your claim! How many times do I have to explain that!?"

"My intent isn't to 'claim' anything through fighting! How many times do I have to explain that!?"

"You're a dragon, Spike!" Yet again, that point.

And yet again, I have to get it through her thick skull. "I'm not raised around that, Ember!"

She doesn't seem to listen to me at all, moving the chair aside, trying to also do the same for the table. "I need five minutes, Spike. Five minutes to see where you are."

I firmly plant my leg against the table, preventing it from being moved. "Not in this house, you aren't."

"Then take it outside, let's get it done then!" She yells over me.

"How many fucking times do I have to tell you I don't want to fight you!?" I scream back.

"Well it's too fucking bad! I chose you! So you have to uphold your responsibility and fight for that right!"

"You know what..." I walk right out of the dining room, not even looking back for anything, virtually walking out of my own house. "I'm done with this shit. I'm leaving."

Ember seems to be even more infuriated over me leaving her, so she yells at me over my decision. "So what, you're just going to leave!? Not even fight for your own cave!? You're just that easy to roll over, huh!? Really, this is the mate I chose!?"

I step into to foyer, ready to open the door before I see something whiz right by my head. It's a mug that shatters against my door, namely a novelty mug with the picture of me and Rarity helping with a fashion show in Manehattan. I look down with flame-fueled anger in my throat, slowly turning to the dragoness with a conflicting calm in my voice. "What the fuck are you doing?"

She picks up another priceless item, a small glass recreated sculpture of a dragonfire ruby that was gifted to me from Rarity. "Oh, is this yours?" She asks with a careless attitude.

I try to remain calm. "You put that back, please."

She moves it to a few inches right above the shelf she pulled it from, only to purposefully pull her arm upwards, causing the recreation to tumble off the ledge and shatter on the floor. "Oops." She says with a dismissive shrug. "I guess that doesn't matter since you're just walking out. I mean everything in here is practically mine now, so what do you care what I do with this stuff anyways?"

...You know, she has a point. I'm already being sent off to die, so what does it matter what all I personally have left? I should just leave, to hell with it, can't take it with me. "...I've got an assignment to go to. Take care of yourself, and don't worry about seeing me again."

Ember's expression contorts into horrible bewilderment. I walk outside to blow off steam, trying not to explode with righteous indignation in the walls of my home. As I close the door behind me, I feel the steam in my nostrils. The guards on wait impatiently ask. "Sir Spike, are you ready?"

Just them asking me that question right after giving me away to Ember is enough to turn my steam into smoke, a threatening sign that I'm not in any mood to be civil. "You know what I'm ready for at this point? I'm ready for you to get the fuck out of my face right now! You keep asking me if I'm ready to leave, I'm gonna be ready to go off on all of you! So shut the FUCK UP!!!"

Ember swings my door wide open, rushing out to grab at me. "Spike, dammit what the hell's your proble─"

As soon as I feel her claws bear down onto my shoulders in a bid for restraint, I snap. I turn around, grab her wrist, yank her off her balance and knock her down. As she lays on the ground, I snarl with bright green flames spewing from my mouth. "I SAID STOP FUCKING WITH ME!"

The guards call out to me, shocked that I just bore anger towards the dragon lord. "Sir Spike! Please show restra─"

This time, my flame-broiled words are spewed towards the guards. "If you don't want burns, you stay the fuck away from me! This is a dragon affair, you don't get to speak!" My flames die down a bit, now just showing as smoke while I turn to Ember. "And you, I never wanna see your face again!"

A smirk shows on her face as she lunges back for me. "Yeah... too bad!"

She snarls back at me while I dodge her lunge. In my anger, I forget my own limitations and quickly stretch an arm out for her neck out of reflex. She gasps as my claws connect, her eyes widen at the speed which I strike. She tries to break my arm away from her, but I lift her to the air instead. I take a brief flight into the air before resoundingly diving back down and driving the back of her head into the cobblestone street. The shock of the impact stuns her as I forget my senses, repeatedly raising her head and bashing it against the ground. The guards try to intervene but I roar back at them for their attempt.

I stare at them, a low-pitched crackle sounding from deep in my chest. Ember winces from the pain, but looks at me almost as though she's in a trance. Her arms cross over her chest, still maintaining a defensive posture. When my eyes turn to her with the unbridled anger she's wrought, she gazes at me with amazement and inquiry. "Holy fuck, where'd this come from?" A big smile appears on her face as her tail starts to curl it's way around one of my legs. But before it can get a firm grasp, I let her go and take notice of the growing crowd of ponies looking at us.

My senses gradually regain ground in my mind. The whispers around us start to reach my ears, the sharpness of my pupils tones down and I slow my breathing. The warmth in my throat cools at last, the flames and steam subside. My grip loosens, and I stand straight. I grit my teeth at the embarrassment of Ponyville residents seeing me act as the dragon I am once more, for the first time in ten years.

Even the guards around me stir their magic, waiting for my next move. But when they see me ease from my stance, they too quench the spells they've warmed for me. Ember takes notice of my sudden lack of aggression, she's dumbfounded at the drastic change. "Wait, where are you doing?"

Realizing I can't possibly save face from this situation, I resign myself to accept that it's better to just make this quick to avoid further confrontation, not only for me, but for Smolder as well. "...I'm leaving."

The dragon lord quickly rises, a bit disorientated from the blows she took. "We're not done yet!" She emphasizes, trying to grab a hold of me. "We're not finished, we just got to the good part!"

"I am. I'm finished." I say before readdressing the guards. "Give me two more minutes."

I walk back into my home, seeing that a few other items were knocked over. It seems that Ember had a little more in store for me to get me upset. But I wade past the mess she made and lower my head upon the idea of Smolder having to clean up this mess. Clearly she doesn't deserve this.

I go up to my room, grab the bag of everything I intend to take with me on the trip, which I decided throughout the day wouldn't be much. And considering what just happened out there, I should take the little dignity I have left and go with that.

This day was already a rough one on my mind, I don't need anything else slowing me down.

"Spike?" Well... I guess slowing down for a quick bit wouldn't hurt.

I turn back around to see Smolder standing at the top of the stairs. She's still holding in her emotions, especially after overhearing what just transpired between me and Ember. She walks down the stairs, already not trying to mess with her makeup. She wears not only the makeup, but an alluring set of underwear that screams for attention. Sadly, the attention it's worth will go unpaid on today. I let her walk towards me, give me a little twirl, and kiss me on the lips. "You're beautiful." I tell her, feeling an unfortunate bitterness in my heart. "I'm sorry my last bit of time will only be spent seeing you as you are now."

"I guess... It can't be helped." It's getting hard for her to hide her emotions. She looks to the ceiling to try to stop herself from shedding tears too much. I'm sure she wouldn't want to do it not just for being strong, but also the fact that it took her a while to do her makeup.

I hug her from behind, swaying a little bit as she clasp my arm to her. "If I can't have you like this right now, I'll take the visual for the time being."

She cranes her neck up to look at me. "Don't leave me like this, big guy. You know how I get when you leave and I find that you don't come back." She warns quietly. "You come back to us, got it?"

I don't know the circumstances of my trip, or what fate may have in store. I can only give her what could either be a promise or a lie. "How about you wear all of this again when I come back."

"Anything you want, big guy." I hope it's not the latter.

Upon my arrival in Canterlot, it feels much like the last time I'll be able to see the halls of the castle. While I know that I could be looking at this with too much of a negative lens, I have to be realistic about my outcomes. And the reality of this is that I may not come back in one piece when it's all said and done. So once more, I'm back to the same room I grew to hate over the years, attempting to sleep with the ever-roaming thoughts across my mind. The hours go slow again, and I'm just left looking at the ceiling, pondering about the things I've done.

Eventually, the hour before our departure crawls upon me. I get the knock at my door, I gather what I have, and head to the hangar. When I arrive, the guards line up and greet us with a salute. As soon as I arrive, I see that there's a quiet Mrs. Kalimba posted against the side of the airship. She seems quieter than usual.

Her younger sister stands next to her, it seems she's offering some encouragement. "It's just a stupid trip overseas, Kali. You'll be fine." The zebracorn glances sidewards with a groan. Gala snickers at her sister's not-so stoic reaction. "Don't tell me you're scared."

"I am not scared." She finally answers.

"Afraid of heights?" She asks the mare.

"No." She says.

"Then what are you scared of?" Gaia inquires, beaming her sister down through her ruby glasses.

"...You are annoying." She says with a thickened accent.

As I watch the pair go back and forth, I feel a tap on my side. I look down to my left to see Solemn Oath holding a silk bag in her magic. "Hey, you know the rules of international travel. In the bag." I grumble as I tap my phone one last time, looking at the screensaver of me and the others huddled together in front of the Austin city skyline. I give a dejected sigh and cut the phone off before gently dropping it into the sack provided. "You know that we can't afford to keep up with a demand for that kind of technology. Plus Ponyland don't need to know what all we've got going on."

"Yeah, I know. Just would've been cool to snap pictures while I'm out and about." I mutter while I watch her pull the drawstring on the sack. As soon as she finishes, she walks away towards Mrs. Kalimba to do the same with her. As they go through the typical procedure, I barely notice the fact that Sir Fencer walks up on me with a narcoleptic prince on his back. "Damn, guy's a heavy sleeper."

The guardian cringes as he looks to the prince. "Not quite sleep. He's sedated, by orders of your princess."

I show some annoyance over how the situation seems to be handled. "I told Twilight not to cage you guys in."

"She did no such thing." He quickly denies. "I abided by the rules your matriarch made plain for our safe stay in her castle. While I wish we would not be issued a return to homeland, I respect the choice she's made in wanting to protect her citizens. So I abided by her decision, and sedated the prince myself."

The slumbering prince gives a snort and a light hum to his dream, mentioning something in relation to Twilight. Guess even in his dreams, he's chasing after her. "I bet he's not gonna like when he wakes up and finds himself in a different city."

He closes his eyes, knowing the sweet music he's bound to be hearing when it happens. "That's for the future me to worry about."

I think back to the time I said something familiar, I think it was when I was much younger. At the time, Twilight received a message from a time traveler, herself. She thought she returned to warn her of a horrific event, but past Twilight went through a bunch of idiotic shenanigans causing her to hurt herself before realizing she overreacted as usual. So she tried to go to the past to correct that mistake, only to be the precursor of her own mischief.

While I can look back at that memory of her and laugh, the version of her now does not allow me the thought. "Royal Friendship Advisor Spike." She hails for me with a regal tone, probably trying to maintain an air of professionalism.

I don't care for her title, nor mine at this point. "Twilight."

Sir Fencer sees the growing scowl on my face and makes a comment towards me. "You two seem at odds."

"Call it an adoptive sibling squabble." I growl under my breath, still looking at the purple princess condemning us to this trip. "The feeling is mutual."

The guardian shakes his head. "If these are your squabbles, then surely Equestria is blessed with an age of peace."

Twilight finally speaks up. "If we wait any further, I fear that will last for as long as your flight home." She even goes as far as to step between Sir Fencer and I. "So I do appreciate that you see things from our perspective. At least someone is willing to do that."

He plays himself right out of our squabble with a neutral response. "Your majesty, I thank you on behalf of the imperial prince for the good food, the comfort, and the freedoms you've offered in our stay."

"I only afforded you those things thanks to your efforts in saving Spike. I owed you both that much." She says before glancing to me, seeming with some regret. "But the hour is nigh, and it is time to make peace with our departures."

I simply inform her of how I've made my peace. "My last will and testament's been notarized." I say as Mrs. Kalimba and Gala walk up beside us.

"With much luck, you won't need to use it immediately." She says in a passing word.

Sir Fencer gives the zebracorn a glanceover, humming to himself with an unsubtle satisfaction. "Well if it's a death wish to return, I'd rather spend these last hours looking at something nice."

"Then you may aspire to gaze." She gives herself a spin to amuse the guardian, but offers a cold warning. "But don't find favor in the idea to touch."

"I'm already going to die, madam. I don't intend to do so too early." He replies with a smile.

The zebra scoffs but gives a light smirk in thought. "If only Blue has met you sooner in her life."

"Excuse you, don't play match-maker with me!" The aforementioned mare pops out of her dimensional distortion field, seeming as though to shadow both her and Gala. "I came here to see you off, not to be pushed off on whoever you think is good for me."

"To be fair, your choices are nothing short of controversial." Even Gala makes a note of her relationship options.

"Name one of my pursuits that can be remotely perceived as controversial." The mare demands in argument.

"The dragon you helped with the notary." Mrs. Kalimba points out.

Twilight groans with disgust. "Seriously?"

"What?" Ms. Blue is taken aback by the look of disapproval. "Have you seen how big he is?"

Twilight's ears immediate run red, being very aware of how endowed I am... unfortunately. She lets out a deeply annoyed grunt. She immediately hides her face in one of her wings. I guess the mental image of my online dating misfire is running roughshod at the front of her mind. And just the reminder of it sends a tinge of nausea through my stomach. "I'm just gonna go on the ship now."

"Please do." She grumbles.

Everyone looks at our exchange with confusion, formulating ideas as to what could've possibly caused us to act the way we do over this topic. Gala only giggles while Kalimba pays it no mind. Ms. Blue taps her chin before coming to the quiet solution. "Oh... I wonder if she's seen the video."

"GUARDS! OPEN THE HANGAR DOORS!" Twilight screams while still covering her face with her wings.

Sir Fencer purses his lips in silence before muttering under breath. "Well that's one way to say your goodbyes."

It takes a definite while before we touch down in Manehattan. Our three hour flight comes to a peaceful stop in the dark hours of the early a.m.. As we get off of our ship, I notice a few things taking place around us. Sir Fencer walks out from the ship with a visibly vehement Prince Amor. The young prince is infuriated with the fact that he was not only sedated, but also denied the opportunity to say his personal farewell to Twilight in the process. It seems that 'future' him will have quite the work cut out in calming the tempest currently ongoing. Another thing I've noticed is that Mrs. Kalimba is slow to remove herself from the walkway, she's guided down to the ground of the airfield. Once there, she buckles over and holds herself in wrenching discomfort.

Huh, didn't quite pin her for being airsick.

I walk over to her and pull something out of my personal traveling case. She weakly looks up to my offering. "Cyclizine, helps with air sickness."

She slowly takes the box and stares at the contents before taking them, along with another generous offering of bottled water. "Ough... I have not ever traveled in this manner. To travel by train is one thing, and even I'm not too fond of that. This is a whole other monster."

"First time in the air, huh?" I rub her on her back. "It's okay, you'll get used to it."

"I don't have a choice now." She says with another gulp of water. "We'll be in for another ten hours of that fresh hell."

"If you need another way to deal with it, you should probably catch a nap somewhere in between. It helps pass the time if you can get away with it. And it won't be like you'll have a problem with it, that stuff I gave you will put you out like a light sometimes."

"If it puts me out of commission, then why would you have me take this long before the hour of our travel?" She narrows her eyes at me.

"Oh yeah... oops." I say with an apologetic shrug. "Sorry, I just thought I could help some."

Instead of harboring some resentment, she takes appreciation of the effort. "I suppose it can't be that bad. Thank you for trying."

I turn around to see the airport behind us. Seeing the sprawling assortment of brick buildings and high rises that make up the skyline. At some point when I was younger, this place used to amaze me. But comparing it to the human world, namely Austin, it doesn't even stand close to it. The lights aren't as bright, the buildings aren't as glassy, the towers aren't as tall as I remember them being. To think that my potential final memory of this place would be comparative disappointment. It's a painful thought.

Without warning, I see a security official of the airfield zip right by me. I notice a few others doing the same. What I also take heed on is the young prince staring back at the waterfront as though entranced. I hurry to him to check on him and his sudden silence. "Hey, you okay?"

Mrs. Kalimba also comes to inspect the prince's well-being. "He looks as if he's seen a ghost."

"Not a ghost..." Sir Fencer says as he points to the sky in the distance. As his hoof guides our attention, we see seven large looming shadows in the sky. They seem to have an intimidating presence, one that's obviously grabbed the attention of all the staff of the airfield. One of those very shadows seem to be closing in at an alarming rate. "An air fleet."

As the ship get in closer to the city, the lights of the airfield begin to slowly reveal it's shape and color. A large silver medallion dots the most prominent point of the airship's balloon. The carriage is adorned with an assortment of bevels, doors, and other machinery. The windows appear much like that of a cruise ship. A large flag proudly emblazons the sides of the blimp. The grounds crew tries to wave at the ship, indicating that they haven't made arrangements for a second landing area. "I'd like to imagine that's a peaceful escort." I say, trying to at least be optimistic.

"It's not." Sir Fencer corrects me. "It's a dragon hunter's fleet."

"...Well shit." Damn, guess they're already looking to put me in a box before I even leave to international waters. "They seriously brought all of this for me?"

"Not entirely. But if they see you, they'll make it a reason." The guardian warns.

As the ship disregards the warnings and advisories from the grounds crew, it lands without a hitch, a miraculous hundred feet away from our own airship. The doors slowly open with the use of what appears to be a hydraulic system. The door also serves as a set of stairs. There are two pegasi that fly out with a large red carpet to roll at the foot of the red velvet-laden stairs. The two pegasi also seems to don black and purple uniforms, they hurry to roll the carpet towards the very spot which we stand. Another pair of ponies, unicorns this time, levitate a pair of large rugs. One is laid at the foot of the airship's access. The other is laid where we stand. We back off to allow them to work. A considerable party of earth ponies march off the ship with spears, those being strangely outfitted with some other machinery affixed to them. They line on either side, crossing the weapons high above the red walkway. They work in rigid uniformity, before a quintet of buisine players fly above the doorway, introducing a stern looking alicorn.

Amor shrivels up as he's guided towards the large red rug laid before us by their guards. "Already off to a bitter start, aren't we?" Sir Fencer says as he motions us to walk alongside them.

The alicorn, knowing well enough that he could fly above all of this, proceeds to walk through this overkill of a display, calmly making his way to us and walking up. I give him a bow and an introduction. "Welcome, sir, to the lands of Equestria─" And he curbs the shit out of me, looking instead to Mrs. Kalimba.

He does not so much as bow as he merely tilts his head downward. "Madam, it's an honor to meet with the... *ahem* 'true' representation of Equestria. How may I guide you to our shores on this day?"

While her symptoms of air sickness are showing signs of subsiding, she politely guides his attention to me. "While I appreciate your presentation, sir, our highest representative would be the dragon you've walked past."

He turns to me with a very slow show of disdain. "Is that so? Then... allow me to rectify that mistake."

As he turns around to face me, I extend a handshake of good will, at least without trying to look like I want to punch him in the face for how he just disrespected me. "How ya doin?"

"Yes... truly the representation of..." He pulls his hoof back with bemusement. "Bêtise."

Remember Spike, this is a representative of another nation. Try not to entertain any revenge fantasies in your mind while you speak. "And you are, good sir?"

Crown Prince Rosa Xerxes

2nd in line for the imperial throne, Noble Blood

He proudly lifts his nose to the air, pointing a hoof at himself. "I am Prince Xerxes of the imperial realm. Second in line, high prince of the empire, master tactician, and... bounty hunter." He glints at me on that last comment fellating himself.

Again, I have to play my role as respectfully as possible, even if I want him to fall down a flight of stairs and break both his wings, and crack his horn... and suffer a tendon tear in his leg... with him falling face first into a small pointy rock. "Then your excellency, may I welcome you to the shores of our most beautiful yet humble country. I trust your travel was without turbulence."

He pays my words no kind of mind, instead remarking on my mannerisms. "Shame... you've been trained quite well."

Okay, he's obviously planning out what he wants to do to me, and none of it seems good. "What shame is there in adhering to the decorum, sir prince?"

"None." He says with a walking glance at me. "No shame for me, that is."

You know, since he's here, I might as well try to make this as expedited of a exchange as possible. Might as well see if I can save my own scales if I can avoid getting chased down by that fleet he's brought along. "I trust you will take your brother and his escort back to your own shores? It seems you've beaten us to the punch as it is."

"I believe you are mistaken. My fleet is here to serve as escort. Amor Ambrosia's return to the fatherland will be a glorious occasion. We only want to show you the depths of our gratitude by meeting you here for this purpose." I notice that he's gone back to directing his attention to Mrs. Kalimba, as though to direct those words to her instead of a dragon. "Do tell, when shall your ship be ready to take the skies?"

Since he's not directing his words at me, I offer none to him. Amor sees the growing tension between us and steps in to confront his brother. "I'm afraid our layover is set for another eight hours, brother."

He looks to me at last, finally giving me the direct attention I'm due. Of course, it's not with any respect. "Then I will entertain myself for the time being. Tell me, dragon, have you ever played the game of chess?"

"Often." I reply.

He clops his hooves, summoning a pair of unicorns to quickly bring about some furniture. They bring a pair of chairs and a table for us to play on. "Then Ambrosia shall keep our scores."

As I sit, I notice the disgust on the face of one of the servants for having pulled me a chair. So I speak to the prince with sarcasm abound. "I sure hope you take it easy on me. I'm not the tactician you are."

"I don't expect you to be." He bluntly responds. "I expect you to be winless."

I may not know how he thinks, but I'm at least willing to prove him wrong. It seems to be the only way I'm going to get some sort of karma out of this situation. "Well I'm not great, but don't count me out so easily." I say as the board is laid out before us, the pieces set in place. The stallion looks to the unicorn with a stern glare, who then turns the board around to position him as the white pieces, allowing me to only go after him.

"Watch and mark, my dear lesser blood." He raises a pawn in his magic, a searing red glow as he sets his piece. "Watch, and take note."

Author's Note

Hello to all again. I know it's been two weeks, but I've been wearing two hats this month. Wouldn't you guess it, I've been pretty damn busy with those hats. Glad to say that now that I can release this chapter, I do have a bit of a Halloween surprise for you lot who's been subbed to me for a while.

But as for the current events of this chapter, it seems that Spike finally got a round against Ember, but at what cost? And now that he's soon to depart to the land uncharted for many of his ilk, what will become of him? Stay tuned to find out!

Chapter 29: Insidious Intrepids

I can't really say that today's been a very productive, or fun, or even invigorating experience. It started off with the threatening excitement of seven blimps of a nation we share a shaky neutrality with, only to be drawn back down to a boring compilation of me getting several rounds of chess shoved down my throat. To make matters worse, I didn't really get much in the way of sleep because of it.

I just wanted to spend my layover chilled out in my airship, getting some much-needed shuteye, just a nap even. But every time a game ends, the board is cleared in an instant, the pieces are gathered and placed, and we restart with yet another game.

Even now, it's hard to focus on the game because I'm so damn tired. And this prince is very well aware of my exhaustion, which is why he's resetting the board every single time to start all over. "Eyelids are a little heavy, aren't they, dragon?"

"I'm just thinking." I give off a lazy response, getting a few seconds of shut eye when I can.

But even those moments are disturbed by the sound of him slamming a piece on the board. "You know, bounty hunters like myself are quite partial to a fatigued mark of the hunt. It lets us know that you're on your last legs, you're cornered, there's no escape. You're probably out of your rations, and whoever's with you have already decided in their mind that they're either going to resign to their fate, or turn you over in exchange for their continuity."

Obviously my patience isn't for this game anymore, I just make a random move on the board to help end the game quicker. "Ain't this just a game of chess? Why do we have to be all philosophical with it?"

"But alas, the game of chess is nothing but a bounty hunt. Those who make the better moves, they collect their bounty in the form of the king's head. And you accomplish whatever means to take the king. You stalk your opponent, taking advantage of the best possible openings, plan ahead so that they exhaust all their resources, and then..." He doesn't even take the opening I give him, instead opting to take a misplaced bishop. "Wear them down until they are but a struggling few."

"Well I know I'm struggling to stay awake." I comment, trying to maneuver my king behind a pair of pawns.

He moves one of his towards my backline. "Pawn upgrades to queen. Check."

"Yeah, this is a loss." I say, moving my king in a diagonal space where he's back in front of my pawns.

"But the game is better off played until the bitter end, where there is a definite winner and a founded loser." He grins while he uses his first queen to threaten my king. "Check."

I yawn in exhaustion, not wanting to move. "The board's yours, dude. Just end it already." He sits in his chair, amused for the fact of seeing me so uncomfortable. He waves a hoof at the board, smiling while he mockingly motions me to make a move. I shift my king over to the left.

"You don't like the stalking game?" He moves a rook to cut me off instead, sealing the game for himself. "Then do better."

"Finally." I say as I raise up to depart from the table. But his servants merely reset the table before me, even the prince is levitated along with his chair to seat before me yet again. I drop my head in defeat. "Ugh... again?"

"It's only been six hours. Surely you aren't that impatient." Obviously he's trolling me at this point.

I call him out for his meandering. "We're in Manehattan, the city that quite literally never sleeps. There's so much to do here, and you have us here playing chess for six hours?"

"I find myself being amused not by the flash and glamor of a foreign city, but by the minds of it's administration." He responds before talking to his younger sibling. "Amor, what's the score?"

He replies in a monotone voice. "203 wins to you, 42 to Sir Spike, 8 stalemates." The poor guy is just as exhausted as I am, and he's got a nap in already.

"Ah, I see you've been marking a little too well." He says as he grits his teeth at the amount of losses he's taken. But he looks to up the number in his win column, an already drastically inflated statistic, by yet another game. "The board is ready, let's go again."

"I think my ship is ready." I say, just to get away from this board.

Before the alicorn prince can get a word in, Amor interjects with relief. "Oh but please do check on that! We've been awake for as long as Twilight's raised the sun and we've had nothing to eat yet."

As I walk away, I see that Mrs. Kalimba is quietly snacking on a cucumber sandwich. The sight triggers my own stomach to rumble with complaint. I approach the captain of our ship. "Okay, I'm tired and hungry, and I'm even more tired of this asshole I'm dealing with. Are we set?"

"Thirty more minutes, sir." He informs me.

I nearly tear the scales from the back of my head from how pissed I'm becoming over this layover. "Make it fifteen. I need to get on my ship and get some sleep at the very fucking least."

"Sir, we're just starting the fourth inspection. Boarding will take place at─"

My impatience has reached a boiling point for some time, this one instance is the first time it's truly boiled over the rim. I sternly hold a finger to him. "Fif. Teen. Minutes."

He seems to understand that I don't have the patience for the inspection to conclude a fourth time. "Yes sir."

My nostrils flare for a moment as I trudge back to the table. "We'll do one last game, but then I'm heading to my ship."

He snickers as he rotates the board around, giving me the white pieces for the first time in 253 rounds. He motions to me to take my first maneuver. "I insist."

Guess I'll try to make this game somewhat interesting. I remain standing as I move the pawn in front of my right knight up two spaces. "I suppose we can try this now."

"Strong move." He smiles to himself as he moves the pawn in front of his queen by two spaces. "What do you follow it with?"

"I guess I'll just put this one here." I say confidently, looking to challenge the pawn for center of the board.

He doesn't move a piece, staring at the board with a quiet snicker. "...Checkmate."

"What, how?" I ask. "You didn't even move a damn piece─"

He takes his freed queen to a diagonal route, positioning her to the side of the board, giving a clean path to my king. "Two moves, one strong, one foolish. You gambled for the center, all while opening your backline. Now my queen proves to be the clever marksmare." He topples my king piece with his magic. "And your king dies before the skirmish even starts. No pieces lost, no game to be won. Checkmate in two moves."

I look again at my error and facepalm. "I just did a fools gambit, didn't I?"

The prince boisterously laughs in my face as he resets the board, not as though there's much to be moved anyway. "Lack of sleep does make one the fool, amusing that a dragon would give me such an easy win." He points at me with a wing. "It's almost as if destiny has called for you to learn your place."

I nod angrily, putting on a fake smile. "You know, you're right. I think I'm gonna call it."

"We have time for another." He offers. "Perhaps a chance to redeem yourself."

"No thanks, I need to put myself away for a bit." I say as I leave the carpeted area.

Instead of me having a clear path to my airship, he moves the entire board with the pieces set before me. He's still seated in his chair, a fair distance away. "I insist."

I simply repeat my first maneuver from the last round. He bites on the first, while I simply nudge my pawn out of the way to give him a clear path to the king again. "Oh no, another loss." I mutter with faux show of dismay.

"You're doing this on purpose, aren't you?" Now he seems annoyed that I gave him another easy path to victory.

"It's your win." He instead ignores the opening and takes a knight to the middle of the field. "Nevermind."

He glares at me, smiling with his usual air of superiority. "We're playing this game, whether you want to or not."

"You know what..." I forcefully move his queen to the position to mate my king. After that, I flip the board and storm off to my airship. "Play with yourself."

As I leave, I hear him shout one final insult. "Always the inferior specimen, resorting to rage!"

After a tumultuous period of waiting for three inspections and a crew of some of Equestria's best guards and mechanics to be assembled, we finally hit the almost open air. I can't call it open because of the fact that there are seven airships flying out in front of us. Not that it mattered much for the first thirty minutes, their airships seem a world faster than ours. In fact, they bring themselves to a hover once or twice just to let us catch up to them. After the third time we lag behind, they simply slow their speed and allow us to catch up, where they match our rate of travel. What makes the matters worse is that the leading airship that Prince Asshat commandeers is right in front of us. So you can imagine the cheek breaking scowl on my face as I see his smug mug looking back with that superiority complex of his.

I, at last, have enough of this and retire to my sleeping quarters.

Unfortunately my sleep isn't long for the reason that I have an unexpected visitor knocking at my door. Who knew that Mrs. Kalimba would have more than one weakness. She's not only prone to being airsick, but the fact that we're over the ocean with no way of seeing land in either direction scares her. I ask if she knows how to swim, she simply responds that she's never been swimming before, not even once. I start to question how she became a specialist, but then again that's not what she's marked for. Still, they could've thrown that one in at least once.

A few hours later, I stir from my sleep to see the sky starting to become dark again. It seems that we've reached the other side of the world, at least their side of it. And it's without fail that we'd see the sun rapidly sink to the west since we're cruising eastward. It's a sight I'm used to, but one Mrs. Kalimba isn't. Poor thing thought we were falling out of the sky. I don't blame her, it weirded me out when I first made my trip to Saddle Arabia. Of course, still no land to be seen, so that only serves to rachet up her anxiety.

A few more hours pass and the ships ahead of us sound their bellows. The rest of us walk out to see quite a sight out in the night air. A series of green streaks illuminate the sky, giving off a green glow to all who stand out on the decks. Down below, we see the passing town of Pearis. Apparently we're just above Prance. The zebracorn darts out as soon as she hears the loud horns of the Ponyland airships. She seems ready to throw down at a moment's notice. "Are we under attack!?"

"No, just the customary horn for reaching land." I answer.

"We are above land?" She asks, trying to reassure herself that there's nothing else to be concerned about.

"Easily. Over the skies of Prance now." I inform her before my eyes turn back towards the sky. "Instead of looking down, how about you look up instead." I instruct, watching as she does what I say do, and the immediate reaction of youth-like wonder in her eyes. "Yeah, it's not often you'd see the northern lights this far down. Must be a strong magnetic occurrence in the atmosphere."

For the moment, she starts to walk towards the railing, looking out to the sky and completely forgetting the fact that we're still very much in motion. It's like the unusual sight gave her airsickness a much-needed reprieve. "I only heard of things like this happening in the Crystal Empire, not that I ever left beyond the two cities of Ponyville and Canterlot."

While I wish I could just point downward at the town we're flying over, much less it's international landmark, and give a story, I decide not to distract her too much from this reprieve her body is getting. Instead, I offer words of encouragement. "Give it time, you'll be seeing more of the world in a bit."

She continues to look upward, focusing her attention on the auroras above. She shocks me by turning around to curiously ask me a question. "So tell me something. How did it feel when you first left the comfort of your home cities? I bet it was pretty terrifying to be away from home for the first time."

I know I could just break down and cite Ponyville as my first major outing away from home, but then again I grew to call that place home anyhow. So I instead go for the runner-up option. "The first place we went to was Appleloosa. It was pretty wild, there was a dispute between the bison and the pony locals. It almost got ugly. Thankfully they were using pies for weapons instead of real armaments. Either way, a few walked away with some first and second degree burns. Others came out having to wash pie filling out of their fur for a few days."

The mare chuckles at the thought. "Sounds like a lot of fun was had."

I nodded back at the fairly fond memory. "Towards the end, it turned into that."

She posts herself up against the wall, looking back out to the auroras above us. "You know, Corrotto was like a different world from the rest of the city. As soon as you step in, the entire street changed, the ponies around you as well. Laws were different too. It was as though I lived in a small isolated germ of a country, localized in the Canterlot city limits."

While I could never relate to her experience in Canterlot's underworld, I could recall some experience of a similar place. "I never got the chance to discover that part of town for myself. But I think I've seen something like it before, I've experienced the madness of Klugetown when I was thirteen. Never thought I'd see some random creature asking if Twilight wanted to sell her horn."

"Did they sell changeling limbs?"

I nearly topple over from the mental image her question gives me. "I don't think I've seen anything quite like that, that's pretty damn grim."

She shrugs as if there's no issue. "For some, they needed to recover what was lost to them. And ironically, changeling limbs by themselves can adapt to the body their attached to. So if you take an amputee, give them what they're missing, they'll be right as they were before, feelings and all."

I blink at the mare blankly, not sure if I was prepared to hear that confession. "That's a side of medical science I didn't think I'd ever want to learn."

"Of course, it's discovery and practice has been banned since the purge of the district. Lots of amputees looking to relive their lives raised hell against Celestia for the decision she made to ban it." A small gust of wind jolts the airship, causing her to lose her balance. She crumples to the deck, and holds her ailing stomach shortly after. "I guess in hindsight, it's a good thing she did."

"Yeah. I can imagine the public relations nightmare that would be with Thorax at the helm." I say as I offer her some more of my medicine.

She gracefully accepts my offer and takes a few deep breaths to suppress her nausea. "I suppose my time in Ponyville was my first time seeing a world where ponies lived easy and simple lives. It's also the first time I ever had a home that was mine to live in, even if it was just a hotel room."

"Really?" I ask.

"You have to remember, I had to live in a shack with no insulation or proper bedding, I didn't know how to cook, and I was in subjugation for that portion of my life. I was made to do a lot for others I didn't want to do, but I had to do those things to survive... even when I didn't care to keep going myself."

"You went from all of that to living in a mansion on the back end. Pretty admirable." I point out.

"I have a lot of my modern comforts thanks to the ones who got me out." She says with a smile creeping into the corners of her dimples. "It's because of them, I can give my son the life I never had, the one he deserves."

I see the earnest display on her face, even through her sickness her demeanors are warm and genuine. The otherwise cold expressions have melted away to give rise to this fairly attractive side of her. I know she's not much for wanting relationships, but if I could bring her along, I would. Whoever just left her alone really screwed the pooch with that one, she's amazing. The auroras give light to the deck, her eyes shining as they glance up towards them. "You're an inspiration, you know that?"

The sudden compliment seems to ring a brightened response. She pauses in shock, but gradually grows to accept it. She tilts her head towards me with what could be her nicest smile yet. "I think we inspire each other."

*THUD-DUM*

I don't even hear the moans of the engines anymore, or feel the late night breeze impacting my scales. I just see her. A cold drop that seems to give weight to a new growth in my chest. It's a familiar feeling, one I haven't felt in some time with such strength. The last time I remember it was when I walked into the town hall of Ponyville, and I saw a seamstress hard at work deciding the ribbons for the decorations. I was smitten... but crushed is all I would be.

The zebracorn starts to giggle at me. I'm shocked back to the present. "W-what's so funny?" I ask, my voice cracking a bit.

She leans back, continuing to keep her eyes on the mystical sky. "You should be more careful with your heart. Tripping around like that, you're bound to drop it before some creature not looking to pick it up for you."

I quirk a brow at the mare. "What's that supposed to mean?"

She closes her eyes for a moment. "You're still at that age. So I'll tell you from my experience, it's a warning to not spill yourself to others with obligations." She turns to me with her smile slowly fading. "Be it personal, or professional."

Ah, now I see.

Sir Fencer walks out with a boisterous declaration to the world below. "Well... this is it!"

Both Mrs. Kalimba and I stare at the stallion, wondering if he either intends to jump off the side or pull some other strange stunt. "What do you mean?" I ask him.

He turns back to us, mainly towards the zebracorn. "I guess this is where we start to bid our adieu's. I know I'm not for long when we land."

"Won't your prince seek to protect you, just as you've protected him?" She questions the guardian.

"Of course he will. Doesn't mean much when he'll be able to do very little."

"You know, I think you're being a little too negative considering your skills, dude." I say towards the resigned stallion.

"I'm only a mere rat given a chance to prove himself." He rebuts. "A rat can only chew for so long."

"And I take it you wanted to say your adieu to me?" Mrs. Kalimba points out.

The stallion maintains his distance out of respect, but gives yet another attempt towards the mare. "Well the northern lights aren't the only beauty of these lands. There's the mountains, soon will be the sunrise, later the sunset, but right now is nor more than the sky, and you."

The zebracorn is not very impressed with the stallion's wooing. "You flatter too much."

"Yeah, but I know that if I don't get a chance to say it now, I never will." He says with a gloomy tone. "There will probably be another who'll look to gain your attention and I've no contest."

Mrs. Kalimba stands up, looking to walk inside to avoid the air from chilling her too much as we get closer to the mountains. She offers her assessment of him. "In a past lifetime, I'd allow you your transgressions, even for a final comfort. But in this lifetime I have now, I must be better... for my family, my son." She softens her tone to one of regret and shame. "He deserves that much."

"A mare of respectable boundaries." He walks past her, taking his cue to go inside and retire to his own room. "Looking has never brought me so much peace."

She brashly comments to him. "Yes, yes, rub one off with me on your mind so you can go to sleep."

He candidly jokes quietly as he leaves. "As if I haven't had that in mind already."

A few hours pass and we're brought to the dark reaches of the north. While I wish I had my phone to check the time, I can only guess it's sometime around the hour of five in the morning. The sky is already starting to transition from the midnight darkness to the blue twilight before the dawn. The astronomical glow barely allows us to make out the castle walls below us. But upon a closer look, you realize that it's merely the outside walls of an ever greater city. The darkness hides much of the density, but I can make out the shadows of buildings with three to four stories to them. And looking beyond the fleet of airships, I can see the looming structure that holds dominance over the entire city, nothing comes close.

We traverse to an area in the city, a large airfield localized somewhere in the middle part of town. It's sprawls for a considerable amount, with a number of hangars for the other airships. I don't even get the chance to count how many there are, but I do know that they have at least a few dozen of these things here, probably more in some other towns. All it tells me is that they're good and stocked up for an invasion of wherever they may want to hit. And if they do, it'll be disastrous for whoever's on the business end.

There's room enough for all of us to land, all eight of our ships landing perfectly in the formation we were in for the past few hours. And upon landing, their field crews are already scattering like busy insects. Some crews of four bring hoses to the ships, connecting them to what appear to be large pumps stored under the ground of the airfield itself. A crew even approached our airship, but stopped in confusion as they didn't know where to place their hose. Instead, they were waived off.

As we all step off the airship, at last onto ground, Prince Amor yawns with comfort. "I swear if I hadn't slept throughout that flight, that would've felt so long."

Mrs. Kalimba stumbles down to the ground, thankful that we've finally gotten out of the air. "Well I didn't sleep a wink."

As I step off, I notice something quite off with the reception I'm getting. Sir Fencer walks besides me as I take in the uncomfortable reception. "Getting some preeeetty ugly stares here."

"It's just the usual Ponyland behavior." He says.

I politely fill in the blanks for him. "That's a unique way of them saying 'We hunt dragons like you'."

"Would you rather me just outright say what they do?" He asks. "Because I don't think you'd want to know the answer."

As we approach, a gathering of sedan chairs and the like are provided for us to ride in. I notice that the sedan chairs are covered with rich curtains and lined with the finest silks, more specifically bugbear silk, soft to the touch and firm enough not to easily tear. It's not only incredibly hard to harvest, but even harder to curate properly.

Dammit... Rarity's habit of observation just popped right out on instinct.

"Quite a caravan here." I say as our party gets closer to the grouping of sedan chairs.

"Finally!" A loud shout sounds from in front of us. The alicorn prince makes a landing upon his sedan, propping the curtains open to mock us once more. "Lousy Equestrians and your inferior airship builds! You made a seven-hour trip a whole eleven-hour slog for no reason other than shoddy craftsmanship and vastly inferior machinations! We'll be willing to sell you plans for one of our lower quality builds if the trade talks go through!"

I start to hold the side of my head, hearing his annoying voice just brings pain to my mind. "Does this guy ever shut up?"

As Amor looks to take his own sedan, he's instead guided to the one his brother rides in. The young prince appears sapped of life as he makes a slow march to join Xerxes. As soon as he steps on, the curtains are closed behind them. Sir Fencer watches the motionless vehicle with an observant eye. "Believe me when I say how much you don't want that to happen."

As I approach one of the sedans, I notice that there's another vehicle coming from the back. It's a drawn wagon with a wrought iron cage situated on the back. I stare with confusion as it slows to a halt right in front of me. Xerxes pops out from his sedan and hollers at me. "Alright, you! Get in!"

I merely stare back at him, pointing at the damn thing, knowing damn well I don't deserve this treatment. "That's a cage."

Sir Fencer whispers over to me. "Can you also believe me when I say that this is probably for your protection at this point?"

I start to argue with the Ponyland guardian. "Okay. Why do I feel like this has happened before? Like recently 'two weeks ago' before."

"I'm afraid that's the cost of living these days." He mutters quietly as to not make much of a scene. "And trust me, you want to be where the stray daggers can't cut you cleanly."

Daggers? Like I understand rotten fruit and shit like that, but daggers? "...Hell of a dignified welcome."

He was not playing about that statement.

The entire time we're on route to the castle, there's an abundance of items thrown my way. Of course there's the typical affair of rotten fruits, potatoes, rocks, mugs, and bottles of old wine, but there's also sticks, knives, axes, spears, and even a few swords thrown my way. Some even make a game of it, trying to see who's accuracy was so pinpoint that they could successfully hurl something in the gaps of this iron cage. What once was a offering of disrespect, it can still be construed as such, is now a boon for my own safety. It's astounding that I'd even get to the point where my safety is all but assured in this cage clearly built for the transport of feral cargo.

The only saving grace there is with this situation is that the others weren't here to pay witness to how I just got treated by the Ponyland denizens. If so, that would be a hell of a report to give to Twilight when we all get back to the ship. Only Mrs. Kalimba is accompanying us for the time being, to aid in our diplomatic talks. While I wish I could bring the whole crew, the local accommodations haven't been made for them yet, yet another topic to be discussed with the figure in charge.

We at last make it to the castle grounds, the walls forming as massive towers themselves, reaching as high as eighty feet tall where the main gate sits. In passing through them, we come into a large courtyard full of flowers and banners as far as the eye can see. There's also the statue of a figure standing tall over what appears to be the splitting image of Lord Tirek. There's a plaque on the front that reads 'Imperatoria Victoria' or 'imperial victory'.

Funny, don't quite remember them beating Lord Tirek twice, with him being imprisoned in stone in their gardens.

As we pull up to the front of the castle, the others are politely guided off of their sedans. Both Mrs. Kalimba and Sir Fencer are guided off. And at last it's my turn to be guided as they unlock the cage that protected me. "You, out." A guard commands with absolutely no hospitality shown.

I quickly hop off, seeing that while everyone else is given the red carpet treatment, I'm just simply given the cold shoulder instead. Not that I wasn't already prepared for this since I know what else lies in store for me otherwise. The fact that they gave me a cage is more demeaning, but also depressing because it served as a protective measure. I don't even bother exchanging pleasantries with these guards since they don't care much for me. Instead, I catch up with Sir Fencer. "Guess you weren't playing about those daggers."

"I told you." He whispers at me while the obnoxious prince walks over to us.

"Take note to tread carefully, dragon. If you step so much as one bit out of line..." Every guard on post slams their spears into the ground in unison. It startles me a bit while he grins with his constant air of superiority. "The hunt begins."

"No such thing as diplomatic immunity, huh?" I comment.

"Not in Ponyland." He replies. "My father believes in no such concessions. He's a just ruler."

As we're guided down the halls, I feel the many eyes peering towards me from varying directions. It's like everything I do is being judged, from how I breathe, to the way I walk, the way I speak, all for the explicit purpose of seeing if I'm worth keeping alive. This kind of provocation is often seen as a hostile act in the international community, can't imagine if this is how Nondis felt years ago during his stint with the guard. "How do you guys get visitors?" I lean over to ask Sir Fencer.

"Usually, they're all ponies." He explains.

"What about if they were a different species?" I inquire.

"Well you're free to find and ask them for yourself." He whispers under his breath.

I look around, seeing nothing but the typical unicorn, pegasus, and earthen variety. "No thanks, I don't think they'll be able to answer me at this point."

"If what you're implying is the worst outcome for them..." He points to a statue of a unicorn figure holding up the head of a dragon. "You're not wrong."

The obnoxious prince brings our party to a stop. We're brought before a set of large wooden doors. Amor's ears pin back as he appears anxious. "And now I'm deeply worried."

"You're the prince, what do you have to worry about?" I ask as the doors suddenly open to reveal a grand hall, strangely enough with the pathway leading to the throne lined in flowers planted into the ground itself. An albino figure sits upon the throne with an intimidating presence. It's another male alicorn, only this one being much older. And he doesn't look too happy. "Nevermind, I think I know the answer."

A guard calls out to the court. "I bring the Equestrian representative. Spike... the dragon."

I lean to my side, whispering over to Amor. "Do I have to get in a cage for this one?"

"It would be preferred." Xerxes says as he walks by me, stepping between us both.

The younger sibling speaks up for a moment. "Not mandatory, but Xerxes just wants to see you in a cage for his personal satisfaction."

"Amor..." He looks to his younger brother with clenched teeth, almost as though to hold back any verbal barbs he may have over the mere act of treating me well.

He sheepishly steps back. "...Sorry."

"We will discuss the matter of your discipline tonight. Now remain quiet." The older prince says through clenched teeth.

Completely silenced by Xerxes, Amor turns his head away from me while the former grins at me with yet another so-called victory. "Seriously?" I grumble.

A guard walks by the emperor to whisper words. The alicorn in charge nods in response and the guard loudly calls across the hall. "His imperial majesty allows. Enter."

As we approach closer to the throne, I make out the words of their banner. They read 'Vince omnem potestatem. Vivet imperium'. "Hmm, ominous."

The zebracorn walks beside, also reading the banners for herself. "What does it say?"

"Overcome all others. Long live the empire."

She hums with a grave tone. "That says much."

"You can say that again." I whisper back.

Emperor Basileus Apollo

High ruler of the Ponyland Empire, Noble Blood Primus

Upon getting close enough to exchange words, the Ponyland emperor swiftly calls me out. "You are Spike the Dragon, the Royal Friendship Advisor to Princess Twilight Sparkle of the Equestrian Realm?"

"Yes, your excellency. I have arrived, with your son. We present him to you unscathed." I bow before him, Mrs. Kalimba doing the same.

"I see that." He says with an unchanged expression. "But how do I know if this isn't some sort of changeling in disguise?"

Xerxes nudges Amor. "Speak now, brother."

The young prince is quick to find a topic of specific detail to engage with. "Your rose garden, my lord. It is where you've introduced yourself to my mother, the evening of your... copulation... with her."

"Your mother's name?" He seems unimpressed.

"Aurora Amor."

Just even the slightest jump of his eyebrows make the situation a little less tense. "Ah... yes, Aurora. She served her purpose to an acceptable end." ...Uh, that's how you talk about his mom?

"My mother has always cherished the interactions you had with her."

"Your mother was a fair look, as all of my concubines have been, and will be." ...Wow, I see where Xerxes gets his attitude from. Like that's all you can say about the guy's mom, that she was a good lay in bed? If that's the emperor's personality, then I completely understand why Twilight is willing to tear off a limb to keep this guy's genetics at an oceanic distance.

But I don't know what's worse, the emperor's lack of compassion for Amor's mother, or Amor's lack of a reaction to it all. In fact, he's carrying on like it's a basic conversation about the weather. "You also punished my brother, Amor Adelphos, for trying to woo his then-maiden to his chambers by using your garden, much like you continue to do to this day."

"Yes, I did." Seriously, all he did was use a rose garden to romance a girl. How do you punish a guy for something like that? "I chastised him with the appropriate method. Even now, she remembers little of your brother. Instead, she's focused on the burden of proof she now carries to our heritage. So do be cordial and congratulate her on her honor, if you will." Oh... shouldn't have asked.

"It is always a joyful endeavor to know that I am to have another sibling to share my time with." Seriously, Amor? You're not going to show any kind of vitriolic response to that?

"Great, another lesser blood for the books. I suppose it'll be somewhat useful as a brother." Even Xerxes has more of a negative reaction, albeit we have differing reasons for our disgust.

"I pray for a sister, your lordship." Amor says cheerfully.

But even that small reaction, no matter how positive or negative, gets a stomp and a firm correction from the snooty prince. "Silence yourself, brother." He's right back to being quiet and reserved, it's evident that his brother has him under a very short leash.

The emperor brings his attention back to me. "Well, Sir Dragon, it seems you have brought back one of my own heritage. Much commendations to you." The monotone nature of his response does not yield much in the way of optimism.

"Your lordship, I am honored and humbled." Disgusted and uncomfortable is more like it. This guy's nonchalance at even his own choices are so off-putting.

"And so well-trained. I must say you are from a good influence. And judging by the condition of your scales, you even appear well-groomed, my throne room doesn't smell a hint of sulfur. Commendable."

I'm sure by dragon standards, that's an insult. But for my usual practice, I'd simply call it another day ending in 'y'. "Thank you, sir."

He rises from his throne, bringing surprise to all in the room. He stands as his purple cassock wafts from his movement. He walks by me and speak. "Come, stroll with me."

"I would be honored." I say as I wait for him to make the first move.

He takes notice of my wait and calls me out for it. "Walk not behind, but beside. I want to see your face when I talk to you."

You know, it's probably the first time in this entire trip where I've been legitimately treated with a bit of the respect that I'm due, and it doesn't come from the guards, the welcoming committee, none of that but from the emperor himself. I give a quick glance over to Xerxes, who's scowl is at an all-star level. Probably the first time I can get a nod in against him without repercussions. "At once, your lordship."

We take a quiet stroll behind his throne, a pair of guards opening the curtains to allow us into another part of the hall. I take observation of the lack of any security around, but also keep in mind that they aren't making themselves visible for a reasonable purpose.

As the curtains close behind us, the emperor begins to speak once more. But this time, there's a little more expression in his voice. "You saved me from having to pay a hefty ransom. Seriously, a trillion bits for the likes of a lesser blood son of mine, they seriously overestimated that value quite a bit."

Still just as crass and cruel with his commentary, but this time the mask falls just a bit to reveal his true face. "Quite astounding, my lord. Astounding and perplexing."

"I'm glad to see you'll agree with me." A subtle smile forms on his lips.

"The pleasure is all mine, sir." I have to tell myself to just keep smiling, that this will be over soon enough.

"I want to ask you a few questions, and I wish you to be honest." Okay, guess I should prepare myself for this one. "Firstly, is your princess a virgin?"

EXCUSE ME!? "My lord?"

"I wish to assess the value of the mare that my foolish son has found infatuation with. I'm sure you understand that I ask with a father's concern. Now please, does she retain maidenhood?"

Well that's a way to lessen the impact of that question, but still that's a hell of a bomb you just dropped off at my front porch. "It would be hard to gauge, sir. To be frank, she seeks a stallion of prestige, preferably military prestige." I know that should eliminate Amor from the entire conversation and bring this topic to an anticlimactic pause.

"Then I trust your princess has engaged in the act of coitus?" Nevermind, he's still going strong on the issue.

"My lord, it's a complicated matter, I'm not even sure if I'm at liberty to discuss such a sensitive topic on an international scale."

"Nonsense." He rebuts. "Think not of this a conversation between two representations of respective nations, we'd be back on the other side otherwise." THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT THIS IS! "But think of it as a clandestine discussion between those of common key, a crack between comrades, a rap among frat." He hovers up and places a hoof on my shoulder, giving off a much better attempt of a friendly smile. "A coming of age topic between boys. It's a matter that requires only a short and thoughtless answer, yes or no."

I feel like not playing along to his schtick is going to net me into some hot water. Perhaps he'll show disappointment in the idea of Twilight having had experience in bed, instead of being as clean as the metaphorical virgin snow. If it's that answer that will put an end to this whole situation, then I'm sure she'd appreciate the answer I give... I can only hope she'll forgive me for having discussed it. "...Yes."

A sigh leaves his lips. "Oh, thank the good doctor."

Wait, he's not disappointed? "Sir?"

Finally, he let's his real face come through, his more lively expressions manifest as he gives complaint of the young prince. "Oh let me tell you, Amor Ambrosia has significant confidence issues in his mating practices. It's almost embarrassing to think about when I have to even consider him as a lesser blood of my heritage. His ability to woo is far from the standard becoming of my blood, I swear that his late brother took that genetic trait and ran with it to leave poor Amor with none to work with. It was so bad that I had to do the unlikely thing and arrange a marriage with a distant cousin from the south. So I'm sure a more-experienced mare of his choosing who'll show great patience will allow for him to mature."

...Oh god, now he's playing wing-dad. Why didn't I see this coming, who the hell is this guy? "I-I see."

He glances back at the curtains with a grimace and a shrug at the mention of his other son. "While my son Xerxes seems to be quite apprehensive towards you, I do understand that you are a true representation of what she looks to inherit to future generations of Equestrians, which I can respect. We have our political differences, she and I, but I do respect that you are her second in command, and the mouth which she uses to speak. So I bear you no ill will." Well I'm sure he's just talking this up, but at least the verbal commitment makes me feel a little more comfortable. "But allow me to add further, a unity between our two realms would be highly beneficial to you, would it not?"

I quirk my brow at the emperor. "A unity, sir?"

"If I am not mistaken, there has been no queen or king, no true discernable monarch in Equestria since the olden ages predating the era of the two sisters. A marriage would change that, allowing your princess to be crowned the one true queen."

In all honesty, if Celestia both kept her power and chose to marry anyhow, she'd be very much the queen she deserves to be. The only thing is that she wanted less paperwork and more time getting worked, which after a thousand years of not having is probably her only M.O. right now. "That is true."

"Then you would approve of my fool of a son's request to allow himself to be a suitor to your princess? He'll be without power over your nation's interests, of course."

Maybe if I placate to his demands, I'll not only get to keep my head, but I might be able to get the others off of that airship into some decent lodging. After all, I can clearly give a green light for him to try... "She's had a suitor before. Don't see why she can't have one now. I'll bring it up to her the next time we meet." Once more, that's an issue for future Spike to deal with.

"Splendid." He says with a nod of approval. "Now, to my next inquiry, who is that striking breed you've entered my court with?"

I take it he must mean Mrs. Kalimba. "One of our dignitaries in training, sir."

He gives a scoff and a bite of the lip, already letting the ideas run through his mind. "I must say, you Equestrians are coming with the goods these days. I don't usually say this when it comes to half-breeds, but I am impressed. Thoroughly impressed with her pedigree."

And from one uncomfortable subject to another. "I'll be sure to run the compliment by her."

"No need. I will address her myself." He says as he starts to hover off.

I try to give him a fair warning before she thinks to shut him down herself. "Sir, I don't think she's able to─"

"Oh come now, you Equestrians came with such a promising presentation." He says with cheer. "Tell you what, you may spend the nights here in our guest quarters, stay a while as I, along with my dignitaries, drum up a little trade agreement. We'll be accommodating to your demands and protections, we'll even make a festivus of it, a parade, a feast, maybe a night or two in our exclusive parlor, I'm sure you don't mind equine mares."

If it wasn't something I'm already used to. "Not at all, sir─"

Before I can finish, he interrupts me. "Wonderful. I shall entrust you to Amor during your stay, that way you won't have to curtail to the obscure demands of Xerxes. I'll give him the executive powers required to assign your protection, it'll be as if the word comes from a pureblood."

Still devaluing Amor, but trading that for my assurance. Gotta admit, this is a hard sell if it wasn't for the fact that my scales get to stay affixed to my body. "You're too kind, your excellency."

"I am a benevolent emperor. And I wish nothing more than to share my good will with you and your kingdom." He opens the curtain, guiding me back to the main part of the throne room. "Come, let us return."

"Yes sir." As we cross back over, I see the expression shift back on his face to what it was when we first arrived. But as we both walk back into the room, I get a glimpse of a disturbing sight. Xerxes is leaning closely into Amor, the younger stallion being the first to catch glimpse of us returning. He startles and turns away with deepening embarrassment as Xerxes looks back with annoyance.

"Oh for the love of─" The emperor groans with disgust. "Xerxes, mind yourself. We're in the presence of company."

The alicorn prince clicks his tongue and groans with compliance. "At once, father."

The emperor leans into me and whispers. "Apologies, I know that the moment has shocked you. But I'd be remiss to not announce their closeness with one another." 'Closeness?' Had we walked into a private room, that would've been awfully smutty. "Tis another reason for Xerxes' overpronounced introduction to your shores. A provocation I give my deepest apologies for." ...I'm still processing what I just walked in on. Even now, Amor tries to hide himself, but Xerxes keeps him on such a short leash that I can't look past the shock collar option.

The only thing I can do is smile and nod respectfully. "Well I am open-minded to ...differing cultures." I sheepishly reply.

"I thank you for your understanding, Sir Spike." He mutters before readdressing the room. "Heed! While our countries values differ from one another, I must say that our talks have yielded in a successful first round of discussions, for I see this potential onset of transactions to be mutually agreeable. Therefore, I make provisions to host our esteemed guests. Lesser Prince Amor Ambrosia, I hereby grant you the responsibility to guide Sir Spike of Equestria to our guest halls."

It seems Xerxes doesn't like that idea as much. "But father─"

"─And... the protections that be." He holds a hoof up to assert his decision before the upset prince.

He makes a quick glance towards his younger brother before trying to make another justification for his objection. "Our customs, father─"

"Son." His use of that word has a sharpness that cuts into the objection like a scalding knife through butter. "Why don't you go out and visit the countryside for a while, engage in the hunt. We'll be here in the meantime." His face changes once more, but to a fierce look of rebuke. "So tomorrow, take a little time away and try not to embarrass me further."

He gives a snort of refusal, but a bow of acceptance. "...Your word is law, my lord."

The alicorn prince takes his leave, his father delegates his attention back towards us, more specifically who I've come with. "Madam, can you tell me your name?"

"Kalimba, Representative Kalimba Mavembe, your highness." She answers with a bow.

He approaches her, giving her a swift look up and down. "Such an exotic name, and beauty. I wish you to accompany me with our trade engagements, as you also do represent Equestria and her dealings. I would want you to review the terms and conditions to see if these will be fair to your country and kin."

Already seeing through his intentions, she politely declines his offer. "Your highness, I cannot. I do not feel that I am in any capacity to engage in such high talks."

"Nonsense, you are in training." He says, dismissing her excuse. "Sir Spike has told me of your status, and I would wish you to be the one who goes back to your home country with the good news, and trade agreement in tow. Please, honor yourself with this privilege, it's not afforded to many." He sharply glances at Amor, giving an unspoken cue.

The young stallion shakily bows. "Father, if I may guide Spike towards the guest halls now?"

And just that quick, he's already separated us. "By all means. I'm sure the journey was long for him. Let him get his much-needed rest."

"If you'll excuse us then." The young prince says as a blue aura encircles my wrist, he guides me away. "Let's go."

After dragging me away from the throne room, Amor and I initially try to have a discussion about his relationship with Xerxes. It's understandable that after being seen in that circumstance that he'd want to avoid it, and we end up doing just that. I suppose he's not comfortable enough to open up about that, especially since this is his brother. I can't help but to wonder how this all came about, or worse, how far they've gone.

He instead looks to make a topic change and he brings us to a hall with a number of tapestries depicting the history of Ponyland and it's heroes. He calls it the empire's claim to fame, but admits that it's nothing on the level of having stained glass windows depicting our historic events in Equestria, much less me being in some of them.

Then comes the hall depicting the tyrannical reign of Lord Tirek, his dominion over Ponyland itself. It seems that while he was successful in his plans to take all the magic in the empire, it still wasn't enough for him and his brother. They did have a dragon assistant that aided them in their efforts initially, but he turned on them in his own bid for power. Needless to say that failed and he was punished severely, a punishment duly given to all dragons to this day.

More of our tour unveiled a lot of Tirek's legacy left here in Ponyland, including his improbable defeat at the hooves of a large band of ponies with spears and improvised flamethrowers. I'll admit, I didn't see that tapestry coming. Amor proudly waxes on the history of that day, all from the perspective of what he was taught. "And since he carried out much of his tyrannical reign here in this very castle, Lord Tirek had the halls themselves renovated more and more, each time with his growth. Even now we walk in what's known to be the final height adjustment before the castle was reclaimed."

"Huh. Had to be pretty damn big at the time." I point out as I look to see the ceiling being as high as thirty feet.

"He was." He groans. "But not big enough to ward off the weapons that were created to drive both him and Scorpan off. If it wasn't for that, we'd probably still be under his influence."

We come to a hall of windows, each looking out to the battlements of the lower levels. As I watch the guards march back and forth, I see a squad inspecting a few other things lining the top of the battlements. "You guys have party cannons lined up on the walls?"

The prince croaks with uncertainty. "Not sure why you Equestrians have cannons for parties, but those are not for the party you'd want to have."

"They aren't?"

"Of course not." He answers. "They're for the defense of the castle... they're weapons that basically turn any pony into a crushed mess."

Looking down further, I see a courtyard with a squad of five trainees. They seem to hold staves pointed at some thatch dolls set up a distance away. The stallion in charge holds a saber to the air, then drops it to give the signal. Clouds of smoke erupt from the ends, some of the thatch dolls fall over from the hits, one has a head blown off, a few others are unscathed.

The sound from inside is similar to a loud popping sound, one that rings too familiar for me to ignore. "You guys have guns?"

He seems unfamiliar with my term for their firearms. "Uh, not sure what that is, but what they're using are hoof cannons, long barreled weapons used on the fields of battle to dominate the front."

I slowly turn to the stallion. "Where'd you get this technology from?"

"From legendary creatures of an old age, summoned by that dragon we highlighted earlier. They came with much knowledge, their eyes cut narrow but their minds were sharp. It was said that they were the offspring of an alchemist in their world. They walked on only two legs, but their technology helped us in our pursuit to reclaim the castle from Tirek and his forces of marauders. That was well over a thousand years ago."

My jaw drops to the ground, stunned over the revelation of this occurrence. "A thousand years!?"

While I express my shock, he points out yet another weapon they use. "You see those spears, they are sometimes outfitted with rockets and ran on a rack. From there, they can be fired from distance like rapid-fire artillery." He walks forward with a prideful smile, moreso a sense of naïveté over the destructive powers they have... and what it could advance to. "Our country specifies in warfare and conquest, the only thing that's been in our family is fighting for dominion, and maintaining our superiority." A sadness starts to show on his face. "Unfortunately, our advancements have been used more in the homestead than it ever has been used on the fields of battle with our adversaries."

"So you guys learned how to make your weaponry from humans." I point out.

The prince appears confused. "Humans?"

I start to explain what I mean. "Two-legged creatures, tall─"

*klangalangalang*

A loud crash echoes throughout the halls, everyone but me seems fairly indifferent to the sudden outburst of chaos in the otherwise tranquil halls of the castle. "DON'T ASK ME WHY THEY HIRE USELESS SACKS OF SHIT LIKE YOU! DO IT AGAIN, AND DON'T YOU FUCKING COME BACK UNTIL IT'S DONE RIGHT!"

As the yelling takes place further down the hall, Amor tugs on my arm, trying to pull me in the same direction we just came from. "Um... I think we should go." His tug is a lot more forceful than when he pulled me out of the throne room.

"What the hell was that?" I ask the prince, who seems more embarrassed than disturbed.

"You probably don't want to find out. Having to deal with Xerxes is already hard enough." He complains.

My eyes buck open at the idea of whoever that was yelling is somehow worse than the annoying asshole that wants me dead from the onset. "Seriously, there's someone worse than hi─"

Before I can finish my sentence, a bunch of spears are casted just a few feet away from us, denting into the marble floor and cutting some of the carpeted walkway. I yelp in surprise while Amor sighs in defeat. "Ugh... to answer your question, yes."

An albino alicorn mare descends from the height of the ceiling, her pink magic active on the spears that cut us off from our retreat, her fiery fuchsia eyes set on us both. "What in the Good Doctor name is all this fuckery!? Why's a dragon here!?" She speaks with a Gaelic accent, a crude rasp in her voice that manifests harsh cracks with certain tones.

She simply takes a spear from an attentive guard and points it at us both, primarily at me. "Uh..."

Amor speaks with a deadpan tone. "Yeah... that's what I was avoiding."

She points the spear at my neck, backing me even further into her makeshift barrier. "Who the fuck do you think you are, just dancing about the place like you're not going to get snatched and butchered!?"

Amor steps in, slowly moving the spear's tip from my vicinity. "Spike... my eldest sister, Zenobia."

High Princess Rosa Zenobia

Noble Blood

"This your sister?" I ask with a directed whisper.

"Rather half-sister. She's born from the my father's second wife, Xerxes' mother." He quietly answers.

"Xerxes has a younger sister?"

"She's the older, actually."

Zenobia stares impatiently as we continue our exchange of questions and answers. "Xerxes is second to the throne... So you're telling me that─"

"I should probably stop you before we go down that rabbit hole. Our genetic process for ascension is a difficult process to explain, our line of succession is lot different from that in Equestria. It's not as simple as just being born."

"Equestria!?" She asks, pointing the butt end of the spear towards me instead. "You're that scaly fucker our father's been on about? So is that why you've been brave enough to risk getting your shit snatched and chopped for the bait?"

I glance to Amor. "She's a crass one."

"And wouldn't you believe it, she's also my father's first-born." He adds.

"I'm right fucking here, you shitstain of a lesser blood!" This time she shoves the spear in the face of her younger half-sibling before readdressing me. "Now as for you, I hear you service your current princess."

...Come again? "Uh... not quite sure what you're trying to draw on here."

"Her submissive, you serve as her submissive!"

That does not make things any less awkward. "...Define submissive."

"Lackey!" She screams to the top of her lungs.

Okay, that's a little better. I thought she meant I was─you know what, nevermind. Don't need that image in my head. "I wouldn't quite put myself down that far, but yes I am her second in command, administratively speaking."

"Astounding!" She hollers in total disbelief. "A dragon being made to lead ponies? That's absolutely maddening! How the fuck does she even go about taming a beast like you for something so high in civilized culture like that?"

"You know, we dragons aren't exactly rocks-for-brains." I respond.

"But you lot are stupid." She jokes mockingly.

Amor jumps in to break his sister's provocative insult. "Okay, can we not with this?"

She merely shoves him aside. "I mean look at you, you wander into the corridors of Ponyland's capital city, looking to negotiate a return for my lesser-blood brother in exchange for a lucrative round of peace talks, knowing that your country is about as battle-ready as a group of villagers holding reeds and rocks for weapons."

His means of mediation is turned now to me. "I'm sorry Spike, my sister is a bit underutilized and ill-prepared for international discussions─"

"You don't fucking speak for me, shit-brain!" She says, tossing the stallion aside with her magic. "I speak for myself."

While it is my objective to keep a peaceful disposition, I do try to defend the nation I represent. "Well I can assure you─"

She yanks me down to her eye level in her magic, proving she's very capable of multitasking at an advanced level by unicorn standards. "And you shut the fuck up! This isn't your country to be speaking and moving about so freely!" She leans in with a snarl, but the fierceness on her face lessens with a realization dawning on her. Her nostrils flex as she takes a few quick sniffs of the air between us. "Strange... your breath smells fairly inoffensive."

"Uh... thanks?" I say as I try to break from her magic, instead she holds my wrists to my waist.

She leans closer to me, giving a very thorough inspection of my person. She tilts her head, squints her eyes, pulling back a few scales for filth, and forces my jaw open to gander at my teeth. "I bet you're a pretty well-tamed one, aren't you?"

"Why hu you hay tat?"

"A dragon that doesn't smell like you've been shitting sulfur and eating shit, pretty rare for one of you to come smelling like you've some understanding of civilization." She finally finishes her random five-point inspection of me, tapping her chin in thought.

"I... guess."

She points a wing at me, her magic still bending me to her eye level. "So how'd your princess tame you?"

"I'm not tamed. It just so happened that I was just hatched out of an egg in pony society, adapted to the rules and social standings, interact in a manner that's pleasant to those around me and avoid conflicts that lead to consequences..." I pause in thought, coming to realize that's exactly what happened. "I guess that is kinda what being tamed is all about, though."

"You're telling me you were born to ponies!?" She asks with shock. "How the fuck does that happen!?"

"Magic school." Both she and Amor stare at me, even while he's pinned against the wall upside down. "Trust me, it's a lot less confusing than what you're thinking."

"Interesting." She replies as her magic quenches from around her brother, him falling head-first to the ground. She keeps me bent over as she circles around me, doing things like lifting my tail and wagging it around. "You ever grew up being curious about pony females?"

I instinctively move my tail between my legs as I speak. "To be fair, I did start off with having a crush on one."

She walks around to my front, pulling it even further between my legs. "Did it ever confuse you?"

I look away from her as she takes in the amusement of toying with me. "Not really."

She forces my head forward, pulling my chin to only maintain her direction. "Any interests?"

"Your highness, I cannot specifically converse the matter without keeping this conversation in official capacity, out of respect for both you and myself."

"Shouldn't have really said that." Groans Amor through the pain of having to reset himself. "Ow."

"Really now?" She mulls with a creeping smile reminiscent of her brother's. "What if I was to say that I give you permission to speak freely this one time, unofficially so?"

Her magic still holds strong over my body, so I shift my eyes to avoid the mare's glare of interest. "I still wouldn't feel comfortable talking about it."

"Then I'll cut you a deal, dragon." She levitates me to the air, flipping me upside down to gain my undivided attention. "Since I am merciful, I will allow you to continue on this matter upon a later time. Since my day is rather boorish with much assigned, you'll appoint yourself a visit to my chambers tonight, under my strict decree, and you..." She lifts my tail to disrupt my attempt to hide any potential interests I have in the current discussion. Thankfully I'm more consumed by intimidation than arousal. "...discuss in great capacity your thoughts and history with mares."

"Why am I doing that exactly?" I ask as my cheeks redden with ignominy.

She turns to Amor. "He's met Xerxes, has he not?" I let loose a groan of displeasure, snapping her attention back to me. "Oh you have, good. Then understand that if I shed word of our crossing paths, and illuminate to my brother the fact that you bear interest in equine mares, he will be foaming at the mouth to bring a hunting party to collect you within the hour."

I try to counter her threat with a reminder of the potential consequences. "Your highness, doing that will risk an international incident, much less a conflict─"

She yanks me even higher into the air, this time she hovers to where I am and gives me a smirk. "Then you'll have no issue with this agreement then. A piece of peace for a piece of you." I gulp from the immense initiative she takes in handling me. "My chambers, you and me, midnight. Come freshly groomed, if you would."

"Did I just get threatened into a one-night stand?" I ask myself under my breath.

"For your sake, you'd better hope this isn't for one night." She leans in to whisper. "As big as you are, I expect nothing less than an adequate presentation. And you'd do well to not keep me waiting, Zenobia does not do well with delayed gratification. I expect much, since you have no reservations on tonight, no schedule, no thoughts against equine opposites." She teleports me back to my feet on the ground, all while gliding gracefully back down to the direction she appeared from. She whispers to a maid, who appears from behind a pillar, they nod and teleport away. She loudly sets her demands from across the hall. "The escort will also supply your provisions for tonight, be sure to have them ready as you arrive. I look forward to our negotiations, Equestrian representative."

The spears that once blocked off our path fall hapless to the ground. Amor walks beside me with a shudder of repulsion. I mouth over to him. "Did your sister just─"

He doesn't just pull me along, he shoves me full against my back towards the room I'm slated to stay in. "Yes... And you should probably just take your party and run before the nightfall. I'll have Sir Fencer worry about Representative Kalimba, I'll sneak you out personally."

"As long as I don't get to be in chains again." I complain.

"That should be the least of your worries."

Author's Note

Well it's been a long while, sorry for the wait. I had a lot going on and there was hardly any time on the schedule to keep track of my writing of the story. But the good news is that I've drafted the next ten chapters as is. Now I should be back on a relatively smooth schedule for the time being.

As for the story and what takes place, I should advise you that the current location does unveil some rather dark things that take place. It won't reach to the levels of the predecessor's dark levels, but it will reach about the halfway mark at some points. There will also be some themes that I know some of you would not be privy to. I just wanted to get that out there before we continue. Even if it is a RATED MATURE story, I do need to keep some sensitivities under advisement.

I thank you for understanding, and I hope to see you for the next one.

Chapter 30: Subconscious Submission

Later in the evening, the sun disappears into the western horizon, to inevitably be dragged past it's point of rest by Twilight herself. The moon rises now after being pushed to do so. The stars shine out, and the auroras brighten the sky with a mystifying green glow. The entire sprawling city is coated in a green glow, all sourced from the sky. It's a beautiful moment that's to be treasured for it's oft fleeting nature, for it only lasts for less than an hour.

And just as fleeting as it is in the sky, Amor and I intend to be just as fleeting beneath it.

The guards, known in these parts as 'centuries', are sparse in the halls. They seem to be very lightly protected in contrast to our castle back home. I personally think it's a bit weird, but I guess I can take a moment to appreciate their lax measures, as it makes our escape all the more feasible. No complaints given, no complaints to be had.

He leads us to a part in the castle where there's a tapestry depicting the execution of a dragon, it's not the same one near the throne room, but a duplicate. Not many would probably even think to see this tapestry and put together the idea that the duplicate would be the way out. It's no wonder Sir Fencer pointed out that particular tapestry to me before we entered the throne room, he was quietly showing me a way out.

I inquire the prince about this dragon. "So you said that this dragon was the one who betrayed Scorpan and Tirek. Why do you think he went against them, only to attempt what they failed to do after his intervention?"

"Don't know. Seems a creature with magic powers would realize that helping to raise an army of ponies with non-magic weaponry would also be used against him if he tried to claim power the way he tried to." The young prince answers. "Call it a hunch, but I don't think his plans were all too solid."

"Basically, he was stupid." I conclude.

"Yeah." He nods emphatically as he presses a stone in the wall, unveiling a set of runes on the wall. "I assemble the pieces from up above." The wall folds itself back brick by brick, revealing a set of stairs leading down into what smells to be a sewer. While it is an unpleasant odor, it's our only way out of the castle without going through the main checkpoint.

As we descend, I make a comment on the secret passageway. "Guess our palace isn't the only one with shit like this."

"Always a plan in case things go south." He answers. "You know how these things go."

"You think your dad might find issue with me going missing for the night?"

"You're the least of his worries at this point. I'm more worried about how Sir Fencer is going to be able to extract that poor mare we came with."

Typical, any guy who thinks with his dick first would probably look to keep his chances alive over keeping a close eye on any political prisoners they may have. But that's only one portion of this enormous equation. "Any way for me to get back to the airfield without getting hunted?"

"That's the intent for tonight." He responds. "We're going to take the sewers, as you can already tell. We'll use the sluice for the northern waterway, it should be closed by around this time to regulate the flow towards the Sea of Shadows. Walk all the way around until you reach an iron gate. From there, turn left and keep walking until the end of the passage. Take the ladder up, you'll pop up in the airfield. It's an easy straightaway from there. When you cross the mountains into Prance, you'll no longer be subject to Ponyland aerial pursuit."

I simplify his explanation, trying to better commit it to memory. "Northern waterway sluice, iron gate, turn left, keep straight, ladder up, home free."

"Exactly." He confirms.

We continue to move forward, until we suddenly realize that we're walking without making any further advancement. The both of us look down to see ourselves walking on thin air. It takes only a second to process the glowing pink auras surrounding our bodies. A chill runs down our spines as we turn around to see a familiar face seething towards the both of us. "Well, what a very interesting shituation I've run into."

"Um..." I don't find much to say other than trying to play nice at this point, it's not like I can explain what we're doing down here in a sensible manner. "Hi."

"The fuck you two doing?" She's asking the question in a seemingly calm manner, and I already don't like that.

"We're just gonna... well─"

On second thought, I think I can make a quick excuse for us. "Amor was just telling me of this one tavern in town that serves really good drinks. We were just gonna hit up the place and dash back shortly after." I quickly address the prince, trying to get him to go along with my story. "You know, that one bar you told me about."

Thankfully, he's quick to catch cues. "Yeah, the─"

"I was born on a day ending in a y, not one that starts with it." She quickly drags the both of us back to the front of the tapestry, dropping us into whatever position we happen to land in. I smile nervously before she tosses her brother a few feet down the hall. "Get to your fucking room, you fucking shit stain of a lesser blood!" She also totes me like a bag in her method to move me down the hall. "And you, fuckface, you're with me now!"

I look to inform her of this unacceptable behavior. "I beg your pard─"

"Would you rather your wings will be the next thing my little brother walks on in his room?" And just like that, that behavior is suddenly much more acceptable. I know it's cowardly, but I'd rather keep my head on my shoulders than stand tall and get cut to pieces in a land far from home. "Thought so."

I sheepishly wave at the stallion, who's crumpled upside down against a wall. Poor guy's been eating it as of late. "Sorry, dude. Maybe next time?"

"I'll keep a tab open for you." Amazingly, he's still playing along. "...Ow."

She ups her pace into a trot, still toting me along in the manner of a newly-claimed wares from the fashion outlet. "Your scaly ass must think you're clever, don't you?"

"Well they do call me witty─" I answer before I realize that we're moving past the hall where I'm supposed to be assigned for my stay. She does not slow down, not one bit. "Um, my room was tha─"

"Fuck your room, you're a flight risk."

"Oh, okay." Well, she's not wrong. "Mind telling me where you're dragging me off to?"

"Where do you think I'm dragging you off to?" I open my mouth to answer, but she yells at me before I can even breathe. "Not a fucking word, it's a rhetorical question!"

We enter into a large hallway, the tapestries no longer depicting historical events. Instead they show the numerous emperors who have ruled the country for over a millennia. There seems to be a collage of them, with the prime exception of a framed image depicting the current emperor. As I highlight that one image, I take note of a common theme when it comes to the head pony in charge. "So... I see your family has an albino trait. I also see a good amount of rulers who apparently aren't albinos at all, if anything, the genetic trait doesn't seem to be that much of a dominating force in terms of the hierarchy until recently."

"Shut it." She says, becoming visibly annoyed.

A large wooden door with a pink rose sigil is where we finally come to our stop. She does not spare a moment upon opening the door to assess where I'll be shown to. Instead, she merely chucks me onto the bed, hurriedly shuts the door behind her, and glares at me like I've committed a hostile act. Her magic manipulations have yet to conclude, illuminating a number of smaller pink bulbs over a significant number of incense sticks around the room. A smokey haze is slow to build in the air as she creeps closer, her body slowly snaking from side to side.

Her dress slowly slips off as if I'm paying witness to one's descent into irrationality. "You tried to run from me, didn't you?"

"Not you, I just─"

A yanking force pulls against my neck, firmly yanking me down towards the pillows of her bed. The dress that once covered her body finally loses every last bit of touch from her body, lying haphazardly on the ground. "You scared of a little mare like me because I assert myself?"

"Not really─"

She lifts the skirt of her bed, appearing to pull out a wooden box of unknown items. The box rests with a loud thud as she narrows her eyes at me, planting her hoof next to my chest. "What then?"

"Well, I do believe your dad is the one who lords over this place." As I make mention of her status, my tail coils between my legs to keep myself modest.

She scoffs at my response. "You think that matters at this point?"

"I don't think he'll appreciate me defiling his daughter while trying to drum up a trade agreement." And I'm sure her brother would definitely take offense to that.

She chuckles at the thought of the trade agreement. "You'd think he'd really draw up a favorable trade with the likes of you? You're almost as stupid as the other dragons we've culled." She starts to open her box, going through a number of items I cannot see from my vantage point. "My father's already made up in his mind what he wants for the exchange, and it's likely what you've already brought here with you. To think that your idea of an exchange works on the principle of what you could bring to the table in the near future is as asinine as you believing that my father will care what I do with my body."

A small bottle is sat beside me and opened, the lid is yanked off with a high-pitched pop. "Doesn't he care about you?"

"For what? I'm no male heir. I may be his first, literally the carbon copy of him, but his mode of showing affection for me is me asking him for something and him giving me what I ask for in abundance. Riches, food, land, whatever I ask in this domain, I am afforded because my father has the power to give it." She takes a small swig from the bottle.

"Let me guess, he gives you everything but the time with him."

"That must be pretty obvious at this point." She says as she takes another swig of her potion. "Again, it doesn't really matter at this point."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

She stops herself from a third swig, staring at me with anger. "You're not here to take pity on me, dragon. You know exactly why I dragged you into this room."

"You want me to humor you."

"Humor..." She pulls out another phial, this time pouring some of the contents onto her neck. It smells like a very pleasant draw of lavender and honey. She follows it up by putting some on her hoof, for what I assume to be for her chest. "I expect you to give me the tribute I am long overdue."

"With all due respect─" I'm suddenly silence by her hoof planting itself over my snout.

"How about you take your respect and file that behind the shelf where I seem to give a shit. I don't fucking care for your reputation, your reservations, your titles, not even the fact that you're a dragon right now." She at last climbs onto the bed, still keeping her magic lead taught against my neck. "I asked you a question earlier, and now I want not only an answer, I want a demonstration. And you'll afford me that."

"Do I get a say in any of this?" I question as she takes notice of my tail being coiled in my lap.

She places her hoof on my tail, offering a firm message. "Either you do as I say, or my brother will do as he will with you."

My thighs initially tighten up at the idea of me getting split apart and done away with. Then I imagine the sadness of everyone else as they try to pay their final respects to me with nothing but a memory and a framed portrait to represent my physical presence. I close my eyes and loosen the coil of my tail. "I'm only doing this to prevent a war." I say, mainly to convince myself.

"Dress it up whatever way you like, dragon." She says with a satisfied tone, finally brushing my tail aside. As the coil subsides completely, she notices the growth taking place.

I look away from the situation, feeling a bit embarrassed and nervous for what she might think of it. "As long as your father doesn't mind this."

She uses her magic to prime me even further. "And if he does, then what of it?"

As she gets closer, I'm expecting her to add a little more to her engagement. My modest thoughts begin to elude me, but the situation still has me aware of the possible consequences. Either way, I'm both anxious to be devoured, and just as worried about what may happen if we're found out. "Just don't get me in trouble."

Her eyes widen as her continued efforts yield favorable results. Her eyes wander from base to summit, she gives it a firm tap, discovering how turgid my better self can be. She hums with a quiet curiosity. "So, you are quite bold."

"You're the one who asked if I had 'reservations'." I recall.

"And I see you have none." She says with a quirked brow. She gives me a smack, causing me to wince and throb from the impact. "Interesting shape, fairly good presence..." She gives yet another smack, I grunt and nearly buck my hips upward from the blow. Her hoof presses against my base, confirming it's unrelenting firmness. "How braced you are, dragon. You have my interest." She gives me another parting smack as she pulls me from off of her bed. No part of her yanking me is gentle in any way. As I recover from my brief tumble, I am greeted with the sight of her laying on her back, her wings parting the folds to proudly reveal her depths. "Now gain my attention. And don't dare be timid. Look me in my eyes while you serve this princess." Her feathers give a emphatic tug to illustrate her words.

While I'm sure that she means for me to simply apply myself to her, I know that doing so would run the risk of incomplete satisfaction. And while it is rather inviting, I do take note that she is not quite in a mode to receive such a welcome. So to avoid the unwanted friction between our two parties in the heat of our engagement, I vie to open our negotiations with a little more nuance.

And as the ambassador of Equestria, I look to meet the requirements that will satisfy both parties in the best possible way. I spare no hesitation, crawling for the welcoming curtains that display a different warmth of pink that contrasts heavily in the light of this room. Her face contorts with concern, then fear as I widely present my tongue and maw to her. "Hey, watch those─" I snicker from the moment of shock I give her, and then politely close distance with merely my lips. She gasps as the first thing she feels is a simple kiss, before I proceed with my assault. My tongue, both malleable and precise, assault her with an intense lashing. The princess loses her breath at the moment my contact sustains for but a few seconds. Her hooves dig into her sheets as she lets her head fall back, being the first to break our eye contact. She tries to hide her facial expressions throughout my unexpected approach. "Well trained, dragon. You seem to have some semblance of manners."

I feel her magic at the back of my neck, pressing me lightly as she starts to writhe. And for my own fun, I lightly encircle the entrance of her body before plunging myself between her folds. My forked tongue, capable of hitting a number of simultaneous angles, discover the absence of innocence. She yanks my head up to stop me from going further. Already, her eyes are lost and longing for more. "Your majesty is satisfied, I take it?" I ask with an innocent tilt of my head.

"Hardly." She tugs me by my base, hazardously guiding me to finally join with her in the way she deems fit. "My demands are far more visceral."

"I take it I'm not your first ride?" I say as I give her a slap atop her taunted mound.

"Hardly." She grunts as she tugs me into her. She gives a satisfied sigh of relief, planting a hoof to anchor herself with the anticipation of a rough bout. "Fuck, you're thick."

"You're not bad yourself." I growl in a low voice, my claws grasping at her throat in the meantime. Her body seizes from my touch. "What, this too off kilter for you?"

A frown develops on her face. "I see you have standards, standards you feel I do not yet meet." Her horn stays lit as she uses her magic to pull me into her neck. As she does so, her hips are the first to move. "You're going to learn about underestimating me!"

"You know we dragons are competitive." I warn her, giving a deep thrust. She shrieks from the abrupt strokes I offer to her imperial highness. "We don't like to lose."

My efforts are far from relenting, and her hooves are far from being anchored into the bed, moreso being clasped around my body in a bid to hold control of herself in the midst of my assault. Her eyes clench shut, grunting as she lets her weight fall on me. I raise her from the bed and suspend her into the air to gain full authority over her. The sudden helplessness of her being toted in the air finally deactivates her magic manipulation, but not the glow around her horn, as that's merely a reactionary response to her mind's process over pleasure. She screams out past my ears to the top of her voice. "Finally... a useful fucking pet!"

I quietly curse her to myself. "Crazy ass bitch."

She overhears my comment and offers her own at full volume. "Arrogant dragon fuck!"

"I fuck more than dragons, you know that now, don't you?" I reply to her. In my continued efforts, I walk towards the other side of the room. I then make her shriek in response to the fact that I plant her against the wall. Her grip on me tightens, both outside and within. I feel her seizing against me. She starts to stifle her squeaks, her raspy cries falling short as her muzzle is buried firmly against my chest.

She shudders as her climax is quickly reached. While she ascends in her madness, I see that my end of the bargain is all but achieved. Now it's my time to indulge in my own selfish desire. I hasten my motions, deepening my push for my own gratification. I plant my hands around her waist, they are fairly dainty for her size. And in the moment of my own encroaching frenzy, I lean into her neck. I resist my primal urge to bite her, knowing it could hurt her, but I at least offer her my tongue as a means of satisfying that carnal desire of mine.

I surge forward, at last throbbing with satisfaction of reaching a finish. I bury myself into her neck, growing intoxicated with her scent. I know I would like to go at it again, but I know that this forbidden encounter is probably better off short-lived. And pony mares don't last long, going for about three to five minutes before achieving adequate satisfaction. So I take the opportunity to retract myself as I speak. "I trust your majesty is satiated."

But the magic aura that manifests around my base speaks otherwise. I'm guided back into her flesh once more as she moans longingly at me. "...Again."

"What?" I ask, stunned that she would dare to make this last even longer than the five minutes we've shared conjoined, never mind the other two minutes I've spent on my knees. She should be done.

"I said again!" She screams much like an entitled child, almost having a tantrum as she tries to push herself off and onto me in the bid to replicate my motions. "Do it again, you stupid pet!"

I laugh to myself as my desire to continue is answered by her own libido to match. "Insatiable bitch."

An hour goes by and I'm back to being fully in the limp. It seems while I had my own pent up moments to get through in the past, she's obviously had to work through much of hers. I want to assume it's probably been some time since she's gotten into a physical encounter that's yielded her favorable results. And the hour she took to get it out of me tells me that she's been with some inferior company for a mighty long time. Poor thing.

I roll over, absolutely tired from the labor of exploring her body and working mine to the aches and sores. "Got that out of your system?"

And as her current mood reflects, she's more than happy with the work I've put in. "A good amount." She seems pretty docile in contrast to the harsh approach she took to get me into this room in the first place.

"Good." I say as I start to rise from the bed. "Glad you had your fun."

Once more, I feel her magic pinning me back down to the bed. She also manipulates my arms to wrap around her where she lays. She snuggles into me with a murmur. "Good pet."

"Excuse me?" I ask.

"You heard me. You're my pet from here on." She turns over to face me. Instead of a fowl frown or a sadistic smirk much like Xerxes', she looks up at me with softness and the smallest inkling of complacency. "And everyone from here to the southernmost shores of the empire knows not to fuck with me and whatever's mine."

I roll my eyes at her while the fatigue overwhelms me, my eyelids growing heavier by the second. "You don't have another name for me, do you?"

As I close my eyes, I feel a moist softness anoint my cheek with the sensation her petting my neck. "Pet."

My eyes shoot open immediately. I quickly sit up, trying to make sense of where I am and the time. Once I see the vast amount of pink all around me in the decor, I realize that I had dozed off in the princess' bed. I jump right out of the bed, trying to see if I can get out of the hall unseen. But that hope leaves me when I see from the window a ray of sunshine. Apparently I didn't just doze off, I fully slept in the princess' bed.

Panic starts to fill my mind as I think of all the hypothetical situations that could erupt as a result of this. But the first thing that grabs my immediate attention is the strange ringing sound I hear whenever I move. I turn my head, and I hear the sound of small bells jingling. I feel on myself from my chest upwards, discovering a leather band fixed to my neck. Upon the front is a bell that acts as a indicator of where I am with each movement I make. "The fuck is this?"

*knock knock knock knock*

My heartrate jumps so high that I fear the risk of another cardiac episode. The panic starts to truly manifest itself as the knocking continues. I grasp at the bell, looking to silence it as it jiggled, only to be rewarded with a painful shock. I stifle any swears, quickly thinking of my best impersonation of the princess' voice, accent and all. "Who is it?"

It's easily discernable that I'm not her to the maid who walks into the room without further hesitation. My heart is basically pounding to jump out of my chest. "Sir guest, your presence is requested in the dining hall."

The mare, dressed in a typical maid uniform, bows her head before me out of respect. I'm still in panic mode as I don't know what all this means for the time being. "Look, ma'am. I can explain─"

"No need for explanation, sir guest." She answers with a forward monotone voice. "The princess has informed me of her recent acquisition of a suitable chamber guest. The collar around your neck verifies the account. Also, her majesty has requested that you keep the collar on at all times."

"For what?" I ask as I pull on the leather band.

"Identification purposes." She lifelessly explains. "It gives you free clearance to walk from the royal chamber hall to most places within the castle, provided that you have the prescribed escort. You, however, may not leave the grounds unless accompanied by her imperial majesty."

"What the fuck is this place?" I mutter to myself in disbelief.

"A word of warning, sir guest." She adds. "While you are granted the powers to roam through most parts of the castle, you however are still subject to the princess' summons. It would be advisable to adhere to the commands of her imperial majesty. Failure to comply will result in a shock. Continued failures will result in shocks of increased pain and duration. Any further disobedience will yield fatal consequences. Do you understand the terms and conditions of your privilege?"

...Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way. Oh what fun it is to find that you've stuck your dick in cray. "Shit."

I pay heed to the warning that was issued. Since it seems that this collar on my neck isn't exactly something I can take off at the moment, I might as well try to keep a cool head on my shoulders and tough this one out. Considering the circumstances, all I have to do is continue doing what I did last night until she gets bored of me in a few days. By then, it's within reason that she may let me go. At the very least, I can enjoy that. It's the limitations of leaving to my airship I'll have to deal with. Not to mention I still have to get everyone else some lodging. Wouldn't be fair to keep them stashed away on the airship the entire time.

Maybe I can negotiate for that today.

As I enter the dining hall, I notice a vastly different setup from what I'm normally used to. Instead of the dining table being a rectangle, it's a massive round circle with at least thirty seats. It seems to welcome many important guests, but I'm willing to wager that it's set up to accommodate a few guests, then a majority of family members. And it does seem that while there is a significant number of chairs empty, many that are filled is simply filled with those of imperial blood.

Five albino alicorns are seated at the table, including the emperor himself. Mrs. Kalimba is seated right next to him, he seems pretty determined to show his interest in the zebracorn mare. There also seems to be an unusual alicorn present, one that's a little more colorful than the other, sporting lavender streaks in his mane and tail He has a flamboyant mannerism and scoffs when I enter the room. "My... a dragon. Truly a day to be questioned."

Imperial Prince Hestia Eros

5th in line for the imperial throne, Noble Blood

"It seems the circus from last week left one of their prized acquisitions." Another prince says with a gravely voice, his disposition seeming as harsh as the scars on his face. He already seems even scarier than Xerxes by a few metrics.

Imperial Prince Hestia Agamemnon

3rd in line for the imperial throne, Noble Blood

Along the walls, placed carefully behind a pair of empty chairs are the portraits of two other princes who are not present at the table. A few other chairs are done in similar fashion with the exception that a vase full of flowers is placed where they would be scheduled to sit. It seems by obvious deduction that they are no longer of the living.

Imperial Prince Aegis Stephanos

1st in line for the imperial throne, Noble Blood (DECEASED)

Prince Amor sits by one of those very chairs, quiet and reflective over the vase of flowers next to him.

Imperial Prince Amor Adelphos

4th in line for the imperial throne, Noble Blood (DECEASED)

I also see a familiar face staring daggers at me from across the room, Xerxes dons his armor, appearing to have a lot of dirt on him. Seems he's already had the outing his father recommended. But in a jarring change of disposition, his sister walks in with a smile on her face, her raspy voice decreeing with cheer at my appearance. "And there he is! My pet has finally arrived!"

Just the illustration of Zenobia's happiness has her brother raining further scorn on my arrival. I try to address her instead of looking to him, as I know that would only invite more trouble. "Sorry I'm late, your highness. I got a little too comfortable."

The alicorn mare illuminates her horn, drawing a previously nonexistent leash from me to her. She wraps the aura-consisted link as though it maintains a physical state, pulling me further towards her. The prince with the lavender streaks makes comment of her enthusiasm. "Zenobia, do you seriously find favor with this... uncivilized beast?"

"Of course! He's my loyal pet who comforts me in my bed at night!" I'll admit that I wish I had the balls she had in putting that out there. But I don't even have to look Xerxes' way to know he's drawing violent fantasies in his mind.

The scarred prince shudders with revulsion. "Disaster."

I can almost hear the underlying bloodlust under Xerxes' tone. "Your bed?"

The mare guides me along to a chair seated directly across from her father. "He's quite useful, and strong. I believe he'd fight off an entire horde to protect me!"

"We could put that to a test." The scarred prince is a little too excited to hear that claim.

"It seems Agamemnon and I have come to an agreement. Let's put that to a test this very instant."

The princess calls out her younger brother. "Oh can it, Xerxes. You only want him so you can use his wings for roc bait, which I won't allow."

"I'm short a few feathers of my royal shawl. Perhaps he would be so kind to volunteer his life to attain what I seek." He answers back.

The princess yanks me down to my seat while also pulling another chair next to me for herself. "Well too fucking bad, he's mine now."

While the princess has a glowing disposition and a cheer that seems to feed more on the disdain she gathers, the emperor across the table seems almost unmoved by our interaction. "Sir Spike, I see you have met my eldest daughter."

I shyly respond, not sure if he's merely letting his sons reflect his rage or if he's really that indifferent. "We've become... acquainted, my lord."

He turns to the zebracorn next to him instead. "Well it's not without mutuality. Madam Kalimba and I have also become acquainted over our numerous talks yesterday. They were indeed fruitful."

"A mixed-breed father, really?" Questions the scarred prince.

"I assure you that our conversations are much more than beneficial." The stoic expression on Kalimba's face is far from inviting.

Xerxes makes a snide comment under his breath. "For your penis."

The emperor ears flick as he overhears his son's remark. "Have you readied yourself for your excursion today?"

"All is set, father." The prince grumbles back.

The emperor then responds. "Then you should go and distract yourself. I know this is a difficult arrangement for you and I don't wish to make things more complicated for you, Xerxes. Perhaps it would be best to take your leave since this matter is not to your preference."

Before the angered prince makes his leave, he takes a glance towards me and his sister, who bypasses the chair she had set aside for herself. Instead, she opts to sit in my lap, facing the table as she wriggles in my lap. Her magic is also active on me, trying to prompt a very much unwanted show of uprising. Her attention is dead set on the middle-aged stallion before her. "Father look, he's so big that he serves as a perfect throne for me."

I start to feel her shift her tail, and take hold of my better self as her hips cradle back and forth slowly. I try to quietly warn her against her desired exhibition. "Can we not?"

"Obedience, my dear pet." She once more manifests the lead from my collar down, guiding my nostrils into the nape of her neck. As soon as I gain a quick smell of her lavender-honey scent, some part of me begins to show a change of heart. She stealthily ushers me into her body. "Of course he's still needs a good guiding every now and then, but I believe he'll fall perfectly in line, knowing exactly where his true place is." Suddenly she takes a deep breath, one that gains Kalimba's attention. I look away in embarrassment as the zebracorn is quick to discern what's taking place.

"I see." The emperor doesn't even flinch as his daughter shifts her hips and takes me into her body.

She even goes as far as to outright bounce in my lap right before the entire room. While there's a growing expression of discomfort on my face mixed with an unknown source of want, there's a very apparent blush on hers that indicates her immense pleasure. She even makes demands while forcing my arms around her waist. "Rock me, dear pet. I demand to be comforted while I eat my meal."

Even Amor seems to take issue with the circumstances, calling out his father for Zenobia's inappropriate behavior. "Seriously, you're not going ton say anything about this?"

"What seems to be the issue?" He asks as he casually goes about his meal with an unchanging expression.

"Father, we know what she's doing. Can we not have that take place at this moment while our food still lies before us?"

The emperor makes a half-assed rebuke towards his daughter. "Zenobia, are you satisfied with the concessions your brother has issued to you."

She continues to show no remorse. "That lesser blood fuck can go cram his shit with the food in front of him." The princess pulls me further into her neck as she mewls with increasing satisfaction. "I'm going to keep enjoying the company of my pet."

"So be it." His resilience to his daughter's outlandish doings is perplexing to say the least.

She looks back to me, urging me to put some effort in on my end. "Pet, I wish to be comforted more. Bounce me."

The intoxicating scent of her body, while powerful enough to entice me, does not completely have me lose all sense of mind. "Seriously?"

Her aura glows on the collar on my neck, sending a weak and dull shock that serves as a stern warning. "You will obey."

Xerxes grimaces as his sister adjusts herself on my lap, now facing me directly as she greedily sinks herself onto me. "Oh for─" He instantly raises out of his seat and storms out of the room. While I wish I could say something to him as an apology, the princess turns my head to her as she outright rides me in front of the others.

Meanwhile, her father carries out business as usual, primarily addressing Kalimba in doing so. "While they're busy with getting to know each other, I shall expound on our schedule. As for today's festivities, we have the parade through the square. We have a special viewing location for our part of the route. Our carriage is set to leave in the next half hour."

"A parade?" Asks the lavender-accented prince.

"Yes, one to celebrate our guests and their good will in the safe return of Amor." The emperor explains. "Of course in this instance, I see that the celebration has started for some already."

Amor groans as he drops his head in disgust, all while Zenobia calls back in the midst of her coming to a quick culmination. "Does that mean I get to show off my new pet to the masses?" I don't know how that became a trigger for her, but it seems the thought of me destroying her in public is what sets her off the fastest.

"With restriction." Her father warns, issuing at least some resemblance of a boundary.

The young prince Amor pins his ears closed as he expresses his relief. "Thank you."

Hitting her final surge of pleasure, she yanks against my collar with a swift tug. "Fuck!" She yelps as she pants with exhaustion. She looks to me with a very pleased smile breaking past her dimples. "Now that was a good breakfast." She gives me a sultry stare, almost willing to keep me pinned to my chair. "And not a sign or sample of a finish? Looks to me you're bound for seconds."

"Indeed. I believe it's time to get ready for our day out." Amor says, trying to desperately leave the room.

The lavender-laced prince rises from his seat, showing solidarity with his lesser blood sibling. "Agreed. Probably the opportune time to clean ourselves up for the public. Wouldn't want to look the mess, now do we?" He says, obviously pointing his message towards Zenobia.

"Don't you fucking direct your eyes at me, you annoying prick!" She shouts in response.

"I'll go secure the perimeter." Agamemnon says as he walks off, making a gag face as he moves past the both of us.

The emperor moves past us as well, not even a passing glance or a breath spared in our direction. Kalimba trails behind him, but stops for a moment as to offer a message. "Your majesty, to issue you a word of warning, dragons bite down on the necks of their mate." She says that just as she's about ready to yank me back into the nape of her neck, stopping her cold in her tracks. Kalimba then walks off with her added warning. "I would not leave that option so readily available if I were you."

As the others finally leave the room, the princess proceeds with our second round of our illicit affairs. The mare smiles a little more conservatively as she keeps herself at a slight difference for what we're doing in the moment. She places her hooves on my jaw, holding my head to face her. "I suppose a muzzle would do you nicely, pet. I'm sure we wouldn't want to have an accident." The fact that she's still going while that revealed attribute seems to intimidate her shows her level of crazy.

And for some odd reason, I'm still inside of said crazy.

After a few more minutes of her working me out to completion, she drags me off to the room, has me bathe, then I end up doing things to her while in said bath, and then we leave for our carriage after about an hour of us fooling around. Of course the consent is dubious at this point, but she at least promised me that the collar would come off when negotiations come to a finalized conclusion.

I also take notice of something about the emperor, namely how easily he seems to have Kalimba around him without any kind of dissent. If the pureblood sons are anything to go by with their attitudes this morning, I would expect one of their mothers or something to pop in and make a comment of it. But it seems that there's more than a maintained silence in the matter. In fact, the emperor proudly flaunts everything about the castle to the zebracorn, guiding her along the way, lightly using his magic to skirt her tail aside to take in a passing view. Yet in spite of the harassment taking place, Kalimba is strangely docile. She's almost as indifferent as he was when Zenobia planted her ass in my lap for breakfast.

It seems both me and Kalimba are trying our best to get out of this as physically unscathed as possible. Though I can't help but to think that her manner of indifference hides her true thoughts, which are probably anywhere from an eight to Xerxes levels of revenge fantasy. What visual that entails, I'm sure I wouldn't want to find out.

The other brothers ride ahead of us in our caravan, and they are the ones to exit their carriage before we do. As Zenobia and I step off, I see the two other alicorns staring with extreme disgust. Zenobia pays the pair no mind as she drags me along to the bleachers. An idea, an obvious one, starts to creep in her mind before Amor steps in to whisk me towards the viewing area, talking about the city and the area we're in currently. My collar buzzes on my neck with some discontent from the princess, but I'm at least willing to suffer such a nonchalant consequence.

Thirty minutes pass and the parade finally begins.

There's a multitude of colorful displays, a lot of music being played as the citizens herald the safe return of Amor. Unsurprisingly, he seems to be very well-liked among the citizenry. And it shows how much he reciprocates the affection of the citizens. If anything, he's almost closer to them than he is the imperial family. With as much as he's waxed on the locals, the bakers, the carpenters, the ironworkers, the maidens and caretakers, I'm not surprised that they openly celebrate his return.

However, the looks he gains from both Agamemnon and Eros tells me that he's not in what I would call good company. In fact, they seem envious of the lesser prince, the way he's so revered by the citizens, the attention he's getting, it's almost like it hurts their pride in a way. If anything, it's strange how the emperor sees Amor for not being amorously enchanting despite the charisma he seems to carry.

Then again, a good personality for others does not make one a master of flirtatious interaction. It does show when a group of mares having flowers in their manes to wave at the prince before he pops up with quite the most jovial and childlike reciprocation of their blown kisses. Instead of catching them, he continues waving past them for the baker across the street selling his baguettes. The baker sees the prince and quickly levitates a few pastries over to him. By the time the young prince finishes biting into his lemon tarps, the mares have since left and gone further down the route.

The emperor takes notice and facehoofs in embarrassment.

He still waves at the others along the route with a lemon tarp still in his mouth, even offering me one to snack on before waving down the baker for more. He screams out to the top of his lungs, hunching over the railing. "CHERRIES! CHERRIES FOR OUR GUESTS!"

The baker takes notice of me and his friendly disposition fades. He merely walks into his shop and grab a few, but instead of levitating the goods to the prince, he instead offers it to the emperor and Kalimba directly. The emperor looks displeased as he begrudgingly offers the sugary confections to Amor. He offers me another, which I accept. As I taste the sweets, I note to myself that they aren't as good as the ones in Sugarcube Corner.

Part of this only reminds me of what I miss about home, the friendly atmosphere, the raining confetti after every festival planned by Pinkie and Cheese, the way there's a smile on everyone's face no matter what species you are. I can't help but to miss it. But I do admire the pageantry they show for the prince. "They really pulled out all the stops for this."

"Enjoying the display?" Amor questions.

"I will say it's impressive." I say just a second before I see a few sections coming much further down that seems to be a more militaristic turn of tone. It's a marching platoon of centuries wielding spears and toting cannons along the way. They march in a high step, snapping and turning before presenting their arms to the emperor and the royal family. "And a bit... unusual for our tastes."

Before I know it, the emperor himself comes down to grab my attention. He points further back along the route to a group of mares being carefully guarded by some other centuries carrying their long-necked firearms. The mares wave gracefully as they don red roses in their manes. "Look there." He calls out to me. "Those are the rose maidens. Each one of them are a concubine of my choosing."

As I take notice of them, I see that many are simply bunched together as a group, while a few of them are isolated to the formation of just one mare for every twenty feet of the parade route. "Any reason for the unusual formation?"

As they get a little closer, I see that their bellies are of varying sizes. Some are much further along than the others, while maybe one or two are carried on sedan chairs. "Because the ones who bear my foals are each given the space to display their honor. Each of them are given a moment to be heralded by the populous." I also note that each of them vary in age also. Few appear to be as old as he is, the rest appears younger. And some are what I would consider to be in a risky territory. I'm sure they are of age, his preference for bodily shape indicates that he far more interested in those that have developed well. "Many are seen, but very few are chosen."

Somehow, I can't seem to shake the idea that some of those girls aren't quite the age they should be for that.

"Father, Xerxes comes." Agamemnon directs our attention to the coming brigade of stallions dressed in armor.

"Ooh, and he comes bearing gifts." Eros adds with a bit of excitement, seeing that the group marches with what appears to be seven boxes.

"In the parade?" Amor questions. "I thought he hated things like this."

As his group comes closer, I notice that there's something off about the appearance of the group. Usually in a parade like this, the armor is shined to damn near reflect the sun. But in this case, they seem to come back from a rough going out. I also mark the appearance of blood on some of their armor, I immediately recognize that this is about to take a turn for the bad. "Mark time, MARCH!" The prince calls out, bringing his platoon to a standstill. "Company, HALT!" They stomp on their last two steps, motionless as they await further orders.

The crowd falls silent as the group of centuries stand idly by. Eros seems to become invested in what's taking place. "What is this new stunt he's about to pull?"

The emperor also makes a remark. "The parade isn't supposed to stall until the presentations of the jesters. What is going on?"

The looks on both me and Amor's faces sour immensely as the boxes are opened, lids facing us to start off. "Oh no." Amor mutters.

The prince takes to the center of the formation's right side. He levitates a box right next towards him as he calls for his quintet of buisine players to ready his fanfare. "Right, FACE!" The armored regiment snap their heads towards us, their steps sharply synchronized. The glow appears in the box as six other guards take similar positions beside him, the boxes lined behind them. "Present ARMS!" In a snapping motion, the contents of the boxes are rapidly brought to the air and revealed to me.

A cold pit of despair grows in my chest as I see a grim reminder of where I am. And they show their reminders of what they are, staying true to the reputation of this country's treatment of my kind. As the fanfare plays a victorious tune, all to the elated cheers of the citizens, I pay witness to seven faces with naught but the thirst for life. Each has a varying expression, ranging from suffering, to despair, to resignation, to anger, to bargaining. The one Xerxes holds heralds the pain of a young dragon with no understanding as to why his face was sealed in the manner which it was.

The act quickly brings attention to the armored prince, the crowd cheering and chanting his name with celebration. Amor grimaces as he shows disgust for his brother's actions. "Of course he would."

As the horror is etched on my face for having witnessed the seven heads being displayed, the emperor clenches his jaw towards me while his crown son stares back in defiance. They remain in place for several seconds, making sure that I see clearly the message that they send, and also holding the remainder of the parade route. "Always the overly ambitious." Agamemnon says of the crown prince before looking over to me. "But a lesson had to be learned here."

The world seems to drown out as all I can hear is the lingering tinnitus caused by the cheers. I forget to breathe for some time until I hear Xerxes shout out to the group. "Order ARMS!" The heads are put away in their box, leaving nothing more than their memory of their contorted faces for me to take away. "Left FACE!" The platoon snaps back to their intended direction, the crown prince still facing me as he calls out. "Forward MARCH!" He turns and marches away.

The crowd begins to see me and start to chant at me. The repeated calls for 'one more head' drives me into a cold sweat, at least until the emperor raises a hoof to silence the crowd. Without hesitation, he speaks with me directly. "Sir Spike, I'm quite sorry for the gruesome display you've been made to witness on today. I'll be sure to address Xerxes for this matter."

His words barely register in my brain. I begin to hyperventilate as the image still rings clearly in my eyes. It's all I can see right now, the cheering crowd, silenced in real life, cheer even louder in my head. The fanfare plays resoundingly as I already see the image of my own face shifting into place of the one who was raised. Then a loud scream startles me out of my fear-induced trance.

"Pet!" The shock from my collar also serves as a healthy dose of reality. I'm brought into the hooves of the princess I once appreciated escape from. "Come. Lean into me." There's no ounce of illicit intent in her voice, no snide sarcastic response, no blunt commentary for what was seen. Instead, she hold me, guiding me into her chest as she covers my head in her wings. "My brother won't dare hurt you as long as you're with me. He'll try to pull his little stunts, but I'll keep you safe. Do you understand?"

Kalimba is the first to acutely speak out on the matter. "Your imperial majesty, surely you understand that your son's act is a highly provocative one. How do you intend to address this situation?"

"It will be swiftly addressed when we return to the palace. There will be no leniency for my son's foolishness." He restates. "I once more apologize for my son's antics. I would be more than happy to sweeten our agreement, to compensate for this matter."

While I don't want to show any emotion, I find myself wanting to be back home more than ever. I clasp onto the princess who holds me. I continue in holding back my emotions as Kalimba makes a firm declaration in my place. "We will discuss this later."

The emperor grows upset for the zebracorn showing fierce resentment. He summons an assistant to his side to make a demand. "Have Xerxes report to the throne room, he will not be permitted no other privilege but to see me first."

"Your majesty, your word is law."

There's no one else in this room. I don't mind it now, I'd think I prefer it. Everything, everyone here, they don't want to see me outside of this room... alive. Just the cheers still echoing in my head, their chants for me to join the others, they don't end. And none of it matters, it's just a way of doing things here. Why am I even bogged down from this, I'm nowhere near home. This is always how it was, and now I'm realizing that my missed trip the first time was nothing more than a blessing.

If I had joined Twilight blindly at the time, what would've stopped them from snuffing me in my sleep? What would've stopped them from other than some sex-crazed princess looking to keep me on borrowed time for her enjoyment? I don't think I would've made it this far had it not been for that. I'm sure Amor's influence only goes so far with his status. And I obviously can't count on the ponies here, they love him, they don't know me and they wouldn't care what happens to me.

I'm in the wrong place, paranoid as hell, scared for my life, and now begging to get back home.

A knock sounds on the door. "Spike?" It's Amor's voice. He understands why my door is locked. "I'm not gonna ask you to come out, I just want to talk to you, see where you are." I don't answer. "...What happened was unacceptable. Everything that happened, my brother, the crowd, all of it, I know it can't ever be taken back. And you have every right to stay in this room. I just want to be the one to take responsibility for all of this." He leans into the door. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry for all of it, for showing unannounced, for camping out in your borders, for getting abducted, for you having to make this trip─"

"Why are you apologizing, it's nothing you did."

"It's my family, I still have culpability for this matter!" He emphasizes.

"For his decisions, his actions, the way he treats me because I just so happen to pop out of an egg instead of some pony's snatch!?" My mode for mincing words is all but nonexistent now. "All the entire time I've been here, I have been harassed, humiliated, threatened, and abused from all sides! There's only so much I can fucking stand, and at I'm still shaking from what the fuck I just saw! I knew coming here would fuck me up, I knew it! I tried to tell Twilight I didn't want to fucking be here! She ignored me, EVEN WHEN I BEGGED FOR MY LIFE!!!" I scream, beating on my chest. "I never wanted this... I just want to pack my shit and go. I never want to come back."

I hear a thud on the door, probably his head making the landing. "I understand, more than you know. I know how it feels to be in a place where no one wants you to belong. I know how it feels to subjugate my own self for the cost of living. I know what it means to give it all, dignity, self-respect, confidence, mind..., and body."

"Do you?" I reply, cracking open the door to get a look at the young prince's eyes. "Not once in my life have I ever had to see something so vile, and I've seen death at a young age. I've suffered desolation, the loss of a home, great villainous conflicts, years of abuse, emotional neglect, I've done it. But that..." I shake my head, revisualizing the moment in that parade, it makes me want to puke. "...that, no."

The young prince lowers his head, then looks up at me with regret. "You have every right to feel the way you do towards our nation. We've earned no other perspective." He takes a deep breath, the sadness on his face a pitiful contrast to the glowing countenance he had when everyone cheered his safe return. "Just wait a little longer for me. I'll go speak with my father. I'll see to it that these talks wrap up quickly so that you may leave."

In my emotional state of disarray, the levels of grief I endure, I can only verbalize a few words. "...Thanks." I say with a weak presence. "You should've never come back here."

He looks away from me, beginning his slow trot away. "Give Princess Twilight my regards, if you should still choose to be in her employ."

As he disappears down the hall, I close the door with that thought seriously rotating around my mind. Everything about this only leads me to that conclusion. While on the outside to those who don't know, it appears to be an undertaking of great trust, that I can be the ambassador Twilight can depend on. But that exterior is only as deep as the paper we use to sign the treaties, just a little pressure and you punch through to the ugly reality underneath. And now, I have to make a choice, if I can continue to do this, with disregard for my life, or put it aside with disregard for the relationships our country has built along the way.

And quite honestly, I should've resigned from the moment I had my letter penned.

*click*

I freeze for a mere second, snapping my head to the door to see that my lock was undone, the knob turning to give access to an unexpected visitor. Standing in the way is none other than the princess who offered me comfort. "Oh... it's you."

She leans against the doorway. "I overheard." She states quietly. "About your wanting to leave."

"I'm sorry. I just can't stay here." I inform her.

She walks into the room, closing the door behind her, and locking it shut. "I know it's been hard. I get it, you don't want to stay after what my brother did. I hear you." Her horn begins to give a dull glow, indicating she's about to use her magic. "I want you to reconsider."

I shake my head at her soft-toned request. "Why should I?"

Her magic fully glows now, giving warmth to the collar on my neck. She walks towards me with a careful approach. "Because I can make it right, for you."

I start to feel a tugging sensation at the front of my neck, she pulls me into her. She opens her forelegs, looking to caress my head with gentle pets. But I show resistance. "I'm not doing this again. I can't─"

She yanks me into her, my head landing into her chest. "Just let me spoil you." She requests softly, hugging me tight enough to press my nose into her. "I can make it up to you, even if it wounds me to do so. Your hate for my brother, lean that upon me. If you resent the citizens for their view of you, unleash that resentment on me. Whatever rage you have, ravish me with it."

"I can't..." I moan with despair, but also feel a terrifying surge of madness. She lets me go, having me trail her scent as she walks by. I shake myself, trying to understand why I've somehow gone from wanting to leave in a hurry to wanting to stay a little longer. My vision blurs, almost doubling while trying to come to my senses. But even with my best efforts, everything feels so hazy.

Control is what I now lack, stepping slowing in the direction of the Ponyland princess. She gives a swish of her tail, making sure that I catch every whiff of her body. She gathers onto my bed, letting her tail droop aside as she rubs a hoof to her flanks, hiking up her dress with distressed effort. "Stay with me. You'll forever be my pet. I'll protect you, always I'll protect you." The magic of her horn flashes to lead me in by my collar, I lose every sense of resistance as I get closer. Her body smells so sweetly, her eyes so inviting. Her magic parts her lips, looking to give me ease of access. "Will you oblige, my pet?"

Fractions of memories, hard breaths, collapsing sanity, and the pistoning of flesh caught between the thick accumulation of friction, seed, and fluids. No words are exchanged, at least from what I know. All I want to do is destroy her, protect her, care for her...

...All I want to do is leave.

My eyes flutter open, my body aches, and my mind feels fractured. It's bright outside, obviously a lot of time has passed between my talk with Amor up till now, it's the dawn of the next day. The room smells of recreation and hard labor. But at least I'm aware of where I am, and where I need to be.

The princess is quiet on the bed, it seems that I won't have much time to leave this room, and look for the tapestry for my escape. To stay here would be a mortal miscue, especially if I'm caught by Xerxes or the others. I especially run the risk of that now as opposed to the nighttime, but I'd rather take my chance to escape it all than to stay here and be under the constant threat of being hunted down. Mind's made up, I need to get the fuck out of here.

I crack the door open, looking back to the slumbering figure in my bed. I confirm her slumber and ease out of the room for freedom. The door closes behind me, I take a deep breath before I make my venture out. "Good morning, dear pet." I freeze in place, an icy chill dropping down my spine as Zenobia's voice sound in my ear. A pink glow illuminates an otherwise darkened hallway, my neck carries a similar glow as she walks around to my front. "What are you doing wandering about? You should be getting ready for your breakfast with me." My eyes dart back to the room, trying to understand how I just saw her and how she just got here. Does she know how to teleport too?

"I'm..." There's no real way to bullshit myself out of this. I can only keep it honest, at least I'll be able to get some word back home. Perhaps I can tell Twilight of my current dilemma, and what I can do to maybe counter it. If I can do that much, I stand a better chance against the trances I'm placed in. "I'm not feeling well, I think I may be sick. I need to get back to the airship, make a report of my condition so I can get the treatment I need."

"Your condition?" She tilts her head with concern. "What do you think is wrong?"

"Light-headedness, fatigue, terrible aches."

She casually makes a diagnosis. "It's the stress, yesterday took a lot out of you and my brother's to blame for that."

"Not just that, my head feels... off." I briefly explain. "It's just a quick visit to the airship. You think you can arrange a safe trip for me?"

"That's all?" She scoffs. "I'll gladly give you a safe trip to your airship, and back. It's nothing for me, even at this hour."

I was hoping to stay there, not come back to the castle. But I'll take what I can get, and maybe even formulate an escape plan as I go along. At least there, I'll have reinforcements. "Thank you."

"But we must be back shortly after. My father isn't done with the concessions yet. You'll need to be here until they've finished."

She's not letting me go. I'll need to plan quick, and do it in a way where my hints can at least alert the others. "Sure." As long as those concessions end on today, I should be fine. I hope Kalimba can make a quick close on a deal, despite her inexperience.

As we start our journey towards the airfield, she grows curious and asks me a few questions. "So... you work directly under Princess Twilight, do you not?"

"Yeah, I always have. Since I was young, she raised me like a brother. She even hatched me from my egg, we spent years together." I inwardly curse her name. "I wonder if she's worried about me."

"I'd be worried about you." She replies softly. "You're too good of something to be left to chance, especially here."

"Obviously." I mumble.

As soon as we walk out to the front lawn, I see a vastly different setup of escort compared to the one when I first arrived here. The first had me in a cage, paraded through town as though I'm some captured prize. There was no protection for me outside of the wrought iron cage I was stuck in. This time, there's a comfortable carriage with curtains in the windows, an armed escort, a tunnel of spears, flags at the ready, and centuries offering just the tiniest façade of respect to me as I pass by. It's a literal night-and-day of difference. Seems the administration's tightened up with the situation from yesterday.

Our ride was simple, smooth, and without anything being thrown. The only stipulation is that I don't look outside and reveal myself to the passing denizens. It's a warning I firmly heed.

Some time passes and I finally make it back to the airfield. It seems that in the two days since our arrival, the localized group of centuries keep keen eyes on the denizens of the airship. Their presence is an intimidating force, not only for their sheer numbers, but also the weaponry they have lying in wait.

We step into the quarantined zone, the centuries let us through without resistance. And as I get closer to the entrance, a pair of guards greet me eagerly. "Sir Spike, thank goodness you're alive!"

Alive? I suppose it's good that they worry for my health that much. "It's... It's been a trying time. But I'm still above ground."

The second guard takes notice of the accessory donning my neck. "What's with the collar?"

"Something about posing as some pet to keep my head on my shoulders." I say casually, not really thinking much of my words until a moment from the parade flashes through my mind. Then that image, combined with my poor choice of words, trigger a violent reaction within my stomach. I double over and try my best not to let that reaction project forth.

My triggered gag reflex instantly causes the pair to rush for me. "Sir!?"

But before they can get to me, Zenobia leaps in and stands me up slowly. "Is everything alright?"

"Ugh... yeah. I just need to find some time to process things." I answer, swallowing anything that might've crept up my throat. The two guards continue to stare at us with confusion, namely at the princess. I suppose a brief introduction should be in order. "Oh yeah, this is Princess Zenobia. She's the first-born to the emperor, she's the one keeping me alive."

The pair bow respectfully towards the mare. "Ma'am, I don't know how you do it, but thank you for your bravery. The prince we met across the sea dragged like seven dragon corpses across the airfield early yesterday morning, they were all headless." It seems that Xerxes' stunt was a very layered one, I have no doubt that he's also the one responsible for keeping all of these creatures lodged in this airship. "When that happened, we made our report to the princess. She urged that Spike give correspondence immediately. We would've relayed that message to you sooner, but as you can see, security forces don't allow us to leave." And now that's another thing I'm gonna have to deal with, telling Twilight what happened and not sparing any details.

But first, maybe I can instill some bit of mercy towards the creatures of my homeland. "Your highness, I understand that negotiations were set to conclude in brief manner today. I can understand the centuries being on post for security purposes, but I believe that our escort should be accommodated for. Our airship is not very large, and it doesn't have much in the hygiene maintenance department. I'm sure there's an inn somewhere in town where they can rest some adequate rest and lodging for cleanliness' sake."

The mare gives ne a nod. "I'll clear it with my father."

The two guards show their immense relief upon hearing that showers would be a feature in the near future. "Thank you, your highness." Says the first.

The second clears their throat after shaking off the relief of the news of the changing situation. "Sir Spike, the sphere is ready for you to use. We've just made contact over your status, and the princess stands by for your word."

"I wish to join!" Zenobia blurts out, shocking all of us as she grabs at my tail. "So that I may see this princess for myself, and offer her my praises for this dragon's well-mannered upbringing." Her horn gives off a dim glow, no doubt it's probably aimed for my collar. "Won't you allow me to meet her alongside you?" She asks, leaning into me.

I know that it would only be diplomatic to introduce the two, but I feel that this conversation between us needs to be personal. So I deny her request. "Anything for you, your highness."

..Wait. That's not what I wanted to say.

"Splendid!" She pulls me by my tail, guiding me along as she cheerfully makes demands. "Point me in the direction of where we can meet."

I try to tell her that I need to go at this alone. "This way, your highness."

...Okay, now I know something's not all there.

For the strangest reason, I'm still guiding Zenobia down this hall, leading her to the communications room. And even though I should be telling her that I need to go at this alone, I'm acting out the exact opposite way. Something about this is wrong. I want to reach up and see if this collar is warm on me, but my arms don't respond other than to open the door and allow her and myself in.

The communications room is nothing special, it's just an oval table with a crystal orb in the middle. Above it is the holographic image of Twilight looking off elsewhere, probably pacing back and forth. Zenobia walks past me, seating herself at the table beside the orb. Her horn is dimly lit as I speak to Twi for the first time in a few days. "Hello?"

Her ears pop up as she hears my voice. She stops pacing and brings her undivided attention to the sphere she holds in her magical tow. "Spike, is that you!?" She gives me a once over before collapsing with relief. "Thank Celestia you're safe! The security detail told me what happened out on the airfield! I panicked! I didn't know if any of them were you!" She grasps at her chest, looking to the sky as she mouths something to herself. "Oh Spike, I'm so relieved to know that you're still safe." I understand her relief, but also feel terrible for the ones who'll never do what they love again. The guilt wears on my face with a saturated presence, and Twi takes notice. "What's wrong?"

Flashes of yesterday continue to flood my thoughts, the cheers and fanfare still giving me tinnitus even in the silence of now. "The dragons... I saw their faces."

"How?" She questions. "The reports from the others say the dragons were headless."

I chillingly give my account over what I saw. "Their faces were the only thing I could see. They didn't have bodies for me to see."

Twilight covers her mouth with horror, recognizing what I was made to see. She quickly raises up and hastily gives her response. "Oh my Faust! Spike, you gotta come back home. Get Kalimba and board─"

"Excuse me." Zenobia rises from her seat, slowly walking towards my side. Twilight takes notice of the mare, namely her alicorn features. Bewilderment sets in before worry.

"Spike, who is she?"

I can't even open my mouth to give an answer before the Ponyland princess takes over the conversation. "Are you the princess responsible for grooming this dragon to the manner in which he's been raised?"

Twilight's words start to become guarded from the moment that question is asked. "Yes. And who are you?"

"Pardon my sudden interruption. I am Princess Zenobia, I suppose if we had your structure of hierarchy, I would be the high princess of the realm. But in spite of my being first born, I carry little status beyond my noble blood." She pulls me into her yet again, caressing my chin as she brags over her efforts to keep me alive. "I'm the one who has made provisions to protect my new pet."

Twilight narrows her eyes at the notion of the title I'm given. "Wait, your 'pet?' Is that some sort of a nickname you've given him?"

"Why of course!" She says, rubbing my head into the nape of her neck. "Come hither." She growls invitingly.

Twi's eyes buck wide as she sees me grasping around her chest, encroaching myself all over her. "Spike, what is going on!?"

Zenobia smirks as she responds. "If I may, I do believe that my service is to be repaid for his protection. So I propose an accord, princess." The leash of her magic appears from between her horn and my collar as she spreads her wings slowly. "Your dragon now belongs to me, and in turn I will protect him from the harm that others wish to be done upon him."

This is not what I want, not in front of her.

"Spike, what are you doing!?"

She mewls a reply, accepting how carefully my claws begin to explore her body. "He's being an obedient pet, showing me comfort in my time of stress. Obviously protecting him is so taxing on the mind and resources, so I too often find myself needing some attention." Her tail flicks underneath me, giving an obvious signal. "You'll do that for me, won't you, my pet?"

"Yes, your highness."

She climbs to the table, anchoring herself upon it as she keeps hold of my collar. Her lead is taught on me, all while moving her tail aside. Twilight blushes with horror as she sees that I'm hardly being conservative about what is taking place. I take hold of my better self, right before her very eyes. While she doesn't wish to see me like this, she still looks to identify what has me so entranced. The first logical conclusion is to remove the very thing that keeps us tethered together. "Spike, take that collar off this instant!"

"I think it fits him, quite frankly." She says in a sweet voice before moaning as I press myself into her. I reciprocate the feeling as she warmly embraces me with all of her being. "And I believe he fits me quite well, in more ways than one."

I grab hold of her, thrusting into her body in a hurried manner. Zenobia laughs between moans, her eyes lock to me as she gives me the encouragement to continue at pace. Twi's ears turn red as she witnesses me in the process of our very undiplomatic relationship. "SPIKE, KNOCK IT OFF!"

"Fuck, I never thought this would excite me this much!" She declares breathlessly. "Go harder, pet! Let her see what wonders her training you have done for me!"

"I never trained him for this!" She angrily rebukes. Twilight's magic tries to manifest a way to teleport me back home, but with no specific point of reference, it fails. "SPIKE! YOU HAVE TO LISTEN TO ME! SNAP OUT OF IT!"

"Oh, he's too far gone. He's so drunk in lust that he's barely even conscious." I wrap my claws around her neck, reaching up as far as her chin in my readjustment. I also hold to her chest with my arm and begin again with my efforts. Her eyes roll back as she thanks me with a kiss to my neck. "And it's so hard to keep a straight face... Fuck it!" She starts to pound back into me with every bit of her strength, at last breaking her passive response for a more active role. Her horn starts to glow brightly as she screams so loud that I'm sure the others outside grow in awe of what's taking place. "I'm yours, pet! Make me a proud princess!"

Twi looks on, seeing how lost I am in our act. She appears broken. "Spike..."

In the heat of the moment, Zenobia makes her bold declaration. "That's right, bitch! He's not your fucking dragon anymore! This is my dragon, he's gonna serve me till I say when! And it won't be soon, I assure you!"

"Princess..." I feel myself rising to a climax, her body is far too warm for me to resist. My hips are relentless in their motions as I grasp her even harder, giving her praise as I vie to empty myself within her. "Princess... you're the best."

The verbal confirmation is far too much for her, so much so that she breaks her anchorage on the table. She's only stopped from falling due to my grasp. She intensely bites her lip as she rides out the final approach for her climax. "That's right! You serve me now!" Her body rattles after a few more thrusts, my continued assault breaks every last bit of resistance she has in holding anything back. Her body falls limp as she spurts forth in Twilight's view, a graphic presentation of my work as I too cross my threshold. "Shit... Fuck..." She mewls as her head drops down, her horn still slightly glowing with an unusual pink residue tracing down her spirals.

I send forth a few more thrusts, unleashing spurts of my seed deep into her womb. While it's assured that nothing will come of it, the princess yanks me down in a passionate show of approval. She shows no reservation whatsoever in kissing me, our lips touching for the first time, her tongue meeting with mine in heated confrontation, her eyes unwavering from mine, her body melding so closely with mine.

The second we separate from each other topside, she falls to the table and presses herself in me to keep me warm and embraced, even bouncing back a few times to help me ride out my descent. The princess' eyes radiate in the room as she stares at me with a deeply amorous mind. Her legs dangle from the table as she keeps me close to her.

A flicker of light grabs the attention of our peripherals. We look to the sphere that now sits dormant, no image to be projected, no face to be seen. "Aw, seems she disconnected. Guess she couldn't handle losing her pet to somepony else." The princess tease as she kisses my cheek. "Shame."

"Your highness..." I weakly call to her.

The mare giggles as she keeps her horn at a glow. "Come on, pet." She speaks to me with an endearing timbre. "We've got a shower to take after all of that recreational we just had."

"Yes, my princess." I drone.

A smile etches to the corners of her mouth, settling proudly in place. "Now that's a good dragon."

...What have I done?

Chapter 31: Vanishing Virtue

What the hell... what the hell is this... darkness?

Everything I feel as of this moment is almost a faint sensation, with just the fraction of the supposed pleasure taking place as of this moment. The actions I'm performing continue to make less and less sense by the second, and all it's replaced by is the well-known intent to keep going. It's not my intent, but it's holding my body hostage.

"That's it, right there, pet!"

She's got me hunched over her frame, consuming her body with my own. She's so enraptured by my repeated intrusions, her grasp on my collar increases with every moment her legs start to give under my weight. The pink irises that pierce the smoky haze of the room have grown all the more greedy, pleading only for me. They seek not intimacy, but long for an emptiness to remain filled, replacing what seems to not be given so often. The muzzle over my snout only reminds me of the painful subjugation I'm in at the moment, the subjugation to Zenobia and her royal cravings. It shows that even royalty knows the carnality that devolves us into feral creatures.

And yet... I feel so out of place.

"You... fucking prick!"

The belts and buckles that seal my jaw tight are loosened, freeing me from that prison, only to be locked away to yet another cell. Her lips find me well, her tongue discover the depth of my throat, her control of self is temporarily lost. A warmth sprays the bottom of my loins and coat the inside of my thighs. It gushes repeatedly upon every thrust, her legs give way at last. She seems to stress greatly while I press onward, unceasing. My strokes slow, but show impressive depth, my claws grasp at her neck, holding her jaw to mine. My tongue climbs down her maw, she battles in vain to overpower mine.

I don't even feel it occurring, but the space I occupy within her is expanding, lubricating more and more with each deepened shove. Not long after, my inner thighs become sticky... and creamy. We don't stop, even after I've bred her into a stupor, she doesn't care for the mess of her tail being in the way, her magic only pulls at my collar, urging me to carry on as though we've just started.

Our lips separate, our pants slightly out of sync, but hauntingly matching a tempo. Her strength wavers not in her magic, but her body, she pulls me down on top of her as my hips slowly regain a little speed. Her hooves scrape against the wrinkled silk sheets of her bed, my feet claim anchor and pushes her body even further into her pillows. She releases a monstrous grunt. The buckles of my muzzle are refastened and she brings me back to the nape of her neck. Whimpers and shudders are what's left of her rapidly devolving dialog, singing a contorted melody to the rhythm of our amply audible, velcro-like collisions.

...But I'm doing more than what I can to hold back an increasing sickness.

The shame, the embarrassment, the humiliation I both endured and provided, being both sides of the same coin this imperial princess flipped at her leisure. Insatiable, greedy, manipulative... selfish. My mind screams throughout the madness, but muted by the repeated impacts.

This darkness... is this what it's like to truly lose one's innocence?

A gruesome display that haunts the recesses my mind replays ad nauseum, the hurtful expressions showing on Twilight's face as she's forced to watch me submit my body to whatever malice that stirs with each and every moment the collar is yanked on my neck, the seconds where my nostrils pick up the mystifying miasma of the nape of her neck. My adoptive sibling seeing every inch of me, sinking deep into the mare that taunted her. What discomposure I suffered then is only amplified now. And the worst thing is that I can't even bring myself to say it, the miasma forbids it.

Even now, I envision the seven heads of my kindred, their faces mostly resigned to misery, and a depressing content, they hunger for the life they no longer have, the light stricken from their eyes while they listlessly leer to me. Voices I'll never know, faces I'll forever remember, bodies I've never seen, memories I'll never shed. And yet... the only thing that seems to distract me from that terror is the muted sensation of my sex warmly embraced by the mare who calls me nothing more than her pet.

Is this what you've really felt, all those years ago?

Meanwhile in Canterlot Castle...

The throne room of the castle remains dimly lit, as it is long after the hours of visitation and business. The time grows closer towards midnight, and the many guards who had the day shift have long since checked out and gone home. Only a few remain now to guard the room as a trio of equines position themselves near the throne.

One of those equines happen to be the high princess, who's pacing back and forth with a lot on her mind. The other two are helpless in stopping her trot. She's far too angry to be halted, but Solemn offers words to the indignant mare. "Your highness, pacing back and forth is not going to resolve the issue of his ensnarement."

"You don't understand, Solemn." Twilight replies with a scowl on her face. "I sent him to that assignment, I thought he would be able to handle this. It's one thing that I know the realm is notorious for dragon-hunting, but I didn't anticipate him being hypnotized to serve a princess for her fetishistic endeavors!"

Solemn continues to play as the voice of reason. "It is unfortunate, your majesty. Perhaps the escort could be of some assistance for the time being."

The princess throws her hooves up in objective helplessness. "That's the problem! The imperial guard don't allow for them to even leave the airship, much less go after Spike!"

"Do we know this for certain?" The third figure questions from the shadows behind the throne.

"They get violent every time even just one or two try to leave the ship to relay a message!" The princess loudly unleashes a stressed groan into the hall. "This is devolving faster than I ever imagined it would."

"It seems to me that this is more than a country being territorial." Solemn concludes. "It feels like a trap. And it's one that Sir Spike is currently caught in by his ankles."

"I don't know what direction to take at this point." Answers the purple princess.

Solemn also adds. "It's also putting one of our specialists into harms way. I can't imagine that Kalimba is in any better of a position."

"But the difference between her and Spike is that she might be able to get out of it. She's resourceful and savvy, Spike's barely able to get out of a jam with some underground thugs, much less a well-organized militia of forces specifically tailored to subdue and exterminate dragons!" Twilight makes her way to her throne, sitting in dismay over what has transpired. "I made a terrible mistake."

The unicorn figure comes from behind the throne, his face finally coming to light as he speaks a much-less restrained dialog with her. "Well, sadly we can't do much on our own. We don't have the resources to be able to go halfway across the world for a recovery mission. This ain't the U.S., we ain't got the tech, the fuel, or the hardware to pull off an extraction of that difficulty." Stanton replies.

"And it's not like you can do what the captain can do, not to compare you to your brother." Solemn says, directing her comment towards the transformed stallion.

"No, you're not wrong." He shrugs. "I can stay a specialist under cover, that's not hard on me at all. But the one thing I can't do is do my brother's crazy ass shit. I ain't went through that process of putting up with it, nor do I even want to."

"And I hate that's the only thought I can come up with." Says the current captain. "It sucks that I had to come behind that force of nature when he retired, much less trying to plan for something of this magnitude. If he were here, he'd already come up with something."

"That or bullshit his way to start things up." Stanton adds with a slight chuckle. "I know it's a bit farfetched, but can we try the element bearers?"

Twilight stares at the stallion. "You're not serious, I know you're not."

"Not a great idea to start with." Solemn cosigns with the princess. "It would be one thing if we were sending a group of ponies to make that trip, but a changeling and a dragon both are included in that group, and they say no to the risk."

"Yeah, but they do have a thing for Spike. Maybe they'd be pretty driven to make things shake." Stanton thinks aloud. "You don't feel those two would want to make the trek for his sake?"

Solemn shakes her head. "I'm sure they would. But endangering those two would seriously put all of Equestria at grave risk should there be something significant in our future we'd need to tackle."

"And that's not something I'm willing to sign off on. The last time was a complete PR nightmare for the one who tried to sneak it through. And that guy threw himself out of a window not too long after that." Twilight reminds the stallion.

"Oh yeah, Count." He mulls to himself quietly. "Head went splat."

While the group is still sparse on ideas, Solemn continues to keep the fires of urgency under the current conversation. "Well either way, we can't just let this happen. There needs to be some sort of action taking place."

Stanton gives a quick retort to the captain. "Yeah, but what do you suggest we do? Call the only asshole capable of pulling it off out of his retirement? His wife would blow a fuse, and I don't know if we want to blow the fuse of a being that's still very capable of controlling the sun."

"I think former Princess Luna might be able to pull it off, provided that she's willing to come from retirement to assist." Solemn suggests.

"Nah, she ain't going for it." Stanton quickly shoots down the suggestion.

"How do you know that for certain?" Twilight asks.

"Trust me, she's not gonna budge."

The pair of mares continue to knock their horns together for ideas, Solemn being the first to propose an alternative. "So what about former Princess Celestia?"

"You'd probably have a better chance of her doing it, but she's definitely not going to do that." Twilight counters. "She's always been firm on trying to stay retired."

Solemn brings up another possibility. "Prince Blueblood?"

The stallion takes a brief moment to ponder the idea before shooting it down. "Mr. Family Man... Hmm... I don't think he's got the time to pull that off with him wanting to be involved in everything his kids are doing. And then we have the council of his wives to go through to get that approval. That ain't gonna happen there either."

Twilight brings up another possibility, but shoots it down in the same breath. "Shining and Cadance are tied up dealing with the cultists in the north. Flurry's much too young to get involved."

Stanton mumbles to himself. "Honestly, she could be able to pull that off."

Both of the mares shout back at him. "No!"

"I'm not saying she should, I'm saying she could!" He reiterates in his defense. "That girl's got some insane magic potential."

"And there's no way Emperor Shining Armor would sign off on that." Solemn adds. "Sending his daughter overseas on a risky recovery assignment in a land where violence against dragons is a celebrated practice. You're just signing the poor filly up for a lifetime of emotional trauma, especially if the worst is to happen."

"So we're straight thin on options... damn." Stanton says before he blurts out another idea. "Twilight, I know you don't want to─"

"Will never even try it, you mean." She interrupts.

"I was about to say 'go after him yourself'." He concludes, surprising the princess. "You said it yourself. One of the imperial princesses is using Spike as a dragon sex toy. And it's not too farfetched to believe that once she gets tired of him, he'll be treated like every other dragon out that way."

"I know it's probably a difficult choice for you to make, especially given your schedule, princess. But we can either choose to maintain our current pursuit of good relations, or we save one of the ones who has helped put a crucial alliance on the table for Equestria's sake." Solemn suggests. "Without him, the dragons may reconsider their allegiance. And when they find out where he's been sent off to under your instruction─"

"Shit gets real." Stanton concludes. "Can't get anymore real than those guys showing off heads as a message to your administration. And if they catch him lacking, which he is at this point, I feel like that will be their 'thank you' gift for sending that one guy back."

The stressed princess grimaces over the situation, thinking aloud. "So my only choices are to either abandon diplomacy with an enclave of creatures who are highly destructive and deadly, or abandon diplomacy with an enclave of creatures who are highly destructive and deadly. And it took us four years to get the arimaspi to even speak with us. Dammit, if I could split myself in two and make this work, I would."

Stanton mulls another possibility, but it only proves to be a small light in a sea of chaos. "I trust Kali to get Spike out of there herself. The only thing against their chances at this point is how they'll respond. Realistically speaking, I don't think that airship's gonna make it back across the sea in one piece. You see what they're doing now, and if I'm any bit of a villain, I'm keeping them corralled in one place just to remove that escape option at my leisure."

"Showing them that the option is still there, then removing it before they make the decision to take it is a pretty soul-crushing gambit. If they did that, there would be no question that it would open the doors to international conflict. I would say they make that decision only if they know they can win a skirmish." Solemn adds.

"And we don't know what weapons they have specifically. We do know the airship is surrounded by guards with an unusual abundance of spears. Their airships are far more powerful than the one we've sent, we know that much. But as far as their real capabilities are concerned, there's no reference we have to go on." Twilight taps her chin in pondering. "If only I could get in contact with Kali."

"But all that 'shoulda, coulda, woulda' don't mean nothing." Stanton bluntly answers.

The royal mare ears fall as she sighs in resignation. "...I said to myself I wouldn't dare think of it, just out of respect... Maybe I can get in contact with Alex."

"Options are few at this point, your highness." Solemn replies. "Maybe going this route will lead us down a dark path of destruction, but it will get the job done. Perhaps a rental could be in the works."

"You know that Alex won't sell any weapons to you." Stanton adamantly states. "Both he and Nondis made a promise that we won't go down that path, no matter how lucrative the situation may be. Hell, at this point..."

Stanton takes a deep breath before pulling out his phone. Twilight looks over his shoulder with disapproval as she reads the name at the top of the screen. "What are you doing?"

"Going to the nuclear option, the one you don't want to take."

The princess chides the stallion. "Are you nuts!?"

Before Stanton can answer, the dial tone cuts away to the voice of the intended party. "Yyyyello?"

"Hey bro, what you got goin' on?" He asks the man on the other end.

The voice happily responds. "Man... I'm making dinner for the wife, and I know she's gonna flip when she tastes it. I'm doing a lemon pepper salmon, with a side of buttery mashed potatoes, homemade bread rolls from scratch, and sauteed asparagus. She's gonna eat it, and we're probably going to make love on the dining room table shortly after. And then that itis is gonna hit us like a ton of bricks and we're gonna go right to bed."

"Yeah, sounds like fun." Stanton answers with hesitation in his voice. "So, I might need a little bit of a favor. Just a little one, maybe involve some travel, might need to load the yacht for this one."

A sigh comes from the other end of the line. "Stats, c'mon man. You know my wife will lose her shit if you got me doing some crazy-ass stunt work."

"...Well... sorry?"

There's a clatter on the other side, indicating some frustration and cooking ware present. "Ah hell, man. What's going on, what are you trying to get me to do?"

The stallion replies with pursed lips. "So get this, like it's crazy, but here's the deal... Spike's in Ponyland..."

A sigh sounds on the other end. "And how the hell did he get there?"

"Twi sent him over for a goodwill mission. It's not coming out well."

"Ah yeah, a 'goodwill' mission. I'll ask the previous Arimaspi chief how that went for us the last time we met." He replies with monotoned sarcasm.

"Didn't you kill that guy, along with the griffon that was helping him?" Stanton asks his brother.

"Uh, yeah... the griffon almost killed me."

"No. Your heart stopped beating when you got put on the table. You were a goner by a lot of standards. Mel made sure to tell us that without going into a complete mental breakdown. Twilight just zapped you to keep your brain from shutting down, and wouldn't stop yelling at you to come back. Mel took over from there, and now you're missing about three to five feet of small intestine."

"Yeah, not the only thing I missed out on. I was told I had to relearn how to walk, Twi broke up with me immediately after that." He recalls, causing the princess to lower her head with regret.

But the princess' ears doesn't stay pinned back with shame for too long, she hails out to the human on the other end. "I did that for your advantage, last I checked."

"Yeah, I'll admit the ugliness of it all worked out in my favor."

The princess proceeds to skip all formalities and gives him a bitter perspective to hopefully get the retired captain moving. "I know you're happy with your wife, and I know I'm bound to get some heat for it, but I need you to go get Spike. They just paraded seven dragon corpses by our airship, presented their heads to Spike, and now he's caught in some hypnotism spell by some lunatic princess. Kali's there, but I don't know if she can manage it alone."

"You let Kali go with him?" The retired guard expresses shock over the situation.

"And she's the one no one's heard from." The princess adds.

"...You know what, let me move the menu to this fucking yacht real quick so I can really say what I wanna say."

Midnight Castle...

Throughout the day, I've been in and out of Zenobia's room. Her inexplicable sex drive continues to be the primary factor of our interactions. But as the time goes along, I've started a subconscious effort to take note of what's being done to me. I do know that each and every time she calls for me, the collar alone has the effect of making me obey her. And every time I'm drawn into her neck, I get unabashedly aroused. And from that point, I'm doing a myriad of things to make her happy in that regard.

But it's moments like this when I'm finally alone to myself, I get the sense of reality rushing at me like the waters of a flooded river in a rainstorm. The foundations of my sanity are washed out from under me and I'm back to puking my guts out over the things that happened yesterday. It's because of those instances I've yet to eat since, the only thing I'm going on at this point is a cherry tart I was issued by the chance of Amor's fulfilled request. Since that moment, I've probably either digested it or threw it back up. Either way, I haven't eaten breakfast because Zenobia keeps me working, nor lunch because Zenobia keeps me away from her brothers, who are looking to add me to their stockpile of corpses.

Even now, the hours are growing sparse, my stomach aches from lack of nourishment, I'm nauseous from both that and yesterday, and I'm far too scared to leave this room for anything other than Zenobia dragging me out of here to tote over to her room for the sole purpose of being an disposable play toy for my own sake.

A knock sounds at the door, a light feminine voice hails out. "Sir guest?"

By now, I've learned not to leave this room for any other pony aside from Zenobia. She's the only one who can guarantee my safety. So I feign sickness. "Please, not now."

"Sir, are you alright?"

"I'm feeling quite ill. I'm sorry." Now that I think on it, is it feigning ill when I truly feel like it deep down inside?

"Her majesty requested you'd show for the evening banquet. I shall inform her that you are unwell."

"Thank you."

The mare walks away, I hear her hoofsteps slowly fade from the doorway. But then there's a loud squeaking noise that eeks nearer and nearer until it comes to a stop. I don't pay it any mind, probably just one of the other maids looking to offer cleaning services for my room. They even knock on my door with a polite measure.

"Who is it?" I call to the door.

There's no answer. So I go back to minding my own business, recounting my thoughts in preparation for my next encounter with Zenobia, at least thinking of some way I can resist the gambit she's got me in.

But instead, there's a harsh banging at my door, incessant and unwavering. It's far too loud to ignore, far too forceful to be anything like the maid from earlier. "I'm not feeling well, please go away!" I urge.

I leave my response at that, not even dignifying myself to approach the door. Instead, the lock clicks, and the knob turns, the door is flung open as a very vengeful alicorn stares at me from the doorway. "Oh, am I disturbing you?"

Much like his actions during our chess marathon, he corners me into the room at one of my more fatigued moments. There's a cold glint in his eyes as his horn shows a red glow. "I'm not feeling too great for anything right now."

"Well that's pitiful." He says without an ounce of remorse or pity. "It has come to my attention that your 'illness' may stem from yesterday. It's unfortunate that you would be so stricken over something so common in these parts. Surely you knew this is what you signed up for when you entered our borders, so don't take it personally that the crowd cheers for you to endure a gruesome demise."

"Please, I don't want trouble." I ask as he wheels in a wooden box. As soon as it's brought into the room, I can immediately smell the putrid odor of decay.

"I can understand you not wanting to see trouble, but you should've known that from the moment you crossed into our lands that trouble is all you've asked for. Now I know you're not 'feeling well' and normally I couldn't be bothered to care, but I'll be generous today. I've even brought you a little pick-me-up, a gift to show how much you mean to me."

He levitates what appears to be a hilt with a number of chains attached to it. I swiftly turn away before he opens the lid to unveil to me what he wants me to see. Next I hear the sound of dull impacts landing to the floor. I look down to the ground beside me, seeing the shadows of seven heads affixed to chains. I glance away, not wanting to see in full view the horror he's concocted. But I sternly make a demand of him. "You put them back where they came from."

"Aw, what gave it away?" He asks with a sinister chuckle. "Oh, guess it's the smell."

"Leave me alone, please." I request.

"Oh no no no." He says as he walks closer to me. "You don't get to run from this, get to hide from it like it's some sort of bad dream."

"I said get away from me!" I shout this time, looking to lock myself in the bathroom. But instead, he yanks me by my tail and use his magic to trip me. I land on my stomach as he glides over me, giving me a soul-crushing view of the seven victims from the parade, each affixed to a bit impaled into their cheekbones. The smell causes me to wretch and hold my mouth, as I can't afford to vomit and give Xerxes an opening.

"No. I insist. I insist because you carry on with no care for what you do to my family's image." He slings the chained flail, ushering all seven to be crudely smacked down in front of me. "For these past few days, I have endured much shame at the behest of your meddling. I have not only lost my dignity with you fornicating with my sister, but I have lost the time with my brother because of my father sending me off to do other remedial tasks. I've missed on the things that would've made me content! But look at you, you get to parade around our streets like you aren't walking with a large target on your back! I merely had to remind you where you are, and what place you have in these borders!"

"Those dragons did nothing to you!" I angrily and nauseously plead with him.

"They didn't, but you did!" He screams. "There isn't a century in this castle who hasn't spoke my sister's name with your mention not following shortly after! My pureblood heritage has been tainted because of your malfeasance! While she exploits you of her own will, I have had to bear that mark in the eyes of my guild these past few days!"

I try to get up, scrambling for the window, but his magic is far too much for me to overwhelm. I'm flung into the stone wall with the back of my head bouncing from the impact. I slump down with my newly acquired concussion.

He gingerly walks towards me with a faux smile. "Usually, it takes a day or two to hunt down one dragon. So would you imagine the great lengths it took for me to acquire seven dragon heads? Allow me to show you how special you are." He raises them before my eyes, making me come face to face with their expressions and their putrid odor. "Look at them! They all beg you to join them! They beg you to share the little warmth you have left." He also lifts an eight extension from the flail, allowing me to see the one bit that has yet to be used. "There's a special place for you, dragon. In this mace of mine, there's an eighth harness. You'll join them soon enough, and there will be little my sister can do to stop me from bringing you that hon─"

"PET!" The shrill of Zenobia's voice startles the both of us. The alicorn princess darts into the room to see both me and her younger brother, not to mention his gruesome offering to me. Her eyes narrow sharply and she grows incensed her younger sibling. "What! The fuck! Are you doing, Xerxes!?"

"What? I just thought that he wanted to talk with his fellow dragons, if he knew any of them."

She firmly calls to me with her horn glowing a fiery pink. "Come here." My body doesn't seem to mind the fact that it's still undergoing concussion recovery, acting on it's own accord by walking to her. As I stand by her side, her horn crackles and gives sparks while her head lowers to indicate her readiness to engage. "He knows better than to hurt what's mine."

The alicorn prince seems frustrated that his sister intervened, even more so with the fact that she's assuming a more combative role. It's the first time I've seen him have second thoughts on any encounter. However, he continues to antagonize me for my need of being protected. "Claim your safety all you want. There will be a moment where I'll find you alone again." He warns, rattling his chains all the while. "I will have yours as my newest trophy."

The wooden crate he wheeled along with him is slammed into his side, knocking him over. He lands beside the decomposing corpse remnants, landing him in a foul circumstance. As he raises up, he finds much of their stench on his body. "Take your shit-smelling funbox with you." She commands with a disgusted expression. "I don't need you stinking up the halls with your shitty hobbies again."

Having suffered the embarrassment of being knocked into his gruesome claim, now having to wear the stench, he places the victims back in the crate and hurriedly closes the lid. The prince walks away with no eye contact made towards the both of us, just a grumbling set of words passing by as the putrid stench of his shame following him. "Every. Moment... Dragon."

Zenobia checks in on me, seeing that I'm hardly in any mood to be bothered, the magic of her possession wanes and my body crumples to the ground in both physical discomfort and mental grief. She wraps her hooves around my head as he holds me close. "Poor pet. He's not going to hurt you, I promise he won't. I'll look after you."

I clench my eyes, trying to shake off the horror I've just witnessed. My failure only mounts more and more despair. "Why am I still here? Am I just going to suffer like them." Zenobia takes note of my verbalized thoughts and lifts me in her magic, holding me up to her as though I am some puppy.

"I know you're scared. But you can't stay in here. C'mon, let's get you showered, upright, and proper fed."

Meanwhile in Canterlot Castle...

It's well before the hours of the rising sun. Shifts are just about to undergo their respective changes. Solemn also enters into her shift for the first time of the morning. As she's often in charge of the wake-up detail, she's the first to enter into the princess' bedroom. More like than not, she's also one of the ones to wake her royal majesty.

Instead, she simply greets the wide-awake princess. "Your highness, you're awake?"

"I've been awake." Twilight replies with a dejected sigh. "I'm just expecting it at any moment now."

"Expecting what?" Solemn questions.

The princess looks out to the darkened sky out on the horizon, waiting for the moment where she can raise the sun beyond the horizon. "Both you and I know what's coming."

It doesn't take long for the guardsmare's synapsis to flare up and tie all of it together. "Your highness, I'm not sure if you're expecting bad news or a refusal at this point."

Twilight mutters to herself. "I know that by now she's probably─"

♪IIIIIIIIII'm.... gonna soak up the suuuun, I'm gonna tell everyoooone tooooo liiiiighteeeen uuuup!♫

Twilight drops her head as she summons her phone by her side, knowing exactly who the caller is by the ringtone she has set. "And here we go." She winces at the screen as she quietly answers the phone. "Hello?"

"Twilight Sparkle, it's always a privilege to get a hold of you."

The purple mare chuckles nervously. "Hey Celestia, how's the evening been yesterday?"

"Well I would say that I'm quite satisfied with how it was. But as you can tell by my sudden calling in, this morning hasn't been nearly as great..."

"I have a feeling I might know why." The purple alicorn sheepishly replies.

"Oh Twilight, it's almost as though you can read my mind."

"I trust there's a lot more than a few words on your mind?" The former protege asks her retired mentor.

"Why yes. Several." She answers with a sweet demeanor.

The princess immediately turns her speaker on as she walks towards the balcony. "I'm sorry, It wasn't like I was trying to go to this option, but... Stanton made the call for me."

The former princess takes note of Twilight's diminishing presence and asks to the room. "Am I on speaker?"

"Yes ma'am, you are." Solemn replies. "Her majesty is about to raise the sun."

"Well that's great, then I won't be doing this for naught then." The former princess clears her throat and shouts though the phone at her loudest volume, the receiver distorting her overwhelmingly powerful voice. "PONYLAND, TWILIGHT!? YOU SENT SPIKE TO PONYLAND!? REALLY!?"

Twilight doesn't even seem the least bit pressured, mainly because all of her efforts are now being turned to lifting the bright celestial object beyond it's point of pre-dawn twilight. "It was to return a prince back to his homeland! He was sneaking around Equestria with absolutely no permissions or correspondence to his family! And then he had the nerve to get abducted here in Canterlot!"

Solemn proudly serves as the former ruler's nagging presence, levitating the phone next to the occupied current. "Ugh... what am I going to do with you?"

"It's not my fault that he has a case of the googly eyes for me! I didn't even want him!"

"Wait a second. A Ponyland prince likes you?"

"Crushing a little too hard, frankly." Twilight answers as she strains over raising the heavy celestial body.

"So let me get this straight. A Ponyland prince has found favor to seek you. And you did what in response?"

"I sent him back home! I'm not going to start a relationship with some guy I don't even know, much less of that religious preference!"

"YOU SENT SPIKE OVER THERE!" Celestia shouts in response before calming herself. "Okay, I get it. I understand that your concerns and decision was for the good of the country at large considering the circumstances, but you've risked an international incident to appease that misogynistic despot of an emperor Basileus Apollo!"

"If I had kept that prince here, it would've turned into a possible war!"

"Again, I understand. But sending a dragon envoy to a land that hunts dragons for sport is not my idea of a mission of goodwill! You've basically given them a sacrifice to start your trade deal!"

"Specialist Kalimba is also there to look after Spike, but we've received no response." Solemn adds, much to the dismay of the current princess in power.

"YOU SENT KALI!?" The former ruler exclaims.

"Yup, she did that too." Her husband confirms in the background of the call.

"TWILIGHT, THAT HAS TO BE THE MOST BLINDSIDED JUDGEMENT CALL YOU'VE EVER MADE!"

"She was our best specialist for the assignment! I didn't know who else to send that would be as tactical as her!" The princess says in her own defense.

"Tempest, Blue, Stanton, your brother, your dad, Solemn, Moondancer, Starlight, Sunburst, just naming a few I remember from my tenure who are magically gifted and situationally adaptable." Celestia points out. "Hell, even if you wanted to really ensure his protection, you could've sent out Flurry with how overprotective she is of him!"

"I'm not sending my niece out to some foreign land!" Twilight rebuts.

"And with that logic, you sent SPIKE!? He grew up with you, a whole adopted brother, you clearly didn't mind sending him out!"

The sun reaches it's starting point for the day's journey, allowing the purple alicorn mare to finally give her mentor her undivided attention. "Okay, I only sent him because they requested a representation of my level, or another high-ranking equivalent. If I'm away on business, which I'm likely to be in the coming days with the trip to Arimpaspi Mountain for diplomatic talks, I'll need for my second in command to deal with that. I knew that it would be dangerous, so I sent him a specialist and forty other guards and mechanics to make sure nothing goes wrong."

"So what you're telling me now is that it's all gone downhill, those forty creatures you've sent out with them are currently surrounded, and now both Kali and Spike are in hot water." Celestia briefly summarizes. "When was the last time you talked to either of them?"

"I haven't talked to Kali yet. As for Spike... I'm sure he's keeping a certain princess' bed awfully warm these days."

"That's a pretty hefty accusation, to say that he's undergoing premarital negotiations with a figure of privilege. Have you confirmed this?" Celestia asks.

Twilight thinks back to the transmission from the night's past. Her ears start to redden with the images running through her mind. "She... did him... in front of me, over an orb transmission."

"Well did you enjoy the show?"

Her ears flick up and her cheeks run crimson as her former mentor delves into more adulterous waters. "Celestia!"

"I'm sorry if I'm a little confrontational right now. My husband dragged me on our yacht having me think that we're in for a lovely dinner out at sea. By the time I wake up, we're in international waters, headed due northwest, 52 knots cruising. It could be five days before we even come close to a port in that direction. I'm supposed to be enjoying my retirement, and here I am about to break his goddamn neck for stepping into international affairs for Equestria's sake. And if he has to unretire, I have to unretire myself just to keep him on a leash. Now here we are trying to get to Ponyland, pick up Spike, and head back home, that's if we even have the fuel to get back to Silver Shoals at this point!"

Her husband calls out to the former royal. "We'll be fine getting there, hun!"

"I'm still not talking to you, Mr. Haines!"

The husband scoffs in the background. "Sure you aren't."

"So yes, I'm quite pissed! And more so at the fact that my husband decided to reach over me and do this, than I am at you getting Spike in this situation in the first place!"

"I'd be mad at me too." Twilight murmurs.

"Either way, we're currently en route to Foalsom for a stock-up, then we'll dock at Hayfling for standby. That will be another day of travel, considering possible ice floe conditions. If you're any part the bright mind I pegged you to be, you'd communicate with your party over at Midnight Castle and have them relay the message to Spike and Kalimba by any means necessary."

Solemn then adds. "One problem, the Ponyland forces are keeping them pinned to that airfield."

"Well I'm afraid one of them is going to have to make that trip. I'd probably go for somepony who can teleport or shapeshift."

Once more, the husband offers his input. "Spoiler alert: Shapeshift's your best option!"

"Mr. Haines!" The retired alicorn calls out to her husband.

The man chuckles at his wife's frustration. "Right, keeping course, your majesty."

Just a peep comes out from the previous princess, a pause of silence ensues as she processes the fact that her husband playfully calls her by her non-title. As it is a pet peeve of hers, she redirects her ire to him instead. "Twilight, I'm going to hang up this phone and give this man a stern ripping into. Relay that message while I nag my husband to near death, because lord knows it's gonna be hard to kill him."

"Love you too, sweetie." He answers back with a kiss.

"Ugh... You annoying motherfu─!" Three beeps signal the call's end.

The guardsmare issues the princess her phone with a sarcastic question. "So... good news?"

"As good as we can get it right now." She replies. "The fact that Nondis managed to get her to go along makes the chance of their recovery a lot more likely."

"Do you think they'll be able to hold on for six more days?" Solemn asks.

The high princess glances to the horizon, seeing the rising sun moving at a snail's pace along it's daily journey. "The better question is does that princess find it within herself to get bored of Spike before then."

"I'm sure she'll find something else to do with him, if that's the case."

Midnight Castle...

Be it in the morning when the dawn comes, be it in the noonday where the many are about their respective errands, or even the night when all is sitting with their loved ones and discussing their day, one truth about my place here is that I don't belong. And it shows by the passing minute. Each and every bit, I'm reminded of it until I'm brought back to Zenobia's chambers. Then her horn glows, the collar does it's work, and I'm on my knees like the first night we've met. It never stops.

I have more nightmares of this place, more terrible thoughts of my impending doom. Xerxes seems to crawl the shadows of every column in search of me, looking for the lone chance to claim my life. It's but one moment of weakness I've had on today, and he's right there to instill even more terror in my life. One gruesome image has now given way to an even more horrifying advent.

And yet the only thing that's distracting me is the tangy and briny taste on my tongue.

My eyes lock to the princess who continues to favor me for these frequent encounters. She seems very manganous in contrast to the hellspawn that his her younger sibling. In a way, I'm almost relieved that she continues to distract me in the manner that she does. The miasma, often decorating the crooks of her neck now showered between her legs, is potent. It fades many of my horrid thoughts, the memories of these past two days.

"My pet!" Her praises are a delightful distraction as well.

What once was the taste of vomit in my mouth is replaced by the numerous fragrances she wears to dress herself up. While they do well for the nose, they don't do as well for the tongue, giving a bitter aftertaste to my ministrations. Not that I care at this point, it's like the safest place I could possibly be is in between her legs. And if I have to let my tongue dance around her winking mound for hours on end, then I'll dance the day, the night, the whole week away. If I have to pump and prime myself to plug her aches, then I will fashion myself to be a saw that cuts down a mighty forest for the sake of one brimming flower.

Yet another surprise is bestowed, a gift of her unannounced climax splashes me across my face. Her pelvic muscles contract around my tongue, hungrily grasping at me to taste her inner-most feelings. What madness it is that she continues to be this insatiable, but also what joy it is to know that this is my alternative. If she were to tire of me, I'm sure she'd sooner see me released than not. "That's right, eat your fair share, my pet." Then again, I'm sure she's not planning to do that anytime soon with the rate she intervenes when I entertain the thought of leaving.

So I'll let it be, maybe I can claim it as some source of pride someday. If I gorge myself on her, she'll protect me, and I'll be safe. So I'll take on more than my fair share, even if it proves to be the only thing I can stomach these days. I'll do it for her, and keep doing it until she bores of it, and then she'll let me go. If I please her incessantly, she'll reach heights no other can hope to top. I'll be the object of her obsession, even if only for a season. Of course she'll tire of me, it's inevitable that she will. I just hope that she does so before the effects of her miasma wears thin due to my adaptability.

Because when that happens... I'm sure the nightmares will start all over again. And they'll be no stopping them.

Author's Note

I'll see you all in the next chapter!

Chapter 32: Seeking Salvation

DISCLAIMER:This chapter is to contain incest, sexual violence, and homosexual depictions. Reader discretion is advised.

The halls of the castle are mostly quiet as the night consumes much of the town. The centuries on post have grown fewer and the others merely wait patiently with weapons in tow. There's a slight outburst of a sensible chuckle as the young prince Amor walks with a servant who seems to speak highly of their encounter throughout the day.

"And even after that, you would not believe what happens to the other guy who gets caught in pantry with the baker's daughter!"

"Ah, to be in love." The young prince hums with amorous longing of his own fantasies. "I only wish my encounters would be as lively as that."

"But either way, the wedding is slated for the sixth of next month." The servant informs him. "It seems the baker wants the young lad to assume responsibility for the transgression."

"It couldn't possibly be that bad."

"They were caught in the act, he practically dismounted her the moment the door swung open. And I'll tell you that door wasn't the only thing left swinging free."

The prince sighs. "At least he wasn't challenged to a duel. Seems that it's ending pretty well, all things considered."

As the pair enter into the young prince's bedroom, they carry on their conversation for a moment. "Oh don't believe for one second that the baker didn't think to rent a broadsword or two from the local smithy. He was quite incensed."

"He's always protective of little Palmetta." Amor says as he sets his saddlebags down by the door and turns the dial for the lights. "It's not surprise that─"

The pair are left silent as they see an alicorn stallion posted on the young prince's bed. Beside him is an empty bottle of wine with yet another bottle uncorked and mostly full on the nightstand. The stallion's face is flushed red as he holds a pillow to his belly. Amor's smile fades as the servant questions the figure before them. "High Prince? Did we stumble into the wrong room by chance?"

Xerxes leans his head back and loosens his grip on the pillow. "Leave us." He says with a drunken slur.

Not wanting to face the ire of an inebriated prince, the servant takes off with pronounced speed. Amor calls out his noble-blooded brother. "Xerxes, this is my room. What are you doing in here?"

He holds a hoof up, waiting for the door to close behind the servant. As soon as it clicks shut, the prince stumbles from off the bed and meanders his way to Amor. "I'm merely looking after my lesser-blood princess."

The young prince groans with disgust. "Must you always call me that?"

"Oh come now, you can't refute status, much less the position you hold to me." The older sibling walks around Amor, prompting the prince to keep his back away. "So, father speaks of whispers of some silly development you're trying to manifest."

"If silly is what you call it, then I'll be just that. I've met with Princess Twilight in my excursion. She's just as beautiful as I imagined her to be." He instinctively starts to back himself into the wall. "I know it's a longshot, but I'm looking to possibly get─

A hoof firmly plants beside the young prince's head as a drunken Xerxes giggles over the proposition. "Foolish little Amor, you know you can't make commitments with that mare. What do you look like trying to climb a tree that tall with a status that dominating? Little ol' you, and the high princess of Equestria, good Doctor's sake. I'd say you look every bit the fool soon to fall back to the earth below. You should give up on those delusional dreams of yours."

"I'm not delu─"

Amor's words are cut short by a painful impact made upon his face. His cheek swells from the blow as his brother's follow-through runs true to his cheek bones. The young prince crumples to the ground, holding his hooves up for his own defense. Xerxes slumps in seeing his half brother's reactionary response. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to be so violent with you." He mumbles in a low voice. "It's just that when you left, you never said anything to me. I looked across the entire realm for you. And I found nothing. You know that I do what I do to protect you. The fact that you ran from me terrifies me, am I really such a monster that you have to fear being around? I thought I treated you well, even for your lesser status."

The young prince barely speaks out. "I─"

"Shut up!" The elder prince punches the wall beside him in an outburst of volatility. But his foreleg loosens as he reaches for the younger's chin. "You know, that meddlesome fool of a guard you have is persistent. He's kept you leagues away from me with every chance he gets."

Amor turns his head away. "Please..."

The stallion looks off as his brother closes in on him, closing the distance that was once revealed before the emperor and the foreign ambassador. Amor laboriously breathes as his older brother sinks his tongue into his by all account against his will. He pants as to try to hide the panic in his motions, but makes the mental note to remain calm. "You're trembling... You must have been so eager to see me again." Xerxes replies with a lustful gaze. "You remember what we used to do when we were younger?"

Amor replies with a small voice. "...I don't want to do that anymore."

"But brother, you looked so enamoring in those dresses. I'm sure you'd pass as a beautiful rose girl." He replies as he presses his lips longingly into his neck. "You're far prettier than anything father's ever proposed for me. I'm still wondering how you even stayed this way through all the years. Such a dainty little thing. A coat as dark as the moon's shadow, eyes as bright as the embers of the sun, you're so warm I melt into you like the waters of my bath. Amor... truly a fitted name."

The young prince trembles as the magic envelops his body, setting him upon the bed with his tail pulled aside. "Xerxes─"

The older prince hops on, biting his lip with anticipation. He primes himself as he makes his alignment. "Shh... Let's be quiet like we've always been."

Before the elder prince can get himself established, a loud knock sounds on the door. "Lord Amor!"

Xerxes' head snaps towards the door, he releases a quiet growl of frustration of being ready for this moment, only for an untimely interruption to take place. He hops off of his younger sibling and warns him. "Not a sound." He walks to the door, cracking it open to peek through. He sees none other than Sir Fencer standing before him. "You again? What do you want?"

"Prince Amor's presence has been requested. This is his room."

The high prince quickly weaves a lie. "It's not his room, it's my room. You didn't get the memo over the time you left, but I now claim this room for my own use. It's been that way since your departure for Equestria."

"Lies." The guardian snarls. "The servants reported his appearance here, even coming to this room."

"Well he's not here at the moment. While he did drop by, I informed him of the situation and he's meandered off to his new quarters."

Sir Fencer sees right through the prince's lie and presses the door firmly open to see the younger prince posted on the bed, covered by his sheets as he tries to hide his compromising position. The observant guardian sweeps his gaze towards the lying imperial, more noticeably the subsiding erection between his hindlegs. "Lord Amor, the emperor has requested your presence."

Not one to flinch from the opportunity to get away, the young prince throws the sheets off from himself and briskly trot past the confrontational pair. "At once then."

More than livid, Xerxes halts his brother's advance with his magic taking grasp at the base of his tail, causing the younger to recoil in pain. "What issue my father has that requires a lesser-blood's presence?"

Fencer moves between the two brothers, taking a protective stance of the one he swore loyalty to. "The matter of his proposal to the High Princess of Equestria. Surely you'd know of it."

The drunken prince snarls in response. "Surely you jest."

"My lord's proposal is very much genuine. I've seen him plead her with my very own eyes." The stallion, taking a significant risk of disrespect, places a hoof on Xerxes' horn to quench his magic. The grip on Amor's tail subsides. "If you wish for another witness, confirm my account with the emperor's intended."

"The mix-breed?" The elder imperial chuckles. "Oh yeah, that useless whore. Father will soon be disappointed. That mix breed has no intention to acquiesce to his advances. You and I both know this."

"The emperor is also aware that she has sired a foal of young age."

"He knows that, and still pursues her?"

"Of course, but you of all others should know that hasn't stopped his imperial majesty. I'm sure your peasant-blooded siblings have a lot to say on the matter, Sir Xerxes." He leans into the prince, keeping his hoof on his horn. "Or have your majesty forgotten the fact that your mother abandoned her first family for a life of prestige? From a poor maid of the castle to a mare of your father's use. If it wasn't for Zenobia's birth, you'd probably be no less of a disclaim, and that's if you were even given the improbable chance to exist."

The scathing words of truth sear the prince's expression to a foul grimace, he stands motionless as Fencer removes his hoof from his horn. The seething imperial watches as the stallion turns his back to him, already making plans of how to reposition him in permanence.

Sir Fencer politely escorts the young prince away. "Let's go, your majesty."

I don't know how long I've been in this room now. My only point of reference when I finish doing shit like this is the light coming in from the windows, but she keeps those closed behind some thick, restrictive curtains. The last time I was in here, there was nothing to hide. Now it seems like she's been taking extra caution in keeping all eyes and access away from any others. I'm sure she means to do it for my sake, but I don't even know what's her purpose for having me around.

I suppose I never got a chance to ask. It's only right that I should, at least to make sure that I'm doing well for whatever reason I'm stuck here. Sometimes a verbal confirmation helps, and I know she's too blunt for lies. Dangerous to presume that, I know, but her personality doesn't quite sell like she's hiding a lot.

You know what, lets find out where I'm at right now. "Your highness."

She's laying in the bed right beside me, her back to me as her raspy voice barks out. "Speak."

"I know it's highly rude of me to say this or even think it, but what do you think of this... of us, I mean?"

Her ears flick as she slightly turns her head, not enough to look at me but to acknowledge my inquiry. "Elaborate."

"I mean are we talking, seeing each other, you probably don't even intend on going that far with the likes of me. I can understand. Perhaps I'm just something you're interested in for the time being, maybe a thrill. But to go so far as to protect me, why?"

"Mmm..." She grumbles before sparking up her magic. The collar takes over my body yet again and my arms wrap around her. She leans back into my chest, my body dwarfing hers by a significant amount. Her magic quenches and leaves me with free control as she puts forth her own question. "You ever fucked on a throne before?"

For a tender moment to be ruined by such a crass idea, I show my lack of enthusiasm. "I'm being serious."

"And you don't think I'm being equally so?"

"I can't say that I have. Why do you ask?"

She scoffs as she gives her thought. "Because it's the closest thing I'll ever get to being there."

"You fornicating on your father's throne? That's some insidious deviancy you got going there."

She nestles herself further into me, moving my legs to spoon her smaller frame. "I haven't done it yet. I might think to do it in the near future. I might have you take a note of that one."

"That's a pretty strong way of saying you don't like your father very much." I comment.

"It's my way of saying 'fuck you' for not even seeing me as ruling material." Not that I agree with him, I just understand the thought process is all. "All he ever did was give me things, not once even asking me what or how I feel. I used to beg for attention in the early years, I thought I could please him and be a good little girl, the star-bright image of Ponyland's first born heir of the noble blood. I tried it for thirteen years of my life, and you know what he did?"

Judging from his lack of a response to how Zenobia just took me for a ride during breakfast... "He didn't care much."

"More like he didn't care at all." She corrects me. "I noticed that he paid more attention to my brother, who wasn't even the second born sibling, or the third, or fourth. He's really the fifteenth. My father sires a lot of girls, and I was the first thing my mother presented to him, and indifference was the way he showed his gratitude. I can't say that she deserved the attention, but I at least deserved something." She grabs one of my arms, clutching it with both of her forelegs. "But the other morning, when I had you for breakfast, the fact that he indirectly gave me some sort of question of reprimand due to Amor's discomfort is probably the first time my father reacted to anything I did. Honestly, I'm quite proud of it."

I know he's not exactly a kind father-figure or a prominent family feature, but I'm sure there has to be some way for her to reach out to him. "Have you ever thought to speak with him about anything?"

"Thirteen years." She replies.

"Right. But I mean recently?"

"Why even try?" She deadpans.

"I guess it can be pretty hard to pay attention to the personal needs of so many kids, I'm just trying to play devil's advocate here. But still, why so little to the first thing that's basically jumpstarted his legacy?"

"I stopped asking that question after I started masturbating." She answers as she clenches my arm even tighter. "Thirteen years old, a bout with estrus, a hoof at my nethers, and a court filled with gasping attendees. My father's words to them were a cold and calm command. 'Pay the girl no mind, she's just begging for attention'." I raise my head to look down at her face, seeing how unchanged her expressions are. "I mean it, he really said that then. I didn't even think to go that far until that moment. I think that's when I was crushed enough to stop caring. So between the assorted eyes trying to avert themselves, some lecherous perverts looking anyways, and my father demanding that I'd be seen as trivial... I pushed myself to a limit and released that 'cry for attention' all over the floors of the grand hall, purely out of spite."

I blink blankly at the princess for having shared such a private account. "That's... pretty wild."

She rolls over, a slight smile on her lips indicating the ridicule she has for her nonchalant parent. "You know how little my father cared? He just rolled his eyes and commanded one of the centuries to take me behind the curtain and satiate me. Poor bastard was so reserved until I crawled under him and made him commit. To my family's inconvenience, everyone saw the moment I willingly became deflowered. Much more than that, they saw how much I loved the attention I was finally getting." She looks away from me, summarizing her experience. "The prim and proper princess in her first estrus, showing no remorse for her imperial standing. Her father simply didn't care, so why should she?"

I'm not quite sure how to assess a response to that. The idea that she was taken at such a young age would normally be heinous. But her father gave consent, and she obviously pressed the issue. I don't know whether to be disgusted at the emperor for his lack of courtesy, or critical of the princess who clearly has not an ounce of shame in her bones. I suppose it would only make sense to do the former in this case, she's the one keeping me alive. "I'm sorry that happened."

"You say 'sorry', I say 'good riddance'." She's absolutely careless. "Eventually my father started to give me things so that he didn't have to see me, and I was fine with it. I'm fine with it now."

There's got to be more to this, more as to why she's like this. "So what about your mother, did she say anything?"

A sour frown shapes her features. "Eugh, hate that bitch. All she would do is scream and shriek at me for every little thing I did wrong. And when I finally had my day out at that coronation, oh don't even get me started on all the things she threw at me. I was already touted as her failure, so she can rot in hell and watch me fuck every dick I can sit on."

Well... can't believe I'm saying this, but it seems like her dad is the 'nice' parent of the pair. And it shows in her constant attention-seeking maneuvers. "I think there's still some part of you that cares."

"And why do you think that?" She asks with amused disbelief.

"Because you took me in front of him, hoping for a response." I answer.

"Honestly, it's more of a fetish these days." She answers with a snicker. "Sometimes keeping it behind closed doors don't give the same energy as if I were doing it in front of the nobles and the like. The scandal, the awkward looks, the moment the perverted bastards hike their legs to hide the fact that they're getting a rise out of it, and not to mention the shitty wives who have to drag their husbands away because they know they don't stack up to me." A sadistic smile slowly creeps onto her face. "It's pathetic really, but it's also liberating to know that it doesn't matter the status we hold, deep down we're just as primitive as the other animals."

At least I have some semblance of an answer now. "So... I guess I'm just a fetish then?"

"Do you care that much?" She appears not exactly annoyed, but she is perplexed over my insistence for an answer. "There are stallions who would die to be allowed to speak to me, much less touch me, even less fuck me on this bed as much as we have."

"I see that." I answer flatly.

She stares at me blankly before wrapping her hooves around my neck, inching closer to me with her muzzle slightly grazing my lips. "If it makes you feel any better, I haven't opened myself up to any creature this much, never you mind a dragon."

"I guess that's a forward improvement." I comment.

"You're a good pet." She says with a softness in her usually harsh voice. "And I haven't had pets before."

That only makes me curious about what's the going rate of her social rankings. Obviously she's not had a boyfriend, or at least some romantic interest as opposed to a meetup of some sort. I'm sure with her personality, one-offs are the only thing she's used to. And I gather there's been a few who have been made to wear this collar on my neck at least once before. So let me find out just how often she's used this thing, at least in a way that's not as straight forward. "So if I'm a pet, what are the others who've sullied you?"

"Meandering thoughts, slaves, centuries, my brother's eventual victims, that ilk." Her answer is so casual, as though she's as nonchalant as her father. I see she bears more than just his resemblance.

But still, that last one gives me an eerie feel. "I guess I'm in the category of 'eventual victim' then."

"Not really, at least from my perspective." She gives me a single peck on the cheek. "I've grown to like you."

"You mean you like the 'lip service'." I sarcastically correct her.

The princess giggles openly, giving me a slight tap to the head. "To make me laugh like this... a dangerous thing." She straightens herself as she seems to have intentions to rekindle our encounter. "I may have to hire you some protection, my prized pet. Wouldn't want anything happening to you."

"Well I guess you might need to start me a tab on some things around here." For as long as I've been in and out of this room, I've not once heard her call me by my name. Maybe she's careless to a fault, but even careless creatures recognize a name after so much interaction. And the intent to keep me around can be indicated in how easily one retains or forgets a name. "Do you remember what my name is, so at least you can put it to that?"

She gives me a displeased look before a knock sounds at the door. Both of us turn to see a mare's head poking through the doorway. "Your highness, forgive me for interrupting you and your guest." It's her personal maid, she lays out a black cassock at the foot of the door. "It's time."

A black robe? What does she need a robe for?

The princess sighs as she lets me go, climbing out of the bed and levitating the robes towards the bathroom. "Well, duty calls. Fucked that I'm going to have to leave the company of my pet, but I suppose the separation will grow the fondness."

"What's the robes for?" I ask.

"Oh, just some formalities, need to keep up appearances. It's mandatory for those in my position." She walks into the bathroom, going through to take her shower. "Oh shit, I forgot. Dear pet, there's a box under my bed with a few things in it! There should be a white glass bottle, it's my perfume! Can you bring that to me!?"

I wonder if it's the shit she wears to keep me distracted. "Sure thing!" I go under her bed, seeing a brown wooden box with some pretty ornate carvings. As I open it, I see a few bottles and other things. The white bottle she's asking for is sat at the back of the collection. I pop the cork open and give it a quick whiff. It's insanely strong, but it's a completely different scent from what I'm used to smelling. Instead of the hints of honey, it's more like a concentrated batch of a spring scent. It does not carry any effects on me at all. "Hey, which bottle was it!?" I call back, just trying to stall for time to sniff another bottle.

"The white one!"

"Okay!" I holler back as I pick out a brown bottle. I give it a whiff, it smells like pomegranates. I go through another to smell the sweet scent cantaloupe. Pumpkin spice, summer winds, all of it's so strong that it makes me sneeze. "Ah-ACHOO!"

"It's pretty strong, I know!" She calls back. "Can you please hurry!?"

I don't hesitate a moment longer, knowing that to do so would rouse up some suspicion. Instead, I close the box and tote the white bottle she's requested to her. When I walk in, I see she's scrubbing herself with some mode of expedience. In the midst of her efforts, she smiles at me and yanks me by the collar again, but not for anything completely sexual, just to lock her lips to mine for a bit and do up her mane into a butterfly knot. She wears pins with an unusual emblem.

She doesn't even mind that I'm still standing in the bathroom, she's just in her own routine. She steps out of her shower, dries herself thoroughly, puts on her makeup, dresses herself in the black cassock, and lightly applies the perfume I gave her. After all of that, she takes a bit of a twirl before trotting off, making sure the tip of her wing brushes under my chin as she skates by. "Be sure to be on your best behavior, dear pet. I won't be too long in the day."

Just before she goes through the door, an idea comes to mind. "Hey." She turns to me with a quirked brow. "Is it okay if I stay here?" In doing so, I'll knock off two objectives for the day. The first being to keep myself in a fortified position that I know Xerxes would be unlikely to enter. The second would be to go through the contents of that box and see if I can identify the source of that scent she wears. If I can manage to dilute that, maybe I won't be so sex-driven every time she presses me into her neck.

She momentarily closes her eyes for a second before giving me a look that damn near petrifies me. "Without question. I give you full permission to stay here." She offers a smile unlike any other she's given to me, it's bright and rosy, very warm and tender. I don't know if she's good at faking it or if she's really like this to me. I can always hedge my bets on the former, but she doesn't give me the impression of being this way in any other circumstance. "Now be a good little pet and keep my bed warm."

"That's kinda difficult given that dragons are cold-blooded and your sheets are still flammable."

My bit of sarcasm lands well with her, she stifles a chuckle while opening the door. "I'm sure you'll find a middle ground, that's what you do." She tilts her head at me. "Spike, my dear pet." She holds a hoof to her lips to coyly ask for my silence of her speaking my name. "But you can say that I never knew your name to begin with. Don't want my pitiful brother to take issue with me knowing more of you outside of your surface."

Huh... so she knows my name after all. Maybe I had her pinned wrong.

In the scope of having and maintaining relationships, it's pretty damn amazing how fast things move when you've been trapped in a castle with no real emotional development or support. Everything moves fast, it's all to a schedule, and you have to find time to fit things in the frame you have. I know the crunch all too well, and anything like this would probably start it all off. I've seen it before, I've watched Twilight go through it back when she and Nondis were deep into each other. It's when revealed emotions of others prompt an expedited maneuver, and it goes further than originally anticipated. A small gesture, a conversation, I'm sure it's just the sex this time, but something clicks inside the mind, and then it's a head-first dive into obsession.

It might have always been that case with Zenobia, especially given her stunted emotional growth due to both of her parents. But whatever I did just so happened to break the dam holding back the flood. Now I gotta play the game and how it goes, because if I don't... "Just for that, your 'throne' will be ready when you return." I'll get swept under the currents, and those currents will run a bright red.

...I may never even see home again. "See to it that it is."

The imperial warming room, a large and often intimidating space for many who enter to undergo negotiations with those in power. Shelves of books line the walls, a fireplace crackles with immense warmth, and a large oak table sits between the two that currently engage in their talks.

Unfortunately for the emperor, who is still dealing with the shame of his son's stunt towards the Equestrian ambassador, he has to manage the recently-founded abstinence of the assistant ambassador, who wasn't completely complicit in his approaches and harassment. What used to be silent compliance in the beginning has now grown into rigid defiance. And that rigidity is now the source of the emperor's frustrations of knowing how close he was to taking her to task that day.

All his hard work, ruined by the ambitions of his son trying to send a message to a dragon.

As a result, he is forced to sit across the table in a truly diplomatic manner, as opposed to approaching behind her as he wished. "So... to review the terms of the pending agreement, let's run it down, Miss Kalimba." As he sits, the tunic in his lap twitches from the frustrations mounting underneath.

The zebracorn is steel-eyed and firm, making sure she instills her reinforced dignity in solidarity of the dragon she appreciated as an ally. "Ponyland will ensure peaceful engagement with all creatures under the Equestrian umbrella, this includes all changelings, zebras, kirin, diamond dogs, sheep, bovine, arimaspi, ponies, dragons, yaks, hippogriffs, griffons, and all other sapient creatures."

As those concessions are listed, the emperor winces with the ever-increasing demographic he'll have to appease. As he knows that the subjugation of some of these creatures very well feeds into the economy of the local markets. He knows the concessions are damaging to his reputation and image. "Very good. And Equestria will allow for the transfer of a number of precious materials found and agree to exchange in raw goods that are essential in our machinery and urban development. Also, we issue that the patrons of the Church of the Healing Hoof is given free license to practice."

Her eyes cut through his words. "Peaceful practice?"

Another painful concession, as his administration is not only a firm founder of the church, but an avid supporter and even defender of it's sometimes controversial practices. "Of course. Any and all violent practitioners are no followers of our doctrine. We want no issue to arise on our behalf of this matter."

Kalimba sighs, partially realizing that the amount of resources allocated may have to increase the work and management her friend Blue will have to endure. It's a difficult concession considering the circumstances, but she knows that the trade of many other goods that involve the slaying of many creatures will be adversely impacted. Thus this concession would do what it can to account for the lost costs. A portion of that sigh is also on the end of her knowing that she avoided completely the trade and distribution of human goods, an advantage her home country will hold for the time being. She strikes up the topic of a more neutral negotiation. "And for the matter of a possible union?"

"It's agreed to that the union will be a neutral practice, should there ever be one established. Her royal majesty Princess Twilight Sparkle shall remain to her powers, as will my son remain to his limited amount. However, if the heir they choose to sire is a male, then he shall be trained to be an imperial prince of Ponyland. If they are to sire a female, then she shall be the high princess of Equestria." The emperor may not be in much of a merry mood due to his neglect of his physical desires, but he inwardly smiles at the thought of his added stipulation.

Kalimba is perceptive to what that may entail in terms of power, and corrects his final point. "That agreement, as you know, can only be agreed to by the princess herself. I cannot make concessions in her name for that to take place."

Yet again, he stews on the disappointment of being sighted. There is now the growing regret of having chose her to do negotiations with, as opposed to the dragon who was originally intended for that purpose. "I understand. So those are the terms to be agreed to."

Kalimba takes the scroll and rolls it up to be reviewed further. A quiet thought passes thorough her mind, a quiet realization of her role, and the similarity it has with that of her late father's. She shakes the moment off and readjusts to the present. "Very good, your highness. I shall take these into advisement as we converse to make our final agreement."

While she rises to leave, the emperor quickly follows her. "Now, terms aside, are you satisfied with your current situation in Equestria?"

"I believe that I am." She responds without hesitation. "My home is spacious, my land is adequate, my family is happy."

"Happy as they may be, there could be more given to them, if you so wished it." The emperor pleads.

"I am afraid that my heart has been confined to the father of my son." She bluntly replies.

"And yet he is absent in his life, if I recall." The emperor reminds her.

The mare remains firm on her stance. "That he is, but I don't want to endanger the trust of my son by giving him what he is not looking to obtain."

The emperor makes an argument against her choice. "All sons wish for a father, madam representative. There's always a matter of instruction, discipline, and fealty with a father figure in a boy's life. Without it, they could soon devolve into delinquency and distrust. I'm not saying that will occur with your son, but it can show the signs when they start to come of age."

While she could easily point out the flaw of his hypocrisy, she opts not to out of not wanting to offend the figure who's already made considerable political concessions. "With all due respect, your highness, I know how to be a parent." Instead, she offers a more tamed rebuke. "But thank you for your concern, and passable wisdom."

As the pair walks out of the warming room, the emperor summons a dark rose, a rare and often hard to cultivate flower carefully cut from his personal garden. "For you." The mare accepts the rose quietly as he compliments her. "A rare flower such as yourself should never be seen without the beauty of her namesake. I enchant this with a spell of undying, so take it as a symbol of my acceptance wherever you go."

She looks back to the emperor with caution. "A flatterer you are."

His magic guides hers to place the thornless rose to her mane, neatly decorating her head beside her right ear. "I know these past few days, the circumstances have not been ideal for us to cultivate a closer partnership. However, I've been known to play the long-game. Perhaps this time I can watch as you depart from us soon. But I'll wait for you to change your mind if you ever choose to. My boarders will always be open for you to visit. Bring the rose, they'll know how to treat you."

"This will suffice, your highness. Now if you'll excuse me."

Kalimba walks away, keeping a watchful eye on the emperor as an assistant approaches him from the shadows of a nearby pillar. She turns a corner to meet with both Amor and Sir Fencer, who inquires of their meeting. "What did he say?"

"Terms are favorable. He looks to make good on trade and commerce." She replies.

"Ah, no trade for technology?" The young prince asks.

"No need."

The prince looks down with uncertainty. "I'm unsure if that was a wise decision to omit that from your bargaining, madam representative."

"Equestria has no need for the weapons you possess." She assures the pair. "That's a line of thought that I have come to respect for the future of my son. If I was to allow such a thing, it would only put him in a much more dangerous environment."

"Do you think this will go well?" The prince questions.

"I do not."

"You're wise for thinking that way." Says Sir Fencer.

The zebra looks at the stallion, who seems to avert his eyes whenever he's caught looking at her. "Hmm... No flirtatious commentary, and it's already been sixty seconds."

The guardian keeps his eyes forward. "The rose upon your ear instructs me to do otherwise. The emperor has claimed desire for you."

"Is this what this flower means?" She asks as she takes it from her mane.

"No question about it." The guardian replies, halting her attempt to remove the flower from her head. "For favor's sake, I'd say you should wear it until the passing day. It offers more than the protection you'll need."

"Like safe passage through the castle?" She asks.

"Most of it." The young prince advises. "Gives you access to his personal chambers, the garden, most anywhere in the city as well. The only place it wouldn't is the secret holds of the church. That is the only power my father is denied, and only by his willing to be a 'humble' servant."

The zebracorn's ears flick at the thought, the only place in the empire where the emperor's power hold less sway is the church. If so, then perhaps she could find out more about the current power structure in place. Her intuition leads her to investigate. "Then take me to one of these houses of worship, your 'Church of the Healing Hoof'."

The guardian is surprised, but the prince is not. He merely nods his head with compliance. "Then as a former practitioner of this sect, even a devout apostle of this doctrine, allow me to lead you the way to our closest house of worship."

Sir Fencer gawks at the offer made, looking to question the prince about his decision. "My lord, are you certain that you'd want to undergo this sermon?"

"If our guest wishes to know what is being spread, then I'll be more than happy to provide the answer." The prince replies with firm intent. "But before we go, let's check in on our residential drake. Perhaps he'll be just as interested to hear some words of 'encouragement'."

I'll admit that having a phone on me these days have lessened my ability to keep track of time. I used to be able to look into the sky and automatically tell the hour I was in. But being stuck here in this castle doesn't really help me in that regard. And not having the ease of just looking down to check the time and weather, maybe a little bit of news, it keeps me blind to a lot that goes on.

In short, I have no idea of how long I've been in this room searching.

I've checked the box, every scent imaginable, some I personally like and wish she'd wear more often, a few I recognize from Rarity's line, others are hit or miss, but none of them make me want to take a good five minutes to pump out my frustrations by any means. The blankets and sheets we've soiled that I've had to convince the maids from taking because of my 'infatuation with her highness scent', the pillows which softened some of the more contorted positions I've placed her in, those are my only references. And to this moment, nothing matches.

Now I do make sure that the room stays clean, even though I've torn through it about twice now. I just can't seem to find anything that matches whatever the hell that's always in her neck. And even thinking about it now just makes me want to throw her down to the floor and sully my reputation even further, along with painting her body a different color of white than what she is. What I would do to pinch at her jaw and fuck her throat like she's nothing more than a piece of meat...

Yeah, that scent is way too strong on my mind, I don't even feel that way about her, nor should I.

*knock knock knock knock*

The funny thing about me being shacked up in this room is that I've developed a routine response for the maids, just another level of the depths I'll go to find the source of that intoxicating scent. "Her majesty is not present for the time being! I am her chamber guest, merely adhering to her orders to stay put! Her majesty has also instructed that there would be no further intrusions or alterations to the state of her chambers until her return! I apologize for the inconvenience to your service─"

"Idjiot, come here!" ...Wait, that's Mrs. Kalimba's voice?

The speed I have in running to the door, cracking it open, and seeing the zebracorn looking back at me is unmatched. But also with her are Sir Fencer and Prince Amor, who expresses relief. "Hey Spike, we're so glad to see you're still upright."

"Amor, what are you guys doing here?"

"Duh, I live here." The prince rebuts. "Well, we swept by your room, and found that you weren't there. We smelled a foul stench along the way in and feared the worst. I guess it's a good thing we found you here instead, because what we found in there wasn't nearly as endearing. I came here figuring you needed some time away, since you're stashed here of all places."

I shake my head. "I need more than time away at this point, years of therapy is more like it."

As I allow the trio into the room, I take a gander at either direction of the hall, hoping to not find a certain sociopath waiting in the wings. "I'm sorry for you having to endure my sister and her many painful perversions."

"Your sister is hardly an issue. I just know how to keep her happy, which also keeps my head attached." I reply to the prince.

"You seriously don't mind her?" He seems astounded that those words left my mouth out of my free will.

"I think I can understand where she comes from. I just don't know if I can share that information so freely."

The prince rolls his eyes. "Of course."

"Hey, if being her sex slave is a way to stave off your brother, I'm all ears, claws, tongue, whatever the hell else she wants." I admit proudly. "Either way, my situation now is infinitely better than what it could be otherwise. To this moment, there are seven other faces that I can't seem to escape from whenever I close my eyes, and at this point I'm trying not to join the ranks. He has a flail of those seven on there, and there's an eighth spot he has for me."

"We saw that, that's what we smelled on the way in to your room." Amor grimaces. "But either way, I don't think you should stay here after these negotiations are finalized."

"I had no intention of doing so." I say comfortably as I go back to my search, picking up a sheet to regain my point of inquiry.

"No intention, and yet you sniff Zenobia's sheets as though you miss her."

I quickly reply back to the stallion. "Yeah, I wanna put it out there that this ain't what you think it is."

The prince's ears perk up as he turns his head to avert his eyes. Mrs. Kalimba tilts her head and gives a comment under breath. "Not exactly convincing the world with that canoe you're trying to sail."

"I'm looking for whatever scent she's got me huffing in every time she pulls me into her neck. The sheets and the pillows are my only point of reference."

"If I was a betting prince, I'd say she has you drugged." He says while covering half of his face with a hoof.

"Seriously, drugged? Ain't no fucking way!" I enunciate with a sarcastic manner. "It's not like the scent she wears is so infatuating and intoxicating that I borderline forget everything that's been haunting me these past few days. It's not like I'm trying to hide a boner every time I get a whiff of the shit." As I say that, I glance down to see that I am at half mast, completely out in the open for the world to see. I also take notice of the lady who's currently present, and hide myself with the sheets in tow. "Sorry about that."

"Yeah..." The prince gives a solitary nod over the situation.

I quickly try to distract myself with another topic to take my mind off of what's taken place. "Speaking of pointing things out, I see Sir Fencer's doing just fine."

The guardian answers back. "Only because Prince Xerxes has found an obsession, and that obsession is causing him to act irrationally, so much so that he's frequently dispatched from the castle by order of the emperor."

"So he's the one you think will kill you. Why do you think he'll try to do that while I'm around?" I ask.

"Me." Amor raises a hoof. "I'm the one who Xerxes wants unrestricted access to."

"Why would he want that?"

The prince hides his face yet again. "It's... hard to explain."

Mrs. Kalimba pats him on the back. It seems she has an unspoken understanding of his issue. "Does he ever find you alone."

"Seldom." He answers quietly.

"Does he ever embrace you." Her choice of words are heavily implied towards a darker connotation.

The prince pulls a similar gambit to what I've just performed and deflects to a different topic. "...Spike, you said you wanted to see my sister, right?"

"Yeah, but not for the reasons that may look obvious." I say as I hold the sheets against my pelvis.

"I know exactly where you can find her."

It's only a little walk along the castle grounds before we come into contact with a building completely isolated within the grounds of the castle's keep. It's a large structure with towering pillars, matching much of the gothic structure along with everything else on the castle grounds. As we approach, I take notice of several ponies being dressed in black. Almost everyone here is walking in silence, filing into the building like it's going out of fashion.

There's a different kind of silence when we walk by, where there was just the walking along their way towards this place, now it's just the numerous eyes locked on our every motion. A lot of them are mainly on me. It doesn't bring comfort to the mind to know that I'm the only one taller than four feet, I easily stand out. And it doesn't help to know that I'm also the one with a target on his back.

Walking in, it's finally dawned on me that we've walked into a church, and a pretty one at that. There are whole walls that are nothing but stained glass windows with gilded gold support beams in between. The ceiling almost looks like it's coated in golden stars, candlelight chandeliers hang from high above, giving the room a warm ambiance in spite of the setting sun.

The walkway, a hulking aisle with a width for as many as ten to occupy between rows, are filled with a number of equines looking to get a good seat for their sermon. But the eyes are turned to us as we marvel at the architecture here. I can assume this place must have taken a while to build, a century at least.

An attendant gives us a pamphlet, it outlines the sermon that's to be taught. Seems to be a lot of scripture I'm not familiar with, and hymns to be sung. As we reach our seats, I take note of the order of service. "What strange practice. A doctrine of healing and enlightenment, seems pretty optimistic in the grand scheme of things."

Mrs. Kalimba simply gives her pamphlet to Sir Fencer, a very cold look develops on her face. "...What a horrible mistruth."

"Sir prince!" A voice hails towards our direction, startling both me and Mrs. Kalimba, who was lost in thought. A unicorn stallion with a blond coat and a peppered gray mane approaches with a smile. "It has been so long since we have seen you in our pews!" It seems his attention is directed to Amor.

"Father Sepulcher, it's been ages." The prince nods with acknowledgement.

"I believe we are truly blessed to see yet another day, thank the Doctor for his grace and good will." Mrs. Kalimba winces as the priest continues. "I see you have brought guests. Have they been with us before?"

"Actually, they are Equestrian dignitaries. I did extend the offer for them to attend, but I don't want to impose doctrine on them, as I do wish to respect their religious preferences."

A light frown appears on the face of the priest. "Sir prince, I am confounded. Usually you would be ecstatic to share the word of the good Doctor, even amongst the non-believers and differing faiths. Surely you'd remember the one thing I'd always tell you in these instances."

"All are welcome to our mass, spirit father." The prince recounts.

"Yes, and they, no matter the creature of origin, are welcome to worship with us." He emphasizes as he looks directly to me, offering that same kindness to even my likeness. "We are all creations in his eyes, each worthy of healing and salvation. This is a safe place for all, and we welcome any who is willing to embrace His light."

The priest walks away, finally giving a moment for Mrs. Kalimba to swallow whatever may have surfaced from her throat. Sir Fencer understands the mare's distaste and gives a warning to the both of us. "We may want to not bring too much attention to ourselves. So if it's possible, try to stomach as much as you can."

"I've had a little too much to stomach these days." I complain, thinking about the mess I'm in.

"Welcome to the cruel walk of life." Says the zebracorn with a pained grimace. "You'll adapt to it, quicker than you'll know."

I take her words into consideration and look around to see more ponies filing in, quickly filling the seats around us. "Quite the mass we're having."

"All who serve in the castle or the royal family, it's mandatory to be in attendance." Amor explains. "if you want any kind of power as a lesser blood, you'd best be in the good graces of the church."

A quick set of hooves sound behind us, a sudden pink pegasus mare wraps her forelegs around the young prince we've been guided by. "Ambrosia! You're back!"

"Hestia, you are well." He replies, it seems that he knows this mare.

"Barely. All has been difficult these past few months. Xerxes has been cooking up something fierce with my brothers." She glances at us and quickly changes subject. "Oh, sorry. No family business in front of guests."

He turns to us and gives us introductions. "Representative Kalimba, Friendship Ambassador Spike, this is Princess Hestia Aphrodite. She's my younger sister of branch Divinia Hestia." He turns to her. "They're visiting from Equestria."

Princess Hestia Aphrodite

"Oh, so those are the foreign representatives." She confirms before extending a hoof for Mrs. Kalimba to shake. "Charmed to meet you for the first time."

Before we can even exchange pleasantries, a familiar presence exerts himself into the discussion. "Ah, Amor." Immediately, the prince's face sours. "My dear little brother. What pleasure it is to see you again."

The young stallion sheepishly keeps his head low, his eyes averted, and his voice at a minimum. "Sir prince."

Xerxes slowly turns his head towards me. "And I see you have brought some unexpected company."

The prince quietly gives his reply. "They wished to enlighten themselves. I merely gave them the permission to do so."

He continues to overlook Mrs. Kalimba, keeping his locked to me with a vile intent. "A mix-breed may be entitled to the Doctor's grace, that much is to be discussed. But a dragon should never know the peace that is the doctor's good word. A sermon with him is a sermon shamefully squandered."

A pink aura tugs at his ear, yanking him completely out of the way and into the aisle. He looks back with a pained expression towards his older sister, who's basically growing at him. "Get to your fucking seat." I don't think I've ever heard a whisper so forced and violent as hers. He slowly sulks away, not even giving me a second look in doing so. Zenobia, dressed in her black cassock, bows her head at us. "Apologies, guests."

I make a comment of it towards Sir Fencer. "She seems a bit tamer than usual."

"She's a devout follower of the church, if you could believe that." He answers.

"Makes sense to me." Mrs. Kalimba mutters.

Now the pink aura is brought to my collar, a leash forming to pull me from my seat. "I thought you were to wait in the room for me."

"Apologies, your highness." I say to her. "Your brother came to invite me for sermon."

"I now see that." She says with a glare towards Amor. "But in doing so, you've put yourself in danger. So now you come sit with me." The magic disappears from my collar, she merely points me in the direction of her intended doings. "You'll have my seat beside the alter. Now go." Her words are soft, seeming as though she's portraying the role of the other priests.

I hesitate for a moment, but obey out of not wanting this collar to give me any surprises. As I'm coaxed into walking alongside the mare, I whisper to her. "Actually, there's been something I been meaning to ask you since I got here."

"Always with the questions." She mutters. "If you wondering what I'm doing here, I'm the abbess."

The abbess, like HEAD NUN IN CHARGE!? "I mean, I'm... you... what?"

She hides her smile with a hoof over her muzzle. "Your look of confusion is amusing, you probably didn't have me pinned for the likes of this." She promptly clears her throat and straightens her expression. "But our personal interactions must wait. The sermon is set to begin." She brings me to a gilded chair to the right facing the alter. "Sit."

With a slow and uncomfortable descent, I take my place upon her chair. "Can't wait to hear... the good word."

[19]As his works came to cease, all were laid before him, having witnessed to the wonders of his creation. They bowed their heads in reverence to his deeds. [20]And the leaders before him questioned "For how are we to achieve this, for we are merely mortal creatures?" The Doctor then spoke unto him. "I have no guide but one, and that is to walk my path."[21]The Doctor turned to the sea beyond, reached for those who laid before him pleading for life and granted it to them. All gasped in unison, as to breathe anew. His countenance was upon those who rose. And in his parting, he calls to the risen.

[22]"Verily I say unto you, go into the world and do my bidding. Your burdens are great and they overwhelm you, but they are nothing to what gifts I carry for you in the ways of your obedience. [23]To deny me the blessing of your voice is to deny you my presence, and you your salvation. But accept me into all of your life, and I will give you the desires of your heart, mend the wounds of your transgressions, and deliver unto you what is due in my name. [24]But these gifts do not come without price, as they require obedience to my will. Deny the world and accept me, and eternal life shall be your reward. [25]Hear all, for it is not what you do for others, but what you shall do for me."

~Sanctus 12:19-25

I notice that there's a bit of a theme when it comes to this religion, needless to say with any religion in general. It seems that there's a heavy emphasis on the word 'obedience'. And in doing the opposite, there seems to be a grim assurance of a short-lived existence. I mean some things about the Faustian church are like that too, but not as much demanding obedience for servitude. This one is a little more like the figure 'God' from the human world, who demands similar pretenses.

In the meantime, the sermon comes to a close with a final hymn urging the parishioners to go forth and live according the principles that were taught. And all rose to take their leave in an orderly fashion. I did happen to see the others and where they were seated, it seems that Amor and Sir Fencer, along with Princess Hestia, are looking over a visibly ill Mrs. Kalimba. I know she's a victim of the necroterrorist incident from seven years ago, I'm sure that entire sermon had to be a visceral haymaker to the gut.

I start to make my way over before I'm cut off by Princess Zenobia. "Well that's one thing less on my itinerary this evening, now we can go back to our scheduled doings. How was the sermon for you?"

As I answer, I see the zebracorn shove the others off from her and storm off, holding her mouth as she leaves. "That was... different."

"Different from your teachings?" She asks.

"Just... different." I mumble, not wanting to get into any kind of theological argument with the one who's fleshly obsession is enough to keep me alive. I'd sure hate to disavow her beliefs and then we find ourselves not being able to stay alive for much longer. Even if what they believe in are lies crafted from centuries of misinformation, I'd rather swallow that loss.

The princess takes to her wings and hover before me. "Well I know that this part of my life is different for you, and I understand any thoughts you may have. But give it enough time, and I'm sure you'll grow to understand, and maybe even accept the doctrines of the Doctor. I won't cram it down your throat, but I'll at least give you time." At least she's nice enough to not force me into it after one sermon. But she's definitely speaking as though I'll be here for an extended stay. No doubt that's what's she's gunning for.

Another priest addresses her with a soft voice. "Abbess." She lands to her hooves and he whispers over to her. "Your audience has been requested in the holy chamber."

Her eyes greatly expand before she knocks all current pretenses aside, her magic stirs, the leash is formed, and she's dragging me along like she would anywhere else in the castle. "Pet, come with me." She seems a bit excitable over whatever this is leading into. "There's something wonderful I wish to show you."

She drags me into a hallway leading from the side of the pulpit, we turn a corner into a secluded area where she seems to be drawing some glyphs into the wall. In the midst of her process, I see that her magic is still active on the collar. Maybe I can test a thought, just a confirmation of what exactly this collar does. If I lean into her neck, kiss her up real quick, will my reaction be the same? Maybe not, but I can try. "Actually, since we're alone together─"

A hoof finds my chin real quick, holding me back as she finishes with the glyphs. "I know you seek to give me the attention I truly crave, but let's wait on that bit." The glyphs light up and the wall subsides to reveal a hidden room. She glances back to me with a smile. "After we're done here, you can toy with me in whatever manner. I only ask that you behave for now." A request to restrain myself... And that's coming from the one who hopped in my lap and rode my dick in front of her family during breakfast. I really don't get this girl.

We enter into the room, where there seems to be an alter with a scroll laid upon it. Now that I think on it, this setup is vaguely familiar, it reminds me of the kids over in Everfree Ruins. I remember the candle setup being done in an exact manner to what's been done here. No doubt this is exactly what's going on. Now all I need to find out is who's the one that's gonna come out of the scroll.

The princess straightens out her physical appearance, showing a lot more care and concern for even the tiniest hair being out of place. She makes sure that her cassock is clean and free of all lint and dust. "Bow your head when He presents himself before us."

"Who's 'He'?" I ask.

Just on cue, the flames of the candles suddenly flicker on, the flames ignite an eerie yellow glow before each sends a bead of wax onto the floor. The beads fall into a collection of congealed wax piles, causing a line of glyphs on the ground to glow brightly into an orange glow. The room turns an orange hue, a whisp reveals itself at the center of the scroll. The whisp does not develop further, only formulating the shape of a distorted aura with no true definition. As I watch the presence light the room, I feel a strong push at the back of my head. "Bow!" Zenobia warns, causing me to quickly do as I'm told out of not wanting to activate the collar's nastier effects.

The whisp hisses with an ambient whisper before developing a very light and undistinguished voice. "My esteemed servants." There's an echo to the voice that rattles the room.

"My savior, we have come with fealty to be sworn, to adhere to your will." Zenobia's head is to the ground, her horn is almost buried into the brick floor as she speaks. Whatever this thing is, it's got her bowing like she's trying to save her own life.

"Yes yes, the usual thing." This presence seems awfully casual to the treatment they're getting. "Hold on..." The whisp speaks. "I sense another creature present. If I can deduce this aura... Dragon, raise your head."

This thing has no eyes to see, no body to feel with, and it can already tell that I'm a dragon. What in the hell is this thing? "...Wait. What?"

"Well well well, look at this here. A dragon, tamed and obedient enough to bow it's head before me. Surely this is a monumental acquisition. You've found favor, Princess Zenobia."

The mare eyes me with pride. "I am honored. Truly."

I briefly raise my head, but promptly remember to keep it lowered not to offend or piss of the spirit. "Um, with all due respect, and I mean all the respect that's due, may I ask what you are?"

Zenobia whispers quietly to me. "He's the good Doctor."

...Oh. Oh not that Doctor, I hope. "The good what now?"

"Yes." The spirit seems to change to a white color, appearing to assume a personality change. "I am the Good Doctor. And I heal all that aches. Now tell me, my son, what hurts you the greatest?"

...Oh... no... Not him... "T-t-the D-d-d-Doctor?"

The whisp voices curiosity. "Hmm... I sense what was respect has suddenly transcended into fear. For a dragon to fear me, what strange developments. Princess, where'd you get this one from again?"

"Oh forgive me, milord, he comes as an envoy from Equestria."

The whisp grows back into it's orange color. "Equestria, you say?" Apparently this one seems to be the show of it's real self.

"Yes, he and another dignitary by the name of Representative Kalimba." She answers.

"Representative Kalimba, that's quite a name for a representative..." The whisp stops all motion, it's aura almost freezes in place as it turns blue. "Ooh, say that name again."

"Representative Kalimba?"

"Zebra-unicorn hybrid?" The blue aura intensifies. I don't like where this is going.

The princess stammers with confusion over his accurate description. "Y-yes milord. Is that a specific trait you know of?" The spirit cackles in response, the room shines a bright and fiery orange, the orange shines so brightly that the flames of the candles themselves produce shadows. The sweeps of whispering voices echoing throughout the room with an ethereal cackle makes my spine crawl. To think this is the one and same that's responsible for the terror of seven years past. "You are amused, milord?"

"Jubilant!" Screeches the voice. "To know that she would come here to engage in high talks, when in truth she's no lower than a common sex slave! Oh how ridiculously asinine, it's so brilliant!"

"A sex slave?" The princess raises concern. "My father seeks the attention of a sex slave? Much less one who is with child?"

My eyes expand as she just casually throws out that fact to him. "A child? Say again." That blue aura is back with a vengeance, it seems this color is associated with piqued curiosity.

"She has a child. And apparently she won't say who the father is." Zenobia confirms, causing the spirit to glow white.

"Oh... my... word." I know I don't like where this is going.

"Sir?" The princess sheepishly calls to the spirit.

"A son? I have a son?"

The princess gawks at the revelation. "Sir... you've engaged with that mare?"

"Oh, how could I not? She was so feisty, so opinionated, strong. I was given the time to share a moment with her. And in that moment, I made her mine." As he's recounting his story, I can imagine how differently it might have gone for her. If anything, I'm sure she would not have enjoyed it at all. "She and I went until her eyes rolled back. What a night that was. Magical, but if only I knew that same magic would end up siring a foal of my blood." The whisp snaps back to the passionate glow of orange. "Send for your father, girl. I want this mare and her foal to beholden me."

"Milord!" She rises with an unmeasured excitement. I'm sure the news that's been given to her is nothing short of a revelation. If anything, this alone can revolutionize their entire religion, and turn their doctrine to pages now blank. For what things await now that it's out there that the necroterrorist has blood walking the planet. Zenobia yanks me along with expedience. "Pet, with me! We've much to recount! A new scripture needs to be written! REVELATION HAS COME!"

I know if I don't like this, I can only imagine the reaction of those who's suffered all those years ago.

Meanwhile at sea...

The sky has grown dark, the stars litter the night sky with absolutely nothing else impeding it's beauty. It's the night of the new moon, and the vast void of the ocean roars around the sailing luxury vessel. For many nautical miles, it is the only source of light in the dark abyss. From the bow of the ship, a former princess looks out to the emptiness and ponders the doings of her past. Anything and everything comes to mind, nothing is spared from her thoughts, not even the most troubling admissions of her past, traumatic experiences, or even her most egregious crimes. It's often when she thinks that her current life is nothing short of a gifted grace, but sometimes the guilt leads her to bemoan her decisions and imagine what life would be if she had taken a different path at the many crossroads she's left behind.

One such crossroad is that pertaining to her husband, who hasn't come out from the wheelhouse since their journey started. Her momentary pause is now beaconed to the fact that he's yet to eat anything, he's taken the helm for hours and hours on end, amounting to an entire day without rest. Under most circumstances, he would let the ship cruise a bit and join her on the deck to discuss her past, but this night he is absent from that menial task.

Celestia walks inside, getting a break from the rapidly cooling air to confront her husband. She enters into the wheelhouse, seeing he is just as locked in as he was from the start of the journey. It may not look it on his face, but his shadow speaks much of his current state of mind. A constantly shifting castoff, not consistent to the lifeform which it's attached to, it moves erratically. The alicorn calls to her human husband. "Honey? Babe?"

The shadows slightly simmer down as he takes a deep breath. "The air is... foul."

She steps over to him, looking to give him the rest he's denying himself. "If you're going to be up and at it, at least do so with a clear mind. You've been at it all day, you haven't joined me once for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, you refuse to sleep, I haven't seen you like this in years." She places a wing on his arm. "Sweetie, let me take things over."

"Can't sleep anyways, might as well keep myself busy." He replies with a dismissive scoff.

"Honey..." He ignores her call, showing a stubborn persistence. Her eyes trail down to the shadow that's becoming more and more unstable by the moment. She softens her voice and speaks now in a motherly tone. "Come home."

The human rolls his eyes. "Tia, you know that's not gonna─"

"Come home, Nondie." The shadows grow motionless, slowly slithering back to assume the natural form of the man's standing figure against the sole light of the room. She leans against him, holding his arm in her forelegs. He looks down to the mare he dwarfs. "Come home."

The man draws a sigh, feeling a deep pain that those words only remind him of that terrible moment where he couldn't shake off his traumas. It's soon replaced by the comforting warmth of remembering the warmth she offered in that time of his life. His body starts to relax, his shoulder sag, and his head drops at last to acknowledge the fatigue that he's been fighting. At long last, he departs from the wheel and taps his wife in passing. "Try to keep your eyes peeled. The ice might come in a few hours time. Keep it slow."

"I've been alive for what is coming close to twelve-hundred years now, I know how to steer a ship." She reminds him. "Now go to bed, I'll join you when I see that conditions are good for cruising."

Before he leaves he holds the side of his head, wincing in pain at the thought. "This presence..." The man stumbles forward, falling to his knees.

Celestia quickly gathers to her husband, seeing the man still holding his head. She hails to him once more. "Nondie!" He holds a hand out to signify his passing of the painful symptom. He rises to his feet once more, wiping the nose bleed that's started.

He looks at the crimson staining his fingers and mutters to himself. "Right. Severe mana exhaustion. Guess I've been forcing it too much." He slinks off into the hallway, notifying his wife. "I'm going off to bed. G'night, hun."

As he walks away, Celestia grits her teeth in seeing how her husband had to carry himself off, almost as if his mind has never left that week, that night from seven years past. But the creeping feeling isn't ignored by her, she merely keeps quiet about it, knowing exactly what it is that triggered such an episode. She knows what stirs, but will not say it aloud for his sake. The only thing she does is keep her eyes locked into the darkness outside, her hooves to the helm, and her thoughts to a whisper.

"Never... Never again."

Author's Note

See you all next chapter!

Chapter 33: Turnabout Terror

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Chapter 34: Countryside Crossing

It's been three days since our leave from Midnight Castle, the first being as perilous as my time in Canterlot during the first changeling invasion. While in the aftermath of that, I remember the sights of some buildings being damaged, a few others on a verge of collapse. Some unfortunate souls were lost in the assault, mainly caused from the varying impacts the changelings made upon their fiery entry. That was terrifying to see, to hear how many wanted to pick up whatever rubble covered their loved ones. Some who were found ended up covered in sheets on the side of the road. I remember one time when i was curious enough to look, Twilight snatched me away and kept pulling me along until we reached our destination.

I also remember the time when we came back from sealing away Lord Tirek and porting him off to Tartarus. How everything was peachy up until we took a picture. And right after that flash went off, Twilight collapsed. The damage she took in that fight against Tirek was far too much for any one of us to endure, the fact that she lived is nothing short of a miracle. But even in that, we had another harrowing reality to face, our old home was decimated, and many others in it's path were just as unfortunate. I saw more of the carnage that time, more of the sheets lying on the roadside beside the rubble, and the hooves occasionally sticking out from underneath those sheets. I remember the wailing cries of mothers clamoring for their foals, husbands their wives, fillies for their parents.

The efforts to repair the castle after our monumental clash with the Trio of Terror, a lot of Canterlot Castle had to be rebuilt, from the mountainside supports, to the foundations and up. There were a few bodies recovered from that spectacle. In spite of it all, I never really saw the cost of those conflicts so up close, not once did I see the face or touch the corpses of those victims.

But as of now, I can't help but to see the faces of those I've failed. For two straight nights, I've stayed up thinking, crying, apologizing, and trying to process what's been going on. Amor hasn't been any better, the guilt of leaving Sir Fencer behind has been eating at him since we've started hiding from the passing airships in the skies above. Princess Hestia's been our counsel in grief, Mrs. Kalimba, our fearless leader in moving forward.

Needless to say the three days of roughing it out in the wild have been rough on the imperials. The first day was halfway spending time buried under the snow, hiding under the rocks, and keeping the others warm without doing too much in the way of lighting fires in the wide open. But with little means of protection from the elements, and how open the land is away from the city, we had to heavily lean on Mrs. Kalimba for some of her spells. As far as the other two, I'd have to light a fire to keep them from suffering from the cold. It's not quite a bitter tundra like that of the Crystal Empire, but it's pretty close to it, and that's a pretty dangerous gambit to have for multiple days of roughing it.

So often, Mrs. Kalimba uses a certain spell for us. She says she learned it from Mrs. Blue, some sort of dimensional distortion field, altering all perceptions of the reality outside of it, while we go about our doings on the inside. It's a powerful spell, but extremely taxing. Not that she's incapable of it, but the magic sapped much of her mental endurance. Often times, I'd carry her on our way, sometimes in my arms, others on my back, anything to lighten her mental and physical load.

Thankfully, our time in the frozen field is over. No more periodic stoppages for warmth, or hellish drives through the cold and uncaring climate. And since we're into the woods now, there's a far easier way for us to hide our presence, easier to make use of the roughage to keep ourselves warm, and a far less need for Mrs. Kalimba to use her spells.

We're well into the Shadow Forest, a thick, verdant patch of evergreens occasionally interrupted by occasional mountains popping out past the tree lines. The light from the sun barely reaches us, which I'm sure makes it even harder for the airships to see through.

"Let's try to be careful. The ground is thick with hazards to injure yourself on, don't be careless, watch where you step, and move quickly. We'll use our cover to make this a quick sprint through the woods. With enough haste, we'll be able to cross the forest in a day-and-a-half's time." Mrs. Kalimba definitely has a lot more energy now that we're out of the snow.

Can't say that for the other two. "Ugh. I am not used to traveling the countryside on hoof." Hestia complains as she rubs her hooves from the discomfort of traversing the uneven terrain. "I totally miss being able to sit in the tub for my morning baths. This constant walking around is killing me."

"Unfortunately, we can't go by the rail." Amor says as he wards a branch away from his face. "Seems they directed most of their attention to the west, but we still can't risk it now." He winces as he looks down on what he stepped in, a foul smell invades our nostrils. "Eugh, I admit it now, really miss the modern convenience of modal travel. At least I don't get to step in the refuse of some other animals."

"Ha, you stepped in poop!" Hestia mocks with a snicker.

"So what, you want a closer look!?" He shoves his hoof closer to her face, her fighting him off with disgust. "Come on, you know you wanna see it for yourself!"

"Ew, no! Get away from me!"

Also, these two for the past few days have been just like this. I wouldn't have guessed them them to be so normal in comparison to their other siblings, but it's like they don't know how to control their sibling impulses at times. Doesn't matter if we're in a life or death situation out in the wilderness, all that matters is that they one-up each other. "Can you two please dial it down? We're trying not to get caught out here." I remind the pair.

Mrs. Kalimba has long learned to give up on playing baby sitter. "My six year old son could behave better than the both of you."

"I bet you deal with this all the time back home." I comment to the zebracorn.

"Not nearly as much. Just Gala doing what a girl does when she becomes of age." She replies. "Still, she's much better than these two ever will be."

The pair walk past us with their argument. "You know what, I hope you step in poison joke for the next five miles." Hestia tells her brother.

"Well I hope you run face first into a patch of drakeseed spores." He snaps back.

"Of course you'd want that, you sick pervert. Now I hope your horn grows limp right after."

"Speaking of poison joke, I'll be sure to pick some up, maybe I'll even drop a few on your wings so you fly backwards."

"Well I hope whatever pillow you sleep on next makes you sweat at night!"

"Well I hope the next mattress you sleep in has bedbugs!"

"I'll give you a big hug so you'll get them too!"

They're unrelenting. "Guys... please."

Mrs. Kalimba pauses and immediately drops her head down, she uses her magic to drop us all down and pinch the lips of the sibling pair shut. "While you both are busy jolling about, we have company to look out for!" She whispers out to us angrily. We all poke our heads up to see a pair of centuries on patrol.

"Didn't think we'd be running into these guys here." The prince whispers.

Hestia turns her attention to the zebracorn in charge. "Think we can use that spell you use, that invisibility spell?"

"It's not for invisibility, it's for spatial distortion. You can still be felt in an invisibility spell." She says as she looks up to her horn. "And it's not that easy to use. I could cast it for days on end, it doesn't change the fact that it takes years to get used to without suffering any painful symptoms. It's like trying to teleport yourself without knowing the proper way to exert your magic in a way that doesn't harm you."

A looming shadow coats the forest, also accompanying with a low pitched hum. It's a familiar tone we've grown used to over the past three days, sometimes we hear it at night, the sounds of imperial airships creeping by up above. A rope descends from the canopy, the pair of centuries coil themselves along the rope. After a little while, the rope ascends and the two guards disappear past the canopy. The sound above us eventually dies down and the forest gets a little brighter after some time.

"Looks like they're getting real granular with their efforts." Amor observes. "Guess we better make our trip through this forest a quick one."

Mrs. Kalimba, already having said that, silences herself before she can complain over their prior inattentiveness. "That airship is headed east. Probably just combing the area, but it will make our travel a little more difficult when we get out of these woods." I point out.

The imperial princess groans with dismay. "I'm so tired. All the running and stress has me beat. I think we should set up camp for now."

"We keep going." The zebracorn answers unapologetically.

"Seriously?" The mare complains.

The striped mare turns around, walks slowly towards the princess and looks down at her with her crimson eyes. "You are free to return to your life of royalty, you are not being held against your will to do so."

"Well as much as I want to at this point, I know the reality of my situation. Me, a lesser blood princess, already aiding and abetting the escape of the holy mother and a dragon? Father already cares less for his daughters as it is, he won't dare halt any execution for my sake." She looks over to me. "You already know how he treats Zenobia, and she's the first-born of the noble bloods. To him, we're already wasteful expenditures. The only reason we're here is because he doesn't believe in unprotected procreation. Us lesser bloods, some of us are sons and daughters of concubines, exclusive thrills that came with an unwanted heartbeat eleven months after."

Amor steps up to Mrs. Kalimba, calmly defending her in a non-confrontational way. "There is no life for us lesser bloods. The ones they call purebloods, all they did was win the alicorn gene lottery, and not all of them are birthed from the ones my father elected to marry."

I know it's a sensitive subject, but I also ask him of his circumstance. "So your mom?"

He lowers his head in shame. "A thrill, one he was a little more fond of than the others because of Adelphos. He lucked up and thought he could get two from my mom, and he did... I just wasn't what he wanted. I lucked out, nothing more."

"Well if it helps you both, I know what it's like to live a life seeing nothing but the wall you're up against." She answers the pair of siblings, while also giving them a choice. "But right now we're sitting ducks, and they can drop in at any moment to find us. It's your decision to make if you want to face that wall again."

"I've already made my choice. There's nothing for me here anymore. I made that choice the last time, made it back here in spite of that choice, but I'm still comitted." The prince replies adamantly. "Prince Amor Ambrosia, the son of Aurora Amor, he's only alive in memory. From now on, I simply live my life as Amor, no prince, no 'dear little brother', none of it. I'm going back to Equestria. For good."

He walks past her, all while I mutter to myself. "Twilight isn't gonna like that idea."

"Well she'll have to accept it. I'm never coming back to this place." He shrugs back at me. "I'll be shot in cold blood if I do."

"I think I'll join you there." Hestia adds. "At least for a little while, maybe I'll go somewhere else, see more of the world, but Equestria doesn't sound like a bad place for a starting line."

I draw a long sigh as I know what complaints will come blowing my way. "Two imperial family members? Twilight's going to be furious."

"Well, we'll leave you to formalize the pleas for our sanctuary. You'll do that for us, sir dragon, I know you will." She says with a smile and a wink, walking past me as though her idea won't cause me more headaches.

"Ugh... great, more paperwork."

She turns back around to blow me a kiss. "With fondest appreciation, sir dragon! You'd be such a chivalrous century!"

Her brother chimes back at her. "He has a name, you know."

"Oh right... Sorry, sir Spork."

I'm not even going to try to correct her.

Eventually, we do find a cave where we can turn a corner and light a fire. To our fortune, this cave also has a pretty good vantage point of the surrounding areas. So we're doubling it as a lookout for the night. Mrs. Kalimba volunteered to be lookout. She says I'm the main one needing the rest after carrying her for so long, and she simply doesn't trust the other two to stay awake. Personally, I find no flaws in her logic.

However, sleep is the last thing I'm able to do.

My flames bun on a bundle of sticks and logs, keeping the place warm. Both the imperial lesser bloods are fast asleep, and Mrs. Kalimba is still at the opening of the cave. She'll periodically check in on us, make sure we're still breathing and whatnot.

In the meantime, I hold the chain with the dog tags on them, thinking of every single one of them and our rather small but still meaningful interactions. And the only thing that comes to my mind is how hard I should've pushed to get them a place to stay. But then again, I bet they were never going to do that to being with. Xerxes wouldn't do it because it would give me some semblance of proper protection. And Zenobia wouldn't do it because it would limit her hold on me. The emperor didn't even consider it, not even once. It played out just as he wanted it to, probably even better than expected.

Either way, these tags are bone-chilling cold. I'm sure the ones who wore them are too, just as lifeless and colorless as my hopes of peace. It was always absurd to think that negotiations with a dragon would yield that result, in Ponyland of all places. But I did as I was ordered.

I wonder... If this is the weight of forty lives on my neck, then I can only imagine the weight of the thousands that were killed during the night of the towering screams seven years ago. How did Nondis process that, what did he do to find normalcy after that?...

How can you go back to normalcy after that.

"You know you're supposed to be sleep."

The voice startles me out of my thoughts. I already know who's making the observation. The tags rattle as I place them in my lap. "Kinda hard to do that these days."

"I gather." She answers with a somber tone.

I shake my head, thinking of the moment we got the headline depicting the possible demise of the Captain of the Royal guard some years ago, how I sent him to that fate out of my jealousy, the parallels of that moment to mine now. "Seriously, of all the things that Twilight could've sent me to do, this had to be the one thing that was it. I swear the karma from years back didn't just come back to bite, it beat my ass in the town square with a sword and a brick."

The mare cringes with confusion. "What an odd weapon combination."

"You know, I actually saw when Nondis fought with that same combo. It was against a bunch of changelings. It was crazy, he was winning... until he wasn't. Turns out changeling bites can paralyze, found that out a little later after that." When I was abducted with the others and placed in the hive.

The mare sits by me, getting a little warmth from the slowly weakening flame. "Trust me, I know about it."

"I understand it's a different situation, but I bet this kinda feels familiar to you, it has to be."

She quirks a brow. "How so?"

"Running around and trying your best to avoid the hunt, knowing what's to come when they get a hold of you. You have those instincts to take over when it gets that bad. You've been doing it for the past three days, it's like it's second nature to you."

"Not quite." She answers, holding her hooves to the flame for warmth. "When I first got into something like this, I was twelve. Those times were terrifying to me because I didn't know what was going on or why. But I'll admit that twenty-year old me remembers something like that happening in other places and situations. I find the feeling nostalgic now."

"Nostalgic?" I question.

"It's a long story." She says as she retract her hooves after getting the heat she desires. "But I don't think it will quite evolve the way it did back then."

"Because of the situation?"

"Because of the cost. Back then, I had nothing, but now I will go home to my family." She says as she lets her horn glow a warm aura, illustrating figures of dust. They formulate the creatures she clamors for the most. "I have something valuable to lose, far more valuable than I ever thought I could be. When I look back, I saw myself at a dead-end. Everything was uncertain, even the fact that I was... well let's just say 'under new management', nothing was for sure set on solid ground. A moment of happiness was no better than a home settled on sand, eventually sinking back into reality."

I think she's talking about when she and Nondis started working together. I'm not too familiar with the whole story, lots of bits and pieces weren't told to me up to this point. Twilight always felt I was too young to really know about it. "And shortly after, Nondis changed that for you." I answer.

The dust formulates a pair of ponies, one unicorn figure with a mohawk, the other with typical unicorn silhouette. They walk side by side with one another. "...He gave me a new hope, promises of what my mother wished to manifest in my life. It was too good to be true, I felt. Then he took me away from there and put me in Ponyville for a while, I started to see a different light in life."

This time, there's the dust figure of a human standing next to her as the unicorn with the mohawk seem crestfallen over another unicorn lying down. "I bet it felt good being able to come out of that darkness."

"That was still there, it was always there." The dust figure falls, holding itself as though it's mourning. A smaller figure seems to be doing the same. "My father, who wanted to reconnect with me after what he did, was murdered just as I was looking to open that door for him. My sister was a witness to his death, but her eyes were taken moments before he met his fate. And there was a moment where I felt the source of my hope was lost, when I saw what Nondis had endured." The dust figures transform into a familiar scene, two humanoid figures laying on either side of a masked unicorn standing in the middle. "I lost so much hope that I offered to sacrifice myself to buy time. In that moment, I could've given up the hunger for life... I wanted to."

"But you didn't." I point out.

Now the figures transform into one humanoid and the other a mohawk unicorn. "I heard his voice again. I thought I had entered into the afterlife, but it was him... with a brand new scar around his neck. I saw how he still fought, in spite of all that happened, and saw that I was being weak. So, I willed myself to keep going, to help him in whatever way, like I've always promised."

As she stares into the figures, I notice a smile growing on her face. It's a bittersweet moment of remembrance, her eyes looking down to see the figure. "You love that guy, don't you?"

The dust figures completely fall apart, it seems that she's done thinking about the past since I brought up the possibility of her emotions being what they are. Instead, she turns her head to me. "I know a sleep spell for you. It won't guard against nightmares, but you'll be able to rest."

I scoff at the mare. "Not the deflection off the topic. C'mon."

"Call it what you may, we need to rest for the journey. There is a long way to go and a very short list on how to get there."

Her horn shines brightly as she gives me a quick zap of her magic. It's an uneventful process, no flash or anything, just a beam being shot from her horn into me, not even causing much. "I don't feel anything."

"Give it a little bit." She answers as she turns her head to the cave entrance.

"I guess." I say as I lean back. "Hey, quick question."

"Shoot." She deadpans.

"How did you know about the whole 'dragons biting down on their mates' thing?"

"Blue may have uttered that in a discussion." She simply answerws.

I cover my face with my palm. "Oh great."

The gives a slight chuckle at my response. "She didn't say who it was, but gathering from your reaction..."

I kiss my teeth in defeat. "Outed myself." I yawn shortly after, closing my eyes.

"You should learn to not do that as often." Those are the last words I hear of the night before I finally doze off.

At Canterlot Castle The Next Day...

The room is dimly lit with only but a candle at the princess' nightstand offering light. However, the contrasting light from her horn as she reads her book seems to drown out any efforts that the candle makes. A number of empty chocolate wrappers decorate the bed, a box of the ill-fated kindreds are emptied one by one, leaving nothing but the wrappers in the wake of the high princess' rampant consumption.

Her haunches stirs as she reads on through the chapter. The characters of the story continue to interact with one another, further visualized by a spell of the princess' creation. While one would normally cast themselves onto the page, she simply casts the fictitious figures into a page-by-page existence. They would interact as she envisions them, not just in the manner of how the words portray the situation. Her eyes glance between the two mediums, the text giving context to the actions of the couple.

A knight and his queen, often engaging in wholesome bouts of courtly love, show dissatisfaction with their boundaries. The king issues trust to the knight to care for his beloved wife, but the war calls for him to attend. The morale of the knights have sunk to greater lows with the fall of an important city, the enemy's path to the capital now unimpeded. He departs with a loving kiss to his wife's lips before his trusted knight, and he sets out to war.

The queen distances herself from the knight, almost finding every way to avoid him, for she feels shame in wanting him in a way her body primitively desires. She finds herself on that very night locking the door of her chambers, wishing not to be disturbed. None are permitted to enter.

She knows that it is wrong for a mare to take investment into her own self, how her touch is meant only for the husband who bravely marches onward to war. A king who would love his mare so profoundly that he would war for her protection, it's taboo to think of the touch of another. And yet, her hooves find the warmth of her nethers to be so familiar. In fact, the thrill excites her far too easily, her stifled cries whimpering behind her pillow as she lustfully arches herself with the imagination to welcome her courtly interest to fawn over her body.

However, her cries aren't gone unnoticed, for her lover is that of a pegasus. She does not notice him watching from behind her window, his eyes peering past her curtains and beholding another set within. She pays no mind, until it's too late when he knocks onto the window pane. Her eyes rack open with shock, her work coming to a swift hiatus before he pushes against the mare's window, discovering it to be unlocked. "Your majesty, you called for me?"

"Nay, I called for my betrothed."

"And yet your lips speak my name, just as those seek another of me."

The mare closes her eyes as the stallion closes the distance between them, she waits for any and all violation to occur, but her surprise comes as he merely stands before her. She cracks her eyes, seeing that he flinches in anxious wait, his belly absorbing several blows from that of his own flesh.

"If I may offer you comfort on this night, your highness."

Her eyes gaze down, her curious gleam takes note of his spiteful stallionhood. It looks of violent intent, her tail lifts with a quiet submission. His eyes move not from hers, but she can't help but to look away. It's only natural that her eyes wouldn't be able to see the glint in his, not in the act of turning herself around. She climbs to the bed, her tail drifting to the ground as she lays to her side, revealing much to him.

"I asked that I be not disturbed, for I was in process of grieving. You must now take responsibility for this transgression."

The princess' hooves find a similar place, but not as moist as the evening would normally observe. Instead, there's a dull ache in it's place. Her body desires it, just not in the manner it normally would. The throws of her planned evening stress relief are brought to a halt by the interruption of her own inability to immerse. She plants the book next to her, realizing that the pages do nothing at this point. So she reverts to recapturing the scene in her mind, a faceless husband going off to war, a loyal guard waiting on her balcony, and her assuming the same position of the hungered queen. She concentrates hard on herself, trying to put faces to the figure to walk in.

"I'm yours, pet! Make me a proud princess!"

Her eyes jolt open, the words echoing out in her mind as the position she takes looks too familiar with that of another princess. More importantly, the face she tries to identify matches that of the one who evoked such cries... "What am I doing right now?" She complains, finding no reason to continue her pleasurable pursuits. "Am I seriously like this, right now of all times?"

She shakes her head and cleans up her mess, not that there's much of one to maintenance. The candy wrappers are thrown away, the book is bookmarked to a prior page, and she walks into the bathroom with her phone in tow. Since she's already started to violate herself, along with the little sweat for her troubles, she plunges herself into her pool-sized bath.

She goes through the phone, looking through a few videos that are saved. "Maybe I need a distraction right now." She says, trying to impose a cleansing ritual of both her mind and body. She sits as the bubbles from her soap start to froth around her. A few videos pop up in her gallery, she pulls up one of her time in Saddle Arabia, then another from her trip to the human world from last year, another that was sent from Celestia illustrating the sunsets from their honeymoon spot. She lands on one that was sent from when Cadance finally got a phone for herself.

Immediately the first thing on the screen is both her and her husband. "Oh, are we recording? It's on? Great!"

Shining points down at the phone. "You know, the little square box in the circle tells you that you're on."

"Shining, can you not be a smartass for one minute, please?"

The video cuts to another segment, immediately showing her mother guiding the camera's view to the bride and groom, her ex-mentor and her ex-fiancé. "And here's the newly-weds!" The older mare cheers. "I bet you two can't wait to get out of here and get things going."

Celestia doesn't use her magic to take grasp of her husband's arm, instead opting for her forelegs. "Like I haven't been holding out these past few years! It's taking a lot to not drag this man to the ground for what he is to me."

The man scoffs a reply. "As if you could."

The mare slowly turns to her husband, as to correct him. "Nondie, you know better."

The man leans into her ear with a growl. "Do I? Maybe you'll have to teach me."

The former princess blushes as his arm reaches under the table, a gasp is heard as she quickly clenches against his arm. "How dare you." Her eyes narrow, while biting her lip.

Her horn glows briefly before his eyes shoot wide open and he corrects himself. "Oh shit, my bad." She giggles in response to his course correction.

The mare fans herself as her ears turn a slight red hue. "Perhaps that's a discussion best saved for later, sweetheart?"

The scene quickly cuts away to a pair of mares in the midst of conversation before Cadance interrupts them. "Ms. Blue Royal, both you and Rarity really knocked it out of the park with these decorations! And all these dresses!? Ladies, how did you both manage to pull it off?"

The fashionista smiles with a wink. "Well it was nothing, darling. Just a little 'Boutíque-For-You' magic, and all is made right."

The other mare sighs in reply. "As heartbreaking as it may be, I'll accept playing this part in the wedding. Even though by all rights it should've been the both of us walking him down the aisle."

Rarity gasps as the mare's response. "Blue!"

"Oh come on, you know that's true! We even agreed to set all of this up like we were the ones getting walked down the aisle."

"Well I suppose you aren't wrong." Replies the fashionista. "Really, I'm just all sorts of disappointed that Kali couldn't join with us."

"Ahem!" The camera pans to that of a human woman, letting her child go off to play with the other kids. "I think she has other things to prioritize right now. You know how it is."

"And how are you, Melanie?" Cadance asks from behind the camera.

"I'm good. My husband's been a little annoying today but I'm managing."

The cameramare laughs in response. "You and I are such kindred spirits."

"Maybe Celestia will join our club of annoyed wives in a year or two."

"Probably not even that!"

The video quickly shifts scenes to the Crystal Empress walking towards another figure on his phone, specifically a dragon who seems more interested in that and the food as opposed to interacting with the others.

"Spike! So tell me, the honorable, brave, and glorious savior of the Crystal Empire, what do you plan on doing next?"

"Bachelor party!" He emphatically responds.

"You know, that's usually before the wedding."

"You think I care? I'm having my own bachelor party! I'm not married, I ain't tied up by anything right now, so when this all gets wrapped up, I'm gonna head off to my room and do bad all by myself!"

"Spike!" At last, the princess in charge steps in to manage her dragon's behavior. "Sorry, Cadance. He's been pretty brash in recent years. I think he's spent too much time around the bad influence, also formally known as the groom."

"Twilight, he's eighteen now. Let him be young!"

"I'll let him be young when he can learn to be mature!" She says, earning a disgruntled groan from the young drake.

"Ugh..."

The alicorn turns back to the dragon, looking to correct him. "Don't you 'ugh' me!"

He promptly gets up and flies offscreen. "UUUGGGHHHH!" He emphasizes even more.

"Why you little─" The video cuts there, and just as the alicorn is about to give pursuit to the dragon, her very on face is reflected onto the screen. With tears in her eyes, she places the phone aside and sinks herself, her head barely above the soapy water. She closes her eyes, thinking of all the things they did together, and how he's now being held against his will.

"...Please come home, Spike."

Meanwhile in the Plains of Old Grundleland...

We continue to hug against the southern border of the now-waning forest. It's a rather cloudy day, even the creatures of the forest are limited in their activity because of the fog. Apparently the area seems to have gotten it's name from the locals for an interesting reason. With the ever abundant presence of fog due to the geological features of the plains being an enchanted permafrost, that's also strangely able to grow grass, the air continues to remain warmer than the ground at this time of year, thus creating the perpetual fog condition. And due to that unending equation, that's where the lack of direct sunlight comes in. Amor informs me that the place is so often considered as the place where the sun literally doesn't shine, much like the places where an equine's tails so often covers. A crude nickname the young Hestia detests, but one that I can easily understand.

The reduced visibility makes it hard to see, so we hug against the trees to keep track of where we're going. After all, walking into that fog could land you into some rather unsavory spots. There's ample amounts of mud and slush, some places being so deep that you could step in and never climb out unassisted. And not to mention the fact that you could try to veer off course to avoid these hazards, but easily forget which direction you're facing. You'd walk in circles before passing out from exhaustion, and possibly die in the process of getting lost. In either case, the fog provides good cover to advance on. The airships that pass above won't be able to discern rock from tree, much less a traveling party of four.

Along our journey, both Amor and Hestia take turns telling us stories of what's occurred here throughout history. The princess gives us a grand tale of the war that stirred in their family over a thousand years in the past, this place being the graveyard for over tens of thousands of young knights fighting for lord and land.

Amor then explains how Ponyland was much larger before that time, but shrunk down due to familial infighting and border disputes of land distributed. It was apparently so bad that all of the nation was reclused to only Midnight castle, going so little west that it impeded Bugbear Territory, so far south that it only contained Dream Valley, and so far west that it only claimed the outer boarders of the Shadow Forest. And then Tirek came along and the rest is history.

In the midst of the story hour, Hestia grows tired of discussing their lore. Instead, she turns to her brother for a different perspective. "So tell me about it."

"Tell you about what?" He questions the mare.

"You know, the place we're going to call our new home."

"Oh yeah." He taps a hoof to his chin, trying to summarize his experience within our boarders. "It's wonderful. It's like Ponyland, but with a smaller feel. Don't get me wrong, area-wise it's way more vast, but the creatures there are a lot more harmonic. Changelings on that side of the world are actually nice, and vastly different-looking. I do know that some cities are quite big. Manehattan, that's a really large city with almost everything in it. That one city has north of a million ponies in it's limits."

"That's pretty huge for an Equestrian city!" Hestia comments. "I always thought that place was much smaller for the population centers it has, at least until I looked at a recent map. But to think that most of it's larger cities are only some hundreds of thousands is pretty on the nose for the population it has. We just happen to have as much, if not more ponies to work with."

"Eh, Midnight Castle seems to have more than twice of that." I point out.

"Actually we have eight million residents, but a lot of it is slum living. If anything, a lot of the residents live under the city as opposed to the surface. It's like a hive." The princess adds. "Up on the mains streets, the streets you actually do see, you already have like five to ten families packed into a single building, imagine what it's like below. That's what happens when you choose to live in the safety and warmth of the walls as opposed to making the best of a hostile north. The land's already hard to farm from. Might as well import everything en masse from the east and keep it moving." She turns back to me with a shrug. "Sorry, but a lot of our cities centers are like that. It's all earthy, crudely built, impoverished and old. It's pretty depressing to look at."

"That's what happens when you have generations of warring families laying sieges to the castles. Instead of building out, and risk getting their homes pummeled by cannon fire, they build down and live under the surface. Pretty wild, but sad to think about." The prince explains.

The princess immediately jumps back to the topic of our lands. "In the meantime, I keep hearing of all sorts of interesting places in Equestria. Manehattan being the fashion capital of the world, Las Pegasus being a gambler's paradise, Cloudsdale being a literal city in the sky, the long lost city-state, there's so much to look into!"

"I know. But in terms of one of the more interesting cities, I'd give it to Canterlot, hooves down." Amor replies with a proud smile.

"Wow, their capital? I always thought the capital city has like a few attractions and maybe a few eateries, but then it gets boring when the sun goes down."

"I know I haven't been all the way through the entertainment district they have there, but I hear it has some cool stuff. It does have this one museum though..."

Hestia looks unimpressed towards her brother. "Some dusty museum, seriously, that's all you've been to?"

"Well... it wasn't really a choice. But I did manage to swing by it once or twice. The first time was during my rescue, the second was when the princess teleported us all there for a tour." The prince's eyes soften to a sadness. "It's a pretty sobering experience."

"So that's where the big tragedy you've been on about took place?" Asks the young princess.

The black unicorn looks to me to expand on things. "Hey Spike, you should know a lot more about that museum than I do. Why don't you fill Hestia in on it a bit more."

I shake my head. "You're asking the wrong one, good sir. I don't know anything about it other than what's not redacted in official records."

"Oh, but you could still tell me something about it." She seems pretty enthusiastic about this conversation, always an inquiring mind.

"What, you want me to tell you more about what I know, that a grade-schooler was basically the one wrecking shop all over the city with her amalgamated creation?"

"Well that's part of it." The prince confirms. "But what about the other stuff, like the hooks, the different size chains and what they represent, the absurd number of victims who didn't get their proper final rest."

"Well, yeah, there's that."

"Funny. I could've sworn you asked Spike to illustrate everything and here you are spoiling the tour for me." She says with a bit of bemusement.

Amor kicks a small rock along the road as he walks. "Oh no, I haven't spoiled all of the tour. If you really want the full experience, I'll let you walk it without any spoilers from our end. Promise you that."

I quietly point my claw over to the fourth member of our party, who has yet to speak on the subject. "I only didn't explain it because there is someone here who'd be much better at doing it."

"Are you serious?" Asks the princess.

"Apparently she was there." Amor adds.

"And I'd rather not talk about it." Mrs. Kalimba replies, finally speaking out for the first time over the issue.

Meanwhile, the young princess jumps up her pace to join with the zebracorn. "So is it really true that a foal was the one responsible for the chaos?"

"A filly..." She deadpans. "With mismatched legs."

"What was she like?" Amor questions her.

"Infinitely juvenile." The mare pauses before sparking up her magic and shoving all of us behind a nearby tree. "Stay hidden!" She whispers.

We peer our heads up a bit past the trunk, seeing a pair of centuries walk out from further in the forest. They seem to have a crystal-illuminated torch with them, pointing a beam of light in varying directions. Amor sighs over the sighting. "Great, I didn't anticipate them to actually chase us down to here. It's almost like they were expecting us to come this way."

"Can't blame the centuries for doing their job, but they've been a little more thorough these past few days." Hestia murmurs. "I wouldn't be surprised if they sent in more in the fog."

"Was their an airship that passed above us? I didn't hear one." I ask to the zebracorn.

"Neither did I." She replies.

"If there's no sound of an airship, then that means they're on recon." Amor points out. "They could've been out here for days on end."

Mrs. Kalimba hums with a bit of delight. "That's interesting. Spike, do you mind if I borrow you for a bit?"

Hestia whispers under her breath. "Oh, so that's your name. I was calling you Spork the entire time."

I roll my eyes over the mislabel and facepalm over what could be yet another instance of me getting into a compromising situation. "Why do I feel the sneaking suspicion that I'm going to be bait?"

The striped unicorn then replies. "Because you are."

At this point, I don't even know why I bother to resist. It's not like the collar that's still on my neck is guiding me to do more and I'm completely helpless. If anything, I'm just upset that I seem to be the main attraction in all of this. Like if anyone should be the bait, it should be Mrs. Kalimba. I'm not some holy egg carrier bearing the offspring of their ill-proclaimed savior.

But apparently none of that matters in this case.

As I get in closer to the pair of scouts, they make their thoughts known on the matter, all as I sneak towards them. They don't even seem to be that attentive, they're just complaining about why they have to do it. "Ugh, stupid recon assignments."

"They drop us off in the cold, then they wanna preach to us about how sacrifice is so valuable in this country when our own higher-ups sacrifice us."

"All while they get to sit comfy in their warm offices and we get sent out here to freeze to death. Oh what joy it is to herald the banner of our proud nation when over half of our families live underground. Bullshit."

"All hall the glorious empire of Ponyland, all hail! More like all hail my frozen ass." The second scout grumbles. "I wonder why the princess is so stuck on getting that one dragon anyways. We got other shit to do."

"Probably looking to finally get on the board with her brother. Though for a first hunt, she's being pretty lousy about it." I don't think she's being lousy about it, there's an obvious reason she doesn't want me dead.

"Eh, she's got the attitude of a guildie, definitely the mouth of one, not to mention the sex drive of a nymphomaniac. She'd fit right in with the guild, she'd be much so better with them than she already is as a princess."

While I'm already not in any mood to intervene, part of the reason why I'm walking into this potential death trap is because I have interference to run. So, I finally get on my job. I walk even closer that not even the fog can deny what I look like to them. They seem to be armed with spears as opposed to the firearms I thought they'd be toting. "Hey..." The second scout points towards me.

"Yeah, I see him." The first replies. "Purple scales... green fins... perfect match of the description."

At last, they go about doing their jobs and confront me. I grind my teeth at the thought of facing these guys with any kind of smile on my face, but I fake my way through. "Oh, can I help you guys?"

"You sure can, dragon." The first scout answers tilting his spear towards me. "We're looking to collect a bounty, by order of the princess."

"And you seem to match her description pretty damn well." The second adds as he tries to walk behind me.

I raise my claws, trying to feign a peaceful demeanor. "Whoa, easy fellas! I'm just passing through, no harm intended."

"You're not the one who gets to make demands here! So shut it!" The first says quite forcefully.

But as they get closer with their weapons, I snap my hands down to the shafts of their spears, getting a tight grip of their weapons before they can think to point them at any compromising spots. Before they think to make counter maneuvers, one of them fall to the ground having suffered a brutal blow to the side of the head. The other looks over to see his compatriot slumping before a painful impact falls upon his neck, knocking all the fight out of him. Mrs. Kalimba drops her invisibility spell and finishes her work by delivering a stomp to the second stallion's head. "Well... that was easier than your plan."

"You know, we could've had a better plan than that." I argue in response.

"Are you still complaining? You are alive, nothing to be upset about." She answers as she flags the other two to come over.

"Can we please come up with another approach next time?" I request out of some frustration.

The striped unicorn promptly responds. "I will let you do that if you can tell me what all that princess did to you when she took you in."

Both siblings grimace with disgust, especially Hestia. "Please let's not. I'd rather not hear about Zenobia's kinkfest."

In a bid to appease Mrs. Kalimba, I offered to tell her what happened in spite of the siblings' pleas. "She did keep me busy─"

Amor's magic quickly wraps around my lips to silence me. "Representative, you may continue to conjure whatever plans we'll need."

The zebracorn calls out with a humble boast. "Three to one, majority rules."

"Seriously? I go from getting leg-locked─"

"SHUT IT!" Hestia screams as she takes a spear from the unconscious century. "I don't want to hear ANYTHING about Zenobia's filth! Ehhk!"

"Nor do we need to be reminded of it." Amor says as he starts to strip the pair of their clothes. "Two uniforms, three ponies and a dragon. Guess we're short on one for now. We'll need them for when we get up to the Purple Mountains. The winds there are chilly enough from running off of the frozen waters. The land within the valley itself is laden with snow, and the winds are ever blowing. It's a cold combo that cuts deep to the bone. So who's wearing what?"

I make a comment about the situation, at least seeing some benefit to my current build. "Well, it's a good thing I'm cold-blooded with the ability to breathe fire."

"At least you can protect yourself. But what of your Equestrian compatriot?" Amor asks. "I think she and Hestia should be the ones to wear the uniforms."

"I've dealt with cold before, it's nothing I can't manage." She says as she denies the offer. "We've no time to squander, you're already holding it, so make it quick."

Hestia needs no further encouragement. She's already started to put on the outfit as the debate occurred. She happily dons a blouse with sleeves, followed by a pair of matching leggings. She twirls herself around with a strut. "Not quite fashionable, but it still works for what it is. How do I look?"

"Adventurous." Her brother replies. "Now, let's come up with a plan on what to do with these guys."

Later at Canterlot Castle...

While the morning has broken, so begins a busy cycle of daily rotations. While most is mundane in the eyes of the kingdom, an extranational power vacuum starts to stir in the mind of the princess in charge. With each passing moment, heavier decisions are soon needed, even requiring a replacement to the one who will serve the international seat, but also the more important role of being her second in command.

As the options swirl in her mind, her captain enters the throne room with yet another update. "Your highness."

"Solemn Oath, any changes in correspondence?"

"None, your majesty. Any hails to the orb have gone unanswered. I'm beginning to fear the worst has happened."

Already at her wits end, she goes through her phone yet again to cycle through the recent contacts. Her hoof stops on Celestia's name. "I really don't want to make a call to him of all creatures. Maybe I'll just stick with getting chewed out by Celestia instead."

It doesn't take but a few rings on the other end for the pair to connect to one another. Her former mentor answers the call with hardly any excitement. "Hello, Twilight."

For the current princess, the not-so-warm reception is a source of awkwardness. "Hi there... just, you know, checking in."

The former ruler shows the exhaustion in her voice. "You know, if it wasn't for the fact that my husband had the strange, but also genius idea of putting a communications relay on our ship, we wouldn't be talking right now. Though I wonder why he would ever need to install one in the first place."

"I keep telling you, it's for emergencies!" The man answers from the background.

"Emergencies... like whenever the yacht suddenly goes missing and I call you, you can pick up quickly and act like you're still out on our end of the water?"

"Of course."

"Then why would the relay need to work at such a lengthy range? I don't recall you needing something like this, nor do I remember us having paid for it."

"Babe, I told you why I had it installed. If in case something were to happen, we'd need to get in contact with anyone who's available."

Celestia leans into the receiver and speaks with her student. "You know that's bullshit, right?"

Nondis continues to stand on his reasoning. "I'll let you lean on that, believe what you want."

The mare shakes her head and readdresses her former student. "Either way, we just pulled out of port at Cloud Castle. We're a day out from Hayfling now. That's your update."

"That's good." Twilight responds. "Do you think you guys can make landfall if anything happens?"

"Gimmie that." The question appears to have stirred some frustration with the man steering the ship. He quickly grabs the phone from his wife and takes over the conversation. "Hey Twilight, I'm going to reason with you. The fact that you sent Spike out here is really fucked up, you already know it, and I do want you to understand that there may be a very small chance that he's not stretched out on top of someone fireplace, maybe serving as someone's hood ornament."

"But Kalimba's with him. He should be fine." Argues the purple princess.

The man still stands firm on probability and logic. "Now I'm not saying anything against Kali, not in the slightest. But your dependency on her is a little too damn much for the circumstances to be what they are. Have you ever considered the remote possibility that she could be in an overwhelming situation? Have you ever looked at the fact that getting pursued by a tiny mercenary guild isn't as much of a grandstand as, oh I don't know, an entire nation's army?"

"I sent an escort party!" Twilight counters.

"Uh-huh." The man is clearly unconvinced. "And when was the last time you contacted this escort party?"

"Like five days ago."

He hums a trite reply. "Anything since?"

The princess despairs over the only answer she can honestly give. "...No."

Nondis whistles as he drums his fingers on the counter. "Okay, so that's how many MIA's that make?"

Again, she's forced to give a truthful answer. "Forty-two, including Spike and Kalimba."

The man gives a sarcastic response. "Ah yeah, that sounds real good for the papers. I can imagine the loved ones and families of those missing really appreciate that update."

The princess grows vexed with every passing comment her ex-fiancé makes. "Why am I even talking to you?"

"Because I'm the only one who's out this far, getting hounded by my wife, sailing to a foreign land for a dragon whom you may have condemned to either a death sentence, or a role of involuntary servitude. I don't know about you, but I wouldn't dismiss the idea that you are the sole party responsible for this."

The mare facehoofs. "Can you at least not be so loud about it?"

"The better question is 'can you not fuck up for once'?" He says with a sarcastically sweet tone.

Twilight, already at her ends with the man on the other end, opts to draw the phone call to a conclusion. "Just contact me whenever you get Spike... or find what's left of him."

He however doesn't immediately hang up. "You know, if he's in too many pieces, I'm just gonna call you and give you the bad news. I'm not gonna bring anything back. I'm a firm believer in letting resting parties go where they lay." His tone drops to a grave mumble. "And you already know the reason why."

The call ends with it's signifying three beeps. The high princess plants her hooves over her eyes as she seems lost on ideas of how to make ends meet. She's already had to face the possibility of her number-one assistant being relegated to an early retirement, much less in a manner that's too graphic for her to imagine. The comparisons that flash in her mind is that of an image she recalls from the mountains of evidence from the necroterrorist incident. One picture stands out from all others, the vision of her ex and another human laying on operating tables with their respective heads placed to opposing sides. For a moment, one head flashes to show Spike situated in a similar circumstance.

Solemn sees the distress her ruler is in and taps her shoulder. "Your majesty?"

Twilight emerges from her hooves, her eyes reddening and wetting with tears. Her voice shakes unsteadily as she gives her orders. "Start the paperwork to find Spike's replacement. Meaning that I hold hope for this doesn't mean that I can't be ready for when the worst is to come."

The captain also takes into consideration the rumored partners the Friendship Ambassador has hidden from her. "And the ones in Ponyville, the ones who may also be his intended?"

"Have them summoned to me at once."

Meanwhile in the Purple Mountain Valley...

Oh beautiful, for halcyon skies, for frostbite's sweet refrain,
For purple mountains' majesty above this frozen plain.
Oh Ponyland, oh Ponyland, how God's forsaken me.
And dress thine hood with all but good, from sea to frosted sea.

This place sucks.

I know it's cruel to judge a book by it's cover, especially being the fact that this is my first time here, and I'm sure the daytime doings would be much better in the coming months. But given the fact that my limbs feel like I'm swimming in molasses, my joints are responding with the vigor of a senior citizen in hospice care, and my nose has developed icicles that can be mistaken as fangs, I'd like to say that's a fair assessment.

Seriously, I thought the Crystal Empire was cold, and that's an enchanted tundra we're talking about. I'd take that, and let Flurry Heart shatter the Crystal Heart all over again, and then proceed to live out in the winter wasteland that surrounds the city. Doing that would feel like a summer's day compared to this shit.

Oh, and fun fact, we just got here.

"This is some wind, ain't it?" I shudder with every gust chilling me to my core. Every breath I take, I make it a mandatory thing to hold my claws around my mouth, just so the fire can keep my hands warm.

"I thought you dragons could handle the cold." Hestia seems to have some misconceptions about dragons and our being able to withstand extreme climates. That stroke of fortune only goes one way for us, and that's anything above freezing.

"I never said we could. I just said we could breathe fire. And besides, this cold really stiffens the joints." I say as I try to not look every part of a retirement home attendee.

And you'd think that's probably something Mrs. Kalimba is struggling with more than I am. "Are you okay, ma'am?" Amor asks the mare.

Not even close. "I don't need much when I have a warmth spell at my disposal. Keeps me out of that restrictive wear you're wearing." Her body seems just as free as it's always been. If anything, the fact that she's braving this shit while wearing nothing is an absolute statement of either just how hardened she is, or how close she is to hypothermia altering her better judgement. Considering how level-headed her reasoning still is, I can safely bet on the former.

"Aw c'mon, it's not that restricting." Hestia tries to argue before turning to her brother. "Is it?"

His entire outfit is buttoned down to the T. He's not even sparing a single ounce of room for the cold to get into that outfit. "My neck is a bit stiff in this. And maybe it's a good idea that we don't have our combat specialist with a stiff neck."

And in spite of this night being far colder than what we anticipated, the zebracorn is all about keeping our bodies on the move. After all, making sure the blood stays flowing for them would be ideal, lest they remain here and freeze within the hour. "We are wasting time. Let's go."

As another gust comes in, I take notice of the air's quality, and how the gusts sometimes causes snowdrift. "This air is humid."

"Well it is bringing it in from the waters up north." Hestia responds.

"Any blizzards come over this way?" Mrs. Kalimba inquires.

"Lots. Just not at this time of year. Call it the fortune of timing."

And yet this is supposed to not be a blizzard, I seriously cannot wait to get from out of this place. "Joy."

As we make our way through the valley, we eventually come across a settlement made in a cave overlooking the valley floor. And since we wouldn't be able to get past without being noticed, that already limits our options to more drastic measures. In other words, we can't use invisibility spells because the snow will still track where we're headed. We can't just assault them up front because they have the high ground, and their weapons would pick us off before we can even get in arm's reach. Furthermore, we can't just skate on by without making noise. So our only option, much to our leader's chagrin, is the dimensional distortion spell she hates casting.

By now, I already know what the protocol's going to be. "Great. So am I the distraction again?"

She says as she starts her casting process, namely to conceal not just her own presence, but all three of her, Hestia, and Amor. "You're catching on."

"How soon do you think we can knock them out this time?" I ask.

"Fairly quickly. There's just three of them, we'll just take them by surprise."

As the trio disappears before my very eyes, I breathe once more into my claws, hoping that the warmth from my extremities can somewhat spread throughout my body. "Please don't take as long as last time."

This time, instead of trudging into action, I put these heated claws to work by knocking the ice from off my wings. Once that's out of the way, I take to the air and fly over to the cave, proudly making myself visible for all of the scouts to see. "Dragon!" One calls out, prompting the others to immediately reach for their weapons. And this time, they don't reach for spears, they go straight for their firearms. This was probably a bad idea.

"Hey, wait!" One hollers out to the others. "Remember the description we were given?"

Before the other two can answer, they get pulled into the distortion field, disappearing before the squad leader's very eyes. He calls out to the others. "Hey─" But he's quickly drawn in himself before he can complete a single sentence."

The field breaks and reveals the three guards already knocked out cold. It also reveals Amor and Hestia, who seems to be nursing the pain-riddled zebracorn. I hear a shuffle in the snow, prompting me to turn around. It seems that there's a pegasus century looking to fly out and relay what he just saw. I try to fly after him as I call out to the others. "One's getting away!"

Without a moment's hesitation, Mrs. Kalimba simply teleports the stallion over to us, all for Hestia to knock out with a rock to the back of his head. "One 'get-away' to order." She says proudly, tossing the sizeable weapon aside. "You're a pretty fast thinker, madam representative. I bet you're something else in a real fight."

"Yeah, she's something else. It's the main reason Fencer was so head over hooves for her." Amor adds.

"And now our father's obsessed with her capture." Hestia reminds us as she starts to forage the unconscious stallions for anything useful.

The zebracorn mumbles as she inspects a musket. "Well, he can keep obsessing." She stops her observation and quickly casts the weapon aside, seeming that it's not to her satisfaction. "It's not like any of it matters at this point."

As I look out of the cave, I can see the stars spanning the entirety of the sky. It's a clear night, completely different from the weather of Old Grundleland. If it weren't for how unforgiving the temperatures are, I'd probably stay out and enjoy the night a little more.

But in doing so, it reveals to me a troubling issue.

Since the night is so clear, it allows for us to easily see past the valley, and get a good vantage point towards our supposed location in the far distance. It seems to be a humble dwelling, a place with very little other than a few lights dotting the snowy town. However, the smoking airships hovering a little above it are a prime indicator of where that pegasus was going to dart off to. If it weren't for Mrs. Kalimba's quick thinking, this plan might have gone south. "So... you guys want the good news, the bad, or the ugly?"

All three of them look at me as I stare off to the town in the distance. "What's ugly?" Hestia asks with concern.

"Well... see for yourself." I point towards the town.

Amor grits his teeth at the sight. "That's three airships... We're looking at possibly over a hundred centuries in wait." He looks to me and informs me of the location. "That's the sleepy port town of Hayfling... our rumored destination for freedom."

"And those airships are in a holding formation. They're not gonna move." Hestia illustrates. "We go there, we're trapped."

"So they got us beat." I sigh in defeat. "We really came all this way for nothing."

The zebracorn takes notice of the airships hovering above. I'm sure she's keeping a cool composure for our sake, but even that seems to stir a tiresome twitch in her eye. She turns around and goes back to the squad of concussed centuries. She starts to undress one of them. "Madam representative?" A curious Hestia watches.

"So it seems I will be needing a uniform after all. My not wearing one would end up being a detriment more than a help. I don't like having to wear something restrictive when I need to be available to maneuver any way I can. But to leave this to chance would be an error of grave proportions."

The young prince smirks at the cunning mare. "You must be cooking up a plan again."

"And let me guess... I'm the bait, for the umpteenth time?" I mumble with bemusement.

"Not entirely." She answers as she throws on a uniform, some of the features already appearing constraining for her relatively tall body type.

"Oh great." I say with a sigh of relief.

She promptly corrects me. "You won't be the bait, you'll instead be our prisoner."

"Oh... great." I roll my eyes at the idea, exhausted of being thrown in cages and put in chains for appearances sake.

"Do you have any better ideas?" Amor inquires.

Hestia quickly trots by the zebracorn, emphasizing the likeness in uniform. "I mean we already dress the part. It'll be hard not to go along with it. With everything that's going on, we got time to put something together for dawn. We'll just camp out here tonight, go over some plans, maybe some backup plans in case things go wrong, and then we'll work it out from there."

"In either way..." Mrs. Kalimba also states. "My head is still fuzzy from our earlier gambit. If I'm going to do this again, I will need the rest. So let's call it an evening, you get warm, and we'll move when the weather is a little more hospitable."

I bury my head into my arms, already succumbing to defeat once more. "I swear you three have like some fetish for keeping me as your prisoner."

Amor chuckles as he searches the unconscious centuries for any rations. "Hey, at least I didn't suggest it this time."

Author's Note

And one more for the road. I hope that all of you have enjoyed your Christmas holidays, be it with your families, your friends, loved ones, or even just with yourselves. I know this year was a bit hard on the finances for many, but I wanted to at least offer some bit of cheer from me to you guys as my way of saying thanks for toughing it out with me over this past year.

I'll look forward to see you all in the new year, so here's to another one full of writings and fun interactions in the comments.

Love you all, Happy Holidays.

Chapter 35: Risky Retirement

The morning after our night in the cavern, we make sure that the four centuries are good and taught to the ropes they've conveniently provided for themselves. Of course they were given those items to make arrests and captures, but we found the kindness in our hearts to leave those to them. I've also melted down their weapons, rather the ones Amor elected not to take, just to make sure they don't come back after us with a vendetta and a means of carrying that out.

Mrs. Kalimba and Hestia goes into the forest of the valley below to cut some of the trees in a bid to make a cage for me to sit in. Once that's done, I pop a squat, they primitively tie together thatch, shaven bark, and use some of that rope we got off the watchers for my cage to get built. And as they come to a completion of that, I go about my part to look like the miserable drake who's bound for misfortune. At least that part isn't too hard, I can easily look like I don't want this because I truly don't want it.

Mrs. Kalimba makes sure that she casts the invisibility spell for herself. And after our run-through of the plan and it's alternatives, we make our slow march into town. By the time we get there, it's midday and there seems to to be a pending shift change taking place. The first thing we run into is another group of four. They also seem to be bringing in some rations for themselves, which is pretty useful for us because of how hungry we are.

The group halts as we approach, their squad leader appears to be a stocky fellow with hardly any patience for much other than himself. His first reaction isn't to greet us, but rather scream and bark as many entitled superiors do. "The hell are you lot doing here? You're supposed to be off in the mountains on watch detail!" He immediately takes notice of the cage, seeing me sitting just as quiet as can be. "A dragon, huh? Purple scales and green fins?" He really seems to emphasize that description.

"Yes sir." Amor speaks up in his disguise, trying to put a lot more bass into his voice. "Found this one wandering the forest. Seems the collar on his neck has him in a muttering state of confusion. We caught him after he got done humping a tree. If you think that's awkward, you should probably check in on that tree in about eleven months."

As ridiculous as that sounds, I try to keep my head down to not laugh at that. I take a deep breath and completely look to sell on that story by grabbing one of the bars of the cage, kissing against it. "Oh princess... you're the best. I crave you."

Amor stiffens while he tries not to break out into a full-throated cackle. "Yeah, he does that."

While Hestia squints in disgust over what's going on, the other guards snicker amongst themselves. The squad leader gives my pathetic display a smirk of superiority. "Primitive creatures acting just as they are. No matter, it's good you caught this one because we're in a sad state of affairs with that poor excuse of a town. The fleet's hovering above the square right now, the princess is in talks with the mayor over our housing matter. Seems the inns around here aren't enough to hold even one measly airship of centuries. Kinda sad if you ask me, a town so pathetic that it can't even ask some of the citizens to vacate a few buildings for us."

"Well that is pretty sad." Amor says as he starts to pull the cage along. "We'll be sure to wheel this one over to her as quickly as possible."

The squad leader cracks a smirk as he holds a hoof out to the disguised prince. "No need. We'll take this from here."

Hestia, already privy to the corruption that sometimes takes place, argues in defense of the capture. "But sir, this is our bounty! We're the one that found him like this, you would not believe the struggle I had to go through just to keep this creature off of─"

*click*

The stallion cuts her off, aiming a musket at her chin as he steps closer to her. "If you know what's good for you, you'll let me take this one in, and you'll get back to your post up on the mountain, where you belong."

"This isn't fair!" She argues once more. "We worked hard to get that dragon and you─"

The others in the squad quickly join along with their leader, aiming their weapons for both Amor and Hestia. The leader turns back with a grin. "You were saying?"

"I'm just saying that we did manage to capture him─"

The musket of the squad leader is levitated between the princess's legs. brushing firmly against her undercarriage. He reaches further in and makes a swiping motion, little to no resistance is made. The other centuries smile as they start to surround her. "Funny, we don't usually give females centuries out of town assignments. They're barely able to aim straight." He leans into the mare's ear. "Maybe you can convince us to not say anything about this?" He turns to his fellow centuries. "Hey boys, looks like we've have a friend on misplaced assignment. Why don't we escort her to town?"

The princess grimaces at first, but sheds that disgust as she makes her remark. "Sorry, but you may wanna talk with my friend. She's on assignment with me."

"What the─" The sound of three bodies falling to the ground grabs the stallion's attention. Mrs. Kalimba, fresh from clocking out the three other scouts, gives herself a running start before erupting into a flip, grabbing the stallion by his neck using her hindlegs and flinging him over her into the ground. "You... cheeky..." A stomp to his neck quickly puts the stallion unconscious.

The zebracorn shows her displeasure of the one she's taken down. "I don't like chauvinistic idjiots." She slowly kisses her teeth with a very emphatic turn away from the stallion.

Hestia clops her hooves in gleeful approval of her work, all while Amor nods with approval of the mare's style. "I'd figure as much from what you did to that one guy during my rescue."

"Uh, hello?" I call out to the other three. "Mind giving me some miniscule of credit while being locked away in this unconvincing cage? I'm already cringing at the idea of giving my dick splinters."

The prince offers me a little praise for my work. "I mean of course you have a huge part in it too, you've played your role quite well. Really nailed those ad-libs. You Equestrians are pretty resourceful and adaptable."

"Why thank you." I say as I lift the cage from over me, immediately looking to melt down the weapons they have. "Now to the current situation. Is it really who I think it is that they have at the center of town?"

"Being the fact that they keep accurately describe your appearance, it only makes sense that it is her." Hestia comments.

"Ugh... great. The last thing we need is an annoying princess with a newfound dragon fetish finding out her favorite toy is just passing through town."

"Actually, that could be to our advantage." Amor replies. "I say we play on that next, moving on to the second part of our plan. Let's try to convince them that we've passed on this town to make a move to the next. All we have to do is lure them away while we stake nearby. The airships will move on and we'll be left to ourselves."

"That's a good idea, except one thing." I bring up. "How do we grab the attention of three entire airships?"

"Knowing Zenobia, she'll probably divert all of her attention to the source." Proposes the pegasus princess.

"But how do we get them to bite on the lure?" I ask.

"That part is easy." Mrs. Kalimba says as she picks up some of the stallion's supplies, also robbing the others and him of their rations. She drags a pencil from one of his pockets and makes a note on some parchment found on the squad leader. "Let's give these ponies something to report back on. When they wake up, they'll see where we're going, and they would be wise to move on it."

"Won't that give us away?" I ask her as I go back to melting another musket down.

The princess takes notice of my flames. "Not if we do this right." She says as she immediately takes off the belt of one of the other subordinates. "Hey, how sharp are your claws?"

I pause on my work to answer her question. "I usually keep them blunted and filed down, you know for 'friendly appearances', shaking hooves, signing papers, administrative stuff like that."

She grabs my right claw and runs the metallic belt loop against it, getting a shaven bit of metal from the close interaction. I look at her while she proceeds to borrow my claw without asking me. It takes her a while before she notices that I'm not exactly pleased with nor privy to the method. "Don't mind me. Just looking to get some science done."

An invisible light bulb goes off over Amor's head as he quickly complies with her actions. "Let me go get a little kindling."

"Bring back some sturdy branches while you're at it." She says before turning back to me. "Nice fire you go there. Hope I can borrow some for later?"

"Why?"

"Oh, you'll see."

Later at Canterlot Castle...

Morning has broken over the city yet again, but this time carries an air of uncertainty with many in the castle. Rumors begin to spread of the princess' search for a replacement to claim the prime ambassador seat. For many, the situation already screams ill-fortune for the ones who've already departed for Ponyland, being that the contingent hasn't been in contact for the better part of a week now.

Gallus is another who doesn't fall deaf to the rumblings, he in fact spreads the rumor to his other friends as they make their way to the throne room. The party of seven are escorted by the griffon guard to the royal throne room, where they are greeted with a silence. Ocellus is the first to break the tension with her voice. "Your highness, we came as soon as you summoned us."

"Thank you all." The princess answers, but keeping a curious eye to yet another griffon that seems out of the elemental group. "Gabby, what you doing here?"

"I know that you made a call for explicitly for the element bearers, but I stay with Spike. Me, Smolder, and Ocellus all share the house with him."

Twilight's ears flick with surprise. "How do you all share a house with Spike?" After prompting the question, she realizes that now is a bad time to start that line of questioning. Instead, she brings her focus back to the more pressing matter that's in need of discussion. "Nevermind, I don't need to know. Let's just stay on the present situation."

Silverstream speaks out next. "So what about Spike, is everything alright?"

"She sent him to Ponyland." Smolder informs the hippogriff.

"Ponyland? I've never been there before." Sandbar comments. "Haven't heard much of it either."

"Yona not hear of Ponyland. Is it some offshoot of Ponyville, bad branding?" The yak questions.

Smolder expedites the reason for concern. "The problem is that Ponyland has a history of poaching dragons for wares."

"What!?" Sandbar's jaw falls as he looks over to the princess. "You sent Spike there!?"

"It's literally if Klugetown was it's own country." Silverstream adds.

The earth pony inquires the hippogriff. "Wait, you've heard of them?"

"I mean we've been told of them. From what I remember what my cousin mentioned, it's like they have a bunch of fishing boats that sometimes capture a hippogriff or two. Whoever's caught don't really ever see the shores of Mt. Aris again."

"That's no good." Yona mulls with worry set in her voice.

Silverstream tries to inject a bit of hope to the situation. "Now that's not for saying that they get poached themselves, but we don't ever hear much of an after-story."

"Well in the case of dragons, there is no after-story." Smolder emphasizes.

"And knowing our circumstances right now, you probably have some bad news." Ocellus heavily turns her head, seeing how all of them have been gathered.

Everyone awaits the princess' answer. She gives a quiet response with hardly any optimism to be found. "...Unfortunately."

The first thing the changeling does is check in on her dragon herdmate. "Smolder─"

"I'm... calm." The dragon answers with a shaky voice, but her resolve stands firm as she makes her request to the princess. "Give it to us straight."

The high princess wastes no time explaining the situation. "Spike and his escort, a total of forty-one service workers, specialists, and aeronautical engineers, have been missing in action for the past five days... going on six."

"You're telling us there's forty of us that's never coming back?" Gallus draws a deep breath of sympathetic grief for his fellow guards and specialists. "That's not a good look, your highness."

"They could be safe, but it's not certain right now. I had a transmission orb sent with them but that's not responding. And of course, we confiscated their phones to prevent inquiry into the matters of our technology since it's an already stressed avenue of trade that wouldn't yet be viable for larger scale. Not like having them keep their phones for contact would serve much use over on that side of the globe, not with the lack of transmission towers or signal relays throughout the countryside."

"So what you're saying is that you don't know whether or not Spike is... gone?" Gabby asks, her legs starting to shake as she imagines the possibilities.

"Not just Spike." Chimes in a male voice. A unicorn stallion appears from behind the throne, giving additional details to the deployment. "Kali's gone with him too. And apparently the only thing they have to recover this situation is an unlikely source of assistance. So as of the moment, big bro is on his way to Ponyland to possibly intercept, maybe retrieve."

"Wait, the former captain's active again?" Gallus questions the stallion.

"If you can call it that." He answers. "And plus Celestia's made it known that she's there to make sure that he doesn't get too involved. So don't expect him to make landfall and cause a scene."

Twilight grumbles to herself. "We're already at a steep precipice, we don't need to instill any further veins of conflict."

"What if they've already done that?" Ocellus questions. "What's to stop them from making any threatening gestures, much less putting their lives in danger?

"Trust me, they've done that much as it is." The high princess informs the group, not wanting to go too far into detail on what was reported. "On top of the situation, the last transmission I had with Spike himself was with one of the princesses their way, and to say that she's... interested, is an understatement."

The stallion doesn't mince words like the princess, giving a blunt account of what took place. "She fucked Spike in front of Twilight over the transmission orb. Yeah, that's a thing."

Smolder sparks smoke in her expressions. "WHAT!?"

"He seriously cheated!?" Ocellus stares slack-jawed.

"On all of us?" Gabby turns her eyes downward. "Seriously?"

The stallion makes a snide remark over the three creatures expressing their disappointment. "I see my guy was winning up till now."

"In short, that exchange looks very much nonconsensual in my eyes." Twilight adds. "He was last seen wearing a collar on his neck, and the magic signature seemed to match that of the princess who he was... ahem... entertaining."

The notion of hypnosis stirs indignation in the changeling, she screams at the princess her demand. "Tell me where they are!"

"I don't know who that bitch think she is, but she's about to find out that fucking with my dragon is about to go over as well as she's about to cook!" Smolder says with fire sparking from her words.

Stanton tries to reason with the vengeful pair. "I know you ladies wanna go after your guy and chew him up and spit him back out for a bit. But with you being what you two are, we can't afford to play that risk anymore than what's already been played."

"So you're just telling us to expect the worst, if it should be the case." Gallus summarizes.

Twilight then adds. "Nondis and I had a conversation last night. He doesn't believe that this situation is favorable for a recovery effort. So if he finds anything, he'll let me know personally. And Celestia will do all that she can to ensure that this remains civil."

"With all due respect, your highness, but I'm sure if Spike is even alive right now, the last thing that's on his mind is for everything to remain civil." Ocellus announces. "And if it's been five days, if they already have a hold of him, with one of the princesses sinking her fangs in him, he's not coming out of this unscathed!"

Gallus also speaks up. "I'm sorry to add on your majesty, but on behalf of all the guards, I'm going to have to ask that you release the names of all of the ones who are considered M.I.A.. Keeping this internal is only going to cause even more of a national outcry throughout the realm. Rumors are already spreading, and we can't afford that news to break before a public conference is held to the public."

"She intends to do just that." Stanton informs the griffon. "The only thing wanted to do is let you all know what's going on first since Spike is your friend." He looks to the trio of creatures. "For a good number of you, his bed buddies."

Ocellus looks towards the stallion, knowing what he truly is and overcoming any personal grievances to seek his perspective. "Mr. Stanton, given your experience, what do you feel are the chances of anyone making it back alive from this?"

"If they have friends on the inside, a quarter's chance. If not... less than five percent." He answers with a hoof to his chin. "For his sake, I hope his dick game is somehow good enough to stir some second thoughts in whatever princess' guts he's been rearranging. If not, I don't know what to tell you."

Sandbar, silent for most of the discussion, brings up a fair question. "Your majesty, if all else fails, do you think this will possibly lead to war?"

"That depends on Ponyland at this point." She answers. "I just pray that it doesn't come to that."

Meanwhile in Hayfling...

"Are you sure that you saw the dragon I specified!?"

The guard who's made his attempt to entertain himself at the expense of a young mare stands cowering before yet another, though with good reason that he would since it's none other than the high princess of the empire. Many already know of her short temper and crass nature, but only a select few have been ever suffered her wrath and lived to tell their perspective of failure.

With that in mind, the stallion appears on edge as he answers her question. "Your highness, he passed right by our checkpoint!" Little does he realize that his voice was far too enunciated for the princess' waning patience.

"Don't you dare fucking raise your puny voice at me, you limp-dicked shit!" Her vulgarities combined with her shrill voice causes many to duck for cover, but her maids appear quite used to the sound, hardly giving any reaction. "Are you sure they are headed in that direction!?"

"I'd swear my life on it." He says with a much more subdued volume.

"You'd better be fucking sure!" Her volume remains the same. "If not, you best be counting the hours you'd still have a penis, much less your life!"

The stallion bumbles around as he reaches inside of his saddlebags, feeling around for a note with instructions about going to their next location. "Here's what was left behind." The princess snatches the note and quickly skims through it's contents.

Dear Friendship Representative,

While it has come to the attention of our subsidiary extraction force that Ponyland has issued airships in the general area. We have relocated our point of contact to the town of Foalsom. Since the shoreline would probably be heavily watched, it is advised that you reach the extraction point by means of the river. We apologize for this inconvenience and hope to see you well.

With regards,
Sgt. Mayfair

"Fuck." The mare curses under her breath as she rises from her seat, pacing about as she ponders aloud. "So according to this, it seems that they're looking to steal a boat and head south through the river. Turning their way through the reservoir, navigating the icefloe, and making a safe landing at Foalsom, where they'll board some other vessel to make their escape."

"Yes, your highness." The cowering century confirms.

The princess skims the note once more, her eyes being drawn to the words 'Dear Friendship Representative'. Her pace slows as she continues to look at any possible alternatives. "If I'm any part smart, I'd see this as a ruse."

"How so, your majesty?" The stallion asks.

"Why would they travel south to go to Foalsom? The icefloe isn't too terribly bad at this time of year. If anything, they would go north and make their way along the shore, it's barely defended, not nearly as fortified as these instructions make it out to be." She tosses the note. "It seems to me that this is a diversionary tactic, but we also can't rule out that it may be legitimate."

"So what do you suggest, your highness?" He asks once more.

The princess carefully ponders the situation dealing with the town. Being that there's too little accommodation for her forces to occupy a residency, she elects to keep that limitation in mind. "We send two-thirds of our forces to bite on the bait. Keep the third that's already stationed here. Move all airships to the southern fjord of the Purple Mountains. I stay behind with the remnants and keep a hold on the town to monitor any further maneuvers they may have. From there, we bait them out and await their return in about five hours. That should buy us enough time to smoke them out."

"Your majesty, your wisdom is beyond words." He says with a bow.

She closes in the distance between the stallion and herself, bearing down a stern frown at his direction. He trembles as her shadow looms over him. "I suppose your diligence is worthy of some compensation. You'll serve by me tonight, go and await my further instructions. You'll receive what is due in time."

The stallion nods and trots away, grinning at the prospect of receiving an award from the princess.

After he exits the room, the head maid offers praises to her princess. "A brilliant plan, your highness."

The mare scoffs in reply. "My idiot brother takes a lot of fucking credit he doesn't deserve. He's good at chess and hunting, but not so much as actual planning and strategy. I've never seen such an instance of failing upwards. Someone needs to tell that dickhead that being able to win at chess doesn't make you a master at tactics."

"At least your brother is a gifted fighter, your highness." The maid replies.

"Xerxes can swing a sword and cast a few spells, oh the wonders that seem to attract my father's attention."

"Well put it this way, your highness, if you are successful in your gambit, you may even supersede him in the imperial line."

Zenobia glares towards her maid. "You do realize that my father was talking out of the crack of his ass, right?"

"Forgive me for rebutting, but I don't believe he is taking this lightly." She says as the princess summons a bottle of vodka from the local distillery, popping the cork and quickly downing a fifth of the bottle. "Think of it this way, with you separate from your brother, you alone will achieve the glory he longs for. You will establish yourself as a credible ruler─"

"Oh fuck off, I've done that already!" She hollers in frustration. "The only thing my father wants to see is his precious sons fight until one comes up as a definitive heir for the throne! He already groups my accomplishments and dumps Xerxes' name on it all, that's about as far as my favor goes."

"That would soon change, your highness." The maid argues. "But not just that, you will officially gain further favor with the church. And getting high marks from the clergy means a world of difference. Imagine your position, the first born of the purebloods finally getting her due recognition."

"Does it really fucking matter these days? Almost half of the entire empire has heard of me in every situation, what glorification would there be if I were to assume the first rank?" The princess assumes her lips to the bottle once more, taking in more of the liquor.

"Your highness, the throne itself."

Her lips separate from the bottle with an audible plop. "A musty, crusty, dusty seat my father probably sharted in over the decades. What fun it is to assume such an otherwise worthless chair."

"With your pet dragon, of course."

"I suppose that would be an interesting look of power and authority." She sits herself upon her bed as she lays, thinking of the creature who's bed skills subdued her beyond all others. Parts of her start to run warm of the memories of his presence. "Princess Zenobia, tamer of dragons, high princess of the realm. I would probably be feared if I wasn't seen as anything but a joke in the eyes of the masses, no thanks to my father's part in shaping my image. Strange that a dragon of all creatures would better understand me than my own family ever would. I miss that scaly fuck and his touch."

"This is a chance to refresh that. Not even the emperors before have ever been so ambitious to relinquish the throne to that without male key." The maid sits beside the inebriated princess. "Imagine the influence, the power, the respect you'll command."

"The only thing I want to imagine is my pet raking my back with his claws and sinking those teeth into my neck again. I'm throbbing at the thought of him, fuck I need his dick in me right about now. Like how fucking dare he just leaves me like this after days of offering me the most back-breaking sex conceivable. He single-hoofedly ruined my being able to masturbate! Like how the fuck do I go from wanting to entertain myself and getting dicked by a dragon for fun, to damn-near loving the thought of dying on that rugged shaft of his!? THAT'S WHAT THE FUCK I WANT TO IMAGINE RIGHT NOW!" She goes on to nurse the bottle, taking small gradual sips with every other breath she takes. "But no, you want me to imagine power and influence, as if my noble-blood brothers won't stop at nothing to exterminate me."

"Your majesty, no one would dare to overwhelm you."

"His name is Xerxes, by the way." She moans. "Same mom, same trauma, same shitty voice yelling at us for years on end until her rotting breath ceased to be had, and you don't think he would look chance in the eye to put a pellet in my head over the throne, you're absurd."

"Even he would be lesser than you just by the good Doctor's word." The maid reassures. "To defy you would be to defy the Doctor himself."

The drunken mare looks over to her nightstand, seeing a scroll rolled with a set of unlit candles on either side. She closes her eyes as another doubt runs through her mind. "Let's somehow entertain this thought of me becoming the head seat. Say that I inherit the throne, does my ascension grow a divide within the clergy who's more loyal to my brothers, to tradition?"

"Your majesty, the Doctor himself has praised you. What division would there ever be? Traditionalists would be silenced at the mention of his breath! You would be, by default, more powerful than your own father."

The mare gives a tired blink before lazily turning her head to her maid. "Say that shit one more time."

The maid repeats herself. "The Doctor's word would make you more powerful than the likes of your own father."

The princess sits up in her bed, slightly off balance from the liquor impairing her motor functions. "Mmm... I thought you said that, just didn't process completely." Her eyes jump open as the idea starts to take root in her drunken mind. "Holy hell, that's why he took credit! My father took credit from me because he knows what I did could upstage him! FUCKING BASTARD!"

The maid mutters a comment as she watches the princess jump back up to her hooves, experiencing almost a second wind of sobriety despite the flushed cheeks and obvious smell of alcohol. "And thus she lives again."

She looks to the scroll on the nightstand, finding confidence in herself. "To hell with my brothers, I'll supersede my father and get what the fuck I'm deserved! Not a fucking moment more will he use me to gain credit for my work! I'll use my position in the church, have the clergy overrule him, and then I'll be the Doctor's own anointed Empress! And there won't be a damn soul in my way!" She guzzles the remnants of the bottle, down to the last drop before tossing it to the floor. "Get my fucking pet right now, this instant! I want to see his scaly ass here by midnight! I've got a lot of excitement to work off, and capturing him gives me a proper dick appointment!"

"I'll prepare the incense, your highness." The maid gives a bow before dismissing herself, leaving the impassioned princess to her thoughts. Zenobia proudly looks herself in the mirror, imagining the golden laurels of her father being sat upon her head. She begins to laugh at the imaginary coronation, the faux silhouette of a dragon standing behind her with his collar glowing and a blank smile on his face. The sight of his claws landing upon her shoulder drives her to a maddening cackle, all points of reality broken in her mind, albeit for just a moment. Her ears a brimming red, her cheeks the same, she recovers with a deep breath, and a tail swishing with anticipation.

"Oh... I could use a good warmup before my pet gets here. Guess I better go give that limp-dick shit his reward now."

Night has fallen over the industrial hamlet of Hayfling. The party of four sit idle and watch quietly as the three airships start to maneuver away from the small town. Relief falls on their shoulders while they watch from the trees of the forest. The two imperials celebrate amongst themselves, meanwhile Mrs. Kalimba is a lot more on guard than either of us. I'm just happy that we can make our way through without having to deal with a lot of conflict. However, I know that some of our maneuvers are going to require a lot more than keeping quiet.

Can't really tell that to Amor right now. "Aaaaaand the airships. Are. Gone."

"Wow... I can't believe that worked." I comment.

Hestia appears quite proud that the plan's been successful. To be honest, a lot of that plan wouldn't happen without her. I remember how much I was sweating when she volunteered to simply waltz into town as herself to rent a small boat. Turns out that risk was well played, because no one suspected anything other than the princess looking to take a quiet fishing trip down the river. "Well, guess that makes this a free walk through town." I don't blame her for riding on her high of success, I just wish that she could afford to do more of it.

"Pretty impressive set of dummies you made, Hestia." I guess I'll let Amor keep feeding her pride a bit.

And boy is she feeding on it. "C'mon, you know I'm a mind of arts and crafts. Why would you even think less of me?"

I do give credit to where credit is due. "Well I know there's a wooden boat you paid for with a fake party of three floating down the fjord."

"Complete with well-timed fire bursts from our faux dragon." She gives me a wink.

Elsewhere...

A trio of airships slowly trail down a small boat drifting gently down the river. They travel in a tight formation, moving slow as to not collide with one another or the varying mountains on either side of the fjord. The captain of the ship leading the formation looks through a looking glass, seeing down to the figures on the boat. The taller of them occasionally spews greenish flames.

The captain makes note of the situation. "I've never seen a dragon breathe green fire."

"We've also never seen this dragon breathe fire period, sir." His lieutenant calls out.

"I guess so." He mutters. "Keep up our pursuit. Tell one of the ships behind us to slowly pull out from formation and make their way to the fork. We'll cut them off at the confluence before they can think to turn around."

"Yes sir."

"Oh yeah, Hestia. What was that strange mixture you stirred up earlier after your trip through town?" Asks the young prince.

"Copper sulfate, it makes the fire green." She explains. "Since the metals on the belts of our uniforms are mostly comprised of copper, I just went to town to buy some sulfur saying that I wanted to make sure to avoid insects."

"Sulfur is a pretty good insect repellant." I comment. "It's a good reason why you don't run into many bugs in the Dragon Lands. But now I have to ask this, where did you find the excess gunpowder?"

"Well duh, I'm a whole princess, remember? You wouldn't think I didn't sneak on one of those airships for some usable goods, did you? There's plenty of gunpowder for the cannons, all I had to do was pay the troops a visit of good-will."

The young prince comments to his sister. "You've always been the creative mind to check off a list as you go about being bad."

"And you've always ditched your lessons by tailing behind Adelphos, him and his chronic girl-chasing, I'm willing to bet that father saw a kindred spirit in him before he died."

"I guess I have been the hopeless romantic." He says with a sigh. "To think I go about my own journey to chase after the mare of my dreams, only to be sent back to this nightmare of a country."

"Hey, at least it's one of the countries of all time." Mrs. Kalimba replies with a hapless shrug.

"Ah yes, a cheap certificate for participation, we love it." The prince says as he stands up, getting ready to make a march for the docks. But the zebracorn's magic holds firm to his tail, causing him to wince a bit from the pain. "Hey, why can't we go on now?"

"Our time is not yet upon us."

The prince argues against her. "Seriously, it's a sleepy town of a bunch of port workers and ferrymares. The local pub closes at 10 at night, there's no jig music played past 9:30 because of noise ordinance, and the only ones who travel at this hour are those looking to commit extramarital affairs. Believe me, no centuries are even remotely interested in doing anything other than taking their showers and going to sleep, this place is that boring."

Mrs. Kalimba hums a retort. "Sounds like a good place to call home."

"I'd rather be in the thick of Canterlot's night life." The prince responds.

"Not something I'd wish on anyone." She answers back as she pulls out a spyglass, lovingly pilfered from the squad leader we ran into earlier. She scans the city until something catches her attention. She levitates the item towards me for me to take a gander. "And besides... we are not the only ones wide awake."

She points her hoof in the direction I'm supposed to be looking into. I see a few windows with light, some with silhouettes, but one with a familiar build. The drafty wind lifts the curtains momentarily, revealing the owner of that familiar figure I've been hands-on with less than a week ago. "Ugh, she's here?"

"Seems she's doing a little more than keeping an eye out." The zebracorn notes. "At least someone's keeping her entertained."

I don't even get the chance to notice that Hestia pulls out another spyglass she's appropriated, looking in the same window I'm staring into. She chokes back a gag before planting the item into Amore's chest. He takes a turn to see what it is that's got her so reviled, only to groan in disgust himself. It seems that she has a stallion keeping her company, his hooves tied to the bedpost. She seems to be wearing a stern face, the one I've grown used to seeing outside of the bedroom. "Poor fool. He'll be needing a medic by the hour's end." Amor comments.

"Well I didn't need one, I turned out just fine." I point out. "What makes you say that?"

"Just... keep watching." He warns.

As the stallion wriggles on the bed, sporting an unmistakable erection, Zenobia walks over with two items. The first seems to be a small tube and a riding crop. "What is she going to do with those?"

Hestia mutters her response. "Just keep watching... that's if you can."

The stallion's sex is lifted, and it appears that the small tube is specifically aimed for it's opening. She watches sternly as the metal tube is slowly inserted... INTO HIS DICK? "Oh hell no!"

Even Amor resigns himself as 'satisfied' and stops watching. "Oh no, you'll probably need to see this for yourself, especially if she hasn't done it to you already."

That's, by far and away, the furthest thing from what we've done together.

I'll admit that there's some morbid curiosity that drives me to keep watching. So I placate to that interest and keep my eyes on the pair. It seems the tube is not fully inserted, but withdrawn slowly. The stallion writhes, I'm not exactly sure of what his sensations are at the moment, but they appear to be quite intense. She seems to mouth some instructions to him, but he seizes up instead. The tube that's slightly inserted spurts much like a geyser, his sex throbbing as a result. I see glimpses of his distressed reaction, as well as her angered expressions. He seems to mouth pleas, helpless in his position as the crop is introduced into the equation. The curtains flutter through the breeze, shading off what comes next. Even in the candlelight silhouette, I see the prominently standing erection swiftly struck by the crop.

I nearly drop the spyglass out of empathetic pain, grasping at myself in response. Amor then comments. "Sadly, that's what passes for pleasure in her eyes."

"Welcome to the Ponyland reality. Special edition: Zenobia." Hestia announces. "Granted he deserves it for what he tried to pull on me."

I shake my head, collapsing the spyglass. "We can't stay here, we gotta go now."

"But where else do we go?" Hestia questions. "The messenger in the waterway left this place as his last message to the world. Where else do we go from here?"

The young prince recalls his own account of that event. "That note, the one covered in blood, I'm sure there were more details on it. But I don't know if it's even legible at this point with the blood being dry." He says as he summons the aforementioned item, but also noticing that the letter is hard to part. "Figures, this is useless now. Only thing I can recall from it are the words 'Port of Hayfling' and 'ship'."

"But the airship done for." Mrs. Kalimba replies. "And the crew is in no better condition."

My eyes scout the town, trying to piece together what could be done. But so far, all I can see is a few ships in the harbor, including two that seems to carry freight, and one that appears to be a luxury liner. "...Hey Amor."

"Yes?"

I point towards the harbor. "I'm sure luxury yachts don't show up around here in these parts, do they?"

"Usually the wealthy would dock and make small supply runs, sometimes they pick up locally grown produce."

"But not this late in the evening, right?" The zebracorn inquires.

"Unless they're picking up some cute granddaughter of the village elder." Hestia beams her critical glare towards her brother. "What? Adelphos was the one that did stuff like that."

"Oh I'm sure he was the only one who did that here, just him and no one else." The princess comments sarcastically.

The young stallion sighs with a defeated tone. "Believe me, I tried."

The zebracorn grabs the spyglass from me and starts observing the quickest paths that lead from us to the docks. "What are the chances of us sneaking on that yacht?"

"We don't know who it belongs to." Hestia adds. "Much less who they're affiliated with. They could be some corporate entrepreneur looking to make a drug trade. This may be a small town, but don't think that won't happen here just because of it's quiet profile. If anything, that just further enhances it."

"Well we know one thing's for certain." Amor replies while turning over to me. "Your princess is still here, whipping some of her own guards into misshape."

"Hey, she is NOT my princess." I emphasize.

Mrs. Kalimba quietly routes our path, taking a mental note of each possible avenue to take for us to get to the docks without much interaction. "Either way, if we try to wait this out, we'll only end up with the airships over the town again. So we can just sit here and play amongst ourselves, or we take a chance and play as rat stowaways."

"Personally, I'd rather be a rat than a dragon these days. At least I don't have to imagine my kindred getting paraded as trophies on a flail." I say as I confirm our choice. "Let's get to that ship."

The zebracorn starts to weave her magic, looking to cast a mass invisibility spell. "That's a good call."

Our journey into the docks has come with some fairly close calls. None as close to completely compromise us, but there are some moments where a turn here or there has us running back around the corner due to a watch group trying to be thorough. Even for the reduced numbers of centuries, they are pretty sharp and perceptive. One wrong move, and you'd be better off surrendering as opposed to letting those muskets aim you down.

Sometimes our leader in stealth needs a break in the magic department, continuously casting an invisibility spell for thirty minutes over four beings is like going two hours without magic rest. And going through that can mean some extreme mental fatigue and physical exhaustion. She warns us that the rest of our time here will have to go without, unless she's expecting us to carry her along for the ride. Naturally, she'd tell us to go on without her if she's going to slow us down, but sadly she's also the only one carrying load, and she's definitely the one we can't afford to leave behind.

We don't make it out of our first day without her, not to mention us getting here.

She's not one for rest, even if she needs it. But even we all see that she's struggling to keep on all fours. "Over here." She whispers, signaling for us to move.

She's rubbing her horn, still experiencing the recoil of strenuous magic casting. Meanwhile, Amor is looking to rush things along so we can get her the rest she deserves. "Are we clear?"

Hestia functions as a second pair of eyes in her stead, her ears serving as a cautious warning measure. The moment they flick, she's on full alert. And she lets us know real quick that moving forward is a bad idea. "Wait."

We all duck down, lowering our heads beneath a nearby cargo crate. A pair of watchers on patrol pass by slowly, shining their lights down each and every alley. They aren't pleased with the assignment, as it is still rather brisk out near these waters. "Shitty ass dock detail. It's cold as fuck and there ain't even anything worth rummaging through here."

"What do you expect, these folks don't want trouble. What do you think this is, Cloud Castle?" The other speaks as they do the same towards our direction. "They don't do the underground stuff at night, they do it in the mix of day, where everything moves and hardly anyone bats an eye at what's checked. That's the smart way to do it."

"Yeah, I know. Just saying, it would be cool if we could find anything remotely interesting. You hear about that huge bust over in Foalsom with the midnight shipping op? Apparently they caught some group with over 700 thousand spurs worth of silver bars, a few blundies for firepower, and about 200 kilos of blue-j."

"Oof, blue joker? Heard that's some hard shit to get tweaked on. They're sure as hell getting put under the prison for that one."

The pair proceeds along their way and continues their walk onward. "Any further underground than what we already dig and they'll be getting cooked alive."

"Anything better than this cold."

They disappear further down the harbor, allowing us a chance to move. Amor goes on to share his sympathies with the watchers' perspective of the town. "See, I told you this place sucks."

Hestia shushes her brother as she drags him along. "You wanna get caught?"

As I'm about to follow the pair, I notice that our residential zebracorn is hardly moving after that exchange. She's not so much holding her head, but stunned out in silence. Seems there's a troubling thought wandering through her mind. I call to get her attention. "Mrs. Kalimba?"

She blinks, coming back to the present. "We can go now."

The other two takes notice of our hesitation and watches as we rejoin them. At last, we move forward. Along the way, I check back in on the zebracorn. "You feeling okay? Never known you to freeze up like that."

Now it's her ears that flicker. She quickly turns around, alerting everyone in the group with her sudden movement. Her eyes narrows as she looks back to see the occasional lamps illuminating the wharf. "We are being followed."

"Are you serious right now?" I whisper.

"No mistaking it." As she says that, Amor summons a spear for him to use. "This is nothing short of someone stalking our every move, not something I'm foreign to. We are being trailed by someone."

"How long you think they've they been at it?" Hestia asks.

"Since the alley."

Amor takes point, keeping his eyes peeled for anything else that might be around the area. "Spike, can you crawl a bit? I know it may be degrading, but your height's a bit of a disadvantage here."

"We'll try to keep you surrounded." Hestia adds as she takes to my side. "Hopefully they'll pay more attention to our uniforms than anything else." I do as they request, and gather on all fours. While it feels awkward to bear crawl the entire time, it's not exactly an uncomfortable measure by any means. I've done it before on trees when I was younger, so it doesn't bother me any.

However, what does bother me is the fact that one of these lamps seem to have a skull adorning it's post. And judging from the shape of it, I can already guess what it is. "What is that?"

"A hunter's mark." Amor answers quietly. "It's the mark of the general area of where a dragon was slain. It also doubles as a landmark for the locals, I won't bother telling you the name seeing you've been through enough."

"Then we should keep moving." Mrs. Kalimba warns.

As I close my eyes to the ghoulish image, I inwardly offer a prayer to the one who's flesh has probably been some years long gone. I know that dragons don't share a complete sense of family or closeness just because it's in our nature to be reclusive and stingy, but I can still offer the poor soul of the past the respect they're due.

We come close to the yacht now, but there's no bridge leading into the vessel. The door is shut, and the lights are off. It seems the owners of this vessel are either asleep or away. "Well, this doesn't look too shabby up close. Has a few marks and blemishes, but it should sail real smooth." Hestia comments as she flutters closer to the windows. "Strange, there's a bedroom in it, but no one in the bed."

"Well, I guess we'll just have to board the old fashion way." Amor says while glancing over to me. "Hey, after you lift us to the deck, maybe we could take it for an international spin. I'm sure they won't miss it much."

Hestia flutters down to the railing. "Guys! This thing is LOADED! It has a pool, a hot tub, an outdoor grill, and multiple bedrooms! It's like a floating house! These guys got taste!"

Mrs. Kalimba sighs, her mind not even on the amenities offered. "That may sound good, but this is where my skillset falls short. Riding on an airship is already nauseating enough, I'm sure I can attest to the fact that I, nor any of us, have the skill to be able to work something this size, much less sail it across an ocean. And if you do, you better have some motion sickness medicine on hoof."

"Just say please."

All of us jump at the additional voice that speaks out. Amor aims his spear in it's direction, only to see it's tip fall completely off of the shaft with hardly any resistance but the air. But thankfully, he didn't need to go for another weapon.

"Hi there."

The zebracorn gasps, genuine surprise and excitement warms the contours of her face as she rapidly embraces the alicorn standing before us. "Celestia!"

"Kali, girl! It is so good to see you!"

"Oh you would not believe the magnitude of relief I have in seeing your face."

In the meantime, Amor stares blankly at the place where the head of his spear used to be. As he's trying to put together that equation, Princess Hestia flies from the deck and approaches the alicorn, starstruck with awe. "Princess Celestia? THE Princess Celestia, the high ruler of Equestria herself?"

"Oh hardly!" She denies with a smile. "I am very much retired!"

The young prince snaps out of his daze, figuring that it's time to offer his respect, and also an apology for his threat. "It's an honor to meet with you, your highness. I apologize for raising arms against you in error."

The former princess rolls her eyes. "Some things never change, I guess."

While I'm relieved to know she's here to possibly help, I'm just as curious as to how she's even here, or why. "Okay, two questions, first is 'How did you get here?' Second is 'Did you even know we were here'?"

"Well I could answer your questions in reverse order, my dear Spike. You see, it has been brought to my attention by Twilight that she sent you here of all places. And while I didn't agree to this little excursion, I was... unhappily volunteered." She growls that last part with a lot of vengeance in tow.

Oh I can tell that reunion is gonna be fun when we get back. "Let me guess, you're gonna chew Twilight out when we get back?"

"As if I hadn't already started that on the way here." She says ever so sweetly.

"Well while you dish out that humble pie, I want you to save me a slice."

The mare giggles back at me. "Oh Spike, you know when it comes to sweet concoctions of the slice-able variety, I don't do sharing."

"HEY!" Now that's a voice that we can all be alerted to. The pair from earlier discovers the five of us. One already teleports away as the other makes a loud call. "SOUND THE ALARM! WE HAVE INTRUD─" But before he can finish his callout, the bladeless shaft of Amor's spear is promptly whacked into the back of the stallion's head. The aura doesn't appear to belong to Amor, as his horn is as dormant as the town's nightlife.

"AHEM!" And that voice pretty much answers the question of how Celestia managed to get herself 'unhappily volunteered'. "Really hate to interrupt the family reunion here, but get on the fucking boat!"

There's a stallion peering over the railing of the deck, seems rightfully impatient. Thankfully, I'm very acquainted to the owner of that voice. "You've saved my ass how many times now?" I greet as I fly onboard.

"Dude, at this point, you have a tab that's wide open." He comments.

"Again, as usual." I nod.

He goes about the business of levitating whoever can't fly up to the deck, starting with Mrs. Kalimba. "Hey there, partner in crime. See you're doing just fine in the specialist division."

"I take it you are not impressed." She chirps back at him.

*DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING*

He smirks back at her. "Nah, not with that. That's your ass."

"As if you would be any better, you idjiot!" Her accent comes out in full swing. "Mr. Run-in-with-guns-blazing, long time no speak!"

"That's the garrison bell!" Hestia says as she flies onto deck. "We need to go, like now!"

Celestia swoops in with Amor in tow. The cream-colored unicorn stallion glances to the pair of imperials. "I'll worry about asking about you two in a sec. But for now, welcome aboard our lovely abode on the water. You both will be paying rent."

"We'll pay whatever to get out of here!" Hestia calls out.

The stallion nods with agreement. "Sold. That'll be in spurs, please."

15 Minutes Later...

The watcher who fell victim to a headless spear holds an icepack against his head, another continues to check over him by checking if his eyes can track the movement of a hoof in front of his face. He has issues trying to focus, but is aware of what's going on.

The docks are swarming with the remaining forces, many just getting out of their beds. The others who are on watch await further instructions from their superiors, who are currently awaiting the princess' visit with disdain. They know the failure will not go over well, so they briskly cook up a plan to put in place a scapegoat. Their selected victim is none other than the one who's currently dealing with his concussion. They prop him up, give him a smelling salt, and have him brief the princess on the situation. He does so... alone.

She is far from pleased. "What! The FUCK! Do you mean they've escaped!?"

The watcher tries to inform her further. "Y-your highness, they─"

In her drunken and irrational state, she further lashes into the stallion and his failures. "You were here... essentially sleeping... while they made their leave! I don't fucking care if they knocked you out with an anvil, YOU WERE HERE!!!"

"Y-y-your m-majesty, i-it was an un-unexpected blow!" He argues in his own defense, trembling all the while. "I-I-I did at l-least c-call fffffor the alarm ...be-before it all went to black."

"Oh..." The princess slowly nods. She calmly walks by the stallion, speaking softly. "See that's quite useful, isn't it? To scream, for a bell, to be rung, while my precious pet─" Her magic briefly introduces a flintlock pistol to the stallion's aching head, bringing an end to not just the concussion, but his life. His legs seize for a moment as he falls, then gradually softens as a rattling exhale signifies the last bit of the stallion's existence fading from the world. Blood pools to the ground as the princess steps by the dead stallion. "DOES YOUR POOR HEAD HURT RIGHT FUCKING NOW!? NO!? WELL FUCKING GOOD THEN!?" She gives the body a swift kick before addressing the other superiors, who are mixed between relief and guilt for the impromptu execution. "I DON'T CARE WHO FUCKING DOES IT!!! SEND A MOTHERFUCKING TELEGRAM TO THE FLEET AND HAVE MY AIRSHIPS READY FOR MAXIMUM PURSUIT! BY! THE! HOUR'S! END!"

Another tries to reason with her. "Your highness, it probably won't be─"

She summons yet another pistol, blasting a pellet firmly into his right eye. He falls without further response as the others gasp over their fellow officer getting shown the way to the afterlife. Neither of them look to further reason with the intoxicated princess. Her emotions are considerably unstable as frustrated tears form from her eyes. "If you don't want to end up like those two useless fucks, GET ME MY SHIT WHEN I SAY IT SHOULD GET DONE!!!"

Each of the others salute, ignoring the blood around their hooves. "Yes, your majesty!" They dismiss themselves as Zenobia looks out to the horizon, seeing no trail of a ship in sight. She screams out to the night with a shrill, breaking voice.

"PEEEEEET!!!"

Author's Note

Well it's been a fun one, this year. Granted, I've had some significant health scares that almost brought me back to 2016 levels of bad, but I've managed to avoid a terrible bill in the process. Meanwhile, I've done up to 28(!) chapters in this year alone. I'm pretty shocked at my output, considering that I thought I would've lacked the energy to carry on with a sequel to "It's Complicated." For those who haven't read that story, I understand if the word count is intimidating, it is about eight years of work. But for those who managed to follow me over, I say thank you all for your service.

For those who helped me get my new laptop, I say thanks to you as well. For the ones who comment on my chapters, thank you as it does let me know that the characters make you feel something (good or bad). And for many, I appreciate you for what you've done in your own lives to make it this far, even if it may have not been much (or if you feel that way), just know that it contributes to someone else's good as much as it may to your own.

Keep fighting, keep on rolling, keep pushing, we'll make it through another year. I hope to see you all in the next one.

So long, 2023.

Chapter 36: Sailing Surfaces

Canterlot Castle...

The clock strikes one for the city of Canterlot, the sun beaming down warmly and brightly upon all life. Many are drawn to their radios for what is scheduled to be an important announcement. Press have gathered in the throne room, awaiting a scheduled conference with the princess. Microphones from varying stations are already warm at the podium, the standalone channel for Equestrian television have their camera dialed in for the princess.

Meanwhile, she goes over her carefully prepared speech, hoping for some sort of miracle to manifest between now and the next twenty-four hours. The primary thing on her mind remains her number-one assistant. But even her confidence is shaken after her conversation with the young element bearers. She's sure that they're probably just as anxious to hear more on Spike, just as much as she.

Raven Inkwell, the dual-tenured royal secretary, walks into the room to see a princess reviewing her speech one last time. She speaks out to the anxious alicorn. "Princess?"

"Yes."

"The paperwork has been filed. The vacancy is now been notarized. We officially undergo the vetting process for your next in line after the conference."

"Very good." The princess answers as she turns around. Inkwell takes note of the princess' appearance, how her eyes appear puffy and red. It seems that much of the day has been an emotional rollercoaster for her.

However, they both know that even personal conflicts have no place before the business of the citizens. So the secretary merely offers words, a statement of advice. "Your announcement has been carefully prepared, the royal publicist states that we should try to stick to the provided statement. Also, there should be no questions taken until all is confirmed."

Twilight falters in a moment of weakness, asking herself out of mired frustration. "All of this... and for what?"

"Your majesty?" Inkwell continues to advise.

The high princess takes a few breathing exercises to calm herself. But in spite of that, she still wrests with the internal struggle of her thoughts, speaking them to her secretary. "The citizens are looking to me for answers, and all I'm allowed to do is offer words from a script. Is this really how rulers keep peace in the kingdom?"

The mare, albeit smaller than the princess' stature, walks beside her and places a comforting hoof on her side. "I don't know entirely. Perhaps that's a question better suited for your mentor."

Solemn Oath appears from behind the curtain where the press are waiting for the announcement. "Your majesty, they are ready."

Twilight offers herself one more rally for courage, daring to push onward. "Well, time to face the music─"

A second guard comes from another room, panting a bit as he gives news. "Your highness, the former captain hails you from a transmission sphere, he says it's important. Should we tell him you're busy?"

"Of all the times." Inkwell mutters as she looks to the time on the wall. "The conference is supposed to start... now."

Twilight, usually a firm believer in maintaining a schedule, fails to think twice on taking the call, also delaying the conference by a few minutes. "Send him through."

"At once, your majesty." The mare bows with respect before running back to the hall outside.

Twilight starts to breathe heavily, growing even more anxious for what's to come. As soon as the orb appears with the stallion's face on it, she tries her best to keep calm. "Nondis, I'm about to make a public statement. Now's a pretty bad time."

"Well imagine me getting a call before making dinner." He replies.

"Nondis, can we not do this right now?" She gripes back at the orb.

"Yeah, we're doing it right now. You have me going halfway across the world for a dead dragon." He says with a blank expression.

Both Inkwell and Solemn's heads lift rapidly, reacting in tandem with the princess' rapidly deteriorating stability. "...Spike's... dead?" Her breaths are gravely deep, almost as though she's about to scream.

"You tell me what I saw." He answers flatly before the view on the orb is rapidly tilted, it's perspective being altered by a golden glow.

"Oh for fucks sake─Give me that!" Celestia's face now comes into view. "Poor girl's probably suffered enough. Twilight you there? I know Nondis is being a real jackass at the moment, but I need you to hold all that in. I promise there's going to be no box or urn Spike is coming back in, because he's right here." She promptly flips the perspective to me with a firm command. "Speak."

I roll my eyes, my prank unraveling at the behest of the former ruler. "My one chance of getting my get-back."

The Sea of Shadows...

"SPIKE!" Twilight screams at the orb, almost on the verge of hugging it. "YOU'RE ALIVE!"

"Yeah, barely... I'm scheduling a therapist appointment when I get back."

Meanwhile, she's still celebrating the fact that I'm able to talk to her. "You're alive! You're..."

"Can we please limit the Twilighting for a minute?" Nondis calls out. "I don't think anyone wants to see you snotting into the view."

She doesn't even care about him and his quips, all she seems to be honed in on is me. "You, questions, answer them! Where are you now!?"

"To be frank, no clue. We're just out in the water."

"I see you're still wearing that stupid collar." She points out. "Are you okay, you feel any different?"

"Different is an understatement. Grief and trauma counseling highly recommended." I reply.

While she is excited to see me, I can tell that a few other thoughts come about as she sees my face. Usually her ears are a dead giveaway. "Did that other princess help you out in any way?" I suppose she means Zenobia.

"Up to a certain point. Instead, I got help from two other unlikely sources."

Amor, who's sitting quietly with Hestia, finally speaks out. "Now come on, Spike. I wouldn't call us unlikely."

Immediately, disdain is written all over her face. "Spike, is that Prince Amor's voice I'm hearing?"

And her comes the part where I'm going to get nagged at. "Yyyyes it is, he's with us."

"I THOUGHT I TOLD YOU TO DROP HIM OFF AND LEAVE HIM THERE!" She shrieks out, causing the young prince to appear disappointed over her reaction.

I outright come to his defense. "Yeah, you did! You wouldn't believe the shit I went through! Then let's talk about the fact that he's the main reason why Mrs. Kalimba and I got out of there! Now I can't get over the fact that I'm actively being pursued by a religious zealot with a newfound dragon domination fetish. Or get this, the fact that I had to sit at a fucking parade, watching as a blood-thirsty prince with a hunting kink present me with a pretty fucked image of seven dragons sans their bodies. Then imagine me trying to bury that grief and trauma by constantly getting my face shoved under the tail of said religious zealot. And wouldn't you get this, we talked with the guy. You know, the guy, the one they call the Doctor."

A glass shatters on impact as the room falls silent. Everything on the yacht creaks as the waters bring everything to a tilt. Both Mrs. Kalimba and Celestia stands statuesque. The room appears darker for a moment as the stallion slowly tilts his head toward me. "I'm sorry, run that by me one good time." His voice is almost a whisper.

"So you actually saw the doctor, like talked with him?" Hestia asks with a quiet shock.

I answer back. "Yeah. Apparently he knows Ms. Kalimba for some reason─"

Before I can finish, we hear the entire ship moan and crackle as though a great deal of stress is applied to the very innards of the vessel. Celestia looks to her husband, who looks to the air for a moment before the creaking and moaning comes to a halt. He gives the air a sniff, cracks his neck to the discomfort of his wife, and nods. "I need a moment, got a pretty nasty headache brewing."

He walks out of the room, his wife and Mrs. Kalimba specifically watching as he disappears from view. Twilight calls to me through the orb. "Spike, I'm going to need you clarify exactly what and who you saw."

"That is why I was being pursued." The zebracorn explains to Celestia.

Amor to the mare who's lead us to this point. "Up till recent, I didn't know you had ties to the doctor himself."

"I'm not the only one." She replies, glancing to Celestia. "And I don't think I have the proper clearance to discuss matters any further."

Twilight hails to me once more. "Spike, I'm going to need you to confirm if you've seen him for yourself."

"I talked to him, not really seen him other than some wandering whisp coming out of a scroll." I summarize for her. "I couldn't make out his voice, it's whispery. As for the whisp aspect, his colors would change according to the mood he's in."

"When did you two run into each other?" Celestia asks.

"Almost a week ago. It was because of that interaction that our trade negotiations broke down completely. We had a contract, it was ready to go, we get there after that, they slash the damned thing and flip script on us. Next thing we know, Amor comes charging in with some guards following him and they keep the Emperor and his purebloods busy. Sir Fencer led that little insurgency to buy us time, it's likely we lost him in the scrum."

"Knowing Xerxes, I wouldn't put it past him." Amor confirms softly.

"That's not the only thing we lost." I answer as I look off to Mrs. Kalimba, who summons the necklace of dog tags. She floats them over to me to show to her. "Everyone else is gone. They burned the airship, and stacked the bodies out there..." I take a second to reflect, remembering everything that went through my mind as soon as I saw that, the leg I stepped on, the burned faces, the crackle of fire, and the despair I had in the moment. I try not to show my emotions, but they break through regardless. "...It's all my fault."

"No it is not!" Mrs. Kalimba replies firmly.

Celestia steps in, offering comfort to me as she also offers advice to her successor in power. "Twilight, I understand now this situation is quite serious. But to offer an alternative aside from war, there are other ways of making your grievances known to the international community. It may be inflammatory to many that this comes without warning, but I believe economic sanctions are in order. It'll punish the country for their actions without resorting to violence as a means."

"You're wrong!" Hestia loudly dissents. The young princess vehemently defends her country, even with her lesser status. "I know that what happened was wrong, and there's justice to be done for it! But I can't let you punish a bunch of good citizens for the actions of my cruel brother! You punish him, not the ones who already live with less than what's optimal! It's not fair that good citizens should be made to suffer, they don't deserve the harm that outcome will bring!"

"May I recall the response your 'good citizens' had to your brother's antics?" Mrs. Kalimba rebuts.

Hestia continues to remain at-bat for her country. "Okay, I'll admit that they aren't quite used to having a dragon around! But that doesn't change anything! Each of them are hard-working, the few that you see topside are the ones with means to stay there! Your sanctions don't hurt them, you hurt the ones below!" She quickly jumps in the way of the transmission, pleading with Twilight. "Your highness, my brother Xerxes is irresponsible and cruel, and for that I apologize! But please don't go this route! More ponies will suffer, and it won't be the ones on top!"

Meanwhile, Twilight's even more confused as to the mare currently pleading to her. But before she can get the chance to ask about her, the stallion marches back into the room with a stern ultimatum. "Twilight, I'm still on this side of the globe and you got what you were looking for. Now you got twenty-four hours to make a decision before I do something rash. Let me know what you wanna do, other than that, you know how to contact me." In his march towards the sphere, he levitates the orb along with him. He walks onto the deck, flicks the orb into the abyss of the darkness, and walks back inside with a cold frown.

Hestia attempts to make her grievances known. "Hey! I wasn't done─"

In the matter of a blink, he teleports without any magic prompt, no spell, no flash or anything. He stands beside Amor, pointing out the imperial pair. "You, you, I want my spurs or you can get the fuck off my ship at the next stop. I suggest you pony that shit up before I feel the incentive to give you motherfuckers up to the wolves." He turns around and walks out of the room once more. "Or you know what, I may just pull a page out of your brother's book, and cook your sorry asses too."

Amor shudders as the stallion departs from the conversation, a chill running up his spine from the quick manner of how he appeared beside him without any warning. "...Is that guy usually this scary?"

Mrs. Kalimba scoffs in reply. "If that what scares you, then you'd hate to hear about his diet."

Canterlot Castle...

Twilight's relief is a lot more subdued with the more troubling news that was just uttered. At the cost of her friendship advisor making it out alive, the lives of forty others were extinguished. And now there's some mare pleading with her to not issue sanctions to the country for their actions. The mare is left at a crossroads.

Solemn Oath taps the princess. "Your highness?"

Realizing that the orb is no longer of use, she gives it to her captain with a depressing update. "Spike and Kali are fine. The others are killed in action."

Inkwell sighs heavily over the losses, Solemn passionately lets her thoughts known. "Your majesty... forty of our guards, specialists, engineers... on a peace mission!? That's more than a provocation, that's an act of war!"

"I know." She answers. "But we can't afford a war, not with them."

"Well what other alternatives do we have!? All you have to do is say the word, I'm more than willing to do my part, us guards would be more than proud to do the same!"

"We will wait. Patiently." Twilight hesitates for a moment, trying to assess what's at risk. "Killing does not bring back who we've lost, it only takes form those who already have. We can't wage war against a country we're supposed to be in negotiations with. That just puts our rescue in even more danger."

"Your highness, negotiations are past the point of repair. These losses need to be addressed!"

Twilight firmly stands against the captain's call for immediate retaliation. "I understand your anger, Solemn. But we need to wait until they reach our shores before we even think of changing the temperature. Reason must prevail above all else." Twilight turns to Inkwell, informing her of the current directive. "For now, we can prepare administrative actions against the Empire of Ponyland, preferably economic sanctions to tighten the pressure for a short time. We cannot allow this to escalate to the next level of violence, an eye for an eye blinds everyone involved."

The captain shows dissent, but understanding. "I must say that I don't agree with your decision, your highness. What's done is done. But if it's peace you seek, in spite of harm being done to us, then so be it." The mare salutes before dismissing herself. "Just be careful of command when you remove their input from this decision. They would want nothing but accountability."

"Trust me, no one's happy about this." Replies the high princess. "And also, I don't think Spike would be coming home without that blood debt being repaid."

"Do you mean that the former captain would take it upon himself to do that, risk war for the sake of vengeance?" Inkwell asks.

Twilight looks to her secretary. "When we are done, I'll have you go out to the northern courtyard of the castle grounds. From there, just take a look at the wall, you'll notice that the repairs there have been minimum at best. It serves as a reminder of what the humans have done with one of their own being injured in a combative affair. We're still apologizing to the changeling hive for having made some repairs to that wall, because they want us to remember what's been done there." The princess walks towards the curtains to undergo her long-delayed press conference. "So would he risk war? I know he's waged a war for a lot less. That's one of the reasons Celestia's kept him caged in for most of his tenure. Any length of leash is too long for the monster he is."

As Twilight takes her leave to start the press conference, Inkwell stays behind to await the princess' next set of instructions. In her time apart, she mutters a comment to herself.

"Perhaps a monster of his caliber can only be quelled by a more powerful fiend."

Dawntime in the Sea of Shadows...

The waters of the sea continue to shift the passengers about in their sea-fairing vessel. The day after a few long nights of cross country travel heralds a moment of comfort for the two imperials. While it may have been a close call, the are paid to the stallion requesting the toll. He doesn't say much outside of what he'll use it for at our next stop, but I don't blame him for his reclusive attitude towards the pair. I mean if I got news of my worst enemy trying to manifest themselves in the realm of the living after being the one to see their end, I'd be just as upset.

After all, it's been seven years.

Speaking of which, Mrs. Kalimba takes the opportunity to explain her story, how she was involved in the necroterrorist incident. It's far from a pretty story, and even further from an exciting climax from her perspective, but at least it has a storybook ending from what we can clearly see. In fact, it's her storytelling that's distracting her from her ongoing motion sickness. And that's saying something, the thoughts and the motions of her past are so effective that they drown out her physical present.

Amor lowers his head, feeling physically sick from the story. "It was worse than I thought."

Hestia is emotionally distraught, trying to reason with herself over what's been told to her. "That's way too cruel!"

Mrs. Kalimba is stone-faced, so hardened from her account that she doesn't even react to her recount of her father's horrendous end. "Sadly, that's just how it is."

The princess still wrestles with her own beliefs. "Your sister, your father, your friends... I didn't know that such a cost could be levied. And our doctor is the one responsible?"

"Goes against everything you believe, doesn't it?" I ask her.

"A loss for words is probably a monumental understatement." Amor says as he gently places a hoof to the teary-eyed pegasus. "I was like that too."

Hestia looks to her brother. "The documents you saw, what all did they tell you?"

He shakes his head. "Bits and pieces, not everything was in plain view."

"If that's true, then the world needs to know what all happened! But why wouldn't they make it all available!?" She asks.

"Because of who's involved. To protect the identities, sometimes the dignity of the ones victimized." I answer. "I have a high clearance, but I can't view the records beyond their redacted versions. Even Twilight's not allowed to reveal anything. Any and all decisions to declassify the material has been made by the prior royal administration." I look to the former princess sitting behind the kitchen counter. "And that's you."

Celestia walks from behind the counter, holding plates of food for us to eat. "Unfortunately, I don't even have that authorization. Not only am I not a standing ruler, but I delegated that to exclusive privilege. Only one has the right to devolve that information, as well as the sensitive documentation that comes along with it."

"To go so far as to protect the victims, when there could be a potential for more? Why?" Hestia pleads.

"Because some things are difficult to remember without falling into madness." Mrs. Kalimba answers. "There is only one that guards that secret, and it's likely they'll take it to their grave."

The stallion who continues to sail the ship, walks into the room and greets his wife in silence. He walks up to her, grabs a plate, and promptly looks to dismiss himself. Amor calls to him. "Excuse me, sir." He pauses for a moment, offering an ear to the young prince. "I couldn't help but notice that you're upset. If there's anything we can do to make good on ends, please tell us. We'd wish to thank you properly for your kindness."

He grits his teeth and replies. "No disrespect, but I can't trust you any further than I can trust your doctor, being that you're some of his devoted followers."

"What if we renounce ourselves!?" The prince pleads before the stallion walks out of the room. "I've obviously have made that decision before coming back to Ponyland, I was shown the truth. And I'm sure Hestia can do the same here and now."

He scoffs. "I don't see it."

The princess offers her own pleas. "At least I'm willing to forego everything I have been taught throughout my life." She responds. "I can look at you and tell, you've suffered something too─"

"You aren't at any liberty to tell me what the hell I went through." He lashes back at her. "So if you would, princess, keep your sanctimonious bullshit to yourself. I don't buy from a fucking cult..." He marches out of the room. "Much less the cult of a dead sadist with a god complex. Sick fucks."

The young mare shrinks in the wake of the stallion's admonishment of her beliefs. Such harsh rebuke with hardly any reason given, it's enough to confuse almost anyone, much less the ones trying to sympathize. But Celestia pats her on the back for trying. "I'll admit, this is the most that man has opened himself up in seven years. Color me surprised."

The young mare looks to her brother with a quirked brow. "What's a 'man'?"

"Dunno, beats me." He shrugs.

Mrs. Kalimba tries to stomach a little of her food as she converses with the former princess. "If there's anything, he didn't really discuss much of himself back then either."

"You know, it took me talking with his mom to get a real grasp on his childhood, I never really heard him talk too much about it." Celestia comments.

The zebracorn stifles a chuckle. "Makes you wonder how much damage or lack thereof he's managed to endure."

"Probably the lack thereof because he hears our stories and automatically relegates himself to having a normal experience." Celestia drinks a glass of orange juice before cutting into her pancake, the pair exchanging in complete casual conversation rivaling the chemistry of Cadance and Twilight. "Like seriously, we want to hear about the small, embarrassing, funny stuff too. It took him years to get him to remotely mention a little bit of it, maybe a story or two, prompted by his brothers of course."

"Always holding in details, I guess that's just his motion these days."

Amor points that out also, seeing how close they seem to exchange with one another. "You two seem pretty familiar with that stallion."

Celestia smiles as she answers back. "Why wouldn't I be, I married him."

Both the imperials jaws drop at the news. Hestia being the main one to shout about it. "Oh my doc─I mean..." Of course, she realizes her euphemism is probably a bad one to use and tries to correct herself. "Okay, this is gonna be weird."

Amor jolts himself from the shock of the revelation, trying to question her about their relationship. "Madam not-princess, I guess that does sound a little offensive─"

"Hardly! Happy to not be wearing a tiara these days. The shoes are nice, but that chest plate was a pain in the neck to wear." Celestia shows great pride in her lack of title.

"Didn't you wear it everyday?" I bluntly question.

"Hence the pain." She deadpans.

Hestia quickly jumps back to the topic of their marriage. "Alright, back to this world of a bombshell. When did you two get married, you and him?"

"A little under a year ago. We married during the Summer Sun Celebration."

Hestia continues to harp on the topic. "Oh and with the citizens loving you for everything you've been to them, your long tenured service, your storied legacy, I bet the wedding you had was a whole other level of beautiful."

Mrs. Kalimba rises from her seat, quickly dismissing herself. "I'm going to go out to the deck, I think I need a bit of air. Not feeling too good."

Celestia watches in silence as the zebracorn dismisses herself, but Amor jumps back into the current topic. "So you said you two got married, how did you two meet and what drove you to marry a stallion like him?"

Hestia goes on to imagine what all could've led to the pair finding their interests in one another. "Was it his mysterious past where you felt like you had to try something to crack his tough exterior? Or was it the rough stoic personality that really drove home the idea of you trying to change him for the better? Was he ever rebellious, like did he have a bad-streak?"

"Judging from his response from earlier, he must have some really harrowing experiences. I bet he probably had an encounter with the Doctor, and that's also taking a toll on him." Amor surmises.

Celestia reminisces on the past they both share, also the times when he first was introduced to her. "Sniper... was different then. A lot more carefree and open. He had so much light in his eyes that it could blind me with how radiant he could be at times. He'd give rousing speeches to the masses, stirring the public and angering politicians all in the same breath. He galvanized great change in Equestria, blazing trails where there were none made for him prior. It was amusing to see him operate in the way he did, but sometimes it scared us because he'd just dive head-first into danger, and it was all to make sure that his brothers in arms were walking into a place where they wouldn't be immediately harmed."

"Huh. I don't see that out of his archetype." Hestia comments. "The way you were talking, I pinned him for something like a politician as opposed to something like a century or knight. Was he really that chivalrous?"

The alicorn smiles as a phantom vision of the past forms in her mind, maintaining her former position, laying in her bed as she sits with a thermometer in her mouth. He looks down to her, offering to take the item from her lips, but scalding himself in the process. His comment, unintended as a compliment to her looks, but ending up being his daily praise of her with every waking morning. She remembers the moment with a warm countenance and a fond heart. "He was... my captain. My Captain of the Royal Guard."

"Ooh, prestige." She says before erupting into a loud gasp. "Wait, your CAPTAIN OF THE GUARD... Scandal!" Amor looks at his sister with annoyance over her enthusiastic interest in their romantic development.

"I can assure you, there was no scandal to be had." She states before pausing for a moment to rethink that answer. "Well... maybe a little. I won't deny that our relation did come at a cost of the joy of another party."

"Really?" Amor asks, being a lot more tame than his sister in that respect. "I mean I'm pretty sure he didn't miss out on much, considering he's got you." I immediately facepalm over his response. "What? I say something off color?"

I turn to him and quietly tell him the reason for my reaction. "Amor... Sniper is... Twilight's ex."

His face eventually sinks into a state between sadness and piqued interest. "Oh my."

"SCANDAL!" Hestia screams, she almost flies over to the alicorn, holding her hoof while demanding details. "Oh, tell me more about it! What happened that caused the two to break!? Like what did he do, did he cheat!? Did passion and interest fall far into conflict and disengagement!? ...Did she cheat?"

"More like... outside influences putting a deepening strain on their relationship and the mounting political pressure that caused them to separate. The were very public with their engagement and affections." She answers.

The young prince nods in agreement. "I suppose that can be a problem when it comes to being a special somepony to royalty."

I further emphasize their previous status. "Amor, the key word here is 'engagement'. They were set to marry."

"Oh..." Poor guy almost has a defeated look on him, but his optimism soon takes over and he starts to look at ways to change his outlook. "I guess I should study his habits and conversational approach, maybe I'll be able to gain a little more favor with her if I probe his mind a bit."

Celestia flinches back with bewilderment. "Excuse me?"

I bluntly explain his intent. "He's crushing hard for Twilight."

"Oh dear." She uses her magic to tilt his chin, gaining his undivided attention. She tries to gently reason with him. "Amor, is it? Okay, so... I don't think Twilight is quite in her recovery phase, perhaps it would be a good idea to let her discover if she can withstand her own demons."

I groan with frustration, especially having dealt with her for so long. "Seriously, it's been seven years, she needs to grow out of it."

"Spike, you can't say that, it was a little less than five hundred for me." She argues. "The heart takes time to heal, it doesn't always set itself right after a lifetime or two."

I bring up another instance of her romantic history. "What about King Sombra, the good one from that one alternate universe? There was that. That situation wasn't five hundred years ago."

"A thousand year-old flame, doused by a millennium of trauma and the loss of the only souvenir of that relationship, for twelve seconds of nostalgic bliss followed by his surrender to dark magic corruption in a successful bid to save our dimensions, followed by a bittersweet farewell where he screams at me and runs away? ABSOLUTELY NOT!" She emphatically shakes her head in denial. "Destiny, I felt, had truly designed for me to stay alone... until he came along."

"And then you whisked away the current princess' former intended." Hestia crudely summarizes.

She turns her head, at least not arguing against it. "Well I can't deny the optics. But I will say the attraction was mutual. To think it started so small between us, then I grew to cheer for every small victory he had, to propping him along every obstacle, to keeping his head above the waters of despair, to being the rock he built his home upon." She closes her eyes, remembering the moment where they exchange their vows, the passionate exchanges they've had, the moments of their weakness and overcoming them as a pair. She holds a hoof to her chest. "I truly love that man."

"There's that word again." Hestia mutters.

The silence of the room is broken by the rapid entry of Mrs. Kalimba. She appears moderately distressed. "Madam representative?" Amor checks in on her. "Did the waves get to you, are you okay?"

She points back to the window, showing us what appears to be an airship coming over the horizon. "We have company."

***Midnight Castle...***

A boisterous fanfare sounds from the rafters of the room, all cheer loudly as pink rose petals fall from the ceiling much like confetti in a festival. A multitude of centuries line the aisle, creating space between the procession taking place and the adoring crowd. A guard calls from nearby the throne.

"Presenting her imperial majesty!"

The doors to the throne room open, revealing Princess Zenobia and her dragon standing by her. She marches forward slowly, taking the cheers, the cries, the hails of good fortune from the many that welcome them. Her eyes gracefully dress to either side, her hoof waving at the clamoring masses.

"My goodness, such beauty!"

"I can imagine the suitors who would look to slay that dragon for her."

"Your majesty, you truly are a sight to behold!"

"Empress! Oh here! Empress!" A foal cries out to her, she quick to it's attention and gives a smiling wave towards them. The filly shouts with excitement. "She looked at me! She looked at me!"

The faceless masses continue to praise her without end, her dragon takes in the cries and whispers to her. "It seems that the citizens love you."

"They really do love me, don't they?" She says with a content smile.

"I know I do." The dragon answers.

The princess' smile ascends to another level as her cheeks brim with warm joy. "Oh look how you go on about stealing my heart."

"It's worthy to be stolen." He replies.

As she reaches the throne, she passes a front line consisting of all her alicorn siblings. They proudly applaud her while quipping to one another. "Well I guess she isn't so useless after all." Eros says with a chuckle.

"Who'd have thought?" Agamemnon says with an equal response.

Beside her father is the specter of a whisp-like flame. The formless presence glows with a warm light upon speaking. "Well done, my most diligent servant."

The mare bows her head with reverence towards the figure. "Thank you, my lord."

Her father then greets her, stoic as he often is. "I see you have really put one on, haven't you, Zenobia?"

"I've only done what I needed to, father."

"You've done enough." He says as he moves aside, revealing his empty throne. "Come, sit."

The mare looks to her father with a bit of confusion. "But this is your seat."

"Not anymore." He says as he lifts the laurels from his head to hers. A smile breaks upon his lips as he gives her a gracious bow in return. "Your majesty."

Her jaw trembles as she stares at her father, then to the seat he abdicates for her. She short of tears before looking to assume her seat, but the dragon taps her and gives her a final gift. "Oh yeah, I got you this." He holds a blue wooden box adorned with pearls and gold trim.

Her magic lifts the lid, to reveal her gift. "A... candy rock necklace?" Confusion initially sets in.

"It might not be the real thing, but I figured I'd make up for something you've long since missed out on."

"And what's that?" She asks.

The dragon kisses her on her forehead, smiling down to her. "What you've long deserved." The answer goes unexplained for many, but for her, it finally breaks the sluices holding back her emotions. Instead, they spill freely from her face. She trembles with appreciation as he bows her head to her. "Your highness!"

"Your highness!" The crowd cheers repeatedly, going on and on, giving her praise for her accomplishments, her work, her beauty, her prestige, and her love. All is right as she proudly adorns the pink candy necklace around her neck.

"They really do love me? They... really..."

Reality...

"Your highness!" Her maid continues to call to her, trying to get the sleeping princess' attention. But to no immediate avail. She calls again for her. "Your highness!"

The princess sleeps with tears streaking into her pillow, clinging onto the fantasy weaved into her mind, receiving the love from the imaginary crowd. "They... do love me..."

The maid places a hoof on her, shaking her gently to wake. The princess opens her eyes to a dim sight of her maid waking her. "Your highness, wake up."

She's slow to focus, but her mind still loosely clings to the dream that's touched her so deeply. "...Dammit." A tinge of melancholy peppers her perspective, reintroducing her back to the present world. For a moment, she is bitter towards her maid for disrupting her happiness. "What the fuck do you want?"

The monotoned maid informs her of an update. "The yacht that was seen leaving the port in Hayfling is almost in boarding distance. Cannons are loaded and ready to take aim."

Realizing that the moment her dream leads to is at hoof, she groans in an involuntary bid to stretch her limbs of the sleep she very much enjoyed. "Fine. I'll be up and about."

"Did you dream again?" The maid asks the princess.

Zenobia casts her eyes down towards herself, not wanting to explain what it is she experienced in the dreaming world. She gives a muted response. "Just... a bitter nightmare."

"You've cried in your sleep for many years, your highness." The maid cites with concern. "Perhaps this nightmare is too oft reoccurring."

"I've cried in my sleep for naught." She says as she stands to her legs. "Get the centuries ready for boarding. I'll lead the search myself."

The maid bows before her. "Yes, your highness."

The airship pursuing us is in plain view now. I can already see that they're getting ready to make some attempt to board and search the yacht. I'm not exactly certain of who this is chasing us, but I can be sure that with only one airship on the pursuit that this must be a widespread effort to comb the seas. It increases our chances, but I know that those weapons still aren't anything to sneeze at. If they fire at us, we might as well start looking at who's gonna carry who. The water's too cold to swim in without severe hypothermia setting in, so we're probably looking at three of us flying with passengers, and I have a feeling that they'll be shooting us out of the air. As much as I don't want to admit it, we're in trouble.

"They are not slowing down." Hestia mutters, looking through the window to see the shadow of the airship closing in around us.

Mrs. Kalimba holds at her stomach. "Hell of a time to feel sick again."

Amor immediately looks at me like I have some sort of plan thrown together already. "What do you think we should do."

"Shut up and listen." The disgruntled stallion answers, quickly pointing to the imperial siblings. "You, you, go with these two." He points now to me and Mrs. Kalimba. "You, you, take those two behind the counter and keep your heads low, lock all access points and cover the windows." Finally, he turns to his wife. "You, steer the ship."

"Negative." She replies without hesitation.

Hearing his wife's refusal, he lets out a sigh of frustration. "You know now's not the t─"

"I don't care." She replies adamantly, pointing her hoof back to her husband. "Now you listen to me."

"Tia─"

"Shush." She firmly plants her hoof over his lips, silencing him. "Now you listen. You go out there and do what you do, but you come back home to me. Do you understand?"

She removes her hoof for him to give his reply. "Yeah I understand."

He turns away with every intent to make his move towards the deck, but her magic yanks back at his tail. "Aht! Come on back here! You know I don't let you go without you paying the toll!"

He rolls his eyes before quickly leaning in to give her a peck on the lips. "Sail my ship, babe. Love you."

"Now that's the way you ask me." She replies while returning a quick peck of her own. "I love you too, don't get too wild out there."

"Yes ma'am." He says before trotting off.

As we all go to assume our positions, the stallion takes his stroll to the outside deck. As soon as he steps out, the shadow of the airship looms greatly over us with a few ropes dangling from the railings up above. A group of twelve descend upon our ship with none other than Zenobia leading the charge. She simply glides down to land softly before the stallion, who greets the party of Ponyland centuries with a casual clearing of the throat and an exaggerated accent.

"Well howdy there, partner. Didn't anticipate a cute patootie with a little alicorn booty coming aboard my ship and throwin' me a party."

The level of revulsion on Zenobia's face proves as a severe reprimand to the stallion's vernacular. "Ugh, what an undignified method of speech."

"Well you call it undignified, I call it simple. Now I would be remiss to not say nothin' to ya, especially after that there comment, but mama ain't raised one for ignorance." He gives a simple nod. "The name's Sniper, Sniper Shot. Some call me Hot Shot, some call me Hot Stuff, some call me daddy, but I'll leave it up to you on what you'll call me. What can I do you for?"

"Far from my type." She grumbles before jumping to the main reason for her appearance. "Sir, I am High Princess Rosa Zenobia, first born of Emperor Basileus Apollo of the Great Ponyland Empire. Might I request that you halt the engines of your vessel?"

He tilts his head, appearing dumbfounded. "For what purpose, ma'am?"

"We are seeking a collection of individuals, a party of a scoundrel insurgent, a holy mother, and a dragon. They were sighted on last night leaving the town of Hayfling on board this vessel. We wish to conduct search and seizure by order of the Holy Emperor and the Church of the Healing Hoof."

He purses his lips, appearing as though he's frying brain cells thinking about what all she's said. "A holy mother, huh? Probably the first time I've ever heard of one of those."

"If you would allow for my company to search your vessel, we would be mindful for the condition in which we've arrived on it, that also includes inspection of all your living spaces, lavatories, storage compartments, and bulkhead accesses where possible." She takes another look around the deck, seeing some of the amenities offered. "And I'm sure you would take appreciation of that consideration. It does seem to be a fairly impressive vessel. Complete with a swimming pool on the deck... and a hot tub?"

"Sometimes you like the simple things in life. So you make do." He says while giving her a wink. "And also, I hear ladies like yourself love turning up on a ride like this. Maybe I'd be willin' to show you around personally, maybe even a trip to the room with my king-size bed. And might I generously add, everything about me is just as big as you need it to be."

A century walks over to her, whispering something into her ear. Her brows raise for a moment before she turns her attention back to the stallion on deck. "I have been informed that the ensign of this ship is that of an Equestrian vessel, the 'E.S.S Sunshine."

"Well ma'am, if it's of no urgent matter, I just bought the boat there. I'm not from those lands in particular." He advertises.

She scoffs back at him. "Then what lands do you hail from?"

"Austin, Texas." I'm equally as dumbfounded as I am terrified that he just outright told her his place of origin.

Thankfully, she's none the wiser to it. "The fuck's a Texas?"

He proudly steps closer towards the princess with a biting lip. "Well since we're opening our dialog a bit to be a little more comfortable, it's a place you don't fuck with."

Two centuries intercede and draw their swords to guard their princess. They step between him and her as she narrows her eyes towards the stallion. "Is that a hint of a threat in your tone?"

"Hardly, it's just a fact of life where I'm from. The only places that seems to fuck with Texas on the regular is California and Oklahoma... Goddamn hate Oklahoma." That bit of revulsion appears to be quite real.

"Riiiiiight... That's not on any map I'm aware of."

He simply shrugs back at her. "Maybe you need to look at a different map, ma'am."

"Alright, enough funny shit." She seems to finally lose patience. To her credit, she lasted a lot longer than I had anticipated with her short temper for a lot of things. She issues her orders to her subordinates. "Centuries, search the vessel!"

"Now hold on a minute." He says, standing in the way of the door leading into where we're in. "I don't recall my consent being given for the commencement of a sausage party. I much rather just us two go on about this search for a holy mother, maybe find out if you'd like to be one yourself."

She raises a hoof to signal the others, they draw their weapons and aim their sights towards the stallion. He raises his hooves in a motion to show his haplessness. Zenobia, however, is just about ready to leave a mess of her own preference. "I am not for these games you're playing. Remove yourself immediately."

"Well I'll be damned, y'all have muskets?" I think that's another moment that he's genuinely asking that question out of concern. He looks up to the airships, seeing the ordinance aiming down at the yacht. "And cannons too? Oh y'all ain't playin', I'm impressed, genuinely impressed! Not bad, ponies!"

"You must be from some backwater Equestrian town, half of your babbling jargon makes absolutely no sense." She comments.

While he's chuckling over the arsenal they've brought to the forefront, I can tell his dumb playful façade is starting to lift. "What makes no sense is why you all looked to board my ship uninvited. I clearly made my offer to just one of you, the fairer of the options."

"You don't have a place to fucking disobey my orders. I'm the princess of this damned realm. You'll do as I say, or face much more than a scuff to your pretty little ship."

Just as she turns up the temperature of the exchange, he matches suit. "Ma'am, I highly suggest you don't go as far as to wreck my literal home on the water."

The mocks him for his response. "What, no insurance outside of Equestrian boarders?"

"No ma'am. I'm saying that not all your guys might have their affairs in order before you send them overboard." He turns his head to each of them, making sure that he gets his point across. "Would be a mighty shame to accidentally sneeze in one direction and cause half of y'all careening over the side there."

"You do realize ships don't work that way." Zenobia smiles falsely at him.

"You'd be surprised what my ship can do." He takes a step forward, causing the others to raise their arms for his head, he's not one bit intimidated. "And quite honestly, I don't think you wanna find out."

She motions them to lower their weapons for a moment, looking to playfully entertain the stallion's advances. "Alright, let's say I humor you, even if you talk far too big for your own good." The princess snickers. "I bet you're too easy to break."

He's all to ready to drop his ruse, doing so in the crudest of fashion. He gives her a look up and down, and speaks. "On second thought, I just remembered something. I've stuck my dick in alicorns far prettier than you."

"Really now?" Her horn sparks to life as she drags him to the ground effortlessly, scrubbing his face along the deck's surface as she clears the way for the others to walk inside. "Tear this ship apart!"

He whispers under his breath, his face still pressed against the hardwood. "Darlin' daddy's wastin' away."

The ship rattles as he looks back towards the princess. She quickly hops to the air, trying to keep herself stable while her subordinates struggle to keep their balance. A puddle of what appears to be a black shade engulfs the stallion whole, his body submerging under the wood's surface.

A trio of screams erupt, the party of imperials stare as three blackened tendrils rise from the ship's deck and fling the three ensnared victims far beyond the horizon. The princess watches as the eldritch horror tries to make a swipe for her as the shadow manifests back in front of the door leading to the dining area. From the center of that darkened puddle rises the stallion with an indifferent attitude.

"So... let's do some math. Forty corpses, minus three of your guys I've sent to meet with God. Guess that leaves me with thirty-seven more bodies to stack. Keep em' coming."

The princess screams to the airship above. "All cannons! Target this vessel─"

Before she can complete her orders, another four fly by her, this time with mangled bodies twisted and broken as though they were wrung like towels. The horrified expressions worn on their faces startle her as they fly by, meeting their final resting place among the railings of her airship. "Thirty-three now." One larger tendril rises from the ships deck, making a swipe for the airship, knocking away a few of it's crew and cannons into the waters of the sea. The stallion continues to keep his count. "And there goes five of your cannons, which are so 1776."

The princess curses at the figure as more smaller tendrils rise around him. "What the hell is that!?"

"I told you already, princess! I'm from a land called Texas! And back home, we have something called Castle Doctrine! It means anyone who shows uninvited onto my property with the intent to bring hurt or harm to me and mine gets the prestigious award of 'find out' for fucking around." He summons yet another large tendril to clean the airship of it's lethal inventory. Seven more cannons fall to the waters, along with many of the ones who stood by to arm them. Around the yacht could be heard the screams of many centuries looking to climb from out of the chilling waters of the sea. "This may be your country, but this here vessel is my castle! And your laws don't apply to me as long as we're in my castle! So before you outright lose about thirty-three more of your guys, I suggest you motherfuckers zip right back up to that Goodyear blimp of yours and keep on fucking off in any general direction not named 'here'!"

Looking to make a stand for her now frightened forces, many of them simply leaping over the side to the safety of the sea, she dives into the stallion with a spear drawn. Her strike lands true to his chest, impaling him completely through the lower back of his neck. "How dare you─"

His magic draws her spear even further into him, leaving but inches between their faces. He smiles with almost a murderous grin. "As I said." She leaps back, but his hoof quickly transforms separate from his body, forming an arm and five fingers to firmly grasp at her neck. He laughs maniacally as the mismatched appearance draws fear from her. A flash of his magic completes his transformation into his true self. Now her hind legs dangle underneath her as he stands on two legs, his eyes a cruel glare towards her while he speaks. "I've dealt with prettier alicorns than you, baby girl. And obviously, I'm bigger." He takes his free hand, pumping the spear in and out of his chest. "And I hurt a lot less than you think I do. That would be thanks to your 'Doctor', he fixed me up real good." Finally, he breaks the spear and removes the wooden shaft from his chest using his magic. "And I mean..." He instantly debuffs his appearance, removing all the spells that hide the scars all over his body, namely the surgical scar revealing his decapitation. "Damn. Good."

The mare whimpers with a struggling breath as his fingers pinch against her windpipe. "What... the fuck... are you?"

"What am I? I'm the last thing he fucked with, the last thing he ever made!" He screams as though insanity has clearly overridden all sense of rationality. Several more tendrils rise from around him as he lifts a few of the struggling centuries from the water, as many as another twenty. As they struggle, he creeps closer to her as each tendril finds their necks. "So if you're looking for some 'holy mothers', I'm wholly the motherfucker you want!" With a flick of his wrist, the loud crunching sound of the collected necks he's ensnared crack and each of the captured victims are faced towards her. He presses his face among them, front and center to the princess before whispering at her a single word. "Boo."

His hand snaps open, releasing not only the princess from his hand but also the others back into the ocean to find their place amongst the marine life. Zenobia scrambles away, her wings initially flapping out of sync from the terror before gaining a common rhythm, allowing her to dart back to the safety of her airship. In doing so, she knocks a cannon off from the railing above and sends one careening into the deck of the yacht.

Another tendril rises as the many others sink back into his shadow. He catches the heavy iron piece of artillery before it makes a damaging impact onto his hardwood floor. "Hmm... cannons, huh? Guess I'll keep this as a souvenir. Cool."

After all of the carnage, he walks back into the ship with his new toy being sunk into his shadow with the final tendril. The black puddle proceeds to reassume it's form into his body given shade against the sun. He pops his own neck with an audible crack and rubs it. Mrs. Kalimba immediately grabs at his wrist to stop him from running his fingers along the length of his scar.

Both Amor and Hestia stare in horror over what they've been made to witness. The young prince shudders as he questions the man. "What are you?"

The man looks over to see himself staring down at the pair as opposed to staring straight at them. He realizes that he's still in his human form and knocks himself against the head. "I guess I won that 'found out' prize myself, didn't I?" He casually strolls back over to a chair, seating himself down at the table and summoning a bottle of brandy to pour himself. "So... Apologies you had to see all of that. Allow me to reintroduce myself. Some call me by my Equestrian codename, Sniper Shot. As you can tell, I'm not from here." He takes another chair and reclines himself at his table. "My name is Nondis P. Haines, genus species Homo Sapien, shortened to the common tag 'human', shortened even further to 'man'. And I am the former Captain of the Equestrian Royal Guard."

He uses his magic, the sparkling silver aura sourced from his very fingers, offers glasses to everyone from the cabinet. He politely pours a shot per glass and opens the floor for questions.

"And before y'all get started... don't ask about the scars."

Chapter 37: Flight to Foalsom

As the damaged airship goes about their slow operation of recovering not only their hypothermic survivors, but also their cold and mangled dead, the other centuries continue to conduct the damage assessment. Meanwhile, the princess who bore witness to the horrors of the not-yet identified creature makes an emergency summons for the royal family, not only to deliver her progress, but a warning of what she's encountered.

Her brothers, Agamemnon, Eros, and Xerxes, along with her father, attend through means of transmission sphere, producing several holographic figures in the room along with her. She regales them with her deadly confrontation, along with the update of growing casualties.

Her father is not pleased in the slightest. "Let me understand something here. You ran into what you say is the Doctor's 'previous miracle'?" Her younger sibling questions.

"I don't know how many more times I have to go through this fucking story again! Are you deaf, Xerxes!?" Obviously distressed from the harrowing image of those under her command being snuffed before her eyes, where only inches divided her from herself and the faces of her straining subordinates.

However, her brothers seem to write off her hysterics for her usual dramaticism. "Zenobia, dear sister, it's only fair that we assume you to be irrational." Eros comments.

Agamemnon cosigns with his fellow maternal sibling. "You haven't quite been the gleaming pillar of stability in our family."

"The doctor has acknowledged me and my accomplishments! You can go─"

"Zenobia." The emperor swiftly dismisses any motion of his daughter to throw out insults to her brothers.

While begrudgingly obeying his warning, she also offers a retort to him directly, a calm one to not invoke a wrathful response. "Father, you yourself said that this is a matter of extreme precedent."

"Yes, and I know what your ambitions are." He answers dismissively.

Xerxes, on the other hoof, shows little regard for the religious intent of the assignment, "I don't care for any of that, is that dragon with them!?"

"I haven't confirmed it personally, but I do know that the ship was seen leaving our docks over in Hayfling. And that was the location one of their emissaries wanted them to know about, so much so that it was quite literally written in blood on the walls of the waterway."

The emperor, still unamused, brings up a damaging point. "And they escaped under your watch?"

"They only escaped because of the one thing I've mentioned, who transformed from some unicorn to the image of one of the legendary creatures."

The emperors eyes wander to the princess, as though the mention has some merit for his interest. Agamemnon questions her. "What legendary creature did they transform into?"

"Let me guess, a draconequus? I bet it's one of those." Eros answers in a mocking manner.

Still believing she's being ridiculed, she returns with a serious reply. "No. It transformed into one of the ones that gifted us alchemy, the root of our weaponry."

The emperor, previously slouched in his throne, sits up straight at the news. The scarred prince shows his disbelief. "I beg your pardon?"

"Consider who you beg the pardon from, Agamemnon." Eros jokes.

She ignores the constant jabs from the lavender-streaked prince, focusing on her father in her reply. "He even dared to mock our weapons, saying something odd. He said they were 'so 1776'. Like what the fuck is that supposed to mean?"

The emperor tilts forward, placing a hoof to his chin in thought. "Better question: How would the Equestrians know about the long-legs anyhow? There's literally no recollection of them in any tome of their history, we're the only ones who have the technology we have. We could mass an army against the world and our nation would clear the playing field with each and every skirmish."

"Then what do you make of it, father?" Xerxes asks.

"It seems that the Equestrians are withholding more than we anticipated." He concludes.

"It still makes little sense how they could coordinate a rescue effort so quickly and quietly. I've burned their airship, I've crushed their communications, and we've killed every last one of their traveling party but the holy mother and that damned dragon." Xerxes notes.

"It's easy to escape when you have a mare performing the operations a prince should be in charge of." Eros adds condescendingly.

The princess lashes out at the stallion for having mocked her unchecked. "You fucking prick, I would─"

"Zenobia." The emperor calls to her, putting her to silence as he waits. Only then, he gives his response. "As provocative as Eros can be, you cannot overlook the fact that the holy mother has escaped our shores under your pursuit. Naturally I would deem you to return home and allow for Xerxes to carry on with the hunt. But seeing how matters have complicated now with this 'rogue apostle' being a factor, it only makes sense to broaden our fronts instead of keeping them divided and small."

The ambitious prince eagerly volunteers himself. "Father, I will leave Agamemnon to the west─"

"And let you have all the glory!? Not this time, Xerxes!" Agamemnon shouts, much to the high prince's chagrin.

"Excuse me! Know your place!"

"I know my place, Xerxes! And you are well beneath it!"

The crown prince shouts down the combative sibling. "I'll parade your head next!"

"Why just the head? I'm parading your entire miserable corpse for the countryside to see!"

Ever the sideline instigator, Eros offers a faux complaint. "Always the violent. What would poor Stefanos say if he saw this putrid display of infighting?"

"Nothing, he's dead!" Agamemnon calls out.

"And you've who signed your goons for him!" Xerxes snipes back.

"He insulted me, it's old news! And it's not like you have any room to talk with the way you've culled off Adelphos! You're just as murderous as I!"

The emperor finally breaks the ground between his two sons. "And a temper like yours, you'd claim death and destruction for the empire, which is why I've entrusted Xerxes the mantle of my succession."

The ambitious prince happily bows his head. "Father, your wisdom is far too much."

The scarred prince scoffs at the display. "Foolishness."

"Either way, we can't afford for another logistics collapse, much less an account of dubious foundation. It's not that Zenobia can't be trusted, but the account leading to this failure seems far too improbable for this to make any traction. A two legger, in our world, thousands of years after their initial sighting, and that's one of our most-kept secrets. I don't believe that's in any way plausible." Zenobia is taken aback by her father's words as he offers a change in the assignment. "But in the event that it is, Xerxes, please aid your sister in her pursuit. You may bring whatever airships you need for this endeavor."

The ambitious prince inquires of his boundaries. "Father, I only think it's fair to consider a pursuit should they cross back into their boarders, what are our limitations should they prove to be too evasive in the waters?"

"You admit your failure long before it's manifestation, bold of you to demand anything past a capture at sea. Guess you aren't as worthy of your crown─"

"Agamemnon, you will be silent!" The emperor lashes out loudly, startling Eros and Zenobia alike. "You ask for permission to pursue into their borders, knowing that war would come with the thought?"

The ambitious prince follows his proposal with several arguments to his favor. "Father, I have seen their airship capabilities, and they are barely able to sustain flight. They cannot travel a seven hour trip without making it an eleven hour slog. They have no wares like ours, no function beyond their own magics. They can't even protect themselves! It was so easy to destroy the Equestrians stationed here, and these were supposedly some of their best that we've laid waste to. If they declare war, what stops us from simply overwhelming them?"

The emperor grows favorable of Xerxes' talking points, but shares another notable concern. "Valid logic to have, but I should note that they still have the threat of Lord Tirek. What's to stop them from freeing him and allowing him to feast on our magic users?"

"And what, run the risk of them being consumed by his greed as well? They would never dare to be that foolish."

The emperor tacks on yet another objective. "Then if you would make for a deep run within their borders, I would have you eliminate that avenue, should they ever wish to take it."

Quickly feeling the situation escaping her, Zenobia speaks out. "Father, if I may."

"Zenobia, you may be the first of us, but you are nowhere near as important."

"Agamemnon." The emperor silences his short-tempered son once more before giving his daughter the floor. "Speak, girl."

"This creature, the long-legs, it concerns me that this may be the first one they've encountered, much less what it could bring to them."

Xerxes promptly speaks against his sister's concerns. "Okay, let's entertain the idea of them having this supposed two-legger on that ship. Who's to say that the one they have is of any significance? The ones that graced us over a millennium ago were the offspring of an alchemist. Who's to say theirs wouldn't be a mere carpenter or baker? And who's to also say that stallion isn't merely depicting the image of a long-legger, or if it's just a draconequus in disguise? We cannot discount any of these possibilities."

"But equally speaking, we can't discount the possibility that they may have more than what we've been made aware of in our mechanics. What if their technology dwarfs ours by a clear mile and we know nothing about it?" Yet again Zenobia raises valid concerns.

"I only go along with this because father wants me to play nice, so I'll pretend to have the fanatical imagination you have, sister." Replies Agamemnon. "Say they do have a long-legger, and not a draconequus in disguise. How long have they been introduced? What all do you think they've managed to manufacture, and why haven't those abilities been implemented in their airships yet? Their airships have little to no defensive capabilities. Our cannons would decimate them within the minute."

The emperor turns to the intrepid prince. "Xerxes, are you sure that is the limit of their machinations?"

"If they were any more powerful, they would not be as intimidated as they were when we arrived to their shores the first time." He states confidently. "The advantage is ours."

"Then I want you to prove their inferiority." Agamemnon calls out. "Since they're so weak that they don't match any of our capabilities, you'll only need one airship. Take it into the heart of their capital city, abscond from them one of their sculptures, statues, whatever, and return to our shores. Do so unscathed, and I'll bow before you in earnest, and hail you as the true crown prince."

"And if they declare war?" Zenobia questions.

"Then we'd simply make quick work of it." Xerxes dismisses. "I shall take to Foalsom with haste."

The emperor reclines back into his seat, finalizing his decision. "Then it is settled. You and your sister will join forces together and pursue this ship, the holy mother, and this other creature claiming to be the Doctor's 'last miracle', I'll call him what he feigns to be, a rogue apostle, to the ends of the earth, beyond all boarders and boundaries. Take them both, I give you full consent to defend yourselves should there be violence. Show no mercy, if need be."

"Ah, it's about time father's looking to let us cut loose." Agamemnon says as he dismisses himself from the conference.

"If only we could simply love them into submission." Eros mutters. "But I suppose I have other concerns to mind. It seems that one of my eyes over in Hayfling, the century Zenobia was too busy playing games with, has given me a useful but saddening update. Dear sister Hestia Aphrodite has defected. And being that she aided the foreign entity in their escape, I suppose she will be swiftly dealt with. These lesser-bloods are always about making their own brand of noise, not even realizing that their screams always fall silent when the blade comes down on their necks."

"Then deal with the issue as you've done the others." The emperor commands.

"At once, father."

As Eros removes himself from the conference, the emperor remains as he watches his daughter quietly, seeing how sour her face has turned over the passing moments. "You're still here?"

"I need to know if I carry on with this, am I going to get any kind of prominent position." She asks.

"If your brother proves useful to you, I may simply place you just below him." He responds, hardly giving thought to his change. "If your intent now after hearing that is to step aside, I would understand."

"You... cheating prick."

The emperor shows a slight smirk at the mare. "Your brother will beat you to Foalsom if you're going to stay there sulking. I'd suggest you'd be the one to meet him there instead, take the initiative. Your brother becomes emperor, your next offspring may be his first in line, provided that the existing requirements are properly met. Consider it, girl. A secondary position is far better than none."

In hearing how she'll be used, she vehemently lashes out towards her father. "You promised me─"

"I promised you the crown position if you succeeded. You have failed. Now you have another chance, but at the trade for being your brother's minor, possibly his loophole around the breeding issue. If anything, your mother would've loved this for you." The princess grits her teeth, biting a bit of her cheek in the midst of her stewing anger. "Take it or leave it."

As much as she wants to call her father every insult imaginable, she knows that doing so would probably run the risk of him looking to have her removed. She considers her options, being life as an embarrassing lesser to her brother or death. "I want nothing less."

"At least you know where you stand, girl." He smirks. "Don't fail again."

The hologram of her father fades out, the mare is left to her lonesome in the room. She starts to hold herself back from destroying everything in sight, in spite of her already reaching for an empty bottle of vodka to throw at her mirror. But as she's about to take her first fling, a white whisp appears in the looking glass. "She's beauty, she's grace, but I can assume there's a scowl on that face."

Seeing the scroll with a soft glow, and the candles lit beside it, she recognizes that it's her deity speaking to her through the mirror's surface. "I apologize, your immanence. I meant to bear no harm to you."

The whisp eagerly whispers. "No, no, by all means... tell me more about this 'rogue apostle'."

Elsewhere The Morning After...

I don't sleep too well with the waves tossing and churning the ship. It also felt like we ran into a few close calls out in the water throughout the night. I'm sure that no one's really in any mood to celebrate our success in avoiding capture, not after seeing what it was that was kept hidden from the world about Nondis. I never would've suspected something like that from him, coming from beneath his feet, but now I at least understand a portion of what they ran into seven years ago. The only comfort I had while my head was bumping against the wall was that he's not our enemy. And just as long as we have that, we should be good to go.

I easily lose track of time over the course of the night, so much so that I walk into the hallway and see that the sun is starting to come up. Guess I don't get the luxury of having a good night's sleep, not that I deserve to at this point. I walk on and mosey into the dining area, where I'm startled by the appearance of Nondis sitting in a chair. "Holy shit!"

He's not surprised over my shout in the slightest. "Sneaking around my ship ain't gonna do you any favors if you want to avoid cardiac arrest."

"Sorry. Things kinda have me on edge these days." I reply.

"You scared, of what?"

A lot, you at the moment. "I don't know, it's just so much. I can't tell what's gonna go down now."

"I'll tell you what's gonna go down. We get you over to Silvie, you cross the mirror, take a detour through my world, and you'll be back in Canterlot within the hour."

I'm assuming he means we'll take the portal from Silver Shoals. If so, then I guess that cuts down on the travel time even more. "I guess that works for me..." I plop myself down at the table, looking at the fairly young sunrise. "I guess being stuck in one castle is better than being stuck in another."

He takes notice of my quiet demeanor, prying a bit into what's concerning me. "I know that look, Spike. You trying to face something you don't wanna look at? What's on your mind?"

I shake my head, remembering the moments after that whole thing went down seven years ago, the memorial march he led, the flowers he gave, the multitude of others that shouted insults at him as he gave his apologies for the ones that were victimized. "I remember that parade you had, wasn't really much of one. But you manned up and showed poise. How'd you do it, breaking the news to the families of the victims time and time again? You could've just had a huge parade to help everyone forget about it, but you kept it somber and respectful... and honest." I still wear the necklace of tags on my neck, never really finding any incentive to take it off just yet. "I got about forty families that'll be looking for answers, how do I make good on that?"

"Bow your head, give your best, take whatever they throw at you." He answers straightaway, not even hesitating. "They're going to be grieving, it's going to be emotionally charged no matter what you do. Some are going to blame you exclusively, let them. Let them get it out so they can heal, don't deny them that. And don't argue back, that'll really piss 'em off. The point is to be humble and sincere. Responsibility is the goal, not the boogeyman."

"I bet it's happened so much that you have a protocol for it now." I say back to him.

"You have to." He admits. "Some part of you, you have to cut it off in order to get through it. You want to hurt for them, that's normal. But that's too much pain for one person to feel at times. So you have to compartmentalize it, turn off your emotions in some places. Then when the party's over and the doors close, you can turn it back on again." He levitates the necklace off of my neck, giving the names a quick glance. "You'll need to release those emotions for yourself too. That's just as important. So whenever you feel ready, scream out into the void one of these nights. Hell, I might bring you a drink and we'll do it together."

"I guess." I'm a little reluctant to agree, not sure if I'm ready to just go into a full breakdown in front of him just yet. But I suppose he's willing to help me out. Can't really refuse the invitation. As I sit with that thought, however, he summons a tendril from his shadow, pulling out a musket. I break from my inner thoughts to ask him about it. "Isn't that one of their weapons?"

"Yeah, pretty cool. Always wanted a musket, not just for irony's sake but it's a pretty nice souvenir. Plus these things are loud. Always wanted to fire one, just to feel the power behind it."

"Yeah, I've been meaning to ask you about those."

The man chuckles in response. "Ask me? I'm the one who has questions for you, Mr. Princess Slayer, emphasis on that L."

I takes me a brief moment to understand his joke, but I piece it together. "Who told you that?"

"Trust me, I know obsession when I see it. And ol' girl is obsessed with whatever you've got going. By the way, nice collar." As soon as he points that out, I immediately remember that I still have the damned thing on. "You done good, but for future purposes, I'd avoid sticking any phallic objects in anything that has a 'crazy' tag on the side of it."

"Didn't you marry one of those?" I point out.

"That's different. I was anointed a crazy tag in life. I got to the point where I no longer had issues, but discussions, that's prior to service by the way. You're not quite there yet, there's still time for you." He answers.

I roll my eyes at his response and move things along. "Anyhow, what's your question?"

He lays the rifle on the table before us. "What do you know about these guys? Like did they just recently produce these weapons or have they been using them for a while now?"

"Um... apparently they had some humans that were summoned there, a pair of alchemists sometime a thousand years back. Some sort of dragon brought them there."

"Huh... that's different." He mumbles under breath.

"What?"

"Nothing, thinking." He dismisses. "So humans were summoned a thousand years ago to Ponyland, and I guess they introduced them to gunpowder. Strange, I figured these guys would be a little further along than this if they had access to gunpowder for over a thousand years. Guess they haven't cracked the code for nitroglycerin yet."

I'm not exactly aware of what nitroglycerin is myself. "Uh, what?"

"Clear, viscous liquid, extremely volatile, has some medicinal purposes too if you don't believe me. But the liquid itself is extremely volatile, only a little bit is all you need to make some shit go boom." He lifts the musket to his face, looking down the darkened bore. "And they didn't think to rifle the barrel of these things yet? Their aim must be pretty shit with these."

"Uh, I thought you weren't supposed to look into the barrel of a gun." I call out, reminding him of one of the many safety courses he and his brothers led.

"A loaded gun, no. This is about as loaded as a blade of grass." He says as he lays it back to the table. "But yeah, even with sleight-of-hand, you're looking at a whole process of about twenty seconds between shots."

"That's a long time to be in the fray of things without any bit of defense."

"Yeah. And these things are wildly inaccurate. Powerful, but inaccurate. If you want to maximize your confirmations, you'd need about a few more of these firing with you at the same time. Otherwise, you're not hitting much. And you'd have to get so close, 100 yards is a travesty. You'd be better off with a longbow."

"That bad, huh?"

He spins the weapon around, observing the craftsmanship. "Look, these things can take chunks out of your body, not gonna lie to you there. But with no proper boring of the rifle, the bullet is subject to even greater air resistance, tumbles off course, miss target. The only saving grace is that if it does hit something, that something you hit is basically gone. You're lucky they don't know how to put nitro into a tiny bubble."

After that skirmish in the throne room back in Midnight Castle, I can't help but agree. "I guess it's a good thing they haven't discovered that yet."

"They might've discovered it now though." He replies.

"How so?"

"Because your Ponyland friends are literally camped out in the hallway." He answers as he taps his fingers onto the table. A shadowy tendril slowly reveals itself, it reaches as far as the hallway. As soon as it pops out of the ground, we hear a pair of voices shriek in horror. "Guys, my shadow is an eldritch horror from beyond the grave, it covers the entire ship. So if you're gonna sneak around, at least try not to walk on the ground."

The imperial pair promptly enters the room, not wanting to discover more of that fact for themselves. "Uh, is that last part about you real?" Hestia asks with a tremble.

"Did you not see how I warded off that alicorn lady?" He deadpans towards the young princess.

Amor shudders with the thought, but also stares at the weapon laid on the table. "So... I guess from the part of the conversation we walked in on, not exactly a gleaming review of our weaponry, is it?"

He tells the young prince a brutal truth. "Nah, your shit sucks by my standards. But for this world and it's relatively slow progress, it's fine for an overkill."

"You wouldn't be an alchemist, would you?" The prince asks.

"Fuck no! I barely know enough of the shit to not get myself blown up, same with magic."

Hestia sits at the table, looking to at least pretend things are at a relative normal. "I didn't think I'd be seeing one of the legendary creatures walking among us." Then again, maybe not.

"Yeah, Imma need an explanation for that."

Amor begins. "Well, a thousand years ago─"

"Yeah yeah, alchemist kids blew up some shit, shared how to make it, you guys took it and ran... well, walked considering how undeveloped this shit is." Nondis concludes.

"Well yeah." The prince appears disappointed that he didn't get the chance to regale him in the story of Ponyland's ancient past. "I'm surprised you put that all together so quick."

"Not hard to fill in the blanks." He shrugs.

Hestia looks at the weapon on the table, seeing how the deadly item is written off as inferior in the man's eyes. "So... how advanced are you 'humans' these days?"

"Go to this one place in Canterlot, it's called the Corrotto District. Go at night." He says, not giving any concrete example pertaining to the weapon itself.

"If that's what you'll want us to do, then I can safely assume that you will be guiding us there then?" She asks.

"NO. THANK YOU." He denies quite emphatically. "If you want someone to give you a tour, get Stanton or Alex, maybe even Blue to do it. Kali ain't gonna go near that place without any real incentive, and I've had my fair share of the place way back when. I'm good."

"You know, there's another way we could answer your question. Let's ask another way." I propose. "Hey Nondis, when was gunpowder created in your world?"

"Let me consult the oracle." He says, summoning his phone to quickly look up the information. It takes him less than ten seconds. "Huh, it was discovered in the year 808 AD in a search for a life-extending elixir. That's interesting, but that's also pretty fucking old and sad."

The imperial pair stares at the device in Nondis' hand. The move to get closer to it. "What is that 'oracle'? Does it do anything special?" Asks the young princess.

He dismissively discloses the technology of his home world, probably disregarding at great length the limitations Twilight imposes on us whenever it comes to international travel. "Well it contains all of the answers to life's seemingly limitless questions. It also serves as a pretty good flashlight."

The stallion quirks a brow. "Okay, strange tablets and slates aside, what does the year '808 AD' mean?"

"Well for reference, our current year is 2022 AD."

Hestia screams out in shock, but also catches herself. "Great doct─I mean... good gracious."

The man chuckles as he closes his eyes. As soon as he opens them, he tilts his head back at her with a Cheshire-like grin. "Oh, do be careful, missy. You don't want that guy walking through the door." The smile snaps back off of his lips as he blinks. He blankly stares for a moment before shaking himself. "...OKAY. The fuck."

It seems that some of his crazy might have slipped through a bit. I check in on him. "You alr─"

"I'm good, just... yeah. Disregard." He says as he rubs his eyes for a moment. "So we'll be making a small pit stop in Foalsom, get a refuel so we can hit the waters again. How fast do you think your airships are in communicating information?"

"Well probably just as fast as the transmission orbs will allow. I know something like that can take up to a few minutes to conjure up, and then there's the whole process of making sure you're hailing the right orb─"

"In that case, we're good then." He promptly dismisses, knowing that a phone does that same thing in mere seconds. He rises from his seat and walks towards the hall. "I'm gonna go relieve the wife from the helm. She may make breakfast today, if she's not still upset with me for yesterday's outing."

The young imperial mare looks back with questioning. "Princess Celestia cooks?"

"She's going to eternally ruin pancakes for you." I warn.

"Ooh! Sounds like fun." Amor chirps with interest.

I give him another warning. "Oh yeah, rubbing your cheeks helps with the reactionary response. Thank me later."

Meanwhile in Canterlot...

The night sky glows an unusual color, a rosy hue from the unusually pink moon sailing high in the sky, raining it's light onto much of the kingdom. Many couples throughout the town take the opportunity to use the atypical scenery to carry on with their romantic plans.

However, it does not alleviate the accumulating thoughts of those who's work draws them both to and from the castle grounds. With the passage of the press conference from the prior day, attention has been brought to the royal administration and their looming laundry list of decisions. As far as many are concerned, whispers of war burn the ears of many guards on post, the politicians grow anxious of the new suitors potentially replacing the Royal Friendship Ambassador. The list grows to a few potential candidates, many seeming to be just as ready to compete for the prime position.

One such candidate, who now sits in the moonlit garden before the statue of three infamous villains, sits beneath the rosy moonlight. Her eyes, reflective in their nature, glint up towards the middling figure of the three, the changeling queen herself. She quietly reflects on her situation, as well as the troubling implications that the situation carries.

"So... interesting situation we've got here." Her eyes fixates to the figure of her mother. "I remember how years ago, you thought that trying to upend the Equestrian chain of command was the way to fully realize your power of all of Equestria. Turns out you were wrong. All you had to do was play nice, wait around a bit, and become a possible choice to replace the second seat to the throne."

The changeling appears crestfallen at the idea.

"Who would've thought that your baby hatchling would've cracked the formula. Now it's me that's looking to take power, while you're sitting pretty in that stone case you got there." Ocellus sighs with some distress. "I'm just fortunate to know that Twilight accepts my proposal to fill the position of her emissary, all while splitting the powers from that and being her true-to-groom successor. Because Celestia knows I don't need that kind of power, not with your blood flowing under my carapace."

The changeling doesn't even flinch as the much-larger alicorn lands beside her. Along with the princess comes another notable figure, the king of the changelings. Twilight takes notice of the young mare speaking with the statue. "Guess my choice to have you as a candidate is eating at you pretty bad."

"What makes you guess that?" Ocellus asks.

"Well, I notice that you're not exactly hurling insults at her like you usually do." Thorax comments before greeting the statuesque figure. "Hey, mom. Still holding out hope that somehow being stuck here can change you for the better."

"You know that's a lost cause." Ocellus grumbles.

"I can still try." He replies. "We're changelings, it's in our very nature to change the way we live our lives, be it for better or worse."

"Yeah, and you saw how that panned out when Starlight offered that same chance to her." Twilight adds. "Sadly, my time under Celestia has taught me that while a lot of creatures can be saved from the circumstances they're in, there are more than a few who are happy with the way things are with themselves."

"And meaning that they are a changeling, doesn't mean that they're willing to change for the better." Ocellus concludes as she looks back to her mother. "I bet if we just free her by the head, the first thing she'll say is that there's a lot of love in the air and how she intends to feast on it all."

Thorax glances back to the moon. "I suppose it is a pretty night that calls for some non-platonic bonding. It's a pretty interesting choice, given the circumstances."

Twilight shakes her head, glancing back to the celestial object. "I have absolutely no control over this. I didn't even know it was possible. But I do know that it's possible in the human world by means of a refraction of light reaching from their sun, skimming the horizon of their planet, further highlighting the orange and pink hues of the atmosphere. So I guess there's that."

"Yeah, but it's the first time I've ever seen the moon like this." The changeling king responds. "Plus, you just outed the fact that there's no written record of this ever happening in Equestrian history."

"That's still up for debate." The princess answers confidently. "...I really wish Spike could see this."

"Take a picture, it'll last longer." The changeling mare replies.

The idea made in sarcasm quickly turns literal in the mind of the high princess. "Actually, not a bad idea in this case." She summons for her phone, taking the picture, and make a quick post about it on her media site.

Hmm... I don't remember planning this one. But I'm sure there are many who enjoy it like I do.

RoseMoon #themoonispink #pinkmoon #unexpected

"Huh, guess it would be trending pretty high right now." The princess comments as she sees similar posts on her timeline. However, another thing that seems to be trending are a number of conspiracy theories about how the moon is a distraction from the fact that a war with Ponyland might be on the horizon. Her brief moment of happiness fades back into the reality of the present. "I suppose I shouldn't be too surprised that some may see this as a distraction for everything going on right now."

"Even if unintentional, I think it's needed." Thorax comments. "We need a reminder that the world isn't completely drowning in despair. Plus there's an immense amount of love in the air, it's so heartwarming and pleasant to take in. The feeling of feeding and giving back, it's a pretty virtuous cycle but with a lot of rewards." He takes a deep breath, smiling from all the love energy permeating across the entire city. "This moon really is a blessing."

"Careful, don't wanna get too greedy." Ocellus warns her brother. "Too much of a good thing, and you might end up like mom here."

The changeling king scoffs at the idea. "No thank you. I'm fine with our hive and it's quirky ways. I'd like to keep building on our new traditions, not go back to the old ones."

The changeling closes her eyes, thinking of the dragon in a far-off land. "I miss Spike and his sarcasm sometimes."

Twilight looks over to the changeling mare and smiles. "Well, you might not have to miss him for long. He's made it onto the ship and he's on his way back now."

Ocellus nearly jumps out of her skin as she shows her exuberance. "SERIOUSLY!?"

"Yeah." Thorax confirms. "We actually brought you over because while we were originally staging you to be his replacement, we also wanted to surprise you with the news."

"Although..." The princess chimes in. "I do think that our system might need some reinforcement. This incident did show me that I had absolutely no plan for a replacement already in place. So I may need to outsource some of that over to someone else, but only if Spike isn't able to be present and accountable."

Thorax leans into his younger sister. "I know power isn't really a preference for you, but at least you'll be able to foster good relations on behalf of Equestria. It's really no different than what you've done for us changelings back when these three were running around!"

Ocellus looks back to the statue, remembering the way she and her friends coordinated an effort to reunite all of the creatures of Equestria to face against the Terrible Trio. "...You know what, I'll take it." Just as Twilight and Thorax looks to commend her for her choice, she interjects with her own terms. "─But under two conditions: Spike gets a month off from this, and you don't ever send him to do anything this dangerous again... And you keep his schedule relatively free by sending someone else in his place, even if it has to be me."

"Those are three conditions." Thorax points out.

"They're my terms. Take it or leave it." She sternly calls out to the pair.

Twilight, seeing no real reason to refuse, agrees to the changeling's proposition. "You really are the antithesis of your mom."

"That's the point." She says as she glances over to the statue. "Piece by piece, we'll undo the damage our kind has done to all others."

Her brother smiles warmly at her. "Thanks, Olla."

"Sure thing─HEY!" The changeling's cheeks turn red, it's hue amplified by the pink glow of the moon. "You don't get to call me that! Only Smolder calls me that!"

The king laughs happily as Twilight smiles over the young changeling's better demeanor. "Well, I'm sure that you'd want to go home and tell everyone the good news, right?" The princess inquires.

"Ha! I can do you one better─"

Thorax quenches the changeling's horn before she can think to summon her phone. "Actually, you should just tell them in person. The moment means a lot more if you give them the good news instead of taking the easy route."

She rolls her eyes at her brother. "Fine."

The Harbor of Foalsom... "Sniper Shot"

Hardly any mistake about our landing in the port. Our ship seems to be the only one that's as white, as updated, and as modern as ours. It seems that even the local dockworkers are confused about which section of the harbor we go into because of the ship's large build for a privately-owned vessel. But when we get off the ship at last, our esteemed captain makes a note to the workers that the vessel is in need of a refuel.

However, it doesn't quite go as planned. "Sorry, but we don't sell liquified natural gas, only diesel for the class you own."

Nondis reasonably assumes his equine form, trying to bargain with the loaders for his fuel options. "Seriously, you know how rich that stuff burns, not to mention how dangerous it is for the marine environment? I don't do diesel because that just causes way more problems for the fish!"

"Sorry sir, diesel only. Take it or leave it."

"Ugh... okay. Diesel it is." He begrudgingly accepts the offer, offering a substantial sum to the overseer for his refuel. As soon as the manager departs, he flags us off of the ship for the refueling process to take place. As soon as we get off, we can hear the sounds of seagulls cawing around us, the bells ringing in the distance, the mooring lines creaking as the ship rocks calmly in at the dock. Nondis makes a quiet call to all of us. "Land ho."

Celestia makes a brief comment on the gentle breeze that cuts through her sweater. "It's a bit nippy here."

"That's to be expected. We are up north." Amor comments as he rubs himself to keep warm.

I face the young prince and ask him about the town. "So this place here, seems like a busy little exchange here. What's the deal?"

"Well, this is the inbound port that works in conjunction with the one at Cloud Castle. That one there is an out-only because of the immense shipping demand placed on the area. Since we're in the eastern part of the country, agriculture is rich in quantity and quality. And if you're remotely interested in demographics, Cloud Castle happens to have our largest standing population of a city because of how much it sprawls. Foalsom and Cloud Castle forms like a bit of a megaplex, serving over forty-million residents between the two towns." Holy hell, that's fucking half of Equestria's equine population!

"Forty million?" Nondis questions. "Nah, this place ain't nearly that big to be sporting off those numbers. I don't see a tower over three-hundred feet in any direction near here."

"It's because most of the population that's up top are all beneficiaries of those who serve in the core, work the markets, own the stores, or they're just straight-up rich." Hestia adds. "The top end is about a tenth of what the real population is."

"Top-end?" He asks. "You mean these ponies are sleeping in some sort of undergrowth?"

"Underground, more specifically." She clarifies. "Our towns aren't like Manehattan, where they build up to solve their density issues. We build down several tiers and sprawl out from there. For generations, it was safer that way because of the constant threat of siege. Now, it's a reflection of the working class doing what they can to keep the foundations of our cities on solid bedrock."

"It's also how we keep our mining economy stabilized. Basically anyone who isn't topside, they're already accustomed to life underground. So some are sent to the mines to work, retrieving precious minerals and items to eventually use for our industrial sectors."

"Ain't no way." The disguised man chuckles at the absurdity. "There ain't no way in hell the population of Tokyo, Japan is sitting, shitting, eating, sleeping, breathing, and living underneath one fucking castle. I refuse to believe that's a thing that happens here, much less these places serving as mining colonies."

"That's how it's always been for our country." Hestia states. "It's not something I'm proud of, but it's something that my father doesn't seem to mind much of. As long as it's out of sight, it's out of mind for him. And he can pose the country to be this bastion of natural beauty and technological advancement."

"There is no beauty in a life under the constant threat of collapsing peril." Celestia comments. "Trust me, our nation's wealth sits largely abandoned because of the dangers it presents."

"Don't let our father hear that." Warns the young princess.

As the hose is brought to the ship, the overwhelming smell of diesel filling the air, my senses dull around me for a bit. The odor of the fuel causes me to temporarily flash back to the night of our escape. The world drowns out as I hear the sounds of the fire roaring around us, the sensation of the burning leg trampled under my feet. My eyes are brought back to the pile of dead, their names still swinging from around my neck. Their charred faces each look to me, waiting for some answers of why I couldn't do anything for them.

A sudden beam of magic to my stomach zaps me from the memory. "Hey, stay solid! We got shit to worry about." Nondis calls out before addressing the group in general. "Now let's lay some ground rules. I'm just going to get some food stocks, you guys sit tight while they fill her up. Should be a few hours before we get to a fairly decent level for us to ship on out with. We can get back to the open sea as quick as possible, no bullshit. And since the ice floe wasn't that bad coming in, shouldn't be too bad going out." He addresses his wife exclusively. "Tia, I'll need you to keep an eye out for any keen-eyed observers, don't need them peering into what we've got going on. And if anyone looks to question you guys any further than a casual greeting, let them down gently."

"You mean kindly put them to sleep, because I'm not going to put unwary ponies under a blade."

He shrugs at her response. "Do you. Just make sure we don't get impounded."

Celestia jabs back at him. "And you make it quick, don't need you starting trouble in town. We don't need a repeat of yesterday to bring us anymore attention."

"Yeah, I gotcha." He answers as he walks off.

Managing the number of spurs in his budget, he levitates the brown sack and openly counts to himself how much he's able to purchase. After having budgeted the total fuel cost, he murmurs over the uninspiring number he has to work with for the day.

"Damn, guess I should've pressed their little asses harder than what I settled for. Groceries are expensive as shit here." He looks around the town, seeing a pair of young foals running with a ripped sack, a few potatoes falling from the hole. He continues to walk, offering a tendril to quickly snag the vegetable and plug it back in their sack. The carrier pauses as he feels a tug, turning around to see the potato poking out, but not the tendril slither away into the shadows. "Forty million ponies, huh? Guess I'll be competing with them over the remaining stock. And here I am with bumfuck-Alabama savings in a place with New York City prices. At least they grow food in bumfuck-Alabama."

He wanders through the market, seeing a sign reading out 'FOALSOM FOODS'. But the entrance is merely a marked doorway that seems to staircase downward. As he descends down the stairs, he comes across an opening in the wall, offering a glimpse into the general life of a Ponyland citizen. He pauses for a moment, taking in the view.

Crude wooden bridges suspend between varying access points, a dark cavern filled with the occasional speckling of torchlight. Mountain-like columns of stalactite descend downward, housing hundreds, even thousands of residences and businesses. Narrowing ravines are just as freckled with life, such as the one he descends into. While even jaded by the modern glass monoliths of his home world reaching heights that many see from miles away, his interest is more piqued by the otherworldly appearance of a sprawling metropolis crudely built into the earth, descending far beneath the abundantly-lit surface.

While rickety in their design, the wooden bridges host a considerable traffic load. It's as though he looks into a busy street, seeing carts and wagons move their freight in either directions. They operate much like the roads back home, hosting multiple lanes of pedestrian freight towed in rows of six. Pegasi fly by, inspecting the structures to make sure that they are kept to working standard. Some of the buildings themselves are well-arched, but only for the top few rows of life. Many that fall further downward are much less so, and just as crudely carved as primitive dwellings.

Nondis quietly sneaks his eyes around, summoning his phone and taking a picture for his own interest. After snapping the image, he looks back to the stony urban center once more to appreciate it's construction before moving on to present tasks.

"Okay, I'll admit, this place is kinda cool." He says as he passes by a pair of mares greeting him at the door.

Upon walking in, he's brought to a counter with a plainly mare with a stocky build. She greets the stallion with warm welcome, while also boasting something akin to a Russian accent. "Welcome, comrade, to Foalsom Foods! You order, we make, you eat, you pay." She furrows her brow at that final detail.

The disguised man wince at the mare, seeing the massive unibrow on her forehead. "Oh, wait, this isn't a grocery store?"

"Nyet." She firmly answers. "What do you think this is, topside marketplace?"

He kisses his teeth with a little frustration as he voices his intent. "I'm so sorry, didn't mean to mistake this place for that. I just saw the sign and thought it was a good place to shop."

"Cyka blyat, you see sign! It says 'FOODS'! Does not say 'grocery', does not say 'market', does not say 'produce!' Here, we feed, you eat!"

"Shit, my bad." He apologizes. "Well I'm not looking for trouble, just trying to get some food for the long voyage ahead. That's all."

"You want food for long voyage?" She questions sternly.

"No, not..." Realizing that there's probably no means to get out of this without any attention drawn, he thinks of a way to satisfy both himself and the tavern manager. "Do you take fire rubies?"

"Fire rubies are highly sought after! We take, we take!" She answers emphatically.

Nondis breaths a sigh of relief as he summons a sack of jewels. "Oh well then, bollies will work. I guess I won't have to stress too much about budget then. You guys do deliveries?"

"Nyet. You sit and eat food while hot." She firmly answers. "Respect chef. Babushka work hard to make good food, you enjoy it better when hot."

"I wanna feed some kids. Saw some little munchkins running around with a hole in their sack, lord knows what else they've lost. Make sure they get taken care of." He says as he slides over three large rubies for the mare to accept in payment. "This enough?"

"You funny guy." She says before offering the stallion a smile. "And young. Too rich to be from around here. Where you from?"

"Let's just say I'm from a land far away, just passing through on my ship, looking to fill rations before heading back out to the sea."

"In icefloe, this time of year? Must be pretty big boat." The mare slides closer from over the counter. "Nights are still chilly, you may need some help. Perhaps I would be willing to take a little holiday."

Catching her subtle cues, he kindly backs away. "Well ma'am, I'd love to, but I'm spoken for. Got a princess in my own little castle─" He feels his progress impeded as a body stands steadfast against him. The mare at the counter immediately shifts her attention to the figure behind the unicorn. Nondis turns around to address the pony he's bumped into. "Oh, sorry sir! I didn't expect to ram you..." As he sees that the figure has both wings and a horn, he also notices that the figure is indeed a male. "...t-there."

The intrepid prince grimaces as he dusts himself off, looking to his centuries for confirmation. "Did some wandering, low-level peasant just come in contact with me?"

Nondis clears his throat and puts on an act of groveling to the alicorn stallion. "I-I apologize sir, I-I-I assure you it won't happen again! Promise!"

The stallion smiles as he passes by the sniveling display of submission. "Well then, seeing how you know your place as well as you dirt-dwellers do, I'll be willing to let this one go." Nondis feels a warm aura lifts his chin, the alicorn prince looking down to him with a smirk on his face. "Provided that you'd offer me a service with that pretty face of yours."

In the blink of a moment, a terrible event flashes in his mind. The image he once felt locked away resurfaces, the sensation causes him to instinctively tighten his tail against his backside. A vitriolic anger bubbles to an immediate boil as he wants to give a very unsavory response. "Ah, leave the putrid flea alone." But before he's offered the opportunity, another alicorn stallion reveals himself. This one bearing scars on his face. "It's not like he meant to shake you for your imperial wares."

Distracted by the appearance of his brother, the intrepid figure furrows his brow to the scarred prince. "Agamemnon. You're supposed to be down south!"

"For what reason? The fun's all here!"

"Father sent me to come here! Which means you should be taking your forces elsewhere!"

"And let you get all the credit, as usual?" The scarred alicorn laughs boisterously. "You'll rue the day you dumb me down for spare spurs, Xerxes!"

As the words are exchanged between the pair, their own accompanying squads raise their weapons with intent to protect the prince of their allegiance. Xerxes offers a warning to his brother. "Tell your forces to stand down!"

"And yours!?" He shouts back.

"I didn't come here to fight with an impudent brat!"

"Aw what's the difference, we're only a few months off, you and I?"

As the siblings and their respective squads line up their muskets to possibly make a scene of things, Nondis shakes off his past traumas and gets off the ground. He vies to sneak away, getting back to his intended run of errands. "I'm just gonna go."

As he starts to sneak off, Agamemnon calls him out for trying to desert the scene. "You, flea! You'll serve as our witness! By imperial law, I decree it!"

He turns to the mare at the counter. "Uh, if you could help me out here, I'm supposed to be a witness for what exactly?"

The scarred prince summarily answers the stallion's question. "For this!" He raises a smaller flintlock pistol to his brother, making sure that all can see his murderous intent.

"YOU DARE!?" Xerxes pulls one out of his own, matching his brother's deadly gesture.

"I CALL YOU OUT TO A DUEL! I WANT MY RIGHTS TO THE DREADNAUGHT! I'LL SCOUT THAT SHIP TO THE ENDS OF THE WORLD!"

"IT'S NOT YOURS TO SCOUT, YOU IMBRED LESSER!"

The scarred prince chuckles. "JUST FOR THAT INSULT, I'LL TAKE CREDIT FOR THE DRAGON TOO!"

Nondis grimaces as he starts to warm his horn for a teleportation spell back to his ship. "Look, don't know about your sibling rivalry, but you guys can have it, I'm out."

Both of the princess pull their weapons over to the stallion, shouting their demand. Xerxes adds on to the wager. "In fact, whoever wins this duel will get to decide on what to do with this worthless filth here." The intrepid prince turns to the stallion with his intended thoughts unsheathing from beneath him. "You should cheer for me, it's not often you low-lifers are bestowed with the imperial splendor."

Nondis stares back at the prince, his shadow slightly expanding beneath him. "I'm sorry... W̶h̷a̴t̵?̵"

As the airship is brought into the repair bay, the corpses of the fallen are finally given their final rights and laid into wooden caskets. After they are closed, a flag of the country is gracefully laid upon them. A small golden plaque names each of the departed centuries upon the foot of the caskets as they're rolled into formation.

The princess oversees the memorial in progress, her stomach still twisting from the sights and sounds of that moment where as many as twenty were held helpless before here before their necks were simultaneously crushed. The profound horrors on their faces as the tendrils coiled around them before that final moment, their struggling cries snuffed silent, the multitude of their faces going numb from the shock and the human's smile, they cause her to shudder in immense discomfort.

"Princess." Nausea looks to set in, but the sound of her maid calling her distracts her from the thousand yard stare. "Your highness, I apologize in interrupting such a somber moment. But a ship matching your description has been sighted in the harbor. It appears it's undergoing a refuel."

Zenobia offers her thoughts in regards to the fallen. "I know that they're to be replaced, that they shouldn't matter to us, but it's different knowing that their lives were mine to save, yet I was able to do nothing to save them."

"It couldn't be helped, your highness." The maid replies. "The situation we entered into wasn't forecasted. A danger seen is half-avoided, but an unseen danger can't be avoided if you don't know what to look out for. This was not your doing, nor your responsibility."

Hearing the words of reassurance, Zenobia quickly moves on to more immediate matters. "So this ship in the docks is the one that matches the profile?"

"According to local management, the maritime vessel E.S.S. Sunshine took to the local moorings at approximately 9:42 this morning. It's currently noon."

"And so they've took to the docks as per the refueling protocol. Was there a dragon among the waiting party?"

The maid nods sagely with confirmation. "Yes, the dragon you seek is sighted there, among the others. Both Prince Amor lesser-blood, and Princess Hestia lesser-blood are with them, along with the holy mother. However, there also appears to be an unidentified alicorn present as well."

The princess turns back towards the maid with curiosity. "An alicorn, you say?"

"Yes your highness, an alicorn mare to be more apparent." As soon as she confirms the presence of yet another alicorn, Zenobia takes to her wings and departs the hangar. "Princess?"

"Tell our forces to hold our positions, we need no more casualties than what I can afford. It's not like my father will allow for me to replenish ranks without having to go through him, and I severely doubt that he'll grant me such a mercy." Zenobia grits her teeth as she makes a resolution within herself. "Now let's go see this 'prettier alicorn' of yours." She whispers under breath before giving her orders. "I'll go at this one personally. If there are any other airships in the area, do not relay our intel. Once everything's all done here, which shouldn't be for long, make quick pursuit for my position. You'll know exactly where I'll be."

"Yes, your highness." The maid confirms as the princess departs with a mighty gust under her wings.

Zenobia puts the hangar, her ship, and her servants well behind her, her mind ablaze with determination for the stallion that's embarrassed her and her forces. She pins her hooves to her body, increasing her speed to meet with the fugitive party. Only one objective runs through her mind.

"We'll see if you'll be singing that same tune when I'm done with your 'prettier alicorn'... you broken bastard."

Chapter 38: Fight in Foalsom

The sounds of the waves crashing against the wharf, coupled by the occasional song of seagulls flying overhead plays a peaceful ambiance for the group under imperial pursuit. While they are still trying to be cautious, the opportunity to wind down a bit fails to pass them by. And in the midst of their quiet wait, all while local crews go about their maintenance of the refueling procedure, they converse about varying topics to pass the time by.

"Um, madam former princess." One such conversation flows into the topics of Celestia's marriage, more specifically her partner. "I have a question."

"Yes, Hestia, what is it?"

"Your husband's shadow... do all of his species have that?"

The mare chuckles with adamant denial. "Heavens no! In fact, most humans aren't even aware of our world's existence. They don't even have magic, there's no such thing in their world."

"A world without magic?" Amor questions. "How do they go about life like that? The weather, the many hazards of life, the constant threat of other dangerous creatures coming after them, there's no end."

The princess smiles warmly as she reflects on the past of her husbands accomplishments. "You'd be surprised how resourceful they are. They adapt fairly quick when it comes to life or death situations. I didn't get the chance to watch him plan his mission for walking into Arimaspi Territory personally, but when he walked into that forest by himself with only his wits and weapons, he didn't wilt under the pressure."

"Arimaspi!?" Hestia nearly shouts. "Those things are huge! They crush ponies without even trying! You mean to tell me that he fought against one of those things!?"

"Not one... hundreds." The former princess elicits a slack-jawed response from both of the imperials. "We were even under the impression that he had died as a result of a close encounter photographed by some journalist. So we sent in a covert operation unit to retrieve his body in a bid to bring back something for his family to bury. But then they found themselves in an ambush, it pretty much seemed over from there."

"And what happened next?" Amor questions eagerly.

"You wouldn't believe it, but Nondis came and saved them. Turns out he had not only killed the one he came into a close encounter with, but hacked it's head off. He just went about his way, doing what he could to save his own life, making sure the elements couldn't get to him. And in the end, he came back with more than a few souvenirs."

"I'm sure that had to be pretty easy with that shadow of his doing the work for him." The young prince responds.

"That was before he got his shadow." Mrs. Kalimba adds.

"He didn't have it then?" Asks Hestia. "Then how did he get it?"

Both Mrs. Kalimba and Celestia look to each other, a mutual silence falls between them. The alicorn promptly gives her answer. "I'm afraid I can't disclose that. It's a private matter of a very sensitive topic. My husband trusts me not to discuss it, I abide by his request."

"He said something about being the last thing the Doctor's ever made. Do you think that maybe that shadow was his gift to him?" Hestia questions.

Celestia frowns in thought as she closes her eyes, memories flash of the ones that used to be, the ones who carried such similarities, and their sinister purpose. "If you only knew what he was trying to accomplish by giving that to him, you would see the truth of that curse."

"It's not pretty." Mrs. Kalimba cosigns.

Amor's eyes lift to the sky for a moment, squinting before growing into a mild panic. "Uh... in speaking of not-pretty things, I think he's going to need to make that trip quick."

"Why?" Celestia asks as she turns to see what it is that's gotten the young prince's attention. "Oh... Oh dear."

We all stand to see the looming formation of ships in the distance, each coming from the south and the east. Highlighting the formations are a few larger vessels with a far more intimidating presence than that of the other airships we've seen along our escape. "Dreadnaught class interceptor. Diesel engines, steam driven hydraulics, two rows of mounted artillery to each side, complete with harpoons and tether lines, mountains of ammunition that are specifically enchanted to not decrease the performance output of the engine due to heavy load. It's the fastest ship in the fleet with the most punch packed." Hestia details with a grim tone. "That's Xerxes' fleet alright, both his and Agamemnon's."

I facepalm with despair over the unfavorable development. "Ah hell."

Meanwhile...

*chi-POW!*

*chi-POM!*

*zak!*

*zzzzeom!*

"Arrrgh! GET ME ANOTHER!"

"LOAD ME! HURRY IT UP!"

The tavern, once filled with varying customers looking to enjoy their meals, clear out from the periodically chaotic scene. The chaotic exchange of pellets are short-lived as it's followed by a varied period of silence between exchanges. The bartender keeps her head ducked down under her craggy countertop. Tables are flipped over, providing enough cover for the centuries of each faction of the respective princes.

"Agamemnon!!!"

"What, can't stand the embarrassment of getting
outdone by your little brother!? How typical!"

"You're wasting my time!"

"And you're wasting pellets! Couldn't your aim be
a little better for being the crown prince?"

"As if you're one to speak!"

Nondis, who is supposed to be witnessing the duel taking place, has his back to the chaos with his horn streaming a constant magic incantation, providing a barrier for himself as he calmly sits at the bar, sipping down a foamy lager while waiting for his bowl of borscht. "So... seeing how you guys are a restaurant here, I'm still looking for someplace to go grocery shopping after this. Got any good suggestions for fresh produce?" He addresses his inquiry to the bar manager hiding under the counter.

"Sir, there is firefight in room, amongst imperial family no less." She stresses, keeping her head down.

"Meh, you ask me, they can't hit shit as it is." He says as he sits his mug down, only for a bullet to shatter the bottom and decimate his drink. He glances down with disappointment over a good beer gone to waste. "Almost can't hit shit. And that was a damn good brew."

"I beg to differ. We have better brews, but that is aside from point." A bullet clashes against the wall with a loud pop. The mare drops her head lower.

As the princes call for their lackeys to reload their weapons for them, the stallion rolls his eyes at the pair before returning his attention to the manager. "I just want to know if you can help me or not."

"Sir, if you need help, I would recommend you get down."

"Ah c'mon. It's like forty seconds between shots, we're fine."

"Aren't you supposed to be witnessing duel?"

Nondis mocks the idea of watching the pair go at it. "For what? Their family issues ain't got nothing to do with me. I'm just a passing sailor looking to refuel and restock."

"Come and get the sweet release of death!"
Calls Agamemnon.

"Oh go release yourself, you could use
some filthy harlot like you always do!"
Replies Xerxes.

Seeing how he's probably not going to get any recompense for the lost beer, he quietly stands on the bar, looking down beneath the counter for another mug. He refills his mug and waits for the beverage to foam over before cutting the tap and taking a proud sip. "Ah, gotta love an old school brotherly conversation."

"Poor babushka, the family tavern is getting torn to pieces." The barmaid answers, not even angry with the fact that Nondis replenished his drink without payment.

A shot rings out, hitting the barrier the stallion's casted on himself, ringing a hollow tone as the projectile is completely disintegrated. He looks down at the mare taking cover. "Okay, if I help move these guys topside, will you help me move things along?"

Another shot rings out, hitting what appears to be a portrait of a proud stallion sitting at the top of the bar. The picture is shattered instantly as the frame lands to the ground beside the mare. "Oy blyat! Papa!..." She appears crestfallen over the image of her father's likeness becoming nothing more than shards of glass and paper. "Well there goes daily motivation."

The stallion gives a sagely nod before downing the rest of his drink and hopping off the counter. "Give me a sec. I'll take care of this."

"I ought to cut your wings off when you die!"

"I'll smash your horn and grind it to powder! I
could make a small fortune on the market!"

As the two imperial siblings continue to trade their barbs, the irritated stallion finally stands up to the pair. "Gentlemen!" The pair of princes turn toward Nondis with a mix of bemusement and revulsion. "Trying to feed the unfortunate here, and I'm sure the owner of this establishment does not want to deal with more of her shop getting turned into a shooting gallery. Might I advise that we relocate this to somewhere offsite?"

"What's the score?" Agamemnon demands.

He looks to his left, seeing the scarred prince and his forces, at least five guards peeking out from behind some tables made into cover. He looks to his right towards Xerxes, a similar number of guards poking their heads from a similar setup. He shakes his head at the pair. "None of you are dead, so zero to each."

The intrepid prince grins as his entourage starts to show remorse for having been picked for their assignment. "You hear that, it's a battle to the death, no numbers spared!"

The scarred prince boisterously cackles as he takes a pistol from one of the now-trembling centuries. "Now I know I don't have to hold back!"

Seeing how neither of the parties want to die explicitly in this manner, Nondis effortlessly levitates the ten armed stallions and places them outside of the tavern's entrance, giving both princes less of an inventory to work with. "Okay, gonna ask this one more time. Take it topside, boys." The pair glance to one another, their duel interrupted by their supposed referee. Instead of calling the matter a stalemate, they merely aim their weapons for him. The disguised stallion is not impressed. "I just want to add, that's not the direction you'd want to point those."

"You dare give instruction to an imperial prince?" Xerxes questions, seeming highly insulted by the suggestion.

"We ought to slaughter you where you stand, you useless pubic flea!" Agamemnon shouts.

Nondis continues to show calm in the situation. "Boys, I'm gonna learn you a little something. You couldn't kill me, even if you tried. Trust me, I've tried it. I just don't go down."

"Then perhaps you haven't tried hard enou─"

While the scarred prince tries to make a lunge for him, he's quickly countered by a magic bolt hitting him in his chest. Agamemnon falls to the ground, partially numbed from the impact. "You may be the prince around here." He performs the same action to a stationary Xerxes, causing him to fall as well. "Both of you. But let me make one thing clear." He promptly takes the pistols they previously held in their magic, tossing them behind the counter for the manager to collect. "You terrorize your citizens with whatever paltry bullshit you got going between the two of y'all, they are gonna find a way to run this place without you. Now respectfully straighten your shit out before your citizens straighten up and do some shit without you... or to you, because they might get that pissed off."

Agamemnon struggles to his hooves, rubbing his chest to shake off the numbing blow. "Did that flea just─"

"I believe he did." Xerxes takes less time to recover from the blow, showing his endurance. "So I trust you're feeling just as disrespected?"

"Without question. We'll settle this matter in a moment."

A begruding Xerxes extends his hoof for his brother to shake. "Then we have truce."

"A truce it is then." Agamemnon becomes on one accord with his older half-sibling, accepting their temporary union. Both of their horns glow their distinctive colors, silver and red alike. "Let's skin this peasant alive."

Nondis sees the scarred prince's aura and smirks, his magic turns from it's white glow to corrupted black and purple streaks of electricity with green bulbous sparks. "So, y'all know anything about this here?" The pair tries to hide their confusion. "No? Okay. At least I know what kind of alicorns you aren't."

"What are you alluding to?" Asks Xerxes.

"Well..." The shadow beneath him grows slightly, his eyes closing as he shows little care for the encounter. "Why don't I show you instead."

I don't think I've ever had the opportunity to wait around as a ship refueled. I wasn't aware of the logistical waits that entail sea travel, especially since I'm able to fly. But flying across an ocean the size of the one we're trying to traverse is considered as suicide by most dragon standards. So it's only worrying me that it's been around two hours and the process hasn't yet moved more than a notch or two. I was wrong to assume that this would be a quick process.

Then again, I trusted the standards of two retirees with nothing but time at their disposal, so that's on me.

As the process crawls along, I figure I might as well distract myself a bit to help the time go by. "So, how long have you guys had the ship for?" I ask the former princess.

"Some years now. We've gotten the hang of navigating the seas with it. Naturally I was always afforded the time to sail infrequently, but only for ceremonial purposes. Hard to not know how to sail a ship after a thousand years of naval ceremonies and the like. I can navigate airships also, but not as well as this though."

Hestia also brings up another point of interest about the former ruler. "You yourself fly though, and you have─well, had servants to do that for you. Why did you reduce yourself to such menial tasks?"

"Because I find enjoyment in them, just embracing the normalcy that others go through on a day-to-day." She replies as she looks to the vessel moored to the docks. "What you have to remember always is that I had a thousand years to do practically everything one could ever dream to do. To say that a lifetime is too short to accomplish that is truth, but so is saying that having five is enough to get bored of it all, much less the dozen or more I've lived. Eventually, I ran out of things to do. And since I've met my husband, I've been opened up to a whole world of possibilities, all sorts of activities I never dreamed of doing, going places I've never seen, hearing things I've never heard. It's been interesting to do it all, and take part, plus not have to worry about being on a strict schedule. I'm allowed to be normal, even if my history has been all but that."

Amor pops another question. "So you say there's a whole world of things you haven't done since you met your husband. I didn't think there would be much else to explore after a thousand years. What are some of the things that he's showed you?"

The alicorn closes her eyes, reminiscing over the times her and her husband shared. "Where do I even begin?"

"I could humor your crude thoughts and fill your mind with all sorts of innuendos, I could do that all day. But dumbing down our relationship to just that alone would be a disservice. I couldn't bear the thought of summarizing him to the simple idea that he's good in bed. I'd love to talk about the things we've done together outside of taboo exchanges, and... my recently discovered fixations." Hestia appears to be the most visually disturbed over the topic, but is willing to bear the discomfort of listening to the former princess. Celestia takes notice of her mild disgust and veers to the next lane of her topic. "For example, we had a beautiful honeymoon, he and I. We spent our time in someplace called the Maldives. The sunsets there were mesmerizing, no work needed. We rented a cabin on the water and stayed for a week. There were some storms that came through occasionally, but it was beautiful. We took pictures, since the cabin was off the water, we could see forever across to the sea. Sometimes those storms brought wonderful scenes after they died down. One of them was a sunset I never thought I'd see in my many days. In the years I have cultivated the skies, the positions of lighting, I could never. My sunsets were a somber farewell compared to that, never as beautiful as that one evening. And the thing is this: Their sun needs no prompt to make the colors it chooses to make."

"Their sun?" Hestia tilts her head. "Oh, I guess you mean whoever was controlling the sun while you're away!"

Celestia shakes her head. "Not here, in our world. I mean elsewhere, in the human world."

"The human world!?" Amor shrieks. "You've been there!?"

"And traveled it. It's such a large place. The world is so vast, so different, and it's people are so diverse. I've heard tongues I've never uttered or heard once, seen cities that sprawl from mountain to mountain, roads that link the seas, constructive feats that makes you wonder of their hubris against all that denies them, to spite their lack of the magical freedoms we have." In the midst of her waxing, she giggles over the fond encounters, the many stories she's cultivated with others we'll never know or see. "We've spent a lot of our relationship going back and forth, seeing the things I could never imagine. And our Maldives trip was just a reminder that not even I have mastered the potential of how I can place the sun in such a way and time where the skies are blue, and pink, and red, and orange, and purple, simultaneously... nor have I even tried."

Mrs. Kalimba speaks up at last, the alicorn's testimony drawing interest from even her. "When we go out to the sea, when we at last get the moment to ourselves, do you think you can try to recreate that light for us?"

"Hardly, I don't use my magic to control the sun anymore. I haven't tried it since I've retired. I vowed not to intercede, to allow my protégé and successor all the space and power to do as she sees fit." Celestia scoffs at her own work, comparing herself to Twilight's short resumé on the subject. "To be honest, her sunsets are getting better, they clear mine by a mile. I could ask her when we get back. She's pretty good at observational learning."

"So let me get this straight." Hestia inquires. "You gave up your power and everything for him?"

"Why shouldn't I? He gave everything for me, even his life... both of them."

"But what happens when it's all over?" Proposes the young prince. "Surely he's not immortal."

"And neither am I." She replies. "We all have our time."

"Pet?"

Each of the ponies' ears shoot up, their tails flick, and their necks crane to the source of the voice. I turn my head over to the docks, seeing a familiar figure approaching with an interested sway. The manner of her walk shakes all security in my mind as the sounds of her hooves nearly drown out all else in the busy port. Her eyes look at me with a juvenile glint, indicating her fairly simplistic intent once she has me in her possession for the umpteenth time.

"My dear pet. At last I've found you. Come to me." She slows her approach, making herself seem as non-threatening as possible. "Come now, I won't hurt you. You know that."

Celestia's bewilderment appears moderate as she asks the imperial siblings. "Who is she referring to?"

"Me." I say as I raise my claw.

She barks at us with an enthusiastic grin. "And look at who is accompanying you as well! Holy mother, it is good to see that you are also unharmed and well! I worried for you, having endured such frosty climates! I have come to return you to your home." She stretches a hoof to me. "As for you, pet, I've come to return you to where you belong. So quit with this dallying around and come on here. C'mon." Her smile dissipates as she also notices the pair of lesser-bloods looking back at her. "Oh Amor, Hestia, such ill tidings upon our little family reunion. Father is not pleased with either the both of you. I'm afraid that you'll return to him and be brought to face consequences." At last, her attention darts to a figure of similar features. "An alicorn amongst you? Pale in complexion, lightened eyes, donning both genetic gifts? How dare you set hoof on our shores, bearing the imperial birthright! Surely you've made yourself my imposter! At least get your mane and eyes right!"

"You're Basileus' kid, aren't you?" The former princess quizzes the mare.

"I am his first-born of lineage, yes." She answers.

"Not quite that, you're actually his forty-ninth offspring."

Amor's jaw levels with the ground as Hestia announces her disbelief. "FORTY-NINTH!?

"Wait... I thought she was the first born." I point over to her.

"Oh far from, Spike. His lineage is much bigger than what he's been known to lead on. And of course with dubious intent." She explains. "If I know Basileus, his habits have not strayed much from his youth. He's always been a fraternizer of mares, an illicit glutton for the act of procreation without paying homage to the consequences that follow. He's even known to make his advances towards other mares whom he's taken a lustful eye to, even when they are well-spoken for. To say that he hasn't made his advances towards me for some decades is an outstanding lie. He's been vying to take me since he was twelve, and of course my constant refusal has led to much political discourse between our two nations."

I turn over to Amor, muttering a comment to myself. "So that's why Twilight's been rejecting you."

"In truth, I've been proposed to by every last emperor of that lineage for the past three-hundred years, and every time I've said no. I'm just not interested in being a breeding farm for an emperor's who's only method to posterity is to sire offspring of a similar likeness." Celestia holds out a wing, partially covering her face, her feathers extending outward. "Personally, I'm a little too pink for his standard anyhow."

"So... We have more siblings, siblings born before Zenobia? What about them, are they not lesser-bloods also?" Hestia asks as a more dejected reality manifests in her mind. "So this whole time, we haven't been imperial family members in his eyes, have we?"

"As harsh as it is to hear, hardly." Celestia answers. "And of course, the one he claims to be the 'first' of his lineage bears his more obvious genetic traits, while being the forty-ninth attempt." She addresses the imperial noble-blood directly. "I bet the only reason he's kept tabs on your mother is because she's shown promise to bear yet another with similar features to him. And that she did. It might have been a brief appearance for neutrality's sake among world leaders, but I do remember attending the wedding after little Xer-Xer was born."

Although the news of her lineage shakes her, she regains focus and narrows her sights to the opposing alicorn. "Enough of your prattling bullshit! Who are you?"

Celestia quietly answers her. "Little Zena, it's been ages."

Not the response she's been wanting, the princess draws forth a spear and aims it for her chin. "Alright, bitch! You're going to tell me who the fuck you are before I disfigure that mug of yours!"

The retired royal expresses profound disappointment. "Oh, and to think you showed much promise in your budding youth, a terrible sight to see what you've become." She tries to level with the mare. "I mean to ask this with no ill intent. Did your father not love you enough?"

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!" The noble-blooded mare shouts back at her, pressing her spearhead against her chin, drawing a small amount of blood. "You know NOTHING of me!"

Celestia stands quietly as her wound gradually heals under her coat of fur. "Oh Zena, what have they done to you? Tragedies are truly commonplace."

Any words of compassion offered by the former royal are lost to Zenobia. Instead she acts out of rage, her mind recalling the stallion that insulted her. "So I'm to assume you're that pretty alicorn that the rouge apostle mentioned." She offers a quick flick of her spear, slashing a scar into Celestia's cheek. "I guess I can win one on him by tearing your face to shreds!"

Showing an unreal amount of patience, she disregards the cut on her face and merely waits for it to heal under her fur. She makes no sudden moves as she offers the standing princess a query. "Zena... do you remember, years ago, the one time I raised the sun for you?"

While hatred fills her eyes, her mind tries to recall such a moment from her youth. While she's been given much in her life, there is only one instance where a similar moment is brought up.

►~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~♦~~~~~♦~~♦~♦~♦~~♦~~~~~♦~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~◄

In the halls of Midnight Castle, Celestia walks from a trade negotiation having gone nowhere. The frustrated princess of Equestria marches with complaints stewing quietly in the recesses of her mind. A long and arduous travel, combined with a myriad of other meetings prior to this negotiation stack her schedule to the point of significant sleep deprivation. The mare passes through the hall, her mane cascading in a windswept flow, despite there being no such breeze. Her chestplate wears heavy on her neck, as does the numerous comments and advances from Ponyland's emperor bears down on her thoughts.

"Your highness? Your highness?"

The princess wipes away all of her personal struggles as a filly's voice hails beside her. She looks down in the direction of the young filly's voice, seeing a tiny alicorn filly galloping alongside her to keep with her long-legged strut. "Ah, Little Princess Zena! What is it?"

"Here's the results of my recent studies!" The little girl proudly presents the elder princess with her recent progress report, reading off the high marks. "You promised to raise the sun for me last time if I did good!"

"Oh, I did say that!" She confirms. "Where are my manners? It slipped my mind, I wasn't even thinking. And you did so well! We should try to talk your father into getting you enrolled into my school."

"My mum said I'm not allowed to leave until I become a full princess. Maybe if I go with you, I can be a real princess alicorn, just like you! And maybe daddy will pay more attention to me! I mean he's got to if I'm going to be a real princess some day."

The elder princess looks off from the young filly, harboring discouraging thoughts but choking them back as to not crush the young filly. "Don't worry. I'm sure you'll be a good princess, even if you stay."

The little filly prances up and down, eagerly giggling over their promise. "Well I know that mum says that I can get his attention by doing good in my studies! Now even you can see I'm doing great! So does that mean I can see the sun come up now!?"

She takes a look out into the night sky out of a window, knowing it's only been a few hours since she's lowered the hulking celestial object. "Well, I'm not sure if I can right now. She's on the other side of the world, making the other ponies happy."

"Aww! But you promised!" The filly moans with disappointment.

The elder princess, not one to let a young foal walk away disillusioned, tries to come up with a compromise. "Tell you what, I'll make a special little sunrise for you right here in this room."

"But it has to be the big one!" Little Zenobia demands.

"Must it be?" She asks, feeling a bit tired.

"You promised it would be the big one! Oh please!?" She begs.

Celestia continues to hide her personal feelings over everything, including her own desire to simply let the young foal down so she can get some much-needed rest. But her conscience rallies against her desire for an early turning in. So she wills herself to make provisions to wake up a half-hour earlier than usual, at least to accommodate the young princess' request.

"Okay. Can you wake up real bright and early for me?"

"How early?" Asks the little filly.

"Like really early, while it's still night."

The young Zenobia groans, wanting to wake up late the next morning. "I don't wanna wake up that early."

The elder princess continues to hard sell on her allotted time. "Then I'm afraid you'll miss your sunrise."

"But I don't wanna miss it!" The filly complains.

She bows down, taking in a low voice so the others can't hear. "How about this, I'll raise it just enough to wake you up, and then when you're wide awake, I'll let you help me raise the sun from there. How's that?"

Instantly, the little filly's eyes shine like fireworks had been unleased into the night sky. She celebrates the offer, completely disregarding the early wake-up time she's volunteered for. "That's incredible! You're so amazing! Promise you'll wake me for it!"

The mare snickers lightly, smiling sweetly at the filly. "I can't possibly break that promise, now can I?"

►~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~♦~~~~~♦~~♦~♦~♦~~♦~~~~~♦~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~◄

The magic still circulates within her horn, but her spear grows unsteady and wavering. Her eyes don't well with tears, but they shimmer at the reminder of the last bit of her short-lived period of innocence standing before her. She presents herself not as the towering figure of royal prestige with years of wisdom sat upon her countenance and a luxurious mane ever flowing in the wind, but a simple mare with a shortened mane and no regalia to her form. Her smile, the only thing that seems to remind her of that last bit of childhood aspiration she once had, remains just as ageless. "...No. There's no way."

Celestia makes no move to remove the trembling weapon from her face, only offering her upturned dimples as tribute. "Little Zena, you've grown... so much."

Both of the imperial princes, after a short but taxing battle, are brought to their backs in groaning agony. Painful bruises and shallow cuts dot their bodies as the adept third party lords over the two defeated stallions. The bar manager, as well as her grandmother watches quietly while nursing down a pint each for themselves. They enjoy the disciplinary process the two imperials have undergone, so much so that they offer the victorious stallion a free bowl of borscht and bread.

Probably the worst thing that the two princes have suffered in this humiliating defeat is that halfway through the fight, the offer was made to him, and he started eating and drinking during the engagement. As of the moment, there is a spoon that stirs in an empty bowl, crumbs at the counter, and a mug to Nondis' lips.

"Yeah, not a bad dish. Could use a little chuck beef in the mix, but that went down pretty damn well. But I should start moving after this before I nod off to sleep."

The elderly mare loudly calls back at him. "Why wait!? We have rooms! You stay however long you like!"

"Oh ma'am, you don't have to be so generous to me." He replies. "Besides, I gotta get back to my ship."

"Oy blin! You need grocery! You play with vadim, I go get stock from back."

He smiles warmly at the elderly mare walking off to the supply room, making a comment towards the younger mare. "How often you guys get business?"

"We do well for under-dwellers. Can't complain."

He looks to the broken picture. "Did your dad ever want to go topside with the business?"

"Was his lifelong dream, did not live to see it. Prostate cancer."

"Ah, that's rough." He says as he pulls out his sack of jewels. The contents of the brown sack spill onto the counter, revealing a multitude of dragonfire rubies, in shards, chunks and in whole heart-shaped forms. The mare gasps as he speaks. "That's not just for repairs around the place, I want to see a second location for you guys, up in the city proper this time. Maybe this will start you off, I sure hope so. The food you have here is great, and maybe you can feed some struggling stragglers along the way. Just an idea."

"О, папа, твоя мечта сбывается! (Oh papa, your dream is coming true!)" The mare tries to collect herself over her emotional excitement. She scoops the donation from off the counter and smiles back. "Спасибо. (Thank you.)"

"Пожалуйста. (You're welcome.)" He says with a heavy American accent before turning his attention to the defeated princes. "Gentlemen... What have we learned!?"

Xerxes strains a response. "You're... a demon. Hellspawn."

"Oh I'm hardly any of that right now, you should see the other side of me I keep repressed. If it wasn't for someone still calling my name in the back of my mind, I would've probably started down a really dark path to recount to you exactly what you lot have been asking for."

Agamemnon finally gives his answer, trying to shake off the pain. "Vile demon from hell."

Nondis comments back to the scarred prince. "You were the one with the most bravado. Agamemnon, was it? Interesting name choice." He leans into the prince. "So I take it you're done with the tough-guy act, because you haven't been hanging in too good. And you don't do well for pain tolerance either, despite the appearance. I could help you with that─"

"Get away from him." His brother replies, trying to cast a bolt of magic.

The magic blast is easily warded off with a tilt of the stallion's neck. "Weren't you two trying to kill each other a moment ago? Or is it simply that you don't want the satisfaction to go to someone else? You can tell me the truth." He pauses, thinking about the name of the prince. "Xerxes, was it?... Yeah, I got a bone to pick with you."

"What matters you have with me?" He snarls.

"Well since we're all pressed for time, I'm not going to bullshit you on the matter. You took it upon yourself to wipe forty lives right off the face of Questis. A lot of those guys had friends and family, lives to go back to right after this here trip. You wiped them clean out with not a fuck to give for those back home. Quite frankly, that's grounds for a war, and a shit-ton of paperwork to be signing over... had I not been retired from my post. But fortunately for you, that amount of paperwork signage is completely above my paygrade these days. But since you guys wanna be starting something, you gotta commit. Too high to get over it, to low to get under it, you're stuck in the middle, and that pain's gonna hit like thunder." He says while he starts to dance in place. "Ah! Cha-mon-ah!"

Agamemnon grumbles towards the looming figure. "So you are an Equestrian?"

"So was your esteemed 'doctor', but that doesn't stop you, now does it?"

"Then you must be the rogue apostle."

Nondis quirks his brow at the prince's name for him. "Apostle? Man, you guys come up with the dumbest names... But then again, I guess that's on brand for you lot. If I remember correctly, he gathered a bunch of 'dolls', from the morgue, fused them all together with a living little filly, and sent her to terrorize a town, you know what he called her? The congregant. He had one hell of a god complex too, too bad that all went away when he got caught up in an easy-bake oven. But I'll tell you what, hearing him scream in his last pleading moments was like sweet music to my ears."

"You bastard!" That insult seems to be the only thing left Xerxes could hurl at considerable strength towards the stallion.

"Don't be mad about it, I'm just sticking to his brand of madness. He made me like this anyways, I am what I am because of him." He walks over to the aforementioned prince and pulls at his mane to pick him up. "So in a way, me being an apostle of his madness is on the nose for you guys. The only thing I don't have is his god complex, praise be. But I do have everything else, everything he's imparted, everything he's done, everything he was, right up here." He taps the side of his head thrice, emphasizing the message.

"You're nothing like the doctor of our teachings! You're a monster." The intrepid prince responds.

"Murderer too, I'll admit it. But don't get it twisted, my motive for murder comes with a reason." He says as he yanks the prince aside. "But if you don't want me to go into detail about what a congregant is, or what it looks like, sounds like, smells like, you'll let me be on my way instead of getting me caught up in your dumbass sibling rivalry." He scans the two siblings, making sure that he doesn't have to act on dispatching them further. "Have we an accord, gentlemen?"

"Be on your way." Agamemnon utters quietly.

After getting the confirmation from him, he brings his attention to the other. "Oh, and Xerxes, you'll be seeing me more often. Every time you close your eyes to dream, you'll see me. Every time you wake up, you'll see me. Every time you blink, that brief moment of a light's reprieve, you'll see me. When you call my name, I'll be right behind you. And when you get put into your grave, and your soul gets sent to the astral plane to wander the deadlands of your sins, I will appear before you as the amalgamation of corpses you've built your legacy upon. And don't worry about your body, I'll be seeing that too." A tendril creeps from the confines of his shadow, slowly pressing itself onto his muzzle. "J̸u̶s̶t̵ ̶p̷r̵a̵y̸ ̷I̵ ̴w̶o̶n̴'̴t̵ ̶g̷i̴v̶e̵ ̵i̵n̵ ̸t̶o̵ ̶t̸h̸a̷t̴ ̷o̵t̶h̷e̶r̷ ̴s̷i̷d̶e̷,̴ ̷a̸n̴d̵ ̵t̷a̸k̷e̷ ̴y̸o̷u̶ ̶a̴l̸o̵n̵g̸ ̸f̶o̷r̸ ̸t̶h̷e̶ ̴r̴i̶d̶e̴.̶" He whispers with a cold, menacing rattle.

"Pardon." The tendril sinks into the ground with a stealthy velocity, going unnoticed by the barmaid. Nondis turns around and sees the mare happily pointing him towards the back. "Babushka says you may take cart. You will need it."

"I don't think I need a cart─"

"We insist." She says as she hurriedly guides him to the back. "Come, you need supply, we provide. On us."

"Well I can't say no to a blessing." He mutters before turning back to the pair of princes to bid his departure. "Gentlemen, till the next one."

As the stallion is guided into the back, the two brothers stand slowly from their defeat. Agamemnon winces from the pain of the blows from earlier, nursing his right foreleg in the process. "What did we just run into?"

Xerxes, still feeling the cold tentacle brushing against his lips, grumbles a response. "Hell's spawn."

The spear that was once intimate with Celestia's face is set aside, both mares engaging in a conversation over matters. The elder being a patient ear to the younger. She briefly highlights her tenure, omitting many of the other things that I know she could discuss. Celestia does the same, making sure that she does what she can to buy enough time for the ship to get a little more fuel in the tank. She also highlights a few areas where her life has changed, including the matter of her retirement, crowning a successor, and her first year of being a wife.

Zenobia is stunned to initial silence over hearing the mare's change in status. "You're... you've married?"

"Indeed. Hasn't quite reached a full year, but I'm enjoying the life of being a stay-at-home. If anything, I'm pretty satisfied in how things have slowed down for me."

"I figured you'd be bored with just sitting around."

"Well, I happen to have a husband that keeps things interesting." She replies.

"And I'm still without, for all these years." Comments the noble-blooded mare. "...An embarrassment."

"It'll come eventually." She consoles the imperial. "We all go through life, sometimes we grow slow. Took me over a thousand years to meet my significant other."

"I couldn't imagine that wait!" She says while smiling at me. "I'm still a little fixated on a more-recent acquisition. All I'm waiting for at this point is for him to come back home. Things aren't always easy at first..." Her smile disappears as she starts to walk towards me. "And I know they haven't been much fun, but if you'll give it time─"

Celestia trots her way between us, kindly refusing the mare's approach. "Zena, I'm sorry. But Spike's not able to go back with you. Not this time." As Zenobia's head turns to the zebracorn, the elder alicorn makes another point of refusal. "And neither can she. They have families, loved ones, friends to return to, jobs to perform. I know it's difficult, but they can't go."

"Please, hear me out. If I gain them for just a fraction of time, I can make a change." She pleads softly.

"What change is there in disenfranchising the free will of others, for religious gain no less?" Mrs. Kalimba calls out. "Why should we adhere to the doctrine you call peaceful when it's patron saint is but a murderer, even beyond that!?"

Zenobia tries to debate the mare over the matter. "But you don't understand, our doctor is nothing like that! He teaches us about healing and obedience! And if we obey─"

"OBEY!?" A shrill shriek echoes throughout the Foalsom sound, the zebracorn acutely and vehemently opposed to all quotes from their perceived doctrine. "FOOLISHNESS! I will do no such thing, not after what I have lost, what I have seen, what he has done to others!" Her accent cuts cleanly through with her ramping anger. "Umbra Sanctus Quorum! Dat is the name of your 'doctor'! Have you been made aware of de atrocities he's committed, what others have done in his name!?" Her anger is a righteous reprisal of her testimony, a window into the pain she swallowed in hearing that sermon a week ago. "Vipi wewe! (How dare you!) How dare you have me submit to dat life again, the life I worked seven years to shed, to forget, to heal with what remains of my family!"

"I-I don't understand." The princess shows her confusion as the zebracorn bravely marches towards her.

"Umbra is a criminal of de highest order! You will do well to abandon your beliefs in his being a miracle worker with knowledge abound! While his findings are credible, I can assure you the methods he used are far from equine!"

"But... the doctrine─"

"Your doctor believes he has a son. He. Does. Not."

"But you do have a son!" She argues. "Even the Doctor─"

"I have one, but belonging to Umbra, he is not."

Zenobia looks to debate the matter further, trying to rationalize her reason for being here. "And how would you even know it? Have you even tried to find the truth in that? In what way do you know─"

"DNA testing." Celestia confirms quietly. The younger alicorn slowly looks to the elder, a chill running throughout her body as she confirms the matter. "We are aware of who the father is, and Umbra is not it."

I'm sure the shock is still registering in her mind, it's only reasonable that she's falling to disbelief, finding whatever ways to discredit what she's being told. After all, the whispering whisp tells her everything, what to do, where to go, and in her obedience she gains favor. However, the whispers of the dead can't outspeak the voices of the living. "But..."

"I'm sorry, Zena. But the lies you were raised on, that you were told, they are only just that. I know it's hard to convey that to you, with you being world away from us, but the truth will always have evidence. Kalimba, myself, my husband, even Princess Twilight, we're all witnesses. And there are countless more of us."

Amor also speaks out, trying to reason with her. "In my time in Equestria, I was made known to most of what all happened seven years ago. The makeup of those events were abhorrent and devastating! And I know what it's like, making yourself comfortable in a belief system that's been clouded with lies. And now that there's the slightest evidence to the contrary, you start to question yourself and everything you ever stood for. I understand what it means to be in that position, I do─"

"I don't wanna hear it!" The imperial princess shouts towards her lesser-blooded sibling. "Not from you! Not from some traitor who can't get over his dead brother! You've sicked your forces on us, and now all who've marched along with you are dead! Why, because you fed them your bullshit!!!"

Hestia offers her own pleas to the distraught mare. "Please, you have to listen to reason here. I mean I know a lot is confusing right now... I'm still processing─"

In her manic mode, she gallop towards me, looking for validation. "I know you'll listen to reason. You'll help me, won't you? You even saw the Doctor yourself, you've spoke with him! I know you'll help me get through to them! We've gotten to know each other these past few days, I know that you are a reasonable soul... You'll help me, won't you?"

It always sad to see the moment when someone comes to the crushing realization that everything they've done is founded on a misunderstanding, but a grand mistruth of this magnitude is something I don't know if she can recover from. But in either case, there's little I can do to her favor other than tell her the truth. "I'm sorry... I can't help you live a lie."

Her features twitch, her eyes running for every direction around her as nothing seems to make sense. The breakdown of her reality is coming into play, and her only comfort seems to be the tale weaved by many others and presented to her like a shawl. Her only course from here one is irrationality, but also pain and grief. "After everything I've done... you won't heed? Even after I've placed myself to save you, you won't bother to help me in return?"

"Help me? Zenobia, I appreciate the ways you've tried to help me. I especially love the fact that you buried my nose into your neck, smelling your perfume, and going mad with lust. You kept me drugged up while I was between your legs the entire time."

"TO HELP YOU FORGET!" She argues. "I knew what my brother did scarred you! I wanted to keep you from going insane! I did everything to protect you, all of it!"

I shake my head at her. "I don't get it, I don't get you! You said it yourself, right after I got done rearranging your shit, you complained at great length how this country is a system that doesn't care to have you for anything significant. I was in the room when you walked back in after a meeting with your father, how you said he took the credit from you and minimized your contributions, all the things you can do, the languages you speak, the hard work you've put in that's gone completely unnoticed! And you're STILL TRYING TO APPEASE THE SELFISH FUCK!?" She stares blankly at me, numb on her processing my words. "I read you, hard to imagine the religious position you have is founded on bullshit. I get that's the only thing you basically had to your credit, and now even that's gone. I know your life has been really fucked, but you can change it right now."

"I'm trying to do that, but you won't help me!" She hollers at me. "I've done what I could to protect you! I mean was it the best way to go about it, I'm sure there were other ways! I know that our time together is a bit short and we moved fast, but you know how it is for us! You understand me, you're the only one that does these days! I don't care about anything but this! Just... just..."

"Please." I plead to her once more.

Her head falls, her eyes lowers to the ground as her horn starts to glow. "You're all I've got now." As the magic starts to manifest into the collar on my neck, I feel my limbs go numb, my legs collapsing underneath my own weight. She looks down to me with confusion, pain, sadness abound in her eyes. "You understand why I have to do this, right?" Zenobia casts a signal to my collar, urging me to stand. I try my best to resist. "Listen. If what you say is true, then what else do I have, where else do I go? And if I can't have what I have now, then are you willing to be the thing I place all my belief into, can you replace all the years of my devotion to country, family, and church? Can you seriously give me an alternative worth throwing everything away for, after all these years? Can you make me not feel as worthless as I do now? Can you stop me from feeling like there's no point to my existing, put an end to my dread? Are you willing to shoulder that responsibility?" Tears form as her magic starts to glow brighter in it's intensity, brute-forcing the submission spell onto me. "Because at this point, I don't have anything to fight for. And if I don't have you, then there's nothing else to live for."

I strain through the collars hold. Amor quickly casts the nullification spell over me, freeing me from the collar's forceful influence. Zenobia stares daggers at him as I climb back to my feet. I try to reason with her, even if the truth is that she's far beyond that point. "That's... You're asking for a bit much, don't you think? I'm not a god, I'm just me! And I'm sure you have other things to live for too, even if it may not be here. So, let's try to slow things down and think it through. Okay?"

She raises her head, only the emptiness of desperation remains on her face. "There's no time to think things through anymore." She raises a hoof into the air, trembling in doing so. "There never was." She lazily allows her foreleg to drop.

*BANG!*

The loud explosion sounds from the near distance above us, a large splash lands itself directly next to both the refueling boat and our ship. The crew of the fuel boat shout varying commands, trying to hurry with their emergency shutdown procedure.

We all glance back to the sea, seeing the imperial airship hovering not too far off from the wharf. Celestia grimaces as the work crew unhooks their hose from the ship and makes a mad scramble to dash away. But another blast serves as a warning for them to not move. Hestia calls out an observation of our circumstances. "They've beamed us in! They're using the tanker as a target! If that blows, our ship goes with it!"

"Really, the ship is what's gonna go, not us!?" Shouts an annoyed Amor. "That thing blows, half of the marina follows, never mind us!"

The adrenaline in my system is starting to run rampant, I know that if that tanker blows, I can take the heat, but not the pressure wave. Celestia may be the only one to survive, but it'll leave her disabled for a while until she recovers from the blow. The others, there would be no question that they'd be goners the instant that tanker blows, including the one who holds sway over the looming airship. "Zenobia, we can go another route with this, you know that!"

"I won't let you go, don't you understand!?" Even she's not as level-headed over this gamble, if anything she's gone insane. She speaks to the former princess with a bow of respect. "Your majesty, as good as it has been to speak with you, it is with great regret that this ship is scheduled to the bottom of the marina. I am merely executing my duties to country." Her entire presence is shattered, trembling at the thought of finality ensuing within a moment's notice. But instead of subscribing to reason, she places the responsibility onto me. "You could prevent this, my dear pet. You and the holy mother, or this will only get uglier. The choice is yours to make."

Celestia, certainly aware of her limited immortality, remains a collected voice of negotiation and reason. "Zena, you disappoint me. Surely we can discuss this."

"It's nothing personal, your highness. We both have our obligations." Responds the trembling imperial. "Some are just worth more than others."

"Then you understand the weight of your actions?" The elder alicorn asks.

Zenobia gulps a response. "Full and well."

A sigh leaves the retired mare's chest. "...You know, I never was too fond of the modern connotation of sunsets."

Nondis quietly walks along the road, having made his way through a varied network of paths that takes him back to the surface. He trots along with a sizeable wooden carriage fixed to him. He purses his lips in notion of his current payload of produce. "I did not need this much food. I came for a grocery trip, got a whole restaurant's worth of stock. Now I gotta give some of the shit away because we don't have the fridge room for all of this." He eyes a group of youngsters creeping around the market, looking a bit suspicious, as though they're casing out who to pickpocket. "Huh, maybe if I just pay it forward, no one else's day has to get ruined."

*bang!*

He looks towards the source of the sound, seeing an airship situated a short ways away from the docks. A second shot rings out. A notable crowd or regulars start to gather in the streets, watching as the airship remains stationary. He scowls as he immediately identifies the place where the distant airship seems to be looming over. He secures the heavy load, looking to go into a full sprint. As a precautionary measure, he also levitates his payload a few inches off the ground to minimize the weight during his mad dash for the wharf.

"Goddamit! That better not be towards my ship!"

Chapter 39: Cause and Consequence

After their bout underground, the imperial princes and their accompanying entourages surfaces back into the town proper. A still-laboring Agamemnon leans on one of his detail, meanwhile his older sibling shakes off the previous assault issued to them both. "Great. That magic still has me feeling tingly in spots, and not the good kind." The intrepid prince complains.

Not wanting to be seen as weak in the view of the surface-bound public, Agamemnon pushes away the guard that once assisted him along. "So what do we do now?"

"I'm not sure." Xerxes grumbles. "That dragon... to think that scaly scoundrel is getting protection from that unicorn bastard."

Agamemnon, still experiencing pain and numbness in his legs, doesn't dare to walk immediately. "I don't think I've seen a unicorn with that much power, much less that kind of power."

"There's no way there are Equestrian regulars on the same level as that guy. And even in spite of that, we've culled off forty of their so-called specialists. Something's amiss here. But the one thing we can confirm is that he could the rogue apostle we were warned of."

"How do you know that?"

"Tendrils of shadows, a telling trait that Zenobia spoke of at great length of how she's lost many of her subordinates in mere minutes." The prince recalls. "But even then she's an apostle of the Doctor's will, an abbess of his institution. So why and how would the Doctor make something that would actively go against his will? One would think he would be grateful for such powers given to him."

The younger sibling ponders a motive. "Perhaps it's a deep seeded rebellion, maybe a curse issued onto him. Perhaps his vengeance drove him to assail the very one who's given him that power. But I cannot see how the good Doctor would die by his hoof, especially if such powers were bestowed."

"There are so many unanswered questions, and too little time to solve them."

*bang*

Both of the princes take observation of the loud report sounding from a distance. They see a singular air vessel hovering above the waters leading out to the sea. Other ponies in the street stare at the development in the distance as yet another shot rings out. "Warning shots?" Agamemnon points out.

"That's Zenobia's ship." Xerxes assumes confidently. "She's probably found the holy mother."

Still unable to run for the time being, he issues his commands to his entourage. "You lot, you follow Xerxes' command. I'll stay behind and gather myself accordingly." The squad of centuries sortie with the elder prince's forces without delay. The aforementioned imperial appears muddled at the younger's submission. "Well, you have father's instruction, go on and deal with it."

"What, can't bear the idea of us failing from your unexpected intervention?" Xerxes mocks. "Or do you not want father to know you intervened against his knowledge?"

"We're still at a truce, you fool." He sneers towards the slight elder. "It's just as father said, you'll go to help her. And besides, I know when I'm in no condition to engage. You'll win this one... if you can manage."

"How quick all that bravado goes out the window when opportunity gets to knocking." Jests the ambitious prince. "Guess I should be satisfied that you finally admit to the true crown prince." He waves his hoof towards the docks. "Let's move!"

As the sounds of hooves clatter off into the distance, Agamemnon stammers quietly as he raises back to his hooves. He takes a few steps forward, completely able to trot in place proudly. He shakes off the residual numbness from his legs and snickers under his breath. "Can't wear the laurels of the emperor when you've only died as a prince. And if he runs into that stallion again, I'm sure his fate will be all but certain."

He takes to his wings, darting into the sky back towards his own airship. A smile forms on his face as he gives no mind to the fact that his elder brother would probably gain prestige with his success, confident in the impending failure.

"It'll be one less in my way, and I won't even have to scuff a hoof, a single feather over it!"

Meanwhile...

A century diligently maintains the checkpoint leading towards the town docks. Many simply wait around as they watch for the ship above the harbor to make any moves. But one party in particular calls out to the crowd to clear the way of his heavy freight. The only ones who stand opposed are the five maintaining the hastily assembled checkpoint.

"Halt!" A brown unicorn stallion calls out, standing out from the formation. He holds his hoof out to the rushing stallion that's brought to a screeching halt. "I'm sorry, but no one is permitted into the area. It's too dangerous."

Still using his magic to keep control of his freight, he comes to a clean stop with virtually no further momentum driving him forward. "Sir, I'm just trying to get to my ship!"

"I'm sorry, your ship is at risk, there's a notable threat that's in need to be subdued. I'm afraid I cannot explain any further than that." The century replies.

Nondis snorts with some frustration over the situation, but quickly runs down two options that would yield immediate results. "Buddy, what do you think it'll take for me to get you and your guys to move?"

"I'm not one to be bribed." He answers firmly. "So you can take your offers and go. I'm a proud century of the imperial grand army, you have no sway over the crown I serve."

"Tsk tsk tsk." He shakes his head, already relegating the solution to the secondary alternative. "I didn't want to do this, but sure. Why not force the issue?"

A blast of the crackling, corrupted alicorn magic is sent into the stallion's chest. The others raise up with concern over their superior getting sent to the ground after the impact. "AAARRRGH!" He screams as he tries to move in retaliation, only to find that his limbs are unresponsive for the moment. "My... legs!"

The others threaten to apprehend Nondis, but he summons a number of muskets to counter the squad's numbers. He stares them down as a cannon is brought to surface right in front of the disabled unicorn. "So, you got a family?" He asks the squad leader, yielding no initial response. "Well I guess you ain't got much to live for then─"

"WAIT!" He cries out, seeing the cannon aimed at his body. He at last gives an answer to the question. "I have two daughters... a son on the way."

Nondis nods as he hastily picks back up his wagon. "I want you to know that I've already had to rob at least twenty-seven families of their loved ones about a day ago. I did that in response to the forty that were taken a week back." He looks to the other four behind him. "And if you ask me, I can easily take another thirteen to call it even. I've got five candidates sitting here right now looking to join them."

Already caught off guard, the other centuries appear helpless with the muskets beaming them down from point-blank range. They make no sudden movements as their leader mewls in favor of their lives. "Please..."

"I think your prince is on the way over here." He replies to the rest, not wanting to waste any further time on the issue. "If you see him, let him know that the 'rogue apostle' gives him warning to not pursue. Because if he does, that's a solid twelve or more looking to get packed up in a box and express mailed to their surviving relatives. And I just warned him that I might take him for a ride. So tell your friends at the top this; Don't look for that last body, I'll have it."

He marches forward, maneuvering the cart over the paralyzed stallion. The downed century weakly hails back to him. "Wait."

He halts for a brief moment, offering yet another warning. "You know what, how about you all follow your own advice and get out of here. This wagon full of shit may be hitched to my ass, but that didn't stop me from hurting you like I've just shown. And if you plan on staying, let's just say I know a great way to make the pain stop."

The unicorn tries to stand once more, his limbs shaking with pain now. "Can't... move..."

"Meh, you'll learn to walk it off eventually. But remember, when you stand up, you run away." He looks to the others, toting the muskets along with him on his way out. "Oh, and if they threaten to kill you for disobeying, consider that your prince is more scared of me than you are of him. Have a nice day, gentlemen."

The crew of the fuel tanker watches in mortified silence, seeing the airship overhead. Their eyes go between the looming vessel, and the imperial princess in the midst of a standoff with another alicorn. Mrs. Kalimba's horn begins to weave a defensive spell to protect the party from the initial wave of cannon fire. And in the midst of the standoff, both I and Celestia try to reason with the irrational mare.

However, she takes a more sinister approach to the conversation, seeing how the imperial mare trembles with fear over her impending doom. "There's a reason I'm never too fond of sunsets." Celestia elaborates. "They may look beautiful at times, the sky surges with colors unreal to both the brightness of day, and the darkness of night. And with the modern connotations to one's cycle, it signifies the end of life. Why do we give such tragedy the name of something that's so beautiful, I'll never know... But you seem to be taking your vein of discovery a little too literally."

Zenobia continues to plant all responsibility onto me. "Pet, you can end this! C'mon and work with, for fuck's sake!"

"You're shaking, Zena." The retired princess points out nonchalantly.

"I am not!" She argues, despite the fact that her legs are just about ready to buckle under her own weight. "Please help me! I don't want to do this!"

"Then just walk away!" I call back to her.

"You know I can't do that!"

Celestia continues to play the harsh role of representing her internal self. "You may play like you don't care, but I know you fear death like every other pony. Believe me when I say that you don't announce to others when you're going to submit to the finality of death, you just do it. Making announcements, writing letters to the living, all of it are merely methods of hesitancy. That hesitation means something inside of you is fighting back, and that something is your instinct to survive."

At this point, the imperial princess starts to cry over the worsening situation, but still holds out to leave her choice to me. "Please help me, I don't want this!"

"As much as I wish I could've been there to watch you grow, I still have to treat you like the adult you are." Celestia further pushes the ultimatum. "If you're going to do it, then the choice is simple, Zena. Take as many lives as you're willing. Meet the ends you're trying to make. If you aspire to be me, then show me your unwavering conviction. Go on, get curious enough to act on it. And see where it goes from there... that's if you somehow live past this."

A set of hooves sound from the distance, gradually getting closer by the second. We see it's Nondis coming with a large wagon hitched behind him. He seems to be also lifting the wagon with his magic as a means to speed himself up without worrying about the wheels getting damaged from running speed. He screeches to a halt as he quickly observes what's going on. "...Oh cool, Mexican standoff near my multi-million dollar yacht. Love to see it.

"Nondis! Thank Faust you're here!" I yell over to him. "What's with the wagon!?"

"Ran into two other imperial knuckleheads, knocked them on their asses, donated to a local tavern, they shortened my shopping trip by giving me half of their weekly stock. Came out, saw ship, heard a boom, ran over, now I'm wondering what's going on and where's the caveman. But since you guys are so busy, I guess I'll just start loading this while I'm here─"

Zenobia raises her hoof, causing most of everyone outside of Celestia and Nondis to flinch. "STOP RIGHT THERE!" She breathes heavily while looking at the human in his equine disguise.

He glances towards her, seemingly unimpressed. "Oh, you again?"

"We're waiting, Zena. Make your move." Celestia calls out.

"Oh for fuck's─Babe, why are you gaslighting the crazy bitch while we're pumping gas?" He asks before glancing up to the sky, seeing the slightly-damaged airship and it's replenished arsenal. "Oh... Those aimed at us?"

"Very much so." His wife answers flatly.

"Ah, the old 'If I can't have you' number. Fun times." He mumbles sarcastically. "I guess I'll just just take this and load it later." He says as his shadow expands behind him, swallowing the cart whole. "Can't enjoy anything good this week."

"If you or your shadow moves so much as another inch, my airship will fire upon that tanker!" She yells, obviously trembling over the shadow's slow retreat.

"And you know if you do that, you'll walk away empty-hoofed." Celestia replies.

"I'd rather fail like this!" Zenobia screams again. "You don't know what's at stake!"

"If you're hoping you can rebound from death, that's not likely." Nondis informs her.

"And you're hiding somewhere in that shadow, trying to avoid what you truly are, Sniper Shot!" The mare stops trembling, almost as though a lightbulb ignites over her head. A smile cracks through her visage, a maddening thought stirs in her mind. "Or should I call you who you really are, Nondis P. Haines!?"

He narrows his eyes towards the mare. "Don't remember giving you that name."

"Let's just say my wisdom comes from up high." She cheeses. "You should know, you're his last creation."

"Yeah, seems like it." He answers quietly. "Or maybe he's cooking up another monster in you. You seem pretty... obedient. Did he ever tell you about the little filly he adopted, what he turned her into, what he turned me into?"

"He told me to ask you this question, and I quote: What's the difference between shit and me?"

His shadow shoots into a wide circle, engulfing anything around him within a twenty foot radius. A haunting roar sounds from beneath. Zenobia looks down to see her legs standing on the shadow's outer edge. She leaps back trying to avoid the shade, but a pair of tendrils surface and transforms into a pair of hooves clasped together, tripping her upon her retreat. The stallion cracks his neck as his eyes gives off a hollow look. He takes a step forward, invoking a terrible howl from the shadow. "NONDIS!" He stops dead in his tracks, hearing the voice of his wife as she makes a plea for his sanity. "Come home. Come home, sweetheart."

The stallion pants as he recovers from his episode. The shadow slowly retreats. Upon realizing just how close she was to seeing the monster unleashed from beneath him, she laughs in both relief and mocking. "Wow! That's it, that's all I had to say!? And to think I had a mind to find something that would break you, turns out I don't need to do that after all! Why break what's already broken to hell!?"

It's not even a moment where I could blink my eyes, I don't think I've seen a pony ever move so fast that they virtually alter the laws of physics. But that's what happened. None of us could react as fast to Zenobia's cruel comment, not one of us could even breathe a word, blink an eye, or mentally process the lighting strike that takes place.

Only instead of lightening, it's fire.

A painful wail is unleashed from the alicorn imperial, half of her face scalded, her neck and right shoulder, the top of her foreleg, all red and boiled from the impact of Celestia's indignant blow. Her hoof follows through the impact as she screams with a piercing voice.

"SHUT YOUR MOUTH, BITCH!"

The princess falls to the ground, wailing from the immense pain of her burns. Out of some form of instinct, I run after and check on her. "Zenobia!" Amor shouts out to his sister, rightfully concerned for her condition.

Hestia shouts a desperate plea to everyone around. "PLEASE, LET'S STOP THIS! EVERYONE!"

Celestia grimaces from the unsightly wound she gave to the mare, but fails to feel remorse for having reacted the way she did. Honestly, it was a good move. She was distracted, and brought down before she could issue the command for any further harm to come to any of us. And I'm sure that airship doesn't want to cause harm to their princess when she's in this condition.

In speaking of which, I loom over to see Zenobia in bad shape. I'm careful not to touch where she's hurt, but her writhing isn't helping her pain any less.

"Dragon!"

My claws flex from the sound of the stallion calling out to me. I look up to see twelve centuries, armed with muskets and led by none other than Prince Xerxes. "You again?" Nondis comments.

The prince focuses in on the sight of his wounded sister. He easily identifies the burns on her body, and my looming over her. The stallion fiercely scowls at me, already determining me as the source of her new injury. The mare continues to howl in pain, really setting him off. He summons a musket, and lifts his wing to signal to the airship above. "I'll kill you! I'll kill you dead for what you've done!" He also shouts his command. "TAKE AIM FOR THE DRAGON! FIRE!!!"

Nondis leaps in between both us and raises a barrier to protect us. "Decision time! Make a move!" He hollers at me as the pellets impact against his shield.

After firing his first round, the prince summons a pistol to use instead of reloading. He screams back at me before firing his second. "You let her go, you yellow-bellied bastard!"

I think quickly, looking to make a split decision as both Celestia and Mrs. Kalimba shield our ship and the tanker from the incoming cannon fire. As the princess continues to suffer, I call out to Amor in the midst of the chaos. "Cold water! She needs cold water for the burns!"

One particular blow towards the tanker cracks the shield placed up by the zebracorn. She winces from the immense stress. "We can't stay like this!"

"Not going to!" I holler back. I scoop the alicorn mare and run with her in tow to the yacht. Nondis voices his disapproval. "I know you're not putting her on my fucking ship!"

"Leverage!" I shout back. "They didn't kill her before, they won't kill her now!"

"And just like that, we've somehow accidentally a war." The stallion complains as he sheds his disguise, getting in a much more comfortable form for his own magic management. Standing as a human, he shouts to his wife. "Tia, start the engines!" His tendrils rise to form a temporary barrier over the tanker. The multitasking man places an expedited inquiry towards the lesser-blooded siblings. "You two, staying or leaving!?"

"We are leaving now!" Amor answers, grabbing his sister by her wing and tugging her along.

As the pair gallops onto the ship, Celestia leaps into the air and lands on the ships deck to widen the perspective of her barrier, covering both the yacht and the tanker. Mrs. Kalimba sighs as she's finally freed of her strenuous defense. She offers a comment towards the man. "You know, this obviously counts as a hostile act endangering life by means of firearm, correct!?"

"You know what, you're absolutely fucking right!" He calls out happily. "Weapons free!"

The zebracorn does not hesitate.

She summons one of the weapons that's stashed on the yacht, an assault rifle with two magazines of ammunition. She also summons a shotgun for the human to use. The prince stares back as the weapons manifest before his very eyes. "What the hell is that!?"

As they're still left with their reloading process, Nondis chambers a shell and takes aim at the other guards behind him. "Twentieth century innovation! Be enlightened!"

The powerful blast of the shotgun peppers against the prince's forces, injuring a few and felling one. One of the centuries leaps in front of him, offering to protect him. "Your majesty, fall back!" But in his bid to defend the prince, one of his hind legs is shot from underneath him. He falls to the ground, screaming before another three bullets are burst-fired into his body, blasting open his chest in front of the prince.

The zebracorn fires her rounds at the others who appear to be the closest done with their reloads, a burst of three per shot quickly demolishes the ones who dare to raise their muskets to fight back, leaving them a heaping mess of their former selves. More guards pour in from varying areas, looking to bolster the numbers, but a shotgun round quickly sends some to the ground with serious injuries.

One takes cover, trying to take aim at Mrs. Kalimba, only to be greeted with the muzzle of Nondis' Citadel Boss 25. With the squeeze of his trigger, the stallions head is shattered into fragments of bone and pink matter. The others watch in horror over the blatant carnage. The muzzle is aimed at another, fired, and another head disappears. He takes aim at another, not quite hitting them in the head for a quick dispatch, but hitting their chest for a cruel excavation of his internal organs.

Seeing the speed of their weapons, the prince realizes that their slow reload speeds aren't enough to pressure the offensive duo. "The spears, you fools! Use the spears!" He orders.

Mrs. Kalimba holds a side down to herself, mowing down at least another ten centuries before seeing another group file in from around the corner. She summons another weapon that was stashed away in the ship's arsenal. Biting down on the pin, she releases the trigger of a fragmentation grenade, and tosses it towards the filing group. Being unaware of what the smoking item does, some stare with curiosity before the item explodes, sending deadly shrapnel into the group. The blast kills two, injuring the others that merely looked from a wider distance.

Nondis chides the zebracorn for her choice of weaponry. "Grenades, at a fuel depot, seriously Kali!?"

"There were more coming! You got any better ideas!?" She shrieks as she guns down another two centuries before having to reload.

The man fires another shot before he notices that he's out of ammo. He glances towards a nearby warehouse, seeing a few centuries trying to load their weapons from cover. He calls out to the zebracorn for their retreat. "To the ship!" He also screams out a word of warning to the cowering prince, who's more confused about the weapons displayed before him. "I'll be seeing you again! Trust you'll see me again!"

As the pair tries to quickly board the ship, Mrs. Kalimba offers a parting farewell to the airship in the distance. She quickly charges a heavy burst of magic, sending a large blow to the airborne vessel and crippling it's engines. Celestia breathes with relief as the airship crew stops firing to focus on the damaged vessel and it's stirring fires. She walks into the ship, quickly trailing for her husband and his accomplice.

Meanwhile, the once ambitious prince rises to see a multitude of corpses lying before him. His eyes wander both left and right, seeing the moaning forms of his country's finest. Some are left to bleed out from their injuries, having no immediate medical attention available. Others fade with ghastly wounds that are so numerous and precise. Of the dozens that came to his aid in the raid, only he remains of the initial wave. Another of his centuries hails him from behind the warehouse. "Sir prince!"

"A hoof cannon that fires like lightning." Xerxes whispers to himself. "...What madness... carnage... cruelty."

"Sir?" The century gazes with shock over the bloodbath left in the wake of the operation. "What the hell happened?"

The prince stares blankly at the ship in the distance, having no legitimate answer. "Hail my father. We've much trouble to discuss."

"AH! BLOODY FUCKING HELL!"

Our escape seems to have gone largely unfollowed thanks to Mrs. Kalimba's quick thinking. But the time after is far from peaceful. The wounded alicorn princess is brought to a bed, namely the one I've been given for the duration of the voyage. She, understandably, hasn't been too happy about the accommodations due to lack of comfort. A self-imposed issue due to her poor choice of words, but that's just the part of life, we deal with our consequences. I know that I'll be sleeping on a couch for the better part of the upcoming week, but that's a sacrifice I'll willingly accept, even if Nondis and Celestia aren't too thrilled about it.

In the meantime, I try to gingerly keep her from flailing around too much. "Sorry, I know it hurts. I'm just trying to get you where you're comfortable."

"Bit hard considering the fact it hurts EVERY-FUCKING-WHERE!" She lashes out.

"I know, I know." I respond as Amor also aids me in trying to keep her stabilized as Mrs. Kalimba comes around with a concoction of hers. We make room for her to start administering her medicine, which the mare predictably screams about.

"AH! THE FUCK YOU RUBBING ME FOR!?"

"Aloe vera for wound to heal." She answers. "Honestly, you got off easy. The only place you have second degree burns is where she punched you. The rest is but a mere first. Me personally, that would've been your life."

"You pressed the protective wife button, you never want to press that button." I warn her, as if she even needs it at this point.

"I was expecting him to make a move, I didn't anticipate being blindsided like that!" She argues.

"You were out of line." Amor rebuts. "I don't know what that was that made him go off like that, but when you called him out for being broken, that was beyond a low blow."

"And? It's a confrontation!" She defends herself.

"Exactly! That's why that happened!" Hestia answers back. "You talked way too much! You should've known your cue to stay quiet was from the moment his shadow got big! You saw what happened when that thing comes out, and you still pressed the issue! You obviously have a death wish!"

"The human world has a saying, 'fuck around and find out' is the phrase." I add.

"You've done just that, found out. I hope your prize is worth it." The zebracorn comments.

The alicorn princess screams out in protest. "Ugh, my fucking NECK!"

"Yelling really helps." Mrs. Kalimba deadpans.

"Why the fuck you even took me along?" Zenobia painfully questions. "I'm the enemy!"

"Leverage." Hestia replies. "If we can get close to Equestrian waters without intercept, you'll be released safe and well-cared for. You'll go back home, and father would simply have some random century show you to your room. That's it, that's your role here."

The alicorn blows off her sister's idea of a resolution. "You, of all ponies, should know father cares very little about his daughters. Do you honestly think they won't blow this ship under the waves, with me on it, if he calls for it?"

"Not that they can, we've made quick work of your brother's detail." Mrs. Kalimba notes. "Don't know how many we've killed, but they'll be hesitant for sure, especially now that they've seen what a shotgun can do."

"A what!?" Amor asks.

"Seriously, you used the human arsenal?" I question her also.

"Why are you surprised?" She responds. "They were shooting at us. There a whole protocol for that. Shout, show, shove, shoot, shoot to kill. They were trying to kill us, it's only fair we reciprocate that treatment."

"Some holy mother you are." Hestia comments sarcastically.

The zebracorn rolls her eyes. "I am far from 'holy' in every sense of the word."

"So I've heard." Zenobia mutters.

The zebracorn mare pauses for a moment, becoming statuesque. She looks at me and then hands over the bowl of ointment. "You can have this one, you've already got her tamed to an extent. Maybe you can put her in place before I put her overboard."

Amor groans before he asks me. "You got this from here? I think I'm going to go before she gets personal."

Hestia issues her rebuke of the alicorn. "You never learn to not say off-color comments, do you? Grow up sometime."

As the two lesser-bloods leave the room, Zenobia mouths back the pegasus' reprimand, mocking her before laying silent. "I suppose you'll be the one to give your little retort and fuck off next, right?"

I glance to her wounds, seeing that much has still been left untreated. "I could be, but then you'd be much worse off for it. Maybe it would be better if you didn't go for the kill-shot on every creature you run into."

"And what, you expect me to make friends? I'm not you, alright. I don't get a bumbling order of lackeys who make me smile, or laugh, or fraternize around with. I'm a princess... an unwanted one at that." She replies before I go back to applying the cream. This time she's a little more willing to grit through the pain. "You should've just left me for dead."

"Sorry, I had to make a strategic choice. You understand."

"What strategy is there in keeping me around? If you want a strategic choice, I'll outline one for you! If I were my brothers, I'd take me and the holy mother, blow the ship, blast me dead, drop me into the ocean, report back to my father and say that I was a loss at the hooves of the Equestrians, return with the holy mother in tow. Then they'd finally get the crusade my family's been yearning to wage for ages, all in the name of me. To my father, that's probably the most mileage he'll get out of me that would remotely satisfy him."

"Look, I understand how you'd see yourself as less than your brothers─"

"Do you really?" She questions. "From the moment I was born, I was always imperfect. Wasn't born male enough, wasn't pretty enough, wasn't smart enough, wasn't talented enough. I was just never enough, never."

"So you sit in a reflection chamber, building an image you think is ideal for you, all while not paying attention to the attitudes you treat others with. Wanting others to behold you in your journey of your visual epiphany, aspiring for the aesthetic of times past not realizing that your path lies elsewhere." She looks up to me as though to defend herself, but I continue. "I'm not bringing you down in any way, I'm just giving you a third-person perspective. Whenever you look in a mirror, you only see yourself. You don't see what others see in you. That's not to say that you're ugly, it's to say that you have scars you think you hide well, but they show in the other perspectives. And it's certain that everyone around you gives you those scars, but it's up to you whether you wear the makeup to hide them... or you bear the process to properly heal from them."

"Ow!" She yelps out as I give attention to her burns, namely the area where Celestia's hoof came into contact with her.

"Just like now. It's hurts to touch where you got hit because of how deep the pain goes. But if we just leave you alone, who's to say how that heals? If it's deep enough like it is here, you may never be the same. It'll always be there because you never took the time to nurse it properly. Again, not an indictment of your character, but a reflection of the influence left upon you. It just tells me that whenever you had a problem, no one gave you the attention you needed. You've already explained that much from your youth."

"Then you understand?" She asks, still bearing with the pain of me tending to her wounds.

"I understand that part just fine. But now we need to address the alicorn in the room, and that starts with you. We can't go around imparting the pain we felt upon others like it's their burden to pass that on to someone else. Some things you have to keep to yourself, even if it does hurt. I know it's cathartic to just unload on everyone, but not everyone deserves that treatment." I explain. "Have I ever unloaded anything on you that you didn't deserve?"

"A lot, actually." She answers. "Can't say that I didn't feel good when you were unloading because I enjoyed it."

Okay, seriously? "I mean did I ever treat you wrong?"

"You literally left me after I did for you." She complains. "I know my father was unreasonable with his approach, but that isn't to say that I didn't lean on you as much as you leaned on me. There were times I yearned for you, but you were gone. I can't go about like that." She squirms in thought, but winces as I still nurse her to health. "...When I heal up, I am going to do things to you. Hell, I'm only the imperial broodmare anyways, so I might as well piss off and make you a father."

...Where's the brakes again? "You realize I'm nineteen, right?"

She turns her head, slightly to not aggravate her injury too much. "You're what?" I purse my lips and shrug. "You're shitting me. No wonder your dick is good for hours on end. Holy fuck, I've managed to cut the matter a little too close, haven't I?"

Huh, to think about it we never asked once about our ages. Now I have a feeling that she's a little older than what I have pinned down as my guessing age. Hopefully it's not too far off. "I wont ask about your age. I've learned from a certain someone that asking about a lady's age is rude." At least that's what Rarity would always say.

"...Thirty seven."

"...I'm sorry, did you say something?"

"I'll be... thirty-eight... come August."

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WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT!? That's not an gap, that's a prison sentence! That's eighteen years off! The only thing that's separating us is a birth certificate and the time it takes to get a high school diploma! She's almost doubled my age! What the hell!? "Oh... fuck."

She hesitantly chuckles. "As if I care at this point, it's not like it's illegal or unsanctioned. As long as you can get it up and keep with the energy, you're fine. It's hard dealing with males my age due to varying issues. Lack of energy, low libido, erectile dysfunction, familial obligations, emotional baggage─"

"I get it." I quickly cut her off. "Holy fuck, that is..."

"Ah!" She screams as I tend to a painful area of her wounds. "Still hurts like hell."

"Now I can't say you didn't deserve this. What you said was uncalled for." I tell her. "Nondis is a nice guy who'll go as far as blowing up a building for anyone. Pretty crappy that you called him out like that. You have to remember that Celestia did marry the guy."

She shoots up with shock. "Wait, they're married? A two-legger and an alicorn princess!?" You're seriously judging? "How does that even work?"

"Dunno, but their age gap is an Olympian one. Try twenty-eight vs a thousand."

"Holy shit." She mutters to herself. "...What's he like in bed?"

"Really, you ask that now, of all times?" I deadpan towards the mare.

"What? That much of an age difference, and with HER, it has to be good."

Foalsom...

The citizens of the town, having heard the firefight taking place, also have to bear witness to the multitude of centuries getting placed in wagons for medical attention. The others that didn't make it are given a much quieter resolution. Many families are brought to identify their loved ones, some by cutie marks, others by faces. A young pair of sisters hold tight to their father as their mother expresses relief that he's come back alive. His expression isn't that of his wife's, but of stark emptiness after having seen the carnage of the fight in it's waning moments.

Elsewhere above the city, Xerxes stands before the holographic image of his father, his hooves, forelegs, body, and face stained with blood, bearing the shame of defeat. Agamemnon is even mortified by his brother's appearance, all while their father appears disappointed with the result.

"So what I am being led to believe is that they now have possession of your sister, they have the magical defenses capabilities for averting our weapons, and they have weapons that dwarf our own functionalities?"

"We were misled, father." The bloodstained imperial answers.

"You, you were misled. You misled us, now they've retaliated." The emperor retorts. "They have abducted one of our purebloods, embarrassed us, mock our religion, and now they have taken the lives of thirty-three of our centuries on this day, the toll was already at twenty-seven. Sixty lives have been lost in the past two days. This is unacceptable."

"Just come out with it father." Chimes Agamemnon, who is favorable to a possible war.

His father tries to rationalize that thought against the current circumstances. "You'd have me declare war on a nation with weaponry far beyond ours?"

Xerxes, still mortified over the chaos, stirs with anger as he feels the scorn of his father looking down upon him. "Zenobia's account is indeed legitimate. We know it was a two-legger that led the counterattack. But if we strike them when they least expect, I doubt they'll be able to do much out in the open sea. Plus we know that it's because of the two-legger that they have the weapons. So if he hit them in the middle of the water, their greatest threat would be behind us. We should eliminate that vessel first, and then we declare war."

"You would wager the death of the holy mother and your sister?" The emperor questions his son.

"Father, if we back down now, we'll never be able to save face. The pride of our nation depends on it."

The emperor slouches in his seat, showing a crack of resentment. "Too much is at stake. Xerxes, what do you intend to do?"

"I intend to kill the dragon that has wounded my sister, TWICE NOW!"

"Aside from that." The emperor complains.

"Our priority should be Zenobia, then the holy mother. Everything else from there can burn!"

"And you have a solution for this?" The emperor asks, appearing quite fed up with the matter.

"We send a fleet of airships to stop that vessel, surround them with overwhelming firepower. From there we'll conduct a recovery operation to claim the two objectives. Once those ends are met, the vessel will be mercilessly sunk to the bottom of the sea. There will be so little of them when we finish that there won't be a need for the recovery operations to verify the presence of a body."

"Very well then, I'll let you be the judge for the powers you wish to acquire." The emperor summons a scroll, unfurling a list of airships in the local area. "How many do you think you'll need to overcome their advantages?"

"Twelve should do. If we go any further than that, it would deplete too many resources from the homeland. Twelve ships, twenty-five hundred units, we put an end to this farce."

"Then I will have you take the six that are there under you and Agamemnon's control, plus another two dreadnaught class airships, five scouting class vessels, and two freight suppliers." The scroll disappears from his possession. "A baker's dozen plus two ships for ample amounts of ammunition, fuel stores, and rations. That should be enough to cover your pursuit well into their shores."

"You are too gracious, father." Xerxes bows before the emperor, more than satisfied with the provisions made.

"Deny them the idea of reaching their shores. And even if they should, you will intercept them on the ground." The albino emperor leans into his orb, appearing large and looming. "Do not fail me, Xerxes."

"There will be no such thing."

"For your sake, I pray so."

The figure fades as the transmission sphere grows dark. Xerxes remains bowed until his father disappears from view. Agamemnon, still a bit disappointed that the blood-stained prince isn't resigned to join with the others who were sent in with him initially, mocks his brother. "Well, here we are, at the apex of your imperial résumé. I wonder if you'll claim the glory as usual, or will it finally be known that you've been leeching off of Zenobia the entire time."

The older sibling teases back. "Perhaps you would like to join this little excursion, for glory's sake."

"I know a fool's gambit when I see it." He chuckles back. "It amazes me that you can't see it for yourself when it's not affixed to some slab of checkered wood."

"Then you would watch it for my downfall?" He further teases.

"I know you're just baiting me to go along with you." The younger alicorn stallion responds, but also eager to see in what way his brother could fail. "Perhaps it would be fun to see my act of succession from a close perspective."

"There's not a creature on this planet that's capable of wiping out thousands within the mere moment. Even with those weapons, they were forced to retreat due to our numbers. Failure is far from attainable at this point." Xerxes smirks. "You should enjoy the fireworks from a safe distance. I'm sure there's a cargo ship with your name on it."

"Hmph! I'll be sure to bring a spyglass."

The Gulf of Antleria...

The waves of the gulf aren't as rowdy as those of the ocean proper, but they rock the ship regardless. Laying in the bed given to her, Zenobia labors through the discomfort from her body being in constant motion. Her teeth grinds amidst themselves, her eyes clenching shut, she breathes heavily to vent her agony.

"Dammit... I hate this fucking pain."

As her eyes are clenched, she fails to notice the human quietly stepping into the room. He overhears her complaint. "Ah, the song of my people."

Not able to turn around, she tries to crane her neck to see who speaks. Instead, he walks around the bed to face her. She shows resentment in his appearance. "You."

"Yeah, me. Wouldn't you guess it?" He cheeses back to her. "You have information. You're on my ship holding that information. Personally, I could just drop you into the ocean and let you burst your blisters out in that salty spicket. But that would be letting my intrusive thoughts win, and I promised myself not to let those take over too often."

"Your intrusive thoughts?" She spits with disgust.

"Oh trust me, you don't want to know what half of them shits look like." He warns as he summons a shadow-covered claw from the depths of his feet. It appears to be a hulking reminder of a creature he's slain in the past. As the wrist surfaces, he sits himself comfortably before her. "So... You've been talking to grill master x, let's talk about him. What bullshittery did he fill your mind with? Delusions of power, overpromises of respectability, you already have the wealth so I wouldn't see you going for more of that, but maybe I can see how you'd want a direct route for you to take your crown from dear old dad. Maybe that's your angle."

"I bet you're just mocking me right now." She grumbles at the human. "Seeing me laying here, helpless and devoid of all my power, shit like this just gets you off, doesn't it you sick bastard?"

"What are you, roleplaying as my wife?" He quirks a brow at her. "If you're trying your best to get my attention, I can easily tell you you'd fail from the moment I walk out of this room with those thoughts running through my head. My wife would probably thank you because of that."

"Fuck, you're even kinkier than Spike." She hisses with exasperation. A passing thought runs through her head. "So... I'd be inclined to tell you, provided that I get something out of the deal."

The man chuckles back. "Funny, you want me to find the quickest way to get myself killed so you and your cronies won't have to work as hard. Nah, you're gonna have to earn my death certificate."

"You don't even know what I was trying to do." She bluffs, knowing she's not in any mood to indulge in her own physical desires.

"Spike told me enough. Kinda funny how he told me he stuck his dick in crazy. I originally gave you the benefit of the doubt in saying that you were probably young and didn't have control over your impulses, but the he dropped the bomb on me." He leans towards the mare, snickering all the while. "By the way, thirty-seven? You got me by nine whole years. Don't you got some middle-aged duke trying to make you a housewife, or are you that much of an embarrassment?"

"And here you are at twenty-eight, caught on the leash of an ancient deity, which I'm not understanding how that's possible with your personality and her pedigree. Me personally, I think she's just taking you for the ride."

"More than once, and my hips ain't broke yet. Guess I do have to give props to grill master x for that one. Sturdy bones." He smacks his waist repeatedly with a snicker. "Now let's get back to the main topic. You, your agreement with the dust bowl, start talking. What's on your list he's supposedly offering?"

"Power and respect, that's all I want." She proudly answers.

"Nah... it's beyond that." He argues. "Power and respect, that's something you want as a side dish, a nice dessert even. But that attention, that thing you can't get from a random raw-dog sesh, that shit that hits you in your chest real funny-like, that's the shit you want."

She rolls her eyes at the human, denying his observation. "You don't know anything about me."

"You can ask any one of my friends, you can ask the princess you've insulted, you can even ask my wife, I find out things by letting you talk about anything. I can even have you say it without even saying it. You're not the first mind I've probed, won't be the last."

"As if you're some demigod." She spits back.

"Hmm, I could be, but I choose not to go that route because I know what it'll turn me into."

"A monster?" She guesses.

The man looks down at his shadow, not exactly pleased with the manifestation he's conjured. He dismisses the large hand and stands on his own. "I'm already too much of that. I don't want to be any less of human than what's already left."

"Human?" She asks.

"That's what my species calls themselves, sounds a lot less awkward than the shit you guys call us, two-leggers." He responds. "And if your guys ran into that already, obviously you're aware that we humans have no such thing as magic, nor the shit I'm able to do."

The injured princess hails inquiry to the man before her. "Then allow me to ask. The Doctor, did he bestow that power to you? If so, then why do you besmirch his name on a repeated basis? Why not offer praises and tribute? Your testimony would be a subject of great merit."

"I think it's batshit how you think he's deserving of any merit considering what all he's done, but since you're so ill-informed, I should give you a rundown by answering your questions. He called himself benevolent, saying that he healed all the broken bones in my body, the broken bones caused by what was also one of his other creations. I can't say that I would hail him as anything other than the demon from hell given an equine body to work with. And with that one body, he stashed away millions more, those millions predating me by over four hundred years, and much less without the consent of their living families."

He summons a medical book, placing one of the diagrams next to her, revealing a rather graphic depiction of the equine body and it's internal muscle structure. He summons another, detailing the structure of the nervous system, even showing an example of how the extracted nervous system would look if stood as though it remained in the body. He pulls out another book, highlighting the practice of amputation and transplanting limbs and organs alike.

"How the hell else do you write medical books with all these juicy details that could revolutionize the medical field for future generations? It's not by being ethical and merciful, by placating to established guidelines. It's by breaking the rules and doing what's forbidden, and doing it enough times till it stops being a forbidden art and it becomes an applied practice. You don't do this shit without abandoning your humanity to a significant degree, much less grave robbing for the research. And if you think it's just your species, think again."

He summons a book, opening it from the back and flipping through the pages for her. Many remain blank for four-fifths of the entire tome, until it lands upon a page where there is a diagram of two humans placed next to each other, a dotted line placed upon their necks. There mare gasps a whisper, her eyes widening at the image.

He reveals the scar on his neck, and traces it as he speak. "So you tell me, why do I hate his dusty ass?"

Still holding to her beliefs, she tries to deny what's been shown to her. "You could be saying that just to intimidate me."

"Well, can't say I didn't try to tell you the truth, much less in it's unredacted form." He comments, dismissing the books he's summoned. "I suppose a hard head makes for a soft ass. Maybe your ass needs to be a little more tender until it finally clicks. Until then, you may want to put in for your final request an immediate order to cremate."

"Why?" She questions.

"...Because that's the only way your corpse becomes unusable. That's all you'll need to know." He answers coldly. "If you don't believe me, then ask him for yourself. Ask him how much he loved his last moments. There's a reason why I call him 'grill master x'."

A chill runs down the mare's spine, almost causing her to ignore the pain in her body. She shudders as the man stares back at her. "So what now? You'll hold me on your ship until my brothers come for me?"

He shrugs with indifference. "In hindsight, I guess I can give Spike credit for dragging you along for the ride. You can think of yourself as the bargaining chip of our safe travel. Though I'm sure you've been told that already."

"And if they should elect to choose violence anyhow?" She inquires.

"My wife knows a thing or two about human weaponry, just like Kali does." He answers as he pops his neck. "And Spike knows his way around our weapons too. So don't think of him as a defenseless dragon when the hunting guild comes around. If he's anything like me, he'll light your boys up like a 21st century skyline at night."

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

Realizing he's made another reference that the mare misidentifies, he shows willingness to give her a visual. "Okay, I know I'm not supposed to show you this, but fuck it. My world, my rules." He summons for his phone, tapping the screen and making a search for the skyline of his birthplace. He faces the image towards her. "See this picture, that's my hometown. That's the city I was born in back in my world."

Her eyes expand considerably as he nods. "Yes ma'am. That's a whole lotta lights, ain't it?"

The sun has ventured beyond the horizon, lifted to illuminate the other side of the world. In it's wake remains the moon barely giving off any light of it's own, and the seemingly infinite void of darkness that is the ocean's surface. The quiet scene is disturbed by a mass of humming ships taking a wide formation in a bid to sweep the seas of one vessel bound to the waves.

Scouting vessels sail high into the sky, making their observations. In the vast emptiness of the ocean lies a singular source of light, the yacht of the fleeing party. The observers confirm their visuals, going in depth with their reconnaissance. And in getting the information they desired, they transmit their findings to the flagship by means of a telegram.

Onboard the flagship, a signal of beeps are received, a communications expert sits by the horn, listening for the designated patters for the message that's being sent over the airwaves. They accurately translate the message to words, finalizing the message before walking towards the second in command. He hands off the information and the century relays the update to the high prince. "Sir, we've confirmed visual on the maritime vessel matching the description you've provided."

"Where?" Xerxes inquires.

"Scouting ships took high into the air to confirm our positions and theirs. They're due east, cruising at a mere thirty-five knots. We know that the vessel is made of an aluminum alloy, but they seem to be taking into consideration the icefloe conditions. We're gaining on them, should be withing firing distance come an hour or two."

The prince nods, satisfied that their pace is far faster than that of the fugitives. But he is not satisfied with the current method of approach. "You say an hour, it'll be an hour too soon. Give the order for our fleet to hang back a while, reduce speed of our main front."

"Sir?" The second in command asks with bewilderment. "Won't that let them get away?"

"Far from." He begins to explain. "We'll be taking a flanking maneuver. We hang back until our other ships get into their assigned positions. Have our scouting ships remain in their altitude until the night's waning presence, from there, have them drop their altitude. Move slow, stay low to the water's surface, and space out far enough so that they don't see us coming. The curvature of the planet will allow for us to remain unseen. From there, we gradually let our flanks gain speed, two by two, one on each side per advancement. This will cut off any of their attempts to change course. And when we finally arrive, our outside flanks should serve as interceptors. We hit them from all sides, see if that defensive magic of theirs will hold or break."

"The two objectives?"

"Have our magic specialists teleport them when they're in sight." The prince commands. "Then with those two in tow, we unleash all of the might of our empire upon that vessel, give them no escape nor recourse. We will show no mercy."

The stallion finishes writing down the instructions for the communication carriers to transmit to the other vessels. The second in command gives further insight into their timeframe to execute the strategy. "Current figures estimate that our formation will reach perfect encirclement in the matter of the next thirty-six hours with your assigned pace. We'll be well into international waters. Does this satisfy you, my lord?"

"They'll be four days away from Equestrian shores by that time. They'll still be far from help."

The second in command gives the intrepid prince a bow. "With no further word, I shall inform the emperor of your progress. He will be most pleased with your approach."

The stallion dismisses himself, leaving only a quiet prince to proudly wallow in his thoughts. "Watch and learn, little Agamemnon. This is the difference between us, your brute show of force versus my patience and cunning. You think I don't know how to lead a force not assigned to a chess board, you'll soon find my accomplishments are truly mine and mine alone."

Meanwhile in Canterlot...

The dawn shines brightly across the land of Equestria, reflecting upon eyes a shimmering brilliance of the mountainside city spritzed with a light coat of morning dew. The citizens are bright and early, some going about their daily doings, be they the foals walking to school, or even the multitude of adults venturing to work.

But for some politically wary citizens, the otherwise blissful morning comes with a sense of dread. Many have become privy to the forty missing members of the friendship advisor's traveling party. This morning is set to be an update to that situation. And for those in the know, that update will come with a lot of grief and fear of conflict rising behind the waking sun.

Once more, the microphones are warm, the signals are live, and the sole camera in the room is up and running. Meanwhile the princess behind the curtain readies herself to face the country with the tidings of ill news, followed by a disproportionate speckling of good that will only benefit that of herself and a few select other.

Her royal secretary, Inkwell, approaches with a scroll in tow. "Your highness, the speech is ready."

The high princess takes a deep breath, knowing the heat that's soon to come her way. "The fate of our nation will soon be in the hooves of a bunch of parliamentarians and senators. They're not going to look at what's lost to us already, they'd probably be as eager to lose plenty more for the sake of national pride."

"Be that as it may, nothing brings back what we've lost." The secretary offers in return. "A tale as old as time, but it's one that's not told for very long, I recall your predecessor saying as such."

The princess is comforted by the mare's words, having heard the wisdom of Celestia's former aide. She turns to her captain with a hardened resolve. "Solemn Oath."

"Yes your highness?"

"At the conclusion of this speech, we raise the level of our readiness to a national code orange. Whatever may come, we'll be ready."

"Yes, your highness." The mare salutes as another comes running in.

"Your highness!" The young mare quickly snaps to a salute.

"Yes, what is it?"

The mare seems a little frantic in giving the news. "You have a visitor! We've told her to wait until the end of the conference, but─"

Twilight cuts the young mare off with a raised hoof. "Please inform them that now's not the time."

"Oh, it's perfectly the time!" A shrewd voice screams angrily.

The alicorn princess performs an about-face, being greeted with an infuriated dragoness, tossing a crushed wad of parchment towards her. Twilight unfurls the crumpled paper, gasping as the image of her friendship advisor is plastered to the front of a wanted poster. On it reads a hefty bounty of a hundred-thousand spurs. The furious Dragon Lord herself screams at the alicorn princess with a demanding tone, never minding the sweat in her eyes from her long and expedited travel.

"Where! Is! Spike!?"

Chapter 40: Seaside Standby

An occasional spurt of magenta flames flare from the nostrils of the dragon lord. Twilight's horn lights not in defense of herself, but in merely holding the wanted poster of her number one assistant. His eyes in the photo seem hollow from what appears to be grief and trauma, devoid of the light and hope that would normally fill them. Instead, he is mortified, struck by what has grasped his attention in the given moment. The high princess sees the dread he's experiencing, recognizing the source of the dragoness' righteous indignation.

"Ember, I understand you're upset, but was this really necessary?"

"You're lucky I didn't go with my first dragon mind and chuck it through the window! To hell with the glass, you got the funds to get the shit repaired anyhow! Now you give that shit a good look and tell me what I'm supposed to feel!" The high princess does as Ember demands, forcing herself to come to the terms of the hurt her decision has caused. "I just warded off some poachers from our northwestern shores. They were in airships, fully-loaded airships. They crossed the Asparus Sea, not on a whim, but because someone gave them the idea that they should check the potential routes of a dragon's likely escape. They didn't bear any flags, but it's obvious where they came from. Now I want to know why we have poachers from Ponyland snooping around our shores. And I want to know why they gave Spike the name and description of the 'shining scales dragon'."

Seeing the image gives her considerable pause, but comfort soon finds its way to her again as she remembers their recent interactions. "He is not in Ponyland, that I can assure you."

"Seems a whole lot like he is." Ember contests. "Just days ago, he said something about a deployment for some stupid agreement. He wanted nothing to do with me because of the short time he had to deal with me! Now I see why he was so pissed!"

Twilight knows that an immediate disclosure of his experiences would only serve as a damaging wedge to all of the hard work her subordinate achieved to bring a closeness between the dragon species and ponies alike. She opts to simplify her explanation for the time being. "Spike's last known communication to me was to confirm the presence of a disturbing entity. The matters have complicated for us."

The dragoness' focus remains on her topic of concern. "Oh I would love to hear how much more complicated it can get outside of you condemning Spike to death!"

"Spike isn't dead." She reiterates.

"And you better hope that stays being the case, because if I see so much as one of his scales missing from his body, you and I are going to have problems." Ember warns sternly.

The young mare nods her head as she folds up the wanted poster. "The feeling is understood."

Knowing that further pressure on the topic would probably get in the way of her equine peer in power, she elects to postpone the meat of the issue, focusing on recovery efforts. "Where and when is he scheduled to land?"

"Likely Silver Shoals, no definite time of when exactly." Twilight responds.

The location of his intended arrival irks the dragon lord. "Silver Shoals have zero defensive capabilities. Why is he undocking there?"

"Because of who's dropping him off." The high princess explains. "Celestia is with him now, and if she's there, you know who else is there. They can't possibly fail."

Already knowing from experience the great lengths the poaching nation would go to pursue their interests, she presses back against the purple mare. "I don't think you understand how Ponyland operates."

"There's no denying how they operate, especially given that you've had to chase off Ponyland poachers." Twilight responds before flagging over both her secretary and her captain. "Now I know I have a press conference to do, but our relations with the dragons are more important. So why don't you briefly tell me what they do have and how they make their pursuits, the lengths they'll go to meet their desired ends."

Ember warns the mare. "I can assure you, no matter where he goes to now, he is not safe."

"Will they breach our boarders to pursue him?"

"They breached ours. And their weapons ensure a certain victory against us. It would be carnage to think of how they would treat you, their fellow ponies."

Twilight sits herself, already knowing that it's well past her time to proceed with her public announcements. "These weapons they have... What can they do?"

"You may wanna take notes for this one." Ember warns.

"I assure you, I'm good for that."

Northern Celestial Ocean 12 Hours Later...

The waters are starting to thin out from ice flow conditions as we hit international waters. Our fuel levels, according to Nondis, aren't exactly ideal for our voyage back home, but we understand that traveling at a reduced speed would help us mitigate how much fuel is spent at once. Celestia, late last night, advised that we find an east-bound current and ride our way through it, that way we avoid expending too much fuel. Nondis took the helm for the night and we kept things on the easy side of things up till now.

The waves are back to being choppy, a lot of the ocean's motion is what's has us occasionally tilting around the place, so much so that we've learned to walk upstairs while we're moving down the waves, and downstairs while moving up. Not all of us are developing sea legs as well as the others. Hestia seems to get the hang of things, but she mainly has her pegasus background aiding her in managing sudden shifts in resistance, that and a pair of wings. But for Amor, it's not as fun as he'd imagine it. He's still awfully clumsy, but I know he'll manage as time goes along.

Mrs. Kalimba, poor thing, has been the worst off. It seems that even when traveling in the air, she has moments where she can forget that we're still moving. But situations like this makes it even harder to manage. Add in the fact that she's motion sick, all of this comes to the point where she's falling against the walls and tripping over tables along her meandering around. Even staying in bed has been an issue for her.

All throughout the course of the morning, she's had to stomach that sickness all while tending to Zenobia's wounds. So it doesn't surprise me that she's in a terrible mood when she walks into the dining area for the first time this morning. "Ah, grand rising to you, Kali." Celestia greets her.

"Ugh." She's definitely in no mood to converse casually.

"Ooh, the sea has you feeling terrible today." She points out.

The zebracorn buckles over, plopping down onto a couch for comfort. "I don't do well with anything other than trains, carriages, and anything else on land."

"Don't worry, I know what you'll need." She answers warmly as she opens a drawer, pulling out a box of pills, but frowning promptly after. "Oh dear. I don't think Nondie ever got the chance to replenish on our medical stock. We have five days of travel, and three days worth of doses."

The zebracorn grimaces. "I'll just have to stomach those last two days."

Celestia pulls a knife from a drawer, carefully splitting the nine pills down the middle. She offers a cloven half to the ailing mare along with a glass of water. "I've split your doses, take a half every four hours. It's not ideal, but it should tide you through a little better. So instead of taking three pills a day, you'll be taking two, that's four halves. From there, you can bear with it throughout all five days. Try to stay strong for me." Her ears flick as a realization hits her, she smiles at me and makes a kind request. "Oh, Spike, do you think you can do the breakfast this morning."

"Me? Over you and Nondis?" I ask, partially disappointed that I won't be able to enjoy some of her pancakes this morning.

"Sorry, but I have to relieve the dearest of his watch. He's only human after all." She replies as she walks out of the room, her husband walking in. She gives him a hoof bump to his palm as he passes by her. "Tag in, your turn to be the socialite today."

"But mom, I wanna play X-Box!" He announces sarcastically, getting a giggle from his wife.

Amor chimes in with a modest praise of my abilities. "Well, Princess Twilight did say that you have a way around cookware. I'm pretty interested in seeing what you've got going on in that department."

I shrug in knowing that my not-so secret is laid out for him to notice. "Okay then, so what are we all looking for?"

"Sausage, eggs, biscuits and gravy, hashbrowns, French toast, buttermilk pancakes, and a side of grits." Nondis murmurs. "Nothing like that to start my morning up."

The zebracorn utters a complaint. "I don't even understand how you are able to eat that much and still be the weight you are."

"Reduced amount of intestines, remember?" He cites back to her. "I lost about two to four feet after that whole Arimaspi Mountain debacle. So my metabolism moves a little faster.

"Hmm... silly me to forget." She says while taking her medicine.

"Nah, that's not quite the level of silly like me not having time to pick up your meds back in Foalsom." He replies. "That's like if I forgot to pick up medicine just in case Shining and Cadance visits for a day out on the water."

"Oh yeah, Shining's always seasick." I point out.

The man chuckles as he helps me in the kitchen, pulling out ingredients from the void of his shadow. "It kills me how the most athletic and battle-hardened equines, the ones that literally do flips and somersaults in a fight, are always the ones with a motion sickness."

"You don't like trains." I also point out.

"Hey, I have a damn good reason why. And I don't do bullshit like visit Corrotto, or go to a medical checkup, or volunteer for any kind of surgery." He adds to his list of dislikes.

"You won't do a surgery, even if you need it?" Hestia asks, in disbelief over his adamant stance against seeking medical treatment.

"Ma'am, madam princess, you can kindly find a ladder to reach up and kiss my ass with that idea." He answers back, causing Amor to slightly giggle at the visual before an icy stare from his sister silences him.

Meanwhile, I don't share the same level of restraint, laughing completely at their interaction. "I guess I'll get it all started for you guys."

As I open the fridge to pull out some more ingredients, a slow shuffle sounds from the hallway. The injured princess enters into the room as she grimaces from the discomfort of moving. "Zenobia? Shouldn't you be in bed?" Hestia asks.

Not wanting to admit what's happened, but also seeing her bandages soaking through, she quietly announces her situation. "My bed's a mess."

Celestia, in passing by, overhears the mare's comment and offers a statement of her own. "An unfortunate circumstance, your highness. Perhaps you would do well not to make your bed so inhospitable."

"Tia, I thought you went to steer the ship." Nondis says as a means to reprimand his wife.

"I did, then I found a trail of mess in the hall. It went to the bathroom, and now I find it trails into here." She explains. "She's oozing, that should be taken care of before it leaves an unhealthy smell." She grabs a mop from a nearby closet and glares down to the injured mare. "Perhaps there is some humility in being broken, made to lay in the mess of your own self, princess. You could learn a thing or two yourself. But I see that you were never good at getting high marks."

...Holy hell, no need to burn her anymore than you've already done.

Mrs. Kalimba is at least willing to offer some medium of mercy where the former princess seems to allow very little. "Do you need medical attention?"

"Perhaps." The alicorn says shyly, feeling the ire of the departing princess that was once her idol.

"Kali, please." Nondis requests softly.

"As if I'm in agreement to this. You heard what your wife said." The queasy zebracorn stands up, nursing her own sickness down as she guides the mare back into her bed. "Come, let's get you cleaned."

After the ailing pair departs from the room, Hestia makes a comment over the tense exchange. "I always thought Princess Celestia was supposed to be a kind and caring ruler. When did she ever get like that?"

"She's always been that way. In fact, she's just as you described but to a fatal fault." Nondis explains. "She's like momma bear when it comes to taking care of her own. You saw that for yourself over at the docks. So yeah, Tia's not too fond of any words aimed for me, especially when they're so pointed that it looks to guarantee a hit. I gather it'll be a while before she can let things fall to a non-simmer."

"Honestly, I've seen you react over one joke she told vs her calling you broken. It's like night and day." Says Amor, who walks over to a table to pick up a book to read.

"The only reason why I lost my shit was because of where the joke came from, more specifically who." He answers.

"Did the Doctor do anything to you?" Asks the imperial prince.

"More than you'll ever know." The man answers plainly. "But I'm not the only one. Kali's father was murdered by him, her younger sister blinded by him, her sister's mother and grandmother were also murdered in cold blood in the same night. And I won't even speak of what happened the day after we went to ID her father at the morgue."

"What does 'come home' mean?" Inquires the imperial princess.

A quiet moment ensues for the human. He looks down for a moment, seeing his hands and how steady they are now in contrast to that one night from seven years ago, the night he took his grieving inhibitions and painful discoveries to a tavern in anticipation of numbing the pain. Instead of doing just that, it's his clandestine romantic partner dragging him to a back alley, where she pleads with him to reconsider.

"Nondie, please come home. Rest for me. I can't let you keep going like this. It hurts to see you like this, please don't push this. Just hurt so you can heal, don't be like this. Please."

Please come home...

At that moment in time, his hands were pale and clammy, scarred from the numerous operations that were done on him, his wrists coated in medical gauss, his fingers with stiches running along their back lengths as cold as the life he felt in that moment.

He blinks his eyes, seeing the present, his hands healed and showing not a single sign of their trauma, his wrists clean and healthy. Those words continue to echo throughout his mind as he gives his response. "It means I need to reign it in, live in the present, see what's going on around me, remember where I'm not. It means a lot of things, but most importantly it's the words she uttered just before I left off to the Corrotto District for the last time." He leans against the counter, starting to go a little more in depth. "The day before, I helped little Gala feel better about her newfound blindness, trying to make her forget the pain of losing her parents, and blaming it all on the sister she didn't know existed until then. But the hour before that, I was given one solitary objective for my last night in the fray the next day. My wife, rather my illegal dating partner at the time, told me this: 'Come back home when you're done.' I didn't make it home, I was taken elsewhere and..."

As he starts to think more on that time, I notice that his shadow starts to grow beneath him. Whatever he's trying to conjure up in his memories, it's stirring a terrible reminder. Apparently it's terrible enough to cause a few tendrils to start popping up beneath his feet. "Come home." I call out.

He snaps his head over to me, then looks down at his own shadow being reset in place. He starts to laugh. "Wow! Not you practicing that while I'm on the verge of a mental relapse." He stops while seeing how he almost let himself go. He gives me a nod of appreciation. "Thanks, I needed that."

"Maybe I could distract you by asking if you have some eggs."

"If I have some!? Man, I got so much shit I don't know what to do with half of it!" He exclaims, pulling a large box of eggs from the void. "There's already more than enough of us, so we might as well indulge."

Hestia excitedly walks around the counter. "I want to help too!"

Her brother calls her out. "Hestia, you don't even cook! We had servants for that!"

"Pfft, please!" The mare writes off her brother's concern. "Seriously, how hard is it really?"

After the removal of her soiled gauss and a shower, Zenobia gets back into her bed, getting herself tended to. More of the aloe vera ointment is applied to her body as both she and Mrs. Kalimba start to catch the scent of a tragedy occurring. "What is that smell?" Questions the bed-ridden mare.

"Something burning? I never took Spike for a bad cook." The zebracorn comments.

"Him, a dragon, in the kitchen!?" The princess is greatly amused by the thought. "My goodness, how the hell does he think he can cook anything? Does he intend to just breathe fire over the food? I suppose I can't blame him for trying, what a silly dragon, he is."

"I see humility is not your strongest suit."

"I'm a princess. humility is far from the ideal image in our realm. Showing as much is a quick way to allow yourself to be martyred." She replies. "Protecting the weak is a fools ambition."

"Yet here you are." The zebracorn debates.

"That dragon is far from weak." The injured princess testifies. "If only you knew how much I had to drug his scaly ass to keep him sedated."

"So you admit to drugging him."

The imperial princess smiles. "Dick that good, you'd be willing to pin the bastard to a bed and ride slow."

The zebracorn falls into a trance, remembering the times of her past, the words exchanged.

"This one's a house special of mine, I call it the 'Forget-Me-Not'.
It's a special cocktail that can help you drop a bad memory
like an apple out of a tree."

"Yeah, I'm think I'm beyond saving. Thanks for trying."

"Why don't you come with me for a bit? A forget-me-not must come with a
good memory to make it work better."

"The better question is what good memories are you trying to provide?"

She remembers the silhouette of her and her partner of that night, how the stallion glanced up to her as she impaled herself upon him, his eyes glistening in the darkness of that luxury hotel room, his hooves planted against her hips as she rises slowly, his pulling her back down, the whispers of vulgarities falling from his lips, slowly setting off her triggers while she falls back down, the feeling of her hooves grasping at his cheekbones and prompting him to open his maw, her drool landing upon his tongue, the subsequent French exchange after. The passing memory surfaces a blush from the mare, the split second reminder highlighting their multiple exchanges.

She places down the ointment and bandages, finishing her work before rising. "I've gotten you cleaned up now, it's my turn to do the same."

The zebracorn vacates the room quietly, leaving Zenobia to sniff the air. "Seriously, what are they burning up in there?"

Amor facehoofs as Nondis tries to hold back from laughing. I stare at the blackened steel bowl slack-jawed, trying to come to a reasonable explanation of how this has happened.

Hestia looks down at the ashen slurry, seeing the smoke still rising from the burnt dish. "Eh heheh... oops."

I can't compute the logic, the process, or the result for that matter. "...Milk."

"A fucking bowl!" Nondis finally gives in, holding his stomach as he doubles over, wildly shrieking in laughter. He sounds as though he's been possessed by both a hyena and a seagull.

Amor looks at his sister, frowning in disbelief. "How hard is it that you changed a liquid into an unrelated state of matter?"

"I can't even be mad!" The human quickly grabs his phone and start recording a video, he immediately gets our reactions and points the camera to the bowl. "Guys, check this shit out. Spike, what is that?"

"It was a bowl of milk!" I answer with hardly anything making sense to me.

His laughter continues to infect the room, causing even Amor to laugh at his sister's ineptitude. "W-wh-wha-what did it turn into?" The human asks for the video's sake.

I look at the mare responsible and question her. "Sweetie Belle, when'd you get on the ship!?"

The human nearly falls under the counter, trying to hold on for dear life. "Halp!" He sounds like a gurgling seagull. "Can't breathe! Halp!"

The mare responsible tries to make a defense for her result. "I'm sorry, I thought you'd just throw the milk and the other ingredients into the magic box to turn into a biscuit." That 'magic box' she mentions is a microwave, which is now charred black on the inside.

I finally break into a cackle myself. "This is like rolling a two on making the food for the camp!"

"She rolled a twenty on creating nuclear science!" Nondis screams. "How the fuck you turn a bowl of milk into the demon core!?"

Both he and I share a high five, not even minding the poor mare who has to deal with her shame, probably about to endure even more of it. "Send this shit to Twilight, I need a scientific explanation!"

"At fucking once!"

Meanwhile in Canterlot...

Twilight sits in stunned silence over the video sent to her. Her secretary stares at the screen, standing alongside her head chef, her captain of the royal guard, and Mrs. Blue. "Princess?" Her secretary questions the video. "What... are we looking at?"

Twilight stares, almost cross-eyed at the absurdity. "...A bowl of milk?"

The day goes by slowly, our ship manages to finally catch a current we can ride on. It may take us out of the way by a few miles, but it will get us close enough where we can sail the shoreline without fear of running out. And given the circumstances, that's pretty ideal.

Nondis helms the ship just as Celestia tags him in for her break. I read one of the books that's left out, appearing to be a tome of magic studies of an advanced level. Honestly, I never thought that anyone would need this for casual reading, but I guess Nondis is using this to stay on his toes. No wonder Starswirl took interest in him a year before his retirement.

Later in the morning, Celestia spends some girl time with Mrs. Kalimba. I've always known that they were close, just never really understanding the specific reason why they are. I can only remember brief moments the two ever came into contact, and they seemed friendly then. Perhaps there's some reason they share such a close development.

Mrs. Kalimba borrows Celestia's phone, after having cited her desire to speak with her son. The alicorn obliges warmly and offers a moment between the two. The mare drops back to her accent when she talks to her son, his being just as thick as hers in the conversation. "When do you come back, mama?"

"I'll be back in a little less than a week. Are you keeping up with your studies?" Naturally, she's being the rightfully concerned parent, even over the smaller things.

"Yes mama."

"What did you learn?"

"They're teaching us multiplication and history."

"Very good." She praises the young colt.

"Mama, Gala says that she's not been sleeping well."

I can see the concern on her face, but her tone remains soft and mothering. "Tell her to drink some chamomile tea with fresh cinnamon, she'll go out like a light."

"I'll tell her." The young colt responds. "I miss you, mama."

"I miss you too, Nafasi. Now go get some rest, I know it's late."

The foal offers a final farewell of the day, or night in his case. "Goodnight mama, I love you."

"I love you too. Goodnight." The call ends, the zebracorn relinquishes the jewel-encrusted phone to it's rightful owner. "Thank you."

"Kali, you know I'm all for you."

"So was that the little guy?" I ask. "How's he doing over there?"

A fondness flows from the mother. "Of course he's doing well. We may be worlds apart, but I'd do most anything to keep him happy. He's like the light in my eyes, I miss him so much."

"Well I'm glad to hear him doing so well." Celestia compliments. "I remember the face you had after you gave birth to him, when you showed him to me for the first time. You had such a wonderful glow, it was like the light in your eyes illuminated the room."

"It's the first thing I could really be proud of." She answers with a heaping smile on her lips.

Sadness shows in Celestia's lips in counter. "It's also the last thing he gave you."

"I wouldn't quite say that." She says, a bittersweet thought surfacing to her rememberence. "I was offered a moment of that familial peace, even if for a moment. It was sometime last year, he came to give me the invitation. He looked out the window and saw him playing. He smiled, and my heart just couldn't take it."

A determined Celestia turns her head to the mare. "The offer's still on the table, Kali."

The zebracorn shakes her head. "I don't deserve it. We made our agreement."

Naturally, my curiosity gets the better of me and I delve into the seemingly unusual interaction the pair has with one another. "Did I miss something?"

Celestia answers me with a smile, probably looking to dismiss my concern. "Nothing at all, Spike."

Seeing that my answer wouldn't be immediately looked into, I offer my inquiry to the next available party. "Hey, Mrs. Kalimba─"

"No point in being as formal these days." She warmly responds. "We're in this together. Kalimba is fine."

Honestly, I don't know how to feel about calling her on a first-name basis. But since she's allowing it, I'll oblige. "Uh... Kalimba."

"See, not too hard." Then again, I suppose it is a bit awkward to be calling her Mrs. when we've went through so much, and not to mention the age difference between us being not as substantial to the one I share with Zenobia.

"Yeah." I pause, knowing that I'll probably get a half-answer. "I wanted to ask about Nafasi's dad, but I see that's still a sensitive topic."

The pair look to one another, the zebracorn nodding. Celestia's eyes widen, almost to inquire if she's certain. A second nod is given by the mother, allowing the alicorn to ease her defense on the matter. "It's... more like a conversation that can't be said out loud. I suppose I can trust you not to say anything?"

"I'm an easy one to keep secrets with." I answer.

Celestia sits herself down as she responds. "Then you'll keep your eyes on me as I convey this to you."

Elsewhere on the ship, the trio of imperials have a discussion over what's happened on their ends of the pursuit. Zenobia goes to great lengths to explain her reasoning for her stance in the failure of the trade deal, citing how both the emperor and Xerxes agreed to let the dragon live. The only stipulation is that he'd remain loyal to Zenobia, and with that her loyalty shown to their father without question or comment. But in the ensuing skirmish, many of those provisions have been tossed aside in favor of an alternative, namely the now-invalid agreement of Zenobia's ascension to the throne. And with that agreement altered, she explains her current position in the royal family.

But in all that was discussed in the conversation, one topic seems to hit the pair of lesser-bloods prince in a profound way. "Sir Fencer..."

"My heart." Amor sniffles over the loss of his friend, having heard his fate in it's gruesome and finalized detail. "I know we've had many an adventure together."

"He's protected you for many years." Hestia hugs her younger sibling, offering him comfort in his time of grief.

But instead of unleashing mournful wails for his friend, he bottles his sadness and translates it into resentment for the country he once represented proudly. "This damned country... to hell with it all."

The injured princess offers another insight to the stallion's final moments. "He died to give you your escape. He considered his confrontation with Xerxes as his 'finest hour'. Those were also his last words."

The young prince wipes his eyes, doing his best to suppress the pain of that loss. "He always said that our return home would likely be his last."

The pegasus mare shows further remorse. "I'm so sorry, Amor."

Amor also bears some of that resentment towards Zenobia, his eyes reddening as he tries to keeps his grief suppressed. "Be honest, did you intend to kill us?"

"I have no intention to kill you." She answers flatly. "There's no need for me to shed the blood of a lesser sibling, especially when I too know the weight of being powerless. You lot are annoying, yes, and I may throw you across the room because of that, but the fuckery that Agamemnon partakes in, all of he, Xerxes, Eros, Orfeas, Ilias, Militadis, both formerly Stephanos and Adelphos, those games are better off played by them."

"Xerxes is going to kill us, isn't he?" Asks the younger imperial princess.

Zenobia answers the pair of lesser bloods. "You, Hestia, your brother Eros looks to deal with you personally."

The pegasus shudders with disdain. "Definitely staying in Equestria for the rest of my life now."

"While Agamemnon would like to see you hanging in a gibbet, Xerxes has different plans for you."

Knowing what that entails, the prince reiterates his final choice to defect. "...I hear that Canterlot is set to be pretty nice this time of year."

"So that's it, you both are seriously just leaving Ponyland like this, not even going to argue for your lives?" The elder sibling questions.

"Do we have a choice, it's leave or die!" Hestia strongly illustrates.

"Quite frankly, I'd start to think of beginning life anew if I were you." Amor proposes to the alicorn. "Once you discover what all the Doctor did over on their end, it's going to have you question the things you've said and done."

"And think about it, father doesn't care for us, you know that more than anypony else." Cosigns the pegasus mare. "Maybe it's time you start to look at living life away from home."

"If you abdicate along with us, there won't be a reason to call for a war." The prince adds.

"Think of how many lives you'll save!" Hestia pleads. "Think of the citizens who look up to you."

Zenobia ridicules the notion of herself being idolized by her citizens. "What, the tens of them?"

"And you can be with Spike for as long as you will it!" Hestia proposes.

"Personally, I look to build my bonds with Princess Twilight. Perhaps this can be a mutual exchange." Amor speaks with an optimism so illustrious that it dares to overwhelm his own rationality. "Think about it, you'll be able to spend as much time with him as you want. I mean I'm sure the accommodations in his dwelling probably aren't what you'll be used to, but I bet it's better than some craggy cave, or even the gilded cage we're normally locked in."

"To be compared to that of a bird." The mare spits with disgust. "...Have my years of being really amount to this?"

►~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~♦~~~~~♦~~♦~♦~♦~~♦~~~~~♦~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~◄

7 Years Ago...

A once bitter bout between the two mares come to a sobering end as one is reprimanded for her overreach. The pair, having discussed the traumas of their past and the common ground they shared in their hearts, grew to accept one another. What was once a rivalry founded on bids for affection and attention have died out to a mutual conversation having took place.

Once rivals, now acquaintances, Celestia asks the hybrid of her affections. "...How about you? What do you see in him?"

Instead of coming up with a long list of things she admired, Kalimba took the moment to think about how she could abbreviate her response to simple short-worded answers. "Strength... Determination... Bravery... Security... Modesty... Kindness... Love..." Her cheeks began to point upwards as she closed her eyes, holding her forelegs in thought. "Well, I wanted to go by your example. Since he and I are not able to be together, I entertained de thought of simply having a souvenir of my own. I never imagined myself having anything other than an early grave, but he makes me want him... at least a reminder of him I could love on my own."

Surprised by her response, the princess turned away and quietly responded to the zebracorn. "I see... Then... I propose we make a deal."

►~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~♦~~~~~♦~~♦~♦~♦~~♦~~~~~♦~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~◄

Present Day...

"There's no way that's true... You seriously signed off on this?"

My eyes run between the two mares, they sit in solidarity with one another as I continue to gawk in response to their mutual agreement, as well as the issues that seem to plague the young marriage.

To avoid the conversation from getting out in the open where it could be heard, Celestia telepathically speaks to me using her magic. "It's my assurance. If I can't seem to give anything for him out of this marriage, then he'll at least have some mode of continuation."

As a prerequisite to having this discussion, all three of us swore to never speak names. But it's obvious as to who's the third part of the equation. "I didn't know that was an ongoing thing."

"It was always an issue, not for him obviously." She says before swapping back to her telepathy. "We've been trying for the better part of our marriage. So far, nothing's stuck. Now I can't help but to wonder if I'm really so damaged that I cannot conceive, or if parts of my body has grown too old to accommodate."

The former princess seems defeated over the topic, a far cry from the affectionate swooning she displays when Nondis is in the room. "I can imagine how crushing that must be to have that on your mind."

"We know that in equine form, he's completely compatible with mares." Celestia highlights. "The birth of Nafasi confirmed that six years ago. It's been my only measure of hope, a hope that has only waned in the past few months."

I turn to Kalimba. "So... you and him?"

"A number of times." She mumbles under breath.

"And you don't want to... you know?"

"She fears that if he knew, our marriage would be disrupted, if not nullified." Celestia explains. "It's the only reason why she would not allow herself to become a factor."

"We made an agreement years ago. And I vowed to remain true to it, even if I wished for otherwise." The zebracorn cosigns, much to her own discomfort.

"What about... you know... not him but him?" I try to ask the question by changing my hand position from a higher one representing Nondis' stature, to a lower one representing Nafasi's.

"Handy already looks after him like a father figure. I don't wish for that to change anytime soon. When he is of age, I will tell him. But not now." Kalimba answers. "He needs to be mature enough to understand."

I quietly ask the reserved mother. "So, that's what you were warning me about, not to spill myself to others with obligations?"

"Because you'll only hurt yourself in the end." She warns quietly. "It hurts more than you know, but that's the truth about growing up, you do things that hurt you and you have to live with it." She winces at what appears to be the motion of the ship, she stands up to leave. "If you'll excuse me, I'll need to retire for a bit."

"Poor thing." I comment as she leaves. "I didn't think she was holding out because of... that."

Celestia sighs in response. "I asked if she would be willing to marry in with us, but she's turned us down so many times. I'm pretty sure she's only worried that if she does so, it would go against our promise, that and he would immediately prioritize both her and Nafasi."

"But where does that leave you?" I ask.

"I guess... hoping for the best." She holds her stomach, looking down at herself. "If I can't be a mother, then at least she'll have the continuation of his legacy. I love that man to death, but... if I can't even give him a single child, then what am I holding him back for? At this point, I'm almost convinced that she should be married to him instead of me, that I shouldn't get in the way of his future. Maybe... maybe I should─" Her wings unfurl, slapping herself on either side of her face. "Okay, break's over! Idle mind is a breeding ground of negativities! I need to get back to steering the ship!" She storms out of the room, trying to keep a confident smile on face.

"Well... Okay then." You know, this whole trip has been a revealing one. When I was younger, I so often thought that these adults around me seem to have everything situated, that everything's okay, and being grown up is easy. Turns out that no matter how old you are, you'll never have it all in one go. There will always be problems, conflicts, arguments, each internal and external. I'm walking into my problems, Nondis and Kalimba are mired in theirs, Amor and Hestia are trying to escape them, Zenobia's drowning in hers at this point. If there was one pony I figured would have it all together, it was Celestia.

Turns out that even after a thousand years, Celestia is still trying to piece it together for herself.

The Next Morning...

The rattle and roar of the airship's engines sound in the distance behind the viewing bay. Yet another correspondence is sent over the airwaves, the message yielding favorable news to it's benefactor. The communications expert relays the information to the second in command once more.

The century proudly marches forward. "Your highness, we've reached our desired position. The formation is set to close in."

Xerxes cracks a smile over the good news. "Very good. Stay low. Increase speed. Divert ammunition stores to port and starboard bow cannons."

"Yes sir." He answers with a salute.

He also issues orders to the immediate crew of the bow. "When they're in distance, fire a warning shot short of their stern."

"Shall we also signal for a holding position, sir?" The communications expert asks.

"Of course." Replies the prince. "Wouldn't want to sink all of our ambitions too early on."

Zenobia seems to be a lot more active this morning. Her boils and sores are healing well, considering the former seem to have ruptured yesterday morning. The limited movement she expressed in her motions yesterday are all but behind her. As a result, she's sat herself down for a morning meal. Celestia's shows she's still upset with her and volunteers me to make breakfast yet again. So I oblige, offering to make the crew a repeat of yesterday's menu since our ingredients in that direction seem to be virtually limitless.

At the conclusion of my work, I distribute the plates around for everyone to enjoy. I lay the first plate for Amor. "I know, rerun of yesterday, but I did a little something different this time. Let me know how you enjoy it."

The recovering alicorn smiles as I pass a plate to Hestia. "I never took you for a chef, pet."

Celestia quirks a brow at the mare and myself. I feel a bit of embarrassment as she calls me that troubling nickname. "Seriously, are you still going to call me that?" I ask as I lay her plate before her.

"Whatever do you mean, pet? I'm always going to call you that, it's merely a show of affection." She says while taking her fork and taking her first taste of my culinary work. Her eyes spring wide as she holds her cheek fondly. "Alright, Mr. Renaissance. I see you've proven yourself a very capable bachelor." She takes a second bite and points her fork at me. "You best be careful, I might start to entertain arrangements."

Celestia clears her throat, having me realize that she's very much opposed to the idea. "I... don't think I'm really all that great of an option for marriage. I'm a dragon after all."

"Oh stop with that humble bullshit! You deal in international affairs, you have home training, you cook, you clean, you do almost everything! The only thing I haven't seen you do much of is fight."

"I'll have you know he's a very capable fighter." Celestia adds. "Oh and by the way, he's always cooked, been cooking for years. Who do you think was his home economics instructor?"

I acknowledge her intense development of my culinary skills. "Taught me everything I knew. She's much better than any of us."

"Not arguing that one." Kalimba responds as her plate is laid before her.

Zenobia's eyes drift downward as she realizes that she has no such training. "...Why do I feel a sense of embarrassment?" The moment of her defeated confidence breeds a chuckle from both Amor and Hestia, who are equally as unskilled.

"Yo!" Nondis calls towards me from the hallway. "Spike, walk with me for a bit."

I lay Celestia's plate down, setting my own aside. I instead pick up the one for Nondis and follow after him. "Okay." As we walk through the ship into the wheelhouse, I offer his food to him. "Here's your breakfast, I know you've been at it all night and I'm pretty sure you're famished."

"Thanks, but we got bigger shit to worry about." He takes the plate and sends it to his shadow. He follows that up by pointing out to the horizon ahead. "You know those guys?"

I squint for a moment, seeing the dark shapes looming beyond the horizon. It doesn't take me long to make out the shape of imperial warships. "Oh... shit. I think our breakfast might have gotten a little postponed."

"They're closing in, and fast." He notes.

"Nondie!?" The both of us run back towards the kitchen as Celestia calls to us. "We have trouble, dearest!"

"I already know, there's at least three of them in front of us." He answers.

"There's three more behind!" She points out.

"What!?" He immediately darts to the window, seeing more than just three coming up behind us. Instead, there's five looking to close in on us. "Oh shit."

Amor runs towards one of the bedrooms, looking out of a window to see a few more coming in. He darts across the hallway to another room, seeing more of the same. "Three to our right and two to our left as well!"

"They're closing us in." Hestia mutters.

I immediately spring into action. "Well, guess we have to dig in the arsenal a bit."

"For what?" Nondis replies, causing me to slow down. "Yeah, I don't think you realize, I packed light for the explicit purpose of an extraction. I didn't come to fight an entire air fleet! Like what the hell is an M16 and a shotty gonna do to all of that out there? We're surrounded, and I don't remember packing serious ordinance to take ships out of the sky. One cannon from the Revolutionary War is not enough to do damage."

"What about that thing you do with your shadow?" Hestia asks. "You nearly wiped an airship out with that thing. Surely you can do more!"

The man ponders his chances before summoning a golden halberd, the weapon contacting the ground with a dense thud. "Welp... guess I'll be doing that then─"

"Absolutely not!" Ceiestia shrieks at her husband, causing the halberd to dissipate. The man looks to speak back to his wife, only to be silenced by her magic pinching his lips shut. "You, sit your ass down, you're not built for this. Keep a shield up and protect the ship." Nondis appears taken aback by his wife's harsh comment. She directs a smile towards the rest of us. "As for all of you, enjoy your breakfast, and I'll take care of this, okay?"

Her husband raises further argument. "Tia, you know they have─"

"I know, don't care, you..." She yanks her husband by his hair, pulling him into a kiss and shoving him back into his chair. She keeps him pinned there as she makes her command. "Stay here."

The man exhales in defeat. "You never let me do anything these days."

Her mane and tail both turn pink as she bites her lip. "Stay mad about it, hun. You know what your job is. Love you lots." She walks away from him, giving off a radiating heat warm enough to cause us to sweat. As she walks off, she whispers a word to her husband. "Reign me in when I done."

Everyone blankly stares at the man, who just days ago slaughtered an entire pursuit party, shocked at his willing submissiveness. He doesn't even seem to be bothered by what just happened. Instead, he simply pulls out his phone and casts a shield over the ship. "I guess some things never change, huh? Retired or not, she's not letting me get a single chance to unleash hell."

"For good reason." Kalimba replies.

The man points his camera towards his wife. "Of course you'd take her side."

Zenobia clears her throat, throwing a subtle jab at the man. "Perhaps she's looking to negotiate matters in a civilized fashion."

He chuckles in response to the imperial princess. "That's what you think, madam cougar. But let me be the first to tell you this news-breaking bulletin: Nah."

"I beg your pardon?" The mare asks with bewilderment.

"Lady, have you ever heard of the time-old adage 'Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned?' Because if you didn't get the message before, you'll get it after today."

Zenobia looks back towards the former princess, both mortified and curious. Hestia asks the question in her sister's stead. "She's not going out to negotiate, is she?"

Nondis points back towards the mare outside. "Little miss princess, if you think I'm the monster here, then kindly consider the demon I've married."

"She doesn't look like a demon." Amor comments.

The man scoffs with a reply. "Don't let the pink hair fool you. That's just a factory preset."

"Move into tier two formation! I want every dimension covered in this strike!" Xerxes orders loudly.

As the crews work to relay the information to the other airships in the area, his second in command points a spyglass to the deck of the seabound yacht. He takes notice of a figure walking out to the deck. "Sir, there appears to be an alicorn stepping out of the ship."

"Is it Zenobia?" The intrepid prince asks.

The second in command looks into the glass, verifying the mare's features, seeing that she's very much taller than the aforementioned imperial. "It seems she doesn't quite match the description. She's... different."

The prince takes the looking scope from his subordinate, taking a gander towards the mare who waits patiently on the deck. "Who the hell is that?"

"Good doctor of the high office."

Agamemnon stares from the viewing deck of his supply carrier. He is infatuated by the figure centered into his scope. He groans at the fact his looking device is already set to the maximum focus. He vies to take more of her visage upon himself and press himself against the window with a lustful pant.

"In the search of something dangerous, we find something beautiful. And she already bears the birthright. If I sire a foal with that one, I'll be made emperor on the spot!"

He tosses aside the looking glass, making a trot to the nearest exit. "Sir Agamemnon?" One of the century officers call to him, looking to retain him. "Sir, you can't go out there! Prince Xerxes ordered us to─"

"Shut it!" He screams at the officer, leaping from over the railing and taking flight into the sky, gliding down towards the deck of the surrounded vessel. "I'm going to go look at the splendor of my future wife!"

"Sir, our cannons are lined up and ready to fire." The second in command officer speaks as the others await on standby, waiting to pounce at the word.

The prince glances down towards the dormant vessel, looking to exact his mode of vengeance upon the surrounded ship. But his sight is altered by none other than his brother swooping past the formation and gliding towards the ship. "Hold for the moment." He shows his frustration for a moment, looking to dart after his brother. "This damned fool, I'm going to see what this is all about."

The scarred prince lands upon the deck of the sailing vessel, the stallion slicks his mane back into a more presentable coif as Xerxes lands besides him. The younger brother summons a mint spray for his breath, tasting his breath for it's freshness before speaking. Wanting to confront the mare over business, Xerxes steps forward. But he's rudely brushed aside by the other alicorn stallion looking to make his move.

"Agamemnon, are you serious? Can't you go one moment without thinking with your penis in mind?"

"Sorry, Xerxes. But your wife is elsewhere. This one is mine to claim."

Celestia stares at the duo, unimpressed by their approach and infighting. While the young brother looks to approach closer, Xerxes merely asks his question from afar. "You look a lot like our sister, madam mare. Perhaps an introduction is in order."

Seeing an opportunity to stir a bit of discourse between the brothers, she greets the older while ignoring the approaching younger. "XerXer, it's been so long."

"WHAT!?" The scarred prince shrieks, looking to confront his brother. "You know this mare?"

The retired princess happily substantiates her bid to divide the pair. "But of course! Xer and I have known of each other for some time now. It seems we've finally reunited after our rather tragic split. Oh what wonders to see you again, my dear."

Without question, the scarred prince summons a spear and threatens to impale his sibling, Xerxes draws a saber to defend himself. The mare smiles as the discourse between the two reach a heated boil. "You and I have never once laid eyes on each other." The intrepid prince argues in his defense.

She merely adds fuel to the fire developing between them. "XerXer, you should easily recognize me! After all, didn't you call me your 'fair princess' in the days of your sapling youth? And my, have you grown into such a tall and eager prince. So calm, so firm, so respectable, so dominating. To think that you would forget me, the one you called to be your bride in those days of juvenile."

The older stallion's brows raise as a flash of a moment runs through his head, a faded image of his youth resembling that of a black and white still. The moment distracts him, but he narrowly returns to earth moments before Agamemnon drives his spear towards him. "You lying swine!"

The older brother parries away the blow, avoiding the blade altogether. Xerxes pins the spear in place with his magic, looking to reason with him. "Hold your damn bloodthirst, brother! It's not what you make it." The elder sibling walks past the withheld other, while more faded images come to mind.

In the frantic doings of his past, he recalls much being a blur to him other than the moments that have awakened him. A banquet of his youth, celebrating an affair in a foreign land. His mind recounts the purpose, an arranged marriage between the daughter of a Saddle Arabian dignitary to his older brother Stephanos, both foals themselves. Not much interested him outside of the dresses worn, and how many he could playfully flip. But he remembers one mare in particular with a dress that made his young heart skip a beat or two. The moment goes from still motions to a multitude of frames cycling on repeat, from thoughts of black and white, to an effusion of technicolor, the mare's mane and tail forever wafting in the wind, her eyes brilliant, her smile ever so bright, and her voice so sweet and elegant.

His awakening, his infatuation for dresses, following into who he'd put in those dresses and the acts they entailed, they stem from the moment he once offered apology with those leading words: Fair princess. "There's only one I've called that."

While the prince's memory seem to require a bit of jogging, hers stands just as clear as the present day. "Then you finally remember?"

The prince grunts, knowing that voice but failing to put the same face to it, the paradox grows a bitterness within him. "Preposterous! You look nothing like her! She had a long, flowing mane with the colors of the changing sky. Yours is a mere pedestrian pink bob. To think your voice, so sweet and sublime, would come from such a plainly mare."

Agamemnon attacks his brother for his comments. "You dare insult my future wife!?"

Celestia gazes to the other prince, finally giving him direct attention, a true stranger in her eyes. "I'm... sorry. Who are you?"

The scarred prince releases his spear, offering a bow to the alicorn mare. "Milady, I am Prince Agamemnon, third in line of the Ponyland imperial throne." He walks past Xerxes, offering to place a hoof on her rosy cheeks. "And I praise beauty, the beauty that is your countenance."

She uses her magic to ward his hoof with a deadpanned expression. "Spoken for."

Her stout rejection by announcing her status confounds the prince. He tries to make for another bid at her. "A travesty made by mere mistake. Perhaps you would find interest in the company of similar likeness."

Disinterested, she turns her face away with prime disgust. "Correction, I find interest in the company of similar plight."

The prince fails to relent in his advances. "This vessel, you seem to be of high influence. Tell me, who is your family?"

"My sister, my husband, my brothers in law, my mother and father in law. I trust my answer will suffice." She wastes no time on the poor guy.

"Such a small family of your own." He once more extends the offer. "Perhaps you would be more interested in cultivating a real family, one truly of power and influence─"

"The absolute state of you." She moans. "It's amusing that after so many obvious hints, you remain adamant. You truly are Basileus' own."

Hearing the emperor name surprises the persistent stallion. "You know of our father?"

"Your father, your grandfather, your great grandfather, and all that came before them, each asking for my hoof in matrimony to feed an alicorn bloodline grafted through genetic trial and error." Her explanation seems to stem from the gut of her disdain, she's obviously had more than her fair share of proposals from his bloodline. "Yes, I've been asked by all of you, and each time I've explained at great length on why I had to refuse. Only this time is where my answer is a much simpler one: I! Am! Married!"

Casting the issue of amorous intent aside, Xerxes approaches the mare with inquiry of her knowledge of the emperor. "You know our father's name, and you say you've spoken with those before him. Who are you?"

Visible disappointment shows on the face of the retired princess. "It's so unfortunate that you and Zena would be raised without any sense of manners or humility. Truly, you lot are the offspring of Basileus, brash and ignorant, so easy to forget. I'd rather be the subject of slaying for another creature's amusement than to lay in a bed and be inseminated by a short-pump disgrace to the art of procreation."

Both the princes flinch at the harshness of her words, only the younger sibling dares to defend the honor of his parent. "Y-y-you... You dare insult my father, you wench!?" Agamemnon reaches for his spear, turning it's freed blade towards the mare.

The mare lists her facts of the emperor with her eyes shut, almost as though the list is written on the back of her eyelids. "Child, I've watched him grow into the pompous asshole he is now. He engaged in genocide against his other siblings for power. He raped his 'lesser-blooded' sister because he was bored. He abandoned the dozens of other siblings you have because they didn't come out with a matching pair. What more do you want?"

The scarred imperial counters back at her. "You sit there smiling with your eyes closed the entire time, not even seeing the position you're in! You're the fool for thinking that you can just get away with insulting our lineage!"

"A fake alicorn lineage at that." She adds. "Ones born without power, merely pretending to have it. Pathetic really."

The spear finds her cheekbone, the sharpness of the blade cutting against the fur of her coat. "Perhaps a lesson is due for this one. This pretty face begs a scar to sully it." The silver-eyed prince snarls.

"I have my fair share of scars as well." As the spear continues to graze against the mares cheek, the weapon begins to glow an orange color, as if the weapon has been placed into a forge. The orange sweater begins to burn from off of her chest, revealing a T-shaped scar and a multitude of others all over her body. She nuzzles the blade, the princes watching in horror as the once-sharp blade is dulled against her cheek, molded by it even. "Would you like to compare yours to mine?"

The saber in Xerxes' possession glows also, becoming far too hot for the prince to bear in his hoof. He drops the weapon, seeing that, along with the railing of the ships deck glow with the intensity of being warmed in a forge. "Agamemnon..."

"A fearsome beast appears." He casts his spear aside, leaping back from the immense field of heat growing between them and the mare they stand opposed. "I think we've found trouble, brother. And it is an ugly trouble."

"Ugly... you say?" The former princess stands idle, the temperature around the deck drops back down to normal. "...How truly pathetic. I show just a little of my real self to you, and you start to cower like a foal known of wrongdoing. How weak it is to see one who aspires to take me for a brood turn coward at a few aesthetic differences, much less a few degrees in the temperature. You're nowhere near worthy to make me the mother of your genetically-deficient offspring. Hell, I can imagine you in the moment of my labor looking to tuck tail and run because of how unsightly the process will be to you, enjoying the view the night of the act, just to abandon that moment of responsibility because of a few unsightly discrepancies. The idea of that infuriates me beyond years!"

The mare takes a few steps forward, her hooves leaving smoldering impressions in the wooden deck. Blackened imprints remain of her former place as she takes a new stance.

"A 'fearsome beast' I may be to you, but that matters not! I have the opinion of another! He'd easily contest himself for me, as fleeting as his lifespan may be! To not give that praise would be a betrayal of everything that he holds me to! If you wonder why that is, then allow me to explain. In his eyes, I'm worthy of his worship, his touch, his kiss, his embrace of me, even in my lesser moments he sees the beauty of me, and nurtures every scar I have, regardless of their place. He bares the heat and light I give to kiss my hooves. And I give him all of me for it, because he's that damn good at it. He's that good to me." Her eyes open, revealing the pair of black sclera in juxtaposition of the golden irises that shine with a harsh intensity of the sun behind her. She coos with a pleasured voice, citing her excitement. "So yes, a fearsome beast I surely am. But to the one that matters most, I'm still the most beautiful woman he has ever loved. In his words, I am the irresistible bitch. And I. Deserve. Worship."

An inferno engulfs the mare's body, the sound screeches like the breaks of a train as the intense heat releases all at once from every pore of her body. Her mane, once the mundane pink bob, is consumed by fire and jettisoning to the length of it's former glory. Her eyes glow with the intensity of molten steel, her teeth become as jagged as obsidian and as hardened as tungsten. Her cackle sounds as royally sadistic as she recounts the many she historically left in her wake. Her cheeks redden with arousal, her hoof lustfully etches out the branded scar on her chest. She glances to the pair of trembling princes, her body wreathing with smoke, ash, heat, and the smell of estrus. She moans in dire want.

"So... which of you is bowing first?"

Chapter 41: Scalding Scourge

The airships hold their position, seeing a bright light shining at the center of their formation. To the eyes of the others who are nowhere near the vessel, they only see the brightness of a second sun, bound to the water's surface. But to the princes in their fearful confrontation, the true form of the equine demoness stands far too imposing to approach further. They back away not just from her demeanor, but also the heat she gives off. Her aura is a burning red in her horn, her field of heat far more lenient for the stallions to truly endure, yet she entertains the idea of their resistance, allowing them to face her without much obstacle other than what they currently endure. It is a bare minimum of her power.

"What? You're telling me neither of you have the goods to stand to me, contest me, or are you that stunned from my fabulous form?" She calls to the pair. "Stand proud! YOU'RE ALICORNS! Surely you have a form for moments such as this! My six year old niece could at least freeze the north! You should be more than happy to have a chance to unleash your true selves! COME! MANIFEST!!!"

The scarred prince tries to shield himself with his magic, a failed bid to avoid the scorching air she radiates around her. He makes a plea for his older brother to take action. "Xerxes, she knows you! Say something to calm this heat!"

"Does it scare you?" The demoness screeches with a cackle. "Is it too hot to handle? I haven't even touched you, much less you wanting to mate with me! I'll at least be willing to accept your proposition, if you dare prove yourself worthy enough to worship my succulent flanks!"

"Cool off for a moment, will you!" Xerxes complains, but to no avail.

"We need to get out of here!" Agamemnon urges.

She mockingly calls to the scarred prince, walking slowly towards him. "Oh please, sir prince! My body is so hot, I can't stand this heat!" She cries sarcastically. "Stay a while, help me quench this flame! Douse me this instant!"

Xerxes quickly looks around the deck for a means to alleviate themselves. His eyes wander to the sight of a pool of water, looking to take the opportunity to give them a better chance of not getting cooked alive. "The pool!" He hollers, making a dash for relief. However, as he dives in, he instantly surfaces in screaming pain, his hooves frantically reaching for the ledge for escape from the boiling water.

The demoness mocks Xerxes for his failed bid. "Surely you'd be so willing to be my next meal, to offer yourselves to my broil!? I welcome it!"

His skin reddened from the burns, he screams to his brother that's being stalked down. "Agamemnon!"

"AWAY!" The silver-eyed prince demands, summoning a pistol and firing a pellet towards her.

The lead pellet quickly melts into an orange slurry, only being held together by the mare's magic aura surrounding it. She also grabs at his back holding him in place as she approaches even closer. She mockingly returns his comment. "That handsome face of yours begs a scar to sully it!" Her jagged grin reveals itself to the captive prince, the molten blob being held closely against his face. "Have another!" She screams as she plants the molten slag to his left eye. A sizzling noise is drowned out by the agonizing scream of Agamemnon, his eye being cooked through his eyelid. She releases him, watching him writhe wildly against the ground. She holds her face with lustful admiration of his pain. "Oh to finally be touched in such a manner, it brings my blood to a hell of a boil! Surely you feel the same?"

"Brother!" The lightly boiled prince yanks his sibling away from the crazed demoness, trying to take him to the ship's edge, just remembering the fact that the railings are glowing orange from the heat she's giving off.

Still wanting to satiate her lust by whatever means, she hails to the pinkened prince. "XerXer, your fair princess stands before you! Give me the praise I'm due!"

Xerxes flaps his wings in a bid to cart his brother to the safety of his airship. The uneven weight disallows them both to take off. "Carry your weight and fly, you idiot!" He screams at his younger sibling.

"I can't fucking see!" The maimed prince howls in pain.

"Don't run! I burn with the desire to be adored!" She hollers at them while they make their frantic escape. "Behold! Cheer me! Love me! FEAR ME! I AM THE DAWN THAT BREAKS!"

In the course of their retreat, Xerxes drops his pace to let them fall into the ocean, a quick-fix method to briefly address their burns. Agamemnon howls in pain from the salt stinging in his fresh wound. The pair take a little bit before landing on the deck of the main dreadnaught. The second in command approaches, at last seeing the poor condition the princes have been made into. "Your majesty! You're─"

"FIRE AT THAT SHIP!" Xerxes screams at the top of his lungs. "FIRE! FIRE! FIRE!"

At last, the first reports of cannon fire sound across the empty void of the sea. But as the large metallic orbs reach closer to their target, they turn orange and melt into a slurry. In doing so, they fall short of their intended mark due to the increased air resistance. More of the mounted batteries sound out, this time from neighboring ships, each gaining no better traction. The second in command announces in disbelief. "Nothing's hitting them!"

A stunned Xerxes watches helpless as all of their attempts fall as melted scrap hitting the water's surface. The other officers watch in mortified silence as one whispers to himself. "It's all melting!?"

Another yells, uncertain of what else to do. "What the hell is that thing!? Why did it appear now!?"

A bright flash shows in the direction of the vessel, only to disappear in an instant, leaving only the meandering vessel. But a fiery dart streaks past them, showing nothing more than a trail of it's passage. "Incoming entity, moving starboard!" One shouts before an explosion sounds next to them. The crew of the dreadnaught stares as another of a similar class billows with smoke. A shrieking voice pierces the air, a proud command issued to the surrounding airships.

"Burn! BURN, FOR ME!"

Xerxes shudders in fear, seeing the image of the burning mare smiling across the way, even with the considerable distance, her face jolts chills down his spine. He screams at his crew to retaliate. "Shoot her down! Shoot! Her! Down!"

The second in command pleads with him to reconsider. "She's on one of our airships, sir!"

"If she lives, we all die!" The prince is far too inundated with fear to care for the friendly vessel. His concern is to send her off by any means. He issues the order to his communications. "Fire! Fire everything! Send that ship to the waters, I don't care! Kill her now!"

On the neighboring vessel, the demoness summons her halberd, easily carving through the metal of the hull, cleaving whatever poor soul stands near her impact. The railings and chains along the side she flies by melts, sending more molten metal falling into the sea. Her aura defends the ship she stands on, only giving her the room to sabotage the vessel herself. She laughs with complete abandon to reason and sanity, her blade reddening with every sweep, the crimson fluids boiling into a dark husk of ash before falling from her weapon.

She dives off the side of the ship, free-falling to the water below, tilting to avoid the waves and angling for yet another swipe of the airship. The cannons of the other vessels fail to keep track of her, the other crews watching as a white beam ascends into the blue sky. A large explosion appears from the middle section, revealing a clean cut through the entire dreadnaught. She descends from the sky, gliding back down to her new target: The flagship of the fleet. She makes a firm landing, crushing the back of the second in command under her hooves.

"Help me! Help meeee!" He screeches with desperation and pain inflicted upon every inch of his body. His cries are amplified as his body is immolated before the princes' eyes. Xerxes pants wildly as he gathers his brother, quickly taking to another ship nearby. Agamemnon holds to his brother, fearing that their ends are soon to be met while she cries to the fleeing pair.

"You dare chase me to the ends of the earth!? Fine, I welcome it!" She swipes her blade, it's strike so profound that even the air becomes an extension of her reach. The flexing slash severs the front bow of the flagship dreadnaught, revealing some of the inner-mechanics and engines to the outside air. Some who stood in the blade's path are cloven where they are. Body parts, ships pieces, and ammunition tumble into the sea below as she pokes fun at the pair. "CHASE ME DOWN! BUT DON'T YOU DARE DESPAIR OVER GETTING TOO CLOSE!"

She hears the sound of a whimpering witness to her carnage. Her head turns slowly to see the terrified communications expert at his station. He holds his hooves to the air. "I yield, I yield!" But it's too late, her heat is already at work in cooking the air going into his lungs. He suffocates almost instantly as his last words fall to silence.

"Yield to the flames of my heat! ONLY THEN WILL I ACCEPT YOUR SURRENDER!"

A second airship explodes in the distance. Much of the cannon fire directed at us comes to a halt, refocusing their attention on the issue that's all the more immediate. All of us stare out the window, slack-jawed and wide-eyed at the destruction manifesting before us. The only one who doesn't seem bothered or even remotely surprised is the one sitting at the table nonchalantly eating his breakfast. The comparative silence to the fireworks above is jarring, how peaceful the occasional clattering of forks clashing is to the falling ships and tiny flailing figures descending from the sky. The outside deck appears only slightly damaged, a feat that has us all wondering how the hell that's even possible with the heat that she gave off.

Hestia is the first to question the matter. "...That's Princess Celestia?"

"Yup." He says taking a fork full of food to his mouth.

"The Princess Celestia?" Amor marvels.

"One and the same." He wipes the side of his mouth.

Even Kalimba is shocked over the powerful display, probably having seen this for the first time herself. "So this is what Umbra feared?"

"Oh yeah." He takes a sip of coffee. "Ahh... Arabica blend, you won't believe how this shit is made. But it's a damn good cup of joe."

Even I chime in with my commentary. "I knew a lot of the guards feared her, more than they do Twilight. For years I never understood why. Now I know, didn't know she could be like... that."

"Oh yeah, the history books don't tell much of it other than the fact that Equestria went through a civil war that drastically eradicated the male population. It's the main reason why you see such a skewed stallion-to-mare ratio in many places."

"Because of that?" I point my thumb out towards the third airship explosion.

"Oh yeah, anyone who's been a captain of the guard can tell you that she's not one to fuck around when the going gets rough." He chomps down on another bite of food. "If you come at her, you may want to bring sunscreen, something like SPF a billion."

"I don't think there is such a sunscreen." I comment.

"No there isn't."

Zenobia, who's already borne witness to the losses at the hands of the man at the table, shudders at the violence taking place. "So now I see why you don't want to argue with your wife."

He nods in respone. "At this point, there's very little that can kill me effectively. And she's about ninety percent of that 'very little'."

I have a sensible chuckle at the idea of accuracy of his claim. "I'm more surprised that she's been hiding this side of herself, considering all the threats Equestria's faced so far."

"She's humble... not right now in that form, she's not. But she likes for others to discover their own way to deal with the problem. If I could bring up another example of that approach, look no further than Discord."

"But that's not the real reason, is it?" I point out.

The man chuckles back at me. "Spike, you clever bastard." His smile fades for a moment, having a thought to himself. "You ever look in a mirror and hate what looks back at you? It's fine if you never had a moment like that."

"More than a few times in my life." I confess. "Sometimes I used to do it after getting rejected. Really started doing it after my first big breakup."

"I mean have you looked in a mirror and hated what used to be you, and I mean to spite the past you, the smile you put on for others to see, the part of yourself that you try to hide away that stares back at you when you're in that room alone."

Zenobia looks down, closing her eyes for probably some reason pertaining to her past. I also confess that I've had my moment of indignity, a moment I also reference heavily while looking back to this trip. "Yeah, but I don't see why you brought that topic up."

He takes a sip of his coffee and clears his throat. "She hates that form. I mean she really hates that form, not just because of what she turns into, but what she does and how she acts while taking it. If she's in that form, that means that she's vastly outnumbered and she's looking to even the playing field. At one point in time, that would be a daily practice, fighting against thousands after her forces are all but wiped. Blueblood did tell me that he managed to stay by her side during those times, but fighting against the lords and dukes of Equestria itself means they had to be facing off against tens of thousands on some days. The royalist forces at the time could be outnumbered three-to-one, but when her own forces thinned to just her and him, she popped that form you see out there to compensate the losses. If she loses all but one of hers, you're losing all but one of yours. Can't claim a victory when there's a statistical stalemate."

"And you married her knowing that?" Amor asks.

"Dude, I haven't once shown you the definition of what my shadows are. It's a collective down there. For me to be what I am and not embrace that would make me the hugest fucking hypocrite, considering how many died under my watch... or even those who couldn't rest peacefully after." He stands from his chair, finally watching the mayhem taking place in the distance. "She's my yin. I'm her yang. We both keep each other in check... but she obviously clears me by a cosmic lightyear."

"So you just keep that side of her tamed?" Hestia asks.

"Only because she allows me to." He replies, pausing for a moment before telling yet another side of the truth. "That and it happens to be a kink of hers. She's about half a masochist, the other half is absolute sadism grown well-hidden for the better portion of a millennium. And if you look out to that airship currently being nuked, that's the sadism side taking over in earnest."

The noble-blood princess sighs, expressing relief somewhere inside of herself. "If that's what she's like in battle, then I fear I got off easy."

"Ma'am, all things considered, you got a love tap." Nondis responds before another explosion goes off in the distance. "Ooh, more fireworks."

Amor shrinks as he counts the ships that have gone down at the hooves of the fiery ex-princess. "That's five airships now."

"And she's running for that high score." Two ships start to careen towards one another, smoke billowing from the pair as they collide. Following their impact is a violent plume of flames and smoke, then a subsequent slash of their hulls. The image of a fiery comet streaks across the sky in an erratic path, probably avoiding all sorts of cannon fire en route to it's next point of impact, cleaving yet another ship in effortless fashion. "Damn, the wife is feeding right now."

"So are we going to pretend this isn't the start of a war at this point?" Asks Hestia.

"Oh yeah, it's been a war since one of our airships got immolated along with it's crew." The man cites. "You thought I have a penchant for violence, but I just look after my guys. Celestia's the one who doesn't take too kindly to lost units. And if you don't trust me, Kali will tell you."

The zebracorn cosigns him without a moment to be reminded of it. "Whole rescue operation for just one, him."

The man starts to scratch at his neck, prompting Kalimba to pull his hand away again. "Oh yeah, since you're trying to protect me from scratching an itch, mind using that magic for something more important, like keeping a shield up over the ship?"

The hybrid mare contests his request with an argument. "How many times must I be subject to intense magical stress?"

"Nah, I don't think you'll have to keep it up for very long... besides, you're just guarding against shrapnel. And besides, I'm been keeping a barrier up the entire time, you just never noticed it until she stepped off the deck." He points out while popping his neck, much to the chagrin of his former partner in crime. "I should probably go get her before she cooks the ocean."

"You probably should." I agree.

The man sighs and snaps his fingers. "Alright, babe. Time to reign it in."

*snap*

As quick the sound echoes in the room, he disappears without leaving a trace. The Ponyland imperial trio are startled by his sudden disappearance, rather astounded over the fact that he's able to teleport at will. "Did he just─" Amor asks.

"He does that." Kalimba deadpans. "You'll get used to it."

The two imperial princes tire from their frantic ship hopping, avoiding the living missile known as the Sunkissed Scourge, the demoness of the dawn, Daybreaker. Far outclassed and outmatched, they depend on their tired wings to see them through the assault. But their energy is far spent from their various retreats, and their minds tire from watching each ship they board ending as nothing more than a falling ball of flames and hewed steel. The phoenix-like figure doubles from her most recent claim, landing to the deck of the same ship the two now decide to flee from.

The air is so stifling in her approach that many start to watch as their uniforms spontaneously combust into flames. One of the unfortunate victims is the captain that volunteered to house the fleeing princes aboard his ship. He screams out to the pair in desperation before they leap from the railings. "Put me out! Put me out!"

"Gladly!"

His calls for mercy go unanswered, his pitched howls of agony gradually wane as she steps even closer to her cooking victims. She snickers with every step, taking enjoyment in her chase of the frightened imperials. She turns around to swing her weapon at the air behind her, only for the polearm to strike at her husband's arm. He winces from the burn, but bears the blow proudly. "Damn, look at you being all sexy in red."

"HONEY!?" As though an off switch is flipped, so too are the flames and heat. The weapon cools to normal temperature as she easily reforms to her normal self. Her eyes catch the sight of the bone in his forearm touching the pole of her weapon. "Oh my goodness! Your arm!"

"Ah this thing?" He holds the blade of the weapon, carefully removing the pole that cooked itself into his flesh. "You of all others should know this will heal, nothing that magic and time won't fix at this point."

The mare shakes her head, trying to gather what's taken place. "I blacked out a bit. What happened?"

"Well, you sank like eight airships, by yourself." An explosion sounds in the near distance, both of the married pair glance to see the nearby ship spew flames from a cut stopping short of reaching it's bridge. The ship starts to fall into the briny waters below. "Nine. Count is at nine airships you've put down."

"I did what?" She moves her husband aside, seeing that much of the sky has become cleared of the airships trying to pursue them. Instead, there are a number of wrecks still clinging to the water's surface before submitting into the depths of the sea. "Oh no! Oh no, honey! I'm so sorry, I didn't─"

"Hey, it's cool. I know why you did it." He reassures his wife. "Besides, the sexy one really came out today. And your hair grew all the way back."

"What? How did my─" She pulls a hoof through her mane, getting more than enough of a tug from considerable length. "Ugh, dammit! I'm going to need to get more than a trim-down on the next grooming day! It takes hours to get this thing disenchanted enough for the dressers to cut through! I'm going to have to clear my entire day when I get back!"

"Till then, I got more to pull on." He comments, running his fingers through her lengthy ethereal mane. "It'll be just like our little dungeon sessions back when we had our posts in Canterlot."

The moments of their past skim across her mind, her body already triggered from the transformation. He lightly slides his fingers along the curves along her neck. She melds into his touch, lost in pleasure before remembering where they aren't at the time being. "Honey, not now!"

"Wanna clear out this airship and make it an even ten , that way we can catch a little post-battle action?" He whispers in her ear.

"Seriously, now's not the time for this, Nondie." She grumbles, knowing her body is clearly saying otherwise.

"Why not? Scoot some of these guys off the deck, and we're alone to ourselves. We can make for a good ten minutes. Or we could go for a danger run, see which can last longer, me or the engine."

"Fuck, the thought of you winning that just makes me─hold on. Who's shielding the ship?"

"Kali."

The mare breaks herself away from her husband. "If we're both here, then who's protecting the ship from invaders?"

"They can handle that." He shrugs.

"Mr. Valkyrie-Haines." She scowls at the man looking to scratch her inherent itch.

"Fine." He lifts his right arm, showing her the burn to his ulna bone. "But I expect some kisses to make the hurt go away." She turns around to continue, but a light yank of her tail causes her to shriek in response. "And I'm not asking for the lips on your face either."

The mare gasps in response. "For fucks sake, hun, I just put the demon away, don't do this to me."

He lets go of her tail for the moment. But as he runs past her to dive off the side, he smacks her flank and gives a two finger salute as he leaps overboard. "See you on the ship!"

"Really gunning for the munchkins, aren't we? Attempt 586... pending." Her body starts to heat back up, her hair initially flashing to pink before being engulfed by flames, but her eyes remaining their normal color. She snarls at the man who's cast himself a pair of gossamer wings to fly back to the yacht. "Dammit, he's lucky he can last as long as he does. Let's make this quick before my estrus triggers past this form. Don't need the others traumatized by me screaming while he's pulling my mane..." She looks back at her regrown mane, currently enflamed. "You know what, bubble of silence spell, because he pulls hard."

She leaps off the side of the ship, repeating the nosedive for her momentum. She tilts back up to the air to make for another swipe at the airship. The impact isn't as profound as the results applied to the prior vessels, but the engine blows in response to her pass. She watches as the tenth ship takes to the water, thinking to herself aloud.

"Who am I kidding, l totally love that kinky-ass shit. Let me go after him."

The fiery demoness reverts mid-flight during her return to the sea-fairing vessel meandering in the waters below. As her interest in the pair of male alicorns fade, the pair share mutual relief in seeing the mare lose all ambition in hunting them down. However, their victory in that field is a pyrrhic one. The losses to their aerial fleet are far too substantial for the pursuit they ambitioned would be one-sided.

The captain of the vessel gives a report to the prince. "Your highness, we've lost many of our forces. What do we do now?" The captain instinctive cringes, waiting for an order to pursue. Under most circumstances, a defeat as ghastly as this one would usually result in the prince looking to make a daring attempt to finalize the fate of his subordinates, possibly themselves if the shame is far too overwhelming.

However... "We fall back. We're not winning this skirmish until they get back to their shores. Too little collateral for them, far too much for us." Even both of the princes show mutual agreement in the words Xerxes speaks. They know that their powers are vastly outclassed by the one who laid waste to all but a quarter of their fleet. The prince still shows discomfort in the burns from his misguided dip in the boiling pool. "What are our casualties? We are but two."

"Five frigates, two dreadnaughts, three scouting vessels, all totaled. A scouting vessel fully staffed holds normally around 250. Frigates hold 800. Dreadnaughts hold 2000." The captain looks overboard, seeing a few swimming figures avoiding the suction of the sinking airships, some unfortunate to be taken under along with the wreckage. "We can conduct rescue operations with the ships we have remaining. Our supply ships will serve as immediate life rescue. But in total losses, we're looking at 4500 souls at least."

"They lose forty, and we're already staring at over a hundred times that." He mutters as a medical crew checks in on Agamemnon, who has fallen unconscious from the strain placed on him. "My brother's status?"

"Exhausted. He'll have the sight of one of his eyes. The other, I fear, is now lost."

"To think we scheduled a bout with the rogue apostle and the divine princess of the sun herself." Xerxes whispers with regret. "Father will not be pleased. We shouldn't be too hasty to make comment of this until we have reached our shores. Perhaps I can postpone this announcement by saying that we've elected to pursue them into their boarders, that they've escaped by some means. I mean, it can't be wrong if there's truth in the matter."

A lanky stallion working in communications approach the captain. "Sir..."

"What?"

"The emperor hails. He wishes for an update from Prince Xerxes."

"What!?" The crown prince shouts back towards the communications expert. "Why does my father hail us!? Why such a time!?"

"He says the orb he's been trying to hail hasn't been responding. So he's gone from each one throughout our dreadnaughts. The telegram says that he wants you to report your status."

"What does he know?" The captain and the stallion over local communications stare at the shocked prince, who lashes out at them again. "What does he know!?"

"...I'm sorry sir, the remaining dreadnaught have started to report our losses to the emperor directly."

A twisted sensation grows in the stallion's stomach, a sickness that hails for the relief of all things coming to an end. The scalded prince stares back towards the empty horizon, seeing nothing but the waters ahead of him. Grief and shame drives him to lust for the waters below.

"So... this is how I lose it all?"

"Huh, guess they're done with losing over seventy-five percent of their guys. Now begins the search and rescue." Nondis illustrates as his gossamer wings dissipate. "Looks like the wife is done with her run too. She's coming in hot." I also take notice that his shirt is partially ripped from the hem, the missing fabric seemingly wrapped around his arm.

"This was a massacre." Amor groans. "So many lost souls."

"You shouldn't be too upset." The man returns. "If it wasn't them, it would definitely be us. Magic barriers can only go through so much when you've got so much pressure applied."

"But how do you know that for certain?" Hestia asks. "We could've done this defensively─"

"Little miss princess, have you seen what enormous physical pressure does to a magic field after so many hits? It shatters like broken glass, and whoever's holding the field can be subject to possible death if it breaks. At best, they'll be unconscious with severe magic strain disabling them from using magic for a period ranging from half an hour to a few days. And all it takes is a minute for those cannons to bombard us before we start swimming." The man opens the door, expecting his wife to fly in. "Trust me, that's an event you don't want to happen. I've seen what that looks like."

Celestia trots through the door, immediately taking her husband by the arm. "Honey, please sit down, we need to tend to your arm!"

"Tia, I told you, it will heal."

"Absolutely not! I don't care!" She insists as she sits him on the couch. "Let me see it."

Her magic undoes the make-shift bandage, revealing a missing chunk in his arm revealing the bone. A familiar smell immediately triggers my gag reflex, a haunting memory surfaces in my mind. Zenobia covers her mouth in disgust over seeing the wound. "Ew."

"That's a fourth." Kalimba points out. "Under most circumstances, that will never heal."

"Most circumstanced, you'd be right. But in my case, give it two hours." He replies, wrapping his arm back up.

He gives his injured arm a flexing motion of his fingers, seeing that three doesn't close all the way. "I'm shocked your tendons still work somewhat." The zebracorn watches.

"Kali, you of all others shouldn't be surprised. Besides, it's not the only time I've seen the inside of myself, nor is it the only place I've seen of myself." He pats his neck.

"All due respect, sir, both you and your wife scare me." Amor meekly confesses to the man.

"Don't be. She's on your side, and I'm the exception, not the norm. Most humans would lose their arms after this."

Celestia expresses her remorse. "That is going to scar really ugly."

"Nah, it won't be that bad." He writes off.

"Honey, I am so sorry. I lost control─" He flicks the knuckles of the non-functional fingers against the top of her head. "Hey!"

"You know our deal. Hard head, keep that."

She stares back at her husband, only to roll her eyes at him. "The monster I married."

"Yeah, yeah, I'm just happy you didn't swipe at me with the blade. I would've been scooping myself up out of the ocean after that one."

More resentment is displayed from the former princess. "Maybe pulling her out wasn't in our best interest."

"Aww, but I love the little Daybreaker in you." He tries to reassure her. "If it wasn't for that, the parliament would've ran you over centuries ago."

"Had I not embraced that side of me, think of who would have never came to power."

"Then there's the likely chance you would've never met me."

As the pair go through the hypothetical butterfly effects, Celestia shows vexation from the idea. "Oh please don't scare me like that."

"You know me, ever the 'useless weed giving praise to the light you give'." He quotes. Celestia doesn't stare back, merely yanking at his uninjured arm and dragging him into the hallway. "Ooh, dommy mommy."

"Please, let's just go." She urges as she shoves him into the hallway. She briefly addresses us over the matter. "...I'm sorry, my husband and I need to have serious talk. Can we have a moment? We'll be with you in about an hour."

"Sure. Have fun." Kalimba answers.

Celestia's ears run red as she forces her husband down the hall. Their voices gradually disappear as they walk. Amor questions the development between the two. "What's going on? Are they really about to have an altercation over this?"

"For the name you have, you aren't that bright when it comes to cues." The zebracorn comments. "They are going to engage in what can be described as a married conversation, a conversation involving intense debate and equal physical interaction."

"What do you mean?" The prince questions.

"Oh, for the love of─They're going to fuck, you idiot." Zenobia answers.

"Oh, okay."

Hestia shows discomfort in that revelation. "Eugh... Please tell me we don't have to hear that."

"Trust me, you won't." I answer.

"How do you know that?" She asks.

"There are spells." I respond. "...And Twilight uses a few."

"Uh... for what?"

The door closes behind the married pair, the man glancing down to his wound. A moment of concern falls to his mind, periodically jumping back to a moment in his past. He shakes the disturbing thought and tends to his wife, who lays quietly in the bed. "You alright, babe?"

The mare glances once towards the approaching man, but looks away after seeing his arm. "...Hardly."

"Babe, c'mon, look at me."

She levitates a pillow over her head in shame. "Do you not see your arm?"

"Sure it looks ugly, but I got it wrapped." He shrugs back at her.

"Ugh. You're missing the point─"

"─No I'm not─"

"─I hurt you again! In that form!"

He places a hand over his wife's side, lightly brushing against her feathers. "Babe, it was nowhere near our first estrus period together."

"I know, but still─"

He yanks the pillow from off of her face, pointing a finger at her. "Nope, you shut up, I'm kissing you all over your body for what you did today. You did an enormous good, to hell with a little mistake you made."

Just in the moment her husband leans down to reward her, she pushes him away. "I literally slaughtered thousands."

"Yeah, and saved our collective asses in doing so." He taps her horn with a finger, knocking her magic into a shutoff. "That many airships, that many cannons, our magic defenses would not have held."

"Hestia was right. We could've still tried─"

"Tia, Cella, babe, that demon needed to come out." He emphasizes with a kiss to her forehead. "And I love her just as much as I love you, fangs and all."

Gradually, her regret shows signs of fading against his touch, with the growing number of kisses he adorns her face with. "You really shouldn't make me feel good after committing heinous atrocities. What will others think of you?"

"Fuck 'em. I know what the fuck I married. And you talk as though I haven't committed my own form of genocide. The changelings are still mad as shit at me for what I did."

"You did that for defense─"

"The prison situation?" He recalls.

The mare's cheeks puff as she admits her husband's transgressions. "...Okay, I'll give you that."

"Yeah, I'm not exactly blameless either." He says as he kisses his wife in the nape of her neck. "Now scoot over, I'm gonna do stuff to you."

The mare accommodates her husband's request, also giving him a word of warning, "You better have a bubble up. You know how much I scream, and we can't afford to let the others hear what we do."

"Oh yeah, you're gonna do the screaming part now that you got all that pullable hair." He says as he uses his two working fingers to create a field of silence around the room.

She giggles as she makes another request. "Do me a favor."

"What?"

"Pull it hard."

"Shit. Say less." He whispers with excitement. He gazes down to his beloved wife, the mare who gives him not only purpose but love in times when he doubts himself. He takes great pride in choosing her, as well as being her emotional support. His cheeks rise with elation in seeing her eyes lock to his from her compromising position. "I love that subtle kinky smile of yours. No one else knows the treasures you hold behind those lifted dimples of yours."

"And I love that you love even the demon inside of me."

After intense rescue operations yield minimal results, many centuries who were stationed to the dreadnaught ships were lost due to sections being flushed with water, the crews along with them. There were also the many that fell to the water before the ships crash landing, they too died upon impact. With such quantifiable losses, Xerxes hopelessly chalks it to a total defeat, the only Equestrian losses incurred being those he's managed to oversee well over a week prior.

In the meeting, the emperor slouches in his seat. He furrows his brow towards his defeated sons, disgusted at the total losses and lack of result. Meanwhile, Eros shows he is humored in the combined incompetence of the two. "Failure... from you both, of all else?" He giggles. "And Agamemnon, you don't quite look the shape of imperial lineage today."

The one-eyed prince bears his rage towards his younger sibling. "If I wasn't blind in one eye, I'd stare you down with every intent to see you dismembered, Eros."

"Well you can't even see the vision halfway through at this point. It's a shame that you've sullied the Hestia branch so terribly with your incompetence." He mocks his older brother openly, turning his attention to Xerxes. "Seeing that both of you have made pursuit on the matter, and how both of you have also lost more than half of the fleet assigned, I trust there is reason for this. And you best come with it, otherwise father may elect to have you both assigned to the wall upon your return."

Agamemnon makes no provision to spare details. He blurts the truth as a means to keep his own skin. "Father, forgive us our failures. The rogue apostle has a travelling partner, one that was not only unaccounted for, but visually unassuming."

"High Princess Celestia." A wrapped Xerxes answers, his burns beginning to blister all over his body. "She caught us unaware."

The emperor lifts his brows at the revelation, growing interested in who they found accompanying the group. "Tell me again, who did you two cross?"

Xerxes reiterates his answer. "Princess Celestia, she looked nothing of the royal splendor we've grown used to seeing in the past. While taking a plainly appearance, she's far more dangerous than anticipated."

"She melted our bullets! And branded my eye shut with one of them!" Agamemnon adds as he points to his destroyed eye.

"You were the one who threatened to put a scar on her face!" Blames the mummified prince.

"I knew nothing of who or what she was!" The one-eyed prince defends himself.

As the pair of wounded siblings bicker amongst themselves, the emperor scratches his chin with his memories of the former ruler starting to cycle through his mind. He quietly displays approval of their circumstance. "Ah, the sun-kissed princess, the one capable of raising the sun. An interesting trial this has turned into, I must say that I am amused by the results... but also disappointed in their effectiveness."

"Father, what do you speak?" A pain-stricken Xerxes grimaces through to the emperor.

"For generations, we have sought the power of true alicorns. For many in our line, our only hope to achieve such parameters would have been to marry one, to reproduce. But my attempts at her only grew stale as separation grows disinterest." The emperor stands from his seat, a first for many who watches in the room. Basileus walks forward with his orb in tow, speaking further. "Do you know why I never once disregarded Amor's aspired proposal to High Princess Twilight Sparkle? It's because of many things, but mainly that she shows similar promise in power. A unicorn fledgling taught and instructed by Celestia herself. Her young resume already boasts empirical accomplishments, and she already has the approval of the legends of old. To sire an heir of male key would be the ideal foundation to our power." Basileus turns to Xerxes, seeing his wounded state. "You must understand now the difference between us and them. If Amor is to sire a prince with that line, then that colt would be the high key."

"But father─"

"If your brother were to ever bear fruit with that one, the halcyon days of Ponyland would truly be before us. And your powers would simply be annulled. You of all ponies should understand that your position is simply a ceremonial one. Make no mistake, if tragedy were to ever befall me, you would be claimed emperor. However, if that boy is born with the abilities of the Sparkle lineage, the imperial family charter predates that you should be made defunct as such."

"Should he ever become of age, I understand that─"

"Then you should make use of your position, much like Zenobia has for all these years."

"Are you saying that I should be made less than what I am now!?"

"Do you blame me for your decisions, Xerxes?" The emperor argues back with his son. "I've been made aware of your account. You escaped the vessel, then ordered the formation to fire. You triggered the skirmish knowing full well what you were up against. Your lack of judgement in that arena has cost us the lives of THOUSANDS WITHIN THE HOUR!... And you speak as though your foley will be so easily forgiven because of who you faced. Not even Zenobia has failed in such capacity. Each time you've made a decision, you've made it to the detriment of us!"

A silence grows in the room, the princes all looking to one another with hardly anything to say, not even a simple quip about each other squeaks from their lips. Only the standing emperor makes a sound, and it's to walk back to his throne to reseat himself.

Basileus draws a sharp breath. "Your mission remains the same, Xerxes. But your brothers will be more involved. I will speak with Militades on the matter."

"But father─"

"SILENCE!" The emperor shouts his son down, making him silent for the duration of the conversation. "I will have you return to Cloud Castle. From there, you will be reassigned a specialized scouting frigate to continue your pursuit. You will no longer risk our dreadnaughts on the gamble of this engagement. And you will not risk the well-being of vast quantities of our centuries again. You will claim the holy mother, and nothing else. This failure will not be repeated! Have I made myself transparently clear!?"

Silenced by the emperor, Xerxes merely bows his head with acknowledgement. The emperor's eyes drift towards his other son, who bows with a verbal response. "Yes father."

"You will take leave to Cloud Castle at once, your new vessel will be ready in a day's time. Eros will sortie with you there. He will be in charge. The three of you will set out and make your trip to the heart of Equestria, where you will begin your search in Canterlot. That is where the holy mother resides. And in this, you will be moving in covert. That means absolutely no hunting, Xerxes. You will bring no trophy other than the holy mother, and she will be alive and well." He points his hoof to the mummified prince. "Now you may speak."

"Your majesty, your word is law." He whispers in submission.

The emperor dissipates his presence from the sphere, leaving only Eros to speak with the injured pair. "Great, now we have the whisperer, of all of our siblings, to join us."

Xerxes groans with distaste, knowing that he'll have to submit to the orders of his flamboyant younger brother. "I have been shamed enough already, what more do you want, Eros?"

"I just thought that I should disclose a fun little treat to you about some renovations." The lavender-streaked prince replies. "You know how much you said you hated Zenobia's ship, how small it is, how logistically challenged it is in it's weaponry and output? Well we'll be remodeling it to acceptable standards for our mission. I'll let you come here and see the improvements for yourself. They're sure to improve to your mood." The prince stifles a chuckle as he concludes his transmission. "Now with all that said, I'll see you when you get here."

The disfigured prince grimaces from seeing his younger brother smiling back at them. "He mocks us."

Xerxes replies. "He's your younger branch sibling. You of all others should know that's all he does."

Later That Night...

Following the chaos of earlier today, Celestia advises that we'd run the engines and make a beeline for Silver Shoals. Nondis cites a risk of running empty on fuel before reaching the shoreline, but agrees under the premise that we'd avoid further conflict out at sea. I also notice that she seems to have a gait about her as she assumes the responsibility of steering the ship this evening. I suppose their 'serious talk' went about as well as it should've.

The sun gives off a red glow over the water. The air is a bit chilly. And other than the waves of the infinite ocean, there's a lingering silence. The world is much more peaceful, even the waves are easy on us at the moment. And the sky is a warm contrast of orange and red. The general mood of everyone on board is pretty mellow, except for a loud altercation taking place in one of the other rooms that result in Amor getting disrespectfully tossed out. Poor guy can't catch a break, can he?

I go after him to check up, seeing that he's staring off into the sea. But I also notice a rather sizeable reason why he's to his lonesome. Turns out he's just pent up. And he's not trying to use his magic to solve the issue, he's using the cold breeze to entice himself back into hiding. Unfortunately he's in a bad rut, occasionally beating against his own underbelly while he stands in wait. I can tell he's trying not to go off, but his body obviously have other plans. My natural inclination is to just leave him be and hope he gets the matter resolved one way or another. But sadly he's very adamant in not finding a quick resolution.

Maybe I should talk to him. "Hey there, Romeo."

He jumps, almost out of his own skin. "Spike, you startled me." He glances down and remembers his compromising situation and covers himself by sitting down and planting his forelegs out front, clumsily squeezing himself before getting it right the second time. "Oh... sorry for the... uh... you know. I was just cooling off. I-I figure I need the time to keep inventory, if you know what I mean. Well of course you know what I mean, it couldn't be anymore obvious. I'm just... Sorry."

Poor guy, he's really going through it. "Ah, Twilight's on your mind?"

His constant veering elsewhere is an indication that he's been caught. "Well, a lot is on my mind, past and present. I draw from pretty much anything these days."

I turn away from him, offering some semblance of privacy. "Yeah, it's like that."

"Not for you, you have Zenobia."

"Nah, not really. I don't see how think things will work out with us." I deny. "Much less me getting myself back into that situation."

He scoffs laughingly at my response. "I beg to differ."

I try not to look at him as he tries to get himself together. "Amor, I'm in what you would call a polyamorous relationship, a 'herd' if you will."

"Ohhhhh... not sure if she's willing to accept a lesser role." He adds cautiously. "Dealing with dad, that's probably either a huge turnoff or the start of a serious competition."

"She won't be the only one I'll try to keep at a distance."

"You're avoiding someone else?"

"Oh yeah. Her name's Ember, she's the current dragon lord."

"YOU WHAT!?" I hear his hooves shuffle against the hardwood. "You're mated to the dragon lord!"

"Hardly!" I correct him. "She keeps asking me for fights and shit, whoops my ass, then gets mad about me losing, then makes the dumbass demand to get better and do the shit all over again! Like I already told her I don't do fighting for sex! Like I know it's dragon culture to do that, but it's not the culture I'm used to."

He nods sagely. "That's right, you were raised around ponies your entire life."

Just the thought of both Zenobia and Ember running into each other makes me want to shrink into a ball, and I thought my watching Thorax and Ember meet up for the first time would be a rough sell. "You'd think she'd catch the hint after the first time, but she hasn't."

The stallion clears his throat, then does so a second time while being a bit more forceful. "You know... you should probably tell Zenobia that you're already involved in something."

"I'd much rather tell her that I don't have interest in more than what's already transpired. And even with that, I'm smart enough to know that telling her out at sea is a bad idea in contrast to telling her when we hit land. Lest I keep the drama to a minimum."

The glass door slides open, Nondis walks through having overheard our conversation. "To be obsessed. Sometimes they don't take 'no' for an answer. That's just how it be sometimes."

Amor's face blushes all the more as he watches the human get closer. "Oh hey, how the arm?"

"Good as new." He answers, holding it up to reveal an ugly scar. "Heard a bit of a fuss-about earlier. I talked with Hestia, she clued me in on why she kicked you out of the room, she said you got a little too romantic under the sheets."

"I took a nap, I had a dream, then I'm woken up from my sleep and thrown out of the room. I can't help that my body does guy things, but she doesn't seem to care. It's all intentional in her eyes." He sighs dejectedly. "The idea of sex disgusts her. I don't get how she's even related to our family at this point."

"Her preference, her choice. It happens." Nondis shrugs. "Though I understand the boundaries. I actually had to buy this ship because of a dispute between me, Tia, and Luna. We all shared the house together up until we married. Luna wasn't too thrilled at the idea of having lovebirds making various messes in the house, so she'd interrupt us as often as we could get the time. We all lived together for a month before I had enough and just said 'Fine, I'll buy a boat, we'll travel a mile or two out, and have our fun that way.' To this day, that investment has came through for our relationship."

"What was the real reason why Luna did that?" I ask.

He wags a finger at me. "Can't say that. The wife will erupt into flames if I dare to speak it out loud."

After today's revelation of her, I can't blame him for keeping his mouth shut. "Yeah, solid copy on that one."

The man summons a chair from his shadow, plopping himself down for a seat to talk with the young prince. "So... you wanna get up with Twilight, huh?"

"Not that I'll ever have the chance you've had." Amor answers.

"You do. Just stick around. She'll get used to you. The more you do together, the more familiar she'll be with you, the more the walls break down." He advises. "But I will say this, if anything happens as a result of you two getting close, don't for a second say out loud that you resent it, no matter what the consequences are for her."

"Also, don't let herself get into comparisons. She'll never stop talking about it, and you'll only get broken down to the point where she has some stupid evaluation of how you won't be a good match for her." I add.

"Look, the moment she starts talking about me, just walk away." He motions with his fingers. "She can't stand that shit, and would probably chase you down to talk to you more. At that point, you play hide-and-seek."

"She gets annoyed easily, and she's OCD."

"She's high maintenance in attention, low maintenance in gifting. Try not to shoot for the stars when looking for something to get her. Don't go for a bouquet of roses, just start with something like a dandelion. It'll be the thought that counts."

"In speaking of thoughts, keep this one in mind: Chocolate and books. If she's reading an erotic novel, which she usually slots in around 9:45 on a Thursday night, wait till 9:52 before you interrupt. By that time, she's annoyed but hot, and probably bothered enough to maybe do something about it."

Nondis cranes his neck towards me, amazed over the bit of information I've just provided. "That's a little too specific sir, how did you pick up on that one?"

"You did the deed with her, I lived with her for my entire life. I've had to clean up after her whenever she got done, and that was before you came along."

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that." He mutters to himself.

The stallion starts to cover himself again, probably getting a bit interested in the topics of Twilight's various triggers and tendencies. "I guess I should be taking notes then?" He chuckles nervously.

"Nah, I already got you." I say. I blow my breath, summoning a scroll and a quill to jot things down for him. "So next after that, you'll want to read up on the following books. She gets a lot of her ideas from the books she reads. So you'll want to start with a few of her preferred 'warm-up' stories. The Valet in Vanhoover, Night in the Rye, the Curious Captive of Chrystanople."

"The smutty stuff she likes on Saturday nights. Fifty Shades of Neigh, the Broken Court, the Last Evening, and don't get me started on the Miscellaneous Misadventures of Fair Charity, a very hard to come by tome, but one that was kept in the Royal Archives for private reading. Get her on that one, can't possibly lose."

The prince tilts his head at me. "Uh... the fire thing... how did you─"

"My fire's enchanted. I can send and receive letters this way." I briefly explain.

"Hey Spike, fun question." Nondis asks. "So if you can receive letters that way, why didn't Twilight try that with you earlier?"

For a moment, I try to come up with a reason of why. But then I find myself asking the question to myself, wondering how the hell haven't I thought to reverse this equation and communicate back. I get that it would've taken some time for the spell to ride the winds and inevitably get to her, but the thought completely went over my head. "...Huh."

The man laughs sensibly at my expense. "Yup, pretty much on brand with her, forget the simple solutions in her face for the more convoluted bullshit workaround."

"Ugh, and I might be picking up on that habit too." I admit.

Amor clears his throat, showing how anxious he is to get back on topic. "Sirs, could we... realign?"

Nondis smiles as he answers. "Sure thing. The sooner you do your research, the sooner you get to break her down."

"So... even she has moments of... stress relief." He asks.

I quickly reply. "Are you kidding. She's probably got it to a scheduled time block for later tonight. Might even be doing it with Nondis in mind."

"That would not surprise me." The man mutters. "What would is if she's got someone else in mind."

In the halls of Canterlot Castle, the many guards remain on post, heavily fortifying the halls due to the increased security alert recently issued. Two guards wait quietly as they stare at the clock, waiting for the moment when they are allowed to change post with that of the morning detail. Usually the latter group would be in charge of waking the princess with her usual pre-dawn slate of tasks and activities.

However, their princess is far from needing a wake up call, as she is very much awake.

"Hah... ah... no..."

In fact, she's quite active.

The princess stifles her increasing cries as she hides herself under her sheets. Her back curls as her hips grind back and forth. A soft magenta glow forms a phallic shape between her legs, resting between the pillow and the creaming folds of her sex. A foreleg wanders against her chest, another anchoring herself as her eyes glance to a brightly-lit screen. Drops of sweat and drool patter onto the image as she shows her immense dedication to her imaginative scenario.

"Dammit... right there... yes... yesss... I'm there... Nnnnn...Ah!"

Her pace increases, her eyes clench shut as she takes in the image on her screen, frantically manipulating her magic as she rushes to her early morning climax. A vulgar swear halfway leaves her lips as she clenches her haunches together, her magic manipulation surging, then breaking into nonexistence. Upon crossing the threshold, she shudders and jolts from the intensity of the moment. The creamy stain on her pillow grows, her eyes slowly opening to still see the stars that litter her vision from her climb. She looks back to the picture situated on the screen, quietly crawling back down to her present circumstance.

"...Why did I even do this?" Angry with herself, she slides the phone off of the bed, not caring that it falls to the carpeted floor. "I'm so disgusting."

She dismounts her pillow, staring at the mess she's made over her early morning measure of stress relief. Her ears pin back along with the thoughts of growing resentment. But instead of letting the moment wallow in her mind, she gives herself a smack on her cheeks with her wings and straightens her demeanor from disappointment to indifference. What's done is done, and there's no changing it.

"It's not too early to raise the sun. If so, who even cares?" She mutters as she makes her way towards the balcony.

The magic around her horn dissipates, a purple aura in the shape of a bubble quietly pops from around her bed. As she walks away, a message pops up at the top of the screen from Rarity. It's a simple wish of good morning with a trio of smiling faces. The bubble persists on the screen for a moment before being sent back to the background, bringing back forth into focus the image that drove her imagination.

It proves to be the source of not only her imagination, but also shame.

Chapter 43: Royal Rumble

Unfortunately for me, my return back home is further inundated by detours and more bad news. I'm still astounded by the prize placed on my head, and also the compounded fact that Ember used this as evidence to pursue my status. As of now, I'm completely at the mercy of whatever she deems as 'concern', even if it means that she'd be willing to drag my scaly ass back to the Dragon Lands for whatever reason.

However, our detour hits a little snag before we even reach the starting line. "What do you mean you can't go to Canterlot?"

Hestia is more than eager to take the trip, seeing any place having something other than what's already at home. "Of course we can, Princess Twilight is even going so far as allowing us to ride the train there, with her personal escort."

Meanwhile, Zenobia shows resistance to the idea. "Don't care! Not going!"

"Why do you not want to go?" Hestia presses the noble-blooded sibling.

"It seems that a certain someone is afraid of a little accountability." Twilight quips at the mare's expense.

"For your information, it's not that!" The albino alicorn challenges. "I'm a princess, for fucks sake! I can't be going around in the nude for some random pedestrians of some other country to be looking and leering about! I have an image to maintain!"

"That's your concern, your image?" The way Amor says it clearly reflects my level of skepticism towards her reasoning, even if it is a valid concern for herself. We just know that she's not shy to having a tryst with me in front of her father and siblings at the breakfast table.

Twilight looks down at herself and illustrates her counterargument. "Equestrians don't typically wear clothes. To me, that seems more like an excuse of you not wanting to run the risk of facing the Dragon Lord, and explaining what all you've done."

"I don't have a problem facing anyone!" She shouts. "My concern is simply stated: I am of noble blood, walking among the common ilk, uncovered and with no show of my importance or status! I do not accept any invitation to any castle without a formal attire!"

"Well it's too late now, you're in one of my castles even as we speak." Twilight points out.

Zenobia shrieks as she immediately seeks the curtains of a nearby window, but stops herself short as she glares disapprovingly. "To think that I would be made to wear such impromptu attire... the disgrace."

I start to rub the side of my head, knowing that if we don't resolve this issue, it'll only grow into an even worse headache than I'm already dealing with. "Twilight, can we just head over to Yona's? It'll be a one-pit stop, shouldn't take us long. We'll just get some clothes and go."

Hestia's ears flicker at my suggestion. "Clothes? We're going for clothes?" She seems a bit excited. "And this Yona, what kind of name is that for a mare? I thought you Equestrians name yourselves differently, but not like that."

"She's a yak who lives in a boutique in town." I simply explain.

The look of pure revulsion comes across Zenobia's face as I mention that. "A yak? How utterly disgusting, a disaster! Dear pet, what do you plan on putting me in, some stupid ball of yarn? I'd like to think I took better care of you than to subject me to that disgusting style of apparel!" She shudders at the thought. "Just the idea of it is already making my body itch all over!"

Solemn taps me and whispers up to me. "Speaking awfully high of herself, especially after purposefully exposing her playtime with you." The fact that she knows that makes me cringe with embarrassment.

Amor tries to play the role of devil's advocate. "Well... I do know that the yak clothing options can be... warm... and their colors do tend to be a most beautiful shade of... earth tones?" He's unconvincingly playing the role of devil's advocate.

"Um..." Even Hestia shares her doubts. "I know this sounds a bit... critical... but what boutique would a yak run?"

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE─!"

If I could equate Hestia's reaction to anything upon our being teleported here, it would be that of a loud siren telling the costal town that a tsunami's on the way inland. She barely even breathes with how long she's been going at it. Solemn Oath has both of her ears plugged and she's still groaning from discomfort. Zenobia's jaw seems to have an attraction to the floor, and Twilight's smug expression towards her casts an air of superiority and subverting expectations.

Amor glances towards me with pity. "Oh boy, you brought Hestia shopping, for luxury brands. May whatever deity have mercy on your soul."

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEE─*gasp*" Oh good, she's taking a break. "EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" Never mind. "These are the ultra-exclusive brands that no one can dare hope to import! You LITERALLY have to buy these in the chain brand stores! Oh my gosh! Boutíque For You, the exclusive line signed by the new global fashion phenom Rarity Belle!? I never knew I needed this so much in my life! LOOK AT THAT DRESS!"

"Is she always like this?" I ask to Amor.

"If she's looking for fashionable wear, this is the expression she's going to have."

As we quietly observe the chaotic being that is Hestia in a shop full of trendy fashions, Zenobia walks along the walls, seeing a multitude of dress options with varying colors, accessorized schemes, and jeweled themes. Twilight keeps a very watchful eye on her as I walk up to her. "Finding something you like?"

"Quite a bit, actually." She tilts her head up to me. "Is there something in pink?"

"I thought you hated pink."

"I do. Goes with my eyes though." She shrugs.

Just on cue, a certain yak finally descends from the stairs and offers a friendly greeting to the alicorn princess. "Goodness me! I never expected such a guest to enter into our humble boutique! What can I do for you?"

Zenobia stares blankly at the large creature, then back to me, and finally back to her. "Huh, you sure don't sound the build you've put on."

"Zenobia, your majesty, this is Yona. She's the one in charge of this shop." I kindly bring their attention to one another. "Yona, this is Princess Rosa Zenobia."

The yaks eyes widen for a short while, she's clumsily caught between trying not to bump into something and bowing out of respect. "Your majesty, Yon-uh, I mean, I-I am honored to─"

"You know, you can be yourself, Yona." I advise.

The yak drops her attempt to sound poignant, showing relief in my suggestion. "Thanks, Spike. Yona still has trouble code switching. Yona tries best, but doesn't always work without Yona bumping into others." She finally brings her attention to the prospective client beside me. "Yona believes pretty alicorn could go with newly released amethyst line. Line inspired by seamstress Rarity's visits to Crystal Empire."

The imperial princess raises her brows at the source of inspiration. "The Crystal Empire? I thought that place was a rumor."

"Far from. In fact, majesty's older brother serves as Emperor of city-state. He once served as Captain of Royal Guard."

Zenobia briefly appears impressed before seeing a proud smirk on Twilight's face. She immediately shifts herself to appear not as impressed. "Huh, I've met one of those."

"So Yona understand. How is Mr. Nondis?"

Her mind mainly flashes back to the first impression of him, the sight of him holding her subordinates before casually breaking all of their necks in a display of brutality. "A bit scary." Then she remembers the conversation he has with her as she lied injured in bed. "But I do hear his world is quite splendid to look at through a night's lens."

"How splendid?" The yak inquires.

"Massive towers in colorful lights, far dwarfing the trees around it." I turn towards her, immediately bringing back the image of Austin in my head. "What?"

"Did he show you that?" I ask.

"Just a photograph of it."

"I see." I mutter as Yona brings up a pretty pink dress for Zenobia to try on. While they go on about their way, I see Hestia walking towards Sandbar with a mountain of clothes ready to be bought up and stashed away somewhere. I stammer as the mountain of clothes appear taller than her.

She places everything at the register, Sandbar playing as an attendant to help his fiancée. "Are you ready to check out, ma'am?"

"HELL YEAH! LET'S GO!"

It takes a little while for him to ring everything up, but he gets it done eventually. "Okay, so your total will come up to ฿783,291."

She confidently slams her hoof on the counter. "Put it on my tab!"

Amor walks beside her, finally bringing her back to reality with the unfortunate reminder of where she currently isn't. "Uh, Hestia, he said bits (฿), not spurs (₷)."

"Oh... well..." She looks back at Amor, who doesn't seem to budge in helping her. She smiles sheepishly towards Sandbar. "Well... this is awkward."

I shake my head and step up to the counter. "My tab then."

"Of course you'd pick it up." He chuckles at me. "Black membership number?"

"BLACK MEMBERSHIP!?" Hestia screams at me. "YOU HAVE A BLACK MEMBERSHIP FOR AN EXCLUSIVE BRAND!?"

I politely offer my membership number to Sandbar. "Zero. Six. One. Four. Zero. Nine. Nine. Four."

Sandbar pecks at the register, a bell chimes as a result. "Okay, your membership took. So your new total will come down to ฿7,833."

"AHT!" Zenobia interjects, placing her dress beside the mountainous pile Hestia already placed down. "This dress as well."

Hestia tugs at my wing, hovering to my shoulder with her question. "How the heavens did you get a black membership to the Boutíque For You line? They don't even offer those to some of the industry elites!"

"I have connections." I deadpan.

The pegasus mare peers back to the patiently waiting purple alicorn by the door. "Oh, right, you're second to the princess."

"Yeah, let's go with that." Sandbar mutters behind a stifled laugh. "New total is ฿8,340."

Since my phone has all of my account information about my trips to the boutique, I know that I am flying blind for the moment. But I know that Rarity was kind enough to pay back my earlier years of volunteer work for her. While I'd rather other things serve as reward, she adamantly offers store-credit as her treat for the things I've done. Either way... "How much do I have on store credit?"

"You have store credit for this place too?" Hestia continues to bombard me with questions.

Sandbar presses a button on the register, the balance zeroes out with hundreds of thousands of credits to spare. "Okay, you're all set. Let me get these bagged for you."

Amor drops his head, knowing that Hestia's going to obligate him to carrying all of her newly-acquired wardrobe. The pegasus squeaks with satisfaction as she pronks in place. "Now I have an even better problem, I don't know what I'm wearing!"

Zenobia takes her new dress and immediately runs for a changing room. It takes her little time to get dressed while Hestia treats her bags like a file cabinet over what she wants to go out in. By the time she reveals even more of her indecisiveness, the noble-blood princess appears with her new dress on, proudly sashaying towards me. "Not bad, pet. I figured you were well-groomed, but I didn't pin you for being well-cultured also."

"Well... I have my learnings." I humbly brag.

Sandbar doesn't leave the register yet, only dropping his head under the register. "Oh yeah, hold up a minute, Spike."

I already have an idea of what that usually means. "Oh, what do you got for me now?"

He pulls out a ceremonial outfit, already tailored to my more recent fittings, probably a little looser because I haven't stopped growing yet. "Rarity sent this in for you."

And once more, Hestia shouts with irrational exuberance. "THE FASHION ICON HERSELF!?"

Sandbar playfully hits my arm. "Perks of being a Boutique Black™ member. She got the news you were stuck in Ponyland, so she made this as a way to distract herself from your possibly coming up missing... or worse. Then when she heard that you were on the way back, so she had it finished and shipped here on one-day. It just landed in store like yesterday afternoon when Gabby dropped it off. She wanted you to at least drop by and pick it up, if not us giving it to you before your next official meeting."

"It seems these Black perks are pretty generous." Zenobia closes the space between us. "Mind telling me what else are you hiding from us, my dear pet?"

Sandbar growls towards me with a raised brow. "Oh?"

Twilight, having more than enough of the foreign princess' advances, calls from the other side of the room. "Goodness sake Spike, just tell them the truth already!"

Sandbar does it for me. "He's been an assistant to Rarity during her transformative years, and also been friends with her for just as long."

"So you mean to tell me that you've got DIRECT CONNECTS!?" Again, Hestia is just so passionate about fashion. I don't even know where any of this came from.

"Cultured and connected indeed." Zenobia smiles as she places a hoof on my cheek, turning my head towards her as she firmly plants her tongue against mine and her lips to a similar contest. I hear a deeply unsatisfied groan from Twilight as I can assume her eyes lock to the mare that so brazenly exchanged an amorous gesture before her... yet again. "My interest grows in you, pet. We should find time to... discuss matters." She brushes my nose with her tail as she glides by.

While the moment in itself is a bit of a shock for me, it's much more of one for Sandbar who's stuck in stare. "Uh, are you two... seeing─"

I wise up and try to pretend that instance of contact didn't even happen, at least to prevent Twilight from going magic-nuclear. "Well would you look at the time! Our train is soon to set off any minute now! Let's get moving so we don't miss it!" I drag Amor and Hestia with me right out the door, Zenobia trotting past with all intent to silently brag about that kiss to the princess trying her best to remain civilized.

"Wow, he's really got quite an assembly of characters chasing after him these days." Solemn comments towards the high princess. "Turn him into a human, and you've got the old captain's previous situation all over again."

"Not a damn chance! I didn't raise him to be anything like that asshole!" Twilight exclaims. "I'm really starting to believe he's been around that guy for a week far too long! Once he gets to Canterlot, he's going to be a very busy dragon!" She storms out of the boutique, leaving Solemn behind to comment to the others.

"Let's just hope that whatever he went through these past few weeks wasn't as bad as seven years ago."

After our trip to the boutique, I offer some help to Amor in carrying all of Hestia's newfound luggage. We meet back up with Kalimba at the train station with just enough time to see our ride sail on in. Once we get seated, Amor starts listing off the numerous differences between the rail system in Ponyland and that of our own. Despite our two countries being connected by that same link our rails seem to be vastly thicker in parts, and our trains are far more updated. However, being that this is still the initial trial line running between Canterlot and Ponyville, they quickly discover how fast our trains operate. It's funny to think about it, our airships are years off of those in their country, while we've started to develop trains that make what was a two hour journey into a forty-five minute commute.

Those forty-five minutes sail by, but not without a few incidents here and there. Twilight still has me under watch, and very much under her wing for the duration of the ride. She quietly stares out the window, looking at her kingdom passing us by. But the glass offers a faint reflection of me and the aisle, which Zenobia frequents in anticipation of catching me when Twilight's not paying attention. Sadly for her, she's been keeping my legs glued to the seat, even erecting a barrier with every pass the imperial princess makes. The last five minutes of the ride has just been Zenobia hovering over our seats, acting as a starved vulture looking to swoop in for their next meal.

I know Zenobia is a bit of a nympho, but this is starting to get out of hoof.

We finally make our stop in the Canterlot Grand Station, where a small contingent of guards welcome us with salutes and spears towering over our path. Twilight yanks me along for the walk outside while the imperial princess is further mocked by her, who does everything in her power to pretend she's not even there.

Amor and Hestia go above the antics of the two high nobles and partake in the streets of our capital city. He's the most relieved of all of us. "Home sweet Canterlot! How I've missed the air of this place! A bit chilly from the altitude at times, but when that sun gets to beaming, look out!"

"This place ain't too bad!" Hestia comments. "Never thought they'd build the city on the side of the mountain as opposed to the bottom, the top, or within it! It was pretty precarious looking on the way in, but I feel comfortable with it now that I'm here!"

"And your trains are quite expeditious." Amor praises. "Perhaps that is the reason why Mr. Nondis does not fare well with them."

"Sure. We'll go with that." Twilight mutters as our carriages wheel up close to the sidewalk. A guard steps out and opens the door to our cart, revealing the soft seats hiding within.

Another carriage wheels itself behind ours, offering a ride to the imperial family. They see a similar setup for themselves. "Ooh, swanky." Hestia hops in first, sighing with relaxation from the cushiony landing. "And so soft, I can totally sleep in this!"

"Yeah, they'll get you right these days." I comment before I look to Kalimba, who doesn't seem too interested in riding with us. "Not rolling in with us?"

She returns a warm smile, having made up what she wants to do in her mind. "My job here is done for the most part. I got you home, now it's my turn to do the same."

"But what about your clearances and devices?" I ask.

"I'll get them tomorrow." She dismisses. "Right now, I just want go and hold my son for a while."

Twilight happily considers her request, summoning a sealed bubble-wrap envelope with her important credentials and her phone. "Consider it an unofficial debrief."

"Thank you." She says with a soft expression, turning to me to offer a word of parting. "It was interesting, Spike. We'll work again soon, but not too soon I hope."

"Yeah, maybe we'll be on a much more peaceful assignment for next time."

She gives a brief laugh before galloping down the street. "That would be convenient!"

While she departs, Hestia pokes her head out from the carriage, offering her farewell. "Aw, bye! Wish we could see you more!"

"Thank you for all you've done!" Amor also adds.

"She wasn't that bad actually." Zenobia mutters as she climbs into her carriage.

I feel a tap on my shoulder. "Hmm?" I turn around to see a similar bubble wrap envelope offered to me, knowing what's inside. "Ah, there you go. Come back to daddy."

"Try not to get too browse-happy this time. You still have a job to do when we get back."

"No promises." I answer as I turn on my phone... only to have the screen not come on at all. I try starting it up again, getting no response at all. "Hey, the battery's dead." I complain.

"Well I can't charge it when it's sealed up." She explains sarcastically.

"Then unseal it, charge it, and seal it back up." I stress in return.

"That would defeat the purpose of it being sealed." She argues. "You already know what our protocol entails, I don't see why you act like you're brand new to this when you've been doing this for some years now. Like can you at least pretend that you aren't this dumb?"

"Ugh... you never change." I answer exhaustedly.

"And you change too much!" She replies loudly. "Sometimes I wish you had never grown wings, maybe that would keep your head out of the clouds so damn often."

"What was that!?"

"You heard me, you know what I said! I swear, you being around Nondis is like a nightmare playing on repeat! All you do is pick up his terrible habits! Maybe I should keep you here for more than a mental screening or two!"

"As if I'd be willing to stay!"

"Ugh, I can't believe you're like this over some stupid phone!" She gripes, offering her phone to me as a way to satisfy me. "You know what, here! Just take this and do things!"

I halfway think to accept her offer, but then the flashback of our incidental online run-in plays in my head, how I managed to send some compromising material to an online anonymous account thinking I was going to get some sultry exchanges in the messages. I push back her phone. "No way! I don't wanna run into whatever the hell you've been up to in the wild hours of the night!" Her eyes pop open and she rescinds her offer in a mere second. "Yeah, that's what I thought!"

As Solemn boards the carriage with the imperial family, the young prince comments about our interactions. "They really do act more like siblings, don't they."

Solemn answers the young prince. "Well, she and her family did adopt him as such."

Just from our arrival to the castle, I can tell the many ways in which their experience differs from mine. I'm sure it had to be a bit of a culture shock to see so many other creatures mingling with ponykind. Changelings, yaks, an occasional dragon or two, nocturnals, kirin, griffons, hippogriffs, mules, donkeys, you name it, they all mingled with one another in harmony. Everyone welcomes them with no impunity or directed disdain. Guards welcomed them as our esteemed guests from across the way, just like it should be done. It's much better than showing up to the castle in a cage after having a number of axes, spears, and daggers chucked your way.

Unfortunately, our guards and royal staff weren't the only ones looking to greet us with a warm welcome.

The moment we pulled into the courtyard, there's a number of creatures with press badges and cameras perked around the parapets and battlements of the keep. All of them are just waiting, salivating even, to get the first juicy scoop of my return home. And sadly, there's very little I can do about it personally. They want their scoop, and they'll work for it too.

Thankfully, we already have protocols for this kind of stuff. As soon as the guards make an aisle for us, we know it's time to systematically hop out of our carriages and move briskly towards the castle doors in silence. Thankfully, Solemn rode in with them, so she'll be able to clue them in on our methods. After all, they don't need to disclose anything without the statements being carefully vetted to avoid speculation.

But not everyone is quiet and complacent to the protocol. Zenobia predictably shows visible annoyance and trots behind me, whispering in her mode of ire. "What is this heaping pile of nuisance looking to swamp us like vultures?"

"That would be the public press." I mutter. "They'll be asking us all sorts of questions once we start moving. Your best bet is to stay quiet and keep it pushing. Don't give them any sound bytes to go on."

"Well it would make more sense if you'd instituted a death penalty for getting in your way, at least a modest prison sentence to keep the grounds clean." She suggests.

Amor flags her comment and corrects her on her approach. "Zenobia, we are in a different country. Try to remember that before suggesting a death sentence for merely asking questions."

Numerous pairs of pegasi with black umbrellas fly above the party of imperials, guarding them carefully from unwanted closeups. A quartet of unicorns unfurl black sheets to walk us along the way to further protect us against unwanted photography as well as video footage. After all preparations have been made, Solemn gives the motion for our caravan to advance.

A voice hails from the top of the castle steps, issuing a firm order to the press bonanza. "No cameras, no recordings, all questions will be answered upon a later date! We ask now for your compliance in these restrictions! If you are without a press badge, please vacate the premises at this time! Trespassers will be detained for questioning and all materials will be confiscated for search and seizure! If compromising material is found, your items will be forfeit to the Royal Authority and your press badges revoked! Thank you for your understanding!"

Some of the lurking press, namely those who lurk around the grounds for some of the regional tabloids, follow the commands issued and leave without incident. A few protest, only to be questioned for their belligerence. Others with their press passes are made to merely jot down notes of what they see.

I know it seems a bit controversial for this to be our approach, but there's still the matter of some classified information that could be discussed on accident. And it namely pertains to Ponyland's religious practices and deity. And since that's still an item worthy of note, we've made precautions to not have that spill out to the public. We finally get to the foyer of the castle, the doors closing behind us with parasols and blankets blocking the view. Once the doors shut, they disperse and we're allowed to go about our scheduled direction.

Zenobia shows interest in our atypical approach for discretion. "Not quite the threat of an execution, but I suppose that works."

Twilight nods to the stallion who hailed out the disclaimer to all of the grounds. "Thank you again, Sir Stanton."

"Always a pleasure." The stallion salutes back before also greeting me. "Spike, good to see you still shy of six feet and not under it."

Zenobia's confusion for his metaphor is a given. "Is there some sort of a language barrier here?"

He looks at the mare who eases me the question and whispers to Twilight. "Psst, who's this?" While the imperial alicorn remains confused about his vernacular, the purple princess purses her lips and glances over to me. He quirks a brow before walking past, greeting Hestia instead. "And wouldn't you know it, you look like a pegasi version of Mel."

I politely introduce the two. "Stanton, this is Princess Hestia."

"Former princess. I'm pretty much giving it all up to live here." She corrects me while extending a hoof to him in greeting.

"Yeah, being princess ain't all that's cracked up to be, I'll tell you what." He says with a chuckle.

The pink pegasus appears slightly perturbed by his approach of familiarity, laughing awkwardly in return. Zenobia, to her credit, does step in and offer to correct him over it. "You seem to have a casual approach to how you speak to imperial royalty."

While under most circumstances, I'm sure he would dial things back a bit. But considering who his brother is, and him pretty much picking up on Twilight's vibes, he's not exactly willing to resort to that first. "What, you want me to bow down and kiss your hooves or something?"

"The disrespect..." She mutters. "No thanks. I have my dear pet for that." She walks over to me, inching close as she makes a request for me to correct him. "In speaking of which, would you mind issuing him some sort of reprimand for the level of disrespect he's clearly displaying?"

He doesn't spare an ounce of his tongue. "Spike, don't tell me she's got you pussy whipped that bad, man. She's got you out like that, in public?"

She goes even further with her possessiveness of me. "Wouldn't be the boldest thing I've done." She directs her answer as a thinly-veiled reminder towards the purple princess, giving more of a reason for her to remain irate.

"Ayo, pause!" He takes a moment to think. "You must be that one chick who showed off on the transmission, who was getting the work done."

And of course, she takes great pride in her doings. "And I take it you must have been there. Did you enjoy the show that I put on?"

Instead, it's Twilight who's urging me to provide some correction. "Spike..."

"I know, I'll talk to her." I comply, trying to not let things get out of control. I pat the imperial alicorn on her back as I try to warn her. "Hey, I know you're in a bit of a celebratory mood, but can we just, maybe, dial it back a little─"

"SPIKE!"

I know the source of that voice, and every ounce of my soul curls with dread as that familiar shrill sharply calls out my name. Stanton grimaces as he looks to me. "You wanna run that one by Ms. chief over there?"

I facepalm myself, knowing that this situation is now going from bad to fubar. "I'd rather not."

My eyes peek through my fingers, seeing the blue dragoness barrel towards me with every intent to chew me out, and she shows no reservation on that front. "You are a fucking idiot, you know that!? Of all places you get sent to and not tell me, you went to Ponyland! PONYLAND! Did you know you could've gotten yourself killed!? Hell, they would've done worse over your corpse if they had the chance!"

I start to rub my temples in a bid to massage away my headache. "Ember─"

She doesn't allow me to do that as easily, grabbing my arm for the duration of my attempt. "Let me look at you! Tell me what all happened, what did you do, what did they do to you, who did what they did, how did you get back?"

I try to reclaim possession of my arm. "Ember─"

She yanks me in, pointing a claw at my nose with a violent warning. "You're not going to ignore me this time! I'm here, and I'm the first motherfucker you'll seeing about it! So you can either bitch about the fact that I give a shit enough to be this much of a hardass to you, or you can pussy out and try to face me later! Either way, you're going to have this discussion with me! Deal with it!" In a jarring juxtaposition, she alters her approach from her more hot-headed dragon approach to a civil one when changing the address of her discussion. "Oh hey, other ponies."

Stanton stares at the dragoness and makes a comment under his breath. "Shades of CTE and a broken neck with that case of whiplash."

While the others are mum on Ember's treatment of me, Zenobia proves herself yet again as the source of verbal dissent. "Excuse me, I understand that you're a dragon, but do you honestly think this is in any way acceptable, the way you're treating him?"

The dragoness shrugs. "Yeah, Spike my mate."

Ain't no way she said that out loud, with her full chest. "Augh... Hello!?"

"You're still in deep shit with me, you shut your mouth and let me handle this!" As per usual, she goes from the level of verbal capslock to a finely worded letter addressed to 'whom it may concern'. "So yeah, Spike is my mate. I'm going to probably yank him by his tail, drag him some place, and pop a few clutches, maybe get a few eggs out of the deal."

I can't help but to pinch the bridge of my eyes as Stanton mutters. "Jesus lord, girls these days."

I don't have to predict the future of who's not too happy about that. "I'm sorry, I don't think I can accept that."

"Accept what?"

"You being his mate." The imperial princess contests with modest disgust.

Ember blinks in confusion. "What are you trying to say?"

Zenobia boldly walks between us, driving a wedge amidst me and Ember. "I'm just saying that a creature like him that's cultured, connected, skilled in home economics, and a good lover shouldn't be engaged to anything less than what he deserves. And with the way you're acting, I don't see you being anywhere near privileged to his qualities."

"Oh this shit just got real, I'm calling for heavy reinforcements." Stanton says as he goes for his phone.

"Please get the help. I don't think I can hold both of them back." I cosign as I try to place myself between the two feuding parties.

"Something he doesn't deserve!?" The comment causes the dragoness to spew magenta flames from her snout. "I might be mistaken, but last I checked you're not a dragon."

Once more, the imperial princess remains steadfast. "So you're a dragon, so is he. And your point is what exactly?"

"That's all there is to it! This is dragon business, so if you could be so 'cultured' as to stay out of it, I'm sure we won't have a problem."

The mare flicks her mane, proudly declaring herself. "And you think I'll acquiesce to the demands, the gall of some brute to claim what's rightfully mine?"

"YOURS!?"

"Oh this is getting worse by the second." Stanton's already got a call on the phone as he hears a tiny response from the speaker. "Ayo, bro. Port yourself on over here, bro. It's getting a little too real right now, it's about to be a battle royale, and I don't know how to deal with dragons... or this other chick who's really hurting to start some shit."

I try to negotiate with the Ponyland princess. "Zenobia, can we please bring it down a bit?"

"Yeah, you might wanna talk some common sense into her, because she obviously doesn't know who she's dealing with." Ember angrily points out .

"And who do you think you are?" Asks the imperial with laughing dismissal.

The dragoness yanks at my wing, painfully coaxing me to be drawn towards her. "I am Ember, Lord of all Dragons! This one's my mate, the Dragon Lord before me!"

A pause of shock comes over the usually combative princess. She now addresses her disbelief to me. "Dragon LORD!? The Lord of ALL Dragons? YOU!?"

"It was forty-five seconds! I don't even consider it a thing worth noting!"

"All these things about you, we need to have a long sit-down with it! Had I know that, I would've chewed out my brother harder than I already have!" She says before retreating to a moment of fond reflection. "Huh... Dragon Lord, no wonder you're so well endowed."

Ember overhears her final comment, screeching and seething flames from the sides of her mouth. "EXCUSE ME!?"

The alicorn plants her forelegs on my shoulder, proudly citing her deeds. "Yes, he and I copulated, fornicated, stimulated, masturbated, culminated, and ejaculated. We fucked, plain and simple!" She leans her head into mine, giving the dragoness a smug glare. "And he's damn good at it! He's the only bastard that can pick me up and toss me around like a used ragdoll before fucking me senseless in every way imaginable! And if you don't believe me, ask that purple one over there!" She directs her smirk to Twilight. "She's witnessed just how dominating he can be." Twilight narrows her eyes with rebuke as she shows a desire to let things fester on with greater risk to the arrogant princess' health.

In a mode of rage, Ember rips me from under her before going nose to nose with the mare. "Who the hell do you think you are to tell me that you've sullied what is mine?"

"I am High Princess Zenobia, the first in the imperial lineage of Ponyland." Ember growls with a slow turn towards me. "And that one you carelessly threw away is my dear pet, my one and only who has gone beyond the call of a single night and has done well to satiate my lustful cravings. In exchange, I saved his life. Then he saved me, and now I'm indebted to him. So now he's mine to herald."

"Ponyland... you broke your seed into a princess... OF PONYLAND!?"

I once more try to get between the two, building a gap as I try to negotiate matters with the dragoness. "Okay, Ember, I can explain─"

"Yes, please explain everything you've treated me to." She says with a smirk, weaving her magic to form a leash from my collar. "And by all means, explain our little method of betrothal."

The rage that's been built within Ember bursts into a powerful release of her dragon fire, scorching the grounds before her as she bears her fires for the mare. "YOU POACHING SLUT!"

Zenobia leaps back to assume a defensive stance, yanking a spear from a nearby guard. "You shit-smelling cunt!"

Ember screams as I try to withhold her. "YOU MURDEROUS BITCH! I'LL FUCKING BURN YOU TO ASHES!"

The imperial mare bears a grin of pride, "If only you could try! My brother would easily serve you as a trophy! If you're what passes as Dragon Lord, then no wonder your species is so easily hunted!"

"I WILL FUCKING IMMOLATE YOU!" She shoves me out of the way, darting towards the mare with claws bared, fangs sharp, and fire in full blaze. Zenobia looks to cast a spell, quickly chanting a powerful incantation that reveals three circular runes around her. Twilight's eyes widen as she sees the spell that's being woven, starting to realize the urgency of interfering in the waking skirmish.

But just as quickly as the temperature in the hall reaches a criticality, it's snuffed by an innumerable set of shadowy tendrils yanking down Ember just a few feet from reaching the mare. It appears that her intent was to blast Zenobia at point-blank range with her fire. But even that residual hope of setting flame to her from a distance is snuffed out by another tendril gagging the dragoness. "P̶͓͝Ļ̸̅À̷̠Y̵͔̐T̷͙̈I̵̱̅M̵̢̔E̴̺͒!̷̝́" Nondis surfaces from deep in the shadows, easily whipping aside the infuriated dragoness. "Is over!"

Zenobia, seeing an opportunity to complete her incantation on a restrained Ember, quickly finishes up her spell. But before she can reach a peak of her call, A gloved hand snags her horn, completely quenching all of her work. Her legs are kicked from under her and a heavy weight placed against her side as another human looks down on her. "Ma'am... no."

Nondis rolls his eyes as he easily keeps Ember restrained. "Stats, bro, I just got home. Why do you still have me babysitting?"

"Sorry, bro. I needed a ref to call the play."

"You realize my wife's pissed I left her again, right? And I mean she's flaming pissed. I gotta deal with that firenado when I get back home."

"Sorry, didn't know who else to call. Alex doesn't know magic, much less how to deal with dragons. Mel and Rick don't know how to deal with alicorns. And Cliff is literally in a whole other world. Who else could I count on?"

Amor, who was quiet during the exchange, and even more helpless to stop it, expresses his shock in seeing both humans in the same room. "There's more of you?"

"You try not to worry about that." Nondis answers before turning back to Stanton. "And you, try to remember that we have an alicorn princess who knows how to deal with dragons and alicorns alike."

"Without causing an international conflict?" Stanton inquires.

"Bro, you ain't seen my wife these past few days."

"Okay I get it, literal sun god. But still, you haven't seen little missy down here talk shit, like she's been doing it since she got here."

"Oh no, she can hit some hella sensitive topics if you let her keep going. I namely chalk that one up to her lord and savior, good ol' doctor crispy." He gives the mare a sharpened stare as to remind her of the last time she's gone that far. "She should be lucky I left the wife back home, she was in a bed for the better part of five days recovering from what Tia dished out to her back in Foalsom. And to this moment, she obviously can't stop playing with fire. You'd think one set of second-degree burns would be enough." He turns his attention to Ember and questions her. "Now you, what's your damage? What's got you to the point of burning her face off at point-blank range like a blowtorch to a pack of hot dogs?"

The tendrils slightly free from her snout, allowing her to speak but not direct any blasts of fire. "She threatened to have me killed!"

He goes back to Zenobia. "You, what did she say to you?"

"She tried to claim my dear pet! And let's not talk about the manner which she proceeded to toss him around like some ragdoll worthy of the bin!"

"Oh Jesus fuck, this again." He turns his eyes towards me. "You. Out with it. No bullshit, no beating around the bush, let them know where they fit, or where they don't. Now, please."

While I am grateful that this situation has been brought down to a more comfortable level of tolerance, I know that it will be difficult to have the two understand that neither of them are going to be the choice for my affections going forward. I can already see how my future negotiations with them end up damaging a lot of work I've put in throughout the years. But I also understand that my lack of transparency would only escalate matters further. Today was already an exercise in that scenario, and I'm not looking to repeat it. "...Neither of you are going to work."

"Why?" He asks in place of them.

"Because I'm not interested in an exclusive relationship."

"And?" He prods further.

"...I'm already in schedule with a griffon, a changeling, and another."

"Another what?" He crosses his arms, waiting for the word to come out of me.

I look at Ember, already regretting how this would probably go. "...Dragon." Her reaction is just as upsetting as I imagined it to be, her eyes falling down to see the disappointment catching up to her. I can't help but to feel for her, but I'm also harboring a sense of relief now that I don't have to hide Smolder from her as much as I have up to this point.

"There you go." Meanwhile, Nondis expresses a word of warning. "Don't be like me and make shit complicated, Spike. Stay away from the decagon of drama. Keep it simplified, short, and to the point. For the love of Christ, don't fall into the same pratfalls I stepped into in the past. You'll find life so much easier that way."

I give a sarcastic response, seeing the ill-tempered expression of betrayal on Ember's face. "I'm gonna die, aren't I?"

"That's inevitable. How soon it's gonna happen is all based on the choices you make, the things you say..." He turns his head to Zenobia, doubling the warning to her also. "The way you treat others."

I take heed to his words of wisdom and quietly approach the snarling dragoness, who looks at me with every bit of the venom I deserve for not telling her. "Ember, I'm sorry. I just didn't want to deal with the extra... this that just happened." I direct myself to Zenobia as well. "And I know that what I have is pretty fun to hang on to, don't you think I'm a bit too young for you? Like I haven't even hit my twenties yet. There's a part of me that wish you could tag along for the ride, but I know you'd be very unhappy with that choice because of where I am. And I don't expect you to accept that either, playing second for someone who's playing second for someone who's playing second." She appears disappointed by the idea that I'm not going to be exclusive to her. I return my gaze to Ember. "And obviously I've already broken past my dragon lust. Not to sound crude, but at this point all I'm giving is dragon dust. I went through the whole dragon ritual thing, and I was drunk at the time. I shouldn't have to be prompted to anger to get things going with you, you know that. And if you can't respect the fact that I'm not interested in doing that each and every time we meet, then I don't want to deal with you. I don't know how many times I have to say that."

"Setting boundaries are important." Stanton comments.

I walk away, taking a more neutral position between the two. "I think I'm happy with the choices I've made. I'm just sorry that I can't give either of you what you're looking for. But that's where I am now. I know it's selfish to request it, but I only ask that you'd accept me as I am for the moment. And if not, then that's okay. I understand it upsets you, and I'm willing to make amends for the trouble I've put you through as long as we're willing to get along."

I sigh from the exhaustion of finally resolving this situation. The others express similar relief, thankful for the peace that has ensued in the previously loud hallway. Captain Solemn walks beside me, giving me praise for finding a way to word my apologies to either party. "True to your title, Sir Spike."

However... peace was not achieved between the two. Instead, they'd go on to hurl obscene remarks towards one another.

"You sack of shit!" Zenobia shouts.

Ember screams back. "Who the fuck
are you talking to!?"

"You, you unkempt sewage bitch!"

"The fuck you calling a bitch!? I'm not
the one who's got my ass tooted to the air!"

"You're just mad I got the good before you!"

"At least I know how to carry myself
with some mode of dignity!"

"I'm Princess Zenobia of Ponyland, my
dignity was lost the day I was born!"

"Oh that explains a lot!"

"What I would like for you to explain is how
do you like smelling like a freshly shatted
turd on a hot stove!"

Nondis pats me on my shoulder and gives me a thumbs up. "Spike, buddy, you can ref this one, right?"

"What do you mean!? I can't deal with this on my own!" I peek over to Twilight, who probably rooting for Ember at this point. "And I don't know if you've noticed, but Twilight's been letting them go at it the entire time."

"Nah man, you got it, this is all you." He responds with a light chuckle. "Sometimes you gotta learn to deal with the shapes you make. I've had to deal with two feuding alicorns for some years before Tia and I tied the knot. You don't think the temptation was there? There were plenty of hints, it wasn't over until I said 'I do' to one of them. Until then, we couldn't do anything in the house together. That's why we have the yacht." He pats me on my shoulder, letting a shadow engulf his feet, his body sinks down slowly into the abyss. "Alrighty then, if there's nothing else, Nondis out."

As the man disappears from the room, so does his tendrils keeping hold of Ember. She immediately stands up and attempt to get in closer to Zenobia. I exert a little more strength to keep her stationary, all while Zenobia continues her onslaught of verbal insults. The hall is back to being as loud as it once was, minus the heated threat of physical violence. Poor Hestia and Amor expresses grief over their sister's flippant display, causing the pegasus to draw a sigh of dejection.

"So much for a fresh start."

"It was good while the dream lasted."

Ponyville Two Hours Later...

To this point, we've grown used to the exchanges between both Ember and Zenobia. There are occasional outbursts of threats and sometimes shoving matches that I have to personally intervene, but it's not nearly as heated as the initial runabout. I guess the energy the have for one another is slowly starting to dwindle, and thankfully it's getting easier to break things off between them.

Amor at least shows the fortitude to help me keep his noble-blooded sister from blowing up whatever place we're in, and I do enough to dissuade Ember from breaching the terms of our assimilation clause. Granted, everything has been long and tedious, but I can at least thank their constant bickering for the reason that they've made Twilight postpone the debrief, a process that can take north of two hours to do.

So at last we board the train and head southward, landing ourselves back at the welcome mat of Ponyville Transit Station, and I'm granted the reprieve of relocating both of the warring parties to another location to maintain peace. I don't think that's what's in the cards for where we're going, but I suppose I'll have help.

I ring the doorbell, a trio of chimes announces my appearance. I'm about a draw of breath away from relief before a rude shove reintroduces me to the reality of what's taking place. The door opens, revealing Smolder with a confused look. "Oh, hey Ember, are you looking for Spike?"

Just as Ember opens her mouth, another rude shove is exerted onto her, one can already guess the source. "Ahem, royalty first!"

Zenobia tries to barrel her way into the house, but not before a claw shoves her chin away. "Will you move out the way, you scrawny bitch!?"

"Excuse you, you tasteless─"

"Can it!" I shout loudly to the two, already just over the pair and their inability to show agreement. "Let us in, please. I just want to lay in my bed."

With now tempered excitement, Smolder weirdly looks upon our group of five. "Uh, Spike, what's going on?"

I rub my head as I tiredly walk into the foyer of my own home. "You know how Twilight has me take my work home sometimes?"

"Yeah." She answers.

"Well... these two ladies are my next assignment."

Chapter 44: Imperial Introduction

Upon my return home, chaos seems to be the working order of things. The only reprieve of the matter seems to be that I do have witnesses available to assist me in trying to maintain order in this otherwise destructive arrangement. And it seems that both volatile parties are more than eager to show their dominance and prove a point, all for the purpose of claiming dibs on me. But even that's a marginal chance considering that there are now three others who will look to have their time with me in turn.

After a long explanation of how we've gotten ourselves here, Ocellus tries to sum up what's going to take place for the time being. "So let me get this straight. All four of them are staying here for the week?"

"It's just a week. I promise it's just a week. We'll just have a little extra company and then we'll make do with better accommodations for them."

"But isn't that the job for the ones up in Canterlot?" Smolder brings up.

"Well it would've been, but conflicts seem to be the issue."

"I mean we see that, but in what way exactly?" Gabby inquires.

Just on cue, Ember's voice shouts throughout the house. "Hey Spike, I heard there's a bunch of sapphires on your clothes, I'm gonna snack on those for a bit!"

"PLEASE DON'T!" I urge, probably in vain for the fact that she's inclined to just go by her primitive mind and snack away at the shiny accessories.

Zenobia's voice hollers from upstairs. "Pet! The fuck are you doing down there!? I'm all bored and sitting around this place and there's no servants! I've had to suffer a ship ride of six days, shitty burns, and two weeks with no dick! Can you please get off your ass and make me scream for an hour or two!?"

Hestia screams with disgust. "CAN YOU NOT!?"

Poor Amor is resigned to embarrassment. "Eugh, my family's an international embarrassment."

And once more, the two warring parties go back at it. "I KNOW THAT BITCH DIDN'T JUST CALL YOU HER PET AGAIN!"

"OH WOE IS YOU, YOU CRUSTY, SCALY CUNT!"

"NO!" I leap into action, looking to stop them from getting too confrontational, but also address the three that have been worried sick for me over the past couple of weeks.. "Sorry guys, I need to jump in before this gets ugly again." I bring my attention back to the main issue at hand. "Ember, Zenobia, can we please not turn my house into a firing range!?"

The others stay behind, questioning the status of the other two imperials for their reason of stay. "As for you two, what the hell's your issue?"

Hestia doesn't hesitate to designate blame. " Me personally, I don't even know, I was dragged here. Probably because of not only Zenobia's unwillingness to play nice, but also Amor's stupid crush on the princess."

The young prince growls with annoyance. "Oh woe is you for me having romantic preferences."

"Yeah, with the high princess of Equestria. I don't think I need to point out that your pedigree doesn't match the qualifications of the class you're trying to enroll into. We're lesser bloods, remember?"

"Last I checked, I abdicated my position much like you've elected to do the same."

"Exactly, you're unqualified! Thank you so much for proving my point!"

Seeing the pair siblings go at it, Ocellus smiles as she finds resonance in the pair. "I see these two must be the normal ones."

"So, what are your names again?" Smolder asks.

"Hestia Aphrodite." The princess replies.

"Amor Ambrosia." The prince answers.

"Amor Ambrosia, that's a pretty spicy name." Ocellus coos with interest. "You get into any escapades, fraternize with any of the locals, maybe get into some debauchery with the daughters of city leaders, or do you just break the hearts of unsuspecting princesses by indulging in their wares before dumping them off at the next town?"

Once more, Hestia dumps on her brother. "Don't let the name fool you, he's romantically compromised. Absolutely hopeless."

"Compromised, hopeless? I have one interest and I intend to remain true to that. And another thing, you forget that I was once engaged." He argues in his own defense.

"Yeah, you were engaged... to an off-branch cousin. You didn't even mourn her death after she was assassinated!"

"I NEVER MET HER MORE THAN TWICE! HOW CAN I BE EMOTIONALLY ATTATCHED TO AN ARRANGED MARRIAGE WHEN WE HAVEN'T EVEN HAD A BASIC CONVERSATION!?"

"That's a 'you' problem. Should've done more."

"You know why I couldn't do more."

Hestia looks to counter with another statement before freezing with thought of what's led up to the assassination. "Okay, I'll give you that one. That was wrong, and we both know it. But I still should point out the fact that you have none of the swagger Adelphos had, and you hung out with him the most of anyone!"

"Yet we mention another victim of the imperial ass-pain in the family! Can we not for once!?"

Seeing how easily the two bicker back and forth, Ocellus stifles a chuckle. "I'm starting to see why you two were cast off to us."

As the three residents giggle about, Ember joins in with a tuxedo in her grasp, biting down into the accessories that once adorned the pockets and collars. "So, what are we talking about?"

Gabby is the first to notice what exactly she's carrying. "Uh Ember, isn't that Spike's tux?"

She shamelessly answers with confidence. "Yeah, I guess. I had a craving for sapphires, but emeralds have like a sweet and sour taste. So I'll take what I can get." She offers the tux to Smolder. "There are some left over here, you can have a bite."

Smolder shows every bit of hesitation as Gabby cites the importance of the now defiled article of clothing. "That was the tux he wore for our first date!"

"Well you two shouldn't have been dating anyhow." She callously answers as she goes for another bite.

The griffon takes great offense to the dragoness. "What!?"

Smolder immediately confronts the careless ruler. "Hey, not cool!"

"You know what's not cool, Smolder? You trying to go for a clutch with the designated mate of the dragon lord. You know that you weren't supposed to have the mind to even approach him, much less mate with him. And yet you did. I should have the right to duel you to the death for your transgressions, you know the dragon code better than anyone else here. You know if I select a mate, he's off limits until I get through with him or lose interest. And you ignored that."

"MY TUX!" I shout from the hall, seeing my cufflinks with teeth marks dug into the metal that once held the fairly nice emeralds accents.

While I run to grab my clothes, Ember points over and tries to get me to cosign with whatever point she's making. "There you are. Spike, can you tell Smolder that I'm supposed to be your assigned mate already?"

I try not to explode on her, knowing that any volatility from me would not end well considering the circumstances. "Ember, my clothes are not a napkin, nor are my accents a snack. How many times have we had this discussion?"

"You're always on about the stupid shit. Why can't we ever talk about what's really the issue?"

"Rarity's clothes are not stupid!" I strongly chastise her.

In hearing the name of the brand, Hestia sparks a bit of confidence and confronts the dragoness also. "Okay, now I might have a problem with you, missy!"

"You what!?" Ember snarls back, a bit of her magenta flames swirling from the sides of her mouth.

Immediately, the pegasus mare shows a more passive change in her approach. "Excuse me. I may have a few concerns I would like to discuss in a nonviolent and civilized manner."

"Okay, everybody freeze." Ocellus intervenes. "You, I understand that the jewels on Spike's clothes are tasty looking, but I'm sure Rarity wouldn't take too kindly to you damaging her work."

The dragon lord rolls her eyes with dismissiveness. "Yeah... I'll apologize to her later."

Entering into the conversation is an already instigative princess Zenobia. "Ha! A changeling talking sense to a dragon, how the mighty have fallen!"

The changeling immediately draws her attention to the imperial noble blood. "And you, you need to get over yourself. You may want to place your claim on him, but you need to remember that I'm literally girlfriend numero uno. Everyone in this house will tell you."

Gabby raises a talon to protest quietly. "Well, more like numero dos."

Ocellus continues to push back against the notion. "That's debatable─"

"How long has he had that tux? Was it before or after you got to him?"

As the griffon cheeses back at her, she points out our period of severance as an excuse to invalidate her claim. "How long did you two stay broken up until recently?"

"Still, I had him first." Gabby proudly calls out.

"Still, I slept with him first." Ocellus claims openly.

"Still, I broke his dragon lust." Smolder chimes in.

"And just like that, you're already on the outside looking in." The changeling points back at Zenobia. "Now I understand we all adore our hunk of a dragon, but please understand that if there was anything that grabbed your attention during sex, just know that this changeling princess did turn him out to be able to do all that kinky shit. Your enjoyment of him was because of my personal instruction. Got that?"

"You, a changeling princess? Why I'd laugh at the idea." The imperial alicorn scoffs.

I tap her on the shoulder and whisper over to her. "Um... she's not lying. Her mom is Queen Chrysalis."

"I beg your pardon." I nod with pursed lips as she turns back to the changeling mare with disbelief. "THE changeling queen, the one responsible for─"

"Yeah yeah, feeding off the love of millions for the sole purpose of gaining power. It wasn't all for the hive, you know. That's why we're under new management. My brother is the changeling king, King Thorax, might have heard of him?"

"Dragon lords, changeling princesses, imperial royalty, you're almost as bad as father, I swear!" She aims a hoof towards the other two of my herd. "So who are you both supposed to be?"

"Gabriella Griffonda, my friends call me Gabby. Just a regular run of the mill griffon."

"Smolder's the name, blowing smoke is my game. Nothing special on my end either, well... other than me being an element bearer but I don't really count that because Ocellus is one too."

The changeling yanks the orange dragoness for a smothering hug. "And she's my scaly but adorable cinnamon swirl."

Her cheeks run pink with embarrassment. "Stop it, Olla."

Hestia grows confused over the pair's interaction. "Um... are you two... close?"

Smolder shows about as much hesitation as Zenobia shows subtlety. "Uh yeah, we've been dating each other for years before we got up with Spike."

The imperial alicorn shows disgust over the arrangement. "Female changeling infatuated with a female dragon, what the hell is this fresh abyss?"

And Ocellus shows as much pride as Hestia shows discomfort in the topic. "Yeah, we love each other. And don't get it twisted, changelings are all about sharing the love, no matter the species, gender, or sex. If I think you're palatable enough, you can get it."

"And it won't take much convincing either." Gabby adds to her own account.

The imperial princess gives a contemptuous reply. "That I find hard to believe."

Gabby smugly addresses Ocellus, knowing that her point can easily be proven. "Hey, do you wanna do that thing you did with me that one time?"

The changeling is more than willing to demonstrate. "Sure." She walks around the mare, giving me directions in doing so. "Hey Spike, get behind her real quick." I do as she instructs, her hoof issuing signals for her next command. "Now hold her down, and hold her close."

The mare glances up to me with confusion. "Uh, what are you doing?"

A purple claw grasps at her chin, bringing her focus to the replica of me. "Whatever do you mean, princess?"

The sight of there being two of me causes the princess to stammer and shudder with thoughts, as well as fear. "P-pet, wh-wh-what the fuck is going on─"

Ocellus plays every bit of the role of me at my most aggressive. She takes a thumb into the slightly ajar maw of the awe-stricken mare, leaning in close with a low growl. "I bet you would love for me to fuck your throat, won't you?"

While I don't mind her portraying me, I'm not one to be outdone for my own self. So I grab her by her neck from behind, knowing this is yet another one of her sexual triggers. I growl into her ear from her right side. "Yank your tail and take you from both ends? I'd bet you'd look pretty as the Manehattan bridge, sturdy but barely holding on by a thread, taking our heavy loads up and down your spine. You said it yourself, rules are meant to be broken, so I guess your back should be violated next."

"Whoa..." Even Ocellus is slightly thrown off by my performance. She clears her throat and ups the ante. "I bet you don't mind the two-way traffic, do you? Just another avenue for our amusement, until you finally crumble and break under our weight."

"And I know how easily you can be broken with just one of me." I tighten my grasp on her neck, causing her to coo with longing. "Now imagine two."

"Mercies above." She rolls her eyes, instinctively bringing herself on the edge of her own tolerance. She begs for our threats to become action. "Show me none."

The faux version of me grasps her by her horn, adding yet another level to the already intense tease. "Convinced yet?" Ocellus finally drops the disguise, her body shuddering and falling to the ground as she leans forward with the cruel disappointment of us both abandoning her so abruptly. "Yeah, thought so."

Poor thing's almost humping the ground from the void left with our duetted absence. "H-how d-dare you, how fucking dare you fool me with such... such─"

"Need a towel?" Gabby smirks.

Realizing her easy defeat, she coils her forelegs deep into herself, not wanting to admit her state of arousal. "A shower would be nice right about now. It's been a long travel, perhaps I need to cleanse the day away. Now if you would excuse me." She hesitates in standing, knowing that she's dripping with wait and want. The shame of her defeat is not only apparent in her attitude, but also my hardwood floor. She inevitably rises and gallops away to the stairs, leaving a puddle of her own guilt and a few trailing droplets behind.

"She's trailing! Ew, ew, ew!" Hestia gags with extreme revulsion.

Smolder thumbs back to the pegasus, slightly offput by her level of disgust. "What's her deal?"

Amor reveals his sister's weakness. "Hestia doesn't like sex. Any remote discussion on the topic is like a huge peeve for her."

Smolder raises a brow as she asks the pegasus of her preferences, or lack thereof. "How do you not like sex?"

"Quite frankly, there's a lot of disgusting things about it. And also, that is our eldest sister... at least from what we're aware of. I shouldn't be in any way pleased over her disgusting habits, much less her constantly doing that kind of stuff around the castle."

"Oh, I see." Ocellus nods with understanding.

"Also, some questions for future reference, is this sexual thing going to be an everyday occurrence?" She asks the changeling.

Smolder steps forth to answer the mare's inquiry. "Well yeah, we do have days designated for each of us. I get Friday and Monday, today's Monday. Olla get's Saturday and Tuesday. And Gabby gets Sunday and Wednesday."

"Oh no." The young mare cringes.

"I promise the rooms are soundproof." I reassure.

"Can I get my own room?" She demands. "I don't need to be anywhere near Amor when he's having his romantic thoughts of the princess─"

"I keep telling you that it's merely incidental!" Her brother cries angrily. "Pop-ups happen, I can't control it! And it's not like I actually indulge in those moments! I try to do my best to keep true to the wait!"

"Yikes, I'd hate to wash your linens after you sleep. That impending accident is going to be legendary." I comment comments before addressing Hestia. "Well, we only have four bedrooms aside from the master bedroom, so that might be difficult to arrange."

"What's there to arrange?" Smolder rebuts. "You, Olla, Gabby, and I can share your bed. It's not like we don't do that when you're here. Those other rooms just go unused anyways if we're not setting up for game night."

Zenobia counts the four of us and shows contempt for her exclusion. "Wait, you all somehow share a bed?"

"WAIT A MINUTE!" Ember chimes, looking to interject herself into the topic and showing equal disapproval. "You all share a bed and I have to sleep separately from my mate!?"

"And here we go." I mumble, already seeing how this is going to evolve into yet another set of problems.

The dragon lord directs her demand to Smolder. "And you know what, since you have a schedule with two days on it, I think you should be fair enough to give me my one day to assert my right as Dragon Lord to engage with my designated mate. So I'll take your Monday."

"But that's today." Smolder argues.

"Exactly. So I'll be sleeping with Spike tonight. The rest of you can go sleep elsewhere." She answers dismissively, waving her claws at the others to shoo them away.

"Ember, my bed is big. I can at least fit another two to three creatures on it." I inform her.

The dragoness raises her voice with argument. "That's absurd! You shouldn't even have a bed that size! There's no bed that big!"

I look to my ceiling and purse my lips. "Well... actually..."

Ember gawks at the massive square situated in the middle of my room, offering all angles of access. She seems genuinely offended that I hid this method of comfort from her. "You have a bed that size!?"

Amor is more amazed at the gross surplus of it's size. "What do you do with it all?"

Zenobia seems to be the only one who's genuinely excited from the accommodations I have for myself, probably because she's looking to partake in the matter as soon as possible. "Fucks sake, pet, I didn't think you were that indulgent. I'm impressed!"

Seeing the satisfaction worn on Zenobia's face, Ember looks to assume her declaration of the day. "Perfect! This is the perfect size for the dragon lord and her mate!" She turns to the others and bid them departure. "You guys can go away now! We have dragon business to discuss!"

"With pleasure." Hestia grumbles as she makes for a quick exit.

Ocellus refuses to do so, while also providing me with a bit of an update. "Now I will say, Ms. Blue came over a few days ago, she said something about updating the mattresses in the guest rooms to have similar quality of the one in here."

"Oh really? She didn't have to go that far."

"She said it was her way of thanks for 'Keeping an eye on Kali', whoever that is."

The imperial princess harps more on my accumulated gifts. "Exclusive outfits from a fashion mogul, new beds, a private bodyguard, and an emergency escort led by the former Princess Celestia, you sure you aren't still holding on to that forty-five-second title of yours?"

"Far from." I answer flatly.

"Don't forget a home made with the amenities of the human world." Gabby adds.

Zenobia gasps with shock. "I'm sorry, what─"

"The FUCK!?" Ember screeches at me!

I grimace at the once-classified news of my home's construction being unwittingly disclosed. "That was supposed to be a topic of non-discussion, as per the architect and realtor."

"Oh that was? You didn't tell me that I wasn't supposed to say that. Sorry" Gabby apologizes.

The imperial alicorn looks back at the massive bed. "Well no fucking wonder the bed is so hug, not to mention everything else around here."

"Well if this is anything like the tunnel making machines we were provided, this should be good." Ember comments.

"I don't think that's a good comparison." I say to her as she flops into my bed face-first.

For moments, she remains motionless, completely statuesque against the mattress. She doesn't even seem to move for air as she addresses me. "Spike, what is this?"

"It's a mattress." I bluntly answer.

She still won't move. "No shit it's a mattress. Wanna explain why this shit feels so enchanted?"

Zenobia dives in to the other side, her eyes widening with surprise. "Oh good doctor's name. You've gone from this to our beds?"

"Just try not to lay there too long." I warn the pair.

"I am imperial royalty, of noble blood no less. I have clearly been robbed." Zenobia complains.

"Is it really that comfortable?" Amor asks before sitting on the bed for himself. He lets his back sink into the mattress as he shows his genuine reaction of comfort. "Oh wow, what is this?"

"Memory foam. All the beds here have it apparently." I answer.

"Your guest beds are made of this shit?" The imperial princess runs purely out of spite, a driving force that leads her from the comfort of the mattress to looking elsewhere throughout my room. "What does your bathroom look like?"

"Well it's nothing─"

"Out of my way!" She yells as she opens the door, leading into my bathroom, only to yell some more at the size of my private restroom. "THE FUCK AM I, A PEASANT!?"

Amor looks around for himself, slowly turning his head at the high ceiling. "This is beyond big for equines."

The mystified princess walks over to a wide spout protruding from the wall. "What is this, some sort of watering corner?"

"That's the shower." I correct her.

"Well I'm bathing in this shit right now." She answers, pulling the lever towards the far end. I don't even get a word of warning before the scalding hot water cascades down the mare, who screams with discomfort. "AH, SHIT! The water comes out this hot!?"

"Does it not do that in Ponyland?" Ocellus asks.

"They do if the line is attached to a hot spring, which mine is! By the time it reaches my shower, it tends to be a lot more palatable than this. I bet it's because of how close we are to the ground."

"We just have a water heater in the basement. All homes have that here." I explain.

The mare stares at me with frustration for her prior living circumstances. While it seems that their technology has been pushed towards weapons development, it seems that they lack the modern infrastructure we have. Odd to think about when they have guns.

As I turn the knob towards the center, I highlight to her the warning of not going all the way to my preferred setting. "I like my water to be as close to a ultra high temp for sanitation reasons, those in-between spots in our scales can get really oily and carry a lot of grime that congeals and cakes. But for you, I recommend you try it right about there instead."

She steps in, letting the water batter against her back as a smooth waterfall gliding onto her body. She sits for a moment, serenely accepting the warm current form like a blanket around her. "Oh no, oh fucking hell no, I'm not leaving here. This is my residency now."

"So is that an abdication of power I sense?" Amor asks with a growing smirk of approval.

She shows no hesitation in her answer. "Oh Ponyland will continue to thrive while I'm away. Those fucks can deal with matters now, I consider this a long-term vacation for the foreseeable future. Between the bed and this, I don't know what the fuck I'm going for. I could fall asleep here, this will do it."

"Well while you're doing that, I'm going to go take a nap myself." I inform her.

The mare warmly sits in place as the water continues to run down her back. "You do that, very much deserved."

One Hour Later...

Unwittingly, Zenobia's time in the shower causes her to doze off from the comfort. Her eyes awaken to realize that the now-lukewarm water is but a precursor of her running the hot water supply to it's last. She shakes herself awake, darting out of the shower with the intent to catch yet another creature who's made his disclaimer to her before walking out of the bathroom. Her eyes latch to the form of a sleeping purple dragon.

She steps into the mattress of the hulking bed, climbing under the covers with the intent to surprise the snoring drake. She successfully sneaks up to his face undetected. Her smile beams warmly towards the creature as she playfully tickles his nose. His snout wiggles with an itch and his eyes slowly stir open. "Hello, my sleeping little pet." She greets him. "I know it's not cordial to wake you in your sleep for something such as this, but you know how long I've been made to wait for you to see me again." The dragon turns over, bringing the princess' lustfully aggressive tendencies to manifest. Her horn stirs with magic, only to show no effect whatsoever. She looks down to see his neck with the collar, but the device is barren of her influence. "The fuck, what's wrong with this thing now?" She whispers to herself.

The creature groans in return. "Wow, you are that desperate."

"I only have you to blame with the way you've treated me in our time together." She says as she climbs over the body of the dragon.

As her legs complete the straddle, teal flames engulf the creature in a brief flash, revealing Ocellus looking back at her with a mocking smirk. "Complete desperado."

The princess grunts with displeasure. "It's you. What joy." She says as her mood is soured by the changeling's appearance. "If you're laying about here, then where is my beloved pet?"

"Spike had to go back off to Canterlot, he wasn't done with his debrief, so he said. The guards that were sent for him knocked on our door, demanded he show up, and then took his tired ass up that way. When we asked, they said the debrief would be done before a committee, where they'd be getting his testimony of the trip for the parliament."

"What do they need to do all of that that for?" Zenobia asks.

"For starters, you guys killed forty of our guards." The changeling replies.

"Well forgive me if it sounds a bit crude, but what my brother did pales in contrast to the losses we've incurred during our time at sea. We've lost probably five thousand in the hour."

"That I find that hard to believe." Ocellus counters.

"I mean it's not that hard when your forces are fighting against a literal shadow demon on two legs and a sun-struck demigod posing as a married couple."

Ocellus double takes at the description of the fated encounter. "Wait a minute. You fought both that human creep, and Princess Celestia, and somehow survived?"

"To be fair, I was badly burned by the latter, and just mentally scarred by the former. But my brother was the fool who fought against them both with numbers."

"That human, I bet he made quick work of everyone, didn't he?" Ocellus questions.

"Frighteningly so." Zenobia confirms.

"Yeah, well if he scares you that much, feel free to join the club. It's standing room only." She sarcastically replies. "He's killed hundreds of changelings, probably south of a hundred arimaspi, he's even killed one of his own kind. There ain't no telling who or what else he's killed throughout the years."

"He didn't seem to have that much under his belt at first glance. But then again, he was posing as a pony at the time."

"Well appearances can be deceiving. I would know, duh." The changeling points to herself as a means of emphasis.

Zenobia sighs as she lays back in the bed, accepting the disappointment of her desired dragon being nowhere near her spell's reach. "Well horrors of the unknown aside, how long do you think he'll be in Canterlot for?"

"Depends. Might be a few more hours, or maybe a few days. Those guards were pretty strict when it came to the time management of all of this, so I'll assume he'll be back long after dinner."

"So he doesn't get to cook me food either!?" The imperial princess moans with protest. "Well that's just absolute piss! He's such a good cook, I was looking forward to what he was going to surprise us with!"

"I don't think Spike will be in much of a cooking mood after today. Let's try to keep things simple for the time being." Ocellus pulls out her phone, looking up a number of local options for food delivery. "You okay with take-out?"

Zenobia folds her forelegs with a pout. "...Nothing too greasy. Heartburn isn't fun to sleep on."

I figured they wouldn't let me take it easy, even after the extracurricular interactions that took place just earlier in the day. The way they greeted us was nothing short of preparation for top secret conversations to take place. And with a high-profile contact stashed away elsewhere, Twilight's taken the prime opportunity to move the debrief back to the front burner. Of course, there's a solid reason.

"There... there's no way."

Poor Ms. Blue, her face is sickly pale in hearing my account of what's taken place, and namely who has reared his voice to the world for the first time in seven years. "I know the news is probably disappointing to hear, but... that's what happened."

"This is a serious development." Upon hearing my confirmation of the subject, Captain Solemn Oath sighs with heavy resignment. "Sir Spike, I hate to admit it, but it seems that our case against the necroterrorist is now far from a shut one."

Twilight looks towards the zebracorn standing next to me, seeing her stout expression. "Are you okay, Kalimba?"

"I am fine. You should save your concern for the one who needs it most." She tries to appear calm and composed, but even I know that there's a storm brewing in her mind over all of this. It only makes sense that she's trying to put on a brave face for the one who appears the most disturbed.

"I thank you for your empathy, but I don't need any concerns shard over me right now. There's bigger things." Chides Ms. Blue, who points her next question towards me. "What else do you know about this church?"

"They share sermons of obedience, there's some strange quotes, but as you can tell my mind isn't quite in shape to recall it all with what happened immediately after." I can only remember one quote in general that stuck, but everything else is a reach considering that I was drugged and fucked into a stupor.

Lieutenant Humbreeze taps his hoof against the table, impatiently and anxiously recounting his own experiences with this situation. "So it's really true. Only he would dare to disrupt the peace of the living from beyond the grave. It's so on-brand for him."

"And now both Nondis and Celestia knows of it. I'm sure they won't be enjoying retirement for too much longer if this continues at the rate it's going." Stanton adds.

Shining and Blueblood, while not present physically, use communication spheres to make their attendance. The northern emperor raises a point of inquiry. "Do you have a motive for them wanting Kalimba to go with them?"

"Other than the false notion that her son is the blood heir of his lineage." I answer.

Blueblood also adds in his own comment. "We all know that's not the truth. However, there's no way of telling how others may perceive this seed of misinformation. It could very much start a hysterical wave of madness."

"Not to mention the numerous cultists looking to revive the ways of old Corrotto." Shining concludes before glancing to Ms. Blue. "I'm sure there are some who would roll over in their graves if things were to relapse back to the olden days."

"My brother will rest peacefully, no matter what they may try. But I sure as hell won't." She responds. "And I know there are many others who will reawaken to pain if they are to know what we know now."

"Should we inform the current element bearers of what's to come?" Asks Tempest, who's more of an observer of the meeting than a witness to the issue. "It might be wise to have them privy to the circumstances before things escalate beyond a measure of disrepair."

"You might have to go through with that one." Stanton cosigns. "I'm just saying, qualifications might be a bit rough for us to pull a repeat of seven years back. When we all put that bastard down, those elements fell right out of our hands. And those were physical elements, they no longer exist. And even when they did, we couldn't use their powers for anything other than putting the big baddie away, and giving them back to where they came from. And with everyone going about their separate ways, it might be hard to get them together and reaffirm the bonds we once had in that moment. Plus we have to remember, we were saving not only this world, but mainly ours."

"A rough sell." I agree. "I can even bet it's probably just as hard for Twilight and her friends to use the elements because they've been so out of touch on a day-to-day basis. And relationships change as time moves on, how we see each other and what we think on a personal level is subject to shifts on a tectonic level."

"Case in point." The disguised human leans back in his chair. "Shining, Blueblood, what do you advise, what do you got drawn up?"

The blond prince rubs the bridge of his nose, conjuring a thought. "Alas for my old demons can never be laid to rest. In the hundreds of years I've lived, I never anticipated retaking the burden of this matter after it's resolution. The death of Law Processu Approbati has been a boon for our lives, but even that law was held and championed by none other than the dead bastard."

"Not to mention the sinister purpose that may be in taking Nafasi for themselves. If Umbra is the one leading their ploy, I guarantee they'll be looking to use him in the same manner of that filly my wife helped put to a permanent bedrest." Shining comments, causing the first passionate stir from the mentioned foal's mother.

"Not my son they won't! They would have to take my corpse first!"

"Knowing the circumstances, that's exactly what they would do first." Ms. Blue groans with disgust.

Twilight spreads her wings with a decree. "Then the solution is simple, Kalimba never leaves Canterlot. She stays under our protection until the situation is stabilized in a manner that assures no further risk. Bottom line."

"I'm sure that's what they'll be counting on." I comment.

"How are you so certain of that?" Stanton asks.

"They chased us to the ocean. And if they have ardent followers of their doctrine here, which they obviously do in the cultists, they will be looking to keep tabs just for them. No doubt that their goons will be more than interested in reaping the rewards of their imperial contributors. And we have three of their royal family members. It wouldn't be above them to have them silenced on the way out. Furthermore, Prince Amor stuck his neck out for us in the end, both he and Sir Fencer led an insurgency of their fellow guards, loyalists to his late brother, to combat their forces and raise weapons against the emperor himself. While we got out just fine, Sir Fencer stayed behind and fought them to buy us time, as you can see he's not here. We lucked out and had Zenobia on our trail for most of our journey. Had it been Xerxes from the offset, I'm sure we would've seen Sir Fencer's face again." I look to Twilight with a somber expression. "And you know exactly what I mean by that."

"So you brought over someone who pursued you, and for what reason would you do that?" Tempest questions.

"The same reason you've been allowed to be where you are, Specialist Tempest. Or do you prefer that we call you Specialist Fizzlepop Berrytwist?"

"Either way, she's here now. So what's on your mind, Spike? What do you have planned?" Stanton asks.

"Well for starters, she could be useful. Princess Zenobia is also an abbess, a religious figurehead in the organization of their church. Bit of irony considering what's all taken place, but maybe I could talk with her, negotiate, possibly even convert her to our standard of thought."

"A principled member of their church is in our boarders!? You didn't think to tell us this sooner!?" Solemn Oath complains openly.

"How much sooner can it be, didn't we just get here today!?" I loudly rebut to the mare.

"Okay, let's taper down." Blueblood calls out, trying to bring calm to the conversation. "This is actually to our advantage. The reason for it is that we now have the one who is a principled member of the church, right?"

"I don't think she's just principled, since my leaving she made a comment to Nondis that I didn't quite understand at the time. I still don't get it now." I explain.

Shining quirks a curious brow at my statement. "What exactly did she say?"

"She asked him the question that was passed from the notable party to her, to be delivered to him. And I paraphrase this, 'What's the difference between shit and me?'" I shake my head, still finding no means of connecting why that question yielded the show of volatility. "Apparently after that was said, Nondis turned into a whole other monster. Like his shadow looked as if it could break all of hell open."

"Oh great, it's even worse than we feared." Ms. Blue mutters.

Shining's eyes buck wide open as he holds a hoof over his mouth. "Oh! That's..."

"What is it, Emperor Shining Armor?" Humbreeze questions.

"The riddle, the answer to it. Shit comes out, fill in the blank."

Stanton verbalizes the answer with disgust. "Shit comes out... I come... AUGH! Yeah, that's definitely him."

"So this Zenobia character, she's in direct communication with Umbra then?" Blueblood asks me directly.

"Hell, I've talked to him. She introduced us. He may be nothing more than a whisp of light that occasionally changes colors that speaks in whispers, but there's no doubt in my mind. Zenobia made a comment saying who all had joined me, and as soon as she mentioned a zebracorn, Kalimba's name spewed right out of him."

"Oh god." Ms. Blue shudders. "And how much did he say to you?"

"Just how he knew Kalimba, how he enjoyed their night together."

The aforementioned mare shows her disdain. "Even in death he is an unredeemable, sadistic bastard."

"And that lady knows that Kalimba stays here in the city." Twilight adds. "We're going to have to nix our plans for something else."

"But Kali just got back home! What about her and Nafasi, what about Gala?" Ms. Blue raises a point, along with raising her own anxiety. "If they're all discovered, who knows what all they'll do!"

"I'm afraid to admit it, but they can't completely identify Gala and Nafasi if I am away for long enough." The zebracorn declares, dropping her head in resignation. "I will need to stay busy, which means I will need to stay away."

The billionaire heiress offers her empathy for the mare. "Oh Kali... Look, I can arrange a few properties around the nation, have you shuffle a few cities. It may be a while before you get back home, but I'll arrange a family unit for each─"

"No." Kalimba denies. "It must be me alone. They know this face, they don't know Gala's or Nafasi's. I do well to keep my family private. And I intend for it to stay that way." The mare grits her teeth, appearing as though she's trying to hold back her emotions. "If I'm going to do this, I need to be out of the city, even out of this country."

"You won't leave without an escort of some sort!" Blue interjects. "Your highness please, you must send me!"

Twilight quickly denies the mare's request. "I can't allow you to do that. You're our only mode of consistent negotiation with the human world."

She points to Stanton as a means to make her point. "You have another one right there! His brother runs the operations on their side! Just send me, I'll go!"

"Blue, you've done so much for me already." Kalimba quietly answers, gaining a sad and painful scowl from her best friend. "I can handle my own. Protect my family, that is all I wish from you."

The mare clenches her eyes, slamming her hoof into the desk in front of her. "Fucking Umbra!"

Watching the pair, already having gone through their own troubles with this already. It feels like I'm watching as the pair are forced to pry apart their scabs and start the bleeding again. "I'm so sorry, to everyone."

Ms. Blue, however, glares at me without allocating any blame to me. "Spike, whatever the hell you need, you tell me. If you need anything, any spell, any ways of getting that mare to talk to you, you tell me and I will be there."

"That won't be necessary." Twilight responds before addressing me. "Just let us know your findings. We'll work from there."

Humbreeze shakes his head with disbelief. "Jeez, kid. I was trying to avoid throwing you into this mess."

"Kinda hard to do when the one who briefed me is Nondis himself."

"When and where did he do that?" Solemn asks.

"San Antonio. He briefed me there, and he also did the same with Smolder as a security precaution. I'm sure we would say that there's no place for him to be involved, but I and the other element bearers have been briefed to an extent on the matter long before my trip to Ponyland. It's just that he went a little more in depth with me and Smolder since we were with him at the time."

"His world. Of course he'd brief you there." Twilight grumbles. "How much did he brief you on?"

"I saw the picture of his operation... His and the other Jasper. I at least know halfway what the Doctor looks like. The mask was a huge deterrent to seeing all of his face, but those copper eyes sure do cut like something ugly. I'd wish that was the most ominous thing about that picture, but seeing Nondis without a body still clears."

Kalimba wears a distressed face as she asks me. "He showed you THAT!?"

"Oh for fuck's sake." Twilight whispers under her breath, pursing her lips as she quietly summons my folder containing all of my classification clearances. As soon as she pops it open, I can see the regret settling in on her face. "Your security access is being raised from Top Secret Level 1 to SCI Level 2. Most of the information you'll research will be unredacted. I'm sure you understand the stipulations of obtaining this information."

"Full and well."

Twilight stamps the page in my folder, shuts it and floats it over to me to view. "I didn't want you to be a part of this, not you too. You deserved better than this. But now that we're here, I can only give you one piece of sound advice."

"Try not to look at everything all at once." Blue warns as she walks over to me, tapping her horn on my head. A silver glint appears in my eye, causing the world to appear glossy white before settling back to normal. "This spell will let you see a majority of the redactions. Anything you seek, questions you ask, they will be answered. Just make sure you know who's around before you ask them."

"Spike." Twilight takes the folder from me after I give it a quick glance, seeing a light gray square surrounding a red seal by my photo. "Be careful."

"I will." I answer.

Stanton shrugs with haplessness. "Well if that's all there is, you're good, bud. Go with God, be safe out there."

"I'll do my best." I respond as I leave the room. On my way out, I hear the sound of someone collapsing. I turn back to see Kalimba rush over to Ms. Blue, who starts to hyperventilate violently. The zebracorn hugs her tightly as the mare continues to have her panic attack. I pause to consider assisting, but even I know that too many in her space would only serve to make matters worse. I think I should at least shoot her a message later and check in, but for now I should be going.

I shuffle into the hall, my mind already starting to have some second thoughts on checking after the distressed pair. And just as soon as the doors close behind me, I reach for the knob to enter again. "Kali's got it." A voice softly assures me. I turn around, seeing Nondis posted on one of the marble pillars across the hall. "A blast from the past, I'm sure they're not doing too hot. But they've seen each other through worse. They'll be fine."

"I thought you had other things to do." I say to the man, who walks over with hardly any rush.

"Yeah... but I had some things to do while I was in town, a few favors to call in from some contacts back in the old days of the old ways. Figured I'd at least open a few doors for you."

"I'm sure your wife wouldn't be too happy with all of this interrupting your retirement."

"Meh, I was bored anyways. Wild sex with the wife and being on crosswalk duty can only do you so much. Half the time I still miss being a captain, as crazy as that sounds. I guess it's because of the fact that I could've done so much more, I kinda regret not as active after that stint in Rotty. I pushed for Tia to give me more work, but you pretty much know how that turned out."

"You're pretty calm considering what's all taking place and being discussed." I point out.

"Eh, new game plus." I tilt my head with some confusion over his terminology. He sees my visible confusion. "Oh yeah, I should run that by you. So imagine you're playing an JRPG, you finish the long journey, beat the bad guy, save the world, jump right back in on the save file with the star next to it, do a few side quests and boost up your gear, going for that coveted achievement that comes with a hundred percent completion of all the things to do in the game. I'm stuck on that last two percent, but I got everything else."

"I'm not sure how any of that equates to this." I inform him.

"Then let me translate that to Oggs and Oubs. You finish a campaign with friends, beat the big bad evil guy, and the dungeon master leaves the world wide open for you to do more things, get better gear, learn more spells, fight harder bosses, play out your 'happily ever after'... or your 'tragically ever after' if things didn't shake too well along the way of the main quest. Then the dungeon master tells you that you can go against your big bad evil guy with all that shiny new gear you got. You get to replay the final boss, but with a different loadout. Big bad still has his stats from the start of your last fight, you got everything you need and then some. How do you think that fight's gonna go?"

"One-sided curbstomp?" I answer.

He nods as he places his hand on my forehead. "Yeah, hold still for me." He reaches his hand back, but promptly delivers a painful smack to my forehead. I wince in discomfort of everything from my head down to my neck feels a painful jolt of electricity.

"OW!" I yelp. "The hell was that for!?"

He doesn't answer me immediately, holding up a red book to some page. "Read this. Tell me what you see."

I'm still wincing from the pain of his blow, but I at least have some constitution to read the contents of the page. "A bunch of surgical information?"

"This entire book counts as part of the one percent you weren't supposed to see. I'm not gonna tell you what this information makes, you'll just have to find that out on your own." The man winces for a period before snickering with a thought. "Well damn, this dimensional distortion spell is really hard to hold. I don't see how Blue could use this shit as consistently as she can."

While he's on a tangent about how impressive Ms. Blue is, I'm still inquiring bout his random bout of assault. "Seriously, was there any good reason on why you slapped me?"

"You seriously didn't feel that? That painful jolt wasn't for nothing." He explains. "I just borked the classification spell on you. You were apparently upgraded from Top Secret 1 clearances to SCI 2. I just nudged you up to max, SCI 1. Now if you need to know anything important, as to possible motives, methods, and changes in the cue for your local morgue, you'll know what's up. Whatever you'll want to see, whatever truth you pursue, you'll find it. But let me be the first to warn you, just don't go looking for the wrong reasons and find yourself mad with a thirst for power."

I nod with acknowledgement, but also internalizing a few thoughts that soon come to the form of my lips. "So... I get to see everything now. But how do you know if you can trust me with all of this? What if I mess this up?"

"Consider the alternative." He answers. "You in your position can do a lot more than I ever could a while back. Your influence is international, you can cultivate the narrative easily. Just shake some hooves, kiss some babies, keep your eyes and ears open to the politics. And if it goes bad, aggressively negotiate. Friendship is a suggestion, not your only option. So don't be afraid to roast a motherfucker just because of your title. Simply put, you can't possibly fuck up more than I did."

"But what if I do go mad?"

He shrugs as he gives his answer. "I wouldn't worry about that too much. Just know that there's a heat that even dragons can't stand. My wife is very good about reaching that temperature too."

Guess that's as good as a warning I'll ever get. "Say less."

Author's Note

Hey there peoples! It's been a while and I know things have been sparse since February, but things have been a bit difficult IRL. Usually I'd keep details in spoilers, but it's just financial grinding I had to do to keep home afloat. It was to the point where I had to balance a lot of things going on and I didn't have time to properly draft chapters up till like maybe half a month ago. So I apologize for that and the long wait.

We'll be back to at least two a month, three if I'm really feeling the grind, four if I'm on a hot-streak. I do hope that you're enjoying the story so far. If not, please let me know where I can improve.

Chapter 45: Mischievous Mismanagement

Ocellus continues to browse around on her phone, checking out the prices of a few items recommended by Gabby for her recommendations of utilizing props for her sexual education courses at the school. She scrolls down, trying to find something that's not entirely too graphic that could be reported, but rather something that can still be used as a prop. Her eyes drift down to the bottom of the page, seeing a few notable items highly rated for approval. As she selects the item for viewing, she notices that it's a model made originally in the human world. She grumbles as the unique dolphin shape is advertised to have twin-turbo feature that allows the head to swivel around.

Her cheeks show a hint of blush as she reluctantly selects the inconspicuous model. "There's no way humans are built like this." She mutters to herself before seeing a bored but curious Zenobia staring at her from across the dining room table. "Is there any reason why you're staring at me like you have some weird ideas?"

"So when you say you've taught Spike everything he knows, just how much do you know of him before you met him?"

She ganders at her screen, still seeing the toy highlighted on her page. She quickly exits to the home screen and gives her answer. "Small."

The mare has a different mind, gawking oddly at the changeling. "I beg your pardon?"

"Yeah, he was really small and adorable looking. He was huge on sarcasm and snark, was always around the princess, he didn't have wings yet, big on Ogres and Oubliettes, and he was a hopeless romantic who had a serious crush on one of my professors. When he finally got over that obsession to the point where it's more of a passing fantasy and occasional masturbatory aid, he'd just go out for chocolate milk and donuts. Yup, he was pretty normal, outside of already been the dragon lord, saving the Crystal Empire from the evil King Sombra, helping stop a vengeance-lusting time traveler, helping put down the Storm King, and planting the seeds of changeling revolution that eventually turned into an overthrow of Queen Chrysalis. And that was all while walking with Princess Twilight though every step of her ascension to power."

The imperial mare appears perplexed. "Uh... what?"

"In other words, he had a busy childhood." The changeling summarizes.

"No shit." She mutters to herself. "Okay, what I should mean to say is this; How was he in the intimate arena?"

"Oh, context, start with that next time." She advises before continuing. "He was hopeless and horny, caught in dragon lust, would not stop masturbating. If you think he can blow some loads now, you should've seen him then. Poor guy was raging stiff. If you're wanting details on that, then I'll be happy to provide you with a one-for-one visual."

The mare's eyes widen for a brief moment, the instance of earlier where both she and Spike traded the idea of how they would ruin her. Not one to usually show shyness on the matter, she retreats from the idea. "I'm not trying to have my tryst with the likes of you, don't get it confused for whatever debauchery you may have in mind."

The changeling mimics the dragon's voice to a perfect tone. "Didn't seem to mind the idea when I'm transformed into him."

The seldom flustered mare is caught off guard and recluses to herself. "Whatever."

Ocellus takes pride in making the mare more uncomfortable with each of her growing taunts, so she keeps his voice while explaining what's happened in the past. "Either way, he was really inexperienced. You could tell his claws were the only things his throbbing dick had known up to that point. If I remember things right, I think it was because Twilight kept him so busy that he never had time to go through his daily rituals of stress relief, if you know what I mean."

Zenobia tries to ignore the sound of the dragon's replicated voice describing his prior sexual frustrations. "Oh. So he wasn't taught by that princess on how to please?"

Ocellus completely drops the voice as she laughs out loud. "Hell no! Princess Twilight's like a big sister to him! I can't imagine the idea of those two hooking up, even if they tried."

The imperial princess racks her brain with the image of Twilight watching with desperation to save the dragon that bent her over the table and had his way in front of her. Her intuition was always that she had to submitted to her feminine curiosities, using the dragon as a means to fill that void. "But I thought... never mind." Realizing the correction, she reluctantly gives credit to the changeling. "I guess I should appreciate the gentlecolt he's turned out to be due to your instruction."

Ocellus giggles as she reassumes the dragon's voice. "Fiending for a lesson yourself, huh?"

"Not with you." She denies.

"I taught him everything he knows." She says, swapping her voice back and forth. "I might be a female naturally, but I'm pretty damn good when it comes to tricking you into switching sides."

"She's right you know." Gabby adds as she walks in, opening the fridge to grab a snack.

Zenobia directs the conversation towards the passing griffon. "In speaking of switching sides, I never thought you griffons would be interested in dragons. Aren't your species ill-equipped to be managing girths that size."

"Griffons lay eggs, you know that, right?" She answers.

"I'm aware. I just thought griffons males aren't usually as... endowed."

Ocellus intervenes. "Depends on the build. Even some stallions aren't that gifted in the physical department. It's all about what you have and how you use it."

The imperial princess still directs her attention to Gabby. "So let's hear your assessment of Spike. You claim to be the first in this situation, so how did you two come to exchanges? What was your view of him at the time?"

Gabby closes the fridge, pulling out a cup of yogurt. "Always busy, never really have the time to sit down and mire himself in the warmth of company longed for. Ever the hopeless romantic in past times, but always the connoisseur of adventure with the vessel he maintains to sail the once uncharted waters. But now that his navigation has grown a novice to the flowing currents, I feel his venture will soon to be beyond that of the water's surface, seeking even the deeper treasures lying in wait at sunken wrecks long forgotten."

Zenobia blinks and tilts her head, looking to Smolder who enters the room with Ember. "Did any of you understood a word she said?"

"The hell if I know." The amber dragoness answers.

"We're still learning her. Apparently she and Spike speak all sort of euphemisms." Ocellus replies.

"He and I, we pinned letters back in the budding days of our adolescence, we would exchange thoughts, poems, sometimes even well-worded ways to cast color into the void of our vivid imaginations, manifesting scenes of blissful indulgences. What for, well I can assume you're of age to know that already." Gabby answers as she grabs a spoonful of her treat to intake.

"Do you write smut for a living?" The princess inquires.

"Depends on the reader." She answers before gobbling the spoon.

The princess now points to Smolder. "So what's your deal?"

"Spike and I have been buds. He'd usually come to me whenever he had any coming-of-age issues, I practically guided him through all his major milestones, his first molt, his first unassisted flight, his first growth spurt, his second growth spurt, his third growth spurt... his fourth growth spurt... the fifth growth spurt that hit him where you like it the most... and his initial symptoms of dragon lust. And then I was the one to break him out of his dragon rut all together."

"Yeah, how nice of you." Ember cuts in. "You still should've known better than to do that, Smolder. Spike was mine to have and mine alone."

"He couldn't beat you, that much is obvious. He beat me on the first try. Maybe you're too afraid to admit that you've got too much of Lord Torch's strength." Smolder replies.

"But he was still mine to contest!" The dragon lord rebukes.

Smolder shrugs haplessly. "All due respect, Spike's made it known that he doesn't prefer fighting for a mate. I just so happened to hit one of our mating triggers that first time we clutched up. He and I fought, and he easily overpowered me, so I just let him have at it."

"Mating triggers... Is that the biting of the neck thing?" Zenobia asks.

"What do you know about that?" Ember seems to have a sharpened criticality of the opposing princess.

"I might have... tempted fate a bit too much." She says while rubbing the side of her neck. "Was warned of it, didn't care for it too much, things got heavy, and then the teeth came barring down. He didn't go too deep, but he did draw a good amount of blood. My brother wasn't too thrilled to see that apparently."

The sound of the door opening alerts everyone. As they take notice of the entry, I step into the room with a few books in tow, each of them containing highly sensitive information that I'll be researching throughout the night for understanding what took place all those years ago, and what we could be soon up against. "Spike! Welcome back!" Gabby cheerfully greets me as I step into the room.

Zenobia rises with a relieved smile. "Bout time! I'm starving."

"You wouldn't be starving if you had let me ordered out." Ocellus replies to her.

"I said nothing greasy! And your choices were nothing but!" The mare argues in return.

"So picky!" Gabby chides the mare.

Most of everyone fails to see the worry written all over my face, initially anyways. It's only when Smolder calls me out when they start to realize something's up. "You good? Something the matter, big guy?"

The little bit of info I crammed on the train has a lot heavy details, a lot of morally reprehensible guidelines of how to store a body for the long-term, the temperatures, the method of draining blood with a chemical substitute that further preserves the body against rapid putrefaction. A lot of that one book made my stomach crawl all throughout the train ride back home. "Just did some reading up. It's been a long one."

Zenobia pops past the others, looking to get me to work. "So what, you're not going to do dinner for us?"

I look to the fridge, having already seen that word a number of times. There's a quote that runs at the forefront of my mind.

'The ideal temperature to generally host a cadaver is around one to two degrees Celsius, however that temperature is unideal for process of mass storage, as inconsistent air flows may cause certain parts of the body to degrade faster than others. That line of reasoning soundly applies to pockets of areas containing multiple subjects. To compensate for mass storage and long term use, bodies are to be kept in a more frigid climate with a temperature of no lower than negative fourteen degrees Celsius.'

My stomach turns once more. "I'm not in the mood." Another quote jumps out in my mind.

'To further prevent damage to cadavers, each batch must be cycled between staging zones one and two, zone two for deep freezing and preservation for a period no longer than three months, zone one for thawing and reconstitution. The 'brain' subject will further assimilate those assumed to be the most impactful for the intended tasks and purposes.'

My queasiness intensifies. "I think I'll just call it in early. I'm pretty worn out after all of this."

"Do you need anything?" Questions the amber-colored dragoness.

"No, not right now." I deny, holding my head. "I'm so sorry Smolder, I know today was your day to catch up on where we left off last time. I promise I'll make it up to you on Thursday."

"Uh, no, today's my day!" Ember interjects.

"Whoever's day it is, I'll make it up on Thursday. I'm sorry." I say before storming off to the upstairs.

"Spike!" Ember hails angrily, yielding no effect.

Ocellus sighs dejectedly, showing no pleasure in seeing my sluggish manner of departure. "Must've been a rough time in Canterlot again."

"With the way Twilight's been treating him, I wouldn't be surprised if she dumped another shitty ass assignment on him." Smolder complains.

"I hope not." Gabby moans anxiously. "He needs to be home for a while."

I open my eyes, seeing a wreckage of a ship in the distance. Upon a closer look, it appears to be the yacht we're taking home...

Wait, I though I already made it back home.

To my misfortune, it seems that we've been cast to an island off in the north of the Celestial Sea, the air is frigid and callous, and there seems to be no one else around. But a sudden boom sounding above my head grabs my attention, I look up to see an imperial airship listing above. Imperial centuries leap from high above, pinning me down to the ground as I feel helpless under their amassed weight.

"Get off of me!" I plead, gaining no ground other than the coarse sand under my scaled belly.

My arms are restrained, pulled back to minimize my ability to fight, my wings are flapping, but I cannot rise from the ground. A table appears next to me, along with a laughing Xerxes. "Ah, my trophy at last."

"Celestia, Nondis, Twilight, anyone! Please!" My cries for help go nowhere.

"Just like I told you..." He brings up the flail of the several heads of my dragon kindred, with but one bit shimmering of stainless steel. He smiles with a sadistic charm, his voice whispering with a creeping endearment of the moment. "I saved you a spot."

"Please! Someone! ANYONE HELP ME!" Once more, my cries go nowhere but the waters of the sea and the salt of the air. I look to beg the ones holding to me, only to see the familiar faces of all of the guards who served under me staring with indifference, quietly awaiting for me to be ensnared by fate. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry! I'M SORRY!"

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

While my cries in the dream go unanswered, my murmuring calls in the dark yields a vastly different response. Gabby watches as I writhe in the horrors of my nightmare. "SPIKE!"

Ember however, doesn't spend any time watching as she pushes past the griffon and dashes for me. "Dammit, move!"

"Ember, what are you doing!?" The griffon asks as the others run in behind her.

The dragoness yanks me up and totes me towards the pool deck. Ocellus cries out for the dragoness to not act as brash. "Ember, stop!"

But by the time her words reach her, my body is already in the air and well into the pool. I frantically snap my eyes open, feeling the water entrap me and and look to invade my lungs. I give a frantic swipe for whatever feels solid enough to hold onto. "AH! AH! AH! WE'RE SINKING!"

"SPIKE!" Smolder's voice snaps me back into reality.

I rapidly stamp my feet downward, feeling the solid bottom of the pool. I call out, still disoriented, and now coughing up the water in my lungs. "Where the fuck am I!?"

"You're home. You're home, it's okay." Gabby reassures me.

Smolder is less than pleased with the dragon lord's actions. "Ember, what the fuck is wrong with you!?"

"Cold water wakes him up! I just went with what works!" She defends.

"He could've drowned!" Ocellus angrily chides the dragoness.

"No way, he knows how to swim just fine." Ember shrugs off.

"Well he sure didn't look to be in the mind to do that!" The changeling goes from chewing out Ember to checking back in with me. "What the hell were you doing up here?"

Gabby observes the area I was once rested in, noting the number of books wide open on the side of me. "Books of black bars, interesting choice of literature."

"What happened?" I ask to Ocellus.

Smolder looks at the TV, seeing that a scary movie is on the screen. She immediately cuts it off. "You passed out looking at this shit, I don't know what it's supposed to be. The TV started watching you, then some weird movie came on one of the human channels and then you started screaming, scared us half to death! You gotta be more considerate of what you watch before you sleep, big guy."

I know I didn't pay any attention to what was on the screen after I had started reading. In actuality, I was in between these terrifying books and a fairly good comedy movie. I knew that it would've been hard for me to just outright go to sleep with all of that on my mind, so I thought I could have something funny soothe me back to sleep, at least distract me from the nightmares I was reading up on. Now that seems to be a luxury of a thought. "Ugh... fuck. I need something to drink."

"Drink what, the water in the pool wasn't enough?" Ember asks, getting a trio of deathly stares from everyone else. "What, it was a joke."

Gabby pulls me along. "You need to come to bed. No more of this, whatever it is."

At last, the imperials enter the room, checking in on what's happened. Zenobia yawns tiredly as she complains about the noise. "What's going on? It's so late, I heard screaming and commotion downstairs. Now you lot are staring over the pet like a bunch of hungry rocs looking for a piecemeal."

"We woke Spike out of a nightmare." Ocellus explains. "The first part of the screaming was him. The later part was us telling Ember that she shouldn't throw him into the pool to wake him."

"There's a pool?" The alicorn looks over to see just that waiting over in the top deck patio. "Well fuck, I know what I'll be doing tomorrow."

"Anyhow," The changeling continues. "Spike started mumbling apologies, and eventually started screaming them. All I can see out of him is his mind fighting off a severe trauma response. That tells me something terrible happened and he had to witness it."

Hestia walks over to me, already knowing what could have me reaching out like that. "Was it them?"

I give a quiet nod in response to her question. Meanwhile, the others are confused, Ember being the main one to speak out. "What are you talking about, who's them?"

'Studies also show that transmission elements are incapable of operating against extreme temperatures, such as high heat capable of fraying neural synapse exchanges, or artic temperatures capable of reducing transmissions and making bodily joints slow, bitter, or overall inoperable. Subjects that are found with these conditions are expected to be returned to post of origin effective after a ten stage intermediary process.'

That was the last thing I read before falling asleep. The only comfort that I have in that statement is in consideration of the manner of everyone's disposal. While I can't forget both the smell of diesel and burning flesh, or the embarrassing tango between disgust and hunger, they can be at rest for good at the very least. Though it begs the question of just how far Ponyland has followed this guy's doctrine, especially if they have direct contact. "...I need to keep studying."

"It's two in the morning, big guy. Come to bed." Smolder recommends.

I ignore her, sitting back on the couch and cutting on the television for background noise. I pick back up on where I last left before dozing off. "I'm sorry, I just need to find the truth. There's some things I need to get ready for."

Smolder tries to enforce her judgement onto me. "Oh no you don't! You put that down and come to to bed! Now!"

But as the amber dragoness reaches over to grab me, she's stopped by Amor. "I think... we should leave him be. Whatever he's researching, it's probably serious. We shouldn't get in the way."

Zenobia looks at one of the books, appearing almost as though she's seen it before. A gasp leaves her lips as she mulls over a conversation that was had on the ship. She resorts to dragging her siblings away. "We shouldn't be here right now. We should go."

"Wow, you're not even fighting to get his attention, are you?" Hestia questions, genuinely surprised with her sister.

"He is undergoing a portion of his duties much like how he has watched me do mine. We leave him be." She turns to the others. "If you all are any part better than me, I suggest you lot respect that and follow suit. Don't let me be the good one here."

Resigning to pride in her own standard, Ember begrudgingly tows Smolder along. "Well you heard the pony skank, let's try to not have her be the only one on a pedestal."

Gabby takes a deep breath, watching with disappointment. "And here I am thinking you were going to take better care of yourself. You've always been like this, always time for something other than yourself and your personal life, much less dating." She sulks off with a passing thought offered to me. "I thought we could have more time if I agreed to this, but if this is where we're going with this, then I've made a huge mistake."

Ocellus remains as the last in the room with the griffon's departure down the stairs. She stares quietly at me skimming page after page of illegible black bars. She shows concern for my mental state. "What the hell happened to you?"

The next morning, Ocellus, Gabby, and Smolder all rise an hour earlier than their usual times. They gather themselves downstairs in the dining room, having quiet discussions about what's taken place. And with each ticking second, they're only brought to more questions than before.

Their answer doesn't come until sometime later, when Zenobia slowly trots into the room, seeing the three gathered quietly, looking back at her as though she has something to say. The imperial princess ganders around, appearing unimpressed by the lack of a set table. "Oh, no food on the burn either? Well that's a bit of a disappointment. Sleep for breakfast it is then, I can go without another meal, it's not that bad."

Instead of letting the alicorn get away with her passive complaints, Ocellus lightly tugs at one of her wings to prevent her from leaving. "Why don't you take a seat with the rest of us, get comfy."

Seeing the apprehensive stares beamed for her, she rolls her eyes with an entitled dread. "What, is this some sort of family meeting that I'm apparently responsible for?"

Amor and Hestia also enter into the room, seeing Zenobia getting held up. "Good morning." He also sees the others quietly glancing over to him now. "Oh, I guess this is the part where you all lay down some rules and tell us how we can contribute. I'd be more than happy to do my part."

Hestia waves her hoof with a bit of early-bird enthusiasm. "Ooh, I'm good at tinkering, research, and chemistry! Not very good at cooking, apparently. I'm... probably better off away from a stove."

"Discretion is the better part of valor." The prince mutters, much to his sister's chagrin.

Smolder speaks out. "We can talk on that later. Right now it's about Spike."

"Oh. So you mean what happened at like two in the morning?" Amor questions.

"Exactly that." Ocellus confirms. "You guys have been around him since his time in Ponyland. I think it's time you tell us what's been the issue and what's all happened. Because that Spike we saw in the early a.m., that's not the Spike we know."

"Beg to differ on the workaholic timing, that's the version of him I broke up with. But that screaming out of a nightmare part is deeply concerning." Gabby adds.

Hestia and her brother exchange looks before she speaks on behalf of their side. "We understand your concerns, and they are pretty valid."

The griffon continues. "Then if you understand, you'll tell us why he's been like this. Why is he reading books with nothing but black lines in them? What happened that has him screaming in his sleep? Spike's never drunk himself to sleep, much less requested the thought! Why is he so different from when he last left here?"

"What did he see?" Ocellus compounds.

"What did you do to him?" Smolder quietly snarls.

Zenobia starts to step forward, as if she's ready to weave them her perspective, but Amor beats her to the plate. "It's a long story. I guess it pretty much started with our arrival in Manehattan."

I groggily walk into the room, Ember constantly nagging me with every step. "For the umpteenth time, I thought it was a stupid book filled with some dumb black bars! Why are you mad at me!?"

"Because you spilled a two-hundred year old bottle of bourbon on it to get my attention!" I complain vehemently, giving her the lesser reason for my ire.

"But you can buy another bottle of it. And I don't see why you even drink to begin with. Dragons don't drink."

"You make me want to find a career at the bottom of a barrel of the hardest shit out there on market!"

"Seriously, are you this much of a puss these days?"

Zenobia sees the opportunity to save me from my misfortune, only to become yet another source of my early morning irritation. "Pet! Bout damn time you got here, I'm famished! Would you mind warming us a little something to peck on for the day?"

"Hey you entitled bitch, fix your own damn food!" I find it incredulous that the one who's truly entitled by nature is going after the other entitled individual as though it's a noble endeavor.

"Excuse you!?" Zenobia once more gets into a shouting match with the dragon lord. "I don't take too kindly to the continued show of disrespect!"

"Well if you want it, then how about you show some first!?"

While yesterday gave me a lot more energy to go on, all thanks to the novel idea of returning to the peace of my home, I can truly say that this morning has me waking up with far less of that enthusiasm. "Ladies."

"Me, show respect, to you!? I'd rather show you the crack of my ass than show you anything resembling respect!"

"You keep talking, I'll show you the inside of your own ass!"

At this point, I'm completely over the idea of trying to pacify them both. So I shout at them both. "SHUT UP!" My voice echoes throughout the room, the pair stare at me, stunned that I had even asserted myself in such a brutish manner. I start off with the dragoness to my left. "Ember, you go with Smolder toda─" But as I start to speak, my body crashes hard from the combined lack of sleep and the terrible hangover I'm dealing with. I stumble and fall to a knee, getting help from Amor in the process.

"Are you sick?" He asks. "Tell us what you need, we'll help you in any way."

I fight off a bit of my nausea and signal to the young prince. "I'm not doing too well. I need a cup of coffee."

"I'll get right on it." Smolder jumps up from her seat, going right to work in the kitchen as she pulls a mug from the cabinet. "What do you want in it?"

"Creamer, chocolate, a teaspoon of vanilla, steamed milk, please."

"Okay, I'll have that for you in a sec." She continues to go about making my requested beverage, but starts the conversation with me. "So big guy, you never told us what happened in Ponyland, to you I mean. What's the deal with that?"

"And what's with that collar on your neck?" Ocellus adds.

"And those dog tags?" Gabby rounds out the trifecta of inquiries.

I grimace as I look back down to my neck, seeing the forty names still weighing on me. "Ah shit, I been meaning to give these to Twilight yesterday." While I express some annoyance with myself, I do however give them an answer to start everything off. "A lot's happened."

"Do you wanna expand on that?" Smolder questions.

Before I can even breathe to give a response, a trio of chimes sound throughout the house. The foreign sound alerts the alicorn with it's unusual character. "The hell is that noise?"

"Doorbell." I say while I pull out my phone to check the camera. There's a pair of guards waiting on the front porch. "You guys again?"

"Sir Spike, a summons has been made for you to return to Canterlot at once. The parliament wants to question your time over in Ponyland, and they want to know more about the casualties we've incurred."

"Of course the war hogs want something to bitch about." I grumble. "I'll be out in five."

I place my phone down, Gabby quietly brings about her worry. "Casualties?"

"Will you be okay?" Amor continues to show concern for me, obviously knowing what's it's been. "Talking about it, I mean it's got to be hard enough remembering it without getting sick."

I look down, raising my leg, looking at the rather pristine scales at the bottom of my foot. "I still feel her leg under it. Just the crunch..." I shake my head, trying to fight off the compounding nausea.

Amor finishes my statement for me, admitting more than I ever wanted to tell them. "His security detail, they killed them, then they burned the bodies of every last one, along with their airship."

"They burned the corpses of all of them except for one." Hestia compiles. "There was one who tried to get the message to Spike on where to go next. He was left to bleed out in one of the waterways, but left a message written in his blood on the walls."

"That's not all..." Zenobia is quiet, looking down and away from everyone as Amor carries on with the story. "My brother, Xerxes, hates dragons. So he wanted to intimidate Spike by any means. And with that, he took the time, during my celebratory return parade, to... display his dragon hunting prowess." He bows his head before Ember with a sincere apology. "I'm sorry, but there are now seven less dragons in the world."

I grab the mug from Smolder, downing the contents of my incomplete beverage, regardless of the scalding temperature. I wipe my mouth and slide the mug close to the sink. "I'm going to go ride to Canterlot now, get this mess over with."

"Call us if you need anything, okay?" Gabby responds.

"Sure." I quickly walk out of the room, trying not to let loose in front of them like I did when it first happened. I keep a stoic expression until I leave out the front door.

As the truth of the events in Ponyland come to light by the once proud nationals, everyone else already elects to distance themselves from the imperial trio. "Alright Ember, you're with me." Smolder walks over to the aforementioned dragoness, pulling her along before the pair can think to retaliate in a violent manner over how badly their kind was treated, even in a guest situation. "Besides, we don't need to be around Ponyland imperials. They might look to hunt us down with our backs turned."

Ocellus travels in solidarity with her dragon partner, but sternly offering a warning. "Smolder and I are teachers at a local school. The student body is a diverse gathering of students ranging from ages six up to eighteen." The changeling cringes with a painful thought, looking back at the parallels of how her species were treated by the humans at one point. "I'd normally invite you to interact, but we also have both dragons and changelings in our student body. You understand why I can't do that now. So as for you three, our conversation is far from over. "

The pair of teachers guide Ember out of the door, leaving the three siblings to the griffoness, her heart pouring for the dragon that she once criticized. A harrowing guilt looms over her mind as the young prince tries to address her. "So... Miss Gabby─"

Her mind jumps to the present, feeling the humble beginnings of resentment towards the three that also put in an effort to save his life. Her emotions fall into a state of flux, constantly wrestling between the discontent and the appreciation for their sacrifices. As a result, she gives herself the space to better process the situation. "Why don't you guys stick around the home until we get back? I know it'll be a while, but you can be patient." She grabs her work tote, slinging to her shoulder, and leaves the room with a brief warning. "Try not to get into trouble, you're already in it enough."

The griffon departs from the home, leaving the three to converse with one another. Zenobia continues to remain mum as Hestia offers comment on their current issue. "So much for starting over."

"It comes with the reputation of our country. There was never a point in starting over." Zenobia criticizes. "Just the beautiful lie it represents."

"It feels like just because of where we're born, the world is willing to point their hooves at us like we're naught but brainless savages. We're not, even if some of us do act the part. And it's probably no better if they find out what our family's been doing to itself for centuries." The pegasus mare closes her eyes, appearing fatigued of the turbulence. "Something's got to change."

"It starts with us." Amor attempts to reassures her. "All we have to do is show that we as members of the imperial family are willing to compromise."

"Compromise, with our positions?" Hestia challenges her brother's optimism. "How does we start to compromise when we've vowed before their princess to give up our power to be here?"

"You can't." Zenobia answers plainly. "We live in denial if you believe that your absorbing all of this will somehow change things as they are now. Equestria is successful from the relationships it builds, we are successful from the lands and creatures we conquer. The world has already painted us in it's own colors, the perspectives have been drawn out from centuries ago. What we are, what we've been, they stands the test of time. It's better to accept that."

Amor firmly stands against his sister's dogma to merely agree to the mold their family has carved out for them. "If we are made to accept that, then explain to me why are you still here."

The mare shows nothing more than her usual composure. "The accommodations are nice. Why the fuck would I leave this for the shit back at home?"

"But you just said to accept what we are, that nothing will ever change. If you accept that for yourself, then why not go back home to face father, and accept what you are?"

The mare scoffs at the idea. "I just don't need to go back right now. Plain and simple. I have competition and I look to dominate that field by whatever means. My pet has made a nest and now I wish to roost. I'm happy to be in this place."

"But that's just a contradiction." Hestia points out. "You've just compromised your own argument? What sense does that make?"

"I think I know the answer." The prince responds. "While you've made a convenient front to say that you've latched yourself to Spike, that's not the main reason why you're here. You've failed, not only in the eyes of our father, but in the execution of your position as abbess. You've failed Him and now you're scared to face him." Zenobia turns away from Amor, not wanting to look him in the eye as he delves further. "You're conflicted and don't want to openly accept that everything you've fought to maintain was a lie. Now you can't even face the one who vouched for your success because you know what he stands for, what Spike stands against with mountains of evidence to his favor. You've made promises and vows that you've silently committed to breaking. Guess that happens when you make a deal you can't hold to on your end just because the truth is staring you in the face."

"I don't have to tolerate this shit from a scum-sucking lesser blood!" The alicorn lashes back at him.

"Says the one who's barely above that. You failed one qualification at birth, and the mother of your branch can't shake off the disappointment."

"Just like you can't shake the feeling of Xerxes' sculpting out your rectum?"

"Or how your mother always hated how imperfect you were from birth?"

The alicorn snarls and quickly flies away from the conversation. "Fuck this, I'm hungry and there's no food that either of you are skilled enough to provide! I'm going back to bed!"

Amor growls at the departing princess and walks over to the kitchen. "I may not have much in the way of experience in cooking, but I can at least try to be useful. Not running away like her."

"Amor, you did run away from home." Hestia reminds him. "You're the reason why all of this happened."

"I ran from the abuse, you know that. I was tired of being a toy for his sadistic amusement. My brother died defending me from that fate, Sir Fencer went about the same way to do the same thing, so why should I accept it? I am a being to be useful for a greater purpose, not an object to be used." He opens the fridge, pulling out a number of ingredients for a quick meal. "I'm not going to be useless, I'm going to do something to better my circumstances, not just run when things get inconvenient."

Hestia looks down at herself, reproaching her idle stature and shaking herself to correct it. She walks around the counter, pulling out a pan. Amor watches her quietly as she places it on the stove. "I'll leave the fireworks to you, just tell me what you want to have cut."

"Potatoes are a good start. Better make enough for three, Zenobia won't be able to feed herself otherwise."

While the two lesser-blooded siblings go about preparing themselves a meal, Zenobia retires once more to the confines of her room. She shuts the door behind her, grumbling and complaining as she throws herself to the bed, yanking the covers above her head as a voice from her past surfaces in her mind.

"YOU EMBARASS ME IN FRONT OF YOUR FATHER!? NOW HE WANTS NOTHING TO DO WITH US! COME HERE! COME HERE! I'M GOING TO GIVE YOU THE FUCKING ATTENTION YOU DESERVE, YOU INCOMPETENT LITTLE SHIT! I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU DEAD FOR WHAT YOU'VE DONE TO US!"

Her rumbling stomach breaks the memory of that moment with a reminder of her present. "I'm still fucking hungry."

Canterlot Transit Station...

As soon as I arrive in town, I'm greeted by a scene that's just as painful to watch as it is to experience. A young foal crying in desperation for his parent, who hugs him tightly in response. An adolescent filly showing both dissent and worry. The mother in question is none other than Kalimba, who's keeping a relatively strong face in spite of it all. Ms. Blue overlooks it all with a crestfallen demeanor, while Tempest remains stoic.

"But it isn't fair!" Gala calls out angrily. "You said it would only be for a few days, that turned into two weeks! Now you're telling us that you're leaving again! How is that even fair, Kali!?"

The mare pleads back with her sister, trying not to disclose the primary reason for her departure. "I know it doesn't make sense, but you have to understand that I am doing this for a good reason."

"What's a good reason to leave us behind?" The teen asks. "In my eyes, there is none! To me, it feels like you've just picked up on something dangerous and now you're abandoning us!"

"I am not abandoning either one of you. I do this because I care." She responds.

"Then tell us what's going on, Kali." Gala pleads. "Please be fair about this."

"I am." The zebracorn kisses her son on his forehead. "My job calls for me to leave town. When I come back next time, I'll tell you what you'll need to know."

Her son, teary-eyed, begs for her to stay. "Momma abeg! I do not want you to leave, momma!"

"I know, I know you want me here." She answers with a tender voice. "But I must do some business, okay?"

"It's not fair!" Nafasi hollers, causing his mother to quell his cries with a warm embrace.

"I know. But momma's got to go take care of you, put food on our table, she does what she does to keep you happy and safe." She kisses her son yet again, trying to keep her own emotions in check. "Nakupenda. Kuwa mzuri. Kaa salama. (I love you. Be good. Stay safe.)"

"Ninaahidi! Nakupenda pia! (I promise! I love you too!)"

"If you have any nightmares, you will call me. And I will tell you another story, just like we always do." She says as her parting words to her son. She stands up and notices me, walking towards me to greet and bid me farewell for the time being. "Well, here we are, off to the world again."

"I'm sorry, for all of this." I offer my deepest regrets.

"It's not your fault, Spike. You cannot control the actions and intent of others." She answers as Ms. Blue comforts the others while Tempest joins with me and Kalimba. The zebracorn takes a deep breath, firming her resolve and notifying the broken-horned mare. "I am ready to go now."

"ATTENTION ALL PASSENGERS: THIS IS THE FINAL BOARDING CALL FOR KLUGETOWN. REPEAT, FINAL BOARDING CALL TO KLUGETOWN. NEXT TRAIN AVAILABLE IN THIRTY-SIX HOURS."

"I wish you the best." I bid to her.

"And I to you." She returns, finally stepping onto the train for her journey to the far South to Klugetown. Tempest follows behind her. As soon as the departure bell sounds, the pair takes their seats. The mother looks back at her son before finally breaking, heaving heavily before Tempest closes the window to avoid the others from seeing the matter any further.

Ms. Blue approaches me, having took notice of her friend. "Kali's devastated that she has to go into protection protocol. All of last night, she's been on the phone with me bawling her poor soul out. She feels like she's putting them in danger from leaving, hell, just for even existing. She's really going through it."

"I hate that this has to happen. But Klugetown is probably the best bet. Ponyland wouldn't dare look that far off, especially when even their own guards would be situationally hapless there, much less anything else." The train shuffles off, departing slowly from the station as we watch the shuttered window knowing who's behind it. "So now what?"

Ms. Blue turns to both Nafasi and Gala. "We keep a covert eye on these two, make sure they stay safe. Mr. Handy will give us any updates if we need to be involved."

"I just hate that we're leaving everything up to the whims of an old geezer, he shouldn't be concerned with anything of this magnitude. But I guess that's just the going rate these days."

The mare follows up with a check-up on me. "Now how are you doing? That new level must be opening your eyes to some pretty rough stuff."

"Can't say it's been easy on the mind. But I'll learn what I can, and be on the lookout on what all to avoid."

The both of us start to stroll towards the pair of young foals. "And the topic of interest, our special care package?"

"Still stashed in Ponyville. I'll keep a close eye on her, at least for as long as my remaining sanity will allow."

"Trust me, you'll last longer than you think."

I quirk a brow at the mare. "How do you know that for certain?"

"It's always hard at first, but it gets better. It's only one day out of many. And even if there are more than a few days of it, it'll be a mere drop in a bucket of otherwise wonderful, magical, mundane, funny, and interesting things. That's life."

"I guess I should take a note from you, you're still up and going after it all."

"Yeah, it's been a lot throughout my life, but even those terrible moments were spaced out so far between. And believe me, I have a lot to lose my mind over, but I look at that and compare it to what else happens between all of that." She slightly chuckles at herself. "That's one of the things Alabaster told me to do when I was going through a rough patch, went over my head then. I'm listening now, even after he's gone. Still wishing he was still here to nag me sometimes, maybe an annoying wakeup at seven on a Saturday morning. It's odd how I've made that an automatic response every week."

I look at the pair of foals, seeing her view of how this will be just one day of many others. "One day at a time, huh?"

The day is only halfway done, and I can already say it's been a long one. A three hour hearing in front of the parliament all for them to finally cast their vote on whether or not we should go to war with Ponyland. I at least tried to make my testimony as beneficial to appeal for peace, withholding a lot of personal experiences and traumas for the sake of maintaining neutrality. In either case, it's hard to shake off the forty dog-tags I had to give away to the families. They're probably looking for some mode of retribution themselves, some looking for blood, others merely looking for answers. But in either case, every press card carrier were looking for a scoop and they were hounding me for it all day.

But with that out of the way, I make my return to Ponyville an hour off of the lunch rush. The peaceful juxtaposition of this town is more than enough to calm my otherwise chaotic nerves. And I'm brought back to the doorstep of my own home, turning key and walking into the foyer to see a pair of equines more than happy to greet me at the door.

"Well, the prodigal dragon returns." Amor says with a cheesy grin.

"And not a moment too soon." Hestia's smile is all the more exaggerated.

"You two seem eerily enthusiastic." I say before I sniff the air, smelling a smoky odor permeating throughout the home. "Did you guys burn something?"

"Well, funny story... we did, but it's not... too bad?" Hestia seems to shy away at the confession.

Before horror could settle on my face, Amor quickly clears up the situation. "It's on me, I was inattentive. I left the potatoes on for longer than expected. Got really engrossed in a book and then forgot to lower the heat. The kitchen is still in one piece, but we've lost about six potatoes. Sorry."

"We were hungry, and we don't have bits. So we thought to at least try to pull our own." Hestia adds in her statement as I walk towards the kitchen, seeing nothing out of place other than a few scorch marks on the stainless steel range hood. There's also a mess of an oil splatter all over the counter, and my sink is also really oily with bits of burned potatoes hanging around the drain. "I know it's a mess, but we'll do what we can to clean things up."

"Too much oil, way too much heat, and too many potatoes in one load." I inform the pair. I'm not even upset at them, it's the least chaotic thing to happen all day. In fact, it's pretty endearing. "I suppose I can't blame you for trying, but try to measure out how much you're putting into a pan the size of what you've used." I look around the room, seeing a certain missing party. "Where's Zenobia at?"

"She's been shacked up in the bedroom, just as hungry as we are." The prince explains.

I jab at him a bit, cleaning up the mess that was made. "As often as you've been out in the rough, I'm surprised this happened with you in charge, Amor."

"Well Sir Fencer was a pretty good cook, so I never had to touch a pot until he told me when to stir." He chuckles for a bit before falling quiet. "Yeah... he was pretty good."

Seeing that the two are already in a despondent mood, I elect to take the matters off of their shoulders and let them have a little more free range outside of the kitchen. "It'll be a little bit before everyone else comes back from work. How about I order something and have it delivered for us, that way I can clean up and plan out our meal for this evening."

"Three birds with one stone, I like it." Hestia cheers. "Though do try to keep Zenobia in mind, she's picky. Plus you know how it gets when you get older, your body doesn't like fun stuff like it used to."

"In the meantime, we'll be back here, noses in these interesting books you have lining the shelves." Amor adds.

It doesn't take me long at all to clean up the mess, I just wanted them out of the kitchen for the time being. But I can't help but to blame myself for leaving them out to pasture like I did. I didn't even make food last night, so I can imagine how hungry they are. I suppose I should get on that food order.

I dial up a local food chain on my phone, it's only a few rings before they answer. "Hello, this is Briquette's Pizza where your local produce makes a mean sauce, can I take your order?"

I start to trail upstairs as I make my request. "Hello, my name is Spike, Spike the Dragon. Can I get a large supreme with a side of breadsticks? Oh yeah, and can I also get a large salad topped with feta cheese, apple, granola oats, and raisins. Dressing should be a strawberry vinaigrette."

"Sure thing, will that be for pickup or delivery?"

"Delivery. Address is 2407 Golden Oaks Way."

"Alrighty, that'll be thirty-nine bits, plus three bits for delivery."

"Okay then, I'll see you in a bit." As the call comes to an end, I find myself a the closed door of Zenobia's room. I lightly knock and announce myself. "Hey, it's me, I'm coming in."

As I open the door, I see her rolled into a burrito in the sheets. "Ugh... so BOOOORED-uh!"

"You never once left the room outside of this morning, did you?" I ask. "I know you're not like this back home."

"Of course I wouldn't be. I mean I usually boss other ponies around, shove a few down the hall, maybe knock a few into a wall over some petty shit, and then get paperwork dumped on my by my brothers, then I finish that by the sun's going down, I get dinner, figure out if I'm going to fuck some idiot on patrol or read something worthy of masturbating to before calling it a night."

"You have hobbies, I know you do." I point out.

"What, painting? That's far too messy for this place." She argues.

"Well if you get bored, I do have a basement you could make a mess of. By all means, do keep your mind from being too idle." I suggest.

She rises from the bed, casting her sheets aside as she sways her head towards me. "Correction: You have a bed you could make a mess of, a number of them." She yanks me by my collar, producing the phantasmal pink lead made of her own aura to draw me in. "And I'm the blank canvas you can mark your strokes upon. You should get started before the inspiration eludes you."

I politely lick my claws and pinch her magic off from her horn, freeing myself from her tow. "Okay, another thing I should probably establish since we're here. This pulling me into the bed and using your perfumes to drug me into fucking your brains out, that's not gonna cut it anymore."

"Well I was just hoping you'd simply fuck me like some rabid animal. is that so much of an ask?"

Honesty, the idea of dicking away some frustration of the day is pretty appealing, but I know better than to bite on that right now. "Is everything about sex with you?"

"No! I have wants too, you know. I like being praised, adored, maybe a snuggle or two." Her stomach rumbles, completely tilting the mood of the room. "Right now it's just being fed."

I walk out of the room, the alicorn acting as an eager shadow in following me. "On the first topic, I'd be willing to take you up on your offer, except that Ocellus is keen on keeping me from touching myself before she gets back home, don't get me started on touching someone else. And since it's her day, I don't think she's willing to share right now. Plus there's this one spell she uses if I step out of line. Not gonna even try to entertain that idea." I warn her. "But on the second, I ordered you a nice fruit salad."

"Well aren't you touching, making sure I stay sweet to the taste." She smiles as we walk upstairs to the third floor. "Meanwhile, I do recall that the day she has is Saturday. Today should be my day."

"How about I keep myself out of trouble, and you keep yourself entertained?" I say as we walk into the den.

"By doing what? It's boring as hell here!" She mewls before I tap a button on a remote to turn on the TV. The first channel that pops up is the one I was on just earlier this morning. There's a movie on by the name of Star Wars Episode III, the masterful clashing of laser sword exchanges taking place in the scene of the climatic fight wrestles her attention like a cruel overseer to their future slave. "The fuck is that?"

I forget that she never really walked into the room last night, only making her comments and suggestions from the doorway. "It's a TV, yet more of the modern marvels of the human world."

Her eyes are locked to the screen, absorbing the scene that's taking place. "So is this some sort of portal?"

"Hardly. Our world looks nothing like this shit here." I confirm.

"So this is what it's like to look into another world, the world of the other two-leggers?" She asks, leaning heavily towards the screen.

"Yeah, you could say that for some movies. But not all of it's true, some of it is a fiction of some sort. This one's entirely fiction." I explain before I change the channel to some programming that's a lot more domestic. "But yeah, there's even a channel dedicated to Equestrian exclusive broadcasting. Maybe you should stick to this one for the time being."

She makes note of the lack of clarity when it comes to the particular channel. "Why is it all fuzzy?"

"I guess they're still working on some things. I know the cameras are still good, but right now we haven't quite mastered the human's method of replicating a national broadcast, but it'll come in time. We just need to up the tech a bit."

"I see." She says as she reads the boldened headline at the bottom of the screen. "So what's this about a war?"

"I dunno, must be a history documentary." I dismiss.

"With your ruling princess announcing it?"

I look back to the screen, realizing that there's the word 'LIVE' in big bold red letters in the top left of the broadcast. I read the headline down at the bottom, seeing that they're covering the results of the vote. "Oh shit!" I immediately take the broadcast off of mute.

"─information gathered. However, the parliament has elected to hold a vote on the matter of a formal declaration of war with the Empire of Ponyland. The motion has failed on the floor with a narrow 247-259 margin. I would be elated to say that a call to war dies in parliament today, that sanity and reason wins the day. But unfortunately, we cannot say that this is the case."

"That doesn't sound good." Zenobia comments.

"Not good is right." I mumble back with her. "If the vote failed, then what could've possibly happened?"

Raven comes from the side of the screen, issuing the purple princess a scroll with a broken black seal. A heaviness forms in my chest as I know that black wax is often used for a deadly precursor to indicate the seriousness of the situation. "A message from the representation of Ponyland notates, and I quote..." She unfurls the scroll and reads from the page. "The mass casualty event of days past has left our nation mourning the losses of thousands of innocents. The convoy that was cruelly decimated was that of a group of devout followers engaging in pilgrimage."

"That's a crock of shit and they know it." I snarl towards the screen.

"Obviously." The imperial alicorn cosigns.

"They were worshippers of the Church of the Healing Hoof denomination, each follower looking to pay homage to their holy god. We of Ponyland have deemed this attack an unparalleled genocide of inequine proportions. And in following, they have abducted members of the royal family, Prince Amor Ambrosia of the Lesser Blood, and Princess Rosa Zenobia of the Noble Blood. These actions are considered especially heinous. We will not allow for this tragedy to go unopposed, to do so without consequence would be an affront to justice anywhere and everywhere."

"Damn, not a mention of Hestia. They really just have her marked for death then." Zenobia remarks.

"No way... no way that's how they're spinning this."

The broadcast continues. "The choice we have made is not an easy one, but it is a righteous one. All trades with the offending nation are now under imperial embargo, vessels will be ordered to cease all progress and vacate our waters. Our embassies are to be vacated effective immediately. A final notice has been issued to the doorstop of our last embassy to the offending nation. We have now declared war upon the Kingdom of Equestria, and all of her allies. Vince omnem potestatem. Vivet imperium."

Zenobia takes a deep breath, translating the final creed of the message. "Overcome all others... Long live the Empire... My father's pride knows no bounds. Now he vies for Xerxes." She looks back at me, a solemn frown dressing her lips. "That's the imperial declaration, anything ending with those words are a precursor to a song of flintlock and cannonade, a song that won't know it coda until a treaty of submission is signed and blood runs deep into the lands."

I drop my head in defeat, realizing that my efforts to subvert a call to war have gone in vain. My eyes immediately drift down to my phone, already expecting a deluge of notifications to flood in. "My phone's gonna blow up in about thirty seconds.... Good grief this is a mess."

Meanwhile in Canterlot...

Incoming call

💕💕SUNBUTT DEMON SUB💕💕

♫I need some discipline tonight. Don't hold back. I've beeeeen very bad. Make me cry.♪

The phone in Nondis' hand comes to a moment of awakening as a call quickly pops up on the screen. The image of his dear wife in subjugation pops up as her assigned ringtone plays. As often as the fun imagery would fuel ideas for their next romp, his response is a lot more subdued. "Hey, hun."

"You know you're supposed to be home right now."

"Yeah, I know." He sighs. "Just got curious, wanted to check in on an update while you were away for your walk-in appointment."

"Where the hell are you?"

"Well wouldn't you guess, I'm in Canterlot right now."

Celestia sarcastically replies with a faux posh accent. "And pray tell, doth thee yield before any correspondence in yond province?"

"Oh no, just dropping by to watch this bullshit unfold. I'm sure you've heard of what's going on by now."

"The entire salon has heard about it. They have the radio tuned in. And they've stopped their work on me mid disenchantment process to listen. It's chaos in here. This process takes five hours to complete before they can even cut my mane because if they don't, it'll just reconstitute right after the scissors snip away at it. Now here I am having to reschedule because they're four hours in and they've stopped cold at the news breaking. And it's not like I can continue to disenchant the shit myself, if I use my magic, it'll only intensify the reconstitution process, thus negating all the work up to this point."

"Well it is pretty damn inconvenient to have such good hair, hun. You know how many balding women back in my world would envy to be in your position?"

"My imagination wouldn't have to run very far."

The man briskly walks down the hall towards the exit of the castle. Seeing a number of aspiring press members looking to snap a picture of the mood in the castle. He walks by them completely unnoticed due to the dimensional distortion active in his left hand. "I know I'm being captain obvious at the moment, but I'll say it. Let's be fair, this war is strictly on the both of us."

His wife, while also agreeing with their having a role, vehemently disagrees on the ground of exclusivity. "Nondie, they attacked three times. They attacked the vessel of a dignitary and wiped his traveling party, that's strike one. They then attacked an unarmed vessel with the intent to bring harm upon it's inhabitants, that's strike two. And then they attacked said vessel again with even greater numbers, and let's not forget that we were fired upon, that's strike three. Let's not even ignore the fact that they offered a blatant show of disrespect and terror upon a representative of a foreign nation prior to any of that, I'd say that their shooting at our ship was them operating in the jackpot. While you may see it the way you do, which you're so sweet for taking accountability, I see it differently. Basileus is only doing this because he knows that he would look weak to the world if his sons' embarrassing loss at sea went unanswered. That all there is to it; Injured pride. There is no taking the blame when they are the aggressors."

The man shakes his head as the reality of conflict not only looms, but is made immanent. "I fucking swore I would not do this. But those sons of bitches have weapons we don't readily have. I'm going to hear a lot of shit from Alex when I explain this to him."

"Babe, I don't care what you do, just as long as you come back to me at the end of the day. Your morals and conflicts are good and all, but if I don't see you back on this couch for me to sit with on tonight, I will hunt you down with every intent to drag you by your collar, across the skies of the realm, and throw you through the front door again."

"The funniest thing is surviving that process isn't even the hard part. What is is doing the math of how many more families I'm gonna have to break. Most of those guys are just doing as they're told, they barely know any better and are doing it to put food on the table."

"Yeah, it's pretty harrowing to think on. We have so much blood on us that it's merely a statistic."

The man pauses for a moment, pursing his lips in thought. "Yeah, I'm gonna go with the door dragging. So what's the quickest way to get back to Ponyland unnoticed?"

"I figured you'd try me. You know, your life isn't as invulnerable as you've been made to believe." She grumbles, highly annoyed with her spouse. "It won't be quick from where you are, and you sure as hell won't like it."

"I'm not riding a fucking train." He beats her to the punch.

The mare laughs on the other end. "You and your silly little phobias of mass transit."

"You and your night terrors revolving around living poultry." He counters with a deadpan.

"It's not silly! You try getting stuck in stone for three days because you're young and you can't tell whether if it's a chicken or a cockatrice." The former princess huffs with an attitude akin to a disapproving offspring. "And besides, chickens are mean. They peck and chase you everywhere."

"My grandparents used to work a farm, you know." The man replies.

"Okay, maybe we're a little distracted, let's get back to current." The retired alicorn suggests. "Now I know you don't want to ride a train, that's fair to assume. But I would say that you wouldn't have to necessarily ride one to head that way. Perhaps it would be ideal to go by sea, then from there you can make things out. And I know you to have a very diverse imagination."

"Well you're not wrong about that part." He replies as an idea starts to cook up in his mind. "You know what, I'm going to go back to Austin for a bit. I need to make a few purchases, a bike, some gas, a few other supplies. Probably swing by Alex and see if I can talk him down for a bit."

Celestia snickers as she makes a joke at her husband's expense. "Not quite the train of thought I had, but I suppose that lines up too."

He rolls his eyes at his wife's playful prodding. "Seriously?"

"Love you babe." She says sweetly.

He deadpans a sarcastic response. "I want a fucking divorce."

Chapter 46: Debating Diplomacy

With the news of Ponyland's declaration of war being formally recognized, all three of the imperials and I sit at the dining room table, pondering our feelings and thoughts on the matter. The room is heavy with remorse, but more importantly the sense of impending dread for the souls that are to endure the tragedy of this pending conflict. "So it's official then?" Amor groans with dread.

"Not exactly the thing you'd want to hear on a casual day out." I say as I look at my phone, which is currently set to 'Do Not Disturb' mode. There's already over a hundred messages, dozens of voice mails, even my other social notifications are set ablaze with uncertainty and grief. "I don't mean to be a national supremacist in any fashion, but is there any hope that Ponyland somehow comes away with a win in any of this?"

"Father should knows the losses incurred weren't for nothing. Xerxes gave the order to attack, there's no mistaking the fault of it." Amor answers. "And just like that, they found a way to twist this into a narrative that the world could choose it's sides from."

Hestia timidly adds. "Ponyland isn't a favorable nation by any means. Even our neighbors want little to do with us. They know there's a spin. The world's been smart enough to see it for generations."

"But now the question becomes a matter of what's seen as allyship to our father?" Zenobia comments. "If the neighboring nations show neutrality, that could bring about tensions. Our armaments would be sooner aimed to them."

I shake my head at the idea of this somehow escalating further with so many casualties. "There's no way they took all those losses by just one pony, looked at that, then said 'Yeah, more of that please.' That's ridiculous."

"And knowing our history, mandatory conscription is the first thing they'll resort to as a means to bolster their numbers." Hestia mutters. "We could be looking at thousands of young colts losing their lives, all for a father's pride."

"There's no way the emperor is even close to being proud for that." I comment.

"Fuck no, he isn't." The alicorn scoffs. "But when it comes to covering for the crown heir on an international stage, you'd best believe he'd sooner put on the grandest shitshow the world's ever seen." She winces as she looks at her own legs, seeing the albino fur of her coat. "I'm the first of the imperial lineage. There may be other lessers before me, but the hunt for primus didn't start until I first drew breath, fresh from the warmth of my mother's vag. There is no greater pride for that bastard than his sons. I would know better than anyone."

Amor gasps as to take argument against her, but silences himself instead. The front door swings wide open with a frantic voice hollering into the home. "Spike!"

All of us rise in alert, seeing the griffoness barge into the room with a panic. "Gabby, what's wrong?"

"You didn't hear!? We're at war with Ponyland!"

The alertness we all had when she initially barged in is subsided, all of us just simply parking back where we were. I calmly sit down and explain to her what is taking place. "Okay, to clarify, we are not at war officially. We may have war declared on us, but we did not yet declare war in return. The parliament has to reconvene and cast a vote, and then Twilight can give the resolution and the final stamp. However, there are other avenues we can take to prevent a war from dusting up our shores. It's happened before with the Yaks, we can do it again." I reassure not only to her, but to the others. I look to my phone, hoping that it would be just as easy to clarify that to the other neighboring partners and denizens of our country. "Either way, there's a lot of ass I'm gonna have to kiss with our close associations to maintain confidence."

"They said that thousands of pilgrims were slaughtered! How does that even happen?" The griffon asks.

"An amazing lie." Zenobia grumbles.

The door swings open, this time there's hardly any announcement or fanfare, not even the patter against my tile floors to indicate an entrance. Instead, there's a flutter of light lavender wings, the feathers being the only thing I get to see before a painful smack rakes claws across my face. Zenobia rushes up to defend me as I call the creature by name. "Silverstream?"

"YOU COME BACK TO US WITH A WAR ON OUR FRONT DOORSTEP!? WHAT'S YOUR ISSUE! DID YOU KNOW WHAT YOU'VE CAUSED!?"

The alicorn snarls with fury as her horn starts to glow with a raging fuchsia flame. "You will apologize to him, immediately!"

"And who in Equestria are you!?" The hippogriff shows little patience for the one interceding on my behalf.

I politely grab the mare by her horn, quenching whatever spell she had in mind to conjure. "Zenobia, please."

"She just accosted you! And you'd defend that!?"

"She's my friend. And she's just concerned." I explain.

The aforementioned creature grabs at me instead, trembling as she offers a grim thought. "If I have to see Gallus go off to some foreign land, never to return, do you know what that will cause for me, for all of us!? Nothing will stay the same!" She breaks down for the moment, finally easing on her grip as she slumps back to the ground. "I'd literally stay right here, I'd stay here because this would be the moment where I feel like I would get some sort of justice."

Immediately after her, I see all of Ocellus, Ember, and Smolder walking in to see what's taken place, as well as the fresh mark on my face that shapes along the contours of Silverstream's talons. "Let me guess, you guys heard the news too." I ask them.

"Classes dismissed early when the news broke. Parents came flocking to the halls looking for their kids. Starlight and Trixie, along with Sunburst are taking care of that issue now." Ocellus informs me.

The confrontational dragoness bares her eyes directly towards Zenobia, already looking for what can be assumed a head start. "So..."

"Ember, please chill out." I plead to her.

"No, I think it's interesting that a war got started right after these three got here. It's pretty obvious that this is only stirring up because you took in Ponyland imperials." She snaps.

Silverstream once more stirs to a righteous anger. "Ponyland!?"

"Okay, I can explain─" I'm cut off with yet another question from the hippogriff.

"Then what did you do to those pilgrims!?"

"They weren't pilgrims, they were soldiers. The mention of the word 'pilgrims' is nothing more than a fucking lie told to the world by my asshole father." Zenobia elaborates.

Needless to say that the explanation doesn't soothe Silverstream's nerves any better than the threat of war. "Then you need to go clear that up! And then when you finish, you and whoever else need to go back home!"

"Amor Ambrosia and Rosa Zenobia, both of you guys should be express shipped." Ember cosigns.

"Wait, did they not mention Hestia?" Amor questions.

"None." The alicorn answers. "Father's been made aware of your defection. Eros spoke it to him directly."

The pegasus trembles, her ears falling back as she's met with a grim reality. "Then I'm definitely marked for death, there's no hope for me."

The dragon lord seems to show little compassion for the dismayed mare. "I don't care how you guys work it out, but you all need to go."

"Ember, can I just point out how bad that went the last time? I believe that was already attempted, let's see how long that was─two weeks ago!" I stress to her.

"Yeah, it went badly because Twilight made the dumbass decision to make you go. Had it been another equine, I'm willing to bet things would've gone normally."

"Don't you understand?" Amor steps in to defend his decision to defect. "Hestia just put out there that she's marked for death, by her own brother! Zenobia would probably return back home, but be seen as nothing less than a failure! And at what point would I even be considered as valuable? We're all worthless to our father! He doesn't care for us, we're just excuses, means to an end!"

"And you had to bring war to our shores!?" Silverstream argues. "I don't care what family you're from! You shouldn't dump your problems on the world and expect to live quietly behind the scenes! I don't get to do that, and neither should you!"

The prince turns his head away from the hippogriff. "I'm sorry, but I've already lost more than enough. We've lost more than enough there. If all of this is caused by us, then I will say that I'm sorry for all of it."

"Sorry doesn't stop war after it's been declared, it doesn't stop a disease coursing though our bodies, it doesn't stop death from taking whoever is touched by it, all of which are knocking at our door right now!" The hippogriff starts to hyperventilate, both Ocellus and Smolder try to help her, but she pushes them away. "I'm not coming in for work these next few days, I'm sorry, I need to be where he is because there's no other place I can be right now!"

As she storms out, I close my eyes and see yet another wave of notifications come up on my screen, nearly doubling the previous amount. "This is going to be a long day."

Meanwhile in San Fransiscolt...

A bustling metropolis with a burgeoning population, the city is often notarized for it's Golden Gateway Bridge, a popular structure that once placed the town on the map for having the longest suspension bridge in the world. While the structure has long since lost that title, the tourism of the area still thrives with many more local attractions, including a number of teams in varying professional sports calling the city home, a rich culinary collage of flavors from around the world, and also being home to some of the newest technological startups looking to design something akin to the products so often imported from the human world.

Many leaps of innovation have been sourced to the town, with it being the highest producer of domestic technological goods looking to match human quality. While many things are still in flux, the transmission technology used for the nationwide cellular service and Equestrian Wide Web are proving that in spite of it being a vastly smaller network, the systems throughout the country are still going strong. The success of the domestic technological pursuits gain more inquiry from international investors looking to be the first of their respective countries looking to jump onto the hype train.

The mixed crowds of varying creatures from all walks of life makes it easy for the three imperial princes to blend with the crowd. Their eyes wander and lurk the varying avenues, seeing the indiscriminate and unashamed appearances of bat ponies, mules, donkeys, changelings, kirin, yaks, diamond dogs, abyssanians, griffons, hippogriffs, and dragons alike.

Agamemnon turns his head in every direction, his disgust growing more and more apparent on his face. "What the hell is this place?"

"This, my lumbering cyclops of a brother, is Equestria. And for now, we are meandering through as tourists on an airship cruise. That's our cover, stick to it." Eros warns as the trio enter into a nearby shop, looking to start with some intel on what's going on in the country, as well as any possible information on the holy mother. "Remember, we need to play the part of being tolerant towards these differences. It would be wise to look and act the part of a tourist from a country not like the one we're from."

"I would be honored to die in bloodied misery." Xerxes mutters under his breath.

"Then tell me why you didn't take that offer when you could've been slaughtered along with your ship's crew?" Eros waits for his brother to answer, gaining only a vitriolic show of silence. "And there we go, as meek as a mouse. How brave."

While the elder prince snarls with anger, a pair of twin brothers approach the trio of imperials. They wear the carefully cultivated smiles of business ponies, looking to make a quick sale of their wares. "Well hello there, welcome to San Fransiscolt!" The first announces proudly.

The second one follows up while getting closer to the angered but surprised Xerxes. "I trust you fellows are in for a good time, not a long time! I can understand if you're wanting to cop a few souvenirs!"

"Sorry, my good fellows. We're not interested in that right now." Agamemnon declares.

Adamant on making a sale, the two refuses to back down, even introducing themselves. "I'm Flim, that's Flam, and you've stepped into our humble little emporium known as Flim-Flamporium! We have wares for every creature! Surely you wouldn't want to miss on such fine quality!"

Flam follows up on his brother's act. "From every walk of life, to even the goods imported from across those enchanted portals to the other world, we got it all!"

Xerxes quickly loses his patience. "We just said─"

However, he's silenced by a ring of magic shutting his muzzle closed as Eros takes the lead. "But of course, I suppose we do want a little something now that you mention it!"

The scarred prince tries to argue against this commercial intervention. "Eros, what the hell are you─"

Yet another ring of magic is summoned, silencing him as well. "Now I couldn't help but to notice you outstanding fellows had some goods from the other world. I would like to see your collection of wares in that department. Perhaps I would be interested in a sale."

The twins proudly smile at each other, knowing they've got another one on their baits for their act. "And just like that, we have yet another inspired customer!"

"If you could step this way, we can show you over to our human goods department."

While the rings around the mouths of the other princes are removed, the two unicorns guide the trio of well-cloaked alicorns behind a black curtain. As soon as they enter the area, they see nothing more than a bunch of miscellaneous items that fails to impress at the first glance. The pair start by holding up a tiny sealed plastic bottle. The one-eyed prince tilts his head with bemusement. "Uh, what does this do exactly?"

"It's a specially packaged delicacy, but with the powers to enhance your energy." Flim states.

Flam continues on his brother's pitch. "One straight shot of this stuff will give you up to five hours of unrelenting vigor."

"Burn the midnight oil during those long nights!"

"Kill that afternoon crash with one of these bad boys and increase your productivity!"

"We also have these!" Flim shifts gears, not giving the trio a chance to lose interest. He presents them with a paper package of pills.

"They say that humans last longer in bed, why not reach to that standard and give that significant other a time of their life!?"

"You could go for all night with this, but do call your local medical professional if it persists beyond four hours!"

Flam changes the gears once more, trying to keep the attention of the three imperials. "Or maybe you're not satisfied with the way your day is gone!"

"Perhaps that long trip's got you feeling a bit uptight!" Flim says as he holds Xerxes from the side.

"For the more distinguished fellow." Flam holds up a vacuum sealed bag of dried green leaves. "Put this in your pipe and smoke it! One huff─"

"One puff─"

"And it'll blow all those problems away!"

"Truly safe to consume and a healthy alternative to smoking tobacco! Proven time and time again to relax those nerves after a long trip across the ocean!"

"Seasick, airsick? You won't even care, it's that good!"

Eros show no desire for the items they've directly presented. Instead, looking to make another purchase. "So I happen to have a certain someone who seems to be lacking in sleep due to night terrors, a young nephew. Do you have anything for that?"

Flim smiles with a swindler's charm. "Ah, I see, a family guy! Lucky there's a male who positively can do all the things that make us laugh and cry!"

"We do have these imported from the human world as well." Flam cosigns, pulling out a box of bottles filled with fruit-shaped gummies.

Agamemnon appears chiefly unimpressed. "...Candy? You're selling us mere trinkets for a child's amusement?"

"Oh, careful there, good fellow! This isn't something to be snacked on in your spare time! These are gummies made to induce sleep! Great for the kids who stay up way past their bedtime!" Flam explains.

"Oh the sales we get from parents looking to put the kids off to bed so they can have their night of fun!"

"Give it a few minutes, and your nephew will be out like a light! That way you can go and have your fun out and about the town!"

It doesn't take much time for Eros to ponder on the offer. "I'll take two."

Xerxes shows ridicule of the agreement. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Well we have our guys night out to consider. Can't let our little issue get in the way of that." Eros answers before returning to the pair of unicorns. "Do you take sparklings?"

The pair look to one another with confusion. "Sparklings?"

Eros immediately clarifies himself. "Gems, do you take gems?"

"Why of course we do, they're perfectly legal tender in many nations! Do we look like a bunch of hungry dragons to you!?" Flam questions, earning a chuckle from the one-eyed prince.

"Heh, suppose not."

As the trio looks to move further, the gauss covering the eye of Agamemnon slips after getting caught on a nearby rack, revealing the unsightly scar and ripping it apart. A silence lingers in the room for a moment before the injured prince realizes what has taken place. He covers half of his face to not show the hideous scar. "Oh dear!" Flim tries to not gag at the sight of the unfriendly wound.

Quick to save his brother from the sight, Flam summons a jeweled shawl from the scarf section and quickly make another pitch to the party of three. "Uh, kind gent, how about we offer you a complimentary eye-sash! Wrap it to the side, let it glitz and glam, and you'll be the talk of the town!"

Flim follows on his brother's cue, casting aside any illness he may have felt in the moment of the reveal. "Specially designed by fashion icon Rarity Belle! She's such a doll, such a beauty! You should see that mare walk a runway! Hate to see that one go, but love to watch how that one leaves!"

After folding the shawl in a manner which the main jewel is featured over his eye, a glimmering sapphire covering half of the stallion's face, working well against his spikey, disheveled mane. "Instead of looking tough and rough, you can look chic and trendy!"

"I don't need─" Agamemnon starts to contest against the idea until a mirror is placed right in front of him. He takes notice of the appearance he's given with the improvised eye-patch. He tilts his head, as to get a better look of himself.

"Such a beautiful eye color, my charming fellow! Mares would fall for you hook, line, and sinker! We have other colors, but I would recommend this lovely shade of dark grey with the sapphire embroidery! As usual, only Rarity Belle can implement a look of sophistication and sell it for such a finance-friendly price!"

"I thought it was complimentary." Xerxes points out.

"It is!" The twins announce in unison.

"We'll take all of it." Eros says as he tosses the pair two rubies each. "Keep the change."

Not originally anticipating such an offering, Flim and Flam try to hide their excitement, but do offer compliments to the trio of imperials. "Such magnanimous stewards of principle you lot are! Please drop by if you feel the need to attain more items along your travels!"

"We'll be sure to do so." Eros says with a parting wave of the hoof from his forehead. "Have a good one, my gentle fellows."

As the bell of the shop rings to signify their exit, along with the concurrent slam of the door, the pair give each other a hoof bump of celebration as they bask in the shininess of their acquired funds. "We love a good charitable donation of the low cost of highway fiendery."

"A good sell on the sash, dear brother." Flim complements.

"I did my best to make that off-brand Suri Polomare look like the icon of riches. I just hope the hot glue doesn't wear off too quickly."

"Another good day, another 'satisfied' customer."

The two celebrate start to retire towards the back for a celebratory drink, the door swings wide open with an angry mare barging into the establishment. "Excuse me!"

Flam, already riding the high off of his impromptu sale, gladly takes the ire of the mare his way. "Why however can I help you, ma'am?"

"Those gummies you sold to my son are a fake!"

The pair look to one another, genuinely confused as to how that is the case. "Why whatever do you mean?"

"My son's been talking about seeing technicolor rocket airships on Buckland Avenue! There are no such things over our neighborhood! We come to find out that the gummies we bought from you have been fakes!" She says as she tosses the bottle of gummies at the hooves of the swindling unicorn, who's even more confused due to the fact that the gummies were supposed to be some of the more legitimate items they have in stock.

Flam picks up the bottle, inspects it further while his brother takes after the role of being customer service. "Well unfortunately, we do have a no-refund policy on goods taken from the store. It's even on our door." He points to a large orange sign that's plastered to the back of the door, facing the inside.

NO REFUNDS
on any and all goods after completion of sale and leaving 10 feet from register.

A concerned voice chimes in from behind the curtain. "Uh, Flim, come here for a sec."

The stallion nearly turns pale as his brother hails for him. He informs the former patron of his brief retirement to the back. "If you would excuse me for just a little bit." He zips out of sight and greeting his twin with the box of bottles, now with two empty slots where they've sold to the recent group of stallions. Flam points at the bottom of the box, noting the location of origin. "Oh... I didn't think to see where these were imported from. I thought these came from the shipment in Seaddle, not this off-brand location of 'Seattle'."

"Seattle, Washington... Made in USA..." He reads aloud. Flam also points on the bottle a rather telling label they've failed to read. "...Uh oh."

While Flim sees a potential lawsuit on the horizon, Flam looks at it from another perspective. His ears point upward as he rubs at his moustache. "Brother, I believe we've discovered a great way to diversify our market before those pesky class-actions start coming in."

Also seeing the opportunity, Flim shares a Cheshire-like grin with his twin. "Flam, I'm all ears."

Canterlot Castle...

The sounds of shifting parchments flutter in the background, the secretary hard at work looking over the varying documents. In the meantime, the high princess gazes down upon the map of her kingdom cast upon the floor by means of her horn illuminating a holographic spell. She walks a large circle around the hulking landmass of the continent, her eyes tilting from one strategic outpost to the next. The windows have darkened as the day has long since gone, the night is hardly quiet with many guards on post.

One such of the ranks enter into the room with courtesy of not wanting to disrupt. "Your majesty?"

"Come in, Solemn."

The captain marches towards her towering ruler, giving her an update of the country's readiness. "Defenses have been bolstered on all major cities of the coast, including fortifications made to Hoof Point."

"Very good." Twilight responds, sitting down with a bit of frustration on the mind. "Five thousand pilgrims, I don't understand, why would they make such a claim?"

"It's not likely that a singular civilian vessel would be capable of eradicating over a thousand lives before reaching our shores. Even the former captain would be with limited arsenal if anything were to go wrong. And he himself would be overwhelmed out at sea. Something's not adding up."

Inkwell, who's still managing all of the incoming documents expressing evacuation readiness, throws in an inquiry of her own. "You don't think the former captain might have some knowledge on this, do you?"

Twilight's eyes widen for a moment, thinking back to the human's response to her question upon his return. "I'm willing to bet he does. But assumptions and guesses can only get you so far." As she continues to look down at her map, she summons her phone and makes a call towards her ex. "There's only one way to find out."

It takes but a few rings before his voice chimes in on the other end. "Yo."

"Nondis." She skips all of the formalities, diving right into business. "We need to have a serious talk." She places the phone on speaker for the others to hear.

"Straightaway with it, huh? I'm with you."

"I need to know more of what and how this all got started. And you're the only lead I can go by at this point."

"You still trusting me, I don't know whether to check if the sky is falling or not." He briefly jokes before jumping right back to topic. "Twilight, you of all creatures should know why this all got started in the first place. If it wasn't for that, Stats wouldn't have called me in."

"I sent you to rescue Spike if he was alive, I didn't tell you to bring havoc to our shores."

"Believe me, that was far from the intent." He emphasizes. "I've got the time of day, so allow me to explain how this even got to where it is now. For starters, there were a pair of knuckleheads who called themselves princes. They attacked us, using firearms. Oh yeah, F.Y.I., they have guns over that way."

"So it is true..." Twilight mutters, recalling a conversation had with Ember some time during Spike's absence. "Well if you can verify that, then what all do you know about their weapon capabilities?"

"My honest opinion, it's effective for the tech average of this world. But again, it's good if you think you're going to war in the 1700's."

"And it's 2022 in your world. So that means they're a good three centuries behind."

"Behind us humans, yes. Behind Equestria, you'd be better off flipping that order around." Nondis confirms. "Just be happy they haven't discovered rifling and nitroglycerin yet. Because if they did, we'd be dealing with bolt-action and semi-automatic weapons at best, fully-automatic at worst."

"Then what do you think we should do? Obviously I can't make any demands for human weaponry, especially having a bunch of untrained ponies to use them."

The man sighs, trying to put together a plan. "That's for me to figure out at this point."

"Nondis, I need for you to be perfectly clear with me. Did you kill any of their forces? If so, how many?"

"Well if you want me to be real with you, I took about fifty more or less. And that was across two different occasions. As for the reason of the first, we were being threatened by dear old princess and her goons, who were well underway of boarding my ship. She had a few cannon aimed for us, so I opted to play the psychological edge to scare her off. The second time, we were being shot at and they were aiming their cannons for the fuel tanker that was loading our vessel, so I had to treat it as a return-fire measure. In either case, I had to do what I had to in the name of self-defense."

"That can't be it." Twilight denies. "Something else had to have happened after that."

"Well you're not wrong." The man confesses. "They chased us into the sea after that second go around, well past the boundaries of their country and deep into international waters. They even surrounded us with thirteen airships armed to the teeth. And they were by no means small arms."

"Did they fire their weapons at you?"

"Like a Texan proud of the Second Amendment."

"To go after you a third time, why would they pursue your ship like that?"

"Simply put, Spike thought it was an admirable thing to treat an injured princess inflicted with burn marks across her face and neck. Her brother didn't like that look too great because he has a thing against dragons, I guess. So he pushed at us that second time, and Spike didn't want her in the crossfire, so he took her. After that initial firefight, I warned ol' dude back at Foalsom not to pursue. And of course they did it anyways. That time, they came with full intentions to give us the smoke, while risking the death of that princess in recouperation. I can't lie and say that if things gone any less than what resulted, all but one of us wouldn't have died."

"But Spike explained they wanted Kalimba, that was the reason their trade agreement went south. I thought they wanted Kali alive."

"They did, until wifey got involved."

"Did Celestia try to address them directly?" Twilight inquires.

"Every metric of negotiation, even in Foalsom when there was an airship aiming their cannons directly at us, talking was her favorite go-to. But you can't talk sense to a brick wall, nor can you convince a bullet to stray the other way. Plus you of all others should know that with enough exertion on a magic barrier, a defensive spell will shatter with dire consequences to the caster."

"So are you implying that Celestia addressed the problem with violence?"

"I can tell you that it wasn't exactly her that retaliated."

The princess furrows her brows at the response he gives. "What do you mean?"

"I'm sure you remember the Equestrian Civil War." He says with a low voice.

"The Dawn of Daybreaker, she's clued me into it before her retirement. I didn't believe her when she told me."

"Nah, I don't think she's the only one that clued you on that." He replies. "Let's be real, you were told that by one other party, a certain someone who we both don't like." Her mind replays the fated day of seven years past, coming face to face with that of the necroterrorist himself before a bitter fight that ended with the death of Blue Royal's brother. "You all caught up then? Well alright, you already know what all happened."

The princess closes her eyes, not wanting to accept that her former mentor might have stirred up more than what was promised or even required. "Were there any other alternatives?"

"The two knuckleheads came at her weapons drawn. And they went for the blood of intimidation. Turns out she does that a lot better. One of them tried to shoot her too, didn't end well for him. They retreated back to their ships, and then they gave the order to fire at us. At that point, it was us or them."

"So it wasn't pilgrims, it was an air fleet." Solemn mutters.

"Bingo." Nondis confirms.

"To sully our nation's name with such fallacies, what a lie." Inkwell comments.

"Trust me, both you and wifey are responding the same way at this point. I'm just here in Austin taking inventory."

"For what?" Twilight asks.

"I'm gonna go pay old Basileus a visit, we need to have a fireside chat on how this is gonna go."

"Didn't you just get back?" Solemn questions. "How are you going to get there and back again? They'll know what your ship looks like."

"My ship, yeah. Any other ship, no." He counters.

"Say you get off as close to Ponyland as you can get, that being Prance. That land between you and their crown city is rugged and ruthless. How would you be able to traverse all of that quickly? You already don't like trains."

"You forget I have a bike." He points out, cutting on the engine and revving the gas a bit.

"But not enough gas for the journey." Twilight argues.

"Not the case anymore." He replies confidently. "I just topped off, and I got a five gallon cannister lying with the lot down below. I'm already almost through with my checklist, gas, a few snacks for the trip, a few other goods."

"Does your wife know you're doing all of this?" Inkwell asks the former captain.

"I told her first. She thinks it's a great idea, so great that she's going to either divorce me when I get back or break my legs so that I don't move for a day or two."

While the others show concern, Twilight knows that he's being sarcastic. "Just as long as she knows what you're doing. I don't want to get chewed out again because of you being hard-headed."

"My wife loves my hard head. Both of them, in fact."

The three mares roll their eyes, both annoyed that he would say that of Celestia, while also feeling uneasy from knowing that the aforementioned mare would emphatically cosign with that statement. Twilight appears to be the most annoyed of the three. "You just get back safe so that Celestia can break your legs."

"Wouldn't be the first time she broke something on me." He chuckles. "I'll take a sphere and give you updates."

Ponyville The Next Morning...

The week has gone by a quick measure overall, but with everything being as hectic as it is, I suppose the chaos is great for passing the time. It's different when you don't like something and you're forced to deal with it sitting for hours on end versus the same thing with massive time constraints and stress eating the minutes away. It's not healthy, but at least the days come and go while you do nothing but worry. Little time to think about yourself, I'd rather that.

As I finish my cycle of super hot water getting in between my scales and helping me wash away the daily gunk, I shift back down to lukewarm temps. But I'm not the only one who's enjoying the steamy warmth of the shower, a pair of talons wrap me from behind, a light but scratchy voice greets me. "Good morning."

"Hey." I greet Gabby, who's being rather touchy today. "Wow, really bold of you to just walk in while I'm taking a shower."

"At this point, I'm living like every day might be our last together." She says as she runs a claw along the middle of my chest. "Maybe you and I can make some fond memories before the world burns down."

"I've said this a million times already, the war hasn't been mutually declared yet."

She glides her way past me, but also in a serpentine motion grasps me with her hind legs, latching to my pelvis with hers. "Do you think I care about any of that right now? All I want is you to kiss me and love me."

"You're pretty straight forward today. I guess we could stir up some good trouble before you head out."

She leans into my face with a smile, her talons grasping either side of my chin as we close the distance. "Now that's a good idea." Her beak may be a bit hard to the touch, but her tongue is more than eager to make up for the comfort. She grasps me with a greedy intent, her claws quietly navigating towards my neck. She gives the collar a light tug at the front. "You know, you look really good with this on. I wish I would've thought of it sooner."

"To make me worship those legs of yours? Me personally, I'm a sucker for striped thigh-highs."

The griffon's feathers puff at the idea. "I have so many pairs of those. I was thinking more latex, form fitting attire, ball gags, riding crops, perhaps... a surprise or two." She once more yanks the collar, this time a bit harder. "For your pleasure of course."

"PEEEEET!"

The sound of Zenobia's voice breaks my immersion for the moment, but the griffon tugs at my collar once more with a bratty mannerisms of a jealous middle school girl. "Just ignore her."

Unfortunately for the both of us, her barging into the bathroom is even harder to pass over, her shrill voice calling to me with discontent as she eyes the collar on my neck being played with by someone other than her. "Pet! How dare you just jump into a shower with another hussy when you have yet to give me the time of day!" She imposes herself further by using her magic to cleanly separate Gabby from my waist. "Move aside!"

The griffon contests for me with equal measure, wrapping her talons around the alicorn's glowing horn. "Excuse you, your name isn't on the calendar yet. You can have tomorrow, he's open then."

To make matters of my morning worse. "SPIKE!" Ember barges into the room also.

"Oh here we go." I whisper to myself.

The dragoness doesn't care too much for what she grabs, yanking me by my wing and pulling hard enough to coax me by ways of triggering an old trauma of my youth. "You, me, dragon business, now!"

Poor Gabby tries to intervene. "For the last time, today's our day─"

"Dragon Lord." Ember snarls, magenta flames seething from the sides of her mouth. "Friendship Advisor. Our talks are virtually in official capacity at the moment. There is a war in pending, and I want to talk about how we're going to help make the first strike!"

As she makes the forceful demand, I try to wrestle away from her. "What? No!"

She gives my wing an even tighter tug. "War is war, Spike. I know you don't like fighting, but guess what, they took seven of our kind and presented their corpses to you in a parade."

Zenobia interjects, almost taking offense to the accusation. "Full corpses? Absolutely not, that would've made the streets smell ripe of sulfuric filth among all other unpleasant things. All they brought were the heads." The others stare back at her as though the method was somehow visually more appealing than the former. "...What, that's what happened."

"Really didn't help your cause there." Gabby points out.

I dip down and parry off Ember's claws away from me, leaving the bathroom with a towel to dry myself. As I do my best to not track water throughout the house on my way downstairs, Ember is still in my ears making her propositions. "So... Invasion plans, let's talk about it."

"For the last time, Ember, we're not putting more dragons at risk of being done in by a psychopathic family looking to up their kill count." I say as I walk past both Hestia and Amor, who walking out from their respective rooms. They pause after overhearing my comments. "No offense."

Hestia shrugs as she casually accepts the comment. "We're lesser bloods, and I'm marked for death, what's there to defend?"

Ember sees her indifference as a rally to her cause. "So even the likes of you are willing to go to war against your own country?"

"You misinterpret. What I'm saying is that I do not disagree that our family's values have been skewed in favor of violence, extorsion, and genocide. I will also show no resistance to the claim that our family's judicial outreach may have influenced a lot of the citizenry to engage in those prejudices rooted in said genocide. What I will say is that there are millions who cannot afford to go to war, as many of the costs will be drained from the citizens of lower class. And they already don't see that much daylight."

"Not that they can afford to." Amor adds. "Even our recruitment system is so heavily favored to the topside. Anyone who's influence delegates them to stay above ground is likely given an officer's position to start off with. And anyone from beneath would only look for dragons as a way to earn a stipend by the already stingy guilds who'd kill any regular for the mark they're looking to profit from. Nothing in Ponyland is just."

Ember remains steadfast in her views. "So the bottom line of your argument should be this; Yes, we martyr dragons with extreme discrimination and prejudice. No, we don't have a good reason for engaging in said practice other than for personal profit. But if our citizens cheer for your deaths, that shouldn't be a license to give them back a portion of what they cheer for."

"That's not at all what we're saying!" Amor passionately rejects the dragoness' summary. "I have no ill-will towards dragons! Hestia has no conditions for dragons to either stay or go."

"Then what's stopping the rest of your nation from indulging in that behavior?" Ember continues to grill the young siblings over the topic as I quietly make my way into the kitchen.

"The noble-blood family line." He counters.

"Like that one?" Ember thumbs over to Zenobia, who takes exception to the matter.

"For your information, I not only saved his life, but also granted him comfort in his vulnerable moments!"

"Yeah, and what was the way you greeted him at the first glance?" As the dragoness points a claw towards the princess, she remains mute as Amor purses his lips upon recalling it in his mind. The silence from the group shows a damning implication to the argumentative dragon lord. "Yeah. Thought so."

Not wanting to leave perceptions at that, Zenobia does look to explain how else their initial exchanges went about. "Alright, I admit that I was on edge by the first moment I caught glimpse of that... difference. But he and I literally slept together the first night we met. He said he had an interest in mares, so I took him on his bluff. I was convinced he was blowing smoke... Turns out he made me consider keeping him around. I merely vouched to my father that his unquestioning obedience to me would be a benefit."

"So let's get this straight, dragons are either better off serving you and your sexual fetishes, or possibly getting exterminated? Because last I checked, it was said that your brother was the one who paraded the heads of seven dragons in front of Spike." The mare's eyes wander towards Amor.

"Not that brother, you smelly creature! The other one!" She corrects her.

"I only see one of your siblings that could be your brother." She doubles down on her menacing glare. "And he's here right now."

"That's just some lesser-blood pawn. My brother is a noble blooded alicorn, his name is Rosa Xerxes."

"Either fucking way, your family has done irredeemable harm to my dragons!" She shouts. "And if you ask me, I think there should be a few heads offered in exchange of the ones you've killed. Since they're 'lesser-blood pawns', it shouldn't be a problem. Honestly, you're lucked out that you're dealing with me because Spike is the main one staying my claws on the matter. He gave me my position, so I at least answer to him in that regard. But if this was my father Lord Torch, he'd burn your entire shitty continents for less."

"Ember─" I call out, trying to get her to calm down before both she and Zenobia go exchanging words again. I sit at the table, looking to make a consensus of things. "Okay, look, I know we have our differences and whatnot, but we can make diplomatic amends here and now. Zenobia, if you can apologize for all the things that's happened till now, on behalf of Ponyland, we can try to make peace, and dispel any and all threats of war."

"That'll be hard to do." The princess halfway chuckles at the thought. "My father will already have the reason of a changeling assuming her position."

"Well luck would have it that there's a residential zebra nearby who can mix up a paste that forces changelings out of their shape-shifting forms." I bring up.

Ocellus also provides an additional point. "And furthermore, my brother has imposed a ban on assuming all royal and international figures. We're only allowed to change if it is deemed an absolute necessity."

"And yet you transformed into him." Zenobia illustrates to the changeling, citing her willingness to take my form.

The changeling shrugs in response. "I admit I've maybe broken those bans out of my own personal interests and fixations. But you'll have it on changeling's honor that there will be none to replace you."

Hestia shows her skepticism of the plan. "That sounds good and all, but there's no possible way to make this all seem legitimate."

"We can try." I propose. "I'll go by Zecora's place this afternoon. Ocellus can keep an eye on you for the time being. School's been postponed since the announcement, so there's no real need to be up and about for either her or Smolder. I'll cook up something for Amor later, but we'll start from where Ponyland might be hit the hardest."

"What are you trying to do?" Asks the pegasus princess.

"Make peace by any means, even if it can be a little dubious. There's already been enough bloodshed. We don't need more on either side, no matter how heavy the costs have been. I'm sure we can all agree on that."

The alicorn imperial appears to be incredulous with my proposed plan. "So you'll look to make me go over my father's head and try for peace?"

"If anything, this would give you an international stage, a position your father can't possibly ignore." I suggest to gain her favor. "And think about it, if he takes the credit, it'll still be your face they see first."

"I'm sorry, but I still don't see how that's possible." She says while Ocellus points her phone at her. The bright light is what grabs her attention. "What the─"

"Is that a good picture?" The changeling holds up her phone screen, revealing the rather unflattering angle of Zenobia's face.

The imperial princess blushes from embarrassment of such an angle being captured of her. It seems while she's not too concerned with her image in the eyes of strangers, a still capture is more than enough to cause her trouble. "The fuck, that's absolutely hideous! I'm both in mid-sentence and mid-blink, that is atrocious! You must dispose of that immediately!" But as she reaches for the phone, Ocellus taps the screen, causing the video to play back, the princess' words being recited back to her. "-orry, but I still don't see how that's possible... What the─"

"And there we go, point proven." Ocellus replies, happily keeping the video for herself. "In either case, that one TV channel for Equestrian broadcasting isn't the only source that ponies will be able to see you. It'll be the newspapers who'll quote your words, the radios broadcasting your voice across to millions, and with this bit of human tech being the hottest commodity in our country's borders, they'll be playing your sound bites and your video clips for days on end, just seconds after you make your appearance."

Gabby raises a paw to interject. "Uh, just want to put this out there. Promising a girl virality isn't really helpful to a country that doesn't possess the same technology."

"No, but it will be broadcast to our allies who are here. And word of mouth will eventually spread far and wide." I answer.

"I'm sure that would apply for most creatures, all except for us changelings." Ocellus explains. "Thorax doesn't allow us to have human tech. That's yet another ban I happily violate, but the word of mouth is just as crucial for us to go by."

Hestia tilts her head towards the changeling. "You do seem to get away with a lot."

"Princess' privilege." She proudly claims, looking to Zenobia. "I'm sure you understand."

The mare sits herself at the table, nodding as the idea starts to take root in her mind, providing her with all sorts of alternatives and possibilities. "Huh... I suppose that would legitimize my position as a member of the imperial family to everyone outside of Ponyland. With me being the missing princess named, I could offer sway to the opinions of others."

I lean next to her. "Please consider it, if you do this much, it would mean the world to me."

The mare smiles for a brief moment, taking a huge gasp of air before answering. "No."

I drop my head to the table in pleading defeat. "Zenobia please, I'm trying to stop a war here─"

"And I've wanted attention for the past two days, you've yet to give me that." She brutishly declares, pouting in her seat with quite the attitude. "So if you expect me to save your scaly ass again, I'm overdue for the compensation of my choosing."

Not wanting to be beat, Ember tries to make demands of her position also. "Oh you are not even going to fucking dare take her over me! You forget we already have an established alliance between us. You wouldn't dare jeopardize that for the likes of her."

While I understand it's a significant risk, I do know that she's not going to default on our alliances for the sake of one dragon. She's always been for the greater good of our kind. But that doesn't stop her from having the inspiration to try it anyway. I think of a way to sweeten the issue for her.

"If it makes you feel any better, you can have my Friday." Smolder comes in at the crucial moment, vouching alongside me. "Trust me, I'm not too excited to have her just barging in, knowing what all she's put Spike through." She also takes the moment to tug at the collar on my neck, all while addressing Zenobia directly. "And believe me, I know you're not blameless with him still wearing this thing on his neck. I've been told what it does." She releases the collar, giving me a pretty unsavory look. "Ball's in your court, big guy. Make the call."

I know she's overdue for some time, and my going back and forth has only deprived her of that. I'll have to do more to make it up on the upcoming Monday. "Okay, I'll agree to prioritize Ember on Friday."

"Thursday!" Zenobia shouts, startling everyone in the room.

The teal dragoness takes an extreme objection to the mare's proposed day. "What!?"

"I was promised a Thursday, so I'll let that be my only night of the week." She avidly claims. "However, if I agree to make this happen, I'll ask that a provision be made for me to do so."

"And what's that?" Smolder questions.

The imperial princess wastes no time in conjuring a leash of her magic, yanking me down beneath the table and forcing me to look up at her from her haunches, giving me a candid view of her from her underbelly. She runs a hoof down my cheek as she makes her demand. "I walk him down the street as my own, for the entire day."

Seeming to take the cue of Gabby's intended playbook of the evening, the griffon shows fervent displeasure and disapproval. "ARE YOU NUTS!?"

"That would completely throw everything away we're trying to get accomplished." I warn.

The disgusted reaction of the others seems to turn her off, a far-crying difference from her response to the reaction of her own family members. And she was behaving far worse then than what she is now. She quickly pivots on her idea. "You're all a bunch of pussies─IT WAS A JOKE! You know, funny, ha-ha, get a bit of a giggle, a chunk of a chortle! Sense of humor!" Nobody buys her about-face on the matter. We all know she's serious about the dragging me through town on a leash deal. But she still remains sold on what she wants in exchange. "Either or, I want you on tomorrow, every waking hour as mine, Pet. The moment you crack your eyes open will be the moment you seek me and only me. You got that, Pet?"

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know how Ember feels about my current treatment. "I know you're not going to go through with that level of disresp─"

But considering the circumstances, I'll take this over war any day. "Done."

The dragon lord grows furious with me, snarling flames and smoke with every consonant. "YOU ARE BATSHIT! A DRAGON LORD SUBJECTING HIMSELF TO A MERE PONY, FROM PONYLAND NO LESS!"

"I'm sorry, but this has to work." Yet again, I'll accept any loss if it means the gain of peace. "If I gotta play as a sub to stop a country from going to war, then I guess I'm as good as chained. There are lives on the line here, I can't ignore that... not again. I'm not failing like that again. I refuse."

Ember snarls towards Zenobia as she continues to rub at my head like her most treasured possession. "Then if you get that, I want a rematch on Friday." She goes by a more brutish approach, moving the entire table to get me to maintain eye contact. "And you better fucking find some way to win, or I'll be beating your sorry ass all day."

My poor hardwood floor is just begging to be varnished after that cruel assault. But I feel that's the least of my worries. "The things I do for peace, the things I do for peace." I wonder if Zenobia will fuck me to death and I don't have to face off against Ember again. I know I'm not going to win this time, she's got more than pissed off rage in her system, and she's gambling to let it all out on my head. Guess that's another bullet I'll be chewing on this week. "Okay, I'll take you on your rematch."

Gabby is not taking too well to Zenobia still holding me in her lap, she slides the table away a little further to intentionally walk by both Ember and Zenobia. "Well I'm glad to see that you're all coming to a diplomatic agreement, but I have to go to work." She wraps her tail around my neck and yanks me from off the mare's lap.... Funny how her tail is far stronger than I could've possibly imagined. She pulls me to the ground, sits on my chest, and plants her paw of her right hind leg against my mouth. "You have two weeks of waiting to address, my good adventurer. Make sure the board is set up for this evening, for I wish to pursue more unclaimed frontiers."

"Do you mean the gameboard or the headboard of the bed?" I muffle from behind her soft pads.

She tilts her head towards the displaced furnishing, then raising a brow before the two interlopers of our weekly rotation. It's almost as though her eyes bores holes in either of them as she gives her answer. "Worry not, my well-endowed paladin. This table will more than suffice for our desired negotiations." She leans in to give me a sloppy exchange of tongue, vengefully reminding the two of who's day it currently is on the schedule. She rises up and wipes her beak victoriously, staring and smiling brightly towards the pair, who looks just as venomously towards her as they do to one another. "Be good guests and keep my buddy warm for me. But see to it that his drink doesn't spill before my first serving."

While her innuendos are far more subtle, that one falls in line with her intent of the morning: Blatant and direct. The pink pegasus shudders in response to the griffon's carnal declaration. "Ew! I thought she was one of the nice ones, but now I find that she's just as disgusting as Zenobia."

"Hestia, you're of age, deal with it." The elder sibling chirps at the younger.

The young mare gags. "I'm going to my room. Nasty bunch of perverts."

The young prince Amor carefully holds his forelegs close against himself, his cheeks running redder by the second as Ocellus observes his withdrawn demeanor. "Oh, need a moment to unload?"

"I'd... rather a shower."

The changeling snickers as she walks even closer to the prince, immediately mimicking Twilight's voice. "You sure you don't need help with that?" The stallion's ears run a deep red as his, his legs wobble as he tries to keep himself hidden. "It's okay if you wanna let that go. It's cute that you're trying to hold out for me, but all that's gonna do is keep you ignorant to your own desires." An anxious breath of anticipation jettisons from his lips, it's probably the most I've ever seen him this eager aside from the ship. Usually he's far more disciplined, but with Twilight's voice in his ear... "Could you imagine the moment I lay in my bed, moving my tail aside to show you exactly where you can worship me the best?"

The stallion seizes up for a moment. His face appearing quite blushed as he shudders and hunches into himself. All of us jump as we see the poor guy grunt and grunt with every jolt. Ocellus watches with mouth agape as Amor whimpers as a gathering pools around his forelegs, some straying streams catching onto his leg in the process. "I can't... I can't stop it..." He grunts a few more times before his hunching stops, his spasms drawing to a close.

Amor keeps his eyes closed, not exactly reveling in the moment, but refusing to see anyone's face around him as his ears fold back with his humiliation being manifest. Even his shoulders slouch with a depressing sag. Ocellus stands by him, breathlessly giving a reply. "Wow... that was... I-I didn't─"

"Huh, so ponies do have their own version of Dragon Lust." Ember mutters.

"No, that's just incompetence." Zenobia cruelly comments.

The changeling at least offers some reprieve for his crowning achievement. "I'm gonna go get a towel, you good with that?"

"..." He refuses to answer, I think he's even holding his breath.

Chapter 47: Distressing Deviance

Amor has long already shuffled himself up to his room, not saying a word to either of us in the process. I don't blame him for what's happened, just that I'm a bit inconvenienced that this happened the way it did. I always said to myself that his staying pent up was going to unravel itself in some way, and he's never really proactive about addressing it either. Guess his body finally won the war of attrition, spreading that wealth of victory all over my hardwood floor and his forelegs.

Ocellus comes back from the storage closet with a mop and a warm bucket of water, she diligently cleans the mess that she inadvertently caused. She doesn't seem to mind the responsibility much, but I suppose she's grown used to that throughout the years. "...Poor guy doesn't really give himself any reprieve, does he?"

"Maybe he was saving up for that princess of his." Zenobia comments as she waits for me to finish cooking her breakfast.

"If that's what he had saved up, then I feel sorry that I broke his jackpot that way." She says as she mops the last of the puddle of the prince's seed, the room smelling like a conflicting mix of both food and bleach. "Still, didn't think he was holding out that bad. Guy needs to put hoof to the shaft sometime, get rid of the backlog. Otherwise, this will probably happen again." She places the soiled mop into the bucket for a second to final cleanse. "Seriously, I deal with teen boys and girls all the time, sexual education is a course I run as a forum of informative exchange on the varying species and their coital interactions. And the amount of pent up teens I catch in the act don't even phase me as much as this did. He's how old?"

"Eighteen, will be nineteen in two months." Zenobia answers.

"Oh, so he's still there." The changeling mutters. "No wonder he's a loose cannon."

"Either way, he's needs to go fight him a mate and make her submit to him. That way he can calm down." Ember suggests.

Ocellus stammers as she corrects the dragoness. "Uh, no. That's not what goes on here."

"It works for us dragons, why not them?" Ember questions.

"Because that's called rape, you unevolved reptilian bitch!" Zenobia cuts in. "Who the fuck thinks that you going around fighting the opposite sex and shoving your bits around in whatever fucked ways is a remotely acceptable mating practice for equines?"

Ocellus slaps the mop on the floor as she gives her response. "Literally my mom, but only if she does that to other creatures. She almost could've started a whole brood with Emperor Shining Amor twice over, but even an infant Princess Flurry Heart shot magic beams at her over the idea. Goes to show just how unnatural forced mating is for thinking social creatures."

"I'm sure dolphins are pretty sexually aggressive." I call out. "And male leopard seals... and sometimes ducks are even considered actively necro. But that's just nature, and it's often red in both tooth and claw. But as far as species that exhibits higher intelligence, they'd punish things like that." I cut my eyes towards Zenobia also. "And to be clear, drugging is not a form of consent."

The others look to the alicorn, who sits with an unbothered demeanor. "You never asked me to stop."

"Only because I needed an out in several ways, and you were my ticket for each of them." I explain.

"And yet here you are, back in your humble yet futuristically lavish abode. My methods may have been unorthodox, but you are alive because I allowed it to be."

"You nearly blew up our ship, along with the entire marina in Foalsom." I argue.

"And I didn't. Aren't you grateful?" She banters.

"Celestia slapped the shit out of you before you could give the order. She did it so fast that she left second degree burns." I remind her. "You were in a bed for the better part of a week getting your boils cleaned and tended. You were leaking puss for about three days straight."

"Alright, you don't have to regale me with the tale of how I was the living manifestation of filth." She complains.

"Really now, cause I swear you were still trying to get me to diddle you while you were in that bed."

"To be fair, I wasn't burned down there! You could've taken the moment to relieve yourself if needed. It's not like I would've fought back."

"You fought back when we were wrapping you in gauss."

A short pause falls between me and the imperial princess. "...I wouldn't have fought back much."

"Celestia almost slapped you a second time for trying to get frisky on her ship."

Another pause appears. "...Well you're here now, and I'm still as pent up as dumbass Amor. Maybe you should take your turn to whisper sweet nothings in my ear to get me to a rousing finish."

"I'm not cleaning up any more sex fluids, thank you." Ocellus interjects as she drops the mop into the bucket a final time. "I get that we're all in our late teens and early twenties, but cleaning up after some lustful shenanigans can be a bit of a chore when you're not on the receiving end of the action."

"You can say that again." Zenobia mutters quietly. "Amor that lucky bastard gets to break a nut and I'm still not getting so much as a claw shoved up my snatch. Truly a tragedy."

"I've got claws I can shove down your throat." Ember says proudly.

"Hard pass." The princess grumbles in response. "You probably don't even wash."

"There's no lava to bathe in!" Ember complains loudly.

"There's a rather nice shower across the hall from you. Use it." Zenobia suggests.

"If I want to dump myself in water, I'll just jump in the pool upstairs."

"Please don't." I plead to her.

Ocellus moves the mop bucket towards the bathroom to dump the dirty water into the toilet. "Hey, should we check in on Amor? I'm sure he needs some encouragement, at least a healthy sit down to let him know that what happened isn't quite abnormal. He deserves that much."

"Maybe later. I don't want him to feel pressured about it too soon, he'll just recluse himself." I respond. "Let's give him time."

My phone vibrates on the counter, letting me know that I'm getting a call from someone. I check the screen to see it's yet another worried representative from the Kirin Grove. And knowing that this is one that would sooner talk my ears off, I let it ring. Ocellus walks back in the room, seeing the name come across the screen. "You sure you don't want to take that?"

"Trust me, just leave it." I warn.

"You know, you can't keep ignoring everyone's calls like that."

"It's only until we can officially put together a plan. I won't divulge any false hopes in trying to appease connections, that would lead to distrust and a vote of no-confidence."

"I thought we already had a plan." Zenobia comments.

"Well we do... I still have to clear it up with one other... significant party."

Thirty Minutes Later...

"Are you NUTS!?"

At least I had the sense of turning down the volume before she blurted that into my ears. "I just figured it would be a good idea. Like I know it's a bit underhoofed, but think about it this way. This would put their country's administration into a state of confusion. If Zenobia shows the willingness on a broader scale, then we can prove that the so-called abductions are not what they seem."

"And what's to stop Ponyland from disavowing your so-called message that's being sent to the world?" She asks.

"Virtually nothing. But believe me when I say that their family situation is already way too kooky as it is. If there's any supporters to the princess, which I'm sure there are, that may grow an internal conflict substantial enough to dissuade a full-scare war being waged on our shores. And as an added bonus, it would give some credence to Zenobia's ability to engage in diplomatic talks! This could fundamentally change the regime of the empire for the better."

Twilight kisses her teeth in doubt. "Or it could be seen as her being a plant, a token used against her own family for a more favorable ruler to be put in place via means of a coup funded by us."

"Twilight, coups in their country happen almost every generation, more than once to the line of succession. It might be a little more covert due to the fact that it's between siblings, often done by a number of nefarious methods, and the country's Administration of Internal Affairs tries to keep it under wraps, but they still happen. It already happened with Amor's older brother. Only instead of it being a coup of blood and violence, it will be one of words and influence this time."

Twi sighs on the other end, trying to articulate her thoughts. It's probable that she's starting to consider what I'm saying with increasing support. "Spike, I'm sure you understand that the hard work we've put into making Equestria the bastion of friendship it is could very much be thrown into jeopardy by what you're proposing. It's a huge risk, and parliament is already trying to convene on casting a vote. I'm already trying to delay the matter for the sake of our international interests while also buying time to shore up our defenses. The margins are small for miscues."

"I can assure you that it will come with a public apology. We've talked it through, this is our best bet. Our plan may tilt the international perception in our favor. And we won't have to worry about another single drop of blood being spilled." I plea with her, insisting that we'd go this route. "Please, Twilight. I don't want to feel the weight of even more dog tags on my neck. Forty's enough."

"You realize that you'll have to negotiate with the dragons on this matter as well." She warns.

"Ember and I have talked, Zenobia was present. We've pretty much come to a consensus these days."

Unfortunately in a bid of horrendous timing, the imperial princess' voice rings throughout the house with righteous frustration. "WHO THE FUCK TOOK A BITE FROM MY PINK AMESTHYST JEWEL ACCENTS!? SPIKE JUST BOUGHT ME THAT FUCKING DRESS!"

And just on cue, I see Ember walking in with a few of the aforementioned jewels in palm, some already getting intimate with the spaces between her teeth. "Hey Spike." She sees me staring at her with a disapproving glance. "What? It's not like this is off of one of your outfits."

Somewhere in my mind, I'm already imagining the furniture that will have to get moved aside from this point on. "Twilight, just give me the green light so I can go get this mare another dress. I don't want my house to turn into ground zero of the war."

While she's probably having a moment to entertain the thought of Ember getting a round in with Zenobia, she looks at the overall situation as opposed to her own revenge fantasy. "How soon do you need a press conference to be scheduled?"

"Tomorrow morning."

There's a loud banging on my door, followed by the voice of today's victim. "DID YOU EAT MY SHIT!?"

"BITCH, I DON'T GET DOWN LIKE THAT! YOU WANT THAT KIND OF ACTION, TALK TO SPIKE!" She proudly stuffs the rest of the accents down her jaw and chomps emphatically.

I plead with Twilight for a quick answer. "Please just that much, I'm already having to ask Zecora to join me on a last minute schedule. Anything to get this done so I can have some peace in this house."

"I'll schedule a conference for 10:30. You better hope what she has to say is any good."

"Trust me, it'll work out."

The door swings wide open, a furious Zenobia barges in with every blood vessel in her eyes in the verge of bursting from her anger alone. "DRAGON BITCH, DID YOU EAT MY ACCENTS!?"

"OH, WAS THAT YOURS!? DIDN'T SEE THAT!" She plays a terrible acting job before burping up tiny slob-coated remnants of the jewels. She further rubs the issue in her face. "Fucking shit's delicious, you dumb whore."

"Hey, I'll get everything ready on my end starting now. Talk to you later, bye." I quickly hang up the phone to drag the alicorn princess by her stomach and tote her along while her legs flail haphazardly. I try to calm her down. "Zenobia, Ocellus, let's go already!"

"YOU GREEDY PRIMORDIAL LIZARD BITCH!"

"I'm the dragon lord, I eat whatever the hell I want! Thank you, get fucked!"

As I continue to drag the mare away, I mutter to myself. "Four more days of this... I really could get used to drinking."

In the outing of finding Zenobia another dress to wear for this meeting, we've managed to come across a smile pink satin dress that's free of any jeweled accents. It took a lot of negotiating to get the imperial princess to agree to the selection, but she nevertheless accepted my gift, in her own words, 'because it's coming from you. Otherwise I'd have you executed for incompetence.' Didn't seem too upset with me after she put it on, in fact she was rather docile. Guess I can continue to wager on these successes as long as I play to her favor. Guess I need to make sure my diet for today is solid so that way I can give her what she's been fiendishly expecting on tomorrow.

Shortly after that, we pay a visit to Zecora, swiftly gaining her permission to conduct the ceremony. Her agreement, however, comes with the request that I'd do the shopping for some materials she'll need for another brew she has planned for another client. Turns out she's gotten a request from a wife to expose her husband for having an affair. So we run a few errands to acquire the goods to bring about the humble beginnings of a truth-telling tea. While Ocellus is eagerly anticipating the idea of playing the literal fly on the wall for that moment, Zecora warns her that she knows how to make the changeling exposure mix into a fine mist to prevent that from happening.

We return home later that afternoon towards the evening hours. And once we established that peace will be maintained in the home at all times, I get back to my reading up on information. Takes a while for me to get back into engrossing myself with the research, but it doesn't take too long before the world drowns out around me and I'm just left looking at pages of information that both astounds and... terrifies me.

One such page has a drawn diagram of an arimaspi, a before operation where there appears to be a dotted line going through the neck of the creature, and an after operation that shows a graphic visual of the head removed. But the oddity of the picture is that while the head is cleanly removed, the spinal column seems to be a bit elevated in contrast to the rest of the cut. The text highly recommends that the body should 'be removed and stored in ideal conditions for future use.' I mutter a question to myself in seeing the distressing details. "The hell do you need a headless Arimaspi corpse for? The hell kind of freak show did this guy run for him to be doing some shit like this? And how did he manage to move something that huge? Arimaspis are around 2500 pounds minimum for their average adult mass. How would you move something like that and not get noticed? I'm sure Celestia had some reports of this crazy shit sitting on her desk. How did they get away with this?"

"Spike?"

"Oh shit!" Because of the awkward position I was in, perched on the top of couch from the growing discomfort, I jump back, falling off balance and landing my head onto the floor. I yelp in discomfort, but also recognizing Gabby's voice as she comes in from work. "Please don't sneak up on me like that."

"I'm just checking in on you. You know me, I get concerned when you hole yourself up and don't show for hours at a time. Do you even realize what time it is?" She asks as she notices the piles of books sitting beside where I was perched. "I don't get you lately. You've been staring at black bars and boxes on a page filled with nothing but black bars and boxes."

"It's a sensitive matter of intel. Not allowed to disclose." I clarify to her. "Just pretend you didn't see anything."

She pulls me up by my arm. "Okay, I get this may be your job and you're a little busier than you'd like to be right now, but you still promised me time today. You didn't even come down for one minute to say hello, like I came home looking forward to just that much and you couldn't be bothered to try. There was a whole screaming match just earlier between Ember and Smolder, and you didn't even come down to mediate."

"Sorry. I've just been out of it, I'm honestly pretty tired from keeping the peace. Ember and Zenobia almost went at it today. Had to run some errands, got back home, never even got the chance to set up the table like you wanted." I walk over to the couch, checking my phone and seeing that it's well past two in the morning. "Holy shit, I didn't even know time flew by like that. I see why you're so pissed."

She pouts over my response. "To me, it seemed like you were too busy playing mediator than accommodating to the one you promised your day to."

"I'm sorry. I'll make it up to you, I promise."

My apology doesn't stop her from nagging. "Seriously, two weeks and we had to deal with the idea of you not coming back in one piece. You show right back up and you don't do anything with us. It's like that other lady has been dominating your attention and we haven't gotten so much as a minute to make you smile, or even get a good ten for you to make us smile. This kinda works both ways, you know. And with you not even trying to make room for us, I don't know how to feel about that."

"It's been a long two weeks."

"I know it has. It's been that way for everyone."

"There's a lot on my mind."

"I'm sure there is. There's a lot on our minds too. I'm not meaning to lessen your experiences, but if you need the time to unpack some stuff in the mind before you get back to our regularly scheduled programming, then let us know. Don't have us planning our days, wanting to come home after work, only to sit at a table to read a book and not get any attention from you. That doesn't just hurt our feelings, it hurts our confidence in ourselves and you, not to mention our trust."

"Okay, I get it." I stress to her, placing the book down. "I'm just filtering through a lot of details right now. I guess somewhere deep down inside, I'm just worried that none of this might not work." As I say that, I see Gabby turn away as though she's about to storm off. "I mean the plan for tomorrow! The relationship thing I can sift through, it's just that work-wise I'm worried. That's my main concern."

She grabs at my wrist, pulling me along forcefully. "Well if that's your main concern, Then that should be your cue to come to put this stuff away and go to bed."

"Maybe you're right." I answer as I start stacking the books to the side. In making an opening on the couch for two, I propose to her a means to make it up to her. "I can still spare some time for you if you're feeling it."

"I don't do cheap thrills, or afterthoughts. I like the work put into our time." She complains.

"So an hour?" I answer, knowing that it would take us past three in the morning.

"Not while we're both halfway awake. You can't stay true to the beaten path if you lack the compassion and drive to stay motivated." She presses a talon hard against my nose, tilting my head back. "And that require energy. We bring this back up on Sunday, but you'll owe me double. If Ocellus runs you dry on Saturday, be expecting to lose your soul come the waning hours of Sunday night. I'll take every bit you have left."

"A deal's a deal." I agree quietly. "I'm so sorry for today, I should've been more attentive."

She grabs me by my snout and pulls me in for a quick peck. "I'm just happy you're back in our lives, but try to do better."

We hover back downstairs, seeing the others angrily standing outside of the master bedroom. The both of us approach the others as I ask them what's going on. "Why are all of you awake?"

"Ember kicked us out of the bedroom." Ocellus replies.

"Literally." Smolder grumbles towards the door. "Were you so out of shit upstairs that you didn't hear us almost going at it just a few hours before!?"

"Trust me, he didn't hear a thing." Gabby complains to the others.

I groan and poke my head inside, seeing Ember hoarding all of the pillows around her as she lays on her back, jaw agape and drool freely flowing down her chin as a claw instinctively scratches her belly. Her tail whips for a moment as she argues in her sleep. "I'm lord of the dragons... *snort* I take whatever I want... including my mate... I don't lose to lesser bitches... Spike, get your scaly ass over here so you can lay my eggs."

Yeah, I'm just gonna close this door and pretend I didn't hear that last part. As I address the others, I plot out how our temporary sleeping arrangement is going to go for the time being. I know that the beds being human-sized twins can still fit two ponies, so we can start from there. "Okay, so since Ember is leaving a room open, I can put you and Smolder in that room. But that would leave Ocellus out for the open." I point towards the changeling. "I suppose I can have you share a bed with either Zenobia or Hestia. Amor, we'll leave alone. I'll just take the couch back upstairs."

I'm grabbed by Gabby yet again, she seems to have extreme reservations as Smolder questions me. "You sure?"

"I'll be fine. I'll just try not to get too engrossed in reading again." The griffon lets me go, frowning at me as I bid everyone else a good night. "You all get some rest, I'm sure the school is back open tomorrow, and everything will flow just like normal for the mail. I got my own day to work through. I'll see you all when I wake up. And if not, I'll see you when we get back."

As I float back up the stairs, I hear Ocellus call back to me. "Goodnight Spike."

I flutter back down to the couch where my time had been eaten away by the multitude of books I've been absorbing. However, I do my best to not let them distract me from what needs to be done. But in spite of that, I'm drawn yet again by curiosity of unanswered questions. And plus I could really use a nice reading off to let my mind drift and relax. I know these topics are quite heavy, but the details are so exhaustingly numerous that I easily doze off to sleep within the hour.

I check my phone's alarm, seeing the 6:30 wake-up time in contrast to my current 3 am state. I suppose a trio of snooze alarms across thirty minutes would be enough.

My eyes are slow to focus, but I do see the cracks of daylight entering them as I awake. A soft sensation runs down the side of my face, it tickles at first, but then it stirs me further awake. I raise my head to see Zenobia looking over me, at first with flushed cheeks and drunken glance. Then as she sees my eyes starting to come to focus, she looks off, trying to gather her composure before looking at me again with a more controlled smile.

"Well, it's about time you've stirred to waking."

Still can't shake the part of me that's a bit unnerved by that earlier expression. "Why were you watching me sleep?"

She answers softly. "Well you said you were tired, and you wanted another five minutes. So I took that device of yours and threw it off somewhere so that it couldn't disturb you."

"You threw my phone off somewhere?" A tired question, but not without some growing panic as I realize that I am too well-rested.

"I just felt that you were tired, plus the others told me that you were up in the early morn. If you ask me, you needed the additional shut-eye."

I reach for my phone, feeling that it's not where I last left it. Panic starts to set as I have no conventional means of telling what time it is. I glance for the remote, going to a local news channel. And in the lower right corner is the logo and the time underneath it. "It's 9:51!? GODDAMIT!" Zenobia appears confused by my frantic rise from the couch. "OUR PRESS CONFERENCE IS AT 10:30 IN CANTERLOT!"

She doesn't seem to be in any rush herself. "Okay, how far is Canterlot from here?"

"A forty-five minute train ride!" I warn loudly.

"Well you have wings, why not fly there?"

"Flying from low altitude to high altitude can be dangerous if you're not used to the changes in atmosphere! Trust me, I've done it before, and the last time I did, I found myself getting punched in the throat in some dungeon in the Canterlot underground."

The imperial princess tilts her head with curiosity. "Oh, so you lot build your cities under the earth too?"

"No! We don't!" I holler as I inform her of how we can still salvage our time. "Okay, it will be twenty minutes if we go full dash! We should be fine@ We should be fine. It should be fine..." I chant to myself as a means to calm myself down, but one question still burns like a foal Sweetie Belle trying to make homemade cereal. "Where's my phone?"

"It's in the bin." She casually answers.

I dart out of the room, looking in the dirty laundry for my device. But as time goes along, I come to the realization her word for bin means trash can as oppose to something to contain clothes. "Fuck! Which bin!?"

"In the kitchen, obviously." ...I love how that she expects me to know the cultural difference and also her inclinations upon waking from a cold sleep. My frustrations are visually apparent as I barrel past her, even as she hovers after me around the house. "Okay, in all seriousness, is that little annoying thing so important?"

"Yes! It has my whole weekly schedule mapped out in it, it has my contacts, has my business email, my back up business email, my private email, my backup private email, my spam email, my government email, all my socials, my credentials, my photos of me and my friends in the human world!"

"Uh... sorry?"

I dig into the trash can, seeing my phone sitting underneath a few wasted items. "Fucking there it is." Upon digging my device out, I notice the sliminess coating it and how unresponsive it is. "And it's got garbage juice all over it... and it's dead... and I can't charge it until the port dries... great." I nearly bash my head into a counter over how soundly defeated I am in the moment. Our time draws to the minute before the ten-o-clock hour. My mind runs rampant with preparations. "How fast can you fly?"

"I guess I can move at a gingerly pace of─"

"You need to go hard today!" I stress to her.

She groans with disapproval. "Really? I'm not used to marathon flying!"

"You better get used to it today, we head out right n─" I pause as a buildup of gas forms in the bottom of my throat. I tap my chest, releasing a belch that seemed to repulse the mare. But from my belch falls a rolled up scroll. "Oh great, now she's sending letters!"

I yank open a drawer, reaching for a ball-point pen and writing on the outside of the unopened scroll. "What are you doing?"

I simply scribble three letters on the item; 'OTW'. I promptly char the message to return to sender. "Sending message to Twilight, telling that we'll be flying in ourselves."

Zenobia seems to not take this situation as seriously, apparently used to everything going to her preferred schedule back home. "What's the big deal, we can just postpone it!"

I look at the clock on the stove, seeing 10:01 on the display. I take a minute to chew her out over her lackadaisical mannerisms. "There's a war looming over the horizon, one your brother decided to start from the moment his sorry ass showed up in Manehattan with seven heavily armed ships. Motherfucker put me in a cage to bring me to your castle, and none of my crew or security detail could get rooms for comfort, and their only accommodation was the crude manner in which they were cremated. I ran across your country for seven, fucking, days, to jump on a yacht of two motherfuckers who risked their retirement and the sanctity of their marriage to safely guide us to our own shores, the same shores we had to get a tug bot to bring us back to in the end because you wanted to aim a goddamn cannon for our refuel!"

The mare smiles at me sheepishly, understanding that I'm very upset with her. "I understand you're a bit distressed with my actions."

"Fuck it!" I snatch her by her foreleg and drag her out the door a full speed. "Let's go!"

Canterlot...

The one thing I realize about Zenobia is that she's a good flier for short distances, I suppose that's good enough for immediate combat reasons, but in terms of intermediate distances, she's not well-conditioned. I would say after the first two minutes, she's already panting and pleading with me to slow down, if we could take a break, if we could somehow relay the message of us needing to put this off for another hour.

However, her pleas don't stop my pace and I keep at mine until I land in the town square for the press conference. Upon my arrival, Twilight greets me with a not-so-pleased grin. "Spike, there you are!"

"Sorry... We're late..." I pant.

"Where's Zenobia?" She asks through the teeth of her faux smile.

"Tailing... behind..."

"What in Equestria has you running this late? Zecora and Padrig have been waiting for you guys for the better part of an hour. The conference starts in less than ten minutes!"

"I was up late last night, had to do some reshuffling of accommodations because of Ember. I had my phone set up for my alarm, but Zenobia didn't know how to put the damn thing on snooze, so she threw it in the trash, then I had to go diving through my garbage to find my phone covered in garbage juice because someone didn't know that was supposed to be my wake up alarm. Now my phone's dead to charge, and it won't let me do that until the ports are dry."

Twilight facepalms over the ridiculousness I've elaborated to her. "I knew I should've sent some guards. I just figured you would've had it together."

"Oh fucking forgive me for ALL THE EXCESS AMOUNTS OF HIGH AND MIGHTY BULLSHIT I HAVE TO DEAL WITH!!!" I loudly exclaim.

"You're frustrated, I understand."

"No, I'm stressed. I'm stressed from seeing the ghosts looking back at me in the dark, I'm stressed from the fact that I'm trying my best to stop a war before it starts getting physical, I'm stressed from having to look after a foreign princess and a dragon lord who can't seem to reason with each other past a pair of toddlers in magic kindergarten!" I give an exasperated sigh, trying to keep myself together. "I need a drink."

"No, don't you start that!" She angrily points at me.

I lash out to her. "Who the fuck are you to tell me what I need!?"

"Obviously you don't need this press conference that bad." She reminds me.

As much as I would love to pin this all on her, and she's fully deserving of it, it's still a favor that she called in to do for me so last minute. So I have to at least play to that. So I take a deep breath and regain my composure. "She's still not here."

Twilight gives a look around the sky, pointing to a lumbering figure flying in from above. "She's right there."

As soon as she lands, she stumbles over from exhaustion, her wings not even attempting to rest against her back. They merely drag on the ground as she slowly pulls herself over to me. "Pet... how the fuck... are you... so fast!?" She leans her body against me, her sweat uncomfortably drenching my scales as she declares her own exhaustion. "Can't... breathe."

"Get her some oxygen please." I request to some of the guards, who salute me and quickly bring over a tank and a mask to breathe into.

While they set her up, Twilight gives me a stern reminder of our time. "You two have five minutes to get ready. I hope you've planned things out in advance."

While she walks away, I wince from the pressure of the moment. I check with Zenobia, hoping that she did what I recommended to her. "Did you study the speech I wrote out yesterday?"

While the oxygen is working overtime to replenish her state of being, she seems quick to rebound from the extensive trip. She's still leaning into me as she speaks. "Ocellus had me study it a while, I think I have most of it memorized."

"Dammit, they didn't even think to wake me up." I grumble.

"They woke at the crack of dawn, needing to get to their jobs. I told them that I would see to it personally that you'd wake up with all the comforts afforded to you."

I shake my head. "I know you probably meant well, Zenobia. But sometimes I just gotta go through the rough to make things seem organized, even if I myself don't seem to be in the best state. It comes with the job."

She takes a few more breaths, staring back up at me. "Can we get another ten minutes? I just want to lay here a bit."

As Inkwell walks over, she signals to me that it's time to get moving towards the podium. "I don't think we even got two at this point."

"Boo birds." She takes one last breath before slinging the mask off of her face and shaking herself, retracting her wings and trying her best to appear stable. "Alright, let's wing it!"

"No I─" I plead, but she's already nearing the podium where the cameras are rolling. "...Faust help me."

As soon as I join with the others, Twilight begins with her public address. "Hello, to all my faithful subjects of the realm. I know that the last time I was giving an address of this magnitude, I had disposed of some rather unfortunate tidings on the horizon. And while that seems to be the going rate these days, we do however have a much lighter announcement to make. But first, we offer a disclaimer for the viewing audience."

Zecora, having already met Zenobia yesterday, politely guide her to the side of the podium. "Come now, step here. We need to make an example, my dear."

Even if we had already explained it to her, she's confused by the green gunk that the zebra wears on her hoof in abundance. "Uh, what is going on?"

I have to remind her what's going on here. "Face paint. I told you yesterday, it's just a counter measure to prevent changelings from taking your shape."

As I reexplain that bit of info, one of our esteemed specialists step beside her and bow. "Honored to meet you, your highness."

"I know we're short on introductions, but this is Specialist Padrig, he works in reconnaissance and information transfer. He's probably the only one we give any license to transform into Twilight's form, albeit with strict permissions. He's worked with us for a while, long before the changelings reformed during the previous royal administration."

Specialist Padrig

Royal Special Operations & Reconnaissance Division

"I know it may seem a tad invasive, but I'll need you to do a quick spin around for me."

"For what?" She asks.

"I'm taking your form, for the demonstration of course."

Nervously, she brings her inquiry to me. "Can I trust him?"

"Yes, you can trust him."

"If you say so." She's still rather nervous about what's taking place, but she gives a quick twirl around. "That good enough?"

"One more time, other way around." He requests.

Feeling a bit embarrassed that she's doing this in front of so many others, she grows a bit uncomfortable. "Is this really necessary?"

"Just making sure I'm accurate is all." He says before a teal flash wipes over his entire body, giving an approximate copy of her appearance. "Close enough?" He speaks with her voice, but fails to properly catch her accent and vocal fluctuations.

"Eeehhh... I suppose." She's understandably put off by the mirror image of herself staring back at her and turning away. He drops his imitation of her for the moment. The previously uncanny reflection gives her a moment of observation, but she does give critique of his attempt at her voice. "He does not have my vocal finesse right at all."

"Try speaking to him five minutes before, bet he'll have every last possible inflection." I inform her.

As we conclude that matter, Twilight continues to address the press. "Now, for our disclaimer. We want to vehemently disprove any and all allegations of a changeling taking the place of our foreign guest. We further assess that she is here of her own choice, not of any forced coercion or blackmailing─"

"I'm here of my own accord!" She blurts out of term, causing everyone to quietly stare at her. I cringe to myself as she completely breaks the decorum. "Sorry, continue."

Twilight carries on without missing a single beat. "Now, I will ask our changeling specialist to transform into the princess for the purpose of this demonstration, but a verbal confirmation."

Zecora asks the question loudly, making sure that she's heard for the cameras and radio. "A shape of yourself you will soon see, but only if you say that you'll agree?"

"Asking for permission." I translate to her.

Zenobia catches on and speaks out loudly. "I consent!"

Upon that note, Padrig assumes her shape and form. Standing beside her as an identical imitation. "As some of you may see, our guest appearance may have doubled, but we will soon verify their presence with a specially made paste that will disenchant a changeling's shape-shifting properties. But first we will apply a simple smudge to the cheeks."

Zecora marks the side of her face, broadly stroking her hoof full of the paste down the side of her cheek. After dealing with the unknown minty paste being measured upon her face, the imperial princess issues a curious complaint. "Just one cheek? Shouldn't we do both for symmetry?"

"She knows what she's doing." I tell her as the same is done to Padrig. As the paste comes into contact with his face, his head is forced to drop the transformation, all while the body remains the same as Zenobia's. Yet another uncanny moment for the mare to observe about herself.

Zecora elaborates for the viewers. "As one can see of the paste applied, one remains herself as the other is denied. Now that this demonstration is through, we hold that our guest is the one who is true."

Twilight nods and proudly introduces the foreign princess to the press and viewing audience. "Fillies and gentlecolts, creatures of all ages, shapes, and sizes, I wish to give a honorable reception to none other than Princess Rosa Zenobia, high princess of the Ponyland Empire."

While I'm sure she was expecting a chorus of applause, only silence greets her as she steps to the podium. She puts on a forced smile while I lean behind her and whisper. "Just remember what we rehearsed and stick to it as best as possible."

I pull the microphone towards her for her to be picked up. She gives her introduction, initially at the previous volume she thought she had to use. "Hello─oh shit this is loud!" She shockingly enunciates into the public airwaves, causing Twilight to facehoof with second-hand embarrassment. "Um, hi, I'm Princess Rosa Opaline Zenobia of the Noble Blood, first born of the imperial lineage of the great leader Emperor Basileus Apollo of the Noble Blood Primus, descendant of the maiden branch of House Opal Rosa. While my introduction is a long one, it is dictated in imperial charter that I must state my name, blood title, his imperial majesty's honorific, and that of the mother that has sired my branch on the account of our father having many mothers to his lineage. It is with great honor that I introduce myself to you today."

"Okay, did not plan a blank that long in such a short intro." I comment towards Twilight.

She continues. "While it appears that our delegation is sat upon the seat of war, I wish to offer an official response from the Emperor himself. And that this stems mainly from the list of offenses my younger brother, Prince Rosa Xerxes of the Noble Blood and crown prince to the realm, his grievous actions leading to the horrific things enacted upon your esteemed friendship representative."

"Why is she deviating?" Twilight asks.

"Part of the agreement with Ember." I explain.

"Upon his arrival to escort that of my off-branch brother, Prince Amor Ambrosia of the Lesser Blood, descendent of the maiden branch of House Aurora Amor, he has dishonored my dear pe─"

"AHEM!" I loudly break decorum to have her snap out of what she usually calls me, knowing that such a title would immediately cause an uproar.

"Oh, sorry." She clears her throat and carries on. "He has dishonored my dear... Acquaintance, by means of throwing him into a capture cage to guide him through the city to the castle, under the guise of 'being for his protection'. From there, he was made to meet with my father the emperor. From there, my father sought to make good on the trade agreement in pending, but due to my brother's discrimination against dragons, that was not the ideal outcome. As a furthered resort, he issued a hunt with the intent to slay dragons. And upon the parade of my lesser-blood sibling, he presented the heads of seven dragons before him... those seven he later attached to a flail with an eight chain made ready for his junction."

My stomach churns as the unspoken truth of my dilemma is brought to light, a cruel and sadistic detail I willingly omitted from my reports as a bid to cast as much light to the salvageable, but also favorable end of neutrality. Twilight, in juxtaposition, is horrified and appalled. "Spike, is this true?"

"I didn't think she'd tell this much." I grumble before whispering back to her. "Psst... Script."

"I know that I'm being told to move on. I'm sorry, I was made to tell the truth in ambitions to make amends with that of the Dragon Lord Ember. But more importantly, I say these things to make amends with the one behind me." She turns around, yanking my wrist to have me join beside her. "He and I grew close in our time together in Ponyland, becoming acquaintances. Prior to his arrival, I too believed in the propaganda of our nation's supremacy and the illiteracy of the dragon race. I could not have been more wrong. In our talks together, I was made to realize that the dragons are much like us, fighting to maintain a comfort in their way of life."

"What are you doing?" I mutter to her in a panic.

"Telling the truth." She replies as she spreads her wings, pulling me even closer to her. "Never did I ever believe that I would ever have my heart fall for one." My jaw falls as she takes the sudden turn for an amorous confession instead of sticking to the script of a global press conference. "He and I shared many moments, many that has opened my mind to saving the dragons that visit our borders. While it seems counterproductive to say my personal feelings out loud, I wish to make it transparently clear as to why I have made my decision to seek peace between our two nations. Because I know that my father's way is to uphold the status quo, but my brother's means is to go beyond the borders and give grievance to all that he believes is underneath him. And that includes the one I have with me at this moment."

"Okay, I think that's enough." I grumble through the gritted teeth of an awkward smile.

Instead, she caresses my head and emphatically states the obvious. "This is the dragon I now cherish. And I will seek peace to maintain that."

Meanwhile in San Fransiscolt...

"Get her out of that box!"

"I'm trying!"

In desperate but vain attempts, the trio of brothers look to free their sibling from within the confines of a projected television screen. They attempt all means of magic, looking to tear open the poor inanimate object by it's exterior and comb through it's wiry guts of led transmitters and receptors. It takes the store owner to confront the three over their unusual approach of attacking one of his displayed items. "Hey, you guys must be tourists or something."

Two pause as Agamemnon goes about the effort of freeing Zenobia from the screen. "Y-yes, we are. We're just trying to rescue this poor mare trapped in this horrendous box." Eros explains.

"It's not a box, it's one of those new items running in from the human world. It's called a 'TV', they broadcast all sorts of stuff on there. Unfortunately we can only get one channel. I hear that some places in Canterlot can give you a ton more with content staged from the human world."

Xerxes bats at the back of the head of his one-eyed sibling, prompting him to stop. "And what's this supposed to be?"

"I dunno, some princess from the nation we're supposedly at war with looking to declare her love for dragons. I hear her brother's a real asshat." The store clerk shrugs off as he dismissively offers commentary over his actions. "To think someone could do such horrible things to those dragons, they probably didn't do anything wrong. What a waste of functioning organs that guy is!"

Before Xerxes can rise to anger and defend himself, Eros intervenes and gives the stallion a parting wave. "Interesting, thank you for explaining! Oh, and how much would this thing cost?"

"It's not for sale, just for display. Our next shipment doesn't come until two weeks from now." He answers as the broadcast goes on.

"The ones that were declared as pilgrims were not as such. Instead, they were active centuries, members of our armed forces. They came to the ship we were on, surrounding us with cannon fire from all directions. Their deaths, as tragic as it is to many back home, were not without warrant. They operated the machines that gave license and ability to eliminate us by any means. The ones who guided us home operated not of ill-intent, but in self-defense of the home they allowed us to take refuge within. And for their actions, we are truly grateful."

"Is this some sort of recording?" Eros asks.

"Apparently it's live. It's on our radios too." The store owner states. "Oh yeah, in speaking of stocking up, how about you guys just chill out for a bit and don't damage the hardware while I go look into when that next shipment of phones is expected."

"Phones?" He asks.

"Yeah, it's like transmission spheres... and memory spheres... and phonographs... and cameras. It's like all of that built into one thing!"

"Huh... yes please look into that for me." The lavender-streaked prince requests with an eager interest.

Agamemnon, overhearing of all the things that the rumored devices are capable of, makes a note of it to his other siblings. "This makes me think that their technology is not as meandering as the others we've conquered."

"Seems to me their little trade deal was omitting a lot." Xerxes comments. "A world of information and technology beyond our comprehension, and we were left out of it. Such insult."

"That matters little at this point." Eros says as he narrows his eyes to the albino alicorn mare on the screen. "It is apparent that Zenobia has indeed betrayed us."

"It says it's 'live from Canterlot'." Agamemnon points out.

"She speaks in place of our father. That's not in any way permissible." Xerxes replies.

"Then I suppose we should get moving, damn the resupply." Agamemnon suggests. "Let's head to the airship and make this a quick trip."

As the one-eyed prince departs first, a violent stare gleams from the eyes of an infuriated prince watching his sister fawn over the creature that denied his father more favorable terms, as well as thoroughly embarrass him in the eyes of his guildmates. "Dragon."

"Ah-ah. You remember father's words." Eros warns.

"I couldn't care less." Xerxes passionately declares. "I want that scaly bastard dead."

Chapter 48: Rusted Remembrance

The streets of Canterlot are truly lively today. The usual hustle and bustle is often a reason for the surge of activity among the cobbled stones of the webbing avenues. But this time the reason for the hyperactivity isn't that there's a war looming on the horizon, nor is it the address to the world with the ambitions for peace between the two nation, no.

"EXTRA, EXTRA! PONYLAND PRINCESS IN INTIMATE AFFAIR WITH ROYAL FRIENDSHIP ADVISOR! READ ALL ABOUT IT!"

"GET THE LATEST SCOOP ON THE R.F.A. GETTING LOVEY-DOVEY WITH A PONYLAND PRINCESS!"

"IS LOVE IN THE AIR? TRENDING NOW IN THE EQUESTRIA DAILY, WE GIVE YOU THE LATEST NEWS IN EQUESTRIA'S HOTTEST NEW ROMANCE BREWING ON THE HORIZON!"

"POLITICAL STUNT? IMPERIAL AFFAIR? THESE ARE THE QUESTIONS THAT ARE BEING ASKED RIGHT NOW ABOUT THE FOREIGN PRINCESS AND OUR VERY OWN FRIENDSHIP ADVISOR! WILL BLOOMING ROMANCE BETWEEN TWO UNPREDICTABLE PARTIES LEAD TO PEACE, OR IS IT MERELY A RUNAWAY ROYAL LOOKING TO STEAM THINGS UP? FIND OUT TODAY ON THE HARD LOOK."

Yup... that.

Zenobia's off-script confession went viral almost fifteen minutes after the words left her mouth, still warmed by the air of the sun before dissipating into the misconstrued minds of the media, and viciously regurgitated to the masses for a quick bit to sell the topic. It's so in-demand that everywhere we walk, there's not just the paparazzi looking to get pictures, but ponies easing by with their phones out looking to picture and record our walking by.

The generated attention is so insurmountable that even guards on detail are gossiping like it's the newest restaurant on the block. And the worst thing about it is that Zenobia's so unbothered by all of this. It's like international controversy doesn't even begin to crack her shell. But then again, I have to remember who it is I'm referring to.

Me on the other hand... "Pet?" ...I'm dreading every moment she taps my side with her wing. Eventually she hovers above my head and perches herself on my neck like I'm giving her a piggy-back ride. "Helloooo? You're seriously just going to ignore me now?"

"Was there a reason for you putting that out there?"

She hunches over me, looking me into my eyes from above. "What, you mean my personal feelings part, or the truth about what my brother did?"

"You know this is blowing up as an international scandal, right? A princess absconding from her home country on what could be a means to elope and─"

"Holy hell, do you seriously mean that!?" She seems truly excited about that scenario that she's willing to manifest it into being by tugging at my neck. "Say yes right now!"

"What I'm trying to explain is how the international community may see it. To them, this is nothing more than that. It delegitimizes the motive of you doing this as a reasonable means to democracy."

She giggles as she holds the sides of my head, lightly fluttering her wings. "So me thinking your dick is absolutely amazing is what's going to keep us from stopping a war?"

I blush with embarrassment as a few others gasp openly at her passing comment. "I just want to put it out there that it may be the going commentary of what's taking place." I glance back to the ones who heard the comment, and they seem to already be in a rush to post what they recorded to social media. I can already imagine the multitude of videos that are going to go viral on today just from her talking to me alone. "Ugh... All these years without a scandal to my name, and this is somehow the one that puts my squeaky clean reputation into question."

"You're just absolutely stressed beyond reason, dear pet." She comments.

"Do you blame me? No really, do you?" I politely pull her from off my neck and sit her back down to the ground, where she will be forced to walk beside me and not ride on me like a public attraction. "If it wasn't for you, we wouldn't be in this as deep as we are now."

"I know I didn't do the best, and I'm sorry that we ran late. I'm just not used to any of this is all." She circles her hoof to specify that she's talking about our country and what's all in it. "I know, funny to think that a princess would be so readily unprepped. But it helps to have a maid staff that screens everything for me so I know what I'm signing off on. That's just how it is for me, I set my own schedule and things fall where they may. I'm not used to the crush of trying to get it all done as soon as possible unless I absolutely have to."

"Sometimes we have to do it because we're on a schedule. It's fine for an occasion, but it shouldn't be a habit." I reprimand her.

The imperial alicorn rolls her eyes. "Sorry to disappoint you, I didn't think I'd have to play being the perfect princess all over again. Once was enough, thank you very much."

"No one's ever really gotten on your case about organization, have they?"

"Not lately, but I've been stressed over perfection for most of my younger life. You can already guess when I've stopped caring about that bullshit."

"I get it, doing everything to perfection and not getting noticed for it is pretty shitty. But being given an opportunity to have a platform on an international stage and half-assing it isn't the way to go."

The mare groans in response. "Fine. I'll do better next time."

"You know, the first impression is the one that lasts the longest."

As we meander through the commercial district, she notices a familiar sign in comparison to the one we've ran into in Ponyville. She immediately disregards the lecture and yanks me in the direction of the boutique. "Okay, fine, whatever. In speaking of first impressions, let's go in here!"

I don't even get a chance to refute her request, she just drags me along by my arm and yanks me through the front door like her purse ready to relieve any and all financial contents. I suppose it is her day after all, might as well play along with it since she did try to pick back up our rehearse script shortly after her unplanned confessions. "Let me guess, you want another dress?"

"My father always spoils me when it comes to stuff like this, but he'd only do it to shut me up. I guess my first time doing this with you really stuck out because I never truly had the pleasure of doing this with someone I like." She smirks back at me. "Obviously the company makes the trip a lot more fulfilling."

The branch clerk comes from behind one of the displays, greeting us with a warm reception, but even more surprised over who's entered into her store. "Hello to─Oh, you're the guest princess?"

The sky blue unicorn that greets us is a familiar face I've gotten to know over the past few years. I formally introduce the two to one another. "Princess Zenobia, this is Sassy Saddles, she's one of Rarity's associates, and the manager of this branch. Likewise, Princess Zenobia."

The cheeky dart of the eyes tells me that the rumor mill has obviously spilled a little her way also. So she tries to keep it on the low. "Well it's a pleasure to meet, your highness." Sassy gives a respectable bow.

"Charmed!" Zenobia nods with acknowledgement. "I'm looking for a dress with pink amethyst accents. Do you have one?"

The fashionable clerk sucks air through her teeth, seeming to offer a disappointing response. "I'm sorry, that was one of the exclusive lines directed to the home branch of our chain of operations. You would have to go to Ponyville to get another."

"I'm afraid we've happened upon the last one a few days ago, but another dragon got their teeth to it. So I'm looking to have it replaced." The princess informs.

Sassy once more offers her regrets. "As unfortunate as it is, I'm not anywhere near the gem hunter she is, nor am I a, well, tongue for quality."

"Tongue for quality?" Zenobia tilts her head with puzzled curiosity.

Sassy giggles as she walks past me, tapping me on my abdomen. "Oh, that's just a little joke we have for Sir Spike. He used to be the one who'd go with her on her gem hunts. That tongue of his has a really good distinction for jewel purity and flaw detection."

The stare I get from Zenobia obviously speaks explicit undertones. I try to dismiss that idea for another time. "One of my inherent perks of dragonhood. We can taste the flaws of a gem."

"Hmm..." Sassy waltzes past me, going through rack after rack to see if she can pick out something close to the issued request. "Since pink is a color you seem to really gravitate towards, let's find you something he can taste on."

She glances towards me, biting her lip as she mumbles under her breath. "Inherent perks of dragonhood, now I understand why."

Sassy pops her head back out with another dress. "Lets try this, a white lacy gown with rose embroidery and baby pink accents. This also includes a lovely set of earrings, a broch resembling a bouquet of roses, and a wonderful matching headband with a large topaz set into the crown feature." She floats the items by me with her pale yellow magic. "How does this taste for you?"

Zenobia watches eagerly, of course with illicit intentions stirring in her mind. "Well go on, I want to see exactly how that tongue works for something like this."

I give the topaz a lick, tasting a myriad of things that throws off the natural flavor of the jewel. Honestly, I wouldn't even consider putting this on a dress. It had to be picked out by an intern with the way my tongue flinches like an abused dog to the mix of chemicals and plastic fillers that make it seem flawless to the eye. But in truth, it's about as genuine as a low-end selection. "What's the asking price?"

"Normally 42,000 bits."

I shake my head. "Not even close, not for that price."

Zenobia gasps as Sassy's eyes widen at my harsh critique, she immediately picks out another similar dress with similar accents. "Hmm, how about she tries this one on and I'll go have a talk with Rarity about the last one."

"I mean, we don't have to go that far─"

Before I can finish, my snout is pinched shut by a pink ring of magic aura. Zenobia enthusiastically declares her insistence for the first outfit. "I'm going to go try this one on anyways. It's fine for me."

"V-very well then, your highness." Sassy seems shocked that the imperial princess seems willing to ignore my harsh critique of the accents. "Are you sure, I could get the price knocked down further if you really think those gems are as flawed as you say. We all know you're deserving of better gem quality."

"It's fine. I'll make do." She drags her outfit into one of the changing rooms in the back and closes the curtain.

Sassy blinks blankly, amazed that she's still willing to make a purchase on a lesser product. She shakes off the temporary bout of confusion and speaks to me directly. "Well while she's in there changing up, I'll still give Rarity a holler and let her know you've dropped by. Now please let me know if you need anything."

"Sure thing." I say as she walks away. Just as she turns a corner, I feel a dull throbbing in my neck. The sensation starts to numb my body from the neck down, indicating to me that the collar is back to being active for whatever reason. "What the hell?" I immediately answer my own question, realizing that it's none other than a certain princess wanting me to heed her summon. I trudge towards the changing booth, whispering from outside of the curtain. "What do you want now?"

She slowly opens the curtains, making herself appear that she's not inside the booth. "I'm afraid I'll need a gem specialist's tongue to investigate the quality of yet another gem in this ensemble."

"Your collar wouldn't throb for something this simple." I point out.

"Then you know exactly what I mean." She replies with a pointed but sultry rebuke. "Get in here and polish my little accents for me, would you?"

She conjures a leash of her aura, latching to my collar and pull me into the booth. As she yanks me in, the curtain falls behind me. I look down to see her seated on the bench with her hooves already pulling at her sex, introducing me to the winking mound that she demands for my tongue to inspect. Her eyes gaze up to me with the intent to do more than have a taste of her natural works.

I peek back to the curtain, trying to plead with her. "Look, now's not the time─"

"Spikey-Wikeeeeey!"

The both of us startle, Zenobia being a little less shameless as she flips her satin dress back over. I recoil immensely and immediately turn to the curtain as it opens to reveal a fond face worth remembering. "Ah, Rarity!?"

She yanks me out with the power of a yak and immediately hugs me. Zenobia gawks in disbelief in seeing the fashion icon herself being present and accounted for. "No fucking way. You actually know her."

The white unicorn mare tightly squeezes at my shoulders and neck, reminding me just how strong she is beneath that marshmallow exterior of hers. "Oh, I've been so worried for you!"

"Okay. You can stop with the dramatics now."

I forget that asking her to be less dramatic makes her ham it up even more. "But. *sniff* I. *sniff* Missed you... SOOOOO MUUUUCH!"

While she cries fake tears into my chest, Zenobia is a bit slow to greet her. "Well hello, madam!"

Rarity breaks from her act and asks the mare. "Oh, and you are, dear?"

"I'm Princess Zenobi─"

She blatantly disregards the imperial princess and shrieks my name. "Spike! Stop trying to get away from me! You know how much I've been worried about you since you were reported as missing in that overseas assignment of yours. You should've sent some sort of letter if you knew you were in that kind of a situation. And oh my graces, what even is that collar?"

I try to fake it out of what it actually does. "Actually, it's a gift─"

"Oh where are my manners? I've seem to ignore the princess standing here!" She holds no reservation against pulling the mare out of the changing booth and toting her around like a premium designer bag. "Please do follow me, your highness. I have a much better wardrobe choice for you upstairs. Model for me a bit, if you would kindly."

"I-I-I s-suppose?" She stammers, seeing how she's offered virtually no choice in the matter.

As the two disappear towards the very back of the venue, making their way up to the second floor, I slouch down to the bench in the changing room, seeing myself already trying to poke and prod at the world like a budding rose. Had things moved on uninterrupted, I'm sure that Rarity would've caught me doing a lot more than trying to pose as a model shopper in her establishment.

I can already imagine the repercussions of losing my Black membership because of that. "Ah... Close one."

The fashionista politely places the princess down next to the door of her workspace, she hums a made-up tune with a heroic tone as she makes her way through and effortlessly snag a few items for measurements. She walks over to her sketchpad, visualizing an idea for her next dress.

Zenobia errs on the side of caution and opts out of following the mare inside of her workspace. But she's immediately hailed to enter. "Right in here, please. C'mon now."

The imperial princess sees a myriad of items strewn about. Ribbons of lace strewn about, fabrics hulled over an unused mannequin, a series of unfinished outfits pinned to varying benches, and incomplete selections still affixed to a sewing machine or two. There's a mirror, but it doesn't seem to be much other than for the working mare to check her appearance before heading out. "This... does not look like a place to model dresses."

"I can assure you, the best model you can use is sometimes yourself. If you can't imagine yourself wearing it, then you shouldn't make it in the first place." She answers as she shuts the door behind the alicorn. "Now, I have been meaning to speak with you since you've shown up. Your reputation proceeds you. So please, let's get to know each other through our measurements." She whips out the measuring tape and starts stretching it to the mare's height. "You're absolutely going to love what's in store for you!"

The princess still withdraws a bit, gradually becoming a little more nervous about her measurements being jotted down. She looks back at her flank while Rarity rounds out the curvature of her posterior. She particularly glances at the shorter unicorn mare, seeing that she has a much fuller figure in that area. She chokes back her judgement of self. "Strange."

"What is it, dear?" The renowned seamstress continues her observations in stride.

"Just look at you, I figured you to be a little more strict with your own appearances. Most models tend to be on the dangerous side of thin, and their designers are none the worse. But you... you've got the proportions of a highly-pursued centerfold. I'm sure your models wonder why you don't take the runway yourself."

"Oh no. I have several models of many differing creatures and builds to use for advertisement. And I won't even dare to show the bags on my face to any high-fidelity camera. I wear enough makeup as it is, no need to look more of the clown than I already do."

"You're barely wearing any!" The princess replies.

"Mascara, liner, foundation, blush, and false lashes. That's my casual ritual. If I want to do a large event, I'd settle for an emergency spa appointment." The mare passively walks past the princess. "Speaking of which, you could use one yourself."

The princess grows even more reclusive. "No need to tell me, I know my age and I definitely show it. If we follow the 'birthday cake' theory, I'm well beyond a decade outside of the expiration date."

The fashionista freezes in place, performing a swift about face. "I'm sorry, you're thirty five?"

The princess turns away shyly. "Thirty... seven actually."

"Oh my gosh, my little Spikey-wikey in the throws of cougars." The mare takes a deep breath and regathers her attention to the task at hoof. "I suppose I should've seen that coming, he's always been a connoisseur of the... ahem, let's say 'the finely-aged zinfandel'."

The princess stifles a giggle to herself. "Then again, I suppose I should've understood that he's the selective sommelier. I bet with as much as he spent on me, your profit margins could be up a full percent point."

"Unlikely. I make sure that he doesn't spend the sticker price for what I usually charge. And if Spike's pointing out to others that my quality in gemstone selection is lacking, then I obviously need to recall my last line I put out there and have a second opinion. Perhaps I could have him come with instead of hiring some intern of a geologist to accompany me."

"I didn't know you would be willing to do that."

"Life's a wardrobe change, everyone's a mere costume away from achieving visual nirvana. But the outfit must match the personality of the one wearing it, not just merely a color scheme. It has to reflect the purity, or flaws thereof, of an individual in such a manner that it becomes a quintessential reflection of their true selves, revealing both the inner and outer workings as a synchronized entity. Any departure from that and you'd be no better than the items out on the purchase floor. Why sure you would look nice, but you wouldn't be truly satisfied with what you have on beyond the first outing. By that point, you'd simply wear it because it looks nice, and then it'll be something you'd wear around the house during the summer months, then numerous rips and tears later, finally a wilted memory. It should be something that you wear only for special occasions, moments that are so special that you'd refrain from ever wearing it for a simple gathering. And a less-than-optimal gem only increases the risk of that dreaded fate becoming a nearing reality."

She scribbles out a design for a dress, quickly drafting the idea in spite of already doing something else. Her ability to multitask astounds the princess as the sketch of a dress is presented to her.

"Overheard your request to Sassy, and I received an inquiry of the matter on yesterday when you visited my Ponyville location. Amethyst accents are hard to come by, but I'll be sure to borrow my little Spikey-wikey for a trip to refresh your wares. I'll keep the price tag modest and affordable, but that will come with a caveat, a small little detail, a trifling little hitch." She levitates a large swath of fabrics, seeming to be expensive silks, towards the imperial. "This isn't my asking price, Just be a doll and hold this for me." Rarity walks behind the princess and measures the length of her back. "I'm sure the world out and about has given your little confession a lot of steam to run. But I would like to know this: What's your real relationship with Spike?"

The princess eagerly speaks on the dragon. "Oh that's easy! Absolutely he's one for good taste for pedigree. But mostly speaking, he's my darling p─" She halts herself to correct her choice of words. "Excuse me, he's more like my─"

*click*

Rarity speaks from behind the mare, stressing her words as though she has a sharpened edge to her tone. "Your darling 'pet', that's what you were going to say?"

"I just nickname him that, honestly─"

A blue lead is formed with an aura, Zenobia feels a strong tugging sensation that yanks her head back. She looks down to see a white collar infused with pink diamonds resting upon her neck. The lead is an unbreakable aura similar to the one she uses with her own collar. Rarity tilts her head, causing the lead to shrink with aggressive ferocity, dragging the princess down beneath her hooves. The fashionista leans in with a icy glint in her eyes. "With a collar of subjugation on his neck, how kinky. Your highness, I'm not new to the games we adults play behind the thickened veil, especially when it comes to putting overconfident ruffians in their place. But have you ever once considered that what you're doing is not cute? What's cute is that collar I put on you, I would even argue that you'd do well to keep this little trinket on, the accents do you well." She shortens the lead even further to only allow a mere three inches between her horn and the ensnaring device. She holds the princess up by the taught connection, going so far as to almost choke her. "Furthermore, I don't appreciate you trying to force a clandestine tryst with my dear Spikey-wikey in the changing room of one of my establishments. You would do well to remember that. Now... have I made myself crystalline clear?"

"Gnnk... By all means." The princess struggles.

"And the fact that you would threaten to detain my good little Spikey-wikey while forcing him to dance the dance of debauchery whilst in a transmission with Twilight, I must say that I've changed much of my schedule to make sure I catch up to you, that we may have this conversation personally. And I vehemently thought that I should share with you my thoughts on the matter. And they are quite simple."

She slowly retracts the little slack that she's given, reducing her grip to a dire two inches. The imperial princess cracks and gasps for air as the freedom of her airwaves become more and more constricted. Rarity doubles on her magic by not only maintaining the leash, but also holding her chin up to vertical and exposing her neck to a small blade made of her own aura.

"Spike. Is not. Your dragon. He is not your little pet, to be yanked along a leash, just because you don't get enough attention back home. He's not for your enjoyment, he's not for you to dangle around, he's not your carriage to ride in on, and he's not your age. And chiefly, he is not your sex toy." The slack of her leash is granted back to a rather strict, but much more comfortable two feet. The pair of auras exerted on her neck and chin dissipate, leaving the princess to drop to the ground gasping and panting for the air she was once denied. "I know exactly what you are, Rosa Zenobia. I've seen it manifest before, the tug and pull, the forced coercion, the go-with-the-flow-and-it'll-all-be-fine, all of it. It's been done before, and I should also add that it's been done to a much more sinister detail."

The mare summons an envelope and tosses it towards the recovering princess. Four purple tickets slide from within as the envelope skates the ground towards her. "What are these?"

"Well since we're in the vein of forced compliance, those are tickets for the next outing after you leave here. Your siblings are already up this way. While Prince Amor has seen the exhibit already, I'm sure at least the other of them must be pretty excited to see the goings of Canterlot with their own eyes." She quenches the link between her horn and the collar on Zenobia's neck. "At least you can see just how persuasive your esteemed 'Doctor' once was, a path your perversions seem to earnestly follow."

"You know of him?" The princess breathlessly inquires.

"Know of him, I fought against him with my friends. And he was no stranger to desecrating the victims of his plight. Tugging them along like leashed hounds, only that he subbed the warmth of his leashes for hard cold chains." The fashionista leans down with her sapphire eyes glinting with a deadly cold conviction. "And given who've you met to get here, I'm sure you've seen just a mere taste of that already."

Memories of her initial encounter with Nondis flashes before her eyes, the sight of twenty of her subordinates caught in the grasp of his shadows and each of their lives snapped short with the mere flick of his wrist. The haunting silence that lingers in that moment as he whispers to her face.

"Boo."

After an intense glare, the seamstress blinks and reassumes her more friendly demeanor. Another shocking juxtaposition for the visiting princess. "Well I sure hope that you enjoy your little trip into Corrotto, you'll be seeing the light in no time, dear. That will at least help you kill the time between now and later when I'll be done with your dress. A friend of mine will see you there. So do try to behave, it's a memorial for the dead, not a sex dungeon. Well... not anymore at least." Rarity politely nudges the mare from her workspace. "Oh, and don't worry about the price tag, darling. It'll be on me, very much like the collar that will stay on you. A free dress and an accessory preview to boot, a deal unlike any other. Oh, and do summon Spike back up here when you get back down. I wish to have a word with his cute little dragon cheeks about our schedule. Ta-ta, darling!"

The door closes, leaving Zenobia to find her way back down. She takes a few steps before the envelope of tickets is summoned before her face, not of her own doing.

"And please don't forget those! You'll need them, dear!"

After our trip to the shop, we reunite with both Amor and Hestia. I ask them how they manage to get here, and they inform me that Twilight invited them to watch the press conference, of course off-site because Twilight insists on being mean to the poor guy for some reason. He does seem to be a little bit of better spirits since yesterday's incident. But I can tell he's not exactly happy about the manner in which he's been shelved elsewhere.

I offer to cheer him up, so we make a journey towards the Corrotto District, since even in his first tour, he spent most of it in a carriage getting detained, and supposedly his second was merely a teleport straight to the museum and back. So for his third time being here, and now outside of any suspicion of being an informant, he gets to see the modernized part of town with his own eyes for the first time. That privilege, to his discredit, is also offered to his sisters.

Zenobia is obviously in shock. "I'm sorry, but WHAT IS ALL OF THIS!?"

"This is really bright and active! It's almost blindingly astounding!" Amor comments.

Hestia can't help but to spin herself around, trying to take in everything. "Everything is moving all at once! It's so dizzying here! What wizardry is this!?"

"This is what happens when you model a district after the human technological advances achieved, all while gentrifying a previously undesirable portion of town into a prime tourist destination." I briefly summarize.

"This place is nuts!" Amor says as we walk into the town square. "Where the hell is this place, surely it's not Canterlot?"

"Oh it's Canterlot alright." A familiar voice answers from nearby. Coming up to greet us is none other than one of the specialists lurking undercover. "I guess you peeps and pones are probably taking in the glitz for the first time. But yeah, this is Corrotto, prime tourist destination number one in the whole city. Damn near argue the whole country at this point."

I warmly greet the unicorn stallion. "Stanton, the man with the game plan, what are you doing here?"

"Hey bro, I'm still covert you know. Don't need the other regulars to know who I am in this form." He warns, making sure the other citizens aren't overhearing us.

"Oh yeah, my bad. But yeah, why are you here?"

He glances towards Amor and Hestia. "Keeping an eye out. Don't want no crazy shit to pop off like the last time you were here. The cultists of a certain asshat are on the rise again. Since that little rescue op from the underground concluded with you and homeboy over there, those guys have been surfacing for supplies a lot more frequently. I'm sure you understand why."

"Heh... yeah that was a bit fun towards the end." Amor reminisces fondly before his smile turns sour for knowing who's no longer here. "If only Sir Fencer could see this for himself."

While Hestia offers him a shoulder of comfort, Stanton walks next to me and keeps his voice low. "So a bit of information you should keep in mind. Turns out those guys have been trying to hit up the museum from every direction. It's been so bad that we had to reinforce some of the old passageways cause they've been nav'n through them real hot."

"Seriously, what do they need from that place?" I ask.

"Well truth be told, you remember those plates that you walk on at the lower part of the exhibit? You ever considered what they sit on top of?"

I do know the answer to that question. And I'm sure they're probably looking for some bit of something to use as a token to worship. Other than that, there's nothing there but likely the ashen remains of the bodies that were cremated en masse. "I'm not sure. But you could use some lotion."

"Lotion?" He asks before he realizes what I'm referring to. He gives a subtle chuckle. "Smart man. You get those tickets Rarity's been holding onto?"

"Tickets?"

"Big bro came by and requested that Blue show you guys around. Those tickets aren't just for general admission, I'll say that much. Of course, she let Rarity run that task since you were asking around for a dress. Maybe she passed them off to one of your guests. You should check in on that." He gives me a light pat on the back, encouraging me to carry on. "Though you might wanna move it. Museum's on a 'scheduled inspection', and you're surveying. Blue's waiting in the lobby, don't hold off too long."

The stallion walks off as everyone else's attention is drawn towards the statue of six humans in poses. They seem mystified by it. I walk over to check on them, Hestia immediately questioning me about it. "So let's get this straight. You have six humans that came here and 'Saved both worlds from an evil unfettered?' What could've happened that would cause for six of them to be hailed as heroes? What exactly was the 'unfettered evil' they put away?"

"Probably the Doctor." Amor mutters. He turns his head to the familiar stony steps all the way across the plaza. "And in that place holds everything that immortalizes his victims."

Zenobia stares at the converted cathedral, pulling out an envelope with four tickets inside. She sighs with a heavy heart beating in her chest, coming to grips that all of what she's dedicated her life to is soon to be uprooted in the most grandiose of fashions. "...Alright, let's see what you've done here."

Upon our entry into the lobby of the museum, we notice that a good number of the displays that would usually be backlit are dark. The numerous stalls to give away tickets for admission into the exhibits are closed and dark as well. And for further matters, not a solitary soul is present outside of our four selves. In contrast to the bustling town square, the busy plaza, and the good number of foals running up and down the stairs playing games, it's bone-chillingly quiet in here.

Amor tries to lighten the mood a bit. "Wow, I guess we managed to walk in before the museum opened up or something."

"You would think a place in a tourist trap such as this area would be overrun with visitors." Hestia replies. "Odd to see no one in here, even if this is some sort of memorial exhibit."

"Or perhaps they've closed for the day." Zenobia argues. "I don't think we should even be here."

"Actually, you couldn't be anymore wrong." The voice echoes throughout the empty room, followed by the sound of hooves clopping against the polished stone floors. A shadowy figure emerges from behind one of the displays, her face coming into the light as she speaks once more. "Today's exhibit is a V.I.P. tour. One that the general public won't get to see at all. Couldn't even pay me for it."

Amor trots up to the mare, greeting her warmly. "It's you! You're one of the ponies that came for us when we got caught by that bumbling underground crime syndicate!"

"They sure do bumble around these days." She calls back. "Back then, they used to be a real issue, totally the real deal. If I compare them to how they were back then, nowhere near close to organized." She surprises the stallion with a hug. "I heard what happened to your guy. I'm sorry that you had to lose someone you were close to. Did you ever get a chance to process that like you needed to?"

The stallion clears his throat, holding back some residual sadness over Sir Fencer. "Sometimes you just have to go on about it. It is what it is, he gave his life for us. All we can do is live for him."

"That's good." She releases him, but offering a quick nuzzle. "But it's okay to set aside some time to cry about it. Let that out when you get a chance, okay?" She focuses her attention to Zenobia. "And I heard about you, especially from Kali. She said you were quite an issue when it came to Spike, that you liked drugging him up and having your fun."

The princess looks off to the side, not denying her actions. "I want to say that it was to help him forget the pain and trauma, but that would only be half true."

"The road to hell is paved with good intentions. Though that's not to say that your intentions were good to begin with." She says with a soft but critical undertone. "But you're here now, and Nondis made it perfectly clear that I'd show you around the place." She looks to the others as well as me. "All of you. We're not just taking a trip through the exhibit today. Instead, you'll be getting a trip to the real Corrotto, the one that I remember."

"The real Corrotto?" Hestia asks. "I thought we were already in Corrotto."

"Corrotto is the name of the district we're in, so yeah. But I'm talking about the old one." She guides us down the hall towards the first part of the exhibit, where we should be stepping into an elevator. "And the thugs that abducted you, Amor, they happen to be a bunch of past denizens who were uprooted due to the arrest of a certain criminal overlord. You see, Corrotto at the time was a destination of it's own right, only that it was a hotbed of black market trade and exchanges. You could find virtually anything and everything here. If you were smart enough to know what you're looking for before walking in, you'd walk out with exactly what you were looking for."

"And the not-so-smart?" Hestia questions.

"Well... You'd win the special prize."

"What's the special prize?"

She goes to the elevator, pressing the two buttons in a coded pattern. The golden doors rumbles with a roar behind it, the sound startling everyone except her. "Spike, Amor, I'm sure the both of you remember how this tour started off the last time, right?"

"Chains with the thickness representing the age of the deceased?" The young prince recalls. "That part still gives me chills."

She opens the golden doors, revealing a dark room that appears cavernous. Her horn lights the space around us, giving us a glimpse at two large steel doors across the way. They appear to be that belonging to an enormous vault. I comment over the differences from my last tour to this one. "Uh, those doors are a lot rustier than before."

"Of course they are. There's a reason." She says as she guides us towards them. The closer we get, the more I realize that the vault doors are terribly damaged. Parts of the locks are dislodged, the massive steel tumblers that holds it shut appear ripped and pried at, the bottom cruelly peeled back as though something aspired to get inside with everything in their being. We all stare at the broken door, barely noticing the light we're losing as Ms. Blue steps towards the center of the large room, uttering but one word. "...Lux."

A slamming noise sounds throughout the cavernous room, reverberating before the room is brightened by crude, blueish white fluorescent bulbs. A continuous hum sounds as we stumble into what could easily be a warehouse. "What is this place?"

"The initial staging room, formally known as..."

Staging Zone 1: The Fridge

My eyes barely widen from the influx of light, but my spine runs a chill as I see the words imprinted in black stencil paint on the walls. I look up to see countless hooks, brown and orange from corrosion, their condition as crude and cruel as the purpose for what they were used.

Hestia floats herself up to one of them, giving one of the dangling reminders a blissfully-ignorant poke. "These chains are awfully rusty."

"And all of them are the same size." Amor points out. "I thought they were to the size of whatever victims were on it. Not to mention there weren't nearly as many on my last visit as this time."

"Why change the size when you often change who goes on them?" Ms. Blue questions. Hestia, having overheard the question, jumps back as she realizes that the looming items weren't just for display purposes. "I know that you're up there being curious, but at one point there used to be someone's loved one on that."

Hestia's altitude wanes, her hooves shaking as she descends. "You mean... that these use to... hold ponies?"

"By the ribcage, to be precise. Those prongs at the end may be rusted, but all it would take is a good angle and a soft drop, and whatever state your corpse is in would be cranked up that way, to join the party of others all looking into the void." Hestia shudders, her hindlegs quake as she instinctively stands in a growing pool of her own urine. "Yeah, welcome to the exhibit. The real exhibit." She glances to Zenobia, who was once an ardent follower of the one responsible for this place. "And this, this was his lab, his arena of unworldly desecration and sin, truly a house of ill repute."

"For a place that stores bodies, I expected it to be a lot less clean." Amor comments, still nervous in his own right, but not nearly as petrified as Hestia is at the moment.

"It used to be connected to the downtown mortuary, meaning that most of the bodies were already embalmed." Ms. Blue explains. "And dealing with their line of work, they know how to clean a body, dress it up real nice, and have you open casket ready when your death actually warrants a closed one, that way your family gets to see you one last time before making that decision. Hygiene is a must in that field, otherwise a lot of nasty illnesses gets whisked up into the public. You'd have to be careful not to leave a mess."

Zenobia walks around, seeing a few dried stains on the ground. "I see they weren't too clean. There's still some dried blood here."

Ms. Blue turns to me. "They've seen Nondis, haven't they?"

"Indeed we have." Zenobia answers. "I know he's got scars all over him."

"Did you see the ones on his wrist?"

All the imperial princess can clearly recount for that moment is the sounds of her subordinates having their necks broken in unison, sounding like a sadistic chorus of Velcro straps. "No... I wasn't paying attention."

She looks back at me, pointing at my collar. "Hey Spike, that collar on your neck, is that grafted into your body or something?"

Taken aback by the suggested repercussions of that, Zenobia denies the notion. "What!? No! I wouldn't be so cruel to do that to him!"

"Well your doctor was, he put cuffs on Nondis when he was here for his... experimentations. Sodium inhibitors affixed to pig leather. Those cuffs were surgically grafted into the skin of his wrists, they'd kill off all magic signals sent to the appendages they were attached to." Zenobia looks back down at the stain. "The blood you see down there was intentionally left in place, a reminder of what he had to endure to regain his freedom and function. He had them ripped and torn off from him, with no means to kill the pain, but relying on the cold air circulating through here, hoping to numb his nerve endings."

Hestia shudders as the imagery in her mind paints a grueling picture of the human tearing at his wrists with his own teeth, causing her stomach to turn. Amor swallows a knot in his throat. Zenobia still recalls her initial encounter with the human, now understanding the story of just a few of the scars on his body.

Ms. Blue taps me and encourages me to follow her. She also issues notice to the others of her onward progress. "Stay behind me, you wouldn't want to get lost. This place isn't easy to navigate on your own."

As we march along, I notice that most of this place seems familiar, but also foreign. I remember this part of the exhibit, but the hall was a lot more straight-forward. There were displays, displays of shadows with harrowing intent retelling the haunting details of what's all occurred here. But these halls, they're quiet, the rooms are numerous, and there are many intersections. The windows aren't dark at all, they're bright and fully lit. Everything in these rooms are fully visible. And it shows everything.

Tons of surgical equipment, numerous metal tables to place someone, racks to lift what could be assumed the cadavers into place. Then there's the sight of slumped up wooden dolls sitting idly against the equipment. Each room has around one or two, and they're all hinting at what they were doing at the time. One has a tray of equipment sprawled beside them, the tools rusted. Another leans beside a series of pumps and hoses attached to large metal containers, I can assume from the books I've read that those are embalming tanks. There are also a number of dolls in the hallways, some with scorch marks in the front of their heads, probably from magic bolts.

As we make our way through, we come across a pair of metal doors left ajar. The hinges are rusted beyond measure, they couldn't move even if you tried with your best effort. Hestia's attention is dominated by the sight of the twin doors. "What used to be in there?"

"Padded room for detainment." Ms. Blue announces.

Zenobia approaches the doors for herself. "What would they need to detain if this was attached to a morgue?"

"Go in and see for yourself."

While the doors aren't exactly easy to move, they leave a gap just large enough for the typical pony to fit through. Both Zenobia and Hestia steps inside, where they see a few other things lying around. The walls covered in cushions, coated in dust and webs, maybe even a residential spider or two. There's some wooden trains, a few porcelain dolls with brittle hair, brushes laying beside them. There are tiny little mirrors, but each of them are cracked and broken.

But the main thing that truly tells of this room is the numerous crayon drawings strewn across the floor. They depict crude drawings, of a little filly holding to her daddy's hoof, smiling while there are lots of black shadows stirring around them. Another drawing has four small ponies flying like angels, and a fifth crying while looking up at them. There are different colored legs on the one that's crying, but each of the four angels are missing a leg of their own. There's another, one of a yellow pony with a green dot in their head holding a bunch of needles. The small pony, always drawn with different colored legs, asking for ice cream. Then there's yet another, the small pony with a smile on her face, hugging herself as a bunch of different colored legs sprout out around her. She's written at the bottom of the page. She bottoms her punctuation with a little heart.

"I'm never alone!"

I'll admit that I haven't been this unnerved in a while, not since the the night of our burning airship. While the legs stir up a painful memory, along with those haunting words, Amor points towards the long-abandoned items strewn about. "There are... toys."

"Aw, there's a little playset." Hestia says as she notices a dollhouse sitting near a row of smaller figurines. The chilling realization soon hits her. "Foals. He experimented on foals."

"Mostly cadavers... But this, this is the room of the one that... well... wasn't."

Amor walks over towards a metal-framed bed, noticing a number of leather straps rolled up underneath the mattress. There are holes and latches in the leather. "Why are there these straps to the bedframe?"

Zenobia steps on a piece of paper, delivering a crunch to the drawing she unwittingly crushed. She removes her hoof, seeing a print on the depiction of her being held in the bed by a bunch of yellow figures with green dots. A green pony figure looks on nearby. At the bottom of the page reads another message.

"Daddy says if I do well, I get ice cream! I gotta do my best to stay quiet this time!"

Underneath the bed is another drawing, serving as a sequel to the one the princess stepped on. She floats it out and reads the image's writing at the bottom of the page. This time, it's of her with tears.

"No ice cream this time. I gotta do better. Maybe I'll do so good to get two scoops."

She pulls out another drawing, noticing that there are a bunch stuck together. She seems to find many where she just cites her disappointment for not getting to eat ice cream. A lot of them cite moments of her trials, speaking of dreams of wanting to see the outside world, wanting to spend time with 'daddy', hating how much the needles hurt, how sick the needles make her, how bad the room smells, how sometimes her daddy yells at her for not doing right. A consistent theme that reveals itself with all of the drawings under the bed, as though she was hiding them. The princess sadly combs through the dusty pile until there's finally one where she's with the green pony again. She's standing next to him with a huge smile. Both seem to have ice cream, hers being three scoops high.

"Three scoops! Daddy says I did great! I love daddy!"

The alicorn gasps sharply in between breaths, trembling and trying to keep herself contained as a familiar pain wells deep within her chest. Tears start to fall from her cheeks as she chokes back sobs. "No... Please... not this."

"Yeah. Pleasing our fathers always come at a cost, doesn't it?" Ms. Blue grits her teeth as she goes through the drawings for herself. "There was a little girl here he adopted as his daughter. She couldn't walk at first, so he gave her legs. Turns out he adopted four others also, and took their legs to give to her. Once she got to running around, that's when the real work began. She did everything he asked of her, no matter the task, no matter how hard... or painful. Eventually, he started going from having her control her new limbs to other things. That grew from just the legs she borrowed from her adoptive siblings, who died shortly before she woke up with those legs. So he made her control a puppet, make it do what she wanted it to do. And it did just that. Then it went from one to two puppets, then to four, to ten, to a hundred, to a thousand, controlling them all as a collective." She levitates the drawing of her and the many colored legs sticking up around her. "And when she was done controlling them, she'd place the dolls back into her little closet and come back to this room, and wait for 'daddy' to give her the next set of instructions."

"What other dolls did she play with?" Hestia asks.

"The dolls she used? It's obvious. They were all hung in her special closet." She levitates the drawing of the four fillies flying above, but blowing the dust off to reveal the gray tethers behind them. "And that special closet, is where they kept them cold." The pegasi princess runs pale as Ms. Blue continues. "Little filly was practicing necromancy without even knowing it at first, but under the influence of her 'daddy', grew to accept it as all kids often do when their parental figures give the okay. She was the second necromancer made, her 'daddy' the Doctor being the first."

"There's no way not a single soul let this happen." Hestia starts to grow angry towards what we were being shown.

"What choice was there?" The blue unicorn counters. "There was no speaking against him, not without consequence. One thing about his necromancy is that he combined it with a lot of changeling and zebra magic. The marks on his face were zebra-originated runes, and his tactics were that of a changeling, but far more sinister. He would take the forms of the dead, and walk as they would. If not that, then he'd use a body for a medium to travel anywhere instantly. That's why none dared to even speak his name, because you don't know who's really alive or dead." In a moment, she disappears, suddenly reappearing behind Hestia. "Just like that, you never know until it's too late." She disappears once more and reappears beside Zenobia. "Aside from the two being himself and the girl, there was a third he made into a necromancer, one who can also take bodies and shape them into whatever they so desired for that moment. And to this day, there's no other that know the science of necromancy than them."

"You're joking. There's someone like that walking around Scott-free?" Hestia shrieks.

"You should know, he got you all here." The imperials fall silent as they think back on how Nondis constantly threw stuff into his shadows, they look towards one another as Ms. Blue continues on. "To this day, he is the only one with the doctor's secrets and knowledge. Every last tome, every last binder of research, every recorded tape, every note jotted, he knows all of it. And as that last possessor of that knowledge, he plans to die with it."

"So this is the extent of the Doctor's doings, namely why his name's been erased from all record on the surface." I mutter.

"Exactly." She confirms as she walks out of the room.

The others follow her, but Zenobia lags behind as she looks at the coloring of the little filly and her adoptive father celebrating with ice cream. Her lips tremble as she places the old drawing face down. Her eyes watering as she clenches them and looks towards me. She doesn't say anything, and walks away. I follow her out of the padded room immediately, leaving the haunting reminders behind.

As we go on, we find ourselves coming down what appears to be an errant turn, leading to nothing but a dead end. And yet it appears that the hall isn't merely just a dead end, but a manufactured one. "Well that's strange. A concrete wall just in the middle of the hallway?" Amor cites.

"It's a wall, nothing more." Ms. Blue announces.

"Doesn't quite look it." He argues, taking a closer look at the windows and lights of the rooms that seem to cut if off. "The tiles on the ground show that there's more ahead, and the window to that room seem to be cracked from the..." His words trail off as he looks towards a window. He sees the unicorn's intense stare towards him. He turns around to see a twisted look upon her face. "...concrete?"

Her magic snags on the stallion's foreleg, yanking him as she briskly backtracks from the dead end. "There's nothing else here. Let's just move along." She orders. I look back at the window, seeing nothing at all that could elicit a mode of panic like the one displayed by our rushing tour guide. I shake my head and move on, that is until I see a set of hooves reflecting in the window, each of them being a differing color from one another.

"Spike, hurry up! You'll get lost if you stay here!"

I don't even dare to look back at that window anymore. "Coming!" I take off at full speed, going as fast as my wings would allow me. I don't even dare myself to question that. Not even going to attempt to ask questions about what I saw. Not gonna dare look back and see anything. There's nothing's there, I saw nothing. Nothing at all...

...At least I hope not.

"I'm sorry, big brother! I promise!"

Shortly after our visit to the museum, we rent out a hotel room. Not that we have any intent to stay overnight, but mainly to refresh after our harrowing trip through the underground lab. Hestia definitely needed the shower most since she peed herself from being so terrified. I guess the thousand hooks above and her flying up into them really put her constitutions in check.

But as lasting as that venture proves to be for memory's sake, the much needed distractions come in the form of all the bustling activity of the district. A lot of ponies start to flood the streets in anticipation of the game coming up later this evening. Apparently it's between the Canterlot Crusaders and the bottom-feeding San Fransiscolt Forgers. About half of their roster is going through some injury troubles, so I don't expect that game to be anywhere near competitive. But that doesn't stop the multitude of ponies from enjoying the glitz and excitement of the stadium and it's surrounding amenities.

Just as a pregame of sorts, we go out to eat at one of the local establishments, enjoying some of the menu items that are hailed as some of the best human food you can sink your teeth into. While for some that might be a theory, for me it's definitely a fact. The griffon head chef is really big of a special brand of beef that he imports from across the portal, and it definitely shows up on our plates tonight, and in our mouths. Thankfully we don't have to worry too much about the bill, Ms. Blue has us covered since she's still showing them around.

I sit in silence, staring at my claws. Namely, I look at a strange pearl ring Rarity gifted me earlier in the noon hours. She told me to hang on to it, telling me that it's a very important item but not telling me what exactly it does. I'm off in my own world while the clatter of plates comes to a rest.

Hestia is more mortified of herself. "Meat... I just ate meat."

"You're... not the only one." Amor is just as stumped over the idea.

"Is it bad that I feel like I'd like another round?" Zenobia questions guiltily, sipping on her third glass of wine.

"Trust me, you're gonna want to hold pat on that. Too much, and you'll be looking to head back to the room instead of the big game." Ms. Blue warn the three. "I guarantee that you'll be looking for the bed, wake up, and miss the match entirely."

"Now that's good eating." The alicorn princess declares as she looks out the window for the night scene taking place, the numerous bodies of pedestrians crossing about. "By nightfall our streets are stark and empty. This place is crazy."

"You can say that again." Hestia cosigns. "I knew that the humans had technology far surpassing ours. I just never thought that Equestria would be privileged enough to usher in such an undertaking. Just looking around the place, it's so bright, it makes the nighttime seem like a massive playground, it's teeming with excitement and life!"

I manage to finally overhear that part of the conversation and jump in. "Yeah, that's why I love this part of town. Anything else in Canterlot, hard pass, but here is where I'm down to make tracks."

"Well I'm glad that you're enjoying this place." Replies the unicorn mare. "Back then, I had my own reservations about coming to this area, I found a lot of trouble here. But I won't go without saying that I found some fun... sinful fun."

"Like what?" Amor asks.

"Please don't." Hestia pleads while plugging her ears. "I'd rather not hear it if it's going where I think it's going."

Amor rolls his eyes and informs Ms. Blue. "Sorry, she's not too fond of topics of the explicit variety."

"Oh honey, you need to come alive." She snickers in return. "If my brother were here, he'd be the type to throw you to the wolves. But let's not mistake the situation, he'd very much make sure you were safe and supervised, and most imporantly that things were taken slow. That was his whole schtick after all." She glances back to the liveliness of the outside street. "I wonder if he was still alive, what would he say about all of this. I guess I can't really say I would be here to enjoy his reaction if he was... I'm sure he'd be pretty upset about all of this, bitter even." She shakes her head and slaps her cheeks, perking herself up. "Alright, game starts in thirty! Let's head out!"

"I'm all for it!" Amor nods. "Let's see what this place is about!"

As I get up, I feel a slight tug at the tip of my tail. I look down to see a pink aura grasping at it, and noticing the alicorn looking off to the side. She taps her hoof on the table, lightly but impatiently now. Seems like she's finally trying to cash in her reward for the day. "Actually, why don't we catch up with you three later?" I suggest.

Amor isn't as blunt to what his sister's signals are portraying. "Are you saying that just so you two can... link?"

"Eugh... how about we don't put those ideas out there." The pegasus mare immediately trots off in disgust.

Blue questions me about the situation. "Are you sure you don't wanna head out with us? I mean it's okay if you want to come, we're back in the suites."

An impatient snort sounds from the princess. "Well, we do have a hotel room you've rented out. I suppose it would be a shame if we didn't enjoy it a bit more." I argue.

The unicorn rolls her eyes at me. "Wow, really, so does that mean I get to join in?" Her playful question makes Amor blush and Hestia shriek with shock. Zenobia appears the most perturbed by the offer, which the mare jokingly laughs at the varying reactions. "I'm just yanking your tails a bit! C'mon, Spike! You know I always like to tease you when you come around! Though to be fair, I'm still owed a turn for teaching you that one particular lesson." The princess pouts in response to that. "Tell you what, I'll go on ahead and take care of these two, while you keep yourselves entertained."

Zenobia finally rises from the table. "Sure thing." I answer as the three immediately set off.

The moment we walk outside, others start to stare at us. I begin to grow a bit uncomfortable along our way back to the hotel. A number of glances and phones taken out start to become too numerous for my liking and I opt for us to take a rarely-used alleyway. Eyes are still on our entry, but our route remains clear of any eye traffic.

Seeing that we're alone at last, Zenobia pulls at my tail to get my attention. "So, they get to head off to the game, and we get our time alone."

I shake my head. "Everything shouldn't always be about sex, you know."

"Whatever!" She leaps over me, hovering in my way. "Besides, I did your favor. Now you do mine."

"We're still in a public square, you know. Just because we're in some alleyway doesn't stop some creatures flying overhead and getting a glimpse at us." I inform her.

"And?" She eagerly dismisses the danger of that scenario. "I've done worse in front of my own father. What makes you think that I am ashamed of anything less?"

"Okay, meaning that you have your own sullied reputation in the public eye back home doesn't mean that you can decimate mine here."

"But some part of this has to excite you." She leaps onto my chest, forcing me to catch her before she slides to the ground. "Admit it, there's at least one period of the year where public escapades are in full swing. And all around you are mares eagerly passing you by, wafting their tails into you as they walk."

"Not really a turn-on honestly." I say before a warm sensation causes me to seize, moreso the location of where that sensation is focused.

The mare snickers as she whispers to me. "You've never once thought to have this done to you by someone? No subterranean passions made manifest by anyone in particular?"

I slowly put her down. "...My first crush."

"Ah yes, that little story of yours you never finished."

My eyes drift around, cautiously looking out for anyone else around. "That's because you were so busy wanting me to... I can't even say that in public."

"Then why not pretend I'm her?" She asks coyly. "Or is this some secret desire you have stashed away, a clandestine kink clustered to the recesses of your mind you're nervous of awakening?"

"My private life is mine, not for some display out in the public viewing."

Yet again for today, that pink leash is affixed from her horn to my collar. In her voyeuristic nature, she drags me closer to an opening. "Have you ever wandered what it's like to live without the boundaries of rule? To play in spite of those designations being firmly in place? Perhaps you'd be interested in a moment where risk is far too telling, making the reward all the sweeter."

As she yanks me along, I grow the more nervous due to my better self slowly crowning into the waking world. I make a conscious effort to keep myself contained. "Can we not right now?"

She sits herself upon a nearby wooden box, flipping her satin dress away with a firm whip of her tail. She looks back at me as her weight of belly causes the aged wood to creak. "What indignant disgrace, to quickly claim the likes of a princess upon the top of this crate like some mere animal." She mercilessly pulls me in, letting my lower half free of my claws trying to shield my throbbing interest from the peering eyes of the public. "And here you thought that the drugs were the only thing feeding that libido of yours. I bet you're weeks without the touch of a mare's warmth. And now it's right here, right beneath you." She guides me into her, slowly making me savor every inch she shelters from the cold of the outside air. "Poor pet, so languished and unfulfilled. But I suppose that goes for the both of us, doesn't it."

She grinds her hips against mine, a torrent of slow circular impacts that warmly wraps my base as a familiar embrace. She gives a slow retreat, pulling away from me until she finds our separation threatening to occur. She offers a merciless response, slamming herself back into me whilst yanking my leash to keep me tethered in place. I glance down, seeing the warm milky essence that her body leaves upon me with every retreat she makes, only to disappear momentarily with her lips leaving yet another friendly deposit. Her soft coos of greedy anticipation dissuades me from the idea of us engaging in such a manner with unwary patrons and civilians crossing with nary an ounce of awareness. It's making it hard for me to ignore the mounting pressure that I'd soon release inside of her.

I can't go out like this.

I grasp at her horn, cutting the tether of her magic by quenching her spell. I yank myself out from her, panting with relief as my engorged shape rests upon her back. She mewls out in lustful argument. "What's wrong? Why'd you stop?"

My eyes trail to the passing crowd, realizing that our way to the hotel wouldn't be an easy one to merely walk to with me being out and about. I take to the air instead, seeking out our hotel, which is not even two blocks away from our location. I motion to the princess of our departure. "We're not finished. Let's go."

Door, opened. Keys, down. Door, shut. Mare, on couch. Don't care how, just throw mare on couch.

Zenobia bounces after being hurled onto the furnishing, holding on for dear life as she tries not to fall back off. Her complaints are warranted. "Really, dragging me off to some hotel and treating me like this! What do you─"

I don't care too much for them. I plant my claw on her neck, very much in show as I growl at her for her devious ambitions. "You said that I should pretend you're my crush, right?"

"I-I know that's what I said."

"Then you shouldn't have a problem with this." I say as I pick her back up and throw her back to the couch, this time to make sure that she's upside down.

"Oh fuck, you are really aggressive right now." She states as I close in on her, the pulsing issue of my sex resting against the bottom of her chin and neck. "Um, shouldn't I be facing the other way for this?"

I grasp at my hilt, playfully batting either cheeks before pressing her muzzle towards it. "Kiss it."

"This angry looking thing?" She complains with a brattish tone.

"I did it for you, now you do it for me."

Reluctant due to her own reservations, she slowly grows into agreement. "But I... fine." She gives me a rushed peck, then stares up at me angrily. "There, you happy now?"

I batter the throbbing mass against the front of her throat, slowly finding excitement for my new target. "Open your mouth."

She gasps as I navigate my sex towards her lips yet again. She turns her head in protest. "There's no way I can fit that! That's not what a mouth is made for! I have teeth!"

"And I don't?" I reply, reminding her of our very first encounter. I batter myself against her lips, anxiously awaiting her participation. "How's you gag reflex?"

"Virtually non-existent." She replies. "It takes a lot for me to gag over something, and I surely think this is probably one of those in that 'a lot' category."

"This shouldn't be a problem for you." I run a claw to her neck, lightly thumbing her trachea as she breathes. My other claw slips further in to offer her the encouragement to part her lips, my digits finding the warmth of her nethers to be just as lubricated as her mouth. I slide myself into her lips, feeling the warm gasps tickle me underneath. "We'll start slow, and we'll go from there."

Her magic rallies an effort to appease me in spite of her still shallow allowance. She shows that her skill in this matter is that of a novice, probably in part of her being the one in charge and issuing orders. Now that I think of it, she's always been like that with me, demanding that I'd give her something, never offering much but her posterior in return. Everything is always for her, even when she claims it to be for me.

I suppose it's time for her to learn.

She doesn't delve more than my tip. She quite nervous about the arrangement. So I sink a second digit into her, causing her to moan lustfully. "Try sucking it, treat it like you're sipping a drink through a straw." I instruct. She shows initial inquiry but obeys, and I feel the resistance of her mouth dragging me back in with each tug I make. I start to feel a little more as she envelops my head. I groan and grimace with growing expectations. "Good. Now, take as much as you can." I give her a slight thrust, marking myself to around halfway.

My thumb rests to the bottom of her chin, hardcore indulgences manifesting in my mind as I see myself becoming more and more welcomed by her. Her magic swirls around my base, offering the compensation on the part of a cold absence of stimulation otherwise. I respect her efforts, but now I grow greedy, impatient, unsatisfied.

I give her warning. "Swallow your drink." She barely gets out a hum of question before I press myself further inward. My thumb lifts from the presence of myself resting now in her throat. A guttural groan leaves my lips with the satisfaction of me finally being fully welcomed. "Yes... take it... so nasty, I love it."

I stay there for a little while, testing her gag reflex, but her magic yanks me off of her as she issues her complaint. "I still need to breathe, you asshole!" I drop down and mash my tongue against hers, the sudden issue of protest seems to quell itself in the instant we dance with one another. I see the mess of her face, the ruined makeup, the drool running down her cheeks and forehead from the upside down predicament. She pants as we separate, quickly issuing yet another protest. "Ugh, do you know how utterly disgusting that─WHAT THE FUCK!" Her objections are changed as I crudely yank her up from her waist and flip her around like a ragdoll. "If you don't stop playing around with me, you piece of shit!"

"Tail up. Hurry." I order, grasping at myself with the anticipation of making my entrance elsewhere.

She looks at me, knowing what it is I'll do to her once she gets in position. She shows her more than willing compliance, mainly fueled by her own thirst for pleasure. However, she doesn't give me the peace of taking her without some brattish commentary. "Ugh, I fucking hate you, you big, dumb bastard!"

A well-aimed thrust into her causes her to shriek loudly. I feel her clenching and flexing around me, indicating her first climax of what's soon to be many. "You were saying?"

"I hate you." She growls angrily, rocking her hips back into me violently. "I fucking love the thing that's attached, but your talking is pissing me off!" Her magic bends me over into one of her favorite positions, fully enveloping her body with mine, her tail batting against my leg until it inevitably coils around it. Her eyes look back at me, a smile doesn't show as much of a crack on her lips, but her eyes betray her countenance. Her body shows it's appreciation by giving me such a warm reception, so warm that it starts to run from where we connect, past my point of anchoring, and further down my thighs. Her horn also glows a dull pink. "Harder... harder you fucking prick!" Her commands sound a lot less authoritative and more pleading. The way she grows in her intensity tells me that she's close to getting what she wants. But that's too easy, far too easy for what her attitude deserves. So I repeat my mannerisms from the alleyway, and deny her that long-built reward. "What the hell!?"

I sit beside her, patting my lap now. "C'mere." I prime myself, feeling much of her juices still compiling between my claws. She shows no hesitation in rising. "Show me how much you want it. Clean me."

It seems my mannerisms have triggered quite a switch. She doesn't seem to be as questioning, but rather in a flow of obeying. She falls to her haunches, throbbing back down from her climb while she disgracefully swallows me with no ambition for protest. She rises and stares with the scowl of an angry drunk.

"Open your mouth." No questions, no complaints, no fight about it, just a dropped jaw and an open maw for me to spit into. I raise her to my lap, as she hovers over me, I make a raunchy request. "Drool." She lolls her tongue, letting every bit of what she's tasted fall back into my mouth.

Her eyes stay locked to me as I swallow. "Filthy pervert."

I wrap my claws with her tail, getting a firm grasp as I tug her into position. "Sit down."

"My tail doesn't operate as your pulley!" She complains as I watch my sex sink so comfortably into hers.

"And yet you're not fighting me off." I retort with a repeated thrust upwards, causing her to hunch into me.

She buries her face into my neck as she issues one more brattish complaint. "Just shut up and treat me like you've been doing already!"

My hips give no quarter to her desire for rest, as my own pent up desire reaches a climb. I try to hold back as much as I can as our bodies clash in repeated haste. Her forelegs bear down on my shoulders, her eyes clench shut as she's made to endure the relentless assault I give. It's not long before my peak is reached from the continuous activity, the friction of our juncture further enticing me to abandon all ethics and fill her to the point of violence. It's been more than two weeks now, almost three, and I know that what I have will be too much for the dignity of this couch.

No, I'd rather take more of her dignity instead. It's not like she'll mind it much anyways. "Get up." I hurriedly pull her off of me, standing up as I rush to aim myself for her mouth. "Gimme that throat."

She shows continued obedience, opening her maw and presenting the darkness of her throat to me as a vessel to hold my overflow. Her hoof displays an eagerness to reach over that boundary of no-return, and is rewarded with a leg-jolting climax that soaks the hardwood beneath her.

"Yeah... yes baby." I watch as her lips wrap around my shaft, my claws seizing as I lunge one final time from the release of my tension. A series of throaty grunts part my lips, stream after stream of my seed decorates the inside of her mouth. She tries to hold it in, but it's too much for her. Labored pants escape my lungs as she spills the seed from the back of her throat, spewing freely from her mouth, down her chest and at last to the floor. The sight of her disgraced appearance is more than enough to keep me excited. "Nasty ass bitch."

More to add on her brattish behavior, she spits to the floor what was left in her mouth. "I'm not swallowing that."

"I swallow yours." I tease.

"Look, I didn't know about any of the mouth things until you showed me rows of teeth, and I came just that close to pissing on your face out of fear."

I giggle at her honesty. "Well I'm glad you trusted the process enough to not do that."

While her hoof is firmly at a rest against the ground, her body still jolts, almost as though she's still riding the ghost of me. "Dammit... Why the hell am I still cumming?"

"After-tremors." I say as I still experience a few of my own. I suppose the wait between us have grown too much for our bodies to handle the inevitable crash.

She sighs as she raises a hoof to observe the juices of her own creation. "I forgot my body does that because of you. It's like when I do things with you, I dare to go even further than what I'd like under normal circumstances." I grab her hoof and lick it clean, causing her to shy away. "Oop?"

I take a deep breath, already anticipating another round after that. "Oh don't run now. You were teasing me all day with this shit."

"I'm not running!" She snatches her hoof away from me as she stands up. I smirk as she stumbles a bit, leaning over to the couch as she flops down. "I'll have you know that I'm just getting in a position I like. I just want to be able to see your face this time. That spitting, the disrespect, the pulling and throwing me about, I've never been so cruelly disrespected in my life in that manner. Do it all again, and I want you to spit in my mouth, slap me on my beautiful face, choke me off a bit, and hate me even harder. If I don't feel like my life is in danger, you're doing it wrong."

...I wonder if that switch I've flipped made her more open to being a bratty sub. Either way, I'm excited to see what else she'll do for me. "Better idea. You want me to bite your neck again, don't you?" I ask as I climb onto the couch, rubbing my tip against the glistening crest of her vulva, feeling her wink with the ambition of welcoming me yet again.

"A good pet always heeds their companion." She looks down to see how much I inch around the place where she truly wants me to be. "And right now, you're not being a very good pet, are you?"

I align myself for reentry with a confident smile. "Let's change that then."

Two Hours Later...

The two imperial siblings walk from the main concourse of the arena. Many viewers are satisfied with the result of the game, the final score being a closer-than-expected 34-29 victory. There are a few die-hards who aren't as satisfied with the fact that their team came close to losing had it not been for a last minute barrage of points that saved the team from the embarrassment. But for the visiting imperial family, the result was nothing short of a thrilling spectacle complete with bright lights, loud music, rowdy crowds, and an electric atmosphere.

"That game was incredible!" Amor skips out happily, at least before Hestia pounces on his head with her own fit of excitement.

"The atmosphere was astounding! I never imagine such a foals game would be played so passionately and executed so quickly. The action was fast-paced I could barely keep up. The tension, the crowd, all of it!"

"I can only imagine what it's like in the human world! If this arena was based on that, then theirs must be even bigger and flashier!"

"Yeah, they can be pretty big over that way." Ms. Blue comments. "If you want to know more about places like that, you should try to ask Spike for more information. I'm sure he knows a thing or two."

"I just hate that he missed such a game." The stallion stretches his forelegs. "I think Hestia's voice might be a bit raw from that one."

"We'll find that out in the morning." She says before clearing her throat.

The unicorn mare turns to see us walking up. "Well, in speaking of gametime─" She stops as she sees a rather painful row of teeth marks left in Zenobia's neck. "Yeouch! What happened to you!?"

I scratch the back of my head while the princess leans into me proudly. "Well... things happened... not according to plan, but very pleased with the result." She winces for a moment. "And the souvenir."

Amor plants his hoof to his face in disgust. "Eugh, not again."

Ms. Blue checks in on the alicorn, observing what the princess would call a badge of honor. "Wow... I'm certified envious right about now, green with it."

A click of a camera app sounds from close by, I look to see a pair of mares snicker as their phone turns away from our direction. "I take it you enjoyed your walk of shame." Hestia points out.

I sigh with defeat, knowing that this is only going to add to the fuel of the pop culture fire her earlier proclamation created. "I told you they would notice. Everyone down the avenue saw it."

"So what!? Let them see! I'm firmly happy with the results!" Zenobia loudly proclaims. "He's a rough bastard in bed and I fucking love it! Quote me on it, satisfaction guaranteed!"

The unicorn quirks a brow at the prideful princess. "Huh, figures you would be the halfway-masochist type."

"Halfway?" I mutter, knowing damn well she's about fully the glutton for getting thrown around.

Zenobia's eyes pop open as she looks back to her own collar. "Oh shit, I almost forgot! We need to get back to that boutique! My dress should be done by now!"

"If it's open." I say, pulling out my phone and looking at the time. "I know it's closed, but I'll give Sassy a call just to see if we can still drop by." I look back down at the mare's neck, the teeth marks curving from her nape to her chin. "Maybe I should go to one of the local gift shops and get you like a scarf to cover that up."

"Hell no!" The princess fusses back at me. "This is my way of saying I survived being mounted by a ravenous dragon."

A nearby couple gasps for a moment, then quickly trots away while muttering to each other. I groan helplessly with no end of this potential humiliation in sight. "Not everyone needs to know the implications of what we did."

"Do you not realize who you're trying to reason with?" Amor asks. "Just take the walk of shame. I'm sure some lesser-minded meatheads will be praising you in the morning."

Hestia notices the peaceful expression sat upon her sister's face. "That smile, from you, is creepy."

"That, my darling little Hestia, is the face of a mare living in the afterglow." Ms. Blue narrates. "She wanted a second helping from dinner, and she got just what she ordered: A mean helping of prime slab A-1 dragon meat." The young pegasus gags with audible disgust. The teasing mare only makes the matter worse for her. "And let's not forget, he's not just any normal cut of the stallion variety. Oh yes, he ripped and ribbed for your pleasure."

Zenobia proudly giggles her reply. "You're not wrong there! Whoo!"

The Abandoned Lab...

In the dark halls of the quiet lab, the distant sounds of hooves clopping against the cold tile floors echoes throughout the long abandoned facility. The hall is dimly lit, then briefly illuminated before the small source of light moves past to cast a dark shadow upon the way. A solitary figure browses the derelict passageways, ears twitching and turning towards a faint voice.

"Are you there?"

The young filly, as curious as she is intuitive, walks fearlessly in the dark halls where the air of death and sadness still reigns dominant over the place. Her eyes look in varying places, but her advance halts after coming into close proximity with a thick concrete wall. She glances towards a pair of steel doors, one cracked ajar to allow her an easy entry. The filly peers into the padded room, seeing nothing but a faint presence hunched in a corner. The voice is distant, yet echoes into it's full presence.

"Found you." Flurry Heart says with a sigh of relief. "Thought you had finally gone on after the last time, but I guess things don't seem to change for you. Your regret must be pretty powerful.

The apparition still cries into her mismatched hooves, her voice trembling with hopelessness. "I'm sorry."

Flurry approaches the figure, quietly speaking with kindness and understanding, yet firmness with the things the young filly has done in the past. "You know, there's no changing what's happened."

"I did everything wrong. Now big brother won't even see me anymore. He'll never forgive me."

"Still on about him, huh?" Flurry shakes her head, still not understanding why she's seeking a brother she doesn't have. No official records have her with any family, no parents, no siblings, only just a set of adoption papers with a falsified name signed to the dotted line. "I don't know who this 'brother' of yours is, but I'm still looking for him. It hasn't been easy though, not that getting around my mom and dad ever is."

The ghostly filly notices an item sat upon the princesses neck, a small crystal pendant that glows with a faint white light. Her glossed eyes remains affixed to it, her mismatched blue hoof reaching to the living girl. "Please... Can I... come with you?"

Flurry looks down at her pendant, noticing it's glow and closes it off from the ghostly figure. "Sorry. I can't do that."

"I promise I'll be good, I'll do really good this time! Please?"

The young princess glances down at the legs of the ghostly figure. At first she sees the scars joining the legs with the joints of her main body. Then her eyes drift further down, seeing a shadow swallowing still clinging to her, a few spouting bumps and nudges keeping her rooted to the floor. An occasional hoof swipes her legs, some even poke out and wrap around her before forming into loose tendrils that fall back into the black abyss beneath her. "Poor thing." Flurry shakes her head. "All that weight on you, and it's not even yours. That's gotta be the real reason you can't leave."

"I've got to make big brother proud of me!" She claims intensely. "If I can make him proud, then maybe I can..." Silence and sadness ensues for the ghostly filly as she quickly grasps a cold realization. "Oh yeah... there's no more ice cream for me... not like this."

Flurry stands up, willing herself to leave instead of lingering to pry for more answers, knowing that her prolonged disappearance will cause her parents to ask questions. "I can't stay long, but I can say that I won't give up looking for your brother. One day he'll come up, and I'll hopefully get him to see you again."

"You'll come back, right?" The ghost pleads. "It's so quiet, so lonely here. Some others came by, but they didn't see me like you do. They just ran away."

Flurry stops in her tracks, turning around to ask the ghostly girl. "Tell me who all you saw come by."

Chapter 49: Queen's Quarrel

My morning is quite a refreshing one to wake up to. While I do know there's a lot on the minds of many, it feels like I'm waking up to just another day in the life of me. Probably helps that I got three weeks worth of pent-up frustration out of my system, that I could put some mare who's over twice my age into a mating press and make her walk funny, then watch her get a pretty dress for free, and then tug me over to her room for one more round in the madness of insatiable Ponyland Imperial Royalty. It's a good feeling to know that my efforts were so effective and demonstrative that she's basically back to being tame instead of the more feral brat she usually is.

I'm in a good mood, perhaps I'll make everyone breakfast.

I walk downstairs to see Amor and Hestia sitting at the table. Smolder and Ocellus is already gathering their stuff for the school day. Gabby sits on her phone, going through the daily headlines. I greet the room warmly. "Good morning, everyone."

"Hmph!" Hestia makes her retort as loud as possible, overshadowing and gaining everyone's attention over it's ferocity.

Smolder points it out. "Wow, you must've really made her mad."

"I didn't do anything to her." I say with a confused shrug.

Amor tries to clarify the situation. "She's upset that─"

Her wing grabs at her brother's head and smacks his forehead against the table, the impact is followed by a howl of pain from the prince. He holds himself as the pegasus mare snaps her head away with a childish reprisal. "Hmph!"

"Dude, you okay?" I check in on him. "If I hadn't known any better, I could've assumed that she was going for brain damage."

"The only one who seems to have brain damage is her." He comments, really getting a spicy glare from the mare. She retaliates by repeating the action, doing it even harder this time. "OW!" The prince holds his muzzle as he recoils from the impact.

Smolder chastises the incensed princess. "Yo, you need to chillax. We don't need our breakfast area covered in blood and brain matter just because you're in a mood."

She pouts even harder. "Hmph!"

I think for the moment, trying to put together why she's in such a bad mood. Perhaps it's that she overheard us getting a little frisky last night. But then again, she was pretty feisty last night too. I know she wasn't like that after coming back from the buckball game, she was pretty energetic. Perhaps... yeah, that'll do it. "Ah, I get it."

"What?" Ocellus asks.

"I think she's upset over Zenobia's new dress being a custom from Rarity. And she's lashing out because I didn't think to get her one, which is on me." The mare narrowly cuts her eyes to me again. "For her, it's more of the thought that counts."

"Hmph!" She has a little less intensity, but still remains just as prickly as before.

Amor already starts to cycle himself out of her reach by sitting next to Gabby instead. As that's going on, Zenobia finally makes her entrance into the breakfast nook. "Good morning!"

Ocellus sees the princess' swan-song attitude and quirks a brow. "Ah, I see somebody's basking in the post-dragon glow after last night."

The mare sits herself comfortably in her chair next to Hestia. "Hard not to when you're satisfied after such a wait." She shifts her weight a bit, causing her to wince at a tinge of sudden discomfort. "Albeit I'm a bit sore in some deeper places."

"Gee, I wonder how that feels." Gabby grumbles.

"You'll find out come Sunday." I reply. "Now, who's in the mood for strawberry banana waffles?"

"On a workday!?" Ocellus asks. "Madam princess, what did you do to our dragon?"

"Wouldn't you like to know." She snickers in response.

Smolder looks at me, seeing how happy I am and my willingness to serve everyone else. However, a loud rumbling noise sounds from down the hall. "Huh, aren't we missing someone?"

I know who's not here, but I'm perfectly fine with that. "Nope. We're not missing anyone. Not a single soul."

"Something's telling me you're avoiding a certain agreement made with a very specific someone." She replies.

"I don't even know what you're talking about." I answer calmly. "All I know is that I'm in a good mood and there's only breakfast that I have my mind on."

"Not a bad idea."

Zenobia turns her head, seeing Ember carrying in her new dress, plucking a few of the jeweled accents off from the chest. "HEY!" The imperial princess immediately reverts back to being loud and confrontational, this time for good reason. "Don't you fucking dare! I just got that dress yesterday! It's a custom!"

"Sweet gems you got on this dress." The dragoness antagonizes the princess by taking a slow sweeping lick of the pink diamond broch. "Would be a shame if I never got to taste them at all."

And just as easily as my morning starts on a good note, it sours into a bitter taste that leaves me not wanting to make breakfast anymore. "Oh for the love of─Ember, stop this. Please?"

She tilts her head at me, knowing that she's doing this to get my attention. "Oh yeah, you wanna do something about it?"

"If you want any kind of duel, we'll take it over to Ghastly Gorge." I tell her, looking to placate to her unquenchable thirst for violence.

But she's far from impressed with my choice of backdrop. "Oh no we aren't." She walks over to a nearby vase and knocks it over, shattering the poor innocent piece of pottery. "See that's too easy for you, that gives you the opportunity to fight like there's nothing on the line. You don't tend to take me serious if we're off in a craggy ravine and there's nothing of sentimental value to be lost. Nah, we're fighting here, and now."

My once-smile is now a twisted grimace, a contorted scowl of my trying to remain patient. "I'm not doing this with you, Ember. I already picked out our place."

"You either take it or I'll burn this place to the ground." She threatens.

"First off─" Hesitation fails to be a practice for her, she immediately resorts to breathing fire on the wooden table. "WHAT THE HELL!"

While her magenta flames make good stay on the table, she tosses the dress into the fire for kindling. But before any substantial damage could be done, I dump a pan of water over the raging flame, quenching the mess she made. "You thought I was bluffing. So I made it serious."

Zenobia hugs her dress, accompanied by a horrified Hestia who's carefully observing the damage. I finally snap on the dragoness. "Are you fucking kidding me, you crazy ass bitch!? You've could've hurt everyone with that stupid-ass stunt!"

"So I take it from the way you're talking to me now is that you're finally taking me serious, right?"

I smack the diamonds from her claws, pointing a nail at her chin with a stern demand. "You, me, Ghastly Gorge. Now." I fly off to open the door for our exit, but see that I've made the flight alone. I enter back into the dining area, seeing her drumming her digits against the now-ruined oakwood table. "So what, you're not coming?"

"Nah. I think I'll be better off finding gems to snack on and shit to set on fire." She tries to take aim for the dress, which Zenobia protects with a warding shield of her aura. "That's way more fun than just sitting around and not getting you at your best. So do me a favor, and find a way to get me to move."

I nod as I easily come up with a solution. "Zenobia, can I ask you for a favor?"

The enthusiasm that shows in the princess' eyes shows me that she's more than willing to commence to making a bounty of the dragoness. "Are you giving me a license?".

"Detainment only." I specify.

She rolls her eyes with disdain. "Well that's boring as shit, but for you..."

10 Minutes Later...

"YOU COWARD! HOW DARE YOU DEFY THE HONORED TRADITION OF A DRAGON'S DUEL LIKE THIS!"

The sounds of Ember shouting as she's finally brought to our place of sparring can be heard far and wide, thankfully, just not enough to be heard in town. I'm relieved in knowing that she's as far from the others as possible, now we don't have to compete with the principle of collateral damage in my mind. But I do know that Ember isn't going to be an easy one to get over, hell it took a lot just to drag her through town and make sure that she didn't set fire to anything with her raging rants and spewing flames.

And a majority of that 'a lot' has been charitably donated by one Princess Zenobia, who more than proves her ability to subdue creatures of my species. I'm starting to be amazed over how she hasn't already enslaved me permanently. "How did I know you were capable of this?"

As Ember is being carried along, bound in seven rings of the princess' magic, runes glow around the bindings that keep her unquestionably detained. Her movements are only limited to her head, but her snout is clasped shut by one of them, still allowing her to speak but not spew fire at a specific direction. Zenobia walks with a smug grin having the dragoness in her clutches. "To be frank, I've had a fair share of hunts I've been complicit in. Of course my brother gets the kill, and I get the cleanup. Not exactly fun stuff, but it's taught me how to defend myself in the case of an attack. I even managed to save Xerxes from one back when, though he'll never admit it."

"You always said your brothers and your father take a lot of credit for the things you do."

"At least you understand that I am still capable of handling myself. And to add to the matter, this spell does unevenly discriminate against smaller dragons. Larger dragons the size of buildings would be a more fitting challenge, but one of your size would be pretty easy to subdue." She glances back at Ember, who's still struggling behind her. "And to think you're even smaller than him, I wouldn't believe you to be the Dragon Lord over him."

"LET ME OUT OF HERE, YOU PONYLANDER BITCH!"

Smolder postpones her appearance at the school to supervise the situation, at least to make sure that Zenobia doesn't get anymore involved. She questions me over my decision to have her restrained in such a manner. "Okay, let's be real for a sec. You seriously let her do this, the Ponylander who's complicit in the death of several other dragons?"

"What!? I said I didn't kill the bastards!" She defends herself.

"And yet you claim their capture, thus leading to their deaths. Therefore, you are complicit." Smolder argues. "Now back to you, Spike. I didn't think you would dare to go this far. That's just poor form."

"You know what, yes it is." I nod. "But I don't care because she can't seem to catch a clue about how I do things. Don't overly indulge in full-dragon behavior in my house, it's not a cave. I know, I know, she's gonna be pretty pissed once she's let out of that binding spell. But tough shit. It's personal with me now." I glare at the aforementioned dragoness. "And most importantly, I warned you about messing up Rarity's hard work. That was a dress she made in her free time. That puts you on my shit list for real."

"Okay we get it, you still have feelings for the mare, always have. Everyone in Ponyville knows you've been crushing on her since you first saw her. But don't you think this is a bit too far though?"

Zenobia gawks with utter disbelief. "That's your crush?"

"Yeah, and has been using him to do her dirty work for a decade, and then some. How do you think he can get away with a stupid 'exclusive membership package' he has with her business? It's because she knows how he feels, won't reciprocate, regrets the fact he's still latched on, and throws him store credits and massive discounts for popping in every once and then to hunt gems for her stupid pony dresses. That way she can tell herself that she's given him something worthwhile." Ember angrily explains. "So yeah, fuck the bitch! She can treat Spike any way, sticking her pins and shit in him like a pincushion. She does that shit and get a pass, but I snack on the gems of two dresses, burn one like the shit can't be replaced, and I'm the fucking problem?"

"So what you're saying is that it's fine for you to beat the shit out of me just because you like me, that's fine somehow. And I'm supposed to accept the idea of you burning the dress, along with everything else in my house, also putting at risk everyone in it?" I snap back towards her. "I don't think you get it, Ember. I had to run across a mound of freshly burned corpses, all of them I'm responsible for, that I still take the heat over in the press. Just thinking about that and seeing how you're so eager to start fires in my house is already putting my mental in a bad fucking place. I know we dragons can't get burned as easy, but not everyone else can step into a fire and walk out just fine!"

As we finally reach our destination within the deep recess of Ghastly Gorge, Zenobia takes a deep breath from the extended dive into my history with Rarity, focusing now to the present. "Alright, I understand now that there's a good amount of tension between you both, some stemming from envy. But I should point out that once she's loose, there's no going back."

Smolder winces as she waits for the moment that I'd give the signal to free Ember. "I just want you to know that you're absolutely batshit for doing this. If she's in rut, you're in serious danger. Just to be real, there are reoccurring cases of 'safe' dragons who die before they finish mating with a 'rutted' one, some before they even start. I'm just here to make sure you don't end up that way."

"Well as much as I would like to say that I've faced off against worse, I've already gotten my head smashed in twice by her. It's not a new thing for me to wake up embedded upside down in some rock on the cliffside. So it's nothing new." I look to the princess, giving her the signal. "Alright, turn her loose."

The mare seems to have a lot of reservations upon seeing how Ember seems to be willing to give her nothing but death for restraining her and flying her out of town. "Um, pet, I don't think this is in any of our best interests."

"You know what, you're right." I motion her to stand next to me, which she does in the instant. "Okay, now you can let her go."

"Thank you for seeing the obvious." She replies as her spell is slowly quenched.

But instead of it being a gradual release, it's a sudden shatter as Ember forces herself free from the weakening bonds wiht all of her physical might. The bindings shatter like glass and the dragoness takes aim for the Ponyland princess. "YOU'RE DEAD, BITCH!"

I stand in her way, taking the tackle and redirecting her away. She tries to wrestle her way back, but I trip her and press her head into a nearby bolder. The sizeable rock splits as she makes her impact. Her claws dig painfully into my arm, slitting the scales and cutting deep into my skin. I grimace from the pain, but bear it and ram her into a cliff wall nearby.

As she stares at me, I can see the slitted pupils of her eyes narrow a considerable amount. "Oh, so here you think you're all big and brave and tough. You can handle the rocs eating our young, but you can't handle a few other creatures getting done in? That's what it takes for you to even take me seriously!?"

"You know, up to these past three weeks, I don't think I've ever seen death so close in the face as I have." I say as I give her another shove into the rockface. "I always said I never liked fighting for nothing. But making you into a threat that I have to protect everyone against, that's when you'll really get me at my best. The last time, I beat you off of sheer hatred for the one who gave me a virtual death sentence, and that also happened to be the same bitch who raised me like a brother. So you tell me what sets me off, between the combination of me getting pulled away from my home and you trying to bring more havoc to the place I live like it hasn't been done twice before! You tell me why I take you seriously now of all times!" As her claws try to dig deeper into my arm and fend me off, I dig deeper within myself to find more reasons to be angry, to fuel myself in this bout. In doing so, I drag her back out and pull her along the cliff's face into the air. "You threatened to burn my house down giving no shits about who was in it, knowing exactly what the fuck I went through! So how did you think I was going to respond to that!?"

"But they aren't dead, so what does it matter!?" She grumbles back at me, countering my assault with a targeted grapple of one of my wings, causing us both to tumble back to the ground. Instead of landing back in the open, we tumble down the rock face and fall into the mouth of a cave that once housed a quarry eel. As we both recover from the fall, she issues a rant towards me. "I really find it sad that you care more for a bunch of creatures who don't even care about what you went through! Like how little pride do you have for yourself!? You were the dragon lord before me, and you're this soft! It's unacceptable! You're nothing like any of us dragons! Born soft, raised soft, act soft until it's about someone else! When do you even try to stand up for you, yourself!? Why is it that you have to find your strength in someone or something else, is that the only way you get strong!? Maybe if they all die off, you'll start to find some form of that hiding inside of that hollow head of yours!"

While I'm a little quicker to rise, I see her being slow to rise back up. But that's not the only thing I see. In her slow crawl of a rise, I see just the slight hint of her arousal slithering down from between her legs, bridging a gap between her and her tail. A sizeable discharge falls from between her legs, puddling onto the ground beneath her. Her face is flushed red as she pants through the pain of her wounds. While it's nothing new for me to look at, just the idea of her being so injured and bloodied and still being this enthralled is more concerning than arousing. "Are you seriously like this?"

"I'm made this way! You're made this way! I don't understand why you're trying to fight it so damn much! Just stop this sanctimonious bullshit and be who you really are! For fuck's sake, I just wanna not feel embarrassed over this!" She takes notice of her own state, the sight of herself puddling between her legs, feeling some of her fluids run down her tail. She grimaces, but openly accepts her display of need. "You don't get to take my pride and then embarrass me like you did! So get over here now and finish it before I snap and do something about it!"

I shake my head at her. "Wow... I don't feel anything for this. If you say I'm hardwired to accept this in some way, then I must really hate your guts." I see the anger welling in her cheeks, the frustration writing it's manifesto through her eyes. "I'm sorry, I'm just not like that."

"FUCK YOU, YOU'RE NOT LIKE THAT!" She lunges into me, grabbing a nearby rock to bash upside my head. "Fuck you, fuck you for making me like you, fuck you for you being my first friend, fuck you for making me dragon lord after you, fuck you for making me like this, fuck you for not being strong enough, fuck you for making me wait!" She pauses and gives my head another bash with the rock, shattering it with the impact. "Fuck! You! For going for Smolder when I clearly ordained you to me first! You want me to talk about my feelings, fine! I hate that you left me the way you did! You think I only do this because I want to annoy the shit out of you!? Need I remind you what the fuck I'm still dealing with right now, what I've dealt with for years! How the fuck do you think I felt when the one who actually won against me just reneges when I give it up!? You think my pride can take that!?"

"Your pride doesn't matter!" I argue.

"TO HELL IT DOESN'T!" She screams as she grinds her pelvis against mine, coaxing me to crown from within my scales. "You can't say that it doesn't when it's not even your pride that ends up getting hurt! To a dragon, their pride is everything, their confidence, worth, dare I even say beauty! Even if it was by a pure stroke of luck, you beat me and earned your right! I waited for you! These entire three weeks I've waited for you to get finished with whatever you had to rush off to do! You obviously know that I somewhat give a shit about you! I told you that when we were both going through the rut!" She groans angrily as she forces herself to take me in as I'm still growing to size. "I hate talking about this mushy shit because it goes against everything that I know! I spent hours of my day wandering off in my thoughts, imagining what it's like to spend time with you! I thought you would come back to me, looking to start some shit so I can finally share my moment with you, but you don't seem to care too much about me to even wait! You just dove right into whatever was convenient for you, to hell with what I was going through!"

The blood from her cuts drip onto my chest as she claws at my shoulders, shifting her hips rapidly against me, my better self getting a harsh thrashing about within her well-coated walls. I at least try to make myself a little more comfortable while I just let her have her way, at least to work off her frustrations so that we can be done quickly.

"So yeah, I'm mad! I'm pissed off because I had to settle for my own self to quench my desires, while you go and plunge into whatever was breathing! I ached with you in mind, you were busy with other girls! I braved through my rut, finally lost a bout to you, and you leave to lay into some other creature anyways!"

"It's not that simple." I deny.

"BULLSHIT!" I wince as her claws strip at my shoulders, running across my chest and drawing blood. "Did you even think about what went through my mind when I saw that wanted poster!? I hated that moment! I wanted to drop all of my duties to uphold peace and take our dragons to war for you! I even ordered my father to go in and raze that country to it's roots! He was the one who told me to go talk to Twilight first! Do you know how bullshit that is to have MY DAD be the voice of reason instead of me!? I had to swallow my own feelings and act in accordance to what was for the good of my fellow dragons over choosing to save you! I went fucking nuts! I did all of that, waited here for this moment, ALL FOR YOU TO SAY YOU HATE ME!?" She raises her hips only once, slamming down at last and clenching around me with no regard for my own conditions. She gives off heated pants of smoke after her intense grinding. Her teeth retains a deadly crackle from the depths of her voice. "I thought... I really thought that I could start something with you. It might not have been what you were used to, but I wanted this for us. I didn't want to have to take it like this, but I had to do this... and you already know why."

She still tenses up as she slowly grinds herself against me. My hips have no other choice but to abide by her tugging me along, all thanks to the walls clutching around me with the anticipation of milking me for what I have. She shudders for a moment, her claws inching deeper into my chest before her moment of release finally subsides.

Her eyes close as her head raises to the rocky ceiling above us. Her shoulders start to relax, as does the rest of her body outside of what keeps us conjoined. She feels me fill her, but remains unsatisfied with the lack of what has yet to quench her vice-like depths. "You really must hate me... don't you?" She gives me another round of her hips grinding against me, her fluids lathering against her thighs and my waist. "I'm clutching like there's no tomorrow, and I don't feel an ounce of your seed."

I purse my lips, reminding her of what I've already disclosed to her months ago. "I told you that I don't get off like this. Even if it's involuntary, it will still take me a while to even get to that point."

Of course, she shows further frustration with our junction yielding an unequal response from me. "Can't you make some sort of exception, at least make this less awkward than it already is?"

I can only shake my head. "You're clutched, I can't move. I can't even get the friction on to keep me invested. I'm just soaking here. So your only hope now is for me to go soft, not be in pain, and try this again later."

The dragoness unleashes a flaming roar, slouching over me with disappointment. "I really wasted my first clutch like this... The dragon lord... not even able to satisfy her mate... pathetic."

"I warned you this would happen. Now we wait."

Ember doesn't say anything to me for a while, nor do I have words to speak to her in return. A lot of the time we spend clutched is a boring and awkward staring contest between us and the walls of the cave. Some of the times, Ember impatiently tries to climb from off of me, still finding herself very much clenched and unable to separate. I wonder when I'll finally go back down, but her body is keeping me as primed as I could ever be. While I don't like this time together, I can admit that she feels good to be in, just that it doesn't feel very good being stuck and unable to drive the point home. So she's got me in a vice, and I'm now dealing with the most unthinkable case of blue balls.

Time passes and we're finally able to separate from one another. Her body finally lets go of me, and I'm just starting to simmer down. I wait a bit before looking around for some nearby plants we could use to dress our wounds. Luckily this place is known for having a host of aloe vera plants dotting the ravine. So I go look for those first, and they aren't hard to find with how big they are.

I quickly get through the process of harvesting the leaves, looking for the thickest ones I could need, and cutting from the outermost leaves of the plants. I leave just enough for the plant to continue thriving before moving on to the next. I also make sure that I drain the leaves of their yellow oils before toting the back. Once I come back to the cave, I fillet the green exterior and expose the gelatinous bulk. I pound the gel into a gunky mush, and spread it on all of my wounds.

Ember doesn't so much as turn to see what I'm doing, she just sulks on the ground as I finish with my quick patch job. She winces every now and then, showing that some of her is still in pain from our bout. I offer her two of the four leaves I've cut for the both of us. She looks to her side, seeing them and growing annoyed again. "What?"

"Aloe vera, it helps with the open wounds."

She shoves them away. "I'm a damn dragon, my wounds will heal in a few days. I can take it." She winces once more as she realizes the wounds all over her body responded negatively to her sudden motion. It seems that all of her back and parts of her chest have received the most damage. But she's claiming herself to be fine.

I leave the two spears of aloe by her and walk away. "Suit yourself. But I'll leave these here for you anyways." I also give her a warning against leaving things to chance. "You know, with all those wounds on your back, you could easily lose your next big fight. Could even lose the title of Dragon Lord to some random drake with no wings. That would be pretty embarrassing."

She grumbles as she slides the leaves back to me. "You did it to me. So you do it."

"Sure thing." I accept.

As I follow through the same process I've done for myself, I start to apply the gel across her back. Though the process isn't as easy as dealing with my arm injuries, causing her a great deal of pain. But typical to her fashion, she grits and growls through it all. It takes another ten minutes to finish up, but when I lay the last of what's left, she gets right up and start walking around again. Her back is still in pain, but not as much.

She stares at me as I take the last leaf I've harvested and sling it over my left shoulder. "So... now what?"

I look back to her. "What do you mean 'now what'?"

She stammers, growing more and more flustered and angry with me. "I mean... I... well... C'mon, you know what I mean!"

"No I don't. You'll have to speak your mind." I suggest.

She growls and throws her arms to the air. "Can't you just read in between the lines for a minute? You know I'm too embarrassed to even say it right now!"

"But that's not how we communicate as adults, is it?" I turn back to her. "Tell you what, when we get back home, you take a shower and I'll do the same, then we'll go out for dinner. And after that, we'll maybe drop by Maud's for some jewel hunting, that way you keep your claws off of everyone else's shit. Then we'll come back, watch a movie, and then we can have a moment to ourselves to do whatever. Are we clear?"

"Or we could just stay here and try again!" She finally admits. "Can't we just go with that?"

"You wanna go at it again, in this rocky cave full of dust and pointy objects digging into your already-injured back, knowing damn well you like how soft my bed is?" She looks away with disgust, knowing that I'm right about her preferences. "Let's try things my way instead. You'll thank me later."

She issues a stubborn protest. "Spike, mating doesn't have to be this hard you know."

"Says the one who left claw marks and bloody gashes all over my body. Everyone outside of Smolder is going to think you tried to kill me."

She kisses her teeth. "You know that's just how we're wired!"

"Yeah, we know that, but they don't." I respond, spreading my wings to fly back to where we started our bout. "If you don't believe me, just watch what happens when we get back."

Our flight is a brief one, making a few turns until we reach back to the very bottom of the ravine. Both Zenobia and Smolder appear bored in their wait, that is until Smolder is the first to spot me out. "Hey Spike! Took ya long enough!" I land right in front of them, the pair taking immediate notice of my wounds. "Whoa, those are some nasty marks."

As predicted, Zenobia shows the most concern for my condition. "Pet! What the fuck happened to you!?"

"Well... she won."

"Augh, your chest, your shoulders, your arms, you look a mess!" She immediately goes into defensive mode. "You tell me where she is─"

"Ah, no, that's not what we're doing." Smolder holds her back down so she's not encouraged to take flight. "This is what dragons typically do when we mate, it's called 'marking'." The orange dragoness lifts her leg, showing the inside of her thigh and the healed scar against the area underneath her tail. "Even I got one from Spike when we first got it in. And if you look at Spike's back, I left some marks of my own, though not nearly as deep as the ones you see on him now."

"You leave a literal impression on the one you're mating with. I did it to you too, just not to this degree." I point to her neck.

"You look... abysmal!"

"Yeah, not feeling too great either, and the shower I'm due to take is going to sting a lot, but this is how bad it gets when a dragon goes into dragon lust."

The mare tilts her head with confusion. "Dragon... lust?"

"I'll explain it on the flight back." As I finish speaking with the Ponyland princess, Ember lands behind me. She's not nearly as loud or even as brash as she usually is in seeing Zenobia. Instead, she appears a lot more reserved. I turn back to her and ask. "Finally ready to get things moving the right way?"

Ember cuts her eyes at me before pouting. Smolder glances her up and down, seeing a growing stream of fluids on her thighs and tail. "Uh oh, I know that look. Didn't take well?"

"I don't want to talk about it." She answers under her breath.

"I didn't finish. She's upset." I reply, much to her chagrin.

"I just said I didn't─" She stops herself and sighs instead, a complete character overhaul of her usual reaction. "Whatever."

"I'm gonna go take her out to eat after we had back, I figure a bit of winding down will help move things along and get us to where we can both benefit from this."

Ember pouts with a puff of smoke shooting from her nostrils. Smolder chuckles and reassures her. "Hey, it works for me. You won't have as much of a problem with it as you think you would." The orange dragoness grabs me by my upper arm and pulls me along. "Alright. Let's get you home, big guy."

Ember quietly takes the lead, darting back to the house. But in doing so, the others see the terrible gashes on her back, and the slices in her wings that reduce her flight speed. Zenobia gawks with a slacked jaw over the horrendous sight. "Fuck sake. Are we sure he's the loser?"

Smolder cringes at the sight. "Doesn't look much like it. And given how Ember acted, I'd say she definitely lost."

The dragon lord turns back to see us lagging behind. I quickly disperse the idea before more conflict can be stirred over her pride. "She was on top, she won. Let's leave it at that and go home."

About an hour after we get home, we finally head out to a local chain that specializes in human cuisine. Often times it's a pretty controversial place on the account that some creatures don't really like to eat meat, nor would dare to even try. But for griffons, hippogriffs, diamond dogs, abyssinians, and the like who do, it's the talk of the town. Every now and then, there are a few ponies who brave the idea and try it out, and then walk out with a mix of regret for what they've done, and the forbidden pleasure with a to-go plate in tow.

Since this was a different experience for Ember, I figured this would be the best thing that would break the now-frigid ice between us. But with the wait, there's still the imposed awkward silence between us. Ember stares down at the wooden table, carving out a crude figure of her decapitating an alicorn, I can safely assume it's Zenobia.

I try to thaw the cold wall she's built between us. "So.... What's on your mind?"

"Nothing." Her answer is dry.

"I call bullshit."

"Call it then." Arid even .

"Do you want me to talk about our escape from Ponyland?"

"No." The sands of Saddle Arabia are so wet that I could swim in those hot coarse grains roasting in the hundred degree heat, and not mind the friction in contrast to her responses thus far.

"Okay." I'll admit, the wait for this food is starting to open up some unwanted space. Perhaps I'll go to a topic she's more familiar with. "So, how's everything in the Dragon Lands─"

"Can we not talk about dragon stuff right now!?" Her rebuke of that topic is probably the liveliest she's been in an hour and some change.

Perhaps I should go with something else. "You know, I've been to the human world once before. You should see some of those places at night. They really know how to make a city shine out in the darkness. Glistening towers lit in all sorts of crazy colors. Hold on, I think I have a picture of it somewhere─"

"I believe you." She doesn't even give me a chance to reach for my phone.

This is starting to get harder by the second. "Hey... did they ever get those tunnel boring machines to you?"

"Yeah." Still the weary traveler of the sands here, looking for the thirst of active engagement.

"Are they any good?"

"They do their job." And yet another water-filled oases that turns to the sand pouring from my desperate, delusional mouth.

"Good to hear."

My claws start to drum against the top of the table, my eyes wandering to the many other satisfied and anxious patrons at their tables. Our wait is starting to sour on me a bit, but it's only amplified by the fact that Ember is not daring to make the effort to engage. I suppose this might end up being a short one with hardly any good to come from it, never mind me teaching her the ways of simplified sexual practice.

My toes fall to the ground, feeling something moist at the bottom of them. It doesn't take me a long time to realize that the azure dragoness is impatiently stewing in her chair. her tail whipping up dust like she's starting the wind for the next scheduled storm. At this point, she might as well call it a tropical depression. She slams her fists against the table, silverware clattering and gaining the attention from the entire establishment by standing up. "How long is this going to take!?" She demands as her feral mood drips from between her legs.

"Our food hasn't come out yet. We'll be a little while." I answer.

"We're dragons, we don't eat pony food!" She counters.

"Yeah, which is why I took us to a restaurant that serves food for creatures with varying diets, that including meat."

She almost seems to take exception to the idea of eating meat. "Again, we're dragons, not savages!"

"Yeah, I get you. But I been hooked on ribs since I was pulled through Texas."

"The fuck's a Texas!?" She questions impatiently.

Well, at least she's engaged, and not just marinating the chair. "It's a place in the human world. We went to Austin and San Antonio. Austin is like this huge city that's the size of Manehattan. San Antonio is a smaller place, but it's got a killer theme park. We had fun out that way."

"I'm sure you did." Her sarcasm is as about as fluid as the dragon lust trickling down her legs.

"Maybe one day, if all goes to plan, we can transform you and have you walk around there. It's a pretty fun place. Big too. They have these roads that motorized carriages ride on, and some of those roads they can hang real high in the air. They take you to all sorts of places. Way faster than some of our trains, but it can get a little stuffy at certain times of the day." The disgruntled and clearly irritated princess abandons dignity and sits herself down, plunging a claw between her thighs. The quiet squelch gives away her brazen intent. "Please don't, they'll kick us out if you do that."

She huffs a small plume of smoke as she vents her displeasure. "You should look away then, since you apparently hate me, since I'm not even attractive enough to do anything for you."

Okay, she's on that part of our fight still. I suppose it's fair. "I said that while being sarcastic, I was in a moment. I'm sorry if I hurt you with anything I've said."

"I don't think you are."

And even now, she makes it hard to apologize. "But I am."

"You're not. You're just sorry that you finally got it off your chest. Just be real, you never saw me as anything more than a nuisance." She clenches her eyes shut and slams her fist into the table once more. "Dammit! Why did I even come here thinking that this was somehow worth it!?"

As she stops to sulk, I hear the sound of her claws divesting some of her attention to her own body. I quickly try to get her sidetracked before she can really get into it. "Do you want me to tell you the truth?"

"No. I want you to lie and whisper stupid nothings in my ear." I know that was a sarcastic remark, but I can tell that was more of a truthful confession than a blunt comeback.

I take a deep breath and give it to her straight. "Sometimes, not all the time, you can be a bit overbearing."

She almost lunges over the table, grabbing me by my injured shoulders, her right claw just as soaked as the condensation around our beverages. "And you can be far too open. Most dragons are like cryptid assholes who go for outer appearances."

I don't think she cares about the injuries she has anymore, she obviously doesn't seem to care about mine. "But that's not what you truly want, is it?"

"You don't get to tell me what I want." She shoves me back into the back of my chair. "You lost that privilege the moment you gave me the scepter. And you lost even more of it since you left me to suffer alone. Hell, you basically lost all of it when you said you hated my guts."

It takes a second for me to realize that the poor waiter is just keeping a distance while we have our disagreement. I'm sure that the sight of two dragons being at odds stand on the ground of an eventual firefight breaking out, that or a very ugly wrestling match. Plus given our visible scars, I'm sure they don't want to be around us for too long. So I wear my best smile and warmly flag the waiter over. "Ah, here we go."

The waiter doesn't say a word, just putting the plates before us along with our sides and taking a mad dash back to the kitchen. I crack my knuckles as I notice the slabs of meat sitting on my plate. Ember stares at me while I flex my digits hungrily. "What's... this?" She asks, staring at her own plate.

"Pork ribs. It's a special dish originated from the human world."

The word 'ribs' brings a sense of unease to the azure dragoness. She picks at the steaming food plated before her. "What do they taste like?"

"Try one for yourself." I say as I rip one from the rack.

She follows my every action, albeit a lot slower and with a lot more skepticism. I hold my rib to my mouth, she timidly raises hers in fashion. I chomp down with anticipation, she queasily pokes a tongue at the meat on the bone. I start chewing, and her eyes widen as the flavor hits her tongue. She sniffs the rib and finally takes a small bite. That first nibble goes from a disgusted attempt to a slowing realization of amazement. "No way."

"This is why I ordered two of my order, that way we can experience it together." Her eyes shift between her plate and me, then the rib in her possession, and back to me for verification. "Go on, have at it."

"There's no way I'm really eating this shit." She takes another bite, thinking that the first go was probably a fluke of the mind. But it doesn't take long for her to go for another, then another, and finally cleaning the whole bone and ripping another one for her to ingest. "What are these made from?"

"Pigs, apparently." I explain. "They have a beef version, but obviously that doesn't really go over well considering the bovines here."

"This is fucked up, but I'm enjoying it."

"Yeah, I figured you would. I was like that too when I first got a plate. Shining and Blueblood were no different than what you are right now, at least from what I heard."

"You should've fucking told me about this shit!" She cleans yet another bone, and goes to rip another rib from her narrowing slab. "Like years ago." She pauses to look around and see the other creatures having similar experiences. "They're not gonna look at me weird, are they?"

"Nope. Do you." I say as I dig into another rib of my own.

"Good." She says as she slides the rib into her mouth, pulling out only the bone and tossing it aside. She points towards the porcelain bowl beside her plate of meat. "So what's all of this?"

"Baked beans, mac n cheese, and peach cobbler."

The first thing she delves into is the baked beans. As soon as she scoops the entire bowl into her mouth like a disposal bin, she goes right into the mac n cheese, and at last the peach cobbler before taking two ribs for each fist, scarfing them both into her mouth and ripping back out a pair of clean bones. It seems that she's completely forgotten her condition and has elected to just devour everything in front of her. "They got anymore of this stuff? This is great!" She cleans the remainder of her ribs and recline in her chair. "Okay, I could totally go for another round of that." She looks down at my plate and starts with the remaining slab on mine. "Your tribute to the dragon lord is greatly appreciated. And you said we're going gem hunting after this?"

Huh, who knew that devouring meat and gems would temporarily displace her state of rut. I should probably research this a little more and see if this applies to all females of the dragon species. But for now, I'll play along. "Yup. Maud knows every place around here with all the gems and minerals that you'd want to snack on for later."

"Shit, why didn't we start off with that?" She takes another two ribs and cleans the bones with the efficiency of a well-oiled machine. "Never mind, I know why." Honestly I would've liked to keep my food, but seeing her distract herself from her state of rut is much more palatable. I stare down at the food left on my end, seeing the sides I've order rapidly change possession. I guess the next trip will be the one I'll finally be able to eat something aside from a few morsels. But the fact that her cheeks are so engorged with food, that and she's just fisting her mouth full of the stuff is a bit... well... unflattering. "You mustn't be that hungry if you're staring at me."

"Nah, just... thinking."

She swallows and out comes a powerful belch accompanied by a plume of smoke and flames. "Okay, time for you to stop thinking and start taking."

"What, you don't like me being cryptid now?" I ask as she snags my helping of peach cobbler. I could always order a round to-go, I've got the funds for it. "I'm just... I don't know. I guess I just have to ask... You got other dragons. Why me?"

"I dunno. I guess I'm just more familiar with you. Makes sense to me." She shovels the peach cobbler into her mouth. "Still pretty harsh to hear you go from calling me 'kinda cute' a couple months back, to now you hate my guts."

I reiterate my point from back then. "I said you were cute when you let your walls down. And weren't you the one asking if you could learn how to be romantic?"

She grabs me by my throat, her eyes shifting to every other direction as her cheeks run a pink hue. "I will strangle your trachea and rip it out of your mouth if you don't stop talking so loud."

My case in point. "So much for cute."

"Look, I'm a dragon with a reputation to uphold, what more do you want?"

"Comparatively speaking, I would like for us to have a moment like I often times have with Smolder."

Her pupils narrow to the deadly slit indicating her sudden trigger into kill mode. She's more than pissed. "You did not just compare me to her."

"Have to. She follows the prototype of a dragon coming from the Dragon Lands, assimilating into Equestrian life, and learning to be more open with her emotions, even in front of others. You can't beat that. And realistically speaking, your emotional development is leagues behind not only hers, but Zenobia's of all creatures. And I'll be honest with you, she only thinks of herself and barely anything else. So you've got a lot of ground to cover."

"So you're saying I can't beat them both!?" She flexes her claws, her sharp nails being more than capable of hewing solid rock.

"Not what I was implying." I grab her wrist, lowering those loaded weapons of hers. "I'm merely pointing out that Smolder and I are able to be intimate without having to go through physical violence on the repeat. We have a great time together, she's found out that some things are worth a different kind of conflict. That's something I want you to find out for yourself."

"Well I'm not Smolder." She rebuts.

"I'm not asking you to be."

"You just─"

I play the dangerous game of pinching her snout shut. "─And I'm not even going to pretend I didn't. I'm just hoping you'll see things my way tonight. That is all."

"This isn't going to work." She stresses through her teeth.

"Believe me when I say it. You'll be visiting me more often if it does, and I'll be more willing to give you the time of day."

After a successful journey through the local caverns, and a few monotonous discussions about mineral deposits that may be better suited for a dragon's taste according to their particular emotional response─which was a rather surprising in-depth lesson to hear from Maud of all creatures─we head back home for the early evening to make good on earlier-kept promises.

Ember isn't all too excited about it. Her main issue is that she's already done what she could on her end, and now I'm just going through with unnecessary steps that make our process tedious and uncomfortable for her. It takes a while for us to get settled in the bedroom, everyone else heads downstairs for a impromptu game-night while I take my time satiating the dragoness currently staring back at me.

I do try to make it worth her while either way by wagering all of my gems over to her if I don't give her a good time. She accepts the deal, but our initiation process starts on frigid ice. She's sitting on her claws, which keeps her from socking me at the first touch. And with her being as fidgety as she is, I know better than to move fast. So I go slow, laboring at a snails pace to scoot her legs towards the edge of the bed, carting her tail to where she's more comfortable, rubbing the scales of her belly as her cleft shows a vested but involuntary interest.

As I lean closer to her belly, my nose picks up on her feminine musk. She twitches nervously, impatient and afraid. "What the hell are you doing?" Her words are harsh, but they show her timidness.

I try to negotiate with her. "I'm giving your body the proper attention. If I don't acknowledge what it's saying, you'll forever be a prisoner to your thoughts. In short, I'm finding ways to release you."

She rolls her eyes in disbelief. "And just like that, you've lost me. I mean what even is the point in all of this? 'Prisoner to my thoughts, finding ways to release me,' what are you, Garble and his stupid poetry?"

"You'll understand in a bit." I say as I slowly rub my palms along the moistened scales of her inner thighs. I kneel before her, looking to take the first plunge into the prickly dragon lord. "Oh, and try not to punch me while I'm down here."

"Why are you down there anyways?" I lightly tickle the base of her tail, inches away from her glistening entrance. She tightens her legs around my head in response. "Stop!"

I barely get enough room to wiggle in comfort while her thighs threaten to crush my chin. "What?"

"I don't like having my tail played with." She complains, her tail batting against the floor in an odd contrast to her words.

"You won't know until you've tried it."

Her thighs tighten even further, threatening to close around my neck in a dangerous manner. "Okay, you have this weird idea of mating due to your strange pony influence."

"Five minutes." I request while tapping her thighs for her to ease up. She loosens up a little, but still holds my head. I have to politely pry myself free. "Five minutes, just let the walls down and let me work."

Her tail smacks the ground, a genuine show of frustration. "Great, now you'll be taking way too long with this bullshit."

I lean back down to get myself started. "Bear with."

The thing I've always known about Ember is that she's a walking contradiction. She always looks to make power her one feature that she lords over everyone else. A contest of strength, she wins virtually every time. But in moments where her sexuality surfaces, she continues the façade of toughness while her certain parts of her body give away her intentions. Her tail is particularly a major player in her mood, and it's better to pay attention to that as opposed to her steely eyes, her balled up fists, her loud voice, and jagged teeth.

So I go with what her tail says, and dive in.

She closes her eyes shut, waiting as my tongue starts to get curious about her taste. She is a bit tart, but I've learn to ignore the minor flavors that don't pose as a real disturbance. Hers is abundant with flavor, but not to the point of dissuading my interests.

Her claws find my bedspread, especially towards the side of her hips. Her legs relax completely, letting me indulge to my hearts content. And my tongue does more than discover forbidden territory. It delves into places, embraced by the cold-natured flesh of her most tender places.

As my tongue and jaw offers tribute to the dragoness, I feel a dull throb against my tongue. It patterns in a beat of two, followed by a rest of one. I delve more into her, but my eyes are opened to the sensation that feels too familiar to be confused with anything else but a beating heart. "This is pointless." She decries.

I withdraw momentarily to speak. "I don't think so."

She's still holding true to that façade of hers. "Well I don't feel anything."

I eye her claws, how slowly they loosen against my sheets, almost as though she's trying to hide the fact that they were giving her away too. "You know, pretending that you're not feeling something is a bit cute too."

"Can you shut up?"

"Your wish is my command." I do as I'm ordered and go return to my late-night feast.

Her tail flicks now at every motion my tongue makes brazenly against the carefully concealed kernel, hearing the sounds of her claws making small tears in my bedsheets. My eyes trail up to see hers clenched, her facial expressions contorting in silence as her stomach dips in motions to her hips instinctively responding to my every move. She releases my poor sheets and plant her claws to her thighs now, rubbing their inside scales as though she's hovering over the action.

A shudder of breath leaves her lips, a subtle far cry from the boisterous complaints she'd offer in place of her praise. But I have learned to accept her lack of compliments. After all, her body tells me more than her lips ever will. Maybe I should tease her more, that would be a bit fun to see her struggle to keep that cracked exterior up when she's all but a smoldering ruin.

Actually, that's an idea.

I make her squirm in place, though the poor thing's trying her best to be brave. But now it's time for me to give one specific place the attention it's deserving. So I attack, and I strike decisively with no quarter drawn to the dragoness. After all, she wanted a fight, now I'm going to make her fight to keep that aura of indifference.

It takes but a minute from my onslaught to break her at last, her mouth falls open, her thighs shift, her legs threaten to close, I keep them pried open as I swirl my tongue over the swollen bean. Her eyes finally launch open as she takes a deep breath, her back arches, her claws clench to themselves as she writhes from the surge. I have to duck down to avoid her knees from crushing my head, but she thrashes about with a trembling heave of breath.

She wriggles in riding the after-tremors of her regal collapse, the sheets of my bed now stained with much of her involuntary release. "Having fun yet?" I question as she suffers.

The method of her continued resistance makes her look the part of a failed ruler, her throne burning behind her, holding on to the hilt of a broken sword with the threat of taking my head, all while there is but an inch of blade left. The danger is there, but there is yet so little of it now. "What the fuck did you just do?"

Her claws hold at her innermost thighs, her legs curling into her abdomen while she adapts a fetal position. Poor thing is confused of the new fight she's got on her mind. "Got you clutching to yourself."

"You know that's not how this works, right?" Her tail whips against my bed, obviously showing both gratitude for the release, and frustration that it came without the desired reward.

I add insult to her proverbial injury by tenderly swiping a digit against her post-orgasmic slit. "Here's the thing about me. I love destinations, I love closing my eyes and opening them to find myself where I want to be. I think that's a great thing to want, that ambition. But sometimes we miss out on the journey by trying to rush to the end. So we have to pace ourselves, get things ready for what's to come."

She uses her tail to ward me off, only for it to tightly ensnare my wrist. "That's stupid. You're stupid."

Her words continue to make insult, but yet again it's her tail that draws me back towards her. So I climb to my bed and make for a much more sinful encounter this time. I slowly inject a pair of my digits into her, watching as her legs fall away like a locked door holding wonderous treasures. I loll my tongue at her, anchoring myself to indulge in her body yet again. "I'm gonna go in again. And this time, I want your words to be honest."

The moment my tongue makes contact, she squirms against me yet again. Her legs shudder as her right claw elects to do with a little more honesty, grasping at my shoulder. "This is so weird."

The foreign sensations she's experiencing amounts to tremors natural to others. But I'm sure without the subsidiary adrenaline boost from a fight to the near-death, those waves appear to be much more of an earthquake. But I know the truth, she has the ability to be pleasured unprompted. I remember the moment her tail choked mine in a coil, how we stood back to back, when we were both afflicted with the dreaded rut, how easily her claws found her slit and mine found my better self. We were so close then.

We're so close now, I'm literally tasting it.

I'm getting riled up. What was a dormant obelisk is now proudly standing firm, awaiting the attention it's due. How cruel to leave a hard worker unattended to, unpaid for the work that's due. It's better that I do something about it, maybe ease it's wait by holding on, running my palm along it's length, possibly tease the poor thing.

"Okay... feeling pretty funny about this." The squeeze at my shoulder gives me a painful reminder that I shouldn't just get lost in my own thoughts.

I pause to check on her. "You good?"

"Shit still feels weird." Her claws find the back of my head and give it a firm press against me, shoving my snout into her labes. "I didn't say stop though." It seems she's finally being honest.

What beauty to see her finally open her eyes a bit, the bronze colored iris that shine like newly sharpened brass now made docile and eager. I can tell from the way her claws flex against my head that she enjoys this brand of attention. The northern shift of her hips lets me know that she's receptive. And her tail whips against the ground, followed by a slow rise, and back into a swift slam.

She mouths a confession. "Oh shit... why does this feel so fucking good?"

Her claws massage the back of my head, intermittently offering praises for my work. But I start to feel jealous, and rightfully so. I'm giving her all that she deserves and yet I'm so exposed, so turgid, and so unloved. My claws aren't doing it anymore, there's too much open space. I need to be embraced, to be welcomed properly.

I bat away her claws, raising my head to make the transition to take what I now want. But in doing so, I leave her short of another destination. Her complaint is quite colorful. "You fucking asshole! Why the hell did you stop!?"

I prod inward, finding her rather easily. "Cause I got something else for you."

My hips drive forward slowly, feeling just how much she's been wanting to see me. Her eyes widen at my girth, now realizing that our earlier encounter was simply an incomplete matter on more than one front. She grabs at my arm, unprepared for how much I spread her open. "Oh, OH, oh shit!"

"Loosen up a bit." I warn her.

Her abdomen raises as her back arches with the surging surprise. "I'm clutching up real bad! The fuck you want me to do!?"

She's not lying, I can barely fit myself halfway, and I know from the earlier experience that there's so much more of her to explore. So I slowly retract my argument, looking to reiterate myself with heavy steps. "Relax, we'll go slow."

I lumber over her body, prodding inward and shifting back out. She grits her teeth with every push, and mouths my name on every pull. It takes her grabbing onto my hip to prompt me to go faster. I speed up my pace, still only able to meet halfway as her clenching cycle inflicts her still. But the friction is eased by the means of her body's response to my requested entry. She elicits a gasp as her clutching gives way, and I'm able to delve further within. "This is some bullshit." Her swearing is sourced from the sensation of my meeting with her at hilt, also from her reluctance to admit that this method is already proving to be much better.

I intentionally keep the wager from my lips, settling for only mocking her at the present time. "Never knew you could feel like this?"

"You're weird as shit." She groans, looking back down to where our bodies melded so wonderfully.

But I couldn't allow her to keep that image in her mind, it would rush her to the finish and leave me without my due payment. So I lift her chin towards mine. "Look at me." Her eyes drop back to where we join, but I kiss her to grab her undivided attention. "No, don't look at that, look at me. Keep your eyes on mine."

While my first kiss was to get her attention, this one's to keep it. She jolts back with shock over the taste of her own body being introduced to her by my tongue. It makes her seize, then shiver, and then I pull back to give her air, only to be violently yanked back by her into another.

The entire time, we watch each other be greedy towards ourselves. Her tongue outmaneuvers mine, going on the counteroffensive. And I vie to pull back, only to have her wrap her arms over the back of my neck, keeping me close to her, a complete contradiction to her prior words of saying how weird I am for going in this direction. But I have counterplays for her too. I reach back down, teasing her as I bury myself into her body. She yelps, then blushes upon having it heard by me. I chuckle at her shy response. "You're cute when you struggle too."

"Stop... making fun of me... asshole." She locks her legs behind me, ensuring that I don't dare to retract any further than I have been. She pulls my head in, burying my snout into the nape of her neck, she feels me growing just a bit more, revealing my intent to spare no ounce of my seed. She whispers words of encouragement each and every time I bottom out, kissing against the back of her body. "Right there. That's it." The more we stay together, the more my instinct drives me to my more primitive actions. A kiss against her neck turns to small nibbles, almost as though I'm queuing her to prepare for me to bite down on her. And true to form, I open my maw and pinch down. "Oh... shit... no!" A panic sets in her voice as she buries her claws into my shoulders.

Feral trembles causes the muscles in her arms to tense mightily, her claws drag down my back with an unapologetic trail of her memory being carved deep into my skin, far beneath the layer of scales that protect my body. They drag down to even my sides. I don't even feel the pain as I'm lost in pleasure myself. I finally reach my breaking point and feel every last throbbing pull she makes to milk my seed from my loins. I'm unable to withdraw any further, her grasp holding firm while I express my immense satisfaction.

But she's not done yet. Another crash of bliss causes her to wrap her tail around mine and pull down, prompting me even more to stay inside. Her legs clasp around my waist, furthering her objective. Her voice breaks into a youthful whimper. "Shh, it's okay. I got you." I whisper to her, hearing her stammering breaths that sound akin to her crying. "You good?" At last, she falls into her after-tremors again. She takes deep labored breaths, trying to get back the breath she's lost. "You know, every time you breathe like that, you tug me along."

Poor thing, she's just going through her first proper orgasm induced by a partner. I know the feeling, it's like seeing stars localized in the room, speckling every bit of her vision. She's still experiencing the shock. "What the hell was that!?"

"Now that's popping a clutch." I proudly state to her.

"Smolder taught you this!?" She pants heavily, still jolting a little.

"Well, Ocellus taught me the other stuff, Smolder taught me about the clutch thing, and I just kinda put together an idea of how to exploit that a bit."

She grabs my head on either side, making sure that I see her eyes when she speaks. The cracked grin on her lips and the faint shape of hearts in her eyes already tell me that I might have broken her a bit too hard. "I'm having your eggs. I'm definitely having your eggs, and I'm gonna love having them. And with what you've just did to me, you might as well set your appointment for next year because I'm going to have more with you. And we're going to keep having them. And we're not gonna stop until we alone repopulate the Dragon Lands with a bunch of dragons that look like either you or me. And you and I will be the progenitor of a higher breed of dragons, and we'll live happily ever after."

Talk about breaking the façade, "Um... that's... a wee bit too grand. Can we hold off on that?"

"Okay, motherfucker, you need to listen to me, and listen reeeeaaaally closely." She smushes my cheeks as she pulls me in closer. "Spike, you just sealed your fate here! You've spilled your seed in a female dragon undergoing dragon lust.... No let me correct that. You've spilled your seed into the Dragon Lord undergoing dragon lust! I'm going to lay my eggs, fertilized wholly by you and no one else, and there's not a damn thing you can do to stop it! I am Dragon Lord, and I hereby declare you Dragon Dad! And we are doing this again, same time next year, because biologically speaking, you won't have a choice! Now, you need to stop bitching about it, pop the fuck up out of me, and make me clutch again and again until I'm so properly bred that my my pussy looks like an Arimaspi's sloppy seconds! Have I made myself perfectly, CRYSTAL CLEAR!?"

...Why do I seem to fall into the trap of sticking my dick into crazy so often? "Male refractory period. Give me fifteen minutes to get soft and reset."

"Spike... You're nineteen. You don't have a refractory period yet." I find myself completely popping free of her as she uses her legs to pound me back into her. "Now, we're gonna stay here and you're gonna do all that weird shit again, cause that was awesome, I love this bed, and I want nine eggs at least. So you better find another load to spill and quick, you stupid sexy son of a bitch."

...I've won the wager... but at what cost?

Some time after our much more successful romp, and the following rounds after, Ember decides in her mind that it's better to take her immediate leave for the Dragon Lands. The announcement comes to the surprise to everyone in the house, but mainly to the relief of all who's endured the verbal war between both her and Zenobia. I'm definitely headlining that list of survivors.

Hestia quickly says her blunt goodbye, still upset about the damage to the dress, and heads back up to her room. Smolder watches as the azure dragoness takes up her sack of gems we've accumulated earlier in the evening. "Damn, after one night of not-dragon mating, you're leaving already? Thought you would've been stuck here."

"Have to, especially now. This isn't exactly the best place to have dragon eggs incubated." She explains. "That is, unless you want to constantly breathe laughing fire for five weeks straight, you can go right ahead."

"Hard pass." Smolder turns down the offer.

Gabby goes through her notepad, seeming to be drafting the next leg of our tabletop campaign. "Wait, so does that mean we have to change our calendar again, or will we go back to the normal schedule?"

Ember glances over to me. "Well, I guess you can slot me in for sometime next month. Or two weeks from now, that's if I drop by around that time." Her eyes sprout wide as another thought comes to mind. "Oh yeah, I want a bed."

"You mean like one of the ones in the guest rooms?" Ocellus asks.

"No way! I'm the dragon lord, I'm deserving of a bed like the one Spike's got upstairs!"

Everyone glances towards me as I facepalm in frustration. "We just negotiated for pillows, that was hard enough to distribute to that area. The logistics of that was difficult as hell, now you want a bed my size? It already takes a miracle to ship that from the distribution center in Canterlot to here! How much more do you want?"

Smolder chuckles. "If you ask me, I think Ember's turning into a real softy."

"So I like sleeping on soft things." She almost butts heads with the orange dragoness. "Got a problem with that?"

"Not really, just pointing out a fact." She replies calmly. "Though that next go with the big guy on one of my days, I'm afraid we'll have to contest that next time."

"Like the idea of that. Looking forward to scheduling my next visit on a Friday. And I might stay till Tuesday midnight. Loser takes the piss on watching the winner collect." She offers. "Since Spike's too much of a pussy to fight it out himself, we'll just duke it out for him."

"Can't wait to see you lose. Might even become dragon lord on top of it."

Ember giggles and points a claw at Smolder's throat. "Don't push it, bitch."

At long last, the azure dragoness departs from our house, gliding through the front door and finally shooting into the sky for her long journey home. I bid her well on her travels. "Fly safe!"

"Are you shitting me!" I hear a loud shrill come from behind me. I turn back around to see Smolder huffing and puffing as she slams the door shut and push my head into the door. "Did she just mark over my marks?"

"Wait, what?" I glance back to see her inspecting my back, the pupils of her eyes dilate as she snarls a response.

"That bitch, she really just clawed all over my shit!"

"May I bring up the point that my body is not a canvass for anyone's claws to draw into?" I try to argue in my own defense.

Smolder turns me around, violently snags my wrist, and yanks me up the staircase while addressing Ocellus. "Olla, I know it's your day next, but there's at least twelve minutes before midnight. I've got some wrongs to write over."

As I'm yanked into the hallway, the changeling hollers back at her. "Try not to hurt him too bad! It's been a rough one on him all day!"

Zenobia offers to join upstairs. "I will go and supervise so that she doesn't do any harm to the dear pet."

But as she vouches to fly off, Ocellus summons a turquoise tether comprised of her aura to snag the mare from the ornate collar affixed to her neck. "Oh no you don't, you can get your happy imperial ass back on down here." The princess looks down at her neck, seeing the tether stretched from her neck to the horn of the changeling. "Now I get that you might be a bit late to the party, but we still have our initiation process to consider."

The mare stammers in response to the show of dominance the changeling provides. "W-w-what do you mean initiation p-process!?"

Ocellus smirks as she slowly turns her head to the griffon down the hall. "Gabby, remember that thing we did that one other Friday, you know, when we had that x-rated game of Oggs and Oubs?"

The griffon's eyes shimmers with realization, her talons drumming into one another as she giggles. "I do remember that! Had a casualty in the process of that, but the new girl was shipped in a little while ago." A devious look falls upon her beak, producing a cruel Cheshire-like grin. "I'll go get her from the basement. Be right baaaaaaaack!♪"

Amor starts to shy away from the situation. "Uh... this is going to get very explicit, isn't it?"

Ocellus gives the stallion a glance up and down. "Huh... I guess it could be fun to put you in a blindfold and let you work out what's gonna happen next. You could totally use the relief." She snickers the second before changing her voice. "It would be pretty exciting for you to hear what she could sound like in an intimate setting. And no need to mind the mess this time, I'll be ready for it." She swaps back to her normal voice. "Hey Gabby, bring the whole box of goods while you're down there! We got another hostage!"

"Say less!"

"What all is she going to get?" Zenobia asks as her nerves start to tingle down her spine. The griffon comes back up with her first round of items, namely a motorized sybian with a vibrating saddle attachment. "The fuck... is that thing?"

"Another one of those items you can only import from the human world through means of a specialized order at a certain marketplace I'm not allowed to disclose for the time being." Gabby answers with a smile, slowly gliding a talon along the bumpy ridges of the seat. "This baby came in the day before Spike got back. And fun fact, it's got a much higher speed setting and different patters tailored for the experience of different users. It's even got a restraint latch for the more, let's just say, gluttonous rider. But wait, there's more!" Gabby walks back down to the basement, bringing up another matching sybian. "Why stop at one when you can get two? The more, the merrier!" She glances over to Amor. "These aren't just made with girls in mind, you know."

"They aren't!?" The stallion yelps nervously.

Ocellus tries to contain her laughter as she walks behind the stallion. "Oh no. They're built for fun. Lots and lots of fun. And I'm sure you'll love suffering just as much as Zenobia will."

"Suffering?" He mewls nervously as Gabby comes back up the stairs with a large box of toys.

"Just the good kind." Gabby reiterates as she pulls out a translucent gel onahole and a bottle of water-based lubricant. She plants the item against his muzzle, the end appearing to mimic the shape of that of an equine mare. His eyes buck as he notices both the shape and how soft it feels against his lips.

"Hope you drank plenty of water. And you better hope your diet was any good. Because if not..." Ocellus' voice shifts as she casts her orgasm denial spell on Zenobia. "I'll know."

"Having that said." Gabby gives a teasing smirk as she rubs her claws together with building interest. "Alexa, red alert."

As the lights in the entire house immediately shifts to red, music starts to play throughout the home. Starting with a bass guitar slowly fading in. As the words sing throughout the house

♫Thinking ahead of time, why don't you spend the night?
I know you love me

Pick up and roll the dice, read in between the lines
I know you love me

We can book a flight, wake up in paradise
Sun up above us

Tell me you're down to ride, then you can bet your life
No one above you♫

Ocellus teleports behind the stallion, whispering in his ear using Twilight's voice. "Last time was a little unfair. I'll give you a fighting chance this time."

The stallion trembles in place. "Oh shit."

Meanwhile Elsewhere...

The airship hovers at a gingerly pace through the night sky, many of it's lights dimmed for the travelers on board. The small collection of centuries maintain their post for the night shift. Overseeing them for the time being is none other than Prince Agamemnon, who grows frustrated from the fact that he hasn't been able to enjoy the downtime in San Fransiscolt for a while longer, as his usual activities upon travel happen to be the fraternization of mares coupled with beer, crude jokes, drunken shenanigans, and the morning after ritual of waking up in some random bed with no recollection of the mare he obviously inseminated.

As that opportunity was deprived of him, he takes upon the task of keeping himself distracted with being a player in relieving the post of his younger brother, who now walks into the bridge, offering only the usual sibling retort. "That sash looks terrible on you."

"My looks were compromised since I've lost an eye." He replies. "I'd rather this cringeworthy apparel than the indignity of the horrendous scar desecrating my attempts to woo the unworthy mares."

"Always you and your lack of standards. So picky to choose which fight you'll join, but never as much bat an eye for who you sire with. Selective glories, I suppose."

"Better than keeping unrealistic beauty standards for your chance to either be rejected or mated with. Still, Adelphos did your whole thing a lot better by at least looking past your level of selectiveness."

The lavender streaked prince draws a heavy sigh in thinking of his deceased sibling. "Strange thing is that we got along, he and I. Never could agree in standards, but he was at least one to reach out to all of us and see if we could unite into one front and make a clear decision. I could tell that Amor really picked up that optimistic habit of his. Too bad that Xerxes liked the lesser-blooded bastard better... to the cruel end he gave Adelphos."

"With murderers on the mind, the asshole hasn't dared stepped out of the room since we've boarded back on this piece of shit. What's with him?"

"He's... processing."

"Over what?" The one-eyed prince scoffs.

"Family matters, you know how it is now. Just the sight of Zenobia defecting has to do something for him. I'm sure he's probably between trying to correct her, or maybe even cleanse himself of her completely, along with that dragon she's fancying." The prince steps in to replace Agamemnon's shift. "He's been stuck in that room for a while. You've been filling in for his shift, which is more noble of a cause than any he could conjure up in that room. Take a moment will you, we don't need your lack of depth perception to be a navigational issue."

"Well I'm not one to refuse favors, even if they come with backhoofed insults." As the scarred prince walks into the hall, his head turns to the direction of a room with a pink rose insignia etched into the door. "I wonder what he's cooking up in there. Whatever perverse thoughts he have in mind, it's probably infected with Zenobia's varying smells and juices by now. I shouldn't envy it too much."

As Agamemnon walks towards his quarters, Xerxes sits quietly, meditating on the words his sister spoke in the public address. The conviction she carried in her demeanor, seeing how proud she was of her choices. And after the initial round of stumbles and miscues, how she appeared to be a true leader with conviction and steadfast dedication to her words. It was a stunning reminder of the level of perfection their mother once aspired for him. The words of the late Lady Rosa giving him praises for not even his best efforts, but offering harsh rebukes for his sister who could pass as the quintessential envoy of foreign relations if given the chance. Her power was in full display.

While the country they live in maintains a strict code of succession, he knows that her presence and stance rings favorably with the international audience. Especially in contrast to his views of supremacy, his father's views of ironclad governance, and the many others that ultimately maintains the status quo, she stands as a beacon of upheaval. The last who dared to do so being nothing more than a memorial portrait hung above the dinner table.

The ambition of his plans fall into question, with no scapegoat to blame his failures, nor a foundation laid to claim his successes. And standing by her was the one who gave her the podium to speak from. The bane of his reputation back home, the source of his failures recent, and now the obstacle that stands in the way of the country's voucher for militaristic redemption.

The meek smile on his face hiding the discomfort of her craggy start, the gradual nods of approval from the others that stand around him, the shaking of hooves, the bowing of heads, the quintessential exchange of democratic gestures among the world's elite, and his overreach of influence. How dare he attempt to outmaneuver he, the crown prince of the Grand Holy Empire of Ponyland. An utterance of foul words struggle past his lips as he quietly vents his anger. "F-fucking bastard."

"Not usually one to swear much, are you?"

The whispery voice, unknown in origin, startles the prince into summoning a spear to his side. "Who said that?" He turns about, seeing nothing and no one behind him. "Speak now or I'll cut you asunder!"

An airy chuckle offers a reply. "Such primitive emotions on display. Heed my voice, servant." The prince turns around, seeing a white flame appear in the looking glass in front of the bed. "Yes. Come closer, come so that I may see you." The prince obeys cautiously, carrying the spear along with him. Upon getting closer to the glass, he sees the faint image of a mare staring back at him. "Tell me, what do you see?"

He steps even closer towards the looking glass, seeing a foggy figure looking back at him. It takes a moment before the figure clears up, revealing a unicorn mare with a coat of light pink fur, eyes as blue as the boundless ocean, and a mane as white as the virgin snow. "My... mother?"

"You see naught but her pride, her source... Everything she's depended on. You."

The prince feels the faint trace of his foalhood warmth greet him, giving him a brief moment of joy. But the scowl she wears reminds him of his last day with her. His heart is one more filled with sadness. "Mother was never proud of me. She knew what I was."

"Disappointed, yes. But that doesn't change the manner of what she thought of you. She was quite proud of the power you possessed. And if she were here now, she would be proud of what you will soon become."

The speat falls from the crimson aura that once contained it. His hooves tremble as he pleads towards the mirror. "Who are you?"

"A lowly spirit, having made tributes to a world that halfway appreciates him, made to a land that did not." The voice answers warmly. "We are the same, you and I. Our ambitions are the same, despite our means differing in many ways. But I assure you, your purpose is far more than the borders of this world."

Upon discovering what is manifesting before him, he bows his head out of respect. "What wisdom do you have?"

"That to obtain what is rightfully yours, you must look not within, but outside of yourself. Stubborn pride yields many results, but not the ones you seek. But in my way, you remain steadfast and obedient. And in your obedience breeds the authority you seek." A faint smile appears from the looking glass, a mouth replacing the image of Xerxes' mother. "Perhaps you are looking for a source of that authority."

Upon the prince's lips contests madness and joy in hearing the words spoke to him. "What I would do to have my mother see me in my most proud moments, the ones that are soon to come."

"Then look to me, my faithful servant."

The mouth develops further, now with only the ghostly image of an eye floating above the mouth. "Doctor." The prince clasp his hooves together, his eyes lift to the disembodied effigy, offering his most ardent prayers.

"Yes. For it is not what you do for others, for it is what you'll do for me."

Author's Note

Hey there, it's been a long while. Far longer than anticipated. I'll just go ahead and give you the long and short of it. As many longtime readers know of me, the summer months are the months where I sometimes get the busiest because of engagements, bookings, and conferences. So it's given me few opportunities to catch up with everything plot-wise. So there's that. Then there's a brief scare where my laptop refused to charge, turns out that the CMOS battery had jiggled out of place and prevented the battery from receiving charge.

And now there's the other reason.

So it's been a while since I've been going through with the publishing of chapters. But it's mainly because I've gotten so overly invested in trying to pick a direction that I just sat down and continued drafting... and drafting... and drafting... until there's seems to be a colossal backlog of somewhere around +30 chapters I've drafted, with maybe eight of them completed. So now, I finally get around to releasing this one with about seven more to release on a timely schedule.

There's interesting stuff I want y'all to talk about, but I can't disclose any of that until we finally reach those plot points. So no spoilers... except that there will be a lot more chapters due to the shortened word-count of each chapter going forward. Which is obviously a thing I'm trying my best to do since this story's predecessor. I'll look to see you guys next week.

By the way the song for the second scene before last.

Chapter 50: Elevated Envy

I don't think I've ever felt so uncomfortable sleeping in my life. Then again, I've never had to lie in a bed while my back looks like a crime scene, causing my sheets to look like a freshly killed body had been carted off in them. But Smolder deeply insisted that she'd right the wrong that had been committed against her. Unfortunately, that 'right' had to be written over the same claw marks that Ember had left in my back and shoulders. It wasn't exactly fun, especially considering that Ember drained me bone dry just the hour before.

From the moment I wake up, I'm already praying to Faust above that Ocellus isn't in a mood to start our day off with a romp. I doubt I can get it up right now, much less for the next few hours. Keeping up with the physical demands of two dragonesses is tedious enough, and I don't need to be goaded by the changeling with no available off-switch.

Wouldn't you guess it, she's the first one I run into when I walk into the kitchen, along with a happy Gabby. "Morning to you." As I reach into the fridge, she sees the gruesome wounds carved into my back. "Yeouch! Smolder really didn't let you off easy on last night, did she?"

"Much like how you two gave Zenobia a hard time last night, Smolder wanted to make sure that her marks were something to remember." I respond as I pull out an empty carton of orange juice. I roll my eyes and toss the carton into the trash. "I swear, dragon mating has to be some of the most painful shit I've ever experienced in regards to sex."

"I thought you could handle stuff like that." Gabby states truthfully.

"Yeah, we are. But her claws went beyond the outer layer of scales. It's bad enough that Ember had already dug into my skin, Smolder dug even further than that."

"Yikes." Ocellus grimaces. "I bet that shower doesn't feel too great either."

"It doesn't." I groan as I reach into the fridge, thankful that I believe in replenishing stock before running out. I sit the unopened carton of orange juice on the counter and grab myself a glass. "Like I know that dragons leave their marks, but I didn't really enjoy getting carved into like my life's in danger."

The changeling's lips turn sour as she seems displeased by my confession. "I'll get on her about that."

"It's not like it'll matter at this point."

"I bet to differ."

Smolder walks into the room, giving off a yawning stretch as she proudly greets me. "Morning, big guy."

"Morning."

"How's the back?"

"Let's just say you dug in way too deep for what was needed." Ocellus answers crossly.

The orange dragoness chuckles timidly. "Sorry for that. I know today's your day, and I'm pretty sure that could hinder his performance a bit."

I take my turn to address her also. "Look, I get that female dragons are competitive at times. But was there a reason for digging even deeper than what was already done to me?"

"Well she marked all over my marks, so it's customary that I have to reclaim what was mine. Maybe next time she can mark you elsewhere, perhaps in some other fashion. There was no need for her to go after where I got you to begin with. That was just being petty."

"And you making the marks even deeper isn't just that?" Ocellus rebuts.

"Sorry. Dragon rules are dragon rules." She turns back to me and kisses me on the cheek. "Don't let one rough night scare you off of me. I still want you around, big guy."

"My back hurts." I sweetly remind her.

"I know." She says as she gives me a hug. "But I'll make it up to you. Promise."

"How so?" I ask.

She deepens the hug, grabbing me by the back of my neck. "Depends. What do you want from me?"

Ocellus coughs purposefully to get our attention, reminding us that it's her day to get close to me. "I'm sure I can think of something. But I'll need time to look into it."

"Sure. Maybe on my day, I'll let you do to me whatever you want."

"Just as long as it doesn't involve you clawing at my back again."

"No claws, on dragon's honor." She responds with a claw to the heart.

"Good." I reply as the sound of lumbering hooves clop into the room. Now enters a disheveled Zenobia, who's wearing tired bags under her eyes and a fowl grimace rested on her lips. "Oh, well good morning to you, miss quiet."

She walks right through me, almost as though she hated the world she lived in. "Fuck off..."

"Huh, you're seem pretty irritable today."

She scowls at me, marching up to me with every last bit of her frustration set on her sleeve. "Irritable? YOU WOULDN'T FUCKING SAY! They tortured me for a whole goddamn night! I was made to sit on some stupid vibrating saddle with no way to free myself, no way to speak on it, and no way to FINISH! It was terrible!"

I look over to Ocellus, who cracks a sinister smile. Smolder answers for her. "Oh yeah, slipped my mind that Olla and Gabby got a hold of her and kept her on a chastity spell. She's probably been stuck on edge since they started last night. Apparently Olla's gonna keep her on it until late Sunday evening."

"Oh yeah, that is pretty damn cruel." I comment.

"Isn't it!?" The alicorn shrieks. "Augh! I can't stand it! I need to find some mode of release!"

"Sorry, it's been done to me before, there's no way around it. Trust me, I've tried." I politely warn her.

"FUCKING HELL!" She screams, using her magic to pull at Gabby feathery scruff. "I just want you to pull that thing out and let me sit on it for a few hours."

"It won't work like that. I've already been there, so I would know."

I shake my head and issue a soft rebuke. "Ocellus, can we promise not to torture everyone with that damned spell?"

Gabby quickly rebounds with a counterargument. "Oh no no no. Surely you'd understand that with our situation being what it is, that I wouldn't accept it if she wasn't formally brought into the fold as you and I were made to endure similar traumas. We've set a precedent, you and I." The griffon snickers as she gingerly traces a talon down the back of the Ponyland imperial. "And now we're going to keep at it, because I know how it feels to be broken. Now you'll know what it means to be robbed of all of that."

The mare stomps her hoof with a sound objection. "If you're going to fucking touch me, at least find the fucking knowledge on how to finish me, you feathery bitch!"

Smolder quirks her brow at the princess. "Uh, is she always this volatile?"

"When she's obsessively horny." I reply.

"Right..."

I take a final sip of orange juice before taking my glass to the sink and giving it a quick wash before placing it into the cabinet and heading back upstairs. "You guys can make breakfast since you're doing what you're doing. I'll be upstairs doing a bit of morning study."

Gabby shouts back at me as I leave the room. "Don't get too engrossed! Last thing you'd want to do is make Ocellus mad!"

As I get back to the third floor, I plop down to the couch and grab me another one of the books for research. I apparently seem to have it bookmarked for the area where there is the talk of a pony being used as a controller of a creation of nightmarish proportions known as 'The Congregant'. It seems that the monster is derived of many fallen ponies, all utilizing the skeletal frame of an Arimaspi to help maintain it's stability and shape.

As I start to get into the topic, I hear and feel somepony breathing behind me. "Hey, is there anything important with you reading books of black lines?" It's Hestia, who surprisingly shows interest in my literary indulgence.

"Lots of information."

She posts herself over my shoulder, being a bit invasive after initially showing me the cold shoulder just yesterday. Perhaps she's in a better mood. "Ooh, is it information that we're not allowed to see?"

"Definitely that part."

She crawls over the back of the couch, lurching over my shoulder and squinting at the book in my possession. "Something to do with the museum?"

"You could go in that direction." I close the book, realizing that her unfamiliar closeness isn't going to make me feel comfortable enough to keep going. So I address her directly. "You seem to be hovering over my shoulders a lot this morning. Thought you'd be pissed off at me over Thursday still."

"Well... I was actually hoping you'd be able to do me a favor. Just a teensy itty bitty bit of a favor. Nothing too wild or out there, just a small molehill of a request."

"Let me guess, you want me to set you up with Rarity for a fitting?"

"That would be FANTASTIC!" Her eyes sparkle at the idea, but then she shakes her head. "But not exactly what I was angling for. Well... not the only thing."

"Okay, what is it?" I ask with a sigh.

"I knew I could get you to reason with me a bit." She flies over my shoulder and plops herself next to me on the couch, her wings fluffing as she lands. "So... a thing happened last night. Apparently Amor got asked to join in on the fun that was going on downstairs while you and Smolder were... I guess you could say, righting over wrongs."

"Well they're firmly written in my spine now. So what happened with Amor?"

"Turns out he thought about joining in, really considered it. But then he, well... chickened out. He felt pretty upset about the fact that he had been here for as long as he's been, but hasn't gotten any chance to make the first move. I'm sure you're already knowing where this is going by now."

"He had reservations because of his personal feelings towards Twilight." I surmise.

"Not only that, but he's been trying his best to, and I quote, 'give the princess his best and his all in good faith, quality, and quantity.' I may not like the topic of explicit matters, but even I know how to read the context of his answers. He's... a boy, and boys do like to be imaginative when it comes to their crushes. But apparently there was some sort of incident that he feels really crappy about that he won't talk to me over. He called himself a disgrace for some reason."

If I'm correct, she probably means the morning Ocellus teased him into making a mess in the dining area. "I know what happened with that situation. And out of respect for him, I'll just say nothing of it."

"Well in that case, he's been pretty hard on himself, like really hard on himself. He says that he's not worthy of being a suitor of the princess, but he's still trying to make himself presentable as one. Then he goes from brimming optimism, to crushing defeatism. It's an endless cycle with him, he lacks the confidence to engage but gains the courage to try it all again, only to talk himself out of it and start from square one. And with the whole war brewing up between our two nations, a lot's been getting to him. At this point he doesn't know if he can even approach her anymore."

To be fair, half of that isn't his fault. "I can understand why."

"In terms of peace, he doesn't feel that your plan with Zenobia will work either."

To be fair, even I have my doubts over it now. "Honestly, it is a wild shot in the dark. I'd be surprised if it did show any of the desired results after that disaster of a press conference. That start was all the media could stick to, never mind her sticking the landing towards the end."

"Yeah, she's not exactly the kind to stick to a script." The lesser blood princess adds. "We may not talk much, but I know her. The only reason why she's even doing this is because she's infatuated with what attention you've been giving her, attention she's known little of throughout her life. You might think it'll stay transactional, but she's attached to you. Whatever you did to her in Ponyland, she's clearly in for more of it."

"All I did was sex her up, at her request. If that's what she asking for, then I'll give her what she wants, anything to keep things favorable, and keep her docile."

"If you say so." She mutters with uncertainty. "But I don't think you realize it, she's aware of what she's feeling. And she knows a lot more than what many of us had ever labeled for her. At some point, she'll be looking to unload a lot of baggage on you, and you'll have to carry that weight."

"I think we figured that out in Foalsom. 'You're all I got now' is what she said before she threatened to blow all of us up in the marina, including herself. Can't get anymore blatant than that." I comment as I look out the window, seeing a passing airship in the far distance heading up to the north. "Look, it's like that airship out there in the distance. You know it can't fly on it's own, it's gotta have some sort of fuel source to keep it going. If it doesn't stay fueled, or motivated in this instance, it's gonna fail and hit the ground. And with her, there's very little that's keeping her motivated right now. And if I have to be a source for the time being, I have to be willing to do the part, even if it inconveniences me most of the time."

"I do engineering too you know, I know how an airship engine works. Engines are fickle, they can be sturdy so often, but even the slightest thing out of place and something's bound to go wrong. If you try to go outside of the manual, you better have a worthy substitute." She plants her hoof into my chest. "If not, you won't be flying high for very long." She lowers her hoof and hops off the couch. "That's Amor's situation right now. Sir Fencer was the last remnant of Adelphos' personal detail, a protector much like how he protected Amor. Those two weren't just close, Fencer was much of the brother Amor lost. With him gone, there's nothing to protect him, to speak with him, to offer honesty and advice, too little to keep him motivated... other than what's obviously got his heart in sutures. And with no attention, those sutures won't hold for long."

In a way, I feel for him. I can at least remember myself being in that same position years ago. My heart captive by the desire of an unrequited love of some pretty mare with a plan, a figure, and personality. While the results vary, I know mine all too well. We may be the same age, but I can still try to at least have him see that there's more to it beyond a failed crush. But in order to do that, he has to experience it. "So you think I should find some way to do for him what I'm already doing for Zenobia?"

"Not you exactly. But I'm sure that we all know that's a longshot with him being stuck here." Her ears perk up, almost like she had to carefully insert a disclaimer. "Not that there's anything wrong with the place, it's nice! But seeing her again is the only thing that keeping him up to this point."

"You want me to see if I can pull a favor for him."

"If it's not too much trouble." She clasps her hooves together, pleading for her brother's sake.

"That's a tall order, not quite as much of a 'molehill' like you called it."

"Anything to keep things favorable?" She tilts her head with a sheepish grin.

Already knowing the result of this impending contact, I grimace and accept the consequences to follow. "She should have a clear schedule tomorrow. I see what I can do."

Meanwhile over Canterlot...

At last reaching the destination of their voyage, the three princes look down at the mountain-anchored metropolis overlooking the lands to the south of it. They stare at the city in silence for the better part of fifteen minutes, neither one of them wanting to openly confess their thoughts over the exotic city below.

But at last, Eros gives credit to the city's structural integrity. "At last, here in the crown jewel of our enemy."

The avaricious prince scowls and devalue s his brother's compliment. "Well it's more of a polished stone, if you want to be generous. I wouldn't give it anything more than that."

"Now now, Xerxes, let's be fair. A city sat in a perilous position on the side of the mountain is itself an engineering marvel of itself. Plus the waterfalls cascading down the side, and also doubling as a moat for the main entrance into town is a daring aesthetic. To know that erosion isn't so much of a threat as the growing populace all inhabiting such a small focal point is something to be studied." Xerxes scoffs at the rebuke. "While they are our enemies, we should respect their accomplishments."

"I'll respect them as much as I do the multitude of creatures infesting their streets."

Eros steps around his older brother to politely engage with the spiteful stallion. "Again, Xerxes, we do as they do. We say as they say. Nothing to give ourselves away too soon, are we clear?"

The displeased imperial rolls his eyes and turns his back to the lavender-accented prince. "End my suffering."

Xerxes departs from the bridge in anger, marching out in silence as Eros continues to expand on the plan with his elder sibling. "Grumpy ones aside, I think our next objective should be to find someplace to hide away our vessel. It would be a strange thing to have our airship come into city airspace with no announced arrival. Perhaps there are caves or ravines on this mountain we can utilize."

"Wouldn't that give us away anyhow?" The one-eyed prince inquires.

"There's no need for worry Agamemnon. Their peasants don't build their cities under the ground like ours do."

The pair go back to viewing the city in the distance below. "All this economic freedom. And the regulars live like they own something worthy of note. It's almost disgusting."

"If you ask me, it should be easier to blend in that way."

"I'd rather sit through a thousand deaths."

"Oh come now, we know what you'll do when you get down there. You'll find a local tavern, get highly intoxicated, bed some average quality mare, and come back with yet another forgettable night and a hangover worthy of note."

"That's if they even got the liquor worthy of it." Agamemnon mutters with a stifled chuckle. "The mares on the other hoof, they might have a few of fairly good aesthetics. I can at least see the bright side of this, compared to Prince Killjoy."

"I'd wish he could do something other than complain. It's not like it's our fault that he signed off on five thousand plus souls to meet with the Doctor beyond." Eros tilts his head towards his brother. "Unless you feel partially culpable as well."

"I gave no such order." The one-eyed prince defends. "And you know me. I never get into fights I don't think I can win."

"Then you know that this whole thing is solely on him."

As the two continue to go back and forth over their thoughts of the disgruntled Xerxes, the aforementioned prince storms back into the private chambers of his sister. He immediately sits himself before the mirror, expecting a conversation to strike up in response. "That damned fool, Eros."

The candle lit beside the mirror flicker from an orange flame to a white one. A whisper speaks from beyond the looking glass. "Frustrations abound, my dear servant."

"You have no idea, to have a brother constantly rub the things you do in your face like it's nothing. I'd rather be dead than live another moment under his instruction."

The spirit draws an airy sigh. "Perseverance is the source of power well grown, authority well nurtured."

"I know you are who you are, but platitudes do not fare well with me at this moment. Forgive me for my insolence, it is difficult."

"And your sister has known greater strife, surely you should be able to take the marginal amount of her plight. After all, in spite of her frequent discredit, she has remained loyal to me. Surely you should be able to show similar strength." A ghostly mouth forms in the looking glass, mouthing the words spoken. "If not more."

"I take about as much pride in this as she does in the country she's betrayed."

The candle flickers at the prince's revelation. "Betrayal?"

"She's offered to broker peace between our two nations, undercutting our father's declaration of war." Xerxes walks from the nightstand, going towards the wall where a few weapons lie in wait for use. "There's no doubt in my mind she's been poisoned against us by none other than that pathetic dragon slave of hers."

The whisper replies with a curious drone. "Dragon slave? Do you by chance reference the one she's introduced me to?"

"The one and the same."

"Ah." The spirit confirms. "I recall he was from Equestria."

"Which is where we are now, seeking the holy mother."

"How ambitious." The disembodied voice sweetly invokes pride in the news. "You say you are in Equestria right now?"

The prince's anger stirs once more. "Overlooking this pathetic excuse of a capital Canterlot."

The mirror now shows an eye, looking down to the stallion with the disconnected smile. "Fortune has truly favored you, my dearest disciple."

"Disciple?" The prince turns back to the mirror, flustered at the title given to him. "I-I-I am not worthy─"

"You stand in your sister's place, now doing what she cannot. Now I bid unto you the favor once anointed to her."

The prince bows his head with reverence, overwhelmed with disbelief and pride. "I am without words."

"If I recall correctly, they have dismantled all that I have created in favor of their narratives. But I believe that there is hope beneath where the light touches. And wherein lies that hope also lies kindred company." A second eye shows in the mirror, pairing up with the first and aligning itself with the speaking mouth. "Fortune is yours to command, all you must do is seek it."

"How shall I, my lord?"

"You must send for the remnants of my most ardent followers, my lackeys of both past and current. You will meet with them first."

"And what then?"

"If they seem confrontational, merely tell them these words: All drinks on the dock."

In the parting message, the image of eyes and mouth disappears from the mirror, the candle flame flickers from white back to it's usual orange glow. While the message initially causes the stallion to brim with optimism, a moment of perplexity soon follows.

"All drinks on the dock? We're nowhere near the sea. Perhaps a river front?"

Ponyville...

"You WHAT!?"

I grimace as I thank my lucky stars that the phone is sitting on the table on speaker as opposed to being in my ear. My proposal falls on deaf ears. "Twilight, seriously, two hours of your Sunday shouldn't be that hard of an ask, perhaps even one."

But Twilight's stance is adamant on the issue. "I'm not going for this, you know I don't like him!"

"Did you even give him the chance? He's already given up on everything he knows and understood throughout his life, I think if he's willing to go that far for you, you should at least be able to hear him out for just a little less than sixty minutes."

She does bring up a valid point. "Just because he makes the decision to abandon his life for me doesn't obligate me to entertain him in any way. If I don't like him, then I don't like him. That should be the end of this discussion."

Unfortunately, I still had to play devil's advocate and try. "Twilight, he's here for you."

"And that's not my problem. Should've thought about that before abdicating and sneaking off to Equestria the first time."

"But you said that your whole reason for not being with him is religious differences. Now he's changed that."

"I never said that was the reason I didn't like him." She explains. "My reasons are my own, and I don't have to justify to you why I don't feel attached to someone who I don't believe is a good option for me."

I do understand her preferences, but at times the limitations her list of qualifications heavily restricts her options to ones that have only ended in disappointment up to this day. I continue to fight against her over her strict prerequisites for a partner. Plus I know tomorrow's her self-proclaimed day off. "Twilight, who do you have as a date for your Sunday time slot?"

She stops for a moment, stammering under her breath before pivoting on the subject. "Well if you need to know, I didn't have plans like that for this week. I have other things, like a war to avoid."

"And you don't think a conversation with Amor would help with that?" I challenge her.

"You know above all others that his position is an inconsequential one in their imperial hierarchy."

"So you'd rather talk it up with Zenobia some more then?"

"That's not─ugh!" Her show of frustration at my poking holes in her logic is subverted by yet another pivot to an off topic matter. "Anywho, let's get on with important matters. Next weekend coming up is supposed to be our monthly Friendship Summit, which was already put off for a week because we wanted you back home for long enough to get rested. Then a war got conveniently dropped off at our doorstep. So yeah, consider your Saturday booked."

Figures she'd turn this into another thing to put on my plate since I started asking her about Amor. Her spite knows no limits. "There you go, always dictating my schedules for me."

"Well I'm not giving you a choice. This won't be like our usual meetups, it will be mandatory. So you'll need to plan your week and travel logistics accordingly."

"Oh yeah, like the last thing you sent me on didn't nearly kill me."

"Now you're just overreaching! I'm not going to go back and forth with you over this! We're meeting next weekend! It shouldn't take that long! And you'll be back home in a timely manner, give or take a twenty-four hour period! That's final! Now I'll see you then, and don't you dare call me asking me to spend time with Amor again! Bye!"

I facepalm myself, already feeing more upset than I was having to initially make the call. "So damn annoying."

Ocellus enters into the den, seeing my show of bitterness. "Something the matter?"

"Oh no, just more of a forced schedule on my part. Next weekend is yet another Friendship Summit. Dammit, I just got back home, I just started to get back to being comfortable, there's peace in the house... Everything's too much these days."

"Any specific day?" The changeling inquires.

"Next Saturday, bleeding into Sunday."

"Really? That's total bullshit." She gripes, especially with it being on her day of all of them. "Well if it could make you feel any better, we could make it a joint summit with us also. We can make a weekend of all of us element bearers, both past and present?"

"That could work for both you and Smolder, Gallus and Silverstream would be on board. Yona and Sandbar would probably join in on it. But I don't think it would work for Gabby and the others here." I freeze with a sudden revelation arresting my thoughts for the moment. "Oh yeah, Yona's gonna be in Manehattan to help Coco with the regional line, and Gallus is running security over that way. That automatically rules out both Silverstream and Sandbar."

"Well, we can all go to join you." She suggests.

"If you think you can pull it off." I let the idea marinate a little more in my mind. Frustration starts to give way to satisfaction as another nuisance formulates for Twilight. "...Actually, I should totally bring Amor with us. He would love the opportunity to see how friendship works in the grander scale of running a country."

The changeling groans at my idea. "Why would you do that? You know she doesn't like him."

"And, that's her problem, just like how she put my life in danger and changes my schedule without consent, I'll do whatever it takes to mess up her mood for the day." I reply. "Plus she needs to open her standards up a bit anyhow. She doesn't even try to get to know him when he's literally a good guy who cares about everyone around him, genuinely. Even when they discriminated against me in Ponyland, he looked out for me as best as he could. I want her to see that since she doesn't get to see that side of him, mainly because he's constantly holed up here with us. Plus, it's my responsibility to keep an eye on all three of the imperial siblings throughout their stay until otherwise. So it's only fair that I force this issue, just like she forced me to bring him home at my life's peril." I plop back onto the couch and go through another one of the books I have set aside. "Besides, he's got stories. Twilight loves those."

"Ehh... If you think it will work."

"It might not. Still gotta try." I reply confidently.

"Okay. Just don't get yourself into trouble over this. I'd hate for there to be a rift between you and Twilight over something like this."

"It's all good." I reassure her. "And besides, if she gets upset, we'll just not talk for a week and reconcile. Happened the last time and we almost came to blows. It'll be fine."

"Alrighty then. I'll be downstairs getting ready for the evening." She flies up to give me a kiss. "Don't take too long with this, because I'm not Gabby. I'll hunt you down."

"Noted." As she leaves from the room, I hear the sound of water sloshing from within the pool. I look back to see Hestia shaking herself off from her dive and putting on a towel to dry herself off. She walks up to me on her way in.

"Huh, I guess you are big log of loveable personality. I'm starting to see why Zenobia got attached." She hovers up to pat the top of my head with praise. "I think it's pretty admirable that you're willing to take the heat for Amor. That's a plus in my book. Thanks for looking out for him."

"Yeah, I don't mind it. But I don't want to tell him what's going on just yet. It would suck for me to build up some expectations, only end up with disappointment when the time comes."

"See, that's what I'm talking about! You're like the biggest hard softie I've ever met!"

"Again, he looked out for me. Both of you did. You could've notched us in for a date with the imperial guards after our escape attempt. I owe you big."

The pegasus mare chuckles lightly with an eyeroll to dismiss her contributions. "Honestly, it it wasn't for the madam representative, we wouldn't have gotten very far. The credit you give to me should be to her. I sure do wish to see her again, give her my regards."

"Maybe in due time. She's off in protective custody, undisclosed location. Maybe we might run into her one day."

"Hope so." She replies with a sigh, looking up to me.

"What?"

"So... You wouldn't happen to know a library around here, would you?"

I chuckle at the thought of our current location. "Well... funny story about that."

The Greater Empire of Ponyland Meanwhile at Midnight Castle...

Night has fallen in the industrious nation of Ponyland. The refineries of the outer reaches bellow with waning laborers. By the wagonload, more and more ores are hauled into the hulking forge, all to be smelted and refined into hardened steel. Large anvils ring with the rhymical sounds of red hot sheets meeting with the hammers held by disciplined crafters of the molten crucibles. Sword and spear, beam and bolt, bullet and gun, rivet by rivet, the tools used for warfare's symphonic rhapsody are created, maintained, and even repurposed for lesser things. The red glow slowly dies in many foundries as the night firmly claims the sky. The war machine is but a breathing organism, all at the behest of it's imperialistic brain, who sits firmly upon his throne.

The emperor rests idle, watching quietly as his most trusted advisor walks through the doors. He paces himself with a brisk trot, bringing with him a printed newspaper. He hails towards the sitting alicorn. "Your highness, there is news from the international community."

Gabranth bows before the exalted ruler, offering the article for him to read. The emperor gazes with disinterest. "Oh wonders, how there is always a comment from the mumbling drivel that is the others. I can't possibly wait to hear what they have to say."

"Sire, I understand that is your way of saying you care not for their utterings, but it is a troubling trend we are starting to see."

"It can't be that troubling."

"Well sir... it's about Princess Zenobia."

Once more, he dismisses the article as an issue of non-importance. "Oh great, the girl has proven herself an international embarrassment yet again. I've grown to care less for her, she's much like her annoying mother."

"She's trying to broker for peace between Ponyland and Equestria."

A scoff leaves the emperor's lips. "That's laughable."

"She's in Equestria now."

"Well, guess she's taken so much of a liking to that dragon that she's fellating him politically. Not that it'll get anywhere than a dragon's seed spilling from her nethers... again."

"They say she's legitimate, but her reason is dubious and mired in controversy."

The alicorn narrows his eyes at his trust advisor. "Oh that's new. Tell me more."

"I understand this does not surprise you your highness, but some word leaders have taken a preference to having her speak on the country's behalf. Perhaps those public speaking lessons have ended up to her advantage, her mother's diligence in her early development shows."

He folds the newspaper, rising from his throne slowly. "World leaders say this now?"

"Yes, my lord."

"Well it won't matter much anyhow." His horn glows a pink aura, creating a similar flame on the article, burning the papers and the words on them into a smoldering whisper. The emperor walks towards one of the tapestries depicting his own birth. "Once Militades takes to his assignments in the north, we'll find much more of an agreeable position. All we have to do is convince those straggling cultists to put up a good front, make them seem far more intimidating than they actually are. If we supply them with some of our lower-end weaponry, we should be able to see more of a genuine effort to unseat the city-state of the north. Maybe some use of guerilla tactics should shelve off their forces in the tundra. Isolate the Crystal Empire, force them to act on that. And then with their attention focused to that front, we strike at their shores with extreme prejudice. A fight from the east, the west, and the north. We leave them with no room to breathe, strike hard, strike fast, and we strike decisively."

"Yeah, they won't even see it coming." The emperor's eyes bulge as an unfamiliar voice speaks next to him. He looks to his immediate left, seeing a cream colored unicorn standing next to him. The stallion smiles back at the confused emperor. "Nice wall rug, by the way."

The confusion on the emperor's face soon wipes clean as he hollers to the rafters above. "Centuries!" A moment passes, but nary a hoof, a shuffle, nor a voice can be heard responding to the emperor. He hails them again. "Centuries, seize this intruder this instant!"

"Oh yeah. I figured that my appearance would get a lot of unwanted attention. So I paid your boys upstairs a visit." The stallion clops his hoof against the marble floor, causing a piercing loud clack to sound throughout the room. Shadowy tendrils sprout from beneath his hooves, crawling up the pillars and seeping into the rafters, in turn slowly lowering down a host of thirty stallions, each blanketed with expressions of horror on their faces. "These are your guards, right?"

As each of them are sat peacefully aside, Gabranth barrels a cold stare bearing an edge akin to sharpened steel. "You dare disrespect─"

Sniper Shot interrupts the ranting advisor with a raised hoof. "Before you do that, and I mean really think about it, what do you think happened to these other guys? Do you really see yourself joining them?" The advisor grumbles, but falls silent as he look at the faces of the numerous dead littering the walls of throne room. "Yeah, we need to have a serious chat."

The emperor whispers to his underling. "Gabranth, deal with it."

The armored stallion summons a pistol and points it towards the head of the invading stallion. The intruding unicorn chuckles. "Yeah, I see I'm not that important to you, gotta send your lackey to deal with the real figure behind the scenes."

"The emperor does not waste words on that who is unworthy. You are but a mere mouse invading a den of greater beings."

"Really, I wipe your personal security detail, drop them right before you to show the kill count, even walk into this dark-souls, bubonic plague looking ass castle, and I'm not even to be acknowledged? You must really think highly of yourself to see me being that low. So maybe I should change it up then, help you realize what you're dealing with." The stallions horn glows silver for a few seconds before a bright flash shines in the room. But in the place of the stallion is a human, who's hands glow a dying white aura. "Now... do I have your undivided attention?"

The emperor's eyes widen, but narrow back to a show of indifference, trying to maintain a stoic impression of the unexpected visitor. "So, you're the rouge apostle."

"And you're the bastard who couldn't keep his hooves off of Kali, that was until she put her hoof down and decided that your son's act of ignorance was enough to deny you a little bit of playing around." The man folds his arms. "Funny though, she was strongly considering letting you hit, thought it would sweeten the deal of getting our guards some decent lodging. She was trying her best to get that done, and yet... your son got in the way of that too. Man, kids these days, I swear."

Gabranth looks to the emperor, who motions him to stand down. At last, he takes a more direct approach in speaking to the visiting human. "So you are here for what purpose?"

"You called for a war. I don't think you'd want that."

"And why do you think that is."

"Well... let's just say that my wife isn't the only one who can raise the sun." He says as he walks closer to a window. He places his hand on the stained glass panel, gently touching it with a bit of his magic imbued. The massive window shatters in an instant, the human shielding himself from the falling debris. "Plain and simple, if you think you're winning with raw numbers and weapons, all you're doing is gathering your guys into a really large frying pan. That's what happened out at sea when your sons came for us. Now I'm not the brightest tactician out there, but I do remember that going against an eldritch cosmic horror is not the best booster of troop morale. Trust me on that one, I would know."

The emperor continues to show disinterest in the man. "And I'm to be entertained by your idle threats?"

"Sir, we have eighty year old tech that can wipe your entire city clean from a map like bleach to bloodstains. And yes, that does include your civies down in the caves below. There is no discrimination, you can be royally high and mighty all you want, you'll be royally subatomic and your shadow will stand as a reminder of where you stood in the moment the vapors got to you."

"Well I find that hard to believe."

Nondis purses his lips as he nods in thought. "Let me broaden your scope a little. Our current year─back in my world─is 2022 Anno Domini. Let's go back to the year 1945, that's about 77 years ago. On the day of August 6th of that year, a flying machine known as an airplane, notably titled the 'Enola Gay', dropped a singular device unto the waking town of Hiroshima, Japan. The small device was a bomb the size of a large bicycle. I want you to imagine it, a bicycle falling from the sky, and it never even touches the ground. It had a parachute on it to slow it's descent into the city, just for the boys who dropped it off to get the fuck out of dodge before the fuse could blow. And when it did blow, it blew away 70,000 lives in the blink of an eye, vaporizing flesh, bone, wood, and steel. Another 50,000 lost their lives from the resulting toxic residue, which fell upon the ruined city like ashen snow. The bomb's name was 'Little Boy', one of three siblings to be made for the purpose of ending a war, only the second would be used, the third was stripped back down and utilized in terrifying research on the effects of radiation on a human body. Now to note something of key importance, those three were only the smallest ones my home country has ever given birth to."

"And you have said weapon?" He appears as though the human is bluffing his story.

"The modern variant. Much smaller package, but it has equally devastating results, results that are not for you to see, but for your country to experience, that is if you continue along this route."

The emperor maintains his stoic nature. "Well let's say that I call you on your bluff. What then?"

"Well I'd have to say that I'm glad my phone is in the pocket dimension where my collective is." The man looks out to the destroyed window, seeing the starry sky above. He snaps his fingers as he turns away from the window. "It's a pretty night out. Those stars are really something, Twilight really put a lot of work into her nights, even when she's not around. Granted, they aren't like Luna's, but she does a good job cultivating these formations. Would be a shame to have that interrupted, especially with the auroras being as bright and beautiful as they are."

"And yet no sign of your bluff." The emperor claims as his words are capped off by a bright light illuminating the sky as if the day has returned shortly after ending the hour before. His face runs pale as the light cast an overwhelming presence over the entire region. As it fades back out, only a bright explosion is seen in the distant sky above. The emperor and his advisor stands quiet as they watch the the horrifying explosion dissipate gradually.

The man speaks quietly to the pair. "Star light, star bright, the last star you'll see in life, you'll wish you may, and with all your might, but it won't be just you who'll die tonight."

An enormous shockwave crashes through the city, shattering every glass window in the castle. The jagged shards embed themselves in the bodies of the dead guards around the room. Gabranth shields the emperor from the hazardous fallout, he then checks on the mystified ruler. "Your majesty..."

"Eighty years of research, perfected only sixty years ago to the boundaries far too destructive to be seen as a reasonable response to any act of violence. And to think it was the downsized-to-half version that was set off, that we know as Tsar Bomba." A rumbling sounds from beneath the human, a large shadow claw rises from the floor, one from that of an arimaspi. It provides a seat for the human in the palm of it's claw. He sits high above the pair of stallions, looking down at them with a smirk on his face. "Now, my darling wife has sent me here to talk with you. And if I know Celestia, she wouldn't dare let me leave without striking terms."

"Your wife?" The emperor questions.

"Celeste Delanise Valkyrie-Haines, formerly known as Princess Celestia, my beloved sun to my weeding self. She is my mare, and demands that we bring this to an end before dinner our time. She is the one your stupid son by the name Xerxes demeaned and insulted, and attacked with no provocation. That was our ship that sailed the seas. And if you need further proof of my pedigree..."

He holds his hand out, summoning the golden halberd that his wife so often wielded in her time of battle. The pole of the enchanted weapon is slung upon his shoulders.

"So even if we are retired, try to think of this as a very important event. If we hadn't renounced our powers before our exchange of vows, you would simply be paid a visit by none other than the King of Equestria himself. A distant flex, of course. But if I have to stress the importance of this meeting, then by all means I shall. So do yourself a favor, old man, and tighten the fuck up. This is a triple threat, not only am I a human with tech far outclassing yours, I'm also the man who claimed what your family sought to claim for generations. And thirdly, I am the last thing your so-called Doctor has ever made, the last thing of his legacy." More of the arimaspi arms rise from the ground around the pair of ponies, creating a forest of risen claws in the throne room of the imperial alicorn.

"And bonus point: I don't hold a crown on my head, so that makes me a pawn on the board, here on your side, on your baseline, upgradeable to whatever I deem necessary to cut you down, should you refuse. So to summarize this moment in three words... Check, your move."

No longer able to hold his stoic face, the emperor resigns himself to reluctance as he gives Nondis his reply. "What are your conditions?"

The man leans forward in his shadowy seat. "Let's start from the top then. Shall we?"

Chapter 51: Foreign Fraternization

"Bandages! We need bandages for the wounded!"

"Clean up the streets! Make way for any injured!"

"The wagons need access to the road, clear the debris for our runners!"

Trotting through the panic-ridden streets of Midnight Castle, Nondis takes observation of the mess taking place. He marches through a city coated in broken glass and bloodied bodies looking to treat the severely wounded. Carriages dart past him, hurrying to varying locations housing the injured. He marches as though none of the harrowing scenery bothers him. In fact, he appears completely indifferent to the suffering of the citizens of the proud nation.

With a hum, he passes through the city gates, making his way towards a large pine tree in the far distance. The sounds of the chaotic scene passes as he looks back to see a city full of manic ponies rushing about. But instead of looking to mend the injured, he sees ponies flailing about for nothing. Windows once broken and littering the streets of the city are held intact, the homes and the victims unharmed. The screaming still persists as the field of their illusionary Armageddon hold true. But to him who has left the city walls, it's much ado about nothing.

He reaches the pine tree, seeing a thick cloth reclined onto it covered in snow drift. He yanks the cloth, revealing a well-maintained motorcycle safe from the snowy elements. He walks the bike out of the built mountain of loose snow and onto the better kept path. As he ventures away from the city with the motorized bike about his current size, he hears a notification ding on his phone.

He summons the device to his view, seeing a digitized draconequus dancing on his screen. "Well I'll admit, that little stunt you pulled was quite the show for the entire city. I can safely say that it might have caused some delicious chaos among the unassuming."

"Yeah, I'm just glad I had the help to make it possible." The disguised human replies. "Between what I did in the throne room, and maintaining that illusion for as long as it's lasted, plus the area it takes up, I don't think I would've held it for as long as I've gotten the chance to leave the city without you. You're a lifesaver on that front."

"Anything to stir up a bit of good trouble, all for the sake of making sure that Fluttershy doesn't have to worry too much about any of these matters. It should serve as a warning."

"I didn't think it was possible at first. I'm used to doing rooms, a few city blocks. But when you told me about that magic formula they had cooked up for the back end of the mountain in Canterlot, I couldn't refuse the opportunity to blow it up to cityscape. Thought about using it on the city once, but I thought it would've been too chaotic for the population. Ran it over Silver Shoals a few times just to see if I could artificially extend the daylight hours by a few minutes. That's about all I could by with my own power. Didn't take long for Tia to find out what I was doing and I had to lay low for a bit, lest I angered the wife. First time I've expanded it to this scale, and with your help, ran it as long as I did."

"Well it was better than actually going with the other option." The creature replies as he brings up a picture of a nuclear explosion onto the screen.

"Yeah, plus those damn things are nigh impossible to get a hold of, even in the illegal trade markets back home. Like seriously, who the unholy fuck would be willing to sell nuclear warheads? There's so much shit you have to do to prevent disaster, even an orphan radioactive incident from occurring."

"And I don't think that a large explosion happening in the upper atmosphere would be ideal for your vehicle."

"No kidding, would've knocked out the circuits from the resulting EMP." Nondis replies as the magic field around the city dissipates, the amplified dimensional distortion spell losing all power and reverting the city back to it's original state. "Looks like I'm working against time now. They'll be hunting me down since I've tricked the bastards into thinking I did all that crazy shit for real. Probably even worse is that they'll want me to create a nuke for them, which is something I'm far from being able to do. My name is neither Einstein nor Oppenheimer. And like hell I'm gonna try to recreate those conditions with fucking magic of all things."

Horns sound from within the city, each of them joining in to sound like a warring fanfare of an oncoming army. "Looks like they're on the move now."

"Yup. Time to rev and go." He replies as he transforms back into his human shape and mounting the bike.

"If something happens to you, what should I tell your wife?"

"I'll be running home late." He says as he starts the engine.

"In the event of you getting captured?"

"I'll be running home late for dinner." He says, revving the engine and kicking up dirt before taking off at a high speed.

"If they keep you for a few days?"

"Depends. Do they have Senior Crispy back in the flesh or something?"

Discord hums in thought, knowing his own abilities and how he was able to reclaim King Sombra from the Aether. "They could still try. While it's a lost art, it's only a matter of time before they discover a method on their own."

"I'm not too worried about that anyways. If he so much as breath air, I'm putting him right back in a furnace where I can cook his lungs again."

"Still, best to be careful."

As Discord finds himself diving into another application, Nondis thinks back to the information conveyed during the meeting with Spike. His mind runs amok with possibilities, each manifesting into a number of successful methods to reclaim the necroterrorist for the living. He sighs heavily. "Too late for that shit now, but at least I've got a backup plan in case that starts to be a thing again."

As an airship starts to rise into the sky behind him, he looks back to see a growing fleet raising their spotlights to the outskirts of the town. He revs himself to a higher speed, looking to cut tail and disappear beyond the wintery snow of the night.

"Spike, I hope you're doing your homework."

Meanwhile in Canterlot...

The three cloaked alicorns quietly enter the city past it's main gate, seeing a bustling world of pedestrian traffic. A train speeds past upon leave, the other moving slow in it's arrival. A group of adolescents giggling with their phones out, pointing at what amuses them on their post. News stands promote their take on varying issues, their criers each claiming to have the latest on issues like the looming war, the newest hot gossip with the friendship advisor and the Ponyland princess, some guys touting the newest developments with Princess Twilight's love life and their promotions of her looking for an eligible bachelor, sports, and local developments.

A kirin foal playing with a changeling youth gallop past, the kirin nudging past Xerxes, who raises a foreleg with disgust. The two are soon joined with a pegasus pointing them to a nearby food stall. The buildings that line the street appear to be unicorn themed high-rises, with purple and white paint, coming to a climax with Arabesque spires and rotundas.

Agamemnon issues a comment on the bustling city. "So... These are the streets of the crown jewel of Equestria? Their structures are impractical."

"Stylish, I'll admit." Eros replies.

"There's no style in having streets littered with the unworthy." Xerxes complains as he wipes his foreleg with the outside of his cloak. "Everything these other creatures touch exudes impurity."

"I understand your frustrations, Xerxes, but let's keep those words tempered to thoughts... and preferably those alone." Eros warns.

The disgusted prince snorts in response. "The sooner we are done here, the better."

A cyan unicorn mare with orange and yellow hair with purple undertones trots past, seeming to be in a rush to get to her workplace with fabrics in tow. The one-eyed prince is caught by her beauty and starts to veer slightly off from his brother's united path forward. "I'll admit, some of these mares are a good choice for a night's debauchery."

"That's if you settle for plain." Eros pulls his brother back in with his magic.

"Well 'plain' as it may be, plundering is for the many. Proposal is for the few."

Eros gives the mare a passing glance. He eyes her shape, her eyes, her face, her gait, and even the manner which her tail sways. As she turns a corner, he gains a better look of her face, but is disappointed by the lack of shape her flank takes. "Speak for yourself. I risk my seed to be spilled in only the most visually gripping candidates, Anything less is considered an affront to our standard of birthright. And that one, she has the hips of a cesarian recipient. Can't trust that to bear my children accordingly."

"Just be happy if it produces something worth keeping. Even if I sire a foal with some random hussy and it carries the birthright, I'll just merely take the foal and leave the mother right where she is. It'll be one less mouth to feed." Agamemnon suggests, much to his facepalming younger sibling.

"So cruel."

"And what, parade any stupid selection that I'll never want to lay into again?" He argues before looking back at Xerxes. "I'm far too gracious to carry myself in father's manner in that regard."

Xerxes seems to steam with anger as Eros points back at Agamemnon. "You at least have his dominant chin."

The one-eyed prince smirks as he glides his hoof along his jawline. "Just a miniscule of the grace afforded by our prestigious birthright."

As he chomps down with affirmation, a pair of mares snicker as they walk past. One whispers in a low voice. "He's a rough looking one."

"Yeah, that silver eye looks sharp and dangerous. Pretty though."

"Just a total bad boy vibe with him. Can't bring him home."

Agamemnon quirks a brow at the mares' comments. Almost taking their critiques as a challenge to his ego, he dusts past his brothers and approaches the pair directly. "Good afternoon ladies. How has your day been?"

"Oop!" The first mare seems shocked that he'd approach so boldly. "Aggressive!"

"I know. Confident too. Wouldn't have even dared tried that." The second comments before addressing him directly. "Oh it's been good! Totally good! How's yours?"

Eros tries to stop his brother, only to get his cloak skirted by the flirtatious male's magic. He also does the same to Xerxes, causing him to fight against the invasive auras. The pair fights to keep their wings hidden as Agamemnon drives home his approach. "Just coming in from out of town. I'm just getting a look at the sights. Pretty good thus far."

"Ooh, foreign accent." The first mare notes before continuing. "Well if you're really interested in seeing around town, you should try the Corrotto District at night. All sorts of awesome stuff there, they even have a few resort hotels that way."

"Well what if I said I would resort to visit those sights a lot more often?"

"Cute but terrible puns. Witty though." The second mare comments.

"You two based around here?"

"Ha, I wish!" The second mare calls out. "Actually, we're visiting ourselves. We're here on an emotional support trip, just looking after a friend.

The first mare taps the second's shoulder. "You know, he could be perfect for her."

"You know... I think you're on to something... yeah, let's try that." She confirms before readdressing the prince in disguise. "So, you busy this evening?"

"I might have a little bit of a schedule, but I would love to fit you lovely sights into my agenda."

"Total flirt." The first snickers.

"Bingo." The second says as she whips out a pen and notepad, writing an address on the paper and issuing it to Agamemnon. "Canterberry Suites, room 532, Looking to cheer a friend up, but we're down for a little extra fun of our own, maybe you'd get a little more than a few drinks."

"Well, don't mind if I do." He proudly accepts, cutting his magic and allowing his brothers to recover at long last.

"Would be pretty cool if those other two could tag along." The first mare suggests.

"Nah. Bastards are total prudes." He says as he gets his own cloak yanked back, pulling him away from the pair.

"You idiot, get your sorry self moving!" Xerxes chides loudly.

"See? Prudes."

"Well if you can, anytime after nine would be neat." The second mare says before waving her hoof back at the stallion. "See ya!"

Agamemnon nods proudly. "I might actually find some enjoyment on this venture."

Xerxes grabs him by his chin, angrily yanking him over to meet with his eyes. "Keep your mind focused on the mission. Not some sleaze you're going to prod into next."

Eros dusts himself off as he speaks. "While I don't mind you getting a little fun in, it would be advisable to not forget what we're here for."

Agamemnon taps the horn of his enraged brother, quenching his magic. "You shouldn't complain, Eros. After all, I just got some pretty valuable information of a pretty decent tourist destination."

"Which means the locals would probably shun it for elsewhere." The lavender eyed prince replies.

"And one such local would be the holy mother." Recounts the red-eyed stallion.

The silver-eyed prince promptly flips his logic on the matter, trying to appease the other two. "Either way, we do happen to learn a lot about a town's economic focus points when touring places of financial interest. It would make for a good scoping out to see if the infrastructure could be easily crippled."

Eros takes a moment to ponder the possibilities. "Hmm... A crippled financial destination would demoralize many of the local populace. Hit that and their tourism funds dry up for a considerable time during a rebuild. Not too substantial of a target, but it does decrease morale."

"And none of this has anything to do with our mission." Xerxes juxtaposes, showing his disagreement.

The lavender-eyed stallion tries to issue a compromise to his stubborn sibling. "Xerxes, why don't we just see what this place is about before we crush it? I'm sure you would find some brilliant chess players over that way. More tourists, more minds and egos to crush."

Again, the avaricious prince denies the idea. "You dare me to challenge a bunch of filthy peasants, and for what? There's no information that could be gained in entertaining the peasants with my show of genius."

Agamemnon chuckles back at his brother. "Yes, your show of genius, the astounding show of split-second decision making that got numerous airships blown out of the sky─"

Eros ears perk from overhearing a conversation nearby, his horn sparks to life and silences the pair as he nudges his head to his left, urging them to listen in. "─And I couldn't believe what I was seeing! Like I heard that they have the latest in human technology these days, but actually seeing it for myself."

"Yeah, there's a reason that whole district screams the human world. They helped rebuild it after that whole underground syndicate crackdown from seven years ago. Plus there's a real estate billionaire owning most of that part of town anyways. She got paid part of that huge payout for the victims of that terrorist incident, then got paid for her part in shutting it down, then she started the whole exchange program with that one other human too. It shouldn't even be a surprise at this point that it's flipped upside down."

"I mean you're right, but I didn't know they were that advanced!"

As the conversation fades, Xerxes' ears perk up at the main topic that grabs all of their attention. "Human technology?"

Agamemnon adjusts his mane and clears his throat. "Guess this is my time to show my usefulness." The stallion steps out from the group and boldly encounters the pair of middle-aged mares who had the conversation. "Good afternoon, ladies."

"Oh, aren't you a looker."

"Well I would consider my looks a fraction of the beauty you wake up with."

The pair look at each other before turning back to the prince. "Careful now, flattery alone won't get you too far, young buck. I do have an age requirement before you get to enjoy this bit of vintage."

"I'll keep that in mind." He grins back. "Could you tell me more about this district with the human stuff?"

"You don't sound like you're from around here. That accent is awfully posh. Where are you from?"

"The West." Agamemnon answers confidently. "The far west, if you will."

"Exotic. So you probably never even heard of humans, have you?"

"Can't say I haven't." He answers.

The gray mare speaks. "Well they aren't many, there were the ones who were all cited together at the time, and that was for the huge wedding of the former princess."

The yellow mare sighs longingly. "I would kill just to be around one of those guys, I hear that their world is so revolutionary."

"And they're so tall. I wonder what's in the water over there."

"They don't run very fast though, I guess it's because of the two-legged thing they've got going on."

"Apparently they wouldn't need to do that. Remember Captain Nondis and his roaring motorized bicycle?"

"Oh gosh, we were all crushing hard after the guy back when he first got started. It was like a fad to go after the human then, but after it was discovered that he and Princess Celestia were an item, that whole thing got tossed aside. Didn't make it any better that his brothers didn't show any interest in mares."

"They don't know what they're missing."

"Still, would've loved to have a chance with the former captain. And obviously, he didn't have much of a discrimination for older mares either, especially with that age gap. Guess everyone said it's better to not even try, too high of a standard when you think about it."

"Poor Princess Twilight, dumped him in public, only for him to hook up with her former instructor. Now she's looking for love and haven't found a spark since."

"I know, right!? Well that goes to show you that you should never take for granted what's right in front of you." The yellow mare pats the stallion on his chest. "Let that be a lesson for you, dear. Don't you lose opportunities chasing what's beyond the thing in front of you. You miss out on too much operating that way."

"Thank you, ladies. Your insight has been very educational."

"Now don't be charming everypony you meet now, especially with those mesmerizing eyes of yours."

"I'll do my best to remain humble." He replies as the two depart along their day. He turns around and return to his siblings with the added information. "So we know that the two-leggers founded that district. But one of the ones that helped in it's redevelopment was none other than the rouge apostle.... Who also seemed to have some romantic history with the current princess of this land."

"Scandals? In their castles, no less?" Eros smirks as he grows even more interested. "Now that's a tea I'd love to sip on."

Agamemnon glances at Xerxes. "Majority rules then. So what now?"

"Unanimity is better." The red-eyed prince complies, albeit with different motives. "I'd say we play the part of curious tourist, and see what all they've brought into this world."

Meanwhile in Ponyville...

The hanging door bell of the Carousel Boutique jingles as I enter into the venue with two items secured in a travel bag. As I step inside, Sandbar greets me warmly. "Hey Spike, looking like the fairly-relaxed version of yourself."

"Oh... it's been trying." I sigh, laying the two bags onto the countertop.

"Really, couldn't tell. Looks like you've been going pretty nice about your day. I've definitely seen worse from you."

"Yeah, my day sucked, honestly. All this talk about war and my phone notifications are still blowing up about Princess Zenobia. And it's not in the way I would've preferred."

"Yeah, I saw that press conference. Seemed pretty abrupt and thrown together for what you'd normally do."

I scoff with a chuckle. "You have no idea."

"In speaking of which, did she ever enjoy the dress?" He inquires.

"Oh yeah, she loved it... that was until Ember got a hold of all the jeweled accents."

The stallion winces with understanding. "Ooh, those are gonna be hard to replace."

"Meh, a trip to Maud's and a few licks of the tongue will tell me whether or not I can send in the gems to the jewelers for cutting. I knocked that out yesterday before I got through giving her what she's been wanting."

"What she's been wanting?" Sandbar cocks his head in confusion.

"Dragon Lord wanted me to be dragon dad. And she was being bratty about it too. Don't believe me, just open that bag right there."

The stallion unzips the bag, seeing a partially burned dress with no jewels in the metal casings. "This isn't the one we sold you. Is this like a custom?"

"From Rarity herself."

"OOOF!" The stallion immediately facehoofs in response. "Oh that's rough. I'll give it to Yona and have her give it a once-over. If you got the jewels, we should be able to throw them back on there, no problem."

"Hell, now that I think about it, I should've done the same thing for my tux. Ember got a hold of those accents too. And those were some tasty emeralds. Not the best, but they were pretty good quality."

"I guess it's not easy having Rarity's designs around the home with the Dragon Lord around."

"It's not." I shake my head slowly, the defeat reigniting pain in my soul. "Never mind that. How's business been?"

"It's fine. Yona's been on edge since the war was all but declared."

"Give it some time, we're dressing up the situation even now. Once this is all over, we can go back to daily scheduled programming. Shouldn't be a problem as long as matters don't escalate."

The stallion's eyes glance to my shoulders, noticing the claw-shaped indents starting from there. "Yeah. So how have you been this week?"

"I've been fine, outside of Friday." I shrug.

"Nah, not from what Ocellus told us." He replies. "She said you've been in and out of some strange books. You've definitely been losing sleep. And you haven't been the consistent romance partner either."

"How much did she tell you?"

He immediately clarifies himself. "Well, she hasn't told me directly. More like she's talked to Yona. And you know the girls talk just as much as we do, if not more."

I notice that his eyes are still wondering to my shoulders. "Hey, wanna take a look at my back?"

I turn around, letting him see the scars that run all the way down my back. I spread my wings so he can get a better view of the carnage. "Yeouch! What happened there!?"

"Ember and Smolder. Ember thought she could mark over Smolder's scratches. So Smolder then thought she could freely dig in extra deep to make sure that her marks stay for a long time. Dragon mating habits, the one thing that steers me clear from my own identity."

"Yeah, rough and harsh isn't exactly what I'd go for these days." He cringes.

"I can imagine why. If Yona goes all out with you, it would be your funeral we'd have next weekend."

The bell rings another time. We turn to see an orange pegasus stallion walking in with a pair of saddlebags on his back. "Hey boys."

"Strapping Lad, how's it been?" Sandbar inquires.

"Ah, you know, coming in from visiting the familia in Monterrey. Come back to some chulos dropping bombs about some war brewing up between us and the other international big boy."

"Damn, I know that messed your day up."

The pegasus leans to me and taps me gently. "¿Ay Spike, qué bien güey? ¿Tú bueno?"

"Más o menos." I reply as best as I can in his secondary language. "I'm trying to make things better. I promise nothing bad will happen as long as I do my part."

"I'm not worried about what you do, güey. It's what they've got cooking is where I gotta put my nose to. You can't stop others from doing what they wanna do. And if they wanna start some shit, they're gonna do it."

"Well I'm doing my best to make them not do it." I reply, still trying to practice the confidence that our country won't be going to war.

"You know that's a dangerous game to play. Sometimes it can be better to let it happen the hard way. It's not like we don't have answers." He suggests.

"Yeah, but our country isn't quite to their standard of armament. From what Nondis says, it's like they're in the 1700's."

"Oh, so they on some conquistador-type shit. Well whatever the fuck they give to you, you wash that shit before you sleep in it."

Now I'm the one cocking my head to the side with curiosity. "I don't follow that reference."

"Some conquerors from Spain would gift the natives blankets filled with all sorts of diseases their bodies couldn't fight off, diseases that the invaders had gotten used to. In short, a lot of natives died while the conquering armies had to barely lift so much of a finger. That's why you always clean your gifts before you lay them on you, otherwise they'll be the last thing you'll lay in."

Sandbar glances over to me with a sagely nod. "Sounds familiar."

My eyes bulge momentarily at the initial shock. "Why do I not like how ominous that warning is?"

"History is light written in darkness, you either take that light and learn to see ahead. Or don't, and stumble like the ones before you." He snaps his attention back to Sandbar. "¡Ay, papi! Got any threads for a human male?"

"Oh yeah, Rarity always made sure that we have her human line on hoof for any visitations. So we'll always have something for you and the family, doesn't matter the form."

"Good lookin' out." He says as Sandbar guides him to the back room for his clothes.

While they go about their way, I quietly ponder the statement Rickey made. "So... History is light written in darkness, huh?"

In the Corrotto District...

An electric trolley hums off to the distance, leaving a throng of creatures to at last explore the main square of the plaza. Many wide-eyed tourists scamper off with the ambition of exploring as much as possible. However, the three princess walk cautiously in their awe. Their heads turn about slowly, marveling at the change in architecture, how more of the buildings seem to have so much of an otherworldly look about them. While their tops resemble that of the other buildings in the city, their fronts contain much more metal, glass, and marble. The buildings clustered in this one spot seems to be taller than most of the other buildings in the city, what's usually the norm of ten to fifteen stories high is dwarfed by twenty to twenty-eight story buildings. And each reflects a status of life that they didn't dare dream was possible outside of the likes of the more internationally known destinations.

The front of the buildings are lined with active LED screens, each advertising a number of products, venues, and hotel chains. Some even give off a 3D illusion of a pony looking over the screen, waving at the visitors below.

Agamemnon is captivated by the sight. "There's... no possible way."

"The trains here run on diesel-less engines, the lights are so bright that they blind you, these structures are like taking the current theme of the city and just adding an abundance of glass and geometric shapes, and everything is abound with prismatic colors!" Eros praises. "There's no way that one two-legger could bring this much to Equestria."

Xerxes' eyes is brought to a large statue in the plaza, each of the figures standing on two legs, posed with their weapons and elements, the tallest being placed in the middle. "Not just one... Six."

The other two take notice of the intrepid prince's observation and gather towards it. A number of tourists all pose from varying perspectives. They ignore them upon getting closer. "Well we couldn't get any more intel about our enemies even if it were cased in bronze and sat in the middle of a town square." Eros notes sarcastically as he starts to read to himself a plaque commemorating the ones on display.

In service to the greater good, the six unlikely heroes seat themselves in place among the greatest heroes of all of Equestrian history. With strong bonds of friendship and the deepest courage to face terrors unmatched, the six element bearers stood tall against a troubling menace that has tortured the city of Canterlot for five hundred years. And while they saved both our world and theirs, they do so without ever being thanked by their own. This statue is dedicated to the memory of that proud moment in which they defended those who never asked or knew to be saved. These brave heroes, these brave humans.

The Human 6

"Element bearers? Do they possibly mean the fabled gems of legend, the Elements of Harmony?" Agamemnon asks.

"Seems like it." Xerxes confirms.

"But I thought those items were an old mare's tale."

"Hardly." The intrepid gazes back to his wings, wishing to fly closer to the leader's face. "Father had always showed disdain for Equestria on the account that they had exclusive access to these magical trinkets. So easily and readily available to apply against all of their magic overlord problems. They were even used against Lord Tirek back in the yonder ages of his prime. It was the only thing that stopped him cold, while our weapons merely had him turn tail to reapply his sinister plot to these lands. Had it not been for their use, Ponyland would've been conquered under Tirek's name, but by means of Equestria's banner." Xerxes looks towards his brothers. "An alicorn family descended from the rumored curator of the cosmos. And the powers to boot, couple that with such legendary weapons and you'd see an overwhelming advantage this country has always had over ours in the past. But now that we've mass produced what we've gained from our two-legged legends of millennium's past, we've nothing to fear."

"I wouldn't go as far to say that." Eros comments as he points to the weapons the humans hold. "This statue is a telling reason why."

"Six two-leggers, humans, and they change the very fabric of an area with their influence. Equestria has more than held out on it's negotiations." Agamemnon comments. "I fear the weapons they now have."

"They've always kept their best hidden from us." Xerxes complains as he turns his attention away from that statue, walking across the square. "I feel that a little more time in this place would yield a better understanding of what we're up against. Perhaps it wasn't a fool's errand to go touring about. Maybe we needed to see this, a warning of what all they could bring."

As the trio moves through the square, the one-eyed prince stops at another statue overlooking the plaza. "Agamemnon, we're going." Eros warns his unmoving brother. "What are you staring at now?"

The prince's expression is one of pure bewilderment, his jaw agape as his eyes jump back and forth from a plaque and the face looking back at him. "This is a statue of a stallion."

Xerxes rolls his eyes. "Are your eyes confused? That's a mare. Keep walking."

"You may want to look at this plaque before you assume that."

Eros glances at the face, then the plaque reading a statement of the deceased figure. "I'm sorry, what?"

The eldest brother grimaces with initial disinterest. "I ask of you, what was the purpose of this distraction?"

Agamemnon cracks a smile as he stifles a chuckle, seeing the feathers ruffle under Eros' cloak. "Five. Four. Three. Two..."

"THAT'S BULLSHIT!" Aware that he cannot make himself fly, he uses his magic to levitate himself to the face of the deceased figure. "YOU THINK YOU'RE PRETTIER THAN ME!? I'M ONLY PRETTIER THAN ME! YOU GET TO SIT THERE WITH THAT SMUG MUG ON THAT BEAUTIFUL FACE! HOW DARE YOU SEAMLESSLY TREAD THE LINE BETWEEN SEXES WHERE THERE GROWS TO BE NO TRUE DIFFERENCE! THE SMILE, THE EYES, THE MANE, HOW YOU HAVE SUCH FEMININE FEATURES WITH MALE KEY!? I SLAVE OVER A HOT MIRROR EVERY HOUR TO MAINTAIN MY STANDARD AND YET YOU GET TO BE DEFINITION OF VISUAL EPIPHANY! HOW DARE YOU BE SO GORGEOUSLY ANDROGYNOUS AND DEAD! YOU DEPRIVE ME THE RIGHT TO MY HONOR, YOU COWARD!"

While Agamemnon laughs, Xerxes stops cold and stares at the statue for even longer, getting lost in the figure's face and shape. "That's a stallion?"

"Apparently so." Eros spits angrily.

He looks down to the plaque, reading it for himself. His ears instinctively fold upon the conclusion. "And there's a death date...."

Agamemnon laughs even harder as he takes in the look of his defeated brothers. "What's wrong? Feeling robbed?" He asks of his older sibling.

Xerxes turns himself around quickly, taking a deep breath and using his cloak to hide his growing interest. "We should keep moving."

Eros disrespectfully spits at the foot of the statue. "Absolute bullshit!"

"Careful, Eros. Your envy is showing almost as much as Xerxes' penis." The laughing stallion pulls him along.

"Now I want to know who the fuck has bred something that flawless. Do they even have siblings?"

"Enough! We move!" Xerxes calls out, trying to keep himself concealed until he softens.

Agamemnon sniffles after laughing himself to tears. "Absolutely ridiculous. Oh this is a good day."

Later that Evening...

As one of the last few trains to cycle through Ponyville for the day, the Emerald Line happens to carry the most modern rail service that's been implemented in all of the land. It's heavy rail system allows for a much smoother riding experience, especially for many passengers who have complained about some of the jerkiness of the rails approaching Mt. Canter. However, the line carries a lot more safety implementations to ensure that there's little to no discomfort for riders with rudimentary motion sickness. So many who often ride can fall asleep, or watch the world go by, eat their meals on the go, drink their coffee, or even read in peace.

Unfortunately for me, I'm not exactly reading up on peaceful topics. Instead, I invest myself more on the developments of how a young mortician who's caught up in a world of war and corpse disposal get so morbidly innovative to the point of controlling the deceased.

Ocellus especially takes notice of my continued literary investment. "You know something, Gabby did tell me that you had a bad habit of being a total workaholic whenever the time gets dire, or your schedule gets hectic."

"I know I should be resting. It's just hard to shut everything down when things gets going." As I finish, she snatches the book from my grasp. "Hey!"

But as the book leaves my grasp, it leaves from hers just as quickly. The book phases through her hoof, landing onto the ground. She reaches back down to pick it up, only watching as the book sinks in and out of her grasp. "What the─?"

"Never seen that before." I comment before picking it up myself. It feels just as solid as it looks. I bookmark the page with my thumb and give her a light bop on the head. "Yeah, solid and tangible. Don't know what that's all about."

She reaches for it, knocking it away while it's still in my claws. We both reach to pick it back up again, her hoof filtering through as though it were a ghost, while I grab it perfectly as normal. She grunts with minor frustration. "Yeah, I'm not even going to entertain that bullshit. What the hell are you reading anyways?"

"Classified information." I answer in a low voice.

"On a public train?"

"Not like anyone else can read it." I open the book from where I was, holding the pages wide open for her to observe. "See for yourself."

For her, the pages are nothing but black bars and boxes. "Okay, that's pretty obscure. And you're able to discern what that shit says?"

"Yup. Twilight gave me clearance."

"Oh, about that?" She asks.

"Yup."

The changeling rolls her eyes and pleads with me. "Okay. You can close that book now." I flip it back my way, only for her to further enforce her request. "Just do what I say and close that stupid book, please."

I do as she says, even placing it back in my travel bag. "There, it's gone. Happy?"

"More than thirty seconds ago." She comments while sitting in my lap.

"You're just like a cat sometimes."

Ocellus snickers. "You should ask Smolder, I'm always like this when something's got her attention away from me. Especially when it's a day she said she'd dedicate it to me. I'm just holding you to a standard."

"Yeah, standards are good to have." I cosign as I start to lightly tickle my claws against her neck. "So, what exactly do you have us doing over in the city?"

"Going back to the club. I figure we need a different environment aside from being around the bantering banshee back home."

"Zenobia's not that bad." I try to defend her, knowing damn well that I'm lying. But in the process, I only end up correcting myself. "Okay, she can be a bit overwhelming and codependent."

"Yeah. Plus I made a promise to Hestia too. She said that she wasn't entirely comfortable with all the debauchery taking place over the course of these past two days. So I promised to take our sexual adventures elsewhere for the night. The walls are soundproof, that's a given. The doors... not so much as that."

...Well that's embarrassing. Guess I have to look into changing that up. "Ah, gotcha."

Meanwhile...

With the sun long gone from the sky, and the lights of the Corrotto District being that much brighter, Prince Agamemnon walks through the district on his own, holding up a piece of paper given to him earlier in the day. He repeats the address to himself incessantly, looking at each street he passes for context. He happens upon a street name given to him by many locals, and gazes at a twenty story hotel. As he looks to the bold black letters labeled above the lobby main entrance, he reads out Canterberry Suites.

The stallion draws a sigh before walking inside. "This seems to be the place."

Upon entering the lobby, a bellhop walks past him with a number of suitcases. He looks around the lobby, seeing that most of the decor seems to be so substantially oversized. Couches that fit entire families, and single chairs that comfortably sits two like a love seat, the items with stools on standby to aid many who wish to partake, they stand as a scaled display of the human size difference. Agamemnon gawks quietly as he blindly walks forward, not seeing that he runs chest-first into the front desk. The attendant politely acknowledges him. "Hello, I see you've been caught off guard by the display. Not the first of the day, I tell you that. So what can I do for you, sir?"

The stallion coughs away his embarrassment. "I'm a guest of a mare in room 532, can you point me to an elevator?"

The attendant looks at him for a moment and reaches for the phone at the counter. "Um... can you hold for a bit?"

As the attendant dials in a code, Agamemnon looks at a cylindrical advertisement wrapping around one of the large pillars supporting the weight of the upper floors. The advertisement shows a purple flash and zooms out of the uniform of a buckball player. The moment cuts into an energetic montage of goals scored, defensive stops made, and passionate celebrations made by the players of that uniform. Then the ad wipes into a static screen with a popup cue of the team name and the next few dates of their games. A slogan cuts into a black background with white and purple words. 'Carve into GREATNESS' fades into the black. "What an overt method to advertise a mere children's game." The prince mutters.

"Sir?" Agamemnon snaps his attention back to the front desk, the attendant hanging up the phone. "Yeah, I want to say sorry for the wait. As per policy, we're not allowed to give you access to the elevator without purchase or deposit. Just a safety precaution. But I did call up to the room and they confirmed you. They're on their way down now to meet with you. Now they are available to escort you to that room if they choose to. It's just a disclaimer for responsibility, incidental situations, all that other jazz."

The prince raises his brows, not even upset with the security precautions made. In truth, he shows admiration for their stringent practice. "Understood. Thank you for elaborating." He turns away back to the advertisement. "Huh, just a minute here and I've already experienced far better security than the centuries back home. I could probably stay here for a while."

"Hey, there's our winner of the night!" The voice of the mare from earlier dances ever closer to him. "So glad you came through!"

"You ask, I pro..." As he turns around, he notices that the pair of mares have but a third partner in their group. A creature that confuses him with her unfamiliar appearance. "...vide. Forgive for asking, but what is that creature?"

"Oh, this is Larvae, she's our best friend! Total sweetheart, one of the nicest changelings you'll ever meet."

For a moment, he stares intensely at the purple changeling, her orange pearlescent eyes shifting shyly from him to her friends. She immediately sees the scowl of confusion on his lips and resorts to hiding behind her friends. "Changeling? That's a changeling?"

The creature reclusively whimpers. "Good to meet you, sir."

"Walk with me, talk with me, hun!" The mare sees how uncomfortable the two are in seeing each other and pulls the prince away for a moment to speak with him. "You know, Larvae is going through a rough patch, we just thought that we could drag her around for a bit and make her forget about her issue. Sensitive topic, can't go into detail, but if you can help us make her night..." She smiles as she gets in closer, brushing her chest against his while teasing him with the prospect of a kiss. "I promise to make it worth your while." She glances back at her other two friends. "All of us especially. It'll be a night you'll never forget, babe. Just as long as you're willing to play along. 'Kay?"

The stallion grunts as he feels the heat of her breath brushing against his lips. He glances back to the other mare, mentally blocking out the changeling hiding behind her. "The things I'd do to see these two beneath me tonight." He starts to convince himself of his methods to negotiate around the issue of the unwanted party. Even making a mental note to relegate the night to a simple drunken affair where his time with the changeling could simply be cast as an error made in an inebriated state. "Well... I don't usually do things like this, but... A promise is a promise, and I plan to make good on that."

As he leans in for a kiss, the mare prances with joy, completely curbing him aside to join back with her friends. "Hell yeah!" She pulls them both along, especially shoving the changeling into him. "Then let's go and start the party, baby!"

"Skeewee!" The other mare shouts excitedly.

The changeling looks up to the unnerved stallion, backing off immediately. "I'd rather just... be to the room. Thanks for the offer, girls."

The first mare shouts vehemently, dragging the changeling mare along for the journey. "Bullshit, you're with us! Bring that fine ass over here and let's hit the scene! We got a full schedule at the club tonight! And you know the one we got reservations for! So let's get moving!"

The second mare giggles as she plants the changeling between her and their escort of the night. "Don't get too shy now, hun! We know you're gonna be the worst out of all of us!"

"Girls!" The changeling whimpers.

"You might wanna be careful, mister." The first mare warns the prince. "She doesn't have an off switch once she gets going."

The prince lowers his head with shame. "I swear if either of my brothers see me right now."

As the four make their way through the district, Agamemnon occasionally looks to his side, seeing the changeling gulp quietly and distance herself from him. But in retaliation to her sudden withdrawal, one of her friends doubles back and drag her beside the prince anyways. The prince tries not to show his visible disgust, but his second mind inducing him to inch away from her in retaliation only reminds her that he's not comfortable with her being around. The other two continue to feed their brilliant energy into the pair, never once letting the night turn sour for the sake of the other two who experience the unease.

Upon reaching the club, they skip past the line and talk to the bouncer at the door. The three dump their ID's to him as he questions them of their reservation. "Name?"

The two mares snag the changeling and shoves her up front, who's eyes bulk at the tall stallion. "We're the party of Larvae, party of three." And they promptly drag the cloaked prince up front. "Plus our security escort for the night." Agamemnon eyes the changeling who shuffles a few inches away from him out of instinct.

The guard glances towards the prince, who appears to be a good five inches higher than him. The two unicorns proudly tout his physique. "He's a real tough guy. You can tell from the bod. Guy's built like he's war ready."

"Okay, whatever you say." The bouncer lets them through the door, much to the complaint of everyone else in line. He ignores them and their extended waiting periods while standing idle as the four ventures further within.

The first mare hoof bumps the second. "Told you I'd get him in for free."

The changeling, probably the first time she actively issues a show of complaint, questions her other friends. "Uh, can I ask why this reservation was made in my name?"

"Just a bonus perk of your visit. You know the owner is a total sweetheart to those coming into town looking to pick up on the news of their loved ones not coming from that expedition across the water. Makes no sense in having all of us over here for just bad news and no pick-me-up." The second replies.

The first sighs exhaustively. "Sad that it takes something like that to get an opportunity like this. Best to take the opportunity, not many tends to come around."

Already in the hallway of the club, the music pulses even louder and louder, until the door to the main area opens and reveals a myriad of lights, sounds, and activities for the four to get involved in. The prince winces as he folds his ears down to mitigate some of the sound for the time being. "What is this place!? Why is it so loud!?"

The first calls out triumphantly. "A brief journey into the world of humans!"

"We weren't already in that when we arrived!?" Agamemnon asks.

"Hardly!" The second counters with a brimming smile. "This is the real human world experience! C'mon! Let's go hit up the bar and see what all they got!"

The first cheers on. "Nothing like the Goose to get you feelin' loose! That's what the humans say!"

The first take notice of the changeling gawking around, feeling more and more out of place with everything. She starts to quietly backtrack towards the door when the first mare grabs her. "You too, Larvae! Let's move that ass you love to shake so much!" As they reach the bar, they start to assign seats for the themselves. Agamemnon parks himself towards the wall, but the pair of unicorns plant the changeling next to him. The other two take the seats perpendicular to theirs around the corner of the bar. "Perfect! Now you two can really hit it off together!"

The changeling keeps her eyes glued to the countertop, not even trying to look him in the eye. The prince lets his eyes wander around the club, they fall to every other place except to the creature next to him. The changeling mare winces as she finally dedicates herself to satisfying her friends and their constant rooting for the two to get things rolling. "Hey."

The stallion sulks in disappointment, hoping that the bartender would come by soon. "Greetings to you."

The bartender takes a little more time tending to some patrons down the line, who are all flooding in from the dance floor as slow selection blasts through the speakers, allowing for many couples to get their moment on the floor. The changeling glances towards the dance floor, seeing a bunch of creatures dancing with their partners. Some come with the intent to hook up, some are out with their significant others, the rest are just around to hang out. But for her, she sees the shadow of a figure that appears familiar to her. It makes her eyes widen for a moment, then water. She quickly soaks up her emotions as the words start to be sung over the speakers.

Late at night when all the world is sleeping
I stay up and think of you
And I wish on a star
That somewhere you are thinking of me too

She takes a deep breath, clearing her throat as she finally directs her eyes to the stallion next to her. "So... some way those humans live, huh?"

"It's new to me, I suppose." He leans in, appearing depressed that his night will probably be spent trying to play nice with a changeling the other two are forcing on him.

In a moment of emotional outbreak, she candidly speaks to the prince. "...So... You lost family too?"

~~~~♦~~~~♦~~~~♦~~~~♦~~~~♦~~~~♦~~~~♦~~~~♦~~~~♦~~~~♦~~~~♦~~~~

Agamemnon's memory flashes to a moment of shock. He blanks out in the present time to let his mind refreshes the sight of a teenage alicorn colt gagging violently on the ground. Xerxes wipes his lips as he watches the young prince struggle on the ground. It only takes a few moments before the colt's body finally stops trying to cling to life, subsiding from the painful struggle into a quiet rest.

His eyes, for the first time in his life, watched as the life is truly quenched from his brother's eyes. The sibling he knew and trusted outside of his own branch, the one who even put Xerxes in his place, once a promising figure to take the throne. But as that promise faded, so too did the light from his dying eyes.

~~~~♦~~~~♦~~~~♦~~~~♦~~~~♦~~~~♦~~~~♦~~~~♦~~~~♦~~~~♦~~~~♦~~~~

The stallion shakes his memory from his mind, glancing back to the changeling. "What do you mean?" He lies.

She jolts up and realizes that she might have said something to the stallion to make him even more uncomfortable. So she emphatically gives her apology to him. "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to dump on you like that!" She whimpers for a moment and glances back to the dance floor, realizing that what she was seeing was another changeling on the floor dancing with her partner of the evening. "Don't mind me. I'm just... working through some things."

The stallion glances towards the changeling mare, seeing that she's undergoing some emotional duress she's also trying to keep suppressed. His hoof lifts for a moment, but a voice calls out to his mind. "Calm down." He chides himself within his own head. "Changelings are known to be emotionally manipulative creatures, they feed on love by whatever means, and they'll pose as your dead loved ones if it means they'll get something out of you. Stay diligent. Don't let her goad you into helplessness and vulnerability. She's just playing you." He takes a slow exhale, make a concerted effort to separate himself from the emotional moment she's clearly displaying. "Seems like you need a drink more than I do."

"Yeah... but..." She mutters before silencing herself. "Don't worry about it. I'll get something eventually."

Her friends don't like the idea of the changeling continuing to hold out. So they do what they can to keep her from disassociating too much. "Larvae, what you want girl!?"

"It doesn't really matter." She answers a little more honestly.

"Bartender!" The second mare calls out loudly. One of the stallions behind the counter drops back from serving the group of dancers and at long last gives attention to the party of four. She points her hoof at the changeling, herself, her friend, and then the prince. "Can we get a strawberry daiquiri for her, a Long Island ice tea for me, a blackberry mimosa for my friend annnnd..."

Agamemnon speaks out for himself. "I'll take a double shot of your hardest drink." He slams his hoof into the counter, demanding the beverage for the sake of building his excuse of being inebriated, to reinforce his being irresponsible for his compliance to entertaining the changeling.

The bartender smirks and reaches below the counter. "Double shot of Everclear, coming right up!"

"Everclear, what's that?" The prince asks.

The bartender breaks out a cup, pouring out two-shots worth of the American-based rectified spirit. "Strongest shit they sell legally in the state of Texas, apparently. Illegal in seventeen states too. Flammable, colorless, odorless, 190 proof." He slides the cup to the stallion, offering a word of warning. "Don't drop it down all at once. Just cause the name's Everclear doesn't mean your vision will be."

"Wow, that must be some strong stuff then." The second mare replies.

Agamemnon takes a sniff, hoping that the smell would probably entice him to hulk back the drink. But after running his nose over the cup, he grows displeased. "I thought this was supposed to be strong?"

"Strong enough to clean engines and surgical equipment alike." The bartender responds. "It's pretty much fumigated diesel at this point."

The prince dismisses the bartender's claims. "Fumigated diesel." He disregards the bartender's warning and lets it hit his mouth with none left to spare in the cup itself. But the prince quickly discovers that his mouth and hubris are now cashing out with the blistering burn locking his jaws in place. The burn is so strong that he fears swallowing all of it in one go. "Mmmmm!? (What!?)"

The bartender lets loose a hardy chuckle. "Next one's on the house if you can hold for sixty seconds."

"Is it really that strong?" The bartender quietly pours a half-shot for the curious mare. He slides the cup over and allows her to take her own sample. Her reaction is much of the same. "Mmnmm MMMMMPH! (Holy SHIT!)"

The bartender hollers out loudly to the group of four. "Place your bets everyone! Who spits first!?"

The orange unicorn mare appears ready to grab her cup and spit it back out, but her friend encourages her to stay strong. "C'mon, Jewel, you got this!"

The mare's eyes look over towards the changeling, who appears to be downcast again. She taps her hoof to the counter and shoves the cup before him. "You want another one?" She nods in reply to his question.

The bartender obeys the mare's request, but she raises the cup and presses it to the changeling's lips. "Hey, wait a─" Her mouth immediately catches fire as she pounds her hooves into the counter in painful protest. "Mmmm!? Mmmn mmmm!? (Why!? Why meeee!?)"

"Got a third in this race!" Let's see who wins!" The bartender cheers the group on, looking to make a spectacle of the moment. C'mon, you got this!"

The changeling gulps her partial drink. Feeling the burn as it goes down her throat. "Blech! That was terrible!"

"Gluah!" The orange mare shudders throughout her entire body after she swallows. "Humans drink that!? That's insane!"

The bartender isn't as entertained after having watched the contest turn so one-sided. But he quirks a brow at the prince who patiently taps his hoof against the counter in a means to time himself. "Oh.... Going for the whole sixty, huh?"

"Oh my gosh! You're so brave! I couldn't, could not be me!" The orange mare says as she checks in with her changeling friend.

"Everything's so spinny." Her cheeks start to flush red almost instantly, showing her weak-willed nature in terms of alcoholic beverages.

The prince counts his last second with an emphatic slam and gulps the rest of his drink, feeling the burn go down his throat. "RAAAUGH!" He roars with triumph and proudly points to the cup. "That's a drink, that's a real one!"

"Winner, winner!" The bartender and the others applaud the prince. He gives an appreciative bow. "So, tough guy, how about we get you something a little lighter to the tongue?"

"A bourbon would be nice, though I doubt I'd be able to taste it now."

"Just as promised! On the house!" He calls out, grabbing a cup to place his ice and beverage into.

"Respectable." The prince turns to the changeling, seeing her double over in her seat. A small window of hope opens in his mind. "I take it she not used to drinking?"

"Oh she's always like this on the first one. It's the fifth one we have to worry about. Changelings don't really process alcohol too well. But once they get it in their system, it's all about the dopamine hunt then." The dark gray mare replies. "We've been friends since our run over at SoFri down south, School of Friendship. But since then, she's been stuck back at the hive. For the longest, we've been shooting letters back and forth since changelings aren't really allowed to have phones apparently. But we're catching back up this weekend since she's in town. She'd always be a bit of a party animal after a little while, but for some time she's always been a bit of a recluse. All it takes is one good night though, and you're in."

The prince's window of optimism subsides once more into disappointment. He hopes that the drink in his system kicks in before his inherent desire to abandon the night does. "Understood."

The two unicorn mares teases the prince over his displaced attitude. "So formal. How do we even warm up to you when you're so cold?"

"You never gave me names." He points out.

The two look at each other dumbfounded, realizing that they skipped a crucial step in to know each other. The mares each giggle at their own mistake. "Oh that's right! We totally fucked up there! Maybe we should start back from the top."

"My name's Crown Jewel, Jewel for short."

"The unicorn next to me is Amethyst Shadow, we call her Shadie. And the changeling to your right is Larvae. She's an adorable little love bug who's fairly shy about most anything, but when you get her fun-meter going, oh it's on."

The prince scales his eyes towards the creature placed beside him. "And forgive me for asking, why does a changeling look like... that?"

The creature eyes widen with pain as Agamemnon's words seem a bit harsh. Looking to save face on the night, Jewel jumps in. "Oh, you're must really not be from around here at all! Oh my gosh, I just threw you into the fire without explaining anything! Disaster! Oh let me get this right so we can all be on the same page here. So I take it that the changelings you've ran into haven't reformed yet. I can see how you're a bit guarded with that in mind. But she's from the main hive, you know, the big one that Queen Chrysalis used to lord over. That one has completely undergone a radical paradigm shift towards being a more open and caring species. Thus they don't feed in the tyrannical manner that they used to do. I mean yeah, they do the 'feed on love' thing, but they also give love back in return. And because they've become less of a parasitic-natured species, and more of a mutually beneficial codependency, like every other creature in society. Also, they're great for understanding you!"

"Understanding me? Understand me how?" The prince squints with doubt.

Shadie walks around to give the changeling a warm and embracing hug. "Like emotionally! She's been our rock throughout high school, anything that hits us hard, she's always there for us to lean on. But this time she needs the reinforcement. So tonight we're doing our best to return the favor. Even if she needs a little bit of a push to get things going."

The stallion still holds his biases and life-long experiences with some changelings infiltrating the ranks of the guards throughout the core. But seeing the one next to him acting so timid and dependent brings doubt to the equation of his long-manicured thoughts. He continues to cast doubt for the time being. "So the changelings have reformed?"

"Incredibly so." Shadie reaffirms, using her purple magic to turn the two directly towards one another. "You should try talking to her. See for yourself how wonderful she can be."

The poor changeling looks almost on the brink of collapse, and with the two sets of eyes judging him, he knows that the night would only end as a waste if nothing goes further than what's already been done thus far. So with a grimace and a determination to see his lustful ambitions to the end, he takes a hard swig of his drink and forces himself to play nice. "So... why are you here exactly?"

"Oh um... I..." The changeling starts to shed a few tears. She wipes her eyes, trying to keep herself together as best as she can. "I'm sorry."

Jewel tries to coach the prince on his approach. "Heavy topic, babe. Let's shift to something else."

The prince grimaces with a bit of frustration as he changes his line of questioning. "Okay... so... what caused you to deviate from the hive?"

"Still touchy. Maybe steer it a bit more elsewhere." Shadie nudges her head to the left, trying to prompt him to try yet another avenue.

He looks around to pick out a topic that would be easy for her to answer. "Um... so this place. It it always this loud?"

With their own disappointment growing, Jewel and Shadie draw a collective sigh. "Uh, something tells me he's not really great at carrying the conversation."

"Drying up fast. And not just the talking either."

The prince cringes to himself, realizing that he's losing his chance and fast. But hearing them speak as though they've already made their decision to leave things be, he gets further motivated to push things along. "I'll show you." He chants to himself as he resigns within himself that he'll have to genuinely act like he cares. "Ms. Larvae, tell me more about yourself and what you aspire to be."

Jewel is surprised by his sudden forwardness, Shadie is more worried that the matter would only get worse from here. "Wow... really just diving headfirst into the ice here."

"I'm..." Meanwhile, Larvae is a lot less worried about the night and more about trying to fight back her own pent up emotions, further exasperated by the alcohol. "I'm sorry. I'm just a mess."

"Then let's talk about it." Agamemnon knows that he's still very much aware of his actions, the drinks hasn't quite buzzed him to his liking yet. So he's actively trying to force himself to care. "What's got you hurting on tonight?"

Shadie facehoofs. "Did I say head-first, I mean horn at a 90 degree impale."

The prince rolls his eyes at the judgmental mares, he continues with his more sympathetic approach. "If you feel like you need to talk about it, I can listen. I'll be an ear."

"I'm sorry..." She apologizes once more. "I'm probably just being a downer for you and the others. I shouldn't even be here right now."

"You're not a downer, you're in pain, and you shouldn't ignore that. I know this is the place to not be that way, but sometimes you need to get it out of your system, no matter where you are." The changeling gazes up to the prince, hearing his words of affirmation. Agamemnon looks away, turning back towards the bar. "Barkeep! I'd like another double of that antiseptic of yours." He summons a pouch full of gems and lay a few of them on the counter. The bartender does as requested and slides him yet another cup. The prince braves the burn of his beverage and lights his horn to drag the changeling's seat closer to his side. "I've got the night, and you've got a shoulder to bury into. Start digging."

The changeling nearly breaks at that moment. "I don't mean to be─"

"How much longer of this can I take?" He comments mentally, trying to stay as committed to the cause of the night as possible. "You're fine. Do what makes you feel better."

Larvae sobs as she starts to get closer. "I don't wanna do that. You'll end up a mess if I do."

"I swear if this changeling slimes on me... she's going to. All the more reason I got another drink to wash this night away. I'll just start over the next time." He closes his eyes, already resigning himself to defeat. Turning back to the changeling, he opens his hooves and snags her into his chest. "I'm going to regret this." He thinks to himself while reassuring the mare. "I'm all yours to mess up."

Larvae pauses in her emotional breakdown, realizing she's being embraced by the very creature who appeared to not want anything to do with her the entire night. Shadie and Jewel gawks in disbelief, but also smile in response to the stallion's consideration for her. "Ice: Bombed." The dark gray unicorn comments.

"Bold and compassionate. Wow, I almost got the forbidden fever there." Jewel cosigns.

Larvae clenches her hooves around and sobs into his chest, the prince grimaces from the moistening sensation on his chest, growing even more by each mournful wail. "Changeling slobber... I'm not drunk enough for this." He pats the back of her head. "There there. We're all here. Let it all out." The changeling screams into his chest, her powerful outburst of emotions flow throughout her body, causing her wings to pop out and sparkle immensely. The prince jumps back at the surprise, but not by much due to her tightened grasp on him. "What the─!?"

"Whoa!" Shadie gasps at the new development. "Major changeup!"

Jewel also comments. "I remember back when we were in SoFri that changeling wings can glow when their emotions overwhelm them, I never thought I'd see it so up close and personal! It's... magical, but also sad."

The changeling mare continues to scream into the prince's chest. He nods quietly, trying not to instinctively shove her away like he'd normally do. But his persistence shows reward in an unlikely form. A trio of fruity drinks are presented to him. "I didn't order these."

"I know. These are on me. Just make sure you save the lady at least two." The bartender turns to the pair of unicorns. "You two should run around a bit. Have fun. They'll be here when you get back, I'll keep my eyes on them."

Jewel nods as she realizes her night is probably not going to go in the direction she wanted it to go. She then elects to leave the bar and take to the dance floor for a partner. The mare relinquishes the night to her changeling friend. "Let's give them some space. We'll check back in after a bit."

"Sounds like a plan." Shadie says as she looks back to her mournful friend. "Poor Larvae. I didn't know she was holding back that much."

The mare comments to the prince. "Please stay here a little longer, we'll be back to check on you. I promise we will."

45 minutes later...

What was once an atmosphere of slow music and dancing couples is replaced by the sound of pulsing music, sweating bodies, strobing prismatic lights, and creatures showing their best moves. Not much has changed for the bartenders, staying just as busy as always.

However, the mournful cries that were once drowned out by slow music is replaced by relentless laughter. The prince, who was previously skeptical of the changeling is now more outgoing to her. His ears and cheeks are far redder than usual, and his smile just as boisterous as his usual self. He regales Larvae of stories of his journeys and adventures, namely the moments from just earlier in the day. "And then I told the bastard that he shouldn't be so jealous of the damn statue!"

The changeling mare shares a squeaking laugh, coupled by a few amusing snorts that prove infectious. "Wow! He was really about to fight the statue over how pretty it looked!? That's crazy!"

"Yeah, pretty wild. Never thought I'd see him get so wound up over someone looking prettier than him, but he was! My other brother thought it was a mare, popped a chub in the public square too."

"Oh no!" She cackles, doubling over in near absence of breath. She slaps the counter where there are about another five empty glasses, waiting for the bar staff to collect. She takes a sharp breath and leans drunkenly into the stallion. "Oh my queen, that's so wild! I can't even breathe!"

"Careful now, don't need you passing out before your friends get back." He warns her. "They'd probably make sure I'd never see the light of day again!"

The changeling mare giggles throughout her recovery, catching her breath and holding her aching sides as she looks around the dance floor for her friends. They're nowhere to be seen in immediate capacity, so she clears her throat and leans towards the stallion.

"So you're not from here, are you?"

"Not in the slightest! I've never seen changelings that aren't black, hissing, and looking to make a meal of me!" He jokes.

"Wow, those guys are really hard-stuck on old school." She answers with a giggling snort. "I could totally make a meal out of you, but I'd always ask first. The better question is would you be down to be a snack?"

"As long as I don't get drained to a pruned state like they always do, I suppose so." He replies.

"Okay." She playfully brushes her hoof against his chest. "So what all would you like to know more about us changelings, more specifically the one in front of you?"

"Eh, everything, I guess! I suppose I could use the intel."

"You're so funny!" She smiles, hopping out of her chair, pulling at his foreleg to join with her. "Well, this changeling really likes dancing! Do you like dancing too?"

The stallion slowly stumbles from his stool. "I'm a bit of a dancer myself. Just never in this kind of environment."

The mare pulls him again, guiding his stumbling self to the dance floor. "C'mon! Let's go cut a rug!"

The stallion accepts her guidance, barreling through the crowd to find an open space. But he bumps into a large looming figure, one that's significantly taller than many of the other creatures in the room.

"Oh, sorry!" I comment, not trying to stir up trouble with the very inebriated stallion.

The purple changeling takes full responsibility for having led her friend into me. "No, it's my bad! I didn't see you, and I thought we had an opening!"

The drunken stallion looks back at me and groans a barely intelligible grunt. "Eh?"

Ocellus immediately jumps in the way, trying to diffuse the situation before it can start up. "Sorry, sir. We won't be in the way. Me and my boyfriend are headed to the bar. You two have fun."

"Boyfriend?" It seems that the changeling girl is also a bit buzzed. "Wow, a changeling and a dragon? We really do find love in all special ways!"

"I know, right!? And he's fun to be around!" The two start to strike up a conversation.

But I take a page from her book and pull her away so that we don't stir up the ire of her drunken partner. "Ocellus, they're trying to have fun. Let's not hold them up."

"Oh right!" She remembers. "You two do what you do." Her eyes gander back to the stallion, she gives him a wise warning. "And you, I hope you've got your night wide open. She looks activated."

"What?" The stallion mutters.

"Hey now, no need the scare the fish away!" The changeling mare comments before pulling her unfortunate victim along for the soon-to-be life-changing ride. "C'mon!"

As he is dragged away, I glance back to the pair, trying to understand something about him. Ocellus sees the confusion settling in on my face. "What is it?"

"I dunno... that guy seems familiar."

"Seriously, how many white unicorns do you see running around in Equestria? Better yet, how many of them happen to be guards around the castle?"

"...Yeah. You got a point."

The Next Morning...

The night goes by as a tremendous blur for the stallion. Bits and pieces are shown to him, but much of it appears as a meshed vomit of colors and sounds. It takes even longer before he starts to gain some sense of sobriety after the night's events. So long, in fact, that the hour reads 11:49 on the nearby alarm clock.

His eyes are slow to open, the light of the dawn torturing his dilapidated senses. "Mmmnnnguh... my head." He complains quietly. His eyes wander to the clock, not quite able to make out the hour and minute of the day. He squints to try to gather his senses a little better.

But in the midst of that process, a shifting occurs on his chest. He lifts his covers, seeing the orange eyes of a happy changeling mare looking back at him. "Good morning. Finally awake after all of that."

"Wha... what the─" He struggles to use his magic to remove the sheets over his body, finally realizing that his body had been claimed over by the yet still amorous creature.

"Hmm?" Larva looks down, seeing the prince's morning salute offering more than a suitable course for her brunch of affection. She giggles with a verbalized thought. "Oh yeah, we really went at it. Even went to sleep going at it too. I had so much fun with you."

Parts of the night he easily forgets remain a blur, but the last thing he recalls accurately is the annoying sensation of her crying and snotting into his chest. It finally dawns on him that his night of threesome bliss was upended by the very mare laying on top of him. His eyes expand with horrific realization as he feels his better self being tugged at as she shifts her body. "IS MY DICK IN THIS CHANGELING BITCH!?" Panic starts to run in his mind, he snaps his head to the clock, reading the time of 11:51, just minutes before the noon hour. "Ah shit! I shouldn't be here─"

"Hold on. Give me a little bit" She pleads sweetly, pressing all of the weight of her body onto his hips. He plops out, finding himself to be at mid phase, her moistened folds warmly snuggling his underlength.

The stallion furiously chastises himself for having let the matter escalate to this point. "This... this is pure heresy! Witchcraft!" He thinks to himself. "I need to separate myself from this bug before I'm changeling feed!"

She pauses for a moment, but pleads with him with earnest pressing. "One more time. Please?" Her hips more than show her vested interest in a more sober continuation of their drunken activities.

"I need to get out of this." He starts to rise, but as he does, he feels a tight vicelike grip ensnare what he treasures most. "What the hell is gripping at me?" The changeling mare smirks as she plops herself down on him, causing him to gasp at the overwhelming surprise. "Oh shit."

"You feel wonderful inside me." She teases.

The prince eyes wander as he feel his constitutions weaken with every drop of her body. He gasps and grunts, realizing that this sole encounter has probably gotten him the most panicked, but also understanding that the taste of the foreign touch sparks a tinge of interest. "Good Doctor, how the hell is she this greedy!? This body... You can't do this to me, you stupid bug wench! I'm supposed to hate you, not fuck you for hours on end! Unhoof me!"

Her actions become all the more fierce, offering no quarter to the Ponyland prince. He bites his tongue, unsure of how to feel in the moment his sex is being milked for every ounce of seed, both unclaimed from the long night, and that which is soon to come.

Her soft squeaks and cries vouch for him to remain, but his strict upbringing screams for him to flee. The warring thoughts fling a myriad of arguments like sharpened spears across a busy battlefield. His legs grow weaker with every second she stays. And if he allows her to finish him in this manner, there would be no guarantee that she would dare allow him to leave without fully convincing him in his lustful weaknesses to stay. "Dammit..." He curses under his breath, thinking of a way to not only finish himself, but to solidify his leverage to escape at his leisure. "If I give you what you want, you'll let me go?"

"Yes." She whispers breathlessly. "Anything you want, baby. I'll be everything for you."

The words of affirmation touches him in a way his mind never once received. Usually he hears such praises given to him by many mares in the past, but often coming with the mention of his titles. Always 'sir prince' or 'your majesty'. But the tone she takes, coupled by her choice of words, elicits him to commit further. "Doctor forgive me." He places his hooves on her hips. "Hold still." He flips her over, proudly placing her on her back as he instantly continues where her hips have worked up to this point.

His thrusts are deep, bottoming not quite to his hilt as her body is not equipped to take him to that point. But the much she takes of him is so snugly embraced upon every withdrawal. And her body shows no form of rejection as he presses further in. She drapes her forelegs around his neck, encouraging him with every press onward. "Yes... you do so good, honey. Press harder, baby. C'mon, I can take it."

Her words to encourage him are met with grunts, he becomes helpless to resist the mind he now has. To know that a changeling of all creatures would dare to indulge him with such explicit praises. "Filthy bed bug! Taking my cock like some greedy slut!" He finds the pressure building in his loins becoming far too great to ignore. His body wilts in anticipation of his climax. His strength to continue wanes. "I need to pull out." He warns her.

"Mm-nmm." She further wraps her forelegs around him, but also bouncing her hips up to tightly wrap her hindlegs around him, locking herself onto him and riding his belly with each thrust. The prince gawks as she sinks her lips into his. Her tongue plays around his, her body starts to clasp around him, becoming even more tenacious to keeping him bound within her at his highest moment. "No. You're right where you need to be. Don't hold back. Let me have it. Please..." She whispers in his ear. "Please daddy, I'll be a good girl."

Unable to withhold himself, he shouts one last time in vain as the surge overwhelms him. "I'm serious, let me go!"

His wings snap out from underneath his cloak, spreading far and wide with each feather proudly displaying his alicorn heritage. Larvae is caught off guard by the sight of his wings clasping around her body, his forelegs giving way to allow him to press his hips fully into hers. "WOAH!" She yelps as his hips lunges forward with authority.

He buries his head into her neck, willingly driving every pulse of his orgasm into her womb. His seed spills with such urgency that he easily spills from within her body, breaking past every small opening that their bodies allow. His heart pulses loudly in his ears, knowing the taboo he willingly indulged in, hearing every praise she's offered that's set him off in a way unlike any other.

In his pants, he relaxes every part of him, his wings being the first thing to uncoil themselves from around her. He lays atop of the changeling mare, panting and sweating from the moment of high ecstasy. His eyes glance down to hers, easily forgetting what she is for a moment, what he is in that embrace... until. "Wow... I love your wings."

His countenance fades from the enjoyment of his time with her, to now realizing that he is a prince of Ponyland, and his seed now infests the womb of a creature unlike him. The horror of that message runs clear in his mind, driving him to instantly release her and use his magic to break her away. He leaps from the bed and snaps his wings back underneath his cloak. "I need to go."

"Wait─" He plea falls short as he walks out the door.

"I've been here longer than I needed to be! I need to go now! I'm well out of my time here─"

But even his arguments are interrupted by her catching up to him, jumping on his back and tilting his chin to have his lips meet with hers. He freezes in horror while the changeling wears a heartwarming smile. "Thank you for last night. I truly needed that release. You let me finally have that moment, the moment I was trying to hard to─"

He breaks her off of him again, stepping away as he realizes both what false expectations he's given her, as well as the painful dosage of their reality as strangers. It brings a sour, crippling turn of her lips to her face, so sour that he turns away in shame. "I... I don't think we can see each other again." As he makes that confession to her, he makes a poignant statement to himself. "Not a soul will know about this. I'll just leave this and pretend that none of this ever happened. I'll just dust off and try things again." He feels his neck slowly turn. "Don't look back. Walk forward. That moment never happened. And it will never happen again."

He walks into the elevator, presses the button for the lobby, and looks back to the reflective mirror, seeing the changeling before the doors close. A sad smile shows as the last thing she gives. He looks towards himself, unfurling the bandages over his disabled eye, staring at the glossy organ that reminds him of his truth, his purpose. He stares at the sash, who's jeweled accents wear off from the cheap glue that was used.

"...Figures."

Returning to the mountainside caves, Agamemnon ventures deep within where the light of the sun barely gives any hope for sight. He uses his horn to light his way, eventually coming back to the airship with the Equestrian Banner superimposed over what was once the sigil of Ponyland. He enters into the airship, greeted by none other than Eros.

"Back from your midnight debauchery with the locals?" The lavender-eyed prince takes a sniff of the stallion trying to brisk past him. "Yeah, you had a night worthy of it's forgetfulness. You reek of booze, sweat, and shame. Learned anything while you were out, or did you just simply get piss drunk again and wound up in some lower-class' bed?"

The silver-eyed prince scoffs as he easily weaves a story, part truths, parts fiction. "It was a fun little rout, I'll admit. The night was rife with a choice of three, and I chose... poorly, but I chose. Drunk and forgotten the night may be, but I'm sure that in time I will remember as I often do and will regale you with stories."

The prince smirks back at his brother. "So, were they of any use to you in bed? Were you wound up with an ugly duckling with some notable skill or something? Did the firm and mighty 'Magus' find himself in the clutches of one who has at last put whip to flesh?" He starts to tail his older branch sibling. "Oh don't tell me that you've found some new kink in this one, or are you merely gatekeeping again?"

"Maybe you shouldn't be so damn picky, you'd find out for yourself." The older lunges back, before holding his head. "Damn humans have some sort of concoction cooked up. Stronger than the countryside moonshine of the hicks out in Hayfling."

The younger brother shows a disgusted look of surprise. "That strong!? Usually that stuff is about 140 proof."

"Try 190."

The younger sibling croaks a stunted breath. "Are you alive?"

"Wishing I wasn't." The elder groans. "I'm going to the room now. I think I might puke."

"Egh... Away then. Don't need you evacuating in my presence." Eros orders with gross displeasure.

Agamemnon makes his way to his quarters, finally stumbling back into his own bed. He places a hoof over his face to void off the incandescent light within the room. His stomach turns with more and more thoughts of the night slowly starting to recall to a more picturesque vision as opposed to the unshaped blobs of earlier. He remembers faint traces of things, another changeling walking around with a purple and green dragon, the sight of the changeling mare smiling back at him on the dance floor, the stumbling walk back to the hotel, how her tongue danced so vividly around his sex, how inviting her throat had been, how she took him from above, the manner of her hips grinding against his with complete abandon, how eagerly she swallowed, and offered no moment of a refractory period for him. How gentle her hooves were, how he was milked dry the moment he finally passed out. Then waking up to him still being inside of her, only for her to tease him to warmth and ensnare him again.

He inhales, close his eyes, remove the cloth over his eyes, and sighs dejectedly. "Why the hell did she give me that smile?"

Chapter 52: Stirring Shadows

Earlier that morning...

*clip-clop clip-clop clip-clop clip-clop*

In the foggy dawn upon the foot of Mt. Canter, a young filly journeys through the mist and comes upon a cavern hidden behind the cresting waters of the falls above. She eyes the quiet entrance, a mossy pair of neatly placed boulders with a rectangular stone sat above it. The filly squints her eyes, using her wings to fly close to the top, seeing an inscription covered in wet moss and dirt. She activates her horn, brushing some of the moss away to reveal a worn inscription, one left illegible from both the winds of time, and water's constant flow. She glances in every direction around her before scurrying inside of the makeshift doorway.

Flurry Heart shakes herself, splattering all of the excess water from herself. "This place is new."

She quietly approaches what appears to be an alter of stone. Her eyes glance around the room, seeing a few worn items around the place. What sits resting against the wall is a terribly rusted spear tip pointed towards the ceiling. What lies next to it is an old shield, the metal reinforcements rusted through and a majority of the wood rotted away. Remnants of a set of equine armor piles on the wet stony floor. Seated besides the remnants of that is a worn inscription that proves far too damaged to be readable.

"I don't remember this place being marked on any maps. Wonder why."

She looks to the other side of the room, seeing what appears to be a tattered tapestry, a number of items that appear to be jewelry left in complete neglect. On the ground is nothing more than a pile of tattered fabrics, some far thinner than that of the dirty tapestry on the wall. The young princess illuminates her horn, walking back to the alter to read an inscription carved onto it. With a bit of cleaning of the moss, she makes out a worn inscription. Atop of the it rests a memory sphere that appears to be inactive.

"H-re r--ts the roy-- fa---- of His Royal Majesty F--- --arity and Hi-- ---chess La--li S----g. While this w---d has deni-- ---m the peace th-- --ught in eac- ---er and the f----e they aspired, may the-- ----p be a s---- -nd serene -----ony to the other side."

Upon realizing that this place was a tomb, Flurry peeks to the top of the alter, revealing a set of worn bones holding fast to a crumbling vase. The young princess bows her head in reverence to the pair before hopping off from atop the heavy stone sarcophagus. "Star-crossed lovers, and not a single marking of this place aside from a plaque and a sphere, and that's inside of it. And this is a prince of ours? Why would he not be brought out and placed in the main hall of the royal chapel? Just left here to sulk is pretty sad."

"Life is cruel sometimes."

Flurry turns her head, seeing an apparition dressed in golden armor. A pegasus stallion with a blond braided mane and tail sits idle atop of the cracked stone lid. The young princess speaks directly to the figure. "You're a new one, haven't seen you before. Then again, I haven't seen this place before either."

The ghostly stallion nods. "Well this is the first place I was brought to see. Tell me, where am I right now?"

"Apparently the tomb of one Prince F--- --arity." The juvenile princess responds, trying to make out the name. "F, arity... Farity, no... Fake-something-arity. Wait..." She ponders a little bit longer, going back to her lessons of the history of the guard. "F word, four letters. I think that one is supposed to be a C, C-arity. Charity. ...Fair Charity?"

The stallion's head juts up, snapping to every dimension of the room. "...This is MY tomb!?" He hops off the lid, looking into the crack of the sarcophagus. All he sees is a set of bones embracing the crumbling vase. "Perhaps a gift of some sorts. Funny, I was expecting something far more lavish." The specter looks around the room once more, taking in the desiccated conditions. "Looks like I wasn't held too fondly in our kingdom's eyes. Figures that they would treat me as such."

"Actually, you're not the only one here." Flurry points out, having him read the inscription on the side. "Apparently there's someone else who's supposed to be here, La--li S----g." Flurry looks at the scratched message, squinting her eyes as she makes out more of the worn letters. "La...li? No, La... there's a U... La-uli─"

"Lazuli..." The ghost replies. "I haven't seen her the entire time since my journey into the Aether!" He looks in the coffin once more, seeing a very faint impression of her imposed over the skeleton holding the broken vessel. "Oh... Lazuli. I loved her so... even if my soul yearned to serve another, I do adore what we shared together."

The filly looks at the tomb nervously. "Uh, I don't think this Lazuli pony would like you saying that."

The stallion dismisses the concerns of Flurry. "Ah, no harm done. She knows of my courtly love. We've talked much of it. In fact, she once demanded that I'd act on it. I did... eventually. It was the last time we saw one another."

"The last time?" Flurry inquires. "What happened that made it the last time?"

He walks over to the wall of time-worn items and relics. "Well, turns out that the Arimaspi are far bigger and smarter than imagined. They ambushed our convoy, slaughtered most of my men... myself included." He scowls at the rusted spear tip resting against the wall. "Ugh, somewhere around there's the soul of a blacksmith looking at his work rusting to the elements, I can imagine his screams from an otherworld away."

"So if you're Fair Charity, then that means..." The small alicorn pulls out a book of royal lineage, mentally marking through the names of all of the assigned and appointed royals of Equestria. She scans for his name, coming to a solidified entry towards the latter half of the book. "Let's see, judging from historical accounts, your year of end was well over... let's see, um... five hundred years ago?" She gawks. "Wow, you're old!"

He jumps at the number given to him. "Five hundred years? I've been searching for Lazuli for that long? She must be pretty angry that I've yet to find her." The ghostly prince looks around the room with a changed perspective, now understanding that his tomb isn't made with the idea of casting him aside, but rather worn away from five centuries of time having it's way. "Five hundred years... Well I suppose that now that I'm assigned to this world once more, I should request Celestia to see into the Aetherial Plane for me... that's if she's even alive anymore."

The filly's ears perks with interest at the name he spoke. "Auntie Celestia is still alive, she lives in Silver Shoals with her husband."

"Husband?" The prince's eyes fall to the ground with sadness, he remains sullen until he once more calculates the passage of time. "Right, five hundred years."

The filly brings up her own question. "Actually, you just said that you came from the Aetherial Plane. That means you've passed over already. Why are you back here?"

"Funny that you would ask. I too had that same question upon being chosen." He looks down to a worn-out shield, his eyes softening as he identifies the weathered item on the ground. "I have been called from the highest order to maintain balance between the world of the living and the plane. There were others assigned to this purpose, but I know not of them. Nor they of me, I presume."

"What do you think disrupts the balance of our two planes? Obviously you shouldn't be here, I mean I'm no better."

"A mutual interest of sorts. Cultists of the living seeking the dead to aid them in conquest. The dead, merely wanting to tie up loose ends and fulfill their failed agenda." He closes his eyes, placing his hoof on the shield. "To think the many warring souls were looked over for one who met an inglorious demise as mine."

Flurry identifies the purpose of the ghostly prince, citing her own experience in a similar endeavor. "My dad is at war with the Sombra cultists. We would be more than happy to deal with that. If we help you, do you think you'd be able to be at rest again?"

The stallion leaves the shield, looking towards the other side of the room. "I don't know. The longer I stay, the more I feel my former life and it's memories tether me to my desires." He whispers. "Even now, I'm starting to herald in the wish to speak with my courtly maiden, just even as much as seeing her would bring my soul unspeakable joy."

The filly then asks. "You say you're also looking for Lazuli Spring. Do you want me to help you find her?"

The prince shakes his head. "I have a feeling that she's probably looking for me. Maybe I should just hold still for a change, and she might run into me. Otherwise, I guess I'll be moving about in this world. I'll do what I can to aid your father in his fight against the cultists. I believe that would fulfill my conditions."

Flurry purses her lips before summoning a small white crystal charm. She gazes down to it and back to the ghostly prince with a drawn sigh. "I'm not usually supposed to do this, but I think I can get away with breaking the rules just this once."

"What are you doing?" He asks.

She summons a piece of parchment, using her charm to draw a circle. She then formulates the runes around it. She whispers an incantation, following it up by reading the name of the prince from the inscription. "I'm binding you to an enchanted scroll. It'll let the others see and speak to you, even if this is technically illegal by royal decree. Of course, I won't ever think to do it unless you're okay with it."

"You mean the others can't see me?" He quirks a brow.

"See you, hear you, feel you, none of that. Only I can with your current state. So this will let you speak to the others. But only if you consent to it."

"Of course I consent." He says without hesitation. "I can't be of any help if I'm incorporeal."

His spiritual form glows a bright yellow, matching that to the aura of her magic. She guides him into the scroll with care as she keeps her voice low while packing the parchment away. "Mom's gonna tan my hide if she finds this. So please try not to grab my attention until I call for you, that way I know it's safe."

The stallion snickers in the glowing parchment, the runes brightening with each word he speaks. "Such an astute little one. Who are your parents?"

"Emperor Shining Armor and Empress Mi Amore Cadenza of the Crystal Empire. We're a city-state that has it's own laws and rules, but we mainly fall under Equestrian royal family."

"What, I thought that place was long lost. Then again, five hundred years." The scroll shimmers with a curious spirit. "What misfortune to be a princess under the Equestrian banner."

"Why?" The filly asks.

"You'll find out when you're older."

"Flurry!? Flurry Heart Mi Amor, where are you!?"

The filly's ears shoot upwards, she whispers to the scroll, urging it to rest silently. "That's my mom! Stay quiet!"

The filly summons her saddlebags, stuffing the scroll and the charm inside before dismissing it to her room. As Cadance walks into the place with a magic shield raised to ward off the water, she sees her daughter standing idle in the center of the room. "What are you doing in here?"

"Just looking around, mom. I got bored and thought it would be fun to journey around the mountain."

The pink alicorn shows relief in finding her daughter, but also looks to correct her for her wayward motions. "I told you a thousand times, young lady. No wandering off."

"Sorry." She whimpers innocently, knowing that she'll likely do it again.

"Sorry doesn't cut it either." The mare says, reading past her daughter's façade. But she stops to take a long look around the room they've discovered. "What's this place?"

"It's a tomb." Flurry answers, causing her mother to grow a bit miffed at the implications.

"Flurry, you haven't been talking with the spirits of the wayward gone again, have you?"

"No, mom. No spirits in here to talk to." She answers, knowing that she is both lying in what she has done, but also telling the truth in confirming that there are no spirits currently in the room.

Cadance reads the plaque of the sarcophagus to herself. "Whoa. Prince Fair Charity? Wow, so this is where Celestia hid you off at, huh? I mean I knew she visited every once in a while, but I never knew exactly where you were so I could pay my respects somehow. But... I guess you're doing fine in here." The pink princess bows her head, closing her eyes, and offering a solemn prayer. "You majesty, it's an honor to finally meet. I'm sorry for the disruption my wandering daughter may have issued, but you can be back at peace now." The mare turns to her daughter. "Okay, let's go, young lady. Out. Let the resting souls rest, no more of this exorcism crap."

As the pair depart from the tomb, Cadance reinstates her shield to protect them both from the waterfalls. She keeps the young filly to her back for long enough where they clear the mist of the waterfalls and reach the open air. Flurry opens her wings and allows the wind to give her flight. The young filly flies beside her mother, asking as the foundations of the mountainside city come into view. "Mom, is being a princess bad?"

"Now why would you ask that?"

"Just a thought that came up."

"Just a thought?" The mare asks skeptically.

"Really mom, just a thought!" Flurry replies.

"Honey, being a princess comes with a lot of responsibilities. You know that everything depends on us, how we rule is how our citizens will thrive or suffer. That's why we look to make good choices, so that we can thrive together and make everyone happy."

"Doesn't really answer the question." The young alicorn rebuts.

Cadance rolls her eyes at her daughter's insistence. "Definitely your father's child. No, Flurry. It's not a bad thing. You're free to do whatever you please, as long as you understand that your actions have consequences and that they affect everyone around you. Okay?"

"Okay." Flurry replies.

The older mare watches as her daughter zips high into the sky, happily darting into the clouds. She takes a quiet moment to whisper to her own self. "No... we're not under that system anymore. And thank our lucky stars that we aren't."

Later that evening...

Agamemnon looks upon the newspaper headline, seeing their eldest sister standing before the podium as she did days ago in her press release. Thoughts stir within his mind as he eyes the dragon smiling awkwardly behind her. But before he can reach a definitive conclusion of his thoughts, he groans with discomfort over the nagging combination of headaches and nausea plaguing him by the second.

In seeing the stallion suffering, Eros kindly provides to his brother a glass of seltzer water and a pouch of high-strength headache powder. He shakes his head watching his unwell sibling trying to put two and two together. The stallion leaves him to his moment and travels to the bridge of the airship, seeing Xerxes trying to draft up a plan of sorts. "What are you up to now?"

The pacing prince goes back and forth before a table of chess pieces placed in a semi-circular formation, using three white pawns, both rooks, the queen, and the king pieces as their own faction. He sets the black pieces upon the table in the semi-circle, outside of the two bishops he has placed aside beneath a drawn question mark. "Here we sit, waiting, idle as the world continues to revolve. We could be doing so much more than this. Our current position would be better if we did something of use. If we're here trying to find the holy mother, then we need to be more in town. Not sitting in some damn cave with a bunch of dripping stalactites."

"And what, wander the city with no knowledge of what we'd run into next?" Eros challenges. "It wouldn't make sense for all three of us to go at once, then something happens to all of us and no one knows nothing or can report back."

"That's what the pawns are for!" The red-eyed prince rebuts. "What makes even less sense is the idea that we'd be caught sitting here with no information and choosing not to substantiate it. We already have an enormous lead on their capabilities, we can't afford to just sit here and do nothing. So I'm drafting up a plan."

The lavender-eyed prince eyes a white bishop standing besides a black night in the opposing formation. He travels to the opposing side of the table. "Do you know what, or rather who Agamemnon ran into on last night?"

"Does it matter if it's nothing important to what we need to get done so we can get out of here!?"

"Matters a lot when you realize that he's ran into a certain dragon and his changeling." He picks up the black night, placing a pawn next to the figure and scooting them both towards the middle.

"Changeling, you say?"

"Why yes, a changeling. That purple scaly andromorph was sighted walking about the town, namely that district we journeyed into. And needless to say that our faces could and would be easily identified."

With frustration, Xerxes knocks over the knight piece, sending the figure tumbling over the edge of the table. "That dragon bastard is here and we're not even thinking of following the idiot to the holy mother!?"

"You're missing my point." Eros elaborates further. "They had a changeling on staff with them, a changeling with the dragon, a changeling in the club, and each of them being different colors. Apparently they've undergone a reformation of sorts, which explains their prismatic appearances of late. But in short, they appear to be in league with them as well. And a changeling alliance only serves to complicate matters now. It would be better to remain cautious as opposed to stout-headed."

"Listen, we are in the capital city of our adversaries. There must be a million here already. To hell with a bunch of changelings, even we could be inconspicuous in a town with so many! What's a few faces in the crowd of a few thousand for every second? The only ones who knows our faces are the dragon and the holy mother. And we would sooner see them than they would see us."

Eros groans with disbelief over his brother's hubris. "I know you think our mission will be as easy as walking through town, seeing her in a crowded street, taking her under, and walking away with every smile blissfully ignoring the abduction taking place. But we must be patient. Father sent us here knowing that we would be gone for a few months at least."

"A few months!? I'm not trying to stay in this infested land that long, much less without a proper guild to back me, or a hunt to be done!"

"A few months in wait is better than rushing the matter. After all, there will be a front of our finest headed this way by means of the coast. So let's quietly hang out in the safety of the mountain, far away from the chaos of the inevitable front lines. Let them be distracted and play their little games. It'll be fine."

"We don't have a few months." Xerxes stresses once more.

"We do now." Eros stands firm, moving all the pieces back into a proper format of their usual placement. "And our dear father is hoofing the diversionary efforts on top of it, something he's doing to buy us some time. We, especially you, should take advantage of that and let the chips fall where they may. Time is on our side, brother. We flush them out, and no more." He walks out of the room with a parting warning. "And do remember this; I lead this campaign, you and Agamemnon had your chance out in the waters. You've lost five thousand of our centuries in the matter of minutes. Father has made it clear that you give not a single order. So do remember your place in all of this, you can go back to being the golden boy when we get back home."

The door closes behind the younger alicorn, leaving Xerxes to stew in his growing rage.

Meanwhile in Canterlot...

Sitting upon her throne, Twilight goes through a number of items on her scroll, seeing a bevvy of demands from foreign contacts regarding the conflict stirring between the two global powers. Along with the headache growing from the dizzying amount of concessions and trades that look to be placed on temporary hiatus. While there could be a suitable trade partner in the humans, moving that much material between worlds is far more tedious for both sides while trying to minimize contact between the two realms.

But that doesn't seem to be the only matter pulling her attention away from the present. Instead, it's another frustration that's beginning to irk her. A voice who's shrill raspiness echoes in her mind, it's owner claiming proud ownership of her number one assistant, the name that so exotically different who's memory brings nothing but a sultry image to her mind. The image of her adopted brother being made to service her in every way manifested between two adults in the heat of the moment.

"This is my dragon, he's gonna serve me till I say when! And it won't be soon, I assure you!"

"Princess?... Princess!?"

"I'm yours, pet! Make me a proud princess!"

"Your majesty!"

"Huh-yeah!" Her thoughts of that moment are brought to a startling halt as the voice of her secretary reminds her of her present. "Sorry, wandered off for a bit."

Inkwell looks around the room, seeing a few guards posted in varying areas for security. She hails to them. "Her majesty requests a moment of privacy." The guards nod and file out from the room, leaving the two alone. "I understand that there's a lot going on, your highness. But I do believe that matters requires your undivided attention. Not to be a nag, but you understand that things are quite dire."

She gives an exasperated sigh, grimacing as she looks at the scroll before her. "I am more than aware, no need to remind me."

As the purple alicorn rubs the side of her head, the secretary notices a slight scent that grabs at her attention. She easily identifies the scent. "Permit me to ask, your majesty, what distracts you at this moment in time?"

She rolls her eyes in response. "Nothing good. Just personal conflicts that I should be setting aside for the betterment of the country."

"Personal matters is something we all undergo in our day to day lives, it's how we deal with those matters that decide how we are viewed by those around us." She clears her throat. "Perhaps your majesty has acquired another escort of sorts?"

"Ugh. I wish." She grumbles before realizing that she might be showing her personal interest in a manner that goes beyond her mental containment. A blush razes her cheeks and ears. "Sorry."

"Don't be, your highness. You are still young in the mind, it happens." The secretary announces. "If it makes you feel any better, even I have had my moments. While I am freshly of age beyond foal bearing, I still have those thoughts creeping in. It's how you go about it is the issue."

"Okay. I'll admit it. Sometimes I get a little desperate for attention. And just the proximity to resources can be a bit overwhelming at times."

"So you have an interest that wanders about in your mind. And now you think to entertain the idea, correct?"

"That's... half of the problem. The other half is that I don't need to be in anything right now because there's so much going on, and right now I need to do whatever it takes to keep my attention on what matters most."

"Ah yes, the throws of responsibility. A noble aspiration to uphold such a standard, albeit futile at times in moments of high stress."

The princess scoffs. "More like annoying because of a few other things." Twilight closes her eyes, taking a deep breath. "If I may confide in you my most daring secret of the day."

"Your majesty, I await your confession with lock and key in tow."

"Top secret." The purple alicorn reiterates.

"Of the highest level."

Twilight summons her phone, pulling up a selfie of her posing in the garden with a visibly disgruntled Spike. "I'm worried that Spike's relationships are starting to get in the way of his ability to function."

"A moment to check on that. When you say, and I quote, 'get in the way of his ability to function', do you perhaps mean to say 'get in the way of your ability to function?'"

"Your job was to always hold me accountable." The princess groans in defeat. "Alright, both of our abilities to function. Like that whole debacle with Ponyland was so terrible to deal with. Just that whole... exchange... I can't get that moment out of my head, and now it's quite literally breeding interest."

"If I may?" The secretary questions for clarity.

"You know, him. Him and Zenobia when he was under her control. I was forced to watch that, just seeing the creature I raised as a sibling not being what I remember, or who I remember. Then there's the videos, the picture he mistakenly sent to me, just all of it! It's like he a different... thing!"

"You mean a male, your highness."

"Whatever! The bottom line is that he's not what I've known him to be for all of his life. I know he's growing up, I know he's got his own thing going on." The high princess rises from her seat, seeing a small stain upon her cushion. She turns away with shame. "And now I know it's starting to get the better of me because of that proximity issue."

"I'll have the maids on standby for a new cushion." Inkwell reassures the princess. "It happens more often than not. I won't divulge further."

"In the hindsight of things, I realize that Spike is not the young dragon I raised, but now a drake with his own personality, his own preferences and strengths. It's just that my mind now wanders on occasion to that moment. And I'm starting to worry whether if I'm upset over what's happened, what's taking place right now, or if I'm just somehow envious of the position others have around him."

Inkwell hums with the intuition of experience. "With all due respect, your majesty. Do you feel that your time with him is drawing closer to heated arguments as opposed to more traditional greetings?"

Twilight rolls her eyes. "When does he not annoy me? Every time we meet, there's always some stupid argument he's wanting to fight with me over the things I do or say. It's like that's the only way we can talk now! And it's not like that I don't want him to talk to me anymore, it's just that I almost prefer it if he fights with me because the time spent doing that is more time I get to know him in some weird way. Maybe I feel like I could come to a better understanding if we do argue."

"Do you imagine that those arguments or fights can sometimes get physical?"

The purple mare purses her lips tightly. "...More than I would like to admit. One time we almost came to blows with each other. He even penned a letter of resignation of his post, which I obviously refused. And sometimes I think of that moment and wonder if he's even had that heated stare-down with anyone else. And with him being a dragon, sometimes their physical altercations get... well, for lack of a better work-safe description... physical."

"Your majesty, you have a physical interest in Sir Spike." She concludes.

"Tell me something new."

Inkwell continues. "It appears that you've also discovered that he is a male with many satisfied partners."

"Obviously."

"And so you wish to quietly satiate your curiosity by the chance of inviting him to the Friendship Summit next weekend."

The princess covers her face with her own wing. "Do you have to be so loud?"

"Well if you wish for me to tell you something new, then I would like to inform you that he has confirmed the reservation, but made a request to add an additional room for his accommodations."

The mare's ears spike up. "He already has a room. What does he need another one for?"

"He said that he intends to invite a guest."

"A guest?" She starts to imagine a number of possible characters that could fit the description of his invite, but coming to a conclusion of what what could be his manner of getting her acquainted with a certain prince as his plus-one. "Oh no, not him."

"Shall I cancel the additional room?" Inkwell inquires.

"What room does he have booked?"

"Room 311."

Sternly planning her counter methods, she gives an order to her trusted secretary. "I want that room on lockdown and 24-hour surveillance. The moment he sets hoof into that room, I want him to stay locked in there until Spike is ready to leave. That way, he can leave with him."

"Still assigning Prince Amor to supervised confinement?" Inkwell confirms.

"Until he gets over this unusual obsession of me."

The secretary nods with affirmation. "Understood, your majesty."

Twilight puts away her phone, facing the mare beside her. "I'm sorry for muttering my distractions towards you, even if they are a bit personal."

"We all have moments, princess. I could easily go into detail, but that would be uncouth of me. The things I heard from your predecessor especially would only make you uncomfortable if I divulged them to you."

The alicorn mare thinks about sitting back down, only to notice yet again the fresh stain on it's cushion. She elects otherwise. "Let me guess, a lot of it's about Nondis?"

"It is true that he generated a lot of her diversions into the midnight of her tenure, but that's just one thought of many of her encounters. Some were actually directed towards a number of guards throughout the royal rotation, some she particularly rated modestly well. However only one did seem to have rated higher than many others before her beloved husband came into the picture."

Growing curious, Twilight pries into the matter further. "And who was that?"

"Well I have to apologize to your majesty, but that information remains classified." Her words disappoints the high princess, but she reels her back in with a moment of hope. "But seeing as you're close friends with the predecessor, I am willing to neither confirm nor deny details."

Given the careful wording of the mare's friendly advertisement, Twilight jumps on board in trying to probe the mind of her former mentor. "Flash?" She begins to guess.

"Non-issue."

"Spike?"

"Non-issue."

"...My dad?"

"A concern of conduct." She finally replies.

"...My brother?"

"A strict critique of his pedigree. Though not without curious thought."

The purple mare gasps. "Did she seriously have the hots for Shining!?"

"I cannot confirm that her intentions were beyond mere inquiry, but I cannot deny that her harsh critique of his suitorship to Cadance wasn't without a measure of envy." Flabbergasted, Twilight drops her jaw as the secretary continues onward. "However, the question is not why she judged him so harshly, but rather why she held him to the standard of your father so adamantly."

"Oh my Celestia."

"Oh my her, indeed." Inkwell giggles. "But one inquiry of many. Your father was a creative in the art of disguised procreation. Albeit of the many times she caught him in the act, she merely allowed for him to continue and be chastised on a much later date. Too often would she happen upon the library with piercing eyes, only to pull out a book and read passages containing the exact references and positions to the debauchery he and your mother committed whilst in working hours. But I cannot help but to debate if that was because of your father's ingenuity of utilizing stealth spells, or your mother's penchant for erotic romance novels for her inspired performances. One could even argue that she probably knows the exact manner in which your and your brother were conceived, and have probably recommended a book to you containing that exact scene for her own amusement." Twilight immediately grows flustered with awkward embarrassment, followed by a moment of sobering disgust. The secretary giggles yet again. "Such is the humor of one Celeste."

Not wanting to think about that cruel detail of her former mentor, she snatches back up the scroll and starts delving her face into the parchment. "Okay, let's get back to work now!"

"She always said you were easy to spur, your highness."

As she goes through the number of trade embargos and diplomatic demands, she issues one more recommendation to cleanse her mind. "Addendum: Please remove The Fetcher of the Rye from my reading lists."

"But isn't that one your favorite Tuesday night read for that one particular scene in the school library? Hmm... I wonder if they were as rough and loud as that scene portrays."

"AAAUUUUUGHHHH, DAMMIT!"

2407 Golden Oaks Avenue

After spending the first half of my day working off the effects of last night's outing in Canterlot, Ocellus and I come back home in the late afternoon with just enough time to cozy up to Gabby. We did a little of everything, watching a movie, making her dinner, basically anything that could satisfy my qualifications for her day to go well.

But I'll admit that in between the moments where she monopolizes my attention, I find spots to go back into my research and read up on all the things that made what happen seven years ago so terribly horrific. Apparently, it's all the research of a sadistic psycho compilated over the course of five hundred years. To think this guy had been floating around that long under the radar is insane to imagine. But then again, when you exhume the bodies from underneath the grave plot, and monopolize every morgue in town, it seems easy to get away with it. And all it took was one solemn visit to a family member's grave, all for the weight of three to sink the plot and reveal the whole operation underneath.

Can't imagine Kalimba visiting her mother's grave and finding that out. Can't imagine the pain, then relief of her father seeing that come to pass, and ask another to disrupt her rest to ensure she's still in place. The fact that Nondis braved that, and then some has to bring some nausea to his mind. Then again, he's been dealing with death and horror since his time with Twilight.... Yeah, the changeling insurgency that thought to overthrow Chrysalis with a group of souped-up drones and brutes farming and trafficking ponies from Ponyville.

Now that I think about it, he really did do way more than his job called for. The Captain's spot of the Royal Guard is mainly to be a lifeguard to the princess, a ceremonial position if nothing of note is happening. But he just did it anyways, out of the goodness in his heart. He could've just let it happen, let the changelings fall under new management, but the moment he heard a filly go missing from the abductions, he sprung on it. Just that one call opened the floodgates for everything that happened next.

And what was I doing? Getting in the way because of my own crush of a pony who liked him as much as I did her, my own obsession. To think if it weren't for the massive decapitating scar, one would barely notice the tiny incision my claw had made against his jugular from my attempt at his life.

"Spike!" My mind is suddenly snatched back to the present. I see a grumpy griffon with ruffled feathers staring back at me with boards and notepads in tow. "Are you reading that nonsense again?"

I at least be honest with her. "Well, I did take yesterday off. Ocellus didn't give me much of a choice."

"And neither am I." She announces, smacking the book closed as it still rests in my hand. "Now put that away! We've got a campaign to finish!"

As she sets everything down, I try to remember exactly where we brought things to a hiatus on our previous game session. "I forgot we weren't exactly finished with where we were the last time."

"That's why I'm keeping track of things." She states as she places her notepad next to her. "You can just sit there, look cute, and keep rolling that die like I want you to. You got more than enough secretary and administrative things on your mind to worry about. So leave that to me and me alone."

"You know, you work hard too, plus some Saturdays." I reply.

"Yeah, but you make it a habit to never take a day off, you scaly workaholic. I swear you don't pay any kind of attention to the amount of stuff you get into. It's like when you get on a roll and you start working, you never realize how many hours go by without you eating or drinking, or using the bathroom, or bathing... or sleeping... or─"

"Yeah, yeah. I get it."

A trio of ponies enter the home, they come in with a number of bags, seemingly coming back from a grocery run. Smolder,, overseeing the three Ponyland imperials, pops in with a greeting. "Oh hey, so you've made it back." She glances towards the table. "Huh, is that Ogres and Oubliettes?"

The griffon proudly answers the dragoness. "Yup, me and Spike got a pretty steamy campaign going for the both of us."

The dragon quirks a brow. "Oh really─"

Suddenly, Smolder's show of interest is sheared off by Hestia's loud interjection. "Ooh! No way you two just started a campaign and not tell me!"

"Uh, you play Oggs and Oubs?" I ask.

"Of course! I love playing this game with some of the other branch siblings! We'd always play a quick campaign after every learning day, then we'd reset the campaign and start all over like it's an infinite time loop! I mean the beginning is always the same, but the one-offs that Stephanos made for us were endless. It was never the same after he went, nobody ever played again." She recounts before plopping herself into a seat at the table, much to the disappointment of Gabby. "You two wouldn't mind a third, would you?"

"It's a pretty adult campaign." Gabby warns.

"Oh..." She starts off in disgust, but quickly shift gears in her desire to play. "Then I'll play a role perfect for my involvement on that side of things, I choose... cleric."

"There will be adult situations." I warn her.

"There's sex involved." Gabby cosigns. "But of course, it's consensual. If you want a good scenario, at least give me a few days to draft one up."

"No need! I'm a cleric, so that means I get a bonus buff against any and all sexual scenarios. Plus I hereby inflict my character with the spell of eternal chaste. So no nasty stuff for me." Amor rolls his eyes at his sister's insistence.

Gabby begrudgingly accepts her entry, but with a stipulation. "Just as a precaution, you'd have to roll higher than a fourteen in order to pass the chastity check."

The princess snags the die from my claws and spins it on her nose, juggling it to the tip of her right wing, and rolling it down her wing to the table to land on an 19. Gabby appears slack-jawed as Hestia brims with excitement over her success. "Real life luck stat never fails!"

"Too bad your in-game luck stats are always abysmal." Amor comments, earning a deathly stare from the mare. "So... what's the campaign so far?"

Seeing how the scenario is quickly evolving, Gabby sighs and flips back to the front of her notepad, reading off the prologue. "In the world of Blightia, a land of mystical creatures both known and unknown, there is an evil lord responsible for taking the dead of a recent war to build up his armies. Meanwhile, the nations of Darkvein and Luxia open their negotiations for peace. But an attack ensues on the nation of Luxia, many of the perpetrators donning the armor of the Darkvein fallen. Amist the confusion, the king of Darkvein sends for an intervention of the disavowed forces personally, but he suddenly fell under a surprise attack by members of the Luxia fallen. And with the attack observed by many of the Darkvein royal family, all responsibility is thrown to the Luxia high minister. As a result of the confusion, the war between the two nations begin anew, much to the delight of this evil lord puppeting the now-extended conflict from deep within the Blightian shadows."

Hestia nods with affirmation. "Okay, fighting off an evil overlord capable of raising the dead. Then my class is definitely what you'll need!"

"I'd have to write a whole new scenario just to accommodate your introduction." Gabby sighs.

"I could just make one up." The pink pegasus proposes.

"You're welcome to try." The griffon mumbles.

As Hestia starts to pick up her character card, she slides one over to Amor. "I know you'll be staring at all of us like you don't have any interest in it when really you do. So you might as well make your character anyways."

The stallion looks at the griffon, who flips her notepad to the last few pages. She grumbles before tossing it and pulling out another one to start over. She resigns herself and openly waves the unicorn to join in. "Well... I guess I can jump in if it's not a problem." He pushes against his sister shoulder as he speaks. "It would be awfully RUDE OF ME to hop into a game uninvited."

"It's a campaign with nasty stuff involved. And I'm playing for the moral spoil-sport." Hestia claims eagerly.

"Rather I'd just downgrade the rating just a bit." Gabby announces as she looks to Smolder. "You're more than welcome to join."

"Nah, I'd rather the version we played that one Friday night we had you on the sybian." She snickers. "You nerds have fun, I'll be off making my girlfriend make funny noises for the next half hour."

Hestia shudders as Amor looks at his character card. "I wouldn't know what class I'd be. What's all been taken so far?"

"Spike's a paladin. I'm a red mage. And Hestia's going cleric." Gabby explains.

The prince rubs his chin, thinking aloud. "I guess I can do a rogue."

Zenobia chimes in with a giggling rebuke. "You'd be better off as one of those annoying bastards that don't do anything but sing, as useless as you're going to be."

"You mean a bard?" He deadpans.

"Yes that, whatever. I'm jumping into this bullshit."

Both Gabby and I look at each other, unsure if she even knew what she was going to do, or how to do anything. She inevitably accepts her into the game. "Why not? The more the merrier. What class do you want?"

"So I guess I'll be the bastard that just hits things until they die. What's the best class for that?"

"Barbarian." Gabby jots down. "Figures you'd choose that."

The princess parks herself into a seat next to me, obviously looking to take some of the attention away from the baffled griffon. "Alright... so how do we play this?"

I do a double take at her question. "You're jumping into a campaign and you don't even know how to play!?"

"Look, I heard this campaign would have sex in it. So now I want to get to the fun parts already."

Gabby clarifies the atmosphere and rating of the campaign yet again. "Okay, just to clear the air on this. It's not an exclusively x-rated campaign. It's just a campaign with adult flags enabled."

The alicorn snags my arm, already having ideas of how my introduction to her will go. "Well I'm grown as shit. Now let's get moving."

Gabby grimaces as she starts to explain the workings of how a campaign can be run. But in the midst of that, my phone begins to play some free form jazz out of nowhere. I pull it out to see some sort of video of Discord playing a trumpet, letting the notes fall where they may with intent. I tap the screen a few times to exit the video, only for the word calling to pop up at the top of my screen. "Discord? Now of all times?"

"Discord's calling you?" Gabby asks with a chuckle. "Guess he heard there's a campaign up and running."

"Might as well get ready to pull out that archer class card." I respond before answering the phone. "Hello?"

He cartoonishly climbs from the phone screen, pulling his head up and and then his arm, which pops off of him and yanks the rest of him out of it. He stands on the table with a fedora on with the word press written on a yellow card set into the ribbon. "Well as much as I would love to jump into whatever you have going at the moment and provide a little extra immersion, I'm afraid that will have to wait. I have a bit of a pressing update to announce." He turns to Gabby and bows his head. "I'm sorry for breaking your game night here with this one, but I have to report that Nondis has been apprehended in Ponyland."

Gabby just stares with confusion, meanwhile the rest of us are left gawking with disbelief. "What?"

"Ain't no way." Amor whisper.

"No chance!" Hestia calls out. "We just left from there like over a week ago!"

"Yeah, I find that emphatically hard to believe." Zenobia adds. "How the fuck does he of all creatures get caught in a place he's already left!? Much less, why would he even think to go back outside of him being bored enough to do some outlandish shit!?"

"Well you wouldn't be wrong about that boredom part, but there was a legitimate reason why he left back to the country that moderately damaged his multi-million dollar yacht. He thought it would be important that he and your father had a nice chat about the declaration of war they made. And I'll just say that the relatively unharmful engagement left the emperor feeling a bit... embarrassed."

I immediately shake my head. "Oh no."

Meanwhile at Midnight Castle...

Nondis rests reclined against a wall that seems to be made for keeping one's hooves stretched upward. But due to his size, the most the restraints can bring him to is a comfortable raising of the forearms to shoulder height. A bored blank stare rests on his face as he patiently awaits the gathering outside of the door to come to a pause, their voices exchanging a number of opinions.

He looks at his wrists and scoffs with indifference. "Well... not the only time I've been stuck in a shitty situation. I still have to say that the last guy did it way better."

The wooden door clicks and creaks open, revealing a familiar pair. Both Gabranth and Emperor Basileus enters the dungeon cell with a cautious approach. "Is he secured?" Gabranth questions his subordinate.

"Yes sir." The guard outside answers.

"Very good." He says, getting a little closer to the seemingly relaxed human. "So, you are indeed the rogue apostle."

"You guys gave me that name, and I don't know in what way I'd turn it into something cool. But bullshit formalities aside, I'd like to personally think that I'm more of an exorcist."

"For what cause?"

"Uh, for starters purging the world of Captain Crisp's influence." He yawns. "I don't mean to offend you, but your church is a total pile of shit."

The emperor speaks up in defense of the national religion. "Our church is a sacred monument to our faith, and a foundation to all things modern medicine."

The man groans and roll his eyes. "Dude, do I really need to have this conversation with you guys again?"

"I'd like to say that any discussion you may wish to have would only be fruitful for sowing disorder." The emperor retorts.

"It's only disorder to those who've been indoctrinated for most of your life. A hit dog will holler louder than the ones watching."

"I beg to differ." Basileus clops his hooves together, summoning a pair of guards to bring in a table and two golden goblets. After setting the table, a bottle of what appears to be an old vintage is sat onto the table for the emperor's consumption. Gabranth dismisses the other two and pours the drink for his emperor. He takes a sip and instantly feels refreshed to his momentary preference. "Now I'm sure you're wondering why you're here and not being rushed towards the gallows for your little visual stunt?"

"Not really, I can already guess that you want to make a deal with me." Nondis answers.

"Yes. And in that deal, you'll tell me what else your kind has created in the time of your existence, other than this so-called bomb that you touted your horn to." He pauses before taking another sip. "Well, your lack thereof."

"And a long story short, you want weapons."

"Your weapons."

The man tilts his head with a thought. "So how much do you think these weapons are worth?"

Gabranth looks to the emperor, who responds with a nod. He summons a small chest filled with silver coins. "You're looking at about five thousand spurs in that one chest alone. That much will get you started on your new life here."

"New life?"

"Well we can't obviously make your stay here any more barbaric than it's already being to current point. So why not start here? Five thousand will easily cover your first two months. You'll stay in a luxurious penthouse suite, given the finest foods and wines on imperial account, and you'll have more than your fair share of mares... that is if that appears to be your preference."

"Silver, huh. No gold?" The man deadpans.

The emperor glances to his subordinate, who summons an even bigger chest with golden coins, and emblems resembling the same of those of their silver variants. "That chest there is the equivalent of fifty thousand spurs. Tenfold the initial offer."

"All that for a Glock 43 I have lying around in some kitchen drawer."

"Is it powerful?" Gabranth questions.

"Enough to stop a small invasion."

"Then we'll take it." The emperor replies.

"Yeah, nah." The man replies with a smirk and a chuckle. "Not selling, can't sell. Sorry. Them's the rules of my stay in Questis. If I went back on that, my wife would have my head on a platter, not that I'm unfamiliar with that experience."

Upset that the human mocks him with such a carefree attitude, he leaves the room and allows for Gabranth to stay behind, who dismisses the chests full of currency and summons instead a large maul. He points it to the legs of the human, appearing to threaten him with it. "Alright, Now that the emperor has left us, I'm going to be whole-heartedly honest with you. From what the reports have illustrated, not to mention the actions you've performed in your previous infiltration of the castle, I can say without a doubt you've merely allowed us to capture you." He brushes the maul against his knees. "Why?"

"Well before you get started, I should let you know that your doc made sure that you'll have a really hard time breaking those. So, may wanna save your energy." The man warns. "Now as for your suspicions, you're not wrong. I just figured that you'd need a bargaining chip to rule negotiations in your favor. Might as well throw you a bone with a little red meat on it."

"Both you and I know that's a lie." The stallion replies angrily. "Your mechanical contraption could easily outrun our ground support. You could kill our forces with hardly a limb raised and a bead of sweat on your brow. What are you getting at?"

"I dunno. Bike ran short on gas, she doesn't run on the barely manufactured shit you guys call diesel. I guess I was just interested in the scenery when I stopped. You could say you caught me with my pants down."

"You're not that incompetent."

"I know." Nondis smiles.

"Then please explain why you've allow yourself to be here."

He purses his lips, before smirking with a thought. "Bored, I guess. Not gonna lie, my wife and I have all the means for a good happy life, but even we both have our moments where the adrenaline needs to get out somehow."

"Well since you're so bored, I'll allow you to stay under the pretense that you'd tell me what are the current advancements of Equestria's military." The human hums at the stallion's request. "I want connections, every spy you have floating around in our halls."

"Really, that easy huh?" He kicks his feet together, browsing the idea of pointing out figures of interest. "Cause I know at least six of them meandering around in your castle even now. Pretty prominent positions too."

"...You'll tell me more of these spies." Gabranth sternly demands.

"Oh yeah, they even gave me the biz on how to nav the castle grounds. They know every passage and access used around here. Because of them, I got in pretty easily."

The century places his maul aside, leaning towards the man. "And how is it that I can trust you?"

"Honestly, we've had sleeper agents sitting in the underground passages for generations. And they've been teaching some things, spicy things. One could say that the revelations of life outside of the country can prove to be... revolutionary. Of course they know how to play their role for you guys, but most importantly how to relay that information to us without getting caught. And it's not like it's as easy as purging through every household for information." The man nods with a thought to himself. "Yeah. You'd really have to sift through every citizen, screen every family, even foals for information that could easily be transmitted to us."

"Your network runs that deep?"

"As deep as your citizens have dug their homes, as winding as the mineshafts you use to haul your metals."

"And your technology?"

"We humans have a strong policy against allowing other creatures to use our weapons. They're far too dangerous to be allowed in the possession of the uncaring and otherwise ignorant. You should know with the way your boys are trained. One misfire and it's could be lights out."

"And yet it could be easily assumed that there are some who know how to use your weapons."

"One problem." He flicks his right hand, flexing his index finger. "You see this, that's a finger. You can't fire a weapon without it, can't turn off a safety switch without the precision of these bad boys. How precise are they, well let me tell you that we can easily dig dental floss out from the grooves of your horns." The man eyes gives off a small twinkle as he looks away. "Anyways, aren't those grooves pretty essential to conducting your mana flow? With that disrupted, no spells for you."

"And what do you know about magic?" The stallion asks almost mockingly.

"Little, very little other than how to cut it off." The man purses his lips to the side, pointing a finger to his forehead. "And you may want to get that floss out of your horn."

He crosses his eyes to see a tiny thread dangling to the bridge of his nose. "Heh, light work." Gabranth scoffs and sparks up his magic to remove the thread, only to find his spell quenching before he can manifest a flow. He grabs at his horn with his hoof, trying to frantically pull the floss from off of it, only for the situation to worsen and the floss falling further in the spiraling grooves of his horn. "What the hell?"

"Yeah, you never know what's on something as simple as dental floss, could be something debilitating, could be a neural poison that infests the body from the moment you touch it, anything goes really."

Hearing the suggestive outcomes of his attempts, he loudly gives his complaint to the man. "Get this damn thing off of me!"

"Only if you trust me enough to do it. I'm still pretty dangerous after all."

Nondis smiles in patient waiting, all while the stallion begrudgingly gets closer to his hand and allows for him to touch the thread. "Fine."

Easily, the man grabs the thread and pulls at it, watching as the floss spindles out from the grooves of his horn. He stifles his laughter as the stallion holds at his horn, looking at his hooves, making sure that his end wouldn't be sudden. "So... something you wanna say first?"

With a grimace of pure hatred for the creature, Gabranth mutters his response. "Thank you."

The man unleashes a full-throated laugh, amused greatly by the stallion's moments of panic. "Thanks for humoring me, by the way. I needed a good laugh."

Before the stallion could grab his maul, another century walks into the cell and whispers into his ear. "Sire. The emperor requests you presence again."

Gabranth gives the human a side-eye, who brushes off his animosity. "Oh no, don't worry about me, I'll be here all day. Or rather, I'll be here for as long as I choose to be." He gives the stallion a playful wink.

"I will crack you. And I will find the answers I seek." He threatens before leaving.

"Can't crack the willing!" He shouts before the door closes. "...Wonder how long this might take before wifey goes nuclear."

Chapter 53: Lost Luggage

Captured. In Ponyland.

All of us who's seen how Nondis operates are stunned to a lengthy silence. Questions rack our brains while solutions seems far too sparse for reason. Everything in my mind at this point seems to reflect on the idea of a desperado rescue mission that is very likely to turn south by the time we even cross their borders. And the longer we sit here, the more we start to see how things can go from this to even worse for everyone. As for me, I know who he is, but also what he is, what he can do. And I dread the thought of him getting cornered into an ultimatum, where they leave little option aside from him finally cracking that boundary and letting all hell break loose. It terrifies me to no end.

Gabby hasn't seen that side of him, much less even seen him in person. So her ignorance is partially understood. "So, now what happens?"

"Obviously getting him back is probably in our best interests." Hestia comments.

Zenobia bites at her hoof, becoming nervous. "But why would he go back there? He had to already know that they'd be trying to extract information about his world and their weaponry. That just makes things even harder."

"I don't even want to imagine if the former princess catches wind of this happening." Amor comments, shuddering with the thought of the princess' nightmarish transformation.

I try to find some mode of hope in the situation, at least seeing it from the standpoint that he might have been a little careless, and that this situation might just be a temporary thing before he finds a way to free himself. It wouldn't be beyond him to bully his way out of a bad situation. "Okay. I know it looks bad, but let's all try to calm down and─" The sound of a die clattering against the table distracts me, I look over to see Discord already with a character card and a pen, filling out his first stat result. "Uh, kinda in a bit of a moment now."

"Aw, come now, Spike. You know I do enjoy a good campaign when it's just lying around." The draconequus responds.

"But I would like it if we could keep our focus on the situation you've just updated us on. As much as I would love to run the campaign, we got bigger things to worry about."

With a dismissive tone, he taps the center of the table, letting a small crystal orb sit in the middle of the table. "Oh yeah, he also had me make this to give to you."

"A memory sphere?" Gabby asks.

"I guess he wanted to get one last word in before they got to him." I tap on the orb's surface, activating the playback within. "Let's see what he said."

The visuals are dark, almost pitch black with an occasional spotlight running past. His face is barely visible. He sounds to be huffing and puffing a bit. "Damn, bought this shit brand new and they're already shooting at it." He complains just as a pellet whistles by him. "Dayum, that would've hurt─hey Spike. Probably wondering what I'm up to right now, yeah I paid ol' dude a visit. Y'know, give 'em a quick rundown on some shit to avoid if he wants smoke, was hopin' he'd not try to go off on a power tangent and say 'fuck you, we war anyway', but obviously he ain't take our conversation too well. I guess he said if I don't live, shit don't happen. So yeah, I'm gonna follow my second mind and bill this one over to them, probably get an all-expense paid trip to their luxurious dungeons, maybe get a square meal a week out of the deal."

Gabby notices the human ducking down, the spotlight briefly highlighting his face. "Huh, never saw him before."

I quickly explain to her who she's looking at. "That's the last captain of the guard before Celestia retired. Captain Nondis, he's currently retired, or at least he's supposed to be."

"Oh yeah, so that's what he looks like." The griffon nods. "I never did actually see him, just heard that he was the first human in the E.U.P. Guard."

A loud smack sounds from the sphere, accompanied by a repeated glugging sound. "Fucking son of a bitch, they hit the gas tank─Okay, so some housekeeping to keep it all decent. Check this out, they're sending a guy out to the north to stir up some shit with the Sombra cultists, some guy named Militades, guess he's important somehow. He's there to divest some of the forces up north and supply the cultist with some of Ponyland's weaponry. From there, they'll make the fight a little interesting for Shining and them. Then when Twi gives the order to send reinforcements her brother's way, they'll make their first real move on the coastal cities. They plan on stacking assaults from both inside and outside our boarders. The thing you'll need to advise that purple ali-demon on is not to bite on the initial assaults up north. I know she may want to help Shines and Cay, but she's gotta let that shit ride. Hopefully it's not too bad where they can afford to let that happen. Just have the bastards bring the fight to them, not the other way around. Play defense. From there, have the major cities reinforced, especially those of chief strategic importance. And relay that information to Blueblood as well. That's the first thing."

"Uh, I feel like I shouldn't be watching this." Gabby announces.

"That's all the first thing?" Amor questions. "Then what's the second thing?"

Another smack near him kicks up some snow. He still remains calm through it all. "Probably wondering what that second thing is. So I'll let you in on something. I'm not going to even try to break out of this one. I'm gonna stick around, run psyops and collect as much information and try to relay this information to you guys as best as I can do it. Discord's helping me out here, so if it gets too hairy, he'll probably step in. But the worst thing they can do at this point is kill me. And if they go for that option, there will be some things that will happen that should explain my reappearance."

Hestia then asks a fairly legitimate question. "How does one go about living after dying?"

Once more, he answers the question as though he's predicted it. "I'm sure you're probably with others, so I'll keep the classified info to a coded detail. First, you may want to refer to the twelfth paragraph in chapter 9 of the 'Book VII' and cross-reference that with the entire chapter 4 excerpt in 'Book XXIX'. A certain thing will happen and I'll be good to go once I find a willing 'volunteer'." My eyes expand with horror as I quickly understand what he means by that. "Shit, never thought I'd have to do that, ever. Just make sure my wife doesn't get wind of this part. That first thing, you tell Twi and the others. That second thing, you keep quiet. I'm trying to make it back to the wife and not have her embrace that demon inside of her. I'm sure you understand why I can't let her discover that I might have to go to such lengths to stay alive. I can only hope their medical knowledge of humans isn't as profound as ours, otherwise they'll know exactly where to aim."

I mutter a thought to myself. "Wow, these two really keep a lot from one another, don't they?"

Another smack quickly grabs his attention, the impacts getting a little too consistent for his liking. "Oh shit. They're closing in. Alright, I'll see you in a week, maybe a little later than that if they start popping off with their shit." Another smack sounds next to him, appearing to set the leaking gasoline on fire. He immediately jumps up to run, snagging the orb as more pellets come whistling his way. "Discord, take this, hurry up and get the hell─"

The orb falls silent, cutting back to it's usual transparent state. "That's where it stops?" I ask before noticing a powerful grimace on Zenobia's face. "You look concerned."

The imperial alicorn turns her head to me. "Militades, he's sending Militades to the north."

"You seem like you know the fellow Nondis mentioned in his report. Is he a familiar face to you?" Discord inquires to the foreign princess.

"Hard to forget, he's my younger brother."

Hestia also comments to her sister's testament. "And if you think Zenobia's disgusting for her continuous perversions, then let me fill you in on that nauseating manifestation of filth incarnate."

"Wow, even for you, those are some strong words." I comment about disparaging words.

"Trust me, you have no idea how filthy of a bastard he is. Everything about him and what he does to anyone makes my blood run cold. And that's coming from me." Zenobia confesses as her loud pink magic starts to conjure up an image of the prince in the memory sphere before us.

"Sounds like Xerxes is a nice guy compared to this one." I reply sarcastically.

"If only he didn't see Xerxes as an inspiration coming along." Amor comments.

"And that's a mild representation of his mindset." Zenobia cosigns. "If he ran into your vising party instead of me, who knows what would've become of you lot."

Somewhere in the Crystal Mountains...

"The one thing I hate about him especially..."

Prince Aegis Militades

Noble Blood

Amidst the northeastern rails bellows a purple and silver train headed west. The engine runs far differently than the typical steam implementations that are often seen roaming the lines. The diesel train runs at a more expedited pace than the steam versions. The snowy pass hides most of their advance, and it's walls contains a sharp scream sounding from the first passenger cart.

*WHAP*

A green unicorn mare shrieks as she falls to the ground, her back reddened from the repeated impacts of the prince's wooden rod. Her eyes water from the pain, her lip bleeds from the pressure of her own bite, her posterior falls flat to it's side, her back arched as she recovers from the strike. But instead of a bargain for his mercy, she swallows her scream and obediently hails out the words of her affirmation. "Please... sir... may I have... another!?"

The prince appears greatly bemused by the whelped mare before him. "This sucks." His yellow magic holds nothing but the rod he uses, not daring to help the mare attain her submissive position. "Everything about this assignment is fun as hell, but we can't even go in on the airship. Instead we have to take this dumb ass, slow-as-hell train because 'stealth reasons'. Like that's the most boring part. Where's the part where we piss people off with our engines being so loud that they can't hear the sounds of their own poverty?"

"Ahem!" A mare walks from behind him, appearing to be a similar color of green. But as the mare's mane before him is dark gray, hers is that of a jet black. "Your highness, I understand that your patience is thin, But I can assure you that your fun will come soon enough. All that's required is that we'd wait for another six hours to reach our destination."

"Fucks sake." The prince groans with growing impatience.

"Yes, I know. But I'm sure you can find some other means to satiate your boredom for the time being."

The young male tilts his head, tossing away the rod. "But I got tired of beating Remedy three hours ago. Plus she sucked the hell out of my dick like an hour back. Busted a fat, runny one all over her face too."

The uninjured mare rolls her eyes with disapproval. "Sir, if you would please refrain from engaging in such acts, how about you instead place that same level of descriptive detail into some of your studies. Your father is not pleased with your recurring marks of failure."

The adolescent cracks a smug grin towards the nagging mare. "I get it, Rhapsody, you don't want me talking about the shit your sister does for me.... You can still get in on it, though."

"Your majesty, I'm afraid that I will have to vehemently decline."

The alicorn stallion smirks as he opens his legs, revealing his sheath to the mare. "C'mon. You love it when I smash my cock deep down your throat."

"Your majesty, to be frank, you barely move the needle for your growing self. I would not deny that your size trends towards that of a formidable task, but right now you have yet shown the mental maturity, not to mention the fair trade, to maintain one's attention to properly engage in mating. And besides, a prince your age should be more invested in your studies, not trying to actively denigrate and demean the help you're assigned." The prince ignores her and starts rubbing on his sheath, slowly coming to form. "Ugh... I swear, the youth of your line is so cruel and uncaring."

"Do you think I give a shit?"

"No. Of course not." The mare grimaces.

"Melody's too busy being motion sick again." His horn glows with a yellow hollow magic, yanking the mare's head into his lap with nary at thought of her reluctance. "I need a second mouth."

"You understand that I am not one to entertain you and your delusions." Her warning is only met with the warmth of his endowment laid upon her nose, reaching up to her forehead. She takes a frustrated inhale, rolls her eyes, and licks her lips in knowing what she'll be doing next. "I only choose to do this because it would quell your vengeful spite towards Remedy."

"Cool, whatever gets your throat filled up faster."

The mare quickly introduces the prince into her mouth, his shallow breaths of complacency offering no assurance of her work, no praise for her compliance, even under the sensual circumstance. She suspends her work to offer him further words of warning. "You know, when you choose a suitor in the future─"

"Nah, you can cut that bullshit out." He shoves her head down, her lips reaching his hilt as he smiles with selfish gratification. "I know what I am already."

As he holds her head in place, the mare struggles to breathe with him indignantly placed within her esophagus. She pats her hooves against his legs, trying to protest her lack of air. "Ghnn...nnkph"

"See, can't be that small if you're still choking on it. Just admit it, you were never really good at the throat thing. What you really like is when I shove it in your ass, and then I let you kiss. You're a fucking trash-ass whorse, and that's the shit I keep you around for." He finally allows her the reprieve to regain her breath, coughing as she recovers from his sudden and harsh withdrawal. "Now be a good girl and let Remedy get a turn, she's more than happy to let you take a moment to catch your breath. At least she can lube us both up for what I wanna do with you."

The other mare who is still with painful welts across her back staggers up, trying her best to ignore the bodily discomfort and applies herself in between his legs to service the vain prince. Rhapsody is quick to recover from her own abuse while trying to lessen the work of her sister upon the prince. "Perhaps you can spare some of this cruelty towards our enemies?"

"Nah, I got better ideas for them." He comments, all while being displeased by the haste the mare takes in trying to rush his enjoyment. "Sheesh, no sense of pace worth a damn. Can you at least pretend you're taking Melody's place when you do this?"

The mare curses back at him. "...Limp-dick asshole."

The prince cracks a smirk as he grabs the mare by her mane, yanking her head up to meet his by the nose. "Nasty ass bitch."

He forcefully shoves his tongue down the mare's throat, glancing down at the beaten mare who slowly takes all of him into her maw. He breaks his kiss and points the mare's face towards her obedient sibling. She breaks from her slow work and whispers praise to the young prince. "Anything to satisfy you, your majesty."

"See that? She knows the way." He mutters to Rhapsody, raising her up to his hips, aligning himself to her posterior. The mare winces as she feels the tongue of her sister tracing out the ring of her body's exodus. His magic aligns his length to the mare's vulva, but seeking north of that before plunging inward towards his marked destination.

"There's no perversion he hasn't acted on, from modest practice to the most despicable of taboos."

"He's a cretin of the highest order, a mind so perverse that he'd sooner disgust our father with the machinations of his mind. He's so much of it that he aspires himself as the sultan of suffering. And that's not even a title I granted him, he's accepted it as a way of carving a role in the family, a sadistic bastard who spoils himself with the screams of others, all because he merely wishes to be entertained." Zenobia concludes, her hooves clasped together as she issues her thoughts of her younger brother.

"Well that sounds familiar." The draconnequis hums to himself.

"Discord, what do you mean?" I look over to him to explain.

"A figure who does what he wants, acts to his own malice, and denounces the idea of following the society around him. If he dares to go against the laws of nature and commit any unspeakable acts to the dead, then we'd have a reincarnation of sorts."

"I'm not sure of what you mean. If anything, half of that description you spoke can easily apply to you too." I point out.

"Half of that description, you just said it right there. About half of that I would do at any given time. But it's the other half I don't take particular interest in." He explains as he looks over Gabby's notes. "I took a moment to read up on your campaign, are you familiar with that little debacle from seven years ago?"

"I'm afraid I don't follow." Gabby replies.

"You mean the Doctor?" Amor questions.

"Precisely."

My eyes widen for a moment, always halfway knowing that there was something similar about it's premise. "Now that's a new layer of horror I didn't need to imagine."

Zenobia shudders in thought. "Trust me, I don't think we need to imagine that for too long. Not when there's still a stern reminder walking the land of the living."

♫So my darling, so my darling, my baby, my boo... You are my best friend, you are my best friend. Remember I'll always love yoooooooooou─♫

As my phone sings out a ringtone I've never heard of, the creature cranes his arm over my phone and sees Fluttershy's face decorating the screen. "Hold on, I have to take this." He pick up and places it against his head to speak. "Hello?... Yes... I know... I did say that we'd get together and... I know... Alright, I'm on my way. I... I'm in front of... Fine... I love you too, my little chaos charmer."

As he gives me back my phone, I quirk a brow back at him. "Fluttershy complaining?"

"Apparently, I overspent my welcome. I apologize for the abbreviated conversation. My window of operation has officially closed for now. But until the next time, you'll know who to seek out if you need more information."

"Till the next time, I suppose." He says as he snaps his fingers to become miniature sized, wearing a sukumizu and cannon balling into my phone, making a small splash before my screen goes dark.

Gabby looks over her story and grows confused. "Why did he talk about my campaign?"

"Familiar tactics of villainy, that's it really." I answer.

"But we're not even close to discovering the villain's backstory of how he became what he is." She grumbles out angrily. She flips to the end, becoming disgruntled that she might have to change her entire campaign out of fear that Discord may have spoiled the big plot twist. However, she finds a brief distraction in a growing inquiry about the Ponyland imperial family. "But then again, I should be more interested in knowing what's up with your family. Like what's got you guys to be so wild and out there like this."

"It's as we always say, the few and privileged speak and act out so much that the vast majority of us unfortunates are lumped right in with them. You try having two alicorn princes for brothers and then talk to me about it." Hestia complains as she rises from the table. "Sorry, I suppose my mood has soured for this. I'll just be up in my room."

Amor rises as well, finding no interest in the current campaign. "I guess I'll just... go find something to read."

Gabby turns to me. "Still down for it?"

I take a deep breath, knowing she's not gonna like my answer. "Actually, I need to get Canterlot. That report we just got is something I need to issue in person to Twilight. Matters of national security." The look on her face gives a silent condemnation of my sudden abandonment of her. "I'm sorry. I'll be back as soon as possible, and then I'll try to spend time with you. I promise."

As I quickly gather my things and head out the door, Zenobia stares back at the griffon and taps her hind hoof against the ground. "So... any way I can learn how this stupid shit goes so that I can join this so-called campaign of yours?

"...You know what, forget it." The griffon grumbles as she tosses her notes to the ground, realizing that the campaign she built up is going to have to be redone from the ground up. "The mood's gone, the campaign is too spoiled, so what does any of it matter now?"

The griffon leaves the room, only Zenobia remains as she looks down at the table with the 20-sided die resting at the center of the board. "...Rolling for boredom, I guess."

Canterlot Royal Castle Two Hours Later...

The feeling in the room is a tense air of not only resignation, but also uncertainty. Upon the conclusion of my report, everyone sits idle with unkind thoughts stirring in the mind. It seems that everyone has at last started to mull the thought of war preparedness, the positioning of our troops, the safety and security of our guards. Every stone left unturned up to this point will soon be flipped with the ugly truth staring us back at our faces.

"So Nondis' negotiations have failed?" Twilight asks with a grave tone.

Sergeant Humbreeze sighs, leaning forward in his seat as he looks at the map of our country at the center of the table. "That guy's insane, but then again he's always been diving back into the crazy right after leaving it. Pretty crazy that he is that way, but he's got a reputation among the guards that earn our respect for it.."

The only two that are not present with the gathering are summoned through communication orbs, their holographic presence still providing a visual of disappointment. "So, the Sombra cultists are looking to make some moves against us. Any details we could use?" Shining inquires.

"Not anything I can list off from the top of my head. The only thing I know is that Prince Militades from Ponyland will be making a supply drop to their forces. From what Nondis said, it'll be the low end of their weaponry. Seems they intend to keep the goods stuff to themselves." I inform him.

"Great, just what we need." Blueblood replies. "More chaos going on within our borders."

"At least he's gone and done the dirty work of explaining how they'll try to hit us." Stanton shrugs.

Shining looks towards Twilight. "Flurry's not going to like the family being separated for too long. But if staying there is what will keep her safe, I can manage that. Twily, look after Flurry for us."

Twilight nods at her brother and directs her attention to her sister in law. "You two need any reinforcements before you leave, Cadance?"

"From what Spike said, they'll be counting on that to happen."

"He did say that he suggested that you guys stay on the defensive instead of meeting those guys halfway." I reiterate.

"The problem is if they intend to strike at us with guerilla tactics, we may need to perform measures of counterinsurgency. And to add to our problems, our more notable specialists are..." Ms. Blue pauses as she turns to me. "Spike, I'm sure you can fill in the blank." I don't need to, I still feel the weight of their dog tags on my neck.

"That means we won't have a choice. I'll need to expend a specialist out that way just to be sure." Twilight explains.

Cadance already points out a candidate. "Hey Padrig, wanna take a tour of the north with me?"

"I would be honored."

Twilight goes down the list of our remaining specialists. "Kali and Tempest are south in Klugetown. Padrig and his contingency will have to go north. That leaves Blue, Gallus, and Stanton to hold the home front."

"Actually, I may need to head out west." The stallion raises his hoof. "If they strike at the shorelines, I'm sure we'll need to make sure that the western seaboard will do some bulking up. Blueblood can manage the east."

"Looking to keep a certain someone retired so that they don't fall back into active status?" The blond prince jokes at the transformed human.

Stanton chuckles as he nods. "Something like that."

The purple princess mulls her current circumstances, growing increasingly worried. "So that leaves me with just Blue and Gallus."

"Your majesty, I can stay here and keep an eye on Princess Flurry." Gallus offers, much to the princess' relief.

"Very good." Twilight turns her eyes towards another one of her specialists. "Blue, I don't think I'll have to specify what your new assignment will be."

"Not in the slightest, but that's something I hope that Stanton can clear up before I even try to reach out to Alex for."

"If he knew what's going down, he'd try to keep Nondis and Celestia retired too." The disguised human replies. "I'll give him a ring, then I'll call you, have it done on conference call."

"You're a huge help." She says before dividing her attention elsewhere. "Spike, you seem to have pretty close connections with Nondis. Have you heard anything from him?"

"Other than what he told me, nothing."

"That man stays in trouble. If there's anything that we need to do on our end to get him some help, let me know."

"You do realize who we're talking about, right?" I ask.

"Yeah, but still."

"He's fine. Ain't nothing for him to pull some shit out of his ass and make it work. He always does."

"It works until it doesn't." Twilight sternly warns. "On the matter of the others."

"Still being supervised." I respond on the implied topic of the Ponyland imperials.

"Good. Continue to keep an eye on them. I'll have the other two poke their heads in at you if you need help."

"Nah, things are a bit more manageable with Ember on reprieve." I inform her.

"If you say so."

The Next Day...

Preparations all throughout the day have been sharply centered around the mobilization of our forces, the allocation of our units to what parts of our shores, and the growing calls of concerns from many dignitaries from overseas. And dealing in terms of international politics, that involves a lot of paperwork, phone calls, hoof shaking, and even trade negotiations to solidify our supply lines. So naturally, our day was rather busy up in Canterlot.

The sun has started to go down, and I'm lumbering back home with not much in the way of good news. Lots of moves that have been made and I'm tired of dealing with the nitty gritty of it all. Plus being home is all but a peaceful reminder of what I'm going to be protecting. Granted it ain't much to some, but this home, the beings in here, and the web of good memories that we've already spun under this roof is far too priceless to let some emperor looking to compensate for the militaristic failures of his heir apparent.

As soon as I walk through the door, looking to the cabinet for a nice bottle of wine, Smolder's the first one to greet me. "Busy day?"

"Busy as hell." I reply. "They kept me overnight. Had a lot of paperwork to fill. Can't exactly say for what, but the board is on the table, the pieces are moving, and we're already anticipating what will be the first thing they'll try to take."

"You sound like you could use some time to cool off, big guy." She sweetly comments as she pulls me into a smooch.

"Yeah. Could definitely use the time to unwind a bit." I confess.

The dragoness drapes her arms around my shoulders, slowly winding her body from side to side. "You know, you and I haven't really got back to where we were before you screwed off to Ponyland."

"Oh yeah, the makeup." I recall.

She smirks at me leans in closer. "I bet you've been waiting for me to do that again."

I'll be the first to admit that I haven't seen Smolder in makeup before that one instance. But the way her body sat ready for me to take her in, I almost forgot there were guards behind me. The only thing that ruined it was Ember being needy and frustratingly stubborn. Actually, I could go for some of that right now. "I don't even know why you try with that, knowing damn well I'd mess it up."

"Then I've got another idea in mind, just for you, big guy." She grabs me by my snout and pulls my head down, kissing me on my forehead and letting me go. "Meet me in the bedroom in ten minutes. Bought a little surprise for you today, thought you'd might like it."

As she slithers away from my sight, my imagination starts to run amok with ways I'm going to touch and tease, grasp and fill, bite and subjugate. There's always a natural connection when it comes to the two of us, likely because we are who we are and what we are, two dragons merely doubling down on our mating preferences. And while the thought of an egg or two coming out of this somewhere down the line unnerves me, I simply tell myself it's an issue that future Spike will get into. Ain't no telling how soon that future will be, it's not my problem now.

"Well hello, Mr. Paladin."

I startle for a moment, turning around to see Zenobia eying me down. "Oh, hey. Why'd you call me a paladin?"

She holds up the notebook of Gabby's campaign and tilts it before my eyes. "Apparently there's a lot more of a so-called campaign that's going on here. Seems to me she was trying to get to those x-rated scenes far more than she wanted to continue off from where you both last began."

"Well that's nothing new." I comment.

"By the way, I knew she talked a bit oddly, but I never knew that she was quite the writer. It seems so well flushed out, this campaign. It's tragic that she feels the need to abandon it, but I suppose it's a worthy read over since she's not into it anymore. Quite imaginative." She gives me a glance and smirks. "And the image of a strong dragon toting around that heavy armor, carrying whatever princess demands his attention."

"You're playing a dangerous game." I alert the scheming alicorn. "I don't think Smolder would be so eager to have you break all the hard work she's put into getting me all riled up."

"You forget that I can bring most any dragon down a number of pegs." She announces as her horn starts to glow. A familiar pink leash bridges the distance between me and her. "And I subscribe to jealousy very frequently. You'd do well to attend to me before I find ample opportunity to enrage either the changeling or the griffon."

"Aren't you a bit old to be acting like this?" I ask her.

"Aren't you a bit young to be worried about things like refractory periods?" She yanks me in, pulling me a few inches away from her face. "You shouldn't be worried about not being able to get back up after a quick romp." She glances down to see my growing interest in the trouble I've found myself getting into. "And the lad down there seems to agree with me."

"Hey, big guy!" Smolder hollers from upstairs. "Still waiting on ya!"

The leash disappears from between us, her eyes locked on to me as she hops into the air and glides by, even brushing her tail against my nose for good measure. "She can have her fun. But I will be expecting a visit from you. Don't make me hunt you down." Just for a second the leash reappears and tug me along before disappearing again. "Filthy bastard."

...I should get upstairs before I find myself getting sidetracked.

I notice that there's a bit of a pleasant mess made on my hallway floor. Nothing too egregious, just rose petals and the ash of some rather pleasant-smelling incents. I'm surprised that my nose hadn't caught up on that sooner, but then again, Zenobia was wafting her tail in front of it all the same. Now that I think on it, she's got me pretty damn frustrated with the way she talks. It's almost like the insults she dish out encourage me in a way. But promises are promises, and I've got another in front of me, looking for the proper attention to be paid.

I tease myself by opening my door so slowly, and my reward is just. "Oh... hello ma'am."

"You know, I thought about what happened on Friday. So I decided to take my time for you today."

"Well..." I get closer to the bed, her claws warmly inviting me with how firm they press over her lingerie. Her eyes track my every step, my eyes lock to the sight of her claws gently patting against her bottom set. Slowly, she drags them up her belly, ruffling the negligee she wears with a devious smirk sat upon her lips. She places her claws in a v shape against her lips, lolling her forked tongue at me with a beckoning growl. "Can't say I'm not interested."

She pulls me beside her. "Then you'll do me a favor?"

"What's that?"

"Stay down. Get real comfy." She orders, pressing her palm into my chest, forcing me against the pillows and sheets as though she has every intent to wear me into them. "You've been studying and working hard all this time. I think you should get a break. No hard work needed with me."

As I obey her request, I slowly let my fingers wander south to take hold of my growing interest. But her tail bats at my hand as she turns around. The whip stings a little, but the sight of her posterior circling in my face is a dire sight that demands naught but my utmost attention.

Actually, I'm starting to see why clothing is such a fetish for us creatures. It's everyday we see each other in our natural state, walking the world the same way in which we're introduced to it. You don't pay mind to the areas where the sun don't often shine much, especially when everyone is the same way. But it's the way the clothes hide those areas, inadvertently bringing attention to them. The attention of a lechered preteen in the awakening of his sexual journey. It reveals, yet conceals. Even having already experienced her, my mind is left with much to imagine.

"You look like you like what you're seeing, big guy." She turns around, taking off the top of her negligee by means of a carefully concealed clasp at the front of her bra. Obviously a feature left over from what seem to be a human implementation. "If you haven't guessed already, Rarity designed this whole thing. She made it for some human lady who didn't like the color, but Yona modified it for me. So I took it. Pretty neat, huh?"

"Yeah, it's got my attention."

She drapes the negligee over my eyes, letting me see the world through a thin curtain of black satin, her smile brightens up as she turns around. Seems she's been eager to do something like this for a while, and not just for me either. It's cute to see that she's so excited for this. Perhaps she's really putting herself out there, letting her walls down completely, and letting me see the real her.

She bends down towards me, I see the shade of her lifting a leg, placing her claw over her pelvis, swirling the matching bottom to her ensemble around a finger. She sits herself down on top of me, grinding her hips in that passionate circular motion she teased earlier. I'm brought to my most attentive pose yet, and she greedily denies me the pleasure of an instant access. Instead, she lets me feel just how much she's beginning to crave my presence. And it leaves a notable impression down the inside of my legs. "Geez, what made you get like this?"

"I had to rush my Friday time. I know that you were hurting real bad from that. So now..." She stops, and raises her hips. Her tail coils around me and guides me into her as she makes sure that my arms stay pinned to my bed. "I want my time with you. No rush. No competition. All clutch, no pulls." She sinks down, causing me to gasp in surprise of her embrace. "You stay down, big guy. Let me work you off."

I can't help but to smile in admiration of her. "Yes ma'am."

She's true to her word. Not an ounce of speed, a hint of a rush dictates her pace. Her claws aren't delving into any part of my body, she's not trying to carve her name into my soul like last time. Instead, she's donning all that pretty makeup, planting her fingers into my side, her eyes softly glancing down at me, the shimmers of candlelight reflecting warmly in her eyes. Her hips rise, then fall, and grind forward until she threatens to withdraw from me. Her meticulous process repeats, inviting me into the cool depths of her walls. On occasion, she leans down to kiss me, soft pecks, slow embraces, just a taste of tongue. Her breath is hotter than her body, her gracious affections creaming with every withdrawal and press.

I've always known her eyes were blue, yet the eyeshadow brings it out even more. I always figured her lips were soft for the harshness she can speak so confidently, and her patient yet tender kisses grace my neck and chest. Poor thing is trying her best to time herself, knowing that she's drooling at the thought of rushing to get hers. But she shows great discipline, an acquired grace in maintaining her pace. But for us, it doesn't matter.

Her breaths grow heavier, showing just how tired she's becoming of her work. I offer to meet with her halfway, but she plants her palm into my abdomen, keeping me in place while she continues to brave through her fatigue. Her eyes plead for me to wait, her mouth ghosts the words of her desire. "Let me work it. Let me work it, baby." Her quiet request seems to trigger a response from her own body, her eyes slowly departing from present tense and crossing to find some semblance of sanity in her mind.

Hips tense and shake, her walls close in around me. But she rises and falls in spite of that embrace. Her arms buckle under her own weight, she leans onto my chest, breathing erratically as she strives to let her hips keep going. Her display quickly makes me forget my own self, only to realize that I can't fight off the grip she has on me. I want to thrust my hips into her so bad, just once, just let me finish, please.

Her hips sink into me again, this time feeling like I've cross a vice that locks me into place. My eyes dilate at the sensation, the insanity of knowing that I'm crossing beyond the point of crisis. My arms clench around her back, reaching under to grab her shoulders, pulling her down to milk every ounce of my seed into her womb. She intentionally tugs me along with her, purposefully drawing me to the last drop.

Not an ounce spilled, not a chance of refusal, full acceptance.

I see stars, and her hips continue to drag my soul from out of my loins. I'm left imprisoned in a wonderful place. Smolder snickers as she picks up her panties and adorns them over my face, but not the lips. She still kisses those, and she prefers having access to that. She lifts my chin and nibbles me on my neck.

I question her over this intense display of praise. "Why you gotta be so good to me?"

"Duh, 'cause you're worth it." She says with a sweet smile.

"I never felt a clutch like that." I tell her.

She snickers as she whispers her little secret. "Honestly, Olla's been training me to do that for a while. But the only way I can do it like that is if I go slow. Any faster, and it would've been a hard clutch from the offset. So she's been trying to get me to better understand what exactly makes me clutch, what drives me to clutch so hard, and find a middle ground where I can give you that experience."

"All of that for me?"

"You gotta remember, you were the base model of a mate that I could find that she could adapt to. Can't possibly forget that one day she came back from the Dragon Lands and told me that she was inaccurate in imitating you."

"In what way?" I ask.

"You were a bit bigger than what she made you out to be. She offered to be a lot more realistic, but I told her to keep me surprised." She snickers. "Let's just say that I'm happy with the choice I've made."

She shifts her weight just a bit, both of us glance back down at our union, seeing how melded we've become. "You know, we're gonna be stuck like this for a while."

"Yeah. Wouldn't trade it for the world though. It was forever ago when I thought I wouldn't really be able to find a mate outside of you, and I don't think I was ever gonna ask you about it because... you know."

"Reservations?" I conclude.

"You were still hung up on Rarity. Next you were with Gabby. Then you were so busy that Gabby dumped you. And then you kept coming by on short visits, not nearly enough for me to gauge my own self over how I was gonna ask you. Truth is that I wanted to show you this side of me for a long time, but I didn't want you to feel like I was changing up on you, dragons don't like that too much. So I just left things as is."

"Well quite frankly, I like this side of you. I know being cute and all is a bit annoying when you have a bunch of dragons around to make fun of you for it, so you have to harden up and get confrontational. It can be pretty stressful."

"Not if you know how to wail on a motherfucker, that shit's cathartic." She chuckles for a bit. "But for real, it can lead to a lot of dragons looking at you weird. And then you gotta defend yourself from every rumor. So yeah, it can be distressing to keep up that façade every time. With you, you pretty much see through that with your whole circumstance. You make me feel comfortable, so I wanted to be that for you."

"Usually, putting on makeup is a pretty lengthy and frustrating process too."

"Not for me. I think of it as a reward of self. Dragons don't usually wear makeup, and not one of us will openly admit that looking good after a little bit of self-labor is a great way to feel better about yourself. Sometimes we need the second opinion outside of our own species. And we don't ever go this far for a mate either. I mean, we only hook up so it don't make sense to go through all the rigmarole."

"That does leave me to ask something. How long do dragons stay mated for on average?"

"Few weeks, maybe some months. Three to five years tops."

Yikes, that's not very long. "So, basically long enough to get annoyed with each other. And then what?"

"See other partners. Repeat the process. That doesn't mean there aren't dragons who don't go their whole lives staying mated to one partner. But it is like a one-in hundred thousand chance."

"I wonder why relationships so finite for dragons, like love is so elusive and hard to pursue?"

"Well, relationships are like being friends, just with added stuff." She explains. "It's a lot of hard work to maintain it, and dragons aren't known for making friends exactly."

"See, my point exactly! You'd think that dragons would be willing to tough out that challenge!"

"Yeah, but dragons aren't typically a patient species. I.E.: See Ember for example."

"You aren't lying there." I comment.

The dragoness stirs a claw into the sheets, making out unseen shapes as she thinks aloud. "Since me and Olla have been pretty good for the past four years, I guess that puts us in the dying stage of a dragon's relationship. But hey, not very many dragons keep it going for this long."

"Guess it could be that she's a changeling." I ask. "Maybe she's working hard to keep things up with you too."

"Yeah, and I feel for her in kind. She's my best friend. She's my adorable little love bug, and I'd pretty much burn a few towns to their molten foundations to stop her from crying." She looks back to me with a bit of sadness in her expression. "But don't you forget, I've been wanting you on my team too. If anyone ever comes to bring harm to you, and I don't know them or respect them in any way, you can expect me to break all established guidelines and be the first to torch a motherfucker."

"Please don't get in trouble for me." I politely plead to her. "I'm not worth it."

"Well I say you are." She points back at me. "And nothing will ever change that."

As her claw pokes into my snout, I resist the thought to say something that would seem so early into the relationship we've built. "Geez, making me wanna say some things I don't think I can say yet."

"Why do you feel that way?" She asks.

"I guess... It's really more like I don't think I've done enough to earn the right to say it, or that I don't feel like I've given you enough time to do that. Like I still split my time with three other females of varying species. Would it even be right for me to say it?"

She raises herself up to look at me head on. "Funny you'd think that. If you ask me, I feel like I've known you long enough to say that I love you." I open my mouth to say something in response to her heartwarming reply, but she pinches my lips shut. "You can wait on it, big guy. I'm not gonna force you to pump it out when you're still discovering your own feelings right now. I'll let you say when you're comfortable. Okay."

I stammer for a moment as she releases my lips, watching as I fumble through my thoughts and finally come to say the first thing that crosses my mind. "You're way too good to me, you know that?"

"I would've burned your house down if you didn't come back. Almost did when we found out that you were stuck there." She adds. "Just thought that you should know. And thanks for coming back so that I didn't dragon out like that again."

...In hindsight, I should probably avoid getting myself in life-threatening situations. The way she's talking, I'm lucky to have a home to come back to. "Yeah... thanks for not doing that."

Meanwhile in the Crystal Mountains...

The sun's dying gasp of light is drowned out by the shadows of the craggy mountains of ice and snow. Their prominence provides a chill to much of the area, leaving no mercy for the oft wayfaring traveler. But to the young Ponyland prince, the air gives a familiar quality much like home. With the walls of Midnight Castle being built and carved into the mountain it rests into, the chilling bowl of air offers no issue.

That much cannot be said for the cultists, who now lie beaten on the ground by a blond-maned, green mare, her eyes fixated towards the croaking grunt that remains contorted under her grasp. Her hooves planted into his neck he feels his foreleg twisted behind his back. A lifeless look dwells in her eyes, up until the moment the prince gives her praise. "Good shit, Remedy. You basically gave that guy everything I gave to you."

The mare smiles with a giggle of pride. "It's always an honor, your majesty! I'd give life and limb to satisfy you."

Not wanting to hear her sister give praise to the cruel prince, Rhapsody walks forward with another chiding remark. "Your majesty, you should be more careful about where you walk."

"Nah, it's alright. You girls got it." He confidently proclaims as he walks past the groaning collection of forces, looking down to a cloaked figure. "As for you peasant dipshits, I got a little something for you that's way out of your budget. Maybe you can find some way to keep me entertained aside from watching you all die slowly in this cold."

The prince clops his hooves together, a pegasus mare labors greatly in dragging a wooden crate from within the train. She grunts angrily as Rhapsody looks to hurry and help her, but the prince pulls at her tail to prevent her from getting involved. Her approach is slow and lumbering, but she inevitably reaches her stop and tiredly kicks the lid open for the cultists to inspect. "What are these?"

The prince raises a spear from the box, flourishing the weapon with his magic. "The newest model of ballistic weaponry. Damascus steel tipped, hard oakwood shaft, rocket propulsion to maximize range of effectiveness from the typical throwing average of twenty-seven meters all the way out to a possible seventy-five. Saltpeter-fueled, ignition primed from a flintlock trigger at the bottom of the shoe, just whack it against the ground to ignite the propulsion, toss that bad boy and watch your enemies fall all over the place, helpless that even their most stout armor is getting full-on dicked by your hardware. Though you shouldn't get too close after you kick these bad boys off, might lose something you'd like." The prince plants the weapon into the ground blade first. "Got about a thousand of these. Could get more."

"A thousand would be more than enough." The leader of the group steps forward, looking disappointed towards his grunts on the ground. Suffering the embarrassment of their defeats coming by two meager maids, he swallows the sound defeat and address the prince directly. "And you're expecting us to pay for these?"

"Lets just say I'm bored as shit and I wanna see heads on pikes. And there's clearly a lack of those on the way in. You should change that up." Militades suggests.

The leader approaches the prince, but finds the two mares standing beside him threat enough to not approach so carelessly. "You're young. Do you even know what we do?"

"Me personally, I couldn't give any less of a shit. These are gifts, in exchange of you dipshits doing a little chore for me."

"And what's this so-called 'chore'?" The stallion questions.

"Should be pretty easy, go around, knock off a few of those shiny guards around the nearby town, fuck up a few rail lines on the way to and from the town. Flip some shit, burn a few buildings, maybe show off the head of the local magistrate outside the city gates, just a little bit of that. All you gotta do is make a scene, rush in, nab the incompetent fuck, dip, and give the dumb shit a clean shave. Should be pretty easy, right?"

The leader rolls his eyes. "Implying that would be as easy as you'd say. You speak of a chore, and all I am met with is a compounded list of militaristic desires with an overwhelming risk of collateral damage."

"You don't really give a fuck about the collateral damage part, do you?" The prince smirks.

"Not much, no." He chuckles.

"Then it should be pretty easy, provided you've got the mind to put it all together."

The stallion stops his chuckling, seeing that the young prince seems to have doubts of his strategic abilities. His mind already starts to cook up a plan of his approach to the requested favor. "How many barrels of saltpeter you have?"

"Eh, about twenty. Should be more than enough to fill your spears."

The stallion nods quietly, starting to put together an even grander idea. "I don't think we'll need as much of that for the purpose of refueling..."

The prince laughs in return. "You see, I figured you'd say some shit like that."

"You did?" The leader quirks a brow at the young prince.

"Yup!" He confirms while walking to the train. "I'd figure you'd be the cool guys, no point in trying to hide a good time when you're clearly up for one. So I took the liberty to ride in on this here bomb on rails, just to see if I'd even feel a bit nervous. So far, we seem to be pretty good." He opens the doors of the supply crate, revealing far more than twenty barrels, but rather ten times as many as advertised. "So, how many places you're sending to the smokestack?"

The leader cracks a satisfied smile, no longer having to do the math of rationing his supplies for the purpose of his internalized vision. "More than a few. How many barrels are in that caboose?"

"Ten score and four to blow."

The leader happily shouts to his downed grunts. "Alright, boys! Get up, we got some window shopping to do in town, and our young friend here broke the bank for us! Let's go make a few deposits!"

Wounded prides aside, they rise to the task with enthusiasm. "Yes sir!"

Watching the group all come back to life, the prince nudges Rhapsody in her side. "See? I knew this would be fun."

Chapter 54: Rolling Rapture

The Crystal Mountains...

Hours have gone by since the drop was made, since the cultist goons dusted themselves off and went about their way to get things set in place. The Ponyland prince Militades overlooks the sunrise, the shadow of the most prominent tower of Crystal Empire acting as a sundial to tell the time. But in the shadow's slow move wayward, the young prince grows ever more impatient.

Rhapsody brings the prince a silver tray of prepared food for his breakfast, only to be blown off by his outburst of anger. "Seriously? Nothing!?"

The mare maintains a safe hold of his meal. "You shouldn't be surprised that tactics may take considerable time to plan and coordinate carefully, your majesty."

The prince continues his rant. "I gave those fuckwads a simple mission, a simple piece of advice, and the means to do it. But no, they not only left the tracks intact, they've done nothing at all for the entire day! That's fucking bullshit!"

"Not everything happens as quick as you'd like it to be, you know." Rhapsody responds.

"I swear, it's like we did all this shit for nothing!"

"Your majesty, might I recommend that you calm your nerves? It's still the first day. We're well within the initial twenty-four hour timeframe, let alone the seventy-two hour operation window your father provided for first contact."

Looking around, the prince sees nothing but a bunch of rocks and the mare who stands beside him. He calls out loudly for another one of his maids. "Remedy!" As her name is called, she quickly gallops up the slope to greet the prince. Before she can offer her verbal affirmation, his hoof comes down hard to her cheekbone, the impact sending her to the ground. "Stupid fucks can't do anything right!"

But to his ignorance, the cult leader approaches with modest disgust at the prince's treatment of his maid. "Ah, I figured you'd be some cruel bastard looking to make a mess of things, but to know you have little compassion for your compatriots..."

The prince tilts his head with confusion. "What?"

"You've just struck your subordinate like an alcoholic angry with the world that his money is somehow disappearing, do you not see the issue?"

The prince shakes his head. "You don't know the first thing about us. You seriously think she's upset about that? Get over yourself."

The cultist steps up to angrily insult the prince, but the maid pants with a rosy demeanor rested upon her face, an amorous glow about her cheeks as she grins towards the prince. "Thank you so much, my prince... may I have another? Please!?"

The leader stares at the mare slack-jawed and dumbfounded. "See what I mean?" The prince points out. "If I smack the shit out of her for hours, she's only gonna keep begging me for more. If anything, she's the only mare I can't fucking break! Like you have no idea, I've tried just to see how far she'd go. There's no stopping her, she's a fucking tank."

"I'm proud to ease my master of his boredom, it's always been my highest honor." She announces warmly towards the leader. "If he'd ask me to defile myself, I'd be more than happy to throw myself off of this cliff right now!"

The stallion gawks at the maid, in utter disbelief that she's so far beyond salvation from her masochistic tendencies. He shakes himself and quickly turns the subject to something else. "I understand that you are from Ponyland, correct?"

"Eh. What of it?" Militades asks nonchalantly.

"Those barrels had brandings, easily identifiable brandings that gives away too much information about you. I had no idea that the stuff you gave us came from a government manufacturing sector by the name of, and I quote, 'the Imperial Department of the Armory'. And right beneath it is none other than the flag of your country. Subtle, right?"

"Does it fucking matter?" The prince shrugs.

"Of course it matters. If there's any sign of your involvement, all it does is point their crossbows and spears at your doorstep. So we took a little extra time to remove brandings, labels, markers, you name it. Then we displaced some of the saltpeter for the time being, and dump what we didn't need for the immediate moment in that spare train cart of yours."

"Honestly, do you really think it matters that much at this point? Our fucking countries are at war, we couldn't give any less of a shit about the optics."

"We understand that you have waged your war, as we have also waged ours. If you have no reservation for your nation's involvement, then I'll be sure to have our subordinates not waste any further time in trying to clean things up."

"All I'm asking for is some excitement, some action. Just not be boring and do something!" The prince complains.

"In due time, your imperialship." The stallion responds as he pulls out a spyglass. He looks to the tracks, seeing a crystalline train chugging along in the distance. A smile creeps on his face. "You want a move to be made, you want something interesting, then I'd say we let's do something worthy of them moving heaven and earth for." He issues the spyglass to the prince, pointing out to the field. "Look ahead."

The prince follows the pointed hoof of the cultist, observing the shiny locomotive barreling in. "It's just a stupid train."

"A train it may be, but look closer." He points out. "Notice something interesting?"

As he looks around, he sees that the wheels of the train come to a periodic stop, still maintaining it's momentum. "Oh... it's not slowing down. So what's that about, what's so significant about it?"

"Just wait and see."

Meanwhile on the train...

The conductor once more pulls at the lever to initiate the breaking procedure. However, the train doesn't produce the loud screech that would signify the slowing process. Also, the train has apparently undergone no signs of stalling, but instead increasing speed. The conductor continues the process another two times to try to slow the train, but also to no avail.

A guard walks into the engine room, angry and bewildered. "What the hell are you doing?"

The conductor pulls the lever once more, revealing the issue that's been occurring to the vexed guard. "I've clutched the brakes twenty times already, we're not slowing up!"

"Then why the hell have we been going faster!?"

"I don't know! I'm not getting any kind of grip!"

"Did the brakes fail or something?"

"No time to find out right now, we gotta get the empress to her stop!" The conductor calls out. "I'll keep tinkering with this and try to find some way of getting this damned thing to stop. But for now, you need to go to the passenger cart and separate that from the engine. Then there should be a lever underneath the front two seats. Those are the emergency brakes for that car. Pull that to stop the empress at the station!"

"That's a plan! We'll do it!" The guard hurriedly accepts and runs to the other car. He quickly swings the door open to reveal a concerned Empress Cadance.

"What's going on?" The pink alicorn questions.

"Your majesty, I'm sorry for the confusion. Our brakes seemed to have failed. We're going to commence to the emergency release protocols." He announces as he motions to the others to get started.

They don't take long to jump into action, pulling a lever outside of the door, causing the locking mechanism to unhinge and free the passenger car from the runaway engine. "We're separated, sir!"

Not being one to stand idly by, Cadance springs into action herself. She grabs the lever for the emergency brake and yanks it down to activation. Again, no result. Padrig calls out to the pink alicorn. "Are we even slowing down?"

"We're are... barely!" The crystal guard responds.

"Grip harder!" Cadance chants as she holds the lever down.

"Any harder and we'll fail these brakes too!" The guard comments.

Cadance looks out the window, seeing the stop quickly approaching. She acts fast to throw the door open and let her wings catch the passing air giving her the lift she desires to give herself some mental leverage. Her horn glows bright as she envelops the entire car in her aura. In her attempt, she glances back to the runaway engine chugging further eastward. She wishes the runaway conductor the best as she yanks her head back, earnestly applying all resistance against the cart and drastically culling it's speed as to not hurt the others still inside.

She grimaces as her horn begins to spark, and her herculean effort proves sufficient enough to have the cart miss the station platform by the chance of a mere twenty feet. As it comes to a halt, she manually pushes the cart back to it's designated place of rest at the station. She breathes heavily as she glides back down, greeting the group of guards that take a collective sigh of relief. Padrig nods at the pink alicorn. "Risky endeavor, but quite effective, your majesty." He looks down the track, seeing the engine almost disappearing down the horizon. "Faust speed to him, I pray he brings that mammoth to a halt, or at least clears out before it derails at that speed."

"Runaway train, manual stopping procedure, and a close but happy ending. Sounds a bit familiar, doesn't it?" She comments to the changeling specialist.

"All we're missing is a destroyed bridge and the conductor's head on the brake lever. Other than that, it's a match. Almost convinced of the former captain's phobia of trains being a legitimate one to have."

The crystal guard makes a comment of the train's failure to stop. "Mechanical failures, no that was an oversight on the inspectors in Canterlot. We should've been flagged if there were any issues. There was an inspection, they passed us, it's gotta be on them."

Another group of guards, who were awaiting the train run up to the group, greeting the revered mare. "Your majesty! You're alright!"

"More than fine. Thank you." She replies.

"What happened with the engine?" Inquires the second crystal guard.

"Brake failure, apparently." Answers the first.

"Yeah you could say that or..." Padrig mumbles as he thinks a little more on the issue. "...No, that can't be it."

"The emergency brakes failed on the engine. They failed to get any traction on our end as well, and that was after we separated." Cadance adds.

The changeling walks up to the rails, glancing down at what should normally be a clean reflection of the sky. But he sees a lathered goo on the tracks that appear to tint the rails a brown color. He places his hoof on the rail and presses down, only to almost fall over before he recovers with his wings. "Specialist Padrig?" The Crystal Empress questions for his concern.

"These rails have been greased." He lands on the platform, scraping his hoof against the concrete, revealing a mucky streak on the ground. "Mechanical lubricant, used for gearworks in heavy machinery."

He holds the hoof he's mostly cleared off up to the empress, letting her catch how easily her hoof slides off of his. "Oh that's slippery. Then the brakes didn't fail at all, did they?"

"Not in the slightest. And given the grade of this stuff, I wouldn't be surprised if made the caboose run a little faster too. No grip, no catch, no screech, full send forward."

A pegasus guard calls out to the group, from the lookout tower. "RUNAWAY CART, COMING IN FAST!"

Cadance springs into action once more. "I got this!" She calls out as she performs the same maneuver with the other car that seems to be considerably slower than theirs. However, the weight of it makes the vehicle far more daunting to bring to a halt. She succeeds, but leaving her far more mentally fatigued. "We need to shut down the rails until we can get these cleaned. Faust knows how many more miles this mess was made."

"Probably by the cultists, no less. Such a cheap trick." The crystal guard mocks.

"But why would they lube the tracks?" Padrig asks. "This is about the equivalent of a grade school prank."

"Better question. What's in that car?" The guard asks. "Looks like a freight transport."

A loud clang sounds from the other side of the car, the lookout from above tries to source the sound, but his vision blacks as a spear is lodged into his skull from a distance. He falls out of the tower, landing to the ground below. The show of violence quickly gathers the group's attention.

Cadance screams at her subordinates. "Take co─"

But her scream falls short, as an enormous explosion decimates the entire train station.

Meanwhile in the Crystal Mountain Overlook...

A black and orange plume of flames and smoke appear in the distance. Dotting the town's southernmost point. The prince whistles in satisfaction. "Wow, that place is sky high. Good to see you guys finally used some of the shit I gave you on last night."

The cult leader continues to direct his attention towards the town. "That's just the beginning, a spark in the powder keg of progress. A mere starter." He pronounces as he points back to the prince. "And now, your majesty, I present to you... your grand welcoming fireworks show."

"A show? For me?" The prince chuckles. "Oh this should be pretty good then.

The Great Spire Palace of the Crystal Empire...

Walking out of the doors leading from within the castle, Shining Armor notices the plume of black smoke rising in the distance. A feeling of unease picks at his mind, his eyes glancing towards the street offering the quickest access to the affected area.

He erupts into a gallop, a few of his guards joining alongside him. But in his journey, one of the local lookouts descend from the sky and gives him a warning. "Sir emperor, you shouldn't be out here! It's much too dangerous!

"You should know that danger is something I stand against, especially when it comes to my citizens and home! Now give me an update on what the hell that was!" He demands while maintaining his speed.

"Sir, I'd like to tell you, but I'm afraid that I'll need you to stop for a moment!"

"We're on route, tell me while we're on the way there!"

"Sir, I don't think─"

"That wasn't a suggestion, Corporal! Give me the update!"

The corporal relents, but obeys with a solemn tone of voice. "Sir, there was an explosion at the train station. The explosion happened just moments ago... shortly after the Empress and Specialist Padrig arrived."

Shining's gait comes to a slow, his hoofs growing heavy with the news of the explosion involving his wife. He looks into the distance, whispering the nickname of his wife. "Cadie..." Realizing that he has to act in full authority in the circumstance of his wife possibly being incapacitated, he sharply inhales and proceeds to start issuing orders and protocol. "I want a security check on all incoming trains! We don't know where they'll hit next! So for now, we lock down all access to the─"

*BANG*

A loud explosion sounds a block ahead from their position. "Sir emperor, get down!" The guards act fast, quickly knocking him to the ground and covering his body. Another subsequent explosion blasts one of the buildings ahead, sending shrapnel of crystal shards in every direction. Some of the wayward shards find the body of the dedicated corporal who covers the alabaster unicorn. Others leave a mess of scars on the face of the emperor himself. Two more guards sweep in from above, forming a small wall around both of the injured stallions. The corporal bleeds from his mouth as he barks another set of orders to the others. "PROTECT THE EMERPOR AT ALL COSTS!" Before unleashing a painful howl.

"YES SIR!" The others call out as they start to quickly gather the emperor by his legs and carry him back towards the castle for safety.

"NO! FIND CADANCE!" Shining screams.

The injured corporal's strength quickly fades, his vision blurs as blood pours from his side. He slumps off of the emperor, leaving a prominent crimson stain on his back. Shining winces from the stinging of the cuts above his eye, his own blood staining his left eye. "SIR, YOUR SAFETY IS PRIORITY RIGHT NOW! IF SOMETHING HAS HAPPENED TO HER MAJESTY, THEN YOU NEED TO BE THE ONE TO LEAD US IN HER PLACE! I'M SORRY, BUT YOU NEED TO BE SECURED!"

"GET OFF OF ME! GET THE FUCK OFF OF ME!" He screams vehemently, trying to wrestle himself free.

As he screams and reaches for the street where the explosion occurred, the corporal turns over and writhes with a desperate attempt to stop himself from bleeding out. However, fatigue gets the better of him and he lies on the ground with shallowing breaths, waiting until his time eventually runs out.

Shining grimaces at the sight, and immediately fears for what has become of his wife. He barks her name into the city streets, trying to ensure that at least his love will somehow reach her, to encourage her to survive.

"CADENZA!"

The Crystal Mountain Overlook...

As more plumes of flames and smoke erupt from varying areas of the city, Militades jumps with joy over the sight of such unfettered destruction taking place. The entire city appears to be have black blemishes upon it's otherwise pristine white cobblestone layout. The cataclysmic juxtaposition delights the young prince to an indescribable degree. "Oh-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho! OH-HO-HO-HO-HO! NOW THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT!"

"We may have lost a few of the spears in the trade, but seventy-five meters is more than enough distance to gain cover for our operatives." The cultist leader explains as he points his looking glass towards the damaged areas around the city. "Plus I'm sure you'll be eager to know that they've lost more than a few meandering guards."

"Unrestricted carnage, pure chaos! Fucking beautiful!" Militades laughs with a crazed image of citizens running wildly to treat the wounded and care for the ones trapped in the rubble. "Oh I bet I can hear the screams now! Trapped underneath their own homes, the four walls they once called sanctuary all collapsed on top of them, while they cry out in desperation to be free from their own dwellings, followed by the inevitable complacency brought on by fatigue and the silence of their calls for life!" He earnestly screams into the distance. "THAT'S RIGHT! DIE YOU FUCKING PEASANTS!"

The cult leader clears his throat to grab the prince's attention. "Also, to correct you on a small issue. Power is not often vested into the males of their society by birthright. It is more so vested into the female figures installed. We just merely waited until that figure has been well-distracted, and then caught off guard by the train you guys rode in on. So think of it this way, we've not only blasted the train station where their beloved empress was at..." Another plume of flame and smoke appears from the distance, this time seeming to be further west of their location. The visual of the explosion is seen far sooner than they hear the rolling shockwave.

*BANG*

The cultist points to the most recent show of pyrotechnics to finalize his point. "We've now severed the connections between the north of Equestria, and the multitude of forces from the south."

Rhapsody questions the cult leader of his decision. "Wait, wasn't the point of this was to let them come into the north so that their forces can help out on the northern front, thus detracting from their main defenses?"

"That's still very much in play." The leader replies. "The Equestrians will have no other choice than to resort to using their airships. So instead of having aerial defenses to help stave off incoming assaults, they'll be busy responding to a mass casualty event."

*BANG*

Another explosion sounds long after it sighting, coming from the direction of the razed city. "The Crystal Empire is all but fallen, their defenses devastated, their morale shaken. Now we will reclaim the dominion in the name of our lord Sombra! All hail the king!"

With a lust-like leer looking at the carnage below, the prince begins to smile with a loose demeanor. "I fucking love this! I knew that you bastards had to be smarter than you led on, but I never knew you to have some actual strategic know-how in executing an operation this grand in scale this quickly! I just gave you all that saltpeter last night, and you've already dumped their entire city into the shitter! That's fucking brilliant!" His eyes cut towards his raven-maned maid. "Rhapsody, you might wanna get ready, because I might celebrate a little hard today."

"Before you get too invested in your ritual of self-gratification." The cult leader advises. "Don't you got some means of communicating to your friends on the other side? We've just bombed the tunnels through the mountains leading from the south. It normally takes a week or two to clean up that mess, but with a little bit of recurring violence, that could go on to be as long as one or two months. You should surprise those fools with a little bit of... peacekeeping, if you know what I mean."

"Wait. Are you saying that was the only way for them to access the south?" Rhapsody questions.

"By rail, yes." The cult leader replies. "Other than that, I'd say this place could be a pretty nice base to localize your airships."

The prince screams with his irrational exuberance. "I fucking love this guy!" He quickly snaps his eyes to the younger maid. "Remedy, suck his dick."

The cult leader jumps with moderate shock and discomfort. "Wait, what?"

The prince snickers as he pokes fun at the stallion. "Aw come on, when was the last time you did some cool shit and got rewarded for it!?"

"The only reward I see is the full cooperation of Ponyland's forces in our cause." The leader states.

The prince hesitates on his celebratory activities, trying to give a better understanding of his role. "Hey now, that's not in my jurisdiction. I just came to fuck some shit up and force them make a move."

"Yes, and those ends have been met considerably. But we know that's not the only thing your lot seeks." The cult leader points out with a sickly glow of magic in his horn. A multitude of purple and green splotches show the hell incurred upon the stallion. The sickly magic lands to the ground, raising a solitary black crystal recounting to the young prince the image of his three older brothers being watched over carefully by a trio of stallions in a cave. "We've got a few underground splinter cells based in Canterlot, different purpose for their cult, but they've clued us in on what they're trying to do. And if their following is similar to yours, you'll be more than happy to know that they've got the know-how on what way to bring your deity back to the world of the living."

"Hold on... you don't mean?" Rhapsody inquires.

"Oh I mean it." The cult leader replies. "And your doctor might be having a house call, if your guys play your cards right."

Militades stares at the image of his three brothers bickering amongst themselves in their airship, a smile creeps back onto his face with a sudden realization. "Rhapsody, get the old fart on a sphere. We got a war to start."

Canterlot Castle 2 Hours Later...

News of the attack spreads within the hour of the initial blasts on social media. Images flood the equine sites like Facehoof, Tweeter, and even some online dating sites. Small clips of the carnage are uploaded from many who lived the experience of the immediate aftermath, some perspectives catching the explosions as they happen. It takes no time for news agencies to jump on it, and even less time for national intelligence to issue the report to the high princess.

Flurry Heart walks around the castle, asking a number of questions to guards all around, completely unaware of what's taken place in her hometown. But her aunt is far more wary, and much more panicked about the circumstances. It takes an hour for her to finally reach her brother, she's overwhelmingly relieved to hear his voice.

However, his update of his wife all but drains the color from her body. "W-what?"

"I know, Twily. I... I just... we were just talking..." His voice reflects the despondence he feels.

Twilight tries to hold back her tears, not wanting to unleash all of her grief for the slight possibility of hope. "There's no way Cadance is... no."

"They said from the position where she stood, her body was launched over a hundred feet from the blast site. The fact that anything remains from her position is a miracle in and of itself. I know you alicorns have healing factors, and it will take some time to heal. But given the severity of her wounds, doctors say it might go either way. Left foreleg, left wing, half of her left side is gone. She's missing part of her right leg, her horn is cracked and scorched, I can't even see her face, there's nothing of it left. I'm looking into where her brain is... This is my wife..."

"Oh my god." Nauseous and grief-stricken, the high princess falls to her face, hunched over her phone as she hears her brother trying to stop himself from mourning so loudly.

"I knew Nondis warned us of them doing something, but not to this scale. We're looking at possibly hundreds dead, if not thousands. Scores more wounded and missing." His voice trembles as he sniffles and gasps.

Twilight empathizes with his pain, holding her stomach in a bid to stop herself from vomiting. "Dammit... Cadance."

A cautious Solemn Oath quietly approaches the bereaved mare. "Code red, your majesty?"

"Black." She answers in a broken tone. "Ready our forces on the shorelines. They're coming. This is war now."

As grave as the declaration sounds, Solemn bows her head and braves the tense air of the room. "Your majesty."

Shining whimpers through the phone, expressing his point of relief in the otherwise abysmal situation. "I'm so glad Flurry wasn't here. I swear if she was with her, I would've─"

"Shining, I know." She rises from the ground, taking deep breaths, performing the calming exercise that her sister-in-law showed her, only for her to feel the sadness overwhelm her by that fact alone. Her hoof trembles and her body weakens as she tries to speak. "For now we can only respond in the way that's best for the ones in need. We can't let this go unanswered, we have to send aid to help in the relief efforts."

"Send reserves, only reserves. By airship. The tunnel from the south is completely caved in. We have no way to or from here outside of flying." Shining tries his best, but the grief is far too much.

Twilight clenches her eyes shut, raises her head to the ceiling, inhaling to the point of her chest bursting, and finds the momentary strength to gather herself. "Relief should also be coming in from the reserves stationed at Rainbow Falls. I know it's not much, but it's the quickest measure we can take to help you for now."

"Twily, please..." The emperor bargains with his sister, finally breaking down completely out of fear for what he could have left. "If something happens to Cadie, Flurry's all I got of her! They're the only reason I've got to keep going! Please protect her, protect my baby girl!"

"You don't even need to say a word. I'm on it, she's with me. Just stay strong and take care of your citizens. I love you." Twilight hangs up as she hears the sound of her brother's wails, not wanting to hear the pain in his voice setting up her own trauma. She moves quick to call on Stanton, looking to have him get ready for what's next. "Pick up, dammit!"

Twilight Sparkle's School of Friendship Ponyville...

The lunch period is filled with many students gathered around the ones with phones, each bearing witness to the horrors playing out in repeated segments of twenty seconds or less. Some of the teachers and staff are no better than them, seeing the news play out in almost real time.

But for the teachers in the staff room, it's a bit different. Smolder walks in complaining about the students and their attentiveness in class, much more their persistence of the fact. "Ugh. I just don't get whatever's got these brats so into their phones today! Like I tell them to pay attention, but it's like they ain't trying to listen worth a damn!"

"You didn't hear what happened up north, did you?" Scootaloo asks the dragoness.

"No. And it's not like I'm on my phone during the school day to find out."

"You should try to be a little more proactive on that." Ocellus suggests. "That's how we find out what all the students are getting into. It just so happens that there was an attack on the Crystal Empire today."

Sweetie Belle continues scrolling on her phone until she comes up to a video of the carnage left at the northern train station. She plays the video, seeing a multitude of mangled bodies strewn across the ground. The last five seconds happen upon one body in particular. "Oh my fucking lord!"

Everyone in the room shifts their head towards the young unicorn mare. "What?" Smolder chirps with interest.

Applebloom walks around the table, approaching her longtime friend. "Now Sweetie, ain't nothin' that bad to be cursin' up a storm here at the school." The unicorn sits her phone down and pushes her lunch away in disgust. Applebloom grabs the phone and plays the video back. Everyone gathers around to see what she saw. "Holy fuck, that's horrendously bad."

"Wow, that's... terrible." Ocellus mutters.

At last, the final five seconds of the snippet plays out, revealing the charred and mangled body slowly clinging to life as the right hoof slowly flexes, the cutie mark singed and blackened, but still identifiable. "IS THAT PRINCESS CADANCE!?" Apple Bloom screams.

Smolder pauses the video, gawking with horror, not even wanting to see the last two seconds play out. "Oh no! No fucking way that's her!"

"That is her!" Ocellus replies emphatically. "That's her cutie mark, and her wings... oh... ohhh.... Oh that's her brai─" She turns away with abhorrent discomfort. "Put that away, please!" Sweetie Belle grabs her phone back, turning it off, before placing her hooves over her head, distraught from the confirmation that everyone else saw.

Smolder stares blankly at the now black screen. "Holy shit. Now I see what the students have been glaring at all day."

Sweetie Belle shakes her head, her eyes tearing up as she look up to see the headmare walk into the room. Starlight wipes her eyes and softly whispers instructions to the other teachers. "Get in contact with the parents. Tell them that school is postponed for the remainder of the day. And get these kids off of their phones. After that... You all can go home. That's all."

As Starlight walks back out of the room, Smolder holds the side of her head. "Spike's gonna have his claws full with this one."

Ponyville Post Office...

"With the bombings taken place within the Crystal Empire, sources have deduced that the ones behind the terrible assault are none other than the cultists of King Sombra. However, given the scale of the attack, it can be assumed that the cultist had a significant financial backer to fund the materials that allowed the assault to take place. Investigators are looking into the matter, having strong suspicion that the cultists are indeed being supplied by members of the tertiary cultist group known as the Church of the Healing Hoof, a recent operating group backed by the nation of the Ponyland Empire. Correspondence will reach out to those in connection with the imperial family and seek a response in regards to these bone-chilling attacks."

As the broadcast continues on the lobby television of the local post office, workers stare at the screen from behind the counter. A pink mare expresses her disbelief. "Seriously!? Pony 9/11, what the fuck even is this shit!?"

"They seriously struck the Crystal Empire! That's what's crazy!" A gray crosseyed mare replies while moving a package.

Gabby overhears the conversation, waiting for her bag to be filled for her next route. A gray mare with braids offers her own opinion. "I sure hope that not many got hurt from this."

"What are you even saying?" A mint green pegasus mare with a blond mane replies from within the lobby, holding a package to ship out elsewhere. "They had to have lost a bunch of lives. Online, they say that they left a bunch of bombs to go off over at the open-air market! All those vendors, probably dead or injured."

"Are we next?" One of the patrons asks nervously.

"There's no way. Ponyville isn't anywhere near as important or prominent." The pink mare replies. "They'd probably hit Canterlot before they even think of little old us. At least that's what I'm hoping."

"And I thought the damage from Lord Tirek's scrap with Princess Twilight was bad." One patron cites.

"Even the attack that decimated Canterlot Castle had way more care for civilian life than this. This is just mass murder." Comments another in line.

"Gabby, you heard?" Asks the crosseyed mare to the griffon.

"How could I not? The TV's on, and everyone's seen it by now."

The green mare shrugs back at the griffon. "To hell with that, did you all see what happened to Princess Cadance? I saw the video of it online, it's like her face was blown clean off! It's nothing but meat, teeth, and tiara!" She uses her wings to pull out her phone from her saddlebags. "I can even show you if you wanna see, I have it bookmarked!"

"YOU STUPID BITCH!" A loud voice pierces the muttering ambiance of the lobby. The pink mare steps towards the green pegasus, knocking her phone to the ground and cracking the screen.

"Hey!" The pegasus retaliates violently. "Who the fuck do you think you are─"

But as she drops her package and threatens to square up with the mare, she notices that the pink mare has transformed into that of a human woman, causing her to look all the way up at her. Melanie verbally chews out the careless mare. "Looking at the remains of someone isn't for a fucking show, it's not some entertainment you bookmark on your phone for shits and giggles! That's someone's mother, someone's wife! Can you imagine how you'd feel if someone found your mom in that condition and posted her all over the internet!? For someone to look at that and realize that it's their family! Can you imagine the rage they feel, the sadness, the grief!? You think it's fun to see that shit!?"

The mare, realizing that she was about to throw down with a human, immediately goes into apologies. "I...I didn't kn─"

"I come from a world where that shit plays out on repeat every single fucking time there's some shit going on! Mass shooting, terror bombing, videos of hate and prejudice, it's not a game! These are lives, breathing, laughing, loving, smiling faces that get turned into cold cadavers on our screens! This isn't some spectacle, these are people dying! Ponies, whatever! Lives are being turned on their heads... and for what? You get a kick out of this and say you have this thing showing someone's last gasp at life, you fucking soulless bitch!"

Melanie walks out of the lobby, taking some time outside to cool off before she can walk back inside. Lightning Dust stares back down to her cracked phone screen, the video playing out as the haunting image comes into scene. Overlooking the video herself, Gabby begins to feel a dreaded sense of guilt. She shoves her bag behind the counter and takes off her uniform.

"I'm sorry, I need to take off, girls."

Vanhoover...

Sitting in a coffee shop, Stanton's crimson eyes lock to the screen of his phone with both awe and disappointment. The entire group of employees gather around the radio in the back, listening for more updates of the situation. As he goes through his Facehoof feed, all he sees is posts about the carnage in the Crystal Empire. More bloody photos of ponies being rescued without some of their limbs, foals being pulled from the wreckage covered in blood and dust, a father helping move a large slab to find the remains of his wife, a filly crying over their missing family, a boy comforting his brother, those post being the few of many that come from the terrorized city.

"No way in hell they hit us that quick. No way in hell." He mutters before the name of his oldest brother shows up on the screen, along with his face in the caller id. He quickly picks up the call. "Alex."

"Hey man, my third phone's been going off like crazy. Like it's normally every now and then, but it's been popping off today. What's going on over there in the world of ponies?"

Stanton doesn't mince words with his brother. "Bro, the Crystal Empire just got nuked."

"WHAT!?" The man shouts on the other end.

"Not literally nuked, but they bombed the shit out of the city."

"Ain't no way..." Alex places his phone into speaker mode so that he can browse through his notifications. Each of his apps carry a number of recent posts all in relation to the Crystal Empire. As soon as he opens the topic, the brutal images start to line his feed. "That's crazy. What the hell's going on?"

Stanton lowers his voice a bit so that the others don't hear. "So to sum it up, Equestria got war declared on us just this past Wednesday. On yesterday, we get a warning from Nondis that they're setting up some joint op with the cultist up Shining and Cadance's way─"

"OH FUCK, THAT'S CADANCE!" Alex shouts, having come across the viral video of the alicorn mare's dire condition.

Having already seen it for himself, Stanton groans in defeat. "Yeah..."

"On fucking God, what do y'all need? It's same-day at this point, tell me what you need!"

"Relief efforts, at this point we need relief efforts to go into effect. But none of the airships here are going to be fast enough to get shit done on the scale of the damage incurred. They also knocked out the tunnel headed north, so now there's hundreds dead, thousands more hurt and buried under rubble, and there's no railway access to get the goods over to them by any conventional means."

As he continues to browse down the feed, he sees a number of harrowing videos, similar to the ones his brother have already seen. "Bro, who's got smoke with y'all like this?"

"Ponyland, apparently."

"Pony...land?" The man sounds perplexed with the name. "I know of Ponyville, but not this one. The hell kind of place is that, Ponyland?"

"From what was described to me, a land of xenophobic cult followers who all established a religion based around a certain asshat that we took care of seven years back. They apparently hunt dragons for sport, other creatures are vastly discriminated against, majority of their population live underground, and get this, they got guns."

"They have GUNS!?"

"Just flintlock muskets and all sorts of shit from the Revolutionary War period."

"Ooh hell, you guys are at a severe disadvantage."

"Yeah, we got our work cut out for us." Stanton admits.

Alex groans as he tries to get a better understanding of the situation. "Okay, I'd like to ask how this all got started before I make any decisions of what gets shipped to where."

"Well... So apparently a prince of theirs defected, the prince also has some sort of crush on Twilight, Twilight didn't want to risk the situation exploding into what it is now, plus she doesn't feel him like that. So she sends him, Kali, and Spike over that way to get dropped off back home."

"Hold on a sec." Alex interjects. "Didn't you just say they hunt dragons for sport?"

"Yeah. And they also killed seven more as a show of welcome for Spike."

"Okay, so I see this is an aggressor situation. Continue."

"So that happens, and then another situation pops up. A princess of theirs also got real attached to Spike while he was there, then some trade talks went south after our guy, you know the one we threw the cremation party for─"

"Stop right there!" Alex exclaims. "You better not say he's involved."

"Yeah, he's involved."

"Stop, that's enough. I know what I'm sending." Alex slams his fist into his desk as he rises to his feet and opens a file cabinet with a sealed manila envelope. "Now I know our whole thing is not to give human weaponry to the world of ponies for the purpose of waging their wars, all to not upset the balance of shit. But if they've got guns and shit, with ol' dude in the backdrop pulling strings from beyond the grave, it's only fair that we return favor before they give y'all a world of hurt from a distance your guys can't close in on."

"I mean there's still the arsenal over in Canterlot, but you know most of that shit ain't been touched since the whole operation from seven years back."

Alex looks back on his desk, the next post on his feed is a repost of the viral video of the train station. "Bro, this is some fucked up shit. I know Shining had to see this."

"Probably sitting right next to her even as we speak." Stanton comments as a moment of realization hits him about what's taken place. "Oh damn."

"What?"

"They definitely got Padrig too. He was on assignment to join her in the preparations up north, he was practically in her back pocket every step of the way. If that's what Cadance looks like, and she's an alicorn with an insane healing factor, that means there ain't no way in hell, with his basic changeling anatomy, he made it out alive."

"Fuck. And he was in the good with Shining, Blueblood, and even Nondis! Oh hell..." He unseals the manilla envelope, pulling out a sheet with a red seal on the top right corner. "I'll put in a shipment of helicopters to make it that way to help with relief efforts. I've already got trained contractors with signed NDA's and drilled camera phones on deck. If they need to make the crossing to help out, they will without question."

"Damn, so we're really full-sending this shit." Stanton grimaces. "To think that we were all trying to avoid this."

"I think we were mainly avoiding Nondis and his itch to come back out of retirement. Guess that's not the only thing we have to worry ourselves with now, especially since Nondis was the one that warned you."

"Yeah... So, what's it gonna be, bro?"

"To sell our soul to the devil for safe keeping." He mutters quietly as he lays the envelope out on the table, the papers with a red border all around each page fall from the back end. The top of the page is labeled with the stamp 'S.C.I', along with a signed document with his signature at the bottom. "Twenty-four choppers, eight for military operation, six for medical evac, four for heavy-duty transport, last six to move troops around. In total, we'll be about 350 deep, heavily armed. We'll mobilize and be ready in about two hours time."

"Man, the fact that crazy billionaire money can move that kind of shit around is insane to me."

"When you got it all, you can do it all. Just don't get caught doing it." Alex pulls out a sheet of paper with the final signature, sourced from none other than the pen of the Oval Office. "That's what the boys from the government will tell you. Play nice with them, and they give you what you want, as long as the price is right. They'll keep overlooking the failed audits of the National Defense Budget, and we get what we get."

"So what, you working with the feds now?" Stanton asks with growing worry.

"Not completely, but they've been keeping a close eye on all of us for three years now. A lower-middle class family like ours don't just show up with a shitton of assets and start moving into mansions, building business, putting our names on skyscrapers around the world, and not get some eyes put on us. And as much as I'd like to make the world of a difference here, we've been warned to not rock the boat with some of our competitors. We lay low with the other world, they don't come after us. That's the game we play."

Stanton takes a deep breath. "That's a dangerous game, dude."

"Dangerous? Sir, I still live in Texas. All I gotta do is pay these assholes to keep their mouths shut, and they'll only worry about the optics of this shit IF it gets leaked to the public." The man stares at the documents on his desk. "Yeah. Nondis will have our asses for the finer details, we'll just keep that low-key for now. Though I don't think he'll mind the result any, being that he's in the know and he helped put this together." The man slaps his hand on the desk. "We're gonna need a large portal with plenty of airspace. We'll be hot and hovering by the time we cross over."

"I'll give Blue a call, give her the heads up."

Canterlot Cloudside Arena...

Sitting in the office of one of the many properties she owns, Blue Royal leaves her television on mute as she carries on with her phone call. "You sure?"

"Considering our alternatives, there are no other options to be assessed." Alex responds on the other end.

"Okay... we'll keep the portal open. But I sure hope these guys you bring along aren't mean to us in any way."

"Considering the contract I've had them sign, they have no other choice. And I know exactly who'll be more than happy to deal with them if they ever step out of line." The businessman reassures.

"I don't know, he's been pretty hard to get in touch with ever since the wedding. I've had an easier time contacting you than him. The last time we even talked was when he showed up in town and told me to give Spike and his visitors a tour of the lab, for contextual reasons. But other than that, I don't know if that's a leash we can pull on when, and if, we'd need to."

"No worries on that either." He replies. "I'll be there to supervise the operations myself. I can work everything in my world from a phone, most of that is already relegated while I just make appearances for the investors. It's pretty automoatic. This, on the the other hand, will get my undivided attention."

"Well I sure hate that you'll be visiting under such pretenses."

"Eh, I'm feeling nostalgic anyways. We'll be over in two hours."

"See you then." She hangs up her call with Alex to dial up her local distribution center.

A voice quickly sounds on the other end. "Ma'am?"

"Our world is not going to be ready for any of this." She mutters to herself before she gives the order. "We got our green light. Effective immediately, we shift our operations to Staging Zone 5. We have an hour and thirty minutes to relocate all hooves to SZ-5 due south at point Gamma Gamma. We ready the mega portal for heavy duty transport. Be advised, expecting lots of otherworldly company today."

"Yes ma'am. Moving operations. Will contact magic specialists and ready platform for mass teleport. ETA: 10 minutes."

2407 Golden Oaks Way 2 Hours Later...

Everyone's made it back home. Gabby took the half day off, Smolder and Ocellus were sent home along with the other instructors and staff, and the Ponyland trio of siblings were already here to begin with. I stayed behind to study up more on what all I needed to know. But the moment my phone got that first hit telling me what happened, I knew I was going to spend a lot of time speaking with foreign nationals and dignitaries looking to scrounge up whatever they can donate to help.

We all gather around the TV, watching as they give more reports on the situation from the ground. While the feed my be grainy, it's our only continuous source of information that doesn't seem to lean so heavily into showing the carnage and gore. I understand that the rough parts are all a part of life, but seeing so much of it on my phone is already guaranteed to take away any semblance of sleep I'll get.

"So, they made their first strike already." Amor mutters.

"And at an empress, no less." Hestia adds.

"With no care for the civilian populace. Brash tactics, all means to an end. Such is the calling card of one Militades." Zenobia concludes.

"He's not doing it by himself." I explain. "He's got the cultists involved. They don't care much for civilian populations either. All they want is to be able to push their agenda and make way for their dead king to be brought back to life from the aether, all in the hopes that their willful compliance makes them conscious additions to his inner circle."

"And these cultists up north are conspiring with the cultists in Canterlot?" Gabby questions.

"Pretty much the case." I confirm. "They exchange information with the intent of bringing back their heralded lords. I don't even think they take into consideration that those aforementioned lords might not even like each other."

"What a sad conclusion." Amor shakes his head.

"What's sadder are the families that have been affected by this." Ocellus calls out.

"Including mine." I mutter as I look at my phone, seeing the smiling trio of two alicorns and a unicorn stallion. The small family of three look back with brimming joy towards the camera against the backdrop of a wedding reception. "Cadance may not be related to me, but she has always seen me like a brother. Just like Shiny and Twi, who looked after me as such. I can't even begin to think of the world Flurry will have to face without her mom."

"But they said that she's still alive." Smolder replies with an unsettled shudder. "I don't even wanna imagine the suffering she's feeling right now, all of what she's got going on, that has to be beyond pain."

"Yeah, I'm sure Shining just gave them the delayed update of her condition. That's what usually happens in our line of work, they tell the world the soft answer, give a safe propaganda number for damage control, prepare statements and arrangements for the hard truth, give the immediate family time to process, then announce all of it when the last and final pieces of the arrangements have been met. So a report of 'critical condition' for the press doesn't mean a lot when you're on the edge of death and the virtual world seems to have a good look at the insides of your cranium."

Zenobia stares at the screen, feeling both hopeless and useless. "Avoid it all the same, I could put on all the political fronts I'm asked to, smile and wave for the masses as much as desired. It never changes the outcome when it comes to Ponyland, always a puppet for a more selfish purpose."

"You seem genuinely upset for being the princess of a nation who's got the upper hoof in the war." Smolder replies.

"No doubt she's upset! You don't think that confession she made was just for show, do you?" Hestia defends her sister. "Just the fact that she did all of this, made it this far across the world, and even did away with her conventions to maintain her relations with Spike, is something beyond significant! She's never gone that far for anyone, she's never even smiled as much as she has the past week across the span of her whole life!"

"To be fair, my mom would've done the same, and wouldn't care less for what she leaves behind." Ocellus argues. "Not to say that you don't feel that way─"

♫Bling-bling-blong♪

My door bell rings, I pull out my phone and check the ring camera to see who's at my door. I see not only Gallus in full guard uniform, but also a distinctive human woman. "Spike, I know you see us. Answer the door if you're home."

I hurry downstairs, rushing to see what it is that they've come here for. As soon as I open the door, I see the both of them, but also a tear-stricken alicorn filly behind her. "What the hell? Flurry?"

The filly is on the verge of a complete breakdown as she staggers towards me, her hooves achingly seeking me for affection in place of what her parents cannot provide in the instant. Her blue eyes glance to me, reddened and puffy from the tears she's probably spent a considerable time shedding. "...Uncle Spike... mommy..."

The poor thing shudders, clutching to me as I kneel down to hold her in return. I look to Gallus. "Why is she here?"

"Her majesty has placed her here for safety since operations in Canterlot have now changed drastically to it's military format. Matters have now shifted towards relief efforts of the north. A new contingent has arrived to our skies. So for safety, she's being relocated to here."

Ocellus pokes her head, intruding into the conversation. "Hold on. What do you mean?"

The griffon guard further elaborates. "Well for what it's worth, a flight advisory has been placed for the skies of Equestria. We are to remain in low elevations until the air fleet is dismissed. And with these operations taking place, it puts Canterlot into a higher risk of being seen as a strategic point of interest, which it is right now. So Princess Flurry Heart is to remain here until the conclusion of the operations up north and elsewhere."

The filly separates from me and whole-heartedly screams at Gallus. "I wanna see my mom! LET ME SEE MY MOM!"

The griffon looks down at the young girl with remorse. "I'm sorry, but I don't think─"

Before Gallus could even finish his answer, a loud hum sounds nearby. It gets loud, fast. I look up to see a large shadow being cast over us. In the passing moment I see... human technology. A fleet of helicopters swarm by, different makes, different models, different purposes. Sixteen of them loudly make their rallying call throughout the sky. Even with them appearing as specks of black, their presence proves mighty and intimidating. They clear the town as quick as they arrive, blowing by with not an ounce of resistance.

Ocellus shakes in the presence of the large aerial vehicles, knowing that there's no chance of that being Equestrian technology. "Spike..."

Everyone darts downstairs, trying to get an understanding of the loud noise that just buzzed over the town. "What in the world were those!?" Amor asks.

Melanie speaks out. "Those... are Apache's."

Hestia gawks at the two-legged figure standing just a little taller than me. "Another human?"

"This one sounds... female?" Zenobia comments.

"Melanie, what's going on?" I ask, trying to make sense of things.

"Well... with the situation up north being what it is, involving who it does, Alex has thrown his hat into the ring. And he's brought friends... with some rather expensive toys."

I still hold to Flurry, who's probably more scared than anyone right now. "How many of his 'friends' did he bring?"

"About three dollars, fifty cents worth." She confirms. "So yeah, 350 of his forces are here in Equestria, And that there was a good 200 headed north for the big dance."

Ocellus' eyes widen a significant amount, the fear starts to mount in her eyes. "Those are all humans?"

"Yeah... Every last one." Melanie announces.

I feel a heaviness grow in the pit of my stomach, knowing damn well the carnage that's going to be thrown back the other way. All I can sense is an endless stream of bloodshed, a relentless song of bullets, and a multitude of fireballs being thrown all over the snowy north. The humans are here... and they're here to wage war. It's no wonder why Ocellus is so terrified.

I grimace, thinking of the anger that's probably well-seated on Alex's face right now. "Oh... we are in trouble now. We are officially in trouble."

Meanwhile in the Dungeons of Midnight Castle...

Nondis stares down at a wooden tray of what was designated to him as food. The chains are loosened enough for him to reach out and eat, but the fishy sweet smell conflicts with his olfactory senses. He wills himself once to taste the strange dish, but immediately spits it back out upon realizing the conflicting flavors of gelatin and a slimy eel. The side dish is no better, having the taste of plain potatoes. He groans with displeasure over the food presented to him.

Gabranth enters the room, seeing the human looking down with disgust. "Enjoying the meal?"

"I would if you guys didn't eat like seasonings and spices are a poison to life itself." He insults. "I can make better food if you walk me into a kitchen blindfolded."

The head century smirks back at the human. "Our finest chefs prepared that for you."

"Look, my guy. If you tried giving me the food you actually eat, I would've probably tasted it by now."

The stallion sits himself before the man, clopping his hooves to summon another century, holding a scroll with a broken red was seal. "Well while you sit there and stare at the food our local chef has kindly provided to you, I have a the local newspaper to entertain you. I'll even read it out loud so that you don't have to risk getting a papercut, the story of the day is one I'm sure you'll enjoy."

"If your stories are like your food, I'm sure they'll be great for the bugs to enjoy." The man snarks back.

"What appropriate words for today. Bug food" He says as he unfurls the scroll and starts reading past the greeting. "Success! The insurgent assault on the northern city-state of the Crystal Empire has yielded not only favorable results, but unforeseen tactical advantages. With the supplies provided, the warring insurgent forces dealt a crippling blow to the city and it's infrastructure. The rail line to the southern portion of the continent has been cut off, offering only to enemy forces access to the city by air. The rails from the eastern continent leading directly into Ponyland is now a secured access channel for our forces to further our campaign into the lands of the enemy nation. With the vast damages incurred, all northernly aerial forces are to direct their sights to the strategic holding point of Rainbow Falls, where their local forces will be pulled westward to aid in recovery efforts."

"As if they'll bite on that." Heckles the human.

"I'm not finished." Gabranth chides before continuing. "To further add to the news of our campaign, the civilian populace has undergone a mass casualty event at the hooves of the insurgent forces, thus removing the explicit blame of the attack from our proud nation, giving us a clean slate which we shall now commence our operations. By starting with Rainbow Falls, we acquire a pivotal airfield that would leave us with a substantial foothold over the northern cities of both Rainbow Falls and the Crystal Empire. Our directed front now grows to a three-pronged pincer formation that will most effectively pressure the Equestrians into a quick submission. I shall offer more updates upon the unfolding of this campaign. Signed, Prince Aegis Militades of the Noble Blood."

The man rolls his eyes. "Appropriate name for him. He's pretty decisive, I'll admit. At least he knows how to strike fast, but there's a saying when you─"

The stallion reads through the human's retort. "Post script: The initial assault on the local train station has yielded the favorable result of the elimination of one of their high-ranked specialists and one Empress Mi Amore Cadenza, proving to be a devastating blow to the morale of their forces as well as their southern counterparts. This ensures that an aerial response from their main forces is not only suggested, but mandatory." Nondis falls silent as the head century proudly closes the scroll. "A young prince he is, but cruelly effective."

The man nods, pursing his lips with several violent thoughts running through the back of his mind. "Okay. So you've killed a princess. I think now's a good time to put in those orders to withdrawal now as opposed to later."

"Oh, not smiling now, are you?" Gabranth teases.

"You gave me a reason not to. So now I give you a warning not to go through with this attack of yours, even if this is all well past the point of no return."

"As if we'd listen to you."

"You do realize that bright star you guys saw the other night could be a lot brighter." Nondis warns.

"I'm sure you can say that, if such a thing actually exists to begin with." The head replies with a condescending tone. "But I'm also certain that Equestria wouldn't be so brash as to kill the only two-legger they have that gives them their advantage. I mean how else would they be able to use that so-called device of yours without you?"

"Have you ever considered that anyone can leave a set of written instructions, or are you just dumb as shit?" He deadpans.

"I see I've touched a nerve." Gabranth chuckles.

"You got me." The man sarcastically laughs back. "I'm so upset. It's not like I'm a bit miffed by the idea that a young and bright filly will be without her mom for the future, especially the fact that her dad will be rather sad every time he looks at her face and sees the wife he can no longer have, or the ghost of her mom standing by her dad, forever smiling with nothing left to say. No, it doesn't matter, not one bit."

Seeing the angry scowl sat upon the man's face, the stallion takes enjoyment in seeing the human show his emotional vulnerability. He elects to continue hitting at that angle from that moment forth. Having made his point, he looks to take his leave. "It's nice to know that even in this state, you understand that this isn't a game."

The man snarls back. "If you keep me locked in here, you're going to regret it. You'd be better off shooting me."

"Sorry, but we'll be needing your technology more than needing you dead." The century replies. "So until you can tell us something useful, you can sit there while I give you daily updates on the war we've waged upon the pathetic realm of our lesser neighbor across the sea. And on that note, I bid you adieu."

After the two centuries depart from the hall, Nondis summons his phone and speak into it. "Discord. Please tell me he's joking."

While the device has no signal, the draconequus operates only with just the mention of his name. In disguising himself in an app, he pops up on the screen and gives a solemn udate. "She alive... but..."

The creature places up on the screen the final five seconds of that viral video of the alicorn barely clinging to life. "Jesus Christ." Nondis grumbles as he can't bear to look at her. "Where's Shining?

"He's standing by her. Her chance of fatality is rather significant. For that reason alone, he hasn't moved from her bedside. Padrig was with her, but he wasn't as fortunate."

"For better or for worse. He's too much of a good man, I always said that." Nondis says, letting his mind play out a number of possibilities of what's to come. "If this keeps up, I might not stay for as long as I imagined."

"But on the brighter side..." The draconequuis adds. "Your brothers are mainly involved now. As are another three-hundred plus humans. So it probably wouldn't take them too long."

"So... that means Rapture is in full effect, huh?... Yeah, those bastards are gonna get mowed out of the sky by a bunch of buoyant buzzsaws."

"Your brother brought twenty-four helicopters." Discord points out.

"Yeah, this will get really dire in about three weeks.... Or maybe a little faster."

Chapter 55: Buoyant Buzzsaws

The Crystal Empire The Next Morning...

The dawning sun reveals both a morning in the city, but also the citizens in mourning of what all was lost. Homes, lives, peace of mind, way of life forever changed by the threat of invasion and violence. Clean-up is still ongoing, but with the help of the humans that arrived and assisted in the efforts throughout the tiring night, much has been achieved. Lives that were once doomed to die become much easier to save, and homes that lay ruined are uncovered in the hours, along with the many victims. The process is still ongoing, but the the results prove promising.

As the cleanup takes place outside of the spiring castle, a process of healing begins inside of it.

Shining Armor meanders into the medical center, seeing the multitudes of tubes streaming from a litany of machines flanking the bed his wounded wife lays within. Her body is wrapped in bloodied gauss, her motions so minimal that her heartrate appears to fade in and out. So frequently her numbers drop to threatening levels, but they act as the tide out at sea. The tube interconnected to her chest regulates her breathing. Shining sits in a chair by the side of her bed, laying fresh flowers beside her. "Morning, babe."

The stallion looks down, haunting images run through his mind, having him relive not only the pain of yesterday, but the traumas of years past, the lives he wanted to save but couldn't. The failures revisit him, all in the moment of him looking down to see the mangled form of his wife of ten years. His heart weighs heavy, knowing that his wedding vows demand so much of him. Normally, he would call her beautiful whenever she woke, or she would call him handsome as he did the same. But the absence from either brings grief, the pain of uncertainty, the trepidation of a looming finality lurking in the shadows underneath her bed.

A soft knock sounds on the open door. "Sir Emperor."

"Now's not the time." His eyes remain locked to his injured spouse.

"Sir, I think you should come out here and see─"

"Not until I've spoke to my wife." The stallion warns. "Leave us."

The guard is reluctant to let things go, but elects not to draw the ire of the disheartened emperor. He walks away, making his way through the hall, groaning with uncertainty as a two-legged figure walks past him with no regard for a wait.

Shining is timid, wanting to hold some part of his wife. He knows that doing that would only put her through more pain than she's already in. So he keeps his distance. "Hey babe. I just want you to know that Flurry Heart is safe. Twily said she'll come by to visit whenever she can, and knowing her, that'll probably be within the week. The citizens are still coming out of their own tragedies, but they're looking forward to rebuild. I understand it might be a bit soon to assume that, but these ponies have strong spirits. They'll rebuild, I can promise you that." The only response comes from the numerous machines hooked into her body, including the EKG monitor that shows a weak heart rate of 49 beats per minute. He leans forward, whispering to his wife. "I know you're not feeling well. And I know that somewhere you're listening, even if it might not look it. But I'm not gonna leave you. I promise I won't."

"Woah, that looks something serious."

"Can I help you?" The emperor turns to the doorway, ready to lay into whoever interrupted his time with his spouse. But his eyes glance from the normal height of a pony to the almost doubled height of the human standing in the doorway in full uniform. "Oh... you're a new face."

"Pardon the interruption. I was told to meet with an Emperor. Emperor Shining... Armor, I believe? I apologize if I was told to wait and ignored that instruction, as matters are pressing right now."

Shining adjusts himself in his seat. "I am Emperor Shining Armor, yes. Now who are you?"

Captain Ferris Mosley

Leader of the Haines Protector Initiative,
Militia Branch: Alpha Company

"My name is Captain Ferris Mosley, twelve years service in the USMC. Two combat deployments, one in Fallujah, other in Afghanistan. Certified copter pilot."

Shining tilts his head. "You'll have to forgive me. None of what you've just said makes any logical sense to me."

"Well sir, you're a talking horse, and horses don't talk in my world." The human bluntly replies.

The stallion nods, realizing that the human is operating in ignorance. "Nondis did tell me years ago that you humans aren't quite prepped to meet Equestrians. He wasn't kidding." Shining rises from his seat, walking up to the well-dressed man. "For starters, I can permit you saying something like that, but most ponies won't. For example, the term 'horse' which is a name you simply call larger equines of your world, is known as a derogatory conjugation between the word 'whore' and 'horse' which 'whorse' would be used along with such terms as 'brood', which is yet another negative misnomer."

The man sighs at his unwary mistake. "I'm sure we'll establish an understanding of our respective differences as we continue to work alongside one another, sir emperor."

"That we can agree on." Shining declares as he sees the human's attention being placed firmly on his bedridden spouse.

"If you don't mind me asking..."

"That's my wife... and the light in my daughter's eyes." The stallion answers firmly, glancing back to her. "And for the most part, I don't leave her side until something dire has come up that needs my undivided attention. So while it may seem that I'm too self-absorbed to care for what goes on outside, I do what I can while I remain by the one who truly holds the seat of power here."

"I'm sorry to see you two in such a time." The man apologizes.

"Not your fault, I wasn't there to protect her. I didn't even try to meet her at the station that morning."

"Well sir, if you had, consider what would've happened to you. I don't think she would appreciate you talking like that." The man earns the stallion's glare. "Forgive me for saying it in that manner, but I'd say you're a bit selfish in that line of thinking. It wouldn't be just her who'd have no one to look after her and her injuries, but also your daughter who'd have no dad." The main bows his head as a show of respect. "Again, I apologize if it sounds so out of turn. I just feel the way I do because I have a little girl of my own. She's twelve, and I love her each day I see her. And I know she'd be very upset with me if I didn't make it to at least see her go off to prom."

"Then you are married too?" The stallion asks.

"Divorced." The man replies with a heavy tone. "Wife got lonely while I was on deployment, brought another guy around, didn't think too much about it. But when Haylee, my daughter, told me about a new brother she was having, I had to ask questions. Didn't end well."

Shining's eyes widen at the moment of revelation, feeling sympathetic of the man's failed marriage on the part of spousal infidelity. "Sorry to hear that."

"Tragedies are commonplace. But we're not here to talk on that. We need to talk relief efforts. And we also need to talk about the potential need to defend the city. But also, we see that your castle has one hell of an overlook. It does prove to be a useful place to assign snipers and host relay equipment."

"If you need it, use it." Shining simply answers.

"Well we appreciate the compliance, sir. However, we don't know how to operate the elevators here."

"Yeah, that would make sense. You humans don't have magic." Shining remembers. His horn sparks alive as he summons a silver sigil bearing the crest of his cutie mark, giving it to the man. "Take this, it'll let the others know that you have a limited level of access throughout the castle. You can still use the elevator to get to the top. Set up how you need to, whatever you require, talk to my guards and they'll try to make room for you." The man accepts the item, looking down to the stallion who squats back into his seat by the bed. "Now you'll have to excuse me. I can't leave my wife alone."

"I respect it. An honor working with a good man such as yourself, your majesty. I wish you the best."

"Thank you." The unicorn responds as he leans his head against the bedside, being careful not to cause his wife discomfort.

The man leaves down the hall, coming into contact with his subordinate who questions him of the encounter. "What did he say?"

Ferris flashes the badge with the Emperor's sigil. "We get access to the castle, but it's limited. We do get access to the overlook, however."

"What does he look like?"

"Small stubby unicorn, white, blue hair and beard. He's looking after his wife, who's gonna have to go through years of reconstructive surgery because of how mangled she is from the bombing. Though I fear to say what would become of her if she were in our world instead."

"Does he speak English?"

"Fluent, like the other hor─I mean ponies around here. Yeah, don't say the h-o-r-s-e word, apparently that's an insult." He warns his subordinate.

The other man glances around. "This world is strange."

"What's stranger is that we're in it now, toting hardware completely unfit for the time period they look to be in."

Canterlot Throne Room...

Twilight continues to speak among her security detail, organizing everything for her next public address. Solemn Oath and Raven Inkwell take in their assigned tasks, ensuring that nothing else goes wrong in the event of another bombing taking place. But in the midst of their process, The doors swing open to allow a human man dressed in a button-down shirt, a black vest, and slacks, to enter the throne room. He continues with a phone call on one of his AirPods.

"Look, I have a close family friend in the hospital, they're in critical condition. I know I'm supposed to be on a Zoom call with investors to speak on our quarterly earnings. I don't care, I know we're doing good, but this matter is a serious one. Have Chauncey update them with the numbers, phone's going offline in fifteen seconds. Goodbye." He takes a deep breath and finally greets the purple princess standing before him. "Good morning, your highness."

"Alex, it's been a while." She greets fairly warmly, but not as eager as she normally would be.

Alexander Michael Haines

Founder & CEO of Haines Enterprises,
Chief Financial Backer & Commander of the Haines Protector Initiative

"Yeah, it's been a hot minute. I don't really get to take vacation days away from the family. I know Vanessa's been on and on about us vacationing here again. But obviously that'll have to wait." He groans. "I know I sound like I'm just everywhere but the main subject right now, but curious question. How's that district we set up doing?"

"It's doing well. I'm surprised Blue didn't tell you already, being that she had to be one of the the first ones you saw crossing over."

"Eh, she didn't really get to say much. Everything was chaotic. Her main concern for the day is trying to have the social media companies scrub that one video of Cadance off of everybody's servers. I'm sure you know which one."

Twilight shakes her head. "I didn't have the time, nor the heart to try to find it."

"Yeah, it's not pretty, I'll tell you that."

"If I did see it, I probably would've declared marching orders on enemy soil. I didn't need to act too emotionally for the time being, even if I was overwhelmed with it."

"Well all's fair in love and war, whether you like it or not. And these ponies from 'Ponyland' are indeed at war with you. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you've gotta treat it for what it is. You may not like it, but ignoring it will only make it worse for you."

"I know." She sighs heavily. "Just the sight of those helicopters flying over Canterlot has already gotten a lot of foreign attention."

"Yeah, they're pretty loud." He cosigns.

"And scary."

"Can be that too." Alex nods.

"As far as the 150 that you have stationed here, what do you intend to do with them?"

"Stand by." He answers. "We need to have a few patrol the city along with your guards, just to make sure we don't have a repeat of yesterday. So best believe if you got any announcements to make, it will be the most secure announcement you'll ever have. I'll have them cover every other block from high vantage, not even the local bakery will go unchecked."

"That's not going to be an issue." Twilight counters. "Most businesses around the town have closed up shop for the day out of fear."

"Well that's no good." The man points out. "I know your local economy is going to take a hit from this. But having them operate in that fear is gonna keep them hurting for longer than they need to. You might as well sell them on what it is so that they can shift their markets accordingly. They stay healthy, the money keeps rolling, the economy stays afloat, your citizens keep getting paid, they pay their taxes and bonds, your soldiers stay paid, the machine keeps rolling. Just because you have issues with one country shouldn't put a pause on everyone else."

"I know that much. I'm already looking into alternating some of our trade towards other business partners across the globe." The purple mare replies. "The parliament are also voting on the matter as we speak. We know what they're going to do, I'm just waiting to give their written resolution the wax stamp."

"Yeah, all that bureaucratic bullshit does take the wind of things." The man complains. "War, huh? Never thought I'd see that here. Not to this degree."

"As long as there are creatures with our kind of intelligence, there will always be a call for conflict." Twilight argues quietly. "I just hate that as the Princess of Friendship, I'll have to do something as drastic as make a declaration of war. But... the way they treated Spike, the others, I can't forgive that."

"So I've heard." Alex says as he takes his seat on the secondary throne. "Forgive me for my improper placement here, but would you care to tell me what happened, from your perspective of course?"

"It's a long story." The mare sits in her throne beside him.

"Well I'm here, and my business phone is off. That means I have time."

2407 Golden Oaks Way

"Social media companies throughout the realm have answered the call to remove videos, as well as the violent images depicting Princess Cadance from all hosting sites available. Many of the moderators have expressed distressful complaints about having to scrub the images, citing them being too harrowing for employees. However, the request was formally filed by none other than Shining Armor, Emperor of the Crystal Empire. He states that he wishes 'not to foster an environment where his daughter, Princess Flurry Heart, will be made to see the haunting visuals of her mother regurgitated before her eyes on a daily basis, that the psychological trauma would be too much'. Many social media site owners share solidarity in his statement, along with understanding the class action lawsuit that the royal administration threatened to bring to the table. The companies electing to scrub their sites for many more of those images depicting her and the other victims of the Tuesday morning bombings. In regards to the bombing, intelligence reports have made the statement saying that the nation of Ponyland has funded in full the terrorists responsible. A spokespony of the nation has been contacted for an official response, none has yet to be issued. I'm Morning Glory for EBNC, Canterlot."

"Thank you, Morning Glory. We now turn our attention to the Royal Throne room in Canterlot, where Princess Twilight Sparkle will look to give an important national address regarding the bombings, the rumored intel, and more importantly what lies ahead in regards to our nation course of action."

The TV continues to show the destroyed buildings. Ponies left homeless are seen waiting in line at a food bank near the local stadium, which also has extensive damages. And front and center of the viewing group is none other than the young princess taking in the visuals of her city left in ruins.

Yet only one thought runs through her mind. "I just wanna see my mom." Poor thing, her world is basically tilted and flipped upside down. While she speaks with the mind of a knowledgeable preteen, and even the body of a ten year old, she's only six. It's only right for that to be her only state of mind right now.

But thankfully a knowing mother figure chose today to stick around. "I know sweetie, but you can't right now. She's undergoing some important business, it's far too dangerous for you to be involved." Melanie does her best to comfort Flurry, even bringing her son to help keep her rooted in safety.

"Momma, is there going to be another one of the school shooter drills?" However, even he speaks of the harrowing reality we're in, comparing it to that of his home world.

"No, Jasper. It's nothing like that." The woman softly denies.

"But it looks a lot like one of those shootings that keep happening."

"I know, sweetheart. But what's important right now is that you're not there. You're here, and you're still safe. Okay?"

"Okay."

As teachers, both Smolder and Ocellus heads perk up at the conversation. They both are aware of what takes place in the human world, especially the mass shooting epidemic that seems to have gripped their home nation. But this is nothing like that, just as Melanie pointed out. This is violence, impersonal, uncompromising, and unrestricted. I'm sure shootings can be avoided by taking steps to stay hidden, at least as far as I'm aware and I could be wrong. But explosions don't discriminate against anything.

And Flurry is aware of that. "Mom...."

Hestia pops in with a few plates made by Amor. Feeding breakfast to everyone, she especially takes care of the little ones first. Jasper accepts his plate, but Flurry doesn't even look once at her food. "I know that your mom wouldn't want you to go hungry." Hestia urges kindly. "She'd be very upset if you didn't eat."

Amor gives me a plate, appearing sullen at the images scrolling across the screen. "I am... so sorry for this. To think that this all could've been avoided had I just remained at home."

"What are you apologizing for?" Melanie asks the stallion. "You didn't order any of this. You're not the one responsible."

"It's just frustrating!" The young prince replies. "Yet another instance of my home nation resorting to violence for the umpteenth time. It's like they know nothing but forced coercion through means of bloodshed."

"Hey!" The woman calls out to him. "Are you the one giving orders?"

"Of course not─"

"Then chill out! You're not the only one whose home nation has a history of using violence to coerce others into submission! I can give a whole list of things our people let slide. But none of us take any responsibility for the decisions that the powerful make on our behalf. And even if that, the only one that we can marginally pin some sort of blame on is that one right there on that couch."

"Excuse me?" Zenobia speaks up to defend herself. "While I have come to accept that my current position is not a fond one, I refuse to take any responsibility for this particular mess!"

"You've got a workable title, right? Ain't your dad signing off on this?" She asks. "Personally, I think anyone with both a horn and a pair of wings from your side needs to get this stuff straightened out."

"You say that, but I'm not the one giving the orders." The alicorn rebuts.

"You were the one on TV showing your admiration for dragon-shaped phalluses, that was just last week. You can't explain it any other way than you having some sort of pull in this."

"Mom, what's a 'phallus'?" Jasper questions.

"Ask your father, sweetie." The mother tells her son.

The foreign princess stoutly defends herself once more. "Well forgive me if I seem to be confrontational in front of the little ones, but I don't have any pull in any of this! You can ask Spike, mares barely get any status in our family, much less the damn─pardon my linguistics, country! I'm just lucky to be born with a horn and wings, otherwise I'd be no different from Hestia and Amor!"

"I don't think you quite understand what position you have right now, so let me spell it out for you." Melanie remains stagnant in her belief. "You. Are. An international figure! Your face, big. You talk, camera. 'Kay? When Ponyland is mentioned, everyone sees your face now. Your father, the emperor, could be some machine behind a curtain for all the world knows. The point still stands. You are an international figure now, and you need to do whatever you can to make the world see your stance in all of this. Continue to have press conferences, talk to the masses, try to reach to the folks back home and make them see that your way is better than what's taking place now─"

"Do you really think there's any room for any of that right about now!?" Zenobia argues back. "We don't have an ounce of─"

"Guys!" Smolder interjects. "Twilight's on!"

"Moment of truth, I guess." I grumble.

As the screen shows Twilight approaching the podium, there's a heavily armed coalition of men standing behind her, along with one appearing well dressed in business attire gently guiding her to the podium. Amor gulps with a tentative voice. "More humans."

"Wow, they're actually here. And there's so many of them." Hestia marvels timidly.

Ocellus rolls her eyes. "Oh boy, this is going to be a mess with Thorax."

♪Very superstitious...♫...Writing on the wall♪

"Speak of the devil." I say as Thorax's name and face pops up on my caller ID. Ocellus tilts her head with shock and disbelief as I answer the phone and place it on speaker. "Yyyyello?"

"Spike, what is going on? I'm on a peaceful envoy going towards the Dragon Lands to speak of an enhanced alliance with the dragons! Ember even invited me over to discuss terms! But then as I'm waiting for the airship at this station, I hear something about a bombing over the radio! I had to beg someone for a charger so I could turn this cursed thing on for the first time in eight months! What's going on!?"

I shake my head at the changeling king. "Thorax, you gotta keep your phone on, sir."

"You know I don't like these things! And now there's a report of there being more humans! Please tell me that we aren't at war with them in some manner! Please!"

"Actually, they're on our side. But we are pending that official declaration right now." I briefly explain, much to his comfort.

Ocellus grabs my attention. "Spike, they just announced the vote!"

"Turn it up." I say as I put my phone down and look at the screen.

"─and the count is unanimous. The resolution reads as followed: 'To the international community, we have come to the fateful conclusion that while peace is a pursued practice, and a more preferred one at that, it is also an unlikely path for the time being. Our intelligence reports have formally warned us of the intent that an official figure of Ponyland, Prince Aegis Militades has supplied the northern-based insurgents with explosives and deadly ordinance. According to reports from survivors, the train carrying one of our specialists─'"

I briefly put the TV on mute to give instruction to Hestia. "Hey, can you take Flurry downstairs─Hey!" But the aforementioned filly abducts the remote and unmutes the TV. It seems that she's not wanting to hear anything but the truth. She's way too young to be this involved, but her mind is too developed for her to willfully ignore it.

"─Cadenza experienced an emergency stop protocol. As the protocol was enacted, the rails were discovered to be tampered with by means of an added lubricant. From there, a second cart was sent speeding into the first where the princess and her assigned specialist was struck with an improvised incendiary device. Upon the conclusion of the crash, the bombs initially went off, killing thirty-two victims at the train station, including Specialist Padrig of the Reformed Changeling Hive. In conjunction, there were several more injuries, all ranging from minor, to grievous. One such injury case is that of the now-circulated images of Empress Mi Amore Cadenza."

I call on her, just to check if she's okay. "Flurry─"

"SHUT! UP!" The young filly starts to tremble with tears forming in her eyes. A picture of her family shows on the screen, only making her pain over the situation that much worse. "Mom..."

Her aunts words continue to juxtapose with the tranquil image of her parents standing on either side of her. "Emperor Shining Armor has issued a statement in regards to the reception of well-wishes for him and the city, saying this: 'We are very grateful for the wishes of good health and prompt recovery efforts. The tragedy that has befallen my city is harrowing and heartbreaking, but more so infuriating. It is of no cause that innocent civilians, stallions, mares, and foals alike in their daily journey, are brought to an end so abruptly and painfully, leaving the survivors with deepened wounds and unanswered questions.' As I reflect on these sentiments for my own self, I too think of the harrowing accounts of my Friendship Advisor, and the losses incurred for him. These painful atrocities cannot and will not go unaccounted for. So it is my official duty, with terrible regret, that I issue a call to arms. Our boarders will now be heavily guarded, our kingdom now closing it's doors to those who are not affiliated with us. Our embassies overseas shall now act in limited function, we hereby withdraw all forms of peaceful negotiations with the Empire of Ponyland. A war has been waged, so shall it be answered in kind."

Amor drops his head as he feels immense regret. "There it is."

"The moment father's been waiting for." Zenobia follows. "Now he has full license to send his forces to the coastal cities. It's just another thing our family's been clamoring for throughout generations. And now he lives to fulfill it." The princess sighs dejectedly. "So much for that human and his getting captured in Ponyland, he could be of some good use right about now."

Melanie snaps her head to the alicorn's way. "Wait, what? What human got captured in Ponyland!?"

I slap myself in the forehead, incredulous at her inability to keep things on the hush. "Zenobia, go downstairs for a sec."

"What?" She yelps in protest. "Are you upset at me─"

"That was confidential information on a need-to-know basis!" I explain to her.

I feel a hand tug at my shoulder, yanking me around as the woman stands only a few inches above me. "Well I need to know! What human got themselves caught up in Ponyland right now?"

I give her the answer without truly saying anything. "...Classified."

Her jaw hangs as her eyes grow from the concern of her friend being active again. "Oh my fu─" She collects herself before she full-blown swears at me. She turns to both Flurry and Jasper. "Kids, y'all stay up here, we need to have a grown up conversation right now, just call downstairs if you need us. Jasper, turn the channel to 256. you guys can swim in the pool if you want."

"Okay!" Easily convinced, Jasper snatches the remote away from Flurry and turns the channel to show some cartoons from the human world.

The young alicorn looks to fight for the remote, but Melanie gently denies her. "Flurry... please."

"Tell me my mom's gonna be okay..." The filly appears to be on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

We all look to each other, knowing how dire the situation is and how grim Cadance appeared to be in that video. But Hestia thankfully steps in and hugs the young filly. "She's gonna be fine. But your mom is really worried about you, you know. She wants to know if you're safe, if you're eating, if you're behaving, if you're not giving anyone else a hard time. I know your mom loves you, and that's why she would want you to be safe and healthy, to be good. So if she wakes up, we can tell her the good news. Okay?" The filly's eyes water with tears, overflowing down her cheeks as she nods. She warmly guides the filly towards the pool. "C'mon, tell me what all you like to do."

As the two partner off, Thorax speaks over the phone. "Hey, let me talk with Flurry too. Spike, can you work this thing and make it show my face like you showed me that one time during the wedding?"

Melanie jumps on the opportunity. "I'll get you set up. Me and Spike will be downstairs having an important conversation, if you can keep tabs on Flurry for us, that would be great."

"Sure thing."

The Crystal Empire...

Walking through the ruined streets of the city, a duo of men observe the state of the citizens and their reactions towards the armed brigade looking to help in whatever way they can. Some are truly thankful, but many are apprehensive with the weapons that they carry. It appears that they grow nervous with the passing time, knowing that they're here to conduct not just recovery efforts, but also combat operations. Being that these ponies have only heard stories of the humans and their destructive arsenal, many are wondering if the city itself will end up as the front line.

However, the humans are also nervous, encountering talking equines for the first time. And the two men are no exception to the unease. Captain Mosley turns his head every other way, his hands on the M4 strapped to his chest. They don't linger towards the trigger, but they're ready to snap in place at a moment's notice. "This place, I didn't expect it to be so much tension for a relatively simple assignment."

His subordinate, 1st Lieutenant Jerome Wimberly, cites back a fair observation. "Our guys are confused that we're working beside a bunch of talking equines, and who knows what the hell kind of thoughts they got about us. Probably just as confused as we are, if not more."

"I mean you can't blame them for being so off put. Bunch of tall creatures toting guns walking around their neighborhoods... or what's left of them."

"It's also uncanny." Replies the lieutenant. "They have deep emotional responses like we do, talk, think, act like we do. On some first-contact shit, this could really change things up if it gets out to the world."

"You know damn-well that can't happen."

"Yeah, but it doesn't mean it won't happen eventually. Something's got to give."

"And have the the boss bitching at us, suing our families into debt? Look, we get paid more than we do in the actual military with this job. More than some low level officers, with decades of experience. You think we're gonna give up that nice-looking paycheck for some clout?"

"Hell no!" He replies with a chuckle that quickly fades as the pair takes notice of a looming zeppelin in the distance. He narrows his eyes for a moment, making out the unusual shape. "Obviously that ain't one of ours."

"Hell no it ain't." Mosley quickly gets on his radio feed and relay the sighting to command. "Hightower, this is Falcon-1, I need visual on an unknown bogey bearing east, 6 klicks."

There's a small delay in correspondence, but the response is swift. "Falcon-1, this is Hightower. Confirmed not one of ours. Visuals confirm a purple flag, one with a unicorn and a pegasus dueling each other in a front-facing manner."

"Hightower, please advise?" The pair start to speed up their walk, anticipating the order to scramble.

"Falcon-1, we have negative on friendly. Repeat: Negative on friendly, confirmed bandit inbound. Lightly armed. Solo deploy advised, highly recommend warning shots. Over."

"Solid copy, moving out on first helo smoking." Mosley confirms as he starts running towards the nearest depo. "Party time!"

Running alongside him, Wimberly smirks at the notion of some early excitement. "Damn, they really giving us the red carpet already? We just got here!"

"Well say what you want, this party ain't gonna last too long."

"I'm just happy we get to blow some shit out of the sky instead of waiting around like we'd usually do. Time to make a point and instill some confidence in these four legged furries around here!"

As they run, the message gets sent out to all soldiers in the area. "ATTENTION ALL AVAILABLE UNITS. WE HAVE CONFIRMED VISUAL OF HOSTILES BEARING EAST 6 KLICKS INBOUND. ISSUING READINESS ALERT TO ALL AVAILABLE UNITS IN THE AREA, ALL ARE TO BE ON STANDBY FOR AERIAL INTERCEPT."

As they reach the impromptu air base formally known as the Crystal Colosseum, sounds of other men are heard scrambling about to get into their positions. "MOVE MOVE MOVE!"

The local guards watch with worry as the humans operate in a manic rush. "Hey, what's going on?"

"Incoming bad guys. Situation's under control." Mosley informs the armored guard.

As the multitude of humans continue about their scramble into positions, the crystal guard comments. "I wouldn't quite call this under control."

Wimberly promptly responds. "Bro, it's all good. Just sit back and watch the fireworks. We got this."

The two hop into the nearest available helo with full armament. As the two start going through their systems check, the blades start to stir. Nearby grunts call out to the ponies who stand watching the situation unfold. "Stand clear of the landing zone, stand clear! We don't wanna file no reports of any injuries today!"

The two in the cockpit complete their systems check, Mosley relays his operational conditions to command. "Engines good, rotors good, E-brake checked, instruments nominal, weapons loaded, fuel at eighty-five percent. Hightower, this is Falcon-1 awaiting deployment."

"Clear skies, winds westerly at five miles per hour. All conditions normal. Falcon-1, you are cleared for liftoff."

"Affirmative. Deploying into airspace."

The sound of the mighty metallic beast screams with the endless sound of the air being chopped at with such ferocity. The equine guards stare in awe at the machine's steady ascent. And before long, the helo banks right and carries off into the distance. The piloting duo wears stern expressions as they close in on the zeppelin slowly advancing on their position. "Be advised Falcon-1, hostiles are considered armed with ordinance capable of damaging chassis. Recommend you stay out of range."

"Copy, hailing airship for warning." Mosley replies as he swaps to an open radio channel, hearing a number of voices exchanging information of their current location. He promptly chimes in. "ATTENTION UNIDENTIFIED AIRSHIP, YOU ARE NOW OPERATING IN RESTRICTED AIRSPACE. LAND YOUR AIRCRAFT IMMEDIATELY OR LEAVE THE PREMISES. THIS IS YOUR FIRST WARNING."

"Where the hell is that coming from?" A voice sounds on one end.

"Wait a minute... what the hell is that thing!?" Another rings, assumably from the lingering airship.

"Better question, who's on our frequencies?" A third inquires.

"Do these dumbasses not know how an 'open channel' works?" Wimberly mutters.

"Probably not." Mosley answers before hailing the airship once more. "IN THE NAME OF THE HAINES PROTECTOR INITIATIVE, YOU ARE ASKED TO COMPLY WITH THE GIVEN ORDER. LAND YOUR AIRCRAFT OR EVACUATE THE AIRSPACE. THIS IS YOUR FINAL WARNING. REFUSAL TO COMPLY WILL BE MET WITH LETHAL FORCE."

"They are not moving." Wimberly cites.

Another signal rings over the open channel. "It's that thing that's hailing us!"

"It dares to meet Ponyland with lethal force, we shall respond in kind. All motherships sortie to the position of the enemy!"

"Sir!" Multiple voices all recite in unison.

"These motherfuckers are stupid stupid." Wimberly comments before a plume of smoke huffs from the front of the airship. "Shots fired!"

"Evading, hold tight." Gaining some altitude to easily avoid the short-reaching shots, Mosley calls in his confrontation. "Hightower, this is Falcon-1, hostile ordinance confirmed. They're using cannons, 10-inch, Revolutionary War replicas."

"Read you, Falcon-1, you are clear to engage."

"Affirmative. Weapons armed." He says as he locks into the signal of the radio transmissions coming from the bridge of the bulky airship. He presses a button on the joystick and calls out. "Hellfire is away."

The instant the missile leaves the wing of the Apache, it banks and drops to firmly lock into the airship's bridge. In the matter of a few seconds, the transmission sounds out a final message from the doomed airship. "What is that thing? It's headed towards u─" The brief moment of a loud explosion is suddenly cut into silence as the missile reaches it's intended mark, engulfing the airship in a brilliant explosion that sends the remnants of the zeppelin careening to the ground.

"Smoked 'em. Good hit." Wimberly calls out.

Mosley phones over to command their successful intercept. "Confirmed bogey down, hostiles are on rapid descent. Will standby for survivors."

However, Wimberly looks to his right, seeing another airship creeping towards them. "No time for that. Hostiles on left, 2 o'clock."

Mosley relays his partner's report. "Hightower, this is Falcon-1, we have confirm on more aerial hostiles inbound."

Command verifies the sightings. "Read you, Falcon-1. Seeing two near your A.O.. Confirm one bogey neutralized. You are free to engage."

The open radio channel continues to speak out from the other ends, with one voice notably missing. "Lockhead, are you there!? Lockhead!? Anyone from the Valkryie, please respond!"

"The Valkyrie is burning out of the sky! What the hell happened?"

Mosley responds. "Your 'Valkyrie' was sent back to Valhalla, suggest you leave the area post-haste before you join them."

"It's that weird-looking thing! It's talking back to us! They blew Valkyrie out of the sky!"

"Our mission was to cripple their city's defenses! We cannot fail here! We must be victorious, in the name of the fatherland, we must will it into being! If that thing is part of it's defenses, we must bring it down! Vince omnem potestatem!"

"VIVET IMPERIUM! PONYLAND FOREVER! WE SPILL BLOOD FOR THE VALKYRIE, AND THE EMPEROR!"

"These guys are nuts." Wimberly comments. "Think there's some way we can talk them out of this?"

"I know one." Mosley says as he locks in on the nearest airship, pressing the button on his joystick. "Hellfire away."

The airship crew responds as the missile swerves towards them. "What the hell is that thing, it's so fa─" A loud noise is once more ushered into silence.

"Phoenix! Phoenix, respond!"

"Good hit, that's two down." Wimberly calls out.

"That black wraith... it destroyed Valkyrie and Phoenix in seconds! Calling all nearby airships, requesting reinforcements against the black wraith! Swat that thing out of the sky!"

"Locking third." Mosley calls out. "Third is listing off course, looking to retreat for reinforcements."

"Dissuade them, Falcon-1. You are cleared to engage in offensive pattern."

"Actually, I kinda vibe with the 'Black Wraith' thing." Wimberly mutters.

"I know a way to thank them for the new callsign." Mosley yet again presses the button. "Hellfire away."

The missile curves sharply, spiraling into the hull of the retreating vessel. "Repeat, calling for all reinforcements! Please resp─" And for the last time, a loud crackle sounds before the sudden silence is induced. All that remains is the smoldering remnants being sent to join with the earth.

Wimberly confirms the hit. "Three for three. Hat trick. Good shooting."

"This is Falcon-1, all hostiles have been neutralized."

"Solid copy, Falcon-1. Conserve fuel and ammunition, return to landing zone."

As the second airship hits the ground, Mosley turns his eyes towards the first. In seeing the smoldering ruins of their first victim, he confirms the visuals of a few surviving pegasi holding unicorns and earth ponies. "I have eyes on airborne units, ponies with wings carrying others. Requesting sweep of downed hostile airships for further survivors."

"Negative, Falcon-1. Targets are rendered ineffective. Cannot risk losing bird or burning additional fuel. Return to base."

"Damn, can't even stalk these guys." Mosley grumbles.

"Those guys are equines too." Wimberly points out. "How the hell do those guys have guns and ours don't?"

"That's why we were brought here." Mosley replies before responding to command. "Hightower, orders are confirmed, returning to L.Z. for debrief and refuel."

"Copy. Will send mother bird for recon effective immediately."

Wimberly quirks a brow at the name. "Mother bird? Those are preds, we got those?"

"Apparently the boss got friends at the Pentagon.... That or he's got a beefy contract with them."

Meanwhile in the Crystal Mountains 90 Minutes Later...

Having witnessed the airships being turned into piles of flaming wreckage, the young Ponyland prince gawks with a laugh, many of the others looking at him as though he's lost his sanity in watching his country's finer airships go down without as much as a single dent made.

The cult leader seems vastly unimpressed in watching the one-sided affair take place. "It seems your forces aren't nearly as intimidating as advertised."

"What the fuck was that thing!?" The prince is too excited to share his disappointment in his country's failure. "Was that a pedalcopter!? Did our shit just get yanked out the sky by a fucking pedalcopter!?"

Rhapsody responds, still in her own state of shock. "Sir, that wasn't a normal pedalcopter! That had to be something we've never seen before!"

"It shot three times and wiped three of our ships, in seconds!" Militades replies, still enveloped with a maddened sense of exuberance. "I want one of those fuckers! That shit was awesome!"

The cult leader slowly turns his head towards the prince. "You're not too concerned over the loss of three of your airships, are you?"

"You kidding!? I'm more excited than pissed because I got to see something new! Truly this country of Equestria has held out it's best for the likes of us! I knew they had a human of some sort, but now I know for certain that we're going against what could be the vastly superior updates of human technology! Like did you see how that thing moved!? It was fast, it can evade like hell, and it can hit hard! We need like a bunch of those things!" The prince snickers in his increasingly manic thoughts. "You know... maybe they have a few of those humans hiding out here too! We should scoop up a few and see what all they know."

The cult leader turns to Rhapsody, point back at the prince. "Is he... there?"

"Sir, you don't want to know what he thinks of on a day-to-day basis." The mare warns.

The cult leader shakes his head at the prince, but halts for a moment as he hears a humming noise. "Someone's a little too joyous today, aren't we?"

The prince snickers. "That's not me."

"Then whoever it is, stop that incessant humming!" He demands.

Rapsody's ears flick at the sound, she rubs them to make sure what she's hearing isn't a figment of her imagination. "What is that noise?"

"I don't know." Militades giggles. "But it sure is getting louder."

Meanwhile at The Crystal Empire...

After their sortie, both Wimberly and Mosley enter the room where many of the operations are running at full-steam. Computers are set up all across the room, ready to provide information at a moment's notice. They look up at a screen set up towards the center of the room.

"Hot damn, y'all work fast." Wimberly comments about the setup.

"Also helps that we don't have to use antiquated technology that's over forty years old to get the job done. And in this world, we don't have to worry about data breaches, so we can run modern systems." One of the technical engineers cite.

"Huh, so now we get to watch everything from the comfort of our Windows 11 PC's." Mosley comments. "Hot damn, we're finally updating past XP systems. So there is a God." He turns back to the engineer. "Hey, Price, any update on those guys we saw limping off with their friends in the snow?"

"Not quite, but we do have confirmation on the positions of these guys." As the feed shows a group of ponies conversing amongst one another, he makes comment of the sighting. "Seems they're just watching whatever the hell is going on, more are coming in too."

"Might be the lucky few that survived the crashes." Wimberly suggests.

Mosley takes his copilot's observation firmly into account. "Zoom out. I want to see exactly where these guys are."

Wimberly pulls out a map, already observing the landscape and the varying elevations to understand where the growing contingent of ponies are. As he sees the feed expand to show a grouping of mountains, namely with two similar peaks stacked behind their position, he runs his finger along the map. "According to what we got here, that rock formation seems to be illustrated to this particular area. So that should be about nine klicks east-northeast."

Price interjects. "Actually, the ponies provided us access to their cellular communications to assist in the setup of our own radar systems. Everything's mapped already. We're not just online, we're running hotter than the afterburners of an F-22, and that's some hot-ass shit."

Mosley performs a double take at the update. "And they have cell phones, but no guns? The fuck?"

"You forget, our boss has been selling to these guys. How do you think we're getting paid as much as we do?" Price reminds the pair.

"This shit is nuts, man." Wimberly replies. "Well either way, we're up and they're blind."

"Oh yeah." Price nods. "So the funny thing is that we're just using some run-of-the-mill remote drone for this. Like we know it's only a matter of time before they see it, but we got a special prize for the one who catches it first. So on that note, wanna see how accurate our systems can be?"

Mosley purses his lips with interest, folding his arms with patient anticipation. "Alright, let's see it."

The man wags his finger happily at the pilot. "I'd knew you'd want to have a little fun. So let me show you something."

The Crystal Mountains

The group continues to discuss matters, many in the cult starting to tend to the wounded coming in from the destroyed airships. While most quote just being in positions before everything suddenly erupted into flames, others recall the screams of their compatriots as some are caught by the explosion, the smell of flaming diesel spewing onto their bodies and burning them alive.

However, Militades quietly snickers at their testimonies, almost deriving pleasure from such accounts. The cult leader scowls with disgust. "I don't recall seeing anyone so excited watching their forces getting decimated."

The prince smirks back. "Oh those fucks!? They're just in it for some stupid promise that their families will live surface lives, and they're way too poor for me to even care, they barely even pay taxes! If you ask me, less of them means lessening the poverty rate! Though I didn't expect you to care about things like that."

"It's not that I'm sympathetic to ponies of the less fortunate, but I do take extreme care to tend to my own forces. If we all fight for a common cause, then surely we should be an unbreakable unit who shows unflinching loyalty to one another. It's that togetherness that allows for us to achieve what we have thus far." The leader replies before looking to more of the wounded coming in. "I'm not exactly certain that the direct methods your country is known for providing is going to work here. Full-frontal assaults appears to be nothing short of a tactical mistake."

"Eh, better to find out now than later, I guess." The prince replies with a careless shrug. "But seeing that we're going to fight against crazy shit like that means they have a stockpile of them nearby. If anything, I guess it could be pretty awesome to somehow sneak away with the shits and pull them apart just to see how they work. Once we do that, we ship the thing back home and see if they can duplicate it. Then we can really run the world!"

Rhapsody gives her own suggestion to her prince. "Or, sir, we could simply sabotage them and increase the chances of our forces carrying out their attacks."

"No way!" The prince rejects. "We gotta snag one of those things in working order! If we do, we could match them pound for pound. Slap a couple cannons on those bad boys and watch the peasants squirm!"

Rhapsody flicks her ears again, still hearing the loud hum in the area. "That noise is getting louder and louder."

One of the cultists points a hoof to the air. "Hey! Over there! What's that thing!?"

Rhapsody looks at the item and immediately casts a bolt of magic in it's direction. The drone easily evades the blow. She tries again, only to hit nothing but air for the second time. Growing a bit frustrated, she sends a flurry of magic attacks towards the drone, the small device being far too nimble and evasive for her to accurately pin down. Militades calls out to one of his fairly uninjured pegasi. "Hey assholes! First one to get that thing out of the sky, you go home early with two-thousand spurs in the bag!"

A few having already witness the horrors of their prior encounters leap into action almost immediately. Four pegasi take a number of positions, trying to capture the drone as quick as possible. One tries to clip by it, attempting to take away it's lift and buoyancy. But the drone maintains it's stability and strafes away. Another tries to chase after it, not being particularly fast and getting outran by it. A third tries the same maneuver as the first, but looks to brush away the first one in it's approach. Instead, they simply crash into each other and fall to the ground. "It's a slippery bastard, I know that." The third replies.

"Not for me!" The fourth cites as he takes advantage of his path of successful intercept. He snags the drone in his hooves, holding tightly as he laughs victoriously. "Ha! I'm outta here─

His celebration is snuffed short, a missile snipes him out of the sky and crushes him by means of impact. Much of his body is left as a pink pasty residue on the underside of the black missile's head. His severed wing plops to the ground shortly after. "OH SHIT!" The prince shouts out as he's genuinely caught off guard by the dud warhead. His eyes are fixed wide open as he pokes his hoof at the severed wing. "Damn, what happened to you!?"

"Better question, where did this come from." Rhapsody asks.

"Well obviously the air, duh!" The prince replies.

"Sir..." One of the cultists grabs the attention of their leader, pointing him to the back side of the missile. "I think you should take a look at this." Written onto the side of the missile is a message.

High-yield explosive grade. Rating: See image adjacent.

The prince tilts his head at the image. "A two-legger?"

"...Humans." The cult leader replies with a heavy sigh. "These aren't ponies your forces went up against." The stallion grimaces as he takes a moment to think. "We'll need to readjust our campaign, us being in the open is no longer viable. We'll need to conduct from underground."

The prince groans with disinterest. "Please don't tell me we have to live like the rats back home."

One of the injured centuries replies to the prince. "Hey, at least you'll be able to relate, your majesty."

The young prince looks slowly towards the one who spoke up, at first producing a scowling expression, but then softening to a sweetening smile. "Fair century, would you care to perform a special duty for your prince?"

"Uh, what's that?"

The prince snaps his head towards his maid, startling her in kind. "Inform Melody that she'll have a playmate tonight."

Chapter 56: Spectral Splendor

On board one of the readied imperial airships for the young prince, the duo of Militades and a nervous century walks down the hall on their way to one of the prepared chambers for the young prince. The century begins to feel a sense of unease as they draw closer to the room.

He tries to break the harrowing silence with a show of remorse. "Your majesty, I just want to apologize for my comments earlier. There were out of term and off color."

"I'm sorry, I don't seem to recall anything you might have said that would elicit such a response from you." The prince responds sarcastically. "That's how you old-heads say it, right?"

"Uh... I'm twenty-three."

"Yeah, you're old. Moving on." He mutters dismissively. The century appears to be dumbfounded at the prince's doubling down of his age comment. "So, what was it that you think you said that might have offended me? Like quote that out for me."

"When you said that you would be living like rats, and I made a terrible comment about us being able to relate."

"Right, well it's only fair that any high-ranking being wants to connect with his sla-I mean... centuries in some way. So there's no need to be nervous. I just want you to get to know me a little better, since we're trying to... connect, talk, all other sorts of menial bullshit, you know. Let's just chill."

The young stallion, already having made his apology, seeks to quickly dismiss himself. "Actually sir, I was thinking that I could go on patrol tonight... out in the snow... with no weapons... for about forty-eight hours straight."

"I said chill, not freeze." The prince denies as he opens the door to see Remedy laying on the bed, her body laying in such a way where all of her more compromising bits are revealed to the prince as he enters. The prince isn't quite numb to her appearance, but he does appear to be quite adapted to such sights. However, the century stares with much growing interest, stuck in leering until the prince calls to him. "Come on in, the fun's about to get started."

Remedy

2nd Servant of Prince Militades

The mare smiles happily towards the prince. "Your majesty! I'm so glad that you're here!" She looks down at herself and jumps in realization. "Oh, forgive me, I haven't made myself truly presentable for you, my prince!" She summons a black collar and proudly places it onto her neck with a brimming smile. "Now I am ready, your majesty."

"Wearing that old thing again, huh?" Militades comments.

"I love wearing it for you, my lord! You have shown greater interest in my having it on, as you do enjoy taking me on your walks." She turns her head to the guest entering the room. "So is this one the one you've scheduled for us this evening?"

"Yeah, he's the one." He replies while shoving the century towards her. "Get over there, don't be shy now!"

The mare rises from the bed, noticing the stallion's eyes strongly attracted to what she proudly revealed to the prince. He gulps as the mare walks closer to him. "His majesty says you're just like me, always so eager to be of service."

The stallion clears his throat, inching closer towards the mare with lustful ambitions lying in wait. "Well... I guess─"

"Really, that's so wonderful." She pulls his head down by his mane, causing him to painfully yelp in response. "We'll see if you can stay out of my way."

"Easy now." The prince commands, prompting the mare to let go and await her place back on the bed. The stallion rubs his head as he recovers from the painful snatch. "Ah, don't worry about her. She can be a bit possessive when it comes to her position being placed into question. You know how it is with one's obsessive behavior."

"I'll do my best not to be an obstruction." The century replies.

The prince laughs immediately after. "As if! Tonight's all about you!"

He glances towards the mare who produces a deadly glare towards the stallion. "Joy." He laughs nervously. "So... I should probably─"

The prince lifts the stallion and places him on the bed beside her. She starts to stroke the mane she pulled so dejectedly, offering a slow but threatening motion to her strokes. Mliltades walks towards a nearby closet. "Actually, I wanted to talk with you about something. Just a fun little thing I discovered about my time hunting dragons."

"You've went on the hunt, at your age?" The stallion asks.

"Of course. I go during their mating season. While they say that mating season is among the worst time to go out and hunt because some dragons can be pretty territorial. Females can be particularly aggressive, and males will violently lash out if unable to find a mate while in rut. But I say that's the best time you can camp out and find a few, plus they have this really nice flush to the scales when you get them at that time, makes them all the shinier and way more prismatic."

"I... didn't know that." The stallion replies.

"I'll tell you another thing then. Did you know that there are at least seven penile types for dragons? Any hatched male dragon can have one of the seven, or even a combination of two of those seven, resulting in a wide variety of shapes, sizes, and functions. So believe me when I say that the build matters when talking of interspecies relations."

"Isn't that forbidden, sir?"

"Oh yeah, it is." The prince grimace, having a thought wandering about a certain sibling. "But dragons don't care for our laws, especially those in rut. Some of their shapes work well with equine mares, others are far too damaging. So there's always a risk of harm happening to one or the other. Like for example, some dragons are hemipenile. Depending on the age of the dragon, it can either be safe, or dangerous. But an adolescent dragon would try to shove both in one orifice, doesn't do well for the anatomy of the mare they capture. Some are ribbed, which according to my observations, are the most desired kind for dragon females, also mares but we won't discuss that matter any further than I'd like to."

As he feels the mare's hoof wander to the back of his neck, the stallion gives his opinion on the topic. "This is a pretty odd subject to speak on, sir. Especially since we're trying to go for a mood here."

"Then let me to run it real quick so that your old ass gets the point." He hauls a chest towards the bedside. Opening the lid in a way to obstruct the stallion's view. "There are hemipenile, ribbed penile, knotted, corkscrew, aquatic, tendril, and barbed. Now of the seven, female dragons tend not to willingly accept the barbed mates because when they clutch, male barbs can sometimes stiffen to the consistency of limestone. And that can keep a female tied up for a rather long time. And of course, after they finish mating, all dragons want to do is be lazy and lay together up until they can separate. It's so easy to catch them by surprise then, especially the females clutched to a barbed male."

The mare quickly lifts the stallions tail, tugging it taught as she lifts his posterior to face the prince. "Hey-hey! What are you doing!?"

"Surely you wouldn't let me get to the fun of the night without me explaining to you how this is gonna go." He closes the chest, obtaining the item he desires to use. "Since you want to relate to me so badly, maybe you'll share some of the same pleasures as my dear maid here. Remedy loves it when I have a complete disregard for her safety and well-being. Like you have no idea, she's addicted to the brutality I'd often inflict on her. So I thought that we'd be able to... connect on a deeper level."

The stallion takes notice of a metallic barbed mold of an adolescent dragon's penis. He lays the tip at the rim of his sphincter. The century loudly pleads with the prince. "NO! WAIT! PLEASE, I'LL TAKE IT BACK, I'LL TAKE BACK WHAT I SAID!"

"Aw, that's too bad." He replies in the midst of the stallion's screaming. "Because I think I want to connect with you anyways."

Remedy whispers into the screaming stallion's ear. "Lucky asshole, you get the good one."

Meanwhile in Ponyland...

♪On the farm, every Friday
On the farm, it's rabbit pie day.
So every Friday that ever comes along,
I get up early, and sing this little song...♫

Nondis tilts and bobs his head repeatedly, humming to himself as he continues to wait out his time in the foreign land. He bounces his hands as they're restrained by the cast iron cuffs bolted to the wall. He sings and beat boxes as to remix the song in his mind, as the task of singing and beatboxing simultaneously is a bit complicated.

However, his self-imposed studio session comes to a halt as the doors open with a disgruntled century entering into the dungeon cell. "Oh hey, you look upset." Following closely behind him is none other than Emperor Basileus. "Oh, and you brought in your asshole in chief too. I guess there must be a pretty important topic to be discussed." He smirks back at the pair as a telegram is laid at his side.

"Explain." The emperor demands.

Nondis eyes the words of the correspondence, reading the results of the most recent deployment of airships to control the northern portion of the Equestrian continent reaching a significant impasse. "Oh... So your guys went from hailing their advantage of being the first ones with guns dating up to the 18th century, to getting told to bite the curb and getting their heads stomped in by the tech dating back to the war in Vietnam. Give or take sixty years."

"You will explain this, and you will do so now." Baslieus orders once more.

"I just did." Nondis replies, slouching back against the wall. "You were the ones who ignored my little warning about the bombs and whatnot. If anything, I was giving you a heads-up that you weren't going to win out."

"How did this happen?" Gabranth interrogates.

The man shrugs his shoulders. "I guess stupid games win stupid prizes, don't get mad that your guys got an early appointment to see God. You went against a rather mean bird and lost three floaters."

"I need a better explanation than that!" The emperor, rare to show anger, at least cracks his oft composed façade. "You will tell me everything that Equestria has!"

The man tilts his head with a deadpanned expression. "Careful, there are stories of prominent leaders from my world getting their just deserts based on bad attitudes. Maybe you should consider that before popping off the handle again."

"You gave them technology to outlast us!"

"Not technically, at least for natural order reasons. All we did was even the playing field a bit. Gotta appreciate our guys keeping you a little honest, if not humble."

The emperor takes a deep breath, recollect his composure, and speaks in a condescending tone. "I find your constant smirking a nuisance."

"Well I find you starting a war after I've warned you equally as displeasing. But at least I gave you a warning before you sent your boy out to the big fuck-around camp. Now it's only a matter of time before your boy and his friends gets shipped off to Fort Find-Out. And being that these guys aren't me, I give it about a week before you have to redirect all your forces to that one spot to wear out their reserves enough to make a shoreline landing contingency a more feasible option. Cause if you don't..." The man snickers. "Think about all those transport ships with at least a thousand souls onboard, each. They'd be hunted out of the sky faster than your guilds can hunt dragons. Hell, we could hunt those, and the rocs too as a sidequest."

The emperor continues to keep his anger suppressed before the human's inflammatory taunts. "In all of my years, I have never experienced such embarrassments in a frontal skirmish."

The human sighs, once more having to bring up the point of the ongoing engagement. "Better question, did you expect to win against the descendants of the guys who taught you the basics of middle-age chemistry? I mean sure, you created cannons and rockets long before anyone else has popularized the idea for military purposes. But now that you go against the arbiters of that tech, you've somehow expected your guys to win?"

The emperor's eyes widen at the realization. "So you're confirming the existence of more of your kind?"

"What I can say is that you stirred the hornets nest when you got your son to bomb the home of one of my friends, especially when my family is close to them." The man closes his eyes, remembering another incident that threatened a family member of his. "You can ask the changelings, who I have less than stellar relations with. I've killed hundreds for far less."

The emperor takes another breath, trying to think of a means to respond to his nation's failures against the humans. "I think that some patience will be in order. In due time, your stay here will have you find a means to explain what exactly it is we're up against, and how to counteract them."

"I've. Already. Told you." Nondis responds. "No spoilers though, you'll have to keep fucking around and keep finding out. Though taking notes would be a novel idea at this point. But I'll be gracious enough to give you a hint. If you want to maximize the ten percent of a chance you have in winning this campaign against Equestria, you might want to let things play out instead of heavily divesting your forces to crush our strongest weapons. After all, putting your face directly into the buzzsaw isn't going to stop it from doing it's job."

The emperor quickly responds. "All tools wilt in the span of use. No matter how sharp the blade."

"Not if they're well-maintained. We have kitchen knives last longer than some people living." Nondis answers.

"Then we shall test that assumption whilst the convenience is still young." The emperor concludes his interaction with the human and taps his trusted century to carry on the task of the interrogation. "Leave him alive, Gabranth. There's is much he can disclose to us."

As a trio of stallions enter the room, each with a rack of tools to be used, the man rolls his eyes at the selection being brought to him. "Oh, torture, that's so... boring. You should try something new. Pain tolerance is something that your guy managed to instill in me some years ago. Don't waste your time, because you'll be wasting mine."

"Then let's start with this: You will explain the limits of your technology." Gabranth suggests while holding a pair of tongs with spikes on the grippers.

"The only thing that'll be explained is the limits of your own patience." He pokes out his tongue as a show of obedience. "Buh heeh... go nuths."

2407 Golden Oaks Way...

After a long day of phone calls and conversations, not to mention getting chewed out by Melanie for hiding Nondis' activity, much of the day's roundabout comes to a stalling end at last. To accommodate for Flurry's stay, Zenobia has moved into the master bedroom, allowing her to take that room instead. And while I would've probably had to do little in negotiating space in the Alaskan bed, I still have to be on call for anything that comes up. So I separate myself once more and keep to the upstairs den to myself, probably won't be the only time I'll get sent to the couch.

I doze off for a bit, my eyes getting heavy before opening to reveal the hour of three, the night still apparent but aging to it's inevitable end. I feel the urge to relieve myself prior to passing back out into the sweet surrender of rest before the impending chaos the morning brings. So I dance the staggering step into the hallway bathroom, handle my business, and walk back out.

I hear the sniffling voice of a young filly downstairs. I know it's Flurry, but why would she be up at this ungodly hour? "No one wants to tell me anything. I just don't know what to do anymore."

"Did anyone speak of your mother's condition?" Now that's a voice I'm not familiar with.

I take to my wings and float down below, hearing the voice coming from within the dining room. I peek my head around the corner, seeing the filly wiping her eyes and going headlong into my chocolate peanut butter ice cream. Guess I can't complain that she uses my hidden treat as a coping mechanism. "No. I keep asking, but no one wants to tell me."

"Ah, I see. Quite unfortunate." I peek my head further in, seeing the ghostly apparition of a heavily-built pegasus stallion. He sports a long braid of greenish-blond hair, a chopped goatee, donning some rather ancient armor configuration, even his wings have armor on them. He looks straight out of a museum, chewing on a ghostly straw of hay.

"I don't want to go see the world, only to find my mom as some wayward spirit! I can't take that!"

"A filly with the ability to see spirits. I must say that's a troublesome quirk you have for such times as these."

"I just want my mom. I don't care about anything else, I just want my mom."

Maybe I should leave them be. I turn around and take my absence, but my tail accidently bumps into a nearby vase and I'm forced to jump into action to stop it from falling. Instead, I'm left with a frantic juggling attempt to keep it from shattering on the ground. But by the time I catch it safely, both of them are looking firmly at me. "Oh, sorry... didn't mean to pry into matters. I'll be off now."

The apparition calls out to me in an authoritative tone. "Dragon, halt!" The presence of his voice has me stand firm in place as he addresses me. "Do you have business in being here?"

"Uh... This is my house." I inform him.

"Is it now?" He looks around. "Quite a strange dwelling for one of your ilk, I could say it's much too different from what I was expecting of your kind."

"Not the only time I've heard that." I reply before questioning the filly. "Flurry, you okay, what are you doing up this late?"

"I'm fine. I just needed to talk to someone."

"Okay." I trail my eyes back to the figure beside her. "So who is this?" I also notice that there's a scroll glowing on the table. "And what's with that summoning circle you got? You're acting pretty suspicious, Flurry. What's going on?" She grows hesitant to speak on it further. "Flurry, you know in whatever you do, I won't be mad at you for it. I'd never do anything to hurt you, and I would tell you if it's wrong or not. Plus you know that I don't tell your parents unless I absolutely have to. But given the circumstances, I think they're a bit busy with more important things." I take a seat next to her, staying out of the stallion's way. "So tell me what's going on."

"Promise you won't tell Auntie Twilight."

"Cross my hoof and hope to fly." I respond to her, earning a quirked brow from the ghostly figure. "You know what I mean."

The figure speaks to the young alicorn. "Little one, I didn't know you were acquainted with a dragon."

"He's my uncle Spike. Well, not really my uncle because we're different, but he's like a brother to my auntie Twilight and my dad." She briefly explains.

"Ah, then I can respectfully give you my greetings. Sir Spike, was it not?"

"Well I'd shake your hoof, but... you know." I point out.

"Ah yes. I suppose an introduction should be in order."

Prince Fair Charity (Formerly Fair Share)

8th Royal Prince of Equestria, 1st Captain of the Royal Guard (DECEASED)

He offers a bow of greeting. "I am Fair Share, formerly known in the royal charts as Prince Fair Charity. I was cast back into this world in this corporeal manner to maintain the natural order between both the world of the living where you preside, and the world of the not, where I was sent from. You may call that plane of existence the Aether, but I'd rather see it as the World of Not."

"The World of Not?" I ask.

"Would you rather me call it the world of the dead?"

"It would be a little more honest." I nod.

"While I would more than be willing to acquiesce to your request, I was advised to not so casually throw out that insinuation, as it would get this little one in deep turmoil." He explains while pointing back to Flurry.

Considering the fact that this could be seen as class 2 necromancy, I wouldn't be surprised if this could get her into trouble with the authorities, much less her parents. "I see."

"My apologies if my spectral self disturbs you."

"Not at all. You're not the only spirit I've seen lurking about."

"There are others?" He asks, interested in hearing about who all I have seen.

"Well, there was one that was summoned from a bunch of curious kids. But it was a human."

"A hu...man?" He squints with confusion. "Forgive me for asking, but I do not recall what that is."

"A creature who walks on two legs, wears clothes, and have vastly superior technology. Their way of life is the method of which this house was made."

"Interesting." He looks around yet again. "Though to reside in the place where every possible question is answered and all is brought to knowing, and yet I have never found any reason to ask the question of what a 'human' is."

"You probably wouldn't be the only one on your side of things." I point out. "So, Prince Fair Charity, I heard stories of you."

"As many were weaved, I'm sure the memory of me only resides in the mind of one."

"Actually, your story's been told a number of times throughout history books, public records, the foundations of our current military structure, guard training, all of that."

"Really?" Hearing word of his implementations growing hold and becoming a founding stone which the guard forms it's structure brings about a sense of both relief and pride to his eyes. "I suppose I can take solace in that."

"Wow, if Twilight knew you were around, she'd probably ask a million questions about you." I feel myself getting a bit excited, however my yawn reminds me that I am still a bit lacking for rest. "But we'll just keep it at casual greetings for now."

"Aye. The little one has informed me that the hour is late. But I will say that your respectability reminds me of another dragon I've encountered. A big guy he was, took the whole of Mount Canter to hide him."

I purse my lips together, thinking of a dragon that could even come close to being that big. "Lord Torch?"

"Ah, yeah. You know of him?"

At this point, it would be beyond reason to not even come to terms that he may be a prospective grandfather to whatever egg or eggs Ember might've laid by now. "Uh... I've... associated with his daughter."

The stallion chuckles heartily. "A mad lad, you are. I like you." The sound of the trashcan shuffling grabs the both of our attention. Flurry dumps the empty tub of my ice cream inside, leaving me with an early morning errand to find that flavor before it sells out again. Probably might need to buy three tubs this time. "Ah yeah, the little one needs reassurance. I suggest you offer that in her time of need. She's abound with questions aplenty, but no answers. As for now, I feel that you both should be due for some much-needed rest."

Flurry slumps against the side of the island counter, quickly dozing off to sleep. "Yeah... I guess I'll tote her off to bed."

Meanwhile in Ponyland...

Strewn across the dungeon are a series of tools and devices used in means of breaking the wills of ponies, inundating them to capitulate, confessing to their crimes and confessions, even when they are honestly innocent. But in the terms of the human who's guilty of holding the crucial information, the results have yet to be revealed.

Instead, he looks back at the sulking century with the abundance of sweat on his brow. "Soooooo... what have we learned today?"

Stumped that his attempts to break the man has yielded nothing but mere giggles and snide comments for seven hours straight, he grumbles his curses towards the man. "You bastard."

The man giggles at the weakened swear. "See, your problem is that you have tools made for ponies, not me. You have devices to stretch equines over, not something that's already taller than the rack you wanna put me on. You have no wheels that are large enough to pull me apart. You have no stallions that could even beat me in an arm-wrestling contest, much less pull me apart. And anything you jab me with tickles to the point where I laugh."

"Are all you humans like this?" Gabranth inquires with immense frustration.

"Wouldn't you like to know." Nondis smiles back.

"Damn you." The stallion replies with a click of his tongue

"You gave it your best shot." The human continues to jab at the sweating century. "I mean I can't blame you for trying. That was an effort. You must really make your wife happy with that kind of dedication."

"I have no wife."

"Well I'm sure your husband would appreciate it."

Gabranth throws the bloodied tongs at the human's head, who takes the blow laughing. "DAMN YOU!"

"Hey, can't assume these days." The century takes up another tool to fling at the human's way. "What, are you going to hit me again? I'll be willing to play along, I won't tell if you won't."

"I want you dead." The stallion replies with every ounce of vitriol in his body.

"Well go right on ahead. I'll even tell you how to kill me. Just shoot me in my heart. It's on my right side. Can't kill a human any other way. Besides, I'm pretty tired of living a lie. Though... you might have to deal with my wife once you do that, I'm pretty sure she wouldn't mind blowing up a few more of your ships on her own again."

"Oh I fiend to eliminate that smile from your face, you impudent brat!"

"Aww, babe, I didn't think my smile was pretty." The man mocks, fluttering his eyes at Gabranth, fanking as though he's crying tears of joy. "You make me see the value in my own self! I've never been more complete! I feel so seen and validated! Tha-a-a-ank yo-o-o-o-ou!"

"I swear to the almighty, I hate you." He grumbles as he leaves the cell.

"Hey! No, you come back here! You don't just get to stick your thing in me, slap me around, call me names, and walk away like we don't have a connection anymore! We're soulmates! What we've done, the moments we shared together are eternal! NO ONE WILL TAKE IT BACK!" He screams at the top of his natural lungs, making sure that everyone in the dungeons hears him. The stallion turns around, chiefly annoyed while the man blows him a kiss. "Love you, babe!"

"SHUT! YOUR! FACE!"

Canterlot Castle The Next Morning...

The castle swarms with a number of guards, each taking their post and awaiting further orders. Solemn Oath issues her commands to the regulars of the castle. However, the humans under their joint operation also take her words into advisement.

Twilight is up bright and early as per usual, but much weighs on her mind. Not just the ongoing conflict, but also the recent news of Cadance's condition. Not one bit has she improved since the blast, and Shining is growing increasingly worried that he is to soon lose his beloved. With that update in mind, she has request to Alex that she'd board the next chopper to the north.

And much on cue, Alex walks into the room. "Princess." He hails her, getting her to raise her head. "The preparations have been made for your visit. We're hot and smoking."

She sighs heavily. "Thank you."

Alex questions her of wanting to visit and see her in-law in such a grimace-inducing condition. "You sure you're okay with this?"

"I know I shouldn't just see her beyond what I'm ready for, but Cadance is far too important for me to leave up to chance. I need to go, I have to see what's wrong. She's an alicorn, but her condition hasn't improved in the past two days. Shining is deeply concerned, as am I."

"Yeah, I always thought you alicorns were nigh immortal. To think that she's on the brink itself is... for lack of better words, unnerving."

"You and Cadance have always been good friends. Perhaps hearing from you could brighten her spirits a bit." The high princess suggests as her captain approaches with an update. "Captain Solemn, is everything ready for my leave?"

"Your majesty, everything is in place." The mare drops her salute, taking a moment to put aside formalities in lieu of compassion. "If you need time, take as much as you need. We'll update you if anything should change."

"Thank you, Solemn."

As Twilight walks down the hall, she notices that Alex is matching her pace next to her. "If it's no issue, I'd like to escort you personally."

"What of your forces here."

"I've got more on the way. Just another hundred, but they'll come with equipment. Radar, predator drones, weaponry to defend the homestead while we're out. I have about thirty already moved from here to Manehattan with anti-air weapons. They're relatively small arms compared to some of the bigger stuff, but they'll get the job done without getting too much attention from the locals."

"What about the west?" She asks.

"You kidding me, Celestia and Luna might be retired, but they are out west along with Stanton. I'm sure they'll do more than enough to get back to their regularly scheduled programming. They'll be fine." He replies with high confidence.

As they reach the helicopter, a group of guards salute in turn. Namely among them is one of the very few griffons in service, who watches the princess firmly until she boards her flight safely. "Gallus, you and Blue will be in charge of Canterlot's security while I'm gone. Your focus will be the guard, hers will be the humans. Spike will maintain power in my absence, so be sure to message him to keep his phone on."

"I'm sure he's answering every call by now." He salutes. "Have a safe trip, your majesty."

Meanwhile in Mount Canter...

The sound of a loud, chopping hum resonates throughout the cave, easily permeating the hull of the airship and stirring the small crew onboard. Eros pins his ears closed as Agamemnon offers his passive complaint on the matter. "There it is again."

"Such a grating noise. I don't see how the ponies of this land can take such a disturbance." Eros gripes as the sound inevitably fades into the distance. "I don't think there's been anything like this until maybe a day or two ago. But then again, these Equestrians have been more than hiding their technological capabilities. I wouldn't be surprised if what they're using is merely that belonging to the two-leggers."

Agamemnon looks out the window, growing ever the more cautious. "I'm beginning to wonder if we should meander through town and see what's going on. Perhaps this is a matter we shouldn't find comfort in sticking around in."

"Since you're offering, why don't you go see what it is that's got these Equestrians acting so busy." Eros points back at his brother.

"Why not ask Xerxes, he's the who's been shacked up in that damn room the entire time."

"I'm sure you've probably realized this some time ago, Xerxes can't be trusted to go on an excursion by himself. His purist mindset is problematic when trying to interact with the locals. And since you're more than well-versed in the beds of these common mares, I'm sure you'll shag some useful information out of someone."

"The only thing I'm on board with is that last part." The one-eyed prince replies with a smirk. "Still, he should do something aside from talking to himself. Probably pounding away at the though of fertilizing Amor again, or perhaps tributing some deviations to that one statue we ran into."

Visually miffed by the thought, Eros tries to alter the subject matter. "Or we could just ignore the fact that these encounters could've possibly driven him mad. He is one to scheme often, much to his detriment."

"Scheming to probably take it out on you next. Wouldn't be too surprised if desperation gets the better of him and he looks to maiden you next. Father knows that you're probably the most feminine of his offspring, outclassing Zenobia even."

"Enough about this!" Eros raises his voice, genuinely not wanting to entertain that idea. "You know what, you should go into town and do what you like to do, and take your sweet time doing so. Anything to not hear your incessant voice speaking of Xerxes and his incestuous proclivities. Just go do that debauchery you like to do, and be out of my mane for once."

"So you want me to annoy you even more by sowing illegitimate bastards who'll never get to see an ounce of power?"

"Just like father used to make, or I should say 'just like he's already doing.'"

The one-eyed prince places back on his facial covering, concealing the damaged eye and taking a proud strut out of the room. "Either way's a fun time for me. I'll be sure to share my stories with you like I always do."

"Ugh, try not to smell like drunken piss and marebits this time!" Eros calls out before walking to the center table, tapping a crystal orb and producing the image of the emperor's face to speak to. "Father, giving you an update on our search for the holy mother."

"Speak on it." The elder stallion appears disinterested.

"We have arrived in Canterlot some days ago. But I thought that I should inform you of a rather useful development."

"If it's pertaining to the machinery that's being used against us in the north, then I am already aware of it."

"You are?" The prince inquires with surprise.

"Of course. You think that you three are the only ones I've sent to that miserable landmass? Militades is up north, supplying the local cultists with their ammunitions to cause as much chaos and disorder as possible. His efforts have ushered in significant headway in gaining ground in the northern front. The distractions are so potent that it has costed the lives of Equestrian specialists and one of their princesses."

"He's that far along already!?"

"Indeed." Basileus confirms while tapping his chin in thought.. "It seems I've underestimated his abilities. For his lack of bloodline visage, he is purely the reflection of my youthful ambitions. I might have to reconsider his status if he proves more successful than his initial results seem to imply. But his test is now those machines... and the two-leggers that stand in the way."

"Two-leggers, more of them?" Eros ears flick at the thought.

"Yes, we have also acquired one for ourselves. The rogue apostle now sits in our dungeon."

"He's what!?"

"Yes, and you are just the reactionary of the day, aren't you?" The emperor bluntly replies. "Seems that he wished to usher us a warning against this campaign. But now with him captured, we have the leverage of a possible exchange. Not only of information, but also of your sister."

Looking to finally not be the one reacting to news, Eros offers his own update. "Father, your leverage is effective in past tense only. Zenobia has defected into the arms of that dragon."

"Defected, you say?" He quirks a brow. "That's such a strong word to be coming from you in regards to the girl."

"She foolishly went on a mass broadcast, looking to issue confusion to the world about Ponyland's status and wish for peace. She acted as though she speaks for you, even going to the lengths of blowing open the argument for the war. Though I am sure you are already aware of this since it is probably spoken of internationally."

"I see." The emperor nods. "While it is disappointing to hear, I am never too moved on her actions. Besides, her words carry little weight internationally. She's always been a prickly thorn in terms of public appearances. But if you should find her in your excursions, be sure to send her to me so that I may deal with her quietly."

"Yes father." Eros bows.

"Now, what of your bumbling brothers, where are they now?"

"Agamemnon has infiltrated the city of Canterlot to gain more information. As far as Xerxes is concerned, he's been locked in Zenobia's room since we've come here. He hasn't said much of a word."

"Ah, he's probably negotiating with himself over what to do with Zenobia. If not that, then the dragon responsible for her change in narrative."

"What would you have him do?" The prince asks.

The emperor takes a moment to think, coming to a stout but cruel resolution. "So it would appear that he requires motivation. I guess removing the dragon from his list of objectives has sapped him of his ambition. I shall reconsider that stipulation, if he's willing to make things right." The emperor shows a slight tremor of his lips before closing his eyes and firming himself. "Sic him to his sister. If she is discovered with the dragon, let him pursue the beast to whatever end. And if he wants to prove his birthright without question, to claim himself alone as primus, then he should take her and make good on his blood."

The decree both shocks and unnerves Eros. "But father─"

"He has no place to contest this now. If Militades can show as much ambition to achieve what he has, then Xerxes should show similar fervor. If he shows no part, then I will simply anoint Militades with the crown position instead. After all, Zenobia has been made aware that it is her role to bear the heir of our line if Xerxes is to sit upon the throne. And if Militades will be crowned instead, she will still be made to abide by her given role. By going this route, we're assured of a noble-blooded heir with the proper visage. And with Militades, probably with less risk of side effects."

"But father─" The emperor's head turns sharply towards the prince, showing how thin his patience seems to be for the moment. "Surely you understand Xerxes is different from us. He will not easily contribute to courtship with a mare, much less his own branch sister, and not to mention of her noble-blooded status. How would that work?"

"Just have some abbey choirboy entertain him for a night. The maids will take care of the rest. He'll never even know until it's time for him to know."

"Then what of after?"

"If the heir is healthy... and functional, then Zenobia's fate will be for Xerxes to decide. Doctor's grace be upon her that her brother show some appreciation for her sacrifices." The emperor's eyes lift from Eros, seeing a pair of eyes looking back at him. "But for now, he has his orders, as do you."

"Your majesty, your word is law." Eros bows his head as the image of his father dissipates.

Lifting his head and turning around, he is startled by the sight of Xerxes staring quietly at him. The lavender-streaked prince holds his breath, realizing that he may have overheard the threat his father has levied against him. The crimson-eyed prince marches forward, inching closer to him. Eros' magic stirs within his horn, waiting for the moment that his brother looks to provide conflict.

But as he make the mental preparations, Xerxes walks past him as though he's broken past a set of swing-away doors. "Out of my way."

A cold sensation runs through the lavender prince, stirring shivers throughout his spine. Inevitably, he finds his wind and speaks. "Father has an assignment for you, Xerxes. He wishes you to locate Zenobia and return her here, even by force. After that, she is to return home to father, where he will deal with─"

"To hell with his assignment." The intrepid prince barks in return. "My mission is now beyond even him. I must go further into the mountain, and seek those that follow the good doctor. It is my divine ordainment to do this task. You'll wait here, and say nothing to father."

"Those that follow─You can't be serious." Eros replies with immense skepticism.

"They know of him.... and more than that." The red-eyed alicorn replies upon his leave. "They've served beside him."

Midtown District, Canterlot...

Walking through the town, Agamemnon gazes upon a number of news stands, each reverberating the same topic of the bombings taking place in the north. Some show the aftermath of the carnage, others show the faces of the injured foals caught in the devastation. The one-eyed prince stops by one of the kiosks, picking up a newspaper with the headline of the death toll, numbering in the thousands.

"Well if this isn't a terrifying reality to live in." He comments as he starts to open the pages, but his paper gets pulled down by the means of a loud seller at the kiosk.

"Extra, extra! Hot off the presses! Princess Cadance on possible deathbed, read more to learn about her current condition!"

His ears slightly ringing from the loud voice calling out to the streets, he rubs his ear and glances at the headline, seeing a beautiful pink alicorn mare on the cover. His interest falls mainly to her appearance. "Damn, she's a beauty. Sad to see if this one goes."

"Tell me about it." The seller replies at a much more amicable volume. "The worst thing about it is that the world won't even see her for her pretty smile anymore. All some will remember is that grisly image making the rounds on the social applications."

The prince tilts his head. "If I may, where do I acquire one of these 'social applications'?"

"You get it on your phone. But if you ask me, the news vendors on those sites are pretty dubious at best. It's better to stick to what's on paper. A hard source is a trusted one, that's what my boss always says. And you can't get any harder than the ones reporting from the north."

Agamemnon ears flick as the seller's words quickly go through one side and out the other. His mind is mainly on the item that was suggested. "And where can I go get one of these 'phones'?"

The seller grows wary of the cloaked stallion. "You must not be from around here."

"Just visiting from Mustangia. Looking to make a residence." He lies to keep his cover.

"Huh, guess they didn't start selling the tech to you guys yet. Pretty odd if you ask me." The seller shrugs. "But if I were you, I'd probably think twice before going back for your belongings right now. The war seems to be heating up, and with the humans coming to town, who knows how nasty it'll get. I just hope it won't be as gruesome as what happened in Ponyville seven years ago. Those poor changelings never stood a chance."

The cloaked stallion nods as he takes his leave, carrying with him now the testimony of their weaponry. Though it proves to be old news in part of Xerxes' encounter with just the one in Foalsom. If more than thirty meet their end in the matter of a few minutes, then there is little to speak of other than the changelings also being a receiver of such wrath.

Growing curious over time, the cloaked prince quietly goes from one random stranger to the next, inquiring about the devices that seem to be all the interest. They point him out to a fairly modernistic outlet situated on the outlet of the artery leading into the Corrotto District. As soon as he enters, a synthetic bell chimes from above him. The clerk appearing to be speaking with a trio of mares go about tending to the customers.

He quietly walks towards one of the display cases, seeing a phone playing videos of humans doing various activities. The ad plays out with a zoom out of the triple lens situated on the back of the phone. It displays the stats of the camera, proudly declaring the video quality to be 'better than life'. He glances down at the price tag, seeing an intimidating cost of 1399 bits. "A device that small for this price? That thing is seriously expensive. Why the hell would I part with a month's tithe for a rectangle full of pretty colors?" He glances both ways, making sure he wasn't being watched. "Hmm... perhaps I could abscond with his device since it appears to be active."

He pulls at the phone, not knowing of the braided cord that locks the device firmly to the display. A brief chirp sounds out from the kiosk, notifying everyone else in the store. "Um, sir." The attendant calls out, quickly walking over to him. "I'm sure you understand that it's a floor model. That device is non-functional."

"Non-functional?"

"Hey!" The familiar sweetness in the mares voice calls out to his ears, it's owner quickly rushing to his side. "Oh you have to forgive him, he's not from around here. I guess he was wanting to see what all the device can do."

The clerk squints her eyes. "You know this guy?"

"Duh! Of course we know him!" The orange mare replies proudly. "Isn't that right, friend?"

"Uh, hello ladies." The cloaked prince, not anticipating that he'd run into this trio again, bashfully waves back.

"Ladies?" The black mare replies. "You don't even remember our names?"

"After that shit he drunk, I wouldn't be surprised. He was throwing them things back, and that wasn't an easy drink to down." The first mare replies. "Now I don't think you'd recall much, but most unicorns do happen to have a lucid drinking experience. And I'd like to think you have some idea of us remaining before you took a double shot of that paint remover."

"I... think it's Jewel?" The prince guesses.

The orange mare giggles at his correct answer. "One of three."

"Three?" He parrots, thinking of the other two before a nudge to his side wakes him from his thoughts. He turns to the side of the nudge, seeing a purple changeling smiling back up to him.

"Hi."

The prince stumbles backwards, almost losing breath as he realizes his one-night fling has caught back up with him in miraculous fashion. "Uh, hi again."

"Didn't think I'd run into you again." She giggles, backing him down even more with her smile.

"Likewise." Beads of nervous sweat start to form on his brow as he takes a bit of a sidestep to avoid brushing his backside against the display kiosk.

Cutting him off from his tactical retreat, Jewel presses her hoof firmly against his flank. "You know, Larvae told us a pretty interesting thing about you, mister."

"I-I'm sure it was... n-nothing in particular."

"And with this magic trick, I reveal to the world." Shadie flips his cloak with a brief tug of her magic, giving the other mares a glance of his ruffled feathers that instinctively flex with the fresh air hitting them. "Wow, you totally have wings!"

"Can we not?" He snatches his cloak back down, trotting to the other side of the store. The mares look on with surprise at his sudden surge of rudeness. "I'm sorry. It's just that I've been uncomfortable with them at times."

But in his looking forward, he notes that there's one particular figure missing. He once more feels a nudge at his side. "You know... we didn't really get a chance to make good on our promise from Saturday night." Jewel suggests after teleporting beside him.

The prince, feeling as though his cover is compromised enough, looks to make a speedy withdrawal, both from topic and venue. "I would love to make that work, but my schedule doesn't quite allow me to hash that out."

"Aww. Well I guess we can try to work around your schedule, if you're willing." The mare pulls him by the collar of his cloak. "You got a phone?"

He tries to speedily make his retreat once more. "Actually I endeavored to get one, but─"

The changeling beams with excitement, dashing over and patting him on his back as she makes a suggestion. "Oooooh, let me choose one for you!"

"Would you look at her go." Jewel mutters. "Larvae is just taking the initiative here."

"Totally! She's a total go-getter today!" Shadie cheers. "I love this for her!"

"Must've been what he was offering too." The mare sneakily walks past, raising her tail and skirting it against his nose. "Wouldn't mind knowing from experience what's got her little changeling neurons in overdrive. Would kill to find the time to discover that."

The prince raises his chin, trying not to glance down at what she's giving him a preview of. But his more carnal self overrules his sensible mind, making him slowly lean in, at least until a voice loudly calls out to the clerk. "That one!" Larvae holds up the same model that the cloaked prince had tried to steal. The guilt quickly resurfaces in his mind as the changeling gives the clerk two of the same model. "Can you activate them for us?"

"Sure thing. It'll just be a sec."

Already trying to calm himself down, Agamemnon turns away from Jewel, only to find the changeling brushing closely against his side. "So what have you been up to? Been kinda missing you."

"Well... I've just been moving around, seeing the sights." He says, glancing back out to the streets. In his bid to find distraction, a pair of humans with rifles walk by the shop, the two gaze inside with the initial intent to browse. "Not exactly used to the presence of the two-legged variety."

Larvae shudders in her response. "Yeah, it's been kinda creepy to see them show up with so many."

"So many?" He looks back to the changeling mare.

"Oh yeah, since the bombings up north and with Princess Cadance on the brink, it's gotten the attention of a certain human responsible for the restructuring of the Corrotto District. So he's brought a few friends, around a hundred plus of them."

The prince's eyes widen in shock. "No way."

"Yeah. That's why we've been seeing those crazy pedalcopters flying over the city. And those things are huge and bulky." Shadie confirms as the two humans are called by a third to keep moving.

"Not to mention loud." Larvae adds.

"But fast. Faster than any airship I've ever seen." Jewel notes.

The prince feels a cold nudge against his neck, the sensation causing him to jump away. "What was that?"

"Here. For you." Larvae smiles as she offers the stallion a phone.

The stallion looks down at the device being presented to him, his jaw slung loose with his eyes glued to the blackened screen. "What does it do?"

"What doesn't it do!?" Jewel replies. "This is the newest one, it even requires a facial id in order to unlock. Probably a lot more convenient than trying to put in a code with your hoof."

Shadie takes the phone and puts his face towards the screen. "What's strange is that Larvae has been pretty hot about getting one for herself. But to see her go for two on a family plan is crazy. I'm sure King Thorax would probably blow a fuse if he found out that one of his changelings grabbed not one, but two of these."

As he stares back at the darkened screen, Larvae is fully immersed in her new device. "Wow! This thing is amazing! It tells the time, the weather, the scheduled direction of the wind blow, current events and everything!" She swipes her hoof on the screen, bringing up the camera app. "Plus we can take pictures!"

"Pictures?" The prince asks in confusion.

The changeling scoops the prince into a selfie, pointing the phone back down towards them as she looks back up to the smaller mirror of themselves. "Smile!" She quickly snaps the photo of her and the prince, his face in petrified confusion as hers is a permanently etched smile. He stares off with bewilderment, at least until she takes his phone to prompt him to do the same. "Yours does it too! Go on, try it, take a picture with me!"

"How do I do it?" He asks, starting to become genuinely interested in the device.

"Oh, I've been hard on it since Shadie showed me how to use hers! Now I get to teach you! Eeeeee!" The changeling is enveloped by irrational exuberance. Her smile proves infectious to her friends as she vies to instruct the stallion of modern human technology. "So what you wanna do is hit this icon here." She points to a camera-shaped square. "Then swipe up on the screen." He does so with his hoof, bringing up the front-facing camera and revealing the pair huddled around it. "And now you raise it up and then you hit that middle circle at the bottom with your magic."

"Or your feathers, if you're a pegasus." The clerk adds. "Sometimes, earth ponies use voice commands to use theirs so that they don't scratch up their screens. They aren't exactly gentle to the touch sometimes."

The stallion does as the changeling instructs, putting on a faux smile next to the brimming Larvae. He brings it back down to see his partial expression of enjoyment etched firmly into the screen. For a moment, he feels a sense of not only excitement, but also discovery. "That's... uncannily detailed."

"It's a bit off, I'll admit. Maybe try to really bring up those cute cheekbones of yours." The stallion blushes as the compliment stirs the hint of a genuine show of happiness. The changeling raises the phone for him, using her magic to get a better angle of the two. She drapes his foreleg over her shoulder and looks into the camera. "Oh, don't forget to smile!"

"Alright."

The shutter sounds, the image shows him giving a much better expression. But unease starts to creep in his mind as he sees the hoof draped over the happy changeling. More guilt and disdain starts to manifest within his thoughts, but the moment of clarity is quickly taken by the novelty of his new item. "Can I see yours real quick?" The changeling requests.

"Um... sure." He willingly surrenders the phone back to her. "What is this all about?"

The changeling is a bit slow to finding her own information, but puts it together in due time. "Huh... I think I'm supposed to go... AH! If I can find my number here... and I find yours here... Wow, our numbers are just one off from each other! My last four digits are 1060, yours is 1061! That's crazy! Let me put that in!"

"Already a natural." Jewel expresses proudly.

"Our girl is finally in the fun zone. Bet she's gonna be all over that thing for the rest of the night." Shadie calls out.

"Wait, what happened?" The stallion asks as he's given back the phone. Suddenly the phone blurts out a xylophone tone, startling the unwary prince. "Ah!"

"That's me! Answer it, answer it!" Larvae bounces with excitement as she waits for the prince to answer her call.

Shadie points her hoof at his screen, telling him how to answer. "You hit the green icon."

"Okay." He obeys, watching as the screen starts to count up.

Jewel assists in the prince's learning of his new device. "Put it against your ear. Make sure the numbers are right-side up."

He glances at the screen and does as instructed. "Alright."

"Wow, I can actually you through it! Can you hear me too!?"

"I... can." The stallion removes himself from the screen, looking back to the counting display with true amazement. "It's a bit of a delay, but it's so instant. The information you can just relay at a moment's notice, on demand even!"

"It's amazing, isn't it!?" Larvae asks.

"Yes, this is... this is pretty damn maddening!" His cheeks are quick to find their upward curves, his mind just blown from the sensation of the new item he's being presented.

"Cool, then that means you can schedule your day on it." Jewel suggests.

The prince blinks as though he is taken aback. "I can what?"

Shadie inches closer to him, pointing at the screen and giving him his instructions. "Hit this icon here, looks like a small calendar with today's date on it. Tap that, and then select any day of the week. Let's say tomorrow at 12:30. Then you type in what the occasion is for, we'll say lunch. Then after that, you confirm the location."

Jewel takes his phone and starts typing all the information in for him. "Spot of Tea is a pretty nice place down the street from here. It's a perfect place to have a small lunch. A bit pricey, but their blends are to die for."

The prince tilts his head at the rush of events taking place. "Uh... Why do I feel like I'm being set up?"

"It's because you are, babe." Jewel gives him back the phone, the appointment not only highlighted, but color-coded with location, time, day, and alarm. "Spot of Tea, tomorrow at 12:30, Lunch with Larvae."

"You can also schedule other things using that." Shadie mentions with a wink. "Not everything has to be formal or official. So consider it a high-tech planner."

"I... I suppose." The prince says before his phone chimes like a glass, a message showing at the top of his screen.

"Ah! My first text message! Say hi back to me!" The changeling asks.

"Uh..." The stallion taps on the button, revealing a keyboard of varying letters. The arrangement causes him to go cross-eyed, but he slowly pecks out the two letters he needs to respond. "H... i... uh..."

"Hit the paper-plane icon. It's like sending notes in class, but way cooler." Shadie instructs.

He does as ordered, causing the changeling's phone to chime back at her. "Eeeee! Now we're text buddies! We can totally send messages back and forth! Oh, this is going to be so much fun!"

The stallion looks back to the clerk and ask her the question about the device. "Um... shouldn't I pay for this?"

"You know... you totally should." Jewel teases. "But not with whatever funds you got on you. Oh no, it's not gonna be that easy."

"Then how do I go about paying for this?" He asks the three mares.

The changeling steps forward with a smirk setting to one corner of her cheek. "I don't know. Perhaps you'll hold on to that for me and I'll find ways you can pay me back." She looks down at her phone, a playful giggle escapes her throat. "So I'll see you tomorrow! Lunch! Come hungry and ready to chat with me, cause we have lots to catch up on!"

"Doesn't come without nothing." Jewel whispers in the prince's ear. "Just play along. If you manage to make her happy after tomorrow─"

Shadie approaches him from his other side. "You'll get all three of us."

In a coup de grâce, Larvae uses her magic to grab at the prince's chin, lowing his head to her level. "See you then, cutie." She says with an innocent smile already telling him he's not going to escape with his soul intact.

The three mares leave him in the store, clutching a little tighter to his cloak as a means to hide himself from the clerk. He gulps while trying to contemplate his next course of action. "What the hell did I get roped into?"

"There's a shop down Alabaster Lane that sells stamina phials and natural libido enhancers."

The prince slowly looks back to the clerk.

"Just helping. Changelings don't know when to quit. You might want to stock up."

The prince clears his throat. "So uh... What's the name of this place again?"

Author's Note

To be continued...

Chapter 58: Solemn Summit

In the tundra of the Crystal Empire...

In the hours before the dawn, a squad of eight scouts trudge through the cold wind and drifting snow. Their faces are mostly covered as to protect from the harsh elements. The darkness makes the ground around them seem infinite, their flashlights beaming down at any given direction they point their rifles to. Their gloves tightly bind to their stocks and underbarrels. Eyes shift in every which direction, heads slowly turning to take in the darkened view.

One of the humans make a valid complaint. "Fuck, it's cold as balls out here."

Another cosigns with the previous. "No kidding. How the hell is it that the city we just came from feels like a decent spring afternoon, but outside of it feel like we walked into Russian winter?"

The first scout shudders. "Dunno. But the sooner we finish this shit, the better."

"All this thermal shit we're wearing ain't doing too much in this cold." A third announces.

"I'm knowing. I ain't from none of this, I came from Tampa, Florida. We don't get this crazy ass white shit they got here. Should've got more guys from somewhere like Alaska over here." The fourth replies.

"Who the hell do you know in the core lived in Alaska at any point in their life?" The third asks.

"Shit, there's gotta be somebody. And it ain't none of our asses, I know that."

"We're doing good to have guys from Maine. But tell me how they get sent to some place called 'Manehattan' while we get sent to the horse equivalent to Siberia." The first complains once more. "And the reason this thermal shit ain't doing too great is because the snow here is supposedly 'magical' or something."

"Well I can tell you that my dick is gonna magically shrivel up into my body we stay out here any longer." The second replies with chattering teeth. "Magic snow, this is magically some bullshit."

A beep sounds from the watch of the squad leader. He checks the time and breaks a sigh of relief, his breath escaping his mask and appearing as billowing vapors in the frozen air. "Augh, thank God our time is up." He reaches for his transmitter and gives an update. "Hightower, this is Juno squad, time is 0400 hours. Detail is clear, awaiting shift replacement."

"Copy that Juno-1, friendly reinforcement already inbound. You are to await extraction and RTB for active rest and recovery."

"Solid copy. Over and out."

Members of the eight man squad start to show their relief having heard their impending change of scenery. The dark skinned male proudly pats his belly. "Ah man, can't wait to be up out of this! We get back to a warm bowl of soup, cup of coffee, it's up! I don't know what these creatures around here pass for cooking, but I'll go for it as long as it ain't no weird shit."

The others chuckle. "They're a whole different species, they eat hay and flowers. Of course it'll be weird."

*snnnk*

The laughter comes to a stop as the dark skinned male yelps out in pain, collapsing over as a spear easily embeds itself into the back of his shoulder, causing severe damage to his right arm. "Carter!" One of the others quickly runs over to help the wounded soldier.

"Shit!" The squad leader quickly radios the sudden escalation. "Hightower, we've got a situation! Juno-3 just got hit! Need immediate medical evac!"

The man tending to the wounded soldier quickly goes into medical protocol. Knowing the blood loss that would occur with the sudden removal of the blade, he looks to saw the shaft from the spear. "Hang on Carter! I got─"

*BANG!*

A small eruption of snow and smoke puts the group on an even higher alert. The field medic that looked to tend to the wounded soldier slumps over, laying on top of the one he aimed to treat. The others instinctively duck from the sound of the explosion. "What the hell was that!?" The fifth scout shouts in a panic.

The sixth runs over to the medic and pulls him up. "Blankley! Blankley, you go─" Realization is instant as the flashlight from one of his squadmates reveals the carnage. He sees the one who was initially hit without his arm, right portion of his chest, or much of his head. And the medic having his arms blown off from the elbows down, along with much of his face. A warm breath slowly exits as he remains still, the pink remnants giving both smoke and vapor as portions of his skull and brain start falling from the front of his head. He immediately backs off in horror. "Oh lord. Carter and Blankley..."

Not trying to stay frozen in the moment, the squad leader radios in his update to command, once more with extreme urgency. "Hightower, Juno-3 and Juno-7 are hit with explosive ordinance! Both confirmed KIA's."

*snnnk*

As they hear the sound of something else impacting the snow nearby, they immediately issue an order. "Take cover!"

Another explosion similar to the yield of the first that took out the first two of their squad sounds in the pitch-black darkness. "Grenades! Stay down!"

The darkness continues to hold the looming threats of explosives. The leader of the six remaining men shout a desperate order. "They may be using our lights against us! Cut the flashlights off! Switch to thermals!"

*snnnk*

Yet another impact sounds nearby, causing the others to quickly scatter away from the source of the sound. One of the men still frantically deactivating their flashlight sees a spear tilt in front of him. "They're chucking fucking spears at us!" He kicks the weapon back into the snow and shakes his head. "Guys' it's just a stupid spear!"

*BANG*

A howl of panic sounds from the man who ridiculed the weapon launched near him. The leader, activating his thermal goggles to see the man on his back, holding the tattered stubs where his legs used to be. "PAULMANN!"

With frantic grasping at the bone and damaged cloth, he shouts to the group. "My legs! They got my fucking legs, man!"

One of the others, having a little medical training, jump into action. He goes over to the body of the deceased medic and pulls out his medical supplies. Next he keeps his head down and goes for the wounded soldier. "Applying tourniquet, cover me!" He hails out before ripping the pouch open and pulling out a rubber strap, affixing it to the man's left knee. "Hey, man, stay up, we're gonna take care of you, okay!?"

"My fucking legs man!" He cries in response.

The leader once more calls in to command. "Hightower, Juno-5 is down, we are mounting heavy casualties, requesting expedited ev─"

*chi-POW*

The only image many of the other men see as their leader's voice falls silent is the white thermal image of him slouching to his knees and resting on his face. As a croaking groan sounds from the man, a pool of white begins to grow around the man's head. The helmet appears shifted to the side as smaller bits of warmth subside. The two instances quickly lead the remaining five to a dire conclusion. "SNIPER!"

"McConnel's down!" One of the others calls out.

In a manic attempt to scout the area, one of the men glance at the horizon, seeing no signs of their assailants. "All I see is the fucking snow!"

Running over to hail command in place of their fallen squad leader, the next man up grabs the transmitter and calls in their update. "Hightower, this is Juno-2! Juno-1 is down and unresponsive! Requesting evac now!"

"Copy, Mother Bird is away and barreling towards your position. Reinforcement squad is now reassigned to armed escort. ETA: 120 seconds for medical evac."

"Copy!" The man confirms as he shouts to the others. "Reinforcements on the way! Stay frosty!"

"NO FUCKING SHIT!" Paulmann screams as he tries to stop himself from bleeding out of his other leg.

"What are we firing into!?"

"Just pick a direction and shoot!" The injured soldier calls out on his back, loading the chamber of his weapon.

"Suppression fire!" The sounds of muzzle fire start to rattle throughout the cold air. They fire in sporadic bursts, doing what they can to hit at the top of the mounds of snowdrift around them. "Keep a distance! Don't pack in too close!"

As they continue to fire off their rounds at the mounds of snow around them, the sound of a pair of helicopters grow louder and louder. Each start to approach with a bright spotlight bearing into a search pattern. "Remove thermals! Tossing rescue flare!" One of the soldiers reaches for a flare and pops it near their position. The bright red flame illuminates the area, along with highlighting the extent of the brutality inflicted upon their squad. Upon getting a red-glow variant of the macabre scenery, the soldier laments their situation. "Longest two minutes in my fucking life!"

The searchlights quickly highlight the men's position. They quickly land one of the choppers as the other maintains overwatch. "Pick 'em up! C'mon, let's move!"

"Not wanting to stare for too long, they do their best to grab the deceased men and load them into the chopper along with the remaining members.

*snnnKINK*

Hearing the impact on the landed chopper, the pilot radios in the situation. "Mother Bird, we got impact on left hull─"

"THOSE SPEARS ARE GRENADES! THE SPEARS ARE GRENADES!" One of the retreating men can be heard over the radio. The resulting explosion verifies his claim.

The spotlight above quickly highlights the area of the explosion, but also the slight shadow of a snow-white pelt running off, leaving behind a visible set of hoofprints in the snow. The pilot quickly points out to the overwatch. "TARGETS, LEFT SIDE! LEFT SIDE! THEY'RE HIDING IN THE SNOWDRIFT!"

"OUR THERMALS CAN'T PICK UP SHIT!" The assistant pilot call out.

"FOLLOW THOSE TRACKS! WARM EM UP!" The leader of the second squad calls out to his guys. They quickly unleash all small arms fire upon the snowy position. As the smaller arms fire continue to pepper the positions revealing any signs of hoofprints nearby, the main gunners of the helo sight out the spraying snow.

"Sending heat their way!" The chopper gunner announces as he sprays a volley of high-caliber rounds into the position. Packs of snow jettison into the air. Their impacts not only finding much of the ground, but also revealing a few cloaked stallions staggering away from the carnage. On sight, the supplementary squad take aim and land their shots. "Got one!"

"Good hit! Good hit!" The copilot praises.

The pilot in the air chimes in towards the other on the ground, awaiting for the squad to get secured. "Falcon-1, got a positive ID of hostiles closing in on your A.O., what's your status?"

"Three confirmed K.I.A.'s. McConnel, Blankley, Carter, that's almost half of the squad. One injured receiving medical attention before we can lift off."

"Bunch of hostiles armed with what appears to be only spears. Do you confirm grenades on spears?"

Yet another smaller explosion kicks up dirt and snow near the helicopter. "Jesus Christ─YES, CONFIRM ON THAT!"

"Stay low, sweeping extraction point." The pilot confirms as he takes his chopper and swings it into position to safely aim away from the grounded helo. The starboard gunner spins his guns and fire the deadly .50 caliber rounds off into the encroaching line of pelts looking to land a few more spears at the extracting party. The ones narrowly caught drop to the ground for cover as the successful hits not only register, but rain back down upon them in chunks of meat, bone, dirt, and snow. "Falcon-1, Mother Bird has cleared the extraction point, now providing cover ordinance for liftoff."

"Christ almighty, finally." The pilot mutters on the other end. "SQUAD SECURE! FALCON-1 PULLING OUT!"

The rotors of the landed chopper stir back into full speed, giving lift to the machine and raising the evacuated squad well out of danger's reach. The second pilot signals his own withdrawal. "Mother Bird is away, returning to base."

"Hightower, this is Falcon-1, requesting extensive sweep of the surrounding area." The pilot requests with a grave tone.

"Negative, pattern is full. Will send predator drones for search and destroy. Requesting sitrep on Juno squad, over."

"Four casualties, three KIA's."

"Copy Falcon-1. Report back to base for refuel and debrief. You've got special instructions to follow."

"Hightower, our guys are out here getting hit." He argues.

"Falcon-1, Overlord Actual has issued you and Pelican-3 special orders for escort due south. Instance of special delivery."

"Son of a─" He catches himself before responding. "Copy. Falcon-1 and Mother Bird is inbound."

2407 Golden Oaks Avenue Later that morning...

With a yawn and a stretch, I walk myself into the kitchen with a stomach uttering complaints of it's emptiness. I feel the urgency to start cooking again. Perhaps I'm in a mood for something sweet and buttery, but I also want the contrast of a salty meat option brimming with character. I can't help myself at this point, ever since the humans introduced me to meat, I've been making it a common part of my diet for at least two to three times a week.

To hell with it, sausage and buttermilk pancakes with a side of hash.

More faces start to wander in, namely the trio from Ponyland. Guess I'll be keeping the menu diverse for their sake. "Ah, morning to all."

"Hey you. Seems like you've had a good night's sleep." Amor is the first to seat himself at the table.

"To be fair, Smolder helped with that, a lot." I inform him. "Hard not to sleep when she makes me put the work in."

"Ugh, I'm sure." The pegasus mare rolls her eyes with disinterest before pulling out a stack of papers, much to Zenobia's annoyance. "I was wondering if you had time today to see if you could go over a few things with me."

"Oh, what's all that?" I ask.

"Just some planned announcements, maybe a few things to go over for Zenobia's next public appearance."

The alicorn princess takes exception to the suggestion. "And why would I need help for a public appearance again?"

"Because the last time you hijacked it with your sudden announcement for your interest in Sir Spike. It was far too much of a distraction." The younger sister replies.

"No, it was an attention grabber."

"A grab for the wrong kind of attention. Now they think he's either paid you off or bedded you into saying everything you've said. It throws the legitimacy of your intentions into question."

As the two stir up their debate, the others file in from the hall. "You are such a child, Hestia! You don't even know how to handle adult topics, much less how to throw in a topic starter in the wake of international politics. Riddle me this since you're so enlightened and more-modest-than-thou. Has any part of my ending statements made an impact on the international community up to now?" She glances around the room, demanding an answer. "Well, that question doesn't just go for one, it goes for the whole class, speak up!"

Ocellus is the one to give her an honest response. "Well according to recent metrics, I would say it's half and half. Though the effect of your confession about Spike amplified the message, it only served as the main thing that was your message in the eyes of the general public. So in short, it's rather negligible in the grand scheme of things."

"My point exactly!" Hestia blurts out. "It would've been better if you didn't do any stunts like that to begin with!"

Zenobia continues to show no shame in her approach. "So the confession of my feelings for my dear pet will be the main thing that headlines my statements, sure. But even if they'll remember that one thing, they'll be sure to remember what I've said after. It's merely come with some weight attached to it to give it some density."

"That's still not a good way to publicize it!" Hestia speaks up once more.

"Actually, no." Gabby intervenes. "You're right in the sense that her confession overshadows her later message, that we can all agree on. But even if it was a clickbait way of starting things off, think about the amount of hits it gained on every news cycle before the bombing up north. The moment Spike and Zenobia got put out there as a thing, it grabbed all sorts of attention, for all the wrong reasons but it does get the message out there." She directs her attention back to me in adding to her argument. "Plus the world leaders know that Spike wouldn't just put someone out there alongside him just to advertise his own personal developments. That's just too much work put into introducing a personal relationship partner to his international peers. He purposefully gave her a platform to speak to the world, and his standing in the international community makes it where he can't possibly be written off. Others will engage with her based on her proximity to him. Now that of course means that she has a reputation to uphold, and it tethers to Spike heavily. But I'm sure she understands that too."

"Obviously she doesn't act like it." Hestia argues again. "Just her attitude alone tells me she's still taking everything for granted."

"Oh so me not doing one of your sillily-sanitized speeches is a show of my not being serious?" Zenobia counters. "See I didn't want to go this direction with you, but surely a lesser blood would realize that a practice of authenticity is what makes the charisma of one selected to lead as a source of appeal! Even if I don't have the dick that would've qualified me as the crown heir, I was still made to lead out of father's fear of not producing a male. I may have been nothing more than a fallback plan, but I can still pose the necessary profile of a leader on an international stage. Don't take my screaming swears and fornicating about as a discredit to my abilities. Because if you went by those same stupid metrics, then you wouldn't have revered Adelphos as much as you did."

Amor's ears perk up as he quickly leaves his seat, trying to creep himself between the two sisters. "Hey, can we not talk about family matters in front of everyone else?"

"Oh no." Hestia says with her ears pinning back, revealing a rather dangerous show of anger. "Let her keep going."

Just as the proverbial temperature of the room starts to come to a slow simmer, the doorbell rings. "The hell? Who could be at the door now of all times?"

Smolder takes the chance to remind me of a date I have jotted into my calendar. "Hey, weren't you supposed to do some sort of summit today?"

I snap my fingers with realization. "Oh yeah, it's probably the royal guard or something." I pick up my phone to check the camera, only to see a strange human standing in what appears to be some sort of apparel and a helmet. "Or... not." I mutter before answering the door. "Hello?"

His voice is far from enthusiastic. "Good morning. This is Captain Ferris Mosley of the Haines Private Forces, HPF for short. We are a special privatized military conglomerate comprised of selected former members of the United States Armed Forces. We are currently working in junction with that of the EUP Guard. I'm looking for a Royal Friendship Advisor Spike."

While the pair of sisters continue to beam each other down with their eyes, Smolder hovers over my shoulder. "He looks grumpy."

"And scary." Ocellus adds.

"Guys, they can hear you, you know." I remind them before returning to the guest at the door. "I'm Spike. Is something the matter, sir?"

"On the behalf of your princess, we've been asked to escort you to the Crystal Empire for a summit."

The stare down between the two sisters come to a halt as the location comes to present discussion. "The Crystal Empire?" Hestia asks.

"Didn't they just get bombed?" Zenobia inquires. "Isn't that place supposed to be a hot zone right now?"

"It is." I confirm. "Sir. I have to ask, that is an unsecured location. Why are we reporting there?"

"That is the current location of your princess. She highly requested that you'd be made to attend." He answers with a flatness in his voice, appearing quite annoyed.

"I see he carries your same level of enthusiasm." Gabby comments.

"I'm bringing extras with me. Is that fine?" I propose to him.

"With all due respect, I can guarantee you that your payload ain't got shit on mine. Bring yourself and five of who you need, cause that's all I got seats for. I only ask that you'd be quick."

"Just six of us, huh? Who's all going?" Smolder asks.

"You, Hestia, Zenobia, Ocellus..." I glance down to see Hestia pursing her lips and directing her eyes towards her brother, reminding me of the promise I made her. "Amor, you up to go along with?"

He jolts his head up with shock over my choice. "Wait, me!?"

Gabby steps in front of the unicorn prince, showing her own discontent over not being chosen. "Yeah, hold on! Why not me!?"

"Gabby, I know it looks bad. But I need someone here to take care of Flurry. Plus we should be back tomorrow night. The Crystal Empire is too much of a hotbed to be staying for anything more than a day."

"But you could easily assign Smolder or even Ocellus to Flurry! Not that I'm throwing them under the rails, but they already know how to deal with kids as it is!"

"The reason I say them is because they're element bearers themselves. What's to be discussed will certainly have them in mind. I might as well bring them both so that they can fill in the others. And the other three are by duty-bound obligation by none other than Twilight. I have to keep an eye on them." The griffoness pouts with protest over not being able to go. "Gabby, it's dangerous. I can't put you in that kind of heat. I'll do my best to make it up to you, promise."

She taps her talons against the floor, expecting me to sweeten up the deal. She brings further emphasis by flagging me over to her. I lean down to her, only to get a twenty-sided die shoved in my mouth. "Fine. Go. I'm pretty sure you don't mind leaving me behind all over again and again."

As she flies off to the stairs, I spit the die out and call out her name. "Gabby!"

"Don't you have some stupid summit to go to!? I've got a foal to look after, so go do what you do already!"

Feeling a bit of remorse for the griffon, Amor quietly raises his hoof and calls for an alternative. "I can stay."

I shoot down his request. "No can do, Amor. You're duty bound to be around me. And as duty calls, obligation answers." I lean down to him and give him another way to look at his current opportunity. "Plus, you could probably work things out with Twilight while you're there."

The guilt is still obvious on the corners of his mouth, but the incentive drives him to accept my offer. "Okay. What all do I need?"

"Just yourself. The castle will have all the personals you'll ever need."

Our gathering has garnered a lot of attention throughout the walk across town. It's not like it can be helped with the fact that the chopper is sourced towards the northern part of the town, much less on the outdoor field of the School of Friendship. Along our walk, I can see a multitude of faces turning our way, probably because of the guy guiding us being the tallest thing around, he's beat me by a few inches too. Par for the course, I guess.

As we come into view of our transport, Ocellus exhibits some fear seeing the metal beast up close. I myself haven't been this close to one of this type either, especially with how strange it appears to be. I glance to my phone, immediately going into a search of notable helicopter models. And the one that seems to be a close match to the one we're approaching from it's side is none other than a Pave Hawk. Not much information can be spared in Equestria databases other than the fact that it's for emergency search and rescue operations.

"Woah-ho-ho-ho! That thing's a monster of a pedalcopter! It's so huge!" Hestia comments.

"It looks... confusing." Amor confesses.

Zenobia takes a look at the paneling, not all of it appears to be in uniform, some patches welded and riveted together. "It looks like it could break at any moment. We're supposed to feel safe with this?"

I notice the man's demeanor, he seems to be irked about our uninformed comments. "I don't think he appreciates us talking about his vehicle."

"Well never mind that, let's get a move-on and see how this thing works!" The pegasus princess happily skips towards the door, seeing what appears to be a mounted machine gun on it's side.

I look at the barrel of the weapon, noticing that there's actually six of them organized around a circle. Each one appearing to be wide enough to let me stick a finger inside. Ocellus sees the intimidating configuration and shudders as Smolder takes notice of her growing unease. She quickly tends to the changeling as Amor takes a step into the chassis. "This thing is crazy, both inside and out!"

"What are those things for?" Smolder asks the pilot about the side-mounted guns.

The pilot confers with his assistant and they start their ignition sequence. While doing so, he comments towards the dragon. "You ever heard of bug spray?"

Ocellus' eyes buck wide with abject horror, burying her head into Smolder's chest. Even I take notice of her trauma response, and look to correct the pilot for his blind comment. "Um... can we not go with that analogy?"

He still appears to be nonchalant. "Did I say something wrong?"

"Sir, we have a changeling onboard. It's rude to speak that term, it's highly derogatory." I explain.

"Oh. Didn't know that was a thing. My bad." He seems more invested in pressing buttons than looking back at us and seeing the visibly distressed mare clutching onto the dragoness comforting her.

"Okay, so humans can be assholes towards changelings, huh? Typical!" Smolder rumbles back towards the engrossed pilot.

"If you saw what we saw, you'd be an asshole too." The pilot replies. "My only job right now is to get you from extraction to landing as safely as you'll allow us to be. I only ask that you keep your personal turbulence to a minimum while we undergo our flight."

Seeing the changeling in distress, Amor steps in for Smolder before the dragoness could go on a flame-spouting rant. "Pardon me, sir? I do understand that there is a conflict taking place where we're headed. But is there any means to not displace your stress onto us? We're just seeing each other for the first time. And I'm sure we can come to a better impression than this."

"All due respect, sir. I'm just here to do my job and make sure that everyone on this bird is safe and sound. As long as we're in here, we travel according to my rules. I will elaborate on apologies and sensitivities when we have reached our destination. But as of now, I ask that you all be seated and secured to minimize harm to yourselves and others, as well as to minimize all distractions for the duration of our flight. If you cannot do that, get off my bird now."

Ocellus, who hasn't even strapped herself in yet, eagerly looks to take up that invitation. "I don't think I want to go anymore."

As both of the humans in the cockpit stop with their button pressing and switch flipping, they both look back at us. I sit right next to Ocellus, hoping to calm her down a bit. "Let's just take it easy, okay? We're here with you." I glance back to the two humans in front. "I think we're all on the same page when I say none of us wants any problems. We're just trying to get to our destination safely, and we know you mean well. This is a new experience for all of us. And since you two are the experts, we'll do as you say, no harm done."

The copilot sighs, almost as though a bit of tension has been let off of his shoulders. He flicks a switch and the rotors above us start to spin. I close my eyes, accepting the peace of the moment before I feel a set of claws painfully digging into my arm. "Oh, so we have to collect ourselves, but the humans get a pass?" Smolder complains.

I grimace as I realize that I've placed myself in a precarious situation. "Okay, I get it. You have every right to be upset on her behalf. But I feel like we're missing out on something. I've been looking at his face the entire way here, I don't think this is something he wants to do. But I'd rather respect the peace of him going through it to get us to our destination than to make an enemy of someone who seems to have a lot on his mind, even if the approach could've been better."

Smolder's claws leave an impression in my scales as she swipes them off my arm. "Yeah? Well that sounds like they should've picked someone else then."

As we rise into the air, hearing the high-pitched machinery above us going at an un-Equestrian speed, I nod with acknowledgement and nurse the newfound marks in my arm. "Well... nobody's wrong. I can tell you that now."

Meanwhile...

Back in the home of the friendship advisor, Gabby finishes up breakfast for herself and one other guest of the home. Feeling a sense of inadequacy, she ponders over the constant concern her dragon interest continues to bring about with each moment of international peril. Her eyes glance to and from the disrupted setting of the dining area, imagining the shadows of those who he willingly took into that very same danger he debated her from going into.

But while she feels insecure for her lack of a dependable trait in moments of crisis, she looks beyond it for the companionship in her uselessness. In doing so, she totes a plate up from the dining room to the upstairs bedroom where the young Princess Flurry Heart is assigned. She looks at both of her talons, each occupied with a plate of food. So she verbalizes her presence. "Knock knock, it's me."

There's not an instance of an answer.

"Let me guess, bad mood? I feel you on that one." The griffon calls out, trying to relate to the young filly. "I guess you're still a bit upset about your mom. I understand.... Well, not like what you're going through, but the being placed behind it all and watching everything else happen around you, seeming like you're getting forgotten in all of it. I can understand that part."

Once more, the silence is her response.

"You in there?" Gabby grows curious, wondering if Flurry was either in a deep sleep, or probably in another room. "Hey, you're still sleep in there. I'm coming in..."

She looks for a nearby bed to sit her own plate onto before going back for the door. But upon walking into the other bedroom for that purpose, she takes notice that the beds are neatly made with the exception of their missing pillows. She sits her plate down, hovers back, slowly turns the knob and pokes her head into the room, discovering a lump in the bed. Gabby gets closer to see the covers tucked over an unmoving lumping mass. The situation is obvious.

"Oh... not sleep... gone." She panics quietly. "Great... Spike is gonna kill me if she turns up missing!"

Sometime Later...

Our ride was the furthest thing from quiet. It's hard to hear yourself think when there's a high-pitched whirring noise that seems to grate at the ears starting off. But you eventually tune it out after a while. Also helps that they have ear protection for everyone onboard.

While our introduction was a bit shaky, I can admit that the pair of humans were very accommodating in trying to keep us comfortable and calm. They even have a stash of air sickness meds under the seats, along with a myriad of things for our safety, such as life preservers, oxygen intakes, and the like. We could move a little in our flight, but not too much as to cause turbulence.

Hestia takes the opportunity of that free movement period to ask questions about the airship we were cruising in. And then there are the number of instruments they use to gauge things like barometric pressures, altitude, speed, and a number of other things they wouldn't say does what. In due time, they show their eagerness to tell her to get back into her seat since we we're on our approach.

"Wow, that's a tall tower!" Hestia really seems to be the eager child of the group today.

"How high must that thing be? It's gotta be at least six-hundred feet tall." Amor replies.

"Six-hundred-eighty to be exact." I reply as I point out of the window to the city below. "Welcome to the Crystal Empire."

Once more, Hestia shows her interest in our change in environment. "Wow, the city's layout is like a snowflake. That's so amazing!"

But as we close in on our approach, much of the damage starts to become painfully visible. "Yeah it would look amazing... if it wasn't for the bombings."

Smolder squints to see the many ponies down below, appearing almost like ants in the grand scheme of our entrance. "It looks like they're still doing cleanup down below."

"I'm sure." I reply as a similar pair of choppers fly in a perpendicular pattern to us, thankfully at a much higher altitude.

"Looks like there's more than cleanup taking place here." Ocellus mumbles.

"Huh, more pedalcopters. I'd be pretty excited to see these..." Smolder replies as she comforts the changeling mare. "If someone wasn't an asshole to Olla."

"Funnily enough, we got here way faster than I would've expected to be. We only rode out for like an hour and a half. Usually this would be a 6 hour train ride, a little less than that on express rail service. We had to be booking it to be here already." I point out.

"To think humans can cover that much terrain that quickly. That's a terrifying thought." Zenobia comments, much to a whimpering agreement by Ocellus.

As we disembark from the flying beast, we breathe in a heavy dose of diesel and metal in what was once the clean air of the north. A small gathering of security forces stand guard with their arms, assault rifles strapped to the chest and held firmly in operating reach. I begin to wonder if this tension, along with this smoggy smell, is just the tip of the iceberg of the human war machine they've created for themselves. I mean there's no doubt about it, but I can't help but to wonder how deep this rabbit hole goes for them.

We've seen the world they've accommodated to civilian living, and it's a breathtaking sight. I can only imagine, with that same ingenuity, how easy they can take breath from the living if they so chose. It's not wonder Ocellus is scared of seeing all of this. Hell, one of those guns on the side of the beast we flew in on could easily fit my thumb. I won't dare to imagine what a bullet that size will do to flesh and bone... or scales. And I've just brought their princess to see what her country's up against.

I'm sure the ponies up this way will be feeling the same air of caution about these humans as the ones in Ponyville do.

As we get closer to the castle, the human escorting us through the varying checkpoints is none other than our disgruntled pilot, who seems to be showing more of a somber side of himself. As we come across one area, he guides us off our main route and turns us towards the nearby medical facility.

Everyone in the area seems to be walking with a heavy mood, though I can easily say everyone in the city is walking with the same weight on their minds. But it seems different this time. It's like they're stunned silent, whatever's going on has the entire place giving audience to the profound speech of crickets.

As we get closer, the pilot starts to inch himself closer towards Ocellus. "Hey."

Smolder, still being the protective heroine she is, answers for the changeling mare. "What do you want?"

"I wanna apologize for my behavior earlier." He simply replies, no hostility or rebound from the prickly approach of the dragoness.

"Great." She rolls her eyes dismissively, snagging the foreleg of the changeling to coax her along. "Let's go, Olla."

Amor quietly comments. "You didn't start with the greatest first impression, I'll admit."

"Again, I'm sorry. I was just lashing out with some thoughts, and I was just trying to be firm on protocol. I was tasked to make sure you guys were safe. That was my main concern, especially with today."

"Today? What about today that had you so dismissive?" I ask him.

"Again, just... Things happened."

Overhearing his response, Smolder hovers back over and calls him out on his approach once more. "Yeah, you called Ocellus a bug!"

"Never meant to call her a bug." He explains.

"Then what was that 'bug spray' comment about, huh?" The dragoness points her claw into his chest, nowhere near afraid of him as some of the others of his ilk start to gingerly glide their fingers towards their triggers. Ocellus starts to yank on her tail, being scared for her. "Do you humans think it's cool to just pick on changelings or something!?"

He shakes his head, and utters an even more grim insight. "...It was meant for the ponies."

Smolder spares no reserve of emotion in her reply. "Oh, so ponies are your problem, huh? Wow, just so happens you find yourself in a world of them, all while you get to bitch, moan, and complain about it! How about you do our world a fucking huge-ass favor and go fuck yourself with a cragodile dick!"

"I came here to show you something, along with my apology." He replies, raising his hand to the others to let them know that everything is okay. Their fingers start to ease away from their triggers.

And none the wiser to that, Smolder continues her aggression. "Newsflash, we don't give a shit!"

I take a moment to step in, at least hoping to clear the air about the egregious direction of his comment. "As the Royal Friendship Advisor of Equestria, I request that you elaborate further on your statements. I do know Alex, and I'm sure that if I give him the report of your views of the moment, we'd be more than happy to have you be placed where you're more comfortable."

He glances his eyes to the side, drawing a heavy breath to hold. "That's what I was trying to explain, sir."

*POW*

The report of rifle fire immediately has all of us ducking for cover. But the man remains stationary, unflinching in place as Smolder hugs the now-frantic changeling. "You're safe with me, Olla."

*POW

"Are we under attack!?" I ask as I keep my head low, urging the others to do the same.

*POW*

The pilot reaches down to pick me up, seeming confident in our safety as he solemnly responds. "Twenty-one gun salute. Just a protocol for the day whenever the worst ensues."

"A protocol!?" This time, it's Ocellus who jumps right into his face with righteous anger. The adrenaline rush seems to make her forget about her fear for the moment. "What protocol is there in killing other creatures so flippantly!? Do you humans just resort to violence as a first measure to whatever you face against!?"

"A twenty-one gun salute is for the dead." He answers.

"The dead?" The changeling eases back as she realizes the weight of the situation, as we all start to realize why we were brought to the medical area. Looking off to the side, we see a yard with three caskets draped in a tri-colored flag. Thirteen stripes, seven red, six white, and a blue corner with fifty white stars. She turns back to the man, who appears to have a lifeless gaze, his jaw hangs agape, probably filtering out the words he wants to say in the moment.

But he settles for a simplified explanation. "...We had an emergency search and rescue operation, evacuate what was left of a six-man squad from the snow fields at 4 this morning. Those three coffins, I hauled all three of those guys and five others out of an ambush, all while they tried to frag our bird. Obviously not the one we took here, but another one. I saw those three... one guy had his skull blown open, one didn't have a face, the last guy didn't have a head. Those were our boys, and I wanted even. The ones responsible were a bunch of pony folk hiding in the snow. Killed our boys in the cover of darkness, hiding underneath the snowdrift like pests." He looked firmly to Ocellus. "I wanted to hunt them down, give them what they gave our boys. but I was given other orders. My orders were to retrieve you lot, and not protect my guys like I wanted to." He directs that stare towards Smolder. "I admit I was lashing out. You would too if you saw what I saw. So you'll have to forgive me if I seemed rude, like I wasn't in a mood to let you guys play around with your safety. My job was to make sure you got on my bird and got off in one piece, and not like the guys I had to bring in at 4am this morning. That's all."

Ocellus slowly turns her head towards the three caskets. "So those humans... they're dead?"

"Very." The pilot replies.

She sighs with a thought running through her mind, shutting it away from her lips before they had a chance to manifest into bitterness. "Do they get to go home, to their loved ones?"

"Without question." The man answers.

"At least your species is reverent enough to allow that. I offer you credence to that show of respect." She answers before walking off. "That's all I can say."

While the others appear genuinely confused, the man appears almost taken aback by her cold reaction. I step in on her behalf and expand on her own background. "I should add some context for you too. Years ago, six humans came from your world and defended the town we just came from. It was a changeling invasion, but it turned into a massacre. They had weapons the changelings did not, and the changelings suffered over two-hundred deaths in the span of twenty minutes. Some of those deaths were her siblings. There was another seventy plus that were systematically executed in Canterlot, by three humans also, prison revolt. The first situation, they were allowed to collect their dead. The second time, they had to deal with the matter differently due to some unforeseen circumstances. That's why she's a bit cold to you."

"That I didn't know." He shakes his head.

"Actually, your boss Alex, he was the one involved in both of those cases. Bring it up with him next time y'all talk." I say before guiding the others towards the castle at last.

The man, overwhelmed with thoughts and emotions, reaches inside his coat and pulls out a cigarette. He pats himself for a lighter, trying to find something to light his fix. But the cigarette is lifted from his mouth, floating before his eyes. He steps back, only to bump into a smaller creature. "Oh, sorry. I almost stepped on you."

"I know you didn't mean any harm. You were just ignorant is all." The creature replies as the golden glow on it's horn wipes clean. The man looks back ahead of himself, seeing the cigarette laying on the ground, completely burnt away into ashes. The small creature kicks the pile of ash away. "Sometimes we have to face the truth before we learn to heal. Sometimes it's better to do it with a clear mind."

As the smaller figure walks away, Mosley looks down at his last cigarette with dismay. "Wow, even the kids around here are ruthless."

As we arrive onto the castle grounds, Twilight and the others await us at the entrance where the crystal heart spins without a moment's reprieve. There appears to be a number of armored crystal guards taking close observation of the heart, but a moderately loud buzzing sound hovers nearby. I glance over to see what appears to be a little black toy humming about like a curious bird. The bottom of it appears to have a mounted camera of some sort. I lean in closer to inspect the device, but
a piercing cry promptly snatches my attention away. "Spikey-wikey!"

Accompanied by the ear-piercing howl, I get tackled from the shoulders and feel a weight cling to me. I look over to see the familiar face of Rarity nuzzling at my neck. "Hey, Rarity." I bashfully reply, knowing that I've brought at least three other relationship partners to watch me get ambushed by my childhood crush.

But she's not the only one who pins me down with a tackle. Applejack joins in on the playful carnage, but her strength is far more suited to bring me down to the ground. The farm mare noogies the crown of my skull as she gives her own complaint. "Consarn it, Spike! Ya ain't said nan word to us since ya made it back to town! You done left poor lil' Apple Bloom wonderin' if y'all was ever gonna come back after all that Ponyland buffoonery!"

Pinkie dives in, being a lot gentler than the other two on her landing. "You silly dragon, you could've at least dropped by Sugarcube Corner, say hello, pick up the congratulatory celebratory cake we wanted to surprise you with."

"You baked me a cake?" I tilt my head at her.

"Well duh, but I couldn't tell you. It's a surprise for a reason." The mare climbs off of me to pout. "Well now it's not even a surprise anymore."

I chuckle at her antics. "Same old Pinkie, even if you've got one of your own to deal with now."

While Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy also greet me warmly, Twilight holds off upon seeing the others that accompany me. "Huh... seems you brought friends?" Rainbow asks.

"Some friends... otherwise, uninvited 'guests'." The purple alicorn says as Amor runs over to kiss her hooves. She immediately casts a bubble over herself to avoid physical contact as he splats himself against her shield.

"Your highness, you are just as lovely as ever." The poor prince strains after his painful run-in with her defenses.

As the stallion slides off of her shield, her eyes beam towards the albino alicorn shaking her head at the pitiful display. "And what are you doing here?"

Zenobia proudly weaves herself forward as she sways with a dancing lilt. "Just helping my dear pet carry out with a few of his obligations, the ones you've placed on him to look after us?"

Rarity responds with some rather shaded disdain. "Hmm... I see you haven't quite dropped that 'pet' moniker from your vocabulary yet."

The Ponyland princess hums as she glides back to my side, picking me up out of everyone else's clutches and bringing me into her own. "My sympathies. I adore him far too much these days to make out any more competition than I already have. Ember was trouble enough, at least the rest of us can agree to an allotment of days. That's where I find my solace in all of this."

"Well, I don't fancy you being too engrossed in matters right now, since it is our respective nations that are at war right for the moment." The fashionista replies. "After all, wasn't it one of yours that allowed for all of this to happen?"

Just as Zenobia looks to answer in her own defense, the doors to the castle open, revealing a well-dressed man holding a cell phone in his hand. "And here he is, our dragon man of the day!"

I turn my head to see the familiar face, so rarely seen outside of photos and an occasional video from the human world. "Alex!? You're here too?"

"Had to be." He replies. "Need to make sure operations run as smoothly as possible. And seeing that you're here safe and sound, we're off to a good start."

As Alex makes mention of that idea, Smolder points out the pilot bringing up the rear of our party. "Oh yeah, speaking of good starts, you sent a pilot with a pretty shitty attitude."

"Oop." Taken aback by the news, he looks to Mosley walking up. "Hey, what happened? I'm getting reports of you not being very warm and friendly here. I told you this was a sensitive matter."

Not looking to dwell on it for too long, he makes his message clear and short. "Sir, I apologize. I was not in a good mind of approach, it's on me."

Alex lets loose a tired sigh and speaks with his trusted subordinate. "I know that you had a rough morning, I can't ignore that I sent you out in that condition. But I wanted to make sure I sent out my best to make the pickups. I trusted you, so yeah, my hearing a bad report isn't quite a good thing to start our day on. Now why are you showing up so late in comparison to everyone else here? You're supposed to be escorting the group."

Mosley purses his lips as he looks behind him. "Well sir... we had a bit of a snafu at the castle checkpoint. Seems we brought in one extra visitor."

The human guards seem to be with their usual method of keeping their eyes peeled for any dangers. But in a stark contrast, the crystal guards are all at a standing salute. It's then we hear the words shouted out. "Her majesty has arrived! Guards, attention!"

Walking, not flying, just in a somber trot past the saluting guards, the unexpected passenger approaches with a stern face for her young age. Twilight yelps out in shock. "Flurry!?"

The young princess walks up to me as I chide her for her sudden appearance. "Flurry, what the hel─what are you doing here?"

"I'm sorry, Uncle Spike, but I had to come. And I know you wanted me to stay behind, but I needed to be here."

"Flurry Heart, you shouldn't be here." Twilight turns to me, looking to place blame. "Spike─"

"Auntie!" She calls out with a firm insistence. "He didn't know I snuck on their airship. I made sure of it." She sparks up her horn for a brief moment, teleporting herself next to the purple alicorn. "And now I'm here to see my mother. I love you, but I love my mother more. Please don't stop me from helping her. Not now, not when her soul called to me this morning in my dreams."

Captain Mosley once more speaks to Alex. "Yeah, our guys didn't know who this kid was, but when the pony guards came up, she started asking about updates on relief efforts. And she wasn't budging until answers were provided. She hit the ground running."

Alex's eyes widen as he looks down towards the young princess. He shakes his head. "Kid, I know this is your country, but─"

"I know my mom isn't pretty to look at right now. But please tell me where she is."

The man strains as he tries to grasp the thoughts of the young filly going in to stare at the horrifically mangled form of her mother. Just the sight of her being in the bloodied bandages has already unnerved him enough. However, he takes into consideration a canid conversation both he and Shining had the night before. He calms himself, kneeling to place a hand of the filly's head. "Hospice care, 5th floor, the Omega room, your dad's in there now."

"Thank you, Mr. Haines." The filly replies, walking past the man with a determined face that I know she's putting on for appearances.

Alex glances back to the pilot. "Mosley, I know I wanted to give you the rest of the day to properly vent your emotions. I'm sorry that I had to put you through the wringer like that under such circumstances. We'll speak more on what happened tomorrow. For now, you're dismissed." The pilot takes his leave, meanwhile the man in charge brings his attention back to Smolder. "I understand the cause for your disagreement. What he may have said probably was beyond off-kilter, but Mosley's a good man, and a good source of character. Whatever you ran into earlier, that was just a man in hurt. And I understand what it means to be in that situation and say something I'd ultimately regret. I know what it means to mess up the first impression. So I ask you to give us time. A lot of us humans are still pretty raw at interspecies relations. And if anything falls short of acceptable, then it's on me for not training them well enough. I take full responsibility for that."

Still looking after the changeling mare, Smolder questions her of her reception of the apology. Ocellus' eyes pierces the dimensions past the man standing before her. She instinctively takes a step backwards. She stumbles and whispers to the dragoness beside her. "I think I need some air elsewhere. Please?"

Smolder kindly takes up the changeling's request. "Don't worry, Olla. I'll take you wherever you want to go."

As the pair stay close to one another, they enter into the castle on their own, looking to get some space for the both of them. Alex grimaces as he mutters to himself. "Yeah, I know that we humans and changelings have a lot of ground to cover." His moment of pause is promptly followed by a mental reset, looking back at me. "Past matters are a difficult topic. But for now, we've got a lot more ground to cover than what happened seven years ago. So... let's talk about what happened earlier this morning."

It takes a while before we're set up in the throne room. The main seat that usually hosts Princess Cadance remains unused for the time being. Even the smaller throne dedicated for Flurry is vacant. The spot that Shining takes to the right side of his wife is a worn imprint with nothing in it's place.

But Twilight sits at the foot of the steps leading to the throne, setting the tone of just how dire this situation is. Due to my position, I am made to stand beside her. Her friends show a faithful dedication to her left flank. And my dwindled company of guests gather to my right. Despite his wealthy status, Alex settles for the more practical option of a foldable camp chair, his coffee in a steel tumbler as he sits across the way from Twilight.

"So you're saying that they used spears to kill the humans?" I asked. "From what Captain Mosley cited, these guys were brutalized in explosive fashion."

"Apparently they were grenades, from what our reports gathered." The man replies. "Spear shaped grenades, will admit that it's a creative approach to infantry warfare. But considering the intelligence reports from Spike, that means they had this stuff for at least a thousand years. While it's lethal, I figured these guys should be much further along."

"Nondis said the same thing. But he surmised that Ponyland probably had these weapons uncontested for all this time." I respond. "The fact that other nations haven't caught on to this indicates that these weapons and their construction have to be an internalized industrial secret."

"Not a difficult thing to do when you engage in international trade talks with hardly any good faith." Twilight crosses her forelegs, shifting her eyes to Zenobia. "But that's just geopolitics in general."

"Still, something that dangerous can lead to some rather supped up developments in the near future, give or take some improvements. This skirmish would probably be best seen as a sample size of how well their weapons go against what we humans consider as... freshly retired hardware."

"Just the account of what we got from Captain Mosley was enough of a scare. I mean I've heard the term 'rocket spears' being used when I was in Ponyland. But I never really understood their function outside of being a funky looking weapon for the guards to be holding. Now I have a visual."

"A visual of the weapons they ultimately used for hunting dragons and the like?" Rarity asks with a searing glance towards Zenobia.

The foreign princess stands from her seat and summons one of the aforementioned weapons. "Well I have no problems disclosing that they've been used in that application, but also prove effective against the likes of larger threatening creatures as well. To be wholly honest, they were made with the likes of Lord Tirek in mind. The first iterations were simply spears with a tube of saltpeter attached for maximum range. Some just happen to explode upon use, a tragic accident that was a reoccurring issue in it's primitive years. The only difference is that we simply looked to take advantage of that reoccurring accident and make it into a purposeful application."

"That is deeply concerning. But admirable to see that you've made an accidental fault of the weapon into a usable feature for war." Alex nods. "But then again, tragedy always breeds innovation. Continue."

Zenobia holds the spear of her country upon her own self, ensuring that no others but herself could be in any danger. "So as one could predict, they're still made with thrusting and charging in mind throughout the course of a melee. But the real strength in the weapons come from the utilization of saltpeter. What was once a flaw is now it's feature. The powder is packed in from two different places. The first is towards the tip. And you see that the blade of the spear has a number of grooves. These grooves aid in fragmentation upon detonation. The second place where they'll be loaded is the shaft of the spear. Sturdy enough to deal with the wear and tear of melee combat, but also hollow enough to accommodate for a good amount of thrust. The butt of the spear serves as a flintlock mechanism. Slam it, it'll spark off the flint inside and break open the bottom exhaust. When it sparks off, that's your time to throw it away. Or not, and discover the weapons' lethality for your own vested interest."

The human man appears genuinely impressed of it's process and application. "So it's a handheld melee weapon turned to rocket propelled grenade? I'm not even gonna hold you over how cool that is. And I can't shake off how lethal it's proven to be. We got three guys to send home to their folks with no understandable reason for how they got this way."

"It's pretty obvious how they got that way." Hestia replies bluntly.

Alex further explains matters. "What I mean is that these are the only humans that are fully trained to interact with this world. Every last one of them screened extensively and given security clearances in my company's security corps. That's a lot of processing, taking years to program them into nondisclosure agreements, a 99% majority of them being military retirees being reconditioned."

"Not to be callous, as all loss is a tragedy, but I'm sure you've got more of them, don't you?" Amor inquires the human.

"Yeah we have more, but that delves into a very dangerous territory. And the last thing I want to do is blow this thing anymore wide open than it already has."

"Any reason why?" I delve further.

"Because we have an uncle, his name is Sam. And if Uncle Sam starts to get involved, we're looking at some serious trade agreements that will go south, not just for my business, but also every country in this world. Not to mention the fact that our leadership undergoes a seismic change every four years. You don't want part in that."

Hestia also speaks her concern. "To me, our technology seems to be more than suitable enough to be a dangerous problem for your kind. Surely you'd accept the reinforcements?"

Alex shrugs his shoulders as he stands up, coffee in hand. "I don't know if you've noticed, but we are the reinforcements. And while my contract is negligible to the dollars spent in our nation's defense budget, they don't take too kindly to experimental handouts. While our technology is years ahead, we're still dealing with the decommissioned product of our nation's military. The choppers we use were scheduled to be broken down and scrapped. The weapons on them are barely viable by our country's standards. Sure, we have more to use, more guys to use them, but that taps into the reserve that being closely monitored. Deplete that, and we've got some serious eyes on us."

"But what about your forces? Don't they need to replenish their numbers as well?" Twilight asks.

"We've lost a total of eleven good men in this campaign. And of the 250 that landed here, our job is to make this quick before the big boys of your country make it to our shores."

"And that should be pretty easy, right?" Zenobia questions. "With the weapons you have, you should be able to have that done before the end of the week."

"Guerilla warfare doesn't follow the scheduled preconditions of war. It's anything goes. There's no conventions to adhere to, no guidelines, no rules of engagement. It's hit and cripple until you weaken your opponent and hit them hard at their weakest." Alex takes a sip of his coffee. "Since I showed up, our operations have changed from search and destroy, to defend the city, it's citizens, and all our assets. The only reason we sent out scouts this morning was to map our next location for seismic probes. It was set to be a simple mission, didn't turn out that way."

"Then what do you intend on doing?" The foreign alicorn asks. "When Ponyland reaches your shores, what then?"

"We've got choppers ready to go in Manehattan and Baltimare. With their current tech, it shouldn't be much to bring them down from distance with the speed they'll be striking with. There are also outposts with a good amount of men out each way. They've got enough pony reinforcement to hold ground for however long we'll need to relocate some of our forces here to whatever front."

"But if you relocate, what about the citizens here?" Asks Rarity.

"They'll be looked after." Alex's watch vibrates on his wrist, an update pops up from command. "Shit! Sorry, you guys. I need to take away for this one. We got another development, stopped a bombing west of here. Found a heavy cache of gunpowder stacked in barrels near the city stadium. That's our current LZ. They also found another three by the statue down in the main town square."

My eyes shoot open for a moment. "Wait, my statue!?"

"You have a statue?" Zenobia asks with disbelief.

"It seems we're at a precarious security situation, so we'll call a recess." Twilight advises. "We'll reconvene tomorrow, where we'll discuss matters over our country's logistics for the upcoming war. Remember to attend, as these matters are highly imperative."

As everyone starts to split off, Zenobia takes notice of my going after Alex's direction. "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to help survey the situation. Perhaps we can understand what it is we're up against. Motives, connections, methods, anything to get a start on what we can do to prevent this from happening again."

"Darling..." Rarity's voice rings resoundingly throughout the hall. My body seizes in place before I notice a rather thin sapphire thread tugging me by the loop in my collar. She walks up to me, her horn aglow before yanking my head down to meet hers at eye level. She gives a mean glance at the item and grumbles towards me. "You should have already removed this damned thing from off your neck. Why is it still there?"

I'm no stranger to proximity when it comes to her, sometimes she can get so excitable or passionate that personal space doesn't seem to be a practiced concept. However, that growl and her forceful pull on me draws many suppressed thoughts. I swallow those imaginary sins and hope that they aren't received by the second brain below.

Twilight taps me on the back of the head as she approaches. "Either case, Spike, you're not leaving this building under any circumstances outside of leaving back to Ponyville. I'm sure you understand why."

"But what about─"

"But nothing." And yet again, my agency is reduced to a mere command of obedience as the fashionista drags me off with her friends, obviously to part me away from the Ponyland princess. "Now come along, my dear Spikey-wikey. We have much to catch up on."

Twilight pauses for a brief moment, looking to the three guests of international origin. "I'll have our security detail escort you to your rooms. You'll be offered the adequate comforts throughout your stay, and your safety will be assured to the highest degree." Twilight stamps her hoof to the ground, summoning six guards to guide the trio. "Guards, take them to their guest chambers for the time being. Watch them closely, but treat them well."

As Twilight departs, the others have already dragged me further down the hall. In their being escorted to the opposite direction, Amor verbalizes his sister's disappointment. "Probably a bad time to ask for that dress, huh?"

Hestia grimaces. "I think my getting a dress is the least of our worries right now."

After the security scare downtown, the ones responsible for planting the bombs are never found. Investigators continue to place the city under increased surveillance by means of more of those 'drones' in the air. And with all of the avenues covered for our own security, everyone on the castle grounds can take it easy... relatively speaking of course.

The girls abduct me and have me go into detail about my relationship with Zenobia, among the others I've been dragging around. Needless to say I've gained some comparisons to the last mutual romantic interest of like half of the group. Thankfully my situation doesn't come with as many legal caveats as that one, but it does stir some mode of concern from Fluttershy, Pinkie, and Rarity. The latter is especially invested in coaxing me to get my collar removed. Though to be honest, I'm not really too bothered by it because it's been so seldom that Zenobia's used it around the others.

Huh, now that I think on it, Zenobia's wearing one too. And she hasn't taken hers off either.

"Doof!" A sharp yelp grabs my attention as I'm walking. I look down to see Twilight's horn nearly embedded in my chin. I shake off our encounter, as she ruffles her wings and clears her throat. "At least watch where you're going, Spike."

"Sorry." I apologize flatly, maneuvering around her and moving past.

But her magic snags me at the spear of my tail. "Now hold on. You're not just gonna walk through me like that. We still need to talk."

"I thought we weren't discussing anything official until tomorrow." I recall.

"And? I'm trying to talk to you about what you're doing now. Like dragging that mare around! Do you seriously think that Zenobia is any good to keep around when you know what she's done to you? She's still a threat!"

"She does what I say willingly, that's more than what I could say for most. She's already had her lecture in the form of Celestia slapping her so fiercely that she was bed-ridden for several days with blisters. She's endured the chaos of Ember for a week, she's showing herself as a fairly decent communicator in terms of international matters, and she's even clued us in on their weapons. Hell, the one who's supplying the cultists is Zenobia's youngest brother in the line of succession. That's valuable intel that we can't get from our sources anywhere!"

"Okay, I'll admit that the information on their weapons is useful, and the intel that she's providing is more than just that. But you could have done without the extra attendance."

I roll my eyes at her. "Oh for fuck's sake. Are you still upset that I dragged Amor along too?"

"Obviously!" She confirms. "I don't understand why you keep pushing him as though something is going to happen between us. It's not."

"The reason I brought him with is because you two need to talk. And I don't mean exchanging unrequited looks and half-ass retorts. I need for you to talk to him, and have him understand why it is that you will not accept his advances. Constantly putting your answers onto someone else like a courier pigeon is just grade-school bullshit. You're old enough to know that the consequences of your actions, or lack thereof, have lasting implications."

The purple mare scoffs back at me. "I'm throwing him hints. What more do I need to do?"

"Tell him how you fucking feel." I respond slowly.

"Ugh!"

"Twilight, not everyone can understand 'hints'. I work with hints because I worked around you girls all the time. Applejack's a workaholic, she overworks herself when knows there's something fucking with her mental, and other than that she's a straight shooter. Rainbow Dash angrily denies being a vulnerable mare when she obviously is, and she will fly herself into a tailspin before telling you what's got her feeling feminine. Fluttershy will politely imply that what she wants is the exact opposite of her calm and quiet nature because she has a whole-ass wild side that not even Discord seems to be able to tame to completion. Pinkie Pie will jokingly tell you a serious issue that's on her mind and then pretend that she never said it the moment you double back to it. Rarity is a hopeless romantic who's interests all like someone else in the group, so she trauma dumps on me with every tub of ice cream in her fridge, and I, being the suck-ass simp for her, will sit down and listen until she feels better and treats me like I'm one of her vibrators; Getting her emotional rocks off before snapping back to post-dump clarity and shoving me back in her nightstand drawer. And you are an OCD fanatic with a fairy-tale fetish for males sweeping you off your feet, namely two human males who apparently don't dare to show a mutual interest because they got their own shit going on. I'm brought up knowing the games you six play, it's helped me deal with others accordingly. Amor wasn't brought up around mares, he was brought up around a male-dominated lineage, his brothers. No such thing as catching hints."

"Is that all you think of me? That I'm just some misled mare who enjoys being emotionally disappointed with every other passing weekend? Do you even─" The purple mare stops herself, her magic subsides the grip of my tail, and she looks away from me. "Look, there's a reason why I keep him at a distance, I don't exactly find myself being excited to talk with him, and I personally elect to never see him. So why is it that I have to spell it out even further for him?"

"Because not every relationship is a book, Twilight. You tried throwing hints the first time, and it produced miscommunication. I'm sure you remember your ex, he didn't take to 'hints' too well either. You tried to communicate one thing, but then you find out that you can't get through because he sees the context differently. Not everyone is like a male protagonist in one of your books."

"Don't you think I know that already?" Twilight looks back at me. "Do you seriously think I haven't tried to see other ponies? There are a lot of things I never tell you, and it's because it's my problem."

"But if you have a problem with someone, then it should be your issue to discuss it with them. When you play games with ponies, you never know how they get hurt. You playing games with Amor is like the stupid games Rarity played with me."

"Like Rarity, to you? I never used Amor for anything!" She counters.

"No, but the emotional neglect is just as bad as using someone's emotions to your benefit. You can't let someone give up their life and get nothing in return. And you can't just laugh it off either, demeaning their interests for small comments and little jokes."

She turns away from me. "...It's not that simple."

"Okay. Nothing is. That's not an excuse." I say as I finally walk away from her. "There is no excuse for what you do. Just be honest for once."

Twilight watches as I disappear further down the hall. "You wouldn't want me to be honest."

Later that evening...

Having been shown their room, the Ponyland trio lounge about with growing disinterest in their inability to go out and explore the town. While the room does share some nice amenities in contrast to any generic hotel, their tastes are already spoiled by the beds they've been made to lay in for the past few weeks. And much to the dismay of Zenobia, not one visit from the Royal Friendship Advisor brightens up her disposition.

In their boredom, they point out the things about their room, as well as the apparent conditions of their stay. "Wow. High ceilings, almost feels like home." Amor comments.

"Yeah... it's pretty unforgiving that they've thrown us in here and not wanting us to leave." Hestia points out. "It's like we're being held as prisoners in a lavish dungeon fitted for a king."

"Dungeon is right." Zenobia complains as she shifts in her bed, trying to prop her pillow underneath her hip to make herself feel some level of comfort that she's already missing. "Ugh, these beds are horrible. And of course I'd blame the pet for having such lavish comforts."

"It's funny how Smolder gets to wander off after yelling in a human's face over his clear emotional distress. But we walk in with kindness and well-meaning, and they throw us in here like we're criminal dignitaries." Hestia grumbles as she takes her pillow and juggles it off of her hind hoof. "Seriously, how in the world did you and Sir Fencer deal with this kind of treatment, Amor?"

"Actually, this does seem pretty familiar to that."

"It's always like that when you're involved!" The pegasus princess replies. "The announcement Zenobia made, we were offsite for that. You were held in a room and kept in confinement throughout your capture by Equestrian forces, and now here we are again. I seriously think that Princess Twilight is trying to throw you an egregiously blatant message."

"No mistake about it, it is pretty discouraging to be treated like this." He sighs. "But... as long as I can keep hope, I'll be able to reach through to her."

"Hopeless is what you are." The alicorn bluntly retorts.

"Zenobia!" Hestia angrily calls out.

"Oh, so I actually try to be nice enough to tell him the truth, and I'm somehow the villain. Oh that makes so much sense."

"Not that I'm one for this kind of approach, but you are being a bitch today."

"Don't care!" She dismisses callously. "If you know me, then you shouldn't be surprised by this."

The pegasus mare pouts in return. "Yeah, you know what, I completely agree. I do know you. I also know that you're playing the splendid reenactment of your mom."

The alicorn closes her eyes, slowly creaking her head towards the pegasus, her horn not quite coming to a full magic glow, but running pink with a thin aura thick with dangerous magics. "Come again?"

Amor jumps in the middle of the two immediately. "Hey! Can we not do this right now!?"

Hestia smirks back at her indignant sibling. "What are you getting so worried about, Amor!? She just said she doesn't care! So by definition, she shouldn't care if I say that her scowling face is just about as bad as her sorry excuse of her late mater ramus! At least she's grown so well acquainted with doing one's makeup so she'd hide a lot of her flaws, just like her good old mother used to do! Though I wouldn't be too surprised if she didn't think to really cake it on to hide those crows wandering all over her face!"

"Oh how it feels to be wanted, something you'll never get to experience because you've sold yourself on a silly foalhood crush that continues to go unrealized because of a glaring fact; The dead can't get it up for you!"

"OKAY, THAT'S ENOUGH!" The young prince shouts to the top of his lungs, demanding peace. He even goes as far as to levitate the two on opposing sides of the room. The strain of his magical output causes him to stagger for a moment and pant heavily in part of the growing migraine. "Can you two just act like functioning adults, please!?"

As a silence comes over the room, a knock sounds at the door.

The prince unburdens an exasperated breath, chiding the pair. "There are ponies out there who can hear what's going on in here. So I would like to be the one to point out that our private business is not some hot scoop the world can take up and sell for profit. Meaning our country is a shit show doesn't mean that we should act as the clowns here!"

While Hestia takes a moment to contain herself, Zenobia threatens her lesser brother. "You have about five seconds to put me down gently before I use the top of your head as a mop."

The young prince snaps back at his elder sibling. "You have embarrassed me the most. You embarrass everyone. And I find it a miracle that Spike has elected to keep you around." The alicorn rolls her eyes away from him as he continues. "Quite frankly, you would be much better off finding some other purpose than to leech on him like some parasite. And if you don't believe me, you can keep going about and find out for yourself just how draining you truly are." Obeying his sister's request, he places her down on her bed gently and walks toward the door. "Now I am going to answer whoever's knocking, and you two are going to be silent and cordial for the rest of the night! Have I made myself clear?"

The alicorn clicks her tongue at her lesser brother. "And you think you have some authority in that timid voice of yours? You sound like you're on the verge of crying. At least grab some tissues before you answer that door and let whatever miserable guard see you being as weak as you are."

"You are positively insufferable." The young prince answers as he yanks the door open.

"Great... now we agree on way more than I'd like to think on." Much to his surprise, the one who knocks reveals to be none other than the high princess of Equestria herself.

Amor's cheeks flush red with a rich nonplus expression. "Princess Twilight, I─"

The tall mare suspires with reluctance and a brunt desire to conclude matters. "I take it I'm not interrupting something important?"

The prince slicks his mane back and quickly changes his disposition to greet her. "Not at all. Just sibling matters, mediating can be a bit difficult at times. I'm sure you understand."

"That I do, more than most." Twilight mutters. "Actually, I need to have a word with you."

"With..." The prince's ears almost elicits a crimson glow as the blood rouses throughout his body. "Me?"

"Try not to get too excited." She replies with pursed lips.

He straightens his posture and clears his throat. "Oh, ahem, right. Then, I will be honored to share discussion of diplomatic matters with you."

"Actually, my issue is a personal one." She clarifies.

The prince swallows the lump in his throat. "P-personal?"

"Just... walk with me for a bit. And please maintain a distance."

Author's Note

To be continued...

Chapter 59: Reading Relations

Walking down the quiet halls of the castle, the heavier hoofsteps of Twilight seem to dominate that of the smaller Amor. His presence is clearly half of hers, both in sound and shape, The purple mare glances over to see the prince, walking with a nervous turn away, his inside hind leg picking up and staying raised for a considerable limp. His cheeks are a rose red as he tries to hide his youthful excitement.

Twilight takes notice, her eyes buck wide for a moment to quietly acknowledge that the young prince appears to be very well-endowed. A vulgar string of swears jolts across the forefront of her mind before she shakes her head to distract herself from the bumbling mass of meat serving as a quinary leg. "So."

The prince takes notice of her occasionally distracted gaze and lingers a little further behind to unwittingly hide behind a bust of her brother. "Sorry." In the process of his trying to stay concealed, his eyes fall to the plaque with the emperor's name on it. His embarrassment is magnified even further. "I just never thought I'd get the chance to speak to you actually."

The princess sits herself, folding her forelegs as she avoids looking at him altogether. "Well..." She begins slowly. "Spike pulled at my tail hard enough, and now I'm here... speaking to you."

"Tail pulls are rather painful." The prince lightly jests. "I hope he didn't leave any bruises."

"I'm tougher than I look. I can handle a bit of punishment."

His intrusive thoughts string towards his current state of awkward arousal. "I'm sure of it." He slaps himself to course correct his own words. "Is everything okay with you, your highness?"

Seeing the extremes he's going through to maintain a cordial approach brings a slight chuckle to the mare, at least before the present circumstances compile in her mind. She can already imagine Cadance trying to cheer her towards the young prince and his earnest show of approval. "Hardly."

"Unfortunate." He says as he settles for keeping his forelegs planted closely to his chest and undercarriage, hiding himself from the world's view. He tries to distract himself from the arousal by indulging in a sobering topic. "I know my current display is hardly the show for it, but I apologize on behalf of my nation for what's taking place."

"You're a lesser blood. I know you don't have much of a say in what your country does." Twilight points out.

"You're right about that." He says. Hearing the mention of his inferior status leaving her lips does much to quell his state of firmness. "Not that anything I do would matter in the first place. My father has made certain of that."

"I beg to differ." She rebuts. "You could've stayed in Ponyland, avoided all of this. Why didn't you?"

"Long story, actually." He begins to say before reeling back his words, not wanting to go into detail of his family history. "My older brother would probably roll over in his grave if I did stay. I mean there was some part of me that looked forward to going back home, but a lot of me wasn't as eager."

"Any reason why?"

In the moment of her inquiry, his eyes replayed the stress of being stood over by Xerxes upon his arrival in the throne room, the whispers spoken down to him as his chin was held in place before a unrequited lean was subsided by curious eyes. "There are reasons... I just can't say."

"Is your life in danger?" She questions.

The memory of an inebriated Xerxes stumbling into his room reignites discomfort. "In a way, yes."

"Assassination, maybe?"

The passing memory of his elder brother squirming on the ground replays in his mind. "I don't think so. But then again, not every threat has to be a lethal one." It plays out to the last second his brother's limbs twitch to a fading responsiveness.

"Does your father abuse you?"

A cloudy visual recalls the moment of an intervention, a scowling mare cursing at him for his presence. All while she was sent away to convene with others, the emperor barreled a glare of penance towards the young colt that he was. "My father doesn't care for me. He never did. The only time I was ever rebuked was when I was younger, that was like nine years ago."

For a moment, the mare's approach softens considerably as she starts to identify certain responses and his corresponding glances away from her. "How old were you then?"

A silence festers for a small window of time. "I was... I was ten."

"You seemed to be greatly formed from that experience. Should I... kinda veer elsewhere?"

"...Yeah." He whispers. "It would mean a lot."

Twilight nods with a bit of guilt starting to hang on her shoulders for the manner of how she's treated him and his enthusiastic advances. "So... why me?"

"Huh?"

"I mean it, why me? It's not like I'm asking this out of arrogance, but I'm just curious as to why you just took one glance at me from the world conference two years ago and said 'yup, that's the one'... or something like that."

"I'll admit, it was a first sight thing." He replies with a light chuckle. "Just the way you handled Xerxes then was pretty inspiring. I never knew there were world leaders who would actively show that kind of steadfastness. I was impressed."

"So you just took that and ran? How did you know I was even a good mare to begin with? You don't even know me."

The young prince loosens his forelegs, feeling confident that he's back into being well-hidden. "I guess at the time I was just reacting to you. Then I started to do my research on you, your beliefs, your discoveries in magic, your heroic accomplishments, your attention to detail. I pretty much started falling right then and there."

"Yeah, I can tell you don't know the first thing about me." Twilight replies with a scoff.

"Well... not personally. But I was told a few things."

The mare cuts her eyes to the ebony-shaded prince. "Well whoever told you what you think you know, you can go on ahead and dismiss them and whatever they said."

The young prince remembers the conversations that he and Nondis had the night out at sea. Wanting to verify if his playbook is still valid, he brings up a topic of interest that she couldn't contain her passion on. "You know, I actually enjoy reading 'The Pillager's Providence'. It's a fairly good mystery novel of trying to understand who among the tribe is the active traitor selling them out."

"That twist at the end was pretty meh." Almost as though a switch has been flipped, Twilight dives head-first into the discussion of the story. "The fact that it was the forager's apprentice was such an easy catch."

"Yeah, I was rather disappointed towards the end. Had it been the baker, it would've made for such good writing. But the build up, the tension, the journey I feel was what made the experience an unforgettable read."

"If you want the unexpected, you should read The Broken Alter. It's about a priest discovering an illicit affair taking place behind the walls of the abbey."

The corners of the prince's mouth turn downward. "I've started that one some time ago. But then when I realized what direction the romance was going into, I fell out of it. A devout archdeacon with a fatal attraction for a teenage castrati in the abbey choir isn't quite hiding the abusive undertones. Granted, the archdeacon was being blackmailed into the relationship, but I'm not interested."

Twilight's ears sharpen upwards with abject disbelief. "What!? That's the good part! The taboo of it all is so captivating, so risky! The story is so deep and dangerous, you can't help but to keep going to see how it all falls apart! You got out of it just when it started getting good!"

"I'm sorry. I'm just..." He looks away from the excited mare. "...Not interested."

"Ugh! That was such a good read! I could be on all night talking about what happened when the clergymare discovers the hidden journal behind the─" The overeager princess plugs her mouth closed with her hoof, realizing that he hadn't gone that far into the story. "You know what, I can't spoil that for you."

"I wouldn't mind it." The prince replies.

"Well too bad, you'll have to read it or it's your loss!" She mocks.

A smile starts to weave itself onto the stallion's lips. "Now I will say that I do enjoy a feel-good adventure. Something that makes me forget about the world I'm in at times. You know how it can be."

"Oh, so you're an escapist reader." Twilight groans, not of disgust but of the idea that he didn't seem the type to be so invested in surface-level material.

"Come on now, don't you have moments where you just like to turn off your brain and let your mind go along for the ride? I think it's fun, much better than trying to be serious all the time."

"Oh gosh." Twilight rolls her eyes at that thought.

"Okay then, miss-dark-and-dangerous. You tell me what you like." He cuts his eyes back to her with a sarcastic tone.

"I like my stories with weight and consequences, relationships that have twists and winding turns, sometimes tragic endings."

"Why tragic?" He asks.

"It's just a thing I like, I feel I relate to it more."

"You relate to tragedies?"

"Not like in the character death type of thing, but more like when a long-built relationship gets undone by some external factors, followed by the main character having their moment to get their feelings out there. Maybe they find hope for the future, or maybe they're doomed to relive their failures in varying ways." The purple mare glances back to the prince. "It's pretty normal to have that ending. And I feel that if I could meet each of those characters, we could all learn something from one another, you know?"

"I suppose that could be a great thing, to interact with the characters you love reading up on." Amor replies. "If I had to meet a character, I'd like to see one from a fantasy world. Can you imagine a place without magic, where technology is the primary solution to all of equinity's problems? Like a world without magic, how would the sun and moon operate!? How do they get their days, their nights, their weather!? So many unknowns, and yet technology is capable of seeing them through,! The main character of that world, that's what I would kill to meet."

"You meet those all the time, they're called humans." Twilight replies.

"Really, they don't have magic?"

"None. There is no magic in their world at all."

"But what about the two that were in the castle? That one specialist of yours and Mr. Nondis? They have magic."

"Those two are special cases. They were bearers of the elements."

The brief image of the six human statues in Corrotto Square rings true to his mind. "Right, the Elements of Harmony." Yet another image flashes in his mind, the orange dragoness and the turquoise changeling. "I know that Spike did say that Ocellus and Smolder were element bearers."

"They still are." She replies. "And I'm sure that's the reason why he'd invite those two to come by this weekend."

"Well he also alluded to that too."

Twilight tilts her head with a quiet curiosity. "Huh, so did Spike also allude to the idea of bringing you along?"

"Surprisingly, I didn't know anything about this until today when he invited me and the others to come along."

"Figures that you haven't been as persistent." She points out. "Normally when you expect a visit, you tend to let that build for some time and imagine the things you'd do or say to win someone over, carefully planning your approach and appearance. It's typical of many to act that way when infatuated, I'm no stranger to that practice."

The prince's cheeks warm to a rosy complexion with a few implied thoughts. "I'm sure... we all are."

Twilight looks over to the young prince and smirks. "Actually, you're not that bad. I see why Spike has been trying to push us together."

The prince hiccups on a choke of air, his head snapping to the princess beside him. A brilliant shine fills his eyes as he feels a warmth grow in his belly, but that quickly subsides back into embarrassment as he feels himself growing excited in other ways. "You do?"

Twilight can easily see the issue he's hiding and glances off to avoid staring. "I mean it would be feasible... but..." She clears her throat and finally confesses her thoughts. "Amor, I don't know you. And because I don't know you is why I don't trust you. I don't understand the system you're brought up with, I don't like the religion of your country, I don't like how your country hunts other creatures outside of ponies, I don't like how everyone else in your family seems to stir confrontation at the first thought, I don't like idiots who can't take hints, and especially I don't like anyone who seems to have a playbook on how to get my attention, especially when I don't know or can't trust them." The alicorn grimaces with an added breathy comment. "It makes me feel like I'm being tossed around like a sample platter."

The young prince looks to the ground in shame. "I... I can understand that."

"Like I know that I have some level of emotional codependence, I'm not shying away from that! But if I want that to be fulfilled, it has to be someone I've gotten to know or grow into, someone I can trust! You just simply show up at my front door with flowers asking if I could be interested! And to be honest, I wouldn't see myself doing that with the comfort of knowing that I wouldn't just jump right to the physical part like some teenage filly in heat! Like I get it, you're good looking, you act nice, and you're packing some serious ordinance! But if I told you all of that, spent one night pretending you were someone else, would you really be satisfied!?"

The prince's forelegs presses tighter against himself. "For you, I'd be whatever you want me to be. Just as long as I get the chance to be with you and call you mine, I'll be more than happy with that."

"And that's another issue." Twilight frowns deeply towards the flustered young stallion. "I don't need you to be anyone else, I don't need you to be so low on your own stock. Like what confidence can I look to have in you when you have none for yourself? What could you say to encourage me when I turn to you, and you can't even look at a mirror with any sense of pride? At least pretend to be firm on yourself instead of showing me that! Like seriously, fight back!"

The prince's eyes widen at her words, a scathing rebuke of his character from the very mare who he harbors his fondest affections for. His eyes continue to turn downward as he hears more of her valid criticisms.

"The timing of all of this is pretty terrible anyways. Like seriously, I am the ruler of a nation at war, a war which your nation has started. Your family has literally ignited the powder keg of violence that has resulted in hundreds dead, thousands injured, including my sister-in-law being placed in intensive care! That leaves me with a brother who has to pick up the pieces while defending his home, and a niece who's innocence is all but devastated. Tell me, what part of that should I be willing to accept?"

The prince admits defeat. "None of it."

Twilight shakes her head, taking her leave from the ebony stallion. "You know, somewhere inside you have the confidence to stand up to almost everyone for anyone else..." She looks to the prince one last time. "But you don't stand up for yourself enough, especially when power is involved. I'm already twice your size in both height and weight, and eight years your senior. What makes you think you can take me on when you don't believe in yourself enough to do it?"

She walks down the hall, not turning back another time to see the prince shrink in her passing view. Amor feels himself shrink against his legs, knowing that his approach was unappealing for the mare to see him as anything but a nuisance. He walks the opposite way, hearing a fading comment from the purple mare.

"All the hardware in the world, with nothing attached. I don't need that anymore."

Sitting in the silence of the room, both Zenobia and Hestia look away from one another, neither wanting to engage with the other. Zenobia grumbles with discomfort as she squirms in place, thinking of the dragon that she's been denied access to. Hestia remains silent as she reads an acclaimed romance novel. Her attention is fully divested in the characters that can't seem to clarify their feelings for one another, the frustration building in her mind as she reads up on how the two lovebirds can't seem to remember their foalhood promise to one another.

"Nnngh... Seriously? Can you not see that this is the guy you fell in love with when you were a kid!? Why do you have to be so stupid!?"

The alicorn huffs out a puff of air in frustration. "Spoiler alert, she goes for his best friend."

Hestia shrieks as she sets the book aside. "SERIOUSLY! DO YOU HAVE TO RUIN MY STORY!?"

"It's not even the main twist! It's just some shit that happens about a third of the way through. You're a member of imperial royalty, learn to fucking skim the pages already."

"Not everyone has a perfect ability to speed read past the finer details! Nor am I that impatient to where I sacrifice the small moments for big reveals!" The pink mare groans. "Always looking for the instant gratification, never satisfied in being patient!"

"I like what I like, and I don't like to wait. So fuck you, you pompous bitch."

"Sir Spike should've just left you in Foalsom, don't even know why he carried you on the ship."

"Oh I'm sorry, I haven't yet discovered how to not have unicorn magic and still accomplish the anatomical feat of burning milk!"

"THAT WAS ONCE!"

The door opens, the two finally remain silent as they watch Amor walk into the room. He staggers past the door, barely closing it behind him. His eyes never leave the ground as he trudges towards the bathroom. Zenobia sees his slow lumbering and comments on him. "You look pathetic. I take it your crush didn't let you down too easy."

Hestia questions him, glaring back towards the albino alicorn for her crass approach. "You okay? How did it go?"

"Good news, I know what books she likes to read. Bad news... I never had a chance." He replies, giving off a brief chuckle of disbelief. "I guess I should go take a shower, wash all this ugly off of me."

"You're not─"

"Leave him be!" Zenobia shouts down a concerned Hestia and commanding Amor. "Go in there and wash that face of yours, you're already gonna be all doom and gloom for the weekend, might as well be clean."

Amor trots to the bathroom, halfway closing the door behind him. The shower instantly comes on. Hestia leers back to the seemingly dismissive mare. "You are─"

"Let him have at it. He's just coming to grips with what I've been seeing of him."

"Oh!? And what's that?"

"A lack of confidence is the first thing a mare sees. You should know that more than anyone." As she finishes her explanation, sounds of sniffles come from within the bathroom, a sharp juxtaposition against the white noise of the perpetually running shower. Hestia's ears fall flat with sadness for her brother. "Chasing after his brother's ghost, gaining nothing but losing himself, Xerxes' antics, losing his main protector and friend, it ends all the same."

"Poor Amor."

The alicorn walks over to the bathroom door, closing it fully so that the cries of the stallion are lessened. "I know you mean well in his case, but you can't shield him from the truth. Sure he needs help, but more importantly he needs to discover for himself what he's made of, and how to have confidence in what he knows and does. Without any of that, he'll never be seen as anything outside of a nice rug to step all over." The mare trots back to her bed, pulling the covers over herself. "You can't protect him from growth, only from himself."

A mournful wail sounds behind the closed door, leaving the two mares to remain in silence for the remainder of the night.

The Next Morning...

Having stayed the night in a hotel further in town, Ocellus and Smolder spends much of the dew-kissed morning in the presence of the crystal equines, the denizens of the city who harbor mixed feelings for the humans inhabiting many of their social spaces for military operations. Many accept it, some with exuberance, but others hold valid concerns that these places where they occupy will be seen as targets. And while the relief efforts have proven substantial, the signs and symptoms of hearing how many humans have lost their lives in service grows unease amongst their ranks. And some have made it known that the smaller equines put them on edge because of their inability to tell the difference of who is friend or foe.

Both Ocellus and Smolder take an early morning out and about, obtaining many of these accounts for their own perspectives. In their passing through town, many of the notable tourist attractions are under heavy watch by the occupying humans. Parents grab their foals to sometimes prevent interaction with the lanky creatures. Adolescents approach them, making unfair comparisons to the most notable of their ilk; the retired captain who's built a legacy on achieving the impossible. Some of the humans shrug off their tales as fantasy, others show fatigue in what they perceive as a propagandized lie to make them look bad.

In their journey, the two make their way back to the castle, trying to reach out for Spike. But they are held up by the sound and sensations of rumbling stomachs. The changeling stays behind, watching as the morning fly-by's hastily bust the clouds above. In watching the air-bound equines break the obstructions to the morning's light, a light poke gets her attention. Smolder hands her a white paper bag. "I brought you a fruit salad and yogurt with crumbled oats. Saturday special."

"Aw, you always get me." She says as she's hugged and given a kiss on the cheek.

Smolder takes out her own breakfast, a steaming hot cherry strudel with a side of emeralds. She glances around the street, noting how little ponies walk the avenue leading towards the castle. "I know we've been here once or twice before, but never did I imagine seeing the streets being so empty."

"Everyone's afraid. I don't blame them."

As she makes that observation, a pair of humans on patrol walk by. They seem to be on the younger side of the many stationed. They warmly greet the female pairing. "Good morning."

Smolder nods back at them with a wave. "At least some humans have manners." She turns back to see Ocellus hardly touching her food. "What's the matter?"

"I just... I just don't know anymore." She confesses as she watches the two that walked past, their greeting more of the other denizens that they run across. "I thought that I'd feel some hatred towards humans, but then when we went to their world, they were the nicest creatures we ever ran into. Now when they cross over, it's like they change, they just feel so cold, so distant... so cruel at times."

"That Alex guy, I don't like him too much." Smolder adds.

The changeling gives pause to the man mentioned. "To me, he seems the coldest. Everything about him makes my changeling instinct scream 'fight or flight'. And the fact that he was there to help kill off my species is more than enough to validate that. I know that Thorax doesn't like him either."

Smolder, seeing that Ocellus is hardly touching anything, elects to feed her the bits of fruit personally. The changeling opens her mouth to receive the sweet offering. "I remember when we attended the wedding from last year's Summer Sun Celebration, King Thorax never said much to the groom, but spoke often to Celestia. I wonder if that was a huge factor in his not allowing human technology to fester as much as it has with the changelings as it did with other creatures."

"It is." She confirms mid chew. "I just don't know how to accept the idea of those humans getting killed. Some part of me wants to celebrate... but then I look back to Celestia and see how happy she is with her husband. If I wanted to see the ones responsible for that pain suffer the most, then she'd lose out on that. If justice was done like it should've been, then I'm sure we'd have a necroterrorist still wandering the streets of Canterlot. Some of our most modern conveniences come from their world... facilitated by the one who didn't think twice of wiping out my kind, or killing my sister."

"And it doesn't help that Spike just quietly placated like he did. Even if that pilot didn't mean it, it was still said. He knew it was wrong to say it, and he still did it anyways." The dragoness gives an exhausted sigh. "Great how we came for a friendship summit surrounded by weapons of war, we could've just stayed home and played around with each other like usual."

Ocellus smiles as she nuzzles into the dragoness before her. "I know we both want attention from Spike, but I'm more than just glad that you're here with me. You came first, after all."

"Yeah, keep the mush down, you lousy lovebug. We're still in public." Smolder replies as she gently kisses the changeling on her forehead. Her eyes shift away, looking down the road to the towering castle. "Sometimes I wonder about him. Spike's really starting to lose his balance here. I understand there's a lot you try to do to keep international relations harmonious, but why does it have to be at the cost of personal stuff?"

"I think that's what Gabby was always on about. Think we should talk to him, try to help him out some?"

"I'd say yeah. Maybe it would cheer him up a bit if we did." The orange dragoness replies before something passes by them, immediately grabbing her attention. A human sits in a wheelchair, pushed along by another one of his ilk. On his face appears a distant gaze into infinity. "Hey... Olla?"

"I'm looking where you are right now." The changeling mare responds, gazing at the bandaged legs of the human sat in the wheelchair. "Usually they'd walk everywhere on their legs. But that one's not walking, and I don't see much of it's legs either."

"A human in a wheelchair. Never thought I'd see that one." The man's distant leer drifts to the direction of the interspecies couple, prompting Smolder to look back off.

Catching the recoil of the two creatures trying not to stare, the soldier looks down at his missing legs. "You're good, bro. We'll just get you back home so you can get fitted. Right after that, you can go right back to running your life how you want it to be. It's not the end of your life, it's just the first day of your new one."

"I must be a joke to them." He comments. "Lo and behold the mighty man, who no longer has his legs."

"Hey man, enough. I told you we're gonna get you to the boss for your waivers for your medical. Then you go home, get your prosthetics measured out, and you'll be fine." The assistant continues to reassure the injured soldier of his outlook.

"They're staring at me."

"They're not staring, bro. They're probably not used to us being around." The assistant replies.

"Every time we go somewhere, you know we hear that bullshit story of the human who did the impossible and saved the world. I wonder if he's even alive right now." The wounded soldier mumbles. "If he's still around, why the hell hasn't he pulled some miracle out of his ass and helped us?"

"I think we need to take your mind off of that. It's just some stupid story the locals spun up."

"You ever think he felt our pain, know our loss? Some hero he is to let all of this shit happen."

"Hey!" The assistant interjects. "Can it. Let's get you cleared by the boss so we can get you out of here."

"Yeah." He says as he glances back to the interspecies pair silently shifting their attention to and away from him. "They're staring at me again."

"Dude, relax─"

"Bro, I know what I'm seeing." The man replies angrily. "They're staring at me. They ain't gonna stop staring either."

"Fine. I'll go over there and deal with it and okay." He flicks the brakes on the wheelchair and leaves him on the other side of the road. In doing so, he walks over to the dragon and changeling with a polite greeting. "Good morning to you both."

Ocellus sees the smaller firearm at the human's waist and grows sheepish. She looks towards Smolder, who speaks out for her. "Morning. Anything we can help you with?"

"Actually yeah. My friend over there's been pretty down because he lost his legs early yesterday morning. Now he's kinda hard on himself for how it happened, and... you know." The man shrugs as he tries to word his request in a way that doesn't offend. "So, he's a bit self-conscious right now and he thinks everybody's staring at him. Now I know you two are your own kind, but could you help me out a bit and look the other way for a quick sec?"

Smolder, already feeling a bit attacked by the request, argues back in return. "So what, your guy messes around and now he's wanting the world he's not even a part of to placate to him?"

Ocellus sees another soldier briskly walking up to the man in the wheelchair, she lightly tugs on Smolder's tail. "Let's just do what he says. We don't want trouble─"

"AAH! SONOFABITCH!"

The assistant immediately turns around to see a bit of a scuffle taking place between one of the soldiers and the wounded man. The soldier looking to help the legless man seizes up and moves slowly with his hands raised, his right hand appears bloodied from a vicious bite. "What the─"

The man in the wheelchair points the standard issue M17 towards the man offering his assistance, the very same man he maimed. The assistant calls out from across the street, trying to reason with the hyperventilating man. "Paulmann, put that down!"

"You guys wanna see some shit! Oh I'll show you some shit!" He hollers out as he quickly mouths the barrel of the firearm.

"PAULMANN!"

*PLECK*

The man's arms files taught against his chest, the stubbed limbs of his legs stretch taught, and the weight of his body listing to his right unbalances his wheelchair, causing him to land against the ground. A weak gargle sounds from within his throat, blood slowly pools around his head from out of his mouth and nose. Slowly, his body eases into a relaxed posture, never to move on it's own accord again.

The assistant appears to signal that he's about to pull his hair out, but recants and contorts out of his own discomfort. "Son of a... Paulmann."

Other guards and soldiers come from around the square, hearing the gunshot ring loudly in the area, "What happened!?"

The newly injured soldier gives his account. "Paulmann bit me, took my gun, shot himself."

The assistant immediately runs over to help, trying to do what he can to help offer the dead man whatever dignity they could afford to give him for the time being. "Jesus Christ... Notify command. We need an angel wing evac for one more. Tell them to make room."

Both the two girls, who were attempting to avert their eyes before, could barely do so at the current sight. Ocellus's stomach turns as she covers her mouth with abject horror. "Smolder... what did we just see?"

The dragon quietly replies. "We need to get back to the castle. Like, now."

Meanwhile in the Castle...

"Wow, so they really did all of that shit to you while you were there?"

"Yeah, pretty macabre." I tell Alex, regaling him of my story of visiting Ponyland, all while we have a quick round of target practice using bb guns. "I didn't think that he would go that far, but then again, he hauled me in a cage on the way to their castle."

"Yeah, that couldn't have been me." He chuckles as he takes a few shots of a paper target across the room. "The fact that they did all of that should've been your first sign to let the prince go and haul your ass back out."

"You know, that was the plan. But..."

"But what?" He asks, walking over to the paper and pulling his result.

"Well, let's just say crazy ran into me and demanded that I stick my dick in her if I wanted to live."

The man laughs at my response. "Oh wow! This iteration of 'crazy' seems interesting. What does she look like?"

"She looks like she does demonstrations for exploding spears."

"Ah, gotcha. That'll do it, that'll do it alright." He nods sagely as he places a new target sheet up. "So she kept you there, and how?"

"Drugs, sex, promises of better security against her brothers, that sort of deal."

"And you just took that?" He quirks a brow at me.

"Yeah, hence why you see this collar on my neck." I point out.

"Why don't you just take it off?"

"Tried to. Rest of my body falls numb each time I reach for it. It's imbued with spells that notify the owner of my intentions to remove it, it numbs the nerves throughout my body, I fall limp in seconds. And from there, she dictates what happens to me."

"Not you being a forced sub." Alex responds. "And she's not taking it off either, is she?"

"She's made no such attempt to this point."

"I could just cut it off for you." He offers.

I wince at his proposition. "That would risk me getting paralyzed. Plus I need her to stay docile for long enough to make some stuff happen in the political theater. Maybe I could tilt the tide in my favor and have her play as the regent of Ponyland, turn their whole system inside out."

"And you believe she'll do that?"

"It's my dick that's making it happen thus far." I shrug.

The man shakes his head in shame. "Damn, I feel like a terrible influence."

"For what?" I ask. "It ain't you going for rounds with some lade who's double your age."

"That part, no. But the rest, yeah." He elaborates, handing me the faux weapon to try my own skill. "I had a playbook in high school, please the girls and take advantage of their connections for better hookups. Nondis tried my playbook, didn't work very well in our world, but it worked wonders here. And now he's got you working that same format."

I take aim at the paper and fire off a few shots. "Politics is a game of take and give. It's just that this one is a little more giving than taking."

The man takes notice of my stance, as well as my fairly concentrated groupings. "Ah, you're improving. Back when you first started you could barely use your sights, and you kept your weapon too far away from your chest. Now it's like you have the confidence to make the shot."

"I learned from one of the best." I lightly bow back to him.

He laughs at my humbling gesture. "You can say that, but there are a lot of these guys who can blow me clean out of the water."

"Yeah, but did they help save two worlds in a week?" I ask.

"No, they didn't quite do that." He answers with a smirk.

"Then take that and run with it. That's something you've got over them. Hell, I'm willing to bet that none of them would even be here to help if it wasn't for what you and the others had done back then. I'm sure their families would be going through nightmares and horrors untold."

"Yeah, point taken." He replies with a sobering sigh.

As he walks over to grab my marksmanship results, the door swings open with both Smolder and Ocellus entering the room with urgency. "Hey Spike!" Ocellus shrieks as she looks at me. Smolder's eyes widen before she puts on the speed to knock the bb gun from out of my claws. "PUT THAT THING DOWN NOW!"

While the smack was considerably painful, I'm more in surprise by the sudden show of panic coupled by her aggressive condemnation. "Ow! Smolder, what the hell!?"

"ME!? What the hell do you think YOU'RE doing!?"

The changeling runs from out of the room, visibly upset. I hail to her to see what's wrong. "Ocellus!"

Smolder angrily snags me by my tail, going as far as to pull it to painfully draw my undivided attention. "Do you even think about what you do these days!? You know Ocellus doesn't like those things! And here you are holding one of them! You don't even know the trauma we just had to endure!"

As Alex eases over to pick up the fake weapon, I give my apologies to him. "Sorry about that. I don't know what's going on right now."

"No worries, man. I kinda understand with the changeling situation. And don't worry about the gun, it's really more of a toy anyways. Just count our lucky stars that it wasn't a real one, had the safety been off, it could've been pretty rough."

Smolder goes from yanking my tail to vehemently confronting the man over his casual response. "You do know that one of your subordinates is dead from using one of those, right!?"

"Wait, what?" His mood quickly shifts to being a lot more serious. "When and how did that happen!?"

"One of the humans was getting pushed around because they didn't have their legs! So they took one of those things from the other human walking them, stuffed it in his mouth, and it went pop!"

"He committed suicide!?" Immediately, the man pinches the bridge of his nose, feeling overwhelmed. "Oh God. And you saw that live. Fuck." He shows expediency in going after the situation in town, leaving me alone with Smolder for the time being. "Hey Spike, I'm gonna go check with what happened and then I'll have a committee with my officers. If Twilight starts the session without me, let her know what's taken place. I should be late coming in if I'm able. I'll get back to you." He disappears out of the room, understandably at a brisk pace.

A human committing suicide, just the thought of it really highlights the stress that they experience on their own accord, but also the similarities of emotional weight they carry in contrast to many other creatures of this world. Their technology may be beyond us, but their minds are just as vulnerable as ours.

But that's not the only thing I should have my mind on right now. "Smolder, can you tell me where did Ocellus could have ran off to?"

"She's a changeling, Spike! She could be anywhere, anything, or anyone!" She replies with a frustrated snarl. "You just stay here, I'll go find her." She says as she's about to take off after the distressed creature. However, she gives me a brief staredown as she points her claw at my face. "But you, you stay away from human weapons. They do their job a little too well for my liking. You can take what I give you, you can't take that."

I close my eyes, and take a deep breath, wondering if this would somehow get any worse.

Later that Evening...

After yet another subtle yet contentious encounter with the high princess of Equestria, the Ponyland counterpart walks back into the room as frustrated as the night before, knowing that the access to her intended is continuously denied with petty intent.

Hestia comments on her appearance. "Wow, that meeting had to be intense. You never let a strand of your mane fall out of place over political conversations."

"Oh, I'm sure you feel just as frustrated as I do now." She retorts.

"No, not really. I have this wonderful thing call 'self-control' that helps me not want to act as feral as you often do." The shaded comment elicits a grumpy pout from the alicorn as Hestia continues. "Though you should be careful, this isn't like back home where you can just grab a random century and perform unmentionable horrors upon him to relieve stress."

"Don't think I haven't entertained the idea, because I surely would at this point. But knowing that purple prick, she'd fucking use that against me within the minute of!" Following up after her entrance, Amor walks in with complete despondence. Having attended the meeting himself, he offered little to no input, not even as much as a question raised. He's been quiet the whole afternoon. "And you, what's all that moping about? Can't you say something, some concern? At least try to be of some use in these discussions."

The crestfallen stallion replies with a lifeless tone. "You of all ponies showing care?"

"No, I'm just pointing out you're acting strange as hell. We already share a room, and that's just dangerous enough. Don't need you sharpening things in the dead of night and finding the voices in your head telling you to plunge them in whatever snores."

"So you think I'm crazy or something?" He mumbles.

"To be fair, you are the one who's the most likely to snap in that manner of all three of us."

"Zenobia!" Hestia calls her out.

"What!? I'm just saying it! He's acting off! Ever since that conversation last night, he's been like... bleak! And I don't know him to be bleak, nor do I trust him to be that way! I know our genetics far too well to ignore that behavior and what it could possibly turn into!"

"Zenobia, he's just depressed!"

"And there you go, defending and shielding for some bastard who'd probably wouldn't think twice about pulling a desperado and shanking you in the middle of the night! Both ways, might I add!"

Finally, the young stallion offers some resistance against his elder sibling. "That's not what I'm going to do, I'll never do that. Her royal majesty has simply elected to not make plans with, nor does she wish to entertain me. That is all. I'm just processing that defeat."

"Oh well thank you, captain baggy-eyes." The alicorn replies with sarcasm.

"Do you really have to trample on my spirits right now?" He asks before settling himself back into his bed, pulling his head underneath the covers. "I just wanted to try to be what she wanted, whatever she asked for in the moment. Now I'll just have to accept that I'm nothing like what she's looking for. Like seriously, she responds to nonconforming behaviors far more than she does anything else. I'm really starting to believe that being somewhat of an asshole, or maybe an eldritch abomination is the way to go."

"Eldritch abomination?" Zenobia laughs heartily at the suggestion. "Fuck, are you really that pathetic!? All she wants is for you to be more assertive! And your response is to curl up in your bed and mope? Such a profound show of character, if you ask me."

"Okay, you've proved your point." Hestia intercedes on behalf of the downtrodden stallion. "But you can't seriously expect him to undergo a paradigm shift overnight. That's not fair."

The older mare hears a knock on the door, she quickly addresses her sister before answering. "He's not Adelphos, that's obvious. But he should still find some place in him that he's comfortable with. That will come in due time, but emotional maturity is always a time-nurtured project that requires an intercession of self. It requires you to embrace your weaknesses and failures, leaning into your own mind and beliefs. Knowing that you can't please everyone is one of the first steps of that road. Grow to accept it, and you'll finally grow into some character that would be desirable for some. Some realize that earlier than others."

"Not a bad lesson." A voice calls from behind the door.

"Pet!" The alicorn rushes over, greeting me as I look down to her. Her face is washed with relief. "Surprising to see you wander back over my way."

The covers shift on the bed as the prince offers a grumbling complaint towards his eldest sister. "Get over yourself."

"Oh... Yeah, Twilight told me that she finally gave you her honest evaluations." I say while walking over to the bed. "I don't think she was very... accommodating with that. I came around to check in on everyone, so you good?"

"Not in the slightest." He answers in a low voice. "But at least I can accept what my life will soon turn into."

"Amor, don't say things like that." Hestia tries to reason with her brother.

"Oh, don't worry too much over this. He's starting what I would like to call his 'crush-recovery arc'. I've been there before, it takes some getting used to, but those first few days are rough on the mind. We'll set up a little regiment to help him work some of that off. Blowing off steam is the first step in the process of healing."

"So when you mean your 'crush-recovery arc', do you mean your process after Rarity?" Zenobia brings up.

"Wait, you seriously had a crush on her?" Hestia asks with a quirked brow.

"I'd rather not talk about it." I dismiss.

"Huh, no wonder you two seem to have such a close connection." The young pegasus responds. "In speaking of relations, aren't you supposed to be with Ocellus? This was her day, and it's the only real reason why you've elected to bring her along so that she doesn't get cut out."

I draw a sigh, knowing that this morning was the only time I had gotten to see any bit of her. Ever since, neither she nor Smolder have been around. "She's upset with me. I was holding a BB gun that looked a lot like one of the real guns the humans use, and it just so happened that she saw one of the human soldiers take said gun and kill himself this morning."

"They what!?" Hestia's ears jolt up at the news.

"You're joking, another one died?" Zenobia expresses genuine shock over the idea of hearing the tragic update.

"Yeah. Turns out that this environment is far too stressful for what was intended, plus some of these guys may have some inert PTSD from their prior conflicts back home. Alex wasn't even able to drop by today's meeting, so that was a total wash on that end. Twilight's assigned our next session for tomorrow after the sendoff ceremony for the four deceased, they're slated to return back home with full honors."

"A sendoff? They're celebrating a sendoff for soldiers when they've got some who are killing themselves?" Zenobia questions. "Usually in our land, we simply label them as cowards and leave the family to cover the costs of burial."

"Not the case for these guys." I explain. "Alex made sure to all families of the deceased that they'd be treated as heroes, no matter the manner of expiration. And the sendoff is really more like returning the bodies back to their world. They're getting flown back out on some specialized aircraft, and that can take a day or two to prep, which is why they're flying them out tomorrow instead of having it done sometime yesterday."

"Okay, now that makes sense." Hestia comments. "It's interesting to see how each faction deals in the manner of their dead, I'm sure for Equestrians, suicide is a middle ground of controversy. Our country sees it as an act of surrender unless when done with the intent to take the lives of the enemy, then it's an honorable act. But with the humans it doesn't matter how they died, they served with the intent of knowing that it would be possible, and are treated as such."

"It is a bit of grim topic, but it's one that brews curiosity. 'Tragic as the circumstances may be, our inherent interests in the macabre always steers us in the direction of pursuing knowledge'." As those words leave my mouth, I feel a bitter taste knowing that even the books I've read up to this point reinforces our own interests. In truth, while the necroterrorist was a sadist maniac, he was right about that. "Damn. didn't think I'd be quoting him of all things."

Seeing the expression of my face turn sour, Zenobia tugs at my tail to get my attention. "So... dear pet. I see you've been lacking company. Perhaps you'd might wish me to indulge you a bit on tonight?"

"That does bring up a thought." I say as I turn around. I lean down towards her with my neck exposed. "So yeah, this collar, let's talk about it."

The mare's brows shoot up for a moment, her eyes shifting in every way but to me. "Oh... right... that thing."

"Would you mind removing it, please?" I ask.

Her shifting eyes continue to bounce around, never once holding to me for more than a second. "I mean... I could... I mean you could, technically─"

"No seriously, I've had an itch there every now and then, but I can't scratch it because my body goes numb every time I reach for it. So yeah, can you get on that for me?" The mare covers her muzzle with both of her hooves, her hind leg tapping against the ground as she expresses a growing nervousness. Immediately, I can tell something's wrong. "What?"

"I know this is a bit of a wild one, but can I ask you to be patient with me?" She whimpers. "Please?"

"What for?" I ask.

"So... the collar..." She takes her hooves and places them over my claws, rubbing the top of them gently as she speaks. "So what I can tell you that it will come off on it's own. But only after the period in which the enchantment's strength will eventually subside. I intended to... originally... keep you around for a little while before getting bored of you. But as it turns out, I've grown more interested in you than anticipated. So I thought that it would take me a little while to... you know... assimilate you into your... new home."

I skip completely past her dance around the subject and hit at the core of her issue. "Are you telling me that I can't take it off?"

"Well, you can... just not right now, this instant."

"Then you should be able to take it off, right?" Her rubbing against the back of my claws intensify. "Right?"

She purses her lips and look up at me. "This is the part where you'll have to bear with me a bit."

2 Minutes Later...

*KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK*

"Alright! I'm coming!" Twilight's voice sounds agitated as she makes her way to the door. She quickly opens up to see me standing in the doorway. "Spike?"

"I'm coming in." I grumble a bit frustrated after hearing what Zenobia had to say.

"Wait, you just can't just barge into my room─"

"This isn't even your room, this is Cadance and Shining Armor's room." I remind her.

"Well... yeah, bu─"

"Can you imagine all the kinky things those two might have done in here?" I tease, further stressing that point. "A married couple with absolutely no boundaries outside of maintaining the established trust of remaining true to one another. Sounds a lot like mama Velvet and papa Crescent. I heard that they even had a few swing-arounds with some of the staff to really spice things up─"

"ENOUGH ALREADY!" The mare shouts, already starting to get compulsive over what else she touches. "What those two do in here is their business, not mine! Now why are you here annoying the living shit out of me!?"

"Look, long story short; I need you to conjure up a spell to remove this collar, and I need it gone now."

"It's not that bad of an issue, Spike. Just take the damn thing off." She replies ignorantly.

"I would, if it wasn't completely synced into my nervous system."

"Then have Zenobia take it off! She's the one that put it on in the first place."

"Such a genius idea!" I'm quite overflowing with sarcasm. "Yeah, about that. There's a time restriction on the damned thing. When she had it put on me, she apparently had it timed for three months before I can even take it off."

"Three months!? What the hell did she plan on doing to you for three months!?" Her eyes widen at that question and her mind flashes back to the uncomfortable moment of watching me dominate the albino alicorn from behind. "Never mind, not that I haven't already seen a glimpse of what you two have done already."

"Look, you got a spell for this or what?" I deadpan back to her.

She rolls her eyes and point me over to the bed. "Sit down. Let me take a look at it."

As soon as I plop down, her inquiring eyes start glancing at every aspect of the item bound to my neck. She uses her magic to turn my head in her examinations. Upon the activation of her magic for the purpose of investigating the collar, a number of runes glow on the black leathery strap. As she does that, I verbalize my complaints. "I can't believe she did this stupid-ass shit. Like I know Rarity's been on my ass about taking the damn thing off. But now that I can't, I can already bet that this is going to turn into some drama."

"Not even going to deny that. She's very protective of you." She says as she studies the item. "So this is a class-seven motion inhibitor, enchanted further by timer-bound runes, several layers of incantations, and even a few sensitivity enhancers that make the slightest touch seem amplified by a factor of up to three times the normal amount." She freezes for a moment, seemingly lost in a thought before she shakes herself back to the present. "Either way, I'm going to have to look into this a little more. So hold still." She presses my head to the side, lightly tapping her hoof against the bottom. But in doing so, my whole body falls a bit numb and my head drops back down. She complains as my chin lands on her cheek. "Hold still, Spike!"

"I'm sorry that I can't be bothered to not hold my own weight when all of my fucking body starts to slump from you fiddling with the damn thing."

"Do you want to stay wearing this for three months?"

"Two months now, it's been a month since she's put it on." I inform her.

"Are you sure it's been that long?" She asks.

"One week since we met up, another week when we were on the run, yet another week when we were out at sea, and then another week after that dealing with both Zenobia and Ember taking up space in my house and nearly burning my shit down. It's also been a week since Ember's left. So yeah, five weeks, a little over a month."

The high princess sighs as she gently places her hooves on my shoulders, politely guiding me into the pillows of the bed. "Okay, just lie there for a bit. Don't need you jolting up and falling over to the floor on me."

"Thanks for warning me that you'll be fucking with my nervous system." I reply.

The mare taps her hoof on the side of my collar, causing my right arm to jump upwards. She taps the other side, easily causing my left leg to kick out. "This isn't normal, this is a total neuro override. Was she planning to make you do anything outside of being her sex slave?"

"At this point, it wouldn't surprise me."

"These enchantments aren't imbued to be exclusive to just one pony's commands." She expounds further. "Spike, anyone who knows the spell could make you do whatever the hell they want you to do. That's how dangerous this is!"

"Oh yeah, I'm knowing. I've been there." Again, I can't deny how perturbed I am at this point.

"You're still underplaying how serious this is for you?"

"Me, underplaying a situation and instead coping by dishing out sarcastic remarks? It's almost like you've known me for some years."

Twilight takes a deep breath and looks back at me. "Okay, I'll be the first to say that I know little to nothing about this kind of stuff. It's not like I had a use for any of this, namely this combination here. The only one I'd know to put this chain of magics together would be Starlight Glimmer. I have to research this further just to get a better understanding of how it works, and what can be done to counter it."

"Apparently Rarity knows the spell too." I add. "She used it when she dragged me off with you and the others yesterday."

Twilight glances to me before lightly tapping her head with a hoof. "Figures. I sometimes forget that Starlight and Rarity have some particularly explicit conversations about magic utilization in areas of intimacy. Maybe..." She acts on her first mind, pulling out her phone. Her magic holds the device firm as her feathers tap away at the screen, quickly drafting a message before she places the item aside. "There. I just sent a text to Rarity, she should be here in a moment."

"Oh yay, send in the source of all my emotional and sexual neglect for the better part of eight years over the issue of a kink gone wrong. That can't possibly be awkward in any way."

"Quiet you." She says before a knock sounds at the door. She walks over to answer, allowing the aforementioned fashionista to enter. "Thank goodness you came as quick as you did."

She barrels towards me with anger set upon her face. "I only came because you said it was stuck on the poor thing. Now let's see about it." She gets in close to me, squinting as she and the high princess both examines the collar on my neck. "This thing isn't just enchanted, it's fully loaded. What a terrible thing to witness." Her anger swaps for a brief moment to sweetness as she addresses me directly. "Spike dear, do you mind holding your head up for me?"

I do my best as she cranes her head closer to me. I can't help but to notice the rather fragrant smell of grapefruit-pomegranate with a slight hint of musk, a prime example of her trying to be presentable whilst popping away from her work. I hold my breath, trying not to take her in out of knowing my own body's response to such an alluring combination. If only she were this close to me for any other reason but this, at any other time but now...

Twilight takes one look at my face and teases me in a bitter tone. "If only I can get that kind of obedience out of him. He'll purr like a kitten when it comes to you. But when I tell him to do something, oh boy is it like I'm pulling teeth─"

"Twilight wants you to teach her the control spell for the collar so she can know the ways to counter it." I cut in, slicing her rant short.

The fashionista more than willingly obliges. "Oh! If that's all you needed, then I'll be more than happy to provide a quick instructional." Her magic presses at my shoulders, holding me in place as she guides the purple mare alongside her to the other end of the room. "Alright now, do you see that loop there beneath his chin? I want you to imagine yourself tethering your magic to it, almost like drawing a lead from you to your... well... let's pretend you have a pet dog."

"I never had a dog. I had an owl."

"Irrelevant, dear!" She barks back. "So let's think back to simpler examples, do you remember the times when you used to drag Nondis about in the castle in Ponyville?"

"Oh for..." There's not one ounce of purple that can escape the blush blooming from her memories. They run wild about her times with him, the man who she purposefully kept on third base until her own jealousy made her break that boundary. A thick red line that got her into considerable trouble, not that she minded giving herself to him. But having it brought back up surely does cause frustrations to resurface, indicated by the shuffling of her hind legs. "Really, that's how that works?"

Rarity taps her chin, accumulating her own findings. "So to compile matters, what we have now is a combination of a neural override, a timed release of the bind, so on and so forth." She points Twilight to me. "Alright, get him to stand up."

Thinking simply of the matter, Twilight asks me to do so of my own accord. "Okay Spike, stand on your feet."

Just as I start to, I feel a press against my shoulders. "Aht! No, not you! Stay down, this is a demonstration!" Rarity's magic keeps me pinned to the bed as she chides the purple princess. "You, make him stand. Don't ask him to do anything, speak it into your authority. Like so." A sapphire aura clasps itself to the loop on my collar, matching the same glow of Rarity's magic. She calls in a strong voice, "Get up, now." My body falls numb, however my limbs move according to her given word. Not that I had much of an issue obeying her, but now it feels as though I have absolutely no control.

Her voice doesn't just claim my mind, it hails down all of me. Any more of her demands and I might just show myself to her by no fault of my own. And I can only wish it, if Rarity has any thought to make me claim her like Zenobia would, I would be more than proud to embarrass myself in front of Twilight a second time.

But Twilight doesn't show her usual disdain. Instead, it's... captivation? "Just completely obedient."

Rarity plays it out a bit further. "You've been awfully out of term, Spike! You should learn where you are right now, in the presence of royalty! Have you no shame!? You will bow before me this instant!" Her words, as scathing as they may be, they are singing the melodies of my heart's desire. In a way, I hate how easily she controls me right now, only because she doesn't even think to use me for her desires. I bow my head in a refined posture, awaiting further instructions. "See, total control." She illustrates. "Now it's your turn."

Feeling the connection break, I'm back to having most of my own free will. It'll be a few seconds before I'm back to being calm, but I've avoided a moment of total shame in revealing myself. Still, I point out that I have my own will, a rebellion of sorts. "I'm not a toy here. You two shouldn't just do things like that."

"Still waiting, dear." Rarity calls to Twilight. "I know you to be an observational savant. It's nothing for you to replicate."

The purple alicorn shows some timidity at first, but applies a very weak bond to my collar, the magenta aura appearing as no thicker than a fishing wire. "Stand up."

My body doesn't fall limp, not like it would for Rarity. Instead, I'm still fairly passive. "Not exactly feeling much but a light tingle right now."

The mare still shows hesitation, but Rarity steps in to coax her into participating a bit more. "Twilight, do you have any ounce of authority in that celestial frame of yours?"

"Of course I do! But─"

"Then act like it!" She shouts.

In the moment of distress and frustration, Twilight's lead bulks not into a firm leash, but rather a thick row of chains, my limbs completely drop dead to the touch. I fall flat to my face, her eyes still showing resolve as she commands. "To me, now!" Such an oppressive presence, I can't help but to watch as my body barely shows any strength outside of my limbs weakly dragging me along the floor, having me scrub the ground with naught but my abdomen. As I finally realize the efforts of making my way to her, she gives yet another oppressive command. "On your knees!" The chain rattles, her eyes part from me, indicating that she's having a hard time watching me act so helpless. "Look at me."

The chain starts to weaken, tapering down to a smaller size. But the dominance still remains over my body. The remnants of her power disallows me to even speak, my jaw is slacked, my tongue not even able to articulate anything but to loll lazily from my mouth. My eyelids are barely open, everything falls to a relaxed state. "Authority, dear." Rarity reminds her.

The chains gather strength once more, her voice shouts down to me. "Spike, look at me!" My head lifts at last, my eyes locking to only her, my body uncontrollably allowing everything to be revealed to her. Her eyes trail downward, seeing that my relaxed state allows little to remain hidden. The drool cascades from the corners my mouth, my tongue draws lazily from my jaw, and my head draws in closer...

Wait... why do I feel the need to... please her?

Steam rises from my throat, my eyes draws up and down her body, the purple legs that once towered above me becoming a slight bit appealing. A pair of lips remain ajar, the motion of her neck indicates she's swallowing a surplus of something, a cold rush unites us as she takes a simple breath.

'Fuck' is the only word that permeates my mind before all the numbness is dropped clean from my system, along with the chains from my neck. Twilight turns her head away, trembling while doing so. "I can't do this. He's suffering."

"Spikey... Spike?" Rarity gawks at me for a moment before clearing her throat and focusing back to the present task. "Well, now you understand how it works. As I once said to a certain cretin of a mare, my knowledge of the spell comes with a lot of experience with pushy stallions thinking they can just force the issue of a good time. I mainly use that as a means of self-defense, that and a bit of foreplay. I'd often like playing the dominant one."

"It shows." I grumble as I wipe my mouth, feeling a heap of embarrassment as I turn away, trying to hide the obvious side-effect of having undergone that trial. "I'm not usually used to being like this."

"You have Ocellus and Smolder to attend to, take your fanatical frustrations out on them." She brings up, her magic at my back and pushing me out of the room.

Twilight quickly rises to start writing her observations down. "I-I at least know the formula of the control factor. So I should be able to work things out from here. Thanks for your help, Rarity."

"No problem, darling. Just give me a ring if something else pops." She says as she continues dragging me out of the room. "Oh, and Spike, did you ever put that ring to use?"

"For what?" I ask.

"Well turnabout is fair play, darling. I suggest you go about understanding that before you involve yourself with that mare again. Now I will tell you that Smolder and Ocellus have returned to the castle, they're in the room six doors down. Do be a good partner and keep them entertained, maybe even work out that frustration of yours." She shoves me out of the room, closing the door behind us, then teleports to the room three doors down the opposite way. "Have fun!"

The door slams shut behind her, leaving me to wander the halls with a very visible show of arousal. But the main thing that's on my mind is that chain Twilight summoned...

Maybe the aphrodisiac is also in the collar itself? That would explain some things.

Meanwhile...

Twilight pants heavily as her pen scratches out yet another perverse sentence written in her notes. Her hips stir as she looks to her phone, knowing the one thing she resorts to using in her time of peak state. A tremble draws in her throat, her eyes hungering for the mental image of her number-one assistant being devolved into a drooling subordinate, obedient to her every command and desire.

A throbbing itch develops beneath her tail, forming a dull pain deep within her. She grits her teeth in realizing her place. "Try to remember who's bedroom you're in, Violet. This is not the time nor the place."

Settling in for the night, she makes the executive decision to sleep off the arousal instead of acting on it. But as her eyes close, her mind only replays the sight of the dragon she used to take good care of, the one that grew alongside her, staring back at her with a promised response to her innate desires.

Her hind legs tighten as she tugs her tail firmly between them. "Dammit... that's twice this weekend."

While I'm pacing back and forth outside of the room Smolder and Ocellus have been seen going into, I can't help but to take a moment to clear my head, at least make it seem like I'm not walking in with a raging erection with one thing on my mind. That would probably be the quickest way to piss the both of them off.

But that's not the only thing on my mind.

I just completely broke down, I almost became as bad of a sexual deviant as I was back in Ponyland under Zenobia's concoctions of perfumes, aphrodisiacs, and incenses. All I can feel right now is the terrible guilt of knowing that even for the one instance, I considered Twilight as an object to relieve my lust.

Just the idea of me and her together, like that... it's off-putting. And thankfully, it's just so much that I have grown back to a calmer self who can roam the halls without thrill nor shame of standing out. I knock against the door, sounding out to the ones within. "Hey, it's me." I don't get an immediate answer. "I wanna try to apologize for earlier. I know that what happened out there in front of you guys scared you off pretty bad. But had I known you just saw that, I would've been more careful about what I was doing. I can't say that what I was doing wasn't what it was, because it was. I was taught to use firearms, mainly because I needed to be able to defend myself if I were in a situation where humans were involved. But I see that can also be a source of concern. And I do understand that you'd probably want no part of that right now." I hear a slight shuffle behind the door, but I also finish my statements. "So if it makes you feel any better, I'll just stay out of your way tonight."

The door opens, Smolder being the one to look back up to me. She stands in my way for a brief moment, stepping aside to let Ocellus look at me. The changeling smiles as she quietly beckons me within. "Mind parking it next to me? Please?"

I do as she asks and seat myself beside her. "Ocellus, I want to say that I'm sor─"

She cuts me off with a hoof planted on my lips. "I'm a lovebug above all else. All I want is to know that you're you, and that those things don't change who you are and what you do. But more importantly, I want you to be safe."

Smolder closes the door behind us, emphasizing where she left off earlier today. "Those weapons the humans have are clearly dangerous. Just one wrong move and that accident could be fatal, to you or someone else. Now we understand that you might know how to use that stuff, but..." She breaks for a moment to better articulate her thoughts that doesn't seem aggressive in any way. "We don't want you to get too involved with the humans here. We know how many of them can be peaceful, but these guys aren't built that way. They're a dangerous breed, to others and more so to themselves."

I know that we still have another meeting with Alex tomorrow, but I can at least assure them that I'd minimize any contact while they're around. "I'll do my best. I know this weekend wasn't anything close to what we had planned."

"I'm here for her. So it's no problem." The dragoness replies as she walks past me, giving the changeling a kiss on her forehead. "Now before you think to walk out on us, we could still have you around. Besides, it's Olla's day, we don't have to always get physical to make the best of our time."

"Oh, I was just thinking that you two needed the space─"

"No, we need you to connect!" Again, the changeling plants her hoof on my lips to keep my quiet. "After all, that what these days are for. Maybe you need to spend more time connecting with us on top of getting involved in your so-called homework."

"Not just us though." Smolder adds. "Gabby too. She's been feeling pretty left out with all of this. And I think she might need a little reinforcement that we can all make this work. Trust me, she'll be more than happy to share. Just keep us in mind."

I nod in response. "I'll try to do better, you two. I promise."

"Good." Smolder yanks me down and scoots over to leave a space for the changeling to fall into. "Now, let's give our little lovebug a good old dragon sandwich."

As she fits the gap between us, Ocellus looks at me with a smirk. "So... I'm feeling some tension in you."

"Just a little." I reply. "I'll worry about that later. Right now, let's focus on you."

The constant sounds of a heartrate monitor is contrasted by the continuous hum of a ventilator. A tube runs from the hissing breathing machine into the mouth of the pink alicorn empress. Bloodied gauss and bandages cover the face of the mare, her remaining hoof lies limp on her chest. The missing wing shows a slow growth, a painful process for the mare bound to her bed. Not even the constant drip of morphine assures her of complete ease from the agony, only a sense of drowsiness, further exacerbated by the use of the ventilator.

Shining Armor sleeps heavily, his eyes slightly aglow with every moment he stirs. Even as he turns to adjust himself, the spell activates and he's brought back to complete slumber. Every now and then, there are soft whispers that he speak in regards to his family, but they trail off soon after.

Flurry places a blanket over her father, a slight smile forms on his lips. The young princess hovers up to kiss her father on the cheek, knowing that he's been needing sleep since everything had happened. She's aware of his unwavering dedication, almost worried that in her absence that he vehemently chose not to sleep. In knowing, she keeps a sleeping spell on him to keep him under.

The young princess turns her attention to her mother once more, seeing the number of blood-stained bandages and medical supplies lying in the bin beside her. She takes the plastic bag lining the bin and ties it up to leave for the nurses to collect in their next visit in the coming hours of the night.

The empress stirs from her drowsiness. "Uhheh... Uhheh uh eh? (Flurry... Flurry, you there?)" Much of her jaw is still broken, the ventilator denies her the ability to speak clearly.

But that doesn't deter the young filly's sense of understanding. "I'm here, mommy."

"Eh... uhh oh urreh. (Oh, I'm so sorry.)" Flurry remains by her mother's side, holding the hoof that remains. "Ah hahe huh, he ahuh (My baby girl, Mi Amor.)"

"I'm here, mom. Please rest." She urges.

The sounds of the monitor continues to disrupt the silence. Her vitals read critically low numbers, 49 bpm. Other silent alarms continue to give signals to the nurses down the hall, they wait for the more critical signs of the even lower numbers, fearing that the empress could pass at any moment. However, her mind isn't on herself. "Ehh uh haahur heehe (Is your father eating?)"

It takes her a while to understand what her mother is asking, but she pieces it together regardless. "...I don't know. He's been smaller than normal." She looks to the stallion, seeing his unkempt and disheveled appearance. "I don't think so."

"Eh... eh uhaahh. (Oh. That dumbass.)"

The young filly complains to her mother. "Momma, I thought you said princess don't curse."

"Eh eeh ah hah ho haeh, heeehah. Hu hah huh... heh hu heh haeh (I'm in a lot of pain, sweetheart. You can curse... when you're in pain.)"

"Do you need me to clean your bandages?" She asks, lining the bin beside the bed with a new sanitation bag.

"Eh... eehhah, hah ha hu haah. (Oh... Sweetheart, that's not your job.)"

"Anything to help you, momma." The filly reassures.

Cadance understands that her current condition is only this persistent because of the manner in which she is being kept, a cruel but sobering realization stirs in her heart. She's gradual of the message it sends her, but she warms to the fact that her daughter is far stronger than anticipated for her young age. However, she still wishes to shield the little filly of the ugly reality in some way. "...Hohh huh hiih. (Close your eyes.)"

Flurry knows what her mother intends to ask. "You need to take the bandages off?"

"Heeh. Huh ha hu... ha hu huu hee heh, hah hih hiih (Yes. But I don't... want you to see me, not like this.)"

"But I love you, momma. I don't care what it looks like." The filly pulls up the bin and places it on the table beside her mother's bed. "All I care is that I still have you."

"Huuhe hu haahuh hiihh. (Truly your father's child.)" Cadance mutters as she feels the compression around her chin lessen.

Flurry's eyes are well open, she keeps a piece of tissue by her side to keep her tears from falling into her mother's open wounds. She chokes back any sobs, making sure that her mother doesn't hear her. She slowly unravels the bandages around her mother's head, revealing the horrific damage done to her. She works slow to undo every layer, guiding the used bandages to the bin beside her. One of the mare's eyes dangle from her sockets, causing the filly to seize in distress. But Flurry holds her breath and keeps going. She braves the sight of her mother's exposed workings and tries her best to work in spite of.

"Haa hu hiih hoh, heehe? (Are your eyes closed, sweetie?)" Cadance asks.

"Yes ma'am..." At last, her breaking voice gives her away. "They're closed."

Seeing that her daughter is lying from the luxated eye, she feels an immense sadness welling in her chest. "Hu haahuh hiihh. (Your father's child.)" Flurry continues to work diligently, keeping her emotions in check aside from the brief break she experienced. She puts forth a concentrated effort to raise her hoof to touch her darling little princess. "Ha hee hih haah... hu hi hih huh hohih. (I'll be right back... to it in the morning.)"

"Promise?" Asks a teary-eyed Flurry Heart.

The wounded empress confidently responds. "Heh, heehe. Huhehh. (Yes, sweetie. Promise.)"

In the silence of the night, Alex walks the darkened hallways of the castle. Crystal bulbs decorating the ceiling dim to a considerable amount, leaving just enough light to be able to navigate the way while also not disrupting those who are sleeping.

He works on his phone as more preparations are set up for the final sendoff of some of his soldiers, also overlooking the details of the more recent security breaches. There's a list of operatives, many with green checks by their names. Even the ones that are killed in action are checked in blue. However, those that are in active assignment are highlighted in yellow, with those in active assignment but also checked for missing in action designated a red x.

A fist covers his mouth as he plays through the many ways he could try to search for the missing squadron. As he turns a corner, he listens carefully at the sounds of hooves clopping in the distance, a fair distance behind him. However, it's been a reoccurrence that's been tailing after him for a few turns now. He gives a sagely nod and backtracks to one of his previous turns, carefully keeping phone in front of his face.

Without fail he reaches the intersection and calls out with a calm voice. "Just an fyi, ponies aren't always a stealthy bunch. Especially when they have a heavier frame." He swipes at his screen, revealing a feed of his current position, registering two heat signatures in his space. His own, and a larger equine shape hiding around the corner. "Also doesn't help that the security system I installed at the request of a certain stallion picks up heat signatures. So whoever you are, you've got wings and a big frame. Which means to me that you're an alicorn." Realizing that she's been easily compromised, the mare steps out of hiding, her shadowy figure revealed to the man. "Huh, didn't expect you to be the one following me around."

The mare looks at the human's posture, seeing his left hand planted on his waist, a holster positioned just beneath it. "I come to you with no harm intended." She clarifies.

"That's nice of you to say, but you don't just approach me in a dark hallway expecting me to believe that. Much less of you sneaking around at that."

She lowers her head in apology. "Forgive me for my abruptness. I spent a good deal looking around for you. It's just that I did not quite know how to approach you. Both of the other humans I've seen in Canterlot were powerful and intimidating all the same."

"Powerful and intimidating, huh? Must run in the family." He mutters. "And what reason would you need to see me for, ma'am?"

"Just a business proposition."

"For who or what?" He asks.

"For me." She says as she steps further into the light. Her fuchsia eyes glances back to him with a subtle sadness. "I wish to coordinate with you. Please."

Alex eases his hand away from the holster at his hip, placing it to his underarm. "Pretty bold to be asking the enemy for coordination, ain't it? I don't think your folks would appreciate that very much."

"I know the mind behind these attacks." She replies. "He prefers the unorthodox, as well as the aggressive. You'll need to be more than passive in regards to his advances. He's not going to waste time in calling for reinforcements. And my father won't ignore him either."

The man types in the mare's name into his device, pulling up a few browsing results and headlines. "And this is coming from someone who apparently disavowed violence in search of a peaceful alternative. Hilarious."

"Sometimes, in order to make peace, war between blood is necessary, and often times inevitable." Zenobia replies, causing the man to quirk a brow at her retort. "My father's ideology, a pitiful means for our existence. But it does cultivate strong leadership in some aspects."

"It can also cultivate weak leaders. Entitled brats with strong figures beneath them looking to uproot at the first opportunity." He replies. "Leaders like those are only fortunate to be given power out of convenience, not by work and merit."

"Then consider me fortunate enough to not be loved by my father." She answers in kind. "I am nothing more than a thorn in his eyes. Might as well be the such."

The man chuckles at her answer. "...Okay then. I'm listening."

Author's Note

And that's the last of them. I hope all of you are having a Happy Holidays, and if not I pray that better times will come ahead. I want to say that we've finally caught up to each other, but unfortunately a lot of my time writing has been more dedicated to drafting chapters as opposed to completing them. To safely calculate matters, I've drafted at least 23 with one more completed for WAAAAY later on. Connecting matters and trying to spool things to it's definitive conclusion is what's in my master plan now. So don't be surprised if I have some extended periods of time where I don't post on a regular schedule, that means I'm just locked in on drafts. But that concludes the releases for the year of 2024, 2025 will be somewhat fun, I can't wait to bring you up to speed on what's in store.

In the meantime, Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and let's hope that 2025 ain't gonna screw the pooch like last year.

Chapter 60: Serendipitous Squabble

In the Crystal Mountains The next morning...

Sounds in the underground cave reverberate as occasional shrieks and laughs can be heard. Inside of one of the cavernous rooms gathers as many as forty stallions, each watching as some of their comrades take full advantage of the two mares present in the middle of the firelit gathering.

A unicorn with her golden mane lays on her back, managing a total of seven with no trouble, her magic tantalizing and bringing an easy ruin to three other watchers nearby. A cacophony of moans and grunts sound as seed is spilled recklessly to the ground. A stallion pounds away at her from behind, her face etched with indifference as the thrusting male gives his best effort. Her lips are at work with another stallion, who gives a hoof of approval to the one taking her from the other end. Each foreleg offers an intense attention to their benefactors, one stallion trying to hold out as the other succumbs. Remedy lips pop as the one who filled her mouth pulls out with spurts falling next to her. She rolls her eyes at the pitiful stallion. "A weak load for a weak bastard like you. Are any of you ever going to give me anything remotely close to his majesty's effort?"

The one still working behind her pulls out and smirks as she realigns himself for another entrance. "You want majestic effort, you're gonna get it!"

Instead of going along with it, she gives him a swift kick to his loins, causing him to buckle over in pain. A strong condemnation jets from the mare's mouth. "FILTHY LOW-CLASS SCUM, YOUR CUM ISN'T WORTHY OF MY WOMB! WHO THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU ARE!?" She follows her rebuke with a call into the viewing audience. "NEXT!"

A smaller group of four surround the other mare, a silver-maned green pegasus shows much less dominance, her eyes occasionally glances back at the stallion who yanks her neck-length mane. Her grunts are a lot more unrestrained, guttural, sometimes breathless as she receives where her sister soundly rejects. Melody says little in words, but her body does not yield to her benefactor's ruthless advances. "Eheheheh! Yeah, we love this one! She's so raw!"

"Careful now, we still want a taste of her after you're done!"

"Get in line!" One of the others call out, causing the rest to laugh in chorus.

Walking past the sexually grotesque scene is none other than the third of their sibling line, Rapsody. She grits her teeth in disgust as she turns her head away in shame of seeing her sisters being desecrated before the cultists. Her eyes close as she tries to drown out their grunts and groans on her way to meet with the prince with her report.

As she enters the room, she stares directly at the young Militades with every ounce of her being filled with hate. "Sir." Also being adept to managing her tone, she sounds as no different than her usual informative approach. "The two leggers our forces engaged with two days ago, they've incurred more losses. But they seem to be planning something large. Much of the snow on the plains just outside of town has been cleared and lit with beacons."

"I wonder what they got in store for us this time." The prince comments. "If it's anything like those shiny rectangle things we sent over to the old bastard back home, this should be fun."

The cult leader also applies for an update. "And what of the false flag operations?"

"Resounding success. Our agents have successfully infiltrated their designated locations. We now have operatives working the city from the inside. It'll only be a matter of time before we see results."

"The barrels?" The leader asks one more.

"Taken and inspected. They don't seem to notice a thing different."

"Good. We'll see some significant sabotage efforts made. Hopefully it'll be enough to remove the threat of those flying machines they use. We can't have them moving that fast when our forces get into play." Reiterates the young prince with a chuckle. "I knew this would be fun."

"Are you sure that our efforts to keep them off the ground will still prove useful with those things?" The cult leader questions.

"Of course! Those things gotta have a fuel resource somewhere. All we're doing is minimizing how much they can use. If they're anything like us, the less they have, the less they'll fly." The prince responds. "But I can't help but to wonder, why would they be digging in the snow like they've been."

"To seek out the tunnels we've built." The cult leader answers.

"Well, you might have a point, those two leggers got some real tech hiding out in the arsenal. Which means that if we let them dig something up, they've probably got something they're doing, some mode of additional fortification for all their weird shit. And it brings up the question, what do you think would require them to dig in randomized areas in and around the city?"

"Seems to me that they're working with some sort of device capable or detecting movement."

"Devices that none of your magic surveyors would be able to pick up because of the lack thereof." Replies Militades.

"Equestria has this kind of technology available, but never have I heard of a variant not using enchanted crystals to detect the slightest tremors. The only reasons they would do that is for archeological survey, seismic survey, or core sampling for construction."

"Hmm... One of those things could be right."

"They could be trying to find out how we're moving."

"Boom. Just like the princess we knocked off." Cosigns the young prince. "We're looking at a possibility of them trying to insert some devices that will allow them to detect even the most sensitive seismic movements. And given that they have no magic of their own, it's almost assured they'll be very sensitive. So any new tunnel you guys dig will probably be found within the hour."

"And as you already said, keeping them off the ground will further waste away any resources that they may use to keep them in the air, provided that they do have a limited amount of resources."

"And sabotaging their base of operations will only exacerbate their issues."

"Reducing their mobility and furthering our advantage against their technological improvements."

"And we can even snag a few of those weapons on the way out, tilting that advantage to us overwhelmingly."

"Not only will your country obtain examples of those weapons, but will be able to replicate them in mass quantities."

"And what we create, we'll supply you with."

The cult leader chuckles with pride in hearing the agreement they've come to draft up. "I think I am starting to enjoy this little business venture you've manifested, Prince Militades. A shame that your father respects you so little."

"Who cares what he wants. As long as I get to have fun doing what I do, I couldn't care less." The young prince replies before reclining himself against the wall. "The only downside is that now we do the boring part; sit and wait."

The cult leader glances over to Rhapsody and gives off a smirk. "I believe you have mares keeping our gents busy. Perhaps they could be made to attend to us as well."

The prince nonchalantly makes his offer. "Well Melody's been busy with Remedy in the other room. Rapsody can be a bit prickly, but once I give her the command, she's pretty obedient."

The mare's upper lip twitches in foul disgust as the cultist leader nods with acceptance. "Then she'll do."

Meanwhile at the Crystal Empire...

I don't think I've had a moment of clear sleep last night. If anything, I thought that having Ocellus and Smolder run me dry for the better part of an hour was going to be the thing that got me to fall asleep from exhaustion. But then that damn changeling had to do the one thing that I tried to keep my mind off of.

"That's right Spike, show me how you cut loose."

She spoke in Twilight's voice, which I didn't even think would put me over the edge as hard as I did. But turns out that I wasn't too disgusted at that moment. No, in fact I was... enthralled. I was so enthralled that Smolder clutched me again, and we had to wait another ten minutes before I could pull out. Then we called it a night, and that was it... for them.

I stayed up for a good few hours, thinking about that. I couldn't ignore it, the sensations of what I felt when Twilight took command of me and this collar. I'm sure I had similar feelings when Zenobia was keeping me drugged up, tugging me along with that collar. But I had to really think on it, Zenobia had drugged me and ordered me to do as she said. Twilight merely had a passing thought... But was it really a passing thought?

That face she made, I'm sure she was nervous about it. Perhaps she was embarrassed that I appeared so submissive, completely at her whims, exposed in all the places she dared not to glint at. She barked her commands and I was truly helpless to them. She had but one meandering thought and it made me drool at the possibility. I can't help but to wonder if I had seen her at another angle, would she have been... receptive?

Hell no.

No way, she's like a sister to me, almost a mom in some aspects. There's no way I could think like that about her. Me and her going at it like how I was made to capitulate to Zenobia's desires, bending her over a desk mid broadcast and smashing my hips into hers like I can't function beyond being nothing more than a meat slave... I just can't see it.

This morning, I woke up to a brief moment of clarity, mainly to vomit, and followed that up with a long shower consisting of letting the water run between my scales. After that, I thought to have dumped that moment from my brain, and now I'm escorting the two girls I actually ransacked last night onward for breakfast.

...Naturally, they had their curiosities. "Damn, so you really can't take that thing off, huh?"

"Yeah, I'm stuck with it for another two months." I answer to Smolder. "That or until Twilight finds a spell to free me from it."

"So you'll be seeing a lot more of her then." Ocellus brings up.

A flash of Twilight's blush-riddled face shows in my mind. "I'd rather not." Just as I thought I had banished the moment from my brain, they dump it back in as though I left the mess in the neighbor's yard. Needless to say that I just about gagged at the idea. "She's about as appealing to be around as a hungry roc looking to strip down my scales to the soft meaty bits."

Smolder giggles at my visual discomfort. "You shouldn't be that hard on her, you know. She's still trying to help." The changeling replies, showing a bit of concern.

"Look, I get that." I reply as we come up to the dining room. "I know that she wants to help, but I just can't stand the fact that she puts me in compromising positions every time she's involved. There's been a number of experiments where she's used me as her personal guinea pig, and while quite a few were rather harmless, some don't just leave an awkwardly uncomfortable memory. Like there was this one time where she had─"

As I open the doors, the first thing I'm greeted to across the way is a sapphire eye staring at me through some bloodied bandages. Much of her mane was disheveled and impeded by the gauss, one wing partially extended to reveal a gruesomely wrapped nub. Never minding the others sitting at the table, my eyes are drawn to the sight that seems to elicit a grotesque reminder.

My stomach dropped to the base of my tail, nausea started to reform in my body. "Yeah, I'm not even that hungry this morning. I'll see you two later."

Since the two were walking behind me, they didn't yet see who was at the table. "What? What happened?" Smolder asks.

"Nothing, just gonna go pay Amor a visit and see what he's got planned for the da─AHK!" As my words are cut off, I notice a thin blue leash yanking me in. I glance to it's source, seeing the injured alicorn reeling me into the room.

"Uncle Spike!" Flurry cheers as her mother draws me in.

The other two glance at the development, immediately recognizing the mare who sat at the head of the table beside her daughter. "Empress Cadance!?" Ocellus asks with immense surprise. "You're up and moving!?"

Seeming awfully proud of her intuitions, Flurry jumps on me and drags me into touching distance of her still-recovering mother. "Mommy got better ever since I showed up! She's been really happy to get her eyes back this morning. But speaking is still something she can't do too well."

I hear a grunt as the mare shoves my head into her chest. She's in obvious pain, but still chooses to embrace me like a long-lost family member. There's a kindness behind her eyes, one trying to overcome the pain to still reveal that undying aspect of her personality. "I can imagine."

Flurry pulls up a chair close to her side, noticeably planted directly in front of Twilight. "She wants you to join us for breakfast."

My nausea is getting the better of me, and it's not even from Cadance's current condition. "Uh... sure."

Ocellus and Smolder pull up their chairs and sit themselves beside me also. "So that was you that pulled on the collar?" The changeling asks the gauss-dressed princess.

The silent alicorn glances to her daughter, who speaks the mare's thoughts. "Mommy means to say that she's heard from Auntie Twilight what's been going on. She says that collar on your neck should've been removed, that it's too dangerous to keep on. She just wanted to see how effect it was from being used in it's neutral state."

My eyes try to avoid the purple mare sitting in front of me. "Let me guess, you guys spent all morning talking about that?"

"As if we have a choice." The source of the retort is very much across the table from me, driving my nausea up a wall. "Who knows who else could use that spell to get him to do whatever they ask. It's too dangerous, much less how compromising it can be for who knows what other reasons."

"Well it's not his fault that it's stuck on him." Hestia's voice rings loud and clear from the doorway, just as she continues to drag her quiet brother alongside her.

"Hestia, Amor, I was actually looking to check in on you." I greet the pair.

The young prince remains despondent, not daring to look Twilight's way. "Amor is... well he's processing the issue still. But we haven't seen hide nor tail of Zenobia. She probably wandered out of the room while we were asleep."

"That's actually why we've brought you in here." Fluttershy asks. "We thought you might have some knowledge of her whereabouts since the guards haven't reported in on her status."

"Well he wouldn't know anything about that anyhow. He was with us the entire night." Smolder responds.

Once more, Twilight raises the issue of my assignment. "We understand that, but his oversight of the Ponyland imperials is his solemn duty as long as they're present."

"Oh, well that's a convenient flip of logic." I mutter under my breath.

She chides back at me. "Spike, this isn't a game."

The door barely stays closed for long, this time a pair of humans pop their heads into the room. "Pony peoples, good morning to all." Alex greets before his eyes are stun-locked to the injured mare. "Woah, Cadance! You're... up."

Cadance levitates a napkin and waves it at the two men in greeting. Flurry speaks up once more. "Mommy says it's been a while since we've seen you, she also says it's nice to have you over our way for the first time."

Ocellus grows mum as the pair introduces themselves. Smolder immediately goes into protect mode. "You again."

"Hello to you, madam dragon." Captain Mosley replies as he points his thumb to the injured alicorn. "Might I ask sir, who's that in the bandages?"

"That's Empress Cadance, Emperor Shining Armor's wife, and second rank high princess of the realm."

"Wait, that's the one from the hospital bed?" A long sigh of disbelief draws from the man's mouth. "Jesus Christ, you're a fighter!"

"I'd hug you, but I know you're in considerable pain. So I'll relent." Alex says, only to be dragged in without restraint and crashed into the injured side of Cadance. She makes an audible grunt of discomfort, but she makes sure that his arm wraps around her. "Nevermind, I forget that you about that."

"Uh... your majesty." Mosley stammers at the sight of the mare pulling her boss in for a hug despite her condition. "Yes, well ahem... I'll just mind my tone today."

The mare's brows furrow as her daughter verbalizes in her place. "I think she wants you to say what's on your mind."

He takes a quick inhale before gauging his words. "I've seen an Al Qaida fighter run up to us with half of a face and less than a quarter of his jaw after a bombing run, but you're just hardcore with the come-up. I'm pretty sure you wouldn't want me to be afraid of you, but I can't help how terrifying it would be to be the guys on the other side who did the damage to you."

"I think she likes that." Flurry expresses.

The door opens once more, the albino alicorn freezes in place as she stares long at the injured empress. "What in ghastly discoveries am I looking at right now?"

"Zenobia, where have you been?" Hestia inquires angrily. "You know Sir Spike's gotten in trouble because of you just wandering off last night."

"Oh yeah, she was with me." Alex seems completely dismissive of any concern with his response.

The opposite reaction draws from Twilight. "She was what!?"

"Yeah, we were going over some logistics, apparently some information that would prove useful to our boys out on the field. We couldn't really wait around for the end of the recess today, but we did come across with some valuable tactics they might look to use."

"You've been working with her?" I ask.

"Yeah." Mosley cosigns. "Turns out that she's been pretty useful with her magic in finishing up with our seismic probes. Now we don't have to worry about sending our boys out into the snowy unknown to get ambushed again. She insisted we'd take a ride over the area and she'd assist in the planting phase. Our guys provided cover, and we moved in the dark of night. Plus she managed to stave off a few of those spears from hitting our bird. Saved our asses and then some."

"You do realize that she's a flight risk, right?" Rarity brings up.

"We understood that. That's why I oversaw the mission personally." Alex adds as he takes a seat. "Could definitely use a bit of food before getting everything to a move with the ceremony later."

Zenobia walks over towards me. "Furthermore, I wouldn't dare leave after last night. Not while I have some ground to make up for."

"And what ground would that be?" Rainbow asks.

"In regards to my dear pet, of course." She answers as she nuzzles me from behind. "I couldn't let my mistake go unanswered and unaccounted for. So I made a contribution to minimize his concerns and efforts."

Twilight still seems to take great offense to her calling me her 'pet'. "I think you should reconsider your choice of words there, madam princess."

"Ain't nan one of us appreciate that y'all done put our friend Spike in compromisin' danger." Applejack interjects.

"Your method is rather exploitative." Fluttershy speaks out.

"And what fun is it really when you're forced to do something?" Pinkie chimes in.

"Yeah. Not cool, lady." Rainbow cosigns.

Getting brigaded by the others, Zenobia calmly opts to minimize conflict out of the sake of acknowledging her mistake. "I understand, this is all about the collar."

Rarity raises a hoof to speak out. "It's fine, girls. After all, there's a more than suitable reason why she wouldn't dare to defect now of all times. She's very much aware that her leash is indeed a short one."

The alicorn glances off, appearing to lose patience while I question her about her comment. "A short leash?"

"Either way, she's been of use for us. So my complaints are minimal at this point." Alex praises.

"For you." Twilight returns with a scoff.

"And we got done in time for breakfast!" Zenobia proudly claims. "See, I did all of that to help where I could, contributed vital information, and came back to have time with my adorable dragon brute."

"Wait a minute. Whose dragon?" Ocellus looks back to the albino alicorn.

"Mine. Maybe for a day of the week, definitely not this one since it belongs to the griffon. But when a Thursday comes, he's mine then and there." She playfully jabs back at the changeling, causing Rarity to mockingly cackle back. "What, what's the amusement?"

The alabaster unicorn briskly replies. "Oh darling, I don't recall you being involved in his life beyond a month's time of him wearing a collar and his being forced by your hoof. Is that not the reason we all show such pointed animosity towards you, because you demean one of our dearest friends?"

No longer wanting to let the comment go uncontested, Zenobia batters back. "Well I don't recall you reciprocating his feelings very often, now do you?"

The fashionista is taken aback and argues in return. "I'll have you know that Spike is a wonderful friend. That's something you wouldn't know the first thing about."

"Oh to know that he's such a wonderful friend that you would hear his heart beating about and your reply is to shower him with fucking gifts every so often, all because you feel guilty about your pitiful reproach. It's almost funny how you've the fortitude to judge me when I'm not the one who stunted his emotional and sexual growth from a juvenile's age! Or is that just something you do for fun, because your scaly dragon boy-toy outlived it's usefulness as an unrequited, unfulfilled emotional whipping post, and wants a little more of a serious development in return? Oh now that he's big enough, you suddenly care for his relationships with others. It's almost as if you're upset at the fact that he's still trying to fight past his damage from you and finding some success in doing so, that you're afraid that he might one day forget how shitty you actually are as quote-unquote 'friend'!" Zenobia wings spread slowly as she glares down the fashionista from across the table. "I wonder if you even mean to tell him anything of your current insecurities, or if you'd have some bravery to do so without some shitty hang-ups about your age difference, especially now that he's bent my back over and rammed his dick into my uterus far more than an axe to firewood."

Rarity, in a brief moment, flashes her magic with the intent to beam down the princess. She snarls for the moment before looking over to me and sighing in dejection. She quenches the powerful magic built in her horn immediately. "I... will dismiss myself." She hops out of her chair and calmly walks out of the room. "If I may be excused."

Zenobia doesn't stop there. "You know what, I'll follow you on that! I'm far too tired to be cast over, especially by a mare who wouldn't even care enough to understand what she's been given!"

"You watch your mouth!" Twilight replies sternly through gritted teeth to the albino mare. "Rarity is a good pony who cares about Spike and his needs, and unlike you, she's willing to put her own pride aside for what's better in the moment."

"Uh boss, do we need to take five on this?" Mosley questions.

"Here we go again." Alex grumbles as he palms over his face.

"Well look at you, judging one for what they do and abetting the other for even longer-standing abuses. Not the dragon you raised as a sibling!

"Twilight, Zenobia, please let's just cool off for a moment." I say as I stand before the Ponyland princess, trying to push her out of the room. "Hey, I know you mean well in my name, but can we save that convo for later?"

"Oh no, let's talk about it now, because you know how I feel about that bullshit! If she cared enough, she would've either tried leaving you alone then and there, or opening her heart to you instead of leaving you to deal with years of built up emotional baggage! I understand you!"

"You don't even have the slightest clue, lady! Get a grip!" Rainbow shouts back.

"Well you probably don't know the first thing about trying your whole damn life trying to appease the wills and needs of one creature, only to either be degraded or not seen as enough!" Zenobia goes along with me, but not to diffuse the situation. Instead, she trots out to the hall, screaming at the departing seamstress. "If you so much as gave a shit for him, you'd at least have the marebits to walk back down here and say it to his face! You're a poor excuse of a mare, you fucking manipulative bitch!"

"Enough!" I grab the mare once more, trying to give enough time for the two to separate. Rarity helps her own disappearance by teleporting away. As I see her spark into nothing, I let the infuriated princess go with a growing migraine. "I get it, I do. I'm not going to say that you're wrong, and I can't condemn you for defending me."

"I'm sorry. It's just─"

"No." I interrupt, trying to pace off my internalized pain. "We were off to a shaky start, but not for nothing. You did a good thing and helped us, that's wonderful. But now you've taken that momentum you've built and just... Again, I can't blame you for what you feel, because I know what you went through to an extent, and you relayed that from what I went through to a certain extent. They don't know your history, not like I do. But I fear that you've isolated yourself in a way that blocks them off from doing that. And that's what hurts us the most here. We can't do that, not when you're trying to put yourself out there as an asset."

I rub the sides of my head, knowing by now I've bought enough time for Rarity to separate herself from us. But now I have to go back into that room with a bunch of angry mares and no way to dismiss this tension without taking the catalyst into consideration.

"Zenobia, you did some good. But I can't let you back in that room after that. For now, I need you to be separate from everything, just for peace sake. Okay?"

Her stomach growls in response to my request. I feel an even greater remorse as she ignores her own body in her response. "Only because you ask it, dearest pet. I'll... keep my distance."

"I can still order you breakfast─"

"That won't be necessary." She responds as she hovers off. "I've been picking up a bit of weight anyways."

I grimace at her gradual disappearance down the hall before walking back into the dining room, where the others look back at me, watching cautiously as I enter alone. As Zenobia appears to not be joining us, Captain Mosley whispers to Alex. "Sir, I think we should hold off on that update for now."

"Whole ass playbook." The man replies as he looks at me.

Hestia utters a discouraged complaint under her breath. "...I'm never getting a dress."

Smolder shrugs her shoulders with a mutter. "Guess Ember left her mark on more than just Spike."

Sometime later...

As the hour approaches for the ceremonial sendoff, many of the citizens gather towards the outskirts of town. It's a situation we all wanted to avoid due to the danger of a bombing taking place in the midst of the congregating. But the citizens don't seem to care, bombs be damned. They're determined to see how the humans honor their fallen, honor the ones that took assignment to protect a city so far from home, in a foreign dimension where very few chose to remain.

It doesn't take too terribly long for the airship to arrive, once they transmitted their location near Ghastly Gorge, I anticipated that it would be another hour and some change, just like the helicopter. Instead, it takes a mere, mind-rattling thirty minutes. In the time it transmitted it's transfer into our world, it's only thirty minutes before we see a large metal beast hailing in from the east, almost as a warning to the opposition. And as it gets closer, we realize just how monstrous that thing is.

Alex told us during breakfast that the thing coming in was none other than what they called an AC-130, some sort of airship used for combat operations as far as 39,000 feet in the sky. Obviously that number is far beyond our capabilities, so it's like we're just numb thinking of how high that actually is. Cloudsdale is barely two miles in the sky at the peak of it's highest building, the cloud factory. That's over seven miles, more than the distance of Manehattan's sprawl lengthwise. The idea that humans have such strengths in their military operations truly gives credence to fears of their ability to wage unrestricted warfare. It takes thirteen humans to run it effectively, sometimes more. And the idea that this is just for a ceremony for four dead men is completely ludicrous.

As it lands in, it's slow to come to a complete stop, and it takes a significant distance. I look as the monumental beast slowly lowers it rear gate. As it does, we see a trio of humans step from within that loading bay. Hestia's jaw is floored as she sees how small the three humans are in comparison to the mouth of that beast. And we already see the humans as giants, that just tells how immense the size is in contrast to even my height. But they walk off as if nothing's even wrong with what they've just stepped off of.

The three humans walk over, donning a different uniform than that of the others on post. Instead of black fatigues, two of theirs are black dress uniforms adorned with medals and ribbons on the left breast. The shoulders of their left arms sport an insignia of their rank, and they move with a cold and calculated discipline, almost robotic. The third appears to be a priest dressed in a black cassock. The trio stop and signal for twenty-six others to follow off of the ship. A total of twenty nine humans.

A female soldier leads the party, directing a squad of four flag bearers. "Colors, attention!" They snap into position, their heels clicking loudly and proudly. The flags poles barely even move. "Forward, march!" They march in step, there's a rhythmic battering of the snow underneath their feet and no speaking outside of the calls from the woman in uniform. "Mark time, march!" They step in place until... "Colors, halt!"

Mosley loudly gives the orders to those behind him. "COMPANY, ATTENTION!" The entirety of the present human army snaps their heels at once, sounding as thunder as they reply in perfect unison. Even our guards break their characters in seeing the stiff discipline the humans moves with.

The three that initially stepped off the ship takes a moment to march to each and every flag-draped casket individually. The priest offers each their final rites. And upon completion, one of the soldiers from our end speaks out loudly a brief role call, names of the deceased. They repeat all of the four names three times each. A moment of silence for each time they are called, until the words are uttered. 'Reached completion of service.'

"PRESENT, ARMS!" Mosley calls out. The entire company of humans honor their fallen with a salute. As do our guards, as do we.

The woman calls out to seven of the color guard, armed with rifles. She gives the command. "Present, arms!" They snap the rifles to their chest, facing the coffins. Then she gives a rapid command. "FIRE!" The seven in quick succession snap their heads to their left, pull their triggers, and unleash a volley into the blue clear sky. Many of us jump at the sudden reports of their weapons. Three seconds pass. "FIRE!" They clear their chambers, turn their heads, and unleash yet another volley. Three seconds. "FIRE!" Clear, turn, fire, three seconds. it's almost perfectly mechanical. "Order, arms!"

It's then do we hear a trumpet call towards the mountains in the distance.

As the group starts to maneuver themselves to take the caskets and draw them slowly into the airship, we notice that Mosley doesn't give his company the same orders. They stand in salute as each coffin is slowly brought to the loading bay, strapped and secured, and the door to the bay rises into a close. It's only then do we hear his voice again. "ORDER, ARMS!"

The engines start, the noise revs up, and the massive plane starts to move. Eventually, it takes it's run along the way and reaches the air going towards the west. We all marvel at the spectacle born of tragedy, amazed that they would offer so much of their resources for what appears to be so little in scale. The airship makes a turn around and barrels back into an eastward swing. And as it climbs, it unleashes flares to either side and underneath, the smoke behind them appearing as angels of their image, truly a terrifying but beautiful display to honor their fallen men.

"That's four families who are going to be left with more questions than answers." Alex Mutters.

"I'd sure hate that these things had to happen the way they do." I respond to him. "This was one weapons demonstration I'd never thought I'd be prepared to see. Though I'm sure it would be off color to call it such."

"No, you're spot on." He replies. "They flew back east as a message to the ones who put our guys under. Maybe they'll relay that back home. It could always get uglier. It's just that we REALLY don't want those guys involved. Because once they do, it's cart blanche."

I watch as the smokey angels dissipate into the wind. "It was only three that died in action. The last guy, was there a reason why he did it?"

"Audrey Paulmann, rank Corporal of the U.S. Marines, served in Iraq in his first tour, was neck-deep in the second battle of Fallujah. Got sent into the hot zone where a family still lived. Insurgent forces took advantage of that and fought from that position. They called in an airstrike to clean up the mess, only to get an even worse one afterwards. That incident stayed on his record for a while, stopped him from getting promoted, and he lost a few of his battle buddies to suicide too." Alex digs in his pocket, pulls out a cigarette, places it to his lips and lights it. He takes a long drag before he speaks again. "He was always a risk of that, but still enlisted to my company as security. When I presented him the offer of being in an expeditionary force, he took it."

"But why? Why would he do something like that?"

He takes another drag. "I got a question for you. When a man endures hell on earth and comes back to civilian life, does he ever really come back home. The answer to that is no, you don't always come home. That's a lot of these guys here, it happens to me sometimes too, when I think about Ponyville and Corrotto. They all have battle experiences, retired, found that living the safe life ain't always the vibe, so they enroll in things like law enforcement, security, join gangs, a few go overseas and volunteer in some other militias around the world. This was just an option of many for them."

"That doesn't make any sense though."

"Yeah it do." He says as he offers me a hit. "Tobacco's addictive, that's why I prefer Mary, you get a way better chill." I shake my head at his off. "A lot of those who serve in hell don't find it right that they leave there, only to come home to the lack thereof. It's a programming error, one that some veterans of war will experience. It's not that they enjoy the fighting, it's just happens to be the thing they know, the thing they can do without the struggle. It's hard to keep a man retired when his mind is still stuck where the bodies are." Yet another puff leaves his lips, and he offers it to me again. "It's the reason why we try to work with Celestia so much to keep Nondis out of trouble, because we know he'll find a hell to crawl back into. And if he crawling back into it, who knows what other version of himself he'll find, probably the version we never want to see again... or worse. And the more I think on it, the more stressed I get." This time I take him on his offer. I take an initial puff, only to come up coughing. "Damn, didn't think the natural fire-breather would actually get a cough on that. Guess that means you'll be riding high like that damn plane is right now."

"This shit is insane." I cough before I clear my throat to get back on topic. "So that's why everyone's so scared to see him in action."

"Some people think they might know what happened to the man, but there's pictures and tapes... tapes with his screams... I went a week not sleeping after those, maybe a month trying to process that. It's why I took up weed, just don't tell the wife... In fact, let me help you with some stress relief. It's gonna be a long one with this war going on." He reaches in his coat pocket, pulling out a set of brown cigarettes with wooden tips, they have a hint of sweetness in the scent. He also pulls out a sandwich bag full of green dried leaves and offers me those also. He then pats me on my chest and walk off. "Don't smoke it all at once. Just treat it like a casual drink, you'll enjoy it more."

I look at the smoldering bud, along with the newly acquired spoils given to me, quirking a brow at the strange assortment of items. I glance back to the smoldering bud and ask myself. "So do I... just keep smoking this or... what?"

Meanwhile in the Crystal Mountains...

The gathering of both cultists and centuries alike stare and marvel at the metal beast leaving its marks upon the perfect blue sky. Many of them mutter and speak upon themselves as their leaders sit upon a higher position, seeing nothing more than a mesmerizing display of problems they've yet to face.

"What. The actual fuck. Is that?" The young prince stammers.

"I know one thing, it's not Equestrian." The cult leader replies. "That thing roared like a dragon as it passed, and shook the very foundations of the mountains."

The three maids to the prince also watch in amazement, Remedy having the most to say. "Wow, look how high that thing flies! It goes way higher than our airships, and faster! If we were to look like ants from up high, we would never even be seen from one of those! Our cities would look like specks of dirt on the land!"

"I don't know if stirring this beast was a good idea." Rhapsody replies. "If what they have is more of those, I don't think our country would last the night. The siege from that alone would bring Midnight Castle to it's knees."

Melody speaks nothing, instead flapping her wings as the airship disappears beyond the mountainous horizon with another show of flares. But as she starts to flutter into the air, a ring of magic pulls at her hind leg, dragging her down from her imagination and rooting her back into reality. "No way you're catching that." The prince cruelly reminds her. "Two-legger technology and the weapons they use to wage war. I get to see their current advancements with my own two eyes... I was truly blessed by the good Doctor to be here."

"A blessing, more like a curse if it were to ever decide we were worth it's time." The cult leader replies.

The young prince squeaks like a mouse as he shows irrational exuberance. "Rhapsody..."

"I'll relay our findings to the Emperor."

Back at the Crystal Empire...

I'm not exactly sure if I can feel my claws or not. I feel something, actually I feel a lot of it. I'm not numb, but the world feels numb. I'm sure the colors of these crystals are the same, but I sure do see them sparkle pretty bright. I'm pretty cool with everything so far, nothing seems out of place except for the fact that I can't tell whether I'm actually walking of flying. Not that it matters at this point, I'm getting to my location pretty fine, even if I seem to notice just the smallest movements out the corner of my eye.

I meander my way over to everyone else, Amor, Hestia, Ocellus, Smolder, and Zenobia all sharing their thoughts over what we saw earlier. They seem pretty amazed over the ceremony the humans threw together. Hell, I'm more stunned over the fact that a big-ass machine started drawing angels in the sky. Glad I wasn't like what I am now back then, I'd probably go chasing after the damn thing. "Hey, how you girls feeling?"

The group turns to see me walking up. "We're feeling pretty... whoa!" Smolder leaps over to me, leaning into my face and looking into my eyes for some odd reason. "What the hell happened to you, and what's that smell?"

"Ehh, Alex gave me some stuff for stress relief." An intrusive thought comes to the forefront of my mind and I verbalize it instantly. "Yeah, I'm definitely gonna puff this shit up during a game of Oggs and Oubs. I can't feel shit, but I feel good as fuck." I laugh.

"Uh... you okay?" Hestia asks. "You look... drugged."

"No way, I just smoked up some of these dried leaves Alex forked over. I feel like I can hear the frequencies of the colors around me. Life is pretty good right now."

Everyone else just stare at me with concern, everyone save Captain Mosely coming up from behind them. He peeps out my eyes and smell my scent. He immediately starts to chuckle. "Hey buddy, you feeling good?"

"I feel good as fuck." I say with a huge grin.

The man laughs. "Yeah, the green will do it to you."

"Green?" A visibly distressed Ocellus asks.

"Cannabis, often known as herb, bush, kush, smoke, gas, heat, dope, weed, hemp, greens, or it's more notable name marijuana, nicknamed Mary Jane. It's a natural growing plant in our world that can be used for all sorts of purposes. More notably, it's used for medication for those who have eye issues, stress, migraines, pain relief, muscle spasms. epilepsy, you name it. Studies even show it helps intensify sexual experiences too, but I never really tried it outside of a group of friends in college."

"Intensify sexual experiences?" I ask as I let more of my intrusive thoughts pass my filters. "Yeah, Gabby's gonna catch it tonight."

"I don't know if I feel comfortable with him on that." The changeling replies.

"Eh, give him about two hours and he'll be right back down. It'll be fine." He assures her before clearing his throat to change the subject to more formal matters. "But truthfully, we appreciate you taking the time to honor our guys with us. I know that Paulmann didn't leave you with a good memory to go on, but I want to thank you for having the strength to see him off with us. You'll always have my gratitude, as well as the gratitude of our nation."

"You guys are sacrificing for us, it wouldn't be right if we didn't." I speak out. "Hell, without you guys, we'd probably be even more fucked up now. You guys caught a bomb threat on Friday, ain't no telling how many more lives would've been lost. I don't mind sticking up for you guys. If anything, we owe your species for dealing with that shit in Canterlot seven years ago, a lot of Equestria sees you guys as heroes."

The man snickers for a moment. "Yeah, it's too bad some other guy came around and built up his resumé first. We get crazy comparisons to that one guy who got into like a 1v50 with a sword and a brick. Some guy they call the Captain. I asked the boss about it, he never really says much about him except the fact that he's a good guy. Guess he doesn't like being compared to him either." The man shrugs. "But yeah. Just so you know, your helo is smoking and ready for your ride back home. That's if you feel like going."

Ocellus grabs me by my wrist immediately. "Yeah, I think we'll go that route. Home, please."

"What of the others?" Hestia asks about Twilight's friends.

"They say they'll stick around a little longer. Guess they're doing it because of that empress lady. Gotta admit, she's hardcore as hell to be pulling people in for hugs with the injuries she's got."

"Yeah, they are friends with Cadance just as much as they are with each other." I point out. "Besides, we need to haul ass away from here. Way too much stress and bad juju hanging about."

"All for it." The changeling cosigns as she pulls me along. "C'mon, let's get moving before Alex gives you any other bad influences."

As we walk along, we easily close in on the stadium where our transport awaits. Amor looks towards his sisters and speaks out for seemingly the first time today. "So, guess this is part of our starting over, left with nothing, not even the dreams we had along the way."

"Hmm." Hestia quickly fills the role of her brother and gives a more optimistic outlook. "I guess we'll start on finding ourselves a new place to live after we get back."

"Might wanna take your time on that. Let's wait until the war is over. You guys can still crash out at my place." I suggest.

"Nice offer, but way too much... extracurricular activity for my liking." She counters. "Yeah, I'll stay for as long as I can try to find someplace else to move into."

The gloomy prince let his eyes linger towards the changeling mare pulling my arm. "Ms. Ocellus." He meekly calls to her, glancing away as her eyes trail to him. "I was wondering... could you... Never mind, forget I said anything."

As we get closer to the improvised landing zone, I notice that one of us appear to be missing from the group. I look back to see the one lingering behind, rather standing stationary at the arena's entrance. "Zenobia, what's the matter?"

"I think she feels you're still upset with her." Amor answers.

"Don't you dare fucking talk for me, you dipshit!" The alicorn chides her brother before turning her attention to me with a saddened look of remorse. "...You go on without me." She turns around to walk away. "I'll catch back up with you in a bit."

"What do you mean?" I ask her.

"Uh, just to point something out, I don't think he's gonna make another trip to Ponyville." Smolder keenly illustrates. "I'm sure it takes a lot of resources to even fly us back and forth. So it's not like you'll be─

"I'm staying behind to help with the war effort." She interrupts. All of us are left baffled at her revelation. I'm so caught off guard that the moment sobers me up at that instant. She gives me a weak smile as she explains herself. "It's my brother they're up against. So... I should be the one to try to counter his every approach. I know he's working with others, but I can't just let these humans go against him and his antics. He's much too cruel to go uncontested."

"But... I don't understand." I begin. "Like... How do you just up and decide something like this? What about─"

"I owe you an apology for what I've done this morning, how I've acted in front of your friends and acquaintances. I'm sure I've left a bad impression on them, much less the princess who brought you up, and the little one who looks up to you. So allow me do with this one so I can get back to you with a good conscience. Who knows, maybe the separation would do us good. Absence and hearts, fondness and all that bullshit, you know."

"Are you sure you want to do thi─"

She erupts back at me, visibly distressed and upset over her decision. "You dumb dragon, just get on the whirlidick and fuck off back home so that I can make something up to your name, please!" She sighs heavily while trying to calm herself down. "Besides, don't I need to pad my resume a bit to prove that I can be a serious world player?"

I'm reluctant, mainly in part by her still being here where Rarity or Twilight and her can still butt heads. But she doesn't seem to be interested in any vendettas. In fact, I can tell in her eyes that she has a drive to dedicate herself to what she said in her presser.

I still hold my reservations, but I know that this is her biggest chance to stand on her own. So I'll give her a chance to seek her own measures to atone, even if I personally feel that she didn't really say anything wrong. "You could do that." She truly does mean well for me, even if our start wasn't exactly the best, she did look out.

"Good then." She replies, smiling at me, walking up closer and using her magic to take my hand from Ocellus to the pink diamond choker her neck, her aura especially highlighting the ring on my index claw. "And just so you know for the next time, that ring you're wearing, it controls this. So give it a yank when you want me... or rather when you have the time to think of me."

As she pulls away, I see a tiny strand of sapphire magic tether itself from my ring to her choker. I take the opportunity to immediately yank her in and give her a hug, not knowing if she will be okay in any of this. And I surely don't want to leave her without making sure that she knows I do appreciate her. I whisper to her in a soft voice. "Stay safe for me. Whatever day you come back, I'll make it yours by default."

The mare smirks as she replies. "I will make certain that you destroy whatever's left of me when I return. So... till the next time, dear pet." As we slowly separate from each other, she offers yet another quip. "Or should I say, Spike the Honorable, Brave, and Glorious." I groan at the overly used title I'm given every time I come to this city. She sways as she continues to tease me upon her departure. "That statue of yours is really cute! I'm glad they saved it for me to see!"

The foreign princess breaks into a gallop, disappearing down the avenue. Ocellus makes a comment about her mocking my title. "You know, this whole time I didn't think she knew your name."

"Oh, she knows it." I reply. "And she can be a sweetheart too."

"A protective one at that." Smolder adds. "Didn't think she had the balls to tell Rarity to her face what we've all been thinking about her and you. She's cool with me for that."

"I think we can all agree. Whatever day she comes back, you belong to her." Ocellus proposes. "And only her."

"That's the plan." I confirm.

Hestia shudders as she offers her own resolution. "Hopefully I'll be long gone before then."

2407 Golden Oaks Way 90 minutes later...

From the moment we get off the helicopter, Ocellus is already inquiring about the herbs I was given earlier. It seems she's heavily concerned with how it will affect me and my decision making. So far from my experience on the ride, I haven't really felt much but an unrelenting desire to unburden myself by talking about every last one of my issues, and personal gripes with how this situation's been unfolding with Ponyland. Some of my thoughts do make Hestia uncomfortable because I do find myself a staunch supporter of our armed forces, and I personally wish nothing but the worst for every idiot looking to put me in a box underground. And even though I may not like fighting, I personally don't mind putting peace aside to go on the counteroffensive.

A candid thought, dominating Zenobia isn't enough of a revenge fantasy for me against Xerxes. I need his blood to spill. And my verbalizing that thought is what made Hestia feel a bit uncomfortable on the ride back. Not that she feels he doesn't deserve it, but that I've spoken so favorably of violence against him, that I do wish I could tote his head through the streets as he did the other dragons he made into his flail. Smolder quirked her brow with interest at my thought, and more than agreed. Amor couldn't care less, his disposition hasn't been the same since the night he ran into Twilight.

Back into current matters, we arrive at my front door once more, my humble abode that brings my mind peace upon seeing it's entrance. As I open the door, I call to the drywall corridors all around. "Hey, we're home." Gabby doesn't initially respond, but I do catch a glimpse of her sitting at the dining table. I peek my head in and ask. "What are you doing?"

"Spike!" She seems startled out of a thought or two. In her scattered hurriedness, she pulls a chair for me to sit in, appearing that she wants to divulge some sort of ill tidings. "Okay, um, take a seat. I might have some things to say, you know, so... get comfy."

"You look like you've been panicking. Is everything okay?"

Instantly, her eyes shift wayward, her body language seems wracked with guilt. "Uh... well... Princess Flurry Heart... so─"

"Oh Flurry, yeah. She snuck on the helicopter with us and rode back to the Crystal Empire." I conclude for her.

In the very second, her head drops and her griffon feathers seem to flatten at the news. "Oh thank Faust she's okay!" She takes her own seat, glancing down at her talons. "I was going to start a community search effort if she didn't turn up later. But now that you're here telling me the good news, I can... destress."

"Well I'm glad to see you're willing to chill out for a bit after this. I sure hope you weren't too stressed out." I look at her face and see the obvious lack of sleep. "You were totally stressed out, weren't you?"

"How could I not be!?" She voices with a exasperated strain. "The high princess' niece gone missing? I didn't want to call you because I knew that you would've felt like I was incompetent, then you would've had to come back, and knowing you, you would've flew back on your own at break-neck speed, flying over mountains, dropping in, completely out of breath or almost about to fall out─"

I pinch her beak shut for a moment. "I got something for that if you need to quiet down in the mind for Oggs and Oubs on tonight. And I think I'm more than interested in the campaign have in mind for us. And I want to see how this turns out. I know, a bit different, but I want to try this out."

I show her the bag of green stuff I gained from Alex's charitable donation into mental health awareness and placed it on the table. Naturally, her response is inquiry. "What's this?"

"Medicine for stress relief." I advertise to the griffon. "Now let's wind down and get this game started so I can do things to you on your day, because you obviously deserve my attention."

The griffons eyes shimmer with warmth as she stands up and floats to the shelf nearby. "Aww, not you being sweet and everything! I guess I can set up." An invisible exclamation point pops over her head as a question sprouts in her mind. "Where's Zenobia, she was supposed to create her character too?"

I simply inform her of the Ponyland princess' status. "She's staying up north to help with the war effort, padding her resumé a bit."

"Disappointing, but at least she's doing something good. I hope she stays safe." Gabby replies before noticing one of the others who wanted to join the campaign a few days ago. "Hey Amor, you still wanna go with your character you were creating or do you want to start over?"

"Actually, I'll join you guys later." He mutters in despondence. "I'm going to my room."

Still unaware of the stallion's change in mood, Smolder asks about his recent emotional shift. "What happened to him?"

Hestia provides an answer. "Princess Twilight finally had the talk with him. He's pretty upset about it."

Ocellus quietly trails off, appearing to follow the stallion on his slow dirge to the room upstairs. Meanwhile, Gabby shares her sympathies for him. "Aw, poor thing."

I reassure everyone from my own experiences. "He'll be fine. Amor will be right back to it in a few days. Just give him some time to mingle about and we'll keep him busy. That way he doesn't stay on it too much."

Smolder smirks as she takes a seat, looking to also join the campaign. "I'm with you on that." She looks at the bag of green bulbs on the table and asks. "So... what are we supposed to do with this?"

I look down and I purse my lips with uncertainty. "Actually, let me call Alex and find that out."

As the noises from downstairs fade into background for the changeling, she approaches the door known to inhabit the young prince. A soft patter against the sound-resistant wood is all she risks for his attention. "You okay in there?"

"I'm fine." A solemn response is all he gives.

The changeling waits for a few seconds before pursuing the issue. "Can I come in?"

A sigh is heard from the other side. "Sure."

The changeling's magic turns his knob slowly, allowing her a gradual entrance into his room. He lays in the bed with his face turned away from her. "Heard what happened. How are you feeling?"

"I feel like a pegasus without wings, as if the clouds got pulled from underneath my hooves. Now all I can do is stay in this unending freefall into the crushing rocks below of planet reality."

"That's a pretty heave thought." She lingers towards the bed, resting herself upon the foot of his frame. "I'm here if you want to talk, or vent, or whatever."

"All of this... I just." He begins slowy. "...I have to ask, how do you deal with what you are? I mean I know you're a changeling, but what I mean is who you are, like the world knows of your mother, not to mention the way she used to roam around from nation to nation, causing the harm she has in her years of rule. How do you develop relationships looking past all of that?"

"Well, for starters, it helps when your older brother takes the reigns of power from her and show the others that there's a different way of doing things aside from plundering and abducting victims to feed on." She explains as she slides a little closer to the stallion, offering to pet the top of his head. "It comes with time, it's not easy at first. I still remember the first day we came to the School of Friendship, how nervous I was, I turned into a dragon just to not seem as threatening to the general populace of the town. Wouldn't you guess it, dragons had a better reputation here in Ponyville than changelings, and for good reason. But Thorax always told me to be true to what I am. In time, I gained confidence through the friends I've made, even relationships."

"Be who I truly am." Amor scoffs as he rolls over to look at the mare beside him. "What a joke, I don't even know what I am now. How do I find any security in that?"

"Give it time. Bad days and good days, they all fall in a pattern of waves. Just take a deep breath, and just as easily as you breathe in and out, time passes by. And as you get older, whether it be days, months, years or whatever, you gain confidence in your own self. You find the strength to keep pushing, even when you sometimes doubt yourself." The prince doesn't exactly appear accepting of the mare's testimony, so she approaches from a familiar perspective. "Can I tell you a story? I had a pretty big crush on one of my friends."

"Spike?" The prince guesses.

"No, I'm with Spike now but I didn't see him as anything other than 'Headmare Twilight's assistant' back then. This guy was different, he's an earth pony. Now in my eyes at the time he really was cute, optimistic, kinda shy in some ways, but he was always the spark that encouraged me. Not to mention I had other thoughts that many teenagers have, you can fill in the blanks. So then one day, I thought to ask him to a dance, at least a chance to break the ice and see where we could grow together. Can you guess what happened?"

"He said no."

"Not even." She spouts back at the prince with a chuckle. "I didn't get the chance to ask. He asked some other creature, a yak."

"A yak?" His brows lift as the realization is instant to his mind. "The shopkeeper at the boutique?"

"Yup. She never even entertained the idea of the two of them being an item until he asked. Over time, they really started to grow into each other, but it also started the both of them thinking if things would work between them, you know, like in that way. He was an earth pony, way smaller than a yak who's three times his size and four times his weight. He wondered if he would be enough for her. And she knew that the ground shakes every time she jumps, so she felt she would crush him to death if she wasn't careful enough. So you wouldn't guess who had to step in and mediate that whole situation."

"You?"

The changeling nods as she starts to play with her forelegs. "When I mean I had to mediate things, I mean that I spent time shifting between him and her, the yak who was my friend, and the pony that I wanted to be with. I had my fair share of time with them both, exchanging comforts and limitations, finding a middle ground that works for the both of them. But it grew to a point where my personal feelings got mixed in because I'm literally fucking him. And you might not know this, but your feelings can come to a height when the one you like is hilt-deep and kissing your cervix the way you like it. And because our transformations can be tethered deeply into our emotions, I broke character and just outright slept with him, for hours. Of course, that's not how it was supposed to be. Yona found out and things came to a steam between all three of us. But thankfully, matters cooled off and we stayed friends."

"Well at least that worked out for you guys." He comments.

She slides in closer to him as she tells more of her history. "Actually, it's not the only time I took the form of a friend to run a test ride for another friend. I did it for Smolder and Spike. Now here I am sandwiched between the both of them because dragon cuddle sandwich is full of love and it makes me feel good."

"What fun." He sarcastically grumbles. "I wish I could have a Princess Twilight sandwich."

The changeling lays herself next to the stallion, looking directly into his eyes as she outright proposes to him. "You know, I might not be able to quite do it for you. But if you need the moment, I can... maybe bend a few rules. That's if you won't tell any authorities that I did it."

"It's fine." He denies initially, though the idea quickly gains steam in his mind. "I mean... I shouldn't. I know I shouldn't. It's not cordial, nor appropriate."

"Oh spare me that, high school has taught me that ponies will literally ask you to be their crush just so they can practice for the real thing. And the first thing you need to get over the hump is a little practice with a friend." The mare closes the distance between her and the prince, her nose inches from his as she gradually adapts her voice to Twilight's. "Changelings don't feed on love in the manners of old times. We give love and offer comfort instead. So tell me this. Is there anything you truly want in your heart right now?"

Even for the growing change of her voice, he remains quiet for an initial time. But in the moments that pass as her eyes shift to the magenta hues of the high princess, he subsequently gives into his desperation. With a heavy mind, and a broken heart, he whispers to the changeling in his closeness. "I just want her. Could you be that for me?"

Her hesitation nonexistent, her body flashes in his bed, revealing a form more than twice her original height and weight. The warmth of the mare's wings surround him as she kisses his forehead as the princess of his dreams. "I would be anything for you."

His eyes glance at the princess' wares, seeing the shape and form of every detail that festered in his fantasies for many unfulfilled nights. He's aware of the inauthenticity of the moment, but allows himself the one instance of his greed and weakness. "I have no further shame at this point. So please feel free to feast on what I have left. All I ask is that you let me pretend, that I have only one night with her, the last and only for the road."

"Don't hold back." The faux princess urges in character. "I want this as much as you do right now. It's been a while for me, so... don't mind if I'm in need of warming up."

The prince licks his lips, the bottom of his tongue accidentally touching her lips also. She sneaks in and closes the space between him. And in his desperate show of affection, he parts his lips to invite her into him.

Within the heavy pants of his arousal, he whispers the weight of his heart into the lavender scented fur of her neck. "I love you. I love you, so much."

Later in the Crystal Empire...

Night crawls from the dying light of the sun pulled into it's daily retirement, much of the city is still abuzz with talks and wonderment of the ceremony from earlier. Many speculate of the funeral being a common practice among the humans who have reached their demise. Some even start to write out their requests to replicate such grandiose conditions to the best of their abilities. The morbid thoughts infest the general pony populace in earnest.

But while the thoughts of many are affixed to such dismal affairs, there resides a pony's thoughts that eat soundly at the words repeating in her mind ad nauseum.

"...your reply is to shower him with fucking gifts every so often..."

In the guest room of the palace, the globally-renowned fashion icon glances back at herself, seeing the image of her magic parting the many strands of hair in her mane. Her eyes remains affixed to a few graying strands, oft well hidden but becoming gradually more discolored by the day. The process is an atrophic realization that her time dedicated to her work has yielded favorable results in most of her life. All... if not for one garish outlier.

"...all because you feel guilty about your pitiful reproach."

The floor is littered with incomplete attire, some even scrapped for other ideas. Behind her immediate proximity is a mountain of drawn drafts, balled up into crumpled sheets of notepaper, discarded with brazen scribbles of non-committals and words unsaid. Each of the denials having a common theme; it is the preferred recipient of her arduous labor.

"Because you feel guilty about your pitiful relationship with him..."

The longer the mare looks at herself, the more she begins to feel a painful truth manifesting in her heart, one that's gone ignored for many years now.

"I'm not the one who stunted his emotional and sexual growth from a juvenile's age!"

Rarity is intensively aware of the long-grown affections towards her. But throughout the course of her stress, business, and dealings, not to mention the many high-profile relationships that failed before the eyes of the word, she would always have a retreat somewhere. And while many of those suitors speak no ill of her personality in public, privately she knows that she sabotages her going abouts with the remaining speck of doubt staining her heart and judgement.

"It's almost as if you're upset at the fact that he's still trying to fight past his damage from you and finding some success in doing so..."

For years, she's tried to ignore it, even disregard it. But the more she did, the more those aspiring suitors looked to distract her. Then there would be the moments of self-isolation, the gorging of icy sweets, the inevitable downpour of wines from their bottles, and the frustrated tears that stained many of her brilliant designs. And in getting to that point, there would always be the one who'd just so happen to be in town for that day, her emotional go-to whenever she wanted to finally feel less ashamed of herself in those drunken moments.

But across the years, those maudlin stupors have hardened the heart of the dragon she cared for most, the calluses grown over from the many times her words echoed a painful rejection. But not for reason of animosity did she turn away his advances, but instead they were concern, concern that his long-tenured crush would yield favorable results that many would easily decry as a higher form of debauchery, a black mark that could compromise all of her dreams.

Often, her words were 'no' and 'stop thinking of me and think elsewhere', all while the hole in her heart could only be filled by the moments he found himself in her. While her denial was painful initially, it also grew colder. Praises from him would end with unresponsiveness. Love shared falls flat to the dirt and stones beneath where she walked, and her dance would be to avoid it all...

...That is until a hoof steps into one of those long-pruned gifts, giving her the intrepid reminder that his body is easily given to any that asks, that the hole in his heart is trying to be filled by anyone other than the one who excavated the alter made in her image.

Her phone, being vastly outdated and a bit slow, remains the jeweled mnemonic of a failed pursuit that had honest intentions, but failed in part of a promise made to one who healed the hurts bestowed upon them. Her hoof taps gently to the screen, the lagging display frames down a few pages before the name falls into reach. A slide to her right and his name sprouts to the center of the screen, accompanied by a dial tone. The purring pattern repeats until a voice bellows with bass-heavy response. "Hello?"

She knows the sound too well, hearing it as another one of her drunken stupors lead her to a bad night at the function. And no matter how I try to ready myself for an early morning, my slumber is abruptly interrupted by the sight of her name popping at the front of my screen yet again. "Hey, Spike. It's me. Just... checking in on you dear."

The gravely quality of the voice hastens a blush. "You checking in on me? Heh... What for?"

The unicorn begins to sashay around the topic of her call, even now fighting with herself over the idea of simply confessing her intentions. "Just seeing about you, obviously a bit confused that a certain princess is still here while you are not. Did something happen between you two, any reason she's here?"

"Princess?" I ponder for a split second. "Oh, Zenobia. Yeah, she's helping Alex with the war effort. Something about making things up to me for earlier. I don't know."

She spills a fake laugh, hiding more of her own vested interests on the matter. "Oh... well that's good. At least she can do something other than demean you in any way. That collar isn't bothering you right now, is it?"

"No, just a tingle here and there, some residual emotions. I would say it feels pretty bummy, but my whole body feels way too good right now."

Gabby interrupts in the background. "Are you seriously on the phone?"

"I answered because I thought it was an emergency. Usually happens a little later in the night, but yeah."

"Well if it isn't one, can we get back to where we are right now?" The griffon complains. "Who are you on the phone with anyways?"

"Rarity."

Smolder shows disapproval of the sudden call into our gametime. "Hey, Spike! Get off of that thing, already!"

"Yeah, I know." I sputter back.

"Ha! His voice does sound growly as shit after that hit!" Smolder calls out from the background.

"I know, right? This shit got me feeling like I could come up with a whole other campaign in my head. Shit, let's get this game going!"

"Not until you fucking hang up on that b─"

The call ends, leaving the mare with yet even more unspoken words. Her eyes glance down to the screen of the ended call before the screen falls to black, revealing her own reflection yet again. Guilt impedes where bubbling thoughts once filled, and weights bear down the space butterflies once swarmed.

"I wonder if you even mean to tell him anything of your current insecurities, or if you'd have some bravery to do so without some shitty hang-ups about your age difference..."

In a faux sense of reassurance, she buries her feelings once more before returning to her notepad. "Believe me... I've already tried."

Chapter 61: Engaged in Errors

Midtown Canterlot The next morning...

Slowly and blurrily, half of a world fades into focus. He looks to his left, seeing one of his forelegs trapped under the orange unicorn mare beside him. He feels a shift to his right and turns that way to see a jet black mare hugging one of his wings, drooling as her slumber intensifies. It takes but a moment to recall what events transpired to lead to his morning of what many would call a resounding victory.

"Of course. The changeling invited me for drinks at a brunch. And these two got feisty and pushy, so much that they dragged me back to this hotel and just about made me rediscover how much I love drinking and mares. The beverages they have here are quite potent, and they operated like they didn't know the first thing about restraint." The prince thinks to himself as he looks down to see a changeling nestled closely into his chest, her eyes fluttering open and a gentle smile directed to him. "Dammit, it's morning. I wasn't supposed to stay here this long."

His heart jumps as her hooves clutch to his fur, pulling herself up to meet with him. "Morning cutie. You seem a bit discombobulated. She pets the stallion's cheek with an amorous intent. "Maybe you'd like some actual food instead of mares for meals?"

"That doesn't sound like a bad idea, Larvae." Jewel raises herself from off of the prince's foreleg, letting him get the feeling back in his crushed limb.

"Mr. Well-gifted-and-endowed here should be down for a meal after working in a hot kitchen all night. Stayed up serving up a party of three for hours on end." Shadie stretches her legs, finally releasing the prince's wing, "Your feathers are so soft, really well-preened. You really do take your grooming to a new level."

"Care to share some of that routine with us, pretty boy?" Jewel requests as she leans in for a kiss. "You should be able to share a few more secrets with us this morning."

Larvae pops her head up, quickly dominating the prince's personal space. "I think you'd be more interested in a meal first, I can cook."

"In a place with no stove?" Shadie points out. "Dream on, girl."

"The longer I stay, the more I'll be subject to the whims of these three. I wouldn't mind it much, but..." Images of his brothers flash before his eyes, their varying shows of disapproval casting shadows over the mouse-sized replica of himself for his being clung onto by the changeling currently before him. "I cannot get attached to any of this. No matter how good it feels, this isn't my place. I've got a job to do." He tells himself before rising up from the bed and notifying the others. "I know that our time together has been more than a stir in the right direction, but I'm afraid I have to get back to my brothers. I've been here for too long."

"Aw, cutie's gotta run." Shadie groans with disbelief.

"And to think we were all having so much fun together." Jewel tries to pull the stallion back towards the bed. "Oh c'mon, you know you can stick around a little longer. It's still early and checkout is around noon."

"Ladies, it's been fun. But I need a shower." He hops out the bed, marching towards the bathroom as the three mares quietly congregate outside of the door.

Throughout the minutes passing by, the Ponyland prince runs his shower, looking at the picture the changeling mare made him take the moment he received the device. "Why am I even staring at this girl? She opens her legs once and I claim her as I would any mare..." His eyes close as he takes in his time from the previous night, how his hard earned sweat and seed found rest on everything other than his own body. And yet, even with the two equine mares to cleanse his palate, an outstanding thought remains. "It's unfair, why the hell is she so good? I had more than just her and all I can remember is her and her alone. Is this really the taste of forbidden fruit, thrill of a taboo that becomes the sources of my future addictions? Damn that girl and her smile, she's just using me to cope with her own losses. That's all this is." The water comes to a halt, he walks to the mirror, seeing the ghastly burn scar over his disabled eye. He groans in complaint as the reflection reveals to him the contradiction to the mares' endless compliments. "After all, she would probably run away at the sight of what I look like in here." He takes the unfashionable remains of the bedazzled cloth for concealing his non-functioning eye and wraps it tightly around his head before walking back out, seeing all three stare back at him with lust in their eyes. "And just like that, you all fall for the lie. It never changes."

Shadie expresses her disappointment in seeing the stallion immediately go for his cloak. "Aww, so that's it for now?"

"Well it won't be like the last time, where we had no way of reaching out." Jewel cites as she leans into the prince with a playful smirk. "You have our numbers, right? We snuck 'em in yesterday at the brunch, you have like no security enabled on that thing, so yeah. All you gotta do is look for our names, You know who to ring up if you want to make it a fun time for all of us."

Looking to play out his role of the foreign playboy, Agamemnon winks back at the mare and hurries past her. "I'll be sure to contact you should I feel a need to unwind."

As he walks out of the room, he sees the changeling standing in the hallway, looking to bid him well until the next time they'd meet. She frowns with disapproval. "Leaving us already? You haven't ate anything. I just ordered breakfast."

"Yes. I have much to do." The stallion says as he offers her back the device she purchased for him. "I believe this is yours. I know it seems like I'm just─"

"Oh no you don't!" She shoves the phone back into his chest, standing mere inches away from his face as she leans in. "I didn't just get this for you, you know. It's for me too, because I want to stay in touch with you, make sure you're okay."

He shakes his head. "How long do you intend to suck the life out of me?"

"Dunno. Can you come back so I can suck a little more love out of you?"

Knowing her suggestive tone, he looks away to hid his eye from her gaze. "True to your nature, I suppose." He hears the sound of the elevator ding in the hall nearby and darts off to catch it.

"Text me when you get home. I'll be waiting!"

He grumbles to himself as he halfway ignores her, instead reaching out to the patrons boarding the lift. He hails to the duo of stallions. "Hey, hold that thing."

As he enters, the stallion presses the button for the first floor. The other stallion leans against the mirror-lined lift. The prince waits quietly as the doors close and they begin their slow descent. But as their climb down shows on the display above the doors, the stallion near the panel smiles as he starts to press more and more floors at once, causing them to stop at each floor on the way down. The doors open to reveal not a single patron looking to board. "Interesting... cool to know that a prince like you can even learn to unwind a bit."

Agamemnon's ears pin back as he realizes his cover is blown. His horn begins to produce a silver glow. "Who the hell are you?"

"Just a few friends from the underside." The second stallion replies. "Your big bro told us you'd be shacking up some of the locals, but given his attitude, I'd never thought you'd let a changeling in on the fun."

Attempting to defend himself, the prince belittles his interactions. "It was coincidental."

"Sure. But let me ask you this. Did she flip your world upside down? Did she shake things up? Did she ever follow up a real mare and let you know that she's just built differently, that anything after her is just an unfair contest?" The prince glances away, seeing the stallions looking at him from either mirror in the elevator. "Yeah, I knew you'd get turned out by one of them. They're a gifted bunch when it comes to the bedroom, they can go for hours with no rest. I can tell she's got you stuck too."

As the doors close, they descend another floor and stop to another empty hallway. The prince waits for the door to close again before speaking. "I only ask that my escapades remain anonymous."

"Sure. We don't judge." The first stallion replies. "But I'm sure your brothers might have a few words about it."

"What do you want?" Asks the now-aggravated prince.

"Well, seeing that you're already up here, your big bro Xerc wanted you to scope out the locations around the city, you know points of interests─" The doors open, revealing a mare with her daughter. They look at the three inside, already growing intimidated of their appearance. She lightly gives the trio a silent wave as the doors close on her. The ride down continues. "Points of interests, key figures in charge, things of that order."

Agamemnon glances at the panel, seeing that the buttons glow according to the floors that were accessed. The sign above the door now indicates the 7th floor. The corresponding button dims. "And why would I do something like that?"

The stallions wait for the doors to close again before speaking. "Because you got the friends to do something with. You're getting pretty familiar up in these city streets. Might as well keep you topside and gather intel for the boss."

"Why does this sound like an ulterior motive of yours?" The prince questions.

"Look, my guy. We all benefit from it. You, me, Xerc, Elroy, the boys, the Doc, all of us."

The prince snaps into a moment of confusion at the name. "Who's Elroy?"

"The third alicorn, you know, the one with the light purple streaks in his mane."

"Eros." The prince mutters.

"Whatever." The sixth floor opens to yet another empty hallway. The doors barely close as the first stallion starts talking again. "Look, you stay up here, keep it snazzy, make a few friends, turn a few heads the other way, and we'll work."

"What of the holy mother then?" The prince asks.

"Eh, we got an even better target for the Doc." The second stallion replies. "But first, we gotta meet up with some friends. They'll really help us get some shit done."

"And who are these friends of yours?"

The first stallion smirks as he presses the button for the top floor for fun. "I have a feeling you'll know 'em soon enough."

Meanwhile in Ponyland...

The human still seated in his dungeon cell patiently knock his feet together, humming along the rhythm he makes with every pat of his shoes contacting one other. Throughout the course of his self-entertainment, the door opens to reveal Gabranth and two centuries flanking either side of him.

Nondis glances up and stops his humming and greets the trio with a smirk. "Oh, cool. You guys are back. Guess you got some more news from the rapture." However, his playful demeanor comes to a halt as an assault rifle is brought before him, levitated in the commander's aura.

"News, minus the letter." The stallion replies.

"Hmm, new toy. Where'd you find that?"

The stallion smirks as he gives what information he believes would gain him an immediate benefit over the chained man. "We have some friends working on the inside of your group of two-leggers and city defenders. A few of these were brought right back, along with a few other things we've managed to capture."

"What else did you capture then?"

The stallion teeters the dangerous weapon playfully before the man's face. "Well if you'd wish to know, then you'd have to play nice with us over this thing in front of you. So you can start by telling us what you know about it, and how it works."

The stallion's aura quenches immediately as the man closes his eyes. The weapon falls to the ground with a clatter, the weapon also fires a stray round into the wall, causing the bullet to ricochet and hit one of the other centuries in the leg. Nondis shakes his head. "Safety's off. Should've read the manual instead of toting it around like you've won a prize." As the other century checks on the wounded stallion, the man leans forward with a more serious expression. "Let me reword my question, Gabranth, Gabbie, old buddy, old pal. Who did you capture?"

The armored century places his injured comrade onto his back and totes him out of the room as Gabranth gives a cold response. "That's our secret. And imperial doctrine dictates that we don't trade our secrets."

"You know, I don't like it when you guys try to play rough. It comes across as disingenuous." The man replies. "It's like you're trying so hard to be intimidating."

"How so?"

Nondis leans back to his wall and briefly elaborates on his personal level of discomfort, rather the lack thereof. "Have you ever considered that while I may be stuck here, this is just a fun time for me?"

"Judging from your posture, it must not be as fun anymore."

As Gabranth looks to pick up the weapon, the man flicks one of his fingers to stealthily switch the safety back on. "You should be careful. Mocking me isn't really a good idea you should follow up on. Now, I'll ask you politely once more, who do you have?"

The stallion refuses to answer the question, instead responding to the strange build of the weapon. "Interesting craftsmanship. Such intriguing design. And I'm sure the functionality should be more than substantial enough to perform to our standards. Obviously it's a weapon that shoots pellets." The stallion looks to the casing on the ground and picks that up as well. "Strangely shaped pellets, with an interesting design. I'd say give us a few months, and we should be more than able to recreate such a weapon."

"That requires you taking it apart carefully, which you dumbasses wouldn't know how to do in the first place." Nondis answers dismissively.

"All a matter of careful separation by some of our most educated minds."

"Pfft! I wonder how many of those 'educated' minds will be in for a life-changing experience. Or in the similar case of your injured friend, life-ending."

"You could just simply tell us what makes these weapons of yours so potent. That would cut down on our current miscommunications. Wouldn't you agree?"

"Or you could start by telling me who you've got, and how many." The man emphasizes once more. "We can go at this all day. I'm stuck here, right? So obviously we've got time."

The stallion shakes his head. "What a shame. I was thinking that you were going to work with us a little more since we've brought this to your attention. But now, I see that my beliefs in you is a mere show of misjudgment." Finding the man chooses to remain firm on the time being, he gambles on the idea of letting his guilt wear him down. "I'll tell you what, rogue apostle. Why don't you find out for yourself how many of your kind we may have access to. I'm sure you'll love to discover the numbers as they roll in. Not that you'd be able to do much from this cell here. So why don't you take some time to think it over while we take a little gander at this here device and it's workings to come up with a better solution. Of course, while your participation could be greatly appreciated, I assure you it is far from mandatory."

The door to the cell shut close, leaving the man with pursed lips and a motivation. "Yeah, I'm gonna learn you dumb fucks a little something new." He leans back against the wall, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. "So, 'Doc', what was it that you said, 'just as easy as blinking', or something like that? Let's check on that."

2407 Golden Oaks Way...

As we sit around the dining table for breakfast, Hestia goes into a story about some of the things that happened in the empire throughout the years. While I wish I could say that I'm keeping track of her story, I know that it's becoming more and more difficult to process, almost to the point where the only thing I seem to hear is the sound of a sustained dial tone. I'm trying my best, but Ponyland matters are so convoluted.

"And then there was the one time when he missed out on the day we all thought our family was going to finally have a war within itself. He didn't believe me at first, but after that one exchange between him and─" Without warning, a loud thump sounds in the chair next to me. Hestia greets her brother. "Amor! Good morning!"

Unfortunately, he appears to be anything but having a good morning. In fact, just from appearances alone, I swear he's harboring the weight of mourning a recently deceased loved-one. "Morning."

"Oh gosh. You look... ehh..." She tries to soften the blow of her opinion, but there's no cutting around his heavily disheveled appearance.

"Terrible." I bluntly point out.

"Thank you." Sarcasm? Wow, that's usually my thing.

"You okay?" Hestia asks.

"One day at a time." He replies before addressing me with a rather flat tone. "Sir Spike, do you know of any places hiring for an assistant? I need a job."

"Well, there's a farm on the west side of town. Applejack runs the place, but Big Mac and Sugar Belle could always use the extra reinforcement, especially since they're expecting."

"I've never done farmwork before." He lays his head on the table. "To think that I give up my life for more crushing disappointment. Guess a life in serfdom would be a fitting response to my lavish failures."

"Uh-huh, no!" Ocellus jumps in. "Bump all that, you tag along with me and Smolder. We're teachers at a local high school. You don't need to worry about any part of possibly hurting yourself when you're with us. Besides, the last thing you need is a weak constitution in an orchard of apple trees you could easily get lost in. We want no surprises."

"Do I really look the part of utter misery and despair, so much that I would think to take my own life?"

Everyone looks to one another with discomfort, not really wanting to outright say it. Hestia is the first to say something to him. "Amor... Have you looked in a mirror today?"

"Why bother, I'm just going into serfdom. Might as well not bother with appearances."

Smolder rolls her eyes as she pulls on the stallion's foreleg. "Hey, you're tagging along with us. You don't have a choice in the matter. Now go upstairs, wash up, clean up, and get ready for school."

"Wow, I thought I was going to volunteer, not be a student." The prince mutters.

"Let's move!" The dragoness chants as she marches the stallion upstairs to spruce himself up.

Hestia looks at Ocellus and questions her. "So what do you think brought up the idea of him working so suddenly?"

"I told Amor that he needs to stay out of his room for a few days so he can get some interaction going. I know he's a kind character, but that's gonna go to waste if he stays locked up in his room like a hermit. So I'm dragging him out of his comfort zone and letting him see some new faces, fresh perspectives, and with the school, maybe even interact with some of the students. He's close to the same age as the senior students, so I'm sure he'll fit in somewhere." She glances back to the pegasus. "You cool with that?"

"I'll more than agree to it." She cheers as she grabs both of the mare's hooves and shakes them with gratitude. "Thank you so much. I just didn't want Amor to be sad and depressed since Princess Twilight finally gave him the big 'NO'."

"No problem, just hold on a sec." She looks past the young princess to me, using her voice to mimic Smolder knowing immediately what the dragoness' mood is going to be for today. "Big guy. Movie night upstairs. Make sure you keep the couch clear so we can actually enjoy it for a change."

I chuckle back at the changeling as she walks upstairs to help Smolder get Amor ready. "Got it." As she disappears upstairs, Hestia giggles at the changeling's response. "Gotta give credit to Ocellus, she's taking the front in reinforcing his recovery. I don't think I could even go that hard for him at this point, I wouldn't know what to say."

"Have you ever tried?" She asks. "I'd think you'd be somewhat decent at it."

I can't help but to find amusement in the idea of being a source of help for Amor, especially with my own past and means of dealing with the matter. It was only up till recently when I didn't have her picture to beat my meat to. "Never ask the advice from the guy who's still battling the demons of that circumstance." I warn.

"That doesn't sound very encouraging at all." She sits herself next to me. "Though I'm curious about something. You and Miss Rarity, did you two ever, you know, get close?"

"Never." A flood of memories rush my mind, a lot of them are from the time before I got my wings. From moments when she gave me the fire ruby, when we were in freefall over Ponyville and I tried to confess my feelings, moments where she came to my defense against Garble, and times when we had our disagreements over her failed romantic interests. Actually, that last one is more of a frustrating reminder. "Nope. Not even once."

"Did you wish for it?" She probes further.

"Still do, deep down at least. But I try not to let that show too often."

"Talk to her about it?"

"Yeah. Results stay the same though."

"You ever tried letting go?" She tilts her head at me.

"I've tried. But sometimes I think of her and it just... you know."

"So is it something that you started, or like how did that come about?"

While I don't mind the questions about my past, I start to show a little discomfort over her constant line of inquiries. But I answer anyways. "I was a dragon youngling. Crushed on her real bad. Did everything for her without question. She'd use me in a number of ways, but I didn't care. Just as long as I did whatever she needed to get done, I would always be rewarded somehow."

"Just not in the way you wanted, right?"

I grimace as I'm left to answer the uncomfortable truth. "Getting kinda pokey there, aren't you?"

"No, I mean, well... Okay, I'm just trying to see from your perspective of being rejected for so long, being in this current situationship with multiple partners, and still have room for her, though metaphorically she left the place a bit of a mess for everyone else."

"Can I give you my honest answer, heart to heart, no bullshit, fully confidential?" The mare nods back at me. "Honestly, I don't know. It's hard guessing why I feel the way I do at times. Like I know the girls are trying their best to fill in holes where I once let her stay, and sometimes I do wish that I could tell Ocellus to just outright change up into Rarity so I can get that bit out of my system. But out of respect for her, and a very stern request, I don't. And to be really candid, the closest one I've gotten to that is... would you like to guess?"

"Gabby?" She quirks a brow.

"Not even. Think least likely for me."

The mare's jaw drop with a bit of disgust. "Really?"

"Yeah, I can tell you've already found the answer. It's just..." I fold my arms thinking of it, the things I've done and the boundaries I've crossed. "Like I know Rarity is probably the one who complains a lot, and I'm sure she'd give me a lot of blowback over some of the things I do. But it's the attitude, the spunk, the way she just pulls me in and demand what she wants outright. The forwardness. I get that speech and voice is great for the mind, not to mention the physical appearance, but the warmth... the manipulation, the pride, all of it, it's almost a one-for-one. She challenges me in the right areas, places I would've imagined Rarity doing, she does that. Not only that, but she knows what she wants, and she demands it each time, and I'm allowed to truly be myself. Just that much is like a drug... almost as potent as the stuff she had me huffing on when I was over in Ponyland. The main difference between them is that Rarity was like a journey with no reward, and Zenobia is a reward with no journey. Not to say that she's easy, but─"

"She is." Hestia interrupts. "No cutting around the issue. She's just as perverse as our father, all the noble bloods are, some of the lesser bloods too. And I mean they can be pretty perverted, like they find all sorts of ways to get theirs. But she's no different from anyone else. Everyone in our family are complete perverts."

"And you're not?" I ask.

"For reasons that are my own." She answers. "But enough about that, let's get back to you and Rarity, more importantly of how you two got to this point."

"Who made you a shrink?" I ask.

"Look, I just see a similar situation, I have to ask questions. I just want to know how you feel from your perspective. What drives that part you keep buried deep within yourself towards her?"

"Who the fuck knows." I grumble. "Nowadays, I just regret the idea of falling in love with her the way I did."

"Was it her looks that got you hooked?" She inquires further.

"She's definitely got that."

"Attitude?"

"She's all over the place. Don't catch her when she's drunk, that's just another long list of problems."

"Pedigree?"

"Regular mare born and raised here in Ponyville."

"With that voice, I wouldn't have guessed." She comments of the fashionista. "Humor?"

"Yeah, she's got that. Obviously played me for a joke."

"Could it be the sound of her voice?"

"Yeah, the way she speaks is nice on the ears. Yelling is another thing." I reply.

"The way she acts towards you?"

"Dismissive, but also deeply caring─"

"Almost like a sister?" She finishes before I could.

I shake my head. "Nah, you know that siblings are the most ruthless assholes you'll ever have around you."

"Considering that my branch brothers are both Agamemnon and Eros, that's not a far stretch." She deadpans. "How long have you known each other?"

I think back to the very first day I was accompanying Twilight here in Ponyville. The first place I saw her was the town hall. she was doing decorations for the Summer Sun Celebration. "Basically eleven years."

"You had to have been pretty young." She points out.

"Yup, I had a crush on her since I was eight, and I never really could let it go."

"I see." She mutters. "Did she ever show hints that she'd reciprocate your feelings in the later years?"

"No. But she never outright told me to leave her alone. In fact, she demands my attention when I start drifting away. That's been more apparent this year."

"That's... unfair." She assesses.

"It is." I cosign.

"Have you ever told her that?" She questions me as we hear the others shifting towards the stairs.

"Honestly no... Sometimes I wish I did."

The trio comes from upstairs, stopping briefly in the foyer to bid us farewell for the time being. "We'll see you guys later!"

Hestia perkily shouts back. "Keep him out of trouble for me!" While she's bidding the others a good day, I rise from the table and look to separate myself from her modest game of twenty-one questions. "Aww, just when I'm starting to get to the good part, you wanna leave?"

"Sorry. I have some reading to catch up on."

Meanwhile in the Crystal Empire...

The humans on post are continuing to keep a keen eye on many of the towns landmarks after the recent bomb threats. But as they remain on that detail, one helicopter shuttles out of the city-state with the entirety of the high princess and her council.

While the gunship slowly disappears from the city's view, Zenobia watches from the castle balcony with many thoughts on her mind, a lot of them revolving around the increasing discourse between herself and the princess, and how it could bitterly affect the relationship between her intended and his administrator.

As she's in the kernel of her convictions, a willing associate reaches out to her. "Alrighty then. The girls have gone on and here you stay. That drama between you and them was pretty tense. Wanna tell me what's going on?"

"Disagreements of the heart." The foreign princess replies to the human.

"Like?"

"I suppose it's more of how he's being looked at by them. And then there's their comparisons to me."

Alex pulls out his phone, going through a number of his updates to his security forces. "Is it any better than what you do?"

"I mean I'd like to think so. At least I'm a lot more honest about what I say and do."

His eyes cut back to her and he pauses his browsing for a moment. "Let me reword that for a moment and ask again. I know what you feel may be justified, and that's your prerogative. But is what you're doing any better than what they've done up till now?"

The mare grits her teeth at the discomfort of having to face herself. "You humans really are fully loaded with the ammunition, aren't you?"

"Not always. Some of us can be pretty dense for a while."

The mare scoffs into a cackle. "Like who?"

"My baby brother. Stats was always a hard-headed jock with barely any maturity for his own good. If anything, he's just now coming into having a brain, much less using it correctly."

"That's just the part of maturity settling in. I'm sure we're all stubborn in some ways."

"Yeah." He nods. "But not every bull-headed person gets a chance to mature though. For some, it becomes their personality, their lifestyle. For others, a phase they eventually grow out of. It's just the habits we go through in order to facilitate that change, or lack thereof."

The mare shifts her brows as she cranes her neck towards the human. "How old are you?"

"Thirty-two."

"Hmm... Interesting." She purses her lips with an inward inquiry.

Already having gone through the same response to his age, he promptly jumps ahead of her and discloses his familial
developments. "Yup, thirty-two and a proud father of three."

"Wife?"

"Of course." He confirms. "What about you?"

"Single. Bachelorette. I'm actually thirty-seven, but still fertile."

"And you're intimate with Spike?"

"Not that he minds it. We've had our fun, even after I've revealed to him my age. It just made him go even harder." She shrugs, but quickly shifting gears as the man snickers to himself. "What's so funny?"

"I have a younger brother who's just like that. You could say he has a thing for prehistoric grannies."

"Prehistoric grannies!?" She asks with a bit of disgust.

"Oh yeah. He's twenty-eight, she's well over a thousand years old. I bet he's wrecking shop even now."

The mare quickly gathers an idea of who he may be relating to. "He wouldn't happen to have a boat, would he?"

"A yacht, yeah."

"His name is Nondis?"

The man rolls his eyes, tapping himself on the side of the head. "Ah, of course you've met him. That's how you got here."

"Can't exactly say that our first encounter was a pleasant one."

"Really? What happened?" He inquires.

The mare blinks, the moment where twenty of those under her command replays the instant each of their necks were crushed in unison as the black tendrils flexed their strength. "Well we call him the rogue apostle of the Doctor for a reason."

"The rogue apostle? That's a new one." The man scratches his head. "Yeah, but that look on your face you just made now tells me that you saw a scary side to him, something that left a psychological impression." His eyes falls to the mare, his cheeks running pale with a recount of his own. "He did the thing, didn't he, where his shadows move and he doesn't?"

The mare shakes herself form one image and brings herself back to the humbling reality that even the aforementioned human holds an even greater fear for his spouse. "Well you shouldn't be too concerned. It's not even him that's the worser nightmare. Have you seen his wife when she's angry and blood-lusted?"

"Celestia? I mean I've heard stories of it." He ponders.

"Her mane turns into a fiery orange. Literal fire." She briefly summarizes. "Her cheeks run red, her eyes smolder into a lava-like glow, and she bears the strength of ten thousand strong creatures, she swings her weapon with the gravity of the sun. Not even the finest forged metals are spared."

The man looks to the mare with an incredulous wonder. "You must've pissed her off because I've never seen that before."

"Not to that degree, but I did rile her anger once. Was left in a bed with first and second degree boils after I insulted her husband. Learned my lesson that day."

*BANG*

Both of the pair duck their heads down, immediately looking around to see what it is that disrupted their conversation before seeing a rapidly ascending plume of smoke sourcing from the northern part of the city. "What the hell was that!?" Zenobia shouts.

Alex's communications device chirps as a transmission is sent over. "OVERLORD, THIS IS HIGHTOWER, WE HAVE A CONFIRMED EXPLOSION IN THE DIRECTION OF THE FUEL DEPOT! REQUESTING ASSISTANCE FROM LOCAL FIRE MARSHALLS TO CONTAIN DAMAGES!"

"Read! Will update ASAP!" He answers, looking back to the foreign alicorn. "Let's go, princess!"

As they briskly make their way through the castle, they encounter a steadfast but concerned Shining Armor. "What was that about!?"

"Fuel depot! We gotta save some of the tankers before that fire spreads! I'll be bad for the city if we don't!"

The blue-maned emperor is quick to enact a plan. "I'll send in some of our best in emergency response! I'm sure the nearby unicorns are looking to help move the other tankers away from the source so that we minimize how much we lose!"

"Good man!" Alex replies. "Less we lose, longer we stay operational."

"I'll go help!" Zenobia eagerly chimes out.

"Good woman! Shining, take her to the depot! See what you can do from there! I'll run evacuation efforts to minimize casualties!"

"Good on you!" The stallion replies before questioning the mare walking beside him. "Do you know teleportation magic? We can get there that way."

"Teleportation magic, on us!?" The alicorn asks. "Doesn't that give you crippling headaches and terrible mana burns?"

The stallion shakes his head as he grabs the mare and holds her close. "Not really, let me show you."

"Don't teleporting more than one pony makes those side-effects thrice as worse!?"

"You got a lot to learn, princess." He says as his horn glows a rich magenta glow. "Step one is seeing yourself as an object to be summoned. Step two is to know where you want that object to be and visualize it in your mind. Then there's step three."

The princess glances down to see how close the emperor holds himself to her. The mare's cheeks run a humble crimson. "Um, what's step three?"

"Poof."

Twilight's School of Friendship Ponyville...

As the students are engrossed in a game of hoofball outside of the gym, Ocellus and Smolder keep keen eyes on many of the students during their going about. As some of the students all wait their turn, a group of teenage girls snicker and giggle over the figure sitting in the grass across the field, looking off as the wind blows.

In his distracted gaze, he pays little mind to the group of giggling girls growing closer to his side. But there is one who steps in to intercept the promiscuous trio. Within the second, they stammer with embarrassment over their being caught so quickly. "Oh! Good afternoon, professor!" One of the girls try to play off their intent.

Amor shakes awake to the present situation, seeing a mare standing between him and the three teenage girls. "Stardust Dream, good afternoon. Is something wrong?"

"Actually, we were all wondering who's the new sub. He's pretty... different looking." The teen unicorn plays with her mane a bit as she looks past the mare.

"Oh him, that's Prince Amor Ambrosia. He'll be volunteering for the time being."

"A prince?" One of the girls mutter under breath.

The second student speaks out. "How long is he gonna be here, do you know?"

"For some time. Now why would you ask that question?" The mare narrows her eyes at the three.

"We were just wondering!" The third replies as she walks around the instructor to ask the young prince a question. "Excuse me, sir. I know that you're a volunteer chaperone for the time being, but I wanted to know if you were any good at math. I'm having some problems with my geometry assignments. Could I burden you with a few?"

"Ugh, girls these days." The mare shakes her head as she ignites her horn, using her magic to politely displace the eager teen from the prince's personal space to rejoin her friends. "Sorry, ladies. He might not be that far off from you and volunteering, but he is staff for however long he'll be here. And you know we have a strict policy with staff-student relations."

"Okay..." The first girl grumbles in protest before pressing the issue further. "How old is he?"

"Get moving! No stumpies here! Get!" The mare replies sternly.

The three trot off giggling as the first shows her disappointment with not being able to probe the prince for his age. As they disappear back into the playing field, the mare chuckles at their boldness. The young prince also comments on their approach. "They're a pretty ambitions bunch."

"Freshmen." The mare groans. "I'm sorry, but girls that age don't need to start looking into guys like you until they get a little older."

"I wouldn't dare entertain the thought." Replies the prince.

"Good to know that you aren't looking to, because oh boy they will. And you need to know how to say no to that."

"Are girls always like that at their age?"

"You don't have the slightest clue." She replies with a smirk. "Girls like that will make time to get frisky. So you better avoid those types, especially the ones that hang around the library after school. They may have some good study habits and grades, but that just means they manage their time well. And they especially love to fit something into their schedule, if you know what I mean."

"How terrifying." He comments as a gust of wind blows his own mane into his face. "This wind is really gusting today."

"I know, it's hard to keep my mane in check. I literally grew it out just so I could be pretty like some of the models, it's hell to manage. But I like it anyways." She says as she tries her best to maintain her own style. "Anyhow, Ocellus did mention that you would be here for a while."

"That's... up to chance. Though I haven't met you formally. Even if you know my name, it's only customary that I properly introduce myself to a colleague, no matter how temporary." He bows his head towards the mare. "Amor. Amor Ambrosia."

"Ambrosia... that's a name." The mare grins as she leans into the young prince. "You must be one of those herding types, aren't you?"

"Herding?" The stallion asks, caught in confusion.

"You know, polyamorous, indulgent, active."

"Oh! Well... not really." He shyly replies before giving the mare a second look. "Um, actually, you don't look all that older from those girls a moment ago."

The mare quirks a brow. "Really? How old do you think I am? Just off of looks, give me your best guess."

"Um... seventeen?"

The mare smiles at him as she fixes her mane after yet another strong breeze. "Wow, you're an even bigger flatterer than I thought!"

"I never did get your name, ma'am."

"Sweetie Belle. I'm one of the staff here."

"You must be pretty young then."

The mare tries to hide her blush as she clears her throat. "Okay, prince flattering, now how old are you?"

The prince points to himself. "Nineteen, I believe that's the same age as Sir Spike."

The mare's eyes widen. "Wow. You're younger than me, just a year short of it."

"Then you'll have to forgive me, I should probably address you as my senior─"

Sweetie plants her hoof on the stallion's muzzle. "Stop that right there! Don't you go around with that. We're already starting off solid, don't ruin this for yourself."

The prince corrects himself. "My apologies. I suppose we are peers, even if you are a year above me."

The alabaster mare stands herself next to the stallion, lowering her voice as the winds finds a moment of reprieve. "So just to let you know, I didn't come over here only to scare off some aspiring teens looking to give you a court case."

"You didn't?" He asks.

"Not even." She clarifies. "Ocellus told me and the others a little thing about you. Word through the grapevine is that you've been hard stuck on a certain princess who hasn't really had the time to invest in what I'd like to call 'extrapersonal team building'. And I hear that's got you in a pretty funky mood too."

The stallion sighs. "So I see."

As Ocellus runs by, trying to oversee a group of boys getting a bit aggressive in the game, Sweetie calls out to her. "Professor, mind if this CMC takes this one off your hooves?" She points back to the young prince.

"All yours. Just try not to break him!" The changeling replies as she strives to put a moratorium on some growing tension between the boys. "Smolder, need your help here!"

The prince calls out to the two that brought him to the school. "Hey, wait! You're just going to leave me here with this mare I don't even know!?"

"Uh, duh! That's the point of today, put you around a bunch of ponies who you don't know, who don't know you, and get you to interact so that you don't fall into hermit territory." Sweetie explains as she casually picks up the prince in her magic and escorts him about her way. "Now come along while I kindly abduct you to our office."

As they travel down the hall of the school, Amor is quietly mesmerized by the photos on the wall. Some of them have the early showings of all the previous instructors and staff, especially the previous headmare that the school is named after. It appears to be the photo from the inaugural year. He also notices that some of the faces of those students are also staff and teachers of today's classes.

"Is that... Sir Spike down there at the forefront?" The prince questions.

"Oh yeah, lot smaller then than what he is now. Dragon puberty is a strange thing, you go from being a shrimp at thirteen to having your first molt, then getting a new pair of wings, then go through the second molt that shoots out your limbs, and then a third molt after that to really kick your voice down a few tones and keep your body in it's growth stage for however long you live."

"Growth stage?" The prince inquires. "You mean Sir Spike isn't done growing?"

"Ha, I wish. Give it a few decades and he'll be over six feet tall."

"That's terrifying. That means he'll be the size of a two story building after a few hundred years." The prince ponders aloud. "So, aside from things we'll never see, I would like to ask about that acronym you've given yourself. What's a CMC?"

Sweetie stops as she points to a photo of her on the left side of a trio of mares smiling in a picture. "Cutie Mark Consulting, we're a trio of school counselors who do our best to interact with not only students, but also staff and faculty. In a way, we're like Equine Resources, but we don't mind getting personal with you." The mare's magic twists at the door knob to her office, offering the prince entry into the humble office. "Come on in."

As the prince walks in, he sees that there is only one desk, a chair, a chaise, and a shag rug on the floor. The mare walks behind the desk, going through a file cabinet and pulling out a pen. Amor comments on the lack of desks. "From the photo we just saw, I expected this to be an office held by three. This feels more like a room for two."

She also pulls out a bowl of decadent chocolates before sitting down in her chair. "We all use this office, not all at once, obviously. But no matter where we are in life, there's always room for counseling to give us a deeper perspective on ourselves."

"Why do you feel that I need that?"

"How would you need me, let me count the ways. Have you undergone a life-changing paradigm shift within the period of six months?"

"A month, yes." His eyes lift as he hears a scribbling sound. He sees the pen beside the unicorn mare jotting some observations down on a clipboard. "Is that really necessary?"

"Attention to detail requires an immediate recollection of testimonials, sometimes perspective has to be written down before we can finally address the issues on hoof." She replies. "Now, have you ever had ambitions that were previously seen unrealized?"

"That's pretty specific." She pauses, expecting an answer. "...Yes."

She carries on. "Have you ever had, at any point in your life, experienced suicidal ideation?"

"That's really specific... and uncomfortable."

"I'm just asking general questions I'd ask any of the students here. You don't have to tell me everything at once, but that one I would really like to know for your sake."

"...Thoughts... I was always too afraid to try."

The mare places down the clipboard, giving him her direct attention. "Have you ever engaged in an extrapersonal exchange for the purpose of feeling content, only to feel less than rewarded at the end of it all?"

"How much did that changeling tell you?" The young prince complains. "And what's with your strange wording of things?"

"We have students that like to eavesdrop on occasion, and we also have changelings in attendance. So I speak like this to not sound as blatantly obvious. Plus, you're a pretty hot topic around the girl students too."

"As if we didn't find that out earlier." Amor responds as a school bell sounds over the PA speaker.

"Guess it's time for the exchange period. Will definitely be needing this then." She says as she illuminates the room with her magic. A bright green flash dilates the prince's eyes, causing him to wince initially before seeing a bubble surround both him and the caster. "Okay, so to run things down on the simple tip. Ocellus is concerned because of something that occurred last night, after you and her got... friendly. She's, among others, are worried that in your time here, especially after everything that was revealed to you, you might have developed some internalized scenarios that would involve you... disappearing altogether."

"My life isn't exactly a soap opera to be studied, you know."

"I understand, really I do." She answers warmly.

"You understand?" Responds the prince, now growing a bit agitated. "I'm sorry, but you don't know the first thing about me."

"You are correct in that regard." She offers a piece of chocolate to the prince. "But now we're in a space where we're able to understand each other. Now I'm not asking you to tell me what all happened to you in foalhood. But I would like to start with you telling me a little more about yourself. Again, doesn't have to be too deep. Just tell me about you feel right now, what do you feel about this, me dragging you here. We'll go into Ocellus at another time, but I want to hear what you have to say that's on your mind right now. Surface level stuff, be honest, and let it go."

"I feel like... I'm angry." He grumbles before taking a piece of chocolate.

"Okay. What makes you feel that way?"

"Me being here right now, how I can't return home, how I can't go back to the way things were when I was blissfully ignorant, how when I wanted to see my most treasured vision come to pass, it gets stomped out like some embers of a discarded match." In the course of the brief outburst, the prince lays himself on the chaise and closes his eyes. "Everything feels so... empty. I don't know what's left. My father just started a war with a nation allied with the very descendants of creatures who gave us the blueprint for our weaponry. And it's all for an asshole of a brother who started this mess to begin with!"

"Alas, for he swears." The mare whispers under her breath. "I can understand you being upset about what's going on. However, understanding doesn't always feel empathetic. And I suppose right now, you don't feel like anyone empathizes with you, or can. So while I don't quite understand right know what all you're going through, what I do know is there's more to this than you being upset that someone rejected you. So let's start working backwards, you're here now. What do you think has you here that makes you feel what you feel now?"

A heavy breath leaves the prince as he opens his eyes. "Sometimes it's better to dive in, that's what Hestia tells me." He says aloud. Sweetie offers to question him of what he just spoke, but he carries on with his issues at heart. "...I feel... so useless... as a male."

The mare continues to scribble away at her clipboard, but makes it significantly less obvious by keeping it outside of the bubble behind him. "Why do you feel that?"

"...Last night."

"Now I did say that we could talk about that part later, but do you feel comfortable talking about last night?"

The prince turns his head to her. "If I may confide in you, not to besiege your coworker on the matter."

"There are a number of students who come here with their minds in flux, especially with their bodies still going through drastic changes they don't yet have a grasp for. We aren't that much older than them either." She rises from her desk, placing her hoof on his head. "What you say in this room will not leave from within these four walls unless you allow it to leave from your own mouth when you walk back out. I promise you that."

Amor looks at the bowl, taking another piece of chocolate. "She changed into Princess Twilight, just as I asked. She sounded just like her, perfected in every facet. She showed me everything I dreamed to see. And... I mean, I was more than interested."

"Aesthetically?"

"...Sexually." He confesses. "She welcomed me with open hooves, and I couldn't have been more enticed. I played right into my fantasies, and indulged. It was... heavenly. I felt so embraced that I just drove my hips forward. I feared that I would've really collapsed at the very moment I hilted, but I didn't. I just kept going... and going... until I... broke down."

"Broke down?" She repeats.

"I... I cried. I cried into her hooves, unsatisfied, unfinished, and feeling even worse because I knew that none of it was real. I just gave my first to the illusion I desired out of my pain of being rejected." He grabs the pillow from behind his head and plants it over his face. "I felt terrible, like I was using the image of my desires to placebo myself into feeling better about what I couldn't get. And then, I hear the words of my father calling me inept, as he always would."

"Hmm... Why would your father call you that?"

"Because I never could be like my brother." He responds. "My brother was... My older brother would've been better with my name than I ever could dream to be. He was so easy to fraternize with, charismatic, just... effortless when it came to mares. But while I was around him, I tried to imitate that, but it never could work with me, probably because I was so young. But even as I got older, nothing really... stuck. I just felt... out of place. I felt like I wasn't equipped enough for that."

"I beg to differ." Sweetie retorts. "From my outsider's perspective, I see this really nice looking stallion dumping on himself for some reason. Now of course, I'm not going to say that what you're feeling is nonsense, but I don't have a grasp of your perspective. Where and why do you feel like you're not enough?"

"Because..." The prince begins through much hesitation. "Because I don't know how I'm supposed to feel. I mean I know that us lesser bloods are always just as titled, but my father... my brother..." Flashes of a darker time plays out in his mind, causing him to suddenly rise from his seat, even wrapping his tail firmly around one of his hind legs. "...I'm sorry. I just..."

Seeing that he's hit a sensitive place in his mind, Sweetie elects to give him time to process and ends her session with the young prince. "Well it's easy to understand that you aren't quite sure of what you are because of some development in the past. I won't tell you to elaborate right now because I have a scheduled visitation coming up in about five minutes with one of the students." The bell rings, signifying the end of the exchange period. As the bubble subsides, she grabs a hold of his hooves and holds them in hers. "But what I want to do for you is that I want to get you to stop by for my lunch hour tomorrow. You don't have to dig deep, I'm not going to pressure you into that. You can just tell me about your day. I can get you lunch, we can talk casually, may even go out and get you a phone just so you can reach out to me whenever something's on your mind."

The prince's eyes lower with guilt. "I... I don't want to inconvenience you like that."

"You'd inconvenience me if you refuse." She replies with a nurturing tone. "So tell me that you'd be willing to see me tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay."

She smiles back at him, also offering one more piece of chocolate before putting the bowl back in her drawer, "Alrighty then, I'll see you tomorrow. Hopefully we'll get to know each other a little more, hang out, because I'd like to hear what you'd like to do, and maybe we could do those things together."

"Thanks." He says as he accepts the last piece of chocolate. "You know... this is the first time I've probably seen a therapist in all my years."

She shakes her head as she teleports the clipboard back into her drawer. "Don't look at me as a therapist, I tell the kids that all the time. I'm a counselor, I'm not some self-absorbed bitch who lords over you with my intelligence, just to scribble your personal problems into a folder and stuff it in a cabinet at the end of the day. I'm someone you talk to, to connect with. Maybe even be a friend, if that's what you want."

"Well... I think I have someone like that at home... but I can't really talk about my personal things. You know."

Sweetie snickers as she starts to push the stallion out of the room. "I say it so many times before, and I'll say it again. I don't want you telling me anything until you feel comfortable. Now get back out there, Smolder and Ocellus should be in the break room starting their lunch. You can mingle with the other teachers and staff there. I'm sure they'd love to get to know you throughout your time here." She looks each way in the halls. "Now go on, you don't want to get caught by those sneaky ones. They'll get ya."

"Thank you." He says as he trots away, leaving the mare to return to her office. As she closes the door, she leans against it with an idea bouncing wildly in her mind.

"Fuck, he is fine as hell... I'm gonna fix him first... Then he can snack on something other than my chocolates."

Onboard the IAS Harpy Midnight Castle Airfield...

"ATTENTION ALL CENTURIES! ATTENTION ALL CENTURIES! YOU ARE TO FORM RANKS IMMEDIATELY IN THE HOLDING BAY! REPEAT, YOU ARE TO FORM RANKS IMMEDIATELY IN THE HOLDING BAY!"

Everyone in the ship gathers as instructed, the numbers of the crew reaching over that of a thousand active members. Some fill the walkways of the rafters, others look on from the floor as the commanding officers of the vessel walk onto a separated walkway leading directly to their quarters. All lift their heads as the captain steps out to the center of the suspended bridge and speaks into a comms device powered by an orange crystal.

"Centuries of Ponyland, many from the crusts of the land below, those who have yet to see the beauty of the world's sun, I say to you, REJOICE!"

The many reply with severely dwindled morale, many spattering the word in staggered form.

The captain's mouth turns downward as he chides the crew for their lack of enthusiasm. "Pitiful... Is this not a day for many of you? Are you all so deprived of life that you fail to see the opportunity before you!? The sun will soon be yours to see, the air clean to breathe, the sky open to receive it's abundant blessings upon your faces! The emperor has granted you such privileges! REJOICE!"

"Rejoice!─joice!"

"It has been designated to me that you all have been assigned to the northern front of this war! Glorious day, for many of you are given this wonderful position! You all shall be the spear that thrusts itself unto the shields of these weak and feeble Equestrian knaves! And what glorious wonder would it be to have such an honor, to be the ones to tell your families back home of the first to encounter such a foe! But hold, for we have been given yet a more daunting task!" The captain holds up a letter with a wax seal. "As our reports have given unto us a perilous update of our front, the legendary creatures known as the two-leggers hold yet a stronger shield and sword to our ranks! Thus it is assigned that many of you are now assigned not to battle, but to glory immortal!

Many of the faces of the centuries in attendance turn sour and grim as they feel an impending dread associated with the term of 'glory immortal'.

The captain continues. "Your losses are expected to be substantial, and your lives expendable for the greater cause! For country, for land, for our emperor, you will die with honors!" The whole hall grows silent with occasional sniffles and stifled moans of dismay. "While I hope that many of you poor bastards have solidified your affairs, some I can assure have not! But fret you none, we will have our notaries available for you to report to for the duration of this voyage! So speak with them, that is if you wish for your family to either receive your honors, or your remains!"

Those that have held back their cries now weep in silence over their inevitable demise, all at the given directive of their superiors.

"It is possible that we may not even touch the fettered soil of those lands! Fighting has begun in the air, an unprecedented arrangement that now pits us against the best of what they have! We wage war against machines unlike any other! And not only do we raise our banner against the Equestrian filth, but also the likes of the legendary creatures! While our battle may be one-sided in favor of them, our objective is not to win! Our objective is a more simplified manner! Spill blood! We spill for our country, we spill for our emperor, we spill for what is noble!"

As they all share in the existential dread, one of the medical assistants offer a compensatory measure, a small glass filled to the brim with rum. "Take one and pass it down. The captain proposes a toast."

As the many gather their mutually disadvantaged compensation, the captain above continues to preach down to the despondent masses. "We reach the northern front in eight hours! Sleep well! Dream of great things, of the country we will soon have for the morrow, for those who come after us! We spill our blood for their victory!" An assistant approaches the captain with a common glass filled with an aged merlot. He takes the beverage and raises it above his head with jubilation. "Long live the empire!"

"Long live!" The masses take the miniscule shot of rum in unison, many already bemoaning the idea that all they are given in their final moments is the reassurance that their lives are forfeit, and an accompanying shot glass of rum to hold them over for the incoming eight hours of finality.

The captain sips on his wine, finding satisfaction of the taste. "Be proud, centuries! For your night ushers in a new dawn! What a glorious day to die for our great empire! It is an honor bestowed upon many, but few are given this chance! SO MAKE WHAT YOU WILL OF IT, BUT LET IT BE GLORY FOR OUR PRESTIGIOUS EMPIRE! DISMISSED!"

Some fall to the ground, weeping uncontrollably as their fates are all but sealed. Others speak out complaints as they leave the room. "Stupid commanders. We get thrown into a suicide mission and all we get is a single lousy drink. I literally asked for more, but there's a shortage!"

"And in the meantime, they get to live in their lives of luxury after reporting back. I'm almost convinced that our ship blowing up in the air over these waters would be a justified end if it meant they were to join us."

"What good will we be when it's all said and done? Just more bodies to the pile." A third replies. "I just wanted a good life for my sister."

A crying century carries himself out, sniffling all the while. "I'll never see my family again."

Another walks out with a despondent stare into oblivion. "I'd rather die an unknown in the mines."

Another walks out, staring at each of the disgruntled crew before leaning against the wall with a few thoughts in mind. "Ah, the sound of despair, words ushed to the many given their chance to meet the cold embrace of the reaper's touch, all to spare the lives of the few who give their orders. Such a depressing thing." One of the centuries file out with a sickened groan before projectile spewing his anxiety all over the floor. "Damn. Now, I'm starting to get all nostalgic and shit. Too bad this body doesn't have much of a will to keep going. Can't blame the poor guy though. It's not his fault the dungeon gave him little other than half a molded slice of bread for a week. Guess I can make this his big payback."

"Hey you, lackey on the wall there! Report to your quarters and rest up! We've an early day in the crucible!"

"Yes sir!" The pony replies with a young but strained voice, trotting back to the barracks.

"Not quite as easy as blinking, but it's a start."

Chapter 62: Helletic Haines

Onboard the IAS Harpy The Straight of the Frozen North...

As the many have gone into the barracks, some continue to lie awake, not sure of how they will go, or who will end up going first. Butterflies swarm their stomachs, yanking at their interiors for a way out, the only certain opening being the one that leads upwards. So instead of thinking about who will die first, they simply start a discussion over what they'll miss out on.

"So what are you going to miss about home?" The first asks.

The second replies. "My wife and daughter. My wife, despite not always having been sold the best produce, she'd make the best meals. My little girl, we were supposed to be taking her to the wine barrel derby. She always wanted to see the race up close, but I could never afford close seating. So I bought her a pair of binoculars to get as close to the action, no matter where they are on the course."

"Ah, you're a good lad." A third calls out. "I've got a special someone waiting for me... at least they won't have to wait for long."

"I've got a sister. She's been sickly, I was hoping conscription would help pay for her medicines. I chose a hell of a time to sign up. As soon as I finish boot camp, they stir up a war." The first replies. "It's insanity to think that we were originally to be sent to the eastern shore for the advancement, only to be thrown right into some random front up north."

Looking to jump into the conversation, the absent-body Nondis replies. "Rumors say that our airships went down without even being able to land anything close to a hit. It's basically pointless."

The others grow even more dismayed. "The legendary species that created saltpeter, our one advantage against the world. To think I'd go from mining the shit for our forces to use... to possibly not even being able to use it at all." The second replies.

"And we swear allegiance to this?" Nondis adds. "Five thousand of our own lost to the sea chasing down a yacht. I don't know how much more of a blatant warning we can get."

"The emperor decided this for us. We're doomed." The third responds.

"You're not wrong." The undead stallion replies. "I just don't know, guys. I'm pretty much sold on the idea of the emperor not even caring one ounce for us."

"We all are at this point." The first confirms.

"Seriously, why are we even going through with these stupid-ass orders, thinking that we'll make a difference somehow, just because some guy with a wine glass full of his favorite drink tells us how we're gonna die? The only thing we're going to do is die in humiliating agony, some of us will probably be calling for our mommas, our dads, possibly our wives as we try to whisper our last thoughts to the world. All for them to get drowned out by the surrounding chaos. Many of us are far too young to even drink, yet they can give us a tiny shot of rum on the way out just to say we had something. And I've seen some of these conscripts, at least some of us are no older than sixteen, fifteen even."

"Disciplinary conscriptions, yeah." The second explains. "But I guess that's the bleak reality that awaits us from the underground if we step out of line."

"Yeah, it's not really that different, is it?" The third adds.

The undead stallion rolls over in his bunk and asks the hopeless bunch. "You guys okay?"

"I mean what's the point? We're all gonna die anyways. The only thing that makes this worse is if we just decide as a company to commit mass suicide. Then none of our families will see any aid after that."

"How much do you guys expect for your families to be paid?" Nondis inquires.

The first gives his response. "Depends on the service and the cause of death. Front lines is an easy ten thousand, that many spurs is more than enough to live a life on the surface."

"Yeah, but for how long?" The undead stallion debates. "A month, two or three at best. But then that ten grand goes right down the john, flushed. Might be great to imagine the idea of your loved ones having their days out in the sun, but what good is it when it rains? Their time there will be filled with storms, trials and tribulations from not only the greedy landlords looking to clip a few coins extra from the good-natured denizens, but also a host of swindlers in the market. What protects them from that also? Not you, that's for sure. You can't protect jack shit when you're a world over, laying on some field with not a breath to be given back to the earth."

A fourth that's overheard the conversation to it's current point turns over to push back against the liberal-minded undead. "Look, I'm sure it's a great idea to imagine us being revolutionaries. But our families deserve something good, and it's best for sooner than later."

"And you don't think their long-term futures are worth fighting for?" Nondis asks.

"It's worth dying for." The fourth stringently answers. "That's why most of us are here now."

"I'm just saying." He replies with a hapless shrug. "Y'all are dying for the wrong thing here."

"Then what do you suggest? We take arms against our commanders, leaving our families with nothing should we die? That death is even more pointless than what we already face!"

"The first mind of a revolutionary is that you have no future to begin with." Nondis reiterates as he lays on his back, closing his eyes. "Just a thought to stir on while you try to sleep into your final days. Maybe it would be better to take advice from a dead one walking."

"HEY!" A voice calls out from the doorway. "LIGHTS OUT IN THERE! WE'RE FIVE HOURS AWAY FROM OUR DROPOFF POINT!"

The steel door closes, leaving only a lingering silence as everyone in the room does as instructed, at least tries to as one voice starts to sing out softly.

"Are you, are you, coming to the tree,
Where they strung up a mare they say who murdered three?
Strange things did happen here, no stranger would it be
If we met at midnight in the hanging tree.
Are you, are you, coming to the tree
Where a dead buck called out for his love to flee?
Strange things did happen here, no stranger would it be
If we met at midnight in the hanging tree."

"Will you shut up already?" The fourth angrily demands.

"There's a message in my little lullaby. I suggest you listen closely." Nondis responds softly.

The fourth rolls over, placing his pillow over his head. "Whatever."

"Are you, are you coming to the tree
Where I told you to stand so we would all be free?
Strange things keep happening, no stranger would it be
If we gathered in the night underneath... the hanging... tree."

With a diminishing breath, the undead falls quiet. The fourth expresses his relief. "Finally, some silence."

Deep in the caverns of Midnight Castle Ponyland...

With his eyes opening once more, yet another undead stirs from a wagon containing a few others beneath him. He sees the silent remains of a few foals, a mare, and two mineshaft workers who seem to have been crushed under a recent cave-in further therein. He gathers a view of his current surroundings. A crowd of citizens gather around with righteous fury directed at a local crier issuing a decree of an undesired change. Many within the crowd expresses profound concerns and dissents to the matter being brought forward.

"Just that much!? JUST THAT MUCH!? We slave away our day in these mines, and you're telling us with a war around the bend, we're getting taxed even more!? Many of us only get paid thirty spurs in a month!"

"I've got a family to feed!"

"My children are sick!"

Appearing the least bit of concerned, the well-guarded crier shows off the scroll with the emperor's wax seal. "This is the imperial decree! For your diligence, your families will be greatly rewarded for your service to our great empire! You should be grateful you all even get the chance to have the emperor take notice of your continued labor and progress! It means that greater things will be in store for you when our victory is at hoof! We assure you that whatever gains that our country will benefit from will also be shared unto you in good time, and in good measure!"

More protests continue to echo throughout the caverns as another citizen cites their observations. "But what about the ones who have went out to serve in the armies? We haven't even gotten our stipends yet!"

The crier continues to respond with indifference. "The war has yet to be started on any of the fronts assigned to the coastal cities! We will continue to hold on all stipends until the first volley is loosed! That is the time when the families of our mighty and proud centuries will receive their fair share!"

A member of the angered throng steps out to adamantly call out the crier for the unfair distribution of the wealth burden. "My friend lives on the surface! He gets paid more than triple my rate, and all he does is watch as the anvils fall upon the metals we break our backs to give! We are routinely crushed and killed, even now there is a wagon filled with the corpses of our loved ones! They above experience no change in their burdens, but then it is our families that are made to pay these absurd costs when we already create more than what you need to wage your wars!"

The crowd loudly cosigns the stallion that stands out in the defense of the citizens. The crier simply defends the wealth burden imposed. "Those taxes are for the betterment of our defenses! Do you all simply wish not to be protected? If I must say it, our country is truly a power of the world! It takes money to maintain that status! Do you honestly think those Equestrians live a better life than you do? They don't! They compete with changelings and dragons and yaks for their food stocks, their resources, their lands, their very way of life! They struggle to withstand the invasive creatures that run amok in their country, they fight the elements all the same! But all of you, you live in the safety, the fidelity and warmth of your caverns! Ponyland is successful, and it is with your continued work that we further usher in progress and improvement─"

"Oh please!" The stallion interrupts. "How long have we heard of 'progress and improvement' now? Years have we heard that same speech, years have we labored down here, years have we been made to suffer losses and crippling financial instability! Now you come to us, preaching your idiotic sermons of progress and improvement! It doesn't work! We need meaningful change, and we need it now! And if we don't change this, then maybe we need to change what's up top!"

As impassioned cheers fill the caves, growing in presence, a shot rings out to silence the crowd. Everyone instinctively ducks as specks of rock and dust fall from the ceiling above. The crier looks down upon the brave stallion. "Do you dare speak against our empire such empty threats?"

"I speak for those who live in it, the blood and soul of this very nation! And you leeches above will have your day where you will feel the pain we had to suffer through!"

The mode of indifference falters and a frown takes it's place. The stallion turns around gives a quiet order. "Take that one."

As he turns around, spears rain from up above, encircling the stallion and isolating him from his peers. Pegasi centuries, operating in covert, dart down to clear the crowd away as a unicorn runs in to use his magic to ignite the runes on the surrounding spears. A prism develops around the outspoken stallion, a crushing pressure within the field drops the stallion to the ground with overwhelming force. The stallion hollers out in pain as his insides feels much like they're being squeezed to the point where they may eject from his mouth. A mare cries out from the crowd, pressing against the armed pegasi. "My brother, no! Please don't hurt him!"

The crier ignores her pleas for the most part, only raising his hoof when the outspoken stallion falls unconscious. "Fear not, citizen! He is merely going to be offered a means of reeducation! You have nothing to fear! He will return to you in a week's time as a loyal and obedient servant of the empire!" A row of centuries rush in down below, holding their firearms, aiming their barrels for the crowd. "As for the rest of you, please disperse and continue with your labors! We assure you that your work will be worth the reward!"

As the now neutralized stallion is gathered by the unicorn responsible for the spell, the younger sister continues to lash out against the centuries holding her away from her brother's reach. "Let me go! LET ME GO!"

One of the pegasi flanks her from behind and knocks the staff of his spear into the back of her neck, causing her to fall to the ground with a painful thud. The imperial gathering disperses into the air and disappears along with the disabled stallion and the nonchalant crier. Some from within the dispersing crowd checks on her as she staggers back to her hooves.

"I'm sick of this." She groans lividly. "I'm sick of all of this!"

"Trust me, we understand your frustrations." Replies the young stallion who helps her up. "Years of mining, and we get nothing but a loaf of bread and a few carrots to live on. But we can't afford for both you and your brother to be brought to the bastille. Think of your poor mother."

The mare argues back. "You know that every time there's an increase in our pay, those merchants up top will hike the price to where nothing changes for us! Now we don't even have that! We'll be better off dead than pooling our remaining pay and rationing what little we get among ourselves!"

Once more, the stallion tries to calm the enraged mare. "I know. But we have to be smart about what we do here. We must be better than what just happened. We all could've been slaughtered, but graces were given." The stallion eyes the lingering wagon full of corpses. "Your brother's left a grim job for us. Let's get that done before disease spreads to us all."

Still laying atop of the rest of the corpses, the silent undead takes a mental observation. "So, these guys are actually pretty pissed off, almost to the point of boiling over. Can't say that they'll be ready to make some noise at this point. All that security and armed escort will make quick work of them. Can't win a fight when the field is skewed so far out of their favor, but I can see how this bubbles over in due time. All that's needed is the right amount of pressure and the best opportunity. Then they can make some serious noise."

The wagon starts to move, the pair starts guiding the wagon further into the caves. "The crier said something about reeducation. What do you think he means by that?" The mare questions.

The stallion sighs heavily. "What it usually means, torture and forced conscription."

"He won't be back in a week, will he?"

"I'm afraid not, at least alive."

The eyes of the undead closes as the sounds of the mare sniffling from her own dismay for her brother fades in his ears, his body bouncing lazily atop of the others. "...I wonder what that 'reeducation' process looks like."

The Midnight Bastille...

The eyes of yet another undead are opened to another scene, a dark and damp place that appears too familiar to be coincidental. The cell door clacks and clatters with the sound of it's opening, the undead remains perfectly motionless as he listens in to the conversation about the body he's inhabiting.

"Damn, this one only lasted four days." One of the centuries on patrol call out.

The other behind him laughs haughtily. "And you wagered on him lasting six. That's a good twenty spurs you owe me. Pay up."

Upset for having lost his wager, the first century walks up to the undead and gives it a unrelenting buck to the chest. "Weak piece of shit." The undead, though tethered to a living mind, feels every last ounce of the pain issued to his chest. He notices it's highly difficult to pretend he didn't feel that cruel and merciless impact. "Alright, let's get a hold of 'em."

The other century warns his co-conspirator. "Careful now, wouldn't want what happened the last time to pop up on you again."

"Ah, this one's freshly gone. The one from last time was a bloated corpse. It was only a matter of time before he busted."

"But didn't it take you three days to get rid of the smell of feces and decomposed flesh?" The second points out as he frees the forelegs of the undead.

"Don't remind me. It took me days to clean the cell, and I kept coming back home smelling like it." As they pick up the undead's body, they simply blow off the cuffs and loosen the torque of the chains to accommodate another. "It's a good thing we caught this one fresh, hardly have to clean shit. But I swear he's supposed to be stiffer than this with how cold he is. Oh well, he's easy to move without the rigor."

"And just like that, we're ready for the next one the crier may send in from beneath. Those under-rats sure don't like the new tax plan."

"So what, they can share a cell with this dead bloke until the undertaker comes around, that shouldn't be until sometime next Tuesday."

"Wow, the true example of sanitary confinement." Nondis thinks to himself. "At least Umbra knew how to keep his spaces clean after he was done. These guys are just playing with some extra shit, don't even know what all they're gonna get themselves into. I understand cruelty is the point, but holy fuck is it just too much."

The topic of their conversation shifts, quickly gaining his attention. "Hey, any word on that two-legger in the deeper parts?"

"Ah, so I am here."

"Not much." The second replies. "Only that Lord Galbranth wants to do more in keeping him alive for the Emperor to obtain information about their weapons, which functions like ours but way faster on a reload. Once we recreate those, our country will be virtually unstoppable."

"Can't wait till they crack the code on that one. It would be just in time to put those under-rats in their proper place."

"You can fucking try. Good luck not breaking the damn thing." Nondis comments to himself.

The sounds of a struggle appear closer and closer, the two centuries look towards the door with the first responding. "Ah, looks like our next inductee will be here in a second."

"Think he's a revolutionary or just an outspoken?"

"Hey now, I'm not doing another damn wager!"

"C'mon, double or nothing!"

"Double my ass and kiss it!"

"No one likes a sore loser, you know."

With the door already opened, they easily toss the offending victim into the cell. A third century calls out with a chuckle. "Get in there, ya filthy rat!"

"Let's help him get cozy." The first suggests before having to dodge a swift buck of the stallion's hindlegs.

"Get the hell away from me!"

"Silence!" A familiar voice calls from the doorway. The crier from earlier steps in with a twisted smile set upon his lips. His eyes appear frantic and mad, he runs inside and delivers a crippling blow to the solar plexus of the outspoken stallion. "Such insolence to challenge the way we've done things! Our country thrives because of what we do! You, a mere rat crawling in some sewer filth, demanding equal treatment!? Know your place, you insolent peasant!"

"Far cry from that calm demeanor from earlier. This guy's on a serious power trip." Nondis observes as another seems to bring in some sort of tool. "Oh yeah, these guys are old school. A pear of anguish? That's the furthest thing that I'd like to deal with in any orifice."

"Hold him, hold him well." The device is forced into the stallion's mouth. The crier smiles manically as he starts to screw in the knob, increasing the bulb's size in his victim's jaw. "I could kill you right now, rat. It's not like your neighbors or family will even notice. No one ever comes back from this, not without some proper introspection. And you, you need correction above all else. Perhaps I can start with your jaw." He pauses for a moment, coming to an even more cruel conclusion. "Or... I could just break you to start."

As the tool is yanked from the stallion's mouth, he looks on with increasing fear as his tail is lifted. "Wait! No! NO PLEASE!"

"Ah. Quick to adjust tones, aren't we?" The crier snickers as he walks to the stallion's rear. "But decisions like yours aren't to be weighted lightly, rat. Your punishment is still very much due."

"To hell with this." Nondis thinks as he tries to conjure up his levitation, only to find no response. He realizes that the undead vessel is without a horn to cast magic. "Dammit, this one's an earth pony. Guess I gotta do this the old fashioned way."

Stirring from his state of inanimation, he lunges towards the sadistic crier. The others watch in shock as the undead corpse starts to land a series of nerfed blows to the crier. The third century calls out for the other two to assist. "Hey!"

The first summons a musket and drives the butt of the weapon into the back of the undead's head, causing him to slowly slink among the ground. The crier shouts out with an embarrassed fury. "Who the hell is that!?"

"Some idiot we thought dead. He'll be that way soon enough." The second replies.

"How soon are we talking?" The third asks.

The undead raises his head to look at a barrel aimed directly for his forehead. The first gives a timely reply. "Like now."

*chi-POW!*

With a pain surging through his brain, Nondis opens his eyes to return to his own body. He buckles over in searing discomfort of that pain temporarily taking place in his own body before it inevitably subsides. "Agh... That hurt like fucking hell. Note to self: Avoid that kind of ending next time."

The door to his cell opens, revealing a grinning Gabranth with a silver platter in tow. "Well. You look grim. I take it your accommodations aren't so comfortable after all."

"I could be in more discomfort." The man replies while rubbing his head against his arms. "So, did you actually bring me something I could eat?"

"Oh I've got just the thing for you." He replies proudly, placing the platter before him and uncovering the lid to reveal a bowl of gray seafood covered in gelatin. "Jellied eels, a proper staple of proper equine society."

Nondis looks down at the plater, then back up to the stallion. "You look me in my face and tell me if you actually eat that shit. That doesn't look like it's nearly edible."

"Ah, you're just uncultured. Let me show you." Without a moment's hesitation, the stallion takes a piece of the gelatinous eel and tossed it into his mouth. He spits out a few chunks but eats the remainder with a satisfied smile. "See there? Just a bit bony in spots, but the texture is fairly interesting, the taste is an acquired one, you'll do well to indulge."

"My momma would punch your chef in the face for cooking this up. This ain't even Cracker Barrel levels of 'I season my food with prayers and hopes of slavery being reinstituted'. How do you guys intend to conquer the world and you can't conquer the kitchen of your own home?"

The stallion takes great offense and stuffs a jellied eel into the man's mouth. "Well be that as it may, It's the only thing you'll be eating from this day forward."

Upon the conflict of flavors leaving war scars on the man's tongue, Nondis wretches as the food falls freely from his mouth, his stomach pressing harshly against his diaphragm as a threat to his own constitution. "Bleurgh─Okay, I'll admit it. You found a way to crack me. Fuck!"

The stallion still shows resentment that one of his home dishes is seen as a torture device, but a smile grows as he starts to take advantage of his newfound method of interrogation. "Then let's discuss some matters, hopefully we can be cordial about this. You can leave the room clean." He shoves another one of the eels towards the man's lips. "Tell me more about the weapon we brought before you yesterday."

Not wanting to have the disgusting food shoved in his mouth yet again, he answers with a partial mistruth to hopefully spare himself and not compromise his own kind. "Kills your boys from downrange. By the time your guys even get close to their position, you're not just looking at a row of corpses to climb over, you're joining them. You'll never see your opposition, but they'll see you."

"How do you use it?" Gabranth answers.

"Just like how you load your weapons." He lies. "You wanna start with putting a piece of flint in the back part for the trigger, then you pack the powder in, that's the main thing. Then you put the pellets in the thingamajig, you take your ram rod, shove that bad boy in, make sure it's good and tight slam it into the thingamajig hole, and you treat like every other firearm you guys have. But you'll need a lot of gunpowder to do the trick."

"Gunpowder?" The stallion asks.

"You guys call it saltpeter." Nondis clarifies. "After that, you take the weapon, hold it like you're taking aim, and then you fire. And if you want to stick about six pellets in the barrel, it'll fire each one as fast as lightning."

"Ah, that wasn't so hard, now was it? All it takes is a bit of reaching out, and good things start to happen." The stallion nods with approval. "I'll give your account to the emperor and our alchemists. We'll be sure to inquire you more on these weapons when they further analyzes these items for themselves. Then we'll confirm whether or not your practice proves useful... or otherwise."

"Oh yeah, get back to me if you have any other issues." The man says as he looks down at the platter. "But for the love of God almighty, please give me something else other than this violation of the Geneva conventions." The stallion quirks his brow at the man's comment. "The food, can I get something else?"

"In due time." Gabranth answers as he walks out of the room. "For now, you can grow your palate with our traditional Ponyland cuisine. Gain some culture, you'll need it."

The door slams shut as Nondis glances back down to the food before him. "It's even worse that they make me bend down to eat. Now I gotta smell it the whole time." The man closes his eyes. "Okay, let's go back to that northern front of theirs. I'd really like to not be here looking at these damn things anymore. I'd rather smell and taste decomposing flesh than this shit."

Onboard the IAS Harpy The Crystal Mountains...

The eyes of the undead don't open quite as quick as they previously did. Nondis struggles as he waits for the spell to fully take hold of the body, overriding the gradually setting rigor mortis. But as he shakes off the crippling grip of that process, his ears do pick up the slight hint of the world around him. "I don't understand how he could've died."

The moment his eyelids finally break open to allow some light through, he sees the sliver of incandescence shimmering past the zipper of what appears to be some sort of bag. His body is drastically slowed as he uses the sluggishly waking magic in the borrowed cadaver. "Like seriously, he was singing all of us to sleep one moment and then he just offs and ceases to live. Some revolutionary he played himself to be."

"Any identification?"

"Just some annoying guy posing himself to be speaking up for us under-dwellers. Now he's just some dead guy who used to be annoying."

"Rude." Nondis thinks as his body finally gains most of it's full range of motion.

"Well that's besides the point. How do we discuss the matter of his compensations?"

This particular voice appears to be that of the captain. "There shouldn't be any. There's no honor in sleeping on the job. We'll stake it as a suicide and dump him out in the snow."

"He just died in his sleep, while we all get to die fighting. Lucky bastard, bet he didn't feel a damn thing."

Nondis gives a few blinks to check himself before rising up with all the strength the body can muster. "AAAH!" Everyone screams in bloody horror as the once-dormant corpse takes the body bag off of his upper half like a sleeping sack.

"The fuck kind of prank is this?" He looks around to see everyone stammering and shivering with fear. Instead of playing into what the situation truly is, Nondis chooses to lean back into his persona for his current situation. "Oh, hey guys."

One of the centuries turns to the physician and creeks out an observation. "Medic, you said there was no pulse."

"And signs of decay." The aforementioned physician adds.

Nondis laughs heartily as he pats himself on the chest. "What are you guys talking about, I'm alive. I may be one hell of a heavy sleeper, but that's no way to treat someone who's gotta fight along side you on the front. Though I'll admit, this was a hell of a prank. Had me scared for a moment." He climbs out of the bag and hops to the floor with a yawn and a stretch. "How far are we from the front?"

No one is quite sure of how to respond, but the captain speaks out in their stead. "We're where we need to be right now. The better question is how alive are you?"

"I dunno, could be a little more alive if I did unspeakable things to your sister. BAM! But that's a story for the boys, and you're clearly not one of us."

The angered captain narrows his eyes at the motioned cadaver. "You seem to be quite the jester. For morale's sake, I'll be sure to put you up front and center."

"Ha! It's actually the ones in the second row that die faster!" Nondis points out, causing the officer to tilt his head with uncertainty of how to respond. "Yeah, I can tell you're too used to camping out in the back of the formation, so let me fill you in on what's gonna happen. And this is from experience. Whole wave runs out there, yeah? 'Rah-rah, go for glory' and some other shit. But then reality hits, and you find that your enemy has weapons that do what yours do, but at a much faster rate. First line gets shot at, it's a bloody massacre, second line see their comrades fall all around them, bodies, bile, blood, guts hanging out and shit, limbs and heads missing, all that. So then. they freeze up, not knowing how to process shit of that magnitude. But then they hear some cries for help, 'mercy' they plead, so they run in a panic, try to save some of their buddies, all in the efforts to get shot themselves for standing out too much in an open field. And the guy they tried to save ends up bleeding out instead. So yeah, statistically speaking, second lines die faster than the first, all because of the trauma of battlefield exposure." Everyone gawks as the undead stallion smiles back at the captain. "Oh that's right, you don't know nothing about that. You're so far off site that you can just sit in your tent and drink your wine, then you count up the coin of whoever died the 'most patriotic death', so you can have your secretary write the letters to the families who'll never see their loved ones again, all while clipping a few spurs to fund your wine stash. We get to scream bloody murder while you count statistics, and sit your fat ass in that chair, while we come back in bags like the one you stuffed me in."

Silence. No one else says a thing as Nondis bravely stands face to face with the captain in his borrowed body. It takes a measure of time before the captain takes a whiff of the undead's nostril winds before backing off in gagging disgust. "You should take a shower, you smell of the dead."

"Yeah, point taken." Answers the borrowed cadaver. "I could use a freshening up. The air in that bag got me smelling stale."

Nondis takes his leave and walks down the hall to the showers, all to the sights of a few of the others who stare quietly, knowing that the figure walking was declared deceased openly. But he pays them no mind, and carries on with his morning as though it didn't happen.

The shower runs at a low volume of water, akin to a drip with some semblance of a flow. The water is cold, and the bar of soap shared by many is upon it's last uses. The drain is barely moving with many clumps of fur congested in many of the holes. But not yet having access to all his senses, Nondis steps in and starts to scrub himself carefully. He starts to think to himself over the information he's accumulated from using the spell for the first time.

"So to summarize for a bit, I'm using the step-down version of his spell. When Umbra did it, he had each of the corpses treated and processed so that they'd keep a lot longer. But seeing that I'm not in the business of borrowing for more than what I need to, I haven't processed any of these guys at any extent, nor do I want to encourage myself to do so. And in trading that off, none of my abilities follow over outside of two things; Transferring my consciousness, and the spell I'm using."

As he continues to bathe, he starts to take notice that one of his senses have reawakened in the corpse.

*sniff sniff sniff*

"Augh! Dear God, that's me!? I reek like something unholy!... Well, yeah. Okay, so that means the organs are decomposing, this one's going fast. I'm gonna need time, more time, and this body ain't gonna let me have it. I might just have to find a new one to borrow. All I know is that it will have to be within the next twenty-four hours, otherwise I will be leaking out from every hole. And that would be an even worse giveaway than earlier."

The water shuts off, coming to a drizzling halt as he seems just about ready to start on his mane. "Well damn, didn't think I'd be experiencing this again. Shitty ass plumbing." He says before resuming to his thoughts.

"If we are where they say we are, I could knock a few things out and get a refresh. I'm not gonna choose any of these poor guys from the underground, they've got lives to get back to... But that one asshole... that one, I can take over the ship with him. Yeah... I'm gonna have to find some way and time to get around to him. He don't like me, and I don't like him, plus he'd be sending those guys to a pointless grave."

The undead stallion smells himself once more, still visibly displeased over the result. "No fault of mine. If only we had running water, I wouldn't smell like I came straight from the pits of hell."

"So. I'm gonna have to isolate him, pick him off, but only after I confirm our position. However, I need to be careful because I don't have any of my abilities outside of transferring the two things that makes this spell work. And the guy I'm borrowing has little to no magic knowledge other than basic levitation. Hell, that's actually better than what I had starting off in the guard, so brownie points to me. But still, ain't no way of telling where we are and the importance of our position just by stepping outside."

The intercom sounds out an alert throughout the ship. "ATTENTION ALL CENTURIES! PRINCE MILITADES IS PRESENT! REPORT TO THE LOADING BAY! I REPEAT─"

"Prince Militades, the one leading the operations? Ain't no better way to confirm than that. Won't He do it?"

Everyone gathers back into the holding bay, each and every century on post and standing with nothing but despair written on their faces. The only exception seems to be the undead stallion in his proper position, eyes forward, hooves together, chin at the proper angle, perfectly emotionless, ready to go into whatever chaos that lies ahead. The others around him appear a bit sickly having to smell him, but he presents himself at the front and center of the entire formation, just as the captain ordered.

As they wait, a trio of ponies enters the airship, one of them notably being a gray alicorn who shows his impatience over the simple formality being done. "Why are we even here again? This is so stupid."

Rhapsody replies to the disgruntled prince. "Sir, you know it's customary for you to greet your centuries upon their arrival. If you don't, you risk the possibility of decreasing morale."

"You think any of these shit-stains got anything resembling morale!?" He jokes openly and loudly. "They're from the underground! The only thing they care about is the one thing they'll never get to do, and that's go home!"

"Sir prince! Not in front of the company! You keep saying things like that and no one will ever look to serve you when matters look to get dire!"

The cult leader also adds another perspective. "You know, the first sign of a revolutionary is that they go into the fray with nothing to live for. Surely that would be the unwise conclusion you'd wish to have."

Miltiades scoffs at the harsh rebukes. "Honestly, I don't think it would even be that bad. A revolution here or there might make things interesting, weed out the loyal elite from the peasant riff-raff. Little bit of that might even keep the old fart honest to his tactics. Only thing is that he's got a decent hoof on matters pertaining to these undercrust roaches. Could be somewhat fun otherwise."

While some of the enlisted look at one another with gritted teeth and stewing resentment, Rhapsody continues to chastise the prince. "Sir prince, not everything has to be fun."

"You're barely any fun."

"I am duty-bound, your highness. My 'fun' is making sure that our tasks are done to the best of your capabilities."

"I know a fun time I can remember from this morning, when my dick was down your throat! HA!" He cackles out loudly, looking to some of the enlisted and wanting them to join in. "Eh, c'mon! It's funny because it's really true! Total throat goddess right next to me, and you poor fucks wouldn't even know it from that stony face of hers!"

"Your highness!" Rhapsody screams angrily.

"Your excellency, what an honor to have you!" The captain says openly, greeting the young prince. He carefully glances down to the young imperial and summons a large barrel of wine and a few glasses for the guests. "I know your time here has probably been without any respectable treatment. Perhaps you'd fancy a glass of wine from the motherland, taste of home?"

"Whatever." The young prince takes his glass and waits for his beverage to be poured. Afterwards, he sips the wine, then spits it back out with a bitter taste in his mouth. "You call this wine!? Where's the sweetness!?"

"Sir prince, I miscalculated your tastes. It's an eighty year old Bordeaux."

"Well bor-don't ever give me that shit ever again." He replies tossing the glass aside to break as he quickly goes through the lines of enlisted. "Alright, let's cut the bullshit already and call it what it is, these guys look FUCKING! TERRIBLE!" He goes past each one pointing out flaws. "Like seriously, look at them! This one's already checked out in the mind! That one just puked himself! This one is ugly as shit! This one puked himself! This one looking at me! This one's checked out in the mind like the first one! And this one looks pissed, like he's angry about something. Hey, you pissed because you all look like shit!?C'mon, speak out! At least pretend you have some discipline, like that asshole over there!" He quickly trots over to the undead at the center of the front line. "Speaking of, this one smells like shit... but at least his eyes tell me he's seen it all already! Smells like he's been through it all too, but he's seen it all! This isn't just discipline, this is a murderer ready to kill some shit! I like him! Everyone fucking parade rest and look at this son of a bitch! You, step out!"

The airship captain slinks over to make a suggestion. "Sir, if you wish to take him off of our hooves, he's all yours."

"Hell no, I like the idea of you all being near him! He fucking smells like shit and probably is the exact reason some of you puked your damn selves, but you know what, it's like the collective suffering of you all, I'm pretty much here for it! I mean yeah, he's vomit-inducing, but he's got this thing that tells me he knows how to gut a two-legger with some experience behind it." The undead stallion's eyes sharply cut down to the prince with the highest level of disdain, causing shivers to enter Militades' spine. "Ohhhhohohoh! That stare! That's the one! Those eyes, like they really wanna make me shit myself, EYEBALL ME MORE, YOU SICK FUCK! I wanna know what the hell you got into before you got here! You got those eyes that know a few things about death! You got that glint, you know the one, like you could play with a few lives to get whatever the fuck you want! You know what it takes to survive! And I bet this crusty fuck that gave me that shitty ass wine won't say shit to you if you got something say! Like the moment he does, you'll start some crazy shit, just to keep it interesting!"

The young prince stares back at the undead stallion. Nondis looks down at the young prince, seeing the same glint in his eyes. One thought comes across his mind. "...This is a damn kid. The emperor's got a kid─gotta be in his teens─just causing hell wherever he goes."

The prince blinks first, cracking an enormous smile on his face. "I like him! I wanna take him, but I can't. I wanna take him! But I can't! Like I really wanna take him, cause he's got the... the... the thing, you know!? Like I know he'll be interesting to have like right now, and I'm a right-now kind of guy! But I get this feeling that he's the one who's gonna keep all you stupid fucks in line! Like he's got that fucked up 'Imma put body parts in places where they don't belong' type thing going on. And I'm all here for it! He's gotta stay here! He's the only thing that gives any of these guys an edge worth a damn!" The smile wears off of his face before looking back to the undead. "Damn, if only I knew what fucked you up in the mind to get you like this, and drop all that trauma on everyone else here. We would have a FORCE!"

Rhapsody steps out to gain the prince's attention. "Sir, we have things to do. We shouldn't be here for too long."

"Oh yeah, we still got six of those guys we need to shake up."

The captain's ears flick at the mention of the prince's doings, likely out of eagerness of wanting to prove himself. "Do you perhaps mean six interrogations, sir prince?"

"Uh, duh. They're the ones with the funky-ass weapons we keep losing to."

Nondis shifts his eyes back ahead. "Yeah, I'm right where I need to be."

The captain continues to grovel towards the young prince. "E-errrm, your highness, i-in-interrogation is my strong suit. Perhaps I could be of some use to you."

Hardly convinced, the prince shakes his head. "Ehh, I don't know."

"I'll even go as far as sodomy to make them talk, provided that we find the correct orifice for a hot poker to invade. They always talk when the poker comes into play!"

The prince appears genuinely disinterested in the captain's offer, but accepts the idea out of wanting to get a few answers for himself. "Take a moment get ready while the rest of these dipshits start looking to throw themselves into the pile. Maybe those two-leggers will run out of their weapons faster or something."

"At once! I'll go make myself presentable!" The captain gleefully responds before calling to the entire gathering. "COMPANY! DISMISSED!"

Immediately, everyone starts to depart and go back to their assigned preparations. The prince notices that the undead still remains in his position. He calls to the rest of the enlisted contingent scattered about. "See!? Didn't even fucking move! He's way too disciplined for you stupid fucks! Private, attention!" The undead snaps back to his position. "Fall out!" As ordered, he wanders away. "Hey, where you going off to!"

"Sorry sir, just looking to do better about my hygiene somehow. The captain left us with no water for ourselves, but I'm sure he has enough for himself."

"Yeah, well get to it then! Gotta keep these others in line somehow! You'll be in charge when that dumb fuck of a captain's gone."

Nondis eyes the departing captain trailing off to his quarters and nods slowly. "I'll get right on that, sir."

After spending about fifteen minutes navigating the halls of the ship, Nondis gradually reaches the catwalk leading into the captain's quarters. Once he gets to the door, he pretends to knock with his magic, only to let a small bit of his aura to slip through the lock and out the other side to find the latch to allow himself inside. He pulls the door open from inside to make it appear as if he's being let in, and enters the room.

He closes the door behind himself and looks around the room to see an assortment of accommodations and accoutrements. The wine barrel the captain summoned earlier rests against the wall beside the captain's desk. The glasses, a total of twenty in varying shapes and sizes, sit in a display cabinet. There's also a bookshelf with a number of reading materials, some bookmarked with photographs of an explicit nature. He also notices a vent running along the top of the room with fresh heat radiating from it.

"Oh, so he's living it up while the rest of us have one vent to a room of five hundred. This fucker's is just shipping us out for insurance claims at this point." He notes to himself as he listens to a shower running in the adjacent room. "Won't be for long though."

In a quick bid to retrain for an ability or two, he goes for the easier of the many spells in his repertoire. He pulls out a thread of the corpse's magic, trying to form a dagger of the aura. It takes a few tries, but the results solidify quickly and he's gained a steady grasp of the time limit he's due for using it. And with hardly any emotion in his being, he stealthily sneaks into the bathroom, where the captain stands in a steamy room.

The corpse creeps ever closer, gliding across the bathroom with silence. But one thing gives him away. "What the hell is that smell?" The curtains to the shower quickly slide open to reveal the confused captain. "Hey! What are you doing here?"

The aura conjured meets with the stallion's neck, piercing through flesh and bone alike. "Sodomizing." The undead replies as he withdraws the formed weapon and reapplies it to the stallion's chest. He closes the distance between them and keeps his mouth covered as he injects the barely corporeal dagger into his body. "Tearing you a new orifice." He also stabs in in the trachea, removing all further possibility of speaking. "Sorry if that one seems hard to breathe through. But you shouldn't be too worried about that now."

With a desperate but weak fight, the captain slumps down into the tub, the warm water running his blood down the drain.

"Shhh, just let it happen. Embrace it. After all, it's an honor to die for this country."

After the successful assassination of the captain, Nondis makes a quick bid to bleed the body out as quickly as possible, using the almost endless supply of water from the shower. While his rage towards the stallion further drives his desire to inhabit the newly deceased vessel, he takes solace in the fact that he will be the one taking his place.

As he transfers his consciousness from one to the other, he feels a snappier response to all of his senses and functions. From the way his limbs move to the manner in which he can cast spells, each attribute being a class significantly higher than the previous vessel. Though teleportation proves to be an arduous task for the unpracticed mind.

In using a teleportation spell, he relocates himself and the corpse off to somewhere nearby the ship. And in his brief disappearance, he quickly digs a hole for the former vessel to rest within. He gives a final farewell to the well-served vessel, covers his body with dirt and snow, and teleports back to the room to take yet another shower to make up for what he just finished.

About less than an hour later, he joins the prince and his party for the time being, venturing off to the cultist forward operating base. Upon discovering that much of the base is actively located at the foot of a mountain and burrowed underground, he starts to actively take notes of his surroundings, as well as mapping out the layout of every hall and room he sees, further adding to the wealth of knowledge he wishes to compile during his visit.

It doesn't go unnoticed by the cult leader. "Sir, what are you doing?"

"Taking initiative, of course. Mapping out the tunnels, to be more specific. Would be inconvenient if my troops were coming to reinforce and not have any knowledge of where to go. So if we're going to be of some help, then I might as well follow the layout of those who's already established the front. What we do is what you do, where we go is where you go, and what we defend is yours to defend. Nothing more, nothing less."

The cult leader nods at the show of solidarity, as well as the care shown for the captain's forces. "I see he's at least somewhat competent." He glances back to the young prince. "Much better than the last generals your country has sent over. He seems to do his due diligence in trying to study our adversary instead of looking to initially show overwhelming force."

"I'll admit, he's proving to be better than a bunch of kiss-asses who use their favors from the old fart for political grandstanding. But can we really blame them? They're so used to going virtually unopposed that they just run straight in. The main reason why the earlier contingents are mostly dead now is because they went against some new shit and didn't think to look into what they were doing." The prince replies with a yawn. "But at least they made it interesting for me since I got to see their ships get blown out of the sky by whatever the hell they have."

"Their deaths were a necessary scouting report." The captain replies. "In their ambitions, they've learned fate. But in their stupidity, we've acquired wisdom and information. Now we move forward with what's been left to us."

"A good way to see it." The cult leader responds. "We see eye-to-eye, you and I."

As the group moves along, they come to a cavernous room with six humans gagged and blindfolded, their wrists tied to their ankles. Nondis takes a mental note of their condition, seeing how tightly the ropes dig into their skin, still dressed in their uniforms. He also notes a lack of showers and baths on the way in.

"Well, here they are! Good and ready to be tortured." The prince calls out proudly. "Though it's a bummer that we don't have hot pokers around here. There's a fire in the general assembly area, but that's to keep the grunts warm. Maybe you'd be interested in taking this out there so that we could make it a real spectacle! Who knows, even a little embarrassment can go a long way to these creatures, even get them to confess about what they know."

"That won't be necessary." The captain replies as he uses his magic to lift one of them. But as realizes that the body's magic concentration is nowhere near as strong as his, the human is significantly harder to lift with his magic output. Not only that, but a spark of the side-effects of using teleportation magic manifests in a painful migraine that severs his connection temporarily. The others look with questioning stares before Nondis.

"Dammit, this guy's got some magic spells, but he's got virtually no magic endurance worth a damn. Just me teleporting to and from got me messed up. I'm gonna have to improvise with very little until my magic recovers, and his recovery rate is already looking slow."

He looks around the room to see a number of ways to make matters appealing to the point where intervention isn't needed from the others. An idea comes to mind. "Line all five of the others up. I'll take this one."

"What's so special about the one you picked?" Militades questions.

"I plan to make him watch. He'll tell me everything I need to know, that's if he doesn't want his friends to suffer." He says as he removes the blindfold and drags him across to the other side of the room. The stallion smiles as he leans down to whisper to the creature almost thrice his size. "Don't respond to anything I say. Work with me, I'm trying to save you. Now I'm gonna rough up your friends, but when I say 'Nihongo Jouzu', you tell them how to make the guns explode, not work. Remember, 'Nihongo Jouzu' is your activation phrase. But first off..."

The human's eyes widen before he's suddenly shoved onto his glutes and forced to sit in attendance for the torture. Nondis manifests the aura shape spell to turn his magic into a metaphysical whip. He cracks his whip on the human's back, gaining no response from the initial swings. So he changes his target to the less-armored extremities of his ankles and wrists, gaining a much more vocal response from the man.

"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT YOU GOT ON!? DOES THAT PROTECT YOU!? IS THAT WHAT YOU WEAR!?" He whips the ropes on the human's wrists and legs once more, breaking the bonds that keep him subjugated. "TAKE THAT SHIT OFF, NOW!"

Obviously the human rebels, but with each action, Nondis is keenly aware of any human movements and mannerisms, as well as the varying pressure points he can use to subjugate the human quickly. He starts by ripping the boots and socks off of the human's feet with his whip, and strikes at his feet before screaming another order of compliance. The human tries to charge at the pony, but the whip snags at his ankles, easily ensnaring him. As he looks to fight back, another whip forms to rip the gloves off and smacks him firmly on the back of his palm.

"You think you can outsmart me!? TAKE THAT SHIT OFF!" The soldier does as order out of fear of being struck at again. But before he can do much of anything else, the second whip snags at his right wrist and bends his arm behind his back with a twisting motion. The man screams as he bends over in subjugation. "Yeah that feels great, don't it? Next time you run from me, I'll make sure you suffer long and hard. I don't know what this is, but I'll break it real good. Now be a good boy and stay there." Nondis turns to the others, giving orders to the cult leader and the prince. "That thing on their chest seems to be armor of some sort. Pull it off, expose their bodies."

The prince grins widely as he grows into unquenchable excitement. "Where the hell have you been in our command chain?" He turns to Rhapsody and asks her. "Hey, when you were helping with the interrogation of these guys, did any of them respond like they did today?"

"No sir." She replies, doing the task of the prince so that he steers clear of participation and simply observes.

It takes a concentrated effort, but the vests eventually come off. As they line the five men up, each with their backs turned towards the imperial party, Nondis calls back to the one he has singled out on the other side of the room. "I'll give you the opportunity to spare all of your friends the shame of being whipped like cattle, that is if you tell me how exactly those weapons of yours work."

Each of the captives call out to their brother in arms. "Don't you dare tell them anything, Millsap! These dumbasses will probably just shoot themselves anyways!"

"Over or under on if they get one of their own guys killed fucking around!"

"I got my MRE's for two whole meals on four deaths!"

"Shit, that puts me in debt! Can't I just say I got my stash of weed back in the locker!?"

"You're betting the greens!? How many blunts can you roll with that shit?"

"Bout seven now."

"Bet!" The separated soldier calls out. "I call seven dead!"

Nondis, in seeing the six humans interacting in high spirits, takes immense pride in their resilience. "Now that's what I'm talking about. Keep your heads up, don't make it easy. I'll figure something out for you all to get out of this somehow. But right now, I need all the shit-talking you boys can push out."

"Oh, so you're a bunch of tough guys, huh?" The prince comments on the humans. "Huh, kinda wish we had forces like that in our camp. That's what morale looks like, not that weak look all of our centuries give off every time they go off to battle. Each of these guys look like they've done a fair share of killing themselves. I can't help but wonder, did they kill their own at any point before coming here?"

"Well one thing's for certain. They've sure killed a lot of ours." Rhapsody replies.

The prince gets comfortable as one of his captains raises his whip. "Oh yeah, I sure hope they break slow."

Three hours later...

As planned, the humans lasted for over two hours, cracking unflinching insults with maximum creativity, eliciting painful laughter from the young prince. By the time Nondis was halfway done, he had to fake a bathroom break to get some of the giggles out of his system. But as time progressed, the plan he discussed with the one he separated came to fruition, and even his other fellow captives went right along with it once they realized the instructions given were far from genuine. At the conclusion of matters, the captain feigned his reason of absence to manage the contingent he came with.

But in truth, Nondis is already looking to take his crudely drawn map to the Crystal Empire. The only thing that seems to put his plan in jeopardy is the growing snowstorm replenishing the soft white blanket coating much of the land and mountain range. The storm gets so intense at times that he has to shield his eyes from the flurry of massive snowflakes.

"Well the session lasted way too long for what I was willing to put up with. But thankfully, forming tools and weapons out of one's aura isn't too much of a taxing spell in terms of demand. I just hate that I had to put our boys through the wringer like that, but it wouldn't have been convincing if I held back... And I said it would be a cold day in hell before I do some shit like that to another fellow human."

*snnnk*

A spear lands in the snow just a few feet away from the captain. While in his operating mind, he thinks nothing of it, but the donor brain quickly informs him of the spear's functionality. "Fuck!" He dives headlong into the snow, waiting for only a second before the weapon explodes. The pats around, trying to see what's still attached, but not realizing that there's an alicorn figure landing right before him, holding another spear of similar function. While the blinding snow reduces visibility, the thin frame of the alicorn quickly gives away her identity. "Oh, it's you."

The mare bears her weapon upon the figure before realizing it's one of her nation's officers. "You." She replies coldly, not an ounce of surprise nor a welcome in her voice.

Scraping the thoughts of the borrowed body he possesses, Nondis feigns the captain's typical response. "Your highness, I bid you greetings in this frozen─" The blade of the spear bears it's edge but a few inches away from the stallion's muzzle. "...wasteland?"

"State your purpose." Zenobia orders sternly.

Raising his hooves as a show of submission, the caption questions her in return. "Your majesty, I must ask, what is yours?"

"My reasons are my own. But you will tell me why you, one of the most chauvinistic, disgusting, selfish, sadistic, and incompetent bastard has been issued to these frozen wastes."

"Things are not as they seem, your highness." Nondis replies in the typical show of groveling the captain is known for. He rises to stand, with a bit of his magic shifting the flattened scroll in his coat pocket. With a bit of manipulation, he loses the scroll to the snow in a bid of clumsiness. "Forgive me, for I have dropped some important matters."

"What is this?" The mare snatches the scroll before the officer could vie to reach for it. She opens the scroll, narrowing her eyes to the crudely drawn content. "This may be horrible, but even I understand this is a map. What is it for?"

Again, he plays into the persona of the captain a bit longer. "Your majesty, perhaps you would be more than kind enough to inform me as to why your excellency has been assigned to these frozen wastes? Please, we have warmth in the airship─"

The spear in her magic finds the nape of his neck, giving his skin a slight graze. "I say for the last time, my matters are my own. Now you will leave this place, or die."

Realizing she's not short on fulfilling threats, Nondis sheds the persona and simply speaks to her as he would in person, with smug expression and confident composure. "Your majesty, this one's already dead." As the spear grazes into the skin of his neck, little blood spills from the wound. He also grabs the spear and nestles it into his jugular with a smile. "See if this one was alive, he'd be spilling blood like there's no tomorrow. This is just one of the many stunts your 'Doctor' could pull off without complications."

"My doctor?" Her eyes widen as she's prompt to realize who she's encountered. "You're..."

"Zenobia, I see you're doing well. Then again, this kind of weather is something you lot are used to over at Midnight Castle. Same terrain, weather, snowfall, and almost year-round cold."

"There's no way that it's you." She says as she lowers her spear, seeing the damage of her weapon.

"Seriously, I'm prancing about in someone else's body while being shacked away in some reeducation center in Midnight Castle, I think the locals call it 'the Bastille'. I just got through torturing six of our guys. I'd be sick to this asshole's stomach if it wasn't for the fact that our boys were so damn morale-driven that they crack jokes for the better part of three hours. Resilient bunch, Alex really has a way of picking 'em."

"You probably took it easy on them."

Nondis nods. "Yeah, you're not wrong about that. What this dead asshole was going to do to them was much worse. Had to pick him off before our boys got what they didn't deserve."

"So you say six of them?" She verifies. "Definitely soldiers of Sir Alex's contingent. He did make a note of there being some missing in action."

"Well I found them. And that map I dropped reveals everything about their base. Where we now stand, there's a tunnel to your right, about seventy paces away from you. All of the tunnels are equine based except for one. Follow that one, you'll find our boys. Go armed, and ready for close quarters combat. Let Alex know there will also be a red airship not too far off, with a white X marked on the top of the dirigible. Do not hit that ship. That is the one I'm using. It's full of guys all wanting to be with with their loved ones, forced conscriptions."

"I'm not surprised about that. My father loves to crack down on any and all elements of opposition to his way of doing things."

"So I've seen." He replies with a mum voice. "You know, whoever's in charge of your country after him, they'll need to do what they can to appease that underground population before it gets any uglier than what I'm going to make it. I honestly thought I'd have to do some serious work to start a revolution there, turns out I might not have to do that much after all."

"Why did I figure that you'd be doing something along the lines of that?" The mare chuckles nervously. "No matter. Do what you must to cause confusion. The more the home front experiences discourse, the shorter this conflict will prove to be."

"The more you could prove yourself to be a better player for Ponyland's future." He replies.

"I wouldn't quite go that far." She rolls her eyes. "You know mares don't have a say in our governance."

"Yeah, until they pawn all the shit they don't feel like doing off on you." Zenobia looks back at the smirking cadaver with surprise. "Don't give me that look, Spike's always been transparent when it comes to you."

Feeling a warmth in her heart for the dragon, she takes a deep breath and summons a roll of medical gauss. "You'll need this for your neck. Can't go walking about with that not healing."

"Gotta love a team player." Nondis replies as he starts to tend to his neck. "Oh yeah, tell Alex when he asks about that map and who gave it to you, just give him this message for me. 'You're out here leading an army in real life, but can't even play the campaign on legendary difficulty.' Watch him get mad defensive, he always does."

"They always say there's no worse an enemy than your own sibling." The mare replies with a chuckle, followed by a shivering chill. "I suppose I'll be going now. It's a bit too cold for my liking."

"Stay warm!" He calls out.

As the captain finishes dressing his wound, he chortles softly with a thought. "Meanwhile I've got natures freezer to keep this body in good condition. We're already off to a good start. I should get back near the ship, though. Protective orders only help when they're applied with speed, and I've got a lot of painting to do."

The Bastille Midnight Castle, Ponyland...

Coming back into his own body, the first thing he sees as he wakes up is the sight of a fresh bowl of jellied eels placed in front of him. Instantly, he turns his head to the side with vitriolic disgust. What was once a platter of about four of them has now turned into a dozen of the questionable dish.

"Bleurgh, more of these jellied eels. Guess they did their fair share of fucking around and finding out then. No matter, I'll just starve until the survival serum kicks in. Though while I'm at it..."

Nondis immediately comes to another idea, using his magic to separate the bone shards from the jellied eels, then porting them down to the caves below. His gambit is to make it appear to the guards that he's eating the meals given, and then feign sickness to get something better in his diet, knowing that they won't look to watch him die in their prison. They won't possibly kill the one that's the last link of their deity to the living world, so they'll supplement him on occasion. He comes to that conclusion, but another voice rings in his mind from a far away place.

"Nondie... Come home."

Deep down, he wishes to adhere to that message long sent. But he closes his eyes and tunes himself to comply at a later date. "I know babe. I'll come back home, just let me finish up here first. I promise I'll be back then."

"Come home."

"...Not until I talk some sense into him, not till our boys get back home. Not till all of this is done. If I need to be the monster I hate being to bring peace, then so be it."

"Come home, Nondie... Please."

With yet another dive into another corpse, he sadly postpones the request of his wife.

"Love you, hun. See you soon."

Chapter 0: Selfie Shenanigans

Canterlot Castle

I still remember that fateful day after Celestia and Luna took the journey west. A lot happened all throughout the time everything was being established. I couldn't help but watch myself being seated to the throne next to the new princess over the realm. It shouldn't have felt weird, but it did. I was here the entire time Twilight grew from being a self-absorbed unicorn, isolated to only her family and studies, to being a beacon of heroics to all in the kingdom. And she went from national heroine, to princess, then from that to high princess apparent.

And me? I was suddenly the number two to the highest seat in the land.

"Spike the Dragon, please step forward."

It felt so odd hearing Twilight call me such a formal name with such firm authority. It was one thing to get under her skin and be on the receiving end of one of her lectures, but this was a completely different energy she had.

The halls of the throne room had still shown signs of undergoing repair. Much of the place was still getting put back together after the attack on us by the trio of criminals, each looking for a way to hold dominion over Equestria and it's magic. Pillars were already erected to hold the new ceiling in place. Windows were still being installed, some recalling the usual images that were often seen of the two sisters, the heroics of the element bearers, and that ilk. A select few already started being installed to remind us of what took place just a month ago. And then there was one that depicted a great struggle from a few years prior, one that very few wished to speak of.

I walked towards her, doing as protocol had established, lowering my head to her in submission as she started to address me. "Spike the Dragon, you are hereby chosen to be my official Friendship Ambassador. As such, this position comes with a lot of responsibility, and much of it entails that you are to represent me in my absence to the many who may wish to engage with Equestria and her doings. I would be remiss to ignore the significance of the weight of this appointment as we stand here. But having that said, I want to further discuss some key points before we make this officially noted for public record."

She always had a thing for making sure everything was done in proper order, but she took forever to do stuff like this.

"I have a few guidelines I need to run by you, just so you know not to get too out of hoof." She said as she didn't even bother to pull out a scroll to notify me of what my terms were. "The first thing: Always be courteous and welcoming, but be ever cautious and critical. Not everyone that greets you with a smile has any good intent in mind. There are some who will wish to take your title for granted and look at the idea of negotiation unfavorable terms. This brings me to my second issue: Do not allow for the situation to become confrontational to the point an altercation occurs. We're already treading on thin ice when it comes to certain species here in the land. If there's any sign of hostility, try to peacefully diffuse the situation. Also thirdly, but most important: If it comes to be that you are in danger, you must defend yourself without relaying to fatal measures. This is a key issue, I do not want you hurt when I cannot come for you. And then there's a fourth rule: Nothing is coerced without mutual consent. That means you cannot force participants to engage in talks through anything but peaceful means. If they have any issues, relay it to me directly and I will step in."

I raised my head to accept her terms. "Your highness, you can count on me." Calling her that still makes me uncomfortable at times.

"Another thing, a final rule." She interjects. "And I want you to pay close attention to this one as well. Let there be no distractions to your negotiations. A firm mind and a composed demeanor is how we are to negotiate these terms. Under no circumstances are any bribes are to be accepted, be they any financial or physical bribes. And if you do violate any of these terms, I will have you punished. It may seem tough, but I'm only doing this to be fair to the others who are employed underneath and beside you. Do you understand?"

Of course I understand. "Yes, your highness."

She placed the medallion around my neck, smiling as she offered me congratulations over my new position as her metaphorical second-in-command. "Very well then. Spike the Dragon, I hereby pronounce you to be my official Friendship Ambassador."

I raise my head, my voice echoing throughout the largely empty room. "Twilight, you can count on me."

5 Years Later...

It's been five years since I accepted the role of being the friendship advisor of my mentor, also adopted big sister, also surrogate mother, also neurotic past-dwelling best friend Twilight Sparkle. So far, it's like the stress that's leveled on her so often is leveled on me instead. Where she stays busy doing diplomatic stuff overseas at times, I have to pick up the slack of doing both former Princess Celestia's daily duties, as well as former Princess Luna's nightly patrols. As a result, I never really got past 8th grade in terms of having a social life with friends. If I could equate it to being a class, you can firmly count me in the delinquent territory. Imagine being stuck in eighth grade, for five years straight.

I never anticipated my role to be so annoying at times. I mean, I knew that I was always a busy body thanks to all the errands Twilight and the others sent me through all those years ago. Then there's the matter of the having to live the life of a growing adolescent dragon looking to find the time to be able to... unwind, if you know what I mean. I've tried dating before, I've been in a relationship with a griffon... Don't wanna talk about it, so don't ask. Since then, I've been stuck running errands and tasks, occasionally running into familiar faces asking for guidance along my life. And being at this age, it gets hard trying to function like a civilized being when certain words and subtle movements grab at my attention like an angry beast looking for it's next meal.

It made the times I did have to unload that much better for me, even the twenty minutes I have now.

"Finally." I finished my tasks and visitations early enough to be able to sit in my room for another twenty minutes before nodding off to bed. And plus Twilight gave me the first iterations of some of the technology that was gained through an interdimensional exchange that took place almost seven years ago. So now we have cell phones, and unfiltered access to our own internet. And with that great power, comes greater opportunities.

I rush into my room, darting towards my bed and smiling as I look at the premier dating site for hot Equestrian singles around town, Snuggle. "No distractions." I even lock my door for good measure as I flip my sheets open to get myself comfortable. I log myself in to see a notification scroll across the middle of the screen. It reads 'Hey there, TiltedScales42! You have 12 new messages!' I skimmed through the dozen chat invites and picked out three names to work from. If something doesn't work with one, I might as well go for the other two.

There were three names I picked out, MoonsAplenty12, LuvSick4U, and BabyGirl399. I typed in a quick greeting to get things started, but neither of the three responded within the first fifteen minutes. They're online also, but I guess neither of them have any continued interest. Win some, lose some. Meanwhile, I have another chat notification pop up from nowhere. They go by the name of User642365. Not only are they online, they're the one to start the chat with a greeting.

I'm still a bit suspicious to see if this is a spam account, so I ask a very specific question. 'Hey, if you had two tickets for the gala, who would be your plus one?'

The other user replies. 'I'd take you if you were interested in some boring conversation.'

This user seems to have a low level of self-esteem. I guess this session is going to be a quick one. 'Why would any conversation from you be boring?'

'I'm not an interesting pony. I'm just reserved.' The other user answers.

I want to carry on with the conversation, but its hard to really get anything going with a gray default icon telling me about themselves and their bland personality, it's almost fitting to a degree. 'Okay, so tell me what you like.'

'I like sunsets, quiet walks in the city, a solid book to read, sometimes a snack while I read. This new social media stuff is something I'm pretty new to.'

Well that explains a lot about this user's approach. It's too formal, even if it's casual. And to add to it, her username is just as gray and unimpressive as her approach. Usually after a few messages, we're already into the naughty bits of it. Now it feels like we're just feeling out the waters like a traditional dating site... well I guess it IS a dating site after all. I suppose I can open it up with some spice. 'So while we're on the subject of snacks, what kind of snacks do you like with your books?'

'I like cookies, cakes, sometimes ice cream. I really only do chocolate for special occasions.'

Finally an opening. 'What kind of occasions do you consider "special" enough for chocolate?'

'I guess it's for special special occasions.' She's awfully dry in the way she puts it out there. 'You could say I'm eating some now.'

'So what are you doing right now?' I ask, trying to salvage the night by heating up the conversation.

'I'm laying in my bed, thinking of a crush I had way back when.'

'What did the two of you used to do?' We're getting warmer.

It takes a little while for her to come back with a response. But after a pretty lengthy wait, a message pops up in the feed. 'Everything.'

Well that's a pretty bland answer. Maybe I can get her to open up a little more by expanding the topic. 'Everything like what?'

Once again, she took a while to text back. 'How he tossed me around, made me squeak, stuff like that.'

'So you liked being tossed around?' So she's a wild one, I shoud've figured by the way she talks on here. It's always the shy ones that don't say anything until it's time to get heated.

'It depends.' Case in point.

'On what?' My claws were already starting to reach down my body, hoping that her answer would get me started.

'On how big and strong you are.' She answered. 'My crush was pretty big, he could literally crush me whenever he was on top.' And here we go.

I start to feel my claws generously work against myself as I emerge from within my pubic scales. I roll the base of my palm against the top of my scales, coaxing myself to full form. Ideas begin to run wild in my mind as I qualify myself to fit the criteria she seeks. 'I could crush you if I was on top.' I type out slowly with one claw.

She sends back an emoji along with her denial. 'I don't think you can do that. I'm a pretty big girl. 😞'

'I'm built for big. 😈' I reply to her with a horned smiley of my own, working my hips into the palm of my own claw. 'I can take you and then some.'

'You are not that big. 🙄' She replies with an unimpressed emoji. That's my cue.

Since she thinks I'm nowhere near big enough for her, I got something she can take a measure of. I take out a moment to prop some pillows up to help me in my pose. I lay myself out in a sprawl, cocking a leg back with arm and using the other to take my photo. I hold a small pendant in my teeth as I look to the camera, giving an innocent face while adding a very explicit reminder. I make sure that she sees just how big I was in shape, but also seeing how flexible I can be. I make certain to also show her just how well-endowed I had become over the course of this conversation.

*Spike the Dragon*

Royal Friendship Advisor
Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Equestria
1st in line to the Equestrian Throne

I send the image at a moment's notice, along with a snarky response. 'Built for big, just as you ordered.'

Her response is short, but effective. 'OMG'

I smile as I start to let my imagination run wild. It was high time to get this whole thing in gear. And my claw is already working on second. 'If you want, I can give it to you.' I wait for her response with baited breath, trying to control myself in my wait, measuring the speed that my claw clutched my swollen form. But she doesn't immediately give a reply, she's probably lost in excitement or arousal, probably both. 'Did I lose you?' I tease.

*knock knock knock knock knock*

A knock on my door sounds, I stay as quiet and motionless as I could to appear like I am sleeping. "Spike!" It's Twilight's voice on the other side of the door.

I roll my eyes and continue to feign my sleep as I reply once more to the girl on the other end. I'm determined to not be disturbed in my pursuit for pleasure. 'So, my place or yours?'

A second after I send the message, a notification sounds from behind the door. I pop my head up in disbelief as Twilight follows the sound up with another round of her shouting at me. "NOBODY'S PLACE, SPIKE! NOW ANSWER THE DOOR!"

I look back down at the message thread and see that the OMG message was the last thing she sent... Oh shit.

My entire body freezes while she continues to batter against the door. I slowly tilt my head to see a purple aura surrounding the lock on my door. I tuck myself under my sheets and hide my phone underneath me. As Twilight barges into the room, she levitates the bed I'm in and flip it upside down, causing me, the pillows and the phone to fall unceremoniously to the ground. The princess furiously points at her screen, going up to the picture I sent to the user I thought was someone else. "So is this what you're doing in your free time!?"

I can't even look her in the face, I'm so embarrassed. I turn my head away, only for her to force me to meet with her face-to-face. At this point, I can't do much but apologize. "Twilight, I'm sorry. I didn't mean for this to happen. How was I supposed to know that some anonymous user was you!?"

"How was I supposed to know that some guy named TiltedScales42 was going to be you!?"

"It's called an alias, Twilight! I have it so that no one finds out who I am on an immediate basis!" I explain.

"Says the one who sent a FULL-FRONTAL!" She blushed as she took the phone, adding to her response. "Well you won't have to worry about that anymore. Your phone privileges are hereby revoked until further notice!"

"That's not fair!" I call out to her as she levitates the phone far away from my reach.

"Well since you seem to have more than enough spare time on your claws, I guess I'll add another hour to your schedule. And don't even think about delegating your tasks for more free time!"

She teleports away before I can even say anything else in my own defense. I'm left in my room utterly embarrassed, ashamed, and halfway finished. Even looking down, I curse myself for the manner in which I had taken the picture. I got way too far ahead of myself and now I'm in trouble for it.

...I'm never going to hear the end of this, am I?

Chapter 1: Royal Restrictions

My eyes open to see the rays of the sun shining brightly in them. I open them to see a quiet room filled with a silence that ushers me to question what time it was in the day. I didn't instinctively reach out to my nightstand for my phone, as I didn't have one anymore. And I haven't had one for the better part of a week, not since Twilight and I accidentally bumped into each other virtually.

Even now, I shudder at the thought that she had seen all of me so overtly exposed.

Looking back, I suppose there should've been some cues and hints I could've really put together. A 'crush' who used to overpower her, a thing for light snacking while reading a good book, the awkward and dry manner of how she described herself, the fact that she was new to virtual dating, all of it summed up who I was dealing with. And yet, I was so focused on letting the wine run that I didn't realize what or even who I was about to pop the cork to.

I'm sure she felt weird about it too, seeing her figurative little brother ready to give her some dragon-style meat. I knew from the moment she barged in the room, she was going to have to deal with that thought from every encounter onward. I'm sure it put a damper on her night, especially since she was looking to have some sexy fun time of her own. And unlike her, I'm not naïve to the topic of everyone else around her possibly wanting to relieve some pent-up stress. In fact, it's because I managed to see it happen a few times... Especially with the one I wanted the most for years.

Even if I'd known that moment would've changed my sexual hunger for the worse, I'd live it all over again.

Years ago, I watched as Rarity grew physically infatuated with one of our otherworldly visitors. It was crazy to see her work so hard for a creature that was unlike her. But I didn't care too much for her crush, I was actually pretty pissed off about it because he was weaving around both her and Twilight at the time. I've seen how it usually ends, how Rarity would just be upset, eat a gallon of ice cream, cry in the midst of her thoughts, and retire to her room. But that's really where it really began.

Because she felt like she had a better chance of being with this guy, she didn't do the previous steps nearly as much. Instead, she stewed on the thought of what could be established between the both of them. And she fought back, hard. I don't think I've ever seen such quiet animosity between Twilight and Rarity as I did in those days, but I surely didn't think I'd seen the aspiring fashion mogul dive in her bed for that moment of putting her imagination to work.

One night, she wrapped herself in her sheets, slid her hoof underneath, and panted the night away. I was twelve when I first saw her yearn for the touch of another being so badly. I couldn't help but to watch, I wanted to see what she looked like. I got greedy in those moments, so much that I began to grow out of both spite and lust.

I won't lie and admit that I had ambitions of being the ruffian that could somehow force myself into Rarity's heart, much less the physical things I wanted to force her into. But the better version of me won out in the end, and I learned to do what was right, even if it meant that she got what she wanted in the short-run, and as the both of them got nothing in the long end of things.

I didn't get much either, just fantasies of a mare who picked up and traveled the world while I had to be stuck doing diplomatic endeavors. And as those endeavors picked up, so did the tension whenever I saw her between those long period of absences. She grew to stop caring for relationships after a few years, focusing on her business exclusively, but I can't say that I did the same. Every time her picture shows up in the magazine, I'm reminded of a secret favor Sweetie Belle pulled for me shortly after I hit fifteen. Since she had close access to her sister's doing all while teaching, she managed to capture some candid photos of her sister during a sister's retreat in Manehattan.

Those photos, I wore them out the moment I saw them.

Each time I saw her, I remembered those photos and felt myself growing timid around her, mainly to hide the fact that I was about to poke past my scales. And it was like that for years until recently. Now, I'm just depressed, sad that I can't even get close to her like I could way back when. I had become too aware of the lust I have, and I do what I can to work past it.

But as the years went, it started affecting every part of my day. There are at least two incidents where I'm ready to forego my oath for sexual favors. I do what I can to suppress it, but it's hard when you're eighteen and you've aready been so busy that you can't even masturbate in peace, much less find a hookup to quench the thirst.

Yeah, fun to run around all of Equestria with so many packages walking by you with their tails swaying, revealing all kinds of goodies of varying shapes and flavors. I'd just about trade my job to get a moment where I can finally break this drought over my life.

*KNOCK KNOCK*

The sound of a guard at my door alerted me back to the present. "Sir Spike, Princess Twilight has ordered you to come for your breakfast immediately."

That's about right, no time for myself anymore.

When I got to breakfast, I could see a lovely secretary helping out Twilight as she went about planning out her day. As I sat in my seat, Twilight briefly addressed me without looking my way. "Spike, your day is going to be busy." As per usual. "I have issued you to take care of a few things down in Appleloosa. It seems that there's a social dispute between the bison and the locals again. You'll need to finish your breakfast and leave for the town immediately. This matter is paramount, so there will be no time for breaks. I'm sorry."

"Again?" I groaned as I rolled my eyes. "So can I get you to tell me how many hours of my day this will be?"

"Likely all day." She answered as she continued to go through her paperwork.

I shook my head and pleaded with my longtime faux sibling. "Twilight, can we just delegate this to a smaller-level negotiator and let me handle some larger disputes? This is probably another watering hole debate."

"Spike, I have you in this position to do what is necessary, not to do what's probably the easiest outcome that has a greater chance of going wrong. If you go there, nothing will go wrong. That is why I trust you with this assignment." Again, she doesn't even look at me.

"But Twilight─"

"That's an order." She barked as she looked into her papers again.

I groaned and tapped my claws on the table as I realize that there was no way I could argue against it once she said those three words. I took my breakfast to go and immediately settled off to the hangar. I was afforded a hot air balloon, which got me to wherever I needed to go, albeit at a relatively slower pace than that of the airship. But I'm sure it would be a gross misuse of budget to take the airship to someplace like Appleloosa that doesn't even accommodate such a vehicle. So balloon was my only option.

I bet five bits this is probably going to be something easily resolved in the matter of minutes.

As soon as I arrived, I was greeted by two arguing factions trying to decide on what day should be the founder's day of Appleloosa. Just like I guessed it would be, it's a small bit of indecision that had to be talked through in order to make it work. I wanted to be done with this within the hour, and by Celestia it was going to be done within the hour.

"What are you saying? You're saying that our customs ain't good enough for you?"

"All I'm trying to say is that we should acknowledge the ones who were here to begin with!"

Many who watched the two city officials, both Sheriff Silverstar and Chief Thunderhooves, quietly watched with disinterest. I knew from their expressions that this was such a stupid argument that this had to be something that was probably already resolved, these two just haven't caught on yet. I interceded with a moment's notice. "Gentlecreatures, what's the matter?"

Both the figures bowed their heads at me, recognizing my status. "Sir Spike, I didn't think the princess would endeavor you with something so small as a tin-can shoot." Sheriff said with a respectful tone.

"With all due respect, this is merely a debate." The bison chief agreed. "There's no hostility to be had."

I just rolled my eyes and pretended that this issue was to be taken seriously. "Okay, so Chief is saying that the founder's day should be observed as the day the buffalo tribes came to these lands, correct."

"It's really just a debate subject, but that's my view of it." He said quite proudly.

"And Sheriff is saying that Appleloosa the town proper was not established until after ponies came to name the town."

"Seriously. My family's been keeping portraits and photographs of the town since the first settlers came. This might have been occupied before, but there was no established residence, nan the first." He pointed out while holding up a historical record.

I once more played the part of mediator throughout the course of this so-called conflict. "Right, but you two were saying that this was more of a debate than anything else?"

"Yes." Answered Sheriff.

"Indeed." Chief cosigned.

I rubbed the back of my neck and shrugged. "Well I guess that's that then. If it's merely a simple political debate with no ramifications on the citizenry, then I guess I can take my leave─"

"Oh no you don't!" A voice called out from the crowd.

As her voice parted the crowd for her to step through, I was greeted by the face of a buffalo female I hadn't seen in ages of time. She stood proud with her native headdress, donning many more feathers in her brightly-colored band around her head. She easily dwarfed the other ponies around her. I greeted the young bison lady. "Little Strongheart, is that you?"

"I am. It is good to see you again, Prime Minister Spike. And you're looking more of the dragon I never thought I'd see you become." She said as she approached the clearing to stand alongside her father. "However, 'Little' no longer exist in my name. I bear the title of Chieftess of the Nursing Herd, and soon to be leader of the entire tribe. So Chieftess Strongheart will do."

"Well it's an honor to meet you again after so long." I exchanged with her.

Her response was not as casual. "Likewise, Prime Minister. However, my father has not told you that this so-called 'simple squabble' is merely a reflection of the issues brought upon him by our tribe elders. The only reason why he downplays the topic is because he wants to promote peace between the ponies who live here and the bison who has done the same for ages. While our historical account is told more through drawing and fireside story, the stars above can testify our existence. Those matters aside, my father has actively and frequently issued the debate on this topic, but arrives home angry and frustrated that the same consensus remains in place despite the calls from our elders."

Ah, so it's a passive-aggressive kind of deal. I always hate dealing with these passive-aggressive situations. "So, with that being the case, why not issue a day where each can be celebrated?"

"Because the town only has budget for one major celebration." Sheriff added. "We're an agricultural town, there isn't much money floating around here, so we make do with the taxes we collect and hold it to a budget. And if we split that down the middle, then we're better off not having a day to commemorate at all."

A budget issue?

"We care not for budgets and that likeness─" Chief began before being interrupted by his daughter.

"Oh, there's a lot of concern there!" She debated. "Meaning that we're nomads doesn't mean that we're all content with just roaming the countryside without any kind of finances to our name. Don't forget, we're Equestrian citizens too, we aspire to tour larger cities and partake in the country's economy, but our own business can't start with the share-and-care approach we've been used to doing for some years now. As regrettable as it may be saying it, our tribe deserves more than a page in a history book."

I now see that she's the main driving force of the engagement. She's speaking up for her tribe, at least the portion she controls over. It's only fair to listen to her side as opposed to taking Chief's word at face value. "So you'd wish to establish an economic base that your tribe may be able to profit from?"

"Not just that, but proper recognition instead of some ceremonial thank you and a yearly certificate. Why can we not have access to a grand celebration that our young can truly participate in with pride for who they are?"

I began to notice that her words come across like a mom concerned for what environment her young grows up in, the stigma that's to come after. She really did some growing up since the last time we met. I turn to Sheriff and question him. "So what is the yearly budget for this town?"

"Basically an income of 80 million bits, but most of that gets put into infrastructure and irrigation, so we don't see much in surplus except maybe a few hundred thousand."

In other words, the town is struggling economically, it's barely keeping heads above water. I'm starting to see why this was labeled as an all-day situation. And since it's economic, this might be an all-week thing too. Damn, Twilight really wants me to stay busy, huh? "Do you not accept any of the royal budget allocations, the municipal stipends we send out every October?"

"This is a farming town!" Sheriff argued strongly. "If there's anything we want, we want to be able to prove our success through our hard work and effort."

"Have you ever held it to a vote?" I asked him.

"Well, not really, but the sentiment is felt through a lot of the citizenry." He answered.

I turn to the crowd and clear my throat to address them. "Now I know this isn't an official ballot, but I wish to hold a vote. Anyone who wants to accept the royal stipend sent to the town, raise your hoof, claw, or other appendage that you have to confirm yes."

I watched as almost every hoof rose to the air. It seems that the town is happy with the work it's done to be able to prove to itself that it can sustain on it's own power, but I'm sure they don't feel as rewarded with their effort when everything almost zeroes out. I think a boost of that budget can do more than allow for the bison population to thrive here, but the citizens in the town can enjoy some spending privileges, improved infrastructure, and probably the same amenities that are offered in Ponyville, which is an agriculture-founded town also. "So can we all agree that the stipend from years past shall be paid in full to the town?"

The entire town cheers in agreement. Sheriff blushes in embarrassment. "Oh. I guess I should've taken that more into consideration as opposed to carrying a traditional mindset."

A pony walked from out of the crowd. "We're proud that all our hard work kept the town going, but we could do for a buckball arena!"

"Maybe a nice shopping outlet or two." A mare called out.

"Or even a swimming pool!" One stallion called out, even the bison shouted in agreement to that one.

"Eh, I suppose a spa wouldn't hurt." Strongheart murmured. "Being a nomad takes a toll on the legs."

The chief showed his disagreement with his daughter. "Strongheart, are we seriously going to throw away years of tradition for the sake of some appeasement?"

"You can keep traditions and want new things for yourself and all the others who you'll never get to see. Why not give more of that instead of constantly keeping strict to traditions? The younger generations will want to keep our heritage strong, but they deserve the things that others have as well."

She's really grown into her own since the last time we kept in touch. I keep saying that, but it's pretty awesome to see her step up like this so frequently. I guess I could put something together for her. "I need all bison of the town to hold their vote to this one. If you wish to have a dedicated budget and more amenities, please raise your hoof."

Almost two-thirds of the bison population raised their hooves, a majority of the males kept their hooves down, but the younger ones had theirs raised. The females of the bison population overwhelmingly showed support of the idea, along with Strongheart herself.

"Then it's settled. We'll work out a day where we can acknowledge native culture as widely as we can celebrate the first stone planted for the town saloon." I said to Chief before turning to Sheriff. "And you'll get all the funding you need for the town to be able to accommodate for all of that which was not issued out to you. Agreed?"

The two parties smiled and shook hooves, Strongheart chuckled as she expressed great pride. "More than!"

It took the entire day to write up an economic package and draft a few measures to give to Twilight for consideration. Once I arrived back in town, I gave her the papers and slithered back to my room, laying in my bed once more to think about the long day I had.

I remember some conversations, namely between me and Strongheart. I hadn't caught up with her in years, so I took the opportunity as I was working to inquire about her doings and dealings. We kept it mostly professional for the majority of the day until the closing hours of my work, where we exchanged personal developments. She asked me about my wings, saying that I looked so different in having them. I asked her how she was placed over the nursing portion of the heard, and she went into detail about her own experiences. She also has a daughter, who appropriately took the 'Little' title from her.

I hadn't seen her in so many years. She was always bigger than me back then, but now she's bigger than me in mass more than in height, where I easily overlook her. I can't believe she has a kid already, and I'm still trying to break the seal for my first experience. I wonder what it was like for her to be able to conceive a kid, who did it, did she enjoy it, did she finish?

The lucky guy, I wonder how he must've felt mounting her. I bet it felt really good.

*KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK*

Ugh, fuck's sake!

I toss the covers off of myself and barge towards the door, angry that I couldn't even stir a thought without so much of an interruption. "Who is it?" The frustration in my voice couldn't be any more apparent.

"Spike, it's me." Twilight sounded through the door. "I just came to talk to you."

My claws patter impatiently against my waist as I ask her. "What for?"

"I just wanted to check in with you. You said you spoke with Little Strongheart, right?"

"Trust me, little is the last thing she is now. She's got a kid and everything." I replied.

"Really? That's exciting to hear. So tell me more about what happened earlier today."

"Did you not get my written report?" I ask her, wanting to get back to my bed.

"Spike, I know things are awkward between us, but since when have we had a real conversation? I just want to know what all was said today so that I can know what I'm going to put on the floor for a vote tomorrow."

"It's in my report, Twilight." I urge once more.

"Well I'm tired of reading today, so spill." She demands.

"Well I'm just plain tired, okay?" I say as I start walking away from the door. "I'll talk more on it tomorrow."

"Spike."

"Goodnight!" I holler back to her before getting back in my bed, throwing the pillow over my face so I can't hear a word she shouts out after. I keep the pillow pinned over my head before I start to get comfortable.

The entire night passes without so much of another word thought or spoken.

When I started to wake, my eyes were already getting a healthy dose of sunlight cascading past my curtains. Bright beams alerted me, warming the lids of my eyes and prompting me to rise. I rose from the cocoon of sheets I wrapped myself in and stretched my limbs to get ready for my first venture towards the bathroom. I did my usual morning routine, including staring at the awkward outstanding reminder that I was still a male fresh from his sleep.

After undergoing some hygienics, I walked over to the dining hall and was served my breakfast. Twilight had come in a little later, and just as eager to finish off on what we were talking about last night. "Morning, Spike."

"Hey." I deadpan, not really wanting to speak with her at the moment.

"How'd you sleep? You seem pretty tired and frustrated from yesterday."

That last part earned a pointed glare towards the purple princess. "Yeah, frustrated. I wonder why that's even a thing."

She sits herself before me at the end of the table and continue. "I can understand the physical aspect of your frustration, you are a growing dragon after all."

It's almost like she's rubbing it in. "Yeah, so glad you could see that."

She knows I'm frustrated from not having my phone, for obvious reasons of course. But she still put aside those thoughts as she speak. "You know, it's not that I do what I do to keep you busy just for the fun of it, Spike. I just want to protect you from making a huge mistake in putting yourself out there. If you sent what you sent to me to another pony, who's to say that pony won't put you out there themselves? It's happened before, we both know this."

"And yet you're on the same dating app." I bluntly point out.

"But do you know what I haven't sent you? Pictures of myself, because I respect you enough to know that any part of me going out there would bring shame and embarrassment to you. I couldn't let you keep your phone if I knew you were going to go this route."

"But it's my body, I can choose who sees it." I argue.

"You can choose that, until they choose to make a quick buck with the tabloids. Then you can choose which manner of damage control you can execute on." She rebutted as she summoned her phone. "Do you know why I don't often put any of myself out there nowadays? Do you not remember the time I put a copy of our friendship journal out there, how visceral it was and how everyone reacted? That took place over the matter of a week. Now imagine all of that taking place in fifteen minutes, in every region, with unfiltered access. And what you sent to me would be dangerous to me, to you, to everyone you know and love. You even showed your face, in the most compromising position I could ever see you take."

"So it took you a week to even talk to me about this?" I ask her.

"YES!" She confirms as her ears and cheeks redden. "I couldn't look at you, much less speak to you because of that! I raised you from the moment I hatched your egg, We've been like brother and sister since then, and then you show me that side of you! Am I supposed to be able to confront you in that moment and tell you all of this when that image is still fresh on my feed? I couldn't even look at you normally. I couldn't do that, not when I had expectations of my own and then that happens! I had to purify my mind and get my spirit right before we had this conversation. I wanted to have it with you last night, but obviously you were frustrated then. So I left it be."

"You know, you could've written a letter and had someone drop it off at my door." I suggest, still feeling upset towards her.

"I tried. I went through scrolls not trying to instinctively retell what I saw from you." She responds as she summons a bunch of crumpled letters. "This is just a tenth of the ones I drafted over the past week. But now I'm comfortable enough to finally have this one-on-one with you. I'm sorry it took me so long, I just needed to keep you busy so that you wouldn't go out there and make critical mistakes like I would way back when."

I grumble as I fold my arms. "I get it. Your ex-fiancée didn't really leave you with a lot of clues to go by in terms of moving on from him. Long story, blah-blah-blah."

"Spike, my concern is that you find the time to operate outside the scope of what you're supposed to do, with the intent to possibly damage your friendships out of rushing your own personal development. I was nearly nineteen when I finally crossed that threshold of my life, but I rushed myself to do it because I felt like I was going to lose out. Can you guess how that ended?"

I grumble a response yet again. "Are you still blaming yourself for that?"

She lifts my head to look at her, utilizing the magenta presence her magic gave. "I'm saying that had I not compromised my situation so early on, we might still be together. I rushed it out of the petty fear of not being the first for him, knowing the consequences of my actions. And then when he displayed regrets for the consequences, I grew petty and selfish. I said a lot of things I shouldn't have said because I wanted to be angry, I did things to push him away, and then I let my fear of the worst talk me into ending it. I couldn't handle relationship pressure as well as I thought I could, that's what happened."

"So we're gonna ignore the ugly shadow thing that was the setup to destroy your relationship?" I point out.

"Why? I gave power to it." She proclaims adamantly. "Spike, I can either lie and learn to make a hundred excuses for why it didn't work, or look at myself and tell you where I messed up. One end will have no weight on our conversation right now, the other will have the weight of experience. I choose the latter."

I sigh and rise from my seat. "Whatever."

She holds me in place, despite my efforts to leave the room. "Spike, focus on yourself, don't try to dedicate everything for something that's so fleeting."

As she releases me, I comment back to her. "Sure, and I'll take that bit of advice from the same one who's anonymous on a dating app. Makes all the sense in the world to me."

Sometime later, I took up an assignment in Ponyville, mainly to check in with the school Twilight established some years ago. It seemed to be well on it's way to getting way bigger than the old school that Ms. Cheerilee ran. The staff also happens to be graduated students of the institution, With Smolder, Ocellus, Silverstream still holding serve there, it's easy to communicate with those three and get some insight of how things are going. I could always go directly to Starlight and Sunburst, but the last time I did that, I walked in on some 'recreational assessments', if you know what I mean. It was material to feed my imagination, but I don't need to be stewing on that while walking around campus. I'm sure that would get me arrested.

Smolder and I were especially close friends, she taught me most of everything I needed to know about being a dragon, especially since she was in the immediate proximity to do so. And as a result, I felt that she had become the closest thing I had to a counselor. And since there were some things Twilight didn't know that she did, I tended to confide in her more often throughout the years, even with some tough advice that I may have needed to suck up and accept.

"She's right, you know" This situation was no different. She remains all the more blunt with me.

"Why did I have a feeling you'd say that?"

"So what, you expected me to tell you otherwise?"

"I just thought you'd see some part of where I am right now."

Smolder and I are sitting in an empty classroom, staring down at the young students playing in the courtyard below. She's sitting on top of her desk, crossing her legs as she lays back casually. Sometimes I glance at her to take in the shape of her maturing figure. Ideas creep through my mind as we speak. "Spike, I'm just a teacher of a school in a sprawling suburbanopolis. You're effectively the Prime Minister of Equestria. How can I even relate to you?"

It doesn't take me long to come up with a number of examples. "We both helped to save the world."

"Okay, that's one thing we have in common."

"We're dragons."

"That's an easy one."

"And neither of us know our parents very well." That one is especially true. Dragons lay their eggs and often times expect them to come up on their own. Siblings often live in with one another until the molt, and it's separation from there. It's the reason why affection isn't as common amongst them. Both Smolder and Ember made that very apparent to me. And it also explains why Ember looked at me like I'm weird whenever I pet her. Dragons can show friendliness and comradery, however, mainly through common interests and surmounted feats of improbability. The only dragon to really know their offspring was former Dragon Lord Torch, Ember's father. And even he was shunned out often by his own daughter thanks to her apathetic nature.

Just a fun fact, but back to where we are now.

"Yeah, that's another thing we dragons run into often." Smolder shrugs.

I start to walk towards her. "We like home-economics."

"Now you're just reaching.

"You like it when I wear the pink apron with the heart on it."

She chuckles to herself. "Well that's because it's cute on you. Just don't tell anyone I said that."

"We're like the best of friends because we relate to each other so damn much." I point out, stopping before her as she sits up on her desk.

"And here I was thinking that you were just drawn to me because I was the first of your kind you've had in close proximity of Ponyville."

"Well, yeah. You taught me a lot about myself."

She hops off the desk, fluttering her wings to hover in the air as she meanders towards the window. "I taught a lot of kids nowadays. You're just one of the others I've seen graduate throughout life."

"I guess." I mutter quietly.

"But yeah, Princess Twilight's not wrong about what she said to you."

Even if its right, I still argue against the method. "She still didn't have to take my phone away like I'm some sort of kid. I'm eighteen, I'm of age."

"You sent her a full-body pic." She says, tilting her head at me.

"I didn't know it was her." I stress emphatically.

Smolder turns to me, pointing at me as she makes her argument. "Okay, so let's say it was someone like Diamond Tiara. Do you think she would let you live it down?"

That scenario doesn't have me thinking for long. "Ugh, not without some political favors."

"Yeah, you'd be blackmailed. Now imagine if you had gotten in touch with a scammer. They'd do the same, just for money. Either way you cut it, that's the gem you're left with."

While I could no longer put together a feasible argument against her logic, I concede the argument and express my personal frustration to her. "Augh! All I wanna do is get my dick wet for fifteen minutes. Is that so hard to do?"

"Considering your status, everything matters. So yeah, it's going to be hard... No pun intended."

I caught her sly joke and chuckle with a not-so-subtle suggestion. "So you think I should just get it in with a friend?" I ask with her in mind.

"No!" She crosses her forearms in an x, indicating her disapproval. "That's the worst thing you could do."

"You just said that I had to be selective. So why not do it with a friend I know I can trust instead of taking a risk?"

"You ARE taking a risk, dumbass. You risk destroying your friendship at the cost of five minutes of what could be some of the most awkward sex you'll ever have."

I continue to vent my frustration. "So what do I do then!? It's not like I can just keep dealing with this!"

Smolder looks me up and down and quirks a brow before a sudden epiphany comes to her. "Ah! Sounds to me like you have the usual case of dragon lust. Only thing you can think of is putting Tab-A into Slot-B."

"Oh, so it is a dragon problem." Why am I not too surprised?

"Most other species equate it to puberty, but that's just a misconception. It's not as annoying as the molt, but it is pretty bad. Plus it's not as specific to a growing period as it would be in puberty. It more so happens when you just don't get any."

In other words, I'm down atrocious. "Okay, so you're a dragon, how do you deal with it?"

"Well usually we get that out of our system shortly after molting. Personally, I find the nearest male and wrestle them into submission so that they aren't as wild with me, and I'm not as wild with them. The release of extra testosterone beforehand makes the sex after really great."

I have to admit, hearing Smolder talk about her experiences makes me wanna wrestle with her a little more often, just to see. "Well, does it help that I once fought off a roc?"

She smirks and folds her arms. "That's one of the qualifications, so who did you get lucky with after?"

"I... didn't." I confess, earning her bewildered expression. "To be honest, I just went to the firing range to disperse a few loads... Sorry for the graphic imagery."

"Sheesh, were you so hung up on Rarity that you didn't think to seek a mate?" She asks with some concern.

"Who was I gonna go after? Rarity was the one I saved, that's who I wanted to give it to, and she wasn't interested in me like that. What was I supposed to do, mate with her against her will!?"

She tilts her head and comes out with the main question on her mind. "Spike, have you ever gotten laid?"

"No." I admit in a low drone.

Her eyes bulge in thought. "Yikes, now I see why it's so bad."

"Yeah. So would you be able to help me or not?"

She picks up on my intent, but also looks at her own self before giving me her answer. "I would do you a solid, but I'm out of season. I'd probably just beat the shit out of you if you'd try."

Well that's a rejection if I ever heard one. "Let me guess, another thing dragons do?"

"Yup. If you're not in season and someone else is trying to get it in with you, you beat the shit out of them until they give up completely. That's just the rule of thumb."

While I can accept the logic of the response, my mind begins to delve into a rather unfortunate hypothetical. "What happens if you don't win?"

"I don't lose. Ask everyone in the dragon lands about me, even Ember knows I'm not the one to be played with." She sternly replies as she just as quickly writes off her threatening statement. "Spike, dragon sex doesn't feel good unless it's in season. And mating with another species when you have that going on is far too dangerous to them. This is a kind of lust that only dragons can deal with, hence the name. Cause when it gets rough, the claws come out."

"That bad, huh?"

She almost dismissively shrugs her shoulders. "It could be worse."

I sit down and question her. "So what do you think I should do?"

"Just like Twilight says to do, sit tight and focus on you. You're already raised around ponies, so some of that acquired instinct should let you maintain some self-control. I mean, you've shown it for all the years you've been here, why not a few more days?"

I begin to feel nervous about what she means by showing self-control. If she's implying that I might somehow lose my ability to act rationally, then this might be worth some digging into. I had to know more about it, and I definitely need to know about the bad, and just how bad it can get. "What if it all comes to worst?"

"It won't." She answers as she takes out a piece of parchment, starting to write something down. It appeared to be a form of some sort, I don't get a chance to look too deep into it as she rolls it up and blows her breath on it, sending it off to wherever and whoever.

"A report you sent out via flame?" I ask her.

She smiles confidently, proud of the ability that she learned to utilize from me. "You'd be surprised how quickly dragons can communicate without phones."

"So you sent it to a dragon?" I ask curiously.

She looks to me in silence for a moment. "...Spike, why don't you head back to Canterlot for a while."

Shortly after our conversation, I came back to Canterlot to handle some more local business before finally settling in for the evening. I was back on my bed, working my way through a fairly sensual romance novel to pass the time, maybe seeing if I could run into any spicy bits while I'm at it. Without a phone, I can't just pop on a video or livestream to get me over, I'll have to use the words on this page to further feed my imagination.

Dragon lust... if only I had a phone to look that one up.

Just how dangerous would I be if I didn't have self control? Do the claws really come out? Smolder said that the sex after a tense fight is when it's at it's best, so does that mean she'd fight me tooth and nail just to put it on me? I'm not gonna lie, with her, I'd probably accept the idea. She said that she never lost, so that means she always took charge. So if she took charge, does that mean that I'm the one who's on bottom?

I can imagine it already, the smoothness of her scales, the otherwise cool core of her being, her sapphire blue eyes gazing down on me as she pronounces her victory, what words does she hide behind her lips? I remember the sight of her laid out on that desk, the way her legs cascade down it's side as we exchange ideas and thoughts.

If only fighting wasn't a prerequisite, I would've laid her to that desk until she was flat against it. She's been around ponies long enough to know what it feels like to be sensual, to be more in touch with her emotions. So it's fair to say that she'd appreciate a little foreplay here and there. I wonder how soft her voice can get in trying to be quiet, all while I flex my fingers inside of her. I file my claws down so they don't hurt, I know she'd appreciate that. Can I imagine what it would feel like to put her leg on my shoulder as I guide myself within her? Does she giggle, moan, sigh with eager acceptance, pull me in, wrap her tail around my leg, place her claws on my chest as she tells me if it's too much?

Oh Smolder... Smolder.

"Spike!"

My claw stops wandering south as I'm startled by Twilight's voice. "What?"

"You have a letter." She loudly announces.

"From who?" I ask.

"Dragon Lord Ember."

A letter from her, on today of all days? Great, that sounds like more work for tomorrow in a place I don't really like going to all too often. I look down to see myself appearing more than improper and request an alternative. "Just slide it under the door."

"Okay." She does so respectfully and leave.

I walk to the door, seeing the letter that was sent, still smelling of sulfur and ash with Ember's seal set on it. I pop the seal and review the contents of the letter. I read to myself the message it contains.

Dear Spike,

I am reaching out to you in regards to your recently-afflicted circumstances. Twilight has notified me of a situation where you appeared to put yourself at great social risk. She has also informed me of your own desires and wishes, all of which I suspect should be addressed in a manner only dragons may resolve. For your safety, you will be required to report to the dragon lands effective immediately. You have until midnight to get ready for your departure. An envoy will be sent to guide you away safely.

Do not panic, this is merely a precaution. As dragon lord, I will be forced to take accountability for any and all actions you may take, regardless of your mental/physical state. Henceforth, you will be reassigned to remedial─

*BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG*

The sudden barrage of banging at my door shake me so bad that I reflexively burn the letter I was holding. As the parchment became nothing more than soot in my claws, I groaned angrily and call out. "Who is that banging on my door!?" I am only met with even more banging. I forego my own appearance and yank open the door. "Who the hell do you think─" But before I can get loud, I am met with a set of eyes glowing with the intensity of molten metal. We don't exactly see eye to eye, she's smaller than me now. "Ember, what are you─"

However, her size do not match the strength she contains. There was a world's difference between us when it came to our physical attributes. I have my own abilities of managing heavy lifting, but she is damn near strength incarnate. So when her claws land on my shoulders, I can expect to get flung across the hallway. And that's exactly what she did. "You're being reassigned! No questions, just go!"

As I'm still laying on the ground head first as my body is tilted against the wall, I try to gather my bearings. "Wait, what's going on?"

She yank me off the ground harshly, flinging me further down the hall. "I SAID NO QUESTIONS! Dragon emergency!"

"Wait, what's going on!?" I ask her yet again.

"Spike, when I say 'no questions', don't even ask. Just push the shit out of your ass and run."

As the commotion continues on, Twilight runs back to see what it was that was causing it. She is just as surprised as I was by the dragon's sudden appearance. "Dragon Lord Ember, I didn't plan for a surprise visit."

"Not a visit, dragon emergency. Spike will be coming with me for the time being." She commands firmly before shouting at me one more time. "Do you have gems clogging your ears!? I said move!"

Twilight looks back at me and grows concerned. "Ember, what is going on─"

"You sent me a letter! Smolder sent me a letter! I'm dealing with a problem before it becomes one!" She answers as she drags me by the tip of my wing. "I'm getting you out of here before you become a harm to both yourself and someone else!"

My mind flashes back to the conversation Smolder and I had in Ponyville. "Wait, do you mean the dragon lust thing?"

Twilight's eyes expand dramatically. "DRAGON LUST!?" She looks back at me and immediately lowers her head in remorse. "Oh Spike, I'm sorry. I didn't know you were dealing with that kind of an issue. I thought you were just going through a phase."

"How long has he been here since the night of that incident!?" Ember questions.

"It might have been a week." Twilight answers.

"A week longer and we'll have an incident you don't want!" Ember insists as she drags me along. "You, move!"

"Wait, where are we going?"

"Did you not read the letter I sent today!?" She chides. I offer to answer her question, but she interrupts me before I can continue. "Whatever, you're being relocated to the dragon lands for a month!"

"A MONTH!?" I look to Twilight and plead for her to stop this. "Twilight, I can't be there for a month, you know I'm sensitive, you know that dragons don't like sensitive things! I can't stay there a week, much less a month!"

The high princess looks sternly towards Ember. "Spike has a point. If he goes there, he'll likely be bullied by other dragons. What are you going to do to protect him?"

"I'll do what I can to make sure he can protect himself. I'm sure you'll appreciate that also."

She looks back to me and smiles worriedly, trying to be reassuring. "Spike, I know it'll be a long time before you get back. But just be brave. Ember is going to take care of you. And if something happens, you can always write a letter."

"Yeah, yeah. Farewell and all that stuff, blah-blah-blah." Ember interrupts. "Spike, let's get moving."

As Ember pulls me by my wing down the hall, I question her. "Don't you think all of this is moving a tad too fast?"

She scowls at me and whispers in a low voice. "Spike, you need to find a mate, and you can't find one being as weak as you are now."

"Wait, I'm getting a mate!?"

Chapter 19: Perilous Permissions

I can safely say that Gabby caught me having a moment, the fresh scratches in my new hardwood floor tells me that she had been startled when she realized she was caught. I could even see the scratches trailing back towards the room she stayed in. Not that this exchange wasn't a mutual crime because my moment was spurred from seeing how she frantically had hers. The sexual tension between us is probably an all-time high.

In fact, I remember waking up to the sound of her in the shower, and she was working some tension off then. Unfortunately for her, she wouldn't get an encore since my room has it's own bathroom. But I did manage to work off a quick one before finally heading downstairs to make myself breakfast. Finally, we awkwardly had an exchange of farewells before we flew off to our own separate destinations.

A lot stews on my mind, mainly at the fact that she actively called out my name last night. It's strange to know, since she wasn't actively open about sex in the past. All throughout our dating history, the only thing I can recall us doing was having a few kisses here and there, some warm embraces, and a lot of love letters shipped between the both of us. A lot of our hobbies is what drew us together to begin with, and knowing that we could do those things on the repeat makes it easier for her to roam the inner-recesses of my mind. The fact that her immediate presence weened me off of Rarity for a time is an outstanding achievement.

But even then, Gabby never showed herself to be sexual in any way. She's always reserved, clean-minded, and prude in a sense that if a conversation starts to go that way, she'd change the subject to something a lot more family-friendly. One could say it's an annoying trait, but maybe that was part of her game. Maybe she is pretty sexual behind closed doors and just don't like to admit it.

She says she has a boyfriend, yet she can watch me bust nut all day. Kinda hot to think about.

"Helloooooo?"

"Huh?" And then I'm reminded that I'm at a school thinking about all of this. I should probably cool my jets before I get called out to be some sort of deviant.

I'm in the staff room of the school again, apparently I'm supposed to give Apple Bloom an update on how it went on Thursday, but my mind is still locked on the past twenty-four hours. "Seriously, ya been out of it all day. What's on yer mind?"

Ways to make Gabby say my name again while I rudely rearrange the interior décor. "Nothing, it's nothing."

The yellow farm mare is quick to notice my frequent distractions. "Well ain't this a hoot. Seems to me someone's pretty tired from running through yer mind this much."

"Apple Bloom, can you quit it?" I beg of her as the door opens to let in another pair of girls, namely the ones I'm already in ties with.

"Hey girls." The dragoness greets the CMC instructors before taking notice of my presence. "Ah, so it seems we have an unexpected visitor."

"Hey Smolder." I greet back at her. I also greet the changeling, but she doesn't really acknowledge me.

And of course, Apple Bloom does more to possibly hurt my interaction with the despondent changeling. "Spike, ya ain't seriously about to just come here and think yer gonna sweet talk your way out of spillin' the goods. Now tell me about how it went Thursday, Ah'm dyin' to know if y'all done hit it off or y'all just playin' dumb."

Apparently, that tidbit of information manages to get her full attention. "Wait, what happened Thursday?"

"He and Gabby went out on a date." The yellow earthen mare blurts out while filing her hooves.

I see the frown on Ocellus' face turn for the worse, I blurt out my denial upon seeing it. "IT WAS NOT A DATE!"

The mare laughs at my hasty denial. "Ah know it wasn't a date, silly. Garsh, yer silly ass can be so damn defensive at times."

"It wasn't a date. We just played a round of mini-golf, we just got back to being acquainted." I explain to the room.

Unfortunately, there's also the professional gas-lighter in the room who takes notice of my discomfort. "Acquainted, huh?"

"Don't you start, Sweetie Belle."

Scootaloo also adds her own two cents in the mix. "I don't know about you, Spike, but I don't think Gabby's in the business of being 'acquainted'."

Great, not you too. "How would you even know?"

The orange pegasus folds her hoof as she gives her take. "That girl don't even hang out with us that much, and we pretty much are friends. If there's one thing she's known for, it's flaking out in the eleventh hour."

"Yeah, she's pretty notorious for that." Sweetie cosigns. "And the fact that she didn't flake out on you the first time tells me that she's pretty damn partial with her time. Of course, one could always wonder why."

"Absence tends to make the heart grow fonder." Apple Bloom states with a smirk.

"Can we not do this right now?" I beg.

And of course, our favorite instigator is on the scene, looking to stir up more trouble than what's needed. "So wow, look at you two-timing on Ocellus."

"I AM NOT!" I adamantly defend myself, despite knowing that the recent developments could easily end up being seen that way.

"You know, you shouldn't be so defensive, Spike." A silence grows in the room as the changeling's voice rings dominant and unopposed. I can see the sadness on her face, it's more than evident. "Even if you mean well, sometimes it's better to accept the challenge to your integrity with a modest show of denial. Having an outburst every time someone says something about it only makes you look guilty."

In speaking of guilt. "Ocellus─"

She looks at her phone to check the time, and proceeds to walk out the door. "Actually, I need to get to my next block anyhow. Talk to you girls later."

I want to call her back in and say that none of this is what it seems, but it would be hard to convince her. At this point, it's better to give her the space she's looking for. It's not that I'm giving up on the situation, I'd rather time it out and let cooler heads prevail and have a conversation as opposed to an emotionally-driven plea where I stand in the rain, holding a speaker box over my head with some apologetic song playing over the air. Those sorts of theatrics don't work in the realm of negotiation, nor do they have much place in romance or relationships.

However, not everyone sees it that way. Apple Bloom is more emotionally driven than rational like her sister. She jumps at the first opportunity to try to make things right. But much like her sister, she's stout and hard-headed, which means I'm not gonna be able to stay in this room without an argument. "Well don't just stand there lookin' dumb. After her, g'on now, get!"

Just to keep the little piece I have left, I follow her instructions and start my walk through the halls, looking for the changeling. Instead, I find a few wandering students, a number of other instructors, and even a few janitorial staff. But I don't see head nor hoof of the changeling anywhere. I shouldn't be surprised if she's hiding out somewhere, probably as a fly on the wall, a crumpled sheet of paper, a pencil, whatever it takes to blend into a school environment. Chasing after her would be as useful as looking for a needle in a haystack. And even at the end, you'll end up hurting yourself when you find it.

"Psst!" I hear a voice calling from around a corner behind me. Knowing this place, it's probably a student looking to get someone else's attention. "Psst! Spike!" Then again, I guess it's me they're calling out to.

I turn around to see a smoky-gray griffon with blue eyes wearing a brown uniform, waving her talons at me to come closer. I look around and approach her slowly to see what is going on. "Gabby, what are you doing here? Don't you have a route or something to run?"

"I'm on my lunch break." She happily announces. "I was wondering if you'd be interested in joining me."

Not that this is the time to be accepting this kind of invitation, I'm flattered by her sudden offer. "Well, I would but─"

She doesn't even give me a moment to finish my sentence, she drags me along the way and pulls me through the halls. "Come on, follow me. I saw a shortcut coming through here."

While we traverse the school grounds, we end up making our way through the gym. She pulls me behind the bleachers and urges me to keep walking into the darkness. Before I can make any statement of our so-called shortcut, I feel her come to a complete stop in front of me. "Gabby, what are we doing here?"

I feel her body back into mine, she stands on her hind legs and brushes her tail up my thigh. "I just needed to see you about something."

"Oookay. We're pretty close aren't we?" I comment, trying to stay rational throughout the process, though my inner thoughts are proving that to be more of a failure by the second.

"We always were, you and I." She says with a devious smirk on her lips.

"But..." In the darkness, a set of talons seek along my body for a specific access. Her grasp silences me, only because I'm wanting to take it as far as I can right now. Her touch is an instant trigger that coerces me to be obedient, to submit to her wiles. I know I'm supposed to be going after Ocellus, and I'm sorry for my easily diverted attention, but some things are better left taken advantage of.

"I don't know how much time we have, but maybe we could make the best of it." Much like last night, our minds are on similar wavelengths, she has a want and I want what she wants.

I grab onto her, running my palm down her underbelly, grasping her up to remain standing as my other hand slides between her legs with covert greed. I whisper her name in her ear, seeking to hopefully reawaken that same fervor she showed in the bed and bathroom. "Gabby."

She reaches back to hold at my head, cooing as she giggles her response. "You know, griffons don't handle size too well."

"What do you mean?" I ask quietly.

She pulls my head further into her neck, stopping all motion as she makes sure I can hear her clearly with no distractions. "Their anatomy, they don't handle to your size too well. Too shallow, too narrow, complete misfit. Poor Gabby, you'd be hurting her if you even tried to get that monster of yours inside of her." The griffon turns around, her eyes glowing in the darkness. "I wanted to gauge your mood, see where your mind was." Her body erupts in a teal-colored flame. The griffon that once stood against me, teasing and searching for me, transforms into the changeling I'm sent to pursue. I'm almost scared out of my arousal. "Obviously something popped off between the two of you over the past week."

I try to lie to her in an attempt to put her at ease. "I promise nothing happened between us."

But she's too observant, her hoof runs along my growing sex. She's showing a rather interesting way of being angry about this, that or she's forcing herself to accept it. Either way, she's hard at work, I'm hard at being worked. "It seems to me your body is stuck on wishing something did."

"You know, it's a pretty cruel joke for you to keep doing this while interrogating me." I state, trying to wrestle with both the guilt and the arousal.

"So what, a hoof won't cut it right now?" Her hoof transforms to that of a griffon's paw, she giggles as she cusps me from base to tip, slowly gliding her palm upwards. "How about this then?"

"Dammit." I close my eyes for a moment before a hoof is driven to my chest to gain my attention.

"What happened between you two?" Ocellus is angry, but using her anger as a means of sexual deviation is something I didn't quite anticipate. In fact it's quite attractive, but also scary due to the implications.

I wonder if she's gonna go old-school and feed on me. That'll be something. "Nothing, we didn't do anything, honest."

We did nothing to each other physically, that much is true. But Ocellus is keen on deception tactics, she's looking to milk the confession out of me by any means necessary. "Nothing at all... seems like you can't stop throbbing to whatever thought you got conjured up in your mind." She briefly transforms back to the visage of the griffon whose form she adapted earlier. "Maybe her voice sets you off."

I throb fiercely in her grasp, knowing that anymore of this would cause a huge mess under these bleachers. "Please don't."

She maintains Gabby's image, but her voice reverts back to her own self. "I know you and the boys helped move you into your new place. Strange how you'll invite the boys, but you don't invite us girls over. I'm almost convinced that it was intentional."

"It wasn't." That much is true.

"What did you do on Sunday?" Her voice briefly goes back to match her current transformation.

She gives a firm pump towards my base, then releasing me to leave me on edge. I feel myself wanting to cross the plane of pleasure, but the lack of stimulation keeps me tethered in tension. "Gah!" I grit my teeth, sucking the air through them as I grip one of the support beams.

I know it's not Gabby in front of me, Ocellus is making me even more conflicted as to what I want. Damn this mare and her charms. She gives me a playful smack, leaving me to bob around for a moment and come out of my edge. "Now I see. Sunday. You saw her on Sunday too, didn't you?" It's her voice that speaks now.

"We just played Og's & Oub's, nothing else!" Heavens, this tension.

"So... Ogres and Oubliettes... and Orgasms." The hard-working claws finds me yet again, rapidly bringing me back up to that precipice she easily manipulates me into reaching.

I whisper as I buckle over her body, whispering into her neck. "Fuck, I'm cumming." She gives me a slightly harder slap, not quite finishing me but allowing that tension to linger further. The method of her ministrations are purely diabolical at this point. I thrust my hips into her, but she leaves me to lunge for the air. It leaves me to whimper much like a dog suddenly receiving no love and attention. "Wait, why'd you stop?"

"Because I can't get you to participate if you do." Her eyes trail down from mine to the top of my chest, finally down to the source of my problems. She runs a singular claw along the length of my shaft, whispering silently. "So, what happened that made you this pent up, hmm? Did she sit on you, sit close to you, touch you under the table?"

"No, none of that." If only she did.

The transformed changeling alters her voice yet again, matching the cadence and tones of her attitude perfectly. "I bet you wish I did, don't you?"

"This is so unfair." I laboriously mutter under my breath.

"Love ain't fair either." She growls back. "So you didn't do any of that, no kissing, hugging, none of that?" She finally gets tired of seeing me squirm to just small touches and taps. She alters her approach to a much more aggressive one. She wraps her hind leg around my body, making sure that she's firmly pressed against me where our bodies could potentially conjoin. "You know, I wanted to check in with you this morning. But you wanna know what I saw? I saw Gabby flying from a pretty swanky house in the middle of town, seems recently built. And I'm willing to bet after seeing you walk out of it, it's the same house you live in now." She starts to grind her hips into me, now dumping her disguise to be herself, all while talking as though she's the griffon herself. "So what happened Spike? We shared a roof together and now you don't even wanna talk about it?"

Her work is nothing short of demonic, a cruel bid for my attention that works in spades. "Ocellus─"

"So what, did you two just catch each other in the middle of something?" In grinding her hips, I feel the moistness of her body against mine. My claws dig deep into her body as I threaten to penetrate her. "Was I a bad girl, did I misbehave and do something I had no business doing in your home?"

She winks against me, I frantically feel beneath myself to align my body to meddle within hers. "Shit."

Her horn begins to glow as she looks deeply in my eyes, still holding to Gabby's voice. "Did I hump and grind away at a little something like I needed to relieve some pent up stress? Did my hips rise and fall enough for you? Did my gasps grab your attention? Did you like the little show I put on?"

"I can't─" I finally find my entrance and push for it.

But a magic aura holds me from experiencing the warmth I desired to surround myself with. She keeps my eyes focused to her as her horn gives off a bright flash. "Yeah you can." I feel closest to my climax, but then it suddenly subsides completely. But it's not just my climax that falls away, it's my arousal, my firmness, my everything. Without warning, all of my sexuality seems to be quenched by some unknown means. I look down to see myself being as flaccid as I can get, retreating to the hidden folds between my scales. She hops down with a proud smirk on her face. "You can hold on to that thought for a little while."

I frantically feel around for myself, seeing what the hell happened. "Dammit, what did you do?"

She sits down, proud of her work as she informs me of her malice. "Just a little chastity spell. Since you say nothing's going on between the two of you, I just thought you wouldn't have any problem holding on to that load for a little while longer. Oh yeah, don't expect for it to wear off anytime soon either."

The worst part of the spell is that I feel the familiar dullness of blue balls take over where my arousal used to be. And it's not just the usual kind either, it feels like it's taken on a suspended state for an indefinite time frame. I plead to the mare with frantic motions. "Please, you gotta take this spell off!"

"Nope." She says as she uses her magic to pull me down by my neck to meet her at her eye level. "What, you thought that I wasn't gonna let you have it after not telling me anything about this weekend? Oh no, I think I made that very clear when Smolder proposed the idea of bringing her onboard."

She lets me go while I fall to my knees, feeling an eternal sense of incompletion. "Is this even necessary?"

"Think of it as a business transaction with an insurance policy attached to it. If you manage to bring her in, I'll be sure to drop this spell on you. But don't think that you'll get to enjoy just a moment of you two being alone together. You'll butter her up as long as it takes, and you'll get her to join us one day. And if she can't accept what we're willing to provide, then she doesn't have a place in what we have. You'll leave her alone, and that's that." She pulls out her phone, checking the time to see how long she has before her next class. "Just know that in the end of either situation, you'll have to come see me about it."

"Why does this spell feel like shit?" I plead to her.

"Because I felt like that for the time you wouldn't think to talk to me, or call me, or text me, or anything. You planned your whole week around her and the house, but you left me out of all of it. So yeah, you're going to feel like shit for a little while." She points back at me. "So I'm willing to bet that she doesn't know about us being what we are to you, does she?"

"I haven't talk to her about it yet, I just wanted her to get comfortable being around me first." I confess to her.

The changeling pouts over my admission. "Then you might want to get on that before this weekend coming up."

While I would be happy to make the time for that, I have a date situated in red on my calendar as a 'can't miss' engagement, namely one that Twilight ordered me to attend two weeks ago. "I can't, I have the Friendship Summit in Canterlot."

Ocellus spares no mercy at my excuse. "That's too bad. Guess you'll be holding on to that nut for about two weeks then."

"Oh come on." I plead with her, unfortunately my words fall on deaf ears.

"I'm sure you two will have a few more 'game nights' left before we interject." She says as she taps me on my chest. "Welp, see you in about two weeks, dragon boy."

I throw out a concern, hoping to get her to reconsider somehow. "What if this triggers dragon lust?"

Unfortunately, she's also a long-term thinker. "Trust me, it won't even matter. We still have Smolder to milk you dry of that possibility, but you won't have to worry about that for two weeks. After all, what's to lust for when there is no lust to be present, Mr. Dragon?"

...I love how kinky she is, I hate how methodical she can be. "You're so damn devious."

With a victorious smirk, she puts her phone away and leaves me to wallow in my newfound magic-driven despair. "I am my mother's child. Don't forget what all she caused."

Oh yeah, I have to remember that this is Chrysalis' daughter I'm dealing with. Guess the idea of her pulling my wings off wasn't nearly enough for me, I have to go after her hell spawn and become best friends with one of her sons as well. If it wasn't for the fact that the changelings reformed, I'd probably be better off sleeping with the enemy. Just the idea of getting it in with Chrysalis is a mistake, I can only imagine what Shining Armor had to go through during the last night before his faux wedding. And here I am dealing with the mare that could best take after her if she chose to do so. If anything, she has her mother's mind.

I can only look down to my poor penis and sigh in empathy. "I just had to stick you in crazy, didn't I?"

Ocellus appears to be in brighter spirits now that she has her spell on me. Apparently her thing was that I didn't check in enough, which I feel is a bit unfair given that she didn't even give me much of a chance to speak to her when I wanted to last Monday. I thought we could at least try to negotiate boundaries or something, but she just wrote me off. I can't help but to think that she did that on purpose, probably to give a good reason why she could use this spell.

And since I know that some spells have a recoil factor during it's activity, I wonder if she's getting any sort of reaction to my lack of lust thereof. Perhaps there's some sort of trade, I'll probably have to ask Starlight later on because I can't possibly bring this up to Twilight.

Smolder snags my attention shortly after her shift, she pulls me along wanting to see the place I moved into. And I'm more than happy to oblige, at least she can get a sneak peek at what to look forward to when we come to a consensus on moving in together. At least we can try to have a bit of a family-but-not-family dynamic going on. Plus I want to see her reaction to my new bed when she lays on it.

When we arrive, she has a lot to say about the amount of space that's readily available. "Really, you got this whole behemoth of a place to yourself?"

"Well, yeah. But I didn't really plan on having it to myself exclusively." I inform her.

She quirks a brow as we start to walk up the stairs. "What do you mean?"

"I know it's still in the far-too-early phase of our relationship to think about it, but I was thinking of having your girls move in whenever you felt comfortable. There's more than enough space to do what we do"

She pauses for a brief moment before giving her answer. "Huh..."

"What? Bad idea?"

"No, the idea is admirable, the fact that you thought this far ahead is pretty... ambitious, to say the least. But yeah, it might have to be a little empty for a while." At least she's honest.

While the idea of having a home to myself is a great idea, I intend to have this place to further engage in the more adult part of my life. Having the boys over the weekend showed me how I could have it as a hangout spot, having Gabby over showed me how well the rooms insulate sound, that is if I close the doors, and our game session showed how easily I can set the mood if I want to make things a little spicy. "How about sleepovers?" I suggest.

"Mmm, that could work." I'm sure Smolder's on board with dragging Ocellus into the bed with us. If anything, I'm sure she'll be unlikely to commence a hostile takeover of the pillows once she gets a taste of the mattress.

That could lead to other issues, but that's an issue for future Spike to worry about. "Great, I'll show you the new bed I got. Maybe you can give your opinion of that also." I tell her as I open the doors to the master bedroom.

The dragon gawks at the massive open floor plan, namely with the enormous bed situated at the center. She flies over to it with an expression of curiosity and giggling disbelief. "Spike, what the hell is this thing?"

"It's a bed." I tell her in between a chuckle at her reaction.

"Obviously, I mean what the fuck is this size?" The grin on her face is telling, she loves it.

"Aw, you don't like it?"

She laughs as she answers my question. "It's a bit much for just you."

"I mean I thought if we were going to be herding and all, I felt that it would've been better to have a bed that would accommodate that."

The dragoness shakes her head and watches as I sit down. "Forward thinking, I get it, but a bit too much right now."

"You don't know that." I argue with her.

She readies herself to take her seat next to me. "Yeah, I do. I mean what can you even do with a bed─" As soon as her body lands on the mattress, she silences her self and stares at me for a second in absolute bewilderment. She flops backwards, spreading her wings out and absorbing the comfort. Her eyes widen to the size of dinner plates while she stammers for answers. "Uh... Spike... what is this bed made of?" Her voice is probably the quietest I've ever heard it for a casual conversation.

"It's a memory foam and gel hybrid mattress, imported straight from the human world. Soft, right?"

She looks at me and stresses her words heavily. "You. Cannot. Let the other dragons discover this."

"Yeah, I'm sure they'll be ordering more than we can promise for the time being." I say as I lay next to her on my side.

"Not only that, but they're going to be calling you a soft pony princess ass-kisser while looking to steal this monster from underneath you." She grabs one of the matching pillows, seeing how easily she can find a comfortable position to lay in. "Okay, seriously, all this, this shit could start a fucking war."

"That good, huh?" Looks like I've won her over.

She suddenly sits up with a chaotic thought. "Better thought, don't let Ember discover you have this bed."

Oh yeah, I would never see this bed again. "She might claim it for herself, yeah I know."

"I was gonna say that she'll tear the damn thing in half and claim it to be dragon lord property. But yeah, taking the whole bed would probably be her speed." At least I'm not the only one who sees it that way.

"Yeah. Did you know she paid me a visit on Thursday?"

"Thursday, wasn't that the day you spent time mini-golfing with Gabby?"

"Yeah, she tried to insert herself in that time slot." I answer with an exasperated sigh.

"Did you at least entertain her?" She asks with a little concern.

"She came all this way to ask me to a spar." I answer in deadpan.

"A spar?" It doesn't take long for Smolder to add up the pieces. "Oh... yeah she probably wasn't going for a simple spar sesh."

"I know." I groan back in agreement.

She starts to mutter to herself in thought. "Huh, I almost forgot to take that into account about this whole herding thing, didn't I? Yeah that would be a bad look."

"What do you mean?" I turn over to her.

"I mean that while I'm open to having a polyamorous relationship with you and Ocellus, and maybe even Gabby, I can say for certain that Ember ain't gonna be as friendly with the idea."

I already know. "Yeah, she's gonna try for dibs."

"Not just dibs, exclusivity." Same point, but yeah. "By all accounts of any dragon lord being in power, they're usually the ones who demand a harem of dragons for themselves. If you go get one of your own while being a favored pick, you might as well hide off in some unknown corner of the world where she can't get to you."

Why does everything about her has to be so damn violent? "Yikes."

"Honestly, the fact that you and I locked up will probably be grounds for a fight by itself. She'll fight me for 'ownership' of you, and she'll fight you just because she'll want you to prove your worth."

Again, violence to an end. "She's a mess."

"She's just old-fashioned." Smolder argues in favor of the volatile dragon lord.

"I get that, but that's not what I want to do." I stress to her.

Smolder sighs as she continues onward. "I'm sure you've explained that to her a number of times. But do you honestly expect her to care?"

Not a damn bit. "I guess not."

She grabs me at my jaw, pulling me closer to her as she makes her point as sweetly as possible. "So if there's anyone you need to hide our multi-faceted relationship from, it's her."

You don't have to tell me twice. "Royally noted."

The dragoness smiles before rolling into the middle of the bed, happily making a playful scene of it. "So, you and Gabby had a sleepover in this bed?"

"No! I mean I let her stay the night on the account of the thunderstorm, but I had a separate bedroom for her already done." I explain.

The dragon shows her disapproval. "Wow, you had this big ass bed and you still couldn't invite her to it."

"We weren't planning to go that far!" I stress once more.

She waves her tail in front of me as she gives me her sly little smirk. "I'm just teasing you, you big lug." She rolls into me, comfortably nestling into my chest. "But yeah, this thing feels way nicer than the beds over at the dorms."

See, why can't Ember be like this? Smolder has her edge and she can beat anyone to a pulp, but she's not going to be violently opposed to small stuff like this. If anything, she's showing me that dragons can be pretty intimate if they choose to be. And right now she's so cuddly that even the horns and scales don't bother me.

I give her a kiss on her forehead and snicker a quick joke. "Too bad it's way too big for the dorms."

"Yeah." She confirms while coiling her tail around my leg. But of course, the cute has to be counteracted by her occasional silliness. "You know, you could cut this mattress into four pieces and have like four full-size mattresses for ponies."

"That's what I was going for."

She shows heavy enthusiasm as she tries to wriggle her way free. "Great, so when can we saw this bad boy up─"

"NO!"

She giggles as she leans into my neck, letting a quick nap take over. "Can't blame a dragon for trying."

Yesterday, I found myself under the spell of a disgruntled changeling looking to assert her dominance. As far as how the spell works, I now discover that I can still have an erection but it doesn't sustain past a certain point. I do have lust, but it's quickly offset by the same feeling that I had when the spell was first applied, which is a bad case of blue balls. It's an interesting punishment she has lined up, but I feel like she's mainly doing it out of jealousy. To be fair, she did warn me of how she felt. It's just too bad I'm going to have to feel shitty for two weeks before I can finally unload all of that pent-up sexual aggression, no doubt on her as per her preference.

But today, I find out another cruel twist to that spell. Periodically, all of that lust and diversion comes back, and it hits hard. Even for a moment, I feel as insatiable as I was when I first discovered how to reach an orgasm. I think it was bad at one point where I bent over a toilet in the shopping mall, frantically trying to relieve myself before experiencing the collapse of that same tension. At the end of it all, I felt so empty and unsatisfied, angry even. All I can do is take the punishment and suffer in silence, unable to tell the others what it is that's driving me up a wall. It's a cruel punishment.

Damn that changeling and her crazy ass kinks.

As I'm laying in the bed, I feel that same emptiness that plagued me when I was left unsatisfied for weeks. While I know that the feeling is only temporary, it's agonizing to go through. Perhaps I will get to a point and adapt to it, or it'll overwhelm me enough to drive me to insanity, only time can tell.

My phone gives off a quick buzz, vibrating atop of my chest as I lay thinking of how I'm going to deal with this moving forward. I tap at my screen, and I'm surprised to see the name at the top of the message bubble. I unlock my phone and check on the message chain. It's a simple text from Gabby. "Hey."

I write her back with a fairly typical reply. "Hey, how are you?"

"I'm fine. How about you?" Apparently, I don't have to wait long for her to get back at me. It seems she's pretty eager to get to her point, that or she's happy to message me.

"I'm okay. Just chilling."

"That's good." I guess the sudden replies from her makes this a bit of an uncharacteristic exchange. Usually we do this through letters and it takes sometimes a week up to months of correspondence to hear back. I suppose that the instant messaging aspect is more of her speed these days. I don't blame her.

"Yeah." Oh yeah, while we're at it, I should tell her that I'm out of town this weekend. It's going to be hard having a game day when I don't know what time I'm scheduled to be done. "I unfortunately got a little something on this weekend, I can't make any appointments for Sunday like last time."

"Bummer. 😑" As expected, she's pretty disappointed by the news.

But I do offer an alternative. "Yeah. But I can try to sneak in Thursday, if you're down."

"Oh. Actually I have a little something to do on Thursday too. 😖" Guess I'm not the only one with a spotty schedule this week.

"Ah, that's unfortunate."

But she's quick to offer another suggestion. "Tomorrow?"

Honestly, I'm surprised she's even offering that as her choice. I'm figuring that she might want to go with Monday or even a postponement for next Thursday, something like that. Even with all of what happened with us on Sunday going into Monday morning. Maybe she's that sprung on getting back to the world of her creation, I don't blame her. "I'm pretty free on that day."

"Cool! 😊" I also see that she's pretty well-versed on using her phone. Most other creatures take a while to fall into that pattern, I don't even use them that often. But she seems pretty comfortable with it.

"I'll be sure to keep things pretty short on Wednesday, I know you got work in the morn and you also gotta get back home at a respectable hour."

Damn, she pretty fast with her messages too. Now that's a surprise. "Yeah, I was going to make a note of that. My bf didn't like me staying over. He's a bit insecure when it comes to stuff like that. 🙃"

You know, she doesn't like talking about this guy she's supposedly with. Maybe she's actually with someone, but she sure don't show much of it outside of maybe a few comments. I know that he wasn't on the front of her mind Sunday night, and he sure as hell wasn't there on Monday morning. Maybe I should pry into that just a bit while we're on the subject. "How long have you two been dating?"

"A while now." Wow, what a very insightful and clearly-defined answer. Either this relationship isn't on her mind while she's texting me, it's going bad for the both of them, or this guy clearly doesn't exist.

I'm gonna still act like she has one. Maybe she can weave together some personality for the guy, just as easily as she can weave a fictional world together. "I know you two had a little spat a couple of days ago, y'all good?"

"It's fine. It happens." She's pretty indifferent to the situation, that's not alarming at all.

"Yeah. Comes with the territory of being in a commitment."

"How about you, seeing someone?" And now she's prying into MY relationship status!? Mystery boyfriend, where art thou?

"Maybe I am." I suppose we're in the stage of us still feeling each other out. I guess it's only fair that I bring up a bit of transparency before this gets bad.

She takes a little while longer to respond, that's not a good sign. "Did she ever come by the new house? 😏" Ah, she's trying to play it cool now.

"She thinks it's a bit too much."

"Guess it would overwhelm some ponies." She's much quicker to the draw this time. "Or whatever creature you're seeing. 🦄🐱🐶🦁🐔🐲🦓🐱‍👤" And she's extremely liberal with her emotes. Guess she doesn't know who I'm involved with for real. She'll soon find out, in about a week I suppose.

"Yeah. I showed her the bed and she had a fit, said it's way too big."

"She obviously don't understand dragons. Any comfort in excess is enough for you guys." Stereotypes, really?

"Maybe that's true. 🙄" Okay, maybe there's a bit of truth to that, I'll admit it. We can be some greedy asses. "Or maybe I'm just that wild of a sleeper."

"And I thought I was the wild one. 😅" You are the wild sleeper. You are the only one I can sleep with normally at night, then wake up with your crotch in my face while you've robbed me of the sheets and pillows. At least you're self-aware.

"It happens."

"So is it really that big?" My mind is already trying to go to dirty places. Let's please keep it family friendly, Spike. I know you don't like to feel like you're going to have a mind-break every time you get aroused.

"Yeah."

"I bet that's just your thing, huh?"

That's a weird thing to say. "What's my thing?"

"Having stuff that's way too big for your own good."

Keep it safe, keep your mind out of the gutter, and everything will be just fine. "Maybe I like big."

"If I was a gambling griff, I'd say you're compensating for something. 🤣"

Oh no she fucking didn't, this little─ "What do you think I'm compensating for?"

"Nothing I can talk about. 😇" She did. She really took me there. I can't believe this, the betrayal I feel.

Maybe I can turn this around. "So I'm not compensating for anything is what you're saying?"

"You totally are." Why do I feel like she's gaslighting me to react a certain way? Apparently it's also working.

"Then tell me what I'm compensating for."

"I don't know. 🤔" I feel she's throwing signals. She knows I'm not compensating for anything, the face she made while watching me on Sunday night tells me that she knows that I've got some goods she clearly wants to pack and ship. "Does your girlfriend mind me chatting it up with you?" Now I really feel like she's doing this on purpose.

"She's pretty cool about it." By cool, I mean place me under a really shitty spell that denies me orgasms and have me feeling like I lost out on a really good Saturday night every two hours. Yeah, she's totally cool about it. "She knows you and I have history."

"Oh, so she's pretty secure in you." She sends yet another message. "That's dangerous. 🚩"

Now I know she's just gassing me up for fun. "Why?"

"I don't know, maybe you'll do something that she won't expect."

Like really gassing me up. I should be back in Austin on the freeway as bad as she's gassing me up at this point. "Like what?"

"All I know is that most of you boys are the same." AND THERE IT IS!

"Are we?" I know I'm playing right into her, but what choice do I have? I have to defend myself somehow. "What do we do that you think we all do?"

"Cheat." At least she put it out there, she's honest about how she feels.

But is it really cheating when both of my partners have made provisions for me to scout out an addition to the group? Is it really cheating to pop the cork to another girl for a moment's time, and NOT do anything with her? I'd like to think I've been playing by the rules, despite Ocellus treating me as though I've broken them somehow. "Me, cheat? NEVER!"

"You? Never cheated? Not even once?"

Okay, I really want to hear her answer on this one. "When have I ever cheated, much less on you when we were together?"

"I wouldn't know, Mr. World-Traveler." So I'm the bad guy, based on prospect? You know what, I understand how that comes up. I go around the world, I have multiple love interests, I lay into a few choice options, and treat it like the stock market, pump and dump. But wouldn't that somehow get around in the international community that I would be seen as a adulterer, wouldn't that same story also get leaked to the press and I have to have a press conference to publicly apologize for my actions, following that with a penned letter of resignation, all of that coupled with Twilight making a few comments on my various misdeeds and how I should be reprimanded?

Yeah, that makes perfect sense. Scandal free, but I sleep around because I travel. You know what, I'm not even going to go that far. "So you must think I'm dishonest."

"Everyone is to a fault."

Now I can flip this shit around. "Including you?"

"Perhaps." ...Okay, not the answer I was expecting from miss goody-two-shoes.

So let's get some honesty out the way. "You ever cheated on your guy?"

"Nope. 😊" Of course she denies it.

"You never thought of doing it?"

"Nope. 😇" And of course she doubles down.

I know what I can do, I'm going to hit her where I know I can catch her. "So you're telling me you ain't ever had some thoughts about someone that got you off?"

"Why would I do that? 🤨" And she has the fucking gaud to deny it, never mind the ripped sheets I had replaced on yesterday, or the stained mattress from your extracurricular activity. Never mind all of that, you would never do something so licentious.

"I mean everyone does it at least once in life." Hell you watched me do it, I watched you do it. Just tell the truth.

"It sounds like you want me to give it a try." You gave it a college try on Monday morning in my shower too.

But let me tone this conversation down before I get too enthralled. "I never said that."

While she's usually fast on the draw when it comes to messaging, she's taking a pretty slow time to get back at me on this round. I guess she must be busy doing something. So I walk to the bathroom to relieve myself and come back to my phone, only to find that there's a media message on my feed. I see it's also from Gabby.

And as soon as I open it up, I see exactly where her mind is.

"Who said I wouldn't be open to it?"

You. Dirty. Bird. "Bad girl." You had me going all for this?

"I feel like a mouse sometimes too. The big bad cat's gone away, a mouse's gotta keep herself entertained. 🐭"

I know this spell is a fucking scourge on my life, but to hell with it. The sooner I bring her into the fold, the sooner I get Ocellus involved, the sooner this spell comes off of me. So you know what, I'm gonna say it, fuck your boyfriend, he's done. "You by yourself?"

"...Maybe. 🙈🙉🙊" Oh my. She says 'fuck him' without even trying. I like this Gabby, where was she at when we were dating? Was this her the entire time and I just didn't have the staycation days to find out? I'm sure as hell finding out now, and I'm all for it.

I'm gonna love and hate this. Mutually. "What are you doing right now?"

She subtly replies. "Wouldn't you like to know. 😈"

If this spell wasn't on me tomorrow...

Author's Note

Hey there, readers, been a while since I had the time to put one of these together. It's been a pretty busy set of months for me, and a lot of it has to do with a bunch of good stuff that's been happening lately. So no life complaints for me for the time being. However I do want to take the time to apologize for the Gabby pic (by punkpegasus circa 2016) being anthro and it might break the immersion a bit (despite griffons being semi-anthro by nature of the canon. I just couldn't find a pic that would better give a visual of her appearance at the moment (that and AI is having a difficult time actualizing my prompts in the manner that I prefer it to be).

But in the meantime, I have moved back to a consistent schedule until at least sometime in July. I thank all of you for keeping with me thus far. I hope to see you all again.

Chapter 25: Doubled Down

The time after Gabby's official breaking off from Galefor proved difficult in the initial day after. A lot of her time was spent trying to keep things together while she worked. I at least offered to cover her shift, but she shook her head on it and said that she'll try to solider through it. In some degree, it worked, she even came back home smiling. She didn't go without a few spells of feeling the regret, but she had me practically glued to her side for the entire time. There was no stopping her from tethering me down to wherever she roamed. And often times, my being tethered to her would be upstairs in the den, curiously engaged in the show of my preference.

We stayed up all night watching Attack on Titan, wholly addicted to the human medium of entertainment for an unrelenting fourteen hours straight. She even wrote in a vacation day just to get herself locked in with me. And as we're watching the show, I notice that there's a set of heads that peek in with dissatisfaction. It's only to be expected that the other girls aren't as eager about this arrangement. Honestly, I don't blame them. It only takes one trip to the kitchen for snacks to see a peeved dragoness and an equally disturbed changeling scowling me down as I select the snacks for both Gabby and I.

Times like this remind me that my relationship isn't just a two way street, but a full four-way intersection.

"Alright, enough beating around the bullshit." Smolder's always been forward with her feelings, even though she publicly feigns herself to be blunt and dull to her own emotions. This time's no different. "Spike, you notice that you've been pretty attentive to one creature in particular?"

Sadly, it's a truth I can't come close to refuting. "I mean I know I've been a little encumbered by trying to make Gabby happy. She's been taking the breakup a little hard."

"And we're not disagreeing with that, more power to her. But... yeah..."

Meanwhile Ocellus falls shy of yelling at me. "You give her almost ninety percent of your attention while you give us like maybe five percent. And there's two of us to split that five percent between! Like how is that fair!?"

"Okay, okay, I get it." I say as I do my best to calm the changeling and prevent her from closing me in. It also needs to be mentioned that Smolder is idling behind me with a hover, probably ready to yank me by my neck and really let her anger get the better of her judgement. I feel the heat of her breath brushing the back of my head as I snap to keep both girls in my peripherals. "Alright, I understand that you two and I haven't really had any time to get cozy or maybe even act a little causal with one another."

Ocellus continues to hone in a little closer, vehemently illustrating her point. "Meanwhile Gabby's been snuggled up underneath you for the past two days. So... what the fuck?"

"I got you." I answer.

Smolder palms the back of my head yanking me back to gain my undivided eye contact. "Do you really?"

"Yeah, and more than you know." I say as I weasel out from her grasp and open a drawer near the stove, revealing a calendar with certain days of the week colored in three different ways.

The pair loom over the open drawer, seeing the days of how they're colored. "What's this supposed to be?" Ocellus questions.

"It's a calendar made into chart. It highlights whatever days I want to have allocated towards each and every one of you individually. Like for example as it says on here, I've established Gabby for Friday, Ocellus for Saturday, and Smolder for Sunday. Aqua belongs to Ocellus, orange belongs to Smolder, and silver belongs to Gabby."

While Ocellus observes the calendar, Smolder's remains quick to the draw over the situation. "That's great and all, but I think you're forgetting one thing here."

"What?" I ask.

"You just spent Monday talking to Gabby over that one guy, you spent Tuesday through today trying to cheer her up and pamper her like some sort of princess. Now riddle me this, what's tomorrow again?"

"Friday." I answer.

She snatches the calendar away from Ocellus and smacks a claw against the silver colored square. "Yeah. And who do you have scheduled for Friday again?"

I sigh in resignation. "Yeah, I might see how this can be a bit of a conundrum."

"You think!?" The dragoness snaps.

Ocellus tilts her head at me, seeing how the uneven amount of days have gone in favor of the griffon this week, including the former arrangement of having Gabby on Friday. "So how are you going to reroute this?"

I grimace and take the moment to attempt to be a bit fairer to the two currently debating me for my time. "Well... I guess I could have Smolder and Gabby's days flipped around."

While Smolder seems pleased with the idea, Ocellus shows some disdain for her day remaining as it's written out. "Oh, so I don't get any kind of priority anymore, do I?"

"What did I do wrong now!? I thought Saturday was always our day!" I point out.

The changeling slams her hoof onto the calendar, firmly issuing her demand. "Well now I want another one."

"And if she gets another one, then I'll want another one." The dragoness digs her claws into the calendar as well.

My brain starts to rack up the days, ultimately the things I'll have to do to keep each party satisfied. I mean I can't just sit here and not say that this wasn't going to happen eventually. "That means I'll have to give Gabby another one too."

"Okay. So that's six days of the week." The changeling states with affirmation.

I start to find justification of having the days arranged in the manner which would make some sort of sense. "How about this. Smolder, you can do Fridays since that will be like a so-called anniversary since you and I did what we did in Canterlot."

"A shallow line of thinking, but I guess it checks out." While her initial complaint is rather stinging, she seems more than agreeable to the idea of tomorrow being her assigned day.

"Ocellus, we've always had our Saturday lined up, so I'm willing to solidify that."

"Great." She's a bit pouty over it, but she's still content with the idea going about as it is now.

"And that makes Gabby my priority for Sunday." I conclude.

Smolder picks up the orange highlighter in the drawer, circling her next preferred date. "That means I get Monday."

"And I get Tuesday." Ocellus scribbles over hers.

I shrug at the current development, not seeing much to disagree with. "Gabby wants Wednesday's to be her game day, so I guess that works out too."

Smolder snags the calendar away before I can color in the block I just assigned to Gabby. "So who gets you on Thursday?"

I feel a bit nervous about having to go at it for possibly seven days straight, I start to feel a bit uncertain about the prospect of constantly going day in and day out with all three of them, all while having no time for myself. While I can appreciate the idea of the three girls wanting time for me on a day to day basis, I still need to find a day where I can be more of myself. So I draw my own boundary by leaving that day colorless. "Uh... I think I should take that day off to recharge. And if I skip or forget any of those days we have set aside, I'll use that Thursday to make it up."

Ocellus seems to understand the idea, but she brings up yet another valid point. "Another issue."

"What's that?"

"Say you get called for some dignitary work again, and you're gone for an arbitrary amount of days. Does the schedule remain the same, in spite of there being an unequal balance in the days after?"

I hum to myself as I try to summarize a solution that would be the best compromise. "I can still use Thursday to play catchup to whoever I missed out on the most in the previous week."

"Even if you miss out on all of us?" Smolder asks.

"Thursday is the day where I'll try to keep it fair to everyone, even if I have to tend to everyone all at once."

Ocellus purses her lips, showing her skepticism. "That seems to be a bit of a tall order. Are you sure you can handle something like that?"

"I survived you going into one of your modes. I think I can handle all three of you pretty well." I say with a confident chuckle, all while hiding my inward grief over the idea of satiating the changeling should she fall back into that uncontrolled breeding complex of hers.

Smolder snags on my tail to interject. "So you think you can just keep us all satisfied at once?"

"It would be worth a shot." I answer, knowing that I'm probably setting myself up for failure by now. But the pair seems keen on the idea of that manifesting sooner than later. The stares in their eyes tell me that they're probably going to stress-test that idea. "What?"

"Well... since tomorrow is Friday. Why don't we give that a look." I knew it.

"Did you forget about the spell you have on me right now?"

Ocellus grins with a sense of satisfaction over my inability to climax for the time being, all while receiving quite the glare from the dragoness pulling on my tail. "As if I could. Smolder keeps reminding me to break it off."

"Yeah, because you run the risk of putting him back into dragon lust if his sex drive is steadily getting triggered without any form or release." Smolder warns.

I groan with a passing thought, namely with having to deal with a less-than-peaceful Ember looking to make me work for it. Not something I'm looking forward to. "Yeah, I really don't want to get stuck in the Dragon Lands for another month."

Ocellus, already having witnessed me in that mode, lets her cheeks flush red and her grin grow the more demonic. "Ooh... Actually, the thought of that is pretty damn hot."

"Olla!" Smolder screams with objection.

"Fine. I'll snap the spell off of him tomorrow evening, just as I promised."

"Good." The dragoness finally releases my tail as that argument comes to a conclusion. "Alright. So we use my day to finally induct Gabby into our little polygon of carnal indulgences. And I suppose we'll let Gabby have her turn on Sunday."

"Make her wait a whole two days?" Ocellus' wings buzz with anticipation of the idea. "You're so devious, I love you!"

Smolder smiles with her chest out. "That'll show her who's really who in the pecking order."

"Damn straight!"

While it seems like a short sell for Gabby, I can only abide by the two's request. If anything, I'm just going along with it so I can have this shitty chastity spell removed in a timely fashion. And hopefully, I'll never have to suffer under such conditions again. "Okay, so can we all agree that the current schedule works out for everyone?"

"Works just fine for me." Smolder offers a thumbs up.

"No complaints here." Ocellus nods.

"I get Sunday!?" Gabby, of course, disagrees with her allotment.

I try to negotiate with her as she joins me in the basement. I'm currently in the midst of doing some of the bedding and towels. Washing up after three others seems to require a bit of attention. "Yeah, I guess it's because of the fact that both Smolder and Ocellus have pointed out that my helping you for the past few days have been cutting into their time. So I'm trying to be fair about it."

"I guess." The griffon posts herself against the wall, folding her arms as she rolls her eyes with an argumentative gesture.

After I load the washer with the next load of colors, I once more give my undivided attention to the griffon. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know. I just thought that they'd understand that you and I have like a connection or something." She pulls me in closer, looking to plead with me. "I mean that's what I feel like."

"We do have a connection, they already know that much." I reply to her.

"Then why does there seem to be a problem that we're so close?" She asks.

"That's not the problem." I reiterate. "The problem is that I've been focused on you for the past week and a half, exclusively even."

"Well it's hard to see it that way when you go through a painful breakup." She argues.

"Didn't you say you were tired of pretending?" I recall.

"Yeah. I am." She pulls me in, running her claws along my abdomen as she whispers at me. "I'm also tired of pretending like I'm some sort of secondary option."

"So you're wanting me to go exclusive?" I summarize cautiously.

"I'm not saying we should per-se, but I just haven't had the time with you like they both did." She's slow to reach her arms around my neck, whispering her thoughts in doing so. "I'm sure both paths you've walked have had their fair share of your visitations. It would be only fair if you were to wander the road less traveled."

I chuckle back at her. "If I wasn't used to you, I would probably be confused as to what you're talking about right now." I feel her intent with every second her claws run the fins protruding from the back of my head.

"But surely you know." She seductively slides her claws down the nape of my neck, leaning in to whisper into my ear. "While I am still in the midst of foul weather, I too seek a voyage to the worlds beyond. But with no ship to sail the choppy seas, wherever shall my maidenhood seek such a turgid trireme?" She kisses me against my neck. "Surely you've a fine galley with good oars to sail me to such distant shores."

I smirk to myself, showing a willingness to play along with her not-so-subtle wordplay. "My ship yearns for the days it beckons the call of the seas, however it remains docked to lands for final rites of his captain's inspection. Perhaps you would be willing to join us tomorrow in the celebratory bottle breaking. For then it will be seen as a worthy vessel to your liking." I tease in equal fashion. "Unless you've happened by chance to stumble upon me tending to my ship in the darkness of night. Perhaps you discovered it to be one far too developed for but a stream."

Her pupils widen at my revelation, she obviously knows that I had caught the glimpse of her eyes staring back at me through the dark, the frantic scratch-marks from her claws as she frantically scurried back to the room of her temporary lodging. But even in spite of my mentioning it, she shows no shame. "Then a job I have for thee." Instead, she pulls her body close against mine. "Would a more methodical dredging suffice for your standards, my lord?"

"Lower your tone, and bare not your fangs at this moment." I urge her, knowing that going for the slaughter would yield undesired results for both parties. "Your voyage shall come sooner than expected, and it shall prove to be better, provided the evidence that you are ready and willing to embark."

She lays her head into my chest and quietly makes a request. "Can you snarl for a sec?"

I give off a soft growl from the deeper recesses of my lungs. A low-pitched crackle leaves my nostrils. "Is that what you want to hear?"

I feel a gripping force tightening around my lower body. I also feel the significant shift in gravity leaning me into her direction. She giggles with the laugh of a juvenile girl invested in taboo gossip, much like a teenage filly conversing with a boy outside of the view of her protective parents. "Such an animal."

"Says the one with her hindlegs locked around my waist." I answer.

"You know griffons are known grappler types." She says in a taunting manner, pressing her hips into mine. "So maybe if you give me another growl, I might just be intimidated enough to let you loose."

I give her yet another snarl, this one I risk a little more volume and presence. The sound leaves from the back of my throat instead of taking the tame route of my nostrils. "Scared now?"

She mewls for yet another request. "Perhaps a nibble here or there."

"I never pegged you for wanting me to take things this far." I point out, seeing how compliant she is with having me offering her the risk of my teeth sinking into her feathers.

"Squeeze my throat." Turns out she's willing to play with fire. "C'mon. Squeeze me." She's so eager about it that she's bouncing against me with the energy akin to Pinkie going through a sugar rush.

I hear her panting into my ear while I offer her the chance to reconsider her decision. "You sure?"

"I'm a big girl, I can handle it." She pleads longingly.

Self-control at this point is becoming a luxury. I know that she's pressing me towards action, and it's working. The amount of risks she's willing to accept starts to draw at my more feral instincts. I don't yank at her neck for not wanting to hurt her, but I do pull her head to the side with maw closing in to her desired purpose. "You asked." I pinch down, my mouth filled with the feathers and warmth of her neck brushing against my tongue. She falls limp for a moment, unmoving and unresponsive. I check on her with her still in my mouth. "You okay?"

Without warning, the claws that once gently ran my spine crudely dig into my back, leaving deep scars as she increases the strength of her grapple on my waist. It's at this point where she no longer seeks to mince words. "Pull it out." It seems she's finally broken.

One of her claws reach down for me, trying to coax me to come out of my hiding place. I snicker as she greedily seeks for me to enthrall her at this moment. "Going for the win, aren't you?"

"Oh yeah, she's going for it alright."

The two of us snap out of our lustful play and take notice of the orange dragon watching us from the mid-point of the stairs. "Smolder!?" I release the griffon from my grip, while Gabby shows her persistence in keeping herself clasped to my waist. "How long were you here?"

"Since I discovered that griffons are 'grappler types'. Maybe I've been here watching the two of you try to get in a little fun before tomorrow's party."

Gabby shamelessly remains latched on as she shows excitement for the news revealed to her. "There's a party tomorrow?"

"Oh yeah. Since tomorrow's my day and all, I'm gonna share my day with you and Olla. Think of it as a benevolent gift." The stare-down Smolder gives to the griffon goes almost unnoticed by the excited creature. Meanwhile, I feel a sense of imminent danger growing with each second she remains latched on me.

"I was never told of a party." Gabby turns back to me. I tap at her legs to get her to release me, but she remains purposefully defiant.

"Naturally, it'll be the usual crowd. I've already got Gallus and Silverstream to come along. Maybe I can get in Yona and Sandbar too since we're local."

"What's the occasion?" She asks.

"Just a little something we all do on Fridays." Smolder finally walks up to the griffon, pulling at her tail to moderately infuriate Gabby into releasing me at last. "And since you're coming into the group, I think we're just gonna make it a special kind of night."

"How special are you talking?" She feigns her excitement, but even I can tell she's very pissed at having her tail pulled.

Smolder leans in, knowing the heat she's getting from the female griffon. "Get this. Role play night, the eight of us, we bring in a bunch of our fun shit and really warm up the place."

"I never agreed to have this here." I interject.

"It's literally over a game of Ogres and Oubliettes." She mentions. "An X-rated campaign, of course."

I roll my eyes at the idea, feeling a bit iffy on the concept. "That's ridiculous. How do you turn a game of Oggs and Oubs into a sex game? Like who plans a campaign like that─"

Gabby emphatically pushes me aside and shows a bit more of a genuine interest. "SAY SIKE RIGHT NOW!!" Okay, maybe an irrational exuberance over the idea.

"Seems you're on board." Smolder says before looking to me. "How about you, Spike?"

"Um, I never even played Oggs and Oubs with any of you. How do I know you guys know how to play?"

Smolder goes on to elaborate her origins with the game. "We had a whole game club in the school dedicated to it. Both Sandbar and Gallus were really big on it for a while after school, that was until we got phones."

While I guess the idea could be a success, I still have my doubts. "Still, a campaign like that would require a lot of meticulous planning, some serious know-how, a few guidelines on what's acceptable, what kinks are a no-go for the overall group, not to mention the items required to maintain a deep sense of immersion─"

"Alexa!" Gabby pinches my snout shut as she calls out to the system running throughout my home. "Red alert!"

On cue, all the lights in the home immediate change to red. In seeing the radical change, Smolder's eyes widen significantly. The dragoness nearly breaks her neck looking around the room to see everything coated in a red hue. "OH I DID NOT KNOW YOU COULD DO THIS!"

A stumbling noise comes from the doorway leading into the basement. Ocellus sounds as though she's freaking out. "SMOLDER! WHY ARE ALL THE LIGHTS RED SUDDENLY!?"

"I DON'T FUCKING KNOW, BUT IT'S AWESOME AS SHIT, RIGHT!?" Smolder shouts back up.

The changeling continues to display her excitement. "HELL YEAH, IT IS! SINCE WHEN COULD THE WHOLE HOUSE DO THIS!?"

"GOT ME! GABBY JUST YELLED SOME SHIT AND THEN THE LIGHTS TURNED RED!" Smolder answers as Ocellus partially makes her way down the stairs.

"GABBY, SINCE WHEN DID YOU KNOW ABOUT THIS!?" The changeling asks, peeking her head below the ceiling.

"SINCE SPIKE DID IT DURING ONE OF OUR GAMEDAY SESSIONS ALMOST TWO WEEKS AGO!"

While the pair tilt their heads at me with an envious grimace, I shake off Gabby's grip on my jaw and call out to the system running the home. "Alexa, cancel red alert!"

The lights fade back to normal. The two formerly-unknowing ladies make note of the function for the weekend, namely Smolder taking an astute mental note of it. "Okay, that's fucking nice!"

"So we've established that my lights change colors─" I try to casually shake off the the fact that my lighting can change at a verbal command, but I'm interrupted by something jabbing me in my arm. I look over to see an excitable griffon holding a bunch of papers, a handful of 20-sided dice, and a game board. I can barely see her eyes past the stack of papers, that is until she tilts her head to the side, revealing the sapphire eyes giddily looking up to me. "Gabby... what in the hell is that?" I ask her.

"Just a little campaign I wrote for the both of us when we get into the... you know... more recreational part of our campaign." She confesses as her face flushes a light pink, bashfully pressing the board into my arm again.

"There was a sex part!?" I ask a bit flabbergasted.

"Not initially!" She confesses as she walks by me, her tail wrapping around my ankle as she speaks. "But I wrote one after our session from two weeks back. It's nothing to expand it a bit."

"For six other characters?" I question her.

"Why not!? The more, the merrier!" She says while giving our other two partners a glance, her eyes pretty much saying 'watch and learn how it's done' without any lack of confidence. "We can totally do a campaign like this! It's called improvising!"

Honestly, I'm more surprised that the situation has evolved like this to begin with. I can't say that I've ever seen Smolder play a game of Oggs and Oubs. Ocellus, I can fully imagine her going into role-playing since the matter is quite literally her nature. I suppose I can be satisfied with the three turning to this particular method to compete instead of this turning into a literal 'king of the hill' bout... well... more like 'queen of the hill' if I want to be a little more on the nose.

Guess I can go along with it. "...So I'm ordering pizza, right?"

"Of course we are!"

For the rest of the day, Gabby does nothing but plan in anticipation of the upcoming party. It's almost a shock to see her go from being so clingy towards me to isolating herself at times to think about a way of how to make this so-called 'X-Campaign' work with the eight of us slotted to come in. And every time I ask her about it, she smiles at me and tells me that it's a surprise worth waiting for.

I'll give credit to where credit is due, Smolder's idea is really bringing it out of her. So much so that she's completely forgotten about everything dealing with Galefor. I suppose it does make my job a little easier, but I see that both Ocellus and Smolder haven't made any move or mention towards me after that. Seems they're busy helping with the preparations, leaving me to just make sure the place stays clean for when everyone comes by. I know I got company coming over, so I guess should scrub extra hard.

Huh, scrubbing extra hard for a sex party I'll have to scrub ultra hard after. Worth it.

The dawn comes bright and early, Gabby happily puts her binge aside and jumps back to work with the mail delivery. She's back to normal, if not entirely motivated by what's supposed to transpire this evening. I guess she's just trying to do something to help pass the time, and working does that. Smolder and Ocellus don't spare a second in getting back to their respective jobs at the school. But with very little for me to do other than binge what seems to be the ongoing fourth season, which isn't that many episodes now, I guess I'll find something else to keep myself entertained.

Hours later, the girls come home. And they kick things into high gear, snacks, food, drinks, condoms, cleaning supplies─that one made my job easier─and a number of other things, they go out and get them before coming back to set up. And by the time eight rolls around, the guests start to slowly file in.

The doorbell rings and I see it's both Sandbar and Yona. Since they've taken the time to close up shop, I guess they've made preparations to fully enjoy themselves outside of their home-and-workplace. The doorbell rings yet again shortly after and I can see Gallus showing up on my app. He's brought Silverstream with him, obviously. As I open the door, he gives out a tired but enthusiastic greeting. Seems work was long today. "Hey, Spike!"

"Gallus, you finally made it!" I give him a fist bump as he and his other walk into the foyer.

She takes admiration of the home. "I love your place! It's almost as big as the other place back in the human world!"

I laugh but shake my head in a realistic denial. "Trust me, it's nowhere near that size."

"Human world?" Flying overhead with a few boxes in tow, Gabby takes curious investment in the conversation taking place. "What's in the human world you're trying to compare this place to?"

"Gabby?" Silverstream displays her excitement by hugging the unexpected griffon being here. The aforementioned creature also navigates her way into the hug without having to drop anything. Seems she's pretty used to handling and absorbing contact when carrying heavy loads. "My gosh, girl! What are you doing here?"

The griffon joyfully responds. "It's a long story, you probably wouldn't believe me if I told you what all happened."

Passing by, Sandbar makes a comment over Gabby's response. "At this point, I wouldn't be surprised by anything."

"Yona, Sandbar, you came through!" Gallus shows eager approval over seeing the pair making their way to the dining room.

"Well it's not often we get to do stuff like this here in Ponyville." He answers, looking back to his fiancée.

The large looming partner of his surprises him by nuzzling him from behind. "Yona recalls this isn't only time yak and Sandbar had fun in front of friends."

"Oh yeah, we almost got expelled for that during junior year." He bashfully recalls. "We're lucky Starlight opted to look the other way. We could've really been done for had she gone with her headmare's intuition. Huge thanks for that one."

Coming by to also greet the others, Ocellus jumps into the conversation while giving Smolder a glance. "Obviously that grace hasn't been spared for too long when it comes to us."

The dragoness rolls her eyes in annoyance. "I said 'sorry'. What more do you want me to do?"

I take a moment to chuckle at the pair before clearing my throat and giving the call to gather. "Okay, everyone! Dining room is now open for game night. We got three bedrooms on the second floor, three bathrooms if you feel you need to freshen up before we get started, they are located here in the hall, the upstairs for the rooms, and the one nearby the den and patio. We also got the pool upstairs on the third floor if you feel you need to cool off a bit."

The hippogriff shouts back at me, startling everyone in the room. "YOU HAVE A SWIMMING POOL!?"

Gallus smirks as he knows what that means for him. "Silvy, chill. I'll take you there after we get done."

She gives her boyfriend a sultry grin as she nuzzles up to him. "I'm already loving this party."

Everyone seems to give the indication that they've freshened up prior to arriving, each of them filing into the dining room where the food is and the game is waiting to be played. Gabby sets down one box that's folded closed instead of being taped shut. I watch as the others casually attack the pizza boxes nearby. Smolder giggles at Sandbar while Yona feeds him one of her slices. Ocellus sits herself into her seat, prompting me to park next to her. I grab myself a few slices before obeying her nonverbal request.

Almost everyone gets settled in place, I start to announce to the group. "Okay. I think─" Then another box, a fairly large one lands next to me on the table. I look over to see the griffon smiling as she puts it between me and Ocellus. I glance for the contents, seeing a number of things that grab my attention. "Uh... Gabby... what's all of this?"

"Oh, it's just a bunch of my stuff I had in storage." She casually explains before pulling out a silicone mold of a griffon's penis, complete with a few barbs for pleasure. Everyone stares at her, surprised to see the arsenal of items she claims was in storage. She sets a second box on the table, filled with a number of other items with similar purpose. All of us are lockjawed while she pulls out a loop attached to a decreasing compilation of balls. "What, like none of you don't practice some mode of stress relief!"

Ocellus tilts her head with an appropriate amount of confusion. "You have anal beads... for stress relief?"

Smolder, being none the braver, reaches into one of the boxes and pulls out a small black rod. She flips a switch at the base of it before swinging it around. "Huh... What does this thing do?" She continues to swing the rod around until it hits me in the shoulder.

*BZZZZT*

"AAH!" I yelp out in pain.

"Woah, sorry!" She realizes that the item she pulled is a cattle prod made for intimate purposes, the device's presence bewilders the dragoness about the griffon's seemingly intense habits. "Gabby, what do you do in your spare time?"

"How is that supposed to relieve any kind of stress?" I ask as I still rub my shoulder.

Silverstream pulls out a set of cuffs and spreader bars with a very curious gleam. "Are these cuffs reinforced?" Everyone stares at her like she doesn't find the absurd amount of sex toys and BDSM devices as so much a minor concern. She snickers as she eyes Gallus. "Asking for a friend."

Sandbar reaches into the box, pulling out a fairly large mold of an equine member. "Wow, this is some pretty heavy ordinance you got here." Yona looks over him with shifting eyes from the toy to the griffon owner.

Gabby doesn't seem to mind the attention her toys are getting, in fact she seems to be more enthralled by it. "Okay, I would love to give my stories on each one of my little friends here, but let's get our campaign started, you know, so we can get to the fun stuff later." If each one of these toys have an in-depth story behind them, and she somehow decided to give them battle stats, then I have every right to fear the depths of her game-planning when it comes to an x-rated campaign.

Gallus elects to be brave about it and keep things moving forward. "I guess we'll roll a few for our stats."

"Won't that take a while to do with all of us here?" Sandbar points out.

"Not if we speed-run our stat check." Gabby answers giving the griffon a 20-sided die.

Ocellus moves the box from between us so she can get a better look. "Better question, how do we know if someone's going to be honest about their stats."

"Easy solution." She answers before pointing over to me. "Spike, the dice if you would."

I rise from my chair, going into a chest where I keep some of my stuff for our game sessions at. I also have at least fifty different customized dies, including a dozen 20-sided dice. I pull out another seven since Gabby has already put hers out on the table. Each and everyone is given a die and a sheet of paper to write their information on.

Gallus rubs his eyes with amazement. "I've never seen so many 20-sided dice in my life."

Gabby goes on to explain what's going to take place. "So on these stat sheets, we're all going to jot down our stats after we roll our dice. Everyone's dice is different, so there's no getting confused on who gets what stat number."

"Still doesn't answer the question for stat integrity." Sandbar reiterates Ocellus' point.

"I just said I have a solution for that." She replies. "While you may think you're rolling for your own stat, you'll be rolling for the stat of everyone to your right. And for each stat we complete, we slide the stat sheet over to the next creature to our left. Rinse and repeat until the stat sheet is filled up on all six categories."

"So nobody can lie on their stat sheet." Gallus concludes.

"That's right." She says with a wink and a thumbs up. "That also means couples don't sit next to each other, so let's rearrange that now."

Ocellus initially wants to say something in protest, but realizes that the rule applies for Gabby also. So she shifts herself a seat away to see if the griffon will abide by her own rules. Gabby separates herself from me, but by only a seat. Smolder sits herself across from me, leaving another two open seats to either side of herself. The spaces are then filled out by everyone else, breaking up all of our respective couples. Sandbar takes note of our atypical arrangement. "All of this to promote integrity of stats, huh?"

"If you don't like your stat, you blame the creature who rolled it." Gallus says as he shrugs. "Gotta admit, this is gonna be fun."

Gabby continues to play out her role as the game master and giving out instructions on how this will go. "Now write your own name at the top of the sheet so we know who's doing who. Then we pass them over to our right afterwards. Then we're all gonna roll our stats on the count of three. This one will be for strength, this will dictate if you're going to be the dom or the sub for the night. The higher the number, the more power you have. The lower the number, the less power you have."

"Now we're speaking my language!" Silverstream almost gives off a rage scream with how excited she is to hear that bit of detail. "C'mon! Let's get this shit rocking already!"

We write our names down and immediately pass our papers to our left in a clockwise motion. Since Gallus is to my right, I apparently have to roll for his stat. Sandbar is to my left, so he rolls for me. Gabby looks off to Yona, who will roll for her first stat, Ocellus shifts her eyes to Gallus, worried that his passive habits in the bedroom may be a bad omen. She hopes her number isn't a low one. Smolder remains chill as she has confidence in Silverstream's luck. Gabby raises her die and everyone follows suit. "Okay, this one is for our strength stat, lets get rolling! One. Two... Three!"

The sound of dice clattering against the table top ad-nauseum fills the room before there are bursts of groans and cheers over everyone's respective rolls being read out by a number. My first number isn't a good one, 7 reads at the top of my die. Thankfully it isn't my stat that I just rolled for. But I notice that Sandbar's die reads 13 for me. I guess I'm a soft dom for the night, depending on what everyone else rolls.

Gallus drops his head at his luck, even while it was determined in my claws. "Damn, a 7. Guess I'm a sub today."

"You're never not a sub, Gallus." His girlfriend chimes out proudly.

"Just my luck, huh?" He says as he jots down Ocellus' numbers. I take a peek, seeing he's writing a '20' on her stat. I guess fate just rules her to be that kind of figure, even in chance-based role-playing she dominates. "Ugh, if only I could roll for myself there."

"We all can't be winners." Gabby sighs dejectedly. "Next one is going to be defense. This will dictate how long you're going to be in your sub period. So if you roll a high number, you'll be a sub for five minutes, if you roll low, you'll be a sub for thirty. If you're the dom rolling, then that number dictates how long you get to keep your sub in check AFTER their time's expired."

We pass the sheets to the left. This time I roll for Ocellus. As we're doing that, I hear Silverstream whisper in celebration. "Post-orgasm torture certified." Oh Faust, I feel more and more regret for the number I gave Gallus by the passing second.

Gabby raises her die into the air, prompting everyone to do the same. "Defense stat, hope this one's a little better for me! One. Two. Three!"

My die comes up on 16. Ocellus' stats are showing more and more favor with each passing roll. Smolder smirks at my direction, seeing how her number came up for me. I start to feel a bit worried for my own safety as she gleefully jots my number down. Meanwhile Ocellus comments on the stat she rolled for Smolder. "Damn, I feel sorry for you, I just rolled a three."

"I'm not a sub though." She confidently answers. "That first number should be a seventeen."

"Yeah, you rolled pretty high for that. So you're up there, not higher than me though."

"Next one will be for magic!" Gabby announces. "Magic is where our lovely box of fun stuff gets to make a feature. If you're a dom, your higher roll means the more toys you'll have at your disposal. The lower the roll, the fewer toys you have, basically anything from a four below will result in no toys for you to use."

"I think this is where I start to get nervous." Gallus mumbles to himself.

"You're not the only one." Gabby mumbles. "One. Two. Three!"

The dice once more clatter on the table, the number I roll for Silverstream is 16. I cringe in apology as Gallus peaks over and drops his head in defeat. The hippogriff I roll for instead shakes her head as she notifies the owner of her stat sheet of her poor roll. "Oh, Gabby, no toys for you. I rolled a 3."

"I'm thinking you might need to swap your die." The griffon mare mutters.

Ocellus coyly makes fun of her for her short draw streak. "Don't get mad at the roller, get mad at the rule-maker."

"Yeah, got me there." She whimpers before continuing. "Okay, so now we go to magic defense. Magic defense is what dictates how long you're going to be subject to the toys. The higher the roll, the lower the time. The lower the roll, the higher the time."

"So it's just like the defense stat, in other words?" Smolder asks.

"Yup. Now we roll on one. Two. Three!"

The number I roll for Smolder is 8. She seems to be pretty well loaded on 'Strength' and 'Magic' however, so her low roll doesn't seem to matter much since she's got toy privilege out the ass. Meanwhile, Sandbar just starts to laugh as he jots down his number. "Silverstream, you're going to milk the shit out of Gallus, aren't you?"

"Hell yeah!" She calls out, intimidating her boyfriend all the more. "Gally loves it when I give him milkies."

While his head is down, I see the smile creeping on his beak. "Worth every damn second."

Gabby doesn't even look for her stat numbers anymore, she's essentially resigned herself to being the sub of the evening. But that doesn't stop her from running the game. "Now we roll for intelligence. This one's gonna be a fun one. So how this one is going to go is unique. Whoever rolls the lower numbers will have to take a number of shots corresponding to that number. So 1-4 is four shots, 5-8 is three, 9-12 is two, 13-16 is one, 17-20 you get to stay clean."

I shout out a quick chuckle. "Aw shit, somebody about to get fucked up for real!"

Gallus quickly raises his head. "I like this rule. I like this rule. I'm taking that one with me."

"The fact that drinking corresponds with the intelligence roll is an absolute mint. Good call." Ocellus compliments the griffon.

"Where'd you get these rules from?" Sandbar asks.

"I made them up." Gabby proudly confesses.

Gallus slams his fist into the table with absolute fervor. "I motion we do this shit on every Friday from here on!"

"We haven't even gotten started yet, dude. Chill out." Sandbar says as Gabby raises the die for everyone to follow suit.

"Intelligence roll. One. Two. Three!"

The number I roll is 15 for Yona. Given her size, a single shot is probably no worse than taking a shot of water. Silverstream goes on with her announcement of my stat. "SPIKE, you got three shots!"

"FUCK!" I groan in defeat. Guess I'll have to play stupid for a while.

"Gabby, you're clean. Guess you finally get a high number for something" Gallus announces to the griffon.

"Oh I love this game already." Ocellus says as she proudly takes her first stat loss of the night.

Gabby doesn't seem too thrilled that she's going to have to keep sober throughout her incurring losses. But she remains optimistic as her sheet finally rotates my way. "Now, our final roll will be for critical hits."

As I take a gander of her stats, I gawk at her abysmal numbers. Her 'strength' registers a 6, her 'defense' shows a 9, her 'magic' shows a 3, her 'magic defense' comes in with an 12, her 'intelligence' shows an 18, and her final stat line remains blank... all for my roll to decide. In speaking of which... "What does that dictate exactly?"

"Minimum amount of orgasms to be issued."

Our jaws fall to the floor on her last suggestion. I slide her sheet aside as I lean to her direction. "Wanna explain that one a bit more, madam gamemaster?"

"So I know that twenty orgasms is a bit absurd. So I cut that down to the same rate of the drinks, but in reverse. 20-17 is four orgasms minimum. 16-13 is three. 12-9 is two. Changing a bit of the value here, but 8-3 is one. So if you roll a 1 or 2, you get the distinction of having your orgasm denied until the game is over."

Silverstream hollers at the top of her lungs. "Oooh that's kinky!"

"That's devious." Ocellus says with a demonic Cheshire grin.

"That's just mean." Smolder replies holding her claw over her maw.

"I tried to be fair about it, it would literally take a ten percent chance for you to roll for a denied orgasm." Gabby explains.

I take a deep breath, kissing on the dice and giving it a hopeful jumble in my hand, seeing that her numbers are pretty unfavorable as it is. Hopefully I roll at least a twelve or something. "Well... Rolling for glory here."

Gabby eyes me as she raises her die and counts down. "Okay, here we go... One. Two. Three!"

Spike the 'Bad Dragon'

Strength: 13
Defense: 9
Magic: 7
Magic Def: 17
Intelligence: 6
Critical: 19

I fucked up.

My stat sheet is relatively tame, if not average. My 'strength' is 13, 'defense' is 9, 'magic' is 7, 'magic defense' is a solid 17, 'intelligence' is a sad 6, and my 'crit' is a sound 19. So I'm not entirely an unhappy camper. If anything, the fact that my high roll resulted in Ocellus removing the chastity spell on me is an enormous win. I just know that I have some pretty lofty loads to give out to whoever's taking. However, I didn't fuck up for my sake.

That crit roll I ran for Gabby was a 2. The expression on her face towards me after she saw that was not really disappointment, but rather betrayal over a well-intended gesture. And with the four of us, Ocellus, Smolder, her and I being in a polygonal relationship, that effectively puts her at the bottom of the totem pole in terms of the power dynamic... in the order I just mentioned.

Gabriella Griffonda the 'Glutton'

Strength: 6
Defense: 9
Magic: 3
Magic Def: 12
Intelligence: 18
Critical: 2

The only good thing is that Gabby seems to be a good sport about it. Even though Smolder has toy privileges beyond reasoning, the griffon is afforded the privilege of rolling the upper-end of her 'magic defense', which means they can torture her with the toys, but not for too long. The drawback of that is she's not allowed to finish, that's something Ocellus wants to enforce.

So Gabby, being the universal sub of the group, is made to sit on a sybian while Smolder wields the remote to it. Poor Gabby's talons are tied behind her back. Her mouth is stuffed with a bright green ball gag. Her legs are forced open with a spreader bar to keep her from maneuvering too much to get herself off. Her eyes stare haplessly, she plays her role quite convincingly. I'm almost tempted to set her free of the illicit jail she's been rolled into.

Unfortunately, Smolder and Ocellus has other plans for me.

While I'm the second lowest on the proverbial totem pole, they take advantage of the fact that my 'defense' is relatively low number. And of course, Ocellus wants to wave that fact in my face with everything that happens to me. Since I'm at her mercy, she forces me to stand in front of Gabby, to make her witness what is to come next.

The changeling takes full advantage of her power, raising the griffon's chin with her magic. "Poor little griff, stuck being the viewing audience. I wonder how it feels to be so close to what you want, and you can't even partake in the fun. Pretty sad, huh?"

Ocellus the 'Mistress'

Strength: 20
Defense: 16
Magic: 11
Magic Def: 9
Intelligence: 14
Critical: 15

Meanwhile, Smolder appears to be quite the enforcer with the leather riding crop in her possession, slamming the item into the palm of her claw. "Yeah, I'm sure she'll be fine. She had Spike to herself for almost the whole week, while we had to wait a while before he would even give us a fraction of consideration. She can wait a little longer." She points her crop against my neck with a crackling snarl. "As for you, you're gonna make up for that."

Smolder the 'Sultry'

Strength: 17
Defense: 3
Magic: 20
Magic Def: 10
Intelligence: 13
Critical: 8

The pair close in around me, Ocellus pulling me in as she primes me to peak form. Smolder picks up the controller for the sybian and sets it to a low setting. Gabby grunts as she feels the vibrating sensations slowly work her up. Smolder takes hold of me, aiding Ocellus in her work. I can't help but notice that the dragoness is being unusually soft on me, making sure that each tug is gentle yet enticing. The changeling wraps her magic around the griffon's neck, forcing her to witness the act taking place.

I make a comment of Smolder's work. "I didn't know you had a gentle side to you like this."

She leans into me, pressing her body to mine. "You'd be surprised to know I'm not like other dragons."

"Let me guess, Ocellus taught you how to take it easy?"

She rubs her thumb against my apex, lightly pressing in. "So what, you don't like it? If you want it rough, I'm perfectly cool with that."

"No, no. I'm..." Her thumb continues to massage into me, moving in a circular motion. It's delightfully distracting to my being able to speak. "I think you should slow it down a little more."

She slightly picks up her pace, giving a toothy grin. "Or what?"

I lean my head into her, only to feel a force impeding my progress. Ocellus seems to be multitasking in managing both Gabby's attention span and my impulses. "Hey now. Just because you got inaugurated into our little thing a while back doesn't mean I gave you permission to kiss her. And besides, I don't need you losing control just yet."

"So I can kiss you, but I can't kiss her?" I chuckle to myself.

Ocellus changes into her dragon form, still maintaining her magic over Gabby. "You were inside of me at the time, I was feeling a whole lot of things I shouldn't have. And trust me, Smolder made me pay for it."

The aforementioned dragoness pulls the changeling by her chin. "Come here, let me tell you something." However, her demand isn't quite for conversation. In spite of there being a lack of verbal communication, there is an interest argument taking place.

I've never had the opportunity to watch two girls indulge in one another so passionately, especially in real life. It's always through images or videos that I've seen something like this, much less between pony mares. And back in my earlier phases, I had thoughts of seeing how Rarity might fare with Sassy Saddles or Coco Pommel. So a simple video of two college mares making out did me justice whenever I wanted to blow a quick load. However, this is different. It's two dragons, albeit one being a changeling in disguise, I happen to know both of them, and my claws are free to explore while one of the lustful pair are already tending to the task I'd normally take upon myself.

Watching the pair has me entranced. The method in which Ocellus has tamed Smolder, every moment their tongues greet one another is arousing. The manner in which Smolder continues to circle her thumb upon me has me drawn to the action, but Ocellus vainly keeps me at an arm's length. I almost snap as I growl at her denying me my approach, but Smolder's actions keep me tethered.

The two break away for a moment, Smolder releases me to give her investment to her partner. It's the first time I've ever seen her become so lost into it that she ignores everything else. The orange dragoness pants for air as her claws wander among Ocellus' transformed body. She abandons sense of self and pride, greedily sinking her dullened claws between her legs, knowing exactly where she intends to indulge.

I begin to work at myself, earning Gabby's undivided attention. Even behind that ball gag of hers, I hear her starved pants for attention. I see her diligently motion her hips to rock against the sybian's lower settings. She locks her gaze to me, looking to give me another show to draw my attention.

The sight of Smolder plunging her fingers into Ocellus, the sweet coos of the transformed changeling, the helpless whimpers of the griffon riding her method of torture, I instinctively rush my pace. Control is sparse in my mind, but is found once more by Ocellus magic keeping my wrists pulled away from myself. She yanks me in and has me barreling towards Gabby, who finds herself with my throbbing display resting actively between her eyes. The poor griffon pants with an increased urgency, forcing her hips up and down the sybian.

Smolder snaps out of her lustful indulgence and swaps the controls off, killing the vibration and rotational functions that once stimulated the griffon. Gabby mewls as she takes in my musk, the lust is abundant in her eyes as she gingerly nuzzles her face into me. She's sly with it, non-verbally inviting me to press upon her face even more by bobbing her head up and away from me.

Ocellus chastises her for her attempt. "You're not getting the satisfaction of that, you slut!" She pulls me away by a short distance, standing between her and falling to her knees. She transforms back to her true self and gives me a momentary peck under my shaft. "Spike is ours today, he's mine tomorrow, so be a good little griff and wait your turn."

"I thought the rules was that she wasn't allowed to─" The sudden sense of warmth consuming me breaks me out of my argument.

As Ocellus takes me to my hilt, Smolder kneels down beside her partner and teases the griffon. "If you were ever curious, that's how you shut him up."

"I mean she's good but, I can still speak, you know." I reply, causing the changeling to stop in her tracks and giving me a lethal upward glare. A flash shines through her body and she suddenly changes form yet again, but this time to Rarity. I freeze for a moment as she continues to keep that same glare. "Now that's not fair, you know tha─"

She dislodges herself from me, spits on me as her magic runs the length of my shaft, milking me as she voraciously laughs at my helplessness. "Oh come now, darling..." She says, replicating even her slightest vocal inflections, battering the throbbing mass against her lips and cheeks. "That's not a suggestion, Spike. Come on, on my face now, dear." She stops at my hilt to give me a firm tug as a sign of warning. "But none in my mane, you know it takes me hours to get the curl right after a wash."

She's far too perfect, the manner in which she opens her mouth and demands for me to unburden myself is too great of an obstacle to overcome. I lose composure and feel my climb reach it's limit instantly. I nearly double over as I brutishly grab the mare's head and send a good two weeks worth of pent-up arousal all over her face, indiscriminately coating some of her mane, and even landing some on Gabby's chest and chin.

Smolder laughs for a moment, seeing the disarray over the griffon's face as the first thing I break my dam to is the splitting image of my first crush before her. "Damn, now that's a way to break a sub."

Ocellus glances back to the griffon, smiling proudly with all of my seed still warm on her face. Gabby slumps quietly, a small amount dressing her as well. But for one, it rings as a sign of victory, while for the other it shows as a s mall token of a humiliating defeat. The faux Rarity wipes her chin as she giggles. "Well, I figured as much."

Smolder piles on to the matter as she pushes me down to my backside. "Yeah, she's got a soft spot for that. But it's nothing she can't handle." She aligns herself to take me on, disregarding the fact that I just finished. "Trust me, she's gonna make Spike pay for that one on Sunday, probably first thing in the morning."

Smolder lets out a satisfied grunt as she sinks herself upon me. She immediately starts with a moderate tempo, her tail smacking the ground as she rises and falls. Ocellus smirks as she stares at the controller for the sybian, shifting her eyes to her partner. "Hey Smolder, darling, can I borrow this for a while."

"Roll for initiative." She says without breaking rhythm. "Kinda busy here."

Ocellus smirks as she summons a die to roll for her chance to run the machine on Gabby. The die tumbles and falls to the ground with a clattering thud. She reads the number aloud. "16, that's a yes in my book!" She picks up the controller and turns everything to the highest setting. "Hey Gabby, how much this thing run you, maybe a thousand bits? How come you couldn't keep it around at your last place? Did your ex not like it too much?"

The griffon looks off with embarrassment.

"Oh wow." Ocellus says before she changes forms yet again. This time she replicates me. The griffon tries to look away from my exact duplicate. "Well, I suppose I wouldn't mind watching you sit on it a while. I kinda like you like this." The duplicate leans down, muttering in a low voice to her. "So submissive, helpless, tame." The controller flicks on, the sudden change in cycle comes as a shock to the griffon who throws her head back, she tries not to show how invested her expressions are towards the experience, especially with Ocellus wearing my face. "Babe, you can look at me."

She sakes her head to say no. The faux dragon quickly grasp at her neck, pinching to quickly grab her attention. Her eyes expand, realizing that the fake me incidentally happened upon one of her triggers. I shouldn't be surprised if she knew since Smolder has a habit of sharing those weaknesses, and she did walk in on us while we were in the middle of that.

The poor griffon is struggling mightily to contain herself. It seems that much of what she's caught up in is causing a lot of conflict in her mind. And seeing me in two different places is probably feeding her imagination to a degree. Ocellus knows she's struggling with it, and teases her further by running a claw between her legs where the sybian comes into contact with her body. The griffon tries to avoid the touch, but the spreader bars on her legs prevent her from doing so, she's completely exposed to the touch of the faux-me.

The dragon's claws raise after a brief journey, pinching and opening to reveal a suspension of her fluids bridging the gap between them. "It seems like you like the attention a little more than you anticipated, or rather than what you'd like to admit." The griffon turns away, trying to force herself away, but Ocellus grabs her by her waist, pressing her closer to the splitting recreation of my phallic form. "Ain't this what you came for? Probably too big for a little thing like you to take in one go, huh?" Ocellus slowly kneels before the griffon, pumping the recreated shaft before her with her eyes fixated towards the conflicted griffon. "You want to get off that and grind on this, don't you? You wanna prove to me that you're a big girl, you can take it. You're not gonna run from it, are you?"

After so long, trying to fight it, Gabby finally tells the truth on herself. Not by means of a greed or complete abandonment of her principles, but a subtle glance downward, seeing the slow pumping motion, the flesh that contorts to the form of the palm embracing it. It's too much for her. She buckles over, seemingly to brace for the impending storm. But her eyes pop open with surprise.

"Phmmm... Mmmph? (Wait... What?)"

The faux dragon gives a sadistic chuckle and leans in to speak with the bewildered griffon. "Let me guess, that's the sensation of you quickly climbing up a mountain, thinking you're soon to claim the peak with your flag, only to tumble back down to find yourself at the start all over again?" The recreated image of me licks their teeth. "Did I sum that up right?"

Trying to work herself back up, Gabby furiously humps at her sybian, looking to regain that lost momentum. But it comes with no reward for her effort, for as quick as she rushes herself back to her event horizon, she once more feels crushing disappointment of ruin and reset.

"You know... That's what I've been dealing with for the past two weeks. I probably never even told you that, maybe I didn't want to throw you off your rhythm, just so I could see how you are with me whenever times get steamy. Can you imagine how it feels to be me, dealing with that for every naughty message and pic you sent me? You think I was blowing my load all over at the idea of you... nah. I suffered... I suffered for a long fucking time. You don't have a clue how many times I wanted to pop off at the thought of you and your antics... but I couldn't." Ocellus nibbles at her neck, whispering all the while into her nape. "Now look at you, suffering in this moment, like I did for two. Whole. Weeks. I bet you can't even bear the thought of being so deprived of even this moment, can you?" My doppleganger presses his mast firmly against her body, riding the front of the sybian with the orgasm-deprived Gabby. "Poor little Gabriella Griffonda, getting all worked up for nothing. I bet you can't even take it, can you?"

While the griffon is busy getting tortured by the changeling in my disguise, Smolder and I watch from our position, amazed over how much of a sexual despot Ocellus really is. In all honesty, it's gotten me back in the full swing of things, while it's only motivating Smolder to go even faster. "Ah... holy hell. Olla's making me forget I'm still riding you."

"No kidding. It's like watching myself from a third-person perspective." I comment as I feel a slight amount of pressure starting to build up in my loins.

Gabby shrieks, twisting in frustration as she finds herself reaching for her third attempt to peak, only to fall back down. Her contortions are enticingly desperate, so much so that I feel Smolder clutching around me. "Oh... Dammit, I'm close." The dragoness warns. She leans back, pulling me with her as she wraps her legs around my body. "Sorry Spike, might have to fight me over pulling out now."

"I'm fighting my damn self to not stay in you." I chuckle before trying to pull my hips back.

She gathers her arms around my neck, guiding me towards her head. "You could always keep going, big guy."

"All this sentimental shit, where's the Smolder I used to know." I say as I thrust into her once more.

She gasp as my one advancement strikes deep. "That Smolder's a fake and you know it." She says as she places her nose to mine. "I do that shit for the other dragons." She gives a downward glance, watching as our bodies repeated break away and reuniting without total separation. "You're losing, big guy. I might get me a few eggs out of you if you're not careful."

I try to pull myself away, heeding her warning, but her legs work in tandem with her hips to retain me. "You act like you want 'em. Keeping me locked down like this, you must be trying for them."

"I told you, you gotta fight me for it." She whispers. I glance down, but she squeezes me into her. "Hey... look at me, not down there." Our eyes meet once more, hers seem to contain a neediness. Her breath is so warm compared to most of her body. I don't think I've ever seen her this close, much less being this close with me compared to the last time. It's even more of a shock that she's doing this without some form of biting, fighting, scratching, clawing, any of it. It seems that she's allowed herself willingly to accept me.

I pull out feeling the tightness gripping at me, I know she's close. I reach down to save myself from a fairly pleasant prison sentence. I finally slip out, the sudden and total withdrawal causing her to squirm and writhe. She hisses steam as she grimaces, seized from the orgasm that's rattling her senses. Her hips indiscriminately jerk into mine, feeling the absence of our unity. While she's grunting from her experience, I tease her over my new-found freedom. "Looks like I win."

She pulls my head into hers. "Fucker, you cheated."

"You must've wanted that clutch real bad, huh?" I tease her.

"Not entirely, big guy." She gives me a peck on the nose. "All I want is you."

While I'm still pending for my second climax, I hunch myself over her, teasing the hood of her clenched entrance while I place my lips into hers. She smiles in between our clashes, showing content with our engagements. Her eyes are half-closed to embrace the moments, but they stay half open to remain locked on me. Her intentions are nothing shy of want and ambition. I'd like to say that I meet her with the same energy, but the manner in which her tail coils around mine begs to differ. The ferocity in which her tongue dances with mine is far too eager, as though she's been wanting this for some years.

I thought dragons didn't like stuff like this, but Smolder obviously made her case that she's different... just like me.

She reaches down to grasp at me, looking to tenderly finish me off while I lay on top of her, at least that's what I think she's intends to do. But she surprises me yet again, pressing into my right shoulder firmly to put me on my back. She pins me to the bed, letting my dissatisfied form stand freely. She slides her way down to my pelvis, giggling as she presents her maw to me. Her sharpened teeth presents a thrilling danger, but the manner which her mouth wraps around me is nigh a moist embrace welcoming me with what some would call southern hospitality. I squirm for a moment, surprised by her tongue caressing me as she retracts herself.

She primes me as she nestles herself beside what she intends to take in her throat. "You ready?"

"Yes." I whisper before she dives headlong into her work. I vie to caress her head as she takes many a plunge upon me, but her wing bats me away selfishly, as though to tell me that she want's the satisfaction of being the only reason I ever come to a peak. Her right claw grasps at my base, massaging me as her tongue coils around my shaft. I take a deep breath, throwing my head back in ecstasy when she moans for my attention. Her eyes don't break from me once. She's not at all clean with her actions, she's very vulgar if anything. The moments she pull away are unbelievably messy, as though she's blatantly disgracing herself with the way she pants, the manner of how she spits on me and kisses every inch, her eyes never leaving mine, the obscene display of her enveloping me to my hilt and retracting with her tongue acting as a spring to keep her coiled onto me. It's devastating, horrendous, just the fact that one moment of this revealed to the world could ruin her life for all we know, and I'm just wanting more of it.

My body, on the other hand, cannot stand for it. The pressure builds again, I feel myself approaching the point of no return, and she feels it as well. She puts her all into it, grabbing and rotating her wrists as she locks herself to my top half. I dig my claws into my mattress, pleading with her to slow down, but she ignores me. She uses her free hand to pat at my chest, trying to keep my attention. I watch in euphoric bliss as she keeps herself locked in. I scream at first from the brutality of her work, then howl from the reward I give for her efforts.

She doesn't care of the first rope that lines the back of her throat, nor the second or third. The fourth becomes too much to take on, so she bears the burden of my overflow and gulps the prior rounds. But she breaks off, still milking me with her claws with mouth wide open. She doesn't even consider her appearance, she takes the last few dribbling streams on her face as her badge of accomplishment. She giggles as she wipes her face and and takes the remainder of our mess upon her mouth.

She quickly climbs up my chest and present me with an unprecedented reverse play, offering me a sample of my own self. I'm left in shock as her tongue forces me to recall the taste she just endured. But as temporarily disgusted as I am, I strangely welcome it also.

My eyes open, seeing a stained Smolder giggling in my face. "So, how's the meal, big guy?"

"A bit... salty." I admit.

She chuckles as she plants her claws back on me. "Eh, you'll get used to it."

Suddenly, the shadow of my own self eclipses me, dripping with the remnants of a prior ejaculation. Ocellus transforms back as she pushes Smolder out of the way. "Well I'm glad you had fun, now it's my turn to take some of that."

I try to look past her, seeing what happened to Gabby. "Hey, what about─"

"Oh don't worry about her." She says, giving me a view of what's been given to the poor griffon. Her chest, her chin, her stomach all coated in semen as she haplessly remains tied to the top of the sybian set at a continuous high setting. Her eyes appear deprived of hope as she looks down upon herself. "I promise you, she'll be more than happy to run it back on Sunday."

"What did you do to her?" I ask.

"Curse her, break her, make her question her sexuality." She responds while priming me back to form. "Showed her who's really the one to call the shots here. She might have all the toys, but I'm the queen bed bug in this bitch." She aligns herself effortlessly before dropping her hips on me. "Now I'm taking the dick I once had a few seconds ago."

I wince from the slight soreness incurred from my past two rounds. "Hey, take it easy. I just finished."

The changeling tilts her head at me. "You kiss my girlfriend and you expect me to show you mercy? Who the fuck do you think I am?"

"To be fair, she kissed me." I argue.

"Don't care. Now fuck me senseless or I put the same spell she's on back on you for the next three hours."

...I sure hope my senses don't get fucked as much as my dick is right now.

Morning in Ponyville has come once more, the sky is starting to turn light blue and yellow from the rising sun waiting to be moved to it's rightful place in the sky. The streets of the town are silent save the few early risers trying to get things going for their respective jobs. Even if it is a Saturday, there are still those who happily greet the dawn while they go on about their morning tasks.

One such figure is none other than Fluttershy, who tends to the animals around her cottage. The day is an early one for her, waking up and starting her work before the rising sun starts to give light. The mourning doves coo their song, waking the yellow pegasus mare from her slumber, serving as a soft but soothing alarm clock. She rises up and starts her work in gathering the food for every creature in and around the cottage. She smiles as she comes up on a pair of bunnies sleeping in the crook by her front door. She gives the waking pair a number of carrots to start their day. "It's a lovely day to be up and going, Angel Bunny, I hope you and Beatrice are doing fine. I know she's expecting."

After tending to her own pet, she grabs the heavy materials for her other animal friends to fill themselves up with. It takes a short while to get everything to everyone, but they're happy with what they're given and they go about their day like they normally do, but with filled bellies and a renewed sense of energy.

Fluttershy goes back to the bedroom to see yet another creature she's yet to feed. A tall and curling beast with the limbs of a number of other creatures, the horns of varying breeds, and the jaundiced eyes of his true nature revealing the world of his debauchery. Albeit a chaotic individual, he's grown himself to be tame around the mare he loves dearly. Fluttershy welcomes him with open hooves as he steps through a dimensional portal leading from his sectioned void of the Aether. "Discord!" She calls out, her shout being relatively soft in the moment. "I was wondering where you went off to on last night. It's not like you to just not show for dinner."

The creature accepts her embrace, but with a seemingly wounded soul. "Oh yes. I'm sorry."

"Discord?" He looks away, but not for long, not after Fluttershy turns his head towards her and offering him a peck on his nose. "Sweetheart, what's going on?" She tilts her head, her ears flop with curiosity.

He hums in thought before speaking. "Have you ever awakened to feel a familiar presence looming somewhere in the world?"

The mare blinks for a moment. "I'm not quite sure. I barely know how to open the way into the chaos realm like you taught me."

Realizing that his intuition is still vastly above that of the humble mare, he shakes himself of his thoughts of incredulity. "I suppose that wasn't a fair question to ask you, my dear Fluttershy."

She seats herself in front of him, looking to learn more of what seems to trouble him. "What's on your mind?"

The draconequus closes his eyes, short memories play back in his mind before he speaks his mind. "Something's off, like something's not supposed to be here in the world with you."

"Can't be that bad, can it?" She asks, knowing that if it was, she would get involved.

Knowing this, he denies any idea of it being so. "...I suppose not."

I wake up in between the company of two girls hunched over my body. I look down to the foot of where I sleep, seeing Gabby still passed out from last night's activities. The ropes are still on her body and she's still gagged. I can only feel sorry for how the night turned out for her, but I'm sure she'll look to pay herself back in full on tomorrow. I shouldn't be surprised if she decided to jump bones tonight.

I stretch my arms out, moving and carefully navigating myself out the bed filled with three other creatures, making my way to the bathroom to relieve myself of a night of drinking and heavy debauchery. I also take a quick whiff of myself, and it's not pretty. So I spend a little more time in the shower to get some of the funk from last night off. Guess I'll do some laundry today since my sheets are bound to be wracked with the filth. It's only fair that I'd take precautions.

The others are a little slower to wake, but they are more than happy over what's transpired. The only one who doesn't seem to be too enthralled is Gabby, who after being tied up and gagged all night is sore beyond the reason of a doubt. I untie her and apologize to her over the inconvenience, grab my sheets from off the bed, and start making my way to the basement for laundry detail.

But I start to hear some music playing, music I'm not too familiar with. It almost sounds like someone's starting a whole concert here in my house. "The hell is that sound?"

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to get through this thing called life."

I don't recall there being any kind of sound system that takes into account reverb and delay, much less a synthesizer. What the fuck's going on in my basement?

"Electric word, life, it means forever, and that's a mighty long time. But I'm here to tell you there's something else: The afterworld."

Okay, now this is getting ridiculous. I'm going downstairs to see what this shit is.

"A world of never-ending happiness, you can always see the sun, day or night."

I hold my makeshift bag, seeing a pony-like figure reclining on top of my storage chest, He seems to be holding a microphone up to his lips as he points to the ceiling of my basement, all while pretending he's throwing on a show down here. The drums start pounding a beat away and the synths plays the same two chords back and forth as he breaks out in monologue.

"So when you call up that shrewd in Canterlot Castle, you know the one, Princess Everything-will-be-just-fine, instead of asking her how much of your time is left, ask her how much of your mind, babe. Because in this life... things are much harder than in the afterworld. Cause in this life..."

He shifts his head to my direction, pointing at me

"You're on your own."

I drop my sack of sheets as he continues on with his show. A ghostly guitar shows up in his hooves as he starts to dance on top of my chest like it's a makeshift stage. The riffs start to play loudly over the drums as he carries on his display.

"And if de-elevator tries to break you down... Go crazy. PUNCH A HIGHER FLOOR!"

Author's Note

Well hello there! It's been a ghastly while. I think a month even.

I'm so sorry for the absences. These past few weeks have been trying to say the least. I guess I should start from the beginning of this ordeal for those who don't read my blog posts.

So in the second to last week in July, I had a conference to play for, which pretty much absorbed most of my time in both prep and organization. So I didn't really have any time to myself to get things written down. Instead, I had to keep a focus on the musical side of life, which involved a lot of recording, producing, arranging, practicing, phone calls, etc. And then there was the workshop the week after that. My entire day from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. was taken for the sake of long rehearsals leading into the big finale on Friday night... where my laptop took a spill mid performance.

It was already bad with all the sudden shutdowns due to repeated cases kernel power failure, but the issues were amplified after that. Damaged motherboard, dead hard drive, and I had to wait for an SSD to be shipped in. But I wouldn't be home to receive it because I had a trip to Texas soon after all of that, all driven on a van with our equipment in tow. So a week passes and some lovely readers offered donations to help me get back on my feet (I still owe you musical commissions, you know who you are).

So the day after I get back home, I finally get things back to speed, pop in the new SSD to see if I can install windows 10 again, but then it goes through a number of boot failures and loops back to a reset. So there was no way to salvage that situation other than one thing: follow through on that new computer. Since I had enough money made from my trip, combined with the good will of the donors, I could finally afford the monster I'm typing on as of now.

It took me a week to get the hang of this new system, but it took me even longer to download all of the music software I had installed on my older systems. I still have more to download, but I'm mostly back in business. So I'll find more time to get to typing.

Hopefully the next chapter won't have as long of a wait.

So again. THANK YOU ALL FOR STICKING BY ME! We're back, baby!

Chapter 42: Haphazard Homecoming

Canterlot Castle...

Yet another brightened dawn falls upon the lands of Equestria. While many are beginning to stir the rumors of war and peaceful dissent, the greater population shows minimal concern for the conflict stirring on the other side of the world. One such practitioner of the common mindset, even while being aware of the ramifications, is the seemingly appeased Stanton arriving from the portal of the human world. A smile wears proudly on his face as he transforms himself into his equine form and takes to the halls of the castle.

Along his walk, he falls in line with a visually perturbed alicorn princess. "Good morning, your highness."

"Morning, Stanton." Her attitude towards him is far from the usual welcoming demeanor she's known for having.

The stallion pokes a little playful fun at her. "Wow, sourpuss from the other side of the bed."

"Can you not channel your older brother today?" She snaps back quietly, speeding up her trotting pace to avoid him. The stallion increases the tempo of his gait to match.

Seeing that she's obviously not of mind to take a few playful barbs, he reconfigures his approach. "Sorry, just didn't expect you to be in a shaky mood. If you'll need me to, I'll keep my distance."

She stressfully groans at herself, slowing down while he tries to stick beside her. "Why am I lashing out at you?"

"Frustration over global events, it happens."

"Obviously." She rolls her eyes, summoning a schedule to look over for her day.

"So let's summarize, shall we? We're forty down, and there's a bunch of families looking for answers as to why Spike isn't one of them."

"Can you blame them for feeling that way?" Asks the purple princess.

"I mean I understand where some of your frustration's coming from. I mean the nerve of that guy and what he said yesterday." He alludes to an outburst during one of her outings the previous day, how an older stallion gave a heated verbal exchange to the princess.

"He was just an angry citizen, and rightfully so." She sighs. "My job as a princess is to not ignore the cries of the public, but to also not overlook the forest for the trees. It's hard to strike a balance between the two."

"I do think it's interesting that the parliament chose to wait until Spike gets back before making their final declarations known. In a way it can be pretty unnerving, especially with how emotions can either fester or wane over time. You never know which direction that group would end up taking, at least in my world we know to follow the money to find a motive."

"We're on the verge of war, I think that's a polite way of describing the atmosphere at the moment." She dismisses the parchment, having read and understood her schedule of appearances for the day. "No matter the routines of our daily walk, that dark cloud is only going to grow in the coming time. And not having any answers for it all only means that it can get worse."

"I'll imagine it could take a bit of time before they head from Silver Shoals to make the travel from there to Vanhoover. And then there's the train from that to here. We both know a certain someone ain't gonna go for that." Stanton points out. "My only question is this: Think they'll use the portals through our world to get back here quicker?"

"They shouldn't even try to do something that risky." Twilight disagrees. "Can we really trust two other equines, from Ponyland of all places, to enter the human world without any kind of prompt or preparation? Spike and his friends were one thing, they were at least transformed and made aware of what the human world contains long before entering. If one of them turns out to be a spy of some sort, all of that would just screams disaster!"

"Yeah, but can you imagine having to put them on a train, a mode of transportation you know Nondis will not take under any circumstances?"

"If they get back to Silver Shoals, Spike and Kali should be able to get them further south, they should be on a train within a few hours of them making landfall."

"And you'd want them to take two undocumented immigrants across the whole country. How do you expect them to do that without their clearances, you know, the ones that you currently have stashed away?"

"I'm sure they'll call me to have it sent over. It won't be that big of a deal."

Stanton shakes his head. "And how soon do you think they'll wait for that? Because I know my bro, he ain't gonna have that, especially dealing with Spike and where he just came from. You know he's gonna fast-track this. And I'm not gonna be the one to do put my foot in this operation. It was already hard enough to get here this morning. You want me to drive back down I-35, get off on 5th, then hop on TX-1, during what could possibly be the many instances of rush hour?"

"So do you think he'll fast-track that any better?" She asks.

"Yeah. Let that man nexus them through the family mansion, and have them dropped off in Ponyville. Spike and Kali would take it from there, and Nondis could just go back home. Seems like the easiest way of getting things done to me."

"So you would have them report directly to Ponyville of all places? Spike would probably never even look to reclaim his clearances, much less ever see me again!"

"Honestly, do you blame him?" The stallion asks. "I'd be hella pissed at you for dropping me into the crucible, knowing they'd be looking at me like a prime cut of beef. I wouldn't expect him to just go home and stay there for a while."

"But I need to see him, we need to talk, at least for the reason that my mind can be at ease." She takes a deep breath, trying to calm herself. "Even if he wants to avoid me, we have to see each other somehow. At least I'll know in my mind the next course of action to take."

"Oh I'm sure he's going to be thrilled to be back home, only to be dragged off onto the next train a few minutes later, and then hurried before parliament to give his traumatizing account of what all has happened. I'm sure it will be great to have him relive all of that before a live studio audience." Stanton sarcastically rebuts. "I'm sure you remember the last time we had a trauma dump in that setting. I sure can't forget it, and I'm sure Celestia remembers how that felt for her during that time."

"Even if that's the case, he needs to be here anyways. After every assignment to high-risk areas, it's mandatory to undergo a mental health screening for his mental well-being." Twilight counters. "If there's something wrong, I'll at least be comforted by the fact that I can do something about it.

"I'm just saying, it should be better to let him get a few days back home in his house, chill out for a bit, then you can go get him and screen him, do whatever to reopen those wounds in whatever fashion you see fit."

The princess gives an exhale of defeat. "Whatever happens, I just don't want the parliament to make wild assumptions and declare a war we may not be ready to fight."

"Okay, let's be real for a sec. Who's to say that Ponyland hasn't already found out if they wanted to start some shit by now? I'm sure if they're chasing down Nondis and Celestia, either one of them is going to have them looking at every other option aside from stirring up shit." Stanton warns. "We both know about Nondis' situation, but I'm sure you especially remember Blueblood's unredacted account of the Equestrian Civil War."

Thoughts of her mentor flashes in her mind, especially a recount of Starlight's intermingled engagement with Celestia's dream sequence after having swapped both her and Luna's cutie marks. "I know she wouldn't possibly go that far."

Stanton eyes the purple princess, offering a critical rebuke for Twilight's naivety. "For a man she just married, the first one she has in over a thousand years? Ain't no way you seriously believe she won't start a war over that. She may be rational in most other aspects, but you know as much as I do that she's an unchained beast when it comes to protecting him. You have to remember that Nondis wasn't in a glass case just because she thought of him as the nuclear option. You know how protective she is of him, and that's despite how exceptionally hard he is to put down by human standards. And you know how quick we can put down most any living creature."

Twilight looks back at the memory of the wedding she officiated, seeing the smile on her former mentor's face, the tearful exchange of vows, how her thousands of years dwarf the few tens of his remaining, her begrudging acceptance of that limitation.

Her eyes close, offering a prayer to her former mentor. "Celestia... please don't prove me wrong."

Meanwhile in Cloud Castle...

In the wee hours of the morning and having made an expedited flight back to their home shores, Agamemnon and Xerxes are quietly stripped of their commands by none other than the younger of their noble-blood line. Having a mind of mischief for the pair of injured alicorn stallions, he brazenly mocks them of their catastrophic failures and the losses incurred, an opportunity their father's ire disallowed during their prior conference.

To make matters worse, he offers yet another method to disallow the two their pride.

"WHAT THE HELL IS THIS!?"

Xerxes fumes as his eyes is brought upon a light-framed warship, crudely grafted and downgraded to that of a civilian airliner. "It's our airship, built exclusively for your comfort." Eros chimes in mockingly.

"You told me there would be upgrades to Zenobia's ship! I didn't think you would just downgrade the damn thing to even shittier standards!"

"I see how that may upset you, but we've done some analysis of the wreckage of the Equestrian airship you've set ablaze, the one that started all of this mess to begin with." The lavender-streaked prince glances back at his older brother, hiding a critical glare behind his smiling façade. "Plus, I did manage to acquire some ill-gotten schematics for their airship mechanics during their seated maintenance period, you know, that extended period of time we've restricted their departure from the airfield as a so-called gesture of 'good will' to exchange schematics? To keep it short, we've applied those blueprints into this build, now it's a one-hundred percent Equestrian exterior, give or take a few Ponyland features under the hood to help make a quick withdrawal."

"You've made our frigate into a pedestrian airship!" Xerxes shouts vehemently.

"Exactly, my good little puss-filled brother!" Eros confirms with a grin. "We can't be covert if we display mechanics that far outclass anything else they've got going. Some of these things got to look like pedestrian wear, so that we can travel through their lands almost unquestioned. It's better to blend in."

"And that's your excuse of this abhorrent paintjob!? You might as well remove the 't' in 'paintjob' and it would better describe what I'm looking at!"

"It's the Equestrian colors. I thought a reputable 'strategist' of your pedigree would understand that our war-time color palate wouldn't be good for international appeal."

The intrepid prince groans with disgust. "Why, why must I be subject to this torment?"

"Because you and Agamemnon went about the business of discovery, and that discovery is what sank ten of our airships on yesterday. Or have you selectively forgotten that fact?" Eros recalls with a mocking tone. "I do recall that you like to change the numbers of how many chess matches you've won against me. While you still hold a lead, you make it appear as if the difference between us is hundreds of matches, when it's really a few dozen. I wonder why you'd be so willing to lie on your prestigious resume... or perhaps it was never really that impressive to begin with."

The personal attack stirs anger in the crown prince. "Damn you!"

"Damn me all you like, Xerxes." He says as he takes notice of Agamemnon walking closer towards the ship, half of his face bandaged off from view. "There's no refuting the truth, and that truth is you're wholly responsible for all of this. You should look behind you sometime, maybe that pride of yours could use a bit of sobering up with how many friendly casualties you've left in your wake."

The crown prince insists upon his pride, refusing to turn towards the injured brother that now stands beside him. He also displays his disgust over the appearance of their intended vessel. "The hell is this piece of shit?"

"Our golden steed." Xerxes answers through gritted teeth. He walks onboard, knowing that his refusal would certainly draw further ire from his father, possibly ending in severe reprimand.

Agamemnon gags with disgust as he follows. "Just take my other eye, I'm better off without it."

"I hope the inside isn't as terrible as it is on the outside." Xerxes mutters as he opens the door. Upon doing so, he sees a much smaller command bridge and hardly any weapons on board aside from a few muskets stashed away on the wall. The communications area is drastically reduced, with a communications sphere grafted into the main console of the bridge. The interior, while matching the exterior, is a lot more lavender than powder blue. "...Well I was right, it's even worse inside."

Eros proudly admits his input for the interior. "I just thought that the color scheme would be nice with my own personal touch. Wouldn't you agree?"

"Anything but this." The one-eyed prince pleads.

"Oh come now, Agamemnon. Not everything has to be red and black and pointy to get the job done." Eros argues while illustrating his elder branch sibling's preferences. "And besides, none of us really take preference to pink, which is what this disasterclass of a vessel previously was."

"Zenobia doesn't even like pink." Xerxes points out.

"And blue is too gaudy and bold. So I went with a soft lavender." Eros states.

"If you're willing to go this far, then I have hope that the living quarters have been upgraded to some degree."

Eros chuckles as he gives his answer to the crown prince. "Oh no, there was no need to change that. Zenobia's room is still just as pink as she left it. I guess you can say it'll be waiting for her when she gets aboard. But for now, Xerxes, you can take that room. My subordinates do say that the bed is awfully nice."

Xerxes chokes back on his gag reflex. "Me sleeping on whatever mattress she's sullied in her juices? Ugh."

"Oh be an adult." Eros reprimands the crown prince for his concerns.

"Then why don't you sleep in that bed since you're the one in charge?"

"She's not my sister by full-blood. So I wouldn't dare mark her bedding with my scents. Besides, she'll need something to come back to when we offer her return. And besides, I'm sure she wouldn't mind a bit of puss in her sheets seeing how she's just as much of a burn victim as you are, if not less than." He points over to his fellow branch sibling. "Agamemnon, you'll be in one of the other staterooms. I'm sure you'll enjoy the unsullied sheets."

"Now that's an idea I'm fairly fond of." The one-eyed prince declares as he walks off to take his rest.

As the two are left in the room by themselves, Xerxes growls back at the smiling sibling. "What do you think you'll gain from this, Eros?"

"I don't want anything, dear brother." He shrugs in return. "I just get to see the look of bemusement when I succeed where you have failed. And given the past few days, you've been failing pretty mightily. I enjoy seeing how easily you've decimated global view of our lineage, I should be offended but I'm actually impressed that you've done this much in so little time. Both you and Zenobia are truly the image of your mother's pearl."

"You take that back!" The crown prince snaps back, quickly grabbing a musket from the wall.

"Oh calm down, would you? So thin skinned against a little brotherly brigading. It's a shame to see the state of you these days." He calmly nudges the barrel of the weapon from his face, giving the crown prince a word of warning. "And besides, killing me at any point would only turn father against you, especially after how you've taken the life of Adelphos. To think you've killed him over his protective instinct of your lesser-blood play toy. I bet that father has already planned for your... proclivities. In fact, he already has one in place." He steps even closer to Xerxes, fearlessly staring down the injured crown prince. "To think that Zenobia isn't here to cover for you in this failure, but she'll be the main thing that keeps father's line going, yet another failure of your post. Once you've been crowned emperor, she will be considered as the Noble Blood Primus, she'll be the bearer of our family's lineage, siring foals with the birthright while your international position will be shamed for your lack of foresight. Oh what words they'll speak of you, to know that the emperor of a proud nation sires no direct heir because of the fact that even the most beautiful mares can't seem to get it up for him. An impotent primus is no primus at all." He whispers into his ears a final remark. "To have your own sister bear your kids outside of the prime of her life, what a scandal truly worth your mother's final resolution."

Eros walks away, smiling with a stifled laugh as a disgruntled Xerxes puts the weapon down. He trembles with rage as he looks back at the departing stallion with murderous intent. Eros keeps his back to his older brother, waving a hoof back at him.

"Remember, no hunting on this trip." He says with a playful wink. "Father's orders."

Celestial Sea Three days later...

Nondis sits quietly, tapping his heel anxiously as he looks at the fuel reserve tank across from him. While his height has him looking down to see the levels, he's having to lower his head just a bit more to pay closer attention to where they are for the time being. His wife walks into the room, noticing the concerning expression sat upon his face.

"Honey, you okay?"

"Well... wanna see something interesting?" He points to the levels indicated on the tank.

She walks over to see his concern. "Oh... that's not good."

"Bingo on fuel, can't even say that with confidence." He replies. "We didn't get nearly enough before we had to skedaddle out of Foalsom. No telling if we'll even reach Equestrian waters at this point."

"Not a good thing to be on low reserves, but we'll reach the bay with the speed we have. We just have to be patient and not go into full-throttle for any reason. We'll have a visual of land, but we probably won't get there altogether." Celestia turns to her husband, rubbing his arm. "So what's the plan, babe?"

"If it's enough to get us out of international waters, maybe even close to the marina, that should be enough. Still, we won't be able to port the ship in properly."

The mare gives her husband's arm a jubilant tug. "Do like we did during our wedding reception?"

The man stares at his wife like she's gone mad. "I could call Luna when we get close and see if we can get a tow into the harbor."

Celestia hawks a growl of disappointment. "You're no fun."

"Now hold on!" He points a finger back at the mare. "You're the main one who'll always be saying 'sometimes fun isn't the most effective method'. So now that I'm doing that, you think it's a bad idea!?"

She returns a pointed wing at her partner. "Well since we're calling things out, I do remember you responding along the lines of 'fun ain't effective, it's just a lot more entertaining'."

He rolls his eyes at his wife. "Of course you would use my own words against me. Why would I expect anything less of you?"

"If I didn't know you any, I wouldn't do that. But since you've married me, you'll now have to deal with that for the rest of rather short life. I never said I would make these next fifty-some-odd years easy. I'm going to get my bits worth for the fleeting season I have with you." She yanks her husband down by the collar of his shirt, pulling him into a passionate smooch. "Now come on here, breakfast is ready."

"So what am I eating first, the food or you?" He asks.

The mare giggles. "I would love to be cracked open and slurped clean like crab legs, but our food will get cold by the time we finish."

He snarls into her ear, smiling as he nibbles at her tip. "And that's the excuse I get from the literal sun demon?"

"Nondis, you know I am not a microwave." She whispers.

"Sure you are, you keep that box hot and ready for me."

"Fuck." An impatient pant leaves the former princess' lips. "Baby, attempt 589 will have to wait."

As she backs off from him, she pulls him towards her, guiding him towards a large pipe she could rest on. "Tia, the door's that way." He thumbs behind him.

"You of all creatures know how fickle I am." The sound of a buckle clacks loudly in contrast to the consistent hum of the engines beneath them. She anchors herself as he takes firm grasp of himself. "We have five minutes before they get curious."

"So we doing this like that time we did in the bathroom of Ponyville Townhall?" He asks, rubbing a thumb against his desired target.

"Back then, we couldn't do this. The anticipation of not knowing what you feel like and the curious anticipation is what drove me in that moment." She uses her magic to guide him inside of her, giggling as his girth parts her warm and welcoming walls. "Now it's the crippling case of addiction. I'm stuck on a drug you gave me the night of our marriage, I can't seem to turn away from it. What cruelty to alter my life with such an abusive substance."

"You could walk away at any given time. Cold turkey." He says as he withdraws from her.

"Sometimes 'fun' isn't the most effective method, but right now that's a question you know the answer to." Her horn glows to take hold of his waist, reintroducing himself back into her depths.

"You're so nasty." He mocks quietly.

"You made me like this." She whimpers between breaths. "Now start working."

With hoof over mouth and eyes peering through the cracked door, a quiet mare watches the interactions between the married couple. She takes in the anatomical differences they have, the enormous size disparity from a loving husband and his wife, what should be their incompatible sexes melding so naturally. The glazed expression of the former princess heralding the girth of her human, the manner of her writhing between his thrusts, a plea between his slow drives, they reawaken a side of her that she has long try to keep subjugated.

A foreleg rests firmly between the haunches of it's longing possessor. Her hips instinctively pulse forward while her hoof rests upon the top of her nethers, a conflicted struggle taking place as the human and his equine wife exchange lustful quips.

"I thought this was supposed to be quick." The wife mewls.

"I know how much you love taking your time." The husband traces a finger along the length of her horn, causing her to shrivel under the pressure of his applications.

"Baby, no." She weakly argues against his approach, but knows she enjoys every last bit of his work, his attention to detail, and how his lips adorn the base of her horn. "Oh shit."

"That's right, I'll make you a mom today." Celestia's wing clumsily unfurls, batting at a nearby pipe as she squirms at his words, as well as the accompanied reentry. He snickers at her helplessness. "I'll love making you a mom, I can already see us trying to find time in between to give our first born a sibling."

'But I gave you that already.' Thinks the viewing mare, caught between wanting to relieve herself at the action taking place, and finally wising up to get their attention to have them come eat their breakfast. In between the heated breaths of her personal conflict, reflections of her memories with him and her come to mind, visualizations of his human shape drastically encroaching over her smaller equine frame overwhelm her. The quiet realization manifests a fantasy of her easily taking the place of the alicorn in the room, how she would love to scream in these tortured moments. Her eyes clench, at last submitting to the shameful realization that her emotions aren't quite resolved in the agreement made. She mouths a sinful plea. 'Love me instead. I can give you more if you ask.'

Her hoof takes the journey further south, at last breaking the awkward separation between it and her pulsing lips. Her hoof motions in a circle, her horn active as she casts a distortion field around herself, silencing her longing cries. At last she can ignore the mask of motherhood she tries to bear so righteously in the face of others, relapsing back to the mode of her days as a servant to the man currently enjoying the warmth of his wife. The shadow of his length withdrawing from the path of her womb is cast upon her eyes, only to be followed by the sudden collision of his hips upon hers.

Celestia's legs open broadly as her husband works up a tempo, he takes advantage of her compromising position, pulling a leg into his arm and bearing down upon her shoulder. He gives a quick burst of speed, causing the mare to whine from the pressure. Her eyes give longing as her husband makes no provision for her to retreat. He whispers to her. "Deep breaths, babe."

"Yes sir." She painfully coos as he shows very little relent.

The position they take stirs a familiar memory in the mind of the voyeuristic zebracorn. She recognizes the shape they take, not from some mere magazine, but from a past application. She remembers firmly their second tryst, a moment where both were made to perform in subjugation, a moment where she lost control and began to enjoy herself. She remembers the look of bewilderment upon his face as she took his leg and applied herself upon him with fervor. The lust-mad grin that once dressed her lips bearing down to him, it's now shows as a plagiarized script the man recites to his spouse.

Unaware of her own pace, she finds herself heaving against the doorframe, hunching over as she spills herself unto the hallway floor. Kalimba grunts loudly as sharp pleasure quakes throughout her body, her legs losing all bearing before she collapses to the ground, laying in the reminder of her sudden outburst.

A quiet realization sits upon her as she hears the two continue in the room. Her eyes drift towards the stained hoof that committed the transgression, her mind subconsciously dubbing blame upon it for her broken composure, as well as the broken scab that reopens an old wound.

A brief image of her son appears in her mind, his smiling up at her, the beaming show of affection causing her to flinch intrusively. Her spell falters, her eyes briefly meeting with the mare receiving the preferential treatment. Kalimba realizes that she is seen and rises to her hooves quickly. At that moment, she makes a quiet escape from the doorway, pacing slowly away before darting into a gallop away from the married pair.

Celestia's wings cover her face as she hides her expression from her husband. She continues to moan at his diligent work, but her eyes are cast to the side, filled with deep regret and shame. She allows her husband to continue unopposed, hiding her face so that he does not slow himself to ask questions. "Oh honey, you're so vigorous today. You're not exactly making it easy to breathe." Instead she offers praises while hiding her growing insecurity, her mounting guilt.

In the 589 attempts, she's sired not a single pregnancy, while the zebracorn in a mere 6 exchanges bears his first born.

Ever since we sent her to tell Nondis and Celestia about breakfast, we haven't seen hair nor color of Kalimba today. If I'm not mistaken, I'd say she fallen overboard with how quiet she's been. But thankfully that idea is dispelled over the fact that Zenobia explains how she has another checkup featuring the zebracorn. And because of her, she hadn't experienced much in the way of discomfort. She seems to be doing great, moving around the ship and conversing with her siblings a little more regularly. But when it comes to the usual exchanges both she and Kalimba have had during her rehabilitation process, she's even noticed that her quips have been rather subdued on today.

I grow concerned, even going by her room on occasion, just to knock on the door and check in. No answer at all, it's like she's completely unresponsive to anything other than what she needs to do. Perhaps her sea-sickness has finally gotten the better of her and she's just trying to tough it out. So I at least try to respect her space and give her the time she needs.

Dinner comes and goes, she's a no-show. Even Nondis makes a comment of it, Celestia doesn't seem to say much, but she's not as bright-eyed as she normally would be either. And he takes notice of her lack of interaction within the conversation. Of course, she goes right back into her façade and laughs it up with everyone else. But both she and I know that something's up, especially after our conversation some days ago.

It's something about Nondis, and neither want to say it aloud.

The sun goes down, the sea is pitch black, and there's a fairly smooth patch of waves running beneath the ship's hull. I resign myself to some quiet reading out on the deck. The air's a little bit chilly, but not nearly as much as when we first got started. I'm mainly reclined in the hot tub to keep my scales warm and my limbs free-moving.

I hear the sliding door shut in the distance. I poke my head out from the brim, expecting it to be Amor. "Cooling off again?" But instead of seeing him, it's Kalimba that I see quietly creeping out. "Oh, it's you." She tries to turn around, avoiding my eyes like the plague, but I already see the issue plaguing her. "Your eyes are puffy. You okay?"

She keeps herself turned, doing whatever to hide her face. "Just... collecting."

I climb out of the hot tub, placing the book aside to speak with her. "Thoughts?"

"Memories." She tries to write it off by waving a hoof at the thought.

"About... you-know-who?"

A silence brews between us before she quietly admits her grief. "I guess he's part of it."

"What's on your mind if you don't mind me asking?"

"Just personal things. You don't need to be concerned." She responds.

I read past her attempts to downplay her issue. "Does seeing him and her together hurt you?"

Her body sags as my question hits it's target. She still looks away, not wanting to show me the magnitude of her troubles and how much they weigh on her. "It shouldn't. But sometimes it does."

"Have you tried talking to him about it?"

She walks past me, making a vehement declaration. "No. And I never will."

"Why not?"

"Because I made a promise." She reiterates. "What would I look like to go back on something I try to make good on? At that time, I had little to hold for myself other than what was given to me, by him no less! I had nothing in my name until he came along! I had no future to look forward to, until he walked in my life! And I had nothing to give back other than my whole body!" The mare sulks, trying to calm herself. "I tell myself that is an avenue I no longer have, that I should be content in having what I do now. I am a mother, and I should be proud of that."

"But that's not enough for you." I conclude. I walk to her side, looking to reason with her, taking the stance that I know Celestia herself would offer. "I know I can't force you to move on something you stand on, but don't you think you deserve some happiness somewhere?"

"It's just as I said. My happiness is back home, it's probably giving Gala a hard time, but it's back home."

"I get it, you're a mom who wants to do right by her kid, even if that doesn't really add up to me personally. But I know that even as an adult with obligations, you're still you, you're still complete with your own wants and desires, those things you've clearly elected to ignore. I'm not saying you're lecherous for having them, nor will I degrade you for thinking of it, but something's gotta give." I try to word my suggestion in a way that wouldn't offend the frustrated mare. "I'm sure if we offer the space, and Celestia has a conversation with Nondis, he'll be willing to oblige a─"

"Absolutely not!" She finally turns towards me, sharply objecting to the idea. "If I were to even ask, and he were to somehow accept it, would I find the strength to let him go after?" Her ears fold down, her guilt manifesting in them. "I am very aware of my answer."

"You think it'll start something?" I ask. "I know it's pretty weird to hear from me, but I have more than one that I need to accommodate for. I'm in a multifaceted relationship, basically a... um... let's see..." I count on my fingers the names of myself and my partners. Me, Ocellus, Smolder, Gabby─ "A love rectangle, if you will. And the start of this was me being with my first, who was already in a relationship. Then as time went along, she asked if she could make this officially a thing under the premise that her other partner could remain in link. And while me and that third are good friends already, I opened myself to that. Then I asked if I could bring my link into it, and they agreed, cited their rules, and it was all good. So to me, if she's willing to bring you on, then what would that start between you two?"

The mare shakes her head. "You did not see how Celestia and I were when we were still working through the Corrotto situation. It was quite bitter."

"And you don't want to reopen that wound, I understand. But she's still offering, you can't possibly think that she'd be upset if you wanted to claim some time for yourself."

"Then what, have my son in an even worse position because he won't understand why his father is different?" She asks. "I know that you all mean well for me to pursue my own happiness, but there's so much more that I need to care for. My life isn't my life anymore, everything I do is for my son. I want him to be in a place that's comfortable." The mare gives a dejected sigh, concluding her side of the argument. "I know what Nondis is about, he's a firm believer in the rule of one. If I inject myself knowing what I have, then that will take away the time he has for her, and he's worked a lot for that. I couldn't possibly betray what he went through for something as simple as a night with me, much less anything more than that. It's better for us to leave things be."

"Even if you're not happy about it?" I ask.

She looks at me, placing further validation of her beliefs. "You do the same as I do already. Or maybe your feelings for her have completely waned?" She waits for me to give her an answer, knowing that I can't bring myself to truly break past my heart's innermost desire. "...I figured as much."

The door slides open yet again, our heads turn to see Zenobia stepping out. "Pet, there you are! Finally found you after looking stupid all over this ship!"

"Are you ever not gonna call me that?" I ask, getting a little annoyed.

"Sorry, you're just going to have to fucking bear with it." She says, trotting up to me with inspired vigor. But that inspiration soon turns to trepidation from the breeze of the night. "It's a bit chilly out here, you should be inside."

"How you feeling by the way?" I ask.

"She's fine. She's been begging me to work quickly so she can get a hold of you again." Kalimba answers.

"And you obliged?"

The imperial princess nuzzles her head into me. "I told her the quicker she'd get done, the quicker she'd be done with me."

"And I work fast." The zebracorn replies as she trots past us, heading back inside. "Have fun."

"Hey, wait up!" I call to her, only to have my collar activated.

A pink lead yanks at my neck, her hooves greedily wraps the slack between us as she closes the distance. "Oh no, you're not getting away from me this time!" She yanks the collar itself down to where my head is but mere inches from smiling face, her sinful intentions on full display.

As she vies to take advantage of me, I try to argue against her getting back into the swing of our lustful exchanges. "Uh, Zenobia... I think we need to have a few conversations before we─"

"Well frankly I couldn't care less. I'm in a fairly good mood. My wounds have healed, I'm not oozing with puss, I don't smell like shit, I'm well-bathed, and I'm back to full vigor. You know what that means."

"I think it's time for bed." A third voice chimes in.

"Ha! Someone's got it..." In the midst of her excitement, she slowly realizes that we have a visitor to our discussion. Celestia beams a frown towards the mare, causing her to quench her magic immediately. "...right."

I nervously laugh as she doesn't seem the least bit pleased. "Celestia, where did─" Her eyes narrow, giving me a wordless warning against disobedience. "─you got it. Bedtime. Goodnight."

As I dust myself off and dart back inside, she offers the same glare to the imperial princess. "Zena. I'm sure your wounds have healed quite nicely for you to be acting out like that. Perhaps if you're so energized, you would be willing to entertain me in a little spar."

"No thanks." She shows she is more than enthusiastic to make an early retirement of the evening. She tries to dart past the former princess. "I'll be on my way, your majesty. Goodnight."

As she walks forward, her entire body is frozen in place by the millennium old alicorn. Even the tiniest nudges are denied to her as Celestia circles around her to give a word of warning. "You know, it's because of that collar that Twilight found every reason to call us to rescue him. So I'm sure that you wouldn't mind if I kept you here for the night, would you?"

"I don't think I fare too well in a breeze." She quickly replies.

"Then you will find no reason to use that thing any further than you already have." She releases the holding spell over her and takes the first step inside. "Oh, and please do keep your sexual proclivities to yourself. Spike has enough partners as it is." She closes the door behind her, leaving the recovered alicorn alone on the deck amidst the pitch-black darkness of the sea.

"He has... partners?"

Silver Shoals The Next Afternoon...

Finally...

We arrive close to land before our vessel finally burps on the last bit of fuel and puckers to a complete stop. While our call of 'land ho' comes to a disappointing but inevitable delay, we take appreciation for having made it this far, especially thanking our pair of skippers for not getting us run aground on some uncharted desert isle, or cast into the sea by some unassuming iceberg drifting about. They've done their jobs in getting us back to Equestrian waters, now it's a matter of seeing if the tow can come and guide us to the local marina.

The phone call is made to Luna, who alerts the maritime authorities of a local vessel stuck out in the bay with no fuel. The port authorities are quick to respond, and they send a pair of tugboats to pull us along to the docks. And once the local pegasi hop on to cast our mooring lines, we officially jumped off ship and enjoyed the firm foundation of concrete and sedimentary sand underneath us.

"Home. Fucking. SWEET HOME!" Of course I don't think about that sand bit for the initial moment my lips come into contact with the ground, but the taste of miniature quartz beads leaves a traumatic taste in my mouth. I immediately jump back with regret and start dusting my lips and tongue, much to the laughter and enjoyment of both Amor and Hestia.

Meanwhile, Zenobia is starstruck by the appearance of former princess Luna. Her mane, instead of being cut short like Celestia was, is still as long as I remember. "I see you've undergone a return to the status quo."

"It's temporary." Celestia responds. "I'll be back to my short bob after a day in nurturing."

"So I see. How did that little excursion go for you, sister?" The younger millennial asks. "Obviously something had to have happened to have you go through such a growth spurt."

"I'd... rather not discuss it."

"And you somehow didn't punish Nondis for coming out of retirement? How unlike you." Luna points out.

"He was punished enough." Celestia folds her forelegs, not wanting to get pressed on the matter.

The younger sibling pokes fun at her elder. "Don't tell me you just merely refused to put out. I bet your bout with celibacy didn't last long, did it?"

"Luna, can we not discuss these matters at the moment!?" Responds a rosey-cheeked Celestia.

Seeing she's struck a nerve, the younger sibling is satisfied with the answer implied. "Oh, I see."

After clearing off the mess on my lips, Zenobia walks beside me, taking in the sights of the town. "So... here we are, I suppose."

Amor runs past her, taking a deep breath of the salty air. "Yup, new land, new lease on life! Our start begins here!"

Hestia looks around, seeming unimpressed for the sleepy port town being what it is. "This place is so... plain. Is this supposed to be like another Hayfling? It doesn't exactly hold up to some of the ports we have."

"You should see Manehattan!" Amor responds energetically. "Now that place, there's buildings everywhere, not a castle wall to be seen! And the buildings stack up tall, way taller than even the castle back home! It's pretty crazy that they have a city with over a million in it, all living and interacting like that!"

"I've only heard stories of Manehattan, never once got the chance to visit. Maybe we can start over there!" The enthusiasm seems to jump onto her as well, but they look now to include the final piece of their imperial trifecta. "How about it, Zenobia, starting over in Manehattan?"

Her mind flashes to the picture that was shown to her, the glistening lights of towers rising high above the trees, her mind is more lost in the marvel of that image than the auditory descriptions her brother give about Equestria's largest city. "Is there really a point in it?"

"Of course!" Amor passionately answers. "Why wouldn't there be? We get the chance to make something of ourselves through our own hard work, we don't have to be held to an imperial schedule, and we get to live our lives however way we see fit! That's freedom! We're so much better off like this!"

"Yeah, let's go!" Hestia chirps as she tugs at my arm. "So what, no train to take us to your capital city? Let's get a move on already!" She stops tugging my arm and directs her question to Nondis. "Excuse me, sir, is there a train we can catch in the next hour that will take us to Manehattan?"

"First, this is a town of retirees, there's no train station here, you either walk or caravan your way here. And second, there's not a single train you could ever get me to go on." He turns to his sister-in-law. "Luna, I know you love torturing Tia, but I need you to take a break from that. We're headed over to your place."

"Anything to avoid a train ride." The night alicorn teases. "I suppose you are you going to nexus to Canterlot?"

"Nah, just Ponyville." He answers.

Hestia appears confused by the name. "Ponyville?"

Zenobia appears to be greatly put off by the name. "What... in backwater... is that?"

Meanwhile, I'm absolutely ecstatic to be getting the express ticket back home. "FUCKING THANK YOU!" My outburst seems to startle both of the imperial princesses.

Amor takes amusement and satisfaction in my animated response. "That's the most life I've ever seen out of you in two weeks. I'm glad you get to have your moment of homecoming. Hopefully it isn't as sinister as mine."

Having overheard our location, Kalimba chimes in with a concern. "Would it not be better to go directly to Canterlot?"

Nondis quirks a brow at the mare. "Kali, you're seasick and airsick, and you're coming off of a boat. I cannot trust you in a forty-five minute drive not to make a mess of the upholstery. And I can't trust these other three to keep their cool along the ride. Bottom line, we're going through the mansion and you guys will get dropped off in Ponyville. From there, you can work out your travel in whatever way you need to. I trust you enough to take over once my part is done."

"Hey." I also add on a small request. "Can you not call Twilight and tell her that I'm back home? I don't want to deal with all the bullshit, I just want to go the house, get with the others, and try to operate with selective memory in mind."

"I respect your decision." He nods. "But get checked up every one in a while. You'll be better off with than without. Trust me when I say you don't want to section that off on your own."

We walk through the quiet town, a number of foals running past and eagerly greeting Nondis as we go by. Some of the locals have even greeted the man quite warmly. It seems the entire community is so receptive of him, that or they respect his previous tenure as captain of the royal guard. Then again, I'm sure with Celestia singing high praises of her husband to anyone, they'd be eager to give him whatever he wanted to keep her happy. And with a village of old timers, they're more than welcoming to the idea of new life being sprouted in their otherwise quiet hamlet.

After around a fifteen minute walk through the miniscule town square, traversing through the waterfront neighborhood, we get to a blue and gray house. It's nothing special by any means, but Luna proudly walks to the front door and inserts her key. "Oh... wow." Hestia appears less than impressed with the former princess' current living arrangement. "Such a... humble dwelling."

"It's Luna, she never really went along with the 'living big' thing." Nondis explains. "Honestly, she's a quiet homebody with an upfront personality. And a prankster's mentality to match with her sister's execution in that field."

As the former princess of the night swings her door open, I see a purple blur darting through the doorway, a smiling alicorn-shaped missile aimed for my exact location. "Twilight?" I don't even get the chance to breathe any other words before her forelegs go for a crushing hug around my chest.

"SURPRISE!" She laughs happily, her tiara's about halfway ready to fall off of her head. "It's so good to see you again!" She looks up to me, her eyes taking in the sight of me as she breaths a sigh of relief. "Oh, I missed you so much, I was so worried!"

I don't exactly share the same level of exuberance. "How did you get here?"

"Well Luna called me and told me that she saw you on the ship! So I just thought to rush over and meet you before you'd find the time to run away!" She jokes. "And I'm not gonna have you do that without speaking to me first. Everyone's missed you!"

Before she can give me yet another constricting hug, Amor praises her appearance. "Princess Twilight!"

Her mood changes drastically as she hears his voice. "I guess our reunion will have to wait." She looks over my shoulder, still hugging on to me. "Prince Amor, you've returned."

"Prince no longer, your majesty. I officially reject my crown." He says proudly.

"As do I!" Hestia almost tramples over the poor guy in trying to greet the Equestrian high royal. "I'm Princess Hestia, well, not-princess Hestia. I abdicate all that is Ponyland! From now on, I look to become every bit of the Equestrian citizen I can prove myself to be! I understand that you have a lot of questions about who we are and what we believe in, our systems and the like, but I can try to be the best example of a─uh..."

Just as Hestia's rambling trails into a silence, Twilight's frown falls to a new depth as she glares towards Zenobia. "You're a familiar face."

Zenobia displays a proud defiance as she looks back at her, knowing what she's done. "As is yours, your highness."

Suddenly, the hug she meant to give me turns into a very possessive grasp as Twilight drills her from over my shoulder. "Why are you here?"

"I'm merely here to be with my darling pet." And she's not relenting any less than she did when they first contacted.

"Spike is not your 'pet'." She strongly emphasizes.

"Well quite frankly, I don't presume him to be yours either."

"He's my assistant."

"Well I consider it a coincidence. He assists me in many ways as well. He's even gone so far as to save my life! You can't allow me to go on without paying back my debts. It would look far too terrible on the imperial family if I were to leave a blood debt owed. Surely you can admit that while my method is initially dubious in appearances, it has in part lead to his safe return."

"Safe!? Your imperial family tried to hunt my dragon!" I hear a whirring of magic coming from my side, indicating that Twilight is about ready to get on the offensive.

"I did no such thing." Zenobia argues, spurring up her magic in readiness to defend herself.

"Then tell me about the seven dragons whose heads your nation have paraded before my Royal Friendship Advisor!"

"Hey!" A large field develops between both of the spirited alicorns, quenching their magic simultaneously. Nondis tiredly intervenes and points a finger towards Twilight. "You can settle that at the tribunal. Get your asses through the portal and make your rounds back to wherever you need to do so I can get my shit looked at. The damages my hull took ain't cheap to fix."

Twilight loosens her grip on me, accepting the man's call for a stand-down. But she narrows her eyes towards Zenobia with every intent to make her experience an uncomfortable one. "We will discuss this later."

"Indeed." The noble-blooded prince complies with the forced truce, walking by her with a fierce glare. The tension proves to be so great between them that I could easily assume this to be the next thing Twilight firmly delivers a punch to outside of driving Lord Tirek into the ground like a stake. The only difference between them is that Tirek could stand back up after that, I can't say the same for Zenobia.

The others follow after her, including myself as Twilight directs her inquiries to her ex. "You didn't cause any trouble, did you?"

"Lots, didn't event try." He answers honestly.

The mare facehoofs, knowing the amount of paperwork she might have to do to smooth things over. "But officially speaking..."

He catches her cue and goes along with it. "What a lovely cruise me and my wife went on."

Still displeased over his honesty, she takes the 'official response'. "Okay then."

*~~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~~*

After a brief stare down between both Twilight and Zenobia, we finally make our way through the portal into the human world. While I myself haven't experienced the layout, the manner in which the portals are done is simply one being stored in a bedroom, while the other is located somewhere down the hall in another bedroom.

As we all make our way through, comments are shared from the imperials' point of view. Since this is clearly the human world, everything seems to be placed on stilts. I'm sure it must be funny to look at a table who's surface is probably at your eye level, in Zenobia's case, at neck level. But for my height configuration, it's feels pretty normal to me. Even if five feet is short by human adult standards, I can still operate per usual around the place. If anything, it feels like home.

Needless to say that we haven't told them exactly what we're doing right now, only that we're in a nexus going from one location in Equestria to another. It's halfway true, but it's omitting the fact that we've entered into another dimension. And we can't exactly trust them with the upfront knowledge of this place. We merely let them marvel at everything around them. "This place, this place is HUGE." Hestia cites.

"Why is everything so tall?" Zenobia questions me, knowing damn well she's not getting anything out of Twilight.

I quickly weave together a lie, trying to produce something that's plausible to an extent. "Don't worry about it. It's just a dimensional space. Things scale up and stretch out here."

But as we walk through the halls, it dawns on one individual where we are. She seems to be the only one to notice the picture sitting on the wall in the hallway depicting a family of five humans. The mother and father standing behind a trio of young boys, each with brightened smiling faces and eyes brimming with life. The three are all ordered by age, Stanton being the smallest, and Alex being the tallest, Nondis falling in the middle. To see him so young is an oddity in and of itself. But for Kalimba, it's a bittersweet moment of finally seeing that youth and innocence on display for the first time.

I try to get her attention so that the others don't pay any interest towards the portrait, quietly guiding her forward. "We should keep moving. I know you're still missing your son right now."

"Right." She mumbles before moving on. "...Definitely his father's dimples."

*~~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~~*

Upon our arrival, we are greeted by a proud assembly of officers. Captain Solemn offers a salute to the princess as she gives comment towards her. "Your highness, any word from the former captain."

"A matter to be discussed later." She warns.

"I understand." She nods before greeting me with a bow. "Sir Spike, we are enthused to see you alive and well."

"Likewise, captain." I reply.

It doesn't take long for the bombshell to drop, having us do what I didn't want to do upon setting foot back here in the growing suburbianopolis of Ponyville. "Your highness, the preparations for our expedited journey to Canterlot is ready."

"Very good, we set out immediately." Twilight confirms. As we make our way out, taking everyone along with us, I notice that she's taking great care to keep me away from Zenobia, clasping my arm mid stride as she speaks with me. "So... Interesting house you have. I thought I made the request for it to be a modest build."

"Well... it's modest for my lifestyle." I reply. "I like what I have."

"I'm sure the others in your little herd like it just as much." She comments quietly before her ears perk with yet another update. "Oh, I shouldn't forget to mention this. Ember visited some days ago."

I roll my eyes at the news. "Of course she would."

"She's waiting for you in Canterlot as well."

I nearly trip over my own self as I take a quick peek over to Zenobia, already imagining the disaster of having them meet in person. I can admit that my assessment of her and Thorax's initial contact was conceived of my own mismanagement, but this is a situation I can firmly label as a toxic biohazard poisoning the water table beneath our feet. Everyone's going to drink the tap, not knowing that they'll be dead in a month's time. I come to the only conclusion I could safely and reasonably deduce for myself, she had to have told her something. "You fucking didn't."

"You're right, I didn't." She confirms. "She actually found out through her own means." Twilight summons a crumpled wad of parchment, allowing me to unfurl the document and see the advertisement written in plain daylight, complete with my face as the top of the marquee. It's a wanted poster from the guilds, and I have a lofty sum of spurs on my head. "She says that she needs to talk to you about that, by the way.

Well, at least I know I'm going to be hunted by my own kind this time.

Chapter 57: Polarizing Principles

Deep Within Mt. Canter...

The sounds of hoofsteps echo throughout the cave, a red light slowly illuminates the caverns, revealing the towering walls of crystals and varying gemstones. A lone figure treads the mountainous cavern, his head swiveling back and forth, his eyes carefully taking in their peripherals with each turn. He brings himself to a stop, looking down at his own hooves. He gives a nod before taking a piece of flint, enchanting it with his magic, and carving a deep recession into the crystalline walls. The flint carves an arrow pointing back to the location of his start.

Xerxes unburdens a sigh. "I've been venturing around this mountain for ages. I'd be lost if I hadn't had the mind to start marking into the walls where I've been. Obvious enough to see, deep enough to not be easily weathered or erased." He summons a piece of parchment, starting to draw out the places he's been. A variety of winding passages are drawn, some previously explored with reconnections to the world above, some with written triangles of warning to indicate unstable conditions, others with a solid X to notify a dead end. Some are written with a straight line downward, indicating the long drops. But having undergone a few, he's made his way to the current cavern.

However, he is not alone.

A quartet of stallions peer from one of the higher paths, seeing the expeditious prince. The first whispers to his counterparts. "Hey. Who's that bastard?"

"I dunno, but a male alicorn is a pretty exclusive find, a literal one in the tens of millions. Possibly hundreds." The second replies.

"Check out the digs though." The third points out the prince's cloak, seeing how interestingly the patterns have been adorned into the fabric. "Can't be from around here."

"We should go tell the boss about him." The second advises.

"Seems he's using his magic to mark the walls." The first explains. "I say we follow that back and see what it leads to."

"But what about the boss?" The second insists.

"Well there's more than one of us, so we can do more than one thing, you dumb shit." The fourth bitterly calls out.

"I don't know." The third speaks cautiously. "I've never seen a male alicorn. He must be pretty powerful to be wandering through here alone."

"Do you always have to act like a pussy every time there's something different walking through here?" The first questions mockingly.

"I'm just saying, something doesn't quite fit with this one."

The prince finishes carving his piece of flint into the walls. He sends a weak bolt of magic back at it to test if his earlier accident still rings true. The red bolt juts from his horn, ricochets from the surface and smacks against a piece of stalactite hanging from the ceiling. The earthen javelin crashes to the ground with a loud presence. Some of the stray rocks skittle towards him, which he easily deflects. "Well this just confirms all of my earlier suspicions. These walls are made of gems with magic reflective properties. Gems like this are better off used for energy conversion than currency. Though it's dual purpose would easily fetch a high price. No wonder their technology is so advanced and compatible with two-legger items."

Overhearing his report to self, the four watchers converse with one another. "Two-legger? Does he mean the humans?"

"He's obviously not from here, but somehow he has knowledge of the humans. That's a bit odd." The second watcher responds.

"Maybe we should keep scoping this guy out." The first recommends.

The second continues to contest his point of view. "But I really thing we should tell the─

Finally, the first silences the concerned lackey. "Look, there are four of us. Count it, one, two, three, FOUR. We can keep going with either or. Flotsam, you trail those markings to wherever he came from. Jetsam, you run off to the boss and let him know we've got a straggler. Mash, you're with me. We're gonna keep our eyes glued to this dumbass."

Flotsam speaks out with concern. "But Mish, what if he's─"

"Who fucking cares!?" The aforementioned unicorn instantly dismisses any concerns. "I've seen unicorns break those gems with less of an output! He's weak! Now get to it!"

"Right." The stallion agrees as the four split off to go on their assignments.

Having overheard the loud bickering from down below, Xerxes nods with the approval knowing that his journey in darkness will soon reach it's end. "It seems I'm being followed. Very well then, I'm sure you'll follow me to wherever I may go. Probably go tell off to your superiors that I'm straggling about." He raises his voice, illustrating part honesty in his annoyance, but also fake exuberance. "This annoying cave seems to go on forever! I sure hope not to fall into any strange pratfalls along my journey!"

The remaining pair keep their heads low as they track down the prince. "This bastard will be an easy lick."

2407 Golden Oaks Way Later That Night...

Once more for the consecutive night, the young alicorn princess stays up at the kitchen table, getting the first few spoons of a new tub of my favorite ice cream. I drop by as soon as I hear the sound of something sobbing softly. I halfway expected her to do it again, especially when all she's been wanting is answers. At least this time, I can be willing to offer something back.

She notices me walking in, and immediately goes into apologies. "Sorry for being so loud."

"No it's okay." I tell her as I politely grab a spoon and go into the fridge for some chocolate sauce. I pull out a waffle cone and start distributing a scoop for her. "You know, this is my favorite way to eat this. Peanut butter ice cream with a frozen chocolatey shell. Add the cone, and you get a perfect blend of sweet and sour softness with a bit of texture." I offer her the cone. "Try it."

She takes me up on the offer, biting into the cone. Her eyes expand for a moment, but then shut close as the frostbite sets in. In the midst of her scrunching up, I take notice of something about her. It's barely noticeable, but she seems to have some freckles dotting her cheeks. Not as prominent as Applejack's, but give it time and they might be.

A soft smile comes after her recovery, but it subsides as she looks down at the teeth marks in the cone. "Thinking about my mom. She would kill me if she found out I was eating this so late."

"Your mom will be alright." I reassure her. "She's tough, and she'd probably understand you taking up after one of her secret habits."

"One of her habits?" She asks.

"Oh yeah! Like you wouldn't believe it, she used to go through a whole gallon of ice cream every time she came over to foalsit your auntie Twilight. Reading romance novels to her, talking about how cute your dad was, how unfair the law was for her to even consider dating him at the time, then the whole..." I lower my head, pausing myself before I could speak of Shining's experience with trauma. "...Yeah, let's just say that the whole dating phase between them made her go through like three tubs a night, each of them being a gallon by themselves."

"Wow, mom was bad."

"Oh yeah." I confirm. "Pistachio Almond was her favorite."

"That's what mom would call me sometimes. Her little Pistachio Almond." The filly starts to shed tears all over again. "Now I only hear her call me that in my dreams. I don't even hear of daddy anymore. I miss them both. Miss Ocellus tried calling him today to get me to talk to him, but he never answered."

I take a seat right next to her, pulling out my phone. I check the time. "Tell you what. I know it's pretty late, one in the morning ain't exactly prime time. But I'll give him a call, and we'll talk to him together. Sounds good?"

She wipes her eyes, sniffling back her sadness. "Okay."

I dial the number, and lay the phone on the table, letting it sound through the speakers. Eventually, he comes through on the other side. "Hello."

"Hey, Shining. Just checking in on you. Seeing how you're fairing through."

The stallion answers, his voice a bit shaky. "I'm... I'm working hard to keep it together."

"Yeah, I can only imagine." I mutter as I scan my eyes to his daughter. "Flurry's been wanting me to reach out to you, she misses you a lot. She tried to call you earlier."

"Aw, did she really?" The stallion on the other end sounds defeated in hearing he missed the call from her. "You know, I've had a number of calls trying to reach out. Way too many for me to process right now. So I've only taken the ones from family, any other numbers goes straight to my voicemail."

I nod quietly, watching as the filly chomps down her ice cream in time enough to go through another bout of brain freeze and get ready to start talking. "I think she was using Ocellus' phone. But yeah, she's here with me now."

"Oh. You can put her on if she's up."

"Daddy I'm here!" Her voice rings out surprisingly loud, I'm almost expecting the others to wake up from her annoucement.

"Oh, hey sweetie." His voice is shaky, but he stabilizes it enough to bring her reassurance. "It's pretty late, everyone else is sleep. So let's try not to be too loud, okay?"

And of course, she lays the heavy one on him. "Daddy, what's wrong with mommy?"

He pauses for a moment, trying to process a gentle way of explaining to her what's taking place. "She's... she's hurt, kiddo. She's hurt pretty bad. Mommy can't talk right now, she's sleeping. You know it's really late, and she's gotta get her beauty rest."

"I just want to see her." The filly demands, turning back over to me. "Uncle Spike, can you do the thing that lets me see daddy's face too?"

Already wary of her intent, Shining denies her. "I'm sorry, sweetie, you can't right now."

"Why not?" She whimpers.

"Because mommy isn't ready to be seen yet. She wouldn't want you to see her like she is right now. It would scare you too much. I'd think she'd want you to focus on your studies, and do your best to be good while you're away. You wouldn't want to make her upset now, do you?"

Instead of accepting her father's reply, she drives the conversation straight to the point. "Daddy, tell me the truth. Is she gonna die?"

I can hear from his sigh on the other end, he's fighting his hardest not to admit to that possibility. The shakiness of his voice comes back in overwhelming force. "...I don't know. I truly don't." He takes a moment to gather himself, not wanting to unleash all of his emotions and remaining strong for his little girl. "Your auntie's here to see her too. As is your grandma and grandpa. They've been here to help. We're doing all we can to make sure she knows that we're all here to see her pull through."

"Then I need to be there too."

"It's too dangerous, kiddo. I can't let you be up here in all of this and you get hurt too. I'd be really upset if something happens to you too, everyone would be really sad." Shining clears his throat. "Mommy knows you're with her. And she'll always be with you. She can feel you wanting her to get better, all the way from there. Our love is a very powerful thing, and we can use that no matter where we are in the world. Even in the darkest places, it'll always come through. Okay?"

The filly sniffles back. "Okay."

"It's late, kiddo. I know it's not easy sleeping right now, but you gotta get some rest. I know I'll need some too."

Flurry doesn't shy away from the call just yet. "Promise you'll call me every day. Tell me if something changes."

"I promise, sweetie. Promise."

"I love you, daddy."

"I love you too, sweetie. Good night."

Meanwhile in the Crystal Empire...

Shining lifts his head as the three tones sound on his phone, indicating the end of the call. He wipes his eyes, clearing them of the tears he tried not to shed hearing his daughter's voice. Twilight approaches her brother, seeing him still holding the phone, but not being present for the call. "Who was that?"

He answers with a tremoring rasp in his voice. "Spike and Flurry. She was trying to reach out."

"That girl is something else." Twilight comments, standing closely with her brother. "Seriously, she's only six years old and she's developing far faster than we need her to. She's already got the body of an eleven year old to boot."

"And the mind of one far beyond her years on this earth." Shining adds. "'Tell me if something changes,' you don't say that unless you're already expecting the worst. I can't believe she's already so grown in the mind. I feel so terrible for leaving her there alone. I know Spike's with her, but there's already so much she's wrestling through."

"You mean her... otherworldy abilities?" The high princess alludes.

The emperor sighs as he pulls up a picture of his family, seeing the smiling faces of his wife and daughter. "Cadie was always so scared to see embrace that side since the whole debacle those years ago. So scared that she tried to keep her from being too idle. Now it feels like she's just waiting for her mother to go so she can see her there too. Maybe she's just anticipating it at this point, already trying to process the heartbreak before it happens. Maybe that's just her way of coping."

Twilight drops her head, clenching herself as she reminisce of her legalized sibling. "I'll admit, I haven't been so unnerved by anything like this. Being princess and a protector of Equestria has conditioned me to see a lot of cruel things. But seeing Cadance the way she is, knowing the smile that used to be on her face, the kind and gentle voice that used to burst with authority every once in a while... it's terrifying."

Walking in from further down the hall, a well-dressed man approaches with clenched jaws and fists. "Alex." Twilight calls to the human.

"...Man. I can't do it. I can't do it, I can't deal." He angrily expresses. "Like seriously, what the actual fuck did she ever do to anyone to deserve... that?"

"These are cultists. It's always like this." Twilight replies. "It's just that it hits a little closer to home this time."

"I know it is. But..." The man furrows his brow as he tries to calm himself. "This is the shit you'd say if you were in my world, this happens more back home, but now it feels too personal. And it's only made worse by the fact that it's here of all places."

"Goes to show that no matter what world you're in, conflict always leaves a painful reminder that life isn't always good." Shining adds.

The man nods, already coming up with measures of a wide-scale response. "I'm doing all I can to not give the order to glass the tundra and salt the earth. I'm that pissed off right now."

"You're doing far more than what we've could've asked from you." The high princess compliments.

"Well we're here now. Hell, I guess we might as well do the damage we didn't want to put out there." The man nods once more. "Yeah, I think I got just the idea we can use."

"What do you suggest?" Shining asks.

"I'll confer with intelligence, get an update on all sightings and possible bases. We'll also send probes to layout any and all seismic changes within a ten mile radius. If anything so much as takes a shit on the ground, we'll know exactly where they'll be. And if we have confirmed visual, we'll be sure to give them a nice warm escort to the deity of their choosing."

The emperor looks to his sister, who shows a sagely agreeance. "That's promising."

Alex claps his hands, getting himself perked up to act. "In all other words, we'll jump right on that. I'll update you in about six hours. Expect results."

Twilight hears a notification on her phone, seeing that she's gotten a message from each one of her friends. Shining inquires her of the coincidence. "Everyone seems to be reaching out at the perfect time."

The purple mare exhales heavily. "Our friendship summit. They're wanting to spend it wishing Cadance well. I should probably chase down Alex before he gets too busy."

"You know, doing something for you is probably nothing for him to pull off."

The high princess closes out the messages in her phone and takes to the air to make her quick pursuit of the human. "You know, I wish his brother had the heart to do the same for me. Then again... I gave that away, didn't I?"

Shining's eyes level to the floor, his sadness growing once more as he mutters to himself. "And that's where Cadance usually steps in with her usual romantic advice. Sure could use Spike in those moments too, he's gotten pretty good at dealing with her romantic shortcomings." The prince produces a brief chuckle of irony. "No wonder, he's been chasing after Rarity all these years. And she's been chasing everything but."

Canterlot Sometime Later...

While talks of war still stew in the minds of the general public, many operate as though the tension isn't as heavy as widely advertised. So far for many, it's out of sight, and well out of mind. Granted, it's a spoken topic every so often, the citizens carry about their regular duties as though the declaration hasn't been made. And with the added security of the humans wandering through town, many feel safe enough that they simply live as nothing is wrong.

The cloaked Ponyland prince, however, errs on the side of extreme caution while navigating away from such
lumbering creatures. Just their height is enough to pick them apart from a crowd, so it becomes quite easy for him to take a back street or two and reach his intended destination.

While under most circumstances, he would be lost through streets unknown. But with his new device in tow, he easily locates the restaurant through the chaos of constant reroutes. "This thing is absolutely bewitching." He mutters as his phone notifies him of his reaching the intended destination. "Had I not found some means of an overnight stay, I'd be lost wandering these alleyways. To think they've adapted the buildings themselves to provide energy for these strange devices." He snaps himself out of his mesmerized trance towards the illuminated screen, and gives his head a jolt of reminder. "Focus! Remember, Agamemnon. This outing is for information, and nothing else. Any possible engagement outside of that is just a role to play. Keep it together."

Following the instructions of his mind, he walks into the foyer of the cafe, where a male waiter greets him. "Good afternoon sir. How many are you seating?

"Just two."

The stallion pulls out a notepad and jots down the number. He grabs a pair of menus and guides the prince along. "Right this way, sir."

He's brought to a table, a small marble circular top with the legs being wrought iron curls blooming from the floor to the marble. The chair seats him comfortably. He places down his phone, still admiring the novelty of the revolutionary item. His eyes glance back to the door. Another couple walks in, showing much more of an affectionate connection. The pair flirts openly bouncing along as the waiter guides them to a window seat. The clock on his phone reads 11:43. "Almost noon. Maybe if I come here and drop out five minutes before the hour, I'll have fulfilled my obligations to this engagement. I should be able to leave without seeing carapace the first."

A hoof taps his shoulder, he looks to his right to see the smiling changeling bouncing with her waving hoof. "Hiiiii!" She giggles.

"Ah." He grunts, turning his head back to the phone with disappointment. "So much for that plan."

"Let me guess, you just couldn't wait either and decided to join up a bit early? It's like we're already connected! Almost convinced you got some little red twine in your foreleg pulling me wherever you go."

"If you say so." He answers outwardly. "Hardly the case."

"I was actually here like maybe five minutes ago. I saw you walk in. You probably didn't see me though, I got a booth, I think you'd be a little more comfortable there."

"Rather an inconvenience to the staff to be seated and then seat myself elsewhere. I'll stay."

"Oh that's not a problem." She chimes before she trots over to the wait staff. "Um, excuse me. That white stallion with the pretty eyes, that's my plus-one. Could we move him over to our booth so that we don't take up too many tables?"

"Not a problem, ma'am. I'll open that back up." The waiter replies as he finishes seating the other couple and guiding the prince towards her booth. "This way, sir."

As the prince move along to his new seat, the changeling scoots herself in on her side, bobbing her head in excitement as she waits for the albino stallion to sit. The waiter dismisses himself as he tends to yet another group coming in. "You're just overtly assertive today."

"Well I'm the kind of girl who doesn't let a little bad weather ruin my day. If it rains, I'm out in the streets dancing in the freedom it represents." She says as she taps her hooves on the table excitedly. "So, how are you liking the phone? Pretty neat, huh?"

"It's... overwhelming." He answers with a bit of hesitation. "As much information as it contains, and how fast it all can be offered is blindingly overwhelming."

"No kidding! I just wanted to know if I could still book a reservation thirty minutes early, and it told me that there are no seats taken at all! It's insane! I just rushed over here thinking I could greet you here, even turned out I beat you to the punch!"

"What is this bug, clairvoyant?" He thinks to himself. "Yes... pretty much the case."

The waiter drops by again. "Alright, you two ready to order?"

"I'll take the special of the day." Larvae speaks out, even cutting the prince off before he can get a breath in to speak for himself. "In fact, we'll take two! Two specials."

"Two specials, coming up." The waiter replies before addressing the prince. "She's an excitable one, isn't she?"

"A bit too much for virtually nothing at all." He things to himself. "She's... very lively."

The waiter walks away, prompting the changeling mare to dive headfirst back into her conversation. "So, I know that we've been pretty much back and forth, here and there, in and out, I know, subtle. But I feel like I've been pretty much skipping several steps in the process. Like for example, I spent a lot of time last night looking at your number. And then I realize that I don't even have a name to put you under, just a picture. I mean, I could go on calling you 'Cute Alicorn Guy' but I'm sure you'd even say that's a mouthful."

"The last thing I need to be known to her is exactly that. Thankfully, I have an alias thought up before we left that seaside town." He internalizes before speaking his faux name. "Agape. Agape Hearth."

"Oh, oh my." The changeling mare melts in her seat, her eyes beaming down the prince in front of her. "That's such a warm name. No wonder we resonate so strongly."

"I resonate with you about as much as I can scream into a pillow." He taps his hoof against the table, growing a little less patient. "In speaking of skipping steps, don't you think we've gotten a little too familiar for just one night of drunken mishaps?"

"You weren't that drunk when you were talking to me."

"Obviously not, I still remember you." He complains inwardly. "I'm still feeling the aftereffects of that hangover even now."

"Really? You weren't that sick the morning we spent together either."

"If only you knew the state of confusion I was in." The prince grimaces. "The bottom line is this, we don't really know each other and you're already buying me gifts. Don't you think that all of this is a bit... mistimed?" He asks, sliding his phone back to her.

"I'll be the main one to say it, we did just go full speed that first night." She nods.

"Exactly." Both his mind and body speaks in unison.

"Which is why I'm looking to try this again, but way slower." She answers as she slides the phone back to him with a smirk.

"Ridiculous." Again, his mind and mouth reaches a consensus.

"Aw, you don't like slow and steady?" The prince's ears perk up as he feels one of her hind legs venture between both of his, playfully knocking them apart. "I mean, we could totally speed things up right now. I'd love to see if that connection still lands as good as it did the first time."

The stallion's magic sparks alive, trying to guide her leg away. "Can you not?"

"But you seem so against the idea of keeping it slow. I just thought you'd like the change in pace." She teases with a bitten lip.

"Okay, maybe we should pull the brakes on a bit." He pleads, still feeling her leg gently guide itself between his.

At his request, she retreats from her clandestine taunts. "Alrighty then, we'll keep things just a little slower."

"Damn bug bitch." The stallion pulls his cloak over his side, making sure that the other patrons don't see how worked up he's gotten. "Are you changelings always this immodest?"

"We can be." She coos softly, drawing her hoof to her phone. "We don't really have an off-switch."

"Lady, you are killing me." He mutters to the side.

She smirks as she taps on her phone. The glass-like notification sounds on his device. He looks over to see he has a message in his inbox. "You may wanna check your phone." She whispers to him.

He does as she suggests, seeing the words at the top of the screen reading 'media attached' in bold letters. He squints as he taps on the button. But his eyes shoot wide open as a rather compromising image comes to the screen.

She proudly presents herself in welcoming fashion, her legs splayed open as she offers her bountiful gifts to the lens of her phone. She's even roused to the point where her visible interest oozes from between her darkened clefts. Her eyes are beamed for him, her tongue freed for debauchery's sake, and her tail is draped well out of the way. The prince's eyes seem entranced for a moment as she whispers to him. "Like what you see?"

"Damn you, foul bedbug! I may know what you are, but my nethers are blind to your schemes! Why must you be designed to entice me as such? I spent that whole day in my room trying to cleanse you from my thoughts, and here you... you..." He flips the phone over, not quite understanding how to get out of the picture. The changeling smiles coyly as even his ears run red of blush. "You are mad."

"I am, actually!" She stamps on the table. "I'm mad that you spent all of last night not even trying to text me, and all I could think about was you. I waited for you to send me something. I literally took that last night thinking I could shoot a message to you before you could go to bed. At least you'd have me on your mind before you got here. But nooooo, you left my imagination to wander the land, sea, and skies while you had so much of your peace of mind. How unfair is that!?"

"Okay, what do you want?" He grits through his teeth, trying not to cause a scene.

She slumps back into her seat, reading his cue. "Duh, your time."

"You have that right now." The mare rolls her eyes, her horn lighting up as a warm glow starts to spread his legs open again. "You must be sex deprived."

"Well... yeah. Coupled with last night and this morning, I did wanna keep going that time you ran off. I mean really, the gaud of you. You give me that one moment of clarity, shoving around that fifth leg of yours and making me realize that the night before was just you going through the motions, and then you leave me without any way to get back to you! And then we ran into each other in a store, exchanged contacts─no messages last night, by the way─and now here we are on this little date out in public. So yeah, I'm pretty anxious to get back into the heat of it all." Larvae closes her legs and places her hoof on her lip, twisting and giving a puppy-eyed plea. "The girl is purring but she's not getting her milk."

"Confound this bug and her outright debauchery. I'm losing my composure AND my patience. Either I find time to get back to the hotel and work this out or I'll be right back in that wonderful invitation she just gave me.... Dammit, I'm fiending again." He jolts his head, rapidly shaking his thoughts away to maintain composure. "Why are you like this?"

"Let's just say that some changelings are known to overfeed on emotions. Particularly love, but emotions in general. And because we do, we don't have much of a choice but to try to give that back to someone." She continues her juvenile mannerisms, all in hopes of goading the cloaked prince to speed things along to her preference.

The stallion glances at the turned-over phone, gulping down his stirring ideas. "And I'm your target?"

"Target is such a mean world. I prefer the term 'selection'." She answers while cocking her head.

"And you couldn't think to partake on your friends or something? Why am I your selection in particular?"

"Because two things." She begins. "The first thing is that they're great friends, but even I feel like they miss out on giving me that deep, filling sensation I get with males. Plus with them, I'm usually the 'male' whenever the season gets rolling."

"That's understood. You're a changeling, you can make yourself whatever sex you deem necessary to bait your feeds." The prince comments.

"And that brings up my second reason for choosing you." She says as she straightens her posture, folding her forelegs and eyeing the prince directly. "From the moment we met and they told you what I was, I felt that you have a strong trepidation for changelings. Obviously, we can pick up on that vibe too. But instead of playing out to that fear and abandoning us for the night, you dared to comfort me in my time of hurt. Then you really messed me up with the grief sex. After that, it was a done deal for me." She leans forward, getting closer to the prince. "So, now I'm on a mission to clear your mind of any and all misgivings pertaining to the changeling race. And I have a good feeling that it starts with a lot of... let me word this for a more public setting..." She my phone back over to me, flipping the screen back over. "Give and take."

Seeing the image on the screen again, the stallion grows taut under the table. He tries to conceal his aching interest with his cloak. "So... in short, you give me gifts."

She circles her magic around his length, giving him a tantalizing stroke under the table. "And I take this as a method of payment."

The stallion grunts, his head tilting back while he harbors more swears against the changeling mare. "Whatever happened to that 'public setting' idea?"

"For a stallion who seems really rough around the edges, you seem to buckle under the slightest bit of pressure." She gives a final tug and allows her magic to dissipate. "I think it's pretty cute, honestly."

"Dammit, I can't stand this anymore." He grumbles, inadvertently speaking his thoughts aloud. "And you think that promoting your promiscuity is going to win me over?"

"Be honest. How many mares have you dug into thus far? Do you even have a number?" This time, her leg trails back between his, her body slouching a bit to reach the warmth of his inner haunches. "Or do you simply not keep count, because there's so many? You can be honest with me, you know. I won't tell your secrets."

His magic stirs, trying to goad her hind hoof to reach further along. "...I don't really have a number." He moans softly.

She licks the frog of her hoof and taps it against his horn, quenching his magic altogether. "Then what's one more?"

"You're playing a dangerous game. I just want to point that out." The prince growls.

She takes pride in hearing the grit in his voice, the low-pitched rattle of the moans he tries to keep stifled. "I like games, especially if I get to play them with you."

"Being so forward isn't exactly a turn-on." He expresses verbally.

"And you're still hiding something underneath this table." She mewls with a tilt.

"It's involuntary." He glances off.

"Then I volunteer to assist." She whispers into his ear. She takes her seat watching as the cloaked stallion squirms in his seat. His eyes dart back between his legs, noticing a growing stain on the back of his cloak where he covers himself. He groans with discomfort as he scoots himself closer to the table.

"It would be a better idea to just skip the formalities. The waiter is taking too long with our order." He thinks to himself. "To hell with it, let's just leave and get this over with."

"Hey, not so fast, remember?" She teases, her magic tugging at his cloak, threatening to reveal him. "We agreed to slow things down a bit. I know you're not in such a rush where we don't even try to get to know each other."

His magic battles back with overwhelming resistance. "You are such a nuisance right now, I know that much."

"I am not, I'm a good girl who does things the right way. And obviously, you really like the way I do things."

While her mind is clearly on the journey and the many obstructions she looks to toss his way, his mind is solely on reaching the finish line. "I have a room at a hotel in town, we can go by there as soon as we finish here."

The mare hums with glee. "Hmm, tempting. But if I'd give it up to you so easy, you'd probably want me to leave me right after."

The alicorn rolls his eyes with dread. "Fine. I'll oblige you. What do you want?"

She goes through her phone, seeing the picture they took with one another. His awkward smile juxtaposes strongly against her expression of jubilance. "Well, you're on this date with me. The pickings are quite lush. And yet before the evening is over, you might give me the brush. You might forget your manners, and you'd probably refuse to have me stay. So... I'd like to extend this. I'd like to extend this a lot."

"Given what you've already extended, what more would you require?" He complains with a quiet grunt.

"Maybe a little more open mindedness that leads to some much more open exchanges." She answers while showing him the picture on her phone. "Make no mistake, I want this to end with not just this picture being reenacted today, but I want to reenact the one I sent you later tonight. Memories to be made, forever etched in our minds as they are in these phones."

"So in short, you want me to try to appease you?"

The mare hums with delight. "Just for today, tonight, the morning after. If all goes well enough, maybe a little longer than that. I don't know, let's just see where the day takes us. You've got time, don't you?"

The stallion continues to harbor discontent, but the arousal as of the moment far outweighs that. "Fine, I'll placate to your request. Whatever gets us to the end quicker."

"I gave it to you easy the first time. This time, you'll have to put in work before I decide on how much I'm giving you." The changeling's eyes blink as she sees a shadow move in her peripheral. The server arrives with their meals and drinks. She makes yet another request. "Oh, can I get an ice water, heavy on the ice? Thanks."

The server gives her a nod and briefly departs. The stallion groans as a desperate thought dances through his mind. "You're a changeling, aren't you? You should be able to turn into a stallion and sneak into the restroom. I'll sneak after─"

"Tried it already." She groans. "That's so high school. Plus you obviously don't know how to control yourself, considering that fifth you got jumbling around." She looks up to see the server return with her requested beverage. "We've got a full day ahead of us. Let's make the most of it before we go into... performance evaluations."

The stallion looks at his plate, snatching the silverware and keeping his imperial manners while hurrying through the food. "So... after this, where do you suggest we start?"

The mare sips from the cold water and stirs the glass with her straw. She picks out a large piece of ice and tilts her head. "I say we start by cooling things down." The ice in her magical tow disappears, but the prince winces strongly in the second to follow. A frigid, wet obstacle glides gently up the length of his sex. The sudden sensation jolting him to biting down on the empty fork in his mouth. "See? You'll be right back to normal in no time."

The prince quietly complains. "You are a cruel wretch."

Larvae snickers in kind. "I told you I'm a good girl."

Later at Mt. Canter...

Xerxes continues his trek through the crystalline cave. As per his method, he continues to mark the walls of the cave with a piece of flint imbued with his magic. However, he's considerably slower with his venture, trying to do what he can to lure the stallions following him in the shadows.

His journey comes to a brief stop as he notices a strange item resting upon the center of the floor. "What is this?" He asks as he approaches the item to inspect it.

His horn gives off a little more light to better see what dangled from the wall. It appeared to be a cane with a carefully crafted ruby laid at the top of it. He picks up the cane, taking admiration of it's simplistic shape, but rather pristine shape. The inlaid golden trim swirls and weaves the length of the rod, coming to the apex of a golden claw gripping the ruby with an unwavering strength.

He sees a reflection of himself in the jewel and smirks with a fantasy of power playing in his mind. "By the power vested in me as primus, I hereby sentence you to death!" He declares, giving the item a strong swing outward, hearing a soft rattling noise inside. "Huh... It's not solid? I wonder what's inside."

As he asks himself the question, a bright light shines on him from the end of the hall. A large crystal-fueled lantern bathes a mighty light upon him, causing him to shield his eyes. The sound of a number of voices surrounding him rings out loudly in the caves, prominently one voice yelling from above him. "YEEEEHAAAW!"

Xerxes holds the rod with the intent to use it for his own defense, but a painful jolt disrupts his magic, sourced by the same rod that he aimed to use. The disruption causes him to wince painfully. "The hell!" As the rod falls, it's caught by a orange aura. The rod quickly doubles back to the prince, smacking him against the pressure point beneath his chin, causing him to stumble. A hoof rains down from above, causing his head to bounce against the crystalline floor. With a weakened daze, he offers a brief insult. "Cheap... trick." His eyes roll back and close, losing complete consciousness.

"I don't know, chief. Cheap seems to be pretty affordable these days." With a smirk, the ringleader of the rowdy group comes before him, lifting his head with a proud smirk. "And you can't get any cheaper than free."

The others gather around, taking note of the prince's condition. "Looks like he's out, boss. Good and gone, at least for a little while."

"Aw, he didn't even get to hear me talk shit. Guess we still got it." The ringleader chuckles heartily. "Anyhow, lets round this bastard up and see where he hails from. Maybe we can get a good price for him." The stallion lifts the unresponsive prince by his mane, seeing the rather extravagantly stitched cloak on his body. "But first, let's see what else he's got."

He yanks the cloak off of his broach, giggling until he sees a pair of wings dangle from either side of the prince. The group sigh and gasp with awe as one one of the subordinates state the obvious. "Boss, this one's got wings and a horn... and a dick?"

"Male alicorn, huh? Oh, he's gotta be worth a really good price." The ringleader confirms just as scrawny pegasus flies in from above. "Oi, Flotsam! What info you flyin' in here with?"

"Boss, this guy has markings leading back to a whole ass airship."

The stallion snickers confidently. "An airship in the cave? Holy shit, that's gotta be chocked full of some useful tools we can load up on."

"Not just that, but there seems to be another alicorn on the ship. Androgynous as all hell, but a male upon closer glance at the undercarriage."

One of the underlings excitedly claims as the others ooh and awe with speculation. "Another alicorn? Did we just hit the fucking lotto?"

"The lottery ain't got shit on our chances right now. We're swimming in the good." The ringleader replies. "One alicorn is like one in a million, a male alicorn is like one in ten million, two in the same day is basically a one in a billion crapshoot."

"That's not all boss!" Flotsam adds. "They've got weapons and saltpeter out the ass!"

"Well that settles it then!" The ringleader announces proudly. "Boys, I think our underground arena stint is about to be back in full-swing! Let's go and pay our little alicorn friend a visit, maybe trade this one in for that ship and all the shit they got on board!"

"Hey boss, why don't we do what we did last time with that prince from Ponyland? You know, that black unicorn low-end prince that gave us nothing in bounty. These two gotta be pretty important to be hiding around, much less with a full installation package." Jetsam proposes.

"You know what..." The leader replies. "You might be on to something."

Eros stares back at the orb that once bellowed with his father's voice. A number of meandering thoughts of his current place in the royal family plague his mind. A quiet worry stirs as ideas of his younger sibling being given the reigns of the empire play out in his head. A litany of images flash between his eyes, sights of political adversaries being strung up on the rafters of varying homes and businesses, each with an unholy degree of torment evident upon their faces and bodies. Guilds given the power to conduct the business of law enforcement. A courtyard full of mares of varying ages, a line of mares filing out of the gates of the keep and ending at the length of the city streets, each awaiting their turn for his inspections. The imaginary screams of citizens in the dungeons, each being seen as nothing more than rats in a lab for his sadistic methods. The emperor's words echo in his mind.

"If he shows no part, then I will simply anoint Militades with the crown position instead."

One of the centuries approach the prince as he's caught in the passing thoughts. "Sir prince, is something the matter?"

Eros slowly releases a breath of growing anxiety. "My brothers have gone. One to the town to collect information, the other to the caves on some so-called mission from the almighty. While I can almost guarantee that Agamemnon is far too invested in the commoner mares that populate the streets, as penis holds far too much real estate in his mind to make coherent decisions, Xerxes is probably gone about and gotten himself lost, or worse. And all for what, because he thinks some talking scroll is the word of the great Doctor himself." The prince rubs his head as he expresses his concerns. "And as all of this is happening, Militades is showing competency in the north. That spoiled bastard gets a free run at the crown, and Xerxes is busy chasing shadows in the mountain, Agamemnon is chasing mares in town, now I'm stuck here wondering if any of this is even worth it anymore."

The officer offers words of encouragement. "If I may provide a consolation, your highness, that would mean that there would be two less competitors for the crown position when you return home, my liege. Possibly three, if Militades is slain in his efforts."

"Do I look like I want to manage an empire with the stress of millions of undercuts looking to climb their way to the surface each and every day? Do you not know how much of a load that is on the mind? Why do you think we all forwarded our paperwork to Zenobia, it's so that she deals with the problems the rest of us don't like looking at. Hell, the lesser bloods deal with that ugly mess more than we do. It's because of them, we haven't yet seen the stirs of a revolution taking place under our hooves. And as long as we keep that lot satisfied, they won't conspire to do as much."

"Well in this case, it would prove favorable if Xerxes were to find himself lost in the caverns of this land. You and your brother could return home, and he'd be made the crown prince."

The lavender-streaked prince shakes his head. "You know nothing of my father's mind. He sees Agamemnon's constant citations of caution as a show of weakness. The manner in which he's eliminated Stephanos, father's favored first born no less, he will never see power more than what he has now. Father would rather crown Militades."

"But he's much like you, he doesn't desire the crown either."

The prince snaps his head towards the officer before him. "You mind your tongue, we are nothing alike!"

"I'm sorry, sir. I misspoke." The officer steps back and gives the prince a bow of respect.

The prince calms himself after his outburst. "No... I shouldn't have lashed at you so violently. I just think of him and see how little care he has for anyone but himself. His maids, his branch, even his own mother... Just... no. The thoughts I would have if my father were to excommunicate my mother... after all that was done to her, I'd─"

"SIR!" A young century calls to the prince, distracting him from his dark thought. "Brigands approaching the ship from the caves! Heavy unicorn presence!"

Not wanting to waste time, and finding an appropriate outlet for his inlaid violence, he jumps into action and barks orders to all onboard the ship. "All centuries to arms! We defend our position and give the engineers time to warm the engines!"

"Sir, what of Prince Xerxes? He hasn't returned from the caves."

"What of him? He made no contribution, he's useless now." He sternly replies, continue to move towards the armory for his own weapons. "Arm all cannons, I want a volley ready to be fired in good form, take formation 6, four to a row, three columns deep! Affix bayonets and do not fire unless I give the order!"

"Sir!" Everyone shouts as they file in behind him.

As he finishes getting his own supply of armaments, he walks out to the main entrance of the airship, seeing a few of the armed protectors pointing back at the growing formation of thugs. "What the hell are they doing?" One of them asks.

"They've brought torches... and just themselves."

"What does that even mean?"

The prince replies. "These lot are unarmed rag-tag thugs, just as quickly as they've arrived, we'll quickly dispose of them! So take no mind to them, we have the advantage here! Remember your pride, your nation's banner, while we hide it now, we know what blood proudly flows in our veins!"

"YES SIR!" The collection of centuries calls out as they file into their formation along the ramp of the airship.

Upon the opposing side, the group of mountain dwellers chatter with excitement over their prospective victory. The ringleader smirks as he takes to the front of the chaotic formation. One of the lackeys call out to the heavily armed prince. "Hey! Whatcha got there!? Looks kinda familiar!"

Another calls out. "Aw, put that thing away! We don't wanna hurt ya's... too much!"

The prince steps forward, his voice usually light to the timber, reinforced with a little more bass from his chest. "Who is the leader of this band?"

"You could say that's me for now!" The white unicorn stallion calls out, taking a gander at the airship and giving it a whistle. "You got some pretty nice digs! Shoddy paintjob, but it looks pretty damn close to the real thing! But you know, you gave yourselves away with those weapons of yours!"

"Who we are is of no concern of yours!"

"Beg to differ, bud!" Replies the ringleader. "Running some real cozy shit for hiding out in a cave! Must got some serious pedigree!"

The barrels of the muskets raise to point themselves at the encroaching group of mountain dwellers. "I'll assure you that our stop for maintenance should pose as no threat to you or your operations! Hence I'll ask you to consider turning the other way!"

"No 'would you kindly' or nothing!? Damn, and I thought you were a pretty decent cutie to be running up!" The crowd of thugs laugh heartily at the expense of the armed prince.

"I assure you that while I strive to be the source of aesthetic inspiration, I am more than happy to inform you that my tastes are only for the finest and fairest of the daintier sex!"

The leader snickers back. "So you call yourself top!? Damn, thought you were the bottom!" The rest of his group laughs alongside him. "To be fair, any one of us could make that makeup of yours run real nice! You'd be the prettiest fucking thing with a dick shoved in your throat, could bust a nut all over that face and couldn't tell the difference! I mean our dicks can't, mouth is mouth!"

"I do not take kindly to your insults!" The prince replies, infuriated that his sexuality is continued to be thrown into question.

"And we're all short on some goods that you may have on that ship of yours, guess we're both hurting today!" He turns back to look at his compatriots. "Am I right, boys!?"

As the opposing group holler in agreeance, the prince gives the visual to ready their weapons. "I warn you for the last time, turn back to where you've crawled from! If you refuse, we will give no quarter!"

The cult leader, while ambitious, proves not to be too hasty in his provocations. He turns to the others and quietly signals for them to cool their temperatures before finding themselves in a disadvantageous situation. "Actually, I was seeing if we could run a deal! Maybe a trade or two! Could be a thing you'd be down for!"

"Not interested!" Eros vehemently declines.

"Oh trust me, you'll be interested in what we've got for you!" He nods his head to the side, signaling for Flotsam and Jetsam to drag an unconscious alicorn to the forefront. "Wings and a horn, just like you. And you two seem to have the whole white on white thing going too! You guys must be related!"

Eros staggers at the sight of his brother being dropped before him in the short distance. One of the centuries beside him confirm the sight. "Sir, that's Prince Xerxes!"

"I have eyes too, you know." He mutters. But yet another thought comes to the mind. He opts to bluff over the situation. "We have no affiliation with that stallion! Do with him what you desire!"

"Nah, he's yours!" The ringleader confirms. "The bastard marked his way through the caves, leading all the way back to your ship! And if you ain't notice, we don't really do alicorns down here!" He approaches Xerxes from behind, lifting him by the base of his horn. "So let's make it happen! I give you your guy, you give me all the saltpeter and food on that vessel of yours! Hell just get your guys off the ship and we'll run it from there! And we trade your guy back, you all can go about your way, and no one gets their feelings hurt! Fair!?"

Slowly in the midst of the chaos, Xerxes' eyes start to flicker open. "Ugh... aah... damn."

"Aw, sweet prince is waking up! Think you might wanna make your decision quickly!"

With little wait, Eros calls to his centuries. "MAKE READY!"

"Make ready!" The group calls out behind him, cocking their weapons.

The ringleader shrugs as he looks back to his compatriots. "Well you heard em, boys, we're doing this! Ready up!"

Suddenly, the formation that once appeared chaotic tightens to a taught semi-circle. The unicorns in front weave a series of shields to defend against the oncoming volley. While the unicorns behind them easily weave spears of their own auras, pointing the tips beyond that of the arcane shield wall. "Weapons... of their own magic?" Eros asks himself. "Since when could we do anything like that?" He shakes off the sudden development and fortify his mind to carry out the attack. "TAKE AIM!"

"Take aim!"

"Guess we can play a little defense to start things off!" The ringleader announces proudly. "Go on, give it your best shot!"

Finally understanding the situation that everyone's embroiled into, Xerxes shouts to the top of his lungs a plea to the centuries across the way. "HOLD YOUR FIRE!..." He tries to turn his head over to the ringleader and mutters to him. "...All... drinks... on the... dock."

Hearing those words, the shields of the front line falter completely, the weapons of magic dissipate in the seconds to follow. The ringleader even orders his guys to stand down, but also pleading out to the ones standing on the ramp of the airship. "Oi! Oi! Time-out, pretty boy! Your guy just said some shit, we need to confirm! Give us a minute... straighten some shit out!" He gently places the dazed prince back down to the ground, the other surrounding him with newly vested interest. "Now... run that by us... one more time."

Grimacing from the ache of the blows he took earlier, he slowly speaks through the pain. "I was told... from the most high... to say those words. All drinks on the dock."

The others slowly raise their eyes to look at one another. Mash speaks softly. "Ay, boss, he said that came from the 'most high'."

Trying to make sure that he heard right, he leans into the prince. "Run that one by us one good time."

"'They have dismantled all that I have created in favor of their narratives. But I believe that there is hope beneath where the light touches. And wherein lies that hope also lies kindred company. You must send for the remnants of my most ardent followers, my lackeys of both past and current. You will meet with them first.'" Xerxes quotes the words of the whispering spirit, still dwelling onboard the airship they currently look to. "Those were the words give unto me. Along with these words: All drinks on the dock."

Having overheard the injured prince, one of the centuries whispers to Eros. "Sir, I think your brother's concussed."

"There's no water around here." He responds.

Meanwhile, a chorus of smiles start to fade onto the faces of the torch-bearing mountain-dwellers. "Hey boss." Mish calls out.

"All drinks on the doc." The ringleader begins to sing slowly. "♪All drinks on the doooooooc.♪"

"♪A whole fuckin' week, we'll drink a whole lot.♪" Jetsam sings a bit faster.

"♪We'll drink a whole lot, we'll drink a whole looooot!♫" Mash shouts out with Flotsam, rocking side to side, linked up by their forelegs. Everyone soon joins in.

♫The whole goddamn week, we'll drink your whole stock!
We'll drink your whole stock,
we'll drink your whole stooooooock,
down to the last drop, ALL DRINKS ON THE DOC!♫

Boisterous cheers fill the cave, the mountain-dwellers being the main component of the noise. Many of them hug one another and dance in celebration, giving confusion to the watchful group of centuries and their prince. The ringleader waves over to Eros with a show of warm greeting. "Oi, brethren!" He turns back to Xerxes to ensure that he's not calling out to them for no reason. "Wait, these are your guys, right?"

"That one up there is indeed my brother, yes." He confirms as he gets back to his hooves.

"Oh great then." He once more hails to Eros. "Brethren! Come!"

The lavender-streaked prince looks upon the approaching duo of his brother and the ringleader with caution as the officer whispers over to him. "Do we still await your signal, sir?"

"Of course. It could still be an ambush."

Xerxes shares no semblance of animosity as he points to the stallion next to him. "Eros, meet our new associates in our local conquest." He stammers for a moment, realizing an important issue. "I don't quite remember a name of yours."

"Oh yeah, we got you pretty rough back there, you know how it is. Apologies, brother." The ringleader taps his chest. "The name's Tap Out, head of the Old Rotty Committe, and overseer of the Tamers Guild."

"Tamers guild?" Xerxes asks curiously. He sparks up his magic to summon a silver medallion, the face showing a dragon's head and six spears embedded in it with vary flags. "Familiar with this one?"

"Dragon hunters!? Oh you gotta be the real deal then! I didn't know you were a guildie too! Hell, next time start off with that shit!"

Still looking to maintain some semblance of cover, Eros grabs his brother and chews him out for his blatant disclosures. "What the hell do you think you are doing?"

"You didn't think Zenobia was the only one getting word from the Good Doctor himself, did you?" Xerxes replies with a smirk.

Tap Out nods with a fond chuckle. "Yeah, gotta love good ol' Doc. He was always one of the boys, you know."

Eros shakes his head at the two's interactions. "Now I am confused, what is this again? Old Rotty committee, some guild, none of this makes sense to me."

"Yeah, I should probably clue you in on things." The prideful ringleader explains. "So back in the old days, we were up there in the city proper. The locals used to call our little slice of freedom 'Canterrot' like we were some plague on the city. But now, we're a bunch of holdovers from the heyday of Doc running the place. Been pretty much hidin' like a bunch of cockroaches now that they put up all those bright lights and shit. Everything's been pretty fucked, and it's all thanks to that purple bitch and her pearlescent predecessor, not to mention that human bastard that's got his dick in the both of them."

Eros stares slackjawed at the stallion. With no proper reference to anything, he remains confused. "I'm... empirically lost."

Xerxes is more than able to put context to the story. "The rogue apostle, the two legger... fornicating with the likes of your high princess?"

"Oh yeah, turns out she and he had some pretty deep history." Tap Out summons an old newspaper article of the moment commemorating the previous captain's graduation from basic training. It captures the moment where a younger Princess Twilight leaps up to fully display her affections for the human. "Tongue deep, obviously."

Both the brothers look at the picture with confused disgust. "What in heresy." Eros tilts his head.

"Not just her, obviously." This time, the guild leader produces another newspaper headline, but this one revealing the moment the former high princess Celestia embraces the man in similar fashion, but with a lot more tact and a wedding dress. The pair's jaws fall almost to the ground. "Yeah, her too."

Xerxes nods shortly after, his mind flashing back to both the moment when the man ran onto the ship after killing much of his centuries, and then the wrathful rant the aforementioned mare gave of her husband. "Well... that just answers a lot of questions."

"You know of these two?" Tap Out inquires.

"The rogue apostle and nightmare from hell. He's got a litany of weapons capable of immense bloodshed. And she's got a fiery temperament, and a halberd with the beauty of the setting sun─"

"With a blade with the strength to cleave a thousand stallions without ever dulling." The guild leader concludes. "So you do know about her?"

His eyes close to recount the ease in which the flame-maned alicorn easily sliced through more than half of his air fleet over the ocean. "Truly demonic."

"Glad you see that for yourself." Tap Out shudders, remembering her time walking through the town and cutting off the heads of his fellow guildmates with little pause. "Though I gotta say it, it's strange how the last pair of bastards we had coming in saying they supported the Doc never really had any idea of what he stood for. Free living, loving who you want, living how you want, doing what you want, true justice, a place to belong, and the unflinching protection against those in highest seats of power. He didn't mind letting a few heads roll for public enjoyment, but he also put together a myriad of ways to regain the life you lose throughout his time being around. Never afraid of the dirty work, but always looking for ways to keep you around. That's our Doc, always have been, always will be."

"The two that said they supported the Doctor, what happened with them?" Xerxes asks.

"Eh, they got out. They were helped along by that stupid scaly son of a bitch known as Princess Twilight's so-called 'Royal Friendship Advisor' or whatever the fuck that means."

A glint appears in the eyes of the intrepid prince. "Scaly?" His wings ruffle at the smallest means of the description. "Those scales wouldn't happen to be purple, would they?"

The stallion nods. "...Yeah. Tall, walks on two legs like the humans. You know him?"

For the moment, the prince's eyes grow cold and threatening as he questions the guild leader. "So your guys specialize in taming creatures, right? How good are you at hunting dragons?"

"Xerxes!" Eros calls out.

"What, I'm only asking questions, hypotheticals even. Besides, you of all creatures should remember that father gave me exclusive rights to hunt him down and bring back our sister. Or did you forget our father's words so easily?" He turns back towards Tap Out, with violence growing in his eyes. "Now if I were to say that I wanted a certain dragon brought to me for the express purpose of collecting his head, would I be any less of right?"

The guild leader shakes his head. "Sounds like the case of a beast gone feral, and you're looking to take responsibility for that beast biting someone out of term. You'd ask me, I'd call you a responsible pet owner."

"I like the analogy. We'll discuss matters of that at great length." The prince's eyes shift back towards the entrance of the airship. "But first, I believe we should go and speak with the almighty. He's expecting you."

"Now that's a welcome I can get behind." He cosigns as he looks to enter the airship. However, the pair are hindered by Eros' magic, specifically holding back Xerxes.

"I don't know what any of this is, but if you so much as deviate from father's orders─"

"You know damn well what my new orders are. If you want to continue this pointless search to find the holy mother with Agamemnon, the let that be your pursuit."

Tap Out quirk a brow at the squabbling siblings. "Holy mother?"

"A zebra unicorn mare. The doctor once requested for her to be brought before him, along with the offspring." Xerxes elaborates.

"Zebra unicorn mare?" The guild leader ponders for a short moment. "Ah... the village mount! She's a good fighter, but she's even better in bed. Could suck your dick like it was water to a deserted wanderer, takes a lot of punishment like a sinner looking to repent, a steadfast crusader in the sheets... or whatever back alleyway you happen to be in. She's got an ass built for breeding, a throat ordained for ministry, and a body built by scripture."

Both the brothers blink wildly at the vulgar description. "That doesn't sound as holy as I was made to believe." Eros replies.

"Oh trust me, she's holy, she's got the holes. But the only one who got her best work was─wouldn't you guess it─that human bastard she worked under." He summons another newspaper article, this one with a zebracorn mare standing next to the former captain. "Yeah, that's what she used to look like. But now she's changed everything up, dyed her fur, grew her mane a bit, wearing all sorts of dresses to hide the fact that she's a blank-flank. Any identifiable means, she's altered to shed that image of herself. She's a family girl, got responsibilities, decent livin', and a so-called 'public reputation' to uphold. Her and the brat lives on the back end of the mountain."

Both of the princes stare in awe of the wealth of information so easily laid at their hooves.

"If the Doc wants her, we can get her too. The Tamers Guild prides itself in the apprehension and collection of ALL creatures, living or otherwise." He also lays out a few photos of the royal friendship advisor standing next to a skinny albino alicorn mare. "And if you want this one, we'll be more than happy to fetch him. No need of a price, it's personal."

Xerxes cracks a smile back at his brother and whispers. "The Doctor. Always. Provides."

Author's Note

To be continued...