Simplified

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!"