Simplified

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?"