Simplified

Ocellus continues to browse around on her phone, checking out the prices of a few items recommended by Gabby for her recommendations of utilizing props for her sexual education courses at the school. She scrolls down, trying to find something that's not entirely too graphic that could be reported, but rather something that can still be used as a prop. Her eyes drift down to the bottom of the page, seeing a few notable items highly rated for approval. As she selects the item for viewing, she notices that it's a model made originally in the human world. She grumbles as the unique dolphin shape is advertised to have twin-turbo feature that allows the head to swivel around.

Her cheeks show a hint of blush as she reluctantly selects the inconspicuous model. "There's no way humans are built like this." She mutters to herself before seeing a bored but curious Zenobia staring at her from across the dining room table. "Is there any reason why you're staring at me like you have some weird ideas?"

"So when you say you've taught Spike everything he knows, just how much do you know of him before you met him?"

She ganders at her screen, still seeing the toy highlighted on her page. She quickly exits to the home screen and gives her answer. "Small."

The mare has a different mind, gawking oddly at the changeling. "I beg your pardon?"

"Yeah, he was really small and adorable looking. He was huge on sarcasm and snark, was always around the princess, he didn't have wings yet, big on Ogres and Oubliettes, and he was a hopeless romantic who had a serious crush on one of my professors. When he finally got over that obsession to the point where it's more of a passing fantasy and occasional masturbatory aid, he'd just go out for chocolate milk and donuts. Yup, he was pretty normal, outside of already been the dragon lord, saving the Crystal Empire from the evil King Sombra, helping stop a vengeance-lusting time traveler, helping put down the Storm King, and planting the seeds of changeling revolution that eventually turned into an overthrow of Queen Chrysalis. And that was all while walking with Princess Twilight though every step of her ascension to power."

The imperial mare appears perplexed. "Uh... what?"

"In other words, he had a busy childhood." The changeling summarizes.

"No shit." She mutters to herself. "Okay, what I should mean to say is this; How was he in the intimate arena?"

"Oh, context, start with that next time." She advises before continuing. "He was hopeless and horny, caught in dragon lust, would not stop masturbating. If you think he can blow some loads now, you should've seen him then. Poor guy was raging stiff. If you're wanting details on that, then I'll be happy to provide you with a one-for-one visual."

The mare's eyes widen for a brief moment, the instance of earlier where both she and Spike traded the idea of how they would ruin her. Not one to usually show shyness on the matter, she retreats from the idea. "I'm not trying to have my tryst with the likes of you, don't get it confused for whatever debauchery you may have in mind."

The changeling mimics the dragon's voice to a perfect tone. "Didn't seem to mind the idea when I'm transformed into him."

The seldom flustered mare is caught off guard and recluses to herself. "Whatever."

Ocellus takes pride in making the mare more uncomfortable with each of her growing taunts, so she keeps his voice while explaining what's happened in the past. "Either way, he was really inexperienced. You could tell his claws were the only things his throbbing dick had known up to that point. If I remember things right, I think it was because Twilight kept him so busy that he never had time to go through his daily rituals of stress relief, if you know what I mean."

Zenobia tries to ignore the sound of the dragon's replicated voice describing his prior sexual frustrations. "Oh. So he wasn't taught by that princess on how to please?"

Ocellus completely drops the voice as she laughs out loud. "Hell no! Princess Twilight's like a big sister to him! I can't imagine the idea of those two hooking up, even if they tried."

The imperial princess racks her brain with the image of Twilight watching with desperation to save the dragon that bent her over the table and had his way in front of her. Her intuition was always that she had to submitted to her feminine curiosities, using the dragon as a means to fill that void. "But I thought... never mind." Realizing the correction, she reluctantly gives credit to the changeling. "I guess I should appreciate the gentlecolt he's turned out to be due to your instruction."

Ocellus giggles as she reassumes the dragon's voice. "Fiending for a lesson yourself, huh?"

"Not with you." She denies.

"I taught him everything he knows." She says, swapping her voice back and forth. "I might be a female naturally, but I'm pretty damn good when it comes to tricking you into switching sides."

"She's right you know." Gabby adds as she walks in, opening the fridge to grab a snack.

Zenobia directs the conversation towards the passing griffon. "In speaking of switching sides, I never thought you griffons would be interested in dragons. Aren't your species ill-equipped to be managing girths that size."

"Griffons lay eggs, you know that, right?" She answers.

"I'm aware. I just thought griffons males aren't usually as... endowed."

Ocellus intervenes. "Depends on the build. Even some stallions aren't that gifted in the physical department. It's all about what you have and how you use it."

The imperial princess still directs her attention to Gabby. "So let's hear your assessment of Spike. You claim to be the first in this situation, so how did you two come to exchanges? What was your view of him at the time?"

Gabby closes the fridge, pulling out a cup of yogurt. "Always busy, never really have the time to sit down and mire himself in the warmth of company longed for. Ever the hopeless romantic in past times, but always the connoisseur of adventure with the vessel he maintains to sail the once uncharted waters. But now that his navigation has grown a novice to the flowing currents, I feel his venture will soon to be beyond that of the water's surface, seeking even the deeper treasures lying in wait at sunken wrecks long forgotten."

Zenobia blinks and tilts her head, looking to Smolder who enters the room with Ember. "Did any of you understood a word she said?"

"The hell if I know." The amber dragoness answers.

"We're still learning her. Apparently she and Spike speak all sort of euphemisms." Ocellus replies.

"He and I, we pinned letters back in the budding days of our adolescence, we would exchange thoughts, poems, sometimes even well-worded ways to cast color into the void of our vivid imaginations, manifesting scenes of blissful indulgences. What for, well I can assume you're of age to know that already." Gabby answers as she grabs a spoonful of her treat to intake.

"Do you write smut for a living?" The princess inquires.

"Depends on the reader." She answers before gobbling the spoon.

The princess now points to Smolder. "So what's your deal?"

"Spike and I have been buds. He'd usually come to me whenever he had any coming-of-age issues, I practically guided him through all his major milestones, his first molt, his first unassisted flight, his first growth spurt, his second growth spurt, his third growth spurt... his fourth growth spurt... the fifth growth spurt that hit him where you like it the most... and his initial symptoms of dragon lust. And then I was the one to break him out of his dragon rut all together."

"Yeah, how nice of you." Ember cuts in. "You still should've known better than to do that, Smolder. Spike was mine to have and mine alone."

"He couldn't beat you, that much is obvious. He beat me on the first try. Maybe you're too afraid to admit that you've got too much of Lord Torch's strength." Smolder replies.

"But he was still mine to contest!" The dragon lord rebukes.

Smolder shrugs haplessly. "All due respect, Spike's made it known that he doesn't prefer fighting for a mate. I just so happened to hit one of our mating triggers that first time we clutched up. He and I fought, and he easily overpowered me, so I just let him have at it."

"Mating triggers... Is that the biting of the neck thing?" Zenobia asks.

"What do you know about that?" Ember seems to have a sharpened criticality of the opposing princess.

"I might have... tempted fate a bit too much." She says while rubbing the side of her neck. "Was warned of it, didn't care for it too much, things got heavy, and then the teeth came barring down. He didn't go too deep, but he did draw a good amount of blood. My brother wasn't too thrilled to see that apparently."

The sound of the door opening alerts everyone. As they take notice of the entry, I step into the room with a few books in tow, each of them containing highly sensitive information that I'll be researching throughout the night for understanding what took place all those years ago, and what we could be soon up against. "Spike! Welcome back!" Gabby cheerfully greets me as I step into the room.

Zenobia rises with a relieved smile. "Bout time! I'm starving."

"You wouldn't be starving if you had let me ordered out." Ocellus replies to her.

"I said nothing greasy! And your choices were nothing but!" The mare argues in return.

"So picky!" Gabby chides the mare.

Most of everyone fails to see the worry written all over my face, initially anyways. It's only when Smolder calls me out when they start to realize something's up. "You good? Something the matter, big guy?"

The little bit of info I crammed on the train has a lot heavy details, a lot of morally reprehensible guidelines of how to store a body for the long-term, the temperatures, the method of draining blood with a chemical substitute that further preserves the body against rapid putrefaction. A lot of that one book made my stomach crawl all throughout the train ride back home. "Just did some reading up. It's been a long one."

Zenobia pops past the others, looking to get me to work. "So what, you're not going to do dinner for us?"

I look to the fridge, having already seen that word a number of times. There's a quote that runs at the forefront of my mind.

'The ideal temperature to generally host a cadaver is around one to two degrees Celsius, however that temperature is unideal for process of mass storage, as inconsistent air flows may cause certain parts of the body to degrade faster than others. That line of reasoning soundly applies to pockets of areas containing multiple subjects. To compensate for mass storage and long term use, bodies are to be kept in a more frigid climate with a temperature of no lower than negative fourteen degrees Celsius.'

My stomach turns once more. "I'm not in the mood." Another quote jumps out in my mind.

'To further prevent damage to cadavers, each batch must be cycled between staging zones one and two, zone two for deep freezing and preservation for a period no longer than three months, zone one for thawing and reconstitution. The 'brain' subject will further assimilate those assumed to be the most impactful for the intended tasks and purposes.'

My queasiness intensifies. "I think I'll just call it in early. I'm pretty worn out after all of this."

"Do you need anything?" Questions the amber-colored dragoness.

"No, not right now." I deny, holding my head. "I'm so sorry Smolder, I know today was your day to catch up on where we left off last time. I promise I'll make it up to you on Thursday."

"Uh, no, today's my day!" Ember interjects.

"Whoever's day it is, I'll make it up on Thursday. I'm sorry." I say before storming off to the upstairs.

"Spike!" Ember hails angrily, yielding no effect.

Ocellus sighs dejectedly, showing no pleasure in seeing my sluggish manner of departure. "Must've been a rough time in Canterlot again."

"With the way Twilight's been treating him, I wouldn't be surprised if she dumped another shitty ass assignment on him." Smolder complains.

"I hope not." Gabby moans anxiously. "He needs to be home for a while."

I open my eyes, seeing a wreckage of a ship in the distance. Upon a closer look, it appears to be the yacht we're taking home...

Wait, I though I already made it back home.

To my misfortune, it seems that we've been cast to an island off in the north of the Celestial Sea, the air is frigid and callous, and there seems to be no one else around. But a sudden boom sounding above my head grabs my attention, I look up to see an imperial airship listing above. Imperial centuries leap from high above, pinning me down to the ground as I feel helpless under their amassed weight.

"Get off of me!" I plead, gaining no ground other than the coarse sand under my scaled belly.

My arms are restrained, pulled back to minimize my ability to fight, my wings are flapping, but I cannot rise from the ground. A table appears next to me, along with a laughing Xerxes. "Ah, my trophy at last."

"Celestia, Nondis, Twilight, anyone! Please!" My cries for help go nowhere.

"Just like I told you..." He brings up the flail of the several heads of my dragon kindred, with but one bit shimmering of stainless steel. He smiles with a sadistic charm, his voice whispering with a creeping endearment of the moment. "I saved you a spot."

"Please! Someone! ANYONE HELP ME!" Once more, my cries go nowhere but the waters of the sea and the salt of the air. I look to beg the ones holding to me, only to see the familiar faces of all of the guards who served under me staring with indifference, quietly awaiting for me to be ensnared by fate. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry! I'M SORRY!"

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

While my cries in the dream go unanswered, my murmuring calls in the dark yields a vastly different response. Gabby watches as I writhe in the horrors of my nightmare. "SPIKE!"

Ember however, doesn't spend any time watching as she pushes past the griffon and dashes for me. "Dammit, move!"

"Ember, what are you doing!?" The griffon asks as the others run in behind her.

The dragoness yanks me up and totes me towards the pool deck. Ocellus cries out for the dragoness to not act as brash. "Ember, stop!"

But by the time her words reach her, my body is already in the air and well into the pool. I frantically snap my eyes open, feeling the water entrap me and and look to invade my lungs. I give a frantic swipe for whatever feels solid enough to hold onto. "AH! AH! AH! WE'RE SINKING!"

"SPIKE!" Smolder's voice snaps me back into reality.

I rapidly stamp my feet downward, feeling the solid bottom of the pool. I call out, still disoriented, and now coughing up the water in my lungs. "Where the fuck am I!?"

"You're home. You're home, it's okay." Gabby reassures me.

Smolder is less than pleased with the dragon lord's actions. "Ember, what the fuck is wrong with you!?"

"Cold water wakes him up! I just went with what works!" She defends.

"He could've drowned!" Ocellus angrily chides the dragoness.

"No way, he knows how to swim just fine." Ember shrugs off.

"Well he sure didn't look to be in the mind to do that!" The changeling goes from chewing out Ember to checking back in with me. "What the hell were you doing up here?"

Gabby observes the area I was once rested in, noting the number of books wide open on the side of me. "Books of black bars, interesting choice of literature."

"What happened?" I ask to Ocellus.

Smolder looks at the TV, seeing that a scary movie is on the screen. She immediately cuts it off. "You passed out looking at this shit, I don't know what it's supposed to be. The TV started watching you, then some weird movie came on one of the human channels and then you started screaming, scared us half to death! You gotta be more considerate of what you watch before you sleep, big guy."

I know I didn't pay any attention to what was on the screen after I had started reading. In actuality, I was in between these terrifying books and a fairly good comedy movie. I knew that it would've been hard for me to just outright go to sleep with all of that on my mind, so I thought I could have something funny soothe me back to sleep, at least distract me from the nightmares I was reading up on. Now that seems to be a luxury of a thought. "Ugh... fuck. I need something to drink."

"Drink what, the water in the pool wasn't enough?" Ember asks, getting a trio of deathly stares from everyone else. "What, it was a joke."

Gabby pulls me along. "You need to come to bed. No more of this, whatever it is."

At last, the imperials enter the room, checking in on what's happened. Zenobia yawns tiredly as she complains about the noise. "What's going on? It's so late, I heard screaming and commotion downstairs. Now you lot are staring over the pet like a bunch of hungry rocs looking for a piecemeal."

"We woke Spike out of a nightmare." Ocellus explains. "The first part of the screaming was him. The later part was us telling Ember that she shouldn't throw him into the pool to wake him."

"There's a pool?" The alicorn looks over to see just that waiting over in the top deck patio. "Well fuck, I know what I'll be doing tomorrow."

"Anyhow," The changeling continues. "Spike started mumbling apologies, and eventually started screaming them. All I can see out of him is his mind fighting off a severe trauma response. That tells me something terrible happened and he had to witness it."

Hestia walks over to me, already knowing what could have me reaching out like that. "Was it them?"

I give a quiet nod in response to her question. Meanwhile, the others are confused, Ember being the main one to speak out. "What are you talking about, who's them?"

'Studies also show that transmission elements are incapable of operating against extreme temperatures, such as high heat capable of fraying neural synapse exchanges, or artic temperatures capable of reducing transmissions and making bodily joints slow, bitter, or overall inoperable. Subjects that are found with these conditions are expected to be returned to post of origin effective after a ten stage intermediary process.'

That was the last thing I read before falling asleep. The only comfort that I have in that statement is in consideration of the manner of everyone's disposal. While I can't forget both the smell of diesel and burning flesh, or the embarrassing tango between disgust and hunger, they can be at rest for good at the very least. Though it begs the question of just how far Ponyland has followed this guy's doctrine, especially if they have direct contact. "...I need to keep studying."

"It's two in the morning, big guy. Come to bed." Smolder recommends.

I ignore her, sitting back on the couch and cutting on the television for background noise. I pick back up on where I last left before dozing off. "I'm sorry, I just need to find the truth. There's some things I need to get ready for."

Smolder tries to enforce her judgement onto me. "Oh no you don't! You put that down and come to to bed! Now!"

But as the amber dragoness reaches over to grab me, she's stopped by Amor. "I think... we should leave him be. Whatever he's researching, it's probably serious. We shouldn't get in the way."

Zenobia looks at one of the books, appearing almost as though she's seen it before. A gasp leaves her lips as she mulls over a conversation that was had on the ship. She resorts to dragging her siblings away. "We shouldn't be here right now. We should go."

"Wow, you're not even fighting to get his attention, are you?" Hestia questions, genuinely surprised with her sister.

"He is undergoing a portion of his duties much like how he has watched me do mine. We leave him be." She turns to the others. "If you all are any part better than me, I suggest you lot respect that and follow suit. Don't let me be the good one here."

Resigning to pride in her own standard, Ember begrudgingly tows Smolder along. "Well you heard the pony skank, let's try to not have her be the only one on a pedestal."

Gabby takes a deep breath, watching with disappointment. "And here I am thinking you were going to take better care of yourself. You've always been like this, always time for something other than yourself and your personal life, much less dating." She sulks off with a passing thought offered to me. "I thought we could have more time if I agreed to this, but if this is where we're going with this, then I've made a huge mistake."

Ocellus remains as the last in the room with the griffon's departure down the stairs. She stares quietly at me skimming page after page of illegible black bars. She shows concern for my mental state. "What the hell happened to you?"

The next morning, Ocellus, Gabby, and Smolder all rise an hour earlier than their usual times. They gather themselves downstairs in the dining room, having quiet discussions about what's taken place. And with each ticking second, they're only brought to more questions than before.

Their answer doesn't come until sometime later, when Zenobia slowly trots into the room, seeing the three gathered quietly, looking back at her as though she has something to say. The imperial princess ganders around, appearing unimpressed by the lack of a set table. "Oh, no food on the burn either? Well that's a bit of a disappointment. Sleep for breakfast it is then, I can go without another meal, it's not that bad."

Instead of letting the alicorn get away with her passive complaints, Ocellus lightly tugs at one of her wings to prevent her from leaving. "Why don't you take a seat with the rest of us, get comfy."

Seeing the apprehensive stares beamed for her, she rolls her eyes with an entitled dread. "What, is this some sort of family meeting that I'm apparently responsible for?"

Amor and Hestia also enter into the room, seeing Zenobia getting held up. "Good morning." He also sees the others quietly glancing over to him now. "Oh, I guess this is the part where you all lay down some rules and tell us how we can contribute. I'd be more than happy to do my part."

Hestia waves her hoof with a bit of early-bird enthusiasm. "Ooh, I'm good at tinkering, research, and chemistry! Not very good at cooking, apparently. I'm... probably better off away from a stove."

"Discretion is the better part of valor." The prince mutters, much to his sister's chagrin.

Smolder speaks out. "We can talk on that later. Right now it's about Spike."

"Oh. So you mean what happened at like two in the morning?" Amor questions.

"Exactly that." Ocellus confirms. "You guys have been around him since his time in Ponyland. I think it's time you tell us what's been the issue and what's all happened. Because that Spike we saw in the early a.m., that's not the Spike we know."

"Beg to differ on the workaholic timing, that's the version of him I broke up with. But that screaming out of a nightmare part is deeply concerning." Gabby adds.

Hestia and her brother exchange looks before she speaks on behalf of their side. "We understand your concerns, and they are pretty valid."

The griffon continues. "Then if you understand, you'll tell us why he's been like this. Why is he reading books with nothing but black lines in them? What happened that has him screaming in his sleep? Spike's never drunk himself to sleep, much less requested the thought! Why is he so different from when he last left here?"

"What did he see?" Ocellus compounds.

"What did you do to him?" Smolder quietly snarls.

Zenobia starts to step forward, as if she's ready to weave them her perspective, but Amor beats her to the plate. "It's a long story. I guess it pretty much started with our arrival in Manehattan."

I groggily walk into the room, Ember constantly nagging me with every step. "For the umpteenth time, I thought it was a stupid book filled with some dumb black bars! Why are you mad at me!?"

"Because you spilled a two-hundred year old bottle of bourbon on it to get my attention!" I complain vehemently, giving her the lesser reason for my ire.

"But you can buy another bottle of it. And I don't see why you even drink to begin with. Dragons don't drink."

"You make me want to find a career at the bottom of a barrel of the hardest shit out there on market!"

"Seriously, are you this much of a puss these days?"

Zenobia sees the opportunity to save me from my misfortune, only to become yet another source of my early morning irritation. "Pet! Bout damn time you got here, I'm famished! Would you mind warming us a little something to peck on for the day?"

"Hey you entitled bitch, fix your own damn food!" I find it incredulous that the one who's truly entitled by nature is going after the other entitled individual as though it's a noble endeavor.

"Excuse you!?" Zenobia once more gets into a shouting match with the dragon lord. "I don't take too kindly to the continued show of disrespect!"

"Well if you want it, then how about you show some first!?"

While yesterday gave me a lot more energy to go on, all thanks to the novel idea of returning to the peace of my home, I can truly say that this morning has me waking up with far less of that enthusiasm. "Ladies."

"Me, show respect, to you!? I'd rather show you the crack of my ass than show you anything resembling respect!"

"You keep talking, I'll show you the inside of your own ass!"

At this point, I'm completely over the idea of trying to pacify them both. So I shout at them both. "SHUT UP!" My voice echoes throughout the room, the pair stare at me, stunned that I had even asserted myself in such a brutish manner. I start off with the dragoness to my left. "Ember, you go with Smolder toda─" But as I start to speak, my body crashes hard from the combined lack of sleep and the terrible hangover I'm dealing with. I stumble and fall to a knee, getting help from Amor in the process.

"Are you sick?" He asks. "Tell us what you need, we'll help you in any way."

I fight off a bit of my nausea and signal to the young prince. "I'm not doing too well. I need a cup of coffee."

"I'll get right on it." Smolder jumps up from her seat, going right to work in the kitchen as she pulls a mug from the cabinet. "What do you want in it?"

"Creamer, chocolate, a teaspoon of vanilla, steamed milk, please."

"Okay, I'll have that for you in a sec." She continues to go about making my requested beverage, but starts the conversation with me. "So big guy, you never told us what happened in Ponyland, to you I mean. What's the deal with that?"

"And what's with that collar on your neck?" Ocellus adds.

"And those dog tags?" Gabby rounds out the trifecta of inquiries.

I grimace as I look back down to my neck, seeing the forty names still weighing on me. "Ah shit, I been meaning to give these to Twilight yesterday." While I express some annoyance with myself, I do however give them an answer to start everything off. "A lot's happened."

"Do you wanna expand on that?" Smolder questions.

Before I can even breathe to give a response, a trio of chimes sound throughout the house. The foreign sound alerts the alicorn with it's unusual character. "The hell is that noise?"

"Doorbell." I say while I pull out my phone to check the camera. There's a pair of guards waiting on the front porch. "You guys again?"

"Sir Spike, a summons has been made for you to return to Canterlot at once. The parliament wants to question your time over in Ponyland, and they want to know more about the casualties we've incurred."

"Of course the war hogs want something to bitch about." I grumble. "I'll be out in five."

I place my phone down, Gabby quietly brings about her worry. "Casualties?"

"Will you be okay?" Amor continues to show concern for me, obviously knowing what's it's been. "Talking about it, I mean it's got to be hard enough remembering it without getting sick."

I look down, raising my leg, looking at the rather pristine scales at the bottom of my foot. "I still feel her leg under it. Just the crunch..." I shake my head, trying to fight off the compounding nausea.

Amor finishes my statement for me, admitting more than I ever wanted to tell them. "His security detail, they killed them, then they burned the bodies of every last one, along with their airship."

"They burned the corpses of all of them except for one." Hestia compiles. "There was one who tried to get the message to Spike on where to go next. He was left to bleed out in one of the waterways, but left a message written in his blood on the walls."

"That's not all..." Zenobia is quiet, looking down and away from everyone as Amor carries on with the story. "My brother, Xerxes, hates dragons. So he wanted to intimidate Spike by any means. And with that, he took the time, during my celebratory return parade, to... display his dragon hunting prowess." He bows his head before Ember with a sincere apology. "I'm sorry, but there are now seven less dragons in the world."

I grab the mug from Smolder, downing the contents of my incomplete beverage, regardless of the scalding temperature. I wipe my mouth and slide the mug close to the sink. "I'm going to go ride to Canterlot now, get this mess over with."

"Call us if you need anything, okay?" Gabby responds.

"Sure." I quickly walk out of the room, trying not to let loose in front of them like I did when it first happened. I keep a stoic expression until I leave out the front door.

As the truth of the events in Ponyland come to light by the once proud nationals, everyone else already elects to distance themselves from the imperial trio. "Alright Ember, you're with me." Smolder walks over to the aforementioned dragoness, pulling her along before the pair can think to retaliate in a violent manner over how badly their kind was treated, even in a guest situation. "Besides, we don't need to be around Ponyland imperials. They might look to hunt us down with our backs turned."

Ocellus travels in solidarity with her dragon partner, but sternly offering a warning. "Smolder and I are teachers at a local school. The student body is a diverse gathering of students ranging from ages six up to eighteen." The changeling cringes with a painful thought, looking back at the parallels of how her species were treated by the humans at one point. "I'd normally invite you to interact, but we also have both dragons and changelings in our student body. You understand why I can't do that now. So as for you three, our conversation is far from over. "

The pair of teachers guide Ember out of the door, leaving the three siblings to the griffoness, her heart pouring for the dragon that she once criticized. A harrowing guilt looms over her mind as the young prince tries to address her. "So... Miss Gabby─"

Her mind jumps to the present, feeling the humble beginnings of resentment towards the three that also put in an effort to save his life. Her emotions fall into a state of flux, constantly wrestling between the discontent and the appreciation for their sacrifices. As a result, she gives herself the space to better process the situation. "Why don't you guys stick around the home until we get back? I know it'll be a while, but you can be patient." She grabs her work tote, slinging to her shoulder, and leaves the room with a brief warning. "Try not to get into trouble, you're already in it enough."

The griffon departs from the home, leaving the three to converse with one another. Zenobia continues to remain mum as Hestia offers comment on their current issue. "So much for starting over."

"It comes with the reputation of our country. There was never a point in starting over." Zenobia criticizes. "Just the beautiful lie it represents."

"It feels like just because of where we're born, the world is willing to point their hooves at us like we're naught but brainless savages. We're not, even if some of us do act the part. And it's probably no better if they find out what our family's been doing to itself for centuries." The pegasus mare closes her eyes, appearing fatigued of the turbulence. "Something's got to change."

"It starts with us." Amor attempts to reassures her. "All we have to do is show that we as members of the imperial family are willing to compromise."

"Compromise, with our positions?" Hestia challenges her brother's optimism. "How does we start to compromise when we've vowed before their princess to give up our power to be here?"

"You can't." Zenobia answers plainly. "We live in denial if you believe that your absorbing all of this will somehow change things as they are now. Equestria is successful from the relationships it builds, we are successful from the lands and creatures we conquer. The world has already painted us in it's own colors, the perspectives have been drawn out from centuries ago. What we are, what we've been, they stands the test of time. It's better to accept that."

Amor firmly stands against his sister's dogma to merely agree to the mold their family has carved out for them. "If we are made to accept that, then explain to me why are you still here."

The mare shows nothing more than her usual composure. "The accommodations are nice. Why the fuck would I leave this for the shit back at home?"

"But you just said to accept what we are, that nothing will ever change. If you accept that for yourself, then why not go back home to face father, and accept what you are?"

The mare scoffs at the idea. "I just don't need to go back right now. Plain and simple. I have competition and I look to dominate that field by whatever means. My pet has made a nest and now I wish to roost. I'm happy to be in this place."

"But that's just a contradiction." Hestia points out. "You've just compromised your own argument? What sense does that make?"

"I think I know the answer." The prince responds. "While you've made a convenient front to say that you've latched yourself to Spike, that's not the main reason why you're here. You've failed, not only in the eyes of our father, but in the execution of your position as abbess. You've failed Him and now you're scared to face him." Zenobia turns away from Amor, not wanting to look him in the eye as he delves further. "You're conflicted and don't want to openly accept that everything you've fought to maintain was a lie. Now you can't even face the one who vouched for your success because you know what he stands for, what Spike stands against with mountains of evidence to his favor. You've made promises and vows that you've silently committed to breaking. Guess that happens when you make a deal you can't hold to on your end just because the truth is staring you in the face."

"I don't have to tolerate this shit from a scum-sucking lesser blood!" The alicorn lashes back at him.

"Says the one who's barely above that. You failed one qualification at birth, and the mother of your branch can't shake off the disappointment."

"Just like you can't shake the feeling of Xerxes' sculpting out your rectum?"

"Or how your mother always hated how imperfect you were from birth?"

The alicorn snarls and quickly flies away from the conversation. "Fuck this, I'm hungry and there's no food that either of you are skilled enough to provide! I'm going back to bed!"

Amor growls at the departing princess and walks over to the kitchen. "I may not have much in the way of experience in cooking, but I can at least try to be useful. Not running away like her."

"Amor, you did run away from home." Hestia reminds him. "You're the reason why all of this happened."

"I ran from the abuse, you know that. I was tired of being a toy for his sadistic amusement. My brother died defending me from that fate, Sir Fencer went about the same way to do the same thing, so why should I accept it? I am a being to be useful for a greater purpose, not an object to be used." He opens the fridge, pulling out a number of ingredients for a quick meal. "I'm not going to be useless, I'm going to do something to better my circumstances, not just run when things get inconvenient."

Hestia looks down at herself, reproaching her idle stature and shaking herself to correct it. She walks around the counter, pulling out a pan. Amor watches her quietly as she places it on the stove. "I'll leave the fireworks to you, just tell me what you want to have cut."

"Potatoes are a good start. Better make enough for three, Zenobia won't be able to feed herself otherwise."

While the two lesser-blooded siblings go about preparing themselves a meal, Zenobia retires once more to the confines of her room. She shuts the door behind her, grumbling and complaining as she throws herself to the bed, yanking the covers above her head as a voice from her past surfaces in her mind.

"YOU EMBARASS ME IN FRONT OF YOUR FATHER!? NOW HE WANTS NOTHING TO DO WITH US! COME HERE! COME HERE! I'M GOING TO GIVE YOU THE FUCKING ATTENTION YOU DESERVE, YOU INCOMPETENT LITTLE SHIT! I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU DEAD FOR WHAT YOU'VE DONE TO US!"

Her rumbling stomach breaks the memory of that moment with a reminder of her present. "I'm still fucking hungry."

Canterlot Transit Station...

As soon as I arrive in town, I'm greeted by a scene that's just as painful to watch as it is to experience. A young foal crying in desperation for his parent, who hugs him tightly in response. An adolescent filly showing both dissent and worry. The mother in question is none other than Kalimba, who's keeping a relatively strong face in spite of it all. Ms. Blue overlooks it all with a crestfallen demeanor, while Tempest remains stoic.

"But it isn't fair!" Gala calls out angrily. "You said it would only be for a few days, that turned into two weeks! Now you're telling us that you're leaving again! How is that even fair, Kali!?"

The mare pleads back with her sister, trying not to disclose the primary reason for her departure. "I know it doesn't make sense, but you have to understand that I am doing this for a good reason."

"What's a good reason to leave us behind?" The teen asks. "In my eyes, there is none! To me, it feels like you've just picked up on something dangerous and now you're abandoning us!"

"I am not abandoning either one of you. I do this because I care." She responds.

"Then tell us what's going on, Kali." Gala pleads. "Please be fair about this."

"I am." The zebracorn kisses her son on his forehead. "My job calls for me to leave town. When I come back next time, I'll tell you what you'll need to know."

Her son, teary-eyed, begs for her to stay. "Momma abeg! I do not want you to leave, momma!"

"I know, I know you want me here." She answers with a tender voice. "But I must do some business, okay?"

"It's not fair!" Nafasi hollers, causing his mother to quell his cries with a warm embrace.

"I know. But momma's got to go take care of you, put food on our table, she does what she does to keep you happy and safe." She kisses her son yet again, trying to keep her own emotions in check. "Nakupenda. Kuwa mzuri. Kaa salama. (I love you. Be good. Stay safe.)"

"Ninaahidi! Nakupenda pia! (I promise! I love you too!)"

"If you have any nightmares, you will call me. And I will tell you another story, just like we always do." She says as her parting words to her son. She stands up and notices me, walking towards me to greet and bid me farewell for the time being. "Well, here we are, off to the world again."

"I'm sorry, for all of this." I offer my deepest regrets.

"It's not your fault, Spike. You cannot control the actions and intent of others." She answers as Ms. Blue comforts the others while Tempest joins with me and Kalimba. The zebracorn takes a deep breath, firming her resolve and notifying the broken-horned mare. "I am ready to go now."

"ATTENTION ALL PASSENGERS: THIS IS THE FINAL BOARDING CALL FOR KLUGETOWN. REPEAT, FINAL BOARDING CALL TO KLUGETOWN. NEXT TRAIN AVAILABLE IN THIRTY-SIX HOURS."

"I wish you the best." I bid to her.

"And I to you." She returns, finally stepping onto the train for her journey to the far South to Klugetown. Tempest follows behind her. As soon as the departure bell sounds, the pair takes their seats. The mother looks back at her son before finally breaking, heaving heavily before Tempest closes the window to avoid the others from seeing the matter any further.

Ms. Blue approaches me, having took notice of her friend. "Kali's devastated that she has to go into protection protocol. All of last night, she's been on the phone with me bawling her poor soul out. She feels like she's putting them in danger from leaving, hell, just for even existing. She's really going through it."

"I hate that this has to happen. But Klugetown is probably the best bet. Ponyland wouldn't dare look that far off, especially when even their own guards would be situationally hapless there, much less anything else." The train shuffles off, departing slowly from the station as we watch the shuttered window knowing who's behind it. "So now what?"

Ms. Blue turns to both Nafasi and Gala. "We keep a covert eye on these two, make sure they stay safe. Mr. Handy will give us any updates if we need to be involved."

"I just hate that we're leaving everything up to the whims of an old geezer, he shouldn't be concerned with anything of this magnitude. But I guess that's just the going rate these days."

The mare follows up with a check-up on me. "Now how are you doing? That new level must be opening your eyes to some pretty rough stuff."

"Can't say it's been easy on the mind. But I'll learn what I can, and be on the lookout on what all to avoid."

The both of us start to stroll towards the pair of young foals. "And the topic of interest, our special care package?"

"Still stashed in Ponyville. I'll keep a close eye on her, at least for as long as my remaining sanity will allow."

"Trust me, you'll last longer than you think."

I quirk a brow at the mare. "How do you know that for certain?"

"It's always hard at first, but it gets better. It's only one day out of many. And even if there are more than a few days of it, it'll be a mere drop in a bucket of otherwise wonderful, magical, mundane, funny, and interesting things. That's life."

"I guess I should take a note from you, you're still up and going after it all."

"Yeah, it's been a lot throughout my life, but even those terrible moments were spaced out so far between. And believe me, I have a lot to lose my mind over, but I look at that and compare it to what else happens between all of that." She slightly chuckles at herself. "That's one of the things Alabaster told me to do when I was going through a rough patch, went over my head then. I'm listening now, even after he's gone. Still wishing he was still here to nag me sometimes, maybe an annoying wakeup at seven on a Saturday morning. It's odd how I've made that an automatic response every week."

I look at the pair of foals, seeing her view of how this will be just one day of many others. "One day at a time, huh?"

The day is only halfway done, and I can already say it's been a long one. A three hour hearing in front of the parliament all for them to finally cast their vote on whether or not we should go to war with Ponyland. I at least tried to make my testimony as beneficial to appeal for peace, withholding a lot of personal experiences and traumas for the sake of maintaining neutrality. In either case, it's hard to shake off the forty dog-tags I had to give away to the families. They're probably looking for some mode of retribution themselves, some looking for blood, others merely looking for answers. But in either case, every press card carrier were looking for a scoop and they were hounding me for it all day.

But with that out of the way, I make my return to Ponyville an hour off of the lunch rush. The peaceful juxtaposition of this town is more than enough to calm my otherwise chaotic nerves. And I'm brought back to the doorstep of my own home, turning key and walking into the foyer to see a pair of equines more than happy to greet me at the door.

"Well, the prodigal dragon returns." Amor says with a cheesy grin.

"And not a moment too soon." Hestia's smile is all the more exaggerated.

"You two seem eerily enthusiastic." I say before I sniff the air, smelling a smoky odor permeating throughout the home. "Did you guys burn something?"

"Well, funny story... we did, but it's not... too bad?" Hestia seems to shy away at the confession.

Before horror could settle on my face, Amor quickly clears up the situation. "It's on me, I was inattentive. I left the potatoes on for longer than expected. Got really engrossed in a book and then forgot to lower the heat. The kitchen is still in one piece, but we've lost about six potatoes. Sorry."

"We were hungry, and we don't have bits. So we thought to at least try to pull our own." Hestia adds in her statement as I walk towards the kitchen, seeing nothing out of place other than a few scorch marks on the stainless steel range hood. There's also a mess of an oil splatter all over the counter, and my sink is also really oily with bits of burned potatoes hanging around the drain. "I know it's a mess, but we'll do what we can to clean things up."

"Too much oil, way too much heat, and too many potatoes in one load." I inform the pair. I'm not even upset at them, it's the least chaotic thing to happen all day. In fact, it's pretty endearing. "I suppose I can't blame you for trying, but try to measure out how much you're putting into a pan the size of what you've used." I look around the room, seeing a certain missing party. "Where's Zenobia at?"

"She's been shacked up in the bedroom, just as hungry as we are." The prince explains.

I jab at him a bit, cleaning up the mess that was made. "As often as you've been out in the rough, I'm surprised this happened with you in charge, Amor."

"Well Sir Fencer was a pretty good cook, so I never had to touch a pot until he told me when to stir." He chuckles for a bit before falling quiet. "Yeah... he was pretty good."

Seeing that the two are already in a despondent mood, I elect to take the matters off of their shoulders and let them have a little more free range outside of the kitchen. "It'll be a little bit before everyone else comes back from work. How about I order something and have it delivered for us, that way I can clean up and plan out our meal for this evening."

"Three birds with one stone, I like it." Hestia cheers. "Though do try to keep Zenobia in mind, she's picky. Plus you know how it gets when you get older, your body doesn't like fun stuff like it used to."

"In the meantime, we'll be back here, noses in these interesting books you have lining the shelves." Amor adds.

It doesn't take me long at all to clean up the mess, I just wanted them out of the kitchen for the time being. But I can't help but to blame myself for leaving them out to pasture like I did. I didn't even make food last night, so I can imagine how hungry they are. I suppose I should get on that food order.

I dial up a local food chain on my phone, it's only a few rings before they answer. "Hello, this is Briquette's Pizza where your local produce makes a mean sauce, can I take your order?"

I start to trail upstairs as I make my request. "Hello, my name is Spike, Spike the Dragon. Can I get a large supreme with a side of breadsticks? Oh yeah, and can I also get a large salad topped with feta cheese, apple, granola oats, and raisins. Dressing should be a strawberry vinaigrette."

"Sure thing, will that be for pickup or delivery?"

"Delivery. Address is 2407 Golden Oaks Way."

"Alrighty, that'll be thirty-nine bits, plus three bits for delivery."

"Okay then, I'll see you in a bit." As the call comes to an end, I find myself a the closed door of Zenobia's room. I lightly knock and announce myself. "Hey, it's me, I'm coming in."

As I open the door, I see her rolled into a burrito in the sheets. "Ugh... so BOOOORED-uh!"

"You never once left the room outside of this morning, did you?" I ask. "I know you're not like this back home."

"Of course I wouldn't be. I mean I usually boss other ponies around, shove a few down the hall, maybe knock a few into a wall over some petty shit, and then get paperwork dumped on my by my brothers, then I finish that by the sun's going down, I get dinner, figure out if I'm going to fuck some idiot on patrol or read something worthy of masturbating to before calling it a night."

"You have hobbies, I know you do." I point out.

"What, painting? That's far too messy for this place." She argues.

"Well if you get bored, I do have a basement you could make a mess of. By all means, do keep your mind from being too idle." I suggest.

She rises from the bed, casting her sheets aside as she sways her head towards me. "Correction: You have a bed you could make a mess of, a number of them." She yanks me by my collar, producing the phantasmal pink lead made of her own aura to draw me in. "And I'm the blank canvas you can mark your strokes upon. You should get started before the inspiration eludes you."

I politely lick my claws and pinch her magic off from her horn, freeing myself from her tow. "Okay, another thing I should probably establish since we're here. This pulling me into the bed and using your perfumes to drug me into fucking your brains out, that's not gonna cut it anymore."

"Well I was just hoping you'd simply fuck me like some rabid animal. is that so much of an ask?"

Honesty, the idea of dicking away some frustration of the day is pretty appealing, but I know better than to bite on that right now. "Is everything about sex with you?"

"No! I have wants too, you know. I like being praised, adored, maybe a snuggle or two." Her stomach rumbles, completely tilting the mood of the room. "Right now it's just being fed."

I walk out of the room, the alicorn acting as an eager shadow in following me. "On the first topic, I'd be willing to take you up on your offer, except that Ocellus is keen on keeping me from touching myself before she gets back home, don't get me started on touching someone else. And since it's her day, I don't think she's willing to share right now. Plus there's this one spell she uses if I step out of line. Not gonna even try to entertain that idea." I warn her. "But on the second, I ordered you a nice fruit salad."

"Well aren't you touching, making sure I stay sweet to the taste." She smiles as we walk upstairs to the third floor. "Meanwhile, I do recall that the day she has is Saturday. Today should be my day."

"How about I keep myself out of trouble, and you keep yourself entertained?" I say as we walk into the den.

"By doing what? It's boring as hell here!" She mewls before I tap a button on a remote to turn on the TV. The first channel that pops up is the one I was on just earlier this morning. There's a movie on by the name of Star Wars Episode III, the masterful clashing of laser sword exchanges taking place in the scene of the climatic fight wrestles her attention like a cruel overseer to their future slave. "The fuck is that?"

I forget that she never really walked into the room last night, only making her comments and suggestions from the doorway. "It's a TV, yet more of the modern marvels of the human world."

Her eyes are locked to the screen, absorbing the scene that's taking place. "So is this some sort of portal?"

"Hardly. Our world looks nothing like this shit here." I confirm.

"So this is what it's like to look into another world, the world of the other two-leggers?" She asks, leaning heavily towards the screen.

"Yeah, you could say that for some movies. But not all of it's true, some of it is a fiction of some sort. This one's entirely fiction." I explain before I change the channel to some programming that's a lot more domestic. "But yeah, there's even a channel dedicated to Equestrian exclusive broadcasting. Maybe you should stick to this one for the time being."

She makes note of the lack of clarity when it comes to the particular channel. "Why is it all fuzzy?"

"I guess they're still working on some things. I know the cameras are still good, but right now we haven't quite mastered the human's method of replicating a national broadcast, but it'll come in time. We just need to up the tech a bit."

"I see." She says as she reads the boldened headline at the bottom of the screen. "So what's this about a war?"

"I dunno, must be a history documentary." I dismiss.

"With your ruling princess announcing it?"

I look back to the screen, realizing that there's the word 'LIVE' in big bold red letters in the top left of the broadcast. I read the headline down at the bottom, seeing that they're covering the results of the vote. "Oh shit!" I immediately take the broadcast off of mute.

"─information gathered. However, the parliament has elected to hold a vote on the matter of a formal declaration of war with the Empire of Ponyland. The motion has failed on the floor with a narrow 247-259 margin. I would be elated to say that a call to war dies in parliament today, that sanity and reason wins the day. But unfortunately, we cannot say that this is the case."

"That doesn't sound good." Zenobia comments.

"Not good is right." I mumble back with her. "If the vote failed, then what could've possibly happened?"

Raven comes from the side of the screen, issuing the purple princess a scroll with a broken black seal. A heaviness forms in my chest as I know that black wax is often used for a deadly precursor to indicate the seriousness of the situation. "A message from the representation of Ponyland notates, and I quote..." She unfurls the scroll and reads from the page. "The mass casualty event of days past has left our nation mourning the losses of thousands of innocents. The convoy that was cruelly decimated was that of a group of devout followers engaging in pilgrimage."

"That's a crock of shit and they know it." I snarl towards the screen.

"Obviously." The imperial alicorn cosigns.

"They were worshippers of the Church of the Healing Hoof denomination, each follower looking to pay homage to their holy god. We of Ponyland have deemed this attack an unparalleled genocide of inequine proportions. And in following, they have abducted members of the royal family, Prince Amor Ambrosia of the Lesser Blood, and Princess Rosa Zenobia of the Noble Blood. These actions are considered especially heinous. We will not allow for this tragedy to go unopposed, to do so without consequence would be an affront to justice anywhere and everywhere."

"Damn, not a mention of Hestia. They really just have her marked for death then." Zenobia remarks.

"No way... no way that's how they're spinning this."

The broadcast continues. "The choice we have made is not an easy one, but it is a righteous one. All trades with the offending nation are now under imperial embargo, vessels will be ordered to cease all progress and vacate our waters. Our embassies are to be vacated effective immediately. A final notice has been issued to the doorstop of our last embassy to the offending nation. We have now declared war upon the Kingdom of Equestria, and all of her allies. Vince omnem potestatem. Vivet imperium."

Zenobia takes a deep breath, translating the final creed of the message. "Overcome all others... Long live the Empire... My father's pride knows no bounds. Now he vies for Xerxes." She looks back at me, a solemn frown dressing her lips. "That's the imperial declaration, anything ending with those words are a precursor to a song of flintlock and cannonade, a song that won't know it coda until a treaty of submission is signed and blood runs deep into the lands."

I drop my head in defeat, realizing that my efforts to subvert a call to war have gone in vain. My eyes immediately drift down to my phone, already expecting a deluge of notifications to flood in. "My phone's gonna blow up in about thirty seconds.... Good grief this is a mess."

Meanwhile in Canterlot...

Incoming call

💕💕SUNBUTT DEMON SUB💕💕

♫I need some discipline tonight. Don't hold back. I've beeeeen very bad. Make me cry.♪

The phone in Nondis' hand comes to a moment of awakening as a call quickly pops up on the screen. The image of his dear wife in subjugation pops up as her assigned ringtone plays. As often as the fun imagery would fuel ideas for their next romp, his response is a lot more subdued. "Hey, hun."

"You know you're supposed to be home right now."

"Yeah, I know." He sighs. "Just got curious, wanted to check in on an update while you were away for your walk-in appointment."

"Where the hell are you?"

"Well wouldn't you guess, I'm in Canterlot right now."

Celestia sarcastically replies with a faux posh accent. "And pray tell, doth thee yield before any correspondence in yond province?"

"Oh no, just dropping by to watch this bullshit unfold. I'm sure you've heard of what's going on by now."

"The entire salon has heard about it. They have the radio tuned in. And they've stopped their work on me mid disenchantment process to listen. It's chaos in here. This process takes five hours to complete before they can even cut my mane because if they don't, it'll just reconstitute right after the scissors snip away at it. Now here I am having to reschedule because they're four hours in and they've stopped cold at the news breaking. And it's not like I can continue to disenchant the shit myself, if I use my magic, it'll only intensify the reconstitution process, thus negating all the work up to this point."

"Well it is pretty damn inconvenient to have such good hair, hun. You know how many balding women back in my world would envy to be in your position?"

"My imagination wouldn't have to run very far."

The man briskly walks down the hall towards the exit of the castle. Seeing a number of aspiring press members looking to snap a picture of the mood in the castle. He walks by them completely unnoticed due to the dimensional distortion active in his left hand. "I know I'm being captain obvious at the moment, but I'll say it. Let's be fair, this war is strictly on the both of us."

His wife, while also agreeing with their having a role, vehemently disagrees on the ground of exclusivity. "Nondie, they attacked three times. They attacked the vessel of a dignitary and wiped his traveling party, that's strike one. They then attacked an unarmed vessel with the intent to bring harm upon it's inhabitants, that's strike two. And then they attacked said vessel again with even greater numbers, and let's not forget that we were fired upon, that's strike three. Let's not even ignore the fact that they offered a blatant show of disrespect and terror upon a representative of a foreign nation prior to any of that, I'd say that their shooting at our ship was them operating in the jackpot. While you may see it the way you do, which you're so sweet for taking accountability, I see it differently. Basileus is only doing this because he knows that he would look weak to the world if his sons' embarrassing loss at sea went unanswered. That all there is to it; Injured pride. There is no taking the blame when they are the aggressors."

The man shakes his head as the reality of conflict not only looms, but is made immanent. "I fucking swore I would not do this. But those sons of bitches have weapons we don't readily have. I'm going to hear a lot of shit from Alex when I explain this to him."

"Babe, I don't care what you do, just as long as you come back to me at the end of the day. Your morals and conflicts are good and all, but if I don't see you back on this couch for me to sit with on tonight, I will hunt you down with every intent to drag you by your collar, across the skies of the realm, and throw you through the front door again."

"The funniest thing is surviving that process isn't even the hard part. What is is doing the math of how many more families I'm gonna have to break. Most of those guys are just doing as they're told, they barely know any better and are doing it to put food on the table."

"Yeah, it's pretty harrowing to think on. We have so much blood on us that it's merely a statistic."

The man pauses for a moment, pursing his lips in thought. "Yeah, I'm gonna go with the door dragging. So what's the quickest way to get back to Ponyland unnoticed?"

"I figured you'd try me. You know, your life isn't as invulnerable as you've been made to believe." She grumbles, highly annoyed with her spouse. "It won't be quick from where you are, and you sure as hell won't like it."

"I'm not riding a fucking train." He beats her to the punch.

The mare laughs on the other end. "You and your silly little phobias of mass transit."

"You and your night terrors revolving around living poultry." He counters with a deadpan.

"It's not silly! You try getting stuck in stone for three days because you're young and you can't tell whether if it's a chicken or a cockatrice." The former princess huffs with an attitude akin to a disapproving offspring. "And besides, chickens are mean. They peck and chase you everywhere."

"My grandparents used to work a farm, you know." The man replies.

"Okay, maybe we're a little distracted, let's get back to current." The retired alicorn suggests. "Now I know you don't want to ride a train, that's fair to assume. But I would say that you wouldn't have to necessarily ride one to head that way. Perhaps it would be ideal to go by sea, then from there you can make things out. And I know you to have a very diverse imagination."

"Well you're not wrong about that part." He replies as an idea starts to cook up in his mind. "You know what, I'm going to go back to Austin for a bit. I need to make a few purchases, a bike, some gas, a few other supplies. Probably swing by Alex and see if I can talk him down for a bit."

Celestia snickers as she makes a joke at her husband's expense. "Not quite the train of thought I had, but I suppose that lines up too."

He rolls his eyes at his wife's playful prodding. "Seriously?"

"Love you babe." She says sweetly.

He deadpans a sarcastic response. "I want a fucking divorce."