On board one of the readied imperial airships for the young prince, the duo of Militades and a nervous century walks down the hall on their way to one of the prepared chambers for the young prince. The century begins to feel a sense of unease as they draw closer to the room.

He tries to break the harrowing silence with a show of remorse. "Your majesty, I just want to apologize for my comments earlier. There were out of term and off color."

"I'm sorry, I don't seem to recall anything you might have said that would elicit such a response from you." The prince responds sarcastically. "That's how you old-heads say it, right?"

"Uh... I'm twenty-three."

"Yeah, you're old. Moving on." He mutters dismissively. The century appears to be dumbfounded at the prince's doubling down of his age comment. "So, what was it that you think you said that might have offended me? Like quote that out for me."

"When you said that you would be living like rats, and I made a terrible comment about us being able to relate."

"Right, well it's only fair that any high-ranking being wants to connect with his sla-I mean... centuries in some way. So there's no need to be nervous. I just want you to get to know me a little better, since we're trying to... connect, talk, all other sorts of menial bullshit, you know. Let's just chill."

The young stallion, already having made his apology, seeks to quickly dismiss himself. "Actually sir, I was thinking that I could go on patrol tonight... out in the snow... with no weapons... for about forty-eight hours straight."

"I said chill, not freeze." The prince denies as he opens the door to see Remedy laying on the bed, her body laying in such a way where all of her more compromising bits are revealed to the prince as he enters. The prince isn't quite numb to her appearance, but he does appear to be quite adapted to such sights. However, the century stares with much growing interest, stuck in leering until the prince calls to him. "Come on in, the fun's about to get started."

Remedy

2nd Servant of Prince Militades

The mare smiles happily towards the prince. "Your majesty! I'm so glad that you're here!" She looks down at herself and jumps in realization. "Oh, forgive me, I haven't made myself truly presentable for you, my prince!" She summons a black collar and proudly places it onto her neck with a brimming smile. "Now I am ready, your majesty."

"Wearing that old thing again, huh?" Militades comments.

"I love wearing it for you, my lord! You have shown greater interest in my having it on, as you do enjoy taking me on your walks." She turns her head to the guest entering the room. "So is this one the one you've scheduled for us this evening?"

"Yeah, he's the one." He replies while shoving the century towards her. "Get over there, don't be shy now!"

The mare rises from the bed, noticing the stallion's eyes strongly attracted to what she proudly revealed to the prince. He gulps as the mare walks closer to him. "His majesty says you're just like me, always so eager to be of service."

The stallion clears his throat, inching closer towards the mare with lustful ambitions lying in wait. "Well... I guess─"

"Really, that's so wonderful." She pulls his head down by his mane, causing him to painfully yelp in response. "We'll see if you can stay out of my way."

"Easy now." The prince commands, prompting the mare to let go and await her place back on the bed. The stallion rubs his head as he recovers from the painful snatch. "Ah, don't worry about her. She can be a bit possessive when it comes to her position being placed into question. You know how it is with one's obsessive behavior."

"I'll do my best not to be an obstruction." The century replies.

The prince laughs immediately after. "As if! Tonight's all about you!"

He glances towards the mare who produces a deadly glare towards the stallion. "Joy." He laughs nervously. "So... I should probably─"

The prince lifts the stallion and places him on the bed beside her. She starts to stroke the mane she pulled so dejectedly, offering a slow but threatening motion to her strokes. Mliltades walks towards a nearby closet. "Actually, I wanted to talk with you about something. Just a fun little thing I discovered about my time hunting dragons."

"You've went on the hunt, at your age?" The stallion asks.

"Of course. I go during their mating season. While they say that mating season is among the worst time to go out and hunt because some dragons can be pretty territorial. Females can be particularly aggressive, and males will violently lash out if unable to find a mate while in rut. But I say that's the best time you can camp out and find a few, plus they have this really nice flush to the scales when you get them at that time, makes them all the shinier and way more prismatic."

"I... didn't know that." The stallion replies.

"I'll tell you another thing then. Did you know that there are at least seven penile types for dragons? Any hatched male dragon can have one of the seven, or even a combination of two of those seven, resulting in a wide variety of shapes, sizes, and functions. So believe me when I say that the build matters when talking of interspecies relations."

"Isn't that forbidden, sir?"

"Oh yeah, it is." The prince grimace, having a thought wandering about a certain sibling. "But dragons don't care for our laws, especially those in rut. Some of their shapes work well with equine mares, others are far too damaging. So there's always a risk of harm happening to one or the other. Like for example, some dragons are hemipenile. Depending on the age of the dragon, it can either be safe, or dangerous. But an adolescent dragon would try to shove both in one orifice, doesn't do well for the anatomy of the mare they capture. Some are ribbed, which according to my observations, are the most desired kind for dragon females, also mares but we won't discuss that matter any further than I'd like to."

As he feels the mare's hoof wander to the back of his neck, the stallion gives his opinion on the topic. "This is a pretty odd subject to speak on, sir. Especially since we're trying to go for a mood here."

"Then let me to run it real quick so that your old ass gets the point." He hauls a chest towards the bedside. Opening the lid in a way to obstruct the stallion's view. "There are hemipenile, ribbed penile, knotted, corkscrew, aquatic, tendril, and barbed. Now of the seven, female dragons tend not to willingly accept the barbed mates because when they clutch, male barbs can sometimes stiffen to the consistency of limestone. And that can keep a female tied up for a rather long time. And of course, after they finish mating, all dragons want to do is be lazy and lay together up until they can separate. It's so easy to catch them by surprise then, especially the females clutched to a barbed male."

The mare quickly lifts the stallions tail, tugging it taught as she lifts his posterior to face the prince. "Hey-hey! What are you doing!?"

"Surely you wouldn't let me get to the fun of the night without me explaining to you how this is gonna go." He closes the chest, obtaining the item he desires to use. "Since you want to relate to me so badly, maybe you'll share some of the same pleasures as my dear maid here. Remedy loves it when I have a complete disregard for her safety and well-being. Like you have no idea, she's addicted to the brutality I'd often inflict on her. So I thought that we'd be able to... connect on a deeper level."

The stallion takes notice of a metallic barbed mold of an adolescent dragon's penis. He lays the tip at the rim of his sphincter. The century loudly pleads with the prince. "NO! WAIT! PLEASE, I'LL TAKE IT BACK, I'LL TAKE BACK WHAT I SAID!"

"Aw, that's too bad." He replies in the midst of the stallion's screaming. "Because I think I want to connect with you anyways."

Remedy whispers into the screaming stallion's ear. "Lucky asshole, you get the good one."

Meanwhile in Ponyland...

♪On the farm, every Friday
On the farm, it's rabbit pie day.
So every Friday that ever comes along,
I get up early, and sing this little song...♫

Nondis tilts and bobs his head repeatedly, humming to himself as he continues to wait out his time in the foreign land. He bounces his hands as they're restrained by the cast iron cuffs bolted to the wall. He sings and beat boxes as to remix the song in his mind, as the task of singing and beatboxing simultaneously is a bit complicated.

However, his self-imposed studio session comes to a halt as the doors open with a disgruntled century entering into the dungeon cell. "Oh hey, you look upset." Following closely behind him is none other than Emperor Basileus. "Oh, and you brought in your asshole in chief too. I guess there must be a pretty important topic to be discussed." He smirks back at the pair as a telegram is laid at his side.

"Explain." The emperor demands.

Nondis eyes the words of the correspondence, reading the results of the most recent deployment of airships to control the northern portion of the Equestrian continent reaching a significant impasse. "Oh... So your guys went from hailing their advantage of being the first ones with guns dating up to the 18th century, to getting told to bite the curb and getting their heads stomped in by the tech dating back to the war in Vietnam. Give or take sixty years."

"You will explain this, and you will do so now." Baslieus orders once more.

"I just did." Nondis replies, slouching back against the wall. "You were the ones who ignored my little warning about the bombs and whatnot. If anything, I was giving you a heads-up that you weren't going to win out."

"How did this happen?" Gabranth interrogates.

The man shrugs his shoulders. "I guess stupid games win stupid prizes, don't get mad that your guys got an early appointment to see God. You went against a rather mean bird and lost three floaters."

"I need a better explanation than that!" The emperor, rare to show anger, at least cracks his oft composed façade. "You will tell me everything that Equestria has!"

The man tilts his head with a deadpanned expression. "Careful, there are stories of prominent leaders from my world getting their just deserts based on bad attitudes. Maybe you should consider that before popping off the handle again."

"You gave them technology to outlast us!"

"Not technically, at least for natural order reasons. All we did was even the playing field a bit. Gotta appreciate our guys keeping you a little honest, if not humble."

The emperor takes a deep breath, recollect his composure, and speaks in a condescending tone. "I find your constant smirking a nuisance."

"Well I find you starting a war after I've warned you equally as displeasing. But at least I gave you a warning before you sent your boy out to the big fuck-around camp. Now it's only a matter of time before your boy and his friends gets shipped off to Fort Find-Out. And being that these guys aren't me, I give it about a week before you have to redirect all your forces to that one spot to wear out their reserves enough to make a shoreline landing contingency a more feasible option. Cause if you don't..." The man snickers. "Think about all those transport ships with at least a thousand souls onboard, each. They'd be hunted out of the sky faster than your guilds can hunt dragons. Hell, we could hunt those, and the rocs too as a sidequest."

The emperor continues to keep his anger suppressed before the human's inflammatory taunts. "In all of my years, I have never experienced such embarrassments in a frontal skirmish."

The human sighs, once more having to bring up the point of the ongoing engagement. "Better question, did you expect to win against the descendants of the guys who taught you the basics of middle-age chemistry? I mean sure, you created cannons and rockets long before anyone else has popularized the idea for military purposes. But now that you go against the arbiters of that tech, you've somehow expected your guys to win?"

The emperor's eyes widen at the realization. "So you're confirming the existence of more of your kind?"

"What I can say is that you stirred the hornets nest when you got your son to bomb the home of one of my friends, especially when my family is close to them." The man closes his eyes, remembering another incident that threatened a family member of his. "You can ask the changelings, who I have less than stellar relations with. I've killed hundreds for far less."

The emperor takes another breath, trying to think of a means to respond to his nation's failures against the humans. "I think that some patience will be in order. In due time, your stay here will have you find a means to explain what exactly it is we're up against, and how to counteract them."

"I've. Already. Told you." Nondis responds. "No spoilers though, you'll have to keep fucking around and keep finding out. Though taking notes would be a novel idea at this point. But I'll be gracious enough to give you a hint. If you want to maximize the ten percent of a chance you have in winning this campaign against Equestria, you might want to let things play out instead of heavily divesting your forces to crush our strongest weapons. After all, putting your face directly into the buzzsaw isn't going to stop it from doing it's job."

The emperor quickly responds. "All tools wilt in the span of use. No matter how sharp the blade."

"Not if they're well-maintained. We have kitchen knives last longer than some people living." Nondis answers.

"Then we shall test that assumption whilst the convenience is still young." The emperor concludes his interaction with the human and taps his trusted century to carry on the task of the interrogation. "Leave him alive, Gabranth. There's is much he can disclose to us."

As a trio of stallions enter the room, each with a rack of tools to be used, the man rolls his eyes at the selection being brought to him. "Oh, torture, that's so... boring. You should try something new. Pain tolerance is something that your guy managed to instill in me some years ago. Don't waste your time, because you'll be wasting mine."

"Then let's start with this: You will explain the limits of your technology." Gabranth suggests while holding a pair of tongs with spikes on the grippers.

"The only thing that'll be explained is the limits of your own patience." He pokes out his tongue as a show of obedience. "Buh heeh... go nuths."

2407 Golden Oaks Way...

After a long day of phone calls and conversations, not to mention getting chewed out by Melanie for hiding Nondis' activity, much of the day's roundabout comes to a stalling end at last. To accommodate for Flurry's stay, Zenobia has moved into the master bedroom, allowing her to take that room instead. And while I would've probably had to do little in negotiating space in the Alaskan bed, I still have to be on call for anything that comes up. So I separate myself once more and keep to the upstairs den to myself, probably won't be the only time I'll get sent to the couch.

I doze off for a bit, my eyes getting heavy before opening to reveal the hour of three, the night still apparent but aging to it's inevitable end. I feel the urge to relieve myself prior to passing back out into the sweet surrender of rest before the impending chaos the morning brings. So I dance the staggering step into the hallway bathroom, handle my business, and walk back out.

I hear the sniffling voice of a young filly downstairs. I know it's Flurry, but why would she be up at this ungodly hour? "No one wants to tell me anything. I just don't know what to do anymore."

"Did anyone speak of your mother's condition?" Now that's a voice I'm not familiar with.

I take to my wings and float down below, hearing the voice coming from within the dining room. I peek my head around the corner, seeing the filly wiping her eyes and going headlong into my chocolate peanut butter ice cream. Guess I can't complain that she uses my hidden treat as a coping mechanism. "No. I keep asking, but no one wants to tell me."

"Ah, I see. Quite unfortunate." I peek my head further in, seeing the ghostly apparition of a heavily-built pegasus stallion. He sports a long braid of greenish-blond hair, a chopped goatee, donning some rather ancient armor configuration, even his wings have armor on them. He looks straight out of a museum, chewing on a ghostly straw of hay.

"I don't want to go see the world, only to find my mom as some wayward spirit! I can't take that!"

"A filly with the ability to see spirits. I must say that's a troublesome quirk you have for such times as these."

"I just want my mom. I don't care about anything else, I just want my mom."

Maybe I should leave them be. I turn around and take my absence, but my tail accidently bumps into a nearby vase and I'm forced to jump into action to stop it from falling. Instead, I'm left with a frantic juggling attempt to keep it from shattering on the ground. But by the time I catch it safely, both of them are looking firmly at me. "Oh, sorry... didn't mean to pry into matters. I'll be off now."

The apparition calls out to me in an authoritative tone. "Dragon, halt!" The presence of his voice has me stand firm in place as he addresses me. "Do you have business in being here?"

"Uh... This is my house." I inform him.

"Is it now?" He looks around. "Quite a strange dwelling for one of your ilk, I could say it's much too different from what I was expecting of your kind."

"Not the only time I've heard that." I reply before questioning the filly. "Flurry, you okay, what are you doing up this late?"

"I'm fine. I just needed to talk to someone."

"Okay." I trail my eyes back to the figure beside her. "So who is this?" I also notice that there's a scroll glowing on the table. "And what's with that summoning circle you got? You're acting pretty suspicious, Flurry. What's going on?" She grows hesitant to speak on it further. "Flurry, you know in whatever you do, I won't be mad at you for it. I'd never do anything to hurt you, and I would tell you if it's wrong or not. Plus you know that I don't tell your parents unless I absolutely have to. But given the circumstances, I think they're a bit busy with more important things." I take a seat next to her, staying out of the stallion's way. "So tell me what's going on."

"Promise you won't tell Auntie Twilight."

"Cross my hoof and hope to fly." I respond to her, earning a quirked brow from the ghostly figure. "You know what I mean."

The figure speaks to the young alicorn. "Little one, I didn't know you were acquainted with a dragon."

"He's my uncle Spike. Well, not really my uncle because we're different, but he's like a brother to my auntie Twilight and my dad." She briefly explains.

"Ah, then I can respectfully give you my greetings. Sir Spike, was it not?"

"Well I'd shake your hoof, but... you know." I point out.

"Ah yes. I suppose an introduction should be in order."

Prince Fair Charity (Formerly Fair Share)

8th Royal Prince of Equestria, 1st Captain of the Royal Guard (DECEASED)

He offers a bow of greeting. "I am Fair Share, formerly known in the royal charts as Prince Fair Charity. I was cast back into this world in this corporeal manner to maintain the natural order between both the world of the living where you preside, and the world of the not, where I was sent from. You may call that plane of existence the Aether, but I'd rather see it as the World of Not."

"The World of Not?" I ask.

"Would you rather me call it the world of the dead?"

"It would be a little more honest." I nod.

"While I would more than be willing to acquiesce to your request, I was advised to not so casually throw out that insinuation, as it would get this little one in deep turmoil." He explains while pointing back to Flurry.

Considering the fact that this could be seen as class 2 necromancy, I wouldn't be surprised if this could get her into trouble with the authorities, much less her parents. "I see."

"My apologies if my spectral self disturbs you."

"Not at all. You're not the only spirit I've seen lurking about."

"There are others?" He asks, interested in hearing about who all I have seen.

"Well, there was one that was summoned from a bunch of curious kids. But it was a human."

"A hu...man?" He squints with confusion. "Forgive me for asking, but I do not recall what that is."

"A creature who walks on two legs, wears clothes, and have vastly superior technology. Their way of life is the method of which this house was made."

"Interesting." He looks around yet again. "Though to reside in the place where every possible question is answered and all is brought to knowing, and yet I have never found any reason to ask the question of what a 'human' is."

"You probably wouldn't be the only one on your side of things." I point out. "So, Prince Fair Charity, I heard stories of you."

"As many were weaved, I'm sure the memory of me only resides in the mind of one."

"Actually, your story's been told a number of times throughout history books, public records, the foundations of our current military structure, guard training, all of that."

"Really?" Hearing word of his implementations growing hold and becoming a founding stone which the guard forms it's structure brings about a sense of both relief and pride to his eyes. "I suppose I can take solace in that."

"Wow, if Twilight knew you were around, she'd probably ask a million questions about you." I feel myself getting a bit excited, however my yawn reminds me that I am still a bit lacking for rest. "But we'll just keep it at casual greetings for now."

"Aye. The little one has informed me that the hour is late. But I will say that your respectability reminds me of another dragon I've encountered. A big guy he was, took the whole of Mount Canter to hide him."

I purse my lips together, thinking of a dragon that could even come close to being that big. "Lord Torch?"

"Ah, yeah. You know of him?"

At this point, it would be beyond reason to not even come to terms that he may be a prospective grandfather to whatever egg or eggs Ember might've laid by now. "Uh... I've... associated with his daughter."

The stallion chuckles heartily. "A mad lad, you are. I like you." The sound of the trashcan shuffling grabs the both of our attention. Flurry dumps the empty tub of my ice cream inside, leaving me with an early morning errand to find that flavor before it sells out again. Probably might need to buy three tubs this time. "Ah yeah, the little one needs reassurance. I suggest you offer that in her time of need. She's abound with questions aplenty, but no answers. As for now, I feel that you both should be due for some much-needed rest."

Flurry slumps against the side of the island counter, quickly dozing off to sleep. "Yeah... I guess I'll tote her off to bed."

Meanwhile in Ponyland...

Strewn across the dungeon are a series of tools and devices used in means of breaking the wills of ponies, inundating them to capitulate, confessing to their crimes and confessions, even when they are honestly innocent. But in the terms of the human who's guilty of holding the crucial information, the results have yet to be revealed.

Instead, he looks back at the sulking century with the abundance of sweat on his brow. "Soooooo... what have we learned today?"

Stumped that his attempts to break the man has yielded nothing but mere giggles and snide comments for seven hours straight, he grumbles his curses towards the man. "You bastard."

The man giggles at the weakened swear. "See, your problem is that you have tools made for ponies, not me. You have devices to stretch equines over, not something that's already taller than the rack you wanna put me on. You have no wheels that are large enough to pull me apart. You have no stallions that could even beat me in an arm-wrestling contest, much less pull me apart. And anything you jab me with tickles to the point where I laugh."

"Are all you humans like this?" Gabranth inquires with immense frustration.

"Wouldn't you like to know." Nondis smiles back.

"Damn you." The stallion replies with a click of his tongue

"You gave it your best shot." The human continues to jab at the sweating century. "I mean I can't blame you for trying. That was an effort. You must really make your wife happy with that kind of dedication."

"I have no wife."

"Well I'm sure your husband would appreciate it."

Gabranth throws the bloodied tongs at the human's head, who takes the blow laughing. "DAMN YOU!"

"Hey, can't assume these days." The century takes up another tool to fling at the human's way. "What, are you going to hit me again? I'll be willing to play along, I won't tell if you won't."

"I want you dead." The stallion replies with every ounce of vitriol in his body.

"Well go right on ahead. I'll even tell you how to kill me. Just shoot me in my heart. It's on my right side. Can't kill a human any other way. Besides, I'm pretty tired of living a lie. Though... you might have to deal with my wife once you do that, I'm pretty sure she wouldn't mind blowing up a few more of your ships on her own again."

"Oh I fiend to eliminate that smile from your face, you impudent brat!"

"Aww, babe, I didn't think my smile was pretty." The man mocks, fluttering his eyes at Gabranth, fanking as though he's crying tears of joy. "You make me see the value in my own self! I've never been more complete! I feel so seen and validated! Tha-a-a-ank yo-o-o-o-ou!"

"I swear to the almighty, I hate you." He grumbles as he leaves the cell.

"Hey! No, you come back here! You don't just get to stick your thing in me, slap me around, call me names, and walk away like we don't have a connection anymore! We're soulmates! What we've done, the moments we shared together are eternal! NO ONE WILL TAKE IT BACK!" He screams at the top of his natural lungs, making sure that everyone in the dungeons hears him. The stallion turns around, chiefly annoyed while the man blows him a kiss. "Love you, babe!"

"SHUT! YOUR! FACE!"

Canterlot Castle The Next Morning...

The castle swarms with a number of guards, each taking their post and awaiting further orders. Solemn Oath issues her commands to the regulars of the castle. However, the humans under their joint operation also take her words into advisement.

Twilight is up bright and early as per usual, but much weighs on her mind. Not just the ongoing conflict, but also the recent news of Cadance's condition. Not one bit has she improved since the blast, and Shining is growing increasingly worried that he is to soon lose his beloved. With that update in mind, she has request to Alex that she'd board the next chopper to the north.

And much on cue, Alex walks into the room. "Princess." He hails her, getting her to raise her head. "The preparations have been made for your visit. We're hot and smoking."

She sighs heavily. "Thank you."

Alex questions her of wanting to visit and see her in-law in such a grimace-inducing condition. "You sure you're okay with this?"

"I know I shouldn't just see her beyond what I'm ready for, but Cadance is far too important for me to leave up to chance. I need to go, I have to see what's wrong. She's an alicorn, but her condition hasn't improved in the past two days. Shining is deeply concerned, as am I."

"Yeah, I always thought you alicorns were nigh immortal. To think that she's on the brink itself is... for lack of better words, unnerving."

"You and Cadance have always been good friends. Perhaps hearing from you could brighten her spirits a bit." The high princess suggests as her captain approaches with an update. "Captain Solemn, is everything ready for my leave?"

"Your majesty, everything is in place." The mare drops her salute, taking a moment to put aside formalities in lieu of compassion. "If you need time, take as much as you need. We'll update you if anything should change."

"Thank you, Solemn."

As Twilight walks down the hall, she notices that Alex is matching her pace next to her. "If it's no issue, I'd like to escort you personally."

"What of your forces here."

"I've got more on the way. Just another hundred, but they'll come with equipment. Radar, predator drones, weaponry to defend the homestead while we're out. I have about thirty already moved from here to Manehattan with anti-air weapons. They're relatively small arms compared to some of the bigger stuff, but they'll get the job done without getting too much attention from the locals."

"What about the west?" She asks.

"You kidding me, Celestia and Luna might be retired, but they are out west along with Stanton. I'm sure they'll do more than enough to get back to their regularly scheduled programming. They'll be fine." He replies with high confidence.

As they reach the helicopter, a group of guards salute in turn. Namely among them is one of the very few griffons in service, who watches the princess firmly until she boards her flight safely. "Gallus, you and Blue will be in charge of Canterlot's security while I'm gone. Your focus will be the guard, hers will be the humans. Spike will maintain power in my absence, so be sure to message him to keep his phone on."

"I'm sure he's answering every call by now." He salutes. "Have a safe trip, your majesty."

Meanwhile in Mount Canter...

The sound of a loud, chopping hum resonates throughout the cave, easily permeating the hull of the airship and stirring the small crew onboard. Eros pins his ears closed as Agamemnon offers his passive complaint on the matter. "There it is again."

"Such a grating noise. I don't see how the ponies of this land can take such a disturbance." Eros gripes as the sound inevitably fades into the distance. "I don't think there's been anything like this until maybe a day or two ago. But then again, these Equestrians have been more than hiding their technological capabilities. I wouldn't be surprised if what they're using is merely that belonging to the two-leggers."

Agamemnon looks out the window, growing ever the more cautious. "I'm beginning to wonder if we should meander through town and see what's going on. Perhaps this is a matter we shouldn't find comfort in sticking around in."

"Since you're offering, why don't you go see what it is that's got these Equestrians acting so busy." Eros points back at his brother.

"Why not ask Xerxes, he's the who's been shacked up in that damn room the entire time."

"I'm sure you've probably realized this some time ago, Xerxes can't be trusted to go on an excursion by himself. His purist mindset is problematic when trying to interact with the locals. And since you're more than well-versed in the beds of these common mares, I'm sure you'll shag some useful information out of someone."

"The only thing I'm on board with is that last part." The one-eyed prince replies with a smirk. "Still, he should do something aside from talking to himself. Probably pounding away at the though of fertilizing Amor again, or perhaps tributing some deviations to that one statue we ran into."

Visually miffed by the thought, Eros tries to alter the subject matter. "Or we could just ignore the fact that these encounters could've possibly driven him mad. He is one to scheme often, much to his detriment."

"Scheming to probably take it out on you next. Wouldn't be too surprised if desperation gets the better of him and he looks to maiden you next. Father knows that you're probably the most feminine of his offspring, outclassing Zenobia even."

"Enough about this!" Eros raises his voice, genuinely not wanting to entertain that idea. "You know what, you should go into town and do what you like to do, and take your sweet time doing so. Anything to not hear your incessant voice speaking of Xerxes and his incestuous proclivities. Just go do that debauchery you like to do, and be out of my mane for once."

"So you want me to annoy you even more by sowing illegitimate bastards who'll never get to see an ounce of power?"

"Just like father used to make, or I should say 'just like he's already doing.'"

The one-eyed prince places back on his facial covering, concealing the damaged eye and taking a proud strut out of the room. "Either way's a fun time for me. I'll be sure to share my stories with you like I always do."

"Ugh, try not to smell like drunken piss and marebits this time!" Eros calls out before walking to the center table, tapping a crystal orb and producing the image of the emperor's face to speak to. "Father, giving you an update on our search for the holy mother."

"Speak on it." The elder stallion appears disinterested.

"We have arrived in Canterlot some days ago. But I thought that I should inform you of a rather useful development."

"If it's pertaining to the machinery that's being used against us in the north, then I am already aware of it."

"You are?" The prince inquires with surprise.

"Of course. You think that you three are the only ones I've sent to that miserable landmass? Militades is up north, supplying the local cultists with their ammunitions to cause as much chaos and disorder as possible. His efforts have ushered in significant headway in gaining ground in the northern front. The distractions are so potent that it has costed the lives of Equestrian specialists and one of their princesses."

"He's that far along already!?"

"Indeed." Basileus confirms while tapping his chin in thought.. "It seems I've underestimated his abilities. For his lack of bloodline visage, he is purely the reflection of my youthful ambitions. I might have to reconsider his status if he proves more successful than his initial results seem to imply. But his test is now those machines... and the two-leggers that stand in the way."

"Two-leggers, more of them?" Eros ears flick at the thought.

"Yes, we have also acquired one for ourselves. The rogue apostle now sits in our dungeon."

"He's what!?"

"Yes, and you are just the reactionary of the day, aren't you?" The emperor bluntly replies. "Seems that he wished to usher us a warning against this campaign. But now with him captured, we have the leverage of a possible exchange. Not only of information, but also of your sister."

Looking to finally not be the one reacting to news, Eros offers his own update. "Father, your leverage is effective in past tense only. Zenobia has defected into the arms of that dragon."

"Defected, you say?" He quirks a brow. "That's such a strong word to be coming from you in regards to the girl."

"She foolishly went on a mass broadcast, looking to issue confusion to the world about Ponyland's status and wish for peace. She acted as though she speaks for you, even going to the lengths of blowing open the argument for the war. Though I am sure you are already aware of this since it is probably spoken of internationally."

"I see." The emperor nods. "While it is disappointing to hear, I am never too moved on her actions. Besides, her words carry little weight internationally. She's always been a prickly thorn in terms of public appearances. But if you should find her in your excursions, be sure to send her to me so that I may deal with her quietly."

"Yes father." Eros bows.

"Now, what of your bumbling brothers, where are they now?"

"Agamemnon has infiltrated the city of Canterlot to gain more information. As far as Xerxes is concerned, he's been locked in Zenobia's room since we've come here. He hasn't said much of a word."

"Ah, he's probably negotiating with himself over what to do with Zenobia. If not that, then the dragon responsible for her change in narrative."

"What would you have him do?" The prince asks.

The emperor takes a moment to think, coming to a stout but cruel resolution. "So it would appear that he requires motivation. I guess removing the dragon from his list of objectives has sapped him of his ambition. I shall reconsider that stipulation, if he's willing to make things right." The emperor shows a slight tremor of his lips before closing his eyes and firming himself. "Sic him to his sister. If she is discovered with the dragon, let him pursue the beast to whatever end. And if he wants to prove his birthright without question, to claim himself alone as primus, then he should take her and make good on his blood."

The decree both shocks and unnerves Eros. "But father─"

"He has no place to contest this now. If Militades can show as much ambition to achieve what he has, then Xerxes should show similar fervor. If he shows no part, then I will simply anoint Militades with the crown position instead. After all, Zenobia has been made aware that it is her role to bear the heir of our line if Xerxes is to sit upon the throne. And if Militades will be crowned instead, she will still be made to abide by her given role. By going this route, we're assured of a noble-blooded heir with the proper visage. And with Militades, probably with less risk of side effects."

"But father─" The emperor's head turns sharply towards the prince, showing how thin his patience seems to be for the moment. "Surely you understand Xerxes is different from us. He will not easily contribute to courtship with a mare, much less his own branch sister, and not to mention of her noble-blooded status. How would that work?"

"Just have some abbey choirboy entertain him for a night. The maids will take care of the rest. He'll never even know until it's time for him to know."

"Then what of after?"

"If the heir is healthy... and functional, then Zenobia's fate will be for Xerxes to decide. Doctor's grace be upon her that her brother show some appreciation for her sacrifices." The emperor's eyes lift from Eros, seeing a pair of eyes looking back at him. "But for now, he has his orders, as do you."

"Your majesty, your word is law." Eros bows his head as the image of his father dissipates.

Lifting his head and turning around, he is startled by the sight of Xerxes staring quietly at him. The lavender-streaked prince holds his breath, realizing that he may have overheard the threat his father has levied against him. The crimson-eyed prince marches forward, inching closer to him. Eros' magic stirs within his horn, waiting for the moment that his brother looks to provide conflict.

But as he make the mental preparations, Xerxes walks past him as though he's broken past a set of swing-away doors. "Out of my way."

A cold sensation runs through the lavender prince, stirring shivers throughout his spine. Inevitably, he finds his wind and speaks. "Father has an assignment for you, Xerxes. He wishes you to locate Zenobia and return her here, even by force. After that, she is to return home to father, where he will deal with─"

"To hell with his assignment." The intrepid prince barks in return. "My mission is now beyond even him. I must go further into the mountain, and seek those that follow the good doctor. It is my divine ordainment to do this task. You'll wait here, and say nothing to father."

"Those that follow─You can't be serious." Eros replies with immense skepticism.

"They know of him.... and more than that." The red-eyed alicorn replies upon his leave. "They've served beside him."

Midtown District, Canterlot...

Walking through the town, Agamemnon gazes upon a number of news stands, each reverberating the same topic of the bombings taking place in the north. Some show the aftermath of the carnage, others show the faces of the injured foals caught in the devastation. The one-eyed prince stops by one of the kiosks, picking up a newspaper with the headline of the death toll, numbering in the thousands.

"Well if this isn't a terrifying reality to live in." He comments as he starts to open the pages, but his paper gets pulled down by the means of a loud seller at the kiosk.

"Extra, extra! Hot off the presses! Princess Cadance on possible deathbed, read more to learn about her current condition!"

His ears slightly ringing from the loud voice calling out to the streets, he rubs his ear and glances at the headline, seeing a beautiful pink alicorn mare on the cover. His interest falls mainly to her appearance. "Damn, she's a beauty. Sad to see if this one goes."

"Tell me about it." The seller replies at a much more amicable volume. "The worst thing about it is that the world won't even see her for her pretty smile anymore. All some will remember is that grisly image making the rounds on the social applications."

The prince tilts his head. "If I may, where do I acquire one of these 'social applications'?"

"You get it on your phone. But if you ask me, the news vendors on those sites are pretty dubious at best. It's better to stick to what's on paper. A hard source is a trusted one, that's what my boss always says. And you can't get any harder than the ones reporting from the north."

Agamemnon ears flick as the seller's words quickly go through one side and out the other. His mind is mainly on the item that was suggested. "And where can I go get one of these 'phones'?"

The seller grows wary of the cloaked stallion. "You must not be from around here."

"Just visiting from Mustangia. Looking to make a residence." He lies to keep his cover.

"Huh, guess they didn't start selling the tech to you guys yet. Pretty odd if you ask me." The seller shrugs. "But if I were you, I'd probably think twice before going back for your belongings right now. The war seems to be heating up, and with the humans coming to town, who knows how nasty it'll get. I just hope it won't be as gruesome as what happened in Ponyville seven years ago. Those poor changelings never stood a chance."

The cloaked stallion nods as he takes his leave, carrying with him now the testimony of their weaponry. Though it proves to be old news in part of Xerxes' encounter with just the one in Foalsom. If more than thirty meet their end in the matter of a few minutes, then there is little to speak of other than the changelings also being a receiver of such wrath.

Growing curious over time, the cloaked prince quietly goes from one random stranger to the next, inquiring about the devices that seem to be all the interest. They point him out to a fairly modernistic outlet situated on the outlet of the artery leading into the Corrotto District. As soon as he enters, a synthetic bell chimes from above him. The clerk appearing to be speaking with a trio of mares go about tending to the customers.

He quietly walks towards one of the display cases, seeing a phone playing videos of humans doing various activities. The ad plays out with a zoom out of the triple lens situated on the back of the phone. It displays the stats of the camera, proudly declaring the video quality to be 'better than life'. He glances down at the price tag, seeing an intimidating cost of 1399 bits. "A device that small for this price? That thing is seriously expensive. Why the hell would I part with a month's tithe for a rectangle full of pretty colors?" He glances both ways, making sure he wasn't being watched. "Hmm... perhaps I could abscond with his device since it appears to be active."

He pulls at the phone, not knowing of the braided cord that locks the device firmly to the display. A brief chirp sounds out from the kiosk, notifying everyone else in the store. "Um, sir." The attendant calls out, quickly walking over to him. "I'm sure you understand that it's a floor model. That device is non-functional."

"Non-functional?"

"Hey!" The familiar sweetness in the mares voice calls out to his ears, it's owner quickly rushing to his side. "Oh you have to forgive him, he's not from around here. I guess he was wanting to see what all the device can do."

The clerk squints her eyes. "You know this guy?"

"Duh! Of course we know him!" The orange mare replies proudly. "Isn't that right, friend?"

"Uh, hello ladies." The cloaked prince, not anticipating that he'd run into this trio again, bashfully waves back.

"Ladies?" The black mare replies. "You don't even remember our names?"

"After that shit he drunk, I wouldn't be surprised. He was throwing them things back, and that wasn't an easy drink to down." The first mare replies. "Now I don't think you'd recall much, but most unicorns do happen to have a lucid drinking experience. And I'd like to think you have some idea of us remaining before you took a double shot of that paint remover."

"I... think it's Jewel?" The prince guesses.

The orange mare giggles at his correct answer. "One of three."

"Three?" He parrots, thinking of the other two before a nudge to his side wakes him from his thoughts. He turns to the side of the nudge, seeing a purple changeling smiling back up to him.

"Hi."

The prince stumbles backwards, almost losing breath as he realizes his one-night fling has caught back up with him in miraculous fashion. "Uh, hi again."

"Didn't think I'd run into you again." She giggles, backing him down even more with her smile.

"Likewise." Beads of nervous sweat start to form on his brow as he takes a bit of a sidestep to avoid brushing his backside against the display kiosk.

Cutting him off from his tactical retreat, Jewel presses her hoof firmly against his flank. "You know, Larvae told us a pretty interesting thing about you, mister."

"I-I'm sure it was... n-nothing in particular."

"And with this magic trick, I reveal to the world." Shadie flips his cloak with a brief tug of her magic, giving the other mares a glance of his ruffled feathers that instinctively flex with the fresh air hitting them. "Wow, you totally have wings!"

"Can we not?" He snatches his cloak back down, trotting to the other side of the store. The mares look on with surprise at his sudden surge of rudeness. "I'm sorry. It's just that I've been uncomfortable with them at times."

But in his looking forward, he notes that there's one particular figure missing. He once more feels a nudge at his side. "You know... we didn't really get a chance to make good on our promise from Saturday night." Jewel suggests after teleporting beside him.

The prince, feeling as though his cover is compromised enough, looks to make a speedy withdrawal, both from topic and venue. "I would love to make that work, but my schedule doesn't quite allow me to hash that out."

"Aww. Well I guess we can try to work around your schedule, if you're willing." The mare pulls him by the collar of his cloak. "You got a phone?"

He tries to speedily make his retreat once more. "Actually I endeavored to get one, but─"

The changeling beams with excitement, dashing over and patting him on his back as she makes a suggestion. "Oooooh, let me choose one for you!"

"Would you look at her go." Jewel mutters. "Larvae is just taking the initiative here."

"Totally! She's a total go-getter today!" Shadie cheers. "I love this for her!"

"Must've been what he was offering too." The mare sneakily walks past, raising her tail and skirting it against his nose. "Wouldn't mind knowing from experience what's got her little changeling neurons in overdrive. Would kill to find the time to discover that."

The prince raises his chin, trying not to glance down at what she's giving him a preview of. But his more carnal self overrules his sensible mind, making him slowly lean in, at least until a voice loudly calls out to the clerk. "That one!" Larvae holds up the same model that the cloaked prince had tried to steal. The guilt quickly resurfaces in his mind as the changeling gives the clerk two of the same model. "Can you activate them for us?"

"Sure thing. It'll just be a sec."

Already trying to calm himself down, Agamemnon turns away from Jewel, only to find the changeling brushing closely against his side. "So what have you been up to? Been kinda missing you."

"Well... I've just been moving around, seeing the sights." He says, glancing back out to the streets. In his bid to find distraction, a pair of humans with rifles walk by the shop, the two gaze inside with the initial intent to browse. "Not exactly used to the presence of the two-legged variety."

Larvae shudders in her response. "Yeah, it's been kinda creepy to see them show up with so many."

"So many?" He looks back to the changeling mare.

"Oh yeah, since the bombings up north and with Princess Cadance on the brink, it's gotten the attention of a certain human responsible for the restructuring of the Corrotto District. So he's brought a few friends, around a hundred plus of them."

The prince's eyes widen in shock. "No way."

"Yeah. That's why we've been seeing those crazy pedalcopters flying over the city. And those things are huge and bulky." Shadie confirms as the two humans are called by a third to keep moving.

"Not to mention loud." Larvae adds.

"But fast. Faster than any airship I've ever seen." Jewel notes.

The prince feels a cold nudge against his neck, the sensation causing him to jump away. "What was that?"

"Here. For you." Larvae smiles as she offers the stallion a phone.

The stallion looks down at the device being presented to him, his jaw slung loose with his eyes glued to the blackened screen. "What does it do?"

"What doesn't it do!?" Jewel replies. "This is the newest one, it even requires a facial id in order to unlock. Probably a lot more convenient than trying to put in a code with your hoof."

Shadie takes the phone and puts his face towards the screen. "What's strange is that Larvae has been pretty hot about getting one for herself. But to see her go for two on a family plan is crazy. I'm sure King Thorax would probably blow a fuse if he found out that one of his changelings grabbed not one, but two of these."

As he stares back at the darkened screen, Larvae is fully immersed in her new device. "Wow! This thing is amazing! It tells the time, the weather, the scheduled direction of the wind blow, current events and everything!" She swipes her hoof on the screen, bringing up the camera app. "Plus we can take pictures!"

"Pictures?" The prince asks in confusion.

The changeling scoops the prince into a selfie, pointing the phone back down towards them as she looks back up to the smaller mirror of themselves. "Smile!" She quickly snaps the photo of her and the prince, his face in petrified confusion as hers is a permanently etched smile. He stares off with bewilderment, at least until she takes his phone to prompt him to do the same. "Yours does it too! Go on, try it, take a picture with me!"

"How do I do it?" He asks, starting to become genuinely interested in the device.

"Oh, I've been hard on it since Shadie showed me how to use hers! Now I get to teach you! Eeeeee!" The changeling is enveloped by irrational exuberance. Her smile proves infectious to her friends as she vies to instruct the stallion of modern human technology. "So what you wanna do is hit this icon here." She points to a camera-shaped square. "Then swipe up on the screen." He does so with his hoof, bringing up the front-facing camera and revealing the pair huddled around it. "And now you raise it up and then you hit that middle circle at the bottom with your magic."

"Or your feathers, if you're a pegasus." The clerk adds. "Sometimes, earth ponies use voice commands to use theirs so that they don't scratch up their screens. They aren't exactly gentle to the touch sometimes."

The stallion does as the changeling instructs, putting on a faux smile next to the brimming Larvae. He brings it back down to see his partial expression of enjoyment etched firmly into the screen. For a moment, he feels a sense of not only excitement, but also discovery. "That's... uncannily detailed."

"It's a bit off, I'll admit. Maybe try to really bring up those cute cheekbones of yours." The stallion blushes as the compliment stirs the hint of a genuine show of happiness. The changeling raises the phone for him, using her magic to get a better angle of the two. She drapes his foreleg over her shoulder and looks into the camera. "Oh, don't forget to smile!"

"Alright."

The shutter sounds, the image shows him giving a much better expression. But unease starts to creep in his mind as he sees the hoof draped over the happy changeling. More guilt and disdain starts to manifest within his thoughts, but the moment of clarity is quickly taken by the novelty of his new item. "Can I see yours real quick?" The changeling requests.

"Um... sure." He willingly surrenders the phone back to her. "What is this all about?"

The changeling is a bit slow to finding her own information, but puts it together in due time. "Huh... I think I'm supposed to go... AH! If I can find my number here... and I find yours here... Wow, our numbers are just one off from each other! My last four digits are 1060, yours is 1061! That's crazy! Let me put that in!"

"Already a natural." Jewel expresses proudly.

"Our girl is finally in the fun zone. Bet she's gonna be all over that thing for the rest of the night." Shadie calls out.

"Wait, what happened?" The stallion asks as he's given back the phone. Suddenly the phone blurts out a xylophone tone, startling the unwary prince. "Ah!"

"That's me! Answer it, answer it!" Larvae bounces with excitement as she waits for the prince to answer her call.

Shadie points her hoof at his screen, telling him how to answer. "You hit the green icon."

"Okay." He obeys, watching as the screen starts to count up.

Jewel assists in the prince's learning of his new device. "Put it against your ear. Make sure the numbers are right-side up."

He glances at the screen and does as instructed. "Alright."

"Wow, I can actually you through it! Can you hear me too!?"

"I... can." The stallion removes himself from the screen, looking back to the counting display with true amazement. "It's a bit of a delay, but it's so instant. The information you can just relay at a moment's notice, on demand even!"

"It's amazing, isn't it!?" Larvae asks.

"Yes, this is... this is pretty damn maddening!" His cheeks are quick to find their upward curves, his mind just blown from the sensation of the new item he's being presented.

"Cool, then that means you can schedule your day on it." Jewel suggests.

The prince blinks as though he is taken aback. "I can what?"

Shadie inches closer to him, pointing at the screen and giving him his instructions. "Hit this icon here, looks like a small calendar with today's date on it. Tap that, and then select any day of the week. Let's say tomorrow at 12:30. Then you type in what the occasion is for, we'll say lunch. Then after that, you confirm the location."

Jewel takes his phone and starts typing all the information in for him. "Spot of Tea is a pretty nice place down the street from here. It's a perfect place to have a small lunch. A bit pricey, but their blends are to die for."

The prince tilts his head at the rush of events taking place. "Uh... Why do I feel like I'm being set up?"

"It's because you are, babe." Jewel gives him back the phone, the appointment not only highlighted, but color-coded with location, time, day, and alarm. "Spot of Tea, tomorrow at 12:30, Lunch with Larvae."

"You can also schedule other things using that." Shadie mentions with a wink. "Not everything has to be formal or official. So consider it a high-tech planner."

"I... I suppose." The prince says before his phone chimes like a glass, a message showing at the top of his screen.

"Ah! My first text message! Say hi back to me!" The changeling asks.

"Uh..." The stallion taps on the button, revealing a keyboard of varying letters. The arrangement causes him to go cross-eyed, but he slowly pecks out the two letters he needs to respond. "H... i... uh..."

"Hit the paper-plane icon. It's like sending notes in class, but way cooler." Shadie instructs.

He does as ordered, causing the changeling's phone to chime back at her. "Eeeee! Now we're text buddies! We can totally send messages back and forth! Oh, this is going to be so much fun!"

The stallion looks back to the clerk and ask her the question about the device. "Um... shouldn't I pay for this?"

"You know... you totally should." Jewel teases. "But not with whatever funds you got on you. Oh no, it's not gonna be that easy."

"Then how do I go about paying for this?" He asks the three mares.

The changeling steps forward with a smirk setting to one corner of her cheek. "I don't know. Perhaps you'll hold on to that for me and I'll find ways you can pay me back." She looks down at her phone, a playful giggle escapes her throat. "So I'll see you tomorrow! Lunch! Come hungry and ready to chat with me, cause we have lots to catch up on!"

"Doesn't come without nothing." Jewel whispers in the prince's ear. "Just play along. If you manage to make her happy after tomorrow─"

Shadie approaches him from his other side. "You'll get all three of us."

In a coup de grâce, Larvae uses her magic to grab at the prince's chin, lowing his head to her level. "See you then, cutie." She says with an innocent smile already telling him he's not going to escape with his soul intact.

The three mares leave him in the store, clutching a little tighter to his cloak as a means to hide himself from the clerk. He gulps while trying to contemplate his next course of action. "What the hell did I get roped into?"

"There's a shop down Alabaster Lane that sells stamina phials and natural libido enhancers."

The prince slowly looks back to the clerk.

"Just helping. Changelings don't know when to quit. You might want to stock up."

The prince clears his throat. "So uh... What's the name of this place again?"

Author's Note

To be continued...