In the tundra of the Crystal Empire...

In the hours before the dawn, a squad of eight scouts trudge through the cold wind and drifting snow. Their faces are mostly covered as to protect from the harsh elements. The darkness makes the ground around them seem infinite, their flashlights beaming down at any given direction they point their rifles to. Their gloves tightly bind to their stocks and underbarrels. Eyes shift in every which direction, heads slowly turning to take in the darkened view.

One of the humans make a valid complaint. "Fuck, it's cold as balls out here."

Another cosigns with the previous. "No kidding. How the hell is it that the city we just came from feels like a decent spring afternoon, but outside of it feel like we walked into Russian winter?"

The first scout shudders. "Dunno. But the sooner we finish this shit, the better."

"All this thermal shit we're wearing ain't doing too much in this cold." A third announces.

"I'm knowing. I ain't from none of this, I came from Tampa, Florida. We don't get this crazy ass white shit they got here. Should've got more guys from somewhere like Alaska over here." The fourth replies.

"Who the hell do you know in the core lived in Alaska at any point in their life?" The third asks.

"Shit, there's gotta be somebody. And it ain't none of our asses, I know that."

"We're doing good to have guys from Maine. But tell me how they get sent to some place called 'Manehattan' while we get sent to the horse equivalent to Siberia." The first complains once more. "And the reason this thermal shit ain't doing too great is because the snow here is supposedly 'magical' or something."

"Well I can tell you that my dick is gonna magically shrivel up into my body we stay out here any longer." The second replies with chattering teeth. "Magic snow, this is magically some bullshit."

A beep sounds from the watch of the squad leader. He checks the time and breaks a sigh of relief, his breath escaping his mask and appearing as billowing vapors in the frozen air. "Augh, thank God our time is up." He reaches for his transmitter and gives an update. "Hightower, this is Juno squad, time is 0400 hours. Detail is clear, awaiting shift replacement."

"Copy that Juno-1, friendly reinforcement already inbound. You are to await extraction and RTB for active rest and recovery."

"Solid copy. Over and out."

Members of the eight man squad start to show their relief having heard their impending change of scenery. The dark skinned male proudly pats his belly. "Ah man, can't wait to be up out of this! We get back to a warm bowl of soup, cup of coffee, it's up! I don't know what these creatures around here pass for cooking, but I'll go for it as long as it ain't no weird shit."

The others chuckle. "They're a whole different species, they eat hay and flowers. Of course it'll be weird."

*snnnk*

The laughter comes to a stop as the dark skinned male yelps out in pain, collapsing over as a spear easily embeds itself into the back of his shoulder, causing severe damage to his right arm. "Carter!" One of the others quickly runs over to help the wounded soldier.

"Shit!" The squad leader quickly radios the sudden escalation. "Hightower, we've got a situation! Juno-3 just got hit! Need immediate medical evac!"

The man tending to the wounded soldier quickly goes into medical protocol. Knowing the blood loss that would occur with the sudden removal of the blade, he looks to saw the shaft from the spear. "Hang on Carter! I got─"

*BANG!*

A small eruption of snow and smoke puts the group on an even higher alert. The field medic that looked to tend to the wounded soldier slumps over, laying on top of the one he aimed to treat. The others instinctively duck from the sound of the explosion. "What the hell was that!?" The fifth scout shouts in a panic.

The sixth runs over to the medic and pulls him up. "Blankley! Blankley, you go─" Realization is instant as the flashlight from one of his squadmates reveals the carnage. He sees the one who was initially hit without his arm, right portion of his chest, or much of his head. And the medic having his arms blown off from the elbows down, along with much of his face. A warm breath slowly exits as he remains still, the pink remnants giving both smoke and vapor as portions of his skull and brain start falling from the front of his head. He immediately backs off in horror. "Oh lord. Carter and Blankley..."

Not trying to stay frozen in the moment, the squad leader radios in his update to command, once more with extreme urgency. "Hightower, Juno-3 and Juno-7 are hit with explosive ordinance! Both confirmed KIA's."

*snnnk*

As they hear the sound of something else impacting the snow nearby, they immediately issue an order. "Take cover!"

Another explosion similar to the yield of the first that took out the first two of their squad sounds in the pitch-black darkness. "Grenades! Stay down!"

The darkness continues to hold the looming threats of explosives. The leader of the six remaining men shout a desperate order. "They may be using our lights against us! Cut the flashlights off! Switch to thermals!"

*snnnk*

Yet another impact sounds nearby, causing the others to quickly scatter away from the source of the sound. One of the men still frantically deactivating their flashlight sees a spear tilt in front of him. "They're chucking fucking spears at us!" He kicks the weapon back into the snow and shakes his head. "Guys' it's just a stupid spear!"

*BANG*

A howl of panic sounds from the man who ridiculed the weapon launched near him. The leader, activating his thermal goggles to see the man on his back, holding the tattered stubs where his legs used to be. "PAULMANN!"

With frantic grasping at the bone and damaged cloth, he shouts to the group. "My legs! They got my fucking legs, man!"

One of the others, having a little medical training, jump into action. He goes over to the body of the deceased medic and pulls out his medical supplies. Next he keeps his head down and goes for the wounded soldier. "Applying tourniquet, cover me!" He hails out before ripping the pouch open and pulling out a rubber strap, affixing it to the man's left knee. "Hey, man, stay up, we're gonna take care of you, okay!?"

"My fucking legs man!" He cries in response.

The leader once more calls in to command. "Hightower, Juno-5 is down, we are mounting heavy casualties, requesting expedited ev─"

*chi-POW*

The only image many of the other men see as their leader's voice falls silent is the white thermal image of him slouching to his knees and resting on his face. As a croaking groan sounds from the man, a pool of white begins to grow around the man's head. The helmet appears shifted to the side as smaller bits of warmth subside. The two instances quickly lead the remaining five to a dire conclusion. "SNIPER!"

"McConnel's down!" One of the others calls out.

In a manic attempt to scout the area, one of the men glance at the horizon, seeing no signs of their assailants. "All I see is the fucking snow!"

Running over to hail command in place of their fallen squad leader, the next man up grabs the transmitter and calls in their update. "Hightower, this is Juno-2! Juno-1 is down and unresponsive! Requesting evac now!"

"Copy, Mother Bird is away and barreling towards your position. Reinforcement squad is now reassigned to armed escort. ETA: 120 seconds for medical evac."

"Copy!" The man confirms as he shouts to the others. "Reinforcements on the way! Stay frosty!"

"NO FUCKING SHIT!" Paulmann screams as he tries to stop himself from bleeding out of his other leg.

"What are we firing into!?"

"Just pick a direction and shoot!" The injured soldier calls out on his back, loading the chamber of his weapon.

"Suppression fire!" The sounds of muzzle fire start to rattle throughout the cold air. They fire in sporadic bursts, doing what they can to hit at the top of the mounds of snowdrift around them. "Keep a distance! Don't pack in too close!"

As they continue to fire off their rounds at the mounds of snow around them, the sound of a pair of helicopters grow louder and louder. Each start to approach with a bright spotlight bearing into a search pattern. "Remove thermals! Tossing rescue flare!" One of the soldiers reaches for a flare and pops it near their position. The bright red flame illuminates the area, along with highlighting the extent of the brutality inflicted upon their squad. Upon getting a red-glow variant of the macabre scenery, the soldier laments their situation. "Longest two minutes in my fucking life!"

The searchlights quickly highlight the men's position. They quickly land one of the choppers as the other maintains overwatch. "Pick 'em up! C'mon, let's move!"

"Not wanting to stare for too long, they do their best to grab the deceased men and load them into the chopper along with the remaining members.

*snnnKINK*

Hearing the impact on the landed chopper, the pilot radios in the situation. "Mother Bird, we got impact on left hull─"

"THOSE SPEARS ARE GRENADES! THE SPEARS ARE GRENADES!" One of the retreating men can be heard over the radio. The resulting explosion verifies his claim.

The spotlight above quickly highlights the area of the explosion, but also the slight shadow of a snow-white pelt running off, leaving behind a visible set of hoofprints in the snow. The pilot quickly points out to the overwatch. "TARGETS, LEFT SIDE! LEFT SIDE! THEY'RE HIDING IN THE SNOWDRIFT!"

"OUR THERMALS CAN'T PICK UP SHIT!" The assistant pilot call out.

"FOLLOW THOSE TRACKS! WARM EM UP!" The leader of the second squad calls out to his guys. They quickly unleash all small arms fire upon the snowy position. As the smaller arms fire continue to pepper the positions revealing any signs of hoofprints nearby, the main gunners of the helo sight out the spraying snow.

"Sending heat their way!" The chopper gunner announces as he sprays a volley of high-caliber rounds into the position. Packs of snow jettison into the air. Their impacts not only finding much of the ground, but also revealing a few cloaked stallions staggering away from the carnage. On sight, the supplementary squad take aim and land their shots. "Got one!"

"Good hit! Good hit!" The copilot praises.

The pilot in the air chimes in towards the other on the ground, awaiting for the squad to get secured. "Falcon-1, got a positive ID of hostiles closing in on your A.O., what's your status?"

"Three confirmed K.I.A.'s. McConnel, Blankley, Carter, that's almost half of the squad. One injured receiving medical attention before we can lift off."

"Bunch of hostiles armed with what appears to be only spears. Do you confirm grenades on spears?"

Yet another smaller explosion kicks up dirt and snow near the helicopter. "Jesus Christ─YES, CONFIRM ON THAT!"

"Stay low, sweeping extraction point." The pilot confirms as he takes his chopper and swings it into position to safely aim away from the grounded helo. The starboard gunner spins his guns and fire the deadly .50 caliber rounds off into the encroaching line of pelts looking to land a few more spears at the extracting party. The ones narrowly caught drop to the ground for cover as the successful hits not only register, but rain back down upon them in chunks of meat, bone, dirt, and snow. "Falcon-1, Mother Bird has cleared the extraction point, now providing cover ordinance for liftoff."

"Christ almighty, finally." The pilot mutters on the other end. "SQUAD SECURE! FALCON-1 PULLING OUT!"

The rotors of the landed chopper stir back into full speed, giving lift to the machine and raising the evacuated squad well out of danger's reach. The second pilot signals his own withdrawal. "Mother Bird is away, returning to base."

"Hightower, this is Falcon-1, requesting extensive sweep of the surrounding area." The pilot requests with a grave tone.

"Negative, pattern is full. Will send predator drones for search and destroy. Requesting sitrep on Juno squad, over."

"Four casualties, three KIA's."

"Copy Falcon-1. Report back to base for refuel and debrief. You've got special instructions to follow."

"Hightower, our guys are out here getting hit." He argues.

"Falcon-1, Overlord Actual has issued you and Pelican-3 special orders for escort due south. Instance of special delivery."

"Son of a─" He catches himself before responding. "Copy. Falcon-1 and Mother Bird is inbound."

2407 Golden Oaks Avenue Later that morning...

With a yawn and a stretch, I walk myself into the kitchen with a stomach uttering complaints of it's emptiness. I feel the urgency to start cooking again. Perhaps I'm in a mood for something sweet and buttery, but I also want the contrast of a salty meat option brimming with character. I can't help myself at this point, ever since the humans introduced me to meat, I've been making it a common part of my diet for at least two to three times a week.

To hell with it, sausage and buttermilk pancakes with a side of hash.

More faces start to wander in, namely the trio from Ponyland. Guess I'll be keeping the menu diverse for their sake. "Ah, morning to all."

"Hey you. Seems like you've had a good night's sleep." Amor is the first to seat himself at the table.

"To be fair, Smolder helped with that, a lot." I inform him. "Hard not to sleep when she makes me put the work in."

"Ugh, I'm sure." The pegasus mare rolls her eyes with disinterest before pulling out a stack of papers, much to Zenobia's annoyance. "I was wondering if you had time today to see if you could go over a few things with me."

"Oh, what's all that?" I ask.

"Just some planned announcements, maybe a few things to go over for Zenobia's next public appearance."

The alicorn princess takes exception to the suggestion. "And why would I need help for a public appearance again?"

"Because the last time you hijacked it with your sudden announcement for your interest in Sir Spike. It was far too much of a distraction." The younger sister replies.

"No, it was an attention grabber."

"A grab for the wrong kind of attention. Now they think he's either paid you off or bedded you into saying everything you've said. It throws the legitimacy of your intentions into question."

As the two stir up their debate, the others file in from the hall. "You are such a child, Hestia! You don't even know how to handle adult topics, much less how to throw in a topic starter in the wake of international politics. Riddle me this since you're so enlightened and more-modest-than-thou. Has any part of my ending statements made an impact on the international community up to now?" She glances around the room, demanding an answer. "Well, that question doesn't just go for one, it goes for the whole class, speak up!"

Ocellus is the one to give her an honest response. "Well according to recent metrics, I would say it's half and half. Though the effect of your confession about Spike amplified the message, it only served as the main thing that was your message in the eyes of the general public. So in short, it's rather negligible in the grand scheme of things."

"My point exactly!" Hestia blurts out. "It would've been better if you didn't do any stunts like that to begin with!"

Zenobia continues to show no shame in her approach. "So the confession of my feelings for my dear pet will be the main thing that headlines my statements, sure. But even if they'll remember that one thing, they'll be sure to remember what I've said after. It's merely come with some weight attached to it to give it some density."

"That's still not a good way to publicize it!" Hestia speaks up once more.

"Actually, no." Gabby intervenes. "You're right in the sense that her confession overshadows her later message, that we can all agree on. But even if it was a clickbait way of starting things off, think about the amount of hits it gained on every news cycle before the bombing up north. The moment Spike and Zenobia got put out there as a thing, it grabbed all sorts of attention, for all the wrong reasons but it does get the message out there." She directs her attention back to me in adding to her argument. "Plus the world leaders know that Spike wouldn't just put someone out there alongside him just to advertise his own personal developments. That's just too much work put into introducing a personal relationship partner to his international peers. He purposefully gave her a platform to speak to the world, and his standing in the international community makes it where he can't possibly be written off. Others will engage with her based on her proximity to him. Now that of course means that she has a reputation to uphold, and it tethers to Spike heavily. But I'm sure she understands that too."

"Obviously she doesn't act like it." Hestia argues again. "Just her attitude alone tells me she's still taking everything for granted."

"Oh so me not doing one of your sillily-sanitized speeches is a show of my not being serious?" Zenobia counters. "See I didn't want to go this direction with you, but surely a lesser blood would realize that a practice of authenticity is what makes the charisma of one selected to lead as a source of appeal! Even if I don't have the dick that would've qualified me as the crown heir, I was still made to lead out of father's fear of not producing a male. I may have been nothing more than a fallback plan, but I can still pose the necessary profile of a leader on an international stage. Don't take my screaming swears and fornicating about as a discredit to my abilities. Because if you went by those same stupid metrics, then you wouldn't have revered Adelphos as much as you did."

Amor's ears perk up as he quickly leaves his seat, trying to creep himself between the two sisters. "Hey, can we not talk about family matters in front of everyone else?"

"Oh no." Hestia says with her ears pinning back, revealing a rather dangerous show of anger. "Let her keep going."

Just as the proverbial temperature of the room starts to come to a slow simmer, the doorbell rings. "The hell? Who could be at the door now of all times?"

Smolder takes the chance to remind me of a date I have jotted into my calendar. "Hey, weren't you supposed to do some sort of summit today?"

I snap my fingers with realization. "Oh yeah, it's probably the royal guard or something." I pick up my phone to check the camera, only to see a strange human standing in what appears to be some sort of apparel and a helmet. "Or... not." I mutter before answering the door. "Hello?"

His voice is far from enthusiastic. "Good morning. This is Captain Ferris Mosley of the Haines Private Forces, HPF for short. We are a special privatized military conglomerate comprised of selected former members of the United States Armed Forces. We are currently working in junction with that of the EUP Guard. I'm looking for a Royal Friendship Advisor Spike."

While the pair of sisters continue to beam each other down with their eyes, Smolder hovers over my shoulder. "He looks grumpy."

"And scary." Ocellus adds.

"Guys, they can hear you, you know." I remind them before returning to the guest at the door. "I'm Spike. Is something the matter, sir?"

"On the behalf of your princess, we've been asked to escort you to the Crystal Empire for a summit."

The stare down between the two sisters come to a halt as the location comes to present discussion. "The Crystal Empire?" Hestia asks.

"Didn't they just get bombed?" Zenobia inquires. "Isn't that place supposed to be a hot zone right now?"

"It is." I confirm. "Sir. I have to ask, that is an unsecured location. Why are we reporting there?"

"That is the current location of your princess. She highly requested that you'd be made to attend." He answers with a flatness in his voice, appearing quite annoyed.

"I see he carries your same level of enthusiasm." Gabby comments.

"I'm bringing extras with me. Is that fine?" I propose to him.

"With all due respect, I can guarantee you that your payload ain't got shit on mine. Bring yourself and five of who you need, cause that's all I got seats for. I only ask that you'd be quick."

"Just six of us, huh? Who's all going?" Smolder asks.

"You, Hestia, Zenobia, Ocellus..." I glance down to see Hestia pursing her lips and directing her eyes towards her brother, reminding me of the promise I made her. "Amor, you up to go along with?"

He jolts his head up with shock over my choice. "Wait, me!?"

Gabby steps in front of the unicorn prince, showing her own discontent over not being chosen. "Yeah, hold on! Why not me!?"

"Gabby, I know it looks bad. But I need someone here to take care of Flurry. Plus we should be back tomorrow night. The Crystal Empire is too much of a hotbed to be staying for anything more than a day."

"But you could easily assign Smolder or even Ocellus to Flurry! Not that I'm throwing them under the rails, but they already know how to deal with kids as it is!"

"The reason I say them is because they're element bearers themselves. What's to be discussed will certainly have them in mind. I might as well bring them both so that they can fill in the others. And the other three are by duty-bound obligation by none other than Twilight. I have to keep an eye on them." The griffoness pouts with protest over not being able to go. "Gabby, it's dangerous. I can't put you in that kind of heat. I'll do my best to make it up to you, promise."

She taps her talons against the floor, expecting me to sweeten up the deal. She brings further emphasis by flagging me over to her. I lean down to her, only to get a twenty-sided die shoved in my mouth. "Fine. Go. I'm pretty sure you don't mind leaving me behind all over again and again."

As she flies off to the stairs, I spit the die out and call out her name. "Gabby!"

"Don't you have some stupid summit to go to!? I've got a foal to look after, so go do what you do already!"

Feeling a bit of remorse for the griffon, Amor quietly raises his hoof and calls for an alternative. "I can stay."

I shoot down his request. "No can do, Amor. You're duty bound to be around me. And as duty calls, obligation answers." I lean down to him and give him another way to look at his current opportunity. "Plus, you could probably work things out with Twilight while you're there."

The guilt is still obvious on the corners of his mouth, but the incentive drives him to accept my offer. "Okay. What all do I need?"

"Just yourself. The castle will have all the personals you'll ever need."

Our gathering has garnered a lot of attention throughout the walk across town. It's not like it can be helped with the fact that the chopper is sourced towards the northern part of the town, much less on the outdoor field of the School of Friendship. Along our walk, I can see a multitude of faces turning our way, probably because of the guy guiding us being the tallest thing around, he's beat me by a few inches too. Par for the course, I guess.

As we come into view of our transport, Ocellus exhibits some fear seeing the metal beast up close. I myself haven't been this close to one of this type either, especially with how strange it appears to be. I glance to my phone, immediately going into a search of notable helicopter models. And the one that seems to be a close match to the one we're approaching from it's side is none other than a Pave Hawk. Not much information can be spared in Equestria databases other than the fact that it's for emergency search and rescue operations.

"Woah-ho-ho-ho! That thing's a monster of a pedalcopter! It's so huge!" Hestia comments.

"It looks... confusing." Amor confesses.

Zenobia takes a look at the paneling, not all of it appears to be in uniform, some patches welded and riveted together. "It looks like it could break at any moment. We're supposed to feel safe with this?"

I notice the man's demeanor, he seems to be irked about our uninformed comments. "I don't think he appreciates us talking about his vehicle."

"Well never mind that, let's get a move-on and see how this thing works!" The pegasus princess happily skips towards the door, seeing what appears to be a mounted machine gun on it's side.

I look at the barrel of the weapon, noticing that there's actually six of them organized around a circle. Each one appearing to be wide enough to let me stick a finger inside. Ocellus sees the intimidating configuration and shudders as Smolder takes notice of her growing unease. She quickly tends to the changeling as Amor takes a step into the chassis. "This thing is crazy, both inside and out!"

"What are those things for?" Smolder asks the pilot about the side-mounted guns.

The pilot confers with his assistant and they start their ignition sequence. While doing so, he comments towards the dragon. "You ever heard of bug spray?"

Ocellus' eyes buck wide with abject horror, burying her head into Smolder's chest. Even I take notice of her trauma response, and look to correct the pilot for his blind comment. "Um... can we not go with that analogy?"

He still appears to be nonchalant. "Did I say something wrong?"

"Sir, we have a changeling onboard. It's rude to speak that term, it's highly derogatory." I explain.

"Oh. Didn't know that was a thing. My bad." He seems more invested in pressing buttons than looking back at us and seeing the visibly distressed mare clutching onto the dragoness comforting her.

"Okay, so humans can be assholes towards changelings, huh? Typical!" Smolder rumbles back towards the engrossed pilot.

"If you saw what we saw, you'd be an asshole too." The pilot replies. "My only job right now is to get you from extraction to landing as safely as you'll allow us to be. I only ask that you keep your personal turbulence to a minimum while we undergo our flight."

Seeing the changeling in distress, Amor steps in for Smolder before the dragoness could go on a flame-spouting rant. "Pardon me, sir? I do understand that there is a conflict taking place where we're headed. But is there any means to not displace your stress onto us? We're just seeing each other for the first time. And I'm sure we can come to a better impression than this."

"All due respect, sir. I'm just here to do my job and make sure that everyone on this bird is safe and sound. As long as we're in here, we travel according to my rules. I will elaborate on apologies and sensitivities when we have reached our destination. But as of now, I ask that you all be seated and secured to minimize harm to yourselves and others, as well as to minimize all distractions for the duration of our flight. If you cannot do that, get off my bird now."

Ocellus, who hasn't even strapped herself in yet, eagerly looks to take up that invitation. "I don't think I want to go anymore."

As both of the humans in the cockpit stop with their button pressing and switch flipping, they both look back at us. I sit right next to Ocellus, hoping to calm her down a bit. "Let's just take it easy, okay? We're here with you." I glance back to the two humans in front. "I think we're all on the same page when I say none of us wants any problems. We're just trying to get to our destination safely, and we know you mean well. This is a new experience for all of us. And since you two are the experts, we'll do as you say, no harm done."

The copilot sighs, almost as though a bit of tension has been let off of his shoulders. He flicks a switch and the rotors above us start to spin. I close my eyes, accepting the peace of the moment before I feel a set of claws painfully digging into my arm. "Oh, so we have to collect ourselves, but the humans get a pass?" Smolder complains.

I grimace as I realize that I've placed myself in a precarious situation. "Okay, I get it. You have every right to be upset on her behalf. But I feel like we're missing out on something. I've been looking at his face the entire way here, I don't think this is something he wants to do. But I'd rather respect the peace of him going through it to get us to our destination than to make an enemy of someone who seems to have a lot on his mind, even if the approach could've been better."

Smolder's claws leave an impression in my scales as she swipes them off my arm. "Yeah? Well that sounds like they should've picked someone else then."

As we rise into the air, hearing the high-pitched machinery above us going at an un-Equestrian speed, I nod with acknowledgement and nurse the newfound marks in my arm. "Well... nobody's wrong. I can tell you that now."

Meanwhile...

Back in the home of the friendship advisor, Gabby finishes up breakfast for herself and one other guest of the home. Feeling a sense of inadequacy, she ponders over the constant concern her dragon interest continues to bring about with each moment of international peril. Her eyes glance to and from the disrupted setting of the dining area, imagining the shadows of those who he willingly took into that very same danger he debated her from going into.

But while she feels insecure for her lack of a dependable trait in moments of crisis, she looks beyond it for the companionship in her uselessness. In doing so, she totes a plate up from the dining room to the upstairs bedroom where the young Princess Flurry Heart is assigned. She looks at both of her talons, each occupied with a plate of food. So she verbalizes her presence. "Knock knock, it's me."

There's not an instance of an answer.

"Let me guess, bad mood? I feel you on that one." The griffon calls out, trying to relate to the young filly. "I guess you're still a bit upset about your mom. I understand.... Well, not like what you're going through, but the being placed behind it all and watching everything else happen around you, seeming like you're getting forgotten in all of it. I can understand that part."

Once more, the silence is her response.

"You in there?" Gabby grows curious, wondering if Flurry was either in a deep sleep, or probably in another room. "Hey, you're still sleep in there. I'm coming in..."

She looks for a nearby bed to sit her own plate onto before going back for the door. But upon walking into the other bedroom for that purpose, she takes notice that the beds are neatly made with the exception of their missing pillows. She sits her plate down, hovers back, slowly turns the knob and pokes her head into the room, discovering a lump in the bed. Gabby gets closer to see the covers tucked over an unmoving lumping mass. The situation is obvious.

"Oh... not sleep... gone." She panics quietly. "Great... Spike is gonna kill me if she turns up missing!"

Sometime Later...

Our ride was the furthest thing from quiet. It's hard to hear yourself think when there's a high-pitched whirring noise that seems to grate at the ears starting off. But you eventually tune it out after a while. Also helps that they have ear protection for everyone onboard.

While our introduction was a bit shaky, I can admit that the pair of humans were very accommodating in trying to keep us comfortable and calm. They even have a stash of air sickness meds under the seats, along with a myriad of things for our safety, such as life preservers, oxygen intakes, and the like. We could move a little in our flight, but not too much as to cause turbulence.

Hestia takes the opportunity of that free movement period to ask questions about the airship we were cruising in. And then there are the number of instruments they use to gauge things like barometric pressures, altitude, speed, and a number of other things they wouldn't say does what. In due time, they show their eagerness to tell her to get back into her seat since we we're on our approach.

"Wow, that's a tall tower!" Hestia really seems to be the eager child of the group today.

"How high must that thing be? It's gotta be at least six-hundred feet tall." Amor replies.

"Six-hundred-eighty to be exact." I reply as I point out of the window to the city below. "Welcome to the Crystal Empire."

Once more, Hestia shows her interest in our change in environment. "Wow, the city's layout is like a snowflake. That's so amazing!"

But as we close in on our approach, much of the damage starts to become painfully visible. "Yeah it would look amazing... if it wasn't for the bombings."

Smolder squints to see the many ponies down below, appearing almost like ants in the grand scheme of our entrance. "It looks like they're still doing cleanup down below."

"I'm sure." I reply as a similar pair of choppers fly in a perpendicular pattern to us, thankfully at a much higher altitude.

"Looks like there's more than cleanup taking place here." Ocellus mumbles.

"Huh, more pedalcopters. I'd be pretty excited to see these..." Smolder replies as she comforts the changeling mare. "If someone wasn't an asshole to Olla."

"Funnily enough, we got here way faster than I would've expected to be. We only rode out for like an hour and a half. Usually this would be a 6 hour train ride, a little less than that on express rail service. We had to be booking it to be here already." I point out.

"To think humans can cover that much terrain that quickly. That's a terrifying thought." Zenobia comments, much to a whimpering agreement by Ocellus.

As we disembark from the flying beast, we breathe in a heavy dose of diesel and metal in what was once the clean air of the north. A small gathering of security forces stand guard with their arms, assault rifles strapped to the chest and held firmly in operating reach. I begin to wonder if this tension, along with this smoggy smell, is just the tip of the iceberg of the human war machine they've created for themselves. I mean there's no doubt about it, but I can't help but to wonder how deep this rabbit hole goes for them.

We've seen the world they've accommodated to civilian living, and it's a breathtaking sight. I can only imagine, with that same ingenuity, how easy they can take breath from the living if they so chose. It's not wonder Ocellus is scared of seeing all of this. Hell, one of those guns on the side of the beast we flew in on could easily fit my thumb. I won't dare to imagine what a bullet that size will do to flesh and bone... or scales. And I've just brought their princess to see what her country's up against.

I'm sure the ponies up this way will be feeling the same air of caution about these humans as the ones in Ponyville do.

As we get closer to the castle, the human escorting us through the varying checkpoints is none other than our disgruntled pilot, who seems to be showing more of a somber side of himself. As we come across one area, he guides us off our main route and turns us towards the nearby medical facility.

Everyone in the area seems to be walking with a heavy mood, though I can easily say everyone in the city is walking with the same weight on their minds. But it seems different this time. It's like they're stunned silent, whatever's going on has the entire place giving audience to the profound speech of crickets.

As we get closer, the pilot starts to inch himself closer towards Ocellus. "Hey."

Smolder, still being the protective heroine she is, answers for the changeling mare. "What do you want?"

"I wanna apologize for my behavior earlier." He simply replies, no hostility or rebound from the prickly approach of the dragoness.

"Great." She rolls her eyes dismissively, snagging the foreleg of the changeling to coax her along. "Let's go, Olla."

Amor quietly comments. "You didn't start with the greatest first impression, I'll admit."

"Again, I'm sorry. I was just lashing out with some thoughts, and I was just trying to be firm on protocol. I was tasked to make sure you guys were safe. That was my main concern, especially with today."

"Today? What about today that had you so dismissive?" I ask him.

"Again, just... Things happened."

Overhearing his response, Smolder hovers back over and calls him out on his approach once more. "Yeah, you called Ocellus a bug!"

"Never meant to call her a bug." He explains.

"Then what was that 'bug spray' comment about, huh?" The dragoness points her claw into his chest, nowhere near afraid of him as some of the others of his ilk start to gingerly glide their fingers towards their triggers. Ocellus starts to yank on her tail, being scared for her. "Do you humans think it's cool to just pick on changelings or something!?"

He shakes his head, and utters an even more grim insight. "...It was meant for the ponies."

Smolder spares no reserve of emotion in her reply. "Oh, so ponies are your problem, huh? Wow, just so happens you find yourself in a world of them, all while you get to bitch, moan, and complain about it! How about you do our world a fucking huge-ass favor and go fuck yourself with a cragodile dick!"

"I came here to show you something, along with my apology." He replies, raising his hand to the others to let them know that everything is okay. Their fingers start to ease away from their triggers.

And none the wiser to that, Smolder continues her aggression. "Newsflash, we don't give a shit!"

I take a moment to step in, at least hoping to clear the air about the egregious direction of his comment. "As the Royal Friendship Advisor of Equestria, I request that you elaborate further on your statements. I do know Alex, and I'm sure that if I give him the report of your views of the moment, we'd be more than happy to have you be placed where you're more comfortable."

He glances his eyes to the side, drawing a heavy breath to hold. "That's what I was trying to explain, sir."

*POW*

The report of rifle fire immediately has all of us ducking for cover. But the man remains stationary, unflinching in place as Smolder hugs the now-frantic changeling. "You're safe with me, Olla."

*POW

"Are we under attack!?" I ask as I keep my head low, urging the others to do the same.

*POW*

The pilot reaches down to pick me up, seeming confident in our safety as he solemnly responds. "Twenty-one gun salute. Just a protocol for the day whenever the worst ensues."

"A protocol!?" This time, it's Ocellus who jumps right into his face with righteous anger. The adrenaline rush seems to make her forget about her fear for the moment. "What protocol is there in killing other creatures so flippantly!? Do you humans just resort to violence as a first measure to whatever you face against!?"

"A twenty-one gun salute is for the dead." He answers.

"The dead?" The changeling eases back as she realizes the weight of the situation, as we all start to realize why we were brought to the medical area. Looking off to the side, we see a yard with three caskets draped in a tri-colored flag. Thirteen stripes, seven red, six white, and a blue corner with fifty white stars. She turns back to the man, who appears to have a lifeless gaze, his jaw hangs agape, probably filtering out the words he wants to say in the moment.

But he settles for a simplified explanation. "...We had an emergency search and rescue operation, evacuate what was left of a six-man squad from the snow fields at 4 this morning. Those three coffins, I hauled all three of those guys and five others out of an ambush, all while they tried to frag our bird. Obviously not the one we took here, but another one. I saw those three... one guy had his skull blown open, one didn't have a face, the last guy didn't have a head. Those were our boys, and I wanted even. The ones responsible were a bunch of pony folk hiding in the snow. Killed our boys in the cover of darkness, hiding underneath the snowdrift like pests." He looked firmly to Ocellus. "I wanted to hunt them down, give them what they gave our boys. but I was given other orders. My orders were to retrieve you lot, and not protect my guys like I wanted to." He directs that stare towards Smolder. "I admit I was lashing out. You would too if you saw what I saw. So you'll have to forgive me if I seemed rude, like I wasn't in a mood to let you guys play around with your safety. My job was to make sure you got on my bird and got off in one piece, and not like the guys I had to bring in at 4am this morning. That's all."

Ocellus slowly turns her head towards the three caskets. "So those humans... they're dead?"

"Very." The pilot replies.

She sighs with a thought running through her mind, shutting it away from her lips before they had a chance to manifest into bitterness. "Do they get to go home, to their loved ones?"

"Without question." The man answers.

"At least your species is reverent enough to allow that. I offer you credence to that show of respect." She answers before walking off. "That's all I can say."

While the others appear genuinely confused, the man appears almost taken aback by her cold reaction. I step in on her behalf and expand on her own background. "I should add some context for you too. Years ago, six humans came from your world and defended the town we just came from. It was a changeling invasion, but it turned into a massacre. They had weapons the changelings did not, and the changelings suffered over two-hundred deaths in the span of twenty minutes. Some of those deaths were her siblings. There was another seventy plus that were systematically executed in Canterlot, by three humans also, prison revolt. The first situation, they were allowed to collect their dead. The second time, they had to deal with the matter differently due to some unforeseen circumstances. That's why she's a bit cold to you."

"That I didn't know." He shakes his head.

"Actually, your boss Alex, he was the one involved in both of those cases. Bring it up with him next time y'all talk." I say before guiding the others towards the castle at last.

The man, overwhelmed with thoughts and emotions, reaches inside his coat and pulls out a cigarette. He pats himself for a lighter, trying to find something to light his fix. But the cigarette is lifted from his mouth, floating before his eyes. He steps back, only to bump into a smaller creature. "Oh, sorry. I almost stepped on you."

"I know you didn't mean any harm. You were just ignorant is all." The creature replies as the golden glow on it's horn wipes clean. The man looks back ahead of himself, seeing the cigarette laying on the ground, completely burnt away into ashes. The small creature kicks the pile of ash away. "Sometimes we have to face the truth before we learn to heal. Sometimes it's better to do it with a clear mind."

As the smaller figure walks away, Mosley looks down at his last cigarette with dismay. "Wow, even the kids around here are ruthless."

As we arrive onto the castle grounds, Twilight and the others await us at the entrance where the crystal heart spins without a moment's reprieve. There appears to be a number of armored crystal guards taking close observation of the heart, but a moderately loud buzzing sound hovers nearby. I glance over to see what appears to be a little black toy humming about like a curious bird. The bottom of it appears to have a mounted camera of some sort. I lean in closer to inspect the device, but
a piercing cry promptly snatches my attention away. "Spikey-wikey!"

Accompanied by the ear-piercing howl, I get tackled from the shoulders and feel a weight cling to me. I look over to see the familiar face of Rarity nuzzling at my neck. "Hey, Rarity." I bashfully reply, knowing that I've brought at least three other relationship partners to watch me get ambushed by my childhood crush.

But she's not the only one who pins me down with a tackle. Applejack joins in on the playful carnage, but her strength is far more suited to bring me down to the ground. The farm mare noogies the crown of my skull as she gives her own complaint. "Consarn it, Spike! Ya ain't said nan word to us since ya made it back to town! You done left poor lil' Apple Bloom wonderin' if y'all was ever gonna come back after all that Ponyland buffoonery!"

Pinkie dives in, being a lot gentler than the other two on her landing. "You silly dragon, you could've at least dropped by Sugarcube Corner, say hello, pick up the congratulatory celebratory cake we wanted to surprise you with."

"You baked me a cake?" I tilt my head at her.

"Well duh, but I couldn't tell you. It's a surprise for a reason." The mare climbs off of me to pout. "Well now it's not even a surprise anymore."

I chuckle at her antics. "Same old Pinkie, even if you've got one of your own to deal with now."

While Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy also greet me warmly, Twilight holds off upon seeing the others that accompany me. "Huh... seems you brought friends?" Rainbow asks.

"Some friends... otherwise, uninvited 'guests'." The purple alicorn says as Amor runs over to kiss her hooves. She immediately casts a bubble over herself to avoid physical contact as he splats himself against her shield.

"Your highness, you are just as lovely as ever." The poor prince strains after his painful run-in with her defenses.

As the stallion slides off of her shield, her eyes beam towards the albino alicorn shaking her head at the pitiful display. "And what are you doing here?"

Zenobia proudly weaves herself forward as she sways with a dancing lilt. "Just helping my dear pet carry out with a few of his obligations, the ones you've placed on him to look after us?"

Rarity responds with some rather shaded disdain. "Hmm... I see you haven't quite dropped that 'pet' moniker from your vocabulary yet."

The Ponyland princess hums as she glides back to my side, picking me up out of everyone else's clutches and bringing me into her own. "My sympathies. I adore him far too much these days to make out any more competition than I already have. Ember was trouble enough, at least the rest of us can agree to an allotment of days. That's where I find my solace in all of this."

"Well, I don't fancy you being too engrossed in matters right now, since it is our respective nations that are at war right for the moment." The fashionista replies. "After all, wasn't it one of yours that allowed for all of this to happen?"

Just as Zenobia looks to answer in her own defense, the doors to the castle open, revealing a well-dressed man holding a cell phone in his hand. "And here he is, our dragon man of the day!"

I turn my head to see the familiar face, so rarely seen outside of photos and an occasional video from the human world. "Alex!? You're here too?"

"Had to be." He replies. "Need to make sure operations run as smoothly as possible. And seeing that you're here safe and sound, we're off to a good start."

As Alex makes mention of that idea, Smolder points out the pilot bringing up the rear of our party. "Oh yeah, speaking of good starts, you sent a pilot with a pretty shitty attitude."

"Oop." Taken aback by the news, he looks to Mosley walking up. "Hey, what happened? I'm getting reports of you not being very warm and friendly here. I told you this was a sensitive matter."

Not looking to dwell on it for too long, he makes his message clear and short. "Sir, I apologize. I was not in a good mind of approach, it's on me."

Alex lets loose a tired sigh and speaks with his trusted subordinate. "I know that you had a rough morning, I can't ignore that I sent you out in that condition. But I wanted to make sure I sent out my best to make the pickups. I trusted you, so yeah, my hearing a bad report isn't quite a good thing to start our day on. Now why are you showing up so late in comparison to everyone else here? You're supposed to be escorting the group."

Mosley purses his lips as he looks behind him. "Well sir... we had a bit of a snafu at the castle checkpoint. Seems we brought in one extra visitor."

The human guards seem to be with their usual method of keeping their eyes peeled for any dangers. But in a stark contrast, the crystal guards are all at a standing salute. It's then we hear the words shouted out. "Her majesty has arrived! Guards, attention!"

Walking, not flying, just in a somber trot past the saluting guards, the unexpected passenger approaches with a stern face for her young age. Twilight yelps out in shock. "Flurry!?"

The young princess walks up to me as I chide her for her sudden appearance. "Flurry, what the hel─what are you doing here?"

"I'm sorry, Uncle Spike, but I had to come. And I know you wanted me to stay behind, but I needed to be here."

"Flurry Heart, you shouldn't be here." Twilight turns to me, looking to place blame. "Spike─"

"Auntie!" She calls out with a firm insistence. "He didn't know I snuck on their airship. I made sure of it." She sparks up her horn for a brief moment, teleporting herself next to the purple alicorn. "And now I'm here to see my mother. I love you, but I love my mother more. Please don't stop me from helping her. Not now, not when her soul called to me this morning in my dreams."

Captain Mosley once more speaks to Alex. "Yeah, our guys didn't know who this kid was, but when the pony guards came up, she started asking about updates on relief efforts. And she wasn't budging until answers were provided. She hit the ground running."

Alex's eyes widen as he looks down towards the young princess. He shakes his head. "Kid, I know this is your country, but─"

"I know my mom isn't pretty to look at right now. But please tell me where she is."

The man strains as he tries to grasp the thoughts of the young filly going in to stare at the horrifically mangled form of her mother. Just the sight of her being in the bloodied bandages has already unnerved him enough. However, he takes into consideration a canid conversation both he and Shining had the night before. He calms himself, kneeling to place a hand of the filly's head. "Hospice care, 5th floor, the Omega room, your dad's in there now."

"Thank you, Mr. Haines." The filly replies, walking past the man with a determined face that I know she's putting on for appearances.

Alex glances back to the pilot. "Mosley, I know I wanted to give you the rest of the day to properly vent your emotions. I'm sorry that I had to put you through the wringer like that under such circumstances. We'll speak more on what happened tomorrow. For now, you're dismissed." The pilot takes his leave, meanwhile the man in charge brings his attention back to Smolder. "I understand the cause for your disagreement. What he may have said probably was beyond off-kilter, but Mosley's a good man, and a good source of character. Whatever you ran into earlier, that was just a man in hurt. And I understand what it means to be in that situation and say something I'd ultimately regret. I know what it means to mess up the first impression. So I ask you to give us time. A lot of us humans are still pretty raw at interspecies relations. And if anything falls short of acceptable, then it's on me for not training them well enough. I take full responsibility for that."

Still looking after the changeling mare, Smolder questions her of her reception of the apology. Ocellus' eyes pierces the dimensions past the man standing before her. She instinctively takes a step backwards. She stumbles and whispers to the dragoness beside her. "I think I need some air elsewhere. Please?"

Smolder kindly takes up the changeling's request. "Don't worry, Olla. I'll take you wherever you want to go."

As the pair stay close to one another, they enter into the castle on their own, looking to get some space for the both of them. Alex grimaces as he mutters to himself. "Yeah, I know that we humans and changelings have a lot of ground to cover." His moment of pause is promptly followed by a mental reset, looking back at me. "Past matters are a difficult topic. But for now, we've got a lot more ground to cover than what happened seven years ago. So... let's talk about what happened earlier this morning."

It takes a while before we're set up in the throne room. The main seat that usually hosts Princess Cadance remains unused for the time being. Even the smaller throne dedicated for Flurry is vacant. The spot that Shining takes to the right side of his wife is a worn imprint with nothing in it's place.

But Twilight sits at the foot of the steps leading to the throne, setting the tone of just how dire this situation is. Due to my position, I am made to stand beside her. Her friends show a faithful dedication to her left flank. And my dwindled company of guests gather to my right. Despite his wealthy status, Alex settles for the more practical option of a foldable camp chair, his coffee in a steel tumbler as he sits across the way from Twilight.

"So you're saying that they used spears to kill the humans?" I asked. "From what Captain Mosley cited, these guys were brutalized in explosive fashion."

"Apparently they were grenades, from what our reports gathered." The man replies. "Spear shaped grenades, will admit that it's a creative approach to infantry warfare. But considering the intelligence reports from Spike, that means they had this stuff for at least a thousand years. While it's lethal, I figured these guys should be much further along."

"Nondis said the same thing. But he surmised that Ponyland probably had these weapons uncontested for all this time." I respond. "The fact that other nations haven't caught on to this indicates that these weapons and their construction have to be an internalized industrial secret."

"Not a difficult thing to do when you engage in international trade talks with hardly any good faith." Twilight crosses her forelegs, shifting her eyes to Zenobia. "But that's just geopolitics in general."

"Still, something that dangerous can lead to some rather supped up developments in the near future, give or take some improvements. This skirmish would probably be best seen as a sample size of how well their weapons go against what we humans consider as... freshly retired hardware."

"Just the account of what we got from Captain Mosley was enough of a scare. I mean I've heard the term 'rocket spears' being used when I was in Ponyland. But I never really understood their function outside of being a funky looking weapon for the guards to be holding. Now I have a visual."

"A visual of the weapons they ultimately used for hunting dragons and the like?" Rarity asks with a searing glance towards Zenobia.

The foreign princess stands from her seat and summons one of the aforementioned weapons. "Well I have no problems disclosing that they've been used in that application, but also prove effective against the likes of larger threatening creatures as well. To be wholly honest, they were made with the likes of Lord Tirek in mind. The first iterations were simply spears with a tube of saltpeter attached for maximum range. Some just happen to explode upon use, a tragic accident that was a reoccurring issue in it's primitive years. The only difference is that we simply looked to take advantage of that reoccurring accident and make it into a purposeful application."

"That is deeply concerning. But admirable to see that you've made an accidental fault of the weapon into a usable feature for war." Alex nods. "But then again, tragedy always breeds innovation. Continue."

Zenobia holds the spear of her country upon her own self, ensuring that no others but herself could be in any danger. "So as one could predict, they're still made with thrusting and charging in mind throughout the course of a melee. But the real strength in the weapons come from the utilization of saltpeter. What was once a flaw is now it's feature. The powder is packed in from two different places. The first is towards the tip. And you see that the blade of the spear has a number of grooves. These grooves aid in fragmentation upon detonation. The second place where they'll be loaded is the shaft of the spear. Sturdy enough to deal with the wear and tear of melee combat, but also hollow enough to accommodate for a good amount of thrust. The butt of the spear serves as a flintlock mechanism. Slam it, it'll spark off the flint inside and break open the bottom exhaust. When it sparks off, that's your time to throw it away. Or not, and discover the weapons' lethality for your own vested interest."

The human man appears genuinely impressed of it's process and application. "So it's a handheld melee weapon turned to rocket propelled grenade? I'm not even gonna hold you over how cool that is. And I can't shake off how lethal it's proven to be. We got three guys to send home to their folks with no understandable reason for how they got this way."

"It's pretty obvious how they got that way." Hestia replies bluntly.

Alex further explains matters. "What I mean is that these are the only humans that are fully trained to interact with this world. Every last one of them screened extensively and given security clearances in my company's security corps. That's a lot of processing, taking years to program them into nondisclosure agreements, a 99% majority of them being military retirees being reconditioned."

"Not to be callous, as all loss is a tragedy, but I'm sure you've got more of them, don't you?" Amor inquires the human.

"Yeah we have more, but that delves into a very dangerous territory. And the last thing I want to do is blow this thing anymore wide open than it already has."

"Any reason why?" I delve further.

"Because we have an uncle, his name is Sam. And if Uncle Sam starts to get involved, we're looking at some serious trade agreements that will go south, not just for my business, but also every country in this world. Not to mention the fact that our leadership undergoes a seismic change every four years. You don't want part in that."

Hestia also speaks her concern. "To me, our technology seems to be more than suitable enough to be a dangerous problem for your kind. Surely you'd accept the reinforcements?"

Alex shrugs his shoulders as he stands up, coffee in hand. "I don't know if you've noticed, but we are the reinforcements. And while my contract is negligible to the dollars spent in our nation's defense budget, they don't take too kindly to experimental handouts. While our technology is years ahead, we're still dealing with the decommissioned product of our nation's military. The choppers we use were scheduled to be broken down and scrapped. The weapons on them are barely viable by our country's standards. Sure, we have more to use, more guys to use them, but that taps into the reserve that being closely monitored. Deplete that, and we've got some serious eyes on us."

"But what about your forces? Don't they need to replenish their numbers as well?" Twilight asks.

"We've lost a total of eleven good men in this campaign. And of the 250 that landed here, our job is to make this quick before the big boys of your country make it to our shores."

"And that should be pretty easy, right?" Zenobia questions. "With the weapons you have, you should be able to have that done before the end of the week."

"Guerilla warfare doesn't follow the scheduled preconditions of war. It's anything goes. There's no conventions to adhere to, no guidelines, no rules of engagement. It's hit and cripple until you weaken your opponent and hit them hard at their weakest." Alex takes a sip of his coffee. "Since I showed up, our operations have changed from search and destroy, to defend the city, it's citizens, and all our assets. The only reason we sent out scouts this morning was to map our next location for seismic probes. It was set to be a simple mission, didn't turn out that way."

"Then what do you intend on doing?" The foreign alicorn asks. "When Ponyland reaches your shores, what then?"

"We've got choppers ready to go in Manehattan and Baltimare. With their current tech, it shouldn't be much to bring them down from distance with the speed they'll be striking with. There are also outposts with a good amount of men out each way. They've got enough pony reinforcement to hold ground for however long we'll need to relocate some of our forces here to whatever front."

"But if you relocate, what about the citizens here?" Asks Rarity.

"They'll be looked after." Alex's watch vibrates on his wrist, an update pops up from command. "Shit! Sorry, you guys. I need to take away for this one. We got another development, stopped a bombing west of here. Found a heavy cache of gunpowder stacked in barrels near the city stadium. That's our current LZ. They also found another three by the statue down in the main town square."

My eyes shoot open for a moment. "Wait, my statue!?"

"You have a statue?" Zenobia asks with disbelief.

"It seems we're at a precarious security situation, so we'll call a recess." Twilight advises. "We'll reconvene tomorrow, where we'll discuss matters over our country's logistics for the upcoming war. Remember to attend, as these matters are highly imperative."

As everyone starts to split off, Zenobia takes notice of my going after Alex's direction. "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to help survey the situation. Perhaps we can understand what it is we're up against. Motives, connections, methods, anything to get a start on what we can do to prevent this from happening again."

"Darling..." Rarity's voice rings resoundingly throughout the hall. My body seizes in place before I notice a rather thin sapphire thread tugging me by the loop in my collar. She walks up to me, her horn aglow before yanking my head down to meet hers at eye level. She gives a mean glance at the item and grumbles towards me. "You should have already removed this damned thing from off your neck. Why is it still there?"

I'm no stranger to proximity when it comes to her, sometimes she can get so excitable or passionate that personal space doesn't seem to be a practiced concept. However, that growl and her forceful pull on me draws many suppressed thoughts. I swallow those imaginary sins and hope that they aren't received by the second brain below.

Twilight taps me on the back of the head as she approaches. "Either case, Spike, you're not leaving this building under any circumstances outside of leaving back to Ponyville. I'm sure you understand why."

"But what about─"

"But nothing." And yet again, my agency is reduced to a mere command of obedience as the fashionista drags me off with her friends, obviously to part me away from the Ponyland princess. "Now come along, my dear Spikey-wikey. We have much to catch up on."

Twilight pauses for a brief moment, looking to the three guests of international origin. "I'll have our security detail escort you to your rooms. You'll be offered the adequate comforts throughout your stay, and your safety will be assured to the highest degree." Twilight stamps her hoof to the ground, summoning six guards to guide the trio. "Guards, take them to their guest chambers for the time being. Watch them closely, but treat them well."

As Twilight departs, the others have already dragged me further down the hall. In their being escorted to the opposite direction, Amor verbalizes his sister's disappointment. "Probably a bad time to ask for that dress, huh?"

Hestia grimaces. "I think my getting a dress is the least of our worries right now."

After the security scare downtown, the ones responsible for planting the bombs are never found. Investigators continue to place the city under increased surveillance by means of more of those 'drones' in the air. And with all of the avenues covered for our own security, everyone on the castle grounds can take it easy... relatively speaking of course.

The girls abduct me and have me go into detail about my relationship with Zenobia, among the others I've been dragging around. Needless to say I've gained some comparisons to the last mutual romantic interest of like half of the group. Thankfully my situation doesn't come with as many legal caveats as that one, but it does stir some mode of concern from Fluttershy, Pinkie, and Rarity. The latter is especially invested in coaxing me to get my collar removed. Though to be honest, I'm not really too bothered by it because it's been so seldom that Zenobia's used it around the others.

Huh, now that I think on it, Zenobia's wearing one too. And she hasn't taken hers off either.

"Doof!" A sharp yelp grabs my attention as I'm walking. I look down to see Twilight's horn nearly embedded in my chin. I shake off our encounter, as she ruffles her wings and clears her throat. "At least watch where you're going, Spike."

"Sorry." I apologize flatly, maneuvering around her and moving past.

But her magic snags me at the spear of my tail. "Now hold on. You're not just gonna walk through me like that. We still need to talk."

"I thought we weren't discussing anything official until tomorrow." I recall.

"And? I'm trying to talk to you about what you're doing now. Like dragging that mare around! Do you seriously think that Zenobia is any good to keep around when you know what she's done to you? She's still a threat!"

"She does what I say willingly, that's more than what I could say for most. She's already had her lecture in the form of Celestia slapping her so fiercely that she was bed-ridden for several days with blisters. She's endured the chaos of Ember for a week, she's showing herself as a fairly decent communicator in terms of international matters, and she's even clued us in on their weapons. Hell, the one who's supplying the cultists is Zenobia's youngest brother in the line of succession. That's valuable intel that we can't get from our sources anywhere!"

"Okay, I'll admit that the information on their weapons is useful, and the intel that she's providing is more than just that. But you could have done without the extra attendance."

I roll my eyes at her. "Oh for fuck's sake. Are you still upset that I dragged Amor along too?"

"Obviously!" She confirms. "I don't understand why you keep pushing him as though something is going to happen between us. It's not."

"The reason I brought him with is because you two need to talk. And I don't mean exchanging unrequited looks and half-ass retorts. I need for you to talk to him, and have him understand why it is that you will not accept his advances. Constantly putting your answers onto someone else like a courier pigeon is just grade-school bullshit. You're old enough to know that the consequences of your actions, or lack thereof, have lasting implications."

The purple mare scoffs back at me. "I'm throwing him hints. What more do I need to do?"

"Tell him how you fucking feel." I respond slowly.

"Ugh!"

"Twilight, not everyone can understand 'hints'. I work with hints because I worked around you girls all the time. Applejack's a workaholic, she overworks herself when knows there's something fucking with her mental, and other than that she's a straight shooter. Rainbow Dash angrily denies being a vulnerable mare when she obviously is, and she will fly herself into a tailspin before telling you what's got her feeling feminine. Fluttershy will politely imply that what she wants is the exact opposite of her calm and quiet nature because she has a whole-ass wild side that not even Discord seems to be able to tame to completion. Pinkie Pie will jokingly tell you a serious issue that's on her mind and then pretend that she never said it the moment you double back to it. Rarity is a hopeless romantic who's interests all like someone else in the group, so she trauma dumps on me with every tub of ice cream in her fridge, and I, being the suck-ass simp for her, will sit down and listen until she feels better and treats me like I'm one of her vibrators; Getting her emotional rocks off before snapping back to post-dump clarity and shoving me back in her nightstand drawer. And you are an OCD fanatic with a fairy-tale fetish for males sweeping you off your feet, namely two human males who apparently don't dare to show a mutual interest because they got their own shit going on. I'm brought up knowing the games you six play, it's helped me deal with others accordingly. Amor wasn't brought up around mares, he was brought up around a male-dominated lineage, his brothers. No such thing as catching hints."

"Is that all you think of me? That I'm just some misled mare who enjoys being emotionally disappointed with every other passing weekend? Do you even─" The purple mare stops herself, her magic subsides the grip of my tail, and she looks away from me. "Look, there's a reason why I keep him at a distance, I don't exactly find myself being excited to talk with him, and I personally elect to never see him. So why is it that I have to spell it out even further for him?"

"Because not every relationship is a book, Twilight. You tried throwing hints the first time, and it produced miscommunication. I'm sure you remember your ex, he didn't take to 'hints' too well either. You tried to communicate one thing, but then you find out that you can't get through because he sees the context differently. Not everyone is like a male protagonist in one of your books."

"Don't you think I know that already?" Twilight looks back at me. "Do you seriously think I haven't tried to see other ponies? There are a lot of things I never tell you, and it's because it's my problem."

"But if you have a problem with someone, then it should be your issue to discuss it with them. When you play games with ponies, you never know how they get hurt. You playing games with Amor is like the stupid games Rarity played with me."

"Like Rarity, to you? I never used Amor for anything!" She counters.

"No, but the emotional neglect is just as bad as using someone's emotions to your benefit. You can't let someone give up their life and get nothing in return. And you can't just laugh it off either, demeaning their interests for small comments and little jokes."

She turns away from me. "...It's not that simple."

"Okay. Nothing is. That's not an excuse." I say as I finally walk away from her. "There is no excuse for what you do. Just be honest for once."

Twilight watches as I disappear further down the hall. "You wouldn't want me to be honest."

Later that evening...

Having been shown their room, the Ponyland trio lounge about with growing disinterest in their inability to go out and explore the town. While the room does share some nice amenities in contrast to any generic hotel, their tastes are already spoiled by the beds they've been made to lay in for the past few weeks. And much to the dismay of Zenobia, not one visit from the Royal Friendship Advisor brightens up her disposition.

In their boredom, they point out the things about their room, as well as the apparent conditions of their stay. "Wow. High ceilings, almost feels like home." Amor comments.

"Yeah... it's pretty unforgiving that they've thrown us in here and not wanting us to leave." Hestia points out. "It's like we're being held as prisoners in a lavish dungeon fitted for a king."

"Dungeon is right." Zenobia complains as she shifts in her bed, trying to prop her pillow underneath her hip to make herself feel some level of comfort that she's already missing. "Ugh, these beds are horrible. And of course I'd blame the pet for having such lavish comforts."

"It's funny how Smolder gets to wander off after yelling in a human's face over his clear emotional distress. But we walk in with kindness and well-meaning, and they throw us in here like we're criminal dignitaries." Hestia grumbles as she takes her pillow and juggles it off of her hind hoof. "Seriously, how in the world did you and Sir Fencer deal with this kind of treatment, Amor?"

"Actually, this does seem pretty familiar to that."

"It's always like that when you're involved!" The pegasus princess replies. "The announcement Zenobia made, we were offsite for that. You were held in a room and kept in confinement throughout your capture by Equestrian forces, and now here we are again. I seriously think that Princess Twilight is trying to throw you an egregiously blatant message."

"No mistake about it, it is pretty discouraging to be treated like this." He sighs. "But... as long as I can keep hope, I'll be able to reach through to her."

"Hopeless is what you are." The alicorn bluntly retorts.

"Zenobia!" Hestia angrily calls out.

"Oh, so I actually try to be nice enough to tell him the truth, and I'm somehow the villain. Oh that makes so much sense."

"Not that I'm one for this kind of approach, but you are being a bitch today."

"Don't care!" She dismisses callously. "If you know me, then you shouldn't be surprised by this."

The pegasus mare pouts in return. "Yeah, you know what, I completely agree. I do know you. I also know that you're playing the splendid reenactment of your mom."

The alicorn closes her eyes, slowly creaking her head towards the pegasus, her horn not quite coming to a full magic glow, but running pink with a thin aura thick with dangerous magics. "Come again?"

Amor jumps in the middle of the two immediately. "Hey! Can we not do this right now!?"

Hestia smirks back at her indignant sibling. "What are you getting so worried about, Amor!? She just said she doesn't care! So by definition, she shouldn't care if I say that her scowling face is just about as bad as her sorry excuse of her late mater ramus! At least she's grown so well acquainted with doing one's makeup so she'd hide a lot of her flaws, just like her good old mother used to do! Though I wouldn't be too surprised if she didn't think to really cake it on to hide those crows wandering all over her face!"

"Oh how it feels to be wanted, something you'll never get to experience because you've sold yourself on a silly foalhood crush that continues to go unrealized because of a glaring fact; The dead can't get it up for you!"

"OKAY, THAT'S ENOUGH!" The young prince shouts to the top of his lungs, demanding peace. He even goes as far as to levitate the two on opposing sides of the room. The strain of his magical output causes him to stagger for a moment and pant heavily in part of the growing migraine. "Can you two just act like functioning adults, please!?"

As a silence comes over the room, a knock sounds at the door.

The prince unburdens an exasperated breath, chiding the pair. "There are ponies out there who can hear what's going on in here. So I would like to be the one to point out that our private business is not some hot scoop the world can take up and sell for profit. Meaning our country is a shit show doesn't mean that we should act as the clowns here!"

While Hestia takes a moment to contain herself, Zenobia threatens her lesser brother. "You have about five seconds to put me down gently before I use the top of your head as a mop."

The young prince snaps back at his elder sibling. "You have embarrassed me the most. You embarrass everyone. And I find it a miracle that Spike has elected to keep you around." The alicorn rolls her eyes away from him as he continues. "Quite frankly, you would be much better off finding some other purpose than to leech on him like some parasite. And if you don't believe me, you can keep going about and find out for yourself just how draining you truly are." Obeying his sister's request, he places her down on her bed gently and walks toward the door. "Now I am going to answer whoever's knocking, and you two are going to be silent and cordial for the rest of the night! Have I made myself clear?"

The alicorn clicks her tongue at her lesser brother. "And you think you have some authority in that timid voice of yours? You sound like you're on the verge of crying. At least grab some tissues before you answer that door and let whatever miserable guard see you being as weak as you are."

"You are positively insufferable." The young prince answers as he yanks the door open.

"Great... now we agree on way more than I'd like to think on." Much to his surprise, the one who knocks reveals to be none other than the high princess of Equestria herself.

Amor's cheeks flush red with a rich nonplus expression. "Princess Twilight, I─"

The tall mare suspires with reluctance and a brunt desire to conclude matters. "I take it I'm not interrupting something important?"

The prince slicks his mane back and quickly changes his disposition to greet her. "Not at all. Just sibling matters, mediating can be a bit difficult at times. I'm sure you understand."

"That I do, more than most." Twilight mutters. "Actually, I need to have a word with you."

"With..." The prince's ears almost elicits a crimson glow as the blood rouses throughout his body. "Me?"

"Try not to get too excited." She replies with pursed lips.

He straightens his posture and clears his throat. "Oh, ahem, right. Then, I will be honored to share discussion of diplomatic matters with you."

"Actually, my issue is a personal one." She clarifies.

The prince swallows the lump in his throat. "P-personal?"

"Just... walk with me for a bit. And please maintain a distance."

Author's Note

To be continued...