Four Corners

After breakfast, Horatio was more than happy to listen to the stories of his new friends. Twilight also bombarded him with questions, most of them diverting towards his space suit, but she occasionally asked how he kept his mustache in such good style. He answered honestly - Lots of shampoo and a daily grooming. He even gave Milvar some friendly shaving advice. When all was said and done, it was almost lunch time already. Stomachs growling once more, the lot decided to eat in the Princesses' dining room.

As the entourage sat at the table, a mare swiftly handed out menus to them. They all picked up their menus and after several minutes a stallion in a suit came trotting up.

"I am Spiffy Suit, your butler for today," He announced. "What can I get you?"

"I'll have a piece of pie," Milvar said, stroking his now tidy beard. "Cherry, if you may."

"Some fries sound good." Naughty flipped down his menu and slid it across to the butler.

"A grilled cheese with milk, please," Fox smiled. "Well-done."

"I think I'll have some fries as well," Horatio said, sighing. "Forgive me if this disturbs you, but I wish I had some steak and potatoes."

"Tell me about it," Milvar replied solemnly. "Last good roast I had was weeks ago."

"I could do for a ham sandwich with lettuce and tomatoes."

A chorus of 'mmm' came from the three. Twilight shifted uncomfortably in her chair, while Celestia and Luna continued grazing their menus. A moment later, she set her menu down and handed it to the butler. Luna did the same.

"I'll have a hay sandwich," Celestia told the butler. "No mayo, please."

"And I shall have some delicious chocolate cake, if such is available." Luna smiled proudly. The butler raised an eyebrow at this.

"... She'll have a hay sandwich as well," Celestia whispered to the butler, who nodded and smiled to himself.

"Sister!"

"You're supposed to be watching your weight, Luna."

"And thou, sitting in thy bed all day?"

"At least I eat right," Celestia finished. "Now that's enough, or I'll make you eat alfalfa for tonight's supper."

Luna crossed her forelegs and planted her royal hiney angrily on her cushion. "Fine."

After lunch, Twilight took her friends out to see Canterlot. Of course, they were tailed by curious onlookers and the occasional paparazzi, but they had grown used to it. First on her mental checklist to visit was the library. That was where she always took her friends when they visited.

"Alright, everypony, listen up!" Twilight and her friends were now standing outside the library door, the tailing crowd being hushed away by royal guards. "Remember, this is a library, so keep your voices down, alright?"

Her entourage nodded in confirmation.

"Good! Let's go then!"

Twilight pulled open the door with her magic, which still amazed Horatio, and led her friends inside. Naughty and Milvar chatted quietly, while Fox and Horatio, who had managed to get out of his space suit, were discussing their varying methods of space travel. Once they were all seated at a table, Twilight sent her friends off, free to roam among the library's huge supply of books. The space pair went off to find more books on space travel, while Milvar and Naughty took their time roaming and exploring the vast library. It was nearly the size of the Canterlot castle!

Next up was the spa. Believe it or not, Canterlot's spa was not as cozy as the one in Ponyville, but Twilight liked in nonetheless. Twilight had her horn filed while Fox had his red ears groomed by a rather finicky mare. She was quite obviously nervous around the sharp teeth, but little did she know, Fox was more nervous than she was. After all, he did have an image to keep. If Falco were to find out about this, he was sure he'd never be able to live it down.

Meanwhile, Horatio had his mustache trimmed and face shaven. Milvar waited beside naughty with his beard now washed properly, and Naughty was bathing in herbal mud. Fox sat next to Horatio.

"So you tell me," Horatio said, "Faster-than-light travel is possible, but only with an ion-insulated black hole drive?"

"That's right," Fox answered. "Of course, Newton's Third law comes into play at about half power. That's what makes you go so fast." Fox's ears twitched slightly as the mare tending him rinsed them off.

"My, you caught on fast to Newton's laws, didn't you?"

"Yep. Since you told me about them, I just had to find out more about 'em. So I looked them up in the library. Newton's name was different though."

"Yeah, I noticed that too." Horatio put down his razor and felt his face. Smoother than a baby's bottom. "What was it, Newfoal? Newhoof?"

"Newcolt," Twilight called from across the spa.

Horatio nodded in thanks. "Now, as I was saying..."

At the other side of the room, Twilight shifted somewhat to get a better position. "Pssh," Twilight scoffed. "Boy talk." The mare filing her horn giggled.

Twilight was in ecstasy. Having your horn filed was a bit awkward, but the results were well worth it. Her horn was now sharp and clean again, and she felt her magic coming out clearer than ever. As the file was put away, Twilight felt herself excited for the next part: A horn polishing.

If getting your horn filed was a carriage ride, getting your horn polished would be riding said carriage to the moon and back at top speed. It was awesome. What Twilight didn't know, however, was that her friends had a slightly different idea when they saw the spa pony return with a damp cloth and started stroking her horn, up and down. A quit giggle came from the opposite end of the room, drawing Twilight's attention. When she turned, she saw her friends all staring at her, small smirks forming on their faces.

"What?" Twilight asked. Horatio snorted and turned away, covering his face with one hand. "What is so funny?"

Milvar then burst out laughing hysterically, followed by Naughty's hoarse laugh and Fox's quit chuckle and head shake. Twilight didn't understand. Was the spa pony doing her horn making funny faces? She looked up to find the spa pony struggling to hold back a laugh as well.

"Alright," Twilight said, standing up. "Somepony tell me what's going on."

"Nothing, nothing!" Naughty said, his wheezing laugh dying down. "It's just..."

"With her polishing your horn..." Milvar laughed again.

"It kind of looks like, uhh..." Horatio covered his face again, laughing to himself. "Looks like...!"

Fox had the courage to finish the sentence. "It looks like she's getting you off."

The room burst into laughs again, with the spa pony, dropping the cloth. "I can't do this, I can't! Hah!"

With horror, Twilight finally caught onto what was happening. With the spa pony stroking her horn like that... Yeah. You get the picture.

"I can't believe you guys!" She roared.

Twilight threw a wet rag at Milvar, giggling to herself slightly. She soon found herself laughing along with them, only stopping to breathe. When the joke had finally died down, a different spa pony came out and finished the job. With her sparkling, shiny new horn, Twilight pranced out of the spa with her friends, each looking somewhat cleaner than before. Every now and then, a quiet chuckle came from the group.

After the whole spa incident, the group moved on for a leisurely walk in the wonderful city of Canterlot. While Horatio and Fox continued their science talk of space travel and aliens, Milvar and Naughty were onto a different and more tasty topic: Food. It had been a few hours since anyone ate. Milvar voiced his opinion.

"Pony," He said. Twilight turned to face him. "Where is the nearest food stall?"

"I dunno," Twilight said, putting a hoof to her chin. "They're usually around by at least 1:00."

Milvar and Naughty scanned their surroundings for any sign of a food stall or building. With Milvar's sharp eye, the two were quickly heading over towards a pie stand. The stall pony was surprised at first, but gladly sold them a pair of blueberry pies when he saw the gold coins. When they returned, they had half-finished their pies. Naughty's clean face was dirtied once more, and Milvar's beard was again colored differently from his hair.

"Seriously?" Fox asked. "We just came from the showers!"

"Bathhouse," Milvar corrected.

"Salon," Naughty corrected.

"Spa," Twilight corrected.

"Right, what she said," Fox said, shaking his head. "Honestly, those poor ponies went through a lot to style you like that. Not to mention Twilight here paid good money for it!"

Naughty bowed his head in shame, feeling Fox's glare of death. Milvar stood astonished, his face turning a bright red. Twilight and Horatio looked on in amazement.

"Now, when we get back, you two go wash up and apologize to Twilight."

"Fox, this isn't really nec-" Twilight was cut off by a fierce glare from the short fox.

"Understood?" He said, turning his gaze back to the culprits. They nodded in unison, muttering "yes sirs".

"Good."

Before continuing, Milvar surged forward, as if to grab the fox, but Naughty caught his arm and pulled it back.

"Relax. He ain't worth it."

Back at the castle, Twilight stopped Fox for a moment in the hallway.

"Fox, why did you do that?" She asked. Fox grinned in amusement.

"Being the commander of a team of space mercenaries gives you a lot of experience over the years."

"I think Milvar's going to hate you for the rest of this stay. Did you see the way he looked at you?"

"Peh. He thinks he's tough."

"Fox!" Twilight exclaimed, making said animal jump. "What's gotten into you?"

Fox's eyes went wide and his ears pinned themselves against his head.

"A few days ago you were the most polite person on this planet, and now you're yelling at people?"

"I'm sorry!" Fox yelled back. "I just can't take being stuck here without real food. I want some meat for once."

"So that whole thing was because of your stomach?" Twilight spat back.

"No!"

"Then why?"

"... I..." Fox turned away, ashamed. "I'll go apologize."

Fox turned around and began walking towards Milvar's room. Twilight stared after him, her own rage seeming to heat the air. Twilight then caught herself, realizing what she had just done. She yelled at Fox for yelling at the troublesome two; She was a hypocrite. When supper time came, she would apologize to Fox properly. But until then, she trotted towards the staircase that lead to Celestia's royal bedroom.

Milvar and Naughty were in Milvar's room, washing their faces. Naughty had just finished shampooing his entire head, while Milvar dunked his head into the sink and turned the faucet on, letting the cold water refresh his hot head and steaming temper. When all was done, he rose, sputtering water. He cursed to himself quietly.

"I can't believe that animal!" Milvar roared. "Talk about huffy!"

"Tell me about it," Naughty grumbled, wiping his face dry with a towel. "He's worse than Bubbles on Christmas Eve!"

"Who?" Milvar asked, turning his head from the sink, beard dripping.

"Errmm, never mind. Anyway, get dried up. I can't stand to get yelled at by Fox again."

"I don't see why we have to listen to that guy." Milvar shuffled the towel over his face and groomed his beard with his fingers before continuing. "I mean, he's just a fox. What's he gonna do to us? Shoot us?"

"Well, he does have a holster on his belt," Naughty interrupted.

"So? All the more reason he thinks he has authority. He has a weapon. So what? I killed many with my bare hands!" To show, Milvar shoved a fist into the bathroom mirror. It shattered loudly, cutting Milvar slightly and scaring Naughty. "Graah, who is he to tell me what to do?!"

"Milvar, cool it!" Naughty yelled. "If that guy hears us, we're done for!"

A knock on the room's door jolted them both upright to look at the room's doorway.

"Hey, Milvar? You in there?" Fox's voice rang out through the room.

"Speak of the Princes," Milvar cursed, pounding towards the door.

Only then did Naughty realize the severity of the situation. "Milvar, wait!"

Milvar didn't listen, he only stomped towards the doorway menacingly, grabbing a nearby chef's knife from when he was practicing his cooking. Naughty caught up to him and tried to stand in his way, but Milvar shoved him aside with ease. His was now only a few feet from the door. Another knock sounded.

"Hey, listen, I know I've been a bit of a di-"

The door suddenly burst open from the inside, knocking the surprised fox backwards into the railing. Milvar stood in the doorway with his knife, staring Fox down like a hawk. Now it was Fox's turn to be stuck under a stare. Milvar fast walked over and grabbed the shocked Fox by the collar of his jacket, lifting him into the air above his head. Naughty's cries of terror were heard from the room.

"Who do you think you are, Fluffy?" Milvar hissed through his teeth. "Trying to give me orders, huh?!" He shook Fox harshly, who grunted in surprise.

"Milvar, easy! We can talk about this, just put me down!"

"Gladly." Milvar slammed Fox into the floor with all his might, knocking the wind out of him.

"Milvar! Please!" Fox barely had time to roll to the left, dodging a stab to the neck by mere inches. He stood beside Milvar and gave him a swift kick in the side of the skull.

Milvar roared and stood upright again. It was David vs. Goliath, with the short Fox and the cumbersome Milvar facing off. Fox took on a defensive stance, turning his torso away from Milvar with his left arm outstretched to deflect any stabs. Milvar, however, simply strode towards the animal menacingly, swinging his knife like a madman. A lucky blow caught Fox in the arm, causing him to falter. Naughty made a break for it, running down the hallway and calling for help.

"Milvar! Just listen! I'm sorry for-"

"Sorry for what, ah?!" Milvar jabbed the knife forward, missing Fox by a hair. "Sorry for making me look like an idiot in front of everyone?! I'll wear you as a coat!"

Milvar and Naughty exchanged blows, Fox's kicks dealing little noticable damage to the enraged Milvar. Several cuts were opened on Fox's body, and red blood seeped through several gashes in his jacket. Fox continued to reason with the bear to no effect.

In the middle of Fox's pleas, Milvar thrust forward with the knife, barely nicking Fox in the abdomen before being swiftly kicked away. Stars danced in his vision, but he kept slicing and jabbing through the air wildly, sometimes missing, sometimes getting lucky. Then, Milvar had a true stroke of luck. A heavy kick sent Fox sprawling across the floor. He held his arm, which was bent awkwardly. Milvar smiled and pounded over, his heart beating in his ears like a war drum.

"C'mere, fuzzy!" He squatted on top of Fox, who was growling in pain, baring his teeth and glaring at Milvar.

Milvar held Fox down with his weight, sitting on his chest, before laying the cold blade of the knife between Fox's eyes.

"You'll make a fine rug, Fox!"

He raised the knife, preparing for the final blow. The knife dripped with blood by now, and thirsted for more. As the knife began its descent towards Fox's neck, Fox had a brilliant idea. He lunged forward with all his might-

-and bit Milvar right in the round tables. Said guard howled at the peak of his breath, and Fox took the time to scramble out from under him. He readied himself as Milvar shrugged off the pain and stood once more.

"It'll take more than a dirty blow to take me down!"

Milvar threw the knife, which whizzed by Fox's ear with great speed. Fox was about to deliver another blow to the unmentionables when he saw Milvar's face. Instead of rage, it was contorted with fear. Fox whirled, expecting an enraged Princess Celestia.

Instead, he got a Twilight Sparkle, a glistening dagger embedded in her neck.

"Twilight!" Fox cried as she collapsed to the floor, motionless.

Blood pooled around her as Naughty caught up, gasping at the sight.

"What the hell did you do?!" He cried.

Fox ran over to Twilight, who was gasping for air and holding the knife with one hoof. He slid on his rear, ears pinned back again, and stopped next to Twilight. Her eyes darted about wildly. Milvar stood motionless, dropping to his knees when he realized his horrible mistake. Fox let out a wail of frustration as he lifted Twilight's head level to his.

"Hang in there, Twilight! Just keep breathing!"

"HEEELP!" Naughty roared at the approaching guard party he had rallied. "She's hurt bad!"

"Twilight, please..." Fox shook Twilight, whose eyes were locked on his. She gasped and gurgled for air. "Please, just stay awake..."

Twilight's eyes lidded themselves closed, but her breathing didn't stop. The entourage of guards finally reached Twilight, shoving Fox and Naughty back. Milvar was still staring in awe, his eyes glossy with tears.

"What... have I done?" He moaned.

Tick. Tick. Tick.

The sound of a clock quietly ticking away was the only sound in the ER's waiting room. Fox, who was covered in bandages,  sat shirtless beside the silently weeping Milvar. Naughty paced back and forth in the room, while Horatio knelt beside his chair with his hands pressed together, praying.

Tick. Tick. Tick.

Another hour of silence passed. It was now 4:00 in the afternoon, and the doctors had taken Twilight into the operating room without a word. Fox had insisted to go with them, but they simply pushed him back and out of the way. Milvar refused to speak to anyone, instead letting tears slowly fall from his eyes without a sound. Horatio, who was busy eating at the time his door was practically busted down, had a small cut where he had bit his lip.

Tick. Tick. Tick.

When the door to the ER had finally opened, Celestia and Luna had joined the group, silently awaiting the news. A lone doctor with a blue coat and a white mane stepped out, her mask pulled down from her snout. All eyes were on her now, Milvar's puffy red eyes and wide open mouth awaiting the decisive words. Fox held his hands to his mouth. Naughty stopped pacing and stared. Horatio stopped praying and met the mare's eyes.

The mare smiled. "She'll make a full recovery."

Cheers erupted from the room, with Fox and Milvar hugging eachother tightly and Naughty sighing, patting his chest. Horatio sat still and silent, whistling quietly. The princesses simply smiled.

Tick. Tick. Tick.

The sound of a clock quietly ticking away was the only sound in the operating room as Twilight glared daggers at Milvar and Fox.

Tick. Tick. Tick.

Clong! Cuckoo!