As Jace followed Celestia and Luna into the town hall, he couldn't help but chuckle. Never in all his life, had he thought he would be talking to Ponies. The sheer hilarity of the situation made him tear up a bit. Soon enough, they walked into a room that Jace took to be a dining hall. Jace Watched as both Celestia and Luna sat at the large table in the center of the room. The five mares that had greeted Twilight, and Twiight herself, soon came in and sat at the table as well, all of them looking Jace over. He would be lying if he said that he wasn't surprised by the looks a few of them were giving him, most of which were very flattering. He blushed slightly and took the only open seat, which happened to be to one farthest from the door. He slowly settled into his chair and looked around at the gathered Ponies. All of them looked at him with a mixture of curiosity and apprehension. He gave them all a calm smile to reassure them. He didn't want any of them freaking out like Twilight had. He wondered whether he should break the silence when Celestia finally spoke up.

"What are you, Mister Veritas? We have never seen anything like you. Are you some new renegade form of changeling?" The Sun Princess asked.

Jace sighed and closed his eyes as he took off his glasses. "It's always better to be able to see anothers eyes while talking," He said, knowing they would all be wondering about his eyes "they are the gateway to the soul, afterall." Jace opened his eyes and got the exact reaction he was used to; shock. He knew what they saw in his eyes. They saw war and fire. They saw age beyond his own and wisdom that he should not have. But most of all, they saw a sadness that they could not understand. He simply smiled at them reassuringly and waited for a moment so they could adjust. He noticed that the princesses had looks of worry on their faces.

"I know my eyes are a bit unsettling, but please don't stare at them. As for you questions, Princess, No I am not a new form of Changeling, I am what's known as a Human, but I'm also more than human." He finally said after a few silent, yet tense moment.

"What do you mean, you are human yet you are more than human?" Luna asked quizically.

Jace smiled at Luna as she had finally asked a good question. No doubt she was the more curious out of the two princesses.
"Now that's a good question, you majesty," Jace answered respecfully "I would be glad to explain that statement. You see, I was taken into the military at a young age, around five years old, along with Seventy-eight other kids, including my twin brother. We were trained to become the best warriors in the military. We were trained to become Diablos. We slowly became a family, Brothers and sisters in arms. We were needed because a terrible war was being waged. At the age of ten, we were given a serious of augmentations to our bodies and minds. These augmentations would allow us to be faster, stronger and smarter than ordinary soldiers. Unfortunately, not everyone made it through the process. Only myself and twelve others survived unscathed. My twin was one of those twelve. The rest either died during the process or were injured so badly that they couldn't return to their original posts and had to be reassigned to desk jobs. The rest of us became known as The Diablos, a group of super soldiers undefeatable in battle. The war lasted for fifteen years after that. We won, eventually, but at the cost of thirty billion human lives."

The gathered ponies listened with looks of sadness and horror on their faces as Jace recounted stories of the war and the things he had seen. Tears slowly slid down their cheeks. They were all thinking the same thing as Jace fell silent and a single tear ran down his cheek. They were thinking, "The poor man. He has been through so much in his life and he is only twenty-five, still just a young colt." One of the mares, a yellow Pegasus with Pink hair, got up and walked over to Jace and pulled him into a hug. "It's all ok, Mister Veritas. All of that is over now." She said quietly, as tears of her own slid down her cheeks.

Jace looked at the Mare hugging him and slowly shook his head. He gently returned the hug. "You're right, ma'am. That war is over. I need to let go of the past, but it defines who I am and I will never be able to forget it." Jace stood up and stretched, Allowing them to see the scars on his torso clearly for the first time. Their eyes widened with shock as they saw the scars. These were marks of hard fought battles and narrow misses by his enemies and there must have been a hundred small scars. The scars on his body were matched by the single Scar running Straight down through his right eye.

Celestia and Luna wiped the tears from their eyes and looked at Jace with a newfound respect. Here before them was someone that, while still considered a colt in equestria, had been through things that would scare even the royal guards. Yet, he was strong despite all that he had been through. Celestia gathered herself and asked her final Question.
"Why, if your war is over, do you still carry your blade?" She asked while trying to sound as if she wasn't about to cry again.

Jace looked over at Celestia and read her emotions in her eyes. "She really wishes to know this." He thought to himself before answering. "I carry my blade with me because it is a reminder of a past I cannot change. It is part of my Pride as a warrior. It also serves as a symbol for a future I can shape, not only for myself, but for those I fight alongside. My blade houses part of my warrior Spirit, and that is something I cannot and will not let go of. In a way, my blade is me and I am my blade."

Celestia nodded and then whispered to Twilight. Twilight nodded and looked at Jace with a sad look in her eyes. Celestia and Luna made their way out of the dining hall, while Jace was left wondering "What happens now?"

Author's Note

Let's hear it for warrior Pride, People!