Dominic sighed quietly as he sat in his office chair, rubbing his eyes tiredly. The birds outside chirped and the sun was starting to light up the landscape, that meant that his mission would begin soon. Very soon. The man took a few seconds to look over what he’d packed the night before, extra clothes, his revolver and knife, the ID card, his old duct tape wallet, and his music player. He picked up the revolver and slipped it into his shoulder holster, afterwards he picked up the music player and slid it into his pocket.

The man quietly stood up and grabbed his backpack, slinging one strap over his shoulder as he heard a ruckus outside. The Equestrian soldiers were getting ready to leave, that meant it would be time for him to go as well. With practiced ease Dominic buttoned his coat, then grabbed his bandanna and tied it around his neck. He didn’t pull it up over his face, he opted to use it more as a dust guard. Finally he grabbed his steel pot and set it straight upon his head, only pausing to turn and look over his office once again. After a few seconds he walked to his desk and grabbed three cigars, tucking them safely into his pocket before he turned and walked back to the door.

The gold that he’d set aside the night before had been moved to the princesses’ chariot and had been held under armed guard for the duration, it was a bit of relief not to have to carry the big bag by himself, considering gold and other metals were heavy. With a slight nod the man pulled open his door and began descending the steps to the first floor, his boots thudding quietly against the wood all the way down. When he reached the bottom he could see that Sonar was already at her desk, filling out paperwork and seeming not to notice Dominic.

The man walked over to her and tapped her on the shoulder, she jumped for a moment and turned to look at Dominic after a few seconds. She blinked, not sure why he’d tapped her on the shoulder, then she became even more confused when the man crouched down to her eye level.

“Something I can help with, Mister President?” She asked, Dominic shook his head and ruffled her mane.

“Just take care of yourself, Sonar.” He said before standing up and walking towards the door. “I’ll be back in a couple weeks, but I don’t want to hear you worked yourself to death while I was gone, you know?” Sonar nodded at him, still a little confused about what was happening. Dominic gave a wave and a sad smile before he stepped outside and closed the door, the sun was just cresting the horizon and casting its light across the town.

Equestrian Royal Guards moved back and forth, carrying equipment and other gear towards the carriages and chariots they’d used to get to New Liberty on the first day. Dominic weaved his way through them, looking for the two stallions that would be coming with him on the mission as he did so. He knew they would probably meet him at the princesses’ chariot with Bulwark, but that didn’t mean he’d not look for them all together.

Occasionally he caught sight of a few ponies watching him go along through the crowd, he ignored them for the most part. They thought he was going on a trade mission to the Crystal Empire, which, technically he was. He spotted Jen sitting outside of her home, watching the soldiers go by with Chipped Blade sitting next to her. Dominic briefly contemplated heading over and talking, but he figured that he should get going as fast as he could. The man gave a friendly wave as he went, Jen responded with a wave of her own before going back to talking with Chipped.

Finally Dominic caught sight of the chariot on the outskirts of town, sure enough Fortress Wall and Rolling Thunder were waiting outside with Bulwark and the princesses. Dominic felt a bit late to the party, but he could be fashionably late, he was the president afterall. The winds were starting to pick up, sand and dust blew lazily past Dominic’s boots and the hooves of his compatriots as he stood next to his two future companions. Luna and Celestia brightened as they saw him, it seemed they were both eager to get moving.

“So… This is it…” Fortress Wall commented as he looked back towards New Liberty, then at his two fellows.

“It appears so…” Rolling Thunder said, adjusting his fatigues. “We all got our cards?” Dominic and Fortress Wall nodded. “Alright then, I’m set…” Luna and Celestia cleared their throats to get the attention of the assembled group.

“In a couple minutes we’re going to be leaving, so head into the chariot and get comfortable, it’ll take an hour or so to get back to Equestrian air space and then another six to get to Canterlot.” Celestia began to explain as she approached the chariot and opened the door for the group of mission goers. “From there Luna will accompany you on the train to the Crystal Empire, and so on from there.”

Fortress Wall and Rolling Thunder were the first to enter the chariot, leaving Dominic, Bulwark and the Princesses outside. The president looked towards his general and gave him a salute.

“Hold down the fort, Bulwark. I’m counting on you.” He said, Bulwark returned the salute.

“It will be done, sir!” The General responded, Dominic nodded and turned to enter the chariot. He removed his backpack and helmet when he took a seat in the enclosed chariot, placing both of them on the floor between his legs. The bag containing the gold was seated on the floor in front of him, with Rolling and Fortress seated on the opposite side. Dominic paused and reached into his pocket, withdrawing the three cigars from his desk.

“Gentlemen.” He offered the cigars to the two stallions, each took one and looked it over quietly. “Save ‘em for when we’re on the other side. Sort of a human victory tradition.”

“Ah.” Rolling said as he tucked his cigar into the breast pocket of his fatigues, Fortress looked his over for a few more moments before doing the same. “So, you seem to know a lot about this other world we’re going to… Not saying I won’t go, but I’m curious about how you know so much.”

“Humanity had a thing called Television, an entertainment device that let us view programs broadcasted from long distance, there was one such program about a world identical to yours in which there was a portal identical to the one we’d be going through. I happened to be a fan.” Dominic explained in a rather casual manner, Rolling Thunder hummed for a moment and shrugged.

“Alright then…” He said, Dominic was a bit surprised. “I mean, I’ve seen weirder than that in Equestria as is, not really that big of a pill to swallow.” Fortress Wall nodded and leaned back in his seat.

“Shoulda told us sooner, we would’ve had more to talk about.” Fortress Wall added, Dominic shrugged and looked around the chariot once more, still waiting on the Princesses outside. He noticed that there was a wood box on the seat beside him, oddly as long as the package Luna had carried with her the day before. Momentarily he began to reach towards it, but that was the moment that Luna decided to peek her head in. Dominic was quick to take his hand back and set it in his lap, watching the Princess enter the vehicle and take a seat beside him. Celestia came in next and opted to sit beside the two stallions on the opposite side of the chariot.

“Alright, is everyone ready for the trip?” Celestia asked, Dominic and the others nodded. “Good, because we’re just about to take off.” The man leaned back in his seat and stretched his arms, groaning as his back popped loudly. The chariot gave a bit of a lurch as it began to roll out of town, obviously the stallions pulling it were working a bit hard now that it was so heavy.

“Hey, Lu, can’t you give me a hint about what’s in the box?” Dominic asked as he looked at the box again, Luna shook her head with a bit of a smile. “Just one?”

“Tis very special.” Luna said simply, Dominic crossed his arms as he tried to gain anything from that information. “Thou art just going to have to wait, as we’ve explained, we have yet to prepare you for such a gift.” Dominic was about to speak, but spotted Fortress Wall leaning over to whisper something into Rolling Thunder’s ear. The older stallion’s eyes widened before he began giggling.

“What’s so funny, Private Thunder?” Dominic said with a bit of an annoyed tone, the stallion quickly stopped giggling as mention of his rank came into play. “I’m kidding, Rolling, you know that right?”

“Yes, sir. Totally know that, sir.” Fortress Wall said hastily, Dominic just shook his head and leaned back in his seat once again. The chariot was in the air now so he reached for his pocket and withdrew his music player, with a bit of work he untangled the earbud wires and put them in before he looked to Luna.

“Hey, I’m gonna take a nap, wake me if we crash…” He said, Luna just giggled and nodded. Dominic went back to his music player and flicked through the music to try and find a song that he liked. Once he’d picked one he closed his eyes and leaned his head against Luna’s shoulder, the song playing softly as he did so.

The Princess smiled as she moved her wing to wrap it around his shoulder, cradling him a little closer and noticing a small smile that spread over his lips. The other stallions fell into an odd game that Luna had never heard of before, she supposed it was something that they had come up with on their own.

“Okay… Fleur De Lis, Rarity Belle, and Countess Coloratura.” Fortress Wall prompted, Rolling thunder put a hoof to his chin in thought. Meanwhile Luna and Celestia watched with mild fascination, unsure of what their game entailed.

“Alright… Marry Fleur De Lis because I’m old…. Fuck the Countess, and off Rarity.” Rolling thunder replied, Fortress Wall raised an eyebrow while the princesses stared in a mixture of shock and surprise.

“Really? Because I’d totally flip the first two.” The younger stallion commented.

“That’s because you’re young.” Rolling Thunder countered, Fortress Wall shrugged and leaned back in his seat. “My turn-”

“May we ask what thou art playing?” Luna cut in, the two stallions looked at eachother for a moment as if gulping before looking back at the princess.

“Uh… Fuck Marry Kill...” Fortress Wall said, Rolling Thunder gave him a smack on the shoulder as the two princesses’ eyes continued to widen. “You name three ponies and you have to chose which one you’d-” Rolling Thunder quickly jammed his hoof into Fortress’ mouth, smiling awkwardly.

“Nothing, nothing, he’s just kidding, aren’t you Fortress?” Rolling said, giving Fortress a bit of a glare, the corporal quickly nodded with his commanders hoof still in his mouth. Rolling removed his hoof after the stallion had stopped nodding, the two princesses still staring at them with a bit of shock. Both of them awkwardly stared at the floor after words, not saying much of anything else. Celestia looked at Luna with a raised eyebrow, the lunar princess just shrugged and turned her attention back to the slumbering man on her shoulder. She could faintly hear the music playing in his earbuds and leaned, partially to listen to it, but also so that she could nuzzle the man’s soft hair.

The music she heard sounded a bit more fast paced than what she’d heard the night before, she left her head there for a few moments, trying to get a read on what the lyrics were, but she couldn’t quite hear them clearly. After several more moments she sat up straight and leaned back in her seat, tightening her wing around Dominic as the flight continued.

The rest of the trip was rather slow and uneventful, occasionally the princesses would strike up conversation with the two uniformed Thestrals, but they all ended just as quickly as they began. The hours ticked by as the landscape beneath the chariot shifted from vast sandy plains to soft green mountains and fields, all the while Dominic slept, and eventually so to did his companions. Luna could sense that the man’s slumber was restless, but she could do nothing to aid him, as much as it pained her.

Luna’s vision shifted over to the box beside her, she used her magic to shift it out of sight and sighed. It was the reason that she could not aid Dominic in his dreams, at least, not now… She had to prepare the man for what was inside that box, and unfortunately, that meant she couldn’t intervene in his nightmares. When he returned from his mission she would be able to tell him, teach him, but not until then.

The sun was hanging lower in the sky when they finally began to descend near Canterlot, Luna leaned over and nudged Dominic quietly. He groaned and pushed against her, but she nudged him again and he rapidly sat up. The man rubbed his eyes tiredly and looked out the window in the door of the chariot, sighing as he saw the familiar pillars of the Equestrian capital.

“Thanks for that…” He said groggily as he reached down between his legs and picked up his helmet, he was quick to slip it on and tighten the strap.

“Is that truly necessary?” Luna asked, Dominic nodded and patted the steel pot a couple times.

“I don’t feel like ending up on the wrong end of a riot again…” The man said, watching the chariot get closer and closer to the ground. It would be landing outside the castle, and already a crowd of ponies was starting to form while guards did their best to keep the peace. Luna sighed as she looked to her sister, the solar princess shrugged nervously. “Rolling, Fortress, wake up.”

The two thestrals stirred from their own naps as the chariot touched down, looking around with confused expressions. They quickly realized that they’d arrived in Equestria and grabbed their own belongings.

“I want you to keep on your guard with this.” Dominic said, reaching forwards and patting the bag of gold coinage. “I don’t know what’s going to happen out there, but if things get ugly, you know what to do.”

“We shall do our best to protect thee as well.” Luna said as she stood up with Celestia, two guards outside stepped forwards and opened the door to the chariot. The thunderous noise of a crowd filled the enclosed chariot quickly, putting Dominic on a bit of an edge before he calmed himself down. Celestia stepped out of the chariot to the sound of applause, however, when Luna stepped out that applause got quieter, her horn glowed for a moment and she quickly floated the box out of the chariot and over to an armored carriage parked just outside. The noise of the crowd outside put a bit of a scowl on Dominic’s face as he watched Rolling Thunder and Fortress Wall heft the bag of gold out as best they could to a pair of royal guards, they inturn put it in the armored carriage.

“Alright, show time…” Dominic said to his two compatriots before he stood up and gathered his belongings, with his backpack slung over his shoulder and his music player in his pocket he was ready to go. Dominic walked to the door and peeked out, a mixed response of applause and boos was what greeted him, as well as the heat of the late afternoon sun. Rolling Thunder and Fortress Wall flanked him on either side, they seemed more upset by the crowd’s response than Dominic did. “Relax boys, these are the clay of the earth, the salt of the land simple folk… You know… Morons.” He said quietly, the two of them chuckled as he raised a hand and waved at the crowd, sporting the biggest shit eating grin Luna had ever seen him have.

“Celestia will address the crowd, then we will make our way to the train station.” Luna said as she leaned over, Dominic nodded, still sporting that grin of his. “Thou looketh happier than we expected, a lot happier…”

“I’ve got some people applauding, that’s enough for me.” Dominic replied quietly, he paused and looked Luna in the eyes. “Should I go and meet with them?”

“We wouldn’t…” Luna replied, Dominic shrugged and put his hands in his pockets. “We hope thou realizes that upon thy return thou will be receiving numerous requests for an interview.” The man scratched his chin before chuckling quietly. “They do not know of the true nature of thine mission, but thou hath bested the Changelings in combat and signed a treaty with them, something we have failed to do for some time…”

“It’s better than death threats, who knows, I might even humor a few of them.” Dominic replied, he quieted down as he watched Celestia approach the crowd and clear her throat.

“My little ponies, it is good to see you all here!” She declared loudly, using the royal canterlot voice to reach the ponies in the back of the crowd. “We have returned from our expedition to the American front, and as I’m sure many of you know, peace between the United States and Chrysalis has been brokered!” The crowd applauded loudly at that, many of them understanding that the United States was the buffer between them and Chrysalis, those that didn’t understand that simply applauded because they liked the sound of peace with the changelings.

“It wasn’t cheap…” Rolling Thunder muttered under his breath.

“With me today is President Occisor of the United States, it was through him that peace was achieved, and while I would love to have him speak to you today, he is on a rather tight schedule.” Dominic sighed and patiently tapped his foot, wanting desperately to get out of the limelight now. The novelty of having applause was starting to wear off, as he realized that he might have to formulate some sort of speech if the crowd cheered loud enough. The man took a breath before he began loosely putting together what he would say in his head if it came to that.

Sure enough, the ponies continued to cheer and applaud, but thankfully none of them called for him to speak. Aside from the reporters, of course, but Dominic hated reporters. Luna noticed that the man was sweating and his smile seemed a bit more forced than genuine, but she didn’t say anything, he was handling his first political outing much better than she had. Then again, anything was better than setting the the Griffon Emperor’s feathers on fire… Celestia finished her address of the ponies and turned to Luna with a nod.

“You should get going, the train’s already been waiting a while…” Celestia said in a hurried tone, Luna returned the nod and looked to Dominic.

“We should go.” Said Luna as she began walking to the armored carriage, Dominic and his thestral subordinates followed her as the crowd continued to watch and chatter. Being a gentlemen, Dominic stepped ahead of the princess and opened the door for her. Luna smiled at him and stepped inside, followed by Rolling Thunder and Fortress Wall. Dominic turned towards the crowd and gave a wave before he entered the carriage himself and closed the door, then locked it securely.

The ride to the train station went by in silence as all those present in the dingy armored vehicle listened to the hustle and bustle of the city around them. Occasionally they’d hear the guards pulling the instructing pedestrians to move or step away, Dominic’s eyes would shift towards the box that Luna continued to hold by her side. It seemed she wouldn’t part with it as long as he was around, making any further attempts at finding out what was inside impossible.

When the carriage came to a stop outside the train station Dominic was the first to open the door and step out, he had to hand it to the Equestrians, they sure knew how to run a railroad. The building wasn’t so grand as to be gaudy, but not so simple as to be boring. The stone arches were carved with images of flowers and vines while brightly painted signs did a good job of indicating where the platforms and tracks were.

Rolling Thunder and Fortress Wall emerged behind him, carrying the bag between them, neither one of them letting on just how heavy it was. Dominic turned back to the carriage and offered his hand to Luna as she stepped out, she set her hoof in it and gracefully walked out. Once that was done Dominic was quick to close the door and look back to the station, it was time to get down to business.

“We’re on the clock, boys. Let’s move.” He said in an even tone as he began walking towards the front door of the station, already guards had been dispatched to clear a path for him and his soldiers. Luna used her magic to lift the bag of gold, allowing Fortress Wall and Rolling Thunder to catch up with their President. Once again they flanked him on both sides, falling instep with the clicks of his boots against the stone floors.

Ponies on either side of them watched with a bit of surprise, the black fatigues the thestrals wore were different from anything the ponies had seen in Equestria. Adorned with different patches that bore some resemblance to the one on Dominic’s shoulder, Rolling Thunder and Fortress Wall were both intriguing and intimidating to the pony onlookers. Luna followed along behind the group, carrying the bag in her magic with great dignity, not a soul would dare question her motives as they saw the seriousness on her face.

The group descended a flight of stairs, Dominic’s hand gliding lazily atop the brass railing in the center. When they reached the bottom of the steps Dominic could see the train that had been halted for them. A row of Equestrian and Crystal guards kept nosy ponies out of the last car in the train, which had been set aside for Dominic and his fellows. The clicking of Dominic’s boots slowed as he approached the car, he let Rolling and Fortress walk ahead of him as he turned to look back at Luna.

Dominic reached out and took the bag from her grasp, grunting under its weight but not letting it show. He stepped aside to allow her access to the car first just as he had done earlier, she smiled at him briefly before entering the car. When she was inside Dominic turned and walked in himself, stopping to set the bag down on the floor of the normal looking car. Fortress and Rolling were already settling in, and Luna was looking for the perfect seat. Dominic turned and looked behind him at the ponies on the station platform that were starting to inch closer, with a neutral expression he reached for the door and pulled it shut.

This was the point of no return. Once this train left the station he was committed to take the mission to its end, the determination made itself apparent on his face as he walked to an open seat next to Luna and plopped down. The seat itself was sturdy and made of oak with red velvet pillows built into it, it was a bit softer than what Dominic would’ve cared for, but beggars couldn’t be choosers. The wood matched the wood that decorated the interior, the style was very Victorian and Dominic would have sworn he was sitting in some form of British rail car if he didn’t know otherwise.

Dominic smiled faintly as he looked over at Luna, feeling a bit more at ease with what was happening between the two of them lately. The Princess returned the smile, each of them sharing a fond moment of silence as the train began to pull out of the station. The whistle blew and the bell rang, then there was forward lurch. Dominic found his face considerably closer to Luna’s than before as he hadn’t been expecting the lurch. Both of them blushed and leaned back, bashfully looking to the side. Dominic noticed the wooden box once again, resting beside Luna out of his reach. He wouldn’t try to find out what was in it, it was clear that the surprise was very important to Luna and he didn’t want to ruin that.

“Dominic, we hath been thinking lately about thine crusade to aid thy people.” Luna said, breaking the odd silence that had settled between the two of them. “It is apparent to us that an understanding of a bladed weapon would better suit thou, considering the nature of thine foe.”

“I know how to use a machete, just hack and slash, what else is there to know?” Dominic replied, Luna shook her head and put a hoof on his shoulder.

“Thou art correct, a machete is a simple weapon to use, but we speak of something more suited to thy physical build.” Luna explained, Dominic raised an eyebrow at her as he looked down at himself. “Thou art a warrior at heart, Dominic. We are both aware of this. Thou were bred and raised to be one.” The man nodded slowly and looked down at the hoof on his shoulder. “We wish to train thee to use a sword, so that thou may better defend thyself and those around thee.”

“You… You think I could do it?” Dominic asked, it was clear he was self conscious about his skills. He’d always been more of a brawler, a hard charger, he wasn’t sure if he had what it took to be skilled with a sword. Luna’s reassuring smile and nod helped to dissuade some of those fears, but still the thoughts clung onto the back of his mind.

“Thou art failing to give thyself credit again, Dominic, tis something unbecoming a man of your stature.” Luna said with a comforting voice. “Thou hath taken on a monster large enough to destroy buildings, charged headlong into the fray of battle, and yet thou doubts thine abilities to learn as a warrior.” The princess extended her wing and placed it over Dominic’s shoulders. “We shall teach and train thee, Dominic, we would not have brought it up if we thought thou were not ready.”

“Thanks, Lu… That means a lot…” Dominic replied with a faint smile as he turned to look out the window, the train was just passing through a tunnel, already he could see the snow in the distance. “When’s my first lesson? I’ll need to make room in my schedule…”

“We can begin now, at least with thy mental training.” Luna spoke in a soothing voice, Dominic looked her in the eyes. After a few moments the princess could see the determination she knew and loved in the green eyes that she stared back into. He gave the slightest of nods, and Luna smiled warmly. “The first thing any warrior must learn is restraint, something thou occasionally have problems with… Anger is a powerful force, but thou must not let it take control. Thou art the master of thine emotions.”

“How can I get better at restraint?” Dominic asked nervously, he was already worried he’d fail Luna on top of the rest of the mission.

“Deep breaths.” Luna explained as the train continued to click clack along. “The method is to make anger work for thou… To spread it thinly so that it is no longer uncontrollable. Thinking of joyful things will help to do this.” Dominic nodded as he removed his helmet and set it beside him, feeling that out of respect for his new teacher he should remove it. “This is something thou shalt inevitably practice on thine mission.”

“I shall not fail you, Luna…” Dominic said dutifully, the princess nodded and patted the man on the shoulder once more.

“We know thou shall not. For now though, relax and prepare for the journey ahead.” Luna’s voice was soothing, something Dominic wished he could listen to for hours on end. As he thought of her like that, he found it more and more difficult to hide the feelings that were starting to become ever stronger. The man turned back to the window, seeking to cleanse his mind of the stress that was to come. In the process he began to hum a soft tune, this drew Luna’s attention. “May we ask, what song is that?”

“Oh, it’s just something from a game I used to play, it was about dragons and this warrior that could steal their souls to kill them.” Dominic explained, Luna nodded and waited, a few moments later Dominic was humming again.

“Would thou… Sing it for us?” Luna asked timidly, Dominic looked at her and faintly smiled as he gave a nervous laugh.

“My school choir did a rendition of it once… I’m a little rusty though…” He explained, Luna just smiled wider and nudged him. With a nervous cough he cleared his throat and sat up straight in his seat, just as his music teacher had taught him all those years ago. By now Rolling Thunder and Fortress Wall, who had been sitting across the car and chatting, were paying attention. Dominic closed his eyes and thought of Luna, that smiling face of hers made the nerves relax, when he opened his eyes he began to sing. His voice was nervous at first, but eventually his confidence grew.

The train continued to speed along through the mountains, leaving a trail of smoke in its wake on its trek into the north. The temperature gradually began to decrease as the sun began to set, in the sky the constellation of the Roman warrior sparkled brighter than the others, as if the night itself was yielding to its size and scope.

Author's Notes:

Here's another one for you ladies and gents, I hope you enjoy it. Recently I've been thinking a bit more about the sequel to this story, as in, I've been working on making the cover art for the sequel to this story, and it's got me really excited, so hopefully the chapters keep getting churned out, my work schedule permitting of course.

And of course, what new chapter would be complete with out the clip of the day! I dunno why they didn't put the name of the movie this is from in the video, but for those of you wondering, the film's called 'Young Frankenstein', a Comedy by Mel Brooks and one of my favorite movies. Really suggest you check it out if you're into old monster movies.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXGzO2aDDRU

Have a good one, folks!