The whistle of the train howled loudly as it approached the Crystal Empire, snow and wind stretched out for miles around on either side of the tracks and foreboding clouds filled the sky off in the distance. Dominic was fully prepared to brave the cold, but suddenly the train passed through some sort of barrier and everything turned green with a clear night sky. The man sighed quietly, somewhat yearning for the cold embrace of winter.

Luna had fallen asleep in an adorable fashion beside the man, her head rested comfortably on his thigh. Fortress Wall had also gone to sleep, he’d retrieved his helmet from his pack and pulled it down over his eyes. That left Rolling Thunder and Dominic as the only ones awake for the moment, the Major was quietly running through the list of objectives again, as he had been for hours after Dominic had sung for the Princess.

“Sunset Shimmer is best known for wearing a leather jacket with red and yellow hair…” Rolling read aloud, scratching his head for a moment before looking at Dominic. “Between you and me, sir, what’re we doing with her?”

“Normally I’d say a quick snatch and grab…” Dominic said before he looked down at Luna, the man looked back to Rolling Thunder and shook his head. “I’m going to try and talk her down, maybe convince her over to our side… A unicorn of her strength would be invaluable to our cause.” Rolling Thunder nodded and shifted his gaze to the slumbering Princess.

“And you don’t want to fail her…” He mused.

“There’s that too…” Dominic mumbled, patting the mare on the head softly. Rolling Thunder leaned back, his brow furrowing in thought as he went back over the objectives once again. The train’s whistle sounded as it got closer to the station, droning out low and slow like a somber cry. It was enough to stir Fortress Wall from his slumber, he quickly pushed his helmet back on his head and looked around.

“We here?” He asked tiredly, rubbing his eyes as his spotted the Princess sleeping beside Dominic.

“Yup, look alive.” Rolling Thunder replied as he began to gather his gear into his pack, a pack that he’d worn with him since leaving New Liberty. Fortress Wall was quick to follow his lead while Dominic instead opted to set his helmet on his head, the man paused and looked down at Luna. Part of him didn’t want to wake her, but he knew it would happen eventually. Dominic reached down and gave her a gently nudge, the princess opened her eyes and looked up at him.

“Come on, Lu. Time to wake up.” Dominic said in a soft voice, the Princess stretched her legs and yawned an adorable yawn that almost made Dominic’s heart melt. She sat up and adjusted her flowing mane, looking around as the train began to slow down. “We’re just about there, I figured you’d want to be awake.”

“Thank thou, Dominic…” Luna said as she rubbed her eyes, once again the whistle let out its droning call. Dominic stood up and pulled his backpack on, walking towards one of the windows and peering at the approaching station. He could see Shining Armor standing there with a group of crystal pony guards and a couple Equestrians mixed in.

“Looks like they rolled out the welcoming committee.” He commented, as the train continued to coast along the tracks he reached to the door handle and pulled it open. A blast of colder air entered the train car as he leaned out to get a better look. Luna and the others would’ve commented on how dangerous that was, but they all seemed to know that they’d be met with something like a shrug in response.

The train continued slowing down until finally it had stopped at the platform, Dominic stepped off and adjusted his helmet before turning to wait for his companions. Luna was next to step out, and once again Dominic offered his assistance as a gentleman. The princess was followed by the two thestrals, each of whom was wearing their helmets now, the black metal matched the black fatigues well. Dominic winced internally as he noticed that the attire made them almost look more like German storm troopers than anything else. Between them they were carrying the bag of gold coins.

The three American’s followed Luna as she approached Shining Armor and his guards, the alabaster stallion eyed up Fortress Wall and Rolling Thunder curiously. It made sense to Dominic, Shining had probably never seen an American soldier before. The man caught glimpses of Shining’s contingent trying to steal glances at his soldiers, it filled him with a small amount of pride.

“Prince Shining Armor, tis good to see thou again.” Luna said warmly, Shining Armor nodded and smiled at the princess.

“Princess Luna, the pleasure is all mine.” He replied, the stallion looked over toward the American’s that had set their bag down on the platform. “I see that you’ve brought guests.”

“Were thou not informed? We sent word some days ago.” Luna asked, Shining Armor shrugged and shook his head.

“Don’t worry about it, we’ve got more than enough rooms.” The stallion said with a smile, Dominic tugged nervously at his collar, hoping Luna would explain why they had actually come.

“I am afraid the three of them will not be staying in the castle.” Luna began to explain, catching Shining Armor with a bit of surprise. “A threat to Equestria and thine Empire has been discovered, they art here to carry out a mission to eliminate that threat, among other things.” The stallion’s eyes widened and his eyes flicked back over to Dominic and his soldiers. “The letter we had sent would have made this clear.”

“I don’t know of any threat…” Shining Armor said as he rubbed his chin and walked towards Dominic.

“That’s because it hasn’t happened yet.” Dominic said as he looked down towards the stallion, pausing to adjust his jacket. “We’re here to make sure it doesn’t happen.” Shining Armor narrowed his eyes and looked towards Rolling Thunder, slowly he trotted over and looked him in the eyes. Luna sighed quietly as she watched this unfolding, she liked Shining Armor, but sometimes he could be a bit of a hassle when it came to the military. “Ten-hut!” Rolling and Fortress Wall snapped to attention, causing Shining Armor to back away for a second.

Dominic knew that Shining Armor would find something wrong, he’d dealt with people like him before. Not that he disliked the stallion, but he seemed like he was going to be more of a hindrance than an ally in this mission.

“Where’s their armor…?” He asked.

“Major Thunder.” Dominic said in an even tone.

“Sir!” Rolling replied in a military manner.

“Explain your lack of armor.”

“Sir! The armor has been discarded for this mission as it will involve stealth and precision and the likelihood of combat is minimal, sir!” Rolling replied, Shining blinked a couple times and backed away.

“Alright… It seems like you know what you’re doing… But I want to come with you, on whatever this mission is.” Shining Armor decreed, Dominic internally face palmed, as did Luna and Rolling Thunder. Externally Dominic’s expression remained unchanged.

“Shining, who will run the Empire in your absence? Cadence has yet to return from Equestria.” Luna asked, hoping to change his mind, Shining Armor turned and pointed at Luna. “Us?”

“Yes, you’re the most qualified.” He said, Luna internally sighed but instead returned the gesture with a smile.

“Very well, it is thine nation after all.” Luna said, giving Dominic an apologetic look. The man just gave her a warm smile, as if to say he knew she tried and that was all that mattered. “We will require thine assistance in getting to the mission start, as it is located within your castle.”

“What are we looking for?” Shining Armor asked, his soldiers were still standing ready, though it appeared they were a bit antsy.

“A mirror.” Dominic said bluntly, the alabaster stallion nearly froze at the word, something that Luna and Dominic picked up on. “A big fancy mirror.”

“I… Don’t know what sort of mirror you’re looking for.” Shining said nervously, his guards were starting to shuffle back and forth on their hooves. Dominic crouched down to Shining Armor’s eye level and spoke in a voice quiet enough for only him and the stallion to hear.

“Yes. You do.” Dominic said slowly.

“The mirror is a relic of King Sombra, we don’t know what it could do…” Shining Armor replied, looking over his shoulder at his guards.

“I know what it does.” Dominic said bluntly again. “I assume you know by now of how I came to be familiar with your world, correct?” Shining Armor nodded again. “It’s how I know there is a threat beyond it, keeping me and my soldiers from going through is only going to make it that much harder for us to prevent.”

“Alright… But I’m coming with… I won’t interfere, but I want to see for myself.” Shining said, Dominic nodded and stood up straight. He could respect the stallion’s curiosity, and he had to admit that Luna had a point, Shining was the man in charge around the Empire. “Let’s get going then. Guards, you’re dismissed. I shall escort them myself.” The guards nodded and quickly began to march away, leaving the group near the train, save for the few that went into the train to retrieve any bags. All they found was the box that had been sealed shut, they were sure to handle it carefully for the Princess’ sake.

“At ease.” Dominic said, causing his two soldiers to stand at ease while he knelt down and lifted the bag of gold with a grunt. “Let’s get a move on. Operation: Static is in effect.” His soldiers nodded and they began to walk towards the castle, Luna walked beside Dominic as Shining lead them onward. The princess looked to the man, his expression was just as determined as it had been on the train.

Eventually they reached the crystal palace, in silence Shining Armor lead them through the grand glinting halls. Their hooves and boots seemed to echo across the floor for a good distance, until eventually they began to descend a staircase deeper into the bowels of the empire above. This section of the palace was lit by torches that revealed just how far down the stairs went. Dominic would’ve sworn it went all the way to the planet’s core, but thankfully they wouldn’t have to find out first hand. Shining Armor stopped on one of the platforms for the steps, standing just outside a large gothic door.

“It has been contained here for some time, we had feared it was a tool that Sombra could use to spy on us.” Shining Armor said as he approached the door, his head turned to look over his shoulder at Dominic, Luna, and the others. “We had contemplated moving to the surface in the past, perhaps near the Equestrian games, but now that you’ve told us of a threat… I am glad we kept it here.”

“Let’s not keep it waiting any longer…” Dominic said, getting a nod from the stallion at the door. His horn glowed and the locks in the door undid themselves, with a screech the door opened inward. The torch light illuminated the room and the mirror that sat in the furthest corner, it seemed everything but its surface was covered in dust. The group carefully entered the room as the torches within were lit, Shining Armor closed the door behind them and approached the mirror. Dominic approached with him and paused to look around, he noted a small pebble on the floor and picked it up.

“Wait, sir.” Rolling Thunder spoke up, Dominic looked at him. “The cart. We’ll need some form of transportation on the other side.” The man nodded and looked around, sure enough his eyes settled on a wooden cart that had been left beside the mirror.

“We’d used that to move it down here, but it proved too unruly to bring back up the steps.” Shining Armor admitted.

“It’ll have to do.” Dominic said with a shrug before he tossed the pebble lightly at the mirror’s surface, to the shock of everyone but him, it passed through. “Portal’s open… If the math we did is correct it’ll be like that for the next three months, plenty of time for us to move through. Mount up, boys.”

Rolling Thunder and Fortress Wall walked over to the cart and began to strap themselves in, meanwhile Dominic turned to face Luna. He could see concern was present on her face, so close to the mission start, how could she not be concerned? The man approached her and put a tender hand on her cheek, smiling softly.

“Don’t worry, I’ll be back before you know it.” He said calmly, the Princess nodded rapidly, as if trying to reassure herself.

“We… I know, but we still worry.” Luna’s voice was soft, thinly veiling the concern that had made itself known. “We will be counting the days until your return.” Dominic brought his hand away from her cheek and gave her a very strong hug, one that Luna was quick to return. She hesitated to let go, but eventually she knew she had to. “We wish we could come with thou…” Luna perked up for a moment. “Perhaps there is a way we can.” Dominic was about to speak before Luna opened one of her wings and used her teeth to pluck a feather from it. She winced before giving it to Dominic with a small smile.

“Thank you…” Dominic said as he closed his hand around the feather, Luna nodded quietly before she heard the sound of Rolling Thunder and Fortress wall finishing their straps on the cart. Dominic turned to see that Shining Armor had already climbed into the back of the cart with the rest of the packs. Dominic took the feather and tucked it into his pocket, then turned back to look at Luna. Deciding that he could very likely die going through the portal and he might not have another chance, the man took hold of the mare’s muzzle and planted a kiss on her lips. “I’ll be back.” He said as he pulled away, Luna was at a loss for words as the man walked to the cart.

With a grunt he loaded the sack of gold coinage and removed his backpack, then climbed in back with Shining Armor. The stallion was staring at him with a bit of shock, meanwhile Dominic had a bit of a smile on his face.

“Let’s move!” He said with a twirl of his arm, turning to wave at Luna as Rolling and Fortress began to pull the cart towards the mirror. The princess waved back, he could see tears forming in her eyes as she mouthed a few words that Dominic couldn’t read. With a sigh he turned back to Shining, clearing his throat before speaking. “When this baby goes through that mirror, you’re gonna see some serious shit.”

When they went through the portal it was a sensation that Dominic was all too familiar with, warmth around his body as if he was floating in some sort of hot tub, he’d felt it before when he’d first come to Equestria. That warmth was where the similarities ended, as suddenly everything began to spin widely and quickly. Dominic was vaguely aware of Shining and the others yelling, but it sounded so distant that he thought he’d popped an eardrum or something.

In all honesty, what he saw around him belonged in a Pink Floyd video, floating clocks, and swirling spirals as far as he could see, not to mention the odd objects that seemed to be off in the distance, he was absolutely certain he could see the Starship Enterprise and the Death star floating far off in the distance. Just as soon as it started it ended, and the warm feeling was gone in a flash. Replaced by harsh cold wind as the group as a whole emerged from the portal.

The cart had changed as predicted, to a vehicle that reminded Dominic of a deuce and a half truck. He and a now humanized Shining Armor were sitting in the back, and he could hear Fortress Wall and Rolling Thunder freaking out up front. Dominic quickly stood up and looked around, wobbling for a moment as he examined the landscape. There was snow all over the ground, it was night time, and no one seemed to have noticed the truck that had just suddenly appeared.

“Everyone calm down!” Dominic yelled, glad to hear his baritone voice once more. He’d worried that going through the portal would have swapped his gender or something, but a quick check revealed that everything was where it was supposed to be. The only thing that had changed was now there seemed to be a button on his jacket that depicted the cutie mark he’d seen on his ID card. He reached into his pocket and withdrew the ID card, sure enough that too had changed, just as planned.

Dominic turned and looked at Shining Armor, the newly transformed man was struggling to stand up. Dominic shook his head and walked to the back of the truck, passing by the bag of gold that had now transformed into a bag nearly bursting at the seams with twenties and fifties. He turned towards Shining and pointed at him for a moment.

“Just stay there.” He commanded before hopping down off the back of the truck and walking around the side until he’d reached the drivers side. In the driver’s seat he could see Rolling Thunder had changed into a middle aged man with yellow slitted eyes and grey hair, nervously gripping the steering wheel in front of him. He wore tactical gear, it looked similar to what SWAT officer’s wore, save for the patches on the shoulder that still indicated he was an American.

Dominic grabbed the side of the truck and climbed up to the window, knocking on it for a moment before he pulled the handle on the door and opened it outward. Rolling turned and looked at Dominic wide eyed, he was still sort of freaked out about having a new body. He’d known it would happen, but it was still intense. Dominic leaned to the side and could see a young man, similar in age to himself, sitting next to Rolling with the same freaked out expression.

“We’re here, gents.” Dominic said calmly, the two of them nodded with a gulp as the wind picked up, flakes of white snow began to fall from the sky around them. “It’s better you hop out and get used to your legs now.”

“Y-Yes, sir.” Rolling and Fortress said in unison, shakily they shimmied out of the drivers side door and landed on the ground. At first they tried to walk on all fours, but the cold snow convinced them quickly to stand up before their hands froze. Shining Armor dropped out of the back of the truck next, wobbling on his own feet as he adjusted his new attire. A simple blue suit and overcoat with a button of his cutiemark pinned to the lapel, Dominic looked down at his own button and groaned.

“You fellas get used to those legs, in the meantime… I’ll drive.” Dominic explained as he looked inside the cab of the truck. It had been years since he’d been behind the wheel, and even then he hadn’t had his full license. He was glad that at least the truck had a manual transmission, he had learned on a manual, and figured it was like riding a bike. Dominic closed the door to the truck and dropped back to the snow, dusting off his pants as he watched his three compatriots stumble around like drunks who’d just gotten off a roller coaster.

Each passing second made Dominic worry they’d be detected, as they were in full view of the roads that ran around the high school. The building itself wasn’t as exciting as Dominic had imagined it to be, but in a way, everything about the world felt eerie, alien even. In a way it was, but, that wasn’t it. It was a world that wasn’t ravaged by the infected, and what was more, it reminded him of home. Dominic reached to the top of his jacket where he still had his bandanna tied, silently he pulled it up over his face before he straightened his helmet and looked to his comrades.

By now they’d gotten the hang of walking and even a little bit of running, each of them remaining quiet, as they didn’t want to alert the local populace.

“Alright, let’s move. I don’t think we can all squeeze in the cab, but I want someone in back with our gear anyway.” Dominic said, Rolling and Shining Armor raised their hands. “Alright, get in back and make sure nothing flies out… Fortress, you’re upfront with me.” Rolling and Shining walked towards the back of the truck and climbed in before closing the tailgate and pulling their jackets tighter. Dominic slipped into the driver’s seat while Fortress climbed into the passenger side, both of them closed their doors with a thud.

Dominic reached forwards and gripped the key in the ignition, then turned it, the vehicle rumbled to life and the headlights brightly illuminated the front windows of the schools. Dominic pressed down on the clutch and shifted into first, then gave the vehicle some gas. Soon enough he was rolling forwards, the black exhaust smoke of the engine quickly leaving the exhaust pipe and being carried away by the wind. After a few seconds Dominic shifted into second just as he had the first and the truck began rolling across the lawn of the school until its tires hit the asphalt, leaving large tire tracks in the snow that had formed on the lawn.

“So… This is what your world used to look like?” Fortress asked as they began driving down the street, Dominic wasn’t sure where he was going, but he figured it was a good idea to get out of sight before doing anything else.

“Sort of… My world was a lot less brightly colored…” Dominic replied as he looked out the windows, the truck unfortunately seemed to lack a heater, so he and Fortress were just as cold as their compatriots in the bed of the large vehicle. “Kinda does remind me of home though…” The man sighed quietly as he turned down a street, then slowed down as it appeared to be residential. “Less houses where I’m from though…” The man paused and looked at Fortress. “Say, check the glove compartment and see if there’s a map or something…” The thestral trooper stared at Dominic like he had three heads. “The little compartment in front of you.”

“Oh!” Fortress replied before reaching forwards and opening the compartment, a couple papers spilled out and he quickly picked up the one that looked the most like a map. “Alright… Let’s see… What street are we on?”

“I dunno…” Dominic replied as he continued looking at the houses, then back to the road, a couple of them still had lights on but most of them were dark as the snow continued to fall. The rumble of the engine comforted Dominic, he’d always liked working with vehicles back home, and now he felt like he was back in the saddle again. “Looks like there’s a sign coming up, I’d read it but I’m driving… Try to get us someplace secluded.”

“Yes, sir.” Fortress replied as he looked at the sign, then went back to the map, after a few moments of humming he set the map down. “Just keep going on this for a bit, we should hit farm country soon.”

“Good.” Dominic replied, staring at a couple of the houses that he went past. Some of them reminded him of his old home, he could practically see himself and Maria playing out in the lawn. The man quickly shook his head and focused on the road once again, noting that there seemed to be another car up ahead, going in the same direction. It was going a bit slow, forcing Dominic to shift down into second gear once again with a slight groan. The vehicle was dark grey, the model reminded him a bit of a Camaro. “Ugh… Even across dimensions people still drive like jackasses…”

“I know what you mean, I hate when ponies would fly slow as fuck around Canterlot…” Fortress said in a quiet tone. “It’s not like they have the whole sky to ourselves, they have very strict air corridors because of all the buildings.”

“Gas pedal is the one on the right, dumbass!” Dominic said loudly as the vehicle in front of him continued along at its slow pace. “Unless of course they’re going the speed limit…”

“They aren’t, I don’t think. We just passed a sign that said twenty five or something…” Fortress commented, Dominic looked down at his speedometer and groaned as he saw that the car was forcing him to drive fifteen miles an hour.

“Normally I’d be swearing at them full on if they did this back home, but… It’s been so long… I don’t mind being stuck behind them all that much, I’m happy to take in the sights. On the other hand... Fifteen miles an hour in a fucking Camaro... Really, man?” Dominic commented. “We just have a job to do, and the less time we spend in traffic the better.” The man took a few deep breaths and thought of Luna and Maria’s smiling face, that helped put his temper at ease. There wasn’t any need to get upset, they still had plenty of time, hell they’d only just gotten through the portal less than an hour ago.

Dominic sighed and scratched his nose, continuing to drive a decent distance behind the car, just as he’d been taught years ago. It was very much like riding a bike, and Dominic thanked god for that small mercy. Finally, Fortress pointed to a road ahead.

“See that one?” He asked, Dominic nodded. “Turn left there, then right at the next road…” The man nodded and turned on the blinker, it clicked on and off as the orange lights indicated he was making a turn. The car ahead of him also turned on its blinker, it seemed they’d be stuck behind it for a bit longer. “These vehicles are amazing, did humans have a lot of these?” He asked as he fiddled with the buttons on the console.

“Yup.” Dominic replied as he turned the wheel and tapped the brakes, without the aid of power steering it was a bit of a tight turn but at least he made it. “Not all of us drove big trucks like this, more like that guy there…” Dominic gestured to the slow driver in front of them, Fortress nodded again and leaned back in his seat. Dominic flicked on his right blinker, but Fortress didn’t see the turn yet. He was about to speak up until Dominic shifted gears and picked up, the thestral trooper panicked as Dominic pulled out onto the other side of the road and sped up. Fortress looked out the passenger window at the other vehicle, noting that the driver was staring at the truck.

“That guy’s staring at us.” Fortress commented, Dominic shrugged and pulled ahead further until he was ahead of the other car and could speed up. Even with the snow on the ground Dominic trusted the big tires and massive weight of the truck to help him stay on the road. The snow was coming down hard now, and Dominic wanted to get his crew someplace warm before they all froze to death.

“Check the map and see if there’s a hotel or something nearby.” Dominic ordered, Fortress nodded again as the man checked his mirror to see that the lights of the car from earlier were getting closer. There was a knock on the cab's rear window, Dominic could see that Rolling had leaned forward to get his attention. The man was quick turn and slide the glass to the side. “What’s up?”

“The guy behind us is getting awful close.” Rolling said over the freezing wind. “It’s got Shining spooked, what should I do?” Dominic sighed and shook his head.

“Tell Shining to grow a pair. If this guy gives us any actual trouble we’ll be able to lay him out pretty quick.” Dominic replied, Rolling nodded and made his way back to his seat. The man sighed quietly and took a few more deep breaths, soon enough the turn came into view and Dominic flicked on his blinker. The man tapped the brakes once again, then there was a bang from behind and the truck lurched. “Son of a bitch!”

The man took a couple breaths and pulled over, the car that had been riding his bumper pulling over behind him. Dominic turned and looked at Fortress wall, the thestral soldier had wide eyes and was gritting his teeth.

“Stay here.” Dominic said simply before he turned and opened the driver’s side door, with an annoyed grunt the bandanna wearing man stepped out into the snow and adjusted his helmet before closing the door.

“The fuck happened?” Rolling asked, standing up in the back of the truck and looking at Dominic.

“That fucker’s gonna try and take us for some insurance money.” Dominic replied as he continued walking. “Seen this shit before, just sit tight, I’ll handle this.” Rolling nodded and walked towards the edge of the truck bed, standing there and adding a bit of intimidation factor. At least, as best as he could with his frazzled nerves. The driver of the other car opened their door and raised his hands as he saw Dominic’s unhappy glare. “The fuck’s the matter with you, huh!? Riding my ass like an idiot in this weather!?”

The man froze as he noticed the design on the front of the Camaro, which had suffered a bit of damage to its bumper. The driver still had his hands up in a nervous fashion, leading Dominic to suspect that whatever this guy was planning, it didn’t involve a confrontation. The design on the car was one Dominic had seen in the movie that had started the mission in the first place, the little punk with blue hair that had rammed his rear bumper was none other than the waifu stealer himself, Flash Sentry.

“I’m sorry!” The kid driver said in a nervous tone. “I was on the phone with my girlfriend and I got frustrated and...” He stammered, looking nervously between Dominic and the uniformed fellow in the back of the very large truck. Flash didn’t recognize the patches from any ROTC training manual he’d ever seen, but that man was definitely military. “Look, let’s just trade information and call the cops-”

“You have any idea what the penalty is for interfering with a military operation, son?” Rolling said loudly, cutting him off. Flash Sentry nervously nodded his head. “Then you know what kind of shit you’ll be in if you call the fuzz, my advice would be to shut up about this. You hit a patch of ice and slid into a ditch. End of story. Comprende?”

“Yes, sir!” Flash said, instinctively saluting. Dominic looked at Rolling for a moment and nodded to him before he walked back to the front of the truck and climbed in. The truck, being a truck, didn’t have a scratch on it. Dominic was able to easily start her rolling again and made the turn down the road, leaving behind a petrified Flash Sentry.

“I hope we didn’t just fuck up part of the mission…” Dominic muttered under his breath, worrying that any move made on Sunset Shimmer could be hindered by that incident. With a shrug the man continued down the road as the snow continued to fall.

“It looks like there’s a secluded road coming up on the right in a couple miles.” Fortress said, having shrugged off his nerves.

“What about hotels? I don’t mind sleeping in the cold, but it would be nice to not wake up feeling numb all over.” Dominic asked, the rumble of the engine calming his nerves. Gradually the houses began to space out, giving way to snowy trees and fields.

“Not really, but it looks like there’s something called a ‘Motel’ up ahead just past that road I told you about.” Fortress responded, Dominic nodded, not mentioning that a Motel and a Hotel were essentially the same thing, for the most part, one was cleaner than the other. The rest of the drive went on in silence, allowing Dominic to fully focus on the road ahead, even as his hands began to go numb from the cold. Eventually the lights of the Motel came into view, some shady looking place that probably hadn’t been cleaned since the seventies, but any port in a storm.

Dominic brought the truck to a halt outside the two story building, next to a pool that had been closed for the season. Quietly he and Fortress got out of the cab and walked around the sides.

“Let’s get our gear inside, but the money has priority, we can’t get more of that here.” Dominic commanded as the tailgate came down, Rolling Thunder and Shining Armor handed him the bag of money while Fortress gathered the packs and other supplies. “Once we’re inside I’ll grab the map, maybe it’ll have some useful stuff on it… Like where to buy a pair of gloves.”

The cold dry air made Dominic want to cough as he watched the mist escape from his nostrils. Once all four of them had gathered their equipment they wandered towards the Motel office, Dominic quickly pulling down his bandanna as to not spook the desk clerk. Inside wasn’t much warmer than outside, as made clear by the clerk wearing three winter coats and a toboggan cap.

“Welcome to the Warm Soul Motel, are you looking for a room?” He asked, though it was hardly understandable considering how much his teeth chattered.

“I’m looking for two.” Dominic said, he wasn’t really fazed by the cold like the others, he had grown up in the mountains and spent three winters alone with barely any food, water, or heat. The clerk frowned faintly and looked behind him where he saw only one room key hanging on the wall. Dominic noticed it as well and sighed, but he didn’t get angry, he was just tired of all that had happened that night. “But one’s fine…” The clerk quickly grabbed the key and set it on the desk, only now taking note of the two soldiers in tactical gear and the fact that Dominic was wearing a helmet.

“You guys some sort of cops?” The clerk asked through chattering teeth, Dominic shook his head as he began filling out a form. With all the practice he’d had in his office as President, it was relatively easy.

“Security detail.” Shining Armor spoke up, the clerk took note that he seemed to be the only one not wearing some sort of helmet.

“You guy’s got any weapons on you?” The clerk asked nervously. “I’m not supposed to let folks with guns take them inside.” Dominic opened the bag of money, the massive amount causing the clerk’s eyes to go wide. From the bag Dominic pulled three fifties and set them on counter, then he slid them to the clerk with a disarming smile.

“We’re completely and totally unarmed, as far as you know.” He said, the clerk took the money and nodded.

“As far as I know you guy’s are pacifists.” The clerk responded, Dominic nodded and closed the bag before taking the room key. The others looked at him with a bit of surprise but said nothing as he walked back out into the cold with the bag of money. They followed him as he lead them to their room, it was at the very end of the complex on the first floor. Once they had gone inside and set unpacked their gear they all went to relax after their rather long day until eventually they fell asleep, all save for Dominic.

For hours after the lights went out, Dominic sat in one of the provided wooden chairs, staring at the door. Shining armor had taken one of the beds in the room while Rolling had taken the other, Fortress was in his sleeping bag on the floor. The television, which had fascinated the ponies turned humans for a while, was turned off. The only noise in the room was Dominic’s foot tapping against the floor and the howl of the wind and snow outside.

For the others, this was a bit of a tough experience because of how alien it all was. For Dominic, it was all too familiar. The look of the schools and houses, the cars and roads, the snow and wind. It all brought him back to those lonesome nights in Evergreen. Every now and then headlights would light up the window to the outside, the pale cloth curtains made it look more like lightning. Sometimes Dominic could see a figure at the window, a deformed figure that wanted to get inside.

When the clock on the nightstand reached one in the morning, Dominic took a deep breath and got out of his chair. He set his helmet aside before laying down on the floor, there he let out a sigh and folded his hands on his chest. He stared for several minutes at the ceiling above, then closed his eyes and thought of Luna and Maria, the two people he cared for more than anything. Their smiling faces, the way they walked, the way they talked… It was all very soothing. Somehow he managed to fall asleep, the fitful sort that he would easily stir from at the first sign of a threat. The more he dreamed of those he loved, the more his squirming subsided, until finally he was in a deep sleep.

Author's Notes:

BEHOLD! The next chapter is upon ye! Not much to say today, I might have something to say next time... Maybe. I dunno. As always I appreciate comments, they're always a joy to read, and you guys that keep leaving them are awesome! Oh! Actually, I just remembered what I was gonna say. How many of you wonderful people out there are artists? I'm curious because I've always wondered how well I do at describing characters and I was hoping some of you folks could do a couple sketches of what you think the main characters look like according to what I've written thus far. It's just something I've wondered about, and I'd really appreciate it!

On to the clip of the day! I don't know why, but I cracked up when I saw this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0vGghEgF88

As always, I hope you all have a good one!