Time had always had a tendency to sneak up on Dominic, he had been so focused on running the country over the past couple weeks that he had forgotten almost completely about the Equestrian ‘Grand Galloping Gala’. He sincerely would’ve preferred to stay in New Liberty and oversee the construction of four military bases near the Equestrian border, and perhaps if he didn’t know how much Luna wanted to go, he would’ve sent an ambassador instead. As it stood though, it was Luna’s chance to see her sister, and it wasn’t like he’d send her alone. It was for that reason the man was sitting in a carriage with Luna and Maria, dressed in his drab dress uniform.

Maria wore her own tan dress uniform, it was very similar to that of the pre-outbreak American female uniform. She had done her make up rather plainly as well, choosing a more utilitarian look than anything else. Princess Luna was meanwhile wearing shined silver regalia and an ornate looking crown, they had been waiting in Luna’s suitcases for a long time, but they gave her the look of a queen rather than a princess. She also had a regal gown that matched her fur and eyes, with an onyx broche near her chest. The carriage was simply designed and not flashy, the Equestrian border patrol had refused to allow any armored cars on the train. That had meant there was a significant change to security. There were four armed guards clinging to the outside of the carriage.

Dominic was glad they were there, as the arrivals of the American’s had drawn quite a crowd. Many of the ponies lining the streets were content to just watch, though some were shouting, and some held signs. It seemed that even with Twilight Sparkle’s book and the efforts to educate the public about their neighbor to the south, there were still many ponies that saw Dominic and his species as evil, some even called humanity an abomination. The man did his best to hide the anger he felt, he knew there would always be stupid people in the world. Even still, the crowd brought back very bitter memories of his time living in Canterlot.

Maria was a bit shocked by all that was happening outside the carriage, and had a far more difficult time hiding it. All the ponies she knew in New Liberty were relatively easy going, and yet here she was seeing a large mob of ponies outside the carriage waving signs that were downright cruel. Royal guards in riot gear held the masses back as the carriage kept moving, lit only by the light of the setting sun in the distance.

“I should have expected such a crowd to appear…” Luna said quietly as she watched out the window, she then looked to Dominic. “I don’t think we’ll have much to fear in the castle, but while we’re still moving through the city we should expect it to be nuts like this.” The man only nodded quietly as he leaned back in his seat, adjusting his jacket in the process. “You really didn’t need to come.”

“It would’ve been bad form not too, wouldn’t it?” Dominic asked with a raised eyebrow. “Besides, you think I’d let you face the Canterlot nobility alone?” Luna paused, then chuckled softly. Dominic looked out the window again, off in the distance at a part of the city that overlooked a cliff. Airship dry docks were located there, he knew that was also where Celestia was building her fleet of airships. It had occurred to him that perhaps he would need to fight fire with fire, but he had no means of constructing airships, even with humanity’s advanced fabrication technology the research just wasn’t there.

The man shook his head, not wishing to think of war planning and rather wanting to focus on Maria. She hadn’t said a word since they had hit the crowds, but her face was a mix of anger and astonishment. The man could understand what she was feeling, and he knew enough to let her figure out her feelings on her own. Dominic leaned against the window, as the carriage moved closer to the castle he noticed a subtle change in the crowd. The hateful signs were thinning out, the ponies had much shorter manes, and some were even holding welcoming signs.

“Well, would you look at that?” He mumbled quietly, smiling softly. It was nice to see there was actually some support in Canterlot, and as he could see more and more smiling faces he felt a knot in his stomach begin to unwind itself. It was a foothold, and even that tiny mile stone gave him the strength to smile proudly and confidently. It seemed that as they got closer and closer to the castle the support grew, until finally they reached the gates. After a couple seconds of waiting the carriage rolled through the gates, it was pulled further along until it finally reached the front of the castle.

The American guards, comprised of thestrals, let go of the sides and took up a perimeter around the carriage as an Equestrian guard approached the carriage door. The door was opened and a stepping stool was placed beneath it, Dominic stood first and made his way out of the carriage. Once outside he offered his hand to Maria, she took it and stepped out before moving beside him.

“Bereiten Sie zu begrüßen!” A voice shouted off to the side, Dominic looked over and was a bit surprised to spot a cadre of Lunar guards lining a red carpet that lead up to the castle door. Luna’s hoof exited the carriage, greeted by Dominic’s hand as he helped her down. Once she was fully out her wings extended to their fullest wingspan, her mane flowed freely, and her eyes sparkled like stars. “Achtung!” The cadre of guards snapped to attention, turning their attention to Luna. “Hagel Prinzessin Luna!”

“Immer loyal zur Krone der Nacht!” The thestrals shouted in a resounding baritone, each of them placing their hoof over the heart as they continued looking towards Luna. Dominic watched Luna smiled widely, she almost had tears in her eyes. He was still learning but he had a rough Idea of what was being said. For the first time he heard her speak in Thestralese.

“Und die nacht ist dir treu, meine kinder.” She said softly, smirking at the Lunar guards that puffed out their chests in pride. The regular royal guards seemed confused, and Dominic noticed that even his thestral guards were at attention. He felt a tad compelled to join them, after all, he was considered one of Luna’s soldiers. However, he was also a head of state, and that meant he was more obligated to maintain an air of sovereignty. “Please… Stand at ease.” The thestrals relaxed as Luna began walking down the carpet, Maria and Dominic following behind her with far more respect for her than they had. Something they collectively hadn’t thought possible.

“I am touched you all came to greet me. It has been far too long since I have seen your faces…” Luna said as she continued walking past the cadre, Dominic could see faint smiles on the faces of the thestrals. Luna paused quietly and looked at one of the guards. “Hans… So good to see you again, how is your wife?”

“She is doing well, your majesty. We have had a son!” The guard replied proudly, Luna smiled a bit wider at that. “Hans junior! He has her eyes, but my looks!”

“The mothers of Canterlot will surely have to hide their daughters if that’s the case.” Luna said with a slight chuckle, the guard smiled even wider.

“Danke meine Königin!” The guard replied, Luna nodded respectfully. “Do not keep yourself waiting on my behalf.” Dominic raised an eyebrow, understanding the last word in the stallion’s sentence quite clearly.

“It was good to see you again, Hans. Farewell.” Luna said before they began walking again, Luna would occasionally stop for a quick word or two with the thestrals before they finally reached the doors and entered the castle. “So good to be back… If only for a visit. I had missed my soldiers…”

“Did he call you ‘Queen’?” Dominic asked quietly as they walked through the castle’s main hall, Maria quietly observed her surroundings. The sniper’s natural instinct was to remain quiet in unknown territory, and she was sticking to that instinct subconsciously. There were many vertical hiding places in the castle, plenty of places for a sniper to hide. She knew because she would be there if she were a sniper.

“Yes.” Luna replied, looking over to Dominic. “Though it is not many who call me by that title, I am technically a Queen…” Dominic raised an eyebrow at her quizzically. “Apparently one of my field marshals has been bringing my guards to light on that.” As they walked Dominic noted that the halls were very quiet, lacking in guards, maids, or even party guests. “A thousand years ago, before my banishment, the area now known as ‘The Everfree Forest’ was a nation known as ‘Thestra’.”

“No shit?” Dominic asked, this information quickly grabbed Maria’s attention as well. Luna nodded softly as they continued walking towards the main entrance to the ballroom.

“It was an odd nation, much like yours… A republic sometimes, and sometimes… A monarchy. Depending on the decade. It was always peaceful…” Luna seemed a bit hesitant to speak about the country, but Dominic and Maria had put the dots together well enough.

“And you were the monarch?” Maria finally spoke, Luna nodded again, sighing softly.

“Now is as good a time as any to tell you, it will shed more light on why Celestia is acting the way she is.” Luna admitted, they began ascending a large staircase, passing the gilded marble walls and paintings. “The thestrals needed someone to protect them, and they chose me. I served as Queen to them, and Princess to Equestria, and we shared the capital in the castle of the two sisters…”

“I assume that since it isn’t around anymore that something happened, something to do with your banishment?” Dominic asked, by now all three had stopped to look at one another. Luna sighed softly, appearing rather upset.

“They fought for me, and when I was defeated they refused to submit to Equestrian rule… They had far more advanced technology, they invented the crossbow...” Luna shook her head softly, clearing her head of emotion. “So Celestia had no choice but to wipe the nation from the map, in a very literal sense.”

“I’m sorry…” Maria said as she placed a hand on Luna’s side, the mare smiled faintly.

“It’s not your fault, nor is it Celestia’s… My chi- Subjects had become too loyal to me.” Luna sighed and began walking back towards the doors to the party. “When I returned and saw the evidence of what had been done, what Celestia had told me, who else could I blame but myself?” The mare paused just outside the doors, her expression stiffening. “That is why America has my loyalty, Dominic… That is why I will defend it. Because it can be a home for my people’s descendants, a place where their culture can flourish again… That is why I love your species, thestrals and humans are very similar in that regard.”

“Thank you…” Dominic said softly, unsure of how else to respond. He and Maria watched as Luna adjusted her mane, then straightened her crown, then took a deep breath.

“Now… Smiles everyone! Smiles!” She said, looking at them with a smile that looked so real they almost believed it was. Dominic did his best to smile as well, but only managed a slight scowl. Maria didn’t smile immediately, instead Luna was surprised by a tight hug around the neck. Maria squeezed the mare tightly, very much touched by the story they had just been told. “Come now, Maria… I’m okay.”

“I know…” Maria said softly as she broke off the hug, then quietly reached for the handle on the door. All three could hear music and laughter on the other side. The two humans did their best to smile, only managing slight scowls, before finally Maria pushed the door open. The sound of music and conversation hit them like a tidal wave, but as they stood there and stared into the vast sea of noble ponies and foreign delegates, a slight hush began to settle on the room. Gradually Dominic saw the eyes of the room shift to them, the once loud discussion now becoming hushed whispers.

“Luna!” Celestia’s voice called out from across the room, in only a couple seconds the white alicorn had crossed the room. She wrapped Luna in a tight hug, one that Luna returned honestly and lovingly. Dominic could see that the Lunar princess really loved her sister, despite what had happened between them. Family was family, after all. Dominic was a firm believer in the saying that blood was thicker than water. That being said, he knew there was a darker side beneath Celestia’s mask of benevolence. Gradually the party goers returned to their usual partying, trusting that Celestia would keep the humans and her sister in check. Maria quietly closed the door behind the trio, looking at Dominic and Luna with a cautious eye.

“I’m so glad to see you, sister!” Luna said with a smile as she broke off the hug, Celestia smiled as well as the two sisters were reunited for what had felt like a long time. “I’m sorry I haven’t been here as often as I used to be, but… You know… My herd needed me.” Luna gestured to Maria and Dominic, Celestia looked at them with a rather critical eye. She knew Dominic pretty well, and read in his face that he was at least attempting to contain himself. Maria on the other hand had the greatest poker face Celestia had ever seen, the sniper looked like complete blank slate as her eyes met Celestia’s.

“Celestia…” Dominic said with a quiet nod, adjusting his uniform jacket as he stood there. Celestia took that to mean that he was greeting her out of respect for Luna, which she appreciated more than she cared to admit.

“Hello, Dominic.” Celestia replied, sharing the same respect before her attention fully shifted to Maria. “And hello to you as well, Maria… I’m glad we’ll get to spend a bit more time getting to know each other.”

“I look forward to it.” Maria said as her blank slate was replaced by a rather warm smile, Celestia smiled as well. Either the woman was genuinely happy or Celestia was dealing with a master poker player, someone that would easily dominate if she were to enter the political field.

“Well, let me help you to your table! The others are eager to see you, with… A few exceptions.” Celestia replied as they began walking through the crowds of ponies and other creatures, some were dancing on the dance floor to an odd Equestrian waltz while others were eating various dishes. “The Zebra delegation didn’t seem enthused to know you would be joining us, Dominic…”

“The same Zebras that refuse to acknowledge the NUS as a country?” Dominic asked, Celestia nodded as she put on a neutral expression. “What if I were to say I didn’t acknowledge them?” Luna gave him a slight jab. “I’m kidding… It would be fun to see the looks on their faces though.” The man adjusted his uniform’s tie, then tucked his peaked cap under his arm as he walked. The man had shaved off the remainder of his hair, mainly because it had started to turn grey, unbeknownst to Maria and Luna. As the group finally reached a table of numerous delegates Celestia could see just who was present. Of course there were the zebras in their ceremonial garb, griffon’s and minotaurs in uniforms, and ponies of varying shapes and sizes that seemed to represent different quasi-Equestrian nation-states.

Shining Armor and Cadence were also present, sitting with Twilight beside them, the table was massive and more resembled a conference table than anything else. There were three seats open beside a large chair that was obviously Celestia’s, Dominic approached the one closest to Celestia and pulled it out for Luna. Once she was seated he repeated the process for Maria, then moved to sit himself furthest from Celestia. He found himself about to take a seat next to a large minotaur, right across from the Zebras. The man sat down, hanging his hat on the chair before steepling his fingers.

From there the night went about as well as Dominic expected, the delegates all talked amongst one another, with the Zebras ignoring anything that he or Maria said. After about an hour the table lost some of its members, some went off to dance to the waltz music while others simply wished to mingle with other members of the Canterlot Elite. Cadence and Shining armor were among them, as Twilight had excused herself to go and be with her friends. All in all, the only group of delegates that remained aside from the American’s and Equestrians were the griffons and Minotaurs, with the Zebra’s joining reluctantly.

By now Dominic had gotten to know the delegates well enough, representing the minotaurs was General Bullhorn. He was escorting a minotaur cow named Toris, the wife of the Minotaur’s head of state. Bullhorn was burly with grey fur and massive muscles, compared to Dominic he was a head taller and his horns were sharpened to points. They matched his light brown uniform nicely. Toris, meanwhile, was only about as tall as Dominic. She wore a simple blue and white dress, and her fur was pristine white, her horns were short with blunt points and her eyes were light red.

Sitting across from the minotaurs were the griffons, two generals that looked extremely old, their chests decorated with dozens of medals. In fact, the oldest of them wore a monocle, and had so many medals that it seemed they’d been forced to pin some to his shirt collar. It reminded Dominic of an old uniform of the Russian Empire before the first World War. The younger of them was named Greyfeather while the elder was Albas. Albas, in Dominic’s opinion, sounded remarkably like Colonel Klink from ‘Hogan’s Heroes’.

Finally there were the zebras, a pair of stallions with rather nasally voices. Issa and Juma were their names, and they had thoroughly attempted to push Dominic’s buttons in as subtle a way they could. Issa was the son of a Zebra tribal leader and Juma was his brother, and they seemed to be very adamant about stating their status whenever they chance arose. That didn’t stop Maria from leaving her shell and venturing into the social field, is it stood the griffons were becoming more and more enamored by her stories of battle.

“So Melissa and I ended up taking out the guys guarding the entrance to the underground prison, but as we were trying to get the people out at least ten more showed up.” Maria said, recounting her time in the battle of Denver. The griffons, as well as Luna and Celestia, listened with bated breath. Meanwhile Dominic was quietly sitting, remembering his own moments in the great battle, moments that he looked back on with mixed feelings. Most prominent in his mind was when the EOL had employed RPGs and other rocket launchers, that had been the only time he had felt fear for his safety during the battle.

As Maria continued her story Dominic felt the two minotaurs swap places, and Toris was sitting beside him rather than the burly general. He briefly cast his eyes over then went back to glaring at the two Zebras, both of whom were far from interested in Maria’s story.

“May I ask you a question?” Toris suddenly asked, Dominic turned and looked at her with a raised eyebrow. “Your herd mate is telling of her exploits, why don’t you talk of yours?”

“I don’t think you’d want to hear about them.” Dominic replied, his eyes roving over Toris’ face. “The war isn’t something I like to think about, I’m surprised Maria’s being so talkative on it either, considering…” The man sighed and shook his head, Toris frowned softly and put one of her furry hands on the table.

“You remind me of my son.” She said with a slight sigh. “He was killed on Twin Island, when the supply depot’s were sabotaged.” Dominic felt a bit of guilt lance through his gut, his forces had done that, and seeing how the zebras treated the minotaurs, he felt like he’d made the wrong choice. “I understand if you don’t want to talk about it, he wasn’t very vocal about it either, and truth be told I don’t like it myself. My husband however…”

“I must’ve killed at least fifty people during the final charge…” Dominic said quietly, however it managed to get the attention of the zebras. “First I used my revolver… Six shots, six kills… Then the rifle, then the shotgun…” Dominic quietly leaned back in his seat, staring at the table as his fist clenched and unclenched. “They just wouldn’t stop running, and when I ran out of ammunition I jumped out of my tank and fought them with my sword…” He could hear the crazed screaming in his mind, Toris and Bullhorn stared at him while the Zebras also seemed enthralled. “Then… It got quiet… Deafeningly quiet. For a brief two seconds there was nothing.”

“And then I charged the capital, like an idiot…” Dominic said, gritting his teeth for a second before shaking his head and sitting up straight. “That’s all I care to talk about, it was a stupid war, because of stupid people being given godlike power over other people’s lives. Executing the people responsible won’t bring them back… But I suppose it’s the thing to do...” The man looked at Toris, she seemed to be conflicted with emotion. Bullhorn became stoic, and Issa and Juma had gone back to their normal scowls. “See, this is why they don’t let me go to parties. I’m a bit of a downer.” Dominic chuckled dryly before looking back to Maria, she was finishing up her own story.

“Certainly different from my time in the air corps!” General Albas said cheerfully, before pausing and frowning. “Before they started selling off our airships like hotcakes.” That got Dominic’s attention, he had heard the griffon’s had the most airships in the world, and if they were selling them off he could probably fill the airship gap.

“Too be fair, with the way our economy is…” Grey Feather said, Albas shot the other general a rather dirty look. “It sounds like your military is certainly flourishing, but who can be surprised? After all, you have some of the best Griffon and Thestral soldiers in your ranks!”

“They only needed a little bit of retraining to use our weapons.” Dominic said, offering a compliment on the Griffon army’s training regimen. He was legitimately impressed by it, and had grafted parts of it into the American training courses as a result. “Your welcome to visit if you wish to see.”

“Our government is sufficiently impressed with the United States as it is.” Grey Feather said with a bit of a chuckle, looking at Dominic with a smirk. “As I’m sure you’re aware.” Dominic was very much aware, they often received messages from griffon settlements and even the griffon government, asking to join the United States. That was a slippery slope though, as the griffon economy was still struggling to recover, and Dominic was wary of taking on a proverbial money pit.

“I’m quite aware, but my offer still stands.” Dominic said before he looked to Luna and Celestia, they had started talking amongst themselves. “Perhaps you could visit for other purposes? Trade deals come to mind.” The two griffon’s looked at each other for a couple seconds before leaning over and talking to one another. After a couple seconds they returned their gaze to the man, Dominic adjusted his uniform.

“We’ll certainly speak to the ‘king’ about it.” Albas said, putting an odd emphasis on the title of the griffon’s leader. It was clear that there was a lot of animosity towards their leader, a reminder that Dominic had to keep from screwing up. Dominic inwardly sighed, wishing to be back in New Liberty.

[♠]

The lab of Fortress Wall was empty for the most part, dimly lit by a solitary desk lamp that had been welded to a wall above a cluttered workbench. Two humans and Fortress Wall were standing around the bench, their lab coats discarded across the room while their sleeves were rolled up. On the bench was their latest project, and the current cause of their sleepless night. All three of them had come to the lab on their own, not expecting to find the others. Their current goal was to build a bomber that could strike targets over a fifteen hundred miles away, as well as something that could escort those bombers.

The problem wasn’t funding or materials, but rather finding some sort of medium ground. The reason the American Air Command used biplanes was because of their low stall speed and maximum airspeed. They were able to outpace pegasi and thestrals without being too fast and overshooting their targets. However, that came at a price, the biplanes only had a range of five hundred when loaded down. Even with pegasus escorts helping them along they could only manage to reach the border with enough fuel for a patrol.

The solution to the bombing problem already seemed straightforward, humanity had solved the problem once before, and Fortress saw no reason to reinvent the wheel. Especially if that wheel bore his name. The bomber in question was the B-17 Flying Fortress, it was perfect for what had been asked. It could strike targets as far away as Manehattan with ease, but finding a fighter that could keep up with the bombers and take out enemy interceptors was difficult.

“Perhaps we should look at this from scratch…” One of the scientists, a british fellow with a ponytail and glasses said. Fortress and the other scientist, a young japanese aerospace engineer with a bobbed haircut, looked at their british colleague quietly. “Design our own aircraft, instead of relying on existing technology?”

“Or…” The Japanese woman said softly. “Adapt native technology into our design. Fortress Wall has already shown it’s possible with his latest gatling-weapon.” The woman was referring to Fortress’ ‘Reaper Cannon’, a vehicle mounted multi-barreled weapon system that fired cartridges filled with ground of energy crystal as opposed to conventional propellant. Perfect for taking on swarms of pegasi, or Equestrian battle formations. The japanese woman looked around for a moment, humming in thought. After a moment she quietly picked up a model of a the Fokker D.VII fighter, then looked it over. “I have seen flying chariots, they have no propellers or wings, how do they fly?”

“A spell in the wheels, when they turn they generate lift. That’s why they have to start out on the ground.” Fortress Wall explained, the japanese woman quietly pointed to the propeller of the aircraft.

“We could put a wheel between the prop and the engine.” The woman quietly set the model down as Fortress Wall rubbed his chin.

“From what I’ve seen, in order to generate sufficient lift the spell has to be precise, we couldn’t mass produce wheels.” Fortress wall said, then paused. “But… It wouldn’t need to lift the aircraft, that’s why it’s an aircraft… So, what would be the point?”

“Reduce fuel consumption.” The british man said in a bit of a stunned voice. “If we could generate even a small amount of lift, we could drastically increase the range, speed and service ceiling without compromising the maneuverability and stall speed…”

“It would actually reduce the stall speed...But in that case we could use a stronger fighter…” Fortress Wall said as he looked through a couple more blueprints before holding one up. “Something with a bit more bite, as I believe one of the pilots put it.” The Japanese and British scientists looked at the blueprint for a couple seconds. The P-38 Lightning, followed by the P-47 Thunderbolt was just above the threshold for maximum stall speed, but with a wheel-prop modification, it was likely to fall within acceptable range.

“Let’s begin work on prototypes for these modifications, we can use an existing plane to see if the concept is even feasible.” The British man said, rubbing his neck as he began looking for a pen and paper. Fortress Wall quietly made his way over to another work table to start working, knowing that such modifications could also be applied to bombers and possibly even larger aircraft. With those changes the United States could possibly strike targets as far away as Trottingham, at least, in theory. There was a lot of work to be done, as it was clear the Equestrian’s were gearing up for a fight. Fortress didn’t know what else to make of eight military bases on the border other than that.

[♠]

Luna sighed quietly as she sat next to Celestia, looking out at the dance floor of the ballroom and watching Dominic and Maria share a rather awkward dance. Truth be told she wanted to dance with Dominic, but as it stood, she needed a private word with Celestia. The other delegates had gone off to mingle, leaving Celestia and Luna alone at the table. The lunar princess turned to her sister, Celestia was taking a sip from a glass of red wine that was levitated in her magic. Luna waited for her to set the glass down before she spoke, still rather unsure of how to convey her thoughts.

“Celestia…” Luna said, her sister looked at her with a raised eyebrow. “I want to talk to you about something.” Celestia turned in her seat to look at Luna fully, the lunar mare almost felt a bit uncomfortable as a result. “Before Dominic went through the portal… Discord told me what magic was doing to Dominic, and his species.” Celestia raised an eyebrow, but remained quiet as to not interrupt her sister. “They will be extremely long lived, like us.”

“Really?” Celestia asked as she leaned forward to close the gap between her and Luna. “Does he… Do they know?” Luna shook her head quietly, looking out to the dance floor again. “Why haven’t you told them?”

“I fear what will happen when I do.” Luna said quietly, displaying an amount of worry that Celestia rarely ever saw. “Faced with an eternity of nightmares and terror, I… I know Dominic and Maria won’t do anything, but…” Luna leaned back in her seat and levitated Celestia’s glass of wine to her lips, she gulped it down rapidly. “They are like the thestrals, Celestia. I feel I am duty bound to watch over them. I fear telling them this will cause some to do things drastically.”

“Unfortunately we cannot control the actions of others, I’ve learned that the hard way. Perhaps all you need to do is have faith that they’re tougher than you give them credit for.” Celestia replied, she watched her sister set the empty glass of wine down on the table. She was growing more concerned about the American’s now more than ever. Knowing that Luna was assuming a role of guardian that she hadn’t taken in a thousand years filled her with dread, with the princess of the night protecting them the American’s were set to become as powerful as Equestria. Even more powerful, in fact.

Seeing the discussion Dominic had had with the griffons about trade deals made Celestia realize that even if the man didn’t have the resources to build his own fleet, he had the resources to buy one. Griffons were known to have the fastest and best armored airships in the world, and imagining one of them with human weaponry was enough to push Celestia’s fears closer to a prospect she had thought unthinkable. What was more, for both princesses, it felt as though history was repeating itself.

Celestia was forced to recall the Queendom of Thestra, and how she had used her power to wipe it from the planet, much to her regret. Luna was thinking the same thing, but unlike a thousand years ago, she wasn’t going to fail. The two sister’s hated thinking they would have to square off in battle once again, but secretly neither of them were completely surprised. The two of them simultaneously forced the thoughts out of their heads and relaxed, the conversation rapidly moving to the two humans out on the dance floor.

“So, how have things been going?” Celestia asked, watching Dominic and Maria awkwardly dance to a waltz. Luna smiled faintly at their embarrassed blushes, then turned to look at Celestia. “Have the rumors been true? Are you three really a herd?”

“Yes.” Luna replied, Celestia seemed a bit uncertain about her sister’s answer. “It’s not official, we haven’t had any ceremonies… They’re still getting to know each other on a romantic and sexual level…” Celestia’s face went blank at the last part of the sentence, followed by a faint blush that spread across her white cheeks. “Come now sister, we both know that neither of us are as ‘Pure and untouched’ as our subjects believe. I happen to recall a certain bearded wizard…”

“Shhh!” Celestia said, her blush becoming far brighter than before. Luna only chuckled and leaned back in her seat. “I… I know that, but… I don’t really think the Grand Galloping Gala is the time or place to discuss it.” Luna gave her a rather flat look, then began to open her mouth, before stopping and just smiling a shit eating grin. “But while we’re on the subject… Should I have an aid send your collection?”

“No… They aren’t anywhere near ready to see my collection.” Luna said, her own blush starting to creep across her face. “Besides, at the moment there’s no need to spice things up.” Luna watched Maria and Dominic some more, sighing softly. “It’s odd, isn’t it? Here we are, thousands of years old, and yet we’re talking about the subject like teenagers.”

“Well, when we were teenagers everyone and their brother was trying to woo us.” Celestia said as she poured herself another glass of red wine, then a larger glass for Luna. “Now I think ponies are too afraid to approach us, or, me at least.” The two sisters sipped their glasses, still watching the humans as they started to get better at dancing with practice. “Perhaps I should be the one to go looking.” Luna shrugged and went back to watching her herd mates, wondering just what they were talking about.

Dominic and Maria were actually enjoying themselves more than either of them had expected, the dirty looks had abated on the dance floor, and both of them enjoyed being so close to one another. The music was waltz, as it usually was, and thought neither of them really knew how to waltz they were able to pick up on a few techniques from the other ponies on the dance floor.

“I’ve been thinking about that bill I signed…” Dominic said as he held Maria close. “The one that’s basically putting me in office for the foreseeable future…” Maria leaned her head against his shoulder as she listened to his talk. “I think I can maybe do this for another five years at maximum, by then they’ll probably be tired of me.”

“Why’d you bring it up?” Maria asked as they continued to glide around the dance floor, she pulled her head back to look at him. Being so close to him made it possible to see more than a few worry lines, and though he had shaved his head she knew that his hair had started to grey.

“I just thought you’d want to know when you’d have me all to yourself… Well, Luna and you…” Dominic said with a shrug, Maria responded by squeezing his hand.

“I waited four years without you, Dominic. I can wait five years with you.” She smiled and leaned in to kiss him on the cheek. “I’ve been doing some thinking myself… About my own future.” Dominic raised an eyebrow at her as they continued to waltz around the room. “I’m hoping to get assigned to the base in New Liberty when the four new bases are complete… I heard rumors they’re building a sniper school.”

“Well they’re true.” Dominic said with a bit of a smile, he brought his hand to Maria’s waist and pulled her a bit closer. “You wouldn’t be averse to leading a platoon, would you Major Valova?” Maria leaned in again, nuzzling Dominic’s cheek with a bit of a smile on her face.

“Of course not, you big dope.” She kissed him again, then went back to her normal stance as they continued to dance. “I can’t believe I’m a Major… I’d always thought that would be your schtick.”

“Well, say the word and you can stop being one.” Dominic said softly, his face briefly conveying worry as he lost step and nearly tripped. “I know the military wasn’t your calling…”

“I thought it wasn’t.” Maria said softly, gently placing her hand on Dominic’s shoulder as they continued to waltz. “But, after what happened with my parents, and losing you… It became the only thing that made sense to me. I see now why you’re so fond of it.” Maria stopped dancing as they were near the edge of the dance floor. “I admit I have options now that I didn’t have in the past, perhaps in five years… I’ll do something else too.” Maria tugged Dominic off the dance floor and off towards a darker corner of the ballroom, there were less guests there and it was quieter. “Dominic…? D-Do you think I’m dangerous?”

“Well, you’re a sniper…” Dominic said with a bit of uncertainty. “But off the battlefield you’re the most loving person I know, next to Luna. You don’t take the shot unless you absolutely have to, I personally think that makes you less dangerous.” The man paused quietly as the two of them leaned against the wall of the ballroom. “Why do you ask?”

“I know you want a family, and… I want one too… But I just get so worried that I’ll… I’ll…” Maria started to shiver, but Dominic quickly pulled her into a tight embrace. “I’m sorry… It’s just, now that the war is over and the infection is so far away… I’ve been overthinking things.”

“You don’t need to worry about anything, Maria…” Dominic said quietly as he let go of her, smiling softly as he exhaled through his nose. “Whenever the time comes I know you’ll be a great mother.” Maria smiled a bit wider and visibly relaxed, the two of them began walking to a nearby door and stepped out onto a balcony that was empty of any other guests. Down below them they could see the lights of Canterlot glowing, Dominic rested his hand on Maria’s shoulder and held her closer. The night had had its problems, but things were starting to look better. Dominic knew that the next day would be filled with work, and so he decided that he’d do his best to enjoy the time with Maria and Luna that he had.

Author's Notes:

Here's the final backlog chapter, after this there's gonna be a slight lull while I get a couple things in order. Enjoy, and please remember to leave a comment!

As always, here's your clip of the day!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=coJbegmJbV0