Dominic gritted his teeth as the wind blew against his cheeks, the scenery was blowing past at great speed while the engine of the motorcycle let out its loud droning tone. The man looked over beside him, spotting the Changeling Heir Mizu. She was flying alongside him, her wings buzzing like mad and emiting their own low hum, though it was drowned out by the engine. The motorcycle was really the only way that Dominic could keep up with her, and both knew that speed was of the essence. They tore down the Southbound highway at high speeds, the olive drab cycle and the grey Queen to be, moving past traffic in the official Military lane.

They hadn’t talked much since they had met, both of them wanting to get a head start, as such they had been moving nonstop. The sun was setting, and Canterlot was far away, but that didn’t stop Dominic from thinking about it. Flashes of Maria and Luna danced through his mind, he still couldn’t believe that once again he had been called away from them, this time by seemingly some unknown force. Dominic suspected Discord, he hadn’t been able to contact the Chaos God since he had had his vision. Even if they were friends, Discord was still an order keeper in his own special way, he had his own duties and agendas. Sometimes those agendas conflicted with Dominic’s.

Whatever awaited him and Mizu in the fabled ‘Garden of Creation’, if Discord was keeping it a secret, then it must’ve been important. Dominic checked his speedometer, he was at nearly seventy-five miles an hour, but that still didn’t seem fast enough. The speed was more than enough to move quickly, and it wasn’t like he had to worry about contending with traffic in the Military lane. His jacket fluttered in the whipping wind, his fingers tightly gripping the handlebars in the chilly air that continued to blow against his body. His mind began to wander as they went along, thoughts about Earth continued to enter his head. Most recently the Onorussian occupation of the British Isles had gathered his attention, they had met a bit of resistance since landing, but there was no way the fractured remnants of the country would be able to stand against Onorus.

The man was doing his best to see their side of the issue, that a large unknown force was coming in and occupying their country. At the same time, it could barely be called a country any more, and in the end they would get over it. It wasn’t like survivors were being rounded up and put into camps or lined up against a wall, the Terrans were simply overreacting. Dominic shifted gears on the bike, gaining a little more speed and bringing him back to the realm of reality for a couple seconds. There was always some doubt in his mind about whether what he was doing was right or not, but Dominic didn’t have the luxury of being able to flip flopping on issues.

The man snapped back to reality one more time, he needed to keep his attention on the road ahead, not his own personal moral dilemmas… Unless that was the entire point of this journey? Dominic shook his head a couple times, casting off those thoughts as he thundered down the highway. Meanwhile Mizu was mulling over her own options, she wasn’t sure she would ever be ready to take her mother’s place, and she wasn’t sure she wanted to do that either. It seemed both she and the Imperator were in the same boat, two leaders that never wanted to be in their positions of power, both bound by some personal obligation to do their jobs and ignore their own desires.

She didn’t want to say anything, but she could tell there was something deeply wrong with the man riding southbound on that motorcycle of his. For one thing, it wouldn’t have mattered to her if they had taken a car or not, he had been the one to suggest the motorcycle. She could see him spacing out, something that shouldn’t be done at such speed. Self destructive behavior was common in survivors of the infection, it was something Changelings knew very well considering their empathic abilities, but Mizu had never encountered someone with feelings buried as deeply as the Imperator’s… She could see why he had been given this vision quest, someone was looking out for him, trying to pull him back from a cliff that even he couldn’t see coming.

The changeling heir could only hope they would get wherever it was they were going before the Imperator took that final leap. It was hard to focus on flying, there was so much turmoil raging in the mind of the man beside her, a battle that had been waged for years and years. Humans were odd creatures, and some of the best liars Mizu had ever seen. They concealed the inner machinations and ruminations of their minds from non-empaths with great efficiency, that was why changelings made for such effective psychological care givers. Mizu could see through the tangled web of lies, many of which were directed inward, to see just how close to disaster a person like Dominic was. Death was on his mind, even if he didn’t acknowledge it… From the strength of those thoughts, Mizu could tell that he thought about self termination at least once a day.

She was no therapist, however, and so she was powerless to even bring up the subject. Instead she narrowed her eyes on the horizon and began flying slower, hoping to coax the Imperator to driving more safely. Sure enough the man began to slow down, matching her speed and looking over at her with an uncertain expression on his face. The sun was hanging lower in the sky, the clouds were starting to become a vibrant pink, and the landscape was gradually becoming more and more arid. Mizu quietly gestured towards an upcoming exit sign, Dominic shrugged before nodding and changing lanes in order to exit.

At their speed it only took them a couple minutes to come upon the exit, a ramp leading off the highway onto a lonely strip of asphalt that cut through the countryside. Dominic down shifted as he slowed the bike and exited the highway, Mizu was glad that she had managed to get him to slow down for a bit. It would give both of them time to clear their heads and perhaps get to know eachother better than they already did. Dominic stopped at the intersection that was right next to the underpass that lead under the highway, he looked both ways before shifting once again and pulling onto the road. He only road along for a couple minutes before pulling off onto the shoulder and killing the engine, the man lowered the kickstand and dismounted the bike.

“What’s wrong?” Dominic asked Mizu as she landed, running a hand over his head. Mizu moved next to him, her wings fluttering softly as she ran through what she was about to say. “Is it because I’m not wearing a helmet?”

“Partially…” Mizu said, maintaining a rather neutral tone. “I can sense something wrong with you, Imperator. You’re emotions are… Disturbing.” Dominic rubbed his chin and leaned against his bike, his jacket fluttering in the wind. “Very self destructive…”

“You sound like my shrink.” Dominic replied semi casually, reaching a hand to his breast pocket to withdraw a cigarette. “And go ahead and call me Dominic, no need to be so damn formal.” Mizu scowled as she watched him bring the cigarette to his lips, her horn glowed for a second and yanked the cigarette away. Dominic scowled and took another cigarette from his pocket. “You and I don’t know eachother that well, so I’ll assume you did that on accident.”

“Don’t.” Mizu said flatly, her horn glowing once again and pulling the next cigarette away. “This is exactly what I mean by self destructive behavior.”

“What? A cigarette? It takes the edge off.” Dominic said flatly, trying to take the cigarettes floating in the air, Mizu floated them away.

“No it doesn’t. You and I both know how your body works in this world, it filters out the nicotine before it can be processed.” Mizu said firmly, Dominic stopped trying to take the cigarettes and stared at her, his eyes narrowing while a scowl began to form on his face. “It’s why you can start or stop smoking on a whim without getting addicted, and it’s why you stopped in the first place, because you couldn’t take the edge off. Isn’t that also why you don’t think anything weaker than moonshine when you’re trying to get drunk?”

“H-How the fuck…?” Dominic took a step towards her.

“Queens can read more than emotions, when we’re this close to someone as emotionally unstable as you we can read even their memories.” Mizu said as the man towered over here, glaring daggers into her eyes as he clenched and unclenched his fists. “You’re family doesn’t even know how deep it runs, do they…”

“Shut up.” Dominic said firmly.

“The kid gloves are coming off, Dominic.” Mizu said flatly. “Have you told them just how many of those crumpled up papers in your trash basket started out meant for your wives to find?”

“Shut up!” Dominic shouted, cocking back a fist, trembling with anger. All the while Mizu continued staring into him, as if examining every inch of his soul. She wasn’t getting to know him verbally, but emotionally, another perk of her becoming an heir to the throne. It was far more effective than talking, and far more honest. He couldn’t lie or hide his thoughts when he was so agitated, it was only for that reason that Mizu was pushing so hard. “You and I are stuck together for however long this takes, why do you insist on making this harder!” Gradually he lowered his fist to his side, clenching and unclenching it. “Is this some sort of revenge, huh? For something that happened during the Changeling-American War?”

“No.” Mizu said sincerely, she sighed and looked at the floor. “I was confirming my initial assessment of your mental state, Imperator…” Dominic continued staring at her, the changeling mare turned and looked around them at the rather arid landscape, there were a couple trees and tall grass, but they were all brown and beige, like something from the plains of Africa. “I took no pleasure in any of that, emotional transference is a common side effect of being empathic. Especially for someone like me. It’s likely that calm you feel now is a side effect of it as well...”

“So… Pulling off the highway was for you to perform some sort of… Changeling Mind Meld?” Dominic asked, Mizu was right, he felt a lot less angry than he knew he should’ve been. Mizu nodded to answer his question, he noticed her shaking slightly. “What’s wrong…?”

“I… I sensed your emotions for longer than I should have…” Mizu said in a shaking voice. “They’re all hitting me now, just like that calm is hitting you…” Dominic felt his hand clenching and unclenching, but it gradually tapered off while Mizu seemed on the brink of collapsing. “I… I am a Changeling… I… Am in c-c-c…” Her voice caught in her throat and she wiped her eyes. “C-Control of my emotions…” Dominic scowled, he wanted to be angry at her, but he couldn’t… For some strange reason. “H-H-How d-do you survive… F-Feeling this…?”

The man sighed and ignored her, instead turning back to his bike and unstrapping one of his saddle bags. From within he took a paper bag that Maria had given him, the man reached into the bag and withdrew a sandwich wrapped in plastic wrap. The man opened the sandwich and sat down beside Mizu, looking towards highway and all the cars flying past on the southbound route.

“Years of practice.” Dominic said flatly as he took a bite out of the sandwich, it was cool from an icepack that had been in the bag, and from the taste he could tell it was turkey salad. “As you pointed out… I’ve thought about giving up more than once.” The man sighed quietly and leaned his head back, looking up at the sky which was illuminated by the setting sun, the air was still chilly as winter had decided to stick around longer this year. Still, the man could tell it would be spring soon, at least, he hoped that was the case. The snow had melted for the most part, save for the more shady parts of the country.

“I’ve… I’m sorry…” Mizu said, rubbing her neck as she did her best to reign in the emotions that she had inadvertently taken onto her shoulders. “That was out of line for me to say…”

“Not so sure it was…” Dominic spoke with a dry chuckle as he looked at his sandwich. “I’ve been asking myself a lot lately, just how much longer I can keep walking the tightrope between my emotions and my duties…” The man ran a hand over his head once again, feeling like the weight of the world was once again on his shoulders. “That’s why I’m doing this, I guess…” The man finished his sandwich and looked over at Mizu. “It’s starting to get dark, want to call it quits for the night?”

“Sure…” Mizu replied quietly as she did her best to relax. “Let’s… Find an inn or something.” Dominic nodded and stood up, tossing the remnants of the plastic wrap back into the paper bag and replacing it in his saddle bag. He straddled the bike and adjusted his jacket before sighing and looking at the ground, the engine bellowed to life as he pushed the starter. Mizu’s wings fluttered once again as she took to the sky, she began flying along the road back towards the highway with Dominic riding along behind her. The two of them were back on the massive strip of concrete within a few minutes, weaving through a couple cars before settling into the Military lane once again.

Dominic felt the cold air blowing against his cheeks as they sped down the highway, he flicked a switch that turned on the lights, the sun was getting even lower in the sky. For the first time in a long time, there was a feeling of excitement in his chest. His head felt clearer, his mind felt sharper, the danger of it all was stimulating his mind like some sort of drug. Being out on the open road with nothing between him and the asphalt but a beefed up chopper made the calamity raging in his head recede into obscurity like so many headlights on the cars he was flying past.

Mizu turned her head as she heard something faintly over the engine, she could see the wild look in Dominic’s eyes. A massive, almost manic grin, was plastered across his face. She saw the man open his mouth, once again she heard the noise over the engine, he was screaming. It wasn’t out of pain or anger, if anything, it was… Excitement. Mizu just hoped that they managed to reach the Garden of Creation before those screams turned to something worse.

[♠]

Shining Armor quietly sighed as he stood beneath the cold fluorescent lights of a room deep beneath his castle, laid out before him were two tables with corpses laid out on top of them, covered by white sheets. The stallion was flanked on either side by one of his top generals and his top security advisor, his expression was markedly grim as the medical examiner in front of him drew back one of the sheets. Under the sheet was none other than one of his top weapons researchers, an Onorussian unicorn that had helped develop their first weapon of mass destruction, or Arcane Annihilators, as they had come to be known in the Crystal Empire.

It was clear that the death of this researcher had not been a pleasent one, the grisly bullet hole between the eyes was evidence of that. It was concluded that the wounds on both dead scientists had been caused by a single gunshot, a twenty two hollow point round. There was no doubt in Shining’s mind that this was the work of Providentia. The Onorussians had found out about the traitors and silenced them, Shining only wished that he had gotten more use out of the unicorns before their untimely dispatchment.

“Did you at least recover their research?” Shining asked as the medical examiner covered the body again, the security advisor beside him adjusted his tie with a florish of magic before levitating a file from within his jacket. He was orange in color, and shined as most crystal ponies did.

“The Providentia Agents that performed this execution were thorough, sir.” The stallion passed the folder to Shining Armor quietly. The prince opened the folder and looked through the pictures, his expression remaining stoic as he saw snapshots of ransacked filing cabinets and ashes in the bottom of a metal trash can. “They took whatever they could carry and burned the rest, but we managed to reconstruct some of the schematics from some of the larger pieces of ash.”

“Damn barbarians, they just killed two civilians in cold blood…” The general muttered as he shook his head, Shining Armor was about to concur, but then paused. The medical examiner, a blue crystal pegasus, was far less convinced.

“This was more than an assassination.” He said, all three government officials looked at him with a raised eyebrow. “I’ve examined a half dozen Providentia victims, their weapon of choice is far less… Messy.” He pulled the sheet back again and gestured to the bullet hole. “Most Providentia agents are rather noticeable, even changeling operatives can’t completely mimic our crystalline structure. Their agents usually kill using a poison known as botulinum toxin, it’s fast and difficult for us to treat, and it provides them ample time to escape.”

“That’s right…” The Security Advisor mumbled as he examined the body a bit closer, Shining Armor raised an eyebrow at the explanation. “This reads more as an insult… Most likely directed at our Inteligence agency.” The stallion frowned. “We… We were supposed to be protecting them. They got so close they were able to shoot these two at point blank range, stole their files and burned the rest, all while we had agents stationed outside their offices.”

“They’re reminding us who we’re dealing with.” Shining said with an ever growing scowl. “I am tired of being two steps behind these bastards, Agent Orange.” The stallion glared at his security advisor with a look that made the hardened intelligence operative flinch. “I want their listening posts rooted out, I want their agents eliminated, I don’t want a single Onorussian spy in our city by the end of this month. If you can’t get it done, I’ll find someone else who can. Is that perfectly clear to you?”

“Yes, sir.” Agent Orange said, Shining Armor nodded and gestured for him to leave. The orange spy nodded and walked out of the room, the medical examiner meanwhile began to go about his other duties, leaving Shining with his general.

“General Grab… What news have we received so far about the Onorussian’s movements in the Caribou and Zebrican ruins?” Shining asked as the two stallions turned and began walking out of the room, into a hall that was also lit by fluorescent lights, the walls were clean and white, sparsely decorated with safety posters. General Grab, a burly Crystal Earth Pony, grunted and adjusted his navy blue uniform.

“They’ve landed forces there, mainly reservists and volunteers.” Grab said in a gravely voice that echoed along the scuffed tiles that lined the floor. “They’re mopping up the token resistance that the Zebras and Caribou ‘vowed’ to put up, from what I’ve heard the Caribou lands are still covered in dangerous levels of arcane residue.” The stallion looked over to his superior with a neutral expression. “That said, they’ve already started hauling the iron and other resource stockpiles out of that wasteland. It’ll be a while before they can start actual mining operations, seeing as they can only send the Terrans in at the moment, what with their immunity to Arcane radiation…”

“And the Zebrican ruins?” Shining asked, retaining a neutral expression of concern. General Grab turned his attention to one of the safety posters for a couple seconds before adjusting his officer’s cap.

“It’s a black hole, to use an Onorussian phrase.” The General said bluntly. “They’re troops there are mainly sifting through wasted villages, you know how the Zebra were about actual cities.” Shining nodded quietly, appearing rather perturbed by the quickness the Onorussian’s had shown in claiming the spoils of war. “That said… Don’t expect to see any zebras any time soon, our estimations put their numbers at less than two thousand survivors, down from last month’s estimation by five hundred.”

“Damn…” Shining said with a slow shake of his head, but it was to be expected of their neighbor to the south. Onorus had been founded by a far more aggressive species, and from his personal experiences with Dominic Occisor, Shining knew just how seriously they valued their survival. “Without the scientists, our new delivery system for our arcane weapons will take longer to develop. Have Agent Orange look into finding us a replacement, the best teleportation mage we can get our hooves on.”

“I’ll pass it along, sir. For now, I should really get back to the front. Our Yakyakistan operation will be starting tomorrow.” General Grab said, Shining nodded as the two of them stopped in front of a pair of metal elevator doors. Shining pressed a button on the wall, prompting a light to flash on the ceiling. The elevator began descending to their floor, leaving both of them to sit in silence and wait. Shining thought more about the operation General Grab had mentioned, with the Onorussian’s to the south Shining Armor couldn’t afford to tolerate the equally dangerous Yakyakistani threat to the north. They would invade and pacify the local population, annex the territory, and take the resources to build up their forces against the Onorussians.

All around the world, the remaining large states had realized just how dangerous the super power had become. It wielded immense power and influence, it could choke off supply routes with a single fleet, blot out the sun with airships and planes, lay waste to entire civilizations. The writing was on the wall, and many citizens of the world had begun to think that perhaps Celestia had been right all those years ago. Even though the Onorussian government rarely made controversial statements about its neighbors, its sheer size instilled a clear message. Join, or die.

The doors opened, allowing both stallions to step into the elevator. General Grab pushed a couple more buttons before the ride upwards began, again it was spent in silent contemplation of the titan to the south. Tirelessly, as if driven by some supernatural force, the Onorussian industry marched along, churning out tanks and bombs, cars and trucks, and all manner of other incredible devices that a decade before would have only been found in science fiction. The Crystal Empire was closest to rivalling the super power in technology, if not in size, though Shining Armor hoped to change that soon enough. Eventually the elevator stopped at a floor, the General nodded to Shining Armor before stepping out onto a floor with walls painted in military markings.

Shining watched the doors close, at which point he sat down and let out a pent up sigh of frustration while the elevator continued rising through the castle, passing through the public and administration floors rather quickly. He closed his eyes, knowing it would take a bit longer to get to his floor. The wait gave him time to clear his head of the thoughts and worries, for the most part, letting him focus on the thought of seeing his loving wife once again. He just hoped her day had been better than his, she was the one that did most of the work when it came to foreign affairs, Shining handled most of the internal problems. The elevator let out another ding, prompting Shining to stand and adjust his mane. The door slowly slid open, allowing the stressed leader to step out on his floor.

[♠]

Altair quietly stared out of his bedroom window, in the distance he could hear a droning air raid siren echoing through the streets of Canterlot below. He knew it was only a test, it happened on the same day of every month, but he also knew that it existed for a very real reason. His parents tried to keep it from him, but there was very little that couldn’t be found out from a library or on the internet. They all told him that there was no plane that could make it to Onorus from a foreign country, but that the other countries of the world were developing rockets that could get there.

The boy wondered to himself if that was the real reason his dad had had to leave, if the man that he idolized as his hero had once again left to fulfill his duty to protect Onorus. He hoped so, because he knew that his dad always made good on his word, and that meant that one day there wouldn’t be any need for siren tests in the first place. Altair turned away from the window and looked around his room, it was a mess, as usual… He knew how much it bothered his mom and mother, but in all honesty he forgot to clean up most of the time. The boy walked towards his closet, a mirror was hanging from the door, allowing him to see himself. His shirt was untucked, his hair was messy, and his pants sagged.

Altair quietly straightened up, mimicking his father’s posture, his chest puffed out slightly. In his mind he could see himself dressed like his father, uniform pressed and straight, hair high and tight. After a couple of seconds he relaxed, pulled up his pants, tucked in his shirt, and did his best to straighten up his hair. The boy then began going around his room, tidying it up, hoping that by doing that simple task it would make his father all the more proud of him when he got home. He knew that it would be dinner time soon, they always tested the siren half an hour before it was time to eat, if he worked quick enough his room would probably be clean before his mom came to get him.

He put his toy soldiers in their box before tucking them under his bed, lined up his action figures up in parade formation on one of his shelves, and generally put the rest of his toys in more organized locations. The minutes ticked by as he continued cleaning, occasionally stopping to look in the mirror again. When he stood there, puffing his chest out, he could imagine his father standing behind him, giving him a pat on the back or tousling his hair. Eventually he came to his bedside table, there wasn’t much that needed tidying there, but he found himself looking at the helmet his father had given him. He picked it up with a grunt, as it was heavy for him, but despite that he set it on his head. The helmet leaned to one side, but it still felt like it belonged there, somehow… The boy removed it to look it over some more.

Maria quietly pushed the door to Altair’s room open, expecting to step on something strewn about the floor, but she was surprised when no pain lanced up from her foot. Last time she had come to get him his floor had been covered in small plastic blocks, and she had foolishly opted not to go barefoot. This time, however, the floor was clear of obstructions. A pleasent surprise to be sure, the woman smiled faintly before spotting Altair sitting on his bed, holding his father’s helmet in his hands and looking it over. The look of curiosity in his eyes was so familiar, almost identical to Dominic’s. Her smile faded slightly when she saw Altair put the helmet on his head, even though it was so big, she couldn’t stop seeing the similarities. Her boy looked so much like his father in that helmet, it made her worry about him… She had hopes for him to be a doctor or an artist, to be something that didn’t require him to experience what she had...

“Mom! I cleaned!” Altair said in an excited tone, Maria snapped out of her thoughts.

“I can see that, very well done!” Maria replied, walking towards him and sitting next to him on the bed. He had done a pretty good job, all things considered. “Dinner’s almost ready, so I figured I’d come and get you.” Altair nodded and removed the helmet from his head, placing it next to him on the bed. She could see him looking at the floor, a small frown present on his lips, she knew he was trying to hide it, but a mother knows… “What’s wrong, sweetie?”

“I… I don’t know…” Altair admitted quietly before he leaned against her side, the woman extended her arm to give him a hug. “I just… Feel weird, ever since dad left on his trip. It’s like… I feel sad, but… Not just sad?”

“You miss him.” Maria said in a comforting tone, rubbing her hand up and down Altair’s shoulder. “I know because I miss him too...” The woman leaned down and kissed his head, giving him an extra tight hug for good measure. “Don’t worry, honey. He’ll be back soon, you know that.”

“I hope so…” Altair said quietly, the boy looked up towards his mom with that small frown still tugging at his lips. “I just wish I didn’t feel this way…” Maria continued hugging him, doing her best to comfort her ailing son.

Author's Notes:

Friggen finally~! It's here! I am very sorry about the delay, I feel like I owe you all an explanation. I had a really hard time focusing and making it through this chapter, I had to deal with some mental health problems. Nothing serious, everything is under control now, and I'm feeling much better. Hopefully I can get the chapters rolling out at a more rapid pace now that my head's clear. Thank you all so much for bearing with me, it really means a lot.

And now, be they long overdue, the clip of the week, with a bonus one. Somethings I thought was rather cool.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gL1om02Ols

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wk-kNvr2Bgs