The Everfree was a dangerous place. A wild patch of dark woods that sat on the outskirts of Ponyville, silently defying the accepted order of the world around it. Its presence so perverse, so overpowering, being held in such silent fear that the very mentioning of its name would provoke a shiver through the bravest of pony resident. Even I was not fully unaffected by its dark charms as its brackish depths would awaken the voices of my ancient ancestors whispering to me warnings of the dangers that were hidden deep within its borders. Yet even with all its inherent dangers there could also be found a certain amount of calm whenever I would venture into its outskirts in search of game. Its rebellious nature to the rules placed upon the landscape of its neighbors by their magical tenants, a nature so feared and alien to the locals, was to me nothing more than an escape to a lingering memory of the world that I had been forced to leave behind.

'I am a tree. I do not move,' I silently repeat to myself.

Since early in the morning I had been perched up in the tree, high within its wide boughs, hunting by the waning light of Pyre's moon. While concealed from the dangers of the forest floor below with the help of a homemade ghillie suit and a concoction that was intended to suppress my scent made for me by the skillful hands of Otzdy, the Shaman of the Everfree. Yet my expedition, like many mornings before it, had thus far been fruitless only having the aches in my joints and the crushing fatigue of my eyes from the strain I had placed on them trying to see into the inky blackness of the forest understory below to show for my troubles. For weeks, even before my journey to Canterlot, I had been scouting out this path, observing a plethora of animals that hopefully held the chance of becoming viable sources of protein that could help sustain me through the rapidly approaching winter. But as the last few remaining moments of moonlight ebbed away to make way for the approaching dawn behind me my attempts had thus far been fruitless. Nevertheless, just when I thought I would have to call it a night yet again a rustling in the nearby underbrush alerted me to an intruder, and it seemed that my luck would finally be starting to take a turn for the better.

'The cold does not bother the tree so therefore it does not bother me.'

I could feel the massive trunk sway ever so slightly from a passing easterly breeze, my APECS gear underneath my ghillie doing well to keep out all but the bitterest of chills allowing me to remain motionless. For in the clearing, not more than twenty-five yards from the base of the very tree I was hiding in, a passel of hogs had emerged from the undergrowth. Their hunger and foraging noses having lead them to the corn that I had spread there the afternoon before.

'Very slowly, I breath through my nose. That way they can not see my breath.'

The air had steadily begun to grow colder in the days following the ascension of Etpinego and the others into their new lives of alicornhood. The pegasi of the Weather Command had begun to bring down the frigid northern air from the Crystal Empire and beyond signaling the start of the harvest season. I breathed slowly through my nose to help hide the telling white puffs of my exhales in the rapidly brightening sky and to help calm my beating heart.

'I am a tree, I do not move.'

I continued to repeat that line in my head like a mantra, forcing my body to remain motionless as I focused all my concentration on the hogs in front of me. A cold wind blew through the trees again swaying the branches I was currently standing on forcing me to fight the urge to press myself closer against the rough bark of the trunk. The only thing that kept me from freaking out was the knowledge and reassurance of feeling my safety tether pull taut against my waist.

I continued to watch the wild swine as they kept their noses to the ground oblivious to my presence. For months I had been baiting the game trails that ran through the clearings close to the path that lead back towards town after finding tracks showing that it was fairly active with game. Probably staying to the relative safety of the outskirts to avoid most of the larger predators which seemed to congregate towards the center of the forest. Once the presence of activity had been proven I decided to scout out the area, but from the relative safety of the trees to keep me safe from the random manticore or roaming cockatrice. It took a couple of early morning expeditions to the trail but I was soon able to get an idea of the traffic that passed by.

One such finding was this particular passel of golden hogs that moved eastward down the trail every other morning searching for better foraging grounds. But these pigs weren't the typical javelinas and ferals that I had grown up hunting among the hills and woods of Texas. They were a strange breed to me, half the size of a feral with long wicked curved tusk and long bristly golden hair that would glow and shimmer in strange luminescent displays whenever they became startled or excited.

Not knowing anything on these animals and not wanting to take the risk if they proved to be half as dangerous as a normal wild pig I decided to consort the local animal experts Xamspona and Paxilla. Although I was more than a little hesitant to bring up the conversation to the gentle butter-colored mare. Yet after a couple of delicate conversations I was able to gain the information I needed and was informed that these pigs were called Slydrutane hogs and were not much different from normal earth pigs; even down to their non-sapience. Good news all around because this meant that they could become a source of meat to help keep my stores full for the coming winter, but there was still a catch that would make them difficult prey.

First was their hair that they could use to signal the others in the group which meant the killing strike would have to be fast. And second was their hide itself which I learned from Xamspona's lecture was tougher than tempered plate armor. This meant that whatever I used had to be also hard-hitting to get past such a formidable defense.

This left me at a standstill for a few weeks, but as my grip tightened around the smooth wood of my bow I hoped to finally be able to correct that. Prior to returning from my recent trip to Canterlot I had come across a store that specialized in rare and exotic gems and jewelry. One such gem was a stone called a starburst opal that could only be found on the slopes of a particular volcano in the Lash’ka mountain range located halfway around the world in the country of the Naga. This made them rarer than the normally abundant amount of jewels in Equestria which also translated into that they were more expensive than them as well, but the point that had caught my attention was that the shop owner had informed me that the stone had earned its fame because it was harder than diamonds and had been used in the past by the Naga for tools to carve statues out of stone. So it was my hope that these prismatic gems would be able to penetrate their hide.

I narrowed my sights on the smallest sow who was foraging off to the left from the main group. She was younger than the others having just recently lost the striped brown hair common with piglets for the shimmering golden hair of an adult. It was my hope that with her being younger that her hide wouldn’t be as tough as the older hogs thereby giving me the greatest chance of penetration.

Slowly I brought up my recurve bow, cautious of making any sudden movements that would frighten my prey, as I waited for the opportunity to present itself. Luck, however, seemed to continue to shine down on me that day as I saw her begin to turn her side to me as I drew back the string until I felt the familiar tickling of the fletching against my cheek. The string dug itself almost painfully into my fingers as my muscles fought to contain the stored energy of the bow till the right moment.

Finally the little pig turned fully, unaware to the danger I posed to her, giving me a beautiful side profile shot as her golden hair shimmered in the low early morning light. Taking one final breath to steady my aim I let go of the string which shot forward with a resounding snap that rang throughout the clearing startling the hogs, but it was already too late as I followed the arrow along its short flight to it’s target. Impacting the sow low on her ribcage right behind her forelegs.

Only to stop suddenly upon impact and fall to the ground.

The pigs now alerted to the danger tore off back into the underbrush in a flurry of squeals and flashing hair leaving me in silent disbelief on what had just occurred. I had witnessed these arrowheads penetrate the breastplate of a suit of enchanted guard armor with ease and here it looked like a simple piece of pig hide had just shrugged it off like a nasty bite from a horsefly. Waiting a few moments to ensure that the commotion hadn’t attracted any unwanted attention from one of the forest’s more dangerous residents I made my way down to the ground. Readying my bow with another arrow and ensuring that my knife was easily accessible as soon as my feet crunched on the leafy ground just in case of unwanted visitors as I made my way over to where the shaft laid on the ground. Picking it up I could see immediately what had happened as I dishearteningly examined the shattered arrowhead, its fragments sparkling on the ground in the early morning light.

“Well shit,” I muttered to myself as I rolled the wooden shaft between my fingers, “so much for that idea.”

I sat there for a minute mulling over this massive setback until one of the larger fragments caught my attention as it sparkled in the morning light. Picking it up my dreams of bacon and barbecues were restored slightly as I saw a trace of blood splattered on one edge. It looked like penetration was capable I just needed something that could punch harder than the bow and arrow I currently had. The first thing to come to my mind was a gun and perhaps in the right caliber and powder load it could do it but to the best of my knowledge guns did not exist in Equestria. The country having only developed primitive cannons within the past decade and none of them were small enough to be anything close to being considered portable, unless you counted Tupomi and her “Party Cannon” which the pink alicorn seemed to wield with ease and deadly precision. Something that I chalked up to magic, or bullshit, I wasn’t sure which one entirely yet. Still as much as I thought it could be possible to work something out in the workshop I was cautious on bringing too much of that side of Earth’s technology to this world for the fear of misuse in the wrong hands.

The noise of a snapping twig off in the distance broke me from my musings making me remember the vulnerable situation I had put myself in down on the forest floor. Figuring it was time to retreat to a safer local I dropped the broken shaft back to the ground as I carefully moved my way back the short distance to the relative safety of the path. It was only a couple minute walk to the well beaten path that lead back into town, but I made sure to keep an arrow nocked in my string and a wary lookout on my surroundings, lest I run into any unsavory creatures or even the hogs if they decided to get revenge on me for shooting at one of their own. All the while a voice in the back of my head hoped that the scent covering liquid I had gotten from Otzdy worked as well as she had advertised.

Once on the gravel trail I let out a shaky breath and began my walk back towards my apartment. The journey allowed me time for my mind to wander and reflect over all that happened in the month since my meeting with Queen Harmonia. Her abrupt elevation from the tales of legend to sudden fact along with the promotion of five new princesses to the realm had turned the seemingly ever evolving status quo of Equestrian politics on its head. Maybe even more so than the added news of the lost Queen's sudden abdication of her crown had done. This had resulted in sending the different branches of the government into a scurry to lessen the effects that such news would have on the nation as a whole. To me it was actually quite amazing to see how quickly and smoothly the transaction had happened. Within hours of the announcement committees were formed from the Houses of the Noble Congregation to answer the questions regarding hierarchy now that so many formerly common houses were associated to the thrones of Equestria. Meanwhile the courts convened to determine the extent of power that the new royalty would now hold with so many members while still remaining within the bounds of the law laid out in the original Equestrian Charter.

Eventually, after many a late night session, the decision had been made to create a new office, officially called Her Majesties Royal Council of Princesses but it had quickly earned the title of "The Princess Council" amongst the newspapers and the common citizenry. It was to be a privy council that would eventually be seated by the Crowned Princesses of Equestria and empower them with three main responsibilities: to oversee and advise the Queens on certain sectors of government public administration, to be the deciding vote of the Congregation in case of a deadlock, and to take over the responsibilities of the Queens in the event that they should ever become incapable of performing their duties.

Yet as drastic as these changes to policy were they were not scheduled to happen till after the new Princesses had completed a series of lessons and studies laid out for them by the Queens and the Congregation that would better prepare them for the new lives they were now destined to lead. Queen Harmonia may have bestowed upon them the titles of Princess and welcomed them into her family but in order for them to become true and legal Princesses of Equestria it took more than simply having a prestigious lineage and earning a horn and a pair of wings. In fact, according to Gilzia and Pyre, if they all breezed through their studies they could be done with all of it in a little under five years. However, until such a time occurred they would be allowed to live their lives in whatever way they desired. Allowing them the privileges of a normal life, or at least as normal as it had been before.

With such an imposing task ahead of them, in addition to the impending coronation, it was a welcomed breath of relief to the others when Gilzia and Pyre had allowed us to return to our homes in Ponyville until the big day tomorrow. Even I found myself excited by this news because it allowed my crew and I the time needed to be able to finish the XP-27 in time to unveil it at the conclusion of the ceremony. In fact we had just begun taxi checks the day prior and morale was high amongst the team as we watched the plane struggle to stay ground bound on more than one high speed taxi down the facility's grass strip.

By then I had made my way back to the facility and was eager to get out of my gear, get cleaned and get some food in my stomach before maybe even getting in a couple hour nap before I would of had to start my workday. Coming around the back of the hangar to the side door I paused suddenly when I saw the door gaped open ever so slightly. I distinctly remembered having closed the wooden door when I had left earlier in the morning yet there it sat ajar.

The first thought to cross my mind was that perhaps one of my herdmates or even one of the other princesses had stopped by for a visit, but as likely as that was the truth there was still doubt in my mind for the single fact that they wouldn't have just entered the building if I wasn’t there. Which left only the unknown available to me. Thinking it best to continue with caution I pressed my back against the wall next to the door and slipped the bow from my shoulder nocking an arrow into the string. My adrenaline pumped in my veins as I brought the bow up and slowly walked open the door with my shoulder, using it as concealment in my sweep of the interior as I made my way into the building.

The inside was dimly lit in the early morning light as beams of soft sunlight spilled in through the skylights high up in ceiling above me leaving most of the floor covered in shadows. I relaxed the string momentarily as I reached behind me to flip on the lights driving away the darkness before continuing my search. A quick search on the bottom floor revealed nothing and I began to think that maybe it had just been a stray animal that had found their way inside but had left already as I felt my grip lighten on the laminated handgrip of the bow. But I had to pause when my nose made out the distinct aromatic nuttiness of my foreign brand of Enelian coffee wafting through the building. I knew that I had not set on a pot before leaving earlier that morning, and I was fairly certain none of the animals in Equestria knew how to work a coffee maker. So if I had not been the one who had started it then another must have, and I was not expecting guest so early this morning.

Unfortunately I could not see into the kitchen from the hangar floor which meant I would have to make my way up to my apartment and find out who this unannounced house caller was. I didn’t think that whomever had made themselves comfortable in my home was an immediate threat to my life, because I didn’t know of any kind of burglar that would brew a pot of coffee in the middle of a home invasion, not a good one I hoped, as I lowered my bow and began to stealthily climb the stairs to the loft. Still, I didn’t consider myself one to trust everything solely to assumptions as I kept my fingers on the string.

Walking into the apartment I soundless opened the door and poked my head through. There didn’t seem to be anything out of place and more importantly no one in the living room. A thought crossed my mind that maybe who ever had been here had already left, but I had to put that thought on hold when I heard a rustling noise come from the kitchen. Creeping across the wooden floor I paused outside the door for a moment to calm the thumping of my heart before bursting through the swinging door my bow raised threateningly.

Inside, however, I was greeted by the sight of a trio of Royal Guards positioned around the far end of my kitchen table, helping themselves to my coffee and a plate of coffee cake I had bought from Sugarcube Corner the day prior. They had no doubt been waiting for me as they stared at me with reserved patience as I stood in the doorway aiming at them. Two of them were stallions, the third a mare, and each of them were dressed in a different styled suit of engraved armor announcing which royal house they bore allegiance to.

The lone mare I was already very familiar with and had instantly recognized her from my many days around Ponyville as Lt. Pyvu Tiev, commander of Xamspona's Twilight Guard. Yet the seated pegasus and thestral stallions were unfamiliar to me, but the crest of their helms and accouterments adorning their suits of armor announced their stations to me as high-ranking officers in the guard. The older pegasus guard dressed in the enchanted golden armor of the Solar Guard seemed to hold a higher position than the others as he remained seated at the head of the table while the other two flanked him on either side. His dark grey fur only serving to accentuate his blue eyes as they studied me while a small grin tugged at his lips.

"Good morning, Ambassador," he greeted to me, his voice reverberating in a rich baritone, "I have to apologize for the time of our arrival, but you must understand that our schedules have become a little more hectic as of late trying to setup and fill the ranks of the new Royal Guard detachments for the Princesses."

I gave a indistinguishable grunt as I lowered my bow and tucked the arrow back into its quiver, "I can imagine, but when they told me as I was leaving Canterlot that the Royal Guard would be paying me a visit I didn't expect such high-ranking individuals to show up in my home. Nor did I figure that y'all would do so without me knowing. You see where I come from we don't take lightly to people coming into our homes unannounced and helping themselves to their host's food."

"That may be true where you come from, Ambassador," the grey pegasus calmly replied, "but in Equestria it is considered good manners for a host to open their house to guests, no matter the time of day."

Needing a drink to calm my nerves I placed the bow and quiver on the counter before going to the icebox and pulling out a bottle of orange liqueur immediately popping the cap and taking a long chug savoring the smooth liquid as it crossed my tongue. Finally feeling refreshed I turned back to the guard, "True, but in order for one to be considered a guest they would have had to have been invited in by their host in the first place."

His subordinates shifted at my words, obviously ruffled over my lack of manners to their superior, but their wizened leader simply gave a smirk in reply. Impressed with his fortitude I began to take off my outer garments placing them atop the counter as well before moving to the fridge again, opening it as I glanced back to the guards.

"Can I interest any of you in a hard cider or maybe an orange liqueur?" I asked as their faces turned into one of disbelief.

"It's 7 o'clock in the morning?" The Lunar officer exclaimed his voice heavy with bewilderment as I paused for an instant, casting another look into the appliance's depths before I cautiously offered another suggestion.

"Rum?"

Pyvu and the thestral continued to stare at me, their mouths agape, as the pegasus stallion drew my attention with a dismissive wave of his hand, "No, thank you Ambassador, but we are fine with our coffee. Our time here is short and I would like to talk with you for a moment and ask of you a favor of grave importance to myself and the Guard, possibly even Equestria itself."

"And what can I do to help the Royal Guard with, Mr. -," I asked as I motioned to the pegasus stallion with my hand in an attempt to fish out his identity.

"Pewxaev Philm, Captain of the Royal Guard," he offered before motioning to the other two to introduce themselves , "and these are my Deputy Commanders."

"Lieutenant Prim Upona, Commander of the Lunar Detachment." the thestral stallion dressed in the violet Lunar Armor said crisply as he came to attention.

"The Ambassador and I have already had quite a few chances to become familiar with one another." Pyvu Tiev said as she leveled a stern stare at me.

"Quite, our first encounter was especially memorable," I mentioned, referring to our initial meeting all those months ago when I had first arrived to this world as I returned the stare with one of my own, "but it's been a little while since then hasn't it, Lieutenant?"

"Yet still somehow not long enough," she replied in a tone so cold that it didn't leave any question in my mind on whether or not she was still upset at me.

"Be that as it may," Pewxaev intervened, "our time here is short so let us not dally."

His words piqued my interest as I leaned back against the countertop and took another sip of my drink, "Alright, then what was it you wanted to talk about?"

"As you may know it is the solemn duty of every Royal Guardsman to ensure that the royalty is kept safe from all dangers. Both foreign and domestic," he said as I nodded in agreement to his words as I recalled similar ones taken by myself years ago, "In order to do so I make it my personal duty that there is nothing that goes on with my charges that I do not know about. Even certain late night meetings behind the closed doors of their private quarters."

"Sounds a little nosy if you ask me," I told him slightly perturbed as I took another sip, but despite the others reacting to my rudeness Pewxaev remained professional.

"Perhaps," he agreed with a nonchalant nod of his head, "but surely you can see it from our perspective as well."

I raised my hand to stop him momentarily, "You'll have to forgive me if I still fail to make the connection between protecting them and my relationship to them."

"Do you read the paper, Ambassador?" The thestral guard, Prim Upona asked to which I shook my head.

"Sorry, but I am still having difficulty when it comes to reading your writing."

"Then perhaps you may not know that someponies in certain countries are not as thrilled over the news of our new Princesses as our citizens are," Pyvu Tiev said, her voice growing stern before being stopped by the raised hand of her CC.

"What my subordinate is trying to get at is that for the past several thousand years there has been a sense of balance and understanding between Equestria and the other nations of Equus. Unfortunately this balance of peace has been steadily placed under continued stress over the past couple of decades with the rise of each new alicorn to the thrones of Equestria."

"So what is it that you're asking of me?" I inquired with a sigh growing weary of the verbal roundabout I was being given.

"I would like to ask that you put any more advancement of your relationship with Their Majesties, the Queens, on hold."

I was slightly taken aback by his request but I wasn't entirely surprised considering my previous encounters with the Guard. Still I had been looking forward to this conversation for quite some time, hoping to find out the cause of the rift in my attempts to get along with the Royal Guard.

"Alright then, can I at least ask why?" I asked as I sat the now empty bottle down on the counter behind me before grabbing another one from the icebox.

The wizened pegasus simply nodded his head as he spoke, "But of course, as I have already hinted at is to help maintain the peace by protecting their images."

"I can promise you my intentions towards them are nothing but honorable," I replied chuckling slightly which caused the pegasus to chuckle in return.

"And I believe you Ambassador, for if I had had any doubts in your motives towards the Queens...well let us just say that I know of places that would make Tartarus look like Las Pegasus," Pewxaev said calmly with a simple smile that sent a shiver down my spine, "No this has to do with other nations possibly viewing your being in a relationship with the Queens as a grab for power."

"I've heard this before from a couple of ponies already, Capitan Pewxaev, and I'm sure if we brought it up to Gilzia and Pyre we could all come to an acceptable conclusion," I told him as I popped the bottle cap off on the edge of the countertop.

Prim Upona and Pyvu noticeably flinched at my use of their Queens' given names so freely, but Pewxaev remained unaffected as he took a sip from his cup savoring the foreign blend for a moment, "I think you misunderstand Ambassador, it's not so much about their view of you dating Queen Gilzia or Queen Pyre that has me worried but more of their view of the Queens dating you."

"Come again?" I asked wondering if the faint buzz I was starting to feel was already having an affect on my hearing.

"The idea that the Queens are courting you may not seem like such a big deal to you, but to others it may be too much for them to come to terms with." He clarified, "Especially since the Queens have turned away every amorous advance made by heads of state and high ranking individuals from both Equestria and abroad on an almost daily basis."

"I apologize if that doesn't make a lot of sense to me, Captain. If it's because they're heads of state then I don't see a problem because I have already had a few heads of state proposition me at the ball, and that didn't seem to be an issue."

"True," the grey pegasus agreed, "but they don't control the sun and moon."

I made to make an argument but nothing readily came to mind as I had to concede the point to him.

"Touché mon capitaine."

I didn't expect them to get the reference and it was slightly rewarding to watch the three of their ears twitch in confusion. Eventually Pewxaev was forced to give up on trying as he tried to continue.

"Anyways, it is because of these refusals along with their long standing positions as the physical embodiments of the sun and moon that they hove, over time, garnered a certain image that many have tried to emulate. And now your relationship with them could run the risk of ruining that image."

I remained silent as he let his words sink in, and sink in they did. From a security standpoint it was only logical to assume that there was the possibility that these other countries could now see that by having Gilzia and Pyre now in relationship, after turning down others for so long, that could mean that they were now fallible and possibly swayable. This could pose a bigger concerns when you were talking about beings that held complete control over the two most single influential forces on the planet. Concerns that could quickly turn into fears if I remembered anything of my own world's history since its introduction to the atomic age.

The longer I sat there I began to recall some of the previous conversations that I had had with Gilzia as she would confide in me at the end of a long day of the political unrest that there had been both at home and abroad with each new alicorn's arrival. Events that only seemed to justify Pewxaev's reasons to be concerned.

She told me about how at first it hadn't been that big of a deal when Gehluli ascended and claimed the title of Princess. For many looked at the appearance of a new alicorn as a return to the old ways of two Princesses sharing the burden of the throne and the chance for Gilzia to finally receive some much needed relief. But then Pyre returned from her exile and reclaimed her lost royal house, thus throwing the government out of whack having to find out how to balance three Princesses. Lucky enough for them though their problems were solved by the timely reappearance of the Crystal Empire and the discovery of Gehluli being a direct descendant of the old Imperial bloodlines. Thereby allowing the members of the government to be able to justify the change of the Diarchy turning into a Triarchy while keeping the now Crystal Empress Gehluli's influence on Equestrian politics to a minimum. Yet, as Gilzia reluctantly recalled, there were still some anonymous voices that claimed that this action was unethical as the time displaced citizens of the Crystal Empire were not given the chance to come to terms with the strange new reality that they now found themselves in before having such a unknown and untested ruler, with a crown already in Equestria, placed above them. She went on to explain that they basically saw it as a chance for the government of Equestria to legally expand its borders and spread its influence by basically turning the lost Empire of myth into nothing more than a puppet state.

Yet Gilzia, with the help of her fellow Princesses, were somehow able to quell most of these worries, but not before the recently recovered government was once again disrupted by the appearance of a new alicorn princess in the form of Xamspona Tevopi. And now there were five more alicorns to add to the list, not counting the lost Queen Harmonia. With each one a member of the single most powerful group of beings in the world, and currently Equestria was holding the monopoly on alicorns. So I could see Pewxaev's concerns on maintaining the new Queens' images, but at the same time I still selfishly wished to continue seeing my herdmates. For in the end I trusted Gilzia and Pyre's many millennia of experience to make the best judgement on if our actions were in the best of interest. However, at the same time I still wanted to attempt to alleviate the Capitan's concerns. Maybe a talk with the sisters was in order so that we could come up with an acceptable conclusion, but there was still one question that was tickling at the back of my mind that I had to ask.

"What about Princess Gehluli?" The Princess of Love and Zopupun's relationship had been a fairly public affair, and despite the unrelated invasion that had occurred during the wedding there was no backlash from it that I had heard.

Pewxaev nodded his head as he could no doubt see where my concerns were coming from, "Her Highness Princess Gehluli's relationship to my predecessor was a special case. For while she is the only alicorn to have been in a public relationship it didn't really come as a surprise to others given her title." I nodded my head in understanding as he continued, "Plus in addition to being a Captain of the Royal Guard, Captain Zopupun comes from a distinguished noble Unicorn family that can trace their lineage back to the the court of Princess Whaxpem before the unification of the races."

"So then what is it you'd like me to do? Never see them again?" I asked the guard frowning, frustration evident in my voice as I did little to hide it. Pewxaev though kept his bearing as he finished his cup.

"Not quite," he replied honestly surprising me, "contrary to what you may think, Ambassador we of the guard care for the well being and happiness of our charges above everything else. And after looking over them for so long we have almost taken a parental viewpoint towards them, and, despite any personal reservations we may have had about you, you have made them happy which seeing that makes us happy."

"Then what is it you'd like me to do?" I asked again, calmer this time as my frustration from before had left me.

"I would like to ask for you to try and convince the Queens from publicly disclosing their relationships between you and Princess Etpinego until we can get a better understanding of the possible backlash from such an announcement. Also as much as I would like to also ask for your relationship with Princess Etpinego to be kept secret as well that won't be necessary do to the unfortunate circumstances of word already getting out of your courting from your display at the recent ball."

I thought for a moment over his request. It wasn't too unreasonable of a request and I could see the merit in many of his points, but I was curious about why he came to me about this instead of just bringing it up to Gilzia and Pyre. For they would hold a much better understanding of the sociopolitical risk of going public with our herd. As I asked Pewxaev he smiled again as he stood to leave.

"There are aspects of our Diarch's security that are better off remaining unknown to them to ensure their peace of mind. I would like to ask you to keep our visit here as one such thing."

"Uh-huh," I said sarcasm dripping from my voice as I leaned back and crossed my arms a grin plastered on my lips, "or is it because you're concerned that they might not agree with you. " their expressions remain neutral as the captain's ear twitched a clear sign of frustration, "or maybe it's because they already have?" I guessed hitting the nail on the head as his ear twitched again.

"The Queens believe that the announcement of their courting of you and Princess Etpinego would be meet with jubilee instead of ridicule." Pewxaev said letting out a weary chuckle before continuing, "I, on the other hand, remain... skeptical."

I chuckled in my throat at the stallion's words, "Well I promise that I'll bring it up to them, but that is the most I can do. Because if they believe that it will be alright when I talk to them then I'm going to have to fall back on their judgement."

"Then that is all I can ask." He said with a slight bow of his head as he and the others made their way out of the room, however he paused as he passed me speaking over his shoulder, "One more thing Ambassador, if it turns out that my fears are realized by this news could we count on you to aid us?"

I downed the last of the bottle adding it to the other on the counter, "Back on Earth it was my duty to fight and defend and I would not hesitate to do the same here to protect those that I've come to care for."

"Then why not just join the Equestrian Defense Forces?" The Captain asked curiously, "I'm sure with your knowledge and skills you could advance through the ranks fairly rapidly and do quite well for yourself."

"Hardly," I said trying to stifle a chuckle at his pitch for recruitment, "contrary to what you might think, sir my military training actually consisted of very little combat skills training. Not to mention that any of that would be practically useless here due to the gap in technology. No, I think I would really be much more of a hindrance than an asset at first. That's also not taking into account that I am still a member of my nation's military until I have been officially released from my duties. So I'm sorry, sir, but here in this world I am just a simple mechanic."

The pegasus hummed in thought for a moment as he mulled over my words, "Well if not for that then it might help quiet down some of the louder voices amongst the nobility who believe that if the Queens were ever to find a mate that they should be from the nobility so as to not taint the Queens' pure bloodline."

"And what of you, Captain? What do you think?" I asked him to which he remained silent for a moment before he spoke again and even though I could not see his face I could hear the smirk in his voice.

"Good day to you, Ambassador, I'm sure we shall be talking with you again soon.”

And with that he continued on his way closely followed by Prim Upona as I heard the scuffing sound of their armor fade down the stairs onto the hangar floor below. This left me alone in the kitchen with the stern Pyvu Tiev as the mare continued to stand there dissecting me with the same uncomfortable look of disdain.

"Was there something else you wished to discuss with me, Lieutenant?" I asked, eventually having become irritated enough at her actions as she walked up to me.

"I don't much care for you, Eric." She sharply stated as she glared up into my eyes.

"I think you've made that quite clear already." I retorted earning me a low growl from the mare.

"Ever since you've come to this world you've been nothing but trouble and a bad influence on all that you've met, but-, " she paused as I could see her struggle to relax her features no doubt a task that took a herculean amount of resolve from her, "-on this situation alone I find myself in agreement with you."

"Come again?" I found myself asking, dumbfounded by the words I had just heard from her.

"I shall not repeat myself for your amusement, Eric," she warned as her stern look returned, "If only for the sake of my own personal desires for Princess Xamspona's happiness do I now find myself aligned with you on this sole subject that the Royalty should be able to have relations with whomever they so choose to without worries of repercussions however much it may aile me to agree with anything you do." I could see her shiver slightly at the very thought before regaining her posture, "So for today you have earned the ever so slightest inkling of my respect."

"Um, thanks," I replied as I thought about how only Pyvu could turn a compliment into the harshest of insults.

Not wasting anymore time Pyvu quickly marched past me leaving me alone in my kitchen to dwell on my thoughts. The conversation with Pewxaev continued to go through my head over and over again as I couldn’t get his words to leave. Was he right? Did my relationship with my alicorn herdmates run the risk of placing them and the country in danger? He definitely made a compelling enough argument for me to at least be worried about it. If it did would I allow that to affect my relationship with them?

Would they?

The very thought alone was enough to turn my stomach, but I pushed those thoughts aside as quickly as they came before they could take root in my mind. For I knew that worrying about the unknown wouldn't do me a damn bit of good. Instead I would hold my concerns in reserve until I had a chance to discuss it with the other members of my herd.

My body was quick to take advantage of the momentary lull in my thoughts to announce its demand for sustenance with a low growl from deep in my gut. I sympathetically rubbed my rumbling stomach as I moved to grab something from the icebox, but paused when I recalled that the insides were bare save for my well stocked supplies of alcohol.

My lips turned downward in a frown as I cursed myself for failing to go to the market the day prior. Instead choosing to venture into the nearby Everfree to overlook some trails for game. Unfortunately I had lost track of time and by the time I had exited the dark forest it was already too late to make the journey into town. Looking out the window towards the rising sun and with another reassuring pat to my stomach I made the decision to indulge in my sweet tooth and head into town to eat.

After all it was the bulking season.

Author's Notes:

Yay, updates! Hopefully the quality hasn't diminished after taking so long. Next chapter soon