I try to push my way to Flim and Flam, but the crowd of ponies stops me from getting closer. I start pulling and pushing others when I suddenly lift off the ground. I look back to see Twilight levitating me back to the group. I try to break out of her grasp, but it's futile.

"Well, looky what we got here, brother of mine, it's the same in every town... Ponies with thirsty throats, dry tongues, and not a drop of cider to be found," Flim starts. "Maybe they're not aware that there's really no need for this teary despair."

"That the key that they need to solve this sad cider shortage you and I will share," Flam finishes as I see them do a little dance. I reach for my magic and pull my sword out, only to have Miles grab it.

"You know what they've done to me," I growl as I try to yank my sword free.

"I know. Just... hold on a sec, okay?" Miles says as he watches them intently. I huff a bit as I let go of my sword. I feel a hoof on my shoulder, so I look over to see Dust Devil beside me with everyone watching me. I look away, not wanting them to see me like this.

"Well you've got an opportunity...

In this very community!

He's Flim,"

"He's Flam,"

"We're the world famous Flim Flam brothers. Traveling salesponies nonpareil!"

"Not this again…. Non-par-huh?" Pinkie grumbles, only to have Flim jump in front of her.

"Nonpareil, and that's exactly the reason why, you see

Nopony else in this whole place will give you such a chance to be where you need to be

And that's a new world, with tons of cider

Fresh squeezed and ready for drinking!"

"More cider than you can drink in all your days of thinking."

"Didn't they do this last time?" Rainbow Dash asks.

"So take this opportunity,

In this very community,

He's Flim

He's Flam

We're the world famous Flim Flam brothers, Traveling salesponies nonpareil!"

"I suppose by now you're wondering 'bout our peculiar new mode of transport." Flim says as he motions towards the strange locomotive. It seems to be a strange carriage made of metal and glowing lights. It reminds me of goblin tech, just without steam.

"And I suppose by now you're wondering, where is this promised cider?"

"Any horse can make a claim and any pony can do the same."

"But my brother and I have something most unique and superb. Unseen at any time in this big new world!" Flam finishes. As they continue to dance and sing, they don't notice Miles moving behind them, inspecting their contraption.

"And that's opportunity, folks, it's the one and only, the biggest and the best, the unbelievable, unimpeachable, indispensable, I can't believe-able, Flim Flam brothers' Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 12,000!" they sing together.

The crowd of ponies seem unimpressed by all of this. Some even leave, making remarks like, 'not this again' and 'I'm not eating another tree.' I just can't believe that after three years they're still use the same song. Different lyrics, but same idea.

"Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 12,000 huh?" Miles says as he walks around front.

"Why yes... indeed. Uh..." Flim stutters as he gawks at Miles.

"What? Never seen a human before?" Miles jokes as he takes a look at one of the glowing compartments.

"Well, can't say I have. Especially one that's on fire." Flam says as he moves over to whisper something to Flim. Miles shrugs off the comment and continues to look over the vehicle.

"HEY!" I yell, getting their attention. "What do you two think you're doing here!" They stare at me for a second before going wide eyed.

"Well, looky here brother. True Will. Why, I haven't seen your colorful little coat..."

"SHUT UP!" I yell as I try to hit them with something. A rock, branch, raw energy, anything. They just deflect it with their own magic as they approach me, chuckling as they do so.

"Come now buddy ol' pal of ours," Flim says as he circles around me.

"Is that anyway to treat an old..."

"Whatta y'all yappin about!" Applejack yells as she gets between the three of us. "Ah thought y'all left fer good. What are ya blabbin about now? Cider season aint till spring!" she says as she kicks some snow in their face, getting laughs from Rainbow and Pinkie.

"That may be, but the demand for cider still stands," Flim says as he squares off with Applejack.

"That's why we redesigned our Super Speedy Cider Squeezy..."

"You mean this truck?" Miles asks as he walks over and motions to everyone to step back.

"Uh.... truck.... sure..."

"That archaic condenser in there is the same as the ones found in Terradisian transportation trucks. A 450 if I'm not mistaken. Where'd you get it?"

"I assure you, all Flim Flam Brother inventions are of our own design..."

"No, it's not," Miles says as he moves back to the machine. The two brothers glance back to me before following after Miles. I look back to Twilight and glare at her, trying to get her to let go of me. She just ignores me and walks with everyone to listen to what Miles has to say. Even dragging me along in the air. "I could bring my jeep over and show you a smaller version of it. So where did you get it?" he asks as he leans against the machine, waiting for the answer.

"We already..."

"Just tell him already!" I yell.

"I'm sorry, last time we checked, we didn't take orders from you. Then again, you didn't seem to take orders either..."

"SHUT THE HELL UP!" I yell as I try to grab them, even though they are well away from my grasp.

"Alright, then let me try," Miles says as he stops leaning on the carriage and pulls out his rifle. "Where–"

PATPATPATPAT

Everypony jumps when his rifle suddenly opens fire. He lets go immediately and stares at it, trying to figure out what just happened.

"Look, nopony needs to get hurt here," Flim says as he backs away from Miles, shaking slightly.

"Yes, look. We found some old city in the middle of Zebra country. Just outside the Nzuri ya Ardhi!" Flam yells as he covers his sensitive ears. Miles looks back to everyone before storming off. Most of the girls run after him, but Fayte, Aurane, Dust Devil and Twilight stay behind. I look back to Twilight and motion for her to follow after them.

"Can I trust you to not do anything rash?" she asks as she glances over to everypony.

"There is nothing rash about what needs to be done," I tell her confidently. She gives me a quizzical look before dropping me. I get to my hooves and glare over to Flam.

"True Will," she says as she steps in front of me. "Remember that you are a part of something bigger than yourself. Don't ruin what they've worked for with your..."

"Twilight, don't try to lecture me. You don't know the first thing..."

"I know what Damian told all of the Spartans," she says, silencing me. I take a deep breath as I think back to that day. Just after training no less. "Look, I don't know why you did what you did, but I know you carry it with you. Don't..."

"Twilight, you're a good kid. You've done great things in your life and you've always been there for your friends, but you've never sacrificed before. Yeah sure you've had some close calls and unpleasant memories, but NOTHING you've been through compares to the pain I've felt. Don't try to lecture me. Don't try to help. Just go; go back to your perfect little world with your perfect friends and let me be," I say, getting her to back off a bit.

"I'm not perfect..."

"No, but your life is. Just watch. The minute Miles dies, you're going to go back to your little, care-free, fairy tale life. You don't know the dark side of life because you've been with ponies like Celestia and the Royal Guard. So don't worry about me. Just go and get ready for life," I say as I step towards her. She shrinks a bit as I stand over her, glaring at the shaking form beneath me.

"Will..."

"DO NOT CALL ME THAT!" I yell as I push her down.

"I...I...oh..." She runs off crying. I watch her for a bit before sighing. That was... too much. She didn't deserve that. What is wrong with me? My ear twitches, making my head turn back to the two brothers.

"Did you think I forgot about you two?" I ask as I turn to face them. They stop just before the step to their locomotive and slowly turn back to me.

"Well... uh, surely some kind of..."

"Shut it."

"Okay," Flim mutters as he sits beside his brother.They press their backs against the vehicle and stare at me, wide eyed, as they wait for me to do whatever it is I'm going to do. "This..."

"True Will," Fayte says from the side, "don't do this."

"Stay out of this Fayte," I growl at him.

"Listen, I'm a halfling like you. We get enough of a bad rep..."

"I don't care about that! This is personal. This is my cause," I say through gritted teeth as I glare back to the two shaking ponies. "You two will pay what happened to Lily."

"True Will, please. Don't harm them," Aurane begs.

"Pft. No, I'm not going to harm them. I have something much worse in store for these two."

........................................................................................................................................................

"Finished, finally." I sigh in relief with my work finally finished. One completely organized, dust free, shiny library...

THUD

Something slams into the front door so hard that half of the books fall from the shelves. I can only gawk as I watch all of my hard work is ruined in a matter of seconds. Ticked off, I jump down from the ladder and march to the front to–

"Spike!" Twilight yells in a panic when she nearly runs into me. She's a bit of a mess, with her mane a bit mangled and tears staining her cheeks. I can tell she's been crying for a bit, due to her puffy, red eyes. She tries to cover them up, but finds the mess she made in the process. "I'm... I'm sorry Spike. I'll clean it...."

I don't let her finish. It doesn't matter anyway. I scoop her up in my arms and hold her tightly. She sobs a bit more as she hugs me back, burying her face in the crook of my neck. I don't know what did this to her, hopefully it wasn't Miles' or dad’s death, but they will pay for this.

I don't know how long we held each other like this. Not that it mattered. My mother was crying and I needed to comfort her. Nothing was said. But our love to one another was definitely conveyed. It's what she needed.

"Anypony home?" We hear Storm yell out from the front room, making us break our hug. I set her down and let her collect herself as I straighten out. Sometimes being so tall isn't all that great... ponies are short.

"Not a word to Storm,” she says as she finishes wiping her eyes.

"My lips are sealed," I say as I lock my lips. She gives me a smile before leading the way down to the front room, where we find Storm picking up the books.

"What the heck, Spike? I thought I told you to have this place at least picked up when we got back,” he says as he starts putting them back on the shelves.

"Yeah... sorry about that," I say as I glance down to Twilight, who blushes a bit. "I had a little mishap with a spell and... yeah," I say as I rub the back the back of my neck. He gives me a look before shaking his head slightly.

"Whatever. I'll let it go for now. I've got some bad news everypony."

"Is it about Miles? What happened?" Twilight asks as she starts levitating the books up, setting them back with total ease.

"No, that was Miles being overpowered. He can't use guns from now on. No, this is about Diamond Halls," he says as he pauses and looks at a book. "*sigh* there's no easy way of saying this, so I'll just say it. To get there will be a two year trip..."

"WHAT!?" Twilight yells, dropping several books in the process. We look to one another before rushing over to his side. "But Zecora does it in two months! Why would it take you two years?"

"Well, Zecora takes a blimp. By boat it's two years," he says as he looks away.

"So, why can't you take the blimp?" I ask, a bit confused.

"There's only one blimp that goes and... well. I tried to get a ticket but... *sigh* Twilight, I can't go." He says to her, almost pleading.

"Why not?" she asks. Storm glances to me before stepping beside Twilight and whispers something in her ear. "WHAT!? THAT'S YOUR CONTACT!"

"I know, I know. He's usually been fair, but... now he won't even deal with me..."

"Then he'll deal with me! I'll go talk to..." Twilight starts, but stops when Storm raises a hoof and slowly shakes his head.

"That's just it. When I asked him what kind of deal we could work out, he told me to send you to talk to him. I know what that means, and I won't do it. I'll have to take a boat instead." I just stand there as they stare at one another. I have no clue what's going on, but I can tell it's bad.

"I'll go talk to him," Twilight says quietly as she turns and heads up stairs.

"No Twilight! I don't..."

"And I don't want to lose you for TWO years Storm. Two months is bad enough, but... two years!? It's out of the question," she says as she heads up the stairs. Storm and I glance at one another before running after her. I don't know what to think, but I still want to know what's going to happen. We find Twilight by her bed, removing the armor Rarity made. Storm and I quickly move to her side, only to have her things thrown in our arms... er, hooves in Storms case.

"Twilight-"

"I'm just going to talk to him. No deals. Just talking. okay?" she asks as she turns to us, setting her bags on the bed.

"Then I'm coming with you-"

"No. I'm going to do this on my own. You need to go check on Miles, see what he thinks. I won't be long." She takes off for the door without another word. Storm and I drop her things and follow after her, trying to bargain with her.

"Twilight, nothing can be gained there. Why are you-"

"Because I want to talk with him," she deadpans as we step into the front room.

"Can't he just fly there? How about just-"

"No. I'm sorry but this is happening." She reaches the door and wraps a scarf around her neck before facing the two of us, smiling as the ties it off. "I'll be back as soon as possible. Wish me luck."

"Twilight..."

"Storm, you tell me if two years is really better than two months... We all have to make sacrifices sometimes. I'll work something out, I promise." Twilight gives him a kiss on the cheek before leaving the library. Storm and I stand there in an eerie silence. For my part, I'm just trying to figure everything out. What's so bad about this blimp that Storm would take a two year journey? Why is Twilight the only one fighting for him to go?

"Spike," Storm says quietly as he turns to me. "C'mon. Let's get this place cleaned up."

"Is... is everything alright?" I ask, trying to fight back my nerves. Storm walks over to a nearby book pile and starts to set them back on the shelves. "Dad?"

"...Yeah. Yeah, everything's going to be fine. Let's get this mess picked up so we can start dinner."

...........................................................................................................................................................

After I set my guns in the weapon locker; having to use magic to not set them off, and fixing Fluttershy’s rifle I finally get to head up to relax. The gun she found couldn't be properly operated, being completely made of crystal. So I worked the gem out and set in another carbine, setting the same enchantment I did on the last one. Ends up that at my level of power I set off any of the rifles I own just by holding them, leaving me with my blades. I'm not sure how that'll affect our runs to the cities, I just hope we don't face anything too... no. I don't have time to worry. A week and a half. Eleven days. We need to move–

"MILES!" Butterscotch yells as she jumps in my way at the top of the steps. She's holding herself out in an attempt to block my view of something, but is failing due to my height. "SO! Uh... wanna head into town?"

"Town... what's going on?" I ask as I try to step around her, only to get her to jump in my way.

"Well... being completely honest, we uh... are moving furniture," she says as she eyes the back door to my home. I look over and see E'Claire trying to fit one of the beds through the door...

"Oh," I mutter when I realize what she means. She doesn't want Shadow seeing me.

"Yeah... sorry Miles. But, she's getting better now. I just-"

"No, I get it. No need to open old wounds. I'll-"

"Come with me!" We both snap to the side to find Trixie running out of the woods. She has a few scrapes and bruises along with some twigs and leaves in her mane. She comes to a stop before us and tries to catch her breath.

"What ha-"

"The... the... *huff* wolves.... and... *pant* chasing..." She tries, but is too tired from running.

"Uh... okay. Let’s go then," I say. Butterscotch escorts us to the front of the house before the sound of breaking glass draws her back. I try not to think about it. About anything really. I'd rather be on our way to the next city, but everyone does need a good rest. I can give them a day... I think.

"So... how are you feeling?" Trixie asks, finally catching her breath.

"I... good, kind of," I tell her.

"Oh, that's good. Does it hurt?"

"Imagine having your horn constantly emitting energy. My feet are starting to feel numb and my hands are getting tired. Not to mention-"

"MILES!" We both stop as we hear some mare yelling my name in the park. We turn to the left to see a light green mare, with light grayish cyan hair that has a streak of white. Right behind her is another mare with a light cream coat and blue hair with a streak of pink. They run right up to us and slide to a stop. The light green one rears up and set her hooves on her hips....

What the fuck....

She's wearing light brown pants...

A pony is wearing pant....

This PONY is wearing PANTS....

Pants on a pony...

"My name is Lyra Heartstrings and this is my friend Bon Bon. We've formed a club called 'The Friends of Humans Coalition'! We'd like to..."

Whatever else she says is lost to me. She's wearing pants. Why is this so wrong? I thought not having to see her vag would be a good thing. Though, I have become desensitized to that sight.... except for Luna’s. OH SHIT! I was supposed to call her. Shit! Well, at least she isn't expecting a call. I'll have to...

"...So, what do you say?" She asks, breaking my concentration.

"Uh..."

"Miles does not have the time for a club meeting at this time," Trixie says as she steps between us. Lyra deflates a bit, but tries again.

"Well... that's alright. We meet every Friday in this park. If you can make it, we'd love to ask you a few questions about human society," she says before setting her front hooves back down. They start to slowly walk away, heads held low, lips trembling, eyes tearing up...

"Wait up," I call out, getting them to perk up. "I can answer a few questions right now, but just a few." Lyra practically launches herself back in front of me, smiling from ear to ear. Bon Bon seems content with Lyra’s reaction, taking a seat beside her.

"Okay ,okay ,okay, um.... why do humans wear clothing all of the time?" she asks, shaking in anticipation.

"Well... taking a more scientific approach, it's a socially engineered tool to show modestly. Humans are social beings, being so strong emotions drove our evolution. Embarrassment being a strong one. Once we started becoming embarrassed about being nude, we formed clothing to be modest. Socially, people find embarrassed people more trustworthy and excepting."

"OOOOh! I get it!" Lyra exclaims as Bon Bon mumbles something under her breath. "Okay... um... how did your culture become so militarily based? Why did fighting become so central?"

"Well, because we had to. Terradisia rose from the ashes of the Purgian war and was driven by a war with the Unfamiliar. Our existence was a stake. Our enemy was unrelenting and innumerable, so we had to cultivate a mind set that could fight back."

"Wow... my last question is, if the Unfamiliar came to this planet and attacked your people, why didn't they attack the ponies?" I take a deep breath as I try to think of a logical answer. There’s Inficiunt’s theory that Spatium made a deal with them, but I refuse to believe that.

"Honestly, why should they have? Ponies weren't a threat. Once they destroyed us, they could have taken over the planet easily. The better question is, where did they go? I'm sorry, I have to head back home... I forgot to do something. Goodbye."

"THANKS MILES!" Lyra yells as I run back home. I make a mad dash through the park, burst through the front door, and go straight for my room. I whip out my phone and notice that the screen is shining too brightly to read anything. Luckily I can just hit the call button twice to call her.

...

...

Come on, pick up.

...

...

"Miles! Where are you?" Luna asks in a sleepy, yet worried voice.

"I'm home, I'm in my room-" The call ends. I set my phone down on the nightstand and take a deep breath as I prepare for this.

FLASH

I look over to my closet door and watch it slowly open, revealing my blue beauty. She has really bad bed-head and bags under her eyes from lack of sleep, but she's the most beautiful thing ever right now. We walk up to one another slowly where I drop before her.

"Miles..." she mumbles as she eyes the lines on my arms and legs. "How long?"

"According to Tenera, a week and a half," I say as I reach out for her. She moves her head away from my hand, fearing being burned. "Trust me on this." She looks me in the eyes and holds still, letting me move my hand behind her ear to hold her head.

"Miles..."

"Our souls are connected, so I can't hurt you like this," I say as I pull her into my embrace. She collapses on me and wraps her forelegs around me as she sobs a bit. I don't know how long we stay like this, but an alarm on her phone pulls us apart.

"Heh, I learned to use a few things on this. I'll be back, I have to go raise the moon," she says as she still holds onto me. I lean forward and press my lips against hers. She pushes back, her soft lips quivering against mine as we tighten our holds on each other. After a few memorizing moments she twists her head to break contact, pressing her forehead against mine.

"Go, I'll be here," I tell her. She looks back to me for a moment before giving me a final peck and leaves. I let my hand drag along her body as she leaves, savoring the feeling of her soft coat against my fingers. She glances back to me before finally taking the Mico platform back. I take a deep breath-

"Oh my." I look over to see Trixie standing in the doorway, blushing deeply.

"Knocking, anyone? Really?" I ask aloud, not necessarily to her.

"I'm sorry, you kind of just ran here without saying anything. Not to mention you didn't close the door!" she defends, stepping back. "I'll just go... actually. I wanted to ask you something."

"What's up?" I ask as I stand up and stretch a bit.

"Well... can I go to this next town?" I stop mid stretch and look over her, seeing the determined look on her face.

"Why the fuck would you want to go-"

"Am I your friend or not?" she demands as she steps forward.

"Well, yeah, but-"

"Then as your friend I am going to help while I can. I don't think I can manage more than one like the rest, but I've heard from the others that Diamond Halls is far away. I want to help there. I know it can be dangerous, but I still want to go-"

"Alright."

"Nothing you can say will change my mind! I will go and that's final!"

"Okay then-"

"Dammit Miles, don't argue with me. I'm going-"

"TRIXIE!" I yell, getting her attention. "I said yes."

"... what? Really? Why?" she asks in astonishment.

"Like you said, all of my friends are risking their lives for me. Not to mention I think Diamond Halls will be the safest city to travel to. You want to show you care, and you feel this is the way to do this. Thank you. Go find Storm and let him know what's going on. Tell him that I said to train you a bit before leaving." I let her know as the room slowly begins to darken. Trixie looks up to me and smiles, stepping completely into the room. I glance about the room before realizing what's going through her mind.

"Miles-"

"First off, married. Secondly, I'd burn the skin off of you. Thirdly, no, married." She stops her approach and looks away, clearly hurt by the rejection. "Trixie, I'm sorry. But I don't love you like that. You're... I love you the same way I'd love my best friend’s kid. Do you understand?" She turns away from me and steps out the door, where she pauses to look back to me.

"I understand Miles," she says before leaving the room. I take a deep breath as I hear a flash ring from the closet.

"I'm back," Luna says as she walks in, looking more awake. "Where were we?" she asks sensually as she canters over to me.

"Uh... actually, can we just talk? I.. I'm just tired." I say, slightly disappointed with myself for getting the mood killed.

"Oh, okay. What's up?" I walk over to the bare section of the wall and press my back against it as I drop to the ground. Luna lays to my right and lays her head on my lap. I drape one arm around her and hold her hoof with my other hand, enjoying her presence. I close my eyes and let the serenity of the moment lull over me. "Miles?"

"There's a lot to tell. So much has happened in the past few days. Top of the list was meeting my mother."

"... you.... what?" she asks in disbelief.

"Yeah, she was with that hooded woman... I still find it hard to believe. I met my mother Luna. I wish you were there,, you would have loved her," I say as I think back to the memory.... memory. "Luna, want to see her?"

"I'd love to, but how could I?" she asks as she looks back up to me. I just smile down to her as I move my hand from her back to her horn.

"Here, I'll show you." I take a deep breath as I feel myself delve into the depths of my consciousness. When I open my eyes, I find myself in my mind with Luna. "Let’s go meet my... our mother." I tell her, getting a warm smile from her as we walk down the hall of memories together.

.............................................................................................................................................................

I feel Twilight nudge me a bit, so I grab the sheets in an attempt to hold onto the last moments of sleep-

THUD

Or Twilight can pull them out from under me and I can fall to the ground. Great. With a tired groan I pick myself up and head to the restroom. I don't know how she did it, but somehow she managed to make a deal with Cheesus. Even better, we were able to snag tickets for all of the Spartans, the two mercs, and Trixie as well. After I finish up I head downstairs to have a quick breakfast with Twilight, finding her cooking something on the stove.

"Morning," I say as I take my seat.

"...Morning." she replies, sounding distant.

"So... did you sleep well?" I ask, trying to start a conversation.

"...Yes."

"... are you okay Twilight? You seem... distant." I say as I stand and approach her from behind. She glances back to me and offers me a smile before taking the frying pan to the table.

"I'm fine, really. Just... not used to being up this early, I guess. But enough about that. We don't have a lot of time before you need to leave." Though she tries her best to sound sincere, I can tell something is eating away at her. I approach her from behind and wrap my forelegs around her waist, getting her to sit with me.

"Hey."

"Hey."

"What's wrong?" I ask as I start to nuzzle her cheek. She looks away for a moment before turning back and kissing my cheek softly.

"You know I love you, right?" The question catches me off guard, but I nod along. "Well... what would be the one thing I could do that would get you to stop you from loving me?"

"Twilight-"

"Please. I need to know." she begs. I take a deep breath as I try to think of anything that could do that.

"... I can't think of anything–"

"There has to be something. Where is the line? I don't want to find it, I want to know where it is! Please, where is the line?!" she demands hysterically. She tries to break free of my grasp, but I won't let her. She finally gives up and breaks down, levitating out a vial with a turquoise potion inside.

"Twilight... what's that?" I ask as she sets it on the table.

"It's the deal. I'm suppose to slip this into your food before you leave," Twilight says as she tries to compose herself.

"What does it do?"

"I don't know, he didn't tell me."

"Well.... what do you think it does?"

"I don't know Storm. I've been up almost all night thinking about it. I don't know." I let go of her and take the vile in my hoof. We both stare at it for a second before I move it to my mouth to remove the cork. "Storm..."

"Two months. I'll be back before you know it," I tell her before I swallow the potion. "Bleh, taste like... like... thud."

.........................................................................................................................................................

I awake to the sound of somepony running by my door. I lift my head from the pillow and.... where am I? I'm in a small room, barely fitting for a pony to live in. The only pieces of furniture are the bed I lay in, a night stand at the base of the bed, and a desk— No chairs, no cushioned seats, no kitchen, just a shittier apartment than what I already had.

"Hello?" Somepony asks as she pokes her head inside. She has a white coat and long light brown mane. "Oh good, you're awake-"

"Did we buck?" I ask, somewhat hopeful. She pauses for a second to process the question, then laughs.

"Dude, I doubt you swing that way," she says as she steps inside and shuts the door, lifting her tail to show her large.... his large balls.... he is a stallion, who looks like a mare.

"What's going on? Where am I? Who are-"

"You don't remember? Well, you were pretty drunk, but a contract’s a contract," he says as he walks over to me and yanks me out of bed.

"Contract? Drunk? What are you talking about? The last thing I remember was getting home from work last night, I didn't sign up for-"

"Come with me, I'll explain on the way," Hhe says before heading out the door. I take a look around before sighing and trotting after him. What kind of crazy nonsense have I gotten myself into now?

We travel down the hall and take an elevator up. When the operator lets out... my jaw nearly breaks off. I'm in a casino. A really, really, over the top, high bit, casino. Dozens of brightly lit slot machines line the walls as crowds of ponies, along with some other species, huddle around the tables. Sexy mares in maid outfits walk around, dropping off drinks of taking orders, as buff stallions in black pants and ties do the same.

"So, Storm Cloud. You're going to be working here for the next six weeks; ready to begin?" The stallion beside me asks as he pushes my jaw back up.

"...What exactly am I going to be doing?" I ask as one of the maids walks by me and winks... best dumb plan ever made while intoxicated.

"Follow me and I'll show you." I nod and follow him as I continue to stare out at the game floor. A few mares are already looking my way, ogling me with lust filled eyes. I don't get why, but I'll

"SON OF A-" I yell when I suddenly feel somepony grab my flank. I jump up and look back to see a young mare laughing at me.

"WOO baby, when you go up?" She asks as her friends join in the laughter.

"Uh-"

"Later today sweet cheeks," my escort says in a sultry tone as he canters up to the three mares. "Be sure to buy your tickets, and get ready for a show." They all giggle a bit more as they pull out their silver tickets.

"Go... up? Tickets? What am I doing here exactly?" I ask the stallion beside me.

"Well, let me show you already,” he says as he walks off, swaying his hips all along the way. I look back to the mares before running after him. We walk down a hall and stop before two large ornate doors. The two Orc bouncers nod to us as we walk in....

"Nope. Not again," I say as I start to turn away, only to be pulled back in.

"Sorry hun, but you've already signed on.... again?" he asks.

"Well.... I didn't have a job for about six months.... gotta pay the bills ya know. Wait, don't you know this already?"

"No, I was just told to give you a hoof in getting ready. I was also told to tell you that you don't really have a choice, unless you want to spend your time here in the brig." Dammit, stupid drunk idiot. "So, my name's Squishy, and I'll be your stripper, and escort! Let’s get started!"

We spend a few hours going over all of the basic. Apparently they gave me a potion to grow muscle, because I'm suddenly ripped. Explains all of the stares I was getting earlier. Sadly, I have to do this, or they ditch me in Hayte. Well... I can't say having to have sex is a bad payment though. Not to mention free booze after working, something I'll probably need desperately.

So, here I am. Sitting in front of a vanity mirror waiting for my named to be called... well, my stage name at least. May as well do the checklist again. Helmet straight, check. Pants uncomfortably tight, check. New found muscles oiled up, check. Fake armor shining, check. Crowd winning smile... I'll manage.

"Captain Fifth Leg, you're up," calls a stage hoof. I groan a bit, both from the job and the name, and get into position. I grab the pole in the center of the stage, take my position, and wait. The stage hoof’s give the all clear and start pulling on ropes to lift the stage. Here we go... I guess.

The lights blind me for a second before I'm able to take in my surroundings. The circular stage I'm standing on takes up the center of the room. To my far left is a bar that has a DJ's booth to the right. Lounge chairs and lusty mare (sadly, a few stallions as well) fill the rest of the room as some music begins to blast.

As the music begins, I start to shuffle a bit. The floor beneath me was slanted so when the ponies throw money here, it slides to the opening around the edge. This also makes it a bit strange to stand on my rear legs. Taking a glance around, I start to put a little more enthusiasm into my movements, trying to get the mares to turn away from their drinks. Once I get enough looks, I squat down and rip the fake armor off, revealing my muscular form.

"WOOOO! C'MON BABY! TAKE IT OFF!" yells some mare in the audience. I smile at the enthusiasm and begin to.... ugh, work the pole. I need to remember to not drink so much in the future. I jump up, going higher then I thought I would due to the new butt muscles, and flip myself upside down. From there, I rotate around as I slowly let myself slip to the base of the pole, where I let my lower half drop to be parallel with the ground. Last time I did this, I threw out my back. Gotta love new muscles.

When I hear bits hitting the ground around me, I hoist myself up right and drop down; gyrating my hips as I flex my chest for all the mares. I look out at the crowd, out of boredom really, and pony gaze. Hm, bachelorette party, some older mares, some large red stallion with a few buff mares, some extremely beautiful light purple unicorn, drunk mare.... wait a minute. I grab the pole behind me and slide down slowly as I stare out at the unicorn. She's wearing one of the maid outfits serving drinks. She has long blue hair with has a streak of pink in it that curves slightly. Her light blue eyes seem to shine through her tired expression as she trots through the raging mares.

Remembering my place, I tear my pants off as I stand back up. Lucky for me (but more for the crowd) staring at this mare made me semi erect. A torrent of bits comes crashing down onto the platform as I saunter around, trying to keep my gaze on the mare. She looks back to me and blushes deeply when she sees... me. Wanting to be modest, I turn away from her and climb up the pole. When I flip back, I see her walk through the front doors of the club. Damn. At least I got to see her cutie mark...

A sunset... or is it a sunrise?

............................................................................................................................................................

With a tired groan I make my way from The Strip House to the guest rooms. Someone called for an escort, which means fun for me... right?

I keep seeing the mare from my first night. I haven't had the chance to talk to her yet, but I'm slowly getting clues about her. Her name is Golden Ray. She's eighteen, really likes cherries, works day shifts, and doesn't seem to want to be here. Most of the other workers are happy and having fun, but not her. She seems so distant, so... sad. I can't think about this right now. I'm at the room, I need to put on my little persona and make sure these mares have a good night. *sigh* hopefully this will go by quickly.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

I lean by the door and put on an unamused expression as I hear the two mares run to the door. When it flies open, a light blue pegasus with green hair pulls me in and slams the door shut.

"okay, okay, okay... wow." Her friend, a white unicorn with orange hair, says as she looks me over.

"Like what you see?" I ask as I step towards her.

"I'd say." The other mare says as she grabs my flank. Something that used to bother me, but is now dulled.

"I assume you ladies know the protocols," I say as I enter their large room.

"Y-yeah. No kissing, no means no, and.. uh..."

"No tools on me," I tell her as I trace a hoof along the unicorn’s face. She practically melts under my hoof, a light trail of drool leaving the corner of her mouth.

"So... do we just get to it or... what?" the pegasus asks, her wings already erect.

"I'm here. We can play games, talk, go for a walk, do the dirty deed, whatever you want," I say as I move over to their couch and take a seat. Need to play it cool, act like I want to be here, but don't care what happens. The two mares look to each other before running to the seats beside me. They waste no time running their hooves over my body, feeling every muscle with tender movements.

"So... who first?" the blue pegasus asks her friend.

"Uh... let’s see what he's got first." The unicorn chuckles as she moves her hoof between my legs. I lay my head back and sigh as she begins to stroke my flaccid member. A few strokes in I remember why I'm here, and reach out to begin to rub the two mares. Going off of their signals, I go straight for their spots and apply pressure to the front of their folds. They both shudder from the feeling and giggle as my erection peaks out.

"okay, I'm going first." The pegasus says as she clambers onto my lap, facing me. I rest my hooves on her hips as she eases down onto me, laughing slightly from the pleasure. I let her make a few moves before I lift her up and twist around, dropping her onto the couch. I take charge over the movements as I grab the other mare and pull her over so she's standing over her friend. Well, at least they're clean. Not much of a desirable backside though. Shrugging, I move in and begin my oral work.

I keep my thrusts timed and measured as I remain methodical about my oral work. This is a job, not something for my pleasure. Not that I'm worried I'll go early, but if they don't finish it'll make my employer look bad. And as Squishy has made clear, that's a no-no. Pay wise at least. I can tell the mare beneath me has never had a stallion my size before, both from her tightness and the way she's screaming in pleasure. She should cum soon, giving me plenty of time to finish off the top mare.

"AAAH SHIT! BUUUUCK! AAH!" Well... that was quicker than I thought. I wait for her to fall limp before pulling out, leaving her friend right on the edge.

"Are you-"

CLICK

My head snap back to the door as some unicorn stallion enters the room. He takes two steps before looking right me, tilting his head in confusion.

"Uhh... I wasn't told there was-"

"Don't worry, I was the one who called for you," he says as he steps inside and shuts the door. I gawk at him as I try to piece everything together. He paid for me to buck these mares... I don't get it.

"It was amazing babe, but I didn't get to finish." The unicorn mare pouts as she clambers off the other mare. She canters her way to the stallion and locks lips with him, sliding her tongue inside his mouth sloppily.

"Uh..."

"I think you can go now," the pegasus says as she cuddles up into a ball. "He'll take it from here." Before I could say anything a magical field lifts me up and tosses me towards the door.

CRASH

Well... at least something soft broke my fall. As the door slams shut I pick myself up and turn to... to... to...

"Ow, what was that for?" Golden Ray asks from beneath me. I... I can't believe it. Here she is. I finally get a chance to- "Oh sweet Celestia... is that... um... I have to go," she says as she begins to blush. She pushes me off of her and begins to sprint down the hall. Shaking my head clear, I stand up and run after her.

"Wait, Golden Ray!" I call out, getting her to stop.

"How do you know my name?" She asks as she turns to face me.

"I.... well, I looked it up." I admit, looking down from guilt. "I saw you at my first show and.... well, I can't stop thinking about you. I know that's cheesy and all... but it's true. So... wanna get a cup of coffee?" I look back up to her and try to smile, my nerves betraying me as I twitch a bit.

"I don't usually date co-workers... or stallions who ask me out with massive erections," she points out. I glance down before feeling completely embarrassed. I lift a leg in an attempt to cover up, but that's a little impossible.

"Sorry about that. I was.... I just finished a job." I say, blushing slightly as she stares at it.

"Finished?"

"Well... the job at least. So..."

"Look, I'm sure there are plenty of other mares here who would-"

"No, trust me on this. I talked to other co-workers and heard plenty of the guest. And... well, not to be mean, but they all seem so... dumb."

"Dumb?"

"Like, I could have a real conversation with any of them. The farthest I got was when I was talking to one of the other escorts about cereal.... cereal. I don't know, I see you, and I feel as if we could talk for hours about anything. That sex would be something more than a job. So, do you want to go out with me?"

She doesn't answer me. Instead she motions down the hall and begins to walk away. I take a deep breath before following after her. I see two possibilities from this. Either she brings me to Squishy and reports me, or we get coffee. I'm hoping for the latter of the two. I'd really hate to walk home from Hayte.

We end up in the employee bed hall. We head to the end of the hall and enter the last possible door. It's another small, dismal room. Similar to mine. She goes under the bed for a second and drags out a large duffle bag. She unzips it and steps aside, letting me looks inside.

Books.

Lots and lots of books. I glance back to her, getting a shy grin, before pulling a couple out. Solar trajectory for Idiots, Photosynthesis and You!, Stars- Big and Small.

"What are all of these?" I ask as I dig through them.

"Astronomy books. I'm going to Hayte for a chance to study that hemispheres stars. I.. well, it's something I do." She says with a slight blush. I set the books back down and turn to her, smiling at her shy nature.

"If you're an astronomer, then why are you here... doing this?"

"Well, I'm trying to get into a college for astronomy. But... I'm not the best at it. So I figured that if I could get some notes and actual experience in the working field, I'd have a better shot. Sadly, astronomers don't get very much in pay. So, I made a deal with Cheesus. Work on the party blimp, get a free ride to Hayte. I think it's a fair trade. Why are you here?"

"Me? Pfft, I apparently got drunk and signed on. Last thing I remember was getting home from work and crashing on the couch."

"...And what do you do?" she asks with a slight blush. I smile back to her and take a seat on her bed, patting the spot next to me.

"Come over here and I'll tell you."

.......................................................................................................................................................

I stand in the shower and let the warm water wash over me. Another night of... services has left me a bit tired... and blue. Words gotten around that I'm able to finish off mares before finishing myself. Good for them, bad for me. I don't think I can go another week without some release without exploding. I asked Golden if she wanted to... help, but it ends up she's a virgin... so yeah. I get to wait.

Once finished with my shower, I dry off and head out. The earth pony mare I worked on is still fast asleep, so I try to make it out as quietly as possible. At least it was only one mare today. Yesterday was just... too much. Griffins... enough said. I check my little black book and smile when I notice I'm done for the night. Excited, I take off for Golden’s room, I think she got off about half an hour ago.

This is how it's been since that one night. We work all day and try to meet up as quickly as possible. She doesn't have to do anything at night, so we usually meet in her room. We've kissed at least. It was short and she nearly fainted, but it was awesome. I make it to her door and pause to catch my breath before entering.

"Golden?" I ask as I enter, finding the room empty. I shrug it off and step all the way inside. She probably wanted to go use the shower or something. It's odd that they don't give us our own showers, but it makes sense for the expenses and all. I lay on her bed and let myself relax a bit.

CLI-SLAM

"STORM! You're here earlier than I thought you would be!" she says from behind the door.

"Everything alright?" I ask as I stand up.

"Yeah, just... um, can you please turn around?" She asks with a quiver.

"Uh... sure. What's going on?" I ask as I turn around. She steps inside and stays quiet, so I just stand there and wait for her to do what-

FWOOSH

I nearly launch myself when I feel her touch my flank. I turn around to ask her what's going on, but stop when she kisses me. My eyes snap wide open as our lips press firmly against each others. When she finally pulls away, a slight string of saliva stay connected between us.

"So... uhm, do you... want to-" Before she could finish I press forward, kissing her this time. We hold each other as I push my tongue into her mouth. She tenses up a bit, but allows me to press on. I quickly find her tongue and begin to dance around it, getting her to moan deeply. I trace my hooves along her back until I reach her flank, where I give a firm squeeze. She breaks our kiss to look down, glancing at my eager member as it presses against her.

"Are you sure you want to?" I ask as I hold her. She stares at it for a bit longer before she looks up to me and nods.

"But, is there a way you won't... last so long?" She asks, her blush growing deeper.

"Well, there is oral."

"What's that?"

"Well... let me show you." She gives me a confused look, but follows me to the bed anyway. I lay her down and position myself over her, barely letting our coats touch. She keeps her legs tucked in as I begin to kiss her along her neck. Every little peck down her body earns a cute moan and a shiver until I reach just below her stomach. I pause for a second as I pull back and take one of her legs in my hooves. I work some tenders kisses down it as I slowly guide it to an open position. When I near her area I pull back and do the same with her other leg.

I take a moment to admire her tight virgin folds before my gaze is broken when she shuffles in anticipation. I draw my tongue out and lightly trace it along her opening. She groans in pleasure and tighten her grasp on the sheets. Pleased with the results I go in again, moving a bit faster this time. I move my hooves to hold her waist down as she starts to squirm in pleasure, especially when I hit her clit.

"Storm... something’s... something’s happening," she moans as she starts to rock her hips.

"Don't tense up, just let it out." I tell her before sucking her clit, pushing her over the edge. She lets out a loud moan as she thrusts forward. I try to move away, but she grabs the back of my head and smashes me against her a bit. When she finally calms down enough to let go of me, I pull myself up beside her and lay next her. "I'm guessing you've never done that before."

"*pant* No... never."

"Yeah, we'll have to get your sheets washed after tonight." I say as I feel the warm wetness seeping into the fur of my flank.

"I... huh?" She asks as she turns to look at me.

"Well, half of that liquid isn't what you think it is. I guess you've been pent up for some time."

"I... don't follow... in any case, it's your turn. What do I do?" She asks as she positions herself between my legs, stroking my member slowly.

"Start out my licking it," I tell her. She nods and eyes the tip as she tries to mentally prepare herself. My breath begins to pick up when she runs her tongue over the opening. She mulls the taste over in her mouth before leaning forward to lick again. "There you go. Treat it like a frozen popsicle. Lips, no teeth."

She nods a bit as she fits her lips around the tip. I twitch a bit as she swirls her tongue around the edge, resting a hoof on the back of her head as she starts to take more of me inside. I fight the urge to begin thrust forward as she works more of me into her mouth, especially when she begins to rub her tongue against the bottom.

"Is that good?" She asks when she pulls it out to breath, still stroking it.

"Amazing. Don't stop," I mutter, getting a giggle from her.

"This is crazy," she laughs before going back down on me.

"Right?" I laugh as well. It's good to see her relaxing a bit. I roll onto my back and sigh as she lays on my chest, holding my stiff member in her mouth. I drape my foreleg over her stomach and rub her sides, working my way down to her teats. When I trace her clit she accidentally lunges onto me, gagging on it. I quickly pull out and wait for her to catch her breath. "You alright?"

"Yeah... sorry, it just felt good,” she says with a blush as she turns to face me. "We can stop if you want."

"Stop? We just started. Unless you need to stop," I tell her. She thinks about before nodding.

"I-I'm ready. But, just be gentle okay. I'm still a bit nervous... It won't hurt too much, will it?"

"Well, it will hurt, but I don't know how to gauge it. I'll be sure to take it slow-"

"No! No, band-aid status. Just go in quick and we'll deal with it when we get there," she says quickly. I stare at her in disbelief before getting into position. I pick her up and set her with her plot held high and head low. I get behind her and line myself up with her, rubbing my tip against her entrance.

"Are you ready?" I ask as I start to press forward.

"Y-yeah. Just... yeah." I nod and take a deep before thrusting forward, breaking through her hymen and filling her completely. She lets out a pained scream before burying her head in a pillow. I groan from her tightness pressing down on me, true to a virgin’s tightness.

"You alive down there?" I ask as I hold myself there.

"...Yes." she says in a pained voice. "It's... just... big."

"Yeah, let me know when you're ready and I'll start to move it, okay?" I tell her as I rub her flank a bit. She nods and resumes her panting. It was lucky I got her off first, otherwise this would have been a bit more difficult to do. "Okay, go ahead."

"Okay, here I go." I pull back almost all the way out before pushing back in. She moans out loud, reassuring me to continue.

I start out slow, letting myself stretch her out easily. She remains somewhat quiet during this, but enjoys herself plenty. She even musters the courage to look back and watch it. When she picks herself up and begins to kiss me I grip her around her lower stomach and start pound away at her. She throws her head back in ecstasy and screams my name as another orgasm rocks her body, making her grasp on me tighten greatly. When she finally begins to calm down I stop my thrusting to let her catch her breath.

"Lay down," I instruct her, barely getting a nod from the tired mare. I pull out of her and wait as she turns around beneath me. I lower myself down to kiss her, letting or sweaty bodies mesh together. Our tongues dance messily around each others as I grind myself against her.

"I can go again if you want," she says when we finally break contact. I look down and push back inside of her, sliding easily from all of the natural lubricant. I grab onto her shoulders and resume my movements, slapping my hip against hers. She grabs onto my forelegs as her body shakes. As I continue my movements, we suddenly begin to stare into each others eyes. I don't know quite how to put it, but I feel something sparks between us. Like... a sudden realization of... love?

Is that it, is that what I'm feeling? We've only been together for a week, but...

"Storm, is something wrong?" she asks. I realize that I had suddenly stopped.

"Oh... well, it's just that... I... I love you, Golden Ray." She stares deep into my eyes before lunging forward to kiss me. I fumble back a bit until she's sitting in my lap, smiling.

"I've been waiting for those words for... a long time now. I love you to Storm Cloud." I can't help but smile at that. I haven't been loved like this since... since Raindrop. I wrap my hooves around her waist and pull her close as I lean in for another kiss. She wastes no time gyrating her hips to move my member within her. I feel myself edging near my climax, so I begin to lift and push her down onto myself. She breaks our kiss to moan out loud as she holds herself against me, trying to say something through her incoherent babbles.

"GOLDEN!" I yell when I finally orgasm, shooting my hot seed deep within her. I give some final, powerful thrust into her before collapsing from exhaustion. She falls right beside me and begins to regain her breath as sleep starts to take its hold on me.

"Storm... I... that was..."

"I... I know... sorry, but it's nap time for me."

..................................................................................................................................................

I awake with a foul taste in my mouth. Must be what's left over from the potion Twilight had me drink. I blink a few times before finally being able to see. I'm in a small room, barely fitting for a pony to live in. The only pieces of furniture are the bed I lay in, a night stand at the base of the bed, and a desk covered in all of my gear and a note. With a tired groan I get out of bed and pick up the note.

Storm,

We've docked just outside of Hayte. Grab your stuff and meet us on the deck.

Big Mac.

Hayte? But we were just in Ponyville a few hours ago... or, at least it feels like a few hours. What the heck did that potion do to me? Whatever. It doesn't matter now. I grab my gear and strap it all on before leaving the small room.

The Party Blimp lives up to its name. A large casino and strip club take up the main lower deck with the upper deck being a spa, tennis court, and buffet. Speaking of buffet, maybe we should get some food before we head out. Its feel like I haven't eaten or drank anything in a few days.

I make my way onto the top deck and find the rest of the Spartans, along with the two mercs and Trixie.

"Alright everypony, ready to head out?" I ask as I approach them.

"Don't you want to know how we got here? Don't you feel... funny?" Dust Devil asks, making the others avert their eyes.

"I'm sure there's a good reason for all of that, but we have a job to do right now. I'll find out soon enough what happen, so let's get this city over with so we can get home. Watch each others back, and keep together. I don't want to lose anypony."

"YES SIR!" The Spartans sound off. I look to Fayte and motion for him to lead, getting him to walk to the off ramp.

Hayte is a fairly large village, by zebra standards at least. Many of the buildings are made of thin twigs woven together to form walls with straw roofs. Many of the zebras here have set up shop near the docks to sell their goods. We all work our way through the crowd and follow Fayte to the towns center. Many of the residence here don't seem to mind us. The foals seem to like to follow us, speaking to each other in their language.

The ponies— er, zebras, seem to be a vibrant group. Living next to an airport, they don't really pay us any attention. They go about their daily lives, speaking with friends, selling goods. It's odd seeing so many similar looking ponies in one area. It's even odder to only see glyphs instead of cutie marks. Though I do like the neck rings, earrings, and nose rings. The gaping hole in the ear is a bit too much though.

"Alright, you all wait here while I go talk to the local shaman," Fayte says as he and Aurane walk off together. We all relax a bit as we wait for them to return. I look over and note a rather smug look on Night Fury.

"What's got you in such a good mood?" I ask him.

"Hm? Oh, let’s just say it's been a few good weeks. Real good," he says, glancing to Trixie and then back to me.

"Oh? So you and Trixie are finally official?" I ask in a hushed tone, raising an eyebrow to him.

"We're not the only ones," he whispers back to me. I try to think about it, but can't really think of an...

"True Will and DD?" I ask.

"HA! What?!?" he practically yells before laughing his ass off. Everyone looks back to us for an answer, but can't get one. I don't know what's going on and Night Fury is rolling on the floor laughing his ass off.

"Anyway, anypony want to tell me what I missed while we wait?" I ask, ignoring the dying stallion beside me.

"Eenope," Big Mac states, looking away from me. I look to the others and see them all avoid my gaze.

"Come on, did I do something bad?" I ask, getting Night Fury to laugh even harder. "Did I hurt anypony?" Night Fury starts choking from the lack of air he's getting. "Anypony?"

"Storm," True Will says as he steps forward. "If I tell you what you did, you have to promise not to ask anymore questions. Promise?"

"Yeah, what did I do wrong?"

"You drank the damn potion." I shake my head a little as I stare at him, trying to think of a way that could possibly be wrong. "Come on, Fayte's calling us." I sigh in annoyance and follow the group to Fayte. What could have happened from drinking that potion that it would be wrong?

"Alright everypony," Fayte starts as we line up in front of him. "The shaman here has granted us access to the city, but warns us that many brave warriors have made the passage before us, and failed."

"We know what we're getting into Fayte, you can't scare us off that easily," True Will says. I glance over to Trixie and note her shaking. Most of us know what we're doing at least.

"Sorry, it's tradition to say these warnings. If you go down and retreat, you will be viewed as outcasts among the zebras. If you try lying about a false victory, you will be beheaded. And if you somehow survive, every zebra will swear fealty to you as ordered by the head shaman of our nation. May the stars guide you." He does a slight bow before turning and walking down the main path. Aurane steps out from the hut and follows after Fayte, beckoning us to follow.

The path suddenly changes when we make it to the end of the village. Rows of flowers line the path as low hanging trees provide shade. A group of zebra mares waiting by entrance see us and swarm over to us. They begin to chant something as they smear white goop all over our armor. Little fillies run up and adorn us with flowers and twig crowns.

"They're wishing us good luck on the hunt... and a merry happy life should we die," Fayte informs us. A zebra mare gets in my face and begins to mumble something quickly as she rubs my face with the goop.

"Uh... bleh, thank you... thank you... ew, is this really necessary?" I ask as I move my face in an attempt to not be covered in goop.

"More importantly, what is this made of?" Trixie asks.

"Bat guano," Fayte says as he stands proud, letting himself be marked up. "And yes, it is necessary. Unless you want to piss off the entire village and be hunted down for insulting the head shaman of Zebrica. Your call." Big Mac and I glance to one another before holding still, letting them finish their little ritual.

"Wait... is bat guano-"

"Huweza nyota atawaongoza." The zebras say at once before stepping back, leaving the path to the city before us. We stand still for a moment before Fayte strides forward, looking more determined than normal. We all share a look before following after him. The grass is soft and the air is filled with the alluring scents of different flowers. The trees provide a nice cover from the unrelenting sun as a soft breeze blows past us.

It's peaceful walking down this path. A large cave sits at the end of it, adorned with small, powdery white mounds. An elder zebra stands at the entrance to the cave. She wears many gold rings around her neck and legs as well as a silver nose ring. I'm not exactly sure how old she is, but her black strips are starting to turn grey.

"We're here to test our strength," Fayte tells the elder. She leans to the side and looks each of us over before looking back to Fayte.

"You know the price for failing twice," she tells him in her slow old voice.

"I will not fail again. May we enter?" he replies.

"So you may believe. You may enter, but will not leave." She walks us to the entrance and sits to the side, eyeing each of us as we face the mouth of the cave. "Wait," she says as she stands back up. "You... and you." she says as she points me and Trixie out.

"Us?" Trixie asks as we step aside.

"Yes... you both have a touch of destiny I can clearly see. Who are you?" she asks as she approaches Trixie and begins to examine her head, moving it from side to side as she taps and squishes it.

"I'm Trixie-OW! Don't pull my hair!"

"And I'm Lieutenant Storm Cloud of the Spartan Regiment." I say, getting her to look to me with a surprised expression.

"A... Spartan?"

"We all are." I say as I motion to the others. She releases Trixie and walks over to each of us, inspecting us closely.

"Hmm... Spartans, you may enter. But when you reach the center.... remember who you are, or you will not go far." She moves back to her stop beside the cave and sits down. "Safe journeys to you all."

"Thank you... grandmother. Zecora sends her regards," Fayte says before entering the cave. We all look to one another before following after him. Trixie and I share a confused look as the darkness of the cave obscures our vision. Trixie, True Will, and Fayte light their horns and guide the way. The path slopes downward and has more of the white goop smearing the walls, depicting other ponies who made the journey down. The wall are practically white.

"What did she mean by 'a touch of destiny'?" Trixie asks as she slows down to walk beside me.

"We're special?" I offer, getting a flat look from the mare. "I don't know. It's probably some zebra tribe thing, try not to think about it too much right now. We have more pressing matters at hoof right now," I tell her. She nods slowly and picks up the pace. I don't really know what to make of what she said in all honesty. Does it mean we'll have a moment of greatness, or become something great? I don't know and I don't think I'll know until it happens. So better keep moving on then.

Traveling in this darkness sets all of us on edge. We had to stop several times to camp and let the unicorns in our group rest. Sitting in complete darkness was... unpleasant, to say the least. It's felt like at least a day has passed since we've entered. After our third camp stop though, we finally made it our destination. Diamond Halls. The bulkhead sits crookedly, leaving a small opening at the bottom right corner. A bright light shines through the opening, beckoning us to run to it and out of the darkness. We huddle around the small opening and try to lift it open. Even with all of our strength increases, it won't budge.

"Trixie, can you teleport us inside?" I ask, getting her to glance inside.

"Maybe. If I do it'll only be one at a time. Can you teleport Fayte? True Will?"

"Yeah, though only one at a time like you," True Will says, getting a nod from Fayte.

"Alright, here's the plan. You three will Teleport Big Mac, Dust Devil and myself inside. When we give you all the go ahead start bringing in everypony else in. Sound good?" I ask, getting nods from the three of them. The three of us take our stance and nod for them to do it. One flash lat-

"SONNA BII-" Big Mac yells as he suddenly starts to drop. Dust Devil and I had instinctively opened our wings... but that doesn't help our earth pony friend. With a powerful flap of our wings we send ourselves flying after him, catching up quickly.

"GAH! Why are you so heavy!" Dust Devil complains as we grab him and fight to keep him from crashing down.

"Shuddup and keep flappin!" He barks back. After a few minutes of furious flapping we finally find the ground. We drop to the ground and catch our.... whoa.

"Where is the city?" Dust Devil asks as we stare out at the empty dome. Everything here has been completely destroyed. The only thing left here is all the crumbled concrete that fills the bottom of the dome. I l take a good look across the vast nothingness before I see two mounds in the sea of crushed buildings. One seems to be in the exact center of the dome while the other seems to be on under the right bulkhead.

"DD, go tell the others to come in, but warn them about the drop."

"Got it," she says quietly before flying off for the gate.

"There's no way the fighting was this bad here... right?" I ask Big Mac, who shrugs.

"Hadda been one heck of a fight," he says as he surveys the area. A couple of bright flashes go off before us as the others appear. We stand there silently as we take in the sight of... nothing.

"Where do you want to start?" Night Fury asks sarcastically.

"Let's head to that left mound and then go to the center. Something has to be there," I say as I start to walk off for it.

"Keep close to the edge," Fayte warns us as he walks behind me.

"Why?" True Will asks.

"They call it the city of solitude for a reason," Aurane says as he jumps into the air. "I want to go scout ahead, anypony wish to come along?"

"Count me in," Dust Devil says as she flies after him.

Walking through the uneven terrain proved to be problematic. Those without wings would often slip or trip from the ground going out from under them. Those of us with wings quickly took to the air. It takes us a couple of hours to make it halfway, where Trixie decides to teleport everypony without wings. The rest of us just race there to meet them.

Reaching our destination, we split up and search the mound for... anything really. I don't know what to find her, so I guess we're just investigating everything. I start at the base of the mound and start to pull slabs out of the way. The others follow my lead and start to lift and levitate the stones out of the way.

"Is that a building?" Trixie asks as she levitates a large slab out of the way. A few feet feet down we can see a smooth surface going straight up and down. True Will, Fayte, and Trixie get to work clearing a way down, creating a path in about thirty minutes.

THUD

"Did anypony hear that?" I ask, getting everypony to pau-

KA-THUD

"INTRUDERS!" I spin around and nearly fall over myself as the giant... person, towers over us. He's easily twice the height of Miles and has a thousand times the muscle mass. His head looks about the same size of Miles', though it's dwarfed by his massive body. It has a few grey patches of long grey hair on its head, as well as a red beard. Scars litter its muscular body as he heaves before us, clenching its large fists.

"Uh-"

"INEMORIOR!" He yells as he tries to bring both his fist down upon me. With the aid of my wings I jump back just in time to dodge his attack. When land I set my hooves on my sword and lunge forward, swiping my blade at the beast and sending a powerful gust of wind forward. It hits the beast and forces him a few steps back... THAT'S IT!?!?

"COME TO ME, MY TASTY LITTLE—!"He yells before a powerful beam of energy sends him flying back.

"GET INTO THE BUILDING BELOW! I'LL HOLD HIM OFF!" True will yells before charging after the beast. We all look to one another before following after him. "I SAID TO-"

"SPARTANS!" I yell, getting a URAH in response. We spread out and form a semicircle around the beast as it staggers back to its feet. A massive cut across its chest bleeds... no. It's healing right before our eyes! Literally, within seconds, the wound seals itself shut. We all share a glance before readying our weapons.

"Perfidus?" It asks as it steps towards True Will. "Captain Perfidus?"

"Uh... no-"

"NO? NO!? What do you mean NO? HOW COULD IT BE NO!?" It yells as it thrashes about, swiping at the ground and throwing up hands full of cement. We all back away as it throws its little fit.

"It spoke," Big Mac states quietly.

"Think we can talk our way out?" I ask.

"You willing to try?" Night Fury scoffs.

"NO MORE WAITING! EATING TI-"

"You can't eat them!" Trixie yells from behind.

"I can't? I CAN'T!? TELL ME LITTLE BLUE-"

"You can't eat Terradisians! Not... not if you're a Spartan." Trixie walks right past us and stands before the beast.

"Spartan? SPARTAN!" It yells before slamming both of its fist beside Trixie, narrowly missing her. "WHAT WOULD YOU KNOW OF SPARTANS!? Prove to me that you're Terradisian! What is your name!?" He huffs and growls as he draw nearer to Trixie.

"M-my name is Trixie-"

"TRIXIE!"

"T-Trixie Ostendere." He huffs a bit as he inspects Trixie more closely, eyeing her with renewed interest. "And these are my Spartan escorts-"

"I SEE NO SPARTANS!" He yells as he slams the ground around her again, shaking the ground enough to make her fall over.

"We are Spartans!" Night Fury yells as he steps closer, drawing its attention. "From... from Topaz Drops."

"WHAT?!"

"FALLS! From Topaz Falls!" I correct, gaining its attention. "We came... to answer... your distress call?" I fumble, looking to the others for help. It stands back to its full height and sighs slowly, almost deflating in size from relaxing its massive muscles.

"Well, it's about time someone showed up to help quell this little rebellion. Where is your commander?"

"That would be me, Lieutenant Storm Cloud," I say as I step forward, keeping my sword up.

"Storm... Cloud? Storm? What is a storm cloud? Storm Could? What could possibly be a cloud and why is it storming?" He asks as he starts to pace about. I look to the others for help, but only get shrugs. Fayte looks as if he's about to faint, though I don't think it's over the giant mad man before us.

"What do we do now?" True Will asks in a hushed voice.

"Uh... I'm working on that-"

"You there! Spartan, why are you so different? You don't look like any Spartan I've ever seen." He says as he points a large meaty finger at me.

"Well... you don't look like any Spartan I've ever seen." I reply, getting a deep laugh from him.

"Magnificent, aren't I? A little gift from that CUNT of a woman. Who is your Captain?" Shit. Should I use Miles? He wasn't a Captain in his city. What was his Captains name? Su... Susurrans...

"Our Captains name is Susurrans Bellum."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..." Oh please tell me he-

"TRAITOR!" He tells as he tries to smash Trixie. She teleports away before any harm was done, but the initial hit had enough force to make us all fall over. I try to get back up, only to fall back down when a massive fist slams right beside me. "DIE LITTLE TRAIT-"

FWUUSH

A large plume of fire hits his side and forces him to roll over. Big Mac runs over me and charges at the beast, slamming his halberd into its back as it tries to get back up. A loud howl of pain erupts as it fights to stand back up. He snaps his arm back and grabs Big Mac, lifting him up as he stands.With a powerful twirl of his arm he hucks Big Mac... only he doesn't go flying. At the last possible second he swung his halberd and sunk the blade into the beasts hand. He didn't go flying, though he did lose his grip and fling thirty feet away.

As the beast staggers back I lunge forward and send another slash of air at him, pushing him further back. Dust Devil takes this opening and flies forward, using her vibro-blades to cut and slash at his left leg. The beast tries to grab her, but she easily flies out of his grasp. With him bent over, Night Fury pops up from behind him and slams his dual axes into the beasts back. They shoot out a concussive force that drops the beast. Fayte takes this advantage to charge forward and bury his blade within the beasts skull. We all watch as its body twitches and convulses before going limp.

"Is it dead?" Trixie asks shakily from behind.

THUD

"Better safe than sorry," True Will says after he drops a massive boulder onto the beast. We all sigh in relief as we sheath our weapons. That was... terrifying. I'm just glad it's over.

"Nice name drop Night Fury," Dust Devil says as she punches his shoulder.

"I got the gist of it," he says with a chuckle. We all share a small laugh as we head back to the buried building. We file down the shabby path and enter the small room. There isn't much to the front room, just a couch to the left and a small table in front of it. There's a kitchen that only has the basic amenities, refrigerator, stove, sink. A door to the right leads me to the bedroom. It's small, like the rest of the building. A bed to the right and a nightstand under the window.

I was about to leave the room when something caught my eyes. On top of the night stand is... something. I walk over and pick it up, blowing the dust off to get a better look.

"A... picture?" I ask as I flip it over. It's a simple photo of a man holding a very pregnant woman. The man is tall and well built, looking oddly like Miles. The woman is a head shorter than the man and has long black hair. Her eyes seem to shine a bright hazel color, even as she looks down to her large stomach. I stare at the photo a bit more until I hear the others. This... is important, somehow. I stuff it into my saddle bag before walking back out to the front.

"DUDE! This fridge is HUGE!" Aurane yells from within said fridge.

"Alright, I think we found whatever... where is everypony?" I ask as I look around the empty room.

"We're in here!" Dust Devil yells from.... the fridge. I walk over and look inside...

"Da buck?"

"Eeyup."

"Why would they need a fridge like this?" I ask as they all start to walk out of the fridge.

"All I know is that I want one." Trixie laughs as she walks past me. Once they all leave the fridge I glance back inside, gauging the sheer size of its insides, before shutting the door.

"Anyway, lets head to the center of the city and see what's under that mound. After that we can probably head out," I tell the others. They send Fayte sends Big Mac as the other unicorns teleport away. As I take off, I notice a troubled look on his face just before he teleports himself away. Concerned, I fly up next to Aurane to ask him about it.

"Hey, is Fayte alright?"

"Doubt it. He grew up in this village. But one day he decided that he should take this challenge and tried to make it down here. I don't know what happened to him, but he failed the test. Thus, he was shunned from the village. His grandmother back there, had he not been banished, would have been much more enthusiastic about seeing him."

"What about you? How did you meet him?"

"Me? Well, he was banished alongside his mother. I was on a... well, lets call it a journey. On my way to the zebra capital I found the two of them walking through the desert and brought them in. Been together ever since his mother passed on. He visits with his aunt every now and again, but he's still treated like a foreigner."

"Must be tough for the poor guy."

"Eh, it's his life. It's not the most desirable, but he's making it. Though I imagine that things will be different once we leave. Who knows, they may even restore his title and make him chief. It's a long shot, but it's worth dreaming for."

We make it to the center mound and find the others digging out the center. A bright blue light glows from within the center, guiding our efforts. Well, their effort. The rest of us just watch as they levitate all of the ruble out of the way. Magic, what can you do without it?

Once they reach the door they all collapse from exhaustion. It's odd seeing other ponies get so fatigued from magic when you're around people like Miles and Twilight. Night Fury and I move ahead as everypony else stays back with the others. The room we find looks like a weapons locker, only the shelves are made for much larger weapons. Though most of everything in here is empty, there is one weapon left. It's about six feet long, cylindrical, and has the top opened up, revealing a bright blue box inside of it.

"What in the name of Celestia is that?" I ask as we draw closer to it.

"I don't know, but something tells me we don't want to touch it,” he says as he looks around the room. "Well, it's a weapon obviously. It doesn't seem to be something a human would use by hand either. The back end reminds me of Miles' jet thing, so I think it flies... I think this is a bomb."

"A bomb? If it's this big then we definitely don't want to mess with it. Not until we get Miles here at least... assuming he's still alive." I shoot him a look before shaking my head.

"Not cool."

"What? It's true. He might not be alive when we get back." He states matter of factly.

"I said that's not cool," I repeat as I get in his face. He chuckles a bit as he eyes me right back, not backing down in the slightest.

"Do I need to put you in your place, private?"

"Heh, no sir."

"Then shut your mouth before I shut it for you," I say as I push him back. He laughs a little before turning and leaving. I glance back to the bomb before following him up. If he makes one more comment like that I'm knocking h-

THUD

"AURANE!" Fayte yells as a massive boulders lands directly on top of him. I take to the air as the beast from before comes crashing down.

"HOW IS HE ALIVE?!" I yell as the rest of the flying members of our group fly higher.

"Does it matte–OH SHIT!" Dust Devil yells as the beast leaps into the air and tries to swat us back down. We spread out and take turns attacking the beast. I'd try to keep him down with powerful gust as Night Fury uses his power axes to smack him back down. Dust Devil is running decoy as True Will and Big Mac is guarding the entrance to the center mound. Where the buck are Fayte and Trixie!?

THUD

I nearly fall over myself as the beast from before comes crashing down all around us. All of the pegasi take to the air as I drag Fayte into the building below. He was just standing there, staring at the trail of blood coming out from under the boulder.

"I thought that thing was dead!" I yell when we make it into the bright room. I pace about, trying to figure out how it could possibly be alive, when I notice Fayte just standing there in a daze. "Fayte.... FAYTE!"

"He... he's dead," he mumbles quietly. I shake my head and look around the room for any....

"What is that?" I ask aloud as I walk toward the glowing blue thing in a metal tube. I try to get a better look at, but can't due to the small size. Whatever it is, it's on a metal slide. I grab the tray and pull it out. There are three blue boxes on the metal tray, each glowing an ominous blue.

"DON'T TOUCH THE ALPHA!" The beast yells from outside as he swats Big Mac away. The other Spartans try to stop him, but he just plows right through them as he charges for us.

"Fayte, grab this and help me blast that thing away." I say as I grab the little blue box. Immediately I feel an immense amount of power course through my body. I feel more powerful than when I used the Elements of Harmony. Fayte stares in awe for a second before he too grabs the blue box. His eyes begin to glow white as multiple layers of auras glow around his horn.

"NOOOOOO!! NOT THE ALPHA!!" It yells as he lunges straight for us.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM

A massive beam of white energy blast from my horn and strikes the beast square in the chest. It feels as if my very soul is being torn out from my horn as the overwhelming amount of energy discharges forth. Immediately, my horn begins to burn as the energy pours out. It quickly grow to the point where my vision begins to blur.

"Trixie... Trixie..."

........................................................................................................................................................

I open my tired eyes to find myself in the infirmary back on the blimp. Rows of soft beds line the walls with night stands filling the space between them. I try to lift my head, but stop when a sharp pain goes down my spin.

"Don't strain yourself." I perk up a bit from Night Fury's voice coming behind me. Though it hurts to do so, I roll over to look at him. He's out of his armor and looks as if he hasn't slept in a while.

"Hey," is all I can muster. I'm tired and have a throbbing headache.

"The doctors told me to tell you not to try to use magic until you're released. Fayte tried and... well, his horn crumble away." I wince just from the thought of losing my horn.

"Is he alright?" I ask in my raspy voice. It feels as if I haven't had a drink of water for weeks.

"He'll be fine. Though he decided to stay in the village now that he's regained his honor. We're supposed to tell Zecora of this, but he guessing that she won't leave Ponyville. But don't worry about any of that. You just work on getting better, okay," he says as he nuzzles my cheek. I smile to him and sigh in relief.

"When did you get so sentimental?" I ask as I enjoy the feeling of his nose against mine.

"I... I just don't want to lose anypony else." He says quietly before kissing my cheek. "Rest up, I'll be back first thing tomorrow."

"Okay." Falling back to sleep won't be a problem, I'm so tired. In the last moments of consciousness I feel the bed shift as Night Fury lays beside me, wrapping a wing around me. Falling asleep won't be a problem.

...................................................................................................................................................

I feel a light shine through my eyelids, forcing me to wake up. I glance out the window and sigh when I see how early it is. I roll over and try to sleep in a bit more, pulling Trixie closer to me as my new body pillow. Her warm, soft body helps lull me back to the edge of sleep, until I feel her roll over.

"Morning," she says sleepily. I sigh, disappointed from the lack of extra sleep, and open my eyes to look her over.

"Morning. Sleep well?"

"No. Something kept poking me all night," she says as she grabs my stiff member.

"Hey, you know exactly how to fix that." I say with a smile as she begins to rub it. I lean forward to give her a kiss, only to stop when she starts to get out of bed.

"Yeah, no. You're not getting lucky that quickly," she says before sticking her tongue at me. I watch the dried spunk I left on her flanks sway from side to side until she finally makes it into the bathroom. I roll onto my back stretch out the sleep from my muscles. This thing does not go fast enough. One more week and we'll finally be home. I hear the shower turn on, putting dirty thoughts in my head.

Do we have anything planned today... that was a dumb question. I get out of bed and head into the bathroom finding Trixie just sitting under the shower head, letting the water cascade down her body. She doesn't move as I slide the glass door open and step inside. She just keeps her eyes shut and lets the water wash over her. I nestle myself right behind her and wrap my wings over her chest.

"Hm, what did I say about getting lucky?"

"Something about getting lucky quickly," I say as I press myself against her. She lets out a low hum as we sit together, letting our coats mesh together from the water. I back off when she begins to stand. She sets her legs wide and lifts her tail aside, giving me a perfect view of her. I can't help but smile as I get up and mount her, sliding into her expecting sex easily.

I start out slow. Moving all the way in before bringing myself back to her entrance. I run both of my hooves down her spine as I do so, trying to relax her. Our breathing begins to pick up as the hot water fogs the glass doors. When I feel her starting to rock with me I begin to pick up the pace, quickening my movements with shorter strokes. She lets out a small gasp at first but stays quiet mostly. The sound of the shower muffling anything else.

"Turn around," I tell her as I dismount. She nods and faces me, where we share a sloppy, passionate kiss. I quickly pick her up and press her against the glass door, holding her by her flanks as our stomachs press together. I find my mark and push back inside her as she drapes her forelegs over my shoulders. I tense up from her first touches on my wings, but begin to rock my hips anyway. I press my nose against hers as our hips slap against each others, our hot breath mixing together in the humid air.

"Harder." She quivers and tightens her grip on me with her lower legs. I start to lift and drop her with my thrusts, trying to get the most out of every move. Her moans grow in volume as my hips become more erratic. I feel the familiar tension starting to grow in my member as I push harder and harder. Without any warning, Trixie pushes on the glass, knocking me on my flank. She pins my shoulders down as she rides through her orgasm, moaning loudly as she bounces on top of me. I grab her hips and yank her down as I hit my own climax. I twitch and convulse as my seed spays over her insides.

We stay in this position for a bit, panting as we stare into each others eyes. When she finally stands, I watch as my softening member slides out, followed by some spunk. I've never gone inside before.... I've never gone inside.... before...

"Trixie?" I ask as she begins to wash herself.

"Yeah?"

"I went.... inside."

"I know, I was there." she chuckles as she grabs the shampoo.

"Trixie... I went... inside." About half way through rubbing the soap into her mane she finally puts one and one together.

"Oh.. it's... it's okay. It'll be okay," she says slowly as she continues to rub the solution in her mane.

"O...kay? Uh, are you sure it's going to be okay?" I ask as I stand up.

"Yeah, don't worry. It'll... it'll be fine," she says distantly.

"... How is it going to be okay?"

"It just is. Don't worry about it. Everything will be fine." I try to look her in the eyes, but she avoids my gaze. I shrug it off and begin washing off. She says everything will be fine, so I'll believe her. Who knows her body better then her, right?

Right?

We finish up our shower and have a rather playful drying session before finally leaving our suite. We make our way to the buffet lounge where we meet up with the other Spartans for brunch. We get our food and fill up a table before chowing down. The food is good enough. Not the best, but I didn't pay for it.

"Did anypony see Storm today?" Dust Devil asks.

"Eeyup."

"Was he still with that one mare?" She asks him.

"Eeyup."

"Why are we letting him do this? We should go stop the two-"

"He doesn't know who we are. He doesn't know he's married. He doesn't know that he's a super soldier from a futuristic human civilization that made a deal with a pimp to get us all a free ride to Hayte to go into a deep underground city. Do you still really want to go talk to him?" True Will cuts her off. The table falls quiet as she thinks about it, frowning more as she does so.

"Speak of the devil," I say as I see him and the maid pony walking into the buffet area.

"Hide Night Fury!" Dust Devil shouts as she tries to push me down.

"Why?" I ask as I fight back.

"He still knows who you are! If he- stop fighting- if he sees you, it might- watch the wings!" We fight a bit more before something grabs the two of us and pulls us under the table.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"Who the buck are you and why are you under our table?" I ask the light brown earth pony beside me. He has light green hair and is holding a cabbage as if it's a foal.

"Um... I..."

"*gasp* were you trying to sneak a peek at all of us!" Dust Devil accuses him, making his face turn bright red.

"No! I was-WHA?" Somepony suddenly grabs him and pulls him out from under the table.

"Coast is clear. Lets go already!" one pony tells him.

"The Master went this way, follow me,” another pony says in an odd accent. We wait for the others to give us the all clear before going back to our seats. I get a glance of Storm as he leaves the buffet hall.

"Ya might not like 'im, but we do. Fight us again like that again an Ah'll lay ya out, got it?" Big Mac asks as he glares at me. I just snort in response and return to my food. I guess I'll play along for the next week. The past two months have been pleasant enough. Getting to watch Storm ruin his life was just the icing on the cake.

..........................................................................................................................................................

"Ah... my head. What happened? Why does everything taste so bad Twilight... Twilight?" I ask as I wake up to a bitter taste in my mouth in an office of some kind. I get off the lounge chair and head towards the desk, when the large chair behind it spins around.

"Cheesus? What are you doing here... where is here?" I ask as he puffs on a cigar.

"You're confused, that's normal for somepony in your position. All will be explained soon. Pill?" He asks as he opens a drawer and offers me a red and blue pill.

"Uh... no thanks–"

"Damn. Pinkie won't be happy about that–"

"What's going on? Where am I? Wh–"

"Okay, okay, okay, stop. I'll explain everything, just give me a second," he says as he sits up and snuffs out his cigar, mumbling something about horrible taste and damned cats. "Okay. You just finished a mission to Diamond Halls. You found a picture of two humans and a giant crazy human. Trixie and Fayte defeated it by using something called an alpha, something none of the Spartans could really identify. Twilight is waiting for you in Canterlot. It's February twenty first-"

"WHAT!?" I yell as I nearly fall over. "What?! Just... WHAT?! I've been gone for two months!?"

"Yeah. Don't worry though. The mission was a success. Now go meet up with Twilight... oh, and one last thing Storm," he says before getting off the chair. He walks over to me and pulls me in for a tight hug."Thank you... thank you so much."

"Uh... you're welcome–"

"But never again. I'm sorry, but even I have my limits of respect," he says as he breaks contact with me. "Now get going. All of your stuff is right outside the door and we're just outside of Canterlot. Shouldn't be more than a five minute flight."

"Uh.. thanks. So... I'll just be going then," I say as I start to back peddle towards the door.

"Storm," he calls out as I reach for the handle. "I love you... no homo."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"It's a business thing. Now get going!"

"Right, bye!" I leave the awkward room as quickly as possible, grabbing my bags and armor with little thought before running. I take the only door in the hall and find myself on the deck of a large blimp. The wood is new and polished well, shining brightly in the sunlight. To my right are the Canterlot mountains, and to my left in the distance is Ponyville. I roll my shoulders a bit before running off the deck and taking off for Canterlot.

Why is she at Canterlot in the first place? We were suppose to go to the next city with Miles and... Miles. I hope he's okay. Things weren't looking too good last I remember.

What am I talking about? It's Miles! The only thing that could kill Miles is... Miles.

...

What about Twilight? Two months alone must have been hard. I know she's can take care of herself but... I don't know Call it ego, but I wish I could have been there for her. I guess I'll just have to-

"-everything is going to be just fine! AH!!" I suddenly crash right into some pegasus mid air. I shake my head a bit before looking...

"Ow! Sorry about that. The wings are..."

"..."

"..."

"Twilight?"

"Storm?" I blink a few times as I try to comprehend what I'm looking at. It's Twilight, but with wings. Alicorn Twilight... why does that sound so off? "Storm!" She lunges forward and wraps me up in a hug, one that I return quickly.

"Twilight, look at you! What happened? How do you have wings? Where did you get the dress? Your hair is all done up and... what did I miss?" I ask with a chuckle as we hover together, holding each other close.

"Well, it's a bit difficult to explain. Ends up the Princess was molding me to become a Princess myself. You're looking at one of the new rulers of Equestria," she tries to say modestly, blushing a bit.

"Wow... so does that make me a Prince?" I ask half heartily.

"Uh... I guess-"

"And how does that fit with Terradisia?"

"Terradisia... Storm-"

"What about the others? Are they alicorns as well? I bet Miles flipped out when-"

"Storm. Miles is... Miles... he..." Twilight tries to say it, but can't force seem to find the words. I let out a sigh and peck her on the lips.

"You don't have to say it. We knew this was coming. I just wish I could have said goodbye before he died-"

"He didn't die." Twilight cuts me off, making me reel back a bit. "Well... we're not sure if he died."

"... huh?"

"I can't really explain it, so I'll just show you." She says before igniting her horn. Moments later we appear in Miles home, in the hall just outside his bedroom. I look to Twilight for an answer, but she only motions for me to go inside the room.

I push the door open and step inside. I looks exactly how I remember it. Black and bed sheets, dark wood nightstands, piles of ash on the floor and bed... wait. I walk over to the bedside and look over the ash a bit more closely before looking back to Twilight, noting her shocked expression.

"I swear he was just unconscious when we left him here. I didn't know he... I'm sorry Storm."

"It's alright. It was Miles, if he was going to go, he was going go. Nothing could have stopped that. Do you know if he suffered?"

"I don't think so. We'd all check in on him from time to time. He would just be laying there, sleeping soundlessly. Luna took it pretty hard at first, but she's been doing much better now."

"That's good... let's keep this to ourselves for now. Today was suppose too be your special day, and I'm sure he wouldn't want to ruin it." I say as I start to usher her out of the room. Before I leave I turn back to the pile of ash and stand at attention.

"Storm?" Twilight asks before I start to salute. She wait quietly for me to finish, bowing her head slightly.

"Semper miles, semper amicus meus."

All apologies for taking so long writing this. Personal problems as well as story problems arose. Basically, this chapter was over thirty thousand words long a week ago.

Brony on!