The last few days have felt like a vacation! The citizens have been fighting none stop over the type of government they want to form. It seems every time they start to agree on something someone gives it a title and it just destroys all progress. It's been great! The Spartans and I have been watching from the sidelines and loving every moment so far. I think half the stuff I've been touting about has finally started to settle in. Everything from avoiding choosing sides to waiting for the opportune time to speak or act. They're finally getting it.

Well, almost everyone gets it. Storm seems to be having a hard time getting the idea in his head. I think its the influence from Twilight, but he thinks that he needs to play an active role in the decision process. And while he technically is allowed to, it's odd for Spartans to do so. We're not meant for nation builders. We're warriors.

I've tried talking to him about it on several occasions, but he's made up his mind. He's tried to convince me to join a side, but that didn't last long. I especially should not be weighing in on any of this! With the way they listen to me and follow my command, any input I would put in could alter events dramatically. And this will not be a nation of my making. It will be a nation of the people, by the people.

Plus, I've got Luna in the mix fighting to basically take over. So I'm covered either way.

So while she's been leading a group trying to form a constitutional republic, there are two other groups vying for control. The smallest group seems to be a workers party trying to make some sort of socialist representative system. But I'd say they only have about twenty five percent of the support. With about a ten to fifteen percent of undecided people, the second largest group is some representative monarchy being lead by Twilight.

The ideas are fairly the same. But there are some key things that are causing a divide. Twilight seems to think that a monarchy with split parliament is the way to go. Something to the effect of what Terradisia was, and what Equestria is. It's not a bad idea. But I worry about who would take over as the ruling family. I know what might happen, and I worry about history repeating itself.

Luna is trying to make a form of republic where the executive branch is an elected office, just like the rest of the legislative. She wants the people in charge to rotate out every five or so years. Basically making a new government every time. She thinks this will let the people in charge adapt to the issues as the arrive and keep the flow of ideas fresh. I've read about governments like this. It can work, but it really comes down to who is put into power.

And at the crux of all of this is that question. That singular persistent question that no one can agree on. Who will lead. Everyone seems to agree that there needs to be a central source of leadership. But they can't agree on how that would work. Monarch or President? Life appointment or term limits? Several people are throwing their hats into the race, but not many of them seem to be taken serious. Luna and Twilight are the front runners. E'Claire is leading the third party, but if she's going to take power she has a long way to go.

And then there's Celestia. She's taken a... laid back approach to the whole ordeal. I believe she's using Twilight somehow. Either influencing her ideas and goals, or taking an active role outside of view. It's hard to tell. She hasn't come out and specifically aligned with her, but she hasn't disavowed her either. You can't say you're neutral when you're only supporting one person and actively criticizing all others.

But none of this is my concern. I've taken the time to sit back and relax, for the most part at least. I've garrisoned all Spartans here in Mooseden until a government is formed. So they've taken this time to reconnect with family and friends. I've done the same, but my eyes are always on the prowl.

Canterlot is ablaze with new nationalistic fervor, just as we planned. I've never seen the streets lined with so many flags and posters. When everyone came out and celebrated the Grand Galloping Gala it really brought this nation together. The timing seemed perfect. After so long of worry and doubt about the world, people coming together and celebrating love for their nation was exactly what the needed. Pinkie really out did herself. I was going to congratulate her, but apparently she's been asleep since the G-cubed.

It's been good being home. Getting to see my kids everyday and getting to speak with them so frequently really does my cause good. Shadow is going through a hard time though. I wish I could help more, but this is something she needs to do on her own. I know she can do it, but that doesn't mean I don't want to protect my little girl.

Tempestive is a little ball of energy! I don't know where he gets it from honestly. He wakes up everyday at five am on the dot! The little fucker doesn't understand what sleeping in is! It has been fun getting to goof off with him though. And sure, there are plenty of other things I should be working on. But getting some quality time with my son is worth all the procrastination.

But all that procrastination has to come to an end someday. So after breakfast with everyone I had to sneak off into my shed to get some work done. They tried to convince me to come in, but that's not happening. I need to get something done, and there's no way anything is getting completed with either of them in there.

I make my way to my work desk, using my magic to flip on lights and boot up various computers along the way. I pull my chair over and drop into it, pushing myself across the workshop and slide to a stop at my main computer. As things continue to wiz to life, I open my tablet and start to read over my old notes.

I've been looking at the acid rains in an attempt to find a way of reversing the clouds. I can't find any form of spell that can identify the magic that's doing all this. I've been researching weather manipulation and cloud factory practices for awhile now, but nothing is adding up. It's almost as if they're-

Creaaaaaaak...

I stop mid-thought when I hear the cot in the back creak. I slowly turn and see the guard with the wooden mask trying to sneak out of bed. We stare at each other as he contemplates setting his other hoof down.

"...Being completely forthcoming, I forgot about you." I tell him plainly. He sits up in the cot and nods back to me.

"I... guessed as much, sir." He tells me. I nearly wince form the metallic echo of his voice. I need to help him now, it's only fair. I set my tablet down and get up to inspect him. But when I stand I notice the other body in his bed. He sees me see them and starts to fidget. "Uh... Apologies sir! I-I uh... well... you were gone for so long and... well... the Grand Galloping Gala was in full swing... Not that I'm blaming you sir! I know how busy and all! But... um..."

"Stop." I tell him, making him go ridged. "Given the... circumstances, I don't care right now. Just... get over here so I can start some basic readings."

He clears his throat before coming over to me. I grab a nearby scanner and start to take some readings. I'm going to have to take him to the medical facilities in Topaz Falls to get better readings, but these can at least get me started.

The wooden mask isn't fused to his face as I thought it would be. It's literally his face now. It doesn't read as wood on my scanners. It reads as part of his DNA. Even though it feels like wood, it reads as if nothing is wrong. Even stranger, it's acting as a pseudo lung of sorts. Maybe even a better version of one. His lungs are perfectly fine, having plenty of fresh air flowing through them. I wonder if the 'mask' is acting as an air purifier of some sorts.

My initial energy readings of him are impressive as well. He scores in the eight thousand range. But it wasn't definitive. His power is constantly growing. Though right now it's at a very slow rate, I imagine using any form of magic will exacerbate it greatly. I'll have to run some more test to know for sure and at what rate, but that'll have to happen at Topaz.

"Is he going to be okay?" I give a slight jump from the new voice. There's some light cream colored mare in the cot I didn't see before. She sits up, her short scarlet hair parting from her face, and continues. "He hasn't had anything to eat, does he need food? Or water? What can we do to help him-"

"First off, who the fuck are you?" I ask as I send my data to the medical bays in Topaz. "Secondly, it doesn't seem that he needs anything like that. The mask looks like it's giving him everything he'd require to sustain himself."

"Her name is Sugar. We... met during the Gala. One thing led to another-"

"I'm his wife!" She announces proudly, jumping off the cot to stand next to Steely. I give a deadpanned look to Steely as he starts to fidget.

"Really?"

"You said I was dying! And we really hit it off!"

"This is none of your concern!" She barks at me, stepping between the two of us. "You said you'd help and then you forgot all about him! So you're going to take him to whatever hospital you need to go to and you're going to figure this all out!"

I stare back at her for a moment as I consider her demands. I was going to do all of that anyway. But with her demanding everything, it puts a sour taste in my mouth. Then again, I did fuck up. It is on me to fix this.

"Right... well, with all of that in mind, let's get going to Topaz Falls." I tell them as I stand up. They seem a bit surprised by my quick agreement, but we don't have time to waste right now.

I escort them to the out of my workshop and to the trams in the Everfree. They were hesitant to enter, but when I continued in they forced themselves to follow. It was a quiet walk, but I feel that was more out of fear of the forest than anything else. The path we made starts out normal. Just a dirt road winding its way thought the trees. But dirt eventually turns to cobblestone, which turns to paved cement. We had to mix up the design to help hide the entrance. The road branches off at several points. Some loop back and send people out of the forest while others just end. There are a few tells to show the way, but I've done this so many times that I just know where to go now.

The entrance to Topaz appears after about a twenty minute walk. We expanded the cave into a proper railway. There are four tracks with their own trams. We can transfer about four hundred people every ten minutes with our current system. Not the most efficient, but we're getting there. We take our seats in the closest one and take off automatically.

"Where are we going exactly?" Sugar asks after we start our decent.

"Topaz Falls," I tell her. She gives me a deadpanned look before returning her attention to Steely.

"I've heard rumors about this place. Is it really an entire city of metal and stone?" I worry about how rumors like that could have been circulated so easily, but at the same time it make sense. Our notoriety has grown out of our control.

"Topaz Falls... just a little more patience. It's better to show you." I've tried to explain the city to people before. While there's a base understanding, there's no good way to explain it when you can just show them.

The ride down is pleasant enough. Even though they had more questions, none of them could be answered at this moment. Some because I didn't know how, others because I didn't feel like explaining pressurized cabins of air duct systems. But once we leveled out and started the approach the stories could start.

"Long ago, well before your people walked this world, my people we the undisputed masters of Earth," I tell them as we start to approach the outer wall. There's a bright light obscuring our view inside. Steely and Sugar tense up as we continue to race forward. "But when our empire started to crumble, we went into hiding. Topaz Falls is where I was raise. It was my home. I have been raising it back from the ashes of the past all this time."

We break through the light and thunder into the Topaz Falls. The two of them rub their eyes for adjustment, but gawk when the see the city. All of the wounds of war have been erased. All that's left are the piercing skyscrapers and towering lower districts. And at the center of it all, the Parliament Congressional Hall. Standing as a bright beacon of my homes former glory.

To them, it's a sight to see. Buildings taller than they've ever seen. Their eyes can't focus on any wonder brought before them. Flying machines, neon lights from old shopping districts, the occasional bot running some errand. What was an irritating advertisement to me long ago is a mesmerizing holographic show to them. They could get lostfor years down here and still not see it all.

For me, it's still a pain to see. Every window, every light, and every walkway it just another memory of people lost. There used to be millions of people here. This was a thriving civilization! But, now, it's just a husk of memories. I've had everything rebuilt exactly the way it was before the way, as best we can at least. It pains me how accurate these bots can be at times.

The tram takes us all the way to the front of the P.C.H. We we step out the two of them nearly fall over from trying to see the top of the building. I stifle a chuckle from that. Reminds me of my first time here.

"Welcome to Topaz Falls." I tell them as I walk past them. "All of human ingenuity; all of our magical prowess and genius is stored in this building in front of us. The Parliament Congressional Hall. There is practically nothing that we can't figure out there. Take a deep breath and follow me. We're going to figure this all out."

They keep their heads craned up as we enter the P.C.H. The opulence of the building stunning them. And the interior impresses just as much. I take them to the mico platforms and guide them to the medical facility. The teleporters spook them, but at least Steel didn't explode.

Here we start the real trails. I explain to him as best I can what's going to happen, having been through it myself, but there's an understanding that he won't get what's happening. He has no way of understanding of what an astral scan is. Or how DNA sampling could be useful. But he does a good job at staying calm through the whole ordeal.

Sugar, for her part, did good too. She let me work as I needed and asked pretty good questions. Though I can tell there was a fear in her voice, her face showed patience and confidence. She tried to offer to make us some food after several hours passed, but I explained why that wouldn't be necessary. Terradisian food might not compare to Equestrian cuisine, but its fast and overwhelmingly present.

After many scans and several more samples taken, it finally comes down to analysis. I send them to a specific dorm and instruct them to wait for me. It's going to take even more time for this to process, and its already been a day. Not to mention we're going to have to do this all over tomorrow. We don't have any base numbers to compare against, so today was mostly just getting an idea of where we're at and where we're going.

I'm not a medical expert. That was Eximius's department. So reading through all of the notes is made even more difficult by my having to cross reference every other line of data. What should have take probably a few minutes took me several hours. But, what I'm reading is not hopeful.

It's a bit too early to really tell, but I have a theory as to what the mask is doing. When Tempus told me about how Tempestive would skip time when napping, I'm seeing a similar energy like that. The machine is also guessing his age incorrectly. While that might be a species thing, the energy reading gives me a dour hunch.

His magical power is somehow sapping from his life. I'm not certain yet, and it's only a guess at this time really, but I can't stop thinking about it. Is the mask stealing his life force from later years of life to add to his power? Breathing the air he hasn't had the chance to breath yet? It gives some answers, but I can't say for certain yet. There are no other anomalies appearing at this time, but that would make sense with this theory. There are no problems because they haven't appeared yet.

He seems to be pulling in a constant stream of energy in as well. Probably some kind of tether to his future self. That might be why he's growing in power so rapidly. But if that's true, why hasn't he died yet? Wouldn't it be paradoxical for him to sap his own energy? An energy that now never existed!

As I read the data and think my theory though, a thought comes to mind. If this is really time based... I should try to contact Tempus. But that's impossible, right? I wouldn't know how to reach send him a message, or how to even pose the question. Because... if he's a time traveler, then he might know about this too then. What else would he know about too?

"Far too much Miles." I jump slightly from the voice behind me. I turn to-

BAM

I recoil from the explosion, throwing up a shield to protect me and Sugar. We barely started our first reading when he started some sort of change!

"STEEL!" Sugar yells as she rushes the shield wall. I cough from the initial blast, my head spinning rapidly. He was doing just fine a moment ago! How could he have gone off like that!?

When all the chaos starts to subside I drop my shied and rush into the smoke. I stop when I find his charred headless body slumped against the destroyed machine. Sugar rushes to his side and starts to scream out in agony. I grab my head as I try to make sense of everything. I don't understand what happened. He was doing just fine before! Were we too late? What there a feed back loop in the medical scanner?

WHAT HAPPENED?

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