"Alright, tails around forelegs, let's go." I ushered my children into a long, extremely long, line. "Single file, come on." The foals were groggy, but the shouts of Foxglove repeating what I said in Thestrali kept them moving. "Come on kids, gonna go on a trip, gonna have fun." I yawned loudly, the dull morning light flooding in through the windows made me resent life, but it wasn't the worst. "Alright, here we go."

Foxglove let out a long yawn, "Ben why- oh... Ben, why are we doing this in the morning? Night...dawn, sometime with the sun out...." She mumbled, not completely awake. "I go to bed, ten seconds later I'm herding foals like a peasant's wife." She watched the foals wrap each of their tails around the foal behind them. "...This is...amazing."

I laughed softly. "You're so normal when don't sleep." I rubbed my eyes, bits falling off as I cleaned myself. "No take over the world on no sleep, right?"

Foxglove yawned again, "I apologized, quite a bit. I'm sorry Ben, but it's not about the--"

"The castle, the crazy murderers, the death, all that shite. I get it." I stretched my arms. "To be perfectly honest I'm just happy to be going back to Canterlot. Vermont is just the icing on the cake."

Foxglove lowered her head, starting to lay down. "That's nice...I'm going to--"

"Foxglove, come on." I clapped my hands together, startling the foals, the nurses, and my wife. The entry of the castle burbles softly as I hopped about. "Dinner on the train--"

"What the psychotic fuck is this!?" Pyrrhic yelled, stumbling into the castle, three other purple manes rolling in behind him. "Ben, why did you guards wake me up!?"

I watched the pony saunter over, his eye patch askew, his family dragging lazily behind him. "Oh, hey. I'm gonna get going, you ready to take over?"

He stared at me, glaring into my eyes. "Ben...what the fuck!?"

"Hey calm down, it's not a big deal!" I shouted, my voice starting to waver.

Pyrrhic's good eye popped wide open. "I will eat your heart--" I put my hand on his forehead to cut him off. "Sto--" I put my second hand on his ear, he locked up, trying to escape but finding me with my hands pressed against his face. "Why!?"

His relatives laughed softly, leaving me to continue petting the angry pony. "You guys really aren't morning people."

Pyrrhic finally calmed down, standing normally with my hand over his eye and on his ear. "You don't say.... Now move your hand before I bite it off!" I kept my hands on his ears. "... Why must you annoy me? Not a month ago were you worried of your immortal soul, now--"

"Because if I dwell on the past, I'm going to lose my shit." I clarified, finally letting go and turning to the foals. "Can't dwell on it, and really that's like holding a grudge on a dog for peeing on the floor."

Pyrrhic stared at me. "Did you just equate us to dogs?"

"Yes." I turned around, putting my hands on my hips. "Yes I did."

Pyrrhic took a deep breath, her voice quavering as he did. "You're not wrong. A bit more obsessed than dogs, but still quite idiotic at times."

I nodded. "It was- god damn it...why the bilingual shuffle!?" I shouted, falling to my knees. "Aurgh, why--"

Pyrrhic whistled. "I speak English."

"Oh thank go- wait...not Equestrian?" I asked, looking over to him.

He shook his head. "My wife called it English."

"Oh." I stuffed my hands in my pockets. "How is she?"

"Asleep."

I leaned back and forth on my heels, Foxglove walking next to me as the foals were sorted out by the maids. "Oh, hello Pyrrhic." She mumbled, her body still a bit jiggly, "Oh...I'm wearing...." She looked back at her flanks, her bra bright white against her dark grey coat.

Pyrrhic shook his head. "It's fine. And hello. Good, whatever this is."

"It's noon." I stated, looking out the windows. "High noon."

The ponies looked at me angrily, Foxglove finally tugged my leg. "Ben...just stop, no one is happy about this."

I stared at her. "Kill me then." I held my arms out, "You don't like it, shoot- hey!" I spotted one of my guards jokingly holding his arms up, mock holding a gun. "Who the hell hired these guys?"

Moon flopped down suddenly, the room jumping again as the mare hit the floor. "...I did."

I looked up towards the high stone roof. "Did you--"

"My mother was in heat, I didn't know where else to sleep." Moon mumbled, laying on floor with her eyes closed, white body half splattered against the stones. "My office is filled with papers and bits, my home is too loud, and the foals kept me up all morning."

Foxglove stared at the downed mare. "Ben, did you still want me to talk to her?" She asked, slowly leaning against my leg. "Ben...? Ben? Okay, new question, why are we doing this right now?"

I stretched my arms, watching my maids and guards slowly usher the foals out the front gate of the castle. "Because if we put all the foals in a train bright and awake, someone would fly out a window." I yawned softly, "Better they sleep on the train, otherwise yeah, bad times."

Foxglove stared at me, then to Moon. "I see your point, I still don't like it." She walked up to Moon, mounting her before plopping down. "I'll sort this out," she yawned, her voice peaking halfway through the exaggerated yawn. "Ah- Pyrrhic...you're going to let the others rule under you aren't you?"

Pyrrhic rolled his head, leaning back slightly afterwards. "Admittedly there are others more qualified--"

"Not Bian--"

"Oh gods, do you think I'm stupid?!" Pyrrhic snapped, leaning forward. "Do you think us stupid!?"

The ponies went on bickering, families coming into play while Moon lingered on the edge of consciousness. I left them to their fighting, focusing on the foals. "Someone get me a clipboard, and a list, or two." I watched the foals march by, Wayne breaking the chain of tails and wandering towards me. "Wayne no- no no no--" He marched up to my boots, leaning his head against my shin before flopping down against my toes. "Asses." I watched as the line after him gave way, foals tumbling forward a line of multicolored manes and tails leading back into the hall. "Man down, someone get me a sack or something!"

I spotted Pyrrhic walking up to me. "Why are you laughing?" He asked, his tail whipping about. "Your wife, she is enraging, now why are you laughing!?" He demanded, leaning his head forward and to the side. "You broke a mare's legs, you were nearly killed, you woke us up, the sun is still out! Now stop laughing!" He shouted, wobbling back and forth. "Why is your family so obnoxious!? You waver like a madman, sad to happy to sad--"

"Because being forcefully happy is what keeps me alive." I stated, staring at the sleep deprived stallion. "Now can you take care of this place while I'm gone or not?"

Pyrrhic stared at me, shifting left and right, his left side seemingly heavier than the rest of him. "I don't see why you couldn't have just sent me a letter. Transylmania went longer without a count--"

"And look how that turned out." I stated, crossing my arms. "A bunch of medieval murderers, meanwhile I'm standing here with a broken I-phone."

Pyrrhic just stared at me, half angry, half bitter, all purple. "Where is the coffee?"

"Kitchen, down that hall-" I pointed towards the right way, a rather large hallway near the back of the entry. "-it's already brewed."

Pyrrhic started to lumber past. "Fine, I'll play count. You enjoy your irresponsible--"

"Don't start with me about responsibilities!" I shouted, unable to move with Wayne on my toes. "God damn, you're really not a morning person--"

"No shit!" He yelled, losing his balance and slamming his head into the wall, leaning against it to stay upright. "Loud noises! Aaaaaah."

I felt my ears start to hurt as he yelled, the foals slowly coming to from the floor bound state. "You're a grown man, knock it off--"

"Aaaaah!"