An Old Friend

With no other leads to follow they decided to listen to Pinkie Pie’s strange advice and check at the nearest bar, and of course stop for a quick drink. Despite the strangeness of the day the bar was packed and lively, filled with ponies who were looking for a way to unwind. Shepard Garrus and Ash sauntered up to the bar while Twilight and her friends went and sat at a table.

“Barkeep, can we get a couple of beers please?” Garrus called to the bartender who looked at him questioningly.

“What’s a beer son I’ve been in this business for years and I’ve never heard of one?”

“Then do you have anything with alcohol?” Garrus asked pleadingly.

“Son the only drinks I have are water, milk, lemonade, and cider, pick one.” Garrus turned worriedly to Shepard and with a slight tone of desperation he said.

“Shepard the entire world is sober!” forestalling further protest Shepard placed some of the money that Twilight had given him on the bar and ordered three ciders.

“Look at it this way Garrus, when we’re done saving the planet you can set up your own beer company and make a killing.” Ash told him with a slight smile crossing her face, then she took a cautious sip of her cider. The explosion of flavor in her mouth caught her in surprise and she started to cough.

"You alright Ash?” Shepard asked her

“Yeah I just wasn’t expecting it to taste like that, the stuff is amazing!” she replied, Garrus tapped Shepard on the shoulder and pointed towards the door.

“Speaking of things you weren’t expecting look at that.” In to the bar walked a strange being who looked to be part bird and part lion. It walked deliberately in the direction of Twilight’s table and it looked like it was looking for trouble, Shepard rose and followed slowly behind it trying to look as if he was heading towards the toilets.

“Gilda! What are you doing here?” Dash asked the odd creature as it neared in a shocked voice.

“I’m here to give you a warning Dash.” Gilda replied in a serious and threatening voice.

“And what would that be?” Dash asked her a look of defiance spreading across her face, Shepard took out his Carnifex and pressed it into the back of the griffins head.

“Yes please go on.” He told her his voice very quiet and firm.

“Dash who is the bucking idiot holding a gun to my head?” Gilda asked Dash clearly not impressed by Shepard’s gun.

“Commander Shepard, he will totally kick your flanks Gilda.” Dash told her nonchalantly as she popped a bite of an apple into her mouth. “He claims to from another world and earlier yesterday he intimidated Celestia herself.”

“That’s very, very interesting but it still doesn’t tell me why he is bucking stupid enough to hold a gun to the back of my head.” Gilda said sarcastically.

“Because I’ve been fighting tougher things then you since I was sixteen, plus your legs are trembling.” Shepard told her as holstered his Carnifex “So what’s this warning that you have for Dash and why are you really here?”

“Well let me see, I’m here to tell my undeserving X that there is a griffin ambush waiting just outside the city for your group to leave, and then I got assaulted by some bucker with a pistol.”

“I think she and Jack would have gotten along well, what about you Commander?” Garrus asked Shepard, who motioned for him to go back to the bar.

“A group of griffins are going to ambush us?” Asked Dash

“Yeah apparently somepony really wants all of you dead.” Gilda told Dash before she reached over and grabbed a roll from the table. Then she turned to Fluttershy and asked “So Flutterbut have you been seeing anypony?”

“Actually yes, you may know her, she’s very colorful.” Gilda drew in an angry breath and brought up one of her talons to point at Fluttershy

“Why you little…”

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” Shepard put in softly from behind her, his Carnifex once again gently caressing the back of her skull. Gilda hissed in frustration before she finally said.

“Fine, I’m done here anyways, this is the last time I watch your back Dash!” with that she stormed out of the bar. That’s when Shepard noticed that everypony in the bar was staring at him silently, he quickly holstered his Carnifex and called for a refill of everyponies’s drink in the bar which lightened the mood significantly.

“Shepard that was completely unnecessary what were you thinking?” Twilight asked him in exasperation.

“I was thinking that Gilda could have ripped your throats open in a fraction of a second.” He replied easily before heading back to the bar.

“What do we do now Twi, Gilda said that they are going to ambush us the second that we leave the city?” Dash asked “I mean I know that we can take them but it could get messy.”

“I don’t know but I’m guessing that Shepard has something planned.” Twilight replied while she racked her brains trying to think of something useful.

***

“How is she?” Celestia asked Dr. House as they looked at Luna through a glass window that ran the length of the wall of her hospital room.

“How do you think she is, if it wasn’t for your assurances to the opposite I would have said that she was brain dead and told you that killing her out of mercy would have been a better use of rescores.” House replied insensitively his brows knitting together in annoyance as he watched a group of nurses who were loudly discussing how terrible of a day they had had. “You really need better nursing staff, all of these act like they’ve never seen a gunshot wound before.

“That’s because until now the only fire arms in Equestria were found in the griffin lands House, I thought we went over this.” Celestia said in exasperation.

“Well whose fault is that?”

“It’s a good thing House; it keeps down on stupid injuries like these accruing every five minutes like they do where you come from.”

“Where I come from people aren’t shocked to discover that people hurt each other on purpose, the ponies here are stupid and naïve.” Celestia sighed she was immensely glad that her dissension to bring House to Equestria had done some good, but he got on her nerves.

“Look I have to go and make sure that the castle hasn’t burned down in my absence try to contain your loathing.” Celestia told him as she walked out of the hospital.

***

“You jumped off of a building?!” K asked T as he told them about his trip.

“Yes, it wasn’t hard; they aren’t as tall here as they were back home.” T said while he polished his pistol.

“Back to the point of the matter, Shepard knows about the fact that our enemies are trying to kill him, and he knows that we’re trying to stop them from doing so.” Said M calmly “We didn’t take into account the mind destruction of Luna, but if our information is accurate that shouldn’t be a factor in two to three weeks. Unfortunately that means that we must drag this out longer, without the support of both princesses we cannot hope to be triumphant against the forces who oppose us.”

“Are you sure that secrecy is still our best option here M? I mean Shepard knows all of us personally so what would be the big deal with him knowing that we exist?” K asked, M sighed, with A away on business she was in charge of controlling K, it wasn’t her favorite job.

“We’ve been over this K if we lose the element of surprise then our entire plan is meaningless, in fact we might as well sign our own death warrant.”

“But this is Shepard!” K exclaimed “He would be able to keep us safe, I know it!” T crossed over to stand behind K and put a hoof on his shoulder

“K when on the hunt you must wait for the prey to present an opportune target to strike at. If you move before then you will accomplish nothing but the escape of the prey, or in our case our untimely second deaths.” K sighed.

“I know I just hate waiting.”

“L what do you have to report?” M asked turning to L who took a moment to gather his thoughts before saying.

“Shepard Commander has made contact with our sympathizer within the griffins, Shepard seems to have insulted her, but the message was received successfully.”

“Good, those griffins shouldn’t present Shepard too much trouble now that he knows that they are coming.” M said with a grateful nod to L “Now I would ask S how his work is coming but I know what the answer would be.”

“Actually have update that needs sharing.” S put in opportunely as he walked into the small meeting room. “Our enemy has become stronger than before in fact much stronger, possibly too strong for our current devise to defeat. It is troubling if our enemy carries on at this rate it may soon be unstoppable.” He said all of this rapidly, his hooves fidgeting as he ran them through his mane.

“Oh Celestia buck me in the face!” M said in exasperation and worry.

“Still think that we should leave Shepard in the dark M?” K asked sarcastically

“Actually that is what I would advise, I cannot calculate the risks of letting Shepard see the true game being played, but it they would be astronomical.” S told K his eyes blinking rapidly. “I’m trying to find a way to subtly make it harder for our enemy to gain more power, or at least cause it to take more time.”

“Thank you S, good work!” M told him appreciatively as he departed. “I think we’ve discussed everything of importance today meeting adjourned.”

sorry for the double header guys i just couldn't wait on my editing guy any longer he doesn't have an email so I have to get all my stuff back in person and with it being the weekend that won’t be till Monday so I said buck it and decided to put them both up at once

Next Chapter: Ambush Estimated time remaining: 3 Hours, 36 Minutes