The throne room was silent. The ceremonial guard stared straight ahead and were as still as statues at their posts. No window was open to allow the afternoon breeze that would normally be playing with the royal tapestries. The older of the two Regal Sisters, Princess Celestia, sat in her throne, her gaze locked on the throne room's decorative ceiling tiles, the only movement being the rise and fall of her chest and the eternal motion of her ethereal mane.

The grinding of the room's doors broke the serenity the silence had brought.

"Princess Celestia?"

"Hm?" Celestia looked down to see a golden helmet peeking into the throne room, "What is it my dear guard?"

"Princess Twilight is here to see you, your highness."

"I see," Celestia replied with a giggle. When will she learn? "Let her in, please."

"At once Princess."

It wasn't two seconds after the guard's head retreated that the doors were opened wider, allowing entry to the newest of the Princesses. One would be hard to connect the alicorn appearance to royalty, however, as Twilight currently held her head and tail low. Even her wings appeared to droop a little.

"What is the matter Twilight?" Celestia asked, concern laced deeply into her voice as she took in the sight of her former student.

"I would like some advice, Pr- Celestia," the lavender Princess replied as she came to sit in front of the Solar monarch's throne.

"That I can provide, my dear Twilight. First, however, I require knowledge on what it is you seek my advice."

Twilight sighed, "Of course," she looked up at Celestia, "Do you remember the letter I sent to you? Of the disturbance in Equestria?"

"I do. What is it that you found?" Celestia inquired, truly intrigued.

"I found... humans. Three of them. Two male and one female."

Celestia almost began to giggle until she saw that there was not hint of deceit or joking on her face. Still, "Surely you're not serious. Humans are but a myth Twilight. You of all ponies know that."

"I know, Pr-Celestia. I know it sounds crazy but they are humans and they are significantly more advanced than the ones told in the stories."

"How much is 'significantly'?"

"They have these... machines in the rough shape of themselves that they climb into and use as if extensions of themselves," Twilight explained, "Not only that but the machines can still operate without the humans, Pilots they called their job, inside. These machines follow their Pilots around like dogs. They also seemed to find a way to achieve short flight using more machines on their waist that uses pressurized air and fire."

"This is..." Celestia put a hoof to her forehead, "difficult to accept, Twilight. I-"

"I know, I know. But it gets better," Twilight shrugged, "or worse, however you see it."

"How can it get any better or worse than that?"

"Last night, a young Changeling had wandered into the cave they claimed as their home."

"A Changeling?" Celestia asked with knitted brows, "Please, no suspense, what happened to the creature?"

"The humans... adopted it, for lack of better terms Princess," Twilight replied, forgetting to correct herself as she looked at Celestia with shameful eyes, "I may have overreacted and tried to... take the Changeling... by force. The humans responded by aiming their weapons at me. I got into a heated argument with their leader and, well, now I'm here, seeking advice and judgement."

"Judgement for whom?" Celestia asked as she took on a passive expression. This question seemed to startle the lavender Princess as her sense of shame and self-loathing was replaced with that of confusion.

"What?"

"Judgement for whom? The humans, the Changeling... or yourself?"

"Celestia I..." Twilight trailed off as she thought of that morning. When she heard 'Changeling', she had been reminded of the attack on Canterlot. She can still remember the screams echoing throughout the city, the crackling of the flames as they hungrily devoured buildings, the pleas of help by those injured and the pleas of release by those who were too far off to save. She remembered the fight against the Changelings at the Temple of the Elements and how she was forced to attack what looked to be her friends.

Still, she couldn't deny the fact that she had tried to hurt a child. A Changeling child but a child all the same. At the time of the argument, she had thought that Cervius didn't understand. Looking back, at the way he carried himself, the equipment he wore, and the aged look of his eyes, Twilight realized that perhaps he understood more than she did.

"For all of us, Celestia," she finally replied, looking into Celestia's passive stare with a look of determination. Whatever the punishment may be, she would accept.

"Very well," Celestia stated as she turned her head up to examine the mosaic on the ceiling. It showed the sun in the moon, both in equal proportion with silhouettes of the alicorns themselves over their representative bodies, wings and hooves outstretched. Breaking her gaze from the mosaic, the Solar monarch looked down at her former student, "You will bring the leader of the humans and Changeling to Canterlot. Then the human, the Changeling, and yourself will come before Luna and myself tomorrow at sunset. We will decide your fates there. Understood?"

"Completely Celestia," Twilight replied with a nod of her head, "Though, I do believe Cervius will want to bring his machine as well."

Celestia nodded, "Let him. As long as it causes no harm to my little ponies, I will allow it."

Twilight nodded, "I will go inform Cervius then, before I retire for the night."

Twilight waited long enough to receive a nod from Celestia before she teleported out of the room.

"You still have much to learn," Celestia muttered with a sigh as she went back to examining the ceiling mosaic.

-----

The Changeling child had fallen asleep half a hour ago, while in the arms of Rachel as she piloted her Titan through the cave system. He had been laughing and squealing in that flanging voice of his as Rachel took him on a ride in her Stryder. Dashing, sprinting, jumping, every action done by the Titan brought undeniable happiness to the child. This, in turn, brought happiness to the three humans caring for him.

Now, though, the kid was asleep. He was still in Rachel's arms but she was now seated cross-legged beside the fire that Cole had revitalized with broken treasure chests. The fire cackled loudly as it reached hungrily for more fuel, emitting sparks and embers in anger at not finding any.

The three humans sat around the fire, each lost in their own world. Rachel softly caressed the Changeling while he slept, cooing at him though he wasn't awake to see it. Cole was cleaning his LMG, the parts laid out on a rag. Cervius just stared into the flames, watching as it slowly but surely consumed the wood offered to it.

"Cervius?" came a soft, fearful voice from the tunnel leading to the cave's entrance. All three of the humans gave a sigh.

"What does she want?" Cole questioned.

"I'll find out," Cervius replied as Rachel gave him a look that gave the Stryder pilot an insight into the darkness that the human mind could turn to. However, it all boiled down to: 'I will protect the child, no matter what.'

Turning, Cervius walked to the tunnel to see the alicorn sitting three quarters of the way in the tunnel. As he approached her, he noticed that she refused to look up at him, her eyes focused solely on the dirt at her hooves. Stopping about a yard in front of her, he crossed his arms.

"You have a lot of guts showing your face around here so soon," This caused the mare to sink lower but she also looked up at the human with hope in her eyes.

"I'm sorry."

"I'm not the one you should be apologizing too."

Twilight winced, "Oh, well then can-"

"He's asleep," Cervius interrupted, "Even so, I think Rachel would shoot you if you came within a fifty feet of a the kid."

"I see," Twilight look back at the dirt and scuffed a hoof before looking up at the human's stern, disappointed face.

"Is there anything else Princess?"

"Yes, there is," she began, swallowing nervously, "Princess Celestia has requested that you, the Changeling, and myself go to Canterlot to stand before her and her sister."

Cervius raised a brow, "Why?"

Twilight shrugged, "I honestly can't say. I assume it is to examine you and the Changeling. As to why I am there... your guess is as good as mine."

"I see," Cervius stated as he rubbed his chin in thought, "In that case, I will attend. I will have to convince Rachel to allow me to bring the kid, but I assure that I will have him with me. When will this meeting take place?"

"Tomorrow at sunset. I have also received her permission to allow you to bring your Titan," Twilight informed the pilot. It was this that brought a hint of a smile to his face and an ember of hope to Twilight's heart that she could repair their friendship.

"That is good news. Tomorrow I will travel to Canterlot then."

"We have train- Ah yes, your Titan is too big."

"Indeed," Cervius gave an almost imperceptible bow at the waist, "Good night, Princess."

"And you, Pilot."

A flash of purple and a pop and the Princess was gone. Sighing, Cervius turned to the fireplace. Now he just had to convince Rachel into allowing the Changeling the accompany him to Canterlot. It'd be easier to take out a Titan with a lollipop. Next Chapter: Peaceful Journey Estimated time remaining: 6 Minutes