"Mm hehheh mmm!" Lyra hummed as she nuzzled Titus just softly enough with her nose to be ticklish to which, after Lyra got an entirely enjoyable squirm out of him, he wearily reached an arm over a shoulder to rub her ear which she pushed into heartily, "Yeah... you're my big guy now." It was an odd arrangement, her taking the big spoon when he could have quite literally enveloped her in a hug had they been reversed, but it was just where they had ended up in each other's arms or hooves after they both collapsed from the umpteenth pounding her plot had been subjected to over the course of his stay. Lyra had no desire to let go of him for even the second it would take to shift positions and instead she just happily left all four hooves loosely wrapped around him, nuzzling and kissing the exposed skin between his shoulder blades or the back of his neck in absolute contentment of being physically close to her big guy while they took a much deserved break. Something was tangled around her leg though and the impairment was annoying enough to their current cuddling that she tried dislodging it with a small buck.

*Thonk!*

"Wha-?!" Bolting upright at the noise Lyra had to focus for a second to blink both eyes at at the same time before they fell back into their normal sync whereupon she wiped the sleep cruddies away. Without hitting the headboard this time she kicked off the blanket that had wrapped around her hoof and looked about; she was in her room and much to her disappointment what was clutched tightly in her hooves wasn't the big guy either, it was a pillow. It did faintly smell like him however so Lyra buried her nose in the pillow and took another deep whiff of the comforting scent which had the effect of bringing forth the dreams she mostly remembered having over the course of her cycle.

Realization that somehow his scent had gotten on her pillow she took another look around the room on the off chance she had glanced over him in her half-asleep stupor but, as before, her room was bare of her big alien guy. Darn. That would have been too lucky. Maybe he's in the bathroom or something? He said he'd be here when I woke up. Getting out of the bed to look about and stretch her aching muscles Lyra instead collapsed to the floor on shaky, uncoordinated hooves like those of somepony who'd had one too many ciders. It felt like all of her hooves were asleep but she managed to find a sufficient measure of balance and get herself upright although she stumbled back and forth for a moment because upon standing the room felt like it was spinning and she ended up leaning against the edge of the bed until it had stopped.

"Hey big guy, you here?" she called hoarsely but only disheartening silence called back. Maybe he's just not here yet. I bet Sparkles probably has him pretty... busy. Heh. More flashes of memory of her dreams came back and she cherry-picked a few of the juicier ones to occupy the back of her conscious. Slowly putting one uncertain hoof in front of the other Lyra made a wobbling path for the nightstand on the opposite side of the bed where a folded piece of paper caught her eye before she stopped halfway there.

Jeez, I've gotten way too used to not using magic.

Channeling into her horn she instead floated the note over to herself. It didn't have her name on it so it wasn't until she opened it up that she found Titus' writing on the inside.

Lyra;

You still have the chance to dream. Never give up.

Wait, what? Lyra paused in thought for a moment as memory of one of the dreams she had slowly came back to her. That song... how would he have known about that? Further details of the dream followed as she thought more on it, mostly all the rutting they had done, but she also recalled Princess Luna had made an appearance after they had cuddled up to see how she was coping and convey he had been concerned for her. That had all but confirmed for Lyra it was all a dream after first doubting herself because of how real the big guy had felt, smelled, and behaved. The discovery of the note now brought to doubt just what he had been present for along with fresh confusion she was so wrapped up sorting out so that when a shift of the note caused something to drop to the floor Lyra jumped a little.

Lying on the floor at her hooves was a pink bow which Lyra immediately recognized as the one that had come off and been lost somewhere during the run-in with Show Stopper. Although she hardly ever wore any accessories it was her favorite bow and she had spent well over an hour painstakingly getting just right in her mane for the E.F.C. night because Bonnie had said it made her look cute which he had hoped would be a sentiment shared by Titus. Scooping it up she could see it had been crushed, likely under a hoof, and was still dusty but it was clear an attempt had been made to un-crease the fabric of the loops.

"Oh, big guy..." she said the thought aloud absentmindedly while touching the bow gently to her chest in thanks for the trouble he must have gone through. Lyra cast a quick cleaning spell on it which removed the ground-in road dust before putting it into her mane behind an ear as a smile crossed her face. I'll hide it behind my ear until he picks me up then lay the ear back so he sees it. I'll give him a big smooch, too! M-Maybe with tongue, if he's open to that? With the last remnants of her cycle going into their fading phase part of her mind had naturally pictured it being more than a passing smooch, however, feeling a bit silly from the excitement of getting to see the genuine big guy again, as her imagination painted a slowly moving portrait of their mouths coming together her tongue suddenly stuck out with a comical "bleh!" and proceeded to waggle around with similar blebbing noises before he joined her in the silliness which left Twilight (who Lyra had also imagined and assumed she had accompanied him) to look on at them in sympathetic but aslo confusion of their antics as she was likely to do. Lyra giggled at the scene but didn't dismiss it entirely, "Might be a better way to break the ice..."

For safekeeping she tucked the small note he had written into the bow's clasp before practicing a few times to be sure the bow and note were both secure. Lyra dipped into the bathroom and freshened up by washing her face and brushing her teeth - a mistake in hindsight, potentially, because as she spat the toothpaste out her stomach grumbled in complaint at the teasing she was eating something. "It's okay, tummy! I'm sure there's something in the kitchen to fill you up with," Lyra gargled around mouth rinse as if her words would somehow placate her hunger. Spitting it out she dragged a hoof across her mouth but suddenly paused, the gesture visible in the mirror causing her to recall how she had done the same in her dream to wipe away dribbles of a different nature. "Heehee! Need to pump the brakes on that thought, girl. We've only kissed on a few occasions... and so far all of them were for the cameras," she admitted to herself glumly in the mirror before she sighed heavily with a sentiment of defeat and pushed the dream to the back of her mind before it could get her going. In doing so the good morning kiss she had shared with him a few days ago surged forward to take its place and Lyra couldn't help but brighten up, "Okay, so maybe not all of them were for the cameras. I'll just, like, start slow, try to get a smooch here or there and a couple of make-out sessions in before doing anything drastic." Realizing the pep-talk she was giving herself was born of the last lingerings of elevated hormones before heading for her door Lyra shook her head to clear her mind of any and all intimate thoughts about her big guy. Or more accurately compartmentalize them, at the very least.

Exiting her room she skipped happily down the hall to large flight of stairs, stopping at the top to slide down the long banister rail as she had always done since she was a little filly (which was the reason one rail was more worn than the other), humming the song Titus had sung all the way.

Once at the bottom she briefly turned to look as she caught sight of Mimi talking to two ponies in matching black suits with dark sunglasses and ear pieces. Hmm? She peered curiously but quickly dismissed it. Eh. Probably for one of mom's or dad's business trips someplace. Mimi was in charge of the home security and it wasn't necessarily an odd sight, she'd been known to outsource for trained protective services before - their maid could only be in so many places at once, after all.

The kitchen was right around the corner and Lyra's skipping continued all the way there, although it was with a new song. "♫ My friend is visiting today. It's going to be awesome! Hey hey! ♪ " she hummed as she was reaching a bowl down from the cupboards and did a fancy little twirl around to slide it across the black granite counter-top where it came to a precarious but precise stop right in front of the seat she intended to take. Ignoring the soft murmuring of the wall-mounted television that was on she continued with her little song and danced her way over to the fridge, snagging a box of chocolate Boop-A-Roops cereal along the way while floating the carton of milk beside her bowl and shaking her rump in a jig, "♩ I'm going to see my big guy! And I'm gonna give him a great big smmmooch~! ♫"

Dumping a heaping pile of the sugary cereal into her bowl she poured milk nearly to the point that the little chocolate donuts were about to fall out but stopped just shy. Glad to have her magic back and be done with physically handling the utensils Lyra floated a great big spoonful up and shoved it in her mouth to chew happily on her foalhood favorite cereal before turning to finally acknowledge the presence of the television.

When she did her jaw came to a slow stop.

An image of the Palace with a plume of ugly black smoke rising out of it played behind a title card of a ticking clock face which read Twenty-Four Hours. "What in Tartarus?" Lyra mumbled around her mouthful before scowling and floating the remote over as the ticker tape at the bottom of the screen rolled by stating the bodies of four ponies in the subterranean levels of the Palace had been recovered. Chalking it up as the popular action drama with the same name - a show she could force herself to sit through for the sake of Bon-Bon's enjoyment - she started climbing up through the channels to get to the morning cartoons.

Each channel after the first, however, was playing something similar at which point Lyra realized she was in the news channel range of stations and she literally dropped her spoon.

"M-Mimi!" she shouted without taking her eyes off the television because they were glued to another title which read Titus Aelius Missing After Attack. The pegasus arrived in the doorway before Lyra could call a second time and the darting glance revealed the maid was wearing a tired but concerned look.

"Apologies, ma'am," the pegasus said with a bow, "I would have been at your bedside when you woke however I have been needed to-"

"Whatever! Just... what happened, Mimi?" Lyra interrupted, still focused on the screen as a graphic played detailing the suspected sequence of explosions at the Palace.

"I have the house on lockdown. Every private firm is swamped with requests right now but I called in a few favors from friends and expanded security, your father and elder sister are still on their trip but are safe and secure," the maid then started explaining that although the details hadn't been released by the Crown yet her sources had been in contact with her and they had said a well-orchestrated attack by what was clearly trained professionals had been carried out at Titus' ceremony. Mimi then paused and looked to the television with uncertainty as an image of Titus was displayed, "I..."

Seeing how the images made her fall quiet Lyra shook her head and swallowed hard knowing what she was about to hear would be awful, "Please, Mimi."

"My friends within the Guard and Crown Intelligence are keeping a low profile and have gone quiet because of an internal investigation going on. From what they've said my experience tells me the op was an extraction, whoever carried it out wanted Mr. Aelius alive," Mimi went on.

"A-Alive? Extraction? Who would do this? And how could they just grab and make off with the big guy without anypony noticing?! The news just said he's still missing, what are the Princesses doing to find him?" Lyra was growing frantic and her attention shifted between Mimi and the news that kept going on about the destruction to the Palace.

Mimi did her best to try and calm Lyra down, but with the lack of information she and pretty much everypony else was going on it was a struggle to answer the questions with any semblance of confidence. "Details haven't been made clear so there's a lot of rumors going around however the Princesses probably have an idea who was behind the attack, they just haven't gone public with it yet. In a matter like this that's the right way to go about things, you don't want to point a hoof without all of the information. Princess Luna made a brief appearance for the news and it was clear she was furious - I could nearly feel it through the television - but Princess Celestia and Princess Twilight-"

"Uh, what? Princess Twilight?" Lyra squeezed her eyes shut and rubbed a temple because she thought she was hearing things. Did I really wake up to all of this? This has got to be a dream. Like, a really, really bad dream. When she opened her eyes, however, Mimi was nodding slowly and proceeded to explain it had been the final fleeting bit of information her sources had confirmed before going silent.

"This is too much to believe," she shook her head, pushing the cereal away as her appetite vanished then hopped down from the stool and rushed passed the maid. Before actually leaving the room she paused in the doorway, "Come on, we're going to the Palace to get some answers."

"What do you mean you're not letting us in?" Lyra scowled at the guard who was currently barring her and Mimi from going any further than the steps into the main hallway where they were standing. She had been admitted past the first cordon at the outer gate after elbowing her way through the crowd, many of which were reporters who had swarmed her for a comment. When she had pushed to the front with the help of Mimi creating some breathing room for her she had gotten the attention of another guard who, given Lyra was a familiar face from the news, wasn't sure what to do had taken her to speak with his superior officer.

The Solar Guard officer stared straight ahead, "Just that. The Palace remains on high alert after the events yesterday so only those sanctioned to be on the grounds with proper identification are being admitted, ma'am. No pass? Then no pass. Those are my orders. Now please both of you get back behind the cordon."

"I don't think you understand, I'm Lyra Heartstrings. Maybe you've heard of me or read the papers? I'm the big g- um, Titus' fillyfriend and I need to come through and speak with the Princess," Lyra attempted to use her fame and, to a lesser extent, her family name to muscle her way in but the guard wasn't having any of it and shook her head with a third repetition that she'd need a pass just like everypony else. Understandably the mint unicorn was getting frustrated and she stomped a hoof, "I literally woke up an hour ago from hibernating through my estrous cycle to find my big guy got bucking taken! Do you have any idea what that bucking feels like?! Look, I need to speak with Twilight Sparkle, she's my herdmate-"

The guard suddenly did a small double-take that the rumor that had been spreading like wildfire through the papers and media since the night the human had been assaulted was suddenly confirmed from the source and looked to her comrade with uncertainty. They weren't the only ones to have heard Lyra shouting and the media ponies that had swarmed the mint unicorn when she had arrived on the scene surged forward and were only just contained by the squad of guards holding the line. "H-Herdmate?" Neither guardsmare knew what procedure to follow in this situation and after a not-entirely subtle shrug at the look for help the officer was significantly less sure of herself, "I can't, um... the pass is, uh... what I mean is Princess-"

"What she means is Princess Twilight is currently indisposed and resting from the ordeal," a warm voice interrupted and all three ponies whipped around to find Princess Celestia standing just inside the hallway. Weariness and hints of worry were written on her face but she appeared collected and alert as she gave them her usual smile before she and Shining Armor who was at her side came to a stop at the top of the stairs. "It is fortunate Captain Armor and I were headed this way or I would not have overheard you, nor would I recognized your distinguished companion from her time serving. It is good to see you again, Guardian Angel-" at the use of the name Shining, who Lyra was familiar with from her long friendship with Twilight, did a barely contained double-take and regarded the maid more closely while she bowed her head in thanks, "-and my sister told me of you, Lyra Heartstrings, you must be very worried about Mr. Aelius. Please, you are welcome to accompany us." Celestia nodded while speaking which dismissed the guards the unicorn had been speaking to before the Princess turned back to the hallway, "I'm sure you have questions-"

"Is he okay?" Lyra asked while charging up the stairs without even waiting for the Princess to finish. The way her eyes closed and she remained quiet for a moment sent Lyra's heart up into her throat to the extent she wanted to throw up and scream at the same time, "Do you know where he is?"

"We believe the goal was not to harm him, however I fear that is the only consolation I can provide," Celestia offered as they passed another security checkpoint. Guards were everywhere and patrols were constant, gone were the immaculate dress uniforms and in their place they wore legitimate combat-worthy armor which stirred the Princess' memories of similar attire in the Palace over a millennium ago. The Princess waited until the doors closed behind them to speak further on what was currently being treated as privileged information, "We don't know where he is, our search of the city has so far only revealed a suspicious warehouse which we identified as the staging area for the operation. The Crown's Bureau of Intelligence is going through documents found at the scene and reconstructing evidence they tried to destroy-"

The Princess paused and dropped her head low to Lyra, almost as if she was making an apology, but in reality she was trying to show some compassion for the struggle of emotions the unicorn had clearly been fighting to keep in check, "We are still conducting searches so it is my hope that sealing the city was successful. We may yet find Mr. Aelius in one of the places we haven't looked yet..."

Lyra wanted to believe her but the troubled look Twilight's brother was trying to hide was all too evident. Swallowing hard and unable to stop her whole body from quivering as the nightmarish truth sunk in which Mimi could sense and stepped closer to touch shoulders in support.

Celestia wasn't sure what other words could possibly bring comfort to the shaking unicorn so in resuming her stride she urged them further down the hall in silence through the two large doors at the end.

Compared to the empty hallways the room beyond was bustling with activity with scores of identically suited ponies conversing amongst each other or rushing about on their tasks in complete seriousness. At the center, standing with several ponies on either side, Princess Luna was clearly issuing instructions if the way she pointed her hoof at items on the table or any number of the maps pinned to the large cork board behind her was any indicator. Spotting her sister and the familiar unicorn she hurriedly wrapped up her business at the table and, after stopping a passing pony for a few words, quickly trotted over.

In a completely surprising move she embraced Lyra tightly.

"I can't begin to imagine what you are feeling now," the lunar alicorn whispered low for just Lyra to hear, "I, Princess Luna, give you my word I will use all of my power to see him safely back with us." She gave a small squeeze before letting the unicorn go and as if perfectly timed the pony the Princess had stopped passed a bundle of papers to her before she returned to her task. On top of the stack was one of the passes the guard had been demanding which Luna slipped over Lyra's neck, meanwhile Mimi offered to take the numerous forms and documents needing to be filled out that accompanied it. With a look to her sister which got a nod Luna lead Lyra and her accompanying maid over to the table where she had been working, "If there is anything I or my sister can do, please let us know."

"Princess, I... I still don't know what is even going on," Lyra stated and took another look about the room at which point she began to realize everypony was devoted to some sort of task related to the event - a few ponies examined a wall of pictures or even chunks of broken bricks with magnifying glasses looking for clues, several more were piecing torn scraps of paper back together like jigsaw puzzles. One group was marking off individual buildings on a map of the city each time a pegasi Guard rushed in to speak with one of them and another group consisting of unicorns stood in a circle focused intently forward, their eyes glowing fully white and their magic joining together to create a window which played back a whirlwind of startling images. "W-Where is Twilight?" she said softly which would have been lost in the din of the room were it not for both Princess' proximity, "I could really do with seeing her."

Celestia stepped in closer to the unicorn. "Like you, Twilight is experiencing an extreme amount of stress," she explained with a glance at any pony that might be close enough to hear and in a pause the overwhelming concern she had been carefully concealing just briefly peeked through long enough for Lyra and Mimi to both see. Celestia detected this when she turned back and let out an audible sigh of defeat, "This is the first I have left her side, and I only do so because she finally fell asleep from exhaustion. The transition she went through, that of becoming an alicorn, put a tremendous strain on her which I intended to monitor as she and Mr. Aelius were to be at my side after they extended their stay in Canterlot to facilitate her recovery. This..." Celestia closed her eyes again and shook her head, "This could not have happened at a more pivotal time for the transition which is a coincidence we cannot ignore in our investigation, however that seems hard to believe as it was kept between only myself and my sister. The day before yesterday we informed Mr. Aelius out of kindness because of his close relationship with Twilight, which does not leave enough time to organize and execute an operation of this measure."

"Which leaves it fairly certain Titus was the focus of all of this," Mimi spoke up for the first time and after a pause the Princesses nodded together although Celestia was more familiar with the pegasus than her sister, so after the solar alicorn explained that a good number of years before Luna had returned to Equestria she had tried to talk Guardian Angel out of switching her job from an aspiring Crown Operative to that of the private sector when approached by Lyra's parents who were in search of personal security. "Any group claim responsibility?" the pegasus went on to ask and, feeling her credentials had been affirmed by Princess Celestia, her eyes darted around the table with the presumption none of the information laid out was classified, "The resources and planning necessary to snatch a high-profile target like this necessitate some sort of payoff. It's still early, but have any demands been made?"

"No, we haven't heard anything, but Titus may not have been the only target. The last of the explosions was thought to have been intended to cause additional chaos to aid in the perpetrators escape, however earlier this morning rescue crews finally dug their way to the collapsed subterranean levels," Luna offered and opened a folder that had previously been closed. Before continuing she looked to Lyra with an expression of sympathy, "There were... four casualties-"

Set before Mimi and Lyra were mugshots of Show, Shock, Dive, and Knockout dated the night after they had attacked Titus and Lyra.

"The explosion occurred in the room they were being held in," Luna went on and flipped to another file in the folder, "Forensics are saying just inside the door however the spells they used haven't been identified."

"If they even used spells..." Lyra thought aloud as she looked over the pictures coldly without realizing her words had gotten the attention of the other three. When Celestia asked what she meant Lyra was startled out of her absentminded stare at the folder and scrambled to compose what had only been a passing thought into words. "I mean, uh, the big guy... it's just that when he got back from his last trip to Canterlot he said some of his stuff was missing-"

"We did not even consider a device or devices belonging to him. That might explain the odd magnetic traces the Threstrals were seeing and the lack of Harmonic spell remnants," Luna interjected and then contemplated this in silence for a moment before giving a thoughtful nod to Celestia, "Sister, when he showed us the armory do you recall the small orb devices?"

Celestia indeed remembered however she shook her head, "The case Mr. Aelius showed us was full, and were anything dangerous like that missing I have no doubt he would have told us immediately." Lyra voiced the same sentiments and clarified with added details that what he had described was missing wasn't an orb at all but something more like a small suitcase which she had helped him look for on one occasion before they had mutually given up. When the unicorn was done Celestia sighed, "Regardless of whether they were his the possibility this was caused by Mr. Aelius' technology will not sit well with the Council-"

Luna's grumble that the Council could take that idea and shove it went unnoticed by her sister because of the approach of a thoroughly worn-out unicorn from the group that had been working in a circle. "Princess Celestia, Princess Luna. We have the first part of the reconstruction ready, as requested," she hummed wearily, looking ready to collapse like her colleagues already had although other ponies were stepping in to help them to their hooves. The unicorn waited for the Princesses to turn their attention back to her before continuing, "My apologies, but we are at our limit and need rest. Reconstructing such a recent event is much more strenuous because the imprint on the timeline is still fresh and therefore harder to trace back and pull images from."

"You and your team have gone above and beyond my expectations, Time Watcher," Luna comforted and waved over a pair of guards to physically support the drained unicorn, and just in time because she collapsed immediately after they had a grip on her, "Return to your quarters and rest, the second team can step in to begin the final rendering of it. In the meantime we will extract every bit of information we can from the preliminary viewing you have provided." As the unicorn nearly passed out in the guard's hooves and was aided out of the bustling room Luna lead the way over to the glimmering window into the past, Celestia, Lyra, and Mimi joining her in staring at the spell.

Channeling some magic into her horn to begin the playback Luna anxiously bit her lip, "Let's see what happened to you, dhulsgae."

With a wink and a grin back at both Twilight and Celestia Titus followed Luna around the corner.

"You did not tell her, did you?" Luna asked, stepping closer and snagging his wrist now that they were alone although unlike before he placed it on her shoulder of his own accord.

Titus shook his head and sighed heavily that the struggle of not telling Twilight about Princess Celestia's plans to essentially graduate her from her studies and make her a full blown Princess would have passed by the time he saw her next. Still, it was a lot to comprehend let alone accept. Although he had tried to be calm and accepting of the path Twilight must take both sisters had immediately picked up on his worry that something between him and Twilight might change as a result and had done their best to assure him that wouldn't be the case. "Kark but I wanted to," he replied, absentmindedly scratching with his fingernails at the soft fur between either of Luna's shoulder blades and much to her clear delight from the soft ooo and content smile she gave, "And that struggle is replaced with who knows what now that I'll be dating a Princess-"

"There will be new things to deal with - the media I'm sure being one of them - but perhaps you are thinking along the wrong path," Luna offered as they climbed the circular staircase on their trip to the Council Hall where the Delegation would already be waiting - not that she minded keeping them waiting, the griffons had been rather ruffled when the ceremony was handed over to her from her sister. Banishing the distaste their rude behavior had left in her mouth she looked hopefully toward Titus, her friend, as the short but gossipy talk she had had with Cadence earlier that morning had lead to the uplifting and exciting discovery that the visiting Princess had used her special gift to read him. The fact that she had seen his heart moved for not only Twilight but two unnamed others in a similar way bolstered Luna's hopes that she was one of those, as it did her courage to say something, so she attempted to subtly suggest an idea she quietly wished he would pick up the undertones of, "Rather than be all challenges and hurdles as you think it will, perhaps your courtship of Twilight will instead, um, open other doors that might currently be, or that might appear to be, closed?"

As he correctly guessed courting a Princess has always come with complications, one of which will be today's more empowered Council and the clamor they will raise, especially if things haven't changed over the last thousand years. What will be different, and what I will have to gauge, is how they react to a unicorn who was already in an relationship becoming a Princess. Luna looked to Titus, who hummed in response to what she had said, and the pleasing scratching continued unabated but it was clear he was in thought. And as Tia said, although it was not part of the design, perhaps once things settle down for Twilight and the matter he wished to discuss is disclosed at our dinner I might find that doors once closed behind red tape are now open to me, as well. That is the hope, anyways...

The longer she watched her human friend in wait for further response the more his thoughtful look appeared to be troubled. "Is everything alright, dhulsgae?" Luna asked, concern in her voice because of the way his jaw had set and the scratching had stopped.

"I just..." he started while looking around to the corridor they were in, to several Court ponies talking amongst themselves, then to some Thestral guards standing statuesque at their post before returning his gaze to Luna, "I just had this feeling all of a sudden."

Luna could see the uncertainty bordering on alarm in his eyes when they met hers and, turning her whole head to block his path, brought them both to a stop in front of the Council Hall to put an ear to his chest. His heart doesn't seem to be racing. Her own brow furrowed at his words and also from thought, although she didn't notice how her action had made him flush in the face, and Luna took a look around for what might be the cause, "Can you elaborate on this feeling? It is not that you are feeling ill, is it?"

"No, I'm... nervous," Titus replied after a moment of thought which he used to home in on the large Council Hall doors. He fell silent and stared at the door for several seconds, the hair on the back of his neck standing rigidly upright. Instinct told him to run, to get away from whatever dreadful presence lay on the other side, but his life-long training made him stand firm and after a moment he heard what was Luna's second attempt to ask what was wrong. "This is where I attacked Shining Armor and his guard, right? I thought it was caused of the fever and my hallucinations that Master Krua was in danger, but... I still feel darkness coming from this door. I feel anger and resentment, jealousy and sorrow. No, it goes beyond anger, it's something stronger... it is rage and hate-"

Luna's uncomfortable shuffle from beside him drew his attention and he immediately noticed her posture had shifted, her ears flat back while her eyes remained rooted to the floor near her hooves.

"All this time I had feared as much," she answered, a quick glance to him turning into a long search of his features. He was looking at her with a mixture of concern and curiosity, every now and then his eyes darting back to the door as if he needed to make sure the door hadn't been opened which lead her to force herself over her own discomfort to hopefully calm him a little. No. Please not you, anyone but you, my friend. "If your forcemagics are allowing you to feel anger and resentment and sorrow in association with this room then there is no doubt that... I am to blame," Luna said quietly and took a seat on the floor. Please, stars above, do not let this tarnish what he thinks of me. Do not let my mistake cost me what I treasure most. It was a painful topic, made all the harder by the confused and worried look he was giving her, and as such it was hard to talk around the knot that formed in her throat, "What I believe you are feeling... is me."

"What? You?" Titus' brow creased in confusion as he, too, sat down on folded knees, "I don't understand."

"It was a long time ago, but this is the room where I transformed into Nightmare Moon. What I believe you are feeling is lingerings of my anger at our subjects for adoring my sister for giving them light to bask in, and you also feel my resentment for her that they held no such similar favor for the gift of darkness that I brought. I felt like the ugly duckling, alone and unloved because ponies adored my sister, frolicking and living in her light but then hiding themselves from my night behind shuttered windows and locked doors. I felt wholly unwelcomed. These feelings festered for so long, hour upon hour and each and every day, week, and month growing worse as I sat and watched them love her. I watched bitterly until one night I could not take it anymore. My heart was blackened and my resolve weakened by my sorrow for not being embraced like Tia was," she went on, her eyes once again returning to her hooves as the burden of guilt quickly built within her, "Then early one morning I gave in, I changed into the monster that had been growing inside me. I raised the moon to block my sister's sun and when she tried to remind me of my duty I attacked her with the desire to be the one ruling Princess. My anger turned to hatred, and although she would not fight me because I was her sister I took to the air after her and chased her through Canterlot causing untold amounts of damage until..."

Luna stopped, the knot in her throat squeezing even tighter and she squeezed her eyes shut to try and fight through it. She wanted to look up to her friend, she desperately wanted to but the fear of what she might find there sent the tears she didn't want to shed rolling down either cheek as she resumed recounting that fateful day, "Until I struck her down. I want to say I wasn't in control anymore, that Nightmare Moon had taken over and that I was helpless to stop her, but as I watched Tia fall from the sky I... took joy in the pained cry she gave. I struck down my own beloved sister! Even though my time as Nightmare Moon was short-lived before Tia used the Elements of Harmony to banish me the damage had been done. Parts of Canterlot were in ruin with innocent ponies caught in the rubble or worse and my grieving sister was left to rule alone and take up my duties. As if the ramifications of my deed were not far reaching enough already, the Lunar Guard took up arms against my sister believing she had staged a coup to seize control of the Court.

"The Thestrals learned my armor - or more accurately the armor Nightmare had conjured as a spiritual anchor - functioned as the link between my banishment and the moon so they stormed the Palace vault and stole it and the Elements of Harmony before falling back with both to Everfree Castle, where she and I would sometimes vacation when we were younger," Luna continued to explain, "There they held out in hopes of finding a unicorn to undo the spell, however, because of the lack of magic of their own and with nearly every type of pony siding with my sister the Castle was besieged before they found somepony. While I am glad they did not return Nightmare to Equestria they fought to the last holding on to that hope and the vengeful Solar forces left the Castle in ruin, as it can be found today."

"Word of the siege spread and garrisons on both sides rose up in response, battle lines were formed, and they waged a bloody war until the Lunar Guard were forced back over the Equestrian border to their mountain caves. It wasn't long until civilian Thestrals would join them, stripped of their citizenship and rounded up from their homes or torn from their families to be deported, and there they were forced to stay for over half a millennia before being allowed to return. Their misplaced loyalty to me still causes them hardship to this day in the form of long-rooted prejudice. I was the cause of all of that pain, and now the friend I treasure more than anything is forced to feel it, too."

Neither Titus or Luna took notice of how the two batpony guards, both large strapping mares grizzled from years of service, had begun shaking at their posts as their matron Princess wept freely before them. Though their rigorous training prepared them to stand statuesque against all outside stimuli even that could not keep them still because, much like how Celestia's laugh could bring a pony to tears from the sheer joyful sound, this was having the polar opposite effect which was driving both Lunar Guards to nearly gut-wrenching despair.

Luna's sobs echoed softly down the hallway as her guilt continued to claw at her, "That is why I can understand the fear our subjects have for me, like this door the feelings still linger even after a thousand years and although it is I that now stand before them with naught but good intentions still they see... her. Shortly after my redemption and at the behest of my sister I went to Ponyville's celebration of Nightmare Night; Twilight Sparkle insisted it was a joke or for fun but it... it hurt when they cried 'It's Nightmare Moon!' and would run away at the sight of me, even in the spirit of the holiday. That was when I became fully aware of the brand I am to wear, a permanent scar that even the Elements couldn't heal, because somewhere deep down she is a part of me. Our subjects have been assured otherwise, but despite everything my sister tries to do I know they're still wary that I will fall to that darkness once again. But the one even more scared of that.. is me-"

Luna felt a sudden tightness around her and after opening her eyes she realized Titus had leaned forward to wrap both arms fully around her while his head rested on the side of her neck.

He drew himself closer until his knees bumped up against her front hooves and they were cheek-to-cheek in their embrace when he whispered in her ear, "I will not let that happen." Her unchecked tears landed on his back to turn into dark little spots as they soaked into his shirt, the Princess decidedly not wanting to move out of the embrace and Titus not wanting to let go.

There was a nervous shuffle of the guards behind them; had it been anypony else they would have acted immediately in physically restraining them. Titus was a special case, however, and this was common knowledge around the Thestral barracks not only from the standing order that came from their Princess herself that he was to be shown the utmost respect but more so from all the whispers of guards that had been on duty from those that had overheard bits of happy conversations from his last visit or those that had seen him on the many occasions he had been invited into her quarters for hours on end. Still, nopony touched the Princess like that without her initiating it first so they were torn on what to do.

Luna either picked up on this or just realized they were there and looked up only long enough to give them a nod that everything was fine before lifting a hoof from the floor to gently wind around his side before the other followed in a return of his hug, her muzzle coming to rest on his back when she bent her neck down to meet him. Her wings soon joined in and lay around either shoulder to pull him closer and together Luna and Titus remained like that for a long moment during which time her sobs became sniffles and eventually stopped. After she felt sufficiently recovered she gave him a small squeeze of thanks and they released each other slowly though neither moved from their close proximity and instead maintained a contact by way of Luna's hoof finding its way into his hand.

"You are not Nightmare Moon," Titus said while reaching up with a finger to catch an errant tear before it rolled the rest of the way down her cheek, "They shouldn't be afraid of you because the Luna I've come to know is kind, smart, and only wants to do what is right for her subjects. And this nonsense about being the ugly duckling? You are beautiful, so keep that chin up so they can see it, too!" In coordination with his last words his hand moved under her chin to tilt it back up to look at him where she met him with a warm smile, one hoof dragging across her other cheek to swipe at her tear-matted fur before he returned her grin, "I can't promise to make them change their minds with a snap of my fingers, and I wish I could but that's sadly outside of my power. That said, I will do everything else in my power to see to it that you are never lonely, that you never feel overshadowed by your sister. I will do everything in my power to make sure you never feel unloved or unwanted because you are not Nightmare Moon. You are Princess Luna, and as long as I draw breath and even beyond that you will be my best friend, my pateesa, my dhulsgae - any word for it in the galaxy you want to use! - and if you ever feel yourself falling toward that dark pit again I will wade in and pull you back. That, Luna, is my promise."

Words could not describe what this meant to Luna and anything she thought to say simply died in her throat. Instead she beamed at him and, forgetting her alicorn strength, nearly crushed him in the ensuing embrace, "Thank you. Thank you, my friend! As always you leave me unsure what I have done to deserve your friendship and how to properly substantiate my appreciation of it-"

"L-Letting me breath would be a starter..." Titus wheezed with the last gasp of air in his lungs before Luna hastily apologized and embraced him with just a little more consideration though it was enough that he could breathe to chuckle happily, "You deserve it because you have earned it, dhulsgae. As far as substantiating it, you do that every time you simply call me your friend."

Luna's smile widened, "Then I shall say it once more for the sake of saying it and any other time you would wish to hear it; you are my best friend, Titus, and I treasure that deeply." Before letting him go she put a peck on his cheek, this one much less hesitant and even bordering on open as she made no attempt to hide it from the two guards as she had done with the first from her sister, and unseen by alicorn or human both mares were fighting under their helmets to contain happy grins and stop the rebellious tears that rolled down their cheeks from the sensation of Luna's palpable elation. After the small nuzzle which accompanied a second, lighter peck she stood, "Now come, we are already a little later than what is fashionable for your award ceremony and, as amusing a sight as a perturbed griffon floof-ball is, we do not want to ruffle the Delegation's feathers more than we already likely have. Are you feeling better?"

"I still feel anxious, but knowing what's causing it is a relief," he replied. Titus reached into his cloak in a motion familiar to Luna so she wasn't at all surprised when his hand emerged with both lightsabers which she took from his palm with a smile and attached to either of her hips in plain view. After he stood up he placed his hand back on her shoulder and for Luna this carried a whole new weight of meaning which swam about in the back of her mind as they both headed for the Council Hall door. With her thoughts still occupied by what he had said, however, she wasn't aware of the grin she wore and her chest which puffed-out proudly that she had the honor of escorting him in such a familiar manner.

Three griffons stood from cushioned chairs set at the base of the steps ascending to the twin thrones upon the sound of the heavy wooden doors being opened, three more armored griffons that had accompanied them also turning toward the sound. The Delegation watched as Princess Luna strode haughtily down the plush carpet toward her throne, pieces of alien technology attached to either hip as some sort of display of power presumably, the alicorn only stopping at the lone chair to indicate to the robed biped she was escorting before moving for the ornate chair at the base of the steps that would be hers.

Rather than take the seat, however, she lifted it in her magic and moved it to be at the table beside Titus. Geiléis, the Griffon Delegation's appointed leader, took the opportunity to scrutinize the hyomon she had only met in passing at a garden party and only half listened to Luna's prepared speech welcoming the griffons to Equestria and the Palace.

Standing only as far away as the width of the table she could look at length at the tall human and he appeared larger than she first thought, his flat beakless face and beady eyes causing him to look far less intelligent than she knew him to be. In the last letter she had received the King had been adamant that the Sisters not be the only ones with the hyper-advanced alien's favor. The order that she be the utmost level of polite and accommodating to him so he might feel compelled to see Griffonstone as a friend as well had been bolstered by unconfirmed intelligence that the Lunar alicorn may be getting close to him in an attempt to get him to declare sole allegiance to Equestria, and Geiléis had every intention of gaining the alien's favor so she could turn around and try to leverage that accomplishment for a higher position on the King's court - preferably one that didn't necessitate endless traveling and came with peons to do the more mundane or tiresome tasks for her.

Turning the edges of her mouth up in a smile she remained standing while her colleagues sat, "Titus Aelius, before we start let me just say it is an honor to be the one selected to handle such a momentous occasion of greeting you on behalf of His Majesty and His subjects." The human seemed a little unprepared for her words and he gave a similar small bow of respect, his eyes darting from her to the other griffons though Geiléis felt like they lingered on her security detail before they returned to her.

"I am honored that His Majesty wishes to extend the offer of friendship and I am humbled to think His subjects would welcome me as well. It is impossible for me to do so in person at this time so please pass along my thanks to His Majesty at your earliest convenience."

Geiléis' smile remained as she nodded outwardly while on the inside she cataloged her thoughts and continued observations of the alien. Hmm, he's not a stranger to the game of politics and lip-service, it would seem. Waving a talon she summoned her assistant, Gearalt, who placed a ornate metal box on the table before procuring a roll of parchment from a sleeve which he passed to Geiléis. "His Majesty was pleased you agreed to attend the ceremony yourself and sent a special royal welcome in the native Griffon tongue, which I will read now," she said and as Princess Luna offered to translate for him she unfurled the lengthy letter that had arrived via courier that morning - much to her dismay because it meant the award ceremony would run that much longer into her already busy schedule.

As the griffon delegate began reading Luna cast a glance over to Titus because she caught that he still seemed on edge, if the way one of his legs bounced beneath the table out of sight of the griffon was anything to go by. As subtly as she could she watched him for a moment and noticed how his eyes remained on Geiléis which put her at ease until they darted to the armed griffon security detail situated behind the Delegation. Leaning close Luna dropped her voice low and kept her eyes on the speaking griffon to look as if she was translating but instead she broached the subject of her concern, "My friend, is something bothering you?"

Although he couldn't speak without fear of disturbing the proceedings, at her words Titus' eyes flickered for a brief moment to Luna before they switched back to the Delegation. What is this that I feel? He hoped his look of concern to Luna was enough to communicate that the nervous feeling from earlier when he had stopped at the door hadn't abated. Something felt off and although he had tried to get an impression from the griffon guards as he had with Geiléis and Gearalt, all three security members felt strong willed enough to prevent him from getting a read on their thoughts or intentions.

Luna watched the human's eyes switch between the griffons and detected them lingering on the largest of the group which was one of the security detail, a large and very muscular male griffon. Upon further discreet study Luna caught several occasions where the griffon seemed to examine the human with his sharp eyes which she equated to curiosity because the Delegation had recently rotated in this fresh security team so it was understandable that these new griffons were probably naturally curious about the alien biped they had only heard about or seen in pictures up until this point. Add in that a griffon's physical features were much more fierce and predatory-looking, on top of her knowledge that Titus wasn't one who enjoyed attention such as this, so Luna leaned herself in to whisper again, "Calm yourself, dhulsgae."

This time Titus whispered back. "I can't help it, something in the room has me on edge-" he started and suddenly realized what his words could be taken as; he didn't want hurt Luna by bringing up the fact that he was still feeling the after-affects of Nightmare Moon but he needed to say something and he could apologize later if that was the case. With a quiet sigh intended to relax himself and subtle shake of his head he leaned closer to his friend, his eyes once again returning to the big griffon at the back, "I don't know, I just... I've got a bad feeling about this, Luna."

"Everything is alright, my friend," the Princess replied with a smile and an innocent nod to Geiléis to proceed when she shot them a curious look which was probably in response to the small conversation happening in front of her. Turning back to Titus Luna carefully shifted a hoof under the table to rest on his thigh as she forced a smile through the ache she felt in her chest, "It is likely just the lingerings I told you of earlier, they are much more concentrated here. Once the ceremony is over we can leave immediately."

As Geiléis finished reading the King's words and passed the parchment back to her secondary Titus subtly took and held Luna's hoof with another searching glance over all of the griffons in the room. Geiléis didn't notice and picked up the ornate metal box before walking around the table to the other side which necessitated Titus' quick release of Luna's hoof before she came around and could see it. "On behalf of His Majesty I present to you, Titus Aelius, a pendant crafted to the highest quality by the best talons Griffonstone has to offer," Geiléis stated and opened the box for him to see the contents and waited for him to lean forward.

The pendant was a bright, nearly luminescent gold that sparkled in the sun coming through the stained glass windows with two carved indentations of griffons raised on their hind legs clawing at an amber crystal which was set in the center. It was by no stretch of the word a masterwork piece of jewelry and much time and effort had been poured into it however the opulence was definitely not something befitting a Jedi. Not wanting to be insulting, however, when Geiléis set the box on the table again and pulled the pendant out by the fine gold chain in a clear motion that communicated she intended to put it on him Titus stood and bowed his head accordingly.

"Let the passing of this token symbolize the welcome and friendship His Royal Majesty King Gréagóir IV graciously extends to you, Titus Aelius-" Geiléis continued with the prepared speech and carefully put the loop of chain over Titus' head until the weight of the pendant rested on his shoulders and let go. Titus felt a sense of discomfort come over him but waited for her to continue, or at least step back however her talons hovered just above his shoulders and after an awkward second of waiting with his head bowed he chanced a glance up and found Geiléis was standing stock still.

A sudden rush of movement to his side snapped his head in that direction where the Delegation's security detail had charged but shared a confused look.

"Get him while the spell is still active on the others!" the largest griffon, the one Titus had felt uneasy about, shouted and leapt onto the table after the human.

In the instant Titus had to take in the situation of three burly griffons charging him he not only noticed that everyone else in the room was in a similar statuesque state like Geiléis but also that the amber crystal in the pendant had started glowing which reminded him of the same color crystal that preserved the privacy of Twilight's hidden pond. What the frag is going on?!

That was all the time he had for thought before he had to defend himself from the griffon coming over the table at him, his gut instinct which had left him on his guard allowing him to easily deflect the tackle by locking an arm against the griffon's chest. Titus used the momentum to carry the assailant over his head in an arc and throw him to create some distance before somersaulting to the opposite side of the table just as the other two griffons came around the sides for him.

Landing on his feet the human's confusion continued because, aside from him and the griffons, no one else in the room had moved from their previous positions; Luna was still seated and looking to where he had been, Geiléis still had her talons hovering in mid air, and none of the Lunar Guard had left their posts behind their Princess' chair. Are they frozen? Paralysis spell, like what happened with Lyra? Titus' mind raced, attempting to multitask between trying to sort out what was happening as well as mount a defense against the trio assaulting him for an unknown reason because, even now, he felt their minds were hardened against him.

The griffons were fast like pegasi and gave him very little time before they were on him again. Throwing one into a nearby wall with a blast of the Force Titus quickly learned they were tough, too, because despite slamming into the hard stone the muscly griffon got right back up while the other two pounced with outstretched talons.

A bright light caught Titus' attention as he twisted away from the grab. Glancing up to the arched stonework above in the first window of opportunity he had he saw what he quickly identified as an explosion though only because of the fiery sphere which was confirmed beyond a doubt when he spotted the second detonation pack adhered to the ceiling just a short distance away.

"Garvan, we're running out of time!"

The griffons were clearly aware of the explosion as well and one of them shouted to the others, which for Titus meant they were operating on a timetable of some sort. Grabbing the pendant off his neck in one hand Titus swung it at the closest enemy and caught him right under the beak, the heavy jewelry imparting such a blow he was carried up on his front limbs and collapsed briefly which was enough time that Titus rolled back over the table again. If they're working against the clock I've got to draw this out.

In his first roll over the table he had knocked over the chair he had been sitting in which only now revealed a third det-pack that had been stuck to the bottom and hidden by the decorative cloth skirt that had draped down over the legs. Acting on his first instinct Titus used the Force again to fling the chair away from Luna and Geiléis and toward the window so it would crash through and explode outside in relative safety.

It only got about half that distance, however, when it suddenly stopped and hung in midair. What the kark is this?! The realization they were all still within the blast radius slowed Titus enough so that when he spun back to the table and reached out a hand to snatch one of the lightsabers from Luna's hip Garvan's flying tackle took him onto his back on the table where each struggled for control. The griffon managed to get a strong grip on the arm Titus had the ignited blue blade in and smashed it against the edge of the large stone table whereupon the human felt his wrist break and he couldn't stop himself from dropping the weapon. With a cry he discharged a blast of Force with his free hand directly into Garvan's chest which tore him off, his talons taking a sleeve of his robe with him and raked against his flesh as he was sent tumbling toward the roof like a feathery missile. As with the chair the griffon came to an abrupt stop but this time Titus caught the faint shimmer that seemed to wash over Garvan and Titus began to theorize that some sort of spell boundary was in effect, though why Luna and the others had been seemingly paralyzed when he and the other griffons hadn't still was unclear.

Thinking he could potentially end the odd paralysis spell if he could figure out what was causing it he came up empty; there wasn't someone channeling a spell anywhere and he knew griffons didn't have magic based on what he had learned of them from Twilight. Priorities, Titus. That det-pack is still active, I've got to save Luna.

The other two griffons were on him, the first locking an arm and trying to get its other forelimb under Titus' chin for a weak choke hold while the other got both talons on the pendant. This seemed like a clue that the pendant was important, though Titus couldn't know it wasn't what he had been looking for moments earlier, and his attempts to smash it against the stone table were quickly stopped. Disarmed, disabled, and now aware his adversaries had little care for the innocent lives around them Titus disregarded self preservation in favor of protecting the others and desperately swept his one good hand at Luna which sent her tumbling away toward her throne at the top of the stairs and her guards in a similar direction away from the booby-trapped chair. As soon as they stopped after crossing the boundary Titus threw an elbow which got him enough wiggle room to then throw Geiléis and her assistant toward the inner wall with another wave of the Force.

The griffon grappling him got a better hold and called to his comrade for help and as Titus turned to continue his struggle stars exploded across his vision and all will to fight left his body as it went limp. He felt himself being cautiously lowered to the floor where the griffon that had taken the amulet stood over him, a Solar guard's helmet in one talon.

"Feckin' hell, Gusta, ye split him open and dented the thing hitting him!" his comrade grumbled, pointing to the helmet then giving a cursory glance to see if the human was still alive after the blow that left a streak of blood running down his face. Finding their target was out cold but alive he snatched the amulet from Gusta, "Quick, let's put the amulet on him again."

"It didnae work last-" Gusta started but the words faded off when his comrade, Garbius, slipped the amulet's chain over the unconscious human's head and a moment later its form changed into that of a light grey unicorn. The griffon shook his head, "Command assured us it would work... that they tested it!"

"Without a Counter ring he should have been frozen, too," Garbius pointed to one of the three rings they had been wearing before going back to task, "But that doesn't matter now. We're so close to achieving the primary objective."

"The whole op is goin' to shit; the last minute change to the bat pony guards means we've got the wrong armor, the Princess being in attendance and insisting on sitting at the table, the magic not affecting him... at least his pony disguise worked the second time around. What about Garvan?" he asked as he retrieved the Solar Guard armor they had stashed in a corner when they had swept the room posing as the security team. Coming back to the unconscious pony who was being stripped of the old human clothing and the now-depleted amulet Gusta gave a look upward to the griffon that had exited the sphere of paused time, "Doesn't feel right leavin' him behind."

"You were at the mission briefing, once anything goes outside of the range of the box it's stuck until we close it again. He crossed the threshold, there's nothing we can do without getting ourselves stuck, too," Garbius didn't like it any better but the op was still the priority and it was what they needed to focus on, "If he plays his cards right he can maintain his cover long enough to slip away and meet us at the extraction."

"Without him it complicates achievin' Objective B," Gusta stated as they struggled to get the limp pony into the uniform quickly, "We're forced to use the alternate escape route now-"

"We'll make it work. I'm more worried about how this thing flung the chair and explosive, it's too close to the door now," the other griffon said with a grunt because the crown of the helmet was too dented to sit properly on the pony's head so he set it aside. Looking around the room to assess the situation Garbius suddenly dragged the transformed Titus to the farthest corner before moving toward the box that had held the amulet. "Alright. The corner is the safest place for the coming blasts. We're going to hunker down and then I'll close the box to end the time sphere. We'll have to act fast and use the chaos before the Princess or any of these Thestrals come to their senses." Picking the box up to bring it with him to the corner he paused at the edge of the table before stooping down, his talons wrapping around the inert alien light weapon Titus had briefly wielded which was quickly secured in a pouch before the griffon returned to the corner. Hunkering down he gave a countdown and closed the box's lid.

The whole room shook as the explosions of both det-packs now rolled uninhibited by magic, the booby-trapped chair following just a fraction of a second later which blew out the stained glass windows as well as much of the stonework they had been mounted in. Rubble falling from the ceiling met Garvan midair and summarily buried him beneath a large pile of brick, shingle, and thick wooden beams, and would have done the same with Geiléis and her assistant had they not been thrown clear so the amount that caught them was minor. The Thestrals found themselves closest to the explosion from the chair and were showered with small bits of masonry which their armor absorbed for the most part however the concussive force of the blast left them stunned where they landed as the Council Hall came crumbling down around them.

Luna was flung the farthest of everyone which, watching through the spell, she correctly interpreted in the quiet of the back of her mind was because of Titus' concern for her. Just before the rain of rubble hit the stone table she had been seated at she tumbled head over hoof up the flight of stairs to crash into the throne which thankfully toppled over her as the structure of the Council Hall, weakened by the loss of a support column at the window and the roof only partially supported, caused another portion of the ceiling as well as part of a wall to collapse down on top of her.

Choking on the dust and smoke the two griffons emerged from the corner, their preparations placing them enough of a distance from all of the explosions that only a small amount of debris covered them which took a few moments to free themselves and their unconscious captive from. "Help me with this!" Gusta called as he tore a tapestry from the wall and they had only just gotten Titus hoisted between them on the makeshift stretcher when one of the Lunar guards groaned. Exiting the Council Hall before any of the guards could get to their hooves they rounded around the door and charged down the hall.

Suddenly Princess Celestia and Twilight, the unicorn who both griffons only knew of from their mission briefing, rounded the corner at the end of the hall and were coming straight for them which put both saboteurs on edge.

"Wounded for the infirmary, make way!" Garbius shouted in the heat of the moment and his ploy worked, the Princess took to the air without giving them a second look meanwhile the pony quickly hugged a wall however her gaze lingered on the disguised human as they passed. Fear she might recognize him came to the forefront of the griffon's minds but thankfully she took off after the Solar alicorn and although she gave them another look they quickly rounded the corner and were out of her sight. Garbius and Gusta followed the practiced route to their second objective, occasionally moving with small crowds of ponies as they evacuated the building but eventually the two griffons dipped down a staircase when they weren't being observed. Down and down further they went until they reached the subterranean levels of the Palace and counting the heavy doors they passed they finally came to a stop in front of one.

The door was bolted from the outside and had a small metal plate which Gusta slid open while Garbius took up a spot where he couldn't be seen. Upon opening the small window in the door there was movement from within in the room.

"Who's there?" a voice called and soon the griffon was looking at a vanilla-colored unicorn mare with a mane of silver and gold swirls, "What's going on? We heard rumblings or something."

"Show Stopper," Gusta dodged answering the unicorn's question and soon an earth pony and another unicorn stallion came to stand behind her. Meanwhile off to the side Garbius had rolled the unconscious pony cargo into the tapestry like a big burrito and slung him over his back for travel. "I'm here on behalf of your... benefactor. Is your whole herd with you?"

Show avoided answering for a second as she scrutinized what she could see of the griffon's face. Although he wasn't the big burly griffon that had first approached her the fact he had mentioned the secret contact that had promised to sponsor them in the E.F.C. that only she and her herd knew about lent him enough credibility that Show nodded. "I take it you're part of the Delegation our mutual 'friend' belonged to, too. Where is Garvan? I'd prefer to speak with him because he's the face I'm familiar with," Show likewise avoided the question and made a look back to Dive Bomb who was still recovering on the bed from Titus sending her face-first into the tree.

"I'm part of the Delegation, yes. We were with the Princess working toward your release when the explosions occurred. He sent us here to check on you," Gusta stalled as he stretched out a talon Gusta waited for his companion to find the final portion of achieving their secondary objective to the mission. Peering through the small hatch he counted the number of ponies he could see, "We're still not sure what is going on, we're not being told anything by the Guard, but is your herd alright?"

"Yeah, we're fine," as Show looked back to all of her herdmates her figure, and subsequently theirs as well, seemingly suffered a spasm as it flickered from the spell allowing the Princesses and Lyra to observe reached the end of its construction, "We went after the freak like Garvan wanted, and it landed us in some really hot water. I don't know what bargaining chips he's got, and I don't care, but he stopped by yesterday and said everything was set and in the final stages. When do you think you're getting us out?"

A staticky image of Garbius passed off another device out of sight of the window while Show Stopper spoke with Gusta which he fiddled with, twisting one half of the hemisphere as he had been trained which activated a few lights on its surface. "As a matter of fact, right now," he replied and flicked the spherical device through the window, "The G.R.A. thanks you for your service." Ignoring the confused voices from inside the griffons took off down the hallways to the sewer access door before there was another explosion which shook the walls and a moment later the scene jumped back to the start with Titus and Luna in the hallway.

Luna was quick to flag down a pegasi guard and ordered her to take a message to Captain Armor to ensure extra forces were sent to search the labyrinthine network of old tunnels beneath the city, meanwhile Mimi gave a quick explanation to Lyra's inquiry of what the griffons had been saying in their native tongue. "This will provide a lot of information for the examination team," Luna said when she was done and the guard had speedily gone on her way but despite this she scowled, "The spell that transformed Titus was only known to myself and a few professors from the Academy, how the griffons had access to it is something I will investigate. But more importantly they inadvertently knocked him unconscious! There's not time to waste, as I have done before perhaps I can make contact through the Dreamscape!" With just a brief nod farewell the lunar alicorn departed in a hurry, waving several more guards to her side for a slew of additional orders before they dashed off on their respective new tasks.

"She has not stopped since dragging herself out of the rubble, not even more a moment," Celestia commented quietly of her sister before turning to the unicorn and her maid escort, "Anything you require to get through this trying time you need only ask. The resources of the Crown are at your disposal, Ms. Heartstrings."

Having seen how the viewing spell had been cast - though it was beyond her skill in her still-healing state - a thought had struck Lyra so she only hummed a partial thanks before moving over to the nearby table of recovered evidence where she looked at the pendant and its large crystal. It had a small tag of information with some sort of identifying number on it, though from what Lyra had witnessed nopony had appeared interested in it due to being otherwise occupied since her arrival. "I just want to help find the big guy and bring him home. I'll do anything it takes," she finally said and made her way back to the Princess, "I don't have access to all of my family's money but from my own account I can hire a team of third party experts to help get through the table of evidence over there-"

"I do appreciate the offer and in another circumstance I would welcome it, however... with the apparent breaches in security that allowed this to happen the Council has staunchly forbade any outside help as the investigation is underway," Princess Celestia shook her head and caught the second glance the unicorn gave the pendant, "The G.R.A. have already demonstrated their ability to infiltrate so I understand the Council's concern, reluctantly I have to agree at least until the internal investigation has found the holes in our security."

"T-There has to be something I can do!" Lyra cried desperately as all the built-up tension since turning on the TV in the kitchen finally broke through the strong face she had been wearing, "Please..."

The Princess' expression softened. "I know you want to help, perhaps there is a way. I have been kept abreast of my student's ongoing... Intermediary duties since Mr. Aelius' arrival, with that knowledge it would be an admittedly underhoofed tactic..." Celestia mused briefly over the thought as the unicorn looked hopefully up to her with a clear interest in hearing further details. Quickly sorting out who best to talk to on the Council to swing things in her favor she eventually came to a point where she nodded in mental closure and turned her attention back to Lyra, "The standard procedure in a situation such as this is to safeguard the family of the victim, however with no family to call his own I do not think it impossible that I could not make the case that Mr. Aelius' fillyfriend should fall under this umbrella of protection because you are intimately familiar with him and might provide some insight the investigation is possibly overlooking. That, and you are part of such a prominent family in Canterlot that it can't be ruled out that this is a way to get at you-"

"T-This is because of me?" a suddenly shaken Lyra who felt sick to her stomach at the thought asked, "They took him to get something from me or my parents?"

"It... can't be discounted as a possibility, I'm afraid," Celestia admitted however she quickly found herself backpedaling from that statement from Lyra's reaction, "Do not blame yourself, I should have chosen my words more carefully. What I meant is that all evidence we have indicates this is only a remote possibility because ransoming something out of your family would be more effective with a family member. I only mention it because it can be brought before the Council as an additional reason to bring you in before the investigations into the leaks are done. I would require a small amount of time to make my proposal and in the meantime I would ask that you see to Twilight and help as best you can, as somepony close to Mr. Aelius only you can identify with what she is going through." Celestia nodded to the familiar pegasus maid, "You will find Twilight in my chambers. Do you require an escort to lead you there, Ms. Angel?"

"No, Princess," Mimi bowed and stepped shoulder to shoulder with Lyra, "I still remember the Palace like the back of my hoof."

Lyra realized further pleading to let her help find Titus would be fruitless at this point because the Princess herself had a roadblock she'd have to clear first for that to happen. Plus, I could really do with seeing Sparkles right now. A little quietly Lyra voiced she had sorely been missing her friend since having last seen her at the train station which was met with a comforting smile from the alicorn.

“Then by all means you are free to go see her,” Celestia stated before taking a step away from the pair to signal she had business elsewhere, however a sad look came over her usually composed face, “Twilight requires a supportive friend right now so please, take care of each other as best you can.”

Lyra and Mimi acknowledged and quickly took their leave when an earth pony approached with several sealed folders for the Princess. Crossing the room Lyra noticed her pegasi companion walking unusually close which she interpreted could be either a sign of endearment or that her bodyguard was on heightened alert after seeing the details of the attack. “Thank you, but right now I'm feeling less helpless and more… mad that I can't help, or that I'm not allowed to,” she grumbled honestly.

Mimi checked over a shoulder then leaned in closer, “Time is of the essence so I took the liberty-” Barely opening the chest of her blouse a flash of gold and an amber crystal caught Lyra’s attention. A shocked hiss of her name was thought to be too loud and the maid quickly glanced over her shoulder but the Princess was still occupied so she hurriedly quieted the whispering unicorn. “I've dealt with evidence, tags like this mean it's been examined and logged and is due for storage,” she explained which Lyra listened to with a skeptically worried expression, “It looked like you had something in mind for this amulet, my lady. Do whatever it is quickly and I can use my contacts within the Guard to slip it back before anypony notices-”

“Wait a moment you two.”

Princess Celestia’s voice and her sudden turn to walk toward them made both pony’s hearts leap up into their throats. Lyra and Mimi both shared a darting look with one another which the Princess raised an eyebrow at but quickly switched to a smile.

“I only just realized you would have gone off and been turned away,” she said and with a flash of magic a piece of parchment and a quill materialized in front of her. After a brief moment of the scratching of letters being written she rolled the parchment up and floated it to the pegasus, “Show this to the Guards at my chamber door and they will let you pass.”

Thanking the Princess Lyra lead the way out of the room with a quiet pegasus in tow until they were both out in the hall and the sentries at the door had closed it behind them. Preceding a little further out of earshot Lyra breathed a sigh of relief, “That felt way too close, I thought for sure she was onto the missing amulet.”

Mimi reiterated she could have it back in the evidence lockup thanks to a few friends in the Guard she still kept in professional contact with. With very little else to talk about the pegasus lead the way to the Princess’ quarters from memory. Lyra didn't question it because it was known within the family that their maid had distinguished service in one capacity or another with the Guard and while the details were withheld a personalized letter of recommendation from Princess Celestia had gone far in securing her the position.

Coming around the final corner the pair was scrutinized the whole distance by the Guard. Once they were just outside of spear range they were instructed to halt whereupon Mimi passed off the letter the Princess had given them. The guardsmare took a cautious step back while her comrade kept her weapon leveled at Lyra, though the pegasus slowly stepped in front protectively despite the spearpoint pressing against her chest.

“At ease,” the guardsmare said after a pause to read, “They're allowed to enter, I'm to escort them to the Princess.” She stood there for a moment with the letter in front of her to scan it one more time to be certain of its authenticity before she looked to either pony, “Can't be too careful. Alright, this way please.”

The guard pushed open the door and took the lead, her comrade holding it open for the pegasus and unicorn to follow her through before resuming her post. Neither pony spoke a word, the overwhelming feeling they were trespassing on the inner sanctum of the Princess they held in such high regard kept them silent though their eyes darted about taking in the room.

To both it seemed a little plain for a Princess.

The walk across the living area didn't take long, another element that made the room feel less grand than they had anticipated, and soon they were standing in front of another closed door. The guardsmare only nodded to indicate this was their destination.

“I shall wait here,” Mimi said softly and bumped Lyra a step toward the door with a wing, “My presence would only feel like there was a crowd. Go. She is your friend and without a doubt she needs you now.”

Knocking lightly Lyra found the door to be unlocked and when no objection came from within she slipped past the door and closed it behind her. The room that greeted her was dark and gloomy from the shades being drawn but enough light came through that Lyra had no difficulty spotting the four post bed and canopy tucked against one wall.

“Sparkles? Hey it's me, Lyra,” she whispered and crept toward the bed. Once closer she could make out the jumble of heavy covers heaped on the top, “You awake under there?” A lump of covers slowly shifted as the pony beneath sat up and out from an edge that had been disguised as one of the many folds a violet muzzle slid into view.

At the sight of the disheveled hair and day-old eyeliner streaked by tears Lyra rushed forward onto the bed and wrapped her hooves around her friend. The immediate embrace she received back was desperate and near crushing as if she might disappear so Lyra tightened her hold and brushed a hoof down her friend’s mane. The cover slid further down to reveal Twilight's new wings but what was more startling and drew Lyra’s attention was their poor state and all the feathers strewn about that had molted from stress.

“They took him…” Twilight whispered and somehow her grip got even tighter when her breathing turned into gasps and she was wracked with the onset of full body sobs, “No matter what I do I just can't ever seem to protect him.”

“Hey, this isn't your fault,” Lyra corrected and pulled Twilight's head against her chest floof comfortingly, “Whatever is going on with all this we'll get him back. You've got both Princesses and the entire Guard out there looking for him. I'm going to throw my lot in, too, so don't you worry. I’ve got a plan, I just need your help with-”

“H-He can't be gone… what do I do?”

At the unexpected interruption Lyra noticed the distant look in Twilight's eyes. Does… does she even realize I'm here? Lyra moved her face to be closer to eye level but her friend only stared blankly ahead, looking right through her as she repeated herself. I shouldn't be surprised, she's still in a state of shock. She just needs time and support to process what's happened then she can help.

Nuzzling an ear Lyra settled into the covers with the mumbling Twilight where she lost track of time until eventually the little alicorn drifted off to fitful sleep again. Once she had fallen asleep enough that moving wouldn't wake her Lyra disentangled herself - as much as she could do with some snuggles after her hibernation her need to get started on the thought she had was the prevalent desire, even if that meant leaving Twilight's side. She'll forgive me for it if it means getting the big guy back faster.

Exiting the room quietly Lyra was met with the sight of Princess Celestia and Mimi seated in the living area, her appearance clearly interrupting a conversation which she couldn't guess the nature of. Not that she was given much time to consider because the Princess was on her hooves and moving toward her rather quickly.

“How is Twilight doing?” she asked anxiously as she stopped just short of Lyra and eyed the door. When the unicorn hesitated to answer Celestia’s shoulders slumped, “I feared as much.”

“I don't understand, this is just so unlike her,” Lyra joined the alicorn in looking to the door in thought, “After knowing Sparkl- um, Twilight for so long and with how much she loves the big guy I assumed she'd be worked into a fervor to find him. It's like she... gave up-”

“Please try not to be angry or frustrated with her,” Celestia cut the unicorn off. With a sigh again she slumped, “Your observation that this is uncharacteristic of her is correct, however I assure you she is not to blame. The transformation put a great deal of stress on her, both mentally and physically, which put her in an already delicate state so if she appears to have just shut down it is because it is out of the need for self preservation after the addition of this further stress.” Turning to face Lyra she tilted her head to one side in curiosity, “Until she sufficiently recovers I hope whatever it is you plan to do with that amulet can be done without Twilight's assistance.”

Lyra went as white as a sheet. “Y-You know about the…” she started then looked to Mimi who had only just dismounted the chair she had been in. Gulping around a sudden lump in her throat Lyra bowed her head nearly to the floor, “My apologies, Princess! The amulet was taken-”

Suddenly Celestia was helping her to her hooves. “Shh! I would prefer you stop there,” she explained with a small smile and a wink, “The less I know the better, as of now it is simply a misplaced piece of evidence and that is all I would be able to say if asked by the Council or somepony conducting the investigation. It would be beneficial, however, if it were found to have been… misfiled in the hustle and bustle should the investigation need to revisit it.”

“I-I understand, Princess, I'm sure somepony will find it soon enough.” Lyra breathed a sigh of relief and communicated this further through a look to Mimi when she came to her side. That could have ended… well, everything, really.

“Good. I hope your efforts are fruitful, and in the meantime you may trust that I shall watch over Twilight, although you are welcome and encouraged to visit whenever possible. Should I or my sister require you or there be a development will you be staying at your family’s residence?” Celestia inquired, taking a step toward the door which alluded that this would be a short conversation.

“For a little bit, at least,” Lyra admitted before being entirely sure for her own self. Unable to take the words back she hummed in thought, though why she looked to the balcony was a mystery, “I’m working on sorting out the details as I go, so I may need to make a trip back home-”

“You mean back to Ponyville?”

“Yes,” she nodded, realizing she had two places to call home so she understood the confusion, “Without Sp- Twilight. Without Twilight I'll have to do my own research for the time being.” The Princess conveyed she wished she could help or at least assign somepony to but reiterated the less her involvement could be traced the better to which Lyra shook her head, “I'll be better off doing it myself, I have a particular and somewhat odd way of thinking or looking at information so any help might just hinder more than it assists.”

“You might be surprised with how familiar I am with that sentiment,” Celestia indicated toward her bedchamber in a bid to lighten the air before she nodded and the door was cracked open, “I will leave you to your own resources. Again, I wish to reinforce that everything possible is being done.”

A hint of bitterness at the bureaucracy preventing her open contribution to the search bubbled to the surface but Lyra bit most of it back, “Yeah, now that I'm on the case.” Key word being ‘most,’ but the Princess didn't seem to take it personally because she laughed before moving into the bedroom fully.

Lyra and Mimi waited at the door for a moment expecting her to come back and see them out but after several minutes of waiting no appearance was made. “Do you think Princess Celestia wished to continue the conversation?” the pegasus questioned and looked over a shoulder at the large door that would lead them out to the hallway, “Perhaps we should seat ourselves and wait-”

“I'll just check.”

Before Mimi could stop her Lyra had opened the door and peeked inside. Her protests that the young lady should have knocked were quickly silenced when Lyra took a step back and shut the door quietly. “I think we'll show ourselves out,” she said and started walking back across the living area before the maid caught up and asked what she saw, “Princess Celestia appears to have curled up with Sparkles and fallen asleep. Given how I doubt she's been given the time to do so we would have waited a good bit while Princess Celestia caught up on some sleep.”

Exiting out into the hall before she proceeded further Lyra stopped and, out of deterrence for the Princess, informed the guardsmare that she had fallen asleep. Once they had gotten further down the empty hall she had sorted out enough of her plan and felt comfortable moving forward with it. “When we get back to the estate I'll give you a list of things I'll need, you'll have to go out and buy a few items which might be hard to find,” she explained while simultaneously making herself a mental list, “While you're doing that I'll prep for the trip-”

“Trip?” Mimi echoed with a raised eyebrow, “Were we not going to remain in the city for a bit?”

Lyra shook her head. “Just a quick hop over to Ponyville. I've got some spell weaving technicalities I need to brush up on for my plan and I'm betting Sparkles has some thorough notes that would be useful.”

Warm brown eyes looked up to Titus curiously amid some very animated eyebrow and ear movements but there no words to accompany them in the silent obedience as Titus fidgeted with the clasp - he had needed to engineer a whole new mechanism himself on account that a pony wouldn't be able to release it, at least not without magic, and after a few hours of brainstorming he had machined something that would work. "Not so fast, boy," Titus hummed and slipped the collar around Dex's neck, "I need you to wear this so the ponies don't feel so intimidated by you. There! All set, bud-" Like a switch had been thrown what could only be described as a smile spread its way across Dex's face when he was finally told he could move about again and he lunged forward to lick at the face of his friend and owner, his master's face too close to resist giving it a lick as if to demonstrate for him he was a perfectly friendly dog which very quickly turned into a wrestling match, playful biting from both parties, and general roughhousing until Titus threw Dex off and ruffled his ears, "I've got to take off for a day or two with Twi so I hope you got that out of your system for a bit. Twi and Lyra might tolerate it, but I dread to think how Flutters might react and I'm still trying to figure out how best to make it up to Rarity after you gave her an unexpected kiss when she came to pick out those clothes. You behave yourself around your sitter, understand? And by the suns, no wrestling or licking!" Imagined cries that the dog was trying to eat her crossed Titus' mind which he dislodged by shaking his head to scatter them.

Two quick barks followed and Dex sat down obediently, his tail swishing back and forth enthusiastically at the attention he was receiving as the customized collar was secured around his neck.

With the loop of the lead around his wrist Titus tucked his hand into a pant pocket and triggered the airlock. Dex remained where he was rather than dash out immediately and though he wined softly while looking at the out-of-doors beyond he waited for the nod and words to follow. Stepping out onto the wooden deck and stairs Titus was greeted by his batpony guard.

"Good mornin'! Ye caught me still on shift, T, at least for a bit longer. Lucky muigh..." Nightwatch said smoothly in her subtle Thestral accent that came out when she relaxed and gave a fanged grin that was almost bordering on flirtatious, "How ye doing?"

"Um... I'm okay, I guess," he answered with uncertainty and gave her another look, "Other than being a little confused because it's like I'm seeing you and at the same time hearing Quickbolt..."

"S-Sorry, sir," she snapped back to her usual demeanor, "Your observation isn't far off; she suggested I be a little more casual, such as using your name and not being so formal so we might get to know one another. Won't happen again, sir."

I should have known that pegasus had something to do with it. "Oh. No, by all means! If you're comfortable trying it I prefer the casual approach. I've never been one to hang on decorum because I really feel I don't warrant it," Titus said with a shrug.

Nightwatch looked lost in thought for a moment then bowed her head low, “I will certainly try in that case, however I would disagree that you don't warrant it.” Titus then looked to her with an expression that conveyed he was curious for her to continue. “After your stay in Canterlot the entire Lunar Guard was briefed on you-” she stopped and suddenly shook her head, “Sorry, now that I say that the technical term "brief" sounds more serious than what it was. In actuality the reaction the Solar Guard had to your appearance prompted our Commander to want to ease our interactions with you so she came into the barracks and told us what she knew, we were all free to ask questions, and by the time our shift was starting you - begging your pardon - weren't quite so scary. We didn't have to be told to be respectful, from our limited understanding of Jedi the common consensus of the barracks was that your Knight rank earned you that respect for your commitment to the greater good, an ideal valued highly by the clans which I'm sure was communicated across Guard lines during shift change. So, just for future reference, if a Thestral shows you a high degree of respect don't assume it's out of obligation, it's much more likely they do so because we find you genuinely admirable for your deeds. With that said, I believe I can find a happy medium in regards to your request and I will try to more closely emulate Quickbolt, within reason.”

Titus indicated his appreciation before he looked around quickly then back at her, "Speaking of the other Sergeant, where is she? It was my understanding she was on duty in the morning."

"Normally she is, however she had to make a trip to the Mayor's office and last night she told me you were taking your dog to a sitter's while you're on your trip. I'm just working a slightly longer shift to cover for Quick," the batpony explained as they made their way down the stairs and she fell in beside him, but clearly did so to be on the opposite side of Dex with a cautious look at him, "She's just submitting our planned cordon line for the demonstration and with your sudden trip to Canterlot she also wanted to make sure the Mayor would know not to announce the flight until you got back. I know Mayor Mare wants to make a show of it by organizing some special event."

"It's really not a flight. I mean, the repairs have the repulsors fully functional now but all I'm doing is turning it around to get the landing gear on the cement slabs. I won't be going any more than thirty meters or so up before bringing it back down so the whole thing will maybe take, hmm... two minutes tops, I reckon, from takeoff to landing."

"Oh, that short? Well I imagine that would still be long enough to be a spectacle," she said but paused their conversation to fly ahead to un-link a section of the Royal Canterlot Guard cordon so he could pass through. Getting a snappy salute from the two Guards posted at the gate as they passed through Nightwatch issued a quick order to one of them to run to each station to convey that in her absence shifts were to be changed at the top of the hour, then she turned back to Titus, "Like I was saying, that should be more than enough to draw a crowd. Because your ship doesn't have a balloon a lot of ponies are interested to see how - or for those that are skeptics, if it even can - get off the ground when it's larger and far heavier than our airships. Admittedly I'm curious as well, but that's what I overheard some visiting Academy researchers talking about before they lost me with their Harmony technobabble."

Titus scowled. So they were back? Hope it wasn't that one mare or anyone working under her. When he had gotten back from Canterlot the first time Twilight had explained what had happened and R6 had been anxious around any pony with an Academy badge.

Nightwatch could see his reaction and correctly guessed his thoughts based on it. "Don't worry, they watched the MagnaGuard droids but were absolutely professional and gave them their space to work so I didn't feel the need to approach them," she explained which got a nod of understanding from the human, "They only observed the droids transporting... whatever a C.N.C. machine is, then speculated on it for a bit because they were clearly more interested in your ship."

"Good. She's a tough bird and after what Twilight put her through with the crash I'm not too worried what an average unicorn could do," he joked; despite Twilight being much more powerful than a majority of her unicorn counterparts he knew one could do some real damage if they wanted. "Thanks for keeping an eye out, though. I've got enough repairs as is without some curious pony peeling off hull plates just to see what's underneath. I've already got Twi eager to do that and I don't need any more on my hands!"

"Just doing my job, s-" she started then shook her head when his look made her realize she had already forgotten her commitment and to remedy her mistake she gave him a relaxed grin, "But no problem... Titus."

"Well I appreciate your ongoing hard work regardless... Nightwatch," Titus responded, mimicking her hesitation to use his name which earned a playfully feigned indignant snort from the batpony. In good humor he cocked an eyebrow in her direction, "See? Not so hard being casual but uh... it was a little alarming not getting any sort of introduction to it coming out of the ship. Not going to lie, I thought you were flirting with me."

Night chuckled along with him and shook her head although this lead him to ask what had sparked that reaction which left her a little flustered. "L-Like I said, Quickbolt told me to act more casual so I tried being a bit more like her and, so... well, ye need to know that Thestrals in service don't herd, it's part of the requirements to join the New Lunar Guard," she started to explain. They were passing through the usual arrangement of colorful blankets where ponies would observe the ship and even though Dex was being well behaved a wide berth was given. A pony-sized dog was understandably an intimidating prospect and Titus then caught that Nightwatch had taken up walking on the opposite side of Dex, although despite the ponies keeping a safe distance the human was greeted with the usual enthusiasm from friendly pony and news anchor alike which cut the human's and Thestral's conversation short.

"Good morning, Titus! I've been told Miss Heartstrings left for Canterlot, can you comment-"
"Heya! Are you coming to another Watcher's meeting anytime soon? I've got a friend that wants to come, if so."
"Pardon, I'm an advance course professor from the Academy and was hoping you could answer a few of my and my student's questions for use in an upcoming lecture."
“Ohmygosh!I'myourbiggestfan! Please autograph my cutie mark!”

With Nightwatch's help Titus answered what questions he could or politely deferred them to the office of his Intermediary without breaking stride through the crowd, although rather than send the stallion who wanted an autograph away Night held out a pen for the human with a playful grin. The Academy professor, once the stallion had been signed in alien letters, was a pony he recognized from a field trip she had conducted shortly after his crash so she received a quick hand-written note which she could use to get any written questions directly to him. "I look forward to writing back to you and your students," he responded then scooped Dex up under an arm, "To the rest of you: I'll be leaving Ponyville for a short trip at the behest of the Princesses and any further details as to the function would probably be best asked of them. I'm in a bit of a rush, and Dex here is getting a little heavy, so please excuse this sudden departure." With no more warning than an apologetic look he reached down with his other arm and scooped the batpony up around the barrel.

Night kept her cool and didn't jump at the unexpected contact but went stock-still which was the right reaction because from her position against Titus' hip she suddenly found they had vaulted into the air. She was hardly afraid of heights, as somepony with the ability to fly very likely wouldn't be, but it was the speed of the transition from being standing one moment to airborne the next. What was odd, however, was that nopony below was looking up at them and instead they were looking about as if searching.

"Can you fly down from here if I let you go?" Titus shouted over the noise of the wind which caused a visible start in the batpony.

Recovering in the following instant Night nodded briskly, "Yes, just give me a little toss so have some extra momentum to move far enough away." Their ascent had leveled out and their trajectory in the huge leap had become much more horizontal so with very little effort Nightwatch was pitched away until she had enough space to unfurl her leathery wings into a comfortable glide. When she glanced over to Titus, however, she found he was already well into his decent and approaching the ground fast. Her heart pumped several times faster because there was no way she would be able to reach him in time to slow his fall but amazingly he suddenly touched down as gently as if he had stepped off the last of a set of stairs. She watched him set Dex down and monitor him as he dashed off a short distance to come happily bounding back with a stick in his mouth and then the human looked up to her. It only took a moment for her to realize he was waiting for her to finish her descent so she tucked both wings in until just short of landing and gave a powerful flap to rapidly brake, halting her fall completely to touch down almost as lightly as he had.

“You'll mention nothing of tossing me to Sergeant Quickbolt, understood?” she instructed firmly because her mind came up with what would only a fraction of the ways Quickbolt would put a lewd spin on that which she would hear no end to. Titus grunted acknowledgement and she glanced back to judge how much of a head start they had gotten and how soon they would be surrounded again but instead found the mob of ponies still milling about. “What the…?” Some of them even looked what felt like directly at them before they would turn back around to search. Turning back she arched an eyebrow at the human, “I assume you made us invisible with your Forcemagics, right?”

“No, not invisible, just not visible in a sense. They can see us plain as day,” Titus said cryptically which only spurred the batpony to further curiosity because she looked up to him expectantly to continue. He rolled his eyes as if he hadn't banked on her being curious, as ponies tended to be, “Fine, I'll explain but I want the same in return. Deal?” She nodded in agreement and Titus couldn't help but feel like a magician revealing a trick to an awestruck student, “They are looking at us, but the problem isn't with their eyes. I've essentially tricked their brain into not recognising we're even here-”

“Inattentional blindness,” Night provided and her expression went stoney as she thought for a second, “Not seeing something in plain sight. That’s a... formidable ability to have, to say the least, and it explains why the anti-invisibility barrier had no effect.” Titus glanced to her with a questioning look of his own and asked what she was talking about. “After your disappearing act at the bakery under Quickbolt’s supervision we set up an anti-invisibility sphere around your ship. Know that cordon tape? Just inside that is the boundary. For your protection, anything invisible crossing that sets off a silent alarm so we know there's an intruder-” she suddenly turned slightly to give him a look out of one eye, “And it was supposed to alert us if somepony is sneaking off without an escort.”

“Now who would do that?” Titus mused with feigned innocence but the mischievous grin he wore all but was admission of guilt.

Nightwatch huffed in disapproval which only made Titus chuckle so she shot him another glare, “Just how many tricks do you have up that sleeve of yours?”

“Always one more than you expect,” another inconclusive answer came with a wink this time to which the batpony audibly grunted her displeasure at.

“And you can just do that at will?” she asked and he could feel her staring at his hands, “I didn't even feel you doing anything, like a subtle wave of Harmony or anything like with usual spells.” Titus said being subtle was rather important so a tell like that would be counterproductive but he was kept from going further by her decisively shaking head, “No, what I mean is that only very skilled unicorns can slip a spell by a Thestral because we can sense the change in the Harmony around us when somepony uses magic. That wasn't the case with you and your forcemagics, and it has me fascinated.”

When she finished and looked up to him hopefully he knew what she was asking for. Slowly as to not startle her he poised a hand ready to snap his fingers in front of the batpony’s eyes, “Ready?” He paused for a long moment after her nod, a grin on his face, then let the digits make their sharp sound.

Nightwatch kept staring but he was still standing in front of her. Why didn't it work? She kept her gaze on him but he was still standing as he had been, hand outstretched toward her. A sudden movement in her peripheral vision brought her Guard instincts surging to the forefront of her attention and she pivoted to the side of the road where she had seen it. A small patch of tall grass and a few cattails growing up out of the ditch blew softly in the wind which she realized was the movement she had seen so she turned back to Titus.

He was gone.

No. Nightwatch squinted. He's still here. I know it. She listened intently, making micro-adjustments to her ears and her mouth opened a fraction for a series of high pitch ticks and tocks, but even her echolocation came back as a negative. Right, so it's not just the eyes being deceived, he can mess with other senses. “You're a slippery sgaoileadh, aren't you?” she muttered as the electromagnetic spectrum didn't reveal any trace of the human either, although she had only tried this for the sake of it then closed her eyes and went still for many a quiet moment. She forced herself to ignore the part of her mind registering physical stimuli like the wind, the uncomfortable heat of her armor, or the smells of nature around her and instead she listened to her instincts, which the Commander always hammered was their best survival tool to rely on. At first there was nothing to be found, just an empty road, but the hairs of her mane tingled as a baser, primitive part of her alerted her she was being watched. Hunt the hunter. Put yourself in the mind of the predator, Night. A sudden urging of her instincts sent her spinning around and she reached a hoof out.

To her utter surprise it actually made contact with something.

Slowly she peeked an eye open and found Titus had sat down behind her, the same grin he had been wearing when he had snapped his fingers plastered on his face as his eyes flicked to the hoof touching the palm he had raised to catch it or else it would have made an enthusiastic impact with his chin.

“Wow, you saw through it,” he said with genuine shock, “I think that thing you were doing with your mouth was a method of detection, which came as a surprise, and although it was foiled you still found me. Impressive, Twi wasn't able to see through it because she's too dependent on her senses and can't let them go. You went-”

“With my gut,” she finished for him and got her first experience of a hoof squeeze before he got back on his feet, “Ye told me I couldn't trust my eyes, and I found out I couldn't trust my ears either, so… I went by instinct. Your cloak-n-dagger tricks would be a big hit with the spooks back in Canterlot.” Nightwatch sighed and gave him a serious look, “And I'd be ignorant to not account for ye going easy on me, if this was the real deal of trying to find ye I wouldn't stand a chance. However, I'd consider it a personal favor if ye would let myself or Quickbolt serve as escort, this here is proof enough that ye can convey the cover of inattentional blindness to one of us.”

“As a personal favor? Yeah, I can absolutely do that, you and Quickbolt have earned that much from me. You in particular have been very dedicated to your duty, and I really admire that, so it would be the least I could do to show my thanks,” he nodded and noted her blush as she thanked him for his words before pointing a finger at her, “Now! I answered about how I was sneaking off so in return can we start where we left off in our last conversation?”

“Hmm… oh, do ye mean when we were talking about why we don't herd?” she asked and had the answer ready before he had even finished nodding, “The Lunar Guard commits themselves to Princess Luna, above all else. To that end the Tenets of the New Guard were established by the Council of Clans a little over five hundred years ago, one of which is that no active Guard is to have a connection or bond that could be exploited by an enemy or that might experience backlash for actions performed in the line of duty. Lot of history behind that, but as well it's traditionally the right of those that have done their service to the Princess or their clan to have foals.” Titus hummed which Nightwatch took as interest but his brow was creased in clear thought. “It's not that having a foal gets ye exiled or anything, it just means the parents aren't allowed to gain station within the clan because it's considered an extremely selfish act by the parents to put themselves above the clan or everypony’s duty to the Princess.”

“That's really different from the Solar Guards I know or talked with last I was in Canterlot. A lot of them are already in herds, kark, one of them I'm acquainted with was getting ready to have foals last I heard. Must be tough on the Lunar Guard, but it's an impressive commitment nonetheless. I believe the word Rainbow Dash used in this situation was 'props,' if that's right,” Titus said but was met with a shaking head.

“Oh. I didn't mean to give the wrong impression,” she corrected with a further chuckle, “The Tenets might prevent herding but there's no regulation requiring abstinence. Sisters above, there'd be riots in the barracks from heated mares if there were!”

“Oh. So Thestrals go through the cycle, too-?” he asked but her surprised expression caused him to look elsewhere in mild embarrassment, “Sorry, awkward subject.”

“No, actually, not at all. I was just surprised at the question, I guess,” Nightwatch shrugged casually, “Yes, we have a cycle like ponies.”

“Hmm…” Titus looked contemplative for a moment then his brow creased in thought, “That must be hard, given the requirement to keep things casual and the tradition of not having goals while in service.”

“The former tends to be the bigger issue because of Maiden’s Root, an otherwise poisonous plant from the homeland which we Thestrals alone are immune to, although it still has its undesired effects. But it doesn't end there,” she grumbled, “Home is similar to here in Equestria in that there's not enough stallions to go around. Back home it’s rough and there's a lot of competition for the stallions, but here in Equestria it's even worse because nopony wants to be with a batpony in heat.”

Nightwatch seemed genuinely frustrated as she said that which was something Titus couldn't help but notice. “Huh? Why not?” he asked and tilted his head to one side in the manner that had become habit to mimic pony body queues and to some extent it was becoming second nature, “What's their problem with Thestrals?”

“Ignoring prejudice? We get our cycle really bad, for starters,” she scowled and looked down at her hooves, “It's hard to find somepony willing because of the recovery period afterwards.”

Titus nodded in what he thought was understanding, “Twi said she would feel sore for a bit-”

“No, no. Not the mare,” the batpony shook her head and had to take a second to flip her braid back over the proper shoulder, “The stallion is the one that needs the time to recover, and not in the normal sense you're likely thinking. Thestrals are... not to go into detail, we're pretty physical because our cycles are even more intense than those of pegasi.”

Titus’ brow furrowed as he looked to her, “Wait, what do you mean? Do pegasi get cycles that are harsher than Earth ponies or unicorns?”

“Seriously!? You mean nopony has told that?!” Nightwatched asked with clear concern because she actually stopped walking until he turned around then shook her head in disbelief when he told her he hadn't been informed. She sighed and facehoofed at the situation, “Jeez, that's an important bit of information to not be aware of… Again, yes. I only know the basics from school, but Earth ponies and unicorns more or less experience the estrous cycle at equal severity because their connection to Harmony increases their hardiness or leads them to recover faster, respectively. Pegasi, on the other hoof, get blasted by hormones much harder because their whole body runs in high gear, they may have a day or less before they succumb to their cycle and their recovery afterwords isn't bolstered by their connection to Harmony to the same extent a unicorn's would be. Thestrals, meanwhile, don't even have the minor connection to Harmony that pegasi do, so because of that from my… um, experience, finding uh… a companion-”

“Sorry, if this is an awkward topic we can drop it,” Titus interrupted when the batpony paused and faltered in voicing her thought, “I didn't mean to push.”

“No, it um... it's just an adjustment talking about it again like this because coming to Equestria I've had to condition myself for so long to not talk about it. Uh, especially with Equestrian guys,” she said with a nod to him and sighed before returning with a small grin, “Honestly, ponies are so squeamish about their cycles like it's embarrassing or something. It's always a big adjustment for fresh recruits to the Lunar Guard to be thrust into a society that's not quite so... uninhibited. You learn quick as a recruit in a new city-”

“Kark, do I know what that's like!” he laughed then winked at her, “And luckily for you I'm not an Equestrian guy.”

She joined in agreeing with the statement with a chuckle of her own. “Must have been a big adjustment for you, too. Me? There was a fetching stallion in the Solar Guard I had gone to the bar with a few times. Well, first cycle to hit in Canterlot I think I'm pretty smooth stuff so I approach him and the words out of my drunken mouth… oh Sisters, this is embarrassing,” Nightwatch went silent and hid her suddenly blushing face in her wings, “N-Nevermind.”

“Oh come on, it can't be that bad,” Titus urged out of playful curiosity but the batpony hid herself deeper in her wings and shook her head.

“Please no! It’s too embarrassing~!”

Her tone was hardly sincere and practically giggly so Titus rolled his eyes then crouched down to wait quietly. Eventually the silence lead to a wing shifting enough that a single eye could peek out at what was happening and found the human’s gaze there to meet her. “You want to hear embarrassing?!” he asked and waited through the pause until her interest was clear in her eye, “Try having an upset Princess accidentally mistake you for somepony else and teleport in on you in the shower - keep in mind I'm completely naked through all of this - which startles you so much you slip and hit your head on the bar hard enough to knock yourself out so you're a pile of limbs and torn down shower curtain.”

“W-Wait, what?!” her wings shot out to her sides in surprise and her look was one of disbelief. Titus nodded and said it was all true which caused Nightwatch to immediately forget she was still red-faced, “Was it Princess Celestia? No, it had to have been Princess Luna, right? But she wouldn't angrily barge in on somepony in the shower, especially on you, being her friend and they both know you're uncomfortable being naked... who was it?!” He wouldn't clarify which or give any information why the mystery Princess had been upset but regardless it far surpassed her own story which she then felt compelled to share - likely by design which didn't slip past her observation.

“So, like I was saying, there was a stallion I sort of was crushing on and I said ‘Hey lad, I'm on me cycle. On a related note, ye know why they make the Lunar bunks so sturdy?’ He didn't say anything right off but laughed and asked the bartender where the bathroom was. It wasn't until about twenty minutes had passed that I asked another bartender if she had seen him and was told asking for the bathroom was a means for stallions to escape pushy mares. My face was cherry red as the girls I was with hooted with laughter and it comes as no surprise now why I went back to the bunks alone and got through the cycle with the help of Quickbolt. Long story short, cycles are no fun and particularly lonely for a batpony in ponyland.”

“I’m sorry. If it's any consolation, from my standpoint - that of being new to this because of my upbringing - I actually appreciate the stance of openness because it eliminates any guesswork and makes understanding things much easier,” Titus admitted before shooting her a playful look intended to cheer her up, “Guesswork like, oh, whether a pony is flirting with me or not.”

Nightwatch laughed warmly and to his mild surprise she flapped herself into the air and bopped his shoulder with a hoof, “You can't expect everything to be so cut and dry, half the fun is playing the flirting game!”

“Don't get me wrong, from what I've experienced it has been fun, but what concerns me is that my inexperience leads me to mistake intentions, like I did with you this morning.”

“Well, if I was going to offer advice I'd say go with what your gut and heart tell you. If you enjoy somepony flirting with you flirt back and see what happens!” she said and remained hovering beside his shoulder as they continued, “If that wasn't their intention the ball is in their court to clarify that, but on the other hoof if it wasn't their intention maybe your flirty response will come as a pleasant surprise. Ye never know.” Night watched him think about this for a moment before a grin crossed his face, one which was unexpected and a little alarming, “And what has ye grinnin' like a cat that's gotten in the milk?”

“Your advice just has me wondering what would have happened if I had responded differently this morning,” he hummed, “Maybe I'd be curious to see just how sturdy the Lunar bunks are.” The surprised batpony literally dropped out of the air when her wings suddenly stopped working and in response to the look she gave him he overemphasized an innocent shrug, “What? ‘Half the fun is playing the game,’ right?”

“No wonder ye and Quick hit it off so well. But if ye had...” Night didn't miss a step as her response came right on the tail of his question and she shot a smirk back his direction, “Well, who can say for sure? Maybe give it a try.” Titus gave her an all too satisfying oh really now? look of mild surprise that sent her prancing ahead of him laughing heartily.

“You know, given your prior level of professionalism I never would have expected this of you,” he joined in with a chuckle and she almost immediately wheeled about fearfully.

He knew how he had been misinterpreted and quickly shook his head to assuage her concern, “S-Sorry, I didn't mean I’m not enjoying seeing this side of you, it's simply unexpected. I grew up in a temple where it was ‘business professional mode all day, every day’ as Lyra eloquently summed it up so from my initial impressions I sort of drew a similarity to you-"

“Ha!” Her snort cut him off and she answered his questioning expression with a shake of her head, “I’ve got every intention of making a career of the Guard, I'm simply good at it, but that hardly means I don't cut loose after shift. Anyway, what were ye saying?”

Titus, however, looked consumed with thought and remained quiet which the batpony respected and waited for him. “As I've said, I appreciate the openness you're coming from, and to that end I'd like to ask a favor,” he started which clearly got Nightwatch’s interest by the way her ears rotated fully forward to face him but her eagerness gave him sudden second doubts.

In response to his hesitant pause her head twitched to one side, “Well? Can't do ye a favor if ye won't ask.”

Titus nodded quietly before running his hand through his hair as he finalized his decision, then turned back to the Thestral. “Would you do me the favor of continuing to give me advice like that?” he asked straightforwardly which came as a bit of a surprise to Nightwatch because of the funny look she gave him.

“Just that? Aye, I can do,” she said and fluttered up to his eye level to save getting a pinch in her neck from having to look up, whereupon she flew in reverse as they continued on their task, “But I don't think giving ye advice is enough to ask as a favor. Unless it's that ye have something heavy on yer mind?”

“I need some help...” he said and trailed off which got a nod of understanding from the batpony.

“Ye can tell me anything, strictest confidence,” she said; her and Quickbolt’s duties weren't restricted to just watching out for the ship, Titus himself was part of that and the Princesses had given them both a special high clearance for any privileged information they might learn of or through him. Still, that didn't mean they wouldn't report something vital to protecting their first commitments, the Princesses, but Nightwatch had little doubt he didn't understand this and he quietly nodded.

"Well to start off you should know Twilight was nervous about approaching me to ask about taking our friendship further because she didn't have a lot of experience in that regard but she and some of her friends sat down and talked together. I mean, I understand her hesitation and why she sought help from her friends..." he left it at that which was sufficient explanation because Nightwatched voiced her agreement and called him a muigh again. After explaining the Thestral word meant outlander and hadn't been used in its derogatory sense there was a pause between them as Titus fidgeted with Dex's leash in thought. "I haven't been as lucky, or I haven't felt comfortable approaching anyone to ask for help like that because I didn't want to potentially ask a question that might be off limits, and now that the two ponies I've seen as friends and would have asked are now involved with me I feel like I don't have anyone to turn to. It wasn't until just now, when you were saying how you had to change your way of talking about it, that I had the idea that maybe... you could be my support?"

Nightwatch couldn't stop the incredulous, open-mouth stare she gave him. I-Is he asking me...? He can't mean he actually wants my help. I wouldn't know where to begin... okay, I mean she can't be that different, right? B-But still! She shook her head that this was happening to her, just some Thestral of an inconsequential bloodline from a small clan, and was so wrapped up in her disbelief she completely tuned out his voiced reaction to the expression she had. As overwhelming as the perceived request was she still felt compelled by her oath of service to the Princess, and by extension the human to which she had been assigned, so after a sharp sigh born from committing herself to her course of action she nodded, "I'd be honored to help. I can't say I'll be a fountain of answers for the questions you might have, but I'm at least from the same planet and can steer you in a direction as best I can. If I might suggest, bringing in another opinion would be beneficial, sir-"

"'Sir?' Ok, just hold on. Dex: sit," Titus cut her off and, after the dog sat down as commanded, he turned to the batpony, "I get the feeling from your response that you might feel obligated to help. Come on, we were talking like friends before and I don't want me asking for your help to be the reason we suddenly jump back to formalities. Please?"

F-Friends? Nightwatch hadn't even realized she had fallen back to using the Equestrian dialect and her ears drooped back when she looked up to his earnest expression. "Sorry," she said softly with a sheepish smile she hoped would convey it hadn't been intentional, "Aye, I'd like to help ye how I can, and that's me and not duty talking. Like I was saying though, a second set o' ears might be a good idea. Maybe ye an me an Quick could grab a pint when ye have something to ask?"

To her surprise Titus' brow creased in thought for a moment before he turned to her with a raised eyebrow, "Sergeant Quickbolt? You think she would want to help, too?" Nightwatch voiced that she was all but certain the pegasus would enjoy offering insight - however lewd that might be - and by the time she was offering other alternative places they could go Titus was nodding, however he looked skeptical, "I haven't gone out like that yet, meaning alone without Twilight or Lyra or one of her friends, so I don't know how going to a bar or the like would play out. You saw what happens just me being in public..."

"Aye, likely ye'd be going to take a drink and get interrupted to sign more flanks," she said with a laugh which earned an eye-roll and mumbled question if she had enjoyed handing him a pen to do just that earlier in their outing. "Can't say I minded watching ye take a firm hold on his hip to keep 'em steady," Night's laughter turned into a sly grin and she gave him an impish wink, "And I dinnae think the lad minded much, either." To her surprise he laughed warmly at her teasing and the almost sentimental expression he turned toward her caused a small skip to her heartbeat.

"Thank you," he said softly and then turned his gaze forward as a blush crossed his face because the words, although he felt compelled to say them, were slightly embarrassing and the way she was suddenly looking at him made it that much harder, "For doing this, the casual chat I mean. I know Lyra hasn't actually been gone long on her trip, but she's..."

"Special?"

The batpony's words received a smile which she could only see from the side, "Yes, very. Between having to constantly watch my image because of all the cameras to keep them from catching on to my relationship with Twilight and the stress adapting to this new society, Lyra has been a welcome break from all for that. These last couple of days I've especially missed her and her unique blend of silliness and carefree approach, and I hope you'll take this as a compliment, but you kind of reminded me of her to some degree and for that I'm grateful. Thank you, Nightwatch."

"Ach, ye don't have to thank me. I myself felt a lot like 'a bat out of the belfry' as they say when I first came to Equestria and, while I can't say it's exactly similar in magnitude to your situation, but having somepony treat you like you belong can make the world of difference," she said and returned his warm smile when he looked to her with understanding. The Thestral felt her face flush and the body language of somepony feeling sheepish - her ears folding back as her head drooped slightly - couldn't be helped despite the cool face she tried to wear, "Ye can just call me Night if ye want, Quick and my friends do..."

"I'd like that, thank you," Titus responded and that more or less closed their conversation for a few minutes as they both walked in quiet down the road. With an unintended glance he could see the batpony was lost in whatever thought might be on her mind and her gaze remained forward so he left her to it. After a few more moments of walking in silence he reached down and unfastened the leash from Dex's collar. In the playful wrestling of the stick from the dog's mouth for a game of fetch to pass the time, however, he felt a change in Night's position. He still had his hand on the collar and although the dog pulled lightly from thinking of being given freedom Titus held on and turned to Nightwatch because she had orbited an equal amount behind him that Dex had moved to the front. "Is it okay if he's loose?" Titus asked and ignored Dex's small whine and pleading look to instead focus on the batpony. She didn't appear to be scared, maybe just cautious, but that's where the appearances ended because he could sense her fear. Titus pointed at a spot on the road slightly ahead of them, "Dex: sida."

With the command the dog waited for his collar to be released to walk to the spot that had been pointed at and obediently sat.

"Night, does Dex scare you?" he asked respectfully and hoped the space would be a bit of a relief, but just to be safe he knelt down in front of her which put him between the batpony and the dog as an extra safety measure, "You've been avoiding him as best you can while still sticking at my side."

The batpony peeked around him just to confirm Dex was still seated, which he was, and the gesture of Titus putting himself bodily between her and him didn't go unnoticed. "I-I've always been terrified of dogs. When I was a small filly I got dragged off by a wild wolf," she explained and, flipping her braid to the other side she directed his attention to the ear that usually was hidden where he found several long scars just below her fur, "Got my little head in its mouth and carried me to its den, likely would have pulled me inside too had it not been for the clansmares being quick to chase after it-" Rather suddenly she jumped her gaze back to the human, "I'm not scared so much as I'm just, um, cautious now that I'm grown, given I'm bigger and the Guard training I've gone through. It's just... he's a lot bigger than the dogs I've gotten used to." She peeked once more at Dex and the thoughts that ever since her first introduction to massive dog ran through her mind anew. And I'm not the only one intimidated. I might be bigger and stronger, but a dog that size... he has the instincts of a predator on his side.

"You're quite safe. He won't hurt you or anyone, he's not dangerous unless I tell him to be," Titus said matter-of-factly which got an alarmed look from Night that he shrugged at, "I'm not going to make excuses or sugar coat it; I trained him for the environment we lived in, one where someone would stow aboard my ship and casually kill me for it or anything else of value for that matter. Growing up as I imagine he did there were naturally a few challenges for the alpha position between us early on but we sorted that and he understood really quick so there haven't been any issues since." Titus then turned briefly over a shoulder, "Dex: dhulsgae, hayseuld." These two words seemingly caused the dog's ears to perk up but Titus had already turned back to the Thestral, "I just told him you were a friend and to listen to you so I want you to look around me at Dex and say the word 'reven' and when you feel he's too close for your comfort say 'kalki' and he'll stop. Will you try that? I'll stay right where I am so you have nothing to worry about."

Night stared at him thinking about it for a moment and actively considered taking the offer to just not have the pony-sized wolf dog of her nightmares come any nearer meanwhile looking into the human's face deep down something urged her to swallow her fear and try. Despite this her fear was a stronger force and before she had voiced this but just as she made up her mind she saw a compassionate smile cross his face and she realized what he had done. "Sorry, I know you wouldn't let anything happen but... I take it you can sense I just can't bring myself to do it," she admitted meekly then gave a second look around Titus to the dog. Dex was still seated and upon seeing her his ears stood on end and his head tilted to the side in clear interest in her which would have likely thought adorable by anypony other than Nightwatch but she noted he (thankfully) stayed put. Still, Night wasn't the type to back down from a challenge and, although she quickly hid herself behind the crouching human once again lest the big dog's curiosity got the better of him, she looked to Titus with as much confidence as she could muster, "It will take some time for me to work up the courage, but maybe we could try that later? I could get a chewy ball from the pet store and give it to him, maybe that would be a good way to make introductions?"

Titus laughed enthusiastically, "A toy would definitely be a great gift to start things off, he loves to play fetch." With a wave of his hand a stick from off the side of the road was floated up and flung a great distance into the grass field to their side. Dex watched it and his tail whipped back and forth furiously, but he remained seated as he switched from looking toward where the stick had flown and his owner, meanwhile Titus waited a moment just to demonstrate the dog's discipline then jerked his head toward the field, "Halbreki!" With the command he tore off at full speed down the embankment and off into the tall grass where he disappeared entirely and in very short order was climbing back up to the raised road. "Kalki. Ghud." The big brown and black shepherd stopped in his tracks and dropped the stick at his feet as commanded, his tail wagging so hard his whole butt shook with it.

"I remember early on I got Twilight a gift of a crossword puzzle book. 'It was right up her alley,' I thought to myself. And it was, she enjoyed it immensely... for all of fifteen minutes before she had worked cover to cover and solved all of them." Nightwatch raised a skeptical eyebrow at his statement but Titus seemed to be expecting her reaction and he shook his head to acknowledge her disbelief as he sent the stick flying again, "I know. When she said 'All done!' I, too, thought she meant the first puzzle. I was just as surprised and skeptical as you so when I voiced this she went on to explain 'there's a theory about pattern recognition where you don't even have to look at the clues anymore, but she found that going across instead of down helps because the sequence of saccades and fixations in traditional reading assist with other oculomotor tasks such as solving crossword puzzles-'"

The Thestral's muzzle scrunched up, "Uh... what?"

Titus sighed and nodded in agreement, "Exactly. I just had to ask her so many times to repeat herself that it burned into my memory, not that it made any more sense the more I heard it. So, the point of me telling you all this is so you don't worry because he'll get endless enjoyment out of a ball or chew toy to play with."

Nightwatch yawned widely amid trying to acknowledge him and quickly apologized once she had control of her muzzle again.

"Hey, no need to say sorry, I'm the reason you're not in your bunk right now and you're stuck running errands with me. So, explain to me why Quickbolt went to the Mayor's office and you got stuck running all around with me? Wouldn't you have rather done that so right when you were done you could go right to bed?"

"I'm not 'stuck' with you, I really don't mind this at all. As she put it 'you'd be too nice and accommodating, politicians will take advantage of that. At least with me walking through the door there won't be any bureaucratic bullshit and they'll want to throw me back out as soon as they can so my foul mouth doesn't tarnish their career by proxy.' In addition she said she'd find me as soon as she was done and I can sleep in accordingly for her shift. Upon consideration of her logic and despite what it might seem this is still probably the fastest way back to my bunk for some sleep," Nightwatch explained as the small cottage set on the hill came into view, "Unless you have any other errands you needed to run besides dropping Dex off with his sitter?"

"I need to stop by Rarity's boutique after this, she made a suit for me for the trip. While I do this Twi is packing for the both of us," he said as he held the front gate open for her. After a moment of trepidation with how close to Dex she would have to get to go through said gate instead she took to the air and remained flying for the narrow bridge ahead of them that they would be crossing shortly, "As far as I know we'll be headed right for the train after I get back." Dex hung beside Titus and looked about, the human sensing he recognized his surroundings and that he knew his owner was going to be leaving him however the excitement was also detectable so Titus didn't feel too bad and gave him a scratch between the ears. Approaching the front door with batpony and dog on either side Titus knocked softly, remembering from last time the knock he hadn't put any thought into that had been answered by a very surprised yelp, and as the familiar voice of Fluttershy inside called for them to wait for a moment Titus saw the window curtain to one side crack open.

Rather than the timid face of Fluttershy, however, an almost perturbed looking rabbit peeked outside. Before he could process this and the accompanying feeling of his dog's ears laying flat back amid a growl the green door inched just a little open.

"W-Who is it?" A single eye peered out from the crack and when it saw the familiar dog and smiling human the door was thrown wide open, "It's nice to see you, Titus. How are you? Applejack told me-" The door had been blocking the view of the large armored Thestral and Fluttershy immediately shrank meekly at the sight of the formidable stranger, "Oh! H-Hello there."

"Ma'am! It's an honor to make the acquaintance of one of the Element Bearers, ma'am!" Night barked enthusiastically as she stiffened to attention and snapped a crisp salute, "I'm Sergeant Nightwatch, commanding officer of the squadron of Lunar Guard stationed at Human Hill." Dropping her salute at Fluttershy's nod and the subsequent invitation to come inside the Thestral looked up to Titus, "Would you like a moment or shall I accompany you, sir?"

So, not quite completely relaxed yet. Oh well. He only took a second to think this to himself then simultaneously shook his head, shrugged, and looked from her to Dex, "I'll leave that up to you, Night."

"Right. Sorry," the Thestral felt her cheeks flush as she admonished herself under her breath for forgetting their agreement in the heat of the moment of meeting somepony famous. Although she was originally intending to go and wait for him down at the gate she took a small step closer to his nearest leg which she hoped was enough to communicate she would be following him and when chancing a glance up to gauge his reaction she received a small, lopsided grin that only made her face feel warmer.

Titus watched Nightwatch's ears twitch and held himself back from the temptation to give them the comforting scratch he wanted to. Kark knows how she'd respond to that... He hardly had time to dwell on it because Fluttershy quietly stepped aside and Night took the invitation to enter first with Titus following, although with the anxiously excited dog practically glued to his leg the narrow and short door required a small combination of dexterity and ducking to pass through. Crossing the small entry hallway and quickly catching up to Fluttershy and Nightwatch with his long strides, the group came to the end of the wall where the cottage opened up to the living area and adjoined kitchen where an orange pony looked over a shoulder from washing her hooves. Titus gave her a smile.

"Oh, hi Applejack-"

"Don't just stand there and 'oh hi Applejack' me like some stranger!" she cut him off abruptly and started toward him. Titus was initially taken back by the sternness in her voice and the fear and confusion that maybe something had happened was visible on his face until she was standing in front of him because she grinned back, reared up and quickly wiped her hooves dry on her sides, then balanced on her hind legs with her hooves wide in an invitation for a hug, "Come on and get yourself down here." Applejack's tone immediately softened when he crouched and let her get her hooves over his shoulders and they squeezed rather tightly when he put his own arm over her back, "How ya doing? I was just telling Fluttershy how I've had your usual fritters waiting on my cart but haven't seen hide nor hair of you since our get together on Friday. And how's Lyra?" After a final squeeze she let him go and took a step back.

"Lyra left for Canterlot a few days ago to visit her parents, and I recently was summoned by the Princesses for something so Twi and I are catching a train in a few hours and we'll be meeting up with her," Titus explained before adding Fluttershy had been kind enough to watch Dex on his last trip and he was stopping by to do the same thing again.

Unlike Nightwatch the farm pony had no issue with the dog and gave him a quick scratch behind the ears before turning back to Titus and although she tried not to it was hard to keep from looking at the barely visible bruises and the small burn marks on his arms that must have been from the lightning attack, "But how are you, sugarcube? You going to be okay?"

Titus saw her eyes darting to his various aches and shrugged, "I've had worse, and like I keep trying to tell everyone, I'm tougher than you think."

"That don't make it any less awful," Fluttershy offered with a gentle shake of her head then pointed to a large assortment of bottles and bags on the nearby table, "Zecora visitied with some herbal remedies and brews for when hurt animal come to me, if you're still sore I'm sure I have extra you could have." Before he could respond she had dropped the lead of the leash and was fluttering around the table collecting several gnarly roots or murky vials.

Applejack's ears lay flat as she scowled, "Jumping you after you left like a bunch of cowards... Dash was the only one that got to throw a hoof on your behalf, wish they would have come by and tried that in the barn."

"I wasn't about to let them hurt Lyra or Dash because of their hatred for me," the human said firmly as Fluttershy returned to place a small basket of what she had collected beside him before she procured a waxy-looking bandage, "I gave as good as I got."

A snort at his statement brought all attention to Nightwatch which she wasn't expecting but she nodded, "I would say they underestimated Titus, judging by the condition they were in when they were dragged into the hospital. Compressed vertebra and a dislocated wing in the pegasus, Harmonic channeling issues to the horns of both unicorns, the mare having a pretty bad concussion, and the earth pony had several hairline fractures on his jaw as well as hyperextended... everything really, hard to imagine that's all considering he left that crater in the field after you sent him through the bridge-"

Fluttershy paused in loosely wrapping one of his forearms with the bandage to look up wide-eyed, "Oh my!"

"That's why the bridge is under construction!? You blasted a pony through it!?!" Applejack, who had to cross the bridge every day to get to market, exclaimed wide eyed then gave him a second, dubious once-over, "You were holding back on Dash at EFC night, and by a good margin, weren't you?"

With a warm chuckle the human winked at her, "Sparring in a ring - with a friend and for fun - is entirely different because I like you so I'm actively trying not to hurt you guys."

"Yeah, well, next Friday don't hold back so much, you hear?" she said then, after a second of internal thought, she slumped, "You will be coming again, right? No, uh... problems with that?"

"No, I doubt there will be a problem coming back for another-" Titus shook his head at AJ's question and, because Flutters had returned and was seemingly waiting for him to do so, he passed her the loop of Dex's leash and made due with talking to both of them simultaneously, "Thank you again, Fluttershy, I'll swing by as soon as I'm back to pick him up and we can arrange whatever as payment, if that's Bits or fixing something around the cottage like I did last time - right, another EFC Night: Twi and I talked and she doesn't have a problem, she knows you ladies will take it easy on me." The grin he gave was met with a wink from the farmpony and the statement that that was what they had promised Twilight. After the shared chuckle over this, however, Titus became a bit squeemish. "The other reason I don't foresee it being a problem is there's something else to alleviate her worries... um, I hope you'll keep this between yourselves, but after we left the party Lyra asked me out. Officially, I mean, and I intend to say yes when I see her in Canterlot," he explained and Applejack, who was the more familiar of the two with the mint unicorn, seemed a little shocked at the revelation initially but smiled warmly at him, "She really enjoys the fight night get together, and I did as well, so my point being I have a hunch Twilight will be a lot less worried if Lyra is there looking out for me in more than the capacity of a friend."

"Yay!" Fluttershy's enthusiastic but quiet cheer was accompanied by a timid hoof coming to rest on the top of his hand, "Congratulations! You two seem like such a good fit for each other, going off what I've seen on television and in the paper." Titus thanked her and agreed, stating he and Lyra had had something click very early on in meeting each other and that he was glad Twilight had been so supportive of getting her to ask him.

"Although I have to admit I feel bad always being the one getting asked. I'd like to be the one showing initiative to say something," he finished with a small shake of his head and turned his hand over to squeeze Flutter's hoof, her ears betraying her surprise and curiosity at the sensation of the bottom of her hoof being rubbed. His statement, however, was said to be silly because as long as somepony came forward it shouldn't matter who it was - followed by a timid disclaimer that that was just her opinion. "I know it's silly, Fluttershy. I think I would have eventually told Lyra and Twilight how I felt, but they just move so fast with all of this, like the opportunity was fleeting-"

"Heh, that might be because of the number of available stallions in Ponyville could be counted on those hands of yours, and there might be even fewer that are interested in mares," Applejack offered. Being she was privy to more than Fluttershy thanks to her friendship with Lyra and Dash, with a mischievous grin she then eyed him slyly before nudging his knee, "Plus I hear you know your way round the barn, if ya catch my meanin', so you really can't blame a girl for pouncin' on such a high profile eligible bachelor."

While Titus was busy rolling his eyes and explaining that his entry into the contest had been entirely Luna's doing, Nightwatch, who had been only quietly standing in on the conversation save for her one contribution to it, zoned out momentarily within her own thoughts and before the weary Thestral could hold herself back she yawned widely, only managing to turn her head to one side to try and pointlessly hide it. When she had recovered she glanced to the human to see if it had been noticed and even before she saw his sympathetic smile she realized the conversation had fallen completely silent, to her embarrassment.

"Somepony is doing me the favor of pulling a long shift so I could run a few errands before I left. Out of appreciation to her I should probably get going," Titus explained to the farm pony and pegasus over Night's quiet apology and assurance it was fine to stay as long as he needed. The human was having none of it however and ruffled Dex's ears before showing Fluttershy the new leash clasp he had made to make using it easier.

"Oooh! That's really nice, thank you!" Flutters hummed and immediately took the dog off the lead which earned her a big lick on the cheek which, much to Titus' relief, didn't earn any cries of being eaten as he originally feared. Nightwatch casually shifted behind Titus more but neither of the other ponies noticed and Fluttershy turned back to the human after giving Dex a hug in return, "It really is no chore to watch your doggy while you're gone, I enjoy having animal friends to keep me company and he's very well behaved! You built a new chicken coop last time and that was more than enough-"

Titus shook his head, "I think it was a fair exchange given I was gone for a week. Tell you what, until there's something you'd like done we'll just say I owe you a favor, okay?" Fluttershy didn't argue with that - not that Titus anticipated she would - and before he unfolded himself and stood he reached over and gave Dex a final ear scratching. "Oh! If anything comes up and you need to reach me I'm staying in the Lunar wing of the Palace. Spike can get a letter to me, he's staying with Pinkie while we're gone-"

"Alternatively you can also pass any correspondence to myself or Sergeant Quickbolt, day or night, and we'll send a messenger out," Nightwatch offered. Titus said more of those alien words to the dog including the friend and listen commands the Thestral had heard earlier and not long after Fluttershy and Applejack were trying to squeeze in the rest of their conversations while following them to the door. Parting with another hug from both of them Titus closed the gate behind himself and returned the wave he was given.

I might miss Canterlot, but buck me if I couldn’t get used to a cushy post like this! Decent bonus pay for the work, plus I have my own squad of Guard to order around and the fact this was a job direct from the Princesses... With a content sigh, mostly born from the freedom of her dutiful sister having finally gone to her bunk, a rose eye peeked open from behind dark sunglasses and reached for the soda bottle to her side, although the contents had been covertly swapped for something decidedly stiffer of a local Apple variety. But I just can't put my hoof on why sis has been acting weird ever since she and T ran that errand. Why did she suddenly want to take over some morning shifts? And why would Titus ask to grab drinks with us when he gets back? Not that I'm complaining about a guy buying me free drinks, of course... Pondering this amid taking a very satisfying sip the pegasus eyed the perimeter, pausing briefly to sit her reclined lawn chair up a bit to do so, and watched the small number of gathered ponies below. With Titus on his trip the slimeballs from the media have taken a break. And thank Celestia for that, all that's left are the journalists interested in his ship or tech and they're much more respectful of the rules.

That had been very much the case since Titus’ departure yesterday morning because there hadn't been a single attempt at breaching the perimeter, outside of the occasional tourist or two that had started for the stairs to the airlock who had quickly been intercepted. Quickbolt actually enjoyed a bumbling tourist from time to time, it let her play the drill sergeant and bark some orders at a civilian with little to no recourse and the look on their faces were a hoot. Unfortunately all the faces she saw were regulars around here - a journalist from Pony Mechanic, several more from various other magazines that generally had more interest in Titus and his background rather than his tech, and then the numerous residents of Ponyville that it had become habit for some or hobby for others to watch the ongoing activity around the ship at some point during the day. The lot of them didn't bother the human, quite the opposite as far as the pegasus could tell, so until such a point that that changed she and her guards were more polite and flexible with them, often bordering on amicable.

As such Quickbolt was content to lay back in her chair with her apple “soda,” perched up on the wing to casually supervise the guards who equally casually were keeping the gawkers behind the perimeter through simple conversation rather than any sort of physical force. The only thing I could ask for to go with such an ideal setup would be to not have to wear this armor and there to be a hot stallion massaging my shoulders. Actually, now that I think about it I kinda want to ask T about the rumor that he can do this mind-blowing thing with his fingers to our ears… With her imagination creating pleasant images from the rumor she had heard she reclined back with a sigh. Yeah, definitely going to ask him, even just to see the look on his face. And if it's true, well… Quick pushed her sunglasses up her snout back into place and a smile crept onto her face. Either way I get to have some fun.

To anypony looking at her she appeared to be slacking off - which was admittedly not entirely untrue, there were things that needed to be done before Nightwatch went on duty which were being fully procrastinated - but in actuality Quickbolt still had the situation well in hoof. The sun was out, visitors were behaving themselves, and for the pegasus the only danger she was worried about was dozing off for a nap.

That would have been the case, had a sudden shadow not blocked the warm sun from Quickbolt’s face and she cracked an eye open with some annoyance. The pegasi stallion panting and wheezing before her was a bit on the small side and wore Royal Guard armor which looked off because his young face lead her to believe this colt was still in basic training, the dead giveaway being the tunic coloring of a messenger. To lend credence to this he snapped a crisp salute that reeked of a starched uniform and a further greenness behind the ears look about him that made Quick scowl. Another point she noticed was that he didn't land on the ship's wing and instead remained hovering beside her.

“There's something blocking my sun…” she growled and instead of reflecting the salute she looked the intruder over from head to hoof disdainfully. As most Guard would agree his entry into basic training barely qualified him as “in” the Royal Guard, so the hard time she was going to give him wasn't out of the ordinary so, leaning to one side of her chair, Quick called down to her subordinate officer, “Oi, Crystal! Who put this three-foot pile of shit up here to block my sun? Get somepony up here with a shovel on the double to clear out this mess, it stinks like flare cheese.”

“R-Royal Messenger Flash reporting!” the pony dropped the salute and tried to keep to his orders. He knew better than bite back at the treatment because it was something all recruits went through that helped toughen them up and, good sport that he was, he was going to put up with it and become a great guard for one of the Princesses some day. Or that's what he was saying to himself in his head to cope since starting basic, at any rate.

“Holy buck it talks! Oh... Hey, Crystal? Nevermind, it's just some twinkle-toed limp-dick messenger puke; easy mistake,” she waved down dismissively even though the unicorn hadn't paid her any mind to begin with. The drill sergeants would refer to new recruits as "pukes" until they had completed basic training because the first day of Guard training usually left them puking on their hooves, though the term was used by any rank to somepony in basic as a form of right of passage. Turning to the messenger Quick scowled, “I get a beautiful day like this to finally kick my hooves up and enjoy my deployment to a quiet post only to have Pvt. Wank Stain show up to start shitting all over it, I'm sure."

“Ma'am! I have an urgent message, one for your ears only,” Flash painted between breaths - it had been a long flight and he had gone all out to get to Ponyville as fast as he could. To make things harder he wasn't sure where he could set down that wouldn't sent his hooves slipping out from under him as the guard that had directed him to this officer had warned him, although he could guess the single lone mat out here on the wing that her chair was monopolizing was likely that spot.

The Sergeant, clearly aware of his glances, just stared at him with a slow unsympathetic blink, "Well?! Quit hanging in the air like a wet fart and bucking get on with it! A million sperm and this guy was the fastest of his dad's lot? Yeesh.”

With no other alternative he lowered his voice so the other guards wouldn't hear, "Just a short time ago there was an attack upon the Palace. Sir Aelius is missing-"

Quickbolt was up in his face in an instant, her ears folded back and her teeth bared menacingly which caused Flash to do the only thing that had become natural: snap to attention and look straight ahead. "I'm only going to say this once - if this is an 'Emergency Message Class 1' that some N.C.O. or rank and file from the barracks gave you it is a joke and I will tie your pathetic piss noodle in a bucking knot to preserve the gene pool. Do you understand me, puke?" She meant it, too; while it was fairly common practice within the Guard to have the fresh pukes do pointless tasks or errands because they didn't know any better and the veterans could have a laugh, but something of this magnitude would be considered absolutely unacceptable to pull. "Now, if you were told it was an EMC1 just give me this shit's name and I'll let you off the hook-"

"N-No ma'am! This is a direct dispatch from Captain Armor himself, ma'am!" he cut the Sergeant off and when her face froze he thought he was about to get absolutely smoked for doing so and he twitched, "Sorry for interrupting you ma'am! Captain Armor orders the alien ship secured and all non-Guard ponies be escorted from the premises and held for a re-certification of their credentials and those present on Human Hill need to be identified. I have his orders in writing. Here, ma'am." Reaching into his flyer's pouch he pulled out a letter with the Captain's own wax seal on it.

Quick tore it open and her eyes flew over the hastily scrawled missive. "Buck!" Her shout startled many of the ponies below but they hardly had time to react as their Sergeant launched herself off of the spacecraft into the void so rapidly her sunglasses and hat were spinning in the air for a moment before clattering to the hull with the messenger struggling to keep up with her. "Crystal! Make two teams of Guard from the next shift, one for a credential check of personnel and the other to get identification from these civies here, and go wake Nightwatch while you're at it! Lime? Where the buck is Corporal Lime?! Somepony find her, on the double!" Pausing in her search for her other subordinate as the hillside erupted into movement Quick rounded on Flash to jab a hoof into his chest floof, "And you! Why aren't you already flying back to Canterlot to get me the reinforcements I'm going to need? I don't have time to foalsit pukes like you, it's about to be a bucking war zone out here!"