Twilight's eyes struggled to open. While her sleep was eventless, it certainly was rough. It felt like her skull was a blender, and the innards of her skull were the smoothie, and she was afraid to think about the pony who blended the concoction of cranial-pounding dystrophy that caused her such trauma. As she opened her eyes, she was immediately met with the pony who set the blender on high.

Gek was laying beside her on the bed with his head propped up against a pillow. He was reading what appeared to be a small comic book and he was wearing... reading glasses? Panic overwhelmed her as she realized just what she was analyzing, and she opened her mouth to scream, but no sound escaped. It was as if Gek stole the sound from her throat.

"You know what I hate? Cliff-hangers." Gek sighed as he closed the thin magazine and made it disappear in a small puff of magical smoke, then removed his glasses. "It's always just build-up, build-up, build-up, build-up! Then, just when you've had enough, just when you're gagging yourself to get to the kicker... they end it. Comic books are a shameful form of literature, but exciting nonetheless. What's your opinion, sweetheart?"

Twilight could only make sounds similar to that of somepony suffocating, and Gek's facetious smile only made the whole experience even more tormenting. "Eeeehhhgghhh... ahhhyy...."

"See? You're as choked-up as me!" Gek chuckled as he discarded his glasses. "Now, I'm only going to let you whisper, dear... ready? Viola!"

Twilight felt the air return to her lungs, and her voice was restored, although hoarse from just awakening. "Why can I see you right now? Is this a dream?"

"Good! You asked the right question!" Gek gave Twilight a soft, pleasant clap as he hopped out of the bed. "Nope, this is no dream! Let's see... you've had me in your brain for... let's see here... about three days! That little spell that Winslow used will only work for another... hmm... I give it... day or so, maybe a little more! So tell me, does this look like a dream to you?"

Twilight looked around the room. Everything seemed in order, nothing unusual, nothing out of place, all was accounted for, well, except the psychopath standing by her bed. "No, but-."

A knock Twilight's door interrupted her train of thought, it was Spike. "Twilight, you in there? Edgar's going to make some breakfast!"

"Hey, it's your scaled friend!" Gek hummed as he leaned up against the wall, waiting for Twilight to answer the door.

Twilight opened the door cautiously, still convinced that the world around her was an illusion. Spike peered in through the crack in the door, and Twilight jumped backward in response. "Spike! Um, how was your sleep?"

"It was good..." Spike raised an eyebrow as he inspected Twilight, who was behaving oddly. "What's with your... face... you look weird."

Twilight wanted to scream, to cry, but most of all she wanted to tell Spike everything. However, words were stuffed in her mouth forcefully by some invisible power. "Weird, what do you mean?"

"I didn't want to say that! I wasn't going to say that!" Twilight thought as she clutched her forehead with one hand.

"Like I said, pumpkin. You've got to choose your words carefully..." Gek snickered as he read her thoughts.

"Shut up!" Twilight screamed as she broke free of Gek's influence for a second, falling to her knees, and almost pulling out her hair.

"What?" Spike wondered as he crouched down to help Twilight up. "Twilight, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, Spike! I was just... working on my... acting!" Twilight replied without control over her speech.

"Well, it's a pretty convincing act, to say the least." Spike joked, all though his statement was layered with a shred of suspicion. Twilight was known to get a little eccentric from time to time, and mornings were definitely no exception. "Um, are you... feeling alright?"

"A-okay Spike!" Twilight smiled almost too cheerfully as she tilted her head to the side, unsettling Spike a little.

"Okay..." Spike grinned nervously as he began walking down the hall to the dining area. "I'll see you at breakfast then, I guess."

Twilight shut the door quietly before looking over at Gek, who was standing on the other side of her bedroom with a twisted, toothy grin stretched across his face. "What are you doing to me?!"

"Ah, ah! Spoilers! Can't give you the whole kazoo right off the bat! As much as it truly kills me, I'm afraid I'll have to leave you on a cliff-hanger!" Gek frowned sarcastically as he poked Twilight on the snout. She felt it. "Now put a lid on it! Or I'll make you pull your own tongue out!"

"You can't do that yet! The spell hasn't fully deteriorated!" Twilight gave the lunatic a sharp remark, and he groaned in response; growling at Twilight's steadfast intuition. "What about Draven and Winslow? They still know about me!"

"True... but the spell has worn off a lot faster than Winslow anticipated, hasn't it?" Gek snapped back at Twilight, and her eyes widened at the realization. "They still think you've got time to spare, which you haven't... nice try, though, sweetie."

"What do you want with me?" Twilight muttered hopelessly as she looked at Gek, who teasingly poked her on the snout again.

"You have something I want, doll-face." Gek got to the point quickly as he whispered in her ear as if somepony were listening. As his hot breath was launched onto her fur, Twilight recoiled at the smell of rotting corpses and mold.

"How could you possibly want anything more? You were given infinite knowledge!" Twilight shook her head as she gave the beastly stallion a look of disgust. "What could I possibly have that you want?!"

"I'm not as all-knowing as the press claims me to be," Gek explained as he placed his hand on Twilight's shoulder. "You see, when good ol' Leere gave me all that know-how, he left out something important in order to keep me in line, something only an alicorn would know. That little chink in my armor was exploited by your ever so majestic Princess Celestia... lord of being a thorn in my side! She locked my stone up in a box so that I couldn't get my hands on it! I can only open it if I can get that little piece of knowledge Leere left out so long ago, and only an alicorn knows it! Celestia, Luna, Cadence, they are all far too powerful for little ol' me to control! That's where you come in, sweetie! You're fresh meat, the newbie, the new foal on the block, you are nowhere near as powerful as those three!"

"And I can't resist your power..." Twilight groaned as she realized the true weight of the situation. "What is this piece of information then?! I wouldn't know something that intricate!"

"Oh, but you do..." Gek insisted with a demonic laugh as his body began to fade away into the air. "Think about it."

"Even if I do get corrupted, you won't win... Spike and the others will stop you." Twilight gave Gek a sharp glare as he disintegrated.

"Maybe... but I, at least, I'll have a little fun." Gek sneered as his body finally vanished. "Toodles!"

Twilight stood still for a moment and looked at the mirror on her bureau. She felt cold inside like her body was raw- a dull numbness. It was the sensation of shock and awe, of doubt and fear.

"I can't tell anyone... and Draven and Winslow still think I'm alright..." Twilight thought as she clutched her cold heart, and tears began to stream down her face. "I'm... alone, but... surrounded by ponies who are oblivious. They don't even know..."

Then Twilight thought of Spike, her friend, her brother, the only being she trusted more than anything else. She couldn't give up, she couldn't let Gek win just like that, for him. Even if she was doomed to become a puppet, she couldn't lose faith in her friends. They always found a way, no matter what. Spike had gotten so strong over the days gone by, she had to be strong too. A fire ignited in her chest, an inferno of determination, she couldn't give up, not yet. She was a magic-wielder, an alicorn. "There must be a way to repel Gek", she thought, she just had to look for it.

****

Rainbow Dash awakened pleasantly. Her face was buried in an extremely soft pillow that felt like smooth and luxurious velvet. As she lifted her head, she felt the imprint her head made disappear instantaneously as if the pillow were made of gelatin. Then she found out just what that "pillow" was. Rainbow Dash's face reddened at the sight of Masami, who was sleeping - back to the mattress, and With Rainbow Dash on top. She had been sleeping with her face buried in Masami's buxom bosom.

Rainbow Dash repositioned herself on the bed and settled right next to Masami with her chest facing upwards as well. As she turned her head to the Masami's side, she was met with her face- gorgeous even in deep sleep. She was the only mare (besides Rarity) that looked good even while sleeping. As Rainbow Dash's snout nudged Masami's, she awakened, and their eyes met once again. Her eyelids fluttered gently before opening fully, and a warm smile stretched across her face as she nuzzled with Rainbow Dash playfully and kissed her on the cheek. "Good morning, Kitten."

Again, a heat spread in Rainbow Dash's chest. This time, however, it was not from arousal or lust, but something purer, something that tugged at her heartstrings gently. It wasn't like what she felt the night before, she felt safe, secure, and based on the expression of the beautiful mare next to her, she felt the same as well. "Good morning..."

Rainbow Dash got up and sat on the edge of the bed to put her tank top back on, and as she did so, she felt Masami press her chest up against her back. The dark haired mare ran her hand across Rainbow Dash's cheek with slow grace, and as she moved her hand closer towards her ear, she grabbed the back of her neck; pulling Rainbow Dash's head to the side, and kissing her once again. Even after sleeping, Masami still tasted smooth and sweet like cream. Every kiss from her was like a hit of morphine- you only wanted more. "Was that fun, or what?"

"That was... awesome." Rainbow Dash grinned as she stood up and realized she was without a clean change of clothes. "Oh, geez, I didn't really bring extra stuff to wear..."

"That's fine, you can use my stuff if you want!" Masami insisted as she walked over to her closet on the other side of the room. "Ah, here we go! This should fit you."

Masami threw Rainbow Dash a sports tank-top- meant to fit tight around Masami's body, but on Rainbow Dash, it was baggy (her chest couldn't supply the volume needed to occupy the top)."Um, I think this is more for you."

"Yeah, this might be a problem." Masami acknowledged the obvious issue by excavating her closet for something Rainbow Dash could get away with. "Oh, here! This blouse was improperly measured, it didn't fit me... well, you know where..."

Rainbow Dash tried on the blouse with a doubtful expression, but surprisingly, it looked good. Besides their bust measurements, Masami had roughly the same build as her, and so, the shirt fit like a glove. "Cool."

"Alright, you put these pants on, I'll get... hmm... this on!" Masami shouted triumphantly as she handed Rainbow Dash a pair of blue jeans and put on a white tank top with a brown bomber's jacket and red pants held up by a red leather belt. Her taste in clothing would certainly make Rarity cringe. "All done?"

"Yep." Rainbow Dash replied cheerfully as she walked over to the door but was stopped by Masami. "What is it?"

"It's just... I wanted to apologize," Masami's said with a shameful expression, "in advance."

"For what?" Rainbow Dash wondered as she raised an eyebrow.

"It's just, I'm sorry if I run my mouth a lot flirting with others. I've been working on it for some time now... it's just... instinct, you know?" Masami hung her head. "Sometimes I just get in over my head. It's- it's weird, I know, but... I mean it. I feel like I kinda just... flung you into my world too quickly. You must think I'm some slutty bimbo."

"Well, yeah you did pull me out of the water a little too fast, but... I kind of liked the rush." Rainbow Dash reassured Masami as she placed her hand on the doubtful mare's cheek. "You're pretty cool, Masami. And that's coming from a mare who's only known you for a few days! Everypony has flaws they can't get rid of, others just have to learn to accept you. You reminded me of that last night. I was afraid, and I couldn't accept it, I was frustrated."

"Thanks, Kitten." Masami smiled as she blushed slightly. "Looks like you've got a lot of experience in this department."

"Let's just say it's my job to accept my friends no matter what." Rainbow Dash gave a light laugh as she walked out the door and began to smell the distinct scent of maple syrup and flapjacks. "Ooo! I smell pancakes! Let's go!"

****

Like every morning, Butch woke up in a cold sweat; panting furiously. Every night it was the same dream. Although he never remembered it, he just got used to the same feeling- empty dread, crippling anguish, like a stake being driven through his heart. Butch got out of bed and began to stretch his cybernetic limbs to make sure they were functioning properly. Right leg- fine, left- fine, arms- fine, heart? Cold and mechanical, but functional nonetheless.

He looked over at his night table with a dreadful look on his face as he stared at the bottle of pills, and the tall glass of water sitting next to it. He groaned as he took a sip of water and ignored the pills.

"Sleep well?" Elliot asked the hollow soldier as he observed from a chair across the room next to the bureau.

"It was alright," Butch mumbled to himself as he took another sip of water.

"Any bad dreams?" Elliot wondered, although, based on the ring of sweat on the bed and the bags under his brother's eyes, it was the same nightmare as before.

"Nope." Butch shook his head as he set his glass back down on the table.

"You sure?"

"Yeah..." Butch assured him as he opened his blinds and looked out the window. "Nice day out..."

"It certainly is." Elliot nodded as he walked over to Butch and patted him on the back. "Are ya sure nothing's botherin' you? You look troubled, what's the matter?"

"I don't wanna take these pills, Elliot," Butch grunted as he pointed over to the bottle on his night table.

"Butch, you have to," Elliot demanded as he stood up. "Every day you don't want to take it, but you have to, Butch. I'm not real."

Butch grunted again as he looked down at the floor and tried to hold back his tears. He grabbed the bottle off the table and popped a pill in his mouth; grabbing the glass of eater and taking a swig to wash it down. As he lowered the glass, he looked back. Elliot was gone, and he was left alone in his room- peering out the window. In a sudden fit of rage, he crushed the glass in his hand to dust and scattered the pieces on the floor as he threw them to the ground in a voiceless rage. As he simmered down, he began to weep softly- hoping nopony would hear him, but he quickly wiped the tears from his eyes and fully regained his composure as he heard a knock on his door. Somepony must've heard the glass shatter as they walked by. "Um, hello?"

"Hang on," Butch growled as he put on a muscle shirt and a pair of blue jeans.

"I'm sorry, I just... thought you needed help is all." Fluttershy squeaked through the crack in the door. "May I come in?"

"Whatever, kid," Butch grumbled as he walked over to his bureau and cracked open a bottle of whiskey.

Fluttershy entered the room nervously and noticed how different it was from any other in the house. It was simple, and only had two chairs next to the bureau, a twin bed, and a simply-designed nightstand with a lamp. Fluttershy tried to be polite, but her lungs couldn't withstand the strong scent of tobacco smoke in his room, and she used her scarf to cover her face- trying to conceal her discomfort.

"Are you having something to drink in the morning?" Fluttershy wondered as she watched Butch pour some amber liquid into a shot glass.

"It ain't whiskey. Masami always replaces my booze with apple juice to get me to quit... fuckin hell." Butch carped as he drank the shot anyways, then noticed the insecure expression on the cream colored mare's face and realized he was upsetting her. He shook the bottle to see how much was left, and he poured the rest into another shot glass and handed it to her. "Do ya want some?"

"Y-y-yes please." Fluttershy stuttered nervously as she took a mouse-like sip from the shot glass, then saw the shards of glass on the other side of Butch's bed. "Thank you... um, there's broken glass over there."

"I know," Butch grunted with his gravelly voice. "I just dropped it is all. So, tell me. What do ya want? Did Masami send you up here to get me or..."

"I just heard glass smashing, and I-... I wanted to check on you, to see if you needed any help." Fluttershy trailed off a few times before finally getting to the point. "You seemed kind of lonely is all..."

"Well, you ain't exactly lively-company." Butch set the empty bottle of "whiskey" on the bureau for Bensley to refill. "You can barely talk to me."

"You aren't very friendly either." Fluttershy pointed out assertively as she quietly took another minuscule drink from her shot glass.

"Listen, kid. I just want to be left alone for a few minutes, okay? I'll get to breakfast soon, just... leave me be." Butch forced Fluttershy out the door and slammed it behind her.

Fluttershy remained silent as she sat in the hallway with her drink. She then whispered under the door. "I'm sorry."

"It ain't your fault," Butch replied with a groan as he sat back down at the edge of his bed. He frowned as he stared at the empty chair across the room, the chair where his brother sat. "I'll be down in a few minutes, just... yeah."

****

Liazo stuck a fork in his leftover apple pancakes and leaned back in his chair with a satisfied groan. "Damn, Edgar, you've outdone yourself again. How the hell did you get those apple slices in the pancake?"

"Hey, Liazo, my kids are here. Swearing? Remember?" Charles reminded the half-changeling across the table as he covered James' ears, and Eleanor covered Lucy's as well.

"Yeah, yeah I know!" Liazo scoffed as he moved his attention back to Edgar, who was a little rattled from being put on the spot. Everypony at the table seemed interested. "So, how'd ya do it?"

"Um... I just poured a layer of batter into the pan and put on the apple slice, then I covered the slice in more batter." Edgar answered Liazo sheepishly as he repositioned himself in his wooden chair made of ash (regular woods had a hard time supporting over two thousand pounds of raw muscle ). "That's... it."

"This is awesome!" Rainbow Dash grinned excitedly as she greedily consumed the deliciously sweet dish. "You may just give Pinkie Pie a run for her money!"

"Could you eat a little slower, please?" Eleanor politely asked Rainbow Dash as she watched her suck up the plateful of pancakes without even breathing. "You're going to ruin your figure, my dear!"

"I doubt it." Spike chimed in from across the table as he ate a forkful of pancake and gave Twilight a nudge and a wink. "She burns off food like fire burns off dry sticks."

Twilight laughed quietly, but returned to her thoughts soon after, and ignored her surroundings as she picked at her food. She was fixated on Gek's story. What knowledge did he hope to gain from her? Was it some kind of alicorn weapon? These were all questions that seemed to never leave her alone. It was mind-numbing to think about what exactly Gek was planning, as he had a tendency to be unpredictable and hard to pin. God or not, Twilight knew he must've had a weakness, and she was determined to find it.

"Are you sure you alright?" Spike asked the oblivious mare again as he watched her step into an intense train of thought. "Twilight?"

Twilight jumped a little as she heard her name called out, and she shook her head frantically. She lied, much to her discomfort."Oh! Yes, Spike, I'm fine. What, I just was thinking is all!"

"About what?" Spike interrogated her further as he gave her a glare.

"Oh, nothing! Just spells, some good books I've been reading, the usual stuff!" Twilight fibbed as she gave him a nervous laugh that caught the attention of Draven. The black-scaled dragon said nothing but raised a brow at her in suspicion. His curiosity was interrupted by a stack of papers being slammed on the table by Evelyn, who had a confident smile pasted on her face.

"So, you got the reports from our friendly neighborhood morticians, huh?" Liazo moved his hand over to the stack, but it was batted away by Evelyn. "Ouch! What the he-... heck."

"Thank you." Charles commended Liazo for his effort in concealing his cursing.

"Yes, and I have stumbled across something intriguing in these reports!" Evelyn announced as she flipped through a file. "Ah, here it is! All three cultists were found to have a much lower body temperature than the average pony, just like you described Liazo. Not only that, but their pupils had an odd purplish hue to them- possibly the effect of a drug, but I suspect something else based on the blood tests. All three were found to have an abnormally large amount of a certain chemical in their system, the same chemical used in The Guiver Device."

"The chemical bomb? The same one that struck the north district?" Masami wondered as she took a bite of her toast with jam and passed the maple syrup over to Rainbow Dash, who was still eating.

"Please, Masami, Evelyn. Refrain from talking about that blasted bomb at the table with my children present, we will discuss this later." Charles demanded with a stern expression.

Masami and Evelyn almost forgot about Charles' relationship with The Guiver Device. Near the end of the war, he had to make the decision whether to drop the bomb or not. He was always a cheerful and fair stallion, but the mere mention of the bomb would bring back bitter memories, and remind him of the horrid times during the war- causing him to act unstable and volatile.

"Sorry, Charles," Evelyn said uneasily as she packed up her papers and hung her head. "I will be in the living area when you want to discuss this further."

Spike wanted to ask about the bomb, but, based on Charles' reaction, he figured it'd be best to leave the issue be. "So, you are related to Richard Chesterfield, right? That one stallion made into a statue in Liberty Square?"

"Yes. He is my great-great-grandfather." Charles explained as he backed up his chair and pointed over to a portrait on the wall depicting a stallion who looked remarkably similar to him. "He built this mansion from the ground up and laid one of the four foundations of Ausrüstung- our rights and freedoms."

"So, Evelyn is also related to that Ivan guy?" Gin piped up as she gazed at the portrait- thinking back to Draven's story regarding Ausrüstung's history.

"Yes. She is his great-great-great granddaughter. They were a family driven by the sciences, and they dedicated their lives to innovating Ausrüstung. They created the Ministry of Science, they invented armor, developed teleportation, weapons, they literally built the nation." Charles gave an in-depth explanation as he sat back down in his chair. "However, their time has passed. Evelyn is the last remaining Aquarius... all were killed at the end of the war."

"This war doesn't sound like a good time." Gin sympathized with Charles and Evelyn.

"It wasn't a good time, for anypony." Charles choked back painful memories as he thought of the bloody conflict. "But we've grown as a nation since then. We've tried to wipe the slate clean- start over. It has been rocky, but we're just starting to see the light. There's no way I'm letting these maniacs blot out that light, I can guarantee you that. They will pay for disturbing the peace of our fair nation."

"Amen." Liazo cheered as he drank out of his orange juice filled glass and got up, gathered his dirty dishes, tucked in his chair, and walked to the kitchen. "I gotta get a jam session in here before we get down to business, I'll be right back!"

"Where's he going?" Spike watched as Liazo raced outside onto the patio with a strange looking black case.

"Oh, don't mind him. He plays in a jazz band sometimes, often practices with his saxophone out on the deck. Trust me, it's best not to interrupt him while he is in, and I quote, "in the groove"..." Masami informed the young dragon just before he followed Liazo outside.

"What the bloody-... heck, is a "jazz band"?" Draven questioned Masami as she cleaned up her dishes.

"Oh right, I keep forgetting you guys are pirates..." Masami gave him a half-smile as she leaned on the towering doorway leading into the main hallway. "Just a kind of music is all."

Suddenly, the doorbell rang out, and Bensley greeted the unseen, and unexpected guest. "Hello sir, madam, do you have an appointment with Master Chesterfield?"

"Who could that be?" Charles peeped his head out a nearby window, then trotted over to the main entrance.

The guests were a stallion and a mare, around Charles' age. Both of them wore business suits similar to what politicians would wear, and the stallion carried a suitcase. They gave off an undeniable aura of seriousness and intensity as they walked right past Bensley.

"Who are you two?" Charles asked the two unexpected guests, as the others followed him not far behind.

"Mr. President, My name is Agent William Amos, and this is Agent Patricia Golde, we need to talk." The stallion demanded Charles as he removed his tinted glasses.

"Very well, follow me to the living area. I'm sure you'd want to talk to Dr. Aquarius as well." Charles ushered the two inside as he guided them through the mansion.

"Hey, what's going on?" Liazo poked his head through the patio door and followed the crowd into the living area.

Agent Amos opened the black briefcase quickly, as if it was routine, and grabbed a filed document from the top of the stack of various documents. "What you are about to see, has been classified as our agency's most secret document."

Charles and Evelyn skimmed the paper, and Masami and the others stood around them. It detailed the transfer of death row inmates, and criminals serving life sentences in the northern district of Ausrüstung. The paper went on about The Guiver Device and its capabilities, coupled with the adverse side effects of prolonged exposure to low levels of the chemicals found in the bomb. It also gave in-depth profiles on all of the so-called "members of Infernalgear", including Ichirou, which made Masami gasp at the sight of his picture.

"What is this Agent Amos? How could you possibly know all of this information?" Charles interrogated the agent with swift assertiveness.

"My partner and I represent The Scout Directive, Mr. President. It is an elite espionage and deep science division." Agent Golde said as she handed Charles a silver badge he recognized instantly.

"But, that's impossible." Charles shook his head as he ran his hand through his mane. "The Scout Directive was dissolved after the war. Why was I not informed of this?"

"Because we didn't want you to know, simple as that." Agent Amos replied sharply.

"You have lied to the ponies of Ausrüstung, Agent Amos!" Charles stood up and began to pace out of anxiety.

"Let me see if I am reading this document correctly." Evelyn cleared her throat. "You've placed some of the most dangerous individuals in Ausrüstung in the northern district, a chemical cocktail, in order to observe the effects of slow exposure to chemicals of The Guiver Device? Am I interpreting this data correctly?"

"Yes, Dr. Aquarius." Agent Golde confirmed.

"Then you are all hopelessly moronic!" Evelyn slammed the document down on the table and let the papers spill out onto the ground.

"You lied to me. You told me that the effects of the bomb would be permanent, not decrease in severity in less than a year!" Charles screamed at the top of his lungs. "I wanted this government to be honest, free from lies, from conspiracy!"

"We are truly sorry, Mr. President. We never imagined our enterprise would spiral out of control like this." Agent Golde tried to relieve pressure, but it was already too late to ease the situation.

"Never imagined my ass." Masami scoffed as she crossed her arms. "You knew what the bomb would do all along."

"Yes, we did. Now we must pay for our crimes, but do not let the ponies of Ausrüstung pay as well, Mr. President. You must understand, not a word of this conversation can leave this room..." Agent Amos continued. "If the public knew, there would be hell to pay."

"Yes-... yes I know." Charles furiously combed his hand through his mane as he paced about. "So what do you want me to do?"

"We need your team to investigate further." Agent Golde requested. "You all have faced the ring leaders head-on, meaning you have experience. This cult isn't getting its money from nowhere, it's funded, heavily. It isn't domestic, we have reason to believe it is foreign."

"Constantine..." Draven cursed the name under his breath.

"I'm sorry?" Agent Amos listened-in.

"The leader of The Changeling Empire, Constantine. He's the one funneling funds into the cult." Draven answered him.

"How can you be sure?" Agent Golde wondered.

"It makes sense." Liazo agreed with Draven. "He knows taking Ausrüstung head-on is suicide. So, he's funding the cult to start chaos."

"He's trying to prevent you from entering his war," Winslow added as he joined in on the conversation. "He's trying to eat away at you, from the inside."

"I suppose." Agent Amos nodded as he passed Liazo a document.

"What is this?" Liazo asked as he looked down at the paper and scowled as he read it.

"This cult is buying weapons from some ponies you may know. We have no idea how they are getting weapons to the north, but we believe you can help us in that department as you have experience in this business." Agent Golde filled-in the half-changeling as she took a sip from the coffee mug Bensley put out for her. "We know your history with them, and if it is too much for you then-."

"No. I have the know-how. Let me do this." Liazo insisted. "I have a score to settle with the Catelli's..."

"Who's that?" Rainbow Dash scratched her head as she saw the anger in Liazo's eyes.

"The Romean mob, the Catelli family." Liazo's fist burned as he scrunched up the paper in his hand. "My old employers... time to do some investigating."

Author's Notes:

Whew! Wasn't that a long chapter? As always, I hope you enjoyed! Leave a like and a comment if you did! Toodles!