Celestia and I were sitting in a… Parlour, we’ll say, and we were having the same talk we had at breakfast. And at lunch. It was going round and round and for the thousandth time, I was trying to explain why exactly I thought we were going to be happier for what I wanted to do. Luna hadn’t told me much about the job, but I’d still offered to go and do it. Partially because I just wanted to get out of the damn castle and do something, but also because I largely wanted to do something for Celestia and help her out. There was little that I actually did around the castle and even then she only let me handle so much of her paperwork at a time.

It sucked.

“No.” Celestia barked for the millionth time since last week.

“It's really not your decision to make, Sunbuns, and neither of us appreciate being talked to like that,” I said shrugfully with extra nonchalance.

“I do not approve. At. All. Max, do you even realize what Luna's asking of you? What danger you’re putting yourself in?”

“I believe she's asking me to use some skills I just happen to have for a good cause. Look, Celestia, if I don't do it then who will? Who else do you know that has a background as... useful as my own. Besides, it’s not like-” I tried for the third or fourth time.

“You still don't even really know what you're agreeing to! What exactly is she going to have you get? Hm? Where are you going? Hmm? You haven't thought this through in the slightest!” Celestia squawked. her voice was fading and the exasperation on her face slowly etched lines of worry deeper into her angelic features.

As little as I liked causing Celestia distress like I was, The man that I am was still adamant about doing something for her, even if it cost me something I’d rather not lose. I wanted to tell her, so I resolved to try and work it into the conversation so she’d hopefully understand. We both set our jaws and looked at each other, wondering how we could bring the other to our mode of thinking. It wasn’t going to happen any time soon, and it was because we both already mostly understood where the other was coming from. There was stuff Celestia wasn’t telling me and there were things I wasn’t telling her, but altogether there were things being hidden and it sucked.

Last week whilst I was talking to Luna about taking Celestia’s hand, she offered me a job of sorts: reclaim an object of relative power that had been taken during a skirmish on the northern Equestrian borders. I still hadn't received all of the details from Luna and I obviously wasn’t going to get them without Celestia’s okay, which pissed me off. I knew that it wasn’t going to be a terribly safe or easy task, and I was okay with that. What Celestia didn’t understand was that I’d done dumber things for worse reasons and made my way out clean and kosher. Luna did tell me that the object in question was pretty much only useful to herself or Celly, but that not having it in its home was an awfully inconvenient occurrence. No, I didn’t know what I was retrieving, but I did have faith that I was reclaiming rather than stealing. Celestia confirmed that, but she still wasn’t quite happy.

“If I don’t know what I’m going to get or where I’m going, why don’t you tell me? More information could help me make a more informed decision.” I retorted.

“If you want the whole story, then why don’t you start?” Celestia folded her arms and levelled a calm look at me.

Dumbarse, you just helped me out. “... Celestia, what…” It took a second to figure out how to get my point across. “How much have you done for me since I’ve been here? Since I landed in Equestria itself?”

“... Nothing I wouldn’t do for my friends. Or rather, nothing I wouldn’t have done for anyone else in your situation, as complicated as it became,“ She answered firmly. “You needed a hand, so I’ve lended one-”

“And you’re still lending that hand, are you not?”

“Well, in a sense-”

“I live in your home, I sleep in one of your beds, I eat your food, and occasionally get to help out the staff. What kind of ‘stallion’ would be satisfied with having his hands open the entire time in a relationship?”

“When you put it like that, of course it sounds bad, but-”

“When are you going to let me do something for you?”

“You sit in and help keep Day Court interesting! That means a lot to me!” Hurt crossed her face.

“So me being your assistant is what you want from me…?” Don’t say yes to that...

“No, Max, that’s- That’s not fair. It’s not fair to me or yourself and what you truly give me.”

“Then what do I give you? Because I don’t understand.”

“... If you don’t understand that your presence in my life is enough now, then I doubt you will.” A sad look entered her gaze. You- You fuckin’

I glared at her with every ounce of fury that fake fucking look, seeing her eyes widen. “Don’t fuckin’ try to manipulate me.”

“I’m not-”

“If you wanna lie, we don’t need to talk.”

Her pain was dutifully faked as my face heated up. Celestia seeing me get pissed more and more made her break the ruse. “... You are far too perceptive…” I raised a brow. “Max, I just don’t want you to get hurt… Can’t you see that? You said it yourself last week; You’re frail.”

“I’m also pissed.”

Celly sighed. “... Fine. The object Luna wants you to get is the first crown of Equestria, the Diadem of Sovereignty. The accursed crown-diadem-thing has passed through the hands of every one of Equestria’s rulers. Its history is partially obscured since Ponies haven’t always resided within Equestria's borders. The country itself is somewhat young compared to others, but we do know that it’s an ancient object that’s been around for longer than either Luna or I have been alive.”

“How do you know how old it is if you haven’t always been here? And if the Diadem isn’t from wherever the Ponies come from, how do you know who’s had it? I get trying to preserve history, but why is it so important? I see you and Luna with crowns all the time.”

“Due to magical dating, we can tell that the crown is at least ten thousand years old, but we have no clue where exactly it comes from. We assumed it came from Equestria because it was found in a decrepit fortress which was heavily defended and trapped both magically and physically before time took its toll. Honestly Max, it may be one of the oldest artifacts in existence with enchantments we still haven’t discovered, though we do know that it somehow recognizes the sovereign ruler of Equestria upon coming within a certain distance.“

“So it’s definitely some kind of important. If it’s so important, why wasn’t it better protected in a place like Canterlot?”

Celestia was silent, a blush quickly forming on her face as she muttered something.

“What was that? I didn’t quite catch what you said.”

She cleared her throat. “I said ‘I may have forgotten about it. It’s not one of my prouder moments.” Celestia finished somewhat meekly.

I grinned and chuckled, rubbing my head as Celestia shook her fist at me with an endearing little pout. Damn, Twilight’s a lot better at that. “You’re adorable.”

“Is that all you see in me?” She asked stubbornly.

“It’s why I haven’t cursed you to hell and back for trying to bullshit me. It’s not the only reason, but right now, it’s a big part of it.”

“... You mean swearing, surely.”

“Ooga-booga-loo-loo, your mane now smells like doo-doo!”

“Shush, you goofball,” She giggled.

"Eh, I could see how a few centuries might blur someone’s memories in any case. So where’s the Diadem at? I didn’t know Equestria had any neighbors, let alone hostile ones.” I asked.

“We don't have any openly hostile neighbors, but the Gryphons to the north tend to be antagonistic in the best of times. While Elfriede and I do have a good working relationship, her husband is eager to… Well, in his words, ‘see the Pony peace torn asunder’. Tensions rarely escalate past the occasional border ‘pissing contest’ as my guards are so fond of calling them, but the theft of the diadem wasn’t the only occurrence of the Gryphons raiding smaller Equestrian towns either. In the same museum that held the Diadem, a dagger of unknown origin was stolen a few years ago. We now have reason to believe that the two incidents are connected in a way we did not see previously.”

“What makes the dagger special? Is it also some relic of a bygone era, heavily enchanted, or is it encrusted with rare jewels?”

“None of those are accurate for the blade. As far as we can tell, that is. The dagger’s just old and doesn’t like to be held by anypony. It’s... It’s known for… Screaming.”

“Fuckin’ dope.”

She gave me a look. “... Why would you want a screaming knife?”

“Why steal it if it screams?”

“... That’s not a very good point.”

“That’s because you just can’t hold it. It’s probably an artifact from a race that hates Ponies if the Gryphons took it.”

“Your logic is so flawed right now.”

“Why steal it if it’s just a hunk of junk then? Doesn’t make sense to me.”

“Believe me when I say it’s no ‘hunk of junk’. It’s called ‘The Banshee's Razor’, and the razor is quite the piece of workmanship. It hasn’t rusted at all despite some less than satisfactory conditions and it’s maintained an edge for a few thousand years. There is little else that makes it stand out, however. It was a rather plain blade if I recall correctly. Other than the screaming.”

“So when I go to get the crown thing, you want me to get that too?”

“No, foal! I don't want you to go at all, and I wouldn’t have said anything if I knew you were just going to go anyway!” Celestia cried. You really should’ve seen it coming though.

“Oi, I asked for details so I could make an informed decision. You informed me, I made a decision.”

“Why do I even try with you?”

“Oh whatever, you know you like talking to me. I fill your time with color and the fun kind of idiocy,” I lightly jabbed, trying to change the subject.

Celestia gave me a dry, withering look. She knew precisely what I was doing and she wasn’t having it. I knew she would try to keep me from doing the job by just about any means necessary, but I was set. “I may usually enjoy our conversations, but by no means have I enjoyed this one. You’re a stubborn foal, Max, and I don’t think you’re doing this for the right reasons.”

“How so?”

“I think you’re looking for danger to regain that adrenaline rush you once had when you were a thief. If not, why would you put yourself in danger to claim an object that has been gone for months? It’s really not that important to begin with, seeing as how nopony can use it barring myself and Luna.”

“... I’m not looking for cheap thrills, Sunbutt.” I gave her a mild look. “I if I wanted cheap thrills, I’d just climb the castle or mock Luna for more than a few sentences.” She stared at me, knowing I was completely serious. “I want to do some good, get my life turned around further than it already has. This feels like the road to redemption to me.”

She sighed heavily. “Come to my chambers tonight, we’ll continue our talk there.”

With that I left the lavish room we’d been talking in and went back to my room in the castle, grabbing Lupa on my way back. I sat and told her about what was going on for a while, seeing if she had any input. It wasn’t that she could speak or anything of the sort, but she did have that wolfy way of getting her point across. Lupa jumped on my lap and smothered me mid-sentence, which was fucking warm. If I hadn’t mentioned it before, Lupa was level with my pectorals on all fours. In other words, it was a lot of fur and muscle in my lap, seeing as how she was my taller than me on two legs. I didn’t know what to make of that if it was a response, so I sat and stroked her fur for a few hours, enjoying the soft texture of her jet black coat. All in all, it was a pleasant stress reliever. I also got to cuddle my pupper and she was happy to lay on me when I decided to take a nap. No need for a blanket at that point.

Night time rolled around again and I found myself eating dinner between two silent sisters. Luna was calmly chewing while I could see a muscle twitching in Celestia’s jaw as she ate. My best guess was that they had talked further about the mission while I was elsewhere. “So… Lovely evening we’re having, yeah? I like the way you lowered the sun, Celly, it was a wonderful way to cap off the day, and the colours in the sky? Simply enchanting.” No response. “... I can’t wait to see what the moon looks like tonight, the night sky in Equestria is some kind of beautiful and the moon just makes it that much prettier. You don’t see the stars on Earth like you do here.”

“There is a new moon tonight, Maximus. You will not be able to see it,” Luna replied.

“Oh. Well, that sucks. Guess it’ll be good for star-gazing.”

“Indeed. Speaking of such events, we believe it would be of thine interest to leave for Gryphonia sooner rather than later. The low lights of the next few days will aid thee in thy plight The time will be radically different in Farrier when you arrive, so it would be for the best if you were to hurry. ‘Celly’ and ourself have agreed that thou shalt have a guide until you return. From Farrier thou shalt be given a map and further instructions. As it stands, thou should know that ye will be disowned if thou art apprehended.” … Oh s h i t. “Equestria may have power, but we will not have our reputation tarnished. We hope thine understanding is adequate,” Luna stated rather coldly as if she had nothing to do with the affair.

“So you’re going to send me off to a foreign land with next to no backup?” I asked incredulously.

“Is that an issue?” She retorted, daring me to say yes.

I gave her a most winsome smile indeedidly. “Of course not! I work best alone anyway. When do I leave?”

“You will not be alone.” Celestia butted in, “Once dinner is finished you’ll be outfitted in the armory, though I rather doubt we maintain much equipment you can even use, one of the many reasons I still think this is a bad idea.”

“Find me some dark clothes and that’ll be all I need, love. I have my own weapons, though I’ll need some gloves. And new boots, I eventually need those. Basically all I need is a little more to look the part.” Luna looked triumphant with that and Celestia gave me a troubled glance before facing her sister. They traded polar-opposite looks and Celestia faced me again.

“Why… Max, why in the sweet name of Solaire do you have weapons, Maximus? Where did you get them!?”

“Knives help pry windows and doors, slice open envelopes, and important documents, and make a pretty good handhold if you’re on the side of a wooden building. They’re also quite useful for self-defense if need be,” I said neutrally. “And as for your last question, I’ve had them since I’ve been on Equus, even before I got to Ponyville.”

“...May I see them sometime?” Celestia asked.

I pulled my dirk and one of my six five throwing knives from my boots. As I passed them over to Celestia, her face was painted by shock. “I can’t believe you carry them with you! Max, you will not come to any harm in my castle, and- and why would you even bring them to dinner with you at that!?” She inquired. Loudly, may I add.

I shrugged. “Carried them with me for years, Sunbutt. Got caught without them too many times for my liking, so I bring them with me wherever I go. Nothing personal, I promise. I just don’t trust people to not do stupid shit.”

“You shouldn’t be worried about that here! What made you so unbelievably paranoid!?”

“You know some of my reasons, and they’re not proper for dinner conversation.”

“You know what, Max? Dinner’s over; Spill. Now.” Celestia growled, her demeanor tipping over the edge.

I was taken aback. Of course I’d seen Celestia upset, but never actively mad. That, however, didn’t impede my ‘Take No Bullshit’ policy. “I’ll tell you what I want, when I want, so don’t be a cunt about it. Don’t forget I’m not one of your subjects to be cowed. In fact, I think it would do you well to think about what and how you just said so you can see the level of twat you’re being.”

“This from the impudent stallion that nearly got himself killed not even three months ago? The same stallion who kicks hooves like ants in his way? The same bastard who betrayed his only friend just to save himself a little suffering? I don’t want to hear another word from-” She paused, her words hitting her like they’d slapped me. “Max, I- I didn’t mean that…”

I was thunderstruck. If someone had run into the room and slapped me at that time I would’ve never noticed. How… How could you say that…? You… You said you understood, Celestia… I trusted you. I slowly stood from my seat and started to walk out of the room, my mind ablaze with the fires of betrayal and her anger, wondering just what way I would cut her down to size when I realized I didn’t want to. The largest part of me just wanted to go and let the ache fade… Or at least I had planned to until Luna grabbed my arm.

“Before thou taketh thine leave, thou still needest to outfit thyself properly in the armory. We shall preserve thy room for you here, and if not, then accommodations will be made for thee.” Luna floated my weapons back to me. "Thou hast accepted thine mission and we expect thee to fulfill thine duties as thou hath said ye would, despite the current circumstances. When thou leaveth this castle, go to the Canterlot Teleportation Station”

“... Yeah. Yeah, I’ll still do the mission. I’ll leave tonight.” I muttered, still reeling from Celestia’s tirade. I glanced over at her and saw the same muscle in her jaw working like she was being electrocuted. Her beautiful head was buried in her hands and her breathing was heavy and laboured. I decided to take my leave after nodding to Luna, my eyes somewhat unfocused.

Luna held me in place and whispered quietly in my ear. “We will speak to her. Things will be righted when thou maketh thine homecoming.”

I shook my head and left, meandering about the castle halls, occasionally bumping into pillars when I was especially lost in thought. I… I never thought that Celestia would… Didn’t think she would ever betray my trust like that. She knew… She knew it was hard for me to talk about and that I’d only ever told her, but she just… Celestia just threw it in my face. After being manipulative and showing me that side of her, I don’t know if I even want to be with her anymore, but I can’t just jump ship because of one bad day. I didn’t think I was even being terribly unfair or obtuse. After all, I knew that I had insulted her and that the past few days had been filled with tumultuous conversation between us, but she was supposed to be different from the other women. She insulted me too and we never stayed mad. We never let it go that far because we had respect for each other….

She was supposed to be the one who could actually understand and accept me. In my shell shocked state, I never considered that Celestia would have had ample time to examine my character and form an opinion other than the one I thought she had of me, even if I thought she was mostly with me for the novelty… She was right; I hadn’t told her everything, but what I was hiding most of all was that I wanted to prove my worth. I wanted to show her that I could help when needed and that I wasn’t just some Chav bloke with a big mouth. It… It hurt. It hurt nearly as much as losing Maxwell, because she’d just thrown the memory back in my face and had added her own slap to go along with it. Having my cowardice be a steaming hot shit-patty and having my nose stuffed into it…

I had trusted her to know why I had abandoned him in his hour of need, and it just made my heart pound me in the chest when I thought of the look she’d given me when I’d told her. She was disappointed, but what if her understanding was just because she wanted to fuck me? Did… Did she tell me what she really thought and I just wasn’t handling it well? The pain built until I was physically sick, spewing my dinner out of a window I had opened just in time. As the cooling night air rushed in, my thoughts began to clear and the ache I felt subsided slightly. It was dark and silent; prime conditions to practice my craft and clear my head.

There was a need to test my body anyway, so I tried some exercises and made sure that I could fulfill the task at hand by climbing up a pillar, jumping as high as I could a few times, and seeing how long I could run. As it turned out, the magical healing must have done something to me since my left arm was now even stronger than my right when I tried one handed pushups, and I didn’t even get so much as a stitch in my side as I jogged to the armoury, which was across the damn caste. It was easier to do than I’d thought it’d be and just proved that I was in better condition than I’d thought I’d be after being down so long. Maybe it was the food or water. Maybe it was the magic. Maybe it was the smell-good conditioner I had…? Shit, I dunno, but I do know that I had to use the band I’d gotten to tie my hair back before I could get sweaty. My shit had grown faster than ever and now I looked like I skated on four wheels and said ‘dude’ a lot. Just with a clear face, I guess.

After stopping by the armoury and picking up a fireproof, dark-slate-grey long-coat, a pair of climbing gloves, and a fuckin real set of throwables, Lupa and I were padding our way through Canterlot. Dodging guard patrols, mapping out the high-income areas, and traipsing amongst the spired roofs of Equestria’s capital city. I ran around the spirals sitting atop garish homes, leaping across gaps with relative ease as Lupa followed from the ground, both of us sticking to the shadows with nary a sound in the night. I should have been more surprised that Lupa was getting around as well as I was considering her quadrupedal form, but I was deep in concentration. The only sound in the night was the occasional clicking of her claws on cobble as we took in the city, picking a target. We made our rounds in the fanciest looking district and found our mark: A tall, gaudy monstrosity that promised high-value swag.

Now, don’t misunderstand; I wasn’t doing this as revenge against Celestia (Okay, maybe a little bit; Shut the fuck up), but I had to see if my period of inactivity had rendered my actual skills subpar. I tested my lockpicking skills by accessing the back door with a few of the lockpicks that I kept with my knives. I’d sewn straps to my sheaths so I could carry and hide them on my person without them being found with my knives, which Maxwell had thought was stupid when I'd first started doing it. Up until it got us out of Dirty Danny’s sex dungeon, he had no reason to change his mind. Afterwards? Fucker praised me for saving his brown cherry. I made quick work of the admittedly simple lock, though I’d had to use my thicker, older picks. I gestured for Lupa to stay outside in the shadows. She was to be my literal watchdog while I worked my magic.

I tread lightly inside, listening for any movement. There was someone clomping about with no rubbers on their hooves in the kitchen, so I took up a position low against a wall, controlling my breathing and shifting my stance so that I could dash if need be. Most people that ply my trade were your average sneak n’ spell with little experience in actual infiltration. However, I had broken in to plenty of places with security and nary could I say that I’d even been caught on camera after going it with Maxwell or the Stealy Wheelies. I had learned early on that if you don’t want to be caught, you had to be ready for the three F’s: Fighting, Fleeing, or Flattering. Back home, fighting was only an option if flattery didn’t confuse the mark and fleeing didn’t get you away. Here, I was betting that flattery might actually work even if fleeing was seldom going to be an option outside of the city.

After that footrace with Rainbow and Fluttershy at the picnic, I knew for a fact that there was little you could do to catch up or outpace them. Ponies could run harder and longer than Humans; Point blank. However, for what they possess in raw speed they lack in dexterity, and that aspect is one of my strongest qualities. It always has been. I’d broken a couple ankles while playing basketball with the oldies from my first flat, my friends from childhood. They’d been mad, but it proved to be my strong suit. I skulked about not making a noise and saw a light blue Stallion with a slightly darker mane drowsily snacking in front of the fridge. I sped around the island in the middle of the expansive, obviously used room and slid into the parlour with the stallion completely unaware. Waiting for him to walk upstairs took some minutes, but I still had plenty of time in the night. I snuck through the rooms, taking in as much as possible, waiting to find something worth capturing as a prize. I wanted something memorable, but not something that would be sorely missed. A pendant or the like would suit my purposes just fine. However, seeing as how my stroll wasn't in the name of feeding myself or doing anything I found constructive, it just struck me as wrong to claim a real prize rather than a token of my skills still being intact.

Two of the rooms I explored had obviously belonged to the stallions children at some point in time, though I was betting that they’d grown up and left due to the lack of kids in them. One seemed to be a study in pink, purple, and random science crap. The other was a bit more masculine and had a rather tasteful collection of blues, though I am heavily biased. I didn’t flip the lights on either time, just having the mini-torch I’d been given as my only source of light. I didn't find anything worthy of note in the rooms besides a fucking massive-yet-organized closet of... notes in the daughter's room and a standard rank-and-file looking sword in the son’s. Unless the genders were swapped. Ponies usually had masculine or feminine colours and tended to fill their gender-bread one way or another unless they were poofy, but there’s also Les-bow and her rainbow mane. Anyway, There were more pictures of dashing, rugged looking dudes in the blue room than the pink one, but I still didn't know shit about Equestrian culture. Nothing worth taking in either room anyway other than a pair of pink and yellow panties from the blue room, which made me wonder if someone was nailing their brother/sister. I figured that would be a bad move since panties were pretty personal, and personal wasn't what I was looking for.

I searched through guest room after guest room, though they were partially lit by the street lamps outside. It had been too dark to see much more than vague shadows in the children’s rooms. The master bedroom popped up after a little more snooping; the place was honestly more mansion than just another house and covering ground silently took time. I hesitated to enter since the door could have been creaky, so I applied an old trick; Lift the handle, turn the knob slowly, and try to break the damn hinges by lifting up. Not literally, of course, but it had happened once and I’d been thankful for quick thinking at that point.

Softly cracking the door open, I heard two ponies softly snoring away. I guess the stallion from earlier had fallen asleep by then alongside who seemed to be his wife. Making my way around the room, I examined just about everything in sight; nothing worth grabbing that wasn't actually expensive. Of course, I could steal some jewelry to be resold at a later date, but my earlier thoughts of grabbing a pendant were long gone. Most people would miss jewelry, but most people wouldn’t be too alarmed if someone were to say, nab a cheap looking statuette. It was on a dresser on the far side of the room. In other words, an easier target would be hard to find. I nabbed it quickly and slipped out of the room, realizing as I was about to leave that I could have some fun. Well, up until I realized that Mrs. Whitey Nice-Arse slept naked. I may have snuck a peek at the baker's buns, but I was mostly surprised that Ponies didn't all sleep like Twilight, Celly, and Spike. Racist, I know, but I'd been told that Ponies woke up to varying levels of 'Blaaah' every day. After I looked where I wasn't supposed to and got a glimpse of her face when she rolled over, I froze and ducked down. She murmured in her sleep and I caught another peek at her chest, growing a little stiffer once I realized that she was the Vellocet woman from my early days in Day Court. I may or may not have looked longer than I needed to, but I didn’t think of it twice until I had an idea in mind.

I dipped and dashed on out of the room, my idea for trouble growing firmer. Yes, I might have been a pervert, but at least I didn’t take anything.

Halfway down the road, I was still chuckling to myself, feeling much better after a bit of foolishness. I’d deigned the statue unworthy of being stolen after I had rearranged every bit and bauble in the lower story of the mark's home and made my former keepsake the centerpiece. It had taken me a few hours, but with Lupa by my side, I finally strolled on over to the Teleportation Station Luna had told me about earlier. The place itself was wide and flat, on the outer part of town. It was decadent to be sure, but there was just something about it that made it seem like the guards outside were being punished. The stallion and mare outside stopped their chatter when I came up and tried talking to them, but it wasn’t really a big deal to any of us to waste a little time. I eventually took my leave, but I was happier for knowing them. After going inside, there was another Nightie on duty and she was actually pretty damn cute. Her face was that American small-town kind of pretty and her chest wasn’t anything to write home about, but her hips…

Fuckin’ tasty.

I walked up to her with intent to rebound pretty hard, turning the charm up to nine for the divine thoughts her hips had given me. Then I saw her turn and look at something, probably a clock, and got a good view of her arse. I was immediately reminded of Twilight and Applejack, but with more. “Oh, hullo, hullo! How goes the night, bonny?”

“Are you the fella Princess Luna was talking about?” The grey pegasus mare with dark slate armor seemed a little confused.

Oh… I really hope I don’t get caught for what I just did. “Yeah, that’s most likely me. Wotcher, bonny-bunny?” I asked turning my charm up a notch. Ten oughta do it.

The night guard grinned and raised an eyebrow at me. “The Princess said you were supposed heartbroken and distraught or somethin’, and she also said you were supposed to be here a while ago. I don’t see no heartbroke stallion in that smile a’ yours, now do I?”

“Ah, well I had a bit of rough night so far, a couple drinks later and I’m over it for the time being. I can deal with all that rubbish when I get back; I got a job to do right about now, yeah?” I responded, my smile falling a little. While I had put the incident with Celestia behind me for the time being, I was still fucking aching from it. That and betrayal. Don't forget that sweet, sweet sting of betrayal.

“Well, I don’t know what your fillyfriend was thinkin’, but if you’re on the rebound maybe you’d be interested in a little proposition?” She gave me a half-lidded look. God, I love that accent. I can’t place it though. Too light.

I blushed a little at the implications and my smile grew once more. “Might take you up on that, sweet-cheeks. Once I finish up here- Er, there, why don’t we go grab a drink?”

“Sounds like a party to this mare.” She wrote something down quickly and handed it off to me before guiding me to a large circular rune on the floor.

“Does this mare have a name?” I asked cheekily.

“Velvet. Velvet Breeze.” Her smile took a dip when she saw I recognized the name.

“I’ve heard of you, just can’t place where. Not that it matters.” I shrugged, giving her an easy smile as her eyes lit up.

“Now ain’t you just somethin’ sweet? I’d love to sit and chat a bit, but you’re already late.” Damn. I was gonna cop a feel if it kept going like this. “I suggest you keep your knees bent when you teleport. Other than that, come back quick; I haven’t had fun in a while.”

“Trust me, love. I’ll be back soon." With a quick salute, I was off to Gryphonia.

I think I’ll end this one here. There’s plenty enough to go into the next one and I don’t want to break it up like this… I dunno… fuck.