I stand on the balcony outside the ballroom, looking out to the beautiful night sky. Luna’s artistic taste is, admittedly, quite fantastic, for I could gaze at the blues, violets, purples, and the sparkling platinum stars for hours on end without boredom. They were comforting, as if my distraught spirit is being embraced by the comfort of a mother’s arms. A semblance of peace washed over me, and for the first time since all that nonsense began about a half hour ago, I felt like I was in control of my own body and mind once again.

I drink in a breath of cool night air, filling my lungs after having been in that stuffy ballroom for some time. I could feel the tense strings of muscle in my face give way and relax at a comfortably quick pace as I drew in the calm serenity the nightlife had to offer. A smile graces my lips, the sight of lights and cheerful voices from late night party-goers fills my heart with optimistic strength.

“Hello Walter, have you come out here to escape the party?” I hear Fluttershy’s voice break the silence that I had become lost within. I must have been away from the group for quite some time if Fluttershy came to check up on me.

“Yeah, just needed some fresh air… Also the night sky is quite a beauty to behold, guess I kinda got lost with admiring it.” I replied, offering a friendly smile toward the pegasus as she calmly approached my side.

“That’s certainly understandable, Luna always does her best when painting the night. It truly is beautiful.” Fluttershy says warmly while gazing up at the sky along with me.

“Mhmm.” I nodded, falling awkwardly silent, although we both seemed to be enjoying each other’s company in this stilled atmosphere.

We both remain quiet for what felt like a handful of minutes, my mind begins to drift and soon I almost forget she’s even there. It’s not until I feel her hand rest on my shoulder that I turn to meet her face, which currently dawns an expression of concern.

“Walter, is something bothering you?” she asks, keeping her hand rested on my shoulder. “Ever since you returned to the group I’ve noticed you’ve been rather distant. Is something the matter?”

“Hm? Oh, I have?” I responded, perking a brow as my eyes wander off in distant thought. “Ah, well, a few things, but I don’t want to bother you lot with’em.” I say in a dismissive tone of voice, returning my gaze to the night sky.

“Walter, I don’t mean to pry or be rude somehow, but we’re going to be living together for some time. We don’t have to be tied to the hip when it comes to our personal lives but you should know that, if ever the feeling rises, you may come to me or one of the girls to talk. We’ll always listen.” Fluttershy speaks softly, offering a friendly smile.
I give pause at her words, rolling my tongue around inside my mouth while I contemplated her token of comradery. I am going to be living with the girls for quite some time, at least until I’m comfortable and stable on my own, so it would be rather stupid to pull the whole ‘silent goth kid with troubles’ act for the time I’ll be staying with them.

“Hrm… Guess you got a point,” I say, giving one more pause while I satiated an itch on my nose with my index finger, giving a few scratches before speaking up once again. “I’ve got a few things on my mind, that is, if you’re willing to lend an ear?”

“Of course!” Fluttershy responds warmly, her ears perking up with interest while she directed her spectrum of attention fully onto me.

“I won’t beat around the bush… I’ve seen and endured all kinds of horrors throughout my youth, more-so than any child should. Sure I may have gotten off easy compared to others, guess that’s why for the most part I keep my mouth shut and just be contempt with what I have left, but… I can’t help but feel these awful memories gnawing at the back of my mind every waking moment. After all that hell, I was quite happy to know that I’d be able to start a new life here in Equestria… But,” I trail off, leaning further onto the balcony railing. “My dreams of a quiet life always had my dad and my sister in them. I couldn’t even fathom a life without my family… They’re all I have. But now… I’m here in a country alien to me in so many ways, my dad is fighting in a war for a people who see him lower than dirt… And my sister is in trouble for some reasons I don’t understand… I feel like everything just wants to keep me from knowing peace.” I explain while Fluttershy listens intently.

Fluttershy remains silent as she tentatively listened closely to my lament, following my every word with deep consideration while she shifted her eyes shift to and fro in deep thought. Concern and empathy dance across her features while she processes everything, most likely contemplating on the right thing to say.

“I’m truly sorry about your father, and as for your sister, I’m confident that things will be sorted out properly, I’ll speak to Twilight about it.” Fluttershy says while she gently places her small hand upon my shoulder once more, offering a reassuring gesture.

“...Right.” I say, furrowing my brow a bit at the mention of Twilight’s name.

“Is something the matter, Walter?” Fluttershy inquired, her expression growing curious.

“...If I’m still being honest here, I’m not so sure about that Twilight mare. Something about her… It’s like… I remember her from somewhere, somewhere dark that I care not to reflect on that often.” I say with a hint of uncertainty.

“How’s that? You had only just met her recently, haven’t you?” Fluttershy asks, tilting her head.

“Yes, that’s the thing; I’ve only just met her but… It’s just, strange, in the back of my mind something feels incredibly off about her… My head just feels all scrambled. I figured it was the wine but… I don’t remember drinking enough to get that discombobulated.” I explained, earning a strange look from Fluttershy. She seemed to have some sense of realization mixed with recognition, after the brief expression of epiphany, a very stern frown came about her visage.

“Is that so?” Fluttershy inquired, clenching the railway of the balcony quite firmly… I could almost hear the metal groan and creak slightly under the strain of her grip… Odd. Suddenly forming a warm smile and overall bubbly expression, Fluttershy returns her gaze to me.

“I’ll speak to Twilight about your sister. In the meantime, please, enjoy the rest of the evening, it’d be a waste to let the festivities die out so quickly!” Fluttershy says in a soft tone of voice as she turns around and begins to make her way through the ballroom and out the twin doors leading to the hallway.

I sense something ominous coming from that mare…

I take in a deep breath, once more soaking in the beauty of the night sky, before turning back to the patio doorway, and returning to the ballroom.

“Hey! There he is!” Dash exclaims, raising her glass of wine in greeting as I make my approach to the table everybody is gathered at. Or is the terminology ‘everypony’? Bah, I’ll just stick to using the same terminology of humans, it’s not like it’s hurting anybody.

“I was beginin’ to wonder where ya wandered off too pardner!” Applejack says with a grin as she pulls out a seat for me to sit between her and Rarity. A blush makes its way to my cheeks as I slowly sink down into the chair she offered to me. I can’t help but remember that night me and her practically dry-humped each other on a stage in front of a drunk crowd. And judging by that look in her eye, I can pretty much assume she remembers too.

“So, Walter darling, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie have told us all about how you four got to know each other, I heard a little tidbit of it when Twilight received that call but she left out all of those… Juicy details~” Rarity begins, rolling her wrist, causing the wine in her glass to swirl around while she looks me dead in the eyes.

“Oh… Uh, right. I’m… Really sorry, I didn’t think it’d get out of hand that quickly… I’m just glad that none of the girls were harmed because of my… Inebriated antics.” I explain with a sheepish smile, a smile creeping across Rarity’s lips.

“Ah~ A true gentleman, isn’t he? He’s the one who gets stranded, stark naked, on the whole other side of town and yet he worries for his friends? You’re too sweet, darling.” Rarity says while she rubs her hand on my shoulder. “Ah, I see my sister has done some marvelous tailorship work for you, I’m glad she didn’t disappoint~” Rarity says as she admires her sibling’s handiwork in designing my suit.

“Oh, uh, r-right! I’m surprised at how high quality the suit turned out to be, if Sweetie Belle is this good then you must be a goddess of fashion! I’ll try to repay you for the suit as soon as I can, I promise.” I reply, earning a surprised expression from the unicorn, her face flushing while she chuckled with glee.

“Oh you’re such a sweet talker, but please don’t worry about paying me back. It was a gift, no strings attached~” Rarity explained.

“But, I have to repay you somehow.” I respond, earning a sly grin from the unicorn.

“Oh honey you already have~” Rarity explained, earning a confused gaze from myself while she sipped from her glass of wine.

“How so?” I ask out of curiosity.

“Well, let’s just say that I hate to see you go… But I love to watch you leave~” Rarity replies, earning a collection of snickers and chuckles from the other girls, who are all just about as red in the cheeks as Rarity is.

“...Oh.” I respond, my head turning red as a tomato while I nervously pour myself a glass of wine, drinking down a few sips to calm myself.

“Oh my god, you’re right Applejack, he’s so fun to tease~!” Rarity laughs while Applejack gives me a gentle nudge on the shoulder.

“We’re just playin’ with ya fella, you’re too adorable when’yer teased.” Applejack explains while I shoot her a look. I let out a sigh and take another sip of wine, chuckling nervously.

“So, we know that you already had a bit of a welcoming party with Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie; but I still feel like we don’t really know that much about you. Care to tell us a little about yourself?” Rarity asks while setting her glass of wine down, settling her attention fully onto me. Upon glancing around the table, I notice that all eyes were on me, and so I take in a bit of a breath and speak up.

“Sure. So um, I come from a military family. I like music, painting, sports, reading and um… Uh… I don’t know what else to talk about really. I never really talked about myself that much…” I say nervously, I’m not gonna lie I felt quite small right now, like I was sitting at a table full of hungry wolves. I’m probably just exaggerating though.

“Not a problem darling. So you say you like the arts; music and painting, yes? Were you an artist yourself?” Rarity asks, smiling warmly.

“Oh, no, I was in a more serious career growing up. Didn’t have time to focus on my hobbies.” I explained.

“Oh? Like what?” Rarity inquired.

“Well,” I pause, taking in a short breath before speaking up, “I always wanted to follow in my parents footsteps. My mom and dad, they uh… They met during the Changeling Invasion. He was a Captain in the Imperial Aerial Forces and my mother a Lieutenant in the Imperial Legion.” I began, a smile coming across my face as I spoke. “My mother got sick around the time she was pregnant with me. She passed away during childbirth, and that’s when I came into the world. Growing up hearing stories about my mom, my father, me and my sister became hellbent on joining the armed forces to be just like them. To be just like our parents. I wanted to be like mom… Strong, brave, selfless. So when the time came that I was old enough, I practically threw myself at the recruitment officers.” I explain, a blanket of silence falling upon the table as I spoke.

“Oh Walter, I’m so sorry to hear about your mother.” Rarity says, placing her hand on my shoulder while Applejack did the same. I glance at both of them, then at Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie. They both offer me comforting smiles, and I return one in exchange.

“It’s okay, I’ve made my peace to her. Besides, my mom was so good at her job that even the prideful griffons who raise their beaks at us lowly humans couldn’t help but show her praise. They respected her… I thought that it would’ve been easy to make plenty of good friends in the academy, being the son of such a respected woman… No… I was more like the bastard who killed one of the country’s best assets. It made my path in the military much more difficult than I thought, but I eventually pulled through academy and entered the military police. I served as a cadet for a year or so before I was transferred to the Legion officially as an Imperial Guardsmen. I wore my mother’s uniform during graduation. Of course it had to be readjusted a bit, but it worked out in the end.” I say, earning a few glances of confusion.

“You wore your mother’s suit during graduation?” Rainbow Dash asked, perking a brow.

“I know it seems silly, but my mom was a big girl. She was way bigger than my dad, I was around her height when I graduated… I’ve grown a lot since then. I know it may have seemed silly, but wearing that suit… I felt as if my mom was standing right there next to me… Ya know? Like… I felt like she was proud of me.” I explained, chuckling as my voice cracks a little.

“Ya don’t have to talk about it too much if it hurts ya, hun.” Applejack says, earning a few collective nods from the other girls.

“No, no it’s okay. I’m the emotional one, always too passionate, never the cold and collected type like my father and sister. They can practically become robots from how well they can conceal their emotion, or sometimes even act out an emotion and make you believe it’s genuine. They’re the pros, I was just a fool playing dress up.” I say as I take another sip of wine.

“Why do you say that?” Pinkie Pie asks.

My expression falls a bit flat as my mind reels back, soaking in some memories before I take in a small breath to speak up.

“I thought I was strong like my mom. Hell, I’ve got her height, her strength; I felt like I was just like her… But in the end, I wasn’t.” I say, taking pause as I sway my glass of wine around a bit in idle thought before speaking up again. “I was shipped out to war when I was fifteen years old. Drafted to an outpost deep within the forsaken forest. There were convoys of military supplies being stolen. When some government officials went to go investigate, they were attacked by a group of insurrectionists. The Crown took it as a declaration of war, but they wanted to make sure they didn’t waste more veteran soldiers than they needed, and so… They shipped us out. I was of the 531st Platoon, all of us just… A bunch of human kids strapped with fifty pounds of gear and twenty pounds of weapons, armor, and ammo…” I trailed off, thinking back to those days for a few brief moments before shaking myself out of my little daze. I noticed that they all had rather uncomfortable expressions on their faces, all of them concerned. I cleared my throat, rubbing the back of my neck. Curse my ramblings. “Anyway, I had a pretty shaky military career. It all ended a month before I turned eighteen, and I was dishonorably discharged. After that, I took to just working on the family ranch.” I explained, all of them giving a few nods.

“So, you like farmwork?” Applejack asked, changing the subject. I couldn’t thank her enough, I really need to work on how I ramble so much and make everybody depressed.

“Yes, I quite enjoy it. It’s… Liberating. You’re able to get stuff done, you have a strong sense of accomplishment in your daily life each night when you throw your sore body down on the bed. But you’re happy about it… You were able to provide for people you loved. Plus, I didn’t get all this muscle with genetics alone, oh no the genes were just a boost. If I wasn’t outside working on the ranch my sister would be making me play her… Little games… And I wasn’t quite ready for therapy.” I chuckled, itching my nose.

“Aaah, no wonder I like ya, I know a farm boy when I see one.” Applejack says with a grin. “Me and my family run a farm outside of town, Sweet Apple Acres. You should drop by sometime, hard work is a good form of therapy.” Applejack says with a smile.

“Thank you, that’d be great. But, as of now, it’s about time we all go to a real party. Shall we go somewhere less stuffy and have some fun? We should find Fluttershy and make a break for somewhere more… energetic!” I say with a grin as I stand up.

“I couldn’t agree more!” Jessica’s voice speaks up from behind me. I let out a non-manly yelp, jumping a bit as I turn to see my sister staring up at me with a wide toothy grin like the cheshire cat she is. I stare down at her in utter confusion; last time I saw her, she seemed to be on the bad side of Celestia… What the fuck is going on?

“Jessica. Last time I saw you, it was over half an hour ago, and you were surrounded by armed Royal Guards hauling you off to the precinct. That usually doesn’t end up with you popping up behind me… Oh god you escaped… Jessica… How many did you kill? Those poor bastards had families Jess!” I say in a panic, grabbing Jessica by the shoulders, shaking her lightly as I spoke.

“Oh please Little Bear, you’re talking like I’m some sort of psychopath.” Jessica rolled her eyes, blowing raspberry while I met her with a deadpan expression.

“If only it were simple as you being a psychopath.” I retorted, earning a laugh from Jessica, who gives me a wink before pinching my ass once again. I yipped quietly, socking her on the shoulder while I rubbed the sore spot of my behind where she pinched.

“Sorry girls, let me introduce myself. The name’s Jessica, Jessica Barnes. Or should I say… Private Jessica Barnes of the Royal Guard!” Jessica says with an ear-to-ear grin.

“What?!” I almost shouted, earning a few confused glances from the other gala-goers. The music stops briefly as I glance around, smiling sheepishly. “Sorry, sorry… Just… Carry on! Won’t happen again…” I say, waving dismissively while the crowd seem to pass off my outburst and continue about the ball.

“Jessica… What. Did you. Do?” I asked, staring down at her with concern. Not for her, but for what she might have done to somebody of high authority.

“That’s the thing Little Bear, it wasn’t me who did anything~” Jessica says as she swipes my drink, chugging it down while Fluttershy calmly approaches the table, adjusting her dress a bit before taking a seat, pouring herself a glass of wine while we all just stand there in silence for a few moments.

“...So the whole… Touchy-feely reunion hug and departure was… Just… All for nothing?” I suddenly speak up, earning a fake pout from Jessica.

“What, would you rather I have gone to jail?” Jessica asked.

“No! God no, that would be cruel to the criminals locked up there. Besides, you’d probably run the entire jail on your first day of incarceration…” I mutter as I scratch my head in confusion before glancing over at Fluttershy.

“Um… Fluttershy, did… Um… Did anything happen?” I asked, earning a glance from the pegasus.

“Hm? Oh, yes. I had a talk with Twilight.” Fluttershy replies with a nod, smiling warmly as she takes a sip of wine.

“...A talk?” Rainbow Dash asks, all of the girls, excluding Fluttershy, exchanging curious as well as concerned glances.

“What kind of talk? What did you do?” Rarity asked.

“Well… I did what I’ve always been encouraged to do… I was… Assertive.” Fluttershy responds in a gentle tone of voice.

“I like her. I like her a lot… So, did you tap that ass yet?” Jessica asked, wiggling her eyebrows as she whispered up at me.

“Jessica!” I hissed, scowling at her.

“What? If you don’t tap that, I will!” Jessica grinned.

“No, nobody is tapping anybody! I swear I will--”

“You will what, Little Bear? You gonna fight me?” Jessica asks, interrupting me.

“I will beat your ass like a Zebrican drum! And not in the good way!” I growled, earning a wide-eyed, ear-to-ear grin from my psychotic nymphomaniac sister.

“Hah~ As much as I’d like to rough-house with you brother, tonight is a night of celebration! Besides, I’m only teasing~ I wouldn’t make prey out of a fellow hunter anyways… At least, for now~” Jessica says before walking over and placing her had on the table. “Girls! Gather your shit, we’re goin’ clubbing!” Jessica declares, earning a few hoots and hollers from around the table, most of them having not heard the context of quiet bickering Jessica and I tossed back and forth between each other.

As the girls all got up and filed out of the twin doors leading out of the ballroom, Fluttershy stayed behind, approaching me and gently placing her hand on my arm. I glance down at her, her warm teal eyes met mine and I felt a warmth wash over my heart. It almost felt as if I was filled with helium like a balloon.

“You… You actually… How? I didn’t expect that…” I stumbled over my words as Fluttershy linked her arm with mine, smiling up at me.

“Twilight and I are friends, we’ve been so for a long time. When I had something to say, she listened. And I just so happened to say the right things.” Fluttershy explains.

“...Thank you, so much… She’s the only family I have here in Equestria… As crazy as she is… She means the world to me.” I say softly as Fluttershy begins to walk me out of the room. It felt more like she was escorting me rather than the other way around, not like I minded though.

“Of course, Walter. What’re friends for?” Fluttershy replied, patting me on the arm as she lead me to meet up with the rest of the group, who had stuffed themselves inside the car that the girls rode up in, like a bunch of sardines.

“...I’m happy I met you guys.” I say with a smile, chuckling at the sight of the girls all squished inside the car as Fluttershy and I made our approach.

Earlier

Twilight sighs as she leaves the room of which Jessica Barnes, older sister to Walter Barnes, is being held until she can be properly transported to a more appropriate location. It took some patience to handle Jessica, for a human bound by magic restraints it’s a surprise how… Grabby… She can be. By the time Twilight and the guards had brought Jessica to a secluded room at the far end of the building, far away from all the festivities, Jessica had groped about six mares, and four stallions. Twilight made sure to keep her distance after the first few offenses. Now that Jessica was secured at last, Twilight had some time to think.

Jessica Barnes had gone missing two weeks ago, after a certain isolated incident involving griffin mercenaries, and based on her verbal report, had been stranded on the western frontier where she hiked back to civilization and hitched a ride to Ponyville. Jessica certainly is a force to be reckoned with, considering the trials she endured just to enter the country safely. However, what confuses Twilight is why Jessica would go to such extreme measures, and even resort to such violence.

That’s a lie, Twilight had a hunch as to why Jessica would do such a thing. She just didn’t prepare herself in time to deal with Jessica, had she known that Walter’s sister was here she would have called off the test she performed on Walter. His official documents were well orchestrated, although, many things in the documents, compared to confidential sources in the Griffon Kingdom, didn’t seem to match up like they should. Jessica must have somehow figured out Walter was in the presence of the Elements of Harmony and grew suspicious, considering Jessica was still classified as a missing person, Walter was at their mercy, which is probably what made Jessica act so brash.

Breaking her from her train of thought, Twilight is greeted by the sight of Fluttershy approaching from down the hall. Before Twilight could say much of anything, Fluttershy raises her hand to stop her from speaking.

“Twilight Sparkle. What. Did you do. To Walter?” Fluttershy spoke in a low yet calm tone of voice. Twilight is taken aback in surprise to Fluttershy’s sudden question.

“What… Do you mean?” Twilight inquired.

“I think you know what I mean, Twilight.” Fluttershy responds, crossing her arms.

“Fluttershy, I don’t think now is a good time to talk about-”

“Now is a perfect time to talk about your arrogant decisions.” Fluttershy snapped, grabbing Twilight by the shoulder and pushing her into the room she just stepped out of, the very room Jessica is being held.

“Oho? Who’s this babe?” Jessica speaks up, her brows raising in interest upon seeing a new face.

“A friend of Walter, somebody who actually understands the difference between work and friendship.” Fluttershy remarks, casting a hot stare at Twilight.

“Spicy.” Jessica simply responds, raising a brow at the obvious tension between the pegasus and the unicorn.

“Fluttershy, not in front of-”

“In front of a woman you’ve criminalized for trying to protect her family?” Fluttershy interrupted once again. “What the fuck were you thinking Twilight!?”

“Wait, did something happen to my brother?” Jessica inquired, furrowing her brows. “The only reason things got a bit hectic is because that old fart wouldn’t get out of my way when I was trying to get to Walter.” Jessica went on to explain as Twilight nervously adjusted her dress. “So I guess that’s why he was guarding the door in the first place…” Jessica muttered.

“What did you do, Twilight?” Fluttershy demanded. The unicorn mare fidgeted with her fingers for a few moments, before her composure eventually broke down and she let out a long shaky sigh.

“...I was only trying to find out what he knew… It was nothing harmful, just a peek into his memories to confirm whether or not our sources were solid. But… I never… I didn’t… It was awful… The things I saw… They… I…” Twilight tripped over her words, sniffling as she covered her mouth in disgust by recalling what she saw while digging around in Walter’s memories.

“...What did you see, Twilight?” Fluttershy demanded, only this time her voice was far more calm.

“You saw his punishment, didn’t you?” Jessica remarked, earning a quick glance from Twilight. Jessica sighs, shaking her head, Twilight’s reaction confirmed the human woman’s suspicions all too well.

“What’s she talking about, Twilight?” Fluttershy asked, concern growing in her voice. “What punishment?”

“Sit down ladies, I got a lot to tell you two.” Jessica says, leaning back into her chair as she rests her cuffed wrists on her lap. Twilight and Fluttershy exchange a few glances before taking a seat at the table in front of Jessica.

“Almost three years ago, my brother Walter was dishonorably discharged from the Imperial Guardsmen Corps, for the attempted murder of special forces cadets. A bunch of rich kids whose parents bought them their place in special forces, rather than having earned them. Digression aside, Walter nearly killed these arrogant brats. My dad had to pull all sorts of strings with the higher powers in order to drag Walter out of the death penalty.” Jessica began, both Twilight and Fluttershy sharing a shocked expression.

“Why would Walter do such a thing?” Twilight asked.

“Because, those noble brats ganged up on Walter’s partner, and beat him within an inch of his life. Walter responded by ripping those brats limb from limb, most likely crippling them all for life.” Jessica explained, both mares looking as if they got smacked in the face with the ass-end of a box truck.

“By partner, do you mean… Romantic partner?” Fluttershy asked.

“Eeyup, my brother is pansexual, he doesn’t really care what race, gender, or species you are: griffon, human, pony, minotaur, etc., he’ll lock arms with ya regardless. And one thing you need to know about my brother… Although his temper is well contained, when the cap breaks off, he can become… Explosive. And it was that hate crime done by those brats that set him off the edge and ended his military career.” Jessica explains, as Twilight and Fluttershy both lean back in their chairs, horrified by what they just heard.

“That’s… Horrible… That poor man... “ Fluttershy says softly, covering her mouth as she tried to restrain the grief she felt for Walter. Twilight lowered her head silently as Fluttershy stood up, turning her back to the two while she mulled about all the information she just learned.

“When the war back home started up, our dad saw it as the perfect chance for Walter to live a new life… Because he knew that if Walter ever set foot on the battlefield again… He’d lose everything that made him human. That’s why we are here… That’s why he is here, for a second chance at life. Even if it costs me my life, I will not let anybody disrupt my brother’s peace… Not you, and certainly not the leaders of this nation. My brother is not a machine that you can dismantle as you please. He is a man, and a damn good one at that… Show him the respect he deserves.” Jessica says in a serious tone of voice.

“Twilight. Release her now.” Fluttershy says firmly after a long pause of silence.

“I can’t just do that, Fluttershy!” Twilight replied, glancing over at her.

“You will release her. She’s in your custody, yes? You have authority over what happens to her, yes? What’re you scared of? Scared of making an adult decision? Scared you might get scolded by Celestia?” Fluttershy asked, whipping around to face her friend. “Grow some balls, Twilight. Let the woman go.”

“Oh damn, she is sassy as fuck, I like her!” Jessica says with a grin, wiggling her eyebrows toward the pegasus.

“What happened to you being all shy and soft spoken?” Twilight asked, trying to understand how Fluttershy developed this rather… Assertive personality.

“We all change as life goes on Twilight. Walter and I had plenty of time to talk, and he got me to start thinking about changing my life style a bit. I’m not a doormat Twilight, and I certainly won’t remain soft spoken as long as our new friend’s only family here in this country is locked up because of your actions!” Fluttershy snapped, causing Twilight to recoil a bit at her words.

“...Fine.” Twilight sighed, her horn lighting up as she undid the magical lock on Jessica’s restraints. Jessica set the cuffs on the table, rubbing her wrists a bit as she stood up.

“Aw, I was looking forward to the interrogation, I had high hopes that spanking was involved.” Jessica remarked with a small laugh, earning a flustered stare from Twilight. Jessica slowly made her way around the table, standing face to face with the unicorn now as her grin remained stretched across her lips. “I’d like to apply for the Royal Guard.” Jessica says suddenly, earning a look of surprise and confusion from both Twilight and Fluttershy.

“What? Why?” Twilight inquired.

“Because, unlike my brother, I had a pleasant military career. Do you honestly expect me to be a cashier at some corner store? I’d go berserk in a matter of days if I had to do something boring like that.” Jessica explains to the befuddled unicorn.

“So you want to start working as a Royal Guard?” Twilight asked, tilting her head.

“Yep! I need to get a job to start building my life here, I’d move in with my brother and you girls but I don’t want to be a cockblock.” Jessica remarked, causing Fluttershy to blush more than Twilight did.

“Right, well… I’ll talk to the Captain of the Royal Guard and see if I can… Uh… Work things out.” Twilight says, still quite bewildered by this human woman.

“Good! Now you, Fluttershy was it? Let's catch up with the others, I wanna get fucked up tonight! Possibly even laid!” Jessica says as she wraps her arm around Fluttershy, leading her out of the room. “Time to party!” Jessica declares as she and Fluttershy disappear down the hallway leading to the ballroom, most likely to retrieve the others, leaving the befuddled unicorn mare alone in the makeshift interrogation room, still quite taken back by all that had just unfolded.