The rest of that day consisted of re-tuning Ebony's guitar.

I forgot to tell him he would have to tune it every so often. I also never taught him how to tune it, so it's probably my fault it sounded like a crashing piano every time it was strummed.

We had a small meeting in Chrome's room that night, just before we were about to head to bed. Everyone was there. Well... not everyone. Just Chrome, the two princesses, our resident changeling and corresponding queen, Feather and...

"Fashionably late huh?" I asked as Dawn and Steve quickly shambled their way through the doorway.

Instead of using the room's furnishings, we stood in the largest empty spot in the room and formed a circle. Everyone shuffled closer to each other to make room for Steve and Dawn, who both seemed a little out of breath. By the way they both entered the room, I could tell they had ran.

Steve entered the rim of the circle, along side Dawn. "Ah, sorry guys," He said as the door fell shut behind him. "We were out having a meal." Dawn nodded confidently at his statement

Feather, who was next to me and Eb, snorted then smirked slightly at Steve. "By the looks of it, only one of you was 'having a meal'." She said in a very slightly hushed tone.

Dawn glanced to Feather with a casual demeanor, as if she had not heard what she said, while next to her, Steve burst into a fit of coughs, trying his hardest to flatten down the now puffed-up feathers around his neck. Dawn kept up her act of innocence, but the subtle shuffling of her back legs gave her away. To me at least.

Ebony gave me a confused look, he probably had no idea what was going on. I subtly waved a hand and shook my head in a 'nevermind' motion. I looked back up the the group, clapping my hands together to break the silence and get everyone's attention. "Okay guys, we're all ready for tomorrow?" I said. They all nodded. Steve's nod was stopped short by a flinch, he then rubbed at his neck, grimacing slightly. No one else seemed to notice. "Sweet. So..." I looked to the princesses. "...what's the plan?"

Celestia looked to Luna and nodded. Luna returned the gesture and took a step into the circle, leaving Chrome's side. Chrome moved to follow, but after glancing to Celestia, thought better of it. Luna's horn began to glow as a floating map appeared infront of her. Hovering just over the ground, the map was clearly constructed of magic since it was slightly transparent, three dimensional and cast the same blue hue as Luna's horn. It featured a mountain range, Canterlot perched on the side of one of the peaks. A soft smile came to my face as I spotted the small train-tracks leading into the caves that wound around the mountain.

Luna pointed with a hoof towards the map. She circled a small area, the flat-ish plain infront of the city that contained the train station and some of its tracks. The plain met a cliff-face where the mountain continued its climb. Clearly the city had originally been built upon a small outcropping, then extended outwards and down along the cliff below, making it look one with the mountain. The plain was all that remained of the outcropping, about the size of the average crop-field, maybe a little more.

"This is where we make our stand," Luna said. "Though our last line of defense, as well as the medical teams, will be waiting atop the outer walls of the city incase things do not go in our favor. There will be a spotter along-side every medical team, who will watch over the battle and point out any who 'down but not out' so to say. The medical team will then aid these individuals if possible." She paused. "Chrome... you will... you will be part of one of these teams."

Chrome looked to the floor, nodding knowingly.

Luna continued. "Our front lines will be constructed of two teams. One who will act as the main defensive force, while the other with sit behind the first, armed with ranged weaponry. This second team will file into the first team's position should the first team begin to fall." Luna turned to the couple. "Dawn Skies, Rosewood..."

"Steve." Steve corrected, lifting a claw.

Luna blinked and gave me a glance. I shrugged. Luna's gaze slowly drifted back to the griffin and pony. "...Steve... you two will be within the first of these two teams, the front lines. They both gave a determined grin and nodded sharply in unison.

Luna looked over to me, Feather and Ebony. "Dan, Feather, You will both be in the second of these teams." I gave her a confused look. "Don't worry Dan, you will be supplied with a crossbow, they are easy enough to operate. Use your daggers if you get caught up-close or are forced to take the first team's place."

I shook my head. She had answered a few questions I had not thought of, but the one I was concerned with remained unsolved. "Okay, I get that. But what about Eb? Where's he going?" I asked, pointing to him. Eb gave Luna a worried look.

Luna looked down to the changeling. "You will be alongside me, my sister and your Queen. We will have an elevated position, overlooking the operation." Ebony froze even more-so than he was already. "You know more about changelings and their culture than any of us, excluding maybe your Queen. Having both of you with us will help us make the right decision if we need to intervene in any way."

Ebony looked up to his Queen who was the other side of Celestia from Luna. She nodded to him. Ebony thought, then gave both Viss and Luna a confident nod.

Luna looked back across the group. "Me and my sister will be issuing orders and alerting the troops of any and all changes through magical means. Some ponies do not like having voices sound through their minds, but it is necessary. So prepare to hear either me or my sister speaking through your heads, do not let it alarm you, since you will need any concentration you can muster. The fate of Canterlot depends on us being victorious in this battle." She gave us all a determined glare.

Steve, Dawn and Feather all saluted, they all seemed to have been done out of instinct as Steve's stopped half way and Feather was expertly hiding embarrassment. Dawn was the only one to not look at all bothered, she looked proud.

Luna returned to Celestia and Chrome's sides. Celestia gave her a praising nod as she took her place. "Five AM tomorrow morning. Meet at the main gates, you will be directed to your positions. I will raise the sun early to provide you with ample light, so you may fight well." We all took this as a ticket to leave the room, the circle began to shuffle as everyone prepared to move. "Good luck. All of you." She said genuinely, as the three taller ponies left the room rather abruptly. Luna gave Chrome a rather longing look as she passed through the doorway, but she was quickly forced to move on by Viss who was ducking under the doorframe. I imagine having Viss bump into you, even a little, would be like being hit with a slightly spiky brick wall.

Me, Eb, Dawn, Steve and Feather headed our separate ways as we exited Chrome's room, leaving him there.

I walked alongside Ebony for a couple steps, before thinking of something. "Hang on Eb. I'll be right back." I said, stopping in the hallway.

"Where are you going?" He asked, looking surprisingly sad. I almost decided not to go after seeing his face.

"I need to speak to Steve and that. I won't take long. Meet you in our room."

He looked slightly understanding, but still seemed slightly torn. "Okay." He said quietly as he continued his way to our room, which was only a few meters away.

I turned and walked quickly to catch up with the couple. Eventually, I turned a corner and found them walking through the halls towards their room.

I interrupted a small conversation as I tapped Steve on the shoulder.

They both looked over to me but didn't stop walking, I matched their pace.

"Oh, hey there Dan." Steve said, slightly surprised.

"What do you need?" Dawn followed him up, giving me a caring look.

I smiled at the warm reception. "I was wonder what's happening with your uh... well... your wedding." I said, hoping it wasn't a touchy subject. They hadn't said much about it.

They both shook their heads solemnly. "Yeah..." Steve sighed. "It's been delayed again. Due to the battle happening and all..."

I nodded understandingly. "Ah... sorry to hear. Tell me when you're doing it though, I wanna be there."

"Of course Dan." Dawn said, bucking up a bit.

"Thanks you two." I said, glancing back in the direction of my room. "I'd better get going."

They both gave me a wave as I walked backwards away from them.

I hurried back to my room, determined to get a decent night's rest.

I stopped halfway to my door and turned around, looking at the door just before mine. Chrome's room. He'd been quiet recently. He had a good excuse though, he'd lost his job. That doesn't sound like much to someone like me, someone who comes from a world where jobs come and go all the time. But to someone who lives in a world of pre-assigned destiny... pre-assigned roles... failing at such a role is crushing, since it's literally all you are.

I decided to check on him, he was pretty torn up when I last spoke with him.

I approached his door, remembering the times I'd spent with Chrome... Our drunken escapades, or in his case, very drunken escapades... I shook those thoughts out of my head. I needed to have a serious conversation with the guy.

I used a fist to thud on his door a couple times.

No answer.

I hit a little harder, trying my hardest to make a loud noise without harming the door too much. I had a bad track-record with doors... As much as I'm proud of my reputation, I'd rather keep my hands as splinter-free as possible for tomorrow.

Still no answer.

I leant on the door, resting my head on the door slightly. "Chrome, it's me. Dan. I... want to talk to you." I said through the door.

After a couple seconds, the door slowly opened.

Chrome stood silently in the doorway, his eyes were heavy and his hair was greasier than normal. He looked up at me and gave a half-hearted smile. "Sorry I erm... I was busy." He said as he turned away from the door and headed into the kitchen area. I quickly followed him, allowing the door to fall closed behind me. His room was dark, the curtains were mostly drawn and the lights were off. "I was actually about to open a bottle or two if you'd like to join me." He said in a flat, unenthusiastic voice as he rummaged through a cupboard in the kitchen. He pulled out a long bottle full of clear liquid, neck held in his teeth. He froze when he locked eyes with me, but his stoic expression didn't shift.

I sighed, rubbing one side of my face. "What's happened to you Chrome? Is now really the time?" I asked. His eyes closed and his head lowered slightly, presumably looking to the floor through his eyelids. "What about tomorrow? You don't want to be hungover, or worse - drunk for that right?

He sighed, looking back up at me. His eyes shined slightly in the dim room. "I-" He said, sending the bottle in his jaw straight to the floor. It shattered on impact, sending a heavy-smelling fluid across the floor, along with what remained of the bottle.

I quickly reached for the roll of paper-towels, but Chrome lifted a hoof in my direction, signalling for me to stop. I stayed my hand. "It's fine!" He said, opening a draw next to him and pulling out a dishcloth with his mouth. He tossed it onto the floor and pressed his hooves ontop of it. "It's fine, I've got this covered."

I knelt down slightly. "I'll get the glass-"

"No!" Chrome cut me off. I flinched at his volume, and by the looks of it, he surprised himself as well. He sighed. "Look, just... just go sit on the couch or something. I... I'll clear this up."

I stood, seeing I couldn't win this battle. I slowly walked through his room, away from the kitchen area, and towards the couches. I had to hop slightly to get over the sheets, pillows and household objects strewn across the floor. One of which was a lamp... It was missing it's lampshade.

I fell into one of the couches, the one facing away from the bedroom. The table between the two couches was a-clutter with seemingly random items.

After a couple of minutes filled with the sounds of clinking glass and the wringing of towels, Chrome sat on the couch opposite me, sitting in the corner. He rested his head against the wall as I shuffled forward in my seat.

"Chrome, you've... You've really got to get this under control."

"Dan, I'm fi-"

"No. No, you're not." I said accusingly. "Look, I know we all like a good drink every now and again. But this? This isn't helping anything."

Chrome sighed. Reaching down to the table infront of him. "Well. My father had a saying."

"Oh yeah? And what was that?"

Chrome held up a small metal flask in a hoof. "Lift the spirits..." He said, raising the flask to his lips. "...to lift your spirits." He said, tipping his head back and beginning to drain the flask.

My hands balled into fists as I stood, leaning over the table. I hit the metal container off of it's careful placement upon his hoof. It tumbled through the air, spewing another rancid liquid as it fell. I watched the flask roll end-over end along the floor, before finally coming to a stop on a small pile of assorted clothes.

"The hell dude?" Chrome glared, one eyelid slipping slightly.

I stared at him. Returning his glare. Chrome slowly stood on the couch, almost meeting my eye-level.

I put a finger to his chest. "You." I glowered. "Will NOT be getting drunk the night before a war."

He narrowed his eyes and thudded my arm away with a hoof. "Too late..." He hesitated slightly. "...motherfucker." He hissed before wiping his mouth with an elbow. "I had 4 glasses before you even came in." He said in a cocky tone, as if he had just revealed a master-plan in which he had 'deceived me from the very beginning'.

I gave him an audible sneer, before turning away from him and putting a hand to my face. Taking a couple deep breaths to hold back my tears.

Chrome continued glaring at the back of my skull as I thought.

"Chrome." I said, in the calmest voice I could muster. "I'll give you one... last chance." I turned back towards him, "Stop."

He stared at me. Silence.

"Chrome," I continued, "This isn't like you. You're not thinking straight. Please, just stop."

Eventually his lips formed a scowl. "Make me." He growled.

I raised my head back, straightening myself. "Fine." I said. I calmly turned around and walked away from him. His glare continued to track me through his room. I walked into his kitchen, across the still sticky tile-flooring and opened the cupboard he pulled the previous bottle from.

Inside were at least a dozen identical bottles. Tall, thin, clear, unbranded bottles. That's never a good sign.

I grabbed one my the neck and walked over to the sink.

Chrome's narrowed eyes widened in rage. "Oh don't you dare..." He mumbled as I pulled a stack of used plates from the bottom of the sink. I stared at him, meeting his eyes as I unscrewed the top from the bottle and held it over the drain. He bared his teeth as I slowly began to turn the bottle over.

I tipped the bottle fully. The clear liquid flowing freely down into the sink.

Chrome's look of rage was polluted with fear as he rushed into the kitchen. I held up the bottle, wielding it over my head like a club, allowing the fluid to flow down my arm. Chrome stopped in the entrance to the kitchen. I warned, "Not a step closer. This is for your own good."

Chrome's eye twitched as he watched the puddle below me grow, more and more of the bottle's contents emptying down my arm.

Chrome set a hoof on a draws handle and pulled sharply, launching the draw out of its hole and onto the floor infront of him. He quickly ducked his head into it and returned with a rolling pin in his teeth. "Drop it." He mumbled through the wooden handle.

He immediately regretted his choice of words as I quickly followed his orders. Dropping the bottle to the floor. Again, the kitchen floor was covered in glass shards and the heavy scent of alcohol.

Chrome's eyes turned wild as he lunged at me, ignoring the glass crackling under his hooves. He swung the wooden tool violently as I hopped out of his way. I gave him a sharp kick to his right shoulder as he passed me, sending him careering into the fridge. The door bounced open due to the impact and the whole machine wobbled on its legs as Chrome collapsed infront of it. I looked up at the fridge as the rolling pin fell out of Chrome's now unconscious jaw. I thanked whatever gods there may be that the knife rack placed atop the fridge didn't fall.

I sighed, lowering myself to my knees. I placed a hand on Chrome's side and pulled him over onto his back, making sure not to roll him onto any pieces of glass. One cheek was already bruising from where it had collided with the fridge door, his side was not fairing much better. I looked down at the fur on his stomach, faint as it may have been, I could still make out the scars from that morning all those months ago. I sighed and shook my head as I ran my hand along his side, feeling his soft fur... and the word still inscribed on his side.

I pushed Chrome back onto his front, being mindful of his wings.

"Okay, come on." I mumbled to myself as I put both of my arms under him and hefted him up to my chest. I leant back and steadied my legs. He was a lot heavier than Ebony. I slowly walked through the kitchen with him draped over my arms. I was using a foot to open the still ajar door when I felt the muscles in his core shift violently. I froze as Chrome emptied his stomach onto the floor below me, narrowly missing my shoe.

I sighed. "Nice." I grimaced to myself as I gave up trying to open the door with my foot and threw Chrome over my shoulder momentarily so I could use a free hand to use the door's handle. Once I was through the door and had it closed behind me, I lowered Chrome back onto my chest.

I kicked at my door until Ebony opened it.

"I'm here! I'm her-" Ebony said before freezing upon seeing the pony in my arms. "...What." Was all he could muster. Bless him.

"Thanks for getting the door Ebony." I said as I walked into the room, he swiftly got out of my way and shut the door behind me. "Just head to bed, I'll be there soon, just gotta take care of Chrome first."

I set Chrome down on his stomach on one of our couches, making sure to hang his head off the side slightly, incase he decided he had something left in his likely vacant gut. I stared at the ceiling and rubbed my face, wishing I had just forced Chrome to sleep in my room. I looked over to Ebony. He was staring at me. "What?" I asked, still slightly heated from my tussle with Chrome.

He pointed to my face, then to his cheek. "You... uh... got a little something there." Circling an area on his face.

I lifted a hand up to feel my face, only to find a patch of blood already on my hand. Presumably, when I rubbed my face, I had touched a wound or something. Maybe a piece of glass bounced and cut my face or something.

"It's fine Ebony, just head to bed."

He gave Chrome a wary look. Then gave me a concerned glance as he silently walked into the bedroom and shut the door behind him.

I gave Chrome's back a pat with my clean hand as I stood from his side and walked into the bathroom. I looked into the mirror, I had a smudged hand-print of blood on my face. I ran some water over my hand. No cut there... After cleaning my hand, I lowered my face to the tap and rinsed the blood from my face, wiping the water away with a towel. I looked back to the mirror.

"Wow I need to cut my hair." I mumbled to myself. I had not cut it since arriving in Equestria, so it was looking pretty unruly. I lifted the hair from my forehead and checked my face for cuts. ...nothing.

Wait... If there's no cuts on my hand... and no cuts on my head... where'd the blood come from?

My eyes widened as I peered back through the bathroom door. Chrome...

I rushed back to his side.

I lifted his head up in my hands, checking both sides of his face. One side was slightly swollen, but no cuts. I felt along his neck, then looked to my hands, still nothing. I moved down to his side, and sheepishly held the end of one of his wings then pulled slowly. The feathers slowly unfolded as the confusing joints extended. No blood.

I reached over him, holding the end of his other wing. I pulled even slower, since that was the side that hit the fridge, I didn't want to break his wing any worse than it may already have been. The wing seemed slightly tense, but wasn't bleeding on either side.

I sat back on my heels, looking over Chrome's body. "Where the hell did it come from then?..." I mumbled. "It's definitely not mine... may-"

My words stopped as I heard a noise.

I waited in silence. It might have just been my imagination.

...

No, there it is again. I thought as I heard another dull tapping sound. A single tap, like a drop of water hitting... carpet.

Looked to the carpet under the couch and sure enough, under where one of Chrome's front hooves was hanging off of it, there was a tiny blood stain.

I grimaced as I lifted Chrome's hoof.

"Oh jesus..." I whispered as I saw the bottom of his hoof. The firm base of his limb had a piece of glass of indistinguishable length lodged in it, all the glass that remained outside of the hoof had clearly been snapped off. Probably as he ran at me.

I stared for a while, thinking back to Celestia's words... "The ear tips and hoofs Dan, they are sensitive."

"I am so sorry." I mumbled to the unconscious pony. "...Ebony?" I called. "Hey, Eb! I kinda need you!"

After a while he poked his head around the doorframe, his eyes were half-lidded, and not in the good way. "What do you need Dan? We..." He yawned. "We need our sleep."

I shook my head. "I need you to go and get the infirmary ponies or something."

Ebony blinked. His tiredness being overcome by his curiosity. "Why? Are you hurt that bad?"

I shook my head. "No, it's Chrome. His hoof... I think there's glass in it."

Ebony eyes widened. "Please tell me it's a chip, not a shard."

I looked back down to his hoof, I could not tell how big the piece of glass was or how far in it went, I could only see one side of it. "I don't know, I can't tell."

Ebony shuffled slightly, looking a little squeamish. "Try er... wiggling it."

I stared at him. "I don't want it to break inside him!"

Ebony shook his hooves wildly, the holes whistling slightly. "NONONO, the hoof, not the GLASS!"

"Oh." I said, looking back down to Chrome. I shook his hoof a little, then slightly more violently. "Yeah... this thing isn't even shifting."

Ebony nodded. "Yeah that's... that's probably a s-" He swallowed, as if keeping his whole stomach down. "...shard-"

"Hey, Eb, you okay there?"

He waved a hoof dismissively. "I just don't like... hoof stuff."

"Okay, whatever. Just please go get those ponies." I said, pointing to the front door.

Ebony gave me a sharp nod and practically flew out of the room. In fact, he did. Out of the window to be precise. He didn't break it or anything, but it still terrified me for a second, before I realized he had wings and magic, so he could probably handle himself.

Ebony came back in through the front door, tailed by two mares. They were both decorated in white attire.

After a couple of minutes, they had left. During that time they had taken any information I or Ebony had on what Chrome had drank. I told them everything I knew. They left with Chrome draped over their backs. Ebony entered the bedroom and I stayed behind, fixing myself a quick glass of water. God knows I needed one.

Ebony was sitting on the bed when I walked into the bedroom, he was hunched over and looked half asleep. I sighed as I set the box that contained the knives on my bedside table. I didn't take off any clothes as I got into bed, I just clambered in and laid down, trying to get some sleep. It was already far too late to get a good night's sleep, but some was better than none.

Ebony did the same after a minute or two.

"How're you feeling? About tomorrow?" He asked quietly in the silent room.

...

I didn't answer.

***

"Hey" Ebony said in a hushed tone, standing by my side of the bed and poking my shoulder gently. "Hey, Dan."

I groaned as I rolled over and sat up. I put my hands to my face, stretched out my back then slowly extended my arms outwards in a painful yet satisfying stretch.

"Hey, what's up." I said, rubbing my back slightly as I opened my eyes.

Pale light was coming in through the curtains, bouncing off of the armor Ebony was wearing slightly as he stood by my bedside, looking slightly flustered.

"Y- We need to get going." He said in a slightly rushed tone, 'magicing' the knife box into my lap and exiting the room.

I lifted the lid and peered down at my scattered reflections, the blades sitting innocently in their velvet beds. I grabbed one by the handle and held it up to my eyes, turning it slowly, allowing a spec of light from the morning sun to dance along its edge.

I sighed as I set it on the bed carefully, along with its twin a moment afterwards before removing the box from my lap and setting it back on the table beside my bed. I stood from the bed then placed the two knifes in their usual slots on my belt. Shit... I thought as I realized I never asked for the armor to have built-in sheaths. Aw well, looks like I better hold them in the open when I get the armor on...

I walked out of the bedroom, closing the door behind me. Ebony was standing by the door, looking ready to go. The main room was cast in a strange light. Looking at the clock, it was only 3 in the morning but the sun was already streaming in.

"Heh, looks like Celestia's been hard at work already this morning, you ready?" I asked him.

Ebony stepped out of the way, allowing me access to the door. "Yeah, yeah I'm ready. I think."

Her certainly looked ready. Covered in his armor and those strange contraptions on each of his hooves.

We both exited our room at the same time, but both froze in our tracks as we turned.

I had turned right.

He had turned left.

We both turned to eachother, realizing we wouldn't see much of eachother during the battle, since we were positioned in different places. I was about to, but he beat me to the punch, tackling me into another painful hug.

He sniffed. "You be careful out there Dan." He said as I tried my best to return the hug without puncturing a lung or something.

"I'll be careful Ebony. I promise." I said, looking down at him as he rubbed the side of his head against my chest, like an affectionate cat. God he's really draining the love today isn't he... god...

He looked up at me, hooves still wrapped around me. "You promise?"

I smiled at his pleading eyes. "I promise." I said as I dispersed the hug. "You keep that Queen of yours safe now." I said, half teasingly.

He nodded sternly. "With my life."

My smile faltered as he turned and began to walk away.

"Please don't, though." I called after him.

He froze in the hallway, mid step. The clanging of his armor stopping abruptly. "...What?" He asked, quietly.

I swallowed, becoming slightly emotional at the thought. "If it comes to that... please..." He slowly turned to face me as I spoke, "...please don't give your life for her. ...For anyone for that matter. You're much too important to me."

He stared at me, his eyes becoming slightly damp, though maintaining a fairly hardened expression. "I'll... I'll hesitate." He stammered before rather quickly making his way down the hallway.

I let out a long sigh as I turned away, continuing down the hallway. Heading towards the main gates.

While passing though a street, gates in sight, a pony stuck his head out of a nearby house. "Dan right? Hey! Dan! Over here!" He yelled in a deep voice, waving. It was a guard.

I walked over to the house, peering into one of the windows as I did so, the house seemed to have been stripped down and re-designed as some form of military storage area. Guards were pushing and pulling crates inside. The pony who called my name was leaning out of an opened window.

"Do I... know you?" I asked, genuinely. It's not my fault they make all the guards look the same.

The guard raised his eyebrows. "I made your armor? Come on."

I smiled. "Oh, it's you Midnight." I said, holding up a fist which he graciously bumped. "So, how'd it go?"

"The armor? It went great. Here I think I saw it not to long ago..." He said, ducking back into the room. He rummaged around for a little while amongst the crates and guard uniforms littering the floor. "Ah!" He sounded from inside before an assortment of loose, tanned leather pieces flew out of the window one by one followed by what looked like a man's jumpsuit made of thin white fabric.

I picked them all up, bundling them in my arms. He leaned out of the window again, resting an elbow on the sill. "That there's your armor. White thing goes on, then the leather. You can probably figure out how, it's all just straps."

I looked down at the collection of leather and fabric in my arms. They were very light, even being held like that. "Dude this is perfect." I said. "Say, you wouldn't have happened to have added anywhere to put my knives on these, would you?" I asked, turning to the side to allow him to see one of the blades held in my belt.

"Naw, sorry. You should have said-" His words ceased as his eyes landed on my knife. "Guys... Guys!" He called into the house. "This guy's got crystal tips!" The window soon filled with many identical guard faces, all staring in wonder and jealousy.

They bombarded me with praise and questions. 'Where did you get them?' and 'How?' were among the most common.

Trust the drug trafficker to get excited over crystal... "One I got from a friend. The other I got from... well, an enemy." I said, shrugging. "I've had them for a while but Celestia recently upgraded them a little."

They all fell more or less silent at the mention of Celestia.

"Celestia. She did that?" Midnight asked, breaking the awkward silence and pointing at the blade at my side. I nodded, slightly confused. The guards all looked at eachother momentarily, then back to my blade. Midnight shook his head in disbelief. "That's gotta be some pretty sick crystal dude."

I couldn't help but laugh slightly. "You have no idea what you just said." I said, turning back towards the gates. "Okay, thanks guys, but I gotta go."

They all returned back into the house, except Midnight, who stays for a second to give a sharp wave.

I continued my way towards the main gates, they were not that far from the house I had stopped at, so it didn't take long. As I was approaching, a guard spotted me and met me a few feet outside of a small doorway just beside the gate. From what I could see, the outer walls were actually hollow, there were guards rushing back and forth inside, probably preparing supplies or something.

"You're early." He said, stepping infront of me and stopping me in my tracks. "We don't have your armor yet. You'll have to get that from one of the storage buildings or wait here."

I bounced my armor in my arms slightly, drawing his attention to it. "What do you think all this is? I already got my armor. You got the crossbow I was promised, or do I have to go somewhere else for that too?" I said slightly sarcastically.

The guard scoffed. "Eager to go I see. I'll get you your crossbow, hang on."

He turned and headed back into the door, he stood mostly inside of the doorway, holding it open with a back hoof. He called some orders that echoed inside the narrow hallway, a few voices responded and soon he was reproaching me, a crossbow on his back and a quiver full of short arrows in his teeth.

He beckoned me with a head movement as he stopped infront of me. I leaned down and took the quiver from his mouth, placing it on the pile of leather and fabric I still held bundled in my arms.

"Thanks." He said, turning slightly, presenting the crossbow to me. "Here's your crossbow."

It was fairly primitive. Impressive, but it was no compound bow, that's for sure. The whole thing was constructed out of wood. Sanded smooth and polished slightly, the weapon gleamed faintly in the sunlight. It was small, only about as wide as my chest. But the thick string was incredibly taut, clearly it would take some strength to pull it back, but it would likely make up for that in firepower.

At the back of the crossbow, where a human-made one would have a shoulder-rest, had what looked more like a shovel handle. Since the non-unicorn guards had to use these too, the guards held this part of the handle in their mouths, the trigger was on the bottom of this handle. I took this to memory immediately, since setting the crossbow down would surely set off the trigger. Though the trigger was likely to be very firm, as they are made to be used by teeth afterall.

I nodded him thanks as I took the crossbow, setting it upside down ontop of the pile of stuff. It was fairly heavy, given its small size. Solid wood from what I could work out.

The guard called to me as I walked through the gate. "You need any help with that? I could teach you! I have time!"

I raised a hand as I walked, not turning around. "No, I'm sure I'll manage." I called back.

"Oh... Okay." He said, sounding slightly disappointed. "Well, I've got to get back to work... Say 'hi' to the early risers for me will you?"

I turned my head and nodded. "Sure thing."

He smiled slightly then headed back towards the door as he was obscured by the outer wall.

My shoes hit the soft grass of the plain outside of the palace walls. I walked towards the two lines of ponies, there were not many of them out yet, only the most eager were out since the invasion was not scheduled for another hour or so. They were putting a lot of faith in there predictions, but I'm sure they had some form of honor-rule or agreement, knowing Celestia.

The grass soon turned to a dry, rocky mud.

The two lines were very sparse, so as I walked, I decided I wouldn't go and tell each of them 'hi' from whoever that guard was. It would take me ages to walk to each one and back.

I was about a couple hundred feet from the outer wall when I neared the back-most row of ponies. I recognized a small group and headed over to them. It was Steve, Dawn and Feather. It looked like Steve and Dawn were hanging around in the back lines so they could talk to Feather. Dawn was shuffling in an excited manner and both her and Steve were glancing around every so often, watching the skies.

Feather looked like something out of an old 50's war-time flick. A metal helmet with a space for her horn and a thick military-green jacket that looked older than she was. At both of her sides were large bags that were full of god-knows-what. She was like a statue, planted in the ground, unmoving aside from her hair bustling in the wind slightly. Around her neck were what looked like dog-tags, but what was disturbing about them was the fact that the chain had already been broken at the back and was only being held in place by a small patch of tape. Despite her ominous appearance, she was managing to maintain a reasonably chipper conversation with the other two.

Dawn was... scary. She was covered in enough blades that it looked like she had taken the term "The best defense is a good offence" too literally and replaced her armor with weapons. On every available point on her body, she had a small band with at least two knifes tucked in-between the band and her bare fur. Her hair was tied back with what looked like the ripped remains of a shirt. Her eyes were decorated with some form of war-paint, or mud... I couldn't really tell, and I dare not ask, her pupils were the size of pinpricks. And of course, stood beside her, leaning on her neck, was Ellie. Dawn had her hoof wrapped over the handle like an old friend would a high-school reunion 60 years after-the-fact.

Steve was... well... Steve was Steve. He was just his normal Steve-y self.

The only noticeable feature about him was that his blue officer hat had been cleaned and perched delicately on top of his feathers.

I placed my bundle of stuff down next to the small group as the noticed me.

"Hey there Dan." Feather said, directing the other two's attention to me. "You're out here a little earlier than I thought you would be."

Steve sniffed audibly. "And why do you smell like a used shot-glass?" They all turned at me with curious looks

I slumped slightly as I picked up the full suit of white fabric, realizing I had never changed out of the clothes I had covered in Chrome's drink the night before. "Forgot to change, don't worry about it, I'm not drunk or anything." I said as I slipped into the white suit, it had small buttons lining the front which made it look a little like some very plain pajamas. But at least they were magical pajamas. I placed my knifes on the pile so I could put it on without trapping my weapons.

Once the last button was done, I looked back up the group. Steve was giving my outfit a strange glare, while Dawn and Feather were staring at the pile of things still beside me.

"Is that... leather ar-" Feather began, before she was interrupted by Dawn pushing past her to get at my pile.

Dawn's eyes only widened once she had barged through Feather. She loomed over my knifes, moving her hoofs to touch them, but then backing away repetitively. As if they were some kind of fragile child that could crumble to dust if touched. Her now large and motherly eyes looked up from the knifes, to me. "What have you done?" She asked, hooves shaking slightly, glancing between me and my blades.

I'm going to be honest, I was scared. "I- Celestia, she- I don't-" I stammered. Feather and Steve seemed to stiffen slightly.

"They're beautiful." She said, starring at me intensely.

I let out a silent sigh of relief, Feather and Steve did so too by the looks of it.

"Oh, thanks." I said as I timidly reached over her and grabbed a random piece of armor from the pile. I turned it about in my hand, it looked like it was meant to go on my forearm, so I strapped it on there. It fit fairly well so I assumed I had got it right. "And yes, Feather, this is leather."

We stood and discussed the ethics of leather as I suited up, it took a while since I had never actually seen or used armor before, cause you know, I'm a normal person.

Steve was rather proud of my choice of materials, so was Dawn, who said something along the lines of "Even before the bloodshed, you are surrounded by death." before turning to a slightly disturbed Steve and tell him to maybe one day get some.

Dawn was actually scaring me a little. Her smile was unwavering and she refused to stop idly stroking Ellie's handle. I would often have to look to Steve for reassurance when talking to her.

Feather didn't really care for my choice of armor and was only really interested because she hadn't seen any in a long time.

Over time, the two rows of armored ponies became more apparent as more and more troops slowly funneled their way through the front gates. Many heads poked up over the outer walls of the city, which presumably belonged to the medics and spotters. They were hard to make out, but on one of the lowest balconies of the palace (probably used for speeches and the like) Celestia, Luna stood side-by-side. Just behind them was Viss and Ebony.

Suddenly, mid-conversation, Dawn's ears straightened and her eyes widened. She ran off towards the front lines without a word, carrying Ellie under her wing.

Steve looked around for a second. "Looks like everyone's in place." He turned to watch Dawn. "I should probably also get going." He took a couple steps away, but then stopped and turned around. "Ah, almost forgot." He said as he sat on the floor and reached under his wing.

He pulled out a small orange pill bottle. He opened the top and emptied it's contents into his beak.

"Hey Steve." I called. "What's with the meds?"

"Oh these?" He asked as he screwed the top back onto the bottle and tossed to the side. "Anti-bacterials."

I blinked. "...Why?"

Steve grinned devilishly. "You can get infections... from raw meat." He said, before turning away and continuing his stroll to the front lines.

I was left completely speechless. All of my friends are phycos

"Feh, griffins." Feather mumbled as she walked over to my side. "Now, I've seen Dawn fight, and it's quite the show. And of that was any indication, I'd say Steve is equally... enthusiastic. So make sure to watch the front lines, this should be quite impressive."

I grunted in response as I leant down to pick up my crossbow and quiver full of arrows. I almost fell over due to the weight of my armor, leather is heavier than it looks. I slung the quiver over my shoulder and tightened the strap. Only after I had the strangely shaped crossbow in my hand did I notice that I had no way to carry my knives. They were still sitting on the ground.

I took inspiration from Dawn and tucked the two blades under the straps for the armor that covered my forearms. The cold metal layed flush with my skin with the handles facing my wrists.

I looked back to the crossbow in my hands. And attempted to bring the sights up to my eyes, but was stopped by the handles strange design. Had it been loaded, I would have just shot an arrow towards the front lines, since my shoulder pressed against the trigger and clicked it.

"Hey, Feather." I said, getting her attention and pointing to the crossbow. "Anything I should know about this?"

She nodded as she began to walk further into our second line of defense, she was heading for a large rock that sat in the middle of the jumbled line of ponies. "It's simple. Clip arrow onto the string. Pull back till it sticks. Shoot it at the bad guys." She said as she reached the side of the rock, it was just taller than I was and slightly rounded at the edges. She dug her hooves in and began clambering up its side.

"What about the 'bad guys' themselves?" I asked. "What are we up against?"

Feather took a couple breaths as she reached the flat top of the rock, she looked of into the distance, focusing on the ridge across from Canterlot. "There will be small ones, workers and drones. Fast little things. They're just smaller than Ebony. They usually have small blades held with a strong telekinetic spell with a long range. They're good at manual labor, not thinking. Easy to outsmart. Feigning attacks almost always works on those ones.

"Then there are the scouts and mages. Same size as Ebony, sometimes a little bigger. Mages specialize in magic, which means lasers. A whole lot of lasers. Scouts usually have medium-sized blades held with regular telekinetic magic, medium range. The scouts are by far the most intelligent. All the ones I've mentioned so far can fly very efficiently.

"And last there are the warriors. Much bigger than Ebony, more like Steve's size. The wield large weaponry with a very strong telekinetic spell with a short range, that means if you can get the weapon far enough away from it, it will lose the ability to control it. They have very thick armor and a great understanding of combat.

"All changelings have the same weak spots, the sides of the head, the eyes, the back and the belly. You land a decent hit in any of those places and you're bound to do some damage."

I took all the information in for a second. "Ah, thanks." I said, still standing awkwardly at the foot of the rock. I didn't want to leave her, she knew what she was doing. "What about... The queen?"

She scoffed, still checking the horizons. "You won't fight a queen, they don't fight their own battles unless they're really desperate."

I thought for a second, what she said reminded me of something. "Hey! Aren't the princesses supposed to be out here? I thought they had battle armor and all that stuff."

Feather rolled her eyes. "It's all just for show and keeping the troop's morale high. They won't actually intervein unless we start losing terribly." She looked down to me, still standing awkwardly at the foot of the rock. "Are you ever leaving?" She asked impatetiently.

"No!" I answered quickly. "I have no idea what I'm doing. Do I look like the kinda guy who's fought in a war before?"

She looked at my armor, my crossbow, my knifes, the scar on my hand. "...Yes."

I groaned. "Either way, I've never done this before and I can think of no better teacher than you."

"Dan, if you were a unicorn, I could teach you magic. If you were a pony I could teach you basic combat." She said, staring at me with raised eyebrows. "You are neither of those things."

I began fidgeting rapidly. "Well... like... Protect me or something. I'm-..." I sighed. "Feather I'm scared."

Her expression became stoic. Her eyes turning hardened. "We're all scared Dan." Her eyes drifted from me to the front lines. "Some just show it in different ways." I followed her eyes. Two guards seemed to be having a happy conversation with our favourite pony/griffin couple.

Everything fell quiet as the guards around us all stopped what they were doing all at once. If they were doing anything at all in the first place. A voice resonated through my head like a prominent thought. "To the south. The ridge opposite the gates. They are approaching, thirty seconds."

It took me a while but I eventually realized I hadn't been possessed by a vengeful demon, and that it was just Celestia contacting us all.

Feather's scanning eyes froze, fixated on the top of the steep cliff-face across from the city behind us. Her hooves cemented themselves to the top of the rock she perched on.

I quickly span around when I realized what was happening and dived behind the rock and sit up, pressing my back to the stone. I placed my crossbow on the floor and checked the position of both of my knives, they were both still firmly strapped to my wrists. Having things that sharp that close to a place with like... all of the veins was actually kind of worrying. I made sure not to twist my arms too quickly, or the blades could shift or something and I'd be screwed.

Small chunks of dirt and pebbles on the ground began to shake slightly as a a deep rumbling came from across the outcropping.

I reached behind me and pulled out one of the short arrows. It was a barbed broad-head arrow, nasty to remove. Heavy too. I placed it on the wire of the crossbow and pulled, making sure to point the crossbow at the ground, incase it didn't lock into place. It took a few attempts (and a lot of swearing) but I eventually got the thing to load. The crossbow's wooden frame groaned at the stress caused by the incredibly tight cord set in.

The rumbling slowly faded and a deathly silence returned.

The shuffling of my armor was all I could hear as I stood slowly, staying slightly hunched and peeked around the rock arrow-head first.

My tense shoulders fell limp by my sides as my eyes widened.

"Holy..."

I was speechless.

Sorry 'bout the break. Well, I never really took one. This chapter just kinda took a while, a lotta stuff that needs planning you know. I was gunna keep going with this one, but I thought I'd publish half of the chapter now, just to show you guys I'm still alive.

Expect a part 2 in like... 5-7 days I recon. Give or take.

Yeah, scratch that. More like 10 days. Time is just kind of passing me by at the moment.