“Don’t lose your head, Quiet,” Outback warned. “He is the enemy, remember?”

The scout looked up at her sisters. “At the moment, he brings word of a truce tonight,” she said quickly, hoping no one would draw their swords and kill the others before she could be heard.

“And you believe him?” Outback asked her, surprised. In a blur of motion, the unicorn and her companion had their weapons out before the stallion lieutenants had completed the first and only step they had taken towards them from behind. They turned, their eyes fixed on the males who had accompanied their commander to the lake. “Why would they talk truce for one night after drawing first blood?” Xena asked them.

“We are on our way to retrieve our comrades,” Iron Blade said from where he was still partially pinned to the ground. “King Sombra bades us all take the evening on both sides to properly bury our dead and honor their sacrifice.”

Outback’s eyes burned with hatred, turning back to the red stallion. “Sacrifice? They would have violated us! I was there leading the retrieval party of our dead sisters and witnessed this. Let those pigs feed the carrion birds!” she angrily spat.

“Dark Horse went against the King’s orders,” Blade told them in a firm, patient tone. All thoughts of pleasantries for the lovely mare underneath him vanished in the heat of Outback’s fury, but he refused to be baited into disobeying his king’s orders by getting into a fight now - even if it won him a prize such as Quiet Hoof. He nodded at the tail hair wrapped around the hilt of Outback’s sword. “I would say you taught him a lesson as harsh as his highness would have visited upon him himself.”

“The King did make good use of the head you sent back,” Fire Bow snickered, nudging his bulky companion.

Smasher joined in the jest with a short, deep chuckle. “Yup. Staked ‘im for all to see. No pony’s gonna make that mistake again.”

“That’s barbaric!” Quiet Hoof exclaimed, shocked. Iron Blade wasn’t surprised by her revulsion at the thought, but was surprised at his own reaction of chagrin for her offense at the gruesome description.

“He does not brook disobedience from his own troops,” admitted the Commander. “but he has also sent us to retrieve the remainder of Dark’s body, along with the others, for a proper burial.”

“And why should we believe you?” Xena asked simply, turning, her eyes shifting from the lieutenant to his commander. This one’s tone was calmer than her companions and much more level, leading Blade to reason she would be much more focused and methodical on the battlefield - and much more dangerous a foe.

“I could have killed your scout, but I did not,” the commander said with equal calm and reason. “I could have done to her what Dark Horse’s stallions were intending to do to - “

“Oh? And this was not foreplay we witnessed before your dogs showed up, Commander?” the unicorn mare spat acidly. “Thank Luna Quiet was not yet in estrus - “

Blade held back his reaction while Quiet Hoof spoke up, “But he did hold back, ma’am. He could have, yes, but he did not - “

Outback waved her sword in Blade’s direction, her eyes travelling to their sister. “Why are you defending Sombra’s attack dog? Did the scent of him make you take leave of your senses?”

The scout swallowed uneasily, trying to think of a reply that wouldn’t sound like an excuse when Xena spoke up. “Leave it, Outback. He didn’t take her and his subordinates are on a leash, apparently.” She sheathed her sword. “Burial truces are not unheard of to us.”

The unicorn mare relented, nodding, and reluctantly put away her own weapon. Their sister scout breathed a visible sign of relief. Iron Blade’s relief was less obvious, but he did feel relief that the tense moment had passed.

Xena nodded to the earth mare and Quiet made a quick, sharp motion upon Blade’s flank where she had paralyzed him. Feeling started coming back, accompanied by a dull, throbbing pain, but he could immediately move again and took care to lift his weight off of her without causing any further damage to the Marazon.

Standing again without injury was another matter, however, as the leg still sported a profound and annoying feeling of weakness. He crumpled as he moved to his subordinates, but Smasher caught him before he fell and supported him easily. Blade shot Quiet a look of mock hurt.

Xena caught the glare. “It will pass,” she told him, her tone one of chiding a foal for its drama over a simple cut. “There will be no permanent damage.” Then as an afterthought, turned back to him. “You’re lucky she didn’t cut the flow of blood to your brain.”

The three stallions exchanged looks with each other at the thought their enemies could do such a thing.

In the meantime, the mares went to their sister, Quiet Hoof, who was getting up and brushing herself off. Fire Bow noticed her necklace first. “Commander,” he said quietly. “Did you notice her - “

“I did, lieutenant,” Blade nodded. “And before you ask, that is not the one I was given.”

The stallion nodded, glancing up at Smasher. As was his custom, he kept his remarks to himself and merely grunted.

The conversation reminded Blade of something, though. “‘Bow, find the bag with the necklace and ribbons. It should not be far. Keep it out of sight and do not go near that scout mare as long as you possess it.”

“Yes, Commander,” the unicorn nodded, going in search of the lost items.

As the Lieutenant moved off in search of the mare’s adornments, Xena and Outback addressed Iron Blade. “Commander,” the grey-eyed warrioress began. “Our advance scouts - “

The red stallion nodded. “I will give the order to release them unharmed,” he promised.

“And we should believe this wine-colored satyr why?” Outback whispered under her breath.

“I give my word on my oath to serve my King, wench,” Blade’s eyes flashing with momentary irritation at the strange name the mare had called him. He caught Quiet Hoof’s failed attempt to hide her humor at both his reaction and confusion over the unfamiliar term. One day he would ask Quiet what the term meant, promising himself he would have the opportunity that would come with seeing Hoof and Outback in chains.

Xena, however, he held no illusions over. She would have to be killed. The way her pitiless gaze bore into Blade and his companions, the quiet, deadly way she held herself, the faint, yet visible even coating of washed away blood stains on the skirts of her leather jerkin. No, that one’s spirit could not be broken nor tamed.

There was no doubt she must die if they were to win.

“I believe him - for the moment,” Xena agreed. Her sword slipped from its sheath and slowly leveled in front of her, aimed at his heart. “Because if he doesn’t, he is mine and he will die.”

Blade’s gaze neither flinched nor moved to the weapon. “Even if I keep my word, Commander, the next time we meet in battle, one of us will be sent to Tartarus.”

Xena nodded the smallest nod in agreement, slowly resheathing her sword back at her side. “I will give the order to my mares to let your group pass, Blade.”

“As I will order my stallions, Xena,” he replied, adding a nod. “Until our next encounter.”

With that, the mares followed the trail back the way they came, Quiet Hoof in the rear. She stole several glances back to the stallions - Iron Blade swearing there was longing in those bright green eyes, longing he at once was annoyed and excited he himself shared.

“How is your leg, Commander?”

“Hmmm?” Blade hummed, then snapped back to alertness. “The numbness is nearly gone, ‘Bow.” He tested it with caution, not convinced he could yet run in its present condition, but fairly certain walking was now within reason. Moving away from Smasher, he remembered something. “Did you locate the pouch?”

“Yes, Commander,” Fire Bow levitated Blade’s pack over to him. Blade took only a quick glance to confirm the Lieutenant had placed Quiet Hoof’s jewelry back within in, then closed it and slung it back onto its place on his back. Casting one last glance at the trail the mares had taken to exit the forest, he motioned them to leave the opposite direction, back towards their troops.

On the way out of the small forest, the Commander found it harder and harder to concentrate on where they were going, his thoughts always being drawn back to the beauty of Quiet Hoof.

“She’s going to be trouble, that one,” one of his Lieutenants said, and to Iron Blade’s great annoyance, he was so distracted, he was unsure which one had said it.

“Aye, that she is,” he commented absently, aware of the shifting of the necklace and jewelry on his back. Such a small thing, but so much in his awareness now…

“That ones’ first in my sights,” this from Fire Bow. “better to kill her from a distance, put a few arrows in her and light ‘em up - “

The unicorn was flung against a tree and before he knew it, met with the cold, grey eyes of Blade, his sword drawn and at his throat. Smasher turned at his companion’s yelp of surprise and was stunned to see Iron Blade had slammed Bow up against the tree, murder in his eyes for the pyrotechnic pony. His jaw dropped in shock.

“You will do no such thing,” Blade growled. “She is mine. Got that?”

“Yes - yes sir,” the pinned unicorn nodded, uncharacteristically unnerved by the smouldering rage he saw in his superior’s colorless gaze. “I had no idea you wanted first kill on Xena, sure!”

“Xena?” Blade reared back, snorting at the name. “I thought you meant - ,” he trailed off, immediately easing his telekinetic grip on Fire Bow. “Sorry, ‘Bow,” the red stallion apologized. “Yes, of course. You do your job, but if I can, I think I would like a crack at her m’self,” he said, his voice suddenly distant. What was wrong with him? He backed off, shaking his head.

The trio resumed walking, nearing the edge of the forest. Behind him, Fire Bow and Smasher exchanged worried glances. Then the big earth pony made a face at his companion. “You better wipe that smirk off your face, Smasher,” he complained unhappily.

“Who me?” the usually silent giant asked.

“If you’re gonna say - again - that I talk too much,” ‘Bow warned.

“Didn’t need to. You just did,” the earth pony pointed out.

'Bow shot him a smug look to which Smasher only cracked a half-smile, grunting.

Author's Notes:

I had actually started the next chapter in the last scene, but looking at it this morning, decided to tack it on to the end of this one as it kinda fit the "Standoff" theme and in case I switch gears and go back to Nyx and her journey to Canterlot to petition the Marazon's case before the Two Sisters. I like this last scene and didn't want it to get lost in the potential scene switch.