https://docs.google.com/document/d/1oYQcQSA7JGXNJ0vrPipqMZFwlBXFUPYJQ66GlyPViEM/edit?hl=en_US

NOTE: Pictures omitted.

Name: Iron Shod
Age: 57
Male
Earth

Current Residence:
n/a

Current Occupation: n/a

Military Experience: n/a

Education:
3 Years, Equestria Military Acadamy, Unknown department,

Accolades:
(1) Equestrian Consular Medal, (2) Distinguished Service Apple, (2) Purple Hoof,

Specializations:
CQC, Field Tactics

Psychiatric Evaulation:
Signs of PTSD; he is otherwise stable.

Name: Break
Age: 36
Male
Pegasus

Current Residence:
Hoofall, Equestrian Commonwealth

Current Occupation:
Military Services

Military Experience:
9 years Ministry of Intelligence Surveillance Division, Highest rank: First Air Master
2 years Hammer Hoof mercenary

Education:
4 Years, Canterlot Royal University, Surveillance Technology
4 Years, Equestria Military Academy, unknown division

Accolades:
(1)Distinguished Service Apple

Specializations:
Surveillance, Harness Combat,

Psychiatric Evaluation:
This guy has some serious pride issues. Five minutes in that room with him and he’s already screaming about how he should have gotten that “fucking medal.” Otherwise, he is stable.

Name: Wood Wey
Age: 29
Male
Unicorn

Current Residence: Hoofall, Equestrian Commonwealth

Current Occupation: n/a

Military Experience:
1 Year, Canterlot Palace Guard
6 Years, Ministry of Intelligence Ground Operations Division

Education:
2 Years, Equestria National College, Applied Magic
6 Months, Ministry of Intelligence, Unknown department

Accolades:
(1) Silver Moon, (1) Purple Hoof,

Specialization:
Infiltration, Sabotage, Marksmanship

Psychiatric Evaluation:
Signs of a troubled past, reflected by his quiet demeanor. Overly cautious, indicating hesitancy towards new situations. Stable, but keep an eye on him.

Name: Raw Apple
Age: 22
Female
Earth

Current Residence:
Yearling Mountain, Equestrian Commonwealth

Current Occupation:
n/a

Military Experience:
6 years, Hammer Hoof Private Military Corporation

Education:
10 years, Hammer Hoof School, unknown department(s)

Accolades:
n/a

Specializations:
Demolition, Structural Engineering, Vibrational Spectroscopy, Applied Chemistry

Psychiatric Evaluation:
Overly theatrical. Prone to over embellishment and inefficiency for the sake of showmareship. Stable.

Name: Jutsu
Age: n/a
Female
Earth

Current Residence:
Equestrian Commonwealth, Last observed near Umalian border.

Current Occupation:
n/a

Military Experience:
Unknown, some time spent as solo mercenary.

Education:
n/a

Accolades:
n/a

Specializations:
n/a

Psychiatric Evaluation:
n/a

* * *

“You can’t be serious.”

“Is something wrong?”

Twilight closed the pale yellow folder. There were hundreds of pages, full of medical records, criminal records, family records, personal journal entries, audio and video recording transcriptions, activities both in the past and recent; there were even detailed accounts of how they had obtained their cutie marks. She felt as if she was prying into a world that shouldn’t be hers. In normal circumstances, that would be true.

“These are mercenaries. They aren’t like me. They’ve stolen, destroyed, and,” she swallowed, “murdered.”

During the time Twilight had spent skimming over the documents, Celestia had allowed herself to return to her ever graceful composure. Devoid of emotion, she replied. “Your point?”

A slight pause.

“Can I trust them?” As Twilight spoke the words, she could feel another long-winded explanation brewing within the Princess.

“I assume that you noticed none of these ponies reside within Equestria Proper; that they all live in the southern borderlands?”

Twilight nodded.

“These lands are scarcely, if ever, mentioned in the schools of our nation. Intentionally. I’m sure you’ve come across why this is in your personal research, however.”

“I’m assuming you are referring to the Grand Schism.”

“Correct. Five centuries ago, a large political faction, ‘The Liberty Trotters,’ emerged that wanted to revoke numerous laws that they considered as ‘dangerous to pony civil rights and freedoms.’ They were, at the time, extremely popular amongst the ponyfolk. Rather than risk massive political hysteria, I simply gave them most of the southern portion of Equestria. While politically independant, these borderlands are economically, socially and culturally tied to us, even to this day.”

“So why is this subject avoided in our education? Any pony that agreed with The Liberty Trotters could just go down south and join them, so it can’t be because you think it might be a negative influence.” Twilight's expression implied confusion.

“It is not what they believe that worries me. It is what they do.” She paused for a moment, taking a breath. “Freedom comes at a price. Here in Equestria, we are, thanks to many legislations and government services, safe from scam, scandal, battery and violence. Our laws are, compared to other nations, extremely restrictive. The price for our safety and happiness is our much of our liberty.

“The borderlands are not like this. Blood is no stranger to the ponies of those lands. If they see an opportunity to leap forward, they take it, regardless of the pony that may stand in the way. The strong dominate the weak.

“It is not my place to condemn how other ponies live, but I cannot allow this wicked lifestyle seep into my beautiful country. You’ve heard the expression, ‘ignorance is bliss?’ Here is a prime example.”

Twilight considered this for a moment. “That still doesn’t answer my original question, though.”

Celestia was quick to respond. “This isn’t the first time the Ministry of Intelligence or I have required outside help. When the risk of an operation being traced to us is too great, we hire mercenaries. Of course, by nature of their trade most military contractors aren’t readily available. However, due to some fortunate circumstances regarding a certain vassal state directly to the south of us, we have been able to develop an informal corps of ponies that we can rely on for various odd jobs. They have experience, discipline, and, most importantly, they don’t exist. Most of the ponies you saw in those dossiers were, at some point, non-citizen government employees.” The last words were spoken with great emphasis.

“These ponies are, outside of our own Ministry ponies, the best in their respective fields. I have had personal communications with most of them. They have worked for me before, and they will again. The question, Twilight, is not can you trust them, but should you trust them.”

Without missing a beat, Twilight asked the obvious question: “Should I trust them?”

The Princess gave a dry laugh. “I’m not sure, to be honest.”

* * *

Following the Equestrian ponies departures, a prolonged silence invaded the conference room in which the farmers now sat. To say their minds were a jumbled mess would be an understatement. In a matter of days they had gone from a dirt poor farming village to a conference room in the royal palace of the most powerful nation in the world. That was to say nothing of their previous excursions regarding a river boat and a border crossing.

The luxurious velvet couches felt alien against their skin. Transitioning from reed mats to a sofa worth more than what they would likely make in a single lifetime was, in simple terms, very uncomfortable. The four farmers found themselves squirming and readjusting every few minutes.

A feeling resurfaced in Pan’s chest. One that had been coming up quite frequently during their travels. Small, insignificant, nothing special; Pan couldn’t shake the idea that he was just a lowly pawn in a far grander game that he couldn’t understand. The aesthetic splendor of Canterlot, as well as the presence of Celestia herself, did nothing to qualm these parasitic thoughts.

Mane, ever the practical pessimist, was already planning on what they would do if the princess refused to help them. He had no intention of going back to the village if they could not find warriors. No point hiking across dangerous lands for three weeks only to starve to death a few months later or be butchered by the bandits. Assuming he couldn’t acquire an Equestrian citizenship, the borderlands seemed very appealing. That was, in fact, the reason he came along on this excursion: a lack of hope. To him, the only agreeable option was to leave, and this provided him the the perfect opportunity to do so.

The white pony was, in a word, ecstatic. Though they could not clearly see the city in the darkness of the night, running through the streets Rise caught glimpses of hundreds of shops and boutiques, all displaying the latest fashions and trends. She knew her mission took precedence over personal matters, but she made herself a vow that she would explore every inch of this city and discover all of the delightful secrets it held. Among the many reasons she came along, her intrinsic desire to help the people of her village being one, the chance to be a part of high culture was one. Mere pretty dresses were not her highest priority, however.

Koi, wearing his usual stoic expression, seemed utterly passive about the recent occurrences.
It was then that the two magical ponies re-entered the room. The looks on their faces betrayed just how serious their conversations were. The farmers rose from the couches to face them. Celestia, in her typical cheery voice, was the first to speak.

“Twilight Sparkle, my student, has agreed to help you with your cause.”

The farmers flashed a hesitant smile, then stared at her with quizzical looks. Twilight nervously shuffled her feet.

“If you don’t mind me saying, your majesty, she don’t look much like a warrior.” Koi said, voicing all their thoughts.

It was Twilight who responded. “Well, I’ll have help! We’ll go back to the borderlands and hire some--”

Celestia waved her hoof in Twilight’s face. “I... uh. Yeah.” she trailed off, dipping her head.

The Princess picked up where Twilight was interrupted. “Fear not, you will have additional help, but this is not the appropriate time to discuss that. For now, allow me to treat you to a free stay here in the palace. You will be able to leave once you have rested and are ready to depart.”

The farmers jaws dropped. “We... we could never repay you for your hospitality!” Pan stuttered.

“There is no need. Nor will you have to worry about paying those whom I have sent to help you.”

“I... thank you, your majesty.” They bowed.

“And now I must depart. The sun must rise soon, and my attention is needed elsewhere. I thank you for your presence, and I shall take my leave. Twilight?”

“Yes?”

“Please show our guests to the east wing. They are welcome to take any ambassadorial suite they desire for their stay.”
With that, Princess Celestia walked out and silence once again invaded the room. Forcing her best smile, Twilight complied with the Princess’ request.

“So, if you would just follow me, I’ll show you to the east wing of the palace.”

With that, Twilight wheeled around and exited the room, the four farmers in close behind.

* * *

The ambassadorial suite was... nice. That was the best fitting word that Pan could come up with.

Goose down bedding and pillows, linen woven from the silk of Everfree dangerfang spiders, wool carpeting imported from Pferdland, and wood panel walls made from breezewood mahogany; a special variety that only came from mahogany trees that had been struck by enchanted lightning. This, in addition to a personal bath, walk-in closet, magic-powered air conditioning and a sixty-inch Arcanium television (though he had no idea what the strange black rectangle was). And that was just the bedroom. Or, just one of the bedrooms.

The suite was a collection of five bedrooms connected to a communal living and conference room, which then led out to one of the major annexes of the east wing.

Pan’s thoughts were interrupted by a decidedly feminine scream from one of the other bedrooms. Rise. He burst out of his room and into the living room. He saw two other doors fling open as Koi and Mane did the same thing. Together, the three of them ran over to the door that was the source of the screaming. Pan was the first one to push through.

“Rise! What’s wrong!?”

The white pony standing in the middle of the room, looking very not-endangered. Twilight Sparkle was next to her, shoving her hooves in her ears.

“Huh? Oh, nothing! Nothing at all! Everything is great!” Rise responded, turning around to face them. “It’s just that... well... this is so exciting I had to SCREAM!”

Twilight seemed to wince at the word. She somehow managed to drill her hooves into her skull even deeper. As Rise continued to babble on about how amazing the suite was, Twilight slowly made her way to the edge of the room.

“Well, I’ll let you guys settle in to the rooms. Around sunrise I’ll come back to check on how you’re doing.”

The three stallions were completely engrossed with Rise’s blathering.

“Riiight. Well, see you later.”

She made her way out and booked it as quickly as she could to Pony Joe’s for some coffee and a doughnut. Something told her it was going to be a long day.

* * *

The glowing orb was minutes away from peeking over the horizon. Twilight knocked on the door and then let herself into the room. The farmers were sitting patiently in the living room, their gazes fixed on the unicorn now entering.

“Would you like me to show you around Canterlot?”

The stallions were quiet, but Rise answered with a forceful “Yes!”

Half an hour hours later the farmers were following Twilight around the many corridors of the palace. They had briefly explored the the four wings, east, south, west and north, and Twilight was just now taking them to the throne room where they had first met via a service hallway. She had told them that the main thoroughfares were a mess of hoof traffic during the raising and setting of the sun.

The pony was so engrossed in explaining the history of the palace that she failed to notice the midnight blue alicorn walking the opposite direction in front of her. They promptly collided.

“Oh, I am so sorry! I really need to watch where I’m goi-” her tongue caught in her throat. “Princess Luna! My apologies, your majesty.” She bowed.

The farmers, surmising the importance of the tall, strange breed of pony, bowed as well.

“I... oh, please, there’s no need.” Luna said in a surprisingly frail voice. “I was too distracted to watch where I was going. I should apologize to you!”

There was an exceedingly awkward silence.

“Might I ask why you are here, Twilight? And who are these friends of yours?”

“Oh, did your sister not tell you?”

“Tell me about what?”

Twilight quickly shut her mouth. It occurred to her that Celestia may not want Luna to know about her little mission for whatever reason. If Luna didn’t know already, then the older sister clearly wanted to keep the affair as private as possible.

“...ah, nothing. I’m just showing these ponies around the palace, and then the city a bit later.”

Luna’s arched brows said that she was not convinced by the dodge, but thankfully did not pursue. “Unfortunately, I am in a major rush to get to the palace archives so I can double check some tax records, so I can not offer you and your guests a formal welcome at the moment. But, if it means anything, I hope you all have a pleasant day in Canterlot!”

With that, she flicked her mane, flashed a smile continued down the corridor at a brisk trot.

“Old friend of yours?” Koi surmised.

“I suppose you could say that.”

* * *

You don’t know how bad you are at something until you try to do it.

Twilight learned this the hard way as she tried to give the farmers an impromptu tour of Canterlot. Once they had left the immediate area around the palace, she realized just how poorly she knew the streets of her hometown.

“...and just around this corner is the- oh, nevermind. Must be the next one down.”

The farmers had been respectfully patient, but they were clearly weary of how slow things were going. She’d have to figure out something for them to do; something that they’d all enjoy. The sudden rumbling in her stomach gave an answer. They started to walk in the direction of a place she did know how to get to.

A simple enough name. The restaurant was, by all means, exceedingly ordinary. They served a wide variety of quality dishes for a reasonable price. The perfect place for a handful of foreigners to grab some breakfast.

The Lounge was not overly crowded, and they were quickly seated by a friendly waiter colt, who then distributed thick menus to all of them. Twilight immediately set about perusing the contents of hers. The farmers, unsure of what to do, opened the booklets as well. A strange jumble of symbols and pictures greeted Mane Tis.

“Uh...”

“Can’t decide?” Twilight asked without looking up.

“Can’t read.” Mane responded.

That distinct feeling of awkwardness once again popped up.

“What is this?” Pan asked, gesturing at the menu in his hooves.

With a sigh, Twilight explained what a menu was. She then went on to explain the basic premise of the various dishes presented, namely soups, sandwiches, salads, pastries, and a variety of vegetable and fruit platters.

“Yeah, I’ve never heard of any of those things.” Mane commented.

“Just point at a picture of something in the menu that looks good and I’ll order it for you.” Twilight said. A hint of resignation permeated her voice.

They did just that.

* * *

Canterlot, while in function the political capital, was also the cultural capital of Equestria. This was no better reflected than by Solar Boardwalk, or ‘The Board’ as the locals referred to it. Here a pony could find a hub of artists and thinkers exchanging and demonstrating their works. From the lowly lyre playing busker to the fashion boutique owning businesspony, The Board was the summation of all of Equestria’s creative output.

It was also the perfect place to bring a tourist. Or four, as the case was.

The farmers moods were starting to lighten, particularly after the humorous event involving a spilled mushroom soup and the mess created by it a mere half an hour earlier. Mane kept insisting it hadn’t been his fault. Regardless, they were kicked out.

The midday sun warmed their faces as they trotted along the wooden walkway. It was too early for the afternoon and evening crowds to arrive, so the enjoyed the relative quiet as the many vendors lining the streets sent them friendly waves.

“So, Rise, you like fashion?” Twilight asked.

The earth pony seemed to have a burst of energy. “I suppose. There’s never any chance to indulge in it back at the village, though.”

“Well, how about I take you to a dress shop? You could indulge as much as you want.”

“Oh, YES!”

Pan, Mane and Koi collectively sighed, but did not protest. They turned into a back alley. Twilight said it was a shortcut to one of the best designer houses in Canterlot. Their hooves clattered against the cobblestone as they made their way through the grimy passage.

A group of six earth ponies started to approach them. Though they didn’t notice it, another group of eight closed in on them from behind. A perfect ambush.

“Hello there.” the leading stallion said. An Umalian tinge was detectable under the poorly forced Equestrian accent. He and his five companions had fanned out to block the exit to the alley.

“Oh, hello!” Twilight responded, obliviously cheery. “Would you mind moving so we can get past you?”

“I’m afraid there is no escape for you, or your new friends.” he responded.

Twilight looked behind and was surprised to see eight more ponies blocking the way they came from. She then saw that the stallion talking to her had a hoof blade mounted to his front right leg. With a flick of his leg, the blade ejected from its mount, sunlight glaring off of the silver tool.

“You are to leave these ponies with us immediately. Go now, and no harm shall come to you. They are fugitive subjects of the Jade Lotus clan, and must be dealt with to the fullest extent of the law. As for your attempts to interfere with Umalian matters...” He waved it menacingly. “Don’t even think about it.”

“And if I refuse?” Twilight asked indignantly.

The stallion smiled. He lunged with the blade, closing in on her rapidly.

Koi was faster.

Inches away from her throat, the blade was yanked away as the he deflected the stallions leg just above the hoof. With astounding agility, Koi slammed his free limb into the underside of the ensnared pony’s appendage.

CRACK

Twilight nearly threw up. Mane flinched. Rise hugged Pan as she cowered behind him. Pan stared in awe, oblivious to the mare.

Despite his massive size, Koi was dancing circles around the perpetrators. Another one reached for him. He used the opportunity to yank the exposed leg and throw the smaller stallion to the ground. A third tried to jump onto his exposed backside, but Koi reacted with a thunderous buck to the face. There was an opening between the remaining three ponies.

“GET OUT OF HERE!” Koi yelled to the others. They eagerly complied and sprinted through the gap just as the other eight ponies were comprehending what was happening before them. Koi used the opportunity to clear a space around him. The fourteen hostile ponies reclosed the circle, giving him with a wide berth.

The leader pony with the broken leg scrambled to the sides, panting. “What are you waiting for? ATTACK HIM!” After a moments hesitation, the thirteen other ponies swarmed on him.

The orange stallion, rather than wait, charged at a random pony, knowing that he would need to break apart this circle. The mare, not expecting such ferocity, went wide eyed as Koi lept into the air and slammed his hooves into her chest. She went sprawling back, three separate ribs fractured.

He then swung a hoof to the right and pummeled a grey pony in the back of the head. Kicking out his back legs, he was satisfied to feel them connect with the gut of another stallion. With the circle now sufficiently broken, he began to back away, from the mass. None of them seemed particularly intent on attacking him again.

“What the hell are you waiting for!?” the leader demanded. “He isn’t a fucking Tae Kwon Hoof grand master, KILL HIM!”

“I, uh... sir, I think he is.” one of the ponies said in a muffled voice.

The leader looked at Koi again, studying. His eyes turned as wide as dinner plates. Koi just smiled.

“Grand Master Koi? Hooo-leee shit. LET’S GO! No point getting ourselves killed over some damn farmers!” With that, the group fled in a matter of seconds, the wounded leader and the crippled mare being carried over the shoulders of them. They had never been there.

Koi emerged on the other side of the alley and saw Twilight and the rest of his companions standing some distance away. He walked over to them.

“I suppose were not going to the dress shop anymore, are we.”

* * *

The other ponies, having ran away, did not catch wind of Koi’s secret. He preferred to keep it that way.

Twilight was in shock. Her breathing was ragged and uneven. The other three, while faring much better than the unicorn, were in no shape to continue carelessly exploring the city; not while there could still be ponies out there trying to hurt them. Though the day was just barely peeking into the afternoon, Pan made the decision for them to head back to the palace.

Koi lifted Twilight onto his back and they started to quickly walk in the general direction of the palace. They went without a word. The giant white structure wasn’t hard to find, and they made their way up the steps of the main entrance.
They were about to turn into the the east wing when a voice broke out.

“Oh my goodness!”

It was Princess Luna. The farmers stopped where they were as the dark blue alicorn nearly sprinted over to them.
“We need to get her to a bed! Where are you staying?”

Pan led her back to their suite. The six of them, the farmers, Twilight and Luna entered the fifth unused bedroom and lay Twilight down. She was unconscious.

“What happened?”

Pan explained the incident at the alleyway, unaware of the implied information he was supplying Princess Luna with.
After hearing the tale, she spoke. “It seems I have something to discuss with my dearest sister.” She seemed slightly angered.

With that, Luna turned to leave the room.

“Though it is not my place to order sanctions upon you, I shall request that you do not leave palace grounds for the remainder of your stay. It seems neither I nor Celestia can guarantee your safety in our own lands.”

She exited, leaving the farmers completely bewildered by the encounter. All hopes to explore Canterlot had been quashed; not as if they wanted to, at this point. The very least they could do at this point was to see what the royal kitchen was offering for a late lunch.

* * *

Pan was lying in his bedroom. He had no idea what time it was. Late, he concluded. The room was cold. He tried to wrap his sheets around himself even tighter, but it didn’t do much. It had been a strange day. He had too much to think about. Relaxing was impossible.

A knock on the door nearly made him jump. It had been soft; he wasn’t even sure he heard it. He lay still for a while. The knock came again. Groaning, he got up and walked over to the source of the noise. He gently turned the knob and pulled the door open. It was Rise.

“Can I come in?” she whispered.

Pan stared at her.

She stared back.

“I... oh, yeah. Of course.”

The mare quietly shuffled in as Pan closed the door behind her. She sat on the edge of the bed. Pan sat next to her.

“Something wrong?” he asked.

She sighed. “It’s just... I can’t sleep.”

Pan chuckled. “Neither can I.”

“It’s just... all this stuff has happened to us...” she said, looking away.

“I know. It’s impossible to sleep with so much on our minds.”

She looked back at him, straight in the eyes.

“But...” he continued, “We don’t have to sleep.”

Rise flashed a smile. She leaned in. Got closer. Pan leaned in as well, almost touching.

He woke up.

A muffled “FUCK!” was all that escaped through the bedsheets covering his mouth.

* * *

She was not nauseous anymore. That was good. Prior to that day, the worst harm she had ever seen a pony inflict on another was a small bruise. Seeing a leg shatter in half like a twig was quite a step up. Still, she preferred it to having her throat cut out. At the very least, the broken leg hadn’t resulted in copious amounts of blood loss. She could only imagine how much of the thick, red liquid a slit neck would spew.

The sickening dizziness came back.

Twilight didn’t rouse until five in the evening, and even then she couldn’t stand and walk for another hour. Six thirty rolled in, and Twilight forced open the bedroom door. The farmers were sitting in the living room, the empty plates and bowls indicating that room service had provided them with dinner.

“Hey! Feeling better?” Mane asked.

Not really. Twilight thought. She said nothing, but looked at the floor with the darkest face she could muster.

“Hungry?” he said as he pointed at a still full bowl of soup.

Twilight remained silent.

“...oookay. Well, Princess Celestia said she wanted to talk to you when you were feeling better. Just so you know.”

The unicorns head perked up at that.

‘Thanks.” she said as she walked out the door.

* * *

It was odd to think that, just half a day ago, in this very room, Twilight’s whole world had changed, for better or for worse. Now, Celestia’s office was just another office. Nothing special.

“So.” she began.

“Feeling better?” Celestia asked.

Twilight snorted. The princess smiled.

“I’ll take that as a yes.”

The unicorn continued to passively stare at her teacher.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“There’s nothing to talk about.”

“You were almost killed and saw something that most Equestrian ponies would consider traumatizing. I’d say that’s
something to talk about.”

“I almost died, but didn’t. That’s that.” Twilight said with a tone implying that that would be all Celestia could get out of her.

The princess returned a sigh. “It’s obviously bothering you.”

Twilight continued to stare at her. “So what if it is?”

“If you can’t do this, I won’t hold it against you.”

This broke Twilight’s gaze. She shifted her focus to the floor.

Celestia continued. “Consider today's event a test of your mettle. You were out for nearly five hours from seeing a broken leg. I would imagine your reaction to far more...” she searched for the right words, “...grevious injuries would be even more debilitating.”

“You seem to take the news of a ponies broken leg quite easily.”

“Twilight, I’ve been around for far longer than you can imagine. Trust me when I say that a broken leg is nothing compared to what I have seen.”

It almost sounded as if the Princess was mocking her. Goading her to toughen up. Regardless of Celestia’s intended message, Twilight received it as a challenge.

“Fine.”

“What?”

“I won’t be such a little filly about a bit of blood.”

Celestia shook her head. That was easier than expected. She was lying, but there was no point arguing about it.

“So why did you really want to speak with me?” Twilight asked, seemingly snapped out of her mood.

Celestia cleared her throat. “Luna told me about what happened in the alleyway. While I am a bit perturbed that someone would actually attempt a murder in the middle of Canterlot, what concerns me even more is the fact that Jade Lotus agents could get into Equestria, and what that means for the mission.”

“Wait, hold on a second...” Twilight started. “Luna told you?”

The princess let out a heavy breath then filled Twilight in on the details of what had happened since she passed out.

“Luna approached me about this. I was... compelled to tell her the truth of our situation. My sister is a bit of a social butterfly, but unintelligent she is not.”

Another question formed in Twilight’s mind. “When I saw her earlier this morning she seemed unaware of the mission. Were you trying to hide this from her?”

“Umala was my mistake, and mine to deal with. If she needed to know, I would have told her, not as if it matters at this point. I didn’t tell her everything, though. She only has a vague idea of why you are doing this.”

Celestia’s face suggested that this would be all she had to say on the matter.

Twilight picked up the conversation. “Those ponies who attacked us; what did you mean about them impacting the mission?”

“They knew the farmers came here. They knew about you. Most importantly, they knew about the mission, though of the details I am not certain.” Celestia paused. “My point is, I’m not sure how much time we have. Those agents were expected to take the farmers and return them to Umala within a specific time frame..”

“I’m not sure where you’re going with this.”

“Twilight, they know who the farmers are. They know where they came from. I do not know what the punishment for fugitives in Umala is, but I can assure you that, if those agents do not return with the farmers in tow on schedule like they are supposed to, there will be dire consequences for the village.”

That made sense to Twilight, though she was in a far too melancholy mood to have a strong reaction.

“The five of you need to leave tomorrow morning. Head to the borderlands, locate and pick up the mercenaries, and get to the village. Those ponies that attacked you are no doubt already on their way home to report their findings. I can drop you off via chariot at the edge of the borderlands, but from there you’ll be on your own. ”

Twilight’s mouth went dry. She had not been expecting that. The farmers made it sound as if they had about a week to relax and recuperate. Tomorrow? She sighed. Tomorrow it is, then.

“I... alright.” she said.

“I’m sensing you have some questions you need to ask me.” Celestia said.

“A few, yeah. Where will I find the mercenaries, and will they know I’m coming?”

Celestia pushed a folder that had been sitting on her desk towards Twilight.

“You will find all of the information you will need in here.”

Twilight flipped it open. Conveniently enough, the first leaflet was a list of rendezvous points to meet the five mercenaries. The other pages consisted of various things of military nature. The unicorn only vaguely understood the terminology as she flipped through various blueprints and information on who, what and where they would be fighting. Towards the back were aerial photographs taken by spy pegasi. The first one, simply labeled ‘Site 1 A,’ was that of a small village. The village they she was headed to, she surmised.

“I’ve already sent out messengers. They’ll be expecting you.” Celestia tacked on.

She closed the folder, deciding to read it and the dossier folder later in privacy. “Will I have time to head back to Ponyville?”

Celestia chuckled. “Oh, yes, don’t worry about that. You’re not in THAT much of a rush. Besides, you need to pack, don’t you?”

Twilight realized she was being a tad naïve. Packing. Of course.

“I’d imagine you’d want to say farewell to her friends, as well.”

With a cringe, the unicorn realized she had almost forgotten about that. Wordlessly, she grabbed the folder and walked to the door.

“Yes... of course. I’ll need to say goodbye. Now, if you don’t mind, I believe I have some studying I must do. Goodnight, Princess.”

“Goodnight, my faithful student.”

* * *

“You know, despite the fact that we came all this way together, we hardly know anything about eachother.”

The farmers were sitting in the living room. Pan was trying to stir some conversation out of them.

“What of it?” Koi asked.

“Well... why did you guys come on this adventure?”

“I don’t know. Why did you?” Mane asked. He seemed to want to avoid the question.

To this Pan realized he had no good answer. He searched for the right words to explain his thoughts. “I... I guess I wanted to help the village.”

“Bullshit.” Mane replied in the most monotone way one could possibly speak.

Pan sighed. “The world. I wanted to see the world. I don’t want to be stuck on a farm for my entire life when there is so much I could do; so much I could be.”

The others were silent.

“Well come on. I said mine. You guys tell me yours.”

Koi started. “Protection.”

The other three nodded at him. The stallions impressive physicality had helped them numerous times. His presence was quite welcome, especially after the transpiring in the alley.

“I... I was scared.” Mane answered. “I wanted to leave the village; I was afraid of what would happen if we failed to get warriors.”

This took Pan aback. “You wanted to abandon the village?”

“Yes. I figured we had no chance of succeeding, so I came with the intention of striking out on my own if we failed.”

Under his breath, Pan muttered, “Coward.”

Mane either didn’t hear or ignored him.

Turning his attention, Pan asked Rise the same question. “So why’d you come along, Rise?”

She looked as if she hadn’t been expecting the question; that Pan would skip her. “Oh! I... uh... I have my reasons!” she stammered.

“Obviously. Mind elaborating?”

“I really can’t tell you...”

Pan sighed, then with a malicious grin, teased her. “You didn’t come for the dresses, did you?”

“What? No!” she retorted. “I came here because of y--” She shoved her hoof in her mouth.

Koi snorted. “Mares. Never in control of their mouths.”

* * *

Twilight had fallen asleep studying. This she determined when she awoke to the sun glaring through the window and saw the open folder inches away from her head. It was open to a page describing Umalian firearms; essentially a shoulder mounted steel tube that explosively propelled whatever object had been rammed down the barrel. She hadn’t read enough to see exactly how it worked, but she guessed it had something to do with the rapidly expanding gas forcing whatever was in the barrel out, and at lethal speeds.

She closed the folder and walked over to the living room. Unsurprisingly, the four farmers were waiting on the couches, all of their supplies bundled up and ready to go. Twilight had told them they were leaving in the morning. She guessed they likely woke up with the sun anyways. Their presence told her that wasn’t an inaccurate assumption.

As if on cue, a heavy hoof knocked on the door. Twilight opened the door. One of the royal guardsponies was standing
there.

“I’m here to escort you to the throne room, when you are ready. Celestia waits for you.” His voice was gruff and weathered. Twilight had nothing to take save for the dossier and intel folders. The farmers nodded their heads. They were ready to go. And so they went.

The last of the sunlight ceremony crowds were slipping away. Princess Celestia, regal as ever, sat on the throne as the five of them approached.

“Are you ready to depart?”

Twilight took one last look around the throne room, drinking in the sight. This could very well be the last time she ever sees it. A knot formed in her gut.

“As ready as we’ll ever be.”

Celestia rose and walked down to the main entryway. The farmers, Twilight and the guards followed. Standing before
the archway that formed the main gatehouse, Celestia turned and faced her followers.

“I’ve never been much for inspirational speeches. But if ever a moment demanded one, this would be it.” A smile
flickered on her face. “Considering the audience, however, I think I can forgo that.”

She leaned in close to Twilight, and spoke softly so only she could hear.

“Never forget who you are. Never forget that, here, back home, there will be people that love you and care for you. Most importantly, never forget the Elements of Harmony. They may serve you well in the trials ahead.”

She pulled away from her ear and addressed them all again.

“I, Princess Celestia, Ruler of Equestria and its subjects, hereby release you, Twilight Sparkle, Pan Bare, Mane Tis, Rise, and Koi to your quest. I wish upon you a blessing of my magic, and I shall watch you from above as the sun rises.”

She then placed her muzzle on each of the five individuals. A symbolic sending off by the Sun Princess. When she came to Twilight, the unicorn threw her forelegs around Celestia’s neck in a tight embrace. The alicorn obliged, and returned the hug.

“You’re coming back, Twilight.”

“Promise?” she whispered.

“I promise.”