“Felix?” Regnot asked, attempting once more to get a reaction from the angry gryphon.

“A friend scorned, an ally mourned. We have proven most poor, perhaps another group should meet behind this door,” Kahira suggested glumly. I found myself agreeing, these were my enemies and I still found myself pitying them.

Ever since Regnot’s scene in Zebrica, Felix had refused to speak to him. The gryphon’s trust in his friend had completely eroded, leaving the both of them to wallow in self pity. It was depressing to witness.

“You’re right, we failed. Let someone else hold this mess together,” Felix sighed.

“No, we can fix this!” Regnot insisted, making me wonder whether slipping another spy into their ranks was worth the effort, “I know we can work together to forge a better future for our people, even if it means you two never forgive me.”

“You stupid git, it’s not about forgiveness. Kahira and I can’t trust you, not after you threw a tantrum and had us locked up for disagreeing with you,” Felix spat, getting a nod from the zebra and a silent sigh of frustration from me. This was the most overdramatic group of idiots I’d ever seen.

At least I’d get to kill them if Lord Jekyll got tired of their plots.

“I was trying to protect you! That monster was tearing my guards apart!” Regnot argued defensively.

“That’s enough out of you both, for the correct one is our host. I say we take an oath, to never again power boast,” Kahira proposed.

“Easy for you to say, I’ve never heard you brag,” Felix groused.

“Militant matters are for forces of warfare, not the council determining global welfare,” Kahira shot back. A bit of a stretch in my opinion, but I’d only eaten one zebra and he didn’t rhyme so I couldn’t say I knew the etiquette.

“If that’s what it takes for you to forgive me, I’ll make this vow,” Regnot agreed.

“As long as you’re just talking about military strength, then I will too,” Felix added.

‘If I have to listen to this for one more day, I’ll go insane,’ I complained mentally.

‘I know what you mean, these fools couldn’t talk their way out of a paper bag,’ another voice replied in my mind, almost making me break cover as instinct told me to jump away from the other bioform, ‘You worry too much, I’m not with any of these silly factions. Having someone to talk to wouldn’t hurt though.’

I received a mental image of an indistinct pony smiling at me, a smile that reminded me of the last spy’s report. A friendly smile.

“What do you say Felix, friends again?” Regnot asked hopefully.

“I’ll take more than a few words to make up for locking me in a dungeon,” Felix snapped.

‘You’re a Rogue, why aren’t you trying to convert me?’ I asked.

‘I couldn’t care less about this pissing match between Four and Father, I don’t care who wins as long as I get to live in peace,’ the voice, now more feminine, replied easily, though there was one thing that caught my attention. I’d need to include that detail in my report.

“I think I know how to mend this fence, you must appeal to Felix’s favorite sense,” Kahira advised.

“Heh, you read my mind,” Regnot agreed before turning fully to face his former friend and opening his arms, “How would you react to finding Casena in your bed?”

“You don’t have that much pull,” Felix stumbled accusingly.

“I know a minotaur who knows a minotaur who knows her father and all of them owe me favors, I can get her for you,” Regnot offered.

‘If this bunch actually thought with their brains, we’d have a much greater threat to worry about,’ I commented.

‘They serve their purpose to the letter as they are. They don’t need to sit down and discuss any plans, their underlings are much more professional and handle all of that, all these so called diplomats have to do is keep the peace amongst themselves to show that the different nations are one,’ the voice rebutted.

‘How long have you been watching them?’ I asked curiously.

‘Off and on since this started, my normal life keeps me away most of the time. In all honesty, this is just idle curiosity and figuring if I’ll need to move before they roll through,’ the voice answered.

‘One last question, who are you? I’d like a name to put to the voice in my head,’ I requested.

‘Ah ah ah, it’s impolite to ask too much on a first date. Well, I suppose you’ve been good so far,’ the voice began before I felt something slither up the inside of my armor and kiss my cheek, “I haven’t had an enforcer name in a long time, not since before you were created.”

With that puzzling admission, the voice receded from my armor and mind. I was left alone once more with only the diplomats for company, not that they were interesting.

“I’ll believe you can get the most sought after prostitute in MInos when I see it with my own eyes,” Felix challenged.

I groaned internally and settled in for a long day.

I opted to let Luna sleep in, only partially because I was still asleep as well.

I sat in my tendril grove and watched the sky undulate peacefully while a little spider that looked like Abaddon rested on my knee and told me what was going on outside my dreamscape.

“You should wake up soon, Mistress Luna’s brain activity suggests she’s already in the first stages of awakening,” Mini-Abaddon advised.

“Yeah, probably, but time seems to move slower here, I have a few more minutes,” I replied lazily.

“She’s looking at you,” Abaddon warned shortly before I felt contact on six hundred and thirty-six different points on my body.

“The fuck was that?” I asked in confusion.

“You’re currently a mass of tendrils, she tried to kiss where your face used to be,” Abaddon explained.

“Alright alright, I’m getting up,” I relented as my mental world dissolved and was replaced with a sleepy pair of eyes.

“Good morning,” Luna greeted.

“Morning,” I repeated.

“Wanna see if Ashen has any coffee yet?” Luna asked.

“Sure,” I replied.

“Good, bring me some when you come back,” Luna requested before rolling over and snoring loudly.

“You don’t snore,” I pointed out, breaking her flimsy illusion.

“You can argue with your warm and comfortable wife or you can get us both coffee, I hope you make the right choice,” Luna responded, making her intent clear.

“You win, I’ll be right back,” I conceded as I merged with the wall and reformed myself outside Ashen’s room.

“That was surprisingly comfortable, I figured I’d lose control of myself at best and stop existing at worst,” Abaddon commented as the last few tendrils separated.

“Do you want to stop existing when I do that? I can make that happen,” I offered jokingly.

“I think three floors going numb is plenty, thank you,” Abaddon replied as his secondary torso dissolved back into the wall.

I was about to knock on the door when it flew open and a badly damaged warhammer swung up to break even more on contact with my face, “You shouldn’t mistreat your equipment Ashen.”

“Gotta try,” the earth pony replied.

“If you ask nicely, I might have my smith make you a better one,” I tempted.

“Horseshit, the Silver Swords only use the finest weapons and armor. Ah’d be hard pressed ta find a smith that could hope ta match them,” Ashen rebuked.

“What about a demon that has been practicing that trade since the dawn of time?” I proposed.

“I-how do you know a demon?” Ashen asked, taken aback by my casual tone in reference to one of the dreaded creatures.

“I saved the world about a thousand years ago, accidentally conquered Tartarus in the process. That would be one of those things that nopony would believe, they’d dismiss you out of hoof on the assumption that I’d have killed them all by now,” I explained, ensuring I added enough to keep my hostile guest quiet later on.

“Ah can’t figure why ya’d lie ‘bout that, shite. Ya’d let me have a new hammer, knowing Ah’m gonna attack you with it every chance I get?” Ashen confirmed.

“It won’t matter, you can’t hurt me with blunt force. But I think you’re the type who’d appreciate it more than a place to rest your head and some money. On that note, did you get any coffee in yet?” I replied, getting to the actual point of me coming down this way.

“Aye, but it’s the generic swill. Good ta wake ya up, but not so easy on the tongue as my regular stock,” Ashen informed me.

“It’ll do for today, there’s a sleepy alicorn in my room with a craving for caffeine,” I allowed, “Let one of the enforcers know where to get the good shit and they’ll make it happen.”

“Will do,” Ashen agreed as he gently set the remains of his hammer against the wall and walked over to a small bar, soon returning with two steaming mugs of deliciously bitter coffee. At least I thought so until the smell hit me. These mugs smelled like kerosene and appeared to be eating the mugs containing the foul liquid.

“Is this acid?” I asked as I lifted one of the mugs and took an experimental sip.

“Nah, Ah got no problem with yer missus. It’s just a bit on the strong side,” Ashen reassured, his claims backed by my chemical analysis of the sample I had taken and my sudden urge to sprint laps around the planet.

“Strong he says,” I joked as I clumsily walked out of the room, “Thanks Ashen, catch you around.”

“Jay? What are you doing and why are you vibrating?” Discord asked, poking his head out of a door across the hallway to see what was going on.

“Good coffee in there, one sip made me want to run forever,” I replied, suspecting I was talking much faster than I thought by the way Discord’s eyebrow rose.

“How’s the taste?” Discord asked, clearly acting like he was in slow motion. Even his voice was distorted.

“Smells like kerosene and tastes like liquid death, but it really gets you going,” I answered at normal speed.

“IIIIIIII caaaaaaannnnnn sssseeeeeeee tttthhhhhaaaaaaatttttt,” Discord replied, though his tone was lost on me, I needed to move. Holding still was boring, I wanted to go fast.

Abaddon must’ve been tilting his body to mess with me, I shouldn’t have caused the coffee to run that much with just that brisk pace. Whatever the case, I made it back to our room without spilling a single drop of the precious liquid.

Discord must’ve beaten me here in time to get Luna to join him in his little joke, “JJJaaaayyyy, wwwwhhhhyyyyyyyy aaarrrrrrrreee yyyooouuuuuuu ssssssshhhhhaaaaaakkkkiiiiinnnggggg?”

“Ha ha, very funny. Here’s your coffee,” I deadpanned as I handed over the mug, “So what’re your plans for the day, I don’t really care what we do as long as we go out and do something.”

Luna looked at me for what felt like an hour before downing the entire mug and gagging at the taste, prompting me to finish off the other mug as well.

Time stopped.

I found myself doubting whether or not I was being pranked as I watched a dust particle stop falling in mid air, “This can’t be just coffee.”

“I agree, it tastes nothing like any coffee I’ve ever had. More like leper skin mixed with the ash of ponies lost to a volcanic eruption; and suicidal depression, can’t forget that distinct flavor,” Luna replied, sounding normal now.

“Feel like running?” I suggested.

“Fuck yeah I do!”

“Why did we doooo that?” Luna wailed as she curled her aching limbs up to her body.

“I’m burning those beans,” I declared, struggling to even speak as my body tried to revert to an uncoordinated mass of tendrils. This pain and weakness was so much worse than any hangover I’d ever had before.

“I don’t feel any different,” Pinkie commented, having joined us on our second lap around both Ponyville and Mt. Canter. Somehow unsurprisingly, she had seemed to be the only other person that appeared normal to Luna and I.

“Owww, where are we?” Luna asked between complaints.

“On the path up to Canterlot, you were going to mess with Princess Celestia during this lap,” Pinkie answered helpfully.

“Better question is why none of the enforcers reacted to us moving so fast, I know they could see and hear us just fine,” I pointed out.

“A unanimous decision that it was funny to watch you two tire yourselves out,” Tzu replied, revealing his presence.

“Great, go confiscate that poison from Ashen and burn it somewhere where nothing will be affected by the smoke,” I ordered, barely making it to the end of my command before failing to maintain my form any longer and collapsing into a pile of interconnected tendrils.

“I think I should get you three home first,” Tzu rebutted as he tried to pick me up.

“Just bring Abby here, I just wanna lay here for a bit longer,” Luna countered, closing her eyes to wait out her apparent migraine.

“That’ll work, I’ll be back soon,” Tzu promised as he released the few ropes of flesh he had managed to gather and took flight.

“It’s been fun, but the Cakes probably need me back in the kitchen. Thanks for the run,” Pinkie bid, soon departing with no other evidence that she had moved other than simply not being there anymore.

“Jay, can you talk?” Luna groaned.

I gurgled as best I could in response.

“Guess not. I wanted to ask you your opinion on visiting my sister while we’re here. I know you two don’t get along, and how much of an understatement that is, but she’s still family and I want to try one more time to get her to step down and keep this war from happening,” Luna continued, sounding better with every word. I too was already feeling my control over my body return with every passing second as the pain faded.

“Shit plan, she won’t back down,” I argued as I rebuilt my body one tendril at a time, starting with a rough approximation of my head.

“The fact that you got the nickname ‘The Horror’ makes much more sense now,” Luna commented as she shakily got to her hooves and stretched.

“And yet you think I’m sexy, how does that work?” I jibed, getting a short bark of laughter from the mare.

“Well played, I don’t have a comeback for that,” Luna conceded.

“Biting my tongue here, you make such an easy target,” I warned.

“I could use a lark, what were you going to say?” Luna allowed.

“You did last night,” I replied, making Luna drop to her knees as she laughed heartily, “Ah, I recall that position too.”

“Stop. Stop. Please, it’s getting hard to breathe,” Luna pleaded.

“I could keep going, but I’ll drop it for now. What ever happened to the mare that couldn’t make a suggestive joke without getting flustered?” I asked as I finally got my skin and chitin plates to sit properly.

“She got laid and loosened up, shut your face, but mainly I’m just more comfortable with myself. I think meeting Cat and talking to her helped a fair bit too,” Luna replied.

“That’s good, I’m glad Cat was able to help. She’d been sitting around for way too long before you two met,” I responded.

“Not the way she tells it,” Luna countered.

“I’m sure. Now, about meeting with Chelly…” I began, though it wasn’t Luna who finished my sentence.

“Yes, what about me?” an unwelcome voice challenged, causing both of us to look over at the newly arrived diarch.

“How long have you been standing there?” I asked, reading her face for the answer her words would conceal.

“Long enough,” Celestia spat. She’d just arrived.

“Whatever, I’m gonna sit here and let the last bit of that caffeine crash wear off while you two talk,” I declared.

“Tia please, nopony’s pride is worth another’s life. We can still end this quarrel before any fighting breaks out,” Luna pleaded, jumping straight to the main point.

“It’s too late for that, they’ve already attacked a number of trade ships along the coast,” Celestia asserted.

“Pirates; state sanctioned, but still independent. They don’t count as gryphon regulars and won’t hold up in court,” I countered, “But that wasn’t your real meaning, was it? You were deflecting to hide the fact that you yourself have ruined any possibility of a peaceful resolution.”

“What are you insinuating? That I would deliberately undermine my own nation?” Celestia challenged foolishly.

“I think you have a problem controlling your temper and I know you murdered the ambassador the gryphons sent to meet with you,” I revealed, making Celestia freeze in shock. Her face was twisted in horror at what I had so casually accused her of in front of her guards and sister.

“You bas-”

“I wouldn’t be a good soldier if I didn’t keep tabs on my enemies, you aren’t the only one surrounded by my spies and you aren’t the only one I have dirt on,” I continued, feeding the paranoia I saw growing in Celestia’s beady eyes.

“Tia, is this true?” Luna asked quietly, her gaze rooted to the ground.

“I’m not going to dignify that with an answer, I don’t answer to either of you,” Celestia spat as she turned to leave.

“Tia, tell me you didn’t! I need to hear you say it!” Luna demanded as her grief transitioned into anger, “You bitch, you’ve killed them all! I’ll-”

“Lu, that’s enough. This is her turf, we don’t hold enough power here to play that card,” I cautioned as I rose to my normal height and tossed a baleful glare at the departing alicorn and her entourage.

“We could do something,” Luna stressed, “Go public, depose her, something other than sit here and prepare to spill more blood to clean up her mess.”

“I know it’s tempting, but you’re not there yet. It’ll have to be you making the speeches and meeting with delegates and crowds, I would only be able to be there in a background role or we’d risk angering the other nations further. Are you really ready for that kind of attention?” I countered.

“No, but...but I can’t just wait either. I’ve come so far, how much longer will I have to endure before I can take my place in this country?” Luna asked sadly, her shoulders falling.

“I don’t know, but you definitely aren’t the same mare I met in that castle,” I replied honestly.

“Stars above, can you imagine where I’d be right now if we’d never met? I’d almost never talk to anypony, never make any lasting friendships, be the brunt of all of Tia’s pranks, and I doubt I’d have any social skills at all,” Luna chuckled, covering her depression with humor.

“That would suck, being a background character in your own life like that,” I agreed.

Luna sighed and looked at me with a seriousness in her eyes I hadn’t seen before, “How do I make myself ready for that attention and responsibility?”

“You could take over...the other place and learn what to do there, then adapt those skills to watching over Ponyville as a small scale role of monarch,” I suggested, making it up as I went.

“Hmmm, I’ll give it a try. What’s the worst that could happen?” Luna agreed.

“Lu, come on. You need to talk to someone that doesn’t consider ritual branding normal,” I demanded.

“Can’t you see I’m busy? I’ve nearly caught up on this paperwork enough to sleep for an hour!” Luna rambled, her voice randomly switching emotions and volumes without any warning.

“I expected you to learn this sooner. Harry, handle this fucking paperwork for Luna!” I ordered loudly, soon hearing the echoing voice of the ripper agreeing.

“What?! I can do that?” Luna raved, wide eyed at how easily I had dismissed her efforts.

“I’ve never done a single page of paperwork for this hellhole, I’ve always delegated it to another. That’s what I was expecting you to do right away,” I explained. Luna gave me a hard glare for a solid three seconds before the light left her eyes and she collapsed onto her desk.

“Yep, let’s get you in a real bed,” I commented as I walked around the desk and hefted Luna’s unconscious body onto my shoulder before walking back through the portal.

Once I had Luna tucked in and sleeping peacefully, I fell back on old habits and simply waited for something interesting to happen. There wasn’t much else to do at this point, Celestia’s power was starting to wane, Luna’s mental maturity and capabilities were developing smoothly, and there were no immediate threats.

I briefly considered flying off to beat the incoming dragon horde into submission early, but dismissed it as a waste of energy.

“Hello boredom, it’s been a while,” I greeted, talking to the empty air.

“Did I hear boredom?” Discord asked as he looked into my eyes from wherever he had come from. Evidently he was either above me or behind me, as his neck was twisted such that his head was upside down.

“What’s up Dissy?” I asked, surprising thankful for the distraction.

“Not a whole lot, ran out of things to decorate my room with and figured I’d see what you were up to,” Discord replied as he floated over to the sofa he had provided and dropped into it.

“You ran out of things to do? You?” I confirmed in disbelief.

“Afraid so, one can only add so many ceiling chairs before it just looks cluttered. That number is two by the way, three ceiling chairs is way too many,” Discord lamented.

“I suppose that would get annoying after a while, too many and you’ll just smack your face on them,” I agreed, unwilling to think about the absurd furniture beyond my initial assumption.

“You have no idea,” Discord sighed, “But on a happier note, I heard you and the missus finally made it to a club the other night.”

“That we did, but Lu never got to dance. Next time I’ll rent the entire place for the night and have real music playing,” I promised.

“Eww, that pounding aggressive stuff? Makes my head hurt whenever I hear it,” Discord complained.

“Different strokes for different folks. But as far as music goes, it really is the most pure,” I insisted.

“As if, complexity doesn’t mean it’s better,” Discord argued.

“Not the music itself, but the musicians are the most talented. Compare a metal guitarist to a country one, the metal guy will get bored playing the country guy’s songs but the country guy won’t have a clue where to begin with a metal song. Heavy rock and metal like the stuff I listen to is built on all of the other styles and expanded upon even further, you can actually trace its lineage back to those other styles,” I explained.

“Doesn’t make it good music, they’re all songs about war and death anyway,” Discord asserted.

“Is that so? I have songs in my head about my people’s history, living life to the fullest, and persevering through the difficult times in life. And those are just what comes to mind off the bat, rock and metal covers pretty much every subject imaginable,” I pointed out.

“Fine, but I still say that there’s better music,” Discord continued.

“I’m sure there is, to you. Music is one of those things that depends entirely on the listener to see whatever they want in it,” I agreed.

“That we agree on. We should debate like this more often, that was fun,” Discord proposed.

“Anytime Dissy, anytime.”

“Glad you two are getting along better, but could you take your conversation outside next time?” Luna requested groggily.

“Heh, sorry,” Discord and I chimed.

“I bet Tia gets to sleep in peace,” Luna groaned as she rolled over and went back to sleep.

Eight cups of coffee and I was still dead on my hooves. The sight of Luna wearing that outfit had cut me deeper than I’d expected, as I’d been rediscovering night after night.

“Princess, are you well?” Dawn asked, sounding concerned.

“Just tired, tired and scared,” I confessed, “Before Luna’s fall to Nightmare Moon, I pushed her quite hard. She did so much work for so little credit, it’s no wonder she snapped. But now she’s back and doing better than ever, yet I tried to push her back into that same role. I think she’s doing so well because I’m not in her life. Jekyll filled the role of friend and confidant better than her own sister could and now I fear I’ve lost her forever.”

“Blood runs thick, I’m sure she’d forgive you if you asked. In the meantime I’ll clear your schedule so you can take a nice nap,” my number one assistant replied soothingly, lifting her hoof as though to place it on my shoulder before realizing I was much too tall for her to reach.

“Thank you Dawn, but I can’t let my personal problems affect the rest of Equestria. I’ll just lean on my coffee and make do,” I declined.

“Like you always do,” Dawn sighed, clearly disapproving of how poorly I took care of myself.

“I’ll get some sleep after work, I promise,” I offered in compromise.

“And?” the dull orange mare pressed, her icy gaze boring into my soul from under her slightly brighter mane.

“And I’ll skip dessert,” I groaned, feeling more like I was talking to mother than my assistant.

“Good, you know the sugar will just make you stay up way too late,” Dawn replied approvingly.

“Alright, how much is left then?” I asked.

“You have a private meeting scheduled with an pony calling himself Crimson, though I don’t recall seeing his paperwork,” Dawn replied, pulling out her notes and pointing out the inconsistency on the magically held paper.

“He’s from that splinter faction in Jekyll’s army, no doubt here to give me some instruction and lay the usual threats for if I don’t comply,” I sighed, having just dealt with one of these beasts a couple weeks ago.

“Then my predecessor…” Dawn trailed off.

“Spoke out of turn, they don’t like our kind and love to make examples,” I warned, “Trust me, I bite my tongue on these things too.”

“I would assume reconciling with Jekyll is forbidden by this faction?” Dawn asked quietly as I plodded towards my study, having no doubts that my less than welcome guest was already there.

“You think he could solve this problem? I admit, I’ve had the same thoughts. I can’t trust him, he made these monsters,” I rebutted at an equal volume.

“I’ve seen the same reports, he’s fighting them. Somepony or something else has made them this way, he’d make a powerful ally,” Dawn advised conspiratorially.

“So he’s said multiple times. I don’t know anymore, but I can’t seem to keep my composure when he’s around,” I admitted, feeling my ears flatten on reflex.

“You like him!” Dawn accused, stopping as her shock paralyzed her legs.

“Pfft, no,” I scoffed, “I hate that monster, I’ll do whatever it takes to see him dead at my hooves.”

“I’ll believe that when I sprout wings and grow five more feet. You’ve got a thing for Jekyll,” Dawn snickered, “Sorry, sorry, I shouldn’t poke fun. You definitely like him though.”

“We’re not having this conversation, I won’t entertain this notion anymore. How you could even think I would have feelings for the beast that crippled me and has made multiple attempts on my life is beyond me,” I snapped, though the unicorn before me didn’t flinch.

“You lost your composure again,” Dawn pointed out.

“My point stands,” I spat. I knew I was being petulant, but Dawn’s motherly attitude elicited that kind of reaction occasionally.

“You want to know what I think?” Dawn offered.

“If it’s about Jekyll in any capacity other than a strategic use and his eventual demise, then no,” I responded.

“Alright, but I’m going to break through that shell eventually,” Dawn warned.

“You just worry about yourself until this Crimson has left the castle, we can discuss my supposed ‘shell’ afterwards,” I countered.

“More like tomorrow, you have court after this meeting and then it’s straight to bed,” Dawn decreed, making my shoulders hunch as I realized she was right.

“Fine…Mom,” I teased.

“You wouldn’t be the first to call me that,” Dawn shot back as I reached the door and almost pulled it open before I noticed the worn spots on the floor where my guards usually stood, “Dawn, go to my chambers and find somewhere to hide.”

“What’s going on?” Dawn asked in confusion, her voice gaining a touch of fear at my authoritative tone.

“Mister Crimson is in a bad mood, you need to not be anywhere near here,” I warned, sending the unicorn running for cover without another word of argument.

“They live,” a voice on the other side of the door stated, sounding bored.

“Then where are they?” I demanded as I flung both of the double doors open to crash against the walls.

“So dramatic, no wonder why the closest thing to family you have is a childless mother. She has more issues than you do, you know,” the bioform taunted.

“You will leave Dawn alone, your business is with me,” I declared, mentally preparing myself for battle.

“So it is,” the creature snarked, seeming to find this exchange amusing, “Your orders are simple, you will take no action for or against Jekyll or his forces until told otherwise. The penalty, blah blah blah, extinction, blah blah blah, you know the drill.”

The rogue was almost out the window before I recovered enough from his surprising statement to ask the most important question of the month, “Where are my guards?”

“Right, them. I got the name Crimson for a reason,” the monster teased before dropping out of sight.

“What does that have to do with anything?” I wondered aloud before hearing a quiet sound. The sound of one liquid striking another. Dripping.

I looked up. I shouldn’t have looked up. I immediately dropped to my knees and lost what little I had eaten as I tried to cry away the image burned into my eyes. That monster had strung them up and removed everything necessary to keep them alive and mobile, stitching the remains together so they wouldn’t bleed to death too quickly. The sight of those two brave stallions reduced to half a torso and stitches would be haunting my dreams tonight.

“Celestia? Oh gods, what did he do to you?” Dawn cried as she sprinted into the room, no doubt spurned into action by my sobbing. I felt her hooves around my neck as she tried to comfort me, though in doing so she tilted her head and saw the stallions above us, “That animal, what kind of creature could do something like this?”

“Jekyll could, his children can,” I choked, feeling my hate rise once more.

“I don’t see this as Jekyll’s work, that monster wasn’t one of his. Even if he can’t be tolerated, he can help destroy this threat. Get him to help us strike the rogue faction down, then we can focus on killing him,” Dawn proposed as she gently levitated each of the mutilated guards down and brought a golden letter opener over to end their suffering. All I felt was shame, I couldn’t protect them and I wasn’t strong enough to give them peace myself.

“Thank you,” I whispered, not trusting my voice.

“It’s not the hardest thing I’ve had to do,” Dawn replied as she wiped the letter opener clean on her fetlock and set it back on my desk.

“He called you a childless mother, do you want to talk about it?” I offered, finding solace in being able to help at least one pony.

“Not right now, maybe tomorrow. I’m cancelling court for the day, you’re lying in blood and we both need baths before we can be seen in public. I’ll have a guard make the proper notices while you clean up and go to bed, I’ll wash this blood off and handle the minor claims,” Dawn responded, taking charge in lieu of my mentally and physically exhausted state.

“I want to make the announcement myself, but I’d have to side with Jekyll to do that,” I managed, feeling weaker than ever. I was stuck, powerless against the titanic forces warring in my beloved country and putting countless numbers of my little ponies at risk.

“Not yet, not publicly. Find his spies, meet with them and let them know you want to join forces. Then we can prepare for the real war,” Dawn instructed.

“Thank you again, I needed to hear a plan of some kind,” I replied, feeling better now that I had a direction to move in. Granted, that direction was currently towards a bath.

Now I just needed to keep a cool head when dealing with Jekyll’s envoys.

If that unicorn hadn’t used magic, I would’ve thought she was one of us. Ponies weren’t known for having that kind of fortitude, she definitely warranted further investigation. All things for my report.

“Poor things, I just can’t understand why that beast did this to you,” Dawn commented towards the bodies, clearly thinking she was alone now that Celestia had departed. But are any of us really alone? Nobody considers the tapestry to be a person, or the potted plant next to the door, or the desk standing vigil as the centerpiece of the room.

I wasn’t any of them, I was the wall itself. Or rather, the mortar between the bricks. No one notices when the bricks have a little more mortar than the day before, nor do they pay close attention when one leans against said wall to check their hoof.

“Feeling better?” I asked, smirking.

“Coffee,” Luna groaned, eighteen hours of sleep hadn’t done her many favors as far as her energy was concerned.

“I’ll make sure it’s tested this time,” I allowed as I sent off the silent command.

“Good,” Luna replied simply.

“How much sleep were you getting in Tartarus?” I asked.

“Hour if I was lucky, half most nights,” Luna managed as she yawned.

“The portal was open, why didn’t you ask for help?” I continued.

“Test,” Luna grumbled as her eyes drifted back shut.

“No it wasn’t, it was to help you learn how to manage a country efficiently and easily. No one can handle all of that themselves, there’s just too much to deal with,” I rebutted.

“Shut up, I was doing good for a while,” Luna snapped.

“Three weeks is not that long,” I chided.

“Let’s see you do better then,” Luna responded angrily, though she remained under her blanket with her eyes closed.

“I have, for a thousand years,” I pointed out.

“More like Harry has,” Luna countered.

“He couldn’t do anything without my authority. Besides, that’s the point. Harry handles what he can and passes the rest off, but everything is done towards the direction I left for them and with my power backing it up. Your sister does the same thing, but personally sees to the aspects of the job that she enjoys doing,” I explained, seeming to bother Luna with how calm I was.

“Fuck you,” Luna swore in her defeat.

“I figured that’s what you’d want, especially after going without for three weeks,” I teased.

“Too tired, maybe after coffee,” Luna replied, surprising me.

“Wow, you really are spent. Seems Ashen tried to dose us again, can’t figure why else it wouldn’t be here by now,” I mused.

“INSURRECTION! TREASON!” Luna screeched as she bolted upright.

“The fuck? Calm down, damn,” I ordered on reflex before seeing that she hadn’t otherwise moved and waving off the tendrils Abaddon had extended to restrain the alicorn.

“Sorry, a few of the staff tried to poison me at one point and Harry got me in the habit of calling stuff like that out. I’ve seen the bad side of Tartarus, the pure evil lurking in the streets, and it’s made me a bit paranoid,” Luna apologized as she settled down.

“I know what you mean, I assume you realize how much effort it took to hide that side when you visited before?” I asked somberly.

“Don’t worry, it’s understood and appreciated,” Luna replied, actually cracking a smile. Though her happy expression didn’t seem to be directed at me.

“Should I guess what you’re thinking?” I proposed.

“Just a fond memory, one of the few I have of that place. Gretya really is a sweetheart once you get to know her,” Luna revealed.

“Well that tells me everything I need to know and more,” I replied in mock disgust before dropping my guise, “Glad you managed to have some fun while you were overworking yourself.”

Any further talk on this subject was sidelined by an enforcer rushing through the door with a single mug of coffee, “Sorry I took so long Mistress, that pony is one stubborn piece of work.”

“Don’t I know it,” I agreed as Luna accepted the drink and took a long sip.

“Am I talking fast?” Luna asked warily.

“Nope,” I replied.

“Good,” Luna stated before taking a much longer drink from the mug and finishing it off.

“That coffee was fresh out of the kettle, it was boiling hot,” the enforcer pointed out.

“I used to work all night every night, extremely hot coffee and I are old friends,” Luna countered, seeming unaffected by the burns she should’ve had.

“I’ll admit, that was pretty metal,” I commented, nodding my head approvingly.

“So now that I’m awake and I’ve had my coffee, what’re our plans for the day?” Luna asked.

“Not a damn thing, today’s easy. I’ll be getting reports from my spies later, but that’s just a contact link with Abaddon and won’t even be noticeable to you,” I replied, subtly offering Luna a chance to get more involved in the world.

“Can you have them delivered in paper form? I think I’d like to see what’s going on out there,” Luna requested. Hook, line, and sinker.

“Sure, I’ll have a study set up so we can have desks and all that,” I agreed, sending the command as I spoke, “Done, it’s across the hall.”

“You remember what you said about pointing out the stuff that makes me wonder how good you are? Those silent orders make it seem like you think the rest of us are your toys, as though you are some kind of god keeping us around for your amusement,” Luna admonished.

“That’s how you really see it? I’ve just been doing it ‘cause it’s faster than talking,” I responded in surprise.

“Just use words when we’re around if you can,” Luna requested, tossing me a light glare.

“Alright alright, I’ll keep the connection stuff to a minimum. I won’t promise to not use it at all though, it’s a great way to know what’s going on around us and keep surprises from popping up,” I relented.

“Megalomaniac,” Luna accused.

“Nymph,” I shot back, making Luna jolt back and glance at the enforcer still standing in our room.

“Don’t mind me, I think marriages require a healthy sexual relationship,” the enforcer commented as he walked out, seeing Luna’s lack of comfort with him being there and acting accordingly.

“Did you send him away?” Luna asked quietly.

“Nope, that order came from you,” I replied.

“Good, that means we’re making progress,” Luna declared before suddenly leaping off the bed and slamming into me with all of her three hundred pounds of lean muscle.

I braced my arms to keep from crushing her as she sent us into a roll that ended with her looking down at me, the beads in her hair tapping the sides of my head as she stared into my eyes.

“I think they call this positive reinforcement,” Luna began.

“I’m calling this reunion sex,” I rebutted.

“Feeling better?” I asked as I massaged the knots out of Luna’s shoulders. The runes on her armor’s underlay made this easier, but it was harder than normal even with the plates and pads removed

“So much better, you have no idea how pent up I was,” Luna sighed.

“Between how enthusiastic you just were and the sheer number of knots in your muscles, I can make a pretty good guess,” I countered.

“You’d think commandeering one of the maids and getting her to live under your desk would help, but it just wasn’t the same,” Luna lamented.

“Awww, you misseded me,” I cooed jokingly.

“Don’t even start, you already said the portal was open for me to use if I wanted,” Luna snapped.

“Wasn’t going to go there,” I responded honestly, no point beating that detail into the ground.

“Hmm, lower,” Luna instructed as he shoulders finally relaxed. As requested, I moved my hands down her back and dug my fingers in on either side of her spine, “The wings, Jay, do my wings.”

“Remember when this had you freaking out and squirming all over the place?” I reminisced as my hands found the neglected muscles and worked them until they were nice and soft once more.

“Good times,” Luna joked.

“You want to jump me again don’t you?” I accused.

“That’d break your once a day rule,” Luna pointed out.

“You’ve worked yourself to the bone, I think you’ve earned a little fun,” I reasoned, “But not until I’m done with both wings.”

“Must you torture me so?” Luna complained jokingly, holding her hoof up as though pleading for assistance from on high.

“Shut up, you know you like it,” I shot back with a grin as I focused both hands on Luna’s right wing.

“Oooh yeah, that spot has been cramping a lot lately,” Luna sighed happily as she seemed to sink into the bed, “Jay?”

“Hmm?”

“Am I really a nymph?” Luna asked, turning serious.

“When you want to be, yeah,” I agreed.

“Is that bad?” Luna continued.

“It’s not unexpected, given your abnormal brain structure. But no, I wouldn’t say it’s a bad thing as long as you don’t go overboard,” I replied.

“Okay, that’s good,” Luna mumbled as she relaxed again, though she soon popped back up to keep going, “Jay?”

“Yes dear?”

“Don’t let me go overboard,” Luna requested.

“I won’t,” I promised as I finished with Luna’s right wing and shifted to her left one.

“I’ve just been really frustrated lately, like I have over three and a half thousand years of stress pushing down on my soul and it makes some of that weight disappear,” Luna replied.

“Lu, it’s fine. You don’t need an excuse to have sex with me, I’m your husband and part of that means making sure you’re satisfied and happy,” I responded seriously.

“We aren’t though, not really. We don’t act like we are and nopony even knows because we can’t wear the symbols,” Luna complained.

“I don’t know, I think we’re pretty close to the average pair of newlyweds during the honeymoon phase. We don’t really fight or argue that much, we’re still learning how the other thinks, stuff like that. As far as rings or bracelets go, do you really care? I’d wear one if you asked me to, but I wouldn’t seek one out if it wasn’t something you wanted,” I replied.

“Maybe I could sneak one on under my boot,” Luna mused before shaking her head, “No, the gold would never fit right and it’d sit funny.”

“My people wore rings, but we didn’t stick to gold as strongly as you do. I remember one company made rubber wedding rings for people that couldn’t wear metal ones because of the job they did,” I suggested.

“Can you make me one?” Luna asked.

“I know the basics, it’d take a bit of research to learn the entire process and then however long it takes to make the thing. I’ll start on it as soon as I can,” I agreed.

“If you find me some gold I’ll make you a ring,” Luna offered, “Wait, nevermind. I just had a better idea.”

“If you’re thinking abyssanite, that thing would weigh over a hundred pounds,” I noted.

“Not if Danny taught me how to carve the right runes into it,” Luna pointed out.

“That would work, I could even store it inside my hand when I’m in public,” I reasoned.

“Just until we have enough sway to go public,” Luna added.

“Right,” I agreed as I finished working the last bit of tension out of Luna’s wing.

“Could you do me a favor?” Luna asked as I moved my hands back to her spine.

“What’s up?” I replied.

“Go back to the bases of my wings, but just hold them this time,” Luna instructed, sighing happily as I did so before continuing, “Grip them just a little harder, enough that your fingers dig into my skin...Yeah, just like that.”

“I thought you forgot,” I teased.

“Not a chance,” Luna shot back as she tossed me an expectant glare.

“Why does this feel right?” Luna wondered aloud as she took a long drag from her cigarette.

“No idea, it was a thing for my people as well,” I replied, letting my own cigarette hang from my mouth.

“Should probably get up, we can’t just lay around and make love all day,” Luna proposed.

“Yeah, let me finish this cigarette first,” I requested before looking at luna and ashing the remaining half of my cancer stick in one puff, “Okay, I’m ready.”

“Show off, I’m going to walk and smoke,” Luna teased as she rolled out of the bed and onto her hooves.

“Might want to take a shower, you’re more than a little sweaty,” I suggested as I hopped to my feet and surged my tendrils to clean the small amount of grime from my own skin.

“Yeah, I probably should,” Luna conceded as she walked into the center of the room and tapped her hoof, triggering the usual privacy flaps to fall from the ceiling before the warm water started pouring onto her.

“I’ll have those reports ready for you when you’re done,” I called as I walked out.

“Okay,” Luna replied. As the door closed, I heard her ask, “Why do I still use these screens?”

With that question to amuse me, I walked across the hall and checked out our new offices. They were simple things, two desks facing each other with plenty of storage space on either side and empty shelves lining the walls. One of those tacky office things sat in the corner, the kind of dumb fountain that just dribbled water over a stack of rocks.

“Check that memory again Abaddon, stupid rock fountain things are stupid,” I ordered, nonplussed by the sight.

“Lauren had one in her office, you seemed to like her office,” Abaddon countered.

“I liked Lauren’s office because she was the coolest supervisor ever and had a Forty-K table in there, not because she had a dumb as fuck rock fountain,” I rebuked.

“I think it’s peaceful, Mistress Luna will like it,” Abaddon argued.

“Doubtful, but it can stay until she has it removed,” I allowed.

“Yay,” Abaddon cheered.

“We just need a few more things to get started. Have Tzu organize a few Romeo squads and get them to make paper copies of every India report we’ve gotten since six months before Luna’s return, starting from now and working backwards, then get me someone who will excel at organization to sort and file all of those documents,” I instructed, wondering if this job might actually keep Twilight busy enough to stay out of danger.

“Wouldn’t Tzu be perfect for that?” Abaddon asked, seeming confused.

“Tzu has more important things to do than babysit stacks of paper, I’m looking for someone that won’t be called to fight every other Tuesday,” I replied.

“You want a pony to do this,” Abaddon noted, “May I look at candidates other than the librarian? This chance to improve our social standing shouldn’t be wasted by hiring someone who already knows who we really are.”

“That’s a good idea, look wherever you want,” I permitted.

A voice from the hallway caught my attention, “Sup.”

“What are you doing here? Weren’t you going into hiding or something?” Luna’s voice demanded, seeming angry at the owner of the first voice.

“Look, I don’t know what you’ve got against me but I haven’t done anything to you. Elder Jekyll offered me a place to stay and I’m taking him up on it until I can either get my face changed or my family moved somewhere safe. If I’ve offended you, I’m sorry,” Gilda replied defensively.

“Just stay away from me assassin,” Luna snapped.

“I don’t do that anymore, I’m just Gilda now,” Gilda shot back, her own temper growing short.

“Should I step in or let them fight it out?” I asked.

“I’d suggest setting some rules, like no killing, but also letting them resolve their dispute,” Abaddon replied.

“Make it so Number One,” I ordered, tapping into Abaddon’s senses so I could watch the fight.

“Whatever, you’re probably just waiting for the moment to strike,” Luna accused.

“Hey buck you, I gave up my entire life when I quit that mission,” Gilda snapped.

“What life? Aren’t you assassins gelded or something?” Luna mocked, her hatred for assassins showing as clear as day.

“I’m a girl you twit,” Gilda shot back.

“Really? You don’t look it, or are you one of those types that likes other mares?” Luna continued.

“Yes actually, but I didn’t think I’d be harassed about it in Equestria of all places. You’re a piss poor example of your species, you know that? They all accepted me the instant I told them, Dash even forgave me for taking on a mission to kill her. But you? You who is supposed to be the example for them to follow? You’re just another bigot bitch hiding behind her money,” Gilda ranted angrily, going as far a poking Luna’s chestplate with a talon when she called the alicon a bigot.

Abaddon caught Luna’s hoof before it could connect with Gilda’s face, surprising both of the combatants, “Fight if you feel the need to, but no killing or magical injuries.”

“You heard the thing, no magic bitch,” Gilda taunted as she stepped back and bounced lightly on her hind legs as she assumed a fighting stance.

“Magical attacks and magical injuries are different, stupid. I can still set you on fire as long as I don’t enchant your skin to keep burning,” Luna spat as she too got into her ready pose, “But I want to feel you break, I’ll keep it to my hooves for now.”

Gilda got in the first strike now that it wasn’t a sucker punch, her foot connecting with the side of Luna’s head hard enough for Gilda to use it as a springboard when she tried to jump back out of kicking range. Luna’s hoof caught her foot before she had the chance though and Gilda screamed when Luna rolled and brought her other foreleg down on Gilda’s knee, snapping the joint and leaving the gryphon limping as she backed off.

“You’re stronger than you look, I’ll give you that,” Gilda conceded.

“You too, I passed out when I broke my leg,” Luna replied.

“Fall off a roof?” Gilda asked.

“My sister,” Luna corrected.

“Damn, I have a brother like that. They suck, huh?” Gilda replied.

“Yeah, they really do,” Luna agreed, her short chuckle cut short when Gilda’s talons raked her face while she was distracted.

“Wait!” Gilda cried when Luna prepared her counterattack, “Just bringing it to a draw, I don’t think you’re as much of a bitch as you let on. Truce?”

“Are you really done with being an assassin? I fucking hate assassins,” Luna countered.

“Yeah, I couldn’t go back if I wanted to. You don’t get to botch your first contract and expect to keep your job,” Gilda answered instantly.

“Then I’ll accept your surrender,” Luna teased.

“Draw,” Gilda insisted.

“You are clearly more injured than I am,” Luna pointed out.

“Take off the armor and we’ll see how well you do, not a lot I can hit you with when only your face and neck are open,” Gilda challenged.

“I-I uh-I can’t get it off without help,” Luna confessed.

“Hold up, what? Do you go looking for someone every time you need to go or have to piss yourself then?” Gilda asked in shock.

“There’s a plate on the back I can remove for that stuff, but otherwise I’m stuck in here,” Luna clarified.

“That’s no fun, at least it looks awesome,” Gilda offered.

“Thanks, it’s pretty comfortable too,” Luna replied, “Do you want me to fix your leg?”

“That’d be great,” Gilda agreed, finding her leg quickly returned to its prior, unbroken state.

“Fixing my face will be almost impossible without a mirror, I’ll just get Jay to do it,” Luna stated as Gilda opened her mouth.

“Fair enough...friends?” Gilda asked.

“As long as you don’t try to kill me,” Luna joked as she nodded.

“Cool, see you around princess,” Gilda replied as she turned to leave.

“It’s just Luna, nobody calls me that,” Luna called as the gryphon departed.

I was waiting for her when Luna finally walked into the office, my hand already separated into tendrils to knit her skin back together.

“You saw all of that?” Luna asked, already knowing the answer.

“Duh, heard you two bickering through the door before you even started. Abaddon was the one who suggested letting you fight though,” I responded, “What do you think?”

“I think this place is looking more like a gilded cage every day,” Luna groaned.

“If it is, then I forgot to close the door. I’m serious, if you really think I’m trying to control you or whatever shit Chelly does, then I won’t stop you from leaving or cut off any help I’ve promised. I heard you arguing and wanted to watch, that’s all,” I stated seriously, meaning every word.

“A hollow option, I have nothing outside of this leviathan. No real power, no money that Tia can’t keep from me, nothing. Burning this bridge isn’t an option,” Luna countered.

“I don’t care about bits, you could take whatever you needed. I wouldn’t take it personally either, no bridge burning on my end,” I replied.

“So I could just take a bunch of bits and leave, and you wouldn’t be mad?” Luna challenged.

“I’d be pissed, but it’d be at myself for pushing you away,” I answered, evidently saying the right thing as this prompted Luna to hug me.

“Thanks Jay, I needed to hear that,” Luna sighed.

“No worries, how do you like the office?” I asked, shifting the subject to an easier one.

“That rock thing in the corner looks stupid, otherwise it’ll work nicely,” Luna replied.

“Fucking called it,” I announced.

“So which one is mine?” Luna asked, ignoring my outburst.

“Whichever one you want,” I allowed.

“I’ll take the one facing the door,” Luna chose, walking over to the desk and sitting down.

“Then I’ll use the other one, you should find a bunch of reports from the last few days in the drawers but they aren’t organized yet. This one is from today,” I explained as I gestured to a file sitting across the small gap between the two desks.

“From?” Luna asked as she levitated the folder towards herself and opened it.

“Canterlot,” I answered, watching Luna’s eyes scan the document within. I was curious to know what it said as well, having upheld my promise to do things the normal way with Luna.

“Interesting,” Luna commented, “Has this been substantiated?”

“It’s taken from the memories of the India that witnessed it, every word is accurate,” I promised.

“Then the tides are shifting in our favor, it seems Tia has gotten into trouble and is considering an alliance with us. Well, an alliance with you,” Luna revealed.

“She doesn’t know we’re an item, give her a break,” I urged as I walked around to Luna’s side and read over her shoulder, “Damn, why can’t she look past her ego and do the right thing for once?”

“Says the shapeshifting alien that lives in a town sized siege monster,” Lina ribbed.

“I lived in a log cabin for nearly a thousand years, I can do humble,” I countered, messing Luna’s hair because I could.

“You ought to know it lays back naturally, ruffling it won’t change anything,” Luna deadpanned.

“No, but it’s fun,” I countered, continuing my pointless assault for a few more seconds.

“Still, to know for sure that Tia has been dealing with the rogues. I’ve never been so disappointed in her before,” Luna commented to herself as her mane fell back in an approximation of how it had been before.

“Wait, hold the fucking phone. This Dawn mare thinks Chelly likes me? Is she clinically insane? Who would think that?” I demanded, my mind replaying every encounter I’d had with the solar diarch and finding only loathing.

“It looks like Tia agrees with you for once, she reacted about the same way,” Luna chuckled. That left a bad taste in my mouth, I didn’t like the thought of having anything in common with Celestia.

“So what’s the play, do you want to meet with her?” I asked, moving away from any similarities to my nemesis.

“I think it would be dumb to refuse her outright, but it should be on our terms. We should bring her here where we can control who knows what is said between us,” Luna suggested.

“Then that’s what we’ll do. If you can get her alone, pull her into a teleport and pop into the staging area. I’ll keep it clear so you don’t fuse with anyone,” I replied, the plan taking shape.

“Not alone, that assistant of hers seems to keep her stable. I’ll have to bring Dawn as well,” Luna amended, looking thoughtfully at the page as she evaluated our plan for weaknesses, “What about rogue spies? How do I avoid them?”

“You can’t, they’ll sniff you out even if you’re invisible. We’ll just have to deal with that as it develops,” I responded, grimacing at the description of what the rogue calling itself Crimson had done.

“Alright, I’ll trust your India’s can keep them from killing me,” Luna agreed.

“That’s not a risk they’d take, whoever is pulling their strings wants a long fight and that would end this much too quickly,” I replied.

“Because you’d just disappear again?” Luna guessed.

“Because I’d kill them all in a day,” I corrected, “Nobody hurts my Luna and lives.”

“Aww,” Luna cooed happily as I oozed through the gaps in her armor to hug her properly.

“When do you want to begin?” I asked, still holding her as I spoke.

“Soon, but I won’t be able to do it in this armor. I have an idea for getting past their spies,” Luna replied.

Gods I was tired, no amount of coffee or naps could seem to keep my eyes open as I dozed on my throne. At least until the next nightmare jolted me awake a few seconds later. This was a living Tartarus.

“Princess, there’s someone you should see,” Dawn advised urgently as she gently shook me awake.

“Court’s over,” I yawned before my eyes jolted open. It was another rogue, it had to be. Oh no, where were the guards? Were they alive?

“Tia?” an unexpected voice sniffled.

“Luna? Oh my goodness, are you alright?” I cried as I was the state my sister was in. Luna’s face was stained with tears and her coat looked like it hadn’t been washed in weeks. Even her beautiful mane hadn’t been spared, what little that was left had globs of dried mud stuck in it. But what drew my attention the most was how she was favoring one leg, as though it had been injured recently.

“I-I’ve been walking for so long, my wing-oh stars-my wing hurts so much. Please,” Luna begged, staggering as her time in the wilderness caught up with her. I was at her side in an instant to keep her from collapsing.

“Where’s Jekyll? Did he do this to you?” I demanded, feeling my anger rise.

“We-we got separated, these marauders just came out of nowhere. Tia, they had weapons that could kill Jekyll’s soldiers! He drove them back but one of them got me, he-he was some species I didn’t recognize and I couldn’t understand what he was saying. Oh it was horrible, he never let me rest or find any privacy. I had to pee myself as we walked. Then I was saved, one of Jekyll’s troops saw me and sacrificed himself to kill my captor but I was alone in the forest. I just kept walking, I think it’s been either two or three weeks now. Stars above, I’m so tired,” Luna explained weakly, her eyes pleading for comfort and safety.

“Of course, Dawn will help you clean up once we have you tucked in and some food on the way,” I promised as I all but carried my tormented sister towards her old room.

“Thank you Tia, thank you,” Luna managed as she struggled to remain awake.

“I’ve got the door,” Dawn stated as she ran ahead and pushed the heavy oak door open.

The instant it closed, a blinding flash engulfed all three of us.

“Sorry Tia, that deception wasn’t for you,” Luna apologized as she straightened.

“It was for our common enemy,” that dreaded voice added, making my heart sink and my muscles tighten in apprehension.

Author's Notes:

After writing this chapter in a little over a week I have come to a realization: shame writing is fast writing. Well, that and the place I'm working on at the moment as internet so bad that all I can run is Gdocs. Off my phone's mobile hotspot. With one bar of 3G. And there's something like a ten second lag between hitting the key and the character appearing on the screen. Good times, but enough about my internet troubles; I hope you all enjoyed this, I'm looking forward to writing a lot more in the days to come.