We had almost reached Ponyville by the time Luna woke up, though Abaddon insisted on waiting until all of his passengers were awake before accelerating to a normal pace. I didn’t mind either way and allowed him his choice, as I was certain Luna would cash in her day off as soon as she’d gotten enough coffee to think straight. It took three enforcers before Ashen finally made a cup that didn’t contain enough caffeine to make them vibrate for the better part of an hour, though they didn’t complain and Tzu commended them for their productivity afterwards.

Once Luna was finished drinking her cup of scaldingly hot coffee and staring at the wall until it kicked in, she stretched and stood to complete her part of the sunrise. I watched her through Abaddon as she walked to the deck in silence and either lowered the moon or did that in addition to raising the sun, I could never tell. It wasn’t until she walked back down to our room and climbed back into bed that she spoke.

“How long will it take to get rid of our guests?” Luna asked, sounding annoyed at the fact that there were minotaurs and gryphons aboard.

“One of them will be here for a while, but the rest will be leaving as soon as they’ve been debriefed. I doubt that will take long, given how the changelings treated them,” I replied.

“Good, they’ll be harder to see as enemies if I interact with them,” Luna commented.

“Tzu is not the god of tactical decisions, you can talk with whoever you want. And you didn’t have that much of a problem with Gilda,” I pointed out, making an educated guess as to where Luna had heard that line.

“Gilda wasn’t our enemy, they are. They’ll go right back to planning the takeover of Equestria as soon as we hand them over,” Luna countered.

“You’re getting cynical, my plan is to send them home as a diplomatic gesture. We show them that we fought off a swarm of changelings to save their people, they might start having doubts about their participation in the war. On one hand, we were selfless enough to rescue our enemies from certain doom, and on the other we have the fighting prowess to beat back a swarm. A one-two punch of political maneuvering,” I explained easily.

“And you didn’t tell me this because…” Luna began, seemingly intent on being angry about something.

“Because I hadn’t thought of it until I saw them,” I finished, “I know I’ve told you about my opportunistic tendencies, I saw a move and took it. Want to talk about why you’re actually mad?”

“My dream ghosts didn’t like my spell, they made fun of me,” Luna confessed as she rolled onto her back and crossed her forelegs over her chest with a huff.

“Who do you have dream ghosts of and why?” I asked curiously.

“My parents and I don’t know, I keep summoning them because I’m convinced I’ll make them proud of me if I try hard enough,” Luna admitted, her legs unfolding as I turned her over and hugged her to my chest.

“You don’t need them to be proud of you, they’re not here. I am here and I’ll never fail to remind you how amazing you are whenever you need it. And for the record, I thought your spell was amazing,” I rebuked, causing Luna to fall silent as she slowly brought her hooves around to hug me back. A thought occurred when she finally added some pressure to her hold, “Hey, don’t the ghosts only go off of your memories of the person? Are yours capable of being proud?”

Luna didn’t answer for a long time as she considered my question, “I feel dumb now.”

“You’re not dumb, it’s normal to seek that kind of approval. Look at Fang, that’s all he can think about,” I countered jokingly, getting a smile out of Luna in return.

“I guess you’re expecting me to use that day off you promised? I really want to, but I’d also prefer to save it for my birthday,” Luna stated.

“I thought that one was a given, who works on their birthday?” I asked, slightly off put by the idea.

“I have since the founding of modern Equestria, I usually didn’t even know it had passed until days or months later,” Luna confessed.

“Well, it’s...fourteen days from now, I promise you won’t miss it this year. Even if I wasn’t here, Pinkie wouldn’t allow it,” I reassured, having to get the dates from Abaddon.

“Nope, never ever,” Pinkie agreed. As we both turned to look at the mare, she lowered beneath the edge of the bed without bending her legs. Luna rolled over and peeked over the edge to see where Pinkie went, then dropped onto her hooves and ducked lower to look underneath. When she stood back up, her left eye was twitching.

“Don’t question it, you’ll hurt yourself,” I warned.

“Fuck it, I’m done with today already. Abaddon, give me a massage table!” Luna cried before flopping onto the floor with her legs splayed. The table she requested lifted her back to her normal height a moment later, though this did little to improve her mood until I slid off the bed and walked over to dig my fingers into the muscles of her back, “I need to get these more often.”

“You say that every time,” I commented as I moved up to her neck.

“It’s true every time,” Luna countered with a happy sigh. Just for fun, I grew a second pair of arms and scratched both of her ears at the same time.

“How’s that?” I asked pointlessly, knowing Luna was beyond the ability to talk. She was too busy trying to get the most out of the ear scratches and quietly pleading for me to keep going. I took her obvious pleasure as a sign to push even further and sent tendrils through her skin to work the undersides of her muscles as I massaged the stress out of my wife. Anyone passing by who heard Luna couldn’t have been blamed for thinking we were doing something more intimate, as Luna had decided that moaning and swearing were good ways of expressing how much she was enjoying the massage. I hadn’t even left her shoulders by then either.

As Luna had requested yesterday, I unknotted and relaxed every muscle and joint in her body. I even filed and polished her hooves to a high shine while I was working on her legs. Loose feathers were removed and discarded as needed when I pulled the stress from her wings. I initially skipped Luna’s flanks and tail, as I’d done this enough by now to know where that led.

Once I’d finished with the full body massage, and the inevitable side effect of same, Luna slid off the table and arched her back to stretch before sighing happily.

“You give the best massages,” Luna complimented.

“I try, but I doubt I’ll ever be skilled enough to give you the level you deserve,” I replied, causing Luna to blush and jab at my side playfully.

“Cut it out you goof. What should we do next?” Luna asked.

“It’s your day, you tell me. I would like to ask Tzu about his little project at some point though,” I replied.

“Well, I was thinking we could go to Tartarus, I want to ask Danny about something,” Luna proposed.

“Then we’ll go to Hell,” I agreed as I removed my sword from my empty armor and tossed it onto the bed before flowing into the caped status symbol.

“Do you always have to say it like that?” Luna deadpanned as I formed a claw and cut open a portal.

“No, but I think it’s funny,” I responded as I gestured for Luna to lead the way. We made it all the way into the hallway before Luna looked both ways and realized she had no idea how to get to the forge, though she recovered in the most appropriate way possible for a queen of Tartarus.

“DAAAAANNNNNYYYY, GET THE FUCK TO THE ROYAL CHAMBERS!” Luna shouted, her voice amplified even further by magic. Her yell had been so loud that I could see the air itself quake from the force. It definitely had an effect, as every door in the hallway opened as demons of all types poked their heads out to see what was going on. Jragden only took another second to sprint around the corner with a half forged sword still glowing hot in his hand.

“I...got here...as fast as I could,” Jragden huffed breathlessly as he slid to a stop at Luna’s hooves.

“Excellent, how do I get to the forge from here?” Luna asked kindly, pretending as though a solid third of Tartarus hadn’t just heard her deafening scream for the pretty.

“It’s the fifth door on the right once you turn that corner there,” Jragden answered neutrally as he pointed.

“Allow me to rephase then, take us to the forge immediately,” Luna corrected.

“O-Of course your majesties, m-my mistake,” Jragden stammered as he bowed and turned to lead the way.

“You’re learning how to speak their language,” I noted.

“I spent three weeks here, remember? I spent enough time dealing with demons for my patience to run out, the fact that that’s what they prefer is pure coincidence,” Luna argued haughtily, though a pinch to her wing changed her tone, “Hey, quit it. We’re in public and I have an authority to maintain.”

“As if any of these fools would risk either of our wraths by talking about us behind our backs, much less both of them at once,” I countered, my implied threat sending the curious demons scurrying back to their jobs.

“Ooh, that was a good one. I’ll remember that,” Luna praised.

“I’ve been doing this for a while,” I replied with a shrug.

“But pinching me there still undermines my status as their ruler,” Luna pressed.

“Oh? Is that so? So I shouldn’t do this either?” I teased as I scratched Luna’s ear and chuckled at her unconscious lean into my hand. Luna’s face was the picture of internal conflict, she loved having her ears scratched.

“A queen needs to be pampered from time to time,” Luna declared, justifying her indulgence and pressing into my hand even harder.

“If I may ask, what do you require forging?” Jragden asked, pretending not to see our actions.

“A wedding band,” Luna replied without hesitation, making me stop. Luna pouted slightly when my hand left her ears, but caught my expression quickly enough, “What’s wrong?”

“Wars and shit!” I answered loudly, exasperated by Luna’s choice of timing, “I’m out there trying to weaken our enemies, enemies who would love to carve both you and Chelly up by the way, and you want to bring them here sooner? What the fuck Luna?”

“It will obviously need a hidden hinge or invisibility rune,” Luna allowed.

“A hinge? A rune? No wonder you came to Danny, he’s the only one with a prayer of making it work. This...This is insane, but it’s also worth a try,” I relented.

“That’s right. Even if it goes poorly and I can’t keep it around all the time, it’ll only be a portal away. I’ll be expecting you to wear a ring as well,” Luna replied confidently.

“Would you like me to modify your armors to contain one of each as well?” Jragden offered.

“That sounds like a wonderful idea, except that Jay wears his armor all the time,” Luna pointed out.

“Nobody questions the details of my armor, there are too many for it to catch the eye. If it’ll make you feel better, he can add gold rings to all of my fingers and add your mark to the correct one. It’ll be there, but smaller and even less noticeable,” I suggested.

“Yes, some gold around the particularly significant embellishments would catch the eye and muddy the one you wish to hide. I good idea my lords,” Jragden agreed as he stopped at the door to his forge and pushed it open for us. The heat caused Luna to shy away until she could cast a pair of spells for us to keep the heat manageable.

“You keep your forge awfully warm,” I commented as we descended into the hottest place on the planet with only a spell to keep us from cooking in our own fluids.

“Abyssanite is incredibly difficult to smelt, the heat keeps it from cooling too quickly. Were one of my blades to cool before I was ready to temper it, I’d have to re-smelt the entire thing and start over,” Jragden explained.

“Why do I get the feeling that we’ll be here for hours?” I asked warily as we entered the main room and spotted the basin of superheated magma the locals called a forge. Jragden’s materials were neatly stacked and organized in bins along one wall, while a permanently frozen door on the other side kept the searing heat away from his fabrics and embroidery materials.

“Because it probably will, as forging something as personal as a wedding band can take many iterations before it’s perfect for each of the parties,” Jragden replied quickly, “You may wish to wait in the adjoining room, the temperature is much more… survivable.”

“That sounds like a good plan, I trust you’ll bring us the first samples of your work?” Luna assumed as she led me towards the frozen door.

“Of course, m’lady,” Jragden agreed as he moved to his bins.

This would take a while.

I was being followed. I didn’t like being followed, it meant my cover was blown. The question was how; this mission had been given by Jeffrey and only served to sate his curiosity, none of the rogues could’ve known I was even here.

“Fucking asshat rogues following me and shit,” I swore under my breath as I looked for somewhere to stage an ambush. An alley caught my eye and I began preparing a plan of attack, though I hadn’t anticipated to be grabbed and pulled into the same alley by another of my kind.

“Shut the fuck up,” the other enforcer hissed as it pressed its disguise’s back against the wall and waited to snatch the rogue stalking me. Its tone and lack of pressing its advantage confused me as I realized the enforcer didn’t have the usual cellular structure. I’d only gotten a brief look while it was tossing me, but I was sure that I was being helped by a rogue.

Nevertheless, it was in my best interest to keep quiet for now. At least until I could get more information about what was going on. The rogue was currently wearing the face of a light gray earth pony with an orange mane, but there were details lacking that showed how hastily the disguise had been invented. This had never been a living pony, meaning the rogue I was with wasn’t one of the violent ones. If it hadn’t hurt me or killed a pony for a disguise, it couldn’t have been that bad.

It struck, snatching the green pegasus off the sidewalk and stomping a hole through its chest before anyone on the street could see that anything had happened. The pegasus burned away to reveal black carapace before the insectile creature ceased to exist at all.

“A changeling? But how?” I asked.

“They can see us as easily as we can sniff them out, you need to tell father that they’re planning something big,” the rogue instructed with a much more feminine voice. There was an uncommon authority to that voice, similar to that of Lord Jekyll and Dopple.

“I’m tempted to just kill you and return to my mission, why should I care about some stupid bugs?” I threatened.

“Because they remove all operational security with their existence, every India in Equestria and beyond is in danger of being outed. You couldn’t kill me anyway, you aren’t strong enough,” the rogue retorted, drawing my mind back to the aberrant cellular structure I had seen.

“Are you…” I began, my mind drawing conclusions I didn’t like.

“My name is Six, take that however you want. These bugs are threatening my peaceful life as well, so make them go away,” Six snapped.

“You’ve been helping us, but why? No, that’s irrelevant. I can’t leave until I find the reason Vinyl Scratch used the word ‘enforcer’,” I stumbled, regaining my train of thought quickly.

“I live here most of the time, she got it from me,” Six replied a bit too quickly.

“I doubt that, why would an Alpha spend her time with some random DJ?” I demanded, making the prototype enforcer flinch. So it was true, I was in the presence of one of Lord Jekyll’s first attempts at creating life. The biggest question in my mind now was how and why Alpha Six left us.

“I… I like music,” Six offered weakly. It didn’t matter, I had my answer. Apha Six had survived for centuries without causing a stir and was only aiding us now to protect herself.

“Anything else to say before I tell Lord Jekyll about this meeting?” I allowed.

“I just want to be left alone,” Six stated before slumping down the wall and sighing sadly. I felt a pang of sadness as well, though it was for seeing one of the famous Alphas in such a distressed state. She was so close to being Lord Jekyll that I felt compelled to help.

“What’s wrong Six?” I asked as I sat across from the prototype.

“Just overwhelmed, do you mind if I vent a little?” Six requested. I wasn’t surprised by this at all, the way we bottled our emotions and handed things logically got to all of us from time to time. It was normal for us to yell and fight with each other for no reason, just so long as both parties had agreed to help the other.

“I’ll consider it an honor,” I allowed with a nod.

“Fucking Four and his stupid fucking rogues, what the hell is he trying to pull with this pathetic attempt at a coup? Did you know I was the original rogue? I never had control genes, pops just up and forgot about those I guess. Or I was an experiment to see if the genes were the problem, the control group or some shit. Now Four’s cramping my style and drawing all this fucking attention my way, fuck that motherfucker. All I wanted to do was live my fucking life without enforcers crawling up my ass LIKE A GODDAMN GERBIL MADE OF RAZOR BLADES!” Six ranted, painting a particularly disturbing image.

“Um, okay. We haven’t really been looking for you though,” I pointed out.

“NOT YET, BUT YOU WILL NOW THAT FUCKING FOUR AND HIS STUPID FUCKING ROGUES HAVE DRAWN ME OUT. Sorry, that was a bit much. But someone decided that I needed changelings in my city too. Bugs, fucking bugs that I can’t deal with without exposing myself. See, one of them gets a little too close to my home and I end up in an alley with another enforcer because I just had to kill it. Fucking asshole universe,” Six continued, her voice dropping as she released her frustration.

“We had an enforcer get released yesterday, she’s free to make her own way now. Let me deliver my report to Lord Jekyll and I’ll meet you at Pony Joe’s with his reaction. I’ll be there tomorrow at noon with his response,” I offered.

“Or it’ll be a trap. I’ll think about it,” Six allowed, “So what about your mission, are you going to accept that I’m responsible and go home?”

“I am, you’ve made it clear that you live here and know both Vinyl and Octavia,” I replied, making the Alpha shrug. She’d been switching between the voices of those mares at random when she ranted, a habit many in my field shared.

“Then I might see you tomorrow,” Six bid before walking out of the alley and vanishing into the midday crowd.

An Alpha, one like Dopple but rogue from the start. I stood in the alley for several minutes as I analized everything Six had said, eventually deciding that I trusted her. Her actions, or lack thereof, since her creation spoke volumes about her character, enough that I was confident Lord Jekyll would allow her to live freely.

“How can you not like engravings? Without them it’s just boring,” I argued.

“You don’t have any fur for them to yank out, it hurts,” Luna shot back.

“I could make them rounded and shallower,” Jragden offered weakly, unwilling to get in the middle of our argument.

Luna paused for a moment before eyeing the demon critically, “I’ll give that style a try, but I’m not making any promises.”

“Very good ma’am,” Jragden agreed before bowing again and stepping back out to rework the silver.

“I’m pretty sure most people use wood for their prototypes,” Luna commented as she looked back towards me.

“Do you see any trees?” I countered.

“Shit, that’s a good point,” Luna conceded.

What had I been thinking? Was I trying to get myself killed? No, no this was an opportunity to see how I’d be reacted to when and if I ever met with Jekyll again. If that India came alone, it meant I’d be accepted and allowed to continue with my life. If there was a swarm of my cousins surrounding the shop, I’d need to disappear for a while. If he didn’t show at all, it meant there were plans for me. Only the first possibility was in my favor.

“Shit,” I swore, both from the emotions running through my mind and the fact that there was a pony staring at me. A pony that didn’t have any microparticles emanating from his skin, the clear sign of a disguised changeling. How many of these bastards were there? My damn house was just a block away.

At least I wasn’t wearing my normal face, that would’ve been problematic.

“You never fail to impress,” I praised as I lifted the equally modest and beautiful bracelet Jragden had produced most recently. He’d been getting better at it too, with this one taking only twenty minutes to craft.

“Looks like abyssanite, how’d you swing it?” Jay asked.

“Layers, my lord. I began with the innermost ring, then carved the necessary runes and filled the interior with gold before finishing it off with an abyssanite shell,” Jragden bragged. In this case, I’d call his boasting warranted.

“It weighs so little, I’d almost expect it to float in the air if I dropped it,” I commented as I held the loop of metal between my hooves. It was perfect, just fancy enough to stand out without appearing snobbish or gaudy. It had elegance and class, but also simplicity and practicality. I loved it.

“I’m afraid the runes that can do that wouldn’t react well with the others, but it will fall more slowly and bounce around your ankle in a similar fashion to how your mane used to move,” Jragden replied as Jay stood up from the steel crate he’d been sitting on and slid out of his armor.

“How does it work in regards to coming off easily?” Jay asked as he took the ring resting on my hoof and examined it.

“It isn’t quite attuned yet, I need both of you for that. When we’re done, only the two of you will be able to manipulate it; and even then it’ll have to be an intentional action. If I could get each of you to touch the rubies on either side, perfect. Now channel your magic into those gems. That’s it. Now either of you can attach or remove the band as needed,” Jragden instructed as we followed his guidance through the process.

Jay took the band and easily pulled it into two pieces, each consisting of half the bracelet, before kneeling and clasping it around my offered fetlock. My heart skipped a beat when the sections of metal clinked together, it felt like we were finally something like a real couple now that he had placed this symbol on my leg. I idly moved my hoof around to watch the ring bounce against my leg, it was so light that I couldn’t even feel it until I stopped moving and let it settle. Danny had been so attentive to my desires that there wasn’t even a seam where the two halves met, it couldn’t grab my fur. Jay didn’t even see me use my wing to accept the matching ring Jragden was hiding behind his back, as I had hidden the action with an excited ruffle of my feathers.

“Just out of curiosity, which finger is your version supposed to go on?” I baited, recalling that it was on the left side but not remembering which finger.

“Second to last one from the end, left hand,” Jay answered as he pointed to the identified finger. He let me pull it towards me and turn it over as though inspecting the digit for any significance. I knew there wasn’t any beyond his culture, but it succeeded in getting him to lower his guard and look away as he thought of a question to ask Jragden about some old weapon or another. He didn’t even notice me retrieve the ring from my wing, only reacting when I slipped it onto his finger.

Jay stopped talking mid-word as his head turned to look at what I had done. I watched his eyes travel from my smiling face to the ring that now adorned is hand. I released my magical grip and let him have the appendage back as he flexed his fingers experimentally and used his other hand to turn the ring, giving him the full scope of its engravings. I’d gotten a look at it when Jragden showed it off behind his back, it was exactly the same as the one on my left leg. Both bands held matching rubies on opposite sides, yet sat flush with the metal to keep from catching on anything. My cutie mark emblazoned one side while Jay’s sigil of three diagonal slashes adorned the other.

“Abyssanite shell with gold filling?” Jay guessed, his tone devoid of emotion as he tried to figure out how he felt. My face and excitement fell with every passing second as I failed to get the reaction I was hoping for.

“Only the finest deposits for the king and queen,” Jragden replied with a short bow.

“Jay?” I asked fearfully.

“One second Luna, I’m distracting myself so I can figure out how to wear this all the time. I’m not used to being this emotional,” Jay responded distantly.

“You like it then?” I pressed, the flicker of hope returning to my heart.

“It feels right, if overdue, but it’ll cause problems as well. How would I explain this if I met with a delegate? Do I take it off? That doesn’t seem fair to you. Do I hide it inside my body? Same problem. What am I supposed to do Luna?” Jay demanded, surprising me with how difficult this was for him. The answer was obviously… to take it… off. I didn’t want to remove my bracelet either.

“Oh, that’s a really good point,” I agreed as I felt the same weight settle onto my shoulders, “I guess… I guess we’ll just have to suffer through it until we can go public.”

Jay nodded as he reached the same conclusions, though it was clearly just as painful for him to admit as it had been for me.

“Might I suggest a trick I’ve learned over the eons?” Jragden began, “Where would you say is the best place to hide a grain of sand?”

“In a desert?” I guessed.

“The common answer is ‘on the beach’, but a desert works just as well. I could spend hours making you a collection of bracelets and rings to hide the true nature of those bands,” Jragden offered.

“You clearly weren’t this helpful towards Belial, I never would have beaten him if you had,” Jay commented gratefully.

“The current regime treats me much better, I feel honored to return that favor,” Jragden replied graciously, though I was still having a difficult time focusing on anything other than the bracelet around my ankle.

“We’ll just have to deal with it until you get them done then,” Jay responded before looking between me and the demon, “What do you want?”

“Jay, be civil. Danny’s been good to us, I’d call him a friend at this point,” I chided.

“He’s not our friend, he’s a demon. A pretty. He’s the single greatest metalworker in the world and he doesn’t do anything for free, what’s the price?” Jay asked again, more forcefully this time.

“I want to see the sun. I want to breathe air that isn’t full of ash. I want to leave this prison, if only for a moment, and see the beauty of the surface. I’m sorry your highness, but I’ve lost my muse; I’ll need to find a new one if I’m to create anything of true elegance,” Jragden revealed, confirming Jay’s suspicions but doing nothing to undermine my point.

“This is the part where you open a portal,” I whisper shouted when Jay didn’t move.

“Do not leave Ponyville or you’ll wish Belial was still around,” Jay warned as he finally took action and cut open a portal to our room.

How many of these fuckers were there? They clearly weren’t looking for me, as each one had seemed genuinely surprised when it noticed that I wasn’t a normal pony. They were settling in for the long haul, I was just in the way. That had to be it.

I felt bad for not telling the enforcers I’d contacted before about the changelings, maybe Jekyll could’ve prepared for this if he had known they were still around. Though that increased the chances of my detection as well. I’d be a complete unknown if I hadn’t snuck in to listen to those stupid delegates, but getting to talk to my own kind again was a treat I couldn’t pass up.

I ducked into my seventy-fifth alleyway of the day and prepared for the changeling to follow me in, though it thought it could gain an advantage by scaling the building and appearing on my other side. It didn’t matter, a blind kick removed it from existence. I’d only spared it a glance to make sure it was hostile, mostly because she wouldn’t be.

As torn as I was about not warning Jekyll and my cousins, I wouldn’t put her in danger. She wasn’t a threat to them or anyone else, she was just like me. She wanted to be left alone. Maybe that was why we got along so well, we both wanted the same thing. I took a moment before I moved on to think about Chitin and where she could be by now, I hoped she was somewhere far away from here.

I nearly shouted my frustration when I bumped into another disguised changeling as I walked out of the alley.

I looked down at the alien sensation I was getting from my finger, one that constantly reminded me about the band of metal wrapped around it. It would take a bit more time before I was used to the feeling of wearing a ring. It wasn’t an unpleasant feeling, just new. It felt like a scar or a brand, an inflexible mass to remind me that I was another’s property.

No.

Not property, I couldn’t be caged or owned by anyone or anything. Not even by Luna. She didn’t own me, just as I didn’t own her. It was just a symbol, a tradition held by others. I wasn’t human anymore, so why had I bothered with their customs? Because Luna had wanted it. Maybe she did own me after all.

“Sir?” Tzu asked, snapping me out of my reverie.

“Yep, I’m listening,” I lied.

“If you were, you’d know that I hadn’t said anything yet,” Tzu deadpanned.

“Whatever, where’d Luna and Danny go?” I asked, realizing that I’d zoned out as soon as we’d come back. Something I’d have to look into, I hadn’t fallen into my thoughts like that before.

“They’re touring the town and seeing the local sights. Mistress Luna seems to make the strangest friends,” Tzu replied.

“She must have realized how much I needed to process and gone without me,” I reasoned, “That’s fine, I had some questions for you anyway.”

“You mean my project in the Desolate Crags?” Tzu guessed, calling the mountain range south of the Badlands by name. Technically, the Badlands themselves were owned by Equestria, though Celestia left the region lawless due to the lack of anyone living there. The mountains served as the marker for Equestria’s southern border and the bottom of most maps. All I knew about the area south of the crags was that it had a coastline, as I’d never ventured that far south.

“Yeah, explain this fort you want to build,” I ordered casually as I walked over and dropped onto the bed. Standing took a negligible amount of effort, but lying down felt more comfortable at that moment.

“If we collapse the eastern and western passes, we can force any invading force through Lame Leg Gorge. That’s the largest route through the mountains anyway and would be their primary avenue from that direction. By building a fort inside the gorge, we can control all travel through the mountains,” Tzu explained.

“And the coastline north of the mountains?” I asked.

“Is steep enough that we could dig it into a sheer cliff in less than a day,” Tzu replied.

“You want to turn the region into a version of Normandy? That might work if we have the Krakens patrolling the waters,” I allowed.

“Exactly, they’ll be forced to land further south. But all they’ll find is the massive gate and walls,” Tzu replied, growing excited as he rattled off everything about this fortress of his. He even had Abaddon summon the floor plans he’d sketched, all seven of them. Tzu beamed with pride as I questioned everything about his design and found his answers more than suitable.

“Alright, I’m convinced, but I don’t want it staffed with enforcers. You can give it two, but they’ll be serving administrative and support roles. I’m going to need as many as I can get my hands on when this clusterfuck gets going,” I stated, causing Tzu to stumble over his words in shock.

“Y-you want it manned by ponies?” Tzu confirmed incredulously.

“That’s right, our troops aren’t built for holding a point like that. We’re offensive, we push forward and take what we will. Ponies don’t, but they won’t back down when push comes to shove either. They can hold the pass,” I insisted before a stray thought crossed my mind, “Think of it like this, do you put a few of your elites in a defensive position or a large number of lesser units?”

“The lesser ones, they can see and attack more zones at once,” Tzu relented with a sigh.

“Exactly. I’m actually surprised you didn’t push that from the start, given how much inspiration you pulled from Cadia,” I commented.

“Inspiration?” Tzu asked.

“Eh, must be subconscious,” I allowed, “It was the name of a fictional fortress, you seemed set on competing with it to see who could have more defenses. You lost, by the way.”

“May I keep that name for this structure? It has a ring to it that I like,” Tzu requested as he gathered his materials.

“Not like any of the locals will know anyway,” I replied with a nod. Tzu nodded his thanks in return and set off to make the adjustments, “Wait.”

“Sir?” Tzu asked from the doorway, having to lean back to face me without backing up.

“Find out where the ponies are training, I’m going to want to see how they’re doing. Maybe I’ll make some surprise visits tomorrow, ensure they’re training properly. And steal one of those prototype guns the gryphons are producing, Equestria will need better gear,” I rambled. I was thinking out loud more than issuing orders, but Tzu understood my meaning well enough.

“I’ll make those priorities. You should also know that Jeff has reported an odd occurrence happening in ponyville yesterday, apparently the DJ Vinyl Scratch used the word ‘enforcer’ to describe my kind. He rerouted one of the returning Indias to determine her source, but he hasn’t returned yet,” Tzu informed me.

“Odd indeed,” I agreed, “Hopefully it’s nothing too dangerous for her, I like what she’s done with the Equestrian nightlife.”

“Should I send the India to y-” Tzu began before abruptly halting mid-word. I paused as well, receiving the same message.

“Speak of the devil and he shall appear before you,” I commented.

“He sounds excited, may I remain to listen as well?” Tzu requested as he handed his papers to Abaddon and stepped back into the room.

“Second and third opinions are always welcome, you don’t have to ask,” I replied as I sat up and let my legs hang over the edge of the bed.

The India Jeffrey had sent arrived a few seconds later, heralded only by a knock to the partially open door.

“Enter,” I ordered, causing the enforcer to push the door the rest of the way open and hurry inside.

“Your report?” Tzu prompted curtly.

“It’s Six!” the enforcer cried, sounding overjoyed.

“The rogue that’s been contacting our spies within the alliance’s war council?” Tzu confirmed.

“Alpha Six, she’s been alive the whole time. Apparently she was created rogue but only wants to live in peace. She didn’t even have a stolen identity, she made one up to save me from being outed by a changeling. Oh, and there are changelings all over Canterlot, Six wanted me to warn you about them and said it seemed like they were planning something,” the India rambled, clearly stricken with some twisted hero worship.

“Who is she pretending to be?” I asked.

“I don’t know, but she vented to me about how stressed this conflict was making her and how much she hated Dopple for putting her at risk. I don’t think she’s a threat at all,” the enforcer continued.

“Enough, you will stick to the questions,” Tzu snapped.

“No, speak freely. Cutting your responses will only decrease our awareness of the situation. You met a rogue Alpha and not only survived, but discovered it was friendly towards both you and the ponies. That’s an impressive feat. I’d like to meet with her to confirm her identity and sniff out any traps,” I countered, causing Tzu to look away for a moment.

“I got a good look at her cellular structure, it wasn’t anything like ours,” India One Seventy-Three Dash Four replied, offering his hand and the memory of the encounter. I sent a tendril into the appendage and nodded for Tzu to do the same, bringing all three of us to even ground in the discussion.

“You want to meet with her and tell her she can live without fear,” I noted.

“Preposterous, the Alphas were defective and should be destroyed,” Tzu spat.

“Alpha Four stood at my side for six hundred years before he was taken from us and forced into his role, he’s said it himself that he doesn’t want to fight me. Now Alpha Six has appeared and has apparently lived a good life without us. I wouldn’t call that defective, I’d say she’s the model for every enforcer to become. I’d want her to meet Veil and teach her how to survive and hide what she is from the world,” I rebuked, angering Tzu further.

“So that’s a yes to my plan then?” Four confirmed hopefully.

“Absolutely not, she’s exactly where I want her for now. Getting involved on a personal level only means more politics, remaining silent will keep her on edge and desperate to hold onto her current life. You won’t be meeting with her on my order and if you stumble across her again, you’ll remain silent about my decisions and my plans,” I instructed, causing the enforcer to lose some of his excitement and visibly shrink a few inches in size.

“As you say, Lord Jekyll,” the enforcer replied sadly before he recognized that our discussion was over and he turned to walk out. Tzu waited until we were alone before he finally put voice to his frustrations.

“Why did you want me here if you weren’t going to listen to me?” he asked, no longer hiding the anger in his voice.

“I did listen, I just didn’t agree. Destroying Six would have cost us enforcers when we’re already spread more thinly than I’d like. That means we would’ve had to take more resources to recoup our losses, resources that Equestria needs more than we do. As she currently is however, she’s providing us with a free mercenary against the changelings,” I replied easily.

“I assume Dopple would’ve said that at the start, since he was so much better at this than me,” Tzu spat, prompting me to reach out and slap him across the face.

“Stop that. Dopple would have suggested that we destroy Six, he hated unknowns. I want my generals and my proxy to disagree with me, but also have reasons and arguments to follow up with. You’ll get better at it with time,” I reassured my second in command, gripping his shoulder supportively. A pointless gesture, especially towards enforcers, but Luna’s constant presence seemed to be having more of an effect than I realized.

“I see, thank you sir,” Tzu replied stiffly before shrugging off my grip and walking out.

I hoped Luna was having a better time with Jragden.

No matter how many shops we went to, it still amazed me that none of the local ponies were the least bit afraid of the demon accompanying me. Danny had even refrained from calling me by my title the entire time, instead acting like he was an old friend visiting from far away.

“Luna?” a familiar voice asked from behind us as we walked towards Applejack’s farm for some lunch.

“Ah Twilight, I was hoping we’d run into you,” I replied happily as I turned to face my student.

“You are? But yesterday you ran off before I could deliver my friendship report or get my next magic lesson,” Twilight pointed out.

“I’m sorry Twilight, there was a situation that required our immediate attention. Please understand that our departure was to save many lives from a terrible fate,” I apologized with a quick bow of regret.

“Oh, okay. I had a bit of a panic attack when I was walking over and saw Abaddon get up and leave, I thought you were avoiding me and preparing to drop me as a student and that I had made you angry by not doing enough in my friendship lessons. I might’ve gone a little overboard,” Twilight confessed.

“Define overboard,” I requested, my amusement clear in my voce and on my face.

“I want to hear this too, maybe we can get lunch together and hear this story at the same time,” Danny suggested.

“Excellent idea, would you care to join us Twilight?” I offered.

“Of course, I wouldn’t dare miss a lunch with a q-princess,” Twilight replied quickly, very nearly blurting out my secret before she caught herself.

Danny smirked as he wandered over to Twilight’s other side to quietly analize her as we walked, though he held his tongue until we were far from prying ears before he called Twilight out, “So you know then?”

“What? I don’t know what you mean,” Twilight stumbled defensively.

“I’ve done my part and played dumb, no matter how unnatural it is to refer to my queen by anything other than her title. Yet you are permitted to know, my question is why,” Danny elaborated as he stepped in front of Twilight and forced her to stop. I recalled what Jay had said about demons and how rigidly they adhered to their base nature. Danny was a pretty, a prideful and greedy race.

“Twilight is my student, she is entrusted with many state secrets,” I cut in before any violence could start.

“I see,” Danny responded warily.

“L-Luna, is this a demon?” Twilight stammered as Danny leaned down to study her face, clearly doing so to scare her.

“Back off Yeereagdan,” I warned, doing my best to pronounce the demon’s name.

Jragden looked at me for a moment before brining a clawed hand up to touch my student. His fingers didn’t have claws as sharp as Jay’s or hooked talons like a gryphon, but that wasn’t the point. My hoof met the side of Jragden’s head before he could touch a single one of the fine hairs that covered Twilight’s face, knocking him away to tumble across the ground.

I summoned Nightbane and stood over Twilight as I glared at Jragden, “How quickly you forget your place, blacksmith.”

“I am the Master of the Forge, there are none greater. I have earned my place through constant work and effort. What has this mortal done to be my equal?” Jragden spat. I didn’t know this kind of temper from the pretty, I was caught completely off guard by it.

“And for all your effort, all your work and perfectionism, you’d still throw it all away because Twilight learned of my title before you?” I challenged, causing the demon to reconsider for a moment.

“I...I overreacted, my apologies. I should not have come to the surface, my pride is too easy to damage,” Danny confessed as he reached towards his own neck.

“Wait!” Twilight cried as she rushed forward to stop the suicide, “Why did that upset you? It’s such a little thing.”

“It is the nature of my kind, we strive to be the best in all things at all times,” Danny replied robotically, as though this line had been drilled into his mind. The way he said that made me wonder, but I held my tongue and observed for now.

“I understand, I can be the same way sometimes. But I know that I’m just one pony, sometimes I’m not going to be the best. There’s a dignity in accepting that with grace. Couldn’t you be the best of your kind at accepting loss? The best in the world even?” Twilight proposed, masterfully turning the demon’s nature upon itself. I saw a bit of Tia in the way she wove words, though she seemed to really want Danny to be able to make friends. Perhaps Tia had taught her a skill she could use to make the world a better place.

Danny looked at Twilight in confusion for a moment before his features twisted in amusement. Twilight’s enthusiasm fell with her face as Jragden started laughing, “Failing with dignity? It’s unheard of. What self respecting demon would even attempt to master that? Such a useless skill, go preach that drivel to the succubi. Hoo, that was funny though. I like you.”

“I was being serious,” Twilight commented quietly.

“Danny, you will be civil,” I declared, halting the demon’s laughter, “I am going to have a nice lunch with Twilight and Applejack, you may join us if you keep your attitude in check. I understand that their culture is very different from yours, but remember that everything you do reflects back on Tartarus and its queen. Making a scene or trying to force your way on them will not be met with tolerance.”

“I understand, your highness. It will not happen again,” Jragden promised.

“See that it doesn’t,” I responded tersely before seeing Twilight’s look of alarm, “What?”

“A demon… and you just… I use that tone with Spike,” Twilight stammered.

“I suppose you have a point, hanging around Jay has gotten me used to acting without fear of retribution. I should work on judging the situation better in the future,” I replied, guessing at Twilight’s meaning. Twilight’s unconscious head tilt told me that I had guessed poorly, but she simply blinked and continued walking without us. I sighed as I levitated Jragden and set him back on his feet, “Come along and keep your ego quiet.”

We caught up to Twilight within seconds and a touch to her shoulder snapped her out of her stupor. She apologized for wandering away, but I simply waved it away and told her she had done nothing wrong.

“I may have done something,” Twilight hinted.

“The excessive effort you described earlier? I look forward to hearing about it and the lessons you’ve learned over a meal,” I replied, causing Twilight’s face to scrunch up as she was forced to hold her confession for a bit longer.

Twilight looked ready to burst by the time we found Applejack and her family sitting down at an outdoor table, to which we were eagerly invited to join. Granny Smith tried to offer me her seat at the head of the table, but I politely declined and sat in the middle across from the large red mute.

“Yer still brushin’ off traditions, eh? Goon on ya,” Granny praised.

“Your great grandchildren will run out of ponies who remember their names before I submit to any of that foolishness,” I replied jovially. Words couldn’t express how much I liked this farm. It was isolated, they all knew about my marriage, Mac was fun to flirt with and didn’t get offended, it was the perfect getaway.

“Speakin’ a foolishness, you shoulda seen these fillies an’ colts yesterday. All fussin’ and fightin’ over some ragdoll,” Granny continued, causing Twilight to blush.

“I take it they all wanted this doll? Would you say they thought they needed it?” I baited, recalling my younger days and the trouble I got into after Tia decided to play around with that spell. Mother had been quite angry to find me rolling around in the pile of broken sticks that had once been her favorite tree. Who even has a favorite tree?

“I was trying to teach a lesson about sharing,” Twilight grumbled.

“At least it wasn’t anything easily broken or applied too strongly, I shattered a tree when I was under the effects of that spell,” I commented, giving Twilight a smile.

“You shattered… a tree?” Applejack confirmed, casting a nervous glance at the orchard around us.

“By hugging it too hard, yes. Then I rolled around in the pile until Mother beat me and removed the spell, in that order,” I confessed, expecting them to find the story humorous. Instead I got shocked looks from the ponies at the table and a blank stare from Jragden, who seemed to be fighting to hold his tongue, “Danny, you can go home if you want. I expect this will only get more difficult for you.”

“Thank you, your highness. I respect the trust you’ve shown me with this admission,” Jragden responded with a slight bow before breaking his own neck and vanishing as he was consumed in flame, leaving only a light scorch on the bench to show he was ever there.

“Princess-no, let me talk-Princess, Ah’m sorry you had ta grow up like that, nopony should ever feel the hoof of their kin,” Granny stated firmly, halting me before I could object to the use of titles.

“That was a long time ago, I’m hardly the same pony. In many cases, I’m not,” I began, poking myself in the eye hard enough to squish the bioform replacement, “I appreciate your support, but there’s no point in being mad at a dead mare.”

“Sure is, there’s a lesson in it,” Granny asserted as she reared her front legs onto the table, “That bein’ my belt across the tail ah anypony mean enough ta hurt a filly.”

“Yer being awfully quiet over there Mac, somethin’ on yer mind?” Applejack asked, noticing that her brother hadn’t spoken yet.

“Eenope,” Mac attempted shakily. I could see the gears turning in his mind though, working on how to get me back for using my hind hoof to paw at his leg under the table.

“It’s too bad that I never did find Smartypants,” Twilight lamented.

“Granny, please, there’s no sense in getting worked up over something that happened two-no, three-thousand years ago,” I pleaded, worrying for the withered pony’s health.

“Hmph, least ya got that Jekyll feller now. He treat ya right?” Granny grumbled as she sat back down.

“About that, where did that mane tie come from?” Twilight asked, referencing the bracelet that I had hooked my hair through in an attempt at a disguise.

I smiled sheepishly as I unhooked the wedding band from my mane and clipped it around my fetlock, “I finally got one made.”

“How is it floating like that? A charm?” Twilight wondered, entranced by the way the bracelet drifted through the air around my hoof.

“Danny, the demon I walked up with, is a master craftsdemon. His trip to the surface was a reward for making such beautiful wedding bands for us. He prefers runes, and can weave them together like nothing I’ve ever seen before,” I explained before remembering what my bracelet was made out of, “This band should be too heavy for me to lift with one leg, but he’s made it almost weightless.”

“I take it there’s some hidden meaning there,” Twilight guessed.

“No, he just likes to make things out of abyssanite for the durability,” I replied.

“Enough yappin, the food’s gettin’ cold,” Applejack reminded us as she slid a couple dozen plates our way.

I continued quietly teasing Mac as we ate, though he maintained his stalwart facade throughout the meal. He flashed a grin when my other hind hoof joined the first, showing that he wouldn’t embarrass himself that easily. I stuck out my tongue in response before retracting my legs and allowing him to eat in peace.

Once we were finished and both Applebloom and Mac set about hauling away the dishes, we continued our conversation.

“Mac’s gonna get you back, ya know,” Applejack warned, confusing Twilight. Twilight and I had been sitting on the same side of the table, whereas Applejack had been next to her brother.

“For what?” Twilight asked, through she was ignored for the moment.

“I’m looking forward to it, games are no fun when they’re entirely one sided,” I replied.

“Jus’ sayin’,” Applejack continued, “Watch them wings, Mac dated Cloudkicker a few years ago.”

“I’m missing something,” Twilight stated.

“Luna and Mac have been flirtin’ back an’ forth, each tryna embarrass the other. Seems the war has escalated now though,” Applejack explained.

“I should probably warn Jay about this game before he gets the wrong idea,” I commented.

“You should probably stop before this turns into one of Rarity’s romance novels,” Twilight corrected.

“Hmm? You think I’d fall for Big Mac? Why?” I asked seriously, “No offence Applejack, but Mac doesn’t have anything to offer that I don’t already get in astounding quantities.”

“Too much information,” Twilight declared as she jammed her hooves in her ears.

“Not like that Twilight, I mean companionship and affection. Things like that. Jay is able to devote enough time to me that being out without him is an adventure,” I corrected, easing Twilight’s fears.

There was a long pause as Twilight reigned in her heart rate and managed to suppress her building panic attack.

“Let’s move to an easier subject, did you all try again to finish writing Rarity’s song?” I asked.

“Nah, she decided it was too personal to share. Can’t say Ah disagree,” Applejack replied.

“I suppose that’s fair,” I allowed, dropping the subject and looking around awkwardly.

“Luna, can I ask something personal?” Twilight began, prompting me to nod before she continued, “If spending time with Jekyll is so great, then why are you here?”

I paused as I attempted to form an answer to that question. Why was I avoiding my husband? I’d simply left him behind when he froze, though there hadn’t been any emotive reason behind the act.

“I... don’t know. Perhaps I just needed some fresh air and a walk,” I offered weakly.

“Don’t go pushin’ it Twi, sometimes a mare just needs to get away an’ clear her head,” Applejack added supportively.

“Perhaps you should do the same from time to time,” I advised as I turned my attention back towards Twilight, “Take some time to relax and just enjoy being alive, lessons and reports can come later. In fact, they should come naturally. Ignore whatever quotas my sister placed on you, they no longer apply.”

“But how will I know when you’ve expected me to learn something?” Twilight protested, seemingly uncomfortable with not having a due date on her assignments.

“Friendship isn’t a class, it’s an experience. Trying to structure it will only end in disaster,” I replied with a smirk.

“Like using a spell to fabricate a situation, I understand,” Twilight relented.

“Try keeping a journal, that’ll help you remember everything you’ve learned and remind you of the important things in life,” I suggested.

“That’s a good idea, we could all write in it when we learn something,” Twilight agreed.

We fell into silence again, though this one was more comfortable until Applejack decided to ask another question.

“Ah’ve been wonderin’... does Jekyll get all… tentacle-y...ya know, in bed?” Applejack asked gingerly.

I pinched the bridge of my snout with my fetlock in embarrassment as Twilight stopped breathing and fell out of her seat. So much for our pleasant conversation.

“Why couldn’t you be one of the ones who think I’m a goddess?” I complained under my breath.

“Regnot, he’s waking up,” I stated as I poked my head into the minotaur’s room. The representative didn’t speak as he stood to follow me towards the space Abaddon had converted into a medical ward for the injured gryphon.

We arrived with plenty of time to spare before Felix’s eyes drifted open and he tried to sit up.

“Woah now, just relax. You’re still recovering,” I instructed as I gently pushed my patient back down, “My name is Jekyll, I’ll be your doctor until you’ve healed from all the damage that changeling did to you.”

“It’s okay Felix, he rescued us. Our people are being returned home as we speak,” Regnot added when Felix’s eyes shot open in alarm.

“Where?” Felix rasped.

“Ponyville, a small town roughly an hour’s flight south of Canterlot. More specifically, you’re inside my mobile fortress,” I replied.

“The giant?” Felix confirmed.

“I prefer to be called by my name. I am Abaddon, siege leviathan and warfort,” Abaddon interjected as he formed a secondary torso next to Regnot and I.

“How long?” Felix continued.

“You were out for about a day, but it’ll be days or weeks before you’ll be strong enough to walk again. Honestly, you’d be dead by now if we hadn’t intervened,” I responded.

“I’m a fool,” Felix declared before falling back against the bed, only now realizing how fleshy it was.

“We were all fools, we never should’ve let them take us,” Regnot argued.

“Then you’d be dead or worse and I’d be delivering your bodies to your governments,” I rebuked, “I don’t care if you rolled over and let it happen, you made the best choice given the circumstances. Every one of the other survivors has told me the same thing, you relented to their demands without a fight. Dishonorable by your standards, but it was the only thing you could’ve done to keep your people alive.”

“That’s what matters, you saved all of us,” Regnot insisted.

“Doesn’t matter, my career is over,” Felix argued weakly. My connection to Abaddon allowed me to feel his heart stop, as though he would be allowed to die in my care. Felix convulsed as electricity arced through his heart and forced him to remain alive, though this caused Ragnot to jump in alarm.

“He’s fine, he just needed a reminder of who his doctor is. I’m not going to lose a patient today,” I reassured as I placed a hand on Regnot’s chest and gently pushed him back as I walked closer, “Felix, you will recover from this and deliver your report to your emperor, Equestria will take you in if they banish you.”

“It’ll have to take me too, my king didn’t react well to the letter I sent with the first group of minotaurs. I’ve been labeled a traitor and banished already. But they’re taking the changeling threat seriously, so I guess that’s what really matters,” Regnot responded with a heavy sigh.

“So be it, I’ll talk with Luna about having immigration documents drawn up. For both of you. My hope of halting this stupid war may have been dashed, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to abandon one of my patients,” I stated.

“So what’ll you do now that the council is broken, Felix?” Regnot inquired conversationally.

Felix didn’t answer, he’d discovered the tendrils running into his body between his ribs and was poking and tugging on them experimentally.

“I think I’ll get back into public speaking, those days were fun,” Regnot continued, “Even my name is perfect for it once it’s translated into common.”

“Iron Will?” I confirmed, guessing at the rough translations the minotaurs used.

“Yep. I’ll teach these ponies how to stand up for themselves as a thank you for giving me a home,” Regnot agreed.

“I have nothing,” Felix finally stated, “All I had was family relations, a friend in the council, and charisma. I don’t have any marketable skills.”

“Then travel with me, good producers are a pain to find,” Regnot-Iron suggested.

“I don’t know if I can, I surrendered all of us to that changeling. I don’t know if I’ll be able to live with myself if I-” Felix managed before my hand lashed out hard enough to crack his beak. Felix’s head snapped to the side from the force of the backhand as his eyes widened and Iron shouted in alarm.

“Shut up already, are you idiots always this fucking dramatic? Holy shit, you fucked up and somehow kept everyone alive. Poor you. Grow some fucking backbone, pick yourself up, and move the fuck on,” I snapped.

“Hey, that was uncall-” Iron protested, prompting me to slap him to the floor as well.

“Stop. Talking. Both of you. Just shut up. You were trusted with organizing a war, and yet somehow they picked the most beta-male, feeling-focused, oversensitive bitches I have ever seen in my very long life. Luna has a cunt and she’s more manly than both of you combined. So man the fuck up and. Get. Shit. Done,” I scolded, feeling like I was talking to children.

“Okay,” Iron Will responded meekly.

“Jesus fucking Christ on a hot pink pogo stick,” I swore, irritated at their stubborn refusal to see the point I was trying to make, “I’m leaving, figure your shit out. No fucking crying either, real men don’t cry where they can be seen.”

Neither of them tried to speak as I walked out, nor did Abaddon report them speaking once I had left. I didn’t care, they’d either toughen up or Iron’s dumbass idea would flop. Not my problem.

I had Abaddon contact Jeffrey as I walked up to the deck and relay where Luna was at the moment, soon finding that she had been last seen walking onto the Apple’s farm. I thought about meeting up with Luna there, but eventually decided against it. She’d come back when she wanted to, I needed to avoid making her feel like I was shadowing her all the time.

Instead, I wandered onto the deck to sit in my preferred spot above Abaddon’s head while I thought and planned. Tzu’s idea to block the southern front had merit, but the north and west were still open. I wasn’t as worried about the western border, there weren’t any countries over there to worry about; just more forest until the horizon. The east held the sea and port cities, that was where I expected the most problems to come from. But the north, the northern border was open plains. We wouldn’t be able to do anything about the Allied Nations garrisoning troops in the untamed regions north of Equestria.

“Why?” a voice growled behind me.

“Because we can’t just kill them all, that would be counterproductive,” I replied.

“Humph, Mom lets me kill,” Fang argued as he moved to sit.

“I don’t mind killing, just when it isn’t necessary or useful,” I countered.

Fang looked at me in confusion, obviously not understanding what I meant.

“Why are you really here Fang?” I asked, sighing again.

“You know why,” Fang replied.

“No, you have to be locked up. We don’t murder others for entertainment,” I answered.

“Not that, need blood. No rogues. Need blood. Flowing. Tasty. Thick. Blood! Need it now!” Fang snarled, slipping into another of his manic phases.

“I don’t have any jobs for you, there’s nothing blunt enough yet,” I responded, causing Fang to release a high pitched whine in protest, “Don’t give me that, you did this to yourself. I’d give you jobs if I thought you could do them without slaughtering half a country.”

Fang flinched away as my tone hardened, his head turning away as he failed to meet my gaze, “Try, really try to do good. But blood wants to flow! NEEDS TO SPILL! Organs grinding grinding tearing chewing EATING killing... Need enemy, promised enemy.”

“You’ll get one when your brothers and sisters find one, if I can trust you with the mission,” I promised, prompting Fang to snarl angrily.

“NO! NOW! Need to kill to make proud,” Fang insisted.

“No,” I replied simply, causing Fang to shriek in rage and bare his teeth and claws as if to threaten me. I knew he wouldn’t attack, it wasn’t his way. He was trying to prove he was capable, but couldn’t understand that I needed the scalpel of his siblings instead of the cruise missile Fang more closely resembled.

“I will get my enemy, I promise. I will prove my worth and make you proud of me again, no matter what it takes,” Fang declared.

I fell silent as I thought about my only defective enforcer, wondering if I should’ve just killed him years ago. His obsessive and violent nature was a constant problem, only proving himself useful for the most basic missions. He did offer one solution though.

“Fang, I do have a job for you,” I revealed, speaking quietly as I put voice to an idea I hated, “I want you to patrol beyond the northern border, your targets will be anything wearing the flag of the Isles or Minos. No others, ponies and zebras may pass through as they wish.”

Fang released a throaty grow as he considered the order, soon nodding as he agreed with the mission, “Halt their advance with a disposable asset, it makes sense. OR LET FANG DECORATE THE MASSES IN ENTRAILS!”

“Go patrol, I’ll give you more jobs if you do well,” I ordered, silently sending a follow up order to Tzu telling him to have a squad of Gammas attached to Fang’s mission.

A pop signaled Luna’s return as she teleported onto the deck behind me, “Oh, hello Fang, how are… I suppose that answers my question.”

While spontaneous hugs were usually nice, I doubted it was possible to be comfortable with being grabbed and pulled against an insane enforcer.

“I have no idea what’s going on in his head,” Jay commented without looking.

“Apparently the need for a hug,” I replied, bringing a foreleg up to pat Fang’s back supportively.

“I can’t go away. I can’t hold the north. What if Mommy needs me? What if more UNLOYAL BASTARDS show up?” Fang sobbed, leaving a growing red spot on my shoulder as he cried blood. I made a note to get that cleaned out of my fur before I let anypony touch me.

“Fang, I’ll be fine. I have Jay and tons of enforcers watching out for me, plus I can just teleport away if any rogues get too close,” I reassured him.

“Don’t send me away Mommy, I don’t wanna go,” Fang pleaded as he looked up into my eyes with his own bloody tear filled ones. I paused as I tried to figure out what had gone wrong in my life to lead to this moment and how to get out of this situation. That said, Fang’s particular brand of inanity was starting to grow on me. The way he had started treating me was, while incredibly creepy, rather sweet.

“Can’t you send another team, Jay? One enforcer can’t mean that much of a difference,” I offered.

“I could, but he wanted missions thirty seconds ago,” Jay replied neutrally, still facing away. I knew he wasn’t trying to be rude, but he could’ve pretended to engage with us as he thought through whatever was troubling him.

“The war isn’t for another eight months, this mission can wait,” I allowed, getting an odd strangled cheer from Fang.

“He still has to be restrained and confined to Abaddon,” Jay pointed out.

“I have an alternate idea,” I countered before returning my attention to the enforcer holding onto me a bit too tightly and using my most hurt tone to begin my proposal, “Fang, you wouldn’t disobey me, would you?”

“Never Mommy, good sons obey their mommies,” Fang declared as his grip tightened slightly.

“Would you even keep your love of blood hidden if I asked?” I continued.

“Yes Mommy,” Fang replied instantly. I was getting more weirded out by his insistence that I was his mother with every use of that word, but also found it endearing in a strange way. As though he really loved me like his mother. Whatever the true case, it warmed my heart and gave me a headache at the same time.

“Could you keep from attacking anyone Mommy talked to? Like when we were in Tartarus?” I pressed, mentally choking on using Fang’s name for me but forcing it out anyway.

“I can do that,” Fang agreed, sounding more excited as he seemed to figure out where I was going.

“Then you’ll go where I go, but you have to stay on Abaddon while I’m here,” I instructed.

“Thank you Mommy!” Fang cheered as he picked me up and turned me over to cradle me like a foal.

“Uh, this wasn’t in the script,” I commented, though Fang ignored my protest and carried me over so I could at least talk with Jay.

“Having fun?” Jay asked, finally looking over and seeming surprised by my current situation.

“Were you paying attention at all?” I countered.

“No, not really. Tzu had a bunch of things for me to go through and approve, Abaddon had a list of requests and complaints from our remaining guests, and Scoots is apparently still here and needed some school form signed,” Jay listed, getting little sympathy from me in return.

“Well, I’ve gained a personal bodyguard that seems eager to please,” I explained curtly before noticing something that caught my ear, “You can sign for Scootaloo?”

“I had Cheerilee confirm it before Abaddon did anything, she doesn’t really care who gives the go ahead. Apparently half the town has claimed to be Scootaloo’s guardian at some point or another, including several of the other students,” Jay explained.

“I still want to adopt her, a filly her age shouldn’t be so alone in the world,” I commented sourly.

“She’s got her eyes on another,” Jay replied, reminding me of how many times Scootaloo had brought up Rainbow Dash during our brief conversations.

“Hmm, what’s the situation with the minotaurs and gryphons?” I asked, changing the subject to one I thought would be full of better news.

“They banished the reps, Felix and Regnot are homeless. I told them I’d talk to you about offering them sanctuary in Equestria,” Jay responded.

“Their information is priceless, I’ll discuss it with Tia and make sure their immigration papers are drawn up quickly,” I agreed, “Did you ever find the zebra?”

“No, but I’m not worried about it. Zebras are pretty well adapted to surviving in a desert,” Jay replied.

“Um, excuse me?” a new voice asked, prompting a surge of activity as every enforcer present spun to face the speaker and Abaddon sprouted secondary torsos around me protectively.

“Abaddon what is-Oh come now, it’s just a pegasus,” I admonished as I wormed my way out of Fang’s grip and stood to face the pony.

“We don’t like unexpected guests,” Jay stated before he too stood and turned to face the intruder, “Oh, well aren’t you the most suicidal bug I’ve ever seen.”

Now that I was alerted to the truth, it was clear that the ‘pegasus’ hovering in front of us wasn’t giving off the cloud of microparticles typical of ponies.

“I actually expected as much, I’m pretty sure I’m supposed to die here,” the disguised changeling confessed.

“And why is that?” I pressed as Fang crouched next to me as though to pounce.

“I’m a pacifist, the queen doesn’t like that. I got into an argument with the others because I didn’t want to fight, so I got sent to deliver a message as punishment,” the changeling replied dejectedly.

“Do you think I’m retarded? No seriously, do you think I am actually mentally deficient? A changeling pacifist? Bullshit. You’ve got a cure bomb or something to hit me with as soon as I get close enough,” Jay accused.

“No, I really don’t have anything,” the changeling protested as it dropped it’s disguise and spread its forelegs to show it was unarmed.

“Start with your name, if you have one, then we’ll see about your message and what to do with you,” I allowed, finding no harm in allowing the insectile pony to speak.

“Knowing its name will make it harder to kill,” Jay warned quietly, though I waved him off. I wouldn’t be the one to kill it anyway.

“I’m called Thorax, and the message was something about surrendering to the might of the hive and providing half of your population as tribute. There was also a bit about how we’ll take the entire population as our food if you resist,” Thorax responded.

“You are, by far, the worst drone I have ever encountered, you can’t even repeat your queen’s words verbatim,” Jay chastised as he walked up to the changeling and plucked it out of the air to hold it by its throat.

“At least he can be of use to us,” I suggested, “Such as telling us if his queen has an heir.”

“Queen Chrysalis keeps trying, but that hive damned traitor Chitin keeps killing them,” Thorax replied quickly, catching on that his lifespan was equal to his usefulness.

“Explain, how has this Chrysalis spawned more than one brood?” Jay ordered.

“Oh that old myth, we do that to ourselves when we’re in dire situations. Something about how we first originated and unicorns reading our minds. I don’t really understand it, but our queens can create lots of heirs. My queen only has one, but that one keeps killing all the others she tries to make,” Thorax continued, starting to ramble as Jay’s hand cracked the plate around his neck.

“This Chitin has formed a rival hive then?” I guessed.

“No, she’s not a full queen. Chitin hates us for some reason and won’t let us expand into further hives. One day we’ll find and kill her though, or at least the others will. I’ll be dead,” Thorax replied with an audible gulp.

“Jay, we should talk,” I stated, causing Jay to pass the bug into Abaddon’s custody while we turned away to discuss this situation in hushed tones.

“I won’t have a bug on my leviathan,” Jay declared.

“But I don’t see any good that’ll come from killing it, it’ll be a wasted effort and murder besides. It’s just a drone, forbid it from returning to the hive and let it wither away. Its blood won’t be on our hooves that way,” I countered, finding the idea of murdering the changeling over its species distasteful. The army in the badlands had been a military force, this was one failure being sent for us to execute, “I’d also prefer to avoid doing Chrysalis any favors.”

That did it, I could see Jay’s opinion change to one of peaceful resolution in an instant. It seemed he liked the idea of helping a changeling queen even less than I did.

“Good news Thorax, you get to see tomorrow,” Jay announced, “Mostly because I’m not going to do what your bitch of a mother wants.”

“Really, but-” Thorax attempted.

“You can’t return to the hive either, only death awaits you there. You’ve given us two of your secrets, they’ll make it slow,” I warned, cutting him off.

“Make up a new identity and live quietly, just make sure we know what you’ll look like so we don’t execute you as a spy on accident,” Jay added. He was always a fast planner.

“Uh okay, what about this one?” Thorax offered, becoming a blue pegasus with a trio of bees on his flank, “This way I don’t have to change my name.”

“It’ll work, just keep out of the way and make sure we know where you settle down. I’ll be contacting you for more information as needed, that’ll be your payment for being allowed to live,” Jay spat as he shooed the changeling away. He allowed himself to groan in frustration as Thorax fled northward, “Least relaxing day off of all time, what else could demand my attention?”

The sound of a heavy impact off my left side answered Jay’s question, though I dismissed the newest distraction as just another enforcer until it stood to its full height. It was much taller than the standard enforcer template, only an inch or so shorter than Jay, and definitely had the look of a female. The strange enforcer’s head also lacked the canine head shape shared by its kin, instead looking like a black skinned human. A female version of Jay, as though it was his daughter. Its feathered wings remained unfurled as though to make a hasty retreat if needed, though it appeared more angry than anything.

“There are changelings in my city,” the bioform declared, “A lot of them. No, shut the fuck up and let me talk for once. I don’t have the patience for your fucking games, you don’t think I know that you were going to leave me hanging at the meeting? I figured that shit out in minutes. These bugs though, they’re everywhere. I can’t turn one fucking corner without running into one, sometimes literally. Fix this shit so I can go back to avoiding you.”

“Must be getting pretty damn annoying to draw you out Six,” Jay commented, cluing me in to what was going on. This was the missing prototype enforcer, Dopple’s sister. The one that ran away hundreds of years ago. The original rogue enforcer. Tzu had told me his theories about her and how big of a threat she might be.

“Damn right they are, at least I can hide from Four’s idiots and go about my fucking day,” Six snapped, ruining the conspiracy theory forming in my mind. So much for her being the cause of all of this infighting.

“I’m working on it, though I only learned about them yesterday,” Jay replied neutrally, as though fishing for a reaction.

“Then you’re just as incompetent as Four, they’ve been pestering me for over a week,” Six spat.

“So you got fed up and came crying to daddy? What happened to being independent?” Jay asked, pushing back.

“Both of you STOP!” I snapped, startling both Jay and Six, “Jay, I will sick Cat on you if you don’t give her a hug and tell her it’ll be alright, that is your daughter. Six, please relax, nobody is going to hurt you.”

“Don’t touch me,” Six stated simply when Jay numbly took a step forward, causing him to stop and look between the two of us in confusion. I sighed loudly and took the initiative in his place, jumping into the air and wrapping my forelegs around Six’s neck while my wings kept my upper half aloft.

“I promised you safety, please believe that I try my best to keep those promises,” I reassured the large enforcer quietly. I smiled when I felt Six’s arms wrap around my body, allowing me to fold my wings as she took my weight.

“Okay Luna, I’ll trust you. But not him, Father doesn’t get to touch me. I don’t want him knowing my name,” Six whispered quietly, confusing me for a moment until I realized that she must live as a normal pony. A pony with real friends that would be hurt by this revelation.

“I know you heard that Jay, now’s the time when you say you wouldn’t do that,” I chided when Jay remained silent.

“But he would.”

“But I would.”

“Fine, no physical contact between the two of you. Abby, that goes for you as well, don’t push Six,” I instructed.

“He-He actually listened to you? There are too many things I don’t know, starting with why that red one looks caught between killing and kissing me,” Six commented in shock.

“That’s Fang, he likes everyone I like. Don’t touch him either,” I replied.

“This is too weird, how do you have this much power? Father never listens to ponies, and he hates your sister,” Six wondered aloud, “I should be running by now, I should be hunted.”

“I have no idea,” Jay replied, though not quite honestly.

“I’m getting him to open up and be a bit more caring, soon he’ll be just as emotionally capable as a pony,” I explained.

“Him? You expect him to care? Sorry sister, he doesn’t have a heart to thaw,” Six chided.

“You seem to,” I countered.

“Of course I do, I’m defective. No control genes, no emotional distance, no logical basis for my thought patterns, I’m barely even capable of calling myself an enforcer. Shit, the only reason I’ve been dealing with the ‘lings at all is because they were getting too close to my home and I don’t want my ma-” Six replied before cutting herself off abruptly, having said too much.

“Your marefriend was in danger?” I guessed, getting a shallow nod in return. Six looked embarrassed and ashamed of herself for giving that bit of information away so carelessly, “I snapped at Gilda about that a while back, but apparently lesbianism isn’t as big a deal as it was in my time. It used to mean that you were too ugly to attract a male. You’ll get no judgement from me, I’m happy you’ve found… somepony… You can love?”

I leaned away from Six as the revelation hit me, bracing my hooves on her shoulders to look her in the eye for any sign of deception. This had been a constant effort with Jay, how could Six do it so easily?

“I told you I was barely an enforcer, I’ve had all of my emotions the entire time. I’ve felt the pain from the deaths of my brothers and sisters every day since their genetics failed and I fled, thinking Four would be chosen as the template while I’d be discarded as another failure,” Six confessed, getting a bark of laughter from Jay.

“That’s exactly what would’ve happened, and the irony is that you’re the perfect example of what they should be,” Jay replied, his dark humor doing little to ease the tension.

“I hope you’ll trust us enough to introduce your marefriend someday, but I know I’d be getting worried by now if I was her,” I advised as I spread my wings and prompted Six to let go of me so I could return to the floor.

“I trust you, just not him. I can’t be sure he won’t use her for his own ends,” Six allowed before jumping into the air and shifting into an orange pegasus with a white mane and few other defining features. She looked more like an oil painting of a pony than a real one, but it would do at a glance, “Don’t follow me.”

With her goodbyes said, Six didn’t wait for us to reply before she flew off towards Canterlot.

“Changeling issue needs more attention,” Jay noted.

“Shut up, I’m thinking,” I snapped, mentally drowning in my dissemination of Six’s words. She had a life partner, but they weren’t married. She trusted me with the knowledge of who they were, but didn’t want Jay to know. I couldn’t honor her wishes and meet her family at the same time, as Jay would be able to see it in my mind the next time he attached himself to the bioform in my head. This then lead to another revelation, I couldn’t keep any secrets. That sent a cold shiver down my spine, he’d given me an enhanced memory and some rough telepathy at the cost of my privacy. It made me wonder if it had been as spontaneous as the situation had made it appear.

“Luna, hello, it’s been three minutes and you haven’t blinked,” Jay pointed out, startling me as I returned to awareness and discovered him scant inches from my nose.

“Just thinking. Did you design the thing in my head for Lily? Or for me?” I asked, getting straight to the point.

“Both, they have to be tailored to the host,” Jay replied instantly, either not understanding or simply avoiding my real question.

“I’ll rephrase, did you build the bioform in my head to keep me from having any secrets?” I clarified.

“No, nor do I use it for that. I could also have you eaten alive and replaced by an enforcer, which would be much easier if all I wanted was your connections and secrets,” Jay argued, becoming defensive. He did raise a good point though, replacing me would be easier.

“Would you use it to find Six’s marefriend?” I pressed.

“I don’t know. I don’t need that name, Six is exactly where I want her already. If I wanted the name, it would be out of idle curiosity,” Jay placated. I fixed him with a suspicious glare for a few seconds before huffing and letting it drop.

“Why can’t we stick to a plan and relax for a day?” I wondered as I let myself topple over and roll onto my back.

“Because the universe hates us,” Jay replied as he tipped backwards and fell into a seated position.

“Wanna try again tomorrow?” I proposed.

“Yeah, I’ll make sure Tzu doesn’t pester me with shit all day,” Jay agreed.

“Fang, I want you to turn away anyone who comes to our door tomorrow,” I instructed, doing my part as well.

“So what now? Do we grab a stack and start figuring shit out for the war or call it early? Up to you,” Jay offered.

“I already called it, remember? I’m ready to just go to bed early,” I replied.

“It’s barely past noon,” Jay pointed out.

“Then we can take a nap,” I countered with an irritated ear flick.

I smiled as Jay hauled himself back to his feet and walked over to pick me up. Though it had felt weird for Fang to hold me like this, I felt much more comfortable in Jay’s grip. Despite my misgivings about Jay’s motivations and interactions with others, he was kind and gentle with me. Perhaps he just needed a but more of a push to show the rest of the world that side of himself.

“Well, you’ve got me alone, what’s your real plan?” Jay asked as he carried me inside.

“A nap,” I repeated with a smile, “Perhaps another one of those back massages to help me relax enough to sleep?”

“Someday I might say no to you,” Jay warned as his fingers bent against my back and kneaded into my skin.

“But not today,” I countered as I brought my hoof down to push his hand further down my back. I knew Jay could navigate these hallways blind, at least with Abaddon’s guidance, so I wasn’t worried when my wing wandered around his neck to help me make my intentions clear. When I finally pulled away to breathe, I found that Jay was making his thoughtful face, “I know it’s against the rules, but we have real cause to celebrate and it’ll keep Tzu and the others off our backs for a few minutes.”

Jay sprouted another arm and looked at the ring adorning it as he considered my words. I expected more reluctance, even turning away to pout in an effort to persuade him. I was surprised when I felt teeth touch my ear as Jay nibbled on me to get my attention.

“Really? You aren’t going to fight me on this?” I confirmed hopefully.

“Not today, I’ll admit that this little thing is getting to me too. Just one thing though… this is going to sound weird, can I feel your heartbeat?” Jay requested nervously, catching me off guard. I didn’t mind him watching my pulse, it was his tone that threw me for a loop. I’d never known Jay to be nervous aside from our first time in bed.

“Of course you can, you don’t need my permission for that,” I replied immediately, though this only heightened the look of anxiety on Jay’s features. It occurred to me that Jay didn’t usually show his feelings either, this must’ve been important to him.

“I meant at the source,” Jay corrected, making me freeze before he added, “Like when I shifted in my sleep last night, something about that made me believe everything would be okay. I don’t know, forget I said anything.”

“Jay,” I began before deciding that words wouldn’t be enough and using my magic to pull his ring bearing hand into my hooves. I smiled up at him as I held it against my chest with both of my forehooves, “I trust you, even if Six doesn’t. What I said before still stands, you don’t need my permission to touch what already belongs to you.”

“Now who’s being sappy?” Jay teased.

“I’m claiming ambient magic. Now shut up and touch my heart,” I snapped playfully, soon feeling the foreign flesh worming between my ribs. It was strange and uncomfortable, but it didn’t hurt and the sensation faded quickly. I was left with a slight shortness of breath, but nothing I couldn’t ignore when I compared it to the joy of finally being on equal terms with my husband. I could return some of the comfort I found in him, and it was getting better little by little.

I tossed my head to bring my mane onto my shoulder and hauled myself up to press Jay’s face into the hair, knowing exactly how much he enjoyed the scent. I felt lips touch my neck as Jay tried to reciprocate my affections and returned them in kind with kisses of my own, our actions getting increasingly urgent and clumsy until we finally fell through the door to our room.

Neither of us were cognizant enough to try for the bed, so we settled for rolling around on the floor as we took turns showing each other how much they were loved.

Slipping my glasses over my blood red eyes, I hit the play button on my Walkpony and bobbed my head as Tavi’s most recent recital filled my ears. Vinyl Scratch was finally going home.

“You get lost?” Tavi asked as I walked in and ditched my Walkpony. I was beyond words though, my mind could only comprehend one thing. One need. I spotted my target sitting at our dining room table with her usual companions, her ever present cello and a new book. Tavi squeaked adorably when she looked up from her book and was immediately greeted with a kiss that pushed us both onto the floor. Tavi batted at me after a few seconds, signaling that she was running out of oxygen. I released her lips and settled for her jawline as she made her thoughts known, “That bad, huh?”

“Yeah,” I replied simply between kisses to Tavi’s cheek.

“Vi, you can’t just drown your problems in sex, tell me what happened,” Tavi chastised as she pushed me off of her and sat up to look me in the eye. I cringed when she pulled my glasses off and set them aside, a sure sign that I’d scared her.

“There’s something here, in Canterlot, that’s starting to scare me. There are things out there Tavi, things that I haven’t seen since before we met,” I warned.

“We can move to Ponyville, we already have a house and furniture there. Jeff can deal with the changelings as they come, we’ll be safe there,” Tavi proposed, speaking quickly as panic overwhelmed her. I did my best to suppress my own fear as I saw it feeding Octavia’s, but the damage was done. Tavi was in full flight mode, her eyes were stuck to the horizon.

“Not that I’d argue this, but I’m not thrilled with the idea of being around Jeff all the time. I don’t think either of us could live with running away from this, not when our lives are here. We’d just have to come back for your performances anyway,” I responded, hating the words even as I spoke them. Walking all over the city had given me way too much time to think.

“Buck that, I’ll send a letter saying I’m sick with something contagious or just quit. Music isn’t worth your life Vi, it’s just noise,” Tavi insisted.

“You don’t believe that, you love playing your cello,” I argued, refusing to allow Octavia Melody to give up her passion. I balked when her hoof lashed out and snapped the neck of the instrument.

“No no no no no NO! It’s just a stupid piece of wood, a stupid piece of wood… stupid,” Tavi sobbed as she stomped on the remains until I pulled her away from the splintered cello. I’d never seen Octavia like this, I hated seeing her like this. All I could think to do was hold her close until she settled down enough for us to figure out what to do.

“Octavia?” I asked when my marefriend stopped heaving her sobs against my chest.

“I changed my mind, drowning our problems in sex sounds really good right now,” Tavi commented.

“I think we should stay, we should be safe if we stick together. We’re already inseparable, so I doubt anypony would notice. I’ll get you a new cello in the morning,” I stated gently, not daring to let go of Tavi for fear that she’d fade away. She was tangible as long as she was secure in my forelegs where nothing could ever hurt her, I couldn’t be as sure when I wasn’t holding her.

“Can you promise me that you’ll be safe?” Tavi asked shakily.

“I’ve survived ‘lings before, this can’t be that much different,” I responded with a shrug before leaning in and whispering, “Go for the wings, they break really easily.”

“Yes or no, Vinyl,” Tavi demanded.

“I’ll be fine, I’m scared for you,” I replied more clearly.

“I’m not, I know you’d burn every bridge we’ve built and tear them apart with your bare hooves to save me. That’s what worries me,” Tavi admitted.

“I would definitely try,” I agreed.

“We’ll do it your way then, at least for now. But I’m not budging on moving to Ponyville if things get too bad here,” Tavi relented.

“I can live with that,” I allowed with a nod, “I’ll get this mess cleaned up and start dinner.”

“I already cooked, yours is in the fridge,” Tavi replied as she rubbed the tears from her face and tried to fix where her mane had gotten messed up by my shoulder. I smiled and helped her smooth out her hair before retrieving her forgotten book, “Thanks Vi.”

“Sorry for making you lose your page,” I apologized as I walked to the closet to retrieve the broom and dustpan.

“It’s fine, not that good anyway. Velvet’s last one was better,” Tavi commented as she tossed the novel onto the table and wandered into the kitchen. She returned with my half frozen dinner just as I set about cleaning up the remains of the cello. I didn’t mind cold soup, but she pulled out one of our heating pads and reheated the meal anyway. It was hot and fit for a pony by the time I finished migrating the last splinters into the trash.

“Thanks Tavi,” I bid as I accepted the meal and tipped the bowl to my lips.

“I don’t care where we live or how many bits we have, we’ll survive as long as we’re together. As long as I have my Vi,” Tavi responded as she hugged me and nearly made me spill my soup. Out of everything I could’ve done with my life, all the places I’d been and people I’d met, Octavia was the only one that could warm my heart and stomach at the same time like that. I’d decided long ago that I’d follow her anywhere, be it to Canterlot or Ponyville or the depths of Tartarus. I couldn’t stand the thought of losing her, enough that I’d probably follow her into the next life when her time eventually came.

Author's Notes:

Not much to say for this chapter, ended up rewriting some parts but that only took a few minutes. The real delay in publishing this chapter was trying to come up with an Author's Note. As you can see, I gave up.