Waking suddenly, Gusty held her breath. She flashed her eyes around her room trying to find anything out of place. She often did that now. It helped calm her down, it put things into...perspective. She released the trapped air in her lungs, but did not relax. Slowly, she sat up finding that Bunker shifted to match her.

“Good morning.” He gently reached a hoof to touch her neck.

On instinct, Gusty jerked away. She instantly regretted it. Unable to bring herself to look at her husband, instead she looked to the floor. For a moment the only sound in the room was her rough breathing.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that,” she whispered.

“I know. You haven’t been yourself. I understand,” he assured her. Gusty, however, just felt like that he was lying. The logical part of her brain knew he wasn’t but her emotions and her fear ran rampant with theories and nonsense. Fighting off insanity, Gusty pushed herself out of the soft bed.

She could already feel a headache coming on, but elected to do her best to ignore it. As she and her husband moved into the kitchen of the apartment they remained silent. Gusty sighed almost every breath while they sat and ate a simple breakfast of oats. It was a solid thing, a tacit experience but in truth it helped her little.

“Maybe you should go lie back down. You look like you are having a terrible time,” Bunker suggested. It was a kind thought and one that got her to smile if but for a moment.

Do everything you can to try and take every day as a normal day. If you cannot, none of us can fault you. Luna’s words echoed in Gusty’s head from the night before, from every night since the events at the Market. The Princess was right. She needed to try the day, just like she had been. Shaking her head Gusty looked down at the last spoonful of oats, the many voices in her head trying to assert their dominance. She struggled to not be nauseated by the sensory overload.

“I’ll just be sure to come home early. What time is it?” Gusty redirected the conversation.

“Ehh..” Bunker turned and squinted at the wall clock that hung on the back wall of the kitchen. “About fifteen minutes after eight. You really think you can make court?”

“Better late than never.” She leaned across the table and kissed him.

He gave a short chuckle, teasingly brushing her off. “You go then. I’ll tag along after a bit. The Royal Court is not my...strong suit, I believe the saying goes.”

“And today it’s not mine either. See you soon.” Gusty nodded before standing to exit.

She had to get moving while her motivation lasted. It did not matter what she looked like, it did not matter how she felt beyond the urge to do what she could. That was the only thing she had and Gusty promised herself that she would cling to it no matter what.

Hallways passed her vision and ponies spoke to her. She had no idea if she even responded, just surviving the light of the sun coming through the stained glass of the halls was difficult. Hordes of sounds and voices plagued her, more real than the Palace, and to Gusty more real than herself. As she was about to have to turn back, overwhelmed by the insanity that she was plagued with when blessed, thankful reprieve came. That loudest of her inner demons commanded the others silent. Guardian Angel’s mental presence urged her forward for but a moment before the cacophony of tragedy in her ears resumed.

Gusty paused. There were ponies that were helping her. Not in the “supporting her emotionally” sense, but literally were capable of stopping what she was going through kind of help. The moment of realization perked her up immediately. In fact it spurred her to think of a good friend that she had yet to even thank. Zeccaran. She had not hassled him for some time and her gradually improving mood made her at least want to say hello.

Moving to turn around and take a detour, Gusty stopped in her tracks. Ahead of her she heard an all too familiar sigh of frustration. Smiling briefly, she moved towards the sarcastic remarks and indignation that signalled Zeccaran’s presence. She looked in the hall, with her newfound focus and found that she was about to the Declaration Hall. She had missed her turn toward the Throne Room entirely! Embarrassed but able to swallow the blush Gusty moved on towards her friend’s voice.

“No! You work for somepony I know it! Ponies just don’t disappear like that!” Zeccaran grumbled loudly.

Turning the corner at the end of the hall she found the zebra. With him was the thin purple drake that had accompanied Ember, he looked even paler and more uncomfortable than usual. A small thestral mare of a deep blue stood next to the dragon and was evidently the subject of Zeccaran’s ire. Finally, Pixie, who turned and noticed Gusty with a big smile and a wave was there too. The younger Stormwalker grimaced and eyed the zebra as if to say: “Help me with him, please.”

“Zeccaran, why are you bothering this mare?” Gusty said instantly jumping in.

“Bothering?! I’m trying to get to the bottom of a magical teleporting spy! I’m interrogating!” Her friend shouted. His face was manic like he had discovered some crazy truth.

“In the middle...of the hallway?” She put on the healthiest skepticism she could manage.

Her friend turned on his heels and glared at her. Zeccaran opened his mouth only to close it again with squinted eyes. Forming another scowl the zebra let his bravado die while he rubbed his face with a hoof.

“I’ll admit, it seems pretty insane.” He turned back to the thestral mare. “Sorry, I haven’t been getting much sleep recently.”

“It’s no trouble, Sir Zeccaran. And you’re right, I do work for somepony, Princess Luna, specifically. One of my duties is keeping an eye on you for your own safety.” The mare replied.

“Oh,” he replied sheepishly. Gusty got a good laugh out of it, Pixie joined in as well.

The moment was abruptly cut off by the purple drake releasing a loud blech. With his burp came a cloud of icy mist. He pounded his chest and groaned. Gusty grimaced as she actively watched him nearly turn more blue than his normal color. Whatever was wrong with him, she did not want to catch it. On reflex she took a step back.

“Sorry everyone...I really need to get...to the Princesses.” He hacked and coughed for a moment. “Her Royal Scaliness might reach through the Eternal Fire and kill me if I don't let her try immediate contact for much longer.”

Around the edges of his eyes bright flickers of orange flame flared up. On the edge of her hearing she could just make out a low, angry grumble of a dragon. It was not coming from the one in front of her, but instead as if it was emanating from the air itself. Instantly taken aback with righteous indignation, Gusty leaned into her emotions. This brief respite of regular functionality was not one she would waste. Whoever this drake was she had no intention of letting Ashijnir harm him.

“The Queen of Fire would not be so foolish as to shoot her own messenger.” She shook her head. The young drake before her winced as if to say he did not agree.

“Let her speak now. Ashijnir will not bring harm to you on my account,” Gusty ordered.

The purple fellow looked around at the small gathering. He twitched with obvious pain as his gaze settled on the small blue thestral that was with him. Silently a question was asked as they stared at one another before the mare spoke.

“Frostbite, it’s fine. Gusty is the High Margrave, remember? Plus, she knows the Queen. If it will help you stay alive, please do it,” the mare insisted.

Looking around between the ponies that watched him the drake shuddered. Frostbite must have had an amazing constitution to resist the will of the great green dragoness. More fire flashed over his scales and he wobbled where he stood.

“I don’t have much of a choice. Here-here she comes-agh!” He bleched.

His breath wisped together flame and ice. For a moment Gusty was concerned that the sticky blaze might hit Zeccaran. However, the strange blazing mixture of orange and blue stopped short of him. Deep within the strange writhing mass a pinprick of green slowly grew. After a moment the circular object came into clear focus. It was an eye. A deep emerald eye that Gusty recognized instantly as Ashijnir’s. Shocked, she watched as the strange fire magic of the matriarch of dragons expanded more and more, mixed with the icy breath of the aptly named Frostbite.

It stopped its growth once the eye was nearly as round as Gusty was tall. Once it reached that point, the deep seemingly bottomless pupil of the Ashijnir’s eye expanded then contracted into its classically curved slit with a sort of predatory grace. A deep groan that was similar to that of amusement came from the eye as it peered at Zeccaran.

“Mohhh-st curious. I was unaware that the Princesses kept a Zebra in their court.” The long tones of the Queen of Fire rumbled loudly through the halls of the Palace. Gusty hoped this was not supposed to be a meeting of secrets, Ashijnir certainly did not know how to whisper.

“No matter.” The dragon’s voice turned short and angry. “Zebra. Fetch me the alicorns. We have a matter to discuss most grave.”

“I-I Uhh…umm” Zeccaran stammered, his eyes locked on the single green orb.

“Make haste! I am not a dragon known for her patience!” She hissed angrily at the zebra. Gusty harrumphed behind him. “What was that? Who dares scoff at the Queen of Fire?!”

Evidently the magical sight could only extend a short distance. Meanwhile Zeccaran withered under the gaze of the great green dragon, looking anxiously between her eye and Gusty. Moving to take his place in Ashijnir’s gaze she pulled up her posture. Excitement danced waves of chills over her stomach, in a way she was nervous. It had been such a long time since she had spoken to the dragon Gusty was unsure how she would react.

The forces within her mind seemed to agree. Guardian Angel’s presence acutely focused on her and what was happening. If she was not misinterpreting his intentions, he had stopped whatever he was doing and was already on his way to this strange gathering. Likewise the Curse waited with wet jowls and a disturbingly delighted interest. The dark beast seemed to purr as it poured over memories she had of the Queen of Dragons. Gusty swallowed the lump in her throat doing her best to dispel the flashs of the past and the feeling of the creature inside her mind. Whatever the entity was planning, she healthily feared it. However, so long as it did not interrupt her exchange with Ashijnir everything would be fine.

She stopped her short journey directly next to Zeccaran. Her friend backed away as she fully extended her wings. In this moment it was to be only she and the dragon. Gusty fixed the green eye with as hard and disapproving glare as she could. A faint gasp echoed down the halls.

“C-can it be?” Ashijnir murmured. “No one would even know of your likeness..but...”

“I-is this a dream? I just-I just don’t believe it.” The great eye blinked repeatedly as if to try and see through the mare. Her exasperated voice shortened and softened as she mumbled indistinctly to herself.

Silence reigned as Gusty held her gaze. She did not need to say anything to the ancient dragon. If Ashijnir was still true to herself it would become clear that this was real. She was real. These days were real. All the world was in turmoil in no small part due to the dragons.

“Gusty Twilight. Tell me it is you. No. Tell me the truth: is this not the work of our enemies?” Ashijnir breathed hoarsely over her magic making her voice sound as if she spoke through a metal tube.

It had been some three millennia since she had last spoken to her scaly ward. Things were not the same as in the past, but for the briefest moments Gusty saw a glint of wonder and respect flicker in Ashijnir’s enormous eye. The sight made her smile a wide goofy grin. It had been far too long since she had shared the company of dragons and knowing that her companion was still herself made her giddy.

“It’s been a long time Big Mean Greenie,” Gusty winked devilishly.

“How dare you!” the dragon gasped in shock. “You promised me that you’d never call me that again! I was but a hatchling the last time anyone would have even…” Her voice trailed off.

“It truly is you! B-but how? We saw the Shadow-kin drag your body off...h-how did you survive?!” Ashijnir shrieked.

Around Gusty the rest of the party shifted uncomfortably as the shrill tones of the Queen of Fire rattled the stained glass at the end of the hall. Gusty gave a small chuckle at her friends before her smile dwindled down. As she opened her mouth to respond her words stopped in her throat. She could feel the Curse move about, it's dark influence ravenous and horrid. The air around her seemed to close in around her briefly and the hall was filled with a strange pinky-orange smoke. The moment passed and the fear and paranoia from breakfast returned as the world around her returned to normal.

“I..I’m still dealing with everything that happened...even now.” Gusty heard her voice almost as if it came from another pony. She shook her head determined to remain in control.

“I can see it...I can see that it-it cost you everything. My dear mother of alicorns...I regret with all my heart that I had thought you dead.” Ashijnir closed her eye. A great thrum of a heavy sigh thumped over the magic fire.

“You shouldn’t. Had you pursued me they would have killed you too. Just like...just like they did to the rest of my family.” Gusty’s voice was small as he sadly whispered out those terrible truths. She was happy that the Dragons, and particularly Ashijnir, had survived. It did not lower the burden of her kin’s demise, however.

“Speak not of such ills over this faux-semblance of conversation,” The Queen of Fire stated. “Come join me in my mountain-You must be the surprise the Princesses and my daughter spoke of! But why delay our reunion? Could it be that…”

“That was done upon my request.” Gusty cut Ashijnir off before the dragon had a chance to accuse anyone else of said plan, even though it was not exclusively her idea.

Something felt off about the great green lizard’s skepticism. She looked over at Pixie who only shrugged in response, her face neutral. As she spun back to face Ashijnir her suspicions only increased, Gusty spied a shocked maid hiding partially behind a statue further down the hall. It did not really matter who heard at this point anyway.

“I have been struggling with some of the scars of the past of late…” She spoke in response to the twinkle of confusion in the dragon’s eye. “I was afraid that speaking to you again would only make matters worse.”

“It seems that it has not,” replied Ashijnir a not-visible but evident smile creasing the lower lid of her eye.

“No. It has not. And as you request, I shall visit you at once. That way I may scold you for treating your messenger like some sort of traitor when he was desperately trying to fulfil your wishes. Yet your impatience…”

Ashijnir released the long rattling groan she always made when Gusty reprimanded her. The gathered group managed a nervous smile and a laugh while the alicorn held her stern, pursed lips at the eye.

“These have been trying times. You’ll have to forgive me. The Shadow-kin do not rest, my fair Matriarch. But, I shall try my best to retain the grace you once taught me.” The Dragon Queen paused. “I still had my doubts before but that little bit of scolding alone has me convinced you are indeed alive. How long will it take you to arrive?”

“I suspect a day..perhaps two at most.”

“Good. I eagerly await your arrival. I shall inform my dragons that Equestria is sending the most honored guest into our lands and call off our patrols. And Gusty...it’s wonderful to see you again. Please, be safe.”

The magic ended with a hiss and a whoosh. Frostbite collapsed forward, his jaw snapping shut with a click before Gusty sent her magic to catch his fall. The blue thestral mare slipped underneath the drake nodding for her to release the levitation.

“I’ll take him somewhere to rest and let the Princesses know what happened,” she said over the backdrop of Frostbite moaning in semi-consciousness.

Gusty nodded in agreement and watched as the odd couple departed. Pixie and Zeccaran stood next to one another, the zebra retaining the pensive look on his face. Gusty gave them a smile and a shrug only to be interrupted by the thumping of excited hooves. They were accented by a girlish squeal as Gusty tried to pivot to see the voice’s owner, catching only the blur of somepony dashing by. A deep, surprised grunt from Zeccaran pulled her head towards him.

“Good to see you, Big Z!” The maid from before declared. She nearly squeezed the life out of the zebra, his eyes bugging out from the hug.

Gusty raised her eyebrows in concern, looking between Pixie and the other two ponies in confusion. Her red-maned friend did the same, curling a lip up cantancously. Finally, the mare released Zeccaran and grinned wide at the group. Able to see her face, Gusty instantly recognized the curly pink mane and creme coat. They were darker than her daughter’s, but easy to remember.

“Chrysanthemum!?” Gusty balked in total shock. Never in her wildest dreams had she expected Guardian Angel to have spared the mare. She looked at Zeccaran and realized maybe that should not have been so surprising. Her resident stallion emitted at burst of grim amusement along their connection, he was still watching.

“Wait. Chrysanthemum is alive? And this pony is Chrysanthemum?!” Pixie put a hoof up to her head. Her face seemed to grow lines that did not belong there before vanishing away as if they had not even appeared for that moment at all.

Gusty just chuckled. It seemed somepony had a much softer heart than even she had realized. Bit of embarrassment made its way to her as well as a measure of intent. Guardian Angel was coming. A few butterflies later she returned her attention back to the ongoing conversation.

“Well of course I’m not interested in him now! It's been fourteen years! Sheesh. You Stormwalkers are all the same,” Chrysanthemum grumbled at Pixie.

“Interested in who?” Gusty asked hoping to have properly jump into the gossip.

“Zeccaran.” The ex-priestess rolled her eyes.

“Huh?” The alicorn looked up at the zebra to find Pixie had wrapped a wing around him. Balking as gears in turned, Gusty just stared open jawed until she realized the simple answer.

“Ohmygosh! You two are a couple!” She boomed. “I can’t believe it; my two best friends are dating!”

Practically tackling them, Gusty revelled in the dopamine hit the situation gave her. She was lost in the moment she gabbed rapidly, nearly shrieking with delight. To their credit, Zeccaran and Pixie politely put up with her antics. Gusty would never admit that their passive reaction only pushed her chatter more, but that was their problem, not hers.

“Well, at least it makes somepony happy,” Chrysanthemum interjected over her tirade. “Does his Lordship know of said scandalous arrangement?”

Gusty stopped her excessive squeezing of her friends to cast a wry look at the unicorn. The ex-priestess rolled her eyes once more, evidently not willing to indulge her attempt at humor. A tiny bit of speedy motion caught the alicorn’s eyes and she flicked her head to follow it and found the Lord of Cloudsdale waiting, gleaming in his full armor. He had slipped in as an addition to the sloppy circle of a gathering they had formed. The other ponies too focused on each other or themselves to notice.

“Why don’t you ask him yourself?” Gusty questioned slyly.

“Oh, I already know, don’t worry.” Guardian Angel took his cue, his tone purposely darkened.

Even Pixie yelped in surprise as his voice took over the idle murmurs of their conversation. Gusty could not help but smile at him. For a moment she wondered if he had intended to get a chuckle out her at their shock. Maybe. He was the sort of stallion that would have done the same even if she had not been there to witness it.

“My Lord!” Chrysanthemum immediately bowed. Her rocking mane revealed a familiar device, a magic limiter, locked on the base of her horn. Gusty gave Guardian Angel a sour grimace; she knew who had put that little bit of excessive security there. It was a discussion for another time, however.

“Don’t grovel. I don’t have time for it,” he commanded. The creme-colored mare stood quickly, her face nervous. Gusty pursed her lips and waited. It was his show for now.

“How long have you been standing there?” Zeccaran ventured to ask instead of letting the hall fall silent.

“Not too long. Just making sure everyone was paying attention. And before you ask...yes, I heard everything that transpired.” The zebra lowered his raised hoof in response to Guardian’s words.

The gathering remained silent afterwards. Down the hall Gusty could see a group of Royal Guard slowly approaching. Something about the glint in the big stallion’s eyes put her on edge. It was as if there was some form of an unspoken conflict was being waged and she could do nothing about it. The realization ruined her good mood in almost an instant. A fresh headache growing to meet the inconvenience, she grumbled under her breath as she rubbed her temples.

At every small issue you fall apart! Get it together, Gusty! She mocked herself in her mind.

“I’m surprised you let Chrysanthemum live, brother. I’m proud of you, but still-shocked.” Pixie broke the silence and gave her something to focus on besides her continually writhing mind.

“Oh, please.” He puffed a hard breath out of his mouth. “You know me better than that. She’s only alive because I figured she’d suffer more if I let her live.”

“Just as cold as always,” the younger Stormwalker commented.

Guardian Angel turned away from his sister. He momentarily caught Gusty’s eyes and in that instant she understood. He was lying to Pixie. It seemed there was some sort of competition going on between the two siblings. If she had been anypony else she would have never understood that look in Guardian’s eyes. Perhaps their connection helped, but even as she extended a small psychic query she could tell that he was going to keep that information hidden. The brief interaction made her wonder if there was something more diabolical going on: bigger than herself and the damage she could do. Gusty stood still, her mind running through scenarios, knowing she would never know the answer until one of the two Stormwalkers wanted to tell her. She simply hoped Guardian Angel would tell her as soon as he could. It upset her that he already showed his unwillingness to do just that.

“So…” Zeccaran broke the silence. “I guess I should go talk to Princess Luna? Making dreamwalk preparations to visit the Queen of Fire wasn’t scheduled until next week…”

“Wait an hour-and-a-half. She is taking a nap.” Guardian Angel returned to face Zeccaran.

The zebra nodded and scooted closer to Pixie. In a bid to keep the gathering from getting any more awkward, Chrysanthemum began a regular clop of her hooves. The maid made sure her motion was prevalent and loud as she tilted back and forth from her left set of legs to her right. The hall seemed to again close in around Gusty as the Royal Guard that were approaching continued to take their time.

“I must get going. My supervisor will probably get mad if a dally any longer,” Chrysanthemum mumbled. She turned around and started to trot off.

“It was good to see you again, Zeccaran. Have fun saving the world,” she said over her shoulder before picking up her pace and not looking back. Her striped friend only waved, his mouth partially open before he looked at the floor.

“We should go see Celestia, Gusty.” Guardian Angel did not move his eyes from Pixie as he spoke. This only served to make the alicorn more nervous. She scooted close to him and let her mind do the answering. However, something still stuck out to her.

“Didn’t that mare say she was going to tell the, Princesses?” She asked.

“I doubt Midnight Blossom is going to do that on my behalf,” he replied, eyes still locked with his sister’s.

Though it was almost imperceptible, Gusty noticed Pixie’s demeanor change. The younger Stormwalker was suddenly very worried, the veins along her jaw just slightly enlarged compared to before. It was a tell that only the most seasoned veteran of politics would have noticed. Whatever significance Guardian’s words held she could only guess at.

“Ctik oihl faggrywd, Cyctal,” the stallion hissed in the tongue of the Shadow-kin his pupils flashing into their true slender state. He turned his body towards the Throne Room, before pulling his gaze away from his sibling.

Pixie nodded solemnly. Her confidence shattered in that instant.

Even more puzzled and concerned than before Gusty cast a glance at Zeccaran who only looked mildly panicked, perhaps more confused. Unlike him she did not need a translator to tell her what Guardian Angel had demanded. Simply, he wanted Pixie to stop meddling. The idea that the younger Stormwalker might be causing international political troubles made Gusty’s skin crawl. It seemed that the family talents came in many forms.

“Come on, there is a lot to get ready before tomorrow.” He placed a wing on her side, pulling her out of her thoughts.

“See you guys later!” Gusty smiled back at her friends. “Don’t do anything weird in my head later, Zeccaran!”

“After everything you’ve put me through I probably should do something weird in there.” He rolled his eyes before looking up towards his girlfriend. Pixie managed to smile back at him as Gusty turned her eyes away and went along with Guardian Angel.

They moved along down the hall to the clop of their hooves and the soft jingle of the stallion’s mail beneath his plate. The Royal Guard that had been approaching them stopped and waited for them to reach them. The troupe moved apart to fit the two larger ponies within their midst. They followed them to the great hall that led to Celestia, stopping to fill the corridor. The marble walls and pillars felt imposing as Gusty gazed at the stained glass that lined the bright sun-filled expanse. Guardian Angel nodded to the group before motioning that the two of them should continue to the Throne Room.

Worry racked Gusty’s mind as they drew closer to the doors. She slowed her pace consciously attempting to find traces of the Curse within her mind. It had gone silent upon Guardian Angel’s entrance and that simply did not sit well with her.

Nearly panicking when she could not locate her quarry she, forced her mind to comply. Gusty pressed on deeper feeling through her memories and emotions. It was unthinkable that the beast inside her could keep itself from her. The absence of its constantly prickly and plotting presence only served to cause her more paranoia. If it did not want her to feel it, that meant trouble, big trouble.

The harsh smell of irony blood and pressurized air suddenly filled the hall. Her vision blurred, the passageway’s windows showing not bright morning sun through their glass but instead a deep ruddy orange and red. Pain, starting as a pinprick and growing to encompass her whole skull, made its presence known.

Sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong…….. …….........................................…...Mom?.......................
...........………our moment of truth comes…… ...-ways been your favorite past time…..…… … ……………
….......Starting to think……...................You’ll catch your death,........Mytsn……………...Do you think we should have children? ……………………......…………….hey, focus………............................................................................…..Hey!..................

The indistinct chorus exploded away with a boom that was only heard in Gusty’s ears. She shook her head still reeling from the experience of that false reality. Her eyes wandered to Guardian Angel who patiently waited. His face remained calm and attentive as he removed his helmet. Gusty turned her eyes away from him unable to look him in the face without his helm covering his features.

“That’s getting a lot more common these days isn’t it?” He questioned.

“More than I’d care to admit, but you already know that.” She kept her face pointed towards the walls.

“I had to make some assumptions. It’s not as simple a read as it used to be. The Curse keeps getting stronger and with the damage I did to our connection three weeks ago…” Guardian Angel’s voice went soft, gentle, and apologetic.

Gusty scoffed. She was not upset with him or even his actions. The blame and the pain that everypony felt was squarely her doing. Even if she did not have total control of her actions or mind, she refused to shirk the responsibility. The trouble was if there was a way to pull herself out of the dark pit she had fallen into so long ago she would have done it. Her friends kept tossing her ropes but they always seemed to break at the last second and she would fall further into the black abyss a little deeper each time.

“Don’t sound so sad about trying to move on with your life, flyboy.” Gusty invoked her pet name for the stallion with a mixture of comfort and contempt that was branded just for him. She welled up enough focus to meet his gaze.

“Maybe if you didn’t act so pouty when I stopped flirting with you I wouldn’t feel so much guilt,” He replied with a cocky grin.

They laughed at each other for a moment. It was a welcome reprieve for the alicorn. Gusty calmed down first, smiling at the demon-stallion and rolling her eyes. Once he recovered Guardian motioned for her to follow him the short distance to the Throne Room doors. The great gilded gateway stood silent and still, bereft of its usual guards. With the blob of ponies at the front of the hall exterior door guards did seem a bit overkill but it stuck out as odd to Gusty.

The stallion in front of her reached the portal rolling his still removed helm through his wings and over his back like it was a ball. He casually raised a hoof to knock before an urge struck her. With a bit of a leap she crossed to the space between him and the doors. He mildly flinched, blinking rapidly before seemingly realizing she had something to say.

“I’ve had time to think over what you said before...about the worst case scenario,” she said. Her heart pounded, it was controlling her words more than her mind was. It took her everything to not cascade into incomprehensible word vomit.

“You have?” Guardian Angel raised a brow. “That’s not something positive to be thinking about.”

“Well, no. But because I was thinking about it, I came to a conclusion. An important conclusion that I needed to explain to you,” Gusty replied.

The stallion gave her a nervous look. He held his tongue, however, and did not stop her from continuing.

“I need you to promise me that if it comes to that, you will follow through,” she looked him dead in the eyes.

“Gusty…” he whispered back.

“I was upset before. But after what happened last week I...I need you to make sure it can’t happen again.” She put her forehooves up on his armored shoulders. Vaguely an annoyed grumble seemed to echo from the depths of her mind. Gusty ignored it. She had her mind and heart herself for the moment, and with everything that was happening she might not get another chance to tell her Guardian Angel what she wanted.

“You’re the only pony I can entrust with this. Hell, you’re the only pony that even could. Just...just don’t hesitate. I’m not worth the world,” she confessed.

“I’m not much of a pony, sweetheart.” His gaze was cold and distant.

“You are to me. After everything that much is certain, Guardian Angel.” She pulled herself closer in to hug him.

The metal of his plate armor was icy against her fur and seemed to chill even more as he did not return the gesture. After a moment of painful nonreaction, Gusty felt tears start to form on the inside of her tightly closed eyes. With a soft motion he hefted a heavy hoof over her back and wrapped his neck against hers releasing a long sigh as he did.

“There are other promises I made to you that come before this one. But, should it come to pass that I can’t fulfill those promises…” He shifted, pulling her neck away from his chest so he could meet her eyes. Gusty forced her breathing steady as he did. “I swear it will be done. Quick. Merciless. Pitiless.”

“Did you have to add that last bit? Seems a bit much.” She leaned away from him, returning her hooves to the ground.

“I did. Had to make sure my answer was tailored to fit the mare who asked the question.” He managed a small sad smile.

Gusty started to complain, her mouth open and her brow furrowed in anger. She stopped as his expression turned into one of genuine happiness. Stomping a hoof in a pout she could not help but feel a bit cheerier than before. The moment reminded her of better times.

With a brisk motion that made her raise her eyebrows, Guardian pivoted and bucked open the Throne Room doors. A few surprised cries came from the stationed guards on the other side. They recovered quickly their magic grabbing the doors. Celestia sat staring at them from her Royal Seat confusion written on her face.

“Get going. You should get the diplomatic things planned with Tia while I work on logistics,” he said nonchalantly.

Gusty gave him a nod before moving around him leisurely. She locked her head looking at him purposely passing as close to him as possible. He matched her gaze until their noses were nearly touching when she caught a flicker of regret in his eyes.

“More to say, flyboy?” she teased quietly.

“Yeah. But, the words don’t hold a lot of meaning anymore,” he replied. His voice was difficult to understand, almost as if he was hurt.

“Well, what if what you have to say matters to me?” Gusty posed the simple question.

“That’s what I’m afraid of, sweetheart.” He turned away at last, putting his helmet back on.

Gusty stood there puzzled over what exactly he meant by that. She watched him briskly disappear down the main hall and around the crowd of Royal Guard. Turning around she looked up at Celestia only to receive pensive look. It was not going to be a normal day but at least it was keeping her mind occupied. Especially with Guardian Angel’s cryptic exit she needed to think about something different. Fortunately, Ashijnir was plenty to handle.

It had only taken ten minutes for Zeccaran to return to his lab with Pixie. However, the most recent five minutes seemed to have taken forever. His girlfriend sat on the opposite chair in the lounge without speaking for that entire duration. The silence had been overbearing since they had settled in and there was nothing he could think of that could have kept it at bay. Whatever her brother had told her in that language had her upset. With no other options, Zeccaran addressed the elephant in the room.

“Somethings wrong that I don’t understand. Tell me what it is?” He queried calmly.

Pixie huffed momentarily flicking her eyes up at him then back to the coffee table. She pulled all of her legs up on the chair and pitted her body against its inside corner, curling up like a filly. Zeccaran did not press the issue further. It was clear she did not want to talk about it. Unfortunately for the next hour and fifteen minutes had nowhere else to be other than with his girlfriend.

“There is a lot to explain and I don’t know where to start,” she mumbled after a time.

“What do you mean? Like I really don’t understand. I just know that all the sudden you stopped acting like yourself. You got...I apologize-strange, weird, nervous! Since when do you get nervous?” He was desperately trying to not sound like a jackass. Zeccaran suspected he was failing but there was not much he could about it.

“I know, I know. It’s just that...Look: there is a lot I haven’t told you.” Pixie took the criticism rather well.

“Like what?” he asked again.

“Like how I’m not the perfect pony researcher of your dreams...how I’m really similar to my brother not in body but in mind. Everything I’ve done, I’ve done with purpose. Even our relationship!” She seethed more to herself than to him.

Zeccaran only tilted his head. Nopony was perfect, but Pixie was certainly a close runner-up. Frankly, even if she was somehow manipulating him, he honestly did not care. He liked Pixie, hell he loved her; and he had told her that in earnest. There was more to this than that and he aimed to find out what.

“I guess I’m just not comprehending the issue. Of course waking up every day and not wanting to die is new to me too so...might have to cut me some slack. Besides, in my experience, this type of deflection is pretty typical of somepony that is trying to avoid talking about something. It’s something I do all the time,” he admonished. Honestly, he just wanted Pixie to open up about what her real problems were. No matter how many times they had argued she always seemed to just skirt away from her real issue.

“Wow. I guess I should have seen that coming.” His girlfriend’s tone shifted to dark, more serious notes. “Well. It’s impossible to hide from you anymore anyway. You’ve already come to suspect one of my agents anyway, and by sheer dumb luck to boot. I should just trust you.”

Zeccaran remained silent and raised a brow at the word agents. It had been pretty clear before, but now there was no doubt, Pixie was doing something devious.

“I played my cards too early. My brother figured it out, and now I have to go back to basics. Worse, I don’t even think he is even that concerned. The only thing he ever even thinks about is mares. It’s ridiculous!” She hissed.

“So there is something going on between you. Name it,” he demanded. The air got tense with his order. He had never directly challenged Pixie like this before. Unlike usual her emotions ran to her face and he could easily tell she was considering lying. Maybe it was just because he was finally paying her his full attention.

“There is a rivalry between my brother and I. A true rivalry: of ideology, of spies, of militaries, of spheres of influence,” Pixie finally explained.

A bit stunned Zeccaran stared at her. He had kind of suspected something like that. It was, after all, the nature of Shadow-kin to infight, but this seemed pretty extreme. It almost made him wonder if the Queen of Fire had been right all along that something truly sinister was being perpetuated by the siblings. He dismissed that thought a simple notion.

“I hate to say this, babe, but...I don’t really think that’s true,” he said while rubbing his mane.

“What?” Pixie just about jumped across the room and grabbed him by the throat with her contempt alone.

“Settle down.” Zeccaran gave his girlfriend an angry look.

“I meant about your brother,” he explained. “I don’t think he’s put that kind of thought into it. The only thing he cares about is stopping the world from imploding when Gusty finally loses it.”

“Bullshit. He’s countered my every move. Discovered my spies everytime I’m about to reach a critical point in my plan!” She shouted.

“Not going to be much of a secret if you keep yelling.” The zebra raised his brows both to scold and to condescend. “Listen:”

Pixie nodded her approval from him to continue.

“You’ve said it yourself before. Your brother and I are pretty similar in our line of thinking, right?” His girlfriend again nodded her head in response to his words, her lips drawn into a tight line.

“And the one thing that takes precedence over whatever argument you want to make about life, what or who’s right, it’s all pretty null and void compared to the literal end of the world. And I for one am only focused on trying to stop it. I know without a doubt Guardian Angel is too.” Zeccaran explained.

“Then all that’s happened have been coincidences? That seems fairly far fetched to me! Just now, he quoted Midnight Blossom’s name without having never, ever, seen or heard of her until that moment. He has to have some way of staying ahead of me if he did something like that. I guarantee he had no way of knowing who she was or even that she was lying.” Pixie stood and crossed the distance to him the look in her yellow eyes growing predatory. The bad kind of predatory.

“You know he can read minds, right?” he asked.

“N-no..certainly not...that...that’s REALLY not good if he can,” Pixie’s face turned a strange grey-white pallor that was rather sickening. Zecarran held his reservations about that in for a moment. He needed to make her understand how her brother was thinking. For a brief second he internally remarked on the irony of that thought.

“That’s not all that important. Let me just lay it out for you. If I was him, if I had this huge organization I could use to spy with, to further my goals with, the unlimited wealth, et cetera. I would be trying to use all of that to stop myself from having to kill Gusty Twilight. No matter what stood in my way. He’s just that simple of a guy. I know its weird but...it’s true.”

Pixie did not move for a moment. Her face seemed lost, her mind stuck on some unimaginable calculation of nihilism. After a long time of just staring at nothing, and making him supremely uncomfortable, his girlfriend looked down at him on the couch. She looked worried and flustered, very unlike herself.

“I think you are wrong. But at this point I can’t do anything about it. Might as well see where the current path leads before I do anything else.” Pixie let some her mane fall into her face as she spoke.

“I’m just glad I managed to talk you down. Whatever else you have going on, we need to talk about it too. But, I don’t have much time before I have to go get Luna. Whenever we have a spare moment again you have to tell me everything. Every detail, every plot, everything.” Zeccaran held her gaze with a furrowed brow.

“I promise. You deserve that much at least. I’m sorry for all the secrets.” She bent down into a hug, her face softening.

“I knew what I was getting into just as soon as I realized who you were. Don’t worry about it,” he mumbled into her mane.

“Love you too, you striped bum.”

And ever so quietly the room felt better. If only the feeling of relief had reached Zeccaran’s heart. Unfortunately, he did not have the time to fixate on the problems he and Pixie had. As he just said, the world was not going to save itself and lucky for him he was one of Guardian Angel’s assets in that quest to save their friend Gusty. Ha! Lucky. Not!

Next Chapter: Act 5: Chapter 5 - Nothing Ventured Nothing Gained Estimated time remaining: 4 Hours, 40 Minutes